Blog

Posted on

Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 Rovanperä Wins

The third and final day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä held on to take the event win.

SS13, Laraquete 1

Sebastien Ogier kicked off the final day with a stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 5.6 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to take the stage win. Elfyn Evans finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 9.2 seconds slower than Ogier and 4.2 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Esapekka Lappi was fourth fastest on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Lappi.

SS14, Bio Bio 1

Sebastien Ogier also took home the fastest time on the fourteenth stage of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. With a time 0.2 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to top the stage. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Ogier and 0.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Tänak. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.2 seconds slower than Evans.

SS15, Laraquete 2

Sebastien Ogier was also the fastest driver on SS15. With the Toyota driver setting a time 1.5 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to top the stage. Thierry Neuville finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Ogier and 0.7 seconds slower than Evans. Kalle Rovanperä was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Rovanperä.

SS16, Bio Bio 2 Wolf Powerstage

Sebastien Ogier also took home the stage win on the sixteenth stage of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 to complete a clean sweep of the day. Ogier would set a time 0.1 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to top the stage. Ott Tänak finished with the third fastest on the stage, 2.3 seconds slower than Ogier and 2.2 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville was fourth fastest on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Tänak. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Neuville.

Championship Rundown

Thierry Neuville continues to hold the championship lead after Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. However, Neuville would lose points to his Hyundai stablemate Ott Tänak. As Neuville now only holds a 29-point lead over the Estonian compared to the 34-point lead he had heading into the event. Sebastien Ogier remains third in the championship, now 41 points behind Neuville and 12 points behind Tänak. Elfyn Evans also remains in the same position, as he is still fourth, now 5 points behind Ogier. Adrien Fourmaux rounds out the top five in the championship, with the Frenchman sitting 21 points behind Evans.

Driver Quotes

Toyota

Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal

“This is a great result for our team. A perfect Sunday for the first time this season feels really good, especially after the devastating blows we felt on the final days of the past two events. Our drivers did a magnificent job today pushing until the end of the last stage. This result will boost the whole team and give them extra motivation for the two remaining events. Kalle and Elfyn both drove really well the whole weekend and either would have deserved to win the rally. Seb did really quick times on every stage he did and thanks to his speed and his fighting spirit today, we take away really important points for the manufacturers’ championship. Lastly, Sami did exactly what we were looking for this weekend, driving consistently and bringing the car home with a really mature performance, gaining more and more experience. So, all in all, it has been a really positive rally for us.”

Kalle Rovanperä – 1st Overall

“This win feels really good for us. It was a tough weekend and it always feels good when you’ve really had to fight for a victory. It wasn’t easy at any point with all of the weather and everything, but we did a good job. On Friday I wasn’t feeling so comfortable, but we made it through without any big mistakes and when conditions became difficult we could make some big gaps. It was important to push today as well and together with our team-mates we scored really important points for the manufacturers’ championship and we can be very happy with that. A big thanks to the team: the car was really strong this weekend.”

Elfyn Evans – 2nd Overall

“It’s been a good weekend more or less from the start to the end. We showed some good performance and it’s an amazing result for the team and I’m happy to be a part of that. The conditions didn’t go in our favour yesterday but Kalle did well with the strategy and has driven really well, so congratulations to him. Today we had more wet conditions and quite a bit of fog around too, but we managed to get through cleanly with no issues and still some decent speed. The result has really helped in the manufacturers’ championship and we just need to focus on continuing in the same way now until the end of the year.”

Sami Pajari – 6th Overall

“It’s really nice to reach the finish of this rally. Thank you to the team, because it has been such a pleasure to drive this great car again. Friday was quite promising for us and we could show some pace. Then there was a lot of learning on the following two days with tricky conditions but that’s part of the game. To get safely through the whole rally was the main plan, so we need to be happy with that and at least we could show good pace on some of the stages. Now I can’t wait for Central European Rally which will be another new challenge with a lot to learn.”

Sebastien Ogier – 36th Overall

“t’s nice to finish the weekend on a positive note and really help the team today to bring the manufacturers’ championship back alive. I still feel a bit disappointed with myself and the mistakes we made on the previous days which were very costly, because we had amazing speed and won most of the stages we finished. But that’s not enough in rallying: you need to put it all together and we didn’t do that this weekend. I had a lot of fun driving the car and I want to thank the team for all their efforts improving the car, as it’s never felt so good on gravel. We are going in the right direction and we will keep on pushing up to Rally Japan.”

Hyundai

Cyril Abiteboul- Team Principal

“This has been a very difficult rally for us, and a complete contrast to where we were at Acropolis Rally earlier this month. We didn’t have the package to win this weekend, and so we focused on the championship battles and avoiding the pitfalls we saw over the weekend. In that respect, it is mission accomplished, but we depart Chile with the gap we had built in the manufacturers’ standings now halved. It is imperative that we give our drivers a more competitive car for the last two tarmac rallies, where we hope to unleash the full potential of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid and rebuild our advantage. On a final note, I would like to extend my congratulations to Janne on a fantastic career in rallying, and wish him all the best in his ‘retirement’. He is a character like no other and he will be dearly missed by everyone in the team. ”

Ott Tänak – 3rd Overall

“It is difficult to take many positives form this weekend; we were a bit lucky that Ogier hit trouble on Friday but other than that, there was nothing we could do to take the fight to the Toyotas. We gave Rally Chile our maximum and scored everything we could. Now we go to two tarmac rallies and in normal circumstances our road position should be good for us. The fight for the manufacturers’ title is not over yet, but we need to work hard for it.”

Thierry Neuville – 4th Overall

“A tough weekend for us, made more challenging by the weather conditions. Since Saturday, things started to go a bit better for us in terms of set-up and the profile of the stages, which gave us a bit more confidence and a decent rhythm. There was no need to take big risks, we just managed our result. We tried to push a bit more in the Power Stage but we had fog for a couple of corners that cost us important seconds and a few points but at the end of the day, I’m happy with the outcome.”

Esapekka Lappi – Retired SS15

“This has not been our weekend. Today was much more challenging in terms of conditions with the overnight rain and low cloud affecting visibility. There was some light at the end of the tunnel but our task was to attack today and try to mix up the points, but we failed to do that. Finally, I need to thank Janne for 15 seasons together. We were both rookies when we started and we climbed up the hill to be professionals together, and now this journey comes to an end. I’m sure we still sit together in a rally car, but not professionally. He has been the loudest laugher of the team – you might not see him, but you

can hear him from very far away. We will miss his jokes and sense of humour.”

M-Sport

Richard Millener, Team Principal

“It is definitely a case of what could have been here, the one minute time penalty really hampered the overall result for Adrien, which was a huge shame. However, that’s rally sometimes and despite this disappointment we can still look back on another positive weekend. Two stage wins, another demonstration of the speed of the Puma from both Adrien and Gregoire, and solid results from them both in some really tricky conditions.”

“I am also happy for Grégoire and Louis that they have got a solid result after the last two tricky events.”

“For Mārtiņš and Renārs, I guess it wasn’t quite what they had hoped for. A small mistake with big consequences on Friday, and a tough last stage with no rear spoiler, but I think they still did a great job and got an insight into the experience that they need to learn to get to the top of the WRC – one of the key reasons to bring them here.”

Adrien Fourmaux, 5th overall

“First time here in Chile, and I really enjoyed the stages. The fans were great with us and cheered us on all the time. We enjoyed the rally; it was really a shame what happened on Friday with the issue with the alternator and the water pipe, but that’s part of the game.”

“We managed to get a top-five result so we can be pleased with that, now we go back to Tarmac to finish the season.”

Grégoire Munster, 7th overall,

“I’m happy with our Friday performance, we showed good pace and were competitive with the front guys. Saturday was a bit more difficult in the morning, they were new stages for us but we improved in the afternoon in tricky conditions. In the fog we managed to do a third-fastest time in SS11, which was really great for us.”

“Sunday was tricky again with the rain and fog but we managed to stay out of trouble and not make any mistakes throughout the weekend. The goal was to bring the car home, which was important for us after a good effort on Friday.”

Mārtiņš Sesks, 24th overall

“First of all I think it was really challenging to be here in Chile for the first time. Our first two Rally1 outings were quite smooth really from our side. But here we found many new challenges, and everyday was different. We caught a double puncture on Friday unfortunately, and since Saturday it was just about keeping it safe and learning as much as we can.”

“Some new experience for us, especially with losing the aero on Sunday. I think it’s better to have these challenges now, when we’re not really fighting for anything. It’s better to know how to cope with it now than in the future when there’s more at stake.”

Posted on

MotoGP: Martin Enjoys Faultless Win in Indonesia

Today’s race in Mandalika was tough for riders up and down the grid, with only 12 bikes finishing the race. However, the two riders at the front were able to control the field and keep their noses clean in an exceptional display of their abilities. 

After a difficult Saturday, Jorge Martin has enjoyed a perfect Sunday here in Mandalika. He started the race on pole, led every lap and controlled the whole race on his way to a brilliant win. He was untouchable with his nearest rival rarely able to get within a second of him.

On the cool-down lap and in parc ferme, he was celebrating as if he had won the title. After crashing during the sprint race, and crashing out of the lead of last year’s Indonesian GP, this was undoubtedly a display of relief from the Prima Pramac rider. This the first race win for Martin since Le Mans, and he will be keen to capitalise on this momentum as we now reach a crucial part of the season.

Image Credit: MotoGP on X

It was an equally fantastic day for rookie rider, Pedro Acosta, who came home in 2nd. He started the race in 3rd, claimed 2nd place on lap 3 and never looked back. As he crossed the line, he was instantly under investigation for a tyre pressure infringement. The team still celebrated in the park ferme and, two hours after the podium celebration, it was confirmed he would keep his 2nd place as no further action was needed.

Martin’s closest championship rival, Pecco Bagnaia, came home in 3rd. Whilst he wasn’t able to end the day ahead of Martin, he will still be pleased with this result. After a horrible start, with the bike bouncing off the grid and dropping him down to 6th, he eventually was able to find his rhythm and make his way back up to 3rd.

It was ultimately a race of attrition today with only 12 riders meeting the chequered flag.

This started on the first lap as Jack Miller hit the kerb on the inside, at the change of direction between turns 2 and 3. This sent his bike down and, as he slid across the track into the gravel, he took down with him Alex Marquez, Luca Marini and Aleix Espargaro. For Marquex and Espargaro, it was their fourth crash of the weekend – certainly a weekend to forget for them both.

It was also a retirement for yesterday’s podium-finisher, Marc Marquez, who wasn’t able to enjoy the same result today. On lap 12, his bike went “bang” and he pulled off the track with his Gresini machine on fire.

For several laps before this technical issue, Marquez had been enjoying a fantastic battle with VR46 rider, Fabio DiGiannantonio. The pair were dicing and fighting, overtaking each other on most corners in a brilliant but clean display of tough racing.

Enea Bastianini, who was setting a blistering pace and numerous fastest laps as he fought his way up into the podium positions, went down at turn 1 of lap 21. He ultimately overcooked it in the corner and the bike went down in the breaking zone.

Both Marquez and Bastianini were clearly disappointed as they made their way back to the garage. Could today’s difficult result be the end of their championship battle?

There were also DNF results for Fabio DiGiannantonio, who crashed out while under pressure from Marc Marquez at lap 9, Joan Mir, who crashed on lap 13, and Augusta Fernandez, who retired with a mechanical failure.

It was a more positive day for Franco Morbidelli and Marco Bezzecchi, who finished in 4th and 5t respectively. Both riders have had a tough season so far so will certainly enjoy today’s results and the battles they enjoyed along the way.

With action up and down the grid throughout the race, today’s race was a Mandalika classic!

TOP TEN

Image Credit: MotoGP on X

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1 Jorge Martin 366 points
2 Pecco Bagnaia 345 points
3 Enea Bastianini 291 points
4 Marc Marquez 288 points
5 Pedro Acosta 181 points

Feature Image Credit: Jorge Martin on X

Posted on

Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 Rovanperä Takes Lead After Day Two

The second day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä leads the event after the days six stages.

SS7, Pelun 1

Elfyn Evans kicked off the day with a stage win. As the Welshman set a time 0.9 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to top the stage. Kalle a Rovanperä finished third fastest on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Evans and 0.5 seconds slower than Ogier. Ott Tänak was fourth fastest on the stage, 2.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Tänak.

SS8, Lota 1 

Kalle Rovanperä set the fastest time on the eighth stage of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. As Rovanperä set a time 9.7 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 10.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä and one second slower than Evans. Adrien Fourmaux was fourth fastest on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Tänak. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux.

SS9, Maria Las Cruces 1

Elfyn Evans capped off the morning loop with his second stage win of the day. As Evans finished eight seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Ott Tänak was third fastest on the stage, 9.3 seconds slower than Evans and 1.3 seconds slower than Neuville. Kalle Rovanperä set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, two seconds slower than Rovanperä.

SS10, Pelun 2

Elfyn Evans took home his third stage win of the day on SS10. As the rally leader set a time 2.3 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to take his fourth stage win of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 3.3 seconds slower than Evans and one second slower than Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville was fourth fastest on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.9 seconds slower than Neuville.

SS11, Lota 2

Thierry Neuville took home his first stage win of the weekend on SS11. With a time five seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to top the stage. Grégoire Munster finished third fastest on the stage, 10.3 seconds slower than Neuville and 5.3 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Munster. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 7.9 seconds slower than Fourmaux.

SS12, Maria Las Cruces 2

Adrien Fourmaux capped off the second day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 with a stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 0.8 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 9.5 seconds slower than Fourmaux and 8.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Elfyn Evans was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.2 seconds slower than Evans.

Quotes

Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal

“I must say that we are really satisfied with our performance today. Kalle and Elfyn have been doing an amazing job and driving really well. The conditions have been very tough but they have both shown that if you manage it, you can make big time differences. We’re also really happy with how Sami has been performing. The most important thing for him is to get the experience, so he took it carefully in the fog because feeling the limits of the car is more difficult in such extreme conditions, and that is the right approach for him. It was disappointing for Seb that he had to stop this morning, but he will be back tomorrow and I know his motivation will be high because he’s been driving extremely fast so far this weekend.”

Kalle Rovanperä – 1st Overall

“Overall it’s been a positive day for us. The feeling was definitely better than yesterday. As I expected, the tyre wear was a big factor this morning and on the last stage it was a challenge to keep the pace until the end of the loop. Then we could gain something in the afternoon when the weather got a bit damper and trickier. I would say it was the foggiest conditions I’ve ever driven a rally car in, but we managed it well: we could keep it quite safe and still have good pace. There’s still a long day to go tomorrow and it will be important to secure this one-two for the team and also try to bring as many points as we can from the last day.”

Elfyn Evans – 2nd Overall

“I think we can be pretty pleased with our performance today. We had a good morning loop – maybe just a bit careful on the middle stage managing the tyres. The afternoon was tougher. It started off pretty well in the first stage of the loop but then we hit very bad fog on the second one, where we couldn’t even see the edge of the road. It was very difficult and we lost a lot of time there. We also fitted our soft tyres there and couldn’t really make use of them, whereas Kalle used his on the last one where it was wetter and did a great job to take advantage. That was a bit of a double whammy for us, but overall it’s been going well and we’ll try to carry on the same way tomorrow.”

Sami Pajari – 6th Overall

“Today the stages were more technical and something new for me to learn driving the Rally1 car. The conditions were also really tricky already in the last stage of the morning and especially this afternoon. In SS11 I was expecting some fog but I was surprised just how bad it was. I decided to just try and drive clever in those conditions, as it would be so easy to make a silly mistake because you can only see a few metres in front. Still we could enjoy some sections today: the first stage of the afternoon was really good and the last one was also going better even in damp conditions. The car has been really nice to drive the whole weekend and I’m sure we can have a good feeling again tomorrow.”

Sebastien Ogier – 39th Overall

“With the time we lost yesterday we had to push this morning and starting near the front we knew we would have to face tough conditions. We made a brave tyre choice and I think it was working well. Unfortunately, very close to the end of SS8, there was a rock in my line and we clipped it in the wrong moment when the front of the car was fully loaded under braking, and it damaged the suspension. It’s not what any of us wanted and it’s two rallies in a row where we had amazing speed and we didn’t convert it. It’s frustrating but we’ll be back tomorrow and I hope my team-mates can still bring a strong result for the team.”

Hyundai

François-Xavier Demaison – Hyundai Technical Director

“A difficult day for the crews out there, but at the end of the day we love rallying because of the extreme conditions. Thierry did exactly what he needed to do today to ensure a good start position for Sunday, so a great day for him with no mistakes. Ott made a small mistake this morning and then was not on the optimal tyre choice for this afternoon, but while we hoped for more he has provisionally scored good points for the manufacturers’ championship. Esapekka had an even more challenging day, losing his front bumper in the first few kilometres which made the car difficult to drive, and while he had an improved setup for the second loop his time penalty dropped his motivation and he saved his tyres for tomorrow. As a team we have to ensure we score as many points as possible, but it is a complicated situation: a mix of pushing to get the maximum, but not pushing too much to risk what we have achieved today. ”

Ott Tänak – 3rd Overall

“We had a good morning loop, despite losing the rear in the low grip conditions and spinning the car – thankfully, everything was fine and no harm done. Our times weren’t very close to the Toyotas today; yesterday was so messy it didn’t show, but today we could see we couldn’t get up to the speed where we needed to be. We expected the complete opposite conditions on those final stages, it was a really tough call. While the drivers’ championship might not be up to us anymore, the manufacturers’ fight is still tight so we definitely need to score as many points as possible tomorrow.

Thierry Neuville – 4th Overall

“I’m definitely pleased with today. We were able to close the gap to the podium as well which would have been an even better position overnight, but we didn’t force it too much in the last stage. Yesterday was very challenging and didn’t go well, but today we had a clear target of fourth that we achieved very quickly in the morning, so the afternoon was about protecting that. We can’t afford to make mistakes now. We have a better road position for tomorrow, so we need to make sure we benefit from some road cleaning and score as many points as we can.”

Esapekka Lappi – 8th Overall

“The car is back in once piece which is positive, but it was really not enjoyable out there. I was struggling for grip and I don’t understand why – we tried a lot of things but I just couldn’t make them work. It is a shame about our penalty; we had just put the soft tyres on so my motivation afterwards was to not destroy them to save them for tomorrow, so we drove slowly after that. There was also very heavy clouds on both the long stages and the visibility was pretty much non-existent, so I didn’t want to risk anything. We will try and pick ourselves up for tomorrow.”

Posted on

MotoGP: Bagnaia Brings Home Ducati 1-2 in Indonesian Sprint as Martin Crashes

The 2024 MotoGP World Championship is turning into a story of mistakes, not successes. It’s a title that won’t be won, but rather won’t be thrown away. Today, it was Jorge Martin’s turn to make a devastating mistake which he will look back on with frustration as we draw ever closer to the final race in Valencia. 

Image Credit: Enea Bastianini on X

It was a race of contrasts today for our two championship leaders, Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin. With a pole position, a brilliant start and a comfortable early lead, it should have been plain sailing for Martin from there on out. However, he seemingly pushed his tyres too hard too early and ended up crashing at turn 16 of the first lap.

This gifted the lead to his closest rival, Bagnaia, who kept his nose clean and spent the rest of the race with a fairly comfortable lead. It was a near-perfect performance from Bagnaia, despite the dusty, slippery track conditions and chaos happening behind him.

Joining him on the podium were two other championship contenders who have been able to pull closer to the battle at the front.

Enea Bastianini was able to bring home a brilliant Ducati 1-2. It was a strong race from him after stating in 5th but showing his speed as he fought his way up to 2nd.

Marc Marquez took the final podium spot, ending the sprint race in 3rd. He started the race in 12th after a crash in Q2. A classic Marqeuz-style first lap saw him leap up from 12th to 5th before turn 1, and the rest of the race was his to enjoy from there.

Martin failed to score points today – he rejoined the back of the grid after his crash but, despite a valiant battle and a number of aggressive moves, he ended the day in 10th. He looked visibly dejected as he met the chequered flag, undoubtedly considering what could have been today.

It was a much more positive day for Marco Bezzecchi who is back to his former self this weekend, after struggling so far this season. He started the race on the front row and ended the day in 4th – he would have been hoping for a podium finish but, on lap 7, he missed his breaking and almost hit the back of Bagnaia. This forced him out wide, on to the dirt, dusty part of the track and he dropped back from 2nd to 4th, where he spent the rest of the race.

Just behind Bezzecchi were Franco Morbidelli, Pedro Acosta, Maverick Vinales and Johann Zarco in 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th respectively. This group were in a huge battle for much of the race, jostling for position and enjoying overtakes on most laps of the race.

This group were also fighting with Fabio Quartararo who is enjoying a much more positive weekend for Yamaha this weekend. Whilst he qualified in 6th, he faded towards the end of the race after a lap 8 bump with Morbidelli which saw him drop down the field. The Frenchman ended the day in 12th.

TOP TEN

Image Credit: MotoGP on X

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Image Credit: MotoGP on X

Feature Image Credit: Marc Marquez on X

Posted on

Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 Evans Leads

The first day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans leads the event after the day’s six stages.

SS1, Pulperia 1

Sebastien Ogier kicked off the weekend with a stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 7.1 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, 8.7 seconds slower than Ogier and 1.6 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.3 seconds slower than Tänak. As a note the times of Evans, Fourmaux and Pajari were all assigned times after the day’s completion. As SS1 was cancelled shortly after Neuville started the stage due to spectator issues.

SS2, Rere 1

Elfyn Evans topped the second stage of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. With a time 2.3 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä. Sami Pajari finished third fastest on the stage, 2.9 seconds slower than Evans and 0.6 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Sebastien Ogier was fourth fastest on the stage, one second slower than Pajari. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Ogier.

SS3, San Rosendo 1

Kalle Rovanperä capped off the morning loop with his first stage win of the weekend. As Rovanperä set a time 0.1 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Grégoire Munster was third fastest on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä and one second faster than Evans. Adrien Fourmaux finished with the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Munster. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux.

SS4, Pulperia 2

Sebastien Ogier took home his second stage win of Rally Chile Bio Bio on SS4. With a time 5.9 seconds faster than Ott Tänak. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the stage, 10.5 seconds slower than Ogier and 4.6 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth-fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Evans. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.7 seconds slower than Fourmaux.

SS5, Rere 2

Sebastien Ogier also topped the fifth stage of the day. As the eight-time champion set a time 0.2 seconds faster than fellow countryman Adrien Fourmaux. Ott Tänak finished fourth fastest on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Ogier and 1.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Esapekka Lappi was fourth fastest on the stage, one second slower than Tänak. Grégoire Munster rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Lappi.

SS6, San Rosendo 2

Adrien Fourmaux capped off the first day of Rally Chile Bio Bio with his first stage win of the weekend. Fourmaux finished with a time 1.8 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to top the stage. Elfyn Evans was third fastest on the stage, 2.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux and 0.3 seconds slower than Ogier. Sami Pajari set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Evans. Kalle Rovanperä rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Pajari.

 

Driver Quotes

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal

“Overall it has been a good first day for the team. To be holding positions one, three and four is very good. Seb was the fastest today but unfortunately had to pay a high price for this one mistake. Elfyn drove some really good stages today and this was a very positive start for him after a tough couple of rallies. Kalle doesn’t feel so comfortable in conditions like this, when it’s a hard surface with loose gravel on top, but I believe tomorrow can be better for him. Lastly, Sami had a very consistent day and a good solid performance, which is exactly like we discussed with him before the rally.”

Elfyn Evans – 1st Overall

“The morning was quite short for us after the first stage was cancelled, but it was feeling generally pretty good in the car. The roads were narrow and cambered and quite fast but technical at the same time with a lot of crests and undulations. So they were fun to drive but the grip level was quite low which made it challenging. The afternoon was tougher for us: I maybe didn’t have the best feeling in the first couple of stages, but it was better in the long one to end the day. We’re still in a decent position and hopefully we can improve for tomorrow.”

Kalle Rovanperä – 3rd Overall

“I’m happy to reach the end of the day without losing too much time, considering that I didn’t really have the most comfortable feeling on these roads. The road base is really hard, so you get a bit of a line and some grip here and there, but it’s changing all the time and I have to change my driving a bit to suit this. To be only 10 seconds behind tonight is not so bad: we’re still in the fight and we’ll try to be better tomorrow. The stages are a bit different and there’s going to be new challenges with a lot of tyre management, but hopefully we can have a better feeling.”

Sami Pajari – 4th Overall

“It’s been a really good and clean day for us. The stages were nice to drive but the conditions were also quite tricky: the grip level was changing quite a lot and so was the width of the road, so it was not easy to have a perfect flow. Especially for me without much experience, it was not so easy to judge the speed. But I tried to stay calm and not rush too much and I think we managed to do a really solid job with consistent speed and to be this close to the front is really nice. I feel like I know many places where I can improve but the plan is just to carry on the same way tomorrow.”

Sebastien Ogier – 9th Overall

“It’s been a day of what could have been for us. Once again the speed was there, but this one mistake in the third stage this morning probably ruined our chances for a top result this weekend. It was a mistake in my pacenotes, with a corner that tightened more than I thought, and we hit the bank on the outside which gave us a puncture at the rear. Otherwise it has been fun in the car on these nice roads and this afternoon we tried to enjoy it. Tomorrow could be very tough for us running near the front of the road, but like always we will keep fighting.”

Hyundai Motorsport

François-Xavier Demaison – Hyundai Motorsport Technical Director

“We knew coming here was going to be very tricky for us, with fast and narrow roads that leave no room for mistakes, so we are very happy to be in the position we are today as we weren’t expecting to be leading. Ott found it difficult to find the right rhythm and setup this morning but in service we found a good compromise that enabled him to fight and finish Friday in first. We know the first day of gravel rallies are difficult and frustrating for Thierry opening the road, but he managed to climb the classification which will give him a better road position tomorrow. Esapekka struggled to come back after some time out of the car, but he showed better pace in the afternoon and we are confident he will also gain places tomorrow. As a team, we are staying focused on our target to score points as a priority. It’s still a long rally, but today has been a positive day for our team.”

Ott Tänak – 2nd Overall

“I’m definitely surprised to be leading the rally; all three of us were struggling this morning. It was extremely demanding and I couldn’t find any kind of feeling in the car. It was also quite difficult in the afternoon but both the grip and the car improved – I’m not really feeling as I should at the moment but we are taking the maximum out of it. We’ve been dialling the car after every stage to try and find a better direction, you definitely need a very goof car balance. Tomorrow the characteristic of the roads will be completely different, but we’re expecting more grip and with a much better road position, we should have a better day.”

Thierry Neuville – 6th Overall

“Being first on the road definitely added to a difficult day in general, but I think we were on the wrong setup as otherwise I cannot explain how I was struggling so much. The feeling wasn’t good, and we didn’t have any fun out there today. However, we are only 30 seconds off the lead and 20 seconds behind fourth and fifth, so our target tomorrow must be to chase those positions. With a bit more performance and speed, I honestly believe it should be possible. We will swap the dampers to another set which will give us more traction but less precision and reactivity, but I clearly had no traction today and I was struggling like hell.”

Esapekka Lappi – 7th Overall

“Quite difficult to find the confidence out there today. I think everyone is complaining about grip and how difficult the conditions are and it is no different to me. I also felt our setup was not really optimum for these kind of roads, but we found improvements for the second pass which was working better. Overall, a tricky morning when you’re missing the confidence to really push and you want to avoid a mistake. In the end, I don’t think our pace was too bad – without the tyre delamination we would have been about 20 seconds off the lead. It’s still a long rally to go, so let’s see what we can do.”

*Note the Hyundai post-day quotes were sent out prior to the COC decision to reallocate select SS1 times, hence why Tänak said he leads the event when in actuality he dropped to second after these changes*

Posted on

Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 Preview

The 2024 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. Find out everything you need to know below.

Championship Rundown

Thierry Neuville continues to lead the championship as he has done all season. Neuville sits 34 points ahead of his Hyundai teammate and two-time Rally Chile Bio Bio winner Ott Tänak. Sebastien Ogier is third in the championship after a final-stage retirement last time out in Greece. The eight-time world champion sits 38 points behind Neuville and 4 points behind Tänak. Elfyn Evans sits fourth in the championship, 14 points behind Ogier. Adrien Fourmaux rounds out the top five in the championship. With the Frenchman sitting 10 points behind Evans.

Neuville Can Win The Title This Weekend

Thierry Neuville can clinch his first world championship this weekend. However, it is quite unlikely. As the Belgian will need to score 27 more points than Tänak and 23 more than Ogier. Meaning both these drivers have to retire. Alongside that, Neuville would also have to finish 9 points ahead of Evans and lose less than 2 points to Fourmaux. Chances are Neuville will take home the title at the Central European Rally next month. However, as Ogier showed in Greece, anything can happen.

Pajari And Sesks Return

Both Sami Pajari and Martins Sesks will return to Rally1 action this weekend. Pajari is filling in for Takamoto Katsuta who has been given the weekend off the reset for the final two events of the season. While Sesks will once again pilot a hybrid-less M-Sport Puma. Don’t expect a lot out of either driver this weekend. Pajari is using this event to gain more experience for next season. While Sesks is trying to earn a drive for next season.

Itinerary

Friday

The first day of Rally Chile Bio Bio will see drivers contest 112.76 km across 6 stages. The longest of these stages is the 23.32 km San Rosendo stage which will serve as SS3 and SS6. The shortest stage is the 13.34 km Rere stage, which serves as SS2 and SS5. Drivers will have a little room for error, as there is a 30-minute midday service.

Saturday

Day two as per usual is the longest day of the event. As drivers will contest 139.20 km across 6 stages. The day’s longest stage is the 28.31 Maria Las Cruces stage, which serves as SS9 and SS12. The shortest stage is the 15.65 km Pelun stage, which serves as SS7 and SS10. There will once again be a 30-minute midday service so teams can repair any damage accumulated in the morning loop.

Sunday

Super Sunday will see drivers contest the final 54.80 km of the event across the final 4 stages. The longest of the days stages is the 18.62 Laraquete stage which serves as SS13 and SS15. The shortest stage is the Bio Bio stage which serves as SS14 and SS16, and the wolf powerstage. There is no midday service, nor tyre fitting zone for the drivers. As a result, drivers will have to be more watchful about the amount of damage the car takes and how they manage their tyres.

Driver Quotes

Hyundai Motorsport

Cyril Abiteaboul – Team Principal

“While we approach Rally Chile with both optimism and momentum, we are also going into the event with great caution. Greece was a fantastic display of what can be achieved with great team-work, but it is imperative we do not lose focus in the final events of the season. The Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid has demonstrated its robustness and reliability at other gravel rallies this season, so we want to end the final event on this surface strongly before our return to tarmac. Every point counts so we need to be at the spearhead of the classification by Saturday evening before we assess how much we need to push on Sunday. We want to protect the advantage we have in all three standings as a priority, but we still want to push for wins and podiums too.”

Thierry Neuville

“Rally Chile is similar to some of the other gravel events we have faced this season, but the stages can vary a lot. We were able to really enjoy the drive last year and finish on the podium to make our weekend even better. We need a lot of traction from the car, particularly with our road position, but it also needs to be resistant to bumpier sections because the risk of punctures in Chile is high. We are going to push through the weekend without trouble and score as many points as possible; our main target is to keep a good lead in the championship. The last three rounds are going to be about managing the gap and Chile is an important event for that. We need to come away with good points before going to the tarmac rounds where we know we can do well.”

 

Ott Tänak

“The last time we were in Chile, the roads were very abrasive, which was challenging for tyre management but not so hard on the car. At the same time, it was quite demanding for the drivers with a mix of fast and slow sections – similar to Finland. There is a bit of everything in this event, but it’s a driver’s rally – it’s all about performance. Experience is always good, but it’s difficult to take anything forward from our win last year in a new car with a new team. In Chile, the weather can be a tricky element, particularly as we have had a lot of difficult conditions. The car needs to be performing very well and needs to be giving us good confidence. We need to do our maximum and target a win there for sure.”

Esapekka Lappi

“I am feeling prepared for Chile, we did some testing in Finland prior to Acropolis so we have had some important seat time in the car fairly recently. The surface is quite unique: there is a lot of loose gravel, but it can also be abrasive when the road section begins to be cleaned. A good setup and perfect pace notes are crucial to fast times at this event. We need a lot of stability and traction from the car, and because of the crests, corners and banks, it can be hard to see where the road is going. We have seen very different weather conditions here in 2019 and 2023, so we rely even more than usual on the weather team because of the time of year. I am excited to be back in the car and I am hoping to bring a lot of points home for the team.”

 

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal

“The last two rallies have not gone our way in terms of our championship ambitions, but we will not give up the fight. We will keep pushing and focus on winning the last three rounds of the season and doing everything that we can to keep the pressure on. Our team is really motivated to do a good result in Chile and with Elfyn, Seb and Kalle we have a very strong driver line-up to fight for the win. The stages there are generally fast and flowing, which should suit our drivers and our car. The one thing we discovered last year is that the tyre wear can be quite high when it’s dry so we need to pay attention to that. For Sami, this is a chance to build on Finland where he did extremely well, and to see how he feels with the Rally1 car on different terrain and build up his experience. And if everything goes well, those roads could suit him well and we could see another strong performance.”

Sebastien Ogier

“Our challenge in Greece didn’t end in the way we were hoping and the gaps in both championships moved in the wrong direction, but we won’t give up and we’ll keep giving our best in these last three rounds of the season because things can still turn around. I didn’t go to Chile last year, but my memories from 2019 are of a nice event with stages that are enjoyable to drive, as well as a good atmosphere like we often have when we go to South America. So I’m happy to go back there. There will be a mix of some sections I know and some that will be new for me, but I’m never afraid of that challenge. Recently our pace has been pretty strong and we’ve been scoring higher than our rivals on average, and I hope we can carry that on.”

Elfyn Evans

“I really enjoy driving the roads in Chile and I’m looking forward to the event. There’s a bit of a mix in character from day to day: the first is a bit more technical with crests, quite similar to Finland in a way, and then the second is a bit more wide and open, even a little like Wales. It was quite a strong event for us last year in terms of pace at least. We just underestimated how abrasive it would be in the dry conditions, which cost us a chance to challenge for victory, so we need to keep that in mind depending on how the weather is when we get there. After a difficult couple of events for various reasons, we’re definitely looking for a more positive outcome at the end of the weekend.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“We’re going to try and do everything we can to help the team fight back in Chile. The roads there are fast and flowing like in Finland but the characteristics of the gravel and the road base is really different, so managing the tyre wear is the biggest thing, I would say. It was not the easiest event for us last year, but we had the speed at least and together with the team we have tried to learn from that so that we can have a clean weekend and be fighting for the podium places. We had really good pace in the last rallies that we did during the summer in Europe and hopefully we can have a good comfortable feeling from the start of the rally.”

Sami Pajari

“I’m really excited to get back in the Rally1 car in Chile. I hope it can be a really enjoyable event for me. I competed in Chile for the first time last year in WRC2 and the pace was quite good. The roads there are nice and a bit similar to some of the stages in Finland: mostly quite fast and flowing, with of course some specific challenges as well. I’m hoping I can have a similar weekend like in Finland – try to enjoy the driving and get better with every kilometre – and not feel any pressure in terms of the result. The main thing is just to get more experience in this car and all the seat time that I can.”

M-Sport Ford

Rich Millener – Team Principal

“I’m really excited to be heading back to South America for Rally Chile, especially since we are fielding three Rally1 cars there. I’m pleased to have Mārtiņš back with us in the non-hybrid Puma, his performances earlier this season have really made him stand out and I’m looking forward to seeing what he makes of this opportunity.

“Grégoire will benefit from last year’s experience here, and with more time in the car since then he should feel quite comfortable. Hopefully he can hunt for a good result next week after a tricky weekend in Greece.

“Adrien and Alex will be taking on this event for the first time but I strongly believe they are up to the task! They’ve proven their pace on gravel with four podiums on loose surfaces already this season, notably in Finland. I’m excited to see what they can do here.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“It’s going to be all new for me on this event, last year I was back in France commentating for Canal+! It’s nice to be competing in South America, and I’m excited to discover Chile and the rally itself. Looking at the videos it seems to be quite a fast and smooth rally in some stages, but also quite technical in places – it’s not rough like Greece.

“We still want to get our first win so we are going to try again on this final gravel rally of the season!”

Grégoire Munster

“I’m looking forward to Rally Chile as it was our first event with the Rally1 car last year. The surface is quite familiar with some loose gravel, but the tyre wear on the second day is incredibly high so you have that strategic aspect of the tyre choice that makes it very interesting. 

“It’s a fast rally, but there are still some very narrow roads up in the mountains, there’s a lot of variety in the stages so it’s quite a nice event.”

Martins Sesks

“Of course it will be a big challenge to go to South America and drive a Rally1 car in Chile for the first time. It will be a great adventure I think, something new again and we’re now trying to prepare for the rally. We’re watching the onboards and seeing similar things to some European rallies.

“It will be a bit harder for us driving the non-hybrid car, but again it’s an opportunity to show some pace without the hybrid, and if we succeed there it’s even better. Our experience from Poland and Latvia in understanding the car will help a lot. It will be a challenge but we’re looking forward to it!”

Posted on

MotoGP: The Beast Strikes In Misano

Image Credit: @Bestia23 on X

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) clearly reflected on his Sprint race performance and upped his game for Sunday’s main event. ‘The Beast’ Enea hunted down Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and simply wouldn’t let anyone else take the victory.

Was the winning overtake controversial? Yes! Of course it was, that said we have seen far worse moment’s in the heat of battle! It was a last lap battle for glory. It was hard racing and to some it crossed the line, but Bastianini took the chance and it paid off. Enea was rewarded for his relentless pursuit to win at his home Grand Prix in Misano.

Martin had given everything to win and I’m sure would have been far angrier had title rival Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) not crashed out of the race. With the world champion in the gravel from a comfortable 3rd, Martin now has a 24pts lead in the championship as we head to Indonesia next weekend.

Image Credit: MotoGP
Image Credit: MotoGP

AS IT HAPPENED

Martin made a great start off the line and took the lead into turn 1. It was short lived as Martin ran in too hot into turn 2 and Pecco went around the outside of Martin and retook the lead into turn 2.

Pecco looked strong on lap 1 with almost half a second gap to Martin at the end of the lap. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had a great start and gained 7 places on the 1st lap and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) gained 5 places.

Yellow flags waved in sector 1 as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed out at turn 4. Binder was ok and re-joined the race to later finish in last place. The crash left a Binder sized gap between the front 3 of Pecco, Martin & Bastianini to the chasing back behind lead by Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3).

Into lap 3 and Martin was late on the brakes into turn 4 but unable to get it stopped as Bagnaia retook the lead into turn 5. Bagnaia, Martin and Enea all within touching distance at this point in the early stages of the race.

In the opening stages Bagnaia was under immense pressure from the GP24’s behind him. Acosta in 4th looked to bridge the gap to the front 3 setting the fastest lap of the race. Into lap 4, through turn 6 and down the straight Martin went up the inside of Pecco and the move stuck for the Spaniard taking the lead of the race. Much to the dismay of the partisan Italian crowd.

Bagnaia seemed to have less grip and pace with Enea seemingly being held up behind his Ducati teammate. Martin already stretched out a gap to 6 tenths of a second as Enea finally got by Bagnaia. Acosta however was still pushing that KTM to the limit and nearly lost the rear through turn 13.

Quarter race distance completed and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team) was having his race of the season riding in 7th at this point on the factory Yamaha. Martin lead with Bastianini setting the quickest lap of the race.

 

Onto lap 10 and Acosta’s KTM couldn’t hang on any longer as Acosta went down in sector 4 at turn 15.

Bastianini continued the hunt of Martin out in the lead, as Bagnaia’s fortune turned for the better with blistering pace out of nowhere for the Bologna man. However, the world champ had an almost impossible task of closing the gap of 3 seconds to the leader.

All the hard work from Bagnaia came to nothing as Bagnaia went tumbling into the gravel on lap 21 of 27. Devastating for the championship and could possibly of handed a 29pts gap lead to Martin at this point.

Into the final few laps of the race and Bastianini was on the rear wheel of Martin. Bastianini planned his attack looking for any weakness in Martin as we headed to the conclusion of the race.

There was nothing between Martin and Bastianini as Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) cruised around in the final podium position in 3rd.

Into the last lap we went and Martin was still hitting every apex and not willing to give up the race win. Bastianini had other ideas though and forced his way through to take victory!

 

Race Classification 

Image credit: MotoGP
Image credit: MotoGP

 

Image Credit: MotoGP
Image Credit: MotoGP

Constructors Champions 2024
Image Credit: MotoGP

Posted on

Singapore GP: Norris takes crucial win in the heat

Image courtesy of Pirelli motorsports
MARINA BAY STREET CIRCUIT, SINGAPORE – SEPTEMBER 22: The McLaren trophy delegate, Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, and Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 3rd position, on the podium during the Singapore GP at Marina Bay Street Circuit on Sunday September 22, 2024 in Singapore, Singapore. (Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images)

Lando Norris reigned supreme in the sweltering heat of Singapore to take a crucial win in his bid for the championship. The McLaren driver had a couple of close moments with the barriers in Singapore but still won the race by over a 20 second margin, yet again showing the sheer dominance of the car over Redbull and Verstappen.

Max Verstappen did everything he could in the context of the championship by finishing 2nd and making sure that Norris does not cut too much into his championship lead. Oscar Piastri took the last podium spot after a damage control drive, which he did brilliantly to overcome the challenge of Mercedes.

 

It was a clean getaway from the line for race winner Norris after which, he was almost untouchable as he lead every lap from start to finish. He was agonizingly close to completing the grandslam but Daniel Ricciardo in team RB in what could have been his final race, stopped for fresh softs at the very end of the race and ended up with the fastest lap of the race. A 1st and 3rd for McLaren will however be very welcomed at Woking as the team seem to be swiftly moving towards a constructors championship.

Sergio Perez in the other Redbull had yet another underwhelming performance as he only managed a 10th place finish, picking up just the one point on offer. Redbull will start being nervous going to the 4 week break and the races following, as they have now lost all ground in constructors championship and with Norris slowly but surely making inroads into the championship lead for Verstappen.

Ferrari claimed to have a fast race car for the weekend but their race was pretty much undone following a disastrous qualifying on Saturday. Leclerc and Sainz started 9th and 10th and Sunday’s race was a damage limitation scenario. Leclerc drove a superb race to finish P5 after being involved in early battles with Alonso and Hulkenberg. He then overtook Hamilton to get promoted to P5 but could not clear George Russell when P4 was at stake with about 4 laps to go. Carlos Sainz finished P7 after falling backwards at the start of the race, after which a whole lot of improvement was not possible.

Mercedes started off the race with split strategies for their drivers, with Hamilton starting from P3 on soft tyres and Russell starting on mediums. It did not workout quite well for Hamilton as he was forced to pit early and was at a strategic disadvantage compared to the other drivers which put him on the backfoot for  most of the race and he only managed a P6 finish. Russell was able to fend off Leclerc towards the end of the race and finished a handy P4.

It was an excellent showing for Nico Hulkenberg in the Haas throughout the weekend and he finished a strong P9. While he picked up 2 crucial points, it was not a great race for his teammate Kevin Magnussen returning from his race ban. The Danish driver was not able to finish the race and had his fair share of problems throughout.  The youngest driver on the grid, Colapinto in the Williams had another strong race as a follow up to his points finish in Baku by finishing P11. His teammate Albon in the other Williams had to retire early on, on lap 15 owing to an overheated power unit.

It was a mixed showing for Aston Martin, with Alonso picking up points after a P8 finish but Lance Stroll could only manage a P14. Alpine had yet another weekend to forget, with Ocon finishing P13 and Gasly finishing P17. A similar weekend was on the cards for Stake F1 with Zhou at P15 and Bottas at P16.

An unusual 4-week break now presents itself before the last 6 races of the season, with the fight for the drivers and the constructors championships heating up. It is Austin up next, an interesting track that always keeps the fans guessing as to what might endure. Mclaren will look to carry forward their ever rising momentum while Redbull will look to throw everything at them to stop them in their tracks.

Posted on

MotoGP: Pecco Pounced to Victory!

Image Credit: @PeccoBagnaia on X

After an incredible performance in qualifying and back to full fitness. The world champion Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) pounced on title rival Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) after Martin ran wide and gifted victory to Bagnaia.

After today’s sprint race, The Martinator only has a 4pts advantage to the Bologna bullet as we head into tomorrow’s 27 lap Grand Prix. Can Martin get to the front and stop Pecco from taking glory in front of his partisan crowd? Can we see Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) take his performance to the next level and beat his title rivals like he did at Silverstone? 

When the conditions are clear and with plenty of grip, it’s clear to see the Ducati GP24s are another level to the rest of the field. A common sight of Pecco, Martin and Bastianini at the front some distance clear of the rest of the pack.

Winner last time out in Misano, Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing) stated he was happy with 4th place after the race and job done recognizing the GP24s have a pace that his Gresini Ducati GP23 simply can’t get near to. Marquez finished the race over 5 seconds behind the front 3.

A special mention to Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team) for riding the wheels off that Yamaha today. We no longer see the frustrated Fabio anymore, we see a more measured and ruthless Fabio proving that if given the bike, Fabio will deliver. Fabio is a world champion for a reason and Yamaha know it!

The level of effort that is going into the factory M1 is monumental. Yamaha now more determined than ever to fight their way back to the top. What they promised Fabio when he signed his new contract, they are clearly starting to deliver on. As soon as the new Yamaha V4 is on track, we can be sure Fabio will take the fight to Ducati. 

Image credit @Michelin_Sport on X
Image credit @Michelin_Sport on X

AS IT HAPPENED

Martin and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had the start of their dreams as Martin blasted into the lead from the off. Binder started from 4th on the grid and up into 2nd up the inside of Pecco into turn 1.

In the early stages, Binder dropped back through the pack and eventually finished in 6th place behind next season’s teammate and rookie of the year Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3).

It was very much game on for the 2 riders at the top of the championship, as Martin lead from the front and Pecco hunted down the Spaniard.

At the half race distance, Pecco got his reward for the pressure put onto Martin as Martin ran wide. A gift to Pecco and an opportunity he was never going to miss.

One mistake was all it took and Pecco Bagnaia with the roar of the Italian crowd crossed the line to take the sprint victory. If Pecco takes victory tomorrow, he will sit atop of the standings as we head to Indonesia next weekend.

There wasn’t much to mention from this sprint race and it wasn’t the most exciting to be honest. All of the overtaking was done within the first few laps and revealed the top 4 riders at the front. Fabio finished in the top 10 which was brilliant for Yamaha and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) battled his way to finish 13th after starting at the back of the grid.

Race Classification 

Image Credit: MotoGP
Image Credit: MotoGP

 

 

Posted on

Singapore Grand Prix Preview – F1 2024’s Pressing Questions Could Be Answered Under the Marina Bay Lights

Formula One rolls into Singapore ahead of its accidental break with more questions than answers in 2024.

Marina Bay’s bright lights proved a small ray of hope in 2023 during the most dominant season ever seen, but 2024’s edition could be even more engaging than Carlos Sainz’s interloping win last year.

For the first time since 2021 at least one of the championships is not a safe prediction, with McLaren taking the lead of the Constructors’ standings for the first time since a fortuitous double podium at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, after Oscar Piastri’s win and Lando Norris’ recovery to fourth at last week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Red Bull and Max Verstappen have been there to be shot at since May, and McLaren have time and again proven the sharpest of shooters since June, when Norris emerged as the closest driver to being a challenge to three-time World Champion.

Verstappen and Red Bull haven’t won since that month’s Spanish Grand Prix, something that would have been considered impossible as recently as April as the Dutchman breezed his way through F1’s opening rounds with six wins in seven races.

How times change.

Verstappen still has a lead to defend as F1 2024 approaches its final innings, but even a man as near to bulletproof as he has been in F1’s ground effect era is on something of a sticky wicket despite having a 59-point lead.

As recently as the British Grand Prix five races ago, that lead was 84 points, with Verstappen currently on a run of one podium in seven races.

This, therefore, is not a great time to arrive at the circuit they struggled on most last season. Indeed it was the only race Red Bull failed to win in 2023, but failure to avenge that defeat in 2024 would not generate any surprise given their struggles over high kerbs and a bumpy track surface.

McLaren clearly have the fastest car across a wide variety of circuits and are more than just the fast corner specialists they were a year ago and while Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull has improved since the summer break he still has yet to show that he can back Verstappen up in the same way that Oscar Piastri has been asked to back Norris up by McLaren.

Australia’s answer to Kimi Raikkonen’s “Iceman” persona has shown he has everything it takes to be an outright number 1, and has been the most prolific scorer in the last seven races.

Victory last time out in Baku, where he held off a charging Charles Leclerc after executing a brilliant move on the Monegasque driver, only underlines those credentials.

Piastri has said that he will follow team orders where necessary, but McLaren’s eyes on the Constructors prize first and foremost he will not be expected to sacrifice himself needlessly.

Red Bull need be wary of not just McLaren.

While the Papaya outfit are the strongest outfit, boosted by the FIA declaring their “mini DRS” rear wing legal after some minor controversy post-Baku, Ferrari and Mercedes can at the very least get in the way of the current World Champions.

Leclerc drove an almost faultless weekend in Baku last week, with Sainz also on course for a podium before his controversial race ending clash with Perez on the penultimate put both drivers into the wall.

Sainz’s win last year required expert management and Ferrari have in the past showed real strength at Marina Bay, while Lewis Hamilton’s 2018 pole lap for Mercedes is the stuff of legend.

The Silver Arrows have themselves been a little confused on car development in recent races following a summer renaissance, but George Russell was ahead of Verstappen on merit en route to a fortunate third place in Baku.

A “significant” Red Bull upgrade package is expected for the US Grand Prix at COTA in a month’s time.

This weekend will more than likely tell us exactly how much work they have to do to retain both Championships in 2024.

 

 

©2014-2024 ThePitCrewOnline