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  • Moto2 Assen: Dutch TT Preview

     

    A dominant display at the Catalan GP for Alex Marquez is now well and truly in the past as the paddock descend to Dutch soil, the beloved Assen TT circuit plays host to the eighth round of the championship.

    The championship standings heading into the Assen make for interesting reading, with Franco Morbidelli’s lead of seven points being the lowest margin from first to second at this stage of the season since the Moto2 machines were introduced to the championship in 2010.

    A disappointing display for the Italian in Spain as he crossed the line in sixth place, finishing a surprising 14 seconds off the lead and 10 seconds from the podium. Franco managed to climb on the podium at Assen in 2016, you have to think that would be the minimum target for him this weekend.

    The man in close company to the top spot and the only person to finish in the points at every round this season is intermediate class veteran Thomas Luthi. He came across the line third last time round to close the gap at the top as he keeps the pressure on. A non score round the TT circuit last year but can he keep his super consistent record going? You’d be a brave person to bet against him this weekend.

    The younger of the Marquez brothers clawed himself back into title contention with his magnificent display at his home race. Confidence will be sky high on one side of the Marc VDS garage as the inter-team battle seems to be hotting up nicely. A disappointing eighth place this time last year simply wouldn’t be good enough this time around as the number 21 and 73 keep an eye on a certain MotoGP seat that might soon be available.

    Other men to keep a close eye on are Miguel Olivera, who lies fourth in the championship and double podium man Mattia Pasini, who is in the form of his life after two stellar displays at Mugello and Catalunya.

    The 2015 Moto3 runner up has been super impressive on the brand new Moto2 KTM machine this season and after season of ups and downs in 2016, Olivera is right on track to sealing a very solid world championship standing position come the end of the year. His 15th place finish last season won’t be acceptable this time around.

    Pasini is on fire. That Mugello victory gave the Italian a new lease of life and it is great to see. His 19th at Assen in 2016 will be completely forgotten about and there’s no reason why he couldn’t replicate his 125cc win at this circuit in 2007.

    Other riders to watch out for? Japanese hopeful Takaaki Nakagami picked up his first Moto2 career win here last year as he, Marquez, Morbidelli and Dominique Aegerter are the only riders currently on the grid to have stood on the Moto2 podium at this track.

    Francesco Bagnaia penned a new deal to stay on with the Sky Racing VR46 Moto2 squad for 2018 earlier this week after his good start to the season, the Italian will be wanting to mix it with the top boys for the rest of the season.

    Jorge Navarro earned his best finish of the season last time out, crossing the line seventh. He missed the Assen round last year with a leg injury so he’ll be looking to get a solid free practice under his belt as he readjusts himself into the famous Assen layout.

    Taz Mackenzie finally gets to have a go on a track he’s raced on before, a positive start to the weekend for the youngster who will have put Barcelona’s crash firmly to the back of his mind. The reigning British Supersport champion keeps on getting stronger as he settles into life as a grand prix racer. Any Brits heading to Assen, make sure you get behind one of our country’s brightest motorcycle racing talents.

    Assen always treats us to a phenomenal weekend and I’m sure this year won’t be any different. Don’t forget too, this year the race will be held to on Sunday, going against traditions (rightly or wrongly).

    Elliott York @journoyork

  • Azerbaijan a chance for Ferrari to atone for Canada

    at Formula One World Championship, Rd7, Canadian Grand Prix, Qualifying, Montreal, Canada, Saturday 10 June 2017. Image courtesy of Pirelli Media

     

    Canada was not a race that went to plan for Ferrari but in Azerbaijan the Prancing Horse have a chance to right the Montreal wrongs.

    Sebastian Vettel had an eventful drive to fourth after losing bodywork and damaging his floor, passing both the Force India drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon to provide spice to the race.

    He did lose 13 points to title rival Lewis Hamilton, who won for the sixth time at the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve.

    Kimi Raikkonen was beaten up in the early stages of the race and fell to fifth, where he stayed for most of the race.

    A decision to pit followed by braking issues meant he would limp home to seventh on a rare disappointing day for Ferrari.

    Azerbaijan represents an opportunity for redemption for both men, as albeit in different cars the team showed solid form around the streets of Baku.

    Sebastian Vettel finished a lonely second in the only other staging of the European Grand Prix to take place on the Caspian Coast, while Raikkonen was fourth after eventually losing out to Perez.

    Fourth last time out is Vettel’s worst finish of the season and the only time the four-time champion has been off the podium in 2017.

    By contrast bad luck and sometimes less pace has meant that Raikkonen remains winless since the Australian Grand Prix of 2013.

    But we have seen shades of the old Kimi in recent times.

    Pole position in Monaco suggests there is still some life left in the Iceman yet.

    Ferrari remain confident that he can back up Vettel’s push for a fifth World Drivers’ Championship. And that starts with regaining form this weekend.

    Jack Prentice

  • Extance: There Will Be Some Fireworks in the Garage

     

    Pete Extance says ‘there will be some fireworks in the garage’ at the end of the year, as he anticipates a showdown between his riders Luke Mossey and Leon Haslam. In this exclusive interview, Pete talks about the rivalry between the two riders, whether or not he’d employ team orders and also who he sees taking his JGSpeedfit Bournemouth Kawasaki brand to the championship in 2017. This interview gives an insight into what might occur towards the end of the season and if what Pete says is anything to go by, then we are in for some hard, and possibly even controversial, racing at times! Team Owner Extance also discusses his future plans, his season so far and what off-track aspects contribute to running one of the biggest and well branded teams in the Superbike paddock.

    How would you sum up your season so far?

    It’s been phenomenally well to be honest with you. We couldn’t have had a better start to the year with five wins from six races. Then, we had a bit of a disaster situation, which was no fault of the team’s or Leon’s. That has sort of set us back a little bit. Leon moved to WSBK and did a great job for Pucetti and we moved to the NW200 and Isle of Man TT where James Hillier got podiums at both. It wasn’t our best TT but two fourth places and a second, with James and the team back safe is really important to us. We’ve come straight from the TT to Knockhill so it’s been a really long trip, I’ve been away for over three weeks now and I’m looking forward to getting back home. Having said that, we are sat here on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Scotland at Knockhill and Luke has had a 2nd and a 4th. Big congratulations to Jake Dixon. Luke now leads the series from his teammate Leon Haslam who is unfortunately at home, following a crash from FP1. Leon is strong and is back testing on the 27th of June; he’s got no lasting damage which is great firstly for him and also for the team. This will only fire him up even more, ready for Snetterton. He won’t want to remain number two for very long.

    How does running a factory team compare to running the more satellite team you had last season?

    In fairness, it’s more or less exactly the same. We get a great amount of assistance from Kawasaki. Everyone knows Leon has got a great connection with the factory; he’s got a different swingarm but Luke hasn’t, as he’s running the exact same as last year. How beneficial that will be when track temperature goes up later in the summer and tyre wear comes into it, we don’t know yet. It’s a great privilege for me as a Kawasaki dealer, who’s been racing a long time, to be the official team and get some general support. We don’t really get ‘Factory’ support, KRT in WSBK are the ‘Factory’ team, we are the officially backed BSB team.

    Last year you ran Supersport with Andy Reid but not this year – why?

    The contract with Kawasaki specifically states that we are only allowed to run two bikes in the British Superbike paddock and that we have to focus on winning the British Superbike title this year. It stated that we weren’t allowed to run in the Supersport or Superstock 1000s, with just the roads. We were allowed to run the TT with a bit of race testing.

    How come Andy Reid and Filip Backlund have not featured in Bournemouth Kawasaki plans this year?

    I felt Filip was at the point where he wasn’t going to ride and, as you documented, he had a lot of crashes last year and wasn’t really on the pace, so I had to look elsewhere. I had already signed Luke well before Kawasaki approached us to run the factory team. Luke was running with us whatever happened and then began the bunfight over the Assen weekend. The riders had heard that Mark (Smith Halvorsn) was leaving, ‘can I come with you, can I come with you’ was all I heard over the weekend! We kind of agreed already with a certain rider that we would sign them, however I then got a phone call at half seven on the Monday morning from Ross Burridge at Kawasaki and thought ‘what the hell going off at half seven in the morning?’ and he approached us to say, “can you run Leon for 2017” to which we agreed.

    What goes on behind the scenes at Bournemouth Kawasaki with regards to hospitality etc?

    We have a legion of fans. We have 120 guests per round. A mixture of JGSpeedfit and our other sponsors. The guests have enjoyed a lovely roast lunch and dessert, absolutely rammed in here every single week and we have rider talks all the time. We are looking to do some more Q&As with the kids like at Donington Park last season. We are doing a milk and cookies morning with the parents and kids and just trying to bring families in. We have a lovely big ‘selfie board’ – as I’m calling it – with a picture of Luke and Leon on the bike and the little minibike in the middle. It’s great to see families in the paddock and not just crowds of blokes and if the families go away with a Luke Mossey cap on and a flag that they’re waving then they’re happy. We don’t do posters anymore, we do lanyards because they have all the riders details on them and hopefully, it’s a bit more of a memento than a poster that you see half a mile down the road when we’re driving away from the circuit.

    Given Leon’s successful wildcard, do you see WSBK as an option in the foreseeable future?

    Not for Bournemouth Kawasaki. We have a lot to prove in this paddock yet and we have come a long, long way in the last seven or eight years. I think before we start running at World Superbikes, we need to be British Champions. If it is this year, then it’d be great to come back and defend the series. For the riders, I think I know where we are with one rider but not necessarily where we are with the other. Luke is very keen to stay with us and we are looking to get that signed early to get it tied up ASAP. However, on the other side of the garage, Leon is actually contracted to Kawasaki UK so we will leave that seat open right up until the 11th hour until we, he or Kawasaki need to make a decision so we don’t miss out on other riders. I genuinely can’t believe at Knockhill – and before you ask, I’m not telling you who they are – but we have had three top riders approach us following rumours speculating Leon’s return to WSBK. I find it amazing that we’re not halfway through the championship and already silly season has kicked in.

    That said, you don’t need the added stress of what is already an enormous operation you have to oversee do you?

    Not yet. I tend to do a little bit more with the hospitality side of things. I love getting the microphone and presenting and doing a bit of the television stuff. I don’t tend to do too much with the riders, Jack Valentine probably does a little bit more with the riders although for now, they manage themselves quite well. We’ve also got some full time technicians that look after the bike so in fairness, it’s not that much more stressful than previous years gone by. The only thing that is different is that this season, we are bigger and better and have some high expectations so we have to deliver, to get results back to our sponsors and our guests, maybe a little bit more than other teams do.

    Would it be fair to say that this is the first time you have had both riders wanting to win the championship?

    100%. We as a team haven’t been very well financially supported in the past and we’ve had to fund a lot of the Bournemouth Kawasaki into the team. What that has done is meant that we can have one reasonably good, top quality rider and we started with Chris Walker and Dan Linfoot and gone through that, but the 2nd rider has had to bring their own money to the table. Whilst that kept us on track it unfortunately means that you get a rider who isn’t going to win the championship or be in the showdown and help support a title challenge. Now, we are in a position with two fully paid, full time professionals and that makes a massive difference.

    Did you expect Luke to be this strong?

    Luke’s had a podium at every round; we felt he has really matured this year as a rider. I’m not sure that even in my wildest dreams that I would’ve put him as leading the BSB championship after four rounds of the championship. That’s great for Luke. This is not a negative for Luke but one thing that has been good for him is that we’ve gone four rounds without rain. Luke is the first to admit that whilst he is improving in the rain all the time, it’s harder for him to be pushing for 1st, 2nd or 3rd. A podium every round, no rain has helped and we’re heading towards mid-June and into July and we should be able to run through most of the season without rain. However, then we have the showdown in Autumn. If there was a stumbling block for Luke then it’d probably be the rain but lets hope it all stays dry.

    Has Leon been surprised of Luke Mossey’s pace?

    Erm, I think Leon knew Luke was fast. I think certainly that if he didn’t know about it before then he knew about it after testing in Cartagena, because there, he definitely knew about it! I think perhaps Leon is more surprised with how Luke has strung the results together and stuck to him in most races. His consistency has been absolutely exceptional. Leon won’t be worrying about that – his job for this year is to win the British Superbike Championship and if Luke runs him hard then fair play to Luke but if Luke wins, Leon will be extremely upset. I think he’ll be pleased for Luke but I think he will be very upset. As we all know, Leon has never won a British Superbike Championship and that’s what he desperately wants to do. If we asked Kawasaki at the start of the year what the result would be out of both the riders, after all the effort and finances they’ve put into Leon, they’d probably say it would swing more his way. However, it’s not over yet, we’re only four rounds in, lets get the boys in the showdown and let battle commence!

    Is there going to be a rivalry between Luke and Leon?

    I think there’s definitely going to be a rivalry! I think at the beginning of the season, Luke wasn’t happy with being called the number two rider by some people – it’s not something I have ever done myself. We have always called them on an equal. Leon has to be looking not only at Shane Byrne and the others but also his teammate. We will get to round nine pretty quickly now seeing as the races are pretty much every other weekend. For sure, I certainly think that both bikes will be in the showdown and that there will be fireworks in the garage.

    Could it lead to an off-track fallout?

    No, I don’t think so, if anything the two riders get on better than the two crews, so I think the riders are fine, we just have to try and keep a lid on the two crews. Expectations run high in the garage and the two lads are ultimate professionals. On track, they’ll probably look after each other until the last round of the championship if they’re battling for it and then it is open to any of them.

    Would you use team orders as a tactic in the final round?

    Wow, thats a very good question. It’s a question that actually, I can’t believe as a team owner that I may be asked. However, that may well be the situation. If there’s a situation where Leon can win the championship and we need Luke 2nd and Leon to win then I think we have to look to team orders. There’s a lot of investment and hard work and graft that goes into this and whilst any rider is not happy with team orders, at that point, it has to come. It’s not something that I’m overly happy about but I think I would get my butt kicked if Kawasaki said ‘why didn’t one of your riders yield?’

    Which one of your two riders do you see team orders helping and hindering and who do you see as the rider taking your Bournemouth Kawasaki brand to the title in 2017?

    Now that is a very difficult question – goodness me. That really is a tricky one. No one can write Luke Mossey off and no one can right Leon Haslam off. I really do think that bookmakers wise, between our team and Shakey, it will be your top three in some order. What route it goes, with two green ones first and second and a red one third or a red one first and the green ones behind we will wait and see. I know which way I’d prefer that, I’m just not sure with which green one! Luke’s only downfall may be that we get to Assen and Silverstone and we get a wet race but I love them both.

    Image courtesy of Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photography. You can find them on Twitter and on Facebook. We would also like to thank Pete Extance for his time on what was a very busy Sunday at Knockhill.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Brookes and Guintoli to make Suzuka 8 Hour Bow for Yoshimura Suzuki

    Josh Brookes will return to the Suzuka 8 Hour race at the end of July this season, riding a brand new Yoshimura Suzuki alongside Suzuki test rider Takuya Tsuda and fellow British Superbike returnee, Sylvain Guintoli. The star-studded line up comprises of riders who have all had world championship experience in the last two seasons.

    Josh Brookes comes off the back of an incredibly successful Isle of Man TT, where he achieved a personal best of 6th place in the Senior TT, also becoming Norton’s fastest ever rider around the 37 mile Mountain Course. Brookes rides for the Anvil Hire Tag Racing Yamaha Team in the British Superbike championship, where he currently sits in 4th place. The BSB championship returns this weekend at Knockhill.

    The Australian competed in the event last year, finishing 3rd with teammates Tsuda and Noriyuki Haga, who has been dropped for 2017. The event will highlight Brookes as one of the most versatile riders in racing, having successfully competed on a range of manufacturers already this year, such as Norton (TT) Supersport 600 (TT) and Yamaha Superbike (BSB).

    Sylvain Guintoli is set to make his Suzuka 8 Hour debut alongside Brookes. Guintoli flew out to Malaysia to test the Endurance configuration for 3 days in January, in preparation for the event.

    The Frenchman has had three races over in MotoGP, riding the Factory Suzuki in place of injured rookie Alex Rins. Having had a difficult start to his British Superbike season on the new Suzuki, he will be looking to gain confidence and gel with the bike over at the Suzuka 8 Hours, a race that Yoshimura Suzuki haven’t won since 2009 with Daisaku Sakai, Kazuki Tokudome and veteran, Nobuatsu Aoki.

    Takuya Tsuda is Ecstar Suzuki’s test rider in MotoGP. The Japanese rider made his debut in MotoGP at Jerez earlier this year, finishing 17th.

    “Suzuka is a bit like a love-hate relationship. When I’m there and I’m riding the bike and it’s really hot and I’m exhausted, I think to myself, ‘Why do I out myself through this?’ There’s so many years I haven’t ridden and I’ve been gutted I’m not there. If I was to stop going without winning it, I’d be giving up in effect and I’m really not like that! I don’t want to give up on the challenge. I had to beg to get my first ride, saying ‘pick me, pick me’. Even if I won I probably wouldn’t stop going! Because I’d want to do it again and try and better myself.

    “I’m really looking forward to it. I’m scared to do it but I’m motivated to do it. I’ve set goals throughout my career and this is another one. To win this and already have a BSB title would be incredible, then I’d really want to win a TT! It’s good for me that I haven’t got everything I ever dreamed about wanting. If I had, then I’d be a bit like Casey Stoner. Retired and very boring. I’m sure he’s not that bothered but I’d be a bit of a lost soul without these kind of goals in my life”.

    The Suzuka 8 Hour Race will take place on the 28th – 30th of July.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Armin Kremer to drive an M-Sport WRT Fiesta WRC

     

    M-Sport WRT Press release

    Armin Kremer will contest the 10th round of the FIA World Rally Championship with an M-Sport prepared Ford Fiesta WRC.
    The multiple German, European and Asia-Pacific champion from Mecklenburg will contest this year’s ADAC Rallye Deutschland in M-Sport’s top-specification Ford Fiesta WRC.

    Last month saw Kremer get his first taste of 2017 machinery when travelling to the UK for a test drive. Just a few kilometres at M-Sport’s private testing facility was enough to convince the German and he is now looking forward to contesting his home event at the very highest level.
    A total of 21 stages covering a competitive distance of more than 309 kilometres awaits. The challenging route mixes a variety of characteristics – from the spectacular new city circuit stage in SaarbrĂŒcken to the fast country lanes of Saarland; from the twisty tracks through the Moselle vineyards, to the rugged concrete of the Baumholder military ground.

    In preparation for this unique challenge, Kremer will conduct a pre-event test alongside M-Sport’s manufacturer entries in early August.
    The German’s entry at this year’s Rallye Deutschland goes full circle – Kremer having taken to the wheel of M-Sport’s Ford Focus WRC at the very first FIA World Rally Championship round to be held on German soil in 2002.

    Armin Kremer said:

    “I am overwhelmed and proud. It is an honour and a great pleasure for me, but also a huge challenge to compete with the same rally car at the ADAC Rallye as the four-time world champion SĂ©bastien Ogier.

    “I will translate everything in order to confirm the confidence placed in me by M-Sport and Malcolm Wilson. It is still too early to think about a result, but I am sure that with the support of the M-Sport drivers and engineers I will quickly get used to the Ford Fiesta WRC and find the optimal set-up for me.
    “Anyone who knows me knows how much I want to get a decent result and to offer the German fans a good show.”

    M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE:
    “It’s great to welcome Armin back to the team for his home event. We’ve worked with him in the past and he is an extremely experienced driver – especially at Rallye Deutschland.

    “It’s fantastic to have a German driver in a Ford Fiesta WRC for his home event – particularly as the home of the road-going Fiesta is just up the road in Cologne.

    “I’m sure that Armin will enjoy every minute of it. I also have no doubt that his vast experience of these unique roads will benefit the entire team.”

  • Test post

    Welcome to the test f1 live blog

  • F2: Baku Preview

    After a month off, Formula 2 returns this weekend in Azerbaijan for the fourth round of the championship, which takes place at the Baku City Circuit. Despite only being on the calendar for a year, Baku has already earned itself an unpopular reputation, thanks to the less-than-enthralling F1 race that took place last year.

    But its GP2 counterpart was anything but, with two chaotic and action-packed races. Out of the twenty-two cars that started both races last year, only twelve finished the feature race, and only fifteen in the sprint race. The high chance of crashing out, especially in the tight section of the track that runs through the older part of the city, adds an element of total unpredictability to this round.

    2016 GP2 Series Round 3
    Baku, Azerbaijan.
    Saturday 18 June 2016.
    Sean Gelael (INA, Pertamina Campos Racing)
    Photo: Andy Hone/GP2 Series Media Service.
    ref: Digital Image _ONZ0910

    As the second street circuit of the year, Baku presents a different challenge to Monaco. Though avoiding traffic and the walls will be difficult in parts, overtaking should be easier, thanks in part to the long start-finish straight—the longest of any track, at over two kilometres. Last year it was also the site of Antonio Giovinazzi’s double winning weekend, which well and truly launched his championship campaign. This suggests that if any driver’s performance has been underwhelming so far, there is still time to earn back those lost points.

    The biggest change going into the weekend will be the absence of ART’s Alexander Albon, who is out for the weekend with a broken collarbone. He will be replaced by Sergey Sirotkin, Renault’s test driver, who drove for ART last year and finished third in the 2016 GP2 championship. It is definitely a blow for Albon, who was proving to be a consistent driver, having scored points in every race this season thus far, but the team seems confident that he will be able to drive at the Red Bull Ring in a few weeks’ time.

    Bringing in a new driver for the weekend shouldn’t place ART at a disadvantage however. Sirotkin managed to score himself a double podium last year at Baku, so the team can feel confident when the Russian arrives, fresh from racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    (L to R): Mark Slade (GBR) Renault Sport F1 Team Race Engineer with Sergey Sirotkin (RUS) Renault Sport F1 Team Third Driver.
    Russian Grand Prix, Friday 28th April 2017. Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, Russia.

    By contrast, Matsushita had a nightmare weekend in Baku last year, despite having good pace and leading much of the sprint race. The Japanese driver struggled on the safety car restarts, and his driving was erratic enough to earn him a race ban. He will be looking to learn from the mistakes of last year, but with one win and a podium under his belt, he seems to be having a better season already.

    Some drivers will be heading into this weekend with recovery at the forefront of their mind after disappointing results in Monte Carlo. Norman Nato is one such driver. The Frenchman started the year full of promise, and his potential is definitely that of a race winner, but after failing to score any points in Monaco, he needs a strong showing in Baku to get his season back on track. His teammate Sean Gelael, who has trailed Nato so far, had a solid qualifying performance in Monaco, but failed to convert that into race results.

    Prema’s drivers will also be looking to bounce back from less than ideal results last time out. Leclerc, who does still lead the championship, will need to show that he can recover mentally from the double retirement in his home race, something which will prove essential if he is to carry his challenge for the duration of the season. Antonio Fuoco’s battle still remains one of proving he can measure up to his teammate, and increasingly, proving that he deserves his race seat and his place in the Ferrari Driver Academy. The track suited Prema last year, who managed to nail setup, earning them a pole position and a second place, as well as Giovinazzi’s two wins.

    Rapax, after a slow start to the season, achieved a season’s best in Monte Carlo with a first and second place in the sprint race. Carrying that momentum to Baku may be difficult considering neither of their drivers have driven the street circuit before, but rookie Nyck de Vries seems to have gotten over his early season struggles with adjusting. If this race weekend is similar to last year’s then luck in staying out of trouble will probably be a large factor, so there is no counting the Rapax drivers out.

    2017 FIA Formula 2 Round 3.
    Monte Carlo, Monaco.
    Saturday 27 May 2017.
    Johnny Cecotto Jr. (VEN, Rapax)
    Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.
    ref: Digital Image _54I7139

    Both DAMS and Racing Engineering had a mixed weekend in Monaco, with one of their drivers delivering promising results – with a win for Oliver Rowland (DAMS) and a third place for Gustav Malja (Racing Engineering) – and the other failing to score any points. Both teams have machinery that seems capable of delivering race winning results, and with mostly experienced drivers, they stand a good chance of performing well at Baku. DAMS’ Rowland will be particularly anxious to do so as he now sits only three points shy of championship leader Leclerc, and if he can outperform the Monegasque and avoid any incidents, then his chances of leaving Baku as the new leader of the drivers’ standings are high indeed.

    Based on points alone, Russian Time were the top team out in Monaco, and succeeding in taking a fourteen-point lead in the teams’ standings from DAMS. Artem Markelov and Luca Ghiotto also occupy third and fourth in the driver’s standings, and if fortune plays into their favour, Baku presents them with the opportunity to close the gap to Rowland and Leclerc.

    There is every chance that we will leave Baku with a new points leader—but more than that, the venue offers the chance for one of the most entertaining, and maybe a little crazy, races of the year. If you are yet to see last year’s GP2 races, I would recommend doing so. They’re carnage, but entertaining nonetheless.

    Georgia Beith, F2 Correspondent

  • Ricciardo: “lots of opportunities” for Red Bull in Baku

    Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

    Daniel Ricciardo has said he believes the narrow, technical sections of Baku City Circuit should give him and teammate Max Verstappen plenty of optimism for this Sunday’s Grand Prix, despite the Azerbaijan track’s emphasis on top speed favouring Red Bull’s rivals.

    Speaking ahead of the race, Ricciardo said “[Baku] doesn’t suit our car that much but there are lots of opportunities for things to happen. I think the circuit is definitely as tight as it looks and
there are a few interesting lines past the castle which adds to the toughness. The straight is so long that it gives you time to think, which is nice as the corners are technical and you really need to concentrate.

    “Another street circuit is exciting for me as I really enjoy those types of tracks. I’m looking forward to having another go on it.”

    Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

    Last year’s race in Baku was something of a mixed bag for Ricciardo: after crashing in first practice the Australian went on to qualify third ahead of both Ferraris, but in the race the RB12 fell behind the Mercedes power of Force India and Williams and Ricciardo could only finish in seventh.

    His teammate fared little better, qualifying ninth and improving to just eighth behind Ricciardo after 51 laps, but Verstappen has also expressed his eagerness to return to Azerbaijan despite his struggles last year.

    “Baku in my opinion is quite a special street circuit,” the Dutchman said. “It’s really unique in terms of having quite wide sections but also some of the tightest parts of track on the calendar. Sector 2 is tighter than parts of Monaco which has always been regarded as really narrow and challenging.

    “When you drive up into the old town and past the castle it is fun and tricky but also amazing to watch as a spectator. That section of the track is my favourite.”

    Realistically, Red Bull’s duo should be facing many of the same battles in Azerbaijan this year as in 2016, as the circuit’s long straights lift Williams and Force India up into the frame for the top six. However, thanks to a string of podium finishes from Ricciardo in the last three races, Red Bull currently enjoys a buffer of 41 points back to Force India in fourth, and is almost a hundred clear of Williams in sixth.

    James Matthews, Deputy Editor

  • Ryan Vickers Q&A

    courtesy of Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photography, which you can follow on Twitter and Facebook.

    After a few too many pints, I spoke to Ryan Vickers, a National Superstock 600 rider who is more than certain to be in the running for race wins throughout the remainder of the season. Under the guidance of former Grand Prix winner Alan Carter, he is improving all the time and despite a tricky weekend in Scotland, he looks forward to going to his home round at Snetterton in just under two weeks time. Here’s what he had to say about a range of topics and his own career.

    What do you need to do to make the next step forward in Superstock 600?

    Well, at Snetterton, I want to get on the podium. We had a test there last week and we was in the top two, also because it is my local circuit. I’ve just got to aim for the highest position I suppose and see where we go from there. We’ve got to keep working in order to see the best and be the best and keep moving forward.

    What got you into motorcycle racing?

    My dad to be honest. He finished 4th in the world wheelie competition. I just got on a motocross bike and rode around in field. I started my first ever race when I was 7; I got a 3rd in the first race, a 2nd in the second race and a win in my third. I carried on with motocross up until a couple of years ago, when I switched to the tarmac and stayed ever since.

    Where do you see yourself come the end of the season?

    Towards the end of the season and especially the next six races, we will be pushing for higher results. I’ve got my worst circuit out the way now so now, we are aiming for top fives and trying to get championship points. It is a long championship so we’ve just got to keep pushing but we hope for a top five at the end of the championship. We came into Knockhill 7th in the championship and dropped to 10th which isn’t very good, but we can focus now on recovering that.

    Who is your main rival in 2017?

    There’s two riders who are dominating this year: Dan Stamper and Tom Oliver. They’re way ahead in the title and if I can consistently stay with them or beat them then that’s a good objective and quite helpful in progressing up the order in the championship.

    What is your end goal?

    As you know sometimes it can change because the main goal doesn’t necessarily work out. I’d love to go the Spanish route, via Moto2 and then into the MotoGP paddock. I rode a Moto2 bike in Spain in February and it was absolutely awesome. You’ve got to take the routes that open door and I’m open to all options, whether they be BSB or World Supersport or World Superbikes. As long as I conquer the classes I’m in so I can progress to the top I’m happy.

    What’s your opinion on Moto2 being phased into BSB to be raced alongside the British Supersport?

    I definitely think that it should be phased in because it’s sort of the way everything is going and it’s a stepping stone. It would make a great intermediate class. I think there should be another route as well for aspiring Superbike riders. Moto2 in BSB is going to be awesome because young riders – like myself – who want to jump on a Moto2 bike and go to the World or Spanish championships need a stepping stone like Moto2. It’s a good thing also with the price, because no matter what class you pick at that level will be expensive no matter what way you look at it. Being on Moto2 bikes will be more supported by small companies because it’s more looked at. It will be good to see how well it comes along as a route to MotoGP?

    Are you more interested in going to MotoGP or World Superbikes?

    My preference is definitely MotoGP? I like the whole prototype aspect. MotoGP is the pinnacle of all bike racing. I don’t really know why if I’m honest, it is just more my route, however, getting to World Superbikes would still be a mega, mega achievement.

    World Superbikes has declined in the last few years – why do you think that is and how would you improve that?

    That’s a hard question. They’ve tried bringing it back to life with the starting grid reform for race 2, which I support a bit, but also disagree with a bit. Rea, Davies, Melandri etc are all coming through and it all finishes the same at the end. I am more pro-reverse grid than anti-reverse grid. It does make it a lot more interesting because you don’t always know how well they will come through. Especially, the first round they did it because you asked yourself ‘can they really do it?’. It has become almost boring in a way, because you know the results by the time certain riders have come through. So maybe one way to get people interested into WSBK would be like a production line into that series, to give them more young riders. Like I’ve said, WSBK seems to be more of a dead end and maybe there needs to be another step up at the end of that. One thing it does need is maybe more personalities. It would be nice to see someone like Rea pushed up to MotoGP and give someone else a chance

    With the proposal of the controlled ECU for 2018, would that maybe discourage Kawasaki and Ducati from coming into the championship?

    No, I don’t think so, because they’re top class manufacturers who will always find ways around it. It’s definitely going to make it closer because in the British championships – where the rule is already in place – a variety of people can win the races, as we saw this weekend. It might make it closer but again, you can’t take it away from Chaz or Jonny, as they are unbelievable riders.

    Would you say there are too many Brits in WSBK?

    WSBK is not a dying class but it hasn’t really progressed. It’s come to a little bit of dead end. Hopefully things like the World Supersport 300 class will revitalise it a little bit. It’s been a very successful class I’d say. It has a massive grid and a massive range of talent on the grid. They’re all on identical machinery. It gives young riders the chance at a cheaper rate than Moto3 or Moto2, to be successful. They’re in the right paddock and can travel the world and also gives the sponsors the opportunity to progress. It’s a great stepping stone on a road-go bike and is great for the manufacturers too. It’s great for race craft, like in Imola where you’ve got a massive battle for the lead.

    Do you think the British Talent Cup will be as successful?

    I do support it, and I don’t support. I think the age limit should be expanded a bit because whilst they’re trying to promote riders to Moto3, the majority of the top Moto3 riders are in their 20s. It cancels out people like me. I’m 18 and kind of in the mid-ground where there’s not many opportunities to progress and that’s hard. I came into short circuits late and it’s hard to get in the GP paddock at an older age, even though I’m not really that old. There is still time. I dont feel like there’s much support for my age group. I’d probably have to take the old fashioned route through BSB, WSBK and then onto MotoGP. I can’t even apply for Red Bull Rookies. It is good that they have taken an insight into Britain though, because we as a country haven’t really been pushing talent through.

    Do you think Superstock 600 in BSB should be promoted more?

    Yes. I definitely think so, arguably more than Supersport because there stock class is more or less completely off the shelf, give or take a few mods to make it safer for racing. Pushing the Superstock 600 class might possibly even make the sales of 600cc bikes go up, even though some might say it’s a dying class.

    Photos

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Josh Brookes’ Tribute to Alan Bonner

    Every motorsport death is sad. Whatever the sport, you lose a member of the community and family. Sometimes however, series such as Indycar and events such as the Isle of Man TT have arguably more deaths than what most would consider normal and controversially, have been campaigned against to try and stop such events. I caught up with Josh Brookes, who lost a friend in Alan Bonner at the TT this year. The Australian superstar reminds us how the expected is always unexpected and how we should remember Alan. This is Josh Brookes’ tribute to Alan Bonner and how he as a rider and friend, overcome the situation carry on through TT week.

    “Unfortunately, due to circumstances, Alan Bonner had died. The reason it affected me was because he did nothing wrong. There was oil on the track and he was just the rider who got to it at the wrong time at the wrong speed and the wrong place, and he wouldn’t have known anything about it. I asked myself, ‘why does it make a difference’ because – sorry to be blunt – but he is still dead. It doesn’t matter about the reasons that caused it because it is the same outcome at the end. It bothered me because he did nothing wrong. He was so innocent in the whole thing.

    Alan was the tent next door to me. I knew Paul Owen, the ex TT rider and he was a mechanic for Alan. I was going into the awning to chat with Paul and Alan was there, so the banter started and there was plenty of good fun with jokes and just having a real good laugh. I got really friendly with him and he’d liked the fact that ‘Josh Brookes, BSB Champion’ was hanging out with him. Because of the position of my motorhome, we saw each other more or less everyday. He’d use my motorhome to warm his porridge up every morning, so when I found out what happened, it wasn’t that I’d just lost a competitor but it was more like I lost a mate.

    If they said that he’d just have fallen or if we saw the line that he took and it was a mistake, then we could think, ‘at least he had control’. You’d think, ‘we are all out there doing the same thing and we took our life out of our own hands’. Most people don’t understand that because of the way they value life.

    If you’d made a mistake yourself and you suffered yourself, you had control. You chose what it took to get there, you chose the line and it was your choice that led to the incident. However, when it’s nothing to do with any of that and you’re riding well within your capabilities and it’s an outside element, an outside factor that swept him away, it’s difficult to comprehend and accept and that really bothered me.

    I have to say that I did have a feeling of realisation. It’s not that you don’t know – everyone knows it can happen to you – but you ignore it because you have to carry on. Just when I felt completely at ease with the bike, I had a situation that bothered me and took the wind out of me a little bit. It made the first lap of the race much more difficult, far more intense than it needed to be or would’ve been. I had my own thoughts in my own head and they was affecting how I was riding.

    I got to the end of the first lap and it felt like I had got rid of that excess tension. I felt good on the bike, everything was going OK and then, I just carried on with my own destiny. Then, on the 2nd lap, Ian Hutchinson fell off and it was red flagged, so we all pulled over. At that point we knew Hutchy was OK – injured, but OK. We went back to the start, had a restart and as you know, we had a strong race.

    This will sound disrespectful, but the other guys, I didn’t know. Don’t get me wrong, we all felt awful when Davy Lambert and Jochem van der Hoek died, but personally, it was better for me if I didn’t know them because it was easier for me to put it behind and focus. When you don’t know them, it’s easier to carry on because you didn’t lose anything personal to you, as sad as it was. Any TT rider will tell you that it is sad when anyone dies but there’s some weird affect it has on you when it’s personal. It’s not that their deaths weren’t as important, it’s just that we didn’t have a personal connection. The same as some riders wouldn’t have a personal connection like I did with Alan.

    When it’s someone you was just speaking to and you have a laugh with and have fond conversations with that form a friendship, it’s harder. We spoke about racing a lot. He spoke about a crash he had at the Ulster Grand Prix and he was just one of the lads who was willing to take the risks.

    I feel for the family that he’s left behind, because despite knowing the dangers, the crash that killed him wasn’t anything to do with him. Life isn’t worth living if you’re just competing. If the world was controlled where you couldn’t do anything dangerous, then I’d probably be on the verge of suicide anyway!

    I take perspective from someone like Michael Schumacher, who lived his life in one of the most dangerous sports, to end up being seriously injured on a holiday. I may as well carry on doing what I’m doing because there’s other factors that can kill you too. It’s the same for Nicky Hayden – of all the times he could’ve been killed, it happens on a bicycle when you think you’ll be OK. The times when I think you’re going to be safe are when I’m driving the car or walking on a footpath but often, that’s when it can kill you. So, I look at it and think, ‘you can’t stop doing something because of the chances it might go wrong’.

    It’s easy to say that we’re all adrenalin junkies and you do it for the feeling etc. Yes, there are elements of that but ultimately you wouldn’t do it all your life because eventually, you’d acclimatise and wouldn’t be bothered by it. Being competitive and riding a motorcycle pushes you to overlook what you’re willing to risk.

    The point I’m getting at is it’s not the fact that Alan died. It’s the ‘how’ he was killed that bothers me. All the emotional concern or worry is the circumstances of how it happened. I spoke to Dean Harrison and you know when you need a chat with a lad to make sure that they’re thinking the same as you? Well, we didn’t go too deep into it but we spoke about how none of us are going to go any slower in the next race. We are all going to go out there and ride as hard or harder than the previous time. The English language doesn’t allow you to describe the emotion fully.

    There’s other activities and sports such as mountain climbing and skiing where there a lot of deaths. Someone loses their father, son or partner but the next year, they’re doing it again because that’s exactly what the other person would’ve done. They would’ve been there on that next holiday. Alan would’ve been at the Ulster GP this year and warming his porridge up with me at the TT again next year”.

    You can donate to Alan Bonner’s GoFundMe page here, helping the family with costs and all money raised over the target amount will go to a charity of Alan’s choice.

    Picture courtesy of Josh Brookes’ Twitter, here

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko