Category: Features

  • Indy500

    Japan Win With Honda & Sato but Alonso’s Curse Continues

    One of the most intense, exciting and memorable Indy 500 races has happened this year, we enter a new century of races in the 101st run of the event and what a way to start them. Takuma Sato, the Japanese driver who was born in Tokyo became first the Asian-born driver to ever win the historic race. Interest was heightened with one of the best drivers of the world, who can be described as that due to his performance in the race, Fernando Alonso taking part for the first time. An estimated 300,000 people were at the speedway which would of officially made it 65th largest American city in terms of population. Just how did Sato win and how did Alonso do in his debut?

    Qualifying Recap

    Qualifying happens a week in advance very similar to Formula 1/MotoGP style with Q1/Q2 format, the top nine, which make the top three rows took part in their own session on the following day following the first run times. The top five drivers on the grid were quadruple Indycar champion Scott Dixon took pole, and Ed Carpenter who returns only for ovals in his own racing team second, and 2016 champion Alexander Rossi started third. Eventual winner Takuma Sato started fourth and the one everyone was interested in, Fernando Alonso in 5th.

    The other side of the grid was truly mixed up with some heavy hitters languishing in the midfield and towards the back of the field. Ryan Hunter-Reay started 10th, if he got in to the qualifying shoot out, he would have placed himself in 7th. Two-time Indy 500 champion Juan Pablo Montoya was 18th, three time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves was 19th and championship leader Simon Pagenaud qualified in a lowly 23rd. Another one to note is for James Davison started last, filling in for Sebastian Bourdais, who had that major crash on qualifying weekend, ruling him out for the rest of the season. Bourdais was trackside for the 500.

    The Race

    It was a clean start with front row keeping their places,.Fernando Alonso though, he fell back down the order, maybe needing a bit of time to adjust to the settings. Championship leader Simon Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves were the early movers, creeping up the field. Tony Kanaan, who started 7th, had great speed, managing to get up with Carpenter and Dixon.

    The race settled, and with that Alonso and Rossi began to make their presence felt, former Indycar champion Will Power tipped heavily for the win struggled, and was falling down the order. Kanaan and Dixon were trading the lead early on, drafting each other to save fuel, whilst behind Carpenter and Rossi stayed in touch. Kanaan was the first to stop on lap 29, showing that leading the race with no draft takes up much more fuel than anywhere else on the grid. Alonso during this phase got past Dixon who seemed to be hanging on at the end of the first stint and Ed Carpenter took the lead. Juan Pablo Montoya showed skill by going 3 laps longer, pitting on lap 32, but coming out of the box he stalled his car and his work was undone. The top five after the first stint was Carpenter, Rossi, Alonso, Kanaan and Sato.

    On to the second stint, Alonso began to spread his wings and took the lead on lap 37. It seemed in the first stint he observed others, while in the second he started by passing Rossi and both passed Carpenter, the amendment he made on pit road didn’t seem to do him any favours. Rossi and Alonso – both teammates – were trading the lead, drafting each other saving fuel. Team Owner Michael Andretti over the radio to Alonso ‘You and Alex can play here’ which pretty much confirmed the fuel saving strategy. This continued and were easily the two fastest cars on track.

    Hunter-Reay, trying to catch team mates Rossi & Alonso made a last minute move on lapping Jay Howard. This resulted on Howard getting onto the the marbles, and pretty much a passenger, hitting the wall and breaking his front right suspension. He then under no control veered back onto the track and polesitter Scott Dixon had nowhere to go, hurtling straight into his Dallara chassis, flying and hitting the inside catch fence and landing sideways on the barrier. Both men walked away from a frightening accident. Castroneves to avoid contact actually went underneath Dixon on the grass, causing minor damage to his rear. The catch fence was broken and it was red flagged to fix and clear sheer amount of debris on the track. The top five at the show of the flag were Alonso, Rossi, Sato, Carpenter and Hunter-Reay.

    20 minutes after the incident were back on track again, Alonso leading them off pit road. They then opened the pit once more, and the whole field rushed into the pit, all 31 cars still running down taking fuel and tyres. They went round for two laps behind the safety car and off they went. Alonso with a mega restart kept the lead although the two-time F1 World Champion Alonso began to fall back on lap 63. Andretti team mates Hunter-Reay and Rossi nearly hit each other trading the lead at Turn 1.

    Montoya, trying to make up for his awful pit stop managed to overtake Pagenaud, Daly and Kimball on the back straight. Daly tried to follow him on the outside around Kimball but the gap closed, and the third caution was out. English driver Jack Harvey collected debris, albeit few laps down had to retire due to damage too. This brought about a change in fuel strategies and some such as Hinchcliffe, Chilton, Power and Pippa Mann pitted mid-stint. Pippa was doing well in her rookie Indy 500, keeping it clean and competitive. Helio pitted a lap later under the safety car, and during the period found out he received a drive through due to jumping Daly at the previous restart.

    The race went green on lap 65, and Rossi took the lead. On the restart they went four wide in the midfield, championship leader Pagenaud still continued to struggle and was swamped by those three men. Kanaan began to get closer in his hunt for a second victory, battling with Alonso. Alonso broke the toe, and went after Hunter-Reay.

    Caution 4 came because of debris on the front straight, part of Marco Andretti’s wing came off, flying up high and landing on track. All drivers under this safety period hit the pits, this left the people who decided to pit earlier on in the lead. Sato’s team made an error in the pits – a dropped wheelnut dropping him to 17th. Max Chilton led the restart, followed by Power & Castroneves – Hunter-Reay and co. now running from 4th onwards.

    Chilton started well getting away from Power in P2. Hunter-Reay and Andretti teammates began to use their fresh tyres to their advantage and were much quicker around the corners. Chilton was keeping his own, using the knowledge he has gained from Indycar legend Dario Franchitti to good effect, whilst Power began to fall back, passed by veteran Castroneves and the Andretti drivers. Rossi took the opportunity to get past everyone to take the lead once more. Rossi and Castroneves seem to be trading the lead, a common trend for leaders across the whole race, Castroneves led on lap 100, after starting in 18th.

    On lap 104 Castroneves took to the pit lane, quite remarkable considering he had to take that drive through he was still leading. He pitted much earlier than the rest of the leading back, but they all came back out fighting to stay on the lead lap, amongst the battle for the lead. On lap 113 Rossi pitted with Alonso and Hunter-Reay a lap later, with very slow stops for Rossi and Alonso compared to Hunter-Reay, after it all settled down on lap 116 he had a 3.5 second lead. The top 10 after the stops were Hunter-Reay, Alonso, Rossi, Castroneves and Power. Sato had got back up to P7, alongside with Montoya in P10, whilst Chilton had dropped to P13.

    A spree of yellow cautions began with Buddy Lazier, the 49 year old coming back for a one-off race was racing well but he lost it and collided with the wall, bringing out the full course yellow once again. He was uninjured. Chilton decided to pit under caution once more, dropping to the back of the field. It looked like they were about to bring the yellows in, but Chilton had one less to deal with as Sage Karam stopped with mechanical difficulty and had to retire. They went green for two laps but more debris was found on the track, Pagenaud was the only one noticeable to pit once more, everyone else stayed out under this caution.

    It was green again lap 135 and Alonso began to once more strategically share the lead with Hunter-Reay, until down the back straight on lap 137 the American’s Honda engine failed, familiar scenes for Alonso. Honda have tried to get a few extra horsepower over Chevrolet rivals, but reliability just like Formua 1 is something they have begin to struggle with. Don’t forget Alonso had to change his engine prior to qualifying. The 2014 Indy 500 champion was out, and yellows were out once again, the majority of the field decided to pit leaving the likes of Chilton and Davison. There were poor stops for Alonso and Rossi dropping to 12th and 21st respectively.

    After a short green flag period as Carpenter lost his rear end, hitting the side of Russian Aleshin, severely damaged the Russian. Alonso managed to get to 9th place before the flag was shown. Kimball managed to jump Chilton during that brief period too into 1st. The green flag followed shortly once more, an amazing 5 wide on restart, Pagenaud once more being swallowed up by the field. Kimball and Chilton had a massive fight as the race entered its last quarter. On lap 163 Chilton pitted, and with 36 to go in similar circumstances to Rossi last year. Luck was in for the Englishman as he just managed to get the stop in, and more alarm bells began to ring again for Honda drivers, as Kimball’s engine also gives up.

    Several drivers decided to pit under the caution, but as a result Chilton still leads, Sato managed to get himself back up into the mix, whilst Castroneves after a face full oil from Kimball was in the mix. Alonso, albeit with a clean stop once more dropped to 9th and time was running out for the Spanish driver as the race went green again with 29 laps to go. Chilton now had his mirrors full of Castroneves, chasing his fourth Indy 500 victory.

    In cruel but not unfamiliar circumstances, Fernando Alonso’s engine gave up, bringing out another caution. All Michael Andretti could do on the radio is apologise. He got out of his Dallara, and all 300,000 people gave around of applause, more so than Dixon when he walked out of his crash. If this was a way to keep Alonso’s faith in Honda, they have only dug themselves a deeper hole.

    In the battle for the lead, former F1 drivers Max Chilton and Takuma Sato were hard at it. Noth would be winning their first Indy 500, Chilton would be winning his first ever Indy race, whilst Sato would be winning his second, a 4 year wait since his win at Long Beach. Alonso bringing out the caution was short lived, and back under way, but once more not for long, a 5 car pile up at Turn 1. Oriol Servia tried to pass Davison, ended up collecting him and both hit the wall, Power and Hinchcliffe innocent victims. Hinchcliffe’s poor run at Indianapolis continued, whilst Josef Newgarden lost it on his own on the infield.

    In the dying laps Castroneves saw Sato lose his momentum after failed overtakes on Chilton, and relegated the Japanese driver into third place. Castroneves, now set his sights on Chilton. Castroneves passed Chilton and looked for all the world to be the favourite while Sato quickly followed him. On lap 197 Sato, ignoring the ghosts from 2012, knocked Castroneves back to second – far from the move he made on Franchitti on lap 200 5 years ago which resulted in him ending up in the wall.

    Sato was able to hold off the Castroneves assault in the final three laps and won his first ever Indianpolis 500 and his second Indycar race at the scene of his only Formula One podium back in 2004.

    Race Result, Top 5

    P1 Takuma Sato
    P2 Helio Castroneves
    P3 Ed Jones (R)
    P4 Max Chilton
    P5 Tony Kanaan

    Selected others

    P6 Juan Pablo Montoya
    P7 Alex Rossi
    P14 Simon Pagenaud
    P17 Pippa Mann
    DNF Fernando Alonso
    DNF Ryan Hunter-Reay
    DNF Scott Dixon

    Drivers comments

    Sato – ‘Unbelievable, the best feeling’ – He just couldn’t thank the team enough, he still with 3 laps had doubt that he could do it.
    Castroneves – ‘We fight together but today wasn’t my day’ – He felt god was looking after him after his avoidance, and was just a little too hard for him.
    Alonso – ‘One of the best experiences in my career’ – He pushed hard and clearly loved being competitive.

    Dixon ‘It sure was a wild ride’ – He could not thank enough for the safety of Indycar, just held on and hoped for the best, looked so calm, you couldn’t tell he was in such a scary crash.

    By Chris Lord

    Image courtesy of Eric Barnes

  • Halsall Slams Suzuki GB ‘Unprofessional’ over Bike Supply Feud

    Images by Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photography.

    Martin Halsall has branded Suzuki GB as “unprofessional” and “difficult to work with” following an ongoing issue, stemming from last year when the BSB Team Owner decided to drop the Japanese manufacturer after “poor communication”. Halsall once again mentioned communication as an issue, with Suzuki GB seemingly ignoring anything Martin mentions.

    “I’m pretty disappointed really, with Suzuki. I had approached Suzuki to see if I could buy some bikes to do the Isle of Man TT with William Dunlop and then with a view to return to BSB. However, due to difficulty with Suzuki, I have not been able to get my hands on the bikes”.

    “I have now written a letter to Japan to see if that can do anything but what Suzuki have got to realise is that they are a PLC, so they’re answerable to shareholders. So, the people not selling me the bikes are answerable to the people willing to invest in their business”.

    Halsall left the manufacturer last September, having done so well with the bike, considering it is seven years old.

    “There’s no logical sense to why I can’t buy bikes off Suzuki, it makes absolutely no sense. OK, I ran Suzuki and then decided not to run Suzuki for 2017. However, as a bike, the 2017 model is a very, very good piece of equipment and that was never in question before; I always knew it was going to be a good bike, I just didn’t want to work with Suzuki GB anymore.

    “I like to do things my way and if I’m the one spending the bulk of the money, then I should be having the say. I think they forgot who’s team it was from time to time. If they want to fund the whole of the team’s budget, then that’s fine and people can be answerable to them but if they’re not, they have to succumb to the person who is paying the bill – which was me. It has already been good out of the box as a stock bike with Richard Cooper in the National Superstock 1000 Championship, so there’s no reason why it can’t be a really good and competitive Superbike”.

    Have Suzuki messed this up? The Halsall Racing outfit is one of the most striking and well branded teams in the paddock, with a huge presence still existent from last year, ranging from merchandise to fans of Halsall’s operation of his team.

    “People can see how I brand things. The thing about my businesses are that they are exceptionally branded. We’ve invested a lot of money into having proper marketing done and proper branding done to be professional with the business. I would do a good job with any branding. We’ve done it already with movuno.com, the online estate agents”. There’s no reason why we can’t follow that through to Superbikes and create an exceptionally well branded team with it”.

    Have Suzuki no loyalty? Halsall dropped a proven race winner in the Kawasaki at the end of 2014 to pursue success with Suzuki – which he achieved. Now, despite persevering with a seven year old bike, the effervescent charismatic Lancastrian now finds himself banging his head against a brick wall.

    “There is no reason why we as a team with the right rider can’t make the 2017 Suzuki work. We proved what we could do last year with two podiums on a bike that effectively, nobody else was interested in running. Primarily, I ran the bike with the bigger picture of picking up the new bike. So for me to walk away from Suzuki – after making massive investments for two years – hurts a bit”.

    “Primarily, why can I not buy bikes? I can go and buy bikes tomorrow morning from any Suzuki dealer, without the Halsall Team name. We will be wanting some race parts from Yoshimura, from Suzuki and therefore, it makes sense to have a proper link with Suzuki – which I have tried to do on numerous occasions. I can’t see any logical sense at all in why I can’t buy bikes”.

    “It’s good for Suzuki’s anyway if another team runs their brand. It is also healthy for a championship and the fans. ‘Why not bet on two horses’ comes to mind. I wouldn’t mind, it isn’t at Suzuki’s expense! It’s an absolute no-brainer. I think it is really unprofessional how a well-known brand is turning down such a well-known, successful and popular team with great presence in the paddock”.

    Suzuki haven’t helped their image in this sorry saga. No WSBK effort and a difficult start to their 2017 MotoGP campaign, they’re relying mainly on BSB for their results – and that, as it stands, is risky business. Although risky business to them succeeds ‘no business’ with Martin.

    “It’s had an effect on William Dunlop too. He wanted to ride the Suzuki at the TT but that isn’t possible. It is just crazy that they won’t give a top class road racer a bike that he demands. It has actually stopped the road racing side of Halsall Racing Team progressing on the roads because primarily, we’ve run out of time. Within the communication I’ve had with Suzuki, I made it clear that William Dunlop would ride the bike and that is what he wanted.

    “At the end of the day, I own Halsall Racing. I am in charge. The people who I am trying to deal with aren’t representative of what Suzuki stand for. If i had the bikes in time for the TT, we could have got them prepared, potentially leading to a come back in BSB. If we got the right rider, there’s no reason we couldn’t run in BSB from 2017 and be successful”.

    This is a developing story and you can find out exactly what the outcome of it will be when we hear news of it.

     

    Story by @MotoGPKiko

  • 2009 Belgian GP – The big surprise

    Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Force India F1 VJM02 crosses the line to finish 2nd.
    Formula One World Championship, Rd 12, Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, Sunday 30 August 2009. Photo courtesy of Force India F1 Team

    The 2009 Belgian Grand Prix was one of those rare races in Formula One where the form book was ripped up and everything was just a little off-beat. Force India had failed to score a point under the current name, and few expected them to change that when the F1 circus rolled into the Ardennes Forest. Spa though had often been the scene against the odds results. Just ask Eddie Jordan, whose Jordan team ran from the very same factory as Force India’s, about 1998.

    Championship leader Jenson Button had hit some poor form after sheer dominance from Brawn early in the season and qualified 14th for the race, while his teammate Barrichello was a stronger fourth. The resurgent Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were a disappointing eighth and ninth, as Toyota and BMW found form. Not as much, however, as Giancarlo Fisichella and Force India. The popular Italian had driven to 12th in the previous European Grand Prix, so the strong pace shown throughout qualifying to eventually take pole was remarkable to say the least, although Adrian Sutil only managed 11th.

    Fisichella led at the start of the race although the KERS powered Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari was now behind him, having started from sixth. A Safety Car after a first lap incident involving Romain Grosjean, Jaime Alguersuari, Lewis Hamilton and Button lasted five laps, but Giancarlo was under threat.

    On the restart, Raikkonen used his extra boost to glide past Fisichella into the Les Combes chicane, but he far from drove away. Fisichella was able to stick with him, and as they pitted for fuel and tyres on the same lap Raikkonen was just able to stay ahead. Alas, it would be the KERS that Raikkonen used to pass Giancarlo that would ultimately deny the former Renault man the chance to re-pass. Fisichella was clearly the quicker driver and remained under a second behind the Iceman, but Force India were to be denied their first ever win. They did pick up their first ever points, testament to the achievement that second place was for the team.

    Fisichella would go on to join Ferrari for the very next Grand Prix to replace Luca Badoer, the Ferrari test driver standing in for the injured Felipe Massa. Force India would replace him with Vitantonio Liuzzi, while Sutil would set the fastest lap and take fourth place at the next Grand Prix in Italy.

    The team have never been as close to winning a Grand Prix, although since 2014 have been more regular visitors to the podium in the new turbo era of Formula One.

    Jack Prentice

     

  • #SFIWeek – The Quiz

    Formula 1
    Sahara Force India Week
    #SFIWeek – The Quiz

    May 29, 2017

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    Would you like to win Sahara Force India and Hype Energy goodies? Just enter our quiz. Email us (TPCOquizes@gmail.com) In the topic write ‘#SFIweek quiz’. The competition ends on Saturday (3rd of June) at 10 PM CET time.

    1. In which season did the teams full name become Sahara Force India?
    2. How many pole positions have Sahara Force India taken?
    3. Where is the team based?
    4. For the celebration of which race did Hype prepare a special drink?
    5. In what race did Sahara Force India win their first points?
    6. How many drivers have taken a part in a race in Sahara Force India colours?
    7. Name the last race for the Jordan Team.
    8. In September 2009 Fisichella left Sahara Force India. What team tempted him away?
    9. In which races in 2016 did Sahara Force India score a podium finish?
    10. What other names has the team raced under?

    Julia Paradowska

  • 1950 Monaco Grand Prix

    For those of you not aware, I am currently researching and writing a book under the banner of The Pit Crew Online titled, “The Pioneers”, a story of the first ever Formula One World Championship. Before this drivers had raced, engineers had developed and fans were wide-eyed and excited with what was to come. We know what came, but it would be wrong of me not to share a little snippet of the story on this weekend of the Monaco Grand Prix.

    This was the second round of the 1950 Formula 1 World Championship. The race would be contested over 100 laps.

    Juan Manuel Fangio dominated the practice sessions, no other car could get near him. Ferrari turned up for their first Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix hoping to challenge the superior Alfa Romeo team. In qualifying, Fangio was 2.6 seconds faster than Farina, who had won the previous race at Silverstone. Fangio’s Argentine counterpart, Jose Froilan Gonzalez driving for the Scuderia Achille Varzi team, took third on the grid in his Maserati with Frenchman Philippe Etancelin slotting in fourth in his Talbot-Lago. Luigi Fagioli, following a second place at Silverstone, could only manage fifth on the grid.

    The race was similar to qualifying, dominated by Fangio. On the opening lap, a wave from the harbour flooded the track at Tabac. Farina, who was second, spun on the slippery surface. Ten cars who followed through were eliminated in the chaos, leaving just nine cars in the race.

    Fangio completed the 100 laps, averaging approximately 61mph around the Monaco circuit. Behind Fangio there was an epic battle between Ascari and Villoresi, both in Ferrari’s, but Villoresi retired with a transmission failure on lap 63. Ascari finished a whole lap behind the impressive Fangio with Louis Chiron, a Monegasque, completing the podium places. Fangio posted the fastest lap of the race, 1:51.0 and out of the nineteen starters, only seven finished the race.

    Fangio was now level on points in the championship with Farina, both on nine points. Fagioli and Ascari sat close behind them on six points each with Reg Parnell, who did not race at Monaco, on four points.

    The next race on 30th May would be the Indianapolis 500, a race that rarely attracted the interest of the Formula 1 teams and drivers. Only Farina and Franco Rol were scheduled to race, with Rol doubtful after breaking his arm in the Tabac crash.

    This was the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix

    See You At The Chequered Flag.

    Neil Simmons

    Twitter: @world_racing

    (c) Images courtesy of Pathe News and the owners/licences of such images (used with kind permission for the research of my book)

  • Quick 10 With…..Max Pucher

    Born in Vienna, he is an Austrian businessman and rallycross driver, he is also co-founder of a Swiss-Austrian software company.

    He competed a full 2015 season in the World Rallycross Championship and selected events in last year’s European Rallycross Championship.

    He is responsible for pairing up Kevin Eriksson and Timo Scheider this season and has signed Andrew Jordan to compete at Lydden. He is the team boss of MJP Racing, these are his Quick 10 questions and he is…..Max Pucher

    1. What is your favourite circuit and why?
    My favorite track for fun driving is Hell, Norway.

    2. Who is/was your racing idol?
    I really do not have idols. I admire quite a few drivers for skill and personality and Timo Scheider and Patrick Sandell belong there.

    3. Who would you regard as your toughest opponent?
    In RX there are always 4 opponents in each heat and they are always the toughest right now.

    4. Considering racers of all time, you are a team principal and money is no object. Which two racers would you have in your team?
    In RX I would choose Kristofferson and Loeb for speed and marketing value. But Timo Scheider comes right afterwards.

    5. If you could invite four famous people to dinner (past and present), who would you invite?
    As I would cook myself I would invite Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey, Wolfgang Puck and Giada De Laurentiis.

    6. Personal racing number? What is it and the reason behind it?
    My number is 31 and it is my birthday.

    7. What is the best race you have been involved in?
    My best race will always be the next one.

    8. Is there a race or series you have not competed in, that you would like to or had wanted to?
    I am really just interested in Rallycross.

    9. How did you get into motor racing? What ignited that spark?
    I did motorcycle racing when I was 20 and came back to car racing with 59 when I started RX. I raced the World Championship in 2015 at 60.

    10. What is the best advice in racing you have been given?
    Patrick Sandell: ‚All four wheels must point where you want to go when you hit the throttle!’

    I would like to thank Max for taking the time out to answer these questions and I will accepting his generous invitation to visit the team garage at Lydden Hill this weekend.

    Neil Simmons

    Twitter: @world_racing

    Images courtesy of MJP Racing

  • Winners And Losers

    2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
    Qatar Airways Paris ePrix, France.
    Saturday 20 May 2017.
    Sebastien Buemi (SUI), Renault e.Dams, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16, sprays the chanpagne on the podium after winning the race.
    Photo: Alastair Staley/LAT/Formula E
    ref: Digital Image _X0W5897

    What an action packed weekend this was, with the only inactive major motorsport series being Formula 1. Here’s a look back at who had memorable weekends – and who had days to forget.

    Winners

    Maverick Vinales

    What a weekend it was! The MotoGP at Le Mans is always a terrific watch. The practice let in for a fantastic qualifying session, with the likes of KTM showing pace, even managing getting into the second qualifying session for the first time this season.

    There was one rider that stood above the rest, Maverick Vinales on the factory Yamaha. Pole position for the Spanish rider, once more out-qualifying his team mate, ‘The Doctor’ Valentino Rossi. Rossi has improved his qualifying as of late, and with Frenchman Johann Zarco made it an all Yamaha front row.

    Maverick started well, but countryman Zarco made the crowd erupt taking the lead. The Spaniard was happy to wait to take the lead. Championship rivals Rossi & Marc Marquez were hot on his tail, Rossi managed to overtake Zarco and began to close in.

    Marquez fell and was out on the spot, and on the last lap Vinales battled hard with Rossi. Rossi led, reminders of Rossi & Lorenzo came flashing back. Vinales got the better of Rossi before the Italian legend fell at the final hurdle.

    Vinales won, and both main title contenders failed to score, and heading towards Mugello is Maverick heading towards his first title?

    Sebastien Buemi

    The ‘king’ of Formula E, Sebastien Buemi took another Formula ePrix victory around the streets of Paris. Few incidents stuttered his victory, and no driver really got anywhere near him. Vergne and Lopez pushed him but Buemi had answers to both.

    The safety car took away the 7 second gap he had, and home fans had expectation that Lopez could try for victory. Buemi had different thoughts, easily produced a gap to manage to coast home, taking another victory.

    Confidence must be on a high, the overall championship leader and also the fan favourite, having received the most ‘fanboost’ rewards in the series. Can only think dominance can continue, especially with rivals struggling.

    Losers

    IndyCar Series

    The thrill and hype of the 101st running of the Indy 500 cannot be any greater especially with one of the ‘rookies’ being Fernando Alonso, as global interest has been higher, spare a thought though for another race driver who has done Formula 1 & Indycar, Sebastien Bourdais.

    Bourdais was flying on Saturday, day one of the qualifying for next weekend’s event, averaging at 1mph quicker than anyone else. Bourdais on the second corner of his third lap then found trouble, crashing at 230mph. Bourdais was awake and alert, cameras saw his hands & head moving which resulted in the world breathing a huge sigh of relief and the safety crew at Indianapolis took only 11 seconds to be at his side. Bourdais suffered multiple fractures to his pelvis and dislocated his right hip, and underwent successful surgery. He won the first race at St. Petersburg and up until the previous few races was leading the championship, still a very competitive driver.

    For the forseeable future the series has lost a former champion, wish him a speedy recovery. We just hope that this doesn’t force Sebastien into an early retirement as happened to Dario Franchitti three years ago.

    Lucas Di Grassi

    When it rains, it pours, a phrase that could pretty much summarise Lucas’ weekend. A poor qualifying once more was not the best start to his Formula E weekend, sure he won in Mexico from near enough the back of the grid but still extreme circumstances and pinch of luck was on his side. Qualifying near the back would line him up to having a torrid time.

    Di Grassi got off the line clean and early on found out with the vote he will receive the ‘Fan Boost’ in the second car. Antonio Felix Da Costa would be a thorn in his side, Di Grassi got very impatient as he lap after lap failed to overtake the Portuguese driver.

    He tried an almighty lunge that looked from the outset it wasn’t going to work, thus resulting in a collision, albeit his car miraculously being undamaged. It brought a full course yellow out and decided to pit, the team and himself then put further problems by the time of the pitstop being extremely inaccurate under the minimum time. Di Grassi served a drive through due to this and tried as being out of contention for the fastest lap. Pushing hard he crashed, ruining any chances in doing so, he fell even further behind championship leader Buemi.

    Has he ended any hopes to win the championship due to this weekend?

    Tom Ingram

    Tom headed into the next round of the British Touring Car Championship with high hopes and at the top of the standings. He had to carry the full ballast into the race due to being Championship leader which resulted in poor qualifying.

    As a team they went for the softer compound of tyre in race one to try and gain advantage to move up the grid. On the first lap disaster struck as he got tangled in a collision, dropping him near enough to the bottom of the field. It went from bad to worse as technical gremlins and contact resulted in early Race One retirement.

    For Race Two, Ingram started in a lowly 31st position, and his awful weekend continued. Tom had a short race, on lap eight upon an incident involving two other drivers at the Island Hairpin ended any chances of a decent points finish and a chance for a reverse grid pole for Race Three. Gordon Shedden as a result managed to get the lead of the championship to a strong finish.

    In Race Three things got a little bit better, albeit Shedden managed to increase his lead and Robert Collard managed to overtake into second in the driver championship. Tom Ingram managed to get the fastest lap on the final race, showing his true pace but he finished outside the points once more. Shedden won the final race, further increasing the gap.

    Tom Ingram dropped to third in the standings, previous champions Colin Turkington and Matt Neal getting closer. Will he bounce back at Croft next time out?

  • WRX Week – Quick 10 With…..Kevin Eriksson

    World Rallycross

     

    He started out in the RX Lites Cup before progressing to the European Rallycross Championship. He made his debut in the World Rallycross Championship racing at RX Argentina in 2014. Since 2016 he has been a full time driver on the Supercar grid where he burst onto the scene with Olsbergs MSE before signing for MJP Racing this season.

    He has also competed in Global Rallycross and RallyX On Ice.

    He has one WRX win to his name (World RX of Germany 2016) and is remembered for THAT move, ‘Round The Outside’, at Estering last season.

    These are his Quick 10 questions and he is……Kevin Eriksson.

    1. What is your favourite circuit and why?

    My personal favorite track is the more old school type RX track and to name 2 Montalegre and Estering. There’s more flat out and sideways action and that’s a lot more fun to drive if you ask me

    2. Who is/was your racing idol?

    Since I grew up in paddocks in both Rally and Rallycross whatching my father race I obviously looked up to him a lot and still is but another driver I always enjoyed is Kimi Raikkonen, for just being himself.

    3. Who would you regard as your toughest opponent?

    During the beginning of my career I had a lot of good battles with my namesake Kevin Hansen. Now we’re both in the top tier of RX and racing against guys like Ekstrom, Solberg, Loeb so I would say that those more experienced guys are the toughest at the moment.

    4. Considering racers of all time, you are a team principal and money is no object. Which two racers would you have in your team?

    If I would be looking at results and making the choice I would go for Michael Schumacher and Sebastien Loeb for obvious reasons. Good mix of disciplines and a lot of championships.

    But back to this day I would go for youth and my little brother Oliver Eriksson and Mitchell DeJong.

    5. If you could invite four famous people to dinner (past and present), who would you invite?

    Hard question…. I would invite LeBron James, Zlatan Ibrahimovic just because I’m a big fan of them and their sports as well as Hmmm… Eminem and Michael Jackson because I like their music. This dinner wouldn’t last very long I guess, haha

    6. Personal racing number? What is it and the reason behind it?

    My number is 96 and it’s a real simple reason behind it. I’ve never really been the number guy but when I started with RX you needed to have a personal number so I just went with the year I was born. I also liked 96 because it’s say 96 if you look both from the front and back

    7. What is the best race you have been involved in?

    My best race so far during my career must be World RX of Estering last year where I grabbed my first World RX victory and did the Round the outside move around the guys in the first corner.

    8. Is there a race or series you have not competed in, that you would like to or had wanted to?

    I have always wanted to try one of the 4wd 900hp Pro 4 trucks they race over in the US. Those trucks looks like a lot of fun.

    9. How did you get into motor racing? What ignited that spark?

    My whole family have been into different types of Motorsport but the biggest influence was still my dad since he raced in high level in both Rally and Rallycross as I grew up.

    10. What is the best advice in racing you have been given?

    Oh there’s been a lot but the most recent one was connected to tennis and goes like this. “There’s only one ball and that’s the one your playing right now” which means that whatever happened in the heat before you need to forget that and focus on the next.

    I would like to thank Kevin for taking the time out from his busy WRX schedule to answer these Quick 10 questions and wish him all the best for the rest of the season. Thanks also to Max Pucher at MJP Racing for making this interview possible.

    Neil Simmons

    Twitter: @world_racing

    Images courtesy of MJP Racing

  • Brookes: It’s Natural to have Fear

     

    I spoke to former BSB champion Josh Brookes exclusively at Oulton Park about many things. From fear in racing to the mental approach, to the TT and preparation, this comprehensive interview gives a real insight into the mind of one of the fastest motorcycle racers on the planet.

    How much are you looking forward to getting back onto the roads in 2017?

    I probably wouldn’t have left the TT but I’m not really bothered about the other roads. If I hadn’t been steered away by the other teams then I would’ve carried on. I’m back now and happy to be back riding it. There will be no NW200 because the Norton bike isn’t homologated. They did pursue the NW but the insurance doesn’t cover it to be on track. The organisers were happy to have it but the insurance company wouldn’t allow it.

    How do the roads compare to the short circuits?

    The NW is a bit closer to circuit style racing because it’s in a bunch and it’s a grid start, whereas the TT is a time trial. There’s a lot of difference between the TT and NW200 compared to the circuit racing but even those two aren’t that similar. It’s another discipline really.


    How do you adapt to the roads from the circuits?

    I think that it is your experience that dictates how you ride. The first lap you take it steady and then you get comfortable with how you ride and the next lap you get quicker and quicker. It’s a bit like natural progression. If you compare it to water skiing for the first time, obviously you learn how to do it, but over time you become more accomplished and able to do it as you practice. It’s the exact same in our sport: you start where you feel comfortable and then you just build speed as the bike and your confidence will allow you. At the TT, you never really ride to the capabilities of the bike. Often there is far more in every corner that the bike is capable of but it isn’t healthy to ride to the capabilities of the bike because there is far more risk. You ride to what you feel comfortable with but you’re also trying to make that comfort point as fast as it can be.

    Was there a fear aspect at the TT for your first time?

    Yes. There’s always fear, even in BSB. It’s natural to have fear – it is a human emotion. If you have fear, you’re alive, if you don’t have fear then you won’t be alive for very long. It is a normal sensation to have fear. You’ve got to listen and engage in that feeling and ride appropriately. The fear is more or less the same on both the TT and BSB. Inside your helmet you have your own thoughts and you’re still recognising what you can do in that moment. With thoughts, you’re always on your own. The thought process is very similar for both disciplines but the surroundings are very different.

    How do you prepare for the TT, is it different to the circuits?

    No, not really. The TT is far more mentally tiring than BSB. You are constantly evaluating every aspect of racing in the TT. The TT has different physical demands, such as you remaining in one position for a long period of time. If you sat in a regular chair for a long period of time then it would get uncomfortable. It is similar to that, not that it is so tiring but it is the repetitive nature of being in the same position for a long period of time doing the same process. The short circuit preparation is enough to see you through.

    What are your first thoughts of the Norton?

    I’ve ridden it a couple of times now. It’s very good. The bike is fast, the engine is strong and the bike itself is quite stable which is one of the most important elements to being comfortable and confident on the roads, so to have that there already is a big plus. I made a few adjustments to riding position and things to try and get more comfortable. I made suspension changes so it goes over the bumps a bit better. They’re all very small setting changes really, they’re not welding new parts to the frame or anything like that. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the bike. It’s all fairly normal BSB type stuff, adjusting springs and damping to find that comfortable setting.

    How do you become confident riding the TT course?

    I think it is all relative to the bike. If you have a bike capable of doing a 132mph lap, put it has been in storage for a year and then rode it around the TT again, the first few laps wouldn’t be at 132mph. Even though the bike is capable of that speed, it still takes time to get confidence and ride the bike to that speed, which is where those laps are important. If you’ve got a bike that’s only capable of 129mph, it doesn’t matter how many laps you get in at the start of the week, you are only going to do a 129mph lap. There are two vital areas. The bike has to be able to improve to the point where it can do the target time and if the bike is already there, it’s up to you to gain those laps and confidence. It’s like a see-saw. The bike improves and then you get better, you make the bike better and you move forward again. It is a step by step process. Another thing is cornering. If you take a corner at 80mph each lap, you get confident and gain familiarity with it and get comfortable with the exits. At 90mph, it’s like a new corner. You arrive faster, go through faster and exit faster, before arriving at the next corner even quicker because the momentum is there. As soon as you go a bit quicker, the whole course changes. So, as I said, its a bit like a see-saw. As you go quicker, you require more from the bike. You have to make changes to the bike to do that speed and if the bike can do that speed then it is up to you to perform at the level the bike is at. Early in the week is super important if you can get a dry track and lots of laps. However, for every lap that you do, your competition is doing the same, so everyone gets better at more or less the same rate.

    Does having a rider in front (leaderboard or on track) help at the TT?

    Yeah for sure. You would get motivated but I think at a short circuit race, you would take more risk to try and go quicker than them. Taking more risk and riding closer to the edge is the key to gaining speed. Whoever can ride at the maximum for the most amount of laps for the longest period of time is usually the winner. The short circuits are great for that mental process, whereas the TT, you don’t really follow that process. You shouldn’t really try to do – or match – what someone else is doing because that is dangerous. What their bike and riding style can achieve in the corner might be totally different to what you can do. If you go ‘he can make it so I can make it’, then that isn’t necessarily true. At short circuits, you have the room to make a mistake and run wide or whatever, whereas at the TT, you don’t want that situation. It is safer to try and improve your speed by focussing on what is stopping you from going quicker and look at improving yourself and not the others.

    Having a rider further ahead though is a confidence gauge. When you get to the point you normally brake at and you’ve got someone just ahead of you doing what you’re doing, you can use them as a marker. Their movements indicate what is possible. It is sometimes an encouragement to have someone just their ahead of you but if you have caught them it is because you’re going faster anyway. Often, the reason you was able to catch them is because you was already faster. It is a double edged sword. You don’t want to catch anyone because if they’re similar speed then it is harder to overtake, whereas if you’re quicker then it is easier.


    How does overtaking compare between the TT and circuit racing?

    I can’t speak for other riders but I am more reserved at the TT. You don’t know where everyone brakes. One guy might be early on the breaks and be quick on the way out, whereas you may well be late on the brakes and lose a bit on the way out. It isn’t until you’ve gone through the corner that you realise you may have been able to make a pass there but then you might have to wait a whole lap to try again. It is quite difficult but with a fast bike, obviously it is a lot easier. As you are behind for a lot of the time, the drafting effect is really efficient. If you have a long period of time on a straight with a fast bike, you can use that draft to overtake quite quickly.

    How did you learn the TT?

    Just laps. I did watch the onboard laps but they were insignificant to me because they had no value. If you haven’t ridden the circuit at that speed, watching it at the speed doesn’t offer you much in terms of learning. However, laps and laps in the car and getting familiar with the ground do help. As a newcomer however, doing laps and laps on your own and then watching onboards is good, that is when they become relevant.


    Was there any push from the Anvil Hire Team to put on the NW200 grid this year?

    They were talking about doing the Superstock races but it was one of the those things where the conversation fizzled out. It was a proper talk though, it appeared very possible at one point.

    How do you prepare for bike racing on a whole?

    I just think bike skills. You need to ride as much as you can. I’ve said in other interviews that if you compare it to other sports, like skateboarding, where you’re a kid and you want to learn a trick, you have to do the trick over and over and over again to master it. It is just a repetitive process that makes you good at something; you’re not born with that ability, it is just practice that allows you to do that. That kid on the skateboard will only be doing that one thing too, he wont be playing basketball, computer games, BMX or squash and all he’s doing every day is practicing his skateboard tricks.

    It is the same for a motorbike rider. Unfortunately, we can’t ride our Superbikes on a race track every week. It’s too expensive, it’s impractical, track days aren’t suitable because of the different skill levels, tyres are expensive, the bikes are expensive to build, the engine running costs are too expensive etc. But even if you did ride all the time, rules in the championship stipulate that you can only test for ‘x’ amount of days a year.

    For me, preparation is finding an alternative method to riding a bike. Obviously trials aren’t like a Superbike, but I ride a Jetski, a BMX, a mountain bike, a motocross and a road bike. It is about always being active, there is no substitute for being on two wheels all the time. A lot of people cross from different sports, from say BMX to motocross racing and get to a high level. The skills they learn in BMX – the jumps, the way a bike reacts in the air, in a corner, when the front goes, what to do, when the back goes, what to do and how to recover – they’re things you learn and reactions without even thinking about it. It is second nature.

    When you go to another sport, those same impulses are still there, you’ve grown up with them as a kid but now, you just use them in a different manner. When you lose the front on a road race bike, it is the same process to stop crashing as it is on a motocross bike. Yes, the speed is different, the grip is different, there are variants but ultimately the input on the human side and science is still the same. As you lose the front on either bike, you actually have to turn into the corner to make it slide more initially but then as the physics come into play – often along with bike set-up – you stand the bike up and may well be able to recover.

    How many front/rear end moments do you have around the track?

    Definitely more rear because you open the throttle and control the slide. A front slide is more difficult to recover from because you have no engine. It is literally from speed and too much lean angle. It is much easier to create and control a rear slide. We probably have them as a ratio of 9:1 in terms of slides. Almost every session you have a moment of some kind because you push so hard. Sometimes it is every lap. In qualifying, it can be up to four corners in succession that you have a moment because you are exposing yourself by pushing so hard. In a race, if you was to push like that, there is only going to be a handful of times before your number comes up. As fuel loads come down, tyre grid levels come down, body fatigue and mental fatigue are becoming more prominent, you would definitely crash if you rode on the limit in the race.

    For one lap however, you can get away with it for a few times and if luck is on your side then you can make it to the finishing line. Often it depends on all the variants. If you have a bike set-up for your confidence then you can ride it to the level where you think you’re going to crash but you don’t. If you have a bike that isn’t set up to your confidence level then you will never have a slide because if you did, you would have crashed. Sometimes you have a bike that you have so much confidence in that you think you’re going to crash at every corner but you know you won’t.

    How much change is there between qualifying and racing for the bike then?

    I think there is elements in qualifying that are different than the race, such as a using less fuel with a new tyre. Every time you go out, you’re experimenting with the limit. When you are at the start of the race, when the tyre is at it’s best there are variants that mean that you won’t be, such as coming from lunch, pre-race nerves etc. As the tyre starts to decrease in performance, you’re in a rhythm, you are starting to get a feel for the track, whether it be track temperature or wind speed and direction. The environment is changing a lot during a race whereas in qualifying you try and create a controlled environment. The set up on the bike hardly changes between racing and qualifying, it is the other, outside elements that do.

    If I was to offer a 2nd BSB title or a Isle of Man TT Superbike win, which would you take?

    Err, a 2nd BSB title. Of course I’d like a TT win, but I’ve had a couple of years off and I’ve lost the connection with it. Hopefully, me riding this year will rekindle those memories. At the moment, I’d take the 2nd BSB title.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

    Norton image courtesy of Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photography.

  • Sauber shake-up: more than just engines

    Image courtesy of Sauber F1 Team

     

    Despite the 2017 F1 season still being in its infancy, one team has already raised their proverbial hand in respect of the 2018 season.

    The on-track action at Sochi saw both Sauber drivers struggle all weekend, however Marcus Ericsson put on, what Monisha Kaltenborn described as, a fighting performance, to finish in fifteenth place ahead of team mate Pascal Wehrlein who brought home the car in sixteenth place.

    It was however the off-track activity that garnered attention after the Swiss outfit announced that they would part ways with long time partner Ferrari in favour of a new engine supplier in 2018—Honda.

    Honda, who have faced a barrage of detractors this season including two-time world champion and incumbent McLaren-Honda driver Fernando Alonso are looking forward to the challenge that Sauber will bring, according to Katsuhide Moriyama, Chief Officer, Brand and Communication Operations for Honda.

    Kaltenborn likewise sees this as yet another milestone in the storied history of the independent team, who celebrate 25 years in F1 during this 2017 season. The move is in line with changes envisioned by the new ownership of the popular team.

    While a feature-length debate could be made about the decision and the advantages and disadvantages to both sides, it has led to an interesting, albeit early look at possible 2018 driver line up.

    Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
    Wednesday 08 March 2017.
    World Copyright: Zak Mauger/LAT Images
    ref: Digital Image _X0W7668 -via Pirelli F1 media

    THE McLAREN SIDE AND OTHER MOVES

    Kaltenborn has not confirmed any links with the McLaren team; however, if history is to be relied on then it is possible that McLaren may supply Sauber with a gearbox and technical knowledge. This could lead to a driver placement, akin to that utilised by the Mercedes team in recent years. Two names stand out as far as McLaren are concerned:

    NYCK DE VRIES

    The 22-year-old McLaren Development driver, who is managed by one Anthony Hamilton, is currently racing in the Formula 2 series for Rapax and had been considered for the Ferrari GT programme, but McLaren had retained the faith in their protégé, keeping him in single seaters.

    It is faith that seems well-placed, albeit with just the Bahrain F2 round complete, with De Vries finishing in the points in both races, and ahead of his very experienced teammate, giving him 9th place in the championship standings.

    2017 FIA Formula 2 Round 1.
    Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain.
    Sunday 16 April 2017.
    Nyck De Vries (NED, Rapax)
    Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.
    ref: Digital Image _56I1747

    Why could De Vries make the hypothetical jump to F1 in 2018? For one, he is incredibly quick and a fast learner who could slot in a role next to the more experienced Ericsson (who is fancied to be retained) with ease. In Hamilton, he has a manager who is au faire with the ever-evolving animal that is the F1 paddock and who could make the transition an easier one that most.

    His Dutch nationality could also count in his favour: ever since the arrival of Max Verstappen and the entrance of Heineken into F1, the Netherlands has seen an upsurge in the popularity of the sport, which can only be an advantage to De Vries.

    OLIVER TURVEY

    The 2014 LMP2 Le Mans winner is a favourite in the motorsport world and is McLaren’s test driver having been signed in 2012, and is spending the 2017 season in the Formula E series with NextEV NIO.

    Turvey’s racing acumen holds him in excellent stead for a possible entry into F1 and he has the intelligence to take on the technical side given that his Masters dissertation is based on F1 aerodynamics. Turvey will bring a wealth of racing knowledge to a team and would need very little time to learn the dynamics of F1.

    2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
    Mexico City ePrix, Autodromo Hermanos Rodr’guez, Mexico City, Mexico.
    Saturday 1 April 2017.
    Oliver Turvey (GBR), NextEV NIO, Spark-NEXTEV, NEXTEV TCR Formula 002.
    Photo: Zak Mauger/LAT/Formula E
    ref: Digital Image _O6I1965

    SHAKEN AND STIRRED?

    The Sauber Honda partnership has the potential to shake up other driver moves. The current lineup of Ericsson and Wehrlein have not been paired together for very long, given the latter’s slow recovery from injury.

    Ericsson has carried the proverbial can at Sauber through the very difficult seasons of late and is expected to be retained by the Hinwil team as a reward for his hard work.

    Wehrlein is the heir-apparent at the Mercedes team, albeit only after and if Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas leave the team. If neither of them do in 2018, his position in the Sauber team would fall under the spotlight. Wehrlein is a talented driver but has been unsettled in F1 with the Manor team falling out of the sport and the Sauber 2018 decision.

    Pascal Wehrlein (D), Sauber F1 Team.
    Bahrain International Circuit.

    In the hypothetical scenario of a McLaren man at Sauber-Honda, could Wehrlein be moved to another Mercedes engine team? The simple answer is an obvious yes, but at whose cost? Esteban Ocon has been placing well for the Force India-Mercedes team and has impressed hugely thus far.

    Williams have the unique dynamic of Felipe Massa, who retired and then emerged to replace the moving Bottas, and the rookie Lance Stroll. Wehrlein could conceivably replace Massa at Williams, if the proverbial powers that be are happy to pair relative “rookies” together.

    If Wehrlein leaves Sauber, it seems likely that his best fit would be at Williams, rather than upsetting the good pair Force India.

    The crystal ball of F1 is one that is foggy at the best of times. Sauber’s decision is not merely confined to that of an engine supplier (which is a debate for another time). It has the potential to affect the driver market much like a domino ripple. In a sport where tenure is as certain as a few seasons ago, this thought, we can assure you, is not lost on the drivers, even this early in 2017.

    Sauber have always been the dreamers and chance takers of F1 and the Honda decision is no different. All that remains to be seen is who will take this jump with them.

    Rhea Morar, deputy F1 editor