Mid season catch-up Pt2
I just thought I'd finish my update on what else is afoot in the wonderful world of motorsport.
Sportscars
Nigel Mansell will be racing at the Silverstone 100kms on the 11th September. He will once again be driving with his sons Leo and Greg. Let's hope that 'Red 5' doesn't have another crash like he had at Le Mans. Audi driver Allan McNish will be at the sharp end of things along with Andy Wallace. Ex-F1 drivers Giancarlo Fischella and Anthony Davidson will also be taking part, with the latter racing for title contenders Peugeot.
125cc
Mark Marquez is now running away with the 125cc World Championship. The 17 year old Derbi rider has won five races on the trot and not even a dislocated shoulder suffered in a practice accident at Brno could stop him from scoring a seventh place finish. Taking a leaf out of, well, a great many champions of the past, the Spaniard took the points as he had no chance of finishing at the sharp end. Definitely a rider to keep an eye on.
Nicolas Terol and Pol Espargo are playing catch-up with 'Our Bradley' Smith in perpetual fourth.
Moto2
Despite my worries, Moto2 has proved to be a very entertaining spectacle this year. In complete contrast to the MotoGP grid, the sight of all those bikes flying into the first corner gives the impression that you're going to see a real race, not a show procession of a small number of bikes. Unfortunately due to the intensive and expenditure heavy 800cc formula in MotoGP, only the big boys can play, meaning that privateers without factory connections and big current accounts can't get a place on the grid.
Tony Elias and the Gresini team are leading the championship after their win at Brno. However, they are going to have to watch themselves as the team were caught red-handed testing out of regulations at Misano. According to the rules, no team is allowed to test at a track that hasn't hosted a Grand Prix so far this season. Naughty boys!
For your viewing pleasure...
A Dutch international race from 1981 at Hengelo. The track is a good example of the road tracks that the Dutch used (and still sometimes use) at the time. Houses, trees and ditches all line the track, which despite it's flat nature (hey, it is in Holland!), looks fast and challenging. From doing a bit of research, I found out that this track is still used for the Dutch Superbike championship. Look out for the Dutch Grand Prix stars of the 70's/80's Wil Hartog, Boet Van Dulmen and 'Jumping' Jack Middelburg in the film.
Mid season catch-up! Part 1
Well, as you probably know by now, Marc Webber won the Hungarian Grand Prix with Fernando Alonso in second and Seb Vettel third after being given a drive-through penalty. The race has been reviewed elsewhere in a far more anal fashion than I would ever do, so I'm going to cast my eye over the latest news in other areas of motor sport.
WSBK
It looks increasingly like the Roman Emperor, Max Biaggi, is about to take his first World Superbike title to add to his four 250cc World Championship's and numerous MotoGP victories. He has just signed on with Aprilia for another two years, much to the joy of the Italian race fan, enamoured with the sight of the Italian racer on an Italian bike with an Italian sponsor.
However, Max couldn't stop the highly rated Cal Crutchlow from taking two wins at the Silverstone round of the World Superbike Championship on Sunday. Clinching pole position on Saturday, Crutchlow also set the lap record on the revised Silverstone track.
Unfortunately, the World Supersport race was marred by this horrendous accident:
Championship leader Eugene Laverty accidentally triggered this accident by clipping Joan Lascorz. The rider was quite badly injured but should make a full recovery.
Caterham's
Reigning champ Jon Walker won the last round at Rockingham, winning both races by a healthy margin. If you're interested in taking part in the Caterham academy series next year, click here for the Caterham site.
British Sooooper Bike
Sorry, just doing my Jamie Whitham impression there. The championship really should be called British Northern Bikes, in my opinion. The current championship leader is Worx Crescent Suzuki rider, Tommy Hill, with Josh Brookes and Riuchi Kiyonari following up behind him. Kiyonari won the last round at Snetterton, with the next race being held on the mighty Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit this weekend. If you've got Eurosport, be sure to tune in!
Unfortunately, former Superbike World Champion, Neil Hodgson, has had to retire from the series and racing all together through injury.
Formula 3
Britain's traditional breeding ground for new talent is currently being led by Carlin driver, Jean-Eric Vergne, who took a hat-trick of wins from the last round at Spa-Franchorchamps (yes, I'm confused too). Brits Oli Webb and James Calado are second and third. Alex Brundle, son of former F1 driver/current F1 commentator, Martin Brundle is sixteenth.
The next round will be held at Thruxton this weekend. Get ready for some wheel banging and strops from boys who've only ever played with their toys.
And finally...
Just look at what happened in this Formula Superleague race at Brand Hatch last weekend. In a situation eerily similar to the Schumacher incident, driver Chris Van Der Drift was injured in a very serious accident at Demon's Drop. The New Zealander is expected to make a full recovery, but the incident highlights just how dangerous (and copied) Schumacher's style of ruthless driving can be...
Flipping ‘eck!
Every now and again, you see a crash in a motor race that makes you involuntarily swear like a trooper. This SEAT race at Brands Hatch made me do just that when I saw this almighty crash:
The incident does appear to be one of those flukes of racing nature that could happen anywhere and at any time. It was lucky that the car did not hit the either the marshals or the ambulance van. Fortunately no one, including the driver, was badly injured.
Weekly round-up 23/04/2010
Time a for a round up of what's moving and a shaking this week. Well, actually nothing is going on at all really, just conjecture. But while I'm here...
MotoGP
No Japanese Grand Prix due to health and safety. Oh, and a bloody huge volcano.
World Superbike
The only major motor-sporting event this weekend. The latest of round WSBK is being held at the 'Cathedral of racing', 'de circuit van Drenthe', at Assen. Well, it would be if they re-instated the other half of the track, so it resembles it's pre-1984 layout. It's nothing more than a glorified national club track now. Oh well, let's hope that Leon Haslam keeps up his great form and takes a win (or two).
F1
You'll be pleased to know that the teams got their equipment back. I know I am. The intrusion of real life must have been a nasty shock for them. On the other hand, Jake Humphrey's tale of how he got back to England from China is rather entertaining.
We now get to look forward to a truly boring race at Barcelona, what joy! I went there in 2003 and stood with some red clad Germans who air-horned every time Schumacher passed us. No one overtook, no one tried to race, and the F3000 event was the most tedious piece of motorsport 'competition' I have ever seen (only the Seat vans race was any good). Next week promises to be no different.
On a lighter note...
Two of the British F3 grid girls went for a spin around Silverstone and you can see how they got on here.
Weekly round up 10/03/10
Here are some interesting stories and opinions that have caught my eye over the last few days:
Don't blame the aerodynamics
The accomplished F1 designer Frank Dernie put this very authoritative counter-argument forward on James Allen's website, rubbishing that aerodynamics are not racings bogey man. He also gives some very interesting alternatives, including the reintroduction of manual gearboxes, to make overtaking possible.
Making sense while others lose their heads
F1 Journo Stuart Codling offers this amusing take on the fuss and bother started by Sunday's Grand Prix.
Rossi sends a warning shot
Italy's favourite son sends a warning shot to his rivals with a very dominant performance in testing It seems that Ducati are worried. Hopefully their rider won't disappear halfway through the season again...
Troubled Hungarian track loses Grand Prix
It seems that the Balatonring was doomed right from the start. Thanks to continued construction problems, the MotoGP it was supposed to host this September has been taken away from them. The round will instead be run at the Motorland Aragon track in Spain. That gives that country a total of four Grand Prix this year. Come on Dorna, give someone else a chance...
More on Donington…
Just a quick post today. Will Buxton expands upon the Donington story here. Hopefully some mega-rich racing fans will step forward to make the necessary investments.
December catch-up
Greetings! Well, it's nearly Christmas and I haven't written anything for a while, due to real life getting in the way, so here's my view on the relatively few things that have happened in the motor racing world.
Jensen signs for McLaren
Now, I have no clue as to whether JB (F1 people love calling people by their initials, don't they?) was pushed or if Mr Brawn asked him to stay, but felt Woking would offer him more. However, I do have a feeling that 2010 will be an even more important season for Frome's favourite son. The bottom line is that he has to be able to take Hamilton on his home ground.
Some have being billing this next season as 'Senna vs Prost', but I would say it was more of a case of "Mansell vs Fittipaldi". Hamilton is extremely fast, fights hard and loves the extravagant overtaking manoeuvre (plus a taste for the dramatic); whereas Button (one of the most decisive overtakers around), tends to be quick without making mistakes, but has little political side to him at all, unlike the great Frenchman. These traits are surely more in common with a certain moustachioed midlander and a 70's Brazilian sensation, don't you think?
Raikkonen quits F1 for WRC
The 2007 World Champion has gone off to do a 'Stirling' and take part in whatever type of motor sport that damn well takes his fancy. The Finn will be taking part in the 2010 World Rally Championship, driving for Citroen. Good luck to him! I for one would like to see F1 drivers taking part at Le Mans, Grand Prix Bike riders racing at the North West 200, or even just racing in more than one class. OR may be if they all just race some Bedford vans, we'd see more overtaking!
British Grand Prix saved!
Yes, sanity has made a guest appearance in F1 and helped secure the British Grand Prix for the next sixteen years. Don't expect it to hang around for long though, as sanity only plays a brief footnote in the history of F1. No doubt the F1 powers that be are annoyed that they have to go to a windswept airfield in Northamptonshire for the race, instead of an air-conditioned Tilkedrome, but hard cheese.
As usual, Bernie and CVC will get their cut, so no one should be too unhappy. The only real losers in this affair is Donington and the Wheatcroft family. The circuit is currently in an unusable state thanks to the uncompleted work carried out on it by the Donington Ventures Holding Company. At the same time of the Grand Prix deal, the circuit owner Tom Wheatcroft, passed away. Let's hope Donington gets back on it's feet soon.
Weekly round-up 20/08/2009
Time to have a quick look at what's happening in motor sport in the aftermath of the Czech Motorbike Grand Prix and this week's upcoming Formula 1 race on the Valencia street circuit.
Formula 1
- The fledgling USF1 team that is to enter F1 next season have announced that they have the backing of Youtube. What this will mean to Bernie's practice of having F1 footage removed from the website as a breach of copyright, will remain to be seen.
- Nelson Piquet Jr has been replaced by Roman Grosjean for the rest of the season. The Brazilian has launched a broadside against Renault boss Flavio Briatore, saying that he has no clue about racing. This is something that Briatore has been accused of before, having been nicknamed "the T-shirt salesman" in the early years of his involvement in the sport.
- For this weekends race, the Valencia street track has been modified, with the pit lane exit revised and walls moved back from the track on some corners. The pit lane exit did appear to be downright dangerous last year, so any improvement will be welcome, however moving walls from street circuits surely removes the challenge of this type track. Martin Brundle won't be pleased (The BBC commentator has been very critical of the changes to the Monaco circuit, which he feels has made it easier).
MotoGP
- Casey Stoner will miss out the next two Grand Prix as he continues treatment in Australia for the mysterious illness that has dogged him this season.
- Jorge Lorenzo's future still appears up in the air, with rumours appearing daily on the net concerning Ducati's overtures to the Mallorcan. It seems that the Italian team is worried that Casey Stoner's recovery could be long and they will need another top-line replacement. However, Lorenzo should be aware of the Desmosedici's career damaging reputation, as only Stoner has so far got to grips with it's handling characteristics.
- Despite his embarrassing accident while trying a wheelie on the slowing down lap at Brno, Alvaro Bautista will step up to the MotoGP class next year with Suzuki in place of Chris Vermulen.
DTM
- Four cars have been sealed for examination by the German Motorsport Authority in order be used as reference for the DTM development freeze. These cars will then be used to enforce the freeze for the next year and a half, before the technical regulations change in 2011.
Sportscars
- 1992 Formula 1 World Champion Nigel Mansell will be taking part in the Silverstone 1000kms in the Team LNT's Ginetta-Zytek LMP1 prototype next month. He will be one of three drivers, comprising himself, his son Greg and team owner Lawrence Tomlinson.
Weekly round-up 14/07/09
So what is happening in the wonderful world of Motorsport? Well, there seems to be plenty of shuffling of the cards going on in Formula One, with the seemingly endless FIA/FOM/CVC/FOTA wrangling still raging on. It appears that an alternative series is still very much on the cards and Bernie may be jumping ship with FOTA (the name GP1 has been registered with his company). Former World Rally champ Ari Vatanen Is planning to stand for election as FIA president, so all we can do is await Max & Bernie's next move...
MotoGP teams pull out
Elsewhere, Sete Gibernau's Grupo Francisco Hernando team has pulled out of the MotoGP class with immediate effect. This follows on from Kawasaki's announcement that there will be no Hayate team next year either, leaving both Gibernau and Marco Melandri without a ride. Kawasaki cannot afford to provide a bike for the Italian anymore, despite his excellent showing on the Hayate (particularly at Mugello). The Japanese firm wish to make savings and removing the cost of a Grand Prix bike will do that.
Silly season begins
The chess pieces that are being moved at the moment are:
- Marco Simoncelli has signed for the Gresini Honda team next year, taking up another space on the already sparse grid.
- The Italian paper Gazzetto dello Sport believes that Ben Spies has signed a two year deal with Yamaha. The American will contest the World Superbike series in 2010 and then move onto MotoGP in 2011.
- Sebastien Bourdais may be replaced by Jaime Alguersuari for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Toro Rosso driver has not had a good season so far and it appears he will lose his seat.
- Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat believes that Nelson Piquet will be dropped from the Renault team in place of Roman Grosjean.
Weekly Round-up 06/06/2009
So what's been going on in the world of motorsport lately? Well, Jensen Button and the Brawn team are still leading the Formula One world championship after a dominant performance in Monaco two weeks ago. I bet the powers that be are glad that they did not implement the 'medals' rule, as Button would have nearly sewn the competition up by now.
Valentino Rossi is currently playing catch-up to his Spanish team mate Jorge Lorenzo, who is currently leading the MotoGP world championship. Casey Stoner won the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello after a thrilling two wheel battle that saw Rossi, Lorenzo, Stoner Loris Capirossi and Marco Melandri all in contention. Britains James Toseland put in a cracking performance, aided by cleverly stopping early to change his bike in drying conditions, to finish seventh.
It is also quite exciting to note that Oxfords Bradley Smith is leading the 125cc Motocycle World Championship after an excellent victory in the 125cc category at Mugello. Let's hope he can keep things going and take the world championship. If he does, he will be the first British Motorcycle World Champion since Barry Sheene took his second world title in 1977.
Talking in of Motorcycle racing, it's the big one this weekend, the Isle of Man TT. Probably the most famous motocycling race in the world, the TT will be inviting some of the worlds best road racers to take on the challenge of it's tortuous 37.73 mile long mountain circuit. Even the world's greatest motorbike racer, Valentino Rossi will be there to ride a demonsration lap in his grand prix Yamaha! I don't know about you, but I'd love to see him take part, just like Agostini (who will be there also this weekend), Read and Hailwood used to do. Fantasy aside, John McGuiness looks like he will take the honours again this year in the senior race, however watch out for Michael Dunlop and Cameron Donald.
Finally, keep an eye out this weekend for the next installment in the F1 FIA/FOTA show down. Who will break from FOTA? Will the budget cap be enforced? Will they all just grow up?