Best of the Month: July 2025

Another month came and went in a flash. We are well into the second half of 2025, and it will all be over soon. Most series are in the second half of their seasons. A few series are much closer to the end than the start. Some hardware will be awarded soon enough. The calendar will be thinning out.

It is a proper time to look back. Perhaps we haven't appreciated what we have seen this year. Let's take a breather to do that. Let's first recognize a result that was a long-time coming.

Nico Hülkenberg Appreciation Post

The standout moment of the month of July will be Nico Hülkenberg's third place finish in the British Grand Prix from Silverstone. It was a day most of us likely were resigned to admit would never come. Hülkenberg had made 239 starts and was driving for Sauber. A podium finish would not come easy. 

Then came the greatest day of his Formula One career. 

From 19th on the grid, Hülkenberg played the strategy correctly through the changing conditions while making a few strong moves to remain at the front. In the closing laps, Hülkenberg had a charging Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton challenging for the final place on the podium. When the checkered flag waved, the German was the third to see it, and history was made. A streak was over. Justification was reached. 

The history book was set to capture Hülkenberg as one of the most peculiar careers in Formula One history. A driver who held on for over 200 races but never once could finish in the top three despite plenty of exceptional results and flashes of brilliance. One podium finish can change an entire chapter. 

I remember when Nico Hülkenberg thrashed the A1GP competition and the heir apparent to Michael Schumacher was found. Hülkenberg was expected to do great things. He would be inevitable in Formula One. A Formula Three Euro Series and GP2 Series champions followed. Despite all the junior series success, the demand was not as great as one would have thought when it was time to move to Formula One. He went to Williams, and that first step locked Hülkenberg onto a permanent path in the midfield.

After a year at Williams with a pole position in the wet at Interlagos, Hülkenberg ended up as Force India's reserve driver in 2011 before getting the race seat in 2012. He bounced to Sauber for a year before returning to Force India for two more years. His only factory ride was with Renault for three seasons. Five years ago, Hülkenberg was out of Formula One. 

The fact Hülkenberg is still around is remarkable. Formula One had moved on come 2020. The pandemic and a pair of positive COVID test for each Sergio Pérez and Lance Stroll led to a few races for Racing Point. When Racing Point became Aston Martin, Hülkenberg remained on the books but did not race in 2021. In 2022, he was back for two races when Sebastian Vettel was sidelined due to COVID. Somehow, five races over a three-season period led to a full-time role at Haas. A combined 50 points over two seasons led to a return to Sauber as Hülkenberg was hired proactively ahead of Audi taking over the program in 2026.

He could have had a win 39 races into his career. Hülkenberg was in prime position in the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix before he lost the car under braking in the wet and collided with Lewis Hamilton. Hülkenberg continued, but damaged and with a penalty to serve, which knocked him down to fifth. How different would things be if that one moment had gone differently nearly 13 years ago? We probably aren't acknowledging Nico Hülkenberg at the end of July 2025, at least not for this reason. 

It has been a good career. Considering all the teams he has raced for, Hülkenberg has finished in the points in 47.083% of his starts. He has been about to stick around for over 240 races. Plenty of other drivers have come and gone. Timo Glock was a GP2 champion. He didn't reach 100 grand prix. Jean-Éric Vergne made it three seasons. Esteban Gutiérrez was a promising young driver, and he only had three seasons where he scored points in one race. There is something to be said for longevity and being able to keep a ride. 

We haven't even mentioned that Hülkenberg has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Paired with Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber, Hülkenberg got a one-off opportunity with Porsche in 2015, and the off weeks fell at the right time to allow him to run at Le Mans. In the third Porsche, Hülkenberg significantly contributed to the manufacturers' first Le Mans victory in 17 years. He has a moment greater than 75% of the drivers he has competed against in Formula One, including some who have won a grand prix. 

Hülkenberg will likely hit 250 starts this season. He would become just the 13th driver to reach that milestone. Everyone to hit it has won a grand prix. We know he will get the 2026 season with Audi. Come 2027, he will turn 40 years old. 

Will he be a man content with what he has accomplished or will he go for more? Will the sports car success from over a decade before lead to a desire to continue competing in a different discipline? 

Highlights of 2025

Hülkenberg's podium finish will be one of the moments of the year, if not the moment of the year when 2025 is over. Seven months have been completed. We know who has been the best this season, and what has stood out. It is proper to give them their due before the season even ends. 

Racers:

Álex Palou has won eight IndyCar races, including the Indianapolis 500. It is the most victories in an IndyCar season since 2007. Palou has a chance to clinch a championship with multiple races to spare since  2002.

Marc Márquez has new life. In his first year on a factory Ducati, Márquez has won eight of 12 grand prix. He has won 11 of 12 sprint races. At the summer break and with ten races remaining, Marquez has a 120-point lead over his brother Álex. Francesco Bagnaia is 168 points back. Marco Bezzecchi is 225 points back in fourth. This Renaissance has been marvelous to watch.

In 2026, Márquez could have some competition as Toprak Razgatlioglu has signed to race for Pramac Racing Yamaha. In World Superbike, Razgatlioglu has won 15 of 24 races. He has finished runner-up five times. His championship lead is a little thinner. Only 26 points separate the Turkish rider from Nicolò Bulega, but Razgatlioglu will be a menace to stop as he is on his way to his third World Superbike championship.

Race:

Moto3 has had a few sensational races that ended with staggering finishes. At Qatar, four riders were in the lead group coming to the checkered flag. At the line, Ángel Piqueras nipped Taiyo Furusato at the line by 0.009 seconds. Ryusei Yamanaka was 0.042 seconds back and Joel Kelso was fourth, 0.097 seconds short of victory. At Mugello, Máximo Quiles scored his first career victory in his fourth career start. Quiles beat Álvaro Carpe to the line by 0.006 seconds. Dennis Foggia was 0.066 seconds back in third. José Antoio Rueda was a distant fourth, 0.102 seconds off Quiles.

NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend ended with a 87-lap run to the checkered flag and six different drivers led during that span. William Byron had been the best cars all race, but with six laps remaining, Ross Chastain took the lead despite starting 40th after he had an accident in practice. Chastain held on for victory in what was a lively race for the entire four-and-a-half hours.

Moment:

It will be pretty tough to top Hülkenberg's podium finish, but Robert Kubica winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be up there. Over the last six years, we have continued to be impressed with Kubica as he returned to Formula One and scored a point. He has won championships in LMP2 competition. A Le Mans victory cements his legacy beyond one accident that altered his career.

But before that, who could forget Robert Shwartzman's pole position at the Indianapolis 500? Everyone was penciling in Prema for the last row shootout. A good number of people likely thought one of Prema's two cars would be bumped from the race. What did we see? Each session, Shwartzman went a little quicker. An early qualifying draw helped him snag a surprise Fast 12 spot. Then he was fast enough to make the Fast 6. In the final round, Shwartzman completed his fastest run of the month and the rookie with a new team had pole position for their Indianapolis debuts.

Achievement:

The IndyCar season isn't over yet, but Álex Palou's year has been astonishing. He has the most victories in a season since reunification. There is a chance he could become the fourth driver to win at least nine races in a season. Tying the all-time record of ten is in play. If he wins out, he will set the single-season record, one most never expected to be challenged. 

The NASCAR season isn't over yet, but Shane van Gisbergen has already tied the Cup Series record for most victories in a rookie season. Van Gisbergen has won three times at Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma. He joined Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson as the only rookies to win three times in a season, and van Gisbergen's season is not over yet. Watkins Glen comes up later this month and the Charlotte roval will be in October. With Daytona and Talladega out there, he could win an oval. That fourth victory, and sole possession of the record, is very much in play.

Marc Márquez has hit 100 pole positions in grand prix racing. Márquez was already the record-holder, but to hit the century mark is a notable achievement, even for one of the all-time greats. 

August Preview

What is the event of note in August?

It doesn't have one of those world-renowned endurance races. Formula One is taking off most of the month. MotoGP is returning. IndyCar will be over at the end of the month. The Southern 500 is only in August because Labor Day is September 1. It is fine. There will be plenty of series going on. But as for that one thing, I am not sure it is quite there.

The Knoxville Nationals! That is held in August, the 9th to be specific. Kyle Larson has won it three of the last four years. Donny Schatz remains one victory away from tying Steve Kinsey’s record of 12. 

Other events of note in August:

Three IndyCar races and then it is over.

The NASCAR regular season will be over.

Formula One has its summer break after a race in Hungary.

MotoGP will be back and eventually return to Hungary.

Super GT will be trying a new sprint race format at Fuji.

The World Rally Championship will be in Finland and Paraguay.

2025 Motorcycle Predictions

We are into the final days of 2024, the final two to be more specific. Is this the final week of 2024 or the first week of 2025? Whose week begins on Wednesday? Let's consider this a transition period. One year is over even if there is time remaining on the clock. One year has yet to begin even if we have not changed our calendars. Everything will start to be serious next week. All the holidays will be behind us and all we will have is the slog of winter ahead. 

Don't worry! We have something to fill this uncertain time. Motorcycle predictions! From a variety of championships on a variety of surfaces. We will cover the globe in these 12 predictions, and some are timely with the start of the Supercross season less than two weeks away.

MotoGP

1. Marc Márquez will reach 100 career pole positions

Moving to Ducati provided the career renaissance we all expected for Márquez. On a year-old Ducati at Gresini, Márquez was back to winning races and gave Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martín a hassle despite both those riders being on the new Desmosedici GP24. 

For 2025, Márquez will be a factory Ducati rider and on a level playing field with Bagnaia. Many think this will be another leap forward for Márquez and it makes him a championship threat. That is sound thinking. Not only will he be after a title, but a number of milestones as well. 

Márquez already holds the record for most pole positions in grand prix motorcycle racing with 94, 25 ahead of the next closest rider. Six pole positions would make him the first to reach 100 in a career. On the year-old Ducati, Márquez had two pole positions. The new Ducati should bring him to a higher level and hitting six pole positions should not be difficult. 

2. The "sprint champion" will score fewer than 150 points

MotoGP has had sprint races for two seasons and in each of those two years Jorge Martín has scored the most points from sprint races. In 2023, Martín scored 168 points in sprint races, and in 2024 he scored 171 points. The 2024 results decided the championship. Martín outscored Francesco Bagnaia by 43 points in sprint races, overcoming the 33 point deficit between Martín and Bagnaia from grand prix races.

With Martín moving to Aprilia, it feels unlikely he will be able to match his sprint results achieved on the Pramac Racing Ducati. It opens the door for everyone else to make up ground in sprint races, but I do not think we will see someone win seven sprint races and finish on the sprint podium in 16 races. 

A few riders will score more sprint points, but not necessarily score significantly more. Martín's total will come down as well. I think sprint results will be a little more balance, which means it could still be crucial to the final championship result.

3. On at least one occasion will there be three consecutive races with three different manufacturers victorious

Last year saw two manufacturers win in MotoGP.

Ducati - 19

Aprilia - 1

Maverick Viñales won the third race of the season in Austin and that was the only non-Ducati victory the entire season.

Ducati will remain strong and the manufacturer to beat, but too much has changed to think Ducati will remain as dominant as it was. 

Jorge Martín has moved to Aprilia. No offense to Franco Morbidelli, Fermín Aldeguer and Álex Márquez, but I do not think those three can do what Marc Márquez accomplished on a year-old bike even if it is a year-old Ducati. KTM has a hungry Pedro Acosta looking for a victory while having a steady hand in Brad Binder, and it has added Viñales and Enea Bastianini at the Tech3 operation. 

I don't think we can believe in Yamaha and Honda just yet, but I think we could see a period where a Ducati, a Aprilia and a KTM each win over a three-race stretch. 

4. The difference between the top two riders on Japanese bikes will be less than 50 points

Speaking of the Japanese manufacturers, oof, I don't think it will be great in 2025. It might get better. It could not get much worse, but I do not think we are going to see a Honda or a Yamaha win in clear conditions. Fabio Quartararo or Jack Miller could work some magic in the wet, but I am not holding my breath on any of those eight riders being contenders for victories.

The best rider from a Japanese manufacturer in 2024 was Quartararo, 13th in the championship on 113 points. The next closest rider from a Japanese manufacturer was Johann Zarco in 17th on 55 points. That is a difference of 58 points.

Making up eight points is not much, but nothing has proved to be easy for these two manufacturers in the last few seasons. It feels like Yamaha will be better of the two, and Miller should bring a fight to Quartararo.

5. David Alonso's longest winning streak is not greater than four races

After winning 14 races in the 2024 Moto3 season on his way to a championship, Alonso's next act will come in Moto2. Remaining with the CFMoto Aspar Team, Alonso joins a pretty competitive championship. It will not be as easy as last year, a season where he ended with seven consecutive victories. 

I do not expect records to fall again. The most victories in the 2024 Moto2 season was four. No rider has ever won five consecutive races in the Moto2 era. No rider has won at least five consecutive races in the middle category of grand prix racing since Marco Melandri won six consecutive 250cc races in 2002. 

Alonso will do well, he might even win the championship, but I am not expecting him to continue his record-shattering tear. If he does, well, then we might be watching something special.

6. Moto3 will be the closest championship margin among the top three classes

After being the greatest championship margin in 2024, Moto3 will be the reverse in 2025 and be the closest.

Alonso won the Moto3 title by 165 points over Daniel Holgado. That same margin covered Holgado in second and Tatsuki Suzuki in 14th. Forty points decided the Moto2 title and ten points decided the MotoGP title. 

With Alonso leaving, a vacuum is created in Moto3, and I am not sure one rider will sweep in and be close to doing a fraction of what Alonso accomplished. Those 421 points the Colombian scored will have to go to someone, but I don't think any one rider will take on the bulkhead of that total. I expected greater distribution over the entire field, and what could end up being a tighter championship fight while Moto2 and MotoGP could see one rider pull away a little more.

World Superbike

7. Toprak Razgatlioglu will have more third-place finishes in the final four rounds than he will in the first eight rounds

After a sensational season in 2024, Razgatlioglu will have a tough act to follow. Though he missed two rounds after suffering an injury in practice at Magny-Cours, and racing the final portion of the season banged up, topping 18 victories, 13 of which were consecutive, is no easy task. The Turkish rider will remain as the one to beat in World Superbike. 

Along with 18 victories, Razgatlioglu stood on the podium 27 times in 30 starts. Of those 27 podium finishes, ten were runner-up results and two were third-place finishes. Those third place finishes were in the first SuperPole race of the season at Phillip Island and in the second full race of the Barcelona weekend, the sixth race of the season. After that, he never finished third again in 2024.

For 2025, we will see an inverse. Razgatlioglu will have more third-place finishes in the final four rounds, 12 races, than he will have in the first eight rounds, 24 races. I am not sure why, but things change. You cannot always finish first or second.

8. At least two rounds will feature three different winners

There have been six World Superbike seasons with the current three-race weekend format, two full races with a SuperPole race in-between. In those six seasons, there have been seven race weekends where three different riders won. It did not happen in 2019 or 2022, but it happened three times in 2020, twice in 2021 and then once in each of the last two seasons. 

Razgatlioglu will be hard to beat, but there are enough good riders that we could see two weekends where two other riders come out on top. Razgatlioglu could win the first race and then Danilo Petrucci could win the SuperPole race with Álvaro Bautista winning race two of the weekend. Maybe Razgatlioglu and BMW teammate Michael van der Mark split a weekend and Bautista wins the SuperPole race in the middle. There could be a wet SuperPole race and Jonathan Rea could take an unexpected victory while afterward in a dry race two, Razgatlioglu wins with Nicolò Bulega having already won the day before. 

It doesn't happen often, but I think we are due for two weekends in 2025 where there are no repeat winners.

9. None of the top five riders in the championship miss a race

We know Razgatlioglu missed two full rounds after his practice accident at Magny-Cours, but Álvaro Bautista also missed the second full race from Magny-Cours after a SuperPole race accident. Alex Lowes missed the second full race from Aragón after a SuperPole accident. Danilo Petrucci missed the entire Assen round. 

The only rider in the top five of the championship to start every race was vice-champion Nicolò Bulega. 

We are going to see better health and fortune for the top riders in 2025. All five of the top five in the final championship will start every race. There will be no wondering "what if" or thinking a rider could be a spot or two higher if a round wasn't missed. There will be full participation and no doubt about what has occurred. 

Supercross/Motocross

10. At least one Supercross podium will feature three riders that do not finish in the top three of the championship

Supercross has only gotten deeper looking to 2025. The 2024 season had six different winners from five different manufacturers. The field has only gotten tougher this season. 

In 2024, at least one of the eventual top three championship finishers were on the podium in every race. In seven of 17 rounds, only one of the eventual championship top three were on the podium. In 2023, every race had at least one of the championship top three on the podium and in five races was only one of the podium finishers a top three championship finisher.

With the quality of the field, I believe there will be one night where the top three finishers will not end up being the championship top three when the season ends at Salt Lake City in May. 

11. Jorge Prado will be the top finishing European rider in the Supercross championship

One of the reasons why it has become much more competitive for the 2025 Supercross season is the introduction of the two-time World Motocross championship Jorge Prado. The Spaniard won the World Championship the last two years, and come January 5, the 24-year-old will compete full-time in the AMA Supercross season.

Switching to Kawasaki, Prado made his Supercross debut last year when he ran the first four rounds with Gas Gas. He had promising moments, but he was learning the law of the land in Supercross. He was seventh in his second start at San Francisco and he won a heat race that weekend. 

Prado might not dominate the championship, but he will be competitive and he will not be an afterthought. There will be a few races where he will be a key player, and I think he will win a race. Jason Anderson was the top Kawasaki rider in the championship last season. Winless, Anderson was fifth in the championship with four podium finishes and 11 top five results.

Based on his ability and as long as he remains healthy, Prado should be the top European rider in the championship. His main competition will be Ken Roczen and Dylan Ferrandis. Ferrandis is on a customer Honda. The Frenchman can get good results but he is not going to be competing for race victories. Roczen can win races and he can finish on the podium, but the German's issue is he is bound to have a few off nights and he struggles to stay healthy. 

Based on points per start, Roczen was on track for 270.78 points and Ferrandis was on pace for 208.25 points. That would have placed those two in sixth and ninth in the championship respectively, an improvement of one spot and three spots from their actual championship finishes. 

I think Prado can finish in the top five of the championship, not necessarily win it but match Anderson's output and take fifth, possibly be a little bit better and take fourth. 

12. Neither Jett Lawrence nor Haiden Deegan will win SuperMotocross World Championships

In two seasons of the SuperMotocross World Championship, there have been two riders to win the championships in each category. Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan. Lawrence has won both 450cc titles. Deegan has claimed both 250cc titles.

That will not continue in 2025. Nothing lasts forever, and frankly we are a little lucky to have Lawrence and Deegan each win twice in two years. In 2023, Deegan had to win the final round from Los Angeles to take the 250cc title from Jo Shimoda. In that same year, Chase Sexton went down in the final race while leading to gift Lawrence the 450cc title. In 2024, Jett Lawrence finished tied with his brother Hunter for the 450cc title only to take the title on tiebreaker.

Both Lawrence and Deegan are excellent riders, but there is other top talent out there, and with the nature of the SuperMotocross championship being three rounds, the door is open for someone else to sneak through and claim the crown. That happens in both categories in 2025.

Four down, one to go! If you missed the Formula One predictions, NASCAR predictions or sports car predictions, feel free to check those out. We end the year as we normally do with IndyCar predictions.

2024 Motorsports Christmas List

Christmas will be here in a few days! I hope all of your presents have been purchased and wrapped and you are not caught in the last second scramble to satisfy everyone's dreams. This should be a relaxing next few days before the holiday is here and we are all gathered around Christmas trees. 

Before spending that time with your family and digging into the stockings of your own, it is our annual tradition of giving out gifts to the people, places and events around the motorsports world. Even the most successful and riches drivers in the world need something this Christmas. This is our chance to give them what they need.

With that said, I hope you have your favorite drink and a few cookies next to you as your eyes wander across this list...

To IndyCar: An even geographical spread of races across the United States.

To Formula One: A championship battle that will be appreciated and not result in juvenile bickering online.

To NASCAR: The ability to share.

To the FIA World Endurance Championship: Two more rounds and better competition in Hypercar.

To IMSA: The GTP class competing at every round and two more races.

To MotoGP: Competitive Japanese manufacturers, and fewer cancelled rounds midseason.

To the European Le Mans Series: No broadcast partner in the United States so those races can be streamed on YouTube. Or at least a proper broadcast partner that more than six people have. 

To Formula E: A better broadcast partner in the United States. 

To Amazon: Minimal complaints over how it does broadcasting NASCAR races.

To James Hinchcliffe: Greater sway as a voice in motorsports. 

To Patricio O'Ward: A marketing department that makes the most of his charisma.

To Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel: Results that force McLaren not to make any rash decisions.

To Colton Herta: Enough SuperLicense points to shut everyone up.

To Marcus Ericsson: Smooth oval races.

To Kyle Kirkwood: More fishing rods.

To Álex Palou: The other $500,000 that IndyCar owes him.

To Scott Dixon: Better qualifying form.

To Marcus Armstrong: A few podium finishes.

To Felix Rosenqvist: More races where he finishes better than his starting position than he finishes worse.

To Linus Lundvist: A loving home.

To Conor Daly: A legitimate sponsor that is not financially questionable.

To Josef Newgarden: Results to win back the fan base.

To Scott McLaughlin: Plenty of diapers and infant clothing.

To Will Power: An Indianapolis 500 pole position. 

To Max Verstappen: Enjoyment in what he does.

To Lewis Hamilton: Rejuvenation in red.

To Charles Leclerc: Sound pit strategy and leads to a championship push.

To Yuki Tsunoda: General respect around the paddock.

To Lando Norris: More opening laps led. 

To Oscar Piastri: No races where he is the fastest McLaren driver but the team gives him the less favorable pit strategy and forces positions to be re-addressed.

To George Russell: Cars at the proper weight every post-race.

To Andrea Kimi Antonelli: Confidence. He is going to need it.

To Valtteri Bottas: Permission to run the Indianapolis 500. Mercedes will be fine at Monaco.

To Sergio Pérez: Peace in whatever comes next.

To Fernando Alonso: The ability to hold his tongue.

To Kyle Larson: One sunny day and he gets to select when it happens.

To Alexander Rossi: A time machine back to January 1, 2018.

To Santino Ferrucci: Some aspirin.

To David Malukas: Dialing it back by about 30%.

To Callum Ilott: Carrying Prema to sensational results. 

To Robert Shwartzman: Nobody asking him how to pronounce his last name.

To Prema: No races outside of the Indianapolis 500 where more than 27 cars enter.

To Graham Rahal: A cushion from the last row shootout in Indianapolis 500 qualifying.

To Louis Foster: A guarantee of a second and third year in IndyCar.

To Christian Rasmussen: Less run ins during practice, qualifying and races.

To Romain Grojsean: A return to Dale Coyne Racing. 

To Toby Sowery: A full-time ride with Dale Coyne Racing.

To Dale Coyne: An investor who will gladly take that team off his hands. 

To Dreyer & Reinbold Racing: The resources to return to full-time IndyCar competition.

To Tom Blomqvist: A second chance at the Indianapolis 500 so he can get to say he completed a lap. 

To Colin Braun: A better IndyCar opportunity than one race with limited testing with Dale Coyne Racing.

To Hélio Castroneves: Entry in the Daytona 500. 

To Dane Cameron: An LMP2 championship to go with the three IMSA top class championships and the GTD title he already has. Oh, and an LMP2 class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Big Christmas for Dane Cameron. 

To 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports: A good day in court.

To Kyle Busch: A year that gets him a better ride in 2026.

To Alex Bowman: Three race victories indenting up as the best Hendrick Motorsports driver in the championship.

To Chase Elliott: A shred of personality.

To Denny Hamlin: It being his year.

To Christopher Bell: Not being on the wrong side of race manipulation.

To A.J. Allmendinger: Some early success.

To Wayne Taylor Racing: Results matching its first stint as a Cadillac team.

To all three Cadillac teams in IMSA: 24 Hours of Le Mans entries.

To Felipe Nasr: A few IndyCar races with Team Penske.

To the Porsche Penske Motorsport drivers: No fear in losing their jobs if they win a championship.

To Robert Wickens: Still being quick in a GTD car. 

To Tommy Milner: Carrying over the results from GT World Challenge America back to IMSA's GTD Pro class.

To the Aston Martin Valkyrie: Competitiveness on speed and not because of Balance of Performance.

To Lamborghini: Good results with the SC63 in IMSA and maybe changing its mind on pulling out of WEC.

To Andy Lally: Not getting the itch to get back in a race car once he starts his new role.

To Kevin Magnussen: A few outstanding drives in the BMW M Hybrid V8.

To the Ferrari AF Corse program: A victory for both entry.

To Francesco Bagnaia: More points from sprint races.

To Marc Márquez: Staying on the bike in intense moments.

To KTM: A business lifeline.

To Jorge Martín: Aprilia having respectable pace.

To Pedro Acosta: Strides in his sophomore year.

To Enea Bastianini: Keeping up with Pedro Acosta.

To Franco Morbidelli: A little magic on a year-old Ducati.

To David Alonso: Perspective for when it gets tough.

To Joe Roberts: Avoiding getting injured for the entire season.

To Indy Lights: At least two more teams to spread those entries around.

To the Indianapolis 500: The Miami Grand Prix remaining in early May and the Canadian Grand Prix not running on Memorial Day weekend in perpetuity. 

To Indianapolis 500 qualifying: No format changes because there is a new television partner. 

To Race of Champions: Returning to a yearly competition and occurring at a time where the most possible competitors are available. 

To Rockingham Speedway: A great crowd for its NASCAR weekend.

To Iowa Speedway: Finishing the repave.

To Laguna Seca: Drawing crowds like it once did.

To Mid-Ohio: Facility upgrades that are now well over a decade overdue. Beyond the work that has already been done and actually looks good. 

To Bowman Gray Stadium: Good behavior.

To Mexico City: A respectable first NASCAR Cup race.

To the NASCAR in-season tournament: Five thrilling weekends that keep people engaged.

To the Chicago street race: Let's try this again... sunny weather.

To Bristol Motor Speedway: Understanding why the tires wore how they did in the spring 2024 Cup race.

To Richmond: A combination weekend with IndyCar and the NASCAR modified series. 

To Eli Tomac: A strong season to go out on. 

To Jett Lawrence: No thumb injuries.

To Hunter Lawrence: Making all the Supercross main events. 

To Jorge Prado: Comfort racing in a new championship.

To Chase Sexton: The best of his 2024 Motocross season being the norm going forward.

To Nico Hülkenberg: A improbable podium with Sauber

To Isack Hadjar: Space from Helmut Marko.

To Liam Lawson: Also, space from Helmut Marko.

To Carlos Sainz, Jr.: The best championship finish for a Williams driver in nearly a decade. 

To Alexander Albon: Significant contribution to Williams finishing in the top six of the constructors' championship.

To Esteban Ocon: General appreciation.

To Jack Doohan: Respectable results that does not lead him to be dumped after a season.

To Pierre Gasly: Pace carrying over from the end of 2024 to 2025.

To Franco Colapinto: A year succeeding in a bunch of fun one-off appearances around the world of motorsports. 

To Daniel Ricciardo: A year where he doesn't visits any racetracks and figures out what he loves in his life. 

To Shane van Gisbergen: An average finish around 18th on ovals.

To Joey Logano: Results that warrant a championship.

To William Byron: Jet ski.

To Chris Buescher: An extra 0.01 seconds in his favor that can be used when needed.

To Brad Keselowski: Roombas. 

To RFK Racing: A two-car program for NASCAR's second division.

To Carl Edwards: People stop asking him if he will ever return to NASCAR. 

To Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: People stop asking him if he will ever expanding JR Motorsports into the Cup Series.

To Martin Truex, Jr.: A Daytona 500 victory and that being a walk-off end to his career. 

To Ryan Truex: A full-time seat with Joe Gibbs Racing in NASCAR's second division. How many times does he have to win at Dover to get a full-time shot?

To Tyler Reddick: More consistent results in autumn. 

To Bubba Wallace: A complete day in a race on a 1.5-mile track. 

To Chase Briscoe: The #18. Let the #19 go with Truex, Jr. and have Joe Gibbs Racing return to its original identity. 

To Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric: Sharing a Ford Mustang GT3 in the 24 Hours of Daytona.

To Roger Penske: A clear plan for what his future looks like. 

To Chip Ganassi: Enough sponsors to properly hire three drivers to his IndyCar team.

To Mario Andretti: A few new hobbies that get him out of the house.

To Juan Pablo Montoya: Another Brickyard 400 start.

To the Daytona 500: A finish that does not involve review or a 24-car pile-up. 

To Homestead-Miami Speedway: A NASCAR playoff race because a race in March is attractive to no one.

To World Superbike: Again, more than one round outside of Europe. 

To Toprak Razgatlioglu: A round in Istanbul. 

To Nicolò Bulega: The ability to capitalize on an opportunity.

To Jonathan Rea: A few races where he is competing for victory.

To Super Formula: At least five international drivers to add flavor to the championship. This would actually be a fun place for Franco Colapinto. Frederik Vesti needs more than just a few endurance races as well.

To the Intercontinental GT World Challenge: More than a week between the Nürburgring 24 Hours and the 24 Hours of Spa.

To Supercars: Satisfaction in whatever happens with its new championship format because it has fallen down the rabbit hole and good luck with whatever comes next.

To Mazda MX-5 Cup: A round at Road America. It is criminal it is not racing there... or Sebring... or Watkins Glen... or Laguna Seca. MX-5 Cup might need to be a 12-round championship.

To Jak Crawford: A development contract with the Cadillac Formula One program.

 

To Leonardo Fornaroli: At least one race victory.

To Sebastián Montoya: His best year in a car to date. 

To World Rally Championship: A French manufacturer. Maybe Peugeot pulls out of Hypercar and returns to rallying. 

To Pipo Derani: A fair number of opportunities mixed with his role developing the Genesis LMDh project.

To Jimmie Johnson: Understanding that it is time. 

To Legacy Motor Club: Being in the conversation with the other Toyota teams in the Cup Series. 

To Chandler Smith: A time machine to 2003 when someone would have hired him for his talent. 

To Corey Heim: A time machine to 2003 when someone would have hired him for his talent and would not be stuck in the Truck Series. 

To Ty Majeski, and really all the successful drivers in the Truck Series: A way to move up to NASCAR's second division and have a proper opportunity competing there as well.

To Nazareth Speedway: A time machine to 2003 and someone bringing the pristine facility to 2025 when NASCAR is looking for different racetracks and not living and dying with cookie-cutter intermediate tracks with capacity over 125,000 people. 

To Pikes Peak International Raceway: The same thing as Nazareth Speedway. 

To Layne Riggs: Having his second half of 2024 be his entire 2025.

To Connor Zilisch: A NASCAR Cup Series debut on a road course. 

To Josh Berry: A positive season with the Wood Brothers.

To Justin Allgaier: No championship hangover.

To Sheldon Creed: Just one race victory and it is a race he dominates.

To Jeb and Harrison Burton: No run-ins on track that could cause tense moments in the family. 

To Parker Kligerman: A full-time ride in Michelin Pilot Challenge's GS class with an Michelin Endurance Cup ride in GTD.

To Sho Tsuboi: A leading role in a third Toyota entry at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Fuji WEC round. 

To Jack Hawksworth: One of the seats alongside Tsuboi in those entries. 

To António Félix da Costa: Again, more than Formula E. 

To Jaguar: No championship collapse.

To Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy: A home race in New Zealand in January 2026. 

To Sébastien Buemi: Waffle maker.

To Mike Conway: A stationary bike and taking up swimming for exercise. More drivers should swim over cycling from how it looks.  

To all the competitors in the FIA World Endurance Championship: No race being extended beyond its run time due to weather. 

To Sam Bird: Indestructible hands. 

To GT America: Officially becoming a series for drivers 50 years and older and add about a dozen more notable names. Scott Pruett! Come on down!

To Théo Pourchaire: A loving team that will get the most out of his talent. 

To Jack Harvey: Cookie sheets.

To IndyCar fans: Understanding why there are no night races.

Also to IndyCar fans: Acceptance of commercials during practice broadcasts.

To Thermal Club: A competitive and uncontroversial IndyCar race.

To Newton, Iowa: High temperatures that do not exceed 84º F on the weekend of July 12-13

To Milwaukee Mile: Tire wear remaining at the same level for IndyCar.

To the Grand Prix of Long Beach: Stability under new ownership.

To Barber Motorsports Park: More visitors because it is the best looking racetrack in the country with a phenomenal museum on the property.

To the IndyCar Toronto race: A modern track configuration around Exhibition Place with a proper pit lane.

To Jacob Abel: One more in Indy Lights but with the results in no way negatively effecting his status as a potential IndyCar driver.

To: Yuven Sundaramoorthy: Having Chip Ganassi Racing realize it has hired the drivers that finished 13th and 20th after only running nine races in Indy Lights in 2024 with a combined zero top five finishes and Sundaramoorthy deserves to be racing after how his season ended.

To Kiko Porto: A full-time ride in Indy Lights.

To Dennis Hauger: Making it clear he was a Formula Three champion and making it hard for any IndyCar team to overlook him for the 2026 season. 

To Myles Rowe: No mechanical issues or opening lap problems.

To Jamie Chadwick: Improving on tire wear over a course of a stint. 

To Juncos Hollinger Racing: Better public relations and crisis management. 

To Zandvoort: Something to fill the void once Formula One is gone in 2026.

To the Belgian Grand Prix: Returning to late-August once the Dutch Grand Prix is gone so the 24 Hours of Spa can return to late-July.

To the Las Vegas Grand Prix: Honestly, a better start time. Something that makes sense for the United States.

To the British Grand Prix: An all-British podium.

To the many young drivers that cannot break into Formula One: A return for A1GP, a series that would give talented drivers rides in proper race cars and could be a springboard for careers while also being a different concept that can fill the winter months.

And, of course, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. If you are somewhere cold, I hope you stay warm. If you are somewhere warm, I hope you enjoy the weather. No matter the conditions, cherish this time with the loved ones around you. Stay safe and healthy!

Peace and love to all!

2024 For the Love of Indy Awards

We have completed another year, and as we enter the final fortnight of 2024, we will use this time to wrap up the outstanding moments in motorsports. It was a year when a few generational talent shined brighter than others. A few unexpected heroes emerged. There were terrific races everywhere you turned, whether it be two wheels on dirt or on street courses carved out between the blinding lights of a metropolis. Some old names returned to the top while a few new names may have made their first steps toward greatness.

Now is the time to highlight the best that happened, from the competitors on track and what they did to the races, passes and moments that will remain in our minds even as we are months into 2025 and possibly even longer. 

Racer of the Year
Description: Given to the best racer over the course of 2024.
And the Nominees are:

Max Verstappen

Sho Tsuboi

Toprak Razgatlioglu

Francesco Bagnaia

Laurens Vanthoor

And the winner is... Toprak Razgatlioglu

Already a world champion, Razgatlioglu made the surprising decision to leave Yamaha for BMW ahead of the 2024 World Superbike season. In the previous three seasons, Razgatlioglu had finished first, second and second in the championship. BMW had one victory, a SuperPole race victory, in that time. Yet, Razgatlioglu made the decision to change his scenery in hopes of something greater. 

It proved to be a wise choice. 

Through the first two rounds, the Turkish rider had a pair of victories and he had four podium finishes from six races. It was the start of something good. From there, Razgatlioglu would go on to win 13 consecutive races, starting with the second full race from Assen through the second full race from Portimão. That covered four consecutive round sweeps for Razgatliolgu. He won eight out of a possible eight races from pole position over that span. The World Superbike championship was nearly wrapped up with five rounds remaining. 

However, there is always a chance for a turn in the script. At Magny-Cours, Razgatlioglu had a startling accident in Friday practice. He collided with the armco barrier and was clearly hurt. Everyone held their breath waiting for word on his condition. 

A back contusion was reported. Not good, but far from the worst it could have been. It did force Razgatlioglu to miss the round from France. He was still not fit for the next round two weeks later at Cremona. He was back for the antepentultimate round in Aragón. Any concern over whether or not the injury would slow Razgatlioglu was quickly erased. 

He was runner-up in all three races and championship rival Nicolò Bulega could not make up any ground. In Estoril, Razgatlioglu won the two full races and was second in the SuperPole race. What appeared could have been a championship lost was practically sealed before the Jerez season finale. To put the icing on the cake, Razgatlioglu finished the season with finishes of second, second and first.

At 28 years old, Razgalioglu is a two-time World Superbike champion. In six seasons, he has never finished worse than fifth in the championship. He had 18 victories this season alone. This lifted him to fourth all-time in World Superbike victories, only two behind Carl Fogarty for third. 

In what was a pivotal season for Razgatlioglu's career, he proved his ability after making an eyebrow raising decision to change manufacturers. We saw him at his best and he overcame unexpected adversity to win a well-deserved championship. 

On the other nominees:

It was another world championship season for Verstappen, as the Dutchman locked up his fourth consecutive championship. This one he clinched early like the two previous seasons, but it was different. He won seven of the first ten races, but in the second half of the season, Red Bull declined. McLaren and Ferrari rose to become the top two in the championship. Verstappen was able to pull out some impressive performances against some tough competition. He won two more grand prix and he ended the season with 21 consecutive points finishes.

Tsuboi completed the Japanese double, the second consecutive year a driver completed the sweep. In Super Formula, Tsuboi won the championship with three victories and seven podium finishes from nine races. He won the title by 30.5 points over Tomoki Nojiri. In Super GT, he defended his GT500 championship. For the second consecutive season, Tsuboi won three races, this year with co-driver Kenta Yamashita. The #36 TGR Team au TOM'S Toyota finished in the points of all eight races.

It did not end in a third consecutive championship, but Bagnaia's 2024 season was an outstanding performance. He won 11 grand prix, a personal best for him and it was the eighth time a rider won 11 races in a season. His 16 podium finishes were also a personal best. He score 498 points, 31 more than last season, but it was only enough for second this year in MotoGP, a valiant effort for a third consecutive title.

Vanthoor had a rather successful season as he was a member of the World Endurance Drivers' Champion winning Porsche team in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Along with Kévin Estre and André Lotterer, Vanthoor won twice in WEC and finished on the podium five times in eight races. Vanthoor's season also started with a victory in the Bathurst 12 Hour.

Past Winners
2012: Kyle Larson

2013: Marc Márquez
2014: Marc Márquez
2015: Nick Tandy
2016: Shane van Gisbergen
2017: Brendon Hartley
2018: Scott Dixon

2019: Marc Márquez

2020: Lewis Hamilton

2021: Kyle Larson

2022: Max Verstappen

2023: Max Verstappen

Race of the Year
Description: Best Race of 2024.
And the Nominees are:

São Paulo ePrix (March)

French motorcycle Grand Prix

Indianapolis 500

Rally Italia Sardegna

British Grand Prix

And the winner is... Indianapolis 500

IndyCar's biggest race suffered a massive setback before the cars could even line up on the grid. Rain put into question whether or not the race would occur on the scheduled date. It wasn't going to happen on time as the rain started just a little over an hour from the scheduled green flag time. However, the rain would clear and allow an Indianapolis 500 like we have never seen before, one that would go against sunset.

It was a race filled with motivated drivers. Team Penske swept the front row for the second time in its history. Scott McLaughlin was on pole position and he was positioned to cement himself as one of the best in the world. Will Power started second and was looking for his second Indianapolis 500 victory. Josef Newgarden had a shot to become the first driver to win consecutive Indianapolis 500s in 22 years. 

Behind them were three McLaren entries with a serious chance of winning between Alexander Rossi, Kyle Larson and Patricio O'Ward. Chip Ganassi Racing had all of its drivers starting outside the top ten, but there was belief Álex Palou and Scott Dixon could pull something off. Colton Herta felt confident in his car. A.J. Foyt Racing was ready to prove last year was not a fluke with Santino Ferrucci. Hélio Castroneves had another chance at a fifth "500" victory. 

It was a choppy start between accidents and mechanical issues, but in the second half, it was clear who the players would be. McLaughlin and Newgarden had been at the front with O'Ward not far behind. Rossi was in the picture. Dixon had climbed his way into contention. Palou was in the background and could not be counted out. 

The final restart came with 46 laps remaining. Everyone would need to make one more pit stop. McLaren was at the front, but Newgarden was lurking. After the final round of pit stops, it was set to be O'Ward vs. Rossi vs. Newgarden. Rossi's team was not sure it had gotten enough fuel in his car and he had to lay back. This set up O'Ward vs. Newgarden as we reach seven laps to go. 

O'Ward and Newgarden went back-and-forth in a breathtaking display of driving. Neither driver was giving an inch. In the final ten laps of the race, the lead changed five times. O'Ward took the lead from Newgarden at the end of lap 199. The Mexican was 2.5 miles from glory, but Newgarden did not gave up. Using the draft down the back straightaway, Newgarden had one final run into turn three. He made his move to the outside and it stuck. 

Newgarden had the lead and momentum heading to the checkered flag. O'Ward could not counter. Newgarden took the checkered flag at 7:42 p.m. local time, 0.3417 seconds ahead of O'Ward.

An incredible day saw Newgarden become the sixth driver to win consecutive Indianapolis 500s as the sun was near gone from the Speedway skyline. It had been a full day and we saw a finish worthy of the wait. 

On the other nominees:

In March, Formula E made its second visit to the streets of São Paulo, and it provided a lively race. Over the first 15 laps, the lead changed eight times. Passing was occurring all over the racetrack. Once the race enter the second half, Sam Bird held control and he and Mitch Evans pulled away. Evans took the lead on lap 28. Bird remained close and made a staggering move to take the lead. Bird would get to the line 0.564 seconds ahead of Evans. Meanwhile, the battle continued for third as Oliver Rowland was able to get ahead of Pascal Wehrlein and Jake Dennis for the final podium position.

The French Grand Prix has produced some memorable races the last few seasons for MotoGP. This year's race set the benchmark for what the 2024 season would be. Jorge Martín was on pole position, but Francesco Bagnaia took the lead from the jump, and it set up 27 fierce laps between Martín, Bagnaia and Marc Márquez, who charged from 13th on the grid. Mártin took the lead on lap 21. Mártin held on for victor as Márquez took second on the final lap. The lead was only greater than a half-second for one lap, lap 13. The top three were within a second for the final seven laps.

After 165.36 miles of competition, the 2024 Rally Italia Sardegna came down to 0.2 seconds, matching the closest rally in World Rally Championship history. Sébastien Ogier and Ott Tänak traded the rally lead over the first day, but Ogier took the lead in stage nine and carried the lead into Sunday. Tänak chipped away at the deficit over the final day. Entering the final stage, Ogier led by 6.2 seconds. Tänak ended up finishing second in the final stage, 2.4 seconds off the stage winner Thierry Neuville. Ogier wound up sixth, 8.8 seconds back, but he lost 6.4 seconds to Tänak allowing the Estonian to pull off an unthinkable victory.

At Silverstone, Mercedes came out in flying colors. Fresh off winning its first race at Austria when George Russell swept through after Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collided, the Silver Arrows swept the front row of the grid in Britain with Russell taking pole position and Lewis Hamilton in second. Russell led from the start and the opening portion of the race, but a rain shower saw Hamilton take the lead for a moment. The battle between Mercedes drivers allowed Lando Norris to drive into the lead a few laps later. On lap 34, Russell retired due to a water pressure issue. It felt like this was shaping to be Norris' day. With the track drying, Hamilton put on the soft compound tire on lap 39. Norris stopped a lap later but Hamilton was able to leapfrog ahead of the McLaren. Verstappen drove up to second and the Dutchman spent five laps chasing down Hamilton, but Hamilton held on for a popular victory that many wondered would ever happen again. 

Past Winners
2012: Indianapolis 500
2013: British motorcycle Grand Prix
2014: Bathurst 1000
2015: Australian motorcycle Grand Prix
2016: Spanish Grand Prix
2017: All the races at the World Superbike/World Supersport weekend at Phillip Island
2018: Petit Le Mans

2019: Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

2020: Turkish Grand Prix

2021: Monaco ePrix

2022: British Grand Prix

2023: 12 Hours of Sebring

Achievement of the Year
Description: Best success by a driver, team, manufacture, etc.
And the Nominees are:

Formula One's Number of Multiple Winners

David Alonso's Moto3 Victories Record

Jorge Martín and Pramac Racing's first MotoGP championship for an independent team

Max Verstappen's Fourth Consecutive World Drivers' Championship

And the winner is... Jorge Martín and Pramac Racing's first MotoGP championship for an independent team

Never in the MotoGP era had an independent team and rider won the world championship. Until 2024 when Martín and Pramac Racing took the championship with a customer Ducati. Martín scored three grand prix victories, but in this contemporary MotoGP a championship can be won many different ways. In this case, it was through grand prix consistency, but it was also through sprint race success.

Martín had 16 podium finishes this season in grand prix. He ended the year with seven consecutive podium results. Combined with that was the Spaniard winning seven sprint races. He was on the podium in 16 sprint races! While Francesco Bagnaia led the way with 11 grand prix victories, Bagnaia failed to finish three grand prix and scored zero points. The Italian had only ten podium finishes in sprint races with seven sprint victories. Bagnaia failed to score in four sprint races while Martín failed to score in only two races.

The 2024 season was a thrashing for Ducati. It won 19 of 20 races with three of its four teams winning a race. For an independent team to dethrone the factory outlet with a bike as sensational as the Desmosedici GP24 is quite staggering. One would think the factory Ducati team would have led the way and had the independent teams riding its coattails. You could argue that was the case as the factory Ducati team won 13 times, but Martín and Pramac found a way to win this championship through maximizing points in what is now the sprint era of MotoGP. 

On the other nominees:

Seventy-five seasons is a long time, and never in Formula One history had seven drivers each won multiple times in a season. Until 2024. After two years of sheer Red Bull dominance, Formula One had seven drivers with at least two victories, starting with Max Verstappen, but McLaren had each of its drivers win twice. For both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, it was their first career victories. Ferrari saw Carlos Sainz, Jr. and Charles Leclerc each win multiple times, three victories for Leclerc and two for Sainz, Jr. Lewis Hamilton won twice after going over two years without a victory. George Russell won twice. It was a nice change to Formula One.

Expectations were high for David Alonso this Moto3 season. As a rookie, he won four times and was third in the championship last year. I don't think we anticipated this. Fourteen victories in the 20-race season. He scored 421 points and won the Moto3 title by 165 points over Daniel Holgado. Alonso clinched the title with four races to spare. The Colombian closed the season with seven consecutive victories. His victory in the Barcelona finale earned him the record for most victories in a Moto3 season. An incredible end to a remarkable season with all eyes focused on the 18-year-old's move to Moto2.

It may have been seen as inevitable, but winning four consecutive World Drivers' Championships is a rather tremendous accomplishment. Though Verstappen won this one with a few races to spare, it required him being cutthroat in the opening portion of the season, and then extracting more out of a race car that had fallen behind the competition in the second half of the season. Verstappen won this title, but his teammate Sergio Pérez was 285 points back in eighth. Pérez was on the podium in four of the first five races, and he was in the top five in each of the first six races. He then never finished in the top five again. Verstappen may have made this look easy, but he pulled out some incredible runs that few could likely replicate.

Past Winners
2012: DeltaWing
2013: Sebastian Vettel for winning nine consecutive races on his way to a fourth consecutive title
2014: Marc Márquez: Setting the record for most wins in a premier class season.
2015: Justin Wilson Memorial Family Auction
2016: Jimmie Johnson for his seventh NASCAR Cup championship
2017: Jonathan Rea: For becoming the first rider to win three consecutive World Superbike championships.
2018: Robert Wickens for winning IndyCar Rookie of the Year despite missing the final three races.

2019: Joe Gibbs Racing setting single-season record for most Cup victories by a in NASCAR's modern-era.

2020: Donald Davidson for 55 years of service to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500

2021: Team WRT's championship success across multiple series and disciplines

2022: Max Verstappen achieving the most grand prix victories in a single season

2023: Max Verstappen breaking the record for highest winning percentage in a Formula One Season

Moment of the Year
Description: The Most Memorable Moment in the World of Racing during the 2024 season.
And the Nominees are:

The Indianapolis 500 Post-Storm

Lewis Hamilton ends his winless drought

McLaren's team orders in the Hungarian Grand Prix

Marc Márquez ends his winless drought

NASCAR penalizing Christopher Bell at Martinsville

And the winner is... The Indianapolis 500 Post-Storm

It had been 17 years since the Indianapolis 500 had been significantly delayed due to weather. It had been 20 years since the race start had been delayed. The radar made it clear this would not be a minor inconvenience. The rain was set to be heavy for a few hours. The good news was the rain would clear in time for the middle of the afternoon. An Indianapolis 500 would take place on the scheduled date, but the party had been hampered. 

With any rain storm, it washes out the grandstands. Everyone must seek cover. In this case, the lightning forced the 300,000-plus spectators to seek shelter. With how long the wait would be until the green flag, it was expected that the grandstands would have some bare spots. Some people would accept the loss and head home. They could watch the race from their own living room and dry out after a soaking day out. 

When it was time for the race to begin at 4:44 p.m. local time, there wasn't an empty seat in the building. Everyone stayed. There is no better illustration to the importance of the Indianapolis 500 than that. IndyCar is not close to being the top motorsports series in the United States. The Indianapolis 500 is not close to being one of the top 50 most-watched sporting events every year. Many of the 300,000 spectators only attend and watch one IndyCar race a year. 

The Indianapolis 500 is set up for plenty of fans to leave early without feeling like they are missing much, and yet everyone stayed. That race means that much that people will stick around regardless of their interest in the NTT IndyCar Series. 

The fans staying was enough but then the race lived up to the wait and it turned what could have been a horrible experience into one of the most memorable Indianapolis 500 experiences in recent memory. 

On the other nominees:

For two-and-a-half seasons, Lewis Hamilton had come short of victory, and he appeared to be sliding further away from what was once a familiar spot on the top step of the podium. The 2024 season opened with Hamilton having already confirmed he would move to Ferrari for 2025. In the first 11 races, Hamilton had one podium finish. Mercedes had found something going into Silverstone, and it appeared the man on the other side of the garage would be Hamilton's largest obstacle for victory. When George Russell dropped out of the race, it was on Hamilton to beat Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. Though the thought could have been Hamilton might have lost it, he showed in the final half of that race that the magic was still there, leaping ahead of Norris and then keeping a charging Verstappen at bay. There was no better location for this release and relief to occur. Hamilton returned to the top at home in front of countless adoring fans. 

It would not be long for Formula One to have another memorable moment. Two weeks later, McLaren was on top at Hungary. Norris qualified on pole position with Piastri starting second. Piastri got the lead at the start and the Australian controlled the first half of the race. Piastri continued to lead until a decision to stop both McLaren drivers for the medium tire compound. Norris ended up coming out in the lead after the pit cycle. McLaren radio messages to Norris called for the Brit to allow Piastri back into the lead. With each passing lap, it became unclear if Norris would give back the position. On lap 68, Norris allowed Piastri through to lead the final three laps and take his first career victory. In its first 1-2 finish since 2021 and only the second in a decade, McLaren left in a tense state. It had maximized the points for the world constructors' championship, but it had an unhappy driver who believed he had a chance at a championship of his own.

The move to a Ducati customer team revived Márquez's career. It took him the first half of the season to get his legs under him, but Márquez was able to make the year-old Ducati a competitive machine. At the time of the summer break, he was third in the championship, but he had yet to win a grand prix. He was knocking on the door, and the moment came in Aragón. Márquez took pole position. Then he won the sprint race. In the grand prix, Márquez dominated and took his first victory since the 2021 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. 

With championship hopes on the line, the penultimate race of the NASCAR Cup Series season set up another controversial finish. Ryan Blaney pulled away to take victory and lock up one of the four championship-eligible spots in the Phoenix finale. The final spot would be down to William Byron and Christopher Bell. Bell was trapped a lap down and did not have any positions to gain. Byron was on worn tires and losing positions. Byron had dropped to sixth while Bell was 19th and needed one more points. Toyota driver Bubba Wallace started falling back and off the lead lap. Chevrolet drivers Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon lined up behind Byron, neither attempting to pass. On the final lap, Bell made a move on Wallace into turn three, but bounced off the wall in the process. At the checkered flag, Bell had the final championship four spot on tiebreaker. After over a half-hour of deliberations, NASCAR determined Be had illegally rode the wall to get the positions, and relegated him four spots, the worst finisher among those one-lap down. This knocked Bell out of the playoffs, but it also caused a stir over race manipulation and the playoff format.

Past Winners
2012: Alex Zanardi
2013: 24 Hours of Le Mans
2014: Post-race at the Charlotte and Texas Chase races.
2015: Matt Kenseth vs. Joey Logano
2016: Toyota Slows at Le Mans
2017: Fernando Alonso announcing his Indianapolis 500 ride
2018: Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson battle at Chicagoland

2019: Kyle Kaiser and Juncos Racing knocking out Fernando Alonso and McLaren and Penske Purchasing Hulman & Co.

2020: March 12-13

2021: The entire Formula One season

2022: Ross Chastain's final corner at Martinsville

2023: Shane van Gisbergen winning the NASCAR Cup race at the Chicago street course

Pass of the Year
Description: Best pass of 2024.
And the Nominees are:

Josef Newgarden on Patricio O'Ward for the lead on the final lap of the Indianapolis 500

Alexander Albon's double pass in the Canadian Grand Prix

Tadasuke Makino around the outside of Toshiki Oyu in turn five at Motegi

Colton Herta on Patricio O'Ward for the lead at Nashville

Renger van der Zande on Nick Tandy for the lead at Petit Le Mans

And the winner is... Josef Newgarden on Patricio O'Ward for the lead on the final lap of the Indianapolis 500

It was a move we have seen attempted many times before. The outside of turn three at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is not the best place to make a pass. It could work out. It more likely will not and it will more likely end in heartbreak for whoever is making the attempt. 

For Josef Newgarden, it was the last move he had in this year's Indianapolis 500. Patricio O'Ward had just taken the lead and was playing the greatest defense of his life. It was never going to be an easy move for Newgarden. Newgarden had to trust the car would have enough grip to make it work.

The tires were not that old, but they were far from their greatest strength to pull off a move on the outside. Entering the corner, Newgarden went for it. It was going to be checkers or wreckers, and it stuck. Newgarden pulled off the move and he sailed to the finish line to win his second consecutive Indianapolis 500.

On another day, it could have been the agony of defeat instead of the thrill of victory. It could have been a roll of the dice that came up snake eyes. In this case, Newgarden pulled off a move that will be remembered for many years to come. It is one of the best passes we have seen in Indianapolis 500 history. It is the stuff of dreams. A move on the outside on the final lap. It either work or it doesn't. There was no wondering "what if?" 

Newgarden brought the house down on his way to making history, and we will be seeing this pass for many years to come. 

On the other nominees:

The Canadian Grand Prix featured mixed conditions. As the track dried, a clear dry line formed, but there was no room to step out and make a pass without risking sliding off course. Entering the final chicane, Alexander Albon was drafting behind Daniel Ricciardo. Albon was able to step out of line and slide along Ricciardo. As he was braking into the final set of corners, Albon was catching Esteban Ocon. In quick time, Albon slid to the right in front of Ricciardo and this allowed Albon through on the inside of Ocon. Albon made it through ahead of both drivers and in a flash he was up two positions despite the tricky conditions he faced. 

Makino's pass on Oyu was one that took five corners to complete. Into turn one, Makino made a look up the inside on Oyu. This put Makino on the outside into turn two. Through turn three, Makino slip to the inside and the two remained side-by-side to the right-handed turn four. Something had to give, but both drivers remained side-by-side through the corner. Makino still had the outside into turn five, but he was able to carry more speed out of turn four and complete the pass on the outside. This was for second, but it set up Makino to chase down his teammate Kakunoshin Ohta, only to get the lead when Ohta spun due to a throttle issue coming to two laps to go. Makino wound up taking the victory that started with a daring pass about ten laps earlier.

The IndyCar finale from Nashville Superspeedway exceeded expectations. It help that there was a battle to the checkered flag as Colton Herta ran a different strategy and was chasing down Patricio O'Ward as the lap wound down. Herta was going to make a push, but O'Ward was going to prove to be a difficult driver to overtake. Passing was not impossible on the 1.333-mile concrete oval, but it was tricky. Herta had the speed, but he had to find the moment. It came at an unlikely time. Entering turn two with five laps remaining, the leaders caught the lapped car of Sting Ray Robb. O'Ward went high and Herta went low. It appeared Herta was about to run into the back of Robb, but Herta got his car to stick on the low line and he carried the speed down the back straightaway into turn three. Herta powered into the lead and never looked back, winning the season finale and stealing another one from O'Ward.

Road Atlanta has a number of places that test a driver's nerve. Throw in the darkness of a Petit Le Mans night, and there are many occasions where a driver will be faced to make a daring decision. In the closing minutes, in a Cadillac with electrical issues that already had a headlight out, Renger van der Zande was second but had a run on the Porsche of Nick Tandy into turn one. Not one shy to making a bold move, van der Zande threw his Cadillac up the inside and pulled off what was the pass for the victory. Van der Zande still had to battle the electrical gremlins, losing all his lights on multiple occasions over the final minutes, but the move on Tandy was crucial and it allowed Cadillac to cap off a tough season with a grand result.

Past Winners
2012: Simon Pagenaud at Baltimore
2013: Robert Wickens at Nürburgring and Peter Dempsey in the Freedom 100
2014: Ryan Blaney on Germán Quiroga
2015: Laurens Vanthoor from 4th to 2nd on the outside in the Bathurst 12 Hour
2016: Scott McLaughlin on Mark Winterbottom at Surfers Paradise
2017: Renger van der Zande: From second to first on Dane Cameron at Laguna Seca
2018: Alexander Rossi for all his passes in the Indianapolis 500

2019: Álex Rins on Marc Márquez in the final corner at Silverstone in the British motorcycle Grand Prix

2020: Pipo Derani on Ricky Taylor into turn one at Road Atlanta

2021: Shane van Gisbergen from fourth to second at Sandown

2022: Ross Chastain's final corner at Martinsville

2023: António Félix da Costa on Jean-Éric Vergne in turn eight of the final lap of the Cape Town ePrix

The Eric Idle Award
Description: "When You're Chewing on Life's Gristle, Don't Grumble, Give a Whistle, And This'll Help Things Turn Out For The Best, and...  Always Look On The Bright Side of Life."
And the Nominees are:

Théo Pourchaire

Kyle Larson

Esteban Ocon

Jaguar TCS Racing

Dane Cameron

And the winner is... Kyle Larson

It is difficult to tell the man who won six NASCAR Cup Series races, including the return of the Brickyard 400 as well as winning the Knoxville Nationals to look on the bright side, but the standout memory from Larson's 2024 season will be the one weekend that didn't go to plan. 

For the first time in a decade, a driver was attempting The Double, running the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day. Larson had long been seen as the driver most capable of joining Tony Stewart as the drivers to complete 1,100 miles of racing in one day. It was even believed Larson could do better and score the best aggregate finish over the attempt, possibly winning one if not both races.

We knew Larson would be competitive in Charlotte, and the speed was impressive in Indianapolis. Expectations were high for what Larson could achieve. There was only one problem. The weather. 

The entire week leading into the Indianapolis 500 called for rain on race day. The closer we got to race day, the more we saw the storm was set to hit right at the start of the race. Any weather delay would disrupt Larson's plans to run both races in their entirety. Sure enough, at 11:00 am on Sunday, the rain was at the Speedway, and Larson was faced with the tough decision that left many wondering what would be decided for weeks. What would Larson do? Would he stay in Indianapolis or go to Charlotte and forgo attempting the "500?"

Larson stayed, but he knew he would be missing the start of the race in Charlotte, sacrificing points as he would not start the race. It was a good race for Larson, but a bogged down restart and a pit lane speeding penalty left Larson in 18th on debut. The Coca-Cola 600 was underway, but Larson could make it to become relief driver for Justin Allgaier. 

There was one final problem. That rainstorm that hit Indianapolis in the morning and early afternoon kept heading east. When Larson arrived in Charlotte, that storm was on the vicinity of Charlotte Motor Speedway. Larson was on the pit wall ready to enter the race when the rain began to fall and eventual caused the early end to NASCAR's longest race with Larson failing to complete a lap.

Memorial Day weekend could not have gone more against plans than the way it did for Larson in 2024. He will attempt The Double again in 2025, but this time will be different. It doesn't sound like sticking around in Indianapolis is an option.

On the other nominees:

Pourchaire started his season as a Sauber reserve driver who would run in Super Formula this season. When David Malukas' wrist injury kept him out for an extended period, it opened a spot for the Frenchman in IndyCar with McLaren, and Pourchaire had some good results. He looked settled and excited, and he was confirmed to finish out the season in June. Looking forward to Laguna Seca, news broke that Pourchaire would not see out the season and Nolan Siegel took over the #6 Chevrolet. It was a crushing end for a promising talent. 

After four seasons at Alpine, which saw a victory in the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, Ocon announced he would move to Haas for the 2025 season. It had been a trying season for Alpine, but a double podium finish at Interlagos with Ocon in second helped the French make finish sixth in the constructors' championship over Haas and the team formerly known as Toro Rosso. However, Ocon was unceremoniously removed from the team prior to the 2024 season finale from Abu Dhabi. 

Jaguar TCS Racing entered the Formula E finale weekend from London with the top two drivers in the championship. Jaguar had won four races and it had 12 podium finishes. It felt positive that either Nick Cassidy or Mitch Evans would leave London as championship. Instead, Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein went first and second in the doubleheader. Evans was second and third and fell six points shy of the German. Cassidy completed his disaster end to the season with a seventh and a retirement from pole position in the final race. Jaguar took the teams' championship and manufacturers' championship but those were hardly a satisfactory consolation prize.

A 24 Hours of Daytona victory? Check. A 6 Hours of the Glen victory? Check? Seven podium finishes and eighth top five finishes in nine IMSA starts? Check. An IMSA GTP championship? Check. What did that get Dane Cameron? A release from Porsche Penske Motorsport at the end of the season. This was Cameron's third championship in IMSA's top class with a third different manufacturer. Cameron and Nasr even won the Endurance Cup championship, but it was not enough for Cameron to keep a ride in IMSA's top class.

Past Winners
2012: Ben Spies
2013: Sam Hornish, Jr.
2014: Alexander Rossi
2015: McLaren
2016: Toyota

2017: Nick Heidfeld
2018: Brett Moffitt

2019: Dennis Lind

2020: Marc Márquez

2021: Liam Lawson

2022: Linus Lundqvist

2023: Eli Tomac

Comeback of the Year
Description: The Best Comeback in the 2024 season.
And the Nominees are:

Carlos Sainz, Jr.: Appendectomy to grand prix victory

Eli Tomac: From 16th to second at Arlington

Chase Sexton: From last to first in Hangtown

Toprak Razgatlioglu: From midseason injury to champion in World Superbike

And the winner is... Chase Sexton: From last to first in Hangtown

In the second round of the AMA Motocross championship, Chase Sexton won the first race from Hangtown, but in the second race, Sexton went down almost immediately and he was dead last on lap one. This wasn't 22nd in a Supercross round. This was 40th, but there was a half-hour racing to go. 

Never dispirited, Sexton put his head down and worked on passing one rider at a time. He picked his way through some slower competitors, but it would get tougher as he got closer to the top. With 20 minutes remaining, Sexton was eighth, but over 23 seconds off the lead. However, Sexton kept up a staggering pace and continued to move forward. 

With ten minutes remaining, he was 18 seconds back in sixth. With just over four minutes remaining, Sexton moved ahead of Hunter Lawrence for third and was ten seconds off the lead. Sexton took second from Justin Cooper was three laps to go, but Sexton was still five seconds behind Aaron Plessinger in the lead.

On the final lap, Sexton was 1.6 seconds off Plessinger, but the chase continued. Sexton had the energy to swing around on the outside of Plessinger and pull off an improbable victory, which would highlight Sexton's eventual championship season.

On the other nominees:

Not many drivers undergo surgery midseason these days. With the increase in races each Formula One season, it is tougher to find recovery time. In Saudi Arabia, Sainz, Jr. suffered an appendicitis and was forced out of the car for the second round of the season. There was 15 days between Saudi Arabia and the Australian Grand Prix, but Sainz, Jr. did not have the same preparations ahead of that race. Despite the change, the Spaniard qualified second. When Max Verstappen suffered brake issues, Sainz, Jr. swept into the lead and led the final 57 laps to lead a Ferrari 1-2.

Tomac went down early in the Supercross round from Arlington. He was battling for sixth but was sound 16th and 13 seconds off the lead. Over the final 25 laps, Tomac kept climbing up the order. He was into the top five on lap 18. He was third on lap 23. Jett Lawrence's issues in the closing laps allowed Tomac to take second and Tomac finished three seconds behind Cooper Webb.

The World Superbike championship was put in doubt when Toprak Razgatlioglu went down in practice from Magny-Cours and collided with the barrier. What looked to be a potentially devastating injury was a back contusion, but it kept Razgatlioglu out of the Magny-Cours round and the following round at Cremona. In the final three rounds, Razgatlioglu finished no worse than second. He won three more races, and he took his second championship when for a moment it appeared he may have lost it.

Past Winners
2013: Michael Shank Racing at the 24 Hours of Daytona
2014: Juan Pablo Montoya to IndyCar
2015: Kyle Busch
2016: Max Verstappen from 15th to 3rd in the final 18 laps in the wet in the Brazilian Grand Prix
2017: Kelvin van der Linde: From third to first after a botched pit stop in the final 20 minutes in the 24 Hours Nürburgring
2018: Billy Monger: Returning to racing after losing his legs and finishing sixth in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship with four podium finishes and a pole position at Donington Park.

2019: MotoE: For getting to the grid after fire destroyed every motorcycle prior to the first round of the season

2020: The #7 Acura Team Penske: Coming from last in the championship to winning the IMSA DPi championship

2021: Kyle Busch's victory at Pocono

2022: Robert Wickens

2023: McLaren's 2023 Formula One Season

Most Improved
Description: Racer, Team or Manufacture Who Improved The Most from 2023 to 2024.
And the Nominees are:

Porsche 963: From good to great around the world

Winward Racing: From tenth on 2,562 points to first on 3,266 points with four victories in IMSA's GTD Class

Santino Ferrucci: From 19th on 214 point to ninth on 367 points with 12 top ten finishes in IndyCar

McLaren: From fourth on 302 points to first on 666 points in the World Constructors' Championship

BMW: From fourth on 224 points with no podium finishes to second on 606 points with 19 victories.

And the winner is... McLaren

It wasn't long ago where McLaren was one of the worst team on the Formula One grid after taking on Honda engines. In two of three seasons with Honda engines, McLaren ended up ninth in the constructors' championship. It went over five years between podium finishes. After a spell with Renault engines, a move to Mercedes saw strong results. 

McLaren won the 2021 Italian Grand Prix with Daniel Riccardo, its first victory in nearly nine years. Lando Norris saw a rise in competitiveness. Last season, the team turnaround a slow start to fourth in the constructors' championship on 302 points, its most since 2012. With the pace at the end of last season, it felt like McLaren was poised to a big gain in 2024. I don't know if anyone imagined a world championship. 

It wasn't the most blitzing of starts, but McLaren got its first victory of the season in the sixth round at Miami. It was the second race of a 14-race podium streak for the manufacturer, which would include additional victories in Hungary, Netherlands, Azerbaijan and Singapore. This form combined with Red Bull's downturn saw McLaren become the clear favorites for the constructors' championship. With a 1-4 finish in Azerbaijan, McLaren took the lead and never looked back. 

For the first time since 1998, the World Constructors' Championship trophy is going to Woking. 

On the other nominees:

Porsche had a year in sports cars. With the 963, Porsche won the IMSA GTP championship and the World Endurance Drivers' Championship. In 2023, the 963 won zero races in WEC. In 2024, it won three races, including with the Hertz Team Jota operation. In IMSA, Porsche increased its victory total to four, including a triumph in the 24 Hours of Daytona. 

Winward Racing has been a good team across the world of GT3 racing. Last year, it had an ok year in IMSA. It won, but it wasn't that much of a threat. In 2024, Winward manhandled the GTD class. It won the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. Phillip Ellis and Russell Ward would go on to win four of the first five races. The #57 Mercedes-AMG was on the podium six times in ten races, and Winward Racing took the GTD championship. 

Ferrucci has shown promise in his IndyCar career, but he had yet to put together a full season. Unexpectedly, he and A.J. Foyt Racing went from one good day to consistency the likes he and the team have not seen in a long time. This was the first time a Foyt driver finished in the top ten of the IndyCar championship in 22 years.

BMW might have signed one of the best riders in World Superbike, but one rider was not going to turn around the fortunes of the German manufacturer. Prior to 2024, BMW had one victory in the previous decade of World Superbike competition, and that was a SuperPole race. Its most recent full race victory was in 2013. In 2024, BMW won 19 races. It was second in the constructors' championship, its best finish since second in 2013. 

Past Winners
2012: Esteban Guerrieri
2013: Marco Andretti
2014: Chaz Mostert
2015: Graham Rahal
2016: Simon Pagenaud
2017: DJR Team Penske
2018: Gary Paffett

2019: Cooper Webb

2020: Joan Mir

2021: Francesco Bagnaia

2022: Scott McLaughlin

2023: Jorge Martín

And that will do it. Considering all the unexpected we saw in 2024, we must consider what could happen in 2025. For all that we expected from this year, there were many things we didn't see coming. A few things played out as we believed they would, but a number of things we did not have in our scripts. As much as we think we know what is coming, we truly don't have a clue and are open for a surprise. 

Enjoy these days of the holiday season. A new year will be here soon enough. Before we get their, we have some predictions and presents to pass out. 

2024 Motorcycle Predictions: Revisited

It might not have been the planned location for the 2024 MotoGP season finale, but the two-wheel world championship ended on its scheduled date last Sunday in Barcelona, and it marked the end of the motorcycle racing season. It was a good year for first-time champions and European manufacturers. A few notable competitors are calling it time on their careers. A few others are getting ready to go once again in 2025. The winter is not long, and testing has already begun for next year.

Before we get there, we should look back on predictions made for a few of these championships, checking to see how they turned out. 

MotoGP

1. On at least three occasions with a rider win consecutive grand prix

Correct!

Last season, no rider won consecutive races. It was the first time there was no consecutive race winner since the inaugural six-race season in 1949. 

This year, there were exactly three occasions where a rider won consecutive grand prix. 

Francesco Bagnaia had a four-race winning streak with victories in Catalunya, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany.

Marc Márquez would win consecutive races at Arágon and Misano. 

It was getting dicey at the end of the season, but then Bagnaia won in Thailand and Malaysia. That was the third occasion and the victory in the Barcelona finale to cap off his season with three consecutive victories was just a cherry on top. 

2. Marc Márquez is no worse than the third best Ducati rider in the championship

Correct!

Márquez was third in the championship, and you would think third would have been great, but Márquez nearly fell short in this prediction. 

Due to Ducati's dominance, it took the top four spots in the 2024 championship. Márquez was third-best among the Ducati riders, exactly within where he needed to be in this prediction. Except Márquez was only six points ahead of Ducati factory rider Enea Bastiannini! Márquez was outside the top ten in three of the final six races, keeping Bastiannini in touching distance. 

Márquez did enough to get there but if you told me Márquez would finish third in the championship, I would have guessed he achieved this prediction with comfort. It was anything but that during the final weekend from Barcelona.

3. There will be zero races where a points-scoring position in unclassified

Wrong!

Last season, there were six races where fewer than 15 riders took the checkered flag, meaning not every points position was paid out. This year, 19 races saw all 15 points paying spots awarded. That would have been great in almost every other MotoGP season... except this one. 

There was one race where fewer than 15 riders finished. In Indonesia, only 12 riders took the checkered flag. It was the 15th race of the season. We were so close. Damn!

4. Pedro Acosta will be the best finishing rookie in the championship since 2019

Correct!

Acosta had to finish at least eighth in the championship for this prediction to be correct. Acosta ended up sixth on 215 points, 42 points to the good from what he needed to be and only two points behind Brad Binder in fifth. 

Acosta started the season with two podium finishes in the first three races. He had some rough days, but he did have six podium finishes this season. He was in the top five in seven races. At Motegi, he started on pole position, and he won two of the first three sprint races this season, and he also picked up fastest lap on debut. 

Sixth in the championship is the best championship result for a rookie since Fabio Quartararo in 2019. 

5. The Japanese Manufactures will surpass their combined 2023 podium finish total in the first half of the season

Wrong!

Very wrong. Yamaha and Honda went in the wrong direction. They combined for five podium finishes last year. They combined for zero podium finishes this year. No Japanese bike finished in the top five this season. The best finis was sixth in Malaysia with Fabio Quartararo on his Yamaha. Quartararo was 13th in the championship, the best rider on a Japanese bike. 

I don't know how to paint a more bleak picture than this prediction. 

6. A Moto2 race is decided by less than a tenth of a second

Correct!

Entering 2024, Moto2 had gone 29 consecutive races without a race being decided by less than a tenth of a second. 

How did the 2024 season begin? 

Alonso López won the season opener in Qatar by 0.055 seconds over Barry Batlus.

Boom! One race and it was achieved. 

There were three other races with a margin of victory under a tenth of a second. 

Joe Roberts won in Mugello by 0.067 seconds over Manuel González. 

Celestino Vietti won the second Misano race by 0.029 seconds over Arón Canet.

Canet won the Barcelona finale by 0.091 seconds over González.

We went about a season-and-a-half with no races decided by less than a tenth of a second. We had four this season alone. 

I say we made up for lost time and then some. 

7. Leopard Racing wins at least four Moto3 races

Wrong!

Leopard Racing won once with rookie Ángel Piqueras winning the San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix from Misano, but that was it for the team that has won at least four races in six of the previous nine seasons. 

I don't think anyone saw David Alonso winning 14 of 20 races. That had a role in a lack of Leopard victories.

Piqueras was the last rider not named David Alonso to win this season. Piqueras was second to Alonso in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix from Misano, the start of Alonso's seven-race winning streak to end the season. That was Piqueras' only runner-up finish. He had two third-place finishes. 

His teammate Adrián Fernández had three podium finishes all season, second in Indonesia before a pair of thirds in Japan and Australia.

8. At least one MotoE race has an all-Spanish podium

Correct!

There was one race all MotoE season with an all-Spanish podium, and it was smack-dab in the middle of the season, the first race of the Dutch TT weekend from Assen, the ninth of 16 races. But it wasn't an all-Spanish podium originally. 

Héctor Garzó won the race, his first victory of the season, but Italian Alessandro Zaccone was second. However, Zaccone was disqualified due to a tire pressure infringement. This promoted Spaniard Oscar Gutiérrez up to second, and Spaniard Jordi Torres went from fourth to third. It is the first all-Spanish podium in MotoE history. 

That is one way to get a prediction correct.

World Superbike

9. Of the three podium positions, Jonathan Rea finishes third the least.

Wrong!

The hilarious thing about this prediction is that despite Rea's struggles on the Yamaha in his first season with the make, he did get on the podium. 

The problem is he only got on the podium once, and where did he finish? 

Third, of course! Third in the SuperPole race from Donington Park! 

It was a rough season and Yamaha declined and Rea was the third-best Yamaha rider. He also missed five races due to injury, but Rea ended up 13th in the championship and he did not win a race in a World Superbike season for the first time since 2008 when he only ran the final round as a wild card entry after taking second in the World Supersport championship.

10. At least two riders who didn't win consecutive races in 2023 win consecutive races in 2024

Correct!

And not only did we get two riders, but we had three riders do it in 2024. 

The first was in the opening round. We were halfway to this prediction being correct after one round. Alex Lowes won the SuperPole race and race two from Phillip Island on his Kawasaki. 

We had to wait a little bit longer for the next one. It did not help that Toprak Razgatlioglu won 13 consecutive races and 15 of the next 18 races after Phillip Island. If it wasn't for Razgatlioglu's injury in practice from Magny-Cours, we might not have seen a second different rider who didn't win consecutive races in 2023 do so in 2024. 

With Razgatlioglu out, Andrea Locatelli won the first race, but Nicolò Bulega won the SuperPole race and race two in France. 

There you have it, prediction met! But there is more!

After Magny-Cours, World Superbike visited the Cremona Circuit in Italy for the first time. Razgatlioglu was still recovering from the back injury suffered two weeks prior in France. Danilo Petrucci went on to sweep the round in his home country. 

Bulega would go on to win consecutive races again in the season finale from Jerez, but three different riders won consecutive races after only Razgatlioglu and Álvaro Bautista (who did win consecutive races in 2024 at Aragón) were the only two riders with consecutive victories last season. 

At least that kept it interesting. 

Supercross/Motocross

11. Jett Lawrence will have at least one stretch where he doesn't win five consecutive rounds

Uh... technically, wrong!

When this predictions were made, I stated any absence due to injury would not count. Lawrence injured his thumb in the middle of the Motocross season and he did not run the final six rounds of the season. 

So those don't count. What about the 17 Supercross races and the first five rounds of the Motocross season?

In Supercross, Lawrence's longest winless streak was three races on two occasions. He won eight of 17 races and claimed the championship relatively comfortably over Cooper Webb. 

In Motocross, Lawrence swept the first two races of the season opener from Fox Raceway. Then Chase Sexton swept the Hangtown races. Hunter Lawrence won the first race from Thunder Valley, but then Jett won four consecutive races until he was second in the second race from Southwick. 

Then he injured his thumb and his season was over.

The longest Jett Lawrence went without a victory in 2024 was three races. 

12. Riders outside the top three in the Supercross championship combine to win at least four rounds

Wrong!

Riders outside the top three in the Supercross championship combined to win three rounds. 

It started with an unexpected victory for Aaron Plessinger at San Diego. It would be one of three podium finishes for Plessinger, and his season ended five races early after suffering an injury. He was 11th in the championship.

Ken Roczen won in Glendale, and he had a good season going. Roczen had three podium finishes through the first six races. He had six podium finishes in 13 races. Then he was injured in Nashville and that ended his season early, knocking him down to seventh in the championship.

Then there was Eli Tomac. It was not a strong season for Tomac, but he had some good runs. His only victory was the Triple Crown weekend in St. Louis. However, a thumb injury sidelined Tomac for the finale at Salt Lake City, and subsequently the first nine Motocross weekends. This left him fourth in the final championship standings. 

It was closer, but how close was it? 

Tomac had the best ride in Arlington. After a fall on lap two, he was 16th, nearly 13 seconds off the lead. He ended up finishing second, three seconds behind Cooper Webb. It was one of five runner-up finishes Tomac had this season. 

Jason Anderson had a pair of runner-up results, behind Jett Lawrence in the Anaheim season opener and behind Roczen at Glendale. Obviously, trading Andersen for Roczen would mean we still would have had only three victories for riders outside the top three. 

Roczen was second to Lawrence at Indianapolis, so that could have been the fourth victory we needed.

Hunter Lawrence was second to his brother Jett at Denver. Justin Cooper was second in the season finale in Salt Lake City to Chase Sexton. 

There were plenty of close calls, but close was not good enough here.

Six-for-12. Better than last year. Not great. Not bad. Middle of the road. Some were close, but we already established good is not good enough. It could be worse though. Hopefully it is better in 2025.