A Spaniard will be crowned MotoGP champion on home soil in the season finale at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.
Jorge Lorenzo needs to comeback from thirteen points back of Marc Márquez if he wants to win back-to-back titles. The rookie Márquez has six wins this season, one fewer than Lorenzo but Márquez has finished on the podium in all but two rounds while Lorenzo has failed to podium in four events.
In the two events Márquez failed to podium in he also failed to score any points while Lorenzo scored in three of the four rounds he did not finish on the podium. The lone race Lorenzo did not score in was Germany where he did not race after a practice accident.
Both riders have one win at Valencia. Márquez won in the Moto2 season finale last year after starting last place on the grid while Lorenzo's lone win was in his first MotoGP championship season in 2010.
If Lorenzo is able to win at Valencia, he will need Márquez to finish fifth or worse to become champion.
In Moto3, another Spaniard will be champion at Valencia as three Spanish riders are within five points of one another for the title. Luis Salom leads Maverick Viñales by two points while Álex Rins is third, five back. Viñales won at Valencia two years ago in what was then known as the 125cc division.
If Viñales is to win, he will win the title. If Rins wins, he will own the tiebreaker over Salom with five second place finishes to Salom's three. If Rins were to win, he would be champion regardless of where Viñales finishes.
In Phoenix, all three NASCAR national touring divisions will be entering their penultimate rounds. In the Camping World Truck Series, Matt Crafton could clinch the championship over Johnny Sauter and Ty Dillon. If Crafton exits Phoenix with a points lead of thirty-nine points or more, all he will have to do is start at Homestead and be champion. If he exits with a points lead of forty-nine points or more, Crafton won't even have to start at Homestead.
Austin Dillon leads Sam Hornish, Jr. by six points with two races to go. Regan Smith, Elliott Sadler and Jason Allgaier are all still mathematically eligible for the title but need a good finish as well as misfortune for Dillon and Hornish to have a shot. Hornish does have a win at Phoenix. He won his first career Nationwide Series race there in 2011.
Jimmie Johnson holds a seven point lead over Matt Kenseth in the Sprint Cup Series as Johnson looks to win his sixth career title and Kenseth his second. Johnson won three consecutive fall races at Phoenix from 2007 to 2009 but has averaged a seventeenth place finish in the three races since that streak ended. Matt Kenseth's lone Phoenix win came in the fall of 2002, the year prior to his first championship. Kenseth has also won one Nationwide Series race at Phoenix, that coming in the fall of 2006.
The top nine in the championship are still mathematically eligible for the title. Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne are the only four Chase drivers who have been eliminated.
One other series heading into their penultimate round is the FIA World Endurance Championship as the series heads to Shanghai. The Audi team of Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Loïc Duval lead the points by 40.75 points over their Audi teammates André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer. Toyota is coming off their first win of 2013 at their home race at Fuji. The winning team of Alexander Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre return for their fifth round of the season. The third winning driver from Fuji, Kazuki Nakajima will not be at Shanghai as he will be competing in the Super Formula season finale at Suzuka. The second Toyota team of Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Stéphane Sarrazin are third in points.
In LMP2, Bertrand Baguette, Martin Plowman and Ricardo González are coming off their second win of 2013 as they lead the points by 11.5 over Luis Pérez Companc, Nicolas Minassian and Pierre Kaffer. G-Drive Racing team of Mike Conway, John Martin and Romain Rusinov have won two of the last three events but are only fourth in points, 33.5 back after being excluded from the 24 Hours of Le Mans after finishing third in class.
In GT, Ferrari drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Gianmaria Bruni lead Porsche's Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz by six points. Aston Martin drivers Stefan Mücke and Darren Turner are third, 8.5 points back. In GTE AM, Aston Martin drivers Jamie Campbell-Walker and Stuart Hall lead Le Mans class winners, Porsche drivers Jean-Karl Vernay and Raymond Narac by eight points.
Last year at Shanghai, Alexander Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre won overall while Stefan Mücke and Darren Turner won in GTE Pro.
Covering All Motorsports. From Indianapolis to Le Mans, Daytona to Monaco.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
What Is IndyCar's Plan For An International Series?
One year from now, could IndyCar being preparing for the first race of their international winter series?
Though it is Mark Miles' plan for IndyCar's future, there are a lot of questions the series has to ask itself before pursuing international events.
For staters, where are they going? Are they running permanent facilities? Street courses? Any international ovals?
And who is paying for these races?
For a decade either IndyCar or ChampCar were trying to expand to Asia. The Motegi race moved from CART to the IRL and after rebranding to ChampCar, the series tried repeatedly for races in South Korea and China. After the merger, Motegi stayed until 2011 and the series further pursued a race in China. After it appeared likely a street race in Qingdao would take place in 2012, the Qingdao mayor that succeeded the one who signed the deal with IndyCar pulled out with IndyCar receiving no buyout, no money whatsoever and another bruise to their reputation.
Who wants IndyCar?
You'd think there is someone out there who sees the level of racing IndyCar produces and the talented field and wants them racing at their track. The problem with IndyCar is it's identity crisis. Is it an American series or an International series? Is it oval or road/street circuits?
It can keep pumping out the tagline Randy Bernard used "Fastest, most diverse drivers in the world" but who is that attracting?
IndyCar is diverse with ovals, road and street courses but it is in no means an American series and it can't be an American series to survive. IndyCar has talented drivers from all over currently in the series and many more interested. The problem is Formula One is promoted as the best because of it's name. Not because the racing is exciting, not because three-quarters of the grid could win any time out but because it's Formula One. That's all it is, a name. People in foreign nations that do not have a long racing tradition know the name and assume it must be the best. They have no concept of what good racing is. They do know what is the most lucrative and well-unknown series and that's all.
Where would IndyCar go?
Surfers Paradise has moved on from IndyCar. The track layout is shorter, the Queensland government (Australian state Surfers Paradise is located in) has cut back funding and the series is going to have to look elsewhere if they want to return down under.
I wouldn't rule out China but cash up-front this time. Motegi would be great but Honda funded that race, funded all the transportation of the equipment and I doubt they would be footing the bill again for Chevrolet teams.
What about India? The Indian Grand Prix isn't on the Formula One calendar in 2014 as they plan to move that race to the spring in 2015. Could IndyCar head to India in the fall? Maybe but the track has been having their own trouble with the government. Maybe not the best place for IndyCar to be heading.
Besides the Asia-Pacific, where else could IndyCar go? São Paulo is gone. The places that were reportedly interested in hosting a second Brazilian race are now distance memories and there are less Brazilians on the IndyCar grid more than ever (not to mention F1 but that's another story).
What about Europe? The one place that has not been brought up in hosting international events is Europe and that's a shame. You have three Frenchman, three or four Brits depending on if it's a road course, a Spaniard, Swiss and Italian on the grid. Not to mention young drivers such as Sam Bird are looking to IndyCar for their future. Sure, Formula One has a stranglehold on Europe but there has to be a fan base their and enough of a fan base for Luca Filippi to say at his first race weekend at Mid-Ohio, "In Italy, IndyCar is very popular, we have it on TV and we like it very much."
When does the international series take place?
If you are going to have a true, winter series, it has to be at least six or seven events in length. If they are just going to run two international races the month prior to the beginning of the North American season then why even bother to call it an international series? Mind as well just have them open the IndyCar season like Surfers Paradise once did.
The biggest thing an international series could do is keep people employed. Add two international races the month before the IndyCar season would keep people employed a month longer but consider this:
IndyCar season ends Labor day weekend. After six weeks off, start the international series, run a race in mid-October, a race or two in November and maybe a race in early December before a Christmas break. Then restart and run the final race or two in January. After that, maybe two or three weeks off before the North American IndyCar season starts in mid-February, after the Super Bowl and prior to the Daytona 500.
In theory, teams would need crew members nearly year round. In theory, layoffs would be minimal. Of course this all hinges on money. If the teams can make money on an international series, then layoffs can be avoided but who says teams won't lose money on international races? You would hope the teams would be able to make money but that is easier said than done.
Any international series won't run without a hitch from the get go but it is worth pursuing. Mark Miles has a long history of working with international promoters and sponsors when he was president of ATP. If there is anyone I would want monitoring start up international events, it would be Mark Miles.
The final question is, how long do we wait for international races?
Remember, IndyCar was suppose to get a new car in 2011 and didn't get it until 2012. Aerokits were suppose to come in 2012 but were postponed until 2013 and then 2014 and now 2015. Are international races something we are going to have to wait for until 2016? 2017? Maybe 2018? IndyCar has a history of saying we are doing X by date Y and usually date Y comes and goes with frustration.
International races aren't a bad idea for IndyCar but the series has to do them correctly and avoid delaying yet another plan.
Though it is Mark Miles' plan for IndyCar's future, there are a lot of questions the series has to ask itself before pursuing international events.
For staters, where are they going? Are they running permanent facilities? Street courses? Any international ovals?
And who is paying for these races?
For a decade either IndyCar or ChampCar were trying to expand to Asia. The Motegi race moved from CART to the IRL and after rebranding to ChampCar, the series tried repeatedly for races in South Korea and China. After the merger, Motegi stayed until 2011 and the series further pursued a race in China. After it appeared likely a street race in Qingdao would take place in 2012, the Qingdao mayor that succeeded the one who signed the deal with IndyCar pulled out with IndyCar receiving no buyout, no money whatsoever and another bruise to their reputation.
Who wants IndyCar?
You'd think there is someone out there who sees the level of racing IndyCar produces and the talented field and wants them racing at their track. The problem with IndyCar is it's identity crisis. Is it an American series or an International series? Is it oval or road/street circuits?
It can keep pumping out the tagline Randy Bernard used "Fastest, most diverse drivers in the world" but who is that attracting?
IndyCar is diverse with ovals, road and street courses but it is in no means an American series and it can't be an American series to survive. IndyCar has talented drivers from all over currently in the series and many more interested. The problem is Formula One is promoted as the best because of it's name. Not because the racing is exciting, not because three-quarters of the grid could win any time out but because it's Formula One. That's all it is, a name. People in foreign nations that do not have a long racing tradition know the name and assume it must be the best. They have no concept of what good racing is. They do know what is the most lucrative and well-unknown series and that's all.
Where would IndyCar go?
Surfers Paradise has moved on from IndyCar. The track layout is shorter, the Queensland government (Australian state Surfers Paradise is located in) has cut back funding and the series is going to have to look elsewhere if they want to return down under.
I wouldn't rule out China but cash up-front this time. Motegi would be great but Honda funded that race, funded all the transportation of the equipment and I doubt they would be footing the bill again for Chevrolet teams.
What about India? The Indian Grand Prix isn't on the Formula One calendar in 2014 as they plan to move that race to the spring in 2015. Could IndyCar head to India in the fall? Maybe but the track has been having their own trouble with the government. Maybe not the best place for IndyCar to be heading.
Besides the Asia-Pacific, where else could IndyCar go? São Paulo is gone. The places that were reportedly interested in hosting a second Brazilian race are now distance memories and there are less Brazilians on the IndyCar grid more than ever (not to mention F1 but that's another story).
What about Europe? The one place that has not been brought up in hosting international events is Europe and that's a shame. You have three Frenchman, three or four Brits depending on if it's a road course, a Spaniard, Swiss and Italian on the grid. Not to mention young drivers such as Sam Bird are looking to IndyCar for their future. Sure, Formula One has a stranglehold on Europe but there has to be a fan base their and enough of a fan base for Luca Filippi to say at his first race weekend at Mid-Ohio, "In Italy, IndyCar is very popular, we have it on TV and we like it very much."
When does the international series take place?
If you are going to have a true, winter series, it has to be at least six or seven events in length. If they are just going to run two international races the month prior to the beginning of the North American season then why even bother to call it an international series? Mind as well just have them open the IndyCar season like Surfers Paradise once did.
The biggest thing an international series could do is keep people employed. Add two international races the month before the IndyCar season would keep people employed a month longer but consider this:
IndyCar season ends Labor day weekend. After six weeks off, start the international series, run a race in mid-October, a race or two in November and maybe a race in early December before a Christmas break. Then restart and run the final race or two in January. After that, maybe two or three weeks off before the North American IndyCar season starts in mid-February, after the Super Bowl and prior to the Daytona 500.
In theory, teams would need crew members nearly year round. In theory, layoffs would be minimal. Of course this all hinges on money. If the teams can make money on an international series, then layoffs can be avoided but who says teams won't lose money on international races? You would hope the teams would be able to make money but that is easier said than done.
Any international series won't run without a hitch from the get go but it is worth pursuing. Mark Miles has a long history of working with international promoters and sponsors when he was president of ATP. If there is anyone I would want monitoring start up international events, it would be Mark Miles.
The final question is, how long do we wait for international races?
Remember, IndyCar was suppose to get a new car in 2011 and didn't get it until 2012. Aerokits were suppose to come in 2012 but were postponed until 2013 and then 2014 and now 2015. Are international races something we are going to have to wait for until 2016? 2017? Maybe 2018? IndyCar has a history of saying we are doing X by date Y and usually date Y comes and goes with frustration.
International races aren't a bad idea for IndyCar but the series has to do them correctly and avoid delaying yet another plan.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Vettel's Dominance and Excitement in Motorsport
I feel that too often motorsport (all sports really) is wrongly graded on the level excitement and entertainment it produces. Too often is sports lumped into entertainment category and we as fans are suppose to expect a show.
I hate to disappoint many of you but that is wrong. Sports are competitions. They are meant to test one party against either at a common ground. They are not intended to entertain or give us a thrill. They are suppose to test who is better than the other at that given point in time and if we so choose to watch, we can. Whether or not we are entertained or excited by it is totally subjected to us viewing it.
Fans should not go to a match or race expecting to be entertained. They should be expecting a competition. Sports are not meant solely to entertain us. The competition is first and foremost important. The idea of entertainment is what blinds us to the reality of an event.
Take yesterday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. What did the fans pay to say in the grandstands and what did the fans turn on their television to see? A race. Was it the most exciting race? No. Could you say it was boring? Yes. Should the fans be disappointed? In all honesty, no. They intended to see a race and they saw a race. Whether they saw the race with the adjective they labelled with it prior is not something any governing body, sponsor, driver, manufacture or official can control.
A fan should not go or turn on a TV and be expecting to see an entertaining race, a dangerous race, a scary race, a thrilling race, a breath-taking race or any other adjective they can place prior to the word race. They should go expecting to see a race because whether or not the race meets the adjective is entirely depended on them and their criteria of what makes a race exciting, boring, dangerous, thrilling, good, bad, etc. And there is no way a sanctioning body or anyone involved can cater to the millions of adjectives each and every viewer could label a race with.
What this all stems from is the tweets of Associated Press reporter Jenna Fryer who after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix who said the dominance of Sebastian Vettel bores her. She rightfully can have that opinion but when it comes to sport, domination is bound to happen. One team or man is bound to go on a run of dominance. Whether it be the Boston Celtics in the late 1950s through the 1960s, Manchester United since the creation of the Premier League, Roger Federer 2004-2009 or Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull currently in Formula One, someone is going to dominate at one point or another.
My bigger is issue is what she would tweet later:
"Jimmie Johnson actually beat people to win his titles. Vettel has no competition. He just won by 30.8 seconds!"
I find that completely disrespectful not only to Vettel but to every driver on the Formula One grid. To imply Vettel hasn't had to beat people to win his titles is completely false. How quickly do we forget that his first title in 2010 was a come-from-behind performance in a season in which Vettel never once led the points until he took the final checkered flag of the season. A season that saw five other drivers lead the standings before Vettel himself took the lead by winning the final race. A season where Vettel shared the distinction of most wins with Fernando Alonso at five apiece with his teammate Mark Webber having won four prior to Vettel getting his third. I would call that competition.
Or what about last season where four different drivers led the points at some point during the season? What about the forty point comeback Vettel made in four races to retake the points lead and the fierce battle with Alonso in the final five races to hold the Spaniard off? Or the fact that seven different drivers won the first seven races in 2012? Or that Vettel went nine races between his first and second win and three drivers won multiple times during that nine race span? Or how about the fact for most of the final race of 2012 at Brazil, Vettel was not going to be World Champion? I would call that competition.
What Vettel has done in the two odd-numbered years on the calendar have truly been a spectacular display of what a team and driver can do when in-sync with one another. Heck if it wasn't for degrading tires, running wide on a damp track and a rare poor pit stop for Red Bull, Vettel would have probably won the first nine races of 2011. Every year Vettel has shown his genius whether it's his undying will to fight and never quit or showing his true might of what he is capable of doing.
To say he has no competition is disrespectful to the other four world champions on the grid, three of which have won this year. It is disrespectful to drivers such as Nico Hülkenberg and Paul di Resta who have been giving it their all with privateer teams and out performing their teammates.
And what would putting him a Marussia prove? He already competed and won with a second-tier Toro Rosso. He jumped into a BMW-Sauber and scored a point in his first career race, granted he had more testing time then anyone who has entered Formula One in the last five years but that's just the nature of the regulations. Compare him to Alonso, Button or Räikkönen and the amount of testing he did with BMW-Sauber is comparable to what they did when entering Formula One.
Putting him in a Marussia is like saying take an gold medal winning Olympic speed skater and have him play a couple of shifts for the Buffalo Sabres against the Boston Bruins just to see if he is really as fast as skater. Of course he won't be as fast, especially when you are wearing pads and have Zdeno Chára physically manhandling you every time you are on the ice. Of course Vettel probably wouldn't have a win in 2013, let alone seven consecutive in a Marussia and we'll never know what his results would be if he was driving a Marussia but why does that matter? What does saying that prove? Nothing. It can't be done and more logically won't be done because it doesn't make any sense.
Why would a top-caliber driver not go to a team at the back of the grid? The same reason why Lionel Messi isn't going to leave Barcelona to play for Sligo Rovers in League of Ireland. Money and the fact he should play for a team that compliments his level of skill.
What Vettel is accomplishing is truly remarkable but has not been handed to him. He has had to step up his game on numerous occasions and, despite all adversity, has come out on top the last four seasons. Not everyone can do that.
I hate to disappoint many of you but that is wrong. Sports are competitions. They are meant to test one party against either at a common ground. They are not intended to entertain or give us a thrill. They are suppose to test who is better than the other at that given point in time and if we so choose to watch, we can. Whether or not we are entertained or excited by it is totally subjected to us viewing it.
Fans should not go to a match or race expecting to be entertained. They should be expecting a competition. Sports are not meant solely to entertain us. The competition is first and foremost important. The idea of entertainment is what blinds us to the reality of an event.
Take yesterday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. What did the fans pay to say in the grandstands and what did the fans turn on their television to see? A race. Was it the most exciting race? No. Could you say it was boring? Yes. Should the fans be disappointed? In all honesty, no. They intended to see a race and they saw a race. Whether they saw the race with the adjective they labelled with it prior is not something any governing body, sponsor, driver, manufacture or official can control.
A fan should not go or turn on a TV and be expecting to see an entertaining race, a dangerous race, a scary race, a thrilling race, a breath-taking race or any other adjective they can place prior to the word race. They should go expecting to see a race because whether or not the race meets the adjective is entirely depended on them and their criteria of what makes a race exciting, boring, dangerous, thrilling, good, bad, etc. And there is no way a sanctioning body or anyone involved can cater to the millions of adjectives each and every viewer could label a race with.
What this all stems from is the tweets of Associated Press reporter Jenna Fryer who after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix who said the dominance of Sebastian Vettel bores her. She rightfully can have that opinion but when it comes to sport, domination is bound to happen. One team or man is bound to go on a run of dominance. Whether it be the Boston Celtics in the late 1950s through the 1960s, Manchester United since the creation of the Premier League, Roger Federer 2004-2009 or Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull currently in Formula One, someone is going to dominate at one point or another.
My bigger is issue is what she would tweet later:
"Jimmie Johnson actually beat people to win his titles. Vettel has no competition. He just won by 30.8 seconds!"
I find that completely disrespectful not only to Vettel but to every driver on the Formula One grid. To imply Vettel hasn't had to beat people to win his titles is completely false. How quickly do we forget that his first title in 2010 was a come-from-behind performance in a season in which Vettel never once led the points until he took the final checkered flag of the season. A season that saw five other drivers lead the standings before Vettel himself took the lead by winning the final race. A season where Vettel shared the distinction of most wins with Fernando Alonso at five apiece with his teammate Mark Webber having won four prior to Vettel getting his third. I would call that competition.
Or what about last season where four different drivers led the points at some point during the season? What about the forty point comeback Vettel made in four races to retake the points lead and the fierce battle with Alonso in the final five races to hold the Spaniard off? Or the fact that seven different drivers won the first seven races in 2012? Or that Vettel went nine races between his first and second win and three drivers won multiple times during that nine race span? Or how about the fact for most of the final race of 2012 at Brazil, Vettel was not going to be World Champion? I would call that competition.
What Vettel has done in the two odd-numbered years on the calendar have truly been a spectacular display of what a team and driver can do when in-sync with one another. Heck if it wasn't for degrading tires, running wide on a damp track and a rare poor pit stop for Red Bull, Vettel would have probably won the first nine races of 2011. Every year Vettel has shown his genius whether it's his undying will to fight and never quit or showing his true might of what he is capable of doing.
To say he has no competition is disrespectful to the other four world champions on the grid, three of which have won this year. It is disrespectful to drivers such as Nico Hülkenberg and Paul di Resta who have been giving it their all with privateer teams and out performing their teammates.
And what would putting him a Marussia prove? He already competed and won with a second-tier Toro Rosso. He jumped into a BMW-Sauber and scored a point in his first career race, granted he had more testing time then anyone who has entered Formula One in the last five years but that's just the nature of the regulations. Compare him to Alonso, Button or Räikkönen and the amount of testing he did with BMW-Sauber is comparable to what they did when entering Formula One.
Putting him in a Marussia is like saying take an gold medal winning Olympic speed skater and have him play a couple of shifts for the Buffalo Sabres against the Boston Bruins just to see if he is really as fast as skater. Of course he won't be as fast, especially when you are wearing pads and have Zdeno Chára physically manhandling you every time you are on the ice. Of course Vettel probably wouldn't have a win in 2013, let alone seven consecutive in a Marussia and we'll never know what his results would be if he was driving a Marussia but why does that matter? What does saying that prove? Nothing. It can't be done and more logically won't be done because it doesn't make any sense.
Why would a top-caliber driver not go to a team at the back of the grid? The same reason why Lionel Messi isn't going to leave Barcelona to play for Sligo Rovers in League of Ireland. Money and the fact he should play for a team that compliments his level of skill.
What Vettel is accomplishing is truly remarkable but has not been handed to him. He has had to step up his game on numerous occasions and, despite all adversity, has come out on top the last four seasons. Not everyone can do that.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Seven Straight For Vettel
Ever since Formula One returned from their summer break, Sebastian Vettel is the only man to take the top step of the podium. With today's win Vettel ties Alberto Ascari and Michael Schumacher for longest winning streak in Formula One history at seven straight victories.
Vettel dominated today's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, taking the lead from his teammate and pole sitter Mark Webber in the first corner and never looking back, leading all fifty-five laps for his third career win at Yas Marina. Vettel has eleven victories this season with two races to go and now sits only four victories behind Ayrton Senna for third on the all-time wins list.
Thirty seconds behind Vettel, Mark Webber made it a one-two for Red Bull as he finished second for the fourth time this season. Nico Rosberg rounded out the podium in third, his second consecutive podium and fourth of the season. Romain Grosjean finished fourth as his Lotus teammate Kimi Räikkönen retired after making contact with Charles Pic in the first turn of the race.
Fernando Alonso recovered after missing Q3 to finish fifth. Alonso was under investigation for exceeding track limits when making a pass on Toro Rosso's Jean-Éric Vergne but no penalty was given. Paul di Resta finished sixth after making one pit stop during the race and holding off fellow British driver Lewis Hamilton. Felipe Massa, Sergio Pérez and Adrian Sutil rounded out the points.
Pastor Maldonado finished only seven-tenths of a second behind Sutil. Jenson Button finished where he started in twelfth with Esteban Gutiérrez the last car on the lead lap in thirteenth. Nico Hülkenberg was running in the points most of the day until a penalty for unsafe release from the pit lane put him a lap down and cost him a points paying position.
Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, Vergne, Giedo van der Garde and Charles Pic all finished a lap down with the Marussias of Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton two laps down. Räikkönen was the only retirement from the race.
Vettel now leads Alonso by one-hundred and thirty points with two races to go. Alonso is thirty-four up on Räikkönen in third with Hamilton trailing him by eight points. Webber is fifth, nine back of Hamilton and Rosberg is sixth another seven back. Grosjean is seventh, eight points ahead of Massa. Button and di Resta round out the top ten.
Red Bull's lead in the Constructors' Championship is now one-hundred and seventy-nine points over Mercedes. Mercedes extended it's margin over Ferrari for second to eleven with Lotus in fourth, thirty-seven back of Mercedes. McLaren is fifth, eighteen ahead of Force India. Sauber is seventh, thirteen ahead of Toro Rosso and Williams trails Toro Rosso by thirty-one points. Marussia and Caterham have yet to score a point.
In a fortnight, Formula One returns to the United States for the United States Grand Prix from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Last year, Lewis Hamilton extended his winning streak in the United States to two as he defeated Vettel by just over six-tenths of a second. The last twelve United States Grand Prix have been won by either McLaren or Ferrari. The last time a manufacture other than McLaren or Ferrari won the USGP was Williams in 1980 with Alan Jones at Watkins Glen. Jones had clinched the World Drivers' Championship the week prior at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The last time a car other than McLaren or Ferrari has won a race in the United States in general was Lotus in the 1987 Detroit Grand Prix with Ayrton Senna behind the wheel.
Vettel dominated today's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, taking the lead from his teammate and pole sitter Mark Webber in the first corner and never looking back, leading all fifty-five laps for his third career win at Yas Marina. Vettel has eleven victories this season with two races to go and now sits only four victories behind Ayrton Senna for third on the all-time wins list.
Thirty seconds behind Vettel, Mark Webber made it a one-two for Red Bull as he finished second for the fourth time this season. Nico Rosberg rounded out the podium in third, his second consecutive podium and fourth of the season. Romain Grosjean finished fourth as his Lotus teammate Kimi Räikkönen retired after making contact with Charles Pic in the first turn of the race.
Fernando Alonso recovered after missing Q3 to finish fifth. Alonso was under investigation for exceeding track limits when making a pass on Toro Rosso's Jean-Éric Vergne but no penalty was given. Paul di Resta finished sixth after making one pit stop during the race and holding off fellow British driver Lewis Hamilton. Felipe Massa, Sergio Pérez and Adrian Sutil rounded out the points.
Pastor Maldonado finished only seven-tenths of a second behind Sutil. Jenson Button finished where he started in twelfth with Esteban Gutiérrez the last car on the lead lap in thirteenth. Nico Hülkenberg was running in the points most of the day until a penalty for unsafe release from the pit lane put him a lap down and cost him a points paying position.
Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, Vergne, Giedo van der Garde and Charles Pic all finished a lap down with the Marussias of Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton two laps down. Räikkönen was the only retirement from the race.
Vettel now leads Alonso by one-hundred and thirty points with two races to go. Alonso is thirty-four up on Räikkönen in third with Hamilton trailing him by eight points. Webber is fifth, nine back of Hamilton and Rosberg is sixth another seven back. Grosjean is seventh, eight points ahead of Massa. Button and di Resta round out the top ten.
Red Bull's lead in the Constructors' Championship is now one-hundred and seventy-nine points over Mercedes. Mercedes extended it's margin over Ferrari for second to eleven with Lotus in fourth, thirty-seven back of Mercedes. McLaren is fifth, eighteen ahead of Force India. Sauber is seventh, thirteen ahead of Toro Rosso and Williams trails Toro Rosso by thirty-one points. Marussia and Caterham have yet to score a point.
In a fortnight, Formula One returns to the United States for the United States Grand Prix from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Last year, Lewis Hamilton extended his winning streak in the United States to two as he defeated Vettel by just over six-tenths of a second. The last twelve United States Grand Prix have been won by either McLaren or Ferrari. The last time a manufacture other than McLaren or Ferrari won the USGP was Williams in 1980 with Alan Jones at Watkins Glen. Jones had clinched the World Drivers' Championship the week prior at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The last time a car other than McLaren or Ferrari has won a race in the United States in general was Lotus in the 1987 Detroit Grand Prix with Ayrton Senna behind the wheel.
Through Sunday Morning
The first weekend of November signaled the end for a few racing series this weekend across the globe.
Dave Darland won the season finale for the USAC National Sprint Car Championship with 2013 National Sprint Car champion Bryan Clauson finishing second. Darland led flag-to-flag to pick up his seventh win of the sprint car season. Mike Spencer, Chase Stockton and Brady Bacon rounded out the top five. Clauson held off Darland in the championship standings by sixty-three points.
In GP3, Tio Ellinas picked up his second win of the season as he bookends the championship having won the first race of the season at Barcelona back in May. Second-place finisher Dean Stoneman was the sentimental favorite all weekend as he was competing in his first single-seater race weekend since recovering from testicular cancer that cost him the 2011 and 2012 seasons. American Conor Daly finished third.
2013 GP3 champion Daniil Kvyat finished fifth in the sprint race and won the title by thirty points over Facu Regalia who finished sixteenth in the sprint race. Daly will finish third in the final championship standings ahead of Ellinas who vaults up to fourth ahead of Jack Harvey, Nick Yelloly and Kevin Korjus.
James Calado picked up his second victory of the GP2 season and that was good enough to vault him up to third in the final standings. Dani Clos finished second with 2013 GP2 champion Fabio Leimer rounding out the podium ahead of runner-up in the 2013 GP2 championship Sam Bird in fourth.
American Alexander Rossi was not able to repeat his winning efforts from Saturday after being caught in a first lap accident with Johnny Cecotto, Jr. Rossi finishes ninth in the final championship standings despite missing the opening round at Malaysia.
The 2013 Porsche Supercup season ended at Yas Marina with Dane Nicki Thiim sweeping the weekend and winning the championship. Thiim defeated the late Sean Edwards in the championship by twenty-two points. Edwards was killed in a training accident at Queensland Raceway in Australia nearly three weeks ago. German Michael Ammermüller finishes third in the final championship standings.
While some series were wrapping up, others still have a few events to go.
Ty Dillon won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night. Johnny Sauter finished second with Ron Hornaday, Brendan Gaughan and Justin Lofton rounding out the top five.
Points leader Matt Crafton finished tenth and leads defending champion James Buescher by forty-six points with two races to go. Dillon is third, just a point back of Buescher after his victory. Sauter is fourth, seventy-four back and the final driver mathematically eligible for the title.
Brad Keselowski won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Saturday with Denny Hamlin, Sam Hornish, Jr., Matt Kenseth and Austin Dillon rounding out the top five. Dillon leads Hornish by six points with two races to go. Regan Smith is third, forty-eight back, Elliott Sadler fourth, eighty-one back and Justin Allgaier fifth, eighty-five back. The top five are the only drivers still mathematically eligible for the title.
In Shanghai, Tom Chilton and Tiago Montiero won the two World Touring Car Championship races. It is Chilton's second win of the year and Montiero's first of the season and first since 2010. Frenchman Yvan Muller has already locked up the 2013 WTCC championship. He finished second and fifth this weekend. WTCC has one more race weekend to as they head to Macau in a fortnight.
Dave Darland won the season finale for the USAC National Sprint Car Championship with 2013 National Sprint Car champion Bryan Clauson finishing second. Darland led flag-to-flag to pick up his seventh win of the sprint car season. Mike Spencer, Chase Stockton and Brady Bacon rounded out the top five. Clauson held off Darland in the championship standings by sixty-three points.
In GP3, Tio Ellinas picked up his second win of the season as he bookends the championship having won the first race of the season at Barcelona back in May. Second-place finisher Dean Stoneman was the sentimental favorite all weekend as he was competing in his first single-seater race weekend since recovering from testicular cancer that cost him the 2011 and 2012 seasons. American Conor Daly finished third.
2013 GP3 champion Daniil Kvyat finished fifth in the sprint race and won the title by thirty points over Facu Regalia who finished sixteenth in the sprint race. Daly will finish third in the final championship standings ahead of Ellinas who vaults up to fourth ahead of Jack Harvey, Nick Yelloly and Kevin Korjus.
James Calado picked up his second victory of the GP2 season and that was good enough to vault him up to third in the final standings. Dani Clos finished second with 2013 GP2 champion Fabio Leimer rounding out the podium ahead of runner-up in the 2013 GP2 championship Sam Bird in fourth.
American Alexander Rossi was not able to repeat his winning efforts from Saturday after being caught in a first lap accident with Johnny Cecotto, Jr. Rossi finishes ninth in the final championship standings despite missing the opening round at Malaysia.
The 2013 Porsche Supercup season ended at Yas Marina with Dane Nicki Thiim sweeping the weekend and winning the championship. Thiim defeated the late Sean Edwards in the championship by twenty-two points. Edwards was killed in a training accident at Queensland Raceway in Australia nearly three weeks ago. German Michael Ammermüller finishes third in the final championship standings.
While some series were wrapping up, others still have a few events to go.
Ty Dillon won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night. Johnny Sauter finished second with Ron Hornaday, Brendan Gaughan and Justin Lofton rounding out the top five.
Points leader Matt Crafton finished tenth and leads defending champion James Buescher by forty-six points with two races to go. Dillon is third, just a point back of Buescher after his victory. Sauter is fourth, seventy-four back and the final driver mathematically eligible for the title.
Brad Keselowski won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Saturday with Denny Hamlin, Sam Hornish, Jr., Matt Kenseth and Austin Dillon rounding out the top five. Dillon leads Hornish by six points with two races to go. Regan Smith is third, forty-eight back, Elliott Sadler fourth, eighty-one back and Justin Allgaier fifth, eighty-five back. The top five are the only drivers still mathematically eligible for the title.
In Shanghai, Tom Chilton and Tiago Montiero won the two World Touring Car Championship races. It is Chilton's second win of the year and Montiero's first of the season and first since 2010. Frenchman Yvan Muller has already locked up the 2013 WTCC championship. He finished second and fifth this weekend. WTCC has one more race weekend to as they head to Macau in a fortnight.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Three Champions Crowned
Yesterday I previewed the season finales for GP2, GP3 and USAC Sprints. Today I report all three championships have been clinched.
We'll start at Perris Auto Speedway where for the second consecutive year Bryan Clauson has won the USAC National Sprint Car Championship. Clauson finished fourth last night, three positions ahead of championship rival Dave Darland. Clauson holds a sixty-six point lead over Darland entering the season finale tonight at Perris. Darland is one-hundred and three points ahead of third Brady Bacon.
Nick Faas led all thirty laps to take the race win last night at Perris. Chase Stockton and Bacon rounded out the top three.
Earlier this morning the GP2 title was locked up by Swiss driver Fabio Leimer after he finished fourth in the feature race with nearest championship rival Sam Bird finishing tenth. Leimer holds an eighteen point lead over Bird heading into the final race tomorrow.
Alexander Rossi picked up his first career GP2 victory from pole position. It is the first win by an American in GP2. Brit Joylon Palmer finished second with Swede Marcus Ericsson in third. Leimer was fourth with Dani Clos in fifth. James Calado finished sixth ahead of Felipe Nasr in seventh. Johnny Cecotto, Jr., Daniel Abt and Bird rounded out the points.
With the inversion of the top eight for the sprint race, Cecotto, Jr. will start on pole tomorrow.
Daniil Kvyat locked up the GP3 with a grand chelem, leading every lap from pole position and picking up fastest lap along the way. Kvyat defeated Brits Alexander Sims and Nick Yelloly for the win. American Conor Daly finished fourth ahead of British drivers Jack Harvey and Dean Stoneman. This was Stoneman's first single-seater race since recovering from testicular cancer that keep him out of racing for all of 2011 and 2012. Cypriot Tio Ellinas was seventh with Finn Patrick Kujala in eighth and starting on pole for the sprint race tomorrow. Carlos Sainz, Jr. and Dino Zamparelli rounded out the points.
Kvyat leads Argentina Facu Regalia by twenty-four points heading into the final race after Regalia was dropped from the points after receiving a twenty second penalty for exceeding track limits during the race. Daly moves up to third in points after Estonian Kevin Korjus stalled on the grid but he did manage a thirteenth. Jack Harvey is fifth but could finish as high as third in the final standings.
We'll start at Perris Auto Speedway where for the second consecutive year Bryan Clauson has won the USAC National Sprint Car Championship. Clauson finished fourth last night, three positions ahead of championship rival Dave Darland. Clauson holds a sixty-six point lead over Darland entering the season finale tonight at Perris. Darland is one-hundred and three points ahead of third Brady Bacon.
Nick Faas led all thirty laps to take the race win last night at Perris. Chase Stockton and Bacon rounded out the top three.
Earlier this morning the GP2 title was locked up by Swiss driver Fabio Leimer after he finished fourth in the feature race with nearest championship rival Sam Bird finishing tenth. Leimer holds an eighteen point lead over Bird heading into the final race tomorrow.
Alexander Rossi picked up his first career GP2 victory from pole position. It is the first win by an American in GP2. Brit Joylon Palmer finished second with Swede Marcus Ericsson in third. Leimer was fourth with Dani Clos in fifth. James Calado finished sixth ahead of Felipe Nasr in seventh. Johnny Cecotto, Jr., Daniel Abt and Bird rounded out the points.
With the inversion of the top eight for the sprint race, Cecotto, Jr. will start on pole tomorrow.
Daniil Kvyat locked up the GP3 with a grand chelem, leading every lap from pole position and picking up fastest lap along the way. Kvyat defeated Brits Alexander Sims and Nick Yelloly for the win. American Conor Daly finished fourth ahead of British drivers Jack Harvey and Dean Stoneman. This was Stoneman's first single-seater race since recovering from testicular cancer that keep him out of racing for all of 2011 and 2012. Cypriot Tio Ellinas was seventh with Finn Patrick Kujala in eighth and starting on pole for the sprint race tomorrow. Carlos Sainz, Jr. and Dino Zamparelli rounded out the points.
Kvyat leads Argentina Facu Regalia by twenty-four points heading into the final race after Regalia was dropped from the points after receiving a twenty second penalty for exceeding track limits during the race. Daly moves up to third in points after Estonian Kevin Korjus stalled on the grid but he did manage a thirteenth. Jack Harvey is fifth but could finish as high as third in the final standings.
Friday, November 1, 2013
First Weekend of November, Final Weekend For Some
Three open-wheel series will be crowning champions this weekend, two at a billion dollar facility in the desert, the other on the dirt of Southern California.
Now that qualifying is complete for the feature race of the final weekend of the GP2 season at Yas Marina, four drivers are still eligible for the title. Swiss driver Fabio Leimer leads Brit Sam Bird by seven points with Brazilian Felipe Nasr thirty-one back and Monegasque Stefano Coletti forty-four back.
Since American Alexander Rossi took pole for the feature race, there are only forty-four points available for a driver to earn this weekend. Coletti has to score maximum points with Leimer failing to score, Bird scoring seven points or fewer and Nasr scoring thirty-one points or fewer. Should Coletti score maximum points this weekend, he would own the tiebreaker over Leimer with five victories to three. Should a three-way tie occur between Leimer, Bird and Coletti, Coletti would own the tiebreaker over Bird with three third place finishes to Bird none. Bird and Coletti would both have five wins and one second place on the season. Coletti would also hold the tiebreaker over Nasr as Nasr has yet to win in 2013. Coletti however has only scored once in the last twelve races.
The battle will really be between Fabio Leimer and Sam Bird. Bird will roll off the grid from second on Saturday with Leimer starting in fourth tomorrow. The last time GP2 raced at Yas Marina was a non-championship round in 2011. Leimer won the feature race from pole and finished tenth in the sprint race. Sam Bird did not compete at Yas Marina in 2011. Bird did compete at Yas Marina in 2010 where he finished third in the feature and retired in the sprint race.
Six drivers still have a shot for the GP3 title this weekend. Argentina Facu Regalia leads future Toro Rosso driver Russian Daniil Kvyat by seven points in what looks to be a two horse race just like GP2. Other championship eligible drivers include Estonian Kevin Korjus thirty-one back, American Conor Daly thirty-four back, Brit Jack Harvey forty-two back and Cypriot Tio Ellinas forty-three back.
In practice Kvyat was fastest, a little over a half second ahead of the next championship contender Korjus in sixth. Daly was ninth with his teammates Harvey tenth and Regalia twelfth and Ellinas in eighteenth.
Qualifying for the GP3 feature race will be tomorrow prior to the race itself with pole position worth four points.
At Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, California Bryan Clauson looks to lock up the 2013 USAC National Sprint Car Championship. Clauson leads Dave Darland by fifty-seven points with two races at Perris, one tonight and the season finale Saturday. Clauson is the defending sprint car champion.
Now that qualifying is complete for the feature race of the final weekend of the GP2 season at Yas Marina, four drivers are still eligible for the title. Swiss driver Fabio Leimer leads Brit Sam Bird by seven points with Brazilian Felipe Nasr thirty-one back and Monegasque Stefano Coletti forty-four back.
Since American Alexander Rossi took pole for the feature race, there are only forty-four points available for a driver to earn this weekend. Coletti has to score maximum points with Leimer failing to score, Bird scoring seven points or fewer and Nasr scoring thirty-one points or fewer. Should Coletti score maximum points this weekend, he would own the tiebreaker over Leimer with five victories to three. Should a three-way tie occur between Leimer, Bird and Coletti, Coletti would own the tiebreaker over Bird with three third place finishes to Bird none. Bird and Coletti would both have five wins and one second place on the season. Coletti would also hold the tiebreaker over Nasr as Nasr has yet to win in 2013. Coletti however has only scored once in the last twelve races.
The battle will really be between Fabio Leimer and Sam Bird. Bird will roll off the grid from second on Saturday with Leimer starting in fourth tomorrow. The last time GP2 raced at Yas Marina was a non-championship round in 2011. Leimer won the feature race from pole and finished tenth in the sprint race. Sam Bird did not compete at Yas Marina in 2011. Bird did compete at Yas Marina in 2010 where he finished third in the feature and retired in the sprint race.
Six drivers still have a shot for the GP3 title this weekend. Argentina Facu Regalia leads future Toro Rosso driver Russian Daniil Kvyat by seven points in what looks to be a two horse race just like GP2. Other championship eligible drivers include Estonian Kevin Korjus thirty-one back, American Conor Daly thirty-four back, Brit Jack Harvey forty-two back and Cypriot Tio Ellinas forty-three back.
In practice Kvyat was fastest, a little over a half second ahead of the next championship contender Korjus in sixth. Daly was ninth with his teammates Harvey tenth and Regalia twelfth and Ellinas in eighteenth.
Qualifying for the GP3 feature race will be tomorrow prior to the race itself with pole position worth four points.
At Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, California Bryan Clauson looks to lock up the 2013 USAC National Sprint Car Championship. Clauson leads Dave Darland by fifty-seven points with two races at Perris, one tonight and the season finale Saturday. Clauson is the defending sprint car champion.
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