Monday
Jul092018
JULY 11, 2018
Monday, July 9, 2018 at 08:39AM 
(BBC SPORT)
For once we're pleased to report that the British Grand Prix was "a proper motor race" as our Brit friends call it. The best of the best battled over the last half of the race in what was the most stirring, action-packed Grand Prix race in a long, long time. Sebastian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari) passed Valtteri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes AMG Petronas) for the win near the end of the race as Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes AMG Petronas) drove superbly, fighting from the back of the field after a first-lap collision with Vettel's teammate Kimi Raikkonen (No. 7 Scuderia Ferrari) to finish second. The result hinged on two late-race safety cars, when the Mercedes team gambled, choosing not to pit both their drivers for fresh tires at the first safety car period. The decision promoted Bottas, who had run second from the start, to the lead ahead of Vettel, while it gained Hamilton two places on the track, propelling him to third ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen (No. 33 Aston Martin Red Bull) and Raikkonen. Hamilton is now eight points behind Vettel in the world championship standings.
For once we're pleased to report that the British Grand Prix was "a proper motor race" as our Brit friends call it. The best of the best battled over the last half of the race in what was the most stirring, action-packed Grand Prix race in a long, long time. Sebastian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari) passed Valtteri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes AMG Petronas) for the win near the end of the race as Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes AMG Petronas) drove superbly, fighting from the back of the field after a first-lap collision with Vettel's teammate Kimi Raikkonen (No. 7 Scuderia Ferrari) to finish second. The result hinged on two late-race safety cars, when the Mercedes team gambled, choosing not to pit both their drivers for fresh tires at the first safety car period. The decision promoted Bottas, who had run second from the start, to the lead ahead of Vettel, while it gained Hamilton two places on the track, propelling him to third ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen (No. 33 Aston Martin Red Bull) and Raikkonen. Hamilton is now eight points behind Vettel in the world championship standings.
(Photo by Chris Jones/INDYCAR)
James Hinchcliffe (No. 5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Arrow Electronics Honda) salvaged his Verizon IndyCar Series season after not qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 in May with a victory Sunday at the Iowa Corn 300. Hinchcliffe led the final 45 laps on Iowa Speedway's high-banked oval to collect his sixth career victory and first since Long Beach in April 2017, 26 races ago. "This is such a good feeling after what happened in May," Hinchcliffe admitted. "We knew we had it in us and to come here and do it like that. We didn't qualify the best, but we had a good car. The first stint was great, the second stint we made a change and went a little too far. Went too far the other way on the next stop. After that last stop, the thing was a rocket ship. It's so nice to be back up top after kind of the season that we've had." The race ended under caution, with Hinchcliffe crossing the finish line ahead of Spencer Pigot (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Fuzzy's Vodka Chevrolet), who placed a career-best second. Takuma Sato (No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Mi-Jack/Panasonic Honda) finished third, his best result since winning the 2017 Indianapolis 500. The race established records for average speed (149.636 mph), fewest caution periods (two) and fewest caution laps (16). It also saw an astounding 955 on-track passes with the new universal aero kit used by all teams for the first time this year. Last year's race had 378 passes.
James Hinchcliffe (No. 5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Arrow Electronics Honda) salvaged his Verizon IndyCar Series season after not qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 in May with a victory Sunday at the Iowa Corn 300. Hinchcliffe led the final 45 laps on Iowa Speedway's high-banked oval to collect his sixth career victory and first since Long Beach in April 2017, 26 races ago. "This is such a good feeling after what happened in May," Hinchcliffe admitted. "We knew we had it in us and to come here and do it like that. We didn't qualify the best, but we had a good car. The first stint was great, the second stint we made a change and went a little too far. Went too far the other way on the next stop. After that last stop, the thing was a rocket ship. It's so nice to be back up top after kind of the season that we've had." The race ended under caution, with Hinchcliffe crossing the finish line ahead of Spencer Pigot (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Fuzzy's Vodka Chevrolet), who placed a career-best second. Takuma Sato (No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Mi-Jack/Panasonic Honda) finished third, his best result since winning the 2017 Indianapolis 500. The race established records for average speed (149.636 mph), fewest caution periods (two) and fewest caution laps (16). It also saw an astounding 955 on-track passes with the new universal aero kit used by all teams for the first time this year. Last year's race had 378 passes.
(IMSA)
Colin Braun (No. 54 CORE autosport ORECA LMP2) took the lead from Jordan Taylor (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) with eight laps remaining in what would be a 116-lap race to win Sunday’s two-hour and 40-minute Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It capped a last-to-first run for the No. 54, as for the second consecutive week, the team elected to have Jon Bennett start the race after Braun had captured the Motul Pole Award in qualifying. The penalty for changing starting drivers is to start from the rear of the class field, but Bennett turned in a solid opening stint before handing the controls to Braun. He went on to win by 3.431 seconds over Taylor on the ultra-quick, 2.54-mile circuit to take the first WeatherTech Championship Prototype class victory for himself, Bennett and the whole team. It was Bennett’s 15th career IMSA victory (nine WeatherTech Championship, six ALMS) and was Braun’s 16th IMSA win (nine WeatherTech, five ALMS, two GRAND-AM). This is the team’s first year in the Prototype class. The longtime PC class competitors raced a Porsche in the WeatherTech Championship GTD class last year before moving to the Prototype ranks. Taylor and co-driver Renger van der Zande combined to lead a race-high 71 laps en route to second place. Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) finished third.
(IMSA)
Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook (No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT) won the GTLM class in Sunday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, taking advantage of a fortuitous caution flag at just the right moment. With less than an hour remaining, Westbrook took the reins from starting co-driver Briscoe and ran second behind Antonio Garcia (No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R). Garcia then ducked into the pits as the class was set to cycle through another round of stops and Westbrook cycled into the lead. As the No. 6 Acura Team Penske Acura DPi of Juan Pablo Montoya lost a tire on track, which would bring out a full-course caution, the No. 67 Ford dove into the pits immediately before the caution was called and completed its stop as the safety car exited pit lane. “They just did a great call, so this goes to the team and my fantastic teammate giving us a fantastic chance putting it on the front row, which was definitely over-achieving," said Westbrook. "It just gives us great confidence knowing we can win in this way. It’s just great to be part of.” Garcia and co-driver Jan Magnussen finished second, while Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin (No. 4 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R) finished third. Next up, the GTLM class heads to Lime Rock Park in two weeks for the first GT-only duel of the 2018 season. The two-hour, 40-minute Northeast Grand Prix will be televised on a delayed basis beginning at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.
Colin Braun (No. 54 CORE autosport ORECA LMP2) took the lead from Jordan Taylor (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) with eight laps remaining in what would be a 116-lap race to win Sunday’s two-hour and 40-minute Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It capped a last-to-first run for the No. 54, as for the second consecutive week, the team elected to have Jon Bennett start the race after Braun had captured the Motul Pole Award in qualifying. The penalty for changing starting drivers is to start from the rear of the class field, but Bennett turned in a solid opening stint before handing the controls to Braun. He went on to win by 3.431 seconds over Taylor on the ultra-quick, 2.54-mile circuit to take the first WeatherTech Championship Prototype class victory for himself, Bennett and the whole team. It was Bennett’s 15th career IMSA victory (nine WeatherTech Championship, six ALMS) and was Braun’s 16th IMSA win (nine WeatherTech, five ALMS, two GRAND-AM). This is the team’s first year in the Prototype class. The longtime PC class competitors raced a Porsche in the WeatherTech Championship GTD class last year before moving to the Prototype ranks. Taylor and co-driver Renger van der Zande combined to lead a race-high 71 laps en route to second place. Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) finished third.
(IMSA)Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook (No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT) won the GTLM class in Sunday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, taking advantage of a fortuitous caution flag at just the right moment. With less than an hour remaining, Westbrook took the reins from starting co-driver Briscoe and ran second behind Antonio Garcia (No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R). Garcia then ducked into the pits as the class was set to cycle through another round of stops and Westbrook cycled into the lead. As the No. 6 Acura Team Penske Acura DPi of Juan Pablo Montoya lost a tire on track, which would bring out a full-course caution, the No. 67 Ford dove into the pits immediately before the caution was called and completed its stop as the safety car exited pit lane. “They just did a great call, so this goes to the team and my fantastic teammate giving us a fantastic chance putting it on the front row, which was definitely over-achieving," said Westbrook. "It just gives us great confidence knowing we can win in this way. It’s just great to be part of.” Garcia and co-driver Jan Magnussen finished second, while Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin (No. 4 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R) finished third. Next up, the GTLM class heads to Lime Rock Park in two weeks for the first GT-only duel of the 2018 season. The two-hour, 40-minute Northeast Grand Prix will be televised on a delayed basis beginning at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.
(IMSA)Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen (No. 33 Team Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3) won the GTD class in the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Bleekemolen capitalized on a late-race restart to get around Kyle Marcelli (No. 14 3GT Racing Lexus RC F GT3) for the win. The pass came with 14 minutes remaining, one lap after the restart, with Bleekemolen leading the final 13 laps en route to winning the race by 2.919 seconds.
(IMSA)
Kyle Marcelli (No. 60 KohR Motorsports/Roush Performance Ford Mustang GT4) who hails from Barrie, Ontario, won the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 120 on Saturday. it was his third win of its season in the Grand Sport (GS) class with co-driver Nate Stacy. Martin Barkey and Brett Sandberg (No. 80 AWA Ford Mustang GT4) finished second, and Russell Ward and Damien Faulkner (No. 33 Winward Racing/HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4) finished third.
(Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
Erik Jones (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing BUYATOYOTA.COM Toyota) won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night. It was his first win at NASCAR's highest level, but the "race" was a tedious crash-fest, a ridiculous display of the rampant stupidity that defines NASCAR's restrictor-plate races. Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Bass Pro Shops/5-Hour Energy Toyota) was second and A.J. Allmendinger (No. 47 Kroger Click List Chevrolet) finished third.
Erik Jones (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing BUYATOYOTA.COM Toyota) won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night. It was his first win at NASCAR's highest level, but the "race" was a tedious crash-fest, a ridiculous display of the rampant stupidity that defines NASCAR's restrictor-plate races. Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Bass Pro Shops/5-Hour Energy Toyota) was second and A.J. Allmendinger (No. 47 Kroger Click List Chevrolet) finished third.
(Toyota)
Toyota has announced that it will bring a "Supra" to NASCAR in the 2019 Xfinity Series (NXS) in place of the current "Camry." Toyota worked with its subsidiaries, TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) in Costa Mesa, California, and Calty Design Research, Inc. (Calty) in Newport Beach, California, to develop the Supra for NASCAR. Toyota is doing this because the new production Supra is at hand. Expect Toyota to announce that the Supra will run in Cup against the Camaro and Mustang (which debuts in 2019 as well).
Toyota has announced that it will bring a "Supra" to NASCAR in the 2019 Xfinity Series (NXS) in place of the current "Camry." Toyota worked with its subsidiaries, TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) in Costa Mesa, California, and Calty Design Research, Inc. (Calty) in Newport Beach, California, to develop the Supra for NASCAR. Toyota is doing this because the new production Supra is at hand. Expect Toyota to announce that the Supra will run in Cup against the Camaro and Mustang (which debuts in 2019 as well).
(Volkswagen)
On June 24th, Volkswagen made motorsports history at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Watch Romain Dumas in the fully-electric, 671HP I.D. R Pikes Peak set a record time of 7:57.148 minutes, which smashed the previous all-time record set in 2013 by Sébastien Loeb – by 16 seconds. Watch the record run here.
On June 24th, Volkswagen made motorsports history at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Watch Romain Dumas in the fully-electric, 671HP I.D. R Pikes Peak set a record time of 7:57.148 minutes, which smashed the previous all-time record set in 2013 by Sébastien Loeb – by 16 seconds. Watch the record run here.
(Wood Brothers)
For this year’s Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Paul Menard’s No. 21 Wood Brothers Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion will carry a red-and-white paint scheme reminiscent of the Wood Brothers’ 1968 Mercury Cyclone that Cale Yarborough drove to victory in the 1968 Southern 500. Yarborough is from Timmonsville, S.C., which is just fourteen miles from NASCAR’s original superspeedway. He made his first NASCAR start in the 1957 Southern 500 at the age of 18. Three of his first four NASCAR starts were in the Southern 500, but it wasn’t until he teamed with the Wood Brothers late in the 1966 season that he had a car capable of winning the 500. This year’s throwback scheme on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Fusion comes 50 years after Yarborough’s first Southern 500 victory in 1968. That win came in a race in which he led 169 laps, including the final 90, and finished four car lengths ahead of another Darlington legend and eventual Wood Brothers driver, David Pearson. The 1968 win was the first of five in the Southern 500 for Yarborough and the first of eight overall at Darlington for the Wood Brothers - including three more Southern 500s – two with Pearson and one with the late Neil Bonnett. Eddie Wood said Yarborough certainly deserves the recognition. “He’s one of the original heroes of our sport,” Wood said. “He got his first Southern 500 victory in our car and had a great career winning 83 races and three championships.”
For this year’s Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Paul Menard’s No. 21 Wood Brothers Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion will carry a red-and-white paint scheme reminiscent of the Wood Brothers’ 1968 Mercury Cyclone that Cale Yarborough drove to victory in the 1968 Southern 500. Yarborough is from Timmonsville, S.C., which is just fourteen miles from NASCAR’s original superspeedway. He made his first NASCAR start in the 1957 Southern 500 at the age of 18. Three of his first four NASCAR starts were in the Southern 500, but it wasn’t until he teamed with the Wood Brothers late in the 1966 season that he had a car capable of winning the 500. This year’s throwback scheme on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Fusion comes 50 years after Yarborough’s first Southern 500 victory in 1968. That win came in a race in which he led 169 laps, including the final 90, and finished four car lengths ahead of another Darlington legend and eventual Wood Brothers driver, David Pearson. The 1968 win was the first of five in the Southern 500 for Yarborough and the first of eight overall at Darlington for the Wood Brothers - including three more Southern 500s – two with Pearson and one with the late Neil Bonnett. Eddie Wood said Yarborough certainly deserves the recognition. “He’s one of the original heroes of our sport,” Wood said. “He got his first Southern 500 victory in our car and had a great career winning 83 races and three championships.”