Monday
Apr092018
APRIL 11, 2018
Monday, April 9, 2018 at 07:56AM 
(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)
Exploiting a fresh set of tires to maximum effect, Josef Newgarden (No. 1 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet) charged from fourth place in the last seven laps to win the Desert Diamond West Valley Casino Phoenix Grand Prix IndyCar race going away on Saturday night. Newgarden was among eight lead-lap drivers who made a pit stop for a new set of Firestone tires during the race's second caution period when Ed Jones (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing NTT DATA Honda) hit the Turn 4 SAFER Barrier on Lap 229 of 250. Rookie Robert Wickens (No. 6 SPM Lucas Oil Honda) , James Hinchcliffe (No. 5 SPM Arrow Electronics Honda) and Alexander Rossi (No. 27 Andretti Autosport MilitaryToMotorsports.com Honda) elected not to pit and led the field on the Lap 243 restart. Taking the restart in fourth place, Newgarden immediately blew past Rossi and Hinchcliffe on the outside through Turns 1 and 2 before setting his sights on race leader Wickens. On Lap 247, Newgarden again took the high line into Turn 1 and maneuvered past Wickens, who finished second, 2.9946 seconds behind Newgarden on the ISM Raceway 1.022-mile oval. "The team did such a good job," Newgarden said. "The car was good, the strategy was better, the pit stops were the best. I'm really proud of them and what they did. I think they deserved the win tonight." Newgarden's winning speed of 147.395 mph set a record for a race at ISM Raceway, as well as the number of lead changes (twelve) and drivers who led (nine). Sebastien Bourdais (No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Vasser/Sullivan Team Sealmaster Honda), who started from the pole, and Rossi were penalized for hitting crew members on their first pit stops. The ensuing drive-through penalties put each driver a lap down. Bourdais finished 13th but Rossi, who made an incredible 53 on-track passes (nineteen percent of all passes made in the race), charged back to finish third. Newgarden now has the championship lead after two of 17 races. The seventh-year driver has 77 points, five more than Rossi and seven ahead of Bourdais, winner of the season-opener at St. Petersburg. Next up for the Verizon IndyCar Series race is the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 15. It airs live at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.
Exploiting a fresh set of tires to maximum effect, Josef Newgarden (No. 1 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet) charged from fourth place in the last seven laps to win the Desert Diamond West Valley Casino Phoenix Grand Prix IndyCar race going away on Saturday night. Newgarden was among eight lead-lap drivers who made a pit stop for a new set of Firestone tires during the race's second caution period when Ed Jones (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing NTT DATA Honda) hit the Turn 4 SAFER Barrier on Lap 229 of 250. Rookie Robert Wickens (No. 6 SPM Lucas Oil Honda) , James Hinchcliffe (No. 5 SPM Arrow Electronics Honda) and Alexander Rossi (No. 27 Andretti Autosport MilitaryToMotorsports.com Honda) elected not to pit and led the field on the Lap 243 restart. Taking the restart in fourth place, Newgarden immediately blew past Rossi and Hinchcliffe on the outside through Turns 1 and 2 before setting his sights on race leader Wickens. On Lap 247, Newgarden again took the high line into Turn 1 and maneuvered past Wickens, who finished second, 2.9946 seconds behind Newgarden on the ISM Raceway 1.022-mile oval. "The team did such a good job," Newgarden said. "The car was good, the strategy was better, the pit stops were the best. I'm really proud of them and what they did. I think they deserved the win tonight." Newgarden's winning speed of 147.395 mph set a record for a race at ISM Raceway, as well as the number of lead changes (twelve) and drivers who led (nine). Sebastien Bourdais (No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Vasser/Sullivan Team Sealmaster Honda), who started from the pole, and Rossi were penalized for hitting crew members on their first pit stops. The ensuing drive-through penalties put each driver a lap down. Bourdais finished 13th but Rossi, who made an incredible 53 on-track passes (nineteen percent of all passes made in the race), charged back to finish third. Newgarden now has the championship lead after two of 17 races. The seventh-year driver has 77 points, five more than Rossi and seven ahead of Bourdais, winner of the season-opener at St. Petersburg. Next up for the Verizon IndyCar Series race is the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 15. It airs live at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.
(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)
It was Josef Newgarden's eighth IndyCar victory and the 198th win for Team Penske, the most of any team in Indy car history.
It was Josef Newgarden's eighth IndyCar victory and the 198th win for Team Penske, the most of any team in Indy car history.
(Pirelli)
Sebastian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari) held off Valtteri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes) who made a thrilling late race challenge to win the Bahrain Grand Prix and extend his lead over Lewis Hamilton in the World Championship. It was Vettel's 49th win in his 200th Grand Prix start. Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes), who started ninth in the night race at the Sahhir circuit due to a grid penalty, finished third after Kimi Raikkonen (No. 7 Scuderia Ferrari) retired following an ugly collision with one of his own mechanics during a pit stop.
Sebastian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari) held off Valtteri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes) who made a thrilling late race challenge to win the Bahrain Grand Prix and extend his lead over Lewis Hamilton in the World Championship. It was Vettel's 49th win in his 200th Grand Prix start. Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes), who started ninth in the night race at the Sahhir circuit due to a grid penalty, finished third after Kimi Raikkonen (No. 7 Scuderia Ferrari) retired following an ugly collision with one of his own mechanics during a pit stop.
(Pirelli)
(Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Interstate Batteries Toyota) held off Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Busch Light Ford) to win Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Chased by Harvick over the last 23 laps after a restart on Lap 312 of 334, Busch finished .300 seconds ahead at the checker. “(Harvick was) probably just a tick faster overall, but I just had to make sure to do everything I could to hit all my marks and everything to focus on making sure that I did the right things to block his air a little bit,” Busch said. Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Cessna Chevrolet) finished third.
Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Interstate Batteries Toyota) held off Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Busch Light Ford) to win Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Chased by Harvick over the last 23 laps after a restart on Lap 312 of 334, Busch finished .300 seconds ahead at the checker. “(Harvick was) probably just a tick faster overall, but I just had to make sure to do everything I could to hit all my marks and everything to focus on making sure that I did the right things to block his air a little bit,” Busch said. Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Cessna Chevrolet) finished third.
(Autosport)
Cal Crutchlow (No. 35 LCR Honda Castrol Honda) won a wild MotoGP race in Argentina, which featured a bizarre start delay and a collision between rivals Marc Marquez (No. 93 Repsol Honda Team) and Valentino Rossi (No. 46 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). Crutchlow prevailed over Johann Zarco (No. 5 Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Alex Rins (No. 42 Team Suzuki Ecstar) and polesitter Jack Miller (No. 43 Alma Pramac Racing Ducati) in an intense four-bike battle for victory. The finish was dictated by the fact that Marquez was forced to serve a ride-through from the lead after stalling on the grid and then riding back to his grid spot when he restarted his bike. Marquez stormed up through the pack following his penalty when he came up on Rossi. He wrestled his bike down the inside of Rossi at the Turn 13 right-hander, muscling the Yamaha out of the way and leaving Rossi to fall over on the wet grass on the outside of the circuit. The top four of Miller, Rins, Zarco and Crutchlow ran in formation until Rins began to attack Miller - the pair trading places on several occasions before Rins made a move stick with nine laps to go - only to run wide one lap later, dropping to fourth. Miller had a big moment at Turn 13 with six laps to go and gave up the lead to Crutchlow and dropped back from the lead battle. And Marquez? He passed Maverick Vinales (No. 25 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) on the final lap to take fifth, but was hit with a 30-second penalty that dropped him down to 18th.
Cal Crutchlow (No. 35 LCR Honda Castrol Honda) won a wild MotoGP race in Argentina, which featured a bizarre start delay and a collision between rivals Marc Marquez (No. 93 Repsol Honda Team) and Valentino Rossi (No. 46 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). Crutchlow prevailed over Johann Zarco (No. 5 Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Alex Rins (No. 42 Team Suzuki Ecstar) and polesitter Jack Miller (No. 43 Alma Pramac Racing Ducati) in an intense four-bike battle for victory. The finish was dictated by the fact that Marquez was forced to serve a ride-through from the lead after stalling on the grid and then riding back to his grid spot when he restarted his bike. Marquez stormed up through the pack following his penalty when he came up on Rossi. He wrestled his bike down the inside of Rossi at the Turn 13 right-hander, muscling the Yamaha out of the way and leaving Rossi to fall over on the wet grass on the outside of the circuit. The top four of Miller, Rins, Zarco and Crutchlow ran in formation until Rins began to attack Miller - the pair trading places on several occasions before Rins made a move stick with nine laps to go - only to run wide one lap later, dropping to fourth. Miller had a big moment at Turn 13 with six laps to go and gave up the lead to Crutchlow and dropped back from the lead battle. And Marquez? He passed Maverick Vinales (No. 25 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) on the final lap to take fifth, but was hit with a 30-second penalty that dropped him down to 18th.
(Ferdi Kräling Motorsport-Bild GmbH/Audi)
Mattias Ekström and his team will debut the new Audi S1 EKS RX quattro in Spain for the opener of the fifth World Rallycross Championship season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on April 14–15. The event also marks the first race for Norwegian Audi driver Andreas Bakkerud. Ekström set the fastest time with the new Audi S1 EKS RX quattro at the final tests for all World RX teams in Silverstone. The track in the Spanish metropolis is Ekström’s favorite. “Barcelona is the highlight of the year for me,” says Ekström. “When you charge towards Turn 7 – former Turn 1 – and see the many fans in the grandstands you get goose bumps. You take this corner almost flat out in fifth gear at around 150 to 160 km/h. I love the general layout of the track.”
Mattias Ekström and his team will debut the new Audi S1 EKS RX quattro in Spain for the opener of the fifth World Rallycross Championship season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on April 14–15. The event also marks the first race for Norwegian Audi driver Andreas Bakkerud. Ekström set the fastest time with the new Audi S1 EKS RX quattro at the final tests for all World RX teams in Silverstone. The track in the Spanish metropolis is Ekström’s favorite. “Barcelona is the highlight of the year for me,” says Ekström. “When you charge towards Turn 7 – former Turn 1 – and see the many fans in the grandstands you get goose bumps. You take this corner almost flat out in fifth gear at around 150 to 160 km/h. I love the general layout of the track.”
(Audi images)
Audi is turning its fully-electric e-tron Vision Gran Turismo electric mobility into a tangible experience. Originally developed exclusively for virtual races on PlayStation 4, Audi is making the new race car reality in conjunction with Formula E. Starting with the race in Rome on Saturday, April 14, the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo will be deployed at races to give rides to Audi customers and guests. Employees at Audi’s pre-production center developed and produced this one-of-a-kind car within the space of just eleven months based on the example of the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo from the “Gran Turismo” PlayStation game. Audi designers created the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo for the “Vision Gran Turismo” competition that was launched on the market on the occasion of the popular game’s 15th anniversary. Numerous automobile manufacturers developed virtual race cars for the contest. Many of these concept cars were subsequently built as full-scale models as well and presented at trade shows. The Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo, however, is the first concept car of this range to be deployed to real-world race tracks as a fully functional vehicle. “This is what we are particularly proud of,” says Audi’s chief designer Marc Lichte. “Although the design of a virtual vehicle allows much greater freedom and the creation of concepts which are only hard to implement in reality, we did not want to put a purely fictitious concept on wheels. Our aim was a fully functional car. The Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo shows that electric mobility at Audi is very emotive. This car incorporates numerous elements of our new design language such as the inverted single frame in the vehicle’s color that will be typical for our new e-tron models.”
Audi has deliberately captured design elements and the color of the Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO with which the company competed in the 1989 North American IMSA-GTO racing series with drivers Hans-Joachim Stuck, Walter Röhrl, Hurley Haywood and Scott Goodyear.
The Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo has permanent quattro all-wheel drive with variable power distribution. Three electric motors, each with output of 200 kW, propel the concept car. Two electric motors drive the rear axle and the third one the front axle, using individual components from the future Audi e-tron. System output is 600 kW (815 hp). With a curb weight of 1,450 kilograms the electric race car has a power to weight ratio of 1.78 kilograms per horsepower with ideal 50:50 percent weight distribution between the front and the rear axle. The Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 2.5 seconds.
The futuristic machine will be deployed at all European Formula E races and numerous other events in 2018. At the wheel will be former DTM driver Rahel Frey from Switzerland or Le Mans winner Dindo Capello from Italy.
Audi is turning its fully-electric e-tron Vision Gran Turismo electric mobility into a tangible experience. Originally developed exclusively for virtual races on PlayStation 4, Audi is making the new race car reality in conjunction with Formula E. Starting with the race in Rome on Saturday, April 14, the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo will be deployed at races to give rides to Audi customers and guests. Employees at Audi’s pre-production center developed and produced this one-of-a-kind car within the space of just eleven months based on the example of the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo from the “Gran Turismo” PlayStation game. Audi designers created the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo for the “Vision Gran Turismo” competition that was launched on the market on the occasion of the popular game’s 15th anniversary. Numerous automobile manufacturers developed virtual race cars for the contest. Many of these concept cars were subsequently built as full-scale models as well and presented at trade shows. The Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo, however, is the first concept car of this range to be deployed to real-world race tracks as a fully functional vehicle. “This is what we are particularly proud of,” says Audi’s chief designer Marc Lichte. “Although the design of a virtual vehicle allows much greater freedom and the creation of concepts which are only hard to implement in reality, we did not want to put a purely fictitious concept on wheels. Our aim was a fully functional car. The Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo shows that electric mobility at Audi is very emotive. This car incorporates numerous elements of our new design language such as the inverted single frame in the vehicle’s color that will be typical for our new e-tron models.”
Audi has deliberately captured design elements and the color of the Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO with which the company competed in the 1989 North American IMSA-GTO racing series with drivers Hans-Joachim Stuck, Walter Röhrl, Hurley Haywood and Scott Goodyear. The Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo has permanent quattro all-wheel drive with variable power distribution. Three electric motors, each with output of 200 kW, propel the concept car. Two electric motors drive the rear axle and the third one the front axle, using individual components from the future Audi e-tron. System output is 600 kW (815 hp). With a curb weight of 1,450 kilograms the electric race car has a power to weight ratio of 1.78 kilograms per horsepower with ideal 50:50 percent weight distribution between the front and the rear axle. The Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 2.5 seconds.The futuristic machine will be deployed at all European Formula E races and numerous other events in 2018. At the wheel will be former DTM driver Rahel Frey from Switzerland or Le Mans winner Dindo Capello from Italy.
