Monday
Oct012018
October 3, 2018
Monday, October 1, 2018 at 09:08AM 
(Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Team Penske Menards/Pennzoil Ford) won the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, after Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe's Chevrolet) and Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota) crashed in front of him in the last corner. As for the Roval, I applaud NASCAR and Charlotte Motor Speedway for trying something different, because it was interesting and it was better than yet another 1.5-mile oval race. But it also should be a wakeup call to the brain trust in Daytona Beach that they need to add more road racing events, especially to their convoluted "playoffs." And one of them should be at Road America - "America's National Park of Speed." The 4.048-mile natural-terrain circuit in Wisconsin is America's finest road course, and it would be fitting showcase for NASCAR's top series. And since they already run the Xfinity series there, they know exactly what it's about. And one more thing; I laughed out loud every time I heard the various commentators gush on and on about the 35' elevation change on the Charlotte Roval. Thirty-five feet? Do you want real elevation changes in NASCAR? Go to Road America. You can watch videos from Charlotte here.
Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Team Penske Menards/Pennzoil Ford) won the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, after Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe's Chevrolet) and Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota) crashed in front of him in the last corner. As for the Roval, I applaud NASCAR and Charlotte Motor Speedway for trying something different, because it was interesting and it was better than yet another 1.5-mile oval race. But it also should be a wakeup call to the brain trust in Daytona Beach that they need to add more road racing events, especially to their convoluted "playoffs." And one of them should be at Road America - "America's National Park of Speed." The 4.048-mile natural-terrain circuit in Wisconsin is America's finest road course, and it would be fitting showcase for NASCAR's top series. And since they already run the Xfinity series there, they know exactly what it's about. And one more thing; I laughed out loud every time I heard the various commentators gush on and on about the 35' elevation change on the Charlotte Roval. Thirty-five feet? Do you want real elevation changes in NASCAR? Go to Road America. You can watch videos from Charlotte here.
(Getty Images)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport) "won" the Russian Grand Prix after his team ordered his teammate Valtteri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport) to move over and let him by to help Hamilton's run to the F1 World Championship. Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, tried to explain it away by saying: “It’s deflating for drivers and for a team but there is a harsh reality also. On a day like this you can extend the lead by seven points more in a championship that has been very tough and difficult at times, so you have to take it.” To his credit, Hamilton wasn't pleased with his team's actions: “It is definitely a win on my list of wins that I am least proud of,” he said. “The strangest day I can remember in my career. I want to win the right way. As racing drivers we exist to win; if you tell us we can’t, it is like you are taking our life away. I would never wish it on someone else and I would never ask for it ever. I made sure in a meeting that they knew this is not how I want to win.” No matter, because it was a Bush League Bullshit move that represents everything I loathe about contemporary F1. It is a fundamentally cynical and compromised racing series that has lost its way, with this incident being one more example of it. And it simply never should have happened. Oh, by the way, Sebastian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari) finished third. -PMD
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport) "won" the Russian Grand Prix after his team ordered his teammate Valtteri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport) to move over and let him by to help Hamilton's run to the F1 World Championship. Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, tried to explain it away by saying: “It’s deflating for drivers and for a team but there is a harsh reality also. On a day like this you can extend the lead by seven points more in a championship that has been very tough and difficult at times, so you have to take it.” To his credit, Hamilton wasn't pleased with his team's actions: “It is definitely a win on my list of wins that I am least proud of,” he said. “The strangest day I can remember in my career. I want to win the right way. As racing drivers we exist to win; if you tell us we can’t, it is like you are taking our life away. I would never wish it on someone else and I would never ask for it ever. I made sure in a meeting that they knew this is not how I want to win.” No matter, because it was a Bush League Bullshit move that represents everything I loathe about contemporary F1. It is a fundamentally cynical and compromised racing series that has lost its way, with this incident being one more example of it. And it simply never should have happened. Oh, by the way, Sebastian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari) finished third. -PMD
(VW images)
Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross completed the inaugural season of the Americas Rallycross Championship (ARX) with a 1-2 finish at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, last weekend. Tanner Foust (No. 34 Rockstar Energy Drink Beetle Rallycross) won his Semifinal heat and the Final, his second event win of the season. Scott Speed (No. 41 Oberto Circle K Beetle Rallycross, below) fought back to finish second in the Final, securing his, and the team’s fourth-consecutive rallycross championship. “It’s been an incredible four years with this team, and I’m so happy to win another championship with everyone from Volkswagen and Andretti,” said Speed. “We’ve worked so hard to develop this program and these cars—I feel like I've grown a lot as a driver, too—so it's amazing to reap the rewards of all that effort with the amazing results we've gotten." Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross won each of this season’s four races and its drivers never finished off the podium. In its five years of competition, the team has won four drivers’ and five team championships. The team’s cars have finished on the podium 58 times, including 30 event wins. A highlight broadcast show of the COTA weekend will air on CBS Sports, Wednesday, October 3 at 8 PM (ET).
Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross completed the inaugural season of the Americas Rallycross Championship (ARX) with a 1-2 finish at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, last weekend. Tanner Foust (No. 34 Rockstar Energy Drink Beetle Rallycross) won his Semifinal heat and the Final, his second event win of the season. Scott Speed (No. 41 Oberto Circle K Beetle Rallycross, below) fought back to finish second in the Final, securing his, and the team’s fourth-consecutive rallycross championship. “It’s been an incredible four years with this team, and I’m so happy to win another championship with everyone from Volkswagen and Andretti,” said Speed. “We’ve worked so hard to develop this program and these cars—I feel like I've grown a lot as a driver, too—so it's amazing to reap the rewards of all that effort with the amazing results we've gotten." Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross won each of this season’s four races and its drivers never finished off the podium. In its five years of competition, the team has won four drivers’ and five team championships. The team’s cars have finished on the podium 58 times, including 30 event wins. A highlight broadcast show of the COTA weekend will air on CBS Sports, Wednesday, October 3 at 8 PM (ET).
(Loren Orr/NASCAR via Getty Images)
Toyota development driver Hailie Deegan made history Saturday night by winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Meridian Speedway, becoming the first female driver to ever win in the K&N Pro Series.
Toyota development driver Hailie Deegan made history Saturday night by winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Meridian Speedway, becoming the first female driver to ever win in the K&N Pro Series.
(Audi)
Audi has unveiled its newly developed Audi e-tron FE05, with which Daniel Abt and Lucas di Grassi will contest the 2018/2019 Formula E season. For the first time since the series was launched in 2014, drivers will only use one car per race, because the batteries now have the capacity to last the entire 45-minute race distance (thus eliminating the mandatory car change). For the fifth season of Formula E, the motor is permitted to produce up to 250 kW (340 hp) in qualifying. In the race, the output is capped at 200 kW (272 hp). New are the so-called activation zones: When drivers pass through this zone on the racetrack, they can briefly access a higher power mode of 225 kW (306 hp). Formula E fans can still support their favorite driver by casting their vote online via “FanBoost,” which gives drivers a temporary power boost of up to 250 kW (340 hp). All Formula E teams draw electricity from identical McLaren batteries weighing 374 kilograms. The lithium-ion battery is mounted between the driver’s seat and the powertrain. It has a capacity of 52 kWh and can be charged within 45 minutes. A completely new development for the fifth season is the “Brake-by-Wire” system. Brake control and transmission to the rear axle are decoupled from each other and electronically controlled. The brake balance is therefore always optimally distributed and recuperation becomes even more efficient. Also new – similar to Formula 1 – is the halo system above the cockpit, which provides additional protection for the drivers’ heads. The minimum weight of a Formula E race car is 900 kilograms (including the driver). The electric race car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.1 seconds. Top speed is achieved at around 240 km/h. The ABB FIA Formula E Championship will begin in Ad Diriyah (Saudi Arabia) on December 15.
