(AFP/BBC)
On a track saturated from pouring rain, Italian Andrea Dovizioso (No. 4 Ducati Team) battled Marc Marquez (No. 93 Repsol Honda Team) down to the last lap, finally pulling away from the Spaniard on the final straight to win the Japanese MotoGP in Motegi by 0.249 seconds. It was his Dovizioso's fifth victory of the season and he cut Marc Marquez's championship lead to 11 points, with three races remaining. Danilo Petrucci (No. 9 OCTO Pramac Racing Ducati) finished third.
On a track saturated from pouring rain, Italian Andrea Dovizioso (No. 4 Ducati Team) battled Marc Marquez (No. 93 Repsol Honda Team) down to the last lap, finally pulling away from the Spaniard on the final straight to win the Japanese MotoGP in Motegi by 0.249 seconds. It was his Dovizioso's fifth victory of the season and he cut Marc Marquez's championship lead to 11 points, with three races remaining. Danilo Petrucci (No. 9 OCTO Pramac Racing Ducati) finished third.
(Audi images)
Pierre Kaffer, Kelvin van der Linde and Markus Winkelhock (No. 44 Audi Sport Team Magnus Audi R8 LMS) won the inaugural California 8-Hours Intercontinental GT Challenge at Laguna Seca (Mazda Raceway), finishing 2.488-seconds ahead of the pole-sitting entry of Connor De Phillippi, Christopher Haase and Christopher Mies (No. 29 Audi Sport Team Land Audi R8 LMS), to make it an Audi 1-2.
(VW images)
Scott Speed (No. 41 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Oberto Circle K Beetle GRC) battled teammate Tanner Foust (No. 34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Rockstar Energy Drink Beetle GRC) all weekend in the 2017 Red Bull Global Rallycross Championshipfor finale at the Port of Los Angeles, but while Foust took the win at his home track, Speed secured his third Driver’s Championship following a second-place finish in the Final. “The whole week leading up to the race I was constantly thinking of the what-ifs, all the problems that could happen going in with a solid lead,” said Scott Speed. “My hat is off to everyone—I have the best team out here. I’m so lucky to have them and we have great partners in Volkswagen, Circle K, Oberto, Expedite Home Loans and Rockstar. It truly was a team effort!” Foust celebrated his fifth win of the 2017 season and finished second in the overall Driver’s Championship for the second year in a row. Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross also celebrated its third consecutive Manufacturer’s Championship. Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross will return to action next season for the 2018 Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship.
Scott Speed (No. 41 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Oberto Circle K Beetle GRC) battled teammate Tanner Foust (No. 34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Rockstar Energy Drink Beetle GRC) all weekend in the 2017 Red Bull Global Rallycross Championshipfor finale at the Port of Los Angeles, but while Foust took the win at his home track, Speed secured his third Driver’s Championship following a second-place finish in the Final. “The whole week leading up to the race I was constantly thinking of the what-ifs, all the problems that could happen going in with a solid lead,” said Scott Speed. “My hat is off to everyone—I have the best team out here. I’m so lucky to have them and we have great partners in Volkswagen, Circle K, Oberto, Expedite Home Loans and Rockstar. It truly was a team effort!” Foust celebrated his fifth win of the 2017 season and finished second in the overall Driver’s Championship for the second year in a row. Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross also celebrated its third consecutive Manufacturer’s Championship. Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross will return to action next season for the 2018 Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship.
(Getty Images/NASCAR)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Miller Lite Ford) won the NASCAR Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, which was yet another crash-fest and a ridiculous display of carnage masquerading as a "race." Bothering to even talk about this stupidity became a waste of time years ago, because NASCAR will continue to play Russian Roulette with its drivers - and fans - until something terrible happens, apparently. It is beyond tedious and simply inexcusable. -PMD Editor's Note: Peter has plenty more to say about Talladega and NASCAR in this week's "Fumes." -WG
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Miller Lite Ford) won the NASCAR Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, which was yet another crash-fest and a ridiculous display of carnage masquerading as a "race." Bothering to even talk about this stupidity became a waste of time years ago, because NASCAR will continue to play Russian Roulette with its drivers - and fans - until something terrible happens, apparently. It is beyond tedious and simply inexcusable. -PMD Editor's Note: Peter has plenty more to say about Talladega and NASCAR in this week's "Fumes." -WG
(Ferdi Kräling Motorsport-Bild GmbH)
Twenty-one-year-old Paul Holton (No. 71 C360R Audi RS3 LMS Club Sport) from Orlando, Fla., entered Saturday’s Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Monterey Touring Car class double-header at Laguna Seca (Mazda Raceway) with an eight-point advantage. So what did he do? Holton scored a “clean sweep” by winning both pole positions, both 40-minute Touring Car races and claiming the Touring Car class driver’s championship in an impressive display. Along with the poles and race wins, Holton recorded the quick race laps in both events. He also delivered the first title win for the Audi RS 3 LMS in North America.
Twenty-one-year-old Paul Holton (No. 71 C360R Audi RS3 LMS Club Sport) from Orlando, Fla., entered Saturday’s Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Monterey Touring Car class double-header at Laguna Seca (Mazda Raceway) with an eight-point advantage. So what did he do? Holton scored a “clean sweep” by winning both pole positions, both 40-minute Touring Car races and claiming the Touring Car class driver’s championship in an impressive display. Along with the poles and race wins, Holton recorded the quick race laps in both events. He also delivered the first title win for the Audi RS 3 LMS in North America.
The last race of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season - Petit Le Mans - took place the first weekend of October. The superb images by photographer John Thawley are worth looking at again and again, so please go to our Autoextremist Image Gallery here and see them all.
(VW)
Volkswagen is developing an all-electric race car for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado on June 24, 2018. VW's goal with its all-wheel-drive prototype is to set a new record for electric cars on the famous mountain course, which has its finish line 14,000 feet above sea level. The vehicle is being developed by Volkswagen Motorsport in close cooperation with Technical Development in Wolfsburg and it's part of Volkswagen’s process of transforming itself into the leading producer of electric vehicles. By 2025, the Volkswagen brand will already offer 23 all-electric models. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb — which insiders also call the ‘Race to the clouds’ — has been run since 1916 in the Rocky Mountains near Colorado Springs. The race course is 12.4 miles long, and it climbs 4,700 feet to the summit at just over 14,000 feet above sea level. The current record in the class of electric prototypes is 8 minutes 57.118 seconds, set by Rhys Millen in 2016.
Volkswagen is developing an all-electric race car for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado on June 24, 2018. VW's goal with its all-wheel-drive prototype is to set a new record for electric cars on the famous mountain course, which has its finish line 14,000 feet above sea level. The vehicle is being developed by Volkswagen Motorsport in close cooperation with Technical Development in Wolfsburg and it's part of Volkswagen’s process of transforming itself into the leading producer of electric vehicles. By 2025, the Volkswagen brand will already offer 23 all-electric models. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb — which insiders also call the ‘Race to the clouds’ — has been run since 1916 in the Rocky Mountains near Colorado Springs. The race course is 12.4 miles long, and it climbs 4,700 feet to the summit at just over 14,000 feet above sea level. The current record in the class of electric prototypes is 8 minutes 57.118 seconds, set by Rhys Millen in 2016.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: All 28 class Championships Races from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - the largest SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® ever - have been posted in one-hour-or-less segments that you can watch here. Thanks to Mazda for presenting it. -PMD