Monday 31 August 2015

F1 2015 Italian Grand Prix Predictions

Predictions for this weekends Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, near Milan. For the home race for both Ferrari and Toro Rosso teams.

And so predictions for the race itself, Lewis Hamilton for the win in the Mercedes, Nico Rosberg second in the other Mercedes, and Sebastian Vettel third in the Ferrari. Don't forget the Red Bull drivers, Williams drivers, Lotus drivers, and Kimi Raikkonen either for a podium place as-well.

End of post/blog for now, new post soon. Bye.

2015 6 Hours of Nürburgring Review

Review of Round four of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring.

The Porsche Team won the race overall and the LMP1 class too of Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber and Brendon Hartley in their Porsche 919 Hybrid.While, second was the Porsche Team of Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb in their Porsche 919 Hybrid, they were one lap behind the leaders at the end of the race. Meanwhile, third place was the Audi Sport Team Joest team of André Lotterer, Benoît Tréluyer and Marcel Fässler in their Audi R18 e-tron quattro, they were a lap behind the leaders at the end of the race.

In LMP2 class, the KCMG team of Matthew Howson, Richard Bradley and Nick Tandy in their Oreca 05 with a Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 engine won in LMP2 class. They finish in seventh place overall and they were eighteen laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.

While in GTE Pro class, was won by Porsche Team Manthey team of Richard Lietz and Michael Christensen won in their Porsche 911 RSR. They finish in fifteenth place overall and they were twenty-seven laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.

While in GTE Am class, was won by SMP Racing team of Viktor Shaitar, Aleksey Basov and Andrea Bertolini in their Ferrari 458 Italia GT2. They finish in twenty-third place overall and they were thirty laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.

Highlights of the 6 Hours of Nürburgring below, enjoy.





Next Stop 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas in three weeks time for round five of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

End of post/blog for now, new post soon. Bye.

2015 UK MotoGP Review

Review of the round twelve of the 2015 MotoGP season at Silverstone, on the outskirts of Northampton, UK.

In the MotoGP race (V-twin, V4, or Inline-four 1000cc four stroke class), that was won by Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi on his works Yamaha YZR-M1. Second place was the Octo Pramac Racing rider Danilo Petrucci on his Ducati Desmosedici GP14, he was three seconds behind Rossi at the end. While, third was Ducati Team rider Andrea Dovizioso on his works Ducati Desmosedici GP15, he was four seconds behind Rossi at the end.

In Open class (Full control ECU system, hardware and software), Aspar MotoGP Team rider Nicky Hayden won Open class and finish twelfth overall on his Honda RC213V-RS, he was fifty-two seconds behind Rossi at the end.

In the Moto2 race (Inline-four 600 cc four-stroke class), that race was won by Ajo Motorsport rider Johann Zarco on the Kalex. Second was Paginas Amarillas HP 40 rider Álex Rins on the Kalex, he was three second behind Zarco at the end. While, third was Estrella Galicia Marc VDS rider and current Moto2 champion Esteve Rabat on the Kalex, he was over five seconds behind Zarco at the end of the race.

While in the Moto3 race (single-cylinder 250 cc four-stroke class), that race was won by Leopard Racing rider Danny Kent on the Honda. Second was Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Karel Hanika on the KTM, he was eight seconds behind Kent at the end. While, third was Ongetta–Rivacold rider Niccolò Antonelli on the Honda, he was thirteen seconds behind Kent at the end of the race.

Also, it was confirmed on Tuesday (25/8/15) that Bradley Smith will remain with Monster Yamaha Tech 3 in 2016 after signing a one-year contract extension.

His team-mate at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 for 2016 will be his current team-mate Pol Espargaró.

Meanwhile, it was confirmed on Wednesday (25/8/15) that Cal Crutchlow will remain with LCR Honda till 2017 after signing a new two-year deal to remain with LCR Honda.



No word yet on who is Cal Crutchlow team-mate yet at LCR, it would be more than likely be current team-mate Jack Miller once again in 2016.

And finally, it was confirmed before Sunday's (30/8/15) MotoGP race that Octo Pramac Ducati has signed Estrella Galicia Marc VDS rider Scott Redding for the 2016 MotoGP season.



Redding currently sits thirteenth in the championship, with a best finish of sixth place at this weekends race at Silverstone.

With Danilo Petrucci remaining at Octo Pramac Ducati, Redding will replace Yonny Hernandez, who is likely to move to Avintia Ducati. Octo Pramac Ducati will run GP15 machinery next season, as currently used by Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso, during MotoGP's first year of Michelin tyres and a standard ECU.

Meanwhile, Estrella Galicia Marc VDS will likely to promote current Moto2 champion Esteve Rabat to take Redding's place in the MotoGP team.

End of blog for now, new post soon. Bye.

Friday 28 August 2015

Top six best Ferrari F1 cars ever! Celebrating 900 Grand Prixs

To Celebrate Ferrari's 900th Grand Prix that just past last weekends Belgian Grand Prix. To celebrate this, this post is the top six best Ferrari F1 cars ever! Starting with number 6:



Number 6: 1961-64 Ferrari 156 F1
Story:
The Ferrari 156 F1 was designed by Carlo Chiti, this was Ferrari first mid-engined Formula 1 car dubbed as the "sharknose" due to its characteristic air intake "nostrils". Then-Ferrari factory policy inevitably saw all the remaining sharknose 156s scrapped by the end of the 1963 season. The Ferrari 156 F1 was powered by the 1.5 litre V6 Ferrari engine. Which, took the Ferrari 156 F1 to seven wins in-between 1961 and 64, two for Phil Hill, two for Wolfgang von Trips, one for Giancarlo Baghetti, one for Lorenzo Bandini, and one for John Surtees. Which took, Phil Hill to the 1961 F1 Drivers' Title, and Ferrari to its first Constructors' Championships in 1961.



Number 5: 2000 Ferrari F1-2000
Story:
Ferrari F1-2000 was designed by Rory Byrne. The Ferrari F1-2000 was powered by the 3 litre V10 Ferrari engine. The Ferrari F1-2000 won ten grand prix wins, a win for Rubens Barrichello and nine wins for Michael Schumacher, with Michael Schumacher taking the 2000 F1 World Drivers' Championship, Ferrari's first for 21 years. It also won Ferrari the 2000 F1 Constructors' Championship as-well.





Number 4: 2002-2003 Ferrari F2002
Story:
Ferrari F2002 was designed by Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn. The Ferrari F2002 was powered by the 3 litre V10 Ferrari engine. The Ferrari F2002 won fifteen Grand Prix wins, four wins for Rubens Barrichello and eleven wins for Michael Schumacher, giving Michael Schumacher his fifth F1 Drivers' title and Ferrari the Constructors' championship in 2002.





Number 3: 1952-53 Ferrari 500
Story:
The Ferrari 500 was designed by Aurelio Lampredi, the Ferrari 500 was powered by the 2 litre Ferrari Straight-four engine. Which, took the Ferrari 500 to thirteen wins in-between 1952 and 53, eleven for Alberto Ascari, with nine Grand Prix wins in a row between 1952; one each for Giuseppe Farina and Piero Taruffi. Which took, Alberto Ascari to the 1952 and 1953 F1 Drivers' Titles.



Number 2: 2004-2005 Ferrari F2004
Story:
Ferrari F2004 was designed by Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn. The Ferrari F2004 was powered by the 3 litre V10 Ferrari engine. The Ferrari F2004 won fifteen Grand Prix wins, two wins for Rubens Barrichello and thirteen wins for Michael Schumacher, giving Michael Schumacher his seventh and last F1 Drivers' title and Ferrari the Constructors' championship in 2004.





Number 1: 1975-80 Ferrari 312T
Story:
Possibly the most dominating Ferrari Formula One race car ever in Ferrari's history. The Ferrari 312T (also named as Ferrari 312T2, Ferrari 312T3, Ferrari 312T4, and Ferrari 312T5) was designed by Mauro Forghieri, the Ferrari 312T was powered by the 3 litre Ferrari Flat-12 engine. The Ferrari 312T took 27 victories between 1975 and 1980, four for Gilles Villeneuve, and three wins for Jody Scheckter, five wins for Carlos Reutemann, thirteen wins for Niki Lauda, two wins for Clay Regazzoni. Four Constructors' Championships in 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1979. And finally three Drivers' Championships for Niki Lauda in 1975 and 1977, and for Jody Scheckter in 1979.





To give this 1975-80 Ferrari 312T the best Ferrari F1 car ever! And many 900 Grand Prixs more.

End of blog for now, new post soon. Bye.

Thursday 27 August 2015

Round Ten Recap of the 2015 United SportsCar Championship

Review of Round Ten of the 2015 United SportsCar Championship at Virginia International Raceway on the outskirts of Danville, Virginia.

Porsche North America team won the race overall and GT Le Mans Class too of Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy in their Porsche 911 RSR. While, the other Porsche North America team finished second place in their Porsche 911 RSR, the team of Jörg Bergmeister and Earl Bamber; they were twenty-seven seconds behind the leaders. Meanwhile, Risi Competizione team finished in third place in their Ferrari 458 Italia GT2, the team of Giancarlo Fisichella and Pierre Kaffer; they were twenty-eight seconds behind the leaders.

In GT Daytona Class, Scuderia Corsa team won GT Daytona Class and finished in ninth place overall in their Ferrari 458 Italia GT3; with the drivers of Townsend Bell and Bill Sweedler; they were four laps behind the leaders.

While both Prototype Class and Prototype Challenge Class did not participate for this race.

End of post/blog for now, new post soon. Bye.

2015 WRC Round 9 recap - Rallye Deutschland

Recap of the last round of WRC from last weekends Round nine of Rallye Deutschland.

Last weekends was the ninth round of the World Rally Championship at Rallye Deutschland (20th - 23rd August) was won by current WRC Champion Sébastien Ogier in the works Volkswagen Polo R WRC, to win the rally overall. While, team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala finished second in the other works Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Latvala was 23 seconds behind Ogier at the end. Meanwhile, Andreas Mikkelsen finished third in the third works Volkswagen Polo R WRC to complete a Volkswagen podium whitewash. Mikkelsen was under 2 minutes behind Ogier at the end of the rally.

Meanwhile in WRC-2 class (Group R5, R4, Super 2000 and Group N4 spec cars), that was won by Jan Kopecký in the Škoda Motorsport Team, Škoda Fabia R5. Jan Kopecký finished in thirteenth place overall, he was over 11 minutes behind Ogier at the end of the rally.

While in WRC-3 class (Group R1, R2 and R3 cars) that was won by Andrea Crugnola in the Team Renault Sport Technologies, Renault Clio R3T. Andrea Crugnola finished in twenty-second place overall, he was 32 minutes behind Ogier at the end of the rally.

Highlights of the rally bellow, enjoy.



End of blog for now. New post soon. Bye.

Tuesday 25 August 2015

Justin Wilson 1978-2015

Before I start, motorsport is dangerous sport. No matter if its Go-Karting, motorbikes, Formula 1, Indy Car, any kind of Motorsport is dangerous, but motorsport can be safer between tracks, fans, spectators, tracks marshals, people in pits, cars and drivers too.

It was confirmed on late Monday evening (24/8/14) former Minardi and Jaguar F1 driver Justin Wilson has died from a head injury sustained during Sunday's IndyCar race at Pocono. He was 37 years old.



Wilson, was struck in the head with debris from Sage Karam's car when the American crashed late in the ABC Supply 500 and was airlifted to a local hospital. IndyCar confirmed yesterday that he was in a coma and in critical condition, but in a press conference shortly after 21:00 (2am GMT), officials broke the news of his passing. This was the first Indy Car death since Dan Wheldon death at Las Vegas back in 2011.

Wilson career included International Formula 3000 Champion in 2001. Wilson stepped up to Formula 1 despite he was disadvantage by his height (he was 193cm in height), he got a race seat with Minardi in 2003. He then switched to Jaguar Racing for the German Grand Prix to replace Antônio Pizzonia for the last five races of the season, and scored his only point at the United States Grand Prix. However, Wilson did not retain his position with Jaguar Racing for 2004, as he was replaced by Christian Klien.



Then Wilson, moved to Champ Car in 2004 with Conquest Racing and RuSPORT, which include four win and two second place finishes in the series during 2006 and 2007 before the series merged with the Indy Racing League in 2008. Then Wilson won three more races in the Indy Car Series with Newman-Hass Racing and Dale Coyne Racing.



Then in 2015, Wilson got a part-time drive with Andretti Autosport, which include a drive at the Indianapolis 500 race, also include a race outing for the team in the Formula E series, in the Moscow ePrix finishing in tenth place in that race.



Then in January 2012, Wilson and co-drivers AJ Allmendinger, Oswaldo Negri and John Pew won the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona, driving for Michael Shank Racing.



Thoughts goes out to Justin Wilson's family and friends at this period of time. Its a sad day for Motorsport in general. A driver who achieved his dream driving in Formula 1 despite limited success. A driver who went to America and went there and came close to a few championships a few times. A driver who lived and loved for the sport. Justin Wilson will be sadly missed by his peers and fans combined.

Rest in Peace Justin Wilson, you will be much sadly missed.

Jonathan

2015 BTCC Round 7 Recap

Review of Round Seven of the 2015 British Touring Car Championship season was at Knockhill Racing Circuit, in the Fife countryside north of Dunfermline for Scotland's only BTCC round.

In the first race, Team JCT600 with GardX driver Rob Collard took the race win in his BMW 125i M Sport. Second was Motorbase Performance driver Mat Jackson in his Ford Focus ST and also took Independents class win too, he was one and half a second behind Collard in the end. While third place was IHG Rewards Club driver Andy Priaulx in his BMW 125i M Sport, he was two seconds behind Collard in the end.

While, Jack Sears Trophy (for top 'Rookie Driver' in the series) was won by AmD Tuning driver Mike Bushell in his Ford Focus ST, he finished in fifteenth place and was thirty-one seconds behind Collard in the end.


Meanwhile in the second race, Honda Yuasa Racing driver Gordon Shedden took the race win in his Honda Civic Type R. Second was Team JCT600 with GardX driver Rob Collard in his BMW 125i M Sport, he was three seconds behind Shedden in the end. While third place was Motorbase Performance driver Mat Jackson in his Ford Focus ST and also took Independents class win too, he was three and half a seconds behind Shedden in the end.

While, Jack Sears Trophy was won by #RacingforHeroes driver Josh Cook in his Chevrolet Cruze 4dr, he finished in fifteenth place and was fifteen seconds behind Shedden in the end.


While in the third race, Honda Yuasa Racing driver Matt Neal took the race win in his Honda Civic Type R. Second was WIX Racing driver Adam Morgan in his Mercedes-Benz A-Class and also took Independents class win too, he was four tenths of a second behind Neal in the end. While third place was Laser Tools Racing driver Aiden Moffat in his Mercedes-Benz A-Class, he was twelve seconds behind Neal in the end.

While, Jack Sears Trophy was won by #RacingforHeroes driver Josh Cook in his Chevrolet Cruze 4dr, he finished in thirteenth place and was twenty-one seconds behind Neal in the end.

Next stop Rockingham Motor Speedway for Round Eight of the 2014 British Touring Car Championship season in two weeks time.

End of post/blog for now, new post soon. Bye.

Monday 24 August 2015

Guy Ligier 1930-2015

Guy Ligier, the eponymous founder of the long-serving Equipe Ligier F1 team, has passed away at the age of 85 it was confirmed on Sunday evening (23/8/15).



Ligier competed in selected Grands Prix in the late 1960s with privately entered Cooper-Maserati and Brabham-Repco machinery scoring just one point in his Grnad Prix career. Before turning his attention to team ownership, with his own squad joining the sport in 1976.

Ligier claimed several victories with Jacques Laffite between 1977 and 1981 before results faded, with Ligier selling the team in 1992.



The Ligier name lives on in the production of micro-light cars, while it has also returned to sportscar competition with its successful JS P2 LMP2 racer.



R.I.P. Guy Ligier

Justin Wilson in coma, critical condition

Former Minardi and Jaguar F1 driver Justin Wilson is in a coma and is in critical condition after suffering a "severe head injury" during an IndyCar race at Pocono Raceway, Pocono on Sunday (24/8/15).



"Wilson is currently in a coma and in critical condition while undergoing further evaluation at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pa." IndyCar confirmed.

"IndyCar sends its thoughts and prayers to Justin, his family, and Andretti Autosport during this difficult time."

Officials noted that additional updates will be provided when they become available.

Wilson was involved in a large crash late in the 500-mile race when the leader at the time, Sage Karam, lost control and made heavy impact with the wall. Some of the debris in the crash struck Wilson in the head, requiring him to be airlifted from the track. Karam was shuttled by ambulance to the same hospital for a foot injury.

Thoughts and Prayers to Justin's family and friends at this moment of time.

2015 Belgian Grand Prix Review and thoughts

Review of the eleventh round of the 2015 F1 season at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, east of Belgium, for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Overall, I thought it was a very good race to watch. With Lewis Hamilton on pole for Sunday's race it was a straight forward race for the current F1 World Champion. While team-mate Nico Rosberg had a poor start to the race, the current F1 World Champion had a good enough start himself to lead the race, despite he could have lost the lead at the end of the Kemmel Straight to Sergio Pérez at the start. Hamilton stayed in the lead at the end of the first lap, lead most of the laps, and control the race to conclude with a race win in this seasons Belgian Grand Prix for his sixth race win of the season.



While, Hamilton's team-mate Nico Rosberg finished second place in the Mercedes to give the team its seventh one-two finish of the season, Rosberg was two seconds behind Hamilton at the end, despite having a poor start to the race.

Meanwhile, Romain Grosjean finished in third place in the Lotus to complete the podium after Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari was on course to complete the podium, after attempting a one-stop strategy that required a 29-lap stint on the mediums Pirelli tyres. Unfortunately, a right-rear tyre failure on the penultimate lap at the Kemmel Straight ended his race had to finished in twelve place, outside the points. That allowed Romain Grosjean, who had been hustling Vettel, to give Lotus its first podium of the season. Grosjean was thirty-eight seconds behind Hamilton at the end of the forty-three lap race.

Lewis Hamilton has now improve his lead of the F1 driver championship from 21 points to 28 points ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg with eight races to go. While, Sebastian Vettel is still third in the standings, from 42 points from Hunganoring to 67 points behind Hamilton after Spa.

Rate the Teams and Drivers

Mercedes - 8
Lewis Hamilton - 9 (pole, race win)
Nico Rosberg - 7 (finished second, fastest lap)

Red Bull Racing - 7
Daniel Ricciardo - 7 (DNF, hydraulics)
Daniil Kvyat - 8 (finished fourth)

Williams - 6
Valtteri Bottas - 6 (finished ninth)
Felipe Massa - 7 (finished sixth)

Ferrari - 7
Sebastian Vettel - 7 (finished twelfth, lap down)
Kimi Räikkönen - 7 (finished seventh)

McLaren - 5
Jenson Button - 5 (finished fourteenth, lap down)
Fernando Alonso - 6 (finished thirteenth, lap down)

Force India - 7
Nico Hülkenberg - 6 (DNS, Electronics)
Sergio Pérez - 9 (finished fifth)

Toro Rosso - 7
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 6 (DNF, Electronics)
Max Verstappen - 8 (finished eighth)

Lotus - 7
Romain Grosjean - 9 (finished third)
Pastor Maldonado - 6 (DNF, Engine)

Manor - 6
Will Stevens - 6 (finished sixteenth, lap down)
Roberto Merhi - 6 (finished fifteenth, lap down)

Sauber - 6
Marcus Ericsson - 7 (finished tenth)
Felipe Nasr - 6 (finished eleventh)

Next stop Monza for the Italian Grand Prix in two weeks time.

End of blog for now, new post soon. Bye.

Thursday 20 August 2015

Confirmed: Ferrari retains Kimi Räikkönen for 2016

It was confirmed yesterday (19/8/15) that Ferrari will retain Kimi Räikkönen for the 2016 Formula 1 season alongside Sebastian Vettel.



Räikkönen raced for Ferrari between 2007 and 2009, claiming his first F1 drivers' title during his first season with the team.



Following two years out of Formula 1, rallying with Citroen in the WRC; and a two-year stint with Lotus F1 Team, Räikkönen re-joined Ferrari at the start of 2014, but could manage only 12th in the drivers' standings.

Räikkönen, stayed with Ferrari in 2015 but has been outpaced by new team-mate Vettel, as rumours linked Valtteri Bottas with a switch to the team.



However, Ferrari has confirmed that it has opted their option in Räikkönen's contract to retain him for another season.

Overall, a decision nonetheless from Ferrari to keep Kimi Räikkönen for another season. In my opinion, I wouldn't retain Räikkönen and would have gone for Valtteri Bottas instead. As I felt that Bottas would have been a better option for the future for Ferrari. My guess that Ferrari couldn't get Bottas for now as he's contracted to Williams for the 2016 Season, 2017 could be another story as Bottas would be available. Also, I believe Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari Technical director James Allison wanted the 2007 Champion to stay it was maybe the only option to keep Räikkönen another season at least.

Now with Kimi Räikkönen staying at Ferrari for another season. Who goes where in 2016. With Mercedes, Ferrari, Williams, Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Sauber are more than likely to retain their drivers for 2016. And McLaren will likely to keep Fernando Alonso for another season. The second seat is the question with either McLaren will retain Jenson Button or promoted Stoffel Vandoorne to a McLaren drive for 2016. Because if Jenson Button isn't retain I believe the 2009 F1 Champion will retire from Formula 1. If Stoffel Vandoorne isn't promoted, where do you place him for 2016, maybe a drive at Manor perhaps, as Manor could be McLaren B-team with Honda power maybe.



As for McLaren reserve driver Kevin Magnussen, my guess he will leave McLaren to get a full time drive in Formula 1 with Force India next season alongside Sergio Perez.



Then its Lotus, rumours that Renault may buy back their old team for 2016. Will they retain Pastor Maldonado alongside Romain Grosjean if its stays as Lotus. Possibility as his brings in sponsorship. But, if Renault does return to Lotus, Pastor Maldonado will possibly leave the team.



And then there is new boys Hass, and with Hass being supplied with power units from Ferrari making them a B-team to Ferrari, Ferrari reverse driver Esteban Gutiérrez will get one of the seats with sponsorship from Mexico as-well. I am predicting their second driver will be none other than Nico Hülkenberg as the team will be Ferrari B-team, and if Räikkönen isn't retain for 2017. Hülkenberg could have the hot seat at Ferrari for 2017. If Hülkenberg isn't going to Hass I wouldn't be surprise that Romain Grosjean might get the seat instead, if Renault doesn't return to Lotus for 2016.



Those are just a few of my predictions who will going were in 2016. And some of that will be confirmed in the weeks to come.

End of post for now, new post soon, bye.

Monday 17 August 2015

F1 2015 Belgian Grand Prix Predictions

After four weeks off, its the return of Formula one for the Belgian Grand Prix. Which means, predictions for this weekends Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, Spa.

And so predictions for the race itself, Lewis Hamilton for the win in the Mercedes, Nico Rosberg second in the other Mercedes, and Sebastian Vettel third in the Ferrari. Don't forget the Red Bull drivers, Williams drivers and Kimi Raikkonen either for a podium place as-well.

End of post/blog for now, new post soon. Bye.

2015 Czech Republic MotoGP Review

Review of round eleven of the 2015 MotoGP season at Masaryk Circuit, on the outskirts of Brno in Czech Republic.

In the MotoGP race (V-twin, V4, or Inline-four 1000cc four stroke class), that was won by Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo on his works Yamaha YZR-M1. Second was Repsol Honda Team rider and current MotoGP champion Marc Márquez on his works Honda RC213V, he was over four seconds behind Lorenzo at the end. While, third was Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi on his works Yamaha YZR-M1, he was over ten seconds behind Lorenzo at the end of the race.

In Open class (Full control ECU system, hardware and software), Forward Racing rider Loris Baz won Open class and finished fifteenth overall on his Yamaha Forward, he was sixty seconds behind Lorenzo at the end of the race.

In the Moto2 race (Inline-four 600 cc four-stroke class), that race was won by Ajo Motorsport rider Johann Zarco on the Kalex. Second was Estrella Galicia Marc VDS rider and current Moto2 champion Esteve Rabat on the Kalex, he was fourteen tenths of a second behind Zarco at the end. While, third was Paginas Amarillas HP 40 rider Álex Rins on the Kalex, he was seventeen tenths of a second behind Zarco at the end of the race.

While in the Moto3 race (single-cylinder 250 cc four-stroke class), that race was won by Ongetta–Rivacold rider Niccolò Antonelli on the Honda. Second was Gresini Racing Team Moto3 rider Enea Bastianini on the Honda, he was a tenth of a second behind Antonelli at the end. While, third was Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Brad Binder on the KTM, he was four tenths of second behind Antonelli at the end of the race.

End of blog for now. New post soon. Bye.

Tuesday 11 August 2015

Round Nine Recap of the 2015 United SportsCar Championship

Review of Round Nine of the 2015 United SportsCar Championship at Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

Action Express Racing team won the race overall and Prototype class too of Dane Cameron and Eric Curran in their Corvette DP, Chevrolet 5.5L V8. While, the other Action Express Racing team finished second place in their Corvette DP, Chevrolet 5.5L V8, the team of João Barbosa, and Christian Fittipaldi; they were fourteen seconds behind the leaders. Meanwhile, Chip Ganassi Racing team finished in third place in their Riley, Ford Ecoboost 3.5 L V6 Turbo, the team of Joey Hand and Scott Pruett; they were twenty-five seconds behind the leaders.

In Prototype Challenge Class (all teams using Oreca FLM09 race car), RSR Racing team won Prototype Challenge Class and finished in sixth place overall; with the drivers of Chris Cumming and Bruno Junqueira; they were a lap behind the leaders.

In GT Le Mans Class, Porsche North America team won GT Le Mans Class and finished in twelfth place overall in their Porsche 911 RSR; with the drivers of Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy; they were two laps behind the leaders.

In GT Daytona Class, Riley Motorsports team won GT Daytona Class and finished in twenty-second place overall in their Dodge Viper GT3-R; with the drivers of Jeroen Bleekemolen and Ben Keating; they were six laps behind the leaders.

End of post/blog for now, new post soon. Bye.

2015 BTCC Round 6 Recap

Review of Round Six of the 2015 British Touring Car Championship season was at Snetterton Circuit on the 300 Course, in Norfolk.

In the first race, Team BMR driver and current BTCC Champion Colin Turkington took the race win in his Volkswagen CC and also took Independents class win too. Second was Team BMR driver Árón Smith in his Volkswagen CC, he was two seconds behind Turkington in the end. While third place was Team BMR driver Jason Plato in his Volkswagen CC to complete a Team BMR/Volkswagen podium whitewash, he was three seconds behind Turkington in the end.

While, Jack Sears Trophy (for top 'Rookie Driver' in the series) was won by #RacingforHeroes driver Josh Cook in his Chevrolet Cruze 4dr, he finished in fifteenth place and was twenty-four seconds behind Priaulx in the end.


Meanwhile in the second race, once again it was Team BMR driver and current BTCC Champion Colin Turkington took the race win in his Volkswagen CC and also took Independents class win too. Second was WIX Racing driver Adam Morgan in his Mercedes-Benz A-Class, he was three seconds behind Turkington in the end. While third place was Team IHG Rewards Club driver Andy Priaulx in his BMW 125i M Sport, he was three and half a seconds behind Turkington in the end.

While, Jack Sears Trophy was won by AmD Tuning driver Mike Bushell in his Ford Focus ST, he finished in tenth place and was twenty-five seconds behind Turkington in the end.


While in the third race, MG 888 Racing driver Jack Goff took the race win in his MG6 GT. Second was Team BMR driver Jason Plato in his Volkswagen CC also took Independents class win too, he was three tenths of a second behind Goff in the end. While third place was Team IHG Rewards Club driver Andy Priaulx in his BMW 125i M Sport, he was two seconds behind Goff in the end.

While, Jack Sears Trophy was won by #RacingforHeroes driver Josh Cook in his Chevrolet Cruze 4dr, he finished in sixteenth place and was twenty-eight seconds behind Goff in the end.

Next stop Knockhill Racing Circuit for Round Seven of the 2015 British Touring Car Championship season in two weeks time.

End of post/blog for now, new post soon. Bye.

Monday 10 August 2015

2015 Indianapolis MotoGP Review

Review of the round ten of the 2015 MotoGP season at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the outskirts of Indianapolis, USA.

In the MotoGP race (V-twin, V4, or Inline-four 1000cc four stroke class), that was won by Repsol Honda Team rider and current MotoGP champion Marc Márquez on his works Honda RC213V. Second place was the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo on his works Yamaha YZR-M1, he was seven tenths of a second behind Márquez at the end. While, the other Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi on his works Yamaha YZR-M1, he was six seconds behind Márquez at the end.

In Open class (Full control ECU system, hardware and software), Avintia Racing rider Héctor Barberá won Open class and finished fifteenth place overall on his open spec Ducati Desmosedici GP14, he was sixty-four seconds behind Márquez at the end of the race.

In the Moto2 race (Inline-four 600 cc four-stroke class), that race was won by Paginas Amarillas HP 40 rider Álex Rins on the Kalex. Second was Ajo Motorsport rider Johann Zarco on the Kalex, he was five tenths of a second behind Rins at the end. While, third was Italtrans Racing Team rider Franco Morbidelli on the Kalex, he was nine tenths of a second behind Rins at the end of the race.

While in the Moto3 race (single-cylinder 250 cc four-stroke class), that race was won by RW Racing GP rider Livio Loi on the Honda. Second was SaxoPrint–RTG rider John McPhee on the Honda, he was thirty-nine seconds behind Loi at the end. While, third was Schedl GP Racing rider Philipp Öttl on the KTM, he was fifty-eight seconds behind Loi at the end.

Also, it was confirmed on Friday (7/8/15) that Pol Espargaró will remain with Monster Yamaha Tech 3 in 2016 after signing a one-year contract extension. No word on Pol Espargaró's team-mate at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 next season, I will guess who would be Pol Espargaró's team-mate in the weeks to come.

End of blog for now. New post soon. Bye.

Jacques Villeneuve to race for Venturi in Formula E next season

It was confirmed on Friday (7/8/15), former Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve will race with Venturi Formula E team for the 2015/16 season.



The 1997 Formula 1 world champion will partner Stephane Sarrazin at the team, replacing ex Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld for the team's second season in Formula E.

Meanwhile, it was confirmed on Saturday (8/8/15), ex Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne will drive for the DS Virgin Racing Formula E Team for the 2015/16 Formula E season.



Vergne joined the series from round three of the 2014/15 campaign with the Andretti team, taking three pole positions and two podiums to finish seventh in the standings. The Ferrari reserve driver's team-mate will be Sam Bird, who finished fifth in the championship last season with two wins for Virgin. Vergne will replace Jaime Alguersuari, the former Toro Rosso driver who was forced to miss the London ePrix finale last season on health grounds, was recently ruled out of returning to the cockpit in time for the new season.

New driver lines-up on the horizon for Formula E second season.

End of blog for now. New post soon. Bye.

Half Term Review of F1 Season so far and My top Formula 1 drivers of 2015 so far

The half term review of Formula 1 season so far, with the next race is in two weeks time. Just like last year, I will say one sentence that will be positive with each team. And one sentence that will be negative for each team. Also, I will include with this post my Top 10 Formula 1 drivers of 2015 so far below. Starting with Mercedes:

Mercedes:
+ Best car and drivers on the grid so far with the F1 W06 Hybrid, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
- Reliability has been great, but a DNF or two could allow Sebastian Vettel to challenge for the drivers' title.



Red Bull:
+ impressive performance from Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo at this seasons Hungarian Grand Prix collecting a second and third for the team, despite under performing race car.
- An unreliable and underpowered Renault power unit has cost Red Bull, the Renault power units are still around 70-90bhp less than the Mercedes power units; fourth in the constructors' is not good but its OK for now, third in the constructors' is still a chance for the team.



Williams:
+ Some great performances from Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa this season, which includes podiums for Massa at Red Bull Ring and Bottas at Montreal, retaining third in the constructors' is a must for Williams this season.
- Too slow at Monaco and Hungaroring which means no points in those races, apart from that points in the others rounds, meaning no DNF's so far this season.



Ferrari:
+ Some great race performances from Sebastian Vettel concluding with race wins at Sepang and Hungaroring, meaning Ferrari are back to winning ways after last season with no wins.
- And despite the SF15T is much improved then its predecessor, its not fast enough then the Mercedes in race pace, and that may cost Sebastian Vettel the drivers' championship this season.



McLaren:
+ A fifth place finish for Fernando Alonso at the Hungaroring last time out.
- 95 points last season at this stage, this season only 17 points, a very unreliable car due to the new Honda power unit unreliability, power units are 130bhp behind of the likes of Mercedes power units; the worst unreliable team on the grid with eleven DNS or retirements, if reliability is sorted and Honda reduce the horsepower deficit to Mercedes, McLaren still might even finish in fifth in the constructors'.



Force India:
+ Some impressive performances from Nico Hülkenberg this season which include a sixth place finish at the Red Bull Ring.
- VJM08 came too late to testing with car being too slow that cost them points earlier in the season; but with the updated VJM08B is a much faster car so far, Force India should be finishing in fifth in the constructors', if not challenging for fourth in the constructors'.



Scuderia Toro Rosso:
+ Both Carlos Sainz, Jr. and Max Verstappen are showing why they are in Formula 1 with some great performances, and some impressive drives from both Carlos Sainz, Jr. and Max Verstappen that may put him in the main Red Bull team in seasons to come.
- An unreliable and underpowered Renault power units has cost Toro Rosso more points then they have this season, fifth in the constructor's standings is possible.



Lotus:
+ 8 points last season at this stage, this season 35 points, five seventh places between Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado, and the E23 Hybrid has been a much improvement from the unreliable E22.
- Unreliability from the team with nine retirements could cost Lotus fifth in the constructors' standings, no more retirements will put Lotus in the points more often.



Manor-Marussia:
+ A miracle for the team to be even on the grid this season, not below 107% mark in qualifying is a big help for the team despite using 2014 Ferrari power units, twelfth place finish for Roberto Merhi at Silverstone, and updates for the old 2014 car are on their way.
- Surviving into next season is a must for the team and bringing a 2016 car is a must, if not the new Hass F1 Team will overtake them.



Sauber:
+ 0 points last season, this season 22 points a much improvement from the team which includes a fifth place finish for Felipe Nasr in Melbourne.
- Giedo van der Garde court case was a very negative thing for the team at the start of the season, apart from that a much better season from Sauber.



And just like last season, my Top 10 Formula 1 drivers of 2015 so far this season, this is the part who was in my top 10 so far this season, not in championship order. So here is my list below.

My Top Formula 1 drivers of 2015 so far this season:

10. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) - Some impressive drives despite an underpowered car in Monaco and Hunganoring, with the later finishing in third place despite he could have won the race.

9. Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull) - Some impressive drives despite an underpowered car in Monaco and Hunganoring, with the later finishing in second place in that race.

8. Felipe Nasr (Sauber) - A fifth place finish in his debut race, and as fast as his much experience team-mate Marcus Ericsson.

7. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) - On his day faster driver than his team-mate Vettel, a second place finish in Bahrain, which could be his last season with the team.

6. Felipe Massa (Williams) - Fast as ever, consistent, some great race performances at Red Bull Ring and Silverstone this season, despite having a faster team-mate.

5. Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso) - Some impressive drives in his rookie season and despite his still only 17!, which include a fourth place finish at Hunganoring.

4. Valtteri Bottas (Williams) - Some impressive drives at Bahrain, Bahrain and Montreal, could well be a Ferrari driver next season.

3. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) - Three Grand Prix wins so far this season, a great second half of a season that is needed for Rosberg to beat Hamilton to the drivers' championship.

2. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) - Back to winning ways with two race wins so far this season at Sepang and Hunganoring, may need a little luck to win his fifth drivers' title this season if the Mercedes drivers have problems.

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - Best driver on the grid this season so far with strong possibility of winning the drivers' championship, only problem his team-mate Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel too in the Ferrari.



End of a super long post/blog for now. A new shorter post soon. Bye.

Saturday 8 August 2015

Nissan to miss the next few WEC rounds, focusing on pace and reliability

Nissan announced yesterday (7/8/15) that it will not enter the next few rounds of the World Endurance Championship with its new Nissan GT-R LM Nismo starting from Nurburgring onwards later in the month, opting to focus on improving performance and reliability.



No word when Nissan will return to World Endurance Championship, the brand may return for the final two races of the FIA WEC calendar in Shanghai, China and Bahrain in November.

The main problem for Nissan is with their radical front-wheel-drive, front-engine GT-R LM Nismo is their hybrid system. When at Le Mans earlier in the year, Nissan had problems with their hybrid system failed at Le Mans, with all three cars qualified around 20 seconds off the pace back in June, and ran without its hybrid system engaged during the 24 hours race with all three cars failed to finished. With the hybrid system is failing, Nissan had no option to withdraw the next few rounds of the World Endurance Championship which includes their home race in Fuji, Japan.

With no word on Nissan's return to the World Endurance Championship, will Nissan ever return to series with their radical GT-R LM Nismo? time will tell.

End of blog for now. New post soon. Bye.

Monday 3 August 2015

2015 WRC Round 8 recap - Rally Finland

Recap of the last round of WRC from last weekends Round eight of Rally Finland.

Last weekends was the eighth round of the World Rally Championship at the Rally Finland (31st July - 2nd August) was won by Jari-Matti Latvala in the works Volkswagen Polo R WRC, to win the rally overall. Meanwhile, team-mate and current WRC Champion Sébastien Ogier finished second in the other works Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Ogier was 13 seconds behind Latvala at the end. While, Mads Østberg finished in third place in the works Citroën DS3 WRC. Østberg was 90 seconds behind Latvala at the end of the rally.

Meanwhile in WRC-2 class (Group R5, R4, Super 2000 and Group N4 spec cars), that was won by Esapekka Lappi in the Škoda Motorsport Team, Škoda Fabia R5. Esapekka Lappi finished in eighth place overall, he was 7 minutes behind Latvala at the end of the rally.

While in WRC-3 class (Group R1, R2 and R3 cars) that was won by Quentin Gilbert in his own backed Citroën DS3 R3T. Quentin Gilbert finished in eighteenth place overall, he was over 21 minutes behind Latvala at the end of the rally.

Highlights of the rally bellow, enjoy.



End of blog for now. New post soon. Bye.

Sunday 2 August 2015

Stefan Bradl leaves Forward Racing, switches over to Aprilia MotoGP Team

It was confirmed on Friday that (31/7/15) that Forward Racing and Stefan Bradl have parted ways by mutual consent with immediate effect. Then 24 hours later (1/8/15) Bradl agreed to ride for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini for the rest of the 2015 MotoGP season.



With Forward Racing will miss the next round at Indianapolis as it regroups following the arrest of team boss Giovanni Cuzari. And with Forward Racing are hoping they will return at Brno with new funding in place after some of the team sponsors cancelling contracts, which include rumours that title sponsor Athina to be among the brands that have left Forward. Forward ultimately made the decision to allow Bradl to leave.

Bradl takes the bike vacated by Marco Melandri, who was sacked last month and then ridden by Aprilia test-rider Michael Laverty in the last round at the Sachsenring. Stefan Bradl will ride alongside Alvaro Bautista at Aprilia Racing Team Gresini for the rest of the season.



End of blog for now, new post soon. Bye.