It was confirmed yesterday (29/6/16) that Scuderia Toro Rosso will retain Carlos Sainz Jr. for next season.
Sainz Jr. made his debut with the team in 2015, currently sits fourteenth place in the championship, with a best finish of sixth place during his home Grand Prix in Spain.
Overall, a very good decision from Toro Rosso to keep Carlos Sainz Jr. for next season. Although, there were some rumours he could have gone to Ferrari or Renault next season. In my opinion I would like to see Sainz Jr. took the gamble and drive for Ferrari next season. But, for Carlos Sainz Jr. is maybe better the devil you know and stay at Toro Rosso, which could make Toro Rosso line-up a very strong one going into 2017.
Review of Round Four of the 2016 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season was held at Norisring, Nuremberg in central Germany.
On Saturday's race, Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline driver Edoardo Mortara took the race win in his Audi RS5 DTM. Second was Audi Sport Team Rosberg driver Jamie Green in his Audi RS5 DTM, he was half a second behind Mortara in the end. While, third place was Mercedes-Benz DTM Team HWA II driver Paul di Resta in his Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM, he was a second behind Mortara in the end.
On Sunday's race, Audi Sport Team Abt driver Nico Müller took the race win in his Audi RS5 DTM. Second was BMW Team RBM driver Tom Blomqvist in his BMW M4 DTM, he was seven tenths of a second behind Müller in the end. While, third place was BMW Team RBM driver Maxime Martin in his BMW M4 DTM, he was a second and a half behind Müller in the end.
Next stop Circuit Park Zandvoort, in Holland for Round Five of the 2016 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters in three weeks time.
Review of Round Seven of the 2016 World Touring Car Championship season was the was the Race of Portugal, on the Circuito Internacional de Vila Real, Vila Real, Portugal.
In the first race, ROAL Motorsport driver Tom Coronel took the race win in his Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 and also took Independents class win. Second was Sébastien Loeb Racing driver Tom Chilton in his Citroën C-Elysée WTCC, he was half a second behind Coronel in the end. While third was Lada Sport Rosneft driver Nicky Catsburg in his Lada Vesta WTCC, he was two and half seconds behind Coronel in the end.
While in the second race, Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team driver Tiago Monteiro took the race win in his Honda Civic WTCC. Second was Citroën Total WTCC driver Yvan Muller in his Citroën C-Elysée WTCC, he was a second behind Monteiro in the end. While third place was Honda Racing Team JAS driver Norbert Michelisz in his Honda Civic WTCC, he was two seconds behind Monteiro in the end.
Meanwhile in the Independent Class, was won by Sébastien Loeb Racing driver Mehdi Bennani in his Citroën C-Elysée WTCC. He finished in eighth place overall and he was twenty-two seconds behind Monteiro in the end.
Next stop Race of Argentina at Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo for Round Eight of the 2016 World Touring Car Championship season in six weeks time.
Predictions for this weekends Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring (formally the A1-Ring) on the outskirts of Spielberg, Styria.
So Predictions for the race, for the win, I predict that, Nico Rosberg for the win in his Mercedes, Sebastian Vettel second in his Ferrari, and third place for Lewis Hamilton in the other Mercedes. Don't forget Kimi Räikkönen, the Red Bull drivers, the Williams drivers, the Force India drivers and the Toro Rosso drivers as well for a podium place.
Review of the round eight of the 2016 MotoGP season at TT Circuit Assen, Assen in North East of Holland.
In the MotoGP race (V-twin, V4, or Inline-four 1000cc four stroke class), that was surprising won in a wet race by Estrella Galicia Marc VDS rider Jack Miller on his Honda RC213V. Becoming the first Australian MotoGP rider to win the premier series since Casey Stoner at Phillip Island in 2012. Also, the first time a satellite team won in the premier series since Toni Elias at Estroil in 2006 for the Gresini team.
Second was Repsol Honda Team rider Marc Márquez on his works Honda RC213V, he was two seconds behind Miller at the end. While, third was Octo Pramac Yakhnich rider Scott Redding on his Ducati Desmosedici GP15, he was six seconds behind Miller at the end.
In the Moto2 race (Inline-four 600 cc four-stroke class), that race was won by Idemitsu Honda Team Asia rider Takaaki Nakagami on the Kalex. Second was Ajo Motorsport rider and current Moto2 champion Johann Zarco on the Kalex, he was two seconds behind Nakagami at the end. While, third was Estrella Galicia Marc VDS rider Franco Morbidelli on the Kalex, he was six seconds behind Nakagami at the end of the race.
While in the Moto3 race (single-cylinder 250 cc four-stroke class), that race was won by Aspar Mahindra Team Moto3 rider Francesco Bagnaia on the Mahindra giving Mahindra their first ever Moto3 win. Second was Gresini Racing Moto3 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio on the Honda, he was four hundredths of a second behind Bagnaia at the end. While, third was Sky Racing Team VR46 rider Andrea Migno on the KTM, he was two tenths of a second behind Bagnaia at the end of the race.
It was confirmed on Monday (20/6/16) Moto2 rider Álex Rins will graduate to MotoGP next year with the Team Suzuki Ecstar team for the 2017 and 2018 MotoGP seasons.
Rins will replace Aleix Espargaró at Suzuki, Rins will be partnered with Andrea Iannone during the 2017 and 2018 MotoGP seasons at Team Suzuki Ecstar.
It was confirmed on Thursday (23/6/16), that Cal Crutchlow will remain with LCR Honda till 2017 after signing a new one-year deal to remain with LCR Honda, ending recent speculation over his future at the team.
And finally, it was confirmed before Sunday's (26/6/16) MotoGP race that Aprilia Racing Team Gresini has signed Team Suzuki Ecstar rider Aleix Espargaró for the 2017 and 2018 MotoGP seasons.
Espargaró currently sits ninth in the championship, with a best finish of two fifth place finishes. Espargaró will be partnered with Sam Lowes during the 2017 and 2018 MotoGP seasons at Aprilia Racing Team Gresini. Meaning both current Aprilia-Gresini riders Álvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl are without a ride for 2017.
Review of Round Six of the 2015 TCR International Series season was at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Oschersleben in Germany
In the first race, B3 Racing Team Hungary driver Maťo Homola took the race win in his SEAT León TCR. Second was B3 Racing Team Hungary driver Dušan Borković in his SEAT León TCR, he was fourteen tenths of a second behind Homola in the end. While, third place was Team Craft-Bamboo Lukoil driver James Nash in his SEAT León TCR to complete a SEAT podium whitewash, he was two seconds behind Homola in the end.
While in the second race, Team Craft-Bamboo Lukoil driver Pepe Oriola took the race win in his SEAT León TCR. Second was B3 Racing Team Hungary driver Dušan Borković in his SEAT León TCR, he was two seconds behind Oriola in the end. While, third place was Team Craft-Bamboo Lukoil driver James Nash in his SEAT León TCR to complete another SEAT podium whitewash, he was six seconds behind Oriola in the end.
Next stop Sochi Autodrom, Sochi in Russia for Round Seven of the 2016 TCR International Series season in two weeks time.
Review of Round Five of the 2016 British Touring Car Championship season was at Croft, in North Yorkshire.
In the first race, Silverline Subaru BMR Racing driver Colin Turkington took the race win in his Subaru Levorg GT. Second was Silverline Subaru BMR Racing driver Jason Plato in his Subaru Levorg GT, he was ten seasons behind Turkington in the end. While third place was MG Racing RCIB Insurance driver Ashley Sutton in his MG6 GT and also took Jack Sears Trophy win too (for top 'Rookie Driver' in the series), he was two seconds behind Turkington in the end.
Meanwhile, Independents class was won by Motorbase Performance driver Andrew Jordan in his Ford Focus ST, he finished in fifth place and was six seconds behind Turkington in the end.
Meanwhile in the second race, Team JCT600 with GardX driver Rob Collard took the race win in his BMW 125i M Sport. Second was Silverline Subaru BMR Racing driver Jason Plato in his Subaru Levorg GT, he was two seconds behind Collard in the end. While third place was Silverline Subaru BMR Racing driver Colin Turkington in his Subaru Levorg GT, he was five seconds behind Collard in the end.
While, Jack Sears Trophy was won by MG Racing RCIB Insurance driver Ashley Sutton in his MG6 GT, he finished in fifth place and was twelve seconds behind Collard in the end.
Meanwhile, Independents class was won by Motorbase Performance driver Mat Jackson in his Ford Focus ST, he finished in sixth place and was fifteen seconds behind Turkington in the end.
While in the third race, MG Racing RCIB Insurance driver Ashley Sutton took the race win in his MG6 GT and also took Jack Sears Trophy win too. Second was Team JCT600 with GardX driver Sam Tordoff in his BMW 125i M Sport, he was a season behind Sutton in the end. While third place was Speedworks Motorsport driver Tom Ingram in his Toyota Avensis also took Independents class win, he was two seconds behind Sutton in the end.
Next stop Snetterton for Round Six of the 2016 British Touring Car Championship season in six weeks time.
Review of the eighth round of the 2016 F1 season at Baku City Circuit in the the centre of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, for the European Grand Prix.
Overall, a dominating race weekend for Mercedes, dominating in practice, dominating in qualifying, and most importantly dominating in the race for Mercedes driver and for Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg. Rosberg was on pole for Sunday's race after current Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton had errors in qualifying. Rosberg took the advantage and dominate the race leading all fifty-one laps including the fastest lap to conclude with a race win in this seasons European Grand Prix for Rosberg's fifth race win of the season.
While, Sebastian Vettel finished in second place in the Ferrari, Vettel was seventeen seconds behind Rosberg at the end.
Meanwhile, Sergio Pérez finished in third place in the Force India to complete the podium, Pérez was twenty-five seconds behind Rosberg at the end of the fifty-one lap race.
Rate the Teams and Drivers
Mercedes - 8
Lewis Hamilton - 7 (finished fifth)
Nico Rosberg - 10 (pole, race win and fastest lap)
Ferrari - 7
Sebastian Vettel - 8 (finished second)
Kimi Räikkönen - 7 (finished fourth)
Williams - 7
Valtteri Bottas - 8 (finished sixth)
Felipe Massa - 7 (finished tenth)
Red Bull Racing - 6
Daniel Ricciardo - 7 (finished seventh)
Max Verstappen - 6 (finished eighth)
Force India - 8
Nico Hülkenberg - 7 (finished ninth)
Sergio Pérez - 9 (finished third)
Renault - 6
Kevin Magnussen - 6 (finished fourteenth, lap down)
Jolyon Palmer - 6 (finished fifteenth, lap down)
Toro Rosso - 6
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 6 (DNF, Suspension)
Daniil Kvyat - 6 (DNF, Suspension)
Sauber - 6
Marcus Ericsson - 5 (finished seventeenth, lap down)
Felipe Nasr - 8 (finished twelfth, lap down)
McLaren - 6
Fernando Alonso - 6 (DNF, Gearbox)
Jenson Button - 7 (finished eleventh)
Manor - 6
Rio Haryanto - 6 (finished eighteenth, two laps down)
Pascal Wehrlein - 7 (DNF, Brakes)
Haas - 5
Romain Grosjean - 6 (finished thirteenth, lap down)
Esteban Gutiérrez - 5 (finished sixteenth, lap down)
Next stop Red Bull Ring in two weeks time for the Austrian Grand Prix.
As the title says above a 24 Hours of Le Mans Review of the race. Round three for 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship at Le Mans. And this years 24 hours of Le Mans race will be remembered for the race that Toyota should have won.
This was a cat and mouse race between #1 and #2 Porsche's, #5 and #6 Toyota's. But, come after midnight #1 Porsche while leading had been in the pits with high water temperatures forcing them to be lapped over thirty-eight laps. By the twenty-first hour, #6 Toyota was force to pit because of damage picked up in the night after clipping a backmarker during the night, suffering floor damage, and following a spin into the gravel in the twenty-first hour, Toyota decided to fix the bodywork damage and also carry out precautionary checks on cooling systems to make sure the car reaches the finish giving the #5 Toyota the lead.
#5 Toyota was in line to win, giving Toyota's their first ever Le Mans win outright, until an even bigger upset occurred in the final minutes. The #5 Toyota led the race by ninety seconds inside the final 10 minutes, but with just over five minutes of the 24 hours remaining #5 Toyota slowed, reporting that he had no power. As the Toyota attempted to crawl around the finish, #2 Porsche blasted by to grab the lead and complete one more lap to take an unexpected victory while #5 Toyota did not finish the race, to give Porsche their eighteenth outright win at Le Mans.
The Porsche Team won the race overall and the LMP1 class too of Marc Lieb, Romain Dumas and Neel Jani in their Porsche 919 Hybrid and managed to do 384 laps altogether in mostly dry conditions to win this years 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
While second was the Toyota Gazoo Racing team of Kamui Kobayashi, Stéphane Sarrazin and Mike Conway in their Toyota TS050 Hybrid, they were three laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.
Meanwhile, third place was the Audi Sport Team Joest team of Oliver Jarvis, Lucas di Grassi and Loïc Duval in their Audi R18 e-tron quattro, they were twelve laps behind the leaders at the end of the race. While, the remaining Audi R18 e-tron quattro's came in fourth with the team of André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer; they were seventeen laps behind the leaders at the end.
With Porsche taking a last gap victory, the final Porsche 919 Hybrid came in thirteenth place in the hands of Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber. They were thirty-eight laps behind the leaders at the end.
Top privateer LMP1 car at Le Mans was Rebellion Racing of Nicolas Prost, Nick Heidfeld and Nelson Piquet, Jr. in their Rebellion R-One with a AER P60 2.4l Turbo V6. They finish in twenty-ninth place overall and they were fifty-four laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.
In LMP2 class, the Signatech Alpine team of Nicolas Lapierre, Gustavo Menezes and Stéphane Richelmi in their Alpine A460 with a Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 engine won in LMP2 class. They finish in fifth place overall and they were twenty-seven laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.
While in GTE Pro class, was won by Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA team of Joey Hand, Dirk Müller and Sébastien Bourdais won in their Ford GT. They finish in eighteenth place overall and they were forty-four laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.
While in GTE Am class, was won by Scuderia Corsa team of Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell and Jeff Segal in their Ferrari 458 Italia GT2. They finish in twenty-sixth place overall and they were fifty-three laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.
And finally, mention to Frédéric Sausset who is a quadruple amputee drove this years Le Mans in a modified Morgan LMP2 provided by the SRT41 by OAK Racing team with Christophe Tinseau and Jean-Bernard Bouvet as the other drivers finished in thirty-eighth place overall and they were sixty-nine laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.
Highlights of the 24 Hours of Le Mans below, enjoy.
Next Stop 6 Hours of Nürburgring in five weeks time for round four of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Second part of the journal update for this years 24 Hours of Le Mans race, from my Twitter feed. From, the last twelve hours of the twenty four hours, first part of the journal is here.
* Note: The last part of the journal didn't went onto twitter due to the congestion between the timing of the end of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and the start of the Formula 1 European Grand Prix, so here is the second part:
After 13 Hours of Le Mans: as you were, #6 Toyota leads, #2 Porsche is second, #5 Toyota is third #LM24 #LeMans24 #LeMans
After 14 Hours of Le Mans: no change at the top, #6 Toyota leads, #2 Porsche in second place, #5 Toyota in third place, #LeMans24 #LM24
Third and fourth DNF of the race, #91 Porsche and the #51 Ferrari #LeMans #LM24
After 15 Hours of Le Mans: no changes at the top, #6 Toyota leads, #2 Porsche in second place, #5 Toyota in third place, #LeMans24 #LM24
Last tweet of the night. Back in the morning. Night folks.
Back up guys, tweeting updates in 2 mins. #LeMans24 #LM24
After 21 Hours of Le Mans: #5 Toyota is now leading, #2 is second, #6 Toyota is now third, #8 Audi is fourth. #LeMans24 #LeMans #LM24
While the top non hybrid LMP1 car is #12 Rebellion in thirty-second place (51 laps down). #LeMans #LeMans24 #LM24
In other classes at Le Mans, #36 Signatech Alpine is leading LMP2 (currently in 6th), #68 Ford is leading GTE Pro (currently in 18th), #62 SC Ferrari leads GTE am (currently 27th), and invitational #84 STR41 by Oak Racing (currently in 40th). #LeMans24 #LeMans #LM24
Eleven DNFs so far in the race includes #92 Porsche, #71 Ferrari, #4 ByKolles, #64 Corvette, #35 Baxi DC, #46 TDS Racing, #44 Manor #LM24
After 22 Hours of Le Mans: #5 Toyota leads, #2 Porsche is second, #6 Toyota is third. #LeMans24 #LeMans #LM24
After 23 Hours of Le Mans: #5 Toyota leads, #2 Porsche is second, #6 Toyota is third. 1 Hour to go #LeMans24 #LeMans #LM24
Oh no for #5 Toyota #LM24
How to lose the #LeMans24 with 10 mins to go with engine failure #2 Porsche leads.
#2 Porsche wins 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, #5 Toyota is second, #8 Audi is third, and #7 Audi is fourth #LeMans #LeMans24 #LM24
While top non hybrid LMP1 car is #12 Rebellion in twenty-ninth place (54 laps behind the leaders) #LM24 #LeMans24 #LeMans
In other classes at Le Mans, #36 Signatech Alpine is wins LMP2 class (5th place), #68 Ford wins GTE Pro class (18th place), GTE Am won by #88 SC Ferrari (26th place) and invitational #84 STR41 by Oak Racing (38th place) #LeMans24 #LM24
* Fifteen DNFs in this years race includes #89 Proton Porsche, #47 KCMG, #91 Porsche, #51 Ferrari, #92 Porsche, #71 Ferrari, #4 ByKolles, #64 Corvette, #35 Baxi DC, #36 G-Drive, #13 Rebellion, #46 TDS Racing, #44 Manor, #98 Aston Martin, #28 Pegasus Racing.
* LMP1 Teams watch at Le Mans: #2 Porsche wins, #1 Porsche 13th; #5 Toyota 2nd, #6 Toyota NC; #7 Audi 4th, #8 Audi 3th; #12 Rebellion 29th, #13 Rebellion DNF; #4 ByKolles DNF #LeMans24 #LM24
A full 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans review later on the week.
Basically a journal update for this years 24 Hours of Le Mans race, from my Twitter feed. From, the first twelve hours of the twenty four hours:
After 1 hour of Le Mans: #6 Toyota is leading so far. #LeMans #LM24
After 2 hours of Le Mans: #6 Toyota leads, #5 Toyota in second, and #2 Porsche in third #LM24 #LeMans #LeMans24
After 3 hours of Le Mans: #1 Porsche is now leading, #6 Toyota is second, and #8 Audi is third #LM24 #LeMans24 #LeMans
After 4 Hours of Le Mans: #1 Porsche leads, #6 Toyota is second, and #8 Audi is third #LeMans24 #LeMans #LM24
While top non hybrid LMP1 car is #13 Rebellion is sixth (3 laps behind the leaders) #LM24 #LeMans24 #LeMans
In other classes at Le Mans, #44 Manor is leading LMP2 (currently 7th), #82 Risi Ferrari is leading GTE pro (currently 26th), top GTE Am is #78 KCMG Porsche (currently 37th). And invitational #84 STR41 by Oak Racing (currently 42nd). #LeMans24 #LeMans #LM24
After 5 hours of Le Mans: #1 Porsche leads, #6 Toyota is second, #2 Porsche is third #LeMans24 #LeMans #LM24
After 6 Hours of Le Mans: #6 Toyota is now leading, #1 Porsche is second, #5 Toyota is third #LeMans24 #LeMans #LM24
After 7 Hours of Le Mans: #6 Toyota leads, #1 Porsche is second, #5 Toyota is third #LM24 #LeMans24 #LeMans
After 8 Hours of Le Mans: #6 Toyota leads, #2 Porsche is second, #1 Porsche is third, #LeMans24 #LeMans #LM24
While the top Audi is #8 Audi in fifth place (lap down). While top non hybrid LMP1 car is #13 Rebellion in seventh place (6 laps down) #LM24
In other classes at Le Mans, #46 TDS Racing is leading LMP2 (currently 8th), #68 Ford is leading GTE pro (currently 21st), invitational #84 STR41 by Oak Racing (currently 35th) and Top GTE Am is #62 SC Ferrari (currently 36th). #LeMans24 #LeMans #LM24
Also, so far only one DNF in the race so far, that's the #89 Proton Porsche #LeMans #LM24
After 9 Hours of Le Mans: #2 is now leading, #6 Toyota is now second, #5 Toyota is third #LeMans24 #LeMans #LM24
The reason why #1 Porsche not in the top three, because the 919 hybrid has been in the pits with high water temp from the last hour, currently sits in 11th place, 12 laps down.
After 10 Hours of Le Mans: #6 Toyota is now leading, #2 Porsche is second, #5 Toyota is third #LeMans24 #LeMans #LM24
After 11 Hours of Le Mans: #6 Toyota leads, #2 Porsche is second, #5 Toyota is third #LeMans #LeMans24 #LM24
At the half way mark on 12 Hours at Le Mans: #6 Toyota leads, #2 Porsche is second, #5 Toyota is third, 12 hours to go #LeMans24 #LM24
While the top Audi is #8 Audi in fourth (2 laps down). While top non hybrid LMP1 car is #13 Rebellion in fifth place (9 laps down) #LeMans24
In other classes at Le Mans, #36 Signatech Alpine is leading LMP2 (currently 7th), #82 Risi Ferrari is leading GTE pro (currently 21st), top GTE Am is #88 Proton Racing Porsche (currently 35th) and invitational #84 STR41 by Oak Racing (currently 44th) #LeMans24 #LM24
LMP1 Teams watch at Le Mans, #6 Toyota 1st, #5 Toyota 3rd; #1 Porsche 49th, #2 Porsche 2nd; #7 Audi 6th, #8 Audi 4th; #13 Rebellion 5th, #12 Rebellion 25th; #4 ByKolles 51th #LeMans24 #LM24
Also, so far only two DNF in the race so far, that's the #89 Proton Porsche, and #47 KCMG #LeMans #LM24
Next 12 hours (second part of the journal) later in the day.
The 24 hours of Le Mans race is this weekend. Starts from 2pm (UK time) Saturday finishes on 2pm Sunday I am going to try to tweet most I can in the 24 hours (Twitter page here). Prediction for the race? it's going to be a battle between Audi R18 e-tron quattros', Porsche 919 Hybrids', and Toyota TS050 Hybrids'.
Qualifying for the race is finished and the Porsche 918 Hybrid of Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb are on pole. The second Porsche 918 Hybrid of Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber and Brendon Hartley is on the front row as-well in second place; half a second behind the pole sitter. While the first Toyota TS030 Hybrid of Kamui Kobayashi, Stéphane Sarrazin, and Mike Conway will start in third place; a second behind the pole sitters.
And finally, the first Audi e-tron quattro of André Lotterer, Benoît Tréluyer and Marcel Fässler will start in fifth place on the grid; three seconds behind the pole sitter.
So predictions for the race, I predict that for the win at Le Mans of the Porsche 918 Hybrid of Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber and Brendon Hartley, and that is in honest opinion who will win this years 24 hour race. However, I wouldn't count out the Audi's to succeeded once again or even Toyota's first outright win at Le Mans.
Review of Round Five of the 2016 World Rallycross Championship season was the World RX of Norway, at Lånkebanen Circuit on the outskirts of Hell, in central Norway.
In the four Heats, those were won by Andreas Bakkerud winning all four heats.
In the first semi-final that was won by Hoonigan Racing Division driver Andreas Bakkerud in his Ford Focus RS. Second was Team Peugeot-Hansen driver Timmy Hansen in his Peugeot 208, he was second and a half behind Bakkerud in the end. While, third was Team Peugeot-Hansen driver Sébastien Loeb in his Peugeot 208, he was two seconds behind Bakkerud in the end.
In the second semi-final that was won by World RX Team Austria driver Timur Timerzyanov in his Ford Fiesta ST. Second was EKS RX driver Mattias Ekström in his Audi S1, he was a second behind Timerzyanov in the end. While, third was Petter Solberg World RX Team driver and current World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg in his Citroën DS3, he was four seconds behind Timerzyanov in the end.
In the final race, Hoonigan Racing Division driver Andreas Bakkerud took the race win in his Ford Focus RS. Second was Team Peugeot-Hansen driver Timmy Hansen in his Peugeot 208, he was a second behind Bakkerud in the end. While, third was EKS RX driver Mattias Ekström in his Audi S1, he was two and half seconds behind Bakkerud in the end.
Next stop World RX of Sweden at Höljesbanan Circuit for Round Six of the 2016 World Rallycross Championship season in three weeks time.
Review of Round Six of the 2016 World Touring Car Championship season was the Race of Russia, at Moscow Raceway, on the outskirts of Moscow.
In the first race, Lada Sport Rosneft driver Gabriele Tarquini took the race win in his Lada Vesta WTCC. Second was Lada Sport Rosneft driver Nicky Catsburg in his Lada Vesta WTCC to complete a Lada one-two finish, he was five seconds behind Tarquini in the end. While third place was Citroën Total WTCC driver Yvan Muller in his C-Elysée WTCC, he was sixteen seconds behind Tarquini in the end.
Meanwhile in the Independent Class, was won by ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport driver James Thompson in his Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1. He finished in eighth place overall and he was thirty seconds behind Tarquini in the end.
While in the second race, Lada Sport Rosneft driver Nicky Catsburg took the race win in his Lada Vesta WTCC. Second was Lada Sport Rosneft driver Gabriele Tarquini in his Lada Vesta WTCC to complete another Lada one-two finish, he was a seconds behind Catsburg in the end. While third place was Honda Racing Team JAS driver Norbert Michelisz in his Honda Civic WTCC, he was fourteen seconds behind Catsburg in the end.
Meanwhile in the Independent Class, was won by ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport driver James Thompson in his Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1. He finished in sixth place overall and he was thirty seconds behind Catsburg in the end.
Next stop Race of Portugal at Circuito Internacional de Vila Real for Round Seven of the 2016 World Touring Car Championship season in two weeks time.
For the first time in Formula 1 history, Formula 1 hosts the first ever Grand Prix in Azerbaijan for the European Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit in the the centre of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
So Predictions for the race, for the win, I predict that Daniel Ricciardo for the win in his Red Bull, Lewis Hamilton second in his Mercedes, and third place for Nico Rosberg in the other Mercedes. Don't forget Max Verstappen, Ferrari drivers, the Williams drivers, the Force India drivers and the Toro Rosso drivers as well for a podium place.
Recap of the last round of WRC from this weekends Round Six of of Rally d'Italia Sardegna.
Last weekends was the sixth round of the World Rally Championship at the Rally d'Italia Sardegna (10th-12th June), and was won by Thierry Neuville in his works Hyundai i20 WRC for Neuville's first win since Germany 2014.
While, Jari-Matti Latvala finished second in the works Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Latvala was twenty-four seconds behind Neuville at the end. Meanwhile, current WRC champion Sébastien Ogier finished in third place in the works Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Ogier was ninety-seven seconds behind Neuville at the end.
Meanwhile in WRC-2 class (Group R5, R4, Super 2000 and Group N4 spec cars), that was won by Team Oreca driver Teemu Suninen in his Škoda Fabia R5. Teemu Suninen finished in eighth place overall, he was nine minutes behind Neuville at the end of the rally.
While in WRC-3 class (Group R1, R2 and R3 cars) that was won by ACI Team Italia driver Fabio Andolfi in his Peugeot 208 R2. Fabio Andolfi finished in twentieth place overall, he was thrity-three minutes behind Neuville at the end of the rally.
Highlights of the rally bellow, enjoy.
Next stop, Round Seven of the 2016 WRC season for Rally Poland in three weeks time.
Review of the seventh round of the 2016 F1 season at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, for the Canadian Grand Prix.
Overall, in an entertaining race, Sebatian Vettel who started on the second row took an incredible lightning start on Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg and took the lead before the first corner.
With Vettel comfortably leading over Hamilton came lap 10 of the race, when Jenson Button retired with a Power unit failure and the virtual safety car deployed, Vettel opted to change tyres while Hamilton stayed out. Then on lap 23, F1 World Champion Hamilton pitted for soft dry tyres to take him to the finish with Vettel retaking the lead. Then on lap 36, Vettel pitted for soft dry tyres giving Hamilton the lead once again.
Despite Vettel catching up to Hamilton at the end that was not enough for Vettel, once again as in Monaco two weeks ago Hamilton took the perfect gamble with tyres to conclude with Lewis Hamilton winning this seasons Canadian Grand Prix for his second race win of the season for the Formula 1 World Champion.
While, Sebastian Vettel finished in second place in the Ferrari, Vettel was five seconds behind Hamilton at the end.
Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas finished in third place in the Williams to complete the podium, Bottas was forty-six seconds behind Hamilton at the end of the seventy lap race.
Rate the Teams and Drivers
Mercedes - 8
Lewis Hamilton - 9 (pole and race win)
Nico Rosberg - 7 (finished fifth and fastest lap)
Ferrari - 8
Sebastian Vettel - 9 (finished second)
Kimi Räikkönen - 7 (finished sixth)
Williams - 7
Valtteri Bottas - 9 (finished third)
Felipe Massa - 6 (DNF, Overheating)
Red Bull Racing - 8
Daniel Ricciardo - 7 (finished seventh)
Max Verstappen - 9 (finished fourth)
Force India - 6
Nico Hülkenberg - 7 (finished eighth, lap down)
Sergio Pérez - 6 (finished tenth, lap down)
Renault - 5
Kevin Magnussen - 5 (finished sixteenth, two laps down)
Jolyon Palmer - 5 (DNF, Water leak)
Toro Rosso - 7
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 8 (finished ninth, lap down)
Daniil Kvyat - 6 (finished twelfth, lap down)
Sauber - 5
Marcus Ericsson - 6 (finished fifteenth, two laps down)
Felipe Nasr - 5 (finished eighteenth, two laps down
McLaren - 6
Fernando Alonso - 7 (finished eleventh, lap down)
Jenson Button - 6 (DNF, Power-unit)
Manor - 5
Rio Haryanto - 5 (finished nineteenth, two laps down)
Pascal Wehrlein - 6 (finished seventeenth, two laps down)
Haas - 6
Romain Grosjean - 6 (finished fourteenth, two laps down)
Esteban Gutiérrez - 6 (finished thirteenth, two lap down)
Next stop Baku, Azerbaijan for the European Grand Prix in a weeks time.
Review of Round Three of the 2016 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season was held at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Brandenburg in East Germany.
On Saturday's race, Audi Sport Team Abt driver Miguel Molina took the race win in his Audi RS5 DTM. Second was Audi Sport Team Rosberg driver Jamie Green in his Audi RS5 DTM, he was two seconds behind Molina in the end. While, third place was Mercedes-Benz DTM Team HWA I driver Robert Wickens in his Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM, he was four seconds behind Molina in the end.
On Sunday's race, Mercedes-Benz DTM Team Mücke driver Lucas Auer took the race win in his Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM. Second was Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline driver Mattias Ekström in his Audi RS5 DTM, he was four seconds behind Auer in the end. While, third place was Mercedes-Benz DTM Team HWA I driver Robert Wickens in his Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM, he was six and half seconds behind Auer in the end.
Next stop Norisring, Nuremberg in Germany for Round Four of the 2016 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters in three weeks time.
Review of Round Five of the 2015 TCR International Series season was at Salzburgring, east of Salzburg, Austria.
In the first race, WestCoast Racing driver Mikhail Grachev took the race win in his Honda Civic TCR. Second was Team Craft-Bamboo Lukoil driver James Nash in his SEAT León TCR, he was fourteen tenths of a second behind Grachev in the end. While, third place was B3 Racing Team Hungary driver Maťo Homola in his SEAT León TCR, he was sixteen tenths of a second behind Grachev in the end.
While in the second race, Leopard Racing driver Jean-Karl Vernay took the race win in his Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR. Second was Team Craft-Bamboo Lukoil driver Sergey Afanasyev in his SEAT León TCR, he was a second behind Vernay in the end. While, third place was Leopard Racing driver and current TCR International Series Champion Stefano Cominia in his Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR, he was two seconds behind Vernay in the end.
Next stop Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Oschersleben in Germany for Round Six of the 2016 TCR International Series season in two weeks time.
Review of Round Four of the 2016 British Touring Car Championship season was at Oulton Park's Island Circuit, in Cheshire.
In the first race, Silverline Subaru BMR Racing driver Colin Turkington took the race win in his Subaru Levorg GT giving Subaru their first win in the BTCC. Second was Team JCT600 with GardX driver Sam Tordoff in his BMW 125i M Sport, he was two seconds behind Turkington in the end. While third place was Silverline Subaru BMR Racing driver Jason Plato in his Subaru Levorg GT, he was ten seconds behind Turkington in the end.
Meanwhile, Independents class was won by Speedworks Motorsport driver Tom Ingram in his Toyota Avensis, he finished in fifth place and was sixteen seconds behind Turkington in the end.
While, Jack Sears Trophy (for top 'Rookie Driver' in the series) was won by Eurotech Racing driver Daniel Lloyd in his Honda Civic Type R, he finished in seventh place and was sixteen seconds behind Turkington in the end.
Meanwhile in the second race, Team JCT600 with GardX driver Sam Tordoff took the race win in his BMW 125i M Sport. Second was Silverline Subaru BMR Racing driver Colin Turkington in his Subaru Levorg GT, he was one and half second behind Tordoff in the end. While third place was Silverline Subaru BMR Racing driver Jason Plato in his Subaru Levorg GT, he was two seconds behind Tordoff in the end.
Meanwhile, Independents class was won by Speedworks Motorsport driver Tom Ingram in his Toyota Avensis, he finished in fifth place and was six seconds behind Tordoff in the end.
While, Jack Sears Trophy was won by Eurotech Racing driver Daniel Lloyd in his Honda Civic Type R, he finished in thirteenth place and was sixteen seconds behind Tordoff in the end.
Finally in the third race, Halfords Yuasa Racing driver Matt Neal took the race win in his Honda Civic Type R. Second was Team JCT600 with GardX driver Sam Tordoff in his BMW 125i M Sport, he was nine seconds behind Neal in the end. While third place was Silverline Subaru BMR Racing driver Jason Plato in his Subaru Levorg GT, he was eleven seconds behind Neal in the end.
Meanwhile, Independents class was won by Speedworks Motorsport driver Tom Ingram in his Toyota Avensis, he finished in fourth place and was eleven seconds behind Neal in the end.
While, Jack Sears Trophy was won by MG Racing RCIB Insurance driver Ashley Sutton in his MG6 GT, he finished in twelfth place and was fourteen seconds behind Neal in the end.
Next stop Croft for Round Five of the 2015 British Touring Car Championship season in two weeks time.
Predictions for this weekends Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, on the street circuit in Montreal.
So Predictions for the race, for the win I predict Lewis Hamilton for the win in his Mercedes, Nico Rosberg second in the other Mercedes, and third place for Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull. Don't forget Max Verstappen, Romain Grosjean, Ferrari drivers, the Williams drivers, the Force India drivers and the Toro Rosso drivers as well for a podium place.
Review of Round Five of the 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at The Raceway on Belle Isle in Detroit.
Taylor Racing team won the race overall and Prototype class too of Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor in their Corvette DP, Chevrolet 5.5L V8. While Action Express Racing team finished in second place in their Coyote Corvette, Chevrolet 5.5L V8; the team of João Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi; they were two seconds behind the leaders. Meanwhile, Starworks Motorsport team finished in third place in their Oreca FLM09, Chevrolet LS3 6.2 L V8; the team of Alex Popow and Renger van der Zande; they were thirty-four seconds behind the leaders and also took Prototype Challenge Class (all teams using Oreca FLM09 race car).
In GT Daytona Class, Riley Motorsports team won GT Daytona Class and finished in tenth place overall in their Dodge Viper GT3-R; with the drivers of Jeroen Bleekemolen and Ben Keating; they were a lap behind the leaders.
While GT Le Mans class did not participate for this race.
Next Stop Watkins Glen International in four weeks time for Round Six of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Review of the round seven of the 2016 MotoGP season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in the outskirts of Barcelona, Catalonia, in Spain.
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 was Repsol Honda Team rider Marc Marquez on his works Honda RC213V, he was three seconds behind Rossi at the end. While, third was Repsol Honda Team rider Dani Pedrosa on his works Honda RC213V, he was six 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 and current Moto2 champion Johann Zarco on the Kalex. Second was was Paginas Amarillas HP 40 rider Álex Rins on the Kalex, he was four seconds behind Zarco at the end. While, third was Idemitsu Honda Team Asia rider Takaaki Nakagami on the Kalex, he was nine 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 Estrella Galicia rider Jorge Navarro on the Honda. Second was Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Brad Binder on the KTM, he was half a second behind Navarro at the end. While, third was Gresini Racing Moto3 rider Enea Bastianini on the Honda, he was eight tenths of a second behind Navarro at the end.
It was confirmed on Thursday (2/6/16), Marc Marquez has signed a new two-year deal with that will see him continue to compete with the factory Repsol Honda Team in MotoGP in 2017 and 2018.
Márquez will again partner Dani Pedrosa during the 2017 and 2018 MotoGP seasons at Repsol Honda.
Finally, it was also confirmed on Thursday (2/6/16) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Pol Espargaró have signed for the KTM's factory team when the manufacturer competes in MotoGP next season.
Espargaró will now move to KTM in 2017 after signing a two-year deal with the manufacturer. Espargaró will once again partner Bradley Smith during the 2017 and 2018 MotoGP seasons at KTM. Espargaró currently sits sixth in the championship, with a best finish of two fifth place finishes so far this season.
With two weeks before Formula 1 goes to Baku, for Azerbaijan's first Grand Prix in Formula 1 despite named as the European Grand Prix. The circuit was officially open last week, the track was christened by Euroformula Open Championship driver Gulhuseyn Abdullayev, driving an old-spec GP3 car.
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.
Moto2 rider Luis Salom died yesterday (3/6/2016) following an accident in second practice for the Moto2 round at Barcelona.
Salom crashed at Turn 12 midway through the session on Friday afternoon, with two medical cars, two ambulances and the medical helicopter sent to the scene. He was transferred to road to Hospital General de Catalunya but succumbed to his injuries at five o'clock local time, aged 24.
Salom's death is the first fatality in MotoGP series since Marco Simoncelli's crash in the 2011 during Malaysia MotoGP race in Sepang, and the first in Moto2 since Shoya Tomizawa died at Misano in 2010.
Condolences goes to Luis's family and friends, Salom finished second and third in Moto3 in 2012 and 2013 includes nine Moto3 wins in those two seasons. Moving up to Moto2 with the Pons team in 2014, he had recorded three podium finishes. With the last of those podium came in Qatar in the Moto2 season opener in March where he finished in second place, riding for the SAG team.
Rest in Peace Luis Salom, you will be much missed.
Review of Round Four of the 2016 World Rallycross Championship season was the World RX of Great Britain, Lydden Hill Race Circuit, in South-East England.
In the four Heats, those were won by current World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg (winning three times) and Andreas Bakkerud.
In the first semi-final that was won by Petter Solberg World RX Team driver and current World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg in his Citroën DS3. Second was Team Peugeot-Hansen driver Timmy Hansen in his Peugeot 208, he was two seconds behind Solberg in the end. While, third was Peugeot Hansen Academy driver Kevin Hansen in his Peugeot 208, he was four seconds behind Solberg in the end.
In the second semi-final that was won by EKS RX driver Mattias Ekström in his Audi S1. Second was Hoonigan Racing Division driver Andreas Bakkerud in his Ford Focus RS, he was half a second behind Ekström in the end. While, third was World RX Team Austria driver Timur Timerzyanov in his Ford Fiesta ST, he was three seconds behind Ekström in the end.
In the final race, EKS RX driver Mattias Ekström took the race win in his Audi S1. Second was Petter Solberg World RX Team driver and current World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg in his Citroën DS3, he was a second behind Ekström in the end While, third was Team Peugeot-Hansen driver Sébastien Loeb in his Peugeot 208, he was three seconds behind Ekström in the end.
Next stop World RX of Norway at Lånkebanen Circuit for Round Five of the 2016 World Rallycross Championship season in two weeks time.
