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.
Tuesday, 11 August 2015
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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