Review of Round Two of the 2018 World Rallycross Championship season was the World RX of Portugal, at Pista Automóvel de Montalegre, Montalegre, Northern Portugal.
In the four Heats, those were won by Sébastien Loeb (winning twice), Timmy Hansen and Andreas Bakkerud (winning twice).
In the first semi-final that was won by PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver and current World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson in his Volkswagen Polo R. Second was EKS Audi Sport driver Andreas Bakkerud in his Audi S1, he was fifteen tenths of a second behind Kristoffersson in the end. While, third was GC Kompetition driver Guerlain Chicherit in his Renault Mégane RS, he was three seconds behind Kristoffersson in the end.
In the second semi-final that was won by Team Peugeot Total driver Timmy Hansen in his Peugeot 208. Second was Team Peugeot Total driver Sébastien Loeb in his Peugeot 208, he was three tenths of a second behind Hansen in the end. While, third was PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver Petter Solberg in his Volkswagen Polo R, he was seven tenths of a second behind Hansen in the end.
In the final race, PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver and current World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson took the race win in his Volkswagen Polo R. Second was Team Peugeot Total driver Sébastien Loeb in his Peugeot 208, he was two seconds behind Kristoffersson in the end. While, third was PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver Petter Solberg in his Volkswagen Polo R, he was four seconds behind Kristoffersson in the end.
Next stop World RX of Belgium at Circuit Jules Tacheny Mettet for Round Three of the 2018 World Rallycross Championship season in two weeks time.
Monday, 30 April 2018
2018 WRC Round 5 recap - Rally Argentina
Recap of the last round of WRC from this weekends Round five of Rally Argentina.
Last weekend was the fifth round of the World Rally Championship at the Rally Argentina (26th-29th April) that was won by Ott Tänak in the works Toyota Yaris WRC.
While, Thierry Neuville finished second in his works Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, Neuville was forty seconds behind Tänak at the end. Meanwhile, M-Sport World Rally Team driver Dani Sordo finished third in his works Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, Sordo was seventy-five seconds behind Tänak 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 Škoda Motorsport driver and Current WRC-2 champion Pontus Tidemand in his Škoda Fabia R5. Pontus Tidemand finished in tenth place overall, he was tweleve minutes behind Neuville at the end of the rally.
Highlights of the rally below, enjoy.
Next stop, Round Six of the 2018 WRC season for Rally Portugal in three weeks time.
Last weekend was the fifth round of the World Rally Championship at the Rally Argentina (26th-29th April) that was won by Ott Tänak in the works Toyota Yaris WRC.
While, Thierry Neuville finished second in his works Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, Neuville was forty seconds behind Tänak at the end. Meanwhile, M-Sport World Rally Team driver Dani Sordo finished third in his works Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, Sordo was seventy-five seconds behind Tänak 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 Škoda Motorsport driver and Current WRC-2 champion Pontus Tidemand in his Škoda Fabia R5. Pontus Tidemand finished in tenth place overall, he was tweleve minutes behind Neuville at the end of the rally.
Highlights of the rally below, enjoy.
Next stop, Round Six of the 2018 WRC season for Rally Portugal in three weeks time.
2017/18 Formula E - Paris ePrix - Round 7 Recap
Review of Round Seven of the 2017-18 Formula E season held at the Paris Street Circuit in Paris, France.
The race was won by Techeetah driver Jean-Éric Vergne in his Spark-Renault. Second was Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler driver and current Formula E Champion Lucas di Grassi in his Spark-Audi, he was five second behind Vergne in the end. Meanwhile, third was DS Virgin Racing driver Sam Bird in his Spark-Citroën, he was nine seconds behind Vergne in the end.
Highlights of the race below, enjoy.
Next stop, Round Eight of the 2017-18 Formula E season at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit in Berlin, Germany for the Berlin ePrix in three weeks time.
The race was won by Techeetah driver Jean-Éric Vergne in his Spark-Renault. Second was Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler driver and current Formula E Champion Lucas di Grassi in his Spark-Audi, he was five second behind Vergne in the end. Meanwhile, third was DS Virgin Racing driver Sam Bird in his Spark-Citroën, he was nine seconds behind Vergne in the end.
Highlights of the race below, enjoy.
Next stop, Round Eight of the 2017-18 Formula E season at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit in Berlin, Germany for the Berlin ePrix in three weeks time.
2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Review
Review of the fourth round of the 2018 F1 season at Baku City Circuit in the the centre of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Overall, I thought it was the best race of the season so far and one of the best Grand Prix I have seen for a while. Sebastian Vettel on pole for Sunday's race. Come race day, Vettel was unstoppable, lead the first half of the Grand Prix. By lap 30, Vettel pitted for tyres while Valtteri Bottas lead, while Vettel waiting to retake the lead of the race for Bottas to pit for his second stop of the race when the race awake itself on lap 39, when the Safety Car was deployed for the second time in the race involving both Red Bull drivers' Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen collided with each other at the first corner.
Meant that Bottas got a free pit-stop and retain the lead with Vettel behind in second place. When the Safety Car period end on lap 47, things change Vettel attempted to overtake Bottas at the first corner on lap 48 he locked up and ran wide letting both Lewis Hamilton and team-mate Kimi Räikkönen for second and third place, and then later in the lap for Sergio Pérez for fourth place. Giving Mercedes a one-two finish with Bottas bolted clear over the rest of the field, until at the start of lap 49 when Bottas cruelly picked up a left-rear puncture at the end of the start-finish straight and instantly retiring out of the race.
Giving Current Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton the lead with three laps to go and stayed there till the end to give Lewis Hamilton the race win in this seasons Azerbaijan Grand Prix and his first race win of the season.
While, Kimi Räikkönen finished in second place in Ferrari, Räikkönen was two and half seconds behind Hamilton at the end.
Meanwhile, Sergio Pérez finished in third place in the Force India to complete the podium for Pérez's first podium finish since the 2016 European Grand Prix at Baku, Pérez was four seconds behind Hamilton at the end.
Quick mention to Charles Leclerc in the Sauber finishing sixth place in a impressive weekend from the former F2 Champion, Leclerc was nine seconds behind Hamilton at the end.
Finally, a quick mention to Brendon Hartley in the Toro Rosso finishing tenth place becoming the first New Zealand driver to score point since Chris Amon did at the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix, Hartley was eighteen seconds behind Hamilton at the end of the fifty-one lap race.
Highlights of the race below, enjoy.
Rate the Teams and Drivers
Mercedes - 8
Lewis Hamilton - 9 (race win)
Valtteri Bottas - 8 (DNF, Puncture)
Ferrari - 8
Sebastian Vettel - 8 (pole, finished fourth)
Kimi Räikkönen - 8 (finished second)
Red Bull Racing - 7
Daniel Ricciardo - 7 (DNF, Collision with Verstappen)
Max Verstappen - 7 (DNF, Collision with Ricciardo)
Force India - 7
Sergio Pérez- 9 (finished third)
Esteban Ocon- 6 (DNF, Collision with Räikkönen)
Williams - 7
Lance Stroll - 8 (finished eighth)
Sergey Sirotkin - 6 (DNF, Collision with Pérez)
Renault - 8
Nico Hülkenberg - 7 (DNF, Crashed out)
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 9 (finished fifth)
Toro Rosso - 6
Pierre Gasly - 5 (finished twelfth)
Brendon Hartley - 7 (finished tenth)
Haas - 5
Romain Grosjean - 6 (DNF, Crashed out)
Kevin Magnussen - 5 (finished thirteenth)
McLaren - 6
Fernando Alonso - 8 (finished seventh)
Stoffel Vandoorne - 6 (finished ninth)
Sauber - 7
Marcus Ericsson - 5 (finished eleventh)
Charles Leclerc - 10 (finished sixth)
Next stop Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona in two weeks time for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Overall, I thought it was the best race of the season so far and one of the best Grand Prix I have seen for a while. Sebastian Vettel on pole for Sunday's race. Come race day, Vettel was unstoppable, lead the first half of the Grand Prix. By lap 30, Vettel pitted for tyres while Valtteri Bottas lead, while Vettel waiting to retake the lead of the race for Bottas to pit for his second stop of the race when the race awake itself on lap 39, when the Safety Car was deployed for the second time in the race involving both Red Bull drivers' Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen collided with each other at the first corner.
Meant that Bottas got a free pit-stop and retain the lead with Vettel behind in second place. When the Safety Car period end on lap 47, things change Vettel attempted to overtake Bottas at the first corner on lap 48 he locked up and ran wide letting both Lewis Hamilton and team-mate Kimi Räikkönen for second and third place, and then later in the lap for Sergio Pérez for fourth place. Giving Mercedes a one-two finish with Bottas bolted clear over the rest of the field, until at the start of lap 49 when Bottas cruelly picked up a left-rear puncture at the end of the start-finish straight and instantly retiring out of the race.
Giving Current Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton the lead with three laps to go and stayed there till the end to give Lewis Hamilton the race win in this seasons Azerbaijan Grand Prix and his first race win of the season.
While, Kimi Räikkönen finished in second place in Ferrari, Räikkönen was two and half seconds behind Hamilton at the end.
Meanwhile, Sergio Pérez finished in third place in the Force India to complete the podium for Pérez's first podium finish since the 2016 European Grand Prix at Baku, Pérez was four seconds behind Hamilton at the end.
Quick mention to Charles Leclerc in the Sauber finishing sixth place in a impressive weekend from the former F2 Champion, Leclerc was nine seconds behind Hamilton at the end.
Finally, a quick mention to Brendon Hartley in the Toro Rosso finishing tenth place becoming the first New Zealand driver to score point since Chris Amon did at the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix, Hartley was eighteen seconds behind Hamilton at the end of the fifty-one lap race.
Highlights of the race below, enjoy.
Rate the Teams and Drivers
Mercedes - 8
Lewis Hamilton - 9 (race win)
Valtteri Bottas - 8 (DNF, Puncture)
Ferrari - 8
Sebastian Vettel - 8 (pole, finished fourth)
Kimi Räikkönen - 8 (finished second)
Red Bull Racing - 7
Daniel Ricciardo - 7 (DNF, Collision with Verstappen)
Max Verstappen - 7 (DNF, Collision with Ricciardo)
Force India - 7
Sergio Pérez- 9 (finished third)
Esteban Ocon- 6 (DNF, Collision with Räikkönen)
Williams - 7
Lance Stroll - 8 (finished eighth)
Sergey Sirotkin - 6 (DNF, Collision with Pérez)
Renault - 8
Nico Hülkenberg - 7 (DNF, Crashed out)
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 9 (finished fifth)
Toro Rosso - 6
Pierre Gasly - 5 (finished twelfth)
Brendon Hartley - 7 (finished tenth)
Haas - 5
Romain Grosjean - 6 (DNF, Crashed out)
Kevin Magnussen - 5 (finished thirteenth)
McLaren - 6
Fernando Alonso - 8 (finished seventh)
Stoffel Vandoorne - 6 (finished ninth)
Sauber - 7
Marcus Ericsson - 5 (finished eleventh)
Charles Leclerc - 10 (finished sixth)
Next stop Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona in two weeks time for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Sunday, 29 April 2018
24 years on, Remembering Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger
This Monday coming up (30/4/18) and Tuesday (1/5/18) it will be 24 years that Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna has past away from us, from the accidents at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994 were Ratzenberger crashed his Simtek at Villenunve in Qualifying and Senna crashed his Williams at Tumbrello in the race itself. Both would have been 58 this year if there still around today. So for this post remembering both Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger.
The sport has change since their deaths, with the safety of both cars and tracks to improve safety year after year. So never forget Ayrton and Roland, both are still missed throughout the world of motor-racing in general.
The sport has change since their deaths, with the safety of both cars and tracks to improve safety year after year. So never forget Ayrton and Roland, both are still missed throughout the world of motor-racing in general.
Confirmed: Jenson Button to contest 24 Hours of Le Mans with SMP Racing LMP1 team
It was confirmed of Friday (28/4/18) Jenson Button will contest this seasons 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, with the SMP Racing LMP1 team, starting with this year's Le Mans 24 Hours.
The former McLaren F1 driver will make his WEC debut at Le Mans in one of SMP's two AER-powered, Dallara-built BR1s alongside Russian duo Vitaly Petrov and Mikhail Aleshin.
This follows Button's first steps into sportscar racing with Honda in Super GT, which Button is contesting full-time this season after making his debut in last year's Suzuka 1000km.
Button is expected to contest every race on the 2018/19 WEC schedule with the exception of next week's Spa opener, which clashes with the Fuji Super GT round.
Petrov and Aleshin will race at Spa as a duo, while Stephane Sarrazin, Matevos Isaakyan and Egor Orudzhev form the line-up in the sister #17 BR1-AER.
A new challenge ahead for the former Formula 1 World Champion.
The former McLaren F1 driver will make his WEC debut at Le Mans in one of SMP's two AER-powered, Dallara-built BR1s alongside Russian duo Vitaly Petrov and Mikhail Aleshin.
This follows Button's first steps into sportscar racing with Honda in Super GT, which Button is contesting full-time this season after making his debut in last year's Suzuka 1000km.
Button is expected to contest every race on the 2018/19 WEC schedule with the exception of next week's Spa opener, which clashes with the Fuji Super GT round.
Petrov and Aleshin will race at Spa as a duo, while Stephane Sarrazin, Matevos Isaakyan and Egor Orudzhev form the line-up in the sister #17 BR1-AER.
A new challenge ahead for the former Formula 1 World Champion.
Tuesday, 24 April 2018
Group C car + LMP1 car = Porsche 919 Evo
Porsche may not be competing in the LMP1 category in the World Endurance Series this season, but that doesn’t matter Porshce's retired 919 Hybrid look liked it added a Group C vibe to it renamed it the 919 Evo. A lighter, more powerful 919 Hybrid unshackled from the WEC’s rules and regulations.Resulting a 1m 41.770 lap time around Spa, neearly eight tenths of a second faster than the 1m 42.553s pole time that Lewis Hamilton pole did at last seasons’s Belgian Grand Prix!
Engine and Hybrid systems remain the same, with the rules out the window the 2.0-litre turbocharged V4 engine goes up from 500bhp to 720bhp. Power from the electronics has increased from 400 to 440bhp, giving 8.49 megajoules of boost.
The front diffuser and rear wing are new, much bigger than the original parts they replace meaning 53 per cent more downforce than last year’s car in Spa qualifying trim. This, Porsche claims, is more downforce than an F1 car if you believe.
Porsche also added a four-wheel brake-by-wire system, different power steering and stronger suspension wishbones. Removal of the air conditioning, windscreen wiper, several sensors and the pneumatic jacks mean weight is down by 39kg to just 849kg. Meaning the Porsche 919 Evo is faster than a Formula 1 car around Spa!
Engine and Hybrid systems remain the same, with the rules out the window the 2.0-litre turbocharged V4 engine goes up from 500bhp to 720bhp. Power from the electronics has increased from 400 to 440bhp, giving 8.49 megajoules of boost.
The front diffuser and rear wing are new, much bigger than the original parts they replace meaning 53 per cent more downforce than last year’s car in Spa qualifying trim. This, Porsche claims, is more downforce than an F1 car if you believe.
Porsche also added a four-wheel brake-by-wire system, different power steering and stronger suspension wishbones. Removal of the air conditioning, windscreen wiper, several sensors and the pneumatic jacks mean weight is down by 39kg to just 849kg. Meaning the Porsche 919 Evo is faster than a Formula 1 car around Spa!
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