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#NASCAR round up 30 May 2011

Posted on June 2, 2011 by truckertoggle

(Managed to muck up the scheduling on this one and it didn’t go out as planned, so here it is, albeit a few days late – sorry)

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve seen Kimi make his first couple of forays into NASCAR with a good 15th place in the trucks (Nelson jnr did even better, although he has had more practice) and followed that up with a Nationwide outing that didn’t go quite as well. Watching him in the trucks you could see all of the car control and feel was there though, and he just needs to get used to the lack of sophistication in the equipment and the very different subtleties of the racing. If he has fun he will stay and the results will come.

In the 600 more heartbreak for Little E as he ran out of gas on the run to the flag, but good results for RPM with the Dinger and the Digger bringing their Fords in 5th and 6th. Could we have a Petty car back in the winner’s circle this season? Hope so.

Good fun watching the Nationwide race at Iowa. One of the less famous venues maybe, but a good race and good to see one of the series’ regulars hold off the Sprint Cup boys for the win.

Filed under: Drivers, F1, NASCAR | Tagged: autoracing, F1, formula one, motorsport, NASCAR, racecar | Leave a comment »

monaco grand prix round up 29 May 2011 #F1

Posted on May 30, 2011 by truckertoggle

Mayhem at the #monacograndprix with the decision to allow cars to be serviced during the red flag screwing up any chance of the natural outcome.

Some say that you make your own luck, and Vettel certainly fluked this one. Not that he isn’t fast, but McLaren had this one won until that call to bring Button in for athird change of tyres at just the wrong moment. Just when it looked as though he might have a chance of picking up the win late on the red flag blew his chance for good. Why F1 doesn’t run NASCAR parc ferme style procedures at these times is maybe down to safety, but they might just as well have flagged it short under the circumstances. I’m sure that my friends dow the road at Grove would have been happier as hamitlton would not have been able to stuff Pastor’s chances into the barrier. At times Lewis is a bit daft, and his lunge at Massa earlier was not what you expect of a driver with his talents. His penalties were deserved and his ill considered comments post race did him no credit.

Whilst the new tyre rules provide overtaking chances, it was Sutil’s marathon stint that built up the convoy that triggered the red flag incident just as the leaders were coming through.

So, for me, the race got spoiled. Vettel and his Red Bull is the quickest combo around, but a bit of guile, as well atalent and racecraft almost saw him beaten today, but circumstances handed him the win on a plate. Maybe he should get into the casino and put his winnings on the table, or maybe he’s used up today’s quota of luck?

Filed under: Circuits, Drivers, F1 | Tagged: autoracing, F1, formula one | 1 Comment »

weekend round up – 16 May 2011 #NASCAR #DTM #Indy #NHRA

Posted on May 17, 2011 by thatconsultantbloke

#NASCAR – Who else but Mark Martin could stay out on old tyres and hold off for around 35 laps of the Monster Mile all bar one of those who had stopped for two or four new ones? That was skill and experience at its best and a joy to watch. Another good run for the Digger to third and also a good top 5 for Brian Vickers as his comeback rolls on.

#DTM – Mike Rockenfeller wins Zandvoort for Audi as Bruno Spengler misses the pit call. I miss the GP from the Dutch Dunes. Not one of the great tracks maybe, but it was part of the F1 calendar that I grew up with.

#Indy – rain stopped play in Indiana as the 500 run up begins in earnest. Who will make up the field come Memorial Day? All the tension, excitement, relief and heartbreak coming up.

#NHRA – I don’t normally comment on events from the quarter mile, but whenever I am in the US I do like to watch the drama unfold. Drag racing has a format that fits well with TV and I am always impressed by the action. Watching the crews tear down and rebuild an engine after a run is pretty amazing as is the spectacle of the cars running after darkness falls. OK, in the top classes the race is over in less time that separates first and last on an F1 grid, but getting one of those beasts off the line and down the track takes some skill, and the terminal speeds leave F1 standing. Respect!

Filed under: Circuits, Drivers, F1, Indycar, NASCAR, Tin Tops | Tagged: autoracing, F1, Indy500, Indycar, motorsport, NASCAR, racecar | Leave a comment »

weekend round up – 8th May 2011 #NASCAR #F1

Posted on May 8, 2011 by truckertoggle

#NASCAR from Darlington. Regan Smith picks up a maiden win for himself and Barney Visser’s Furniture Row team and manages to translate a great qualifying performance this season (7 top ten starts out of 10 trys) into a win. The wonders of NASCAR make these things possible, and it’s great to se one of the smaller teams pull off a win, especially at one of NASCAR’s iconic venues. Also of note maybe was that the four manufacturers competing in Sprint cup were each represented in the top 4. Less noteworthy was that, yet again, he who shall not be named was involved in some pushing and shoving. We’ve suggested here before that parking him for a few races might wake him up; the #18 driver has the talent to win cleanly, so why all this stupidity almost every week?

#F1 from Turkey. We’re pleased here to see Mercedes challenging and, with Renault/Lotus, making it five teams in the hunt in qualifying at least, even if race pace varies hugely. But is there any doubt that the Red Bull, especially in the hands of Vettel, is the class of the field? Certainly in terms of raw pace he has them all covered.

Behind the flying #1 Red Bull plenty of uncertainty about the outcome with the differing strategies for a while though, but once you get down to the last 15 laps or so it’s all pretty much over. A decent track for a modern one and plenty of overtaking going on.

Who can stop Red Bull though, and Vettel in particular? Two in a row is not an easy feat, but who would back anyone other than Vettel for the title at this stage? Roll on Spain.