A slightly diffrent look to the blogs from this week as we cover the NASCAR Sprint Cup from Kansas and give IndyCar an honourable mention as we approach the month of May and the magic of Indy, but a certain other single seater series has earned our wrath. Continue reading
Filed under: F1, NASCAR | Tagged: F1, formula one, motorsport, NASCAR, racecar | Leave a comment »
#F1 from China saw Lewis needing a gearbox change and taking a 5 place penalty. Seb was experimenting with an older, and supposedly less effective, exhaust arrangement and Lotus had their protest of the Mercedes DRS activated duct system rejected. Phew! And that was before we got to race.
Once the lights changed the Mercedes duo ran off ahead of Button until their first stops when MSC was released with his right front wheel not done up and he quickly pulled off and parked. Things then got a bit processional until later in the race when a slow stop for JB pitched him out into the midst of a bunch of cars fighting amongst themselves for what would become 2nd through about 8th. In the end Button and Hamilton nailed the 2nd and 3rd spots ahead of the Red Bull duo with Webbo winning that inter team battle despite having almost flipped his car after a wild ride over the kerb. Grosjean finally managed to get to the end of a GP and was a fine 6th ahead of the Williams pair. Lewis leads the title race a couple of points up on JB and Alonso slipped back having only managed to make 9th at the flag.
#NASCAR Down in Fort Worth the MWR Toyotas continued to perform well with Martin Truex taking pole and then finishing sixth with team mate Mark Martin finishing third for another solid pair of top tens. Greg Biffle snaffled the win from Jimmy Johnson with a great late run in a race that saw few caution periods (good to see). All four Hendrick cars finished in the top 10, but Biffle’s win postponed the 200th win celebrations for another week at least. Biffle now leads the standings by 19 points.
#IndyCar from Long Beach saw all of the Chevy runners take a grid penalty for a precautionary engine change after the Sonoma tests so Dario was the beneficiary ending up starting from pole. But it was Will Power, who had had to start 12th instead of from the front row after taking his 10 place penalty, who came through to win from a hard charging Simon Pagenaud. Takuma Sato had looked like getting third until being turned around on the last lap and dropping to 8th, one place ahead of fellow F1 refugee Rubens.
Filed under: F1, Indycar, NASCAR | Tagged: autoracing, F1, formula one, motorsport, NASCAR, racecar | Leave a comment »
The debate over Bahrain rumbles on, but I still believe that it should be cancelled. Arguments over whether or not the team personnel will be safe or not are, for me, spurious. The real issue is around the people.
Sure we should try to keep politics out of sport, but here we are allowing sport into politics as the F1 circus helps to prop up a regime that is not being too nice to its people. I am sure that there will be no risk of riots or disruption as any such activity will be brutally suppressed, so of course the teams will be safe there.
As I said here the other week, if the race does go ahead we will ignore it completely. It may not be much of a protest, but it is all I have to offer. Short of a bunch of chaps barging in and holding my eyes open in front of the TV I don’t see what they can do about it. Mind you, I wouldn’t put it past them; I think I might just go out for the day.
Filed under: Circuits, F1 | Tagged: autoracing, F1, formula one, motorsport, racecar | Leave a comment »
#NASCAR at Martinsville. Good to see the modern cars at one of the sport’s spiritual homes. Kasey Kahne racked up pole for Hendrick, but went out with engine woes leaving the #24 and #48 to slug it out for what looked like a certain 200th win for Hendrick, but a late caution (when Rooti stopped on the track) it all went wrong on the restart with Boywer’s #15 starting fast and getting a run down the inside into turn one and then the #15, #24 and #48 all spun leaving Ryan Newman and AJ to run out the last couple of laps pretty much side by side and finishing in that order. Junior got 3rd and a consolation for Hendrick.
#IndyCar from Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama with an odd looking top six shootout for pole after problems for some of the usual suspects, but round one winner Helio Castroneves picked up the pole for Penske this time out, but could only translate that into third whilst retaining the championship lead. Will Power lost last time out due to a poor strategy when starting from pole, but this time started well down the grid and won with a perfect fuel and tyre strategy. Dixon slotted in between the Penske pair for second. Rubens got into the top 10 on his second outing and looks like he might be getting the hang of things.
#F1 and it is good to see that we might be getting the French grand prix back onto the calendar. Ricard is a decent enough circuit too even if it is a bit isolated, but with a good date the weather should be cracking down South: It would be good to have it back in July so that it is adjacent to the British GP again. Our fingers will be crossed for a successful negotiation.
#BTCC got under way at Brands Hatch this weekend with Rob Collard (BMW), Matt Neal (Honda) and Jason Plato (MG) picking up the wins. Close and colourful action for the faithful on a bright day at the Kentich circuit. Almost wish we had gone…
Filed under: Circuits, F1, Indycar, NASCAR, Tin Tops | Tagged: autoracing, BTCC, F1, formula one, Indycar, motorsport, NASCAR, racecar | Leave a comment »
So the next non-points race will be 4 twenty laps segments and a ten lap shootout. What is the point of all that?
If the real race is a ten lapper then run a ten lapper; why waste everyone’s time and effort with what is effectively four qualifying heats?
Maybe I’m just an old purist, but I’m not going to apologise for that. To me the whole thing is about as real as watching professional wrestling; it might be fun for the kids, but it isn’t true sports.
NASCAR should be about racing, and if we are going to have a 70 lap event then run a straight 70 lap race. All of this pandering to creating artifical excitement is killing what racing should be about.
So, once again, I’ll not be paying any attention to the non points race. For me that desrciption sums it up; it’s just a pointless event.
Filed under: NASCAR | Tagged: autoracing, motorsport, NASCAR, racecar | Leave a comment »
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