MotoGP, at Misano, Italy:
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| Pedrosa pushed to the pits |
In what was to become known as a race filled with drama, title contender and Misano pole sitter Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) suffered a technical problem with his tire warmers, which forced him to start from the pits. However, starting last, he quickly passed some riders but a collision with Hector Barbera at the apex of a left hander, high-sided Pedrosa and put him out of the race.
The Texan Ben Spies made a solid start and even though he lost some speed mid race, he dug deep in the closing stages to snatch fifth place from Stefan Bradl. "After what happened in the last eight weeks it almost feels like a podium for me," said Spies after the race.
Andrea Dovizioso (Tech 3 Yamaha) went mano-a-mano with Alvaro Bautista (Gresini Honda) in a thrilling final lap battle, and a photo was required to identify who crossed the line first to secure the third spot on the podium. Unfortunately, the Italian Dovizioso drifted wide on the exit and Bautista had enough power to get to the line first, but barely ..... by a margin of just .003 seconds!
Since the 2011 French GP, MotoGP legend and Ducati rider Valentino Rossi has not been sighted anywhere near a podium after a competitive race. Somehow, this all changed when Rossi secured second place after battling with Stefan Bradl during the middle stages, and was just 4.4 seconds behind the event winner.
Jorge Lorenzo (Factory Yamaha) and 2013 teammate to Valentino Rossi, took a big step towards securing his second MotoGP title when he won the Misano race, his sixth victory of the season.
"Valentino, to be honest, has been very brave today," said Lorenzo. "He rode in a very good way. To only finish four-seconds behind me with the Ducati is a good race."
The next race is the Gran Premio Iveco de Aragon, in Spain, on Sunday, September 30 next.
WRC, in Great Brittain for the Wales Rally:
After what can be called some difficult months, Jari-Matti Latvala did an outstanding job last weekend. On Friday morning, the Fin moved to the front, then extended his advantage on Saturday in the Brecon Valley mountains and consolidated his position in the Vale of Neath on Sunday, to secure his second win in a row. He crossed the line almost 30 seconds ahead of his nearest rival, a Citroen.
The victory is a major boost for Latvala and Ford and put an end to the 5 race domination by Sebastian Loeb and Citroen.
The rest of the podium was contended between sebastien Loeb and Petter Solberg. The two battled hard, but Loeb edged out at the finish to take second. "You cannot win everytime. It shows it is not as easy as sometimes people imagine," Explained Loeb. "...Jari-Matti was really very fast today, he was flying in the stages and so we had no chance."
To watch a video highlights of the race, please click here.
The next race will be held on October 4-7, Rallye de France -Alsace.
NASCAR, at Chicagoland Speedway:
Usually I don't cover the Camping World Truck series but Saturday night something special happened at the Iowa Speedway. In a truck that its owner could not make go fast, a young Ryan Blaney jumped in and made an incredible run and held off a couple of race restarts towards the end of the race, to take the win. At 18, Ryan becomes the youngest winner in the truck series.
The Sprint Cup cars raced in the GEICO 400 on Sunday afternoon, a race in which Jimmie Johnson seemed to be in complete control. Johnson led 172 of the 267 laps but his luck turned after a lengthy final pit stop dropped him behind Brad Keselowski. The Penske driver proceeded to pull away from Johnson and the field to eventually take the checkered flag.
Denny Hamlin got an even more frustrating end to the race, when he ran out of fuel on the last lap. His crew didn't not get his fuel tank all the way full on his final pit stop which sometimes can come back to haunt you.
And, too bad the lucky moustache didn't work for Jeff Gordon. A stuck trottle, obviously in the wide open position, usually, that is where you need it, sent him into the Turn 1 wall on lap 188. See it here.
Finally, it sure is good to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. having some fun again. Professional motorsports have become too commercialized for my taste. No more bad boy image or speaking your mind... well maybe just this time. Earnhardt over-revved his engine for a split second after the qualifying session on Saturday. A valve hit a piston in the third cylinder and to avoid any malfunction during the race they replaced the engine. This is how he explained it; "The valves and piston had a little party and they all ended-up with a hangover"!
Usually I don't cover the Camping World Truck series but Saturday night something special happened at the Iowa Speedway. In a truck that its owner could not make go fast, a young Ryan Blaney jumped in and made an incredible run and held off a couple of race restarts towards the end of the race, to take the win. At 18, Ryan becomes the youngest winner in the truck series.
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| Brad Keselowski |
Denny Hamlin got an even more frustrating end to the race, when he ran out of fuel on the last lap. His crew didn't not get his fuel tank all the way full on his final pit stop which sometimes can come back to haunt you.
And, too bad the lucky moustache didn't work for Jeff Gordon. A stuck trottle, obviously in the wide open position, usually, that is where you need it, sent him into the Turn 1 wall on lap 188. See it here.
Finally, it sure is good to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. having some fun again. Professional motorsports have become too commercialized for my taste. No more bad boy image or speaking your mind... well maybe just this time. Earnhardt over-revved his engine for a split second after the qualifying session on Saturday. A valve hit a piston in the third cylinder and to avoid any malfunction during the race they replaced the engine. This is how he explained it; "The valves and piston had a little party and they all ended-up with a hangover"!
Next race: New Hampshire on Sunday, 1.00 pm
Thanks for reading.
Source: Crash.net, WRC, NASCAR
Photo Credit: MotoGP, Mirco Lazzari gp - Getty Images Europe, Automobilsport.com,
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