The racing weekend that was - Wk 23

In Formula One, at the Canadian Grand Prix:
Pole sitter and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (pictured on the right celebrating his victory) led from start to finish to secure his fourth win of the season. Team mate Nico Rosberg rarely ran more than a couple of seconds behind for the 70 lap long race. Hamilton now leads Rosberg by 17 points in the World Championship. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel sits in third place and trailing by massive 43 points.

The highlights of the race were the dual performances of Felipe Massa, who powered his Williams-Mercedes from 17th place on the grid to sixth, and of Sebastian Vettel, who outperformed his team mate Raikkonen by moving up 14 places to finish in 5th position. Another poor outing by Raikkonen, who ran a strong third all through the race only to spin all by himself coming out of the hairpin. He would drop behind fellow countrymen Valtteri Bottas who finished on the podium in third place. Pastor Maldonado also ran a great race to finish in seventh, his best finish in F1 in 46 races.

Though Max Verstappen had qualified in P12, penalties incurred from the Monaco race and penalties due to engine change meant he would start towards the back of the grid. However, the young Dutchman would drive a good race to finish in 15th place.

Alonso had hoped for a much faster car

One team that looks like it has started to come apart is McLaren-Honda (pictured on the right) as both cars dropped out of the race. Unfortunately, neither car was competitive enough and the strain on the drivers is starting to show, though they have very capable drivers in Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button (both are past world champions). And to think Alonso left Ferrari last year.

The top five:
1. Lewis Hamilton, GBR, Mercedes-Mercedes
2. Nico Rosberg, GER, Mercedes-Mercedes
3. Valtteri Bottas, FIN, Williams-Mercedes
4. Kimi Raikkonen, FIN, Ferrari-Ferrari
5. Sebastian Vettel, GER, Ferarri-Ferrari

The next race in the GP of Austria on June 19-21 next.


The N.H.R.A. at Englishtown, New Jersey:
The women in N.H.R.A. drag racing keep exerting pressure on the men. Whilst Pro Stock driver Erica Enders won the last round, this time she had to press in the clutch to soon and lost in the first round of eliminations. Not to worry for second generation Top Fuel driver Brittany Force stepped up her game and went all the way to the finals. However, she would loose to Antron Brown who ran 3.849 second pass at 318.47 mph.

Alexis doing her burn out

In Funny Car, the final race also came down between the two genders. Alexis DeJoria (pictured on the right) put up a valiant effort but came up short against Matt Hagan who ran a 4.132 at 299.53 mph and is the defending series champion.

In Pro Stock, KB Racing's Greg Anderson powered his bow tie Chevrolet to a win over Allen Johnson (Dodge) to earn his 76th career victory and take over the series lead. The winning run was a 6.504 at 214.31 mph.

In Pro Stock Bike, Louisiana native Jerry Savoie earned his second career victory when Jimmy Underdahl gave him an easy win by red lighting in the final round. Red lights are fairly common as the bikes react oh so quickly of the staring line.

The next round will be held at the New England Dragway on June 12-14 next.


On a side note, during the Top Fuel qualifying at the Winternationals down under, 39 year old Phil Lamattina suffered a major chassis failure which resulted in a horrendous crash. Though Lamattina seemed unhurt he was transported to the hospital where doctors confirmed he had suffered a shattered vertebrae in the incident. He is expected to make a full recovery. Get well soon Phil.

It is not often that we see a chassis failure like this. See picts below.

Source: crash.net, dragracingconnection.com, dragnews.com.au

Photo credit: Formula One, GP Update, Crash pictures' owner unknown,

The racing weekend that was - Wk 21 updated

In Formula One, Monaco:

In what turned to be a very exciting race, a spectacular team order blunder gives the race to Nico Rosberg, though Lewis Hamilton had led from the start and had a 15 second lead. Despite the track known for tight racing quarters, the action was relatively good. What stood out for me were the passing maneuvers attempts and the drama of breaking under pressure!

Race highlights:
Rookie sensation Max Verstappen driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso, passes Pastor Maldonado in his Lotus for P8 but looses a lot of positions during a pit stop due to a problem with the right rear. After a good stint he switches to super softs and comes in p11 right behind third place driver Sebastian Vettel. Max decides to duck under the German's rear wing to make use of any blue flags given to Vettel. However, Romain Grosjean (Lotus) doesn't fall for the trick and quickly closes the door after letting Vettel pass. Hereafter Max exerts a great deal of pressure on the Lotus of Grosjean for the final points paying position (P10) and finally takes a gamble going into Ste Devote. The Dutchman went for a small opening but touched Grosjean's right rear tire breaking his own wing and suspension before vaulting  the Torro Rosso over the kerb into the barriers. This racing incident, though penalized by the race stewards, shows that the seventeen-year-old is not afraid to attack when he sees an opening. Good for F1!

Lewis at a loss for words

With the "virtual" safety car out for Verstappen's crash and with 14 laps to go, the Mercedes team decides to pit p1 driver Lewis Hamilton for supersoft. This was done before picking up the safety car and when Lewis resumes the race he realizes he has come behind team mate Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel and into third place. With ten laps to go Lewis' camp realizes they have gambled for no reason and lost it as well. Just 3-4 laps before the end of the race, Lewis radios in that it is impossible to pass Vettel.

Daniel Ricciardo made a aggressive move on Raikkonen going into Mirabeau. The Australian carefully nudged Kimi out of the way by clipping his right rear tire and sending him wide.
Kimi on team radio after the pass, "that was not nice". Really Kimi? I think Kimi's wings have been clipped for good.

Lewis Hamilton after the race: "The team has been amazing all year long - we win together and lose together."

To read the live commentaries on the race, please click here.

Top ten:
1. Nico Rosberg, GER, Mercedes-Mercedes,
2. Sebastian Vettel, GER, Ferrari-Ferrari,
3. Lewis Hamilton, GBR, Mercedes-Mercedes,
4. Daniil Kvyat, RUS, Red Bull-Renault,
5. Daniel Ricciardo, AUS, Red Bull-Renault,
6. Kimi Raikkonen, FIN, Ferrari-Ferrari,
7. Sergio Perez, MEX, Force India-Mercedes,
8. Jenson Button, GBR, McLaren-Honda,
9. Felipe Nasr, BRZ, Sauber-Ferrari
10. Carlos Sainz Jr, ESP, Toro Rosso-Ferrari.


NHRA at Topeka, Kansas:
On a race Sunday that had the NHRA Safety Safari working flat out trying to get the race in amidst the occasional rain showers, the e.t. God's were looking on and smiling. Whereas in the entire 2014 season 19 three-second runs were recorder, on Sunday a whopping 15 were set, with 5 of those going to the funny car winner. Chalk it all down to ideal air conditions...for the nitro cars.

In Top Fuel, Brittany Force ran pretty good and got all the way to the semi's where Crampton send her packing. He then laid down a 3.738 at 318.09 to hold off Larry Dixon.

In Funny Car, Jack Beckman used a pair of sub four second passes to outrun Courtney Force and John Hale in earlier rounds and then outran Del Worsham in a close semi. In the final Jack beat none other than 16-time world champ John Force by running a 3.984 at 316.45 mph. He also took the 250th victory for his boss Don Schumacher. Get well soon, Don!

Beckman on racing Force, "I have all the respect in the world for John Force. It makes a difference when you race him. You're getting a chance to play against babe Ruth. It's so unique in our sport, that a guy [who is] the best there has aver been in this sport, can still mix it up with us. I've said it before, I can't wait to tell my grandkids I got to compete against John Force. This throphy will be extra special because it was John Force we beat in the final."

In Pro Stock, the Chevy's were charging hard to the semi's. In the final round of eliminations, KB racing's Greg Anderson ran a 6.591 at 209.14 but it wasn't quick enough to beat the red Camaro of Erica Enders, who herself was the quickest all day long.

Next the NHRA series will head June 4-7 to Englishtown, New Jersey.


Source: Crash.net, Drag Illustrated, Wikipedia
Photo credit: Getty Images, Autosport.com, Drag Illustrated

Best F1 driver's quotes

The other day I was going through my file on the late Ayrton Senna when I got stuck on one of his quotes.

After some searching I realized that he made some of the most remarkable F1 quotes ever, and interestingly enough, the best quotes came from what I considered to be the most reckless and risk-taking drivers, while the most boring ones from the calculating and conservative ones.

Here is my top five F1 driver's quotes:

- 1st -

"Being second is like being the first of the ones who lose"

 

- 2nd -

"...And so you touch this limit, something happens and you can suddenly go a little bit further. With your mindpower, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high"

 

- 3rd -

"Winning is the most important [thing]. Everything is consequence of that"

Ayrton Senna.

 

- 4th -

"there is always a lot of talk about motivation to race, but nobody really know what I do or what I think apart from myself, so I don't really care what people think"

 

- 5th -

"..leave alone, I know what I'm doing"

Kimi Raikonnen.

 

To have the desire to win requires some degree of selfishness. This quote illustrates the other side of that.

 

"There are few things that make me angry. Mostly things not going my way"

Sebastian Vettel.

 

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Photo credit: Photographer/owner unknown

The racing weekend that was

In Formula One, at Sepang, Malaysia:

In only the second race of the season, the Formula One racing series is already engulfed in controversy.

Webber leading Vettel

Sebastian Vettel (RBR) who started from pole, fell back to second following the first round of pit stops, and trailed Mark Webber (RBR) until the late stages of the race, when he went mano-a-mano with his teammate Mark Webber. And even though team orders required Vettel to hold position, P2 that is, in a move that shows his total disregard for team orders he passed his teammate to take his 27th Grand Prix win, equaling three-time champion Jackie Stewart in the all-time list.

In a race which had many complaints about tire wear two teams stood out, and both had team orders passed out to its drivers. Interestingly enough, some listen better than others. For RBR instruction or code "multi21" means for its drivers to turn down their engines and hold station, which Vettel did not do.
As for the Mercedes, P4 driver Nico Rosberg tried in vain to get his team to let him pass his teammate Lewis Hamilton, driving in third place but at a much slower pace.
I guess the lesson to be learned here is that when you are a multiple world champion you don't have to follow rules.

Below I've posted an interview with RBR team principal.

And then, there is this story on Jalopnik, by Raphael Orlove, titled: An In-Depth Analysis of F1's Most Awkward/Amazing Podium. A must read for F1 enthusiasts. To view it click here.

Race results:

1. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull_Renault,

2. Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault,

3. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Mercedes,



Fastest lap: Sergio Perez, McLaren-Mercedes 1m 39.199s

Alonso drives with a damaged front wing

F1 Drivers' Championship (2 of 19):
1st. Sebastian Vettel 40 points, 2nd. Kimi Raikkonen 31 points, 3rd. Mark Webber 26 points, 4th. Lewis Hamilton 25 points, and in 5th. Felipe Massa 22 points.

The Spaniard Fernando Alonso explained that he was "very unlucky" to have to retire from the race, after contact with Sebastian Vettel on the first. The incident caused him to lose his front wing, when the Scuderia gambled on leaving him out instead of bringing him into the pits for a nose change.

In NASCAR, at Fontana, California:
For those of you who followed NASCAR during the past week, you know that what happened during the race could have been scripted in Hollywood, which is a stone's throw away from the track.

The intense rivalry between Joe Logano and Denny Hamlin which started in the previous race, two weekends ago, continued without missing a beat. The two cars were so evenly matched they were running close the entire race. On the final lap, it appeared as if Logano opted to settle scores rather than take the win, even telling reporters afterwards: "That's what he gets."

Below a short video on the final lap and the above mentioned race incident.

The eventual race winner, Kyle Busch, had won the Nationwide race the night before, and had started the Auto Club 400 race from fourth. Even so he lead the race for more than 125 laps (out of 200) and was running in third as the Logano-Hamlin duo fought it out for first. Eventually he got the sweep as he swept in front and won the race on the last lap. With this win, he breaks a 31-race winless streak stretching back to Richmond in April 2012.

Race results:
1. Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing), 2. Dale Earnhardt Jr, (Hendrick Motorsports), 3. Joey Logano (Penske Racing), 4. Carl Edwards (Roush Fenway Racing), 5. Kurt Busch (Furniture Row Racing).

With Dale Earnhardt's second place finish he is now in the lead of the championship point standings, followed by Brad Keselowski, and Jimmie Johnson.

Thanks for reading.

Source: Formula One, Crash.net, NASCAR, Wikipedia

Photo credit: Totally Cool Pic.com

The racing weekend that was - UPDATED

In Formula One, in Australia:

Kimi celebrating his victory

As this race was not aired in my neck of the woods, I can't comment on it... other that it was won by Kimi "The Iceman" Raikkonen, followed by the Spaniard Fernando Alonso and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel.

A very strong start for Lotus which will make my father unbearable until the next F1 race!
For details about the Australian F1 race, please click here.

In NASCAR, at Tennessee:

Aerial view of the Speedway

At the very exciting short track that is Bristol Motor Speedway, the final 100 laps of the race had some epic battles for the lead, and the top ten positions.

Brad Keselowski and Kasey Kahne ran door to door for what seemed an eternity. No matter what Kahne tried, he could not complete the pass and when they hit traffic on the back stretch he tried his best but lost control for a brief moment. As he fought to regain control Keselowski was able to pull away. While this battle for first place took place, Kyle Busch was running a strong in third and briefly took second from Keselowski.
After the last caution of the race, caused by a tire failure on Jimmie Johnson's car, Kasey Kahne held off a series of battles to win the Food City 500, followed by Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer.

Unfortunately for the two strongest cars of the race, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth saw their races end in spectacular fashion. As Gordon lead the race, his car shot up the embankment and hit the wall and was later collected by Kenseth who had no place to go.

As NASCAR tightens its grip on the Sprint Cup series, especially on the behavior of the drivers, it is interesting to see what NASCAR will do after a shoving match occurred after the race. After battling for the lead with Gordon, Joey Logano slipped back a bit and allowed former teammate Denny Hamlin to catch up with him. As the former teammate rounded turn one, Hamlin bumped Logano causing him to spin out. This type of behavior is a flagrant display of unsportsmanlike conduct. However, what Logano did after the race in going to talk to Hamlin while he hadn't climbed out of his car yet, wasn't much better. Let's see how the governing body will handle this situation.
At the very least the NASCAR drivers are not as sterile as the F1 boys!

Below a short video of the Logano-Hamlin shoving incident.

 


In NHRA, at the Gatornationals:
I will write this piece as soon as I see it on Monday,s o please bare with me and do check back. In the meantime, some pretty cool picts of Saturday qualifying at the Gatornationals can be seen in Dragzine's picture gallery. To view these, please click here.

Update:
Well, as I thought previously the Gatornationals was well worth the wait (until rebroadcasted on Monday).

In Top Fuel:
Antron Brown defeated Clay Millican with a low et of the meet at 3.761. Brown gave his team owner Don Schumacher (DSR) his 200th win. Quite impressive if you ask me.

In Funny Car:

Gray vs Worsham in the finals

It was great to see Courtney Force sticking it to the ol' man. In a staging duel, she held up her own and went in last. And then beat him too! She is now 3-1 against her famous father.

In the finals, Johnny Gray defeated Del Worsham with a 4.05 to 4.10. He jokingly mentioned that even though he would be retiring at the end of 2013, he would do his very best to give the youth a very hard and though time this year.

In Pro Stock:

Finals: Johnson vs Coughlin (far lane)

In the doorslammer category Mike Edwards continued on Sunday to dominate the field when he bashed out a 6.473 that matched his national record pass from qualifying. At the time, he had four of the five quickest passes in class history this weekend. However, a severe tire shake cost Edwards his race against Jegg Coughlin Jr, who went on to defeat Jason Line on a holeshot, 6.532 to 6.501.

The finals of Pro Stock saw two Mopar's and teammeates going mano-a-mano. At the stripe it was Allen Johnson who had lady luck on his side throughout Sunday, winning on a holeshot, 6.535 to 6.514.

In P/S Motorcycle:

With some drastic rule changes coming too late for the harley boys to adapt, clearly had them at a disadvantage. And so it was.

But it couldn't have turned out any better, well I guess he could've won, for Steve Johnson after getting to the final round in Pro Stock Motorcycle since back-to-back runner ups in Chicago and Englishtown in 2010. He kept going rounds and getting great TV exposure, even though he didn't have any major sponsors.

Finals: Arana II vs Johnson (far lane)

The Arana's went head to head in the semis with Sr having to back down. And even though Johnson had lane choice over Arana II, last year's rookie still got the win.

Congratulations to all the winners!

To see the NHRA recap of the race, please click here.

Thanks for reading.

Source: Formula One, Fox.com, Dragzine.com, NHRA.
Photo credit: Newsobserver.com, Motorauthority., NHRA.

The next Vettel?

The other day, while doing some research I came across this video on Jalopnik.

In it, 19 year old driver Dino Zamparelli shows his lightning fast reaction to avoid a collision at a wet  Formula 2 Spa-Francochamps race earlier this year. Apparently he was driving around 150 mph when he realized other drivers ahead had slowed down, due to sharply decreasing visibility.



Is he the next Sebastien Vettel? Only time will tell since the British/Italian driver currently resides in eight place in the F2 championship standing.

Thanks for reading.

Source: Jalopnik
Video credit: Dino Zamparelli

The KERS and DRS explained

If you are a Formula One fan you surely know about KERS and DRS. But, for those of you who are not familiar with the terms, here follows a quick explanation.

The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) first introduced the kinetic energy recovery system (or simply know as KERS) to Formula One racing in 2009, but it had not been used with reliability until 2011. The KERS recovers a moving cars kinetic energy under braking and stores this in a reservoir (flywheel or battery) for later use under acceleration. Current rules caps its power capacity to 60 kilowatts (80 bhp), but come the 2014 season, it will be doubled to balance Formula One's move from 2.4 liter V8 engines to 1.6 liter V6 engines.

Another relatively new rule is the "Driver Adjustable Bodywork" commonly know as drag reduction system (or DRS), first introduced in the 2011 Formula One season, in an effort to improve straight-line overtaking. During F1 competition, the DRS works only when certain conditions are met, such as, the pursuing car must be within one second (when both cars cross the detection point). Another one is that the DRS can only be used once two full racing laps have been completed, and when the pursuing car enters the designated "activation" zone defined by the FIA.

In the video below, World Champion Sebastian Vettel explains the KERS and DRS.

The DRS system was also used by the Nissan DeltaWing during this year's running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The KERS and DRS has certainly made Formula One races more exciting. Two thumbs up!

Thanks for reading.

Source: FIA, Formula One, Wikipedia.

Video credit: NextgenAutoVideos/YouTube

Even F1 stops for football

Depending where you live you may or may not get this piece.

In my neck of the woods, or blue marble, everything stops for the World Cup or UEFA Cup matches. So that is every two years!

Government clerks of Curacao now turn their backs to the service window and look instead to the TV or computer screen continuously. Others call in sick or go to the doctor's office, where the TV is tuned in to the match as well.

Basically, just about everyone watches the matches. Even the Formula One world stops to watch football (in the USA known as soccer).

This is evident from the picture on the right. This is near the pit of reigning F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel, where he was found among the many chain-smoking Germans, watching Schweinsteiger bust some heads.

Thanks for reading.

Source: Jalopnik, FIFA, Formula One.