Posts Tagged ‘ Motorsport ’

Formula One Update

© Sutton Images

Sebastian Vettel has won the final round of the 2010 Formula One season in Abu Dhabi and become the youngest ever World Champion.

The result also nets Red Bull the Championship double after they sealed the Constructor’s Championship at the last round in Brazil.

 

Title contenders Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber both suffered at the hands of poorly timed pit stops, finishing seventh and eighth respectively, in what turned out to be a somewhat anti-climatic race.

McLaren ended their season with a solid second and third place finish for Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

The 2011 season will see new cars, new rules, a new tyre sponsor as Bridgestone make way for Pirelli and the re-introduction of the KERS device. As for the continued domination of Red Bull and Vettel, we will have to wait and see.

The final driver standings are as follows:

1. Sebastian Vettel 256

2. Fernando Alonso 252

3. Mark Webber 242

Europeans, Aussies, Some Japanese, A Brit And Two Sore Americans

This Audi would be very nice to own. Very nice indeed!
http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/audi-tt-rs-dtm-unveiled

This Audi not so much – So incredibly sad
http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/audi-r8-gt-crash-germany

Oh cute, Ford’s brand spank performance flagship, that sports a supercharged V8, is as fast 0-100km/h as a ten-year old Subaru WRX STI – Top work
http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/new-falcon-gt-hits-100kmh-in-49-sec-20101005-165bz.html

More logic and good ideas on road safety that won’t be employed in Australia
http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/140kmh-safer-in-australia-safety-expert-20101011-16fer.html

Nissan sticks it to the Germans one more time…
http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/nissan-rules-out-driverless-cars-20100928-15vln.html

Aston Martin joins brands caught up in recalls. Is it just us or is this happening more?
http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/aston-martin-in-safety-recall-20101012-16h2v.html

Japan + Fuji + Lots and lots of GTRs = Yummy!
http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/nissan-gtr-fuji-speedway

Motor show time in Paris has just wrapped up and that means concept cars – here’s a little look see at what got revealed
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/motorshows/paris-motor-show/257503/jaguars_jetpowered_supercar.html

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/motorshows/paris-motor-show/257446/lambos_lightweight_champ.html

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/motorshows/paris-motor-show/257572/audi_quattro_concept_car.html

Fresh pics of Aston Martin’s One-77 hitting up the Nurburgring. We’re not sold on the looks but this could change
http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/aston-martin-one-77-hits-the-ring?imageNo=0

Blockbuster whoops, Transformers style (no one was seriously harmed, luckily)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJm1w-wTomo

MotoGP Update

Ducati Team’s Casey Stoner has again proved to be too strong on home soil taking out the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island for the fourth time in a row.

The Australian dominated all weekend securing his third pole position for the season, leading the race from start to finish and crossing the line over 8.5seconds ahead of newly crowned 2010 World Champion, Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo.

Lorenzo’s team-mate, Valentino Rossi, yet again put on a display, narrowly grabbing third place ahead of Stoner’s team-mate, Nicky Hayden, after the two battled hard for the final podium spot.

The win sees Stoner move up into third place in the standings ahead of Rossi while Fiat Yamaha claim the Team Championship for 2010 and Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Ben Spies takes out Rookie of the Year.

After round sixteen, the rider standings are as follows:

1. Jorge Lorenzo 333

2. Dani Pedrosa 228

3. Casey Stoner 205

MotoGP Update

Fiat Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi upstaged his younger team-mate, and now new MotoGP World Champion, Jorge Lorenzo by winning the Shell Advance Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang.

After a poor start saw him drop back to eleventh place on the opening lap, the Italian worked his way up the field in a truly vintage Rossi ride.

Lorenzo led the race from pole but was hounded by the Repsol Honda of Andrea Dovizioso lap after lap until the Honda rider eventually found a way past.

Rossi continued to charge, laying down consistent fastest laps while the two leaders battled before the seven-time world champion passed both Lorenzo and then Dovizioso for the lead and the win.

Ducati Team’s Casey Stoner put himself out of contention for a possible third straight win after he dropped the bike on Lap One. 

After round fifteen, the rider standings are as follows:

1. Jorge Lorenzo 313

2. Dani Pedrosa 228

3. Valentino Rossi 181

V8 Supercars

The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, Australian motorsport’s biggest event, took place at the historic Mount Panorama and delivered all the action and drama that was expected with Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife in the TeamVodafone Triple Eight Holden Commodore proving victorious once again as an endurance team.

Coming off the duo’s impressive win at last month’s L&H 500 at Phillip Island, Skaife and Lowndes again showed their wares putting in a stellar performance from start to finish.

Jamie Whincup and Steve Owen’s second place ensured a one-two finish for TeamVodafone with the Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore of Garth Tander and Cameron McConville rounding out the all-Holden podium.

The win gave Skaife his sixth Bathurst title and Lowndes his fifth with only Jim Richards (seven) and Peter Brock (nine) having held the trophy more times.

The race also resulted in a new record for the 161-lap event of six hours 12mins 51secs, beating the 1991 record of Jim Richards and Mark Skaife in the Nissan Skyline GTR of six hours 19mins 14.8secs.

The race broke its fair share of hearts too with the polesitting Ford Performance Racing Falcon of Mark Winterbottom and Luke Youlden collecting a wall through The Cutting after the right rear tyre delaminated and Fabian Coulthard’s Bundaberg Red Racing Commodore being reduced to a mere cage after his 290km/h crash coming off The Chase on the opening lap.

Championship leader James Courtney finished his day in fifth allowing Whincup to close the gap to only 125 points.

After round ten, the driver standings are as follows:

1. James Courtney 2323

2. Jamie Whincup 2198

3. Craig Lowndes 2039

MotoGP Update

Ducati Team’s Casey Stoner secured back-to-back wins after victory at the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi ahead of Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso and Fiat Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi.

The Australian took the lead from pole-sitter Dovizioso on the opening lap and put in consistently fast times, winning by nearly four seconds.

While the Honda rider’s second place finish was a good result, his first podium since round five at Silverstone, the real show was put on by the two Fiat Yamahas of Rossi and Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo.

The two battled intensely for third place, from the first lap when Lorenzo passed Rossi, til they touched bikes with only two laps remaining. The fight left the Italian rejuvenated and Lorenzo unhappy with his team-mate’s tactics.

After round fourteen, the rider standings are as follows:

1. Jorge Lorenzo 297

2. Dani Pedrosa 228

3. Casey Stoner 180

Formula One Update

© Sutton Images

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso has taken his fourth win for the season and second in a row after winning the Singapore Grand Prix night race ahead of Red Bull team-mates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.

Following on from his win at Monza, Alonso again started from pole and put in another excellent drive making clear his intentions for this year’s Championship.

While for Vettel the race was a game of follow the leader, Webber’s night was much more action packed with the Australian fighting his way up from last position after the team decided to pit him early and change to the harder tyre.

The race proved costly for Championship contender Lewis Hamilton, when on Lap 36 as he and Webber battled for third place, contact was made leaving the McLaren with broken suspension giving Hamilton his second DNF in two races.

After round fifteen, the driver standings are as follows:

1. Mark Webber 202

2. Fernando Alonso 191

3. Lewis Hamilton 182

MotoGP Update

Ducati Team’s Casey Stoner finally recorded his first win for the 2010 MotoGP season, winning the inaugural Grand Prix A-Style at Aragón in Spain ahead of Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa and Ducati team-mate Nicky Hayden.

The Australian took the win by over five seconds ahead of Pedrosa after starting from pole.

Further back Hayden and Lorenzo battled for several laps until the American successfully got passed the Championship leader’s Fiat Yamaha to score his first podium of the year.

Hayden’s final lap move past Lorenzo for third place ended the Spaniard’s record of a podium finish in every race this season.

After round thirteen, the rider standings are as follows:

1. Jorge Lorenzo 284

2. Dani Pedrosa 228

3. Casey Stoner 155

Formula One Update

© Sutton Images

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso has secured his first win on home soil for his new team by winning the Italian Grand Prix in Monza from pole, ahead of McLaren’s Jenson Button and Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa.

After dropping a place to the fast starting Button, Alonso settled into a solid rhythm as both he and Massa showed good car speed in the Ferraris.

Then Button pitted on Lap 36 giving the Spaniard the lead which he managed to hold onto after pitting one lap later thanks to a sensational pit stop.

From here the race was his.

 

 

The day proved less positive for the Championship leaders with McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton finishing his day on the opening lap following a touch with Massa and Red Bull’s Mark Webber having to work hard to finish seventh after a disappointing start from fourth.

Despite the difficulties, the Australian again regains the Championship lead.

After round fourteen, the driver standings are as follows:

1. Mark Webber 187

2. Lewis Hamilton 182

3. Fernando Alonso 166

V8 Supercars

The L&H 500 at Phillip Island has been run and won with victory going to the exceptionally experienced duo of Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife in the TeamVodafone Triple Eight Holden Commodore.

The pair last teamed up ten years ago when they took out the Queensland 500 in 2000.

The 113 laps of the endurance event took its toll on several cars with Championship front runner Jamie Whincup and his co-driver Steve Owen forced to pit while leading due to an oil cooler issue with only 17 laps to go. The problem saw the second of the TeamVodafone cars finish in 29th place.

The Ford Performance Racing team of Mark Winterbottom and Luke Youlden took second place ahead of the BOC entry of Jason Richards and Andrew Jones, ensuring the blue oval made an appearance on the podium.

Attention now shifts to next month’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 where Lowndes and Skaife will again be sharing the workload.

After round nine, the driver standings are as follows:

1. James Courtney 2101

2. Jamie Whincup 1922

3. Mark Winterbottom 1862