This morning’s competitive mileage consists of four stages. The first is the 20km opener at ‘Terranova Nord 1’ and this is quickly followed by the 12.4km run through ‘Terranova Sud 1’. After a short stop to refuel, the crews then tackle the 20.29 km ‘Coiluna-Crastazza 1’ and the 27.30km ‘Loelle 1’ stages. Hyundai fill the […]
A little over a week remains until the start of this year’s 24 Heures du Mans. Last weekend’s test day on the 13.629km Circuit de la Sarthe enabled most of the 56 competing teams to hone their preparations for motor sport’s most famous endurance race.No 24 Heures du Mans is ever banal, but this year’s […]
After three of the eight rounds of the 2014 South African Rally Championship, the top five contenders are clearly identified.Castrol Toyota Yaris S2000 crews Leeroy Poulter/Elvéne Coetzee and Hergen Fekken/Carolyn Swan occupy the top two positions, tied on 57 points. Henk Lategan (Sasol VW Polo) lies third in the drivers’ championship with 44 points after […]
By Jonathan Noble : Autosport Folowing talks between the pair, as well as discussions with the team, in the wake of a controversial Monaco GP, Hamilton says that the focus has shifted firmly to the future. We spoke after the race and like friends, we have ups and downs,” said Hamilton, who trails Rosberg by […]
The M-Sport World Rally Team driver kicked off his event in confident form, beating VW’s Jari-Matti Latvala in his heat by 1.7s. It was enough to topple Thierry Neuville from top spot on the time sheets.“That was an okay stage,” Hirvonen said. “It’s good to get the rally started and I feel in a good […]
TOYOTA Racing is fully prepared as it heads to the Circuit de la Sarthe aiming to win the Le Mans 24 Hours (14-15 June), the highlight of the FIA World Endurance Championship season. Two previous visits to Le Mans have seen impressive progress which culminated in last year’s second place, but with the 1,000PS TS040 […]
Ex-Formula One driver Robert Kubica expects tensions between Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to linger all season.Kubica – who now competes in the World Rally Championship after stints with Sauber and Renault in Formula One – has experience racing against Hamilton and Rosberg. The pair are fighting it out for the Formula One […]
A former Formula 1 doctor warns there likely won’t be any good news on Michael Schumacher’s condition. The racing legend suffered a serious head injury while skiing in France on December 29, and though it appeared at one stage there would be positive news from the gradual process of waking him from his coma, there […]
World Rally champion Sebastien Ogier is starting to enjoy the Rally Italia, and is looking to extend his standings lead in Sardinia. The Frenchman won the event in 2013 on his way to the title. However, despite that success, the Volkswagen driver revealed in an interview with World RallyChampionship’s official website that he is not […]
Robert Kubica was the surprise pacesetter through this morning’s shakedown stage at Rally Italia Sardegna. It was the first fastest time on a WRC gravel stage for the Pole who comes into the rally fresh from a weekend test in Sardinia. “I had quite a good feeling straight away and the grip was better than […]
• Ogier, Latvala and Mikkelsen second, third and fifth fastest • Plenty of dust and sun – 4.33-kilometre warm-up ahead of the Rally Italy Successful warm-up for what promises to be a red-hot duel for the World Championship lead: Volkswagen duos Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) and Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila were second and third fastest in […]
The duel for the overall lead in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) is once again Polo R WRC against Polo R WRC at round six of the WRC. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia and Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila line up at the Rally Italy, from June 5 to 8, each with the goal of improving their position […]
SUBARU RALLY Team USA’s David Higgins and Craig Drew dominated the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR), the fourth round of the Rally America National Championship, on May 30-31 in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. It is the third overall victory for the team this season to widen their Rally America points standings lead. Higgins and Drew won all […]
SEBASTIAN VETTEL says Formula 1 could be in for a wild ride this weekend in Canada due to the “high risk” nature of the circuit.The Montreal track is known for yielding action-packed grands prix with the Wall of Champions one its well-known obstacles.The Wall has caught out many drivers including Vettel, although he has only […]
THE WTCC, the first FIA World Championship to stage an event in Russia, is back at the Moscow Raceway. 80 km west of the Russian capital, this 3,931 m track combines long straights with technically demanding sequences of twists and turns. “Although there are some opportunities for overtaking, it’s more like the Hungaroring than the […]
SIXTH ROUND of the WRC season, Rally Italia Sardegna is set to welcome the World Rally Championship crews and teams on a partially renewed route.Held on roads around Sanremo from 1970 and then in Sardinia from 2004 onwards, Rally Italia has seen a Citroën winner on six different occasions. The French car maker’s first win […]
Marc Marquez is riding towards a special place in bike racing history according to America’s own bike legend Fast Freddie Spencer, a history maker in his own right. Spencer held the crown of youngest ever MotoGP world champion for three decades until Marquez came along in 2013 with his stunning rookie season title. And, in […]
IN A STEP WHICH might quickly be mirrored in other motorsport disciplines, a key Touring Car series is moving to daily alcohol checks on drivers and officials. Mandatory breath-testing will now take place on every day at every British Touring Car Championship event, to ensure that all competing drivers and senior championship officials are free […]
THE SIXTH ROUND of the FIA World Rally Championship is held on the tranquil island of Sardinia. But the profile of Rally Italia Sardegna doesn’t quite match its setting.With potentially rally-ending hazards on every stage, next week’s Rally Italia will be anything but tranquil for the WRC crews tackling it. The specific challenges are: The […]
SUBARU RALLY Team USA’s David Higgins and Craig Drew dramatically won the Oregon Trail Rally by overtaking teammates Travis Pastrana and Chrissie Beavis on the next to last stage. The Oregon Trail Rally is the third round of the Rally America National Championship held in Portland and Hood River, Ore. Action sports icon Travis Pastrana […]
MOVISTAR YAMAHA MotoGP returns to Italy for Valentino Rossi’s first home race of the year, the Gran Premio d’Italia this Sunday at the Mugello circuit in Tuscany. The race is also a home Grand Prix for the team itself, being based alongside the historic Monza circuit in Gerno di Lesmo. Rossi prepares to entertain his […]
DEFENDING Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet) passed Matt Kenseth with nine laps to go and won the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night for his first victory of the season.Johnson was dominant at Charlotte Motor Speedway, winning the pole Thursday night and leading 165 of 400 laps in NASCAR’s longest race. Kevin Harvick was second, […]
HYUNDAI rookie Hayden Paddon believes he has learned more in two tests with his new team than in the previous three years added together. Paddon will debut for the German-based squad at next week’s Rally Italia Sardegna and recently tested on gravel and asphalt in France, followed by loose surface work in Poland last week […]
IT IS NOT JUST the lead of the FIA European Rally Championship that will be up for grabs when the Geko Ypres Rally takes place from 19-21 June. The 2014 ERC Asphalt Masters accolade is currently a straight fight between overall championship title chasers Esapekka Lappi and Craig Breen with the Finn 51 points ahead […]
KEVIN ABBRING’s co-driver Seb Marshall says the Dutch ace has the pace to win next month’s Geko Ypres Rally, round six of the FIA European Rally Championship. Abbring and Marshall will head to Belgium on a high following their second-place finish on SATA Rallye Açores recently. And they are hoping for further success in their […]
A RECORD number of cars descended on the Kent-based circuit over the weekend including 37 flame-spitting Supercars, and a full class of TouringCar and Super1600 cars plus the supporting RX Lites Cup. Wildcard entrants Tanner Foust – a two-time Formula Drift Champion – and reigning British Touring Car Champion Andrew Jordan were also part of […]
BUT WHILE the stewards deliberated for hours, the controversy filled the air in the otherwise festive Principality, on the eve of the 2014 Monaco grand prix.Hamilton stopped short of stating clearly that he believes Rosberg made the move on purpose to keep pole. But he came close. “I was on target,” said the Briton. “I […]
RED BULL’S Daniel Ricciardo finished in third to complete the podium for the prestigious race in Monaco; his second podium finish in 2014.Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso finished fourth with Hulkenberg and Button just behind. Williams Racing’s Felipe Massa placed seventh whilst Jules Bianchi in the Marussia crossed the line eighth. A five second penalty would drop […]
SOME SAID that now they knew where the tough spots were they knew how to get around them so perhaps today might be easier. Nope. Three cars finished the 3rd lap and only one made it around the 4th… With only 4km done yesterday America’s Levi Shirley hoped to do a lot more today to […]
AFTER WINNING two of yesterday’s three gravel stages (stage four was cancelled because of extremely dusty conditions), they controlled matters from the front today, adding another two stage wins (stages five and seven) and finished 49 seconds ahead of Henk Lategan and Barry White (Volkswagen Sasolracing Polo S2000). The VW pair produced the performance of […]
YAZEED PUSHED today to keep Nasser behind him. ‘It was easy today to be clever,’ he said. ‘When I saw his dust in the last 50 kilometers I knew our plan would work.’ With Yazeeds 1st place also his team wins, after three races in a row in the desert and a lot of work […]
CRONJE started day two in his Ford Dealer Ford Fiesta first on the road with a lead of about 46 seconds and in spite of being first on the road he never let go of that lead. Hergen Fekken in the Castrol Toyota Yaris started second, but soon found himself pushed into third overall by […]
WITH SEVEN of the events eleven stages done and dusted Cronje was leading with a total time of 1:25.04.1. He was 54.6 ahead of the chasing Lategan who won stage 6 this morning. Hergen Fekken, who started in second place this morning, found himself demoted to third by his former teammate Lategan and is +1:08.5 […]
SOME PEOPLE made it even more of a challenge for themselves. Rob Butler of Off-Road Armoury and Levi Shirley from the Lucky Dog Racing team all the way from Kansas, USA had an intense build of their two stunning new Euro Fighters. Things were so tight that they missed the prologue as they were still […]
THEY WON two of the day’s three gravel special stages in the Bapsfontein area and will start tomorrow 24 seconds ahead of Hergen Fekken and Carolyn Swan (Castrol Team Toyota Yaris). There were four stages scheduled covering a total distance of some 82 kilometres, but this was unavoidably reduced to 77 kilometres when extremely dusty […]
WORLDCUP leader Vladimir Vasilyev today suffered another blow, losing not only the turbopressure in his engine but also the stage ánd his position in the Worldcup as he will not be able to finish on the podium of the Pharaons Rally. Erik van Loon and Wouter Rosegaar move up one place in the overall ranking […]
IN SECOND overall, and the only one of three works toyota’s entered, was Hergen Fekke, in a Castrol Toyota Yaris. He was 24.2 seconds behind Cronje. In third place ater the end of stage three and 42.0 second of the pace was the Dutch Volkswagen Racing driver in a Volkswagen Polo. He was followed by […]
TODAY WAS a fast and friendly stage through the mountains, allowing the competitors to recuperate after the heat they had yesterday. With the emotions from yesterday still very alive the teams were happy todays roadbook was much easier. ‘It is not a bad thing to have a difficult stage,’ Organiser Abdelhamid Abouyoussef said. ‘There has […]
THE FIRST CAR to leave the start ramp at the RallyStar Driving Academy near Bapsfontein will be the Ford Dealer Team Fiesta of defending champions Mark Cronje and Robin Houghton. They will be followed by current championship leaders Leeroy Poulter/Elvéne Coetzee (Castrol Team Toyota Yaris), the visiting Dutch/Belgian duo of Hans Weijs Jnr and Bjorn […]
RICHARDS says a more internet-based approach is vital to take the WRC forward.“The strategy I was ready to pursue 10 years ago was to really drive the internet,” Richards told MN. “Convention says for a promoter that you produce a television show which is very expensive to make in TV quality terms. You try to […]