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  • World champion Sébastien Ogier at the “Fafe Rally Sprint” in Portugal

    • Exhibition event heralds the start of Rally Portugal for the third time
    • World champions Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia start for Volkswagen
    • More than 100,000 spectators cheer on the rally aces’ long jumps

    A tasty morsel ahead of Rally Portugal and the most beautiful stop-off of the season: on their way to the fourth event in the WRC calendar in the south of Portugal, world champions Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) and their Polo R WRC are taking part in the famous “Fafe Rally Sprint” (29 March) in the north of the country, before their journey takes them further south towards the Algarve, where Rally Portugal will be staged a few days later.

    Last year Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula (N/FIN) piloted the only Polo R WRC in the field and secured themselves fourth place. However, the final positions are of less significance on this occasion, as the most important thing here is the pulsating entertainment for the fans. More than 100,000 are expected for the exhibition event in northern Portugal. Even though the 6.34-kilometre Lameirinha stage no longer forms part of Rally Portugal, it does play a spectacular role in ushering in the rally week.

    “We are very excited to be entering the Fafe for the second time,” according to Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito. “The Rally Sprint is the most spectacular and emotional way to start a rally week. Long jumps in front of hundreds of thousands of fans – what more could you ask for? We want to take advantage of this opportunity for Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia to put on a really great show for the euphoric fans and drum up even more enthusiasm for Rally Portugal.”

    “I’m very excited to be taking part in the ‘Fafe Rally Sprint’ for the first time,” according to Sébastien Ogier. “I have heard a lot from other the drivers and our Portuguese mechanics about the famous jumps. I’ve also seen pictures with the thousands of fans from 2013. It seems like an incredible atmosphere and I love the dual nature of it. Of course we will give it our best shot in front of so many fans.

    Teams have to fight it out during two qualifying rounds to make it into the final of the “Fafe Rally Sprint”. Whoever clocks the fastest time will be crowned champion. In addition, there is the unofficial, but much beloved by the fans, distance jump over one of the most challenging jumps of them all. The record distance of 73.5 m was set back in 2000 by Armin Schwarz in the Škoda Octavia WRC.

    Following on from the “Fafe Rally Sprint” this Saturday, Rally Portugal kicks off with a 3.27-kilometre spectator stage onThursday 03 April in Lisbon and finishes on the afternoon ofSunday 06 April with the presentation ceremony in the Estádio Algarve between Faro and Loulé.

    ends

  • Vijay Mallya on Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix race

    Kuala Lumpur, 24 march 2014:
    Nico Hulkenberg, a Sahara Force India photo
    Nico Hulkenberg, a Sahara Force India photo
    Team Principal, Dr Vijay Mallya, summarises the mood in the camp ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix.
     
    How would you sum up the first race in Melbourne?
    “Australia was definitely a respectable start, without a doubt, and probably the best start we’ve had since I took over the team. We went into the race feeling good and confident. We were concerned initially about reliability, but I think the number of laps we were able to put in during Bahrain testing gave us the confidence that we were on top most issues. The fact that both the cars finished the race is a good way to start the season.”
     
    Are you pleased with the performance of the car?
    “Clearly the VJM07 is competitive: Nico finished sixth with a strong drive and I dare say Checo would have been higher up had he not had a first lap puncture. The fact that he finished where he did after three stops speaks for itself. Obviously there are reasons to be pleased, but we still realise that we need to find a bit more performance if we want to challenge for podiums. That’s what we are focussing on right now.”
     
    How is the team coping with the steep learning curve of the new technology?
    “Whenever I spoke with the engineering team over the winter, it became clear the biggest unknown was the complexity of the car and consequently the reliability. It wasn’t as if the designers and engineers were working with a familiar car that they already knew how to upgrade and tweak. Here everything was new. For example, nobody really knew what cooling was required and optimising that was a major job during testing. I think we have gone up the learning curve successfully and we have a good understanding of the car and all the new technology that’s gone into it.”
     
    What’s your overall view on the new formula?
    “The change to the 1.6-litre V6 with the ERS has had its fair share of debate. Yes, it’s complicated; it’s very sophisticated and it’s unknown territory, which led to a lot of speculation. In the Bahrain tests, when some of the bigger teams completed limited mileage, it simply fuelled this speculation. So to see so many cars finish the race surprised a lot of people. It shows that teams have got on top of their game and the uncertainties have been reduced to a large extent. Now it’s a question of really concentrating on trying to find the competitive advantage.”
     
    What can we expect this weekend in Malaysia?
    “The weather in Melbourne was relatively cool so I’d like to see what impact the warmer climates of Malaysia and Bahrain will have on performance and competitiveness. Effective cooling will be a priority this weekend. If we can reproduce the performance level we showed in Melbourne that will be a good starting point.”

  • Order restored as Marquez takes season’s first pole; Espargaro 9th

    Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez has secured the first pole of the season while Alvaro Bautista of Go & Fun Honda Gresini was second with Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Bradley Smith completing the first row at the Losail circuit in Qatar on Saturday night (IST).

    Meanshile, after three practices on top of the time sheets, Aleix Espargaro confirmed that he is a very fast rider also in the qualifying session. Unfortunately two crashes prevented him to finish in the front row, which was close at hand. Thus order was restored with pre-season favourite Marquez taking the pole.

    After crashing on turn 2, while he was third in the time sheets, Aleix went back on track with the second machine and he was 1 tenth faster than the pole when he crashed for the second time, loosing the front. Fortunately the crashes were without consequences for the Spanish rider, who will take the start of the Qatar GP from the third row.

    The reigning world champion in this class, Marquez

    After dominating from Thursday, Aleix Espargaro missed pole and qualifies 9th. An NGM Forward Racing photo
    After dominating from Thursday, Aleix Espargaro missed pole and qualifies 9th. An NGM Forward Racing photo

    clocked a time of 1’54.507, marking his 10th MotoGP career pole, from 19 starts in the class. Teammate Dani Pedrosa, despite being just 0.196s from Marc with 1’54.703, will start from the second row in 6th position, a Repsol Honda Team release said.

    It was an exciting session with fastest times being traded between several riders. Marc, who is still suffering from the injury that sidelined him from the last two Winter tests, took provisional pole on his first exit in Q2 before securing it with a faster time on his final lap of his second exit. He’s now found a setup he is happy with and will work on fine tuning it in tomorrow’s warmup session.

    Dani was also happy with his pace after making positive setup changes in FP4 and will be looking for one of his trademark starts in tomorrow’s 22 lap race, that will begin at 22h00 local time.

    Repsol Honda team quotes: Marc Marquez – 1st – 1’54.507

    “I’m really happy and this pole position is a special one for me, because after coming back from injury it gives me a boost in confidence. In any case, we know that tomorrow is the day that counts and it’s in the race that points are decided, so we have to be very focused. It is going to be a very tough for me physically, because I don’t have much strength in my leg and I have to compensate with my right arm. We are happy with how today went and seem to have found a good setup, with just a few details still to refine in tomorrow’s warmup. It will be difficult, because many riders have pace within a tenth of each other, but we shall try to have a good race”

    Dani Pedrosa – 6th – 1’54.703

    “The qualifying session was really closely contested today – especially in the final laps. Looking at things objectively, we have a good pace and were able to set a fast lap in the session, even though in the end we qualified sixth by a really narrow margin. We’re going to continue to be positive about things, believe in the work that we have been doing here so far this weekend, and tomorrow we’ll give everything that we have to do well at the first race of the season”
    Qualifying time provided by Repsol Honda Team 

    Qualifying position

    1 Marc Marquez 1’54.507 ESP HONDA Repsol Honda Team
    2 Alvaro Bautista 1’54.564 ESP HONDA GO&FUN Honda Gresini
    3 Bradley Smith 1’54.601 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
    4 Andrea Dovizioso 1’54.644 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
    5 Jorge Lorenzo 1’54.661 ESP YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
    6 Dani Pedrosa 1’54.703 ESP HONDA Repsol Honda Team
    7 Stefan Bradl 1’54.871 GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
    8 Cal Crutchlow 1’54.888 GBR DUCATI Ducati Team
    9 Aleix Espargaro 1’54.986 ESP FORWARD YAMAHA NGM Forward Racing
    10 Valentino Rossi 1’55.096 ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
    11 Andrea Iannone 1’55.127 ITA DUCATI Pramac Racing
    12 Pol Espargaro 1’55.152 ESP YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
    13 Nicky Hayden 1’55.894 USA HONDA Drive M7 Aspar
    14 Colin Edwards 1’56.042 USA FORWARD YAMAHA NGM Forward Racing
    15 Hiroshi Aoyama 1’56.479 JPN HONDA Drive M7 Aspar
    16 Scott Redding 1’56.555 GBR HONDA GO&FUN Honda Gresini
    17 Yonny Hernandez 1’56.648 COL DUCATI Pramac Racing
    18 Karel Abraham 1’56.715 CZE HONDA Cardion AB Motoracing
    19 Hector Barbera 1’57.006 ESP AVINTIA Avintia Racing
    20 Danilo Petrucci 1’57.513 ITA ART IodaRacing Project
    21 Broc Parkes 1’57.574 AUS PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
    22 Mike De Meglio 1’57.667 FRA AVINTIA Avintia Racing
    23 Michael Laverty 1’58.254 WAL PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
     ends

  • Espargaro fastest on Day 2 in Qatar

    Losail, 21 March 2014: Action resumed Friday at the Losail Circuit in Qatar for the second and third free practice sessions of the opening round of the 2014 MotoGP season, a NGM Forward Racing release said.

    A file photo from NGM Forward Racing.
    A file photo from NGM Forward Racing.

    It was another fantastic day for Aleix Espargaro of NGM Forward Racing, who was the fastest rider in both practice sessions. The Spaniard rider of the NGM Forward Racing Team was quick to find a competitive pace with hard tyres and he was able to use at the best the soft tyre to close on top of the time sheets, recording 1’54’73, +0.413 ahead of Andrea Iannone, second and Alvaro Bautista, third.

    Espargaro said: “I’m really happy to close the second day here in Qatar on top of the time sheets. We have a good race pace with the hard tyre and then we could make another step forward with the soft tyre. We have a good set up but we need to keep on working. Tomorrow our target is the front row in order to fight for the podium on Sunday. We know that it won’t be easy as we loose a lot in terms of top speed on the long straight, but finishing on top for two days in a row is already a fantastic result. Together with the team we are all very excited and motivated”.

    It was a positive day also for NGM Forward Racing teammate Colin Edwards who was satisfied of his race pace with hard tyres, while he needs to improve the bike set up with the soft tyre in order to make a step forward tomorrow during the qualifying session.

    The track conditions were quiet slippery during the FP3 and the riders expect that it will be even worst for the race that will take the start at 22:00.

    Team Yamaha Racing

    Meanwhile, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo left it to the last minute in Friday’s final practice, taking seventh to secure a spot in Saturday’s second qualifying session within the top ten riders for Sunday’s Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar.

    Lorenzo continued today where he finished yesterday, battling a severe lack of grip on the Losail circuit as he struggled to set up his YZR-M1 for Sunday’s race. Having completed the second practice of the weekend in 11th earlier in the evening the double MotoGP champion came in to the third session sitting outside the top ten and so provisionally relegated to the first of tomorrow’s two qualifying sessions. As the minutes wound down a mid-session smattering of rain threatened to complicate matters further. In the final moments Lorenzo rose to the occasion under pressure, pulling out a 1’55.495 lap on the medium rear tyre to climb several places and take seventh at the end of the practice, securing a place in the second qualifying session.

    Although also finding the lack of grip a real challenge, teammate Valentino Rossi spent most of today’s two practices one step ahead of Lorenzo. The nine-time world champion was working hard to ride round the grip issues the Movistar Yamaha riders were facing, and finished the first session of the day in ninth position, just under a second from the front. The final session of the day initially saw more of the same with the Italian pushing his M1 hard to stay in the top ten. With 25 minutes to go he had moved to ninth and looked able to hold the position until the last moments when Lorenzo’s late surge from 11th to seventh dropped him to tenth.

    The final combined times mean both Lorenzo and Rossi will go through to the second qualifying sessiontomorrow to fight for their grid positions for Sunday’s race.

    Combined Free Practice Result (provided by Yamaha team) 

     

    1. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’54.773
    2. Andrea Iannone (ITA) Pramac Racing 1’55.186
    3. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Go&Fun Honda Gresini 1’55.240
    4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Ducati Team 1’55.250
    5. Marc Marquez (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1’55.446
    6. Bradley Smith (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 1’55.474
    7. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing 1’55.495
    8. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1’55.562
    9. Stefan Bradl (GER) LCR Honda MotoGP 1’55.676
    10. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing 1’55.702
    11. Pol Espargarò (SPA) Monster Yamaha Tech3 1’55.793
    12. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Ducati Team 1’56.013
    13. Colin Edwards (USA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’56.238
    14. Nicky Hayden (USA) Drive M7 Aspar 1’56.357
    15. Yonny Hernandez (COL) Energy T.I. Pramac Racing 1’56.633
    16. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Drive M7 Aspar 1’56.939
    17. Scott Redding (GBR) Go&Fun Honda Gresini 1’56.997
    18. Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing 1’57.345
    19. Brok Parkes (AUS) Paul Bird Motorsport 1’57.665
    20. Mike Di Meglio (FRA) Avintia Racing 1’58.204
    21. Hector Barbera (SPA) Avintia Racing 1’58.219
    22. Michael Laverty (GBR) Paul Bird Motorsport 1’58.378
    23. Danilo Petrucci (ITA) Came Iodaracing Project 1’58.651

    ends

  • Setco Automotive co-sponsors T1 Prima Truck Racing

    Buddh International Circuit (New Delhi), 21 March 2014:  Setco Automotive comes on board as associate sponsor to the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship,   where they will co-own one of the six participating teams – the Allied Partners.  India’s first-ever truck racing competition will   be divided into six teams featuring 12 experienced international drivers at the wheel of every truck.  All 12 trucks racing are standard fit with Setco’s precision engineered heavy duty clutches. People need to check here if they need the best truck services and other information related to trucks. 

    Setco Automotive has been a strategic partner supplier to Tata Motors for over 2 decades and has supplied more than 90% of their clutch technology requirements. This association is Setco’s commitment towards using the racing platform as an opportunity to further enhance clutch technology & performance.

    “We are very excited to be the clutch technology partner at India’s first-ever truck racing championship hosted by Tata Motors. Our R & D team is constantly pushing performance criteria by subjecting our DVP to maximize Rs./km value for our customer; which is in line with our “Lipe for Life” philosophy saidMr. Udit Sheth Executive Director, Setco Automotive. 

    The Prima trucks that will be used during the race are the 4038.S model with massive power of 370 BHP @ 2100 RPM and a top speed of 110 Km/h. The trucks have been built exclusively for the event from the Tata Motors’ Jamshedpur plant, the hub of its medium and heavy commercial vehicles.

     The upcoming Indian truck racing event is modelled on the British Truck Racing championship and European Truck Racing championship. Steve Horne, the two-time British truck racing champion, and one of the most celebrated, longest serving truck racing drivers will also participate in the race. Through this initiative, Tata Motors aims to trigger greater aspiration for trucking, as the industry is facing a serious dearth of truck drivers.

    About Setco Automotive Limited

    Setco, incorporated in May 1982, is a diversified engineering products company, listed on the BSE. Setco is the largest manufacturer of Premium Quality Lipe clutches for heavy and medium commercial vehicles in India. The company employs more than 950 people globally. It is a Tier I supplier of clutches to all major Indian commercial vehicle manufacturers with a customer base inclusive of prominent names such as Tata Motors, Bharat Benz, Ashok Leyland and Eicher Motors amongst others. Setco has strategic global footprint with 4 manufacturing facilities globally, 2 in India, and 1 each in UK and USA, with its corporate base in Mumbai, India. Setco has set up a state of art R&D centre at Kalol certified by Department of Scientific Industrial and Research, Government of India to design, develop and validate full clutches systems. It also has an older development centre at UK.

    eom/David/Press Release from Setco Automotive

    A Tata Motors graphic of Truck Racing at Buddh International Circuit. A photo by Tata Motors
    A Tata Motors graphic of Truck Racing at Buddh International Circuit. A photo by Tata Motors

  • TVS, Honda support races for Tata T1 Prima Truck Racing

    Buddh Nagar (near New Delhi), 20 March 2014: Former Moto 3 rider Sarath Kumar will lead the charge of 80 riders as the 2014 FMSCI-MMSC Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship gets underway for the TVS & Honda One Make Championships at the Buddh International Circuit this weekend. Both Honda CBR 250R and TVS APACHE RTR 180 categories will be the support races for the exciting new Tata T1 PRIMA Truck Racing Championship.

    The MMSC INMRC will feature two races from each category. The TVS Apache RTR 180 will have the Open and Novice class while Honda will have the CBR150R Novice class and CBR250R Open class. Some of India’s top riders including Sarath Kumar, Sumit Lucas Toppo, A Prabhu, Mathana Kumar and a host of other riders will be taking part in this weekend’s races.

    For the first time the MMSC-INMRC will also see riders hailing from different parts of the country with riders from Ahmadabad, Chandigrah, Faridabad, Patna, Madurai, Chennai, Hyderabad  all competing. This is only the second time that Motorcycle racing will take place at the BIC after MMSC hosted a Round of the INMRC last September.

    Vicky Chandhok, Chairman of the Event, commented, “We are extremely pleased to be promoters of India’s first ever Truck racing championship. Having the TVS and Honda One Make Championships support the truck races promises a great weekend of motorsport for all fans. We have one of the biggest grids this year with riders from all over the country including Dehradun, Ranchi, Amritsar, Delhi etc. Honda and TVS are two important partners for us along with Yamaha, who are helping us reach out to young riders from different parts of the country.”

    TVS and Honda are no strangers to Two-wheeler racing in India, promoting the sport in a big way. TVS have a long association with Indian motorsport in Racing and Motorcross events. Honda have also played a role in helping youngsters race internationally with 3-4 Indians participating in the Honda Asia Dream Cup last year and confirming their participation for this year as well.

    Qualifying will take place tomorrow while races will be held on Saturday and Sunday morning.

    A file photo of TVS Racing at Chennai. An Adrenna photo
    A file photo of TVS Racing at Chennai. An Adrenna photo

    eom/Adrenna Release/edited by David

  • Movistar Yamaha MotoGP take the covers off for 2014 season

    The covers are off! An Yamaha MotoGP team photo
    The covers are off! An Yamaha MotoGP team photo

    Losail Circuit (Qatar), 19 March 2014: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP kick started the Qatar MotoGP weekend this afternoon by taking the covers off the 2014 YZR-M1 in front of the world’s key motorcycle media.

    In a Press Release Yamaha said: Riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi were joined on the Losail circuit start grid by Kouichi Tsuji, General Manager of Yamaha Motor Co.’s Motorsports Division, Yamaha Motor Racing’s Managing Director Lin Jarvis and Telefónica Spain’s Director of Media, Luis Velo to reveal the new livery.

    The first two months of the year have seen a flurry of activity for the team, highlighted by the recent ground breaking five-year title sponsorship agreement that launches the team Yamaha Movistar MotoGP ahead of the 2014 season.

    The new year has also seen the announcement of other new sponsors to the Team including EURASIAN BANK and FIAT PROFESSIONAL along with renewals and continued partnerships with ENEOS, SEMAKIN DI DEPAN (Yamaha Motor Indonesia), MONSTER ENERGY, SUISSEGAS, YAMALUBE AND TW STEEL.

    Pre-season testing on track has been very positive. With the exception of a rear grip issues at Sepang, bothLorenzo, Rossi and the 2014 YZR-M1 have shown great promise and speed in the shakedown ahead of this season’s title challenge.

    Now the wait is over and the riders will take to the track under the floodlights of the Losail circuit in Qatar in just 24hrs to begin practice for round one of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship, the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar.

    The track has proved to be a great season starter for Lorenzo, the double premier class world champion having taken consecutive victories in the last two races. Lorenzo has always started from the front row and never finished off the podium in Qatar.

    Nine-time world champion Rossi has an equally impressive record at the Losail circuit, claiming three wins and taking second last year after a fantastic battle with then rookie Marc Marquez in his first MotoGP race.

    Built in the desert on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital city Doha, the Losail International Circuit has hosted a MotoGP round since 2004. The track celebrated the first ever night-time Grand Prix in 2008 and continues to be the only night race on the calendar. The 5.4km track is well suited to the YZR-M1 with a fast flowing nature. With a main straight over a kilometre in length and a combination of medium and high-speed corners the track is guaranteed to provide an exciting spectacle to start the season.

    Unlike normal race weekends this weekend’s practice will be run from Thursday to Saturday, ensuring the riders get the optimum track conditions in the evening sessions.

    eom

  • Mahindra MGP3O Bikes to Debut in FIM CEV Repsol Championship

    A file photo from Mahindra Racing.
    A file photo from Mahindra Racing.

    Mumbai, 17 March 2014: Mahindra Racing will extend its international racing programme to include the competitive FIM CEV International Championship in 2014. The ground-breaking Indian constructor will supply two MGP3O Moto3™ racers to the Spanish Mahindra TMR Competicion team for a new programme in the Dorna-run, Spain-based series that has become the main feeder of new riders into Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

    Mahindra Racing has been competing as a factory team in the Moto3 World Championship, part of the MotoGP™ series, since its inception in 2012. But this year the factory pairing of Portuguese Miguel Oliveira and Australian Arthur Sissis are joined by six ‘customer’ MGP3O bikes in the World Championship. The addition of two further bikes in the CEV programme is aimed to assist with the development and set-up of the MGP3O, while also giving Mahindra the opportunity to assess some exciting new racing talent.

    The Mahindra TMR Competicion team has secured the services of 17-year-old Spanish rider Albert Arenas and exciting 15-year-old Italian Stefano Manzi. Both riders are bright prospects who come to Mahindra with excellent pedigree: Arenas was a race winner in the CEV Championship in 2013 while ex-Red Bull Rookie Manzi won a race in the CIV Italian Moto3 Championship.

    “Our new involvement in the CEV series is an exciting addition to our growing racing programme,” explains Mr SP Shukla, Chairman of Mahindra Racing and President of Mahindra Group Strategy. “In addition to the technical benefits, it gives us the chance to keep an eye on new emerging talent in motorcycle racing. Mahindra’s corporate philosophy of ‘Rise’ is perfectly embodied in this new initiative which seeks to help realize the potential of young riders. We will be keeping a close eye on the progress of Albert and Stefano in Spain.”

    “It has been a very busy winter for us,” adds Mahindra Racing CEO Mufaddal Choonia. “The excellent performance of the MGP3O in the World Championship led to a lot of interest from customer teams and so it will be great to see eight Mahindra bikes on the grid in Qatar.

    Adding Mahindra TMR Competicion’s CEV programme makes sense for us as it is a great opportunity to gain even more data from our bike that will feed into our development programme. It also enables us to assess the Moto3 stars of the future. We had great success with our Italian racing programme, winning the 2013 Constructors’ and Riders’ titles, and I hope that Mahindra TMR Competicion can replicate that in Spain.”

     

    Mahindra Racing’s World Championship season gets underway on Sunday 23 March in Qatar while the CEV International Championship begins on 6 April in Jerez.

    Ends

     

     

  • Vettel in line for Laureus Sports Man of the Year Award; Football greats in first-ever Laureus Unity Cup in KL;

    Laureus World Sports Awards 2014

    By Christina Sumitra

    Bangalore,

    File photo of the stage in KL where Laureus nominations for 2014 were announced in Feb. A Laureus photo
    File photo of the stage in KL where Laureus nominations for 2014 were announced in Feb. A Laureus photo

    17 March 2014: German stalwart and speed king Sebastian Vettel, four-time Formula One world champion, is nominated for the celebrated Laureus Sports Man of the Year Awards 2014 and will be competing with other great sports personalities from other sports for the `Nobel of the sports’, the Laurus awards.

    Vettel may have retired at the Aussie GP on Sunday, but as he travels to Sepang, the Laurus Awards beckon him on March 26 at Kuala Lumpur and he has a fair chance of winning the prestigeous award. And along with long-time former teammate Mark Webber of Australia, the Red Bull team is also nominated for the Team of the Year award 2014.

    And with Red Bull doing well, unexpectedly, despite the disqualification of his teammate David Ricciardo, Vettel may still regain his prospects, if the car takes a transformation. and the Red Bull engineers are capable of producing such miracles.

    For now a football match between the Great stars of football who will play the first-ever all stars Unity Cup in Kuala Lumpur on March 25.

    Laureus release adds: 

    • Fabio Capello and Michael Laudrup are coaches for the big match
    • Victor Baia, Ronald de Boer, Paulo Ferreira, Steve McManaman and Hidetoshi Nakata among the stars signing up to play
    • Laureus All Stars Unity Cup kicks off at 17.00hrs on Tuesday, March 25 at Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur
    • Laureus World Sports Awards to be held in Kuala Lumpur, March 24-26


    KUALA LUMPUR, March17. 2014     – A glittering collection of football stars are to play in the first ever Laureus All Stars Unity Cup as part of the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    The two managers – Fabio Capello and Michael Laudrup – are currently recruiting their players for the match, which will take place at the Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur, at 17.00hrs on Tuesday, March 25, on the eve of the Laureus Awards Ceremony.

    The Laureus All Stars Unity Cup will feature some of the most celebrated football names in the world as players and coaches. Already confirmed are:

    • Vítor Baía (Portugal) Goalkeeper: played over 400 times for Porto between 1988 and 2007.Played in the Jose Mourinho Porto team which beat Monaco in the 2004 Champions League final
    • Ronald de Boer (Netherlands) Midfield: played 67 times for Holland, including 1994 and 1998 World Cups. Won Champions League with Ajax in 1995.
    • Fabio Capello (Italy) Coach: one of the game’s great managers, he is currently in charge of Russia and has managed AC Milan, Real Madrid, Roma, Juventus and England
    • Paulo Ferreira (Portugal) Defender: played 62 times for Portugal and was in two Champions League winning squads for FC Porto and Chelsea
    • Michael Laudrup (Denmark) Coach: won league titles with Ajax, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus. Played 104 times for Denmark. Managed Swansea in the English Premier League
    • Steve McManaman (England) Winger: played 274 times for Liverpool and 94 times for Real Madrid. Played 37 times for England
    • Gaizka Mendieta (Spain) Midfield: Played 230 times for Valencia, finishing his career with Middlesbrough in England. Won 40 caps for the Spanish national team
    • Hidetoshi Nakata (Japan) Midfield: Played for Japan in three World Cups and two Olympic Games. Played mainly in Italy with Perugia, Roma, Parma, Bologna and Fiorentina
    • Antonios Nikopolidis (Greece) Goalkeeper. Played 90 times in goal for Greece and was in the side that won the 2004 European Championship

    There will also be an Under-19 game earlier in the day and Luis Milla, current coach of Al Jazira, who played for FC Barcelona and Real Madrid and who was in charge of Spain’s youth team for several years, will be conducting coaching sessions with young footballers.

    The Laureus All Stars Unity Cup will be played in front of an invited audience and is not open to the general public. Broadcast details will be announce in due course. It will feature two 30-minute halves, played between two squads selected from these outstanding world class footballers. The names of more players taking part will be announced shortly.

    The following day, Wednesday, March 26, the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards, the premier honours on the international sporting calendar, will be unveiled at a televised Awards Ceremony at Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur. The Awards, which honour the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the year, are voted for by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 46 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time.

    Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports more than 140 community sports projects in 34 countries. Since its inception, Laureus has raised over €60 million for projects which have helped to improve the lives of millions of young people.

    Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) is the corporate social responsibility partner of the Laureus World Sports Awards and has been working with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation to help young people in Malaysia through the use of sport. Edwin Moses said: “We are not just in Malaysia for the Laureus Awards. We have been working with YR1M to do what we can to help young people. We are really delighted to be working with such excellent partners as YR1M and we hope our activities will make a difference.”

    YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri, Minister of Tourism & Culture of  Malaysia, said: “Kuala Lumpur is honoured to have been given the privilege of hosting the prestigious 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards and the city looks forward to staging this internationally-renowned event and welcoming a plethora of sporting legends to Malaysia. This is a sports-loving country and I can promise warm Malaysian hospitality awaits all our guests. Coupled with international events such as the Monsoon Cup and Formula One Grand Prix, we are supremely confident that Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is the perfect host for a sporting event with such global significance. I am positive this will be an event to remember for all involved.”

    The full list of Nominees for the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards is:

    Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
    Usain Bolt (Jamaica) Athletics; Mo Farah (UK) Athletics; LeBron James (US) Basketball; Rafael Nadal (Spain) Tennis; Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) Football; Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Motor Racing.

    Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
    Nadine Angerer (Germany) Football; Missy Franklin (US) Swimming; Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) Athletics; Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia) Athletics; Tina Maze (Slovenia) Skiing; Serena Williams (US) Tennis.

    Laureus World Team of the Year
    All Blacks (NZ) Rugby Union; Bayern Munich (Germany) Football; Brazil Men’s Football Team; Bob & Mike Bryan (US) Tennis; Miami Heat (US) Basketball; Red Bull (Austria) Motor Racing.

    Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year
    Afghanistan Cricket Team; Marc Márquez (Spain) Motor Cycling; Raphael Holzdeppe (Germany) Athletics; Nairo Quintana (Colombia) Cycling; Justin Rose (UK) Golf; Adam Scott (Australia) Golf.

    Laureus World Comeback of the Year
    Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia) Athletics; Rafael Nadal (Spain) Tennis; Oracle Team USA – Sailing; Tony Parker (France) Basketball; Ronaldinho (Brazil) Football; Tiger Woods (US) Golf.

    Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
    Marie Bochet (France) Skiing; Marcel Hug (Switzerland) Wheelchair Racing; Tatyana McFadden (US) Wheelchair Racing; Sophie Pascoe (NZ) Swimming; Sarah Louise Rung (Norway) Swimming; Olga Sviderska (Ukraine) Swimming.

    Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year
    Jamie Bestwick (UK) BMX; Bob Burnquist (Brazil) Skateboarding; Mick Fanning (Australia) Surfing; John John Florence (US) Surfing; Maya Gabeira (Brazil) Surfing; Shaun White (US) Snowboarding.

  • Ricciardo disqualified for fuel flow irregularity; Red Bull to appeal

    Ricciardo(left) loses his second place after stewards disqualification. An FIA photo
    Ricciardo(left) loses his second place after stewards disqualification. An FIA photo

    Melbourne, 16 March 2014: Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo has been excluded from the Australian Grand Prix result, after FIA officials said his RB10 had “exceeded consistently” the new fuel flow regulations in place for this season. Ricciardo had finished the race in second place.

    The stewards’ decision said that FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer had reported that Ricciardo’s car had exceeded the required fuel mass flow of 100kg/h governed by Article 5.1.4 of the 2014 Formula One Technical Regulations.

    In reaching their decision to disqualify Ricciardo the stewards stated that they had taken into account a history of the sensor fitted to the car in that on Friday of the Australian Grand Prix weekend, during FP1, the sensor fitted to measure fuel flow showed a “difference in reading between the first three and Run 4. The same readings as Run 4 were observed throughout Practice 2.”

    The team then used a different sensor on Saturday “but did not get readings that were satisfactory to them or the FIA, so they were instructed to change the sensor within Parc Fermé on Saturday night. They operated the original sensor during the race, which provided the same readings as Run 4 of Practice 1, and Practice 2.”

    The stewards added that the FIA technical representative in charge of the sensors “instructed the team to apply an offset to their fuel flow such that the fuel flow would have been legal.”

    The verdict added that “the technical representative stated to the Stewards that there is variation in the sensors, however, the sensors fall within a known range, and are individually calibrated. They then become the standard which the teams must use for their fuel flow.”

    The stewards’ statement continued by saying that Red Bull Racing then stated “that based on the difference observed between the two readings in P1, they considered the fuel flow sensor to be unreliable. Therefore, for the start of the race they chose to use their internal fuel flow model, rather than the values provided by the sensor, with the required offset.”

    During the race, telemetry readings showed that the fuel flow was too high and that the team was informed of the issue and was given “the opportunity to follow his previous instruction, and reduce the fuel flow such that it was within the limit, as measured by the homologated sensor… the team chose not to make this correction.”

    The stewards thus found that the team chose to run its car using its fuel flow model, without direction from the FIA and in violation of a procedure contained within a prior technical directive, and that even though there were differences in readings in FP1 the sensor fitted remained “the homologated and required sensor against which the team is obliged to measure their fuel flow, unless given permission by the FIA to do otherwise.”

    The statement concluded that the team could have run within the allowable fuel flow and that “regardless of the team’s assertion that the sensor was fault, it is not within their discretion to run a different fuel flow measurement method without the permission of the FIA.” They thus excluded Ricciardo from the result.

    Red Bull Racing immediately announced its intention to appeal the decision and therefore the race result remains provision, pending a hearing.

    The full stewards’ decision can be found here:
     http://www.fia.com/championship/fia-formula-1-world-championship/2014/australian-grand-prix-event-documents