Your basket is currently empty!
Blog
-
Azerbaijan GP: Leclerc sets pace in FP2 from Red Bull pair
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set the pace in F1 Azerbaijan GP from Red Bull pair of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen.
The FP2 session in F1 Azerbaijan GP saw more offs than the first session as porpoising was a bit less but still there for most of the drivers. The off list started with McLaren’s Lando Norris in early stages along with Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel at different corners.
Haas’ Kevin Magnussen too had one early in the session while teammate Mick Schumacher had one later. Williams’ Alexander Albon’s brush with the wall had a heavy impact on his front-right which ended his session as he suffered visible damage.
It was a strange one, as replays showed Alpine’s Esteban Ocon having a wall brush on the left-rear but he managed to continue on. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc too joined the off party along with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who had two offs at different corners.
The second one ruined the soft tyre run for teammate Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, with the Spaniard eventually not doing one at all. His teammate Leclerc headed FP2 in F1 Azerbaijan GP with a 1m43.224s lap despite brief power scare.
He led Perez (1m43.472s) and Verstappen (1m43.580s), with Alpine’s Fernando Alonso (1m44.142s) slotting in fourth from Sainz (1m44.274s), with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly (1m44.315s) in sixth ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell (1m44.548s).
The other AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda (1m44.567s) was eighth from Alpine’s Ocon (1m44.609s) and McLaren’s Norris (1m44.771s) rounding the Top 10. The Aston Martin pair sandwiched Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in 12th, with Vettel ahead in 11th.
Teammate Lance Stroll was 13th who had a late off, with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo in 14th from Alfa Romeo pair of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu with the duo not having the pace to challenge the Top 10 around the Baku circuit.
Haas’ Magnussen was 17th from Williams’ Albon with Schumacher in 19th and Latifi 20th. There were some late dramas with Tsunoda having a wall brush, while Sainz had an off moment with Leclerc going on about power trouble until the chequered flag.
-
Azerbaijan GP: Perez quickest in FP1 amid porpoising issues
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez ended up fastest in FP1 of F1 Azerbaijan GP with Max Verstappen in third behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The porpoising issue was on display again in FP1 of F1 Azerbaijan GP with multiple cars bouncing on the straights which was affecting their overall pace. It was expected to be a problem considering the nature and characteristics of the circuit.
The troubles, meanwhile, continued for Haas’ Mick Schumacher and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi, with both losing whole of the FP1 session. The former had a leak on his car, while the latter’s car stopped briefly which forced him to stop at the side.
The Virtual Safety Car had to be deployed to clear them. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll had multiple incidents which included a brush with the wall and also a small off. There was a small wall moment for Red Bull’s Perez too but it didn’t hurt him as much.
He set the pace with a 1m45.476s lap from Ferrari’s Leclerc (1m45.603s) and Red Bull’s Verstappen (1m45.810s), with the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz (1m46.012s) slotting in fourth. A late dash from Alpine’s Fernando Alonso put him in fifth with a 1m46.571s lap.
This dropped Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to sixth with a 1m46.667s lap, with AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda (1m46.696s) seventh. A late lap from Mercedes’ George Russell (1m46.705s) put him in eighth, pushing AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly (1m46.830s) to ninth.
The Frenchman caused a late yellow flag after a huge lock-up and off moment. A late lap from Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (1m46.917s) put him in 10th with McLaren’s Lando Norris only 11th from Aston Martin’s Stroll, who set his best lap on the medium tyres.
Haas’ Kevin Magnussen was 12th with Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel in 13th – setting his best lap on the medium tyres – with Alfa Romeo pair of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu having a difficult run in 16th and 17th, respectively.
Williams’ Alexander Albon was 17th with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo only 18th after an early fast lap, as Latifi and Schumacher were classified 19th and 20th. The PU list, meanwhile, was also updated by the FIA ahead of the session with seven drivers taking new ICE.
While Verstappenn, Perez, Ricciardo, Stroll, Albon and Latifi took their second, Bottas took his third. In terms of new TC, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Stroll, Albon and Latifi took their second, while Leclerc and Schumacher took their third of the season.
The MGU-H list saw a second unit for Verstappen, Ricciardo, Stroll, Albon and Latifi. At the same time, the MGU-K list had Verstappen, Perez, Stroll, Ricciardo, Albon and Latifi take their second, with Vettel on his third.
-
Sherco bike and factory support for just under Rs.3lac – #CrossCountryDreams
Bengaluru, 10 June 2022: Once again for 2022, Sherco is strengthening its commitment to the international enduro race which is one of the most important events of the year. Sherco is offering its loyal fans two possibilities to be able to participate in the 2022 ISDE of France. The two possibilities available to you are: the rental of a motorcycle from the SHERCO range and/or race with full Factory Assistance and Support, said a communication to INDIAinF1 from Sherco here on Thursday.
The motorcycles for rent will be 2023 models and can be 2 or 4 stroke. 2 strokes: 125 SE FACTORY, 250 SE FACTORY and 300 SE FACTORY
4 strokes: 250 SEF FACTORY, 300 SEF FACTORY AND 450 SEF FACTORY.
The rental price for the 2-stroke will be €2,640.
The rental price of the 4T will be €2,940. Included in the rental:- 2023 Models
- Transport costs of motorcycles to the ISDE event
- Motorcycle registration and insurance
- A race kit (T-shirt, pants, and gloves).
Deadline for motorcycle reservations: JUNE 30, 2022 The number of motorcycles for rent is limited and they will be allocated in order of arrival of the reservations.
For Details contact INDIAinF1@gmail.com or davidindia@gmail.com, you can also write directly to Sherco.
Factory Assistance and Support:
Access to Sherco equipment in the Paddock and checkpoints.
Technical and mechanical assistance on race days
Race information
Storage box for personal effects in the paddock.
Fuel for the race
Motul oils and all types of lubricants
Sherco original spare parts replacement service*
Use of tools for motorcycle repair
Catered food (drinks, snacks, fruit, etc.) in the paddock and at checkpoints
Filters to be changed every day
Technical assistance with the FIM rules and regulations
A race kit (T-shirt, pants, and gloves).
*Important Note: Consumed spare parts are not included in the price of the support service. The price of the spare parts will be that of the list price with a 50% discount.
Price of assistance: €1,350. Deadline for accessing assistance: July 15, 2022 -
2022 2w Road Racing National attracts over 200 bikers
Coimbatore, 9 June 2022: The MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship returns to the refurbished Kari Motor Speedway here after a three-year interval for the Rolon Round which commences on Friday, June 10.
The five-round 2022 championship, like the previous edition, promises to be another thriller as the country’s top riders, several of them with international credentials, and two-wheeler manufacturers like TVS, Honda, KTM and Yamaha, vie for honours. The number of entries, as in the previous seasons, has crossed the 200-mark.
The weekend card includes the National Championship comprising four categories – Pro-Stock 301-400cc and 165cc, Novice (Stock 165cc) and Girls (Stock 165cc) – while Petronas TVS One-Make Championship (301-400cc Open, Rookie, Girls and Media) and Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (NSF 250R, CBR 150 and Hornet 2.0) are also part of the programme. A new addition is the Stock 301-400cc category which will be run as a support race.
The overall response from the riders has been overwhelming. The promoters, Madras Motor Sports Club, celebrating their 70th anniversary, closed the entries for the Novice (Stock 165cc) category within five days after opening.
MMSC president Ajit Thomas said: “It is great to be back at the Kari Motor Speedway after a three-year break due to the pandemic. We are overwhelmed by the tremendous response for the Rolon Round this weekend that should dish out high quality and exciting races. While we welcome and thank the riders and manufacturers for their participation, MMSC remains grateful to MRF Tyres for their continued involvement in the championship.”
The two Pro-Stock categories will headline the weekend card as both grids are brimming with riders with proven credentials and international experience. Topping the line-ups are Rajini Krishnan (301-400cc, RACR Castrol Power) and Jagan Kumar (165cc, Petronas TVS Racing). Both notched their 10th National titles last season.
Similarly, Ryhana Bee, who has moved to the Pacer Yamaha team, would be the rider to beat in the Girls section. She clinched the title last year, winning all five rounds.
The Novice category (under-23), which boasts of a massive grid of 32 riders selected from 35 entrants, will throw up a new champion who, though, will have to earn the title considering the highly competitive field comprising riders who are keen to annex their maiden National crown.
The two One-Make Championships by Honda and TVS have never failed to produce close races in all their categories in the seasons gone by and it is unlikely to be any different this year.
While Friday is set aside for Free Practice and a few qualifying sessions, 20 races will be gone through over the next two days.
About Madras Motor Sports Club
Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved its racing activities from Sholavaram to its present location, the Madras International Circuit (earlier MMRT), in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. Parallelly, MMSC imported timing equipment specifically for Drag racing. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. MMSC also constructed a 500-capacity grand stand with provision for garages / storage below. In another upgrade, the MMSC installed Digi flags from TAG Heuer Chronolec that will be positioned strategically around the track. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
-
Rabindra/Canning secure double Top 10 result in GT4’s Paul Ricard round
Akhil Rabindra continued his GT4 European Series campaign with Round 2 at Paul Ricard alongside Tom Canning for Racing Spirit of Leman in the #19 Aston Martin Vantage in the Silver class.
They started the weekend finishing fourth and 29th overall in the two practice sessions, where they were first and 12th in the Silver class. The second session saw them set a lap very early in the session.
The Qualifying 1 for Race 1 saw Canning end up fifth overall and second in Silver class, missing that class pole by 0.023s. At the same time, Qualifying 2 saw Rabindra end up seventh overall and fifth in Silver class.
It was a fighting Race 1 with Canning and Rabindra completing good stints for the team to end up fifth in both overall and class results, while defending hard from #87 Mercedes GT4 machine.
The Race 2 saw the pair finish eighth overall and was seventh in Silver class. The results in two races has them in third in drivers’ standings with 46 points, while the team is leading the standings with 81 points.
-
Arjun Maini and HRT suffer DNF in GTWE’s Paul Ricard round
Arjun Maini continued his 2022 GT World Challenge Europe series’ Endurance Cup campaign for Haupt Racing Team alongside teammates Hubert Haupt and Florian Scholze. The second round took place at Paul Ricard last weekend, with the Indian racing in the Gold Cup class where the trio drove the #5 Mercedes-AMG GT3 machine.
The practice session saw them finish 27th overall and third in Gold Cup, while the Pre-Qualifying session saw them finish sixth overall and first in class. Moving on to Qualifying, as known, each of the three drivers had 15 minutes time in Q1, Q2 and Q3.
The final race start position is then calculated on the basis of the average of their best times. The Q1 saw them finish 18th overall and first in Gold Cup, while in Q2, they were 27th overall and third in class and in Q3, they finished 44th overall and ninth in category.
The combined time saw them start 31st overall, but their race was short-lived as a Lap 1 incident had their steering wheel bent which forced them to retire from the 1000KM race at Paul Ricard straight up.
“For sure, it is quite disappointing,” said Maini. “I think we had a really strong position in the championship entering the race but to be honest it is part of racing. And it looked like quite an unlucky situation why we had the contact and damage.
“In the end, we couldn’t have done a lot to avoid it, and this is racing sometimes. There’s still a lot of points on offer in Spa and we can still recover this but of course this is going to have a dent on our championship charge,” summed up Maini.
With the second round in the books, the next Endurance Cup event will be held at Spa-Francorchamps on July 28-31 weekend, but before that Maini will be in action in DTM with HRT on July 2-3 weekend.
-
From the beaches of Red Sea to sands of Arabian Gulf: New route for 2023 Dakar
There will be a new itinerary for the fourth edition of the Dakar in Saudi Arabia from December 31, 2022, to January 15, 2023 and 1st round ot the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship. The route will take the pilots from the beaches of the Red Sea to the sands of the Arabian Gulf in Dammam. Harith Noah from Kerala will again lead the Indian challenge at Dakar 2023 and he is likely to be joined by other Indians from Petronas TVS Racing.
This crossing of the country will be, in fact, a complete tour as the 14 stages will first lead the Dakar to the north-western mountain regions before heading to the deep southeast for a three-day journey through ocean of dunes in the Empty Quarter.
AN XXL BIVOUAC STARTING WITH THE “CHECKS”
The competitors will arrive in Saudi Arabia in friendly atmosphere near the beach. The new start format will accommodate the entire Dakar caravan during the final technical and administrative checks, which will take place mainly at the Castellet circuit at the end of November. The structures have been redesigned for the occasion to include entertainment and provide areas for conviviality and interaction. The “Sea Camp” concept consists of taking over a piece of desert by the sea. The adventure has already begun.
1 + 14 = 15 DAYS OF COMPETITION
The 2023 Dakar is characterised by its length, with 14 stages plus a prologue for 15 days of competition. The itinerary includes 70% new special stages. It is also the densest rally format in its modern era. The overwhelming majority of the special stages are close to 450 kilometres. The liaison sectors will be shorter, with the finish lines closer to the bivouacs, which will reduce liaison times. In total, with almost 5,000 kilometres of special stages, this edition will feature the longest distance of competition since 2014.
THREE DAYS IN THE EMPTY QUARTER
The Dakar competitors have become familiar with this immense region of Saudi territory designated as the “Empty Quarter” of the Arabian Peninsula. But forays to the marathon bivouac at Shubeyta in 2020 or loops traced from Wadi Ad Dawasir only revealed a minuscule portion of this vast desert. Thanks to the route that provides communications with the neighbouring state of Oman, a much deeper immersion is now possible and allows for a bivouac to be set up in the extreme-eastern region of Saudi Arabia. The pilots will also have to cope with the challenge of a marathon stage during the three days in the Empty Quarter.
THE “EXPLORERS” REWARDED
The Dakar has the distinction of assembling the most successful competitors on the planet and enthusiasts who set themselves the sporting challenge of a lifetime with much less pretension. The mutual pride in competing on the same route is part and parcel of the essence of the Dakar. The respective means of the professionals and the amateurs provide additional encouragement to the latter, who will benefit each day from a separate classification and prize money. There will be a list of “Factory” drivers for each category based on the results in their rally-raid careers. “Explorers” will compete for valuable bonuses to validate their improvement in the discipline: equipment, etc.
RANDOM ROADBOOKS: NO COPYING!
The principle has been known for a long time in elementary schools where teachers sometimes hand out different assignments to two neighbouring students…, which is the best way to ensure that clever competitors will not be tempted to copy. Similarly, the routes of most of the special stages will be split into two over a more or less long section, with the roadbooks of A and B routes assigned randomly. Competitors tempted to follow their predecessors without thinking run the risk of missing their waypoints and thus incur severe penalties.
BIKES: A BONUS FOR OPENING A STAGE
The sequence of stages causes a yo-yo effect among the leading riders that can give credence to opportunist race strategies. Being the first to start a stage is the most delicate position of all. It so happens that the stage victory can be perceived as a disadvantage to such an extent that some riders voluntarily forego the win to avoid exposing themselves to a quasi-inevitable loss of time the following day. This year, time compensations will be awarded.
A DIGITAL ROADBOOK FOR EVERYONE
Paper is a thing of the past. For the past several years, “tablets” have appeared in the cars and then trucks before being tested by the elite category riders. The system has been thoroughly tested and is now ready to be used in all categories. All vehicles will be equipped with this digital version beginning this year.
DAKAR CLASSIC: TWO NEW CHALLENGES
With 140 vehicles, the second edition of the Dakar Classic was a great success and highlighted the significant differences in potential between the older cars and those from the late 1990s. Thus, an additional speed group, called H0, has been added to define lower average speeds adapted to less powerful cars. There will be two new challenges: “Authentic Codriver Challenge” for vehicles that enter without modern regularity instruments; and “Iconic Classic Club” for original vehicles that participated in the Dakar in the 20th century, thus excluding all “replicas”. A selection committee will limit the number of entries to a maximum of 150.
“DAKAR FUTURE”: A FURTHER STEP FORWARD
The Dakar saw a decisive step forward in its energy transition in 2022 with the creation of the T1-U category and the spectacular entry of Audi’s hybrid 4x4s, winners of 4 special stages with Carlos Sainz, Mattias Ekstrom and Stéphane Peterhansel. New projects are being developed and progress goes on thanks to the use of bio-fuels or synthetic fuels that drastically reduce the vehicles’ carbon footprint.
-
MotoGP: Quartararo wins Catalan GP as Espargaro loses podium
Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo dominates in MotoGP win in Catalan GP from Pramac pair of Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco.
Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo made a solid start in MotoGP Catalan GP to lead the grand prix from pole-sitter Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro with Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco slotting themselves in third and fourth amid a huge crash.
Going into Turn 1, LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami slid while making contact with the rear of Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia and side of Suzuki’s Alex Rins. It was a huge impact for both the Japanese and the Spanish riders in the incident.
Bagnaia managed to rejoin but eventually retired, with Honda’s Stefan Bradl also crashing out at Turn 4 later on. Quartararo, meanwhile, led the way from Espargaro, Martin, Zarco as Honda’s Pol Espargaro made his way up to fifth along with Suzuki’s Joan Mir.
VR46 Ducati’s Luca Marini was seventh from Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales with the Top 10 seeing the Gresini Ducati pair of Fabio di Giannantonio and Enea Bastianini. As the race settled down, Suzuki’s Mir was handed a one-place drop for overtaking in yellows.
Quartararo continued to lead as Martin passed Espargaro for second but the Aprilia stayed on his tail for long. Zarco was a distant fourth with Mir in fifth from Marini and Vinales where P Espargaro lost out hugely after showing pace in early laps.
Bastianini was the rider on charge in seventh while being chased by Vinales, but a crash ended his race with teammate di Giannantonio also crashing out on the same lap from Top 10. Just before them, VR6’s Marco Bezzecchi also had a fall to retire.
All this allowed the KTM pair of Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira to be eighth and ninth, with LCR’s Alex Marquez gaining places to be 10th along with RNF Yamaha’s Darryn Binder in 11th. Espargaro was 12th from Ducati’s Jack Miller, Tech 3 KTM’s Remy Gardner and RNF’s Andrea Dovizioso in the Top 15.
It was all going Quartararo’s way as he built up a huge gap to Espargaro who passed Martin for second with Zarco getting into the mix as well. The fight for second intensified where Martin got back to second after re-passing Espargaro, with Zarco just behind.
They had a big distance to Mir in fifth with Marini and Vinales also settling in. Behind them, Oliveira managed to get through Binder at one point but went wide for the South African to be back in eighth, as Marquez steadied in 10th.
Miller moved up to 11th from Binder, Gardner as Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli and Tech 3’s Raul Fernandez moved up to 14th and 15th after Espargaro and Dovizioso dropped out, with the latter pitting to retire due to a suspected mechanical issue.
Quartararo eventually secured a fine MotoGP win in Catalan GP, with Espargaro returning to second but bizarrely ended up outside podium due to a premature celebration. The Spaniard thought the race was over but only top realise it wasn’t.
He started celebrating but quickly realised that the grand prix is still on when he got behind Marini. He eventually passed him for fifth with Martin and Zarco ending up second and third, as Mir ended up fourth ahead of a dejected Espargaro.
Marini was sixth from Vinales, Binder, Oliveira and Marquez in the Top 10. There was a shuffle behind with Gardner ending up 11th from Binder, Morbidelli, Miller and Fernandez where the Australian lost three places in the end stages.
Only 17 riders saw the chequered flag with Espargaro and Ducati wildcard Michele Pirro in 16th and 17th. DNF: Dovizioso, di Giannantonio, Bastianini, Bezzecchi, Bagnaia, Nakagami, Rins, Bradl.
-
Sunday Guide: MotoGP
MotoGP™
Aleix Espargaro has qualified on pole position for the fourth time in MotoGP™️ (setting a new all-time lap record)
along with Assen/2014 (with Forward Yamaha), Catalunya/2015 (with Suzuki) and Argentina/2022 (with
Aprilia). He will be aiming to give Aprilia podiums in five successive premier class races for the first time.
With Aleix Espargaro on pole position, this is the second pole position for Aprilia since the introduction of
MotoGP™️ in 2002 and the fourth overall in the premier class along with Tetsuya Harada in Italy in 1999 and
Jeremy McWilliams in Australia in 2000.
Aprilia becomes the fifth manufacturer to qualify on pole position in Catalunya MotoGP™️ (since 2002) along
with Honda (9 pole positions), Yamaha (8), Ducati (2) and Suzuki (1).
Francesco Bagnaia has qualified second which is the fourth time so far this year he has qualified on the front
row. He will be aiming to win in back-to-back races for the first time since Algarve and Valencia last year.
Fabio Quartararo has qualified third as the top Yamaha for his third front row start of the season along with
Indonesia (pole) and Spain (second). He went on to take second in both races. He will be aiming to win for the
second time this year along with Portugal (he won in MotoGP™️ in Catalunya in 2020).
This is Quartararo’s 39th front row in MotoGP™️. Over his 38 previous front-row starts, he went on to finish on
the podium 21 times (including seven of his nine premier class wins so far).
Johann Zarco has qualified fourth which is the seventh time out of nine MotoGP:tm: rounds so far this year he
has qualified within the top six (although he started from ninth in France following a penalty). He will be aiming
to win for the first time in MotoGP™️.
On pole last weekend in Italy, rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio has qualified fifth for this second-best qualifying.
Jorge Martin has qualified sixth, which is the first time he has qualified within the front two rows since Americas
earlier this year when he was on pole position. He will be aiming to stand on the podium for the second time
so far this year along with Argentine when he was P2.
Alex Rins has qualified seventh as the top Suzuki rider, equalling his best qualifying result of the season from
Argentina and Americas earlier this year, when he finished on the podium both times.
After passing through Q1, Maverick Viñales has qualified eighth for his second-best qualifying result since he
joined Aprilia, after Argentina earlier this year when he qualified fifth. He will be aiming to stand on the podium
for the first time with Aprilia.
Pol Espargaro has qualified 10th as top Honda, which is the fifth time so far this year he has qualified in the
top 10. He’ll be aiming to give Honda their second podium of the season along with Qatar when he finished P3.
Third in the Championship, Enea Bastianini has qualified 14th for his second-worst qualifying result of the
season after Portugal when he qualified 18th.Moto2™
After passing through Q1, Celestino Vietti has qualified on pole position for the second time in Moto2™️ along
with the opening race of the season in Qatar when he took his maiden win in the class. He will be aiming to
stand on the podium for the first time since Portugal when he finished P2.
Only three riders have won after not taking pole position in Catalunya in Moto2™️: Yuki Takahashi (2010), Andrea
Iannone (2012) and Alex Marquez (2019).
On pole in Italy, Aron Canet has qualified second, which is the fourth time so far this year he has qualified
within the top three. He will be aiming to win for the first time in Moto2™️.
Joe Roberts has qualified third for his best qualifying result since he was also third last year in France. He will
be aiming to win for the second time in Moto2™️ along with Portugal earlier this year.
Jake Dixon has qualified fourth, which is the sixth time so far this year he has qualified within the front two
rows. He will be aiming to stand on the Moto2™️ podium for the second time along with Americas this year (P3).
Albert Arenas has qualified fifth equalling his second-best qualifying result of the season so far from Americas.
He finished P12 last year in Catalunya, which was his best result in Moto2™️ at that time.
Sam Lowes has qualified sixth which is the seventh time so far this year he qualified within the front two rows.
He will be aiming to stand on the podium for the second time this season along with Qatar (when he was P3).
He finished P2 here in Moto2™️ in 2020.
Moto3™
Dennis Foggia has qualified on pole position for the second time in his GP career along with France last month.
He will be aiming to win for the second time so far this year along with Indonesia. He finished P3 in 2020 in
Catalunya, his only podium in Moto3™️ at the track.
This is Honda’s sixth successive pole position at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Moto3™️, and the eighth
overall in the class at the track.
Since 2020, only five riders have won in Moto3™️ after starting from pole: Tatsuki Suzuki at the 2020 Andalusian
GP, Raul Fernandez at the 2020 Portuguese GP, Romano Fenati at the British GP last year, Sergio Garcia in
Argentina this year and Izan Guevara also this year.
Deniz Öncü, who was on pole position last weekend in Italy, has qualified second, which is the third time so far
this year he qualified within the top three. He took his maiden podium in Moto3™️ last year in Catalunya and he
will now be aiming to win for the first time.
Izan Guevara has qualified third, which is the fourth time so far this year he qualified within the top three and
the first time since he was on pole position in Jerez and won the race (his most recent win).Lorenzo Fellon has qualified fourth for his second-best qualifying result in his GP career after Portugal earlier
this year when he qualified third. He finished P16 last year in Catalunya, which was his best result in Moto3™️ at
that time.
After passing through Q1, Ryusei Yamanaka has qualified fifth for his best qualifying result in Moto3™️, although
he started from fourth in Qatar this year after qualifying sixth. He will be aiming to stand on the podium for
the first time in the class.
Championship leader and winner last year in Catalunya, Sergio Garcia has qualified seventh, which is the fifth
time so far this year he failed to qualify within the top six. He will be aiming to win for the first time in back-toback Moto3™️ races. -
Formula E – Evans prevails in heavyweight bout in Indonesia as title tussle heats up
The battle for glory in the 2021/22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is taking shape after the leading protagonists duelled it out in Jakarta
Jakarta, 4 June 2022: On a day when the action on-track was as hot as the temperature off it in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the chase for the crown intensified in Jakarta as Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans fought to his third triumph of the season in a heavyweight bout on the streets of the Indonesian capital.
Prior to the start of the race, a minute’s silence was held in memory of Organización Mexicana De Automovilismo Internacional (OMDAI) President and honorary FIA Vice President José Abed, who passed away shortly before the weekend.
From third on the grid, Evans immediately made his intentions clear by challenging front row starter António Félix da Costa (DS TECHEETAH) when the lights went out. Following a short early safety car intervention – to clear up an errant wheel that had parted company with Oliver Rowland’s Mahindra Racing single-seater – the New Zealander then punished his Portuguese rival for a lock-up at Turn Seven by stealing through into second.
Thereafter, Evans set about hunting down da Costa’s DS TECHEETAH team-mate Jean-Éric Vergne in the lead, hitting the front of the field when the Frenchman activated his first Attack Mode of the E-Prix just over ten minutes in. The pair went on to engage in an enthralling cat-and-mouse duel, trading the top spot as one or the other deployed subsequent Attack Modes.
Their frenetic pace propelled them away from the pursuing pack and the decisive move came in the closing stages, when Evans caught Vergne off-guard with a late dive into his favourite passing spot of Turn Seven to grab the lead for good.
Although the two-time champion launched a counter-attack as the Jaguar driver began struggling with tyre wear as the clock ticked down, he was unable to prise the door back open. Vergne ultimately had to settle for his third runner-up finish of the campaign as Evans determinedly held on to the end to add to his Rome double top with victory in the inaugural Jakarta E-Prix – adding a potentially crucial bonus point to his season tally by posting the fastest lap.
Indeed, in addition to trying to reclaim the lead, Vergne had to keep one eye in his mirrors in the final laps on a resurgent Edoardo Mortara (ROKiT Venturi Racing). Having initially run fourth, the Swiss star exploited a late Attack Mode strategy to advance to third, before artfully keeping both Evans and da Costa behind him when they had the extra power at their disposal and he did not.
With more usable energy remaining than Evans and Vergne, Mortara zeroed in on the back of the two leaders like a lion stalking its prey, piling on the pressure but narrowly running out of time to pounce. His late charge pulled him away from da Costa, who took the chequered flag fourth, and Mercedes-EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne, who came on increasingly strong as the race progressed.
The Belgian did not have the most straightforward of afternoons – sliding off-line going through the Attack Mode activation zone for the first time and then missing the sensor entirely later on – but his pace was impressive, as he fought back on both occasions and very nearly unseated da Costa from fourth on the last lap.
Fifth position keeps Vandoorne in the championship lead, albeit now by the reduced margin of just five points as the top four protagonists bid to break away heading into the second half of the season.
Jake Dennis was a consistent contender throughout for Avalanche Andretti, and while not quite able to stay with the front-runners, the series sophomore raced well to cement his third-best finish of the campaign to-date in a fine sixth place.
Former title-winner Lucas Di Grassi drew upon all of his extensive experience and guile to climb three spots from his starting position to wind up seventh ahead of TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein, with the pair making light contact along the way. The German showcased his fighting spirit to overcome a five-place grid penalty, applied after his team broke the seal on a component on his car.
Sam Bird (Jaguar TCS Racing) battled back from a slow start to rise to ninth in the final reckoning, with double champion Sébastien Buemi (Nissan e.dams) unable to replicate his excellent qualifying form but nonetheless securing the final point on offer in tenth.
André Lotterer (TAG Heuer Porsche) slipped out of the points-paying positions after picking up a five-second penalty for causing a collision with defending title-holder Nyck de Vries that ended the Mercedes-EQ driver’s race. Another high-profile non-scorer was Robin Frijns, who could only improve from 21st to 17th on a difficult day for Envision Racing, dropping the Dutchman some 40 points away from the championship lead.
Following a four-week break, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will resume in Morocco on 2 July for round ten of its 2021/22 campaign – the fifth Marrakech E-Prix.
MITCH EVANS, JAGUAR TCS RACING, #9 said:
“That was hard. I was just happy to be in it at the end. We had a tough last race, and this track was similar with the climate being on another level. We put a lot of work into the set-up and the systems, but the team gave me what I need, gave me the goods, which is what I need.
It was really tight at the end with JEV, I thought I was going to pull away but my tires started going off as soon as I got past him. I was under a bit of heat but we got the job done. This is what we needed.
We needed a good result today. But obviously it was a new track, new climate, new everything – you don’t really know how it is going to go. So I am very happy with the result, we are back in it although we were never really out, but it has put us in a strong position so I’ll take that.”
JEAN-ÉRIC VERGNE, DS TECHEETAH, #25 said:
“It was a good race. Hats off to Mitch and Jaguar, they were simply faster today. I need to understand what happened as I had to save a lot more [energy] at some point for temperature reasons, so I need to understand what happened here. Anyway second is good, strong points, so if we carry on like this for the rest of the Championship it is good. I am happy there were no more laps!”
EDOARDO MORTARA, ROKiT VENTURI RACING, #48 said:
“We had a good race weekend in Jakarta. The qualifying was already very good, we did an intelligent race, it was very difficult with the temperatures so hot. To manage the tires and the battery was not easy today, but we managed it at the end. I could see that they were fighting at the front and I was kind of part of that fight. I was hoping for some kind of move from JEV to get some free places but unfortunately it didn’t come. But I am very extremely happy with another podium.
We finished with 0.0% energy on the line, and on top of that you need to manage the temperatures at some point – if you exceed a certain number then the power is going down. So that goal is to get that [to no energy) at the finish line, I could see that Mitch had it and I had a little bit more reserved but unfortunately I could not pass him.”
