INDIA in F1

Tag: featured

  • Alex Marquez takes third win in a row: Moto2; 7th different winner in Moto3

    Alex Marquez takes third win in a row: Moto2; 7th different winner in Moto3

    Marcos Ramirez wins Moto3 at Barcelona on 16 June 2019. A MotoGP image

    Barcelona,16 June 2019: Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) took a third magnificent win in a row in the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, moving through from sixth on the grid to unleash his pace at the front and pull clear in another dominant performance. It’s the first time the number 73 has ever taken three successive victories and after a crash in Barcelona for former points leader Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) as well, Marquez now heads the standings by seven points. The man trailing him is Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP), who took another podium and valuable 20 points to move back into second in the Championship, with Jorge Navarro (HDR Heidrun Speed Up) back on the podium in third.

    Lüthi took the holeshot as the veteran screamed away from the line, with Marquez almost running into trouble in the early stages and remaining sixth. Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team), Fabio Di Giannanontio (HDR Heidrun Speed Up), Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), polesitter Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) and Lüthi were the men in between him and the lead, and in the first few laps at least, Lüthi and Fernandez were pushing hard to make a gap at the front.

    First the number 73 took Bastianini, then Di Giannantonio, and then Lowes as ‘Diggia’ followed him through as well. Next up was the task of cutting down the gap to the front, and the 2014 Moto3™ Champion set about doing that. Fernandez then attacked Lüthi for the lead, and that brought Marquez right into play in the front trio.

    Lüthi took it back soon as he attacked into Turn 1 and the three stayed close, but it wasn’t long after that that drama hit further back as Baldassarri binned it at Turn 10, making the fight for the win the fight for the Championship lead. Lüthi tried to pull away, but Marquez then saw the Swiss rider struggling and made his move.

    Once past, the Spaniard wasn’t able to immediately pull away but little by little he was able to extend the gap and make it his race to lose. Pitch perfect from then on, Marquez made zero mistakes and heads home with a seven point lead. Lüthi was his trademark consistent self to take 20 more points and move back into second overall, staying out the clutches of Navarro.

    After a tougher round at Mugello, Speed Up rider Navarro was back on top form in Catalunya, unleashing more of his now-trademark late race pace as he was able to get past Fernandez. But the polesitter nevertheless impressed with his P4, making a good dent in the frontrunners once again.

    Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) was top rookie once again in P5, another race to remember for the Italian. Compatriot Di Giannantonio, after his early pace, crashed out. Behind Bastianini’s rather lonely ride, Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) won a battle royal to take P6, ahead of Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP), Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Sam Lowes in P9. Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) had a top finish a little further back in P10.

    Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) beat Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) to the line by hundredths, with Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46), Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) and Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completing the points.

    That’s it from Catalunya and next up it’s another track where Alex Marquez has shone in the past. Now seven points clear, will that extend in the Netherlands? Or can the field hit back? Find out in two weeks’ time as we race around the classic TT Circuit Assen.

    Moto2 top-3 results:

    1 – Alex Marquez (SPA – Kalex) 38’25.678
    2 – Tom Lüthi (SWI – Kalex) +1.989
    3 – Jorge Navarro (SPA – Speed Up) +2.532
    Ramirez makes it a magnificent seven different history-makers in a row
    Spaniard escapes the chaos to make it 12 different winners in a row and seven in the opening seven races of the season for the first time ever

    Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) made sure more history was made in the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, with the Spaniard escaping from a dramatic and chaotic fight to win his first race and make it 12 different winners in a row. It’s also therefore seven different winners in a row this season, and the first time that’s ever happened in the first seven races of the lightweight class. Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) took a valuable second place to extend his Championship lead, with impressive rookie Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) taking some tips from the boss to secure third with a stunning, Rossi-esque final corner move.

    Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) took the holeshot from third on the grid, but fast-starting Canet shot through from fifth on the grid to attack quickly for the lead – and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) soon followed suit. Polesitter Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) dropped to seventh as the field shuffled through the first lap, and the first man to lose out in what would go on to be a race of attrition was Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) as the Japanese rider went down early.

    The race was a classic Moto3™ melee, but in the early stages it was Dalla Porta in charge at the front of the big group. The Italian looked like a serious threat until heartbreak suddenly hit with 18 laps to go as the number 48 suffered a mechanical problem around Turn 13, forced to pull off and losing some serious ground in the Championship.

    Marcos Ramirez was the new man in the lead, but there was more drama just around the corner. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) triggered a multiple-rider incident at Turn 4, with Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team), teammate Raul Fernandez, Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0), Vicente Perez (Reale Avintia Arizona 77) and Filip Salac (Redox Pruestel GP) all caught up in it and out of the race.

    There had been a group of seven riders in the lead group with 15 laps to go, but the group got bigger over the next few laps until the top 15 were back in a freight train. And it soon lost another member, with Arbolino, incredibly, also suffering a mechanical problem and the Mugello winner dropping back and then heading back into pitlane. The top 18 were within an awesome 2.7 seconds as the last laps appeared on the horizon, but there was more drama to come. Next it was Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) crashing out with eight laps to go, and then it was polesitter Rodrigo a few laps later – with Darryn Binder (CIP – Green Power) going down with him.

    That left Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) leading the battle for supremacy, with the Qatar GP winner having put in a stunner to slice through the chaos from P24 on the grid. He managed to stay there too, and was the man with the target on his back heading onto the last lap. Canet and Lopez made for close company however, and as Canet then went for a move to attack at Turn 10, Toba suddenly slid out in another bout of heartbreaking drama.

    Canet went a little wide, Lopez did the same, and Ramirez took his opportunity almost immediately. Cutting past into the lead, the Spaniard just had a few corners to go to win his first ever Grand Prix. Into the final corner though it looked like Canet was going to try and recreate the famous Valentino Rossi move from a decade ago, but he thought better of it and slotted back in behind Ramirez. Just behind them, however, Vietti went for it.

    As Ramirez blasted clear of Canet towards his first win, the Sky Racing Team VR46 rider just behind them kept it pinned on the inside and managed to pull it off with serious style, taking his third podium and second of the season…from 21st on the grid!

    Behind Lopez, Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) completed the top five, ahead of Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) taking his best ever finish in P6 after his stellar qualifying. Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) finished seventh, with Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) heading compatriot Ryusei Yamanaka (Estrella Galicia 0,0) just behind. Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PruestelGP) completed the top ten.

    Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) scored some valuable points in P11 after starting near the back following a penalty, and the Italian had even fought for the lead before running wide with a few laps to go. Wildcard Carlos Tatay (Fundacion Andreas Perez 77) took points in P12, just ahead of John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing).

    The Scot fought at the front throughout and in the podium battle until Turn 10 on the final lap, when he suffered a highside…and then a miracle save. Somehow staying on, it was an incredible sight and feat. Tom Booth-Amos (CIP – Green Power) scored his first points in P14, ahead of teammate Darryn Binder after the South African rejoined.

    A true melee in stunning Moto3™ style, the chaos of the Catalan GP leaves Canet a valuable 23 points clear at the top of the standings heading into Assen. Will the Spaniard pull off more top tactics there? Find out in two weeks.

    Moto3 top-3 results:

    1 – Marcos Ramirez (SPA – Honda) 38’36.156
    2 – Aron Canet (SPA – KTM) +0.119
    3 – Celestino Vietti (ITA – KTM) +0.146

  • Jan Solans-Mauro Barreiro become third different winners in FIA Junior WRC

    Alghero, Sardinia (Italy), 16 June 2019: Jan Solans and Mauro Barreiro claimed their first FIA Junior WRC victory of the 2019 season on Rally d’Italia following a hard-fought battle with Dennis Rådström and Johan Johansson that went down to the wire.

    Solans and Rådström were a cut above the rest of the FIA Junior WRC field sharing all of the 17 possible stage wins between them with twelve and five respectively.

    Solans has now taken the championship lead with 71 points, it is largely thanks to his impressive haul of stage win points which comes to a total of 19 – the most of any other driver this season. Rally Sweden winner Tom Kristensson sits second with 62 points and Rådström remains in third with 55 points.

    The FIA Junior WRC field has been in impressive form all weekend as each crew demonstrated well thought out and mature drives on Rally d’Italia. It resulted in nine out of eleven EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta R2 Junior WRC cars crossing the ceremonial finish in Alghero – an achievement that underlines the depth of talent in the 2019 FIA Junior WRC Championship.

    Solans won the opening Super Special Stage at the Ittiri Arena on Thursday evening, edging Rådström by just 0.1 seconds, however Friday was Rådström’s day. He was able to rely on his experience and asserted his dominance, ending Friday 16.8 seconds ahead of fellow Swede Tom Kristensson. The opening full day of rallying did not start according to plan for Solans after a series of mistakes across stages three and four saw him 29.5s off the lead at the start of SS7.

    In stark contrast to Friday, Solans pushed hard from the get-go on Saturday morning, delivering five stage wins in a row, closing down the gap to Rådström from 17.4s to 1.2s by the conclusion of SS14. Rådström denied Solans of a perfect streak and claimed the final stage win of the day, extending his lead to 4.4s.

    Sunday saw Solans regroup and repeat his Saturday form in the morning loop, adding another pair of stage wins to his name to claim the rally lead by just 1.3s. It set FIA Junior WRC up for a nail-biting conclusion in the Sardinian sun as the duelling duo headed into the final two stages of the rally.

    Solans added another two seconds to his lead after SS18, starting the Wolf Power Stage with a 3.3s cushion to Rådström. In a final display of talent and speed Solans pushed through the last stage of the day, beat Rådström by 11.5 seconds to win the rally by 14.9s.

    FIA Junior WRC Championship Manager, Maciej Woda, said:
    “First of all, I would like to express my sincere condolences to Krisjanis Caune whose father sadly passed away on Saturday. Krisjanis made the decision to continue the rally today and for that I have the upmost admiration and respect for him as it required true bravery and determination.

    So“This rally is an incredibly demanding and tough one. I don’t think anybody imagined that nine out of 11 Junior WRC crews would finish, especially when you consider previous rough rallies in Junior WRC! It is an amazing accomplishment for every crew and we have been very impressed by the level of maturity everybody has demonstrated. The battle for the lead has been a classic and very enjoyable to follow as Jan and Dennis have been on another level. Dennis’s experience has helped him to keep cool in certain moments which allowed him to deliver a very consistent and impressive pace to maintain his lead throughout Saturday even though he won only one stage. Considering Jan was almost 30 seconds behind at one point on Friday, he has certainly raised a few eye brows by delivering so many stage wins while staying on the road and his victory is fully deserved.”

    RALLY D’ITALIA SARDEGNA CLASSIFICATION AND DRIVER QUOTES:

    1. Jan Solans / Mauro Barreiro 4h02m36.2s

    “Amazing weekend, seriously, we have been on the limit on every stage since Friday after we had our problems. We decided to push on every stage and in the end, we achieved victory, so we are really happy and very proud. There’s a little bit of pressure now, I didn’t expect it to be leading the championship after this rally. Next up is Finland so it will be really difficult for us because it will be my first time there on fast roads so it’s time to work and prepare for that rally.”

    1. Dennis Rådström / Johan Johansson + 00:14.9

    “For sure it’s a little bit sad but we had strong competition from Jan this time. Jan did a really great job, we really pushed on the penultimate stage today and he beat us. We should be proud to be here without any problems in Sardinia.”

    1. Tom Kristensson / Henrik Appelskog + 03:27.2

    “I didn’t imagine that we would have finished this rally without any mistakes, punctures or major issues so I am extremely happy with that. Of course, there was more performance available on the stages but I really need to focus on the championship and that is what I am doing. You can lose too much time taking these kinds of risks.”

    1. Raul Badiu / Gabriel Lazar + 04:37.5

    “I’m feeling relieved now after a tough rally, I really enjoyed the car on the gravel. I was perhaps a little too cautious on the rough sections, but it doesn’t matter as we finished the rally, finally without any issues at all.”

    1. Martins Sesks / Krisjanis Caune + 05:34.9

    “We need to analyse this rally and see what to do next. After two big disasters on the previous two rallies this one was a finish which is good but it is not what I am aiming for.”

    1. Julius Tannert / Jurgen Heigl + 06:41.8

    “For sure it was a difficult weekend for us, especially in the beginning, we lost a lot of time. On Saturday morning we had to fix a leaking radiator and lost more time by arriving late to the next stage. In the end we are sixth overall which is not the result we wanted.”

    1. Fabrizio Zaldivar / Fernando Mussano + 08:58.9

    “I’m really happy, we came here, and we wanted a good result so seventh place is great for my first year in the championship. It’s completely different on these European stages, here there are a lot of mountains, in my home country it is just a flat surface.”

    1. Enrico Oldrati / Elia de Guio + 17:44.6

    “It was a very unlucky rally for us but it’s ok as we finished the rally without making too many mistakes. I am really tired but also happy to be here and finish the rally, let’s look forward to Finland.”

    1. Nico Knacker / Michael Wenzel +19:53.9 

    “We learned so much, it was a really difficult rally. We are happy to finish, it was really hard, the stages were so difficult. The last stage time was encouraging for us and we are happy.”

    RETIRED:  Tom Williams / Phil Hall

    “Rally Sardinia’s not gone well for us, it has been a really tough weekend. We learned a huge amount, but we broke the sump on the very last stage and we had to retire on the final road section. This will be a rally to forget for us but we will be pushing stronger in Finland.”

    Sean Johnston / Alex Kihurani

    “It’s definitely been a character-building rally with the incident on Friday. We’ve had lots of good learning experiences and today we had a big compression on the first run of the power stage and when were swapping wheels we noticed an oil leak so called it a day.”

  • Dani Sordo-Carlos del Barrio bring unexpected victory for Hyundai: WRC Rally Italia

    Dani Sordo-Carlos del Barrio bring unexpected victory for Hyundai: WRC Rally Italia

    Dani Sordo (Carlos) takes the unexpected win for Hyundai in 2019 FIA World Rally Championship
    Round 08. Photo: Austral/ Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

    Alghero, Sardinia (Italy), 16 June 2019: Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio have taken victory on a dramatic final test of Rally Italia Sardegna after Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja slowed and spun in the Power Stage with a steering issue.

    It is the second win in the Hyundai driver’s FIA WRC career. Teemu Suninen and Jarmo Lehtinen claim second for M-Sport Ford in their first event together, while Sordo’s team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jaeger complete the podium after passing Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin in the last stage.

    Tänak fell to fifth position but does take the championship lead away from Sébastien Ogier… if he makes it to Parc Fermé to close the final road section.

    Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen are also celebrating a hat-trick in the FIA WRC 2 Pro class, leading Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler in a second consecutive one-two finish for Škoda.

    Pierre-Louis Loubet and Vincent Landais have taken their second straight win in FIA WRC 2 after the retirement of the overnight leaders Takamoto Katsuta and Daniel Barritt due to a fire caused by oil leaking from their engine.

    Jan Solans and Mauro Barreiro have scored the FIA Junior WRC win after getting ahead of Dennis Rådström and Johan Johansson on the final day.

    Hyundai Motorsport Report:
    Hyundai Motorsport has taken its third victory of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) after a dramatic conclusion to Rally Italia Sardegna that saw Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio crowned winners.The Spanish crew headed into the final morning aiming to secure second place after a competitive weekend. However, problems for rally leader Ott Tänak on the Power Stage saw the Estonian drop down the order. Having secured the runner-up position, Sordo was unexpectedly elevated to the top spot as a result of Tänak’s woes to claim his first victory for Hyundai Motorsport and the second WRC win of his career.

    Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger-Amland had their sights set on fourth place but had to dig deep to overturn a 14-second deficit to Elfyn Evans. The Norwegians went about the challenge in style, taking a clean sweep of stage wins on the final morning. Their efforts were further rewarded as they moved up into third place to claim their second podium of 2019 as part of a Hyundai Motorsport 1-3.

    Sunday’s itinerary included two runs through the 14.06km Cala Flumini and 6.89km Sassari-Argentiera stages, narrow, dusty and fast routes that put an emphasis on precision and commitment. The final run acted as the rally’s Power Stage, offering additional points towards the drivers’ championship with Mikkelsen scoring the maximum five points (for the first time since Spain 2015) and Thierry Neuville, who ended the rally in sixth place, picking up three extra points.

    The surprise result sees Hyundai Motorsport extend its lead in the WRC manufacturers’ standings to 46 points over Toyota Gazoo Racing. Neuville retains third place in the drivers’ table on 143 points, three behind Sébastien Ogier and seven adrift of Tänak with six events left of the season.

    Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Carlos del Barrio (#6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

    • First victory as a Hyundai Motorsport driver, second of Spaniard’s career
    • 25 points gives the team a much-needed boost in the manufacturers’ standings
    Sordo said: “This is incredible. I have no words; it’s just an amazing feeling to take my first win for Hyundai and the second WRC win of my career. Of course, I am very sorry for Ott and Toyota to have experienced such bad luck on the Power Stage. At the same time, we knew we had to keep the pressure on in case this sort of situation occurred. I just can’t believe it happened. We have been quick and consistent all weekend. There was no chance to beat Ott on outright pace so we just did what we could and avoided mistakes. It wasn’t easy but we made it through to the end – and we now have this fantastic victory as a reward. Thanks to Carlos and to the team for the support and for sharing this result. I think it will take some time to fully sink in.” Crew Notes: Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger-Amland (#89 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

    • Clean sweep of stage wins including Mikkelsen’s first Power Stage win since Spain 2015
    • Third place result marks crew’s second podium of 2019 season
    Mikkelsen said: “We gave it a massive push on the final morning in an effort to cut the gap to Elfyn Evans. We had to dig deep but we were confident in our chances. The car felt really nice and we were properly in the zone. Taking all four stage wins was a fantastic feeling and we would have been content to take fourth. Unfortunately, Ott had his issues, which then handed us a podium finish, which was an unexpected but very welcome bonus. Although it has been achieved at one of our rival’s expense, we are grateful to score a 1-3 result this weekend.”    Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (#11 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

    • Sixth place and three extra Power Stage points keeps Neuville in drivers’ title chase
    • Difficult weekend prevented Belgians from capturing their usual performance level

     Neuville said: “Absolutely not the weekend we were looking for. We have not been in the fight, so it’s been a case of damage limitation. A combination of incorrect tyre choice and other issues on Friday put us on the back foot from the start, and we’ve not been able to play a role since. We have to put it down to ‘one of those weekends’ and look to regroup and fight back in Finland. We pushed as hard as we could in the Power Stage but we could do no more. Congratulations to Dani; we have worked together at Hyundai for six years now and I am really pleased to see him and Carlos secure their first win for the team.”

    Team Director Andrea Adamo: “Personally, I find this result quite difficult to accept. Firstly, we extend our empathy to everyone at Toyota Gazoo Racing, to Tommi, Ott and Martin, for the cruel way that they had a deserved victory taken away from them. For the second time this season, we have inherited a victory that we did not earn on the road. We should not have to rely on unreliability to secure these results. I appreciate that I am perhaps looking at things too much through a sympathetic lens but this is the reality of the situation. At the same time, I am pleased for Dani and Carlos who have worked professionally all weekend, as have all our three crews, to put themselves in a position to capitalise on today’s situation.”

    Next Rally

    • WRC takes its traditional summer break before the championship resumes with Rally Finland August 1-4
    • The popular event will be the fifth consecutive gravel rally on the 2019 calendar, with six weeks for teams and crews to prepare for the extreme high-speed challenge.
    Final Overall Classification – Rally Italia Sardegna
    1 D. Sordo C. del Barrio Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3:32:27.2
    2 T. Suninen J. Lehtinen Ford Fiesta WRC +13.7
    3 A. Mikkelsen A. Jæger-Amland Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC +32.6
    4 E. Evans S. Martin Ford Fiesta WRC +33.5
    5 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC +1:30.1
    6 T. Neuville N. Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC +2:16.7
    7 E. Lappi J. Ferm Citroën C3 WRC +2:59.6
    8 K. Meeke S. Marshall Toyota Yaris WRC +4:40.1
    9 K. Rovanperä J. Halttunen Škoda Fabia R5 +8:24.6
    10 J. Kopecky P. Dresler Škoda Fabia R5 +8:49.2
    2019 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings 
    After round 8
    1 O. Tanak 150
    2 S. Ogier 146
    3 T. Neuville 143
    4 E. Evans 78
    5 T. Suninen 62
    6 K. Meeke 60
    7 A. Mikkelsen 56
    8 D. Sordo 52
    9 E. Lappi 40
    10 J.M Latvala 40
    11 S.Loeb 39

    2019 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
    After round 8

    1 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 242
    2 Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 198
    3 Citroën Total World Rally Team 170
    4 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 152

    All results remain subject to official FIA confirmation.

  • Nirmal Umashankar, Ruhaan Alva, Ishaan Madesh excel in X-30 class JK Tyre Karting Nationals

    Nirmal Umashankar, Ruhaan Alva, Ishaan Madesh excel in X-30 class JK Tyre Karting Nationals

    Winners of Junior class Race 3: from left: Mihir Suman Avalakki (2nd) with winner Ruhaan Alva and Shahan Ali Mohsin (3rd) at Meco Kartopia in Bengaluru on Sunday. Photos: JK Tyre

    Bengaluru, 16 June 2019: Chennai’s Nirmal Umashankar came up with another power-packed performance to consolidate his lead in the X-30 class of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Karting Championship at the Meco Kartopia near Bengaluru on Sunday.

    Nirmal, an accomplished driver in the Euro JK category of JKNRC, was unstoppable in the Senior Category and won all four races during the day to collect a total of 40 points to maintain his vice-like grip at the top of the leaderboard with 76 points after two rounds. Debarun Banerjee of Delhi, who started the round behind Nirmal, began with two, second-place finishes. But he could not better that show and finished third and fourth respectively in the next two races to drift away. He is currently on 49 points after two rounds.

    Senior Class winners: From left: Debarun Banerjee (2nd), Nirmal Umashankar (1st) and Shahan Ali Mohsin (3rd)

    Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin, who started 7th on the leaderboard, collected 22 points, thanks to his three third-place finishes catapulting to the third spot with a total of 32 points.

    In the Junior Category, it was Bangalore’s Ruhaan Alva who made the most of the round, winning three races to collect a total of 34 points to climb up the charts with a total of 57 points. His city-mate Arjun S Nair won one race and posted two, second-place finishes to log in 27 points and maintain his second spot with a total of 51 points. Shahan Ali, just like in the Senior Category, covered good ground to go to the third position (38 points), courtesy of two second and two third-place finishes. However, Round 1 leader Mihir Suman Avalakki did not have the best of the days and could collect only 23 points to slide down to 4th position.

    Cadet winners: From left: Shriya Loha (2nd), Ishaan Madesh (1st) and Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (3rd).

    In the cadet category, Bangalore’s Ishaan Mahesh collected a perfect 40 to accumulate a total of 77 pointsto hold on to his lead. Young Shriya Lohia of Pune is in the distant second with a total of 52 points, while Sai Shiva Makesh Shankara is in the third spot with 45 points.

    Arafath Sheikh from Pune, the youngest driver on the grid also proved his mettle as he managed to collect 12 points in the cadet category.

    Round 2: (provisional unaudited results):

    Senior Race 1 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 14:07.082; 2. Debarun Banerjee (Delhi) 14:07.545; (Fastest lap: 0:55.935); 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) 13:18.160 (one lap less).

    Senior Race 2 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) (14:05.620); 2. Debarun Banerjee (Delhi) (14:09.057); 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (14:09.274). Fastest lap: Nirmal 0:55.740.

    Senior Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 13:58.958 (Fastest lap 00:55.437); 2. Manav Sharma  (Faridabad) 14:04.372; 3. Debarun Banerjee 14:04.951.

    Senior Race 4 (18 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 16:46.845 (Fastest lap 00:55.674); 2. Manav Sharma (Faridabad) 16:54.526; 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) 16:58.972; 3.

    Junior Race 1 (12 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (11:13.420); 2. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (11:16.546); 3. Arjun S Nair (Bengaluru) (11:19.207); Best Lap: Arjun Nair 0:55.916.

    Junior Race 2 (12 laps): 1. Arjun S Nair (Bengaluru) (11:20.283); 2. Mihir Suman Avalakki (Bengaluru) (11:20.547); 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (11:20.895); Best lap: Mihir Avalakki 0:55.581.

    Junior Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (13:49.402); 2. Mihir Suman Avalakki (Bengaluru) (13:52.230); 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (13:53.388); Best lap: Ruhaan Alva 0:55.100.

    Junior Race 4 (15 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (13:53.045); 2. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (13:57.120); 3. Arjun S Nair (Bengaluru) (13:57.428); Best lap: Ruhaan Alva 0:55.255.

    Cadet Class Race 1 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:21.358); 2. Shriya Loha (Pune) (11:31.894); 3. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) (11:33.527); Best Lap: Ishaan: 1:03.313.

    Cadet Class Race 2 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:36.489); 2. Shriya Loha (Pune) (10:40.277); 3. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) (10:50.596); Best Lap: Ishaan: 1:02.802.

    Cadet Class Race 3 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:34.779); 2. Shriya Loha (Pune) (10:40.682); 3. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) (10:42.887); Best Lap: Ishaan: 1:02.722.

    Cadet Class Race 4 (12 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (12:45.365); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) (12:53.594); 3. Shriya Loha (Pune) (13:00.311); Best Lap: Ishaan: 1:03.314. (Shriya demoted to thrid place after a 10-second penalty for jump start)

    Provisional Rankings post Round 2:
    Cadet Category: 1. Ishaan Madhesh (Bangalore) 77 points; 2. Shriya Lohia (Pune) 52 points; 3. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) 45 points

    Junior Category: 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bangalore) 57 points; 2. Arun S. Nair (Bangalore) 51 points; 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) 38 points

    Senior Category: 1. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 76 points; 2. Debarun Banerjee (Delhi) 49 points; 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) 32 points

  • Ott Tanakm Martin Jarveoja duo surges into the lead of Rally Italia Sardegna on Saturday: WRC

    Ott Tanak and codriver Martin Jarveoja take lead in Rally Italia, the8th round of the FIA World Rally Championship 2019 . Photo: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC

    Alghero, Sardinia (Italy), 15 June 2019: Ott Tänak surged into the lead of Rally Italia Sardegna on Saturday morning, the Toyota driver setting the fastest time in all three stages to take the top spot away from Hyundai’s Dani Sordo.

    Saturday morning’s loop on the Mediterranean island was made up of three classic Sardinian tests to the east of Alghero, totalling 71.21 competitive kilometres and rounded out by the famous Monte Lerno stage and its hugely popular Micky’s Jump.

    As was the case on Friday, there was a diverse range of tyre choices among the crews. While rally leader Sordo went for five hard tyres, Tänak opted for three mediums and two hards. Tänak’s decision quickly paid off in SS10, allowing the Estonian to move past Teemu Suninen to take second place and reduce Sordo’s advantage from 6.5 to 4.7 seconds.

    In SS11, Tänak took 2.1 second out of Sordo and in SS12, he was nine seconds quicker, despite suffering a stall on a hairpin. He now leads Sordo by 6.4 seconds, heading into the afternoon loop.

    Teemu Suninen also left the morning service with five hard tyres and although he couldn’t match the times of Tänak or Sordo, he consolidated his podium place, opening up a gap of 27.9 seconds over M-Sport team-mate Elfyn Evans.

    Andreas Mikkelsen and Evans began the day just 0.1 second apart and traded places in every stage during the morning. Evans won out in SS12 with a tight advantage of 2.6 seconds after Mikkelsen ran wide into a wall near the end of the stage.

    Kris Meeke has run steadily through the morning to maintain his sixth position, 10.8 second behind Mikkelsen.

    After an eventful Friday, Thierry Neuville struggled during the morning, regretting his choice of hard tyres and confessing he wasn’t able to find the confidence. He is now 51.9 seconds behind Meeke in seventh, with Esapekka Lappi 20.1 seconds further back in eighth.

    Rally restarter Sébastien Ogier was due to run first on the road, but the Frenchman checked in late in the first stage of the morning to run third ahead of his team-mate Lappi. He started SS11 even further back in the order, before stopping to fix a damaged left-rear suspension, which continued to hamper him in SS12.

    Kalle Rovanperä continues to lead FIA WRC 2 Pro in ninth overall with his Škoda Fabia R5 Evo, moving ahead of FIA WRC 2 leader Pierre-Louis Loubet, who closes the top 10.

    In the FIA WRC 2 Pro battle, Jan Kopecky is second with a gap of 20.1 seconds to his Škoda team-mate, while Citroën’s Mads Ostberg is about 10 minutes behind his rivals.

    WRC 2 contender Nikolay Gryazin dropped out of second when he ripped off a wheel of his Škoda on SS10, promoting Takamoto Katsuta. Kajetan Kajetanowitz is third.

    Dennis Rådström remains out front in the FIA Junior WRC category, with Jan Solans passing Tom Kristensson for second.

  • Dennis Radstrom holds on to a narrow 4.4 sec lead over Jan Solans on Saturday: FIA Junior WRC

    Alghero, Sardinia (Italy), 15 June 2019:  The FIA Junior WRC Championship is set up for a nail-biting conclusion to Rally d’Italia Sardegna as Dennis Rådström holds onto a narrow 4.4-second lead over Jan Solans going into the final day of the rally.

    Solans pushed hard from the get-go on Saturday morning and delivered five stage wins in a row, closing down the gap to Rådström from 17.4s to 1.2s by the conclusion of SS14.

    The Spaniard was maintaining an impressive and consistent pace while reeling off stage wins and looked set to claim a perfect day together with the rally lead. Rådström, the only current Junior WRC driver to win a Junior WRC gravel event, denied Solans of a perfect streak and claimed the final stage win of the day, extending his lead to 4.4s.

    In terms of stage wins and stage win points, Solans now has eight to his name and Rådström five.

    Solans took victory on SS12 and a stage point, but Rådström was awarded a notional time stage time identical to the Spaniard’s due to being stuck behind a slower car on the stage. Rådström did not receive a stage point due to his time being an artificial stage time.

    Championship leader Tom Kristensson who is yet to win a stage on the rally sits in third position, 1m59.9s adrift from the lead. The Swede kept to his plan of making no mistakes and finishing every stage. The strategy did mean losing a large amount of time on the rough and difficult final stage of the day (SS15) although he has a comfortable margin of 1m02.9s over Raul Badiu in fourth.

    Julius Tannert started the day in fifth position, radiator damage during SS10 meant the German had to make a repair between stages and was 22 minutes late for his start time on SS11. He was handed a 3m40s penalty which dropped him to eighth after completing SS11. Tannert bounced back with consistent pace and ended the day sixth, 2m08.1s behind Latvian Martins Sesks.

    Fabrizio Zaldivar from Paraguay, the youngest driver in the 2019 FIA Junior WRC field, sits in seventh with a five-minute gap to eight placed Tom Williams. Provided Zaldivar has an issue-free Sunday, he could claim his best finish of the season on the final day of Rally d’Italia.

    Dennis Rådström said: “It’s been a typically Sardinian day, a rough one, but we have completed it without problems. I focussed and just made sure I took care of the car. I think we will continue like we have done because this time we have to keep leave our ‘Junior mind’ at home, focus on our job and just go on tomorrow.”

    CLASSIFICATION, SECTIONS FOUR AND FIVE:

    1.Dennis Rådström / Johan Johansson 01:48:26.2
    2. Jan Solans / Mauro Barreiro + 00:04.4
    3. Tom Kristensson / Henrik Appelskog + 01:59.9
    4. Raul Badiu / Gabriel Lazar + 03:02.8
    5. Martins Sesks / Krisjanis Caune + 03:46.3
    6. Julius Tannert / Jürgen Heigl + 05:54.4
    7. Fabrizio Zaldivar / Fernando Mussano + 07:20.3
    8. Tom Williams / Phil Hall + 12:23.2
    9. Enrico Oldrati / Elia de Guio + 14:58.1
    10. Nico Knacker / Anne Stein + 16:49.2
    11. Sean Johnston / Alex Kihurani + 42:43.1

     

  • Quartararo takes on Marquez as Yamaha make it a tight battle at the top in Barcelona

    Quartararo takes on Marquez as Yamaha make it a tight battle at the top in Barcelona

    The rookie bests the reigning Champion, Viñales third quickest before a three-place penalty

    Fabio Quartararo takes pole on Saturday at the Catalan GP. A MotoGP image

    Barcelona, 15 June 2019: Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) has done it again. The French rookie followed up going fastest on Friday by taking his second pole position in the premier class despite still recovering from arm pump surgery, and that despite suffering his first ever crash in MotoGP™ during FP3. It was close between the two men at the top in qualifying, however, and the number 20 only just beating reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) to pole by 0.015. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was third fastest as Saturday proved a top day for Yamaha, but the number 12 subsequently received a three-place grid penalty and will be bumped back to the second row.

    An infinitesimal 0.001 advantage for Viñales means Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) just missed out on a place in the fastest trio, but the Italian was impressive and will start from the front row after the Spaniard’s penalty. A huge crash in the morning prefaced a trip through Q1, but the number 21 bounced back in qualifying and just got the better of compatriot Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in Q2, who was the fifth fastest but now heads the second row. Rossi’s 1:39.753 was the lap that meant all four Yamahas were inside the fastest five in qualifying for the first time since Brno 2012 after a phenomenal showing from the Iwata marque.

    Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) continues the Italian invasion near the front as he was sixth quickest and now starts fifth after improving on his second run and gaining a place as Viñales takes his penalty. ‘DesmoDovi’ was the fastest Ducati in qualifying, and although teammate Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) wasn’t far behind, Viñales will now split the two on the grid. Petrucci suffered a crash in Q2, as did the man just behind him: Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar).

    Rins was on a hot lap when he went down and with only two minutes left on the clock, the Spaniard didn’t have the chance to improve. So it’s P8 for him and he needs another stellar first few laps like Mugello, where he picked his way through to perfection from 13th on the grid. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) starts alongside the Suzuki rider, but a few tenths in arrears.

    Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) finished just 0.048 off Crutchlow to line up tenth for his home Grand Prix, with the five-time World Champion having gone straight through to Q2. Q1 graduate and rookie Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) took 11th place, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro launching from P12 at a true home race for the rider born only kilometers from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

    One name missing from the normal Q2 mix was Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), who faces a fightback from P14, and he’ll be one of many to watch when the lights go out. Can Quartararo race away from pole? It’s his last chance to beat Marquez to the record of the youngest winner. Or can Marquez beat him to the holeshot? Yamaha look strong, Rossi is a record-breaker in Barcelona, Ducati always brings the pace on race day…you don’t want to miss Round 7 of the season from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with MotoGP race coming your way at 5.30 pm IST, (14:00 local time) on Sunday (GMT+2).

    MotoGP Q2 Top-10 results:
    1. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) – 1:39.484
    2. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.015
    3. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 0.226
    4. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 0.227
    5. Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 0.269
    6. Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) + 0.293
    7. Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) + 0.360
    8. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.386
    9. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) + 0.667
    10. Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.715
    11. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.756
    12. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 0.941

     

  • Fresh faces vs veterans: Quartararo heads a four-factory fight in Friday practice

    Fresh faces vs veterans: Quartararo heads a four-factory fight in Friday practice

    Quartararo tops Friday practice. A MotoGP image

    Barcelone 14 June 2019: They say you can’t keep a good man down and on Friday at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya that proved very true for rookie sensation Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) as the Frenchman came straight out the blocks from arm pump surgery to lead the way. Quick in FP1 and his fastest in FP2 enough to take over at the top, he ends Friday clear of the competition by almost three tenths. That competition made it an impressive four factories in the top four, however, with Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) in P2, Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) in third and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in fourth – with all three within 0.033 on the chase.

    The morning session was a fairly quiet one by MotoGP™ standards, with a bit of a hairy entrance into Turn 10 for Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and a little snap at the same place for Marquez two of the standouts. But it would nevertheless prove a crucial session for the reigning Champion as he was the only rider in the top ten who didn’t improve his lap time in the afternoon. He didn’t fit a new soft tyre but was able to stay in ninth, so the ‘extra’ tyre on Saturday could prove a masterstroke.

    Marquez also ran with the Ducatis in the afternoon – much to their mild chagrin – as Dovizioso and teammate Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) had headed out in tandem. They kept the advantage on the combined timesheets though, with ‘DesmoDovi’ in second and ‘Petrux’ taking P8, just ahead of the number 93.

    So behind the four-factory fight at the top and those standout performances from the likes of Nakagami and Pol Espargaro, who impressed next? Second rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) put his Ducati in fifth and would doubtless have been the rookie talking point of the day if not for the Frenchman at the top, and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) took P6 to again make it both the Independent Team Yamahas ahead of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP bikes. It wasn’t by much at Catalunya, however, with Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) an infinitesimal 0.003 behind compatriot and VR46 Riders Academy member Morbidelli. After a tougher run of late, especially on Friday and Saturday, it was a big step forward for the ‘Doctor’ at a venue he’s reigned more than anyone.

    Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), meanwhile, completes the top ten to slot in behind Petrucci and Marquez. The Brit was only 0.010 behind Marquez, too, with those two Hondas trailing Nakagami’s best lap by a couple of tenths. But then the number 93, as aforementioned, didn’t pop in a fresh soft tyre. And neither did Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who finishes Friday in P11 and therefore outside the automatic graduation zone to Q2. The Suzuki rider also suffered a crash, but the weather forecast is fine for the weekend and Saturday is another day, so both he and Marquez will be gunning for a hot lap in FP3.

    The likes of Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) in P14 and Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in P15 will be rushing to join them too, with Viñales one who, along with Jack Miller, dropped down the timesheets in the afternoon.

    See how the cards play out in FP3 as it decides those heading straight through to Q2 at 9:55 (GMT +2) before qualifying begins at 14:10 and the grid for Round 7 is decided.

    Friday’s fastest:

    1 – Fabio Quartararo* (FRA – Yamaha) 1’40.079
    2 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA – Ducati) +0.281
    3 – Takaaki Nakagami* (JPN – Honda) +0.302
    4 – Pol Espargaro (SPA – KTM) +0.314
    5 – Francesco Bagnaia* (ITA – Ducati) +0.392*Independent Team riders
  • MotoGP ready for battle in Barcelona as it celebrates 70 years

    MotoGP ready for battle in Barcelona as it celebrates 70 years

    From Left: Espargaro, Petrucci, Dovizioso, Marquez, Rins, Viñales, Canet. A MotoGP image

    Barcelona, 13 June 2019: Before bikes on track it’s always time to talk about the weekend ahead, and on Thursday at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, the 7th round of the MotoGP World Championship, it was a packed pre-event Press Conference featuring no less than seven riders: Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was joined by Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati), Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati), Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Moto3 Championship leader Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team).

    Even as MotoGP celebrates 70 years, Marquez was first to speak. “Of course I’m happy to arrive in this way to our home GP and yeah after Mugello, you know we arrive in a great moment because normally in Mugello we struggle, this year we struggled but we were there so we’ll see here. In the last years, Ducati were very fast, so they will be fast again this year! But we’ll try to do our best and the target is try to work in our garage and on Sunday try to be on the podium. If we have a small chance at the victory we’ll try.

    “For me, both the Ducati riders are contenders in the Championship, strong and good opponents, Dovizioso is only 12 points behind me, Danilo 33, everything is very tight, including Rins. We need to keep going try to push and work in the same way as this first part of the season because I feel really good and really confident.”

    Next came Dovizioso, who won at the venue two years ago and is, as Marquez says, just 12 points behind him. “For sure 12 points behind Marc at this moment is really positive, we have more points than last year, we’ve been consistent, but we want to get back to winning because if you want to fight with Marc you have to win some races. He’s always there and on a bay day he’s still on the podium and he’s able to try and win the race.

    “We are there, we are close but we want something more and we’re working really hard. I’m happy to be here in Montmelo, it’s a really nice track and I think we can be competitive, but as in other years the temperature on the ground and the tyres have more effect than other places, so we will see. The tyres are bit different to the past and I’m confident but we’ll see.”

    Rins, as third in the Championship, spoke next. “Well for sure we had an incredible race. When I finished I was very…I thought I was able to win! I fought with all the Ducatis and Hondas but we already knew we would suffer. Positive is we finished less than one second off the win, I enjoyed it a lot, overtaking these guys a lot and it was very fun.”

    The man who did eventually take the win in Mugello, however, was Danilo Petrucci, who first talked through the incredible weekend there.

    “Fortunately, the celebrating has been not so crazy. I was sleeping at my mothers house so it was important to come back on Sunday in a conscious way! It’s been very nice to win in Mugello after a good race. I wasn’t 100%, this was more special but yeah, the feeling after on Monday on Tuesday was to try again because the feeling after crossing the finish line was amazing. I just started to think that Mugello was the first of good racing. The last three races we always fought for the podium and we want to continue like this. I think here will be more difficult than Mugello, we are four maybe six riders who can fight for the win every race.”

    Next, the Italian also clarified some of his post-race comments about helping his teammate to win the title.

    “As always the media just took the second part of my thoughts. I already say Andrea give me a lot of help in the winter, especially on the mental side. I want to put in a nice level, helping one another in competition in training and at home. We speak a lot, if I have the chance to win I will try, there are no team orders, but I can maybe give to Andrea a better version of me, be calmer and more relaxed. This was the meaning of helping Andrea. Be there fighting for the podium, two Ducatis, will be very important for me.”

    Viñales took over from there; honest ahead of track action although also optimistic. “It’s the same problems. In practice we can show our speed and potential, like in Mugello, then in races sometimes we lost more than a second. It’s frustrating because we prepare the bike well and at race time it changes so much, but I hope for good grip here in Montmelo. It’s a track I really like and last year wasn’t too bad actually and I think this year we have a bit more potential, so I will try and give my best as always, cross our fingers to have good grip in the race and to be able to show our potential. If we can achieve a good result for us it’s important. As an objective, it’s to improve on Mugello.”

    He also spoke about his experience at the pre-event, riding a 1970s two-stroke Yamaha up Tibidabo. “It was a different experience, it was a really long time since I rode a two-stroke and I stalled it first time! The bike was strange to ride, skinny and long, so very different to what we’re riding now but it was a great experience. So thanks to MotoGP for the opportunity!”

    It was Aleix Espargaro who spoke next, at a true home Grand Prix for the Granollers-born rider. “Pol and myself were born just 5km from here, so it’s always great to come to our home track. I hope we can enjoy a good weekend, the weather looks fine and the track will be full with the crowd. We’re aiming for a good weekend, trying to be a bit closer to the top guys because we’ve been struggling at the start of the season but I hope the positive vibes of the home crowd will help a little bit.

    “It’s not enough, my 100%, but it’s the maximum I can do. I try to give everything I have from FP1 to the end of the race but this year it’s not enough, to get in the top ten is very difficult. We need help from Aprilia but I know in Noale they are working hard, so I need to be patient, do my part the best possible, and work hard and wait for new parts to come to improve the bike.”

    Finally, Canet took to the mic. Heading into his second home GP of the season he’s three points clear in the Championship, so it’s as close as ever in the lightweight class. “It’s a really difficult fight for Championship, the gap is small with Dalla Porta but we’ll try to do our best possible to fight for the victory this weekend. It’s difficult because young riders, on every lap we fight for the lead, and that’s more difficult. Normally I like to stay at the rear of the group, but in Mugello for example for me it was really difficult to follow the pace of those guys and in the end the position was positive but we need to improve a bit this weekend.”

    That’s it from Thursday at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, exactly 70 years since the Championship began. Tune in for the rest of the weekend with track action beginning on Friday morning and lights out for the MotoGP™ race on Sunday at 14:00 (GMT +2).

  • #MotoGP70: statistics from 70 years of Grand Prix racing from 1949

    #MotoGP70: statistics from 70 years of Grand Prix racing from 1949

    The Honda at Camp Nou, the FC Barcelona ground, joined by the Mondial. A MotoGP image

    Barcelona, 13 June 2019: Today marks not only the start of the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, but also the 70th anniversary of the very first race that counted towards the World Championship classification – the 350cc race at the Isle of Man TT in 1949, won by British rider Freddie Frith on a Velocette. Frith went on to win all five races in the inaugural 350 World Championship and took the title, and then he retired from racing. The very first 500 World Champion was Les Graham on an AJS, the first 250 Champion was Bruno Ruffo on a Moto Guzzi, and Nello Pagani took the honours in the 125 class on a Mondial.

    Here are some facts and statistics covering the history of the sport from those first laps to now…

    • So far, 929 Grand Prix events have been staged since the start of the World Championship in 1949.

    • At these events, a total of 3114 races for solo classes of Grand Prix racing have been held since the very first at the Isle of Man back in 1949.

    • 117 different riders have clinched at least one world title in any solo class of Grand Prix racing. The rider with most world titles is Giacomo Agostini with 15, followed by Angel Nieto (12+1), Mike Hailwood (9), Valentino Rossi (9) and Carlo Ubbiali (9).

    • A total of 372 different riders have stood on the top step of the podium across all solo classes of Grand Prix racing. The rider with most GP wins is Giacomo Agostini with 122 victories, followed by Valentino Rossi (115), Angel Nieto (90), Mike Hailwood (76) and Marc Marquez (73).

    • Among these 372 winners, a total of 111 different riders have won only one GP race since 1949, the most recent of which is Danilo Petrucci in Italy this year.

    • A total of 718 different riders have finished on the podium in all solo classes of Grand Prix racing. Valentino Rossi is the rider with most podium finishes on 234, followed by Giacomo Agostini (159), Dani Pedrosa (153), Jorge Lorenzo (152) and Angel Nieto (139).

    • The winners in solo classes have come from 29 different nations. Italy leads with 811 wins, followed by Spain (609), Great Britain (383), Germany (191), including East and West Germany, and Australia (180).

    • Since the very first season in 1949, 30 different countries have hosted a Grand Prix race. Spain leads, with 400 races contested, followed by Italy (347).

    • Honda is the most successful manufacturer in Grand Prix racing (solo classes) with 776 wins, followed by Yamaha (502), Aprilia (294), MV Agusta (275) and Suzuki (157).