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Tag: featured
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Arindam Saikia, Nataraj Revanna emerge champs in Raid de Himalaya 2018
Nataraj Revanna of TVS Racing, the fastest competitor in Raid de Himalaya 2018 Leh, 13 October 2018: Arindam Saikia of Team Polaris and Nataraj Revanna of Team TVS were crowned the undisputed champions in the 20th Raid de Himalaya here on Saturday. Arindam, who jumped ahead on Day 2, hung on to his lead tenaciously for the next two days to claim the Xtreme 4×4 category. He logged a total penalty of 6.32.49 hours.
Nataraj, on the other hand, has been in a class if his own among the bikers, and easily won in the Moto Xtreme. He, in fact, proved to be the fastest competitor in the entire field, with total penalty of 4 hours, 58 minutes, 52 seconds.
The iconic Raid started from Kargil on October 10 and concluded today, with the competitors coping with extreme cold and demanding terrain across Kargil, Zanskar and Ladakh.
The 2015 Raid winner Captain AVS Gill, in his Grand Vitara, finished 10.53 minutes behind to take the second position. Himanshu Arora of Haree Rallying, driving a Gypsy, took the third place. Amitrajit Ghosh of Team Mahindra made a major comeback to claim the fourth place.
With Nataraj comprehensively beating the field, the others had to settle for the remaining honours. His teammate Imran Pasha finished with a total penalty of 5:15:21 hours to take the second place. Vishwas SD finished third while Jatin Jain was fourth.
Vijay Parmar, President Himalayan Motorsport, pointed out that these were all provisional results as the final audit was still in progress.
“Raid 2018 was very difficult. We kept facing bad weather at every turn. For the first time, we encountered temperatures as low as -16 degrees. Wind chill was well over -20 degrees, making the going really tough for the bikers,” Parmar said.
Raid de Himalaya, considered among the top ten toughest motorsport rallies of the world, is organized by Shimla-based Himalayan Motorsport, India’s premier motorsport club.
Remarkably, both the amputees in fray, Vinod Rawat of Mumbai and Ashok Munne of Nagpur, finished the Raid successfully, even finishing second and third in the Group D category, featuring stock bikes with no modifications. Vishal Das of Kolkata was the winner.
Parmar said reducing the Raid de Himalaya format to four days kept the competition alive till the end. “The Raid has usually been six days long. By Day Four, the likely winners usually emerge and it’s just a question of holding on to your lead after that,” Parmar said.
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Ashwin, Vishnu start favourites for Round 3 of 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship
EURO JK 18 championship leader Chennai’s Ashwin Datta in action. Coimbatore, October 13: Round 3 of the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship will commence here today at the Kari Motor Speedway with the Chennai trio of Ashwin Datta, Vishnu Prasad and Joseph Matthew looking to consolidate their positions on the leaderboard.
Ashwin, who had surprised everyone with speed and guile this season, has managed to stay ahead of the pack with three podium finishes in the Euro JK 18 category with 51 points. He will be looking anxiously over this shoulder as he has a slender two-point lead.
Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee Nayan Chatterjee (49 points) was breathing fire in Round 2 and will be keen to carry that momentum forward to stake his claim for the championship in the final round next month.
“The championship has reached a very exciting stage, with anyone capable of winning in each of the championships,” Sanjay Sharma, Head of JK Motorsports, said. “It is going to be an intense battle this weekend.”
In the LGB 4 category, MSport’s Vishnu was at his imperious best in the last round, winning two races and finishing second in one to gather a total of 28 points. With 50 points in the kitty from two rounds, he will look to widen the gap further at the top. Vishnu, however will be wary of his buddy and team-mate Raghul Rangasamy who is not too far behind him at 45 points.
In the JK Tyre Novice Cup, all eyes will be on 14-year-old Tijil Rao of Momentum Motorsports, who annexed his maiden win to end the round with 13 points. He is currently third in the championship standings. Tijil’s team-mate Siddharth Mehdiratta is currently leading the standings with 16 points, just one ahead of but Viswas Vijayaraj.
Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad Defending champion Joseph Matthew of Chennai continues to rule the Suzuki Gixxer Cup. He is yet to drop a point in the championship and has four wins from as many starts for a total of 40 points. He will be the man to beat once again.
The top 3 after Round 2 – EURO JK 18: Ashwin Datta – 51 points; Nayan Chatterjee – 49 points; Brayan Perera – 43 points
LGB Formula 4: Vishnu Prasad (Msport) – 50 points; Raghul Rangasamy (Msport) – 45 points; Rohit Khanna – 37 points
NOVICE CUP: Siddharth Mehdiratta (Momentum Motorsports) – 16 points; Viswas Vijayraj (DTS Racing) – 15 points; Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsports) – 13 points.
JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup: Joseph Matthew – 40 points; Syed Muzzammil Ali – 30 points; Malsawmdawngliana – 21 points.
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FIA World Rally Championship: 14 rounds in 2019, season to begin in January; WRC 3 dropped
Paris, 13 October 2018: The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council which met here on Friday, approved a 14-round calendar for the World Rally Championship while dropping the WRC 3 category from the programme, while the total distance of Special Stages has been reduced from a maximum of 500 to a maximum of 350 Kms.The 2019 FIA World Rally Championship calendar is confirmed as follows:
27 January: Rally Monte Carlo
17 February: Rally Sweden
10 March: Rally Mexico
31 March: Rally France
28 April: Rally Argentina
12 May: Rally Chile
2 June: Rally Portugal
16 June: Rally Italy
4 August: Rally Finland
25 August *: Rally Germany
15 September: Rally Turkey
6 October *: Rally Great Britain
27 October *: Rally Spain
17 November *: Rally Australia
* Date subject to confirmation
DECISIONS IN A NUTSHELL
In order to give consistent identity to drivers and assist with promotion, Priority 1 drivers will be free to choose their permanent car number from 2019, except number 1, which will always be reserved for the reigning World Rally Champion.
As part of an overall cost reduction plan aimed at removing or reducing the cost of elements that do not add to the spectacle of the Championship, the number of test days will be reduced from 55 to 42 for WRC Manufacturer teams. The total distance of special stages has been reduced from a maximum of 500 to a maximum of 350 kilometres.
From 2019, the support championships will be restructured to help increase the number of entrants in Manufacturer Championships, to boost the number of factory supported drivers and cars, and further encourage private competitors to the WRC 2 and Junior WRC Championships. Building on the success of the R5 car, a new WRC 2 Pro Championship for Drivers, Co-Drivers and Manufacturers will be created as a platform for registered R5 manufacturers.
The same specification R5 car will continue to be used in the FIA WRC 2 Championship. This championship will be solely for private entrants, with the intention being to attract more drivers from national and regional championships.
In order to continue supporting the progression of young talent in the sport, the format of the Junior WRC Championship will remain unchanged. The WRC 3 Championship will cease from 2019 although competitors in two-wheel drive cars are still eligible to enter events.
The Championships will therefore be as follows:
FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers
FIA WRC 2 Pro Championship for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers
FIA WRC 2 Championship for Drivers and Co-drivers
FIA Junior WRC Championship for Drivers, Co-drivers and Nations.– Source: fia.com
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FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting: 2019 Formula 1 season to commence on March 17
Paris, 13 October 2018: With no new additions, the 2018 Formula One season will again comprise 21 races, beginning with the Australian GP in Melbourne on the weekend of March 17 as per the calendar announced by the sport’s World governing body FIA following the meeting of the World Motor Sport Council here on Friday, hosted by FIA President Jean Todt and Deputy President for Sport Graham Stoker.Besides approving the calendar for Formula 1 and the World Rally Championship, the Council also approved MRF Challenge as one of the four international series, the others being Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, Asian Le Mans Series and the W Series.
The 2019 season calendar was approved as follows:
17 March: Australia, Melbourne
31 March: Bahrain, Sakhir
14 April: China, Shanghai
28 April: Azerbaijan, Baku
12 May: Spain, Barcelona
26 May: Monaco, Monaco
9 June: Canada, Montreal
23 June: France, Le Castellet
30 June: Austria, Spielberg
14 July: Great Britain, Silverstone
28 July: Germany, Hockenheim
4 August: Hungary, Budapest
1 September: Belgium, Spa
8 September: Italy, Monza
22 September: Singapore, Singapore
29 September: Russia, Sochi
13 October: Japan, Suzuka
27 October: Mexico, Mexico City
3 November: USA, Austin*
17 November: Brazil, São Paulo
1 December: Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina
* Subject to ASN approval
THE DECISIONS IN BRIEF
The Council approved changes to the 2019 Sporting Regulations including:
– Changes to the Safety Car regulations to ensure there is a consistent point at which drivers may overtake when the Safety Car returns to the pits. This will now be the same in all three types of restart
– The teams will now be responsible for initial scrutineering of their cars. Before the cars go on track for the first time, teams must declare conformity with all safety related matters
– The official end-of-race signal will now be a chequered light panel, although the chequered flag will still be shown
RELIEF FOR TEAM PERSONNEL
For 2020, the team personnel curfew – the amount of time for which all team personnel must be away from the track – will increase from eight to nine hours.
Formula 1 Strategy Group and Commission proposals concerning the 2019 Technical Regulations were agreed, including:
– Changes to the mirror regulations and also associated rear wing changes (height) for rear view visibility and safety (Articles 3.6 and 14.3)
– The on-board camera regulations will be modified to improve the TV spectacle (Article 21)
– Rear end-plate lights are to be added for safety (Article 14.5)
– Minor modifications to the halo fairing (Article 15.2.6) are to be made for safety reasons during a potential driver extraction.
– Source: fia.com
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George Russell to make F1 debut in 2019, confirms Williams Racing
George Russell, Williams Racing Driver Photoshoot Grove (Oxfordshire, England) 12 Oct 2018: Williams Racing is pleased to confirm George Russell’s appointment to a race seat from the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship with a multi-year agreement.
The 20-year-old British racing driver will make his Formula One race debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix and joins Williams with an impressive racing résumé.
Following a successful start to his career in karting, George stepped into single-seater racing in 2014, winning the BRDC Formula 4 Championship at his first attempt as well as becoming the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner. George progressed to the Formula 3 European Championship for two seasons and then went onto win the GP3 championship in his rookie 2017 season with two races to spare. He stepped up to the FIA Formula 2 Championship this year, which he is currently leading, whilst also fulfilling a Test and Reserve Driver role for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport.
Speaking about the announcement, George Russell said; “It is a huge honour to join a team of Williams’ prestige and heritage. Formula One has been a life-long dream. From watching the races when I was a child, it feels surreal that I will now be lining up on the grid, alongside drivers whom I have admired for years. I would like to thank Claire and everyone at Williams for their faith in making this decision, as well as Toto and the team at Mercedes for their fantastic support throughout GP3 and Formula 2. I am incredibly excited to start working with everyone at Grove and to take my first steps as a Formula One race driver. I cannot wait for Melbourne next year and to join Williams at the start of what we all believe will be the start of an exciting new journey.”
Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal, commented; “I am delighted to announce that George Russell will be joining Williams from the 2019 season. We have always tried to promote and develop young talent at Williams, and George fits that ethos perfectly. He is already highly regarded in the paddock and a driver whose career we have been watching for a while. In the time we have spent with him so far, we believe that he will be a great fit for our team; his commitment, passion and dedication is exactly what we need to drive the positive momentum building at Grove as we focus on the future. We are extremely excited to welcome George and work with him moving forward.”
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Triple podium for Rajini Krishnan in Malaysian SBK; finishes second runner-up in the championship
Rajini Krsishnan….triple poidium in Malaysian SBK. Photo: RACR Kuala Lumpur, 10 October 2018: India’s leading rider, Rajini Krishnan, riding a Yamaha YZF R1, enjoyed a fruitful weekend with three podium spots, including one win, as he ended his campaign in the 2018 Malaysian Superbike Championship by finishing third in the series at the Sepang International Circuit here on Sunday.
The 33-year old Azlan Shah Kumaruzaman of Chia PJ Kawasaki Racing team riding a Ninja ZX-10R won the championship.
The weekend saw the fourth and fifth rounds being run with a total of four races. In Saturday’s Round 4 double-header. Rajini qualified second and finished second in Race-1 and won Race-2. Krishnan was the 2015 1000cc champion of the Malaysian SBK. He also finished runner-up in 2017.
On Sunday, he again finished second in Race-1, but pulled out of the second race which cost him a second place in the championship and he eventually ended up second runner-up by a mere one point.
Reflecting on Sunday’s fiasco, Rajini said: “As the weather wasn’t bad, I went out on Slick tyres. However, once I reached the grid, it started to rain. The Race Control declared the race as wet and gave a time of 15 minutes for the riders to change their tyres from slicks to wet.
“As we did not have a spare wheel, I decided to go out again on the same slick tyres. During the sighting lap, I couldn’t ride my bike and it was a huge risk to ride with the slick tyres in the rain. So we decided to withdraw from the race.
“I ended up in losing my first runner-up position in the championship and finished second runner-up champion by just one point.
“I would like to thank my sponsors and friends who backed me for this season. I hope to do much better in the next season. The results could have been better with more sponsorship funding. We needed a better braking system as we had severe issues with brakes during the season including a major crash due to brake fade. Also, a lack of a spare wheel cost me the second place in the championship by just one point.”
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Dayinsure Wales Rally GB: Gill and MRF finish 12th; Ogier survives Latvala challenge for title
Gaurav Gill and MRF Tyres had plenty to cheer after finishing 12th in RC2 at the Wales Rally GB. Photo: MRF Racing Llandudno, 7 October 2018: Gaurav Gill and MRF Tyres had reasons to feel satisfied after finishing 12th in the RC2 class in the Dayinsure Wales Rally GB, the 11th round of the FIA World Rally Championship which ended here on Sunday with Sébastien Ogier winning the title after a pulsating final leg.
Gill and MRF who are focusing more on tyre development in preparation for a full WRC 2 season next year, maintained good pace, if opting to err on the side of caution in view of the treacherous conditions.
Yet, Gill, partnered by Australian Glenn Macneall and driving the M-Sport prepared Ford Fiesta R5, was on anything but a leisurely Sunday drive as he progressed through the standings, moving from overall 15th to 14th to 12th over three consecutive Stages before holding position in SS-22. MRF did not run SS-23, the concluding test, following changes in the wake of a motorbike accident not related to the rally.
“It is great to reach the end of the rally – it has been a challenging rally because of the slippery conditions and the changing weather,” Gill said. “Wales Rally GB is much different to Rally Finland and Rally Italy so it was a new experience for us and the team.”
Gaurav Gill negotiating a treacherous section. Photo: MRF Racing The crews did not return to service on Sunday, rather relying on a tyre fitting zone, meaning that any damage would have to be repaired by the crews. For Gill and Macneall, they would not have to worry about this as they skilfully navigated their way through the stages.
“Like the other days, today was tricky because of the narrow and slippery muddy stages,” Gill said. “We concentrated on getting through the stages and getting the data needed to develop our product.
“It is a shame we didn’t get to do the second run on Great Orme Llandudno due to the injury of a bike rider and our thoughts are with him. However, it was great to be able to rally in front of the massive Welsh crowd.”
Next up for Team MRF Tyres is Kennards Hire Rally Australia on more familiar roads. Joining Gill and Macneall in action on MRF Tyres will be the Australian Rally Championship, where MRF Tyres is the control tyre supplier.
SEBASTIEN OGIER HANGS ON TO POUCH TITLE
Sebastien Ogier had every reason to smile after winning the Wales Rally GB. Photo: WRC Meanwhile, in the WRC battle, Jari-Matti Latvala snatched Ogier’s slender overnight lead before the Frenchman fought back to regain the initiative in the penultimate speed test and win the four-day gravel road encounter by 10.6sec in a Ford Fiesta.
Latvala, driving a Toyota Yaris, finished 24.5sec ahead of team-mate and fellow-Finn Esapekka Lappi.
In the battle for the FIA World Rally Championship, Thierry Neuville’s final day surge to fifth left him with a seven-point advantage (189-182) over Ogier with two rounds remaining.
After narrowing Ogier’s overnight lead to 1.7sec with second fastest time in the opening Elsi speed test, Latvala threw caution to the wind in the following Gwydir special stage to move into a 3.6sec lead and claim maximum bonus points.
Ogier fought back in the following asphalt Great Orme Llandudno test to claim fastest time and defeat the Finn by 3.4sec – reducing the Toyota Yaris pilot’s advantage to a tantalising 0.2sec with two stages remaining.
The gravel forest roads were treacherously slippery after cold overnight temperatures and Latvala’s face at the finish of Gwydir revealed just how much of a roller coaster ride it was.
“An extremely difficult stage. It was very, very low grip and on the asphalt there was a lot of mud. I went flat over a crest, the car was already sideways and I thought I was going to hit the impact, but luckily I got away with it. It was a big push,” he said.
Ogier, who was third in both forest tests, admitted: “It was a difficult morning, the feeling wasn’t really great in the first two stages so I couldn’t push. The Toyota is very strong but we’re going to keep pushing until the end.”
Lappi was fastest in Elsi and the Yaris driver watched the lead battle from a safe third place after Craig Breen’s hopes of a podium took a knock when the Irishman spun his Citroën C3 in Gwydir and dropped 10sec.
Andreas Mikkelsen overhauled Mads Østberg to climb to fifth in his Hyundai i20, while team-mate Thierry Neuville’s scramble for vital championship points improved when he moved ahead of Hayden Paddon by a tenth of a second into seventh. He trails Østberg by 6.9sec.
After yesterday’s problems Ott Tänak and Neuville were desperate for Power Stage points to boost their three-way championship battle with Ogier. Tänak fared best to claim four bonus points while Neuville took two, one fewer than Ogier.
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Dayinsure Wales Rally GB: Gill consolidates to finish Leg 2 in 15th; Ogier leads as Tanak retires
Gaurav Gill on way to consolidating his gains. Photo: MRF Racing Deeside Rally Village, 6 October 2018: India’s Gaurav Gill showed plenty of pluck and pace to survive tricky conditions to finish Leg 2 15th in the RC2 category for R5 cars and 24th Overall in the Dayinsure Wales Rally GB on a marathon Saturday that also witnessed overnight WRC leader Ott Tanak retiring to leave Sebastien Ogier in the lead, albeit by just 4.4 seconds.
It was an eventful Saturday for Team MRF Tyres as the day’s running saw 150km competitive over nine stages with packed spectator areas on the legendary stages of Sweet Lamb Hafren and Myherin.
Gaurav Gill negotiates treacherous conditions. Photo: MRF Racing Conditions were challenging with the morning being run on wet and slippery stages before the afternoon weather cleared, providing a much drier surface. The challenge was compounded by the drivers not returning to service, rather having to make any changes themselves at a tyre zone between the two loops.
For the driver combination of Gill and his Aussie co-driver Glenn Macneall, who were in a M-Sport prepared Ford Fiesta R5 car, it was important make the most of the stage conditions and gain valuable experience.
“It was a tough day – rallying for nine stages without coming back to service is tough so we were careful in the morning,” Gill said. “The wet conditions made the first look quite slippery and we had to be careful not to damage the car in any way.”
Gaurav Gill ups the ante. Photo: MRF Racing Fortunately for the crews, the change in the weather coincided with the tyre fitting zone so the team could fit a fresh set of MRF Tyres for the sunny afternoon loop. “The conditions for the second loop were very different from the first. It is unusual to have such sunny weather in Wales for this rally and the road conditions changes a lot from the first run to the second run.
“I am happy with our progress and we are learning a lot new about rallying in these WRC conditions and gaining data for the development of MRF Tyres.”
After the first loop, the Gill and Macneall were sitting in 15th in the RC2 class and 24th overall. They were able to consolidate their position by the end of the day.
The final day on Sunday will feature five stages over 55.64 Kms of competitive running, including two new speed tests in Snowdonia one of which – Gwydir, close to Betws-y-Coed – acts as the event’s critical Power Stage. This offers the fastest five drivers extra championship points which could prove pivotal in this year’s edge-of-the-seat WRC title race.
SEBASTIEN OGIER PROFITS AS OTT TANAK RETIRES
Sebastien Ogier on a charge. Photo: WRC Ogier enjoyed a dream day in the penultimate leg, climbing from fifth to grab top spot in his Ford Fiesta when title rival and overnight leader Tänak parked his Toyota Yaris with mechanical problems.
The top four drivers are blanketed by just 14.5sec, but Thierry Neuville, the third man in the captivating FIA World Rally Championship battle, is not among them. The series leader slid into a ditch and is scrabbling for vital points in eighth.
Tänak’s overnight lead was almost doubled when second-placed Neuville dropped 45sec while his Hyundai i20 was lifted out of a boggy Sweet Lamb Hafren gully this morning. “At one point it has to come when you’re driving on the edge since the beginning of the year. I made a mistake and paid for it,” he admitted.
Tänak was more than 40sec clear when he stopped 4km into the afternoon repeat of the same speed test. The reason was unconfirmed, but it is believed a heavy landing may have damaged his car’s sump guard and broken the radiator.
His demise was Ogier’s delight. Three wins from nine increasingly drying gravel forest road special stages left the Frenchman 4.4sec clear of Latvala, an unlikely prospect little more than 24 hours earlier when first and second gears broke.
“It’s a big fight since the beginning of the day. I’m flat out and happy with what I’ve done. I gave it everything I have and will carry on tomorrow. It’s a shame for Ott, he was definitely on another level this weekend,” said Ogier.
Esapekka Lappi. Photo: WRC Toyota’s Latvala overhauled team-mate Esapekka Lappi this morning and remained on Ogier’s heels all day. He ended frustrated after losing vital seconds when blinded by the sun at the start of the last stage and stalling his engine.
Lappi trails his fellow Finn by 7.4sec with Craig Breen also in contention a further 1.7sec behind in a Citroën C3.
Team-mate Mads Østberg was fifth after winning a stage this morning, while a rejuvenated Andreas Mikkelsen climbed to sixth at the head of a trio of i20s. The Norwegian won three stages to head Hayden Paddon and Neuville.
WRC 2 leader Kalle Rovanperä and Skoda Motorsport team-mate Pontus Tidemand completed the leaderboard.
Sunday’s final leg comprises five stages covering 55.64km in north Wales and unusually the live TV Power Stage takes place in the second test in Gwydir. The rally culminates with a second pass over the asphalt Great Orme Llandudno stage, which winds around the coastal headland before diving into Llandudno’s streets to finish on the promenade.
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Marquez on pole, but it’s just 0.011 seconds ahead of Rossi; Dovi in hot pursuit, completes front row
Marquez on pole; Rossi (left) and Dovi (right) in hot pursuit. A MotoGP image Buriram, 6 Oct 2018: What’s a decade between rivals? Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) made it to premier class pole number 50 at Chang International Circuit as he beat nemesis Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) to P1, and the Spaniard did it almost a decade younger as he continues to rack up the milestones ahead of the MotoGP Thailand round here on Sunday.
That wasn’t really the big draw at Buriram, however, with the two split by only 0.011 on the timesheets – and Yamaha making a serious dent in the front positions on the grid. After a difficult period for the Iwata marque, it’s a welcome boost in the Thai heat and sets up a mouthwatering Sunday. Adding to that is a man with serious race pace completing the front row, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) less than a tenth and a half off the battle for pole as he took P3.
The headlines didn’t stop there. They began early as Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) was forced to forfeit his chance to fight for a fourth consecutive pole and another win, with the Spaniard withdrawing from the event following his huge crash in FP2. Then another crash made waves as Marquez fell at the end of FP3 and in doing so lost his chance to move through to Q2…the number 93 made the most of that, however, to make another record and become the first rider to come through Q1 and subsequently take pole.
Just off the tantalising trio on the front row, Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) took fourth and is well within striking distance of the win if Yamaha’s form continues on to Sunday, and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) is top Independent Team rider once again in P5. The second row is completed by Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar), whose improved form at Buriram after a more difficult preseason test at the venue saw him take sixth.
Seventh on the grid is Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), who took his second top eight qualifying since last being on the front row in Jerez. Pedrosa was also fastest at the Thai test, which bodes well for race day. He edged Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) by a tiny margin of 0.013, with Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) completing Row 3 in P9 – just ahead of teammate Jack Miller, who has plenty of home fans who have made the trip up from Australia.
Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) starts 11th after joining Marquez in graduating from Q1, with Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) completing the Q2 classification in 12th – and just 0.888 separating the top 12 in qualifying.
Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) beat Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) to P13 as they battle over the honour of top rookie, with Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the fastest fifteen on Saturday.
Records, drama and mere thousandths of a second characterised Saturday at Buriram. On Sunday, things heat up even further in the race – with pace a different matter over a long run of laps in the Thai heat. Will Marquez extend his lead as he hones in on the crown? Can Dovizioso make a last ditch effort to still the tide? Or will Yamaha leap back on to the top step in Thailand…
Tune in from 14:00 (GMT +7) local time for the first ever MotoGP™ race at Buriram in the inaugural PTT Thailand Grand Prix.
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Hamilton takes pole; Vettel to start on P9: Japanese GP
Hamilton (centre) takes pole at Suzuka on Saturday. An FIA image Suzuka, 6 Oct 2018: Mercedes Lewis Hamilton took his eighth pole position of the season at Suzuka and the 80th of his career, while title rival Sebastian Vettel faces a ninth-place race start after a troubled final segment of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, the 17th round of the FIA Formula One World Championship here on Sunday.
Valtteri Bottas will start alongside Hamilton in the second Mercedes, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen with start at the front of row three, alongside the second Ferrari of Kimi Räikkönen.
Vettel established an early benchmark in Q1 with a lap of 1:29.049, more than half a second clear of Ferrari team-mate Kimi Räikkönen. Hamilton soon bypassed Vettel to take P1, however, with a lap of 1:28.702 that left him 0.347 ahead of the Ferrari man.
Vettel then had a spin at the hairpin, but there was worse to come for Marcus Ericsson who lost control of his Sauber in Turn 7 and hit the barriers hard. Ericsson was soon out of his car but the red flags were immediately shown.
In the final runs of Q1, Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly made the biggest jump, climbing from P15 to P10 at the end of the session. It was a necessary improvement, as Williams’ Lance Stroll put in a good final lap to jump to 15th place with a time well clear of Gasly’s best time from before the final laps.
Stroll’s escape from the drop zone meant that Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg was eliminated in P16 ahead of Williams’ Sergey Sirotkin, the McLarens of Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne and the unfortunate Ericsson.
In Q2, Mercedes both Hamilton and Bottas out on soft tyres, and this time it was Bottas who set the pace, the Finn topping the timesheet at the end of the session with a lap of 1:27.987, three hundredths of a second ahead of Hamilton.
Further back there was trouble for Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian began his opening run but experienced a power loss and quickly returned to the pits.
With the covers going back on his car in the final minutes of the session, it looked like his team had solved the issue, but rain was already falling on track and as conditions worsened Ricciardo’s hopes of getting in a lap dwindled. He was ruled out in P15 with no time on the board in Q2.
Also ruled out at the end of Q2 were 11th-placed Leclerc, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, Renault’s Carlos Sainz and Stroll.
In Q3 it was Ferrari’s turn to encounter trouble. Rain was expected, but it didn’t arrive soon enough for the Italian and they sent Räikkönen and Vettel out on intermediate tyres at the start of the session. Both were forced to lap and pit for slick tyres, putting them out of sequence to the other front runners.
Hamilton staked a claim to pole position with a time of 1:27.760, more than two tenths ahead of Bottas, while Verstappen slotted into third place on the timesheet. Räikkönen managed to sneak in a lap to take fourth place, but Vettel made a mistake on his opening lap and was forced to try again. By the time he was ready for a hot lap rain was falling and his chance was gone. He ended the session in P9 between the Force Indias of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez.
With the conditions growing steadily worse, the session was effectively over and after the clock had counted down to the flag, Hamilton duly took his 80th career pole position ahead of Bottas, Verstappen and Räikkönen. Grosjean was fifth for Haas, while Brendon Hartley scored his best ever qualifying result with sixth place, just ahead of Toro Rosso team-mate Gasly.
2018 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:27.760
2 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:28.059 0.299
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:29.057 1.297
4 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:29.521 1.761
5 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:29.761 2.001
6 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1:30.023 2.263
7 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1:30.093 2.333
8 Esteban Ocon Racing Point Force India 1:30.126 2.366
9 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:32.192 4.432
10 Sergio Perez Racing Point Force India 1:37.229 9.469
11 Charles Leclerc Sauber 1:29.864 2.104
12 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:30.226 2.466
13 Carlos Sainz Renault 1:30.490 2.730
14 Lance Stroll Williams 1:30.714 2.954
15 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing
16 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:30.361 2.601
17 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 1:30.372 2.612
18 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:30.573 2.813
19 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1:31.041 3.281
20 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:31.213 3.453.
Paris, 13 October 2018: The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council which met here on Friday, approved a 14-round calendar for the World Rally Championship while dropping the WRC 3 category from the programme, while the total distance of Special Stages has been reduced from a maximum of 500 to a maximum of 350 Kms.
