Saturday
Eliseo Salazar Showcase Its Mini John Cooper Works WRC In The Mapocho
Marco Andretti goes airborne in crash at Long Beach
The scariest moment of Sunday's Izod IndyCar Long Beach Grand Prix involved Graham Rahal and Marco Andretti and invoked some unnerving flashbacks to the last race of 2011.
As Andretti moved to overtake Rahal, he catapulted over Rahal's right rear tire and went airborne, thankfully landing right side up before spinning and slamming into the tire barriers. Andretti was unhurt, though he emerged from the car grabbing his left wrist.
It was the first time that an IndyCar has been airborne in a race since the fiery crash that took the life of Dan Wheldon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October, and the first time that the new DW12 chassis -- named in honor of Wheldon -- had experienced that type of a real-world crash.
The DW12 chassis features rear wheel protectors behind the back wheels to hopefully prevent these type of incidents. Unfortunately, they seemed no deterrent, as Andretti's car appeared to easily vault over Rahal's. Both drivers placed the blame on the other, with Andretti offering this after the race:
"That was our stint to make hay and we were trying to do so," Andretti said. "It's one thing blocking but it's another thing chopping, and that was a chop. I'm lucky I didn't get upside down, I could have been killed."
Understandably, Andretti and others have been shaken by the loss of Wheldon. While we know all too well that the possibility of death still exists in auto racing, it's still jarring every time a driver references the notion after a crash, no matter the severity.
Thankfully, both drivers were OK. And hopefully we're not seeing any other cars airborne anytime soon.
Denny Hamlin Foundation gives $150,000 to Richmond Children?s Hospital
Nice news from the camp of Denny Hamlin: his foundation will be contributing $150,000 to Children's Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The donation will help fund research into cystic fibrosis in Richmond.
Hamlin, a Richmond local boy, was pleased to make the donation to a nearby institution: "VCU is one of the country's leading research centers for CF, and it is right here in our own backyard," Hamlin said. "I am honored to support such an outstanding organization with people who are making a difference in the world."
The donation will be spaced out over the course of the next three years. There is no known cure for cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that affects 30,000 children and adults in the United States, but research has doubled the life expectancy of children diagnosed with the disease. The overall median age of survival now stands at 38.
Hamlin, who has a cousin with the disease, has donated money from his race winnings to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation since he was racing go-karts as a child. His upcoming Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown, scheduled for April 26, will pit local drivers against NASCAR drivers, and proceeds from the race will go to the hospital and other charities.
Related NASCAR highlights from Yahoo! Sports
Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz
An isolated incident?
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/an-isolated-incident/
Friday
Juan Pablo Montoya has a much better life than you
Juan Pablo Montoya was at Homestead Speedway a few months early, taking the nine contestants on Univision's Nuestra Belleza Latina for a spin around the track. Or, as the show's website puts it, "Las 9 finalistas estuvieron con el reconocido corredor de autos, el colombiano Juan Pablo Montoya, quien las dirigi� en una aventura de m�xima velocidad. Esto es un adelanto de lo que ver�n el pr�ximo domingo 22 de abril en la s�ptima gala." Whatever that means. A little translation help?
Taking nine beautiful women for a high-speed drive in Miami. Yeah, Montoya really doesn't much care what you think of his performance this season.
Thursday
F1 waltzes into a proverbial minefield
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/f1-waltzes-into-a-proverbial-minefield/
Ten Kate Honda Squad Complete Testing at Assen Ahead of Dutch WSBK Round
A press release issued by the Ten Kate Honda squad after their recent test at Assen ahead of the upcoming World Superbike round there:
Wednesday
The Bahrain Grand Prix: A matter of conscience | Comment
The Bahrain Grand Prix: A matter of conscience is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
The protesters of Bahrain have taken a stand against a cruel regime. You can either stand with them, or with those seeking to make money from their misery.
The Bahrain Grand Prix: A matter of conscience is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2012/04/18/bahrain-grand-prix-matter-conscience/
Drivers react to John Middlebrook?s decision to overturn Jimmie Johnson?s points penalty
Whenever Mike Helton has a press conference it's a big deal. So naturally, the main topic of Friday's press conferences at Auto Club Speedway was NASCAR chief appellate officer John Middlebrook's decision to reduce the penalties against Jimmie Johnson on Tuesday.
Here's what some of the drivers at Auto Club had to say about the decision to overturn the points penalty for Johnson and suspensions for crew chief Chad Knaus and car chief Ron Malec, including Johnson's reaction to the appeal.
"The points back, that's huge," Johnson said. "We've had a great couple races here and been able to climb up in the points and get near the top 10,. Getting 25 points back puts us right there, I guess, a point out (of tenth place) and we all know how important points are."
"The disruption, if we were to lose Chad and Ron, would have been huge for our team, for any team. Although we have a lot of depth and felt that we'd survive, you don't want to go to the racetrack without your crew chief and car chief."
Kevin Harvick compared the results of the decision to the OJ Simpson verdict. And well, if there was ever a time to make an OJ Simpson verdict reference, this might have been it given the proximity of Fontana to where the trial took place.
"I think (the appeals process) is fine," Harvick said. "It's a platform for everybody to state your case, and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose just like in the court of law. It's really no different than that. It's no different than watching a case like OJ, and watching OJ go free. Watching that case, there's no way you thought that was going to happen. Then you see the verdict, and then it happens. It's very similar to that. Sometimes you think something is cut and dry, and you think this is going to be the verdict, and the next thing you know it's not. You move on and you go to the next one. But there is a platform for the teams to present their cases to a board, and obviously to the last step they took this time to present it again. I've been involved in it before from the team ownership side, and you prepare no different than you would going to a court case. It's literally the exact same process."
"Honestly I didn't even know about it on Tuesday. They had to call me and tell me because I have learned over the years to not pay attention to anybody but ourselves. I wasn't surprised, because nothing in this sport surprises me anymore."
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports teammate, supported the process.
"I thought it was interesting," Junior said. "As an individual in the sport it makes me feel good that NASCAR has such a good appeal process that both sides have the ability to get a fair shake.� It's nice to know that, that is out there and that it is working as designed."
Somewhat surprisingly, Brad Keselowski didn't have a take on the matter.
"As far as how the whole process works, I don't really know and haven't put a lot of effort into understanding it," Keselowski said. "I'm sure there are a lot of different opinions and I'm never short of an opinion. �With this particular one, I just don't find it interesting and don't have an opinion on it. �I didn't join the sport to be a race car drive and argue court cases. �I want to go fast, turn left and win races. Things of that nature haven't really excited me.
"I just don't think that it's very interesting. �I think the focus should be on what's going on at the race track. �Teammates cutting each other's tires down, that to me is interesting. �I don't follow court cases in racing."
In defense of Anne B. France?s Hall of Fame nomination
When NASCAR announced its 2013 Hall of Fame nominations on Wednesday evening, a familiar surname was among the new nominees. Anne B. France, wife of Big Bill and mother of Bill Jr., was there among Rusty Wallace, Wendell Scott and others, and the reaction of many was along the lines of another France? Really? The family doesn't just have the sport to itself, it's got to turn the Hall into a shrine to self-love also? I received more than one email with some version of the disgusted subject line "A secretary?", and I have to admit, I wondered about the propriety of this myself.
Yeah, shows how much we know. In a column on ESPN.com, Ed Hinton gives us the real story on the woman who, in his estimation, is responsible for NASCAR as we know it:
I agree with many NASCAR pundits that Anne Bledsoe France shouldn't go into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in the fourth group. I think she should have gone in before her husband, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., and her elder son, the second czar, Bill France Jr.
I think she should have gone into the Hall of Fame before there was a Hall of Fame. They should have laid a cornerstone with her name on it before they even started construction of that building in Charlotte, because she WAS the cornerstone of NASCAR.
The anecdotes he tells about Anne B. France, who worked the books through NASCAR's early days, are priceless (she knew "where every g------ dollar in this organization is," one publicist once told Hinton) and serve to tell a remarkable story. Like so many others at the forefront of small institutions that become huge, she was exactly the right person in the right place at the right time.
"The Frances now are all millionaires many, many times over," Hinton writes. "So are a lot of NASCAR's owners, drivers, even crew chiefs. Every one of them has that little lady to thank profoundly."
Check out the full article. It might just change a few Hall voters' minds.
Perez revels in success
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/-_7itVK0ToQ/perez-revels-in-success
Piero Carini Duane Carter Eugenio Castellotti Johnny Cecotto
Tuesday
Nico Rosberg: ?It?s been the perfect weekend?
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/04/15/nico-rosberg-its-been-the-perfect-weekend/
Dale Earnhardt Jr. says incident with Jeff Gordon at Bristol was a ?freak situation.?
Usually at Bristol, the severity of the contact equates to the consequences from that contact. However, last Sunday, a slight side-by-side bump from Dale Earnhardt Jr. had disastrous results for Jeff Gordon, as it cut down the left rear tire of the No. 24 car and sent Gordon into the wall.
"It was just a freak situation and you kind of got to remember that, you know, and not really beat yourself up too much about it," Junior said. "Jeff has a good reputation in this sport.� I've got a lot of respect and enjoy being his teammate.� I've learned a lot from him even before we were teammates, just racing him over the years.� He has been here a long time and I think we will be able to race each other without any problems.
Two weeks ago at Las Vegas, teammates racing each other also contributed to an incident when Matt Kenseth slapped the wall after being three-wide with Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle, his Roush teammates.
Before Bristol, Kenseth said that he hadn't talked to Edwards, but didn't harbor any animosity towards his teammate for the situation, saying that he was responsible for his own car in that situation. On Friday, Junior said that he and Gordon had talked after Bristol and that the two were still on good terms.
"We talked and I feel pretty good about how that went.� We should have no problem going forward.� It was an unfortunate situation, especially for him.� I'm sure it stings a little bit for him and the team."
Unfortunately for Junior -- a cut tire was his downfall at Bristol too. With a handful of laps to go he cut down a tire and limped to the finish line in 15th.
Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion
Honda Shank Fisher and Tracy? A Tale of Broken Hearts
Jaguar C-X75 Supercar Hibrida
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/199-jaguar-c-x75-supercar-hibrida.html
Monday
Vote for your Chinese Grand Prix driver of the weekend | 2012 Chinese Grand Prix
Vote for your Chinese Grand Prix driver of the weekend is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Which driver had the best race weekend in China? Cast your vote for Driver of the Weekend.
Vote for your Chinese Grand Prix driver of the weekend is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2012/04/16/vote-chinese-grand-prix-driver-weekend/
Concept Citroen DS4 Racing
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/172-concept-citroen-ds4-racing.html
JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd
Sunday
NASCAR Saturday cartoons! Enjoy the first episode of ?Pit Chatter?
Here's a little Saturday treat for you: the first episode of our new animated series "Pit Chatter." In this episode, entitled "The First Date," you learn some amazing ? and perhaps disturbing ? things when you date a NASCAR fan. Get yourself a big bowl of cereal and enjoy.
2012 Qatar MotoGP Final Press Release Round Up
The final round of press releases issued after the MotoGP season opener in Qatar, from Tech 3, Marc VDS Racing, Suter, Brad Binder, Bel-Ray and PBM:
Rate the race: 2012 Chinese Grand Prix | 2012 Chinese Grand Prix
Rate the race: 2012 Chinese Grand Prix is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
What did you think of the Chinese Grand Prix? Share your verdict on today's race.
Rate the race: 2012 Chinese Grand Prix is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2012/04/15/rate-race-2012-chinese-grand-prix/
Power Rankings: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the real deal, for now
It's a new season, and that means a new year of Power Rankings. Each week throughout the season, we'll size up who's rising and who's falling, based on current standings, behind-the-scenes changes, expected staying power, recent history and general gut feelings. It is not scientific, nor is it meant to be. And remember, whoever your favorite driver is, we're biased against him and like someone else better. We continue with a guy who's as good as it gets right now...
1. Tony Stewart: This is really kind of a default No. 1, since Stewart didn't run particularly well and nobody below him really warrants getting the top spot. Still, he was classy enough not to play hardball when Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon lapped him late in the race. Stewart picks his spots. Last week: 1.
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Where else are we supposed to put him, huh? He's the photo-negative of Tim "All He Does Is Win" Tebow: Junior does everything BUT win. Proof that this year's run is different from before: In previous years, Junior's fuel strategy would have bitten him. This year? Another third-place finish. Ho-hum. Last week: 5.
3. Jimmie Johnson. Oh, he had this one in the bag. Jimmie was guaranteed, if not a win, at least a top-2 finish. (It's our belief Gordon was going to take him.) Still, he's shaken off the last of his early season penalty-bustin' blues, and he seems primed to make that run at No. 6. Last week: 8.
4. Matt Kenseth: Sometimes, the best thing to do in NASCAR is stay out of the messes that others create. After early race trouble, Kenseth climbed steadily back upward, and thanks to The Reutimann Affair, managed to notch a fourth-place finish. He's doing everything right to lock in for another quiet, respectful run for the Cup. Last week: 2.
5. Martin Truex Jr.: One of the interview questions I'll often bring out with drivers is asking them the worst thing they've ever had to do for a sponsor. (Not a current one, of course. Those folks are worth their weight in GOLD.) But I'm scared to ask any Waltrip driver, for fear the question will drive them to the fetal position, weeping. Last week: 6.
6. Kevin Harvick: You see Harvick obliterate the competition in the truck race? That's got to feel good, but part of me wonders if it feels a bit like beating up on little kids when you're playing basketball against them. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing quite like going all Dwight Howard and stuffing a 7-year-old's shot back in his face, but it leaves you with an empty feeling. Well, if you have a soul. Last week: 3.
7. Ryan Newman: Best part about late-race wrecks? The Zapruder-esque analysis everybody puts on who caused what and who screwed over whom. On Sunday, it appeared that David Reutimann and Clint Bowyer took the majority of the blame, while Newman, who pinballed Bowyer up into the Hendrick boys, skated to the win. Love it when that happens. Last week: 12.
8. Greg Biffle: This is what Biffle didn't need to happen: The rest of the field starting to find its feet before he got that win. He's in first place in the standings�now, but one ugly race and he could be well out of the top 5. NASCAR is cruel like that. No mercy. Can't they just give everyone a trophy?� Last week: 4.
9. Denny Hamlin: As soon as Denny made his comment on Friday about being able to race a soapbox derby car to the lead at Martinsville, I cringed. That's the kind of comment that makes the racing gods take revenge. Then again, the way that he finished up on Sunday, maybe he should've raced that soapbox derby car after all. If it'd pulled a Reutimann, he could have just picked it up and walked home. Last week: 7.
10. Brad Keselowski: Was one of the victims of the Bowyer/Newman scramble on Sunday. Of course, he wouldn't have had that problem if he'd been farther back in the pack. He'd have gotten around all that with no problem at all. It's like we've always said: running up in the front never works. Last week: 11.
11. Clint Bowyer: How much Five-Hour Energy could one man really drink? Would it add, or would it multiply? If you drank three Five-Hour Energys (note: not recommended or endorsed), would you have 15 hours' worth of energy, or would you have three times as much energy for five hours? Curious. Last week: NR.
12. Jeff Gordon. Oh, it was so close. Gordon ran so well for so long at Martinsville, and it appeared he was headed for a win, or at least a season-turnaround second-place finish. But no! And that, friends, is why we watch. Or cringe in horror, if you're a Jeff Gordon fan. Last week: NR.
Dropping out: Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch. Wow ... when's the last time those two guys were out of the Power Rankings at the same time?
Lucky Dog: Aric Almirola. Nice job to bring home a top 10 for Almirola and the RPM No. 43. Good thing he's not driving a number that draws a lot of attention.
The Kasey Kahne DNF: David Reutimann. Poor Reut, going from established vet to Root of All Evil in just a few short weeks. His heartfelt postrace interview seemed to mitigate a lot of the concerns about what happened, but he probably should make sure his car is in working order any time he's around the 48 or 24 haulers. (Honorable mention: Kasey Kahne.)
Next up: Nothing! Take the off weekend to enjoy yourself, and send your comments to us via Twitter at @jaybusbee, via email by clicking here, and via Facebook. Go!