Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2012/05/day-4-wrap-up.html
Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder
Saturday
Will Power breaks out the double middle finger salute again; this time towards EJ Viso
Very rarely is a sequel more subtle than its precursor. Very rarely is a sequel organic. And Will Power, yours was both during Saturday night's Izod IndyCar Series race at Iowa Speedway and we thank you for it.
Last summer at New Hampshire, Power became somewhat of a sensation for his double middle finger salute towards IndyCar officials after the series tried to finish the race under green on a damp track, causing a major pileup. Power flipped them again on Saturday, giving E.J. Viso the treatment in response to Viso's gesture towards him.
Power and Viso had just made contact in turn one, as Viso was on the inside of Power. The contact sent Power around and both drivers into the wall, with Viso's car ahead of Power's. As TV cameras were focused on Power, he flipped up his visor, unhooked his steering wheel and BAM, the double barrel salute subtly appeared. And then it disappeared. In fact, if you rewound your DVR, you may have had a hard time finding it. It existed for just a couple frames.
Viso's car ended up ahead of Power's on the track. It wasn't visible in the initial camera shot, but on replay, when Viso climbed from his car he gestured toward Power while pointing at his helmet, intimating that Power needed to use his head. Power responded with his trademark, and then Viso got the last motion with a gesture towards, uh, down there. (After he emerged from the infield care center, Power said he had simply lost the car, and then after looking at replays, apologized to Viso for not seeing him on the inside.)
Will, you're now the master of the exuberant and the low-key double bird flipping, perhaps the best road racer in the IndyCar Series and you can extinguish your own engine fire. Don't stop being you.
(Uncensored version below)
How I Saw It?Thank You Iowa Edition
Are we enjoying our week off? I bet the teams and drivers are! A five straight race stint is a tall order when you are dealing with carbon fiber constructed open wheeled cars, but the teams took the challenge with … Continue reading 
Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/how-i-saw-it-thank-you-iowa-edition/
Tuesday
Should Formula One Expand Further Into Latin America?
In the last 20 years, Formula One has been a sport dominated by Europe. From Schumacher to Hill, Raikkonen to Alonso, and Hamilton to Vettel, the continent towers above the rest of the world when it comes to Drivers? titles. Since Ayrton Senna?s third and final title in 1991, millions have watched as 19 out [...]
A London GP? How about one on Mars?
It is no great surprise that on the morning after the sentencing in Germany of Dr Gerhard Gribkowsky to a lengthy prison term for accepting a bribe in the sale process of the Formula One group – and the obvious questions that arise from that verdict – there is a story in the English newspapers, [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/a-london-gp-how-about-one-on-mars/
Vittorio Brambilla Toni Branca Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon
Renaud de Laborderie 1930 ? 2012
It is with great sadness that I must report the death on Sunday of my friend and colleague Renaud de Laborderie. He reported on more than 600 Grands Prix and until very recently was in robust good health, unaffected by the endless travel that we undertake, chasing racing cars around the world, looking far younger [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/renaud-de-laborderie-1930-2012/
Power Rankings: Oh, this?ll make everyone happy
The race is done, and that means it's time for 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 back again...
1. Nobody: Every single week, hordes of people scream about these rankings and what a horrendous miscarriage of justice it is that their guy is ranked too low. (Never too high. You never see anyone saying their guy is ranked too high.) So we could go two ways: the Little League way, where everyone gets a #1 ranking and a juice box, or the angry-dad "I'm turning this car around" way. We're taking the latter, not just to prove a point but because no driver really deserves the No. 1 spot right now. Tony Stewart flamed out, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson were good but not good enough, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. ... well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Last week: NR.
2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson is biding his time for the Chase. You know it. We know it. And everybody driving against him knows it. He snagged the pole and brought home a sixth-place finish at Kentucky, and that's not a bad weekend's work. Laying low is a solid plan for now.� Last week: 2.
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: One more reason why the end of the losing streak was such a wonderful thing: When Earnhardt closed to third place late in the Kentucky race, nobody even blinked or freaked out. And although nobody was catching Keselowski or Kahne, the fact that Junior brought home yet another top 5 is reason to believe. Last week: 5.
4. Matt Kenseth: It's a testament to how good Kenseth really is that his movement away from Roush Fenway has dominated headlines for so long. We don't know where he'll end up, even though he apparently does. But he's a marquee driver, restrained persona and all, and he'll do good things for [team name redacted]. Last week: 4.
5. Kasey Kahne: This is fairly unbelievable: Kasey Kahne holds the wild card spot right now. It wasn't that long ago that some people were writing him off as burnt toast. Not me, though. Never me. I believed in you the whole time, Kasey. Just don't go back and look at my earlier columns, okay? Last week: 7.
6. Tony Stewart: Smoke appeared on camera before the Kentucky race with a female companion. Smoke flamed out of the Kentucky race almost immediately with engine problems. This has led many in Smoke Territory to freak out at the thought of their beloved leader dividing his attentions between track and, uh ... live weight, I guess. Last week: 1.
7. Brad Keselowski: If you'd guessed which driver would be first to three wins in 2012, it's safe to say that Keselowski wouldn't have been in your top three. Maybe top 5. He can win a lot like that. I'm going to find him in Vegas, hit the craps table with him, make a mint when he's winning and then run like he's got the plague as soon as he craps out. Last week: NR.
8. Jeff Gordon: Yes, Gordon is still mired in the teens in the standings, and very well could miss the Chase. Which is a shame, because he's one of the best drivers in NASCAR at this very moment. Like that time you got caught spraying whipped cream down your pants and your buddies posted the picture on Facebook, you can't outrun the past, people. Last week: 8.
9. Greg Biffle: The cracks are starting to show for the Biffmeister. He's now 25 points out of first place. He should be just fine to make the Chase, even with a midseason swoon, but this is why that one win of his was so important. Think Kevin Harvick or Martin Truex Jr. wouldn't like to have that one right about now? Last week: 3.
10. Denny Hamlin: After two straight insanely ugly weeks, Hamlin comes back for a third-place finish at Kentucky, just after signing a fat new contract. Good news. Usually when guys sign those contracts, they go in the tank for a year or two. Last week: 12.
11. Martin Truex Jr.: It's not yet time for Truex or Kevin Harvick, the last remaining drivers in the top 10 without wins, to panic, but oh, it's starting to get a little dicey. The last thing you want is a couple of ugly finishes to start weighing heavily on your mind heading into that Bristol/Atlanta/Richmond stretch. Last week: 9.
12. Clint Bowyer: Somehow, Clint Bowyer, one of the most easygoing guys in the garage, got caught in the ongoing Joey Logano-Ryan Newman battle, which has to be one of the most ridiculous fights in the garage. Would love to see Bowyer-as-peacemaker mixed in with his bowhunting and car repair in those Five-Hour Energy commercials. Matter of fact, they should update those every week with new cool events, like shooting off fireworks and such. Last week: 6.
Dropping out of the rankings: Marcos Ambrose, Kevin Harvick.
Lucky Dog: AJ Allmendinger. A ninth-place finish for the Dinger, and he continues to hold out hope of better days ahead. If nothing else, Shell has to be happy he's not dragging their corporate image through the foxing mud.
DNF: Carl Edwards. We are in dark days for the 99 team. They need a win, desperately, and they're farther than they have been in years from top-flight status. Edwards is as cool a customer as they come, but these are the times that could try anyone's soul.
All right, your turn. Fire away, friends.
Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels
Video: This is how difficult it can be to get a water bottle out of a car
In the early stages of Saturday's Nationwide race at Road America, Justin Allgaier's water bottle fell from its cupholder and ended up wedged underneath his pedals.
That's a dangerous situation for anyone, let alone a driver trying to navigate a four-mile road course at high speeds. But retrieving that water bottle wasn't as easy as Allgaier reaching to the floor to get it. He couldn't because he was strapped in to his seat.
So when Allgaier pitted, a crew member dove in through the passenger side window to try to get it. And even that was tough -- the pit stop took almost a minute and another crew member had to come over and take down the window net.
Talk about a pesky water bottle. However, Allgaier recovered nicely from the long pit stop and finished 10th.
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Monday
Danica Patrick spun by Jacques Villeneuve on final lap at Road America
Danica Patrick was heading to tie her career-best NASCAR finish during Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Road America when she was spun on the final lap by Jacques Villeneuve in Turn 5 of the four-mile Wisconsin road course.
Patrick had just gotten by Max Papis for fourth and was ahead of Villeneuve as the two headed toward Turn 5. Villeneuve, a former Formula 1 champion, followed Patrick on the inside, but as he tried to move around Papis, he got into Patrick's rear bumper and turned her around.
"Look, I'm going to start off with a positive. I ran top five all day. I took the lead for a brief moment until I learned my lesson down into Turn 5 when you try to get a little bit more out of the brake zone," Patrick said. "So, that's the bummer is that we weren't able to finish that off and finish off with a top five like I feel that we all deserved. ... And it just would have been good to get a good result ?�people sort of say I don't get good results but today I ran well and we just can't ? I feel like lately we've been running much better but we just haven't sort of finished the deal and gotten the results."
And about the incident with Villeneuve?
"I don't know, you all can make a decision for yourself about what you think happened there," Patrick said with a concluding eye roll.
Villeneuve finished fourth. Patrick was able to get out out of the gravel trap to finish 12th.
Villeneuve said that Papis pushed him into the dirt while he was under braking and when he got his left side tires back on the track he wasn't able to gain traction before he hit Patrick.
"We had nothing to do together. When I was behind Danica and Papis was on the outside, maybe he didn't know I was there, but down the straight he pushed me in the grass just where we hit he brakes," Villeneuve said. "So when I jumped in the brakes I was in the grass because of that, I wasn't right next to him so no idea. Couldn't slow down after that."
While Villeneuve did get off course ?�the dust cloud behind his car doesn't dispute that ? it is interesting to note that while under braking after he got back on the track fully, the interval between his car and Patrick's was fairly constant until Patrick was in the corner. That's when it closed rapidly. (It's also worth noting that in eight Nationwide Series races, Villeneuve has become widely known for his propensity to make contact with others.)
During her tenure in the Izod IndyCar Series before she made the full-time move to NASCAR in 2012, Patrick wasn't known for her road racing prowess ?�just one of her seven podium finishes came on a road or street course. And in her first 38 NASCAR starts, her lone top five was last year at Las Vegas when she finished fourth thanks to fuel mileage.
Saturday was Patrick's second start on a road course in the Nationwide Series and after qualifying in the top 10, she was near the front all day. Her performance, and yes, her brief lead, weren't a fluke. She hung consistently with the leaders and eventual winner Nelson Piquet Jr. for most of the race, and traded fourth with Papis, a noted road course racer, multiple times over the last 10 laps.
But like at Michigan last week, where Patrick ran in the top 10 before crashing late, the results didn't match the performance. It's not pandering to say she is improving; while a win isn't immediately around the corner ?�that would be a stretch ?�it won't be much longer before her improvement is noted in the final results and she strings together some top 10s.
Bautista Punished For First-Corner Crash At Assen
Alvaro Bautista will be forced to start from the back of the grid at the next MotoGP race, the German round at the Sachsenring. The punishment was imposed by Race Direction for Bautista's error at Assen, where he braked far too late for the first corner and crashed, taking out Jorge Lorenzo in the process. Bautista's team appealed the penalty to the FIM Stewards - as Marc Marquez' team had done over the penalty at Barcelona - but the FIM Stewards backed the decision by Race Direction, and the penalty will stand.
The crash was universally condemned by the riders at Assen, with Nicky Hayden and Ben Spies both saying that they saw Bautista still on the gas while they were already braking for the corner. But Jorge Lorenzo was naturally the most upset about it, the Spaniard telling the media that he felt the penalty was not harsh enough. "It's a big disaster, Alvaro's move. He was completely out of control, completely crazy, I don't know what he was thinking at that moment. When all the riders were braking, he was full throttle," Lorenzo said. "But I'm more disappointed about the decision of Race Direction to only penalize him to start at the back of the grid. With the CRT in front of him, in two laps he will be in a good position."
2012 Aragon WSBK Superpole Results
Hot weather and a choice of tyres greeted the riders as they set out to qualify for tomorrow's two races.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/1T20ZemQQoQ/2012_aragon_wsbk_superpole_results.html
Sunday
Video: Is Kurt Busch?s career in jeopardy?
Kurt Busch, as you may have heard, is in a bit of hot water these days. But is his career in jeopardy? Let's kick around the idea right here. Yahoo! Sports' Jay Busbee (yep, right here) chats with Larry Beil about the possibility that Kurt is on his very, very last chance. Enjoy.
Piero Carini Duane Carter Eugenio Castellotti Johnny Cecotto
Renaud de Laborderie 1930 ? 2012
It is with great sadness that I must report the death on Sunday of my friend and colleague Renaud de Laborderie. He reported on more than 600 Grands Prix and until very recently was in robust good health, unaffected by the endless travel that we undertake, chasing racing cars around the world, looking far younger [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/renaud-de-laborderie-1930-2012/
Create-a-caption: ?No, you don?t want me, you want my brother.?
Poor Kyle Busch. He carries the weight for his brother these days. What's happening here, do you think? Perhaps Ryan Newman trying to settle a score or two? Have your say. Best caption gets the honor of sponsoring Kurt next race.
Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais
2012 Aragon WSBK Superpole Results
Hot weather and a choice of tyres greeted the riders as they set out to qualify for tomorrow's two races.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/1T20ZemQQoQ/2012_aragon_wsbk_superpole_results.html
Reports: Danica Patrick?s hauler involved in highway wreck
Reports via Twitter are indicating that Danica Patrick's merchandise hauler was involved in a wreck Thursday afternoon on Interstate 80. The hauler was presumably en route to Pocono for this weekend's race, even though Patrick is not participating.
The first reports of a wreck involving Patrick's hauler began surfacing at about 6pm ET Thursday night, with Twitter users reporting the wreck. (The hauler, obviously, is hard to miss.) The above picture began circulating around mid-morning Friday via SB Nation's Jeff Gluck.
Two points: this is her merchandise hauler, not the one which holds her race cars. Second, as we don't know the cause of the wreck or the extent of any injuries, we'll refrain from making any jokes. (Yes, yes, we know the obvious ones. Still, sit tight.)
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