Updates from the Rest of the Racing World
Atlas F1 Magazine Writer
Audi Wins for Alboreto in Storm Ravaged La Sarthe Classic
On lap four, as the leaders were returning to the stadium half of the circuit, the northern end of the famous circuit was lashed with a thunderstorm. Heavy rain pounded the slick-shod field not even a quarter of an hour into the 24 hour race. It triggered a seven car pile up on the run from Indianapolis to Arnage. The Pilbeam MP484 Nissan of the S+R Rowan team was out on the spot, the car wrecked beyond even 20 plus hours of repair time.
It was an emotional triumph for Audi. In testing in the lead up to the event, the team lost one of their senior drivers when Michele Alboreto was killed in a testing accident in his R8R at the Lausitzring. The two surviving Audis of the four that started, the factory run cars, crossed the line in formation, Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro's #1 car leading the #2 car of Laurent Aiello, Rinaldo Capello and Christian Pescatori. The drivers immediately dedicated the win to their fallen teammate when on the podium.
In the classes, the ROC Auto Reynard 01Q VW turbo, driven by Jordi Gene, Jean-Denis Deletraz and Pascal Fabre was the only car with a trouble free run in LMP675 and was rewarded with fifth place. The pace had been set early by the Lola-built MGs, clearly the fastest cars in the class, in fact the MG's pace threatened several LMP900 cars. They were never expected to reach the finish, but the Mark Blundell-led car survived half the race, further than anyone outside the team had expected. With the Pilbeam destroyed early in the race, the Dick Barbour Reynards were expected to take up the running, but faded as the race went on, leaving last year's factory backed Volkswagen powered car to the win. The only other LMP675 to finish was the Walter Gerard entered WR-Peugeot led by Yojiro Terada, some 50 laps adrift of the Reynard.
It would be an excellent Le Mans for Seikel Motorsport with both Porsche 996s finishing, and the Rosa/Babini/Drudi car finishing a wonderful sixth outright in winning the class. They led home the Freisinger Motorsport Porsche by a lap, with their teammates sixth in class. Third place went to the Perspective Racing Porsche led by Thierry Perrier. The pace setting Callaway C-12 disappeared early in the event.
Results of the 69th 24 Heures du Mans, Le Mans, France:
Penske's Purple Patch
Castroneves started from pole and in a more than a little chaotic rolling start, bolted to the lead, with Bruno Junqueira tucked in behind, ahead of Gil de Ferran, Dario Franchitti, Patrick Carpentier, Jimmy Vasser and Roberto Moreno, with Carpentier quickly past Franchitti. In the tight confines of the concrete tunnel of Belle Isle, they ran in that order until lap four. Michel Jourdain Jnr tried an ambitious overtaking manoeuvre on Alex Zanardi, sending both into the tyres and out of the race. Out came the pace car to an already bunched up field.
From here the race settled. Nobody pulled away, and the only passing was Jimmy Vasser passing Dario Franchitti, who had stumbled momentarily with a temporary power loss. Ten laps later Franchitti regained fifth. Pistops began on lap 27, with usually miserly Kenny Brack in first, with Vasser a lap later. It looked like a bad move when Scott Dixon stopped out on the course, but he got going again before the safety car could be troubled. Lap 31 and Junqueira slowed as de Ferran, Carpentier and Franchitti all took advantage of the seemingly stricken Chip Ganassi car.
CART's next stop is Portland, Oregon this weekend.
Results of FedEx CART World Series Round 7, Grand Prix of Detroit:
Standings: Kenny Brack 74, Helio Castroneves 69, Michael Andretti 48, Cristiano da Matta 46, Gil de Ferran 44, Paul Tracy and Jimmy Vasser 40, Scott Dixon 38, Dario Franchitti 37, Tony Kanaan 34 etc.
Rossi Rampant
Spaniards love their motorcycle racing, and turn out in their thousands each time the MotoGP or SBK circuses hit town. The Catalan Grand Prix at Barcelona was no different. It was a healthier grid too, with the return of Olivier Jacque and Garry McCoy from injury, although the Australian pulled out after qualifying. Valentino Rossi had set the pace and would start on pole position.
When the reds went out it was Norick Abe who launched best, exploding towards the turn one right hander only to have Shinya Nakano blast past before the lap was done. Abe dropped quickly to fourth as Nakano led Loris Capirossi and Alex Barros. Behind Abe strung out over the lap were the Suzukis, Kenny Roberts Jr leading Sete Gibernau, Tohru Ukawa, Max Biaggi and Alex Criville. Rossi had made another woeful start and was well down.
Lap 2 and Loris Capirossi started the Italian charge up the field, making up for their home defeat last race. Capirossi then took Nakano and Barros and pulled a small gap on a fierce fourth placed battle as Roberts, Gibernau, Ukawa, Abe, Biaggi, Rossi and Criville fought for position. On lap three the reigning champion was down in turn 1. So would end Suzuki's run, or would it? Gibernau was on home turf and riding like a front runner. Lap four and Barros was down. The Brazilian charger remounted for a slow tour back to the pits and retirement.
Gibernau had bridged the gap to the leaders, passing the fading Nakano for second with Rossi right behind to relieve Nakano further. Once again the pack had put up minimal resistance and Rossi had carved through them in the course of too few laps. It now seemed like Capirossi and Gibernau were just renting space for Rossi. By half distance Rossi had the lead and quickly gapped the two pretenders. From there the win was no longer in question. And soon neither would be second. Mirroring his countryman, Max Biaggi now scythed through the field to take up second place. Capirossi would lead the group of five, giving Italy the trifecta they'd wanted two weeks ago at Mugello.
Results of World Motorcycle Championship, Round 6, Barcelona, Spain:
Standings: Valentino Rossi 116, Max Biaggi 90, Loris Capirossi 81, Norrick Abe 74, Shinya Nakano 63, Alex Criville 62, Alex Barros 60, Tohru Ukawa 45, Sete Gibernau 40, Kenny Roberts Jr 37 etc
Rossi and Biaggi Promise To Behave After Warning
Italians Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi have promised to mend their ways after post-race scuffles landed them an official warning at Sunday's Catalan 500cc motorcycling grand prix. It was the second time this season that the two rivals have been in trouble with officialdom and the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) issued a statement after the latest flare-up in Barcelona.
"There was an altercation between Italian riders Valentino Rossi and Massimiliano Biaggi prejudicial to the interests of the sport," the FIM said on a statement carried by the official grand prix website motograndprix.com.
"The race director decided to inflict upon each one a warning.
"The organisation of the championship will take all necessary measures to avoid such incidents in the future...A next infraction will be sanctioned with a severe penalty.
"Both riders and teams promised to avoid any altercation in the future," it added.
Rossi won the race for his fourth win in six races to lead the championship by 26 points from Biaggi, a former 250cc world champion like his compatriot. The two have a rivalry going back over the seasons, with the exuberant and prankish Rossi delighting in beating Biaggi and making no secret of the fact that they are not friends.
Monday's Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper reported that the altercation began on the narrow staircase leading to the podium when Rossi's manager was pushed.
The FIM said the riders had been reminded they were also responsible for the behaviour of "team members and related persons." Both Biaggi's Yamaha and Rossi's Honda teams issued a joint statement adding more details.
"There was an incident on the very cramped staircase leading up to the TV interview room and podium," it said.
"There were a lot of people in a very cramped space and a small misunderstanding got out of hand. We have had a very constructive discussion with race officials, Max and Valentino.
"All parties regret that the incident occurred. Both the riders and teams have made a commitment to keep the well-documented rivalry between Valentino and Max within acceptable, sporting parameters."
The two riders clashed earlier this season on the track at the season-opening Japanese Grand Prix and were warned by FIM president Francesco Zerbi, also an Italian, in an open letter. Rossi won that race, with Biaggi second. Biaggi seemed to use his elbow to force his younger rival wide at high speed during that race, an incident that Rossi responded to by giving the Roman a raised finger salute when he finally went past the Yamaha.
Zerbi said at the time that his warning was intended as a reproach to both since they were two well-known riders and the sport's image depended on them. No sanction was taken against either after Japan.
Provided by Reuters
McRae's Hat Trick
That let the surviving Subaru of Petter Solberg into second place. It had been an excellent consistent run, but second flattered Solberg's real performance as attrition decimated the top order. Team leader Richard Burns crashed on Leg 3. The Impreza pressed on to try for some manufacturer points but would fail in that endeavour.
Harri Rovanpera brought in a third for Peugeot that might have gone better. With efforts being thrown at Marcus Gronholm and Didier Auriol, consistency of support and time in the car would no doubt affect the Finn's progress on an unfamiliar event. As for Gronholm and Auriol? Both disappeared on Leg 1 in another disaster for the reigning champions.
Mitsubishi just didn't have the pace. In these circumstances, fourth was perhaps a good result for Tommi Makinen. He still manages to retain a share of the lead in the world championship, but the form of McRae has been hot and at this stage it looks tough to see anyone stopping McRae from claiming a second World Championship. There are still a lot of rallies left for Makinen. Mechanical dramas slowed Freddy Loix, while on the final day he suffered the indignity of having the change a punctured tyre after the mousse insert failed.
Skoda had a steady run again, but with two extra cars in front of them in the Citroens, there weren't enough retirements to get Armin Schwarz or Bruno Thiry into the points.
The situation will not improve for Ford's competitors next time out, as after the rocks of Acropolis the men and women of WRC travel to the heart of Africa, to Kenya for the Safari Rally.
Results of World Rally Championship Round 7, Acropolis Rally, Greece:
Standings: Tommi Makinen and Colin McRae 30, Carlos Sainz 26, Richard Burns 15, Harri Rovanpera 14, Francois Delecour 11, Didier Auriol 10, Petter Solberg 9, Freddy Loix 7 etc
Le Mans 24 Hours
Audi won its third consecutive race at the French endurance classic, as expected, and was well clear of the opposition. The modular nature of the magnificent Audi R8R meant that transaxle and gearbox changes cost the cars less than three laps when required. Against this sort of engineering it was always going to be tough for the opposition. But the gods can make a mockery of things if they feel like it, and this year will be remembered as one of the toughest races, run in the worst weather in the history of the event.
Another feather in the cap of the team from Ingolstadt was the Audi-supported Bentley EXP Speed 8 of Andy Wallace, Butch Leitzinger and Eric van de Poele which took third place. The British flags waved proudly, remembering 70 years ago when Bentley owned Le Mans. The first non-Audi prototype was the Team Playstation ORECA Chrysler, staffed by ex-Formula One drivers Olivier Beretta, Karl Wendlinger and Pedro Lamy. It had looked like being an excellent event for the ORECA squad, with all three Chryslers in the top ten in the second half of the event, until late race delays brought down the two ORECA badged cars.
The Gary Pratt led Chevrolet Corvette team finished 1-2 in the expected bloodthirsty battle in LMGTS, and had enough in reserve that the Corvettes spent the races final rain squall in the pits waiting for dry weather. This allowed the top two LMGT Porsche 911s to sneak past. It would be an emotional result for the Corvettes too, having lost one of their Daytona 24 Hour outright winning drivers earlier in the year when NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt died after the injuries he suffered at the Daytona 500. The Vipers collectively broke chasing the Corvettes, and only one of the fast but new Saleens finished, that being the lead Franz Konrad car, some 30 laps down on the Ron Fellowes/Scott Pruett/Johnny O'Connell car.
Pos Drivers Car
1. Frank Biela/Tom Kristensen/ Audi R8R
Emanuele Pirro
2. Laurent Aiello/Rinaldo Capello/ Audi R8R
Christian Pescatori
3. Andy Wallace/Butch Leitzinger/ Bentley EXP Speed 8 (LMGTP)
Eric van de Poele
4. Olivier Beretta/Karl Wendlinger/ ORECA Chrysler LMP
Pedro Lamy
5. Jean-Denis Deletraz/Pascal Fabre/ Reynard 01Q Volkswagen (LMP675)
Jordi Gene
6. Gabrio Rosa/Fabio Babini/ Porsche 996 GT3 (LMGT)
Luca Drudi
7. Gunnar Jeannette/R. Dumas/ Porsche 996 GT3 (LMGT)
Ph. Haezebrouck
8. Ron Fellowes/Johnny O'Connell/ Chevrolet Corvette C5R (LMGTS)
Scott Pruett
9. Thierry Perrier/Michel Neugarten/ Porsche 996 GT3 (LMGT)
Nigel Smith
10. Jean Luc Chereau/Sebastien Dumez/ Porsche 996 GT3 (LMGT)
Patrice Goueslard
CART
It's a good year to be a Penske racer. Last year was a good year for Penske too, but for Helio Castroneves, life is just plain good. Winning the Indy 500, reducing Kenny Brack's title lead down to almost nothing, and victory at Belle Isle. Detroit has been hosting major open wheeler racing for 18 years now, and while the circuit itself has been transplanted away from downtown Detroit to the mid-river island of Belle Isle, the essentials remain the same. Hard, rough, tough and as bumpy as the surface of the moon.
By lap 33 all had pitted and Castroneves continued to lead from the still to pit Paul Tracy, Carpentier, de Ferran, Franchitti, Moreno and Vasser. Once Tracy pitted, the race settled again until Alex Tagliani shunted down the field, bring out the safety car on lap 41. Crew chiefs crunched the numbers, and the entire field pitted immediately. Only the out of synch Paul Tracy stayed out, which would leave him borderline on fuel for the remainder of the race. There would be two more safety cars to attend to the shunts of Oriol Servia and Bryan Herta, but it turned out neither would be long enough for Tracy as while running a comfortable fifth behind the charging Michael Andretti, he ran out of fuel on the last lap. Andretti was the only mover in the closing stages, clawing his way up to fourth, but the podium positions were decided long before the finish, and Castroneves got to climb the fence again.
Pos Driver Car
1. Helio Castroneves Reynard-Honda
2. Dario Franchitti Reynard-Honda
3. Roberto Moreno Reynard-Toyota
4. Michael Andretti Reynard-Honda
5. Christian Fittipaldi Lola-Toyota
6. Gil de Ferran Reynard-Honda
7. Cristiano da Matta Lola-Toyota
8. Patrick Carpentier Reynard-Ford
9. Kenny Brack Lola-Ford
10. Mauricio Gugelmin Reynard-Toyota
Moto GP
Pos Rider Motorcycle
1. Valentino Rossi Honda NSR500
2. Max Biaggi Yamaha YZR500
3. Loris Capirossi Honda NSR500
4. Shinya Nakano Yamaha NSR500
5. Sete Gibernau Suzuki RGV500
6. Norick Abe Yamaha YZR500
7. Tohru Ukawa Honda NSR500
8. Carlos Checa Yamaha YZR500
9. Jurgen vd Goorbergh Proton KR
10. Noriyuki Haga Yamaha YZR500
Rally
In the tough conditions of the Acropolis Rally in Greece, the Ford Focus again rose to the conditions better than its rivals, Colin McRae completing a rare WRC hat trick of victories on top of his gravel event wins in Argentina and Cyprus. McRae commanded the event from the early stages, and the only driver to press him was teammate Carlos Sainz on Leg 2. McRae saw off the challenge to claim a record fourth Acropolis Rally. For Sainz though, second was cruelly robbed from him by engine failure on the final stage. Another points finish was in store for Ford though, with Francois Delecour having a largely untroubled run into fifth place.
CSA compatriots Citroen chose Acropolis to debut the Xsara WRC on gravel. Phillippe Bugalski brought his car home in sixth place on the heels of the factory regulars and ahead of the delayed Mitsusbishi of Freddy Loix. Electrics took Thomas Radstrom out of the event on Leg 1. But with one car reliable, and some early pace shown by the in form Radstrom, Citroen could return to France well pleased with their efforts.
Pos Driver Car
1. Colin McRae Ford Focus
2. Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza
3. Harri Rovanpera Peugeot 206
4. Tommi Makinen Mitsubishi Lancer
5. Francois Delecour Ford Focus
6. Philippe Bugalski Citreon Xsara
7. Armin Schwarz Skoda Octavia
8. Simon Jean-Joseph Peugeot 206
9. Freddy Loix Mitsubishi Lancer
10. Bruno Thiry Skoda Octavia
Upcoming Events Calendar
Please Contact Us for permission to republish this or any other material from Atlas F1.
 Email to Friend
Volume 7, Issue 25
Atlas F1 Special
Montoya's Pendulum:
from Hero to Zero
The 2001 Mid-Term Report
Unrealistic Expectations
Team Connaught Part II: Remembrance of Things Fast
European GP Preview
The European GP Preview
Technical Preview: Nurburgring
Focus: Fangio at the Nurburgring
Columns
Elsewhere in Racing
The European GP Trivia Quiz
F1 DVD Review
Bookworm Critique
Rear View Mirror
The Weekly Grapevine
> Homepage |
