Updates from the Rest of the Racing World
Atlas F1 Magazine Writers
Advice: The points tables for most series covered by Elsewhere In Racing are available here. Individual series are linked to their corresponding points table after each report.
Greeced Martin
From the very beginning it looked like being Ford's weekend with Francois Duval taking control of the event on the first stage. Problems struck Martin, who took the lead from Duval on the second stage, when his bonnet flew up in the longest stage of the rally. Martin didn't lose his lead however as Duval crashed and rolled, ending his promising rally. Mikko Hirvonen was in the third Focus but shed a wheel and retired on Stage 6. In the end Martin cruised to victory as his opposition gradually lost contact or struck problems.
Carlos Sainz had the fewest dramas of the rest but didn't have the pace to match it with Martin. Colin McRae had been fast early, but brake dramas dropped him down the order after the opening stage, his brakes actually catching fire on a transport when fresh pads were installed instead of a scrubbed set. By Stage 5 McRae was back in the points. McRae made gradually progress through the points until electrical problems dropped him back down the order again to finish eighth. Sebastien Loeb had an engine failure on the first day.
Harri Rovanpera was the mover in the pack on the first day, winning several stages and climbing to third position. Peugeot were fast as always, but with Marcus Gronholm stuck in the road sweeper role of first car out he was losing bulk time. Similarly affected was Richard Burns, although not as badly, although gearboxes were becoming a problem for Burns. He would switch to the spare overnight only for it to become damaged as well. Then gearbox gremlins struck Rovanpera as well. By this time Gronholm had had a fuel pump failure on a transport stage and was out. Burns and Rovanpera pushed as hard as they dared but fourth and sixth was their reward. Gilles Panizzi was also present in a factory supported 206 and came in behind Rovanpera.
The minor manufacturers had a miserable rally with Didier Auriol finishing ninth for Skoda after Toni Gardemeister experienced an engine failure on the second day. Hyundai fared even less well. The cash strapped team lost its lead cars on the first day, Armin Schwarz on Stage 1 with a broken cam belt and Freddy Loix after Stage 3 with suspension damage. The older car of Jussi Valimaki retired on Friday night, Manfred Stohl did finish in his factory supported but privately owned Accent in eleventh.
Teenager Jari-Matti Latvala climbed to tenth in his Focus by the end of the event. In Super 1600 the Renault Clio of Brice Tirabassi claimed victory, further increasing his lead in the Junior World Championship.
Result of World Rally Championship, Round 6 of 14; Acropolis Rally, Greece:
Standings: Richard Burns 37, Carlos Sainz 32, Marcus Gronholm 30, Markko Martin 23, Petter Solberg 19, Colin McRae 18, Sebastien Loeb 17, Tommi Makinen 15, Francois Duval and Toni Gardemeister 9 etc.
Skoda To Debut New Car In Germany
Skoda's new Fabia rally car will make its World Championship debut in Germany next month, the Czech carmaker said on Thursday.
"The initial test programme of the new car has progressed at such a pace that Skoda Motorsport feels the time is now right to step up a gear and continue the development of the car at a higher level," Skoda said in a statement.
It had planned to introduce the new car later in the year. They were fifth in the championship before last weekend's Acropolis Rally in Greece.
The Rally Deutschland is on July 24-27.
Skoda report provided by Reuters
Forza Italia, 1-2-3!
Rossi was on pole ahead of Ducati's Loris Capirossi, Yamaha's Shinya Nakano and Max Biaggi on his Honda. Once again it was Loris Capirossi on his Ducati who led into turn one, followed by Biaggi, Nakano and Sete Gibernau, as Rossi sat in sixth just behind Carlos Checa, though he quickly dispensed of him at the second esses, and Gibernau at the fourth esses still on lap one. Already as they completed lap one the top five were beginning to break away, as into turn one Nakano took second from Biaggi. Lap three saw three top riders crash, Alex Barros by himself, and then the Suzuki duo of Kenny Roberts and John Hopkins at the same corner as each other after contact!
Into turn one on lap four Biaggi retook second from Nakano, Rossi following past at the next bend. This trio began to break away from the rest of the field, Capirossi looking safe at the front until he ran wide late on lap five, allowing Biaggi to take the lead, Rossi taking Capirossi for second through the fast right handers around the back of the circuit. The duo made a small break over Capirossi, with Rossi getting into Biaggi's slipstream down the main straight several times but not able to make a pass, as well as having the occasional look around the circuit. Capirossi took second again into turn one on lap nine thanks to the Ducati's top end, only for Rossi to take it back at the third esses. Meanwhile lap eight had seen Noriyuki Haga in the gravel and out, Troy Bayliss out the same way on lap eleven.
Finally, after laps of trying, Rossi finally made an attempt on Biaggi into turn one on lap 13, and it was successful. Back in fourth and fifth were the dicing duo of Nakano and Gibernau, still fighting and holding the same places they had since lap four, while further back from them were Tohru Ukawa and Carlos Checa, with Makoto Tamada a similar distance further back behind them in eighth after running 18th after lap one, with ten laps remaining in the 23 laps event. Rossi was ever so slightly beginning to edge away at the front as Capirossi held a watching brief over the duo.
Capirossi slowly pulled away from Biaggi as he closed in a little on leader Rossi. Meanwhile Tamada was still on the move, passing Ukawa on lap 20 as they closed in on the Nakano-Gibernau battle in front of them, making it a four-way dice on lap 21. Into turn one on lap 22 Tamada overtook fellow Honda rider Gibernau to move into fifth place! Up front it was all over however, Valentino Rossi going on to take the win ahead of a closing but not close enough Loris Capirossi, with Max Biaggi in third to complete an all Italian podium. As it happened, Tamada was not done with, and took fourth place from Nakano on the final lap, with Ukawa taking sixth ahead of Gibernau after passing him the lap before.
Result of World Motorcycle Championship, Round 5 of 16, Mugello, Italy:
Standings: Valentino Rossi 115, Max Biaggi 83, Sete Gibernau 72, Alex Barros 46, Tohru Ukawa 42, Troy Bayliss 40, Loris Capirossi 36, Shinya Nakano 33, Olivier Jacque 32, Nicky Hayden 26 etc.
Harris WCM Ban Upheld By Governing Body
The Harris WCM motorcycling team's disqualification from the MotoGP championship has been upheld, the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) said last Wednesday. Harris team manager Peter Clifford appealed against the decision to ban his team after their bikes failed scruntineering at both the South African and Spanish Grands Prix.
The FIM said the International Disciplinary Court (CDI), who judged the Harris appeal, "confirmed the decision to disqualify the Harris-WCM motorcycle". Harris were also ordered to pay the costs of the hearing held at the FIM's headquarters in Mies, Switzerland.
The Harris bikes failed scrutineering because they were "fitted with a Yamaha R1 engine", the CDI said. MotoGP rules state that an engine of original design must be used.
The CDI said: "When a machine is found to be non-compliant with the regulation, it cannot under any circumstances take part in an event. Disqualification is, therefore, the only possible solution."
Qatar To Host MotoGP First In Middle East
Qatar is set to become the first Middle East country to host a round of the MotoGP championship after signing an agreement with promoters Dorna for a race next season.
Dorna said an agreement was signed at Mugello in Italy on Saturday between Naser Bin Khalifa al-Ateiah, president of the Qatar Motor and motorcycle federation, and Dorna chief executive Carmelo Ezpeleta.
"The initial agreement gives Dorna the option to include the Qatar Grand Prix in the pre-calendar for 2004, subject to a final homologation by the FIM of the racetrack that will be built close to Doha in the next few months," Dorna said.
The statement said the first race would be scheduled for late 2004 as part of a five-year agreement.
Formula One is scheduled for its first Middle Eastern race next year with a Grand Prix in Bahrain.
WCM and Qatar reports provided by Reuters
Stewart Smokes 'Em At Fiery Pocono
Jimmie Johnson sat on pole for the race, and jumped into an early lead as Dale Earnhardt Jr moved past Bobby Labonte for fourth on lap two and Tony Stewart for third a lap later. At the same time this was happening Jeff Gordon was limping back almost a whole lap to the pits with a flat left front tyre, though he was able to rejoin without losing a lap (just). Any worries about being lapped by one of his teammates disappeared when the first caution came out on lap 9 after a spectacular crash at turn one when Ken Schrader lost his brakes and threw his car sideways to wipe off some speed, backing into the wall, which tipped the car into a single roll, before sliding down the track and catching fire.
The rest of the field pitted under the caution, Bill Elliott taking over the lead as he took fuel only instead of two tyres like most of the field did, coming out ahead of Johnson, Stewart, Elliott Sadler and Earnhardt Jr, while Ryan Newman took four tyres and dropped from second to 14th. The race restarted on lap 17, Johnson retaking the lead after turn one as Sterling Marlin was forced to pit after he suffered a flat rear tyre late in the lap, resuming safely on the lead lap. Elliott's tyre gamble was beginning to cost him, with Stewart and Earnhardt passing him on lap 19 after Elliott bounced off the wall on the exit of turn one, Junior taking second a few laps later and closing in on leader Johnson.
Most of the field pitted, but seven stayed out to gain track position, the top five now Sadler, Todd Bodine, Gordon, Craven and Kenseth, with Kurt Busch best placed of those who pitted in eighth. The race restarted on lap 62, but unlike earlier in the race, those who stayed out during the stops didn't suffer. Gordon began to fall back however, losing a couple of places to Craven and Kenseth just after lap 70, Kenseth taking third from Craven on lap 79. Meanwhile the leaders from earlier in the race sat around the bottom of the top ten but were slowly moving forward. The green flag stops soon after, with those who didn't pit at the previous caution stopping first
After the stops were over Sadler was the leader, with Kenseth just behind him, Marlin in third as he was one of the drivers to stay out at the caution. Around half distance at the 100 lap mark Marlin passed Kenseth for second, then caught and passed Sadler for the lead on lap 102, Kenseth following past Sadler immediately afterwards. Lap 106 and Stewart finally cracked the top five again, moving past Craven, just as Earnhardt Jr had done a lap or two earlier, as the race continued to run under green and positions remain fairly steady, not typical for most NASCAR events.
In came the field for stops, Stewart winning the race off pit road ahead of Marlin, Mark Martin, who had run well all day around the top ten, Newman and Kenseth. It was going to be too long a stretch (probably) for anyone to make it without stopping again. Back to green on lap 158, Stewart getting a great jump at the restart, while further back Earnhardt Jr gained a spot to fifth at turn one, and took Newman for fourth before the lap was over. It seemed as though everyone would need a late splash of fuel to get them the distance home. Then lap 168 saw Johnson pit for fuel only, followed one lap later by teammate Gordon. Instead of pitting late they were pitting early.
Initially it appeared as though they were going out on a limb but the next ten laps saw the majority of the field pit, afraid of being caught out by those that had stopped. By lap 180 all except four cars had pitted, Jeff Burton leading Todd Bodine, Jeremy Mayfield and Ward Burton leading the way as they stayed out though Stewart quickly took fourth from Ward Burton with 18 laps remaining. Though these four 'rebels' may have toyed with running 'till the end, they all pitted, only for Kurt Busch to bring out the caution on lap 194 after a front right tyre failed and hit the wall.
This meant it was going to be a race to the line to determine the winner, as the race was certain to end under yellow. The gap was too big however, and despite a late push by Martin, Stewart held on to the line ahead of Martin, the rest of the top five unchanged, Stewart leading the rest of the field around for two laps under caution to take the win. Meanwhile both Mike Skinner and Greg Biffle suffered major damage to their cars during the one lap of green and dropped down the order.
Result of NASCAR Winston Cup, Round 14 of 36, Pocono International Raceway, Pennsylvania, United States
Standings: Matt Kenseth 2115, Dale Earnhardt Jr 1939, Jeff Gordon 1882, Bobby Labonte 1828, Kurt Busch 1753, Michael Waltrip 1745, Jimmie Johnson 1738, Rusty Wallace 1671, Kevin Harvick 1627, Sterling Marlin 1623 etc.
Ambrose Again!
There has finally been some positive news on the ownership front regarding the former TWR Australia teams. Five times champion and current Mark Skaife is HRT's new owner, though on a ten year contract... while KMart Racing is now owned by the parents of KMart driver Rick Kelly and HRT driver Todd Kelly, property developers John and Margaret Kelly. The TEGA board will look over the proposed ownership and make a decision one way or the other in the near future. However, some disappointing news was announced regarding the 00 Motorsport team, with only one car to run for the rest of the season due to financial constraints. This was compounded by the fact the driver chosen to continue throughout the season was Rodney Forbes rather than Greg Ritter, who before the weekend was 18th in points compared to 33rd for Forbes, and even after Barbagallo was 23rd vs 33rd (still). The team is hoping Ritter will co-drive for the team in the endurance events however...
Like in 2002, all three races at Barbagallo were 100 km long, each featuring a compulsory stop for tyres, with the first race held the day previous to the final two. Polesitter Greg Murphy won the start of race one, with Steven Richards moving past Mark Skaife who made a terrible start and was forced to block to stop Marcos Ambrose moving past. Most of the leaders pitted in the first ten laps of the 42 lap race, handing the lead to Craig Lowndes before he pitted. Ambrose managed to get ahead of Skaife at his pitstop, only for Skaife to take the place back from him two laps later. When Lowndes finally pitted just after half distance, Murphy was back at the front, with Skaife Ambrose and Richards in close attendance, with Russell Ingall up to fifth after starting the race in ninth. John Bowe was helped into a spin by Paul Radisich but recovered, and with no safety cars in sight, this was how it finished, Murphy just holding off Skaife, Ambrose and Richards to the finish.
Just as they came out of the pits Paul Dumbrell had bunkered himself in the turn six sand trap, bringing out the safety car. The race restarted on lap 14, the top five as they were before their stops. It wasn't green for long after a stuck throttle put Ingall deep into the turn one sand trap on lap 16, bringing the safety car out again before racing resumed on lap 20, Skaife slowly edging away from Ambrose as the laps passed by, with the rest of the field dropping away out of the fight. Lap 26 saw an interesting incident, when Paul Morris tapped the back of Jamie Whincup in the middle of turn six, causing Whincup to run through the sand as he dropped from 13th to 27th. Unlike the previous round, no penalty was deemed necessary, as the stewards determined it was a racing incident.
Towards the bottom of the top ten Garth Tander was slowly moving forward as Lowndes headed in the opposite direction, though he was helped as Jason Bright, sixth on lap 30, had dropped back to tenth by lap 34. Just when it looked like it was green to the finish, Paul Morris's contact with Whincup came to haunt him when he went off at the end of the main straight on lap 35, almost rolling as the sand brought him to a halt, bringing out the safety car once again. The race restarted on lap 39 but the drama wasn't over yet, Craig Lowndes taking Simon Wills off at the final turn on lap 40 when Lowndes locked a brake and couldn't unlock it.
Race three was a gamble for all the drivers, with the limit of twelve tyres for the weekend and an abrasive track surface leaving some drivers on some very secondhand tyres for the final race, depending on how they had used their tyres in their first two races. Meanwhile the stewards sent Lowndes to the back of the grid for his accident with Wills, though he was already going to be starting close to the rear anyway. At the start, polesitter Skaife repeated his race one start, this time dropping to third as Ambrose and Murphy rounded him up, while further back Tander got caught out wide and dropped to seventh. Meanwhile still on lap one Morris spun Lowndes at the back of the field, Lowndes falling back to the rear of the field again.
Up front Ambrose and Murphy were making a break for it, as Skaife fended off Richards for third place. Sixth placed runner Todd Kelly was the first of the front runners to pit as nine cars pitted at the end of lap three, Murphy pitting a lap later but resuming behind Kelly, as did Richards who pitted two laps after Murphy, as Todd Kelly and his brother Rick put their tyres to good use after their stops. When Skaife came in on lap six, he resumed behind both teammate Todd Kelly and Murphy, with Murphy's teammate Rick Kelly next up behind him.
Exiting turn one, Forbes was slow and Ambrose tried to move around him but instead spun him off into the grass, spinning him down to last place. Would Ambrose be penalised? After the Winton debacle, it had been decided that in cases where a decision to penalise or not penalise was not clear cut, the hearing would be held post-race, though whether it is communicated during the race that such an enquiry will be held post-race doesn't seem to be the case. Ambrose continued to push on, and soon moved clear of Todd Kelly who fell back into the clutches of Murphy, Skaife a few seconds further back. Max Wilson was the last of the frontrunners to pit on lap 16 and when he did, Ambrose moved back into the lead.
In fact Murphy was so close to Kelly he gave him a tap in turn six, though as he made no advantage from the tap he was under no danger of being penalised. Meanwhile the big loser of the pitstops was Steven Richards, fourth before them and tenth afterwards. Lap 23 saw the next piece of interest when Rodney Forbes, about to be lapped by Skaife, definitely lost it all on his own through turn four and spun, colliding with the left hand side of Skaife's car as Forbes's car came to a stop, leaving a huge dent in the left front door as well as damage to the left front guard. Further back sixth to eleventh were having a tremendous dice as Jason Bright had a train of cars behind him. Eventually Bright could hold on no more, Tander taking him on lap 30, with Paul Radisich, Jason Richards and Steven Richards going past one lap later, McConville a lap after that.
However, something far more spectacular was just seconds away. Ellery's contact with Besnard had damaged Ellery's car, leaving him with no front brakes. So when Ellery got to turn one, he got a rude shock and began to skid brakes locked off the end of the pit straight in a similar fashion to Ingall in race two. Except Ellery was not slowing down as much and was now spinning, which was worrying enough on the tarmac but proved disastrous when he hit the sand, rolling Ellery's car onto its roof. And so out came the safety car again with three laps remaining. Even at the slow speed of the safety car there was no way that Ellery's car would be removed, so the race would obviously finish under the safety car. Wouldn't it? Especially when on the second last lap, Jason Richards' car stopped at turn four, dropping him from seventh to 25th before his car refired...
As it turned out, it wouldn't finish under the safety car. And no, the race wasn't red flagged, nor was Ellery's car miraculously removed from the sand in record time. Instead, the race was restarted with one lap remaining, with a car on its roof in the sand at turn one! The restart was fairly pointless and potentially dangerous, but ahead it went, and thankfully there were no incidents at turn one, or any other corner for that matter. In fact, there was little action anywhere in the order, the only changes happening on the last lap were 20th and 21st swapping positions, and 22nd and 23rd doing the same. Ambrose went on to take the win, ahead of Todd Kelly and Murphy, with Rick Kelly and Tander completing the top five. Skaife recovered to finish 23rd. And yes, there was a stewards' inquiry about the Ambrose-Forbes incident after the race, but there was deemed to be inadequate evidence for a penalty to be applied to either driver.
Result of V8 Supercar Championship Series, Round 5 of 13, Barbagallo Raceway, Australia:
Standings: Jason Bright 851, Steven Richards 834, Marcos Ambrose 783, Greg Murphy 779, Mark Skaife and Paul Weel 743, Russell Ingall 739, Craig Lowndes 688, Paul Radisich 668, Rick Kelly 659 etc.
V8 Supercar points distribution
Schneider Takes The Record
In the superpole session Mattias Ekstrom had made a statement from fifth to duck under 100 seconds for the first time of the weekend, but last man out Schneider had his own statement and stuck it on pole with a 1:39.437 lap. Ekstrom did not make the best start allowing Peter Dumbreck and Marcel Fassler to leap past in pursuit of the fleeing Schneider. Further back Manuel Reuter got too good a start and would have to return to the pits for a penalty.
Fassler got it wrong on the fourth lap and headed for the grass, dropping positions. A few laps later the cars started heading for the pits, led by Dumbreck. Schneider led the rest in a lap later. The early stop did put Dumbreck in clear air, the Phoenix Opel team fresh from their Nurburgring triumph had the Astra reborn. The AMG squad though put Schneider back into the effective lead with time to spare. Fassler, waiting until the last moment to pit, held the lead. When he pitted, Schneider was back on top.
From there Schneider was unchallenged, racing away to win, flashing across the stripe six seconds ahead of Dumbreck, the Opel driver putting in Opel's best result of the season. Ekstrom led home Timo Scheider with Jean Alesi five seconds behind that pair. Menu was sixth despite his problems, confirming Opel's suitability to the Lausitzring ahead of former series leader Albers and defending champion Laurent Aiello.
Schneider now has a three point lead over Albers with Fassler making a Mercedes trifecta some five points further distant. Aiello and Dumbreck are next, representing Audi and Opel.
Result of Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, Round 4 of 10, Lausitzring, Germany:
Standings: Bernd Schneider 29, Christijan Albers 26, Marcel Fassler 21, Laurent Aiello 19, Peter Dumbreck 18, Mattias Ekstrom 17, Jean Alesi 11, Alain Menu and Timo Scheider 7, Christian Abt 1
One Week To Go
But the undisputed jewel in the crown of endurance racing is summed up evocatively with two words, Le Mans. One of the oldest races still running, Le Mans claims a place in the history of motor racing that only Indianapolis could surpass. A race that many fear, most desire and few conquer.
This year the large scale factory assaults of the last decade are in decline, with only one outright factory team worth the name contesting, and justly they are the favourites. Bentley is a name that is very much a part of the history of this race. In its formative years, the Bentley boys flooded across the channel with their huge engined creations, tested and race proven on the banking of Brooklands, and unleashed them on the Le Mans du Sarthe course. In an era when British triumphs in international motorsport were not common it was a bright spot.
With the approval of Volkswagen head office, and heavy assistance from the former Audi operation, Bentley arrives with two superbly equipped EXP Speed 8s to assault Le Mans with. The driver line-up is the equal of any car in the race, regardless of preparation, with Tom Kristensen, Rinaldo Capello and Guy Smith in the #7 car and a trio of ex-Formula One drivers in the #8 car, with David Brabham, Mark Blundell and Johnny Herbert at the wheel.
The always slightly under-subscribed LMP675 class is even thinner this year with only one of the pace setting Lola-MG cars entered. Filling the class ,which tends to be a last man standing class, is a very rapid DBA, the turbocharged WRs and a Reynard, a Pilbeam and a Courage.
GTS this year has seen the status quo usurped. In Europe Ferrari is king, with Scuderia Italia undefeated in the FIA-GT series. The 550 Maranellos have had their apprenticeship years and finally look set to upset the four year dominance of the American Chevrolet Corvette squad. But Scuderia Italia is not present. The best of the Ferraris is fielded by Prodrive with a pair of star studded Maranellos. Lightly raced this year due to the cancellation of several ALMS races, the Corvettes head into the race perhaps underdone. There will be the usual collection of Chrysler Vipers and Saleen S7Rs with the curiosity of the field a Mercedes-powered Pagani Zonda.
In GT, Ferrari too look better than they have for years. However the 360 Modenas are not as well equipped as their larger stablemates, and the leading Porsche teams are paragons of reliability and speed. Ever the largest class, eight Porsche 996s face four Ferrari 360s with a pair of TVRs and a Spyker-BMW for variety.
By the time you read this, practice will have begun. Stand by the clock and make sure you've had plenty of sleep.
Rally
It has been a while coming, but Markko Martin has broken through for his debut WRC victory and did so with some style, after leading all bar the first stage of the event. The new Ford Focus was clearly the car to have at the Acropolis, with its famed rough field characteristics, and bad luck that was heaped on Peugeot, left Martin with only Citroen's Carlos Sainz for company, and Sainz had given up on the last day.
It was left to Sainz to carry Citroen's honour. On the final day Subaru's Petter Solberg pressured him all day. Solberg actually took second place after Stage 20 only to lose it again on the following stage. Sainz took second in the end by just over six and a half seconds. Subaru, unlike everyone else, had an undramatic rally. They just lacked the pace of Ford, Peugeot and Citroen. Makinen pushed as hard as he could. Fifth with a few stages to go, the veteran Finn picked up fourth from the ailing McRae but lost it on the last stage to the recovering Burns.
Pos Driver/Co-driver Car
1. Markko Martin/Michael Park Ford Focus WRC
2. Carlos Sainz/Marc Marti Citroen Xsara WRC
3. Petter Solberg/Philip Mills Subaru Impreza WRC
4. Richard Burns/Robert Reid Peugeot 206 WRC
5. Tommi Makinen/Kaj Lindstrom Subaru Impreza WRC
6. Harri Rovanpera/Risto Pietilainen Peugeot 206 WRC
7. Gilles Panizzi/Herve Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC
8. Colin McRae/Derek Ringer Citroen Xsara WRC
9. Didier Auriol/Denis Giraudet Skoda Octavia WRC
10. Jari-Matti Latvala/Carl Williamson Ford Focus WRC
MotoGP
It was Italy all the way at Mugello, with three Italian riders fighting out and filling the podium, with one of those Italian riders on an Italian bike for good measure. Not surprisingly though it was Valentino Rossi who stood on the top step, though it came after a long battle with Max Biaggi, who finished third after Ducati power overpowered him late in the race. All this meant that Rossi's lead in the championship has been stretched once more over Biaggi, with Gibernau the only other rider (also on a Honda) who is in a position to claim the title at the moment.
Any hopes Biaggi had of sticking with Rossi went out the window when Capirossi blasted past into turn one on lap 16, even though Biaggi took second back through the second esses. Already Rossi was clear as the passes cost both of them time, and they lost even more time when Biaggi ran wide and the duo nearly touched when Biaggi closed the door. Further back Tamada had closed the gap to Checa, passing him on lap 16 as he closed in on countryman Ukawa. Lap 18 and Capirossi blasted around the outside of Biaggi into turn one, and despite a brave attempt at the second esses by Biaggi, he could not hold back Capirossi any longer.
Pos Rider Motorcycle
1. Valentino Rossi Honda RC211V
2. Loris Capirossi Ducati Desmosedici
3. Max Biaggi Honda RC211V
4. Makoto Tamada Honda RC211V
5. Shinya Nakano Yamaha YZR-M1
6. Tohru Ukawa Honda RC211V
7. Sete Gibernau Honda RC211V
8. Carlos Checa Yamaha YZR-M1
9. Colin Edwards Aprilia Cube
10. Olivier Jacque Yamaha YZR-M1
NASCAR
Despite some impressive recent runs, including long stints in the lead, it had been nearly a year since last season's Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart had actually won a Winston Cup race. But a strong run all day at Pocono by Stewart finally saw him claim that win, though disappointingly for all concerned the race finished under yellow after a pair of late race crashes, including one that eerily mirrored Steve Park's from last year. This crash followed two crashes earlier in the race at turn one where the car caught fire, with one of these even seeing the car complete a roll. Recent DNFs mean that Stewart still is outside the top ten in points, Kenseth continuing to lead after beating home those who counted, beating Earnhardt Jr by one place, while Jeff Gordon finished twelfth and Kurt Busch 36th after a late race tyre failure. In some late breaking news, John Andretti has been fired by Petty Enterprises and will be replaced by Christian Fittipaldi.
Johnson let Earnhardt Jr take over at the front on lap 31, Stewart moving into second less than ten laps later, as the race settled down. Meanwhile Jeff Gordon was moving his way up through the tail of the field, just outside the top twenty at one-fifth distance. A few laps later on lap 45 green flag stops began, with the biggest news during the stops being Kenseth stalling on exiting the pits, costing him several positions, dropping him out of the top ten. Soon after the stops ended the caution flags flew again on lap 55 for another spectacular turn one accident, this time when Dale Jarrett had a rear tyre go down, spinning the car into the wall and catching fire.
Just after lap 120 the next round of pit stops began, and when they were over, it was still Marlin with a comfortable lead over Kenseth, with Stewart, Sadler and Newman completing the top five, Newman eventually taking Sadler for fourth place. With long green flag periods, teams were trying to work out whether they could make it to the finish on just one more stop. Some were thinking yes, others weren't quite so sure. Three quarter distance at lap 150 and the top five was still unchanged, meanwhile Gordon was now just outside the top ten. Just when teams were getting ready to decide what to do at their final stops, out came the caution on lap 154 for fluid dropped by Joe Nemechek's car.
By now the order was Stewart, Martin, Kenseth, Earnhardt Jr and Newman. The race restarted on lap 198, the field nicely spaced out but not quite enough as it turned out, for when seventh placed Jeff Green came down the track to block Terry Labonte off of turn two, Labonte followed him and accidentally ran into the back of him, spinning Green's car into the inside wall in an almost identical fashion to Steve Park in the same car at the same track a year ago, bringing out the caution.
Pos Driver Car
1. Tony Stewart Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2. Mark Martin Ford Taurus
3. Matt Kenseth Ford Taurus
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevrolet Monte Carlo
5. Ryan Newman Dodge Intrepid
6. Sterling Marlin Dodge Intrepid
7. Terry Labonte Chevrolet Monte Carlo
8. Ward Burton Dodge Intrepid
9. Elliott Sadler Ford Taurus
10. Ricky Craven Pontiac Grand Prix
V8 Supercar
Marcos Ambrose continues to make his mark on the 2003 V8 Supercar championship, taking his third consecutive round win at Barbagallo Raceway on the weekend. In fact, Ambrose's 'three-peat' is the first time a Ford driver has achieved the feat since 1993, the first year of the current V8 formula. It was a tight battle for victory on the abrasive circuit, with a different driver winning in each of the three races. Meanwhile contact went unpunished in the majority at Barbagallo, which must have left Greg Murphy a little confused to say the least, though there will be a review soon into the judicial system, examining the procedures currently employed in adjudicating on incidents. Despite Ambrose's run at the top, Jason Bright is still leading the points, though the rest of the pack is slowly closing in, Steven Richards just 17 points away, Ambrose up to third.
Race two got off to an unexciting start, the top eight cars completing lap one in grid order. However leader Murphy was under pressure from Skaife, and as they climbed the hill on the main straight Skaife pulled inside and alongside. Ambrose saw an opportunity too and dived very late under brakes into the final turn to follow Murphy through, demoting Murphy another spot before Richards took third on the following lap when Murphy ran wide at turn four. Murphy's tyres were wilting fast and so he made his compulsory stop early at the end of lap three. Richards was the next of the leaders to pit on lap five, followed by Ingall on lap seven and Skaife and Ambrose a lap later. Ambrose gained ground on the entry to pitlane and exited the pits right on Skaife's bumper.
Both cars were now out of the race in what was definitely an accident, as Lowndes was a long way back and not trying to pass Wills. Up front Skaife was safely clear of Ambrose, and held on to take the win, with Richards, Murphy and Tander filling the top five. Meanwhile Cameron McConville had snuck into the top ten and finished eighth after starting 21st, showing his early weekend practice pace was no fluke, while Bowe recovered from his race one contact to finish 11th after starting the race in 30th.
Ambrose had a good lead over those who hadn't pitted yet, but staying out wasn't the thing to do, and so he came in at the end of lap seven. A brilliant pit stop turned out to be his saviour, returning to the track with Todd Kelly right on his bumper as he exited the pits and rounded turn one. A second or two slower in the pits and Kelly would've been through. Todd Kelly was right on Ambrose's tail, with Murphy keeping a watching brief, while Skaife was a comparatively distant fourth. Lap eleven saw another interesting incident, when second place Rodney Forbes, yet to pit, had Ambrose and Kelly right behind him.
Paul Dumbrell must have had a liking for Barbagallo's sand, as he bunkered his car in the turn six sand trap for the second time in two races on lap 31, and so out came the safety car again. While circulating under the safety car Skaife's earlier contact with Forbes finally came to bear, as Skaife's left front tyre deflated, forcing him to pit from fourth place, dropping him to 27th. The race resumed on lap 36, Ambrose quickly opening up a gap again over Kelly and Murphy, as Tander and Radisich moved past Weel, Jason Richards doing the same a lap later. The end of lap 38 saw another car in the sand, when David Besnard and Steven Ellery exited the final turn side-by-side, Besnard getting part way in front when the two made contact, spinning Besnard off to the left, into the sand.
Race One
Pos Driver Car
1. Greg Murphy Holden Commodore VX
2. Mark Skaife Holden Commodore VY
3. Marcos Ambrose Ford Falcon BA
4. Steven Richards Holden Commodore VX
5. Russell Ingall Ford Falcon BA
6. Craig Lowndes Ford Falcon BA
7. Todd Kelly Holden Commodore VY
8. Simon Wills Holden Commodore VY
9. Garth Tander Holden Commodore VY
10. Rick Kelly Holden Commodore VX
Race Two
Pos Driver Car
1. Mark Skaife Holden Commodore VY
2. Marcos Ambrose Ford Falcon BA
3. Steven Richards Holden Commodore VX
4. Greg Murphy Holden Commodore VX
5. Garth Tander Holden Commodore VY
6. Paul Weel Holden Commodore VX
7. Todd Kelly Holden Commodore VY
8. Cameron McConville Holden Commodore VX
9. Rick Kelly Holden Commodore VX
10. Jason Bright Holden Commodore VX
Race Three
Pos Driver Car
1. Marcos Ambrose Ford Falcon BA
2. Todd Kelly Holden Commodore VY
3. Greg Murphy Holden Commodore VX
4. Rick Kelly Holden Commodore VX
5. Garth Tander Holden Commodore VY
6. Paul Radisich Ford Falcon BA
7. Paul Weel Holden Commodore VX
8. Steven Richards Holden Commodore VX
9. Cameron McConville Holden Commodore VX
10. Jason Bright Holden Commodore VX
DTM
In scorching summer temperatures at the Lausitzring, Bernd Schneider retook the initiative in the series he has so much made his own since its recreation three years ago. The 2001 champion dominated proceedings, and the win secured his place in DTM history, breaking the record of DTM victories with his 37th win, and more importantly took the series lead from new boy Christijan Albers.
Alain Menu was reinforcing Dumbreck's charge for Opel in fourth until he threw it away, taking to the grass and then the pits, starting the second pitstop cycle. The leaders stayed out while the minnows pitted. Schneider pitted with 12 laps to go with Dumbreck following him in. Early pitter Ekstrom was the next car in line, a long way behind. The AMG crew serviced the CLK without losing the lead and the Phoenix crew put Dumbreck back into a confortable second.
Pos Driver Car
1. Bernd Schneider Mercedes CLK-DTM
2. Peter Dumbreck Opel Astra V8 Coupe
3. Mattias Ekstrom Audi TT-R
4. Timo Scheider Opel Astra V8 Coupe
5. Jean Alesi Mercedes CLK-DTM
6. Alain Menu Opel Astra V8 Coupe
7. Christijan Albers Mercedes CLK-DTM
8. Laurent Aiello Audi TT-R
9. Christian Abt Audi TT-R
10. Marcel Fassler Mercedes CLK-DTM
Le Mans
Last weekend's Nurburgring 24 Hour was the third event of the very long distance sports car season, with different regulations at each stop, that takes in Daytona, Sebring, Nurburgring, Spa-Francorchamps and Mount Panorama. It would be almost impossible to attempt all of these races, especially with a single car. But they share a philosophy of shared hardship and a triumph of spirit over distance and over time.
The Bentleys apart, there are only three other cars in contention to win the event. These are three privately entered Audi R8s, from Britian the Frank Biela, Mika Salo and Perry McCarthy led Audi Sport UK squad, the American Champion Racing car with Emanuele Pirro, Stefan Johansson and JJ Lehto on board, and the Japanese Team Goh car with Jan Magnussen, Seiji Ara and Marco Werner. The prototype class has many more cars of course, entries abound featuring Courages, Domes, a Durango, a Lister, a Norma, Panozs, a Reynards and a Riley & Scott.
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Volume 9, Issue 24
Atlas F1 Exclusive
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