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.
Defiance Personified
Solberg utterly dominated the rally, winning 13 of the event's 19 Special Stages, leading Loeb home by over two minutes. Loeb was not able to keep pace with the blistering speed of the Subaru, and had his performance compounded by the series leader's role of road sweeper. The man who carried the threat to Solberg was Marcus Gronholm, the Peugeot 307 continuing to show promising pace, but also still showing fragility after a turbo failure on one of the longest stages saw the 2000 and 2002 champion drop well outside the top ten.
Markko Martin was set to claim third for Ford until turbo failure ended his run on Sunday. And it wasn't a small turbo failure either, with repeated attempts to get the Ford going again causing fires to start around the engine. The engine failure cost more than just third place in the rally, with Carlos Sainz inheriting third place, the Spaniard moving past the Estonian in the race for third in the championship. They had had a rally long battle, with Sainz holding the advantage early, but Martin proved more flexible on the new event and was able to move clear on Saturday.
Similarly Gigi Galli, one of Mitsubishi's factory WRC drivers this season, drove a Group N Lancer into sixth place to finish ninety seconds up on Gronholm who charged through the field to claim some points for Peugeot after Harri Rovanpera's car died on Leg 2. The final point was won by Ford-favoured privateer Antony Warmbold.
Of the other factory entries, a progressive gearbox failure claimed Mikko Hirvonen's Subaru on Leg One, although Hirvonen completed Legs 2 and 3 under the new rules, while Skoda had a learning experience, continuing to tune the Fabia on a new event, ahead of their full time return in 2005. Armin Schwarz finished eleventh, but Toni Gardemeister was not so fortunate, a rock damaging suspension too much to continue effectively.
Despite Solberg's herculean efforts of recent weeks, the numbers have finally caught up with him. If Loeb finishes in the top four placings next time out, then the Frenchman will become the World Champion. While gravel has been the backbone of Solberg's recovery, the next event is on Loeb's pet surface, in front of his own countrymen, running along the cliffs and ravines of the all tarmac Tour de Corse.
Result of World Rally Championship, Round 13 of 16, Rallye d'Italia, Italy:
Standings: Sebastien Loeb 100, Petter Solberg 74, Carlos Sainz 61, Markko Martin 59, Marcus Gronholm 49, Francois Duval 47, Mikko Hirvonen 23, Harri Rovanpera 20, Janne Tuohino 16, Freddy Loix 7 etc.
Manufacturers: Citroen 164, Ford 117, Subaru 101, Peugeot 80, Mitsubishi 17
Rossi Edges Closer
Rossi seemed aware of the new pressure on him from the outset, taking pole position, just under four tenths clear of Alex Barros, leading the increasingly desperate Honda forces against their remarkable former champion. Shinya Nakano planted the Kawasaki Ninja on the front row, again proving the Kwaka's pace over a single lap. Gibernau led the second row of the grid ahead of Makoto Tamada and Nicky Hayden, and with Max Biaggi leading the third row all on Hondas before John Hopkins on the first Suzuki. Capirossi led the Ducatis in eleventh with Jeremy McWilliams on the first of the Aprilia Cubes in 18th.
At the start Barros leapt away best with Rossi lining up behind ahead of Hayden, a fast starting Charlie Checa, Biaggi, Capirossi and Gibernau. These six riders were soon pulling a gap on the pack led by John Hopkins initially until the Suzuki cried enough, then by Capirossi.
Gibernau, at the back of the lead group, tried to force his way forward, taking fifth from a rapidly fading Checa on lap five. Barros too was fading, losing the lead on lap four to Rossi, then second to Biaggi on lap seven. Hayden held stead in fourth but was losing ground.
With just two races to go there are thirty points between Rossi and Gibernau, Gibernau has to finish six points clear of Rossi in Australia. If Rossi finishes second then not even a Gibernau victory will be enough.
Result of World Motorcycle Championship, Round 14 of 16, Sepang, Malaysia:
Standings: Valentino Rossi 254, Sete Gibernau 224, Max Biaggi 188, Alex Barros 144, Colin Edwards 136, Makoto Tamada 131, Carlos Checa 109, Nicky Hayden 107, Loris Capirossi 94, Marco Melandri 75 etc.
Joe, Just
Joe Nemechek and Kasey Kahne started on the front row, with Nemechek taking the lead at the start. Lap two saw the first caution of the day for debris from Sterling Marlin's car, which broke something in the driveline at the start. Racing resumed on lap five, Jeremy Mayfield taking the lead from Nemechek a lap later before the next caution came out on lap 17 when Carl Edwards spun. The whole field pitted except second place runner Kasey Kahne, with those pitting taking different strategy choices.
Back to green on lap 20, Kahne leading Mayfield, Jimmie Johnson, Elliott Sadler and Ryan Newman, Mayfield moving back to the lead later that lap. Greg Biffle made a steady charge to the front, taking the lead on lap 64 about ten laps before the field made green flag stops. After these stops were over Kahne returned to the lead, before Biffle retook the lead on lap 112. Another round of green flag stops were just completed when the next caution came out for debris from Kyle Busch's car on lap 142, just past halfway of the 267 lap race.
The rest of the field pitted under the caution, which saw the order as the race restarted on lap 204 as Biffle, Mayfield, Jarrett, Kahne and Newman. The race returned to caution on lap 210 when Ryan Newman slapped the wall hard coming off turn four. Several drivers pit again, some for fuel only. Newman's day gets worse when he breaks a driveshaft attempting to leave his pit bay. The pit stops shuffled the order, as now Jamie McMurray leads ahead of Ricky Rudd, Sadler, Nemechek and Terry Labonte as the race restarts on lap 214.
It doesn't stay green long, back to caution a lap later when Jimmie Johnson spins coming off turn two and hits the wall hard. Back to green again on lap 218, with Sadler and Nemechek on the move soon after, passing Rudd for second and third on lap 227 and then moving to first and second past McMurray a lap later. Rudd demoted McMurray another place on lap 229, while Nemechek took the lead from Sadler on lap 231, Rudd moving past Sadler for second on lap 236.
Lap 252 sees another caution as Robby Gordon spins coming off turn four. Back to green on lap 255, Nemechek leads Sadler, Rudd, Busch and Biffle. Nemechek opens a gap on Sadler, which looks comfortable until Rudd passes Sadler on lap 261 and continues to charge, catching Nemechek with two laps remaining. The duo battle side-by-side off turn two but Nemechek dived in deep into turn three, retaking the lead but Rudd powered back alongside as they took the white flag side-by-side. Into turn one Nemechek went in deep again, this time leading Rudd off turn two. From there on Rudd couldn't get alongside, Joe Nemechek just holding off Ricky Rudd to take the win, Greg Biffle third, Elliott Sadler fourth and Jeremy Mayfield fifth.
Result of NASCAR Nextel Cup, Round 30 of 36, Kansas Speedway, Kansas, United States:
Standings: Kurt Busch 5685, Dale Earnhardt Jr 5656, Jeff Gordon 5606, Elliott Sadler 5542, Mark Martin 5535, Tony Stewart 5512, Matt Kenseth 5505, Ryan Newman 5453, Jimmie Johnson 5438, Jeremy Mayfield 5428 etc.
Kanaan Can
At the restart Adrian Fernandez ranged up on Kanaan's outside to take victory, but it mattered little to anyone outside of the Fernandez Racing team. While the win had slipped from Kanaan's grasp at the very last second of the race, Kanaan was now the 2004 Indy Racing League champion.
Fernandez made his mark early, passing Helio Castroneves for the lead before the first lap was completed. Scott Dixon was third ahead of Sam Hornish Jr, Vitor Meira, a flying Dan Wheldon and Buddy Rice. Kanaan though was at the back, starting rear of grid after failing to qualify. AGR gave him a good car however, and the Brazilian was soon moving forward, passing six cars as Fernandez moved into the lead. Yellows arrived quickly as Vitor Meira brushed the wall and continued, triggering the first round of stops early.
After the restart Wheldon briefly assumed the lead but soon had to give best to Castroneves who held the lead and led into and past the second round of pitstops. Remarkably Kanaan was second after a slick stop reinforced Kanaan's charge which had reached third before the stops, with Buddy Rice the unlucky victim in the pits, resuming third behind his year-long title rival. Franchitti sat in fourth ahead of Hornish and Bell. Rice and Kanaan would trade the lead again as the second stint grew long and into the third and fourth stints.
As so often can happen after a safety car, another accident quickly occurred as Enge and Scheckter got together. The race would have a cosmetic two lap green to finish the race. But it wasn't to be that cosmetic as Fernandez jumped Kanaan for the win and a motivated and focussed Wheldon proceeded to pass Dario Franchitti, Rice and Hornish to take third.
Seventh seemed a poor reward for Castroneves, who had led most of the race, only fading as safety car madness infected the field. Eighth and a lap down was defending champion Scott Dixon on a day which speed was promised but again Dixon was left gasping by the front runners in a year where plainly you needed to have Honda horsepower. Townsend Bell and Mark Taylor completed the top ten. With just one race to go interest now centres on the twenty point margin between Dan Wheldon and Buddy Rice for the runner's up position.
Result of Indy Racing League, Round 15 of 16, Toyota Indy 400, California Speedway, United States:
Standings: Tony Kanaan 578, Dan Wheldon 498, Buddy Rice 473, Adrian Fernandez 415, Helio Castroneves 408, Dario Franchitti 394, Sam Hornish Jr 374, Bryan Herta 348, Vitor Meira 344, Scott Dixon 327 etc.
Rally
If Petter Solberg is aware catching Sebatien Loeb's championship lead is nigh on impossible, the reigning champ is showing no signs, continuing his end of season charge, winning again on the recently revamped Italian round of the World Championship. While it was Solberg's third consecutive win, Loeb matched his consistency with a third second in as many rallies, leaving the points gap at 26 points with three rallies to come.
Francois Duval finished the rally for Ford, although an accident on Saturday caused damage to the car. Duval was able to continue at a reasonable pace but had lost ground to Italian privateer Andrea Navarra. Navarra drove the rally of his life, and coupled with the misfortunes befalling the factory cars was able to hold Duval at bay to claim fourth.
Pos Driver/Co-driver Car
1. Petter Solberg/Philip Mills Subaru Impreza WRC 2004
2. Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena Citroen Xsara WRC
3. Carlos Sainz/Marc Marti Citroen Xsara WRC
4. Andrea Navarra/Simona Fedeli Subaru Impreza WRC
5. Francois Duval/Stephan Prevot Ford Focus RS WRC 04
6. Gianluigi Galli/Guido d'Amore Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII
(Gp N)
7. Marcus Gronholm/Timo Rautiainen Peugeot 307 WRC
8. Antony Warmbold/Gemma Price Ford Focus RS WRC 04
9. Per-Gunnar Andersson/Jonas Andresson Suzuki Ignis Super 1600
10. Paolo Andreucci/Anna Andreussi FIAT Punto Super 1600
MotoGP
At Qatar, an uncharacteristic error by Valentino Rossi brought the championship back towards the clutches of Sete Gibernau, but the tables were reversed at Sepang, Gibernau fading through the race, his pace disappointing when he needed it most. Meanwhile Rossi powered to victory, his seventh of the year.
The race stabilised with few fights through the field. Once into second Biaggi found he was not quite able to catch Rossi as the reigning champ took one more step towards his first title with Yamaha. Barros and Hayden were next while Gibernau fell into the clutches of Capirossi, as for once the Ducati held its pace over the race. Both riders however were taken by Makoto Tamada in the closing stages.
Pos Rider Motorcycle
1. Valentino Rossi Yamaha M1
2. Max Biaggi Honda RC211V
3. Alex Barros Honda RC211V
4. Nicky Hayden Honda RC211V
5. Makoto Tamada Honda RC211V
6. Loris Capirossi Ducati Desmosedici
7. Sete Gibernau Honda RC211V
8. Shinya Nakano Kawasaki ZX-RR
9. Carlos Checa Yamaha M1
10. Troy Bayliss Ducati Desmosedici
NASCAR
A pole position in NASCAR doesn't mean that much, with hundreds of laps for other similar cars to get past you if you are just a one lap wonder. In fact, for a long time at Kansas Joe Nemechek didn't look like winning. But the right moves late in the race got Nemechek back to the front, and with a fast car, he just held off Ricky Rudd to take the win. Meanwhile in the chase, sixth place finisher Kurt Busch has extended his lead to 29 points over Dale Earnhardt Jr, with Jeff Gordon a further 50 points behind. With only six rounds to go, Ryan Newman (33rd) and Jimmie Johnson (32nd) both unfortunately had bad days, and along with Jeremy Mayfield are more than 230 points behind Busch, seemingly out of title contention.
A few cars pit but most of the field stays out, Mayfield leading Biffle, Casey Mears, Dale Jarrett and Newman as the race restarts on lap 151. But the caution is back out two laps later as Kurt Busch spins off turn two, with Jimmie Johnson spinning in the chaos behind him. Back to green again on lap 157, Mayfield leading but not for long as Mears takes the lead two lap later, before Biffle charges to the front again to take the lead on lap 173. Biffle and Mayfield both pit just before the next caution comes out on lap 198 when Mears hits the wall hard after a right front tyre failure.
A spin by Kahne coming off turn two brings out the next caution on lap 242. Some drivers again choose to pit, the race restarting on lap 246 with Nemechek leading Rudd, Sadler, McMurray and Kurt Busch. Rudd was involved in an incident at the restart, cutting too closely across the front of a lapped car, sending him into a slide that he recovered from but not before he lost two places. However, he had taken one of those places back before the lap was over! A lap later Busch moved past McMurray for fourth place.
Pos Driver Car
1. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2. Ricky Rudd Ford Taurus
3. Greg Biffle Ford Taurus
4. Elliott Sadler Ford Taurus
5. Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Intrepid
6. Kurt Busch Ford Taurus
7. Jamie McMurray Dodge Intrepid
8. Dale Jarrett Ford Taurus
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevrolet Monte Carlo
10. Brendan Gaughan Dodge Intrepid
IRL
Tony Kanaan was sent to the rear of the grid after qualifying, as engine problems had meant Kanaan was unable to set a time. But Kanaan worked his way through the field to lead the race when the final yellow flag period was brought on the race when IRL and oval racing newcomer Tomas Enge spun, collecting Tomas Scheckter and pitching both cars into the wall.
It was not until the final stops were completed around lap 170 that the race became slightly unglued. A brief yellow for debris allowed Kanaan to jump Castroneves at the restart only for AJ Foyt IV to hit the wall just after the first lap was completed. The race again endured a brief green before Alex Barron crashed in turn two. During the green Wheldon's run came to an end with a penatly for blocking Sam Hornish Jr as they fought over fifth place.
Pos Driver Team
1. Adrian Fernandez Fernandez Racing GForce-Honda
2. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing Dallara IR2 Honda
3. Dan Wheldon Andretti Green Racing Dallara IR2 Honda
4. Sam Hornish Jr Team Penske Dallara IR2 Toyota
5. Buddy Rice Rahal-Letterman Racing GForce-Honda
6. Dario Franchitti Andretti Green Racing Dallara IR2 Honda
7. Helio Castroneves Team Penske Dallara IR2 Toyota
8. Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing GForce-Toyota
9. Townsend Bell Panther Racing Dallara IR2 Chevrolet
10. Mark Taylor Access Motorsports GForce-Honda
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Volume 10, Issue 41
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