F1, MotoGP, N.H.R.A.
In Formula 1, from Australia:
Suffice to say, the circus that is F1 is off with a loud bang, for it’s first race of the season was full of drama. From restrictions on team radio instructions that get’s softened as the weekend progresses, to the qualifying shambles that underscores my calling the series a circus, which gets pulled after a barrage of complaints from teams, drivers and fans – but mort importantly from Bernie. Well, one thing is for sure. Quoting crashnet, “F1 can do a knee-jerk very well.”
Luckily, the race itself proved to be an exciting one, with the defending world champion Lewis Hamilton losing a lot of ground at the start. Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Rakkonen had each a stunning get away and took 1st and 2nd place demoting both Mercedes. However, after the race was restarted (red flag for Alonso-Gutierrez mishap) Nico Rosberg recovered nicely and partly due to a better tire strategy defeated Vettel. Unfortunately, he had to make an extra pit stop, which turned out to be a very slow one. To add insult to injury, the Ferrari ace uncharacteristically incurred a couple of self inflicting wounds that saw his chances further deteriorate. A fast charging Hamilton eventually passed Vettel in the closing stages to take 2nd place. Vettel would eventually finish 3rd.
Just 12 months after the Honda-powered McLaren proved to be a total disappointment, a jubilant Fernando Alonso announced “the car is fantastic”, even though he qualified P12. Though he had a good start and first stint, on lap 18 (out of 57) he tried an overtaking manouvre on Esteban Gutierrez (Haas F1) that dis not go as planned. The Spaniard clipped the rear left tire at 300 km per hour sending him barrel rolling across the gravel trap. Alonso would walk away from the crash unhurt, but somewhat shaken up. Of course, this accident has brought the cockpit “halo” device into question, but race director Charlie Whiting (FIA) has said that he would press on for a 2017 introduction.
The biggest story of the season’s first race is how well the new entry of Haas did. Romain Grosjean’s 6th place finish in the car’s very fuirst F1 race is a validation for the “risk” to commit to a “start up” in a sport that has traditionally seen such outfits struggle to succeed. of course, a superb strategy call under the red flag, propelled Grosjean from 19th to 6th at he finish, much to the delight of just about everyone present at the race.
Top five:
- Nico Rosberg, GER, Mercedes-Mercedes,
- Lewis Hamilton, GBR, Mercedes-Mercedes,
- Sebastian Vettel, GER, Ferrari-Ferrari,
- Daniel Ricciardo, AUS, Red Bull-TAG Heuer,
- Felipe Massa, BRZ, Wiliams-Mercedes
Dutchman Max Verstappen had a great start of the race and at one point was as high as fifth. However, after the race restart his race went downhill due to some bad luck. The fact that he was held up by his teammate didn’t help either.
Ferrari’s performance showed much promise, until Raikkonen retired from the race with what he called “something broke”. Back in the pits fire could be seen coming from the air scoop just above his helmet. The Ferrari engines aren’t bullet proof…yet.
To watch a short video of the highlights of the race, click here.
The next race will be the Bahrain GP, April 1-3, 2016
In MotoGP, at Qatar:
One of the night MotoGP races was held at Qatar over the weekend and the defending world champion was in top form. As a matter of fact, “I think my trust and belief made me win this race and for me it was one of my best three races in my career“, concluded Jorge Lorenzo. On lap nine of the Doha race, Lorenzo passed the Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso and never looked back finishing the race with a 2 second lead. He credits his win to the late call to go with soft rear Michelin instead of the medium compound.
Early race leader Andrea Iannone crashed out on lap six when he touched the white line leaving the Italian “really disappointed”, as he felt he could have posed a serious challenge to Lorenzo.
Dovizioso was much happier with the “much better” GP16 as he enjoyed a spell at the front of the race, before getting reeled in by Lorenzo, hereafter the Italian would find himself embroiled in a thrilling duel with Marquez for second place.
Tire choice and data from Michelin (exclusive tire supplier) played a crucial role in the outcome of the race. So much is certain. Marquez and Rossi opted for the harder of the rear compounds, while Lorenzo and Dovizioso opted for the soft. A very pensive Valentino Rossi explained that though he was always 10 meters behind the front runners, and didn’t have “one sector, one braking, one part” where he was faster, he couldn’t say for certain that had he opted for the softs he would have been faster. Say what?
Race results, the top five:
- Jorge Lorenzo, ESP, Movistar Yamaha
- Andrea Dovizioso, ITA, Ducati Team
- Marc Marquez, SPA, Repsol Honda
- Valentino Rossi, ITA, Movistar Yamaha
- Dani Pedrosa, ESP, Repsol Honda
To watch a race highlights, click here. There’s a ton of very cool videos on the MotoGP site, such as slow motion footage, full race, etc. Be sure to sign on.
The next race is the Argentinian GP, at Termas de Rio Ondos, April 1-3, 2016
In N.H.R.A. Drag Racing, at the Gatornationals:
“Gainesville is always special” can often be heard as race fans come walking into the gates. Yes, it is. Just ask Brittany Force, who grabbed her very first “Wally” in the Top Fuel category. Her 3.772-second run at 318.77 mph defeated Terry McMillen’s 3.981 at 266.90 mph to earn her place among the very best. Just at the last race, race commentators were mentioning that she had the pace and the skills. She just had to bring everything together for she had been to the finals eight times before in her professional career. It seems she listened and to the delight all everybody in attendance. McMillen drove a great race, which incidentally was his also his sponsor’s: Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals. Brittany is the second female driver to win in Top Fuel this year. All thanks to Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney!
In the photo collage below one can appreciate the meaningfulness of the win. First she gets doused with a bucket of ice cold water while in the last she gets an emotional bear hug from her father and legendary racer John Force. Great stuff!
In Funny Car, Brittany’s team mate Robert Hight outran Ron Capps who had problems during the pass. To get to the finals, Hight defeated Terry Haddock, Matt Hagan and Chad Head. This is the first time in team history that John Force Racing doubled up.
In Pro Stock, the Ken Black boy’s are running away with the season as the Mopar people keep coming up short. Defending champion Erica Enders couldn’t find enough speed to pass the first round of eliminations, this for the third time this season. Panic must be starting to set in. Needles to say, it was an all KB racing final and though Jason Line had qualified on P1, it was Greg Anderson who got the hole shot win. However, it must be said that Jason usually is a bit quicker out of the box.
In Pro Stock Bike, the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley Davidson bikes were in a class on their own. And though Hector Arana Sr. gave them a run for their money, Eddie Krawiec outran Sr. with a 6.82 at 198.23 mph. And though some had expected the tailwind to be enough to propel the bikes into the 200 mph range, it didn’t materialize.
The next race will be at The Strip, Las Vegas, April 1-3, 2016.
Source: Crash.net, Formula 1, James Allen on F1, MotoGP, Drag Illustrated.
Photo credit: Mark J Rebilas, Matt Polito, Drag Illustrated, US News, Drag List.com, RacingJunk,com
FULTROT Magazine 