Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/10/never_forget_how_great_schumac.html
Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz
Saturday
The cars are going around the track, hurrah, hurrah
The sand in the offseason hour glass is accumulating more and more at the bottom.
Over the weekend, the Grand-Am Series completed its Roar Before the 24 test, the main test session in preparation for the Rolex 24 hour race at Daytona International Speedway on January 26-27. The Sprint Cup Series takes the track at Daytona for three days of testing on Thursday.
A few notes from the Grand-Am test:
Michael Valiante set the weekend's fastest time in Michael Shank Racing's No. 6 Daytona Prototype. Michael Shank Racing won last year's race in its No. 60 car, which was third on the board with AJ Allmendinger behind the wheel.
Speaking of Allmendinger, he said over the weekend that the Rolex 24 was the only race on his schedule at the moment and that he's looking for other options. Wouldn't you like to see him full-time in the Izod IndyCar Series?
Patrick Long had the fastest speed in the GT class.
Clint Bowyer and Michael Waltrip will be driving with Michael Waltrip Racing co-owner Rob Kauffman and Rui Aguas in the GT Class at the Rolex 24. Aguas set the team's fastest lap on Sunday, which was good for fifth in GT.
Friday
Thursday
2012 season in the rear view: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Vitals: 12th in the points standings. 1 win, 10 top 5s, 20 top 10s. 0 DNFs.
Moment to remember: Where were you on Sunday, June 17, 2012, the day that Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended his winless streak?
If you're a tried and true NASCAR fan, you likely remember every moment of that historic and incredible day in NASCAR history. One that saw Earnhardt Jr. lead 95 laps and pull away from Tony Stewart to record his first win in four years and cause many men, women and children to cry tears of joy.
Moment to forget: Entering Talladega, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in seventh place, 39 points behind the Chase lead. After Talladega, he was 11th, and 51 points back.
But the standings weren't the issue. During that wild crash on the final lap (one that has seemed to be a staple of these year-end reviews because of the individual circumstances it created for many drivers) Junior suffered his second concussion in weeks. The first was a previously undiagnosed one he suffered while tire testing for Goodyear at Kansas Speedway at the end of August. Junior was ruled out of the next two races, Charlotte and Kansas, and Regan Smith took his place.
The wrap: The decision for Junior to sit out two races was, rightfully so, uncontroversial, given the place that concussions have taken at the forefront of sports injury discussion. And it wasn't one that likely cost him a shot at the championship given the deficit and number of drivers between himself and the points lead after Talladega.
But while Junior's final place in the standings looks like a step backward from 2011 by simply looking at the year-end standings, it was a serious step forward for Junior and the No. 88 bunch.
After finishing seventh last year, Junior more than doubled his top fives (from 4 to 10) and nearly did so with his top 10s. (12 to 20). And he gave us that memorable day.
Glock returns to BMW with DTM test in Valencia | F1 pictures
Glock returns to BMW with DTM test in Valencia is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Having lost his F1 seat at Marussia for 2013 Timo Glock returned to BMW to sample an M3 DTM car. Here are pictures of his test at the Valencia circuit in Spain.
Glock returns to BMW with DTM test in Valencia is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/01/24/timo-glock-returns-bmw-dtm-test-valencia/
Reset
So, here we find ourselves again. Welcome back! Insert excuses galore, but the break was more due to soul searching than anything else. A few nights ago, I was navigating the crazy waters of youtube and stumbled across the much … Continue reading 
Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/reset/
Massa: Pay Drivers A Bad Thing
Felipe Massa believes that the increasing presence of sponsored drivers in F1 is a bad for the sport. Marussia axed Timo Glock earlier this week, with a lack of funding the route cause of his departure. The Ferrari man revealed his sadness at the German?s departure and feels that drivers being chosen by the amount [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/TzLD-4Xe04g/massa-pay-drivers-a-bad-thing
Ducati Desmosedici GP13 Photos - New Livery Unveiled
Ducati unveiled the 2013 Desmosedici GP13 MotoGP machines this evening. Here are the photos of the new livery, for the factory Ducatis of Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso, and the Team Pramac junior team of Ben Spies and Andrea Iannone. Photos courtesy of Ducati Corse.
The factory Ducati Team - Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden
Team Pramac, the factory-supported junior team - Andrea Iannone and Ben Spies
Taking the wraps off
Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem
Wednesday
Landon Cassill not returning to BK Racing in 2013
Landon Cassill won't be returning to BK Racing in 2013. Last season, Cassill drove for the team full-time -- his first full season in the Sprint Cup Series -- and finished 31st in the points standings.
"We couldn't work it out," Cassill told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday. "It's unfortunate because it's so late in the game. I had planned on being on BK Racing all through the offseason and hadn't explored any other opportunities. It just didn't work out."
Cassill declined to go into specifics about why he felt it was best to separate from the team at such a late date. As recently as Friday, Cassill was working on his helmet and talking to the team about firesuits; by Monday, he felt a change was necessary.
Before coming to BK Racing, Cassill drove for Phoenix Racing in 32 races in 2011. The 23 year old driver got his start in the Nationwide Series in 2007 driving for Hendrick Motorsports, and first moved to the Cup Series in 2010 driving for multiple start-and-park teams. Cassill's highest finish of the season last year was 18th (twice).
BK Racing started last season after purchasing the assets of the now-defunct Red Bull Racing team after the 2011 season. Travis Kvapil, who also drove for the team last season, tested for the team at Daytona, and will be in the No. 93 car again in 2013.
Cassill acknowledged to USA Today that the decision to leave BK wasn't the best scenario for his short term future but that it was the right decision for his career. There aren't any opening among teams planning (at the moment) to run the entire Sprint Cup schedule, so Cassill may be looking at a start-and-park ride or partial schedule if he elects to stay in the Cup Series. But since he's only 23, an opportunity (if it arises) to run in the Camping World Truck or Nationwide Series in good equipment may be the best thing for his career.
Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels
F1 Legends: Alberto Ascari
For a country that has such a massive reputation as one of the heartlands of Formula One, drivers from Italy�have, overall, performed very poorly down the years, with only two ever winning the Championship. The first of these was Giuseppe Farina, who won the inaugural�title in 1950. However, the most successful driver in Italian F1 [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/9PlqUf3DH_c/f1-legends-alberto-ascari-3
Mбrio de Araъjo Cabral Frank Armi Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux
2012 season in the rear view: Landon Cassill
We're going to be reviewing the Sprint Cup Series season for every driver over the month of December. First up is Landon Cassill.
Vitals: 31st in the points standings. 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s. 4 DNFs.
Moment to remember: Did you know that Landon Cassill's highest finish of the season came at Kansas in the fall? Wait, you don't? Yeah, it kind of got overshadowed.
At Kansas, Danica Patrick crashed herself while trying to crash Cassill after the two raced closely the lap before. Cassill continued on to an 18th place finish and Patrick was in the garage with a wrecked race car. (Cassill also finished 18th at Charlotte in the spring.)
Moment to forget: Not being able to complete a lap at Pocono in June. On turn three of the first lap of the race, Cassill got loose and slid down the racetrack, collecting Martin Truex, Jr. and AJ Allmendinger and then sliding back into the SAFER barrier in the outside wall. Cassill finished dead last.
The wrap: 2012 was the first time that Cassill had competed in a season's entire Sprint Cup Series schedule. And unlike last year, when he start and parked his first three races of the season, he started each race with the intent of going the distance. And you know what? He performed pretty admirably, scoring seven top 20 finishes. It remains to be seen how the introduction of the new car will affect BK Racing in 2013 -- it acquired the equipment from Red Bull Racing after that team folded -- but if the team hits on something early as the field is still shaking out the new car, it wouldn't be too crazy to see Cassill swipe a top 15.
Ducati Press Release: Bernhard Gobmeier Talks Evolution, Not Revolution for 2013 and Beyond
On the final day of formal activities for Ducati's MotoGP team at the Italian ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio, it was the turn of the head of Ducati Corse, Bernhard Gobmeier to take the stage. Ducati issued the following press release, in which Gobmeier lays out some of Ducati's strategy for 2013 and beyond, after he had spoken to the media:
High-altitude launch for Ducati Team at Madonna di Campiglio
Madonna di Campiglio (Italy), 16 January 2013 – Following on from last night’s spectacular unveiling of four Ducati Desmosedici GP13 machines at the Pradalago Chalet in the mountains above Madonna di Campiglio, the 23rd edition of the Wrooom F1 & MotoGP Press Ski Meeting came back down to earth today on the third day of the event held in the Trentino Dolomites.
On Tuesday evening the Ducati Team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden, and their Pramac Racing Team counterparts Andrea Iannone and Ben Spies, together with the management, braved snow-storms, sub-zero temperatures and an altitude of 2200 metres to take the wraps off the bikes that will compete in the 2013 MotoGP World Championship. The splendid evening came to an end with a traditional torch ski run down the mountain, involving riders, media and staff.
Year:
2013 
Tuesday
2012 season in the rear view: Kevin Harvick
Vitals: 8th in the points standings. 1 win, 5 top fives, 14 top 10s. 2 DNFs.
Moment to remember: Phoenix International Raceway was very good to Kevin Harvick.
Harvick finished second and led 88 laps in the spring race at the track and then in the fall, took the lead on a lap 305 restart and held on for 15 laps for the victory, slipping and sliding through the fluid from Danica Patrick's wrecked race car in turns 3 and 4 on the way to the checkered flag. (And while the rest of the field crashed behind him.)
Moment to forget: Having finished outside the top 10 in the first five Chase races, Harvick's Chase chances weren't exactly good when the series hit Martinsville for the second time. And his expired engine made them worse, as it let go with 27 laps remaining in the race. Harvick finished 32nd.
The wrap: Cupcake made the Chase on a string of consistently top-half of the field finishes and a lack of DNFs. (Kyle Busch finished in the top five eight more times than Harvick did, and he didn't make the Chase.)
But, just like teammates Jeff Burton and Paul Menard, the speed to win races just wasn't there on a weekly basis for Harvick. Seven wins over the last two seasons led to consecutive third place finishes for Harvick, and it really looked for a while that Harvick was going to go winless in 2012 until those final laps at Phoenix.
Harvick is reportedly headed to Stewart-Haas Racing, but that's not until 2014. He's still got another year with Richard Childress Racing. Will his final season at Childress be one where he's fighting to stay in the Chase or battling for multiple victories?
Reset
So, here we find ourselves again. Welcome back! Insert excuses galore, but the break was more due to soul searching than anything else. A few nights ago, I was navigating the crazy waters of youtube and stumbled across the much … Continue reading
Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/reset/
2012 season in the rear view: Casey Mears
Vitals: 29th in the points standings. 0 wins, 0 top 5s, 0 top 10s. 11 DNFs.
Moment to remember: It's certainly not often that a team that starts and parks on occasion also starts on the pole for a Sprint Cup Series race, but that's what happened for Casey Mears and Germain Racing at Bristol in August. OK, OK, it wasn't a pole the traditional way, but let's not nitpick.
In the weekend's first practice session, Mears and team ran a quick lap in qualifying trim that held up while most teams were running race setups. Before the scheduled qualifying session, a thunderstorm moved over the track and wiped out qualifying. And with NASCAR's rule that the starting is determined by speed in the first practice if qualifying is rained out, Mears found himself on the pole. He led the first 26 laps of the race before finishing a lap down in 21st.
Moment to forget: The week after Bristol, Mears qualified 19th at Atlanta, poised to capitalize on the momentum from the previous race. However, his engine expired and he finished third.
Or we could go with Talladega in the fall, where Mears looked like he could have 1. pushed Michael Waltrip to the win or 2. won the race himself. But 3. he got caught up in that crash when Waltrip and Stewart made contact and 4. officially finished 26th.
The wrap: Mears' 11 DNFs are a tad misleading, because he retired due to "brakes" or a "vibration" five times in 2012, including both Pocono races. (Insert "It's Pocono, can you blame him for leaving early?" joke here.) When Mears went the distance, there were some promsing runs like four straight top 20 finishes at Michigan, Sonoma, Kentucky and Daytona. But immediately after that, the realities of an underfunded single car team hit and Mears start and parked two of the next three races.
Monday
2012 season in the rear view: Aric Almirola
Vitals: 20th in the points standings. o wins, 1 top 5, 4 top 10s. 3 DNFs.
Moment to remember: After Richard Petty Motorsports swapped crew chiefs for the final 10 races of the season, Almirola's performance improved after three straight finishes of 26th or worse over the final three races before the Chase.
During the Chase with Todd Parrott as his crew chief, Almirola finished in the top 20 eight times, including a fourth place effort at Martinsville. That wasn't his best performance, though. However, it's in the next section.
Moment to forget: Almirola was dominant in the early stages of the fall Kansas race, leading 69 laps. But then he brushed the wall and was plagued by right front tire problems, problems that were his eventual demise when he smashed the outside wall.
Vitals: Doesn't it seem like Aric Almirola has been around the Cup Series forever? Almirola's been racing in NASCAR's top series since 2007, but has competed in 71 races, just one short of two full seasons. Kind of hard to believe, isn't it?
Almirola proved that he could run up front at Kansas, and qualified in the top five at both Phoenix and Homestead. It'll take a significant leap (or two) for Almirola to be a Chase contender in 2013, but we may look back in a few years and view his performance in the final 10 races as a precursor of things to come.
Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:
? Keeping Joe Flacco happy meant Ravens had to dump OC Cam Cameron
? South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore will reportedly enter the NFL draft
? Kobe Bryant, Lionel Messi compete to impress kid
? Y! News: Patrons refused refund after being called 'Fat Girls' on receipt
Duane Carter Eugenio Castellotti Johnny Cecotto Andrea de Cesaris
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)