The Comprehensive MotoGP Silly Season Update: How Things Stand For Honda, Yamaha, Ducati, Suzuki, Kalex, And Even Moto3

The current status of MotoGP's silly season? Two down, plenty still to go. Valentino Rossi may have joined Marc Marquez as the only other factory rider to have put pen to paper for 2015 and 2016, the rest of the grid is still in the middle of negotiating their riders for next year. Even Cal Crutchlow, who has a contract to race with Ducati in 2015, but more of that later.

Who will join Rossi at Movistar Yamaha and Marquez at Repsol Honda? Most likely, the two men who are already there. It is hard to see either Dani Pedrosa or Jorge Lorenzo jumping ship to ride anywhere else. Though HRC boss Shuhei Nakamoto flirted with Lorenzo late last year, he understands that it would be terrible team politics to upset his number one rider, and the man who is likely to bring a fleet of titles to Honda over the next few season.

What HRC needs is a reliable number two rider, and Pedrosa has proven to be perfect in that role. Fast enough to win races of his own accord, and a solid force in the team, not the kind of character to kick up a fuss. He has six podiums this year, as well as a pole position, and can win should Marquez falter. Spanish media are reporting that Pedrosa is close to wrapping up a contract with the Repsol Honda team, with talks having gone at Assen. The new contract would mean less salary for Pedrosa, but at least at Honda, he has a chance of winning races. Big money offers from Ducati and Suzuki are much more of a gamble, with neither bike yet having proven capable of winning.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/r7mYgWQNDLI/the_comprehensive_motogp_silly_season_up.html

Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell

Indianapolis 500 Practice Day 3

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2014/05/indianapolis-500-practice-day-3.html

Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut

Signs beware: Kenny Habul returns to Road America this weekend

The trackside signs are cowering in fear at Road America. Kenny Habul is back.

Last year, Habul brazenly not only committed signslaughter, but he also had the audacity to take the sign along for a ride after he did the crime.

But on Saturday, if Habul takes out a sign again, he may do it much closer to the front of the field. His company, Sun Energy 1, purchased a four-race Nationwide sponsorship at Joe Gibbs Racing. As part of the deal, Habul is driving the No. 20 car at Road America and Mid-Ohio.

In case you were wondering, Habul's highest finish at a road course in his six-race Nationwide Series career is 16th. But hey, he has a sponsor because, well, he is the sponsor. In NASCAR, that's more than half the battle sometimes.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/signs-beware--kenny-habul-returns-to-road-america-this-weekend-141014617.html

Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger

On third cars?

Stories that suggest a Formula 1 with eight teams each running three cars sound half-sensible, don’t they? But could it really happen? And how would it work? Under the terms of the bilateral agreements with the teams there is believed to be provision for a third car for each team, but only if they are […]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2014/07/02/on-third-cars/

Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier

The Seasoned Rookie?

With all the furore and hype surrounding the Mercedes battle and Daniel Ricciardo?s stellar efforts, one can be forgiven for overlooking the eye-catching performances down the less glamorous end of the grid. So while one Daniel has been picking up the plaudits with spectacular drives, it would be foolish not to mention the other Daniel, [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/VvcFvAILKeE/the-seasoned-rookie

Johnny Cecotto Andrea de Cesaris Francois Cevert Eugene Chaboud

Tire troubles meant early exits for Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson

When Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson exited their cars Saturday night, they were not on pit road or in the garage after the race. The cars were against the Kentucky Speedway wall.

Both drivers suffered tire failures early in the race and retired.

Hamlin was first. He lost a right front tire on lap 29, one lap before a scheduled competition caution on lap 30. A summer thunderstorm swept through Kentucky on Saturday afternoon before the Quaker State 400, washing the track of a lot of rubber and why NASCAR scheduled the caution. However, Hamlin didn't quite make it. He finished 42nd.

Larson was the next caution flag as his car hit the wall in turns one and two on lap 77. Like Hamlin, his car was pretty much destroyed and he was forced to the garage. Larson ended up 40th.

Because of their poor finishing positions, both drivers fell in the points. Larson fell from 10th to 13th in the points standings while Hamlin fell from 13th to 17th. However, Hamlin is still in a better position to make the Chase. Since he won at Talladega in May, he's virtually guaranteed to make the Chase. Larson, meanwhile, is winless and would currently need to get in by virtue of his points position.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/tire-troubles-meant-early-exits-for-denny-hamlin-and-kyle-larson-033113199.html

Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem

2014 Assen Post-Race Round Up - Of Tire Gambles, The Wisdom Of Thinking For Yourself, And Lorenzo's Fear

A veritable galaxy of stars may have lined up on the grid for the 84th Dutch TT at Assen, but the real stars of the show were the elements. After the rain wreaked havoc on qualifying, shaking up the grid, it was back on Saturday for two of the three races. Riders and teams were forced to rethink their strategy, make decisions quickly, and gamble on tires and the weather. It made for intriguing races, rather than sheer thrills like the MotoGP race at Barcelona. Changing conditions offered the brave and the smart opportunities, and mercilessly punished anyone who got it wrong. You felt for the 45 minutes of the races that anything could happen.

The Moto3 riders had it easiest of all, conditions cool but relatively consistent. The track did not allow for mistakes, however: Jack Miller's strategy of trying to pull a gap early backfired badly, the Australian crashing out of the lead. Miller's saving grace was that Romano Fenati, his main rival in the title chase, made even bigger mistakes than he did, crashing out twice, and failing to score points. The day belonged to the Hondas, with Alex Marquez controlling the race from the front, despite challenges from teammate Alex Rins and a quickly closing Miguel Oliveira. With two Hondas and a Mahindra on the podium, this was the first time since Le Mans 2012 that a KTM was not on the podium, and the first ever Moto3 race where a KTM engine did not power any of the podium bikes.

Conditions were much trickier for the Moto2 riders, rain falling heavily before the race, but then quickly starting to dry. It was clear that if the rain held off, a dry line would soon appear, and a few riders gambled on fitting a slick rear. The rain did not hold off, however, falling heavily again in the early laps. That put riders like Dominique Aegerter, who had reckoned on using a slick rear, a long way behind the leaders, his tire only coming good in the second half of the race. The rain allowed Simone Corsi and Sam Lowes to get away at the front, pulling a big lead in a short period. The pair looked set to dispute victory between the two of them, but Lowes pushed a little too hard, losing the front and going down. Corsi could have just cruised to victory, but that proved too much to ask, the NGM Forward rider crashing out of a commanding lead at the halfway mark.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/3DQBOaAakx0/2014_assen_post_race_round_up_of_tire_ga.html

Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini

More COTA MotoGP weekend Pictures

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/q17uEli0C90/more-cota-motogp-weekend-pictures.html

Antonio Creus Larry Crockett Tony Crook Art Cross

Unfiltered Race Notes: Grand Prix of Indianapolis 2014

Welcome back to the Unfiltered race notes! I was on the ground at IMS this weekend, but didn’t really have a good grasp of what had gone on during the race. Honestly, it surprised me how exciting the end of … Continue reading →

Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/unfiltered-race-notes-grand-prix-of-indianapolis-edition/

Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso

Here's what it looks like with a sports car and a stock car on a road course

Ever wondered how a stock car handles on a road course compared to a sports car? Here's a rare chance to see them on the track at the same time.

Kurt Busch and his Stewart-Haas Racing team were testing at Road Atlanta Tuesday in preparation for Sonoma. Also there were two Porsche road racing teams testing too.

Busch's car is the gray car in front and the Porsche is the car behind. You can see how much earlier Busch has to brake and that he's slower in the corners, but also how much the stock car accelerates quicker than the Porsche. Pretty cool, eh? Maybe we can arrange a test session between a Sprint Cup car, a Tudor USCS car, an IndyCar and an F1 car to see the differences between all four of them. Big chance of that happening, right?

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/here-s-what-it-looks-like-with-a-sports-car-and-a-stock-car-on-a-road-course-225856231.html

Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti

Unfiltered Race Notes: Dual in Detroit Race 1 2014

Welcome to Detroit race one notes! no snazzy intro, lets do this! ABC Intros are always awesome RHR… Helio… Fast forward… 4th P2 start of the year for Hinch Belle Isle looks pretty damn good in the overhead shots. Lots … Continue reading →

Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/unfiltered-race-notes-dual-in-detroit-race-1-2014/

John Cordts David Coulthard Piers Courage Chris Craft

Mattiacci says he?s ready to address Ferrari?s weaknesses

Ferrari boss Marco Mattiacci says he knows what direction the team needs to take in order to improve its prospects. Mattiacci, who took over just before China, has spent the past two months finding his way into the job. He … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2014/06/24/mattiacci-says-hes-ready-to-address-ferraris-weaknesses/

Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia

McLaren M838T Engine Takes "Engine of the Year Award" in the "3 To 4 liter" Category

For the second consecutive year, McLaren Automotive has been awarded engine of the year, as it joins Ferrari as one of the winners of a 2014 Engine of the Year award. Ferrari won its awards in the "Above 4-Liter" class and as the "Performance Engine of the Year," while McLaren’s masterful 3.8-liter, twin-turbo, V-8 engine took home the award in the "3-Liter to 4-Liter" category, proving yet again that when it comes to engine innovation, the British supercar builder takes a back seat to no one.

The engine, technically named the "M838T," was designed and developed in collaboration with engine builder Ricardo. A big part of the M838T’s appeal is the way McLaren was able to modify its capabilities to produce a class-leading output of 640 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. More importantly, the engine not only produces supercar-level output numbers, but it’s also a highly efficient engine, capable of returning 24.2 mpg on the EU combined cycle.

McLaren uses the M838T engine in the coupe and spider versions of the McLaren 650S, the company’s newest supercar. If you didn’t know by now, the 650S is a whole lot of awesome. A big reason for its awesomeness is this 3.8-liter, V-8 engine that is described as a "wonderful piece of powertrain engineering."

Winning engine of the year in the "3-Liter to 4-Liter" category at the 2014 Engine of the Year awards is living proof of that.

Click past the jump to read more about the McLaren M838T.

McLaren M838T Engine Takes "Engine of the Year Award" in the "3 To 4 liter" Category originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 27 June 2014 10:00 EST.

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Source: http://feeds.topspeed.com/~r/topspeed/~3/4tr-zFB_XbQ/mclaren-m838t-engine-takes-engine-of-the-year-award-in-the-3-to-4-liter-category-ar164114.html

JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd

Up close : Porsche Cayman GT4

During these last few weeks is making a lot of noise GT4 Porsche Cayman . With the official confirmation and implementation of the 4-cylinder Porsche will present almost certainly in less than a year, all eyes are on this version of the Cayman , which could debut worldwide this new engine . The Cayman GT4 […]

Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/708-up-close-porsche-cayman-gt4.html

Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu

F1 WAG: Camille Marchetti

Jules Bianchi is embarking on�his second ever season in F1, and we are glad he’s back! Not just because of his skill behind the wheel, but because we may get to see some more of the wavy-haired goddess that is Camille Marchetti. Haven’t seen her before? Have a look at our gallery to get acquainted. [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/j-c0vNj5l_c/f1-wag-camille-marchetti-2

Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg

What Did We Learn At Daytona? Nothing.

If you read or hear any media member say this week that Jimmie Johnson is on his way to a sixth title, or that Danica Patrick is a contender, or that the Gen 6 car needs to be tweaked, know one thing: they don’t have a clue. Did Jimmie win the 500? Yes. Did Danica […]

TheNASCARInsiders.com

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Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger

Hinch Hurt In Grand Prix Of Indianapolis

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2014/05/hinch-hurt-in-grand-prix-of-indianapolis.html

Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks

Ryan Hunter-Reay wins Indianapolis 500 with last-lap pass over Helio Castroneves

Second place was the most advantageous place to be in the final laps of Sunday's Indianapolis 500.

After starting first on the race's final restart with six laps to go, Ryan Hunter-Reay traded the lead with Helio Castroneves four times and drove past Castroneves for the final time on the last lap to take the checkered flag in the second-closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history.

The margin of victory was a minuscule .06 seconds, second-closest only to Al Unser Jr.'s victory over Scott Goodyear in 1992 when he won by just .043.

Hunter-Reay, the 2012 IndyCar Series champion, is the first American-born driver to win the 500 since 2006 when Sam Hornish Jr. made a last-second pass of Marco Andretti for the victory.

The significance was not lost on him as he celebrated with the customary bottle of milk in Indianapolis Motor Speedway's victory lane as the winner of the 98th 500.

"I knew we had a good racecar," Hunter-Reay said of his first Indianapolis 500 win. "We didn't qualify well, we started 19th but we ran to the front. And I was just biding my time, making the right adjustments on the stops ? I'm so excited now I can't even think. This is just a dream come true, we did everything right today and that's what it takes to win this race."

"I've watched this race since I was in diapers sitting on the floor in front of the TV. My son did it today, he watched me here. I'm thrilled ? this is American history, this race. This is American tradition. Our auto industry is based on it and this is as big as a championship for me."

Kurt Busch, the first driver since Robby Gordon in 2004 to attempt both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 in the same day, finished sixth. (Coincidentally, Robby Gordon's sister, Beccy, is Hunter-Reay's wife.)

Leading wasn't all it's normally cracked up to be late in the race because of the style of the cars. The draft, where a car behind another car can go faster because of a lack of air resistance, was an integral factor. Over the final six laps, the car in second could consistently close up on the lead car and make a move, as Castroneves did right as the green flag waved for the final time.

Castroneves assumed the lead for a second time following the restart with two laps to go after Hunter-Reay had made a daring pass for the lead on the backstretch, nearly going into the grass to complete the move. However, it left himself open for Hunter-Reay's winning move, which happened on the outside lane on the frontstretch as the drivers took the white flag.

A three-time Indianapolis 500 champion, Castroneves simply ran out of time to get back to Hunter-Reay, only closing to his bumper as the two got to the finish line.

It was incredibly thrilling racing as the two drove for the Borg-Warner Trophy after the last restart, but the impact of it was lessened because of ABC's presentation. While the camera views of the racing were top-notch, the production team inexplicably went split-screen three different times to show the reactions of Beccy Hunter-Reay and Adriana Henao, the girlfriend of Helio Castroneves.

Even worse, split-screen shots on lap 198 and lap 200 each lasted a half-lap. While the previous presence of Ashley Judd, the ex-wife of three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti, likely played a role in the decision to show the significant others, the space devoted to them detracted significantly from the viewer experience over the final five laps. The racing spoke for itself; as the margin-of-victory strongly points out, it was far from a blowout. It deserved to be full-screen.

While the field was bunched up for the final quarter of the race, the first 75 percent scooted on by. The first caution came out on lap 150 for Charlie Kimball's accident, the longest time since the Indianapolis Motor Speedway started recording caution flags that a 500 had gone without a yellow flag.

The biggest incident of the day was when polesitter Ed Carpenter and James Hinchcliffe, the driver who started second, crashed together with 25 laps to go. The duo were three-wide with Townsend Bell entering turn one on a restart and made contact, skidding into the outside wall. After they exited their cars, Carpenter was very unhappy with Hinchcliffe, who made the group three-wide ? a huge no-no entering turn one ? on the inside.

Bell's car escaped unharmed from the incident, but his crash with 10 laps to go caused a red flag and set up the restart for the thrilling finish between Hunter-Reay and Castroneves.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/ryan-hunter-reay-wins-indianapolis-500-with-last-lap-pass--kurt-busch-finishes-6th-193500956.html

Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi

Bill Elliott leads 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame class

Bill Elliott didn't have to wait long to get in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

In just his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot, Elliott got in during Wednesday's vote for the 2015 class of the NASCAR Hall and will be inducted in January.

Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly, Rex White and Fred Lorenzen are also going in with Elliott.

Elliott won 44 Sprint Cup Series throughout his career and the 1988 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Elliott was eligible for the Hall of Fame in this class because of NASCAR's recently tweaked eligibility guidelines. In December, NASCAR announced that any driver 55 years old or older was immediately eligible, even if he was currently competing. He received 87 percent of the vote.

Scott was the first African-American to win a Sprint Cup Series race. He won at Jacksonville in 1964, leading 27 of 202 laps. He had 20 top-five finishes and 147 top 10s. He got 58 percent.

Weatherly won 25 races and the 1962 and 1963 Cup titles. He was killed when he sustained head injuries in a crash at Riverside in 1964. He got 53 percent.

White won 28 races and was the 1960 champion. In 1962, he won eight races in 37 starts. He got 43 percent.

Lorenzen won 26 Cup races including two Daytona 500s. His win in the 1967 Daytona 500 was the final victory of his career. He got 30 percent.

Notable exclusions from the 2015 Hall class were Rick Hendrick, Buddy Baker, Benny Parsons, Robert Yates, Bruton Smith and Terry Labonte. When NASCAR announced the new eligibility guidelines in December, it also cut the list of nominees from 25 to 20. Jerry Cook, Yates and Parsons were the next three highest vote getters.

One of the people who fell off the list in the cut down from 2014 to 2015 was Anne B. France. France was awarded the inaugural Landmark Award.

The relatively low vote totals of White and Lorenzen do raise an interesting question about future classes of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. How will candidates separate themselves from each other going forward for a case for the Hall? There aren't many slam dunk nominees going to be eligible in the future and the biographies of the 15 people people who will likely carry over to next year's list won't change much.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/bill-elliott-leads-2015-nascar-hall-fame-class-204339013--nascar.html

Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen

How not to lose gracefully?

Luca Montezemolo says (again) that Formula 1 is not working and claims that it is declining because the FIA has “forgotten that people watch the racing for the excitement. Nobody watches racing for the efficiency”. Montezemolo might see himself as a campaigner for true sport, but there are a few things which are wrong with […]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/how-now-to-lose-gracefully/

Francois Cevert Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain Karun Chandhok