Unfortunately it wasn't the dream start for Tai Woffinden's Speedway Grand Prix campaign at the weekend. The eagerly awaited series kicked off in Leszno, Poland and was the first GP for Scunthorpe local Woffinden after being named as a wildcard over the winter.
The 19 year old had a difficult evening in what most people believe is the most competitive line up in the Grand Prix for a very long time. Woffinden picked up just the one point on the night but certainly showed good speed, but was let down by his gating which he admitted after the meeting cost him better results.
Leandra Graves caught up with the youngster after the meeting.
"It was what I expected tonight. I never got the opportunity to see any daylight and get to ride the lines I wanted too but it's always difficult when you're at the back. I was quite happy with tonight and I didn't end up with zero points so that was good. It was my first GP and I'm only young. I have got plenty more years at this level. I want to win every race I am in. In my first two races I didn't make the best of starts, so then we changed the bike a bit to help me get out the start and then of course I beat Chris (Harris). In my next one, I was off gate four and I was trying to get across them all at the start but me and Rune (Holta) had a bit of a coming together so that was that to that race. That's speedway for you. When you are riding for the world championship you know it's always going to be tough."
Finishing the evening with one point wasn't a true reflection of the effort he had put in. He was unlucky to lose out to fellow GP newcomer, Chris Holder, after a titanic battle but heat 9 was the race of the night for Woffinden. The Wolverhampton captain got the better of his Great Britain compatriot Harris after a stunning pass over the Cardiff GP winner from 2007.
Preparations for this weekend had been disrupted due to the problems faced with travelling due to the volcanic ash restrictions. Woffinden said, "I was supposed to be flying from Sweden to Poland but in the end in didn't happen so we had to drive out to Poland in my motorhome."
The GP was a lively encounter on an excellent track producing lots of passing. He was full of praise for the track conditions which in the past have often led to slick, processional races. "It was good with a bit of dirt on. I don't think anyone expected the track to be like this today. It was the same as a league match as I have rode here a few times in the Polish league. It was a perfect track, they prepared it really well."
There was no rest for Woffinden after the GP. Leaving immediately after the GP, he and his team faced a long journey to his Polish club Czestochowa to race Sunday. Then a quick return to England to ride for Wolves on Monday and Tuesday back racing in Sweden. The life of a GP rider is always very hectic!
http://www.speedwayplus.com/Leandra1.shtml
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_12203.shtml
Wednesday 28 April 2010
Bomber – I ballsed it up!
Cornwall born Chris Harris, made it through to the semi-finals of the European GP in Poland, recording one of his best results over the last few seasons. After a difficult 2009 in the Speedway Grand Prix series, “Bomber” racked up two wins and snuck into the semi-final but missed out to Janusz Kolodziej and Jarek Hampel, both home club riders.
It was an up and down night for Bomber Harris that lacked consistency, two wins, including one over three times World Champion, Nicki Pedersen. A superb race by Harris to beat Pedersen that had the crowd on their feet! He also beat current World Champion, Jason Crump and Rune Holta in heat 17 to earn his place in the semi’s.
Bomber admitted, “I ballsed it up in the semi-final. We did all he hard work getting to the semis but it was always going to be a tough order to come from gate four. I’ve got to take a lot of positives from this first GP and carry them on to the next one.”
The demeanour of the Coventry captain appeared very relaxed and confident, with some very determined rides against classy opposition. This was a contrast to last season when he was struggling, perhaps a change in attitude? “I just changed a few things over the winter. I tried to sort my head out and I’ve only got the people around me I actually need. I’ve not got a big group of people here with me and it’s definitely working and helping me to focus.”
As for the majority of GP riders, the volcanic ash had disrupted many plans logistically in the run-up the to the Leszno GP weekend. This affected the 27 year old more than most, with him having to miss an Elite League fixture. “It has been tough. I had to miss riding for Coventry on Thursday unfortunately, as I had to drive to Poland after the match at Poole Wednesday night. Luckily Coventry won!”
There was praise for a track that produced excellent racing after many complaints of track conditions in previous GP seasons leading to processional races. “The track was a lot better tonight, a little bit more material than normal. It did get a bit slick towards the end but of course if you can make the starts, it makes life a lot easier.”
The next GP is on a man-made track in Sweden at the Ullevi Stadium. Bomber was already looking ahead to the next one to see if he could improve on his total of eight points that put him in equal eighth position with a handful of riders.
“I had two wins, I will chuck the other results away. I can now aim for the same and better in Sweden. Roll on Gothenburg!”
It was an up and down night for Bomber Harris that lacked consistency, two wins, including one over three times World Champion, Nicki Pedersen. A superb race by Harris to beat Pedersen that had the crowd on their feet! He also beat current World Champion, Jason Crump and Rune Holta in heat 17 to earn his place in the semi’s.
Bomber admitted, “I ballsed it up in the semi-final. We did all he hard work getting to the semis but it was always going to be a tough order to come from gate four. I’ve got to take a lot of positives from this first GP and carry them on to the next one.”
The demeanour of the Coventry captain appeared very relaxed and confident, with some very determined rides against classy opposition. This was a contrast to last season when he was struggling, perhaps a change in attitude? “I just changed a few things over the winter. I tried to sort my head out and I’ve only got the people around me I actually need. I’ve not got a big group of people here with me and it’s definitely working and helping me to focus.”
As for the majority of GP riders, the volcanic ash had disrupted many plans logistically in the run-up the to the Leszno GP weekend. This affected the 27 year old more than most, with him having to miss an Elite League fixture. “It has been tough. I had to miss riding for Coventry on Thursday unfortunately, as I had to drive to Poland after the match at Poole Wednesday night. Luckily Coventry won!”
There was praise for a track that produced excellent racing after many complaints of track conditions in previous GP seasons leading to processional races. “The track was a lot better tonight, a little bit more material than normal. It did get a bit slick towards the end but of course if you can make the starts, it makes life a lot easier.”
The next GP is on a man-made track in Sweden at the Ullevi Stadium. Bomber was already looking ahead to the next one to see if he could improve on his total of eight points that put him in equal eighth position with a handful of riders.
“I had two wins, I will chuck the other results away. I can now aim for the same and better in Sweden. Roll on Gothenburg!”
CRUMP WINS EUROPEAN GP!
Current World Champion, Jason Crump roared to victory in the opening round of the Speedway Grand Prix series in Leszno, Poland. The 34 year old secured 19 points overall to be leading the World Championship for 2010, an ominous sign to his fellow rivals. This was a fantastic performance by Crump considering he had been suffering with injuries sustained in October where he received severe burns and broken bones. Many had doubts whether he would be fit enough to race at the start of this season, including the Aussie himself.
“I didn’t expect to be here today, so it was a bit of a bonus really. At the end of last season, I thought I would be able to start defending the World Championship in about June if I was lucky. So it’s a big bonus to be here at the start of the season and an even bigger bonus to get into the final.”
He beat off fierce competition in the final from Leszno rider, Jarek Hampel, who had top scored through the meeting with 11 points and Russian Emil Sayfutdinov.
Crump explained: “I can run, but I can’t really lift anything heavy with my left arm. So I’m very fortunate and I’m really happy to be here. I’ve always put a little bit of pressure on myself to be the world champion, and I want to try and win again.”
Home town favourite Hampel was pleased with his performance in second place after a two year break from the series.
“That was a good place for the beginning of this season. I wanted to try and win the competition but Jason was very fast from gate one in the final. I tried to close him down, but he was in front of me and I couldn’t go any faster. I like racing in the Grand Prix and I hope I race even better next time.”
Three times World Champion, Nicki Pedersen didn’t set the night on fire with a disappointing night by his standards. He ended up finishing third in the semi-final behind Crump and Sayfutdinov with a tally of nine points.
The wild-card Janus Kolodziej who rides for Leszno, alongside Hampel, was 80/1 before the meeting. He stormed into the final hoping to cause an upset amongst the GP regulars and to the delight of the massive Polish crowd. However, he was adjudged to be at fault with an incident with Sayfutdinov and was excluded in the final, causing a re-run with just three riders.
The next GP is in Gothenburg, Sweden on May 8th.
HEAT SCORES:
Jaroslaw Hampel (3-1-2-2-3) 11
Jason Crump (3-3-3-1-0) 10
Emil Sayfutdinov (3-1-1-3-2) 10
Janusz Kolodziej (1-3-3-2-1) 10
Kenneth Bjerre (1-2-2-2-3) 10
Rune Holta (2-3-1-1-2) 9
Chris Harris (2-3-0-0-3) 8
Nicki Pedersen (3-2-0-0-3) 8
Freddie Lindgren (1-1-3-3-0) 8
Hans Andersen (0-2-2-3-1) 8
Chris Holder (2-2-0-2-2) 8
Tomasz Gollob (2-0-2-1-1) 6
Andreas Jonsson (R-1-1-1-2) 5
Greg Hancock (0-0-3-0-1) 4
Magnus Zetterstrom (1-0-0-3-0) 4
Tai Woffinden (0-0-1-0-0) 1
Semi-Final 1: Hampel, Kolodziej, Holta, Harris.
Semi-Final 2: Crump, Sayfutdinov, Pedersen, Bjerre.
Final: Crump, Hampel, Sayfutdinov, Kolodziej (exc, foul riding).
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Jason Crump (19), 2 Jaroslaw Hampel (18), 3 Emil Sayfutdinov (14), 4 Janusz Kolodziej (12), 5 Rune Holta (10), 6 Kenneth Bjerre (10), 7 Nicki Pedersen (9), 8 Freddie Lindgren (8), 9 Hans Andersen (8), 10 Chris Holder (8), 11 Chris Harris (8), 12 Tomasz Gollob (6), 13 Andreas Jonsson (5), 14 Greg Hancock (4), 15 Magnus Zetterstrom (4), 16 Tai Woffinden (1).
“I didn’t expect to be here today, so it was a bit of a bonus really. At the end of last season, I thought I would be able to start defending the World Championship in about June if I was lucky. So it’s a big bonus to be here at the start of the season and an even bigger bonus to get into the final.”
He beat off fierce competition in the final from Leszno rider, Jarek Hampel, who had top scored through the meeting with 11 points and Russian Emil Sayfutdinov.
Crump explained: “I can run, but I can’t really lift anything heavy with my left arm. So I’m very fortunate and I’m really happy to be here. I’ve always put a little bit of pressure on myself to be the world champion, and I want to try and win again.”
Home town favourite Hampel was pleased with his performance in second place after a two year break from the series.
“That was a good place for the beginning of this season. I wanted to try and win the competition but Jason was very fast from gate one in the final. I tried to close him down, but he was in front of me and I couldn’t go any faster. I like racing in the Grand Prix and I hope I race even better next time.”
Three times World Champion, Nicki Pedersen didn’t set the night on fire with a disappointing night by his standards. He ended up finishing third in the semi-final behind Crump and Sayfutdinov with a tally of nine points.
The wild-card Janus Kolodziej who rides for Leszno, alongside Hampel, was 80/1 before the meeting. He stormed into the final hoping to cause an upset amongst the GP regulars and to the delight of the massive Polish crowd. However, he was adjudged to be at fault with an incident with Sayfutdinov and was excluded in the final, causing a re-run with just three riders.
The next GP is in Gothenburg, Sweden on May 8th.
HEAT SCORES:
Jaroslaw Hampel (3-1-2-2-3) 11
Jason Crump (3-3-3-1-0) 10
Emil Sayfutdinov (3-1-1-3-2) 10
Janusz Kolodziej (1-3-3-2-1) 10
Kenneth Bjerre (1-2-2-2-3) 10
Rune Holta (2-3-1-1-2) 9
Chris Harris (2-3-0-0-3) 8
Nicki Pedersen (3-2-0-0-3) 8
Freddie Lindgren (1-1-3-3-0) 8
Hans Andersen (0-2-2-3-1) 8
Chris Holder (2-2-0-2-2) 8
Tomasz Gollob (2-0-2-1-1) 6
Andreas Jonsson (R-1-1-1-2) 5
Greg Hancock (0-0-3-0-1) 4
Magnus Zetterstrom (1-0-0-3-0) 4
Tai Woffinden (0-0-1-0-0) 1
Semi-Final 1: Hampel, Kolodziej, Holta, Harris.
Semi-Final 2: Crump, Sayfutdinov, Pedersen, Bjerre.
Final: Crump, Hampel, Sayfutdinov, Kolodziej (exc, foul riding).
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Jason Crump (19), 2 Jaroslaw Hampel (18), 3 Emil Sayfutdinov (14), 4 Janusz Kolodziej (12), 5 Rune Holta (10), 6 Kenneth Bjerre (10), 7 Nicki Pedersen (9), 8 Freddie Lindgren (8), 9 Hans Andersen (8), 10 Chris Holder (8), 11 Chris Harris (8), 12 Tomasz Gollob (6), 13 Andreas Jonsson (5), 14 Greg Hancock (4), 15 Magnus Zetterstrom (4), 16 Tai Woffinden (1).
Monday 12 April 2010
RAMPANT ROSSI ROARS TO WIN IN QATAR!
Reigning World Moto GP Champion, Valentino Rossi, raced to victory in the first round of the inaugural Moto GP Championship. It was a Fiat Yamaha one- two as his team-mate, Jorge Lorenzo finished second, whilst Italian Andrea Dovizioso took third on the Repsol Honda.
Losail Circuit was the venue for the eagerly awaited series to return and the fans were treated to a spectacular race. Racing in the desert, the race last year had to be cancelled for freakish monsoon conditions, but this year the weather stayed perfect and the race took place at night time, adding to the colour and occasion.
Australia’s Casey Stoner on the red Ducati, appeared favourite to secure the win. He set a blistering pole position time on Saturday on a track he has dominated in the past. This weekend was expected to be all about the man on the number 27 bike and after a few laps he was pulling away into the lead, looking like a forgone conclusion of a win in the opening round.
However, Stoner slid off into the gravel on lap five of the 22 lap race, under pressure from a chasing Rossi. This wasn’t the first time Stoner has fallen whilst in front. Stoner is undeniably one of the fastest men in Moto GP but it was a sorry start to this season’s campaign when it was his race to lose. His pace had been pulverising those behind him and he had just recorded the fastest time before his race came to an untimely end.
A disappointed Stoner said, “Once I got to the front I started to get into my rhythm but I lost the front end a couple of times in long corners so I made the decision to try to ride a bit smoother and not put so much pressure on the front tyre with the full tank. Unfortunately that is what led to the crash because looking at the telemetry I didn’t have enough load on the front, so I guess in hindsight I should have stuck to the way I’d been riding all weekend. It’s my mistake and I apologise to the team because we’d done a great job this weekend and we leave empty handed.”
His loss was Rossi’s gain, as he then took control of the race. Dovizioso and Stoner’s team-mate Nicky Hayden, were then locked in a titanic battle for second place, which went to the wire. ‘Dovi’ had massive speed down the straight and with the advantage he had, he managed to remind Rossi he wasn’t going to have everything in his own way. Dovi overtook Rossi, only for ‘Vale’ to retake the lead. It certainly gave the number 46 bike the hurry up, as then Rossi delivered several faster laps in succession to build a larger gap.
It was the first time since 2005 that Rossi has won the opening race of the calendar and this will be an ominous sign to his rivals. Rossi enthused, “These 25 points at this stage are like gold dust, it's a fantastic result for the team to make a one-two at race one. Stoner was quite far ahead of me, I thought then that it was going to be hard to catch him!” explained Rossi. “Then he made a mistake and crashed, which was bad luck for him but crucial for us.”
Rossi’s team-mate Jorge Lorenzo had appeared to be having a lonely race in fourth position after making a bad start and suffering with a broken bone in his right hand from a crash a few months ago. Many doubted the Spaniard’s fitness, how would he manage in full race conditions? The number 99 rode a cautious first half of the race but then Lorenzo seemed to come alive with around seven laps left when he started setting fastest laps, reeling in the fighting duo of Dovi and Hayden. With two laps left, he passed the Ducati and then sent Dovi out wide to grab second place. A superb fight back from the injured Lorenzo who had appeared to be struggling after qualifying. “Today I had to disconnect my brain and just ride with my heart, and I am so happy about this second place,” said an overjoyed Lorenzo. “My hand was a bit sore but the bigger problem was the rear sliding, and early on with a full fuel tank I found it quite hard. My plan was to take it quietly and not risk too much, but after a while the adrenalin built up and I couldn't do that, I had to ride at the maximum!”
Whilst Lorenzo’s joy was clear for all to see after the race, celebrating his 20 point finish as if it was a win, Hayden must have considered himself the unluckiest guy on the track. Losing a precious finish on the rostrum, as on the last lap he managed to find a way past Dovi’s number 4 bike, only for Dovi to steal the final podium place from him as he rocketed passed him on the straight, taking the chequered flag ahead of him in a photo finish for third. The difference between the two was just one hundredth of a second, absolutely breathtaking!
It was only the third time in Dovi’s career that he had achieved a podium in the Moto GP class, so he was understandably overjoyed with what was one of the best races of his career. There had been many changes for the Italian over the winter including a new crew chief and after the first race and winter testing, he seems to have the upper hand on his more illustrious team-mate.
Dovi’s teamate, Dani Pedosa would not be one man smiling after a race of mixed emotions. Pedrosa made an incredible start and jumped up six places to take the lead into the first corner. He initially battled with Stoner and Rossi and looked in excellent form and set for a podium. His pace didn’t continue though and he fell into the clutches of the current World Superbike Champion, Ben Spies and LCR Honda’s, Randy De Puniet who both finished ahead of Pedrosa. It was a disappointing start for Pedrosa to finish in a lowly seventh by his standards. Over the winter, he had changed his race number from three back to 26. Perhaps, not a good luck charm for him!
Ducati were another team with no luck and had a bad day at the office. With the demise of Stoner, Hayden who eventually lost his shot at the podium, the two Pramac Ducati boys of Mika Kallio and Aleix Espargaro both left the race early with the Finn suffering a crash and the latter mechanical gremlins. Perhaps their new colour scheme of lime green should be reconsidered!
One man reaching a marvellous milestone was the likeable Italian, Loris Capirossi. Starting in his 300th race, for which he marked with a 24 carrot gold helmet design and 300 on the front of his bike. At 37, he proves there is life in the elder statesmen of the pack and finished with a solid ninth place result after duelling with Colin Edwards. It was a sad end to Alvaro Bautista’s Moto GP debut, when he crashed out on the final corner of the last lap after a battle with his 250cc arch rival Marco Simonchelli. Rookie of the day went to Hiroshi Aoyama with 10th place ahead of his bitter rivals from last season.
My Rider of the Day: Jorge Lorenzo. The boy is unlucky when it comes to injuries but he can turn the magic on and produce the goods despite the pain and the awkwardness of the broken bone/stitches. His last few laps when passing Dovi and Hayden showed remarkable confidence and pace and I believe a fully fit Jorge (if there ever is such one!) can really take the challenge to Rossi again this season. He has a new manager and despite limited testing compared to his counterparts, he still delivered a fantastic result, one who claimed “he was happier with this 2nd place, than some of his wins!
It had been a long wait during the winter for Moto GP to return but it certainly came back with a bang. Motegi, Japan in two weeks time is sure to be a thriller. Can Stoner bounce back from Qatar or will Rossi romp to victory again? I’m sure Lorenzo and co will have something to say about that…!
Losail Circuit was the venue for the eagerly awaited series to return and the fans were treated to a spectacular race. Racing in the desert, the race last year had to be cancelled for freakish monsoon conditions, but this year the weather stayed perfect and the race took place at night time, adding to the colour and occasion.
Australia’s Casey Stoner on the red Ducati, appeared favourite to secure the win. He set a blistering pole position time on Saturday on a track he has dominated in the past. This weekend was expected to be all about the man on the number 27 bike and after a few laps he was pulling away into the lead, looking like a forgone conclusion of a win in the opening round.
However, Stoner slid off into the gravel on lap five of the 22 lap race, under pressure from a chasing Rossi. This wasn’t the first time Stoner has fallen whilst in front. Stoner is undeniably one of the fastest men in Moto GP but it was a sorry start to this season’s campaign when it was his race to lose. His pace had been pulverising those behind him and he had just recorded the fastest time before his race came to an untimely end.
A disappointed Stoner said, “Once I got to the front I started to get into my rhythm but I lost the front end a couple of times in long corners so I made the decision to try to ride a bit smoother and not put so much pressure on the front tyre with the full tank. Unfortunately that is what led to the crash because looking at the telemetry I didn’t have enough load on the front, so I guess in hindsight I should have stuck to the way I’d been riding all weekend. It’s my mistake and I apologise to the team because we’d done a great job this weekend and we leave empty handed.”
His loss was Rossi’s gain, as he then took control of the race. Dovizioso and Stoner’s team-mate Nicky Hayden, were then locked in a titanic battle for second place, which went to the wire. ‘Dovi’ had massive speed down the straight and with the advantage he had, he managed to remind Rossi he wasn’t going to have everything in his own way. Dovi overtook Rossi, only for ‘Vale’ to retake the lead. It certainly gave the number 46 bike the hurry up, as then Rossi delivered several faster laps in succession to build a larger gap.
It was the first time since 2005 that Rossi has won the opening race of the calendar and this will be an ominous sign to his rivals. Rossi enthused, “These 25 points at this stage are like gold dust, it's a fantastic result for the team to make a one-two at race one. Stoner was quite far ahead of me, I thought then that it was going to be hard to catch him!” explained Rossi. “Then he made a mistake and crashed, which was bad luck for him but crucial for us.”
Rossi’s team-mate Jorge Lorenzo had appeared to be having a lonely race in fourth position after making a bad start and suffering with a broken bone in his right hand from a crash a few months ago. Many doubted the Spaniard’s fitness, how would he manage in full race conditions? The number 99 rode a cautious first half of the race but then Lorenzo seemed to come alive with around seven laps left when he started setting fastest laps, reeling in the fighting duo of Dovi and Hayden. With two laps left, he passed the Ducati and then sent Dovi out wide to grab second place. A superb fight back from the injured Lorenzo who had appeared to be struggling after qualifying. “Today I had to disconnect my brain and just ride with my heart, and I am so happy about this second place,” said an overjoyed Lorenzo. “My hand was a bit sore but the bigger problem was the rear sliding, and early on with a full fuel tank I found it quite hard. My plan was to take it quietly and not risk too much, but after a while the adrenalin built up and I couldn't do that, I had to ride at the maximum!”
Whilst Lorenzo’s joy was clear for all to see after the race, celebrating his 20 point finish as if it was a win, Hayden must have considered himself the unluckiest guy on the track. Losing a precious finish on the rostrum, as on the last lap he managed to find a way past Dovi’s number 4 bike, only for Dovi to steal the final podium place from him as he rocketed passed him on the straight, taking the chequered flag ahead of him in a photo finish for third. The difference between the two was just one hundredth of a second, absolutely breathtaking!
It was only the third time in Dovi’s career that he had achieved a podium in the Moto GP class, so he was understandably overjoyed with what was one of the best races of his career. There had been many changes for the Italian over the winter including a new crew chief and after the first race and winter testing, he seems to have the upper hand on his more illustrious team-mate.
Dovi’s teamate, Dani Pedosa would not be one man smiling after a race of mixed emotions. Pedrosa made an incredible start and jumped up six places to take the lead into the first corner. He initially battled with Stoner and Rossi and looked in excellent form and set for a podium. His pace didn’t continue though and he fell into the clutches of the current World Superbike Champion, Ben Spies and LCR Honda’s, Randy De Puniet who both finished ahead of Pedrosa. It was a disappointing start for Pedrosa to finish in a lowly seventh by his standards. Over the winter, he had changed his race number from three back to 26. Perhaps, not a good luck charm for him!
Ducati were another team with no luck and had a bad day at the office. With the demise of Stoner, Hayden who eventually lost his shot at the podium, the two Pramac Ducati boys of Mika Kallio and Aleix Espargaro both left the race early with the Finn suffering a crash and the latter mechanical gremlins. Perhaps their new colour scheme of lime green should be reconsidered!
One man reaching a marvellous milestone was the likeable Italian, Loris Capirossi. Starting in his 300th race, for which he marked with a 24 carrot gold helmet design and 300 on the front of his bike. At 37, he proves there is life in the elder statesmen of the pack and finished with a solid ninth place result after duelling with Colin Edwards. It was a sad end to Alvaro Bautista’s Moto GP debut, when he crashed out on the final corner of the last lap after a battle with his 250cc arch rival Marco Simonchelli. Rookie of the day went to Hiroshi Aoyama with 10th place ahead of his bitter rivals from last season.
My Rider of the Day: Jorge Lorenzo. The boy is unlucky when it comes to injuries but he can turn the magic on and produce the goods despite the pain and the awkwardness of the broken bone/stitches. His last few laps when passing Dovi and Hayden showed remarkable confidence and pace and I believe a fully fit Jorge (if there ever is such one!) can really take the challenge to Rossi again this season. He has a new manager and despite limited testing compared to his counterparts, he still delivered a fantastic result, one who claimed “he was happier with this 2nd place, than some of his wins!
It had been a long wait during the winter for Moto GP to return but it certainly came back with a bang. Motegi, Japan in two weeks time is sure to be a thriller. Can Stoner bounce back from Qatar or will Rossi romp to victory again? I’m sure Lorenzo and co will have something to say about that…!
Monday 5 April 2010
VETTEL THIRD TIME LUCKY IN MALAYSIA
Germany's Sebastien Vettel made it third time lucky in Malaysia recording a one-two finish with Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber. Nico Rosberg made it onto the rostrum recording the Sllver Arrows’ first podium finish.
In the hot, sticky conditions of Kuala Lumpur, everyone was waiting on the rain which had made qualifying the previous day a lottery. Surprisingly, the heavens didn’t open leading to more of a processional race like we had seen in Bahrain.
However, Vettel was one man smiling that the rain didn’t threaten his dominant race. Webber started from pole position, had made a good start over his team-mate, but chose to head into turn one on the racing line instead of taking a more defensive approach into the first corner Vettel didn’t hesitate and jumped up the inside into the lead and comfortably led Webber for the duration of the race.
After the heartbreak for Vettel twice this season retiring whilst winning the GP, this was a man desperate to claim 25 points and make up for the disaster of the Bahrain and Melbourne. The new F1 points system for 2010 means that Vettel is now only 2 points behind the leader of the championship, putting himself right back into contention.
Vettel enthused, “What a day! At the start, I realised that I had a good start past Nico. I was then able to gain on Mark; it's a long sprint down to Turn one and I had an advantage, so I took the chance into Turn 1 and just made it through! Mark had a better exit out of Turn 2 though Turn 3, but it was very slippery and we both tried to push. We are here to fight, but you should always keep respect and I think we both had respect for each other. If Mark had been in my position I'm sure he would have done the same.”
Webber was reflective after the first corner judgement he made and maybe rues giving Vettel even an opportunity to pass. “I got a bit of wheel spin at the start and Seb got a tow into the first corner. I didn't know where Nico was, so I braked late. Both Seb and I were on the limit to make the first corner. I had a little bit better exit coming out of Turn 2 and the fight continued into Turn 4. We had a chat to Christian at the start of the race and he said ‘Boys, behave yourselves!’ and we did.”
After Rosberg’s first front row start in F1, a podium result for the 25 year old, was a welcome sight and puts him in a very strong position in the drivers championship, only 4 points off the leader. Consistency appears to be the key for the Mercedes driver and after being outgunned by the eventual race winner Vettel at the start, he held off Kubica and once again comphrensively beat his team-mate Schumacher. Schumi’s F1 season was not to improve in Malaysia. After making up two places at the start, the seven time world champ was in 6th position and suffered a rear wing failure on lap 10 putting an end to his race.
Of course there was a topsy turvy grid with both McLarens and Ferraris starting from 17th and below. Hamilton was the best of the bunch making an awesome start and gaining seven places on the first few laps. He had an exiting battle with young Russain driver Vitoly Petrov, though was warned over his excessive weaving down the straight after he appeared to block the Renault driver four times. Rules say you are only allowed to make 1 clear blocking move.
Renault boss Eric Boullier said the team complained to race control about Hamilton's actions during the race. "Very frankly, it is very clear in the regulations that you can have one change of direction, so when you do three in a row something is wrong. He got a warning for dangerous driving, but I am not sure it is enough. It is definitely clearly written in the regulations that you can not do any more than one direction change, and it is something you should not be doing. "However Boullier said they would not be pursuing the matter further, "No. A warning says that if you do it again you will be penalised."
Hamilton’s charge came to a halt when he caught his good friend Adrian Sutil and was unable to pass him. As they both use the powerful Mercedes engine, even the McLaren’s F-duct which helps increase speeds on the straights didn’t manage to allow Hamilton to squeeze by the Force India. The Stevenage born racer said, “I tried my best to get past Adrian, but he was very smart at getting clean exits and was simply too fast down the straights. He drove a fantastic race, actually; faultless, in fact. From 20th on the grid, I think sixth was a brilliant result.”
Race winner in Melbourne, Jenson Button didn’t have the dream start that Hamilton did and was tied up on a fight with both the Ferrari’s. He was chased until the end by Fernando Alonso finishing 8th behind Felipe Massa.
Alonso had what he described as the “hardest race of his life” when he had to drive with a broken downshift problem. He had bravely fought onto the back of Button’s McLaren in a 9th place, when he passed Button and then his engine exploded costing him two points after a difficult race. "This was a very difficult weekend. We made a big mistake in yesterday's qualifying and today in the race, I had to retire with an engine problem. My race was an uphill climb from the start: I found I had a problem with the gearbox right from the start and I had to drive without a clutch for practically the whole race.
"Trying to look on the positive side, at least the engine failure only cost me two points: it would have been much worse if I had been in the lead!”
Massa finishing in 7th place left Malaysia as the new leader of the driver’s championship.
The Torro Rosso boys provided the fans with some much needed passing. Buemi and Alguersuari drove great races after mediocre races in the first two. Alguersuari finished in 9th place, collecting his first ever points in F1. It was a great reward for the youngster’s drive in this category.
There was also delight for Lucas Di Grassi in the Virgin after finishing his first race for Virgin and in F1. It was a welcome sight to see the chequered flag. The Hispania Racing team also got both cars to the finish showing good reliability.
Next challenge for the F1 circus is China, will Red Bull continue to dominate or will the Ferrari and McLaren’s bounce back to fight for top spot?
Malaysia Race Results:
1. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 56 laps 1hr 33m 48.412s
2. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault +04.8s
3. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes +13.5s
4. Robert Kubica Poland Renault-Renault +18.5s
5. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes +21.0s
6. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes +23.4s
7. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +27.0s
8. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes +37.9s
9. Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari +70.6s
10. Nico Hulkenberg Germany Williams-Cosworth +73.3s
Drivers Championship Standings after Race 3:
1. Felipe Massa 39pts
2. Fernando Alonso 37pts
3. Sebastian Vettel 37pts
4. Jenson Button 35pts
5. Nico Rosberg 35pts
6. Lewis Hamilton 31pts
7. Robert Kubica 30pts
8. Mark Webber 24pts
9. Adrian Sutil 10pts
10.Michael Schumacher 9pts
How did the team-mates fare? After 3 races?
Hamilton 1-2 Button, Massa 1-2 Alonso, Vettel 2-1 Webber, Rosberg 3-0 Schumacher, Kubica 3-0 Petrov, Barrichello 2 -1 Hulkenberg, Sutil 3 –0 Liuzzi, De La Rosa 2-1 Kobayashi, Buemi 3-0 Alguersuari, Glock 3-0 Di Grassi, Trulli 1-2 Kovalainen, Senna 2 – 1 Chandhok
In the hot, sticky conditions of Kuala Lumpur, everyone was waiting on the rain which had made qualifying the previous day a lottery. Surprisingly, the heavens didn’t open leading to more of a processional race like we had seen in Bahrain.
However, Vettel was one man smiling that the rain didn’t threaten his dominant race. Webber started from pole position, had made a good start over his team-mate, but chose to head into turn one on the racing line instead of taking a more defensive approach into the first corner Vettel didn’t hesitate and jumped up the inside into the lead and comfortably led Webber for the duration of the race.
After the heartbreak for Vettel twice this season retiring whilst winning the GP, this was a man desperate to claim 25 points and make up for the disaster of the Bahrain and Melbourne. The new F1 points system for 2010 means that Vettel is now only 2 points behind the leader of the championship, putting himself right back into contention.
Vettel enthused, “What a day! At the start, I realised that I had a good start past Nico. I was then able to gain on Mark; it's a long sprint down to Turn one and I had an advantage, so I took the chance into Turn 1 and just made it through! Mark had a better exit out of Turn 2 though Turn 3, but it was very slippery and we both tried to push. We are here to fight, but you should always keep respect and I think we both had respect for each other. If Mark had been in my position I'm sure he would have done the same.”
Webber was reflective after the first corner judgement he made and maybe rues giving Vettel even an opportunity to pass. “I got a bit of wheel spin at the start and Seb got a tow into the first corner. I didn't know where Nico was, so I braked late. Both Seb and I were on the limit to make the first corner. I had a little bit better exit coming out of Turn 2 and the fight continued into Turn 4. We had a chat to Christian at the start of the race and he said ‘Boys, behave yourselves!’ and we did.”
After Rosberg’s first front row start in F1, a podium result for the 25 year old, was a welcome sight and puts him in a very strong position in the drivers championship, only 4 points off the leader. Consistency appears to be the key for the Mercedes driver and after being outgunned by the eventual race winner Vettel at the start, he held off Kubica and once again comphrensively beat his team-mate Schumacher. Schumi’s F1 season was not to improve in Malaysia. After making up two places at the start, the seven time world champ was in 6th position and suffered a rear wing failure on lap 10 putting an end to his race.
Of course there was a topsy turvy grid with both McLarens and Ferraris starting from 17th and below. Hamilton was the best of the bunch making an awesome start and gaining seven places on the first few laps. He had an exiting battle with young Russain driver Vitoly Petrov, though was warned over his excessive weaving down the straight after he appeared to block the Renault driver four times. Rules say you are only allowed to make 1 clear blocking move.
Renault boss Eric Boullier said the team complained to race control about Hamilton's actions during the race. "Very frankly, it is very clear in the regulations that you can have one change of direction, so when you do three in a row something is wrong. He got a warning for dangerous driving, but I am not sure it is enough. It is definitely clearly written in the regulations that you can not do any more than one direction change, and it is something you should not be doing. "However Boullier said they would not be pursuing the matter further, "No. A warning says that if you do it again you will be penalised."
Hamilton’s charge came to a halt when he caught his good friend Adrian Sutil and was unable to pass him. As they both use the powerful Mercedes engine, even the McLaren’s F-duct which helps increase speeds on the straights didn’t manage to allow Hamilton to squeeze by the Force India. The Stevenage born racer said, “I tried my best to get past Adrian, but he was very smart at getting clean exits and was simply too fast down the straights. He drove a fantastic race, actually; faultless, in fact. From 20th on the grid, I think sixth was a brilliant result.”
Race winner in Melbourne, Jenson Button didn’t have the dream start that Hamilton did and was tied up on a fight with both the Ferrari’s. He was chased until the end by Fernando Alonso finishing 8th behind Felipe Massa.
Alonso had what he described as the “hardest race of his life” when he had to drive with a broken downshift problem. He had bravely fought onto the back of Button’s McLaren in a 9th place, when he passed Button and then his engine exploded costing him two points after a difficult race. "This was a very difficult weekend. We made a big mistake in yesterday's qualifying and today in the race, I had to retire with an engine problem. My race was an uphill climb from the start: I found I had a problem with the gearbox right from the start and I had to drive without a clutch for practically the whole race.
"Trying to look on the positive side, at least the engine failure only cost me two points: it would have been much worse if I had been in the lead!”
Massa finishing in 7th place left Malaysia as the new leader of the driver’s championship.
The Torro Rosso boys provided the fans with some much needed passing. Buemi and Alguersuari drove great races after mediocre races in the first two. Alguersuari finished in 9th place, collecting his first ever points in F1. It was a great reward for the youngster’s drive in this category.
There was also delight for Lucas Di Grassi in the Virgin after finishing his first race for Virgin and in F1. It was a welcome sight to see the chequered flag. The Hispania Racing team also got both cars to the finish showing good reliability.
Next challenge for the F1 circus is China, will Red Bull continue to dominate or will the Ferrari and McLaren’s bounce back to fight for top spot?
Malaysia Race Results:
1. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 56 laps 1hr 33m 48.412s
2. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault +04.8s
3. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes +13.5s
4. Robert Kubica Poland Renault-Renault +18.5s
5. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes +21.0s
6. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes +23.4s
7. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +27.0s
8. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes +37.9s
9. Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari +70.6s
10. Nico Hulkenberg Germany Williams-Cosworth +73.3s
Drivers Championship Standings after Race 3:
1. Felipe Massa 39pts
2. Fernando Alonso 37pts
3. Sebastian Vettel 37pts
4. Jenson Button 35pts
5. Nico Rosberg 35pts
6. Lewis Hamilton 31pts
7. Robert Kubica 30pts
8. Mark Webber 24pts
9. Adrian Sutil 10pts
10.Michael Schumacher 9pts
How did the team-mates fare? After 3 races?
Hamilton 1-2 Button, Massa 1-2 Alonso, Vettel 2-1 Webber, Rosberg 3-0 Schumacher, Kubica 3-0 Petrov, Barrichello 2 -1 Hulkenberg, Sutil 3 –0 Liuzzi, De La Rosa 2-1 Kobayashi, Buemi 3-0 Alguersuari, Glock 3-0 Di Grassi, Trulli 1-2 Kovalainen, Senna 2 – 1 Chandhok
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