http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_13278.shtml
The Speedway Grand Prix at Cardiff always brings that extra something. 2007 saw Chris Harris take his maiden win, an incredible achievement.
Then there was the year Tony Rickardsson famously rode “the wall of death” as he remarkably kept control his bike as he rode the fence! 2009 saw the bust up between Emil Sayfutdinov and Scott Nicholls which really sent the crowd into a frenzy.
What would 2010 bring? Luckily, a bit more of the same, this time we were nearly treated to two boxing matches! Ding Ding! Round 1 saw the match up between two Aussies, current World Champion, Jason Crump and newly emerging star, Chris Holder.
The relationship between the two had always been extremely positive with Crump being very supportive to the 22 year old and seemingly giving him his words of wisdom. After a “slight” clash between the two, Holder’s adrenalin was pumping and the anger towards his fellow compatriot was clear to see. A war of words erupted between the two whilst on their way back to the pits. No punches were thrown but clearly the Poole star was antagonised with the actions of the elder statesmen.
The two met again in the final of the illustrious GP at the Millenium stadium, this time Holder having the last laugh with taking his first victory. Crump was the first rider there to celebrate with the Torun rider and it was a nice moment to see. Holder was quick to apologise in the press conference for his actions, whilst Crump simply said “Chris had his skirt on and I had my handbag” laughing off the argument they had shared. The triple world champion’s body language perhaps showed signs of regret after the GP with being involved in this type of behaviour. Perhaps, the actions were more expected of Holder with being a newcomer to the series and more hot-headed, but it was surprising to see Crump caught up in the heat of the moment.
Round 2 saw a titanic fight between the two Danes, Nicki Pedersen and Hans Andersen. There is history between these two. Neither rider is perhaps achieving what they expect of themselves and are both being outshined by Kenneth Bjerre this season. After a close tussle in their heat, the Belle Vue star, got the better of the 2008 World Champion and on the final lap, Andersen gave the finger to his fellow Dane down the back straight. He then appeared to enjoy goading Pedersen across the line. This was something not picked up by the Sky cameras. As ever, the Gorzow star is normally at the centre of controversy and is portrayed at the pantomime villain, but on this occasion, I felt he was treated a tad harshly by Mr Andersen and by the spectators. Infact, I thought it was a fairly mature reaction by the 30 year old not to get involved in anything too physical after the encounter on track. He chose to have words face to face, helmets off. The old Nicki Pedersen may have found himself in more trouble but I was pleasantly surprised not to see it all kick off so to speak.
The Millenium stadium seems to stir up more emotions each year with the riders performing on the biggest stage in the sport. It certainly gives the fans a special treat and it was good to see no harm was caused in either incident with the Odense born rider later saying “Me and Nicki were just discussing sending each other Christmas cards”. Let’s see what 2011 brings!
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Sunday, 2 May 2010
LORENZO MAKES A BIG SPLASH IN SPAIN!
Jorge Lorenzo produced one of the races of his life beating Dani Pedrosa on a last lap thriller, to a scorching victory in Jerez. Lorenzo’s Yamaha team-mate, Valentino Rossi was 3rd.
The number 99 rider had been the pace setter early on in the weekend and few would have bet against him to romp home to victory in front of his adoring fans. However, after qualifying, his fierce rival and compatriot, Dani Pedrosa, took pole position and suddenly it looked like it might not be so easy for the young Majorcan.
Lorenzo starting second on the grid didn’t make the best get-away and was fifth after the last lap. He soon passed the Ducati of Casey Stoner and then took the charge to the American, Nicky Hayden. With 18 laps left of the race, the 22 year old passed Hayden and set his sights on the current World Champion Valentino Rossi, who was a few seconds down the road. Pedrosa and Rossi had pulled a significant gap of around three seconds advantage early on in the race, but after a motocross accident a few weeks ago, it appeared Rossi wasn’t able to put up as strong a fight, as he would have wanted. The gap became closer and Lorenzo produced a great manoeuvre past his team-mate to take second in the race.
From then, the gap towards Pedrosa looked unobtainable. A gap of around three seconds with six laps to go made the chance of a win look untouchable. This wasn’t to be the case. Lorenzo had said it was "his
dream” to win a Moto GP race in Jerez and a little rider such as Pedrosa, a fellow Spaniard, was not going to spoil the party Lorezno had planned for 120,000 crazy, patriotic fans.
In the last two laps, Lorenzo managed the unthinkable. He was up close and personal with one may say an arch rival of his (remember those two have history from their 250cc days!) and the battle commenced! With neither rider wanting to give an inch in front of their devoted, fanatical support, it was a hard fight with Pedrosa shutting the door and making Lorezno fight around the outside. It looked impossible for the Yamaha to get in front of the Honda with only a lap remaining but he pulled out a breathtaking pass up the inside of Pedrosa, giving him a little nudge and sending the 24 year old out wide and claiming a stunning victory on the very last lap!
The fans went wild, as did Lorenzo himself. The ride of his life and surely that of someone who can mount a serious challenge for honours this season. What did the winner do to celebrate after? Jump into a lake of course, fully clothed in his leathers and helmet! His victory celebrations at the race track have always been “out there” but this time he really out-classed himself (and Rossi who normally knows a thing or two about unusual celebrations!). Luckily, Lorenzo was rescued from the water and arrived on the podium sopping wet with a massive grin and looking the happiest man on the world of Lorenzo’s Land!
There was sporting congratulations to his nearest rivals on the rostrum and it was nice to see a hug between him and Pedrosa after their amazing duel. Remember two years ago, King Juan Carlos of Spain had to make the two Spanish pretenders shake hands as they didn’t exactly have a warm friendship.
After the race Lorezno was hardly able to speak, full of pure emotion, "I have no words to describe how I feel. I am so tired. I did 100% effort today and that is my present. One of my dreams!"
It appeared that his present arrived early as he's due to celebrate his birthday in just two days time.
This enthralling race and victory put Lorenzo at the top of the championship standings, not a bad day’s work for someone who missed part of pre-season testing and suffered with a hand injury. Perhaps this season, Lorenzo’s Land really can rule the world? Next race is three weeks time (do we really have to wait that long!) at LeMans in France. Let’s hope it can be as exciting as this one. Now you will have to excuse me, I’m off to watch the re-run again and marvel at how Lorenzo stole the victory! Catalunya 2009, Rossi beating Lorezno at the final corner was awesome but today was something very special too…
By Leandra Graves
Saturday, 13 March 2010
SUPER SEBASTIAN RACES TO POLE IN BAHRAIN
It was a German driver on pole for the opener to this F1 season but it was 22 year old Vettel stealing all the headlines. After consistently being near the top of the timesheets in all three qualifying sessions, he produced a memorable lap to secure the first pole position of 2010. Behind him were the fast charging Ferrari’s but the surprise was that it was Massa who got the edge on Alonso.
In a season where there is a massive focus on the performance between team-mates, Massa took first blood over the Spaniard which must have been of some annoyance to Alonso. The double world champion had been faster than Massa in each session and looked favourite to win the battle to take the first position on the grid. However, Vettel’s Red Bull chose to spoil his plans and his lap time of 1:54.101 perhaps came as a small surprise to some people. Has the performance of Vettel and Red Bull been over looked in favour of all the hype concerning Ferrari, McLaren and Michael Schumacher?
Vettel spoke of his delight after claiming top spot in the all important first qualifying session of the year. “It is a big surprise, it was clear that there are four teams close to each other. Yesterday was tough and it was another long night, especially for the mechanics, but everybody was keen this morning. I knew we had a great car but you have to get it together. I am very happy to be on pole thanks to the team, it's a nice feeling to be on top."
The other Red Bull of Aussie Mark Webber could only manage 6th and will be wanting a much better race performance if he doesn’t want to let his team-mate take the early upper-hand in the team for 2010.
As part of the new regulations for this year, refuelling has gone, so the results of this qualifying session were a genuine reflection of speed. No more low fuelling to earn yourselves higher places on the grid, now what you see is what to expect in race conditions tomorrow.
How did the current world champion fare? Button struggled with the McLaren and was edged out by Hamilton who managed a respectable 4th on the grid. Button found himself lucky to squeeze into Q3 and finished 4 tenths behind his team mate with 8th place for the start of tomorrow’s race. Button said, "It was getting better every run but I did struggle with front locking this afternoon. Something felt wrong through qualifying so we are going to have a look at that."
Hamilton had his problems too, after a cooling duct issue in the morning practice, which limited his running time, he still managed to hold it together for a second row start. This was an important factor as previous winners of this race have only ever started in the top 4 positions.
The hype was all about how would 7 time world champion Schumacher perform on his return to F1 after a three year break from the sport. As a very proud man, 7th place on the grid was surely not the result he would have been hoping for, especially considering his compatriot and team-mate was 2 places higher up the grid than him. Schumi was not looking very comfortable with his car, tentative by his previous standards. Rosberg was 0.5 seconds quicker than Schumi and on that he said, “That is a bit too much for my standards. I've got to raise my game a bit and I'm sure I'm able to. "I certainly feel a little bit rusty, certainly on the one-lap issue I can do better.”
However, the old Schumi we all loved to hate was out in force after qualifying was over. In parc ferme he was checking out his competition and having a sneaky look at the McLaren car. Not much has changed there then!
Polish star Kubica was one of the stars of qualifying, managing to make it into the top 10 shoot out with his yellow and black Renault. Force India’s Adrian Sutil rounded out the top ten and showed that the performances in the tail end of 2009 are likely to be repeated again this year, with chances to fight for good points. No more running at the back of the grid for the Dr Vijay Mallya’s team.
Brazilian Rubens Barrichello may be the man to watch tomorrow as he starts 11th on the grid but is the first runner not to be starting with the soft tyres. He will have an advantage that he will have the fresh tyres for the first stint so could be a sneaky tIp for a good points score. When asked if what he thought about his ex-team-mate Schumi being ahead of him on the grid, Barrichello laughed and said “I have new tyres” with a smile, so he clearly feels he can cause some trouble amongst the front runners.
It was not all about the fight at the front of course. Three new teams took part in this qualifying in the super hot conditions of Bahrain. Who won the battle of best newcomers? Virgin Racing took that award with Timo Glock in 19th and Lucas di Grassi in 22nd. This was a particularly rewarding result after the problems they were suffering with a tyre flying off in an earlier practice. It was lovely to hear the famous “Senna” name back in with F1 too with Aytron Senna’s nephew taking his place with the Hispania Racing Team qualifying 23rd.
One of the most astonishing stories of the day must belong to India’s Karun Chandhok. He entered qualifying without even turning a single lap of the Bahrain track. Due to technical difficulties, he was forced to be incredibly patient and hope he would get a chance to appear on track. The FIA agreed that as long as he could make it at least into the pitlane during qualifying, he could take part in the race tomorrow. He did that and completed seven laps of the circuit and finished 1.7 seconds off his team-mate. It was certainly not the easiest debut on track for the seemingly calm 26 year old. Afterwards he said, “"I didn't want to get in anyone's way and got a lot of pickup on the tyres trying to keep out of the way. We're not here to upset anyone; we're just here to be respectable and do the best job that we can."
Results of Qualifying for the Bahrain Race, Round 1.
1. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 1m 54.101s
2. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 54.242s
3. Fernando Alonso Spain Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 54.608s
4. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1m 55.217s
5. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 55.241s
6. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault 1m 55.284s
7. Michael Schumacher Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 55.524s
8. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1m 55.672s
9. Robert Kubica Poland Renault-Renault 1m 55.885s
10. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes 1m 56.309s
11. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Williams-Cosworth 1m 55.330s
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi Italy Force India-Mercedes 1m 55.653s
13. Nico Hulkenberg Germany Williams-Cosworth 1m 55.857s
14. Pedro de la Rosa Spain BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 56.237s
15. Sebastien Buemi Switzerland Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 56.265s
16. Kamui Kobayashi Japan BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 56.270s
17. Vitaly Petrov Russia Renault-Renault 1m 56.619s
18. Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 57.071s
19. Timo Glock Germany Virgin-Cosworth 1m 59.728s
20. Jarno Trulli Italy Lotus-Cosworth 1m 59.852s
21. Heikki Kovalainen Finland Lotus-Cosworth 2m 00.313s
22. Lucas di Grassi Brazil Virgin-Cosworth 2m 00.587s
23. Bruno Senna Brazil HRT-Cosworth 2m 03.240s
24. Karun Chandhok India HRT-Cosworth 2m 04.904s
How did the team-mates fare?
Hamilton 1-0 Button, Massa 1-0 Alonso, Vettel 1-0 Webber, Rosberg 1-0 Schumacher, Kubica 1-0 Petrov, Barrichello 1 -0 Hulkenberg, Sutil 1 –0 Liuzzi, De La Rosa 1-0 Kobayashi, Buemi 1-0 Alguersuari, Glock 1-0 Di Grassi, Trulli 1-0 Kovalainen, Senna 1 – 0 Chandhok.
In a season where there is a massive focus on the performance between team-mates, Massa took first blood over the Spaniard which must have been of some annoyance to Alonso. The double world champion had been faster than Massa in each session and looked favourite to win the battle to take the first position on the grid. However, Vettel’s Red Bull chose to spoil his plans and his lap time of 1:54.101 perhaps came as a small surprise to some people. Has the performance of Vettel and Red Bull been over looked in favour of all the hype concerning Ferrari, McLaren and Michael Schumacher?
Vettel spoke of his delight after claiming top spot in the all important first qualifying session of the year. “It is a big surprise, it was clear that there are four teams close to each other. Yesterday was tough and it was another long night, especially for the mechanics, but everybody was keen this morning. I knew we had a great car but you have to get it together. I am very happy to be on pole thanks to the team, it's a nice feeling to be on top."
The other Red Bull of Aussie Mark Webber could only manage 6th and will be wanting a much better race performance if he doesn’t want to let his team-mate take the early upper-hand in the team for 2010.
As part of the new regulations for this year, refuelling has gone, so the results of this qualifying session were a genuine reflection of speed. No more low fuelling to earn yourselves higher places on the grid, now what you see is what to expect in race conditions tomorrow.
How did the current world champion fare? Button struggled with the McLaren and was edged out by Hamilton who managed a respectable 4th on the grid. Button found himself lucky to squeeze into Q3 and finished 4 tenths behind his team mate with 8th place for the start of tomorrow’s race. Button said, "It was getting better every run but I did struggle with front locking this afternoon. Something felt wrong through qualifying so we are going to have a look at that."
Hamilton had his problems too, after a cooling duct issue in the morning practice, which limited his running time, he still managed to hold it together for a second row start. This was an important factor as previous winners of this race have only ever started in the top 4 positions.
The hype was all about how would 7 time world champion Schumacher perform on his return to F1 after a three year break from the sport. As a very proud man, 7th place on the grid was surely not the result he would have been hoping for, especially considering his compatriot and team-mate was 2 places higher up the grid than him. Schumi was not looking very comfortable with his car, tentative by his previous standards. Rosberg was 0.5 seconds quicker than Schumi and on that he said, “That is a bit too much for my standards. I've got to raise my game a bit and I'm sure I'm able to. "I certainly feel a little bit rusty, certainly on the one-lap issue I can do better.”
However, the old Schumi we all loved to hate was out in force after qualifying was over. In parc ferme he was checking out his competition and having a sneaky look at the McLaren car. Not much has changed there then!
Polish star Kubica was one of the stars of qualifying, managing to make it into the top 10 shoot out with his yellow and black Renault. Force India’s Adrian Sutil rounded out the top ten and showed that the performances in the tail end of 2009 are likely to be repeated again this year, with chances to fight for good points. No more running at the back of the grid for the Dr Vijay Mallya’s team.
Brazilian Rubens Barrichello may be the man to watch tomorrow as he starts 11th on the grid but is the first runner not to be starting with the soft tyres. He will have an advantage that he will have the fresh tyres for the first stint so could be a sneaky tIp for a good points score. When asked if what he thought about his ex-team-mate Schumi being ahead of him on the grid, Barrichello laughed and said “I have new tyres” with a smile, so he clearly feels he can cause some trouble amongst the front runners.
It was not all about the fight at the front of course. Three new teams took part in this qualifying in the super hot conditions of Bahrain. Who won the battle of best newcomers? Virgin Racing took that award with Timo Glock in 19th and Lucas di Grassi in 22nd. This was a particularly rewarding result after the problems they were suffering with a tyre flying off in an earlier practice. It was lovely to hear the famous “Senna” name back in with F1 too with Aytron Senna’s nephew taking his place with the Hispania Racing Team qualifying 23rd.
One of the most astonishing stories of the day must belong to India’s Karun Chandhok. He entered qualifying without even turning a single lap of the Bahrain track. Due to technical difficulties, he was forced to be incredibly patient and hope he would get a chance to appear on track. The FIA agreed that as long as he could make it at least into the pitlane during qualifying, he could take part in the race tomorrow. He did that and completed seven laps of the circuit and finished 1.7 seconds off his team-mate. It was certainly not the easiest debut on track for the seemingly calm 26 year old. Afterwards he said, “"I didn't want to get in anyone's way and got a lot of pickup on the tyres trying to keep out of the way. We're not here to upset anyone; we're just here to be respectable and do the best job that we can."
Results of Qualifying for the Bahrain Race, Round 1.
1. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 1m 54.101s
2. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 54.242s
3. Fernando Alonso Spain Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 54.608s
4. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1m 55.217s
5. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 55.241s
6. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault 1m 55.284s
7. Michael Schumacher Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 55.524s
8. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1m 55.672s
9. Robert Kubica Poland Renault-Renault 1m 55.885s
10. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes 1m 56.309s
11. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Williams-Cosworth 1m 55.330s
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi Italy Force India-Mercedes 1m 55.653s
13. Nico Hulkenberg Germany Williams-Cosworth 1m 55.857s
14. Pedro de la Rosa Spain BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 56.237s
15. Sebastien Buemi Switzerland Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 56.265s
16. Kamui Kobayashi Japan BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 56.270s
17. Vitaly Petrov Russia Renault-Renault 1m 56.619s
18. Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 57.071s
19. Timo Glock Germany Virgin-Cosworth 1m 59.728s
20. Jarno Trulli Italy Lotus-Cosworth 1m 59.852s
21. Heikki Kovalainen Finland Lotus-Cosworth 2m 00.313s
22. Lucas di Grassi Brazil Virgin-Cosworth 2m 00.587s
23. Bruno Senna Brazil HRT-Cosworth 2m 03.240s
24. Karun Chandhok India HRT-Cosworth 2m 04.904s
How did the team-mates fare?
Hamilton 1-0 Button, Massa 1-0 Alonso, Vettel 1-0 Webber, Rosberg 1-0 Schumacher, Kubica 1-0 Petrov, Barrichello 1 -0 Hulkenberg, Sutil 1 –0 Liuzzi, De La Rosa 1-0 Kobayashi, Buemi 1-0 Alguersuari, Glock 1-0 Di Grassi, Trulli 1-0 Kovalainen, Senna 1 – 0 Chandhok.
F1 Title Protaganists 2010
F1 is back! At last! It has been an agonising winter of anticipation about what could be the closest ever F1 championship in years. There are so many talking points. The return of the legend Michael Schumacher. Button jumping ship at Brawn and joining Hamilton at McLaren. Team Germany of Mercedes taking on Team Great Britain of McLaren. Alonso in the Ferrari and the challenge he and Massa face. To add to that, no refuelling in races and three new teams including Lotus! The real question on everyone’s lips though, is who is going to be the main challengers to the F1 crown and who is going to be celebrating after the last race in Abu Dhabi. The drivers below are who I think will be the serious contenders…
1. Fernando Alonso: Double world champion in 2005 and 2006, and most people’s favourite to claim honours for this season in the F1 paddock. Alonso has had a tough few years with the disappointing Renault and of course the dramas at McLaren with Lewis Hamilton and Ron Dennis. Alonso has had a few character building years and has become stronger both as a driver and person. He has always had amazing natural talent and has shown himself as very reliable and consistent in races and seemingly able to bring out the best performance of even a struggling car. A sign of a true world champion when times are hard, the enthusiasm and desire is still there to want to deliver.
This year he gets the chance to shine in his dream car, the prancing horse of Ferrari. At last a competitive race car and a realistic chance to be fighting for the championship again. A team with such great history over the years and really the icon of F1. This team and their fans expects the very best for any driver getting into the seat of their beloved Ferrari, any in house rivalry is second to none, Ferrari comes first. Alonso seemingly fits in at home with the passionate and fiery team and has been the perfect replacement for the Ice Man Kimi Raikkonen.
Alonso is still only 28 years old and must believe he can collect many more titles in his career. The dominance he showed with Renault after Michael Schumacher’s reign shows his true abilities as a leader within a team. This season sees his most difficult challenge with three other world champions in the field and of course his own team mate Felipe Massa. The Brazilian has been established at Ferrari for four years and it may be hard for Alonso to establish himself at a team where Massa is truly loved.
If Alonso can make sure there are no repeats of the troubles he sustained back in 2007 with alleged unfair treatment within the team, it will be interesting to see if Alonso can be on the brink of a third world title and send his Spanish fans wild.
2.Felipe Massa: A massive season ahead for the runner up to the title in 2008. After his horrific injury he received to his eye after a spring from the Brawn car of Barrichello hit him at speed at qualifying in last years Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, he missed the rest of the season whilst his eye healed and he regained his sight and confidence. Massa returned to karting in Brazil to get some much needed practise and after testing in Spain in the lead up to the first race weekend, it appears his eye sight is causing him no issue. The Ferrari team were very emotional at the loss of their prodigal son after the serious accident. Massa now has the team built around him and there is a strong bond between him and his mechanics. Some may some he may receive the upper hand in the team and at least of the start of the season he should be have a slight advantage over Alonso. This is where Massa needs to grab his opportunity with both hands and try to get the early points on the board. Massa is one of only a few drivers who is settled within a championship winning team so is a major contender for the 2010 title. Could this be the year Felipe baby breaks his duck and secures his first drivers championship after so narrowly missing out in the heartbreak of Interlagos? This may be his best chance to do so and if he can beat his super fast team Alonso, he could be onto a winner.
3.Lewis Hamilton: After an excruciating start to 2009 in a very poor McLaren, new developments saw Hamilton and his team dominating the second half of the championship and maybe teasing us with what to expect for this upcoming season. Becoming world champion in only his second year in F1, life was seemingly easy for the youngster but what difference a few months makes when he had to be content with scrapping over the odd point and barely making it to Q3 in final qualifying. This was all part of the learning curve for Hamilton and he had to help rebuild himself and the team mentally. I believe this may have made him more of a mature driver for the future. To keep the morale and the motivation when everyone around you is predicting an easy second world title, it would have been incredibly easy to make silly mistakes and become petulant when it was apparent this wouldn’t not be the case. He showed reserve and reminded people of the awesome natural talent he has. This season he gets to live out one of his childhood dreams of fighting against seven time world champion, Michael Schumacher. He wants to be able to say he has beaten the very best and now he has the opportunity to race wheel to wheel against someone who could only watch on television. He also has the added incentive that his new team mate is not only British but took his drivers crown away from him. Any success story involves firstly beating your team mate and to be beating the current world champion, is a great place to start. Hamilton, like Massa already has the familiarity of the team around him and not being the new boy trying to fit in. Surely a slight edge to his chances at the start of the year whilst Button settles in. The intense rivalry he had with Alonso may rear its ugly head of course again this year and it I am sure will make for compelling viewing.
4.Jenson Button: World Champion 2009. Does that make him a clear favourite though? Button has shown balls by making the move that shocked many fans and team insiders. Do you play safe with the team that helped you achieve your ultimate dream after a very rocky road, or do you look for the new challenge and take a risk? Button made the choice to take a massive gamble and hooks up with his fellow compatriot Hamilton. After the well publicised problems between such two successful drivers back in 2007, it does take a brave man to link up with the young man from Stevenage. Will it take Button long to get up to speed in the McLaren? After what Button went through in the winter of 2008 of hearing he was facing no F1 drive and seeing his career possibly ending all too soon, he was given the wonderful lifeline and was rewarded with a true gem of a car that saw him win 6 of the first 7 races. It was a performance that surprised many paddock people and some were sceptical of his overall performance last season when the Brawn was no longer the car to beat. He reminded people of his sheer grit and determination with a drive in Brazil that showed spectacular over taking. He too like Hamilton, has matured as a driver and person and after the taste of champagne last season, I can imagine he wants to prove to the public that last year was no whim, he’s back to keep his hands on that driver’s trophy and take on the very best.
5.Sebastian Vettel – the young German with an amazing future predicted. We saw glimpses of the raw speed Vettel and the Red Bull had and he had a serious chance to take his first championship. The 22 year old fought to the bitter end and gave a great account of himself in a car that couldn’t not match the might Brawn at least for some of the season. At times he still makes small errors reminding those of his age and inexperience compared to those around him fighting for the honours. There is seemingly so much more to come from this five time race winner and a lot must depend on how competitive the Red Bull car is going to be this season. Vettel is tipped to be world champion for 2010 from none other than the main man, Bernie Ecclestone. High praise indeed. Does Bernie know something we all don’t? Vettel must be relishing the prospect of racing against Schumacher and will no doubt want to show him that he’s now the one everyone in Germany should be supporting and tipping for success. Vettel has comfortably out shadowed his more experienced team mate in Mark Webber and after being bitterly disappointed by missing out on his chance of becoming the 2009 championship winner, will this season see Vettel step it up another gear? He’s certainly capable; he is exciting to watch and more unpredictable than others around him. Will his car outshine all the others? Vettel and Redbull are perhaps more seen as underdogs compared to the big two of Ferrari and McLaren but maybe the German and the competitive package of Red Bull can surprise us all.
6.Michael Schumacher: Need I say more? One of undoubtedly the best ever F1 drivers and he’s back to take on the youngsters! The stir that was caused when Schumacher returned to the cockpit last season to replace the injured Massa and help out his team Ferrari was massive. The anticipation of seeing him race again was sent the media and fans into a frenzy and then for it not to happen due to a neck injury he was suffering from at the time, was unbelievably disappointing. Clearly Schumacher felt the same as we all did and took the shock decision to sign with Mercedes Benz join his old sparring partner, Ross Brawn, A dream partnership. At 41 years old it’s very brave to return after incredible success in F1. Finishing his career at the top of his game and becoming a family man, he achieved his ultimate goals and had a career that may never be matched. In a world that’s so dangerous, was it a sensible call by Schumacher to want to risk potential serious injury or even death? Can he still race at the same level at the likes of Hamilton, Alonso and Button? Does he still have the nerve and the self belief? Schumacher was always renowned for his arrogance and for his clever, some may say dodgy tricks, will he still have this or will we see a meek version of the wonderful driver that he was. It would be sad sight to see Schumacher trailing around at the back. Surely though for his own reputation, he would only sign a deal where he knew he had a serious chance of fighting for a championship. This is a man with pride and with a stunning record. Could we be about to witness one of sports most remarkable comebacks? Schumacher was Germany’s hero at the time of his superb dominance in F1 but in the recent years has been replaced with his young protégé Vettel. Will Schumi show us some of his old magic and show us what tricks he has up his sleeves? It’s going to be mouth watering to see the 7 time world champion reliving some battles against his old rivals Alonso and Massa and of course to see him take on the new boys.
It all start's this weekend in the desert of Bahrain...I can't wait to see what happens!
All opinions expressed by Leandra Graves.
12th March 2010.
1. Fernando Alonso: Double world champion in 2005 and 2006, and most people’s favourite to claim honours for this season in the F1 paddock. Alonso has had a tough few years with the disappointing Renault and of course the dramas at McLaren with Lewis Hamilton and Ron Dennis. Alonso has had a few character building years and has become stronger both as a driver and person. He has always had amazing natural talent and has shown himself as very reliable and consistent in races and seemingly able to bring out the best performance of even a struggling car. A sign of a true world champion when times are hard, the enthusiasm and desire is still there to want to deliver.
This year he gets the chance to shine in his dream car, the prancing horse of Ferrari. At last a competitive race car and a realistic chance to be fighting for the championship again. A team with such great history over the years and really the icon of F1. This team and their fans expects the very best for any driver getting into the seat of their beloved Ferrari, any in house rivalry is second to none, Ferrari comes first. Alonso seemingly fits in at home with the passionate and fiery team and has been the perfect replacement for the Ice Man Kimi Raikkonen.
Alonso is still only 28 years old and must believe he can collect many more titles in his career. The dominance he showed with Renault after Michael Schumacher’s reign shows his true abilities as a leader within a team. This season sees his most difficult challenge with three other world champions in the field and of course his own team mate Felipe Massa. The Brazilian has been established at Ferrari for four years and it may be hard for Alonso to establish himself at a team where Massa is truly loved.
If Alonso can make sure there are no repeats of the troubles he sustained back in 2007 with alleged unfair treatment within the team, it will be interesting to see if Alonso can be on the brink of a third world title and send his Spanish fans wild.
2.Felipe Massa: A massive season ahead for the runner up to the title in 2008. After his horrific injury he received to his eye after a spring from the Brawn car of Barrichello hit him at speed at qualifying in last years Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, he missed the rest of the season whilst his eye healed and he regained his sight and confidence. Massa returned to karting in Brazil to get some much needed practise and after testing in Spain in the lead up to the first race weekend, it appears his eye sight is causing him no issue. The Ferrari team were very emotional at the loss of their prodigal son after the serious accident. Massa now has the team built around him and there is a strong bond between him and his mechanics. Some may some he may receive the upper hand in the team and at least of the start of the season he should be have a slight advantage over Alonso. This is where Massa needs to grab his opportunity with both hands and try to get the early points on the board. Massa is one of only a few drivers who is settled within a championship winning team so is a major contender for the 2010 title. Could this be the year Felipe baby breaks his duck and secures his first drivers championship after so narrowly missing out in the heartbreak of Interlagos? This may be his best chance to do so and if he can beat his super fast team Alonso, he could be onto a winner.
3.Lewis Hamilton: After an excruciating start to 2009 in a very poor McLaren, new developments saw Hamilton and his team dominating the second half of the championship and maybe teasing us with what to expect for this upcoming season. Becoming world champion in only his second year in F1, life was seemingly easy for the youngster but what difference a few months makes when he had to be content with scrapping over the odd point and barely making it to Q3 in final qualifying. This was all part of the learning curve for Hamilton and he had to help rebuild himself and the team mentally. I believe this may have made him more of a mature driver for the future. To keep the morale and the motivation when everyone around you is predicting an easy second world title, it would have been incredibly easy to make silly mistakes and become petulant when it was apparent this wouldn’t not be the case. He showed reserve and reminded people of the awesome natural talent he has. This season he gets to live out one of his childhood dreams of fighting against seven time world champion, Michael Schumacher. He wants to be able to say he has beaten the very best and now he has the opportunity to race wheel to wheel against someone who could only watch on television. He also has the added incentive that his new team mate is not only British but took his drivers crown away from him. Any success story involves firstly beating your team mate and to be beating the current world champion, is a great place to start. Hamilton, like Massa already has the familiarity of the team around him and not being the new boy trying to fit in. Surely a slight edge to his chances at the start of the year whilst Button settles in. The intense rivalry he had with Alonso may rear its ugly head of course again this year and it I am sure will make for compelling viewing.
4.Jenson Button: World Champion 2009. Does that make him a clear favourite though? Button has shown balls by making the move that shocked many fans and team insiders. Do you play safe with the team that helped you achieve your ultimate dream after a very rocky road, or do you look for the new challenge and take a risk? Button made the choice to take a massive gamble and hooks up with his fellow compatriot Hamilton. After the well publicised problems between such two successful drivers back in 2007, it does take a brave man to link up with the young man from Stevenage. Will it take Button long to get up to speed in the McLaren? After what Button went through in the winter of 2008 of hearing he was facing no F1 drive and seeing his career possibly ending all too soon, he was given the wonderful lifeline and was rewarded with a true gem of a car that saw him win 6 of the first 7 races. It was a performance that surprised many paddock people and some were sceptical of his overall performance last season when the Brawn was no longer the car to beat. He reminded people of his sheer grit and determination with a drive in Brazil that showed spectacular over taking. He too like Hamilton, has matured as a driver and person and after the taste of champagne last season, I can imagine he wants to prove to the public that last year was no whim, he’s back to keep his hands on that driver’s trophy and take on the very best.
5.Sebastian Vettel – the young German with an amazing future predicted. We saw glimpses of the raw speed Vettel and the Red Bull had and he had a serious chance to take his first championship. The 22 year old fought to the bitter end and gave a great account of himself in a car that couldn’t not match the might Brawn at least for some of the season. At times he still makes small errors reminding those of his age and inexperience compared to those around him fighting for the honours. There is seemingly so much more to come from this five time race winner and a lot must depend on how competitive the Red Bull car is going to be this season. Vettel is tipped to be world champion for 2010 from none other than the main man, Bernie Ecclestone. High praise indeed. Does Bernie know something we all don’t? Vettel must be relishing the prospect of racing against Schumacher and will no doubt want to show him that he’s now the one everyone in Germany should be supporting and tipping for success. Vettel has comfortably out shadowed his more experienced team mate in Mark Webber and after being bitterly disappointed by missing out on his chance of becoming the 2009 championship winner, will this season see Vettel step it up another gear? He’s certainly capable; he is exciting to watch and more unpredictable than others around him. Will his car outshine all the others? Vettel and Redbull are perhaps more seen as underdogs compared to the big two of Ferrari and McLaren but maybe the German and the competitive package of Red Bull can surprise us all.
6.Michael Schumacher: Need I say more? One of undoubtedly the best ever F1 drivers and he’s back to take on the youngsters! The stir that was caused when Schumacher returned to the cockpit last season to replace the injured Massa and help out his team Ferrari was massive. The anticipation of seeing him race again was sent the media and fans into a frenzy and then for it not to happen due to a neck injury he was suffering from at the time, was unbelievably disappointing. Clearly Schumacher felt the same as we all did and took the shock decision to sign with Mercedes Benz join his old sparring partner, Ross Brawn, A dream partnership. At 41 years old it’s very brave to return after incredible success in F1. Finishing his career at the top of his game and becoming a family man, he achieved his ultimate goals and had a career that may never be matched. In a world that’s so dangerous, was it a sensible call by Schumacher to want to risk potential serious injury or even death? Can he still race at the same level at the likes of Hamilton, Alonso and Button? Does he still have the nerve and the self belief? Schumacher was always renowned for his arrogance and for his clever, some may say dodgy tricks, will he still have this or will we see a meek version of the wonderful driver that he was. It would be sad sight to see Schumacher trailing around at the back. Surely though for his own reputation, he would only sign a deal where he knew he had a serious chance of fighting for a championship. This is a man with pride and with a stunning record. Could we be about to witness one of sports most remarkable comebacks? Schumacher was Germany’s hero at the time of his superb dominance in F1 but in the recent years has been replaced with his young protégé Vettel. Will Schumi show us some of his old magic and show us what tricks he has up his sleeves? It’s going to be mouth watering to see the 7 time world champion reliving some battles against his old rivals Alonso and Massa and of course to see him take on the new boys.
It all start's this weekend in the desert of Bahrain...I can't wait to see what happens!
All opinions expressed by Leandra Graves.
12th March 2010.
Saturday, 6 March 2010
CHEEKY CHECA GRABS SURPRISE WIN IN OZ!
37 year old Carlos Checa was a surprise winner of Race 2 in the World Superbikes in Phillip Island! After starting 4th on the grid and a 7th place in race 1, Checa produced a masterful ride to take the 25 points on offer in a blustery, eventful race in Australia.
On the final lap, Checa made a brave pass on Haslam to secure his 3rd WSBK win. This surely was his best performance yet. After moving to the newly formed Althea Ducati squad and racing what effectively is a 2008 British Superbike bike, he clawed his way into contention with the leaders and made it a thrilling ending to the race.
Checa, after a steady start to the race seemed to come alive with 11 laps of the race left when he bridged a substantial gap to the top 4 of the two Suzuki’s of Haslam and Guintoli and the Ducati riders of Fabrizio and Haga. With nine laps left, Checa dispatched of Haga to join the fight for the rostrum. The likeable Spaniard then made it into 2nd place when he passed Guintoli with three laps to go. It seemed unlikely that Checa could take on the challenge of beating race 1 winner Haslam with little time left in the race, but he left his best until last and must have taken Haslam by surprise when he went underneath him at MG and took the lead with half a lap left.
Checa said after his impressive win, “At the time I caught the top group, that was my target. When I saw the others were struggling with their tyres and traction, I took the opportunity to pass them, I think where I did the pass, it was the perfect place, it was my best race as I came from the back. It was unbelieveable.”
2010 sees Checa’s third year in this championship. After being the pace setter in testing here in Australia, he has proved he and the bike are clearly no fluke and can be competing at the highest level.
Haslam had a tough fight in this race at the hands of his French team mate Sylvain Guintoli. It appeared to be a straight battle between the two Suzuki and Ducati boys until Spaniard Checa joined the group. Guintoli and Haslam seemed to hinder each other in the fight for victory as they ended up swapping positions frequently, leaving the other stuck on the outside on the dirty line, letting riders behind take advantage of the fierce rivalry between the 2 Alstare Suzukis.
It was close and exciting racing throughout including a long, hard fight which included Crutchlow and Toseland. This time both the Yamaha’s managed to finish but it was Crutchlow, the current World Supersport Champion, who edged out ex Moto GP rider, Toseland on the final lap.
After a long winter of waiting to see what surprises the WSBK circus would bring, Phillip Island once again delivered two very exciting races with two winners that maybe the experts weren’t predicting. There are seven Brits in the championship but Haslam is the one who has produced the goods looking very confident and relaxed on the factory Suzuki. He leads the championship over Fabrizio and Checa.
Next race is back on European soil in Portimao, Portugal, can Haslam continue his rich vein of form and be the Brit to beat or will we see some new contenders?
Result of Race 2:
1. Carlos Checa
2. Leon Haslam
3. Michele Fabrizio
4. Sylvain Guintoli
5. Noriyuki Haga
6. Jonathan Rea
7. Troy Corser
8. Max Biaggi
9. Cal Crutchlow
10. James Toseland
World Championship scores so far (after 2 races).
1. Haslam 45
2. Fabrizio 36
3. Checa 34
4. Haga 27
5. Guintoli 23
On the final lap, Checa made a brave pass on Haslam to secure his 3rd WSBK win. This surely was his best performance yet. After moving to the newly formed Althea Ducati squad and racing what effectively is a 2008 British Superbike bike, he clawed his way into contention with the leaders and made it a thrilling ending to the race.
Checa, after a steady start to the race seemed to come alive with 11 laps of the race left when he bridged a substantial gap to the top 4 of the two Suzuki’s of Haslam and Guintoli and the Ducati riders of Fabrizio and Haga. With nine laps left, Checa dispatched of Haga to join the fight for the rostrum. The likeable Spaniard then made it into 2nd place when he passed Guintoli with three laps to go. It seemed unlikely that Checa could take on the challenge of beating race 1 winner Haslam with little time left in the race, but he left his best until last and must have taken Haslam by surprise when he went underneath him at MG and took the lead with half a lap left.
Checa said after his impressive win, “At the time I caught the top group, that was my target. When I saw the others were struggling with their tyres and traction, I took the opportunity to pass them, I think where I did the pass, it was the perfect place, it was my best race as I came from the back. It was unbelieveable.”
2010 sees Checa’s third year in this championship. After being the pace setter in testing here in Australia, he has proved he and the bike are clearly no fluke and can be competing at the highest level.
Haslam had a tough fight in this race at the hands of his French team mate Sylvain Guintoli. It appeared to be a straight battle between the two Suzuki and Ducati boys until Spaniard Checa joined the group. Guintoli and Haslam seemed to hinder each other in the fight for victory as they ended up swapping positions frequently, leaving the other stuck on the outside on the dirty line, letting riders behind take advantage of the fierce rivalry between the 2 Alstare Suzukis.
It was close and exciting racing throughout including a long, hard fight which included Crutchlow and Toseland. This time both the Yamaha’s managed to finish but it was Crutchlow, the current World Supersport Champion, who edged out ex Moto GP rider, Toseland on the final lap.
After a long winter of waiting to see what surprises the WSBK circus would bring, Phillip Island once again delivered two very exciting races with two winners that maybe the experts weren’t predicting. There are seven Brits in the championship but Haslam is the one who has produced the goods looking very confident and relaxed on the factory Suzuki. He leads the championship over Fabrizio and Checa.
Next race is back on European soil in Portimao, Portugal, can Haslam continue his rich vein of form and be the Brit to beat or will we see some new contenders?
Result of Race 2:
1. Carlos Checa
2. Leon Haslam
3. Michele Fabrizio
4. Sylvain Guintoli
5. Noriyuki Haga
6. Jonathan Rea
7. Troy Corser
8. Max Biaggi
9. Cal Crutchlow
10. James Toseland
World Championship scores so far (after 2 races).
1. Haslam 45
2. Fabrizio 36
3. Checa 34
4. Haga 27
5. Guintoli 23
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Haslam storms to his first pole in World Superbikes in Oz!
Leon Haslam set all the headlines with pole position in the opening round of the World Superbike Championship in Australia. With a time of 1.31.229 around the Phillip Island race track, he edged out the Ducati of Fabrizio and fellow Brit, Crutchlow.
A successful day for the British boys, with four riders in the front two rows of the grid, for tomorrow’s eagerly awaited races.
Toseland on his return to WBSK after two years in the Moto GP, qualified in 8th which was a good effort after an accident on Friday morning which left him with a damaged wrist. It was clearly causing the double WSBK Champion discomfort as he was holding his arm after the session was over.
Jonathan Rea on the Honda qualified in 7th.
Biaggi and Haga were the two noticeable absentees from the front two rows on the grid so will have to work hard from the start tomorrow.
It had been Carlos Checa on the Ducati who had been the pace setter until the Superpole when Haslam was comfortably the quickest man on track in each session. This was the first time he had ridden a full factory bike in the championship and made an impressive display. This was despite a massive crash he had on Saturday morning at 135 mph which left him a “bit battered and bruised”.
A tough two races in store for the World Superbike boys’ finest in the sunshine and heat of Phillip Island and on a seemingly more bumpy track than last year. Will the sun shine on the Brits tomorrow? Lets wait and see!
Leandra Graves
27th February 2009
A successful day for the British boys, with four riders in the front two rows of the grid, for tomorrow’s eagerly awaited races.
Toseland on his return to WBSK after two years in the Moto GP, qualified in 8th which was a good effort after an accident on Friday morning which left him with a damaged wrist. It was clearly causing the double WSBK Champion discomfort as he was holding his arm after the session was over.
Jonathan Rea on the Honda qualified in 7th.
Biaggi and Haga were the two noticeable absentees from the front two rows on the grid so will have to work hard from the start tomorrow.
It had been Carlos Checa on the Ducati who had been the pace setter until the Superpole when Haslam was comfortably the quickest man on track in each session. This was the first time he had ridden a full factory bike in the championship and made an impressive display. This was despite a massive crash he had on Saturday morning at 135 mph which left him a “bit battered and bruised”.
A tough two races in store for the World Superbike boys’ finest in the sunshine and heat of Phillip Island and on a seemingly more bumpy track than last year. Will the sun shine on the Brits tomorrow? Lets wait and see!
Leandra Graves
27th February 2009
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