Everything posted by reporter
-
[motorsport] Dakar 2022, Stage 10: Peterhansel wins, Loeb closes on Al-Attiyah
Peterhansel had been in fine form throughout the 375km between Wadi Ad Dawasir and Bisha, one of the fastest stages of the rally, running a close second to teammate Carlos Sainz early on before grabbing the lead at the third waypoint. Once out in front, the 14-time Dakar winner steadily extended his advantage over the chasing pack, eventually sealing victory by 2m06s over Sainz. This was ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Dakar 2022, Stage 10: Van Beveren retakes lead as Price wins
Van Beveren started the day third overall, trailing leader Matthias Walkner by just under four minutes ahead of the day's 375km run between Wadi Ad Dawasir and Bisha. But with the fourth-fastest stage time, the Frenchman leapt into the spot for the second time in Saudi Arabia, and will take an advantage of four minutes and 15 seconds into the final two days. Taking honours on Stage 10 was ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Reigning champion Benavides retires from Dakar Rally
Benavides had been in contention for back-to-back Dakar wins as he sat fifth in the general classification following Tuesday's Stage 9, just 10 minutes back from leader and KTM teammate Matthias Walkner. However, the Argentinian rider hit mechanical trouble a little over a third of the way into Stage 10, a 375km run between Wadi Ad Dawasir and Bisha, coming to a halt at the 133km ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] NASCAR: Next Gen ready "to put on a good show" at Daytona
John Probst, NASCAR’s senior vice president of innovation and racing development, said NASCAR came to this week’s two-day test with two aero packages to test but the results from the first 10-lap drafting session made its decision an easy one. The package utilized features 510 horsepower and a 7-inch spoiler and similar to what was run at a recent Goodyear tire test at the reconfigured ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Dale Jr. on Next Gen's 'surgical' steering and the challenge it presents
Earnhardt, 47, is taking part of the two-day pre-season test at Daytona with Hendrick Motorsports. The two-time Daytona 500 champion is there both as a driver to help the team prepare for the 2022 season and as a commentator to better educate himself on the new car . "We're just trying to learn everything we can," said Earnhardt on NASCAR's livestream of the test. "I’m trying to learn about ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] NASCAR Next Gen test at Daytona produces "pretty hard racing"
Just over two hours into the first of a two-day test, NASCAR asked teams to run a 10-lap drafting test on the 2.5-mile superspeedway. In the test, the cars utilized an aero package featuring 510 horsepower with a 7-inch spoiler. While NASCAR didn’t immediately release timing and scoring data from the session, officials said the speeds were “comparable” to those seen at Daytona during the ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[autosport] Next Gen test at Daytona produced "pretty hard racing"
Just over two hours into the first of a two-day test, NASCAR asked teams to run a 10-lap drafting test on the 2.5-mile superspeedway. In the test, the cars utilised an aero package featuring 510 horsepower with a seven-inch spoiler. While NASCAR didn’t immediately release timing and scoring data from the session, officials said the speeds were “comparable” to those seen at Daytona during ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Dakar leader Al-Attiyah hit by belated FIA seat belt penalty
Al-Attiyah’s sanction follows some controversy over the absence of a penalty imposed on Bahrain Raid Xtreme on Monday after a spare tyre was lost by Sebastien Loeb. But today, the sporting stewards decided that a time penalty was fit for Al-Attiyah’s infraction. As seen by officials in a video published on social media, Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel did not have their seat belts ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] NASCAR Cup teams get taste of Daytona Next Gen drafting
As our video (above) shows, Penske’s Joey Logano and Austin Cindric – along with Cup rookie Harrison Burton for Wood Bros Racing – got a taste of multi-car drafting with their Ford Mustangs which are built to the new rules. Logano told NASCAR’s livestream reporter: “It’s so much fun, it’s a new car and there is low-hanging fruit, easy wins to grab to make your car better ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Breen: Hybrid power brings "third dimension" to WRC driving
The WRC will debut new Rally1 regulations, built around the introduction of hybrid technology, at next week's Monte Carlo Rally. All-new Rally1 WRC cars feature a 100kW hybrid unit that is coupled to a 1.6 litre internal combustion engine, which pushes out 500 horsepower in short bursts when the two are working in tandem. Drivers will have the use of an extra 130 horsepower in the form of ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Dakar 2022, Stage 9: De Villiers leads Toyota 1-2-3, Loeb fifth
With the Audis of Mattias Ekstrom and Stephane Peterhansel forced to open the road following their 1-2 finish on Monday, the three Toyotas duked it out for victory in the 287km test near Wadi Ad Dawasir. Stage 5 winner Lategan held the early advantage in his Hilux T1+ car, but couldn’t pull out a gap over his teammates de Villiers and Al-Attiyah, as Peterhansel and Prodrive’s Sebastien Loeb ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[autosport] Earnhardt Jr to test NASCAR Next Gen car for Hendrick at Daytona
With reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson competing this week at the Chili Bowl Nationals, Hendrick Motorsports announced Monday that Earnhardt will test Larson’s #5 Chevrolet today (Tuesday) and tomorrow at Daytona International Speedway test. The 47-year-old, who currently works as a NASCAR TV analyst for NBC, retired from the Cup Series at the end of the 2017 season but has since ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Dakar 2022, Stage 9: Cornejo wins, Walkner moves into lead
The 287km test near Wadi Ad Dawasir was dominated by the factory Honda team, with Cornejo and 2020 winner Ricky Brabec trading the top spot throughout the day. Cornejo held the early advantage after the first waypoint on 40km but was quickly leapfrogged by Brabec on the sister CRF 450 Rally bike. The 30-year-old went on to build a small buffer for himself until the fourth waypoint, but was ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Kovalainen eyes Japan WRC outing after SUPER GT exit
Ex-Formula 1 racer Kovalainen has been combining his activities in SUPER GT with the SARD Toyota team with rally outings in Japan for some years now, and was even crowned champion in the national championship's JN-2 class last year at the wheel of a Toyota GT86. With the Finn calling time on his SUPER GT career at the end of last season, he is free to focus on contesting the full Japan Rally ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] NASCAR to return to shorter Sonoma track layout in 2022
NASCAR has traded in the 'Carousel' for a return to the familiar 'Chute' section of Sonoma Raceway in 2022. NASCAR utilized the longer 2.52-mile layout, which bypassed the Chute, from 2019 to 2021. The shorter layout was used from 1998 to 2018. “We heard from many fans and drivers how much they loved it when we raced the Chute,” said Sonoma Raceway EVP and General Manager Jill Gregory ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Dale Earnhardt Jr to test NASCAR Next Gen car at Daytona
With reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson competing this week at the Chili Bowl Nationals, Hendrick Motorsports announced Monday that Earnhardt will test Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet Tuesday and Wednesday at the organizational test at Daytona International Speedway. “Excited to get more time behind the wheel of this new car. It’s absolutely necessary for me to do my best in the ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[autosport] Almirola to retire from NASCAR after 2022 Cup season
Almirola, 37, will complete the 2022 season driving the No. 10 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing with longtime sponsor Smithfield Foods and then step away following the No. 6 season finale at Phoenix. “I truly enjoy driving race cars and I’m excited to race my heart out in 2022 for Smithfield and Stewart-Haas Racing,” Almirola said. “But to be the best in this business, you’ve got to be ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[autosport] Harvick: NASCAR Next Gen Cup car ‘the same, but different’
NASCAR has made a revolutionary change to its premier stock car class this season, with teams no longer fabricating their own cars from scratch but assembling them from a common supply chain to dramatically cut costs. In the video (above) NASCAR’s managing director of vehicle systems Brandon Thomas explains how the chassis has been broken into modular front and rear ‘clips’ that bolt on ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Harvick: New NASCAR Next Gen car ‘the same… but different’
NASCAR has made a revolutionary change to its premier stock car class this season, with teams no longer fabricating their own cars from scratch but assembling them from a common supply chain to dramatically cut costs. In the video (above) NASCAR’s managing director of vehicle systems Brandon Thomas explains how the chassis has been broken into modular front and rear ‘clips’ that bolt on ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Loeb escapes penalty for lost spare wheel in Dakar Stage 8
Prodrive/Bahrain driver Loeb managed to cut the gap to outright leader Nasser Al-Attiyah to 38 minutes with a fine run to third place in the 395km test between Al Dawadimi and Wadi Ad Dawasir. However, the results were up in the air until 20.45 local time as the FIA stewards investigated whether to penalise Loeb for arriving at the finish with one less spare wheel than he had at the ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Spire Motorsports hires Josh Bilicki for the 2022 Cup season
Zeigler Automotive Group will serve as the primary sponsor on the car. Bilicki, 26, has 71 previous starts at the Cup level and ran the full 2021 season with Rick Ware Racing. His best result came in the regular season finale at Daytona where he placed tenth. “Zeigler Auto Group is proud to have Josh Bilicki represent Team Zeigler on the track,” said Aaron Zeigler, President of Zeigler ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] NASCAR driver Aric Almirola to retire, ready "for next chapter"
Almirola, 37, will complete the 2022 season driving the No. 10 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing with longtime sponsor Smithfield Foods and then step away following the No. 6 season finale at Phoenix. “I truly enjoy driving race cars and I’m excited to race my heart out in 2022 for Smithfield and Stewart-Haas Racing,” Almirola said. “But to be the best in this business, you’ve got to be ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Al-Attiyah “really lucky” to finish Dakar stage after mechanical scare
The three-time Dakar winner lost almost eight minutes to nearest rival Sebastian Loeb in the overall classification by the end of the 395km Stage 8 between Dawadimi and Wadi Ad Dawasir, having completed the majority of the stage with only front-wheel drive with his Toyota while he also suffered a puncture early into the test. The Qatari driver, who finished Stage 8 in 11th place, explained ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Dakar 2022, Stage 8: Ekstrom wins for Audi, Al-Attiyah struggles
Two-time DTM champion Ekstrom and teammate Stephane Peterhansel traded the top spot for most of the 395km Stage 8 between Al Dawadimi and Wadi Ad Dawasir, with only Sebastien Loeb able to prevent the contest from turning into an all-Audi affair. Peterhansel appeared on course for a 49th career stage win in the cars category after Ekstrom dropped nearly three minutes off the lead on Waypoint 8 ...Keep readingView the full article
-
[motorsport] Dakar 2022, Stage 8: Sunderland retakes lead with victory
Sunderland, who led almost all of the first week of the Saudi Arabian event, had lost the advantage as the rally resumed after rest day on Sunday, as he lost almost 26 minutes to the leaders on what he described as a "casino" stage in terms of navigation. However, the Briton struck back on Monday's 395km Al Dawadimi-Wadi Ad Dawasir test, leading at every single waypoint to win the stage by two ...Keep readingView the full article