amystokes

2nd April 20232nd April 2023

2023 ARGENTINA MOTO3 GRAND PRIX – QUALIFYING

Following Daniel Holgado’s win at the last round in Portimao, all eyes were on the Tech3 rider coming into this qualifying round, but it was not to be for the first race winner of the season.

A damp third practice, meant the riders who were in the top 14 combined times from Friday, went through to qualifying 2 directly. So although Romano Fenati was the fastest on Saturday, Ayumu Sasaki topped the combined times before qualifying began.

When the track was dry, there was no other rider who came close to Sasaki and this was proven in the final moments of qualifying 2. He sat fifteenth on the timing board and following Jose Antonio Rudea’s fall, Sasaki knew that he needed to show his speed sooner rather than later.

Going out alone, Sasaki put together an almost perfect lap when considering the drying track and popped a 1:48.539 onto the time sheets giving him a second pole of the season. Sasaki was the only rider who made it into the 1:48’s.

Ayumu Sasaki pole setter for Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo 2023 Moto3 Race. Image courtesy of IntactGP/R. Lekl & S. Wobser

Coming through from qualifying 1 was beneficial to Deniz Oncu as it gave him knowledge of the drying track, and this allowed him to slot himself into the middle of the front row. He did have to contend with some traffic on his fastest lap which meant that he finished 0.603’s slower than Sasaki.

Finishing off the front row was Diogo Moreira who used his track position to finish the session with a 1:49.214.

Ivan Ortola, who has the fastest time early on in the session, heads out the second row along with Jaume Masia and Tatsuki Suzuki.

The best rookie of the session was David Alonso in seventh after he was able to gain some time on the final lap he produced.

Scott Ogden produced a lap that slotted him into eighth on the grid and he will be using the confidence gained from his fast times in practice to help propel him up the field during the race. His teammate in the VisionTrack Team, Joshua Whatley starts 28^th.

Andrea Migno is replacing Lorenzo Fellon who dislocated his shoulder in Portimao and Migno’s experience served him well allowing him to place his bike in ninth place.

Daniel Holgado was able to close out the session with a tenth-place finish in qualifying.

Kaito Toba was at the front of the pack, proving the tow for Oncu, and was often in some of the fastest groups during the session but could only finish the session in eleventh.

After coming through qualifying 1, Rueda was able to cross the line with only a few seconds left on the clock and pulled himself up the grid to thirteenth place.

After missing the start of the session, Collin Viejer was unable to progress any higher up the grid than 17^th.

After topping the third practice session, Romano Fenati was only able to place his bike in 18^th place.

2023 ARGENTINA MOTO3 GRAND PRIX – QUALIFYING RESULTS
POS	RIDER	NAT	TEAM	BIKE	TIME
1	Ayumu Sasaki	JPN	Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP	(Husqvarna)	1m 48.539s
2	Deniz Öncü	TUR	Red Bull KTM Ajo	(KTM)	1m 49.142s
3	Diogo Moreira	BRA	MT Helmets – MSI	(KTM)	1m 49.214s
4	Ivan Ortolá	SPA	Angeluss MTA Team	(KTM)	1m 49.314s
5	Jaume Masia	SPA	Leopard Racing	(Honda)	1m 49.344s
6	Tatsuki Suzuki	JPN	Leopard Racing	(Honda)	1m 49.417s
7	David Alonso	COL	Autosolar GASGAS Aspar M3	(GASGAS)	1m 49.454s
8	Scott Ogden	GBR	VisionTrack Racing Team	(Honda)	1m 49.545s
9	Andrea Migno	ITA	CIP Green Power	(KTM)	1m 49.642s
10	Daniel Holgado	SPA	Red Bull KTM Tech3	(KTM)	1m 49.665s
11	Kaito Toba	JPN	SIC58 Squadra Corse	(Honda)	1m 49.673s
12	Matteo Bertelle	ITA	Rivacold Snipers Team	(Honda)	1m 49.678s
13	José Antonio Rueda	SPA	Red Bull KTM Ajo	(KTM)	1m 49.766s
14	Stefano Nepa	ITA	Angeluss MTA Team	(KTM)	1m 49.778s
15	Xavier Artigas	SPA	CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP	(CFMOTO)	1m 49.904s
16	David Muñoz	SPA	BOE Motorsports	(KTM)	1m 50.025s
17	Collin Veijer	NED	Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP	(Husqvarna)	1m 50.028s
18	Ryusei Yamanaka	JPN	Autosolar GASGAS Aspar M3	(GASGAS)	1m 50.342s
19	Riccardo Rossi	ITA	SIC58 Squadra Corse	(Honda)	1m 50.659s
20	Syarifuddin Azman	MAL	MT Helmets – MSI	(KTM)	1m 50.784s
21	Filippo Farioli	ITA	Red Bull KTM Tech3	(KTM)	1m 50.838s
22	David Salvador	SPA	CIP Green Power	(KTM)	1m 50.953s
23	Mario Aji	INA	Honda Team Asia	(Honda)	1m 51.011s
24	Romano Fenati	ITA	Rivacold Snipers Team	(Honda)	1m 51.358s
25	David Almansa	SPA	CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP	(CFMOTO)	1m 51.697s
26	Taiyo Furusato	JPN	Honda Team Asia	(Honda)	1m 51.729s
27	Ana Carrasco	SPA	BOE Motorsports	(KTM)	1m 52.114s
28	Joshua Whatley	GBR	VisionTrack Racing Team	(Honda)	1m 52.142s

Featured Image courtesy of IntactGP/R. Lekl & S. Wobser

2nd September 20222nd September 2022

Ferratum World RX of Riga – Preview

Rounds 2 and 3 of the FIA World Rallycross take place in Riga, Latvia at the Bikernieku Kompleksa Sporta Baze towards the northwest of the capital. At a length of 1.295m and a ratio of 60:40 of asphalt and dirt, this track has become both a fan and driver favourite.

Coming into this doubleheader, Johan Kristoffersson is leading the championship from Timmy Hansen and Ole Christian Veiby. Kristoffersson is the defending champion coming into the first season where the powertrains have changed across from internal combustion to fully electric. The powertrains are all developed by Kreisel Electric.

Johan Kristoffersson, Timmy Hansen, Ole Christian Veiby, Klara Andersson and Niclas Groenholm perform during the World Rallycross Championship in Hell, Norway on August 14, 2022. Image courtesy of WRX

The powertrains deliver 500kW of power to twin motors which is equal to 680bhp and provides 880Nm of instant torque. The acceleration of these RX1e cars is higher than Formula 1 cars. Starting at a standstill, 100km/h can be reached in 1.8 seconds.

The entry list for the two rounds is the same as it was in Hell, Norway meaning that there will be 8 drivers competing during the weekend. René Münnich and Kevin Hansen will be hoping that their fortunes can be turned around from finishing eighth and seventh respectively in the first round.

Compared to the 2021 season, there have been changes not just to the powertrains but also to the format of the weekend. Immediately after the morning practice session, the grid for heat 1 will now be set using a SuperPole format.

As this is a double header weekend, there are two heats. The starting grid for heat 2 will be set using the finishing positions from heat 1 rather than the overall time however positions per heat will be determined using time.

After the heats, there will be a progression race to determine which 10 drivers, if there are more than 10 competing in the event, make it through to the semi-finals. From the semi-finals, the drivers that finish in the top 2 will automatically make it through to the final and the highest placed third placed driver will also make it through.

As of this year, there are no more staggered grids, and every race will have a side-by-side grid.

Practice for the event starts at 9:00 local time with SuperPole scheduled to start at 10:25 local time. The event should be exciting as all Rallycross events are and watching the electric cars going around one of the best circuits on the calendar will be a sight to behold.

8th March 20218th March 2021

International Women’s Day 2021 – Extreme E: An Introduction to the Women

Equality in motorsport is something that every racing series is striving towards, especially on a day like International Women’s Day. From grassroots programmes like Dare to Be Different by Suzie Wolff to an entire Formula 1 support series for women, introducing women to a male-dominated sport is something that is making the headlines left, right and centre.

Extreme E is a sport that is promoting equality from the outset by having one male and one female driver in each team. The entire aim of the series is to have the best combination of people working on the car and behind the wheel and not having their gender dictate their opportunities.

Each driver will be behind the wheel of a Spark ODYSSEY 21 which is an electric SUV with a power output of 400kW, about 1.5 times more powerful than a World Rally car.

Claudia Huertgen

Credit: Extreme E | Photographer: Charly Lopez

Claudia Huertgen is most well known for being successful in touring cars and winning the ADAC Total 24 Hours of Nurburgring in the SP10 class, driving a BMW M4 GT4. She has also taken part in the ADAC GT Masters trophy. At 41, she is one of the older drivers in the field but her expertise will help her as she battles through the field for the Abt Cupra XE team.

Laia Sanz

Competing for the Spanish Acconia Sainz XE Team, Laia Sanz is a thirteen-time women’s time trial world champion in outdoor motorcycle trials but has recently taken part in the Dakar Rally finishing at a high of fifteenth place in 2016. She has also taken part in the 24H of Barcelona, winning her class in 2011. Her off-road experience only brings more knowledge to the team as she will race alongside the team owner and rally legend Carlos Sainz.

Catie Munnings

Catie Munnings is a British rally driver and former TV presenter. She has taken part in the European Rally Championship and contested both the Under 27 and Ladies categories. Previously, she presented a children’s television show showcasing fast and large vehicles and explaining their use in life. As a Red Bull sponsored athlete, she has been able to use this backing to encourage women to take part in rallying and she also plays a role, alongside Suzie Wolff, in the Dare To Be Different campaign.

Sara Price

Hailing from Riverside, California, Sara Price began racing at age eight and now has medalled at the X Games multiple times in the motocross categories. Previously, she has completed in the Stadium Super Trucks series which races in America and Australia, with a highest finish if fourth. She is the first female driver racing for Chip Ganassi Racing in their history and we hope that she isn’t the last.

“When I put a helmet on you know I often get this question, ‘how is it being a female in a male dominated sport?’, and I say, ‘I’m not a female I’m not a male, I’m just a racer.’ “What Extreme E is doing right now is pretty incredible. It is going to be able to provide girls who have incredible talent that’s never been seen before, a chance to showcase it – that itself is huge for women as well as for motorsport.”

Christine Giampaoli Zona

Christine Giampaoli Zonca was a member of the first all-female rally team to take part in a WRC event and does more than just drive a car. She has a Bachelor’s degree in motorsport engineering technology from the University of Birmingham and regularly prepares her own car for events in which she takes part in. Her future plans include racing in the 2022 Dakar Rally along with Hispano-Suzia Xite Energy Team in Extreme E.

Molly Taylor

Molly Taylor is an Australian Rally driver who won the Australian Rally Championship in 2016, both the youngest and only female to do so, and finished as runner up in the following year. Along with this, she was the first female accepted into the Australian Motor Sports Foundation and is the only non-Brit to win the British Ladies Rally Championship, doing so in both 2009 and 2010. She is no stranger to competing in off-road situations and her knowledge bodes well for Rosberg Xtreme Racing.

“One of the great things about motorsport is that when you put the helmet on it doesn’t matter what gender you are and that’s always been my philosophy. But what I have noticed through competing, is the number of young girls that when they see a female competing, they then want to be involved – so I think having that exposure at the highest level is really important to help improve the diversity and equality for the next generations coming up. If [Extreme E] can help change the amount of girls that are involved in racing at grassroots level and therefore what the future of our sport looks like, I think it’s really important for that reason.”

Jamie Chadwick

Jamie Chadwick is arguably the most well-known female driver taking part in Extreme E so far, having won the inaugural W Series championship, being a member of the Williams Driver Academy and racing with Prema Powerteam in the 2020 Formula Regional European Championship, to name a few things. Coming from an original background in GT racing, she understands the skill needed to drive a powerful car and working with the Veloce team and is an exciting addition to the series.

“Extreme E is definitely a leap into the unknown for me, having only previously driven single-seaters and sportscars, but I’ve never shied away from a challenge. The first time I tested the car, I knew I wanted to race it – an electric SUV is a large vehicle, yet the stunning power it produces when you put your foot down makes it exhilarating to drive. The fact that Extreme E is also committed to gender equality is just the icing on the cake. Winning the W Series was fantastic – and huge for my career – but I want to prove that I can beat everybody at this kind of level, which means men and women alike. The prospect of going up against the likes of Jenson Button and Sébastien Loeb – I mean, these guys were heroes to me when I was growing up – is incredible. If you want to succeed in sport, as in life, you must be prepared to really push yourself. That is exactly what I am doing in Extreme E and I cannot wait to get started!”

Cristina Gutierrez

Cristina Gutierrez was the first-ever Spanish woman to finish the Dakar Rally in a car and in 2021 became the second woman to win a Dakar stage. Her expertise stems from competing in the Dakar rally and the Spanish Women’s Off-Road Champion since 2012. Racing for Team X44 is a great addition to her career thus far.

The first X Prix takes place in Saudi Arabia on the third and fourth of April and all of these women will be able to show their skill set on a level playing field with the men in the series.