After claiming pole position earlier in the day, Pecco Bagnaia has taken a truly dominant win for the Americas Grand Prix sprint race in Texas. Just behind him was Alex Rins in 2nd and Jorge Martin who held on to 3rd despite a tough fight with Aleix Espargaro in 4th.
Pecco Bagnaia gave a faultless performance at the Circuit of the Americas to win the Americas GP sprint race. Having started on pole, he was able to hold off an early attack from Alex Rins at the start and quickly pulled out a large lead to win very comfortably. He also smashed the race lap record at the halfway point of the race.
As the lights went out, the race started surprisingly cleanly and everyone completed the first lap safely. The winners off the line were Jorge Martin, who flew from 12th up to 5th, and Miguel Oliveira, leaping from 15th up to 9th. Others faced more of a struggle with the likes of Luca Marini going wide and dropping from 3rd down to 13th and Maverick Vinales struggling at the start and falling back from 8th to 17th.
On the second lap, Rins went wide at turn 12 and gets shuffled back to 3rd. This dropping in right in to a battle with Fabio Quartararo who was trying desperate moves to try and get something out of his Yamaha. As the pair fought, Quartararo clatters in to the side of Rins, leaving rubber marks on his leather.
As the riders settled in to the race, and Bagnaia was enjoy some clear air, Quartararo was still fighting against his Yamaha at every corner. It eventually ended in tears as he went down at turn 1 of lap 5. He was able to rejoin the race and eventually ended the day in 19th.
On lap 7, Rins makes an aggressive move on Aleix Espargaro to steal 2nd from him. However, a few corners later, he goes wide and takes Espargaro with him. Whilst Rins holds on to 2nd, this error gifts 3rd place to Jorge Martin and shuffles Espargaro back down to 4th.
On the same lap, at turn 12, Alex Marquez goes down on the slipper track surface. This promotes Bezzecchi to 6th and allows him to keep the lead of the championship for another day.
In the final laps of the race, Espargaro is trying everything he can to get past Martin and in to 3rd but he simply can’t find a way through.
Lights will go out for the feature race in less than 24 hours time so make sure you follow Crew On Two for all the action.
British Superbikes kicked off the 2023 season this weekend at Silverstone and what a treat it was. What would await us at the long anticipated opening round of the season, with a shake up of the showdown points and one of the biggest changes up in terms of teams and rider movement for a long time… Well let’s say if this is a sign of the season to come, then sit back, strap in and hold on tight!
Three different winners, from three different manufacturers kicks off the first race meeting of the year from Silverstone National circuit. A scrappy little track with little room for error and rest. With only two main straights, the national circuit is a busy, short lap with lap times under a minute. No wonder all three superbike races were contested with +0.00 on the leaders pit board.
Race One saw battle commence between a resurgent Josh Brookes on his FHO BMW swapping places with Kyle Ryde OMG Lami Yamaha, Beer Monster Ducati riders Glenn Irwin, Tommy Bridewell and a feisty Jason O’Halloran of McAMS Yamaha. The pack closely followed by Leon Haslam of Rokit BWM Motorrad Team and Mar-Train Yamaha’s Jack Kennedy. An intense sprint race saw first seven places covered by only three seconds. Kyle Ryde managed to get his hands on the winners trophy in Race One after an adrenaline fueled fight, sharing the podium with Tommy Bridewell and Josh Brookes.
After his Race One victory, Ryde said,: “That was a great race! It was definitely the hardest, but most enjoyable races I’ve had since I started in BSB. I was pushing because I just wanted to get to the front because I knew I had a little bit more pace than what the lap time was saying. It was very clean and good fun to ride – there was a lot of moves in turn one from me, I must’ve made about 15 moves but none of them stuck! I had to work, so for me it’s been a great weekend so far. We’ve had a great pace all weekend and been strong, the only thing that went wrong was to have a silly little crash in qualifying and that did hinder me a bit for the race. It took me ages to get going again to know where the braking marker was and Josh and Tommy kept passing me. I’m really happy to get the win; I think over the winter and everything we’ve done so far, I feel like we deserve it, so I’m very proud of myself.”
Race Two was much of the same but for second place back as Josh Brookes hit the front after the first lap and maintained a relatively trouble free race barring a bit of back and forth with Jason O’Halloran. While not breaking away, as is very difficult on such a small track when the level is as competitive as it is in BSB, he was also unchallenged for the win when the race finished under a red flag incident involving Synetiq BMW’s Danny Buchan crashing out of the race. Race Two winner, a very popular winner might I say, Josh Brookes followed by both Beer Monster Ducati riders Tommy Bridewell and Glenn Irwin.
Race Three started off with surprise leader Danny Kent of Lovell Kent Racing Honda hitting the front, and looking very competitive around his peers. Surprisingly Kyle Ryde didn’t seem to have the pace to match the front runners in the third and final Superbike race of the day with Glenn Irwin, Josh Brookes and Tommy Bridewell stretching a lead after working their way past the former Moto3 World Champion, Kent. A very close chase towards the end of the race saw a first race win of the season from Beer Monster Ducati rider, Glenn Irwin closely followed by Josh Brookes FHO BMW and Beer Monster team mate Tommy Bridewell.
All in all a successful weekend for Brookes, keen to put the last couple of season behind him and show that he’s not ready to stop racing just yet. Beer Monster Ducati, Bridewell and Irwin will all be pleased to also start the year off competitively after a couple of seasons in the doldrums. How ironic they have shared the podium with their former rider, Josh Brookes.
Standings after round one have Brookes in the lead of the championship, by two points from Tommy Bridewell and then Glenn Irwin.
There were two short stages on the first day of the event and we had an early leader in the shape of Ott and Martin who led Kalle and Esapekka.
Friday
The first full day of real stages would see the crew tackle eight stages and 124 km’s in total, although only six real stages and two mickey mouse stages at the end of the day.
First stage then would see the crews enter in championship order. Yep, Ott and Martin would be first into SS3 El Chocolate 1 – 29.07 km and but they would suffer a turbo failure in the stage and lose so much time. Both of the other Puma Rally1 had problems as well, with Jourdan having an accident and Pierre-Louis damaging his suspension. The Frenchman was out for the day sadly. There was a lead change as well, with Esapekka moving into the lead, Seb into second and Dani into third. Of course, the demise of Ott meant that Kalle was going to open the road for the rest of the day.
Into SS4 Ortega 1 – 15.71 km and Seb was fastest from Esapekka and Elfyn. The Welshman’s pace took him ahead of Dani and into third place. Meanwhile, Kalle was on the move as well, as the Finn passed Thierry for fifth overall. Meanwhile in WRC2 we had a battle between Emil, Gus and Adrien with just seven seconds between them.
The last morning stage, SS5 Las Minas 1 – 13.79 km and Esapekka set the fastest time from Seb and Dani. It was not a good stage for Takamoto as he lost control and slid off the side of the road. The car was not damaged, but the bank they slid down was too high to drive back onto the road.
After the lunch service the second run of SS6 El Chocolate 2 – 29.07 km saw Esapekka fastest again from Seb as they continued their fight for the lead, but the Finn was opening up the lead from his former Citroen teammate. In WRC2 there was a lead change with Emil tumbling down three places as Gus, Adrien and Oliver moving ahead of the Finn.
Next up was SS7 Ortega 2 – 15.71 km and Seb closed the gap to Esapekka to just three tenths of a second. Elfyn remained third overall. However, Dani fell from fourth to sixth overall with Thierry and Kalle both moving ahead of the Spaniard.
The final proper stage of the day then SS8 Las Minas 2 – 13.79 km and Esapekka led a Hyundai 1-2 with Seb third fastest. Elfyn was till holding third overall, but with Thierry faster, he closed the gap to the Welshman ahead. Meanwhile in WRC2 Oliver dropped two places with Emil and Kajetan moving past the young Swede who was now in 11 place overall.
The last two stages SS9 Las Dunas Superspecial 1 – 3.53 km and SS10 Distrito León Mx SSS – 1.30 km ended the first full day of the rally. Esapekka led from Seb by 5.3 seconds with Elfyn holding third overall.
Let’s take a look at the top ten and hear from the drivers.
Classification after Day One
1
E. Lappi
J. Ferm
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
1:25:12.0
2
S. Ogier
V. Landais
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+5.3
3
E. Evans
S. Martin
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+30.1
4
T. Neuville
M. Wydaeghe
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
+39.8
5
K. Rovanperä
J. Halttunen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+59.7
6
D. Sordo
C. Carrera
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
+1:27.2
Hyundai Motorsport
Esapekka Lappi
“This has probably been one of the best days of my career. I hoped that I could fight at the top but to be leading and fighting all the time against Séb was not in my mind. I was confident that our pace would be competitive, but I didn’t really give it much thought. This is a good car. We did a lot of work during Monte-Carlo and Sweden, as well as between those events. We can now stop searching for the right set-up because I think we’ve found what I like, so I can just concentrate on the driving. You can then gain time here and there. I’ve been trying to keep it clean, close to the limit, have good acceleration out of the corners and just see at the end what times we have set. It’s been a positive start.”
Thierry Neuville
“I think we expected more from the day, but we had a few situations that cost us some time. In the morning loop, in SS4, we had a hard compression on the car, hitting a bump that was not there in the recce, causing the loss of the hybrid. On this particular stage, at high altitude and with long straights, we lost a lot of time and that influenced our position. I have been working on the car throughout the day; we had some concern with the driveshaft in the heat – the grease was gone – so we had to try and repair that between every stage. We also had a blocked rear right damper in SS8, which might have been related to the morning issue, but we were able to clear that. It could have cost us more, so we were fortunate to make it to the end. Ultimately, we are 20 seconds clear of Rovanperä and less than ten from Evans, so I think we’ve done a good job today.”
Dani Sordo
“In general, we were having a really nice day, and we had found a good feeling from the car until we lost our chances of a podium push in the afternoon loop when we picked up a puncture in SS7. I felt good at the start but then after the first few corners, the car started to slide too much from the rear when I came on the throttle. I thought it was a diff problem; I couldn’t drive the first few kilometres, and I then realised I had a puncture. Before that, we’d been on the pace, but the problem now is when you have an issue on the first day you start closer to the front on Saturday, so we’ll have to keep pushing and try our best to regain something.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Sébastien Ogier
“It’s been a good day and we can be happy tonight. There was not so much more we could do except for taking a lot of risk and that’s never the approach I like to have on this rally. So I’m satisfied. Esapekka has done a great job as well and is in the lead, so there’s still some work for us to do and some analysis to do tonight to try and find a bit of extra speed. The gap is very close, and tomorrow’s stages have a different profile and different grip, so we’ll see how the fight evolves.”
Elfyn Evans
“Overall, it’s been a positive day. Maybe we were not quite as fast as we would have liked to be, but Rally México is a rally where you also have to look after the cars and the tyres. So, I was perhaps a bit careful in some moments but the feeling in the car has been quite OK. This afternoon there were a few surprises with a few big rocks, and we lost a bit of time in some of those places, so we’ll look to try and improve on that for tomorrow. We’re on the podium for now but there’s still a very long way to go, with a big day tomorrow.”
Kalle Rovanperä
“Today has not been too bad considering our road position. I think we did what we could, and we tried our best and the time loss is probably what we would have expected running at the front. It was actually better than I was expecting in the first two stages this morning, even though we were kind of cleaning the road. We lost a bit more on the third stage when we didn’t have the hybrid available. There was still quite a lot of cleaning this afternoon, but I think we managed it well. Tomorrow we’ll be in a better position, and we need to be on the pace straightaway in the morning.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Ott Tanak
“It’s been a tough day, generally some issues out there which I didn’t notice this morning so, yeah, let see now. Would be nice to find some more pace.”
Saturday
With 126km’s over nine stages there would be a good challenge for the crews out there in the first seven stages, with two mickey mouse stages to end the day.
First stage of the day, SS11 Ibarrilla 1 – 14.82 km had a sting in the tale. Our overnight leader, Esapekka Lappi was last through the stage, and unfortunately, he lost control on a right hander and spun into a post at the side of the road. This took the power out for some houses nearby. The stage was won by Seb from Elfyn and Thierry. Meanwhile in WRC2 Gus remained in the lead. These crews did not complete this stage due to the accident for Esapekka.
Next up was SS12 El Mosquito 1 – 22.56 km and finally Thierry found the car to his liking and was fastest from Elfyn and Seb. Meanwhile Ott was climbing up the leaderboard and after setting the sixth fastest time was now into thirteenth overall and about a minute away from the points paying positions. WRC2 top three remained Gus, Adrien and Emil.
Into SS13 Derramadero 1 – 21.70 km next and Thierry continued to show great pace winning the stage with Seb and Elfyn second and third fastest. Elfyn reported at the end of the stage that he was a bit safe in places but said that things were going quite well.
The final morning stage before the service break, SS14 Las Dunas Superspecial 2 – 3.53 km and as usual Thierry who is the super special specialist was fastest from Seb and Oliver in his Fabia Rally2! Sadly, Elfyn lost 1.7 seconds to the Belgian. He would look to fight back in the proper afternoon stages though.
The afternoon action started with SS16 El Mosquito 2 – 22.56 km as SS15 was cancelled due to the damage to the post damaged by Esapekka. Seb won the stage from Thierry and Elfyn. Although the Belgian was faster, it was only by two tenths of a second and Elfyn remained eight and a half seconds ahead of his challenger. In the WRC2 category Oliver was fastest from Gus and Adrien, whilst the Brit continued to lead the category by 18.8 seconds over former M-Sport teammate, Adrien.
The second run of SS17 Derramadero 2 – 21.70 km saw Thierry set the fastest time from Elfyn with Seb third and looking to manage the gap that he held over his teammate. Elfyn did lose a little bit of time to the charging Belgian, the gap now just 5.9 seconds between the two of them. There was a change in positions between Oliver and Kajetan as the Swede moved ahead and into fourth place in the WRC2 category.
The last two stages were the mickey mouse SS18 Las Dunas Superspecial 3 – 3.53 km and SS19 Rock & Rally SSS – 1.30 km with Ott setting the best times on both. In the battle over second overall, Thierry closed the gap even further to just 4.3 seconds.
Here’s the top positions at the end of day two.
Classification after Day Two
1
S. Ogier
V. Landais
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
2:35:37.6
2
E. Evans
S. Martin
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+35.8
3
T. Neuville
M. Wydaeghe
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
+40.1
4
K. Rovanperä
J. Halttunen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+1:34.0
5
D. Sordo
C. Carrera
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
+2:21.2
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Sébastien Ogier
“I think I can be very satisfied with my day. To be in the lead tonight with a bit of a gap is great, of course. It was another strong day with a bit of a different approach once the battle with Esapekka ended this morning. I felt sorry for him because he was doing a great job. But this is rallying, and you have to put three days together to win. After that I tried to stay in more of a safe mode but still, we managed to set some good times and increase our lead. It was a surprise to me to see the time in SS16; I was just trying to be very clean and maybe my tyre management helped to make the difference. Tomorrow could still be the trickiest day of the rally with the longest stage to get through, so we cannot afford to relax.”
Elfyn Evans
“It’s been a solid day out there and a close fight. Of course, I would have preferred to increase the gap behind us rather than concede some time. Thierry has ever so slightly had the upper hand, but it’s been very close on most of the stages with only a few tenths of a second in it. Things have been working well inside the car and I’ve been feeling quite comfortable, but there’s still a big fight on. Tomorrow has a mix of stages with sections we’ve driven already and others we haven’t, so it could be tricky to choose the tyres and nail the setup. But we’ll try to prepare well tonight and do our best to secure the position.”
Kalle Rovanperä
“It’s been a tough day but quite OK overall. We were trying to have good pace and I felt the driving was good but it seemed the road was getting faster with each car so it was not easy. We also had to use a lot of soft tyres yesterday to give us more grip when cleaning the road, so we had to use some hards this morning which was not ideal. When the gaps in front and behind are quite big it’s always difficult to maintain the speed and stay focused, but we could have some good pace in some stages this afternoon. Tomorrow we’ll just try to have a clean morning and then focus on the Power Stage.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“I have continued with the same speed as we were driving yesterday, but we attacked a bit more this afternoon to try and close the gap to Elfyn. It worked out quite well. We won three stages this morning and moved up to third on the classification. I felt sorry to see EP and Janne going off first thing; they were doing a great job out there. We knew with a better road position we could be faster but obviously Elfyn also increased his speed. He has been driving well so the gaps have been small. On the last stage, unfortunately, we picked up a puncture after 1.5km, which lost us 1.5-2s, otherwise the gap would have been below three seconds. Still, it’s a small margin, so we are going to push for it on the final day; we’ve been trying all weekend and we are now firmly in the fight for second place.”
Dani Sordo
“With our road position today, it has been difficult to stay on the pace of the crews in front. The road cleaning effect is very high. Unfortunately, we lost Esapekka’s car early on, which from a team perspective has made things a bit harder. I have to say, though, that the roads here in this rally are nice to drive. I’ve enjoyed it a lot but sometimes we have just lacked grip; that tends to improve when more cars have been through each stage. Still, we’re here inside the top-five, so we will keep motivated, keep pushing and we will try to enjoy ourselves also on the final day. We’ll continue to give our maximum.”
Esapekka Lappi
“As we have often said, when you drive with more caution and safety, it becomes more difficult; I think this is exactly what happened on the opening stage this morning. I wasn’t attacking or pushing particularly hard. There was a long right-hand turn which you cut before the entry to the left-hander where we crashed. I felt that I got a bit stuck on the cut, and I couldn’t make the entry immediately. I missed the apex by about 40 centimetres, went wide by about half a metre and touched a bank. That alone would have been OK, but we then spun and hit the post. There was also a fire in the car, which we managed to put out. I am disappointed, of course. We need to take away the positives from yesterday, along with our pace from Sweden. We have the speed; we just haven’t been able yet to translate into the results we know we can deliver.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Ott Tanak
“Compared to yesterday it’s been a fantastic day, amazing I must say, ah yeah, it’s been trouble free and quite a bit more fun, but still struggle to drive the car fast and for me it’s a bit unnatural but at least we are a bit closer than yesterday. Just the way it’s behaving with many surprises and unexpected moments from nowhere, it’s difficult to find the confidence, but I must say that we’ve definitely learnt something today, and I’d like to believe it can only get better from here.
Sunday
The final day then with 61km’s over four stages including the longest stage of the day and event, Otates at 35km. A proper stage.
First up was the final run through SS20 Las Dunas Superspecial 4 – 3.53 km and Elfyn did well to limit the time loss to just 2 tenths of a second going second fastest to Thierry.
Onto SS21 Otates – 35.63 km and Elfyn was fastest from Thierry by 1.7 seconds and the gap between grew to 5.8 seconds in their battle over. Seb was third fastest in the stage. Sadly Pierre-Louis had a belt failure in this one and stopped to change the belt. Ott was taking it easy as he felt there was a problem with one of his dampers. However, he had now made it into the top ten at last.
Into the penultimate stage then SS22 San Diego – 12.61 km and Thierry was fastest from Ott and Elfyn and the gap between them was just 2.7 seconds. What caused the time loss then? Well, turned out that there was some damage to his GR Yaris which he’d been fixing, and he was managing the problem that he’d picked up in Otates.
The final one then, SS23 El Brinco [Power Stage] – 9.59 km and Seb was fastest amazingly from Ott and Thierry. There was heartbreak though for Elfyn who only managed the sixth best time and ultimately Thierry pipped him to second overall by just 4 tenths of a second. However, what an amazing drive for Seb to his seventh Rally Mexico victory, the most in history!
In WRC2, Gus scored a very well-deserved class win from Emil, with Oliver taking third. The Brit hadn’t put a foot wrong all weekend.
Here’s the final standings.
Final Overall Classification – Rally México
1
S. Ogier
V. Landais
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
3:16:09.4
2
T. Neuville
M. Wydaeghe
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
+27.5
3
E. Evans
S. Martin
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+27.9
4
K. Rovanperä
J. Halttunen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+1:55.3
5
D. Sordo
C. Carrera
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
+2:58.8
6
G. Greensmith
J. Andersson
Škoda Fabia RS
+12:31.5
7
E. Lindholm
R. Hämäläinen
Škoda Fabia Evo
+13:04.4
8
O. Solberg
E. Edmondson
Škoda Fabia RS
+13:37.7
9
O. Tänak
M. Järveoja
Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid
+15:19.6
10
K. Kajetanowicz
M. Szczepaniak
Škoda Fabia Evo
+15:56.6
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Sébastien Ogier
“It has been an amazing weekend and I’m very happy to take this victory. We came here with a clear goal to win this rally. The car was great this weekend; it was a faultless weekend for us and a strong weekend for the team, so thank you to them for making this possible. When you end up taking 30 points it’s really a perfect weekend. We had great pace when we needed it, and great management too when it was required. It’s not easy when you need to manage a gap like that, and I think today was the toughest loop of the weekend. I could afford to lose a bit of time, but it was important to stay focused. I felt I had to go for it in the Power Stage because I love that stage, and it’s important to score the points, also for the team. Records and numbers are always nice and of course I’m proud of them, but the most important thing for me is this victory.”
Elfyn Evans
“We had a pretty good start to the final day, but unfortunately just near the end of the long stage we picked up some damage to a suspension arm. We could carry out a repair on the road section, but I felt I had to try and take care with it through the last two stages, and we weren’t quite able to keep Thierry at bay. It was very close in the end but just not quite enough. Overall though it has been a solid weekend. I think we had the speed to finish second and the positive thing is that we are back on the podium after what feels like a really long time. So, I’m happy for that and also now with the feeling in the car on gravel.”
Kalle Rovanperä
“It has not been an easy weekend for us. We lost out on Friday when we were kind of opening the road and then we were a bit behind in the fight for the rest of the weekend. I was hoping we could get some more points from the Power Stage; we were pushing really hard and tried everything we could, but we lost the rear wing going wide in one corner and after that I couldn’t really push so much without that downforce. But to finish fourth overall from our starting position gives us some decent points. Congratulations to Seb who did a great job this weekend.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“This was a difficult rally for me because all of the stages were new for me, and it was hard to know what to expect. I had to be a bit cleverer on Friday; maybe I was in too much of a rush to move forwards and one mistake cost us quite a lot. It was a very high-speed section, and I was a little bit optimistic on the braking point, a bit too late to turn in and we lost the line. Thank you to the team for fixing the car. It was not so easy to get back the confidence and the feeling, but it was nice to finish the rally and get some experience on all of the different stages. I found that the grip levels are changing a lot – more than I had expected after the recce – and it’s not easy to trust it 100 per cent. The car was amazing, but I was not able to use its full performance. Hopefully next time I can do that and have a better result.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“I have been flat out all weekend, and I am delighted to take our third podium in three rallies. We had tried hard to improve the car all weekend; the handling has been getting better. With our road position on the first day, it was tough; we ended Friday almost 40 seconds adrift of the lead. Since Saturday, things have been better and slowly we could catch up with Elfyn. He didn’t make it easy, so we had to fight hard right to the end. After today’s long stage, Otates, I was a bit disappointed, as I had to slow down for a couple of dogs on the road. That cost us time, but I stayed calm and saw an opportunity in the Power Stage. I pushed as hard as I could, without taking unnecessary risks. Second place is a great reward for the whole team.”
Dani Sordo
“I have mixed feelings because on the one hand I am pleased that we could score some good points for the championship, but there is also a little bit of frustration. The puncture we had on Friday prevented us from being more involved in the fight. We had higher expectations coming into this event. The competition is fierce and there are a lot of strong drivers at the front. We did well to bring the car home in the points and I am sure we can do an equally good job at our next rally. It has been great to be back in Mexico on amazing roads, in front of all these incredible spectators who give so much love and support to WRC. I’ve enjoyed it and I think we’ve shown our potential.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Ott Tanak
“Happy to cross the finish line, there was nothing more we could have taken from here. Still, it’s positive to at least take some points because on Friday it didn’t look like we could get any points. The car [performance] is there, it has always been there, it’s just me and the car are a bit of a mismatch, which is tricky but let’s see what we can come up with in the next weeks.”
Pierre-Louis Loubet
“It’s been a tough weekend for sure. A few mistakes with my driving, it’s like that. We can take experience and I know it will be good for the future. I am sure we will have some better days.”
Oliver Solberg (WRC2)
“Third isn’t exactly what we came here chasing,” said Oliver, “but it’s good for the championship and I’m happy enough. This is a really tough event. It’s tough for the tyres, the cars and everything, with the altitude, the heat and the rough, rough roads. We go home with some good points and a big smile.
“This rally has so many amazing people, so many fans and fantastic spectators, to give them something to cheer for is a really nice feeling.”
“There was a compression in the stage before,” explained Oliver. “It was not too big, but we dropped the three cylinders. After the stage, I was checking to the sensors and all the connectors, but we couldn’t find anything. That was a bit frustrating, it would have been nice to take more points.
“But OK, like I said, we had a good time on this rally, and we are more ahead than when we started. That’s good. I have to thank Elliott for another great job as well as the whole team. What a weekend for Toksport! Our team has been leading for the whole time. Congratulations to Gus [Greensmith] and Jonas [Andersson] on taking the win and with Emil [Lindholm] and Reeta [Hämäläinen] second it means we are dominating the podium. I’m very happy for everybody in Toksport – it’s a very cool bunch of people.”
Summary
Well, what an incredible return to Mexico for the championship! Seb drove a very good rally and took a very good victory. Having said that, Esapekka had a great first day and was leading when he crashed. It was a shame, as we lost a really good battle that could have lastest the whole rally. We will never know if the Finn could have kept Seb behind him. Hopefully we’ll get another chance this season to see them fight it out again.
Thierry had a crazy rally and took his time to find some pace out there, struggling to find the right set-up for his i20 Rally1, but once he got there was no stopping him. He got very lucky with taking second place on the final stage when Elfyn had the suspension problem.
Finally, Elfyn, we saw a really great drive from the Welshman, and he deserved to finish in second place. Winning the longest stage of the rally and setting a number of top three times out there. He really does not like and get on with the mickey mouse stages at all.
Next rally is Rally Croatia in the middle of April from the 20th to the 23rd. We know that Seb will be competing there as well, and the part time driver is leading the championship!
2023 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’
Today, I caught up with Eurosport pundit and commentator James Haydon to see what’s occurring. After a long career as a Superbike / Supersport rider himself, James is the perfect person to bounce a few things off and get some thoughts from a neutral with a constant eye on the ball.
It’s a long one, but it’s well worth the read.
Racing Armchair: The season opener is upon us. The new showdown format has been unveiled. Are you excited and do you agree it was time for a change?
James Haydon: “I’m always excited by a new season. It’s such a great championship. It’s so competitive and always so much fun to be a part of so it’s great to be back. There are always plus and minus points for the showdown. It generally keeps it tighter by the points reset but it often feels unfair, especially if you take in someone like Jason O’Halloran who’s had the rub of it for a couple of seasons now. I feel sorry for him really as by rights he should be a double British Champion by now but it’s racing, it’s the same for everyone but he’s just been very unlucky. That’s the negative of the showdown.”
“The showdown was brought in after Leon Camier steamrolled everyone and they didn’t want that to happen again. They wanted to avoid the championship being boring. Last year, did it work very well? Again plus and minuses for both sides of that one. It definitely needed a shake up and now it keeps the championship interesting doesn’t it? I’m yet to work out whether it’s going to be better or worse but we shall see. ”
Racing Armchair:I listened to the Off Track Podcast with Leon Haslam (Click and listen here) and he was quite vocal about the electronic differences between BSB (with no electronics) and World Superbikes (with full electronics) and how that will affect the younger riders from trying to move up to the world scene. Do you think riders from BSB are hindered by a lack of electronic aids?
James Haydon: I understand exactly what Leon was saying. Usually with the full electronics, it’s so different in ways like how you can use the throttle? How much you can trust it? It takes some learning, because if you come off a BSB spec system with no electronics and are straight onto a World Superbike with full electronics, you can’t suddenly just expect to jump on and ride it in the same way. You have to learn to trust it and the longer you’ve been in BSB, the harder it will be in some ways to jump on one and go. Likewise, the opposite way round is hard too when you go from using electronics to not using them”.
“The thing we found was the electronics cost a fortune to run. You need a proper engineer. You need a proper data man who’s going to study everything that needs studying and on top of that, the systems themselves are expensive. There’s no two ways about it, they do take something away from the riders. I think one of the reasons BSB is so exciting is these riders are going around with no electronics. I love Leon. He’s a great friend of mine but for him and people like Tom Sykes to come back from WSBK where they’ve been sort of spoiled with that extra blanket of electronics, it does make it harder for them.”
“I can remember the first time I saw an electronics package working in the flesh. 2004, I was on a Yamaha and funnily enough it was Leon on the Airwaves Ducati that year. He was running electronics and we weren’t. We were riding in the damp at Brands Hatch and while I was taking a corner, right on the edge of grip, Leon came around the outside of me and opened the throttle and just rode away. So I came back into the pits and spoke with Rob Mac and basically said “I’ve just witnessed those Ducati electronics and we are going to need something like that or we won’t be able to compete.”
“The thing is now the bikes have so much power, they’re very difficult to ride without the electronics. They’re designed from the factory with full electronics even as a road bike. So I can see both sides. As a rider, if you’ve grown up without them, then getting on a bike with them is going to be very hard but you’ll learn it. The problem being if you let electronics back in, where do you draw the line? A basic system almost like a controlled electronics package? It would have to be a standard, cheap package that would have to be the same parameters and settings for everyone but I do think it would take something away from the show. You always see the best riders rise to the top. With electronics it would be about who’s got the best package or even who’s got the most money.”
Racing Armchair: So we think it’s a good thing for the experienced riders in BSB who probably aren’t looking to step up to SBK, but how does it effect the younger riders like your Max Cook’s / Davey Todd’s / Jack Scott’s? Think back to Hicky and Taz at Donington SBK when they entered as wild cards. Do you think the lack of electronics shines a negative light on the skill set of BSB riders as it’s too much faffing about trying to set up when you and the team aren’t used to it?
James Haydon: “It’s true it’s much harder to do it all in one race. There’s no way you can get it all setup just for the one round either. It’s unfortunate as back in the day, you did a wild card and as long as you were on the good stuff, you were usually pretty competitive but with the rules we have now, you’re not. It’s all for a good reason though. It keeps the racing good but most important of all it keeps the racing affordable. We’ve never had so many competitive teams in BSB so again it’s swings and roundabouts. It’s unfortunate it doesn’t translate well in a wild card, but it does allow such a broad scope of person to be competitive in BSB. Although it’s much easier to go from no electronics to having them, than it is to go from having them to not.
Racing Armchair: I think someone like Stuart Higgs (BSB Series Director) probably has one eye on moving talent up, but am I right in thinking that his priority is to ensure BSB itself thrives first and foremost?
James Haydon: “Very much so. That’s what it does and that’s what it has done. Thrive. Yes it’s a bit harder for the stars moving up but then again that’s part of it. That’s BSB. I mean when you look at some of these packages now, like in MotoGP or World Superbikes, companies like Ducati, you can see how extensively good their package actually is and how in harmony the motorcycle works. We are in a good time of racing right now in all classes. It’s really interesting.”
“We do have to be a little careful with some of it. Careful with the aero not to allow the bikes to get to the point the aero is so invasive it stops good racing. Changing the feel of the front tyres. Not being able to follow closely like we see in Formula One, that’s the last thing we need for bikes. People talk about development for the future but on the road, these aerodynamics are all but irrelevant. Yes ok they work on the track but how far do you want to go? They need to cap that before it gets out of control. Imagine getting to a point when following a rider in front you have to drop back before you can attack. What’s the point in that? We have to carefully balance these things and not get into a situation where they ask “is it the best person that won or the best bike”? We are in a delicate position at the moment where technology might not allow the best talent to shine”.
Racing Armchair: Well speaking of talent shining, who of the rookies have you got your eyes on?
James Haydon: “There’s a couple. Max Cook for one really impressed in the Superstock. He was consistent and quick. I was impressed when he stepped onto the Supersport bike too. Into the top class, no mistakes. Not throwing the bike down the road. Just quick. He looks a right talent to me. He’s got a great team around him. Lee Jackson is quick. The team are very friendly and won’t put a great deal of pressure on him to do too much too soon. I think that’s a great little setup for Max. As long as he keeps his feet on the ground and sets realistic goals, it’s a really good opportunity for him to be able to miss a class and jump straight in. Very exciting!”
“Bradley Perie did really well in the 600’s. He’s a complicated rider, mentally. I really like the cut of his jib. He’s a bit bonkers and I’d like to see him do well. It’s really nice to see the progression of these people stepping up from the support classes like him and Jack Kennedy. Jack dominated the 600’s and he’s got nothing more to prove there at all. Some of the 600 riders needed to step up. If you spend too long riding a 600 you end up stuck in this situation where you ride everything like a 600. Rolling corner speeds rather than standing the bike up and firing it out of the corner. You can spend too long on a 600 and that can hamper your superbike development”.
“I also like Jack Scott. I’ve been impressed with him and the job that he did so I think someone like Jack will have a good season. Hopefully they all have a good season. These Superbikes, they’re naughty things and it doesn’t take a lot to get it wrong so I just want everyone to build and learn, safely.”
“I think it’s great for the championship because it did get a little bit stale in some ways. Last year felt like a real changing of the guards in some ways. That’s really important because we have seen the same names in BSB for years. Like World Superbikes, you see them [other riders] moving around you’re thinking “What are you doing? If you couldn’t beat Johnny Rea on that bike, you’re not going to beat him on this bike instead!” It’s been like 5+ years and it’s taken new talent coming in, namely Toprak, plus experienced guys like Bautista. You see it and you think “I can’t believe some of these guys are still in there and still doing it!” Make the change, try someone new, get some new talent in!”
Racing Armchair: So on the theme of the experienced guys also moving teams, how do you see Josh Brookes getting on at FHO BMW this year?
James Haydon: “Fascinating! For the last couple of years he seems to have really struggled. I don’t think the bike has been anywhere near as bad as he made it look. Just look at Sykes. When he had his head in gear at Donington, he just went out and won. I asked the team at the time, “What have you done?” and they were like “Nothing!” while scratching their heads. It’s just that Tom felt happy that day and that’s that.”
“It’s difficult to know with Brookes. He’s getting older and it can change you a little bit. I’m really not sure if his best is behind him and he’s on the way down and maybe this is where he is now, but he thought the problem was the Ducati and decided he needed a change of team and swapped bikes, giving it another go on something else. I wouldn’t say the BMW is the easiest of motorcycles but Hicky has ridden it very well this last few years and Josh was fastest in recent tests. I think it’s going to be very interesting. I really like Josh Brookes and think he has been amazing in this championship. He’s been a champion for us and he’s been super fast but he’s struggled this last few years, some of it seemed in his own head if you ask me, but he needed the change to prove to himself one way or the other. I think we will just have to wait and see.”
Racing Armchair: How do you see some of the other moves panning out, such as Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell to Paul Bird on the Ducati?
James Haydon: “Well Glenn has ridden there before. Glenn is a fiery character and Birdy is not too easy either. Tommy Bridewell is also a fiery character so that is a fascinating one to play out. I really hope they all make it to the end of the year together! One thing Birdy does, even though he’s a hard team boss, he gives you an amazing motorcycle and an amazing team. I am a big fan of Paul Bird and everything he has done for the sport. Glenn and Tommy? I can see fireworks and kicking off in that team quite easily. They are both hard, tough riders. Tommy has been in a one-man team for for the last few years and it will be a different feel at Birdy’s but Bridewell needed a change. He still on a Ducati. He’s been top Ducati most of the time and I can see why Birdy looked at him. I think if they all get off to a good start, they’ll be ok but if they struggle a bit, I think there will be fireworks.”
Racing Armchair: Ryan Vickers at OMG is going to be interesting.
James Haydon: “It’s kinda’ funny because I really rated Vickers a few years ago. He was like in the “Max Cook” shoes with a very promising start but he seems to keep having loads of big crashes, silly ones very early on during the races and he just seems to be trying too hard. He’s lost his way, lost his mojo. He’s struggled but that Yamaha R1 is a great motorcycle. It dominated last year. OMG and McAMS bikes have got to be the easiest package spread across all the circuits. Ok they might not be great in any one area but they’re so good in all the areas and the teams are really impressive. OMG have impressed how quickly they have come to the forefront.”
“Kyle Ryde will be a good benchmark for Vickers. I was disappointed with Kyle Ryde last year. I didn’t think he was consistent enough. He was very hit and miss. He can be super quick but there are question marks on how much he wants it and the effort he puts in away from the track. Both Kyle and Ryan are in a team that can win the championship and it’s going to be very interesting. I hope Vickers has a good year. I like him as a rider and I want to see the young British talent doing well. He’s been lost and I hope he finds his way again. I think Kyle Ryde is going to be a nice team mate for Vickers but Kyle needs to step up now. He’s got everything he needs to win that Championship but it comes down to how hard he works.”
Racing Armchair: So who’s your money on for the Championship?
James Haydon: “Oh it’s such a difficult one. You have to look at the Yamahas. Don’t write off Jason O’Halloran. He’s always been so fast and so consistent but he has to ensure he doesn’t have issues with the showdown, mentally, because it’s always been so cruel to him the last few years. He’s one of the favorites. I think he’s on his own in McAMS. Tim Neave hasn’t shown anything to be able to say he’s going to come in and challenge for the championship just yet but then neither has his brother Tom, in the Honda Racing UK camp.
“Christian Iddon in the Oxford Products garage is in a great, one-man team who will really be loved and really appreciated there. He could easily challenge for the championship.”
“Glenn [Irwin] is always going to be there or thereabouts. Last year it was amazing he was there in the showdown as he had been missing for most of the year but then the showdown came along and went his way, next thing he’s in second overall.”
“Danny Kent. We haven’t mentioned him yet. He’s gone really well in testing on his Honda. He’s a quick rider. If he can get his confidence going, he could be really good”. Speaking of Honda, Davey Todd. He could win a race and get on the podium but I’m not sure he will have enough for the whole championship but I certainly see him being a showdown man.”
“Tommy Bridewell is going to be there or thereabouts as will Lee Jackson. Lee is very good but he’s just missing that small bit of ultimate ruthlessness, killer instinct to actually win the championship but I would love to be proven wrong by him. We have so many great names in there like Danny Buchan and lots of other great guys like Hickman.”
Racing Armchair: Come on James, you’ve named nearly everyone there. If you had a cheeky £10 on it now, who would you put it on?
James Haydon: If I had to put the house on it, I’d say O’Halloran. He’s been the most consistently fast man in the championship and I think you can’t deny him. He’s dominated but things just haven’t gone his way but he’s showed his speed and the fact Taz and Brad have moved to World Superbikes, Jason will see it as a golden opportunity. So I’d just have him a nose in front of the rest.”
“I can’t wait really. It’s exciting and I just hope we all have a good weekend and the weather is nice it should be absolutely brilliant!”
Silverstone BSB Round 1 this weekend. As James says, it’s going to be a very exciting event.
Follow me on twitter for more bikes and banter @RacingArmchair
First things first, sport is meant to be entertaining. The unpredictability, the drama, and the displays of skill and athleticism are all reasons why we watch it.
Sometimes Formula One falls short on the first two, hence the introduction of the budget cap, sprint races and many other rule changes brought in over the years in an attempt to ‘spice up the racing’. How ironic it is that on the weekend where Michael Masi returned to the F1 paddock for the first time since Abu Dhabi 2021, the talk is once again about how the rules have been applied in ways they weren’t intended – and the debate on how far Formula One should go to supply entertainment reignited once again.
It looked like the race was heading to a very predictable conclusion, with Max Verstappen cruising to victory, as Lewis Hamilton looked to be doing just enough to hold on to second from Fernando Alonso. That predictability was shattered, however, when Kevin Magnussen lost a tyre after hitting the wall. The Dane pulled off-track, but with his left rear stricken on the racing line, people’s thoughts understandably turned to a virtual, or even a full, safety car. This was initially the case before the decision was made to red flag the race, as the amount of debris on the circuit would have led to the race finishing under the safety car.
Many drivers voiced their astoundment at this decision, both during and after the race. There had already been one red flag, after Alex Albon had crashed out, in another situation where it seemed like a safety car would be sufficient. This second stoppage meant there would only be two laps of racing action left, effectively giving fans a super short sprint race. Which turned out to last less than a sector, with three accidents before turn three leading to a final stoppage, and the race finishing under the safety car – exactly the scenario that the race directors were trying to avoid.
The red flag led to what could be known as ‘Schrodinger’s lap 56’. On the one hand, the lap never happened, as the final restart was carried out using the positions from the end of lap 55. On the other hand, both Alpines, Nyck de Vries and Logan Sargeant had been eliminated from the race in the chaos, with Carlos Sainz receiving a 5-second penalty for spinning Alonso, even though the Aston Martin had now technically lost nothing in the spin. In normal situations, a 5-second penalty is annoying, but this penalty effectively equalled a disqualification, dropping Sainz to the back of the field with no chance of recovery.
Of course, safety has to come first in Formula One, and the safest way of clearing up debris after an accident is ensuring that no cars can come near the marshals, hence the need for safety cars and red flags. But the amount of red flags and safety cars in recent seasons has led to rumblings that they are used as a tool to close up the pack and inject excitement into races which seems a foregone conclusion. This alone isn’t a bad thing, as long as it is clear when this is going to happen, so viewers, drivers and teams aren’t left guessing what decision the FIA will make today. Team bosses made comments in a similar vein, with Christian Horner and Toto Wolff being in rare disagreement that they want to see races finish under a green flag, but it should be clear what the procedure is with late-race incidents.
Fans want to be left on the edge of their seats by what they are seeing out on track. If it feels necessary to stop a race to add to that excitement, then perhaps the sport has bigger problems that no amount of flag-waving will solve.
Davey Todd, the reigning Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Champion this year steps up to the British Superbike series along with his team, Milenco by Padgettts Honda after a successful assault on the Superstock Championship in 2022.
Clive Padgett and the whole squad have made the leap up alongside fan favorite, Davey Todd to BSB. Multiple road race winner and Isle of Man TT podium finisher, Davey is keen to set the record straight for anyone wondering, not only does he intend to take British Superbikes very seriously, it’s just as important as his beloved road racing and he plans to give both disciplines the full commitment they deserve.
I caught up with him to see what’s on his mind and where his head is at.
Racing Armchair: So let’s talk BSB…
Davey Todd: “It’s nice actually because a lot of the media attention comes at you from the Road Racing because everyone looks at me like a TT rider. You usually get everyone coming at you from that direction as opposed to anything else. When you do alright in British Superbikes, people are watching you because of the roads and then they’re usually shocked that you aren’t “just a road racer” which I’ve been trying to prove for a bit now.”
Racing Armchair: Meaning a lot of people think you only crossed over because of Covid and there being a lack of road racing?
Davey Todd: “Actually more so being that I’ve actually only done a full season in the British paddock once in my life [prior to 2022] and that was in Stock 600 in 2016. Since then I’ve done the roads, because I was given an opportunity there, but no one would even give me a chance in BSB so it wasn’t because I didn’t want to be there.”
“I love road racing but I also love short circuit racing and never wanted to come out of it. Ever since leaving in 2017 I’ve wanted to be back and worked on the opportunities to return. By that point, I had started to do well on the roads and people just treat you as a road racer and ask things like “Oh are you just coming back to do a few rounds to get yourself up to speed for the roads?” and it’s like, no! I want to be a short circuit racer but people don’t seem to believe that. The road racing alone isn’t my goal. Don’t get me wrong, I want to do the roads. I love it. I want to do the TT too but I also want to be a short circuit racer.”
Racing Armchair: So the plan then is to do both properly, rather than choosing one over the other?
Davey Todd: Exactly. “I will be working just as hard at both of them, side by side. I feel I have a good team around me to do that too. Padgetts are experienced on both sides, albeit a bit more on the roads but they know how it works in BSB paddock. The team haven’t been in the British Championship for something like 10 years, then we came back last year and won the Superstock Championship. For sure it’s a big step up to Superbikes but there’s no reason why we can’t do it. The team build superbikes for the road, while they’re a little bit more ‘stock’ than most bikes in BSB I think, but we work with what we’ve got and we’ll see how we get on.”
Racing Armchair: Would it be fair to say, with your experience on the Superbikes from the Road Racing, you’re not as worried about the step up to Superbikes this year?
Davey Todd: In a way, but I wouldn’t say I’m worried about the step up really. It’s a new venture but mainly for people who haven’t used MoTec (electrical systems). Me and the team throughout the testing sessions we have just been learning the MoTec systems which is probably the biggest part of jumping up to BSB. The fact that everyone thinks getting used to no traction control, no anti-wheelie and no electronic aids is the thing as is the case with MoTec, but I’ve never used any of that stuff anyway. I’ve always preferred to ride with nothing. I think that step will definitely make it easier for me but then a lot of other things are different with the step up. Believe it or not the tyre size change [from Superstock to Superbike] not even the fact we change to a slick tyre, but the size itself is different size which creates a different feeling. On top of that there’s also the racing to get used to with a new schedule. 3 races per weekend etc.”
Racing Armchair: Have you changed the training routine for the Superbike v the Superstock? Do you need to be even stronger?
Davey Todd: “No not necessarily. It’s a common thought, but these days it really isn’t a thing. Yes the races are a little bit longer [than Superstock] but it’s only like 2 – 4 laps and yes there’s an extra race per weekend but people go on about the power difference but there isn’t really now. The Superstock bikes are so good these days and all over 200bhp in stock trim anyway, so any engine builder can give you like 250bhp but then you can’t ride them because we still have no traction control, no anti wheelie like they do in World Superbikes and the biggest difference in SBK is they have the electronic intervention. We don’t have that at all in BSB so that power is just not going to be useable.”
“You hear a lot of riders run the engines basically stock, or just over stock power. Not really a big difference. The bike feeling is pretty similar, it just does everything that little bit better and you can fine tune it all. You have a bit more grip. A bit more edge grip. You can stop the bike a bit faster. Your riding style has to change a tiny bit to get the most out of the tyres [on a Superbike]. The lap times we did last year in Superstock, a lot of the time were only like a second a lap off what they were doing in Superbikes. There’s really not a lot in it.”
Racing Armchair: Has there been any set expectations from the team or just suck it and see?
Davey Todd: “No. There’s never any expectations from Clive and the team. The atmosphere there is very much on the relaxed side of things. They’re so laid back and REALLY passionate about racing and wanting to do well. But Clive couldn’t be any more laid back. He’s an awesome team boss. Whether it is going out for a test session at the start of the year in Spain, or it’s sat on the start line in the Senior at the Isle of Man TT, he says the same thing to me, “Go out and enjoy yourself”. That says everything you need to know.
“There’s never any pressure from the team to do anything. We are all there to do as good as we can though. It’s not like if Clive says “Can you ride a bit harder” you actually do ride harder because you are already riding as fast as you can go. It’s not like you need someone telling you to speed up, certainly not me anyway. Any pressure on me comes from myself, no one else. In the same breath though, we aren’t in the championship to make up the numbers. I didn’t want the step up for the team to be going out and scoring a couple of points. I want to be competitive and the team think they can be and I agree with them. I’m really excited to find out!”
Thanks for your time Davey. Good luck with the start of the season this weekend from all the team at Pitcrew Online.
Follow me on twitter for more bikes and banter @RacingArmchair
Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki are partnering this year with Jack Scott along side the returning Liam Delves.
Jack joins the team as the reigning Quatro Group British GP2 Champion, having won the series in 2022, taking a whopping 14 victories within the GP2 Class on board the RS Racing Kalex.
After 71 podiums within the British Paddock during his tenure, Jack will debut in the Superbike class at the upcoming Silverstone round.
Team Owner Dean Hipwell recently said of Jack: “We were pleased to announce the signing of Jack for 2023. He impressed us during the 2022 season with some good rides against the main Supersport field.”
I caught up with Jack to see what his mindset is prior to the Silverstone round and he was very upbeat about the task ahead. Excited, nervous, but most of all eager to get on with the job.
Racing Armchair: Are the nerves kicking in?
Jack Scott: “Definitely. We had a good test out in Spain. I had a little bit of a crash on day two which isn’t ideal. Then we came back to the U.K and it rained throughout testing. We didn’t really get much running time in the dry at all so the nerves are definitely kicking in for this weekend. I want to get the first race under my belt, see where we stand and go from there.”
Racing Armchair: Stepping up from GP2 to British Superbikes, is it nice to be off the hook somewhat on the food intake and allowing you to engage the strength training / muscle building etc?
Jack Scott: Yes 100%. Not just in GP2 but throughout my whole career, being a tall guy I have always had to keep and eye on my weight. Moving on to a superbike, it’s not so much of a worry with 230+ brake horse power. Being 6ft2 it’s also nice to be on a bike that actually fits me rather than being too big for it. Not so much worried about weight, but I can now do a lot more strength exercises and lots of cardio. I mean it’s obvious I can’t be at McDonalds all the time, but it’s nice not to be worried about being able to treat yourself once in a while.
Racing Armchair: In terms of expectations, what conversations have you had with the Team Management?
Jack Scott: “So far the team has been really relaxed. Dean [Dean Hipwell – Team Owner] has said let’s just learn the bike and you have to also remember it’s a brand new team to me. It’s a whole new environment so I have to learn who everyone is and all the stuff that comes with that. Dean has expectations on my training, as in he expects me to train hard, as I am going from two races a weekend up to three now on the superbikes, which is obviously a big difference and the races are longer in length, more laps etc. But he hasn’t put any pressure on me yet. It is my first season in the BSB and think if you pile the pressure on early, you are going to end up really de-motivated. Every racer is here to win but that’s the highest of expectations. Obviously once we get the first few races under our belt, we will have more of an idea of where things stand.”
Racing Armchair: On the amount of rookies stepping up to BSB this year, do you think that will add to the pressure?
Jack Scott: “Me and Dean had the conversation about the rookie element and I know the media have picked up on it too. The Rapid CDH Team’s stance on that is you can’t put yourself under the pressure of trying to be “Top Rookie” because you aren’t going to perform as well overall. You have to take it race by race and not worry about what other people are doing. As I said, let’s get the first race underway and see what’s what.”
——————————————
Lining up along side Liam Delves, Jack is in a good position to benefit from the team’s experience and data collected over the last few seasons, especially from it’s owner Dean Hipwell who has spent years inside the paddock running his own team and racing under the same banner. Good luck to Jack being one of the new faces on the grid and we at the Pitcrew Online hope for a successful, safe season for him. Good luck Jack!
Follow me on twitter for more bikes and banter @RacingArmchair
The first trip for Formula 2 in Australia saw Red Bull Juniors take home the trophies, but it was not without a hard weekend of work.
Sprint Race:
The F2 Sprint saw a very clean start from everyone Hauger lead from Crawford and Maini by the end of lap 1. Leclerc tried to make a pass going towards sector 3 which saw 4 wide at one point. Iwasa had a huge lock up on lap 2 which ruined his tyres and had to pit to change his tyres. Leclerc made a move on Maini going into the chicane but Maini fought back later on in the lap. Monleoney, Martins and Bearman were all fighting with Hadjar and Vesti with all of them switching positions but Maloney just managed to get the lead of the bunch.
Doohan made contact with Juan Manual Correa after which he spun onthe kerb and his race was over. It started to rain from this point so some people gambled on wet tyres. However, the rain did not come so the gamble did not pay off. The safety car was meant to come in on lap 18 but Benevides crashed at the final corner so we had 2 laps of the race left when the safety car went back. Pourchaire had a visit to the gravel trap due to his wet tyres and track not being wet. Hauger managed to hold everyone off to take the victory over Crawford and Maini which round off the podium.
Feature Race:
The F2 Feature Race saw Iwasa hold the lead inro turn 1 and Verchoor struggled at the back of the back by going off. Crawford and Maini went side by side as they battled through the opening lap. On lap 7, Doohan tried to get past Crawford but Crawford ended up coming off worse and into the barrier which brought out the safety car. Hadjar and Bearman ended up colliding in the pitlane and they both had to pit again.
Nissany and Fittipaldi battled on lap 14 and Nissany managed to hold onto the position. Hadjar was pushed off at the penultimate corner and dropped down many places. Iwasa then managed to get through to 2nd position on lap 20. Nissany collided with the wall on lap 26 which saw the race leader Vesti going into the pits and going down to P7. Just before the restart on lap 30, however, Martins went into the back of Hauger and both of them went off and ended up dropping down to the back of the grid. This brought Arther Leclerc into the podium positions and Vesti trying to hunt Leclerc down for a podium but the Monegasque managed to hold him off and get his first podium. Iwasa won the race with Pourchaire in P2.
Featured image courtesy of Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
Verstappen wins a chaotic Australian Grand Prix under very confusing circumstances. Hamilton finished P2 in a mixed day for the team while Alonso finished in P3 for the third time this season despite nearly being taken out of the race by Sainz in a dramatic restart towards the end of the race.
Lights out and Verstappen came straight across to cover off the advances of Russell, but his attempt was not successful. The reigning world champion did appear to exercise some caution with a slower exit from turn two. He seemed to be struggling.
Behind them, Leclerc had made a good start but Stroll was coming up close behind him. Leclerc turned into turn three but Stroll had taken the apex of the corner and tapped his rear right-hand side. Leclerc went for a spin and ended up in the gravel, ending his race prematurely.
At the same time, Verstappen leaves enough gap for Hamilton to be alongside him into turn three. It was a brave move from the seven-time world champion but he makes it through the inside of Verstappen. There were a few complaints on the radio but everything was deemed a lap one racing incident.
The safety car was deployed with a Mercedes one-two. On the restart, Russell made sure he pulled a gap to his teammate and the now-frustrated Verstappen. Everyone got a clean lap with Hamilton and Verstappen closing gradually on Russell. The driver from Kingslynn was on the radio asking if he is to defend against his teammate or preserve his tyres but he was answered when they called him into the pits for a new set of hard tyres. Russell came out in P7 on lap 6, but just one lap later it would prove to be the wrong decision.
Albon lit up the rear tyres into turns six and seven and spun straight into the barrier, projecting gravel all over the track. Albon was out and initially, the safety car was deployed. But the FIA needed time to get rid of the gravel on the track and brought out the red flag.
This gave everyone a free choice of tyres before the restart but was unfortunate timing for Russell. They rolled out on the formation lap before lining up on the grid for the restart. Russell was down in P7 with work to do while Hamilton was in P1 with Verstappen alongside.
Most drivers were on hard tyres so at the restart it was obvious they couldn’t get the immediate grip they wanted. Verstappen struggled again with the standing start but Alonso backed out of a move on the outside of turn one due to the lack of temperature in his tyres.
The lead for Hamilton wouldn’t last long though. On lap 12 Verstappen had DRS and a superior pace around the outside of Hamilton to take the lead of the race. Meanwhile, behind them, the other Mercedes made his way up into P4, past Gasly.
Sainz and Perez were also making their way through the pack. Sainz made turn three his new favourite overtaking spot but getting past Norris and then Tsunoda in consecutive laps. Perez used his extra pace to make it up to P13 before the next major incident.
Without warning, on lap 19, flames began to spit out the back of Russell’s car. Mercedes later suggested it was a power unit failure. However, Russell was able to safely stop at the end of the pitlane and get out of the car. This brought out a Virtual Safety Car and closed the pitlane. Therefore there were no changes of tyres for anyone and the race got back underway once the flames had been put out.
Perez continued his good form by making it into the points with a fantastic double move on Piastri and Tsunoda on lap 23. Piastri and Tsunoda had been battling for the majority of the race at this point, so when Piastri finally made the move on the Alpha Tauri on lap 29, the home crowd roared.
By lap 32 the race had settled into business as usual. Verstappen was setting consistent fastest laps, but Perez was able to make the most of DRS zones and get his name on the fastest lap board. Hamilton and Alonso then entered the fastest lap chat as they closed the gap to Verstappen.
At this point, the teams were considering a second stop due to potentially being on the hard tyres for 49 laps by the end of the race. The battle was mostly between Aston Martin and Mercedes trying to work out who would jump first.
However, their questions were answered when, in a strange incident, Magnussen lost his rear right tyre. It appeared that on the exit of turn two, he just went too wide and hit the wall, losing his tyre and bringing out another safety car, and eventually the red flag two laps later.
It was all set up then for a two-lap sprint to the finish with everyone changing to soft tyres. It would be another standing start as stipulated in the rules. As the cars lined up on the grid it looked as though Verstappen was very far forward in his box. He was however his wheels were still on the line and therefore in the box.
Absolute chaos ensued at the restart. Verstappen got away well with Hamilton hanging on the P2. Behind the Sainz had made a good start but he hit the rear of Alonso in front causing the Aston to spin on the exit of turn two.
Behind them, Gasly locked up into turn one and ended up across the grass before getting back on the track. As he arrived on the track he didn’t see the car of his teammate on the outside of turn two. Gasly veered back to the racing line but collided with Ocon pushing both into the wall and out of the race.
Perez also took a trip across the gravel but made it out safely, while at the back Sargent locked up into the back of De Vries. Both got stuck in the gravel and were out of the race. Unsurprisingly the red flag was deployed again but this led to some confusion about restarting for a fourth time.
With everyone back in the pitlane the clock was on lap 58 of 58, meaning only one racing lap left. Any laps behind the safety car count as racing laps so it appeared the race would finish behind the safety car, but the question was what order would the cars be in.
At the British Grand Prix in 2022, the red flag came out before the cars had made it through sector one so they went back to the last known order of the cars, the grid. This was a similar situation. The red flag came out before Verstappen made it to turn five, meaning they didn’t have any timings for drivers after the restart and would have to go back to the order from the grid on lap 57.
Once the crashed cars had been taken out of this grid order, it meant that Alonso was back up in P3 with Sainz in P4, Piastri in the points and Hulkenberg down in P8. This frustrated Haas as Hulkenberg was up in P4 after the carnage at the start. To rub salt in the wound for them, Sainz was given a five-second time penalty for causing a collision with Alonso.
After a re-shuffle of the cars in the pitlane, they headed out on the final lap. At the end, the safety car peeled off and Verstappen took the chequered flag with Hamilton in P2 and Alonso in P3. Sainz attempted to create a small gap but with the cars bunched up he dropped to the back of the pack and out of the points.
Only 12 cars finished the race and McLaren managed to capitalise on this with both cars getting points. Piastri was extremely happy to get his first points in F1 in his first home race and he gave plenty for the home fans to cheer about after a long race day.
We now wait until the end of April for the next race, but I imagine this won’t be the last we hear of the restart procedure for that time.
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.
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 28th.
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 17th.
After topping the third practice session, Romano Fenati was only able to place his bike in 18th 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