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Bennetts British Superbikes 2022 Round 5 from Brands Hatch

Looking back at the weekends BSB action from Brands Hatch, the first thing coming to my mind is what a dominant performance from the McAMS Yamaha squad! Jason O’Halloran having taken one race victory and 2 x second places while Tarran Mackenzie opposed Jason with a second place and then 2 x victories. It was plain to see prior to the races the McAMS team had serious race pace after practice and qualifying but I for one hoped for a challenge from the other manufacturers would be forthcoming to mix things up. It wasn’t a disappointment to see Yamaha dominate proceedings, but it’s always fun when we have different bikes battling over wins.

BSB Brands Hatch 24.07.2022 Jason O’Halloran Picture courtesy of Brands Hatch Official

Mackenzie seemed relaxed and in really good spirits before the start of Race 1 on the Saturday. Even joking with Eurosport on the grid about how his lack of traction control on the BSB spec Yamaha had nearly high sided him to Kent! Happy to be further up and hoping to have taken another little step towards full fitness after his extra round run out at Donington Park. Tarran certainly had ambitions towards the front of the pack and climbing back towards the showdown positions.MCE PBM Ducati rider, Josh Brookes, was optimistic saying the team and himself were focused on making progress with the bike. Landing on the podium would be a big step for the team and the Panigale V4.Honda Racings’ Glenn Irwin was feeling good after a strong round at Knockhill and a good test at Donington Park, but noted that all four of the Honda riders were complaining of the same issues. Glenn had gone radical on some new settings on the CBR1000RR including reverting back to the standard Honda swinging arm. Acknowledging that Honda go well at the Brands round but not especially in the Superbike category, Glenn was hoping for a run of solid top 10 finishes. Unfortunately, not to be the case for Glenn in race 1 as he lost the front end into the Druids hairpin on lap 1, thus ending his Saturday much earlier than expected.Brad Ray was happy on the grid. Acknowledging it was his first front row start at his home circuit in the Superbike category, Brad was very much aware of the pace the McAMS Yamaha team had in their pockets. A lot was said in not so many words “I just hope we can stick it to the McAMS boys!”Jason O’Halloran’s plan was simple enough. Go and win!Race 1 was an expected battle between the Yamaha riders with O’Halloran, Ray and Mackenzie within a second of each other for most of the race but the surprise addition to the party was Tommy Bridewell on the Oxford Products Ducati Panigale. Ray and Mackenzie squabbled over second place, lap after lap which allowed O’Halloran to stretch his lead to a hand full of bike lengths. Bridewell made his way forward from his starting position of 4th, having frequented the podium at Brands in 2021, it was all looking goodfor Bridewell before finding himself held behind Kyle Ryde for a handful of laps.

BSB Brands Hatch 24.07.2022 Tommy Bridewell Picture courtesy of Oxford Products Ducati

A chasing pack of Haslam, Jackson, Iddon and Vickers sat in behind and held on to the pace as the laps counted down with Brookes further back in a lonely 7th place. Bridewell continued his charge eventually passing Ryde and bridging the gap to the front running Yamahas, joining in the fight for race victory and the podium positions. It would seem though Bridewell had used a lot of tyre passing Ryde and then racing to join front pack, eventually finding himself in second place in front of Mackenzie and Ray after a flurry of position exchangesand a bit of a moment from Mackenzie where he seemed to miss a gear coming out of Surtees. Mackenzie wasn’t to be beaten to second though and after some very exciting racing, we rounded the final curve with O’Halloran followed by Mackenzie, Bridewell and Ray.

BSB Brands Hatch 24.07.2022 Josh Brookes Picture courtesy of Brands Hatch Official

Race 1 Result :-1 – O’Halloran; 2 – Mackenzie; 3 – Bridewell; 4 – Ray; 5 – Ryde; 6 – Brookes;6 – Brookes; 7 – Skinner; 8 – Haslam; 9 – Jackson; 10 – Iddon; 11 – Hickman;            12 – Kent; 13 – Sykes; 14 – Andrew Irwin; 15 – OwensRace 2 lines up slightly different due to the race results of the previous day.Mackenzie on pole from Bridewell, Ray, O’Halloran, Haslam, Jackson, Ryde, Brookes, Skinner and Vickers. Vickers who managed a fastest lap inside the top 10 even with a race 1 crash, goes on to crash in race 2 which makes it his 7th crash in 9 races. Vickers was linked with the PBM Ducati team mid-season 2021 for a 2022 ride prior to the team deciding to go with Josh Brookes and Tom Sykes instead.

Glenn Irwin lines up in 17th after his first lap crash from Saturday’s race. Lap 1 incidents are again present for Glenn after having to take avoiding action when brother, Andy Irwin clips Peter Hickman causing a crash for the Synetiq BMW and running both Peter and Glenn off the track and leaving a mountain to climb for both the BMW and Honda riders.

Another strange incident involved Lee Jackson when he slipped off on lap 4 with Christian Iddon seeming to crash in sympathy directly behind him, with perhaps a momentary distraction upsetting the apple cart for the Buildbase Suzuki rider following the FS3 Kawasaki off the tarmac. Josh Brookes then went on to DNF in a very similar crash to that of Lee Jackson on lap 7.A mega fight back from Glenn Irwin put him in 10th for race 2. A strong performance from this year’s reigning champion, Tarran Mackenzie ended with himself back on to the podium, ultimately taking the win over his McAMS teammate, Jason O’Halloran followed by another solid podium from Tommy Bridewell.After this result, the championship lead swings in favour of Jason O’Halloran after a very strong couple of rounds from the Australian.Race 2 Result :-1 – Mackenzie; 2 – O’Halloran; 3 – Bridewell; 4 – Ray; 5 – Haslam; 6 – Skinner; 7 – Ryde; 8 – Sykes; 9 – Kent; 10 – Glenn Irwin; 11 – Neave; 12 – Hickman; 13 – Takahashi; 14 – Owens; 15 – BuchanRace 3 went on to start very positively for both Ray and Mackenzie. JoshBrookes cemented his weekend to forget for him and the MCE Ducati teamwith a lap one crash (interestingly Tom Sykes was also wheeled off the grid and subsequently couldn’t start the race); while Glenn Irwin clearly had a point to prove with his up the inside move at Paddock Hill Bend to take the lead of the race on lap 3.

BSB Brands Hatch 24.07.2022 Tom Sykes Picture courtesy of Paul Bird Motorsport MCE Ducati

The Yamaha’s spent a few laps squabbling over second place as Ray and O’Halloran exchanged overtakes but a move from Ray on Irwin ultimately handed O’Halloran the place back when Ray ran wide trying to complete the move. The interruption to Irwin’s rhythm led to a loss of 2 places in the spaceof a few corners which left him in third behind Mackenzie where he ultimately went on to finish. A very positive ending to a difficult weekend for Glenn but Brands has always been a bit of a bogey track for the Honda man.

Bridewell had another solid and very positive run overtaking Ray for 4th place (only to be pipped back by Ray before the finish line), while Mackenzie went on to overtake his teammate for the lead on lap 15. O’Halloran wasn’t up for settling, and lined up a run into the last corner to, and snatch the lead from, Mackenzie on the final lap but in true Hopper v Hill and very typical of Brands, O’Show got the move done, up the inside of Mackenzie under braking, but ran wide allowing Mackenzie to cut back and out drag Jason to the line to take the final race win of the weekend.This Racing Armchair predicted Tarran could easily be into the showdown positions after a good show at Brands, unfortunately this performance has come at the expense of Josh Brookes whom has slipped from the showdown spots to 11th after his double DNF.Race 3 Results :-1 – Mackenzie; 2 – O’Halloran; 3 – Glenn Irwin; 4 – Ray; 5 – Bridewell;6 – Haslam; 7 – Ryde; 8 – Hickman; 9 – Skinner; 10 – Jackson; 11 – Iddon; 12 – Andy Irwin; 13 – Buchan; 14 – Takahashi; 15 – Rouse

BSB Brands Hatch 24.07.2022 Tarran McKenzie & Jason O’Halloran Picture courtesy of McAMS Yamaha

My positive of the weekend has to be Tarran Mackenzie proving he can come off a round of World Superbikes, riding on different electronics and fall back into BSB winning races. That is a massive warning shot across the bow of the other riders in the series. They have had a little break from Tarran while he worked on recovering and coming back to being fully fit. I think like busses, we have waited for one and now twelve could come at once and I think Tarran will go on now to post a series of wins. No stranger to coming from behind to win in the showdown, as he did in 2021, Tarran has laid down a glove to his competition and especially his team mate. Watch this space.My negative is twofold. It was so nice to see Brookes smiling on the grid of race 1. The series needs people like Josh. Never afraid to speak his mind and not always playing the corporate man, Josh is still a breath of fresh air in the paddock so to see a double DNF was pretty soul destroying for me and will no doubt harm any confidence built up in the last few weeks. This links back to a story I wrote a few weeks ago about the position the Panigale finds itself in where every other manufacturer seems to have bridged the gap to the Ducati and ultimately has dismissed any obvious advantage the Panigale once had. So much so that when Tom Sykes didn’t start race 3, he didn’t seem particularly bothered. He seemed more relieved that he didn’t have to go and wrestle a result from the Panigale V4 but thatis  just my observation. Perhaps it’s just the usually level headed, pragmatic Yorkshireman not letting a dismal continuation of his first season back in BSB get under his skin. I’m sure Tom will click with the Duke soon enough.My second negative is one of disappointment for Danny Buchan. The Synetiq BMW rider has had strong finishes at Brands Hatch in the past but this weekend it wasn’t to be. DNF, 15th and a 13th certainly aren’t the results Danny, or the team would want. This weekend’s results at Brands have dropped Buchan (as in the case of Brookes) out of the showdown at the hands of Hickman and Mackenzie.A three week break to Thruxton should give some riders time to come down to earth again and also allows other riders to pick themselves up, dust themselves down and remember they’re all part of the best national championship on the planet!P.S Josh, if you fancy a pint send me a DM. No one gives better advice than The Racing Armchair!Take care everyone.@RacingArmchair

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Leclerc loses out again as Verstappen wins French GP

Max Verstappen took a giant step towards retaining the world championship with his seventh victory of the season at Paul Ricard, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed out from the lead.

The Monegasque driver looked to be controlling the race before losing the rear at turn 11, hitting the barriers and retiring from the lead for the third time this season. This handed the race to Verstappen, who never looked like losing after that, and now has a sixty-three-point lead over Leclerc in the championship.

It was a great day for Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton coming home second with George Russell in third, securing the Brackley-based team’s first double podium in 2022. Sergio Perez was fourth for Red Bull after a disappointing weekend for the Mexican.

Hamilton’s great start. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media

In a race where track temperatures reached upwards of 50°C, tyre management was crucial, and the opening stages resembled Friday practice, with Verstappen looking to have the pace over Leclerc. Both were pulling away from the rest of the pack, which was being led by Hamilton after a brilliant start from the Brit, who was celebrating his 300th race in Formula One.

Despite this apparent pace advantage, Verstappen could only get alongside the Ferrari once, as overtaking opportunities were once again at a premium. This would prove to be his one and only chance to make the move on track, as the pace pendulum swung towards Leclerc. Being able to manage his tyres in clean air (and keep Max behind where it mattered), meant that Charles was in a better position as the laps ticked by, and was eventually able to pull a two-second gap before Verstappen pitted on lap 16.

Ferrari chose not to react instantly, with Leclerc’s tyres seemingly in a good condition. The car had looked unstable at the rear on a few occasions in the race, and it was that instability that proved to be fatal to their chances of a race victory. Leclerc lost the rear coming through turn 11, and his race ended in the barriers on lap 18. This handed the lead to Verstappen, who was able to control the race from the front, with Lewis Hamilton coming home in second, despite having a faulty drinks bottle throughout the race.

The safety car was brought out by Leclerc early on. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media

The ensuing Safety Car did allow the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz to close up to the front of the field, but the timing was less than ideal. The Spaniard had to remove his hards earlier than planned, and things got worse for him as an unsafe release led to a five-second penalty. The medium tyres though were working well for Sainz, as he effortlessly dispatched of Ricciardo and Norris after the safety car ended, and soon found himself on the back of Russell after overtaking Alonso.

Unsurprisingly, this was a lot less straightforward for the Spaniard, but he was able to force Russell off-line into the Mistral chicane on lap 30, before sweeping around the outside of Signes to claim fourth, and was soon on the back of Perez. It was here where Ferrari’s strategical indecision reared its ugly head once more. Aware that a pit stop would cost them over half a minute (due to the penalty and an unusually long pit lane at Paul Ricard), Ferrari seemed in two minds as to whether to bring Sainz in and guarantee fifth, or keep him out and risk a podium. In the end, after a brilliant battle between the Ferrari and the Red Bull of Perez, which cost them both time, Ferrari brought in Sainz with only ten laps to go. He was able to recover to fifth and secured the fastest lap but was left wondering what might have been.

Perez’s prolonged battle with Sainz brought Russell into play, and the Brit was determined to take advantage. Russell attempted a move into the Mistral chicane, making slight contact with Perez who was forced to skip the chicane. This infuriated the Mercedes man, who felt he was squeezed onto the kerb, with team principal Toto Wolff having to come onto the radio to calm the 24-year-old down.

It looked like Perez was going to hang-on, until a virtual safety car was deployed as Zhou Guanyu retired from the race with mechanical issues. As this VSC ended, Perez was caught napping in the final sector, allowing Russell to sweep past at turn 13 and secure his fourth podium of the season.

Further back, Alpine and McLaren had an interesting battle for the best-of-the-rest crown, with Fernando Alonso coming home in sixth, ahead of Lando Norris in seventh. Norris’ teammate Daniel Ricciardo was eighth, with Esteban Ocon recovering to ninth, after a five-second penalty for a first-lap collision with Yuki Tsunoda, which ultimately led to the Japanese driver’s retirement.

Aston Martin provided some action in the final laps, as Sebastian Vettel was all over the back of Lance Stroll for the last point. Stroll smartly parked his car on the apex of the final corner on the final lap to prevent the German from getting ahead, coming home tenth for the fourth time this season.

Gasly trying to get past the Aston Martin. Image courtesy of RedBull Content Pool

Pierre Gasly was twelfth as Alpha Tauri’s pace woes continue, with the Italian team failing to score in four consecutive races for the first time since the Toro Rosso days of 2018. Alex Albon was 13th for Williams, ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Mick Schumacher. It was a disappointing day for Haas, who lost out in the safety car period, with both cars also making contact with others during the race. Schumacher collided with Zhou after the safety car restart, with Kevin Magnussen and Nicolas Latifi colliding later at turn one. Both the Dane and the Canadian later retired in the pits, in order to save the car.

Verstappen knows from last year just how quickly a championship lead can evaporate, but the Dutchman has never previously led by such a margin in Formula One. Leclerc holds on to second by just seven points from Perez, with Sainz, Russell and Hamilton rounding out the top six. In the constructors, Red Bull has an eighty-two-point lead over Ferrari, despite having their own reliability woes earlier in the season.

The F1 paddock moves to Budapest next weekend, for the Hungarian GP, and it is expected that this track will suit Ferrari thanks to its twisty nature. If Leclerc is to remain in the championship challenge, he can not afford to leave empty-handed.

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Charles Leclerc takes Pole in France

Charles Leclerc takes pole from Max Verstappen as the Ferrari looks fastest over Qualifying. Perez makes it P3 meaning Leclerc will have to fight off two RedBulls with his teammate at the back of the grid.

Hamilton in qualifying. Image courtesy of Mercedes Media

As the first runs in Q1 began it became obvious that the Mercedes were both way down on pace compared to their latest performances against the top two teams. Both cars were down nearly 1.5 seconds from Leclerc at the top.

Down at the bottom though it seemed the same cars were battling to get out of the top 5. A familiar story for Aston Martin who can’t seem to find enough pace to improve. Right towards the end of the session Albon spun, right in front of Hamilton, and brought out the yellow flag. This affected Stroll but Vettel made it through.

Haas was struggling for pace and initially appeared to leave Magnussen in the pits, knowing he had an engine penalty to serve. But, in the final runs they sent him out and he managed to put in a great lap time, making it into Q2.

His teammate was hovering around the bottom but drove an incredible lap to put him in Q2. However, just as Q1 ended his lap time was deleted for track limits. He wasn’t sure to start with if he could still run, but it was confirmed he was out of Q1, along with Gasly, Stroll, Zhou, and Latifi.

Vettel making it into Q2. Image courtesy of Aston Martin Media

With Q2 underway the Mercedes were first out and setting times of 1:33’s, which were quickly broken by Norris with a 1:32:777. Then the top teams came out with Sainz setting a lap nearly one second faster than anyone else.

It appeared that Verstappen may have been having some issues with his car, having some understeer on almost every lap. However, he was able to make this work, staying in the top three for the whole of Q2.

With five minutes left in the session, the second runs were underway, Mercedes very much under pressure looking like they might not make it out of Q2. Their one-lap pace seems to be giving them problems, they are relying on their race pace to bring in good points.

Ocon was the first to cross the line, going P6, Vettel couldn’t make it out of the bottom five as Tsundo and Alonso put in faster times. Russell made it out of the drop zone, quickly followed by his teammate, who pushed out Ricciardo and Bottas. Magnussen also made it into Q3, taking the battle for P19 all the way to the end.

Out in Q2 was Ricciardo, Ocon, Bottas, Vettel, and Albon.

Ricciardo only just missed out on Q3. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media

Q3 had Perez setting the initial benchmark, but with Sainz providing a tow for Leclerc, he was able to only just go faster. Verstappen couldn’t answer the Ferrari and went P2 by 0.008. It was all the brits after that, with Russell in P4 then Hamilton and Norris. Alonso and Tsunoda rounding out the lap times, with Magnussen and Sainz not setting a time.

Perez in P3. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media

Round 2 with 4 minutes left of the session and this was it. Sainz was back out to provide the slipstream and protect pole for his teammate. The same strategy as before, Sainz provided a tow through turns 8 and 9. Leclerc improved by 3 tenths with Verstappen who couldn’t improve so starts P2 behind the Ferrari on pole.

Perez had enough pace to keep P3 while Hamilton made it onto the second row in P4. Norris managed to split the Mercedes in P5, with Russell in P6. Alonso beat Tsunoda for the final times in Q3.

A championship battle on the front row and a battle of the brits behind them. Perez up there to take advantage of the lone Ferrari. All to play for tomorrow.

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British Superbikes Round 5, 2022 from Brands Hatch

We are back after the summer break in the British Superbike Series. Round 5 comes from the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent. For those like me who love the circuit, you’ll be pleased to know it’s the full GP circuit, not the shorter Indy version. Brands GP very much reminds me of the old Hockenheim F1 circuit in Germany. A decent percentage of the race ran out in the open in front of packed grandstands and fan lined fences, while the latter half of the circuit runs out into the wilderness, winding its way through the woods and stunning backdrop of the Kentish countryside.

BSB Josh Brookes Picture courtesy of PBMotorsport MCE Ducati

In a world full of ‘modern’ circuits consisting of long straights ending with heavy braking into 1st gear hairpins and chicanes, Brands is yet another example of a classis British ‘short circuit’ full of long, flowing corners and severe undulations. A circuit steeped in racing history having previously hosted the F1 British Grand Prix, World Superbikes, World Endurance Racing and World Touring Cars. The circuit currently plays host to British Superbikes, BTCC British Touring Cars and many more smaller racing series.

The 2.433m circuit has produced some great racing over the years. Hill v Hopper in 2011 is STILL the first thing I think of when I see the words Brands Hatch. The last few laps of that race will long live on in my memory as a handful of the best racing laps I have ever seen and yes, I did watch Rossi v Lorrenzo – Catalunya 2009! Brands Hatch has also seen the title battle go down to the wire many times since the introduction of the showdown platform. Later this year we return to Brands for the British Superbike finale (Oct 14th to 16th) and I have no doubt it will be more of the same, this year.

As results go, this time last year the spoils were spread evenly between three riders. Current British Champion, Tarran Mackenzie on the McAMS Yamaha R1 who took the Race 1 victory. Followed up by Race 2 going the way of his team-mate and title protagonist Jason O’Halloran. The then PBM Ducati rider, Christian Iddon (now riding for Buildbase Suzuki), followed up with a victory in the third and final race of the weekend in changeable conditions after gambling (and paying off) on a slick tyre on a drying track, only to have the playing field leveled after a red flag and restart procedure.

My observations for this weekend:

Bradley Ray – OMG Racing Yamaha

Current title leader Bradley Ray comes into the race weekend 16 points clear of his nearest rival in the standings, Jason O’Halloran. Ray is looking to continue his strong run of results this season which have seen him pick up 3 race wins, 3 second places and 3 third place finishes so far. The fighting spirit will no doubt be there in abundance for Bradley as Brands is his home circuit, making the desire to put on a show and stand on the box something extra to fight for in front of the local fans.

BSB Bradley Ray Picture courtesy of OMG Racing

For the 2022 season, OMG Racing switched from BMW M1000RR motorcycles to the Yamaha R1 and so far, the move seems to have paid off on a grand scale as the Yamaha has form at Brands with Mackenzie on the box in all 3 races in 2021 and O’Show making it up there twice. Hopefully the recent news that Rich Energy have parted ways with the OMG Racing outfit won’t have a detrimental effect on their 2022 title chances. It is unclear yet as to what has happened and why the parties have decided to part ways. We assume statements from the team will be made over the coming weekend.

Jason O’Halloran – McAMS Yamaha

As mentioned above, there are only 16 points in it now between O’Show and Ray. After a somewhat lackluster start to the 2022 campaign by O’Halloran, where he found himself regularly picking up the 6th place finishers spot, Jason has come on song this last couple of rounds. A 2nd, Win and Win in the 3 races at Donington and then on to repeat the same feat again at the most recent Knockhill round, has closed the gap to current series leader Ray, and has shown that perhaps McAMS have found a better setting with the R1 moving forward. This could aid them at Brands with its long flowing corners utilising the combination of corner speed and edge grip that the R1 offers. Jason is definitely the man in form at the moment and I see no reason why he couldn’t be the man on the top step over the coming weekend.

Tarran Mackenzie – McAMS Yamaha

Fresh off his wildcard debut at Donington Park World Superbikes this weekend. An impressive 14th place for his Race 1 debut, an unfortunate DNF in the Superpole race and scored 15th place in Race 2. Bike fitness returning ever more, session by session Taz told the SBK paddock and Eurosport TV that he’s now pain free and back to full training after his rehabilitation from a broken ankle earlier this year. This comes at a very good time for Taz as he looks to secure a place in the BSB Showdown. A very achievable feat when you consider he won 4 of the 6 races held at Brands Hatch in 2021. Taz finds himself 49 points behind 8th place in the championship, currently held by Synetiq BMW’s Danny Buchan. With 75 points up for grabs, if Taz can come into some previous form, then suddenly the gap doesn’t seem so big. Consistent, trouble free racing is what Taz needs as I am sure his Dad will be telling him. Keep your head down and stay out of trouble and the results will come.

BSB Jason O’Halloran Picture courtesy of McAMS Yamaha

Lee Jackson – Cheshire Mouldings FS3 Kawasaki

As with O’Halloran, Lee Jackson has stepped up the pace in the last few rounds scoring his first BSB race win, and being on the box, more than off it over the Oulton, Donington and Knockhill rounds. The firm outside chance, Lee feels like a racer who is coming into his own. His gentle riding style and super clean race craft have earned him the respect of his fellow pilots. Perhaps the belief in his own skill set is hatching from the racing egg. Has Lee realised that if he wants to win races, now is the best time to do it! There is no doubting the pedigree of the Kawasaki ZX10 and Lee always being there or thereabouts, we are yet to see if Jackson has the stones to go all out bar banging, fairing bashing and block passing his rivals for the win on a regular basis. However in a year where a lot of people would have put their money on his up-and-coming team-mate, Rory Skinner, Jackson has more than handed them their change from the ‘opinion box’ and firmly shut some mouths! And fair play to him for taking that step!

Rory Skinner – Cheshire Mouldings FS3 Kawasaki

A fairly consistent run so far for Skinner having taken a 2nd and a few 3rd places this year. Skinner is having a good season, putting aside any talk of his future in the MotoGP paddock. After dominating in the Supersport class and then stepping up to BSB last year with the FS3 team, it would be rational that Rory would take a step forward and he has certainly lived up to those expectations. I don’t see consistent, out and out race winning pace YET despite crashing out of the lead in the third race at the Scotsman’s local circuit, Knockhill recently. I have no doubt he’s capable of breaking his BSB duck before the end of the year and were he to be staying in BSB, I’ve no doubt he would win titles but with him being such a young talent, he is heavily rumored to be moving on to the Moto2 World Championship and I wish him the best of luck if that’s what he wants to do and has the opportunity.

BSB Rory Skinner Picture courtesy of Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Racing

Glenn Irwin – Honda Racing UK

Off the back of a very successful Northwest 200 and Isle of Man TT campaign, I’d like to think Glenn is coming into the weekend with confidence and the desire to get going again. A decent time off the bike to rest up and a few weeks in the Tenerife sunshine should have him raring to go and ready to take the second half of the season by the scruff of the neck. After a dominant start to the 2022 season, winning all 3 races at Silverstone, the podium credits have proven hard to come by for the Northern Irishman. Hampered by a double DNF at Donington (Race 2 was a technical breakdown whereas during Race 3, avoiding a crashing Leon Haslam at Starkeys, resulting in his own crash). This has had a huge effect on his placement in the standings when you consider the consistency of Ray and O’Halloran. Currently sitting 82 points back from the championship lead, Glenn is in that beautiful position now of having so much to gain and very little to lose. I for one would love to see Glenn step up at Brands and smoke the lot of them!

The Outside Chances

Racing is never simple. Applying the logic “because the top 8 in the championship are the top 8, that means they’re the top 8 from now till the end of the season”. The beauty of racing is the fact no one can really predict what is going to happen. A feat proven by Jorge Lorenzo of MotoGP when he started his 99 Seconds podcast on Youtube. Lorenzo went on to predict every podium in MotoGP and without going back and checking for absolute certainty, I don’t think he got a single one correct. Weather can make a massive difference. First lap collisions and racing incidents. Qualifying positions. How the rider is feeling on the day. I wouldn’t be surprised here to see Josh Brookes come forward, having previously been known as the King of Brands. Tom Sykes has form at Brands, albeit a long time ago, after winning Race 2 and 3 as a wildcard back in 2010 during his tenure in World Superbikes.

Tommy Bridewell was on the podium in Race 1 of the July 2021 visit to Brands whereas in the October visit to the circuit, he had a hat trick of 2nd places to Yamaha’s Tarran Mackenzie. However with the current results, in spite of their upward trajectory, it seems quite the stretch for the Ducati riders. Danny Buchan is also one to watch for stringing a strong weekend together at Brands Hatch. Danny has previously finished in 4th place several times at the circuit as his lanky style, long legs and levers aid the rider muscling the bike around the high g-force circuit when tackling corners such as Paddock Hill Bend, Westfield, Dingle Dell and Sheene Curve.

BSB Tom Sykes Picture courtesy of PBM Motorsport MCE Ducati

Either way we are in for a thriller and I for one cannot wait to get going again!

Check back with me after the weekend for a write up on how things went and how badly my predictions/thoughts etc were!

Thanks racing fans. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

@RacingArmchair

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F1 Weekend Preview: The French GP

Just past the halfway point now, Verstappen has a commanding lead in the championship over Leclerc. The Mercedes are making progress and the midfield battle has tightened. From an exciting double header, we move to the circuit of Paul Ricard, infamous for being boring, however, in 2021 it entertained us with a thrilling battle at the top.

Are Ferrari’s problems getting worse?

At the start of the season Ferrari seemed to have nailed the new regulations while RedBull had reliability problems. However, RedBull appeared to have solved their problems after three races, but that’s when the problems for Ferrari started.

For Carlos Sainz, the latest of these meant his car literally exploded with only a few laps left of the Austrian Grand Prix. After the highs of his first win in Silverstone, he felt the heartbreak of his engine letting him down again.

Leclerc faster but in Austria despite team issues. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media

Ferrari needs to go back to Maranello and properly investigate their issues. This means that RedBull are very much on top with Verstappen 38 points ahead of Leclerc at the halfway point. It won’t be the first time a team and driver has come back from behind to win, but Ferrari will be hoping for a positive weekend in France if they want to push their arguably the quicker car to the top.

Mercedes constant top 3

Mercedes seem to have had a very different journey to the top two teams. They have had considerable porpoising issues since the start but in the last couple of races appear to have overcome these, getting consistent podiums.

Hamilton on the podium in Austria. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media

For them, the difference has been that they have a reliable car that needed some significant issues fixing. This also meant the drivers who were adapting to the car with the new regulations. However, whilst Russell seemed to get to grips with the bouncing better than Hamilton in the first part of the season, Hamilton is now on a roll with three consecutive podiums and performing well every time he gets in the car.

Mercedes still don’t have the raw pace of Ferrari and RedBull, but the French Grand Prix last year ended up being unpredictable and a good race to watch. This year could be another one that Mercedes will need to capitalise on.

Silly season has begun

With rumours circulating around, McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo seem to be the main topic of conversation. The suggestion being that Ricciardo may lose his seat at the end of the season based on his performances. This reached its peak when Ricciardo had to take to social media to issue a statement to say he is not planning on leaving and is committed to McLaren until the end of next year at least.

Daniel Ricciardo. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media

Ricciardo hasn’t had the best performances this year, Norris comfortably beating him and even getting a podium early on. However, in the last few races, he has gotten closer to his teammate despite McLaren’s overall performances lacking pace. He will want to prove himself in the second half of the season to avoid the rumours becoming reality by the end.

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Rally Estonia Day 2022 Three report – Kalle and Jonne take another victory!

The final day then and a day with almost 78km’s over six stages. The startlist looked like this – Breen, Solberg, Greensmith, Loubet, Lappi, Fourmaux, Katsuta, Neuville, Tänak, Evans, Rovanperä.

We started with SS19 Tartu Vald 1 – 6.56 km and the top three was Kalle, Elfyn and Adrien. The Frenchman was quicker than Takamoto and reduced the gap a little. The was huge drama for his teammate, Pierre-Louis who struck a rock hidden at the edge of a left-hand bend and broke the front left suspension on his Puma. He made it to the end of the stage, but having looked at the damage, they decided to retire. A big shame for the young Frenchman and also M-Sport.

Onto SS20 Kanepi 1 – 16.48 km, a more normal stage flowing through the countryside and Ott plus the overall leader Kalle set the same time, whilst Takamoto was third fastest. Gus sadly retired with transmission failure at the end of the stage, giving further trouble for M-Sport Ford. The other two Hyundai’s both went off at different parts of the stage, but made it to the end of the stage.

Next up was SS21 Kambja 1 – 15.95 km and Craig once again was the early pacesetter, before his time was beaten first by Ott, then Elfyn came through next and went fastest, before Kalle came through and beat Elfyn’s time. Both the Hyundai’s had spins again in this one, the car just not liking the lack of grip. The battle between Andreas and Teemu was continuing, the gap closing another second or so as Teemu was the fastest WRC2 runner.

We had a new stage winner in SS22 Tartu Vald 2 – 6.56 km with Esapekka winning from Adrien and Ott. Elfyn and Kalle were fourth and fifth fastest the gap between them now 40 seconds. Other drivers were preparing for the second run in the stage, when rerun as the powerstage. Craig felt it went well, whilst Thierry was saving the tyres for a big push later.

2022 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 07 / Rally Estonia 2022 / 13-17th July, 2022 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Esapekka also won SS23 Kanepi 2 – 16.48 km from Oliver and Takamoto. It was a great time from Oliver, given that the car cut out during the stage when his centre console became detached! Elliott managed to get it back in position, and keeping the time loss to a minimum. There was a huge time difference between the top three and the later crews completing the stage almost 40 seconds slower. Elfyn took a small amount of time out of Kalle and the gap was now 38.4 seconds.

The final stage then, SS24 Kambja 2 [Power Stage] – 15.95 km and the startlist was changed once again, with the top four WRC2 drivers starting the stage first – Mikkelsen (WRC2), Suninen (WRC2), Lindholm (WRC2), Huttunen (WRC2), Breen, Solberg, Lappi, Fourmaux, Katsuta, Neuville, Tänak, Evans, Rovanperä. Andreas had a really good run, setting a great time that none of the other WRC2 crews could beat. Teemu could not, as he suddenly started getting a misfire with the engine in his i20 and he lost a huge bit of time. Mind you, the weather closed in on stage in time for Jari Huttunen to have to driver through the whole stage and meant he was a full minute slower than Andreas. Craig was next in, but could not beat the time either. Now Esapekka did have a good clean stage, with no rain and, but was still not able to beat Andreas either. Oliver went off and Adrien just tiptoed his way through the stage, ultimately losing a position to Lappi as well. The rain kept moving around, and some had a clear run, but the conditions were still extremely difficult and finally we had just two crew left to go. Elfyn and Kalle, and Andreas remained the fastest still in the stage. The sun had completely come out, meaning that these conditions were the best since Andreas came through. There was till some standing water, but as these two made their way through they were setting new green sectors through the splits. Andreas’ time was finally beaten by Elfyn by just 2.2 seconds, but then came the charging Finns…. Each split was faster and faster, and they were really on a charge out there, and when they crossed the line, they’d gone fastest by 22.5 seconds over Elfyn just in this single stage. What a drive they had done, taking thirteen stage wins and their seventh career victory. Just unbelievable and incredible.

Let’s take a look at the top ten and hear from the drivers.

Final Overall Classification – Rally Estonia

1 K. Rovanperä J. Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 2:54:29.0
2 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +1:00.9
3 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +1:55.7
4 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +3:53.3
5 T. Katsuta A. Johnston Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +4:13.4
6 E. Lappi J. Ferm Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +4:49.1
7 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Ford Puma Rally1 +5:09.2
8 A. Mikkelsen T. Eriksen Škoda Fabia Evo +11:01.8
9 T. Suninen M. Markkula Hyundai i20 N Rally2 +11:27.1
10 E. Lindholm R. Hämäläinen Škoda Fabia Evo +13:04.8

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä (1st)

“It’s another amazing result this weekend. Opening the road on Friday morning it was hard to match Elfyn’s pace, but after that we could fight really well. The final day was not so easy to manage, it was longer than normal and a big battle with the weather. To get such huge rain on the last stages was quite tough, but on the Power Stage I still did a big push. I knew that in this weather you can make a difference and I just tried to push a bit while trying to still be a bit safe. I was enjoying the driving and the time was clearly good. It’s nice to get this victory before Rally Finland and hopefully we can do a good job there also.”

Elfyn Evans (2nd)

“It’s a bit of a relief to finish the rally after some really difficult conditions in the last couple of stages. Today was all about getting through and securing our second place. In the Power Stage I didn’t take any risks but it was good to get some points from there as well. The biggest positive is another one-two finish for the team which is great. From our side it was a step forward especially from where we were last year on this rally. Congratulations to Kalle: He was very fast, just as he was last year. I take my hat off to him and we’ll try again next time!”

Esapekka Lappi (6th)

“What a final day. It was a lot of kilometres today for a Sunday which was quite nice, and we had a good rhythm today. I had a better flow and I was a bit braver, which helped me to drive faster but it was also coming more naturally. Then we had really tricky conditions, especially on the last one which was definitely the craziest stage I have ever done. It was just horrible with the ruts all full of water. It’s been a great weekend for the team and not a bad one overall for us. We had pretty decent pace throughout, so without the problem yesterday the result would have been OK, and it’s good preparation for Rally Finland.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak (3rd)

“For the first time in my life, I have not been competitive in Estonia, so that’s a bit frustrating. It’s unfortunately the situation we are in, we did everything we could, but third place feels disappointing. The real positive is the number of kilometres we have been able to complete across all three cars. We now need to evaluate our next steps in terms of development. The Estonian fans have shown that they are passionate and full of support, so I am thankful to them for that; it’s just a shame we weren’t competitive.”

2022 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 07, Rally Estonia
14-17 July 2022
Ott Tanak, Martin Jarveoja, Hyundai i20 N Rally 1
Photographer: Dufour Fabien
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Thierry Neuville (4th)

“It has been a tough and challenging weekend for us. I haven’t felt comfortable in the car, and it just didn’t work out. Lots of things came together, and even the Power Stage today didn’t go well, with zero visibility – I couldn’t see anything right from the start. Somehow, we were able to come away with fourth position, which is really the best we could have expected in this event. Our competitors were very strong, and Ott was driving really well. To finish behind our team-mate in this rally was all that we could do. We stay positive, continue fighting and there’s always hope for improvements.”

Oliver Solberg (13th)

“The conditions in the Power Stage were absolutely crazy, so much rain and standing water! It was a mission to stay on the road, but we made it to the end of what has been a very long and tough weekend. It has been difficult to build the confidence in the car needed for these stages and conditions. The team has done all it could to help me, and we have tried a lot of things. The mechanics have worked hard to prepare the car and it’s been a challenging event for them as well. We showed some signs of promise on Saturday afternoon but have a lot of work to do to get to the proper level.

M-Sport Ford WRT

Adrien Fourmaux (7th)

“I would say it was a really strong rally for me, my first one in Estonia with a top-level rally car against drivers with a lot of experience. I can be really happy with the pace we’ve shown to be able to fight for fifth position.

“It has been an interesting rally, it’s nice to build some confidence on this kind of surface, which has been tricky with the rain as well! The weather has been crazy throughout the weekend, especially in the last stage where unfortunately we lost sixth position, but I will definitely be taking the positives from this rally.”

Craig Breen (30th)

“Bit of a difficult weekend, honestly. Already from Friday, things were going against us. The speed was really good, the car is working well and I felt in a good rhythm.

“Today we tried to push for some points on the power stage, but we got caught right in the middle of the storm. No points for us today, but bring on Finland in a couple of weeks’ time. The car feels great and hopefully we can get a good result there.”

Pierre-Louis Loubet, retired Sunday

“I don’t know what to say, I just made a stupid mistake today. On Friday when we lost sixth place, we had been in a good position, so it was shame to lose time on that last stage. I was uncomfortable throughout the rest of the weekend after that.

“This morning, I was more focused on the next corner than the previous one, I was thinking about the next one because it was a corner I didn’t like. It’s all on me, and it’s a mistake I won’t be making again because on this event you can’t get away with it.”

Gus Greensmith, retired Sunday

“A tricky weekend – Friday didn’t start great but became much better in the afternoon. The plan for Saturday was to fight for sixth, but we had a puncture quite early on, so the day was mainly just about learning.

“There were a few things we wanted to try for Sunday, just to make some small improvements for Finland, but we had a problem with the driveshaft, so we had to retire the car for the day.”

Jari Huttunen (4th in WRC2)

“It was a difficult weekend. In the special stages we had the fastest times, which is great, but in some of the other stages we struggled.

“We are both looking forward to Finland, but that is another challenge of course. For sure it won’t be easy, but it will be different at least.”

2022 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’

After round seven

1 K. Rovanperä 175
2 T. Neuville 92
3 E. Evans 79
4 O. Tänak 77
5 T. Katsuta 73
6 C. Breen 60
7 S. Loeb 35
8 S. Ogier 34
9 D. Sordo 34
10 G. Greensmith 28
11 E. Lappi 27
12 A. Mikkelsen 19
13 P. Loubet 18
14 O. Solberg 9

2022 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’

After round seven

 

1 Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 298
2 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 211
3 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 157
4 Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team NG 80

 

Summary

Well, what an incredible performance from Kalle and Jonne throughout the weekend. To open the stages throughout Friday and still take victory is a remarkable feat, particularly given that it is meant to be a handicap. They are rewriting what is possible with their drives to victory, and I suspect into would take a huge amount of change in fortunes for them not to take their first championship this year.

In any other year, Elfyn’s amazing pace to take six stage wins throughout this rally would have meant that he and Scott would have won this rally. Second place is still their best result on this event to date, and it is a great drive. They will reset and go again in Finland, the place of their last win.

Finally, Ott and Martin. They drove a good rally with a difficult car, making the best of it. He was clearly very disappointed with third and will hope that there are better things in Finland next month. When they get the car working as they want it to, they will be right in the battle at the front.

2022 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 07 / Rally Estonia 2022 / 13-17th July, 2022 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Next up in Rally Finland over the weekend of the 4th to 7th of August. It will be spectacular!

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Round 5 WorldSBK Donington Park, Race 2

The weather was heating up, and so was the racing.

The Superpole race saw the reigning champion, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha), claim his second win of the weekend, followed by Rea (Kawasaki KRT), and Redding (BMW Motorrad), in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

WorldSBK Round 5 Race 2 at Donington Iker Lecuona Picture courtesy of HRC WorldSBK

Lights out for race 2, and again it’s Toprak with the hole shot, followed by Rea, Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati), and Redding in 4th. Rea in particular, was looking more aggressive than he had yesterday, and was keen not to let the Turkish rider get away again.

Next lap and positions were as follows: 1. Toprak 2. Rea 3. Bautista 4. Redding 5. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Ducati) 6. Lowes (Kawasaki KRT) 7. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha) 8. Lecuona (Honda HRC) 9. Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati) 10. Baz (Bonovo Action BMW). Toprak put in the new fastest lap of 1:26.696, with Rea still trying to find a way through. The gap behind to Bautista was now 0.6s.

Lap 4 of 23, and it was the turn of Bautista to put in the new fastest lap of 1:26.644. This trio had already pulled out a significant gap to the rest of the field, with only Scott Redding keeping contact in 4th, 0.5s behind.

Lap 6 of 23, and Rea was desperate to find a way through on Toprak. The Turkish rider is an absolute demon on the brakes, and with so few places to pass, it was making life impossible for Rea. He tried a move in the Foggy Esses, briefly getting ahead, but Toprak was able to use the acceleration of the Yamaha R1 to retake the lead. As was the case yesterday, the constant battle between Rea, and Toprak was playing into the hands of Bautista, who had closed the gap to Rea. Meanwhile further back it was 7. Locatelli 8. Bassani 9. Lecuona 12. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 13. Vierge (Honda HRC).

On lap 9 of 23 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Pedercini) retires from the race. Meanwhile at the front, Rea was still throwing everything he could at Toprak, although the reigning champion was showing his grit, and standing firm. Bautista was still making ground in 3rd, with Redding having a decent ride in 4th, Rinaldi 5th, and Lowes 6th. Further back Tarran Mackenzie (MacAMC Yamah), the reigning BSB champion, was in 15th, while Peter Hickman (FHO BMW) was in 19th.

WorldSBK Round 5 Race 2 at Donington Scott Redding Picture courtesy of BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

With 11 laps remaining, Rinaldi finds a way through on Redding, who slips back to 5th, Lowes was in 6th. At the front Toprak was still holding off Rea, with a gap of 0.5s, while Bautista was in 3rd. Further back Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), was having another poor race, and was in 18th.

With 8 laps to go, Toprak had pulled out the gap to 0.8s, Rea looked to be having a problem either mechanically, or with the tyres.

Next lap and the gap had been increased to 1.4 to Rea, who was still struggling with the bike. Meanwhile Toprak was looking cool, and calm as he had in race 1, and would surely take the win.

With 5 laps to go, Bautista had now closed right up to Rea, and cuts under him into Melbourne loop taking over 2nd. Further back Bassani gets through on Locatelli to take 7th.

With 3 laps remaining, Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW), retires from the race, possibly having a mechanical issue. Meanwhile Rea was holding a gap of 1.2s to Rinaldi behind in 4th.

WorldSBK Round 5 Race 2 at Donington Toprak Razgatlioglu Picture courtesy of Pata Yamaha BRIXX WorldSBK

Last lap, and Toprak crosses the line proving he’s the king of Donington, taking his first career triple win across the weekend, and massively reducing the gap to the championship leader, Bautista, who comes in 2nd. Rea 3rd, Rinaldi 4th, Redding 5th, Lowes 6th, Bassani 7th, Locatelli 8th, Baz 9th, Lecuona 10th. Tarran Mackenzie takes 15th, while Hickman takes 19th on their debuts.

Result top 5:

  1. Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha)
  2. Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati)
  3. Rea (Kawasaki KRT)
  4. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Ducati)
  5. Redding (BMW Motorrad)

Championship top 3:

  1. Bautista – 246
  2. Rea – 229
  3. Razgatlioglu – 203

 

 

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Rally Estonia 2022 Day Two report – Kalle and Jonne extend their lead.

The second day then, with 97km’s over nine stages. The startlist looked like this – Breen, Solberg, Loubet, Greensmith, Katsuta, Fourmaux, Neuville, Lappi, Tänak, Evans, Rovanperä. Craig returned under the restart rules of SuperRally and would open the road therefore.

The first one then, SS10 Elva 1 – 11.73 km and it would start well with Elfyn going fastest by 6 tenths of a second over Kalle, with Ott a further 8 tenths back. The Finn said that it was a bad stage and Elfyn said that the grip was a bit inconsistent, yet somehow, they were fastest of them all. Two of the youngsters Takamoto and Adrien were battling over sixth, with the Frenchman holding an advantage of just 1.6 seconds over the Toyota Challenge driver.

Into SS11 Mäeküla 1 – 10.27 km and normal service resumed with Kalle going fastest from Elfyn and yes, Ott third. Craig was putting a very good performance together, enjoying the stage and just 1.1 seconds slower than Thierry, the M-Sport Ford driver going sixth fastest. In the WRC2 category, Teemu and Andreas were going well the top two drivers in the field and they set the exact same time in this stage. There was rain in this one, but it didn’t affect the drivers too much.

The third stage of the day then, SS12 Otepää 1 – 17.08 km and once again the top three were Kalle, Elfyn and Ott. Craig had held the early benchmark before being knocked off the top spot, showing great pace indeed and taking fourth fastest in the end. There were some position changes though, with Takamoto going past two cars and into fifth overall and his teammate Esapekka had a tyre off the rim after a landing in the stage. Gus had the same problem and they were now in seventh and ninth overall respectively. Thierry also gained a place, moving into fourth place.

The final stage of the morning loop then, SS13 Neeruti 1 – 7.60 km and once again Craig set the early benchmark before Elfyn and Kalle came through. The stage winner? Well, it was the Finn who now increased his lead over Elfyn to 19.1 seconds.

After the service break, SS14 Elva 2 – 11.73 km was once again taken by Kalle from Elfyn and Ott. These three were giving a masterclass on how to set great pace, without going to close to disaster. In the WRC2 class, Teemu was faster than Andreas again, just keeping the gap between them to 13 or so seconds, whilst Emil took the best time.

We had a swap around between Elfyn and Ott in SS15 Mäekülä 2 – 10.27 km, with Ott second fastest from Elfyn who was third, whilst Kalle took yet another stage win, his fifth of the day. Amazing stuff!

Normal service resumed on SS16 Otepää 2 – 17.08 km, with the fastest three being Kalle, Elfyn and Ott. The Finns lead was now 29.4 seconds. Amazing stuff and really given that he’d opened the road throughout Friday, what incredible consistency.

Just two left then with SS17 Neeruti 2 – 7.60 km getting some rain falling after Oliver Solberg had finished. The crews came through and could not knock the Swede off the top, but eventually Elfyn and Kalle came through and went faster pushing him down to third fastest, while they took the two top spots, the Finn edging Elfyn by just a tenth! In the WRC2 class, Marco Bulacia was fastest from Emil and Andreas.

The final stage then, SS18 Toyota Tartu 2 – 1.66 km and we had a new stage winner, with Adrien fastest from Oliver and Ott! In fact, Elfyn set an identical time as the Estonian, but it was good to see a different top two for sure!

Let’s take a look at the top ten and hear from the drivers.

Classification after Day Two

1 K. Rovanperä J. Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 2:06:12.4
2 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +29.5
3 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +1:11.9
4 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +2:20.2
5 T. Katsuta A. Johnston Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +3:41.3
6 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Ford Puma Rally1 +3:54.7
7 E. Lappi J. Ferm Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +4:34.5
8 P. Loubet V. Landais Ford Puma Rally1 +6:11.8
9 G. Greensmith J. Andersson Ford Puma Rally1 +7:19.7

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä (1st)

“I enjoyed today a lot. To begin with this morning, I felt there was not so much grip, but then we changed the setup a bit and we started to have really good times. Every stage we were gaining a bit more time, and pushing hard but not with too much risk. Everything felt in control. Whenever we’ve had tricky low-grip conditions this year it seems that I’m able to drive well and still push quite hard and this has been nice. Tomorrow is a long day still, so we need to keep a good pace with no mistakes.”

Elfyn Evans (2nd)

“It’s been a good day behind the wheel, even if we’re not ending it where we wanted to be. But Kalle’s been really strong and I had no answer to him today. He’s been a slight step ahead all the time and now he’s built up quite an advantage over us. The positive thing is that we’re a big step ahead of where I was on this rally last year when I really struggled, and it’s great to be in a one-two position for the team. But there’s still a long way to go tomorrow and it’s not easy with the ruts and the conditions out there.”

Esapekka Lappi (7th)

“It’s not been the easiest day. It felt good on the second stage this morning and then on the next one we had the tyre come off the rim when we were landing from a jump. We were landing a bit sideways but I think it was bad luck and part of the game. It came very early in the stage so there was no chance to continue without stopping to change it, and we lost a lot of time. After that it was tricky to find the right rhythm for the driving but there were still some good stage times, even though it’s not worth risking a stupid mistake now in this position.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak (3rd)

“It has been a smooth day with no dramas. We have been discovering a bit more with the car and making some good steps, so from that point of view it has been a productive day. We have been doing all we can to find a positive way forward, looking at lot for the next rally in Finland. There are definitely areas we have found to improve; the potential is there. We need more development on the car, for sure, but it’s been encouraging. There’s only one day remaining and nothing really to push for in terms of our position but the rally itself is still quite interesting – the conditions are constantly changing, and we need to stay focused.”

Thierry Neuville (4th)

“We have faced another day of tricky and changing conditions. Somehow, on the rhythm we have been driving, we have been having fun with no real pressure. We moved up to fourth place after Esapekka’s puncture this morning, and from there we could only continue in the same way without taking any risks. You need to keep concentrated and basically have a clean, smooth drive through the stages. We used the opportunity to test a few different things on the car, but overall, it’s been about making it through safely. We have seen that we struggle in certain situations, which we need to work on, but it’s all good preparation for Rally Finland where we hope to make a step forward.”

Oliver Solberg (19th)

“Things have been getting better today. We have been able to push and set some fast split times. I am getting increasingly confident in the car. I just need more mileage. I have never done this type of road in the WRC, nor in this car. I was a bit annoyed yesterday, but I realised I just need to drive and get used to it. We had a huge moment in SS16 after bottoming out in a rut, sideways over a jump – this is proper rallying! I was happy to set some top-four times this afternoon, improving our pace despite not pushing too hard. We will keep working and making progress.”

2022 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 07, Rally Estonia
14-17 July 2022
Oliver Solberg
Photographer: Austral
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Tomorrow (Sunday)

With almost 78km’s over six stages still to run, there is still a big challenge ahead for the crews, especially given that there is no service break, so the day is as tough as any other day. Kalle is in a great position to extend his lead in the championship, and also Toyota will increase their lead over Hyundai as well, should it all finish as it stands. However, this is motorsport and anything can happen, so let’s wait and see.

2022 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 07 / Rally Estonia 2022 / 13-17th July, 2022 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
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Round 5 WorldSBK, Donington Park, Race 1

Donington Park was awash in glorious sunshine for the British round of WorldSBK, with the air temperature at 25 degrees Celsius, and a track temperature of 44 degrees Celsius. We were set for a scorcher on, and off, the track.

Rea (Kawasaki KRT) secured pole position with an unbeatable time of 1:36.080, followed by his team mate Lowes in 2nd and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) in 3rd.

WSBK Round 5 Race 1 Donington Toprak Razgatlioglu Picture courtesy of Pata Yamaha BRIXX WorldSBK

Lights out for race 1, and Toprak gets the hole shot, followed by the Kawasaki team mates of Lowes and Rea, Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati) finds himself in 4th.

Next lap and positions were as follows: 1. Toprak 2. Lowes 3. Bautista 4. Rea 5. Lecuona (Honda HRC) 6. Redding (BMW Motorrad).

On lap 3 of 23 it was Lowes with the new fastest lap of 1:27.4 and was looking good in 2nd. Meanwhile in the lead, Toprak had now pulled the gap to 2nd place to 0.6s, and was showing great early race pace. Rea was looking frustrated in 4th, as he could see his title rivals disappearing into the distance, and was desperate to make up positions.

Next lap, and Toprak was showing no signs of slowing down, increasing his lead to 0.9s. Lowes had started to slip back, and Rea was able to get past his team mate to take over 3rd, setting a new fastest lap in the process of 1:27.263. Meanwhile it was Bautista in 2nd, and was showing good pace on the Ducati. Further back positions were as follows: 5. Redding 6. Lecuona 7. Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati). 8. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Ducati) 9. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 10. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha).

With 17 laps to go Rea was still desperate to get past the Spaniard ahead of him. Meanwhile Toprak had now pulled the gap out to 1.6s. After showing good pace early on, Lowes had now dropped down to 5th, with Redding moving up a place. Rea tries a move on Bautista into turn 12 Goddards, but can’t get it done, as the Ducati has such good acceleration.

Next lap and the Argentine, Mercado crashes out, his race is over. Rea again tries a move into turn 12, this time he gets it done cutting under Bautista to take over 2nd. Rea was now 2.9s behind Toprak Razgatlioglu, and had massive work to do to catch him. Redding was in 4th, and 2.2s behind Bautista.

Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha), the reigning BSB champion, was having a decent ride in 12th on his debut. Further back it was a disappointing day for both Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), and Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW), in 18th, and 20th respectively.

With 12 laps to go Bassani had moved up to 6th, getting past Lecuona who was now in 7th on his Donington Park debut. Meanwhile at the front, Rea couldn’t shake off the intentions of Bautista who was all over the back of the Kawasaki. All of this was playing right into the hands of the reigning champion, who was continuing to pull away, and was now 4s ahead of Rea.

With 9 laps of 23 remaining, Rea ran wide into turn 12 the previous lap, allowing Bautista to come through, and retake 2nd. Toprak was now 4.7s ahead, and any chance of him getting caught was now firmly over. Then drama for Bautista the championship leader, who lost the front end into turn 12 going down into the gravel, he rejoined but later retired, giving a massive boost for both Rea, and Toprak in the points standings. Redding now found himself in podium contention in 3rd.

With 7 laps left positions were as follows; 1. Toprak 2. Rea 3. Redding 4. Lowes 5. Bassani 6. Rinaldi.

Next lap and Lowes had found some late race pace, and had caught right up to Redding, now only 0.3s behind him. Redding who himself seemed to be struggling with either tires, or the new rear swing arm, which the team had just fitted this weekend. Meanwhile the Texan Gerloff had moved up to 8th.

WSBK Round 5 Race 1 Donington Toprak Razgatlioglu; Jonathan Rea & Alex Lowes Picture courtesy of Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK

With 4 laps left, Redding was really struggling to resist the attempts of Lowes behind. Lowes finally made the right move into turn 12, and took over 3rd place. Redding fought back down Craner curves with some exciting racing for the fans, but Lowes held on to the position.

Penultimate lap, and Toprak was having fun out in the lead sliding his R1 Yamaha through Craner curves. Rea was still following, with Lowes in 3rd, followed by 4. Redding 5. Bassani 6. Rinaldi 7. Lecuona.

Last lap, and Toprak Razgatlioglu crosses the line to take his first win of the season, certainly looking more like the rider of last season. 2. Rea 3. Lowes 4. Redding 5. Bassani 6. Rinaldi 7. Gerloff 8. Lecuona 9. Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) 10. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha). Meanwhile Tarran Mackenzie finishes 14th on his debut to claim 2 championship points, while the Isle of Man superstar Peter Hickman finishes in 22nd.

Result top 5:

  1. Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha)
  2. Rea (Kawasaki KRT)
  3. Lowes (Kawasaki KRT)
  4. Redding (BMW Motorrad)
  5. Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati)

Championship top 3:

  1. Bautista – 220
  2. Rea – 204
  3. Razgatlioglu – 166
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Rally Estonia 2022 Day One Report – Elfyn and Kalle fight for the lead

After Thursday’s evening stage, we had Craig in the lead from Kalle and Elfyn. Moving into Friday, the first full day of stages, the startlist looked like this – Rovanperä, Neuville, Tänak, Breen, Katsuta, Evans, Greensmith, Loubet, Lappi, Solberg, Fourmaux. The crews faced just under 140km’s over the eight stages, with a service break between the two loops.

First up came SS2 Peipisääre 1 – 24.35 km and after Ott set the early pace, Elfyn came through with the fastest time moving into the overall lead, with Kalle holding second and Ott third. The early leader, Craig was fourth fastest, but as he got a penalty as well, fell down to fifth overall. The penalty was for not using electric mode in the HEV zone. Ott also got the same penalty.

Next up was SS3 Mustvee 1 – 17.09 km and we had the same top three, with Elfyn taking a second stage win from Ott and Kalle. The Welshman’s lead over his teammate was now 12.6 seconds. Further down the leaderboard, there was a swap in positions with Adrien moving ahead of Oliver, the Frenchman now into seventh overall. Meanwhile, Thierry was really struggling in the stages, only setting the fifth best time and now over 22 seconds from the leader.

Onto SS4 Raanitsa 1 – 21.45 km and Elfyn made it three in this one winning the stage from Kalle and Ott again. There was drama for Craig though who went off the road when setting a very good pace and unfortunately, he broke the steering and he was out for the day. A big shame for the leading M-Sport Ford driver, who was showing good pace before this. Everyone behind moved up a place, but the biggest gainer was Takamoto who jumped up four positions and into seventh overall.

The last stage then before the service break, SS5 Vastsemõisa 1 – 6.70 km and once again it was Elfyn fastest from Kalle and Ott and they remained the top three overall as well. In the WRC2 class, Emil held the lead from Andreas and Teemu. Hayden and John were making good progress, finishing the stages and gaining good knowledge about their i20rally2 out there.

After the break, Elfyn won SS6 Peipisääre 2 – 24.35 km from Kalle and Ott again, these three were really dominating the top places. Thierry dropped another place falling behind Esapekka and into fifth overall, and further down the positions Pierre-Louis moved up moved ahead of Takamoto and into seventh place.

The rain arrived in SS7 Mustvee 2 – 17.09 km and the top three were the same, but with Kalle now winning the stage from Ott and Elfyn. Running first on the road was an advantage, and the Finns made the most of it, reducing the gap to their teammate to just 14 seconds.

2022 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 07 / Rally Estonia 2022 / 13-17th July, 2022 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Just two more stages then and SS8 Raanitsa 2 – 21.45 km was taken by Kalle, now taking his stage wins to two, whilst Elfyn was second and Esapekka third. The gap between the Toyota teammates was just 10.9 seconds. The rain was really changing things out on the stages with the lead change happening in WRC2 as well. Andreas took the lead from Emil who fell from the lead to fourth in class.

The final stage of the day then, SS9 Vastsemõisa 2 – 6.70 km and Kalle had the best of the conditions, running first and setting the pace good enough to win the stage from Thierry and Adrien! It was a big mix up for sure! Meanwhile, the other two Puma crews had huge moments, sliding wide. Gus kept going, but Pierre-Louis ended up on his side and lost about two minutes and fell to ninth overall. Adrien, Takamoto and Gus all moved up one place each, now holding the three positions ahead of the Frenchman.

Here is the top ten and the views of the drivers.

Classification after Day One

 

1 K. Rovanperä J. Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 1:16:19.7
2 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +11.7
3 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +44.3
4 E. Lappi J. Ferm Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +1:05.9
5 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +1:12.9
6 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Ford Puma Rally1 +2:08.1
7 T. Katsuta A. Johnston Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +2:10.9
8 G. Greensmith J. Andersson Ford Puma Rally1 +2:29.4
9 P. Loubet V. Landais Ford Puma Rally1 +3:59.0

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä (1st)

“This morning the conditions were quite dry so there was a lot of cleaning for us, but I think we managed quite well and we didn’t lose too much time. Then in the afternoon the rain came and it was quite tricky, but we had some good times. In the last one it was heavy rain and I knew it was not going to get any better for the guys behind, so I pushed a lot and we could get the lead. Elfyn has been really fast the whole day, and now that we will be close together in the road order, we will try to do our best to fight, but we also need to think about the points for the championship.”

Elfyn Evans (2nd)

“It’s not been a bad day. This morning was very good, I was happy with the feeling inside the car and everything was working really well. This afternoon it was a bit more difficult with the conditions changing all the time, so it was hard to be perfect and easy to be a little bit too careful at times. We had very bad conditions in the last one, which was obviously less than ideal for us. But there’s a long way to go and it’s all to play for still, so let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

2022 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 07 / Rally Estonia 2022 / 13-17th July, 2022 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Esapekka Lappi (4th)

“We lost a bit of time this morning because of a small issue with the brakes, which were not giving me the confidence that you need on this rally. But I think we managed that quite well and were still in a good position, and once the team could fix it in the midday service the times were better in the afternoon. We were maybe a bit unlucky sometimes with the rain showers but rallying is an outdoor sport so we can’t complain! I think we’re about where we expected to be, in a position to be there if something happens in front.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak (3rd)

“Conditions were constant in the morning, but that was the opposite of what we faced this afternoon with demanding, inconsistent roads. There was water here and there, some dry places and it was just a lot more difficult. The issue in the final stage wasn’t as dramatic as it looked; a pipe came off from the windscreen heater and we had no visibility. The weather was tough anyway, so it was probably better not to see what was happening outside. Hopefully, we’ve been able to learn something in these circumstances and can take that forward. It’s important for us to get as much information from the car as we can. We are still in the competition and remain fully committed. Normally, I’d like to be competitive in Estonia; sadly, it’s not really happening so far this year but as we’ve seen today anything can change, so it’s not over yet.”

2022 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 07, Rally Estonia
14-17 July 2022
Ott Tanak
Photographer: Austral
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Thierry Neuville (5th)

“At the end of today, things are pretty much as we expected. We knew it was going to be a tough one for us. Generally, my target throughout the day was to improve the handling of the car. I wasn’t 100% confident but I was able to drive with good speed, set some good split times in some stages and have some fun in the tricky conditions. We had mixed feelings about the morning loop, the first two stages went well, but after that we went wrong with the set-up to try and find something to suit these very narrow sections. We arrived at midday service in fourth and wanted to keep that position. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to, but we are just seven seconds away. This is a special event; I don’t want to put my rear wheels in the ditches when I don’t know what’s there; instead, we try to stay out of trouble and hope for another clean day tomorrow. The weather forecast certainly looks interesting.”

Oliver Solberg (27th)

“We’ve made it to the end of the day at Rally Estonia, but it’s fair to say things have not gone to plan so far. After a tough morning where we really struggled to find any grip, we had a puncture on the first stage this afternoon, then touched a big rock in a corner on the stage after and the power steering broke. We tried to fix it but couldn’t and lost a lot of minutes with time penalties and fighting the issue through the next stages. I can tell you it’s not easy driving these cars without power steering! But we’re still here, so let’s try and stay positive, go again tomorrow, and hope for better.”

 

Tomorrow (Saturday)

The second day will see the crews tackle 95km’s over nine stages. Can Kalle keep the lead, or will we see Elfyn or Ott move into the lead? One thing is for sure; The drama is not over.

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