NOVEMBER 11, 2015

(MotoGP)
Jorge Lorenzo (No. 99 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) won the final 2015 MotoGP Championship race (his seventh victory of the season) in Valencia, Spain, on Sunday, claiming his third MotoGP World Championship. Marc Marquez (No. 93 Repsol Honda) finished second and Dani Pedrosa (No. 26 Repsol Honda) came in third. Valentino Rossi (No. 46 Movistar Yamah MotoGP), who was forced to start dead last because of his contretemps with Marc Marquez at Sepang, carved his way through the field to finish fourth, but it wasn't enough to win the championship for Rossi, as he finished five points short. Lorenzo would have had to finish third in order for Rossi to capture his tenth championship. Rossi disappointed a lot of people after the race by claiming that Marquez didn't try enough to win in order to protect his countryman's lead in the championship (which Marquez vehemently denied), lending a sour note to the proceedings, which wasn't welcomed in the least. It's clear that Rossi didn't distinguish himself positively over the last three weeks, an unexpected - and unwelcomed - development to say the least.

(Photo by Gregg Ellman/HHP for GM/Chevrolet Racing)
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe’s Chevrolet SS) ruined Brad Keselowski's (No. 2 Team Penske Wurth Ford Fusion) bid for an automatic entry in the Sprint Cup championship finale by storming to the front with just six laps left to win the AAA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. It was Johnson's fifth win of the season and 75th of his illustrious NASCAR career. Keselowski finished second and Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet SS), who battled through two separate punctured tires and driving with one hand (!) while holding the gearshift in gear, drove a superb race to come in third. Check out more NASCAR info and a video here.

(NASCAR)
A dominant day for Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Wurth Ford Fusion) turned into The Bitter End as Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe's Chevrolet SS) stalked him and then passed him over the final laps of the AAA 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway. Keselowski - the Coors Light Pole Award winner in Friday qualifying - led 312 of 334 laps, but ended up 1.083 seconds behind Johnson at the checkered flag. "I just kept pressure on him," Johnson said in Victory Lane. "I could see that he was really tight and that was the first I had seen him that vulnerable all day. I just kept the pressure on him, kept searching for a line. He saw me coming on the top and protected it. I just kept trying to put pressure on him hoping for a mistake."

(Formula E)
Lucas di Grassi (No. 11 ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport) won Round 2 in the 2015 Formula E Championship at the YCM Putrajaya ePrix in Malaysia. Sam Bird (No. 2 DS Virgin Racing Formula E Team) finished second and Robin Frijns (Andretti Formula E Race Team) finished third in an eventful race conducted in searing 100 degree heat. di Grassi now leads the championship standings with 43 points. Sebastien Buemi (No. 9 Renault e.Dams) is in second with 35 and Sam Bird is third with 24. Next up is Punta del Este, Uruguay, on December 19.

(BMW)
Marc Marquez has won the BMW M Award as the fastest qualifier in MotoGP for the third time, equaling former record holders Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner. The Spaniard is also the first rider to receive the BMW M Award three times in a row. In 2013, Marquez was the first rookie to win this special award. He was crowned fastest qualifier in his debut season in the elite class. He repeated this success in 2014, and 2015 saw him pick up the most BMW M Award points in the qualifying sessions once again. Marquez started from pole position a total of eight times this season. The official presentation ceremony took place on Saturday at the final round of the MotoGP season in Valencia, Spain. This year’s winner’s car is a BMW M6 Convertible powered by a 560-hp M TwinPower Turbo V8. A double-clutch transmission with Drivelogic, M Carbon Ceramic Brakes, Dynamic Damper Control, and Active M Differential is part of the package. This year’s BMW M Award winner has an exclusive BMW Individual paint finish “Frozen Blue Metallic”, 20’’ 343 M light alloy double-spoke wheels, BMW Individual full fine-grain Merino leather in “Opal White”, as well as BMW Individual Piano finish Black interior trims and numerous BMW M Performance Parts.

(Global Rallycross)
Joni Wiman (No. 31 Red Bull Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST) took his first Supercar main event victory in Wednesday night’s Red Bull Global Rallycross season finale on the Las Vegas Strip. Wiman’s teammate Sebastian Eriksson (No. 93 Red Bull Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST) finished second, while Scott Speed (No. 41 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross ORAFOL Volkswagen Beetle GRC) placed third to complete the podium. “I feel great!” Wiman, last year’s Supercar champion, said after the victory. “I’ve been waiting for this for almost 20 races. It’s unbelievable—I had a completely clean race with almost no mistakes, and that’s how you win races.” Inclement weather caused the event to take place on a wet track, with drivers forced to run wet Yokohama tires for the single-day event. Steve Arpin won the pole in qualifying, but Wiman took the semifinal victory to earn lane choice for the 10-lap main event. 

(VW)
Scott Speed (No. 41 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross ORAFOL Volkswagen Beetle GRC) finished third in the 2015 Red Bull Global Rallycross (GRC) championship finale in Las Vegas, but that was good enough for him to claim the series championship and the first championship for the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Team. Rain wreaked havoc on the track - and the racing - during the season-ending event. Tanner Foust (No. 34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle) earned a third-place finish in the championship standings. “I’m at a loss for words when it comes to describing how it feels to win the championship this season,” said Speed, soon after crossing the finish line in Vegas. “The whole Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team has worked so hard for this result; I’m incredibly proud of this team and am so happy to have been able to bring home the top spot for them.”

(Audi)
Magnus Racing and Stevenson Motorsports will be running the new Audi R8 LMS GT3 racing machine in the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series. “We are thrilled to be going into the 2016 season with two teams that bring such credible endurance racing experience to the effort" said Erin Keating, General Manager, Motorsport of Audi of America. “We feel confident that both Magnus Racing and Stevenson Motorsports will be competitive with the new Audi R8 LMS  in what is shaping up to be an exciting race season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series." The Audi R8 LMS features improved aerodynamics, chassis rigidity and overall performance, according to Audi. Magnus Racing and Stevenson Motorsports - the official Audi Sport® customer racing teams - will kick off the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series at the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona, January 30-31st. The teams will compete as part of the GTD class. Both teams will compete for the full 2016 IMSA race season.

(Audi)

Editor's Note: Watch "Episode 5" of AutoextremistTV on YouTube here. -WG