AUGUST 16, 2017

(crash.net)
Andrea Dovizioso (No. 4 Ducati Team GP17) held off Marc Marquez (No. 93 Repsol Honda RC213V) to win the Austrian MotoGP in a riveting, tension-filled race. Marquez had started on pole but Dovizioso, 30, prevailed in an incredible battle where the lead changed hands several times, including twice on the final corner in Spielberg, Austria. Dani Pedrosa (No. 26 Repsol Honda RC213V) finished third. It was Dovizioso's third victory in 2017 and he still holds second position in the World Championship standings behind Marquez, 174-158.

(BBC)
Dovizioso celebrates his dramatic win at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

(crash.net)
Dovizioso and Marquez after the race.

(Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
Kyle Larson (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Target Chevrolet) delivered his third victory of the season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 on Sunday, making a decisive move in an overtime restart for his third straight win at Michigan International Speedway and fourth of his Cup career. Larson led only the last two laps of the 202-lap event, blowing past Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota) in a major jumble near the front of the pack on the final green-flag stint. “This win feels amazing to steal one in a way,” Larson said, “and my other three wins I felt like we had the first- or second-best car, but today at times I didn’t think we were a top-10 car. But to get the win that way is awesome.” Truex finished second, just .310 seconds behind. Erik Jones (No. 77 Furniture Row Racing 5-Hour Energy Extra Strength Toyota) came in third.
(Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
Sam Hornish Jr. (No. 22 Team Penske Discount Tire Ford) survived a gritty road race Saturday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to notch his first NASCAR XFINITY Series victory in more than a year. Hornish, making just his third start of the season in the Team Penske No. 22 Ford, led a race-high 61 of the 75 laps in the Mid-Ohio Challenge. His emotional first XFINITY win on the 2.258-mile circuit in his home state was the fifth of his XFINITY career. “It's right up there,” Hornish told NBCSN when asked to rate the dominance of his victory. “For me a lot of times, it seems like that's the only way we can get them. We very seldom, even back to when I was running IndyCars, squeaked through for one. It seemed like it had to be there and be there all day long trying to keep everything happening. I don't back into them too often." Daniel Hemric (No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet) was second, Matt Tifft (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Akron Community Foundation Toyota) third, JD Davidson (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Sport Clips Toyota) fourth and Andy Lally (No. 07 Bobby Dotter Branson Supply/Motorcrush Chevrolet) came home a fine fifth. Watch a video here.

(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.0110)
Ernie Francis, Jr. (No. 98 Buoniconti Fund Ford Mustang) won the First Energy 100 Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course over the weekend. Francis endured early pressure from two-time defending champion Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Company Chevrolet Corvette) and late pressure from TA class debutante Martin Ragginger (No. 50 GoShare/Axalta Chevrolet Camaro), particularly on a final restart with only three laps to go. Ragginger would finish the race second after moving his way up from 14th, and last, starting position over the initial 15 laps. Francis was able to fend off a final charge from Ragginger on the last two laps. Vinnie Allegretta (No. 41 TA Sights and Sounds Chevrolet Corvette) would finish third, maintaining second position in the TA class points. In the earlier FirstEnergy Muscle Car Challenge, TA2 defending champion Tony Buffomante (No. 34 Best Line Superior Lubricants Ford Mustang) captured his third victory of the year and second consecutive, finally securing the Mid-Ohio victory that had previously eluded him throughout his TA2 career. Gar Robinson (No. 74 Pura Vida Tequila, 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro) would finish second comfortably and was followed across the finish line by Cameron Lawrence (No. 19 Class Auto Centers Chevrolet Camaro), who provisionally finished third. Following technical inspection, however, Lawrence was excluded from the results for a technical infraction (Article 14.4.2, roof height). Shane Lewis, in the No. 72 Pura Vida Tequila/74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro, would inherit third for his sixth podium finish of the year after battling back from a spin on lap 19 that saw him fall back to 15th position. Check out all of John Thawley's scintillating images from Mid-Ohio here in the AE image gallery.

(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.0110)

(VW images)
Scott Speed (No. 41 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Oberto Circle K Beetle GRC) was unstoppable in Atlantic City, sweeping last weekend's two Red Bull Global Rallycross races at the Bader Field circuit and reclaiming control of the series championship. “This was an incredibly important race weekend for us, and we walked out of Atlantic City with about the best result we could have hoped for,” said Speed. “The Beetle GRC is on rails, and it’s a testament to this crew and how hard we’ve all worked to build a super competitive race team.” With his near-perfect weekend in Atlantic City, Speed reclaimed the lead in the championship standings. He also retook the title of winningest driver in Red Bull Global Rallycross history from teammate Tanner Foust (No. 34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Rock Star Energy Drink Beetle GRC), an accolade they have traded all season. With three races remaining in 2017, Volkswagen also clinched its second manufacturer’s championship title, making it only the second automaker to win multiple championship titles. The Red Bull Global Rallycross series will return to action next month for another doubleheader in Seattle on Saturday, September 9, and Sunday, September 10. Broadcasts of the event will air LIVE on NBC each day at 4:30PM (ET).

(Acura images)
Acura unveiled the new Acura ARX-05 prototype race car in Monterey, California. Team Penske and Acura Motorsports will field a pair of the new Daytona Prototype International (DPi) entries in the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Based on the ORECA 07 chassis, the new ARX-05 prototype showcases Acura-specific bodywork and design features (uh, sure, if you squint real hard), including Acura’s signature Jewel Eye™ headlights (keep squinting), and utilizes the race-proven AR35TT twin-turbocharged engine, based on Honda's production 3.5-liter V-6. The competition debut of the Team Penske Acura prototypes will take place at the season-opening Daytona 24 Hours (Rolex 24) in January 2018. One of the team’s two ARX-05 entries will be piloted by Juan Pablo Montoya, along with sports car champion Dane Cameron. The second driver pairing will be announced at a later date.