Friday
Jun262020
JULY 1, 2020
Friday, June 26, 2020 at 09:44AM 
(Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing FedEx Toyota) stayed out on old tires and built a lead, while Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Busch Beer Ford) battled with traffic late in the Pocono 350 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday. Hamlin came through to win the second race of the historic NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader by 3.068 seconds over Harvick, reversing the finishing order of the two drivers from a day earlier. It was the first time in its history that NASCAR ran two Cup Series events on the same weekend at the same track. It was Hamlin's sixth career victory at Pocono, tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon for most all-time. It was also the 41st Cup win of Hamlin’s career, 19th most in NASCAR history, breaking a tie with another NASCAR Hall of Famer, Mark Martin. And it was Hamlin's series-best fourth victory of the year. Erik Jones (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) finished third. (Thanks to Reid Spencer/NASCAR Wire Service.)
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing FedEx Toyota) stayed out on old tires and built a lead, while Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Busch Beer Ford) battled with traffic late in the Pocono 350 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday. Hamlin came through to win the second race of the historic NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader by 3.068 seconds over Harvick, reversing the finishing order of the two drivers from a day earlier. It was the first time in its history that NASCAR ran two Cup Series events on the same weekend at the same track. It was Hamlin's sixth career victory at Pocono, tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon for most all-time. It was also the 41st Cup win of Hamlin’s career, 19th most in NASCAR history, breaking a tie with another NASCAR Hall of Famer, Mark Martin. And it was Hamlin's series-best fourth victory of the year. Erik Jones (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) finished third. (Thanks to Reid Spencer/NASCAR Wire Service.)
(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
A two-tire pit stop with 36 laps left helped Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Busch Beer Ford) hold off a charging Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing FedEx Toyota) over the final green-flag run to win for the first time at Pocono Raceway on Saturday (June 27th). Harvick crossed the finish line in the Pocono Organics 325 just .761 seconds ahead of Hamlin to post his third victory of the season — tying Hamlin for the NASCAR Cup Series lead — and the 52nd of his career, 12th most all-time. “We weren’t where we needed to be to start the race and lost a bunch of track position, but we came back and made some great strategy calls to get in clean air and get out front and make some good laps,” said Harvick, who led the final 17 laps after pit stops were complete. “It’s great to finally check Pocono off the list." Aric Almirola (No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford) finished third. Cup drivers will race another 350 miles at Pocono on Sunday in the same cars they used on Saturday — with the exception of those needing backups because of damage. (Thanks to Reid Spencer/NASCAR Wire Service)
A two-tire pit stop with 36 laps left helped Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Busch Beer Ford) hold off a charging Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing FedEx Toyota) over the final green-flag run to win for the first time at Pocono Raceway on Saturday (June 27th). Harvick crossed the finish line in the Pocono Organics 325 just .761 seconds ahead of Hamlin to post his third victory of the season — tying Hamlin for the NASCAR Cup Series lead — and the 52nd of his career, 12th most all-time. “We weren’t where we needed to be to start the race and lost a bunch of track position, but we came back and made some great strategy calls to get in clean air and get out front and make some good laps,” said Harvick, who led the final 17 laps after pit stops were complete. “It’s great to finally check Pocono off the list." Aric Almirola (No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford) finished third. Cup drivers will race another 350 miles at Pocono on Sunday in the same cars they used on Saturday — with the exception of those needing backups because of damage. (Thanks to Reid Spencer/NASCAR Wire Service)
(Trans Am Series)
Nearly four months since winning the 2020 season opener at Sebring, Ernie Francis Jr. took his 44th career victory – and 21st overall – driving the No. 98 One South Florida Wealth Advisors Ford Mustang to the win in the second Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli race of the season at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday. “The race was a struggle from start to finish,” admitted Francis, who went on to win the title following his six previous Mid-Ohio triumphs. "We had a lot of pressure going into this race not starting on pole and starting in fifth is not something we are used to. We knew we had some work to get done. The conditions made it more than difficult raining before the green flag and drying out through the race. I can't say enough about my team - they gave me a great car that ran without issues the whole weekend. This win makes it seven wins in a row here at Mid-Ohio which is awesome." Francis had a terrific battle with Chris Dyson (No. 20 Plaid Ford Mustang) for second position early in the race. After running nose-to-tail for six laps, Francis passed his rival with 33 minutes remaining. Francis then began to work on trimming a 26-second deficit to race leader Tony Ave (No. 4 Lamers Motor Racing Corvette). Francis finally took the lead with 20 minutes remaining, and went on to win by 2.827 seconds over Ave. He was awarded the Cool Shirt Move for going from fifth to first on the damp track. After losing second to Francis, Chris Dyson gambled and pitted for slick tires. Returning to the race more than 70 seconds in arrears, Dyson passed both Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro) and Doug Peterson (No 87 3-Dimensional Services Group Camaro) to get in podium position. Time ran out on the New Yorker, with Dyson finishing third, 23.757-seconds back after repeatedly turning the fastest laps of the race. (Thank you to Trans Am Media.)
Nearly four months since winning the 2020 season opener at Sebring, Ernie Francis Jr. took his 44th career victory – and 21st overall – driving the No. 98 One South Florida Wealth Advisors Ford Mustang to the win in the second Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli race of the season at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday. “The race was a struggle from start to finish,” admitted Francis, who went on to win the title following his six previous Mid-Ohio triumphs. "We had a lot of pressure going into this race not starting on pole and starting in fifth is not something we are used to. We knew we had some work to get done. The conditions made it more than difficult raining before the green flag and drying out through the race. I can't say enough about my team - they gave me a great car that ran without issues the whole weekend. This win makes it seven wins in a row here at Mid-Ohio which is awesome." Francis had a terrific battle with Chris Dyson (No. 20 Plaid Ford Mustang) for second position early in the race. After running nose-to-tail for six laps, Francis passed his rival with 33 minutes remaining. Francis then began to work on trimming a 26-second deficit to race leader Tony Ave (No. 4 Lamers Motor Racing Corvette). Francis finally took the lead with 20 minutes remaining, and went on to win by 2.827 seconds over Ave. He was awarded the Cool Shirt Move for going from fifth to first on the damp track. After losing second to Francis, Chris Dyson gambled and pitted for slick tires. Returning to the race more than 70 seconds in arrears, Dyson passed both Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro) and Doug Peterson (No 87 3-Dimensional Services Group Camaro) to get in podium position. Time ran out on the New Yorker, with Dyson finishing third, 23.757-seconds back after repeatedly turning the fastest laps of the race. (Thank you to Trans Am Media.)
(NASCAR)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: After all the NASCAR hand-wringing - and all the hate mail we received over my column - guess what? It was a noose. And credit to Steve Phelps, the President of NASCAR, for saying the following: “As you can see from the photo, the noose was real, as was our concern for Bubba. With similar emotion, others across our industry and our media stood up to defend the NASCAR family. Our NASCAR family. Because they are part of the NASCAR family too. We are proud to see so many stand up for what’s right.” “Our ultimate conclusion for this investigation is to ensure that this never happens again, that no one walks by a noose without recognizing the potential damage it can do,” Phelps said. “Going forward, our efforts are best spent on making sure every competitor feels safe and every guest feels welcome. I would also like to reinforce that what we did see at Talladega in pre-race on Monday, our drivers, crews and officials proudly demonstrated that we are united in the belief that there is no place for racism in our sport.” After Sunday’s discovery, NASCAR officials asked each track to sweep through respective garages. Across the 1,684 garage stalls at 29 tracks, NASCAR found only 11 total had a pull-down rope tied in a knot and only one noose — the one discovered Sunday in the No. 43 garage stall. “Bubba Wallace and the 43 team had nothing to do with this,” Phelps reiterated Thursday. "… I want to thank Bubba Wallace and everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports. Specifically, I want to thank Bubba for his leadership over this past three weeks. Bubba has done nothing but represent this sport with courage, class and dignity and he stood tall for what he believes in. And we all need to stand with him. I know I’m going to.” So, after NASCAR inspected all of its garages at all of its tracks, there was only one garage door pull-down that was configured as a noose, and it just so happened to end up in Bubba Wallace's garage by a fluke? Not. Buying. It. That investigation left a lot to be desired, to put it mildly. Kudos to Steve Phelps for speaking out and getting it right. -PMD
Editor-in-Chief's Note: After all the NASCAR hand-wringing - and all the hate mail we received over my column - guess what? It was a noose. And credit to Steve Phelps, the President of NASCAR, for saying the following: “As you can see from the photo, the noose was real, as was our concern for Bubba. With similar emotion, others across our industry and our media stood up to defend the NASCAR family. Our NASCAR family. Because they are part of the NASCAR family too. We are proud to see so many stand up for what’s right.” “Our ultimate conclusion for this investigation is to ensure that this never happens again, that no one walks by a noose without recognizing the potential damage it can do,” Phelps said. “Going forward, our efforts are best spent on making sure every competitor feels safe and every guest feels welcome. I would also like to reinforce that what we did see at Talladega in pre-race on Monday, our drivers, crews and officials proudly demonstrated that we are united in the belief that there is no place for racism in our sport.” After Sunday’s discovery, NASCAR officials asked each track to sweep through respective garages. Across the 1,684 garage stalls at 29 tracks, NASCAR found only 11 total had a pull-down rope tied in a knot and only one noose — the one discovered Sunday in the No. 43 garage stall. “Bubba Wallace and the 43 team had nothing to do with this,” Phelps reiterated Thursday. "… I want to thank Bubba Wallace and everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports. Specifically, I want to thank Bubba for his leadership over this past three weeks. Bubba has done nothing but represent this sport with courage, class and dignity and he stood tall for what he believes in. And we all need to stand with him. I know I’m going to.” So, after NASCAR inspected all of its garages at all of its tracks, there was only one garage door pull-down that was configured as a noose, and it just so happened to end up in Bubba Wallace's garage by a fluke? Not. Buying. It. That investigation left a lot to be desired, to put it mildly. Kudos to Steve Phelps for speaking out and getting it right. -PMD
(Voxan images)
The Wattman is the first high-performance electric motorcycle made by Voxan, specially designed for a world speed record project. In July 2021, the Voxan Wattman will attempt to set a new world speed record on the Salar de Uyuni salt flat in Bolivia. Riding this exceptional machine will be six-time motorcycle racing world champion Max Biaggi (below). Voxan Motors, part of the Venturi Group, is partnered by global telecommunications innovators ROKiT Group. The ROKiT Group are also title partners of Venturi’s Formula E Team, ROKiT Venturi Racing. Voxan is a French motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1995. Voxan Motors quickly became known for producing motorcycles with distinctive aesthetic appeal and innovative mechanical design, none more so than its 72° V-twin cylinder (996 cc) engine. Between 1995 and 2009, at its factory in the French town of Issoire, the firm created more than ten models or derivatives, all combustion-powered. In June 2010, Voxan was bought by Gildo Pastor, President of Venturi. At the time, Venturi already had a decade’s experience specializing in high-performance electric vehicles. Following the takeover, Voxan Motors embarked on a new technological course, signing up to the Monegasque group’s electric-focused philosophy. Its new objective was to focus purely on electric mobility, acting as an incubator for cutting-edge ideas and pushing the envelope with a series of "zero emissions" world record attempts. The Voxan Wattman is the product of a pioneering development process, in terms both of its design and the technology behind it. Uniquely, the Wattman is an entirely new concept, not based on any existing vehicle. When the teams at Voxan Motors first began working on the project in the autumn of 2018, they started totally from scratch with a blank page. From there, everything quickly snowballed: "We were keen to move fast", explains Louis- Marie Blondel, who both oversaw the project’s development and personally test-rode the motorcycle. "So we focused on two main points: drag (aerodynamics) and stability at high-speed. We were aiming to have the smallest possible projected area, but with a long wheelbase and a large rake, so the rider would be positioned as low as possible. We then identified a target speed, based on the existing record, which was originally 327.6 km/h (203.56 mph), but which was set at just over 329 km/h (204.48 mph) (by Ryuji Tsuruta, riding a MOBITEC EV-02A) in the autumn of 2019. That made no difference to our roadmap, as we were already aiming for a minimum of 330 km/h (205.05 mph)."
The Wattman is the first high-performance electric motorcycle made by Voxan, specially designed for a world speed record project. In July 2021, the Voxan Wattman will attempt to set a new world speed record on the Salar de Uyuni salt flat in Bolivia. Riding this exceptional machine will be six-time motorcycle racing world champion Max Biaggi (below). Voxan Motors, part of the Venturi Group, is partnered by global telecommunications innovators ROKiT Group. The ROKiT Group are also title partners of Venturi’s Formula E Team, ROKiT Venturi Racing. Voxan is a French motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1995. Voxan Motors quickly became known for producing motorcycles with distinctive aesthetic appeal and innovative mechanical design, none more so than its 72° V-twin cylinder (996 cc) engine. Between 1995 and 2009, at its factory in the French town of Issoire, the firm created more than ten models or derivatives, all combustion-powered. In June 2010, Voxan was bought by Gildo Pastor, President of Venturi. At the time, Venturi already had a decade’s experience specializing in high-performance electric vehicles. Following the takeover, Voxan Motors embarked on a new technological course, signing up to the Monegasque group’s electric-focused philosophy. Its new objective was to focus purely on electric mobility, acting as an incubator for cutting-edge ideas and pushing the envelope with a series of "zero emissions" world record attempts. The Voxan Wattman is the product of a pioneering development process, in terms both of its design and the technology behind it. Uniquely, the Wattman is an entirely new concept, not based on any existing vehicle. When the teams at Voxan Motors first began working on the project in the autumn of 2018, they started totally from scratch with a blank page. From there, everything quickly snowballed: "We were keen to move fast", explains Louis- Marie Blondel, who both oversaw the project’s development and personally test-rode the motorcycle. "So we focused on two main points: drag (aerodynamics) and stability at high-speed. We were aiming to have the smallest possible projected area, but with a long wheelbase and a large rake, so the rider would be positioned as low as possible. We then identified a target speed, based on the existing record, which was originally 327.6 km/h (203.56 mph), but which was set at just over 329 km/h (204.48 mph) (by Ryuji Tsuruta, riding a MOBITEC EV-02A) in the autumn of 2019. That made no difference to our roadmap, as we were already aiming for a minimum of 330 km/h (205.05 mph)."
