Monday
Aug172020
AUGUST 19, 2020
Monday, August 17, 2020 at 09:27AM 
(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)
Marco Andretti (No. 98 Andretti Herta Autosport U.S. Concrete/Curb Honda V6 Turbo/Dallara) stood on the gas in tricky, windy conditions and captured the pole for the the 104th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge with a four-lap average speed of 231.068 mph. Andretti was the last driver to go out in the Fast Nine Shootout on Sunday and just edged Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda V6 Turbo/Dallara) for the pole. Dixon's four-lap average was 231.051 mph. It will be the first time in 33 years that an Andretti will lead the field to the start of the "500" since his grandfather Mario did it in 1987. (See more coverage from Indianapolis in Fumes. -WG)
Marco Andretti (No. 98 Andretti Herta Autosport U.S. Concrete/Curb Honda V6 Turbo/Dallara) stood on the gas in tricky, windy conditions and captured the pole for the the 104th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge with a four-lap average speed of 231.068 mph. Andretti was the last driver to go out in the Fast Nine Shootout on Sunday and just edged Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda V6 Turbo/Dallara) for the pole. Dixon's four-lap average was 231.051 mph. It will be the first time in 33 years that an Andretti will lead the field to the start of the "500" since his grandfather Mario did it in 1987. (See more coverage from Indianapolis in Fumes. -WG)
(Photo by Joe Skibinski/INDYCAR)
Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda V6 Turbo/Dallara) just missed the pole with a four-lap average speed of 231.051 mph.
Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda V6 Turbo/Dallara) just missed the pole with a four-lap average speed of 231.051 mph.
(Photo by Karl Zemlin/INDYCAR)
Takuma Sato (No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Panasonic/PeopleReady Honda Turbo V6/Dallara) completed the all-Honda Front Row with a speed of 230.725 mph. (See more from Indy in Fumes. -WG)
Takuma Sato (No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Panasonic/PeopleReady Honda Turbo V6/Dallara) completed the all-Honda Front Row with a speed of 230.725 mph. (See more from Indy in Fumes. -WG)
(motogp.com)
Andrea Dovizioso (No. 04 Ducati Team) kept Ducati’s 100% Red Bull Ring record intact on Sunday by winning the myWorld Austrian Grand Prix, but that doesn’t even tell half the story. After a huge crash involving Johann Zarco (No. 5 Esponsorama Racing Ducati) and Franco Morbidelli (No. 21 Petronas Yamaha SRT) that brought out the red flag on Lap 9, the Championship tale took another crazy twist in a Spielberg epic. Joan Mir (No. 36 Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Jack Miller (No. 43 Pramac Racing Ducati) completed the podium, with Fabio Quartararo (No. 20 Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Maverick Viñales (No. 12 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) encountering problems that saw them finishing outside the top seven. The accident? It was horrendous. Morbidelli and Zarco were side by side on the straight headed to Turn 3 when they came into contact and both went down. What unfolded next was both incredibly scary and unbelievably lucky at the same time. Zarco and Morbidelli’s bikes careened toward Turn 3 at high speed. Both bikes hit the air-fence - thankfully slowing them down slightly which was fortunate - but because of their high speed they came barrelling over the fence and into the path of the riders who were coming into and out of Turn 3. Viñales and Valentino Rossi (No. 46 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) were the two in the firing line and somehow, the Ducati and Yamaha bikes barely missed the two factory Yamaha riders. Morbidelli’s bike sliced through the gap between Viñales and Rossi, missing the nine-time World Champion by a matter of inches, with Zarco’s bike narrowly avoiding Viñales. It was an incident that could have changed the face of MotoGP racing for years to come. Back to the race itself: Coming onto the last lap, barring a mistake, the race was Dovi’s. But Miller was scrapping away and defending as hard as he could to make it a Ducati 1-2 and it looked like he was going to succeed. But, Miller thought Mir was closer to him heading into the penultimate Turn 9 and Miller’s defensive line took him wide on the exit. Mir used the normal, sweeping line – something the Suzuki is fantastic at – and Mir was through. Dovi took the checkered flag to claim his third Red Bull Ring victory, Mir secured his first MotoGP™ podium, with Miller settling for third. (Thank you to MotoGP Media.)
Here is what our special AE Contributor - Whit Bazemore - had to say after the race: "MotoGP escaped its darkest day by inches. Life - and death - are sometimes (always?) so arbitrary. Not sure it matters if someone is racing a MotoGP bike, or getting Covid… but yesterday was for sure a reminder of how dangerous MotoGP is and will always be." - Whit Bazemore
Editor-In-Chief's Note: We certainly hope you're enjoying the superb photography and insider's perspective of MotoGP racing by special AE contributor Whit Bazemore. MotoGP has become my personal favorite form of motorsport, and to have someone with Whit's talent share his visual art and deep knowledge of MotoGP is truly special for us, and we really appreciate it. By the way, you may recognize Whit's last name - Bazemore began making a living from drag racing when he was sixteen years old, and he is a two-time U.S. Nationals winner and still the fifth-fastest Funny Car driver ever at 333.25 MPH. -PMD
Andrea Dovizioso (No. 04 Ducati Team) kept Ducati’s 100% Red Bull Ring record intact on Sunday by winning the myWorld Austrian Grand Prix, but that doesn’t even tell half the story. After a huge crash involving Johann Zarco (No. 5 Esponsorama Racing Ducati) and Franco Morbidelli (No. 21 Petronas Yamaha SRT) that brought out the red flag on Lap 9, the Championship tale took another crazy twist in a Spielberg epic. Joan Mir (No. 36 Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Jack Miller (No. 43 Pramac Racing Ducati) completed the podium, with Fabio Quartararo (No. 20 Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Maverick Viñales (No. 12 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) encountering problems that saw them finishing outside the top seven. The accident? It was horrendous. Morbidelli and Zarco were side by side on the straight headed to Turn 3 when they came into contact and both went down. What unfolded next was both incredibly scary and unbelievably lucky at the same time. Zarco and Morbidelli’s bikes careened toward Turn 3 at high speed. Both bikes hit the air-fence - thankfully slowing them down slightly which was fortunate - but because of their high speed they came barrelling over the fence and into the path of the riders who were coming into and out of Turn 3. Viñales and Valentino Rossi (No. 46 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) were the two in the firing line and somehow, the Ducati and Yamaha bikes barely missed the two factory Yamaha riders. Morbidelli’s bike sliced through the gap between Viñales and Rossi, missing the nine-time World Champion by a matter of inches, with Zarco’s bike narrowly avoiding Viñales. It was an incident that could have changed the face of MotoGP racing for years to come. Back to the race itself: Coming onto the last lap, barring a mistake, the race was Dovi’s. But Miller was scrapping away and defending as hard as he could to make it a Ducati 1-2 and it looked like he was going to succeed. But, Miller thought Mir was closer to him heading into the penultimate Turn 9 and Miller’s defensive line took him wide on the exit. Mir used the normal, sweeping line – something the Suzuki is fantastic at – and Mir was through. Dovi took the checkered flag to claim his third Red Bull Ring victory, Mir secured his first MotoGP™ podium, with Miller settling for third. (Thank you to MotoGP Media.)
Here is what our special AE Contributor - Whit Bazemore - had to say after the race: "MotoGP escaped its darkest day by inches. Life - and death - are sometimes (always?) so arbitrary. Not sure it matters if someone is racing a MotoGP bike, or getting Covid… but yesterday was for sure a reminder of how dangerous MotoGP is and will always be." - Whit Bazemore
Editor-In-Chief's Note: We certainly hope you're enjoying the superb photography and insider's perspective of MotoGP racing by special AE contributor Whit Bazemore. MotoGP has become my personal favorite form of motorsport, and to have someone with Whit's talent share his visual art and deep knowledge of MotoGP is truly special for us, and we really appreciate it. By the way, you may recognize Whit's last name - Bazemore began making a living from drag racing when he was sixteen years old, and he is a two-time U.S. Nationals winner and still the fifth-fastest Funny Car driver ever at 333.25 MPH. -PMD
(Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) reminded everyone that he is one of the sport’s very best on the technical road circuits as the 24-year-old won NASCAR Cup Series debut on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Sunday. Elliott had pulled out to a 10-second advantage on the field Just before a caution flag flew with five laps remaining. He turned in a fantastic restart and drove three perfect final laps to hold off Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) by .202 seconds to win the GoBowling 235. It was Elliott’s third consecutive road-course win dating back to last year. “Just had a really good car more than anything, not sure I did anything special today,” Elliott said. “Really fortunate from that standpoint. Had a good week of preparation and came out and really executed on the race.” Elliott said he was hardly surprised about the late-race restart and prepared for it. “To me was not when, but how many green-white-checkers we were going to have to do in a row and being better at executing those,” Elliott said. “Any win at Daytona is special. (Crew chief) Alan (Gustafson) and I were joking that we had to change it to a road course to win at Daytona. … Just a great day.” Martin Truex Jr. (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) finished third, followed by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet). (Thank you to Holly Cain/NASCAR Wire Service.)
Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) reminded everyone that he is one of the sport’s very best on the technical road circuits as the 24-year-old won NASCAR Cup Series debut on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Sunday. Elliott had pulled out to a 10-second advantage on the field Just before a caution flag flew with five laps remaining. He turned in a fantastic restart and drove three perfect final laps to hold off Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) by .202 seconds to win the GoBowling 235. It was Elliott’s third consecutive road-course win dating back to last year. “Just had a really good car more than anything, not sure I did anything special today,” Elliott said. “Really fortunate from that standpoint. Had a good week of preparation and came out and really executed on the race.” Elliott said he was hardly surprised about the late-race restart and prepared for it. “To me was not when, but how many green-white-checkers we were going to have to do in a row and being better at executing those,” Elliott said. “Any win at Daytona is special. (Crew chief) Alan (Gustafson) and I were joking that we had to change it to a road course to win at Daytona. … Just a great day.” Martin Truex Jr. (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) finished third, followed by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet). (Thank you to Holly Cain/NASCAR Wire Service.)
(Photo by Bryn Lennon/Pool/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: "Boring Spanish Grand Prix highlights F1's deep-rooted problems that will not just disappear" - That was the perfect headline by Luke Slater in The Telegraph describing Sunday's F1 Spanish Grand Prix. “I was just in a daze out there.” Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) said he was not aware he had taken the checkered flag in his crushing Spanish Grand Prix victory on Sunday. The 35-year-old lapped the entire field apart from the top three on his way to the 88th victory of his career, which leaves him just three shy of Michael Schumacher’s all-time record. Max Verstappen (No. 33 Red Bull Racing Honda) was second and Valterri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) finished third. "Anyone still watching at home would have been excused for 'zoning out' whilst Hamilton 'zoned in,'" Slater continued. I couldn't agree more. Even though I happen to think that Lewis Hamilton will go down as the greatest champion in F1 history, it was another Grand Prix race that was over by Turn 1. And it was boring as hell. Will it continue? Yes, because unless and until F1 comes up with a rules package for its cars that promotes competition instead of financial resources, it will never change. -PMD
Editor-in-Chief's Note: "Boring Spanish Grand Prix highlights F1's deep-rooted problems that will not just disappear" - That was the perfect headline by Luke Slater in The Telegraph describing Sunday's F1 Spanish Grand Prix. “I was just in a daze out there.” Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) said he was not aware he had taken the checkered flag in his crushing Spanish Grand Prix victory on Sunday. The 35-year-old lapped the entire field apart from the top three on his way to the 88th victory of his career, which leaves him just three shy of Michael Schumacher’s all-time record. Max Verstappen (No. 33 Red Bull Racing Honda) was second and Valterri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) finished third. "Anyone still watching at home would have been excused for 'zoning out' whilst Hamilton 'zoned in,'" Slater continued. I couldn't agree more. Even though I happen to think that Lewis Hamilton will go down as the greatest champion in F1 history, it was another Grand Prix race that was over by Turn 1. And it was boring as hell. Will it continue? Yes, because unless and until F1 comes up with a rules package for its cars that promotes competition instead of financial resources, it will never change. -PMD
