Sunday
Sep202020
SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
Sunday, September 20, 2020 at 09:54PM 
(Photo © The Financial Express)
Maverick Vinales (No. 12 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) ended a season long winless drought in MotoGP, winning the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Misano circuit after Francesco Bagnaia (No. 63 Pramac Racing Ducati) crashed while leading with seven laps to go. Vinales held off Joan Mir (No. 36 Team Suzuki ECSTAR) and Pol Espargarao (No. 44 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to win his first race since the Malaysian Grand Prix last year. The 25-year-old rider is the sixth different winner in eight rounds this season. With his eighth career victory, Vinales moved into a tie for second in the standings with Fabio Quartararo (No. 20 Petronas Yamaha SRT), who finished fourth Sunday after being penalized 3 seconds for violating track limits and losing a spot on the podium. There are seven races remaining in the season, which has had no repeat winners since Quartararo opened with consecutive victories in Spain. Watch a video here. (Thanks to Nate Ryan/NBC Sports/Yahoo Sports)
Maverick Vinales (No. 12 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) ended a season long winless drought in MotoGP, winning the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Misano circuit after Francesco Bagnaia (No. 63 Pramac Racing Ducati) crashed while leading with seven laps to go. Vinales held off Joan Mir (No. 36 Team Suzuki ECSTAR) and Pol Espargarao (No. 44 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to win his first race since the Malaysian Grand Prix last year. The 25-year-old rider is the sixth different winner in eight rounds this season. With his eighth career victory, Vinales moved into a tie for second in the standings with Fabio Quartararo (No. 20 Petronas Yamaha SRT), who finished fourth Sunday after being penalized 3 seconds for violating track limits and losing a spot on the podium. There are seven races remaining in the season, which has had no repeat winners since Quartararo opened with consecutive victories in Spain. Watch a video here. (Thanks to Nate Ryan/NBC Sports/Yahoo Sports)
(Antonin Vincent/ACO)
Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendan Hartley (No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid) drove to an overall victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans over the weekend. It was the third win at Le Mans for Buemi and Nakajima, and the second win for Hartley, who won in 2017 for Porsche. The spectator-less running of the race was delayed three months due to COVID-19. The No. 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid driven by Mike Conway/Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez was finally looking to clinch an elusive victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the racing gods decided otherwise. The car suffered a faulty turbo at 2:30 a.m. and the resulting pit stop took an excruciating 30 minutes. American driver Gustavo Menezes/Bruno Senna/Norman Nato (No. 1 Rebellion Racing R13/Gibson) finished second and the No. 7 Toyota ended up third overall.
(Louis Monnier/ACO)
Phil Hanson/Filipe Albuquerque/Paul Di Resta (No. 22 United Autosports Oreca 07-Gibson) avoided the technical snags and incidents that plagued the class to win in LMP2. The early stages saw many competitors do battle at the sharp end of the field. The fact that some teams deliberately opted for alternate strategies added to the exciting uncertainty. The first stint – always shorter at Le Mans due to the starting procedure and formation lap – was followed by a short second stint for some of the cars to avoid a bottleneck in the pit lane. As a result, the lead changed hands many times. Anthony Davidson/Antonio-Felix Da Costa/Roberto Gonzalez (No. 38 JOTA Oreca 07-Gibson) finished second, and the Panis Racing No. 31 Oreca 07-Gibson driven by Nicolas Jamin/Julien Canal/Matthieu Vaxivière finished third.
(Antonin Vincent/ACO)
Although reduced to a three-way battle between Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche due to Corvette Racing's absence, the LMGTE Pro class devolved to a two-way fight in short order. The factory 911 RSR-19 Porsches fell out of the mix right from the start, their lack of top speed being a huge factor. The Italians held the edge as nightfall approached. The No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Daniel Serra and the No. 71 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO of Davide Rigon/Miguel Molina/Sam Bird ran well early. After midnight, the tussle on the track continued between Maxime Martin (No. 97 Aston Martin Vantage AMR) and Serra. Racing wheel-to-wheel for several minutes before their staggered pit stops, neither man gave an inch. The No. 71 Ferrari dropped out of the LMGTE Pro lead group just before the halfway stage, falling victim to a puncture. Maxime Martin/Alex Lynn/Harry Tincknell (No. 97 Aston Martin Vantage AMR) prevailed for the win. The No. 51 Ferrari finished second, and the No. 82 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE EVO driven by Sebastian Bourdais/Olivier Pla/Jules Gounon finished third.
(Guenole Trehorel/ACO)
Aston Martin also won the LMGTE Am class, but it was the non-factory No. 90 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage AMR driven by Salih Yoluc/Charles Eastwood/Jonathan Adam that captured the victory. Riccardo Pera/Christian Ried/Matt Campbell (No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR) finished second and François Perrodo/Emmanuel Collard/Nicklas Nielsen finished third in the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO). (Thanks to the ACO for the details and pics)
Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendan Hartley (No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid) drove to an overall victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans over the weekend. It was the third win at Le Mans for Buemi and Nakajima, and the second win for Hartley, who won in 2017 for Porsche. The spectator-less running of the race was delayed three months due to COVID-19. The No. 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid driven by Mike Conway/Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez was finally looking to clinch an elusive victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the racing gods decided otherwise. The car suffered a faulty turbo at 2:30 a.m. and the resulting pit stop took an excruciating 30 minutes. American driver Gustavo Menezes/Bruno Senna/Norman Nato (No. 1 Rebellion Racing R13/Gibson) finished second and the No. 7 Toyota ended up third overall.
(Louis Monnier/ACO)Phil Hanson/Filipe Albuquerque/Paul Di Resta (No. 22 United Autosports Oreca 07-Gibson) avoided the technical snags and incidents that plagued the class to win in LMP2. The early stages saw many competitors do battle at the sharp end of the field. The fact that some teams deliberately opted for alternate strategies added to the exciting uncertainty. The first stint – always shorter at Le Mans due to the starting procedure and formation lap – was followed by a short second stint for some of the cars to avoid a bottleneck in the pit lane. As a result, the lead changed hands many times. Anthony Davidson/Antonio-Felix Da Costa/Roberto Gonzalez (No. 38 JOTA Oreca 07-Gibson) finished second, and the Panis Racing No. 31 Oreca 07-Gibson driven by Nicolas Jamin/Julien Canal/Matthieu Vaxivière finished third.
(Antonin Vincent/ACO)Although reduced to a three-way battle between Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche due to Corvette Racing's absence, the LMGTE Pro class devolved to a two-way fight in short order. The factory 911 RSR-19 Porsches fell out of the mix right from the start, their lack of top speed being a huge factor. The Italians held the edge as nightfall approached. The No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Daniel Serra and the No. 71 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO of Davide Rigon/Miguel Molina/Sam Bird ran well early. After midnight, the tussle on the track continued between Maxime Martin (No. 97 Aston Martin Vantage AMR) and Serra. Racing wheel-to-wheel for several minutes before their staggered pit stops, neither man gave an inch. The No. 71 Ferrari dropped out of the LMGTE Pro lead group just before the halfway stage, falling victim to a puncture. Maxime Martin/Alex Lynn/Harry Tincknell (No. 97 Aston Martin Vantage AMR) prevailed for the win. The No. 51 Ferrari finished second, and the No. 82 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE EVO driven by Sebastian Bourdais/Olivier Pla/Jules Gounon finished third.
(Guenole Trehorel/ACO)Aston Martin also won the LMGTE Am class, but it was the non-factory No. 90 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage AMR driven by Salih Yoluc/Charles Eastwood/Jonathan Adam that captured the victory. Riccardo Pera/Christian Ried/Matt Campbell (No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR) finished second and François Perrodo/Emmanuel Collard/Nicklas Nielsen finished third in the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO). (Thanks to the ACO for the details and pics)
(Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford) swapped the lead with Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) and held off the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion over an intense string of closing laps to win Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. It was Harvick's ninth victory of the season, his third at Bristol and the 58th of his illustrious NASCAR Cup career. Harvick finished .310 seconds ahead of Busch, who remained mired in a winless season. Busch has been stuck on 56 wins since his title-winning triumph in the last year’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It took all of Harvick’s consummate skill to hold off Busch during the final 82-lap green-flag run. Busch is the leader among active drivers with eight wins at Bristol. “To beat Kyle Busch at Bristol, I kind of got myself in a little bit of a ringer there,” said Harvick, who already had secured a berth in the Round of 12 with his win at Darlington Raceway in the playoff opener. “I hit a lapped car and got a hole in the right-front nose, but just kept fighting. We don’t have anything else to lose... We were here to try to win a race.” The Bristol Night Race was the cutoff event for the Round of 16, and the four drivers who began the event below the cutline — William Byron, Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Cole Custer, Ryan Blaney and Matt DiBenedetto — remained there and were eliminated from the playoffs.
Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford) swapped the lead with Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) and held off the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion over an intense string of closing laps to win Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. It was Harvick's ninth victory of the season, his third at Bristol and the 58th of his illustrious NASCAR Cup career. Harvick finished .310 seconds ahead of Busch, who remained mired in a winless season. Busch has been stuck on 56 wins since his title-winning triumph in the last year’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It took all of Harvick’s consummate skill to hold off Busch during the final 82-lap green-flag run. Busch is the leader among active drivers with eight wins at Bristol. “To beat Kyle Busch at Bristol, I kind of got myself in a little bit of a ringer there,” said Harvick, who already had secured a berth in the Round of 12 with his win at Darlington Raceway in the playoff opener. “I hit a lapped car and got a hole in the right-front nose, but just kept fighting. We don’t have anything else to lose... We were here to try to win a race.” The Bristol Night Race was the cutoff event for the Round of 16, and the four drivers who began the event below the cutline — William Byron, Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Cole Custer, Ryan Blaney and Matt DiBenedetto — remained there and were eliminated from the playoffs.