JULY 3, 2024

(Formula1.com)

George Russell (No. 63 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team) scored an unexpected victory in the Austrian Grand Prix after a hugely dramatic end to the race saw Max Verstappen (No. 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing) and Lando Norris (No. 4 McLaren Formula 1 Team) collide in the battle for the lead, dropping Verstappen down the order and forcing Norris to retire. While Verstappen had made a strong start from pole position to hold P1 for much of the race, a thrilling duel with McLaren driver Norris unfolded when both made their final pit stops on Lap 52 of 71, where Red Bull suffered a rare slower stop due to an issue with the left rear wheel. With the gap between them at less than two seconds, Norris was hot on the tail of his rival and made more than one attempt to snatch P1. But it all came to a head on Lap 64 when the pair made contact, causing both to limp back to the pits with punctures. This allowed Russell – who had long been running in third – to sweep through to take the lead in the Mercedes, which he held until the checkered flag to claim the second race win of his F1 career. Oscar Piastri (No. 81 McLaren Formula 1 Team) was second and Carlos Sainz (No. 55 Scuderia Ferrari) finished third. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)

(MotoGP.com)

After a dominant performance on Saturday, Francesco Bagnaia (No. 1 Ducati Lenovo Team) repeated his success on Sunday – ending a perfect weekend by taking his 23rd victory with Ducati. Bagnaia won for the third consecutive year at the Motul TT Assen as he continues to close Jorge Martin’s (No. 89 Prima Pramac Racing) lead in the Championship, with Martin’s lead down to just 10 points ahead of Germany. Martin charged hard and kept Bagnaia honest but could only manage second-best, bringing home a further 20 points on Sunday. The final spot on the podium went the way of Enea Bastianini (No. 23 Ducati Lenovo Team), who completed a brilliant weekend for the team. Bastianini had a spectacular recovery ride to charge from P10 on the grid and carve through the field. Watch the Race highlights here. (Thank you to MotoGP.com)

(Photo of Pecco Bagnaia by AE Special Contributor Whit Bazemore)

(Acura)

Honda Racing Corporation USA has confirmed that it will partner with championship-winning Meyer Shank Racing to field a pair of Acura ARX-06 entries in the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, starting with the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona in January. The multi-year agreement will see HRC US take on a larger operational role as the company further develops its personnel and technology for the hybrid electrified racing era. HRC US associates will race engineer one of the two GTP entries, while Meyer Shank Racing will oversee the second Acura ARX-06.

Editor's Note: This is our dearly departed billboard, which we had at Road America for several years. Peter gifted the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" to the track, which now uses it proudly in all of its communications. -WG

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG