MARCH 27, 2024
Sunday, March 24, 2024 at 07:55AM 
Carlos Sainz (No. 55 Scuderia Ferrari) took the first non-Red Bull win of the season with an impressive display during Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, taking advantage of technical trouble for Max Verstappen (No. 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing) in the opening laps that forced the reigning world champion to retire. Bidding for a record-equaling tenth victory in a row, Verstappen converted his pole position advantage as the race got under way but soon reported issues behind the wheel, with a compromised second lap opening the door for Sainz to get a run on him and make a move for the lead. From there, Verstappen’s brake-related woes got worse and, with plumes of smoke exiting the rear of his RB20, he pulled off the racing line to let the rest of the field overtake him before returning to the pits and retiring for the first time in two years. Sainz went from strength to strength in Verstappen’s absence, building up a solid lead over Lando Norris (No. 4 McLaren Formule 1 Team), teammate Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari) and home favorite Oscar Piastri (No. 81 McLaren Formula 1 Team) as the race developed, eventually taking the checkered flag for the third triumph of his F1 career. Leclerc was second for a Ferrari 1-2, and Norris finished third. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)
(Formula1.com)
It was a big day for Carlos Sainz and Ferrari in Australia.
Jorge Martin (No. 89 Prima Pramac Racing) won the 2024 Portimao MotoGP, while late drama behind saw Francesco Bagnaia (No. 1 Ducati Lenovo Team) and Marc Marquez (No. 93 Gresini Racing MotoGP) clash contesting fifth. Then, Maverick Vinales (No. 12 Aprilia Racing) crashed from second due to a suspected gearbox issue on the last lap. Enea Bastianini (No. 23 Ducati Lenovo Team) was second, and rookie Pedro Acosta (No. 32 Red Bull GASGAS Tech 3) moved up to third at the finish. The Bagnaia-Marquez incident saw Marquez dive inside the struggling reigning double champion at Turn 5 with three laps to go. But as Marquez drifted slightly wide at the apex, Bagnaia tried to cut back under the Gresini Ducati. The pair then collided, sending both to the ground. Sprint winner Vinales, who had stalked Martin for the entire race, suddenly slowed onto the home straight as the final lap began. The Aprilia rider then continued into Turn 1, where he ran wide and high sided. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to crash.net.)
In a race of varying strategies, pure speed paid off for Alex Palou with a lucrative victory Sunday in the Sprint for the Purse at The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge. Reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou earned $500,000 for the victory in the non-points exhibition event at The Thermal Club, a private motorsports club near Palm Springs, California. Palou led all 20 laps of the Sprint for the Purse from the pole, driving his No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing DHL Honda to a 5.7929-second victory over the No. 3 Team Penske XPEL Chevrolet of Scott McLaughlin, who earned $350,000 for his runner-up finish. “The car was amazing,” Palou said. “I was a bit surprised how the competitors did the first 10 laps, saving tires. I was like: ‘All right, that’s our game. I like it.’ Super proud of the 10 car and everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing.” Felix Rosenqvist rounded out the podium finishers in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing, earning $250,000. Rosenqvist and Palou each won heat races earlier today that trimmed the 27-car field to 12 drivers for the Sprint for the Purse on the 17-turn, 3.067-mile circuit at the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains. Watch Extended Highlights from Motorsports on NBC here. (Thank you to INDYCAR)
(Trans Am)
Adam Andretti (No. 17 Top Liner/Go Share Chevrolet Camaro) earned a birthday victory at the Mission Foods Road Atlanta SpeedTour in one of the closest finishes the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli has ever seen. Driving a new Burtin Racing-designed chassis, Andretti started second and took over the lead when Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang) slid through oil on lap 11. Wally Dallenbach (No. 41 Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang), who was running eighth in class at the time, experienced a sudden engine failure, dropping oil on the racetrack before retiring to the paddock. When Dyson hit the spot of the engine failure, he slid through the dropped oil, resulting in a spin that relegated him to the seventh position. Andretti dominated the race from then on, but Dyson mounted an incredible comeback from seventh place to cross the finish line just 0.159-seconds behind Andretti in the Bennett/BridgeHaul Classic. (Thank you to Trans Am Media)
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
