Czech Republic - A1 Team New Zealand took its second victory of the day in this afternoon's thrilling Feature race at Brno in the Czech Republic, moving the team into the championship lead by one point. Jonny Reid crossed the line in first place from seventh on the grid, ahead of the Netherlands' Jeroen Bleekemolen and Switzerland's Neel Jani in second and third position respectively.
Another gripping start greeted the crowds at a chilly but sunny Brno as pole-sitter Bleekemolen and the cars of South Africa and Great Britain went three abreast into the first corner, the Dutchman making it stick to hold the lead ahead of Adrian Zaugg, Robbie Kerr and China's Congfu Cheng.
New Zealand's Reid moved up a place at the start and was all over the back of fifth-placed Jani in the Swiss car while further down the pack Ireland's Adam Carroll had made an incredible start from 18th on the grid, gaining six places to 12th by the end of lap one.
By lap five Bleekemolen had edged out a 3.5 second lead over Zaugg, who was holding up the pack as the Dutch car stormed into the distance. As the first mandatory pit stop window opened on lap eight, race leader Bleekemolen was the first man in for a fresh set of tyres, closely followed by South Africa, Great Britain and New Zealand. Reid's team did an awesome job in the pits, getting 'Black Beauty' out on track ahead of Zaugg and Kerr, who had been battling for second place.
As the pit stop window closed on lap 15 the top six settled behind the Netherlands to New Zealand, Switzerland, Great Britain, closely followed by China, France and Germany. Two laps later Kerr was forced to pit with a puncture, moving China up into fourth place as the British racer rejoined in 20th.
Second-placed Reid was on blistering form, closing in on Bleekemolen to within half a second by lap 25 when the Dutch driver pitted for his second obligatory stop. With eight laps to go the Kiwi had pulled out a 32 second lead when he came in for his second stop on lap 30. Having rejoined in the top spot after fast work in the pits, Reid eked out his advantage over Bleekemolen and Jani to over six seconds by the start of the final lap.
New Zealand went on to stamp its authority on the weekend by taking another commanding victory, followed home by the Netherlands and Switzerland in second and third place with China hot on its heels in fourth. Fifth position was taken by A1 Team France as Ireland crossed the line in an incredible sixth place, having started back in 18th. Brazil finished seventh while the final three point scoring positions were taken by Germany, India and Italy.
Local hero Erik Janis finished a solid 12th in his home race, having started 17th. GBR's Kerr had a disappointing race after being forced to pit three times, eventually crossing the line in 17th behind South Africa.
Jonny Reid was delighted with his team's performance today and can't wait for round three at Sepang in Malaysia:
'We're very pleased as a team. I couldn't have asked more from the boys in the pits. The car was well balanced and I was just happy to push 110 per cent all the time and average a very quick time and that brought us up behind Netherlands and again the pit stops again were great and I was able to pull a margin with some clear air at one point in the race so I'm really pleased.'
He continued:
'The car was good, I knew that and I was able to push. I was held up by the Netherlands and once I got some clear air I was able to put some good laps together and get a margin and it was big enough to jump them in the pits. The car was good everywhere and I was able to push 110 per cent. I had no problems with the car and was able to be very quick. I can't wait for Malaysia. The car's good, I'm feeling good. The warmer climates don't bother me at all so I'm looking forward to getting out there and getting into things.'
Second-placed Jeroen Bleekemolen said:
'Well because the wear on the tyres is so high here I thought he (Reid) is not going to stay out and I can make up ground on him so he can never overtake me, but then I was behind India for three laps which cost me about three to four seconds totally. He was definitely faster today but we had the pole position and we pulled away at the beginning so we could have won it if we didn't have traffic. Their car was a bit faster today than us but we had a chance. It's really difficult to overtake here. All the corners are pretty quick so when you come close to someone you can't always overtake. With India I caught them pretty quickly but then couldn't get passed and it's really difficult.'
Switzerland's Neel Jani, who was under pressure from A1 Team China but managed to hold position to cross the line third and join Reid and Bleekemolen on the podium at Brno, commented:
'At the end they were catching up massively. First I watched in the mirrors and I couldn't see any cars and the second lap I looked in the mirrors and he's all over me, so I had to be very careful not to make any mistakes at the end and luckily the race ended.'
China's Congfu Cheng, who had a difficult start to the season two weeks ago, was looking good for his first podium finish but eventually crossed the line a competitive fourth behind Jani:
'I am very happy and really thanks to the team because we had a terrible weekend in Zandvoort and to be able to come this high particularly in this race as well it's a great surprise and I'm really looking forward to the next race now. The team made a good strategy and we were quite competitive on old rubber and we knew that once we put on new tyres we would be even better. I thought if I am able to get two more laps I could put a bit more pressure onto Switzerland, but it was a great effort that they put in so congratulations to them. In China motor racing has just started, so to be able to finish that high at this level of competition is great.'
Irish rookie Adam Carroll, who had an incredible race to cross the line sixth having started 18th on the grid, said:
'It was a great race and I got a great first lap in and you know there is nothing to lose starting from 18th so you get stuck in, it's a long race. The pit stops went really well, the guys did a fantastic job and we were able to come through to sixth which was a very, very good result. There's a lot of support from back home and there's a great team atmosphere, so I'd like to thank everyone for doing a great job and giving me the opportunity to do this.'
New Zealand now leads the title challenge on 37 points, just ahead of South Africa on 36 and Great Britain on 31 as the series has a short break before heading to Sepang, Malaysia on 23-25 November 2007.
Feature race results
Pos
|
Driver |
A1 Team |
Time |
Gap First |
1 |
Jonny REID |
NEW ZEALAND |
1:10:34.700 |
- |
2 |
Jeroen BLEEKEMOLEN |
NETHERLANDS |
1:10:41.846 |
7.146 |
3 |
Neel JANI |
SWITZERLAND |
1:10:46.977 |
12.277 |
4 |
Congfu CHENG |
CHINA |
1:10:47.423 |
12.723 |
5 |
Nicolas LAPIERRE |
FRANCE |
1:10:54.139 |
19.439 |
6 |
Adam CARROLL |
IRELAND |
1:10:59.048 |
24.348 |
7 |
Sergio JIMENEZ |
BRAZIL |
1:11:04.325 |
29.625 |
8 |
Christian VIETORIS |
GERMANY |
1:11:12.649 |
37.949 |
9 |
Narain KARTHIKEYAN |
INDIA |
1:11:13.085 |
38.385 |
10 |
Enrico TOCCACELO |
ITALY |
1:11:24.106 |
49.406 |
11 |
James HINCHCLIFFE |
CANADA |
1:11:26.231 |
51.531 |
12 |
Erik JANIS |
CZECH REPUBLIC |
1:11:32.499 |
57.799 |
13 |
Ian DYK |
AUSTRALIA |
1:11:37.248 |
+1:02.548 |
14 |
Alex YOONG |
MALAYSIA |
1:11:37.938 |
+1:03.238 |
15 |
Buddy RICE |
USA |
1:11:57.490 |
+1:22.790 |
16 |
Adrian ZAUGG |
SOUTH AFRICA |
1:11:57.800 |
+1:23.100 |
17 |
Robbie KERR |
GREAT BRITAIN |
1:11:58.433 |
+1:23.733 |
18 |
Joao URBANO |
PORTUGAL |
1:11:59.618 |
+1:24.918 |
19 |
Satrio HERMANTO |
INDONESIA |
1:12:00.037 |
+1:25.337 |
20 |
Adam KHAN |
PAKISTAN |
1:12:06.215 |
+1:31.515 |
21 |
Khalil BESCHIR |
LEBANON |
1:11:06.771 |
1 Lap |
22 |
Michel JOURDAIN |
MEXICO |
1:11:38.703 |
1 Lap |
2007/08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport points standings
Pos
|
A1 Team |
Points |
1 |
NEW ZEALAND |
37 |
2 |
SOUTH AFRICA |
36 |
3 |
GREAT BRITAIN |
31 |
4 |
NETHERLANDS |
31 |
5 |
FRANCE |
29 |
6 |
SWITZERLAND |
29 |
7 |
IRELAND |
23 |
8 |
MEXICO |
17 |
9 |
GERMANY |
14 |
10 |
CHINA |
10 |
11 |
BRAZIL |
4 |
12 |
INDIA |
3 |
13 |
PORTUGAL |
2 |
14 |
ITALY |
1 |
15 |
CZECH REPUBLIC |
1 |
Fastest lap: A1 Team China set the fastest lap in the Feature race, lapping Brno circuit in 1m47.610s with a speed of 180.8 kph on lap 29 of the 38 lap race.
Next race: A1GP Sepang, Malaysia, 23-25 November 2007
Czech Republic - A1 Team New Zealand's Jonny Reid raced to a sensational victory at Brno this morning at round two of the 2007/08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport season in the Czech Republic, dominating from the first corner to the end of the 10 lap race. Great Britain's Robbie Kerr and Ireland's A1GP debutant Adam Carroll joined Reid on the podium in second and third position respectively.
Reid took the advantage from second on the grid on the run into the first corner of the Sprint race in perfect weather conditions, as pole-sitter South Africa fell back three places to fourth behind a thrilling scrap for second between A1 Team Great Britain and Ireland.
Kerr managed to hold off the Irish rookie but the pair continued to battle and make contact as Reid started to streak away in 'Black Beauty', edging out a two second lead by the end of lap three. The 23-year-old racer from Auckland was never under threat as the pack settled down behind him and concentrated on their own fights for on-track position.
Nicolas Lapierre made an incredible start in the French car, carving his way through the field from 10th place to sixth behind the Netherlands' Jeroen Bleekemolen on the opening lap. The Frenchman made several attempts to snatch fifth from the Dutch star but the pair remained in fifth and sixth position behind fourth-placed Adrian Zaugg when they crossed the line.
German rookie Christian Vietoris managed to hold off the more experienced Neel Jani in the Swiss car, taking seventh place and a valuable four points. Portugal's Joao Urbano and China's Congfu Cheng took the final points-paying positions, finishing ninth and tenth respectively.
Reid went on to win the 10 lap race by a commanding six seconds from second-placed Kerr, closely followed by Carroll in third, who was sensational in his maiden A1GP race.
Commenting on his fourth A1GP race win, Reid said:
'We made a good start, South Africa was slightly in front of me and then I just pulled in close and got a bit of draft and I was on a good line for the breaking area. South Africa had to defend from Great Britain and I was able to go right around the outside. The guys are working so hard this weekend and we've got to keep a good balance on the car. We are out there to win and we're looking forward to the Feature race for sure.'
Following Great Britain's winning start to the season at Zandvoort two weeks ago, Kerr was pleased to finish on the podium and pick up some more championship points for Team GBR. The 28-year-old said:
'I was on the tighter line going into the first corner which didn't give me the exit and allowed Adam to come round the outside. It was a brave move by Adam and he pulled it off well, but then going into the next corner I knew I had to get ahead. I knew the car had the front grip to do it and Adam tried to come back, but unfortunately for him we both ran out of room and I took position. It was a great first lap and great battling with Adam. I'm just looking forward to the Feature race now. We need to make a few improvements to the car but we know what we've got to do. We're fairly happy with where we are.'
Carroll, who suffered from damage sustained to the Irish charger during his first lap tussle with GBR's Robbie Kerr, was delighted to score A1 Team Ireland's first podium finish since the Portugal Feature race in season one:
'It was pretty good. I got a good tow off Jonny down into turn one on the PowerBoost. The guys held quite a tight line so with the slipstream I was able to pull out and actually get right up alongside Jonny. I went into turn one and Robbie was tight and I just went around the outside. I think that's when he hit the bump on the inside that forced the rear of the car out and he tapped me, and that's what put me a little bit wide.'
On whether this was just beginner's luck, Carroll commented:
'We're not going to need luck this year, we're going to do it on pace because the guys have done such a good job. They're working really hard and for the Feature race, even though we're starting down at the back, hopefully we will have the pace and we can come through to a good position.'
Canada's James Hinchcliffe was on fine form, quietly climbing from 20th on the grid and staying out of trouble to finish 12th behind Brazil's Sergio Jimenez.
It was a quiet race for home nation rookie driver Erik Janis who brought the Czech Republic car home in 18th position having started the 20 minute race in 21st.
Ian Dyk was forced to park the Australian car in the garage on lap three after it was hit by debris when A1 Team Lebanon ran wide directly in front of him. The car sustained considerable damage but A1 Team Australia are confident they will be able to repair it in time for the Feature race, which starts at 15:00 this afternoon.
Sprint race results
Pos
|
Driver |
A1 Team |
Time |
Gap First |
1 |
Jonny REID |
NEW ZEALAND |
18:11.609 |
- |
2 |
Robbie KERR |
GREAT BRITAIN |
18:17.561 |
+5.952 |
3 |
Adam CARROLL |
IRELAND |
18:20.433 |
+8.824 |
4 |
Adrian ZAUGG |
SOUTH AFRICA |
18:21.878 |
+10.269 |
5 |
Jeroen BLEEKEMOLEN |
NETHERLANDS |
18:23.170 |
+11.561 |
6 |
Nicolas LAPIERRE |
FRANCE |
18:23.412 |
+11.803 |
7 |
Christian VIETORIS |
GERMANY |
18:24.809 |
+13.200 |
8 |
Neel JANI |
SWITZERLAND |
18:25.056 |
+13.447 |
9 |
Joao URBANO |
PORTUGAL |
18:30.179 |
+18.570 |
10 |
Congfu CHENG |
CHINA |
18:30.410 |
+18.801 |
11 |
Sergio JIMENEZ |
BRAZIL |
18:33.781 |
+22.172 |
12 |
James HINCHCLIFFE |
CANADA |
18:35.605 |
+23.996 |
13 |
Michel JOURDAIN |
MEXICO |
18:36.536 |
+24.927 |
14 |
Enrico TOCCACELO |
ITALY |
18:37.531 |
+25.922 |
15 |
Adam KHAN |
PAKISTAN |
18:40.372 |
+28.763 |
16 |
Buddy RICE |
USA |
18:42.685 |
+31.076 |
17 |
Alex YOONG |
MALAYSIA |
18:45.270 |
+33.661 |
18 |
Erik JANIS |
CZECH REPUBLIC |
18:46.324 |
+34.715 |
19 |
Satrio HERMANTO |
INDONESIA |
18:59.798 |
+48.189 |
20 |
Khalil BESCHIR |
LEBANON |
19:01.439 |
+49.830 |
21 |
Narain KARTHIKEYAN |
INDIA |
19:49.425 |
+1:37.816 |
22 |
Ian DYK |
AUSTRALIA |
3 laps |
7 Laps |
Fastest lap: A1 Team New Zealand set the fastest lap (1m48.438s) of the Sprint race on lap five.
Czech Republic - A1 Team New Zealand's Jonny Reid raced to a sensational victory at Brno this morning at round two of the 2007/08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport season in the Czech Republic, dominating from the first corner to the end of the 10 lap race. Great Britain's Robbie Kerr and Ireland's A1GP debutant Adam Carroll joined Reid on the podium in second and third position respectively.
Reid took the advantage from second on the grid on the run into the first corner of the Sprint race in perfect weather conditions, as pole-sitter South Africa fell back three places to fourth behind a thrilling scrap for second between A1 Team Great Britain and Ireland.
Kerr managed to hold off the Irish rookie but the pair continued to battle and make contact as Reid started to streak away in 'Black Beauty', edging out a two second lead by the end of lap three. The 23-year-old racer from Auckland was never under threat as the pack settled down behind him and concentrated on their own fights for on-track position.
Nicolas Lapierre made an incredible start in the French car, carving his way through the field from 10th place to sixth behind the Netherlands' Jeroen Bleekemolen on the opening lap. The Frenchman made several attempts to snatch fifth from the Dutch star but the pair remained in fifth and sixth position behind fourth-placed Adrian Zaugg when they crossed the line.
German rookie Christian Vietoris managed to hold off the more experienced Neel Jani in the Swiss car, taking seventh place and a valuable four points. Portugal's Joao Urbano and China's Congfu Cheng took the final points-paying positions, finishing ninth and tenth respectively.
Reid went on to win the 10 lap race by a commanding six seconds from second-placed Kerr, closely followed by Carroll in third, who was sensational in his maiden A1GP race.
Commenting on his fourth A1GP race win, Reid said:
'We made a good start, South Africa was slightly in front of me and then I just pulled in close and got a bit of draft and I was on a good line for the breaking area. South Africa had to defend from Great Britain and I was able to go right around the outside. The guys are working so hard this weekend and we've got to keep a good balance on the car. We are out there to win and we're looking forward to the Feature race for sure.'
Following Great Britain's winning start to the season at Zandvoort two weeks ago, Kerr was pleased to finish on the podium and pick up some more championship points for Team GBR. The 28-year-old said:
'I was on the tighter line going into the first corner which didn't give me the exit and allowed Adam to come round the outside. It was a brave move by Adam and he pulled it off well, but then going into the next corner I knew I had to get ahead. I knew the car had the front grip to do it and Adam tried to come back, but unfortunately for him we both ran out of room and I took position. It was a great first lap and great battling with Adam. I'm just looking forward to the Feature race now. We need to make a few improvements to the car but we know what we've got to do. We're fairly happy with where we are.'
Carroll, who suffered from damage sustained to the Irish charger during his first lap tussle with GBR's Robbie Kerr, was delighted to score A1 Team Ireland's first podium finish since the Portugal Feature race in season one:
'It was pretty good. I got a good tow off Jonny down into turn one on the PowerBoost. The guys held quite a tight line so with the slipstream I was able to pull out and actually get right up alongside Jonny. I went into turn one and Robbie was tight and I just went around the outside. I think that's when he hit the bump on the inside that forced the rear of the car out and he tapped me, and that's what put me a little bit wide.'
On whether this was just beginner's luck, Carroll commented:
'We're not going to need luck this year, we're going to do it on pace because the guys have done such a good job. They're working really hard and for the Feature race, even though we're starting down at the back, hopefully we will have the pace and we can come through to a good position.'
Canada's James Hinchcliffe was on fine form, quietly climbing from 20th on the grid and staying out of trouble to finish 12th behind Brazil's Sergio Jimenez.
It was a quiet race for home nation rookie driver Erik Janis who brought the Czech Republic car home in 18th position having started the 20 minute race in 21st.
Ian Dyk was forced to park the Australian car in the garage on lap three after it was hit by debris when A1 Team Lebanon ran wide directly in front of him. The car sustained considerable damage but A1 Team Australia are confident they will be able to repair it in time for the Feature race, which starts at 15:00 this afternoon.
Sprint race results
Pos
|
Driver |
A1 Team |
Time |
Gap First |
1 |
Jonny REID |
NEW ZEALAND |
18:11.609 |
- |
2 |
Robbie KERR |
GREAT BRITAIN |
18:17.561 |
+5.952 |
3 |
Adam CARROLL |
IRELAND |
18:20.433 |
+8.824 |
4 |
Adrian ZAUGG |
SOUTH AFRICA |
18:21.878 |
+10.269 |
5 |
Jeroen BLEEKEMOLEN |
NETHERLANDS |
18:23.170 |
+11.561 |
6 |
Nicolas LAPIERRE |
FRANCE |
18:23.412 |
+11.803 |
7 |
Christian VIETORIS |
GERMANY |
18:24.809 |
+13.200 |
8 |
Neel JANI |
SWITZERLAND |
18:25.056 |
+13.447 |
9 |
Joao URBANO |
PORTUGAL |
18:30.179 |
+18.570 |
10 |
Congfu CHENG |
CHINA |
18:30.410 |
+18.801 |
11 |
Sergio JIMENEZ |
BRAZIL |
18:33.781 |
+22.172 |
12 |
James HINCHCLIFFE |
CANADA |
18:35.605 |
+23.996 |
13 |
Michel JOURDAIN |
MEXICO |
18:36.536 |
+24.927 |
14 |
Enrico TOCCACELO |
ITALY |
18:37.531 |
+25.922 |
15 |
Adam KHAN |
PAKISTAN |
18:40.372 |
+28.763 |
16 |
Buddy RICE |
USA |
18:42.685 |
+31.076 |
17 |
Alex YOONG |
MALAYSIA |
18:45.270 |
+33.661 |
18 |
Erik JANIS |
CZECH REPUBLIC |
18:46.324 |
+34.715 |
19 |
Satrio HERMANTO |
INDONESIA |
18:59.798 |
+48.189 |
20 |
Khalil BESCHIR |
LEBANON |
19:01.439 |
+49.830 |
21 |
Narain KARTHIKEYAN |
INDIA |
19:49.425 |
+1:37.816 |
22 |
Ian DYK |
AUSTRALIA |
3 laps |
7 Laps |
Fastest lap: A1 Team New Zealand set the fastest lap (1m48.438s) of the Sprint race on lap five.
All the facts, fiction, rumour and innuendo….
This week in F1 it rained. Then it rained some more. And then it rained really hard. In this case the rain on the plain fell mainly on the Spaniard. Alonso’s hopes of three titles in a row took a bit of a soaking as he planted the McLaren arse first into the tyre wall at turn six of the Fuji International Raceway handing team-mate (and I use the word in it’s loosest possible context) another win and a twelve point lead in the championship with just two races to go.
Hamilton had the edge over Alonso all weekend at Fuji and came away with the championship all but wrapped up. Even if Fernando wins both of the remaining races Lewis needs just nine points (second & eighth place, third & sixth or fourth & fifth) to become the sports only rookie champion. With his current form and the reliability that McLaren has shown thus far, it seems pretty unlikely that he could lose it from here. Still, stranger things have happened…
Hamilton nicked pole at the very end of qualifying by just 7/100s of a second and apart from the tyre stop period, led the entire race. Or should I say apart from the tyre stop period and the lengthy periods behind the safety car. The race was 19 laps old when Hamilton finally became the first car on the road and by this time some fairly significant things had occurred. Ferrari for example had made a complete cock-up of its tyre choice sending both cars out on intermediates. After just three laps behind the safety car Felipe Massa had already shun, dropped to the back of the field and then made up the places, which is not allowed under yellow flags. A drive through penalty was awarded. It was then discovered that Ferrari had made an even bigger blunder. All teams had been advised that they actually didn’t have any choice when it came to their tyres at the start of the race and as the race was being started behind the safety car, all cars had to be on full wets. Both Ferraris had to pit to change onto the correct tyres and this left them at the rear of the field.
They, along with several other cars, then pitted later in the safety car period to top up with fuel but for some reason did not take on enough to get them to the end of the race. The upshot was that when the green flag finally came out and the first four cars vanished into the distance, the Ferraris were wallowing about on heavy fuel loads with the same amount of pit stops to make as the front runners.
The four cars vanishing into the distance was an unusual combination as well. Although the first two were McLarens, no great surprise there, the next two were Vettel in the Toro Rosso and Webber in the Red Bull. Doing a great job at holding up the following pack was Jenson Button in the Honda. Poor old Alex Wurz did his further career prospects no good at all losing it, and his front left wheel on the very first corner after the green flag was shown. Amazingly he didn’t take Massa with him despite clouting the Ferrari on the way through although that would not have made a huge difference to Felipe’s result on the day. It would, though, have robbed us of an excellent scrap between Massa and Robert Kubica over the final lap that was reminiscent of the Villeneuve/Arnoux wheel banging battle at Dijon in 1979. Like then too, Kubica said he thought it was great fun. Wonder what Massa thought about it, haven’t heard a quote from him yet.
Alonso was the first to pit and came back out in traffic. Hamilton was next, and he did not, although he was behind both Renaults. This left us with the strange sight of Vettel in the Toro Rosso in the lead from Webber. A lead he held for four laps until pitting himself. Then it was Webber’s turn for glory and he spent five laps at the front before coming in. Those extra laps and an excellent turn around by the Red Bull pit crew meant that Webber emerged in fourth place and when the Renaults came in a few laps later it was Hamilton leading by just a few seconds from Webber, Vettel and Alonso in fourth. Webber then began applying the pressure and the gap dropped down to just two seconds before Alonso did his dance with the wall.
Once again the safety car came out and with the gap now down to a matter of feet, Webber must have believed that here was his best ever chance of winning a Grand Prix so far. That is until he was clobbered from behind by Vettel who had been a bit erratic behind the safety car all day. The result was that Webber was out on the spot with only three wheels on his wagon and Vettel only made it back to the pits before retiring. The two Red Bull stable mates had just thrown away a pair of likely podium spots and a possible win. Vettel was inconsolable crying in the pits. Mark, understandably, was uncontrollably livid to have been taken out in such a stupid fashion. Naughty words were said in his interview. It’s probably a good thing that he had already thrown up in his helmet earlier in the race as this piece of bad luck would have been enough to make anyone sick, and chundering in front of a TV audience of millions may have been a bit embarrassing.
In the end Hamilton had a comfortable win from the Renault of Heikki Kovalainen who just held off the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen who had put in one of those drives that only he is capable of, to come from the back of the field to third place. It was just enough to keep him in the title chase, but really only mathematically. David Coulthard salvaged what could have been a miserable day for Red Bull with a fine fourth place ahead of Fisichella in the other Renault. In sixth and seventh were Massa and Kubica after their titanic last lap duel and Vitantonio Liuzzi would have taken the final point for Toro Rosso had he not passed Adrian Sutil under yellow flags. The resultant 20 second penalty meant that Sutil and Spyker scored their first point of their respective careers.
There may have been a lot of tooling about behind the safety car but there was an awful lot of action in the other forty odd laps. Didn’t get to see much of Mount Fuji though, unless you were there on Friday morning. There was a rumour going about that Toyota, who own the track, were going to have artificial snow pumped onto the peak to make it look more like the post cards. Not much point in the end. Oh, and here's a surprise, Ralf Schumacher has lost his Toyota drive for next year. One can’t see too many takers for his services in the future. The end of an era? It would be the first year since 1990 without a Schumacher on the grid.
Sam Snape
3-10-07
STAR LINE UP OF TOP MOTORCYCLISTS SET TO RACE AT THE GOODWOOD REVIVAL
Legendary motorcycles and top riders are set to star in this year’s Goodwood Revival meeting, taking place at the Goodwood Motor Circuit near Chichester from 31 August to 2 September.
The ever-popular Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy motorcycle race is always one of the most exciting and competitive events at the Goodwood Revival. This is the only historic motorcycle race in the world that regularly attracts Italian exotics such as Benelli, Ducati and Moto Guzzi in significant numbers. Battling against them will be British Manx Norton and Matchless machinery as well as early Hondas from the land of the rising sun.
Goodwood has lined up a host of famous motorcycle riders to race, including Isle of Man TT hero, John McGuiness, the first rider to break the outright TT lap record at over 130 mph per lap. He will compete against Moto GP rider Jeremy McWilliams, and BSB rider and fast man of road racing Michael Rutter, along with legendary champions of the sport Niall MacKenzie and Wayne Gardner. They will be joined by an array of racing heroes of yesteryear, including Stan Woods, Ron Chandler, Trevor Nation, and Eric Saul.