Archive für Juli 2010
Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally plans take shape
31.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
With a little more than three months remaining until the inaugural Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally, more details of the event, which takes place in Cyprus on 7 November, and carries a prize fund of 150,000 Euros, have been released.
Designed to showcase rallying in a new and exciting way by making it accessible, understandable and attractive to a wider audience, the compact, fan and television-friendly format covers a single 25-kilometre mixed-surface stage run twice. The stage will be known as the Love Cyprus Golden Stage in deference to support from the country’s tourism authority.
Regulations for the Limassol-based event, which runs the day after the FxPro Cyprus Rally, the 12th and final round of the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (4-6 November), will shortly be finalised by event organiser the Cyprus Automobile Association, while representatives from Eurosport Events, which is promoting the competition, have completed a thorough inspection of the planned course.
“It will be exciting with most of the stage running in a downhill direction,” said Jean-Pierre Nicolas, the Motorsport Development Manager of the IRC and a former international rally driver. “The gravel section was in a good condition when we visited and the road was not so narrow although bumpy in places, which adds to the challenge for the drivers. But the biggest test they will face will be how they handle the downhill sections because it can be easy to make a mistake under braking.”
The Golden Stage Rally is open to all teams and drivers competing with Super 2000, Group N and Group A (up to A7) cars, in both two- and four-wheel drive configuration. The entry fee will be 2,000 Euros per car and regulations and entry forms will be available from September onwards on the IRC website, www.rally-irc.com, and the FxPro Cyprus rally website, www.cyprusrally.com.cy.
The event begins with scrutineering from Saturday 6 November for cars not contesting the FxPro Cyprus Rally and on Sunday 7 November for crews taking part on the FxPro Cyprus Rally. The reconnaissance will take place on Thursday 4 November when crews are permitted to complete two passes of the Love Cyprus Golden Stage, which starts 31 kilometres from Limassol. The first competitor is due to tackle the stage late morning on Sunday with the second run going live in the early afternoon. The prize ceremony is due to take place in Limassol in conjunction with the IRC End of Season Awards Ceremony.
The event will enjoy extensive live television coverage with a number of networks around the world showing the action as it happens or highlights following the event. Eurosport, Europe’s largest television sports channel, will broadcast the rally live in its entirety through its network, which reaches out to 117 million homes across 59 countries.
Eurosport Events, which has successfully pioneered live coverage from the stages of several IRC rounds, will manage the live production and will also be responsible for the distribution of the worldwide media rights, including television.
Gilbert Roy, Eurosport Events’ Director of Editorial and Programme Development and the man in overall charge of the live television coverage of the Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally said: “The scenery is beautiful and the changes of surface will lead to a lot of big slides, so it will be very exciting for the TV viewer. The finish is by a lake close to a dam and there is a good view of Limassol.”
Antonios Michaelides, Chairman of the Organising Committee, said: “Rallying is a hugely popular sport in Cyprus and we, the organisers, are always keen to seek out ways to break new ground and bring fresh, new, innovative ideas to the sport. The Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally promises to be a standout, memorable event this year and shows that not only are we dedicated to stretching the boundaries of world motorsport, but also to making the very best of our island’s beautiful countryside.”
Title sponsor and long-term supporter of international motorsport in Cyprus, Cyprus Tourism Organisation Chairman Alecos Oroundiotis, added: “Every year, the hosting of world-class rally events attracts sports fans new and old to our beautiful island and our rallying heritage has come to play a major part in promoting Cyprus overseas. The Cyprus Tourism Organisation is therefore extremely proud to sponsor the Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally, which is sure to attract even more attention to our island and provide a thrilling sporting spectacle.”
Cypriot Nicos Thomas hopes to contest the Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally
Nicola De Marco claims maiden win in Brno opener
31.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
Italian takes assured first victory as Stoneman snatches championship lead
Nicola De Marco claimed his first F2 victory in today’s opening race at Brno, the Italian jumping polesitter Dean Stoneman at the start and looking assured throughout the 20 lap contest.
Once into the lead De Marco set about establishing an impressive early pace that Stoneman could not quite match, building up a gap of around two seconds by lap eight which he then gradually extended during the remainder of the race.
De Marco, who qualified on pole and then slipped up from the lead in last year’s two races here in Brno, was justifiably delighted: "This is a really important win for me - it’s my first in F2 but also because it’s here in Brno where last year I did a mistake when I was first."
Stoneman could not quite challenge De Marco for the lead, but nonetheless took an impressive second place in his first ever race on the Brno circuit - his haul of 18 points helping him wrest the overall championship lead from Jolyon Palmer, who finished the race in fifth.
Russia’s Sergey Afanasiev finished a relatively quiet third - his third podium this year following top three finishes at Silverstone and Monza - with Benjamin Bailly looking comfortable in fourth.
Bailly had lost out to the fast-starting Philipp Eng on the opening lap, but went round the outside of his Austrian rival at turn three as Jolyon Palmer also looked to challenge Eng on the inside. Palmer was unable to find a way past Eng, setting up an engaging duel for fifth which saw the pair often separated by just over half a second during the opening stages.
Palmer eventually found a way through on lap 13, completing a well-worked pass on the inside of Eng going into turn three. The Austrian tried to respond with a challenge just two corners later, but Palmer defended well and Eng was forced to back out of the move - eventually coming home in sixth, several seconds down the road from Palmer.
Behind that battle, Kelvin Snoeks - starting from seventh on his return to F2 - was working hard to keep Britain’s Will Bratt at bay. Bratt himself had Tom Gladdis less than one second behind for much of the race, and was ultimately unable to find a way past Snoeks, even when Gladdis fell back to 12th after spinning at turn seven. Snoeks finished seventh, his second best result of the year after a podium at Marrakech, with Bratt finishing less than six tenths of a second behind.
Ricardo Teixeira and Benjamin Lariche enjoyed a race-long battle for ninth, with the Angolan eventually claiming the position by just over six tenths of a second - Lariche settling for tenth to continue his remarkable record of scoring points in every event this year.
Outside the top ten, Mihai Marinescu had an eventful race after clattering cones on the final corner in the opening lap. One cone became wedged in front of Mihai’s left sidepod, and the resulting loss of aerodynamic performance caused him to drop back through the field until he eventually pitted to remove the item.
Jack Clarke and Armaan Ebrahim endured a disappointing opening race as the pair collided on the opening corner - Clarke seemingly spinning on the apex of the right-hander and collecting Ebrahim in the process.
www.formulatwo.com
Stoneman clinches race one pole
31.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
Briton edges De Marco by just 0.045s; Sergey Afanasiev takes third
Britain’s Dean Stoneman sealed his fourth pole position of the season today at Brno, edging out 2009 polesitter Nicola De Marco by just 0.045s.
Stoneman left it late in the session, eventually moving to the top of the timesheets in a frantic last five minutes that also saw Nicola De Marco, Jolyon Palmer and Sergey Afanasiev take spells at the top.
It was Afanasiev who made the best start to the session, topping the timesheets for nearly all of the opening ten minutes before the field pitted for fresh rubber. The Russian resumed his spell at the top with around ten minutes to go, only to be displaced by Jolyon Palmer as the times began to tumble.
Stoneman was next to hold provisional pole, only for Nicola De Marco to capture the position by dipping into the 1m45s bracket for the first time. The response was immediate, Stoneman shaving half a second off his previous best to sit fastest with a 1:45.597s. De Marco tried to respond, but fell agonisingly short - missing out by just over four hundredths of a second.
Stoneman, who has never raced at Brno before, enthused: "I went out there to get pole but I didn’t expect to get that lap out there on a difficult track. Overall I was just chipping away at the session trying to get a quick lap - it’s obviously another new track for me and I only did 19 laps yesterday so it’s been pretty good. I’m fairly confident, hopefully I’ve got the start sussed and the aim is to win - but also to finish in front of Jolyon and Philipp."
Behind the lead duo, Sergey Afanasiev improved late on to capture third, with Benjamin Bailly also rising up through the order in the final minutes to claim fourth, just over one tenth of a second behind the Russian.
That meant championship leader Jolyon Palmer had to settle for fifth, although a late yellow flag period - brought about as Natalia Kowalska spun into the gravel and out of the session at turn seven - prevented him from mustering a final challenge. He will share the third row with fellow title contender Philipp Eng, the Austrian finishing just seven hundredths of a second behind Palmer.
Kelvin Snoeks, making his return to F2 after missing the last round at Brands Hatch with a broken ankle, was an impressive seventh, edging out Tom Gladdis - a points finisher here last year - by less than 0.03s.
The closest margin in the field was reserved for the fifth row, however, with Ricardo Teixeira and Will Bratt separated by just one thousandth of a second - Angola’s Teixeira ultimately claiming ninth, with Bratt rounding out the top ten.
In another typically close F2 qualifying session, Romania’s Mihai Marinescu missed out on a top ten starting berth by less than two hundredths of a second, while the top 17 drivers were covered by less than 1.4s.
www.formulatwo,com
Afanasiev edges Vasiliauskas in second free practice
30.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
Russian pips Kazim by 0.014s on final tour, with Tom Gladdis third
Russia’s Sergey Afanasiev ended fastest in the second free practice session in Brno, edging out Kazim Vasiliauskas by just 14 thousandths of a second on his very last tour of the circuit.
The pair ended more than three tenths clear of Tom Gladdis in third, the Briton having held the top spot himself until the final minutes of the session when Vasiliauskas and then Afanasiev made their charge.
In what was an incredibly close session, fourth through to seventh were covered by less than one tenth of a second, while the top eight were separated by just over six tenths.
With the track now almost fully dry, lap times were almost 20 seconds faster than this morning’s wet opener. Dean Stoneman made the most of the early damp conditions to top the timesheets for the opening ten minutes before Philipp Eng responded, becoming the first driver to dip into the 1m47s bracket.
A mid-session break allowed the field to fine tune their set-ups and saw an instant drop in lap times as drivers returned to the track, with first Bailly and then Gladdis jumping Eng. Kazim looked to have sealed top spot after setting personal bests in all three sectors on his tenth lap of the circuit, only to be edged out by a superb last-gasp effort from Afanasiev.
Afanasiev, who took a podium here in Formula Master last year, said: “I think it was my best session of the year, an awesome session, and it’s the first time I’ve been fastest so I’m excited! Okay today is just a practice and qualifying is tomorrow, and I don’t want to predict anything but we will fight for pole – I want to go for it!”
Gladdis remained in third, but there was still time for Benjamin Bailly to jump Philipp Eng and clinch fourth by just two thousandths of a second. Nicola De Marco, a polesitter here in 2009, and Dean Stoneman both finished within four hundredths of a second of Eng’s time, claiming sixth and seventh respectively.
Ivan Samarin rounded out one of the closest top eights this season, the Russian finishing less than seven tenths off Afanasiev’s ultimate best after impressing particularly in the second sector.
Mihai Marinescu meanwhile pipped Natalia Kowalska by just over six hundredths of a second to clinch ninth, with the Polish racer rounding out the top ten.
Kelvin Snoeks was 11th, as the Dutchman makes his return to F2 having missed Brands Hatch with a broken ankle, while championship leader Jolyon Palmer - who was fastest in opening free practice - could only manage 12th.
Interestingly, the championship’s top three runners - Palmer, Stoneman and Eng - were the only drivers to spin in the early stages, until Plamen Kralev beached his car at the exit of turn five - the session being halted as a result two minutes before the end.
www.formulatwo.com
Jolyon Palmer masters wet first session
30.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
Briton pips De Marco and Bailly in Czech Republic opener
Jolyon Palmer provided a wet-weather masterclass in a treacherous opening practice session in Brno, the Briton setting a string of fastest laps to top the timesheets for almost the entire 30 minutes.
With the rain abating as the session began, the championship leader looked in good touch from the outset and was fastest after his first flying effort. As the track dried, Palmer was able to take advantage and he set about establishing a clear gap between himself and the rest of the field over the first half of the session.
"I was quick straightaway and it felt quite clam," Jolyon explained - "I just kept plugging away on the laps and I had no traffic really so it was the perfect session. Brands was my worst weekend of the year by a country mile but I’m not going to take any mad risks here - I like the track and it suits my style so hopefully it will be a good weekend."
As Palmer dominated with a string of purple sectors and fastest laps, Russia’s Sergey Afanasiev looked his main challenger but was often only able to close to within half a second of the Briton.
With just ten minutes to go, however, Italy’s Nicola De Marco - a polesitter at Brno last year - made the most of a significantly drying track to start his own charge, which eventually saw the Italian finish just two tenths shy of Palmer’s overall benchmark.
Benjamin Bailly and Will Bratt also set their fastest times as the session drew to a close, with the Belgian pipping Bratt by just five thousandths of a second to claim third. It was an impressive display by both men, both of whom finished within half a second of Palmer despite never having been to the circuit before.
Having missed out on a first win of 2010 in the last race at Brands Hatch, Kazim Vasiliauskas will be hoping to bounce back this weekend and the Lithuanian got off to a good start by finishing fifth fastest in first practice.
Kazim’s effort demoted the impressive Sergey Afanasiev into sixth, with the Russian the last driver to lap within one second of Jolyon Palmer’s best.
Both Philipp Eng and Dean Stoneman, Palmer’s two main championship rivals, could only manage seventh and eighth respectively, although Stoneman did have the difficult challenge of learning the Brno circuit for the first time in the wet.
Natalia Kowalska meanwhile was an impressive ninth, matching her best ever result in F2, while Ivan Samarin - who at one stage had matched exactly Jolyon Palmer’s best effort in sector two - rounded out the top ten. Kelvin Snoeks, returning to F2 after a broken ankle forced him to miss Brands Hatch, finished 12th fastest.
A late red flag period, brought about by a stalled engine on the test car of Steven Kane, led to the session ending five minutes early. Jack Clarke and Julian Theobald were the only spinners when the session was at its wettest, although both were able to rejoin without damage.
www.formulatwo.com
MULLER BUILT A SMALL GAP AT MID-SEASON
30.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
Everything is ready at Brno’s Automotodrom for the 13th and 14th rounds of the FIA WTCC that will take place on Sunday.
After 12 of the 22 rounds, Chevrolet’s Yvan Muller has built a leading margin of 23 points ahead of the reigning World Champion Gabriele Tarquini, while BMW’s Andy Priaulx lies third, a further 28 points behind.
"Brno is always a key moment in the season and a very pleasant event, although the track is quite abrasive and hard on tyres, especially for front-wheel drive cars," Muller commented. "I think we should be competitive, maybe more in qualifying than in race configuration, but we will see. The objective is to continue scoring heavy points. I am in the lead of the championship, but it is way too early to get excited about that. I know very well from previous years that the WTCC titles get decided on the last lap of the last race, so the best thing we can do for the time being is to bring home as many points as possible."
Track action for the WTCC competitors will start on Saturday with the first 30-minute free practice at 8.30. A second practice will follow at 12.00, with the Qualifying session taking place from 15.00, being split as usual in Q1 (20 minutes) and Q2 (10 minutes) with a 5-minute break in-between.
Chevrolet’s Yvan Muller leads the Drivers’ Championship at mid-season
NYKJÆR BEATS THOMPSON IN THE FIA ETC CUP
WTCC regular Michel Nykjær dominated the third and fourth rounds of the FIA European Touring Car Cup that were held last Sunday at the Austrian Salzburgring.
The Danish racer, twice a winner of the ETC Cup in 2007 and 2008, won both races at the wheel of the very same SEAT León TDI he drives in the WTCC, beating the Honda Accord cars of pole sitter James Thompson and Tomas Engström.
"I was very disappointed with my qualifying, as in the rain I could not fight for the pole. But Sunday, on the dry track, I could really push to the maximum and my car had a very quick pace. Obviously my priority remains the WTCC, but I hope we can find the way to take part in the ETCC finale at Franciacorta," said Nykjær.
Carsten Seifert from Germany (Ford Fiesta) and Vojislav Lekic from Serbia (Honda Civic), won the Super 1600 and Super Production classes respectively.
Nykjær’s SEAT chased by the Honda cars of Thompson and Engström
www.fiawtcc.com
Segunda victoria de la temporada para Albert Coll.
29.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
En la isla de Ibiza, se celebró el pasado fin de semana, la tercera prueba puntuable para Campeonato de Baleares de karting, y de nuevo el piloto mallorquín Albert Coll, se proclamaba vencedor.
El joven piloto de nuevo se hacia con la pole, mejorando su mejor tiempo en más de medio segundo, con respecto a la primera carrera disputada tan sólo hace tres semanas en el mismo circuito. Albert que venía con ganas de sumar otro importante resultado, ganaba la primera manga a una distancia considerable del segundo competidor y conseguia la segunda plaza en la siguiente, lo que le hacia vencedor del meeting.
Con este resultado, Albert, empieza la remontada hacia la consecución del que sería su tercer título de Campeón de Baleares de karting.
DAVID SALOM VISITA EL NUEVO TRAZADO DE SILVERSTONE
29.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
David Salom acude este fin de semana a la décima prueba puntuable para el Campeonato del Mundo de Supersport, donde defenderá su quinta posición en en la tabla e intentará conseguir el pódium que tanto se le resiste esta temporada.
El mallorquín al igual que sus compañeros se encontrará con un circuito muy diferente al que conoce, con importantes reformas tanto en su trazado como en sus instalaciones. Con una longitud de 5,902 Km., Silverstone es un circuito rápido y la velocidad punta será uno de los elementos más importantes a tener en cuenta
Salom presentará en esta prueba a su nuevo patrocinador personal, la marca APA España, especializada en films autoadhesivos patrocinará al piloto del ParkinGO hasta final de temporada. APA es fabricante de vinilos desde 1978 y ofrece materiales exclusivos como la imitación de fibra de carbono que mostramos en la foto.
Aprovechando los días de descanso en la isla, David también acudía de visita al Primer Campus de Verano de Motociclismo para charlar con los chicos y compartir su experiencia en el Campeoanto del Mundo. Por primera vez el motociclismo tiene su propio campus de verano al igual que otros deportes, donde los alumnos pueden realizar todo tipo de actividades. La visita del piloto mundialista ilusionó a los chavales que se llevaron un poster firmado de David Salom como recuerdo de la visita.
Departamento de prensa David Salom Piloto Mundial de Supersport www.davidsalom.com
prensa@davidsalom.com Calle Jeroni Pou Esquina Reina Constança Palma de Mallorca
T. 971 291 321 M. 616 99 26 87
Juan Carlos Resoagli “El secreto mejor guardado, funcionó”
28.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
El joven piloto mallorquín Juan Carlos Resoagli, se volvió a proclamar vencedor en la categoria cadete, este pasado fin de semana en Ibiza, en la tercera prueba puntuable para el Campeonato Balear de karting.
Juan Carlos, que en los entrenamientos cronometrados conseguia la 1ª posición de la parrilla de salida, se mostraba muy cómodo durante la primera manga de carrera clasificandose primero, consiguiendo un merecidísimo segundo puesto en la segunda manga de carrera, demostrando una adaptación sorprendente a su nueva montura y a su nuevo equipo.
Juan Carlos, que contó esta vez con la presencia nada menos que del alma-mater del equipo de competición, KPS Racing, Pablo Scordo, importador para España de los chasis Tecno, que se desplazaba a la Isla de Ibiza, para confirmar “el secreto mejor guardado”, que no era otro que el fichaje del joven piloto mallorquín Juan Carlos Resoagli, para todas las carreras que restan del Campeonato Balear, y otras competiciones a nivel nacional, que de aquí a final de año participará el jovencísimo piloto, para mantener su continuidad en el equipo la próxima temporada 2011.
Ordos trägt erste Übersee-Runde aus
28.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
Die Superleague Formula by Sonangol verschlägt es erstmals auf asiatischen Boden. Die Runden 10 und 11 werden im Oktober in China ausgetragen und komplettieren den diesjährigen Rennkalender mit insgesamt 12 Läufen.
Am 2. und 3. Oktober gastiert die Superleague Formula auf dem brandneuen "Ordos International Circuit". Der in der Mongolei liegende 3,751 km lange Kurs hat 18 Kurven und wurde im Juli dieses Jahres fertig gestellt. Auf der von der FIA zertifizierten "Klasse 2" Strecke geben die fußballvereinsfarben Boliden ihr Asien Debüt. Nur eine Woche später, am 9. und 10. Oktober, folgt die zweite Runde.
Neuland für alle Piloten - keiner kennt die Strecke in Ordos, womit sich Teams und Fahrer in ein unbekanntes Abenteuer stürzen. Bei der technisch anspruchsvollen Strecke, wird es wie gewohnt zu dem einen oder anderen Kopf-an-Kopf Rennen zwischen den ehemaligen Formel-1- und Champ Car Piloten kommen.
Das Zwei-Tages Event bietet das übliche Superleague Formula Format. Nach dem Knockout Qualifying am Samstag folgen am Sonntag die beiden 45-minütigen Rennen. Der zweite Lauf startet in umgekehrter Zielankunft des ersten Rennens. Auch das Super Finale wird nicht fehlen, bei dem die Top-6-Piloten um die begehrten 100.000 Euro Preisgeld fahren.
Ordos bedeutet übersetzt aus gutem Grund die "Paläste". Denn die Region zählt zu den wohlhabendsten Chinas. In der Stadt leben fast zwei Millionen Menschen, die ein jährliches BIP von 20.000 Euro pro Einwohner erzielen. Dieser Wert übertrifft den Durchschnitt und es wird sogar erwartet, dass Ordos bis 2014 Hong Kong hinter sich lässt.
Die Region ist reich an natürlichen Ressourcen und besitzt ein Sechstel der chinesischen Kohlereserven. Weitere Träger der Wirtschaft sind: Textilindustrie (Wolle), Kohleminen, Petrochemikalien, Elektrizität und die Produktion von Gebäudematerialien.
In nur sechs Jahren wurden 1.942 Milliarden Euro in das Gebiet investiert. Und es zahlte sich aus - die moderne Metropole hebt sich mit raumschiffartigen Regierungstürmen, Wolkenkratzern im Dubai-Stil, Museen, Bibliotheken, Theatern und luxuriösen Bungalows von allen anderen ab.
Die Gaststarts in Ordos sind, seit der Geburtsstunde der Superleague Formula im Jahr 2008, die ersten Überseerennen. In dem konkurrenzfähigen Markt an Formelrennserien hat das konstante Wachstum der Superleague Formula höchste Priorität. Die Rennen außerhalb Europas repräsentieren die Entwicklung und fördern den nächsten Schritt, diese Philosophie aufrechtzuerhalten.
Zum Finale reisen Teams und Piloten der Superleague Formula wieder nach Europa. Genauer gesagt nach Spanien. Auf dem neuen "Circuito de Navarra" wird 23. und 24. Oktober der Meister gekürt.
Robin Webb, Gründer der Superleague Formula: "Wir sind sehr glücklich über die Bekanntgabe dieser innovativen Events in China. Der "Ordos International Circuit" ist eine großartige und brandneue Strecke und wir sind stolz darauf, die erste internationale Serie dort zu sein. Unser Debüt außerhalb Europas wird ein bedeutender Moment in der Geschichte der Superleague Formula. Und wir hoffen auch, dass wir chinesische Fußball- und Motorsportfans für uns gewinnen."
Guang Zhong Yun, Bürgermeister der Stadt Ordos: "Die Stadt Ordos heißt die Superleague Formula 2010 herzlich willkommen. Wir arbeiten sehr hart daran, dass das erste SF Event in China ein voller Erfolg wird. Wir glauben, einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Entwicklung der Kultur, des Sports und der Wirtschaft zu leisten. Wir investierten 2009 knapp 700 Millionen RMB, um die neue FIA "Klasse 2"-Strecke noch vor September fertig zu stellen. Somit wird die SF die erste internationale Rennserie, die ihre Rennen auf dem Ordos International Circuit austrägt. Ich hoffe, die Teams und Fahrer genießen im Oktober die Zeit und Gastfreundlichkeit in Ordos."
Der Titelkampf geht in die nächste Runde
28.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
In Brands Hatch fällt am kommenden Wochenende der Startschuss für die zweite Hälfte der Superleague Formula by Sonangol. Im Kampf um den Titel ist für die Piloten weiterhin alles offen.
Nach den ersten fünf Läufen hatte Craig Dolby (Tottenham Spur) die Meisterschaft in der Hand. Bei den letzten Rennen in Zolder musste der Brite den Platz an der Sonne räumen. Ein Unfall in Zolder und ein erneut starkes Wochenende vom ärgsten Konkurrent, Yelmer Buurman, verwies den Briten auf den zweiten Platz. Der Pilot des AC Mailand ist mit acht Punkten Vorsprung neuer Spitzenreiter.
Man sollte meinen, dass Brands Hatch ein bekanntes Pflaster für Dolby und die beiden weiteren Lokalmatadoren Duncan Tappy (Flamengo) und James Walker (Liverpool) sei. Dennoch können nur zwei, auf der 2 km kurzen Rennstrecke, von ihren Erfahrungen Gebrauch machen.
Der Zweitplatzierte im Gesamtklassement, Craig Dolby, will die Führung wieder zurückerobern - ob mit oder ohne Streckenkenntnis. "Die Strecke kenne ich nicht. Silverstone war ebenfalls neu für mich und ich konnte zweimal gewinnen", so der Brite optimistisch. Sein Team macht zudem Fortschritte am Tottenham Hotspur Boliden, so dass er gut gestimmt nach Brands Hatch reist. Sein Ziel ist eindeutig. Der Plan ist die Führung in der Meisterschaft zurückzuholen."
Duncan Tappy feierte sein Comeback in Zolder mit einem Podiumserfolg und dem Einzug ins Super Finale. "Wieder das Super Finale zu erreichen wäre schön", meint Tappy. Immerhin kennt er einen Teil der Strecke.
Buurman hat gute Karten seine Führung auszubauen. Ich kenne die Strecke noch aus Formel 3 Zeiten und freue mich auf die schnellen Passagen", so der Niederländer.
Doch die Konkurrenz schläft nicht - neben den beiden Gewinnern von Zolder, Chris van der Drift (Olympiacos) und Davide Rigon (RSC Anderlecht), gibt es weitere Sieganwärter.
John Martin (Beijing Guoan) und Narain Karthikeyan (PSV Eindhoven) sind die Brands Hatch Spezialisten. Der Australier fuhr in der letzten Saison der A1 GP Serie die schnellste Runde und gewann in den Vorjahren das Debüt der britischen Formel Ford. Der Inder hat ebenso gute Erinnerungen. Vor zwei Jahren sicherte er sich die Pole-Position in der A1 GP Serie.
www.superleagueformula.com
Motor Show Balear 2010
26.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
Pictures by Wolfgang LINDNER
Bridgestone Motorsport’s German Grand Prix Report
26.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro’s Fernando Alonso won a fast-paced and tactical German Grand Prix by using a super soft – hard Bridgestone Potenza tyre strategy in Hockenheim.
Alonso won his second race of the season, his first since the season-opener in Bahrain, leading team-mate Felipe Massa across the line. Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel finished third.
Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, says
“Congratulations to Ferrari for their second 1-2 of the season. Germany is a very important market for us and Bridgestone are happy to have contributed to the excitement we saw today. Even in our final season of Formula 1 we continue to work positively with the sport and I am proud that we continue to push with aspects such as our compound allocation for races.”
Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, says
“Both compounds worked better than we expected. The super soft lasted very well. A good example of this was Jenson Button who was to gain position by staying on the super soft for his first stint longer than the other front runners. The hard compound did take longer to warm-up than we usually see with the prime tyre, and we saw evidence of this in the race with locked brakes, less grip in the corners and lower traction before it was in its correct temperature operating range. I believe that today was a good illustration of the strength of our development engineers in Japan. These tyres were designed before the start of the season, and we have many changes such as the narrower front tyres, and no more refuelling meaning heavier cars. Despite this, our engineers have produced tyres capable of working well with this season’s cars, even when we try an extreme allocation as we did here.”
Stats of the Day
Bridgestone Potenza Driver Tyre Strategies
Rd.11 – German Grand Prix
In 2010, the tyre regulations stipulate that the two dry tyre specifications must be visibly
distinguishable from each other. At the German Grand Prix, the super soft (option) compound Bridgestone Potenza tyres were marked with green bands on the sidewalls. The wet weather tyres were also marked with a green line in a central groove.
www.bridgestonemotorsport.com
PALERM SUMA EN IBIZA
26.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
Alex Palerm en su regreso al Campeonato de Baleares, ha participado este fin de semana en la tercera prueba puntuable dentro de la categoría OPEN celebrada en la isla de Ibiza.
Los entrenamientos celebrados ayer sábado servirían para buscar la mejor puesta a punto del kart, la relación de piñones y presiones de los neumáticos son diferentes en cada pista y el piloto del Diabolo Karting no había participado en la prueba anterior donde sus rivales ya pudieron hacer esos ajustes.
La primera manga de carrera ha dejado como se suele decir "una de cal y otra de arena". Tras una excelente salida, el joven Palerm ha tomado la primera plaza y se ha distanciado notablemente de sus rivales pero a pocas vueltas del final de carrera ha pisado un piano y ha perdido el control de su máquina, perdiendo un precioso tiempo y cruzando la meta en tercera posicicón.
Partiendo desde la tercera posición en parrilla, la segunda manga ha sido realmente frustrante ya que un piloto con un kart mucho más lento le ha impedido adelantar posiciones en las primeras vueltas, permitiendo al primer clasificado poner terreno por medio y retrasar a Alex hasta dejarlo sin opciones de alcanzarle, finalmente Palerm superaba el "tapón" y lograba la segunda plaza.
Alex ha sumado puntos en esta tercera prueba del Certamen Balear y aunque no ha recuperado el liderato, ha reducido distancia con sus rivales y se prepara para las próximas pruebas en territorio mallorquín, donde los entrenamientos del joven piloto darán sus frutos y resultados.
Alex Palerm: "Hemos tenido mala suerte, tanto en la primera manga al pisar el piano como en la segunda al no poder pasar y marcar mi ritmo de carrera. Pero ahora vendrán las pruebas de Llucmajor y hemos rodado muchas horas en ese circuito, espero que los entrenamientos nos den sus frutos en forma de puntos."
Diabolo Karting Team
Alex Palerm piloto Junior de Karting
Calle Jeroni Pou esquina Reina Constança 07006 Palma de Mallorca
Tel. 971 291 321 M. 616 99 26 87 prensa@alexpalerm.com http://www.alexpalerm.com
WTCC: ROUTE TO: BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC
24.7.2010 von Wolfgang.
The 13th and 14th rounds of the FIA WTCC will take place next week in the Czech Republic, at Brno’s Masaryk Circuit.
This is a traditional meeting for the championship, as Brno hosted the European Touring Car Championship from 2002 to 2004, and then the World Touring Car Championship from 2006.
BMW notched up six victories out of the eight WTCC races; only Chevrolet (Robert Huff won Race 2 in 2006) and SEAT (Gabriele Tarquini in 2008 Race 2) have managed to break the German cars’ supremacy.
The 2009 meeting saw a domination of BMW Team Italy-Spain. Alessandro Zanardi won the first race while his teammate Sergio Hernández claimed his first WTCC victory in the second one. This year Hernández drives for Proteam Motorsport and is the current leader of the Independents’ Trophy.
The WTCC will field 22 cars in the Czech Republic, with the addition of the race-by-race entries of Colin Turkington (eBay Motors) and Fabio Fabiani. The latter returns to the wheel of Proteam’s third BMW car that he drove in Monza earlier this year.
The WTCC returns to Brno for the fifth consecutive year
WINNING CARS STAY ON THE MAXIMUM WEIGHT
The championship’s winning cars: BMW 320si, SEAT León TDI and Chevrolet Cruze will stay on the maximum 40kg handicap weights at Brno, for the second consecutive event.
The compensation weight was determined by the lap times set in Belgium, Portugal and UK. According to this calculation, the SEAT and the Chevrolet equally share the "honour" of being the fastest cars, only two tenths faster than the BMW.
The Chevrolet Lacetti cars will again have 20kg deducted from their minimum weight, while the old BMWs have lost half of this bonus after Colin Turkington’s strong performance at Brands Hatch.
Compensation weight Brno
+ 40 kg BMW 320si, SEAT León TDI, Chevrolet Cruze LT
± 0 kg BMW 320si (with sequential gearbox)
- 10 kg BMW 320si (old model)
- 20 kg Chevrolet Lacetti
Turkington’s performance at Brands Hatch added 10kg to the old BMW cars
THE FIA ETC CUP THIS WEEKEND IN AUSTRIA
The FIA European Touring Car Cup resumes this weekend at the Salzburgring for the second race meeting of the season.
Four months after the opening event at Braga, Portugal, the competitors will race the 4.2km Austrian racetrack before facing another break before the finale at Franciacorta, Italy, on October 17th.
Reigning Super 2000 champion James Thompson is leading after the opening event at Braga. At the wheel of his Hartmann Racing Honda Accord, the Briton won the first Portuguese race from Tomas Engström and Kristian Poulsen. He grabbed a podium in the second race - won by César Campaniço - to take a slim lead.
Super 2000 Cup - standings : 1. James Thompson (Honda Accord) 16 points; 2. César Campaniço (BMW 320si) 15; 3. Kristian Poulsen (BMW 320si) 14.
In Braga both races of the Super 1600 class were won by Jens Löhnig ahead of his German countrymen Carsten Seifert and Florian Heitmeier.
Super 1600 Cup - standings : 1. Jens Löhnig (Ford Fiesta) 20 points; 2. Carsten Seifert (Ford Fiesta) 16; 3. Florian Heitmeier (Ford Fiesta) 12.
www.fiawtcc.com
