(Infiniti)
Sebastian Vettel (No. 1 Red Bull Racing-Renault) dominated the Formula One Grand Prix of Bahrain and has now pulled out a 10-point lead in the F1 championship. Kimi Raikkonen (No. 7 Lotus-Renault) was second, followed by Romain Grosjean (No. 8 Lotus-Renault). Incredibly, it was Vettel's 28th Grand Prix win in his young career, pushing him past Jackie Stewart on the all-time F1 win list.
(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.011)
Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr (No. 6 Honda Performance Development ARX-03a) won for the third straight year at Long Beach as Muscle Milk Pickett Racing posted its first victory of the season in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón on Saturday afternoon. Graf beat Rebellion Racing’s Nick Heidfeld by 36.329 seconds in the P1 class of the Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series at Long Beach. “We've definitely had 100 percent the right strategy,” Graf said. “The way the race unfolded, it was perfect. The guys did an awesome job in the pits - no mistakes. The Michelin street soft tires ran excellent - we ran the entire race on just one set. It was such a great weekend, and I am so proud of everybody.” The victory moved Luhr into a tie for ALMS career victories (42), a mark he shares with Olivier Beretta. Check out ace lens man John Thawley's outstanding images from Long Beach here.
(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.011)
Extreme Speed Motorsports finished 1-2 in its second race as part of the P2 class with Scott Sharp and Guy Cosmo winning in the No. 01 HPD ARX-03b. The ESM team took advantage of trouble for defending class winner Level 5 Motorsports, which suffered contact and penalties in the pits. “It feels great,” said Sharp, who was a P2 winner at Long Beach in 2008 with Patrón Highcroft Racing. “With the strength of Level 5, we thought it would take longer than this. We really did a great job as a team coming together. The team has been flat out for two months. We knew as a team it would take a while to figure this car out and get some testing in. It's great to be back and winning in a prototype car.”
(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.011)
BMW Team RLL – co-owned by IndyCar champion Bobby Rahal, late-night television star David Letterman and Chicago businessman Mike Lanigan – won in GT in just its second race with its new BMW Z4 GTE as No. 55 co-drivers Bill Auberlen and Maxime Martin led a 1-2 finish in class ahead of Joey Hand and Dirk Muller in the No. 56 team car. Auberlen got around Dominik Farnbacher in the No. 91 SRT Viper GTS-R when Farnbacher went wide into Turn 1. “Unbelievable. This thing was a rocket all day,” said Auberlen, who scored his first Long Beach win after a number of close calls in a variety of series. “We had some bad luck; that bad luck turned to good luck. Our pit strategy worked out perfect. Everybody here in Long Beach, I’m from Redondo Beach. I’m your neighbor and I love you guys. I’ve wanted to win this thing forever and never have. What a great day for BMW.” Farnbacher (and Marc Goossens) finished third for SRT Motorsports.
(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.011)
Colin Braun and team owner Jon Bennett (No. 05 ORECA FLM09) took the Prototype Challenge presented by Continental Tire class victory for CORE autosport. Braun finished third overall after leading the race near the midway point. Bennett pitted from third in class at the 40-minute mark, and Braun assumed the lead for good five minutes later on the race’s final restart. Braun led overall for 10 minutes before Graf got around him. “This was my first time leading an ALMS race overall. I did it for what felt like forever,” he said. “I thought maybe we could have won it. I had a great coaching from the pits to help me conserve the fuel to get it all the way to the end. What a great win.” CORE’s victory came less than three weeks after team member and Bennett’s business partner Ralph Brown passed away following a brain aneurysm in September. That made Saturday even more meaningful to Bennett and his team. “I took to racing because of the manufacturing company that I own. I get to go racing because I had a great partner back home keeping the business racing,” Bennett said in tribute. “We definitely had some help from above looking over us. I'm really proud to have a win today.”
(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.011)
NGT Motorsport’s Sean Edwards (No. 30 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) held of a late challenge from Spencer Pumpelly and won with Henrique Cisneros in GT Challenge by just 2.130 seconds. Both NGT teammates led during their stints, and Edwards took the lead for good shortly after the race’s last restart. He went nearly 80 minutes on the same Yokohama tires and fuel. Nelson Canache Jr., drove with Pumpelly in the runner-up No. 45 Flying Lizard Porsche. The No. 44 Flying Lizard team car of Brian Wong and Dion von Moltke placed third.
(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.011)
The No. 12 Rebellion Lola B12/60 Toyota won the prototype portion of the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge for its superior environmental efficiency combined with its strong competitive performance.
Corvette Racing’s Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia won the GT portion of the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge in their No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R. It emitted the least amount of emissions of the class and combined that with optimum speed and fuel consumption. Next up for the ALMS is the American Le Mans Monterey from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday, May 11, the third round of the 10-race ALMS championship. ESPN2’s coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 12 with live coverage is available on ESPN3 starting at 6:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 11. Viewers outside the U.S. can watch races live on ALMS.com. The series’ website offers additional content such as live in-car cameras, timing and scoring, and car-to-pit radio for all users around the world.
(John Cote - IndyCar)
Takuma Sato (No. 14 ABC Supply Honda) started fourth in the 80-lap Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit and went on to capture his first IZOD IndyCar series win, providing A.J. Foyt Racing its first victory since July 7, 2002, at Kansas Speedway. "Takuma made it look too easy," team director and race strategist Larry Foyt said. "It made me so nervous watching it out there. He just drove a flawless race." Sato, making his 52nd IZOD IndyCar Series start, overtook Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 1 Andretti Autosport DHL Chevrolet) for second on Lap 23 and assumed the lead on Lap 30 when race leader Will Power (No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet) pitted under yellow. The remainder of the race Sato's machine was strong on both the Firestone primary and alternate tires. Sato became the first driver from Japan to win an Indy car race.
(Richard Dowdy - IndyCar)
Graham Rahal (No. 15 RLL Racing Midas/Big O Tires Honda) finished second in Long Beach. It was the best finish for Rahal since finishing second at Texas last June. "I think we just performed the way we ought to each and every weekend... To be honest it just feels phenomenal to get this result. God I came so close to winning yet again. On the last restart if (Charlie) Kimball weren't in the way we would have had a great run at it. And clearly he overshot himself into (Turn) 1. Man it felt so good to be on the podium here."
(John Cote - IndyCar)
Justin Wilson (No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda) came back from the back of the grid to finish third in Long Beach in a superb run. "It was a little bit of luck, circumstances and the team did a great job on strategy. We pitted on Lap 5 or 6. Came in and put the reds on. We had plenty of reds because we didn't qualify. We just went out there and pushed hard the entire race. I think that helped having an extra set, being able to pick a few people off. It's great to get this result for the Boy Scouts of America and everyone at Dale Coyne Racing. They've worked hard to put the car back together on Friday so I have to thank them. It's also good for Honda here at Long Beach to get 1-2-3-4. I think it's fantastic."
(Chris Jones - IndyCar)
"It was just a perfect weekend to be honest," said Sato, whose previous best finish was second at Edmonton in 2012. "The team did a tremendous job. It is great news for the Japanese. Japan has had such a tough time after the earthquake. I'm really happy to give everybody some good news." Larry Foyt (Managing Director, A.J. Foyt Racing) had this to say afterward: "I wish (A.J.) was here. We hate it because he is definitely our big leader and he is the big boss man. This is for him." Sato came to prominence when he made that win-or-else move on Dario Franchitti in Turn 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last May for the win in the "500." Congratulations to Sato on a much deserved win and congratulations to Larry Foyt who forged this team into a competitive organization.
(John Cote - IndyCar)
Carlos Munoz (No. 26 Andretti Autosport Dialy-Ser) won the Firestone Indy Lights Long Beach 100 from the pole position. It was the second consecutive flag-to-flag victory for Munoz. Gabby Chaves (No. 7 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports c/w Curb-Agajanian) finished second and Sage Karam (No. 8 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports c/w Curb-Agajanian) was third. Munoz moved to first in the championship standings heading to the Firestone Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 24.
(Grand-Am)
Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas (No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley) dominated the Visual Studio Ultimate Grand Prix of Atlanta, the first GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race run at Road Atlanta. The pair combined to lead 94 of the 120 circuits on the 2.54-mile circuit. It was their second victory of the season – and extended their lead in the Daytona Prototype standings to seven points over Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty. Ryan Dalziel finished second in the No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Ford/Riley started by Alex Popow, 17.781 seconds back, followed by Gurney and Fogarty in the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette DP.
(Grand-Am)
John Edwards (No. 9 Stevenson Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro started by Mike Bell) held off steady pressure from Andy Lally (No. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche Carrera started by Dr. Jim Norman) to retain the lead and the win in Saturday’s PricewaterhouseCoopers 250, the first race for the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at Road Atlanta. Nick Mancuso and Frank Montecalvo took third after a solid run in the No. 16 Multimatic Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage.
(Grand-Am)
Terry Borcheller passed Connor Bloum shortly after the final restart and went on to give Burton Racing its first Street Tuner victory in the No. 23 BMW 128i started by Mike LaMarra. Bloum finished second in the No. 80 BimmerWorld Racing BMW 328 started by Greg Strelzoff. The PwC 250 will be televised on Saturday, April 27, on SPEED at 2 p.m. ET The next Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race will be at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday, June 15.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Husky Toyota Camry) won the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway Sunday. Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS), who narrowed what had been a lead of more than one second to .151 seconds at the finish, was second and Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe's Chevrolet SS) was third. The victory was Kenseth's second at Kansas, his second of the season and the 26th of his career. Check out NASCAR videos from last weekend here. From the AP's Jenna Fryer: NASCAR slammed Matt Kenseth and Joe Gibbs Racing with one of the largest penalties in NASCAR history Wednesday after the engine from Kenseth's race-winning car at Kansas failed a post-race inspection. The team had nothing to do with the error, and manufacturer Toyota immediately accepted responsibility for one of eight connecting rods failing to meet the minimum weight requirement by 3 grams - less than an empty envelope. ''We take full responsibility for this issue with the engine. JGR is not involved in the process of selecting parts or assembling the Cup Series engines,'' Toyota Racing Development President Lee White said. Kenseth got to keep the trophy from Sunday's win at Kansas, but that's it. He was docked 50 driver points in the standings - he earned only 48 points for the victory - and NASCAR also deleted the three bonus points he earned for the win that would have been applied in seeding for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. In addition, the victory will not be credited toward his eligibility for a wild card berth in the Chase. So, although Kenseth has two wins on the year, the Kansas win does not count in any form toward Chase eligibility. He lost his pole award, too, which could hurt eligibility for next year's Sprint Unlimited exhibition race. The penalty dropped Kenseth from eighth to 14th in the standings. NASCAR also suspended crew chief Jason Ratcliff for six races and fined him $200,000. And in a rare move, car owner Joe Gibbs had his owner's license suspended for the next six races and he won't earn car owner points during that time. He also was docked 50 car owner points while Toyota, which supplies the JGR engines through Costa Mesa, Calif.-based TRD, lost five points in the manufacturer standings. JGR said it would appeal.
(Image by Keith Rizzo, courtesy of the Circuit of The Americas)
Marc Marquez (No. 93 Repsol Honda) has become the youngest ever race winner in MotoGP™, winning Sunday’s inaugural Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas in spectacular, elbow-dragging style from teammate Dani Pedrosa, in Austin, Texas. Reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo completed the podium. Marquez, the brilliant 20-year old Spanish MotoGP rookie phenom not only claimed his very first pole position, but also his very first MotoGP race. In doing so, he sent a message that a new force had arrived in MotoGP racing. Marquez also became the youngest driver ever to win a Moto GP race - in just his second start - at the first international motorcycle Grand Prix held at the new Circuit of The Americas™. Marquez achieved his first win at age 20 and 63 days. He takes the record set 21 years ago by former American MotoGP rider and two-time series champion Freddie Spencer, whose first win came at the Belgian MotoGP race in Spa Francorchamps when he was 20 years, 196 days old.
(Photo by Milagro)
Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi set aside his factory Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP bike to take a shot behind the wheel of Kyle Busch’s Nationwide Toyota Camry at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday. Busch – winner of the last three NASCAR Nationwide races – met with Rossi and took him on a tour of the car. From there, Valentino was given a headset and listened in while Busch put in numerous high-speed laps on the oval. Upon pulling into the pits, Busch downloaded information to help get Rossi up to speed as quickly as possible. Then, "The Doctor" climbed into the 650-horsepower racer and motored out onto the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway. Once he got the car up to speed – around 185 miles per hour – Rossi became more and more comfortable, and in doing so, his lap times dropped dramatically. When it was over, Rossi said, “It was so cool to understand the feeling! I have a lot of friends from Europe and Italy who follow NASCAR. It looks like it’s a completely different type of racing than what we do in Europe and I expected something more like this – exciting, high speed and a great feeling in the corner. In the bank you have a lot of grip, so you are glued on the racetrack. It was great, I enjoyed it a lot. I love driving the race car, and I always have, so it was exciting to drive a NASCAR.” “I think Rossi is a really cool dude," Busch said. “And as far as driving the car, I thought he did pretty good. He started out a little slow, which is fine, but every lap he picked it up a lot. He got to where he was running some competitive lap speeds – times that would put him in the top-15 in Nationwide Series practice. That’s pretty good for a guy in his first start, who is just coming over and getting used to things and someone that is used to driving on two wheels.”
Editor's Note: Another cool Porsche video here. - WG