(Photo by Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment)
In an intriguing race that blended strategy and speed, Will Power (No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet) earned his first victory of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, holding off Alexander Rossi (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda) to win the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on Sunday. Power and his Penske Team used a two-stop strategy to perfection, holding off a charging Rossi, who was on a three-stop strategy. Power led 55 of 70 laps in a race that ended under caution. Team Penske opted for the different strategy to try to help Power gain track position on the bumpy, narrow temporary street circuit from his 16th starting position. Power drove the final 20 laps on Firestone alternate “red” tires, which initially have more grip but lose traction quickly with time. Rossi was on the more durable and consistent Firestone primary “black” tires for his final stint. “I drove it as straight as I could,” Power said about his tire preservation strategy over the last 20 laps. “I never put any slip (angle) into it. I was just driving it really straight and really nice on the brakes and the throttle. I knew if I could keep a reasonable gap until the end, we’d be OK.” It was Power’s 41st win of his INDYCAR SERIES career and first since August 2021, when he triumphed on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His victory today also was the 100th for a Chevrolet engine since the 2.2-liter V6 Turbo powerplant era started in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2012. Australian native Power also returned to the series lead by three points over Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Marcus Ericsson, who finished seventh in the No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Huski Chocolate Honda. Watch the race highlights here. (Thank you to INDYCAR Media)
(Photo by Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment)
The race ended under caution when Rinus VeeKay crashed on the final lap in the No. 21 Bitcoin Racing Team with BitNile Chevrolet just as the checkered flag flew above Power and Rossi. It was the only caution period of the race. “I think one more lap would have been really interesting,” Rossi (above) said. “But you’ve got to give credit to the 12 guys and Will. That’s hard to do at the end, to hang on. It was a good recovery from yesterday. The strategy was good.” 
(Photo by James Black/Penske Entertainment)
Six-time series champion Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda) finished third at Belle Isle on Sunday to round out the podium finishers on the 14-turn, 2.35-mile course. NTT P1 Award winner Josef Newgarden finished fourth in the No. 2 Team Penske Hitachi Chevrolet to put two Team Penske cars in the top four. It was the last time the INDYCAR SERIES would compete at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park, as the event is moving to the streets of downtown Detroit in 2023. Next up for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES event is the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America presented by AMR in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, on Sunday, June 11. Live coverage starts at 12:30 p.m. (ET) Sunday on NBC, Peacock Premium and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
(Michelin Motorsport)
Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande (No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V-Performance Academy DPi-V.R) essentially led Saturday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Chevrolet Sports Car Classic from start to finish. But it was far from easy. Bourdais, who claimed the Motul Pole Award with a track record lap of the Belle Isle Raceway 2.3-mile, 14-turn temporary street course on Friday, led the first half of Saturday’s race before bringing the No. 01 Cadillac in to hand off to van der Zande. While saving fuel to make the single-stop strategy work in the 100-minute sprint race, the Dutchman withstood intense pressure from Oliver Jarvis in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-05 DPi throughout his 50-minute closing stint. Meanwhile, Pipo Derani in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi was catching them at a rapid rate while trying to execute a two-stop gameplan. Derani caught the lead duo and Earl Bamber in the third-place No. 02 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac Racing DPi-V.R with about 25 minutes remaining. From there, it was a nail-biter to the finish, with van der Zande in control at the front and a frenetic battle for the remaining two podium positions. Derani briefly moved into third place, but ultimately crossed the finish line fourth after a fierce scrap with the No. 02 Cadillac. The No. 31 Cadillac was found underweight in postrace technical inspection, however, and moved to the rear of the class. Bourdais and van der Zande completed 73 laps, a record distance for the Detroit race that ran without a full-course caution for the first time. They won by 0.398 seconds over Jarvis and Tom Blomqvist in the No. 60 Acura, followed by Bamber and co-driver Alex Lynn in the No. 02 Cadillac. The next race for the WeatherTech Championship, the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International set for June 23-26, is the third of four rounds in the 2022 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup. All five series classes will compete. Watch the race highlights here. (Thank you to John Oreovicz/IMSA Wire Service)
(Michelin Motorsport)
With 14 turns packed into 2.3 miles, the Belle Isle street circuit presented a host of challenges to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Daytona (GTD) competitors in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic. The key to victory Saturday, however, lay as much on the quarter-mile stretch of pit lane as on those 2.3 miles of racetrack, for canny race strategy and a flawless pit stop put the No. 17 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 of Kyle Kirkwood and Ben Barnicoat into a lead Barnicoat was destined to hold to the finish, leading the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Roman De Angelis and Ross Gunn across the line by 2.263 seconds after 100 minutes and 67 laps of green-flag racing. The win was the first of the season for Vasser Sullivan Racing and the first career GTD victory for both Barnicoat and Kirkwood – in the first Belle Isle race for either driver. On the heels of a runner-up finish at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course three weeks ago, Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers brought the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 home in third place, with the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus of Frankie Montecalvo and Aaron Telitz finishing fourth. (Thank you to David Phillips/IMSA Wire Service)
(Photo by rossomotori.it)
Fabio Quartararo (No. 20 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) cruised to an inch-perfect victory in the Monster Energy Catalan Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona - Catalunya on Sunday. The Frenchman put to bed the nightmare of 2021 by easing to his second premier class victory at the venue, cashing in on his closest Championship rivals' despair to extend his title lead. Jorge Martin (No. 89 Prima Pramac Racing Ducati) and Johann Zarco (No. 25 Prima Pramac Racing Ducati) completed the podium after profiting from a mind-blowing blunder by poleman Aleix Espargaro (No. 41 Aprilia Racing) after the Spaniard celebrated a lap too early and threw away a secure second place. Watch the race highlights here. (Thank you to MotoGP Media)
(Photo by AE Special Contributor Whit Bazemore https://www.instagram.com/whitbazemore/)
Photo of Fabio Quartararo taken earlier this year in Austin, Texas.
(BMW images)
Ahead of the testing phase for its LMDh prototype for the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, BMW M Motorsport has unveiled the all-new BMW M Hybrid V8. The machine will sport a look designed by BMW Group Designworks that "celebrates the history of BMW M Motorsport in North America while defining a dynamic hybrid electric future." More info to come.
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