Darren's Motorsport Views

WTF Moments in NASCAR 2

2011-03-04T18:32:00.000+00:00

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The Best and Worse Of Formula One with Video's

2011-03-03T23:09:00.000+00:00

This time of year there's a lot of motorsport list's, looking back over the last year, of looking forward to the next.
Well I've come across an article at here heres a quick summary, do please have a look

Greatest Driver: Jim Clark

When Jim Clark died in an F2 accident in Hockenheim in 1968 he had the most wins ever by an F1 driver, with 25. That record lasted almost six years until Jackie Stewart got his 26th at the Dutch Grand Prix in 1973.

Most Underrated Driver: Graham Hill

Can a two time World Champion, an Indy 500 winner, a Le Mans 24 hours winner, 14 time Grand Prix winner, and five time Monaco Grand Prix winner be underrated?

Overrated Driver: Giancarlo Fisichella

Fisichella has competed in 231 Grands Prix, in some great cars like Benetton, Renault and Ferrari, including a couple that won the championship. His result of three victories are not sufficient for the opportunities he was given.

Best Ambassador: Jackie Stewart

The Wee Scot is perhaps the best-known F1 driver in North America, along with Mario Andretti, and most of that is due to his work and promotion of the sport after he finished racing.

Worst Ambassador: Max Mosley

I could go on a huge rant about each reason Mosley was bad for F1. Instead I will just point out a few of the low-lights.

Best Pass (Tie): Nelson Piquet - Hungarian Grand Prix 1986

Piquet was sitting second behind Senna when he got into Senna's slip-stream on the main straight.

Best Pass: Jacques Villeneuve - European Grand Prix 1997

This was not one of those flashy, spectacular passes where cars are
sliding, wheels are locking and smoke is coming off the tires.

Best lap: French Grand Prix 1979

Gilles Villeneuve's and Rene Arnoux's last lap in the 1979 French Grand Prix at Dijon.

Worst Race: French Grand Prix 1996.

Nothing happened. There isn't much else to say.

Only highlight I could find.

Best Race: European Grand Prix, Nurburgring, 1999.

The race started with a Jordan on Pole Position -- a Jordan, whose driver, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, was still in the championship hunt. A second formation lap led was needed then the race featured: a barrel-roll accident, rain, some cars on dry tires, some cars on wet tires,

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F1 best manouvers ever

2011-03-03T22:52:00.000+00:00

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F1 2009 Season Review

2011-03-03T18:12:00.001+00:00

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Song of the Day

2011-03-03T00:37:00.001+00:00

409-the Beach Boys

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Song of the Day

2011-03-01T22:33:00.000+00:00

George Harrison - Faster

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BTCC : New Ford Pictures

2011-03-01T13:05:00.000+00:00

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2011 Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Pheonix Review

2011-03-01T12:49:00.001+00:00

Just 1 week removed from the historic Daytona 500, what a difference a week makes, The youngest ever winner of the 500 Trever Bayne would crash in friday practice, and for the first time ever would be in a "back-up" car, how would he fair.

Other stories to watch include Kyle Busch was looking to cap of a dominante weekend, having won in the Trucks and then leading every lap in nationwide, with Carl Edwards also crossing the stripe in second on every lap, Could the current points leader Carl Edwards increase his lead over the pack. having finished in the top 2 in the last 3 races he's surely one to watch, and with 48 points the maximum point haul for a race, who could forget the 5 time champion Jimmie Johnson.

Expect to see a different style of racing here from last week, this track is all about the driver, and it will be every man for himself.

The first 70 laps were eventful, with 2 multi-car incidents.
The first was caused by Busch making contact with polesitter Carl Edwards exiting Turn 2, causing the Roush Fenway racer to drive over the grass and sustain damage to the front end of his Ford.

Edwards lost control after that and slid towards the barrier with the front wheels locked, forcing Gordon against the wall as well. However his Hendrick crew was able to quickly get the right front fender back in shape under the caution, putting Gordon back in contention.

Only eight laps later during the following restart, a multi-car crash involving 13 drivers ignited when Red Bull's Brian Vickers got loose and spun at the very same spot after a brush with Matt Kenseth, resulting in a brief red-flag stoppage.

Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne ended up crashing heavily against the wall which would take him out of the race, when he made contact with Travis Kvapil's Ford at the end of the front-stretch early in the race.

Both Gordon and Busch recovered from there earlier incidents, following the final restart with 22 laps remaining, Gordon had to chase the leading Toyota of Busch, who passed Tony Stewart for the lead shortly after the green flag waved for the last time.

Busch was hoping to complete a sweep of wins in all three of NASCAR's top championships for the second time in his career, having won on Friday in the Truck Series event, and taken victory again on Saturday in the Nationwide Series. However Gordon had different plans in his Drive to End Hunger-sponsored Impala, as he started to put pressure on the Joe Gibbs driver as the lap-count faded.

Gordon eventually got to the rear bumper of Busch with nine laps to go, almost passing him at the exit of Turn 4. He got side-by-side with his rival along the front-stretch, kept his line entering Turn 1 and made contact with Busch as both drifted onto the 11-degree banking.

As Gordon came out of Turn 2 he had already opened a gap that he was able to stretch over the final eight laps to claim a very popular win.

Jeff Gordon ended a 66-race win-less streak and would lead a race-high 138 laps. Gordon's win also allowed him to tie Cale Yarborough in the record books in fifth in the all-time list of race winners, Gordon being the leading active driver in that ranking - in which he is only one win shy of third-placed Darrell Waltrip.

"I just beat Kyle Busch!" screamed Gordon on his radio after crossing the stripe.

"I've not been in position to put pressure on the leader and force him to make mistakes to be in control of the situation in a very long time and that's what I loved about today," said Gordon. "To be in that position was a very cool feeling. You feel like you're in control of your destiny.

"It got a little hairy getting into [Turn] 1. I was shocked I even got underneath [Busch] but when I did I thought 'I'm going to check up early' because I was afraid he was going to do the swap-over on me on the exit. He's pretty notorious about that."

Results - 312 laps
1. Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet 3h01m49.000s
2. Kyle Busch Gibbs Toyota + 1.137s
3. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet + 2.500s
4. Kevin Harvick Childress Chevrolet + 2.827s
5. Ryan Newman Stewart Haas Chevrolet + 3.697s
6. Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota + 4.161s
7. Tony Stewart Stewart Haas Chevrolet + 6.262s
8. Kurt Busch Penske Dodge + 9.041s
9. AJ Allmendinger Petty Ford + 9.176s
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet + 9.500s
11. Denny Hamlin Gibbs Toyota + 10.853s
12. Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Ford + 10.927s
13. Mark Martin Hendrick Chevrolet + 11.545s
14. Martin Truex Jr Waltrip Toyota + 15.323s
15. Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge + 1 lap
16. Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford + 1 lap
17. Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet + 1 lap
18. Casey Mears Germain Toyota + 1 lap
19. Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet + 1 lap
20. Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford + 1 lap
21. Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Toyota + 2 laps
22. David Gilliland Front Row Ford + 2 laps
23. Bill Elliott Phoenix Chevrolet + 3 laps
24. Mike Skinner FAS Lane Ford + 4 laps
25. Tony Raines Front Row Ford + 6 laps
26. Jeff Burton Childress Chevrolet + 36 laps
27. Clint Bowyer Childress Chevrolet + 52 laps
28. Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford + 60 laps
29. David Reutimann Waltrip Toyota + 66 laps
30. Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota + 74 laps
31. Andy Lally TRG Chevrolet + 75 laps
32. Robby Gordon Gordon Dodge + 76 laps

Non-finishers:

Joey Logano Gibbs Toyota 213 laps
Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet 213 laps*
Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet 126 laps
David Ragan Roush Fenway Ford 125 laps
JJ Yeley Whitney Chevrolet 72 laps
Landon Cassill Germain Toyota 68 laps
Travis Kvapil Front Row Ford 66 laps
Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Ford 49 laps
Michael McDowell HP Toyota 43 laps
Dave Blaney Baldwin Chevrolet 27 laps
Joe Nemechek NEMCO Toyota 22 laps

* Running again at chequered flag

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Song of the Day

2011-02-28T20:36:00.001+00:00

Mark Knopfler - Speedway at Nazareth

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Monday Answers

2011-02-28T16:02:00.002+00:00

Hello and welcome to the first of a weekly Sunday Quiz

Rember this is just for fun, Hear are the answers to yesterday quiz. How well did you do?

1) Who's this

Coulthard, Monaco 1996, due to an issue with his he was forced to use schumachers replacement. Finished 2nd, McLarens best result of the season, behind Panis.

2) Who's eyes are these

1996 world champion Damon Hill

3) Who is the first Brit to win a World Rally Championship and when?

Colin McRae, 1995

4) Who is the only women to attempt but fail to qualify for the Indy 500 race?

Desire Wilson, attempted but failed to qualify in 1982. Guthrie first attempted to qualify for the 1976 race but fell short on speed and preparation time. She returned to qualify for the first time in 1977,

5) Who won the 50th running of the Daytona 500?

Ryan Newman, in 2008, this marked the first Daytona 500 win for Penske Racing and the first run using NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow, which was introduced in 2007 and became standard as of 2008

6) In Dale Earnhardt debut race in the Winston Cup, what car number did he run?

The number 8, in 1975 Earnhardt drove an Ed Negre Dodge Charger(#8) and finished 22nd in the race, one place ahead of his future car owner, Richard Childress.

7) Who won the first A1GP championship?

France with drivers Nicolas Lapierre, Alexandre Premat
A!GP began on 25 September 2005 with the A1 Grand Prix of Nations Great Britain at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent, United Kingdom.

8) When did 2010 World Champion Jorge Lorenzo first capture Pole in MotoGP

Oh his debut in 2008's Qatar night race on March 8, he went on to finish 2nd, and capture pole in the next two events.

9) Who's helmet is this?

Giancarlo Fisichella, 2009 Ferrari as Massa replacement.

10) in 2010 who qualified on Pole for the Bathurst 1000 Race?

Mark Winterbottom with a time of 2.07.53seconds he's eventually finished 9th.

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Martin Brundle compares 1991 Benetton against 2000 Ferrari

2011-02-28T08:31:00.001+00:00

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Formula 1 Aerodynamics with Martin Brundle

2011-02-27T21:59:00.000+00:00

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Song of the Day

2011-02-27T19:40:00.000+00:00

Dierks Bentley - Sideways

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Hamilton to Drive NASCAR at Watkins Glen

2011-02-27T17:04:00.000+00:00

2008 Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton is set to drive a premier Sprint Cup NASCAR for the first time later in 2011.

Hamilton will take the wheel of Tony Stewart's Chevrolet, allowing Stewart to drive the 2010 McLaren MP4-25.

The exhibition, organised by mutual sponsor Mobil 1, is set to take place some time in the summer at the famous Watkins Glen road course in New York.

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Checa The Irresistible Force - World Superbikes.

2011-02-27T16:59:00.000+00:00

since his first sessions in the official IMS tests at Phillip Island earlier this week Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) made himself a force to be reckoned with.

Race 1

Checa's winning margin over Biaggi in Phillip Island race 1 was clear evidence of the Althea man's domination. Checa took the lead from Laverty on lap 3 and steadily pulled out to an unchallenged 4-second gap at the flag. Biaggi soon realized it was not possible to keep the pace of Checa and settled for second. The podium was completed by Haslam who held off both Yamaha riders, Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri, who exchanged places right at the flag in a sprint finish.

Fastest lap : Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing), 1'32.034 (Lap 2)

The top three said.

Carlos Checa: "Here we have something extra, maybe the bike works really well at this track and I like it as well. We did a great job in testing, practice and qualifying but you never know, conditions can change. I started well and made a gap, controlled the race, went fast lap by lap, but it's a fantastic winning start for me and the team."

Max Biaggi: "A very good result because the last two years at Phillip Island we were struggling and far behind. The twins are always a bit better on this track but I don't want to take anything away from Checa, he did a fantastic race. We did our best, I came close at some stage but my wheel was spinning so I couldn't go faster."

Leon Haslam: "A third place is like a win for me at this stage, we've come on a lot this last week and the boys have worked fantastic. I'm looking forward to having a look at the data because we had a few issues and still managed to get on the podium. Hopefully the team can work its magic in race 2."

Race 2

Again no one was able to run with Checa and he finished a clear distance ahead of Biaggi again, 1.118 seconds at the flag. The reigning world champion battled it out for the runner-up slot in the final stages with an impressive Melandri just getting the edge at the line after some very impressive close-quarter racing from each rider.

Fastest lap : Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing), 1'32.012 (Lap 3)

Again the top three said.

Carlos Checa: "It wasn't easy at all. I went into first position as soon as I can, but Haslam was not easy to pass at all. From there I tried to make my place on the track, but I know they were fighting behind me and two seconds lead wasn't perfect. This is the best start for me, 50 points here in Australia."

Max Biaggi: "Two second places in Australia is a very good result. It's good to come back here after we struggled the last two years. Thanks to my team and crew, we've been working very well these days. It was good battling with Marco, the Yamaha has potential and I think they can do a good race, and Haslam as well. It makes it better for the competition."

Marco Melandri: "It's been an amazing day for me after not such a good race 1. I didn't have a good feeling with the bike so we sat down with our team and they made a good job on the bike for race 2. I could ride so much stronger, I started more aggressive, and it felt very good to be back on the podium after such a long time, I'm just a bit disappointed not to beat Max for second place."

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Reactions To Bahrain GP News

2011-02-27T16:48:00.001+00:00

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton is happy with the delay. "I am not too unhappy about the world championship only starting in Australia, because it gives us more time," the 2008 World Champion said. And added, "We have some catching up to do and not a lot of time until the season starts."

Mercedes Sport Director Norbert Haug was quoted saying by a German magazine when asked about the extra time, "At this point before the start of a season, all the teams are doing things literally at the very last minute." But there is no time for radical design changes, and the German admitted all teams just have 'a little bit more air'.

Replacement driver Heidfeld about Renault's chances this year, "I sadly have to disappoint everyone who is thinking that we are top of the grid now because of the fastest lap of Robert [Kubica] in Valencia and mine in Jerez. Certainly we work hard to chance this." Which also means Renault has extra time to get rid of their current gremlins which have hampered the development of the car.

And interestingly enough, the winner of last year's Constructors' and Drivers' championship Red Bull, and according to insiders currently the team with the fasted car, the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix could help them as well. Team principal Horner, "With its long straights, Bahrain would not have been our showcase race." Melbourne is an altogether different circuit, with tight corners where acceleration is more important than straight-line speed, so the Australian circuit will certainly suit the Red Bull team better.

The Williams team cannot be happy with the cancellation, British newspapers have reported Williams Grand Prix Holdings have lowered the price of it shares for their upcoming stock flotation. The price range has been decreased from 24-29 Euro to 25-27 Euro a share as a result of the Middle East crisis.

A few people were not happy with the way Formula One's governing body, the FIA, has handled the situation in Bahrain. Or should we say, did not address the situation at all. FIA President Jean Todt has been remarkably silent. He was in Ireland and when asked by reporters about the situation, he only managed to squeeze out a few words and said he 'always tried not to overreact on breaking stories', and added there was no reason for 'unnecessary concerns'.

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Kyle Busch to Take Phoenix Sweep?

2011-02-27T16:34:00.001+00:00

For the second week in a row Kyle Busch is on to make history.

Having come up short in Daytona last week, Busch has once again set himself up to take the full sweep of victories in the top-level championships at Phoenix in a single weekend, having already dominated in the Trucks and Natiowide Series races at the one-mile oval.

Friday night Busch took his 25th win in NASCAR's Truck Series, Driving for his own KBM team, driving his traditional number 18, led a quite incredible full sweep of victories in its top-level championships at Phoenix in a single weekend, having already dominated in the Trucks and Natiowide Series races at the one-mile oval.

On Saturday afternoon, Busch led every single lap to claim his 44th Nationwide Series career victory, his 33rd for Joe Gibbs Racing in the second-tier series. Although he was raced side by said in the closing stages by the current SPRINT cup point leader Carl Edwards.

Busch was also fastest in practice for the SPRINT cup race, and qualified on the outside of the second row,

Toyota Tundra. It was also his 25th victory in the series, out of 87 events contested since 2001.

If Busch manages to claim victory in Sunday's Cup event at Phoenix, which he won back in 2006, he would match the feat he already achieved last August when he completed a full sweep at Bristol, winning in Trucks, Nationwide and Cup.

In Saturday's Nationwide race, Busch became the first driver since 2003 to lead every lap of a NASCAR event.

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NASCAR Phoenix Qualifying Times

2011-02-27T15:49:00.000+00:00

1. Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford 26.224s
2. Kurt Busch Penske Dodge 26.256s + 0.032s
3. Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota 26.259s + 0.035s
4. Kyle Busch Gibbs Toyota 26.281s + 0.057s
5. Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevy 26.283s + 0.059s
6. Joey Logano Gibbs Toyota 26.288s + 0.064s
7. Martin Truex Jr Waltrip Toyota 26.314s + 0.090s
8. Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Chevy 26.321s + 0.097s
9. Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge 26.322s + 0.098s
10. Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford 26.340s + 0.116s
11. David Ragan Roush Fenway Ford 26.346s + 0.122s
12. Denny Hamlin Gibbs Toyota 26.358s + 0.134s
13. Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet 26.362s + 0.138s
14. Ryan Newman Stewart Haas Chevrolet 26.382s + 0.158s
15. AJ Allmendinger Petty Ford 26.392s + 0.168s
16. Clint Bowyer Childress Chevrolet 26.407s + 0.183s
17. Kevin Harvick Childress Chevrolet 26.448s + 0.224s
18. Tony Stewart Stewart Haas Chevrolet 26.459s + 0.235s
19. Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota 26.471s + 0.247s
20. Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet 26.515s + 0.291s
21. Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Toyota 26.523s + 0.299s
22. Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Chevy 26.529s + 0.305s
23. Mark Martin Hendrick Chevrolet 26.547s + 0.323s
24. Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Ford 26.553s + 0.329s
25. Jeff Burton Childress Chevrolet 26.556s + 0.332s
26. David Reutimann Waltrip Toyota 26.557s + 0.333s
27. Casey Mears Germain Toyota 26.563s + 0.339s
28. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet 26.569s + 0.345s
29. David Gilliland Front Row Ford 26.574s + 0.350s
30. Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford 26.574s + 0.350s
31. Robby Gordon Gordon Dodge 26.621s + 0.397s
32. Joe Nemechek NEMCO Toyota 26.680s + 0.456s
33. Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Ford 26.715s + 0.491s
34. Michael McDowell HP Toyota 26.729s + 0.505s
35. Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet 26.731s + 0.507s
36. Mike Skinner FAS Lane Ford 26.811s + 0.587s
37. Landon Cassill Germain Toyota 26.856s + 0.632s
38. JJ Yeley Whitney Chevrolet 26.857s + 0.633s
39. Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford 26.909s + 0.685s
40. Travis Kvapil Front Row Ford 26.988s + 0.764s
41. Andy Lally TRG Chevrolet 27.288s + 1.064s
42. Tony Raines Front Row Ford 27.343s + 1.119s
43. Dave Blaney Baldwin Chevrolet 26.996s + 0.772s

Did not qualify:

Brian Keselowski K-Automotive Dodge 27.431s + 1.207s

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Sunday Quiz 1

2011-02-27T15:36:00.004+00:00

Hello and welcome to the first of a weekly Sunday Quiz

Rember this is just for fun, and the answers will be posted tomorrow, how well will you do

1) Who's this

2) Who's eyes are these

3) Who is the first Brit to win a World Rally Championship and when?

4) Who is the only women to attempt but fail to qualify for the Indy 500 race?

5) Who won the 50th running of the Daytona 500?

6) In Dale Earnhardt debut race in the Winston Cup, what car number did he run?

7) Who won the first A1GP championship?

8) When did 2010 World Champion Jorge Lorenzo first capture Pole in MotoGP

9) Who's helmet is this?

10) in 2010 who qualified on Pole for the Bathurst 1000 Race?

Good luck, check back tomorrow to see how well you did.

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Top 10 WTF Moments in NASCAR

2011-02-27T14:17:00.000+00:00

Before todays race, here are some bloppers from previous NASCAR event's, expect more next week

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V8 Supercars 2010 Season Review / Highlights PART 3 (Final)

2011-02-27T13:17:00.000+00:00

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V8 Supercars 2010 Season Review / Highlights PART 2

2011-02-27T13:08:00.000+00:00

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V8 Supercars 2010 Season Review / Highlights PART 1

2011-02-27T12:52:00.000+00:00

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Song of the Day

2011-02-27T00:42:00.000+00:00

Days of Thunder Soundtrack - Victory Lane

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FIA Formula Two - 2010 Season Highlights

2011-02-26T17:00:00.000+00:00

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