Courtesy of MXGP-TV
Monthly Archives: September 2017
Studio Show Monster Energy FIM MXoN 2017
Courtesy of MXGP-TV
2017 RD11 Assen Datatag Qualifying Press Conference
Courtesy of British Superbike
The top three in Datatag Qualifying at the eleventh round of the MCE British Superbike Championship reflect on their performance
Ellison on pole as Haslam holds Showdown advantage in dramatic Datatag Qualifying at Assen
Courtesy of MCE British Superbike Championship
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Day One Press Conference | Germany RX
Courtesy of FIA World Rallycross Championshio
Birthday treat for Verstappen
Courtesy of Red Bull Media Service
Dutchman qualifies third for Malaysian GP as Ricciardo locks out second row.
Max Verstappen celebrated his 20th birthday in style with a strong qualifying performance at the Malaysian Grand Prix alongside Red Bull Racing team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.
The Dutchman will start Sunday’s race third on the grid with Australian Ricciardo fourth as 2017 championship leader Lewis Hamilton nicked pole from Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.
Engine troubles for Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel means he will start from the back of the grid in a blow to his chances of bridging the 28-point gap to Mercedes’ Hamilton.
Carlos Sainz just edged out new Scuderia Toro Rosso team-mate Pierre Gasly in 14th with the young Frenchman impressing in Q1 before he slipped back down the timesheet alongside Spaniard Sainz in Q2.
DRIVER QUOTES
MAX VERSTAPPEN
Position: 3rd, 1:30.541
“Third in Qualifying is a pretty good birthday present today. The whole weekend I was not fully happy with the car and in the last practice session I didn’t have the perfect balance, but in Qualifying we managed to pull it together and the car was pretty good. To be four or five tenths off pole position on this track and knowing they can turn up their engines in Qualifying means we are doing a good job. I think on the long runs we are a bit more competitive so I’m definitely looking forward to tomorrow. So far on Saturdays I’ve been a happy guy and on Sundays that has changed. Let’s hope it is different tomorrow and I’m sure we can have a good race. I’m also hoping for no sandwiches!”
DANIEL RICCIARDO
Position: 4th, 1:30.595
“I did all I could today and I think we both got the most out of the car. We’re half a second from Lewis around here so I think we can be pretty happy with that. It gives us a chance in the race tomorrow even if it’s dry. I would have loved to be on third today, but that half a tenth was actually Max’s birthday gift from me and I wanted to start on fourth really, because that’s where I started last year and I won. This is obviously all planned in my mind. I did a bit of a lift of the throttle just before the finish line, so yeah it’s of course all calculated. I think Seb is probably going to do a rain dance tonight so I might join him, hold hands and light some candles. But honestly, some rain would be interesting for the race, so we can dance tonight, as long as we don’t dance tomorrow. If he gets near me then, we haven’t had a good enough race.”
Carlos Sainz (STR12-01, Car 55)
Qualifying – Best lap: (Q1) 1:32.650, (Q2) 1:32.402, pos.14th
“I’m not surprised with ending up P14 today because it’s more or less where we’ve been all weekend… It’s for sure something we need to look into, because at the moment we’re a bit too far away from Q3. Before coming here we thought we’d be performing a bit better than what we have done up until now – the updates we’ve brought here aren’t really working as well as we expected, at least not for now. Having said that, it’s also true that we haven’t been able to do that many laps this weekend to properly learn about it all, so we just need to keep working hard. We usually come back a bit on race day, so hopefully we can be part of a good midfield battle and recover a bit of ground. If it rains, anything can happen as we saw in Singapore, so I welcome a wet race but, if not, we will just need to keep our heads down and see where we end up. Whatever happens, we will try and do our best, that’s for sure!”
Pierre Gasly (STR12-04, Car 10)
Qualifying – Best lap: (Q1) 1:32.547, (Q2) 1:32.558, pos. 15th
“I think today was positive and I’m happy – your first qualifying in Formula 1 is always a special moment and one I was really looking forward to! I tried to give my best and I think we made really good progress between FP3 and Qualifying. I felt comfortable in the car in Q1 and then, in Q2, I kept on learning while giving my all and I’d say we can be satisfied with the result! I now look forward to tomorrow, my first Formula 1 race and something I’ve been dreaming of since I was very young…! I expect it to be a really good experience and I hope to keep improving tomorrow as well. You never know what can happen with the weather here so, if the rain and tricky conditions do appear, I will welcome it as I felt confident in the wet in FP1 on Friday and I’m sure it will make it all even more exciting!”
Q2 Highlights | Germany RX
Courtesy of FIA World Rallycross Championship
KTM extreme riders successfully complete Red Bull Sea to Sky
Courtesy of KTM Racing
The eighth running of the Red Bull Sea to Sky hard enduro in Kemer, Turkey finished with both KTM Enduro Factory Racing riders showing impressive pace throughout the three-day event, but frustratingly narrowly missing out on the final podium. Alfredo Gomez rode a great final day to pick his way through to fourth position. His team-mate, Jonny Walker finished sixth.
Often referred to as the ‘most enjoyable hard enduro’ the Red Bull Sea to Sky race held on the Turkish Riviera is a favourite of the hard enduro paddock. The event is split up into three separate races – beach, forest and the final and most challenging mountain race.
The event started off well for KTM’s official team riders. Alfredo Gomez rode an excellent Beach Race, despite a nasty crash that resulted in an injured arm. Gomez finished third, only just beaten by his team-mate Jonny Walker at the final obstacle.
The forest race was a little tougher for Gomez. A couple of mistakes cost him some time early on with the Spaniard deciding to ride at a steady pace in order to reach the finish in one piece.
After a less than perfect start to the Mountain Race, Alfredo rode superbly to pick his way through the field to finish fourth and just a few minutes from the podium.
Gomez: “I’ve enjoyed my time here in Turkey, it’s always a fun event. The week started off well with a third place on the beach. That whole race was really tough and everyone was swapping positions quite often. I missed out on the runner-up position by only a couple of seconds when Jonny passed me on the last lap, but overall it was good.
“The Forest Race didn’t go so well for me. My pace was good, but the race was very hot and dusty and tougher than previous years. I tried to keep to a good rhythm in order to get to the finish safely and get a good start position for the final race.
“The Mountain Race was tough. My start wasn’t great, I got into the forest and the tracks were so dusty it was difficult to ride properly. There had been some rain over night so further up the hill the dust turned to mud, which made things even more tricky. I caught Graham and for a lot of the race we were riding quite close – he would make some time then I would catch him back up.
“Nearer the top I could see Mario and Wade up ahead and I tried my best to catch them but couldn’t quite make it. Fourth is encouraging after a bad start, but of course it would be better to finish on the podium. I’ll regroup and prepare myself for the next race.”
Jonny Walker made an excellent start in the beach race, leading the 50 top-qualifiers down the Turkish start straight. A small mistake resulted in him losing the lead but after some close racing the Brit held on for second at the line.
The Forest Race also saw Walker finish as runner-up. Catching and passing Billy Bolt on the 50km course, Walker was first to reach the finish. He was just pipped to the win by Wade Young who was slightly faster on corrected time.
Unfortunately, the Mountain Race did not go Jonny’s way. After a difficult start, and struggling with the dust, a few mistakes cost him too much time, preventing him from fighting for the podium. Pushing hard, he eventually placed sixth.
Walker: “The week has gone quite well for me, it’s just disappointing not to cap it off with a good result on the Mountain Race. Getting two second places in the beach and forest races was great. I was riding well and the bike felt good. “I really enjoyed the Beach Race, I got a good start and managed to get out in front. A couple of mistakes meant the others caught back up and it was a closely fought battle from there on.
“The Forest Race went well, it was tiring but I settled into a good pace and kept pushing. I passed Billy and crossed the line first, it just wasn’t quite enough to take the win on corrected time.
“I didn’t get the best of starts on the Mountain Race. Graham caught me in the forest and we were riding together for a while. The dust was a nightmare. I made a silly mistake and managed to get a stone wedged in the back wheel, that cost me some time and Alfredo got past.
“As we climbed the mountain I thought I would be able to make up some time on those ahead as the riding got more difficult, but that didn’t happen. I’m was glad to get to the finish without too many problems, I just wish I was a little higher up the order.”
Results – Red Bull Sea to Sky 2017
1. Graham Jarvis (GBR), Husqvarna, 3:45:38
2. Mario Roman (ESP), Sherco, 3:47:00
3. Wade Young (ZAF), Sherco, 3:47:20
4. Alfredo Gomez (ESP), KTM, 3:52:39
5. Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 3:54:26
Other KTM
6. Jonny Walker (GBR), KTM, 3:55:54
7. Lars Enöckl (AUT), KTM, 3:59:52
8. Paul Bolton (GBR), KTM, 4:04:33
ASC - Action Sports Connection 