#hoping to go to portimao next year

[sbknews]

The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is one of the most talked about campaigns in the history of the Championship; with fresh rookies, a massively different line-up and all the usual statements and claims, this season promises to be like no other. Ahead of the first round starting, we caught up with all of the heavyweights – old and new – to get their thoughts going into the weekend. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “Winning is my dream… when I think a lot, this doesn’t come true” “I’m not feeling pressure but I feel excited because it’s my first round with BMW. It looks like we’re ready, but we’re not 100% because I’m still learning the bike and the electronics. The traction control is OK but we’re still working on engine braking. In the test, we made a good lap time and everyone is very happy but I’m just focusing on the race because when we finish on the podium, or maybe win, I’ll be happier. Tomorrow, we’ll try some different setups because we need to be stronger. The bike looks like it’s working here. It’s not an easy track, it’s not for my style, but we started the test very strong. This is motivation for me. The race looks like it’ll be fun because everyone will be watching a slightly different race as we have a flag-to-flag. I hope we don’t make a mistake and it looks like we’re fighting for the podium. Winning is my dream, but I don’t like to talk like this before the race. If I’m feeling good in the race, I’m fighting for the win. This is my target but I’m always dreaming of winning the first race. When I think a lot, this doesn’t come true.” Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha): “The overall feeling is mixed… we need to improve” “I’m feeling more or less OK, not 100% but I woke up yesterday morning feeling quite sorry for myself. Today was much better and I hope tomorrow we can make another step. We start tomorrow for real; I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment. It’ll be a nice moment to roll down pitlane for the first official session of 2024 and get stuck in. The overall feeling is mixed. I enjoy riding the bike and working with the team. I’ve been fast, but to be really, really fast, I’m still demanding some feeling. Track by track, we’re getting there. The new surface threw us a bit of a curveball, it’s a completely different feeling. It’s got a lot of grip, so that riding style that I normally use on the bike isn’t quite working here. Right now, no. I feel my ultimate pace hasn’t been so fast. Even my race rhythm is not fast, and we need to improve. I really enjoyed Jerez and Portimao, but we need to make a step here. Right now, winning a race here, is a dream. The reality is we have a lot of work to achieve that but we won’t give up.” Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “Testing is testing, racing is racing” “After the last day of testing here at Phillip Island, I felt a bit better especially because my physical condition improved a lot from the test before. I’m quite happy because it was the first time in pre-season that I started to feel the bike more, work on the feeling and try to increase my performance. It’s been a tough winter. At home, I worked a lot to recover as soon as possible but it was really slow. I don’t have any expectations for this weekend. It’s the first round of the season. It’s a long Championship. It’s difficult because testing is testing, and racing is racing. This year’s grid is really competitive, there are a lot of very fast riders. Honestly, I wouldn’t bet on any rider because anything can happen! The Championship is long. We are at Round 1, a very strange one for everything; my condition, the new schedule… we will try to do our best here, get the maximum and then think about the next one.” Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I don’t have targets” “I’m feeling good. I’m happy and proud to be here with this team. I’m happy the tests are finished because I prefer races. It was a very good pre-season because the worst result was second. I think the last one here we did a couple of days ago was the best one for me because I was able to ride a lot with used tyres and I had very good pace. I’ve adapted to this bigger bike but nothing special, I just wanted to ride to understand it better. Alvaro missed some fast laps, but if you see his race pace, he’s always very good. I think he will be at the front. I don’t have targets. I’m enjoying riding this bike a lot. What I want to do is enjoy and stay towards the front if possible.” Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven): “We want to try and fight with the best riders… this is what I loved for all of my life” “I don’t know what to expect because everything is new for me. I think that the format is totally different; I spoke with my team manager and he explained the rules, the way to start the Championship and everything. In any case, I’m very excited. It’s a strange feeling to be back but I’m happy to be back with all of you, the riders etc. This is what I loved for all my life. The pre-season isn’t bad; I’m a little bit surprised because the speed in general is high. We weren’t sure at the beginning because I didn’t ride the race bike but in any case, it was a good pre-season for us. We want to try and fight with the best riders but the top ten positions are our target. Step-by-step, we need to improve and in each race, we’ll improve.” Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team): “I feel like I’m a little bit more competitive than what I anticipated” “It’s been a nice pre-season. I’m excited and proud of this moment. It’s a big thing for me to get here. I had a lot to learn and still do, coming into this weekend with the format, the setting of the bike and how to race the bike, and it’s going to be a different race here with many things to learn but I’m positive. I feel like I’m a little bit more competitive than what I anticipated. I think we can look at this season in a good way. I want to get into the season before making a big statement about my goals, but I feel like I can be competitive and fight for the top five and the podium and then see where we are.” Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “It’s all about the last 5-7 laps” “It’s been interesting to work with Pere Riba; obviously, Jonathan moved on at the end of last year, so the dynamics have changed in the team a little bit. The winter was spent trying to get to know each other and trying to get more out of myself and the package. Any teammate you’ve got, you try to work together to give the team the best chance of being competitive. Axel’s come in from some fantastic years on the Ducati; he finished sixth in the world last year, so he did a better job than me! He’s trying to prove himself in a factory team and brings the knowledge from the Ducati. He’s helping as well; he’s been a great teammate. He believes in himself a lot and it’s going to be a nice dynamic in the team. It’s all about the last 5, 6, 7 laps. The guys that look after the tyres the best get the best results. We spent 90% of the test focusing on used tyres and trying to make the tyres last on the new surface.” Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team): “Hopefully, we can put on a good show for the home fans” “I’m excited and looking forward to it; with one year of experience, it’s nice to not be looking for the way to ride a bike. Everything is a bit more natural now. This is a nice place to start with the home race; I love the track and hopefully, we can put on a good show for the home fans. Pre-season was pretty good and I think we’re ready to go racing. A podium this year would be nice.” Iker Lecuona (Team HRC): “We still don’t understand the bike” “I had a big highside at Turn 11 and dislocated my shoulder; I need to say that until last night, I can’t ride the bike because it’s too much. However, when I woke up, I felt quite good. I spoke with Jose and did a check with the medical team here. I am ‘fit’ for tomorrow morning but this track is hard on the shoulders with the speed, the wind and the bumps. With the Honda, we have to work more than others on other bikes. I’ll try and then make a decision if I continue. I haven’t had time to try the bike in Australia properly but honestly, from what we expected, three or four out of ten, quite low… it’s a new bike and we need a lot of time to understand and take the most from it. We still don’t understand it and we still don’t have a good pace. The target is to find it here in Australia.” AustralianWorldSBK, PhilipIsland, Pirelli, Tissot, WorldSBK, WorldSBK2024

[meaningofmotorsport]

Mid-Week Motorsport Headlines - 7th July 2021

F1

After being moved from its original date as the season opener, the Australian Grand Prix has now been cancelled for 2021, as a result of the current situation in the country. This is a shame, as whilst the track may not be the best in the world, the atmosphere is always special there, and I hope it will return to open the 2022 campaign! Just to add, the MotoGP race in Australia has also been cancelled for similar reasons.

Formula E

Nico Muller will miss the rest of the season, as he focuses on DTM, where he races for Audi, and has been a title contender for the past few years! This makes sense as Dragon is not able to produce quite the same opportunities in Formula E. This is a complete split with the team, so going forward they will need to find a new permanent driver. The most likely contender, both for the rest of the season, and into the future, is Joel Eriksson, who beat the other Dragon car of Camara in both races in Mexico!

In calendar news, China looks set to return next year, if sports exemption agreements can be arranged. It last hosted a race in Sanya a couple of years ago. Cape Town is also in talks to join the series, with a possible date in February!

The NIO 333 team, is set to bring all its workforce together at a single facility, which will be based at Silverstone. Previously they were split between Donington Park, where their predecessors were based, and an innovation centre in Oxford! This move will allow all 30 or so staff to work more effectively together.

IndyCar

A new extension deal has been signed, to keep Road America on the calendar for many years to come. This is a brilliant move, as not only is the circuit one of the best road courses in North America, but the fans also come to that track in droves, so it is a win for all sides!

Calderon, an up and coming female racing driver, has had a test in the AJ Foyt IndyCar, driven by Bourdais, at Mid-Ohio. She performed very well, beating the other test driver, and being very close to the times that the main racers set over the weekend! Who knows, maybe she could be joining the series very soon!

MotoGP

Portimao will replace the Grand Prix of Australia, after it was cancelled earlier this week. Meaning we will get two races at that track this year, which I am sure Yamaha and Quartararo will be very pleased about. It could also give us a chance to see if teams have improved at all, from the start of the season!

Other News

After the Fuji round of the WEC was cancelled, there will now be two races at Bahrain, to keep the number of rounds the same! The cancellation of the Fuji 6 hours, puts the races for MotoGP and F1 severely into question, especially following what happened in Australia!

In other WEC news, pictures have been revealed, for the stunning new Peugeot challenger, which will join the series next year. The design is very different to the current Toyota car, especially with respect to the rear wing, which is far from conventional on the French version!

In some good news for Australia, it is targeting a return to the WRC in 2023, after losing its spot for the past few years. Also, we are expecting that the event for the Australian Supercars this weekend will become a double-header!

-M

Thank you very much for reading this article! To keep up to date with when they go out, and to see my reactions to races and other news, follow me on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/MeaningofMotor1

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[jorditorresfc]

What does the future have in store for Jordi Torres?

The Team Pedercini Racing rider points out the progress made in the Portimao test and reveals his plans for the future!

After two intense days of testing at the Algarve International Autodrome, Jordi Torres took stock on Sunday afternoon of the work done on the Portuguese track aboard the ZX-10RR of Team Pedercini Racing. The Catalan rider recovered his feeling with his bike after almost a month and a half without getting on the Kawasaki and, more importantly, he was able to improve his set-up, already thinking about the resumption of the championship at Portimao in two weeks.

"These two days of testing have gone very well, they were very necessary to get back in touch with the bike and feel the adrenaline again," said the motorcyclist from Rubí. "We also had in mind many things that we had left at Laguna Seca, so this has been useful to clarify some ideas we had in our heads and try them out."

"In principle, our goal was to find some more support in the front train, and in the end, we have succeeded," says Torres, who concluded the test in 14th best time of the group, just over a second from the fastest. “At the end of the day, we would have liked to have a better time, but in a matter of pace I think we are quite good. We have perhaps lacked to finish solving the rear train, there we need to find a little more adhesion.”

About to face the final leg of the 2019 course, there are many WorldSBK pilots who have already announced their plans for next season. Torres, who started his partnership with the team at the beginning of this year, is already clear about its destination in 2020.

"Pedercini and I are going to be together, because I am very happy with them... and I hope they are very happy with me," Torres says. “We are taking leaps and bounds forward. This year we have started a project from scratch, and it is a very nice road, I am very comfortable here, they’re lovely people and it works very well. We have a lot to do if we want to reach a certain level, but they are logical steps and I am very happy to grow with them.”

"This year we have started a project thinking about working for next year," continues the 31-year-old. "For the next rounds, our idea is to be much more competitive and always be in the top six or seven in a normal way, which is not a matter of luck. For this to happen, the team has to work with a material that must arrive in due time. And we must be prepared professionally and organisationally to keep up. It is a matter of time before this arrives, it will be sooner or later, but it is nice to see how the project is flourishing and to be involved in it.”

Source: WorldSBK.com

[f1]

Colton Herta: Red Bull working to secure licence for IndyCar star at Alpha Tauri next season

Herta completed a test with McLaren at at Portimao in Portugal in July Red Bull are trying to secure a Formula 1 licence for IndyCar star Colton Herta so he can drive for their Alpha Tauri team next year. The move has arisen as Alpine want Alpha Tauri's Pierre Gasly to replace Aston Martin-bound Fernando Alonso. Herta does not have the required number of points under the FIA's system to qualify for an F1 'super-licence'. But Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko is hopeful Herta will be granted a dispensation by the governing body. "Astonishingly enough, all of the parties and teams involved, we found an agreement," Marko told US broadcaster SpeedCity Broadcasting on SiriusXM after the Dutch Grand Prix. "First we have to get a definite answer [from the FIA] and I think it should be by Monza [the Italian Grand Prix this coming weekend]." Marko said he believed there were grounds to grant an exemption in Herta's case, because of clauses introduced in the wake of the pandemic, which has made it harder to accrue licence points. "We looked at the regulations, we discussed it with the FIA, and because of Covid there's a special regulation that you can take three years [from four] and also if one result isn't maximum points and outside the driver's [hands] they can give the points," Marko said. "So it's nothing unreasonable. He won seven IndyCar races and that's comparable to a grand prix I think, so it would be a shame if he wouldn't get a super-licence." An FIA spokesperson said: "We are going to stick to our rules. There won't be any exceptions." However, he added that he was not aware of the FIA being approached, and that "if it's raised, we will look into it". Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said they would not release Gasly to Alpine unless they could secure Herta. "That is an FIA issue we just need clarity which will hopefully come sooner rather than later because it holds a key role in the driver merry-go-round," Horner said. "If the option is not there, the other triggers will not come into play." On Herta's potential, Horner said: "He is an exciting talent, a young American guy who has been a stand-out talent in the US. "It will be very interesting to see how he performs in F1. To have a successful US driver could be very interesting. "Pierre is doing a good job in Alpha Tauri. There would not be a desire to change if there was not an interesting option available." Marko has ruled out Mick Schumacher, currently at Haas, being an option for Alpha Tauri in 2023. Herta tested for McLaren in July this year and their team principal Andreas Seidl said he was more than good enough for a seat in F1. "He did a very good test," Seidl said. "At the same time, it was only, let's say, the initial test with us and it was also very important, and we were clear with Colton to take his time also in order to build it up. But yeah, it was quite impressive." A number of team bosses said at the Dutch Grand Prix that no exemptions should be made from the licencing system. But Seidl said Herta could justify one. "In terms of the super-licence, in general we believe in the system. We think it's a good system in place," Seidl said. "But at the same time, we are absolutely up for some flexibility as well, also taking into account especially the situation in the last two years with Covid and everything, it had an impact as well on results drivers could score. "We are absolutely open for some flexibility there and handing a guy like Colton the super-licence, because in the end, with what he has shown so far in his racing career, I have no doubt that he is absolutely able to compete in Formula 1." via BBC Sport - Formula 1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/

[smoothshift]

I just picked up a 2019 BMW 330i xDrive... via /r/cars

I just picked up a 2019 BMW 330i xDrive...

After some back and forth on if I should keep my 2015 Lexus RC350 F-Sport AWD, I ended up on the get a new car side of the ledger, mostly because a 2-door coupe isn't the best way to transport a baby that is on its way (and if I'm being honest, the RC just wasn't that interesting to me in 2019 any longer).

So my search started. Needs- 4 doors, new vehicles only, great tech, sporty drive, great safety features. I had driven a Q50 last year and was really unhappy with the interior. I'm not a big fan of Acuras, so I wasn't interested in the TLX. Nothing from GM or Ford has interested my in the last 10 years in this price range. The Volvos are nice, but drive a bit boring from my experience.

I zeroed in on a few cars - 330i, C300, A4, G70, and IS350.

A4

Great interior, great tech - the virtual cockpit is amazing, and the interior has great materials throughout, although the design is getting a bit dated now.

Drove really well- excellent power from the base I4, smooth delivery through the rev range, nice steering feel (although a bit numb around town), controlled ride

Boring styling out on the outside. I mean really boring. Even the 2019 refresh doesn't do much for me.

C300

Brilliant interior- from a pure 'luxury' perspective, the upgraded C300 interior with open pore wood trim, the full digital cluster and the extra large centre LCD just screams luxury. It's beautiful, it's super functional (loved the way you could control everything with the Blackberry style thumb thing on the steering wheel), and the quality is impressive. What wasn't that impressive was the creaking. But it looked great!

The exterior is very pretty, but the wheel selection is lacking, and there are just so many C300s in Toronto that the car just doesn't feel special. I know, there are tons of 3-Series and A4s as well, but the Merc just feels more ubiquitous.

The engine was fine from a power perspective, but sounded like a jar full of marbles. Everything I said about the interior but in reverse. This engine sounds like something you expect from an entry level subcompact. It was that bad to my ears. Especially compared to others here.

It drove very floaty, even with the sportier upgrade bits. The suspension is clearly catering to a softer ride, absorbing most impacts, and it doesn't really feel fun to drive at all.

Pet peeve : the shifter on the steering wheel means there is nowhere to rest my hand while driving. This annoyed me WAY more than I ever thought it would.

G70

The process to test drive this thing almost made me not test drive it. First had to submit a request online. That's not bad, in fact it's great. I hate dealerships. It then took 3 calls from a gentleman who could barely speak english, to set up a time. Then I had to book 2 separate times because I wanted to drive two different cars - one with the base engine and one with the big V6. In theory this should be an awesome way to treat a customer, in practice it's annoying to have to block off two different times on two different days.

The 2.0 is a janky engine. Lots of lag, and the manual transmission is one of the worst I've driven. The 3.3 is a monster, although it's a lot closer than the spec sheet would suggest. I still felt lag with the 3.3 that I didn't feel with any other car, but at the higher rev range it's noticeably faster and strong than others.

Love the exterior of this car, but the interior is lacking. Materials are good, but it feels, for lack of a better term, like Hyundai Plus. This is something I always felt with my Lexus as well- parts sharing is not over the top, but there is enough shared design spirit that you know you're driving a car from the mothership. The fact that the infotainment is borrowed from Hyundai doesn't help either. The quilted seats are fantastic.

Handling and suspension are on par with the best in my comparison. Sharp steering, suspension soaks up bumps while being communicative. You can go very fast in this car without really feeling like you're going very fast.

Value is incredible. But I knew that going in.

IS350

Not much to say here- I had a big lease incentive if I stayed with Lexus because of my RC, so I felt compelled to keep this in my comparison, even though I felt it was going to be a 4-door version of what I already drove.

Engine feels great, just like it did in my RC - the big V6 just feels smoother and sounds nicer than the others in this comparison. The product of regular aspiration.

Interior was nice in 2015, and still holds up in 2019, but the tech is laughably outdated. No CarPlay, everything controlled by the crappy Lexus touchpad. They need to get this right for the next gen or they're toast.

Drives very similarly to my RC - pretty soft and needs the F-Sport bits to feel more engaging.

I love the exterior style of the RC. The IS always felt like the style was immature - the back end feels like it needs more inches to round out an otherwise awesome front end design.

330i - the winner plus some first week thoughts

I didn't even know the 2019 was out when I went shopping - I went in assuming I was going to test drive the F30, a car I had driven 2 years ago and wasn't enamoured with.

The G20 absolutely destroys the F30 in all the important metrics for me- interior and exterior style, infotainment, and most importantly, the driving dynamics.

Drive is very firm and controlled - this is easily the sportiest feeling on the road, tons of feel in the electric steering, and the suspension is the firmest of the group. This may be a product of being the M-Sport, and some may not like the very firm ride and would rather have the more in-between feel of the G70 or the A4. I loved it. One thing I've really liked so far is just how responsive the wheel is to inputs. There isn't much slack in the wheel when steering, so it just feels razor sharp.

iDrive 7 is a pleasure to use, simple menus, tons of customization available, can be used with the touch screen or the control knob. Lots of hard buttons to get around instead of drilling down in on-screen menus.

One more infotainment note - these assholes at BMW include CarPlay for 1 year, and then charge $100 CDN per year afterwards. Which fine, it's a choice. But their CarPlay implementation has been super buggy in my first week. The phone keeps dropping, or CarPlay just doesn't recognize apps. I'm hoping Apple takes them to task for this shit.

The digital cluster is awesome. I've since read reviews that don't like them, but it's a really unique design and looks great. It's not traditional, but nostalgia isn't my deal anyways. Wish there was more customization in colours, etc. (the Audi wins in this sense), but the BMW gauges fit the personality of the car perfectly.

Engine and power - I know the sound is pumped in, but in Sport mode, the 330i has an awesome growl with all of the pops and noises you want to hear, and sounds the best of this group. Power is shocking for a 2.0 turbo - it's not as fast as the 3.3 in the Genesis, but it's way more than enough for what I need, and the almost 300 lbs/ft torque means you're never without push. No lag noticed anywhere. As a general statement, I'm incredibly impressed with the power output from all of the I4s in my test group - 10 years ago these cars would have been the performance variants of these models, and now they're the base vehicles.

Braking - the M-Sport brakes with my car are very very strong, but in my first week I'm also finding them very touchy. This might be more my problem as I acclimate to my new car though.

Safety- All of the cars in my comparison had tons of safety features. Being the newest, the BMW stood out to me. There are a ton of active safety features, plus driver assist functions on this car. Some of really useful (automatic braking if necessary), some are overly dramatic (the wheel pushing back if you change lanes without a blinker on). Luckily they're all customizable. These cars are my first experience with semi-autonomous driving, and it's a bit freaky, but you quickly learn to trust the computer. Maybe. Possibly. Who am I kidding, it still freaks me out.

Lights - their own section just because BMW Laser Lights are killer. They shape to the road ahead and the active high beam assist is amazingly bright without blinding everyone in front of you. Huge thumbs up.

Looks - I've always loved the 3-Series style, and I think the 330i in M-Sport guise is an awesome looking car- take off the badges and it could pass for an M3. I know this infuriates some people, but I love that I can buy a reasonable sport sedan for a decent price that can still look this good. The LEDs in front make it look menacing, and although the rear lights are reminiscent of the IS350, the overall look is really sporty and still distinctly BMW. The kidneys in the front have grown in size, but pictures overstate their size - in person they fit with the front great. Twin pipes in the back too to complete the aggressive look. I got mine in Portimao Blue - and it's stunning.

Price - list is higher end for this group, but whether it's because I'm a master negotiator or they can't move them yet, I was able to get mine for invoice more or less. So the actual price came in mid-pack. Maintenance, like all BMWs, is included for 4 years in Canada.

If I had to rank the cars, I'm going : BMW, Genesis, Audi, Mercedes, Lexus.

Any questions, let me know. I'm tired of typing!

[joceyavenue-blog]

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/DVj8iu

6 Process of Adrenaline Boost by SkyDiving

There are certain times in your life that you want to get out from the routine. Time can be challenging as well as financial support for a long vacation before you can get back to the routine again. I personally think adrenaline boost is a way to make your routine life better. Skydiving can be pretty extreme activity for adrenaline boost but I know I just want to do it!

This was the first year to have my birthday alone in the foreign land. Not because of no one would celebrate birthday with me but I would like reward myself with something that I’ve been wanted to do for so long. The desire of wanting to try on SkyDiving planted since my first visit to Australia back to year 2011.  Now, I want to celebrate for my new life chapter! I want to reward myself with an amazing gift! I want to celebrate for my excellent academy result from the Master course! It’s my birthday!!!

Before Event

Once I’ve decided to book the Tandem SkyDiving for the coming weekend, my adrenaline already started to boost and I can’t hold to announce to everybody that I met at work telling them, “I’m going to do the SkyDiving this weekend!”. They were all worried for me and hope to see me again on Monday! I thought I will have insomnia the night before the event for being too excited.

On the ground

I was introduced to my tandem skydive instructor and he spent about 15 minutes to explain the whole skydiving process including the right postures for landing. We were on the jumping suit ready and getting sauna while waiting a plane to be removed from the runway. This delayed waiting time could make you more nervous and you still got time to bail out. I was too calm to bail out and trying as much as I can to keep calm and steady. You see! If someone who is more nervous than me coming with me, I would get more nervous.

In the Flight

Finally we got into the plane and ready for the flight. It takes about 15-20 minutes before the jump where you are looking out from the window on high. Looking at those beautiful landscape and the next moment I’ll be outside of the ‘covered’ plane. The instructor started to gear up and keep me so tight that I can hardly move my body. Basically he did all the move for us closer to the door. I’m gonna jump and fly!!!!

Out from the Plane

Getting ready by the door side, looking down at the small land underneath, take a deep breath! If you watch the video, I lean my head backward is not because I don’t dare to look down, it was the safety gesture to avoid your head knock to the back from the jump pressure. During the fall time, that 15 seconds feels forever because my ear is very painful due to the pressure. There’s nothing in my head at that moment but just hoping my heart didn’t stop during the high speed fall from the sky. It was crazy but it was amazing feeling! Look at the land of Algarve, the Lagos, Portimao and even Sagres is so beautiful!

Landed

As I was tight so hard with the safety gear, I couldn’t even lift my legs up high enough during the landing time. Then I twisted both my legs behind and thank God I didn’t broke my legs. I struggled a little bit to get up because it feels like I had done a 5km marathon. Can you imagine that?

After Event

Yes! I did it! Finally I did it! It was awesome! It took me sometime to understand myself where comes the courage to do this? I got very bad nausea after that and I need to get pill from the pharmacy. Every time I replay and watch again the video, I still feel how I feel during the day I did this.

I would say this is the greatest adrenaline boost for myself and kind of used up the adrenaline quota for the rest of the year! I’m glad and proud for myself to be able to overcome the fright which I might bail out last minute and I didn’t! If this is something too much for you, start from the little adventure that you can handle. I just like to have this kind of adrenaline boost activity once in a while that charged me up again!

[meaningofmotorsport]

Mid-Week Motorsport Headlines - 28th April 2021

F1

The biggest news to come out of Formula 1 this past week, is the confirmation of sprint races at three races this year. I like the fact that F1 is willing to try new things, to see if it helps the show, however they have literally done the worst version of sprint races that they could! The race on a Saturday will basically be a preview for the first third of the Sunday race, and as they only award points to the top 3, it will only grow the gap between the top teams and the rest! This means that most of the grid won’t want to risk making moves, as they aren’t earning any points from it, and could jeopardise the main race! Ironically, all the changes on these special weekends apart from the sprint race itself are very good, such as no Q2 rule, less practice, and fewer tyres for the teams! I may be proved wrong, and I hope I am, although the signs aren’t looking good!

After speculation about its place on this year’s calendar, given the issues in that part of the world, Canada has sadly been removed from its spot in June. The good news is that it will be replaced by another good track, Istanbul Park, let’s just hope they have fixed the track surface!

In other circuit news, Suzuka has signed an extension until 2024, which is fantastic, given the beauty of that track, and the passion of its fans. Honda are reportedly pushing to make sure that the race this year does happen, so that they get to go there one last time, before they leave the sport.

Red Bull have scalped a senior engineer from Mercedes HPP department at Brixworth, which signals their intent to really push on with their engine development, once Honda leave the sport. Another signing, is that Callum Ilott, who just missed out on the F2 title last year, will be the second reserve driver at Alfa Romeo, and drive in FP1 at Portimao. This is amazing for Callum, who did deserve a seat in F1 this year, hopefully all is not lost for his future!

IndyCar

After his dominant display at the weekend, Mario Andretti has said that Herta should be in F1, and deserves to be there more than certain drivers, which you cannot disagree with. Apparently, he does qualify for a Super license, yet I feel that Colton is happy where he is, and does not wish to change things up!

Conor Daly has been confirmed to once again run the ovals outside of Indy this year for Carlin, he did a solid job for them last year, securing a pole at Iowa, as well as some nice points. This will at least mean he has consistency, and allow him to build on last year!

Formula E

Once the dust settled, following a hectic weekend of racing, many people have questioned many of the rules in Formula E around battery management, and the emphasis on battery saving. It is true that is does not help the range anxiety that most of the public have around electric cars, when you see so many of them stop out on track with one lap to go. Neither is the racing that great, when we see them coasting for so much of the lap! I think that more of a balance needs to be struck, so that whilst there is some energy saving and re-gen, it does not affect the racing!

MotoGP

The VR46 team will step up to MotoGP next year, with backing from a Saudi oil company, they have not announced which manufacturer they will join as a satellite team, but their preference is apparently Suzuki, although Yamaha are also interested. The VR46 squad is already linked with Ducati, through their rider Marini, who is with Avintia, who are leaving at the end of the year, however it sounds as though Gresini will take over as the third Ducati team.

Other News

Ahead of the opening round of the WEC, it seems that the new Hypercars, will be very close in pace to the LMP2 class, which has annoyed the Toyota team, as all their hard work may be in vain! From a fan’s perspective though, it could produce an incredible race this weekend at Spa, as the season gets underway. I would understand though if the LMP2 cars are slowed down further, as this wasn’t how it was meant to turn out, and could cause manufacturers to rethink their place in the sport!

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Grand Prix of Spain Preview

MotoGP is back to what is normally the start of the European season, in Jerez, and over the next few rounds we will get a true idea of who will be the contenders for the title! So, can Yamaha be as dominant here as they were last year?

The early suggestions are that they could well be, with most of their bikes showing good pace on short runs. It is good to see Morbidelli be able to get back up into the fight, after a difficult start to his season. That being said, the two factory riders, helped by the latest bikes, will be the ones to watch, given their strength so far this year. Quartararo especially has been able to learn form last year it seems, and come into 2021 a renewed man! Unfortunately for Rossi, he is still not able to work with the bike, whether it be due to the new team around him, or just his adaptability. Either way it is not a good sign as to his future in the sport, as this could be another tough weekend for him!

Bagnaia once again topped FP2, as he is able to get an incredible amount of one lap pace out of that bike. It is likely he will be in the fight for the pole tomorrow, yet in the race I can’t see him challenging the Yamaha’s, although as their race pace has improved recently, a top 5 is highly likely for one of the Desmosedici’s. Zarco fought back well today, after how the race ended in Portimao, being second best Ducati, in the fight for strong points once again. One of the biggest mysteries of this year in MotoGP, is where has the pace gone for Miller? He was the best Ducati last year, and with not much changing for this year, you would expect him to be in a similar position. I think part of it is that his teammates have gone up a level, but he also seems to have lost something, possibly with the tyres!

As we have seen in the past few races, you would expect that Aleix Espargaro will have an opportunity to grab another top 10 this weekend. Top 3 in both sessions today, however we have seen that they can qualify better than they race, and it is only Friday, so a lot can change! Salvadori is making progress as the year goes on, he is now in the pack on pace, and the gap to Aleix is shrinking. I doubt he will ever get that near to the front of the field, although points are definitely on the cards soon!

Honda are there or thereabouts currently, they are not one of the top teams, but can fight them on occasion. When Marquez gets back to being fully fit, we may start to see better results, but then we get into the old issue of only one rider making the bike work! Nakagami did run well in FP2, provisionally in Q2 for tomorrow, so there is hope of improvements, I am just not seeing enough of it, to believe things have turned around! Getting a bike in the top 10 in the race would be a solid result for them, with some others scoring points! Bradl is continuing to impress given his role in the team, as he beat both factory boys in FP2. Can having a fifth rider, bring more pace to the team as a whole?

Things are on the up for KTM, after a troubling first round or two, the tyres are seemingly what hurt them in Qatar, so now we may see what they really have! The last two races, we saw Binder fight back from low grid positions to get good points, aided by late race pace, so with both bikes in the top 10 today, can they go even better here? They could definitely be a dark horse this weekend, but I doubt that a win is in their grasp!

I think the best way to describe Suzuki’s year so far is average really, they are in and around where they should be, yet we haven’t seen the sort of pace to class them as a real threat for the title. Rins was able to hold on to Quartararo last time out, but he was on the edge of the bike, and had to go over it, to try and keep up with him. Mir so far has been consistent, but he is up against a different Yamaha this year, who will likely not make as many mistakes as in 2020, so he needs to really get a move on if he wants to defend his crown! The problem looks to be that they have lost some of their dazzling race pace, without gaining qualifying speed, so they can’t get fully on terms with Yamaha yet! They should be in the fight despite this, and with Jerez being tight and twisty, we could see them closer on pace! A Podium or top 5 should be their aim, anything less than that would be disappointing!

Quartararo has once again begun a season very strongly, and as he returns to where he had so much success last year, he really needs to be challenged by someone, if they want to stop him running away with the title! Luckily, with KTM on the up, Marquez getting fitter, Ducati absolutely flying, and Suzuki waiting in the wings, we could get just that!

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Grand Prix of Doha Review

We thought there would be more drama than we saw at the last race, however no one expected a rookie to nearly win the race, and the normally calm champion to get irate at a fellow rider. Despite this the podium had a similar feel to the last race!

Yamaha played the race exactly how they needed to, even though they dropped back further than they had hoped of the line. The two factory boys gradually climbed through the pack during the race, saving their tyres for the last few laps. Yet when it mattered most, it was Quartararo and not Vinales, who was best placed to attack the Pramac Ducati’s. He flew past them and created the small gap he needed to be safe in the last few laps. Maverick was just behind Fabio; however, he may have been caught out by how fast the Ducati’s were late in the race, and struggled to pass them like his teammate did, at least he got a good haul of points. SRT had a comparatively poor day, with Rossi nowhere on pace, as he tried to fix his tyre wear issues from last race, and Morbidelli unable to get near the factory boys.

It was a mixed day for Ducati, for Pramac, they must be ecstatic with a double podium, although the main team may have wanted more, given they were beaten again by the customer team. In MotoGP the ride of the day must go to Martin, who led for most of the race, controlling the pace comfortably, so he had enough tyres left to keep Quartararo honest and almost hold off his teammate behind. Two second places and the championship lead, probably exceeds Zarco’s expectations here, it is just a question of how will the bike fair when we go to tracks which traditionally suit them less!

Miller never looked to be in a position for fight for the win, and the incidents with Mir made sure he wouldn’t have a chance. Both bits of contact are racing incidents in my view, it was a desperate dive by Mir which would have annoyed Miller, then Miller probably couldn’t see Mir on his outside coming out of the last corner. Bagnaia is likely doing better than most people predicted compared to Miller, who is out of sorts so far, but they are both being outshone by the Pramac bikes, which they need to get on top of, if they want to be in the title fight.

Suzuki were possibly the most disappointing team today, when the Yamaha riders dropped back in the first lap, and the two Suzuki’s were upfront, there was a feeling of inevitability about the race, given how good they are late in the race. Instead though, both bikes just sat in midpack, making shapes on the bikes we weren’t expecting, and struggling to fight the Ducati’s. This time Rins put his younger teammate in his place, as he could keep with the front group and only just miss out on the podium, we mustn’t forget about Alex as a contender for the title. Mir’s day was scrappy, he made two desperate moves, first on Vinales, then on Miller, which suggested he couldn’t find the amazing race pace he had last weekend. He needs to hope he can fight back soon, at Portimao or Le Mans!

There were signs of hope for KTM this weekend, with Olivera in Q2, and both bikes running in the top ten for a good part of the race. In the end only Binder could stay there, yet his eighth place is a very solid result, on a track that clearly doesn’t suit them, on top of a tyre allocation that they can’t work with. Going to Portugal next, where Olivera dominated last year, can they get their season properly underway?

Aleix Espargaro just managed to secure another top ten, solidifying what has been a great two weekends, for a team which has been through a lot of tough times. It is hard to say where they can go from here, I would expect regular points to be their target, but with how competitive this series is, it may not be easy at all.

Honda will be another team itching to leave the track, Pol couldn’t repeat his result from last week, and once again is annoyed with how he rode. Bradl is doing a stellar job considering he is a test rider, matching a world class rider on a bike which should suit him. LCR have had the worst start out of all the teams on the grid, apparently, they can’t get the front tyre to work, which is what caused all the crashes we have seen. Circuits like Le Mans, where Alex Marquez almost won, may be a blessed relief for a team not used to this kind of form.

Yamaha leave Qatar looking very ominous! On a Ducati track, they have managed to steal two wins, and both riders are on top form. For anyone to beat them, the other teams need to up their game very quickly, before it is out of reach!

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Mid-Week Motorsport Headlines - 10th February 2021

F1

It has been confirmed today, that Portimao will be able to hold the third round of this year’s championship, there had been worries, due to the current situation in Portugal, that this would not be able to happen. This is good news, as not only is it another race this year, but also this track is very good and allowed some good racing last year, let’s hope we get some more this May. The beginning of the season will be very spread out for F1, yet we should just be glad that we are getting races in at the moment.

The F1 bosses are to discuss with the teams, about the possibility of running a Saturday sprint race, to help decide the grid for the race on Sunday. It would also carry some points with it as a bonus, the grid for the sprint race would be decided through a qualifying session on Friday. Personally I don’t see the point of this, as all it would do is give us an idea of what will happen on Sunday before it occurs, and make the weekend much more confusing, if you are going to try a sprint race before the big race, do something to spice it up and make it interesting.

A possible layout for this year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been leaked online, which does not look very promising. It has 34 turns and seems to wiggle aimlessly around the city, including a cross-over. It could yet be very good, but when you imagine that there will be very little elevation change, I can see it being rather dull, although I don’t think we ever expected anything else from this street track.

Formula E

In the Gen3 set of rules, there will be a so-called ‘penalty’ for any manufacturers who wish to leave during this set of rules. What it actually means, is that all the teams who have signed up for the Gen3 era, will have to pay the yearly entry fee during the entire rules cycle, even if they leave part way through. Even though this sounds less bad, after recent departure announcements, it does seem as though they are trying to desperately keep as many teams as they can, which isn’t a good sign as to the longevity of the sport.

The Mercedes FE team has admitted that their new powertrain for this year, is a ‘massive risk’, given how much shutdown time they have had recently. With new cost saving rules for this year, this new powertrain must be used for the next two seasons, so any issues could have a longstanding effect on a team which had an incredible rookie year. On the other hand, if it goes well, another series could find themselves under Mercedes’ stranglehold.

MotoGP

Ducati has released their livery for the 2021 season, and other than slight tweaks to the primary colour, there is not much of note, it will still be the iconic red Italian bike, with black highlights. It will now be a question of what the two newbies to the factory team can do.

There has been a devastating fire at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit, which hosts the Argentina Grand Prix. Luckily no-one was hurt, and it is unclear how it was started, but it has damaged most of the pit buildings, MotoGP was not set to go there till late in the year, we will see if it can be fixed in time for the rescheduled date.

Other News

Kyle Busch has won the Busch Clash, in the run up to the Daytona 500, he got lucky after the top two got tangled up with each other in the last corner, whilst fighting for the win. Chase Elliot, who crashed into the side of Blaney whilst going for the win, was able to get second, but Blaney dropped to the back of the field. Luckily for Ryan this was not a points race, although he did show good speed which should boost his morale, as the second race of the NASCAR season is back on this road course.

After wondering where Whincup would end up for 2022, it has been announced he will lead the team he will leave as a driver this year. His recent racing experience should help him to guide the team forward in the best way possible, and allow him to empathise with the new drivers. It will be interesting to see what this new combination is able to do!

-M