In Formula One, Kimi Raikkonen returned to the top of the podium for the first time since the season opener in Melbourne. Starting from third on the grid, Raikkonen passed Lewis Hamilton at the first corner to move into second, trailing only his teammate, Felipe Massa. He remained behind Massa through the first set of pit stops, but then pushed hard on the laps ahead of his second pit stop. This cycled him into the lead, which he maintained for a Ferrari one-two. Hamilton finished third and has yet to finish below the top three.
By the way, Sunday was the last time Formula One will be raced at Magny-Cours. With new grands prix being set up in more modern facilities around the world (like Istanbul and Singapore), aging European venues are getting the boot.
In MotoGP, Valentino Rossi won the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen. Rossi started from 11th on the grid, but by the eighth lap, he was in third. In a trademark move, Rossi tailed Casey Stoner closely for eight laps before sticking a pass for the lead with four laps to go. “I didn’t expect it,” said Rossi, “because I know Stoner had a great rhythm. He was starting second and around him there were some quite slow guys in the dry, so he would have an easy life from the beginning.” Nicky Hayden, last year’s champion, ended his podium drought with a third place finish. It’s been a disappointing season for Hayden, who is tied for ninth in the championship.
In IndyCar, Dario Franchitti made it two in a row by dominating the Sun Trust Indy Challenge. Franchitti set an IndyCar record by leading 242 of 250 laps. He never faced much competition in the final laps on the way to increasing his lead in the series. Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon, both of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, finished second and third.
In Nascar, Denny Hamlin fought off Jeff Gordon in the final laps to win his first race of the season. Hamlin was second in the Nextel Cup going into the race in New Hampshire, but he had yet to score a win. “If we came out second here today, we wouldn’t have gained anything,” said Mike Ford, Hamlin’s crew chief.
In Champ Car, Robert Doornbos won at Circuit Mont Tremblent for his first win in the series. Sebastien Bourdais finished second and felt that Doornbos, a former Formula One driver, was too aggressive in racing with the lead — a claim that Doornbos sidestepped. “I know the rules in the U.S. are different,” said Doornbos. “In Europe we race hard. It’s a sport. At the end of the day you’re fighting for the win and you have to be selfish for you own position.” Meanwhile Bourdais still has a stranglehold on the championship.
In the N.H.R.A., Kenny Bernstein, competing in the Funny Car class for the first time since 1989, made it all the way to the finals, where Mike Ashley beat him to win the title . In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher beat Rod Fuller, who still extended his points lead in the class. Other winners included Dave Connolly in Pro Stock and Andrew Hines in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Finally, it’s been a while since we had an Ashley Force article. Enjoy .
By the way, Sunday was the last time Formula One will be raced at Magny-Cours. With new grands prix being set up in more modern facilities around the world (like Istanbul and Singapore), aging European venues are getting the boot.
In MotoGP, Valentino Rossi won the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen. Rossi started from 11th on the grid, but by the eighth lap, he was in third. In a trademark move, Rossi tailed Casey Stoner closely for eight laps before sticking a pass for the lead with four laps to go. “I didn’t expect it,” said Rossi, “because I know Stoner had a great rhythm. He was starting second and around him there were some quite slow guys in the dry, so he would have an easy life from the beginning.” Nicky Hayden, last year’s champion, ended his podium drought with a third place finish. It’s been a disappointing season for Hayden, who is tied for ninth in the championship.
In IndyCar, Dario Franchitti made it two in a row by dominating the Sun Trust Indy Challenge. Franchitti set an IndyCar record by leading 242 of 250 laps. He never faced much competition in the final laps on the way to increasing his lead in the series. Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon, both of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, finished second and third.
In Nascar, Denny Hamlin fought off Jeff Gordon in the final laps to win his first race of the season. Hamlin was second in the Nextel Cup going into the race in New Hampshire, but he had yet to score a win. “If we came out second here today, we wouldn’t have gained anything,” said Mike Ford, Hamlin’s crew chief.
In Champ Car, Robert Doornbos won at Circuit Mont Tremblent for his first win in the series. Sebastien Bourdais finished second and felt that Doornbos, a former Formula One driver, was too aggressive in racing with the lead — a claim that Doornbos sidestepped. “I know the rules in the U.S. are different,” said Doornbos. “In Europe we race hard. It’s a sport. At the end of the day you’re fighting for the win and you have to be selfish for you own position.” Meanwhile Bourdais still has a stranglehold on the championship.
In the N.H.R.A., Kenny Bernstein, competing in the Funny Car class for the first time since 1989, made it all the way to the finals, where Mike Ashley beat him to win the title . In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher beat Rod Fuller, who still extended his points lead in the class. Other winners included Dave Connolly in Pro Stock and Andrew Hines in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Finally, it’s been a while since we had an Ashley Force article. Enjoy .
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