Motorsport
Gallery 1
“Crazy Joe” Iannone takes first win
First Ducati MotoGP success since Casey Stoner scored in 2010
Much-maligned Andrea Iannone – aka Crazy Joe – has stormed to a faultless Austrian MotoGP victory in the spectacular mountain setting of the Red Bull Ring, breaking a lengthy win-drought for the Ducati Team.
Watched on by a beaming Casey Storner, who scored the previous MotoGP win for the red outfit at Phillip Island all of six years ago, it was Ianonne’s first-ever win in MotoGP. But importantly, a sign that Audi-owned Ducati – win-less for so long – is back as a force.
Iannone, the only rider to opt for softer medium compound rear Michelin for the grand prix, came out on top in a pulsating race which early in the contest also involved Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso, Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, championship leader Honda’s Marc Marquez and Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales.
Iannone held his nerve, and a small margin, to lock-in a superb maiden MotoGP victory, ahead of a forlorn Dovizioso, ecstatic Lorenzo, Rossi, Marquez and Vinales.
Iannone is bloody fast but a little crash prone. Back in April he committed the unforgivable sin, taking out his team-mate on the last corner of the last lap in Argentina, when both were in rare podium-scoring positions.
Dovi’s unhappiness after being beaten to the historic win was palpable, and he admitted that his team-mate’s tyre choice was decisive.
Reigning champion Lorenzo completed the podium to turn around a poor run of form, cutting the gap to Marquez.
Marquez crashed badly in practice and dislocated his shoulder. But the Spaniard rode bravely through the pain to take fifth, minimising the damage to his championship hopes. He leads Lorenzo by 43 points after 10 of 18 GPs.
Aussie Jack Miller fell from his Honda at high speed during the Sunday warm-up and was ruled out by doctors even though he wanted to ride.
In Moto2, reigning champ Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) showed his patience and class, biding his time in the frantic opening two-thirds of the GP, before powering to a superb win and extending his points margin.
Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) and Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP40) completed the top three.
Gardner (Tasca Scuderia Racing) started 23rd on the grid made a lightning start and was immediately in a titanic six-rider fight for the top 12 until he was forced wide, dropping to 23rd. He regrouped and climbed back to 19th at the flag.
Spanish rookie Joan Mir stole a magical first victory in Moto3, the Leopard Racing rider outfoxing the veterans of the grid. Championship leader Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took second to increase his points lead.
It’s going beautifully for Lewis Hamilton…
…But an engine penalty looms, with attendant 10-place grid penalty
According to BBC Sport, the defending world champion reached his maximum allowance of five turbochargers and MGU-Hs in Austria last month, and at some stage will be forced to take a 10-place grid penalty.
Hamilton turned a 43-point deficit to Rosberg into a 19-point advantage after winning six of the last seven races.
“Anything can happen when you are coming from the back, as you have seen,” Hamilton said in the BBC Sport story, adding that the handicap will merely make him fight harder.
Hamilton expects the engine change will happen at either the next race, the Belgian Grand prix next weekend, or at the Italian GP.
Monza looks more likely as it is a track where overtaking is a little easier than most.
New dad Dumbrell fit and ready for enduro campaign
Pressure doesn’t get to Whincup’s proven partner – he’s already won at Bathurst and Sandown
The co-drivers can make or break the championship campaigns for the big hitters.
Jamie Whincup, leading the series narrowly as the field resets at Sydney Motorsport Park on August 26-28 after a short winter hiatus, will again have seasoned Paul Dumbrell sharing his Red Bull Racing Australian #88 Commodore.
“There’s no indication that Paul won’t do the job he’s done in previous years,” Whincup suggested to Wheels, “even though his personal situation is different this year.
“He’s just had a kid and has been having time away from work clearing his mind, and training hard.”
Dumbrell, 34 next month, retired as a full-time V8 Supercars driver in 2011 to concentrate on business and has partnered Whincup in the enduros since 2012.
This year, as in past seasons, Dumbrell keeps his eye-in racing in the Dunlop Series.
No payment means no drive for Haryanto at Manor F1
Backmark team needs the money, so bad news for non-paying pay driver
Indonesia’s first-ever F1 driver has been performing quite impressively with the cash-strapped Manor but in the cut-throat world of backmarker outfits reliant on the money from their two pay drivers, the non-arrival of the dough is bad news.
Haryanto’s backer had paid to keep in him a drive until after the Hungarian Grand Prix. He managed to race at Hockenheim to try to wangle more money from Indonesia.
So into the big-time comes Haryanto’s replacement, the Renault reserve driver, teenager Esteban Ocon, also a Mercedes Junior (to explain, Mercedes farms out some of it young up-and-comers to lesser teams to gain F1 experience).
Ocon has the Manor drive for the rest of the season.
Wehrlein earned Manor its first point of the season at the Austrian GP in July, and it currently sits 10th of 11 teams in the constructors’ standings.
Rossi chased for Suzuka Eight Hour
Yamaha wants its star back on the grid for Japan’s biggest race
The push to have Rossi aboard a factory-prepped YZF-R1 for the 40th anniversary of the event is about shooting for a Yamaha hat-trick at the circuit but also to counter an expected overload of publicity from Honda, which owns Suzuka. We already know Honda is bringing out a new CBR1000RR to mark the occasion.
