French cyclist in critical condition after crash
January 3, 2012
MENDOZA, Argentina (AP)—A French motorcyclist was in vital conditionTuesday following becoming discovered unconscious in remote sand dunes in the course of the DakarRally in western Argentina.
Officials at Teodoro J. Schestakow Hospital said Sebastien Coue apparentlycrashed in the course of the second stage of the rally and was exposed to temperaturesabove 104 degrees prior to he was discovered. His body temperature also went above 104,officials said.
It was unclear how lengthy he had been exposed to the extreme heat.
“He entered in vital condition,” hospital director Armando Dauvernesaid. “We don’t know how extended he was exposed to the sun. Suitable now he is inintensive care.”
The Dakar Rally, deemed 1 of the most harmful in motor sports, hasalready claimed three lives this year. Argentine bike rider Jorge Martinez Boerodied in a crash in Sunday’s initial stage. On the very same day, the pilot of anultralight plane and his son died when the aircraft went down though followingthe race.
This is the fourth consecutive year the event is getting held in SouthAmerica. The rally was held in Europe and Africa until the 2008 race wascanceled because of fears of terrorism. It was moved to South America the nextyear.
The route this year is diverse from the 1st 3, which had been loopcourses from Buenos Aires to Chile, and then back to Buenos Aires. This year therace begins in Argentina, passes via Chile, and finishes in Lima, Peru, onJan. 15.
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Coma, Al-Attiyah win 2nd stage of Dakar Rally
January 2, 2012
SAN RAFAEL, Argentina (AP)—Defending bike champion Marc Coma of Spain wonMonday’s second stage of the Dakar Rally and took the category lead after the185-mile leg.
In cars, defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar captured the stagewhile Stephane Peterhansel of France pulled into the overall lead.
This year’s rally, regarded as 1 of the most risky in motor sports, hasalready claimed 3 lives.
Argentine bike rider Jorge Martinez Boero died in a crash in Sunday’s firststage. On the exact same day, the pilot of an ultralight plane and his son died whenthe aircraft went down whilst following the race. Rescue officials identified thedead as Luis Marcelo Soldavini, 37, and son Tomas, 11.
Coma finished the special stage in three hours, 7 minutes, 21 seconds. He was1:18 ahead of KTM teammate Cyril Despres of France and 2:33 ahead of Spanishrider Joan Barreda Bort.
In the overall standings, Coma was 2:30 ahead of Francisco Lopez of Chileand 2:52 in front of Despres.
“The start off was incredibly rapidly,” Coma said. “Chaleco (Lopez) and me were ridingat leading speed. … Immediately after that, arriving at the second component of the special withsand and dunes, it was a lot more technical with some navigation to do. I tookthe lead and kept riding at a great pace. I’m happy because I didn’t get lost.So, it’s been a very good day for me.”
Al-Attiyah, driving a Hummer this year, finished the stage in 2:47:18. Hewas 54 seconds in front of Peterhansel in a Mini, and 2:42 ahead of Hummerteammate Robby Gordon of the United States.
In the overall, Peterhansel is 2:28 ahead of Gordon and two:33 in front offirst-day leader Krzysztof Holowczyc of Poland.
Al-Attiyah is in sixth location overall, 8:47 back.
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Argentine rider dies following Dakar Rally crash
January 1, 2012
MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (AP)—Argentine bike rider Jorge Martinez Boerodied Sunday following a crash on the very first day of the Dakar Rally, a 15-day racethat stretches across South America from Argentina to Peru.
Police officials said Martinez Boero died as he was getting transported byhelicopter to a hospital in Mar del Plata.
Specifics of the crash were not instantly offered, but reports stated hedied from head and chest injuries.
The Dakar Rally began Sunday with racers embarking on the first leg from theAtlantic coastal city of Mar del Plata to Santa Rosa, Argentina. The race,considered 1 of the most unsafe in motor sports, ends on Jan. 15 in Lima,Peru.
The 38-year-old Martinez Boero was participating in his second Dakar Rally.
This is the fourth consecutive year the occasion is being held in SouthAmerica. The rally was held in Africa until 2007 but moved for security reasonsto South America in 2009. The race was not held in 2008.
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Williams F1 co-founder steps down from board (PA SportsTicker)
December 31, 2011
LONDON (AP) —Williams co-founder Patrick Head has stepped down from the Formula One team’s board of directors.
Head, the team’s director of engineering, established the F1 team alongside Frank Williams in 1977. Head will continue working with the team’s hybrid technologies department.
The British team has won 113 Grand Prix races, nine constructors’ championships and seven drivers’ titles. But its last victory was at the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix, and it hasn’t won a drivers’ or constructors’ title due to the fact Jacques Villeneuve in 1997.
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Baltimore terminates Grand Prix contract
December 30, 2011
BALTIMORE (AP)—Baltimore terminated its contract with the organizers ofthe Baltimore Grand Prix on Friday and opened the door to other people interested incontinuing the race in future years.
The city had warned last month that it would terminate its contract withBaltimore Racing Development following the first year of the 5-year pact if thegroup failed to spend $1.five million owed to the city by the finish of the year. Thecity is interested in generating the Grand Prix a yearly event, and it noted in astatement that it can now move forward with other people who have expressed interestin organizing races.
Even though Friday’s move leaves Baltimore with out an operator for the race, theIndyCar series has already added a Labor Day occasion in Baltimore to its calendarfor next year.
The inaugural occasion on Labor Day weekend drew about 160,000 spectators overthree days to the 2-mile, 13-turn course on city streets that ran past the InnerHarbor and around Oriole Park at Camden Yards. IndyCar and the American Le Mansseries headlined the event that also featured races from 3 other leagues.
BRD was responsible for organizing the event from bringing in fencing toline the course, to selling sponsorships and tickets to fans.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake stated she had hoped BRD would restructure andstart paying its debts by the city’s Saturday deadline, but the group’s leadersfailed to take steps to put the organization on a sustainable path.
“The Grand Prix generated $47 million in economic impact and provedvaluable in terms of positive media exposure and civic pride for Baltimore’sresidents,” Rawlings-Blake said. “The occasion, if conducted responsibly, hassignificant economic value to potential investors and the City this year and infuture years.”
The state Comptroller’s Office, which collects taxes for localjurisdictions, filed a lien against BRD’s property last month for almost$600,000 in unpaid taxes, and it was still in place earlier this week. BRD isfacing lawsuits from investors and vendors.
Organizers had stated they did not expect the occasion to be lucrative in itsfirst year, but former BRD CEO Jay Davidson has stated the occasion showed that itcould ultimately be profitable. BRD officials could not be reached for commentFriday.
Sean Conley of West Tisbury, Mass., a founding investor in the group whorecently filed a complaint in court looking for payment for the shares he sold backto BRD, was saddened by the news of the termination.
“I hope for Baltimore’s sake it can continue due to the fact it’s a wonderful event,”Conley stated. “I’m just sorry that the company that we founded couldn’t get ittogether.”
The Grand Prix can be a great investment if run effectively, and Conley stated hewould be interested if he weren’t broke from his losses with BRD. But the citymay need to have to adjust its stance, he said.
“City officials might have to restructure their expectations. No othercommunity demands to be subsidized by the occasion,” he said. “Other communitiesgive income.”
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Pic to drive for F1 team Marussia next year
November 28, 2011
PARIS (AP)—Charles Pic will drive for Marussia in Formula One next year,replacing Belgian driver Jerome d’Ambrosio.
Virgin Racing, which will re-brand as Marussia Virgin Racing subsequent season,announced on its web site that the 21-year-old Frenchman will drive alongsideTimo Glock of Germany in their new-appear team.
D’Ambrosio drove with Glock at last weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix in thefinal race of the season. Neither managed to score a point throughout the whole F1season.
Pic impressed in the course of the young drivers’ test held in the course of the Abu Dhabi GP,and spent the past two seasons competing in the GP2 Series.
Moscow-based sports car manufacturer Marussia Motoring became VirginRacing’s controlling stake-holder last February.
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Webber wins Brazilian GP ahead of Vettel (PA SportsTicker)
November 27, 2011
By TALES AZZONI Connected Press
SAO PAULO (AP)—Mark Webber won the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday following Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel struggled with a gearbox dilemma.
Vettel, who had already secured the Formula One title, nonetheless completed second right after letting Webber pass him practically halfway by means of the race at the two.6-mile Interlagos track.
Jenson Button of McLaren finished third to secure second place in the drivers’ standings.
Webber simply passed Vettel on lap 30 after his teammate decreased his pace right after getting told by the team that there was something wrong with his gearbox.
Webber finished third in the championship, boosted by his initially victory of the season. It was his seventh overall in F1, and the second in Brazil soon after winning in Interlagos in 2009.
Vettel, last year’s winner in Brazil, won 11 races this season.
Webber took the lead when Vettel gave his teammate a lot of space at the end of the principal straight.
Red Bull told Vettel on lap 14 that information from his automobile showed a gearbox dilemma and asked him to brief shift when in second gear. The issue then got worse and the team later stated Vettel had to brief shift in each and every gear, significantly slowing his lap times.
Immediately after Webber got past, Vettel once more elevated his pace and had no problem staying behind his teammate.
Fernando Alonso of Ferrari was fourth and crowd preferred Felipe Massa, in his 100th race for Ferrari, was fifth.
Lewis Hamilton, the winner in Abu Dhabi two weeks ago, also had a gearbox issue with his McLaren and ultimately retired on lap 48.
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Vettel wins record 15th pole at Brazilian GP (PA SportsTicker)
November 26, 2011
By TALES AZZONI Related Press
SAO PAULO (AP)—Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel set the record for most poles in a season, capturing his 15th at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday to break Nigel Mansell’s 19-year record.
Vettel completed in 1 minute, 11.918 at the 2.6-mile Interlagos track. The German drew even with Mansell following winning his 14th pole at the Abu Dhabi GP two weeks ago.
Vettel parked his automobile and extended his finger to show who was No. 1 once more, his trademark celebration all year.
“This is seriously unique,” he said. “It’s diverse from the other poles.”
Mansell set the record with Williams in a 16-race season in 1992, when he also won nine races to win his only F1 drivers’ title. He failed to start from the pole only at the Canadian GP and at the Hungarian GP that year. He had six straight poles to commence the season and five consecutive to finish it.
Vettel broke the record in 19 races. He failed to win the pole only in Spain, England, Germany and South Korea. His worst beginning position was third, in Germany.
Vettel’s Red Bull teammate, Mark Webber, was second with a lap of 1:12.099. Jenson Button of McLaren was third in 1:12.283, and teammate Lewis Hamilton will start out fourth with a time of 1:12.480. Two-time globe champion Fernando Alonso will be fifth with Ferrari.
With the title already decided in favor of Vettel due to the fact the Japanese GP, practically the only thing at stake in Brazil is the fight for second place. Button, Alonso and Webber still have a chance to finish runner-up. Button is ten points ahead of Alonso and 18 ahead of Webber.
Vettel dominated the season with 11 victories, but it was Hamilton who won the last race in Abu Dhabi immediately after a tire failure forced Vettel to retire on the very first lap.
Red Bull has already won the constructors’ championship, with McLaren finishing second and Ferrari third.
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Vettel fastest in final practice at Brazilian GP (PA SportsTicker)
November 26, 2011
SAO PAULO (AP) —Sebastian Vettel was fastest in the final practice just before qualifying at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver has already won the F1 title and later in the day will attempt to break the record for most pole positions in a season later Saturday. Vettel has won 14 poles going into Sunday’s season-ending race, tying Nigel Mansell’s feat in 1992.
Vettel completed in 1 minute, 12.460 seconds at the two.6-mile Interlagos track. Jenson Button of McLaren was second in 1:12.547 and Vettel teammate Mark Webber third in 1:12.597. Lewis Hamilton of McLaren was fourth and Fernando Alonso of Ferrari fifth.
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NASCAR fines Kurt Busch $50,000 for poor behavior
November 25, 2011
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—NASCAR has fined Kurt Busch $50,000 for poor behavior throughout the Sprint Cup finale last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Busch was penalized Friday for both generating an obscene gesture in his auto and becoming verbally abusive toward a reporter.
Busch had a transmission issue early in Sunday’s race. As he and his Penske Racing Dodge headed to the garage, his in-vehicle camera caught him making an obscene gesture. Although his team made repairs, Busch waited to be interviewed by an ESPN reporter, and a fan videotaped Busch being verbally abusive though waiting to go live.
That video was posted on YouTube, and both Penske officials and Busch have apologized for his behavior.
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