BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen lead Rally de Portugal after today’s sun-kissed opening day in the hills above the Algarve. After a strong morning in unfavourable conditions, the Finns moved ahead this afternoon and built a 15.0sec lead in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car. Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila led initially before rolling 150 metres down a hillside, escaping injury thanks to the strength of their Focus RS.
This fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship began with a spectacular speed test last night… Details
In case you missed it, the Formula 1 racing season officially started last weekend with the running of the Australian Grand Prix. Being a longtime F1 fan, I’m filled with a wide range of emotions after witnessing the 2009 season opener.
Let’s start with the biggest news, the absolute domination of the entire weekend by the brand new Brawn GP team. First they sweep the front row for qualifying then take the top two podium spots in the race. You have to go back over 40 years to find the last time a new team accomplished what Brawn did this weekend. What makes it even more amazing is that this team was only put together a month ago and they were using a car that was built around another engine and transmission package then what they used in the race. Simply amazing… Details
Add tire selection to the variables already facing IndyCar team strategists at the street and road courses this season.
Beginning with today’s time trials for the season-opening Honda Grand Prix, Firestone will provide the teams with a primary tire and a red-sidewalled alternate. The alternates are identical to the black-sidewalled primaries except for a softer tread compound. That will produce faster lap times than the primaries, but less durability.
“A softer tire has more grip, but they go away quicker… Details
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