Motorsport snippets
INDY 500 MOTOGP pictured,
Fernando Alonso, has qualified fifth for this Sunday’s Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The two-time Formula One champion is missing this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix to make his Indy debut, and set an impressive 372.24km/h average speed around the oval track. New Zealand’s Scott Dixon took pole position with a speed of 373.63km/h.
For Alonso, who has been starved of F1 success in recent seasons in an under-performing McLaren, the Indy 500 gives him a shot at glory that would otherwise be unavailable.
MONACO GRAND PRIX
Alonso’s seat at this weekend’s Monaco GP will be taken by former F1 champion Jenson Button, who raced with McLaren from 2010 until embarking on a sabbatical from F1 at the end of last year.
Monaco’s street circuit, where power plays less of a factor than at most circuits, could mark an upturn for McLaren which has a good chassis but has been hampered by an uncompetitive Honda engine.
After five races Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel leads the championship with 104 points to the 98 of Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. The drivers have two wins apiece, while Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas took the other victory, in Russia.
Spaniard Maverick Vinales won the French Grand Prix and took the lead in the MotoGP championship on Sunday after Yamaha team mate Valentino Rossi crashed on the last lap at Le Mans. The victory was Yamaha’s 500th grand prix racing.
French rider Johann Zarco, the double Moto2 world champion but a rookie in the top category, took his first MotoGP podium with second place on the non-works Tech3 Yamaha after leading for the first seven laps.
Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, whose triple world champion team mate Marc Marquez crashed out of fourth place on lap 18, inherited third for Honda.
After five rounds of the championship, Vinales has 85 points with Pedrosa moving up to second on 68. Italian Rossi has 62 and Marquez 58. in
WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
World champion Sebastien Ogier won last weekend’s Portuguese Rally in a Ford Fiesta and extended his 2017 championship lead.
The Frenchman finished 15.6 seconds ahead of Belgium’s Thierry Neuville in a Hyundai i20, with the second Hyundai of Dani Sordo in third place.
Ogier leads the standings with 128 points ahead of Neuville on 106, with the next round taking place in Sardinia on June 9-11.
EXTREME FESTIVAL
Reigning champion Michael Stephen (Engen Extreme Audi) won race one of the Sasol Global Touring Car category at the Extreme Festival hosted at the East London Grand Prix circuit on Saturday, followed by his team-mate Simon Moss.
Race two, started from an inverted grid, went to Gennaro Bonafede (Sasol BMW), closely followed by Stephen.
Bradley Liebenberg took the Ferodo MINI Cooper S to both the GTC2 class victories.
Ferrari 430 driver Jonathan du Toit won the first G&H Transport Extreme Supercar race. The Ferrari stopped with burning brakes in race two, leaving Gianni Giannoccaro in a BMW M3 to win.
Jeffrey Kruger (Universal Health Polo) took victory in the opening Engen Volkswagen Cup race, followed by Matt Shorter (VW Polo) and Shaun La Reservee (Alpine Motors Polo). Devin Robertson (Payen Polo) won the next time, followed by Kruger and Shorter.
Julian van der Watt (Investchem Mygale) won both the Investchem Formula 1600 races.
The two Bridgestone Thunderbike victories went to Dean Vos (Kawasaki) while veteran Graeme van Breda (Kawasaki) and Sven Grune (Kawasaki) shared wins in the two Red Square Kawasaki Masters races.
The Comsol VW Challenge victories went to Devon Piazza-Musso and Stiaan Kriel.