Carrasco makes history as 1st female world moto champion

Larson, Almirola advance; Dillon, Hamlin and Jones eliminated

CONCORD, North Carolina, Oct 1, (AP): Jimmie Johnson saw an opportunity to snap a 58-race losing streak, and went for it. It cost him a shot at an eighth NASCAR championship and allowed Ryan Blaney to steal a surprise victory in the debut race of the “roval” at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Had Johnson just settled for second, he’d still be in the playoffs. Instead, he wrecked with Martin Truex Jr and wound up in a threeway tie for the final transfer position into the second round of the playoffs. The seven-time NASCAR champion was eliminated Sunday on a tiebreaker. into the next round of the playoffs.

“I didn’t expect that. Sometimes it is better to have a little bit of luck on your side,” Blaney said. “You hate to see two guys take each other out, especially two of the best cars all day.”

The two best cars actually belonged to Larson and Blaney’s teammate Brad Keselowski.

Keselowski was on track to win for the fourth time in five races until he misjudged the entry into the first turn on a restart with six laps remaining. It triggered a multi-car accident that collected Larson, who had led 47 laps. Keselowski’s race ended after leading 29 laps.

Kyle Busch was also in the accident and mocked his fellow drivers for their error. “All of us are just stupid and don’t know where to brake,” said Busch. “We all just drove off into a 90-degree wall because I guess we didn’t have anything better to do.”

Larson, meanwhile, had to limp a wounded race car around the track for the final laps to cling to his spot in the playoffs. Larson’s fate was also determined in the final few turns when he passed the stalled car of Jeffery Earnhardt.

“I couldn’t even drive my car it was so destroyed,” said Larson, who was married last Wednesday to get the ceremony done during the season. “He was like 100 feet from the start/finish line and I could see him (Earnhardt) creeping and I was like, ‘Don’t go, don’t go!’”

Johnson should have been content following Truex across the finish line

Ryan Blaney poses with the trophy in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Cup series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Sept 30,

2018. (AP)

PARIS, Oct 1, (AFP): Spain’s Ana Carrasco on Sunday became the first woman to win a world motorcycling title when she triumphed by a single point in the Superbike Supersport 300 division.

The 21-year-old from Murcia, riding a Kawasaki, fought her way up from 25th on the grid to finish 13th at the season decider on the French circuit of Magny-Cours.

Carrasco finished the season with a one-point lead over compatriot Mika Perez.

“It’s unbelievable for me to achieve this,” said the former law student.

“We worked so hard to be here. I did not know I had won on the slowdown lap. I tried to see some TVs to

and moving on in the playoffs. But he was once unbeatable at Charlotte, where he won eight points races on the oval, and saw the opening Sunday to grab his first win in well over a year.

Johnson tried to dive inside and pass Truex with two turns remaining and he ended up in a spin. Johnson collected check but I did not see any. I only realised when I got to turn five and I asked the spectators if I was first.”

Carrasco dedicated her win to Luis Salom, a fellow Spanish rider who was killed in an accident at the Catalunya circuit in 2016 at the age of 24.

“The day we lost him I promised to dedicate my first title to him. At the moment I am happy because we have achieved our goals, but I do not realise all of the things about being the first woman in history. I think after a few days I will be more conscious of this.”

Nita Korhonen, the director of the sport’s women in motorcycling commission, said Carrasco’s gender should not overshadow her achievement.

“This is absolutely great to have a woman winning an open circuit racing championship,” said Korhonen.

“Ana has shown that winning this kind of high level title has nothing to do with the gender but the talent.”

Truex, who spun off course, Johnson’s car came to a stop and Blaney scooted past for the surprise victory.

Johnson wound up eighth and out of the playoffs. He stood silently next to his car for several minutes as NASCAR reviewed the final sequence and updated the standings. need to stay on top of our game which maybe we haven’t been completely this weekend.

“We must make sure that from where we are now we focus on winning the last races.”

Hamilton’s 50-point advantage is the equivalent of two race victories worth 25 points, a lead he could relinquish only if he fails to finish, or score points, and Vettel wins.

Vettel was unexpectedly encouraged by Ferrari’s performance on Sunday when he followed Hamilton and Bottas.

“It’s not entirely in our hands,” he added. “We need a little bit of something to happen, but we need to make sure that we are always there.

“If it’s a third we can get, or a win, you need to get those places to make sure that we do everything.

“The rest, unfortunately, is not anymore entirely in our hands, but I still think that if we win the next few races we can put a lot of pressure on them and make something to happen.

“It’s not easy but I believe we still have a fair chance.”

Meanwhile, nearly a decade on from Vitaly Petrov becoming the first Russian driver to race in Formula One, the country could be the most represented on the starting grid next season.

If that sounds unlikely, with only Daniil Kvyat confirmed so far at Toro Rosso in 2019, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility.

Sergey Sirotkin is at Williams and hoping to be retained while compatriot Artem Markelov is on that team’s list of candidates to replace Canadian Lance Stroll, who is set to join Force India now that his father owns them.

Britain, Germany, France and Finland all have two drivers confirmed at present in the US-owned series but nobody has three.

On performance grounds, Markelov would be an outside prospect against Frenchman Esteban Ocon, who has impressed at Force India, or Britain’s

Third placed Ferrari’s German driver Sebastian Vettel celebrates during the podium ceremony for the Formula One Russian Grand Prix at the Sochi Autodrom circuit in Sochi on Sept 30, 2018. (AFP)

Formula Two George Russell.

Both Ocon and Russell are backed by Mercedes, Williams’ engine suppliers who want to find them a seat for 2019.

But Williams, former champions now languishing at the bottom of the standings after a dismal season, may have to make a commercial decision based on funding rather than track performance.

In which case the possibility of two well-funded Russians might be attractive, assuming also that Sirotkin is not replaced by his compatriot.

Markelov, 24, is now in his fifth season in the GP2/F2 feeder series and was overall runner-up last season to Charles Leclerc, now at Sauber and about to move to Ferrari next season.

The Russian is also a Renault development driver – the same role Sirotkin, 23, had before moving to Williams – and took part in first practice for the French team at his home grand prix in Sochi last Friday.

Williams sources confirmed Markelov was among those being considered.

“All the press, media are saying all the time I’m going to Williams but it’s not 100 percent. We don’t know yet. It’s really like 100 percent rumours,” the driver told Reuters in Sochi.

The Russian has proved himself quite a character in the smaller pond of Formula Two, a series he now finds dull and is ready to abandon.

“I’m not interested in driving F2 already. I’m quite happy I did quite a lot of years here and made huge progress, mentally and physically and understanding how to drive this car. But they need to give me a Formula One drive already,” he said.

“OK, the last year was pretty good but this year is really frustrating... when I was coming from the Formula One car to the Formula Two car I was just sitting and feeling like its undriveable.

“I feel like I need to grow up, I’m a bit too old for this car already.”

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