Germany MotoGP, Zandvoort DTM, Vila Real WTCC
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WTCC - Vila Real: The Turn 19/20 chicane is unpopular, but this whole section would be at maximum speed without it.
Vila Real
Lights out
WTCC - Vila Real: We're off! Lopez and Loeb make a clean getaway but Hugo Valente is slow away from third on the grid. He told AUTOSPORT it would be tricky, because the startline is on a section of track that's off the main racing line. He gets into a tangle with Ma Qing Hua, who started 10th, and now he's off.
Moto2 - Sachsenring: Simeon takes second from Morbidelli and is having a renewed crack at Zarco for the lead with eight laps left.
Simeon needed to get on with it, Rabat and Rins were edging towards the lead group.
Regular frontrunner Folger's poor home race gets worse - he takes a trip to the gravel at the first corner and falls to 16th.
Simeon needed to get on with it, Rabat and Rins were edging towards the lead group.
Regular frontrunner Folger's poor home race gets worse - he takes a trip to the gravel at the first corner and falls to 16th.
WTCC - Vila Real: Lap two and Nestor Girolami has pulled over to the side and parked the Nika Honda. He started 12th after brushing the barrier and deflating a wheel in Q2.
WTCC - Vila Real: Replays of the start show Yvan Muller and Ma Qing Hua - from ninth and 10th on the grid - blasting by each side of Hugo Valente, only for the Chevrolet driver to defend his position rather stoutly.
Moto2 - Sachsenring: Five laps left, Zarco really can't get rid of Simeon and Morbidelli still. The championship leader has an answer for every passing attempt, but pulling away still isn't an option.
Rabat and Rins continue to edge closer.
And now finally Simeon is through into the lead at Turn 1 with four laps left. He's never won a grand prix before...
Rabat and Rins continue to edge closer.
And now finally Simeon is through into the lead at Turn 1 with four laps left. He's never won a grand prix before...
WTCC - Vila Real: So as we go into lap four it's Lopez, Loeb, Michelisz, Tarquini, Monteiro, Ma, Muller, Van Lagen, Catsburg and Huff making up the top 10. Girolami has made it back to the garages out of our view - it looks like his problems began on the startline.
Moto2 - Sachsenring: Two laps left, Simeon is clinging onto a 0.2s lead over Zarco.
WTCC - Vila Real: Outside the top 10 it's Bennani, Coronel, D'Aste, Chilton, Filippi and Demoustier. We hear reports that oil pressure was the problem for Girolami, while Valente appeared to pick up a right-front puncture while he was the filling in the Citroen sandwich.
WTCC - Vila Real: The residents of 16A get a fine view of the flat-out Turn 21 from outside their front gate.
(This was from a support race, there hasn't been an Alfa comeback)
Vila Real
(This was from a support race, there hasn't been an Alfa comeback)
WTCC - Vila Real: While Lopez stretches away in front, Demoustier (who's being coached by Alain Menu this weekend) is going at it hammer and tongs with Filippi for 15th place.
Checkered flag
Moto2 - Sachsenring: Simeon holds off Zarco to take his first win in his sixth season of Moto2, but further back...
Crash
Moto2 - Sachsenring: Morbidelli tangled with Rabat at the final corner, with both tumbling through the gravel - that's very nasty for Rabat's injured collarbone.
It also allowed Rins to sweep through to the podium again.
It also allowed Rins to sweep through to the podium again.
Crash
Moto2 - Sachsenring: A replay shows Morbidelli went down the inside of Rabat at the final corner, lost it and fell, with his bike scraping down the road into Rabat's.
Rabat is walking away waving to the crowd, with a bit of help from the marshals.
He's got three weeks to recover properly before Indianapolis now. Tough for his already remote title defence prospects, though.
Meanwhile 25-year-old Belgian Simeon and his Gresini team are celebrating his breakthrough win.
Rabat is walking away waving to the crowd, with a bit of help from the marshals.
He's got three weeks to recover properly before Indianapolis now. Tough for his already remote title defence prospects, though.
Meanwhile 25-year-old Belgian Simeon and his Gresini team are celebrating his breakthrough win.
Moto2 - Sachsenring: Great day for Gresini so far - Bastianini on the podium in Moto3, Simeon wins in Moto2...
...Alvaro Bautista and Michael Laverty, time to work some miracles on those Aprilias in MotoGP.
...Alvaro Bautista and Michael Laverty, time to work some miracles on those Aprilias in MotoGP.
Xavier Simeon
WTCC - Vila Real: Filippi continues to 'park the bus', while in 10th Huff is in close attendance to team-mate Catsburg's tailgate.
WTCC - Vila Real: 2.848s is Lopez's leading margin over Loeb.
WTCC - Vila Real: Two laps to go and most of the drivers, with one eye on race two, are staying in line. We've got a yellow flag in sector two after the Catsburg/Huff train took out a bollard at Turn 19.
WTCC - Vila Real: All of a sudden Huff has dropped back from Catsburg and Bennani is taking a look. Chilton misses his braking point at Turn 19 and takes the escape line that Ma controversially failed to make use of during Q2 yesterday.
WTCC - Vila Real: Chilton under investigation for not respecting track limits. Talk about kicking someone when they're down.
FR3.5 - Red Bull Ring: The Pons and Arden teams' mechanics have been tasked with a huge amount of work to ready the cars of their drivers Roberto Merhi and Nicholas Latifi for race two, after the pair were involved in a frightening accident shortly after the finish of this morning's race.
ELMS - Red Bull Ring: The Red Bull Ring 4 Hours is coming up in around 15 minutes. A penalty has recently been issued to the LM GTE-pole winning Ferrari of Griffin, putting it to the back of the grid.
Checkered flag
WTCC - Vila Real: Lopez takes the chequered flag from Loeb, Michelisz, Tarquini, Monteiro, Ma, Muller, Van Lagen, Catsburg, Huff, Bennani, Coronel, D'Aste, Chilton, Filippi and Demoustier. DNF: Valente. Girolami returned to the track after mechanical attention and is credited with five laps.
FR3.5 - Red Bull Ring: Both drivers were at the stewards office when AUTOSPORT visited the teams' awnings.
But Latifi's Arden team boss Garry Horner reported that Canadian Latifi had escaped from the violent roll with just a sore calf muscle.
But Latifi's Arden team boss Garry Horner reported that Canadian Latifi had escaped from the violent roll with just a sore calf muscle.
FR3.5 - Red Bull Ring: The Pons team also has to contend with repair work to Meindert van Buuren's car, who was involved in an opening lap crash.
The Dutch driver's machine is expected to be ready for race two, while Merhi's car has sustained heavy rear damage, including a broken gearbox.
The Dutch driver's machine is expected to be ready for race two, while Merhi's car has sustained heavy rear damage, including a broken gearbox.
WTCC - Vila Real: Maximum points for Jose Maria Lopez then after a typically imperious performance. Yvan Muller will have hoped for better than seventh place but he will be starting from the reverse-grid pole later. The C-Elysee's startline performance will be the key for Lopez's hopes in race two since it's very difficult to pass around this frankly rather scary circuit. AUTOSPORT was treated to a brisk lap in the safety car yesterday evening and Vila Real is most definitely not a 'Mickey Mouse' track, particularly the long downhill plunge in sector two.
FR3.5 - Red Bull Ring: Latiifi's monocoque is thought to be in a condition fit to pass technical checks for race two, but substantial damage means the car is not guaranteed to make the race two grid.
However, there is no shortage of effort on display from the Arden crew to get their man out. All hands, including Arden team manager Julian Rouse and the team's engineers, have been called upon to work on the number five car.
A replacement engine is required, while the team will look inside the gearbox to see if that also needs to be replaced.
However, there is no shortage of effort on display from the Arden crew to get their man out. All hands, including Arden team manager Julian Rouse and the team's engineers, have been called upon to work on the number five car.
A replacement engine is required, while the team will look inside the gearbox to see if that also needs to be replaced.
ELMS - Red Bull Ring: The Red Bull Ring 4 Hours has got underway. Albuquerque leads in the Jota Gibson ahead of Patterson in the Murphy ORECA and Aleshin in the BR01.
MotoGP - Sachsenring: Less than half an hour until race time, here's how the leading rows line up:
1 Marc Marquez
2 Dani Pedrosa
3 Jorge Lorenzo
4 Andrea Iannone
5 Yonny Hernandez
6 Valentino Rossi
7 Aleix Espargaro
8 Pol Espargaro
9 Bradley Smith
10 Cal Crutchlow
11 Andrea Dovizioso
12 Maverick Vinales
1 Marc Marquez
2 Dani Pedrosa
3 Jorge Lorenzo
4 Andrea Iannone
5 Yonny Hernandez
6 Valentino Rossi
7 Aleix Espargaro
8 Pol Espargaro
9 Bradley Smith
10 Cal Crutchlow
11 Andrea Dovizioso
12 Maverick Vinales
MotoGP - Sachsenring: This is Marc Marquez country - every year since 125cc in 2010 he's taken pole and victory here.
The most significant of those was probably the 2013 MotoGP win that proved that season's title fight turning point with Jorge Lorenzo's injuries mounting.
A 74-point deficit to Valentino Rossi is probably insurmountable this year, but Marquez's sights are set on winning every race he can from now on.
If he does so today, it will be - remarkably - his first triumph since Austin in April.
The most significant of those was probably the 2013 MotoGP win that proved that season's title fight turning point with Jorge Lorenzo's injuries mounting.
A 74-point deficit to Valentino Rossi is probably insurmountable this year, but Marquez's sights are set on winning every race he can from now on.
If he does so today, it will be - remarkably - his first triumph since Austin in April.
Marc Marquez takes Sachsenring MotoGP pole 2015
ELMS - Red Bull Ring: Minassian has beached the second of the two BR01s in the Turn 5 gravel after a failed attempt to pass Hirsch.
DTM - Zandvoort: Race start is about 40 minutes away, and although there is plenty of cloud cover, the radar suggests they don't contain rain.
What you might be able to see is the officials in flag point two. A marching band is playing and they've been having a good old dance.
What you might be able to see is the officials in flag point two. A marching band is playing and they've been having a good old dance.
ELMS - Red Bull Ring: The safety car has been deployed, which robs Albuquerque of a lead that was just over six seconds. Aleshin is second in the impressive BR01 ahead of Badey's TDS ORECA and Hirsch in the Greaves Gibson.
ELMS - Red Bull Ring: Still a very impressive weekend for the BR Engineering-built BR01, for while Minassian's car is still in the gravel Aleshin holds second. This is only the third race for the car, which seems to have made a real step in performance since its previous outings in the Imola ELMS round and at Le Mans.
MotoGP - Sachsenring: Front row men Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo are the only ones sounding vaguely hopeful about chasing Marquez on race pace today.
Valentino Rossi's assessment is that the Honda pair are quickest, then there's nothing to split the works Yamahas behind them. But Rossi's got to join that fight from sixth on the grid after making some minor errors on his best laps in qualifying.
Valentino Rossi's assessment is that the Honda pair are quickest, then there's nothing to split the works Yamahas behind them. But Rossi's got to join that fight from sixth on the grid after making some minor errors on his best laps in qualifying.
MotoGP - Sachsenring: Ducati and Suzuki are, as usual, likely to fall back a bit - although Andrea Dovizioso might go forward as he's only 11th on the grid. He wasn't happy with the Desmosedici's front-end behaviour in qualifying.
Andrea Iannone has been Ducati's star turn this year and starts fourth, but it'll be interesting to see what Pramac rider Yonny Hernandez - not a man who can always replicate his single-lap pace over a longer run - does from fifth.
Andrea Iannone has been Ducati's star turn this year and starts fourth, but it'll be interesting to see what Pramac rider Yonny Hernandez - not a man who can always replicate his single-lap pace over a longer run - does from fifth.
Breaking news
MotoGP - Sachsenring: MotoGP wasn't immune to Race Direction's clampdown on riders dawdling waiting for tows in qualifying, but there's no repeat of the plethora of penalties seen in Moto3.
Avintia Ducati team-mates Hector Barbera and Mike di Meglio both got penalty points on their licences, though.
Avintia Ducati team-mates Hector Barbera and Mike di Meglio both got penalty points on their licences, though.
Crash
Moto2/3 - Sachsenring: Some injury updates from crashes earlier - Tito Rabat's broken collarbone didn't sustain any further damage from his Moto2 shunt with Franky Morbidelli, but the tumble did knock some screws loose from the injury repair so they need attention.
In Moto3, Maria Herrera reports a dislocated shoulder from her horrible-looking tangle with Ana Carresco.
In Moto3, Maria Herrera reports a dislocated shoulder from her horrible-looking tangle with Ana Carresco.
MotoGP - Sachsenring: Three returnees on the grid today due to Karel Abraham and Stefan Bradl being injured, and Marco Melandri having finally extricated himself from his Aprilia contract.
Honda test rider Hiroshi Aoyama starts 22nd on Abraham's usual AB Honda, while Forward returnee Claudio Corti has been at the back all weekend under the watchful eye of the bike's usual occupant Bradl - who has still had to come to his home grand prix for PR duties despite his broken scaphoid.
Michael Laverty's promotion from Aprilia tester to racer gives us two Lavertys on the grid as he joins brother Eugene.
They start together in 22nd and 23rd, and they found the gravel together in practice two yesterday as well.
That blip aside, Laverty (M) has generally got closer to team-mate Alvaro Bautista than Melandri managed.
Honda test rider Hiroshi Aoyama starts 22nd on Abraham's usual AB Honda, while Forward returnee Claudio Corti has been at the back all weekend under the watchful eye of the bike's usual occupant Bradl - who has still had to come to his home grand prix for PR duties despite his broken scaphoid.
Michael Laverty's promotion from Aprilia tester to racer gives us two Lavertys on the grid as he joins brother Eugene.
They start together in 22nd and 23rd, and they found the gravel together in practice two yesterday as well.
That blip aside, Laverty (M) has generally got closer to team-mate Alvaro Bautista than Melandri managed.
Michael Laverty
MotoGP - Sachsenring: Right, nearly time for the start and for the reveal of who's gone with Bridgestone's Sachsenring-special asymmetric tyres and who's gone for standard harder rubber...
By: Matt Beer, Edd Straw, Mitchell Adam, Stuart Codling, Peter Mills, AUTOSPORT staff
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