Sardinia WRC, Iowa IndyCar
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NASCAR - Sonoma/Road America: Expect some shots of NASCAR in the wet later as the Nationwide field slithers round in Elkhart Lake practice right now.
Only four drivers have so far set times, led by ex-Formula 1/Champ Car racer Max Papis, who is about half a minute off last year's pole at present.
Only four drivers have so far set times, led by ex-Formula 1/Champ Car racer Max Papis, who is about half a minute off last year's pole at present.
Stopwatch
WRC - Italy: Jari-Matti Latvala has just been clocked with a stunning time, 10s quicker than anyone else, VW team-mate Sebastien Ogier included.
That will bring Latvala right onto his other team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen's tail as they fight for sixth.
It also makes you wonder where Latvala would've been relative to Ogier but for his SS1 puncture.
That will bring Latvala right onto his other team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen's tail as they fight for sixth.
It also makes you wonder where Latvala would've been relative to Ogier but for his SS1 puncture.
WRC - Italy: Mikko Hirvonen adds a bit more of a cushion to his advantage over Neuville in their battle for second. The Citroen is 1.5s faster and the gap is now 6.2s.
WRC - Italy: Mads Ostberg is quickest of the next batch of cars, taking a second back off team-mate Thierry Neuville.
WRC - Italy: Setting sun through the dust is already making this stage a tough one.
That's not what Elfyn Evans needs in a World Rally Car he has little experience of. He takes it easy and loses 8s in his battle with Michal Kosciuszko, but keeping the car in one piece for Saturday is wise.
That's not what Elfyn Evans needs in a World Rally Car he has little experience of. He takes it easy and loses 8s in his battle with Michal Kosciuszko, but keeping the car in one piece for Saturday is wise.
Mads Ostberg
WRC - Italy: Speaking of the running order, since the advent of qualifying, rallies are trying increasingly inventive ways to jazz up the process of drivers selecting their starting spots.
In Italy, women in traditional Sardinian costumes held the numbers for drivers to pick. Mads Ostberg went about it in particularly polite fashion.
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WRC - Italy: In normal circumstances, you want to be as late in the running order as possible on a rally like Sardinia so others sweep the dust off the road for you.
But as day turns to night, that dust is likely to hang in the air, which could cause major visibility problems for leader Sebastien Ogier.
The Frenchman was concerned about that prospect, especially with two-minute gaps between cars starting, prior to the rally.
"I think night stages on gravel events are not so good, it's always a problem with the dust," said Ogier.
"We have to ask to get at least three minutes, it was terrible last time in Greece [in 2011]."
But as day turns to night, that dust is likely to hang in the air, which could cause major visibility problems for leader Sebastien Ogier.
The Frenchman was concerned about that prospect, especially with two-minute gaps between cars starting, prior to the rally.
"I think night stages on gravel events are not so good, it's always a problem with the dust," said Ogier.
"We have to ask to get at least three minutes, it was terrible last time in Greece [in 2011]."
NASCAR - Sonoma/Road America: NASCAR is willing to try racing in the rain on road courses, but Nationwide practice at Road America has been delayed by lightning.
Frankly that's fair enough.
Frankly that's fair enough.
WRC - Italy: Stage seven in Sardinia is about to get underway.
This evening will feature two runs through the 13.55 kilometres of Gallura. The first should be in fading light, the second after dark.
This evening will feature two runs through the 13.55 kilometres of Gallura. The first should be in fading light, the second after dark.
Jorge Lorenzo
Some MotoGP news before the rallying resumes for the evening.
AUTOSPORT editor in chief Andrew van de Burgt had an exclusive interview with world champion Jorge Lorenzo this week, in which the Spaniard tipped fellow Yamaha man Cal Crutchlow to get his first wins this year.
Meanwhile, Crutchlow's Tech 3 team-mate Bradley Smith says the finger surgery he's just had to repair his Mugello injury won't affect his Assen plans.
"Everything went as well as expected and now I am just resting my arm as much possible. The wrist shouldn't give me any problems now hopefully but we need a few more days to see whether the skin graft has taken."
If you're feeling brave, have a look at Smith's Twitter pictures of his injury and recovery, including this before and after... (warning: graphic images)
You'll need two AUTOSPORT windows for the rest of the weekend.
Le Mans Live will be in operation for every second of the 24-hour race, which commences on Saturday.
Meanwhile its younger brother Race Centre Live takes care of the rest of the racing action from around the world, covering the WRC in Italy, FR3.5 in Russia, IndyCar at Iowa, NASCAR at Sonoma, the BTCC at Croft and Superstars at Zolder.
Le Mans Live will be in operation for every second of the 24-hour race, which commences on Saturday.
Meanwhile its younger brother Race Centre Live takes care of the rest of the racing action from around the world, covering the WRC in Italy, FR3.5 in Russia, IndyCar at Iowa, NASCAR at Sonoma, the BTCC at Croft and Superstars at Zolder.
NASCAR - Sonoma/Road America: This weekend both Villeneuve and Patrick will be at Sonoma in Cup.
The most notable 'ringer' in Nationwide is long-time Corvette Le Mans/American Le Mans man Johnny O'Connell, who is out for JR Motorsports while his old colleagues are racing in France.
AJ Allmendinger is in Penske's Nationwide car, while his sometime Champ Car rival Andrew Ranger (Canada's big IndyCar hope before James Hinchcliffe came along) is driving for NDS Racing.
The most notable 'ringer' in Nationwide is long-time Corvette Le Mans/American Le Mans man Johnny O'Connell, who is out for JR Motorsports while his old colleagues are racing in France.
AJ Allmendinger is in Penske's Nationwide car, while his sometime Champ Car rival Andrew Ranger (Canada's big IndyCar hope before James Hinchcliffe came along) is driving for NDS Racing.
Nelson Piquet Jr
It's the NASCAR Nationwide Series that gets going first, with practice at a currently damp Elkhart Lake circuit just a few minutes away.
Last year Road America was the scene of ex-Formula 1 man Nelson Piquet's first win in the series, and an infamous collision between 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve and Danica Patrick.
This weekend NASCAR is all about road-racing. The Nationwide Series is at the gorgeous Road America, and the Sprint Cup field is at Sonoma.
Today is practice day for both series, with qualifying and the Nationwide race on Saturday, and the Cup race on Sunday.
Today is practice day for both series, with qualifying and the Nationwide race on Saturday, and the Cup race on Sunday.
Rally Italy gets going again at 19.23 local time (18.23 UK, 17.23 GMT) and we'll have news from the service park before then, as well as updates from NASCAR's weekend on the road courses as that commences, and more from Le Mans and Moscow FR3.5.
Breaking news
Nissan Zeod
Recap of today's biggest motorsport news:
Sebastien Ogier is dominating the WRC in Italy, while Thierry Neuville and Robert Kubica are making waves in his wake
Nissan has unveiled the DeltaWing-style electric car it will enter at Le Mans in 2014
Red Bull rising star Antonio Felix da Costa got his FR3.5 season back on course by going quickest in practice at Moscow Raceway
And from late last night:
Loic Duval kept his Audi on Le Mans 24 Hours pole in a dramatic session
AUTOSPORT has just had a very interesting chat with multiple Le Mans winner Dindo Capello, who is here in his capacity as an Audi ambassador.
The subject? A long reminisce about his time in Super Touring for Audi Sport Italia.
For the record, AUTOSPORT loves reminiscing about Super Touring.
(By the way, we couldn't find a picture of him in a Super Tourer, so here's one of his face instead).
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FR3.5 - Moscow: Muscovite Mikhail Aleshin experienced little in the way of a home advantage in Friday afternoon's second collective test at the Moscow Raceway.
After a promising sixth fastest time in the opening session, the Tech 1 racer slumped to 22nd.
"I put a different set-up on in the afternoon compared to my team-mate [sixth-placed Nigel Melker], so we exactly know what's going on," said Aleshin. "Unfortunately it didn't work out; I had traffic and then picked up dirt on my tyres - just not very good at all.
"I have no more experience here than anyone else. I would love to do some driver coaching here, but there's not much opportunity for driving in Russia!"
After a promising sixth fastest time in the opening session, the Tech 1 racer slumped to 22nd.
"I put a different set-up on in the afternoon compared to my team-mate [sixth-placed Nigel Melker], so we exactly know what's going on," said Aleshin. "Unfortunately it didn't work out; I had traffic and then picked up dirt on my tyres - just not very good at all.
"I have no more experience here than anyone else. I would love to do some driver coaching here, but there's not much opportunity for driving in Russia!"
WRC - Italy: Robert Kubica whops his WRC 2 rivals to the tune of a second per kilometre through Monte Lerno. The Citroen DS3 RRC's lead is fast approaching two minutes over Sepp Wiegand. The factory Skoda driver admitted he had a strange feeling with his Fabia in SS6.
Wiegand said: "I don't know if I have a puncture, but the car was a little bit crazy."
Kubica was catching Wiegand towards the end of the stage and suffering in his dust.
Wiegand said: "I don't know if I have a puncture, but the car was a little bit crazy."
Kubica was catching Wiegand towards the end of the stage and suffering in his dust.
FR3.5 - Moscow: Jouanny's own driving ambitions this season have been put on hold. The former British Formula 3 race winner, who is in his sixth season working with FR3.5 racer Jafaar, has only contested one race this year. The Roquefort-based Frenchman took a class win in the Bathurst 12 hours driving a Peugeot RCZ.
Checkered flag
WRC - Italy - SS6 results:
Stage: 1 Ogier; 2 Latvala +4.3s; 3 Neuville +8.4s; 4 Hirvonen +11.1s; 5 Sordo +16.7s; 6 Ostberg +20.9s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Hirvonen +42.4s; 3 Neuville +47.1s; 4 Ostberg +54.3s; 5 Sordo +1m00.4s; 6 Mikkelsen +1m27.8s.
Stage: 1 Ogier; 2 Latvala +4.3s; 3 Neuville +8.4s; 4 Hirvonen +11.1s; 5 Sordo +16.7s; 6 Ostberg +20.9s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Hirvonen +42.4s; 3 Neuville +47.1s; 4 Ostberg +54.3s; 5 Sordo +1m00.4s; 6 Mikkelsen +1m27.8s.
Mikko Hirvonen
WRC - Italy: With Ogier moving further ahead, the scrap for a Sardinian second is really hotting up. Just 18 seconds separate Mikko Hirvonen, Thierry Neuville, Mads Ostberg and Dani Sordo going into the final two stages of the day.
FR3.5 - Moscow: Jazeman Jafaar's driver coach Bruce Jouanny explained that the Carlin racer suffered an off at Turn 13 in the second collective test, which caused the session to be red-flagged.
"Jazeman was looking very strong on old tyres this morning," said Jouanny.
"But unfortunately he lost some track time by going into the gravel, so perhaps there’s still a little more work to do.
"He did a very good race at Monaco, finishing on the podium, and we've done a lot of preparation for this weekend, so let's see what happens tomorrow."
"Jazeman was looking very strong on old tyres this morning," said Jouanny.
"But unfortunately he lost some track time by going into the gravel, so perhaps there’s still a little more work to do.
"He did a very good race at Monaco, finishing on the podium, and we've done a lot of preparation for this weekend, so let's see what happens tomorrow."
WRC - Italy: Cracking time from rally leader Sebastien Ogier who goes fastest in SS6. The Frenchman is the master at saving his tyres and he's done it again. He now leads by 42.4 seconds.
WRC - Italy: Thierry Neuville puts his afternoon pace down to Qatar M-Sport team's chilli and rice at lunchtime. Questionable... AUTOSPORT had the same for lunch, but our time from Sassari back to Olbia wasn't markedly quicker!
WRC - Italy: Mads Ostberg reports a lot of oversteer from his Fiesta RS WRC. He also spun the Ford at the mid-point of the stage. The Norwegian has lost his position to a flying Thierry Neuville.
WRC - Italy: Elfyn Evans continues to level his unbelievably steep learning curve with another solid run through SS6. Qatar M-Sport's Welshman admitted he'd cooked the brakes on the first half of the stage.
Andreas Mikkelsen ran out of grip for the last eight kilometres in his factory Polo R WRC.
"I used them too much on the first two stages," said the Norwegian.
Andreas Mikkelsen ran out of grip for the last eight kilometres in his factory Polo R WRC.
"I used them too much on the first two stages," said the Norwegian.
WRC - Italy: Report that P-G Andersson has stopped on SS6. The Swede's Fiesta RS WRC has been running with a broken rear driveshaft since SS4.
WRC - Italy: First car, Citroen Abu Dhabi driver Khalid Al Qassimi, is through the second run of Monte Lerno. The DS3 WRC driver reported a moment on the asphalt section in the middle of the stage.
FR3.5 - Moscow: Championship challenger Stoffel Vandoorne’s relative lack of pace on new tyres in the second collective test is being investigated by his Fortec Motorsport team. The 2013 double winner was fourth fastest in the morning before dropping to 15th in the afternoon.
Fortec engineer Paul Heath told AUTOSPORT, "Everything was fine for Stoffel in the first session, it was just when he put the new tyres on in the afternoon that the performance didn’t come. The early indications are that it was the tyres, as it’s very unusual for him not to be up there."
Fortec team boss Jamie Dye was not unduly concerned by the issue. "We're investigating it now," said Dye, "but Stoffel’s got a great head on him, so I am sure he’ll be right up there in qualifying."
Fortec engineer Paul Heath told AUTOSPORT, "Everything was fine for Stoffel in the first session, it was just when he put the new tyres on in the afternoon that the performance didn’t come. The early indications are that it was the tyres, as it’s very unusual for him not to be up there."
Fortec team boss Jamie Dye was not unduly concerned by the issue. "We're investigating it now," said Dye, "but Stoffel’s got a great head on him, so I am sure he’ll be right up there in qualifying."
Crash
WRC - Italy: For a hint of just how heavy that Novikov crash was, have a browse of this spectator's video...
WRC - Italy: M-Sport confirms Evgeny Novikov won't restart tomorrow. The Russian rolled heavily on the opening stage this morning.
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FR3.5 - Moscow: Oli Webb was fastest for quite a while in practice two, but slipped back to eighth in the end.
“It is so close," said Webb. "We’re just missing 0.3s off P1, and I made an error in the last corner which we know cost me two tenths.
"We turned up here with slightly more worn tyres than the opposition, because of a good outing last time, so I wasn’t too worried about where we finished in FP1.
"As soon as I put on the new tyres we found 2.5s, they make a massive difference around here."
“It is so close," said Webb. "We’re just missing 0.3s off P1, and I made an error in the last corner which we know cost me two tenths.
"We turned up here with slightly more worn tyres than the opposition, because of a good outing last time, so I wasn’t too worried about where we finished in FP1.
"As soon as I put on the new tyres we found 2.5s, they make a massive difference around here."
WRC - Italy: In WRC 2, Kubica is not only 1m09s ahead of nearest class rival Yuri Protasov, but also right behind WRC runners Michal Kosciuszko and Elfyn Evans' battle for ninth overall.
And although AUTOSPORT earlier pledged not to stoke excitement about Kubica's title prospects when this rally still has a long way to go, we couldn't help noticing that championship leader Abdulaziz Al Kuwari is only fourth right now.
And although AUTOSPORT earlier pledged not to stoke excitement about Kubica's title prospects when this rally still has a long way to go, we couldn't help noticing that championship leader Abdulaziz Al Kuwari is only fourth right now.
Sebastien Ogier
WRC - Italy: Stage six is poised to commence. It's a re-run of the 31km Monte Lerno stage that opened the morning.
Monte Lerno completes the second Friday loop, but today there are still two more night stages to come after service.
Sebastien Ogier holds a half-minute lead, with Mikko Hirvonen, Mads Ostberg, Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo right together battling for second.
Breaking news
Latest motorsport news comes from Superstars, where another F1 veteran joins the field in the form of sometime Simtek man Mimmo Schiattarella.
Race Centre Live will be following all the action from Superstars' visit to Zolder in Belgium this weekend. Nicola Larini is also joining the field.
Race Centre Live will be following all the action from Superstars' visit to Zolder in Belgium this weekend. Nicola Larini is also joining the field.
WRC - Italy: Talking to Mikko Hirvonen before the last stage, the Finn admitted he was struggling to see a way past Sardinian leader Sebastien Ogier.
"He is very strong here," said the Finn. "I don't think he can be beaten."
Hirvonen smiled. "I'm just kidding. He can be beaten. We have to drive faster."
Hirvonen is now more than half a minute down on Ogier and coming under big pressure from Mads Ostberg in third and Thierry Neuville in fourth.
Cars at the start of SS6.
"He is very strong here," said the Finn. "I don't think he can be beaten."
Hirvonen smiled. "I'm just kidding. He can be beaten. We have to drive faster."
Hirvonen is now more than half a minute down on Ogier and coming under big pressure from Mads Ostberg in third and Thierry Neuville in fourth.
Cars at the start of SS6.
WRC - Italy: Christian Riedemann leads WRC 3 after SS5. Britain's Alastair Fisher retired on the opening stage, blinded by dust, he hit a bank in his Citroen DS3. Triple British Rally champion Keith Cronin has fared little better, dropping more than three minutes, the Irishman is running sixth.
Stage six is coming soon...
Stage six is coming soon...
Le Mans: Toyota has never won the 24 Hours here, but did claim one accolade earlier today; that of having procured the longest table in history to sit its drivers and top team staff down at during its pre-race press conference.
Breaking news
Some WTCC news: the field for next weekend's Porto street races is up to a season-high 25 as Campos runs three SEATs and Tom Boardman returns.
By: Matt Beer, David Evans, Peter Mills, Jamie O'Leary, Glenn Freeman, Andrew van Leeuwen, Kevin Turner, Mark Glendenning
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