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FR3.5 - Moscow: Here's the full story of how Stoffel Vandoorne slashed Kevin Magnussen's points lead with a dominant race one performance.
FR3.5 Moscow race one report
FR3.5 Moscow race one report
And yes, AUTOSPORT realises that with Le Mans on, Race Centre Live might be quieter than its big brother service this weekend, but keep both windows open and flick across to keep up with WRC, BTCC, IndyCar, NASCAR, FR3.5 and Superstars when there's a long yellow, yeah?
We've got a picture of an American action sports hero trying to sell ice cream to a man in a tiger suit coming up later, for instance.
We've got a picture of an American action sports hero trying to sell ice cream to a man in a tiger suit coming up later, for instance.
WRC - Italy: Just under half an hour from the start of Sardinia's deciding loop.
It's a big afternoon for Thierry Neuville with a career-best result in sight, and for Elfyn Evans. The Welshman would love a points finish on his WRC debut but pushing to triumph in his rally-long dice with seventh-placed Michal Kosciuszko must be tempting.
It's a big afternoon for Thierry Neuville with a career-best result in sight, and for Elfyn Evans. The Welshman would love a points finish on his WRC debut but pushing to triumph in his rally-long dice with seventh-placed Michal Kosciuszko must be tempting.
FR2.0 Eurocup - Moscow: Three drivers, D'Agosto, Pakari and Panis have been under investigation for a jump start.
Aurelien Panis and Ignazio D'Agosoto will have to serve drive-through penalties.
Up front, Gasly is romping away from the field. The Frenchman enjoys a 4.7s lead on lap 10. Rowland appears comfortable in second, 2.4s clear of Steijn Schothorst.
Guilherme Silva has spun out of the race at Turn 10.
Aurelien Panis and Ignazio D'Agosoto will have to serve drive-through penalties.
Up front, Gasly is romping away from the field. The Frenchman enjoys a 4.7s lead on lap 10. Rowland appears comfortable in second, 2.4s clear of Steijn Schothorst.
Guilherme Silva has spun out of the race at Turn 10.
FR2.0 Eurocup - Moscow: After a slightly unruly start procedure, the opening race is underway.
Championship leader Pierre Gasly has extended a 3.6s lead over Oliver Rowland on lap four. Both drivers topped their qualifying groups.
Championship leader Pierre Gasly has extended a 3.6s lead over Oliver Rowland on lap four. Both drivers topped their qualifying groups.
Crash
Adam Morgan
BTCC - Croft: Adam Morgan and his car have returned from their crash at Clervaux.
"I just locked the brakes into the first corner," admitted Morgan. "I pumped the brakes but they wouldn't come off and we hit the barriers.
"Hopefully we'll be out for qualifying [this afternoon]."
Breaking news
BTCC - Croft: Barrier repairs are required after Morgan's crash, so the session has been frozen.
The drivers will get 15 more minutes after lunch.
The drivers will get 15 more minutes after lunch.
Superstars - Zolder: Thomas Biagi confirms to AUTOSPORT that the problem with his C63 is rear suspension-related. Something seemed to break as he ran over a kerb. The car will definitely be ready for qualifying.
Gianni Morbidelli has also had some problems. His Audi Sport Italia team are currently fiddling with the rear diff. It will either be fixed or replaced in time for qualifying.
Gianni Morbidelli has also had some problems. His Audi Sport Italia team are currently fiddling with the rear diff. It will either be fixed or replaced in time for qualifying.
Quote
BTCC - Croft: We're still waiting for the session to restart.
In the meantime, Rob Collard is enjoying his WSR BMW around here.
"The car's going very well this morning and I like the unpredictable conditions," he said.
"I hope it stays like this for the races."
In the meantime, Rob Collard is enjoying his WSR BMW around here.
"The car's going very well this morning and I like the unpredictable conditions," he said.
"I hope it stays like this for the races."
Red flag
BTCC - Croft: Another red flag, with Adam Morgan off at Clervaux.
At least this gives the track a chance to dry as the laps have been well off the dry times set this morning.
At least this gives the track a chance to dry as the laps have been well off the dry times set this morning.
BTCC - Croft: The rain seems set to prevent people going quicker than this morning's times. Rob Collard is fastest so far in his WSR BMW, but is almost four seconds slower than Andrew Jordan's FP1 best.
BTCC - Croft: James Cole will miss this session as his Team Hard squad continues to sort the engine on his Vauxhall Insignia.
Green flag
BTCC - Croft: Off we go for session two, just as rain has started to fall.
Luckily for both teams there is a decent gap between FP2 and qualifying. Still three and a half hours until qualifying starts.
BTCC - Croft: Free practice two is next up. Will Andrew Jordan's Eurotech Honda set the pace again?
Checkered flag
FR3.5 - Moscow - race one results:
1 Vandoorne; 2 da Costa; 3 Melker; 4 Stevens; 5 Buller; 6 Negrao; 7 Muller; 8 Stockinger; 9 Webb; 10 Sorensen.
Magnussen 11th.
1 Vandoorne; 2 da Costa; 3 Melker; 4 Stevens; 5 Buller; 6 Negrao; 7 Muller; 8 Stockinger; 9 Webb; 10 Sorensen.
Magnussen 11th.
Checkered flag
FR3.5 - Moscow: Stoffel Vandoorne has followed up pole position and fastest lap with a dominant victory. The Fortec racer finished 6.7s clear of Antonio Felix da Costa.
Third place was more closely contested, Nigel Melker fought off Will Stevens by 0.8s.
Will Buller took fifth place on his series debut, while Andre Negrao completed the top six.
Third place was more closely contested, Nigel Melker fought off Will Stevens by 0.8s.
Will Buller took fifth place on his series debut, while Andre Negrao completed the top six.
Breaking news
Superstars - Zolder: Here's a full recap of events from practice in Belgium this morning, as local star Laurens Vanthoor announced he will be a threat for victory on his debut.
Superstars practice report
Superstars practice report
Crash
FR3.5 - Moscow: A nasty crash has just occurred at Turn 9. Lucas Foresti has been pitched at high-speed upside down into the gravel after clashing wheels with Nikolay Martsenko. Both drivers exited their cars unaided.
FR3.5 - Moscow: Fourth-placed Will Stevens is the fastest driver in the top six, and is closing in on Nigel Melker for third.
BTCC - Croft: James Cole's Team Hard Vauxhall Insignia appears to be having some major engine work done ahead of second practice. The team has been frantically working around the TOCA unit, which has been taken out of the chassis.
It's been a tough first season in the BTCC for Cole, who has had a lack of testing and more than his fair share of bad luck already.
It's been a tough first season in the BTCC for Cole, who has had a lack of testing and more than his fair share of bad luck already.
WRC - Italy: A civilised midday break for the crews in Sardinia ahead of the final loop. The first of the deciding four stages is off at 14.25 local time (13.25 BST, 12.25 GMT)
FR3.5 - Moscow: Lap 11, leader Vandoorne is the only man lapping in the 1m22s. The Belgian's lead has extended to 2.946s over da Costa.
The battle for fifth, held by Will Buller who is under threat from Andre Negrao, is the closest among the lead group.
The battle for fifth, held by Will Buller who is under threat from Andre Negrao, is the closest among the lead group.
Superstars - Zolder: The handicap weights for Zolder are as follows:
Berton +40kg
Biagi +40kg
Liuzzi +30kg
Morbidelli +10kg
The good news for Morbidelli (and Vanthoor) is that Audi has been given a break in terms of balance of performance. The RS5 is now 20kg lighter, and doesn't have to run its 35mm restrictor.
Berton +40kg
Biagi +40kg
Liuzzi +30kg
Morbidelli +10kg
The good news for Morbidelli (and Vanthoor) is that Audi has been given a break in terms of balance of performance. The RS5 is now 20kg lighter, and doesn't have to run its 35mm restrictor.
Quote
Jake Hill
BTCC - Croft: Jake Hill is confident he can challenge for Jack Sears Trophy victory on his BTCC debut, driving the Motorbase Ford Focus normally raced by Liam Griffin.
"I'm really comfortable," he told AUTOSPORT after topping the S2000 runners in first practice. "I know the the team really well and it's nice to be back at the top of something.
"I got used to the car really quickly and we're absolutely going for class wins."
FR3.5 - Moscow: Will Stevens has passed Will Buller for fourth place, after lunging down the inside of the Zeta Corse driver at the last corner on lap seven.
FR3.5 - Moscow: Oliver Webb was the driver who lost out at the start, dropping from fifth to ninth.
Green flag
FR3.5 - Moscow: The top three are already spaced out at the completion of the opening lap. Poleman Vandoorne leads Antonio Felix da Costa by 1.4s, with Nigel Melker 3.9s adrift in third.
Sergey Sirotkin stalled at the end of the formation lap and was pushed off the grid.
Sergey Sirotkin stalled at the end of the formation lap and was pushed off the grid.
Checkered flag
Superstars - Zolder - Free practice two: Tonio Liuzzi goes fastest in FP2 here at Zolder. He finished half a second clear of Laurens Vanthoor, who is shaping up to be a real surprise package on debut.
1 Liuzzi; 2 Vanthoor; 3 Sini; 4 Giammaria; 5 N Larini; 6 Kuppens; 7 Morbidelli; 8 Giovanardi; 9 Mugelli; 10 Bacci.
1 Liuzzi; 2 Vanthoor; 3 Sini; 4 Giammaria; 5 N Larini; 6 Kuppens; 7 Morbidelli; 8 Giovanardi; 9 Mugelli; 10 Bacci.
FR3.5 - Moscow: DAMS general manager Francois Sicard has said he felt the two penalties for blocking handed to the team's championship leader Kevin Magnussen in Saturday morning's qualifying session were "too harsh".
"As soon as Kevin got back to the pits he said he'd had a problem with Antonio," said Sicard. "It was completely unintentional, but he didn't have time to get out of the way. For sure he impeded Antonio, he tried to get out of the way but it was too late. Regarding Huertas, he didn’t see anything, so Kevin is very annoyed.
"If we were penalised once we would have been P9, now we're P17. Kevin always says whenever he has done a mistake, he's very honest, and he has never been involved in bad standards of driving on the track this year, so we think two penalties is harsh."
"As soon as Kevin got back to the pits he said he'd had a problem with Antonio," said Sicard. "It was completely unintentional, but he didn't have time to get out of the way. For sure he impeded Antonio, he tried to get out of the way but it was too late. Regarding Huertas, he didn’t see anything, so Kevin is very annoyed.
"If we were penalised once we would have been P9, now we're P17. Kevin always says whenever he has done a mistake, he's very honest, and he has never been involved in bad standards of driving on the track this year, so we think two penalties is harsh."
Andrew Jordan
BTCC - Croft: Andrew Jordan was fastest in free practice a little earlier today.
This is what his Eurotech Honda looked like to you if you were just waking up from sleeping in the woods and wondered what the noise was.
A reminder that while Race Centre Live focuses on everywhere except Le Mans, our sister service Le Mans Live will be up and running for all the build-up and all 24 hours of race action on sportscar racing's biggest day of the year.
FR3.5 - Moscow: We're not far away from the start of the first Formula Renault 3.5 race of the weekend at Moscow Raceway.
Championship contenders Stoffel Vandoorne and Antonio Felix da Costa share the front row, and the man they're chasing in the points - Kevin Magnussen - is way back in 17th after being penalised for blocking da Costa and Carlos Huertas.
In other intrigue, what can Formula 3 graduate Will Buller do from fourth on the grid on his debut. Buller is the latest occupant of what is turning out to be Zeta Corse's 'star car'.
Championship contenders Stoffel Vandoorne and Antonio Felix da Costa share the front row, and the man they're chasing in the points - Kevin Magnussen - is way back in 17th after being penalised for blocking da Costa and Carlos Huertas.
In other intrigue, what can Formula 3 graduate Will Buller do from fourth on the grid on his debut. Buller is the latest occupant of what is turning out to be Zeta Corse's 'star car'.
Elfyn Evans
WRC - Italy: The closest battle in the top 10 when the final loop starts will be the fight for seventh between Michal Kosciuszko and Elfyn Evans.
For Kosciuszko, the chance to show what he can do following his frustrating stint in the Motorsport Italia Mini is welcome, but a lot of fans - particularly in Wales - would love to see WRC Academy champion Evans, son of the legendary Gwyndaf, as high as seventh on his top-class debut.
There is just six seconds between Kosciuszko and Evans with four stages to go, and they've been inseparable all weekend.
Green flag
Superstars - Zolder: Free practice two is now underway at Zolder.
BTCC - Croft: It turns out the red flag in free practice one was to retrieve Sam Tordoff's driveshaft from Tower! Not the best start to his weekend...
Checkered flag
BTCC - Croft - free practice one results:
1 Jordan; 2 Plato; 3 Turkington; 4 Onslow-Cole; 5 Collard; 6 Shedden; 7 Neal; 8 Wrathall; 9 Newsham; 10 Tordoff.
1 Jordan; 2 Plato; 3 Turkington; 4 Onslow-Cole; 5 Collard; 6 Shedden; 7 Neal; 8 Wrathall; 9 Newsham; 10 Tordoff.
Superstars - Zolder: Just 10 minutes until free practice two here at Zolder. Track is dry, despite some dark clouds hanging around.
Series debutant Laurens Vanthoor was quickest in FP1 for Audi Sport Italia. The result was a lot to do with local knowledge; as the team's PR man put it, he can see the track from his breakfast table. In other words, he grew up very close to the circuit.
Series debutant Laurens Vanthoor was quickest in FP1 for Audi Sport Italia. The result was a lot to do with local knowledge; as the team's PR man put it, he can see the track from his breakfast table. In other words, he grew up very close to the circuit.
Checkered flag
WRC - Italy - SS12 results:
Stage: 1 Latvala; 2 Ogier +2.1s; 3 Mikkelsen +5.7s; 4 Sordo +7.6s; 5 Neuville +17.6s; 6 Prokop +29.3s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Neuville +1m15.9s; 3 Latvala +1m51.4s; 4 Sordo +2m12.2s; 5 Mikkelsen +2m32.1s; 6 Prokop +6m56.0s.
Stage: 1 Latvala; 2 Ogier +2.1s; 3 Mikkelsen +5.7s; 4 Sordo +7.6s; 5 Neuville +17.6s; 6 Prokop +29.3s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Neuville +1m15.9s; 3 Latvala +1m51.4s; 4 Sordo +2m12.2s; 5 Mikkelsen +2m32.1s; 6 Prokop +6m56.0s.
BTCC - Croft: First practice is over, and it's Andrew Jordan fastest from Jason Plato, Colin Turkington and Tom Onslow-Cole.
Jake Hill impressively tops S2000 on his debut.
Jake Hill impressively tops S2000 on his debut.
By: Matt Beer, David Evans, Peter Mills, Jamie O'Leary, Glenn Freeman, Andrew van Leeuwen, Kevin Turner, Mark Glendenning
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