WRC Finland, Moscow DTM, Argentina WTCC
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WTCC - Argentina: We're around 10 minutes away from this morning's warm-up at the Rio Hondo circuit.
Thankfully, we'll have a grid decided by qualifying rather than the stewards - yesterday's finish to Q2, which we said had echoes of the Salzburgring farce, was indeed investigated by officials. This time however drivers got away with a stern talking to - no repeat of the mass grid changes then.
Thankfully, we'll have a grid decided by qualifying rather than the stewards - yesterday's finish to Q2, which we said had echoes of the Salzburgring farce, was indeed investigated by officials. This time however drivers got away with a stern talking to - no repeat of the mass grid changes then.
DTM - Moscow: Molina looks like he's out. His car is in the garage and the team is looking at his front suspension.
DTM - Moscow: Spengler is in on the following lap for the option rubber and is now 21st. He'll climb up before the end, we suspect.
DTM - Moscow: Molina is straight into the pits for tyres (a slow lap could have been due to a puncture) while Spengler has dropped to 15th.
With the pit window opening on the same lap, Green, Paffett, Albuquerque, Hand, Scheider and Molina all pit.
With the pit window opening on the same lap, Green, Paffett, Albuquerque, Hand, Scheider and Molina all pit.
Crash
DTM - Moscow: Contact between Spengler and Molina at Turn 1! Spengler spins, having been tagged by the Spaniard.
Spengler had alread been demoted to eighth by Paffett and Tambay. He was ever so slightly wide as Werner passed him at Turn 1. The gap invited Molina through, and the contact followed.
Spengler had alread been demoted to eighth by Paffett and Tambay. He was ever so slightly wide as Werner passed him at Turn 1. The gap invited Molina through, and the contact followed.
BTCC - Snetterton: Less than three tenths of a second to choose between Shedden and Turkington across the line, while second to fifth (Plato through to Jordan) were covered by just 1.8s.
The quartet's late battle allowed Tordoff to slip away slightly - his winning margin was 2.5s at the flag.
The quartet's late battle allowed Tordoff to slip away slightly - his winning margin was 2.5s at the flag.
BTCC - Snetterton - Race 1:
1 Tordoff; 2 Plato; 3 Shedden; 4 Turkington; 5 Jordan; 6 Smith; 7 Morgan; 8 Jackson; 9 Neal; 10 Collard.
1 Tordoff; 2 Plato; 3 Shedden; 4 Turkington; 5 Jordan; 6 Smith; 7 Morgan; 8 Jackson; 9 Neal; 10 Collard.
DTM - Moscow: End of lap 1: 1 Rockenfeller; 2 Ekstrom; 3 Farfus: 4 Green; 5 Spengler; 6 Werner.
Trophy
BTCC - Snetterton: Tordoff has it. A maiden BTCC victory for the 24-year-old, who heads a MG one-two as Plato resists heavy pressure to clinch second.
Shedden will complete the race one podium, with Turkington missing out by the narrowest of margins.
Shedden will complete the race one podium, with Turkington missing out by the narrowest of margins.
Lights out
DTM - Moscow: We're underway and immediatley Green passes Spengler for fourth as Rockenfeller leads Ekstrom and Farfus into Turn 1.
BTCC - Snetterton: The field heads onto the final lap, with Tordoff leading by around three seconds and Plato holding off Shedden and Turkington in the battle for second.
BTCC - Snetterton: Neal runs wide at Williams and Jackson powers by into eighth.
DTM - Moscow: Start is five minutes away. Rockenfeller on pole from Ekstrom.
BTCC - Snetterton: So, with Tordoff out front, we have three champions battling for second - Plato, Shedden and Turkington. Jordan is a lonely fifth and Aron Smith has Adam Morgan as a shadow in the battle for sixth.
With problems for Griffin and Kaye, Lea Wood's S2000 position is even stronger.
With problems for Griffin and Kaye, Lea Wood's S2000 position is even stronger.
BTCC - Snetterton: Colin Turkington's WSR BMW, running the soft tyre, is now edging towards the Plato-Shedden battle for second.
BTCC - Snetterton: Shedden is now pressing Plato for second, but Tordoff looks like he is heading for his first BTCC victory...
Matt Neal BTCC 2013
BTCC - Snetterton: Neal dives by Goff into Montreal, so that is 8th now for the points leader. Tordoff is now 1.6s ahead of Plato at the front.
BTCC - Snetterton: Most of the frontrunners are gradually spreading out, but Matt Neal has made it to 9th and is pressing Jack Goff's Vauxhall Insignia.
BTCC - Snetterton: A new fastest lap for Tordoff and he now has a lead of 1.3s over Plato. Shedden is still third, then a small gap back to Turkington.
Lea Wood leads the S2000 class.
Lea Wood leads the S2000 class.
BTCC - Snetterton: Wrathall pulls off - a shocking weekend so far for him.
BTCC - Snetterton: Bratt inevitably pits. Shedden sets the fastest lap, so maybe he can take the fight to the MGs.
BTCC - Snetterton: Bratt's bonnet has come loose and is up on the windscreen - he won't be able to see much like that!
BTCC - Snetterton: Welch spins off as Tordoff leads Plato and Shedden.
Turkington has jumped to fourth, while Jordan and Aron Smith have already changed places twice.
Turkington has jumped to fourth, while Jordan and Aron Smith have already changed places twice.
Lights out
BTCC - Snetterton: And Tordoff makes a good start to lead.
BTCC - Snetterton: We reckon the cars starting on the soft Dunlop tyres are the three WSR BMWs, Rob Austin's Audi, Dan Welch (Proton), Robb Holland (Insignia) and Andy Neate (Cruze).
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BTCC - Snetterton: Further back, we have new cars for Andy Neate (Chevrolet Cruze starting 23rd) and Warren Scott (VW Passat starting 27th). Both are just aiming to put mileage on their cars today.
"We're treating the races as testing," said Scott, who has suffered a number of new-car glitches this weekend. "The car feels great."
"We're treating the races as testing," said Scott, who has suffered a number of new-car glitches this weekend. "The car feels great."
BTCC 2013
BTCC - Snetterton: Race wins this season have so far have been shared between usual suspects Matt Neal, Jason Plato and champion Gordon Shedden, plus rising star Andrew Jordan and returning ex-champ Colin Turkington in WSR's new BMW.
That could change today however, after Sam Tordoff captured his maiden pole position. Plato and Shedden were next up, but points leader Neal could only manage 11th.
Championship standings after 15 of 30 rounds:
1 Matt Neal 224
2 Andrew Jordan 205
3 Jason Plato 188
4 Gordon Shedden 188
5 Colin Turkington 184
6 Sam Tordoff 148
(20 points for a win)
Full season statistics on FORIX
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BTCC - Snetterton: We've got Sam Tordoff starting from his first pole, with team-mate Jason Plato just behind.
MG/Triple Eight team boss Ian Harrison confirmed to AUTOSPORT this morning that there are no team orders, other than 'don't hit each other'.
"They know what's expected of them," he said.
Sam and Jason, you have been warned!
MG/Triple Eight team boss Ian Harrison confirmed to AUTOSPORT this morning that there are no team orders, other than 'don't hit each other'.
"They know what's expected of them," he said.
Sam and Jason, you have been warned!
Good morning and welcome back to AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live. We've a plethora of action today, stretching all the way from Moscow to Argentina, and encompassing everything from IndyCar to rallycross.
First up though is Norfolk, and the opening race of this weekend's BTCC triple-header at Snetterton, which comes up at 1200 BST/1100 GMT.
First up though is Norfolk, and the opening race of this weekend's BTCC triple-header at Snetterton, which comes up at 1200 BST/1100 GMT.
DTM - Moscow: The race is due underway at 12:30 UK time (13:30 CET).
DTM 2013
DTM - Moscow: There's a new rule in place for today's race; so new, in fact, that it's only been published this morning.
Should the race be stopped beyond 75 per cent distance (and therefore have a result declared), any driver that has not completed their mandatory pitstops will have the average vector added to their race time for each remaining stop.
At Moscow Raceway the vector is 29 seconds, so if you're unlucky enough to be leading without having stopped at all, that will be a 58-second penalty effectively.
DTM: Moscow It's raceday at Moscow Raceway. And after yesterday's bizarre Vladimir Putin-influenced stoppage to qualifying, we could do with a seamless train of events.
Points leader Mike Rockenfeller starts from pole based on Q3 times with fellow Audi man Mattias Ekstrom alongside him.
Champion Bruno Spengler starts fourth in his BMW.
Championship standings after 5 of 10 rounds:
1 Mike Rockenfeller: 69
2 Bruno Spengler: 67
3 Christian Vietoris: 55
4 Gary Paffett: 47
5 Robert Wickens: 45
6 Augusto Farfus: 33
(25 points for a win)
Full season statistics on FORIX
Points leader Mike Rockenfeller starts from pole based on Q3 times with fellow Audi man Mattias Ekstrom alongside him.
Champion Bruno Spengler starts fourth in his BMW.
Championship standings after 5 of 10 rounds:
1 Mike Rockenfeller: 69
2 Bruno Spengler: 67
3 Christian Vietoris: 55
4 Gary Paffett: 47
5 Robert Wickens: 45
6 Augusto Farfus: 33
(25 points for a win)
Full season statistics on FORIX
That's the end of AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live for Saturday August 3.
European motorsport has a slight lie-in tomorrow so we'll be back around 11am GMT/midday BST for another packed day, featuring the BTCC from Snetterton, the DTM and WTCC's first ever races at Moscow and Rio Hondo respectively, Mid-Ohio IndyCar, Pocono NASCAR Sprint Cup, plus recaps of the Nationwide and Truck Series races from today and X Games' first taste of Gymkhana Grid.
European motorsport has a slight lie-in tomorrow so we'll be back around 11am GMT/midday BST for another packed day, featuring the BTCC from Snetterton, the DTM and WTCC's first ever races at Moscow and Rio Hondo respectively, Mid-Ohio IndyCar, Pocono NASCAR Sprint Cup, plus recaps of the Nationwide and Truck Series races from today and X Games' first taste of Gymkhana Grid.
Breaking news
WTCC - Rio Hondo: So far no one has mastered the WTCC's new venue in Argentina anywhere near as well as Yvan Muller...
Rio Hondo WTCC qualifying report
Rio Hondo WTCC qualifying report
Breaking news
Ryan Hunter-Reay
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: Nothing to choose between IndyCar's big guns in the pole fight, with an Andretti/Penske/Ganassi top three.
Mid-Ohio IndyCar qualifying report
WTCC - Argentina - Qualifying:
1 Muller; 2 Chilton; 3 Michelisz; 4 Tarquini; 5 Oriola; 6 MacDowall; 7 Monteiro; 8 Nash; 9 Nykjaer; 10 Lopez; 11 Valente; 12 Thompson.
1 Muller; 2 Chilton; 3 Michelisz; 4 Tarquini; 5 Oriola; 6 MacDowall; 7 Monteiro; 8 Nash; 9 Nykjaer; 10 Lopez; 11 Valente; 12 Thompson.
Stopwatch
WTCC - Argentina: There were indeed improvements, but no change right at the top - Muller makes absolutely sure he's on pole with a brilliant 1m47.920s.
Chilton snatches second, but is 0.503s down, while Michelisz and Tarquini are the only other men within one second of Muller.
Lopez meanwhile does indeed secure 10th, and with it pole for what will be only his second WTCC race.
Chilton snatches second, but is 0.503s down, while Michelisz and Tarquini are the only other men within one second of Muller.
Lopez meanwhile does indeed secure 10th, and with it pole for what will be only his second WTCC race.
WRC - Finland: All the WRC series were in action in Finland, and with some very decent rising stars (one rather famous) among them, it's worth us recapping how the ladder championships stand too.
Finn Andreas Amberg took his first Junior WRC win today, but second place for Pontus Tidemand strengthens his grip on the championship.
Tidemand is well worth watching: he has the same management as Andreas Mikkelsen (and Mikkelsen's old co-driver Ola Floene), is Henning Solberg's stepson and ran in the top six on his World Rally Car debut in Sweden this year before an engine failure.
If he hangs on and wins the Junior title, he'll earn a 2014 WRC2 campaign in a Ford Fiesta R5.
Championship standings after three of six rounds:
1 Pontus Tidemand 77
2 Jose Suarez 48
3 Sander Parn 43
4 Andreas Amberg 42
5 Yeray Lemes 31
6 Martin Koci 24
(25 points for a win)
Finn Andreas Amberg took his first Junior WRC win today, but second place for Pontus Tidemand strengthens his grip on the championship.
Tidemand is well worth watching: he has the same management as Andreas Mikkelsen (and Mikkelsen's old co-driver Ola Floene), is Henning Solberg's stepson and ran in the top six on his World Rally Car debut in Sweden this year before an engine failure.
If he hangs on and wins the Junior title, he'll earn a 2014 WRC2 campaign in a Ford Fiesta R5.
Championship standings after three of six rounds:
1 Pontus Tidemand 77
2 Jose Suarez 48
3 Sander Parn 43
4 Andreas Amberg 42
5 Yeray Lemes 31
6 Martin Koci 24
(25 points for a win)
Checkered flag
WTCC - Argentina: Chequered flag, but there's still time for things to change as Chilton goes purple in sector one.
WTCC - Argentina: Oriola, the RML and Bamboo Chevrolets and the two works Hondas are all running in tight formation fighting for the perfect tow. Shades of the Salzburgring as Lopez comes round the outside and passes seven cars in one swoop.
By: Scott Mitchell, David Evans, Mark Glendenning, Sam Tremayne, Matt Beer, Jamie O'Leary, Kevin Turner
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