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Auto GP - Brno: "I think a bolt sheared on the wing," said Karthikeyan, who was disqualified from second position this afternoon.
"I could feel the wing working loose from about lap three, so although I was very close to Dracone, I don't think we actually made contact."
The Indian, who has won five races in five meetings since joining Super Nova, is targeting an IndyCar deal for 2014.
"I could feel the wing working loose from about lap three, so although I was very close to Dracone, I don't think we actually made contact."
The Indian, who has won five races in five meetings since joining Super Nova, is targeting an IndyCar deal for 2014.
Auto GP - Brno: Narain Karthikeyan has revealed his deranged front wing in the final race of the season was caused by a failure rather than contact with Francesco Dracone as his team Super Nova initially believed.
Auto GP - Brno: Ghinzani Motorsport has identified an electronic failure as the cause of Robert Visoiu's non-finish in this afternoon's race.
Visoiu was the race's only retirement, after parking off the road at Turn 1 on lap eight.
Visoiu was the race's only retirement, after parking off the road at Turn 1 on lap eight.
AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live will take a break now before the American races later today.
We'll be back for IndyCar race two from Houston and the NASCAR Sprint Cup from Kansas Speedway from 6.30pm BST.
We'll be back for IndyCar race two from Houston and the NASCAR Sprint Cup from Kansas Speedway from 6.30pm BST.
IndyCar - Houston: Update from IndyCar: Qualifying has been abandoned, and the grid will be set by entrant points. This means that your pole-sitter is ... Scott Dixon. The Kiwi's weekend is getting better and better.
IndyCar - Houston: A bit of news trickling out from the AJ Foyt camp about Takuma Sato, who has been carrying a wrist injury for most of the season. It seems that he further aggravated it yesterday, but intends to drive today anyway.
It's probably a bit of good fortune that Conor Daly is here in case they need a back-up. Daly made a cameo in this weekend's Lights race, and drove a second Foyt car at Indy this year.
It's probably a bit of good fortune that Conor Daly is here in case they need a back-up. Daly made a cameo in this weekend's Lights race, and drove a second Foyt car at Indy this year.
IndyCar - Houston: Despite the risk of having to spend the rest of the day in wet jeans, AUTOSPORT has just ventured outside to check the conditions - we don't have any windows in the media centre - and the rain is now only light. We suspect the problem is standing water rather than the rain itself.
On the TV screens, we're seeing images of race director Beaux Barfield wandering around pitlane with a soaked shirt and no jacket or umbrella. He's a Houston local, so you'd think he'd have known better.
On the TV screens, we're seeing images of race director Beaux Barfield wandering around pitlane with a soaked shirt and no jacket or umbrella. He's a Houston local, so you'd think he'd have known better.
IndyCar - Houston: IndyCar has just announced that qualifying is on an 'indefinite hold' due to weather.
IndyCar - Houston: As with yesterday, the field will be split into two groups for qualifying. Whenever the session gets underway, this will be the line-up for group one:
EJ Viso, James Hinchcliffe, Ed Carpenter, Mike Conway, Sebastian Saavedra, Takuma Sato, Scott Dixon, Charlie Kimball, Tony Kanaan, Graham Rahal, James Jakes, Simon Pagenaud.
EJ Viso, James Hinchcliffe, Ed Carpenter, Mike Conway, Sebastian Saavedra, Takuma Sato, Scott Dixon, Charlie Kimball, Tony Kanaan, Graham Rahal, James Jakes, Simon Pagenaud.
IndyCar - Houston: We should also mention that the series has confirmed that today's race will feature a standing start. We weren't expecting anything different, but there you go.
A couple of course cars have just left pitlane, presumably to assess the amount of standing water.
A couple of course cars have just left pitlane, presumably to assess the amount of standing water.
Rain
IndyCar - Houston: Houston is weird. The whole weekend up to this point has been about a million degrees, humid, and without a hint of a breeze. Today, it's cold, windy, and there are hilariously ominous storm clouds moving across the circuit. They look like bad CGI.
It has just started raining heavily in the last few minutes, too. As we wait for qualifying to start, the scene from pitlane is mostly one of umbrellas and rain tyres.
It has just started raining heavily in the last few minutes, too. As we wait for qualifying to start, the scene from pitlane is mostly one of umbrellas and rain tyres.
Breaking news
Auto GP - Brno: Super Nova team manager John Sears clarifies what happened to Narain Karthikeyan on the last lap, as the Indian was absent from the podium after finishing second on the road.
"Apparently he had a black and orange flag because of his damaged front wing," said Sears. "But our screens weren't working well and we had to leave him out for him to stand a chance of taking the title."
In the revised results champion Vittorio Ghirelli is promoted to third and Campana is second.
"Apparently he had a black and orange flag because of his damaged front wing," said Sears. "But our screens weren't working well and we had to leave him out for him to stand a chance of taking the title."
In the revised results champion Vittorio Ghirelli is promoted to third and Campana is second.
Still to come on AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live... another IndyCar qualifying session from Houston in about a quarter of an hour...
Trophy
WRC - France: Sure enough, Chardonnet takes second place and with that becomes WRC 3 champion.
"At the moment it's like I don't realise it, but it's a really, really good thing," he says.
So Ogier is WRC champion, Chardonnet is WRC 3 champion, Pontus Tidemand is Junior WRC champion. Just the Kubica/Al-Kuwari battle in WRC 2 to resolve now.
"At the moment it's like I don't realise it, but it's a really, really good thing," he says.
So Ogier is WRC champion, Chardonnet is WRC 3 champion, Pontus Tidemand is Junior WRC champion. Just the Kubica/Al-Kuwari battle in WRC 2 to resolve now.
WRC - France: Speaking of champions called Sebastien (as we were in France, we know Ghirelli's name is Vittorio), it's WRC 3 time now.
Quentin Gilbert takes the rally win, is Sebastien Chardonnet about to get the title?
Quentin Gilbert takes the rally win, is Sebastien Chardonnet about to get the title?
Auto GP - Brno: Provisional championship points after round eight of eight:
1 Ghirelli, 220; 2 Sato, 213; 3 Karthikeyan, 210; 4 Campana, 194; 5, Kiss, 97.
1 Ghirelli, 220; 2 Sato, 213; 3 Karthikeyan, 210; 4 Campana, 194; 5, Kiss, 97.
Checkered flag
Auto GP - Brno: Result of race two: 1 Sato; 2 Karthikeyan, +12.5s; 3 Campana, +15.6s; 4 Ghirelli, +21.6s [2013 AUTO GP CHAMPION]; 5 Roda, +22.6s; 6 Kiss, +25.3s.
Trophy
WRC - France: Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia clinch victory in France.
They jump onto the top of their VW and start spraying champagne.
Rather a lot of Loeb banners on the Haguenau town hall behind them...
They jump onto the top of their VW and start spraying champagne.
Rather a lot of Loeb banners on the Haguenau town hall behind them...
Trophy
Auto GP - Brno: Sato takes a dominant victory, but it is not enough to prevent Ghirelli, in fourth, from winning the 2013 Auto GP drivers' championship.
Auto GP - Brno: The mandatory stops are complete. Sato starts his last lap 10s clear of Narain Karthikeyan. Will the Indian's front-wing survive?
Karthikeyan has a 5s cushion over Campana.
Karthikeyan has a 5s cushion over Campana.
Stopwatch
WRC - France: Neuville pushes to the very end, going three seconds faster than anyone else so far through Haguenau.
As he said before the stage start: "We showed this weekend that we could win this rally. I went 10 centimetres too wide and because of that I lost."
As he said before the stage start: "We showed this weekend that we could win this rally. I went 10 centimetres too wide and because of that I lost."
Auto GP - Brno: Fourth-placed Dracone, who has not stopped, is being very uncooperative and holding up Vittorio Ghirelli.
Auto GP - Brno: Campana pits, handing the lead to Sato's Euronova team-mate Kuroda - who has not stopped. Sato should move up to second.
Auto GP - Brno: Campana leads Kuroda by 17.6s on lap 11 of 16.
Drama for fifh-placed Narain Karthikeyan who is sporting a damaged front wing, shortly after setting fastest lap.
Drama for fifh-placed Narain Karthikeyan who is sporting a damaged front wing, shortly after setting fastest lap.
WRC - France: Brake problems are still making Ostberg frown on this last short blast around the streets.
WRC - France: Hirvonen is fastest of the cars through this final stage so far, 2.2s up on Mikkelsen.
Auto GP - Brno: Ghirelli made his mandatory stop on lap six, rejoining behind team-mate Karthikeyan.
Euronova Racing brought race leader Sato in on the following lap. There was no obvious sign of delay in any of the stops.
Euronova Racing brought race leader Sato in on the following lap. There was no obvious sign of delay in any of the stops.
Auto GP - Brno: Karthikeyan in fifth has been losing over a second a lap to leader Sato while stuck in traffic.
The Indian has just come in for his mandatory pitstop and changed his front set of Kumhos.
The Indian has just come in for his mandatory pitstop and changed his front set of Kumhos.
Trophy
WRC - France: Robert Kubica finishes the stage and clinches his fourth WRC 2 win of the year.
That puts him back ahead of Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari by seven points.
They both have one rally left on their schedules each, Kubica in Spain and Al-Kuwari in Wales. So Kubica could wrap it up in three weeks' time.
That puts him back ahead of Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari by seven points.
They both have one rally left on their schedules each, Kubica in Spain and Al-Kuwari in Wales. So Kubica could wrap it up in three weeks' time.
Auto GP - Brno: Sato leads Sergio Campana by 0.6s on lap three. The top two are miles clear of third place Andrea Roda.
If the race finished in this order Sato would fall one point short of Vittorio Ghirelli in the title race. Ghirelli is eighth, two places behind Karthikeyan.
If the race finished in this order Sato would fall one point short of Vittorio Ghirelli in the title race. Ghirelli is eighth, two places behind Karthikeyan.
WRC - France: Audi Le Mans star Romain Dumas finishes the rally in what should be 10th place.
The particularly lovely thing about that is it's his popular co-driver Denis Giraudet's first rally back in the WRC since his nasty back injury while working with Novikov last summer.
The particularly lovely thing about that is it's his popular co-driver Denis Giraudet's first rally back in the WRC since his nasty back injury while working with Novikov last summer.
WRC - France: While the drivers at the foot of the top 10 come through the stage, the big screens are showing a montage of Sebastien Loeb's epic career.
Lights out
Auto GP - Brno: Polesitter Roberto La Rocca has bogged down away from the line. Andrea Roda led into Turn 1, but championship outsider Kimiya Sato has grabbed the lead midway around the opening lap.
Quote
Auto GP - Brno: The field has set off for the formation lap.
On the grid, Super Nova boss David Sears predicted fireworks from his driver Narain Karthikeyan, who really needs to win in order to stand a realistic chance of overhauling team-mate Vittorio Ghirelli's championship lead.
"Narain is really fired up," said Sears. "But there are other drivers around him also on new tyres, so it's going to be an interesting race."
On the grid, Super Nova boss David Sears predicted fireworks from his driver Narain Karthikeyan, who really needs to win in order to stand a realistic chance of overhauling team-mate Vittorio Ghirelli's championship lead.
"Narain is really fired up," said Sears. "But there are other drivers around him also on new tyres, so it's going to be an interesting race."
Twitter
WRC - France: Our rally leader Ogier takes time to tweet as he lines up for the final stage:
"Now we must avoid pavements in Haguenau & pass the finish line. We must stay on race mood, it’s never finished before the finish line"
"Now we must avoid pavements in Haguenau & pass the finish line. We must stay on race mood, it’s never finished before the finish line"
WRC - France: Ogier is third fastest as Latvala gets the stage win, so that means the VW man's rally lead is now 12 seconds going into the Haguenau finale in a couple of minutes.
Job done for Ogier? AUTOSPORT reckons so.
Job done for Ogier? AUTOSPORT reckons so.
WRC - France: Sordo is 3.2s slower than Latvala. That doesn't sound like a time that's going to make Ogier tremble.
"With Ogier, it's difficult," Sordo said. "I don't like this stage with big stones everywhere and a bit of understeer."
"With Ogier, it's difficult," Sordo said. "I don't like this stage with big stones everywhere and a bit of understeer."
Stopwatch
WRC - France: Now Latvala comes through a second faster than Neuville.
First splits for Ogier and Sordo suggest Ogier is rebuilding his lead again.
First splits for Ogier and Sordo suggest Ogier is rebuilding his lead again.
Stopwatch
WRC - France: Novikov is slower than Mikkelsen too, but Neuville is 3.3s quicker to take over at the top of the stage standings.
WRC - France: Mikko Hirvonen and Mads Ostberg are both slower than Mikkelsen so far.
By: Scott Mitchell, Sam Tremayne, David Evans, Matt Beer, Peter Mills, Jamie O'Leary, Mark Glendenning, Dan Cross, Pablo Elizalde
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