WRC Poland, Assen MotoGP, Norisring DTM and more
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DTM - Norisring: Robert Wickens, who was second fastest in practice this morning, gave a few insights into being quick around the Norisring during yesterday's press conference.
"The length of the lap makes it tough. It's a short lap, there's only four corners, and every driver in the DTM is capable of driving four corners very well.
"The biggest competition is the fact that you're fighting for thousandths of a second, and every small mistake will make that difference. Even in the braking zones, you need to brake as late as possible, and with the bumps on the street circuit sometimes you get unlucky and hit a bump wrong, and suddenly you've missed the apex and lost the tenth that you needed."
"The length of the lap makes it tough. It's a short lap, there's only four corners, and every driver in the DTM is capable of driving four corners very well.
"The biggest competition is the fact that you're fighting for thousandths of a second, and every small mistake will make that difference. Even in the braking zones, you need to brake as late as possible, and with the bumps on the street circuit sometimes you get unlucky and hit a bump wrong, and suddenly you've missed the apex and lost the tenth that you needed."
WRC - Poland: We're about 10 minutes away from the third of the morning's four stages. Babki is 15.76km long and is used twice today.
This is a long one for the WRC crews, with pretty constant action until the superspecial at 10pm local time tonight.
Andersson's definitely going to be resenting his early wake-up call by then.
This is a long one for the WRC crews, with pretty constant action until the superspecial at 10pm local time tonight.
Andersson's definitely going to be resenting his early wake-up call by then.
WRC - Poland: Mads Ostberg's co-driver Jonas Andersson was up earlier than expected this morning after the Swede forgot to change his phone back from Lithuanian time.
The WRC passed from Central European to Easter European time yesterday and his iPhone did the decent thing and added the hour (even though the rally remained on CEST).
Unfortunately, Apple's finest didn't change back when the Citroen re-crossed the border back to Poland. The upshot was, Andersson's alarm went off an hour earlier (5am instead of 6am) this morning.
Did that contribute to Ostberg and Andersson winning the last stage?
The WRC passed from Central European to Easter European time yesterday and his iPhone did the decent thing and added the hour (even though the rally remained on CEST).
Unfortunately, Apple's finest didn't change back when the Citroen re-crossed the border back to Poland. The upshot was, Andersson's alarm went off an hour earlier (5am instead of 6am) this morning.
Did that contribute to Ostberg and Andersson winning the last stage?
Checkered flag
Auto GP - Imola: Markus Pommer (1m31.401s) takes his third pole position of the season and further reduces the points gap from nine to seven points to Kimiya Sato (1m31.871s). The Japanese racer lines up alongside Pommer on the front row.
FULL GRID
1. Markus Pommer
2. Kimiya Sato
3. Pal Varhaug
4. Kevin Giovesi
5. Andrea Roda
6. Tamas Pal Kiss
7. Michela Cerruti
8. Christof von Grunigen
9. Vittorio Ghirelli
10. Francesco Dracone
11. Michele La Rosa
12. Giuseppe Cipriani
13. Salvatore De Plano
FULL GRID
1. Markus Pommer
2. Kimiya Sato
3. Pal Varhaug
4. Kevin Giovesi
5. Andrea Roda
6. Tamas Pal Kiss
7. Michela Cerruti
8. Christof von Grunigen
9. Vittorio Ghirelli
10. Francesco Dracone
11. Michele La Rosa
12. Giuseppe Cipriani
13. Salvatore De Plano
Service area
WRC - Poland: This picture was taken shortly before 7am this morning and already the crowds are gathering outside Robert Kubica's service area.
The schools broke up in Poland last night, and the organisers are bracing themselves for a massive influx of fans through today and tomorrow.
Checkered flag
MotoGP - Assen - warm-up results: 1 Marquez; 2 Lorenzo; 3 P Espargaro; 4 A Espargaro; 5 Rossi; 6 Pedrosa; 7 Dovizioso; 8 Bradl; 9 Iannone; 10 Smith.
Crash
MotoGP - Assen: We're just watching a slow-motion replay of Marquez's crash, and he spent a long time with his shoulder on the ground trying to balance the Honda back up again before eventually falling properly.
That would have been an incredible save if it had worked.
(Though not quite as incredible as Niklas Ajo's save on the last lap of the Barcelona Moto3 race - that was insane.)
That would have been an incredible save if it had worked.
(Though not quite as incredible as Niklas Ajo's save on the last lap of the Barcelona Moto3 race - that was insane.)
MotoGP - Assen: Polesitter Aleix Espargaro now goes off at Turn 1 too, though he stays upright.
Crash
MotoGP - Assen: Marquez has just had only his second crash of the season.
The championship leader lost the front end at the first corner and had a relatively minor fall.
He gets up OK and remounts the bike.
Marquez remains fastest in the warm-up so far.
The championship leader lost the front end at the first corner and had a relatively minor fall.
He gets up OK and remounts the bike.
Marquez remains fastest in the warm-up so far.
Auto GP - Imola: Markus Pommer set the fastest time in the first session of qualifying with a 1m32.180s lap. The German headed Pal Varhaug – 1m32.419s in second and Kimiya Sato in third – 1m32.814s.
The top 10
1. Markus Pommer
2. Pal Varhaug
3. Kimiya Sato
4. Kevin Giovesi
5. Andrea Roda
6. Tamas Pal Kiss
7. Christof von Grunigen
8. Vittorio Ghirelli
9. Michela Cerruti
10. Francesco Dracone
The three to miss out on the top 10 shootout are: Michele La Rosa, Giuseppe ('Il Barone Rampante') Cipriani and Salvatore De Plano.
The final 10 minute session begins at 10am cet.
The top 10
1. Markus Pommer
2. Pal Varhaug
3. Kimiya Sato
4. Kevin Giovesi
5. Andrea Roda
6. Tamas Pal Kiss
7. Christof von Grunigen
8. Vittorio Ghirelli
9. Michela Cerruti
10. Francesco Dracone
The three to miss out on the top 10 shootout are: Michele La Rosa, Giuseppe ('Il Barone Rampante') Cipriani and Salvatore De Plano.
The final 10 minute session begins at 10am cet.
Stopwatch
MotoGP - Assen: Marquez pops ahead of Lorenzo by 0.056s now.
Checkered flag
WRC - Poland: Here are the times from the Stare Juchy stage - have we just seen Mikkelsen blow his victory bid?
SS12 times:
1 Ostberg 7m31.1s
2 Ogier +3.2s
3 Meeke +5.7s
4 Latvala +5.7s
5 Hirvonen +7.7s
6 Neuville +7.9s
(8 Mikkelsen +12.8s)
Leaderboard:
1 Ogier
2 Mikkelsen +10.1s
3 Ostberg +19.8s
4 Latvala +38.4s
5 Meeke +50.2s
6 Hanninen +1m03.8s
Kubica is eighth, now 16s behind seventh-placed Hirvonen and just 0.6s ahead of Neuville.
SS12 times:
1 Ostberg 7m31.1s
2 Ogier +3.2s
3 Meeke +5.7s
4 Latvala +5.7s
5 Hirvonen +7.7s
6 Neuville +7.9s
(8 Mikkelsen +12.8s)
Leaderboard:
1 Ogier
2 Mikkelsen +10.1s
3 Ostberg +19.8s
4 Latvala +38.4s
5 Meeke +50.2s
6 Hanninen +1m03.8s
Kubica is eighth, now 16s behind seventh-placed Hirvonen and just 0.6s ahead of Neuville.
MotoGP - Assen: Marc Marquez has moved up to second place in the warm-up, 0.042s behind pacesetter Lorenzo.
Polesitter Aleix Espargaro is seventh at the moment.
Polesitter Aleix Espargaro is seventh at the moment.
Breaking news
FR3.5 - Moscow: Here's the full story of that qualifying session, plus the results rundown so you can see who Sainz will be trying to pass:
Moscow Formula Renault 3.5 qualifying one report
Moscow Formula Renault 3.5 qualifying one report
FR3.5 - Moscow: The twisty Moscow Raceway layout doesn't particularly lend itself to overtaking, and with no mandatory pitstop in race one Sainz's chances of damage limitation in the title race look slim for today.
Championship challengers Gasly and Rowland, starting second and sixth respectively, must be licking their lips at the opportunity they've been handed to finally make some significant inroads against the Spaniard.
Championship challengers Gasly and Rowland, starting second and sixth respectively, must be licking their lips at the opportunity they've been handed to finally make some significant inroads against the Spaniard.
Lights out
MotoGP - Assen: Warm-up is underway, and while Jorge Lorenzo is fastest so far, the main interest is riders practicing bike changes in the pitlane.
The weather could do pretty much anything today, so teams are being prepared for switching from slick bikes to wets (or vice versa).
The weather could do pretty much anything today, so teams are being prepared for switching from slick bikes to wets (or vice versa).
FR3.5 - Moscow: Sainz's DAMS team had warned him that this event would probably be its toughest one of the season, but surely even he couldn't have expected it to go that badly. A photographer who has just made his way from the pitlane tells us that the championship leader was complaining of a general lack of grip in that session.
Temperatures could have played a part in that, as it's been a cold start to proceedings in Russia today.
Temperatures could have played a part in that, as it's been a cold start to proceedings in Russia today.
Quote
WRC - Poland: "I did a mistake at the beginning," explains Mikkelsen. "I couldn't get reverse and I lost 10s.
"It's a shame but we're not out of the fight and we will keep pushing."
"It's a shame but we're not out of the fight and we will keep pushing."
WRC - Poland: Mikkelsen comes through and he's lost 10s to Ogier - that's a massive blow to his victory hopes.
Quote
WRC - Poland: Seems like both our leading VWs have had dramas on Stare Juchy.
Here's Ogier's explanation of why he's lost 3s to Ostberg:
"We did a mistake, on maybe the first corner of the stage we went sideways in sixth gear, then on the cobbled stones I braked too late and I had to turn round."
Here's Ogier's explanation of why he's lost 3s to Ostberg:
"We did a mistake, on maybe the first corner of the stage we went sideways in sixth gear, then on the cobbled stones I braked too late and I had to turn round."
WRC - Poland: Ogier completes the stage 3s slower than the flying Ostberg, but it looks like Mikkelsen is going to be at least 7s slower than that based on the splits.
Stopwatch
WRC - Poland: Ostberg finishes the stage quickest so far by a comfortable margin, while Mikkelsen is slower than both Ostberg and Ogier at the first split, with reports of damage on his Polo.
DTM - Norisring: First practice done on the streets of Nurnberg and we have our first surprise result – a Mercedes 1-2!
Mucke driver Daniel Juncadella came from nowhere to go fastest with a 48.567s just 90 seconds from the end of the session. HWA's Robert Wickens was second, Audi's Mattias Ekstrom third.
BMW, meanwhile, had a shocker; the best placed M4 was Marco Wittmann down in 15th! Not that being that far down the order means he's miles off the pace – the whole field was covered by just 0.664s in that session.
A second hour-long practice session will get underway at 11:30 local time.
Mucke driver Daniel Juncadella came from nowhere to go fastest with a 48.567s just 90 seconds from the end of the session. HWA's Robert Wickens was second, Audi's Mattias Ekstrom third.
BMW, meanwhile, had a shocker; the best placed M4 was Marco Wittmann down in 15th! Not that being that far down the order means he's miles off the pace – the whole field was covered by just 0.664s in that session.
A second hour-long practice session will get underway at 11:30 local time.
Breaking news
FR3.5 - Moscow: The big story coming out of that session is championship leader Sainz, who has barely put a foot wrong all year, only salvaging 16th on the grid with his final lap.
WRC - Poland: Latvala is what seems like the 300th driver at the end of this stage to report that he braked too late on a cobbled junction and ran off course briefly.
Stopwatch
WRC - Poland: Early splits from the leaders on this stage have Ogier losing a little time to both Latvala and Ostberg.
AutoGP - Imola: Qualifying is just underway here at a scorching Imola - already 28 degrees. Yesterday's practice sessions indicated that title rivals Kimiya Sato (Euronova) and Markus Pommer (Super Nova) are in a class of their own here this weekend. Third in the points standings Tamas Pal Kiss had a nightmare with various engine maladies yesterday. Will his Zele Lola-Zytek be on-song today?
Checkered flag
FR3.5 - Moscow: Not as many improvements as we'd expect in the closing stages of that session, so Sirotkin holds onto pole, while Gasly snatches a front row berth from Merhi as the chequered flag flies.
Top 10 for race one: Sirotkin; Gasly; Merhi; Amberg; Fantin; Rowland; Jaafar; Tunjo; Stevens; Stanaway.
Top 10 for race one: Sirotkin; Gasly; Merhi; Amberg; Fantin; Rowland; Jaafar; Tunjo; Stevens; Stanaway.
Stopwatch
WRC - Poland: Mikko Hirvonen sets the fastest stage time so far with a 7m38.8s.
The Finn is another man who was extremely miserable yesterday morning but has since started to find his feet.
The Finn is another man who was extremely miserable yesterday morning but has since started to find his feet.
WRC - Poland: Kubica ran wide on a junction on that stage, then clipped a stone and reckons he has a puncture.
It hasn't slowed him a lot, but it has allowed Thierry Neuville to close in as they battle for eighth.
It hasn't slowed him a lot, but it has allowed Thierry Neuville to close in as they battle for eighth.
Lights out
WRC - Poland: The midfielders are coming through today's second stage, the 14 kilometres of Stare Juchy. First big name will be Robert Kubica, who is onto the stage now.
FR3.5 - Moscow: Less than two minutes to go here and we're yet to see an improvement from Sainz, who has slipped to 18th.
Stopwatch
FR3.5 - Moscow: Right on cue, Friday pacesetter Sirotkin is the first driver to get under 1m21s this weekend.
FR3.5 - Moscow: We're down to the final five minutes and everyone is on track. No improvements yet, but that's purely down to tyre temperature. There's going to be a lot of action squeezed in before the chequered flag.
FR3.5 - Moscow: We're at the halfway stage and everyone has returned to the pits to take on new tyres.
The current top 10 is: Amberg; Gasly; Stevens; Merhi; Jaafar; Sirotkin; Laine; Stanaway; Stockinger; Fantin.
Championship leader Carlos Sainz Jr didn't really get going during those first runs and sits 16th, with his closest rival in the points Oliver Rowland only 11th.
The current top 10 is: Amberg; Gasly; Stevens; Merhi; Jaafar; Sirotkin; Laine; Stanaway; Stockinger; Fantin.
Championship leader Carlos Sainz Jr didn't really get going during those first runs and sits 16th, with his closest rival in the points Oliver Rowland only 11th.
Green flag
DTM - Norisring: We're back underway. 25 mins of the session remaining.
Red flag
DTM – Norisring: The session has been stopped to remove some of Adrien Tambay's bodywork from the track.
The Frenchman was hit by Vitaly Petrov, who seemed to forget to check his mirrors at the last corner. The damage to the car was minor, but there was a big chunk of front winglet left sitting in the middle of the track.
The Frenchman was hit by Vitaly Petrov, who seemed to forget to check his mirrors at the last corner. The damage to the car was minor, but there was a big chunk of front winglet left sitting in the middle of the track.
FR3.5 - Moscow: Cool track temperatures mean the early laps in this qualifying session are some way off the pace we saw in practice yesterday. The times should keep falling though, and as usual the majority of the meaningful action should come when the drivers change tyres around the midway point.
Green flag
FR3.5 - Moscow: Qualifying has started, and the field pours onto the track for 30 minutes of running.
DTM – Norisring: The first practice session is just over 20 minutes old here in Nurnberg. Mattias Ekstrom is currently leading the way from Christian Vietoris and Adrien Tambay.
By: Dan Cross, Matt Beer, Marcus Simmons, Glenn Freeman, Andrew van Leeuwen, Sam Smith, Kevin Turner, David Evans, Mark Glendenning, Charles Bradley, AUTOSPORT staff
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