Dani Pedrosa still not completely fit, Marquez raring to go at Indianapolis

MotoGP standings leader Marc Marquez is raring to go and take on the Indianapolis Speedway with his usual confidence, in the first of three back-to-back races (Indianapolis, Brno and Silverstone).

The Repsol Honda rookie has an excellent history at the Speedway with two wins in the lower classes, and even if he has never ridden there before on a MotoGP machine, we know by now that he absolutely has no problems learning track layouts.

The 20-year old conquered the extremely difficult Laguna Seca in one free practice, and later won the race, giving Valentino Rossi a taste of his own medicine at the corkscrew (Marquez even practiced several times running off track at the precise area - not that he will admit it).

“After a good break, where I’ve managed to relax a little and also do some training, I’m looking forward to getting back on track! It’s been good to have this time off to think about my first few months in MotoGP and reflect on my performances and what I’ve learnt but now I’m ready to get back on the bike! I like the Indianapolis track and I’m interested to see how the grip is on the Bridgestone tyres because it seems this has been an issue in the past. As usual, we will take our time in FP1 and try to find our feeling on the bike at this track and also after this Summer break, and hope for a good weekend!” said Marquez.

Dani Pedrosa also has a good track record at Indianapolis having won twice in the past (2012 and 2010). but the veteran rider is still not completely fit following his crash at the Sachsenring, which forced him to sit out the round. He finished in fifth place at Laguna Seca with a small frature to his collarbone, that was later diagnosed to be complete break - but did not require surgery, just physiotherapy.

“It’s been a good Summer break and I’m feeling much stronger physically,” commented Pedrosa. “I’ve had time to relax with some friends and also have lots of physiotherapy on my shoulder to prepare myself for this second part of the season. I’ve had a medical check in the last days and we can see the bone getting stronger. It still needs a few more weeks to recover completely but my feeling is already much better than in Laguna. It’s important to remain focused, especially now as we have three races in a row. I’ve had good results at Indy in the past few years, I enjoy riding there and now I am eager to get back on the bike and ride at my best!”

via TWOWHEELSBLOG

Oschersleben 8 Hours: potentially decisive for the title : Oschersleben : une manche décisive pour le titre ?

The third and penultimate round of the 2013 Endurance World Championship is next Saturday’s Oschersleben 8 Hours (August 17). The top three teams in the provisional standings are covered by just seven points. Victory in Germany could well decide the title outcome therefore, or at least give the winner a handy advantage ahead of September’s 24 Heures Moto at Le Mans, France.

Troisième et avant-dernière épreuve du Championnat du monde d’Endurance (EWC), les 8 Heures d’Oschersleben se disputeront samedi 17 août 2013. Seulement sept points séparent les trois premières équipes au classement provisoire. Une victoire en Allemagne pourrait donner un avantage primordial à l’une d’entre elles avant d’aborder les 24 Heures Moto au mois de septembre.

Fourth place at Suzuka was sufficient to take SERT to the top of the championship order with a score of 49 points. The defending champion is only three points clear of YART-Michelin who came second at the Bol d’Or before having to settle for eighth in Japan after suffering an oil-leak at half-distance. The 2009-winning Austrian squad will be represented by Igor Jerman, plus Broc Parkes and Josh Waters who are looking increasingly comfortable on the N°7 Yamaha.

GMT 94-Michelin (42 points) is third and still in the fight. In Germany, the French team’s Yamaha will be shared by David Checa, Kenny Foray and Maxime Berger. “If we want to win the championship, we will need to finish ahead of SERT,” notes team manager Christophe Guyot.

After failing to finish either of the two rounds contested to date, BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent has little hope of taking the title. The Michael Bartholemy-run operation – whose N°99 BMW will be in the hands of Sébastien Gimbert, Sylvain Barrier and Damian Cudlin – will still be targeting its first points of the year to take some of the pressure off before Le Mans.

Points-less Honda TT Legends is in a similar situation after a retirement at the Bol d’Or and a disappointing 22^nd place at Suzuka following a forced clutch change. Meanwhile, R2CL and Bolliger Team Switzerland were 10^th and 11^th respectively in Japan and could well join the battle for podium honours.

Oschersleben will also see the return of Superstock action. The class’s winner at the Bol d’Or was Junior Team LMS Suzuki who will be in Germany to defend its FIM World Cup chances against Penz13.com Franks Autowelt Racing Team. Other front-runners are likely to be Team Motors Events April Moto, AM Moto Racing, Team Louit Moto 33 (Michelin) and Viltaïs Racing Endurance (Michelin).

Free practice will begin at 11am on Thursday, August 15, while the Oschersleben 8 Hours is scheduled to start at 1pm the following Saturday, with the finish at 9pm the same evening. The race will be covered comprehensively by www.motoracinglive.com.

Une quatrième place à Suzuka a permis au SERT de prendre la tête du classement provisoire avec 49 points. L’équipe championne du monde en titre est talonnée de trois points par le YART-Michelin, deuxième du Bol d’Or et seulement huitième à Suzuka, handicapé par une fuite d’huile à mi-course. Victorieuse en 2009, l’équipe autrichienne alignera Igor Jerman aux côtés de Broc Parkes et Josh Waters de plus en plus à l’aise au guidon de la Yamaha n°7.

Troisième avec quatre points de retard sur le YART, le GMT 94-Michelin reste bien placé dans la course au titre. Pour cette épreuve, la Yamaha n°94 sera confiée à David Checa, Kenny Foray et Maxime Berger. « Nous devons obligatoirement terminer devant le SERT si nous souhaitons conserver une chance d’être champions du monde au Mans » assure Christophe Guyot.

Du côté du BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent, on a d’ores et déjà fait une croix sur le titre suite aux abandons successifs au Bol d’Or et à Suzuka. Pour l’équipe de Michael Bartholemy, il s’agira de marquer les premiers points de la saison afin d’aborder la dernière épreuve avec davantage de sérénité. Sébastien Gimbert, Sylvain Barrier et Damian Cudlin se partageront le guidon de la BMW n°99.

Même combat pour le Honda TT Legends qui affiche zéro point au compteur après un abandon au Bol d’Or et une décevante 22^ème place consécutive à un changement d’embrayage à Suzuka. Le team R2CL et  Bolliger Team Switzerland, respectivement 10^ème et 11^ème des 8 Heures de Suzuka, pourront se mêler à la bataille pour le podium.

Oschersleben marque également le retour de la catégorie Superstock. Vainqueur du Bol d’Or, le Junior Team LMS Suzuki  fait le déplacement en Allemagne pour défendre ses chances en Coupe du monde FIM face au Penz13.com Franks Autowelt Racing Team. Il faudra également surveiller le Team Motors Events April Moto, AM Moto Racing, le Team Louit Moto 33 (Michelin) ou encore le Viltaïs Racing Endurance (Michelin) capables de rivaliser pour les premières places.

Les premiers essais libres se tiendront jeudi 15 août à partir de 11 heures. Le départ des 8 Heures d’Oschersleben sera donné samedi 17 août à 13 heures pour une arrivée à 21 heures. L’intégralité de la course est à suivre sur www.motoracinglive.com.

Oldtimer-Grand-Prix 2013: Under the bright Eifel sun

The 41st Oldtimer GP – held on 9-11 August at the Nürburgring – combined all the ingredients for a world-class historic motorsport event, from a wildly diverse range of the top cars to a Who’s Who of drivers, plus tens of thousands of eager enthusiasts. Including, of course, Classic Driver.

Automotive time travel requires the right stage: in England, it’s Goodwood, in Germany it’s the Nürburgring Nordschleife. While BMW, Jaguar and Porsche dominated the weekend’s official events at the 2013 OGP, a vast range of rare and exotic cars captured the imagination of spectators. The journey begins in the historic paddock, where the roar of the engines drowns out all other sounds and the sporting legends of the 20s and 30s provide the right dose to kick-start this high-octane cocktail.

Non-stop racing from dawn to dusk

From pre-War cars to Historic Grand Prix Cars, GT and Touring Cars – it’s all there, at speed, on the track. The air pulsates with sound, almost non-stop from early morning till sunset. Alfa Romeo 8C Monza, Aston Martin DB4 GT, BMW 328, Jaguar Lightweight E-type, Ferrari 250 SWB, Maserati 250F, Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing and Porsche 904 – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

One highlight is a large paddock celebrating Grand Prix milestones from BMW’s motorsport history, while another is a tribute to Stefan Bellof who (unofficially) set the fastest ever time on the Nordschleife in the configuration it is today, in qualifying for the 1983 Nürburgring 1000km. In the factory-supported Rothmans Porsche 956 he shared with Derek Bell, Bellof took pole by 5 seconds, recording a time of 6 minutes, 11.13 seconds, although the official record is his fastest race lap, at 6 minutes, 25.91 seconds. Bellof died at Spa in 1985 but his memory was kept alive at the OGP when Derek Bell took to the track in the rebuilt 956 in which Bellof set the record, exactly 30 years ago.

The legends of the 'Ring

Another hero always popular with the crowds is Jochen Mass, who raced a Cobra in the Gentlemen Drivers race (for pre-1966 GT cars) but, thanks to clutch failure, saw his beefy V8 blow on the last lap. Things went very much better for British driver Alex Buncombe, who won the race from pole in a 1961 E-type. “I won here with this car last year, and it was an honour to repeat that victory this year. The mechanics and team from JD Classics did a great job preparing the car. I gave it everything on every lap and it kept going until the end – a great feeling!”

Anniversary celebrations

Yet another 50^th anniversary worth celebrating is that of the 6-hour race at the Nürburgring – held on 16^th June 1963 – as the first round of the brand new European Touring Car Championship. That race was won by Peter Lindner and Peter Nöcker in a Jaguar Mk II, hence it was good to see a MkII in the AvD Historic Marathon, on the Friday of the OGP, take third in class, driven by Alex Buncombe (again!), sharing with Le Mans-winning driver Andy Wallace and journalist/racer Roland Löwisch. Meanwhile, you could hardly expect Porsche to fail to celebrate the 911’s 50^th, so there was a large meeting of 911 enthusiasts with a parade on the F1 track. And to satisfy lovers of historic Italian metal, there was plenty from Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati.

So, was anything missing at this year’s OGP? Well, yes, Mercedes seemed to have almost no role in the whole magnificent spectacle. It seems the marque has withdrawn from OGP, which is a shame. Still, at least it gives the other marques more of the limelight. Every dog has its day, as they say – a fact that was as true 50 years ago as it is today.

Photos: Nanette Schärf

For whom the cowbells toll: Vadim, Deneuve and a Cal' Spider

In addition to a flock of reporters from Paris Match, two high-profile French love-birds were shadowed by a herd of cows when they attempted an Alpine summer escape. There was a prancing horse too… on the bonnet of Roger Vadim’s silver Ferrari 250 GT California Spider.

It was the summer of 1961, and the then 17-year-old Deneuve was experiencing the price of fame for the first time

The exploits of French screenwriter, director, and producer Roger Vadim were well known far beyond the borders of France. Already twice-married – to Brigitte Bardot when she was only 15 and he was 22, then Danish actress Annette Strøyberg – when he started a relationship with Deneuve, the whole world took notice of the man whose first directorial role was in ‘And God Created Woman’.

It was the summer of 1961, and the then 17-year-old Deneuve was experiencing the price of fame for the first time. Vadim decided to take his love away for a weekend in Morzine, in the French Alps. He had spent his youth in the area, so rented a small chalet.

The idea was to get away from the heat, bustle and press intrusion of the French capital. Vadim could also work on scripts, particularly with his young companion in mind, who had only just starred in ‘Les Parisiennes’. In 1962, now married to Vadim, she was to take a leading role in his film ‘Vice and Virtue’. In their Alpine hideaway Deneuve seems relaxed in front of the paparazzi’s cameras. In the background can be seen the powerful Ferrari that transported Vadim on his manyliaisons dangereuses in Paris, the Alps and St Tropez.

And it’s still around today, having been sold by Artcurial at its 2012 Paris Rétromobile sale for 4.5m euros.

Photos: Paris Match via Getty Images