10 Things You Might Have Missed From Last Weekend's Motorsport Spectacular

Image source: BTCC Media

It was another busy weekend of motorsport, with F1, BTCC, WTCC, WEC and ELMS all in action. Here are 10 things you might have missed:

1. MG domination at Donington

Image source: BTCC

The second round of the 2014 British Touring Car Championship season saw three different race winners at the Donington Park circuit, two of which were MG drivers. Jason Plato took pole position for the opening race after shaving six tenths off the previous lap record in qualifying. He went on to win the race, with team orders preventing his teammate Sam Tordoff from challenging.

However, the youngster jumped Plato at the start of race two and took a commanding victory in wet conditions. Meanwhile, Honda Yuasa Racing made history in race three after Gordon Shedden secured the first win in the series by an estate car after a last lap move around the outside of Colin Turkington at the final corner.

2. Chaos in the rain

The BTCC field raced in tricky conditions on Sunday, which caused several spectacular accidents. After light contact mid-way through race two, Alain Menu spun onto the grass at the exit of the Old Hairpin before scarily skating across the circuit. Fortunately the on-coming traffic managed to avoid him. Fresh underwear was probably needed after that.

The drama continued later in the race after a huge shunt at the back of the pack between Robb Holland and James Cole. They made contact on the approach to Craner Curves after attempting to avoid a spinning car, leaving Cole's car in a complete mess (below).

Image source: BTCCCrazy

3. Toyota domination in WEC

Image source: FIA WEC

The 2014 World Endurance Championship got underway over the weekend with the 6 Hours of Silverstone; although it was actually only five hours and 35 minutes long after heavy rain forced it to be cut short.

The number 8 Toyota TS040 of Sebastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson, and Nicolas Lapierre won, with the number 7 Toyota of Alexander Wurz, Stephane Sarrazin, and Kazuki Nakajima making it a 1-2 finish for the Japanese outfit. The number 20 Porsche 919 Hybrid finished in third with Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and ex-F1 driver Mark Webber on driving duties.

4. Disaster for Audi

Audi’s WEC title defence got off to the worst possible start after both R18 e-tron quattros failed to finish the season opener. Lucas di Grassi crashed the number 1 Audi heavily in the opening hour at Woodcote after the team failed to pit him for wet tyres as the rain began to fall. Terminal chassis damage meant the car was unable to continue.

Andre Lotterer lost four laps in the number 2 car after a spin, before it was then taken over by Benoit Treluyer. However, the Frenchman later found the wall at Copse. Despite his best and rather desperate efforts to get it back to the pits, he eventually admitted defeat.

5. Let me take a selfie

Doesn’t Kimi Raikkonen look thrilled in the above image? The Finn took a selfie with fans at the airport after finishing the Chinese Grand Prix in a disappointing 8th place. In typical 'Iceman' style, he failed to smile for the camera.

Image source: FIA WEC

In other selfie news, Mark Webber cheekily attempted to photo-bomb the Toyota drivers' podium picture.

6. Citroen unbeatable once again

The second round of the World Touring Car Championship took place at the Paul Ricard circuit in France, with Citroen’s domination of the series continuing. Yvan Muller inherited pole for race one after both of his teammates were sent to the back of the grid for failing post-qualifying checks.

He went on to win the race, with Sebastien Loeb putting in a charging recovery drive to finish in second and Gabriele Tarquini taking Honda’s first podium in third. José María López took victory in the frenetic race two, his second of the season, from Muller and Tiago Monteiro.

7. ELMS season kicks off

Image source: ELMS

The European Le Mans Series was also in action at Silverstone, and its 2014 season kicked off in dramatic style. Tristan Gommendy won the four-hour long race with TDS Racing teammates Pierre Thiriet and Ludovic Badey. It wasn't an easy victory, with an intense fight for the lead with Race Performance’s Michel Frey (who was paired with Franck Mailleux) and Gary Hirsch (who shared driving duties with Christian Klien and Romain Brandela) in the Morand Racing car.

8. Scary Silverstone smash

This scary crash for Simon Dolan took place during the ELMS 4 Hours of Silverstone race on Saturday. Fortunately he emerged from the heavy collision with the wall unscathed.

9. Mischievous Fernando

Prior to his third place finish in China, Fernando Alonso was caught showing off his cheekier side live on Sky Sports News in the Shanghai International Circuit paddock.

10. McLaren Vs. Red Bull

One of the big stories over the Chinese Grand Prix weekend was the continuing battle between McLaren and Red Bull Racing over aerodynamicist Dan Fallows. He signed a contract with McLaren last September and was set to start work with them in March, but earlier in the month it was announced that he would be returning to reigning world champions Red Bull as head of aero.

McLaren CEO Ron Dennis confirmed over the Chinese Grand Prix that his outfit is planning legal action, although he is hoping it can be resolved outside of the courtroom.