10 Things You Might Have Missed From Last Weekend's Motorsport Spectacular
With winter closing in, it's the time of the year where motorsport championships come to a close. Nevertheless, there was loads of on-track action to catch up with. Here are 10 things you might have missed:
1. Dixon takes IndyCar title
Image source: IndyCarScott Dixon was crowned 2013 IndyCar champion for the third time after finishing in fifth at the season finale in Fontana. The Kiwi denied rival Helio Castronevez the title by 27 points.
On track, it was Will Power who managed to avoid the chaos to win the 250-lap race. It was his third win of the season, finishing just ahead of Ed Carpenter. Only eight cars managed to complete the race after a number of multi-car crashes.
2. Lorenzo wipes out seagull
Image source: BBCBirds and motorsport don't seem to go very well together. A pigeon narrowly avoided being hit by Nico Rosberg during the Monaco Grand Prix earlier in the year, but this seagull wasn't so lucky.
Jorge Lorenzo had just started his first qualifying run for the MotoGP Australian Grand Prix when he smashed into a seagull, which was lodged in the bike. Lorenzo went on to win the race at Phillip Island to keep his title hopes alive, as rival Marc Marquez was disqualified after he failed to pit in the required time.
3. Glock takes debut DTM win
Image source: BMW BlogWhat a way to end your first season in a series. Former Toyota and Virgin Racing F1 driver Timo Glock crossed the line at the Hockenheim circuit to take his debut win in the DTM series. Roberto Merhi climbed from 21st on the grid to second by the chequered flag, scoring his first ever DTM podium. Bruno Spengler took the chequered flag - through smoke caused by the firework display - in third place.
4. Magnussen edges closer to F1 drive
Kevin Magnussen - son of former F1 driver Jan - clinched the Formula Renault 3.5 series crown with one race to spare after winning the first race of the finale weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. The Dane, who is a McLaren young driver, has been linked to several F1 drives for 2014.
After taking the title on Saturday, he then edged out fellow McLaren youngster Stoffel Vandoorne to make it a clean sweep on Sunday with victory in race two. Sergey Sirotkin - who looks set to become the youngest driver to even start a Formula 1 race in 2014 with Sauber - ended his season with two retirements.
5. Eurocup Formula Renault ends badly
The 2013 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 series came to a rather messy end at the Spanish Circuit de Catalunya after a number of first-lap incidents.
It all kicked off after the two leading youngsters collided as they entered the third sector. With the field bunching up, two cars were caught out and flipped over. Frenchman Esteban Ocon won the race but countryman Pierre Gasly took the title.
6. Maldonado denies Williams fall-out
Image source: Williams F1 TeamIt isn't often that a driver takes to Twitter to dismiss rumours circulating around the F1 paddock, but that is exactly what Pastor Maldonado did after reports suggested he was looking at drives elsewhere for 2014.
However, he has reassured fans that there are no issues and he will be on the grid in 2014:
Rumours about my relationship with Williams and vice versa are completely false. We have been working hard day and night to improve our performance and results. About my future: I will be in F1 next season proudly representing Venezuela. Hopefully good news soon.
7. Wilson injured in huge IndyCar crash
The IndyCar season came to a chaotic close at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana after several big crashes. The biggest by far was the six car pile-up that took place on lap 111.
Brit Justin Wilson span on the run to turn two and was hit by Vautier. Servia and Newgarden hit the wall after trying to avoid the spinning car with De Silvestro and Jakes also sustaining damage. Wilson was the only driver injured in the crash, sustaining a non-operable pelvic fracture and a small pulmonary contusion. He was kept overnight at the local hospital for observation.
8. Ex-F1 success in endurance racing
Image source: APThe American Le Mans Series came to a close last weekend at Road Atlanta. It was former Sauber and Williams F1 driver Nick Heidfeld who took his first Petit Le Mans victory alongside Rebellion Racing team-mates Nicolas Prost (son of four-time F1 champion Alain) and Neel Jani. The German driver holds the record for the most podium finishes (13) without scoring an F1 victory.
Meanwhile the World Endurance Championship visited Japan for the 6 Hours of Fuji. The race was red flagged with three hours remaining due to heavy rain, handing former Williams drivers Alexander Wurz and Kazuki Nakajima the victory for Toyota.
9. Expert's opinion
Valtteri Bottas is an expert when it comes to the handling of a Formula 1 car, so his positive words about the recently released F1 2013 game will be welcome news to Codemasters. The Finn had some time to spare for some gaming, admitting that it is pretty weird to be involved in a videogame. We bet!
Been playing today the new F1 game on ps3. Weird seeing myself in game.. Some improvements there, cars handle more realistic now than 2012. — Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) October 20, 2013
10. Baumgartner gets first taste of racing
Red Bull space jumper Felix Baumgartner got his first taste of motor racing at the weekend, competing in the VW Scirocco R-Cup. He raced around the Hockenheim circuit in the 285bhp machine, finishing the race in 19th place - which isn't bad for his first taste of motor racing.
Talking about the experience he said:
I could feel the adrenaline at the start! The race in the Scirocco-Cup was hugely enjoyable. I got off to a really good start and did not finish last. I am happy with that. That will definitely not be the last you see of me. I will be back – that much is certain!
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