10 Things You Might've Missed From Last Weekend's Motorsport Spectacular
Image source: BTCCF1 is on a short break before re-grouping for the Korean Grand Prix this coming weekend, but there was still plenty of motorsport action taking place around the world for us to feast on. Here are some things you might've missed, if you weren't paying attention...
1. Jordan extended BTCC championship lead
Image source: BTCCAndrew Jordan extended his advantage in the British Touring Car Championship after a frantic trio of races at the iconic Silverstone circuit. Jason Plato took victory in the opening two races and Gordon Shedden rounded out a difficult weekend with a Race Three win.
Despite just one podium finish over the weekend - second in Race Two - Jordan left Silverstone 34 points clear of Matt Neal, who fought hard for two third places despite a broken finger. Five drivers still remain in the title hunt going into the Final Round at Brands Hatch in two weeks' time.
2. Race One ended in a photo finish
Image source: BTCCJason Plato may have won the first race of the Silverstone BTCC weekend, but behind him was a close fight for third place between Matt Neal and Colin Turkington.
The two duelling former champions battled all the way to the chequered flag. Turkington had a run on Neal through the final corner and darted to the left. The duo crossed the line side-by-side with Neal coming away with third, but only by eight thousandths of a second.
3. Rockenfeller crowned DTM champion
Image source: DTMThe DTM series visited Zandvoort over the weekend for the penultimate race of the 2013 season. It proved to be a very special weekend for 29-year-old Mike Rockenfeller as he took the 2013 title, the first of his career.
The Audi driver finished the race in second place after starting from third on the grid. Pole-sitter Marco Wittmann bogged down and fellow front-row starter Augusto Farfus shot into the lead. The Brazilian held on, negotiating a late safety car, to win his third race of the season. Rockenfeller overtook Wittmann on the first lap to cross the line 1.6 seconds off Farfus and half a second clear of third place man Timo Scheider.
4. Hughes took BRDC Formula 4 title
Image source: Formula 4The Formula 4 championship debuted in 2013 and is an entry level series for those eying up the pinnacle of motorsport: Formula 1. The fight for the title went down to the wire last weekend at Donington Park, with 19-year-old Jake Hughes emerging as the first ever BRDC F4 champion.
In fact, Hughes won the title with two races to spare after emerging victorious in Saturday's Race One. Charlie Robertson, who was in contention for the title earlier in the season, took the remaining two wins to move up to second in the standings in what has been a frenetic season's worth of racing in F4's debut year.
5. Sirotkin's first taste of F1 machinery
Image source: Sauber F1 Team18-year-old Sergey Sirotkin started his weekend off on a rather exciting note by driving a Formula 1 car for the first time. This is despite the Sauber F1 Team's plans to promote him to a race drive next season.
The Russian youngster took part in a demo at the Sochi circuit, which looks set to host the first F1 race in Russia next season, or what there is of it. He drove Sauber's C31 on the 700 metres of tarmac that has been laid down so far, describing the experience as "awesome".
6. Felix da Costa and Magnussen shared Formula Renault 3.5 victories
Image source: World Series by RenaultThe Formula Renault 3.5 series was in action at Paul Ricard for the penultimate race meeting of the season. McLaren protege Kevin Magnussen took both race victories but was excluded from the first race after his car failed post-race scrutineering. Red Bull young driver Antonio Felix da Costa was gifted the victory in his place.
However the Danish driver bounced back for the final race of the weekend, winning in fine and dominant style to edge closer to title glory. He led home Nico Muller by five seconds with promoted Race One winner Felix da Costa finishing in third.
7. Marquez took Moto GP win at Aragon
Image source: Moto GPThe Spanish MotorLand Aragon circuit hosted the 14th round on the Moto GP calendar. Marc Marquez took pole position but lost the lead to Jorge Lorenzo into the first turn. He chipped away at Yamaha drivers lead, bringing Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa with him.
Pedrosa got past Marquez early on before crashing out on lap six after light contact with his team-mate. He was checked over at the medical centre for a potential left knee injury but emerged unscathed. Marquez was left to chase down Lorenzo, slipping through with six laps remaining to take the race win. Lorenzo finished 1.3 seconds behind with 'The Doctor' Valentino Rossi rounding out the podium finishers.
8. Loeb's debut FIA GT series victory
Image source: FIA GTSebastien Loeb took his debut FIA GT race win in Navarra last weekend. The nine-time WRC champion held off pressure from the sister Sebastien Loeb Racing McLaren car in his first stint before handing the reigns over to Alvaro Parente.
Andreas Zuber and Mike Parisy drove well in the sister Sebastien Loeb Racing McLaren to cross the line in second place, albeit 20 seconds down thanks to a mid-race puncture, with Frank Stippler and Edward Sandstrom's WRT Audi finishing in third place. That result helped them slash the point's deficit to team-mates and championship leaders Stephane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor. They endured a terrible race after being punted into a spin on lap one and eventually retiring with brake failure.
9. Johnson took eighth Dover NASCAR Sprint Cup win
Image source: NASCARJimmie Johnson set a new record over the weekend after taking his eighth NASCAR Sprint Cup victory at Dover's 'Monster Mile' circuit. He held off Hendrick Chevrolet team-mate and pole-sitter Dale Earnhardt Jr to win by four tenths of a second.
The 38-year-old led 243 of the race's 400 laps. A storming final stint and changing just two tyres during the final pit stop helped cement his race victory. Joey Logano put his four fresh set of tyres to good use to finish third after moving up the order on the run to the flag. Johnson's race win moves him to second in the Sprint Cup standings.
10. Raikkonen will assess back pain in Korea
Image source: Lotus F1 TeamKimi Raikkonen battled back pain over the Singapore Grand Prix weekend to race from 13th to 3rd during Sunday's race. It is a recurring problem from a F1 crash that happened 12 years ago.
The Finn will assess his back injury during practice for the Korean Grand Prix this Friday and decide whether it's safe to race: "It’s not the first time I’ve had a problem, as there have been some issues with my back for a long time. For sure, we will have to see how it is when I get out on track on Friday in Korea".
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