INTERNATIONAL WRAP: F1 SPAIN & AUSSIES OVERSEAS
Hamilton leads Vettel during Spanish F1 Grand Prix – Photo: LAT
FORMULA 1 – SPANISH GP
After last winning the Spanish F1 Grand Prix in 2014, Lewis Hamilton has returned to the top step of the Spanish podium.
After a race long strategic battle with Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel, which saw Vettel in the lead during the middle of the race. Mercedes’ Hamilton took advantage of the Virtual Safety Car period to complete his pitstop reducing the 8 second deficit to rejoin the race side by side with Vettel.
Vettel held off Hamilton for four laps. However the power advantage of the Mercedes and better tyre life saw Hamilton reclaim the lead on Lap 44. Where he remained to claim the win over Vettel.
Australia’s Daniel Riccardo finished third for Red Bull after suffered an engine failure with 20 laps to go.
FORMULA E – MONACO
WORLD SUPER BIKE – IMOLA
Chaz Davies wins both World Superbike races at Imola – Photo: LAT
Chaz Davies put on a stunning show for Italian manufacturer, Ducati, at their home World Superbike round at Imola. Winning both races of the weekend.
The opening race was cut short when Eugene Laverty’s Aprillia burst into flames after crashing because of a cut brake line.
After walking away, Laverty explained the crash. “I had no brakes because the brake line came out when we bumped together. I tried to pump the breaks a few times, then I realised there was nothing working and the wall was fast approaching, so it was time to get the hell out of there. It is good I got off when I did, and it feels like you’re accelerating when you’re used to decelerating there, so it was really fast.”
Davies won the reduced race one from pole position over Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea and local Italian rider Marco Melandri.
Race two also featured a red flag interruption after Ayrton Badovini’s Kawasaki dropped oil on the track.
Once the race was resumed, Davies charged his way from ninth to win again. While Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea again finished second over teammate Tom Sykes.
INDYCAR – IMS GP
Aussie Will Power win IndyCar Grand Prix at IMS – Photo: LAT
Australian Will Power has dominated the IndyCar Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course over the weekend.
In the lead up event to the famous Indy 500, Power was fastest in all the practice sessions before qualifying on pole. Setting a new lap record in the process.
The race went without a caution interruption and the battle for the lead of the race would end up being a dual between Penske teammates Power and Helio Castroneves. The two traded places during the pitstops cycle.
Power then charged off to win the race, while Castroneves would fade in the closing stages of the race to finish fifth.
Kiwi Scott Dixon stormed through the field at the end to finish second ahead of Ryan Hunter-Reay.
NASCAR – KANAS
Martin Truex Jr wins at Kansas Speedway – Photo: LAT
Martin Truex Jr has claimed his first Kansas Speedway victory in the NASCAR Cup series over the weekend, the ninth of his career.
Kansas has been a track that Truex Jr has lead at several times, but hadn’t been able to claim the win until this weekend.
The race was halted on lap 200 by the red flag after Joey Logano, Danica Patrick and Aric Almirola were involved in a massive wreck that saw Patrick’s car burst into flames.
Logano and Patrick walked away from the incident, while Almirola was airlifted to hospital were scans revealed he had suffered a compression fracture to his T5 vertebra.
After leading 102 of the 267 laps, Truex Jr then stormed away from the field during the final restart with just two laps left to run to claim the win. Brad Keselowski finished second with Kevin Harvick third. Pole sitter and early pace setter Ryan Blaney finished fourth.
INTERNATIONAL AUSSIES
Ricky Capo wins LMP3 class in ELMS at Monza – Photo: ELMS/Jakob Ebrey Photography
Elsewhere around the world, there were plenty of Aussies had successful weekends at various levels of motorsport.
Matt Campbell had an impressive debut in the Porsche Supercup in Spain, supporting the Spanish F1 Grand Prix. The reigning Australian Porsche Carrera Cup champion qualified on pole for both races.
While Campbell struggled with a poor start to the first race, he regrouped and finished in solid fifth place in front of teammate Josh Webster. While in the second race the Aussie Porsche star made a much better start and held a race long battle with eventual race winner Michael Ammermüller. Campbell would finish the race third.
Over in Italy, Ricky Capo earned a European Le Mans Series LMP3 class victory at Monza. Capo started the race, and slotted into third at the start. Good consistency and clean pit stops from his M.Racing – YMR team moved the car into a clear 11 second lead over nearest competitors by the end of the 4 hour race.
It’s the first win for the Norma car and I was 3rd by turn 1 but we had good consistency and pit stops which placed us in first position and we maintained this for the majority of the race
The Monza event wasn’t quite as good for Scott Andrews. Competing in the Michelin Lemans Cup for the first time, Andrews’ topped practice at early in the weekend. However his car was involved in an opening lap accident, which put the Victorian out of the race.
In the UK, Matt Simmons competed in the Blancpain GT Cup Endurance Series at Silverstone. Unfortunate timing of a pit stop saw his Nissan team tumble down the order. A solid stint from Simmons saw the team finish to 24th.
While over in China, Glenn Wood had a solid debut in in China GT. Finishing second in both the races at Beijing Audi Goldenport Motor Park in his KTM X-Bow GT4.
Matt Simmons competing at Silverstone – Photo: NISMO
Get the full run down on all weekend’s motorsport action in the next issue of Auto Action in stores Thursday.
