INTERNATIONAL WRAP: WRC POLAND & AUSSIES OVERSEAS
Thierry Neuville won Rally Poland – Photo: LAT
WRC – RALLY POLAND – ROUND 8
Thierry Neuville has claimed his third victory of the season, taking out Rally Poland in wet and muddy conditions.
The win for Hyundai’s Neuville came after M-Sports Ott Tänak crashed out just three special stages from the finish, while leading in the tricky conditions. The two had been trading stage wins and the lead throughout the previous three days with Tänak holding a slender margin prior to his crash.
Kiwi, Hayden Paddon ended his run of recent bad luck, bringing his Hyundai home in second place. While multiple champion Sébastien Ogier rounded out the podium after an crash on day two put him out of touch with the rally leaders.
The win for Neuville reduced the points gap to championship leader Ogier.
MOTOGP – GERMANY – ROUND 9
Marc Marquez leading the German GP – Photo: LAT
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) once again proved unstoppable in Germany, taking out his eighth win in a row at the Sachsenring.
It wasn’t an easy win for Marquez however. German rookie Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) looked to make his mark on home soil, pushing Marquez all the way to finish second. The first podium result for Folger since stepping up to the premier class.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) settled into third after dueling with his teammate earlier in the race.
The win moved Marquez into the lead of the championship with 129 points. Maverick Viñales fourth place finish dropped him back to second with 124 points.
Aussie, Jack Miller finished in the points with a 15th place result.
NASCAR – DAYTONA 400
Ricky Stenhouse Jr celebrating his win at Daytona – Photo: LAT
Ricky Stenhouse Jr has won in a war of attrition during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’s second visit to Daytona this year.
The crash marred race featured a record fourteen caution periods, with several multi-car wrecks taking out key contenders, including pole sitter Dale Earnhardt Jr in his last hurrah at Daytona.
Stenhouse Jr’s win comes off back his win at Talladega, locking him into the into the postseason playoffs with his second victory of the season. Also making a name for himself in super speedway racing winning back to restrictor-plate races.
“This is awesome! I’ve been coming here since 2008. I actually came in 2006 one time with Bobby Hamilton Jr., and it’s cool to put it in Victory Lane and get our second win this year. I love it! Thank you to the fans for coming out here. Everyone at NASCAR. What a great weekend. America! 1776! We are the champs! … This validates what we did at Talladega.” said Stenhouse Jr after the race.
Rounding out the top five was Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, Michael McDowell and Ryan Newman all benefiting from the crashes at the front of the field.
WORLD RALLY CROSS – SWEDEN – ROUND 7
World Rally Cross Super Final in Holjes, Sweden
AUSSIES OVERSEAS
IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP – WATKINS GLEN
After starting 35th outright (14th in class) at the IMSA in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Six Hours of The Glen, Kiwi, Shane Van Gisbergen and his WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 have charged through the field to claim fourth in their class.
Another stunning drive from Van Gisbergen pushed the car back onto the lead lap, allowing the team to push up from seventh to challenging for the class podium in the final hour of the race.
EUROPEAN FORMULA 3 – NORISRING
Joey Mawson failed to finish his first race. Contact with Jehan Daruvala sent Mawson into the wall, ending his race. The team managed to get his car repaired in time for qualifying for the second and third races, however his performance was hampered.
Starting off towards the rear of the grid in both races, Mawson moved through the field to finish 13th in the second race and 11th and third race.
FORMULA RENAULT EUROCUP – HUNGARORING
Zane Goddard was the best of the Aussie’s in the first of the Formula Renault Eurocup races at Hungaroring, with a ninth place finish. The other Aussies in the field had issues with Alex Peroni, Thomas Maxwell, Luis Leeds and Thomas Randle all crashed out.
The second race was much better for the Aussie contingent, Alex Peroni and Thomas Randle finished 12th and 13th respectively, with Zane Goddard not too far behind in 15th. Thomas Maxwell finished 24th, while Luis Leeds failed to make the start of the race with after his car couldn’t be repaired in time.
FRD LMP3 – ZHEJIANG, CHINA
Aussie Garnet Patterson got the win in the first ever racing in the FRD LMP3 series. The 23 lap opening sprint race was also a good race for Josh Burdon who crossed the line third.
The second/main race, was even better for the Aussie contingent with James Winslow first, Josh Burdon second, Garnet Patterson third and Greg Taylor fourth. While Tim Macrow crossed the line in seventh.
MOTO2 – GERMANY
Remy Gardner finished 12th in Germany. After starting 14th, he initially dropped back in the field, down to 17th, before regrouping and charging back up to finish in the points.
24 HOUR SERIES – IMOLA 12 HOUR
Morgan Haber had a rough weekend in the 24 Hour Series race at Imola over the weekend. Engine issues with his Leipert Motorsport Lamborghini hampered the team during qualifying. Then the car was taken out during the opening lap of the 12 hour race. The team managed to recover to finish 32nd.
SUPER TROFEO ASIA SERIES
Ben Gersekowski scored another podium result in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series at Suzuka over the weekend. Consistent results in the first rounds races of the championship, see’s Gersekowski now third with another three rounds remaining.
For a more detailed analysis of the weekends international motorsport, pick up the next issue of Auto Action Magazine. In the mean time make sure you follow Auto Action on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all the latest updates.
