NOVEMBER 6, 2024

(MotoGP.com)

Francesco Bagnaia (No. 1 Ducati Lenovo Team) headed out to keep his World Championship hopes alive with a win at the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia one week ago, and he did just that. It was a sensational ride from the #1, who put the hammer down after a breathtaking battle with Jorge Martin (No. 89 Prima Pramac Racing) in the opening laps that will go down in history as one of the best duels the sport has ever seen. From there it was a cat and mouse to the finish, with Bagnaia finding enough to keep Martin at bay and reduce the gap to 24 points by the flag. And remember, the maximum score per weekend is now 37. Behind them, Enea Bastianini (No. 23 Ducati Lenovo Team) was able to grab the final spot on the podium in a crucial day for ‘The Beast’, who moved a step closer as he continues his fight for third position in the Championship against the very same Marc Marquez (No. 93 Gresini Racing MotoGP™) who crashed out from third after getting a box office seat for the duel at the front. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to MotoGP.com)

(Formula1.com)

Max Verstappen (No. 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing) stormed to a remarkable victory in a chaotic Sao Paulo Grand Prix one week ago, the Dutchman climbing through the field from an original starting position of P17 to score his first race win since June amid changing weather conditions and huge drama along the way – which also saw Alpine score a double podium result. The chaos started before the event had even got under way after Lance Stroll spun off during the formation lap, leading to some confusion over the aborted start procedure as pole-sitter Lando Norris (No. 4 McLaren Formula 1 Team) led a number of cars away while others stayed on the grid, meaning that Norris, George Russell (No. 63 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team), Yuki Tsunoda (No. 22 Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team) and Liam Lawson (No. 30 Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team) will be investigated after the race for a start procedure infringement. When the Grand Prix did begin, Russell enjoyed a stronger launch and led from Norris while Verstappen worked his way through the pack in the early stages. As the event unfolded amid changing levels of rainfall, a red flag was thrown on Lap 32 following a crash for Franco Colapinto (No. 43 Williams Racing) – shortly after Russell and Norris had lost out by pitting just as a Virtual Safety Car period ended. This meant that Esteban Ocon (No. 31 BWT Alpine F1 Team) was leading from Verstappen and Pierre Gasly (No. 10 BWT Alpine F1 Team)) when the race resumed with a little over half distance remaining. But after another restart – following a Safety Car appearance due to a crash for Carlos Sainz (No. 55 Scuderia Ferrari) – Verstappen surged into the lead and from there looked untouchable, the world champion going on to take the checkered flag with a margin of 19.477s. It proved to be a dream day, meanwhile, for Alpine, with Ocon and Gasly holding on to P2 and P3 to score a double podium – resulting in the team making an extraordinary jump from ninth to sixth in the constructors’ standings. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)

(Trans Am)

Chris Dyson (No. 16 CDRacing GYM WEED Ford Mustang) won the Trans Am series season finale in TA at Circuit of The Americas one week ago. Paul Menard won the TA Championship - his first - in the No. 3 Menards/Masterforce Tools Ford Mustang (below). 

(Trans Am)

 

Editor's Note: This is our dearly departed billboard, which we had at Road America for several years. Peter gifted the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" to the track, which now uses it proudly in all of its communications. -WG

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG