Motorsport on Monday: 20/07/2015
Bianchi remembered; Spa 24-hour previewed; Motorbase motors on
A great talent taken too soon
Pleasingly, he was already an F1 points-scorer though, following his hard-won 9th place at the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix. He didn't simply inherit this but had to conduct some ballsy overtakes to get it - at Monaco of all places. A circuit where cars are equalised and drivers can make the difference, it was Marussia F1's best-ever day and ample reward for a great drive in tricky conditions.
Tributes poured in from across motorsport
"The motor sport community offers their most sincere support through this terrible ordeal." It was a freak accident, the first in an F1 race since Senna in 1994, that has inflicted "daily torture" on Bianchi's father Philippe and his family.
Heartbreakingly, Jules lost the fight this weekend. But history, and the motorsport history books, will rightly always remember a potential World Champion whose life was cut so tragically short.
Chilton wins, dedicates it to Bianchi
Jules Bianchi's teammate throughout his time at Marussia was the metronomically-consistent race-finisher Max Chilton. These days, he's racing the troublesome Nissan Motorsport LMP1 car in FIA WEC, but is also campaigning the fledgling Carlin Indy Lights car in the U.S. as the Farnham team looks to enter a full IndyCar team in 2016 or 2017.
So it was fitting that on Saturday, as news of Bianchi's death broke, Chilton was able to storm to his first Indy Lights win at Iowa Speedway. He led pretty much from lights to flag, and rightly dedicated the victory to Bianchi from the podium. Good man.
Can the new R8 match last year's victory?
Nothing to do this weekend? Feeling brave with the blockages at Calais? Why not head on over to Spa for the 24 Hours race, being run for the 67th time as the Blancpain Endurance Series rolls into town. With general entry tickets costing just 30 euros - and with free entry on Thursday and Friday - it's a very cheap way to watch a potential classic race.
See, last year's winning margin was just seven seconds, with the Audi Club Team WRT just pipping the Marc VDS BMW, and the championship points table is similarly close this year after three rounds. Last time out, Brit Alex Buncombe win in the Nissan Academy car, but the challenge this time will be even more fierce with new cars from Audi, McLaren and Lamborghini all gaining miles and speed.
You'll even see an IndyCar champion, F1 racer and Olympic gold medal winner racing: yes, Alex Zanardi is driving in the 24 hour event, in a BMW partnered with Timo Glock and Bruno Spengler. Being able to see a superhero in action taking on yet another huge challenge is worth the short trip across Belgium alone.
Testing gets underway this week, with the race starting on Saturday afternoon. Hands up if you're going?
The new engine comes good!
We recently mentioned the return of Motorbase to BTCC, after winning a battle to secure sponsorship and finish development of its new Ford Ecoboost engine. Last week, the team was back in action for the first time in testing at Snetterton - and boss David Bartrum's confidence seems to have been justified: the car was quick.
In Mat Jackson's hands, it topped the timings at the end of the day, pipping the MG of Andrew Jordan. OK, this may have been a bit of a glory run to seal the sponsorship deals to fill the conspicuously blank white paint of the car, but even so: you have to have a certain amount of speed to do a glory run in the first place, after all.
The Motorbase car of the rather underrated talent of Jackson will certainly be worth keeping an eye on when BTCC gets back into gear at Snetterton on August 9.
I would have expected something a lot sooner from such a big media firm. I think it shows a lack of respect that someone didn't get something created and published over the weekend. Just nothing apart from the public forum stuff which is hardly a substitute.
You manage to bring LeMans and Goodwood coverage so can't see there is any excuse for this.
My sincere condolences to the family and friends of Jules Bianchi.
It’s always sad to see someone hurt in sport / motor racing. So sad to lose someone so talented and so young! It was a fluke accident, the race should have been stopped and it would not have happened.
The poor Jules (fellow Frenchman) was at the wrong place at the wrong time…
RIP Jules.
I would have expected something a lot sooner from such a big media firm. I think it shows a lack of respect that someone didn't get something created and published over the weekend. Just nothing apart from the public forum stuff which is hardly a substitute.
You manage to bring LeMans and Goodwood coverage so can't see there is any excuse for this.
My sincere condolences to the family and friends of Jules Bianchi.
RIP Jules
I would have expected something a lot sooner from such a big media firm. I think it shows a lack of respect that someone didn't get something created and published over the weekend. Just nothing apart from the public forum stuff which is hardly a substitute.
You manage to bring LeMans and Goodwood coverage so can't see there is any excuse for this.
My sincere condolences to the family and friends of Jules Bianchi.
Can't wait for the Spa 24hrs, if it's anything like the Blancpain races so far it's going to be amazing. Proper racing.
I would have expected something a lot sooner from such a big media firm. I think it shows a lack of respect that someone didn't get something created and published over the weekend. Just nothing apart from the public forum stuff which is hardly a substitute.
You manage to bring LeMans and Goodwood coverage so can't see there is any excuse for this.
My sincere condolences to the family and friends of Jules Bianchi.
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