FORMULA 1Photo: Pirelli

See Pages 8&9

KARTINGPhoto: MotorSportMedia

See Pages 13&19

MOTOGPPhoto: YamahaMotogp.com

See Page 4

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CLOSURE SHOCK

August 2020 • R19.50 (incl.)

Silverstone Pandemic DisasterPage 8

Cross Country Is BackPage 15

See page 6

SOUTH AFRICAN and WORLD racing NEWS and VIEWS

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Camara New Dragon ManThe Dragon Formula E team has announced that Sergio Sette Camara will replaced Brendon Hartley for the final races of the 2019/20 season.

Red Bull and AlphaTauri Formula 1 reserve driver Sette

Camara joins Nico Muller at Dragon for the six races at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport next month.

Earlier this year, the Brazilian was named one of two Dragon FE reserves and took part in the rookie test at Marrakesh, ending the day with the second-fastest time.

Sette Camara had been present for the first three rounds of the F1

FORMULA Eseason in Austria and Hungary, but racing in Berlin means he is unavailable to Red Bull for the second Silverstone F1 race, the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.

Dragon team boss Jay Penske said: “I have been very impressed with Sergio on track in Marrakesh, and in his work in the simulator with our engineers to continue

to push the development of the PENSKE EV-4 package.

“I look forward to seeing him on track in Berlin, and I fully expect him to challenge for points in his first races with the team.”

Sette Camara himself added: “The team and I had really strong chemistry in the Marrakesh Rookie Test. We executed the program,

and performed well, finishing the day P2.

“I am delighted to share the news that I will work with them again, this time in a race situation, which makes it even more special. I want to thank Jay Penske and every member of Geox Dragon Racing for giving me this opportunity.”

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 4 • August 2020 • Motorsport World

CHANGES: Valentino Rossi says he had to overcome Yamaha “politics” to make the set-up changes he wanted ahead of the Andalusian Grand Prix.

Rossi Beats The PoliticsValentino Rossi says he had to overcome Yamaha “politics” to make the set-up changes he wanted ahead of the Andalusian Grand Prix, as he returned to the MotoGP podium for the first time in 17 races.

From fourth on the grid, Rossi completed an all-Yamaha podium in the second Jerez race behind Petronas Yamaha man Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vinales, who managed to pass his factory teammate on the penultimate lap.

It came after an uncompetitive opening weekend of the season for Rossi at the same track one week earlier, which ended in retirement after an engine alarm went off.

Explaining the turnaround, Rossi said he and his new crew chief for this year, David Munoz, had to persuade certain factions within the Yamaha garage about the merits of deviating from the set-up preferred by Quartararo and Vinales.

“Not just after last race, but all the second part of the 2019 season was very frustrating,” said Rossi after standing on the podium

MOTOGP

for the first time since last year’s Grand Prix of the Americas. “I was so slow and I suffered very

Crutchlow Not InterestedOutgoing LCR MotoGP rider

Cal Crutchlow says he’s “not really interested” in taking up Honda’s offer to move over to its works-backed World Superbike project next season.

HRC confirmed Crutchlow’s LCR exit, with Alex Marquez being moved to take his place while Pol Espargaro switches from KTM to the factory Honda squad in 2021.

While Crutchlow has expressed interest at a move to Aprilia, and says he has spoken to Ducati about

WSBKa possible return, Honda team boss Alberto Puig told MotoGP.com that the offer of a WSBK move is there if he wants it.

“Honda has a World Superbike team and there’s always a chance for him if he wants to contemplate this option, with our new bike, because also the target of Honda in

WSBK is to get the title in the near future,” said Puig.

Commenting on this, Crutchlow says he doesn’t see a return to WSBK – where he raced in 2010 – as a “downgrade”, but his focus remains on staying in MotoGP.

“Well, it’s because they want me to do it, that’s why he [Puig]

threw it in,” Crutchlow said. “While there’s things in MotoGP that I want to do, I’ll continue to ride here.

“I never say never, I’ve just said I’m not really interested to go to World Superbike.

much. But this time we work in another way.

“We have to work hard because

with David, we have to put pressure on Yamaha because sometimes it’s something political. It’s a political

problem. We want to change the bike and we don’t give up.

Picture: Yamahamotogp.com

WATCHING: Over 1.24 million live views over the six events

that saw reigning FIA World Rallycross Champion, Timmy

Hansen, extend his domination of the sport by claiming the

esports crown.

Esports TV BonanzaThe first ever World Rallycross Esports Series attracted over 1.24 million live views over the six events that saw reigning FIA World Rallycross Champion, Timmy Hansen, extend his domination of the sport by claiming the esports crown.

A three-way partnership between Motorsport Games, Codemasters and the FIA World Rallycross Championship, the World Rallycross Esports Series attracted a number of world class drivers from various motorsport disciplines including Formula 1’s Charles Leclerc, Shane van Gisbergen from Australian Supercars and rally driver Hayden Paddon as well as a host of World RX regulars.

Run using DiRT Rally 2.0 from Codemasters, which includes the official FIA World Rallycross Championship cars, circuits and drivers, the Esport Series was operated by Motorsport Games. The series was designed to help provide entertainment to the fans of motorsport during the

RALLYCROSSperiod of postponement for real world motorsport.

The six-race World Rallycross Esports Series saw over 5.4 million minutes of content consumed online with the broadcasts also appearing on linear channels including BT Sports, Ziggo, Supersport and Match TV featuring commentary and analysis from Andrew Coley and Neil Cole.

Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President of Motorsports Events at IMG, the promoter of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, said: “The World RX Esports Series has been a great way to engage fans, and maintain the profile of the FIA World Rallycross Championship during this time.

Picture: Redbull Content Pool

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 Motorsport World • August 2020 • 5

Electric War Of WordsFormula E chief executive Jamie Reigle has responded to criticism of the all-electric championship from Chase Carey and Helmut Marko by saying he is “flattered”.

Speaking last year, Red Bull

advisor Helmut Marko said Red Bull had no interest in entering FE “because we’re racing purists” and it did not fit with the brand’s promotional activities.

He added: “As good as we are in marketing, Formula E is for us only a marketing excuse from the automotive industry to distract from the diesel scandal.”

FORMULA EWhen approached last year

about Marko’s remarks, FE did not want to comment, but speaking as part of a ‘Future Forum’ hosted by BMW recently, Reigle was asked again to respond.

Reigle replied by citing the current manufacturer interest in FE, and the competitive nature of races as to why it was “the definition

of sport”.He said: “I think the important

word in that [Marko] statement is ‘purists’.“There’s a definition of what motor racing was and therefore to people who have that view of what it should be.“In my mind, the beauty of motor racing is that it is this tradition of sport and technical innovation.

“We believe we’re pushing the edge of it and fundamentally if you look at the number of manufacturers coming into the championship, the drivers, how competitive it is, the fact that most races we have there’s a different winner… to me that is the definition of sport.

World Title Not DevaluedMarc Marquez says his absence from the Andalusian Grand Prix won’t devalue the 2020 MotoGP title should it ultimately cost him a seventh premier class crown.

The Honda rider has withdrawn from Sunday’s second race at Jerez owing to the pain in his right arm he broke in a heavy accident in the Spanish GP, having only underwent surgery on the uesday.

After the race, Honda team boss Alberto Puig stated to Spanish

MOTOGPtelevision that another rider winning the 2020 title over Marquez due to his injury couldn’t be “completely satisfied”.

While he later clarified these comments, Marquez insists that a rider’s injury is not a rival’s “fault” and that the value of the 2020 championship won’t be diminished

should he lose it.“If you’re champion it’s because

you did something better than the others,” Marquez said on Saturday at Jerez. “The value is the same one. This is one thing.

“Of course, if I’m one of the opponents, always you like to race against them and to have all of them

on the track and to fight, to win a championship with all of them on track.

“But if somebody gets injured, it’s not your fault and the value [of the title] is the same [regardless].”

Miller Has Title HopesJack Miller believes Marc Marquez’s injury and withdrawal from the Andalusian Grand Prix means he is now a contender for this year’s MotoGP title.

Reigning world champion

Marquez pulled out of the remainder of the weekend’s event after experiencing weakness in his broken right arm after riding in practice and qualifying on Saturday.

The non-score in last weekend’s Spanish GP owing to his crash, coupled with his non-start in Sunday’s Jerez race, means

MOTOGPMarquez will be at a serious disadvantage upon his hopeful return at Brno..

Pramac Ducati rider Miller ended the Andalusian race fourth, having run in the podium places for almost all of the 25 laps, and now believes with circuits better suited to him and the Ducati coming up next that he is a

championship contender.“Definitely it’s changed,” the

one-time MotoGP race winner said when asked if Marquez’s situation has altered his view on his title hopes. “As it sits at the minute, we’re in this thing. So, we need to change our strategy, we’ve just got to get through this round itself, Jerez 1 and 2, get through these

with as many points as possible.“We’re coming to tracks that I

really do well at and we’ll be able to challenge. And here’s a track where Marc normally goes well at and he won’t be able to take advantage, so I think [I need to] just try and get some points up on him

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 6 • August 2020 • Motorsport World

to shut its doors in the absence of support from Audi and BMW, both of which are also shareholders in parent company ITR Ltd.

“To put it in a nutshell, the time has come to think about winding-up the DTM,” Berger told ServusTV. “If none of the German manufacturers are willing to support this platform and series anymore, things will get tight.

“As we all know, we have to cope with Audi’s withdrawal. Coronavirus also means we’re up against nothing but headwinds.”

BMW was expected to remain in the category in 2021, but Audi’s withdrawal and the coronavirus crisis may have thrown a spanner in the works.

Picture: DTM.com

SAD GOODBYE: ITR chief Gerhard Berger has admitted

for the first time that the DTM may have to be ‘wound up’

after 2020 if it doesn’t receive the required support from

German marques.

Championship Closure ShockITR chief Gerhard Berger has admitted for the first time that the DTM may have to be ‘wound up’ after 2020 if it doesn’t receive the required support from German marques.

The DTM received a major blow in April when Audi announced it would leave the championship at the end of the current season, months after R-Motorsport Aston Martin communicated its own exit from the series.

The manufacturer exodus, which began when Mercedes quit the DTM after 2018 to join Formula E, has put the future of the long-running category in question and signalled the end of the Class One tie-up it forged with Japan’s SUPER GT series.

Berger has previously been more optimistic about the DTM’s future, saying that he was against the idea of taking a hiatus in 2021.

However, speaking just over two weeks before the start of the new season, the Austrian now admits the DTM may be compelled

DTM

Ogier Staying With ToyotaSebastien Ogier is poised to stay in the World Rally Championship in 2021, with a new deal with current employer Toyota close to being signed.

Six-time WRC champion

Ogier stated in August last year that he would retire from the sport at the end of the 2020 season, although at that point he hadn’t left Citroen to sign with Toyota.

However, the coronavirus pandemic has prompted the Frenchman to revise his plans and it is understood that he wants to bid farewell to the top-echelon of

WRC rallying after a ‘normal’ season.The 2020 WRC campaign

has proved to be anything but conventional, with the season halted after just three rallies - and the series won’t restart until September after several high profile events like Rally GB and Rally Finland had to be called off.

It is believed that Ogier has

already expressed his intent to extend his WRC stay by 12 months and Toyota is also keen on holding onto him for a second season.

Negotiations between the two parties have already begun and the Japanese manufacturer is not interested in hiring any other driver in place of him.

Toyota believes it has the

right mix of talent, youth and experience, with Ogier, Elfyn Evans, Kalle Rovanpera forming a harmonious driver line-up. The contracts of all three drivers are expected to be renewed in due course.

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 Motorsport World • August 2020 • 7

GETTING BETTER: Pramac Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia says his strong Andalusian

Grand Prix weekend has made him feel like a “fully-fledged

MotoGP rider.

Bagnaia The Real DealMOTOGPPramac Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia says his strong Andalusian Grand Prix weekend has made him feel like a “fully-fledged MotoGP rider”, after a technical issue cost him a maiden podium.

Bagnaia was the top Ducati runner in qualifying after securing his first front row start in third, and found himself in second spot after passing the struggling factory Yamahas of Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales mid-race.

He then managed to open up a gap of 2.4 seconds over third place by lap 19 before being forced to pull out when his GP20 started smoking.

Having gone well at the Spanish GP last week, Bagnaia’s form comes at an opportune time as Ducati is yet to finalise its line-ups at its works squad and Pramac for 2021.

Asked if his Andalusian GP performances could put him in

the frame for the seat currently occupied by Andrea Dovizioso, Bagnaia said: “At the moment we are concentrating on going fast, and knowing that I was the first Ducati during the whole weekend has given me a lot of strength, but we think of [continuing] working as we did this weekend.

“If the official [Ducati] team chance came, I would be very happy. But now I don’t want to think too much about it. One nice thing about this weekend is that I felt like a fully-fledged MotoGP rider, really strong.”

Picture: MotoGP.com

Double Header KickoffThe World Rallycross Championship will feature a trio of double-header events to get its revised 2020 season underway, while the new Finnish round has been officially launched.

The first three events of the rescheduled campaign, that was confirmed by the World Motor Sport Council in Sweden, Finland and Latvia will all double-up to host individual points-scoring rounds on both Saturday and Sunday, instead of the traditional single event run over two days format.

World RX promoter IMG had

RALLYCROSSalready announced plans to run a double-header at in Abu Dhabi as the revised schedule’s penultimate weekend, on the Friday and Saturday of the UAE’s round in October, but it’s now understood that the Yas Marina circuit will host a single round.

Other events in Belgium, Portugal, Spain and Germany will

continue to host conventional single rounds, to make up a 11-round calendar.

The changes were revealed in conjunction with the launch of the new Finnish round which will be organised by multiple European rallycross championship winning team and the operations arm of Marcus Gronholm’s World RX

squad, SET Promotion.Finland’s return to World

RX for the first time in six years will be held behind closed doors at the Kouvola Circuit, and shown on Finnish broadcaster Yle’s free-to-air channels.

FORMULA EGen3 Race ExtensionFormula E could move to longer races with the advent of the Gen3 regulations, which are set to introduce rapid charging and bring back pitstops, reckons series CEO Jamie Reigle.

Williams Advanced Engineering has won the contract to exclusively supply the battery system for the Gen3 car, which will come in for the 2022-23 season ahead of a minimum three-year cycle.

The design brief is for the cars to be 120kg lighter, have smaller dimensions and boost power to

350kW - equivalent to 450bhp - up from the current 250kW maximum.

Speaking as part of a ‘Future Forum’ livestream hosted by BMW, Reigle said that championship “felt pretty good” about introducing rapid charging for the Gen3 regulations, which could then lead to a return of in-race pitstops.

He said: “What’s very special

about Formula E is the link between the technology development, the progress and innovation in the car and then how that turns into changes in the sport itself.

“In Gen1, the battery capacity was at such a level where we actually had to switch cars and the drivers came into pit, jump into another car and go.

“If I’m being perfectly candid, is that the best showcase of the potential for electric vehicles? No, of course not.

“I think what our founder [and chairman] Alejandro [Agag] would say is, ‘we had to just prove these cars worked.

FORMULA WORLD

NO CHEER: Grand prix have felt more like Formula Renault events than Formula 1 thanks to a lack of fans this year, reckons McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Update Loophole DebateMcLaren Formula 1 chief Andreas Seidl has criticised the decision to let rival teams take a token-free update for their 2021 cars thanks to a loophole in the regulations.

All 10 F1 teams will continue

to race with their 2020 cars next year as part of the agreements to protect the sport and cut costs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teams are permitted to spend two development tokens for updates on their car between seasons, and were required to inform the FIA of where they would be used.

But it emerged over the

FORMULA 1Hungarian Grand Prix weekend that the wording of the regulations means customer teams that receive year-old parts from a larger outfit can take some updates for free.

The rule applies closest to Racing Point and AlphaTauri, who received listed parts from Mercedes and Red Bull respectively.

In the case of Racing Point,

the team will be able to upgrade its current 2019-spec Mercedes gearbox to the 2020-spec for next season without spending any of its update tokens.

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto and Renault executive director Marcin Budkowski both expressed their frustration over the apparent loophole, feeling all teams

should be limited to only make updates via the token system.

McLaren F1 boss Seidl echoed their thoughts, having already accepted that his team will have to spend both of its tokens on accommodating the new Mercedes engine for 2021 when it switches from existing supplier Renault.

Norris Missing The FansGrand prix have felt more like Formula Renault events than Formula 1 thanks to a lack of fans this year, reckons McLaren’s Lando Norris.

No spectators have been allowed into F1 races held so far this year in a bid to minimise the risks to public health amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It means that only staff essential to the running of the grand prix are present, with around 2000 people at each of the first three events held so far.

Norris says that he has missed having fans there.

“I’ve missed them a lot, I’ve missed the whole atmosphere from them,” he said, when asked about what it has been like to run in front of empty grandstands.

“You know, it feels a lot more like a race in Formula Renault where you go and there’s not that many fans. Or like, sometimes Formula Three: you go to the race tracks and there just aren’t many fans.

“And it’s almost a bit like karting in some ways, where you just go there to race rather than to put on a great show for anyone. So it is weird.

“And it’s something that every driver, I’m sure even the engineers and mechanics, they miss the atmosphere from it all and seeing the emotion from the fans.”

Norris says that he thinks the situation was especially noticeable at Silverstone as he reckoned the absence of fans will robbed it of a ‘home race’ feel.

“It makes it even worse knowing that I have two races at my home track where it would

FORMULA 1

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 8 • August 2020 • Motorsport World

Silverstone Pandemic DisasterSilverstone boss Stuart Pringle says the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has set the business of the home of Formula 1’s British Grand Prix “back about five years”.

The Northamptonshire track

FORMULA 1was forced to shut down for 12 weeks as a result of the UK government lockdown coming into effect on 23 March.

That occurred just as the track was set to exit its usual quiet trading period over the winter and in early Spring, and it has been forced to cancel several major events – including what was set

to the 2020/21 World Endurance Championship season opener and the British MotoGP round for 2020.

The British and 70th Anniversary GPs were rearranged after discussions with F1, but they will take place without fans, which removes valuable ticket revenue – although it is understood

that Silverstone will not pay its usual F1 event hosting fee and the championship itself will pay the running costs for those events.

The developments of the pandemic followed Silverstone’s work to diversify its business away from being wholly reliant on major summer races and become a motorsport-inspired leisure and

business destination.“It’s like a big game of snakes

and ladders,” Pringle said. .“We’ve been crawling up a

very long ladder - and it’s been getting very tiring - but we’re now just going all the way back down the snake. “And it’s going to set our business back about five years in terms of balance- sheet positions.

have been amazing to have all the fans there,” he said.

Picture: Pirelli

Calendar – When And WhereThe 2020 Formula 1 calendar has gone through a number of changes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s a look at the latest schedule.

The original 2020 calendar featured a record-breaking 22 races across five different continents, starting with the

FORMULA 1traditional season opener in Australia.

However, the outbreak of coronavirus forced the series to revamp its calendar, with some races dropping entirely and other new events being added for the first time.

The championship officially kicked off in July with back-to-back races at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, followed by a single event

in Hungary.Silverstone will now host

two races in August, including Formula 1’s 70th anniversary celebration event.

This would be followed by a visit to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix and then the Belgian Grand Prix at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit, both events taking place in August.

Italy will host three races,

with the annual Monza race on September 6 to be followed by a new event at Mugello just one week later. Imola will host its first grand prix since 2006 on November 1.

Between the Mugello and Imola races, F1 will head to Sochi (regular venue), Nurburgring (returning to F1) and Portimao (new to F1) between late September and October.

At the moment, only 13 F1

races are confirmed, all of them scheduled in Europe. However, F1 plans to end the season in the Middle East, with two races in Bahrain to be followed by the title decider in Abu Dhabi.

These additions would take the calendar to 16 races, enough to meet F1’s contractual requirements with TV broadcasters.

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 Motorsport World • August 2020 • 9

Black Mercedes UpdateCodemasters has released an update for the official 2020 Formula 1 game that will include Mercedes’ black livery, three weeks after the game’s initial release.

F1 2020 was released on July 7, a couple of days after the real-world season-opening Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.

Codemasters was unable to include six-time constructors’ champions Mercedes’ new black livery – part of its campaign to fight racism – due to the livery reveal coming just one week prior to the game’s launch. This latest patch will swap the traditional grey Mercedes colours, which were used during pre-season testing, for the striking new black livery debuted in Austria.

The black overalls of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will also now be present in the game, along with their adjusted helmet designs.

As well as the visual changes, Mercedes also announced plans

FORMULA 1for a new diversity and inclusion programme to address the lack of diversity within the team – just 3% of the German manufacturer’s workforce identify as belonging to an ethnic minority group.

This update is available to PC gamers from Monday, but Xbox One and PlayStation 4 users will have to wait an extra couple of days to play the updated version.

The patch also includes a raft of technical fixes including three for the game’s flagship new ‘MyTeam’ game mode, which allows gamers to create, manage and drive for an 11th team on the F1 grid.

Picture: Pirelli

fallen away from the pace-setting Mercedes outfit, it is under no illusions about the effort that is going to be required to get back in contention.

But with a raft of cost-cutting measures having been introduced that limit the changes teams can make to cars, Ferrari is resigned to being unable to respond in the short

Ferrari Asks For PatienceFerrari chairman John Elkann does not expect the Maranello team to be back to winning ways in Formula 1 until 2022, as he asked for patience from the team’s “suffering” fans.

With the Italian outfit having

FORMULA 1term.

Elkann, speaking at length to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport about Ferrari’s form, suggests that it will not be until new rules come into play in 2022 that it can target returning regularly to the front.

“[Ferrari is going] through a difficult period that starts far

back,” he said. “We have not won a constructors’ world championship since 2008 nor a drivers’ one since 2007.

“There has been Red Bull’s winning cycle thanks to aerodynamic capacity and then Mercedes for their great ability in hybrid engine technologies.

“This year we are not

competitive thanks to project errors. We have had a number of structural weaknesses that have existed for some time in aerodynamics and in the dynamics of the vehicle. We have also lost out in engine power.

“The reality is that our car is not competitive. You saw it on the track and you will see it again.

COLOR CHANGE: Codemasters has released an

update for the official 2020 Formula 1 game that will

include Mercedes’ black livery, three weeks after the game’s

initial release.

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 10 • August 2020 • Motorsport World

RALLY TIME: Ott Tanak says the resumption of the WRC season in his Estonian homeland in September is the perfect opportunity to reignite his title defence with new employer Hyundai.

Tanak Home Sweet HomeWRCOtt Tanak says the resumption of the WRC season in his Estonian homeland in September is the perfect opportunity to reignite his title defence with new employer Hyundai.

Having run as a successful promotional event last year, the Baltic country has struck a deal to run the first WRC event since Rally Mexico in March following the coronavirus pandemic.

The event organisers’ agreement with WRC bosses and the FIA is part of a deal that is believed to be in the region of two million Euros for the high-speed gravel event.

Following the opening three rounds of 2020, reigning champion Tanak is fifth in the standings, 24 points behind current leader and six-time champion Sebastien Ogier.

Tanak’s title defence began with a horror crash in Rally Monte Carlo but he regrouped to finish runner-up in the next two rounds in Sweden and Mexico, and he believes he can put his local knowledge to good use in Estonia to continue his podium streak.

“To restart the season in Estonia is definitely great,” said Tanak. “The Finns have had their chance to drive on their home roads. It’s the same for Seb [Ogier] in Gap

Start Rules ChangeThe World Rally Championship has revised the starting order rules for the series’ return to action in Estonia in September.

Rally Estonia, which is making

its debut on the WRC map this year, will take place over just two days, with 70 percent of the running scheduled on Saturday.

This would have put championship leader Sebastien Ogier (Toyota) at a significant disadvantage over his rivals, as he would have had to open the

WRC

[Monte Carlo], so [like me] I am sure Estonia is grateful for the opportunity.

Picture: Red Bull Content Pool

Rins Proud ComebackAlex Rins says he is “super proud” to finish the MotoGP Andalusian Grand Prix inside the top 10 just a week after fracturing and dislocating his

right shoulder in a crash.The Suzuki rider sustained the

injury when he crashed at the end of qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, also run at Jerez, and had to sit out the first race of the season.

Passed fit to ride on Thursday for the second Jerez race, Rins came from 20th on the grid to end

MOTOGPup 10th after benefitting from a high attrition rate around him.

“Unbelievable,” Rins said when asked about his race. “Sincerely after exiting from the box, I was suffering a lot because the condition was so hot, so super hot.

“I go in the box, I put a bottle of water behind me [to try to cool

down]. Then during the race I tried, I did a reasonable start. I don’t know how.

“During the race, I was feeling pain, step by step, lap by lap I was feeling more pain and the last seven laps I suffered, I suffered on the bike.

“But all this work we did with

the medical staff, my team, all the people pushing, I was pushing to the limit, not losing my faith, so I finish the race. So, I’m super proud of this.”

Rins will return to Barcelona to have his arm examined ahead of August’s Czech Grand Prix at Brno.

roads for the entirety of Day 1 and therefore the majority of the rally.

But the WRC has changed its rules on a one-off basis to counter this situation, with Ogier now only required to start first in the morning loop on Saturday.

From the day’s second loop, the WRC will revert to the procedure

that normally comes into effect on Day 2, with the driver leading the rally at that point starting last and so on.

If the experiment proves to be a success, the WRC could reintroduce this rule for more short-distance events like Rally Estonia.

\The starting order rules have been a source of controversy for WRC in the past, with Ogier finding himself at the centre of it when the series dictated in 2015

that the championship leader must start the first two days of each rally from first position.

Although it didn’t stop Ogier from adding two more titles to his tally in 2015 and ‘16, the Frenchman was adversely affected in gravel rallies and the rule was eventually changed ahead of the start of the 2017 season - the first after Volkswagen’s exit.

HOME STRETCH: With Audi leaving the DTM at the end of the 2020 season, two-time champion Rene Rast has one last opportunity to become the manufacturer’s winningest driver.

Rast Record RaceWith Audi leaving the DTM at the end of the 2020 season, two-time champion Rene Rast has one last opportunity to become the manufacturer’s winningest driver.

Audi announced in April that it would be pulling out of the German tin-top championship after the second season of the Class One era, having been present in some form or another since the series was revived in 2000.

The announcement likely means Rast’s tenure in the DTM will end after just four full seasons, the German driver having made his first appearance in 2016 before stepping up to a full-time seat the following year.

The 33-year-old will replace Daniel Abt in Audi’s Formula E team for the final six races of the 2019/20 season at Berlin in August, and subject to his results, is thought likely be retained alongside Lucas di Grassi for the 2020/21 campaign.

However, Rast has stressed that

DTMthe DTM remains his priority in 2020, and there’s one record that’s now within his grasp.

Mattias Ekstrom is currently Audi’s most successful driver in the DTM in terms of race wins, having scored 25 victories in a career spanning 18 seasons from 2000-17.

Rast has 17 wins in his tally and needs another eight to match the record of Ekstrom.

While eight wins in an 18-race season may seem like a stretch, Rast won seven races in each of the last two seasons. In fact, with 17 wins in 58 starts, Rast has an impressive winning rate of 29.3%, far higher than Ekstrom’s 11.52% success rate.

A ninth win in 2020 would help Rast not only topple Ekstrom, but also make him the third most successful driver in the history of the DTM, behind only Bernd Schneider (46, Mercedes) and Klaus Ludwig (38, Mercedes).

Picture: DTM.com

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 Motorsport World • August 2020 • 11

Subaru Gets Green LightChanges have been made to the World Rallycross Championship’s technical regulations that would allow Subaru to enter the series next year.

The Vermont Sports Car-

operated Subaru Motorsports USA team has contested American-based rallycross from the inaugural European-style rounds in New Jersey in 2010, then the Global Rallycross Championship and the Americas Rallycross Championship and Nitro World Games subsequently, but it has done so for the most part under

RALLYCROSStechnical regulations that haven’t fallen fully in line with FIA rules.

Technical rules for the ARX series, that was run for two years by World RX promoter IMG, were a hybrid of regulations between the GRC’s more open rulebook, and the FIA’s 279 regulations.

Subaru has so far made a single appearance in World RX, when

Norwegian Sverre Isachsen raced for the marque at the Canadian round in 2014.

Now, following extensive consultation within the FIA’s technical working group for rallycross, which includes teams, the promoter and the governing body, the FIA has published updated regulations for 2021 that

reveal the ‘Custom’ engine regulations have been adapted to allow boxer engined cars to compete.

That would allow Subaru to compete in World RX from next year.

Mikkelsen Has High HopesFormer Hyundai WRC competitor Andreas Mikkelsen believes his new role as Pirelli’s tyre development driver will aid his attempts to secure a full-time seat in the series again.

October’s Wales Rally GB was the last time Mikkelsen competed in the category, bringing the curtain down on a turbulent two-year stint with Hyundai. He was replaced by reigning champion Ott Tanak in the Korean manufacturer’s line-up for this year.

Mikkelsen beat other out-of-contract drivers to land the

WRCPirelli role, as five-time WRC event winner Kris Meeke, New Zealander Hayden Paddon and series stalwart Jari-Matti Latvala were also believed to have been in the frame.

Mikkelsen now hopes his venture with Pirelli will send out the right signals to each of the team bosses as he eyes a return to

competition in 2021.“I think it’s a very positive sign

that Pirelli has given me this job, it shows that they believe in me,” said the Norwegian.

“I am going to be driving a lot, so I will be in a good rhythm and I will be ready for whenever the chance comes around for me to get back into the WRC.

“My aim is to be back with a top team in the WRC. I am keeping my options open but I’m in contact with all of the teams - it’s just a case of waiting to see what the possibilities are.”

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 12 • August 2020 • Motorsport World

STAYING: Rea Multi-year Deal Jonathan Rea has signed a

new multi-year deal to remain with Kawasaki in the World

Superbike Championship.

Rea Multi-Year Deal

Vinales Out Of Breath

Rea Multi-year Deal Jonathan Rea has signed a new multi-year deal to remain with Kawasaki in the World Superbike Championship.

Rea joined KRT from the Ten Kate Honda team in 2015, and has established himself as statistically the greatest WSBK rider in history in the five years since.

The Ulsterman has won a record five world titles and taken his career win tally to 89 by winning 74 times with Kawasaki since joining the Japanese manufacturer.

Although the exact length of Rea’s new contract is unknown at this stage, a spokesperson from KRT told Motorsport.com that it of a minimum two years.

“I am super happy to sign a new contract with Kawasaki and KRT,” said Rea.

“What we have achieved together is incredible. Our success is driven by a great team and of course the base of the project - our Ninja ZX-10RR.

Maverick Vinales admits he “couldn’t breathe” when running behind his Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi in the MotoGP Andalusian Grand

WSBK

MOTOGP

“I will keep working hard, together with my crew, the engineers at KHI to be in the best condition every single race.

“This period away from racing has reignited a burning desire to keep winning and continue to improve my skills and the package of our bike.

“Racing never stands still and all the riders and manufactures are continuing to improve - we must do the same.

“Now we can fully focus on our 2020 WorldSBK season where racing will restart soon. “I want to thank Kawasaki, the team and all my sponsors for their continued support and this great opportunity.”

Picture: WorldSBK.com

Hankook’s Winning FormulaSouth Korean brand Hankook has won a tender to supply tyres for the Gen3 Formula E car from the 2022-23 season, seeing off competition from current supplier Michelin.

The decision, approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council, came as it was announced that original battery provider Williams Advanced Engineering would return for Gen3, replacing McLaren Applied Technologies.

FORMULA EHankook’s most high-profile

motorsport involvement to date has come as the exclusive supplier to the DTM since 2011, and it added W Series to its repertoire in 2019.

The company will create bespoke tyres for FE to be used in both wet and dry conditions, and will contain bio-sourced material and sustainable rubber.

Michelin has provided the championship with all-weather tyres since it began in 2014, but will not be part of the new Gen3 era.

An FIA statement said: “The

tender process for selecting suppliers of the chassis, battery and tyres overcame all the expectations and the submissions were compared in relation to their compliance with the technical, environmental, commercial and financial requirements.

“The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council recently voted on the bids and Spark Racing Technology will continue producing the common chassis, including the front powertrain kit, Williams Advanced Engineering will be responsible for the battery system whilst the

Gen3 will be fitted with all-weather Hankook Tire & Technology tyres.”

Hankook Tire & Technology president and COO Sooil Lee added: “All our employees worldwide are very proud that Hankook has been selected by the FIA following tender process and FIA World Motor Sport Council approval as the future tyre and technology partner for the FIA Formula E Championship.

“Our company coincides with Formula E’s move towards sustainable growth and we are

excited to be a part of this journey as their Gen3 partner.

“It is impressive how the FIA and the FIA Formula E Championships are addressing climate change and air pollution in our urban environments by promoting the adoption of electric vehicles through this all-electric race series and bringing it to the attention of a broad global audience.”

Prix owing to the massive heat.The riders had to battle a

brutal 40 degree heat in the second round of the 2020 season at Jerez, with that heat only intensifying when riding in the wake of other machinery’s exhaust gasses.

Vinales ran second off the line,

but ran wide at the final corner at the end of the first lap and dropped behind Rossi.

The Spaniard struggled to find a way through and ended up behind the Pramac Ducati of Francesco Baganai and Petronas Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli

midway through.Though he eventually

recovered to take second from Rossi on the penultimate lap when the Italian made an error at Turn 9, Vinales admits it would have been a “different race” had he taken the lead from eventual winner Fabio Quartararo at the start.

“Well, actually in this race it was impossible to breathe,” Vinales said in parc ferme.

“First of all, in the first lap I tried to overtake Fabio on the first lap to take the free air because I felt very strong with the bike.

“But then I go wide [at Turn 13] and Vale overtook me.

“So, I could not do anything. Then I was stuck behind Vale. I could not breathe most of the laps, I was destroyed.

082 960 6976 ZWARTKOPS RACEWAY

083 662 1177KILLARNEY RACEWAY

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RENTAL KARTS

GOODBYE: Jerry Solt of Findlay Ohio, owner of one of the oldest kart manufacturing companies in the USA passed away recently.

Tribute To A LegendJerry Solt of Findlay Ohio, owner of one of the oldest kart manufacturing companies in the USA passed away recently. Jerry was almost 86 years of age and had been struggling with his health for a number of month.

Solt Automotive Engineering or SAE for short was first and foremost back in 1957 an automobile repair garage operated by Russell Solt a gifted engine builder.

Russell and his son Jerry first tried out a kart in 1957. After that kart ride the Solts were converted to the new fangled motor sport sweeping the country at that time.

They decided to build a kart but thought that they could make something a little better than the model they had driven.

One of the initial modifications made by the Solts to their kart was to install a live axle despite the fact

KARTINGthat they were told that it would not work; but as history has confirmed it of course did.

The rear end modification that the Solts incorporated into their kart made them the first as far as they were aware to use a live axle, certainly in their area.

Building one kart led to another and then another and by early 1960 the Solt family were in the kart manufacturing business. The automobile repair garage that Russell Solt had operated in Findlay since 1946 was transformed into a kart manufacturing facility producing SAE karts.

Prior to becoming a kart designer and manufacturer Jerry Solt had been a student from 1953 at the General Motors Institute (GMI) of Technology in Flint Michigan now Kettering University. Jerry declined an opportunity to become an engineer at Cadillac and went home to Findlay to start making karts.

At GMI Jerry had been

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 Motorsport World • August 2020 • 13

indoctrinated to think light and strong. At home Jerry’s father instilled in him imagination and the drive to think things out and to experiment with his own ideas; Jerry was moulded to be an innovator not a copier

Jerry was an interesting gentleman to converse with despite his hearing having been damaged by what could only be attributed to his exposure to un-silenced two stroke kart engines over a period of 60 years or more.

Marylyn Solt summed up the SAE operation very well when she said of her pioneering and innovating husband, “Karting allowed Jerry to be creative; he’s was a very creative person, he would have difficulty making a box the way someone told him to make a box, he just didn’t make boxes the way other people did”.

Cadillac’s and Mercury’s loss was definitely karting’s gain.

Picture: Supplied

Wright Motorsport Sports 2000 completing the podium.

The race, which was brought to a premature end when Bryan Morgan had a huge crash which resulted in his car bursting into flames, was the first official event in South Africa after a four-month break due to the lockdown and was run under strict Covid-19 protocols with no spectators permitted.

Luckily Morgan was able to escape the burning car with only minor injuries and, together with co-driver Donavan Taylor, still claimed fifth overall and first in the new Backdraft Roadster class.

In the absence of Franco and Silvio Scribante’s Chevron B26, which was suffering from an elusive misfire, it was left to the Stradale Motorsport Lamborghini and the Autohaus Angel Ferrari

TOP STEP: Charl Arangies and Xolile Letlaka celebrated their new partnership with a lights-to-flag victory in the Backdraft 500, the opening round of the 2020 SA Endurance Series championship, at Zwartkops Raceway.

SA Motorsport Back On TrackSouth African motorsport got back on track when Charl Arangies and Xolile Letlaka celebrated their new partnership with a lights-to-flag victory in the Backdraft 500, the opening round of the 2020 SA Endurance Series championship, at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday, 25 July

James Forbes, who shared the Auto Investment Ligier with Franco di Matteo after the withdrawal of scheduled co-driver Riaan Botma, came home in second with Dean Wolson, Philip Meyer and Gerald Wright in the

ENDURANCE SERIES

up the leaderboard to claim third place and the Class V win when the race came to an end.

.With just over 30 minutes left on the clock, Bryan Morgan had his huge accident forcing the clerk of the course to bring out the red flags while Morgan was taken to the medical centre and the firefighters did their work.

Bearing in mind the Covid-19 curfew in place in South Africa, the officials decided not to restart the race to make sure the teams would still have time to pack up after the event.

The next round of the SA Endurance Series is scheduled to take place at Port Elizabeth’s Aldo Scribante Race Track on 15 August. Copy and Pictures – Paul Bedford

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 14 • August 2020 • Motorsport World

458 of Marcel and Dayne Angel to fight it out for pole position.

Arangies claimed the honours, just 0.068” ahead of Dayne Angel to head the front row of the grid. James Forbes was next up with Graham Vos (Ecurie Zoo Juno) alongside him on the second row.

When the lights went out to signal the start of the 4-hour race, Charl Arangies immediately opened a gap at the front and by the time the first round of pit stops happened, he had opened up a one-lap advantage over his closest rival, Dayne Angel who took the wheel of the Ferrari for the opening stint.

The Scribante Racing Chevron was the quickest car on the track, setting the fastest lap of the race, but Friday’s problems returned forcing them to spend a lot of time in the pits. They were eventually

classified down in 20th position at the end of the race.

Shortly after the first round of pit stops, Marcel Angel went slightly wide on the exit of turn 8 and then shot across the track and into the pit wall, bringing his challenge to an end. With the Ferrari out of the race, Arangies and Letlaka had a relatively easy path to their first win.

Forbes and di Matteo couldn’t catch the Lamborghini ahead of them, but were comfortably quicker than the rest of the field and ended in a somewhat lonely second place.

With both of the Backdraft Roadsters in Class GT5SA falling victim to mechanical maladies within the first hour, and a few other contenders experiencing problems, the Wright Motorsport Sports 2000 slowly made its way

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 Motorsport World • August 2020 • 15

RACETIME: The Bronkhorstspruit 400 will take place on Friday and Saturday, 14 and 15 August and will form the second round of the championship.

Cross Country Ready To Rumble After five months of no racing due to the COVID-19 world pandemic, the South African National Cross Country Series (SACCS) received the green light from Motorsport South Africa (MSA) to restart the 2020 championship in August.

This means the Bronkhorstspruit 400 will take place on Friday and Saturday, 14 and 15 August and will form the second round of the championship with exciting racing on the cards for this event as well as for the second half of the year.

The SACCS championship will comprises five events to be hosted between August and October.

“The coronavirus crisis has had a significant impact on all of us and adjusting to the new landscape of hosting sporting events will be a challenge, but we are poised for the season ahead.

SACCS“The championship which

started with the Mpumalanga 400 in Dullsroom in February will include the Bronkhorstspruit 400, the Nampo 400 on 18 and 19 September with the final two rounds to be hosted in Parys on 23, 24 and 25 October,” SACCS CEO Archie Rutherford announced.

The Nampo 400 is a new event on the calendar and promises to be a challenging affair in and around the mielie-fields of Bothaville and surrounding areas.

To combat the time lost in the early season SACCS has introduced the now popular double-header concept with the championship culminating with two events in Parys on the same weekend.

“Although the two Parys events take place on the same weekend, each round will be run and scored individually and will comprise a qualifying and main race.

Round four will follow the

customary format of a qualifying race on Friday with the main race on Saturday. The final round on Sunday will incorporate an early morning qualifying race followed by the main race consisting of two loops of approximately 170km a little later in the day,” Rutherford added.

Strict COVID-19 regulations are in place for the Bronkhorstspruit 400 to be run from the Soetdoring Function Venue just outside Bronkhorstspruit on the brink of the Gauteng border.

The patience and compliance of competitors, crews and officials will be rewarded by the fact that the 2020 Cross Country Championship can continue, even though things will be done somewhat different to the past.

SACCS has kept abreast with the times and technology over the years with race administration mainly being done electronically for some time now

To limit personal as well as surface contact and maximise social distancing, the Safety Plan and rules and regulations for the event include various changes, one of which is no spectators will be allowed at the event.

The number of crew members will also be limited while enthusiasts and supporters will only be able to follow the event via various social media platforms which include Facebook, Telegram, Instagram and RallySafe.

And while the wheels are being prepared to roll again, the final preparations for the Bronkhorstspruit 400 are being put in place

All the activities will take place behind closed doors at the Soetdoring Function Venue where Race Headquarters, the Designated Service Park (DSP) and the Start/Finish for the event will be situated on both days.

Although the circumstances

and conditions have changed, SACCS is looking forward to continuing the season on the same level of professionalism – be it on the race route, in DSP, adhering to COVID-19 Regulations and coverage of each event.

“The Bronkhorstspruit 400 can be followed on the RallySafe App on 14 and 15 August. The App can be downloaded free of charge from the App Store or Google Play Store. Information will also be shared on the SACCS Telegram App as well as on Facebook SACCS.

VIRTUAL MOTORSPORT

To follow the Bronkhorstspruit 400 click on the link below.

B400 link.https://app.rallysafe.com.au/

Event/EventViewer

Picture: Nadia Jordaan

ENGINE PROBLEMS: MotoGP Andalusian Grand Prix winner

Fabio Quartararo says he’s “not worried” about Yamaha’s

recent spate of engine reliability woes, following two failures in two races for Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi.

No Worries For FabioMotoGP Andalusian Grand Prix winner Fabio Quartararo says he’s “not worried” about Yamaha’s recent spate of engine reliability woes, following two failures in two races for Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi.

Factory Yamaha rider Rossi was forced to retire in the latter stages of the season-opener at Jerez with a mystery engine issue, while Petronas man Morbidelli suffered an identical failure while battling for the podium in the second Jerez encounter.

It was revealed on Thursday that Yamaha had sent an engine from Rossi and Maverick Vinales’ allocation back to Japan for analysis, with the official engine sheet issued by MotoGP on Sunday morning confirming this.

The sheet also showed Vinales has unsealed all of his five allotted engines for this year, while the other three Yamaha riders have all used four already.

With three races at two power-dependent tracks in Brno and Red Bull Ring coming up next month in a three-week period, this could

MOTOGPpose issues for Yamaha.

But, when asked if he was worried about Yamaha’s issues affecting his chances in the upcoming races, points leader Quartararo said: “I’m not worried.

“Our job as a rider is to perform on the track and we have hundreds of engineers that are working on the engine, on the bike.

Picture: Yamahamotogp.com

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 16 • August 2020 • Motorsport World

New Zealand Wilderness FearsOrganisers of Rally New Zealand fear it could be “cast into the wilderness” after the event failed to appear on the draft calendar for next year’s World Rally Championship.

Recently the World Motor

Sport Council named the nine locations that have contracts to stage a round of the series in 2021, including Monte Carlo, Italy, Kenya, Finland, Spain and Japan.

Australia was also welcomed back to the fold after the Coffs Harbour-based event stepped aside in 2020.

A number of high-profile names were absent, however, including

WRCWales Rally GB and New Zealand.

They will go up against Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Germany, Turkey and France for the likely two remaining spaces on the 2021 schedule – a number that teams and the WRC Promoter are happy to compromise on given how they have been affected financially because of the continuing coronavirus pandemic.

“There is no doubt that some event organisers will be very disappointed when the final calendar is announced,” Rally New Zealand’s CEO Michael Goldstein said.

“We’ve worked with the WRC Promoter for a long time to bring Rally New Zealand back to the World Championship; everyone knows that we have had to make

up for lost time in preparing for 2020.

“Our view is that sport is about more than dollars and it would be a callous decision from the FIA and the WRC Promoter to again cast Rally New Zealand into the wilderness for another three to five years.

Audi Has Second ThoughtsAudi has not ruled out staying in the DTM in some capacity beyond the end of the 2020 season, despite announcing its exit from the series in April.

The Ingolstadt marque will end its near-two decade long

involvement in the DTM after 2020 to focus its entire factory effort on its Formula E programme.

Since the news was made official, the ITR has gone into overdrive to secure the future of the DTM, and it is understood that series chief Gerhard Berger has shortlisted upgraded GT3 cars and LMDh machines to replace the

DTMClass One platform.

Should the DTM move to GT3 cars, Audi could potentially continue in the series with the R8 LMS that is currently used in a variety of sportscar championships worldwide.

However, the situation is complicated by the fact that the German marque announced plans

to cull the production of the road-going R8 in May, 2019.

“At the moment, the R8 is still being built,” Audi motorsport boss Dieter Gass said “That’s another discussion that’s still ongoing at the moment.

“There is still no 100 percent clarity. We are currently working on our motorsport strategy.

We’re gonna look at all the possible cases.

“There is the portfolio of Audi. That is as much under discussion as the motorsport strategy. How and whether there will be such a sporty car in the future [to replace the R8] is not decided according to my information.”

FLAT OUT: It’s been five months since South African motorsport fans have been treated to the type of action that only the Oettinger Polo Cup can provide.

SAFTEY: A number of regulations have been put

in place to minimize the risk and the spread of Covid-19

during the race weekend, such as limiting the amount of attendees and enforcing

obvious social distancing.

Zwartkops Polo Cup ReturnIt’s been five months since South African motorsport fans have been treated to the type of action that only the Oettinger Polo Cup can provide, and now, the field of more than 20 of South Africa’s most talented drivers are preparing themselves to return to the track once again.

On August 8 the Zwartkops Raceway to the west of Pretoria, who played host to the opening round way back in March will once again provide the scene for the second battle in South Africa’s most hotly contested racing series.

he scene will however be different than what it was five months ago as the entire racing fraternity will adhere to a set of strict Covid-19 protocols as prescribed by government in association with Motorsport South Africa.

“We are delighted that motorsport as a whole has finally received the green light from the Department of Sport and Recreation following negotiations between government and Motorsport South Africa,” commented Mike Rowe, head of Volkswagen Motorsport

“I’m sure that everyone involved in the Oettinger Polo Cup cannot wait to resume their battles on 7 and 8 August, albeit under very different circumstances than before.”

A number of regulations have been put in place to minimize the risk and the spread of Covid-19 during the race weekend, such as limiting the amount of attendees and enforcing obvious social distancing.

Rhe action will take place in front of empty stands as spectators from the general public will not be allowed entry in accordance with government’s regulations with regards to public gatherings.

“As a responsible investor in the communities that we operate in and a role player in the welfare of the country as a whole, we as Volkswagen respect that. We have put all measures in place for the weekend which will now allow us to focus on the racing itself,” Rowe continued.

If the level of competition during Round 1 was anything to go by, the sparks are sure to fly once again when the lights turn green to signal the start of the first race on Saturday morning.

Young Capetonian Dario Busi

POLO CUPmanaged to turn his pole position into a maiden race win in race 1 in March. Oates twin Justin was second across the line ahead of Natalian Clinton Bezuidenhout.

Race two saw another tough battle. This time it was the other Oates brother Darren who managed to hang onto a slender lead to take the checkered flag with Busi second across the line followed by the talented Arnold Neveling

It makes sense to look at all these names as potential race winners come August 8 as they have all proven their pace around the Zwartkops Raceway, but the very nature of the Oetinger Polo Cup means that there are several more drivers who will be fighting for victory.

The list of proven race winners and podium contenders to name but a few include Jurie Swart from Cape Town, the Shorter brothers Matt and Chris, Stiaan Kriel, Adrian Wood and Keegan Campos.

And they will not be the only ones wanting to make their mark. The Oettinger Polo Cup has always provided the perfect stepping stone for youngsters to develop their talents, and the 2020 season is no different with a host of new drivers joining the series

Stuart White is an accomplished driver in the world of single-seaters and has now added tin-top racing to his repertoire.

Jayden Els, who just turned 16 is a former world go-kart champion and all eyes will be on the talented trio of Kwanda Mokoena, Baksi Komane and Nathi Msimanga who are all developing their respective careers from a very young age.

“This is exactly what the Oetinger Polo Cup is all about. The series has produced several champions in the past and the next batch of future champions are already making their mark,” added Rowe.

The weekend will also see the debut of the eagerly-awaited SupaCup class which will serve as the second category of the Global Touring Car series.

Pictures: Quickpic

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 Motorsport World •August 2020• 17

Advertising Tel: 082 570 2995 18 • August 2020• Motorsport World

GOOD LOOKS: Racing Point opted to base the design of

its RP20 car on the 2019-spec Mercedes W10, stressing it

has done so legally despite an ongoing protest from Renault.

Extraordinary Mercedes Look

Vettel Not In A Hurry

Martin Brundle says it is “difficult to believe” Racing Point managed to copy last year’s title-winning Mercedes Formula 1 car so well, praising the team for doing “an extraordinary job”.

Racing Point opted to base the design of its RP20 car on the 2019-spec Mercedes W10, stressing it has done so legally despite an ongoing protest from Renault.

The team has enjoyed a huge upswing in form this season, locking out the second row of the grid in Hungary before Lance Stroll finished the race in fourth place.

Racing Point sits fourth in the constructors’ championship, one point behind McLaren and 13 clear of Ferrari after three races.

Ex-F1 driver and current Sky Sports F1 pundit Brundle said it was “difficult to believe” Racing Point had managed to copy the 2019 Mercedes so well and understand it enough to make it work.

Sebastian Vettel says he is “not in a rush” to make a decision about his Formula 1 future as he considers his options upon leaving Ferrari.

Four-time world champion Vettel will leave Ferrari at the end

FORMULA 1

FORMULA 1

“To replicate a car that works, it is stretching my imagination on that,” Brundle said in an interview with Motorsport.com.

“Having said that, they do buy – in a legitimate way – the engine and gearbox, which fixes your rear suspension, pick up points, and suspension elements. They buy everything they can.

“There’s an awful lot of reference points on the car that they legitimately buy. And it’s just there are bits underneath aero parts and all that. When they created this, they had to finesse it.

“So they’ve done an extraordinary job.”

Picture: Pirelli

Duval Offers SolutionLe Mans 24 Hours winner Loic Duval believes the DTM should merge with another racing series following Audi’s decision to exit the category after 2020.

The DTM is set to abandon

DTM its Class One platform and could adopt beefed-up GT3 cars from 2021, but ITR boss Gerhard Berger has warned that the series may have to be ‘wound up’ after this year if it doesn’t receive the required manufacturer support.

A move to GT3 cars - with or without performance upgrades - will pitch the DTM directly against its homegrown rival ADAC GT

Masters as well as a slew of other championships, including SRO’s GT World Challenge series and International GT Open. Audi driver Duval believes the DTM can no longer justify its place in an increasingly crowded landscape, and is better off initiating a merger with another series to ensure its survival. “I believe there are already too many championships in

motorsport in general, we already have WEC, Blancpain [GT World Challenge], [ADAC GT] Masters in Germany,” Duval said when asked for his opinion on the future of the DTM. “So I think they should merge with something else instead of doing another championship. For me this would be the best for the sport in general.

“The DTM is a really good

platform, but motorsport is changing and I think they have to change also, so I don’t think it’s feasible for the DTM to do its own championship with its own regulations.

“I really hope they will find something for this platform, but I believe to merge with another series would be the right decision.”

of the season after the team opted against renewing his contract into 2021.

It is known that Vettel is in talks with Racing Point over a drive for next year when the team rebrands as Aston Martin, and that he previously spoke to Renault before it signed Fernando Alonso.

Asked when a decision was

expected on his future, Vettel said he had “no answer”, and was happy to take his time over his next move.

“I would give you an answer if I really knew, but at the moment I don’t, and it’s probably realistic to be patient and wait a little bit,” Vettel said.

“That could be a couple of weeks. That could be longer than

that. Again, time will tell.“Nothing has changed to what

I mentioned in the last three weeks or prior three races.

“I’m not in a rush. I want to make sure that I make the right decision for myself, and then take it from there.”

Vettel has previously said he is open to all possible options for

2021, including joining a new team, taking a sabbatical or retiring from F1 altogether.

It marks the first time in Vettel’s career that his future has been unclear, with previous moves from Toro Rosso to Red Bull in 2009 and then on to Ferrari for 2015 being planned in advance.

transformation through lockdown to not only emerge ready to race, but the Pretoria kart track now also has two unique A and B layouts to add even more variety to the upcountry kart track menu.

But the action started at iDube, where seemingly against all odds, the KZN karting community welcomed racing back with a record entry for the Camperdown track’s lockdown-busing third round regional championship races.

Rotax Max Challenge has also confirmed details of the rest of what promises to be a spectacular rapid-fire hybrid season ahead.

Of course all reigning MSA lockdown protocols will be enforced at times at all events with no spectators allowed, social

LETS GO: The South African Rotax Max Challenge is set to come out of its Covid corner with all guns blazing as local karting enters a brilliant new era.

Rotax On The Launch PadThe South African Rotax Max Challenge is set to come out of its Covid corner with all guns blazing as local karting enters a brilliant new era.

And with the national and regional championships back on track, two brilliant brand new world class circuits to race on and record entries for the first post-lockdown regional race meeting took place at iDube in KwaZulu Natal.

While Rotax Max has already raced on Benoni’s all-new Formula K circuit in the short pre-lockdown season, there is a wonderful surprise in store with the Zwartkops International Kart Raceway having undergone a R2.1-million

KARTING

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distancing enforced throughout and face masks worn at all times. Current event lockdown rules limit each kart entered to four pit crew, while drivers briefings will be broadcast on the Rotax Global App and documentation done remotely with no cash payments allowed at the circuit.

The big news and now just subject to MSA ratification, is that the fourteen-heat national championship will start with a four-heat meeting, also at iDube, before a unique double-header on 23 August

That will be followed by three heats each on both of Zwartkops’ new A and B formats, with each running as a separate event in Pretoria on 19 and 20 September, and a four-heat Final at Killarney

in Cape Town on 17 October.Ten of the 14 heats will count

toward each driver’s title tally, so it is now plausible to be champion by racing the Zwartkops double header and either one of Cape Town or iDube.

The nationals will be followed by the Rotax African Open currently pencilled in for 15 November 2020 at the stunning new CIK layout Formula K circuit.

The various national and African Open champions still qualify for the so-called Olympics of Karting Rotax Max Grand Finals, which have now been shifted out to 24-29 January 2021 in Portimao, Portugal, to allow all countries to complete their delayed National series.

There will be several initiatives

to cut costs in the 2020 SA National Rotax Max Challenge through reduced tyre allocations, while the four-day Zwartkops double-header will be a mini kart fest that is sure to be welcomed by cost- conscious competitors.

Moving on to the various 2020 Rotax Max Challenge Regional Championships, only each driver’s four best regional heats tallied up and divided by four, will go towards their National totals

The various National races will also double up as regional events for the local competitors and that starts this weekend at iDube, which somehow managed to get two rounds in before lockdown.

Picture: MotorSportMedia

BAD WEAR: Pirelli Formula 1 boss Mario Isola says the

Italian company will “analyse everything 360 degrees” after the spectacular series of tyre failures in the closing laps of

the British GP.

Pirelli Launches InvestigationPirelli Formula 1 boss Mario Isola says the Italian company will “analyse everything 360 degrees” after the spectacular series of tyre failures in the closing laps of the British GP.

Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz all suffered similar-looking front-left tyre failures.

Leader Hamilton’s occurred on the last lap, but the Mercedes driver managed to get his car safely home to claim victory, but Sainz and Bottas both tumbled out of the points after being forced to pit.

Isola says the cause of the failures is not yet clear, although he suggested that debris on track could have played a role. Kimi Raikkonen suffered front wing damage in the closing laps.

Drivers ran much longer stints than expected on the hard tyre, as the safety car for Daniil Kvyat’s accident led most of the field to pit on laps 12-13, with only Romain

FORMULA 1Grosjean staying out.

“We will obviously investigate what happened in the last few laps,” said Isola. “It’s a bit early now to give you any conclusion. It could be high wear, because for sure tyres with 38 laps or more on this circuit are quite worn, but I’m not saying that the wear is the cause of the issue.

“It can be debris, because we had the pieces of the front wing of Kimi that were on track, but also some other debris. So that’s why we want to investigate not only the tyres with a failure, but all the tyres used in the last few laps of the race, to understand if we find any other cut or any other possible indication on what happened.

Picture: Pirelli

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Renault Protests AgainRenault has formally lodged a protest over the legality of Racing Point’s Formula 1 car for the third race in a row following the British Grand Prix.

Renault is currently embroiled in a row with Racing Point over

the design of its RP20 car, which shares a number of similarities with the 2019 championship-winning Mercedes W10.

Racing Point has always maintained that while the car was designed based off the concept of last year’s Mercedes, it was done so within the regulations.

A formal protest was lodged against Racing Point by Renault

FORMULA 1following each of the last two races, the Styrian Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix, centering on the legality of the RP20’s brake ducts.

The FIA is conducting a full investigation into the matter, but failed to hold a hearing or make a ruling ahead of the British Grand Prix.

It has prompted Renault to

lodge a third protest against Racing Point, as confirmed by the FIA stewards at Silverstone less than two hours after the end of the race.

Representatives from Renault and Racing Point are set to report to the stewards at Silverstone at 5:30pm, but the meeting will be a mere formality given the ongoing investigation.

The protest has only been

lodged against one Racing Point car, that of Lance Stroll, who finished in ninth place, as Nico Hulkenberg failed to start due to a power unit issue.

Asked how strong Racing Point’s case was, technical director Andrew Green expressed his confidence the team would prove its design was legal.

Redding Happy Hunting GroundAngel Nieto was a happy hunting ground for Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) as he claimed a pole position, a second place and two wins throughout the Pirelli Spanish Round as MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship

action resumed.Redding and Ducati proving

to be the competition to beat throughout the weekend in Andalusia.

Redding powered his way to pole position in Tissot Superpole with a lap that pipped Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) as they claimed the front row of the grid

WSBKDespite losing out at the start,

Redding was able to battle his way back from third to take victory; the race winning move coming on Lap 14 of 20.

The Tissot Superpole Race had a familiar start to it with Rea getting the jump on Redding, with the WorldSBK rookie moving down to third. Like in Race 1, he was able to bounce back but came home in second, before taking a

dominant win in Race 2 where he led all but a handful of the 20 laps to complete a sensational weekend.

Reflecting on the Spanish Round, Redding said:

“To have two victories here, a pole position and a second position, very happy for me and the ARUBA Ducati team. They put a great bike under me for these conditions and for me to ride it well. We did a good job. I could’ve won the Superpole

Race. I had the pace to win but I was stuck with Toprak for too long.

“ I had to make sure I had the pace to win in Race 2, and I felt good with the bike and managed to get away and feel comfortable to just tick the lap times off. Really happy to bring back two victories for Ducati.”