- Details
- Category: International Racing
October 12, 2023
There has been 60 years of stories, legends, races and champions, with the newest chapter being written this past weekend.
The 2023 Bathurst 1000 took place from October 6 – 8 at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales.
The Great Race is the highlight event of Australian motorsport and has been a staple of the touring car scene in the country for decades.
For those not familiar with the event, here’s a quick description of what lies ahead for the teams and drivers of the Repco Supercars series.
The race involves 161 laps around the 6213 meters of the Mount Panorama Circuit, which equates to 1000 kilometres.
Because of the nature and length of the event, teams bring in co-drivers to assist in piloting the car and each one must complete a minimum of 54 laps.
And some of those were some heavy hitters.
From Australian legends such as seven-time Supercars champion and four-time Bathurst winner Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes, who’s conquered Mount Panaroma seven times, to the Porsche factory drivers of Kevin Estre and Simona de Silvestro, there was talent up and down the grid.
And all them would have a hill to climb in order to conquer the mountain.
Thursday
The Great Race has a unique weekend configuration, with six practice sessions over the course of the four-day event, with two of them dedicated strictly to the co-drivers, those being the second and the fifth.
The first two involved a lot of learning, as it was the first time many of the teams had driven this new third generation Supercar around the circuit.
While some were learning about the car, others, like Estre and De Silvestro, needed to reacclimatize themselves to the circuit, as both last raced there in 2019, the former in the Bathurst 12 hour and the latter in the 1000.
These sessions were led by Coca Cola Racing by Erebus in their Chevrolet Camaro, with Brodie Kostecki topping the first practice and his co-driver David Russell leading the second.
Friday
This day’s sessions were where things started to come into place, with race runs and pit stop rehearsals happening throughout the field.
Practice three saw the majority of these, with teams working out the timing of brake changes, driver changes, and the possibility of adjustments.
It is also where Ford fired their first salvo with a one-two, with the pairing of Matthew Payne and Estre on top, followed by David Reynolds and Garth Tander, with Kostecki and Russell being the first Chevy, sitting in P3.
With one more session to go before first qualifying, most teams were eager to find out what changes were needed to give them the best chance at the top 10 shootout.
Once again, it was Erebus flexing their muscles, with Kostecki/Russell posting the fastest lap showing that they were a serious threat for pole. Scott Pye and the pairing of Chaz Mostert and Lee Holdsworth rounded out the top three, while Cam Waters and Payne finished fourth and fifth respectively.
Qualifying for the shootout was a bit of a hectic affair with two red flag moments. The first was for Will Brown, who buried his Camaro into the wall at Turn two, and the other for Declan Fraser crashing hard at Reid Park, or Turn seven.
While the former was able to get back out for the remainder of the session, the latter was looking at a long evening to night of repairs to get the car ready for the rest of the weekend.
When the 40-minute qualifying concluded, it would be Kostecki, James Golding, Anton De Pasquale, Waters, Broc Feeney, Reynolds, Shane Van Gisbergen (SVG), who managed to sneak his way in one his final run, Payne, Mostert and Will Davidson battling for pole in the top 10 shootout.
Saturday
The fifth practice session was another chance for the co-drivers to get some more runtime in, get used to the setups of their respective cars and provide any last bits of feedback that they could.
It also had a Red Bull Ampol Racing sighting at the top of the timesheet, as Richie Stanaway, co-driver to SVG, was fastest in the session ahead of Tander, Zane Goddard, Russell and Jayden Ojeda.
The final practice session of the weekend is where plans diverged.
Most were doing some final runs and making late adjustments in preparation for Sunday, while the shootout participants were preparing for their dance with the mountain later in the day.
Feeney and Whincup were quickest ahead of Kostecki/Russell, Brown/Jack Perkins, Waters and Van Gisbergen.
Then it was shootout time.
This portion of the weekend has always been a massive highlight and it is something that both fans and drivers look forward to.
The entertainment value here is at its highest, with 10 drivers pushing themselves and their cars to the absolute limit in a one-shot qualifying format in search of Bathurst 1000 pole.
And this year was no exception.
With some amazing laps from Feeney, Payne, and SVG to name a few, the runs across the mountain where some of the finest driving you’ll see this year.
In the end though, no one was a match for Kostecki, who put down an absolutely remarkable lap to take pole.
The 25 year-old’s time was .483 seconds faster than second place and did one of the fastest splits across the top of the mountain ever.
Sunday
The 60th running of the Great Race started off with an overtake as Whincup took the lead off the start from Russell.
Things ran smooth and the pit stop cycle had begun until lap 27 when Estre locked up into Hell Corner (turn one) and hit the wall, beaching it in the gravel trap and bringing out the first safety car of the day.
This sent the grid into a frenzy for those that had not stopped, most of them being in the leading group, trying to take advantage of the situation.
The race got back underway on lap 30 with Dylan O’Keeffe leading SVG, Reynolds and Feeney, but the former had a rough restart, falling from first to fourth by the end of Mountain Straight and into turn 2.
It went green until lap 39 where contact between Scott Pye and Dale Wood sent the latter into the wall out of the final corner.
A flurry of pitstops were triggered by the safety car, including a double-stop from both Erebus and Red Bull.
Things got back underway at lap 42 with Mark Winterbottom leading the field ahead of David Coulthard.
It wasn’t long until the likes of Kostecki and Stanaway started to make their way through the field and before long, the two were in first and second.
Things kept relatively calm for a while, strategies began to start playing out and the race had developed a bit of a rhythm.
That was until lap 70 where James Moffat made a crucial error, hitting the wall through The Dipper (Turn 14 and 15), bringing out the third safety car and ending the race for the Tickford Racing machine.
After more stops took place, racing got back underway at lap 73 with Russell in the lead ahead of Tony D’Alberto and Warren Luff.
A groove developed once again as the divergence in strategies was starting to truly show.
The fight between Erebus and Red Bull continued to rage as neither team could separate themselves from the other, though there was one decision that seemed to be making the difference.
The number 99 of Kostecki and Russell did not pit under the lap 70 safety car, while the 97 and 88 from Red Bull had double stacked.
Thus, with 30 laps to go, Van Gisbergen and Feeney held a one-two and a 4.6 second back to the leading Erebus car.
Then on lap 137, disaster struck for the 88.
A broken gear level mount, an issue that had struck the 888 of Lowndes and Goddard much earlier in the race, forced Feeney into the garage and out of contention.
With the final stops happening for the leading pair at laps 146 and 149, it was clear that staying out on lap 70 had come back to bite Kostecki and co., as the gap had grown massive through the pit cycle and SVG had put himself into a grand position with a now 23 second lead.
Battling some steering trouble and some brake issues towards the end and the fear of a gear lever mount issue possibly arising for his car, Van Gisbergen was able to get it home to win the 2023 Bathurst 1000, marking his third victory of the Great Race, his second in a row and also the first for his co-driver Stanaway.
This is only the second time ever that a pair of New Zealand drivers have taken victory with the first being Greg Murphy and Steven Richards in 1999.
Kostecki and Russell came home in second while De Pasquale and D’Alberto grabbed third spot, giving them their first podiums at Mount Panorama.
The series heads next to the Gold Coast, and with it being the penultimate round in the championship and with how close the title race is, it’s sure to be a hotly contested 500 mile race.
- Details
- Category: International Racing
February 9, 2023
- 2023 Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix takes place on a street circuit constructed in the heart of the city
- Driver Pascal Wehrlein leads the Drivers’ championship after Porsche power dominated the first three races for the all-new GEN3 race car – the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built
- Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Rowland set for the loudest cheers as Mahindra Racing competes on home soil for the first time in Formula E
Hyderabad, India - Formula E will make history this Saturday (11 February) as the ABB FIA Formula E Championship comes to India for the first time with the 2023 Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix, Round 4 of the 16-race season.
The 2.835km street circuit, constructed around the shores of the Hussain Sagar lake by the NTR Gardens, will see the first top-tier FIA World Championship motorsport in the country for a decade and will become India’s first elite electric motor racing event.
Pascal Wehrlein, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team driver, moved to the top of the Drivers’ standings after winning both races in the double-header in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, thanks to an overtaking masterclass.
But 2016/17 Formula E champion, Lucas di Grassi, and teammate Oliver Rowland are expected to attract the biggest cheers from passionate fans in the grandstand in the first home race for their team, Mahindra Racing. Di Grassi already has silverware to his name this season, sealed on his debut for Mahindra at the Mexico City season-opener, and no driver has been on the podium more than his nine in Asia.
Lucas di Grassi, driver, Mahindra Racing, said:
“It is important for us to have a good race in India – not only for the fans, but for the championship as well. It’s a new track for us, as it is for everyone up and down the grid. It needs to be a good weekend for us. We are going to try very hard and push to the limit to get the best out of the car. We can’t wait to see all the Indian fans out in force to support us and we want to give them a good show.”
Oliver Rowland, driver, Mahindra Racing, said:
“Heading into Hyderabad we know where we need to improve following a difficult weekend in Diriyah. Having the home fans behind us will add to the motivation we have racing on the team’s home ground. We know they will be fully behind us and supporting us, which will give us the extra push to perform well."
AS IT STANDS
If Mahindra Racing are to take to the top step of the podium in Hyderabad, they will have two Porsche-powered teams in TAG Heuer Porsche and Avalanche Andretti to overpower, based on current form. They have dominated Formula E so far in Season 9, with the Stuttgart manufacturer's 99X Electric Gen3 finishing one-two in every race so far.
Andretti's Jake Dennis set the benchmark in Mexico City with the first win of the new GEN3 era, with Pascal Wehrlein following him home. The two fought hard in Rounds 2 and 3 in Diriyah, the last time out, but the German got the better of Dennis in both races to take the top prize and a dominant win-double in Saudi Arabia and the standings lead, while Porsche still narrowly trail customer Andretti in the Teams table by two points.
Jake Hughes (NEOM McLaren Formula E Team) sealed a maiden Julius Baer Pole Position last time out. The rookie has scored in all three rounds so far this season and has the best qualifying record of anyone on the grid. He couldn't quite convert to silverware in the race but experienced teammate René Rast needed no second invitation to seal the team's first podium in Formula E in Round 3.
Jaguar TCS Racing also attracted attention in Diriyah, with a resurgent Sam Bird returning to the podium after an uncharecteristically barren spell for the veteran of more than 100 Formula E races. No driver has won more than the Briton in Asia either, with Bird's four the benchmark - two in Diriyah, one in Putrajaya, Malaysia and another in Hong Kong.
Before the season, some expected overtaking to be tough in the new GEN3 race car, with braking zones shortened thanks to the significant regen boost of the new car's double powertrain. That theory was blown away in Diriyah with some 36 moves outside of ATTACK MODE position changes completed over two races.
Round 2 winner Wehrlein steered from ninth to the top step of the podium and Dennis followed with his own drive through the pack from 11th to second. On just three occasions has a driver won from further down the grid than Wehrlein managed and it was the first time consecutive Formula E races had been won from outside the top four since Zurich and New York City back in Season 4.
WHEN TO WATCH
Free Practice 1 for the 2023 Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix Round 4 gets underway at 16:30 IST (11:00 GMT) on Friday 10 February.
Free Practice 2 follows at 08:10 IST on Saturday 11 February with qualifying from 10:40 IST. Round 4 of Season 9 gets underway from 15:00 local (09:30 GMT).
FOLLOW LIVE!
Follow the action on-track as it happens in the brand new Race Centre. Keep across Live Timing – which includes a real-time interactive track map and the ability to follow drivers during every session of every E-Prix – plus highlights, detailed session reports, exclusive interviews, all the standings and results as well as data, insight and reaction from trackside.
WHERE TO WATCH
Find out how to follow the action live in every country by visiting: fiaformulae.com/en/ways-to-watch
AMERICAS
USA: watch the race live on CBS Sports Network. All sessions will be live on CBSSports.com and CBS Sports HQ.
CANADA: TVA Sports and TSN 5 will show all the race action from Hyderabad in French and English respectively.
- Details
- Category: International Racing
June 19 2021
FAST FACTS
- Lucas di Grassi took the race win in the CBMM Niobium Puebla E-Prix Round 8, leading home a one-two for Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler, ahead of teammate Rene Rast - both Audi drivers having driven coolly through the upper order to the front of the pack.
- It had looked like a maiden victory was on the cards for TAG Heuer Porsche, with Julius Baer Pole Position sitter Pascal Wehrlein leading the contest from the off, only for the Porsches to be disqualified for failing to declare their tyres which left di Grassi and Rast one and two, with ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Edoardo Mortara rounding out the podium.
- The result ensured Envision Virgin Racing’s Robin Frijns retained top spot in the Drivers’ World Championship but reigning champion Antonio Felix da Costa moved within two points after a sixth-place finish while just four points separate the top five.
- Championship front-runner Frijns came into contact with compatriot Nyck de Vries mid-way through the contest (Mercedes-EQ), which ensured neither would end the day with points - Frijns being slapped with a 10-second penalty.
- Racing action returns tomorrow, June 20 the 2021 CBMM Niobium Puebla E-Prix Round 9 of the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
ADDITIONAL POINTS
Fastest Lap in Group Qualifying (1 point)
Pascal Wehrlein - 1:23.505s
TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
Julius Baer Pole Position (3 points)
Pascal Wehrlein - 1:23.780s
TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
TAG Heuer Fastest Lap (1 point)
René Rast - 1:25.531s
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler - Lucas Di Grassi (BRA)
"Mexico feels like a second home to me, I love being here. This was a completely different track from the one in Mexico City but it is great that we managed to make this event happen here during a pandemic. My team worked relentlessly to come here and turn this season around. This track doesn’t make overtaking easy, you have to take every chance to overtake without losing energy. I feel sorry for Pascal, he did a fantastic race. It happened to me in Rome, so I know how it feels. From now on we need to keep doing our work and try to test the car as much as we can."
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler - René Rast (DEU)
"We had the pace all along despite not having an ideal start to the season, but we are back. We need to keep our head down and continue to work hard to turn this season around. We deserved the 1-2 today. In Qualifying we didn’t look very competitive, but that changed during the race. Tomorrow we need to improve our performance in Qualifying and aim to score some points for the team."
ROKIT Venturi Racing - Edoardo Mortara (CHE)
"I am extremely happy to be back on the podium today. During the break we studied all the data gathered from the first half of the season and learnt from our mistakes. The team is putting everything in place. In the championship we have to face big manufacturers, but we have a good engineering team and a good powertrain and we can be just as competitive."
Race Results - Final Classification
|
Driver Standings
Robin Frijns | Envision Virgin Racing | 62 |
António Félix da Costa | DS TECHEETAH | 60 |
Nyck de Vries | Mercedes-EQ | 59 |
René Rast | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | 58 |
Mitch Evans | Jaguar Racing | 58 |
Stoffel Vandoorne | Mercedes-EQ | 54 |
Sam Bird | Jaguar Racing | 49 |
Edoardo Mortara | ROKiT Venturi Racing | 47 |
Jean-Èric Vergne | DS TECHEETAH | 46 |
Jake Dennis | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | 43 |
Lucas di Grassi | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | 39 |
Alexander Sims | Mahidra Racing | 36 |
Pascal Wehrlein | TAG Heuer Porsche | 36 |
Oliver Rowland | Nissan e.dams | 35 |
Nico Müller | DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT | 30 |
Alex Lynn | Mahidnra Racing | 24 |
Maximilian Günther | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | 22 |
Nick Cassidy | Envision Virgin Racing | 19 |
André Lotterer | TAG Heuer Porsche | 18 |
Oliver Turvey | NIO 333 FE Team | 13 |
Sérgio Sette Câmara | DRAGON / PESNKE AUTOSPORT | 12 |
Sébastien Buemi | Nissan e.dams | 11 |
Norman Nato | ROKiT Venturi Racing | 11 |
Tom Blomqvist | NIO 333 FE Team | 5 |
Joel Eriksson | DRAGON / PESNKE AUTOSPORT | 0 |
- Details
- Category: International Racing
June 20 2021
FAST FACTS
- ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Edo Mortara went top of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship after winning the second CBMM Niobium Puebla E-Prix
- Mortara went two better than his third-placed finish on the previous day with a second career E-Prix victory to complete a stunning weekend for the Monaco based team as fans made their return to Formula E’s grandstands
- TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein secured a second-placed finish on-track but was later penalised by the addition of five seconds to his race time for improper use of FANBOOST, which saw him demoted to fourth spot
- Nick Cassidy achieved a maiden podium following a herculean effort by the Envision Virgin Racing team to rebuild his car late into the night – their rewards, second place following that Wehrlein penalty
- Nissan e.dams’ Oliver Rowland led away from Julius Baer Pole Position though contact with a wall late on in the contest compromised his race but the Brit still sealed silverware, coming home a net third
- The result sees Mortara become the eighth different winner in nine races and leave Mexico with a 10-point lead at the summit of the Drivers’ World Championship with Mercedes-EQ leading the Teams' World Championship by three points
- Next up, The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship heads to New York City for Rounds 10 and 11 on July 10 and July 11
ADDITIONAL POINTS
Fastest Lap Group in Qualifying (1 point)
Jake Dennis - 1:22.816s
BMW i Andretti Motorsport
Julius Baer Pole Position (3 points)
Oliver Rowland - 1:23.370s
Nissan e.dams
TAG Heuer Fastest Lap (1 point)
René Rast - 1:25.370s
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
ROKiT Venturi Racing - Edoardo Mortara (CHE)
"What a weekend for us - 40 points in two days! This win today is fantastic. Pascal was very strong today, it was hard to keep him behind. We used more energy in the first part of the race to build a gap and in the latter I had to save more energy. I am glad to be here, the car was very competitive, the team put on a great strategy. We try to maximise our potential every time we race, and we do our very best all the time. I am happy with our season so far."
ENVISION VIRGIN RACING - NICK CASSIDY (NZL)
"My first podium finish feels like a relief I feel this should’ve come earlier. I made a mistake yesterday in the race and the team had plenty of work to do last night and I am glad I could re-pay them today with the podium finish. I am pleased with the communication with the team, we were the fastest car in the race, and we had the pace to make risky moves and it paid off. Looking forward to next race in New York City."
Race Results - Final Classification
1 | Edoardo Mortara | ROKiT Venturi Racing | 46:41.685 |
2 | Nick Cassidy | Envision Virgin Racing | +4.169s |
3 | Oliver Rowland | Nissan e.dams | +6.912s |
4 | Pascal Wehrlein | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | +7.296s |
5 | Jake Dennis | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | +9.986s |
6 | Alex Lynn | Mahindra Racing | +10.630s |
7 | Maximilian Günther | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | +10.968s |
8 | Jean-Éric Vergne | DS TECHEETAH | +21.111s |
9 | Mitch Evans | Jaguar Racing | +21.261s |
10 | René Rast | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | +21.896s |
11 | Robin Frijns | Envision Virgin Racing | +22.216s |
12 | Sam Bird | Jaguar Racing | +27.945s |
13 | Stoffel Vandoorne | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | +28.578s |
14 | Sébastien Buemi | Nissan e.dams | +35.720s |
15 | Joel Eriksson | DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT | +41.027s |
16 | Sérgio Sette Câmara | DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT | +41.029s |
17 | André Lotterer | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | +46.250s |
18 | Lucas di Grassi | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | +1:26.473s |
DNF | Tom Blomqvist | NIO 333 FE Team | 28 Laps |
DNF | António Félix da Costa | DS TECHEETAH | 7 Laps |
DNF | Alexander Sims | Mahindra Racing | 19 Laps |
DNF | Oliver Turvey | NIO 333 FE Team | 16 Laps |
DNF | Norman Nato | ROKiT Venturi Racing | 11 Laps |
DNF | Nyck de Vries | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | 5 Laps |
Driver Standings
Edoardo Mortara | ROKiT Venturi Racing | 72 |
Robin Frijns | Envision Virgin Racing | 62 |
António Félix da Costa | DS TECHEETAH | 60 |
René Rast | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | 60 |
Mitch Evans | Jaguar Racing | 60 |
Nyck de Vries | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | 59 |
Stoffel Vandoorne | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | 54 |
Jake Dennis | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | 54 |
Oliver Rowland | Nissan e.dams | 53 |
Jean-Éric Vergne | DS TECHEETAH | 50 |
Sam Bird | Jaguar Racing | 49 |
Pascal Wehrlein | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | 48 |
Lucas di Grassi | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | 39 |
Alexander Sims | Mahindra Racing | 36 |
Nick Cassidy | Envision Virgin Racing | 34 |
Alex Lynn | Mahidnra Racing | 32 |
Nico Müller | DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT | 30 |
Maximilian Günther | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | 28 |
André Lotterer | TAG Heuer Porsche | 18 |
Oliver Turvey | NIO 333 FE Team | 13 |
Sérgio Sette Câmara | DRAGON / PESNKE AUTOSPORT | 12 |
Sébastien Buemi | Nissan e.dams | 11 |
Norman Nato | ROKiT Venturi Racing | 11 |
Tom Blomqvist | NIO 333 FE Team | 5 |
Joel Eriksson | DRAGON / PESNKE AUTOSPORT | 0 |