Author: Loren Hazelwood

Daniel Ricciardo Confirmed at Red Bull for 2014

Fiasco Sports, Formula 1

The long awaited rumour has been confirmed – Australian Daniel Ricciardo is set to join Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull Racing for 2014

Daniel Ricciardo. Image: Wayne Lubdey. Source: Herald Sun

Image: Wayne Lubdey/Herald Sun

Australian Daniel Ricciardo today confirmed that he will join the current championship winning team Red Bull Racing for next year alongside current world champion Sebastian Vettel.

The 24-year-old has signed a multi-year agreement to race for the Infiniti team, after ending months of speculation since fellow Australian Mark Webber announced his retirement from the sport at the end of this season.

The Western Australian has been linked with Red Bull since entering the Formula 1 grid.

He was originally their test driver in 2011, before joining the Red Bull sponsored Torro Rosso team in 2012.

“Next year I’ll be with a championship-winning team, arguably the best team and will be expected to deliver,” said Ricciardo.

“I’m not here to run around in 10th place, I want to get the best results for myself and the team.

“It will be a great challenge to be up against Sebastian Vettel; I’m looking forward to that.”

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner stated that the decision to take Ricciardo on board was an easy one.

“It’s fantastic to confirm Daniel as one of the team’s race drivers for 2014,” said Horner.

“He’s a very talented youngster, he’s committed, he’s got a great attitude and in the end it was a very logical choice for us to choose Daniel.

“Daniel knows what the team expects from him; he’ll learn quickly and it’s very much a medium to long term view that we’re taking in developing him.

Australian Webber praised Red Bull’s decision and personally used Twitter to congratulate Ricciardo.

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The next round of the FIA Formula 1 championship will start this Friday with practice at Monza, while Ricciardo currently sits at 14th in the championship.

Written by Loren Hazelwood

– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/daniel-ricciardo-confirmed-at-red-bull-for-2014/#sthash.G3biHoYv.dpuf

Winterbottom and Courtney tighten championship at Winton

Australian V8 Supercars, Fiasco Sports

With the Australian V8 Supercar Championship tighter than ever, it was vital for Mark Winterbottom and James Courtney to take the final wins in Sunday’s two races.

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Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

With the current championship leader Jamie Whincup having a horrific weekend at Winton Raceway, rivals Mark Winterbottom and James Courtney were able to close the championship gap by taking the two race wins.

Sunday’s first race saw Jason Bright take pole position, but this did not stop Winterbottom from taking his first race win on home soil at Winton.

Behind the leaders, Alexandre Prémat caused a multi-car accident when rejoining the track at Turn 2, and with championship leader Whincup involved in the accident, he later failed to finish the race.

Others involved in the accident were Russell Ingall, Alex Davison, Garth Tander and Michael Caruso.

The safety car entered the track after the accident, making the dash to the finish close between Winterbottom and Bright, crossing the line 0.4s apart.

Winterbottom failed to qualify at the front of the field for the second race of the day, giving Courtney pole position for the finale.

Courtney managed to take the win, holding first for the entire 34-lap race, with a safety car coming in to play with 10 laps to go.

Young gun Chaz Mostert held second for most of the race, but had to settle for third after Fabian Coulthard took a gamble and put on new tyres during the safety car.

The race was filled with accidents, with Todd Kelly crashing out on the pit-straight at the start of the race, after receiving contact from the front of Whincup’s car, causing the first safety car.

Scott Pye once again had dramas, with the eKol Holden catching fire due to a bent exhaust.

Rick Kelly followed his brother’s suit, after causing contact with Winterbottom at the Turn 5 sweeper, causing damage to his rear suspension and bringing out the second safety car.

Craig Lowndes later received a 25-point penalty for making contact with Caruso’s Nissan, causing him to fall from second to fourth in the championship, with teammate Whincup holding onto the current series lead.

The next round of the championship will be held at Sandown Raceway, starting the season of endurance races.

Current Championship Standings
1 Jamie Whincup 1847
2 Will Davison 1792
3 Mark Winterbottom 1777
4 Craig Lowndes 1775
5 Fabian Coulthard 1709
6 James Courtney 1687
7 Jason Bright 1649
8 Shane Van Gisbergen 1632
9 Garth Tander 1602
10 Scott McLaughlin 1318
11 Jonathon Webb 1282
12 David Reynolds 1222
13 James Moffat 1155
14 Rick Kelly 1101
15 Alex Davison 1080
16 Tony D’Alberto 1015
17 Alexandre Premat 899
18 Chaz Mostert 892
19 Russell Ingall 839
20 Tim Slade 821
21 Dean Fiore 820
22 Michael Caruso 809
23 David Wall 785
24 Tim Blanchard 703
25 Todd Kelly 689
26 Scott Pye 649
27 Lee Holdsworth 635
28 Maro Engel 576
29 Jonny Reid 149
– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/winterbottom-and-courtney-tighten-championship-at-winton/#sthash.0yCb1m7b.dpuf

The Formula 1 Line-up Of Beards

Formula 1, Spultured

In recent years, I have noticed a new trend appearing across the Formula 1 field and it isn’t helmet design. Apparently now it’s all about the facial hair you’re sporting under the lid. Let’s take a look at some of the heavy hitters when it comes to those fuzzy face warmers.

hamilton

The Lewis Hamilton
Having recently made a switch into the Mercedes team, Hamilton is pictured here running in the clean-cut look. This is where the beard highlights the outside of the face, while having a shorter haircut. Also known to be very aerodynamic.

bearded feature

The Button Blonde Babe
Having one World Championship up his belt, the McLaren driver has made this blonde-babe look very popular among his rival, Sebastian Vettel. Jenson Button’s facial hair is blonde in colour, highlighting his messy hair-look. Also works well with helmet hair.

rosberg

The Nico DiCaprio
After recently cutting his long blonde locks, Nico Rosberg has gone for the rougher, edgier look. Having similar looks to Leonardo DiCaprio, Rosberg’s beard is neat but brings out his Hollywood style. This look works well with winning races.

webber

The Webber-Wolf
The retiring Australian has let his beard go wild this year, representing a similar style to Hugh Jackman in Wolverine. Mark Webber is pictured here with his cat, with his beard dark in colour and wildly un-shaven, matching his hair. This look works well with Multi-21.

raikkonen

The Iceman
Kimi Raikkonen, aka. The Iceman, runs a clean look with no facial fuzz, as he has to keep his reputation up as The Iceman. Also known to not show emotion.

grosjean

The Peach Fuzz
Romain Grosjean was famous for his turn one crashes last year, but the facial hair he is sporting looks like he hasn’t shaved since he started his F1 career. The Lotus driver’s facial hair highlights his youth, running the bare minimum on the face. This look works well with going into turn one on three wheels.

GP USA F1/2012

The Fernando Alonso
This cheeky Ferrari driver has been in the game for a while and knows how to grow a mean mow. Fernando Alonso is pictured here with a faint moustache and beard, while keeping his chunky brows neat. Also known to look good with the colour red.

While some of the younger and developing drivers in the field are trying to grow more facial hair, let’s just hope the 2014 list doesn’t include any ‘The Nigel Mansell’.

Third Year Unlucky at Watkins Glen for Ambrose

Fiasco Sports, NASCAR

After dominating the Watkins Glen race in NASCAR for the last two years, Marcos Ambrose was unable to finish the race this year after coming across some bad luck.

Marcos Ambrose in qualifying. Picture: Tom RyderTom Ryder/AP Photo

Tasmanian Marcos Ambrose had a tough day behind the wheel at Watkins Glen, being taken out of contention for the race with six laps to go.

The Sprint Cup regular won the race in the last two years, and was looking on the money to make it three in a row for the Richard Petty Motorsports team.

Starting from pole position, Ambrose took the lead early on and had control of the race for 51 laps, until an incident occurred on the track when Ambrose was taking his pit-stop.

The #9 Stanley Ford driver was then stuck in pit-lane, causing Ambrose to fall back through the field.

Running outside the top 10 after a race restart, a suspected mechanical fault saw the 36-year-old struggle for pace, forcing him into the wall on the run through turns 2-3-4.

Ambrose was clearly frustrated by the racing incident, chucking his steering wheel inside the cabin of the car, then throwing his helmet against his Ford.

The New York race also saw another past V8 Supercar driver make the field, with Australian Owen Kelly finishing 24th, stating he lost positions due to Ambrose’s crash.

Kelly is set to race again in the Nationwide series with Joe Gibbs Racing, running at the Mid-Ohio circuit next weekend.

After having an unfortunate end to the race last year, Kyle Busch held off Brad Keselowski to claim a thrilling win.

Pos Driver Car/Engine Laps Time/Delay
1 Kyle Busch Toyota 90 2:32:04
2 Brad Keselowski Ford 90 0.486
3 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 90 22:27:56
4 Carl Edwards Ford 90 22:27:56
5 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet 90 22:27:56
6 Clint Bowyer Toyota 90 22:27:56
7 Joey Logano Ford 90 22:27:56
8 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 90 22:27:56
9 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 90 22:27:56
10 A.J. Allmendinger Toyota 90 22:27:56
11 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 90 22:27:56
12 Casey Mears Ford 90 22:27:56
13 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 90 22:27:56
14 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 90 22:27:56
15 Massimiliano Papis Chevrolet 90 22:27:56
16 Greg Biffle Ford 90 22:27:56
17 Paul Menard Chevrolet 90 22:27:56
18 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 90 22:27:56
19 Denny Hamlin Toyota 90 22:27:56
20 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 90 22:27:56
21 David Ragan Ford 90 22:27:56
22 Boris Said Ford 90 22:27:56
23 Matt Kenseth Toyota 90 22:27:56
24 Owen Kelly Chevrolet 90 22:27:56
25 David Gilliland Ford 90 22:27:56
26 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 90 22:27:56
27 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 90 22:27:56
28 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 90 22:27:56
29 Alex Kennedy Toyota 90 22:27:56
30 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 85 5 Laps
31 Marcos Ambrose Ford 84 Accident
32 Brian Vickers Toyota 84 Accident
33 David Stremme Toyota 83 7 Laps
34 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 82 8 Laps
35 Ron Fellows Chevrolet 74 16 Laps
36 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 65 25 Laps
37 Aric Almirola Ford 58 Accident
38 Michael McDowell Ford 58 Suspension
39 Brian Keselowski Toyota 47 Brakes
40 Travis Kvapil Toyota 41 Accident
41 Victor Gonzalez Chevrolet 39 Accident
42 Tomy Drissi Toyota 39 Accident
43 David Reutimann Toyota 4 Engine

– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/third-year-unlucky-at-watkins-glen-for-ambrose/#sthash.D5VzYGws.dpuf

Hazelwood Closes Championship Gap at Ipswich

Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship, Todd Hazelwood Racing

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SOUTH AUSTRALIAN Todd Hazelwood has once again showed his stance in the Forpark National Formula 3 Championship, finishing a thrilling second position for the fifth round of the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship.

Having never raced at the circuit before, Hazelwood was once again quick, picking up the track in no time and setting the quickest lap time in practice.

Qualifying saw the 17-year-old start from second on the grid in the Forpark National class, but had clutch dramas causing Hazelwood to start on the back-foot for race one finishing in third.

Race two saw Hazelwood pick up second position in the 12-lap race after just being edged out for the top step of the podium.

The third feature race saw spectators stand up on their seats, having made a great comeback from the start and catching the lead pack in the Forpark National class within two laps on cold tyres. Hazelwood then battled with his teammate for the entire 16-laps, only just being edged out for the win finishing second overall.

“This weekend was great to show our true car speed that we’ve been showing good signs of in the last few rounds,” said Hazelwood.

“Our speed is consistently quick and from track-to-track I am feeling confident we are a true contender to win this year’s championship.

“Racing around the Willowbank circuit was difficult in a wings and slicks category, with being stuck behind someone with dirty air unfortunately determined our end result for this weekend.”

The teenager also set the fastest lap in all three races, showing the rest of the competition he’s got what it takes.

With Hazelwood currently second in the Forpark National Formula 3 class, he will be looking at closing that gap to the series leader heading into Phillip Island and Sandown.

Hazelwood Makes Race Debut at Queensland Raceway

Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship, Todd Hazelwood Racing

 

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AFTER having a great day in practice yesterday, Todd Hazelwood made his qualifying and race debut at the Ipswich circuit in the Australian Formula 3 Drivers Championship.

Even from suffering from food poisoning, Hazelwood managed to qualify second in the Forpark National class and finish race one on the podium in third position.

“Pretty happy with today’s effort, didn’t get the most out of the car in qualifying which cost us pole position,” Hazelwood said.

“It was good to have another podium in race one today, but the start cost my overall result.

“My pace was good throughout the race and that showed as we had the fastest lap, hopefully tomorrow we can have a good start and move up the order.”

The South Australian is currently second in the Forpark National Formula 3 class.

“Hopefully we can gain some points on the championship leader tomorrow to remain a contender for the next three rounds of the series.”

The 17-year-old will hit the circuit again tomorrow morning for race two and later on for the feature race of 16 laps.

To follow Todd Hazelwood’s progress throughout this weekend for the fifth round of the Australian Formula 3 Championship, like Todd Hazelwood on Facebook, follow Todd on Twitter or watch the live streaming of Sunday’s races at www.thenationals.com.au.

Racing schedule: Shannons Nationals Queensland Raceway

Sunday
08:25 Race 2 (14 laps)
11:40 Race 3 (16 laps)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quickest in Practice at Queensland Raceway

Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship, Todd Hazelwood Racing

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NEVER having raced on the Ipswich circuit, Todd Hazelwood has still clocked the fastest lap time today in the Forpark National Formula 3 class.

The South Australian topped the time sheets in practice one with a time of 1:07.4179, with practice two developing new techniques with the track and the car.

Hazelwood is hoping to have a successful day tomorrow, with qualifying in the morning and the first race following later in the day.

“Really happy with today’s progress in both practice sessions,” Hazelwood said.

“I was able to adapt to the track quickly and the team tried some new things for the second session.

“Really enjoying the track at the moment, although most people refer to it as the boring paper clip, there is a lot of technique involved to produce fast lap times around the track.”

The 17-year-old is hoping to have a similar weekend to round four at Sydney Motorsport Park, where he qualified pole and won the first race.

“There is still room for improvement, our aim is to put it all together for our qualifying session tomorrow morning.”

To follow Todd Hazelwood’s progress throughout this weekend for the fifth round of the Australian Formula 3 Championship, like Todd Hazelwood on Facebook, follow Todd on Twitter or watch the live streaming of Sunday’s races at www.thenationals.com.au.

Racing schedule: Shannons Nationals Queensland Raceway

Saturday
09:25 Qualifying (20 minutes)
15:35 Race 1 (12 laps)

Sunday
08:25 Race 2 (12 laps)
11:40 Race 3 (14 laps)

Todd Hazelwood Revved-Up for Round Five

Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship, Todd Hazelwood Racing

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AFTER taking his maiden round win in the Forpark National Formula 3 class at Sydney three weeks ago, Todd Hazelwood is more than ready to jump back in the Formula 3 for the fifth round of the Australian Formula 3 Drivers Championship.

Despite never having raced at the Ipswich circuit, Hazelwood is confident he can once again produce strong results in the Forpark National class at Queensland Raceway this weekend.

“I’m hoping to add another strong result to my debut Formula 3 season this weekend at Queensland,” Hazelwood said.

“My rivals have past-experience at the track, but we have proven this year that we are fast straight out of the gate and can challenge for the win by the end of the weekend.

“The track looks fast and challenging and I am looking forward to racing around the technical circuit for the first time.”

Todd Hazelwood is currently second in the Forpark National class, hoping to close the gap on the championship leader.

To follow Todd Hazelwood’s progress throughout this weekend for the fifth round of the Australian Formula 3 Championship, like Todd Hazelwood on Facebook, follow Todd on Twitter or watch the live streaming of Sunday’s races at www.thenationals.com.au.

Racing schedule: Shannons Nationals Queensland Raceway

Friday
09:55 Practice 1 (30 minutes)
13:25 Practice 2 (30 minutes)

Saturday
09:25 Qualifying (20 minutes)
15:35 Race 1 (10 laps)

Sunday
08:25 Race 2 (8 laps)
11:40 Race 3 (14 laps)

Young Guns Mostert and McLaughlin Take Race Wins at Ipswich

Australian V8 Supercars, Fiasco Sports

Chaz Mostert has taken his maiden win in the V8 Supercar series, with Scott McLaughlin taking his second this year after an eventful two races in Queensland. 

Scott McLaughlin leading in Race 2. Picture: Brendan Radke

The youngest drivers in the V8 Supercars category won both races at the Coates Hire Ipswich 360, with Scott McLaughlin taking Race 2 and Chaz Mostert taking his maiden victory winning Race 3. 

20-year-old McLaughlin took the first race by leading current series leader Jamie Whincup, making it a top-five finish for Holden.

Mostert then managed to qualify second for Race 3 to Ford Performance Racing’s Will Davison, giving Mostert the advantage at the start in the dry line.

The Dick Johnson Racing driver led the race from start to finish, as McLaughlin failed to challenge after he suffered from a flat front-left tyre.

The flat tyre drama also cost Whincup, James Courtney and Alex Davison crucial positions in the race.

Tim Blanchard also created some drama, causing an oil spill at the entry of Turn 3 under braking, forcing a few drivers to run wide and go off the circuit.

Race 3 also saw Ford take out the top four positions, with Dick Johnson Racing taking its first win since Jonathon Webb won three years ago.

The next round of the V8 Supercar Championship is held at Winton Raceway for the Winton 360, on the 23-25 August.

Written by Loren Hazelwood, @LorenHazelwood

– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/young-guns-mostert-and-mclaughlin-take-race-wins-at-ipswich/#sthash.CtfhDJrl.dpuf