Ducati put its straight-line speed advantage to good use by surging clear in the opening practice session for this weekend’s MotoGP race in Austria. MotoGP returns to Austria for the first time since 1998 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, a track chiefly made up of stop-start corners and long straights. Ducati entered the weekend tipped to end a victory drought dating back to the 2010 Australian Grand Prix given the strengths of the Desmosedici GP16 bike. Despite seeing Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales top the opening practice session on Friday morning, Ducati struck back in the afternoon as Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone clinched a one-two finish for the Italian marque. Dovizioso led the way
Team Penske will again be a two-car Xfinity Series team in 2017, the organization announced Friday. In a press release, the team said the effort will allow Ford Performance to use the entry as an extension of their new driver development program. Penske has been running one full-time car, the No. 22, the last few seasons with a focus on the owner’s championship. Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney have been the primary drivers. Occasionally, however, Team Penske would field a second car, such as last weekend at Watkins Glen when Logano piloted the No. 12 to victory lane. It was Team Penske’s first win of the season. “Our NASCAR Xfinity Series program has been one of the best in the
Eric Boullier is pleased by the gains that McLaren has made across the course of the 2016 Formula 1 season on the sport’s top teams, saying it proves that its recovery plan is working. McLaren entered the 2016 season coming off the back of one of its worst racing campaigns, finishing ninth in the constructors’ championship thanks to continued difficulties with the new Honda power unit. McLaren has already beaten its total from 2015 after just 12 races this season, sitting seventh in the constructors’ championship with Toro Rosso just three points ahead. In a video on McLaren’s website, racing director Boullier spoke about the challenges that the team has faced so far in 2016, with particular