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2014 Le Mans 24 Hours LMP2 Preview Part 2

After previewing the first half of the LMP2 field earlier, now it’s the turn to preview the second half of this eclectic entry. Like I’ve said before any number of cars can win the class and with diverse entries from the likes of Oreca, Morgan and Alpine alongside Nissan, Honda and Judd Power anything is possible, especially as 2014 see’s the most competitive driver line-up across the class for a long time. Fireworks are guaranteed!

SMP Racing:

#37 Oreca 03R-Nissan: Kirill Ladygin/Nicolas Minassian/Maurizio Mediani
The second of the SMP racing entries seems to be more likely of the two to attain a good result in the 24 Hours, with the perfect blend of speed and experience in Nicolas Minassian, to partner newcomers Kirill Ladygin and Maurizio Mediani. Mediani is brought in through the AF Corse collaboration as he is the Ferrari GT test driver.

Ladygin is a solid silver rated driver yet his pace will decide how far up the class the car finishes. Sensibly the relatively new start up prototype team has followed the proven Oreca-Nissan package which should ensure reliability. If the team can run trouble free the talents of Minassian alone should be enough to ensure a good result for the team.

Jota Sport:

#38 Zytek Z11SN-Nissan: Simon Dolan/Harry Tincknell/Marc Gene
The Jota sport have so far had a successful 2014 in the ELMS, something they’ll be hoping to repeat at Le Mans. The team would have two ELMS wins if it wasn’t a massively unfortunate accident in the opening round at Silverstone. The Zytek-Nissan package is well proven at Le Mans therefore any reliability problems for the team would be a surprise.

On the driving from Simon Dolan will be one of the quickest Am drivers in the class, with young single seater convert Harry Tincknell improving with every race and on loan Audi factory driver Marc Gene, replacing Filipe Albuquerque. The only question mark around this team is they will fare with the increased challenge of being competitive in the class at Le Mans compared to the ELMS, something that should not be a major problem for this experienced team.

Greaves Motorsport:

#41 Zytek Z11SN-Nissan: Michael Munemann/Alessandro Latif/James Winslow
Greaves Motorsport are back for more in 2014 after a successful few years for the team in the LMP2 category. This time around the team has two entries with this #41 entry alongside the Caterham racing entry their running also. The driver line-up appears the weakest leak for this entry however with silver driver Michael Munemann as a solid if unspectacular silver, partnering Le Mans debutants Alessandro Latif and James Winslow.

Winslow is experienced and proven racer based in Asia with Latif a young charger who is climbing the ranks of lower level prototype and GT racing,watch for him to surprise with his pace at the 24 Hours. Whilst this entry won’t win on outright pace a reliable run should be enough for them to easily be in the mix for a class podium.

Caterham Racing:

#42 Zytek Z11SN-Nissan: Tom Kimber-Smith/Matt McMurry/Chris Dyson
The second Greaves entry for the Le Mans 24 Hours may not carry their name but it’s their entry in every other sense. This link up with the Caterham group benefits both parties, with this entry seemingly more likely for a decent result than the #41 car. Again the Greaves Zytek-Nissan is a quick,reliable option with a decent line-up comprised of experienced racer’s Kimber-Smith,Dyson and the young Matt McMurry.

He will be the one stealing the headlines as he bids to become the youngest driver ever to race at this event at 16 years old. He’s shown well in the two ELMS races so far and should help this team to a good result if they avoid drama.

Newblood by Morand Racing:

#43 Morgan LMP2-Judd: Christian Klien/Gary Hirsch/Romain Brandela
Newblood by Morand racing are a perfect example of a young,inexperienced team performing admirably so far in 2014. After suffering very cruel luck which prevented a win in the last ELMS round at Imola, this team will be hoping lightning doesn’t strike twice in that respect at the 24 Hours. Their Morgan-Judd package will be perfectly suited to the Circuit de la Sarthe, resplendent in a brilliantly simply livery.

Ex-Peugeot factory driver Christian Klien will inevitably lead the charge for this team, being ably backed up by steady drivers Gary Hirsch and Romain Brandela. This is a young team who will hoping to finally deliver on the promise they’ve shown so far in 2014. A definite dark horse for a podium.

Thiriet by TDS Racing:

#46 Ligier JS P2-Nissan: Pierre Thiriet/Ludovic Badey/Tristan Gommendy
This is largely the same team that broke out in 2012, winning the ELMS drivers and constructers titles that year. Although star driver from that year Mathias Beche has since been snapped up by the Rebellion LMP1 team, this entry still has real quality behind the wheel in experienced Sport car racer Tristan Gommendy and one of the best silver drivers in the class in Pierre Thiriet.

Ludovic Badey is improving all the team and his contribution should help the team to a respectable position. The team will still be learning their brand new OAK built Ligier JS P2 racer come race day, and the reliability of this car should be determining factor in whether this team has a good or bad result next Sunday afternoon. This is for sure an entry that will sneak under the radar for a good result if they can stay healthy and avoid dramas.

KCMG:

#47 Oreca 03R-Nissan: Matt Howson/Richard Bradley/Alex Imperatori
KCMG return again for another shot at the Le Mans 24 Hours after a steady run last year. This Asian based team have been solid rather than spectacular in the WEC so far this year, although they have a knack of having trouble free run’s. This team is very much still learning at top level European sports car racing and their Oreca-Nissan is a very solid package which will hopefully mean a trouble free run for the team.

The team’s driving talent is underrated as they are based in Asia with Alex Imperatori and Richard Bradley being very quick and consistant drivers, with Matt Howson they also have a solid silver driver too. A podium may be a stretch too far but a top 5 is definitely attainable for this young team.

Murphy Prototypes:

#48 Oreca O3R-Nissan: Nathanael Berthon/Rodolfo Gonzalez/Karun Chandhok
The ever popular Murphy Prototypes team return to Le Mans hoping to improve both on their result in last year’s 24 Hours, and the so far frustrating campaign they’ve suffered in the ELMS. In both rounds so far they’ve suffered reliability issues, a strange occurrence given the longevity of the Oreca-Nissan package. When the team have been running however they’ve shown their potential and if things run smoothly expect this team to be fighting for a class podium at the very least.

Their driver line-up is inspired with the ever quick and reliable Karun Chandhok providing some experience to complement the raw single-seater pace of Rodolfo Gonzalez and Nathanael Berthon. Amazingly the team spotted a loophole meaning 2013 Marussia F1 tester Gonzalez counts as their Silver rated Am driver. GP2 racer Berthon is no slouch himself and if the pair of them can quickly get to grips with the track this team will fly.

Larbre Competition:

#50 Morgan LMP2-Judd: Pierre Ragues/Ricky Taylor/Keiko Ihara
The famous Larbre Competition team have struggled so far as they have stepped up from the GTE-Am ranks to the LMP2 class for the first time. They’ve only managed to race their Morgan-Judd once so far in the ELMS, so the team will be unlocking the secrets to this car as the week progresses. The OAK Morgan was designed for Le Mans and that team with the Judd power plant is a reliable package.

On the driving front the team has blended the immense experience of Pierre Ragues with the coup of signing Corvette racing factory driver Ricky Taylor to partner him. He doesn’t have much prototype experience but expect him to fly in this car. Completing the line-up is Am driver Keiko Ihara, a steady driver whom much will depend on. If she can prove respectable the team has a chance of a top 6 with a clean run. Expect this entry to fly under the radar during the 24 Hours.

That’s the LMP2 field previewed this should be a battle to watch out for amongst the other classes during the 24 Hours. For sure this is the best LMP2 entry at Le Mans for a while. Thanks must go to http://www.Motorsport.com for it’s brilliant photos which can be viewed here.http://www.motorsport.com/#!/lemans/photo/main-gallery

2014 Le Mans 24 Hours LMP2 Preview Part 1

After previously previewing the LMP1 class for this years Le Mans 24 Hours, now it’s time to look at the burgeoning LMP2 class, which is in very rude health this year with 18 entries battling for class victory. Any one of these entries is capable of winning and the sheer size of the class appears to show the ACO’s decision to make this class strictly a pro-am format seems the correct one at this point. This class will provide plenty of action over the 24 hours that’s for sure.

Millennium Racing:

#22 Oreca 03R-Nissan: Fabien Giroix/John Martin/Oliver Turvey
In the pre-season this entry from Millennium racing would have been a favourite for victory in both the World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours. So far however 2014 has not been kind to the team as budget problems mean this is their first running of the year having missed last week’s Test Day, the team are up against it to find the sweet spot for their Oreca entry. This team should not be discounted though as the team is highly professional and experienced in sports car racing, as are their stellar driver line-up which is a match for any in the LMP2 field.

Sebastien Loeb Racing:

#24 Oreca 03R-Nissan: Rene Rast/Jan Charouz/Vincent Capillaire
The Sebastien Loeb name returns to Le Mans for the first time in years, although sadly for spectators he is not returning behind the wheel. This year it’s the turn of his Sports car team as they make their LMP2 debut in the 24 Hours. The team is coming into the race in good form having claimed 2nd in the most recent European Le Mans Series race at Imola. The only question mark around this team is how they will handle the P2 class in the 24 Hours as the team has little experience with this car. Something that cannot be questioned however is the driver line-up with on-loan Audi factory GT driver making his debut in the LMP2 class, previous factory LMP1 and Le Mans Series champion Jan Charouz and gentleman driver Vincent Capillaire. Capillaire is one of the better Am drivers and if Rast shows anything like the kind of pace he has in GT cars he will be one to watch out for.

G-Drive Racing:

#26 Morgan LMP2-Nissan:Roman Rusinov/Olivier Pla/Julien Canal
This G-Drive racing team has proved itself to be a major contender so far in 2014 as it has dominated in the WEC taking victory in both rounds so far, also topping the times at the Test Day last weekend. This Oak racing affiliated team looks strong this year with their Oak badged Morgan which was designed specifically for this race. This came through last year as the team claimed a dominant 1-2 finish, something they’ll be aiming to repeat this year. On the driving front this team is particularly strong as Rusinov has improved dramatically in 2014, Pla is one of the benchmark LMP2 drivers in the world right now with Am driver Canal bringing plenty of experience and is no slouch himself. Watch out for this team as a podium is easily within their reach this year.

SMP Racing:

#27 Oreca 03R-Nissan: Sergey Zlobin/Mika Salo/Anton Ladygin
Another team relatively new to LMP2 racing is the SMP racing team which makes it’s debut in the P2 class at the 24 Hours this year. The team is formidable,especially thanks to AF Corse support in running the organization. Although luck has so far deserted them in the opening WEC races they have been challenging for wins, before various dramas have delayed them. Anyone in the class who gets a relatively problem free run in the 24 Hours will be fighting for the podium come next Sunday afternoon,with the SMP racing team hoping their bad luck is up for the year now. The driver line-up of Russians Zlobin and Ladygin is solid with Mika Salo bringing both pace and experience to the team. This team in overall terms is a solid entry yet will probably need a reliable run and misfortune for others to challenge for a podium.

Pegasus Racing:

#29 Morgan LMP2-Nissan: Julian Schell/Nicolas Leutwiler/Leo Roussel
Pegasus racing is once again a team new to top level prototype racing, however the team doesn’t have the support of a major team like SMP has with AF Corse, or the stellar line-up enjoyed by Sebastien Loeb racing. Therefore whilst this team has shown admirably sop far in the ELMS it has yet to consistently challenge for podiums, something that appears almost impossible for this young team. Whilst it can claim to have one of the best liveries in the field if it has struggled in the ELMS so far the step up at the 24 Hours will be awfully daunting for this team. The driving talent of Schell, Leutwiler and Roussel have little previous prototype experience and can be described as a majority Am line-up. This is something the team will struggle with against the immense driving talent in this class. Realistically the team should be aiming for a finish with anything more simply a bonus for a team which needs more experience at this level to be competitive in this class.

OAK Racing-Team Asia:

#33 Ligier JS P2-Honda: David Cheng/Ho-Pin Tung/Adderly Fong
Whilst the OAK racing team has been competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours for years, this is a debut for the team in this new affiliation with the Asian market, sparked by the recently launched Asian Le Mans series. Carrying on the new image of this team is the car their using, the Ligier JS P2 Coupe, making it’s debut at the 24 Hours. So far this is all adding up to a classic retirement with a new car devoid of race running and a newly affiliated team. Before you write this team off on the flip side the team has plenty to justify it’s contenders tag. Firstly the driving talent includes quick ex-single seater drivers Ho-Pin Tung and Adderly Fong, joined by the experienced David Cheng. Also the OAK racing team are always dynamite at the 24 Hours. Therefore if the new coupe can run reliably first time out do not at all be surprised to see this team competing for high placings next Sunday.

Race Performance:

#34 Oreca 03R-Judd: Michel Frey/Frank Mailleux/Jon Lancaster
After a 2013 campaign in which they struggled the Race Performance team have shown definite signs of improvement so far in 2014. The team has stuck to a reliable Oreca-Judd package and with regular drivers Michel Frey and single seater convert Frank Mailleux, have shown tremendous promise so far in the ELMS. Mailleux has proved a revelation so far, with their driving talent strengthened immensely with another single seater convert in Jon Lancaster joining the team for his Le Mans 24 Hours debut. If Lancaster can quickly adapt to the Circuit de la Sarthe expect this team to rapid from the flag. A class podium is a definite aim for this team.

OAK Racing:

#35 Ligier JS P2-Nissan: Alex Brundle/Jann Mardenborough/Mark Shulzhitskiy
The second OAK racing entry is most definitely an intriguing entry in the LMP2 class, as it shows off their newly developed Ligier JS P2 coupe for the first time at the 24 Hours. Whilst the car is very new the team appear confident it can last the full 24 Hours. If this car can run trouble free throughout the race expect it to be challenging for the class win as this entry is very closely linked to Nissan this year. This is shown on the driving front as the team boasts 3 very fast Nissan backed drivers in benchmark man Alex Brundle, GP3 racer Jann Mardenborough and GT academy winner Mark Shulzhitskiy. All of these are quick drivers and this will only benefit the team, the only question mark remains on their new Ligier coupe.

Signatech Alpine:

#36 Alpine A450B-Nissan: Paul Loup-Chatin/Nelson Panciatici/Oliver Webb
Yet more diversity is brought to the LMP2 field as the Signatech team again field it’s Alpine badged Oreca for the race. This team is gaining experience in the category and came into 2014 on the back of winning the ELMS LMP2 drivers and constructers championships. Things have been slightly rougher in 2014 so far yet this team has showed tremendous promise and is deserving of it’s title as class victory contenders. The line-up of the experienced Panciatici with rapid young drivers in Chatin and ex single seater hot shoe Oliver Webb could prove inspired come next Sunday.

That’s the first half of this diverse LMP2 field previewed,please stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon!
In the meantime please visit the home of the great photographs I’ve used in the preview, they can be seen at http://www.dailysportscar.com/?p=32030 and http://www.motorsport.com/lemans/photos/main-gallery/?r=8087

2014 Le Mans 24 Hours LMP1 Preview

With the test day in the books and the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours just over a week away now seems the perfect time to preview this year’s stellar entry at the world’s greatest sportscar race. Let’s start off with the contenders for overall victory in the top LMP1 class. With a almost certain victory predicted for the three factory teams competing choosing a winner from Audi, Toyota and the returning Porsche is impossible. Whoever crosses the line 1st on Sunday June 15th is anyone’s guess, but what is guaranteed is an epic 24 Hours of racing.

Audi Sport Team Joest:

#1 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro: Lucas Di Grassi/Loic Duval/Tom Kristensen

The 2013 winners of the 24 Hours are looking for a 2nd consecutive victory this year. Whilst they have lost experience hard charger Allan McNish to retirement, Lucas Di Grassi has so far proved a like for like replacement for this team. Furthermore any car with “Mr Le Mans” 9 time winner Tom Kristensen at the wheel can never be discounted for victory. 2014 has so far proved difficult for Audi however and for the first time in years they don’t go into the race as consensus favourites. Their battle with Toyota and Porsche for the win this year will go down in history.

#2 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro: Marcel Fassler/Andre Lotterer/Benoit Treluyer
2014 has also been tough so far for the #2 Audi crew as the team has struggled to match the pace of Toyota across the opening two World Endurance Championship events. Audi can never be underestimated however as Peugeot found out to their cost in 2008. Of the 3 works Audi entries the #2 has the slight edge over the rest in my opinion on the driving front. This combination won back to back 24 Hours in 2011-2012 and were it not for a problem last year may well have made it a hat-trick. Therefore expect this entry to lead the Audi challenge this year.

#3 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro: Filipe Albuquerque/ Marco Bonanomi/Oliver Jarvis
This #3 entry is a Le Mans only entry from Audi, therefore leaving this car at a slight disadvantage compared to the other two full season WEC entries. Whilst they have less preparation than the others their driving talent is right up there with Jarvis and Albuquerque being highly rated by Audi. Bonanomi is the team’s test driver and is no slouch in these cars . For this team a podium would be a good result and who knows, if reliability comes into play this team could have an outside chance of victory.
http://www.dailysportscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Spa_01.jpg?055a37

Toyota Racing:

#7 Toyota TS040 Hybrid: Alex Wurz/Stephane Sarrazin/Kazuki Nakajima
The two Toyota cars have so far proved to be the class of the field in the opening two WEC races leading up to Le Mans, however the 24 Hours is so unpredictable making prediction based on form rarely come true. This will be a blessing for the #7 entry as so far it’s been shown the way by the sister entry. This is something they will look to turn around at Le Mans, and this line-up blends speed with experience. Expect them to be challenging for victory right until the chequered flag.

#8 Toyota TS040 Hybrid: Anthony Davidson/Nicolas Lapierre/Sebastien Buemi
Based on form alone, this entry would surely be the pre-race favourite. Two wins in the WEC have shown this car has a definite edge over Audi and Porsche over 6 hours of racing. On the other hand, like I’ve mentioned earlier form going into this race is usually proven race by the unique nature of the 24 Hours. The driver line-up of the #8 entry lacks the experience of the #7 team yet they more than make up for it in speed. The only slight question mark surrounding the Toyota line-up is how the swapping of Lapierre and Sarrazin for 2014 affects both entries. Expect a strong challenge from Toyota this year.

Porsche Team:

#14 Porsche 919 Hybrid: Romain Dumas/Neel Jani/Marc Lieb
Porsche finally returns to it’s spiritual home in 2014, fighting for Le Mans 24 Hours victories, for the first time since 1998. So far the 919 Hybrid has proved competitive although inevitable reliability issues have hampered the team in the WEC so far.

If either Porsche can run more or less fault free expect to see them on the podium come next Sunday afternoon. On the driving front the team has promoted several long standing Porsche drivers like Dumas and Lieb in this entry. Dumas is a former winner whilst on loan to Audi and Lieb has impressed so far in his first taste of LMP1 machinery. Completing the trio is the rapid Neel Jani who have consistently impressed in LMP1 with the Rebellion team over the last few years.

#20 Porsche 919 Hybrid: Timo Bernhard/Mark Webber/Brendon Hartley
Since Porsche’s comeback, most of the attention has been focused on this #20 entry, not surprisingly because of ex-Red Bull F1 refugee Mark Webber who quit the sport to join Porsche this year. He has so far quickly adapted to LMP1 machinery and will be a long-term LMP1 driver for Porsche. Backing him up is previous winner and long time Porsche factory driver Timo Bernhard and the impressive Brendon Hartley who won the drive after impressing with his speed for the Murphy Prototypes LMP2 team in last year’s European Le Mans Series. Porsche are more than capable of throwing a surprise this year and their two driver line-up’s are a match for any other LMP1 entry.

Rebellion Racing :

#12 Rebellion R-One-Toyota: Nicolas Prost/Nick Heidfeld/Mathias Beche
The only privateer entries in LMP1 this year are two cars from the Rebellion team. After wheeling out their trusty Lola’s for the final time in the opening WEC race the team will have two new Rebellion R-One Toyota’s ready for the 24 Hours.

In conjunction with Oreca the car showed initial promise in terms of reliability at Spa the car lacked a little pace compared to the manufacture entries, something widely expected considering the gulf in budgets and knowledge of hybrid technology, something the Rebellion team doesn’t have. This lead entry has a comptetitive line-up of experienced Nicolas Prost and the rapid Nick Heidfeld and Mathias Beche. A reliable run for the team would be a dream with anything more a dream for this lowly team.

#13 Rebellion R-One Toyota: Dominik Kraihamer/Andrea Belicchi/Fabio Leimer
The second of the Rebellion entries, very much like the lead car, will be hoping for a reliable run in this so far unproven car. Although this appears to be at a slight disadvantage to the lead car in terms of driver line-up, this is simply relating to experience , as Kraihamer and 2013 GP2 champion Leimer are both rapid drivers with Belicchi providing the steady hand needed for a clean run at the 24 Hours. If reliable, both Rebellion cars will prove a thorn in the side of the works entries and expect them to challenge for at the very least a top 5 finish .

LMP1 will see a highly competitive race to the flag with all cars running flat out for 24 Hours straight. For the full entry list please visit the official Le Mans website here http://www.24h-lemans.com/en/race/entry-list_2_2_1980.html

Castle Combe Whitsun Race Day Report 2014

The third Castle Combe race meeting of the year promised to be a good one with a wide variety of racing to keep the sizeable crowd’s attention. This packed race day began with the opening race for circuit debutant the 750MC’s thriving Tegiwa Civic Cup. Although the series is still relatively new the series has already garnered a reputation for full grids and close racing.

From the start it was the older Civic of 2nd man Bernard Galea who shot into an early lead from pole sitter Robert Baker. Galea’s lead didn’t last long however as Baker took the lead by the end of lap 1. Galea was clearly not going to let him get away easily and was challenging for the lead over the next few laps. Behind them the battle for 3rd was no less intense as Rich Hockley finally found a way past Marc Kemp after a frantic few opening lap battling over the position. With a few stranded cars on track the Safety Car was called on lap 5 before coming in 2 laps later.

The Safety Car intervention left only a few minutes left from the original 15, leaving little opportunity for any changes for position. Rich Hockley subsequently torpedoed this theory by passing Bernard Galea for 2nd at the Esses on lap 8, before rapidly eroding the comfortable lead of Baker’s. Unfortunately the crowd were denied a grandstand finish as the time ran out just before Hockley could challenge Baker for the win. Galea completed the podium in 3rd.

Next up was the resident Castle Combe Sports Racing Car Series, a new series for 2014. From the rolling start local man Norman Lackford who took an early lead from Andy Crockett. After a intense initial few laps things ended in tears on lap 8 when Crockett tried an ambitious move going into Bobbies, with the subsequent contact being enough to eliminate both from the race. This left distant 3rd man Chris Vinall with a comfortable lead, possibly karma for spinning at the Esses on lap 3 avoiding a slow Crockett, as Vinall cruised to a comfortable victory in this 20 minute race of attrition from Richard Gray, a lap down in 2nd, and Antony Weeks in 3rd.

The third race of the day was the centrepiece of the day, the 90 minute Dave Allan Trophy handicap race, featuring a talented grid ready to compete for the win. From the rolling start the front row men of Tim Woodman and Phil Keen raced away from the pack. Woodman’s lead didn’t last long as experienced GT racer Phil Keen took the lead at the Esses on lap 2. The race claimed an early retirement as star turn Matt Neal retired his Honda Jazz on lap 4, leaving the crowd disappointed they didn’t get to see the driving ace in action for longer.

By lap 13 Keen’s lead had grown to 10 seconds as the penalties began being handed out for corner cutting. One of those affected was the monstrous Audi A8 Quattro of duo Jon Nicholls and Ollie Millroy, things soon got worse for the team as their car was forced out of 6th with cooked front brakes.

After the leading five took their scheduled 3 minute pit stops on laps 36 and 37 the order remained largely the same until the flag. After 70 laps it was the Andrew Smith/Phil Keen Ariel Atom that claimed a dominant victory by a lap over soloist Tim Woodman in his Caterham 7. Completing the podium was the Desmond Smail/Richard Meins Honda Integra . The final handicap results were somewhat different however as it was the Smail/Meins Integra that claimed victory from the Smith/Keen Ariel Atom and the Leigh Sebba/Tasmin Doyle Morgan +8 completing the handicap podium.

After the Dave Allan Trophy Endurance race the fans were then treated to the complete opposite as the resident Formula Ford Championship took to the track for a 15 lap thriller. Ash Crossey made the best getaway from the line to take the lead, opening a opening lap lead of roughly 2-3 seconds. The man on the move at this point was championship leader Roger Orgee, who was charging through the field after a qualifying problem forced him to start from the back.

A 4 car train was battling for 2nd early on, only helping Crossey in his escape. Things got interesting behind him however as reigning champion Adam Higgins was in the process of passing former champion Ed Moore going into Quarry on lap 9 before Moore lost it himself and spun off, re-joining well behind the pack. All of this helped Crossey build a insurmountable 5 second lead which he would hold to the flag, cementing his status as the championship favourite right now. After some frenetic battling behind Crossey it took a last lap move on Farm straight to clinch 2nd place for Nathan Ward with Adam Higgins taking 3rd.

Race 5 was for the always popular Aero racing Morgan challenge. It was no surprise to see Morgan expert Keith Ahlers on pole position, yet a warm-up lap miscommunication meant he started the race from the pit lane. This left Roger Whiteside and Phillip Goddard to battle for the lead early on. The fight for the lead didn’t last long as Ahlers completed his charge on Dean straight by lap 5. Before he hit traffic Ahlers was able to leave the others trailing to the tune of 4 seconds a lap as he asserted himself at the front.

The interest in this centred behind Ahlers as the battle for 2nd was finally resolved on lap 9 as Phillip Goddard passed Roger Whiteside exiting Camp Corner. As Goddard quickly shed Whiteside the entertainment was then provided by the fight for 4th place. After a frenetic couple of laps the battle was eventually decided as the charging Jonathan Edwards took both Robin Pearce and Tony Lees at Bobbies to snatch the place on lap 12.

The fight was far from over however, yet by lap 17 the dispute was resolved as defending into Camp corner Edwards left his braking too late and went straight into the tyre wall and out the race. After this the positions were fairly spread out until the flag after 30 minutes of racing, it was Ahlers who claimed a comfortable victory from Goddard in 2nd and Whiteside in 3rd.

Next up was the revamped Castle Combe Sports @ GT championship which has continued to provide exciting racing so far in 2014. This race contained some added spice as pole man Gary Prebble was forced to start from the pit lane as his clutch broke in qualifying. Therefore the early laps were led by Barry Squibb in his Mitsubishi Evo who quickly built a substantial lead from the rest. Things soon went downhill for Squibb however as he slowed with car problems, with the inevitable passes from Ilsa Cox and Gary Prebble taking place at Quarry on lap 8.

Cox’s lead was short-lived however as Prebble took the lead later on that lap. Cox’s fortunes also took a hit as she was forced to retire from a comfortable 2nd on the exit of Quarry on lap 10. From here it was comfortable win for Prebble, who also took the all time wins record at Castle Combe with this 36th victory from Bob Light. Perry Waddams and his TVR Tuscan claimed 2nd with Nick Holden and his Ariel Atom completing the podium.

The seventh race of the day saw the Tegiwa Civic Cup cars venture on track for their second race of the day. With the top 8 from race 1 reversed for this race action was almost guaranteed. It was Andrew Gaugler who claimed an early lead. It wasn’t to last long for him as he was mugged by the charging Rich Hockley at Camp on lap 2. Immediately race 1 winner Robert Baker smelled the opportunity and demoted Gaugler to 3rd on the pit straight.

Adding to the excitement were the first falling of rain drops on lap 4 although they were not substantial enough to cause significant challenge to the drivers. The rain intensified slightly by lap 9 yet Hockley was already around 1.5 seconds clear from Baker and duly claimed his 1st victory of 2014 from Baker and Gaugler.

The penultimate race of the day was for the Castle Combe Saloon car championship, ever popular as always. From the line it was the impressive Charles Hyde-Andrews-Bird who took the early initive. After clearing Mark Wyatt for 2nd Tony Hutchings went hunting for Bird ahead. Hutchings was denied the pass on track however as Bird dramatically pulled off at the end of the pit straight on lap 5, leaving Hutchings lonely ahead of the pack from here on out. He subsequently romped to a comfortable victory of 9.2 seconds over an equally lonely class B winner Mark Wyatt in 2nd and Tony Dolley in 3rd.

The last race of the day was for the Lackford Engineering Midget and Sprite challenge. The series is always popular at Castle Combe and an exciting finish to the day was predicted. The drama began before the start even took place as Martin Morris was forced to start from the back not 2nd after replacing his gearbox after qualifying. After a rocket getaway it was 5th man James Dunkley who stole the early lead, meanwhile behind him Morris amazingly managed to go from the back to 3rd on the opening lap alone.

Back at the front it didn’t take series benchmark Paul Sibley long to re-assert his dominance as he dived inside Dunkley for the lead at Quarry on lap 2. Now in front he quickly built an 8 second lead with the race set for a stalemate. This was quickly avoided however as the circuit began drying, with Dunkley then taking seconds out of Sibley’s lead over consecutive laps as he clearly favoured the drying conditions.

Dunkley was challenging for the lead by lap 9 yet couldn’t quite find a way through before Sibley re-asserted his buffer as he warmed to the conditions. Sibley therefore took a challenging victory from Dunkley in 2nd and Martin Morris completed the podium in a great recovery drive to 3rd.

This signalled another exciting Castle Combe race meeting coming to a close with the next race meeting taking place in 2 weeks time on Father’s Day, the 14th June. For more details on that meeting and any other Castle Combe events please visit their website here. http://www.castlecombecircuit.co.uk/
For any further info relating to the official results of this meeting please visit the TSL Timing website here it will provide all the stats you need. http://www.tsl-timing.com/?loc=club&season=2014&series=CCRC&event=club&source=ed_CCRC&eventid=142268

2014 Indianapolis 500 Preview part 2

After looking at the potential fortunes of the top line teams going into this Sunday’s Indianapolis 500, now it’s time to look at the fortunes of the relatively “smaller” teams, some of whom are punching well above their weight so far in 2014.

Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsport:
#5 Dollar General Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsport/Team Pelfrey Dallara DW12-Honda – Jacques Villeneuve
Shortly after the attention was dying down from the announcement of Kurt Busch competing in this year’s Indy 500 the fans were treated to another shock announcement as high flying Schmidt Peterson Hamilton motorsport announced 1995 Indy 500 winner and 1997 F1 World champion Jacques Villeneuve would make a return to the 500 for the 1st time since his iconic victory in 1995.

A lot has changed since then yet Villeneuve will be hoping to roll back the years and claim a fairytale 2nd 500 victory. Whilst the odds appear stacked against him with the time needed to adjust to the current Indycar racer and the smaller nature of the Schmidt team yet this team has been punching well above it’s weight so far in 2014, and with the experience Villeneuve possesses this car could spring a surprise on Sunday.Qualifying was tough with a 27th starting spot yet there is plenty of potential for Villeneuve to create bigger shocks on Sunday afternoon.

#7 SMP Bank Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsport/SMP Racing Dallara DW12-Honda – Mikhail Aleshin
A stuttering career in the Formula Renault World Series Aleshin was handed a lifeline in 2014 as he made the switch to Indycar racing with the promising Schmidt team. A tough opening few races have been the result so far as Aleshin gets adjusted to Indycar racing yet he has shown promising flashes so far with a 15th starting slot on the grid definitely one of these moments.

The rookie will be hoping the practice runs will put him in good stead with a top 10 finish a realistic target from this grid slot. His only knock will be lack of experience his has with open wheel racing on ovals as this will be his first ever oval race.

#77 Lucas Oil Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsport Dallara DW12-Honda – Simon Pagenaud
By far the most impressive driver of the 2014 Indycar series so far has been Simon Pagenaud who has vaulted his Schmidt entry to four top 5 finishes from 4 races, including a win at the previous round last week on the Indianapolis road course.

Pagenaud appears to be flying high and in the groove right now with this confidence carrying over to the 500 so far with a solid 5th qualifying spot putting him on row 2 for the race, marking him out as someone to watch in the race as he appears to be the biggest challenger to those from more lucrative teams on the grid. A definite contender for a first Indy 500 victory this weekend.

Dale Coyne Racing:
#18 Sonny’s Dale Coyne Racing Dallara DW12-Honda – Carlos Huertas
Carlos Huertas swapped a promising Formula Renault World Series ride in 2013 for a change of scenery in 2014 with a late deal with Dale Coyne racing being announced very close to the start of the 2014 season. The late announcement of the deal prevented a lot of running for Huertas to get acclimatized with the current Dallara DW12 Indycar. Therefore the 2014 season so far has been character building for Huertas as he tries to cope admirably with a situation where he is learning the car every race whilst trying to improve with a underfunded team.

This situation could have buried Huertas yet has so far coped very well with a best finish of 10th so far. Going into the Indy 500 Huertas faces a struggle as he prepares for his first ever oval race. There appears to be very little expectation around Huertas yet he performed superbly to secure 21st on the grid and will surely hope to carry on this upturn in form in the 500 .

#19 Boy Scout’s of America Dale Coyne Racing Dallara DW12-Honda – Justin Wilson
Justin Wilson has proved himself a very talented and experienced Indycar racer, with a reputation for pulling off unexpected giant-killing performances for underfunded teams. Therefore it’s no surprise he’s very comfortable with the underfunded Dale Coyne team and hopes to improve on his 3 podiums for the team in 2013.

So far in 2014 his best result is 6th and whilst Wilson is known for being better on road courses than ovals never discount his ability to spring a surprise in Indycar’s. A 14th grid spot for the 500 leaves him some work to do yet alongside Pagenaud expect Wilson to challenge the better funded teams with a top 6 result being a realistic goal for this giant killing team.

#63 Susan G. Komen Dale Coyne Racing Dallara DW12-Honda – Pippa Mann
After an impressive yet truncated 2013 season with Dale Coyne racing Brit Pippa Mann has secured a Indy 500 only deal so far with Dale Coyne racing thanks to support from the Susan G. Komen breast cancer awareness Foundation. Fans will certainly always see Mann’s car as the tie up has resulted in a distinctive pink livery for car and driver.

Aside from that Mann has so far showed no race rustiness in her time off as she qualified an impressive 22nd as she hopes for an impressive run in the 500 with a top 10 result being a very realistic target for the team. Either way Mann will be hoping to impress in the 500 as she looks for further Indycar outings in 2014.
For anyone interested in finding out more about the Susan G. Komen Foundation or supporting this partnership with Pippa Mann please visit the link below.http://www.racewithpippa.com/

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dallara DW12-Honda:
#67 Klipsch Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dallara DW12-Honda – Josef Newgarden
Josef Newgarden has quickly marked himself out as a rising star within the Indycar ranks with this being his 3rd season in the series. Things have been solid if unspectacular so far this year with two top 10 finishes so far meaning Newgarden will have to show his skills to improve his chances of a dream victory or top 5 finish come Sunday afternoon. He appeared to set this up almost perfectly with a nice 8th starting spot meaning he will be in the thick of the lead action for the 500 as he hopes to invigorate his 2014 season in style.

#68 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dallara DW12-Honda – Alex Tagliani
After a difficult 2013 Indycar season which saw fan favourite Alex Tagliani give up his drive he returns in 2014 with this one-off Indy 500 entry with Sarah Fisher Hartman racing. The team has a competitive package and Tagliani runs well at Indy, therefore this entry should be one to look out for as an outside bet for a good result. A 24th starting slot was not ideal for Tagliani yet watch out for him as the day goes on he may well spring a surprise.

Ed Carpenter Racing:
#20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – Ed Carpenter
This weekend’s Indianapolis 500 is the first race of the year for team owner Ed Carpenter as his unique deal with fellow driver Mike Conway see’s Ed doing the oval races in 2014 and Conway the road courses. It was likely assumed the long lay off period would hurt Carpenter come the 500 yet he struck back in emphatic style be clinching a second consecutive pole for the 500 with a stunning 231mph run, the fastest pole time since 2003. Carpenter is dynamite on ovals and expect him to in the lead pack all race long.

#21 Fuzzy’s Vodka Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – JR Hildebrand
JR Hildebrand is another driver hoping this one-off entry for the 500 will kick start new opportunities in Indycar after a bruising 2013 campaign which saw him leave the Panther racing team. Of the one-off entries for this race I would rate Hildebrand of having the biggest opportunity to grab a good result as the Ed Carpenter racing cars are always competitive on ovals and Hildebrand has showed a liking for this track despite the heartbreak of his rookie 500. Watch what happened to him here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tFV-85gyzQ
Hildebrand starts 9th this Sunday and for him a top 3 result is well within his reach with a breakthrough victory well within the realms of possibilities for this talented Californian.

Bryan Herta Autosport:
#98 Charter Bryan Herta Autosport Dallara DW12-Honda – Jack Hawksworth
After a mixed season in Indy Lights for Jack Hawksworth in 2013 is was a slight surprise when he was first announced as the driver for Bryan Herta Autosport late on before the 2014 season began. Some questioned his readiness for Indycar’s, yet so far Hawksworth has proved everyone wrong by showing plenty of promise so far in 2014.

He’s marked himself out as a potential future talent within Indycar racing, showing this further with a strong 13th qualifying spot for the 500. Although he’s slightly inexperienced on ovals he will surely be looking for at the very least a top 10 finish.

KV Racing Technology:
#6 Robert Graham KV Racing Technology Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – Townsend Bell
Townsend Bell is very experienced in American open wheel racing and takes time out of his busy Tudor United Sportscar GT campaign to once again compete in the Indianapolis 500. He secured the #6 entry with KV racing and will be looking for a strong run this weekend . He starts 25th for the 500 yet he’s experienced enough to know the race is long and he will have plenty of opportunities to secure a decent result.

#11 HydroxyCut KV Racing Technology Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – Sebastien Bourdais
Sebastian Bourdais appears to be settling into his new team, KV racing recently as he took his best result of 2014 so far with 7th in the last round on the road course at Indianapolis. A 17th starting spot for the 500 is not a brilliant return for the 4 time Champ Car champion yet there will be plenty of opportunities for him to nab a good result in the famous race.

#17 KV Racing Technology/AFS Racing Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – Sebastien Saavedra
Sebastien Saavedra has suffered a difficult start to his 2014 campaign with new team KV racing in conjunction with the Indy Lights team he drove for, AFS racing. The frustrating aspect for Saavedra will be the missed opportunities, most notably stalling from pole at the last round on the Indy road course. A 32nd starting slot for the 500 suggests his bad luck at Indy this month is continuing and he will be hoping his luck swings the other way in the 500 this Sunday.

#33 Always Evolving Racing KV Racing Technology Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – James Davison
This entry is one of perseverance as highly rated Australian James Davison showed initial promise in Indy Lights before running into funding issues which have prevented a step up into Indycar since his final year of Indy Lights in 2009. Whilst he’s raced regularly since then it’s been in a number of different cars and categories, therefore his will prove a steep learning curve to acclimatise to Indianapolis. He starts 28th which is a decent showing as he hopes to improve on that for the race.

#14 ABC Supply Co AJ Foyt Enterprises Dallara DW12-Honda – Takuma Sato
So far 2014 has been a difficult season for the experienced Japanese man Takuma Sato, with a best result of 7th so far. Whilst it’s been disappointing so far for Sato he can take comfort from his form at this point last year which saw him fighting for the lead of the championship going into the 500. He will be hoping for the reverse of last year where he season faltered from the 500 onwards. A 23rd grid slot leaves him plenty to do yet Sato has more than enough ability to get the job done if things go right for him.

#41 ABC Supply Co AJ Foyt Enterprises Dallara DW12-Honda – Martin Plowman
British driver Martin Plowman makes a return to Indycar’s after spending the last few years gaining success in LMP2 Sportscar racing. Plowman showed promise in Indy Lights and his few Indycar outings before budget issues steered him towards his Sportscar years. 29th on the grid is a respectable result for someone still re-adjusting to Indycar’s yet expect him to get better as the race goes on.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing:
#15 National Guard Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara DW12-Honda – Graham Rahal
Things have been frustrating for Graham Rahal after moving to his father’s team for the 2013 season. Despite showing flashes of promise the results haven’t come for the talented American, something he’ll be looking to rectify on Indycar’s biggest stage. 20th on the grid is a solid result for Rahal and if things hold together look for him to nab a good result.

#16 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara DW12-Honda – Oriol Servia
Despite seeming almost never ending budget issues Oriol Servia has managed to secure himself a multiple race deal with Rahal Letterman Lanigan racing, concluding with this weekend’s Indy 500. Whilst he always seems to find himself with the lower funded teams he always manages to drag some good results from the car, always leaving the paddock questioning what he could do in a top line team. 18th on the grid is a good result and he’ll be gunning for a good result to keep him racing in 2014.

Dreyer & Reinbold Kingdom Racing:
#22 Comfort Revolution Dreyer & Reinbold Kingdom Racing/Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – Sage Karam
After an impressive rookie campaign in 2013 which saw Sage Karam claim the Indy Lights title at his first attempt, it was no surprise that he was quickly snapped up to the Chip Ganassi racing development programme. Sadly for him the only drives the team could give him so far have been a few outings with the teams Daytona Prototype in the Tudor United Sportscar Championship. This combined effort from Dreyer & Reinbold Kingdom racing and Ganassi is a competitive package and Karam will be hoping to finish a lot higher than his current 31st on the grid.

Lazier Partners Racing:
#91 Advanced Auto Parts Lazier Partners Racing Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – Buddy Lazier
Buddy Lazier always managed to pull together a one-off deal for the Indy 500 and this year is no exception as he put together his own package. The winner of the 1996 Indy 500 he always seems to get the best he can out of the package at Indy, although the underfunded nature of the team limited Lazier to the 33rd and final grid slot this year. If things go right for him on race day expect him to gain a top 12 finish or maybe better depending on the attrition rate of the 2014 Indianapolis 500.

For anyone interested in finding out more about the famous Indy 500 please visit this link.
http://www.indy500.com/

2014 Indianapolis 500 Preview Part 1

After the inaugral Grand Prix of Indianapolis marked the first time the series had raced on the Indianapolis road course, attention shifts now to the most famous hunting ground for American open wheel racing, the Indianapolis 500. Immediately after the Grand Prix last Saturday the paddock has swapped the road course for the hallowed oval as the rookie orientation and practice began this Monday. This week’s practice so far has seen a slow increase in speeds every day as the teams and drivers fine tune their cars and get increasingly comfortable with the unique oval.

The week’s only drama so far has been off-track as leading team Andretti Autosport were forced to draft in previous driver E.J Viso to replace James Hinchcliffe, who was ruled out of practice this week as he recovers from a concussion suffered during last weekend’s road course Grand Prix. This race is sure to throw up plenty of surprises therefore predicting a winner will be almost impossible, however let’s start this preview by looking at the front runners from the 2014 Indycar season so far team by team.

Team Penske :
#2 Verizon Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – Juan Pablo Montoya
So far his 2014 return to the Indycar series has been mixed for the high profile Montoya, who has shown tremendous promise yet has struggled to turn these into decent results in the opening four races. His sole top 5 run so far was a 4th place at Long Beach as he currently sits 15th in the points, something he will undoubtedly improve on over the course of the year. Despite the frustrating start he’s still a contender for a repeat of his dominant 2000 victory in the 500 as the Penske team seem to have a competitive package for the 500. Therefore Montoya will be a useful outside bet for a competitive run next Sunday. With this weekend’s qualifying now complete Montoya impressed with a top 10 starting slot with a solid 231mph run, putting him in a good position for Sunday’s race.

#3 Pennzoil Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – Helio Castroneves
Castroneves has carried his title challenging form from 2014 across into the new season as he has managed 2 podiums from the opening 4 races, putting him 4th in the points going into the 500. Things are not all rosy however for Castroneves as he is already 47 points behind team mate Will Power and therefore Castroneves will surely be looking to close the gap on Power, especially with this being a double points race also. Castroneves is always a contender at Indy and is the only active driver to have won the race 3 times, (2001,2002 and 2009) and can therefore never be discounted as he looks to become a 4 time winner of the great race. Castroneves starts 4th after qualifying with a close 230mph run in the fast 9 shootout for pole.

#12 Verizon Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – Will Power
Power has bounced back from a disappointing 2013 season to currently lead the points standings after a dominant win at the opening round at St Petersburg, before backing that up with solid point scores in the other 3 races. It appears he will be the pre-race favorite based on his early season form however he has not completely dispelled the myth that he’s a weaker oval racer than he is road course driver. This myth appears to be the only knock on him going into the event with it all depending now on whether Team Penske can work their Indy magic again this year and deliver Power a car he can run to victory lane. This definitely appears to be his best chance of victory yet in his 6th attempt. Power impressed by qualifying 3rd, the highest Penske runner too at 230.6mph.

Andretti Autosport:
#25 Snapple Andretti Autosport Dallara DW12-Honda – Marco Andretti
Andretti is undoubtedly the most famous surname in American road racing and the latest Andretti Indycar driver is Michael Andretti’s son Marco. So far in 2014 Marco’s showed himself to be one of the leading Andretti Autosport cars as he currently sits 7th in the drivers standings and will along with Castroneves be looking to close on leader Power with a good result here.

Marco would also like to earn some redemption for the Andretti curse at the 500 whereby despite an abundance of talent both granddad Mario and dad Michael were only able to win the 500 once between them. Andretti starts a close 6th after a 230.5mph run in the final fast 9 shootout last Sunday.

#26 Suretone Entertainment Andretti Autosport Dallara DW12-Honda – Kurt Busch (R)
One of the more high profile entries for this year’s 500 is Nascar bad boy Kurt Busch, who attempts to become only the fourth driver in history to complete the double of competing in the Indy 500 and the Nascar Coca-Cola 600 later that evening. The announcement of Busch has certainly raised the profile of the race however it must be remembered he’s a rookie and expectations should be kept in check for his race performance. He has shown himself to be a very talented Nascar driver and it will not be a major shock to see him impress in the 500. Busch can be satisfied with his qualifying performance as he starts 12th, the fastest of the rookies, with an impressive 230.7 mph run.

#27 United Fiber Data Andretti Autosport Dallara DW12-Honda – James Hinchcliffe
Jovial Canadian James Hinchcliffe could not have had a worse first week of practice for the 500 as he has been ruled out of most of the sessions as he recovers from a concussion in last weekend’s Grand Prix on the Indianapolis road course. The poor weather has also been against him as a lot of the recent sessions have been affected by rain and subsequently curtailed his running. Hinchcliffe is a rising star in Indycar however and despite the poor build up will always be a contender for victories in his current form. Hinchcliffe expertly bounced back from his lack of running so far to answer the critics with a very impressive qualifying run which puts him in the middle of the front row in 2nd for Sunday with an outstanding 230.8mph run.

#28 DHL Andretti Autosport Dallara DW12-Honda – Ryan Hunter-Reay
2014 has been an contrasting year for 2012 Indycar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, as he has already taken two podiums including a win at Barber Motorsports Park, yet he also annoyed most of the paddock with his reckless passing attempt at Long Beach which eliminated/delayed the majority of the drivers. Despite this he goes into the Indy 500 3rd in the points and will be hoping to take a first win in the 500 to strengthen his title challenge. Qualifying did not go well for the former champion however as he starts a lowly 19th. Some comfort can be taken however as much like sportscar racing the ultimate qualifying position has little significance as Hunter-Reay could easily claim victory from here, it simply makes his job a lot harder come race day. Watch out for Hunter-Reay on Sunday.

#34 Cinsay AndrettiTV.com Andretti Autosport Dallara DW12-Honda – Carlos Munoz
Carlos Munoz will be looking to go one better than his very impressive run to 2nd in last year’s 500 in his debut Indycar race. His impressive run which saw him challenge for the win all race and in fact lead 12 laps himself rightly resulted in him receiving the rookie of the year honors last year. After finishing 3rd in the Indy Lights series last year Andretti Autosport rightly promoted the rookie Colombian Munoz to a full time ride in 2014, with impressive results so far with a podium in Long Beach leaving him 10th in the points going into this weekend’s big race. Munoz immediately carried on his 2013 form with a 7th place qualifying spot putting him in a good position going into the race.

Chip Ganassi Racing:
#8 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – Ryan Briscoe
After a truncated 2013 Indycar season Ryan Briscoe returns to the series in 2014 with top line team Chip Ganassi racing. 2014 has so far seen a solid start from Briscoe who currently lies 9th in the standings going into the Indy 500. The Ganassi outfit are a powerhouse Indycar team and can always be relied on to give their drivers top line cars to challenge for victory. Some work clearly needs to be done to Briscoe’s car however after a difficult qualifying session which saw him fall to 30th on the grid leaving him a lot of work to do in the race if he is challenge for a top 5 result which could really kickstart his season.

#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – Scott Dixon
Scott Dixon cemented his place amongst the Indycar greats by clinching his third Indycar title in 2013, ten years after his first. Dixon however has a slightly less impressive record at Indianapolis as he has only won the 500 once, in 2008. 2014 presents another opportunity for him to rectify this as he looks solid if unspectacular going into the 500, with two top 5 finishes putting him 6th in the points. Qualifying was not so good for frontrunner Dixon who only managed 11th on the grid, yet there will be plenty of time for him to work his way to the front once the 500 mile race starts. Despite the qualifying position Dixon is still a contender for victory.

#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – Tony Kanaan
After finally realizing a dream by finally winning the Indy 500 in 2013 after many years of trying, things got even better for Kanaan as he signed with Chip Ganassi racing for the 2014 season. After unfortunate circumstances which curtailed hallowed Scot Dario Franchitti’s career, good friend Kanaan has been promoted to drive the famous #10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing entry in 2014. It’s been a slightly rough transition so far as Kanaan is yet to achieve a top 5 finish and currently lies 13th in the points. Form matters little to Kanaan however as he will be guaranteed to do everything he can to repeat his 2013 victory in the 500. A 16th place starting slot is not ideal for Kanaan but for this racer it provides the perfect storyline as he will look to avoid trouble and carve through the pack to claim repeat 500 victory this year.

#83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara DW12-Chevrolet – Charlie Kimball
After a breakthrough year in 2013 as Kimball claimed his 1st Indycar victory, he will be slightly disappointed therefore with his start to the 2014 season as he sits 16th in the points after the first 4 races. Things don’t appear to have improved so far as like team mate Briscoe Kimball struggled in qualifying, winding up 26th on the grid for the 500. As I’ve previously stated however grid position isn’t everything and with a slick Ganassi crew behind him expect Kimball to make up places and a top 10 finish is easily possible for this talented American.

2014 Pirelli Spanish GP Qualifying Report

After the excitement of the first four flyaway races F1 returned to Europe after a long three week break. The popular European portion of the season begins this weekend with the Spanish GP, a track known to highlight the chassis and aerodynamic proficiency of your car. With all of the teams bringing significant updates everyone went into qualifying hopeful their updates had significantly improved their performance.

Immediately out in Q1 were both Sauber cars, hoping their lightened car would push them further up the grid after a difficult start to their season. The first drama of this session was a brief red flag period early in Q1 as the Lotus-Renault of Pastor Maldonado ran wide on the exit of Turn 3 and lost the wayward car before it glanced the barrier on the inside of the corner, breaking the right front wheel and eliminating Maldonado from the session. After the initial talk that this is a Red Bull track and therefore AMG Mercedes might struggle, this talk all proved unfounded as the Mercedes cars had a comfortable 0.7 second gap to the rest after Q1.

At the end of Q1 there were few surprises as the predicted faces were eliminated with Maldonado in 22nd after failing to set a time, with Kamui Kobayashi qualifying a disappointed 21st for Caterham. His rookie team mate Marcus Ericsson impressed with 20th in the other Caterham with the Marussia of Jules Bianchi in 19th from team mate Max Chilton in 18th. The final man eliminated was a disappointed Adrian Sutil in 17th with his new lightened Sauber showing little signs of improvement so far this weekend.

Q2 began with the Sahara- Force India’s cars coming out quickly before the pacesetters filtered out to set their first times. Nico Rosberg was setting the pace with a 1.26.0 with only a nice 0.6 second gap to the best of the Red Bull’s in 3rd. This session proved intriguing as pre-session session favorite for pole Lewis Hamilton appeared slightly scruffy as team mate Rosberg appeared to have the edge at this point going into the final Q3 session.

Of those eliminated in Q2 it was unsurprising to see both the Force India’s in 11th and 12th with Nico Hulkenberg ahead of Sergio Perez. 13th was okay from rookie Daniil Kvyat as Esteban Gutierrez came home 14th. The final two places were reserved for the cars that failed to set a time with Kevin Magnussen suffering a power unit failure whilst Scuderia Toro Rosso man Jean Eric Vergne had a 10 place grid penalty hanging over him after a FP2 mishap, therefore it appears his lack of running may have been a tactical decision by the team.

The final Q3 session began slowly before Nico Rosberg finally ventured out for his first run with 10 minutes left of the session. He was over halfway through his first timed lap when his run was abruptly halted as the red flags flew for a second time in this qualifying session, as the Red Bull of reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel stopped on the entry of Turn 3 with a suspected gearbox failure. The first race with his new chassis has proved difficult for Vettel with limited practice running and now a 10th place grid spot for tomorrow’s race to compound his problems.

When the session resumed Rosberg again set his first run time before Hamilton slightly eclipsed him going into their final runs. With seconds left on the clock the both started their final laps with Rosberg smashing Hamilton’s previous time before a nervous wait to see what Hamilton managed behind him. Luckily for Hamilton he had just enough in hand to set pole with 0.168 margin of pole from team mate Rosberg.

Row 2 will be filled with the Red Bull of the ever impressive Daniel Ricciardo with Martini Williams sophomore Valterri Bottas impressing again with 4th. Romain Grosjean was the standout of Q3 as he dragged his skittish Lotus-Renault into 5th when team mate Maldonado lost control in Q1 and will start 21st, whilst Kimi Raikkonen must be thrilled to out qualify team mate Fernando Alonso in 6th for Ferrari.

Alonso wasn’t far behind in 7th from Jenson Button in 8th for McLaren. The final row of the top 10 will be filled by Felipe Massa in 9th for Williams from the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel who obviously didn’t set a time. The grid is set in what promises to be an exciting Spanish GP race tomorrow.

For the official stats from qualifying please visit this link.
http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2014/919/

NFL Draft: Who’s going where? Round 2

After the surprises and excitement of last night’s 1st round of the 2014 NFL Draft tonight see’s the 2nd and 3rd rounds take place as many 1st round talents hope to be taken off the board early in the 2nd round. Here are my prediction for the 2nd round picks although like my 1st round mock draft potential trades will automatically render most of my predictions incorrect as teams jostle to take the best available players for their organization. Without further ado, the Houston Texans are on the clock.

33rd Pick: Houston Texans – With the opening pick of the 2nd round I predict the Texans will finally address their weakness at Quarterback by selecting a consensus 1st round talent who amazingly slipped out of the 1st round in what was a tough night for the QB class. I’m of course talking about Fresno State’s Derek Carr, a big physical pocket passer with a cannon arm who could immediately come in to training camp and become the game 1 starter for the Texans.

34th Pick: Washington Redskins – The Washington Redskins enter the 2014 NFL Draft after the last of their blockbuster trade in 2012 to grab RG3 meant St Louis used their 2nd overall pick. Nevertheless, the team is in a rebuilding stage with a new head coach and a QB out to prove the critics wrong after a disappointing 2013 season. Their biggest need appear in protection for RG3, which is why I think they’ll be thrilled that Alabama Offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, someone who is ranked 24th on Mike Mayock’s top 100 board. Therefore he represents a steal for the Redskins early in the 2nd round.

35th Pick: Cleveland Browns – The Browns made a splash in the 1st round by addressing two big needs with top quality players, their 22nd overall pick of QB Johnny Manziel that affects this 2nd round pick however as I predict the Browns will immediately add protection for Manziel. The best available Offensive line prospect is UCLA Guard Xavier Su’a-Filo. He’s a 1st round talent and would immediately give Manziel the added protection he’ll need to make plays.

36th Pick: Oakland Raiders – After they managed to grab a steal in selecting Khalil Mack in the 1st round like the Texans I see the Raiders addressing their Quarterback situation with this pick. Of the QB’s still available I predict they’ll go with rising draft prospect Jimmy Garoppolo. Although he went to a small school in Eastern Illinois he’s wowed draft scouts during the draft process and could be a serious challenge to Matt Schaub from day 1.

37th Pick: Atlanta Falcons – After selecting an Offensive tackle in the 1st round the 2nd round will see the Falcons again address a big need for them in a pass rushing edge player. Of the remaining Defensive end class I predict the Falcons will select Kony Ealy from Missouri. He’s a really good player whilst simultaneously filling a need for the Falcons in what is a beneficial selection for both parties.

38th Pick: Tampa bay Buccaneers – After the selection of Mike Evans in round 1 the Buccaneers I predict they’ll swap and select a defensive player with their 2nd round pick. The player in question I sense will be Linebacker Demarcus Lawrence from Boise state. He’s a real good player and also helps fill a need at linebacker.

39th Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars – With the shock selection of Blake Bortles at the 3rd pick the team still need to give him some offensive weapons to throw too if he’s to stand a chance of success. Therefore the Jags will be ecstatic to find a Wide receiver in the calibre of USC’s Marquise Lee still available. Although he has injury concerns if he stays healthy watch out for the Jags offense this year.

40th Pick:Seattle Seahawks – After trading out of the 1st round last night the Seahawks will finally make their 1st selection with the 40th pick. The team lost a lot of players during free agency and therefore go into the draft with more needs than they would have liked. One of the top needs is on the Offensive line which is why it makes sense for them to select Joel Bitonio from Nevada. He can immediately start for the team and will add brilliant depth on the line.

41st Pick: Buffalo Bills – The Bills provided a shock last night as no one predicted they would trade up to select Wide receiver Sammy Watkins. That doesn’t appear to be the end of their offensive selections as it seems most likely they will upgrade their offensive line by selecting draft faller Morgan Moses from Virginia. Many mock drafts had him late in the 1st round so it would be a steal for the Bills to select him in the middle of the 2nd round.

42st Pick: Tennessee Titans – The selection of Taylor Lewan was no surprise as the team needed an instant upgrade on their offensive line. With this upgrade the team have given Jake Locker even more protection going into a crucial year for him . Many have raised doubts however as to his long term potential with the Titans and it appears the Titans will select a QB in this draft. I sense they’ll go early and select Zack Mettenberger from LSU. He has injury concerns however he’s a very talented QB who can learn from Locker this year before challenging for the starting job in the next few years.

43rd Pick: New York Giants – Wide receiver Odell Beckham was their 1st round selection and it appears their offensive selections won’t stop there. One of their biggest needs is at Tight end and is something that can be easily upgraded with this selection. The Giants will select the second best Tight end in this class with Jace Amaro of Texas Tech. He can start from game one and will be another weapon for Eli Manning to throw too.

44th Pick: St Louis Rams – After a pretty conservative 1st round with the selections of Offensive tackle Greg Robinson and Defensive end Aaron Donald which will improve both sides of the ball for the Rams, now it appears the teams will make the more eye catching selections as I sense they’ll go after a Wide receiver in the 2nd round. Indiana’s Cody Latimer will be a good selection for the team as Sam Bradford will get a new offensive weapon to throw too in a crucial year for both him and the Rams.

45th Pick: Detroit Lions – With the 45 pick my prediction is that the Lions will go after highly rated linebacker Kyle Van Noy from BYU. He’s a draft sleeper and can be considered a steal for the Lions at this spot in the middle of the 2nd round.

46th Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers – After the defensive selection of Outside linebacker Ryan Shazier with their 1st round selection last night with the 2nd round choice I predict the Steelers will again stay on the defensive side of the ball by selecting Cornerback Anotone Exum from Virginia Tech. He’s someone who will immediately improve what was the biggest positional need for the Steelers and makes great sense for them to address this need in the 2nd round.

47th Pick: Dallas Cowboys – With so many defensive needs for the Cowboys it was a slight surprise they selected Offensive tackle Zack martin in the 1st round last night. Therefore the team will surely address their defense with this pick. One of their biggest needs is at Defensive tackle which is why I see them selecting Minnesota’s Ra’shede Hageman. A very good Defensive tackle, he will most likely immediately start and therefore upgrade the Cowboys defensive.

48th Pick: Baltimore Ravens- The Ravens pulled their classic pick the best player routine last night by selecting Inside Linebacker C.J Mosley from Alabama. Their 2nd round selection I feel will simply go for their draft needs now of which Tight end is the one with the best value at this pick. The Ravens can select the third best Tight end of this draft class is Austin-Seferian- Jenkins from Washington. He might not get much game time in the first year but can learn from Dennis Pitta and Owen Daniels before eventually getting his chance in the next few years.

49th Pick: New York Jets- After addressing their need at Safety by selecting Calvin Pryor in the 1st round it would therefore seem logical the Jets will use their 2nd round pick to address another big need for them at Wide receiver. From the receiver class still available one of the top talents is Vanderbilt’s Jordan Matthews, who was once in the 1st round discussion before settling in most mock drafts to the middle of the 2nd round. Alongside Eric Decker Geno Smith will be very happy with his new offensive weapons to throw too.

50th Pick: Miami Dolphins – For the Miami Dolphins their draft needs are glaringly obvious. After a bruising 2013 the team has a serious lack of depth on the offensive line therefore it was no surprise they selecting O-lineman Ja’Wuan James in the 1st round. Also it shouldn’t be a huge shock to see them select another O-lineman in the 2nd round with another Tennessee man Antonio Richardson. Both selections will bring much needed depth and talent to a struggling Offensive line going into the 2014 season.

51st Pick: Chicago Bears – The Bears played the 1st round smart last night by selecting a player to address their biggest overall need at Cornerback in Kyle Fuller. The Bears organization I believe will play their 2nd round selection smart too by getting the best value whilst simultaneously filling a need also by selecting Florida State Defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan. The fact he would have fallen this far will be viewed as a complete steal by the Bears as they will get an upgrade at a key position whilst simultaneously nabbing a player who is a late 1st round talent.

52nd Pick: Arizona Cardinals – After moving back in a trade with the Green Bay Packers the Cardinals still managed to fill a need for their team at Safety by selecting Deone Bucannon. Many were slightly surprised they did not select a Quarterback as Carson Palmer is nearing 35 and will need to be replaced in the next few seasons. The fans I sense will get their way as the Cardinals will select a young QB to develop and learn from Palmer before replacing him. Tom Savage is a QB who will be hard to pass up on at this point as he is a stocky pocket passer who could effortlessly take over from Palmer after a few years of development.

53rd Pick: Green Bay Packers – The Packers made the brave move of trading up from 27 to the 20th pick to select Safety Ha Ha-Clinton Dix in the 1st round. This was a clever move from the Packers as they managed to select one of the top Safeties in the draft, whilst also filling their biggest need going into the draft. The Packers will therefore play it sensible and use their 2nd round pick on the team’s second biggest need which is at Tight end. The team will therefore select Notre Dame Tight end Troy Niklas. The team will get a top 5 rated Tight end and for their position in the draft this pick has to be viewed as a steal.

54th Pick: Philadelphia Eagles – To the surprise of many the Eagles did not select a Wide receiver with their 1st round pick, instead trading back to select Defensive end Marcus Smith. Whilst he’s a top quality player he didn’t fill any of the Eagles top needs therefore I would be very surprised if they didn’t address one of these needs with this 2nd round pick. The Eagles biggest need is at Cornerback and I feel the team will make a reach and select the best available corner in Clemson’s Bashaud Breeland.

55th Pick: Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals were quick to select Safety Darqueze Dennard with their 24th pick, as the team looked to improve their Cornerback position by selecting an immediate starter in Dennard. With their 2nd round pick I sense the team will improve their biggest need which is at the Defensive end position. By far the best available Defensive end is Oregon State’s Scott Crichton. He could immediately challenge for a starting role and is rated as the 46th best player on Mike Mayock’s big board, representing how this pick is a steal for the Bengals.

56th Pick: San Francisco 49ers – Last night’s 1st round selection for the 49ers was Safety Jimmie Ward, yet it appears for their 2nd round selection the team will improve their offense. The team seems to be one speedy receiver away from the Super bowl and with this selection they have the perfect opportunity to rectify this. I predict the team will select LSU Wide receiver Jarvis Landry, someone’s who’s highly rated and will be an immediate for the 49ers offense.

57th Pick: San Diego Chargers – With the Chargers filling their biggest need at Cornerback by selecting Jason Verrett in the 1st round the team will follow a similarly sensible path by filling their second biggest need at Wide receiver with this 2nd round pick. The Wide receiver class is deep this year therefore I sense the team will take a chance and select a slightly unpolished receiver is Clemson’s Martavis Bryant. He has tremendous upside yet needs a year or two to develop before he becomes an NFL starter.

58th Pick: New Orleans Saints – The New Orleans Saints gave Drew Brees a new receiver to throw too with Brandin Cooks from Oregon State. Therefore it seems logical the team will use their 2nd round pick on a defensive player now with a big need on that side of the ball being at Cornerback. A deep class at the position means the team can select a player of the calibre of Florida State’s Lamarcus Joyner who will arrive at a winning program and can become the future starting corner for the Saints.

59th Pick: Indianapolis Colts – After trading away their 1st round pick to Cleveland for Trent Richardson early in the season the team finally arrives at the NFL Draft with the 59th pick. The team have a lot of defensive needs yet a lack of available talent at this spot seemingly will force the team into selecting the best available player in Mississippi State’s Guard Gabe Jackson. He’s a consensus top 4 at his position and will add some extra depth in the protection of Andrew Luck going into the 2014 season.

60th Pick: Carolina Panthers – After seemingly disabling most of their offense this off-season the Panthers finally gave Cam Newton another weapon to throw too in Florida State’s Kelvin Benjamin in the 1st round. With the 60th pick it seems the team will address a big need on offense at Offensive tackle by selecting the best available in Clemson’s Brandon Thomas.

61st Pick: San Francisco 49ers – With their second pick in quick succession late in the 2nd round the 49ers having nothing to lose by drafting another Wide receiver to create some early competition for a future starting job. With such a deep class there seems little risk in selecting someone like Fresno State’s Davante Adams as a perfect challenge to Landry for the future.

62nd Pick: New England Patriots – With a late 2nd round pick like this a well set team like the Patriots have the flexibility to draft someone out of the ordinary which is why I sense they’ll be the first team to select a Running back in this draft by selecting Ohio State’s Carlos Hyde to help fill a positional need whilst also receiving a great talent from a low 2nd round pick.

63rd Pick: Denver Broncos – With the penultimate pick in the 2nd round I sense the Broncos will attempt to fill the best potential need available at the Offensive line position by selecting Ohio State’s Jack Mewhort. Whilst he’s not likely to be an immediate starter he can develop over the next few years before becoming a future starter for the Broncos.

64th pick: Seattle Seahawks – The final pick of the 2nd round goes to the defending Super bowl champions with their second pick of the 2nd round I sense the team will look to select a positional need at Defensive tackle as the team lost a number of starters during the free agency period. Therefore I predict the team will select Defensive tackle Will Sutton from Arizona State. The team can use him in certain schemes whilst allowing him to grow and develop before taking the starting reign’s himself in the next few seasons.

2014 NFL Draft: Who’s going where? Part 2

After previewing the first half of the 2014 draft in my previous post now it’s time to look at the second half of this draft. With the teams at this end of the draft being far less needy they have a lot more flexibility in terms of their selections. First up in the second half of the 2014 NFL Draft are the Baltimore Ravens.

17th Pick: Baltimore Ravens – Despite it being a re-building year for the Ravens after winning Super bowl 47 the team were still disappointed to miss out on the play-off’s with an 8-8 season. Therefore the team have been very active in the free agency period to improve going into next season. Another key opportunity for them to upgrade is with the draft of which GM Ozzie Newsome is famous for finding talent in all rounds of the draft. With the 17th pick I see them taking the best player available, who just happens to fill a need for them too. If he’s still on the board at 17 of which I predict he will be the Ravens would be crazy not to pick Tight end Eric Ebron. He’s by far the standout Tight end in this draft and would challenge Pro bowler Owen Daniels for the next few seasons.

18th Pick: New York Jets – The Jets are a team that are almost play-off calibre they simply need a few more impact players to make it into the post-season. Although they’ve already added a dynamic Wide Receiver in Eric Decker I feel they’ll go in for another receiver with this pick. I see them taking Odell Beckham JR from LSU. They seem enamoured with the guy and clearly believe he can be another impact player alongside Decker.

19th Pick: Miami Dolphins – After a tumultuous year it seems fairly apparent which position the Dolphins will be upgrading with this pick. After the bullying scandal of last season the Offensive line is depleted and in serious need of improvement if their to compete for the play-off’s. With already a decent run on Offensive tackle’s so far I still feel they’ll go this way and select Cyrus Kouandjio from Alabama. He’s a talented player who will immediately strengthen the Offensive line going into the 2014 season.

20th Pick: Arizona Cardinals – The Cardinals go into the 2014 with the luxury of having very few immediate needs with their roster. The team can therefore think to the future with this draft and it seems they’ll look to inject some youth into their most important position of all with this pick . There seems a lot of buzz that the Cardinals will select University of Central Florida Quarterback Blake Bortles with this pick. He’s a very talented young signal caller who can immediately learn from the ageing Carson Palmer before he takes the starting reigns himself.

21st Pick: Green Bay Packers – The Green Bay Packers are a team that struggled when Aaron Rodgers was out injured last season. It was at this time that the defensive unit was exposed as they also showed weakness throughout the year. Therefore I sense they’ll rectify this starting with their defensive backfield and the Safety position. From the Safeties left available I think they’ll go with Deone Bucannon from Washington State. He’s a underrated Safety who will bring immediate improvements to the position for the Packers.

22nd Pick: Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles have enjoyed a relatively quiet free agency period aside from the Desean Jackson saga. Now with that in their rear view mirrors they can focus on simply selecting the best available player for their franchise. Based on my previous selections I feel the best player available is Inside Linebacker C.J Mosley from Alabama. He’s the best Inside Linebacker in this draft and the fact he’s around at 22 will be enough for the Eagles to quickly snap him up.

23rd Pick: Kansas City Chiefs – After a unexpectedly good season for the Chiefs which saw them go from the worst team in the NFL to the play-off’s in one season was remarkable to watch play out. Yet this team still has needs going into the 2014 season and a quiet free agency period clearly means their looking to the draft to get their upgrades. With this pick I’m going to go along with what the fans want and predict they’ll take a Wide receiver with this pick. Which one is a lot harder to call yet I sense they’ll go with the best available on most boards and select Brandin Cooks out of Oregon State. He’s a great player in a deep receiver class which explains him only being taken at 23.

24th Pick: Cincinnati Bengals – After a decent season which saw them into the play-off’s the team is looking solid going into 2014. Yet solid doesn’t mean there’s not room for improvement which is what the Bengals will be looking for with this pick. It seems their most pressing concern is with the Cornerback position, something which can immediately be solved with this deep class at the position. Whilst the top Corner’s will be off the board by now I sense they’ll go with the best available at the position in Bradley Roby from Ohio State. He’s a talented player with limitless potential for this team at Cornerback.

25th Pick: San Diego Chargers – As with many teams at this end of the draft the Chargers already have a play-off calibre roster, giving them plenty of freedom to select the best player available. In my estimations the Chargers will be thrilled at this point as they will be able to take one of the best available players whilst also filling a need for their team. I predict they’ll select Defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan from Florida State. He’s a beast of a player and can easily be a game 1 starter for the Chargers.

26th Pick: Cleveland Browns – With their second first round selection from the Indianapolis Colts in a previous trade I predict the Browns will again improve their Offence. After selecting QB Johnny Manziel with their 4th pick I sense they’ll use this pick to give him another weapon to throw to in Wide receiver Marquise Lee from USC. He has injury problems yet when he’s healthy he will instantly energise the Browns Offence.

27th Pick: New Orleans Saints – The Saints are a very talented team with explosive players at almost every position. Yet their always looking to upgrade and I sense they’ll use this 27th pick to snatch Defensive End Stephen Tuitt from Notre Dame. If he’s still available here the Saints will feel like they’ll got a steal by selecting a player predicted to go 10-18 with the 27th pick.

28th Pick: Carolina Panthers – The Panthers have an explosive offence under QB Cam Newton yet the flip side to that is the importance of him receiving good protection from his Offensive line as the Panthers would be lost if Newton was out injured for a significant portion of the season like the Packers struggled when Rodgers was out last season. Therefore I think they will want to add some youth at this position by selecting Morgan Moses from Virginia, then letting him learn from the elder statesmen before eventually taking over on the Offensive line himself.

29th Pick: New England Patriots – The New England Patriots are always in play-off contention every year as long as they still have Tom Brady under centre, however the defensive unit is in need of slight improvement going into the new season. With their offence looking potent I feel they will want to use this pick to improve their defensive unit. Therefore if he’s still on the board I can’t see them looking past Minnesota’s Defensive tackle Ra’shede Hageman. He’s a player that could immediately come in and challenge for a starting role from day 1.

30th Pick: San Francisco 49ers – The 49ers offense seems to need very little improvement, at least in comparison with their defence. Whilst it’s still a good unit some cracks have appeared in it over the last few seasons. Therefore with no other pressing needs I sense they’ll deal with this with this 1st round pick by taking Cornerback Jason Verett from TCU. In any other year he’d be a top 3 rated Corner easy yet the deep talent pool this year at the position has pushed him back to the 5th rated and therefore 30th selection.

31st Pick: Denver Broncos – After their humiliating loss in Super bowl 48 this February the Denver Broncos will be looking to solidify a defence that conceded 43 points in that game. Their biggest defensive need is their Pass rushing attack which is why I feel they’ll go with highly rated Outside Linebacker Ryan Shazier from Ohio State. Whilst he may not immediately start for them some day soon he will be a top rated pass rusher for the Broncos.

32nd Pick: Seattle Seahawks – Whilst the Seahawks are the current Super bowl champions they have seen a lot of talented players leave in this free agency period for pastures new, meaning they will be looking for immediate starting talent in this draft to replace them. Their biggest need is on the Offensive line which struggled with poor play and injuries last season, therefore it seems if he’s still available they’ll select the top rated Guard in UCLA’s Xavier Su’a-Filo. He would bring some youth to the line and could be a potential day 1 starter for the team.

Of course with this mock draft I haven’t taken into account any trades so I would be very surprised if the draft even goes half the way I predicted but what is for certain is that every NFL fan will be eagerly watching to see which potential starter their team selects in this first round. We have an exciting night in store.

Evaluation of my blog

At the start of this unit I hoped to create a well organised, easy to navigate and professional looking website as a showcase for all my future media material. As my website was likely to be sports based as the website is part of the Sports Journalism course I’m taking I used prominent sporting websites as inspiration for how to design mine. I looked at http://www.autosport.com/, http://www.fifa.com/,http://www.formula1.com/ and http://www.nfl.com/ as inspiration for my site. Now I’ve completed this module in reflection I feel the site I have created meets all the targets that I set out when initially starting this project. With four pages- Home, About, Blog and Contact my site is well sorted with all of the pages having relevant content and being easily accessible. Whilst I was not able to add all the design features I wanted this is mostly to do with the limitations of using WordPress for my site.

As I mentioned above the first step I took when designing my website was to look at other prominent sports websites for design ideas. When it came to creating my own site at first I only used a basic template design as I wanted to get the basics right first before adding to my site at a later stage. Soon after I came back to the design and went through the full list of design templates much more thoroughly this time looking for the right one. Once I had chosen the right template I then set about altering the default colours used. Finally I settled on a basic colour scheme of black and white. Whist it may appear slightly boring to some I chose these colours because I felt they were the most professional looking and that was the overwhelming priority for my site; for my site to look professional. After sorting out the design I then focused on adding a structure to my site through content, I subsequently added the about, blog and contact pages to add some structure to my home page. From this point I then focused on the smaller details which all together cementing the professional look I wanted from my website.

The intention of my website was to have a simple easy to use yet professional looking website. I wanted to keep my site relatively simple with only a Home page, About, Blog and Contact partly because of the amount of time given to us to create this site and partly because I wanted my site to be structured so it’s very easy to navigate for the reader. One of the features I included as a way of helper the reader visually see this is a sports based website was using a picture of famous racing driver Ayrton Senna as my header.

Whilst having a website with few pages may mean I lack in content to similar sporting websites the benefit to this is that my website does very well in speed as it’s very easy to load because of it’s relatively small size. Therefore when I tested the speed of my site on Pingdom it performed very well.

The results showed my site only takes 1.49 seconds to load which is 80% faster than other sites tested. Therefore the speed test didn’t influence my website very much because the tests had shown it didn’t need tweaking in terms of speed. The W3C test however was less straightforward as that showed my website had 6 errors and 3 warnings. The warnings however are far less significant than the errors so they can largely be discounted. In reality, the W3C test didn’t influence my website very much either because after looking through them it became clear all these errors were to do with the WordPress site itself and was no errors were of my own making on the site which meant there was little I could do to fix them.

From the original inspiration sites I have been able to incorporate some of their design features such as with Autosport.com their breaking news is all together in list form in the middle of the page. I have a vaguely similar design on my site with my latest posts being in list form in the middle of the page just off to the right. Also at the very top of the page they have all their different sections to the site for the reader, something I have done also placing all the navigation buttons at the top of the homepage below the header. These are both effective on my site as they make it easier for the reader to navigate my site which was their original purpose with the recent posts allowing the reader to easily find my latest posts whereas the navigation buttons are clearly visible on the home page for the reader too.

Through the design process the only problems I had to contend with was difficulty in making the picture of Ayrton Senna which I wanted to fit into the header bar. This was resolved relatively easily however as after several tries I simply chose another photo to use which fit the header box perfectly. Also I had a small issue with making the site name fit on one line in the header box which because of the length of the name I was unable to do. Whilst it looks slightly unprofessional, it’s a relatively small detail. However after exploring how to resolve this I decided not to resolve this small problem.

To change the header I would have to find a way to lengthen the size of the header or header photo, something I was unwilling to do as I previously explained above, the header photo was something that was difficult to implement. The only other option would be to change my blog title, something that is not wise to do considering the amount of work put in to create this blog in the first place. Therefore after considering these options I decided not to change anything simply to fit in the title on one line. The only effect this has is to compromise slightly the professional look of my site however in reflection I do not feel it compromises this enough to necessitate a drastic change to the header.

At the bottom right of my blog I implemented a recent posts section so that readers could visit other blog’s I’ve posted when they visit my blog. Initially the recent posts section was placed on the top right of my pages yet afterwards I was advised it would be better to place the categories section above the recent posts section. This is to allow readers to easily see the categories my blogs are written about so as to determine if this correlate with their interests ad hobbies.

The recent posts section is something I hadn’t given much thought to in the initial design process yet is something I would definitely include in future sites. This is because of the effect they have in making it a lot easier for readers to easily see if my blog posts are linked with their interests. It also makes it a lot easier for readers to navigate between blog posts on my site.

In conclusion I have learnt how to properly design a professional looking website and how to improve it through the use of coding and also testing such as the W3C errors test and the Pingdom speed test. I have also learnt to develop my content through tags and categorising my posts which help boost the popularity of my posts. This can also be helped with search engine optimisation which is another thing I’ve learn whilst developing this website. In the future I would ensure I had slightly more time to get it perfect but that’s the only thing.

sportsjournalismsgs

A blog about world events particularly sporting one's