Weekend Preview: 2/3 June 2018

Some of the things happening this weekend.

Times are approximate and in British Summer Time.

IndyCar: Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix

Belle Isle, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Race #1: Saturday 8:30pm BT Sport 2, race start 8:50pm.
Race #2: Sunday 8:30pm BT Sport 1, race start 8:50pm.

Consistent start times for the two races, the only difference for British fans is the channel change from day to day.

The only double-header now in the series is at the small twisty and very bumpy Belle Isle circuit in the middle of the Detroit River. The road course version of the new aerokit should be fun to see at this place – I expect to see back ends sliding!

In recent times the high downforce has meant impressive speeds. Expect some of that to be lost in favour of giving the drivers more control.

Graham Rahal won both races last year in dominant style. He scored well in the two street races earlier this year, while Bourdais and Rossi were notably quick at both as well.

Points
243 Will Power (Penske Chevy) 2 wins
241 Alexander Rossi (Andretti Honda) 1 win
233 Josef Newgarden (Penske Chevy) 2 wins
218 Scott Dixon (Ganassi Honda)
186 Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Honda)
183 Graham Rahal (RLL Honda)

IMSA: Chevrolet Sports Car Classic

Belle Isle, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Saturday 5:30pm www.imsa.tv, race start 5:40pm.
Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes time certain.

If you are able to watch two races Saturday evening I highly recommend watching the IMSA race which precedes the first of the two IndyCar rounds. I frequently consider it is the most entertaining race of the Belle Isle weekend. I really do recommend it.

The mixture of Prototypes and GT cars really adds something and is a unique dimension at a street track. The need to negotiate traffic means things change very quickly in this race and is a crucial skill to master in both classes.

The GTLM class is not present in Detroit, with 6 of the 8 full-time cars having been sent to France for Sunday’s Le Mans Test Day.

Prototype Points (4 rounds)
119 Felipe Albuquerque / Joao Barbosa (Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi) 2 wins
109 Felipe Nasr / Eric Curran (Whelen Cadillac DPi)
104 Jordan Taylor / Renger van der Zande (Taylor Cadillac DPi)
98 Helio Castroneves / Ricky Taylor (Penske Acura DPi) 1 win
97 Colin Braun / Jon Bennett (CORE Oreca LMP2)
96 Juan Montoya / Dane Cameron (Penske Acura DPi)

GTD Points (3 rounds)
95 Bryan Sellers / Madison Snow (Miller Lamborghini) 1 win
87 Katherine Legge / Alvaro Parente (Shank Acura)
80 Jeroen Bleekemolen / Ben Keating (Riley Mercedes)
76 Alessandro Balzan / Cooper MacNeil (Scuderia Corsa Ferrari)
76 Jack Hawsworth / David Heinemeier Hansson (3GT Lexus)
70 Justin Marks / Lawson Aschenbach (Shank Acura)

MotoGP: Gran Premio d’Italia

Autodromo del Mugello, Scarperia e San Piero, Italy

Sunday 12:30pm BT Sport 2, race start 1:00pm

Mugello looks a fantastic event, full of both Valentino Rossi fans and Ducati fans.

The ultra-long and undulating front straight often leads to drag races. A flowing corner into a long straight into a tight turn one, it’s fun, more fun than a slow corner into a long straight. Who can get the better run off the last corner, who can slipstream and whose machine has more power? It is a good old up and down scenic track as well.

This is especially fun in Moto2 and Moto3 which precede the MotoGP race.

The bigger question is whether the factory Yamaha and Ducati teams can get some more proper finishes on the board? The satellite Zarco (Tech 3) and Petrucci/Miller (Pramac) riders and teams respectively are doing a great job!

Points
95 Marc Marquez (Honda) 3 wins
59 Maverick Vinales (Yamaha)
58 Johann Zarco (Tech 3 Yamaha)
56 Valentino Rossi (Yamaha)
54 Danilo Petrucci (Pramac Ducati)