Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix and Canadian Grand Prix
The Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix on May 29, 2011 and the Canadian Grand Prix on June 12 seemed to indicate that Ferrari and Fernando Alonso could finally fight for the win and even conquer Red Bull Racing and Sebastian Vettel. However, at both races various circumstances beyond the control of Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso resulted in Vettel securing another win at the Monaco Grand Prix and a second place in Canada, while Alonso could only manage a 2nd in Monaco while crashing out of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Dan Wheldon Conquers JR Hildebrand at 100th Indy 500
Over at IndyCars the centennial running of the Indy 500 on May 29, 2011 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, USA went down in history as one of the greatest Indianapolis 500s ever. Rookie JR Hildebrand of Panther Racing, through the right fuel strategy and smart driving, was on course to win the race until the last corner, Turn 4, of the Brickyard when he crashed into the wall after going too high in the banking while overtaking a backmarker. This handed Dan Wheldon of Bryan Herta Autosport his second Indy 500 crown. However, JR Hildebrand only scraped the wall and the mangled car managed to cross the line in second!
Gladiatorial Battle at Le Mans 24 Hours
The race that truly deserved epic status was the annual French endurance race, the 24 Heures du Mans or Le Mans 24 Hours on June 11 and 12, 2011 where a host of manufacturers and teams, not least of which were the diesel powered Audi and Peugeot works teams, converged at the famous Circuit de la Sarthe in the town of Le Mans, France.
In the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours Audi had defeated the odds to win and lock out the top three places on sheer reliability against the much faster Peugeot 908 HDi FAPs. This year though, the new regulations have prompted Audi, Peugeot and Aston Martin Racing to launch newly designed prototypes. The three new closed cockpit V6-powered Audi R18 TDIs were now marginally faster than the three new V8-powered Peugeot 908 prototypes.
Audi Sport Team Joest vs. Peugeot Sport Total
The race had its usual spills of exits and upsets, but nothing was more stunning than the violent crashes and the resultant retirement for the No.1 and No.3 Audi R18 TDIs in the first few hours of the race. Stranger though was the fact that both of the Audis crashed while attempting to lap a Ferrari 458 Italia racing in the GT class.
The Peugeot Sport Total team must have smelled their second victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours, but some mature driving by Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Benoit Treluyer combined with the lesser fuel consuming nature (compared to the Peugeot 908s) of the Audi R18s resulted in the No. 2 Audi of Lotterer-Fassler-Treluyer clinching the coveted win, Audi’s 10th at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Though Peugeot Sport Total couldn’t capitalize on the retirements of two Audis, they managed to fill the rest of the top five positions with 5th place going to the older Oreca Peugeot 908 HDi FAP.
Praveen Titus - I've been watching Formula 1 on TV since 2000 when I was 17. I've always had a passive interest in cars, but it was only when I watched ...
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