I Dig Sports
Chaired by Khaled El-Salhy, President of the African Table Tennis Federation with Steve Dainton, ITTF Chief Executive Officer, in attendance, a total of 18 countries were present.
Issues relating to the growth and promotion of the sport were discussed but the main highlight of the day was the selection of host nations for major continental championships in 2020.
Cameroon will stage the African Senior Championships, Madagascar will be the destination for the 2020 African Cadet and Junior Championships: Tunisia will welcome the Africa Top 16 Cup and Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament.
Decisions made but the voting was close, Cameroon gained the verdict against Tunisia by just one vote; meanwhile for Tunisia the outcome was secured by three votes, Algeria being the other bidding party.
The exercise was applauded by delegates and by Steve Dainton. He stressed the procedures were in line with good governance, whilst charging the Federation to continue to raise the bar for the sport.
Likewise, it was a positive response from Dr. Alaa Meshref, ITTF Executive Vice President.
“I am so excited with the progress made in Africa in terms of good governance. The Annual General Meeting showed that good governance has taken foot in the continent. I am happy and hope that this will continue to help in entrenching good governance and democracy in the administration of table tennis in Africa.” Dr. Alaa Meshref
A first for Lin Yun-Ju as teenage ace strikes gold in Olomouc
Lin Yun-Ju’s journey was filled with potential banana skins right from round one in Olomouc, requiring an opening round comeback to see off fellow Chinese Taipei competitor Chen Chien-An in a seven-game thriller.
Victories over in form Portuguese player Marcos Freitas and Japanese qualifier Yuki Hirano, Lin then went on to post an impressive win against German legend Timo Boll (12-10, 9-11, 11-2, 11-6, 5-11, 6-11, 11-8) to book his spot in the final.
At the final hurdle another German opponent stood opposite Lin, the no.4 seed Dimitrij Ovtcharov, who was chasing his first ITTF World Tour men’s singles gold in two years! Having met on three previous occasions it was Lin who led the head-to-head record 2:1 with the teenager prevailing in their most recent encounter at the 2019 ITTF World Tour Platinum Qatar Open.
Following a lengthy spell away from title matches on the World Tour Ovtcharov had shown promising form heading into the final, beating China’s Xue Fei, Belarusian legend Vladimir Samsonov, fellow compatriot Patrick Franziska and Brazil’s Hugo Calderano along the way. However, Lin proved too hot to handle, overpowering the former World no.1 across five games to lift the trophy.
“I am very happy to win my first World Tour title. I played against German players Boll and Ovtcharov before so I was familiar with their playing styles. In the final, I felt comfortable because I was able to attack first. Also, my coach helped me today. He called “Time Out” when I was losing and he advised me to change tactics and my service a little bit. I think that this title won’t change my career so much — the matches will be still the same, maybe even harder.” Lin Yun-Ju
Success in Olomouc might have signalled his first ITTF World Tour men’s singles title but it’s not Lin’s first highlight moment of the year: winning men’s singles gold at the 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus Oman Open in Muscat, more recently Lin shocked the world with his awe-inspiring performance in Johor Bahru, beating an all-star cast to T2 Diamond Malaysia glory – Read about his sensational 2019 journey here.
Things are certainly looking up for Lin Yun-Ju and at just the right time with the 2020 Olympic Games just under a year away. If the young Chinese Taipei star continues to impress in the remaining months leading up to Tokyo 2020, then surely he will be present with the world’s finest in the Japanese capital.
ONE DOWN. HOW MANY MORE FOR LIN YUN-JU?
Lin Yun-Ju just keeps getting better and better! The teenage talent from Chinese Taipei celebrated his debut gold medal at an ITTF World Tour men’s singles event on Sunday 25th August, when he defeated former world no.1 Dimitrij Ovtcharov in the final (11-9, 11-5, 4-11, 11-5, 11-9) at the 2019 Czech Open in Olomouc.
Judging by how the 18-year-old star has played throughout 2019, this could well be his first of many singles successes on international table tennis’ premier event series. This year, Lin already claimed consecutive mixed doubles titles at the China and Hong Kong Opens, a triple crown (men’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles titles) at the Challenge Plus Oman Open, as well as tasting individual glory at the T2 Diamond Malaysia event.
Runner-up to current world no.1 Xu Xin at the Japan Open in June, it has not taken long for Lin to bounce back and take top honours in Czech Republic, where he simply had too much quality, confidence and a characteristically cool mind for his opponents to handle.
His last two matches pitted him against two of the most experienced players on the international table tennis circuit, Ovtcharov and Timo Boll, whose combined age of 68 represents half a century more than Lin’s tender years, while the German duo also boast a total of 28 ITTF World Tour men’s singles titles.
Unfazed by the pair’s undisputed pedigree, Lin held his nerve firstly staving off what threatened to be another vintage Boll comeback to win in seven games (12-10, 9-11, 11-2, 11-6, 5-11, 6-11, 11-8) and then defeating Ovtcharov, who had been so impressive throughout the week in Olomouc, with a most professional performance worthy of winning the ultimate prize.
– Lin Yun-Ju
TWO GOLDS IN TWO WEEKS FOR CHEN XINGTONG
It has been an unforgettable European summer for Chen Xingtong, who followed up victory at last week’s Bulgaria Open with success in Czech Republic. The Chinese 11th seed defeated 19-year-old Miu Hirano in the most intense of finals, with the Japanese 3rd seed staging an incredible comeback from 0-3 down to take the match to a seventh game, only for Chen to complete the job and break Hirano’s heart in the process (11-5, 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 12-14, 8-11, 11-8).
– Chen Xingtong
Both finalists had entered their showdown with all guns blazing after posting 4-1 scorelines in their respective semi-finals, Hirano ousting Japanese top seed Kasumi Ishikawa before Chen accounted for compatriot Feng Yalan. Hirano had already completed a mesmerising comeback from 0-3 down to win 4-3 in her quarter-final against China’s Liu Weishan on Saturday.
HISTORY MADE IN MIXED DOUBLES
At only 14 years of age, Korea Republic’s Shin Yubin broke the record as the youngest ever mixed doubles winner at an ITTF World Tour event. The prodigious talent partnered compatriot and 16-year-old Cho Daeseong for their first international title as a pair after overcoming Japanese duo Mima Ito and Jun Mizutani in Saturday’s thrilling final (6-11, 15-13, 12-10, 16-18, 12-10). The victory was especially impressive as Ito and Mizutani had proven their credentials as a top pair themselves only one week prior when they won the Bulgaria Open.
Korea Republic had plenty to celebrate in the men’s doubles too, as Cho Daeseong and Lee Sangsu registered their first ITTF World Tour victory as a pair (for Cho it was his first ever) by defeating Chinese Taipei’s Liao Cheng-Ting and Lin Yun-Ju (11-4, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6).
The women’s doubles title went the way of Chinese duo Gu Yuting and Mu Zi, who entered the action in Olomouc from the qualification rounds. They defeated Japan’s Miu Hirano and Saki Shibata 3-1 in the final (9-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6).
A TRULY INTERNATIONAL SPECTACLE!
1,060 days had passed since the last time that four different countries were represented in the men’s and women’s singles finals of an ITTF World Tour event (the 2016 Belgium Open) – an eye-catching statistic, but one which only scratches the surface about the range and diversity of nationalities to have excelled here in Olomouc.
Brazil’s Hugo Calderano was a key player this week, the 2nd seed showing a typically inspirational fighting spirit when he overcame an ankle injury to defeat Russia’s Alexander Shibaev in the quarter-final, before falling short against Dimitrij Ovtcharov in the final four (11-7, 9-11, 6-11, 11-13, 11-6, 9-11).
All things considered, this was a fine tournament for Germany’s star trio of Ovtcharov, Boll and Patrick Franziska. Ovtcharov was imperious until the final hurdle and swept aside Franziska 4-0 in their quarter-final clash to claim the advantage in the race to join Boll in singles competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (click here to read more).
However, Franziska had impressed in the previous round when he fought back from 3-1 down to eliminate Rio 2016 bronze medallist Jun Mizutani. Arguably the king of comebacks, Boll too produced heart-stopping entertainment by clawing his way from 3-1 down against Lee Sangsu to reach the semi-final, where he very nearly did the same against eventual winner Lin Yun-Ju.
The women’s singles also benefitted from a greater unpredictability than ever at the Czech Open. Hirano played arguably her best table tennis since winning the 2016 Women’s World Cup, while Austria’s Sofia Polcanova and Korea Republic’s Jeon Jihee joined the quarter-final party.
At first glance, Olomouc – a city of just over 100,000 people – may not seem like a hive of international activity, but as far as table tennis is concerned, this event had all the ingredients necessary to excite a captive global audience and provide the latest proof of how the sport is continuing to grow in all corners of the world.
CZECH OPEN: QUICK LINKS:
Czech Open highlights growing diversity of table tennis
In modern times Asian nations, especially China, have been dominant, but in Olomouc, the four finalists in men’s and women’s singles flew the colours of four different flags.
There was China, represented by Chen Xingtong, playing Japan’s Miu Hirano for the women’s title. From Chinese Taipei, talented 18-year-old Lin Yun-Ju faced off with Ukrainian-born German legend Dimitrij Ovtcharov, who completed the party. A big four with four different passports was unusual enough, but layers below them quarter- and semi-finalists representing Austria, Germany and Brazil in singles and Austria, Hungary and Brazil in doubles seized their opportunities to challenge for finals. Make no mistake: the table tennis universe is expanding outward, and quickly.
Germany
Germany’s 1-2-3 punch of Timo Boll, Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Patrick Franziska is having an effect — all three made the quarter-finals, with Ovtcharov ultimately advancing to face Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju in the final. Lin, who captured his first ITTF World Tour title in Olomouc, dispatched Boll in the semi-final.
Boll and Ovtcharov are legends of the game, but the big surprise has been the emergence of 27-year-old Franziska, who took down former World no. 1 Fan Zhendong earlier this summer and has been playing some of the best table tennis of his career. He gives Germany just one more reason to be excited for the future.
Brazil
The big-hitting, backflipping Hugo Calderano, the most exciting Brazilian player to grace the world stage since the great Hugo Hoyama, leads a South American team hungry for success. Fresh off his second consecutive Pan American Games title in men’s singles earlier this month, the 23-year-old from Rio de Janeiro arrived in the Czech Republic fresh and full of energy. He reached the semi-final, where he fell to Dimitrij Ovtcharov.
Good news for Brazil in doubles play stems from 35-year-old Gustavo Tsuboi and 19-year-old Bruna Takahashi, who reached the semi-finals in mixed doubles before suffering defeat at the hands of Japanese stars and eventual runners up Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito. Tsuboi and Takahashi are one more example of the veteran pairing with the promise of the future to further the nation’s aspirations.
Russia
European medallist Alexander Shibaev put on a show to reach the quarter-finals in the Cezch Republic. The 29-year-old has been something of an under the radar competitor in European competitions but made a lot of noise in Olomouc by fighting his way through China’s England’s Liam Pitchford and China’s Ma Te before ceding to Calderano in the round of eight. A sign of things to come?
Romania
He may not have made it past the round of 16, but Cristian Pletea’s takedown of top seed Tomokazu Harimoto in the first round of the main draw underscored the strength of this young Romanian and the unpredictability of even the most seemingly unshakable players. The 19-year-old’s strength is sure to serve him — and his nation — well in future tournaments.
Austria
Courageous play and a never-say-die attitude characterised the Austrian showing in Olomouc, with Sofia Polcanova leaving everything on the table in a winning battle to advance to the quarter-final over Japan’s Saki Shibata. Impressive too the play of Daniel Habesohn and Robert Gardos in men’s doubles, as well as Polcanova and Stefan Fegerl in mixed doubles, to reach the semi-finals in both categories. Austria, with room to grow, certainly has something to build on.
China, Japan, Korea and Chinese Taipei
The four powerhouse nations of table tennis flexed their muscles in the Czech Republic, with all but Japan coming away with at least one title. The Czech Open may be remembered, among other things, as the coming out party for 16-year-old Cho Daeseong, who captured his first two ITTF World Tour wins in the same day, partnering with Shin Yubin in mixed doubles and later teaming with Lee Sangsu in men’s doubles.
Lin Yun-Ju, only 18 but the hope of Chinese Taipei, captured his first men’s singles title on the World Tour, defeating Dimitrij Ovtcharov in what history may look upon as a passing of the torch.
For Japan, there was disappointment for Harimoto, who made history with the Czech Open title in 2017, but plenty can be learned in defeat as well as victory. Japan can take solace in the performance of 19-year-old Miu Hirano, who nearly overcame a 0-3 start to challenge Chen Xingtong for the title in women’s singles, as well as runner up performances from Hirano and Shibata in women’s doubles and Mzutani and Ito in mixed doubles.
As for China, the planet’s most dominant players were absent from Olomouc, but reinforcements in the form of Chen Xingtong, who came out with her second consecutive win, and Gu Yuting and Mu Zi, who earned the women’s doubles title. The rest of the world may be catching up, but as the sun sets on Olomouc, China remains the nation to beat.
Squash gets a mention in that grand organ The Times
For crying out loud, it’s always best to be Hand-In
By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor
I know I’ve been bashing on about the health benefits of our wonderful sport to promote World Squash Day, but it’s nice to have some professional support to back up all those claims.
The best possible endorsement came in the Weekend section of The Times, where Body + Soul sex counsellor Suzi Godson answered a question from a reader who was talking about her overwhelming urge to masturbate at certain times of the month, even when her husband was lying fast asleep next to her in bed.
The headline reads: “I can’t sleep until I’ve had an orgasm.”
Ms Godson responded with a list of all the positive aspects of such DIY fulfilment, and concluded with the following statement:
“Going for a run or playing squash will provide the same endorphin boost and stress relief as an orgasm.”
There you have it. Proof indeed. I am now planning to add a new design to the global T-shirt arrangements in place for World Squash Day.
All ideas gratefully received.
Many people play squash simply for fun and exercise. For others, it’s all about winning, or, to put it another way, coming first.
I am sure our readers will not be put off using such squash-specific terms as “change your grip”, “nice length” and “hand-in, hand-out”.
However, those who prefer the two-handed Peter Marshall-style grip will be considered boastful.
Recommended reading: G-Spot Squash by Squash Mad columnist Tony Griffin. Link
To check out the World Squash Day T-shirt designs, with arrangements now in place for the UK, Mainland Europe, Canada and USA, and Australia about to be confirmed, please head to www.worldsquashday.net
Scotland 17-14 France: 'Dogged' win bodes well for World Cup, says Hamish Watson
The "dogged" victory over France proves Scotland have steel to go with their style, says Hamish Watson.
After a battering by the French in Nice last weekend, Gregor Townsend's side were criticised for lacking a Plan B to their high-tempo attacking game.
Watson believes rallying from 14-3 down to eke out a 17-14 home triumph was the perfect response with the World Cup fewer than four weeks away.
"It wasn't the rugby we're sometimes used to at Murrayfield," said Watson.
"We didn't score a load of tries and it wasn't that free-flowing at times, but we did prove we can show a bit of grit and determination.
"We went two tries down, and they were quite soft tries we let in, and mentally you have to try and overcome that. It's hard to come back from that sometimes when you concede a try early and they haven't really had to work for it at all.
"It showed the kind of playing group that we are that we can come back and win a bit doggedly as well at times."
For the third consecutive Test match, the Scots found themselves a try down within two minutes after Damien Penaud picked off Peter Horne's pass to race in.
Penaud added another to leave the Scots in a hole, but tries from Sean Maitland and Chris Harris edged them home for a win that was much needed after the travails of Nice.
"It was really important to get that victory, especially after not doing ourselves justice last weekend. France played really well last weekend and I think it took us a bit by surprise," added Edinburgh flanker Watson.
"This week demanded a performance from us, the player group demanded a performance and we went out there and did that in front of our home crowd."
The Scots now go into back-to-back matches against Georgia. First up is a trip to Tbilisi, after which Townsend will announce his final squad of 31 for the World Cup in Japan.
"It will be a really tough challenge against Georgia in Tbilisi," said Watson.
"It's a really good test for us because it will be similar conditions that we'll come up against in Japan. It will be a pretty hostile crowd and that will be the same sort of reception we'll get when we play Japan.
"We're the first tier-one nation to go over there and their crowd will be right behind them. They're a big, physical team and we'll have to be at our best to win that one and hopefully build confidence into the World Cup."
Where it went right - and wrong - for England against Ireland
The time of dress rehearsals is almost up.
After England's fringe players were ushered into the spotlight in two World Cup warm-up matches against Wales, something closer to a first-choice XV tuned up against Ireland.
The improvement was stark. England ran in eight tries in a resounding 57-15 victory to give coach head coach Eddie Jones plenty of positives to review his squad.
However, with just a warm-up against Italy to come before they fly out to Japan - with their opening World Cup match against Tonga on 22 September - there are still a few areas to give Jones pause for thought.
First, three positives...
1. Back-row balance
Jones spoke about the need for "Samurai spirit" when he named his squad. On Thursday, he ticked off another Japanese analogy when he referred to flankers Tom Curry and Sam Underhill as the "kamikaze kids" in honour of their full-blooded commitment.
With Billy Vunipola a certainty to fill the number eight shirt, Jones has long tinkered with the rest of his back row to bring the right mix of ball-carrying physicality and turnover-pinching street smarts.
Jones hoped that by naming Curry and Underhill - both all-action specialist open-sides - in his XV he would win a decisive advantage in the breakdown ground war.
Not only did they help secure England fast, clean ball, but they combined beautifully with ball in hand as Curry scored England's sixth try.
Ironically, when Jones took charge of England, the Australian bemoaned the lack of genuine number seven, with the industrious, but less mobile Chris Robshaw and James Haskell jokingly posing with six and a half shirts after winning the 2016 Grand Slam.
Now, having finally found them, it seems two genuine number sevens may well be his go-to option in Japan.
2. The boy band back together
For the rugby romantic it feels right to pair George Ford and Owen Farrell - childhood friends, both displaced sons of rugby league royalty - at the fulcrum of England's backline.
Ever the realist though, Jones appeared to abandon the idea more than a year ago.
After a series defeat in South Africa last summer, he brought in a more direct style, ditching the double-playmaker pivot and installing a juggernaut - either Ben Te'o or Manu Tuilagi - on the outside of Farrell at fly-half.
However, the return of the Ford-Farrell partnership at 10 and 12 against Ireland showed it is a useful option at the very least.
The telepathy between the two was intact, the distribution to the outside channels was slick and the kicking game was canny.
Henry Slade, who has missed all three of England's warm-up matches with a knee injury, might well find it hard to get back into the team.
3. Maro & Manu
Both Manu Tuilagi and Maro Itoje have had their England careers interrupted by injury.
When Leicester centre Tuilagi was named in Jones' XV to play Ireland in Dublin in February, it was his first Test start in four and a half years following chest, knee and hip problems.
That game was lock Itoje's last England appearance for six months as he sustained knee ligament damage.
On Saturday at Twickenham, both looked fit, fast and confident, hitting their world-class peaks in time for the sport's showpiece.
And now the negatives...
1. Return of the Mak cut short
Like brother Billy, Mako Vunipola is one of the first names on Jones' teamsheet.
But the loose-head prop was grim-faced as he limped back to the touchline shortly after coming on as a replacement.
Jones' 31-man squad is light on props with Ellis Genge and Joe Marler the other remaining specialists on that side of the front row and just Dan Cole and Kyle Sinckler to share the tight-head duties.
The loss of Vunipola would leave them short of quality and experience in an area with a high attrition rate.
2. Forever Youngs?
Scrum-half Ben Youngs had a miserable afternoon in his first World Cup warm-up, with both his passing and kicking uncharacteristically wayward.
Just as at prop, Jones' squad selection does not allow for the loss of too much form or fitness.
Willi Heinz, Youngs' only understudy, came on at Twickenham to win just his third cap.
The 32-year-old Gloucester player has made an assured start to his international career, but it would be a big call to promote such a late arrival to the set-up.
Meanwhile, the experienced Richard Wigglesworth and Danny Care have been left out.
With only two scrum-halves in a World Cup squad designed to endure seven matches in less than six weeks, it has surprised some that Jones has not yet tried out an emergency number nine option.
Perhaps he is waiting until the meeting with Italy - who infamously deployed flanker Mauro Bergamasco at scrum-half for a disastrous first half of a Six Nations match in 2009 - before testing out Ford's ability from the base.
3. Daly's defence
Elliot Daly played at outside centre for Wasps last season. He started all three British and Irish Lions Tests against New Zealand on the wing, the same position in which he made 12 of his first 13 England starts.
But since last summer, he has emerged as England's first-choice full-back.
While he is a potent attacking threat and possesses a siege gun boot, he does not have the rabid defence of predecessor Mike Brown.
He was shrugged off with ease by Bundee Aki for Ireland's second try.
With wing Anthony Watson making an impressive return from injury, dealing adeptly with a high-ball barrage from Dan Biggar last weekend and turning out at full-back for Bath at the end of last season, could he yet leapfrog Daly to snatch the 15 shirt?
ALTON, Va. – After scoring his first Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama victory Saturday, Max Root completed his first weekend sweep Sunday morning at Virginia Int’l Raceway.
The 20-year-old from San Diego led every lap of the 45-minute race in the No. 7 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup machine after taking the lead from polesitter Roman De Angelis going into turn one following the drop of the green flag. He was never seriously challenged throughout the remainder of the race and beat Victor Gomez IV to the line by 4.140 seconds to get the victory.
“It was just tire management and consistency,” Root said. “We came out with a strong platform both days. There were mixed conditions yesterday and a perfect track today. I was smiling ear-to-ear the whole time. It was a great time.”
Gomez – the 2018 GT3 Cup Challenge USA Gold Cup class champion for Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars built between 2014 and 2016 – picked up his best result since returning to the Platinum Cup class for cars built since 2017 with the runner-up finish in the No. 25 NGT Motorsport entry. Gomez claimed the runner-up spot from De Angelis, who had a last-lap off-track excursion and lost several positions.
Third place went to 17-year-old Riley Dickinson in the No. 53 Moorespeed Porsche. It was Dickinson’s fourth podium result of the season and his first since a third-place run at Montreal in June.
De Angelis wound up fourth in the No. 79 Kelly-Moss Road and Race Porsche. It was the first time the 18-year-old Canadian missed the podium all season, but he still holds a comfortable, 58-point lead, 407-349, over Root with four races now remaining on the schedule.
If the Platinum Cup race was fairly straightforward, the race in the Platinum Masters class for drivers 45 years of age and over was not. Jeff Mosing built a relatively comfortable early lead in the No. 68 Topp Racing Porsche before sliding off course and into the tire barrier in the Oak Tree Turn with 28 minutes to go.
That gave the lead to Platinum Masters points leader Alan Metni in the No. 99 AM Motorsports/Kelly-Moss Porsche and he too had a nice lead before being bitten by the Oak Tree as well. He spun with 10 minutes remaining, handing the Masters lead to Saturday’s winner, Fred Poordad in the No. 20 Wright Motorsports Porsche.
After Juan Manuel Fayen got into the turn three tire barrier in the No. 19 FMS Motorsport Porsche and brought out a full-course caution with under eight minutes to go, the race went back to green with just over three minutes left. That’s when the Platinum Masters lead changed for the final time, as Metni and Poordad tangled in turn one, forcing Poordad to spin and drawing Metni a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility.
That gave the lead and the win back to Mosing. It was his third win this year after sweeping both races in June at Watkins Glen Int’l.
Luck picked up his best Platinum Masters result of the season with a second-place run in the No. 45 Wright Motorsports Porsche. It was his fourth class podium this year. Vernon McClure scored his first Platinum Masters podium with a third-place finish in the No. 36 TPC Racing Porsche.
Metni, who wound up seventh in Masters following the penalty, still leads the class point standings by 19, 372-353, over Poordad, who was fifth on Sunday.
In Gold Cup, points leader Sebastian Carazo earned his eighth class victory of the season in the No. 27 NGT Motorsport Porsche. Not unlike Root in the Platinum Cup class, Carazo also got a nice lead at the start and stayed upfront throughout to take the victory. He now leads Rob Ferriol by 41 points, 406-365, in the Gold Cup standings.
After winning on Saturday, Ferriol came home second on Sunday in the No. 5 Moorespeed Porsche for his ninth podium of the season. Curt Swearingen was third in Gold Cup aboard the No. 17 ACI Motorsports Porsche, matching his best result of the season. Swearingen previously finished third at Watkins Glen.
Randal Bryant claimed the Yokohama Hard Charger Award in the No. 15 TPC Racing Porsche as the Gold Cup driver who improved the most overall positions from start to finish in Race 2 at VIR. Bryant finished 19th overall after starting 22nd.
Joe Custer, president of Stewart-Haas Racing and the father of NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Cole Custer, remembers the day he realized his son had what it took to be a race car driver.
It was at Indiana’s Gas City I-69 Speedway. The younger Custer, then 12, was competing in a Ford Focus Midget event. It was his first time racing against the more experienced competitors as he’d previously raced in a Ford Focus Midget division designed for younger drivers.
Officials allowed Custer to start the race from the tail of the field in order to gain experience, but he didn’t stay there for long.
“They dropped the green and Cole was at the back and there were, I don’t know, 18 cars in the race,” Joe Custer recalled. “Cole goes to the top and he made it all the way to third in like six laps. Just winging it right around it.
“I think he finished eighth or 10th or something like that. The announcer was going bananas,” Joe Custer explained. “For me, from my perspective, that’s when I took a deep breath and said holy moly, he wants to drive a race car.”
That was in 2010. Fast-forward nine years and Cole Custer is one of the top rising stars in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he drives the No. 00 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Custer is having the best season of his Xfinity Series career, with five victories so far to his name.
The 21-year-old California native credits a number of factors — including experience and a new crew chief — for the strong start to his junior season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
“I think it’s a combination of everything honestly,” Custer said. “It’s my third year, so I have more experience knowing what to do when I get to the race track and what I want the feel of the car to be and everything like that. I have a new crew chief, Mike Shiplett, and he has been really good at bringing experience to our team also. He’s been in the Xfinity Series for a long time. We’ve gotten everything just a little bit better. We didn’t struggle before, but it was just a matter of making it a little better so we were competing for wins on a weekly basis.”
Custer has slowly made a name for himself at NASCAR’s top levels. After starting in quarter midgets and working his way through the previously mentioned Ford Focus Midgets, late models and NASCAR K&N Pro Series, he made his NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series debut at age 16.
When most 16-year-olds were focused on getting a driver’s license and having fun with friends, Custer was focused on competing at one of the highest levels in racing.
“Looking back on it, with how much I know now and how much I knew then, I was probably clueless,” Custer admitted. “I could drive and I could stand on the gas, but it wasn’t like I knew exactly in every single situation what was happening. It all worked out and everything, but I wish I had more experience at that time. I think it would have helped me.”
Keep reading on the next page…
ALTON, Va. – Sunny skies and a dry racetrack were a welcome sight for the 16-car Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America field Sunday.
After Saturday’s race in wet conditions, the Huracan Evos roared to the green flag at iconic Virginia Int’l Raceway for round eight of the season.
Polesitter Corey Lewis in the No. 29 Change Racing/Lamborghini Charlotte entry led the field to green. He was able to extend his lead as Sandy Mitchell in the No. 1 Prestige Performance/Wayne Taylor Racing/Lamborghini Paramus went off the track in turn two of the first lap and Paolo Ruberti was hit with a drive-through penalty for jumping the start.
That left Lewis to race ahead of Brandon Gdovic in the No. 46 Precision Performance Motorsport/Lamborghini Palm Beach entry for the first part of the race. Mitchell got back into the race before going wide at the Oak Tree Turn before the pit window opened and was right behind Gdovic.
The opening of the pit window was delayed for three minutes after the No. 63 of McKay Snow suffered a flat left rear tire, and a full course yellow came out for debris on the track. Lewis was the first Pro Class entry to pit and turned the car over to teammate Richy Antinucci.
As the pit cycle closed with 17 minutes remaining in the race, the No. 46 seized the lead with Shinya Michimi taking over for Gdovic. Round 7’s winner – the No. 27 quickly moved up to second with Cedric Sbirrazzouli behind the wheel as the No. 29 fell off the pace and had to stop in the pits a second time.
Michimi then enjoyed a five- to seven-second lead over the final minutes of the race as the No. 46 won for the second time in 2019 and for the first time since round one over the No. 27.
Lewis and Antinucci remain in the class lead in points with 102 marks, followed by Adrea Amici and Sandy Mitchell with 90.
Jacob Eidson and Damon Ockey in the No. 9 US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Vancouver continued to close in on the ProAm class championship with their seventh win in eight races. Eidson started the race and quickly moved to the front of the class before handing the car over to Ockey during the mandatory pit window.
Ockey brought the car to the finish line with a little drama on the last lap, as he spun in the Oak Tree but was still able to finish third overall and enjoyed a 40-second win over Patrick Liddy in the No. 24 US RaceTronics, Lamborghini La Jolla entry.
The duo has now accumulated 122 points on the season with William Hubbell in the No. 69 Prestige Performance/Wayne Taylor Racing/Lamborghini Paramus entry in second with 78.
McKay Snow and Steven Aghakhani once again battled it out in the Am Class as they were separated by less than half a second for a majority of the first 20 minutes of the race. With 33 minutes remaining Snow’s car suffered a flat left rear tire which brought out the aforementioned caution.
That allowed Aghakhani to take the lead. He was able to go to victory over Sheena Monk in the No. 7 Dream Racing, Lamborghini Palmyra entry to earn his third victory of the year.
Snow remains in first place in class with 105 points while Cameron Cassels is second with 85 and Aghakhani is third with 82.
LB Cup Class leader Mel Johnson had the first stint in the No. 08 GMG Racing, Lamborghini Newport Beach entry, but was overtaken by the No. 43 Prestige Performance/Wayne Taylor Racing after contact in turn one of the first lap.
The No. 43 Prestige Performance/Wayne Taylor Racing/Lamborghini Paramus entry driven by Stephanie Cemo took the lead at that point until it changed 10 minutes into the race as Justin Price in the No. 22 Dream Racing, Lamborghini Atlanta entry moved to the front looking to make it a sweep on the weekend.
A slower pit stop by the No. 22 allowed the No. 08 with Thomas Lovelady behind the wheel to reclaim the lead following the pit window being closed. He was able to make it the fifth win of the season for the No. 08 as they held off a strong challenge from the No. 43 and Ashton Harrison.
Johnson, on his own, still leads the class with 90 points while Harrison and Cemo are second with 82.
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
