Every January, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman aims to take a vacation, his one and only real, extended vacation of the year. In a lot of winters, his vacation is either postponed -- to never -- or it's truncated because of the seemingly year-round fretting that accompanies his particular position.

But now that Gerrit Cole has landed in the Yankees' universe, Cashman is free to leave. Heck, maybe Cole will provide a private jet for Cashman and family to Bora Bora or Bermuda or Cabo or wherever he wants to go. Now that the Yankees have landed their ace, the rest is merely cleanup.

Stephen Strasburg, exit stage left, your run as MLB's highest-paid pitcher with your $245 million contract was short-lived. Step on up, Gerrit Cole, owner of a new, nine-year, $324 million contract, courtesy of the New York Yankees. Both pitchers shattered the previous record contract for a pitcher, so I thought it would be fun to look through baseball history and ask: How did we get here?

Starting with Catfish Hunter's landmark contract for the 1975 season, let's go back and find the pitchers who set the marks for highest total value contract.

Dec. 31, 1974: Catfish Hunter, five years, $3.2 million (Yankees)

Quote: "I hung up the phone, turned to my wife and said, 'We don't belong to anybody.' I was scared. I didn't have a job. I didn't realize the implications." -- Hunter

Hunter became baseball's first free agent in the modern era due to carelessness or, more likely, abject hubris on the part of A's owner Charlie Finley. In 1974, players were still bound to their teams by the reserve clause, which anchored a player to his team with little negotiating power. That was challenged in 1975, opening the door for the free-agent era to begin following the 1976 season, but Hunter's case was different.

He had a clause in his contract that required Finley to make payments into a long-term annuity, but Finley was late in making the payments. Arbitrator Peter Seitz -- who also would strike down the reserve clause -- declared Hunter's contract had been violated, making him a free agent.

Hunter had been the ace of three straight World Series champs for the A's, and he was regarded as one of the best pitchers in the game. (He had won the 1974 Cy Young Award after going 25-12 with a 2.49 ERA.) After making $100,000 in 1974, his new contract paid him about $640,000 per season. (Initial reports at the time estimated a $3.75 million total package, with later reports listing $3.5 million or $3.2 million, which seems to be the figured cited most often now.)

How it worked out: Hunter was great in 1975, leading the American League with 23 wins, posting a 2.58 ERA and finishing second in the Cy Young voting. He also pitched 328 innings and threw 30 complete games. It would be his last great season. He produced just 1.9 WAR over his final four campaigns, although he did help the Yankees to three straight AL pennants, and he was the winning pitcher in the clinching Game 6 of the 1978 World Series.

INTERLUDE: In November 1977, Pirates reliever Goose Gossage signed with the Yankees for what was initially reported as a six-year, $3.6 million contract. Later reports adjusted that figure down to $2.75 million. Accurate details from this era can be difficult to establish, and many of the contracts contained complicated deferrals or personal-service deals. Either way, at the minimum Gossage did not top Hunter's annual average value.

Nov. 19, 1979: Nolan Ryan, four years, $4.5 million (Astros)

Quote: "Nolan Ryan can be replaced by two 8-7 pitchers." -- Angels general manager Buzzie Bavasi

Ryan wasn't the best pitcher in the game in 1979, but he certainly was one of the most famous, having tied Sandy Koufax's mark of four no-hitters and setting all kinds of strikeout records along the way. In 1979, he led the AL in strikeouts for the seventh time in eight seasons, but he had finished 16-14 with a 3.60 ERA, slowing down in the second half with a strained muscle near his right elbow. Even though the Angels had made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in 1979, Bavasi -- having cited Ryan's win-loss record and age (he would be 33 in 1980) -- figured his best seasons were behind him. Ryan would last "just" 14 more years.

How it worked out: Ryan's contract called for a guaranteed $3.5 million over three years, with a $1 million club option for the fourth year. It was big deal and landed Ryan on the cover of every baseball preview magazine that spring. After all, he became the first professional team sport athlete with a $1 million annual salary. He would go 52-36 with a 2.91 ERA those four seasons, leading the Astros to their first playoff appearance in 1980 -- a gut-wrenching National League Championship Series loss to the Phillies in which Ryan couldn't hold a 5-2 lead in the eighth inning of the final game.

Ryan would win an ERA title in 1981 as the Astros again made the playoffs, and he remained in Houston through 1987. He wasn't the best pitcher in the game -- Baseball-Reference ranks him just 17th in WAR over those first four seasons -- but the contract helped establish Ryan as a legendary figure in the game's history.

Jan. 7, 1984: Goose Gossage, five years, $6.25 million (Padres)

Quote: ''Now the starters will be able to go as hard as they can for as long as they can." -- Gossage

Hey, that sounds like a quote from 2019, not 1984! It also suggests that even in the early 1980s, starting pitchers were holding a little something back in order to pitch deeper into games. Gossage had compiled a 2.10 ERA in six seasons with the Yankees but had informed the Yankees he would "not return and play for George Steinbrenner."

Gossage hit free agency at a time when closers -- or stoppers, as they were more commonly called then -- were a relatively new phenomenon and generally overrated in relation to their actual value, annually contending and even winning Cy Young Awards in the decade (and into the early 1990s). That helps explain why a reliever could get the biggest contract ever for a pitcher.

How it worked out: Gossage had two good seasons, helping the Padres reach the World Series in 1984, where Kirk Gibson treated him rather rudely. His relationship with the Padres soured in 1986 when he said team president Ballard Smith "doesn't know anything and doesn't care" and wanted "choirboys and not winning players." The Padres attempted to suspend him for insubordination. After declining seasons in 1986 and 1987, he was traded to the Cubs.

Dec. 7, 1984: Bruce Sutter, six years, $9.1 million (Braves)

Quote: "Their concern," a baseball official said of the owners, "was whether the Atlanta club would be able to meet the financial obligations, and what effect it might have on baseball."

The structure of Sutter's contract was a hot mess, so convoluted that Ted Turner's fellow owners voted to censure him after the deal was announced. During the six seasons, Sutter would earn $750,000 per season -- but those were only interest payments. The rest of the money would be paid out over 30 years from a deferred payment account, in annual installments of $1.3 million after the six-year contract ended. Yes, Sutter is still getting paid.

Dan Lewis of The Athletic explained:

And because all of the money he's earned to date (and will earn through 2021) is interest, that $9.1 million in principal has, to date, gone unpaid. That's right: It was deferred until 2022. Four years from now, Bruce Sutter will be a 69-year-old Hall of Fame pitcher who last pitched in 1988 who, unlike Bobby Bonilla, will be on the receiving end of a $9.1 million check from the Atlanta Braves.

In total, Sutter will earn north of $45 million for his three years being terrible as a member of the Atlanta Braves. Bobby Bonilla, eat your heart out.

Was Sutter's contract a new record? I guess that's open for debate. Estimates at the time suggested Turner would only require an initial investment of $1.7 million to fund the annuity. It's not clear whether the Braves actually did this or whether they simply write a check every year to Sutter.

How it worked out: It didn't. Sutter had a 4.55 ERA with the Braves, missing all of 1987 and then retiring after the 1988 season. Even though he retired with two years left on the contract, his money was guaranteed.

Dec. 14, 1984: Rick Sutcliffe, five years, $9.5 million (Cubs)

Quote: "There was unfinished business. I wanted to come back and get us into the World Series." -- Sutcliffe

The Cubs had acquired Sutcliffe from the Indians in June 1984, and he went 16-1 with a 2.69 ERA, helping the Cubs to the NL East title and edging out Dwight Gooden for Cy Young honors. Sutcliffe stayed with the Cubs, picking them over the Padres. The contract was paid out over 12 years, so even Sutcliffe's agent declared, "It depends how you look at it," when asked if Sutcliffe was the highest-paid pitcher.

How it worked out: Fair. Sutcliffe went 60-57 with a 3.82 ERA, leading the NL with 18 wins in 1987 and making the All-Star team in 1987 and 1989 (when the Cubs won another division title). He ranked 17th in the majors in WAR over that span.

INTERLUDE: It appears Sutcliffe's mark held for several years, as owners engaged in collusion to prevent higher salaries following the 1985, 1986 and 1987 seasons. Depending on how you might value the Sutter and Sutcliffe deals, in 1989 the following pitchers might all be considered for title of highest-paid pitcher:

Feb. 8: Dwight Gooden, three years, $6.7 million (Mets)
Feb. 15: Roger Clemens, three years, $7.5 million (Red Sox)
Feb. 17: Orel Hershiser, three years, $7.9 million (Dodgers)
April 19: Frank Viola, three years, $7.9 million (Twins)
Nov. 17: Bret Saberhagen, three years, $8.9 million (Royals)

Then came a big one ...

Dec. 1, 1989: Mark Langston, five years, $16 million (Angels)

Quote: "The five years and the no-trade provision were important. Mark and I knew this would have an impact on other players. We wanted to send a message to other players that it could be done." -- agent Arn Tellem

Langston had gone 16-14 with a 2.74 ERA for the Mariners and Expos in 1989, throwing 250 innings and ranking second in the majors in strikeouts. An athletic lefty with a big heater, his five-year contract was the first for any player since Eddie Murray signed his deal in 1985. Thanks, collusion.

How it worked out: Pretty well. After a rough first season with the Angels (10-17, 4.40), he was much better and went 65-58 with a 3.66 ERA in five years on mostly bad Angels teams (they never finished above .500 from 1990 to 1994), making the All-Star team in 1991, 1992 and 1993. He ranked eighth in WAR, 10th in innings and sixth in strikeouts in the five years.

Feb. 8, 1991: Roger Clemens, four years, $21.52 million (Red Sox)

Quote: "I'm sure it's a good thing for Roger Clemens. I'm not sure it's a good thing for the rest of baseball." -- Mets executive Al Harazin

With collusion in the rear-view mirror, national TV contracts escalating in value and attendance increasing across the sport, baseball salaries were rapidly going up. Clemens, coming off a season when he went 21-6 with a 1.93 ERA, had one year left until free agency when the Red Sox extended him, making him baseball's first $5 million player. The contract included an option year for 1996, so it ended up as a five-year deal worth just over $26 million, covering 1992 to 1996.

How it worked out: It did -- sort of. Clemens ranked fourth in WAR, fifth in ERA+ and third in strikeouts, but he went just 58-50 with a 3.43 ERA (40-39 over the final four years), numbers that were short of what he had done in 1990 and 1991 (when he won his third Cy Young Award). Other than a playoff run in 1995, it wasn't a great era for the Red Sox. And at the end of the deal, general manager Dan Duquette wondered whether Clemens was in the "twilight" of his career -- even though he had led the AL in strikeouts in 1996.

Dec. 10, 1992: Greg Maddux, five years, $28 million (Braves)

Quote: "This one hurts. He's the best one out there. I never thought I could say this. But he's a steal at $28 million. He's a steal." -- Yankees general manager Gene Michael

The 1992 NL Cy Young winner with the Cubs after going 20-11 with a 2.18 ERA, Maddux was heavily pursued by the Yankees. They offered $34 million, but Maddux took less to sign with the Braves, who were coming off back-to-back World Series appearances in what would be the first two seasons of their long dynasty.

How it worked out: Maybe the best free-agent signing ever. Michael was right. Maddux got even better, winning the next three Cy Young Awards to give him four in a row. From 1993 to 1997, Maddux went 89-33 with a 2.13 ERA, dominating in the heart of the steroid era with his pinpoint control. Over the five seasons he was a remarkable 8.3 WAR better than the No. 2 pitcher in that period (David Cone).

INTERLUDE: The Braves would keep their powerhouse rotation together. After winning the 1996 Cy Young Award, John Smoltz hit free agency and re-signed with the Braves for four years and $31 million. Early in 1997, they gave Tom Glavine a four-year, $34 million extension. It was Maddux's turn again.

Aug. 10, 1997: Greg Maddux, five years, $57.5 million (Braves)

Quote: ''This deal doesn't happen if there wasn't a shortage of pitching. Our industry is starved for pitching.'' -- agent Scott Boras

Sitting with a 15-3 record and 2.36 ERA in early August, the Braves locked up Maddux before he entered free agency. Maddux became the highest-paid player in the game, nearly doubling his average salary from his previous contract.

How it worked out: Again, superbly. Maddux went 89-44 with a 2.88 ERA from 1998 to 2002 as the Braves won five more division titles. While he wasn't as dominant as the previous five-year stretch, he still ranked fifth in WAR over the five years.

Dec. 12, 1997: Pedro Martinez, six years, $75 million (Red Sox)

Quote: "And he doesn't even have a jump shot." -- Unnamed baseball executive

That quote was a reference to rapidly escalating salaries in the NBA. One thing has always held true: Somebody is going to complain when a new standard is set. Duquette might have misfired on Clemens, but he redeemed himself in acquiring Martinez, who had just won the NL Cy Young Award in a breakout 9.0 WAR season with the Expos, and then signing him to a mega-extension. It almost didn't happen, though. At the time, Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox had agreed to trading prospect Carl Pavano to the Marlins for closer Robb Nen; the Marlins had even alerted other teams that Nen was now off the block. Instead, Duquette pivoted and used Pavano to acquire Martinez.

How it worked out: Thank you very much. The extension covered 1999 through 2004. It was one of the best six-year runs in history, as Martinez went 98-30 with a 2.44 ERA and ridiculous 197 ERA+. He won four ERA titles and two Cy Young Awards, finishing second, third and fourth in other years. And in 2004, the Red Sox finally ended the curse.

Dec. 13, 1998: Kevin Brown, seven years, $105 million (Dodgers)

Quote: "I think this is dangerous for the competitive balance of the game. The fact that Kevin Brown will make more in the next seven years than our whole team in the next four is not good." -- Reds GM Jim Bowden

One of the most controversial contracts in baseball history, this deal enraged front offices throughout the game. "There is no appropriate comment," commissioner Bud Selig said. Just months earlier, the Dodgers had traded Mike Piazza rather than pay him. Now they made Brown the first $100 million player -- blowing past the $14 million annual salary barrier to reach $15 million in the process. Brown had been dominant the previous three seasons, including leading the Marlins and Padres to the World Series, but he was also 34 years old, albeit a pitcher who had never been on the disabled list.

How it worked out: Brown sometimes shows up on lists of worst free agents, but that was hardly the case. He went 58-32 with a 2.83 ERA in five seasons with the Dodgers, mixing in three great seasons with a couple of injury-shortened ones, before a trade to the Yankees. As for competitive balance, the Dodgers never made the playoffs in Brown's five years with the club.

Dec. 9, 2000: Mike Hampton, eight years, $121 million (Rockies)

Quote: "Announce the deal. He's an outstanding pitcher. It's a lot of money. Case closed. I don't want to hear about the Wheat Ridge [Colorado] school system." -- Sandy Alderson, MLB's executive vice president for baseball operations

This was Selig's "The sky is falling" period, and Alderson played along when Hampton cited the local school systems as a reason he signed with the Rockies. Hampton had gone 22-4 for the Astros in 1999 and 15-10 with a 3.14 ERA for the Mets in 2000, but he also had walked too many batters (200 of them) and didn't have a big K rate. It was a risky signing from the get-go ... even before factoring in Coors Field. Deferred money made the present-day value of the contract about $85 million.

How it worked out: Disastrous. Hampton actually made the All-Star team in his first season in Colorado, but he finished 14-13 and then went 7-15, 6.15 in 2002, earning a trade to the Braves (via the Marlins). Over the eight years, his total WAR was just 2.9.

Dec. 28, 2006: Barry Zito, seven years, $126 million (Giants)

Quote: "I think Barry Zito will be the face of the Giants franchise for a long time." -- Giants source

Zito had been a durable, crafty lefty with the A's, never missing a start with them, but outside of his Cy Young year in 2002 had been more of a No. 2 than an ace. Giants GM Brian Sabean believed that Zito, due to his style of pitching, would age well, comparing him to Greg Maddux. Oops.

How it worked out: Zito did not age like Greg Maddux, and the comparison was silly in the first place. He went 63-80 with a 4.62 ERA for the Giants, scratching out just 2.4 WAR over the life of the deal. He did have two big wins in the 2012 postseason, however, including beating Justin Verlander in Game 1 of the World Series.

Feb. 1, 2008: Johan Santana, six years, $137.5 million (Mets)

Quote: "He was special. It was my job to keep him that way." -- Mets manager Terry Collins

The Twins were determined to trade Santana before he hit free agency. The Red Sox wouldn't give up Jon Lester. The Yankees wouldn't part with Phil Hughes. The Mets gave up Carlos Gomez as part of their package and were allowed to first negotiate the record-setting extension for the pitcher then generally regarded as the best in the game. Santana had gone 70-32 with a 2.89 ERA and two Cy Young Awards over the previous four seasons.

How it worked out: Santana had three good seasons with the Mets, which covered the first two years of the extension, but missed all of 2011 after shoulder surgery. He returned in 2012 and threw the first -- and only -- no-hitter in Mets history on June 1, hurling 134 pitches in the process. He would make just 10 more starts in the majors.

Dec. 10, 2008: CC Sabathia, seven years, $161 million (Yankees)

Quote: "That's them, that's the Yankees, that's how we look at it. They operate in a world by themselves, and we understand that." -- Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd

After missing the playoffs in 2008 for the first time since 1993, the Yankees pulled out the checkbook, signing Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett as free agents, with Sabathia blowing away Santana's record for a pitcher. The contract included an opt-out clause after three years, which Sabathia exercised, and he then signed a five-year deal for $122 million.

How it worked out: The Yankees won the World Series in 2009, with Sabathia having a 6.2-WAR season and a big postseason. He earned 17.4 WAR over those first three years but wasn't the same ace-level starter under the five-year extension (and subsequent deals), and the Yankees haven't returned to the World Series since that 2009 campaign.

INTERLUDE: Sabathia's deal held for several years. Felix Hernandez signed a seven-year, $175 million extension with the Mariners in February 2013 (good for a few years, but the final four didn't go well), and Justin Verlander broke that the following month with a seven-year, $180 extension with the Tigers. Then came the first $200 million pitcher contract.

Jan. 17, 2014: Clayton Kershaw, seven years, $215 million (Dodgers)

Quote: "Big winner today ... me. I am blessed to catch best in the game for foreseeable future." -- Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis

Just 25 at the time of the signing, Kershaw inked baseball's sixth $200 million deal, and his annual average salary of $30.7 million made him the highest-paid player. Kershaw had just gone 16-9 with a 1.83 ERA to win his second Cy Young Award in three seasons. He was the no-doubt best pitcher in the game and got the biggest contract; in fact, he reportedly had turned down a longer-term, $300 million offer from the Dodgers to take a shorter deal.

How it worked out: When your "bad" year is 16-5 with a 3.03 ERA, no regrets. Kershaw won Cy Young and MVP honors in his first year of the deal, and while he hasn't pitched 200 innings since 2015, he has gone 92-28 with a 2.27 ERA since the signing. He is third in pitcher WAR since 2014, trailing only Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom. (He opted out of the original deal after 2018, and now he is entering the second year of a three-year, $93 million extension).

Dec. 4, 2015: David Price, seven years, $217 million (Red Sox)

Quote: "I was just saving all my postseason wins for the Red Sox. I know big things will happen to me in October. That just hasn't been the case thus far. That will change, and I've worked too hard. I know I can do it." -- Price

A workhorse with the Rays, Tigers and Blue Jays before reaching free agency, Price had finished second in the 2015 Cy Young voting but also was notorious for his struggles in the postseason.

How it worked out: How much is a ring worth? Price finally put those postseason demons behind him in 2018, helping the Red Sox win the World Series. In the regular season, however, he hasn't been the ace he was before coming to the Red Sox, with a 3.84 ERA and ranking just 34th in WAR since 2016. And now he has durability concerns moving into the final three years of the contract.

Dec. 9, 2019: Stephen Strasburg, seven years, $245 million (Nationals)

And one day later ...

Dec. 10, 2019: Gerrit Cole, nine years, $324 million (Yankees)

Thast's right, Strasburg's reign as baseball's highest-paid ace lasted all of one day and now the biggest pitching contracts in baseball belong to the two pitchers who cashed in this week in San Diego.

How will it work out? That is the $569 million question, but the Nationals and Yankees were willing to pay over half a billion dollars combined to find out the answer.

Matt Sherratt is to rejoin Worcester from Ospreys to succeed Neil Doak as backs coach for the 2020-21 season.

Sherratt, 43, began his coaching career with Warriors, spending five years in the Academy at Sixways.

He then worked for Bristol and Cardiff Blues, and also as number two to Rob Howley on Wales' 2017 summer tour to Samoa and Tonga before joining Ospreys.

Doak is due to leave Sixways "by mutual agreement" when his contract at Worcester ends next summer.

"Matt is an outstanding coach with an excellent reputation and has strong links with the club, having begun his coaching career here," said Warriors director of rugby Alan Solomons.

"I know he is highly thought of by the Welsh international players. In addition, he is friends with our academy manager Mike Hall and our incoming forwards coach Jonathan Thomas, which augurs well for the synergy of our staff. Over and above all that he is a terrific bloke."

Ospreys managing director Andrew Millward said: "We are all disappointed with his decision to leave at the end of the season but understand his desire to be closer to his young family."

Worcester currently lie fourth in the Premiership, while Ospreys are one off the bottom of the seven-team Conference A in the Pro14.

Glasgow Warriors back Tommy Seymour has announced he is retiring from Scotland duty after earning 55 caps on what he describes as "an amazing journey".

The Nashville-born 31-year-old is the second member of this summer's World Cup squad to make such a decision.

Edinburgh's John Barclay called it a day earlier this month after 76 caps.

"The pride from wearing the thistle on my chest is one of the most powerful feelings I've experienced," Seymour said on Twitter.

Seymour, who has spent most of his career on the wing, is Scotland's fourth-top try scorer, crossing the line 20 times in a six-year spell during which he has been at two World Cups and represented the British and Irish Lions on their 2017 tour to New Zealand.

An Irish youth cap on account of moving to Belfast when he was young, Seymour qualified for Scotland through his Glasgow-born mother and made his international debut two years after joining Glasgow in 2011.

"Playing for Scotland has been the greatest honour," he said. "It was in every way a dream come true and an amazing journey to share with friends, family and Scotland supporters.

"I have been fortunate enough to play with some of the greatest players this country has ever produced and even more fortunate that in some I have found friends for life."

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, who was also his team boss at Glasgow, suggested Seymour, who has recently also been playing at full-back, had added "elements to his game each season" and had been "fantastic to work with".

"Tommy can reflect on an excellent international career," he said. "He has one of the best try-scoring rates for Scotland.

"To earn 55 caps in a six-year period is testament to not only his all-round rugby ability but also his consistency in the blue jersey.

"His game was very well suited to the demands of Test rugby, as he had a high work-rate, world-class aerial skills and a very good awareness of when to get on to ball."

'His level of consistency was rare' - analysis

BBC Scotland chief sportswriter Tom English

As a winger, Seymour's stock-in-trade was tries and he scored plenty of them in his Test career, including against the three Southern Hemisphere giants. But that was just part of what made him a very effective operator. Seymour's aerial ability was excellent, his reading of the game was intelligent, his defence solid.

His last acts as a Scotland player were in Japan at the World Cup. It was a disappointing experience, a shadow of the quality he delivered at the tournament four years earlier when he was at his peak. Seymour scored in every game he played in. He actually scored in five consecutive matches and in seven out of eight including the Tests that followed. For a Scottish wing that was a level of consistency that was rare.

He was good enough to be a Lion in 2017. Seymour didn't make the Test squad but he still finished the tour with three tries, one more than anybody else. At 31, there's rugby left in him. Glasgow will get the sole benefit of it now.

HANOI, Vietnam – The Vietnam Grand Prix Corporation, promoters of the Formula 1 VinFast Vietnam Grand Prix, has released an updated layout of the Hanoi Circuit.

Hanoi marks F-1’s newest track and will host the the pinnacle of motorsport for the first time April 3-5. The inaugural Formula 1 race in Vietnam will debut in the Southeast Asian country for the third round of next year’s 22-race FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

The tweak to the final section of the Hanoi Circuit will now see the total number of corners increase to 23 – making it the only track alongside Singapore’s Marina Bay Circuit to have as many – with the track also extending from its original length of 5.565 km to 5.607 km.

The slight change was decided upon after further consideration of the surrounding geographical conditions and has been fully supported by both F-1 and the FIA, who have been working closely with the event organizers to ensure all changes have been carried out according to standard regulations.

The new turn 23 is a 100-percent left turn, where the track widens out again to 15 meters before leading on to the start/finish line for one last push by the drivers when they race in Hanoi for the first time in Formula 1’s history next April.

The Hanoi Circuit itself is a unique hybrid design, fusing a street circuit’s characteristics with a permanent track layout. The first of its kind to be developed in partnership by Tilke Engineers and F-1’s own motorsports division, Hanoi is set to become one of the most challenging and sensational circuits in the sport.

With high-speed corner sequences not seen at any other pure street tracks and as many as three overtaking points where cars will have the potential to duke it out side by side, Hanoi is designed to deliver spectacular racing.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Pat Musi Racing Engines has announced the addition of experienced engine builder Paul Hoskins to its talented team.

Hoskins brings a wealth of drag racing and engine building knowledge to the company. He’s been part of four NHRA Pro Stock championship teams, including most recently with Tanner Gray and Gray Motorsports, where Hoskins served as the lead engine builder.

His expertise with naturally aspirated engines brings a valuable aspect to Pat Musi Racing Engines, and Hoskins is eager to tackle the challenges that await.

“I’m very excited to be doing something with Pat,” Hoskins said. “Pro Mod and Pro Nitrous have always been a passion of mine. I think there are a lot of things from the naturally aspirated cars that will apply to the Pro Mod world. It’s a steep learning curve, but it’s going to be interesting to work with the big engines and the Pro Nitrous cars.”

Before working at Gray Motorsports for six years, Hoskins spent more than five years working with Pro Stock veteran Mike Edwards. He was part of a championship-winning team there, too, while Hoskins was also part of championship teams for Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Jim Yates while spending 16 years with Dart Machinery.

Musi believes Hoskins’ knowledge of the naturally aspirated Pro Stock cars will be key for his company, especially when it comes to the 555 and 632 cubic-inch engines, allowing Musi Racing Engines to continue to cater to customers at all racing levels.

“Paul is obviously a top-level engine guy with a bunch of great experience in the sport, and we’re really happy to have him on our team,” Musi said. “Just seeing his knowledge and passion for the sport, I know he’s going to jump right in and help us continue to set the bar even higher for our customers. Everyone from the sportsman-level person all the way to the Pro Nitrous driver is going to benefit from having Paul as part of our group.”

That diversity and a chance to build engines for cars in a variety of classes and series was incredibly appealing for Hoskins. A tireless worker who is dedicated to research and development, he sees unlimited possibilities with the move to Pat Musi Racing Engines.

“The development end of things and the learning part of things, that’s what drives me,” Hoskins said. “When you stop learning, that’s when it’s not fun anymore. I see a lot of potential, and I just try to be well-rounded and keep working hard.

“Pat has a lot of different engine combinations, so it’s going to be very exciting to have all these opportunities to learn and develop new things. I’m really looking forward to it.”

The old adage made famous in the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams” was, “If you build it, they will come;” and that philosophy has been apparent in the rise of The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

A dream of the late Bryan Clauson, IMS President Doug Boles positioned a quarter-mile dirt oval inside the third turn of the legendary 2.5-mile speedway in hopes he and the track could put together a mega-event that would draw talent from across the motor­sports universe.

So far, those hopes have become reality in a big way.

The first two editions of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink, already one of the crown jewels of the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series schedule, combined to draw nearly 200 entrants to the hallowed IMS grounds and generated massive fan interest from the dirt and pavement crowds alike.

Helping matters has been the fact that fan favorites Brady Bacon and Zeb Wise, respectively, won the BC39 in its first two iterations, producing a popularity boon for the legendary speedway’s newest venue.

While Boles knows there’s still work to be done to make the BC39 a longstanding tradition, he’s pleased with the foundation the IMS staff has built over the event’s first two years.

“I do think that we still have to establish it as one of the pillar events of short track during the year,” Boles told SPEED SPORT, “but I think having a second year with really strong team entries, with 90-plus car and driver combinations entered in the race this year … I think was a strong one for us. We were concerned about significant fall off from the first year, and honestly, I think if we had been in the 60 to 70 (entry) range, we would have considered that a success. So from the entry standpoint, I think that was good.

“Now it’s just a matter of really establishing it on the fans’ calendar as one of those races that you have to attend during the year.”

That calendar will shift somewhat thanks to a NASCAR schedule realignment that has moved the 27th running of the Brickyard 400 from early September into the heart of the summer, placing the stock car crown jewel on Independence Day weekend with a Sunday, July 5, date.

Not wanting to break from the established tradition of pairing the BC39 with the NASCAR weekend, Boles recently reported the third edition of the BC39 will take place July 1-2, keeping it a midweek special but serving as a lead-in to the Fourth of July holiday.

It’s a move Boles hopes will pay dividends, considering mid-summer is prime short-track season in the Hoosier State.

“We’re excited about how things are lining up for next year’s BC39. Next year, it’ll be a little bit of an unknown given that we are keeping it with the NASCAR weekend, so it’ll move to July, but it’s an exciting new aspect for the race,” Boles said. “There is some school of thought that the summer is short-track season, really, so there’s a belief that maybe that (new date) will be better for folks … having it on July 1-2 next year. It’ll be a little bit of a new twist for us.

“At the same time, we still need to really focus on establishing it as an event that drivers want to compete in, whether they’re midget drivers full season or they’re some other version of a short-track driver who comes in because it’s a big event,” Boles continued. “It’s a big priority to make sure that fans beyond central Indiana have viewed it as one of those can’t-miss events and we’re looking forward to continuing that into the new year and the third running of the BC39.”

NASCAR stars such as Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe participated in this year’s BC39, a feat made easier by the fact that the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Cup Series raced on the famed 2.5-mile track in the days following the $15,000-to-win NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series event.

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INDIANAPOLIS – Clauson-Marshall Racing has announced that it is continuing its partnership with Indiana Donor Network to promote organ, tissue and eye donation and transplantation through the Driven2SaveLives campaign for 2020.

As part of the extension, Cole Bodine will return to driving duties for Clauson-Marshall Racing as the pilot of the No. 39bc for the full 2020 NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series season.

Driven2SaveLives, which launched in 2016 surrounding the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, has been involved in dirt track racing with the goal of registering fans and racers to become donors in honor of Bryan Clauson since January 2017.

Since then, the campaign has raised awareness and encouraged well over 1,000 people to register their donation decisions through their partnership with Clauson-Marshall Racing and sponsorship of various dirt track related events, including the Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“The Driven2SaveLives campaign is an increasingly visible symbol for the donation message, both here in Indiana and throughout the nation,” said Kellie Hanner, Indiana Donor Network president and chief executive officer. “We are excited to continue our partnership with Clauson-Marshall Racing to raise awareness with race fans, register donors and ultimately save more lives.”

Stepping into an old, but new role for Clauson-Marshall Racing, Bodine will transition into a full-time competitor on the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series for the first time after returning to CMR from Petry Motorsports midseason and working as a mechanic.

Bodine is no stranger to the driver’s seat at CMR, as he previously ran for Clauson-Marshall Racing in a limited number of races in 2018 and also ran the 2019 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals for the team and solidified his spot in the championship A-main by finishing third on his preliminary night.

“We are excited to be able to offer Cole a chance to compete in the USAC National Midget Series,” said team owner Tim Clauson. “He has proved over the last couple of years that he truly has the heart to race at this level. Along with heart, in his limited appearances with us he has proved he has the talent to be successful at this level. He finished second in one of his early starts for us and made the Chili Bowl A-main with a stellar podium run on his preliminary night.

“Along with the talent he possesses, he also has proved to me that he fits the person we want representing not only Clauson-Marshall Racing but also Driven2SaveLives. He certainly has proved he has the heart of a hero.”

Bodine will continue to help the Indiana Donor Network and Driven2SaveLives raise awareness for organ, tissue and eye donation and transplantation, as he competes for the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series Championship.

“When you surround yourself with good people, good things happen,” Bodine said. “I’m honored to get this opportunity to carry on the legacy of the No. 39BC and continue to raise awareness for organ, tissue and eye donation and transplantation in honor of Bryan. I can’t wait to get the 2020 season started.”

WINTER PARK, Fla. – Ryan Dalziel has added to his already busy 2020 sports car season after signing on to drive for DXDT Racing in the GT World Challenge America.

It was also announced earlier this week that Dalziel will drive for Tower Motorsports by Starworks in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship LMP2 class next season.

His deal to drive for DXDT Racing will see Dalziel share a Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo in the Pro/Am class with team owner David Askew. The championship will consist of two races per event, each 90 minutes long with two drivers splitting the duties behind the wheel with a mandatory minimum drive time.

“It feels great to have secured two solid programs for next year.” said Dalziel. “After a not very successful 2019, I am very much looking forward to getting myself back to consistent podiums, wins and ultimately a championship or two. I am extremely excited about both programs, working with some of the best people in the business. I’m really grateful to Peter Baron (Starworks Motorsport), John Farano (Tower Motorsports), and David Askew (DXDT Racing) for continuing to have faith in my abilities after a character building, but not very successful 2019 season.”

In his spare time, Dalziel will continue his coaching program with Fall-Line Motorsports, as well as manage his online race car coach resource, RaceCarCoaches.com.

Vendetta? Egomania? Masochism?

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis' decision to fire Carlo Ancelotti less than an hour after his club had qualified for the Champions League knockout round may well be a function of each of the above. Or, as those close to the club suggest, it might simply be an attempt to cut losses and hit the reset button, rather than throw good money after bad. If it's the latter, it's ham-fisted and miscalculated.

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Ancelotti leaves Napoli after 16 months in charge. In his first campaign, he finished second and only failed to make the Round of 16 in the Champions League because of a tie-breaker (Liverpool and Napoli were level on points and goal difference) and an Alisson last-ditch save. This season, he reached the knockout phase (taking four of six points from the European champions and inflicting their only loss in any competition since early May) but in Serie A they sit in seventh place, eight points outside the Champions League places and a whopping 17 off the top.

Was he fired because De Laurentiis placed more emphasis on the league position and had lost faith in Ancelotti's ability to turn it around this season? The short answer: yes, but there's more to it than that. As well as a parallel (if an imperfect one) with Mauricio Pochettino's departure from Spurs.

Two factors, according to individuals familiar with the situation, were key in Ancelotti's firing. The first was the contractual situation of a number of first-team players. Dries Mertens and Jose Callejon become free agents in June, with Elsedi Hysaj, Arkadiuz Milik, Nikola Maksimovic and Piotr Zielinski to follow in 2021. Then there's Kalidou Koulibaly and Allan, who have longer-term contracts but who have been promised a move in the summer. Napoli have the fifth highest wage bill in Serie A and if they've been profitable over the past few seasons, a lot of it is down to the club's ability to control costs. Renewing veterans like those cited above was always going to be expensive, but the hope was that a strong domestic campaign and a Champions League windfall next year might have made it possible to keep some of the stars and reload, rather than rebuild.

The other factor was the "player mutiny" after the home game vs. FC Salzburg on November 5. The previous weekend, after a defeat to Roma, De Laurentiis had ordered that the team be sequestered away at the training ground in a sort of boot camp for a week. Ancelotti had said previously he didn't think such measures (known as "ritiro" in Italian) were effective, but he nevertheless ordered them to sleep at the training ground for a week.

After the Salzburg game, the players rebelled, refused to return to camp and went home, leaving Ancelotti and his staff as the only ones to spend the night at the training ground. De Laurentiis was furious not least because his son, who works at the club, had endured a verbal altercation with some players after ordering them back to the training ground. De Laurentiis felt humiliated and disrespected and believed Ancelotti should have been stronger with his players. The fact that he had obeyed club orders wasn't enough; it was felt he should have done more to force the players to comply.

These two factors, one financial and one emotional, weighed very heavily. So, too, did the simple economics of Champions League revenue distribution. It's convoluted and complicated but by simply advancing to the Round of 16 and no further, Napoli will earn anywhere between €50m and €60m depending on the "market pool" that itself depends on the results of other Italian clubs. They could, of course, earn more -- potentially up to €120m -- depending how far they get in the competition.

Napoli recognized that their chances of going further in Europe were higher with Ancelotti because nobody has won more Champions League titles than he has. Equally, though, they feared it would come at a cost of qualifying for Europe next season. They lost faith in his ability to bridge the gap and finish in the top four and figured they had a better chance of doing so with another manager (Rino Gattuso, who was appointed Wednesday, as it turned out). So they turned it into a binary cost-benefit analysis. Qualifying for next season's Champions League (and getting a guaranteed €35m, or thereabouts) versus advancing further as a second seed this season (which could earn them another €60m if they won it and things went their way, or an additional big fat zero if they went out in the Round of 16).

That was the heart of the club's reasoning. De Laurentiis may be a colorful, irascible character, but he knows his numbers. He genuinely tried to strengthen the squad in the summer, with the second highest net spend in Serie A to bring in the likes of Kostas Manolas, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alex Meret, Chucky Lozano and Elif Elmas. He was ambitious, as was Ancelotti who famously (and curiously) said "we're here to win, not to go and braid our dolls' hair. We can win the title." But once he became convinced that a top four finish (let alone the scudetto) was unlikely with Ancelotti, De Laurentiis cut his losses.

The "mutiny" only accelerated matters, as did the contract negotiations with the want-away players. Suddenly, the prospect of blowing up the team and rebuilding became more appealing. Koulibaly and Allan are both 28, but should fetch well over €120m next summer. You'll get nothing back for Mertens and Callejon unless you sell them in January (which is a possibility), but you'll get their contracts off the books, freeing up some €30m in salaries, which is nearly a third of Napoli's wage bill. And in De Laurentiis' mind, you don't need a manager earning €9m ($10m) a season to do that. Better to pay off Ancelotti -- his contract had a "break clause" in May -- to the tune of $5m and bring in Gattuso, who costs a quarter of that.

Results were disappointing in Serie A. Performances were mixed, but if you buy into metrics like Expected Goals, they were due a bounce: they ranked fourth in xG difference. The "boot camp" decision and subsequent mutiny, with De Laurentiis taking legal action against his own players, no doubt didn't help much (they went six games without a win after), nor did the players' uncertainty over their future and their dwindling contracts. Neither of those were down to Ancelotti and once those issues got resolved, you would have expected the team to kick it up a notch.

Ancelotti is a big boy. Rather than hit the reset button now, De Laurentiis could have worked a deal to keep him around until the end of the season, allowing him at least a crack at the Champions League knockout phase since he played a big part in getting them there. Sure, Napoli were never going to be favorites, but clubs like Ajax, Roma and Monaco each reached the semifinals in the past three seasons. Surely this Napoli team, on paper, had at least a shot of doing the same? And perhaps, in so doing, give this generation of players who, lest we forget, gave Napoli fans more to cheer than at any time in their history with the exception of the Maradona Era, one last crack at something special? Not to mention the fans, who can sometimes be overbearing in their passion, but who ultimately just want to see their team compete?

Football is a business and De Laurentiis made a business decision (or, likely, even earlier since his mind seemed made up). That doesn't mean it was the correct decision. Because when it's partly driven by emotion, it's not purely a business decision. And because football is more than a cost-benefit analysis, let alone one infected by ego.