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PHOTOS: Lucas Late Models At 300 Raceway

Published in Racing
Sunday, 19 May 2019 12:00

Parente & Soucek Star In Canada

Published in Racing
Sunday, 19 May 2019 13:02

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario – K-PAX Racing teammates Alvaro Parente and Andy Soucek piloted their Bentley Continental GT3 to victory in Sunday’s Blancpain GT World Challenge event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Canadians Martin Barkey and Kyle Marcelli won in the Pro/AM class.

The 90-minute, 68-lap race was held under sunny conditions. Pro division pole sitter Parente from Portugal, in the No. 9 Bentley Continental GT3 led the pack to the line and the green flag ahead of second-on-the-grid Finland’s Toni Vilander, co-winner of Saturday’s race in the No. 61 Canadian team R. Ferri Motorsport Ferrari 488 GT3.

In the Pro/Am division, pole sitter Norwegian Dennis Olsen, piloting the No. 91 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, slotted into third overall with Scottish driver Ryan Dalziel slotted into fifth overall and second in class. The Japanese team of Naoto Takeda and Takuya Shirasaka led the Am/Am division.

At the end of the first lap Parente held a .572-second lead over Vilander, with Olsen in third, Belgium’s Maxime Soulet in the second K-PAX Racing Bentley Continental GT3 in fourth and Dalziel in fifth.

The leaders held their positions through lap 20 with Parente building his lead to over a second. In the Pro/Am division Marcelli in the #80 Racers Edge Acura NSX entry began to close on Dalziel for second in class running sixth overall. By lap 26 Parente and Vilander had gapped the rest of the field by more than three seconds.

The pit window opened on lap 30. The first to enter the pits was Soulet who changed over to Brazilian teammate Rodrigo Baptista. By lap 33 with the pit window still open, Vilander closed to .600 of a second on leader Parente. Two-laps later the lead was down to .461 of a second. On lap 34 Dalziel passed the car over to teammate American David Askew.

The leaders came in on lap 36, with Parente changing out for teammate Soucek, and Vilander changing out for Molina from Spain.  Soucek was able to leave the pits just ahead of Molina.

When the pit window closed on lap 38, Soucek had the No. 9 Bentley out front with Molina in the #61 Ferrari in pursuit. Baptista remained in third, while Olsen’s teammate Anthony Imperato  maintained the lead of the Pro/Am division.

By lap 47, Soucek pushed his lead over Molina to 7.5 seconds, with Baptista in third and Pro/Am leader Imperato in fourth overall.

On lap 50, Imperato entered the pit for a mechanical issue putting Barkey into the Pro/Am lead, seventh overall in the race. Imperato exited the pits back in 10th overall and third in class.

At the checkered, Soucek crossed the line first to claim the second race win of the season for the team. Molina and Baptista finished second and third, respectively. In Pro/Am Barkey crossed the line eighth overall and first in Pro/Am.

“Looking at the results from the weekend, second yesterday, first today we are really happy with that and got great points,” said Parente. “Andy’s qualifying session makes it look even better because unfortunately it happened but if it hadn’t happened, maybe we would’ve put it on pole for both races. Really good race weekend with good points, we both drove well, and the team did perfect.”

“Perfect race today. Good start from the beginning, a lot of pressure from Toni (Vilander),” said Soucek. “I think they started on new tires, we started on used which was the difference for the opening laps, but Alvaro held Toni behind which was key for the pit. We know K-PAX does a very good job on the pit stops, we also did a good job on the driver change so we were spot on, I think. I could push on the first few laps to make a bit of a gap on the new tires from Miguel (Molina) and after that I was just talking to the team instead of looking back to know the gap to the guys behind. Clean race, all perfect. The car felt really good and I want to thank K-PAX for another great car because every time we come to the U.S., the car is just phenomenal, and Alvaro did a mega job yesterday in qualifying. We are a good driver pairing, I just hope we can keep winning the races and be on the podium to get the points and be right up there at the end of the championship.”

Smith Claims Rain Shortened Toledo ARCA Event

Published in Racing
Sunday, 19 May 2019 13:26

TOLEDO, Ohio – Chandler Smith won the rain shortened ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 presented by Federated Car Care Sunday at Toledo Speedway, leading 140 of the race’s 152 laps.

Rain threatened throughout the day, but the race started on time. Smith started second, alongside Venturini Motorsports teammate Michael Self, who earned the General Tire Pole Award in qualifying on Saturday.

Self would lead the first ten laps but faced pressure from Smith the entire time. Eventually, Smith would dip to the inside and work his way by and drove off to a full straightaway advantage over the battle for second.

Smith could see the rain was coming as the race ran to its ultimate conclusion, and even hoped it would come sooner than later.

“Whenever you’re the leader and you can see rain coming and the race is past halfway you want it to hurry up and get there,” Smith said. “I knew as soon as it started raining it wasn’t going to stop so we needed to get out front and stay out front. That’s what we did. These Venturini Motorsports guys do a great job giving me racecars that can dominate these races. I drive them the same way I drive my late model cars and that’s where we were able to beat them all today. We had more drive off the corners and that’s what it took.”

Ty Gibbs finished second, his third runner-up finish in four career ARCA Menards Series races.

“I don’t know what the record is for most second-place finishes before someone gets their first win,” Gibbs asked, “but I think we’re in the hunt for it. We’re getting a little tired of finishing second at this point. We just ran out of time before the rain came. I think we needed another ten laps and we could have had something for them at the end.”

Christian Eckes finished third, Self was fourth, and Sam Mayer was fifth.

The race was slowed a total of four times by caution flags, two for incidents and two for rain, one of which ultimately ended the race. The first incident happened on lap 30 involving Joe Graf Jr. and Hailie Deegan, both of whom made contact with the foam blocks lining the outside wall in turn three. Graf would finish 17th and Deegan would finish 18th, and last, in her series debut.

The second incident of the day involved the championship leader going into the race Travis Braden, who hit the blocks in turn one on lap 79. Braden would finish 13th, falling back to second in the standings, 25 points behind Self.

The finish:

Chandler Smith, Ty Gibbs, Christian Eckes, Michael Self, Sam Mayer, Carson Hocevar, Bret Holmes, Tanner Gray, Tommy Vigh Jr., Corey Heim, Tim Richmond, Alex Clubb, Travis Braden, Rick Clifton, Dick Doheny, Mike Basham, Joe Graf Jr., Hailie Deegan.

U.S. tops Germany to clinch spot in quarters

Published in Hockey
Sunday, 19 May 2019 11:26

KOSICE, Slovakia -- Dylan Larkin scored a tiebreaking goal midway through the third period and the United States went on to beat Germany 3-1 Sunday at the world championships.

The win clinches a spot for the Americans in the quarterfinals ahead of a matchup with red-hot Canada on Tuesday in their final preliminary-round game.

Jack Eichel put the Americans ahead by two goals late in the third and Cory Schneider was strong in net, helping them win a fifth straight game in Group A since opening the tournament with a 4-1 loss to the host Slovaks.

Frederik Tiffels put the Germans ahead 1-0 midway through the first period and James van Riemsdyk pulled the Americans into a tie less than two minutes later.

Michael Frolik scored to help the Czech Republic beat winless Austria 8-0 in Bratislava in Group B.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Bruins' hurt captain Chara skates, no practice

Published in Hockey
Sunday, 19 May 2019 11:59

BOSTON -- Three days after he had to miss Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final because of an undisclosed injury, Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara skated before practice on Sunday.

The Bruins defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0 to complete a sweep without Chara. They advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, which won't start until May 27, to face either the San Jose Sharks or the St. Louis Blues, who are playing in the Western Conference final.

About 30 minutes before the Bruins held their first practice since winning the Eastern Conference title, Chara skated with fellow injured defenseman Steven Kampfer and Bruins skills coach Kim Brandvold. Chara did not participate in the full practice.

Center David Krejci did not practice because of a "maintenance day," but is expected to rejoin the team for its next practice.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – After another trip around the Black Course replete with plenty of thumbs up, Phil Mickelson was nothing but smiles when asked about the ambiance of this week’s PGA Championship at Bethpage. But Lefty isn’t quite ready to consider his role in the proceedings when it hosts the Ryder Cup in 2024.

Mickelson struggled over the weekend on a demanding layout, shooting consecutive rounds of 76 to finish the week at 12 over. It meant he finished his round well before tournament leader Brooks Koepka teed off in front of the raucous New York crowds.

Mickelson was vocal following the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage that the Black Course would make a great Ryder Cup venue, and he’s eager to see it play out in five years when he’ll be 54 years old. But he hasn’t yet given thought to potentially captaining the American squad that year.

“I haven’t looked that far down the road. I just know that the crowds here are going to provide such a great home course advantage, and I’m excited that the PGA of America made that decision,” Mickelson said. “I mean, you look at the way it is for a PGA Championship, and you can only imagine what it’s going to be like for a Ryder Cup.”

Mickelson played last year’s Ryder Cup as a captain’s pick, and he has played in every edition of the biennial matches dating back to 1995.

Mickelson played the final round alongside fellow Arizona State alumnus Paul Casey, who returned to the European Ryder Cup team last fall after a 10-year absence. Mickelson’s captaincy in ’24 is a popular theory given the adulation fans in this area throw his way, and it’s one that Casey could see coming to fruition.

“I think Phil has a big impact being on home soil if he were to be a captain,” Casey said. “I mean, he could play. He could be a playing captain.”

Mickelson will now turn his attention to Pebble Beach and next month’s U.S. Open as he looks to round out the final leg of the career Grand Slam, but the prospect of returning to Long Island to battle in match-play format in front of partisan crowds is one he’s clearly looking forward to.

“I can’t wait to see it,” Mickelson said. “Whether I’m watching it, a part of it or whatever. I just think it’s such a great venue. I love coming out here and being a part of these events because the people here make them so special.”

Playing in the final pairing Sunday at the PGA Championship, Harold Varner III birdied the first hole, while leader Brooks Koepka made bogey, and immediately Varner's deficit was a more manageable five strokes.

Two holes later, however, Varner missed his tee shot on the par-3 third wide left and made double bogey from the nasty Bethpage Black rough. It didn't get any better at the par-5 fourth, where his tee shot again sailed left. And, unfortunately for Varner, his second shot went even further left.

Varner and a small search party, including Koepka, were unable to find his ball so he had to drop in the original spot of his second shot, with penalty.

He eventually made his second consecutive double bogey and followed that with a bogey at No. 5. He went from five back to 11 back in the span of four holes.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ripped into his players after the shameful 2-0 home defeat to Cardiff City on the final day of the Premier League, telling them they were an embarrassment to Manchester United and themselves. He's right, but it'll be him that loses his job if things don't change after a wretched 2018-19 season.

Sixth place and finishing 32 points behind the champions was a disgrace for United, but the Norwegian has a very clear idea about which players he wants to stay and which are a problem. He's had six months to figure it out and has given chances to almost all of them -- though several have squandered their opportunities.

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Ed Woodward might have put the most optimistic face on it as possible in an investor call to coincide with the third-quarter financial results, but the words of the Premier League's best-paid executive will barely resonate with fans. When one of the four highlights of the third quarter reads: "Announced global partnership and licensing agreement with Maui Jim eyewear" then don't expect supporters to be in raptures.

Fans want the highlights to come on the field: Words mean nothing when they translate into a failing team. So how do United pick themselves up off the floor?

Some have said that it was a mistake to give the job to Solskjaer full-time in March -- not that it was being said in the aftermath of the win in Paris two months ago in the Champions League. United have been rotten since then, and the manager must take some of the blame, but there's significant credit left for the Norwegian and the fans are still on his side.

One major advantage of that March appointment was that it allowed Solskjaer to plan for next season. He knew that recruitment was a priority and wanted assistant Mike Phelan to be on his permanent staff, too. His employers agreed and Phelan was offered a deal last week.

All along, Solskjaer has enjoyed a good communication with the scouts and the analysts in United's much-maligned recruitment department. Some of the people employed there may not have a public profile, but they have excellent CVs and have worked at some of the best clubs in the world.

Manager, scouts and analysts have collaborated to identify the right targets in terms of talent, attitude and style of play. United maintain that there's no shortage of quality players who want to join the club, though there is concern about the "Alexis Sanchez factor" -- that Old Trafford is attractive because the pay rates are so high. Footballers often go where the money is, but there needs to be more than that if United are to bounce back.

United have a plan of which areas the team needs strengthening and the type of players the club want. And they will stick with that plan. Sources have told ESPN that Solskjaer wants the players in early but fans need a lift from at least one early signing which shows them what else could lie in store. There will disquiet if there are no signings by July and trouble on the terraces if United are 10th come November.

Avoiding the mess of last summer will help. Then, the club were surprised to be told relatively late that another central defender was needed. Players (such as £70 million-rated Harry Maguire) are hard to get from now-wealthy clubs like Leicester City at the last minute. If Solskjaer doesn't get it right, United will be slipping behind the likes of Leicester, Everton and Wolves (that's the impressive Leicester who United beat home and away last season, by the way).

United's recruitment is under close scrutiny because it hasn't convinced. For example: Midfield misfit Fred cost £52 million. It will be fairer to judge the Brazilian this coming season rather than last, but let's not pretend things went any better for him in his first season than they did for Victor Lindelof in his first term at United. The latter was much better in his second, though hardly Virgil van Dijk class, and that's another problem -- United's rivals Liverpool, City and Spurs are at or close to their peak.

play
1:34

Was Mourinho's Man United tenure actually a success?

After Man United's sixth-place finish, the FC crew question if there was some merit to Jose Mourinho calling second place 'an achievement' last campaign.

Solskjaer wants his players to be fitter, too, and there have been a couple of changes in the fitness staff in recent months.

On the end of his first batch of serious criticism, Solskjaer is not an idiot or a puppet to be dismissed because of his limited body of work at the highest level. He knows the job will eat him if he doesn't get the players performing, knows he has to be bold and to get some of the problem players out of the dressing room. He will make those decisions without hesitation.

When he came in it was all about "my team" and sharing glory with the players when United couldn't stop winning. Now he knows it's about him: He's the boss rather than part of a collective.

He also knows that the next couple of transfer windows are vital. In his very first days, United staff were struck by his attention to detail and constant questions. There's a negative lens over everything United do at the moment because the poor results have seen to that, but it was equally positive only three months ago.

Solskjaer knows his own mind. It was him -- well, him and Roy Keane -- who were most insistent to Sir Alex Ferguson that United sign Cristiano Ronaldo after that friendly against Sporting Lisbon in 2003.

That was then. Now, United are at a low ebb regardless of their impressive financial figures. This is a club whose Player of the Year, Luke Shaw, didn't even make the England squad for the UEFA Nations League finals this summer.

However, United are far from finished. This isn't Ajax, where the club are always trying to work out which players they'll lose every close season and which are talented enough to step up and replace them. United have the money to buy some of the best players in the world.

That money has not been spent well in the last six years. No club have been more profligate than United and you wonder just how much planning went into some signings, but there's a determination to get it right now -- one set against a backdrop of pessimism and fans still livid at how the season ended.

ROME -- Rafael Nadal is right back where he wants to be.

After losing in the semifinals of three straight clay-court tournaments, Nadal dominated for stretches against his longtime rival, Novak Djokovic, in a 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 win Sunday for a record-extending ninth Italian Open title.

It marked the first time in an Open era-record 54 meetings, and in their 142nd set against each other, that Nadal won a set against Djokovic without conceding a game -- otherwise known as a bagel.

The timing for Nadal's return to form could not have been more opportune, as he will seek a record-extending 12th title at the French Open starting next weekend.

"Winning a title is important, but for me the most important thing is feel myself competitive, feel myself healthy," Nadal said. "Then with the feeling that I am improving. I know if I'm able to reach my level you can win, you can lose, but normally I'm going to have my chances, especially on this surface."

Top-ranked Djokovic, meanwhile, appeared exhausted after spending more than 5½ hours on court against Juan Martin del Potro and Diego Schwartzman the previous two days.

Djokovic was also coming off the Madrid Open title last week.

"I don't want to talk about fatigue or things like that," Djokovic said. "Rafa was simply too strong today."

In the women's final earlier, Karolina Pliskova captured the biggest clay-court trophy of her career by beating Johanna Konta 6-3, 6-4.

The Foro Italico crowd continually tried to encourage Djokovic with chants of "Vai Nole!" (Go Nole!), but the top-ranked Serb struggled with his overhead and drop shots.

Midway through the second set, Nadal chased down a lob with an over-the-shoulder shot and Djokovic's ensuing overhead landed in the net to conclude a long point.

Djokovic again netted an overhead in the next game and then kicked the ball in frustration when he missed a drop shot attempt late in the second.

But Djokovic hung around in the second and converted his first set point when a looping forehand from Nadal sailed wide for his first break of the match. As he walked to his chair after winning the second set, Djokovic waved his arms to get the crowd behind him.

However, Djokovic didn't have much left in the tank.

When Nadal pushed Djokovic deep into the corner in the opening game of the third set and Djokovic's desperation lob sailed long to hand Nadal a break, Djokovic smashed his racket to the clay three times in frustration and received a warning from the chair umpire.

Djokovic won only 29 percent of the points on his second serve and committed 39 unforced errors to Nadal's 17. Also, Nadal won 23 of the 31 rallies with nine or more shots.

Zidane left Bale on bench because of attitude

Published in Breaking News
Sunday, 19 May 2019 13:48

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has said Gareth Bale's attitude "day-to-day" meant he did not get on the pitch in what could have been his final match with the club during the 2-0 defeat to Real Betis.

Los Blancos finished the campaign in disappointing fashion, but Bale was not called upon, despite being named a substitute, and he walked straight down the tunnel at full-time.

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Although Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, told ESPN FC this past week that his client was determined to see out a contract which runs until 2022, Zidane said the Wales international's daily work at training meant he did not deserve a chance to play.

"It is true, I did not [give Bale a chance to say goodbye]," Zidane said. "If I had another substitute to make, I would not have done anything different.

"But I have to look at the day-to-day, and make decisions. And when there is something I do not like, or does not fit for me, I must do what I think best. It might be difficult for the player.

"We cannot forget all he has done here, but I must live in the present, think of the future. We will see [if Bale continues]. I don't know what will happen, truthfully."

Goalkeeper Keylor Navas did get a chance to bid farewell to the Bernabeu before he likely leaves this summer, saluting all four corners of the stadium after making a string of saves to keep the score down.

"I don't know what will happen," Zidane said when asked if Navas would now leave. "I am repeating myself, sorry, but I don't know.

"Keylor played well today, the fans were happy, that's all. Next year, we will see when we come back here."

Madrid finish the season with 68 points -- their lowest total since 2001-02 -- and further behind champions Barcelona than any time in La Liga history. Their 18 defeats in all competitions was their highest total since the 1995-96 campaign.

"We must accept when things go badly," the Frenchman said. "I am responsible for this.

"We had 11 games, we won five, lost four, and in the end that is what it is. At a club like Madrid motivation is difficult when there is nothing to play for. This is not the first bad year in the history of this club.

"And after the bad, comes the good. But we must not forget this season, we must have it very present to prepare the next one."

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