I Dig Sports
Who is Lin Yun-Ju?
Flying the flag for Chinese Taipei, at just 17 years of age Lin has already established himself as one of the sport’s biggest names in his relatively short career to date and the rapid rate of his development suggests there’s plenty more to get excited about in the years to come.
Since January 2018 Lin’s rise up the world rankings ladder has been nothing short of spectacular, moving up 118 positions to no.16 as of July 2019!
A left-handed shakehand grip player Lin possesses an explosive forehand attack and lightning quick footwork – he always appears to be in the right place at the right time, making the opponent’s job that little bit tougher.
For years much of the attention to come out of Chinese Taipei on the men’s side has been centred around former ITTF World Tour Grand Finals champion Chuang Chih-Yuan. However, with Chaung entering the twilight years of his playing career at 38, understandably there is hope from the national setup that a natural long-term successor has found in Lin.
What’s got everyone talking?
2019 has been a breakout year for Lin on the world stage with many of his headline-grabbing performances coming on this year’s ITTF World Tour.
At the 2019 Qatar Open in Doha, Lin successfully accounted for Hong Kong penholder Wong Chun Ting and former World no.1 Dimitrij Ovtcharov on his way to a marvellous top eight finish. More recently at the 2019 Japan Open Lin pulled off a breathtaking comeback victory over China’s Lin Gaoyuan prior to beating another top 10 player in Brazil’s Hugo Calderano – Lin went on to secure a silver medal in Sapporo.
Aside from the ITTF World Tour, Lin also impressed at the 2019 Asian Cup in Yokohama where he achieved a respectable fifth position finish while the first men’s singles gold medal of his career came at the 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus Oman Open in Muscat.
However, the standout moment of Lin’s journey so far came only a few days back at T2 Diamond Malaysia in Johor Bahru where he defied all the odds to lift the men’s singles trophy.
Opening his account with a sensational 4-0 victory over Rio 2016 medallist Jun Mizutani, Lin went on to claim an even bigger upset in the quarterfinals, seeing off three-time World champion Ma Long in a thrilling six games affair. The run of big-name scalps didn’t stop there as Lin completely blew Wong Chun Ting away in the penultimate round of play before crowning his magnificent campaign with an electric performance in the final, prevailing 4-1 against former World no.1 Fan Zhendong to leave the crowd, and viewers across the globe, in a state of shock.
Is he the real deal?
Following his unbelievable display at T2 Diamond Malaysia, many are now beginning to ask questions: How high can this teenage star go? Can he mix it with the big boys on the biggest of stages?
Lin has already proved that he can topple the Giants of the men’s game, including the elite names from China and will very much be on Team China’s radar as a potential threat leading up to next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Impressively Lin also appears to be unfazed by the pressure of the spotlight, a point well illustrated with his victory over Fan Zhendong in Johor Bahru. Finishing off Fan in convincing fashion, there was no roar, no tears, no over-the-top celebration from Lin. He instead carried an air of calm throughout – it was almost as if he was expecting the result, as if he knew it was his destiny!
Over the past few years many have rightly so praised young Japanese superstar Tomokazu Harimoto, 16, for his incredible development over a short period of time, growing into one of the strongest forces in the game. But, now there’s a new face on the block in the form of Lin Yun-Ju and the question is whether this young man from Chinese Taipei can continue to cause a stir at the top for years to come? If so, then who knows how far he can go!
Welcome back, Gu Ruochen tested but successful
In her one and only encounter on the opening day of play, in the group stage of the women’s singles event, the 25 year old secured a hard fought confidence boosting win. She accounted for the host nation’s Kim Mi Ra (11-5, 9-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6).
Guo Ruochen was a junior girls’ singles semi-finalist at the World Junior Championships in 2011 in Manama and the following year in Hyderabad; notably in those years also emerging successful in Hong Kong on the ITTF World Junior Circuit. Later in 2015 she was a semi-finalist on the ITTF World Tour in Germany, in May of that year she reached no.45 on the women’s world rankings but since the Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour Austrian Open has not been present on the international scene.
A first match back; it was no easy task for Guo Ruochen in Pyongyang.
Otherwise, in the women’s singles event, it was a series of domestic battles; a situation that was prevalent in the counterpart men’s singles competition but when faced with adversaries from Chinese Taipei, the technical quality and depth of the host nation’s talent was underlined. Kim Song Il beat Huang Yan-Cheng (12-10, 11-4, 11-8), U Tae Ryong accounted for Huang Yu-Jen (11-5, 11-2, 11-7); Ryu Kuk Bin ended the hopes of Peng Chih (7-11, 11-9, 11-8, 12-10).
Play in the qualification tournament concludes on Thursday 25th July.
The world’s top table tennis players will grace the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, when the competition begins 25 July and concludes on 7 August. Keeping that in mind, we have started our preparations to make sure you know exactly who to follow.
Will defending Champions China do it again?
Since table tennis was first introduced in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, China has won 28 out of 32 possible gold medals.
The defending champions from Rio 2016, Ma Long and Ding Ning, will have their sights set on a repeat performance in Tokyo. Both veterans of the sport have been in glorious form of late, if not entirely able to convert said glory in every tournament.
Ding Ning has been the prime example, with her impressive showings over the past month resulting in two silvers (Korea and Australian Open) and a bronze (T2 Diamond), but no gold across the World Tour and T2 Diamond competitions. Similarly for Ma, having started with two huge wins at the Doha and China Opens he has slightly faded away over recent weeks.
Other expected Chinese elite are Xu Xin and Fan Zhendong, both of whom have had very contrasting starts to 2019. While Xu has been winning tournaments left, right and centre, the former World #1 has hit a downward spiral since the start of the year. Unable to crack the final hurdle at the World Tour events, Fan’s fans are hopeful for a quick turnaround in his fortunes.
For the women’s single’s hopefuls, 2019 world champion Liu Shiwen and current World #1 Chen Meng are both looking highly pumped up for the Olympic Games. Having had the taste of an Olympic Games gold in 2016 with her Chinese national team, Liu is sure to be in the mood for another crack at the singles. Similarly, given the form Chen is in, it will take no more than a minor miracle for her to miss out on a ticket to Tokyo.
Can hosts Japan make home advantage count?
Hosts next year, Japan already have a slight upper hand with six automatically qualified athletes-three men and women, with one athlete each competing in the singles and newly-introduced mixed doubles event. If the 2014 Tokyo World Championships are any evidence, their home advantage may make them the toughest side to beat!
The local fans truly lifted the Japanese women’s team to the silver medal in 2014, following on from the example they set in 1983 at the same venue when they brought home another silver. Their youthful brigade of Tomokazu Harimoto (16) and Mima Ito (18) will be hoping for such a support again as they are expected to qualify and carry on their in-form performances of 2019. After taking the silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games, Harimoto made his ambitions very clear:
“I will do my best to become world number one, world champion, and Olympic champion. I hope table tennis fans support me on my path towards these aims.”
With him quickly being called the “Mozart” of Japanese table tennis, Harimoto may well be carrying the hopes of an entire nation.
Europe’s finest: dark horses or serious challengers?
In the time of legends like Timo Boll from Germany, one would find it rather surprising that the only ever European gold medalist has been Sweden’s Jan-Ove Waldner who took the men’s singles title in 1992 Olympic Games.
Timo himself claimed he wished to make a final effort for the gold at Tokyo, immediately after winning the European Games:
“I don’t feel like the favourite, everybody is very motivated to qualify for the Olympic Games and everyone will be well-prepared. The levels of the players are becoming more equal or closer together, there won’t be easy games from the first round on.”
Fighting hard to join Boll in Tokyo is Patrick Franziska who has outperformed fellow German and former world no.1 Dimitrij Ovtcharov in recent ITTF World Tour events. On current evidence, the battle to join Boll in the singles competition will be hard-fought. Finally, it would be prudent to mention Swedish sensation Mattias Falck who has repeatedly shown his class across the 2019 ITTF World Tour, and is expected to keep the European flag flying high.
Amongst the European women, the entry of a 55-year old China-born Luxembourgian qualifying for Tokyo 2020 has come out as a surprise. Ni Xialian defied odds by winning bronze at the European Games in Minsk, booking her 5th ever ticket to the Olympic Games.
With such a compelling lineup, the question remains if Europe’s finest can bring an end to Asia’s Olympic domination in the sport when 2020 comes.
Experimenting partners: Mixed Doubles’ pairings unpredictable
For the first time at the Olympic Games, a mixed doubles event will be contested in table tennis, adding another opportunity to claim glory. In anticipation, athletes have been experimenting with different partners over the course of this year. In the CTTA president Liu Guoliang’s own words,
“The significance of mixed doubles is increasing in terms of the Olympics preparation. We have dispatched our best mixed doubles combination for the table tennis world here”.
Following their leader, Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen have been at it since the start of 2019, winning the 2019 Korea Open with style. For the hosts, Maharu Yoshimura and Kasumi Ishikawa will want to exact a bit of revenge on home soil against the aforementioned Chinese pairing after losing the 2019 World Championship to them.
Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem and Wong Chun Ting are hot on the trails of getting the spots for Tokyo 2020, after two consecutive wins in Korea and Australian Opens in the past month. Patrick Franziska & Petrissa Solja remain the only pair to have successfully qualified for Tokyo. The German duo secured a mixed doubles gold at the 2019 European Games, and are the best hope for a medal their continent has. South Korean hopefuls Jeon Jihee & Lee Sangsu will have to reignite their 2018 form when they won the Open Down Under if they want to make the Olympic Games.
Asian and European teams to clash again
Finally, for the team events only Germany and hosts Japan have currently secured a place at the Olympic Games. With qualifying very much on right now in Asia, it will be a very close battle for the remaining spots. China are the expected team to qualify next, having won both men and women’s team events in Rio.
Certain dark horses are visible in India, Hong Kong and Korea Republic-with India recently winning three golds at the Commonwealth Championships in Cuttack. There are encouraging signs that all of these national teams could well challenge the status quo of the top three in table tennis.
This is a testament to the extremely competitive level in Asia with every athlete – no matter their ranking – stretching every sinew in their body for a chance to play at the world’s greatest showcase for table tennis.
It may be an entire year until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, but you can stay up to date on all the action and potential permutations ahead of the event from the world of table tennis right here at ITTF & itTV!
Competing in class 4, Guo Xingguan experienced a quarter-final exit; he was beaten by colleague Shi Yanping, (11-3, 11-4, 11-9). At the semi-final stage Shi Yanping meets Thailand’s Wanchai Chaiwut; Korea Republic’s Kim Younggun opposes China’s Zhang Yan.
Somewhat differently, in class 1, Joo Youngdae, is through to the final where he plays colleague Kim Hyeonuk; similarly in class 3 Feng Panfeng opposes compatriot, Zhai Xiang in the title decider.
Two steps more
Finalists known, for Cao Ningning there are still two further steps to negotiate; in the penultimate round, he meets Indonesia’s Tatok Hardiyanto. In the opposite half of the draw, Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Ming-Chih confronts China’s Liu Fu.
It is a similar situation for Rungroj Thainiyom and for Yan Shuo. In class 6 at the semi-final stage Rungroj Thainiyom meets China’s Chen Chao, DPR Korea’s Jon Ju Hyon opposes Huang Jiaxin, also from China. In class 7 Yan Shuo faces Thailand’s Charlermpong Punpoo, colleague Liao Keli opposes Japan’s Katsuyoshi Yagi.
Top seeds
Prominent names on course, it is the same in class 8, China’s Zhao Shuai is through to the semi-final stage as is Japan’s Koyo Iwabuchi in class 9, Indonesia’s David Jacobs in class 10 and Korea Republic’s Kim Gitae in class 11. All occupy the top seeded places.
Progress as anticipated but on the second day of play there was one major casualty in the men’s singles events. In class 2, Korea Republic’s Cha Sooyong, the top seed, experienced a semi-final defeat at the hands of compatriot, Kang Changyoung (9-11, 11-9, 4-11, 13-11, 11-9); at the final hurdle Kang Changyoung faces Park Jincheol also from Korea Republic.
Problems for Seo Suyeon
Meanwhile, in the women’s singles event, China’s Liu Jing, Zhang Bian, Mao Jingdian and Liu Meng, all gold medallists in Rio de Janeiro are very much in the line for a place in Tokyo, as are silver medallists Li Qian and Zhang Miao. Also, for bronze medallist, Korea Republic’s Kim Seongok, the door is wide open but not for compatriot and silver medallist Seo Suyeon.
On duty in class 1-2, the only event organised on a group principle, she was beaten by Thailand’s Chilchitarayak Bootswansirina (13-11, 12-10, 11-4). One match in the group remains; she faces Liu Jing, hitherto unbeaten and the player against who she experienced defeat in the Rio 2016 gold medal contest.
Revenge in the air, it is the same in class 3, in the title decider Li Qian meets Korea Republic’s Lee Migyu, the player against whom she experienced defeat in the group stage (11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 14-12).
Exacting contests
A testing contest a Rio medallist, it is the same for the finals in class 4 and class 5; in all Chinese affairs, in the former Zhang Miao meets Zhou Ying, in the latter Zhang Bian opposes Pan Jiamin.
Exacting times, it is no different in class 7; in the final Kim Seongok faces China’s Wang Rui. Meanwhile, in all Chinese finals, in class 8 Mao Jingdian plays Huang Wenjuan, in class 9 Xiong Guiyan faces Liu Meng. Mao Jingdian and Xiong Guiyan each occupy the top seeded position.
Defeat for top name
Progress for the top seeds, it is the same in class 6 as it is in class 11 but not in class 10. In class 6, in the final Korea Republic’s Lee Kunwoo meets Iraq’s Najlam Al-Bayyeni; in class 11, Hong Kong’s Ng Mui Wui faces Japan’s Maki Ito.
However, in class 10, there is no place in the gold medal contest for China’s Fan Lei; at the semi-final stage she was beaten by Chinese Taipei’s Tian Shiau-Wen, in the gold medal contest Tian Shiau-Wen meets China’s Zhao Xiaojing, the no.2 seed.
The individual events in Taichung conclude on Thursday 25th July.
2019 ITTF Asia Para Championships: Entry List
2019 ITTF Asia Para Championships: Draws and Latest Results
Top two Ali Farag and Mohamed ElShorbagy in line for Shanghai showdown
Ali Farag (left) and Mohamed ElShorbagy in action during the Allam British Open
Egyptian superstars to continue rivalry in new season opener
By SEAN REUTHE
Top Egyptian duo Ali Farag and Mohamed ElShorbagy – the men’s World No.1 and No.2, respectively – are seeded to meet in the final of the J.P. Morgan China Squash Open after the draws for the PSA World Tour Gold event held in Shanghai were released today.
The China Open is the first PSA World Tour event of the 2019-20 season and will take place from September 4-8, with action from the second round onwards taking place in a glass show court atop The Peninsula Shanghai, overlooking the famous Shanghai Bund.
Farag and ElShorbagy are expected to contest the title decider in what will be their 17th meeting on the PSA World Tour. The pair won 10 titles between them and six of the seven PSA Platinum titles on offer during the 2018-19 campaign.
Harvard graduate Farag had the upper hand in their head-to-head record last season, winning three matches to ElShorbagy’s two. He is seeded to play ElShorbagy’s younger brother, Marwan, in the quarter-finals, and is drawn on the same side of the draw as Indian No.1 Saurav Ghosal.
Meanwhile, ElShorbagy is predicted to line up against defending champion Mohamed Abouelghar in the semi-finals, 12 months after Abouelghar defeated New Zealand’s Paul Coll to lift his biggest PSA title to date.
Reigning champion Raneem El Welily heads up the women’s draw and she is seeded to face World No.4 Nouran Gohar in the final.
El Welily beat France’s Camille Serme in last year’s title decider, and will look to avenge a quarter-final defeat to Gohar in May’s British Open.
El Welily, the current World No.1, enjoyed the most successful season of her career in 2018/19, and after closing out the season with victory at the PSA World Tour Finals, will look to kickstart the new campaign with silverware in Shanghai. She is predicted to meet New Zealand’s World No.6 Joelle King in the semis.
Gohar, meanwhile, has reached the final of the China Open three times before and will look to finally get her hands on the trophy. She is seeded to face England’s Victoria Lust and World No.5 Nour El Tayeb en route to the final.
Local player Li Dongjin is set to face Egyptian teenager Hania El Hammamy in round one, while men’s wildcard Zhitao Zhou will also take on an up-and-coming Egyptian youngster in Mostafa Asal.
A total of $224,000 worth of prize money is on offer in Shanghai, where matches will be split between The Peninsula Shanghai and the SECA Academy Jinqiao.
The Shanghai venue overlooking the river
J.P. Morgan China Squash Open .
Men’s Draw:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) [bye]
Ivan Yuen (MAS) v [9/16] Youssef Soliman (EGY)
[9/16] Mostafa Asal (EGY) v [WC] Zhitao Zhou (CHN)
[5] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) [bye]
[8] Adrian Waller (ENG) [bye]
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v [9/16] Mazen Hesham (EGY)
[9/16] Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) v Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT)
[4] Saurav Ghosal (IND) [bye]
[3] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) [bye]
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) v [9/16] Greg Lobban (SCO)
[9/16] Tom Richards (ENG) v Alan Clyne (SCO)
[6] Omar Mosaad (EGY) [bye]
[7] Cesar Salazar (MEX) [bye]
Todd Harrity (USA) v [9/16] Leo Au (HKG)
[9/16] Lucas Serme (FRA) v Karim Ali Fathi (EGY)
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) [bye]
Women’s Draw:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) [bye]
Milou van der Heijden (NED) v [9/16] Low Wee Wern (MAS)
[9/16] Donna Lobban (AUS) v Nada Abbas (EGY)
[8] Salma Hany (EGY) [bye]
[5] Annie Au (HKG) [bye]
[WC] Li Dongjin (CHN) v [9/16] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
[9/16] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) v Hollie Naughton (CAN)
[4] Joelle King (NZL) [bye]
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) [bye]
Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) v [9/16] Rachael Grinham (AUS)
[9/16] Nadine Shahin (EGY) v Haley Mendez (USA)
[6] Alison Waters (ENG) [bye]
[7] Victoria Lust (ENG) [bye]
Julianne Courtice (ENG) v [9/16] Yathreb Adel (EGY)
[9/16] Joey Chan (HKG) v Danielle Letourneau (CAN)
[2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) [bye]
Report by SEAN REUTHE (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.
Pictures courtesy of PSA
Steve Mafi: London Irish sign experienced Tonga forward
Former Leicester second row Steve Mafi is to join London Irish.
The Tonga international, who played at the 2015 World Cup, will join early in the new season, having most recently been with French side Castres.
The Australian-born forward has also played for Western Force in Super Rugby and made more than 80 appearances for Leicester between 2010 and 2014.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for me to return to England and test myself in the Premiership," Mafi said.
He is the ninth international to join Irish this summer following the club's promotion back to the top flight after one season in the Championship.
Paddy Jackson, Sean O'Brien, Nick Phipps and Waisake Naholo are among the other newcomers.
"We know how demanding and challenging the Gallagher Premiership is, so it is important that we assemble a squad to meet the demands," Exiles director of rugby Declan Kidney told the club website.
"Steve has a wealth of experience and the ability to cover several positions in the second and back row."
CONCORD, N.C. – Roush Fenway Racing has inked a three-year partnership with Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection specializing in the development of on-premises and cloud-based backup, disaster recovery, secure file sync and share, and data access solutions.
The multi-year relationship will serve as both a marketing platform and technology partnership, with Roush Fenway utilizing the Acronis’ tools to enhance its racing operations.
The Acronis brand will make its on-track debut at Watkins Glen in August, serving as the primary partner for the Ford Mustangs of both Ryan Newman and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at the famed road course event in upstate New York.
Acronis will also serve as the primary partner on Newman’s No. 6 Ford at the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway night race on Aug. 17 and at Dover Int’l Speedway on Oct. 6.
“It’s great to bring Acronis on board and we are looking forward to having them on both of our cars at Watkins Glen,” said Newman. “They are the standard in cyber protection and we are looking forward to working with them both as a marketing and technology partner.”
In addition, the partnership will help expand Roush Fenway’s technological capabilities with advanced cloud backup and disaster recovery services, cutting-edge file sharing, and robust computer power simulations.
Acronis designs its solutions to address the Five Vectors of Cyber Protection — ensuring the safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security of data (SAPAS). This unique approach allows Acronis to deliver easy, efficient, and secure cyber protection.
As a result, the company is now the technology partner of choice in several motorsports, including Formula 1, Formula E, and NASCAR.
These same solutions will help Roush Fenway Racing ensure the security and safety of the team’s systems, applications, and data – both at the track and at the race shop. At the same time, Acronis will be showcasing its capabilities to help grow its business worldwide.
“Acronis technology meets the efficiency and reliability requirements demanded by motorsport teams that compete at the highest level. Through this partnership, Acronis will enable Roush Fenway Racing to focus on developing their car and achieving results on the racetrack without having to worry about the safety of their data. We are looking forward to a long successful partnership together,” said Dan Havens, Acronis Growth Officer.
“We are very pleased to announce our partnership with Acronis,” added Roush Fenway President Steve Newmark. “Acronis is a world leader in the fields of cyber protection and disaster recovery, and we are excited about the capabilities that the partnership brings to Roush Fenway.”
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Too much of a good thing is, well, not a good thing.
Currently there are 21 races on the Formula One calendar and team personnel are stretched to their absolute limit and spending too much time away from their homes and families.
Now, Formula One’s commercial owner, Liberty Media, has gone on record as saying that the goal is to have 25 races in a season.
Right now, it’s not too bad for some of the European rounds — there are 10 — because some of the crew members can fly out early Thursday morning and return home Sunday night or Monday morning.
However, six of those races are paired in three groups of back-to-back events. In these cases, many of the crew members travel straight from one country to another, so that means 11 days away from home.
For the “flyaways,” which are the 11 races outside of Europe, the crews usually leave on Monday and return the following Monday. But there are two back-to-backs on the schedule, which means about 15 days away for each of those.
The crew members, of course, fly in cramped economy class. It’s only senior team personnel and the drivers who travel in business or first class. And drivers such as Lewis Hamilton have private jets.
Vietnam joins the calendar next year and Formula One’s CEO Chase Carey is keen to add races in the U.S. and Africa in the future.
A big chunk of F-1’s commercial income comes from promoters paying the fees — up to $50 million annually — to host a grand prix. More races equal more money for both the teams and Liberty. But what about the strain on the crew members and their families?
“I don’t care about the families,” said Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost. “We can have 26 races. If we get the money for all the races, that’s important. Then I don’t have a problem.”
However, more races come at a human cost because it means more time away from home and families for traveling team personnel. The big teams can afford to hire extra people to rotate the staff that goes to races, but the smaller teams can’t.
“I care about the families,” Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said. “Because then the people working are happy.”
There is also a point of saturation and too much of a good thing. Will F-1 continue to be special if there are so many races?
“Do you limit the races to 18 and charge more for them because there is more demand?” asked Racing Point’s team principal Otmar Szafnauer. “But then you have to know how much more demand and how much more you can charge if 18 is more exclusive than 25. With TV as well, you might get a bit more money if you can show it 25 times a year than 18. I remember when we did 16 races — it was a bit more exclusive then.”
Liberty’s plan is to initially compress the weekend by moving some of the media commitments plus the car tech inspection from Thursday to Friday. In the longer term, there could be two-day race weekends.
The theory is that by freeing up an extra day per weekend — say over 25 races — it creates 25 days at home for team staff. But it doesn’t really work out that way for races outside of Europe and any back-to-back pairings.
From the promoters’ point of view, two-day weekends may work at venues like Bahrain and Azerbaijan, where there is minimal spectator turnout. But many tracks depend on and need the extra income that Friday on-track action provides for them.
The fan turnout on a Friday at a venue like Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is massive.
Tracks like Montreal, the Hungaroring and Spa also draw a large number of fans for a pit walk on Thursday. And those fans are paying customers at the concession and souvenir stands, as well.
In short, a shorter race weekend will mean the promoters will lose money, while at the same time not really reducing the human cost to the teams.
There can be too much of good thing.
CONCORD, N.C. — Brad Sweet banked $175,000 for winning the Kings Royal sprint car race at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway and strengthened his position atop the National Sprint Car Rankings.
With two victories during a four-race week, Sweet’s average finish dropped to 4.977 in 43 starts this season. Sweet has 12 victories.
Donny Schatz, who also won twice at Eldora over the weekend, ranks second with an average finish of 5.256.
Lance Dewease ran his 20th race and enters the rankings for the first time in third spot with an average finish of 5.35.
Logan Wagner also made his 20th start and ranks fourth with a 5.7 average finish.
Danny Dietrich, who picked up his 12th win of the season in the Mitch Smith Memorial at Pennsylvania’s Williams Grove Speedway, ranks fifth with an average finish of 6.256. Dietrich is the first driver to make 50 starts and can begin dropping his worst finishes.
Dietrich leads the Eastern region on the strength of 12 victories, while other regional leaders are Buddy Kofoid (Great Lakes), Nick Omdahl (Great Plains), Dominic Scelzi (West), Jacob Patton (Mid-America) and Jack Sodeman Jr. (Ohio-PA).
Ninety-two drivers have combined to win 209 features run through July 21.
ROCK HILL, S.C. – North Carolina dirt-track racer Colt Gilliam, 29, has landed a ride for the upcoming NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Dirt Derby at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway.
Gilliam, who competes regularly in the Super Street division at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C., will pilot the No. 8 Chevrolet Silverado for NEMCO Motorsports during the seventh edition of the Gander Trucks’ annual excursion onto the half-mile Ohio dirt track.
The Aug. 1 event will mark Gilliam’s first foray into one of NASCAR’s three national touring series.
“The past few days have been crazy,” said Gilliam. “There have been a lot of restless nights just thinking about what we’re going to get to do next week. I still get butterflies jumping into a street stock or anything else, so I can’t imagine what it will be like when we get ready to go truck racing next week.
“I’m excited. There’s been a lot going on as we prepare to do this, but it’ll all sink in pretty quickly when we get to the race track and get going next Wednesday.”
It’s the realization of a racing dream for Gilliam, who has pictured having a career-defining moment such as the opportunity he’s being afforded by team owner Joe Nemechek for as long as he’s been racing.
“Not only am I getting to drive a truck, but I’m getting to drive at Eldora Speedway,” Gilliam noted. “That’s insane for me to think about. Really, it’s letting me kill two birds with one stone. It’s incredible and I’m thankful for the opportunity from everyone at NEMCO who’s allowing me to go and do this.”
Gilliam explained that his connection with the NEMCO team came about in part due to a family connection that led to a phone call about the ride, when Nemechek’s son John Hunter became unable to compete in the Eldora event due to other obligations with GMS Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
“My stepdad had some involvement in NASCAR in the past, and he was over at PME getting some engines done and decided he’d go over and talk to Joe a little bit,” recalled Gilliam. “Joe’s son, John Hunter, was going to run the truck … but ended up with another obligation he has to do before he goes to Watkins Glen (Int’l), and he called me up because they had a tire sponsor already in place and asked if I wanted to come and drive it.
“When I got that phone call, it was an out-of-this-world, completely out-of-the-blue moment,” he added. “It was just a case of everything lining up at the perfect time.”
While Gilliam is setting modest goals for his NASCAR debut, his team is behind him to the fullest extent, and the South Carolina driver noted that they believe he can surprise some people next week.
“Joe has helped me a lot in getting ready,” he added. “He was the first one to jump in and tell me what to expect and helped me get comfortable in the seat. It has been a process to get to this point, but we feel ready and we’re going in hoping for some magic.
“I told Joe that I just wanted to make the show, and he told me, ‘You won’t have any problem doing that; we’re going there to win the race.’ We’ll just see what happens.”
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
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