DC Solar to expand its role with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2018

DC Solar shines its light on Chip Ganassi Racing.

After three successful seasons in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, DC Solar will move up to the Cup Series on the Nos. 1 and 42 Chevrolets in 2018.

DC Solar debuted on Larson’s car at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the Cup season finale. Larson led 145 of 267 laps before finishing third—his 12th podium finish of 2017.

Larson, 25, enjoyed a breakout season in 2017 with four wins, three poles,15 top fives and 20 top 10s. He finished a career-high eighth in the standings.

Cyril Abiteboul: "Podiums in 2018, it does not make sense"

Renault's grid bottom stable in 2016 has returned to the top 10 in 2017, thanks in particular to Nico Hulkenberg, who scored 43 of 57 points scored last season. The French team, back in full F1 two seasons ago, hopes to continue its progress in 2018, but also wants to be cautious in its ambitions.

"I do not want to get on the podium next year, it does not make sense," said Cyril Abiteboul, general manager of Renault Sport F1, in an interview for Motorsport.com. We know that there are three teams that will perform well, at least. Three stables, that's six cars. On the podium, there are only three places. It is clear that getting on podiums is not reasonable. Now, we must try to get as close as possible. "

To do this, the boss of Renault relies mainly on his duo of drivers, Carlos Sainz having joined Hulkenberg at the end of last season: "It is clearly a line-up with which one feels extremely well in terms of performance, potential , of energy but also of image. I think they represent something, they have a mouth, they have charisma. They represent this stable, they are the ones we want to put in the foreground and it is they who will continue to shoot us, with the energy of the youngest, with the experience of the oldest.

Sébastien Loeb has already lost more than 5 minutes in the first stage

Sébastien Loeb had problems with the brakes during the first stage of the Dakar on Saturday, and lost more than 5 minutes on the leader.

Ebastien Loeb (Peugeot) took Saturday 29th place in the first stage of the Dakar 2018, more than five minutes of the Qatari winner Nasser Al-Attiyah, due to failing brakes. "Fortunately it was only 31 kilometers!", Commented the Alsatian driver, looking for a first coronation on the famous rally-raid for his third and final participation.

"I made it without brake! Zero brake! ", He said, not knowing" where the problem came from ", knowing that no warning was lit during the preparation. "Without brakes, it's really" shit "!"

After only three kilometers of racing, Loeb had to play with his gearbox, slow down at the top of the dunes, or even "stop", to avoid the worst. In the end, he lost 5'37 "on Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo), before the Sunday special, similar but nine times longer (267 km).

Débuts divins par la pouliche blueblood

Mark Zahra a donné un coup de pouce à Angel après que la pouliche bleue ait fait démarrer sa carrière à Geelong jeudi.

David et Ben Hayes et Tom Dabernig, deux demi-soeur du gagnant du Blue Diamond Miracles Of Life, ont remporté une victoire impressionnante au Black Stud de The Black Type 2YO Fillies Maiden (1118m).

La fille de Fastnet Rock a pu être sollicitée très tôt par le jockey Zahra et s'est retrouvée au début de la ligne droite avant de se contenter de dégager une victoire de 1.75-lenngth en 1: 06.3.

"C'était un bon effort parce que je devais la mettre hors de sa zone de confort pour être assise en deuxième position", a déclaré Zahra.

"Si je revenais, j'allais être large, donc j'étais un peu en avance mais j'ai réussi à revenir tout de suite sur elle pour la remettre en rythme.

"Etre hors de sa zone de confort et ensuite donner un coup de pied aussi bien qu'elle a fait au sommet de la ligne droite était bon.

The writing was on the wall for Faugheen a long way from home

Mick Jazz was a shock winner of the Ryanair Hurdle as favourite Faugheen suffered just the second defeat of his career after being pulled up at Leopardstown.

Having looked as good as ever when making a successful return from a near two-year absence in last month's Morgiana Hurdle, the 2015 Champion Hurdle hero was unsurprisingly a warm order to stretch his Grade One tally to nine as the 2-11 favourite.

The Willie Mullins-trained superstar soon adopted his customary pacesetting role, but it was clear heading out onto the second circuit it might not be as straightforward as many expected, with his stablemate Cilaos Emery taking over the lead.

The nine-year-old dropped to the rear of the five-runner field on the run to the second-last flight and Paul Townend swiftly took him out of the race.

His shock exit left Cilaos Emery in front ahead of the Gordon Elliott-trained Mick Jazz (14-1) and it was the latter who found most from the final flight to claim a surprise victory under Davy Russell.

Russell said: "I was expecting a big run from Mick Jazz because he ran such a lovely race in Fairyhouse (fifth in Hatton's Grace Hurdle) when he didn't stay after I travelled well into the straight.

"I couldn't believe Paul (Townend) just wasn't travelling with the same zest down the back and then this lad jumped on the bridle.

"He had to be tough to pass Cilaos Emery but, to be fair, he landed at the back of the last and he just wanted it a bit more.

"He's a tough horse."

Elliott said: "Obviously Faugheen looked to be a certainty, but there is no such thing as a certainty in horseracing. I just hope he's OK.

"It was Mick Jazz's day. We went to Cheltenham last year and George Mahoney, who owns a half share with me, flew over from America with all his family for the County Hurdle and he was lame on the morning of the race.

"Today was his day in the sun. The plan was to go to America next year for all those jump races, but we'll enjoy today and see what happens.

"He'll have to have an entry now in the Champion Hurdle because you never know, but we'll enjoy today first."

He added: "There was no race to run him in, this was the only race we could really run in and we were running for prize-money.

"It just goes to show if you're not in these races, you can't win them. Today was our day and we're delighted. He's not a bad horse.

"I was sneaking away thinking we'd be second. Then we see Faugheen coming out and I had three in it, but Willie still had one in front of me!

Ferrari's landmark F1 cars: The 156 'sharknose'

The Ferrari 156 'sharknose' was the first Ferrari Formula 1 car to win the constructors' championship.

It also carried Phil Hill to the 1961 title after the death of team-mate Wolfgang von Trips in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Grudgingly and without great joy, Enzo Ferrari, who believed the horse should pull the cart, not push it, embraced the notion of rear drive after a season of being given the runaround by the nimble little British chassis he had dismissed as the products of garagistes.

Politologue wins at Kempton

Politologue claimed his third big-race victory of the season with a wide-margin success in the Unibet Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton.

The Paul Nicholls-trained grey was a prohibitively priced 8-15 favourite to add to his triumphs in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter and the Tingle Creek at Sandown and Sam Twiston-Davies was happy to sit in the slipstream of reigning Champion Chase hero Special Tiara for much of the two-mile contest.

Whiskey Sour handed lucky victory at Leopardstown

Whiskey Sour ridden by David Mullins goes on to win the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle

Whiskey Sour won an incredible renewal of the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.