Ladies Leading the Track Walk at Indy

A very important group of young ladies will be leading the track walk at this year’s NHRA Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. The group Girls Nite In will lead the track walk monday morning for the 60th running of the NHRA Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Girls Nite In was started by high school teacher, Jimmelynn Rice, after hearing the not-so-high-school conversations that her students were having in between class. So she decided to create a safe refuge for the girls to talk about all of the struggles they were going through. The first meeting gathered around 55 girls. A few years later, the word quickly spread. Today, over 100 girls’ lives are being changed by Girls Nite In. Not only all over America, but in countries such as Argentina as well. Girls Nite In is an amazing group that has set out to help adolescent girls work through their hardships and help them reach their maximum potential. Having the girls at a spectacular event like the U.S. Nationals, introduces them to even more positive female figures such as Erica Enders-Stevens, Courtney Force, Brittany Force, Alexis Dejoria, and Angie Smith to name a handful. Drag racing is such a diverse sport, that leaves its spectators with a positive takeaway during and after the race. To find out more about Girls Nite In check out their website. 

The 60th NHRA Chevrolet U.S. Nationals take place September 1st, 2014, in Indianapolis, Indiana.  

-Dallas Hollins

www.InsidePitRow.blogspot.com 

Find us on Twitter & Instagram: @InsidePitRow

Renault Done With Trying to Keep Up With Mercedes

Less than halfway through the 2014 F1 season, it appears that Renault is giving up on its efforts to try and catch the Mercedes power units. 

There is no doubt that the French manufacturer has struggled to keep up with the outstanding performance that Mercedes has put forth this season. Even though they are second in the Constructors Championship, Renault is sitting 158 points behind Mercedes. Many top notch teams have struggled to adjust to the regulation changes that the FIA put forth for the 2014 season. But no one expected the 4-time consecutive Constructors Champions to fall off the way they have. 

Infiniti Red Bull Racing has made it clear that they are not pleased with Renault’s performance, and were considering other engine options for 2015 and beyond. 

Renault F1 engine chief, Rob White stated in Autosprint, "We are pushing for next year in order to have a greater scope of development.”

"At the moment it is not possible to change the specification of the power unit without the permission of the FIA, and the federation does not give any permissions for performance reasons," Rob White clarified. 

While their performance is off balance this season, they appear to be making gains. Renault has had five podium finishes, including a win at the Canadian Grand Prix. While yes, it’s a bit late to try and catch Mercedes, it’s never too late for improvement. 

The ninth round in the 2014 Formula One World Championship takes place this weekend, July 4th-6th, at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, United Kingdom. 

-Dallas Hollins 

www.InsidePitRow.blogspot.com

Find us on Twitter & Instagram: @InsidePitRow

Photo Credit: Sutton Images

Rookie Syndrome Plaguing McLaren?

McLaren Mercedes has not had the best of years so far. So far they’ve only seen the podium twice. Mclaren rookie, Kevin Magnussen and teammate, Jenson Button, scored second and third places finishes at the opening round of Formula One in Australia earlier this year. Other than that, both drivers have had some lackluster finishes in the 2014 season. Kevin’s second best finish was seventh place in Austria, while Jenson’s was a fourth place finish in Canada. 

Some people inside, and outside of McLaren have been quick to make Kevin Magnussen the scapegoat. McLaren Mercedes’ racing director, Eric Boullier, said that Kevin is currently dealing with “rookie syndrome”. According to Boullier, all of the feedback that the team is getting is truly helping the team along, but Jenson Button isn't so convinced. "Kevin is inexperienced, and although he is learning quickly, there is a still tenth or two [not] there from him not having as much information or experience as we should have."

Jenson is the most experienced F1 driver on the grid. Kevin is one of the least experienced F1 drivers on the grid. Of course, jenson has much more knowledge on racing, data, feedback, and media. While yes, kevin is new to all of this, he is no slouch.  

McLaren’s average grid start is ninth, Kevin’s average race finish is eight, and Jenson’s is ninth. They’re currently sitting in sixth in the Constructors Championship. Jenson is eighth in the Drivers Standings, and Kevin is tenth. For the most part, the driver’s results are fairly even. The team is not its usual championship winning self, but it could definitely be doing much worse. There are so many reasons as to why they aren’t currently contending for the Constructors or Drivers Championship. One reason could be the chassis and its aerodynamic capabilities. The other could be their Mercedes power units just can’t compete with those of Mercedes AMG or Sahara Force India. The new 2014 regulations have thrown most teams for a loop, and McLaren Mercedes seems to be one of those teams. Quite possibly it’s just small mistakes from both drivers that are costing them points. Only McLaren knows. 

So can Magunessen’s so-called “rookie syndrome” be to blame for McLaren’s poor season? I think not. You win as a team and you lose as a team. There are improvements that need to be made all around. You can’t throw the blame on one person’s shoulders.   

The 2014 Formula One World Championship is far from over, the next round takes place July 4-6, at Silverstone Circuit, in the United Kingdom. 

-Dallas Hollins

www.InsidePitRow.blogspot.com 

Find us on Twitter & Instagram: @InsidePitRow

Photo credit: Motorsport.com

The Trouble Brewing Between Red Bull Racing and Renault

      Trouble may be brewing between the Infiniti Red Bull racing team and its engine supplier, Renault. Reports are, Red Bull might send Renault a bill at the end of the season over financial damage from lost performance. We all know that the race team we’ve seen this year, and the race team we’ve seen for the past four season, don’t seem to be the same. Four time world champion, Sebastian Vettel, has failed to finish two races this season. His teammate, Daniel Ricciardo has scored one win and two other podium finishes for the team, but was disqualified in Australia and failed to finish in Malaysia. Many teams have struggled with the new 1.6-litre V6 turbo engine that was mandated for this season. With the exception of those carrying Mercedes power units, of course. 

Another speculation is that Red Bull is talking to Volkswagen about supplying the team with their engines for next year. Volkswagen is already in other racing series, so branching out to F1 might be a good idea for both Red Bull and Volkswagen. One thing we do know is that Infiniti Red Bull Racing is going to go over their data from the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix and previous races this season in order to figure out a plan for next season. Something needs to be fixed in order for them to get back to where they were last year and the years before, whether it’s on Red Bull’s end or Renault’s. The team has two very talented drivers in the cockpit of their cars, but a million things have to go right in order for there to be success amongst a team. Something just isn’t there. 

When asked about the financial woes and the rumors about Volkswagen, team advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko, said it all was simply “nonesense”. But is it? Sure, Red Bull won their first race of the season two weeks ago in Canada, but the team has had a lackluster season in 2014, compared to what we’ve seen from them the past four years. While sending a bill to Renault might be a tad extreme when you look at the two’s success with one another over the past four years. However, talking to another manufacturer about supplying engines for next season, is not. 

Maybe Daniel Ricciardo’s win and Sebastian Vettel’s third place in Canada are a change in the tide for Red Bull and Renault. After all it was the best result they’ve had all season. The team is in second place in the Constructor’s Championship, 119 points behind Mercedes AMG. There are twelve races left this season, meaning if both Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton somehow manage not finish the next handful of races, Infiniti Red Bull Racing has a big chance to streak away with the Constructor’s Championship at the end of the year. Sure, that’s a lot to ask for, but after watching the Canadian Grand Prix, we all learned that absolutely anything can happen. 

The next round in the 2014 Formula One World Championship takes place June 20-22, in Spielberg, Austria.  

-Dallas Hollins

www.InsidePitRow.blogspot.com

Find us on Twitter & Instagram: @InsidePitRow

Picture credit: Motorsport.com

Erica Enders-Stevens Wins Big in Tennessee

      Erica Enders-Stevens is on a roll, racking up points and winning Wallys left and right. Last weekend in Bristol, Tennessee, Erica won her third race this season, further extending her Pro Stock points lead to 908 in the NHRA Mello Yello Championship. She has more wins this year than any of the other ladies competing in the series. Enders-Stevens also collected her tenth victory of her career, making her the third woman to make it into double digit wins, right behind Shirley Muldowney and Angelle Sampey. 

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series heads into its eleventh event June 19-22, in Epping, New Hampshire.  

-Dallas Hollins 

www. InsidePitRow.blogspot.com

Find us on Twitter & Instagram: @InsidePitRow

Canadian Grand Prix Review

You can scratch the Bahrain Grand Prix off the top of your list of most exciting races of the 2014 Formula One season. The Canadian Grand Prix has clearly surpassed the excitement that Bahrain provided us. Lewis Hamilton was out qualified by his teammate for the second race in a row. Yet once again, Mercedes started on the front row for the race. Points leader, Nico Rosberg, lead the field into the first corner. While Lewis Hamilton fell back into third, behind the four time World Champion, Sebastian Vettel. Marussia may experienced the highest of highs in Monaco, but in Canada, they experienced the lowest of lows when their drivers, Max Chilton and Jules Bianchi took each other out on the first lap. A few laps into the race, as expected, Lewis Hamilton passed Sebastian Vettel, then caught up with his teammate, Nico. 

Halfway through the race, both of Mercedes’ cars were experiencing mechanical issues. Both Lewis and Nico were losing around three seconds per lap, but they still maintained a decent gap on the rest of the field. On the forty-fifth lap, Lewis Hamilton lost his brakes. He overshot his teammate by cutting through a corner, he then gave the spot back to Nico before he broke it to his crew over the radio that his breaks had gone out as he pulled in to the pits and retired the car. 

      Nico stretched his lead out until the final ten laps. the Infiniti Red Bull machine of Daniel Ricciardo was gaining, but it looked as though Nico was going to hold on to the lead to win the race, while Daniel Ricciardo would finish in second and Sebastian Vettel would end up third. With two laps to go, Ricciardo drove past Nico Rosberg to take the lead. Sergio Perez took his Sahara Force India machine to the fourth spot until Felipe Massa took Perez and himself out in a high speed crash. Fortunately, neither were hurt badly. The race finished under caution with Daniel Ricciardo getting his maiden win, destroying Mercedes AMG's perfect season. Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, and Nico Hülkenberg round out the top five. 

Rosberg has a twenty-two point lead over his teammate and rival, Lewis Hamilton. The next race is in Spielberg, Austria, at the Red Bull Ring June 20th-22nd.

-Dallas Hollins

www.InsidePitRow.blogspot.com

Find us on Twitter & Instagram: @InsidePitRow

Photo Credit: Motorsport.com

Ronnie Renner Claims Gold Medal #6

  

  Ronnie Renner has won his 6th X Games Gold Medal in the Step Up competition. The thirty-six year old had absolutely no problem clearing the thirty-four foot high bar, so much so that he had feet to spare as he went over. Of course, it should be easy.  He made history in 2012 when he cleared the bar at forty-seven feet at X Games LA. Not only is this Ronnie's sixth gold medal, it's his eleventh overall in his twelve year X Games competition history. Bryce Hudson walked away with silver, while 2013 X Games Munich Step Up Gold Medalist, Libor Podmol took home the bronze. 

This is the second day of X Games Austin competition. Look for more Moto X competition Saturday, June 7th, on ABC at 11:00 A.M. PST, and ESPN at 5:00 P.M. PST.

-Dallas Hollins

www.InsidePitRow.blogspot.com

Find us on Twitter & Instagram: @InsidePitRow