First Saudi woman driver to race car in kingdom

DIRIYAH, Saudi Arabia—Sliding behind the wheel of a sleek electric SUV, Reema Juffali is set to blaze a trail in male-dominated motor sports as the first Saudi woman to race in the kingdom.

Such adrenaline rushes were unimaginable for women in the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom until June last year, when it overturned the world's only ban on female motorists as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's wide-ranging liberalization drive.

Juffali, a 27-year-old who made her motoring debut just months after the decades-old ban ended, will compete Friday and Saturday in the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY, an all-electric race in Diriyah, close to the capital Riyadh.

"The ban was lifted last year and I never expected to race professionally," said Juffali, sitting in her black-and-green Jaguar I-Pace, an electric sports utility vehicle.

"The fact that I am doing it... is amazing," Juffali, clad in a racing suit, told AFP in an interview close to the racing circuit in Diriyah.

Juffali, who hails from the western city of Jeddah and was educated in the United States, will participate as what organizers call a "VIP" guest driver, becoming the first Saudi woman to race on home soil.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's sports authority chief, has touted it as a "watershed" moment for the kingdom.

"Reema will have thousands cheering her on, as a professional racing driver," the prince told AFP.

Juffali, who made one of her first appearances in competitive racing at the F4 British Championship at Brands Hatch in April, has only about a year of professional racing experience under her belt.

But she has had a passion for fast cars since her teenage years and grew up watching Formula One.

She passed her driving test after she moved to the United States to study some years ago, and is now one of only a handful of Saudi woman to have obtained a "racing licence" in her home country, a mandatory requirement to race professionally.

Even outside the Kingdom, only a few Saudi women have raced professionally.

"For a lot of women who haven't had the opportunity to learn how to drive, to get behind the wheel is definitely something scary," explained Juffali.

"For a lot of women in Saudi it's something so far away."

Juffali said her dream is to one day race at Le Mans—a 24 hour competition in France that is one of the world's most prestigious and gruelling competitions.

In Riyadh she will be racing against the season's veterans but will not score any points.

THRILL OF SPEED

Prince Mohammed has sought to shake off his country's ultra-conservative image by allowing greater freedoms for women, including easing so-called "guardianship" rules that give men arbitrary authority over female relatives.

But alongside reforms he has also overseen a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

Around a dozen women activists who long campaigned for the right to drive are on trial after being arrested last year, sparking widespread condemnation.

Some allege they were tortured and sexually harassed by interrogators; Saudi authorities deny the allegations.

The driving reform has been transformative for many Saudi women, freeing them from dependence on private chauffeurs or male relatives.

Newly mobile Saudi women are now embracing what was previously deemed a male entitlement—fast cars.

Many are defying the perception that only dainty cars in bright colors are popular with women drivers.

Auto showrooms tapping women clients have rolled out a line-up of cherry red Mini Coopers, but sales professionals say many exhibit an appetite for muscle cars like the Chevrolet Camaro or the Mustang convertible.

Some women are taking up drifting—oversteering the car to slip and skid or even spin, and other high-speed daredevilry—which is illegal in public but tolerated in the controlled environment of some theme parks.

Clad in skinny jeans and Harley-Davidson T-shirts, some women are also training to ride motorbikes at a Riyadh driving school, a scene that is still a stunning anomaly in the conservative petro-state.

"Many (people) are surprised by all the changes happening in Saudi," said Juffali.

"Seeing me in a car, racing... For a lot of people it's a surprise, but I am happy to surprise people."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

F1: Hamilton baffled by his car's behavior

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton said he was baffled by the behavior of his Mercedes after lapping slower than team mate Valtteri Bottas in Chinese Grand Prix practice on Friday.

The Briton, a 5-time winner in Shanghai, suffered a spin on cold tyres and ended the day some seven-tenths of a second slower than the Finn.

"I'm just focusing on trying to figure out what the hell is going on with my car," the Formula One website quoted him as saying.

"I was struggling with the car today, so we've got work to do, particularly on my side as Valtteri looked much more comfortable in the car.

"We're going to work hard tonight to find some tweaks and hopefully come back stronger tomorrow; the car has the pace in it to compete at the front, we just need to find the right set-up."

Mercedes have finished the first two races of the season one-two, with Hamilton triumphant at the last round in Bahrain two weeks ago.

That was a lucky win, however, with the victory falling into his lap after Ferrari's Charles Leclerc suffered an engine problem with 10 laps remaining.

Bottas, winner in Australia, leads the championship by a point due to the extra point awarded for the fastest lap in Melbourne.

The Finn was fastest overall in Friday practice, with Hamilton fourth.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Magnussen will sink or swim, says Button

AUSTIN, Texas - Kevin Magnussen will be thrown into the Formula One deep end when he replaces Sergio Perez at McLaren next season and it will be up to the young Dane whether he sinks or swims, future team mate Jenson Button said on Thursday.

"It's one of those positions where it could light up your career or put an end to your career very early if things don't go well," Button told reporters ahead of this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix.

"It's a massive risk to be put in the deep end, if you like, with a team that should be fighting for a title.

"But if a driver is willing to take that risk, he has a lot of confidence in himself and his ability.

"It could go one way or another and I hope it goes the positive way," said the 2009 world champion, who made his debut as a 20-year-old with Williams in 2000.

The 21-year-old Dane is the son of former McLaren and Stewart racer Jan Magnussen and will be the first rookie to make his F1 debut with McLaren since Britain's Lewis Hamilton in 2007.

He steps into the seat vacated by Mexican Perez amid high praise and even higher expectations.

If Magnussen has any doubts about what is expected of him then he need only consider the fate of Perez, a once highly touted prospect who has been jettisoned by the former champions after one disappointing season.

The Formula One starting grid is a shark tank and the 33-year-old Button, who has been in F1 the longest of the drivers currently in the sport, knows better than to get too attached to team mates.

Button said farewell to Hamilton, the 2008 champion, last year and will now be on his third different team mate at McLaren.

Good feedback

"It's always sad to see a team mate leave," said Button. "I have never really been that close to my team mates but still you spend a whole season with someone who goes through the same highs and lows that you do.

"It's the same as the end of last year. You build a relationship with a team mate, you learn a lot about each other, gain experience and then things change.

"It's a little bit tough initially but you learn to adapt as we all do in life."

Magnussen has shown all the signs of being a quick learner as well as quick on the track and Button is not about to become anyone's nursemaid.

"If he's willing to learn from the go and picking things up, I don't think so," said Button. "I'm sure he's going to learn from me, I've been in this sport for 13 years but you also learn things from young drivers.

"We've seen his speed in other Formulas and I think the team has been impressed with his speed in the test that he has done.

"The bit for me that is more important is feedback but I've heard his feedback is very good from those tests, which is good that I can believe and trust his feedback."

After a brutally disappointing campaign that has seen McLaren finish no higher than fifth in 17 races so far, the team will be looking for a big bounce back next season when there are major changes and a new V6 engine.

"I've said all year that it's important to have a team mate, especially with the new regulations, that has experience," said Button.

"Kevin doesn't have that but his outright speed is very good and the bit that is more important to me is, from the testing he has done in a Formula One car, his feedback has been very good which has to be very important at the start of the year." (Editing by Alan Baldwin)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

David Ragan, Front Row believed they could score upset win

TALLADEGA, Ala. — David Ragan and crew chief Jay Guy thought they could one day win a race for Front Row Motorsports.

That just didn’t realize that “one day” would be on May 5, 2013.

Ragan captured the first victory in the nine-year history of the organization Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. The team had made 411 starts with just two top-five and four top-10 finishes before Ragan took the checkered flag in the Aaron’s 499.

“You always believe that it can happen, but I don't know that I ever really practiced my victory lane speech in my head or anything,” said Ragan, who earned his second career Cup win. “I didn't think about it that much.

“But absolutely you believe in yourself, your team.” 




The team, founded by restaurant owner Bob Jenkins, has put three full-time cars in most races the last four years. One of those has been a start-and-park on several occasions.

Using Roush-Yates Engines the last few years, the team often has bought cars from other teams and repurposed them for its own use. It also has built several of its own cars.

Not only did Ragan win, he was pushed to the victory by teammate David Gilliland. Both drivers had come from bigger Ford organizations – Gilliland from what was Yates Racing and Ragan from Roush Fenway Racing — after they no longer had those big-time rides.

“There's a lot of owners out there that they get the best available driver they can get, and they're like a hired gun,” Jenkins said. “But the thing that I think makes our team different than some of the rest is we're so close, and more than anything we're friends.

“I know I've got drivers that are capable of winning races.”

Ragan’s 28th-place finish in the standings last year was the team’s best driver finish in the points.

“The thing that makes him so different from a lot of other drivers is his expectations of himself and his team never changed, and he brought that to Front Row,” Jenkins said. “He didn't look at it as if, ‘Hey, I'm taking a step down here. I realize I'm going to be a backmarker or whatever.’

“He continues to expect a lot out of himself and a lot out of his team, and I think what happened is people bought into that and they followed behind him and we've seen results from it.”

Ragan has an experienced crew chief in Guy, who has served stints at Penske Racing and Furniture Row Racing.

“Did I think when I woke up this morning that we were going to be sitting here today? No,” Guy said. “I thought we had a good shot at being in the top 10 solidly. Last year we finished seventh and fourth, but that's last year. You can't live off what you did yesterday.

“But I thought our pit crew has taken a big step forward, and our team has gotten stronger as a whole. I thought we had a chance, but to be up here today, I'd be lying if I said, ‘Yeah, I expected to be here.’”

So what happens next? Does this team just go to Darlington and have finishes like it did last year, where Gilliland was 25th, Ragan was 28th and Josh Wise parked it in 43rd.

“It goes a long way for our guys that work six days a week that don't get to enjoy the racetrack perks of traveling every weekend,” Ragan said. “It gives them some confidence and hope, and it's a big thing.”

The team often has the logos of Jenkins’ restaurants (Taco Bell and others) on its cars but had gotten money from Farm Rich foods for Ragan and Love’s Travel Stops for Gilliland for Talladega.

“(This) gives them the (sponsors the) confidence that we haven't been telling them a story or we're lying to them,” Ragan said. “We know we're getting better, that we're working hard.

“They've took a chance on us, and we've worked hard and we've done what we said we're going to do.”

The team didn’t necessarily back up its talk this year. It had just one top-20 finish — a 20th by Ragan a week earlier at Richmond.

“We're up against it every week,” Gilliland said. “There's weeks we don't have enough (new) tires to put on our car so we've got to put scuffs on and everything else and then race against guys that have stickers.

“We're just continuing to build and for Front Row Motorsports, a one two finish and to be there to help make that possible is very special for me.”

Gilliland also hopes that the 1-2 finish does more than just be a special day.

“It's definitely big for us,” Gilliland said. “I know Frank Kerr, my new crew chief, has a big wish list of parts and pieces for our race cars, trying to make them lighter and faster.

“I'm sure he'll get a couple of those, so hopefully that'll help.”

Jenkins probably knows those requests are coming. He fights a tight budget daily.

“The challenge for me is as we build cars to make them better every week and put ourselves in a position to win a race,” Jenkins said.

“That's what happened today. … It's so satisfying that over the last nine years every year we've gotten a little bit better, and I felt the progress and I knew it was just a matter of time before we'd win one of these things.”

source: aol.sportingnews.com

Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski have rough nights at Richmond

Kevin Harvick, Juan Pablo Montoya and Kurt Busch were the stars of the show Saturday night at Richmond.

But while Harvick won and Montoya and Busch produced surprising performances, there were some top stars that went home with torn-up cars, hurt feelings and hot tempers.




 The winners and losers from the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond:
Winners

Kevin Harvick — Harvick desperately wanted to win to quiet all the talk about his lame-duck status at Richard Childress Racing. After a slow start to the season, he did it at one of his best tracks. Harvick proved that he’s still one of the best on late restarts and once again earned his nickname of “The Closer.” He also climbed into the top 10 in points, putting his team right back in the Chase conversation.


Juan Pablo Montoya — Montoya came oh-so-close to winning his first NASCAR oval-track race. If not for a late caution, he would have pulled off the upset of the season. He finished fourth for his first top-five finish since 2011 and proved that Earnhardt Ganassi Racing has indeed turned things around after two dismal seasons.

Joey Logano — With a crucial appeal hearing coming up this week, Logano showed that Penske Racing is not reeling from the severe penalties it faces for illegal parts at Texas. Logano stayed out of trouble and raced smart for an impressive third-place finish.

Jeff Burton — Like Montoya, Burton just needs a break. He got one when the leaders pitted with five laps remaining and hung on for his first top-five finish of the season. Coupled with Harvick’s win, this could be a sign that RCR is about to turn the corner.

Matt Kenseth — It has been an emotional and troubling week for Kenseth, whose Joe Gibbs team was hit with severe penalties for an illegal engine part at Kansas. But Kenseth and his No. 20 team made another statement Saturday night, leading a race-high 140 laps before finishing seventh. This team clearly is going to fight back and win more races.

Kurt Busch — Busch was as feisty as ever Saturday night and did everything he could to win for his small Furniture Row Racing team. Busch led 36 laps and had a chance to win until late in the race. He then roughed up Tony Stewart on the final restart to salvage a good finish. Busch is building toward an upset victory with his new team.

Carl Edwards — Edwards made a strong bid for the lead late in the race before hanging on to finish sixth. With so many top contenders having trouble, he leaped four spots in the standings to second.
Losers

Tony Stewart — Stewart’s season-long nightmare continued at Richmond, a track where he hoped to turn things around. Instead, he lost control of his car and wrecked Jimmie Johnson, an incident for which he apologized. Then he was battling for a top-10 finish late in the race when Kurt Busch knocked him out of his way, dropping Stewart back to 18th at the finish. Stewart banged into Busch after the race and had some choice words for him in the garage. But his biggest problem is that he was saddled with another poor finish and remains buried in 22nd in the points standings.

Kyle Busch — When Busch took the lead from Kenseth on Lap 254, he looked like he was headed for his fifth straight win in the spring race at Richmond. Then a pit-road penalty — which was later rescinded — set him off, and then he got caught up in the Stewart-Johnson wreck. After two wins and a five-race hot streak, Busch has now finished 38th and 24th in his last two races.

Brad Keselowski — Keselowski desperately wanted to win to send a message after his team also was hit with major penalties for a rules violation two weeks ago. But a flat tire sent him into the wall early, and then a sour engine got him black-flagged. Keselowski wound up 33rd — his worst finish of the season — and fell to sixth in the standings.

Danica Patrick — Patrick had high hopes after her impressive short-track performance at Martinsville three weeks ago. But she struggled all weekend, got lapped four times and finished 29th. So much for having the short tracks figured out. At least she didn’t spend the night complaining about getting roughed up and raced too aggressively.

Jamie McMurray — When Montoya lost his chance to win by pitting late, McMurray, his teammate, was in position to steal the win. After running in the top 10 all night, McMurray was second on the final restart. But somehow he got shuffled back so quickly he wound up finishing 26th — a highly disappointing finish for a driver who has run well all season.

Kasey Kahne — Kahne’s recent hot streak ended when he and Mark Martin tangled late in the race, causing both drivers to crash. Kahne finished 21st — his worst finish in eight weeks — and fell to third in points.

Brian Vickers — Vickers is not making a good accounting of himself while filling in for injured Denny Hamlin. Though he ran well early, he was involved in two wrecks and finished 35th. He has now finished 31st and 35th in his last two Cup races for Joe Gibbs Racing.

source: aol.sportingnews.com