12/14 May
Silverstone and Monza are two classic European circuits steeped in history and the scene of many unforgettable moments down the years (particularly if your name is Johnny Herbert). Both play host to top-drawer sportscar championships this weekend and with further LIVE coverage of the FIA World Rallycross Championship from Mettet in Belgium added into the mix, you won’t want to miss a second on Motorsport.tv!
After a frenetic weekend at Hockenheim, there’s no let-up in the action for the World Rallycross Championship, as Mattias Ekstrom goes in search of a record-breaking fourth win on the trot at Mettet. The reigning champion continued his unbeaten start to the season at a soaking wet Hockenheim after Johan Kristofferson got too much wheel-spin at the start, but Ekstrom will have a target on his back in Belgium as the likes of Petter Solberg, Sebastien Loeb and Ken Block attempt to bring that run to an end. Another man to look out for will be Topi Heikkenen in the second EKS RX Audi, the Finn searching for his first win since Mettet in 2015, while wildcard entry Francois Duval will hope to improve on a fifth place finish last year on his annual appearance at the Belgian round of the championship.
Image courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool
Next up, we’ve got LIVE coverage of the Blancpain GT Series’ UK second-leg at Silverstone, as 50 GT3 cars descend on the ‘Home of British Motorsport’ for round two of the Endurance Cup. After their sweep of the Sprint Cup round at Brands Hatch last weekend, Grasser Lamborghini pair Mirko Bortolotti and Christian Engelhart may take some stopping at a circuit where Bortolotti took pole by almost three tenths last year, but the new championship leaders will face stiff competition from the HTP Mercedes of defending winner Maxi Buhk, who shares with GP2 convert Jimmy Eriksson and Franck Perera, himself a polesitter at Silverstone in 2014. Home honour in the Pro class will be upheld by Bentley with Steven Kane, Guy Smith and Oliver Jarvis looking to play catch-up after a disastrous opening round at Monza, while Scots Jonny Adam and Rory Butcher will go head-to-head in an Aston Martin-Ferrari battle royale in the Pro-Am ranks.
Image courtesy of Vision Sport Agency
Then it’s over to Monza, for Delayed-as-Live European Le Mans Series action from the Italian cathedral of speed, Monza, staging its first ACO-sanctioned sportscar race since 2008. G-Drive’s Ryo Hirakawa was left devastated after the opening round at Silverstone, where Filipe Albuquerque overcame a 30 second deficit to snatch victory with just minutes left on the clock. The Toyota protégé will be desperate to live up to his promise to make amends, but won’t just have Albuquerque’s Ligier to look out for in an ultra-competitive LMP2 field, with three different LMP2 constructors represented. Fellow ORECA runners topped the pre-season test at Monza with rapid Brit Richard Bradley, while the Cetilar Villorba Corse outfit will hope local knowledge pays dividends for their Italian-built Dallara.
Image courtesy of Jakob Ebrey
On top of this, there’s LIVE coverage of the Blancpain GT Sports Club for the older generation of GT3s at Silverstone, highlights from the inaugural LMP3 Cup meeting at Donington and the Britcar Endurance Championship from Silverstone. Your appetite for endurance racing certainly won’t be left wanting!
But the LIVE fun doesn’t stop there. After a year away, the TCR International Series is back at Monza, with the championship wide open after Jean-Karl Vernay became the sixth different winner from as many races at Spa-Francorchamps. Big names including James Nash, Rob Huff and Gianni Morbidelli are yet to open their account for the season, with Italian Morbidelli in particular hoping to claim his first win with the VW Polo at the circuit where he swept both races in 2015.
After a visit to the spiritual home of rallycross, Lydden Hill, for round two of the MSA British Rallycross Championship, we finish with a double dose of Americana from the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NHRA Drag Racing Championship.
It simply doesn’t get more Dixie than Talladega, a flat-out 2.66-mile tri-oval where multi-car pileups known as ‘The Big One’ are an ever-present threat. Veteran Elliott Sadler has been a model of consistency so far this season despite not winning a race – could the JR Motorsports driver add to his restrictor plate successes in 2014 and 2016? Then for dessert, watch in awe as Californian Leah Prichett launched herself to back-to-back victories in the Winternationals and Arizona Nationals on her Top Fuel comeback with DSR, all at speeds well in excess of 300mph.
Friday 12th May
17:55 – LMP3 Cup, Rd 1, Donington Park
18:55 – The Flying Lap, Episode 7
20:00 – NASCAR Xfinity Series, Rd 9, Talladega
21:00 – Belgian Rally Championship, Rd 4, Rallye De Wallonie
Saturday 13th May
08:20 – Britcar Endurance Championship, Rd 1, Silverstone
09:40 – British Rallycross Championship, Rd 2, Lydden Hill
11:55 – LIVE Blancpain GT Sports Club Championship, Rd 2, Silverstone (Race 1)
13:25 – LIVE TCR International Series, Rd 5, Monza (Race 1)
17:15 – LIVE Blancpain GT Sports Club Championship, Rd 2, Silverstone (Race 2)
19:35 – NHRA Drag Racing Championship, Rd 1, Winternationals
20:30 – NHRA Drag Racing Championship, Rd 2, Arizona Nationals
Sunday 14th May
09:50 – LIVE TCR International Series, Rd 5, Monza (Race 2)
13:00 – LIVE FIA World Rallycross Championship, Rd 4, Mettet
14:55 – LIVE Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, Rd 2, Silverstone
18:30 – Delayed-as-Live, European Le Mans Series, Rd 2, Monza
