Motorsport.tv Weekend Highlights: June 2,4

Motorsport.tv Weekend Highlights: June 2,4

After all the build-up, Fernando Alonso’s Indianapolis 500 adventure has now been and gone. For most, life goes back to normal, but for petrol-heads seeking one more weekend of escapism, Motorsport.tv has the perfect cocktail with a lavish spread of petrol-pumping action from some of the weirdest and wackiest championships on the planet. So without further ado, let’s get started…

Naturally, we start with the wackiest of the lot as the FIA European Truck Racing Championship descends on Spielberg for the traditional curtain-raiser at the Red Bull Ring. Despite using a shortened version of the Austrian Grand Prix circuit, expect no shortage of action with four races including two reversed-grid affairs, where the fastest drivers have to fight their way through to the front. Defending champion Jochen Hahn goes in search of his fifth title, but Buggyra ‘Fatfox’ man Adam Lacko – twice a winner in Spielberg last year – and the First Lady of truck racing Steffi Halm will push him all the way. Don’t forget former champion Antonio Albacete either – on his return to the ETRC after a year away, could the veteran Spaniard upset the established pecking order?

From rough and ready trucks to the glamour of the Principality, next we head to the streets of Monte Carlo for round two of the Porsche Supercup. The great and good of sportscar and GT racing such as Rene Rast, Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber have all come through the ranks of the F1 support series, where track time is at a premium and the pressure is on for drivers to be instantly on the pace. That’s especially difficult at Monaco where mistakes are punished more harshly than normal, but one man who will fancy his chances is Lechner driver Michael Ammermuller. The ultra-experienced German, a Red Bull F1 test driver as long ago as 2006, kicked off the season with a clean sweep of the Barcelona double-header to thrust himself into the lead of the championship, but with Dan Cammish, Dennis Olsen and Matt Campbell all in the mix, he certainly wouldn’t have an easy ride.

Moved forwards to May from its traditional August slot on the British GT Championship calendar, championship leaders Phil Keen and Jon Minshaw were hoping that the return to Snetterton would bring them a repeat of last year’s double victory in their Barwell Lamborghini. After a controversial finish to the last round in Rockingham, Ferrari pair Matt Griffin and Duncan Cameron arrived in Norfolk even more determined to clinch their first win since Spa 2011, while in GT4 the battle was wide open, with three different winners in as many races and no less than five different manufacturers all vying for the top step.

If you missed it last week, there’s one more chance to catch the final FIA World Rallycross Championship meeting from the spiritual home of rallycross, Lydden Hill. After his perfect start to the season was halted by Johan Kristofferson in Belgium, Mattias Ekstrom was determined to get back to the top step of the podium in Kent and in doing so overtake Petter Solberg as the winningest driver in championship history. But at the circuit he won at in 2015, could Solberg end his year-long drought and get his title fight with VW back on track? For all the insights and behind-the-scenes chatter with Neil Cole, make sure you don’t miss Inside World RX.

It’s a double-dose of Americana next, with round 10 of the NASCAR Xfinity Series from Charlotte, NC and NHRA Drag Racing’s Southern Nationals from Atlanta, Georgia. After pushing Aric Almirola all the way at Talladega, JR Motorsports veteran Elliott Sadler has a 29-point lead over Justin Allgaier heading to Charlotte and faces his best shot yet at taking a long-awaited first title having finished runner-up in 2011, 2012 and 2016. Meanwhile, following Steve Torrence’s stunning upset in the Four-Wide Nationals, could the Texan go back-to-back and take his first win in Atlanta since 2012?

To cap it all off, there’s action from the Scottish FF1600 Championship from Knockhill, where the next generation of drivers hoping to emulate the success of Allan McNish, David Coulthard and Dario Franchitti learn their trade, plus tin-top mayhem from the TCR Asia Series’ visit to Zhuhai, extreme rally-raiding in the Morocco Desert Challenge and round three of the ultra-competitive French Superbike Championship from Ledenon.

Friday 2nd June

18:55 – The Flying Lap, Episode 10
20:30 – Morocco Desert Challenge, Episode 3
21:00 – Belgian Rally Championship, Rd 5, Sezoensrally
21:30 – Inside World RX, Rd 5, Great Britain

Saturday 3rd June

10:10 – Fun Cup, Rd 2, Oulton Park
10:40 – Scottish Formula Ford 1600, Rd 2, Knockhill
12:10 – British Rally Championship, Rd 3, Scottish Rally
15:00 – Porsche Supercup, Rd 2, Monaco
15:45 – TCR Asia Series, Rd 5, Zhuhai
16:20 – TCR Asia Series, Rd 6, Zhuhai
17:50 – FIA European Truck Racing Championship, Rd 1, Red Bull Ring
18:55 – NHRA Drag Racing Championship, Rd 7, Southern Nationals
20:00 – NASCAR Xfinity Series, Rd 10, Charlotte
21:00 – British GT Championship, Rd 3-4, Snetterton
22:05 – FIA World Rallycross Championship, Rd 5, Great Britain

Sunday 4th June

11:40 – French Superbikes, Rd 3, Ledenon
15:15 – British GT Championship, Rd 3-4, Snetterton
16:20 – NASCAR Xfinity Series, Rd 10, Charlotte
17:20 – NHRA Drag Racing Championship, Rd 7, Southern Nationals


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