The Morning Warmup: Carlos Reutemann Passes Away
The Morning Warmup
July 8, 2021
(Photo: Formula 1)
The F1 world mourns the loss of 12-time winner Carlos Reutemann this week after his passing at the age of 79.
By Aaron Bearden
The Podium: Today's Top-Three Stories
P1: Former F1 star Carlos Reutemann passes away (F1)
Former Formula 1 competitor Carlos Reutemann passed away this week at a medical facility in Argentina, his family confirmed on Wednesday. He was 79 years old.
Reutemann was a star of the 1970s and early 1980s in F1, having driven for Brabham, Ferrari, Lotus and Williams over the course of a career that stretch 11 years from 1972 through 1982. Along the way he won 12 grands prix, including wins at iconic tracks like Long Beach, Watkins Glen and Brands Hatch. The latter track’s victory came after a spirited battle with fellow lost legend Niki Lauda.
He never won the title, but Reutemann came desperately close in 1981, losing narrowly to Nelson Piquet while competing for Williams. After his leave of F1 in 1983, Reutemann made a one-off run in the World Rally Championship before shifting to politics. He served as a governor in the Argentine province of Santa Fe for two terms and later served in the Argentine senate from 2003 until his passing.
“We are deeply saddened to hear that Carlos Reutemann has passed away,” Formula 1 officials said in a statement. “He was a big part of our sport for many years and was a fighter to the end. He will be greatly missed.”
(Source(s): F1.com)
P2: WEC cancels 6 Hours of Fuji, adds second Bahrain race (FIA WEC)
Wednesday’s decision comes amid ongoing logistical hurdles tied to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, including travel restrictions, which have forced the Sept. race to be called off. The replacement event in Bahrain will be held on Oct. 30, kicking off the first WEC ‘double-header’ event one week before the eight-hour race at the same track.
“Regrettably we have been left with no choice but to cancel our Japanese leg of the World Championship due to continuing difficulties with the pandemic including travel restrictions and logistical issues,” WEC CEO Frederic Lequien said in a release. “We have instead decided to replace Fuji with another race in Bahrain, which we firmly believe is the safest option for everyone.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Fuji International Speedway’s President, Mr. Eijiro Haraguchi, and his entire team for their excellent cooperation and we look forward to returning in the future.
“At the same time, I’d like to express our gratitude to Sheikh Salman and his team for hosting us twice this season – they always provide such a warm welcome, and I’m confident that a double-header in Bahrain is an ideal solution in the current climate.”
This will be the first WEC season that doesn’t include a trip to Fuji. However, the move may be good news for many in the IMSA paddock - the cancelation of the Japanese race removes a date clash with the rescheduled WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round at Long Beach, meaning some of IMSA’s star drivers may be able to make the trip to Bahrain to compete.
(Source(s): Daniel Lloyd / Sportscar365)
P3: Tricky COVID-19 situation leading to contingency plans in Australia (Supercars)
The 2021 Supercars season has ran without many significant issues in the year to date, but there is speculation that a number of contingencies are being put into place ahead of what could be a difficult second half of the season.
Supercars must stage at least 12 events over the course of the season to satisfy broadcast agreements with FOX Sports and the Seven Network. Under the ever-changing logistical situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, that’s providing an unpredictable challenge for the series and teams with travel restrictions constantly at risk of changing.
Series officials are responding to this threat with a host of potential plans. One is coming up this week, as the trip to Townsville has been changed from one race into a sudden double-header over two weekends. The Auckland SuperSprint and Perth Supernight are both at risk due to the likelihood of border closures in the event of outbreaks elsewhere.
More on potential changes from Motorsport:
According to Motorsport.com sources both could be dropped as part of a revamped run home that would start with a second trip to the The Bend after the winter break.
The Sydney SuperNight would then be put back to give the New South Wales capital time to get on top of the current COVID-19 outbreak that has seen the entire city plunged into lockdown.
That would be followed by the Bathurst 1000 in October, while the postponed Winton round could effectively replace Auckland on either the initial NZ date (November 6-7) or what was going to be the Australian Grand Prix date (November 20-21).
The Gold Coast 500 is still set to close out the season on December 3-5.
Such decisions would mark a change in the tour’s handling of scheduling during the pandemic. While Supercars has previously made changes as necessary in reaction, these would be proactive measures to limit uncertainty with Australia’s conservative approach to managing the pandemic.
(Source(s): Andrew van Leeuwen / Motorsport)
Other News and Notes
NASCAR
Chase Elliott will start on pole at his home track this weekend in the Cup Series. (Dustin Long / NBC Sports)
Meanwhile, Kyle Busch will lead the field to green for his final Xfinity Series start of 2021. (Dustin Long / NBC Sports)
His day came to an unfortunate early end, but Ryan Eversley was still overjoyed to compete in a Cup Series race at Road America. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)
Stewart-Haas Racing crew chief Rodney Childers isn’t certain the team’s current deficit to the frontrunners can be closed up this year. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)
Road America’s ratings were down from last year’s Fourth of July race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, scoring a 1.79 rating and 3.078 million viewers. (Adam Stern / SportsBusiness Journal)
Marco Andretti is having a fun time in the Superstar Racing Experience. He could soon try to give a NASCAR race a go, too. (Matt Weaver / Autoweek)
Matt DiBenedetto is the latest guest on the “12 Questions” series. (Jeff Gluck / The Athletic ($))
With the last race at the current Atlanta Motor Speedway layout set for this weekend, here’s a look back at Atlanta’s most memorable moments to date. (Autoweek)
Denny Hamlin’s livery this week is going to make more than a few people chuckle. (Joe Gibbs Racing / Twitter)
IndyCar
The future TV plans remain uncertain for IndyCar, put movement is expected soon. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)
Tatiana Calderon voiced praise for IndyCar after making a debut test in the series with AJ Foyt Racing. (Jack Benyon / The Race($))
Keep longtime journalist Robin Miller in your thoughts. His coverage is going on pause as he battles illness. (Mark Glendenning / RACER)
F1
The FIA is reportedly set to approve new intros and a sprint race regulation rewrite ahead of the British Grand Prix. (Dieter Rencken & Keith Collantine / Racefans.net)
Daniel Riccardo’s progress with McLaren remains slow during the summer stretch. Why isn’t it progressing faster? (Edd Straw / The Race ($))
Charles Leclerc was supportive of the penalties issues to Sergio Perez in the Austrian Grand Prix, believing he “overstepped’ during their battle for position. (Chris Medland / RACER)
Leclerc also discussed the 2022-spec F1 car, claiming it “feels very different” based on early indications. (Mat Coch / Speedcafe)
Lando Norris took a compliment from Lewis Hamilton in stride and says his run in Austria made him realize “it’s not like” Mercedes and Red Bull are “not raceable.” (Alex Kalinauckas / Motorsport)
Here’s a look at some of the changes that have allowed McLaren to close the gap. (Matt Somerfield & Giorgio Piola / Motorsport)
Supercars
The wildcard entries for this year’s Bathurst 1000 are set for their first track time in August. (Connor O’Brien / Speedcafe)
Todd Hazelwood has endured a difficult 2021. He feels this upcoming two-week stint at Townsville is important for his contract talks. (Connor O’Brien / Speedcafe)
In a unique twist, debuting Super2 competitor Jon McCorkindale will compete without engineer Louis Kapits due to the lockdown in Sydney. (Daniel Herrero / Speedcafe)
Sports Cars
United Autosports has finalized its lineup for the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Wayne Boyd added to the mix. (Daniel Lloyd / Sportscar365)
There are 17 entries for next weekend’s Northeast Grand Prix for IMSA at Lime Rock Park. (John Dagys / Sportscar365)
Ferrari Chairman John Elkann has been named honorary start for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. (John Dagys / Sportscar365)
Dirt
Ashton Winger pulled off his first DIRTcar Summer Nationals victory at Knox County Fair Raceway. (Speed Sport)
Christopher Bell and Daryn Pittman will continue to share the No. 39 Swindell SpeedLab sprint car moving forward, with Bell driving at Attica Raceway Park on July 13 and Pittman running in the Kings Royal. (Shawn Miller / Speed Sport)
Hurricane Elsa has forced Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series officials to cancel Thursday’s planned race at Cherokee Speedway. (LucasDirt.com)
Short Tracks
Want to learn more about Slinger Nationals winner Luke Fenhaus ahead of his run with the Camping World SRX Series? Then this is the story for you. (Zach Evans / Speed51)
Opening day for the rebranded Goodyear All American Speedway has been set for July 31. (Brandon White / Short Track Scene)
Moto
Ducati is unlikely to make a move on Maverick Vinales after his early release from a MotoGP contract with Yamaha. (Daniel Herrero / Speedcafe)
Riders go on holiday, but what about there bikes? Here’s Marc Marquez’s bike on the famous Camino de Santiago trail. (GP One)
There are few riders as revered as 1993 500cc world champion Kevin Schwantz. Here’s an interview with the old star discussing how he rode the tricky bikes. (Mat Oxley / Motor Sport Magazine)
Other
M-Sport has revealed its new Ford Puma Rally1 WRC challenger at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. (David Evans / DirtFish)
Speaking of Goodwood, here are 10 reasons to attend if you’ve never ben. (Marcus Pye / Motorsport ($))
Tony Quinn has revealed that he had a $10 million plan for Queensland Raceway that has been lost out after John Tetley made a last-second decision to retain ownership. (Daniel Herrero / Speedcafe)
Nico Mueller has become the latest exit in a “directionless approach” for Dragon Penske Autosport, writes veteran Formula E journalist Sam Smith. (Sam Smith / The Race ($))
On Track Today (All Times ET)
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals roll on to Macon Speedway. (6:45 p.m., DirtVision)
FloRacing has just one race to show - a weekly race night at Kossuth County Speedway (8 p.m., FloRacing)
The Goodwood Festival of Speed will be live-streamed online. (Goodwood.com)
Fast Fact:
Fact: Carlos Reutemann finished third or better in the standings four times in his 11-year F1 career, including a career-best second in 1981, where he had seven podiums and two wins. The Argentinian fell just one point shy of title-winner Nelson Piquet at season’s end.
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