Fernando Alonso, Allan McNish to be honored at Le Mans this year

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One of sports car’s driving legends and a two-time Formula One World Champion are getting honored in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as a key team figure who’ll be participating in this year’s running of the June endurance classic.

That would be Allan McNish, Fernando Alonso and Doug Fehan respectively, who are three of the biggest names from Audi, Ferrari and Corvette.

McNish – the Scottish terrier who won three times overall at Le Mans, including last year – retired in the offseason and for his first Le Mans out of the cockpit in more than a dozen years, will serve as Grand Marshal.

Meanwhile Alonso will start the race, the 82nd running of the event, at its normal start time of 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 14.

This year’s Le Mans falls on an off weekend between the Canadian and Austrian Grands Prix. So Alonso will be the first active driver in race history to wave the green flag; there have been F1 drivers who have competed in Le Mans the same year, most recently Sebastien Bourdais in 2009.

Alonso is there to help support his current F1 employer – Ferrari – which with more than a dozen F458 Italias split in GTE Pro and GTE Am this year is the most popular manufacturer on this year’s grid.

Might it be a future portending of Ferrari’s own LMP1 plans? Possibly; there have been rumors to that degree over the last several months.

The official release from the ACO described the Alonso confirmation thusly: “It is an immense honour for the Automobile Club de l’Ouest that this great champion, recently described by the Ferrari President, Luca di Montezemolo, as the greatest driver in the world, has accepted this invitation. Alonso is a true motor racing fan and although he has never taken part in the Le Mans 24 Hours, he is very interested in the greatest endurance race in the world.”

As for Fehan, of Corvette Racing in GTE Pro, he’ll be awarded the Spirit of Le Mans on Friday evening 13th June by President Pierre Fillon, a prize given by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest to all those who have served the spirit of Le Mans.

Seattle Supercross by the numbers: Three riders separated by 17 points

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Three riders remain locked in a tight battle with 17 points separating the leader Cooper Webb from third-place Chase Sexton and these are only a few Supercross numbers to consider entering Seattle.

Seattle Supercross numbers
Chase Sexton made a statement in Detroit with his second win of 2023. – Feld Motor Sports

For the fifth time in 10 rounds. Sexton, Webb, and Eli Tomac shared the podium in Detroit. Between them, the trio has taken 23 podiums, leaving only seven for the remainder of the field. Jason Anderson, Ken Roczen and Justin Barcia have two each with Aaron Plessinger scoring the other.

Webb and Tomac won the last four championships with two apiece in alternating years, but they were not one another’s primary rival for most of those seasons. On the average, however, the past four years show an incredible similarity with average points earned of 21.0 for Webb and 21.3 for Tomac. With five wins so far this season, Tomac (23 wins) leads Webb (19) in victories but Webb (43) edges Tomac (41) in podium finishes during this span.

Tomac has won two of the last three Seattle races and those two wins in this stadium are topped only by James Stewart. Fittingly, if Tomac gets a third win this week, he will tie Stewart for second on the all-time wins’ list. Tomac tied Ricky Carmichael for third with 48 wins at Oakland and took sole possession of that spot with his Daytona win.

Sexton still has a lot to say and after winning last week in Detroit, he is speaking up. The Supercross numbers are against him entering Seattle, however, because a points’ deficit this large after Round 10 has been erased only once. In 1983 David Bailey was 47 points behind Bob Hannah, and like Sexton he was also in third place. Bailey took the points’ lead with one race remaining.

The seven points Sexton was penalized last week for jumping in a red cross flag section in Detroit could prove extremely costly.

In fact, it has been a series of mistakes that has cost Sexton the most. In the last two weeks, he lost 10 points with a 10th-place finish to go with his penalty. Erase those, and all three riders hold their fate in their hands.

Plessinger’s heartbreak in Detroit is still fresh, but the upside of his run is that was his best of the season and could turn his fortunes around. Prior to that race, he led only seven laps in three mains. He was up front for 20 laps in Detroit with five of those being the fastest on the track.

Last week’s win by Hunter Lawrence tied him with his brother Jett Lawrence for 17th on the all-time wins’ list. With the focus shifting to 250 West for the next two rounds, Jett has a great opportunity to pull back ahead. The real test will be at the first East / West Showdown in East Rutherford, New Jersey on April 22.

Last Five Seattle Winners

450s
2022: Eli Tomac
2019: Marvin Musquin
2018: Eli Tomac
2017: Marvin Musquin
2014: Ryan Villopoto

250s
2022: Hunter Lawrence
2019: Dylan Ferrandis
2018: Aaron Plessinger
2017: Aaron Plessinger
2014: Cole Seely

By the Numbers

Detroit
Indianapolis
Daytona
Arlington
Oakland
Tampa
Houston
Anaheim 2
San Diego

More SuperMotocross coverage

How to Watch Seattle Supercross
Dylan Ferrandis may return before SX finale
SMX develops “Leader Lights”
Power Rankings after Detroit
Hunter Lawrence defends Haiden Deegan
Results and points after Detroit
Chase Sexton wins in Detroit, penalized seven points