Alonso accepts Ice Bucket Challenge, nominates Montezemolo and Briatore (VIDEO) - MotorSportsTalk

Following the example set by Felipe Massa, Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso has become the latest member of the Formula 1 paddock to take on the Ice Bucket Challenge in aid of the ALS Association.

This challenge has gone viral over the summer, raising millions of dollars for the ALS Association. ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, affects thousands of Americans, damaging nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, thus impacting muscle movement.

Participants are dared to pour a bucket of ice-cold water over their heads and donate some money to the fund, before nominating three people to do the same.

Alonso had been challenged by Felipe Massa and soccer player Juan Manuel Mata to film his effort and put it online, and the Ferrari driver was happy to following practice for the Belgian Grand Prix yesterday.

He then nominated Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, former F1 team principal Flavio Briatore and Spanish musician Placido Domingo to take a turn.

Massa also challenged Williams engineer Rob Smedley, and the Brazilian made sure that it was completed, pouring a glass of ice cubes onto his head in the team’s motorhome. You can watch that video here.

For more information on ALS, visit the ALS Association’s website.

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In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

Read more about SuperMotocross