Starting grid for the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix - MotorSportsTalk

Nico Rosberg’s streak of pole positions extended to four in Belgium yesterday after he saw off Mercedes teammate and championship rival Lewis Hamilton in the final part of qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps.

The German driver secured his seventh pole position of the season by two-tenths of a second after taming the wet conditions in his W05 Hybrid, but with Hamilton securing his first front-row start since the Canadian Grand Prix in June, the stage is set for an epic fight at the front of the field today.

Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso both managed to capitalize on the wet conditions to qualify on the second row, whilst Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas line up in fifth and sixth place on the grid.

The session did see the likes of Jules Bianchi and Kevin Magnussen shine, with both youngsters securing a good grid slot for today’s race. P16 may not seem like much, but for Bianchi and Marussia, it is a very big deal indeed.

Although the forecast for today’s race is dry, rain could yet interrupt proceedings given Spa’s microclimatic nature.

You can watch the Belgian Grand Prix live on NBCSN and Live Extra from 7.30am ET today.

FROM THE STEWARDS’ OFFICE

It has been a quiet weekend for the stewards in Belgium, with only two minor bits of news:

Daniel Ricciardo was fined €1,000 for speeding in the pit lane during qualifying.
Pastor Maldonado, Fernando Alonso and Daniil Kvyat were randomly selected for anti-doping tests as part of the FIA’s regular procedure.

STARTING GRID FOR THE 2014 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX

1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes
2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull
4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari
5. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull
6. Valtteri Bottas Williams
7. Kevin Magnussen McLaren
8. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari
9. Felipe Massa Williams
10. Jenson Button McLaren
11. Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso
12. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso
13. Sergio Perez Force India
14. Adrian Sutil Sauber
15. Romain Grosjean Lotus
16. Jules Bianchi Marussia
17. Pastor Maldonado Lotus
18. Nico Hulkenberg Force India
19. Max Chilton Marussia
20. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber
21. Andre Lotterer Caterham
22. Marcus Ericsson Caterham

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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