Hulkenberg's Porsche drive a great showcase for modern versatility - MotorSportsTalk

A year ago, I noted how Nico Hulkenberg is now seemingly stuck in the F1 midfield for good, with his move from Sauber to Force India.

While he’s continuously been passed over for that elusive top ride in F1, what he will be able to showcase next year is that the modern F1 driver can be a versatile one, with his announcement on Thursday he’ll be racing for Porsche’s LMP1 program at Spa and Le Mans next season in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Part of the reason drivers such as Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt are regarded as the all-time legends of motorsports is because of their versatility. The top two IndyCar drivers in any order of all-time, Andretti also is a Formula One World Champion, with Foyt having captured the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Dan Gurney. Both are also Daytona 500 winners.

In modern times, drivers such as Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya have stood out for their ability to take up residence in disparate forms of open-wheel and stock car racing.

But in F1 the options are few and far between, frequently due to schedule or political conflicts.

That Force India has been gracious enough to allow Hulkenberg the opportunity to race with Porsche at the two most key FIA World Endurance Championship events in 2015 is a smart, positive development that I wish more teams, or championships, would take note of.

It’s a win-win situation really, for all parties. The media exposure of Hulkenberg racing at Le Mans is staggering, and for nearly every mention of him racing for Porsche will also come the mention that he ranks wherever in the F1 points standings with Force India. Force India will get noticed by the sports car media and world by virtue of its driver doing the running.

For Hulkenberg, it’s a chance to sample machinery of the highest technology besides F1 – the hybrid systems involved in LMP1 are world class by any measure. Mark Webber’s move to the WEC this season was arguably one of the biggest international motorsports story lines. In the same respect, Andre Lotterer’s one-off Grand Prix debut for Caterham at Spa was the story of a guy getting the chance to try out F1 after becoming a sports car star and three-time Le Mans winner, even if he preferred his full-time deal after the trial.

And for Hulkenberg, it’s his opportunity to be in win-contending equipment. Porsche has steadily improved over its first season with its 919 Hybrid and should be even better with another offseason to develop into 2015. Hulkenberg wouldn’t have taken the shot if he didn’t think he could make something out of it.

It gives an extra storyline for F1 during three F1 off-weekends, and it raises the WEC and Le Mans’ profile even more by having a current F1 driver in the field.

By contrast, there’s a conflict going on in Australian motorsport where a date clash of the V8 Supercars test day and the Bathurst 12 Hour GT3 race in February is preventing a crossover of stars.

But for “the Hulk,” Force India, F1, Porsche, the WEC and Le Mans, this signing appears to be a win-win all around.

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Jett Lawrence remains perfect in the Pro Motocross series after recording another perfect round at Hangtown in Rancho Cordova, California. In his second start on a 450, Lawrence won his second National with his fourth consecutive moto win. It is getting increasingly difficult to find the right superlatives to describe the exploits on the reigning 250 West Supercross champion.

“The track was so brutal out there,” Lawrence told NBC Sports Jason Thomas. “The bike handles amazing even when it’s not too friendly. You had to be really patient; you couldn’t take too much. I didn’t eat enough before that second moto. I kind of lost energy halfway through, but luckily I could use technique and balance and just keep that flow going.”

Lawrence leaves Hangtown with an 18-point advantage over Ferrandis in the 450 Motocross standings, but perhaps more importantly, he climbed to 19th in the SuperMotocross standings and should he stay there, he has an automatic invitation to the Main events in the SMX Championship.

“On this track, you just have to manage,” Lawrence continued. “If you try to take too much and not respect the track, it will bite you very quickly. It was humbling on the first few laps. I got kicked on the cutout at the start of the third section, the tabletop going to the left. I had to get my focus because the boys were coming.”

Still in his first few races since returning from a concussion suffered at Houston in the Supercross series, Dylan Ferrandis finished second with results of third in Moto 1 and second in Moto 2. While Ferrandis was happy with the result, he remains hopeful that he will contend for victory shortly.

“The first moto was very hard for my physically, Ferrandis said. “I got arm pump and when you get arm pump your body gets tired. But I’m very happy because we made a big change for the second moto. We tried stuff every session today and in the last moto the bike was much better, but unfortunately I wasn’t sure what I could do with this bike because the track was very hard and difficult to pass.”

RESULTS: How they finished in the 450 Overall at Hangtown

With the rash of injuries at the end of the Supercross season, the podium was filled with heartwarming stories. Cooper Webb returned to action last week in Pala and failed to make the podium. He is steadily improving with a third-place finish in Hangtown. after finishing with a 4-2.

“It’s incredible what seven days can do,” Webb said. “Last week I felt like I was going to get lapped in the second moto. This week, I could see the leader. It was nice. I fought hard, learned how to suffer again there and that felt nice.

Moto 2 wasn’t pretty for Lawrence. On several occasions in the opening laps, he nearly high sided as he rode the front wheel through the ruts. The reward was worth the risk. By the halfway point, Lawrence had 4.5-second lead over Webb, who was embroiled in a tight three-rider battle for second with his teammate Aaron Plessinger pressuring him and Ferrandis ready to take advantage if those made contact.

It took 20 minutes for Plessinger to get around Webb and once he did, he trailed Lawrence by four seconds. But then, with three minutes remaining, Plessinger crashed and had difficulty restarting the bike, handing second back to Webb who has seven seconds behind Lawrence. Plessinger fell to fourth with results of third and sixth.

Adam Cianciarulo rounded out the top five with a 5-4.

Heartbreak for Aaron Plessinger as he was charging forward 💔#ProMotocross #SuperMotocross #HangtownMX pic.twitter.com/vQtKIsuhVg

— Pro Motocross (@ProMotocross) June 4, 2023

Last week Hunter Lawrence won the overall with a 3-1. He repeated that feat in Hangtown in an exact replica of his Fox Raceway results last week. In Moto 1, Lawrence got off to a slow start and lost 10 seconds in the opening laps. Forced to overcome a sixth-place position in the race at the end of Lap 1, he once again caught the riders ahead of him when the field hit heavy traffic. For the second week, scored another 3-1 for the Hangtown National win.

“The start was crucial’ I knew I had to go,” Lawrence told NBC Sports’ Jason Thomas. “They laid a lot of water down, so I didn’t want to be behind any longer than [I was]. First hot one of the year, was a bit of a wakeup call, so I’m happy to get out of here safe and healthy.”

Lawrence’s third-place finish in Moto 1 featured a fierce battle for final spot on the podium when he caught Spain’s Guillem Farres and France’s Tom Vialle. With Lawrence hailing from Australia, the international nature of the sport was highlighted.

Lawrence left Hangtown with a 10-point advantage over Haiden Deegan in the Pro Motocross championship battle.

Click here for 250 overall results

Justin Cooper finished second in both motos to finish second overall. Hangtown represented a huge improvement from Fox Raceway where he finished fifth overall with a 5-4 finish in the two motos. Cooper pressured Haiden Deegan in the second half of Moto 1 and he earned the holeshot in the second moto and stayed within three seconds of Lawrence in that race.

“He was following me a little bit, checking out my lines, seeing where he was better,” Cooper said. “It’s disappointing to give up the lead like that but it was way better than last weekend. I will definitely take two seconds. I want to be on the top of the step. I feel like I get close to the top step but I never get it done. That’s building up the frustration – the fire. I really want to get one of these wins, so it’s time to start digging.”

Haiden Deegan earned the first holeshot of his career in Moto 1 and rode away from the field, building a four-second lead in the opening laps. Cooper trimmed the lead at the halfway point and for a while it leveled off at two seconds. Then Cooper made another charge with three to go and closed to within a second. Deegan was biding his time, however.

“I was saving a little. I knew at the end Justin was going to try and put a charge on. I let him get up close and then sent it super hard at the end to break him a little at the end.”

Deegan’s first moto win comes in only his fourth National and he remains perfect in regard to podiums this year.

“This was a dream since I was a little kid, to win,” Deegan said. “And in my fourth race, it’s gnarly. I was just sending it. I was getting a little tired at the end becasue I left my mouth open the whole time. It’s unreal; I’m so hyped. I wanted to win bad and I proved it to you guys.”

Chaos erupted in turn 1 in Moto 2 Jeremy Martin went and another rider ran over his arm. Michael Mosiman crashed further down the track on that same lap. Both riders were helped off course by the Alpinestars Medical team.

Deegan grabs his first 250 Mx moto win!1️⃣#ProMotocross #SuperMotocross #HangtownMX pic.twitter.com/1FH5s1ZHfn

— Pro Motocross (@ProMotocross) June 3, 2023