Barcelona F1 2nd Test Paddock Notebook – Saturday

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The penultimate day of pre-season testing in Barcelona saw Lewis Hamilton finish at the top of the timesheets for the first time since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November, when he won his second world championship.

It wasn’t that Mercedes had been tardy or behind schedule throughout the winter, but instead that the German marque had been yet to truly show its hand.

However, it is now clear that, once again, the Silver Arrows will be the cars to beat in 2015. Nico Rosberg’s time on Friday was impressive, but the fact that Hamilton’s theoretical advantage over the rest of the field stands at 1.4 seconds is simply staggering – but more on that later.

Running in Barcelona was dry and cool once again, with only a couple of short red flag periods due to stoppages out on track. Carlos Sainz Jr. and Marcus Ericsson both required recovery in the final hour of the day, whilst Mercedes and McLaren both encountered problems with their cars that meant they could not break the 100 lap barrier.

The rest of the teams did manage to rack up over a century of laps on Saturday. Particularly impressive was Nico Hulkenberg in the Force India, with the German managing 157 laps despite the car being ‘like new’ after rolling out for the first time on Friday.

Rounding up all of today’s action, here’s the Paddock Notebook.

SESSION REPORT

NEWS FROM THE PADDOCK

THOUGHTS FROM THE TRACK

Meh-cedes?

When Lewis Hamilton pumped in his P1 lap time of 1:23.022, the entire F1 paddock took notice. Not only had he gone quicker than everyone else, but he had done so on a cold track and on a slower tire than the one Felipe Massa had used to set the previous benchmark. Quite clearly, Mercedes is the team to beat once again in 2015. However, Hamilton wasn’t so fussed, saying that it was a so-so day. The team cheekily bolted on a set of the super-soft tires in the final hour before a red flag brought an early end to the day, but had Hamilton been lapping in the right conditions, he could have – according to Pirelli – gone another 1.2 seconds quicker. That makes the theoretical gap to Williams, on the same tire, 1.4 seconds. In F1, that’s basically a lifetime.

Back to reality for McLaren

After completing 100 laps on Friday and appearing to have made a breakthrough, McLaren came back down to earth with a bump on Saturday in Barcelona as Kevin Magnussen could manage just 39 laps in the MP4-30. An oil leak forced the team to end its running after lunch, but the Dane was still happy with his efforts, even if he would prefer to be racing this year for McLaren instead of simply being its reserve driver. The team does not expect to be up to pace and really able to throw the car around until the beginning of the European season, but time will tell just how far behind it is.

In for the long haul

Today marked the final chance for a number of drivers to get in some lap time ahead of the first race of the season in Australia, making race simulations a key focus. After displaying an impressive short-run pace over the winter, Ferrari finally completed a race simulation with Kimi Raikkonen behind the wheel of the SF15-T. The Finn ran mainly on the unmarked Pirelli medium prototype tire, and laid down a very consistent pace that was comparable to that of Williams’ Felipe Massa, suggesting that the Italian marque has made a step forward over the winter. Marcus Ericsson was also completing a long run for Sauber, but his hard tire pace was far from impressive, suggesting that the Swiss team may be in for a rough ride once again in 2015.

Eyes on the ground

One of the advantages of actually being at testing is that you can make visual comparisons and deductions just by simply going out and watching the cars on track. I took some time out in the morning to head to turn ten and see how the different runners were faring, and it was interesting to compare it to the end of last year. Under braking, the Ferrari looks very impressive indeed, waiting quite late before getting on the brakes and staying planted through the corner. The Williams looks particularly smooth when getting on the power out of a corner, unlike the Force India and McLaren cars, whilst Sauber – and I really don’t want to seem like I’m picking on the team – seemed far less stable. The C34 still requires two or three turn-ins for a corner, looking ragged at the best of times. Just a few observations, but interesting nonetheless.

One day to go!

Just one day remains in the 2015 winter testing programme, and we finally appear to have some kind of pecking order shaping up. Mercedes is undoubtedly the team to beat once again, whilst an interesting battle for second between Ferrari, Red Bull and Williams appears to be on the cards. McLaren could yet get in the mix once its car is up to speed and problem-free, whilst Lotus has enjoyed an impressive testing period. Toro Rosso, Sauber and Force India are likely to fight just behind, and although Manor may not stand much chance of finishing outside of the bottom two positions, its presence will be welcomed by all (well, maybe not Force India…).

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We’ll be bringing you the final Paddock Notebook from testing in Barcelona tomorrow as the winter period wraps up. Just 15 days to go until the Australian Grand Prix now – where has the winter gone?

Beta Motorcycles joins SuperMotocross in 2024, Benny Bloss named first factory rider

Beta Motorcycles 2024 Bloss
Beta Motorcycles
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Benny Bloss will race for the factory Beta Motorcycles team in 2024 as that manufacturer joins SuperMotocross as the ninth brand to compete in the series. Beta Motorcycles will make their debut in the Monster Energy Supercross opener at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California in January.

Benny Bloss finished among the top 10 twice in Pro Motocross, in 2016 and 2018. – Beta Motorcycles

“The wait is over and we can finally share everything we have been working towards,” said Carlen Gardner, Race Team Manager in a press release. “It has been a great experience being a part of this development and seeing the progression. The only missing part was finding a rider that would mesh well with our Beta Family.

“After a one phone call with Benny, we knew it would be a good fit for him, and for us. We are happy to have him on board for the next two years and can’t wait to see everyone at Anaheim in January.”

Bloss debuted in the 450 class in 2015 with a 15th-place finish overall at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Bloss has a pair of top-10 rankings in the division with a sixth-place finish in the Pro Motocross Championship in 2016 and a seventh in 2018. His best Supercross season ended 15th in the standings in 2018.

“I’m extremely excited to join the Beta Factory Racing team,” Bloss said. “It’s cool to see a brand with such a rich history in off-road racing to come into the US Supercross and Motocross space. I know this team will be capable of great things as we build and go racing in 2024.”

Bloss is currently 22nd in the SuperMotocross rankings and has not raced in the first two rounds of the Motocross season.

Testing for Beta Motorcycles is scheduled to begin in August and the team expects to announce a second rider at that time.

The family-owned brand adds to the international flare of the sport. The company was founded in Florence, Italy in 1905 as Società Giuseppe Bianchi as they built handmade bicycles, The transition to motorcycle production in the late 1940s.

Beta Motorcycles competed and won in motocross competition in the late 1970s and early 1980s with Jim Pomeroy and other riders.

Beta will join Triumph Motorcycles as a second historic brand to join the sport in 2024. First established in 1902, Triumph has won in nearly every division they have competed in, dating back to their first victory in the 1908 Isle of Man TT. Triumph will debut in the 250 class in 2024 and plans to expand into 450s in 2025.