26/27/28 May
Lydden Hill is the spiritual home of rallycross, having staged the first ever race won by Vic Elford 50 years ago in 1967. With iconic corners such as Chessons Drift, Devil’s Elbow and Paddock Bend, the 1.17 km circuit has bags full of character and is an established fans favourite, but this weekend’s fifth round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship is set to be the last at the historic Kent circuit as it moves to Silverstone next year. With that in mind, make sure you don’t miss out on the grand farewell, with LIVE coverage of all the action on Motorsport.tv!
After Mattias Ekstrom dominated the opening three rounds, Johan Kristofferson ignited the World RX title battle in Belgium by becoming the first man to beat reigning champion Ekstrom this year. Just three points separate the two Swedes heading to Kent, where the field will be bolstered by several high-profile British competitors, not least touring car star Andrew Jordan, who finished on the podium in a cameo appearance in 2014. Lydden has produced a different winner in each of the last three years, with Ekstrom, Petter Solberg and Andreas Bakkerud all taking their turn at the top. Could Jordan, driving a Team Austria Fiesta, Sebastien Loeb, Timmy Hansen or even Ken Block ensure that statistic continues this weekend?
Image courtesy of Audi Media Centre
The LIVE action continues thick and fast as the FIM MXGP Championship heads to Ernee in France for round nine. A fifth win of the year in Germany for eight-time champion Tony Cairoli has allowed him to open up a 44 point margin atop the standings, but he had to fight hard to beat reigning MX2 champion Jeffrey Herlings, who is on a run of six consecutive podium finishes himself. Now fully healed after a wrist injury sustained in pre-season, Herlings is the championship’s form man and could be putting pressure on team-mate Cairoli as KTM’s lead rider in the second half of the season. Meanwhile, reigning champion Tim Gajser has not won since Italy in early April and risks losing second in the points to the ultra-consistent Husqvarna rider Gautier Paulin if the Frenchman can continue his excellent form on home turf.
Image courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool
Next it’s over to Winton, Victoria for highlights of the Australian Supercars, with Fabian Coulthard heading six-time champion Jamie Whincup and defending champion Shane van Gisbergen in the standings. Coulthard has not won a title since the 2005 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, but has made an excellent start to the year with DJR Team Penske, showing no signs of being overawed by his esteemed competition. With team-mate Scott McLaughlin getting off the mark in the last round at Barbagallo, DJR have a realistic chance to challenging for their first title since James Courtney in 2010, but Triple Eight will surely not go down without a fight in what is shaping up to be yet another Ford versus Holden epic.
Image courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool
GT3 racing is well established in Europe, but as the new-for-2017 Blancpain GT Series Asia shows, the format can be adapted successfully anywhere. After two entertaining races at Sepang in Malaysia, the championship travelled to the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, with Mercedes ace Maxi Buhk joining the fray to test his wits against the finest regional talent including ex-F1 driver Alex Yoong, Aditya Patel and Marchy Lee.
Filmed at the heart of the Motorsport Network in Richmond, check in with Peter Windsor and guests on The Flying Lap for unparalleled expert insight into the big talking points in motorsport, including the latest technical advances in Formula 1.
For all that, plus highlights from the FIA WRC’s Rally Portugal – including a few thrills and spills on the famous Fafe jump – sideways Scottish Legends action from Knockhill and finally the biggest and nosiest engines you’ll find anywhere in the world powering Top Fuel dragsters in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, there’s only one place to be this Bank Holiday weekend!
Friday 26th May
20:00 – Michelin Le Mans Cup, Rd 1, Monza
21:00 – NASCAR Camping World Trucks, Rd 5, Charlotte
22:00 – NHRA Drag Racing Championship, Rd 6, Four-Wide Nationals
Saturday 27th May
10:10 – Scottish BMW Compact Cup, Rd 1, Knockhill
10:40 – Scottish Fiestas, Rd 2, Knockhill
11:10 – Scottish Legends, Rd 2, Knockhill
12:10 – Britcar Endurance Championship, Rd 2, Snetterton
14:45 – FIA WRC Best-Of, Rd 6, Rally Portugal
17:20 – Blancpain GT Series Asia, Rd 2, Chang International Circuit
20:30 – Australia Supercars, Rd 5, Winton
Sunday 28th May
12:00 – LIVE FIA World Rallycross Championship, Rd 5, Great Britain
13:00 – NASCAR Camping World Trucks, Rd 5, Charlotte
14:00 – NHRA Drag Racing Championship, Rd 6, Four-Wide Nationals
18:05 – FIA WRC Best-Of, Rd 6, Rally Portugal
15:00 – LIVE FIM MX2, Rd 9, France (Race 1)
13:00 – LIVE FIM MXGP, Rd 9, France (Race 1)
15:00 – LIVE FIM MX2, Rd 9, France (Race 2)
16:00 – LIVE FIM MXGP, Rd 9, France (Race 2)
