Fulham 3-2 QPR: Fulham move a point off the magic 40 mark, plus nine points clear of the bottom three, while QPR remain seven points from safety. Fulham took the lead on eight minutes when Ashkan Dejagah was brought down by Christopher Samba in the box, Dimitar Berbatov stepped up and converted coolly for his fourth goal in successive games, also only the first penalty QPR have conceded all season. The Bulgarian was on the scoresheet again on 22-minutes when poor play from Samba allowed Berbatov in to score his 13th goal of the season with a nonchalant shot from outside his right boot. The game was all but over four minutes before half time when Bryan Ruiz's low cross was turned in to his own net by Clint Hall. QPR were handed a lifeline in first half injury time when a slip from Giorgos Karagounis allowed Adel Taarabt to collect the ball and score from Brede Hangeland's legs. QPR were handed a second lifeline just three minutes in to the second half Karagounis brought down Taarabt in the box and another penalty was given. Loic Remy stepped up but it was magnificently saved by Mark Schwarzer. But the Frenchman made amends two minutes later, scoring after Stephane Mbia was able to loft to the ball over to him. Fulham would then spend the final 11-minutes with ten men as Steve Sidwell was sent off for a late challenge on Armand Traore but the Cottagers held on to keep QPR in deep trouble.
Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool: Villa remain in the relegation zone on goal difference after another game where the hosts would have liked to have finished at half-time. Villa took the lead just after the half hour mark when a long ball was brought down by Gabriel Agbonlahor and half volleyed home by Christian Benteke for his 14th goal of the season. Liverpool hadn't turned over a deficit in the league this season until today and Jordan Henderson gave them the equaliser two minutes in to the second half after a brilliant through ball from Philippe Coutinho. The winner came on the hour mark when Nathan Baker slid in to Luis Suarez and brought him down in the box. Steven Gerrard stepped up and expertly dispatched the penalty in to the bottom corner, despite Brad Guzan guessing correctly.
Sunderland 0-1 Manchester United: United did extend their lead to 18-points for a few hours with this slight victory over struggling Sunderland who now sit just a point above the relegation zone. The only goal of the game came on 27-minutes when Robin Van Persie's hopeful strike across goal was diverted in by Titus Bramble. The win sees United set a record as they become the first side in the Premiership to win 25 of first 30 matches in a season. The defeat for Sunderland has cost Martin O'Neill his job and the Black Cats will announce his successor in the coming days.
Southampton 2-1 Chelsea: The Saints move four points clear of relegation with Chelsea now falling two points behind Tottenham, with a game in hand, and just two points ahead of Arsenal. Southampton took the lead on 23-minutes when Jay Rodriguez coolly slotted home after a one-two with Steven Davis ripped the Chelsea defence apart. The returning John Terry found an equaliser ten minutes later with a free header from a corner. With Rickie Lambert celebrating his 500th senior appearance, there was perhaps nobody else who could win the game. The Saints forward curled a spectacular free-kick in to the net to give Southampton the crucial victory ten minutes before half-time.
Swansea 1-2 Tottenham: Spurs return to third by two points, Chelsea do have a game in hand, after staving off a Swansea fight back. It took seven minutes for Tottenham to take the lead when Jan Vertonghen played the ball to Gareth Bale. Bale returned the compliment with a chip through ball which the Belgian brilliantly controlled and slotted home. The roles were reversed on 21-minutes when Vertonghen fed the ball through for Bale and Welshman took one touch to control it before unleashing another great strike past the unsuspecting Michel Vorm. Swansea hit the woodwork in the first half but managed to pull one back on 71-minutes when Michu rose the highest from a corner to head home off the post. But Tottenham managed to hold on and even went on to hit the post through Bale, eventually taking all three points from the Liberty Stadium.
Arsenal 4-1 Reading: Nigel Adkins' first game in charge actually sees The Royals move to the bottom of the table on goal difference without QPR even playing. The convincing victory for Arsenal means that they are now just two points behind Chelsea in the race for fourth. The deadlock was broken on 11-minutes when Santi Cazorla's low shot-come-cross was tapped home by Gervinho, making it two in two for the Ivorian. Arsenal doubled their lead three minutes in to the second half when the roles were reversed; Gervinho playing the ball to Cazorla and the Spaniard effortlessly curled the ball in to the bottom corner. Gervinho gained a second assist on 67-minutes when the Ivorian sprung a counter attack before playing the ball to Olivier Giroud to slot home. Reading did score a consolation a minute later when substitute Hal Robson-Kanu dived to head home from a Jobi McAnuff cross. But the last word came from The Gunners when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was brought down by Adrian Mariappa on 77-minutes, Mikel Arteta stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way to cap off a good performance.
Wigan 1-0 Norwich: Wigan's latest great escape is still on after moving out of the bottom three on goal difference following this win over Norwich. The winner came nine minutes from the end with Arouna Kone finding a shot that was too powerful for Lee Camp, although Camp knows he probably should have done better. Norwich have now been sucked in to the relegation battle as they are now only four points above the drop.
Manchester City 4-0 Newcastle: City keep the gap at 15 with a good win over Newcastle who are now just three points above the relegation zone. The hosts had to wait for 41-minutes before opening the scoring with Carlos Tevez sliding home a Gael Clichy low cross. David Silva added a second in first half injury time when Samir Nasri thread a ball in to his path and the Spaniard lashed it home. Roberto Mancini and Vincent Kompany have been in the headlines recently over an alleged spat, but all was forgotten when the Belgian diverted Gareth Barry's effort from an undefended corner in to the net 11-minutes in to the second period. The rout was completed on 69-minutes when Yaya Toure's attempted smash across goal was blocked in to the net by the sliding James Perch.
West Ham 3-1 West Brom: West Ham are the biggest movers of the day, managing to move six points clear of the bottom three. Andy Carroll headed West Ham in front from a corner on 16-minutes before Gary O'Neil scored a great goal from the edge of the area, in to the top corner, on 28-minutes. Carroll added a third with a great over the shoulder volley from a defensive free-kick ten minutes before the end. West Ham went down to ten men when substitute George McCartney went off injured. West Brom were given a consolation when Romelu Lukaku went down under an aerial sandwich, Graham Dorrans stepped up and converted straight down the middle with two minutes left to play. The last piece of action came in the fifth minute of added time when Youssouf Mulumbu acted angrily to an O'Neil trip, the Congolese lost his head and picked the ball up before kicking it at O'Neil and was duly sent off.
Everton 1-0 Stoke: Everton keep their hopes of a Champions League place alive by moving four points behind Chelsea, whereas Stoke are now just four points from safety and very much in the mix for relegation. The only goal of the game came on 28-minutes when a punch from Tim Howard was picked up by Kevin Mirallas and the Portuguese ran the majority of the pitch before expertly finishing past Asmir Begovic after beating a couple of defenders.
Monday, 1 April 2013
Chelsea Book Wembley Date
Chelsea will face Manchester City in the second semi-final of the FA Cup after edging out Manchester United in a drab Bank Holiday affair. One goal from Demba Ba four minutes in to the second half was enough for the defending champions to progress in a bid to make it five FA Cups in seven years.
Whether it was the fatigue from playing on Saturday, the extremely unusual early Monday kick-off or the cold weather, the proposed heavyweight contest never really sprung in to life during the course of the match. Mis-placed passing was the story of the whole game with Nani and Juan Mata being the most under-whelming during the first half.
The news before the match mainly concerned Wayne Rooney and his absence from the United squad, which was due to a groin injury picked up during the internationals. Robin Van Persie was also on the bench, leaving Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez, who had scored in his last four matches against Chelsea, up front. Fernando Torres was left on the bench for Chelsea with Ba up front on his own.
You know how well a half went when you're more interested in whether the two managers had shook hands before the match started, which they did. Chelsea were better in possession in the early going but neither keeper saw the ball for much of the half.
Ashley Cole was forced off with a hamstring injury on 17-minutes and had to be replaced by Ryan Bertrand, sources believe Cole may be out for two weeks. It took until the second period of the first half for United to begin to get in to the game and they looked comfortable around the box, but the final ball was lacking. The first real chance of the half came on the half hour mark when Ba's powerful shot from a narrow angle was saved by the legs of David De Gea. United's best chance of the half came five minutes before half time when Hernandez's swerving shot seemed to deceive Petr Cech but he managed to parry the ball with his feet.
The second half didn't start any better but the game changed when Mata's ball over the top was met by Ba with a superb volley which went past the stationary De Gea and in to the top corner. Any thoughts that the goal may have started United off were quashed pretty quickly as Chelsea looked the most likely to score a second.
The best chance for United to equalise came on the hour mark when a Welbeck cross-come-shot was met by Hernandez's head from six yards. But somehow Cech managed to throw an arm at the ball and miraculously turn it over the bar, a definite save of the season contender.
Straight from that chance, Mata went up the other end a blasted the ball from an acute angle which looked to have just hit the side netting and a goal kick was given. But replays showed De Gea got a hand to it which did actually stop the ball from going in and a corner should have been given. Eden Hazard also had a great chance to make it 2-0 when Michael Carrick inadvertently played him through but the Belgian dragged his shot wide.
United did have two potential chances to steal an equaliser late on through substitute Van Persie. The first was headed over the bar before the Dutchman found space when Patrice Evra played the ball back, but Van Persie could only hit his effort high over the woodwork. That just leaves the probable league now for United with Rafa Benitez still able to leave Chelsea with a trophy at the end of the season.
Whether it was the fatigue from playing on Saturday, the extremely unusual early Monday kick-off or the cold weather, the proposed heavyweight contest never really sprung in to life during the course of the match. Mis-placed passing was the story of the whole game with Nani and Juan Mata being the most under-whelming during the first half.
The news before the match mainly concerned Wayne Rooney and his absence from the United squad, which was due to a groin injury picked up during the internationals. Robin Van Persie was also on the bench, leaving Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez, who had scored in his last four matches against Chelsea, up front. Fernando Torres was left on the bench for Chelsea with Ba up front on his own.
You know how well a half went when you're more interested in whether the two managers had shook hands before the match started, which they did. Chelsea were better in possession in the early going but neither keeper saw the ball for much of the half.
Ashley Cole was forced off with a hamstring injury on 17-minutes and had to be replaced by Ryan Bertrand, sources believe Cole may be out for two weeks. It took until the second period of the first half for United to begin to get in to the game and they looked comfortable around the box, but the final ball was lacking. The first real chance of the half came on the half hour mark when Ba's powerful shot from a narrow angle was saved by the legs of David De Gea. United's best chance of the half came five minutes before half time when Hernandez's swerving shot seemed to deceive Petr Cech but he managed to parry the ball with his feet.
The second half didn't start any better but the game changed when Mata's ball over the top was met by Ba with a superb volley which went past the stationary De Gea and in to the top corner. Any thoughts that the goal may have started United off were quashed pretty quickly as Chelsea looked the most likely to score a second.
The best chance for United to equalise came on the hour mark when a Welbeck cross-come-shot was met by Hernandez's head from six yards. But somehow Cech managed to throw an arm at the ball and miraculously turn it over the bar, a definite save of the season contender.
Straight from that chance, Mata went up the other end a blasted the ball from an acute angle which looked to have just hit the side netting and a goal kick was given. But replays showed De Gea got a hand to it which did actually stop the ball from going in and a corner should have been given. Eden Hazard also had a great chance to make it 2-0 when Michael Carrick inadvertently played him through but the Belgian dragged his shot wide.
United did have two potential chances to steal an equaliser late on through substitute Van Persie. The first was headed over the bar before the Dutchman found space when Patrice Evra played the ball back, but Van Persie could only hit his effort high over the woodwork. That just leaves the probable league now for United with Rafa Benitez still able to leave Chelsea with a trophy at the end of the season.
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Four At Top On Ten, Two From Four To Be Relegated
The axe of relegation will fall in Brighton next week and we are no closer to finding who will be eliminated. Four of the ten players could still potentially get relegated, whereas another four players are locked at the top on ten points. Wins for Phil Taylor and James Wade over Raymond Van Barneveld and Michael Van Gerwen respectively, sees the English pair move level with the Dutch duo at the top. A win for Newton over Anderson meant The Warrior lived to fight another day with both players trying to leapfrog Simon Whitlock or Adrian Lewis next week.
The night in Glasgow began with Lewis facing Andy Hamilton. The partisan crowd overwhelmed Lewis in the beginning although Hamilton finally took double one at the 11th time of asking, Lewis having missed seven darts himself. The Hammer made it 2-0 at the third attempt before Lewis finally tried to make his darts do the talking. After Hamilton missed the double for a 150-checkout, Lewis pulled a leg back. Hamilton then missed two darts in the sixth leg which enabled Lewis to take a crucial 4-2 lead. Lewis returned the favour in the following leg before Hamilton bizarrely bust-164 and Lewis made it 5-3. Hamilton pulled a leg back with a ton checkout, only for Lewis to better that with an impressive 124-checkout on the bull to guarantee himself a point. Jackpot then took the 11th leg to win the match 7-4 and give him the best possible chance of avoiding relegation next week.
The first of the Scots to perform in front of his home crowd was Robert Thornton against Whitlock. Thornton was well and truly spurred on by the crowd and a 157-checkout made it 3-0. A 114-checkout from Whitlock finally put a leg on the board at 4-1. But that didn't stem the tide and a 121-checkout gave Thornton a point before Whitlock missed two darts to avoid the 7-1 pasting which keeps him just a point above the relegation zone.
Once again, Van Barneveld couldn't shake off his Taylor hoodoo and is still to beat The Power on television since 2008. The Dutchman played extremely well, as did Taylor, but three missed darts in the second leg allowed Taylor to crucially break the throw. Barney did hold his throw in the fourth leg and then again in the sixth, but was still 4-2 down. The Dutchman then missed another four darts to break back in the seventh leg and Taylor did manage to break in the eighth to go 6-3 in front. A 144-checkout from Van Barneveld did deny the inevitable for a further leg before missing two darts in the tenth leg to allow Taylor to go top of the league on leg difference.
Anderson has never won in Glasgow and Newton used this to his advantage to stay in the Premier League. If Newton lost, he would have been relegated but 13-missed darts from Anderson allowed The Warrior to go 2-0 ahead. Anderson managed to win the third leg at the fourth attempt before a missed dart for a 115-checkout allowed the Scot to level the match. Anderson then took the fifth leg to take the lead, only for Newton to level with a 132-checkout. Newton went on to miss two darts in the seventh leg only for Anderson to miss a dart at 160-checkout, allowing Newton to once again equalise. The Scot managed an 84-checkout on the bull in the ninth leg but a missed dart in the tenth once again gave Newton to chance to level with a brilliant Shanghai-120 checkout. Five more missed darts meant Anderson again failed to guarantee himself a point. Newton then held on to take out-72 and crucially win 7-5 and move above Anderson on leg difference.
The final game of the night saw Wade join the double figures club alongside Van Gerwen. A 134-checkout from Wade put himself 3-1 ahead after initially losing the opening leg. Van Gerwen missed three darts at the double in the fifth leg to move Wade 4-1 ahead. Van Gerwen tried to fight back and made it 4-3 before a brilliant 135-checkout restored the two leg advantage. The Dutchman then missed three darts as Wade earned himself a point. Wade missed two match darts in the tenth leg but The Machine completed the match with a superb 130-checkout.
Lewis only needs a point to guarantee his safety next week, but it has to come against Van Barneveld. Whitlock has the extremely tough task of needing to beat Van Gerwen next week to be assured of a place in the second phase. This may give Anderson and Newton hope as they face Wade and Hamilton respectively. What it does mean though is that Judgement Day will be one not to miss next week. Table after week eight:
1. Phil Taylor 10 +12
2. Michael Van Gerwen 10 +12
3. James Wade 10 +9
4. Raymond Van Barneveld 10 +6
5. Robert Thornton 9 +5
6. Andy Hamilton 8 0
7. Adrian Lewis 7 -7
8. Simon Whitlock 6 -11
9. Wes Newton 5 -12
10. Gary Anderson 5 -14
The night in Glasgow began with Lewis facing Andy Hamilton. The partisan crowd overwhelmed Lewis in the beginning although Hamilton finally took double one at the 11th time of asking, Lewis having missed seven darts himself. The Hammer made it 2-0 at the third attempt before Lewis finally tried to make his darts do the talking. After Hamilton missed the double for a 150-checkout, Lewis pulled a leg back. Hamilton then missed two darts in the sixth leg which enabled Lewis to take a crucial 4-2 lead. Lewis returned the favour in the following leg before Hamilton bizarrely bust-164 and Lewis made it 5-3. Hamilton pulled a leg back with a ton checkout, only for Lewis to better that with an impressive 124-checkout on the bull to guarantee himself a point. Jackpot then took the 11th leg to win the match 7-4 and give him the best possible chance of avoiding relegation next week.
The first of the Scots to perform in front of his home crowd was Robert Thornton against Whitlock. Thornton was well and truly spurred on by the crowd and a 157-checkout made it 3-0. A 114-checkout from Whitlock finally put a leg on the board at 4-1. But that didn't stem the tide and a 121-checkout gave Thornton a point before Whitlock missed two darts to avoid the 7-1 pasting which keeps him just a point above the relegation zone.
Once again, Van Barneveld couldn't shake off his Taylor hoodoo and is still to beat The Power on television since 2008. The Dutchman played extremely well, as did Taylor, but three missed darts in the second leg allowed Taylor to crucially break the throw. Barney did hold his throw in the fourth leg and then again in the sixth, but was still 4-2 down. The Dutchman then missed another four darts to break back in the seventh leg and Taylor did manage to break in the eighth to go 6-3 in front. A 144-checkout from Van Barneveld did deny the inevitable for a further leg before missing two darts in the tenth leg to allow Taylor to go top of the league on leg difference.
Anderson has never won in Glasgow and Newton used this to his advantage to stay in the Premier League. If Newton lost, he would have been relegated but 13-missed darts from Anderson allowed The Warrior to go 2-0 ahead. Anderson managed to win the third leg at the fourth attempt before a missed dart for a 115-checkout allowed the Scot to level the match. Anderson then took the fifth leg to take the lead, only for Newton to level with a 132-checkout. Newton went on to miss two darts in the seventh leg only for Anderson to miss a dart at 160-checkout, allowing Newton to once again equalise. The Scot managed an 84-checkout on the bull in the ninth leg but a missed dart in the tenth once again gave Newton to chance to level with a brilliant Shanghai-120 checkout. Five more missed darts meant Anderson again failed to guarantee himself a point. Newton then held on to take out-72 and crucially win 7-5 and move above Anderson on leg difference.
The final game of the night saw Wade join the double figures club alongside Van Gerwen. A 134-checkout from Wade put himself 3-1 ahead after initially losing the opening leg. Van Gerwen missed three darts at the double in the fifth leg to move Wade 4-1 ahead. Van Gerwen tried to fight back and made it 4-3 before a brilliant 135-checkout restored the two leg advantage. The Dutchman then missed three darts as Wade earned himself a point. Wade missed two match darts in the tenth leg but The Machine completed the match with a superb 130-checkout.
Lewis only needs a point to guarantee his safety next week, but it has to come against Van Barneveld. Whitlock has the extremely tough task of needing to beat Van Gerwen next week to be assured of a place in the second phase. This may give Anderson and Newton hope as they face Wade and Hamilton respectively. What it does mean though is that Judgement Day will be one not to miss next week. Table after week eight:
1. Phil Taylor 10 +12
2. Michael Van Gerwen 10 +12
3. James Wade 10 +9
4. Raymond Van Barneveld 10 +6
5. Robert Thornton 9 +5
6. Andy Hamilton 8 0
7. Adrian Lewis 7 -7
8. Simon Whitlock 6 -11
9. Wes Newton 5 -12
10. Gary Anderson 5 -14
Sunday, 24 March 2013
Vettel Defies Team Orders To Win
The Malaysian Grand Prix may be remembered for team orders more than anything this year as Sebastian Vettel coasted home to victory after being told off by Christian Horner. The Red Bull team principle didn't want to see Vettel and Webber fighting it out for the victory and once Vettel had ignored team orders and got past Webber, the Australian held back to allow the World Champion the victory.
But Red Bull weren't the only team using team orders to make sure their drivers didn't race amongst themselves. Behind the Red Bull one-two were the Mercedes cars and with Lewis Hamilton being told to nurse the car home to save fuel, Nico Rosberg was told that he was allowed to try and take the podium off of Hamilton despite the German's pleas.
During the race, Vettel was called silly by Horner and that he will have to explain his actions after the race. Meanwhile, Ross Brawn was congratulating and thanking Rosberg for doing what he was told to which the German replied 'I won't forget this'.
Thankfully, it was a dry race despite the track being wet in parts for opening few laps. Ferrari were the team on everybody's lips for a possible one-two but Fernando Alonso crashed out in the second lap and Felipe Massa could only manage fifth. It was also a bad day in the pits as a cock-up for McLaren cost Jenson Button that fifth place and he ended up retiring as did the Force India pairing because of faulty wheel nuts, this was a shame as Paul Di Resta had been setting fastest laps in the midfield beforehand.
The race began with everyone on intermediate tyres because the first part of the track was still wet despite sectors two and three being dry enough for slick tyres. Webber had a great start and managed to get himself in behind Vettel with the Ferraris also in hot pursuit. Going in to the second corner, Alonso had overtaken Massa and had managed to get in front of Webber with Vettel firmly in his sights. But Alonso was too eager and slightly went in to the back of the Red Bull, causing the Ferrari severe front wing damage.
Button had manage to propel himself up to fifth with Massa dropping to sixth. As the leaders got to the final corner, Alonso decided not to pit and change the stricken front wing. Webber managed to overtake the Ferrari on the home straight just before that front wing ended up going underneath the chassis and causing Alonso to get beached in the gravel and be out of the race, when really he should have pitted.
The pace of Mercedes was clear for much of the race and Rosberg easily overtook Button on the third lap to take fourth. By lap six the track Vettel had decided the track was dry enough to change to slicks and he was the first to come in along with Massa. In contrast to Vettel, Webber was told to stay out and this proved to be the right call.
Webber and Hamilton waited two more laps before they pitted and Webber ended up coming out of ahead of his team mate. But the drama in the pits had only just begun; when Hamilton arrived he forgot who he was racing for and ended up going into the McLaren bay, only to be moved on to the Mercedes area. Just after that, Jean-Eric Vergne was unsafely released and the Toro Rosso collided with Charles Pic's Caterham, causing both cars to have front wing damage and needing extra time in the paddock.
Pastor Maldonado struggled with the Williams all afternoon and the Venezuelan went off the track on lap-14, losing half of his front wing as he hit the kerb, but he did manage to continue. Last week's winner, Kimi Raikkonen, looked to be in a different car this race and also struggled for a lot of it. The Finn did manage to overtake Sergio Perez on lap-16 after chasing him for around five laps to gain eighth.
Webber was the first to pit for the second round on lap-20. It was a lap later when Force India began having their problems in the pits as they struggled with Di Resta's left front tyre. Many had come in and gone out again by the time Di Resta finally came out 21st and 48-seconds behind. Sutil came in on lap-23 and unfortunately suffered from the same problem.
A lap later and Di Resta was called back in to be retired as the team wouldn't have been able to cope with another pit stop. Sutil was also brought in on lap-29 to end a promising weekend for Force India on the lowest possible note.
Lap-31 saw Hamilton pit first in round three. That was followed by Webber and Rosberg a lap later before Vettel came in another lap after that. But that proved to be a mistake for the German as he ended up coming out behind Hamilton.
Button had decided to stay out for a while longer than the rest but Webber had managed to overtake him on lap-35 to regain the lead. A lap later, Button had decided to pit but was released too early with his right front tyre not fixed on. Luckily, Button stopped mid-way down the pit lane and the crew were able to wheel him back in but it pushed him down to 14th from 5th.
Vettel managed to overtake Hamilton on lap-39. Raikkonen had managed to get himself up to eighth after overtaking Nico Hulkenberg after another epic battle, two laps later. The fourth set of pit stops began with Hamilton on lap-42. Vettel came in the next lap with Webber waiting until the following one. Vettel was the one to gain as Webber came out just inches ahead of his team mate and it was the start of a huge battle.
Despite the cries from Horner, Vettel managed to overtake Webber on lap-46. From there, it would seem that Webber was told to back off as within five laps, Vettel had moved six seconds clear, thus ending a thrilling inter-team battle.
Maldonado's race ended on lap-48 after getting beached, meaning that he has failed to complete either race this season. Raikkonen and Massa managed to overtake Perez on lap-49 to move sixth, seventh and eighth respectively. The Ferrari then managed to overtake the Lotus a lap later to take sixth.
Daniel Ricciardo was retired on lap-54 for Toro Rosso. Also on that lap, Massa had tracked down Romain Grosjean to take fifth place. The final retirement came a lap later for a very disappointed Button. Rosberg would have taken third off of Hamilton if he would have been allowed to race, but unfortunately this was not the case and the German was definitely unhappy. Race result:
1. Vettel (Red Bull), 2. Webber (Red Bull), 3. Hamilton (Mercedes), 4. Rosberg (Mercedes), 5. Massa (Ferrari), 6. Grosjean (Lotus), 7. Raikkonen (Lotus), 8. Hulkenberg (Sauber), 9. Perez (McLaren), 10. Vergne (Toro Rosso), 11. Bottas (Williams), 12. Gutierrez (Sauber), 13. Bianchi (Marussia), 14. Pic (Caterham), 15. Van Der Garde (Caterham), 16. Chilton (Marussia) DNF: Alonso (Ferrari), Di Resta (Force India), Sutil (Force India), Maldonado (Williams), Ricciardo (Toro Rosso), Button (McLaren)
But Red Bull weren't the only team using team orders to make sure their drivers didn't race amongst themselves. Behind the Red Bull one-two were the Mercedes cars and with Lewis Hamilton being told to nurse the car home to save fuel, Nico Rosberg was told that he was allowed to try and take the podium off of Hamilton despite the German's pleas.
During the race, Vettel was called silly by Horner and that he will have to explain his actions after the race. Meanwhile, Ross Brawn was congratulating and thanking Rosberg for doing what he was told to which the German replied 'I won't forget this'.
Thankfully, it was a dry race despite the track being wet in parts for opening few laps. Ferrari were the team on everybody's lips for a possible one-two but Fernando Alonso crashed out in the second lap and Felipe Massa could only manage fifth. It was also a bad day in the pits as a cock-up for McLaren cost Jenson Button that fifth place and he ended up retiring as did the Force India pairing because of faulty wheel nuts, this was a shame as Paul Di Resta had been setting fastest laps in the midfield beforehand.
The race began with everyone on intermediate tyres because the first part of the track was still wet despite sectors two and three being dry enough for slick tyres. Webber had a great start and managed to get himself in behind Vettel with the Ferraris also in hot pursuit. Going in to the second corner, Alonso had overtaken Massa and had managed to get in front of Webber with Vettel firmly in his sights. But Alonso was too eager and slightly went in to the back of the Red Bull, causing the Ferrari severe front wing damage.
Button had manage to propel himself up to fifth with Massa dropping to sixth. As the leaders got to the final corner, Alonso decided not to pit and change the stricken front wing. Webber managed to overtake the Ferrari on the home straight just before that front wing ended up going underneath the chassis and causing Alonso to get beached in the gravel and be out of the race, when really he should have pitted.
The pace of Mercedes was clear for much of the race and Rosberg easily overtook Button on the third lap to take fourth. By lap six the track Vettel had decided the track was dry enough to change to slicks and he was the first to come in along with Massa. In contrast to Vettel, Webber was told to stay out and this proved to be the right call.
Webber and Hamilton waited two more laps before they pitted and Webber ended up coming out of ahead of his team mate. But the drama in the pits had only just begun; when Hamilton arrived he forgot who he was racing for and ended up going into the McLaren bay, only to be moved on to the Mercedes area. Just after that, Jean-Eric Vergne was unsafely released and the Toro Rosso collided with Charles Pic's Caterham, causing both cars to have front wing damage and needing extra time in the paddock.
Pastor Maldonado struggled with the Williams all afternoon and the Venezuelan went off the track on lap-14, losing half of his front wing as he hit the kerb, but he did manage to continue. Last week's winner, Kimi Raikkonen, looked to be in a different car this race and also struggled for a lot of it. The Finn did manage to overtake Sergio Perez on lap-16 after chasing him for around five laps to gain eighth.
Webber was the first to pit for the second round on lap-20. It was a lap later when Force India began having their problems in the pits as they struggled with Di Resta's left front tyre. Many had come in and gone out again by the time Di Resta finally came out 21st and 48-seconds behind. Sutil came in on lap-23 and unfortunately suffered from the same problem.
A lap later and Di Resta was called back in to be retired as the team wouldn't have been able to cope with another pit stop. Sutil was also brought in on lap-29 to end a promising weekend for Force India on the lowest possible note.
Lap-31 saw Hamilton pit first in round three. That was followed by Webber and Rosberg a lap later before Vettel came in another lap after that. But that proved to be a mistake for the German as he ended up coming out behind Hamilton.
Button had decided to stay out for a while longer than the rest but Webber had managed to overtake him on lap-35 to regain the lead. A lap later, Button had decided to pit but was released too early with his right front tyre not fixed on. Luckily, Button stopped mid-way down the pit lane and the crew were able to wheel him back in but it pushed him down to 14th from 5th.
Vettel managed to overtake Hamilton on lap-39. Raikkonen had managed to get himself up to eighth after overtaking Nico Hulkenberg after another epic battle, two laps later. The fourth set of pit stops began with Hamilton on lap-42. Vettel came in the next lap with Webber waiting until the following one. Vettel was the one to gain as Webber came out just inches ahead of his team mate and it was the start of a huge battle.
Despite the cries from Horner, Vettel managed to overtake Webber on lap-46. From there, it would seem that Webber was told to back off as within five laps, Vettel had moved six seconds clear, thus ending a thrilling inter-team battle.
Maldonado's race ended on lap-48 after getting beached, meaning that he has failed to complete either race this season. Raikkonen and Massa managed to overtake Perez on lap-49 to move sixth, seventh and eighth respectively. The Ferrari then managed to overtake the Lotus a lap later to take sixth.
Daniel Ricciardo was retired on lap-54 for Toro Rosso. Also on that lap, Massa had tracked down Romain Grosjean to take fifth place. The final retirement came a lap later for a very disappointed Button. Rosberg would have taken third off of Hamilton if he would have been allowed to race, but unfortunately this was not the case and the German was definitely unhappy. Race result:
1. Vettel (Red Bull), 2. Webber (Red Bull), 3. Hamilton (Mercedes), 4. Rosberg (Mercedes), 5. Massa (Ferrari), 6. Grosjean (Lotus), 7. Raikkonen (Lotus), 8. Hulkenberg (Sauber), 9. Perez (McLaren), 10. Vergne (Toro Rosso), 11. Bottas (Williams), 12. Gutierrez (Sauber), 13. Bianchi (Marussia), 14. Pic (Caterham), 15. Van Der Garde (Caterham), 16. Chilton (Marussia) DNF: Alonso (Ferrari), Di Resta (Force India), Sutil (Force India), Maldonado (Williams), Ricciardo (Toro Rosso), Button (McLaren)
Saturday, 23 March 2013
Hampel Returns To The Top
After an injury hit 2012, Jaroslaw Hampel has returned and kick started 2013 off with a win in New Zealand. The Pole emerged victorious after somehow winning the semi-final from the unenviable gate four and the stroked home in the final after Tomasz Gollob allowed him to have the inside gate. Despite winning two more heats than Hampel, Gollob could only manage second in the final but got the same amount of points as Hampel
Despite recovering from broken ribs, Nicki Pedersen returned from two fourth places in his opening two heats to win his remaining three and ultimately finishing third in the final and in the points standings. The 2011 Champion and last year's Auckland winner, Greg Hancock, started off with two wins and managed to get in to the final but the outside gate was impossible for the American and he finished fourth in the final. But Hancock didn't finish fourth in the overall points scoring as debutante Darcy Ward finished a point ahead of him after three heat wins.
The Australian had the opening gate in the first semi-final but he could only finish third behind Hampel, the second winner to come from gate four all night, and Pedersen. Britain's Tai Woffinden had a great comeback to the series but he could only finish fourth in that tough semi-final. Gollob won the second semi-final ahead of Hancock. The defending Champion, Chris Holder, just squeezed in to the semi-finals on the basis he beat Freddie Lindgren in their head to head, but he could only manage third from the outside gate with the back to form Andreas Jonsson finishing fourth from the inside gate.
15 of the 23 heats were won from gate one in New Zealand but with 12 of the 16 riders picking up a heat win, this could be the start of the most competitive GP series. The night kicked off with Gollob winning the opening heat of 2013 with Woffinden in close quarters having left Matej Zagar and Krzysztof Kasprzak in their wake.
The second heat had to restarted as both Hancock and Niels-Kristian Iversen were a bit eager at the start. All four returned and the American won it ahead of Holder with the wildcard, Jason Bunyan, finishing fourth. Any thoughts of whether Ward would be caught in the headlights were quashed in the third heat as he comfortably won it ahead of Martin Vaculik, Hampel and Pedersen. Heat four saw Jonsson win it from gate four in the battle of the Swedes, Lindgren finished second with Antonio Lindback third and Emil Sayfutdinov miles behind the Swedish trio.
Hancock made it two out of two with Jonsson continuing to look back to his best in second, Gollob came third with Pedersen still yet to pick up a point in possibly, on paper, the best heat of the night. Sayfutdinov recovered to take heat six with Woffinden again taking second. Ward would also make it two out of two ahead of fellow Australian Holder who finished ahead of Lindgren, the result that got him in to the semi-finals. Kasprzak took full advantage of the inside gate to win heat eight ahead of Iversen, Hampel and Lindback.
Gollob took his second heat of the night in the ninth with Lindback managing second, Ward third and Bunyan finishing fourth for the second time. Hampel took the tenth heat ahead of Lindgren, Hancock and Woffinden. Pedersen managed his first points with the win in the 11th heat, although it ended up being by half a wheel ahead of Iversen who had been hunting him down, Sayfutdinov picked up another fourth behind Zagar. Jonsson took his second heat of the night with Holder finishing fourth from gate four.
Holder returned in the 13th heat to win from the inside gate and even Gollob couldn't make gate four work, finishing last behind Hampel and Sayfutdinov. Heat 14 had to be restarted as Iversen put the bike down in anticipation of an out of control Ward causing an accident. But the youngster held on to the bike and Iversen had to be excluded for causing the race to be stopped. Woffinden won the restart ahead of Jonsson and Ward. After a poor night, Lindback won heat 15 with Hancock only finishing third behind Vaculik but ahead of Zagar. Bunyan would go down in heat 16 under contact from Kasprzak, but the referee deemed the contact not enough for the Pole to get excluded so the Kiwi had to sit out. Pedersen won the restart to make it two in two with Lindgren taking second.
Gollob won his third heat of the night in the 17th with Lindgren almost stealing second from Iversen. Pedersen made it three out of three with Woffinden second, Holder third and Lindback completing a disappointing night in fourth. Zagar surprised the odds despite being off gate one to win heat 19 ahead of Hampel and Jonsson. The final heat was taken by Ward, his third of the night, with Sayfutdinov ending an inconsistent meeting with a second, Hancock third and Kasprzak fourth. Standings after one event:
1. Tomasz Gollob (pol) 15 2. Jaroslaw Hampel (pol) 15 3. Nicki Pedersen (den) 12 4. Darcy Ward (aus) 12 5. Greg Hancock (usa) 11 6. Andreas Jonsson (swe) 11 7. Chris Holder (aus) 9 8. Tai Woffinden (gbr) 9 9. Fredrik Lindgren (swe) 8 10. Niels-Kristian Iversen (den) 7 11. Emil Sayfutdinov (rus) 6 12. Antonio Lindback (swe) 12 13. Krzysztof Kasprzak (pol) 6 14. Martin Vaculik (svk) 5 15. Matej Zagar (slv) 5 16. Jason Bunyan (nzl) 1
Despite recovering from broken ribs, Nicki Pedersen returned from two fourth places in his opening two heats to win his remaining three and ultimately finishing third in the final and in the points standings. The 2011 Champion and last year's Auckland winner, Greg Hancock, started off with two wins and managed to get in to the final but the outside gate was impossible for the American and he finished fourth in the final. But Hancock didn't finish fourth in the overall points scoring as debutante Darcy Ward finished a point ahead of him after three heat wins.
The Australian had the opening gate in the first semi-final but he could only finish third behind Hampel, the second winner to come from gate four all night, and Pedersen. Britain's Tai Woffinden had a great comeback to the series but he could only finish fourth in that tough semi-final. Gollob won the second semi-final ahead of Hancock. The defending Champion, Chris Holder, just squeezed in to the semi-finals on the basis he beat Freddie Lindgren in their head to head, but he could only manage third from the outside gate with the back to form Andreas Jonsson finishing fourth from the inside gate.
15 of the 23 heats were won from gate one in New Zealand but with 12 of the 16 riders picking up a heat win, this could be the start of the most competitive GP series. The night kicked off with Gollob winning the opening heat of 2013 with Woffinden in close quarters having left Matej Zagar and Krzysztof Kasprzak in their wake.
The second heat had to restarted as both Hancock and Niels-Kristian Iversen were a bit eager at the start. All four returned and the American won it ahead of Holder with the wildcard, Jason Bunyan, finishing fourth. Any thoughts of whether Ward would be caught in the headlights were quashed in the third heat as he comfortably won it ahead of Martin Vaculik, Hampel and Pedersen. Heat four saw Jonsson win it from gate four in the battle of the Swedes, Lindgren finished second with Antonio Lindback third and Emil Sayfutdinov miles behind the Swedish trio.
Hancock made it two out of two with Jonsson continuing to look back to his best in second, Gollob came third with Pedersen still yet to pick up a point in possibly, on paper, the best heat of the night. Sayfutdinov recovered to take heat six with Woffinden again taking second. Ward would also make it two out of two ahead of fellow Australian Holder who finished ahead of Lindgren, the result that got him in to the semi-finals. Kasprzak took full advantage of the inside gate to win heat eight ahead of Iversen, Hampel and Lindback.
Gollob took his second heat of the night in the ninth with Lindback managing second, Ward third and Bunyan finishing fourth for the second time. Hampel took the tenth heat ahead of Lindgren, Hancock and Woffinden. Pedersen managed his first points with the win in the 11th heat, although it ended up being by half a wheel ahead of Iversen who had been hunting him down, Sayfutdinov picked up another fourth behind Zagar. Jonsson took his second heat of the night with Holder finishing fourth from gate four.
Holder returned in the 13th heat to win from the inside gate and even Gollob couldn't make gate four work, finishing last behind Hampel and Sayfutdinov. Heat 14 had to be restarted as Iversen put the bike down in anticipation of an out of control Ward causing an accident. But the youngster held on to the bike and Iversen had to be excluded for causing the race to be stopped. Woffinden won the restart ahead of Jonsson and Ward. After a poor night, Lindback won heat 15 with Hancock only finishing third behind Vaculik but ahead of Zagar. Bunyan would go down in heat 16 under contact from Kasprzak, but the referee deemed the contact not enough for the Pole to get excluded so the Kiwi had to sit out. Pedersen won the restart to make it two in two with Lindgren taking second.
Gollob won his third heat of the night in the 17th with Lindgren almost stealing second from Iversen. Pedersen made it three out of three with Woffinden second, Holder third and Lindback completing a disappointing night in fourth. Zagar surprised the odds despite being off gate one to win heat 19 ahead of Hampel and Jonsson. The final heat was taken by Ward, his third of the night, with Sayfutdinov ending an inconsistent meeting with a second, Hancock third and Kasprzak fourth. Standings after one event:
1. Tomasz Gollob (pol) 15 2. Jaroslaw Hampel (pol) 15 3. Nicki Pedersen (den) 12 4. Darcy Ward (aus) 12 5. Greg Hancock (usa) 11 6. Andreas Jonsson (swe) 11 7. Chris Holder (aus) 9 8. Tai Woffinden (gbr) 9 9. Fredrik Lindgren (swe) 8 10. Niels-Kristian Iversen (den) 7 11. Emil Sayfutdinov (rus) 6 12. Antonio Lindback (swe) 12 13. Krzysztof Kasprzak (pol) 6 14. Martin Vaculik (svk) 5 15. Matej Zagar (slv) 5 16. Jason Bunyan (nzl) 1
F1 Malaysian Grand Prix Qualifying Result
1. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2. Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
3. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
5. Mark Webber (Red Bull)
6. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
7. Jenson Button (McLaren)
8. Adrian Sutil (Force India)
9. Sergio Perez (McLaren)
10. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) (Given three place grid penalty for impeding Rosberg)
11. Romain Grosjean (Lotus)
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
13. Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso)
14. Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber)
15. Paul Di Resta (Force India)
16. Pastor Maldonado (Williams)
17. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso)
18. Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
19. Jules Bianchi (Marussia)
20. Charles Pic (Caterham)
21. Max Chilton (Marussia)
22. Giedo Van Der Garde (Caterham)
2. Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
3. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
5. Mark Webber (Red Bull)
6. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
7. Jenson Button (McLaren)
8. Adrian Sutil (Force India)
9. Sergio Perez (McLaren)
10. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) (Given three place grid penalty for impeding Rosberg)
11. Romain Grosjean (Lotus)
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
13. Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso)
14. Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber)
15. Paul Di Resta (Force India)
16. Pastor Maldonado (Williams)
17. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso)
18. Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
19. Jules Bianchi (Marussia)
20. Charles Pic (Caterham)
21. Max Chilton (Marussia)
22. Giedo Van Der Garde (Caterham)
Friday, 22 March 2013
2013 Speedway GP Series - The Preview
The best action on two wheels returns with the 15-best speedway racers once again travelling the world to find out which of them is truly king of the oval. After winning his first world title last year, Chris Holder returns to defend his crown against some old rivals and new faces and it all begins in New Zealand for the second consecutive season.
This time last year, Greg Hancock was beginning his defence of his second world title and won the inaugural race of 2012. This year, the veteran American has even more fire in his belly to start this season with as he has become a father for the third time.
The end of last season saw Holder almost come to blows with second placed Nicki Pedersen. The Dane is a big shout for this year's championship, which would be his fourth crown and his first since 2008. If, probably when, controversy hits this season, it'll be fair to say that Pedersen won't be far away from it as he does add a lot of drama to the circuit. He will begin the season with broken ribs but he believes that won't slow him down in the hunt for Holder.
The 2010 Champion, Tomasz Gollob, has been a bit off par and disappointing in the last couple of seasons, finishing well off the pace. The Pole finished fourth in a injury plagued season last year but even so, he will have improve a lot this season if he's to add to that 2010 crown. What will please Gollob is the reinstating of Bydgoszcz as the Polish GP. It's the first time since Gollob won the Championship that the ZKS Polonia Stadium has been used and Gollob has won seven of the 14 Grands Prix that it has hosted, making him the huge favourite to win the second round of this season.
If there's going to be another young champion this season, Emil Sayfutdinov will be a great bet. The young, two years Holder's junior at 23, Russian has continued impress since his debut season in 2009 where he came third and won three events. Although perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Sayfutdinov has finished fifth and sixth in the last two years without winning an event since 2009. But that should change this season.
Perhaps the performer of last season, Antonio Lindback really put himself in the forefront of Swedish speedway. This will the be eighth full GP season for the Brazilian born Swede and his eighth place last year was by far his best. Lindback won both the Italian GP and the final round in Torun last season and has quickly become one of the most entertaining riders on the roster. Maybe the Swede has an outside chance of taking the glory this year, but this could be the year he definitely takes the mantle of Sweden's best rider from Andreas Jonsson.
Fredrik Lindgren may have something to say to that after finishing just a place behind Lindback last year. The pair are the same age and will both be racing in their eighth GP series. The only thing separating the pair at the minute is that Lindback took two wins last year, whereas Lindgren managed one win and one less final appearance than his compatriot.
Ninth place was very disappointing the Jonsson after finishing second in 2011. With three GP wins in that season, the zero in that column in 2012 shows how underwhelming it was for AJ. Only in 2002 & 2003 (his first two seasons) and 2012 has Jonsson done worse and he'll be hoping for a vast improvement again this time. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely as the class of the riders is becoming higher and the battle for the sacred top eight places are going to the most fiercely contested this season.
The breakthrough rider of 2012 was definitely Martin Vaculik. The Slovakian greatly benefited from Jaroslaw Hampel's injury hit season and surprised the world by winning one of his six outings. The 22-year old will really be under the microscope this season and if he performs anywhere near like in his six Grands Prix, Vaculik could be a real dark horse for winning this Championship, or at least finish well in to the top eight.
Hampel will be hoping to put his unfortunate and injury hit 2012 well and truly behind him with a great 2013. The Pole could only manage eight events last seasons and even then Hampel looked to be struggling for a lot of it, despite making two finals. He has been a regular since 2004 and he would have loved to have continued on from his second place in 2010 and third in 2011. Maybe he can do it this year as a fit Hampel is an extremely entertaining one and as he's already proven, he's a potential Championship contender.
There are five newcomers this season who weren't part of the whole 2012 series. Poland's Krzysztof Kasprzak had two Grands Prix last year and made a final appearance in one of them. His only previous full season in the GP was in 2008 where he finished 14th although he did make it to the final in his only event appearance in 2007, showing that he does have what it takes to mix it in with the big boys and hopefully he can do so this season.
Slovenia's Matej Zagar also featured in two events last season but hasn't participated in a full calender since 2007 where he finished 14th. He did manage to finish seventh in 2006 where he made it in to two finals, he also made it to that stage in one of his two appearances in 2005. The bookies believe that he is the severe underdog this year but the Slovenian believes he has what it takes to compete.
Niels-Kristian Iversen returns to the series since 2008, his last appearance was in 2010. He finished 12th in 2008 which was one better than in 2006 but his only final appearance came in 2009 where he featured in three events. Iversen has what it takes to win heats but whether he'll be competing that much this season will definitely be something to watch out for.
The biggest unknown potentially this season his Britain's Tai Woffinden. In recent years, the Brits have been getting worse and worse with Chris Harris losing his place this season. the 22-year old's only previous series came in 2010 and his naivety shone through a lot on his way to finishing 14th. Woffinden was offered a place last season but he turned it down in order to improve himself further. He is definitely the future of British speedway and it will be interesting just to see how far he has come since 2010.
With the sad news that Jason Crump chose to retire at the end of last season, there's now a huge void in Australian speedway even though Holder is taking over the winning championships side of things. This season sees Darcy Ward try to fill the tyre tracks left by Crump and the 20-year old will be the youngest full rider this season. The youngster did appear in two GPs in 2011 and actually made it to a final which shows the class that this Australian has. Like Woffinden, he will definitely be an exciting watch but being the only debutante this season, he may be a rabbit caught in the headlights.
That doesn't really seem likely and the fact there isn't really anyone apart from maybe Zagar and Iversen that you could potentially say won't compete very much, makes this GP series the most competitive one yet so watch this space.
This time last year, Greg Hancock was beginning his defence of his second world title and won the inaugural race of 2012. This year, the veteran American has even more fire in his belly to start this season with as he has become a father for the third time.
The end of last season saw Holder almost come to blows with second placed Nicki Pedersen. The Dane is a big shout for this year's championship, which would be his fourth crown and his first since 2008. If, probably when, controversy hits this season, it'll be fair to say that Pedersen won't be far away from it as he does add a lot of drama to the circuit. He will begin the season with broken ribs but he believes that won't slow him down in the hunt for Holder.
The 2010 Champion, Tomasz Gollob, has been a bit off par and disappointing in the last couple of seasons, finishing well off the pace. The Pole finished fourth in a injury plagued season last year but even so, he will have improve a lot this season if he's to add to that 2010 crown. What will please Gollob is the reinstating of Bydgoszcz as the Polish GP. It's the first time since Gollob won the Championship that the ZKS Polonia Stadium has been used and Gollob has won seven of the 14 Grands Prix that it has hosted, making him the huge favourite to win the second round of this season.
If there's going to be another young champion this season, Emil Sayfutdinov will be a great bet. The young, two years Holder's junior at 23, Russian has continued impress since his debut season in 2009 where he came third and won three events. Although perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Sayfutdinov has finished fifth and sixth in the last two years without winning an event since 2009. But that should change this season.
Perhaps the performer of last season, Antonio Lindback really put himself in the forefront of Swedish speedway. This will the be eighth full GP season for the Brazilian born Swede and his eighth place last year was by far his best. Lindback won both the Italian GP and the final round in Torun last season and has quickly become one of the most entertaining riders on the roster. Maybe the Swede has an outside chance of taking the glory this year, but this could be the year he definitely takes the mantle of Sweden's best rider from Andreas Jonsson.
Fredrik Lindgren may have something to say to that after finishing just a place behind Lindback last year. The pair are the same age and will both be racing in their eighth GP series. The only thing separating the pair at the minute is that Lindback took two wins last year, whereas Lindgren managed one win and one less final appearance than his compatriot.
Ninth place was very disappointing the Jonsson after finishing second in 2011. With three GP wins in that season, the zero in that column in 2012 shows how underwhelming it was for AJ. Only in 2002 & 2003 (his first two seasons) and 2012 has Jonsson done worse and he'll be hoping for a vast improvement again this time. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely as the class of the riders is becoming higher and the battle for the sacred top eight places are going to the most fiercely contested this season.
The breakthrough rider of 2012 was definitely Martin Vaculik. The Slovakian greatly benefited from Jaroslaw Hampel's injury hit season and surprised the world by winning one of his six outings. The 22-year old will really be under the microscope this season and if he performs anywhere near like in his six Grands Prix, Vaculik could be a real dark horse for winning this Championship, or at least finish well in to the top eight.
Hampel will be hoping to put his unfortunate and injury hit 2012 well and truly behind him with a great 2013. The Pole could only manage eight events last seasons and even then Hampel looked to be struggling for a lot of it, despite making two finals. He has been a regular since 2004 and he would have loved to have continued on from his second place in 2010 and third in 2011. Maybe he can do it this year as a fit Hampel is an extremely entertaining one and as he's already proven, he's a potential Championship contender.
There are five newcomers this season who weren't part of the whole 2012 series. Poland's Krzysztof Kasprzak had two Grands Prix last year and made a final appearance in one of them. His only previous full season in the GP was in 2008 where he finished 14th although he did make it to the final in his only event appearance in 2007, showing that he does have what it takes to mix it in with the big boys and hopefully he can do so this season.
Slovenia's Matej Zagar also featured in two events last season but hasn't participated in a full calender since 2007 where he finished 14th. He did manage to finish seventh in 2006 where he made it in to two finals, he also made it to that stage in one of his two appearances in 2005. The bookies believe that he is the severe underdog this year but the Slovenian believes he has what it takes to compete.
Niels-Kristian Iversen returns to the series since 2008, his last appearance was in 2010. He finished 12th in 2008 which was one better than in 2006 but his only final appearance came in 2009 where he featured in three events. Iversen has what it takes to win heats but whether he'll be competing that much this season will definitely be something to watch out for.
The biggest unknown potentially this season his Britain's Tai Woffinden. In recent years, the Brits have been getting worse and worse with Chris Harris losing his place this season. the 22-year old's only previous series came in 2010 and his naivety shone through a lot on his way to finishing 14th. Woffinden was offered a place last season but he turned it down in order to improve himself further. He is definitely the future of British speedway and it will be interesting just to see how far he has come since 2010.
With the sad news that Jason Crump chose to retire at the end of last season, there's now a huge void in Australian speedway even though Holder is taking over the winning championships side of things. This season sees Darcy Ward try to fill the tyre tracks left by Crump and the 20-year old will be the youngest full rider this season. The youngster did appear in two GPs in 2011 and actually made it to a final which shows the class that this Australian has. Like Woffinden, he will definitely be an exciting watch but being the only debutante this season, he may be a rabbit caught in the headlights.
That doesn't really seem likely and the fact there isn't really anyone apart from maybe Zagar and Iversen that you could potentially say won't compete very much, makes this GP series the most competitive one yet so watch this space.
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