MOTORSPORT: Racing in rain whets appetite

Jenson Button mastered the slippery conditions at Budapest's Hungaroring circuit on Sunday (July 31) to score his 11th GP victory at his 200th start.

Australia's Mark Webber had started sixth and rolled the dice, anticipating that the sprinkle of rain that returned about two-thirds of the way into the race would be a lot heavier. Alas his switch to intermediate tyres backfired and he was soon in the pits again for slicks, then lost a place to Lewis Hamilton in the concluding stages to finish fifth.

It was Webber's 12th race in a row in the points, but it is now a year since he won a GP.

"It was a good race – quite enjoyable," said Webber, who remains second in the world championship, though 85 points behind Red Bull teammate, Sebastian Vettel, with Hamilton and Fernando Alonso breathing down his neck.

"I made the right call to go for the slicks at the right time [after 10 laps], but when the rain came I thought it was going to be heavier – so I went for the intermediate tyres, but it [heavier rain] didn't come.

"It didn't work out for Lewis and I with this gamble – and it looks stupid in hindsight when the track dries out, but if it had rained strong enough for another few minutes, then it would have been the right tyre… It's a fine line and to get yourself back in the game sometimes you have to role a dice."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said it had been "frustrating to lose a position to Lewis in the closing stages, with back markers not really assisting matters, but Mark came back at him pretty strong in the final seven laps".

Webber said: "I caught the cars at just the wrong point on the track. The closing speed was massive; it was like they were in a Formula Ford race and we were on them very quickly. Lewis found a way through and I pushed him all the way home."

There was no announcement of a contract extension for Webber over the weekend, but the indications still are that he will go another year with Red Bull.

There is now a four-week break in the season, with eight GPs after that – the first of them at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and then Monza in Italy.

While Button celebrated his second win this year at the circuit where he scored his first victory five years ago, Vettel finished second despite an error-strewn race after starting from pole position yet again. Although virtually assured of a second straight world title, Vettel said: "Ferrari and McLaren in the last two races have made a step forward [and] we need to see why."

Alonso was third in Hungary – his fourth straight podium for Ferrari, including a victory – and predicted that the warmer weather likely when the season resumes would suit the Italian car better.

Hamilton and Button battled wheel-to-wheel before Hamilton's race went wrong, choosing – like Webber - the wrong tyres at the wrong time and then copping a drive-through penalty after a spin that forced Paul Di Resta's Force India car off the track.

Red Bull's second team, Scuderia Toro Rosso, notched a double points finish in its 100th GP. Its Swiss driver, Sebastien Buemi, finished a superb eighth after having started 23rd because of a five-place grid penalty from the previous week's German GP while Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari ended up tenth.

Young West Australian Daniel Ricciardo had the best GP of his three-race career, maintaining his perfect finishing record and earning kudos from HRT F1 team principal Colin Kolles, who called him "a fast learner".

Ricciardo finished 18th at the Hungaroring, four laps down on the winner, but ahead of Virgin Racing's Jerome d'Ambrosio and HRT teammate, Tonio Liuzzi.

"I'm satisfied with my race and best finish," Ricciardo said.

"I'm sure there are things I could have done better, so we'll look into that to keep on improving, but I feel we are progressing well. We have taken another good step."

Formula One Drivers' World Championship after 11 of 19 rounds: 1 Sebastian Vettel (Germany, Red Bull-Renault) 234 points; 2 Mark Webber (Australia, Red Bull-Renault) 149; 3 Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain, McLaren-Mercedes) 146; 4 Fernando Alonso (Spain, Ferrari) 145; 5 Jenson Button (GB, McLaren-Mercedes) 134; 6 Felipe Massa (Brazil, Ferrari) 70; 7 Nico Rosberg (Germany, Mercedes) 48; 8 Nick Heidfeld (Germany, Renault) 34; 9 Vitaly Petrov (Russia, Renault) 32; 10 Michael Schumacher (Germany, Mercedes) 32; 11 Kamui Kobayashi (Japan, Sauber-Ferrari) 27; 12 Adrian Sutil (Germany, Force India-Mercedes) 18; 13 Sebastien Buemi (Switzerland, Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 12; 14 Jaime Alguersuari (Spain, Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 10; 15 Sergio Perez (Mexico, Sauber-Ferrari) 8; 16 Paul Di Resta (GB, Force India-Mercedes) 8; 17 Rubens Barrichello (Brazil, Williams-Cosworth) 4.

F1 constructors' world championship: 1 Red Bull-Renault 383 points; 2 McLaren-Mercedes 280; 3 Ferrari 215; 4 Mercedes 80; 5 Renault 66; 6 Sauber-Ferrari 35; 7 Force India-Mercedes 26; 8 Toro Rosso-Ferrari 22.

Loeb had to battle throughout the event in his Citroen DS3 to overcome the disadvantage of running first on the road and having to sweep the gravel surface for his rivals. He won by 8.1 seconds from Finnish driver Jari-Matti Latvala in a Ford, with Loeb's fellow Frenchman and Citroen teammate Sebastien Ogier a further 4.7 sec. back after the 22 stages.

"It was a very difficult race with the other drivers dropping behind me to make me clean the road, but finally we won and it was a big relief --maybe the best win of my career."

It was Loeb's fourth win in eight rounds this year and his second success in Finland, making him the first driver other than the Nordics to win twice in the 60-year history of the high-speed event known formerly as the Rally of 1000 Lakes.

Ford's other Finnish star Mikko Hirvonen crash into a tree on stage one but was fastest on the Power Stage to collect three bonus championship points, while Petter Solberg was an unhappy fifth in his Citroen. Engine overheating forced the MINIs of Kris Meeke and Dani
Sordo out of the rally.

Teams now head to the all-bitumen Rallye Deutschland, where Loeb (an eight-time winner in Germany) will likely move closer to surpassing seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher as the driver with the most world titles on four wheels.

Three weeks after Germany the WRC troupe will be on NSW's Coffs Coast for the new Rally Australia on September 8-11.

World Rally Championship driver standings after eight of 13 rounds: 1 Sebastien Loeb (France, Citroen) 171 points; 2 Mikko Hirvonen (Finland, Ford) 144; 3 Sebastien Ogier (France, Citroen) 140; 4 Jari-Matti Latvala (Finland, Ford) 96; 5 Petter Solberg (Norway, Citroen) 83.

WRC manufacturers standings: 1 Citroen Total World Rally Team 290 points; 2 BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team 225; 3 Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team 101; 4 Petter Solberg World Rally Team 71; 5 Ice 1 Racing 38.

Brendan Reeves, 23, from Webberburn in Victoria, and his co-driver sister, Rhianon Smyth, brought their Ford Fiesta R2 home fourth in a field of 16 despite losing three minutes with a puncture.

Taylor, also 23, from Sydney and the only female driver in regular WRC competition, was ninth in her first Academy outing with British new co-driver, Seb Marshall.

The Aussies are among six drivers from around the world chosen for all-expenses-paid berths in the WRC Academy driving identical cars.

After three of the six rounds in the series, Reeves is equal second in the standings while Taylor is 14th.

It was the pair's first ARC victory in four years in the championship. The Victorian team won both heats of the event, setting the fastest time on nine of the 15 stages.

NSW brother and sister Michael Boaden and Helen Cheers in another Evo IX took second place. It was their best ARC result too.

Eli Evans and Glen Weston in a Honda Civic Type R could not match the pace of the unrestricted four-wheel-drive turbos but were fifth and fourth in the two heats for third overall for the round.

Previous championship leader Ryan Smart was forced to retire his Toyota Corolla in the first heat with differential failure but was third in the second heat.

Mark Pedder took second in heat one but had engine failure in his Evo IX on Sunday.

The fourth of the five ARC rounds will be at Rally Australia.

Australian Rally Championship after three of five rounds: 1 Justin Dowel-Matt Lee (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 208 points; 2 Ryan Smart-John Allen (Toyota Corolla Sportivo) 187; 3 Mark Pedder-Leigh Tierney (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 168.

Menard held off Jeff Gordon, while Regan Smith was third, Jamie McMurray fourth and Matt Kenseth fifth.

Australian Marcos Ambrose finished 34th after gearbox problems that cost him three laps.

Menard's victory was the third at The Brickyard for Chevrolet team owner Richard Childress, who won there in 1995 with Dale Earnhardt and in 2003 with Kevin Harvick. It has moved Menard five positions in the series to 14th.

NASCAR Sprint Cup after 20 of 36 rounds: 1 Carl Edwards (Ford) 682; 2 Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet) 671; 3 Kevin Harvick (Chevrolet) 670; 4 Kyle Busch (Toyota) 666; 5 Matt Kenseth (Ford) 666; 6 Kurt Busch (Dodge) 664 ; 7 Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet) 630; 8 Ryan Newman (Chevrolet) 618; 9 Tony Stewart (Chevrolet) 609; 10 Dale Earnhardt Junior (Chevrolet) 606; 11 Denny Hamlin (Toyota) 587; 12 Clint Bowyer (Chevrolet) 574. Ambrose (Ford) is 22nd on 505 points.

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