Weekend Motorsports Preview: A New WRC Champ is Crowned

This weekend might not offer the racing finales that last weekend did, but it does have the return of Formula 1 and some exciting racing from the World Rally Championship and Super GT. In more regional racing, the American Le Mans Series has a two-hour and 45-minute race at Virginia International Raceway on Saturday, October 5

Formula 1

Formula 1 is nearing the end of its season with its 14th of 19 rounds in Korea at Korea International Raceway. The race covers 55 laps over the track’s 18 corners and 5.615 km (3.489 mi) in Yeongam, South Korea.

Qualifying will begin at 2:00pm local time on Saturday, and the race is at 3:00pm local time on Sunday, October 6.

With six races to go, Sebastian Vettel’s 60-point lead in the World Drivers’ Championship over Fernando Alonso has not taken the championship yet, but he certainly has a commanding lead. Even Alonso is safe in second place with a 36-point lead over Lewis Hamilton. Third place in the championship is still wide open with just two points separating Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen.

In the World Constructors’ Championship, Red BullRed BullAustria, 2004 > present12 models
1049 photos
3 videos
Racing has a 103-point lead over FerrariFerrariItaly, 1947 > present233 models
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37 videos
. MercedesMercedes-BenzGermany, 1924 > present197 models
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33 videos
is in third just seven points behind Ferrari.

NASCAR

NASCAR heads to Kansas Speedway on October 6 for a 267-lap race around the 1.5-mile (2.414 km) long tri-oval circuit. The race begins at 3:30pm. There are seven races left in the NASCAR calendar.

Matt Kenseth leads the championship with 2,149 points, an eight-point lead over Jimmie Johnson in second place. Kyle Busch is in third with a 12-point deficit to Kenseth.

Super GT

Super GT in Japan heads to its penultimate round at the Autopolis circuit in southern Japan. It covers 65 laps of the 4.673 km (2.904 mi) track with 19 corners and 50m of elevation change. The race will begin at 2:00pm local time on Sunday, October 6, and cover 65 laps.

The current series leader in the GT500 class is a 46-point tie between Naoki Yamamoto and Frederic Makowiecki in a Honda HSV-010Honda HSV-010 GTJapan, 2010 > present4 photos
1 video
and Tsugio Matsuda and Joao Paulo Lima De Oliveira in a Nissan GT-RNissan GT-R GT500Japan, 2008 > present1 photo
. Hideki Mutoh and Yuhki Nakayama have a 16-point lead in the GT300 class in a Honda CR-ZHonda CR-ZJapan, 2010 > present21 versions
57 photos
.

World Rally Championship

The WRC holds the Rallye de France from October 3-6, but the biggest news from the race has already happened. Sebastien Ogier was guaranteed the points that he needed to secure the 2013 WRC World Drivers’ Championship. For Ogier to lose the championship, Thierry Neuville had to score maximum points in the rest of the rallies in the season. By not taking maximum points in the Power Stage, Neuville mathematically guaranteed the championship to Ogier.

Ogier’s team at VolkswagenVolkswagenGermany, 1938 > present98 models
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31 videos
has not necessarily secured the championship yet. With three rounds left, Volkswagen has a 48-point lead in the manufacturers’ championship over the CitroënCitroënFrance, 1919 > present94 models
5346 photos
11 videos
Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.

After the first day of competition, Dani Sordo leads the rally by 0.7 seconds over Neuville, and Sordo has a 0.8-second lead over Ogier.