Weekend Motorsports Preview: Touring Cars All Over the World

It is actually an exciting weekend for racing with something for everyone. There is no Formula 1 this weekend, but it will return next week for Singapore. There is an eclectic mix of touring car racing from the DTM and V8 Supercars, sports car racing from the European Le Mans Series and rallying from the WRC. There is also a MotoGP race from Misano.

DTM

The DTM heads to Oschersleben in central Germany this weekend for a 51-lap race around the 14-corner, 3.696km track.

Qualifying will run from 2:40pm to 3:50pm local time on Saturday, September 14. The race will begin at 1:30pm local time on September 15 on Sunday, September 15.

Oschersleben is the eighth of ten races on the DTM calendar. Mike Rockenfeller leads the championship with 106 points, which gives him a healthy lead over Christian Vietoris in second place with 71 points. The second through fifth place drivers are separated by five points in the championship. The championship is definitely still in play. 

BMWBMWGermany, 1918 > present87 models
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leads the manufacturers' championship with 251 points; Mercedes-BenzMercedes-BenzGermany, 1924 > present197 models
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has 229 points, and AudiAudiGermany, 1909 > present83 models
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has 202 points. 

European Le Mans Series

The ELMS heads to the Hungaroring in Budapest for a three-hour race around the 14-corner, 4.381km circuit. The race is the fourth of five races on the ELMS calendar.

There are 25 cars entered in the race with eight in LMP2, three in LMP Challenge, eight in GTE and six in GT Challenge.

Qualifying is scheduled for 9:35am to 10:25am local time on Saturday, September 14. The race will begin at 4:00pm local time on Saturday, the 14th, and run for three hours. 

In the series championship, Thiriet by TDS Racing has a 17-point lead over Signatech Alpine in the LMP2 class; the #49 Team Endurance Challenge team has a 15-point lead over the #48 Team Endurance Challenge team in the LMP Challenge class; the #52 RAM Racing team has a 25-point lead over the #53 RAM Racing team in the GTE class; and Ecurie Ecosse has a one-point lead over AF Corse in the GTC class. 

NASCAR

NASCAR heads to Chicagoland Speedway for a 267-lap race around the 1.5-mile long, tri-oval race course. The race will be held at 2:00pm local time on Sunday, September 15.

The championship standings have changed significantly because NASCAR has entered the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which decides the championship winner. The top ten drivers in points and the two drivers with the most wins outside of those drivers are given 2,000 points plus three points for each regular season win. Matt Kenseth leads with 2,015 points; Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch have 2,012 points; and Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards have 2,006 points. 

V8 Supercars

The Australian V8 Supercars head to the 3.104km, 13-corner Sandown Raceway for a 161-lap race. It is the first endurance race of the V8 Supercars season and acts as a warm-up for the Bathurst 1000 on October 13. 

Qualifying for the race will be held at 12:25pm local time on Saturday, September 14, and the race will be held at 1:35pm local time on Sunday, September 15. 

Jamie Whincup leads the drivers’ championship with 1,847 points and has a 55-point lead over Will Davison.

World Rally Championship

The WRC Rally Australia runs from September 12-15. 

After the first day of competition on the 12th, Andreas Mikkelsen has a 0.9-seconds lead over Kris Meeke. Jari-Matti Latvala is in third 1.4-seconds behind Mikkelsen and 0.5-seconds behind Meeke.

Sebastien Ogier leads the series championship with 184 points. Thierry Neuville is in second with 109 points; Jari-Matti Latvala is in third with 98 points. 

VolkswagenVolkswagenGermany, 1938 > present98 models
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leads in the teams' championship with 262 points. CitroënCitroënFrance, 1919 > present94 models
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Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team has 236 points, and Qatar World Rally Team trails in third with 127 points.