Racing fans who also love pro football need not fret: Saturday features three fantastic auto races, and Sunday is left for the NFL.
The weekend begins with the Sao Paulo round of the World Endurance Championship from Brazil’s Interlagos circuit. The green flag waves for this event at Noon, Saturday, Sept. 15 (all times EDT.)
This six-hour race will once again pit a pair Audi R18s against a lone Toyota TS030 Hybrid. Some think that the altitude will favor the turbocharged Audis, which were slower that Toyota at Silverstone. Others believe the thinner air might mean the Toyota burns less fuel and thus might save the Japanese prototype a pit stop.
Silverstone was a close race; whatever Toyota learned there might make Sao Paulo even closer. This race might be hard to watch for U.S. viewers, but the official WEC Internet stream at http://www.fiawec.com is usually pretty reliable.
The only downside to this race being Internet only is that at 2:15, ESPN3 begins streaming the American Le Mans Series VIR 240, a four-hour endurance race which might decide some of the class championships.
There are a number of close points races in ALMS, starting with the top class where Muscle Milk Pickett Racing’s Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr lead Dyson Racing’s Chris Dyson and Guy Smith by nine points in the driver championship and five points in the team battle. Muscle Milk has been stricken with mechanical problems at its last several races, but runs fast when the car runs. With 22 points available at VIR and 24 at the season finale Petit Le Mans, Muscle Milk cannot clinch either title until the final race of the season unless complete disaster befalls Dyson.
In P2 Level 5’s Scott Tucker and Christophe Bouchut lead Conquest’s David Heinemeier Hansson and Martin Plowman by 12 in the drivers’ and 19 in the team races. This battle will also likely be resolved at Petit.
In GT Oliver Gavin and Tom Milner of Corvette racing have a 30-point lead on teammates Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia with BMS’s Dirk Müller and Joey Hand two and five points behind. In the team standings, Corvette Racing leads BMW Team RLL by 24. So long as the all four cars from the two teams finish well, this one won’t be decided until the season finale, but GT is such a volatile class anythi8ng could happen.
Qualifying for the ALMS VIR 240 will be streamed live on ESPN3 at 3:25 Friday, Sept 14. Highlights and a race wrap-up of the race will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. on Sunday, for those who chose to watch the whole of the WEC race.
The final race of the day is guaranteed to determine a series champion. IndyCar’s season-ending MAVTV500 form Fontana, California’s Auto Club Speedway, starts at 8:30 p.m. with pre-race coverage on NBC Sports Network starting at 7:30 p.m.
This race promises to be epic: a 500-mile oval race which will decide the 2012 IndyCar champion.
Penske’s Will Power, who has been heart-breakingly close to winning a championship each year since returning from breaking his back in 2009, leads by 17 points. A good finish at Fontana could get him the trophy he has been coveting. Still, the 29-year-old Power has not always been at his best on ovals; his 2012 average finish on ovals is 12th place.
Rival Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport is having a career best year, with four wins including two on ovals. The 32-year-old Hunter-Reay actually has a worse record on ovals this year at 12.5 average finishing position, but those two wins make it clear that when his car works, he makes it work to his advantage.
Behind them Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon will be fighting for third. Castroneves leads by a single point. Both are oval-masters—this one is down to luck.
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