Two Australian motor sportsmen were penalised for making contact with other competitors while racing last weekend.

Queensland’s Will Power, when leading the first oval race in the Indy Car Series, the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway, made contact with Tony Kanaan and was given a drive-through penalty which saw him finish in eighth place.

From 17th on the grid, Dale Coyne Racing driver Justin Wilson charged to the front, overtaking Graeme Rahall’s mishandling car on lap 226 of 228 to take the win. Despite his eighth-place finish, Power still leads the series, however he will be penalised 10 grid places on the Milwaukee Mile this weekend after blowing his engine during testing and breaching IRL’s engine mileage minimum.

Meanwhile in Sweden during round five of the World Speedway Motorcycle GP, former 10-time Australian champion Chris Holder rode well to make the semi-finals. However, he was hit by Nikki Pedersen in the first lap and retaliated, bringing Pedersen down, resulting in Holder’s exclusion from the race.

Crump closes the gap

Queenslander and former three-time world champion Jason Crump bagged 18 crucial points and closed the gap to Greg Hancock with his first GP win in two years at Copenhagen on Saturday. His 23rd Speedway Grand Prix win puts him well inside the championship mix only two points behind three-time world champion, America’s Greg Hancock. However Crump realises the championship is still up for grabs.

“At the moment there are five or six guys who are capable of winning. I’m still in the championship and we are nearly halfway through. If I’m in this position with a few (rounds) to go, I will be even happier,” Crump said. Nikki Pedersen is a further seven points away in third with fellow Aussie Chris Holder five points adrift of Pedersen in fourth.

Britain’s Lewis Hamilton (pictured) became the seventh different winner in the 2012 World F1 Championship when he won the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal last weekend, five years after his maiden Formula One victory. Such was the mix in qualifying that back markers Romain Grosjean (Lotus) and Sergio Perez (Sauber Ferrari), finished second and third respectively.

Australia’s Mark Webber had an ordinary day, finishing in seventh place. “I knew it was going to be mixed up today, but not that mixed up,” Webber said. “In the first 10 laps we had a small issue with the engine which we had to manage. Then I settled into the pace. We pitted and came out behind the one-stoppers. It’s hard to get it right there. If you push and try and pass, you kill the tyres. If you wait you end up on the same strategy and finish behind them anyway.”

Going into the European Grand Prix at Valencia in Spain next weekend, Hamilton leads on 88 points with Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) on 86. Red Bull Renault Drivers Sebastian Vettel and Webber are on 85 and 79 points respectively.

FPR V8 Supercar driver Will Davison is leading the championship going into this weekend’s sixth round at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin with 1216 points. 888 Commodore driver Jamie Whincup is second with 1206.

Davison’s teammate Mark Winterbottom is third on 1187 with Whincup’s teammate Craig Lowndes fourth on 977.

One of the most popular drivers, three-time champion Lowndes, has been recognised for his achievements on and off the track in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Lowndes has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OHM) in the general division for his success as a sportsman and his contribution to both the Australian community and motor racing.

The five-time Bathurst 1000 winner is an official ambassador for Violence Against Women and the V8 Supersafe Kids Road Safety Program and has been an ambassador for the RSPCA for almost 10 years.

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