The 2005 world champion has now publicly disagreed with Wilson’s fury over his table scheduling.
Wilson, 32, was crowned world champ at The Crucible back in May.
Despite this status, he found himself playing on table two at the British Open, with Mark Selby‘s clash with Thepchaiya Un-Nooh given the session’s biggest billing.
After being eliminated by Elliott Slessor, Wilson took to social media to reveal his frustration.
Advertisement
He wrote: “Same s**t different day, demoted to table two again and get found out! What benefits does a world champion get nowadays?
“Graveyard shift in Brentwood, table two in Saudi every game whilst being the number one seed there!
“Table two tonight in Cheltenham and being the highest ranked in the session… unfortunately nothing ever changes with the sport I love, if your face doesn’t fit… tough.
“People can have their opinions. Always been that you earn the right for the privileges. Apparently not anymore. I always try to promote the sport and be a good ambassador for it. What’s the point?”
Speaking on his onefourseven Snooker podcast, Murphy attempted to explain why he didn’t feel Wilson had been hard done by at all.
He said: “There is no such rule that says if you’re the world champion you’ll be on table one, or if you are the defending champion you’ll be on table one.
Mark Selby wins snooker frame with staggering 155 points to beat 147 maximum as opponent gifts him bonus points
“No such rule exists. There’s a couple of players that move the needle so much that when they play they’ll always be on table one.
Advertisement
“It’s about time the players understood that it’s about which match is the most attractive, the most exciting, which is going to pull more viewers in and that’s the one that will go first.
“It’s no more complicated than that. Kyren asks what are the rewards for being world champion. You’ve got half a million pounds, that was your reward for winning the World Championship.
“And you’ll forever be known as a world champion, that’s your reward. It doesn’t entitle you to be on table one every match.”
Murphy and Wilson are both set to be in action at the Wuhan Open in China this weekend.
Advertisement
The former will take on Anthony Hamilton, while the latter has drawn Liam Davies.
Allen’s clash with British Open chiefs came after his 4-3 win over Gary Wilson in round one.
‘EMBARRASSING’
The Northern Irishman, 38, had called the conditions “embarrassing” – and even said the tables should be “burned”.
In response Murphy, who sits on the WPBSA Players’ Board, said on his podcast: “The staff, there’s been a lot of talk that there are new fitters, and a lot of that is true.
Advertisement
“Their job is to take a table off a lorry on a pallet, and they put the table together. Their job is to put that table together, have it installed, and get them as level as possible.
“That’s what is in their control. How a table plays, whether it’s heavy or not, whether we can spin the ball properly – that’s nothing to do with them.
“Some of the comments and criticisms about the staff, I find extremely distasteful.
“I thought they were bang out of order. These guys do an immense job.”
Sunday’s sole fixture pitched Kilmarnock up against Rangers at Rugby Park and it was the home fans who were celebrating…
Paul: First half, I thought we were the better team. We gave up more possession second half, but I think we were happy to let them have the ball and try to break us down. That is the worst Rangers team I’ve seen us play in years. We were confident we could take something from the game and it wasn’t a shock to take all three points. A well-deserved first home win.
Stephen: At last, a home win, clean sheet and a full 90-minute performance. The back four were composed, the midfield supported our defence and drove forward when winning possession and the front two didn’t give the opposition defence a minute’s peace. The right subs made at the right time too. Never mind Storm Ashley, Rangers couldn’t cope with Storm Marley. Great win.
Advertisement
Robert: Absolutely superb. We were the better side throughout the whole game and it was as comfortable a game against one of the Old Firm we’ve ever had. Rangers are a very poor side. We were much better than Rangers despite not being at our best.
Anon: A great team performance, but special mention to Robbie Deas. Whenever called upon, he more than steps up and has contributed massively to some of our best defensive performances under Derek McInnes. We are lucky to have him and he deserves to start more often.
Anna: A hard-fought but well-deserved win for the boys. A good solid defence with Deas and Stuart Findlay in the middle. The midfield caused no end of problems for Rangers. I feel David Watson should have started instead of coming on from the bench. As for Watkins, need I say any more?
Derek: As comfortable a win against either half of the Old Firm as I can remember. Absolutely brilliant to see Brad Lyons and Liam Donnelly winning the midfield battle with a man disadvantage and, with the exception of Jefte-Armstrong, it felt like Kilmarnock resoundingly won every individual battle. Phenomenal performance and hopefully a sign of things to come.
Advertisement
Rangers fans were far from impressed…
Matt: Lacklustre. Sloppy. No Fight, no spirit, but more worryingly, it’s not surprising. Club is in a right mess from top to bottom and the only ones who are hurting are us, the fans. Philippe Clement has a major problem. Fans starting to lose belief and we’ve been here far too many times.
Anon: Utterly gutless! Rotten from the first minute and no real game plan, empty jerseys – no fight, no passion and sadly no hope! We will be lucky to finish third with that squad.
Ian: Clement said earlier in the season to judge his team in October. This is now October and the team show no signs of improvement. The midfield three and front three are as poor a front six as I have seen for years. We also should have sold James Tavernier in the summer, if not sooner. Recruitment has been terrible for years and there is a long season ahead.
Advertisement
Margaret: Why oh why can we never take advantage when Celtic drop points? It seems as if our bottle goes. So disappointed – we don’t seem to have the fight to win.
Alexander: Totally inept and tactically incompetent. No direction from middle of the park, which allowed Kilmarnock to play their own game. Rangers players were easily knocked off the ball and deserved what they got. Nothing. Things need to change and fast.
Ronnie: Arguably our most important league game of the season after Saturday’s result at Parkhead. A golden opportunity totally squandered in what was the worst 90 minutes I’ve seen from a Rangers side against domestic opposition in a long time. No pass marks other than Jack Butland. We looked like a Championship side again. It’s beyond forgivable.
Chris: How many real Rangers men are in this team? All this lot are playing for is the money not the jersey. Unless we get a player base of young academy players in the team, we are not going anywhere. Buying injury-prone mercenaries is not a viable strategy.
Advertisement
Roy: First and foremost is the formation. Mr Clement sticks to his 4-2-3-1 and we are struggling to score goals. Up until about seven or eight years ago, Rangers regularly played two up front. Somehow, we need to get back to that, whether that means 4-4-2 or 3-5-2. Currently, we are just not good enough and will struggle to finish third!
US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka has risen to number one in the latest WTA rankings, ending Iga Swiatek’s 11-month stay at the summit.
Belarusian Sabalenka, who also retained her Australian Open title in January, tops the rankings for the second time after an eight-week stay between September and November 2023.
Neither player was in action last week but Poland’s Swiatek drops to second after being given a points penalty for failing to compete in the mandatory six WTA 500 events.
The 23-year-old – who appointed a new coach earlier this month – has only competed in two of the tournaments and has not played since the US Open in September, after deciding to miss the tour’s Asian swing because of fatigue.
Advertisement
She had led the rankings by more than 4,000 points at one stage after winning five titles in the first six months of the season.
But Sabalenka, 26, slowly reeled her in the second half of the year, winning titles in Cincinnati and Wuhan to go with her triumph at Flushing Meadows.
The next chance for Swiatek to return to number one is the season-ending WTA Finals next month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC, PFL and Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Oct. 14-20.
Advertisement
UFC 308, Abu Dhabi, Saturday
Carlos Leal def. Dilano Taylor 2023 PFL 6
UFC Fight Night 246, Las Vegas, Nov. 9
Jul 29, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Matthew Semelsberger (red gloves) fights Uros Medic (blue gloves) during UFC 291 at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
UFC Fight Night 247, Macau, Nov. 23
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 13: (R-L) Nikolas Motta of Brazil kicks Tom Nolan of Australia in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on January 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
2024 PFL Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 29
Jun 1, 2024; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Randy Brown (red gloves) fights Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos (blue gloves) during UFC 302 at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
UFC Fight Night, Las Vegas, Jan. 11
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JULY 27: Preston Parsons looks on in a welterweight bout against Oban Elliott of England during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Live on July 27, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)
Advertisement
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
THOUSANDS of Dream Team managers were left regretting their most recent transfers this weekend.
Alejandro Garnacho (£3.6m) was among the top five most-ditched players prior to the Gameweek 8 deadline but he immediately clapped back with an impressive 15-point haul.
Only Curtis Jones (£2.7m) earned more points across Saturday and Sunday’s Premier League games.
The Manchester United winger scored a well-executed volley to equalise against Brentford just after half time.
Garnacho’s goal was the crowning moment of his performance but that was far from his only significant contribution.
The Argentina international caused the Bees all sorts of problems, particularly in the second half, and he registered FIVE shots on target in total – perhaps he should have converted another of his chances.
The Dream Team bosses who remained loyal to Garnacho will have been delighted by his efforts nonetheless amid what was generally a low-scoring weekend.
Advertisement
And the Gameweek isn’t over yet with the Red Devils due to face Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday.
The 20-year-old has climbed up to ninth in the midfield rankings having bumped his tally for the season up to 70 points.
Notably, he’s now above Luis Diaz (£4.6m), the third most-selected midfielder in the game.
Advertisement
Garnacho’s 15-point return has prompted plenty of early transfers and he’s currently the third most-popular recruit ahead of Gameweek 9.
Erik ten Hag’s side are due to face West Ham (league) and Leicester (Carabao Cup) next Gameweek which has to be considered a relatively favourable double header, especially after the Hammers’ capitulation at Tottenham.
Score Predictor
Play Score Predictor with Dream Team this season!
FREE to play
£250 weekly prize
Predict scores of five selected Premier League fixtures and earn points for accuracy
In fact, a quick glance at the schedule reveals Garnacho may be a smart option for the next few Gameweeks.
Man United will play Chelsea and PAOK in Gameweek 10, Leicester again in Gameweek 11, then Ipswich and Bodo-Glimt in Gameweek 12.
Granted, Ten Hag’s side are far from the finished article themselves but most of those match-ups appear ripe with potential.
Garnacho has seven goal involvements to his name this season, four goals and three assists, while only Erling Haaland (£8.9m) and Mohamed Salah (£7.4m) have notched more shots on target.
Advertisement
No doubt some of the gaffers who ditched him last week will be crawling back prior to Gameweek 9.
*New cust only. 7 days to opt in by placing a £10 qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds or greater to receive 4x Free Bets: 1 x £10 horse racing, 1 x £10 Bet Builder, 1 x £10 Acca and 1 x £10 football. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. 18+. T&Cs apply.
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org
Ilia Topuria has started so many beefs, you could be forgiven for forgetting what actually lies ahead of him.
In recent weeks, the UFC featherweight champion has traded public shots with Conor McGregor, Islam Makhachev, and Belal Muhammad, seemingly uninterested in focusing his attention on the man he defends his title against at UFC 308 this Saturday: Max Holloway.
“Blessed” brings his recently won “BMF” belt into the main event matchup, but famously held the 145-pound title from 2017-2019 before a series of losses to Alexander Volkanovski seemingly put his championship days behind him. However, Holloway continued to fend off featherweight contenders, and with a stunning last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje this past April, he was able to call his shot and what he wanted was a crack at Topuria and a chance to reign over his division again.
MMA Fighting’s Alexander K. Lee, Damon Martin, and Jed Meshew dig deeper into the headlining narrative, plus the other drama that could unfold at Saturday’s event Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Advertisement
1. Where would Max Holloway regaining the featherweight title rank among MMA’s best feel-good stories?
Lee: Holloway stepping right back into the title conversation with that virtuoso performance against Gaethje was already inspirational and the positive vibes have only intensified with the way Topuria has portrayed himself.
I get that we live in an era where every fighter feels like they need to be Conor McGregor—like, I don’t actually get it, but I get it—but seeing Topuria set his sights every which way before even authoring a single title defense just isn’t sitting right with me. To what end are some of these callouts? Is he really going to fight Belal Muhammad anytime soon? Just defend the belt, man!
Advertisement
Putting aside whatever animosity one might have for Topuria, it would be incredible to see Holloway claim the featherweight throne again. Sure, maybe Alexander Volkanovski has his number, but outside of that there’s no one better at 145 pounds—or at least there isn’t if Holloway wins on Saturday. All Holloway does is put on fan-friendly fights, take on anyone the UFC sends his way, and he does it all while showing nothing but respect to his opponents.
Holloway is already a champion for life in most fans’ eyes, and seeing him with a divisional title around his waist one more time, would surely bring a tear to those same eyes.
Martin: Every fighter has haters, but Holloway arguably has less than just about anybody else out there. I mean how can you not love this guy? He doesn’t say stupid stuff to get attention. He literally fights anyone the UFC throws at him. And he produced quite possibly the greatest finish in UFC history with his stunning last-second knockout over Gaethje at UFC 300.
That’s why Holloway reclaiming the belt at this stage of his career over an undefeated wrecking machine like Topuria would absolutely rank near the top of the list.
Advertisement
After dropping three fights to Volkanovski—I still hold on to Holloway deserving the win in the rematch—it looked like “Blessed” was stuck in limbo in his chosen division. Sure, he’s taken out just about every other contender who’s even sniffed a title shot but the losses to Volkanovski banished him to the sidelines when it came to the championship. Fortunately for him, the sheer unpredictability of this sport brought things around again with Holloway scoring that dramatic knockout over Gaethje, and Topuria sending Volkanovski to the shadow realm.
Holloway has already cemented himself as one of the greatest UFC fighters of all-time and he’s a guaranteed Hall of Famer. But watching him ascend to take the throne again at UFC 308? That might be the one time in 2024 when almost every fan finds a way to cheer for the winner.
Meshew: I would argue that Holloway reclaiming the title actually isn’t a massive feel-good story because Max already was champion. This is not like Miesha Tate unexpectedly winning the title from Holly Holm, or Glover Teixeira winning the title late in his career. Honestly, it’s not even Robbie Lawler retiring off an incredible KO win.
Which isn’t to say it’s not impressive. To the contrary, I think Holloway reclaiming the featherweight title five years after he lost it is one of the most impressive feats in UFC history.
Advertisement
Twenty fighters have won multiple titles in the same weight class in UFC history. Almost all of those title reclamations came within a year or two of losing the belt. The most obvious exception to this is Carla Esparza, who had almost eight years between her title reigns. That was an amazing achievement, but also the manner in which it occurred was a bit curious as Rose Namajunas fought one of the worst fights in modern MMA history. That won’t be the case with Holloway.
If Max reclaims the belt after twice failing to do so, and does it by beating a fighter everyone agrees is one of the best in the world, well, that’s incredible. It’s a nearly peerless accomplishment and one that I don’t think enough people will respect on those terms. But it would be another incredible achievement in an already Hall of Fame career.
2. Is the winner of Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev guaranteed a title shot?
Meshew: No. And while I think they’d be the odds-on favorite to get the next one, middleweight is real wonky right now.
All signs point to Sean Strickland getting a rematch with Dricus du Plessis next. We can debate the merits of that (I think it’s silly but whatever), but that appears to be what’s happening. And while the winner of this weekend’s co-main event makes logical sense to fight the winner and would “deserve” it, deserve’s got nothing to do with it.
First, what if Strickland wins? Then he and DDP are 1-1, and a trilogy bout could make sense. Which would mean either Whittaker or Chimaev has to now sit out for nearly a year. Do they want to do that? Does the UFC? What about the rising crop of middleweight contenders behind them? No guarantee.
And if DDP wins, and so does Whittaker, are we in a rush to run that one back? Maybe it happens, but there’s also the possibility of DDP vs. Alex Pereira out there so I wouldn’t go counting my chickens.
Advertisement
And of course there’s the issue of Chimaev himself. Knock on wood, it looks like Chimaev is going to make it to the fight this week, but the man is simply not reliable. On top of that, it sure seems like he’s only fighting in Saudi Arabia or Abu Dhabi, which isn’t prohibitive, but it does limit options.
All things considered, I’d say it’s likely but none of this screams “guarantee” to me.
Lee: The word “guarantee,” and Chimaev should probably never be near each other.
I’m hesitant to even write about this given Chimaev’s track record of missing out on big fights, and while I don’t believe in jinxes, it feels wrong to poke this bear. But here we are. Assuming (gulp) Chimaev actually makes it to the cage, and scores a win over Whittaker, he’s next in line.
Advertisement
The timing seems to be perfect, too, as he can take his sweet time preparing for his title shot while du Plessis presumably rematches Strickland at some point in the first quarter of 2025. Then the UFC can nudge Chimaev out of hibernation for an opportunity that once seemed like a guarantee (whoops, did it again) and is now the shakiest of propositions.
So no, I can’t imagine Chimaev beating Whittaker and not being sent a contract to fight for a UFC championship. What happens after he signs that contract is anybody’s guess.
Martin: In the lexicon of MMA, the word “guaranteed” falls just behind “deserves” as a term you should absolutely strike from your vocabulary if you want to stay sane watching this sport. This particular situation gets even more tenuous when you look at the two fighters involved in this matchup.
There’s no denying Whittaker is a legend at middleweight, but with a pair of losses to former champion Israel Adesanya and a one-sided drubbing from du Plessis barely 15 months ago, it’s tough to see him jump right back into title contention.
Advertisement
Truthfully, Chimaev actually has a better chance at a title shot with a win, but even that seems a bit unclear. His long history of injuries and illness have prevented him from building any sort of momentum over the past couple of years. Add to that, Chimaev has reportedly struggled to get a visa to travel to the United States and that’s almost like a nail in his coffin when it comes to a title fight. As much as the UFC travels internationally, Chimaev not being able to fight in the U.S. dramatically changes the ability to promote him as champion.
So basically that means nothing is guaranteed for the winner in this fight except hearing Dana White say, “we don’t make fights on the night of an event.”
3. What is the fight to watch outside of the top-2 matchups?
By all accounts, Ankalaev should have faced Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title at UFC 307, but Khalil Rountree Jr. was granted that opportunity instead. Did it make sense? Not really, but we’ve all moved on largely thanks to Rountree’s gutsy performance before falling to the Brazilian hammer just a few weeks ago.
Advertisement
So now it’s up to Ankalaev to cement himself as the No. 1 contender. He must have shattered a mirror or crossed paths with a black cat because he sure seems to have the worst luck possible. He fought to a split draw with Jan Blachowicz in a title fight back in 2022 and then had a no-contest with Johnny Walker thanks to an illegal knee strike delivered in that fight that further delayed his championship aspirations.
Ankalaev can’t leave anything to chance this time. He needs to demolish or otherwise dismantle Rakic to state his case for a title shot and hope that Pereira sticks around at light heavyweight to face him.
Meshew: Low key, this card is trash but for the top fights. But when you have big fights like this event, you can get away with an undercard that underwhelms. And given that, Damon is correct: there’s only one answer and it’s Magomed Ankalaev.
I don’t know why the UFC hates Ankalaev, but they clearly do. Even Alex Pereira is talking about rejecting him. This man may well be the best light heavyweight in the world, has a rock solid case to fight for the title next, SHOULD be the consensus pick to do so, and everyone is collectively working to screw him out of it. It must be maddening for him.
Advertisement
So given all that, I expect Ankalaev is going to come out looking to make a statement, because he needs to. The UFC hates you? Become undeniable. Fans incorrectly think you’re boring? Become undeniable. Pereira wants to big league you? Become undeniable.
Ankalaev is going to go out on Saturday and put on the best performance he is physically capable of because he has to. And so for that, I’m tuning in.
Lee: Maybe I just have middleweight fever, but I feel like Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan will be one to watch if only because it seems ripe for weirdness.
We still don’t know what’s up with “Shara Bullet” never fighting in the U.S. That’s weird. We still don’t know if he’s actually that good, but he has that shiny undefeated record still. That’s weird. And then there’s Petrosyan, a striking specialist who seems incapable of actually knocking anyone out at the UFC level? Weird, weird, weird.
Advertisement
That’s been a recent trend for UFC events, the bizarre and inexplicable weighing in alongside the great and spectacular. I’m not saying Magomedov vs. Petrosyan will be the best fight of the night; in fact, there’s a strong chance it turns out to be the worst fight of the night, objectively speaking.
But I’m willing to bet at the end of the night, for better or worse, we’ll be talking about it.
AO by TF was one of several teams to secure an automatic invitation for the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours after it won the overall title in this year’s European Le Mans Series.
The Tom Ferrier-led squad secured the entry for the next edition of Le Mans after Jonny Edgar, Robert Kubica and Louis Deletraz finished second in 4 Hours of Portimao, the European Le Mans Series season finale, behind the race-winning Cool Racing entry of Lorenzo Fluxa, Ritomo Miyata and Malthe Jakobsen.
In a grandstand conclusion to a tightly-contested season, two of the championship battles were decided on the very last lap of the race.
A drive-through penalty for United Autosports for contact with Panis Racing gifted Cool the lead. Miyata and then Jakobsen did not relinquish it, winning the race by 2.4 seconds.
Advertisement
It made the Cool Racing trio the first repeat overall winners in the six-round championship, having also claimed the Barcelona season opener back in April.
Second place for AO by TF was enough for Spa winners Edgar, Kubica and Deletraz to be crowned champions as nearest rivals Inter Europol Competition finished fourth.
The title is Edgar’s first in endurance racing since making the switch from single-seaters, it’s a second for Kubica (who won the 2021 title with Deletraz) and a third for Deletraz in four years. Also, it marked a second consecutive success for Kubica and Deletraz together after they claimed the final LMP2 title in the World Endurance Championship last year with WRT.
Inter Europol, meanwhile, was left disillusioned by the outcome of the finale, pointing to a improper 10-second pitstop penalty as key to its defeat. It was initially handed to Sebastian Alvarez, Tom Dillmann and Vlad Lomko for an alleged Virtual Safety Car infringement. That was eventually rescinded, but only after it had already been served. This, crucially, put the Polish-flagged squad behind AO by TF – a setback they would not overcome.
Advertisement
“They rescinded the penalty two minutes after we had already taken it,” said Dillmann. “I find it shameful at this level when you are going for the championship.”
#43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA crew was left disgruntled with fourth
Photo by: Eric Le Galliot
However, the Polish-entered squad would still secure an automatic invitation to the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2025 in P2, along with AO by TF, and the champions of LMP2 Pro-Am and LMP3.
These were also decided at Portimao, each in decidedly dramatic fashion.
Advertisement
AF Corse successfully retained its crown in LMP2 Pro-Am after a bold strategic attempt at an upset from Algarve Pro Racing was only foiled on the last lap.
APR’s Alex Quinn tried to significantly extend his final fuel stint to grab the class win that would have landed a shock title together with Richard Bradley and Kriton Lendoudis.
However, Quinn was overtaken by Proton Competition’s Bent Viscaal on the final lap, which in turn gave AF Corse drivers Matthieu Vaxiviere, Alessio Rovera and Francois Perrodo the crucial two-point advantage to seal the title by finishing fourth in class.
The Italian squad was put in that position thanks to the efforts of Vaxiviere, who had fought his way past Richard Mille by TDS’s Mathias Beche in a battle that had seen the two repeatedly come to blows. The Alpine Hypercar driver duly defended the crown he had won in 2023 alongside Perrodo.
Advertisement
Even more dramatic was the conclusion to the LMGT3 championship battle, which wasn’t decided until the very final corner.
It was then that Iron Lynx Lamborghini driver Andrea Caldarelli passed stablemate Michelle Gatting (Iron Dames) for the lead, in a move that looked like it might have been orchestrated.
Iron Lynx claimed LMGT3 title
Photo by: Iron Lynx
That was because the scenario played out in such a way that Caldarelli, Hiroshi Hamaguchi and Axcil Jefferies required a win to deny fifth-placed trio Takeshi Kimura, Esteban Masson and Daniel Serra (Kessel Racing Ferrari) the title and a Le Mans LMGT3 class entry.
Advertisement
In LMP3, meanwhile, a late-race charge meant RLR M Sport driver Gael Julien rose past both of his direct championship rivals from Eurointernational and Team Virage to finish second behind outgoing champions Cool Racing, securing the title for himself, Michael Jensen and Nick Adcock in the process.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login