David Essex has enjoyed an impressive career spanning more than five decades. The London-born singer, 79, first rose to fame in the 1970s and has since enjoyed success across music, film and theatre, while continuing to perform for audiences around the UK.
David found international fame in 1973 with his hit single Rock On, which reached number three in the UK and number five in the US.
It marked the beginning of a hugely successful career in entertainment, with David going on to release a string of hits while also
Outside of his gleaming music career, in the 1970s and 80s, David branched out and took on numerous film roles in the likes of That'll Be the Day, Stardust, and Silver Dream Racer.
David found international fame in 1973 (@ Getty)

#international #number

MADISON, Ill. - Organizers are expecting a fifth straight sell-out crowd at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., ahead of Sunday's "Enjoy Illinois 300." The race is part of the NASCAR Cup Series.

The event forms part of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, bringing motorsport fans to the venue in the St. Louis area. In recent years, the Madison track has hosted several major NASCAR events featuring close photo-finishes.

Ahead of the race, professional driver Ross Chastain made a promotional appearance at Ballpark Village. Chastain, a champion racer participating in Sunday's event, served as a celebrity bartender pouring Busch Light for fans.

"They put a party on here as a racer. I just want people to come watch us. We don't get to do all this unless people are watching us in the grandstands and watching us at home on TV or listening on the radio," Chastain said. "Very cool atmosphere here and a place that was wanting cup racing for a really long time. And now that we're here, we're thriving."
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.

#chastain #series

Lindsey Vonn avoided a wardrobe malfunction on the red carpet for the Kering Foundation's Caring for Women Dinner on Thursday, Sept. 10, in New York City
The Olympic gold medalist was almost exposed when she removed her gown's cape
Vonn recently shared an update on her recovery after a horrific crash during the Winter Olympics
Lindsey Vonn was quick to avoid a wardrobe mishap on the red carpet.
On Thursday, Sept. 10, in New York City, the Olympic ski racer, 41, appeared at the 2026 Kering Foundation Caring For Women Dinner in a red gown with a cape detail.

#caring #thursday

Aaron Rodgers came out swinging against ex-girlfriend Danica Patrick over comments she made about their breakup.
The 42-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and 44-year-old retired NASCAR racer dated for two years before eventually splitting for good in July 2020. Their relationship came up in Rodgers' lengthy interview for the Thursday, September 10, episode of the Not Just Football podcast, as he opened up about exes who speak about him in the press.
"No one cares what they have to say until they use my name. I dated two women who **** ody gives a [expletive] about unless they drop my name," said the football star. "They like to say their version of the history, what actually happened, so I'm just this monster of a partner and it's just [expletive] [expletive]. Number one, why you still talking about it, it's been years?"
He then turned his attention to Patrick, saying that when they dated, "She had just retired, she was depressed, and not fun to be around."
"But I didn't leave her, because I was trying to be a good partner," he continued. "Then it was going a certain direction, obviously. There was no intimacy. There was nothing. And I'm buying a house in Malibu and she goes, 'Would you want to buy it together?,' and I said, 'No.'"

#expletive

Aaron Rodgers described his relationship with Danica Patrick on the Sept. 10 episode of the Not Just Football podcast as lacking "intimacy" and emotionally challenging
Patrick previously called Rodgers "emotionally abusive" and claimed their two-year relationship from 2018-2020 left her feeling depleted
In his interview, Rodgers also revealed regrets about his now-wife and said public narratives about his personal relationships are often inaccurate
Aaron Rodgers does not remember his time with ex-girlfriend Danica Patrick too fondly.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, 42, said on the Not Just Football podcast on Thursday, Sept. 10 that his two-year relationship with the retired racer, 44, wasn't all sunshine and roses.

#danica #podcast

With the AMA Pro Motocross Championship decided, the focus now shifts to the 2026 SuperMotocross World Championship. Now in its fourth running, the SMX puts the combined best of the Monster Energy Supercross and Pro Motocross season in a three-round playoff for the ultimate bragging rights.
Supermotocross incorporates the results from 17 rounds of Supercross racing, 11 rounds of Pro Motocross, to seed the three-round playoffs. Here's what you need to know heading into the first playoff round, September 12 at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Qualifying runs on a combined points tally accrued through both the Supercross and Pro Motocross seasons. The top 20 in combined points in each of the 450 and 250 divisions automatically qualify and are seeded into the SMX field. An additional two spots are decided by a Wild Card race featuring riders that placed 21st through 30th. Any racer outside the top 30 who won a Supercross Main Event or a Pro Motocross moto is also eligible to contest the Wild Card race.
Once the seeding is decided, the riders' season-long points are reset going into the playoffs. The top seed restarts with 25 points, the second seed with 22, third with 20, fourth with 18, then single-point steps down through the 20th seed who starts with 2 points. Anyone outside the top 20 begins the playoffs at zero.
Playoff 1 uses the same structure as a regular Supercross or Pro Motocross race, with 25 points for first, down to 1 point for 21st. Playoff 2 pays double points and the SMX World Championship Final pays triple. As a result, the format keeps the ***** le live until the last round.

#supercross #playoff #decided

Photos by Align Media.
Motocross and Supercross racer, and sure-fire AMA Hall of Famer Eli Tomac announced he will retire from racing following the 2026 SuperMotocross World Championship.
Tomac holds four AMA Pro Motocross 450MX ***** les (2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022) plus two AMA Supercross 450SX ***** les (2020, 2022) in his 17-year professional racing career. Tomac currently sits second all-time with 57 AMA Supercross 450-class wins behind Jeremy McGrath, and fourth all-time in the 450MX AMA Pro Motocross class with 32 wins, behind Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, and Ryan Dungey. Tomac also represented Team U SA at the FIM Motocross of Nations six times, including a win as team captain in 2022.
Begin Press Release:
American motocross and supercross legend Eli Tomac has announced that he will retire from professional competition following the 2026 SMX World Championship post-season, bringing a close to one of the most decorated careers in the history of the sport.

#championship #announced #racing #following

NASCAR "driver appearances" were once so common, you couldn't avoid them on any milk-and-bread run, not to mention a swing by the local auto parts store.
Well, this week in Daytona, you can meet two former champions as well as the two best NASCAR racers to win everything BUT a championship.
Along the way, you can meet a driver at a pool party.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, who recently released an autobiography — "Never Lift" — will be among the big names you can find Thursday at one of the old staples of NASCAR partnerships: Winn-Dixie.
His fellow famous non-champ, Denny Hamlin, can also be found there.

#well #driver #meet #famer

Chris "Block" Gordon, a veteran drag racer who starred in the Discovery reality series Street Outlaws: Fastest in America, was killed in a horrific crash at a raceway in Ohio over the weekend. He was 55 years old.
KD Motorsports Park confirmed the passing on Facebook on Sunday (August 23), writing, "As most of you know by now, we had a devastating accident last night at the track involving our great friend and fellow racer, Chris "Block" Gordon…he was lost as a result of this terrible incident."
"Please keep his wife and family in your thoughts and prayers as we all try to mourn the loss of this good man, an absolute legend of our sport," the statement continued.
The post revealed that "staff was immediately on scene with trained medical staff, firefighters, EMT and medical equipment, along with highly medically trained bystanders who exhausted all of their efforts at the time of the accident."
"As the day passes and we all try to process this tragedy, please for all involved let's keep speculation and uninformed opinions to a minimum as we pray for his family," the statement concluded. "RIP "Race in Peace" my friend you will be missed by so many."

#please #racer #accident #family

The heart of the nation's capital is set to be packed with more than 140,000 fans as Freedom 250th Grand Prix kicks off Sunday, sending race cars zipping through Washington, DC, for the first time in IndyCar history.
The race is set to begin shortly after 1 p.m. ET on the National Mall with a course that takes seven turns between the U.S. Capitol and around Smithsonian museums and the National Archives. Racers will drive 147 laps around the 1.7-mile course for a total of 250 miles before spectators, including President Donald Trump.
Trump is also expected to take a ride around the track in his presidential limousine before things kick off.
The two-day event kicked off Saturday with practice and qualifying races and two International Race of Champions races. Twenty-five drivers will compete Sunday.
It's the latest high-profile sporting event spearheaded by Trump as part of the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations. In June, a UFC Freedom 250 mixed martial arts event was hosted at the White House.

#Trump #grand

Yuki Tsunoda says Racing Bulls has been "pretty impressed" with the way he has adapted to Formula 1's 2026-spec machinery as he stands in for Liam Lawson at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Lawson got a call-up to Red Bull after Isack Hadjar injured his wrist over the summer break, hence Tsunoda's opportunity at Racing Bulls on a tricky sprint weekend in Zandvoort.
The 26-year-old was unfamiliar with the new generation of cars but has been getting closer and closer to impressive rookie team-mate Arvid Lindblad.
Tsunoda was 0.825s adrift of the Briton in the only free practice session, but brought his deficit down to 0.433s in SQ1 and 0.360s in SQ2, then 0.011s in Q1 and 0.102s in Q2, having finished the sprint race 11.5 seconds in arrears.
"Honestly, I'm super happy," the ***** anese racer rejoiced. "Certainly, I enjoyed so much this qualifying.

#closer #yuki #formula

Ahead of the official release, WNBA and Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark did a cover shoot for her new Nike Caitlin 1 colorways.
Clark's photoshoot was chronicled by SLAM, and in it she shows off the different colors of the Nike Caitlin 1 sneaker, including the debut version, which comes in Racer Blue.
The sneaker is set to drop on Oct. 1, 2026, and will be priced at $140.
"I hope when people grab the bright blue box, I hope you feel it right when you grab the box off the shelf that it's pure joy and fire and passion," she stated in the behind-the-scenes footage provided by SLAM.
MORE: Caitlin Clark frustrated as referee ignores Paige Bueckers' intentional foul

#caitlin #hope #WNBA

There aren't many teammates who would do what Frankie Muniz decided to do on Friday. After qualifying for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Team Reaume's Luke Baldwin and the No. 2 Ford were among the five DNQs.
Muniz, who is a full-time driver in the Truck Series in the No. 33, was set to start at the very back of the field in 36th for Saturday's race.
However, the actor-turned-racer made the decision to willingly give up his seat for the race, allowing Baldwin to take over the No. 33 for this weekend's NCTS event.
"Luke is one of the most talented young drivers in this garage, and this team has two trucks here this weekend," said Muniz in a release from the team. "He came here ready to race and did everything he could. Sitting him out when we have a qualified truck that can put him in the field doesn't make sense for anyone. I'm giving up my seat because I believe it gives the 33 team the best chance to compete for the most available points this weekend. Luke's speed and his ability to run up front when he gets a clean run is what this organization needs right now. I'll be in the pits cheering him on."
Team owner Josh Reaume praised Muniz for the decision, saying: "Frankie didn't hesitate. That's the kind of teammate and person he is. "Luke has shown time and time again that he can extract everything from our equipment. With the regular season ending Saturday and owner points still on the table, this move puts our strongest available driver in the No. 33 for the 175-lap race. We appreciate Frankie's selflessness and look forward to seeing Luke behind the wheel."

#muniz #LUKE #ncts

A racer killed in a crash during qualifying for the Manx Grand Prix has been praised for his "character, determination and passion".
Sam Naughton, of Castletown on the Isle of Man, died in the crash at Doran's Bend, on the western section of the 37.7 mile (31km) Mountain Course, on Wednesday afternoon.
The Andreas Racing ***** ociation (ARA), where the 37-year-old completed his race school training to allow him to become competitive, said it was deeply saddened by his death.
"No words can truly ease the pain that is being felt," it said, following the loss of "one of our own".
The 37-year-old made his debut at at the Southern 100 Road Races in 2024 [SOUTHERN 100]

#crash #year #prix #naughton

LeBron James could quickly become one of the most popular figures in the world of "YouTube golf" after the NBA star entered the fast-growing social media ***** e over the weekend.
James only started playing golf last year but has already become obsessed with the game—so much so that he's launched a YouTube channel focused entirely on golf content. His first video, ***** led "The 2016 Cavs 10-Year Reunion Golf Scramble," has amassed more than 2 million views since being published Saturday. In the video, James takes part in a 3 vs. 3 match in Scotland with his former NBA Finals-winning Cleveland teammates Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Richard Jefferson, Tristan Thompson, and Channing Frye.
His YouTube channel—the handle is simply LeBron—had already surpassed 530,000 subscribers as of Tuesday afternoon. The account actually joined YouTube in 2010 and had about 121,000 subscribers as of last week but was dormant until Saturday with no recent videos, according to figures from social media data tracker Social Blade.
YouTube golf channels typically feature content creators playing matches in various competitive formats with contestants mic'd up. The heavily produced final product often includes broadcast elements seen in live professional golf, like shot tracers. The most popular channels each have millions of subscribers. Rick Shiels leads the way with 3 million-plus, followed closely by Bryson DeChambeau's 2.8 million.
James has a strong social media footprint. He boasts 154 million subscribers on Instagram and another 54 million on X/Twitter. He has regularly posted casual videos from the golf course on those apps in recent months, as well as commentary about professional golf tournaments.

#james #Media #year

Fifty years ago, a little film about an underdog boxer was released to theaters…
Made for one million dollars—a relative pittance for films even in '76—the flick about an unlikely pugilist from Philly went on to gross $225 million and take home the Academy Award for Best Picture against all odds. It perhaps goes without saying, but the movie is a personal favorite of mine.
Rocky is still bucking the odds—connecting and inspiring new audiences even in 2026! So, with the Minnesota Twins hosting the Philadelphia Phillies this afternoon, here are a few upcoming ways in which one can revel in 50 years of Rocky:
This November, I Play Rocky hits cinemas nationwide. Based on the trailer, it tells the story of how a young Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay for Rocky—modeling it on his own tenaciousness as a writer/actor—and refused to let the studio cast a different actor in the lead role. In a way, the making of Rocky is nearly as inspiring as the final product itself.
Also in November: the annual Rocky Run, in which racers begin/end at the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art steps that Rocky Balboa ascends in nearly every film.

#rocky

With 16km to go on the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes, Demi Vollering took off. The Dutchwoman timed her moment to perfection, attacking with 600m to go on the final of four ascents of the Col d'Eze, with Kasia Niewiadoma unable to cling on to her wheel. As she barrelled up the remnants of the climb and then down the descent towards Nice Vollering converted her minuscule eight-second advantage over the Pole to a minute and 18 seconds, with time to slow down before the line, soak in the moment, and lift her bike triumphantly overhead.
After nine days of agonisingly close racing, with momentum swinging this way and that, this was a tour de force by the sport's premier stage racer, the deserving first winner of a landmark second Tour de France Femmes **** le. "Impériale," was the verdict on L'Equipe's front page.
Vollering celebrated with her teammates after winning three stages and the overall (Reuters)
It was a fitting end to a resounding success of a Tour – dramatic, cathartic, and magnified by moments of individual virtuosity. This year's Tour de France Femmes has been an enormous coup for race director Marion Rousse, and for the sport generally. The Classics-style parcours, where nearly every day has resembled the most intense one-day races, coupled with the dynamics of the peloton and the fact that there are multiple evenly-matched teams rather than one all-conquering super-team, has made for an unpredictable and volatile race.
The fact that no singular team can entirely control proceedings has made for genuine jeopardy over whether breakaways will be brought back or able to seize their moment of glory – best emphasised by the heroics of Sigrid Haugset on stage three. The attacking, all-out nature of the racing, from Niewiadoma's raid on Mont Ventoux to her team's attempts to dislodge Vollering on stage nine, with Vollering responding with a devastating attack of her own, has made for thrilling viewing.

#vollering #tour #france #made

Richard Burton's struggles with drinking were an open secret around Hollywood throughout the actor's career
In an Aug. 1980 appearance on The ****** Cavett Show, the host asked about the Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? actor to speak on his experiences with alcohol
Burton gave a stirring discussion of alcoholism, both as it pertained to himself and millions of others who struggle with drinking, just years before complications from alcoholism contributed to his death
Richard Burton was surprisingly candid about some of his darker feelings.
Burton, who died on Aug. 5, 1984, at the age of 58, struggled with drinking and battled poor health in his later years. In an interview on The ****** Cavett Show, the famed actor talked about his experiences with alcohol after the host offered him the floor to be a "PSA" for others who were having a hard time. The interview first aired on August 4, 1980, which was four years and a day before Burton's death from intracerebral hemorrhage.

#years

KAUKAUNA – One of Wisconsin's most prolific stock car racers won state's longest short-track race for the biggest victory of his career.
Justin Mondeik beat Ty Fredrickson on a restart with 10 laps to go to win the ASA Midwest Tour Gandrud 250 on Aug. 4 at Wisconsin International Raceway, earning a $15,000 payday.
"We had those two restarts and I was able to get a good launch off [Turn] 4 and just be behind him by a half a car length at the start and had a really good 1 and 2 and was able to clear him," said the 29-year-old from Gleason.
"Pretty wild race. Definitely needed those late restarts."
Fredrickson, who chose the outside for the restart, was upset with Mondeik both for contact and for what he believed was a jumped final restart after a previous attempt was waved off. He finished second with Penn Sauter third, WIR weekly competitor Riley Stenjem fourth and two-time Midwest Tour champion Gabe Sommers fifth.

#restart #restarts #good

KAUKAUNA – One of Wisconsin's most prolific stock car racers won state's longest short-track race for the biggest victory of his career.
Justin Mondeik beat Ty Fredrickson on a restart with 10 laps to go to win the ASA Midwest Tour Gandrud 250 on Aug. 4 at Wisconsin International Raceway, earning a $15,000 payday.
"We had those two restarts and I was able to get a good launch off [Turn] 4 and just be behind him by a half a car length at the start and had a really good 1 and 2 and was able to clear him," said the 29-year-old from Gleason.
"Pretty wild race. Definitely needed those late restarts."
Fredrickson, who chose the outside for the restart, was upset with Mondeik both for contact and for what he believed was a jumped final restart after a previous attempt was waved off. He finished second with Penn Sauter third, WIR weekly competitor Riley Stenjem fourth and two-time Midwest Tour champion Gabe Sommers fifth.

#fredrickson #race

Mercedes deputy technical director Simone Resta has delved into George Russell's recent woes, as the team identified a software issue compounded by the Briton's older power unit.
Russell and his squad have been mystified by a lack of top speed relative to team-mate Kimi Antonelli at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps. Mercedes' lead racer attempted to tweak his driving style, to no avail, as his troubles were linked to the power unit's software code resulting in an imbalance in energy distribution.
Read Also:
Mercedes identifies George Russell's F1 power unit software issue
"As we all know, it's a very complex new set of regulations with the power unit," Resta said. "It's quite early days. We've just done 10 races so far, and there is a lot to learn. We are still learning a lot together, ourselves and our colleagues at HPP. We found a bug in our software, and we had to react to it.

#resta #russell

IndyCar's Scott Dixon drew criticism from NASCAR radio host Danielle Trotta on Sirius XM's On Track for saying NASCAR races are boring ... but social media isn't sure that's what he actually said.
In an interview with Frontstretch.com prior to IndyCar's Music City Grand Prix, Dixon was asked about the length of the race at 300 laps.
"I don't know," Dixon said, though the race was cut back to 225 laps when it was delayed until Monday. "I don't know. I find it really hard to watch Cup races. It allows for a nap. Maybe that's good. I don't know."
Trotta responded: "I can not believe Scott Dixon said that. The irony of an IndyCar racer saying our races are bad? Bro. You want to take a shot at NASCAR. Look at your ratings.
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Dixon."

#dixon #know #scott #race

WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge in the nation's capital has set a trial date in September for a former Olympic canoe racer charged with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the site of a troubled multimillion-dollar renovation project championed by President Donald Trump.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman scheduled the Sept. 28 trial date for David Hearn during a hearing on Monday. It was Hearn's second court appearance since a grand jury indicted him on a felony count of property destruction.
Hearn, who pleaded not guilty to the charge on July 9, has asked the court to dismiss the case. In a court filing, his attorneys argued the government has failed to properly preserve important physical evidence from the Reflecting Pool.
At least three other people have been charged in the same court with misdemeanors for allegedly removing pieces of paint from the Reflecting Pool. The felony charge against Hearn, which accuses him of causing at least $1,000 in damage to the pool, carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years upon conviction.
Trump ordered the pool's renovation work ahead of the country's 250th independence celebrations, but the project has been plagued by problems. Trump initially suggested that pool renovations would cost $1.5 million, but the cost of the project has exceeded $16 million.

In a historic celebration of Ducati's 100th Anniversary, MotoAmerica Supersport racer Kayla Yaakov participated in the exclusive Ducati MotoGP Experience at the Misano World Circuit following World Ducati Week 2026. Yaakov made history as the first woman to ride a Ducati MotoGP motorcycle, completing laps on Marc Márquez's Ducati Lenovo Team Desmosedici GP26 as well as Nicolò Bulega's Aruba.it Racing Panigale V4 R WorldSBK bike. Coached by racing legends Casey Stoner and Michele Pirro, the rising American talent fulfilled a lifelong dream while showcasing Ducati's rich racing heritage and commitment to rider development.
The full press release follows below.
Begin press release:
Ducati North America is proud to celebrate MotoAmerica racer Kayla Yaakov's participation in Ducati's exclusive MotoGP Experience following World Ducati Week 2026, where Ducatisti from around the world gathered at the Misano World Circuit to celebrate Ducati's 100th Anniversary. During the experience, Yaakov rode Marc Márquez's Ducati Lenovo Team Desmosedici GP26 and Nicolò Bulega's Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R WorldSBK bikes, becoming the first woman to ride a Ducati MotoGP motorcycle.
Yaakov joined Ducati riders, employees, dealers, and enthusiasts from across the globe for World Ducati Week, the largest gathering of Ducatisti in the world. Held every two years at the Misano World Circuit "Marco Simoncelli," the 2026 edition carried special significance as it celebrated 100 years of Ducati. The event featured racing legends, current MotoGP and WorldSBK riders, track activities, and exclusive experiences that showcased Ducati's racing heritage and passion for performance.

It's looking to be a perfect day for the 49th running of Utica's Boilermaker Road Race, with the Binghamton National Weather Service predicting a cool morning from racers.
The annual event reached its entry caps at the end of June with 4,500 runners signed up for the 5K run through the city presented by Utica National and 11,000 for the featured 15K.
Binghamton National Weather Service Meteorologist Adam Gill said the average temperature for the Road Race weekend to be in the mid to upper 80s.
"It looks like it will be mostly sunny through the day, with cloud cover only being about five to ten percent," Gill explained, adding that Sunday is looking dry with winds of about three miles per hour.
Currently, Gill said there looked to be no signs of precipitation on race day. "The humidity will be on the lower end, but definitely drink water and wear sunscreen."

Former MotoGP podium finisher Bradley Smith is set to make a special wildcard appearance at his home round during the British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone from August 7–9. Racing for the ParkinGO Team in collaboration with Harley-Davidson, the accomplished British rider will pilot a second entry featuring a dedicated Silverstone livery to celebrate the championship's inaugural visit to the United Kingdom. The event marks the fourth round of the FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup, giving British fans a unique opportunity to witness the action firsthand through official Harley-Davidson Ticket Packages and fan experiences.
Begin press release:
The FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup will welcome another internationally recognized name to its grid at Silverstone, as Bradley Smith joins the championship as a wildcard entry for the British round, taking place August 7–9 alongside the MotoGP British Grand Prix. The appearance of one of Britain's most accomplished motorcycle racers adds a home hero to the grid for the championship's first visit to Silverstone, creating new opportunities for British fans, media and the wider Harley-Davidson community.
The former MotoGP podium finisher will race a second entry fielded by ParkinGO Team in collaboration with Harley-Davidson, alongside the team's full-time Bagger World Cup rider Filippo Rovelli. The initiative further strengthens the collaboration between Harley-Davidson and ParkinGO Team while expanding the Italian team's presence to a two-bike line-up for the British round.

Marc van der Straten died at his home in Switzerland on July 5, at age 78. If your motorsport diet is heavy on GT3 and Blancpain results, you know his name from a BMW Z4 that tore through the Spa 24 Hours a decade ago. If you follow Grand Prix motorcycle racing, you know it from a Moto2 garage that quietly produced three world champions. What most people on either side of that divide don't realize is that it's the same man, running the same family operation, for the better part of three decades. That's the part of this story worth sitting with — not just the loss of a team owner, but the exit of one of the last people in professional racing who genuinely built something on both two wheels and four.
The timing makes it sting a little more. Seven days before he passed, a Boutsen VDS-run Porsche crossed the line eighth overall at the 79th running of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, an event SRO Motorsports Group itself markets as the biggest GT race on the planet. Van der Straten was, by every account from people who worked with him, still fully engaged with that program. He didn't get a slow fade into retirement. He got one more finish on the board first.
Van der Straten came from the van der Straten-Ponthoz family, tied to the lineage behind Stella Artois, which tells you where the checkbook came from but not why he spent it on race cars. That part came from his father, a onetime racer himself, and it pointed young Marc toward a genuinely strange starting point: the Gillet Vertigo, a low-volume Belgian sports car that most enthusiasts outside the Ardennes have never heard of. Van der Straten ran it in the domestic Belcar series under the Belgian Racing banner before pushing into the international FIA GT Championship by 2005.
Here's the part that's easy to gloss over: the Vertigo program was never eligible to score points toward the actual GT championship, because ******* logation rules require a minimum number of road-going examples to exist before a manufacturer's race car can compete for a ******* le. Gillet never built enough Vertigos to clear that bar. Van der Straten was paying to go racing at the top level with a car that, on paper, couldn't win anything. That's either an expensive hobby or a serious statement about priorities, and by 2008 even he seemed to agree it was time to pivot.
The team rebranded as Marc VDS for 2009 and became a development partner for the Matech-built Ford GT1, which earned it one of twelve entries in the inaugural FIA GT1 World Championship in 2010 — a season that also included a Ford GT1 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race the team wouldn't finish. The following year told a different story: a Kronos Racing/Marc VDS-entered Lola-Aston Martin LMP1 finished seventh overall at Le Mans with Vanina Ickx, Bas Leinders, and Maxime Martin sharing the car. If that surname looks familiar, yes, Vanina is Jacky Ickx's daughter, which is its own small piece of Belgian racing trivia buried inside a bigger one.

BUCHANAN, MI — The biggest pro motocross event every year takes place in southwestern Michigan.
When Independence Day weekend rolls around, there is only one thing on the minds of motocross fans and the people of Buchanan: RedBud. Thousands of people descend upon the track, celebrating the holiday weekend by watching the best pro moto racers in the world navigate the sport's defining track.
More from 2026 edition: How RedBud being on America's 250th birthday made the event even more 'epic'
Within the complex are several places to watch the action. But which one of those is the best? We watched the races Saturday, July 4, 2026, Here's our thoughts.
Let's start at the beginning — literally. The starting gate is a cool spot if you want to see all the racers rev their engines and get going, with the first turn always being dramatic. Unfortunately, no more racing takes place there, so you need to move elsewhere to see the action.

A powerboat race series where a racer died will not return for 2026, a motor boat club has announced.
Brett Duncan, 51, was fatally injured during a race after crashing with a stationary houseboat at Oulton Broad in Suffolk last July.
Lowestoft & Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club (LOBMBC) previously suspended races due to investigations and announced in September the 2025 race season was over.
On Friday, LOBMBC said investigations had concluded, but as it was still waiting for permission for on-water activities to recommence, it had "become clear that there is no realistic prospect of organising a meaningful racing season during 2026".
The club said it had cooperated fully with East Suffolk Council and the Broads Authority (BA) while investigations were completed.

Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome has announced his retirement from cycling.
The leading stage racer of his generation, Froome and Team Sky dominated the Tour between 2013 and 2017, collecting four yellow jerseys in five years.
Born in Kenya to British parents, the 41-year-old completed the Grand Tour set with overall victories at the Vuelta a Espana in 2011 and 2017 and Giro d'Italia in 2018, as well as winning two Olympic time trial bronze medals.
Froome has not raced competitively since suffering serious injuries in a training crash last August, and has now officially confirmed the conclusion of his career.
Speaking to Belgian broadcaster Sporza about whether he was retiring, the 41-year-old said: "Unfortunately, there was that crash last summer, that was not the way I wanted it to end. But even then, I knew it was over."