Issue #665: Battle at the Back

We start this week with a look at what modern-day F1 title battles are missing, as Fleur Rogerson rues the death of real rivalries while Jack Oliver Smith and James Phillips investigate the battles at the back of the F1 grid, and why who could graduate to midfield status really matters. Then Phil Oakley brings us the lowdown from a busy weekend at Imola, as the World Endurance Championship kicked off with a thrilling 6 Hours of Imola, delivering twists and turns right up to the chequered flag. Across the pond Kevin Dejewski digests IndyCar’s visit to Long Beach, California, featuring an unexpected pole position and a race of attrition that kept viewers hooked right to the end. It was a busy weekend for David Ledbitter who previews next weekend’s WRC Islas Canarias Rally, before deep-diving into the first round of the European Rally Championship and their visit to Sierra Morena. Our final dose of race analysis comes from Henry Cheal, bringing you up to speed with the Dutch round of the World Superbike Championship at Assen, and the monumental achievement by one rider… Returning to the F1 world, James focuses his microscope on the 1997 Arrows that so very nearly caused one of the biggest upsets in F1 history. And, as always, we have all the news, views and stories in this week's edition of the most widely read weekly motorsport magazine in the world!