logo
Scott McLaughlin crashes out before Indy 500 start

Scott McLaughlin crashes out before Indy 500 start

RNZ News25-05-2025
Scott McLaughlin is out of the Indy 500, after a crash before the race start.
Photo:
Photosport
Scott McLaughlin's Indy 500 is over, with a dramatic crash before the race start.
McLaughlin was trying to warm up his tyres on a pace lap just before the start, when he lost control of his Team Penske car. It swerved wildly and crashed into an inside wall on the famous Indianapolis track.
McLaughlin wasn't injured, but he was shown on the Sky television broadcast on his haunches on the ground, with his head in his hands.
At the same time, flames were seen coming from the back of fellow Kiwi Scott Dixon's car with an apparent braking problem, but he started the race.
The onboard from the No. 3 car of
@smclaughlin93
pic.twitter.com/Gc9zdnPPDs
McLaughlin, who was in a back-up car after crashing his main vehicle at the track last week, said he didn't know what caused today's crash.
"I really have no idea what happened," McLaughlin said.
"I'm just really upset for my team. They built me a fantastic car again. I'm really sorry to my sponsors, my fans, my family. I don't know what happened.
"I'm still… I can't believe we're out of the race. I just had so much hope today. Yeah, it's by far, the worst moment of my life.
"I know it's probably dramatic and whatever, but I put so much into this race, everyone does, and I didn't even get to see the green flag."
Dixon pitted on lap 30 for apparent repairs to the braking system of his Chip Ganassi car, losing him three laps behind the field.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tennis: Evolving Swiatek meets resilient Anisimova as Wimbledon set for new champion
Tennis: Evolving Swiatek meets resilient Anisimova as Wimbledon set for new champion

RNZ News

time8 hours ago

  • RNZ News

Tennis: Evolving Swiatek meets resilient Anisimova as Wimbledon set for new champion

Iga Swiatek of Poland in action during the women's singles at Wimbledon. Photo: AFP The Wimbledon women's singles championship will culminate with a new name set to be etched onto the gilded Venus Rosewater Dish for the eighth successive year. Eighth seed Iga Swiatek of Poland will look to win her sixth Grand Slam title and first on the grass courts of London when she faces 13th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova, who is targeting her maiden major crown. Swiatek stamped her authority as the queen of clay when she lifted her fourth French Open title in five years in 2024. Her vast trophy cabinet also contains the 2022 US Open trophy. It has been a barren 13-month run for the 24-year-old, who has had to deal with off-court distractions after a short doping ban late last year following her positive test for trimetazidine due to contaminated sleep medication. While the 24-year-old has never previously had too much love for grass, with the slick surface posing a litany of challenges for the Pole, Wimbledon has offered her a golden opportunity to return to winning ways and confirm herself as an all-court ace. "I never thought it was going to be possible," said Swiatek, who will attempt to become the youngest woman since 20-year-old Serena Williams in 2002 to win Grand Slam singles titles on all three surfaces. "I'm not this kind of person that sets these kinds of goals. I live tournament-by-tournament. It's not like I wake up and I'm like, 'Ok, I'm going to win three Grand Slams this year' because that's not how I work. "I have more down-to-earth goals, practising day-by-day. This is what has always been working." Swiatek's approach has helped her fly under the radar over the past fortnight, with only one set dropped in the tournament, and she romped into the final by thrashing 2020 Olympic champion Belinda Bencic 6-2 6-0. Amanda Anisimova while playing at the 2020 ASB Classic in Auckland. Photo: PHOTOSPORT She could become only the third woman since tennis turned professional in 1968 to win all of her first six major finals, joining Margaret Court and Monica Seles, but Swiatek is not taking the big-hitting Anisimova lightly. "I haven't followed her previous matches... she must be playing great," said Swiatek, who until last month had never even reached the final of a grass court event. "She had a great tournament before Wimbledon. She knows how to play on grass. With her game style, the surface fits her, so it's going to be a challenge." Drawing inspiration from Williams, Anisimova will look to become the first American woman to claim the Wimbledon title since her compatriot in 2016 and keep her country's flag flying at the majors. After Madison Keys won the Australian Open at the start of the year and Coco Gauff triumphed at Roland Garros, victory for Anisimova will keep alive hopes of US women completing an "American Slam" of the four majors. Having dabbled in art while taking a mental health break from the sport in 2023 over burnout fears, the 23-year-old Anisimova will look to pick up her racket and paint a masterpiece on Centre Court with the world watching. There have been strokes of brilliance during her run this year, highlighted by her semi-final win over top seed Aryna Sabalenka, but Anisimova said reaching the level she has after her eight-month sabbatical felt even more special. "It goes to show that it's possible," Anisimova said. "That's a really special message I've been able to show because when I took my break, a lot of people told me I'd never make it to the top again if I take so much time away from the game. That was a little hard to digest. "I did want to come back and still achieve a lot and win a Grand Slam one day. Just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritise yourself... that's incredibly special to me. It means a lot." Although the pair met as juniors, this will be their first clash at the elite level and Anisimova is up for the challenge as she pits her powerful, aggressive style against the court craft of Swiatek. "Iga's such an unbelievable player," Anisimova said. "She's also been an inspiration to me. Her work ethic and all of her achievements have been really inspiring. I'm sure it will be an amazing match. "I'm going to go out and enjoy every moment and try to not think about what's on the line there." - Reuters

New Zealand Black Sox keep title hopes alive after securing first Super Round win
New Zealand Black Sox keep title hopes alive after securing first Super Round win

RNZ News

time8 hours ago

  • RNZ News

New Zealand Black Sox keep title hopes alive after securing first Super Round win

The New Zealand Black Sox have kept their title hopes alive at the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup, claiming a dramatic 5-4 walk-off win over the United States. The team came back from a 4-1 deficit to claim victory in their opening Super Round clash, thanks to a clutch home run by designated player Jerome Raemaki in the bottom of the seventh inning. With one out and runners on first and second, Raemaki sent a no-doubt shot over the left-field fence to end the game, bringing the boys to their feet and celebrating with a classic 'mana wave' . The Black Sox celebrating their win. Photo: WBSC Catcher Te Wera Bishop had earlier got on base with a line drive to right field, followed by number nine batter Rhys Evans, who earned a walk. The Black Sox's first runs came earlier in the game, including a solo home run from outfielder Reilly Makea - son of head coach and WBSC Hall of Famer Thomas Makea - in the second inning. USA's starting pitcher Marco Diaz brought serious heat on the mound, clocking around 133 km/h. The 23-year-old is regarded as one of the fastest men's pitchers in the game and held New Zealand to just one run through six innings. Jerome Raemaki. Photo: WBSC Head coach Thomas Makea said post-match while USA came out strong, the boys stuck to their task of "staying in the fight." "To give ourselves an opportunity, we chipped away, and we got to the 7th and the boys stayed composed. The thing we needed was a couple of base runners. Jerome came up big tonight." Makea said it was a "massive effort" from the entire squad. "Once again we used everyone. So, big team effort." Lefty-slugger Raemaki said while he couldn't remember too much from that last at-bat, he knew he hit it well. "Everything was a bit of a blur, and it was just going back to making sure I touched all the bases from there." With the New Zealand side coming from behind into the seventh, Raemaki said the boys never gave up. "We've always had this never die attitude, all the way to the end," he said. "Some big bats came through, Te Wera and Rhys had good at-bats there, and without them I wouldn't have had the opportunity." The Black Sox will take on Japan on Sunday at 2:30pm NZT. Photo: WBSC Team captain Cole Evans said he was proud of the boys for coming out on top in such a high-pressure game - and gave a massive mihi to Raemaki. "Jerome, that's a hell of an at-bat," he said. "It's a massive at-bat and obviously wins the game for us, so it takes a special hitter to come up in a situation like that and do what he did, so yeah, kudos to Jerome today." Evans said aside from hosts Canada, the Black Sox have been the most supported team at the tournament so far. "We travel thick and it shows out in the diamond. We hear everyone, so appreciate the support we've got here and we do see all the messages from back home too, so appreciate that as well. New Zealand have moved to 1-1 while USA drop to 0-2 Photo: WBSC The Black Sox qualified for the Super Round after finishing second in Group A behind Venezuela. Joining them in the top four are Japan, Venezuela and the USA. The four teams carry over their Opening Round head-to-head results, meaning Venezuela and Japan started the Super Round at 1-0, with New Zealand and the USA at 0-1. With Saturday's impressive win, New Zealand move to 1-1 while USA drop to 0-2. In their next contest, the Black Sox will take on Japan on Sunday at 2:30pm NZT. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Winter driving often more demanding
Winter driving often more demanding

Otago Daily Times

time16 hours ago

  • Otago Daily Times

Winter driving often more demanding

EDITORIAL Driving mishaps seem to have been the stock-in-trade of the Otago Daily Times ' editorial and online pages in recent weeks, a phenomenon that I have noticed is invariably associated with the onset of true winter weather. Or perhaps to be more accurate, associated with the failure of ever so many Otago drivers to adjust to winter weather which, while unpredictable for sure, is still a mild version of what is experienced in some other parts of the world. I make this observation having witnessed some pretty poor driving so far this month, additional to my perennial bugbears of inattentive, distracted and discourteous driving. My particular winter gripes so far have been motorists failing to adjust their speed to slippery conditions, and far too many following far too close when conditions are wet and visibility is low. Some useful rules of thumb to keep in mind are that compared with a dry road, stopping distances are up to twice as long in the wet, and up to four times as long in the snow. As for ice, well, think in terms of five to 10 times longer, and with the attendant possibility that you are quite likely to stop only by hitting something. It might do us all good to remember that we are not engaged in a grand prix motor race, and even if racing is not your thing, perhaps take five minutes to watch the highlights of last weekend's British Grand Prix,which shows how even the most talented of drivers struggle in the wet, and how quickly and dramatically things can go wrong when a road is slippery and visibility is poor. This year's British Grand Prix was a disappointing one for New Zealand's Liam Lawson, though he was blameless in his first-lap exit from the race: rather, he was the victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time as Yuki Tsunoda put the squeeze on Esteban Ocon, who in turn rammed Lawson off the rack and into a very early retirement. While that left Kiwi race fans with little to cheer about in F1 last weekend, there was every reason to be both proud and cheerful after big wins for both Scott Dixon and Shane van Gisbergen in the United States. That van Gisbergen was in with a good shot of winning the Nascar Cup race at Chicago's Street Circuit was something I predicted in Drivesouth last weekend; no special second sight was involved in that call, just an appreciation that SVG has won there before, in both the premier Nascar Cup category, and the second-tier Xfinity category. He contested both categories and won them both last weekend, which was a great result. Much more surprising was Scott Dixon's IndyCar win at mid-Ohio. Heading to the race, Dixon had his truly remarkable tally of 58 career wins in IndyCar, including at least one win in each of the past 20 seasons. But in recent races, the old Dixon sparkle appeared to be missing, to the extent that it seemed to me he might never win in IndyCars again. Then up the old master popped, running a two-stop strategy when three stops was easily the favoured option, and pouncing late in the race when his team-mate and series leader Alex Palou ran wide exiting a bend. In winning for the first time this season, Dixon became only the third driver to win in IndyCar this season, the previous nine races having been won by either Palou (six wins) or Kyle Kirkwood (three wins). So now it's 59 Indycar wins for Dixon (second only on the all-time list to the great AJ Foyt) including wins across 21 consecutive seasons. Once again, I am reminded that Dixon's a driver whose achievements place him up there with 1967 F1 world champion Denny Hulme and the legendary Bruce McLaren as one of the three greatest race drivers New Zealand has produced.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store