Latest news with #Sprint
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Why Red Bull's upgrades are crucial for Max Verstappen at Belgian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen (Image credit: Instagram) Max Verstappen is currently standing on the boundary line of the Formula 1 Championship with only two wins in 12 races this season. He is currently in the number 3 spot in the Formula 1 Driver Standings, but if he slips out of the top three, he could activate the release clause in his contract with Red Bull. Now, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has said the updates that will be introduced at Red Bull at the Belgian Grand Prix have little ground to fall into place, and if they don't work out as expected, Verstappen could lose all his chances of claiming the championship. Helmut Marko on Red Bull upgrades at Belgian Grand Prix Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko looks hopeful about the Red Bull updates to be introduced at the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix and the following Hungarian Grand Prix. Marko told OE24, 'There are still 332 points up for grabs, which is a decent package. We hope the updates we're bringing to Spa and Budapest will have an impact.' The Belgian Grand Prix is scheduled from July 25–26. But since there is a Sprint race as well, only one practice session has been included in the schedule. The other two free practice sessions have been omitted to make space for the Sprint qualifying and then the Sprint. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Dubai villas | search ads Get Deals Undo When asked if having an additional Sprint could be beneficial for the team to grab points, Marko said, 'Yes and no. On the one hand, there are more points up for grabs. But on the other hand, two practice sessions are cancelled. We can't afford a disastrous Friday practice and then get the car into the right tyre window. Everything has to be right, right from the start.' If Red Bull upgrades fail to work at Belgian Grand Prix Helmut Marko, however, also indicated that if the updates fail to help Verstappen improve his race performance, they may stop thinking about remaining in the championship at all. Max Verstappen is currently third in the Driver Standings with 165 points. Mercedes driver George Russell is a close fourth with 147 points. If he slips out of the top three, he may be free to leave Red Bull before his contract comes to an end. On the other hand, McLaren's Oscar Piastri is leading with 234 points and has his teammate Lando Norris in a close second with 226 points. Also Read: Inside Max Verstappen's yacht outing with Kelly Piquet, daughter Lily: Drinks, surfing — but no Toto Wolff But the Belgian Grand Prix is Verstappen's home race, and he has won it three times consecutively — in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
The Australian
18 hours ago
- Sport
- The Australian
Home-bred cheapie Romeo's Choice scores knockout victory in July Sprint at Rosehill
There's nothing flashy about Romeo's Choice, but his fighting qualities were on show for all to see when refusing to surrender in the July Sprint at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. At a time in Australian racing where horses purchased for $500,000 or more are a common occurrence every Saturday in Sydney, Romeo's Choice was conceived at Cangon Stud in Dungog from a $2200 service fee. 'He's not one of these million-dollar horses, he's just a home-bred in the back paddock with his owners and it's so wonderful for them and it shows these great racing stories can happen,' trainer Richard Litt said. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'I'm just very happy for his owners and to get the job done is great. 'The owners are actually sending the mare to Perth to put her back in foal to his sire Choistar. 'Another little Romeo would be lovely.' The win was Romeo's Choice's seventh from 36 starts and his second from as many starts this preparation. 'He's come up great, he's a real gem,' Litt said. 'He just never gives up, a lovely honest horse. 'We had this race ear marked for him and it's worked out perfectly.' Romeo's Choice was put into a midfield position by Tom Sherry and when the leaders rolled away from the inside at the top of the straight, he snuck up the inside and set about chasing down the inform winter sensation Storm The Ramparts. The pair settled down to fight out the contest over the last 200m with Romeo's Choice getting the upper hand over the concluding stages. The win was Sherry's second for the day. 'He'll go on with this and I'm hoping he can keep improving because there some nice races coming up for him, maybe in Listed grade that he can be competitive in,' Litt said. • 'Put my neck on the line': Yoshinobu repays Archibald gamble 'There's a suitable Listed race coming up for him in Brisbane in a month and I think that's where he'd be best placed. 'He's a horse and he's just getting better with age.' Storm The Ramparts second placing for took his preparation haul to three wins and three runner-up finishes and post-race his rider Reece Jones was lamenting the defeat. 'He just ducked in on me,' he said. 'He's tough, going really well. It sucks to get beaten right on the line but you can't question his effort, if anything he might have been trying a bit hard.' Rounding out the placings in third was Godolphin's galloper Corniche which made a great start to the preparation but stable rep Darren Beadman is unsure who will take over the gelding's training when James Cummings finishes up at the end of the season. 'That was very good,' Beadman said. 'He's never run that well here at Rosehill before. 'He loomed to win but they just moved out under him, and it baulked him for a stride and then being first-up off such a long time, he just couldn't pick himself up quickly enough again. 'I'm not sure where he's going but the Missile (Stakes) looks perfect for him in two weeks.'
Daily Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Express
Oceanman makes a return this Sunday
Published on: Friday, July 18, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jul 18, 2025 Text Size: Participants of a previous Oceanman Malaysia event with their medals. Kota Kinabalu: Oceanman, the world's premier open-water swimming endurance event, is set to return to Sabah with the second edition of Oceanman Kota Kinabalu on July 20 (Sunday), in the waters of Pantai Dalit, Tuaran. The competition will challenge swimmers of all ages and abilities to test their limits against the backdrop of the breathtaking Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu's coastline. Advertisement The event will feature a range of distances, including the Sprint 2km, 5km, 10km 500-metre relay race, as well as the Oceankids 500-metre race, catering to swimmers of all levels. Participants can expect a unique and unforgettable experience, swimming in crystal-clear waters surrounded by lush tropical landscapes. The event will also showcase the beauty and diversity of Sabah's marine life and ecosystems. 'We are thrilled to bring Oceanman to Sabah for the second time, after last year's successful event,' said Azura Zainol Abidin, Event Director of Oceanman Malaysia. 'Kota Kinabalu offers an incredible setting for this world-class event, and we are confident that it will be a resounding success yet again,' Azura added. In its first chapter last year in October, Oceanman Kota Kinabalu welcomed 200 participants. This year, Oceanman Kota Kinabalu is welcoming 592 participating swimmers from 39 countries around the world, signifying a strong sign of global interest and engagement in the sport. This open water swimming event challenges these swimmers to test their swimming capabilities in an open sea setting, as opposed to within the constraints of a swimming pool. In addition, this global event is also expected to contribute to the local economy and tourism industry in Sabah. 'We are organising an exciting, enjoyable open water swimming series under a cleverly branded umbrella for swimmers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds,' says Race Director Amirizal Ishak. 'This event is perfect for a 'swimcation' with the whole family. The support from Tourism Malaysia and the Sabah Tourism Board will be instrumental in making the Oceanman event a mainstay as a Sabah event. Hopefully, Oceanman will offer an exciting new experience for the Visit Malaysia Year 2026,' he said. Julinus Jeffrey Jimit, CEO of the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) believes the event can help strengthen Sabah's reputation as a leading sports tourism destination in Malaysia. 'As the host venue for Oceanman Malaysia these three years (2024-2026), we are excited about the potential this event holds for positioning Sabah as a prime destination for sports tourism,' he said. Oceanman has also proven to be an inclusive sporting event welcoming participants as young as 7 years old and as old as 70 on top of an Inspiration Category for swimmers with disabilities. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Premier open-water swimming event back to Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: The world's premier open-water swimming endurance event will see twice the number of participants when it returns to Sabah for the second time this weekend. Dubbed Oceanman Kota Kinabalu, the competition will take place on Sunday at Pantai Dalit in Tuaran near here. In its first chapter last year, Oceanman Kota Kinabalu welcomed 200 participants. This year, the competition is welcoming 592 participating swimmers from 39 countries — a whopping 196 per cent increase. The event will feature a range of distances, including the Sprint 2km, 5km, 10km 500-metre relay race, as well as the Oceankids 500-metre race, catering to swimmers of all levels. Oceanman has also proven to be an inclusive sporting event — welcoming participants as young as 7 years old and as old as 70. It also has the Inspiration Category for swimmers with disabilities. The event director, Azura Zainol Abidin, said they were thrilled to bring Oceanman again to Sabah after last year's successful event. "Kota Kinabalu offers an incredible setting for this world-class event, and we are confident that it will be a resounding success yet again," he said in a statement. Race director Amirizal Ishak said they were organising an exciting, enjoyable open-water swimming series for swimmers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. "This event is perfect for a 'swimcation' with the whole family. The support from Tourism Malaysia and the Sabah Tourism Board will be instrumental in making Oceanman a mainstay Sabah event."
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I went to the ‘world's best waterpark' just three hours from the UK and it's like being on another planet
For more thrills, there's even an amusement park right next door SPACED OUT I went to the 'world's best waterpark' just three hours from the UK and it's like being on another planet DESPITE most of my friends having never heard of it, the indoor waterpark Aquascope has been named the 'best waterpark in the world' - so I had to find out for myself. Eight miles north of Poitiers in France, there are three things that make this water park stand out from the crowd. Advertisement 5 Aquascope has 8 waterslides, a wave pool and immersive zone with an aquatic cinema Credit: ©JL AUDYFUTUROSCOPE 5 Another attraction is the lazy river Credit: ©JL AUDYFUTUROSCOPE Firstly, Aquascope is an indoor attraction – an absolute blessing for us in the 35C heat in France at the time so no chasing everyone around with the factor 50. It is also is on the same site as major French attraction Futuroscope, if you wanted more theme park elements. But by far the most appealing thing about Aquascope is that it combines its hardcore water features with truly impressive tech effects, so it feels, in the words of my youngest, 'like you're swimming around inside a cool video game'. Think lights, screens and cascading colour and you're on the right lines. Advertisement Picture the scene. Two spiral stairways, each signposting a route to the top of a different slide. Everyone carries their inflatable rafts up (depending on the slide, there are four-seater inflatables, two-seaters; one-seaters; mats with handlebars; and slides that you don't need any accessory for). You can even watch through the transparent tubes, showing you the people ahead of you squealing down. We counted eight slides in total, each offering a completely different thrill. Advertisement Scots waterpark crowned 'best in the country' to reopen in weeks 5 There are lots of ride from high thrills to smaller slides Credit: ©JL AUDYFUTUROSCOPE We loved 'Alien' (a tube raft race with some serious skids and swirls) and 'Sprint' (like head-first bodyboarding). 'Quick' was exactly as it sounds, a short sharp bolt with one free-fall funnel stretch. After four goes, I lost count of how many times we waited in line for that one. The most adrenaline-pumping? For us, that was a toss-up between 'Spiral', a 130m of giddy twists, nail-biting speed, and deep-pool plunge. Advertisement And 'Rocket', where you step inside a space capsule and count down to lift-off when the floor disappears beneath your feet. The most impressive thing about Aquascope was that in addition to the crazy slides there's a totally different change of pace and vibe at Aquascope's Abysses-de-Lumière, an underworld of fairytale caves and canyons. One minute you're swimming right up to a massive, mesmerising screen, then meteors crash around you, then you feel like you're swimming underwater with cute sea creatures. 5 The waterpark makes you feel like you're on another planet Credit: Lucy Shrimpton/Aquascope Advertisement There's a lazy river too that carries you along in floats beneath a magical sky. There is also an outdoor section with a hotel-style pool where I managed to get my sun-lounger fix for a while. Little ones meanwhile will be in their element in the minis zone with water maze, overhead soakers and a musical grotto. As for Futuroscope next-door, that was surprising, because if you thought that a virtual-reality ride couldn't be as exhilarating as a rollercoaster, Futuroscope will make you eat your words. Advertisement In 'Extraordinary Journey' for example you whizz at breakneck speed around all the world's sights, sounds and even smells without leaving your seat. It's just one of Futuroscope's 40 experiences, some of the type you'd expect at a theme park ('Destination Mars' your rollercoaster, brand-new 'Mission Bermuda' your aqua-flume),. We couldn't get enough of Tornado Chasers (flee the storm before it swallows you!) and Robot Dance (its arm throwing you around to the DJ's beat drop). The verdict? For us the combination of speed and special effects was a winning formula and so worth the drive. Advertisement If my grown-up kids AND my 58-year old husband had to be dragged away (the biggest kid of all), that tells you pretty much everything you need to know, right? Here's More About Where To Stay and Eat at Aquascope... Drive: via Le Shuttle from Folkestone, rolling off in Calais just 35 minutes later. Aquascope is an onward drive of around 6 hours. (To break up the journey with a day in Paris, a trip to Disneyland Paris, or a trip to Parc Asterix, spend a couple of nights at Eurocamp's Le Grand Paris.) Stay at: Ecolodgées Hotel, serene cabins designed to restore peace after the day's high-energy. Eat at: the Space Loop restaurant scoring high on fun factor. Order food on your table's screen then wait for it to land via mini rollercoaster. For further details including pricing, restrictions, app etc. visit OR you can fly to Nantes from the UK, taking around 1h25, with Aquascope around two hours from there
