Weekend preview: MotoGP, Daruvala, Mahindra

MotoGP returns to action this weekend with the German Grand Prix.

Sachsenring has been a happy hunting ground for championship leader Marc Marquez, who has been unbeaten at the venue since 2010, when he was still racing in the 125cc world championship.

Marquez’s teammate Dani Pedrosa has won four times in Germany and the Spaniard is also expected to announce his future in the run-up to the race.

While Hondas is expected to be the team to beat at Sachsenring, it would be interesting to see if Yamaha or Ducati will emerge as its closest challenger.

Valentino Rossi, despite the weaknesses of the YZR-M1 and not winning a single race this year, continues to hold the second spot in the standing.

By contrast, the Ducati riders have won three races between them, yet neither of them feature in the top four in the championship.

Jehan Daruvala would be looking for another consistent showing at the Zandvoort round of European F3 series.

Daruvala has always been there or thereabout this season, with two podiums in the first three rounds. However, a retirement in the season opener and a stalling on the grid, among other reasons, means he occupies only seventh place in the standings.

But given his past results, one would expect him to turn up his performance sooner rather than later and challenge for the top spot again.

Mahindra Racing / Formula E (New York ePrix)

The 2017/18 Formula E season will come to a close with a double-header in New York.

Techeetah driver Jean-Eric Vergne holds a substantial 23 point lead over DS Virgin’s Sam Bird heading into the season finale, with 58 points on offer across the two races.

However, it would be foolish to rule out Bird just yet; the Englishman, after all, won both the races in New York last year - albeit on a slightly different configuration of the track.

Techeetah also holds the top spot in the teams’ standings, but Audi, and not DS Virgin, is it closest challenger.

Hope will be high from Mahindra Racing, with many expecting the Indian manufacturer to end the season on a high after its early title bid faded due to retirements and other issues.

Akash Gowda will compete in the inaugural Asian F3 series, starting with this weekend’s season opener in Malaysia.

He will race for the MSport team, run by Indian sportscar ace Armaan Ebrahim.

Additional: Karun Chandhok / Goodwood Festival of Speed

The annual Goodwood Festival of Speed will again attract racing cars - both past and present - from different categories, including Formula 1 and WEC.

Former Indian F1 driver Karun Chandhok will also be present, driving the Williams-BMW FW26 at the legendary hillclimb.