Romain Grosjean calls it “two different circuits in one” and Kevin Magnussen says “it’s a mixture of Monza and Monaco”. It is Baku City Circuit, a 6.003-kilometer (3.730-mile), 20-turn street course that hosts the Azerbaijan Grand Prix June 25.

The two Haas F1 Team drivers and 18 of their counterparts blast down two enormously long straights in a dumbbell-shaped layout that runs counterclockwise. The Herman Tilke-designed track blends old and new amid fast straights and slow corners. It winds through a modern, Eastern side where swank hotels and high-end shops reside, to a historic area where the streets are narrow and steep before returning to the mainstraight. A sharp left turn greets drivers at the end of that straight, not too dissimilarly from the Tilke-designed Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, home to the United States Grand Prix. It’s a unique and challenging layout that is augmented by Baku’s notorious winds, which are always prevalent. In fact, City of Winds is the unofficial, but literary, name for Baku.

Winds of change have been blowing all year in Formula One, with this new generation of higher-downforce racecar breaking track records at every circuit visited thus far in the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship. Baku could buck that trend, however, as the track hosted its first grand prix last year when the lower-downforce cars of the previous era produced significant straight-line speed.

The higher-downforce cars of today aren’t as quick in a straight line, but thanks to a wider front wing, larger barge boards, a lower and wider rear wing, a taller and wider diffuser and tires 25-percent wider than last year, these current-generation Formula One cars dart through corners at speeds never seen before this year.

With 20 turns built into Baku City Circuit, drivers will test the boundaries of the world’s fastest city circuit in an effort to make up the lost speed on the two main straights – the 2.2-kilometer (1.367-mile) mainstraight along the promenade and a 1-kilometer (.621-mile) stretch that takes drivers away from Azadliq Square. Grosjean’s “two different circuits in one” and Magnussen’s musing of Baku being “a mixture of Monza and Monaco” are apt.
Because Baku City Circuit is so new, there is still plenty of learning to be had. Grosjean finished 13th in last year’s race after a potential points-paying result was derailed by debris getting caught in his car’s radiator intake. Finishing right behind Grosjean was Magnussen, whose 14th-place drive came with his former Renault team.

Speaking of Renault, Haas F1 Team comes into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix locked in a tight battle with the factory-backed squad. Renault is seventh in the constructors standings, only three points ahead of Haas F1 Team. But with point-paying results in five of the seven races run this season, Grosjean and Magnussen are eyeing another points-paying effort in Baku to not only bolster their respective 12th- and 13th-place positions in the driver standings, but to also take hold of seventh in the constructors standings and potentially fight with sixth-place Williams, which currently enjoys a seven-point margin over Haas F1 Team.

In 2016, Haas F1 Team scored points in just five races. With that tally already having been equaled in 2017 with still 13 races remaining, the American outfit believes Baku can be the scene of another points-scoring effort that can surpass its 2016 mark and keep the midfield battle as tight as the corners around Baku’s historic Sabayil Castle.

Jordan Taylor was one lap from adding a 24 Hours of Le Mans victory to an incredible 2017 season that has seen him take five-consecutive wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, including the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

But then, disaster struck the No. 63 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R. On the final lap, Taylor encountered a punctured right-rear tire, forcing him to surrender the lead – and the victory – in the GTE Pro class to Jonny Adam in the No. 97 Aston Martin. He limped the car home to take a third-place finish for himself and co-drivers Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia, behind the Aston and the UK-based No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT.

“The whole race, everyone was so close and so evenly matched and Antonio had a cut tire and had to come in,” Magnussen said. “That put us behind everybody and on a different strategy than everyone else. That also meant that we would not be catching the slow zones the same as everyone else and that really started to bite us.

“So, we fell further and further back. Until we got back on the same strategy as everyone else, it was an uphill fight. But the car was good and the team worked fantastic the whole time. Antonio and Jordan drove perfect throughout the whole race. When we perform like this as a team, it’s difficult not to be disappointed with the outcome. Podium at Le Mans is pretty decent, it’s just not what we came for.”

Meanwhile, in the GTE Am class, Townsend Bell and Bill Sweedler earned their third straight Le Mans podium result with a third-place run in the No. 62 WeatherTech Ferrari 488 GTE fielded by Scuderia Corsa that they shared with full-time WeatherTech Championship racer Cooper MacNeil. Bell and Sweedler won the GTE Am class last year, and finished third in 2015. Bell held the class lead early on and the car was a fixture in the GTE Am top five throughout.
For MacNeil, it was his second trip to the podium in 2017, following a WeatherTech Championship GT Daytona (GTD) class win in the BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach alongside co-driver Gunnar Jeannette in the No. 50 WeatherTech Mercedes-AMG GT3.

“We ran a really clean race,” MacNeil said. “We had a couple of minor issues all race. I didn’t put a wheel wrong all race and that is how you have to run here at Le Mans. We gave it all we had. We ran to plan, did the stops and driver changes and ran our race. We kept it clean and the great work from the Scuderia Corsa and Kessel guys got us up on the podium. The WeatherTech Racing Ferrari ran great the entire 24 hours.”

Elsewhere, full-time WeatherTech Championship competitor and 2015 GT Le Mans (GTLM) champion Patrick Pilet earned a top-five result in the No. 91 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR he co-drove with Frederic Makowiecki and Richard Lietz.

The overall race victory in the topsy-turvy race went to the No. 2 Porsche 919 Hybrid co-driven by Earl Bamber, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley. It was a war of attrition in the LM P1 class, and the winning car battled back to win after spending more than an hour in the garage for repairs after Bamber lost front axle drive with 18-and-a-half hours remaining.

The LM P2 class victory went to the No. 38 Jackie Chan DC Racing ORECA-Gibson shared by Ho-Pin Tung, Thomas Laurent and Oliver Jarvis. The No. 38 team finished second overall, one spot ahead of another LM P2 car, the No. 13 Vaillante Rebellion ORECA co-driven by Nelson Piquet Jr., David Heinemeier Hansson and Mathias Beche.

Next up for the WeatherTech Championship is the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday, July 2. It marks the halfway point in the 12-race WeatherTech Championship season, and also represents the third round of four in the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.

Gar Robinson captured his second consecutive TA2 victory with a win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Indianapolis Muscle Car Challenge, Round 5 of the 2017 Trans Am Championship. Robinson endured a race-long battle with fellow championship contender Dillon Machavern and made a vital pass for the lead with eight of the 42 laps remaining to clinch the coveted Indy win in Trans Am’s first appearance on the legendary Indy track.

“This win is absolutely up there,” said Robinson. “I was watching the end of Le Mans this morning and that got me in the mood for today. A win at Indy, following a win at Detroit, I don’t think you can really top that. To do this with my crew, all the hard work they put in, and my father, all the help he gives—I don’t, and can’t, thank them enough. It’s such a great opportunity to come race here. There’s no way to really describe this, it’s Indy! We got a win at Indy!”

Robinson, in the No. 74 Pura Vida Tequila/ 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro, began the race on pole of the 25-car field and held the position until a full course caution on lap 19 for debris on course. The field would restart on lap 24, with Dillon Machavern, in the No. 24 Heritage Motorsports Ford Mustang, overtaking Robinson through turn one. The two would continue nose-to-tail through lap 34 before Robinson finally made his move on the back of the Indy course, capturing first position and successfully defending it through the checkered flag. The move would later be named the COOLSHIRT Systems Cool Move of the Race.

“That really was a harebrained idea,” said Robinson. “I was following him around, trying to discover where I could make a move. I felt like we had a faster car, having pulled ahead for a little bit earlier on, I just hunkered down and threw the No. 74 in there—and the crew gave me the car to make it happen. Dillon ran really hard today; I’m always happy to race him.”

Machavern would undergo one more battle over the final laps of the race, this time with Robinson’s teammate Shane Lewis, in the No. 72 Pura Vida Tequila/ 74 Ranch Racing Chevrolet Camaro. Lewis began the race from the back of the field, coming off a penalty from the previous round at Detroit, and proceeded to charge through the field, gaining six positions on the first lap and claiming fourth position on the 17th.

Over the final stretches of the race, Machavern and Lewis would go side-by-side multiple times, including the final lap with Machavern just edging Lewis before entering the front straight and taking the checkered for second position. The finishes marked the fourth podium of the year for both Machavern and Lewis. Machavern would also set the fast lap of the race, a 1:31.557 around the 2.439-mile Grand Prix course.

Fourth place would be captured by Lawrence Loshak, in the No. 5 Pennzoil/ ETE Reman Chevrolet Camaro—tying his best finish of the year. Loshak would start fifth, and climb as high as third. Fifth place was secured by Cameron Lawrence, No. 19 Class Auto Centers Chevrolet Camaro, after a 35th lap pass on Adam Andretti, in the No. 44 ECC/ Anchor Bolt & Screw Dodge Challenger.

For their efforts in repairing the No. 19 after heavy damage in Round 4 at Detroit, the first-year Class Auto team was awarded the PitBoxes.com Crew of the Race; while Crew Chief Wesley Sumen took home TraqGear Crew Chief of the Weekend.

The TA2 top ten was completed by Adam Andretti, Curt Vogt, John Atwell, Keith Prociuk and Matt Parent. The seventh place finish marked a career high for Vogt in his seventh TA2 appearance.

One day prior, the Trans Am Series held an additional 102.6 mile, 42-lap competition, the Trans Am Speedway Showdown, featuring the TA, TA3 and TA4 classes with 34 entries participating. Ernie Francis, Jr., claimed his fourth consecutive TA class win; while Mark Boden secured a TA3 victory and debutant Andrew Entwistle won TA4.

The Trans Am Series was joined on the weekend by the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association holding their Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, including the Indy Legends Pro-Am as well as the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup series

The Trans Am Series will now head north to Brainerd International Raceway for the Ryan Companies Independence Day Classic, Round 5 of the 2017 Trans Am Championship.

Broadcast: This weekend's event will be broadcast, tape delayed, on CBS Sports Network.

Trans Am Speedway Showdown (TA, TA3, TA4) – Jul 08, 12:00p.m. ET

Indianapolis Muscle Car Challenge (TA2) – Jul 15, 12:00p.m. ET

Clay Millican piloted his Parts Plus / Great Clips dragster to his first career Top Fuel victory Sunday at the 17th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Alex Laughlin (Pro Stock) were also winners in their respective categories at the 11th event of 24 on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Millican, a Tennessee native, raced a 3.825-second pass at 316.38 mph to defeat Leah Pritchett, who raced a 3.881 at 307.09 in her Papa John's dragster. He became the 103rd different driver to win in Top Fuel. This was Millican's 254th NHRA Top Fuel start and the ninth final round of his career.

“I love what I do,” Millican said. “There were times I ever wondered if this was going to happen. I don’t deserve this credit. I’m really happy for David Grubnic and all of the boys who work on this car and I mean that one-hundred percent."

Millican battled past Kyle Wurtzel, Brittany Force and Steve Torrence en route to the finals. Pritchett squared up against Troy Coughlin Jr., Scott Palmer and Shawn Langdon before falling to Millican in the final round. Millican is seventh in points while Pritchett moved from third to second with the runner-up finish. Torrence now has possession of the Top Fuel points lead.

Defending Funny Car world champion Capps raced to his fifth victory this season and 55th of his career in the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T. He won on a holeshot against Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman in his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T with a pass of 4.054 at 317.05.

“We’ve gotten a few lucky rounds, but it’s been preparation in the off season,” Capps stated. “We had runs on Sunday against four of the toughest cars, drivers and crew chiefs combined. You read down the list of people we had to beat in a new car that was prepared. There are not very many teams that are that prepared to pull a car out and have a quicker set-up than we were.”

Capps ties John Force with most Funny Car victories at Bristol Dragway with four apiece on their resume.

Before entering the final round, Capps defeated Alexis DeJoria, Robert Hight and teammate Matt Hagan. Beckman sailed past Cruz Pedregon, Courtney Force and teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. before seeing Capps for the second consecutive final round. Beckman defeated Capps in the finals at the event in Englishtown.

In Pro Stock, Laughlin clinched his first Wally of the season and second of his career with a perfect reaction time in the finals. He powered his Gas Monkey Energy Chevrolet Camaro to a 6.718 at 205.04 to defeat Bo Butner in his Jim Butner’s Auto Chevy Camaro. Laughlin is the eighth different Pro Stock winner this season.

“We didn’t really have anything handed to us; we had some good matchups all day,” Laughlin stated. “I definitely feel like I had a point to prove. We have a competitive car on the starting line. I came into this weekend with the confidence to win.”

Laughlin raced past Alan Johnson, No. 1 qualifier Jeg Coughlin and rookie Tanner Gray before facing Butner in the final round. Butner lined up against Wally Stroupe and two-time world champion Erica Enders en route to his fourth final round appearance this season.

The 2017 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season continues at the 11th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals June 22-25 at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.

While the layout may have been new, the tradition was much the same when the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship made its annual visit to southwest Pennsylvania for the Red Bull High Point National at the venerable High Point Raceway.

RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing riders Broc Tickle and Justin Bogle rode into Round 4 with momentum on their side and kept the wheels turning with solid efforts in both premiere 450 Class motos.

Tickle parlayed a pair of fourth-place finishes into a third-place overall showing to collect his first podium of the 2017 Pro Motocross campaign. The top-three effort powered the Holly, Mich., rider from eighth to fifth in points where he now paces sixth-place Bogle by three markers as the series closes out the first third of the season.

“Saturday was an awesome day,” commented Tickle. “I always enjoy riding at High Point. It gets rutted and the track is normally pretty rough. That usually suits my riding style. It was a hot one. I thought the new layout was awesome. It flowed a little better than last year. We dealt with a wet track in practice and it developed into a good race track. We ended up going 4-4 on the day for third overall. I was stoked to get the holeshot in the second moto and to finish out the day with my first podium of the season.”

Bogle logged a 7-9 effort Saturday afternoon and was scored ninth overall at day’s end. The 24-year-old 450 Class sophomore slipped to sixth in the championship where just three points separate him from Tickle for a spot in the top five.

“It was a good day, but I was hoping for a little more,” explained Bogle. “The track was rough and muddy. I had a really good first moto going but ended up getting together with another guy and going down. I was running up front at the time and only ended up losing a few spots but that was still the end of any chance for a podium. I struggled a little bit in the second moto and wound up ninth. Wasn’t the final result I was hoping for but they knew we were there. We’ll get back to work this week and be ready for Muddy Creek.”

Next weekend, the 12-race Pro Motocross tour rolls through the Volunteer State where Tennessee’s Muddy Creek Raceway will host the series on Saturday afternoon.

The first moto of Round 5 from the Tennessee National will be televised live on MAVTV Sat., June 24 beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 10 a.m. Pacific. Television coverage for the second moto will shift to NBCSN at 3 p.m. EDT, noon Pacific.

All motos can be streamed live on the NBC Sports Gold app. NBC, NBCSN and MAVTV will combine to provide extensive television coverage over the course of the 12-round season. Capping off each round of the championship will be exclusive one-hour highlight shows on NBCSN, each airing within a handful of days of every National.