XRAY - Model racing cars

MONTREAL -- The twin Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have so dominated the Formula One circuit this season that even a second-place finish that extended Rosbergs lead in the championship standings left them disappointed. "We need to make sure that were bulletproof," Rosberg said after Daniel Ricciardo passed the hobbled Silver Arrow with two laps to go to win the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday. "Having lost the win, thats very, very disappointing, definitely, and also disappointing for us as a team. We have such speed and such a great car, to not win the race and even just finish with one car and come second is hugely disappointing for us, definitely. "Our ambition is to finish one-two so we need to make sure that we get back there again next race in Austria." Mercedes had won every race in the series heading into Montreal, with Rosberg posting two victories and four second-place finishes. Hamilton won the other four races, finishing second in Monaco last month; he had engine trouble and did not finish the season opener in Melbourne. Thats pretty much what it takes to knock the Mercedes off the top spots of the podium, and it happened again this week on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Both Rosberg and Hamilton had the same problem, at about the same time -- the midpoint of the 70-lap race. When Rosberg radioed in for a solution, he was told, "We dont think we can resolve it." Rosberg said the problem put more pressure on the rear brakes, causing them to overheat. "I think it surprised us, yes, because the pace Mercedes has had all year," Ricciardo said. "Obviously, Im still going to take the victory, dont get me wrong. But they had their issues today, which allowed us to really make an attack. "But its nice that we capitalized on that. I think it would have been disappointing if they had their issues and they were able to still get the best of us." The second-place finish -- his seventh podium in seven races -- gives Rosberg 140 points of a possible 175 on the season; Hamilton is second with 118. Ricciardo moved into third with 79 after his first career Formula One victory, passing Ferraris Fernando Alonso (69 points), and Ricciardos Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel, the four-time defending world champion, finished third and is fifth in the standings with 60 points. "We are fully aware that Red Bull is still an amazingly strong team and pushing like crazy to catch us," Rosberg said. "We are well aware of that and we are always concerned and always making sure that our drive remains exactly the same as it was last year when we were half-a-second behind them. Were really pushing to even extend the gap." Vettel said he is feeling better about his car, but he wont let the two spots on the podium mask the fact that the Mercedes has been faster all year. And hes not counting on more mechanical problems for Rosberg and Hamilton in the future. "Today, I think we got lucky," said Vettel, the 2013 Montreal winner. "Obviously, it feels great and its a great reward for the whole team after such a painful winter and a very difficult start to the season. To get both cars on the podium and to beat at least one of the Mercedes, I think thats a very, very positive day for us." Ricciardo has two third-place finishes, two fourth-place finishes and a win in his last five races. He crossed the finish line second in the season opener in his homeland, but was later disqualified for an illegal fuel flow. Still, the 24-year-old Australian said it is too soon to the Grand Prix of Austria on June 22. "I think Ill just enjoy this for now and not look too far ahead," he said. "I think this is definitely a moment I should embrace. Im actually supposed to fly back tonight, but I dont know if I want to spend (the night of) my first victory on a plane." . RAPTORS STRUGGLING: The bottom line is the true test in sports isnt just how you handle failure, but how you handle success. . A question that was repeatedly posed last season, and the season before that and in the 2011 campaign before that. http://www.diamondbackssale.com/diamond ... -jersey/.C. -- Al Jefferson knows few people will be giving the Charlotte Bobcats a chance to upset the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. . Pistorius mindset when he stood on his stumps in a bathroom and pulled the trigger on his 9 mm pistol in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013 remains the crux of the South African trial that has captured worldwide attention and is about to start its seventh week of globally televised proceedings. It was initially scheduled to run for three weeks. . -- Jacksonvilles offensive makeover is just getting starting.MINNEAPOLIS -- It had been nearly two months since Joe Saunders pitched in the majors and 10 days since his last rehab start in the minor leagues. So it was understandable if he was a little shaky early in his return to the Texas Rangers rotation. He spent most of the outing searching for his best stuff, but still managed to shut down the struggling Minnesota Twins offence. Saunders pitched five scoreless innings and Luis Sardinas drove in the only run of the game to lift the Rangers to a 1-0 victory over the Twins on Wednesday night. "It was a battle for the first time coming back in almost two months," Saunders said. "It was a struggle, but I made some good pitches, got some clutch strikeouts against some pretty good hitters and kept the team right where it needed to be." Saunders gave up five hits and struck out six after being activated from the 15-day disabled list earlier in the day. "I had to take a step back there in the first inning, relax and calm the nerves a little bit," Saunders said. "Its been a long time coming for me. Its the longest Ive ever been out. It was a good start." Sardinas had a two-out single off struggling Twins reliever Jared Burton (1-2) in the seventh inning to help propel the Rangers to their seventh win in the past 10 games. Kyle Gibson gave up six hits and struck out four in six scoreless innings, but the Twins left nine runners on base and went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position. Joe Mauer went 0 for 4. Shawn Tolleson (1-1) pitched 1 2-3 scoreless innings of relief for the win and Joakim Soria picked up his ninth save in 10 tries, one night after his error in the ninth inning led to his first blown save of the season. Saunders had only made one other start this season, but he took a line drive from Evan Longoria off his left ankle in his season debut on April 4. Saunders made four rehab starts and had his breaking ball working in his return to the Rangers rotation on Wednesday night. Saunders stranded seven baserunners, including getting Brian Dozier to fly out with the bases loadedd in the second.dddddddddddd With his pitch count at 97 after five innings, manager Ron Washington elected to go to the bullpen rather than push Saunders too hard in his first start back. "Hes a competitor and he had to compete tonight, especially early in the game when they couldve done some damage," Washington said. Gibson was just as sharp, allowing just one extra-base hit and breezing through six. But he didnt get any help from a slumping offence that has scored just 10 runs in the past six games. Mauer had a chance in the seventh inning with the tying run on third base and two outs, but he chased a breaking ball for strike three and heard boos from a frustrated hometown fan base. Mauer is hitting .277 with 15 RBIs and six doubles on the season. "I feel pretty good actually, which is even more frustrating," said Mauer, who has been dealing with a sore back for parts of the season. "Im hitting a lot of balls hard and just not having much to show for it. So hopefully that turns here soon. just got to try to have some good at bats, keep having good at-bats and hopefully they start falling." Elvis Andrus was ejected in the sixth inning after he muttered something to home plate umpire Pat Hoberg regarding a low strike called earlier in his at-bat. It was the second ejection of the season for Andrus and Washington moved Sardinas from second base to shortstop and put Rougned Odor at second base to fill the hole. NOTES: Twins CF Aaron Hicks was a late scratch with a back issue, forcing manager Ron Gardenhire to start SS Danny Santana in CF. ... While on a rehab assignment for a groin injury, Twins RHP Mike Pelfrey felt soreness in his shoulder and was brought to Minnesota for examination. Another stint on the disabled list is likely after the Twins diagnose the injury. ... Alex Rios extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the fourth. ... Gardenhire challenged a play in the seventh inning when Leonys Martin was ruled safe on a steal. Gardenhire claimed Dozier applied the tag, but the play was upheld after a 51-second review. ' ' '