Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Kevin Magnussen could miss his planned outing in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona later this month after announcing he will be having surgery on his hand ahead of the start of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season.

Magnussen is set to compete at the Daytona International Speedway across the final weekend of January alongside his father Jan as well as Mark Kvamme and Trenton Estep for the MDK Motorsport team on board a Porsche 911 GT3 R.

But Magnussen recently visited doctors complaining of a sore wrist and was diagnosed with a cyst that needs to be removed prior to the start of the Formula 1 season, the opening race taking place on the first weekend of March in Bahrain.

He has announced that he will undergo a ‘harmless procedure’ before resting for a couple of weeks, meaning he could miss out on racing at Daytona.

“I had a sore wrist so I went to the doctor to have it looked at and they found a cyst that needs to be removed now so I can be ready for the F1 season,” Magnussen is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com

The FIA Junior World Rally Championship have now announced the 2023 drivers line-up which consist of 9 drivers from all around the world taking on the five round calendar that starts with the snow rally of Rally Sweden next month.

The drivers will drive an identical car that is the M-Sport Poland built Ford Fiesta Rally3 car. The series went from a long period of two-wheel-drive cars over to four-wheel-drive Rally3-spec last season.

The prize which is up for grab by winning the title is to arrive and drive outings on four European WRC rounds in 2024, driving the sharper Ford Fiesta Rally2 car and the winner also receives a tire support package from the series tire supplier Pirelli.

William Creighton is one of the favorites to take the title this season, he confirmed his entry last week and will be going for a third year in a row in the series. Returning to the series after one outing in 2016 is the 27-year-old Frenchman Laurent Pellier, he is the only driver in the series who has a 100% winning record after he won the only outing 2016 Tour de Corse.

Another favorite for the title is the M-Sport Ford WRT driver Gregoire Munster, he will also be running a program in the WRC2 this season for the team but also made a surprise entry to the JWRC in search of gaining more experience.

The ownership group of Mike Harmon Racing will now be a triumvirate. In addition to their eponymous owner, Gary Keller and Michael Clayton Sr.‘s arrivals as partners have prompted the team to change their name to CHK Racing for the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

Harmon, as an owner/driver for over two decades, will oversee day-to-day operations. Keller and Clayton, who own disaster relief companies Disaster Services of Environmental Specialist, LLC, and ServiceMaster by Disaster Relief, will work on the business and marketing sides. Clayton has also

Keller formerly ran Gary Keller Racing, which competed in ARCA, the Xfinity, and Craftsman Truck Series in the early 2000s. From 2012 through 2022, he was a partner in fellow Xfinity team JD Motorsports, dubbing them “JD Motorsports with Gary Keller”. He joined Harmon in November which tentatively created the full name “Mike Harmon Racing with Gary Keller”.

“Gary and Mike coming on board is a blessing to MHR which will be known now as CHK Racing,” said Harmon. “I’m very happy that Gary and Mike believe in us and sees the passion and the hard work that we put into our racing. It’s the shot in the arm we need here at CHK Racing. Gary is a can do, get it done type of guy with a great vision and sense for business. Mike feels blessed to be part of CHK Racing for many years to come.”

The team will field the #74 on a full-time basis in 2023, returning to the number after attempting much of the 2022 calendar with the #47. MHR struggled that year as the #47 failed to qualify for eighteen of thirty attempts with multiple drivers; of the races the car made, Gray Gaulding scored its best finish of twenty-first at Talladega. The entry finished forty-third in owner points. The #74 only entered the 2022 season opener at Daytona with Tim Viens but missed the show.

On Friday the reigning driver´s and manufacturer´s champions Toyota Gazoo Racing officially revealed the 2023 specification Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 ahead of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship season-opener in Rallye Monte-Carlo next weekend.

Kalle Rovanperä became the youngest ever WRC champion last year after winning Rally New Zealand at the age of 22 and 1 day old, driving in a GR Yaris Rally1. The team won a total of seven rounds out of thirteen in last year´s calendar with Rovanperä taking six wins and Sébastien Ogier one in RallyRACC Catalunya – Costa Daurada while the team took a second consecutive manufacturer title.

Toyota will stick with the usual black and red livery they are using on all cars in several different motorsport series worldwide. However, as we reported at the beginning of the week. The car will have a new look for 2023, the most visible change is the large air intake scoops in the rear have been removed and the rear fenders have been smoothed out. Also if you have an eagle eye, you could spot that the rear wing is also new for this season.

Besides the visible parts, Toyota technical director Tom Fowler has also revealed they are bringing a new engine upgrade for 2023.

In addition to Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta will drive a full season in the 2023 season, while Ogier will continue to do selected events. When Ogier is not driving the fourth Toyota, the car can be rented by an external driver. For example, Italian millionaire Lorenzo Bertelli will be seen at the wheel of a rented Toyota in Rally Sweden in next month.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Principal Toto Wolff is confident in James Vowles’ ability to lead Williams Racing as Team Principal, having been a key asset to the Mercedes team for over a decade. 

With Vowles leaving the Mercedes outfit, Wolff outlined the impact that his talents have had on the team and praised how far he has come over the years. 

“James has been a highly valued member of our team in his role as Motorsport Strategy Director, playing an integral part in our success in recent years. Having worked with him since I first joined the team in 2013, I know how diligent, capable and talented he is and have taken great satisfaction from watching James develop and grow over the past decade.”

Wolff said that Vowles’ recent efforts at Mercedes have allowed their strategy team to develop greatly, an asset that will benefit the team into the future. 

“Since stepping back from the pit wall mid-season last year, he has continued to build the capability of our strategy team at Brackley, and we have a fantastic group of talented strategists who will continue their superb work in the years to come.”

James Vowles is set to become the team principal of Williams Racing ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. Leaving his current post of Motorsport Strategy Director at Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team to take on the leadership role, Vowles brings twenty-one years of Formula One experience and expertise, having played a crucial role in securing a total of nine constructors championship victories during his time with both Mercedes and Brawn GP.

Excited to take on the challenge of leading a team, Vowles said that he is proud to join the storied outfit and help them reach their full “potential.”

“I cannot wait to start with Williams Racing. It’s an honour to join a team with such an incredibly rich heritage. The team is an icon of our sport, one I greatly respect, and I am very much looking forward to the challenge.

“Williams Racing have placed their faith and trust in me, and I will do the same in return. Williams has tremendous potential, and our journey together starts in a matter of weeks.”

Vowles also touched on the profound impact that his time with Mercedes had on his professional career and the support he has received from the team. 

Double Formula E Champion Jean-Éric Vergne took the honours of topping the first Free Practice session of the new ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season, as the third era of the all-electric series got underway in Mexico City. Rookie Jake Hughes claimed second spot, whilst Sérgio Sette Câmara claimed third, as five teams featured in the top six of the timesheets.

It was the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team duo of rookie Hughes and the returning René Rast who led the entire field out to kick-off Gen3 and Season Nine of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, as twenty-one drivers got onto the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Circuit as quickly as possible. It was Rast who set the first lap-time of the new season in Free Practice One, as Hughes entered the pits at the end of his out-lap. Sam Bird was the sole driver who didn’t exit the pits at the start.

Vergne quickly replaced Rast at the top of timesheets, briefly, before André Lotterer suddenly shot to the top, as it quickly became apparent that the times would tumble throughout the first practice session of the new season. Being the first session of running in Mexico, the Full Course Yellow system was trialled momentarily five minutes into the session, to ensure that all the systems were working as they should. A key thing that was identifiable at the start of the session was just how quick the Gen3 challengers were down the main straight, with a clear speed difference over its predecessors being visible.

As the session returned to green flag running, Vergne and reigning World Champion Stoffel Vandoorne made it a DS Penske one-two at the top, with the DS-powered drivers the early favourites going into not only this weekend, but this season in general. The timing sheets continued to change as each minute past, with former Formula E Champion Sébastian Buemi having jumped to the top with twenty minutes remaining; however, he was quickly replaced by Vergne once again, with the Frenchman looking noticeably quick.

It was then Pascal Wehrlein‘s turn to hit the top, though, with the German targeting back-to-back wins in Mexico City. Bird finally joined the circuit as the session reached it’s halfway point, with the Brit having lost crucial running. Another new feature of Season Nine is the tyres, with Hankook having replaced Michelin as the championship’s tyre manufacturer. It was clearly evident at just how hard the new rubber is, with the sound of tyres squealing having been deafening, with a lack of grip being very obvious.

Hattori Racing Enterprises will run it back with Tyler Ankrum for the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season as he returns to the #16 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for a second season.

Ankrum joined HRE in 2022 after spending the last two years with GMS Racing, marking a return to Toyota with whom he won the 2018 championship in what is now the ARCA Menards Series East. He finished twelfth in Truck points with eight top tens and a best finish of sixth at Indianapolis.

“It’s an honour to return to HRE and the Toyota family in 2023,” said Ankrum. “There was already a solid foundation in place at HRE, and with the addition of Doug (Randolph) to the organisation, I know we can achieve our goals as a team: get back to Victory Lane and be a strong playoff contender.”

The California native made his Truck début in 2018. During the 2019 season, he became the first driver born in the 2000s to score a national series race when he won at Kentucky.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Tyler back for his second season with our team and continuing the partnership with Toyota Racing,” stated team owner Shigeaki Hattori. “Tyler has been through the playoffs and has a lot of Trucks Series experience. With Doug coming on board for the 2023 season, we look to build great chemistry with Tyler and the team. We want to get him back to victory lane and be a strong playoff contender.”

Ricky Brabec was one of the favourites for the Dakar Rally Bike win in 2023, and the 2020 champion got off to a strong start when he won Stage #1. Two legs later, however, he was out with a crash that left him with fractures of his T1 and T2 vertebrae and a disc bulging near his spine. Despite the injuries, he is hopeful of recovering in time for the second round of the World Rally-Raid Championship: the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge on 25 February – 2 March.

Brabec returned to the United States for further evaluation after his crash.

“Days like today make me wish I was still in the Dakar competing with the rest,” wrote Brabec on social media. “It’s been a slow few days and after everything is said and done we have a few breaks along our spine.

“In the beginning of all of this the pain was there and brutal, after a quick check in Saudi I was really starting to feel like a whimp when they said nothing was wrong which left me wondering what was actually going on with myself.

“Getting home on the earliest flight and directly to the Dr we discovered T1 and T2 broke but stable condition, and a disc pushing close to the spinal cord. Dr says a few weeks of recovery and we should be able to go, see you guys at Abu Dhabi!!!”

The Nissan Formula E Team‘s journey as an official Gen3 powertrain supplier will properly begin this weekend at the Mexico City E-Prix, with this weekend’s event at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez being the season-opening race of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Nissan enter the new era of Formula E full of optimism, with the end of Gen2 having been somewhat disappointing for the Japanese manufacturer. Nissan claimed just two victories in the Gen2 era, something they likely won’t be pleased with given the size and pedigree of the company. Gen3, though, is clearly being treated as a fresh start by the team, who’ve introduced a completely new and relatively inexperienced driver line-up.

Pairing up at Nissan this season is the returning Formula E race winner Norman Nato, who’s last full season in the series was Season Seven, in which the Frenchman claimed victory at the finale in Berlin, Germany. His last actual appearance, though, was the Seoul E-Prix last year, after being brought in to replace Sam Bird, who was ruled out through injury.

Alongside Nato is rookie Sacha Fenestraz, who is highly rated as a potential star of the future. Fenestraz also featured at the season finale last year, after replacing Antonio Giovinazzi, who was also ruled out through injury. This weekend’s event, though, will be his first full Formula E weekend, with the Frenchman presumably aiming to gain as much experience as possible.

Gathering data for Nissan should be somewhat easier this year, given that they are supplying powertrains to the championship’s newest side, the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. If McLaren’s pace in pre-season testing is anything to go by, then Nissan could be in for a strong start to the season; however, Team Principal Tommaso Volpe is aware that this weekend will see every team “starting from scratch”.

After spending Season Eight out of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (excluding an appearance at the Seoul E-Prix to replace Sam Bird), Norman Nato is preparing to make his comeback to the all-electric series this weekend at the Mexico City E-Prix, with the Nissan Formula E Team.

The Frenchman is, of course, a Formula E race winner, with the thirty year-old having won the Season Seven finale in Berlin, Germany. Had he not replaced Bird at the final race last season, then his race win would’ve been his most recent race in the series; instead, his most recent result in the series is fourteenth.

Nato looked good during pre-season testing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, and astonishingly ended the week with the seventh-fastest time, suggesting that the Japanese manufacturer have some solid potential with their powertrain the Nissan e-4ORCE 04. Looking ahead to his returning campaign, the Frenchman is “really excited” to get the new era of Formula E underway and believes he is as “prepared and confident” as he could be.

“I’m really excited to get Season 9 underway! It’s going to be an interesting one, with the new cars, my first race for the team and at a new track for me. However, I’m feeling prepared and confident in the work we’ve done in the off-season and at testing in Valencia. I’ve seen and heard about the amazing atmosphere in Mexico City, so I can’t wait to race through the stadium in front of so many passionate fans.”

“I don’t think anybody knows what to expect” – Sacha Fenestraz

On the other side of the completely new Nissan driver line-up is rookie Sacha Fenestraz, who, like Nato, stepped in for an injured driver at the Seoul E-Prix. The 2022 Super Formula runner-up replaced Antonio Giovinazzi at Dragon/Penske Autosport for the final race of last season, and finished sixteenth.

Entering the Empty Quarter Marathon, Toby Price was third in the Bike overall classification and trailing leader Kevin Benavides by 2:10. After the first half of the Marathon, he sat second behind Skyler Howes by just twenty-eight seconds. By the end, he had the advantage over Howes by that same margin.

Price finished Stage #12 third in the Bikes behind José Ignacio Cornejo and Daniel Sanders, and his time of 1:59:25 gave him 40:47:36, ahead of Howes’ 40:48:04. Despite Howes having led the overall for half the Rally, he finished sixth and fifty-six seconds back of Price. The latter also benefitted from the one minute and eighteen seconds chopped from his final time via the Automatic Bonus as the third bike to depart the leg.

“After a really average sleep last night in the [tent] we felt reasonably good coming into Stage 12, which we finished 3rd and now have the outright lead with a couple more stages to go,” wrote Price. “It’s safe to say it’s a really close race right now, as we all know anything can happen, a tiny little mistake or getting stuck in the dunes can really cost you the race so we’ll see how we go, let’s keep fighting.”

Although Howes is now the chaser, the margin is still less than half a minute with two stages remaining. Benavides is also within striking distance at just 2:40 behind Price.

“The Empty Quarter really does live up to its name, just an endless sea of dunes,” said Howes. “It’s really exciting to go into the last couple of days with the race so close. Both halves of the marathon stage went well. I think I was able to ride both days at a good, consistent pace. I was able to preserve myself and the bike without any issues, which is super important. So now I’m looking ahead at the last two stages of the race. Neither of them are very long, so with things so tight on the leaderboard, I really think this battle is going to run right up to the finish line.”

“Double Duty” is a term used to describe a driver competing in both the NTT IndyCar Series‘ Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR Cup Series‘ Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Due to tight scheduling and the nature of both races as among the most famous rounds of their respective calendars, Double Duty has only been attempted ten times by five drivers with the last try coming in 2014 with Kurt Busch.

A decade later, Kyle Larson will be the sixth man to try his hand as the 2021 Cup Series champion will enter the 2024 Indy 500 in a car co-prepared by Arrow McLaren and his NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports.

Much like his childhood idol and current boss Jeff Gordon, Larson grew up with dreams of competing in the Indy 500 before instead making the jump to stock cars. Since débuting in NASCAR’s top level in 2014, he has become a star with nineteen wins and the 2021 title, the latter coming in his first year with Hendrick. In 2022, he won thrice and finished seventh in points.

Larson is regarded as one of the top drivers in motorsport today. Besides his achievements in NASCAR, he is a dirt track ace and even has a Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona overall victory in 2015.

“Competing at the Indianapolis 500 is a dream of mine and something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, since I was a child before I ever began competing in sprint cars,” said Larson. “To do it with McLaren Racing and Mr. (Rick) Hendrick especially is a dream come true. I’m grateful for the opportunity and am really looking forward to it even though it’s still about a year-and-a-half away. I’m really looking forward to competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 and maybe even get a win or two that day.”

Carlos Sainz Jr. believes Max Verstappen and Oracle Red Bull Racing can be beaten during the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season if Scuderia Ferrari can have a ‘perfect year’.

Ferrari started the 2022 season strongly, with Charles Leclerc taking victory in two of the opening three races.  Unfortunately, they would only win twice more, Leclerc taking his third win of the year in Austria and Sainz taking his maiden Grand Prix victory in Great Britain.

Sainz feels that whilst Red Bull appeared to dominate the season – they took seventeen victories across the year, fifteen of which went the way of Verstappen – Ferrari were not that far away, and with some improvements across the board, they can take the momentum away from their rivals in 2023.

The Spaniard says they will need to find some additional power and downforce as well as remove the errors they made in strategy in order to get on top of Red Bull and fight for the titles.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t keep up with them (Red Bull),” said Sainz to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo.  “They had a better package and the driver at the moment was better.

Valtteri Bottas says he feels more relaxed racing for Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN than he did during his five years with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, particularly when it comes to doing ‘fun stuff’ between races.

Bottas made the move to Alfa Romeo ahead of the 2022 season after Mercedes opted to replace him with George Russell, and the Finn enjoyed a strong season with the Hinwil-based team as he ended tenth in the Drivers’ Championship.

However, it is the smaller things away from the race track that Bottas has enjoyed doing once more, with the Finn admitting he felt bad doing anything fun whilst at Mercedes.  He did not think that he would have been allowed such a free rein with his former employers as he does now at Alfa Romeo.

Bottas feels he has been allowed to do more with Alfa Romeo, such as a trip to Argentina in between the Mexico City and São Paulo Grand Prix, a trip that saw him arrive in Brazil mentally ready to go.

“Once COVID kind of went away, traveling got even easier now again, but I can say I’ve been living fully between the races as well!” said Bottas to RACER.com.  “Of course I still work with the team — we do all the meetings and I go to the factory often — but then when I’m off I do lots of cool things.