Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Nick Cassidy started race day at the inaugural Cape Town E-Prix in sublime fashion, after topping Free Practice Two by three-tenths of a second from Edoardo Mortara, perhaps making the Envision Racing driver the favourite to claim pole at the fifth round of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

As the second session got underway in Cape Town, early morning clouds were present over the fastest street circuit on the calendar, as all twenty-two drivers ventured on to the circuit to gather as much data as possible before qualifying. Given that it was the 9am local time at the track, the air and surface temperatures were significantly lower than they will be come the race this afternoon.

The drivers certainly got about their business very quickly during free practice two, with the times having been just over a second slower than Mortara’s leading time from Friday afternoon within the opening five minutes. Mortara’s fastest time from Friday was a 1:09.700, a time that was more likely than not going to be beaten before the end of the session.

Mortara’s Friday time was blitzed much earlier than expected, as his team-mate Maximilian Günther hit the top as the session moved into its final twenty minutes, after posting a very impressive 1:09.305. Behind the German after the first ten minutes of the session were reigning World Champion Stoffel Vandoorne, and fellow compatriot André Lotterer, whilst local driver Kelvin van der Linde sat in fourth.

It was clear that the teams were keen to make up from the disrupted session that occurred yesterday, with very fast times having been set much earlier than usual for free practice two. Times continued to tumble though, as René Rast moved to first as the session hit its halfway point, thanks to setting a 1:09.092, two-tenths faster than Günther’s time. Rast was soon joined at the top by team-mate Jake Hughes, who moved to second after going just under two-tenths slower than the German.

Mason Maggio will hope to run his maiden NASCAR Xfinity Series race on 4 March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he will pilot the #66 Ford Mustang for MBM Motorsports.

The eighteen-year-old late model racer ran four races in the Truck Series in 2022 with a best finish of twenty-seventh in his series début at Gateway. Additional starts came at Richmond (thirty-third), Kansas (thirty-second), and Homestead (thirty-second), with Kansas also being a 1.5-mile oval like Las Vegas.

He tested an Xfinity car at Charlotte in January alongside MBM’s regular drivers Timmy Hill and Stan Mullis.

“It’s a step up the NASCAR ladder that I look forward to making,” said Maggio. “A huge thank you to my family for their support, Carl Long (MBM owner), and Jason Houghtaling (crew chief) for the opportunity, and all our great partners for making this possible.

“When we tested at Charlotte, we showed a lot of potential. The seat time and building chemistry with the team really helped prepare me for the opportunity to go to Vegas. With the potential we showed, I think we’ll have a good run and get a respectful result for my first Xfinity Series race.”

Since making his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series début in 2016, all of Kaz Grala‘s starts in the division have come in a Chevrolet Silverado. That will change on 3 March as he will pilot a Toyota Tundra TRD Pro at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for TRICON Garage.

“Double duty in Vegas next week! Can’t wait to get to work with everybody,” Grala tweeted.

After last racing for Toyota in the now-ARCA Menards Series East in 2015 and 2016, Grala spent much of his national series career with Ford and Chevrolet, having exclusively raced with the latter since 2019 in all three divisions. His lone full Truck Series campaign in 2017 came in a Silverado for GMS Racing, during which he finished seventh in points, and he was with the Chevrolet-aligned Young’s Motorsports for a part-time slate in 2021 and 2022.

He joined Toyota in 2023 as he became a full-time driver in the Xfinity Series for Sam Hunt Racing. Grala ran two races for the team in late 2022.

In two career Truck starts at Las Vegas, Grala finished fifth (2017 with GMS) and thirtieth (2022 with Young’s, retired due to engine failure).

Reigning World Rally-Raid Champion Sam Sunderland‘s 2023 could not have gotten off to a worse start. After breaking his shoulder in the first stage of the Dakar Rally in January, he suffered a broken ankle on Friday during the final shakedown for this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, which will force him to miss the race.

“Sometimes it’s hard in life to not ask yourself why, I’ve turned over every rock since my dakar crash to be back to full fitness and ready to fight with the best guys in the world in this crazy sport that brings out the best of me,” began a social media post by Sunderland. “I always search for accountability when I have an accident and keep it with me as a token reminder of my mistakes but this one is very bitter, the return on investment the last few months has been terrible.

“Today on our last training ride before the race I came over a rise and into a pocket, had a big impact and broke my ankle I won’t make the start of my favourite race of the year and will be back on the recovery train to be ready for the next fight. It’s a massive disappointment but I also keep in mind just how lucky I am to be in this position and I want to thank the team and all of my supporters that ride along for the the ups and downs. We will be back soon!”

2023 was supposed to be a title defence for Sunderland, who won the inaugural RallyGP World Rally-Raid Championship in 2022 that included his second victories each in the Dakar Rally and Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. However, the year began on a sour note when he crashed fifty-two kilometres into the 2023 Dakar opener, suffering a broken shoulder and concussion.

Sunderland is not the only RallyGP rider out for Abu Dhabi as Dakar champion and points leader Kevin Benavides broke his femur while practicing on Wednesday. His Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing team-mate Daniel Sanders is also unavailable as he continues to recover from his elbow injury sustained in the opener.

With the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship soon to begin, teams took to the track at Bahrain International Circuit for pre-season testing, looking to gain knowledge and data on the cars they have developed through the winter break– giving fans a first look at this year’s contenders and preview of how the upcoming season could shake down. 

Friday’s morning and afternoon testing sessions ended with current World Champion Max Verstappen on top with a 1:32.837. Verstappen was the only driver to be in the cockpit for both sessions yesterday, with Red Bull Racing electing to divide their schedule in blocks. About three hundredths behind was Fernando Alonso, with an impressive result for his new crew, Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team. 

The Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc of Scuderia Ferrari slotted into third and fourth, an optimistic result for a team that is facing high expectations after a competitive showing in 2022 and the new leadership of Frédéric Vasseur. 

Ferrari’s front wing was cause for attention, with its nose appearing to have a “dimple” under braking due to a lack of structure under the carbon fiber. We have since learned that this interesting occurrence is not intentional and will be remedied. 

McLaren’s Lando Norris was next on the standings in fifth place with a 1:33.462– having completed the least number of laps of the day, tied with Felipe Drugovich at 40– followed closely by Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team with a 1:33.508. 

After so much bad luck in the opening four rounds of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Maserati MSG Racing finally had something go their way, as Edoardo Mortara topped the opening session of the weekend at the inaugural Cape Town E-Prix.

As Free Practice One got underway at the circuit dubbed as the fastest on the calendar, the track and air temperature was near-perfect, adding to the spectacular backdrop on display. It was René Rast who led the field out at the Cape Town Street Circuit, with the German being one of the drivers with much to make up for after causing a collision in Hyderabad.

It was Rast’s team-mate Jake Hughes who was the early pacesetter in the opening five minutes; however, proceedings were suddenly halted by a red flag following a crash at Turn Nine for Sébastian Buemi. Replays showed that Buemi smashed into the barrier at high speed at what is, as mentioned, a remarkably fast circuit, causing huge damage to his car for Envision Racing to repair. The right side of his car was virtually destroyed, with his right-rear tyre having flown off following the heavy hit. Thankfully, Buemi walked away from the accident.

Due to several minutes having been spent checking the barrier, it was decided by the race director that the session would be extended by around ten minutes, due to the session having been stopped for a similar length of time. When the red flag was finally replaced by the green flag, twenty-two minutes were remaining on the clock, with all of the remaining drivers except Lucas di Grassi having gotten back out onto the circuit quickly. The Brazilian pulled off the circuit following a reported suspension failure.

As the session restarted, the times quickly tumbled as expected, with Mitch Evans having shot to the top on a 1:11.687, as the session broke into the final seventeen minutes. It was Maximilian Günther, though, who had set the fastest time as the opening session of the weekend hit the halfway point, before Evans bounced back to the front after becoming the first driver into the 1:10s, thanks to a 1:10.816.

HIGHSPEED Etoile, a futuristic racing anime project created in partnership with Super Formula, will begin its television broadcast in 2024. The project also revealed on Friday a teaser visual and the voice cast for eight of the main characters, with Fuka Izumi portraying protagonist Rin Rindoh.

The show will be Izumi’s first in a lead role, with many of her previous appearances being as background and supporting characters. Previous castings include extras in Healer Girl, Teasing Master Takagi-san, and Z/X: Code Reunion.

Yoko Hikasa will voice Kanata Asakawa. Hikasa is a household name in the anime industry, having starred in multiple prominent series since her career breakthrough with K-On!. She has also voiced major roles in New Game!, High School DxD, The Devil is a Part-Timer!, and the BanG Dream! franchise.

Likewise, Yui Horie arrives on the project as Sophia Tokitō with a decorated music and voice acting career in shows like Fairy Tail, Fruits Basket, and Toradora!. Horie is no stranger to motorsport anime either, having portrayed a character in the 2005 mecha racing show Immortal Grand Prix.

Nana Mizuki will play Alice Summerwood. A longtime singer and voice actress, Mizuki has been involved with acclaimed shows such as both iterations of Fullmetal Alchemist and Naruto, while also providing Japanese dubbing for various Western films.

BFGoodrich is the official tyre supplier of the Dakar Rally, having won the legendary rally raid eighteen time since 1993. For the 2023 edition, the Michelin-owned American tyre company provided three sets of varying dimensions to meet the demands of the Saudi desert. The top entries like winner Nasser Al-Attiyah‘s Toyota Hilux DKR T1+ used the All-Terrain T/A KDR2+, which came in soft and medium compounds and were sixteen inches wide.

In the weeks following the Rally, fellow Hilux driver Benediktas Vanagas found a new purpose for his Dakar tyres outside of competition: on the wheels of off-road vehicles used by the Ukrainian Army.

He wrote on social media, “Do you know where the used Dakar tyres go? For a second life in Ukraine! Although heavier than normal tyres, they are much more durable than standard off-road tyres. Soldiers appreciate it a lot.”

Vanagas, a member of the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces, has been one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters from the motorsport world long before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Among his contributions since the war’s escalation are equipment for the Ukrainian military like night-vision gear and generators, along with off-road trucks. In January, he auctioned off the fender from his Dakar Hilux as well as a baseball cap and shirt autographed by Al-Attiyah, with the proceeds going to relief efforts.

On Monday, Vanagas’ sponsor Vostok Europe launched a second line of Ukrainian-themed watches with the goal of raising €70,000 for medical supplies. The watchmaker’s first series of limited-edition timepieces generated €60,000 for a military hospital in Starokostiantyniv in 2022.

Red-Lined Motorsport revealed last Thursday the REVO T1+, an upgraded version of the REVO T1 truck that intends to be used in rally raid competition including the South African Rally-Raid Championship and Dakar Rally.

The REVO was introduced in 2021 and stands out from Red-Lined’s other vehicles as it is not based on an existing production pickup truck; by comparison, the team’s VK50 and VK56 T1s, which saw action at the 2023 Dakar Rally, are modelled after the Nissan Navara.

As the name suggests, the T1+ is more powerful than its predecessor. It features a 5.6-litre normally aspirated V8 engine, which is also utilised on the VK56.

The T1+ began its testing phase earlier this week with Chris Visser, a two-time South African Rally-Raid Champion. Visser had joined Red-Lined in 2022 as the T1’s main driver before helping to develop the T1+. When asked about Visser’s thoughts on the T1+, Red-Lined CEO Terence Marsh quipped the driver was “[h]appy as a pig in shit!!”

Aliyyah Koloc is also set to race the T1+ in select starts during the 2023 SARRC season. Koloc made her Dakar début in the T3 category, but told The Checkered Flag prior to the Rally that she hopes to race in T1 in the future.

Tony Stewart will continue to run full-time in his Superstar Racing Experience series in 2023, confirming a third full schedule on Thursday.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve all built, and the quality of drivers we’ve assembled for 2023 is a testament to SRX’s success, and the passion and excitement we’ve earned from fans in the short track community,” said Stewart. “We’re looking forward to another summer of sold-out race tracks and can’t wait to bring Thursday Night Thunder back to ESPN.”

Stewart won the inaugural SRX championship in 2021 with a pair of victories at the dirt tracks Knoxville and Eldora, the latter of which he also owns. His title defence in 2022 ended with a fourth-place points finish and wins at South Boston and I-55.

It is perhaps unsurprising that the series’ founder would be a regular, but the announcement comes as Stewart is gearing up for a full campaign in drag racing as he enters the NHRA Top Alcohol division. His wife Leah Pruett currently races for Tony Stewart Racing in NHRA Top Fuel. Stewart made his début in October 2022 at the Nevada Nationals and finished runner-up to Madison Payne.

Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, will get to compete against those like Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, and Kevin Harvick during the 2023 season, all of whom have driven for his Stewart-Haas Racing team in the Cup Series.

Taylor Gray does not turn eighteen until 25 March, coincidentally the same date as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series‘ fourth race at Circuit of the Americas. Since his youth disqualifies him from racing larger speedways, his #17 TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra TRD Pro was driven by Sammy Smith in the opener at Daytona, while the team announced Thursday that John Hunter Nemechek will fill in for the next two rounds at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Nemechek was among the Truck Series’ top drivers during his return to the series in 2021 and 2022 for Kyle Busch Motorsports, winning seven races and the 2021 regular season championship. In 2022, he finished fifth in the standings with a pair of victories. He was elevated to the Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing for 2023 and nearly won the first race of the year at Daytona, only being edged out before the caution came out for a wreck on the final lap.

He was previously a Truck regular for his family team in the 2010s, including running the full 2015 and 2016 schedules and finishing eighth in points both years. He has thirteen Truck wins to his name including at Atlanta in 2016 and Las Vegas in 2021. However, Atlanta has since been reconfigured to resemble more superspeedway-like racing; Nemechek won a stage at the inaugural Truck race on the new course and helped push KBM team-mate Corey Heim—also now a TRICON driver—to the win but fell back and placed twenty-fourth.

Smith finished fourteenth at last Friday’s Daytona race in substitute duty.

World Rally-Raid Championship RallyGP points leader and Dakar Rally winner Kevin Benavides will not take part in this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge after breaking his femur during shakedown on Wednesday. He was airlifted to Mediclinic City Hospital in Dubai where a two-hour surgery on Thursday was successful.

Initial neurovascular assessments ruled he did not suffer serious damage to his blood vessels or nerves. He is expected to be discharged later after a few days of recovery depending on his health.

Benavides had been testing with many of his fellow RallyGP riders including younger brother Luciano Benavides, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team-mate Toby Price, and Luciano’s Husqvarna Factory Racing colleague Skyler Howes. Said peers eventually visited him in the hospital.

“Definitely a tough moment yesterday but very glad that we got help to him quickly and after a successful surgery this morning he’s on the road to recovery,” posted Howes on social media. “Thankful for your friendship buddy and looking forward to having you healed up and ready to battle on the race track soon.”

Benavides holds the early advantage in the top bike category after winning the Dakar Rally for the second time, leading the W2RC standings with thirty-eight points and an eight-point advantage over Price and fourteen on Howes. The three battled for the overall win throughout the two-week season opener, with Price and Howes being the main favourites before Benavides won the final two stages to secure the victory by just forty-three seconds.

Tommaso Volpe, Team Principal of the Nissan Formula E Team, is expecting this weekend’s inaugural Cape Town E-Prix to be “very challenging and demanding”, with the venue hosting the fifth round of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship expected to be the fastest of the season.

Nissan head into South Africa on the back of a mixed weekend in Hyderabad, with Norman Nato having finished seventh, whilst Sacha Fenestraz finished twelfth. Fenestraz had been having an excellent weekend in India, until his race was ruined whilst running towards the front after being caught up in Sam Bird‘s incident.

Despite Fenestraz’s disappointment, the Japanese manufacturer certainly took a step in the right direction in India, with the hope being that they can further build upon their India pace. Volpe has warned his drivers, though, that with the circuit set to be so fast, “any mistake could have major consequences”.

“This new venue in Cape Town will be very challenging and demanding for both the drivers and the cars. From our work in the simulator we know it will be very fast, even faster than Hyderabad, so any mistake could have major consequences. In India we managed to put together an entire weekend very well, although we didn’t get the results we expected due some bad luck, especially with Sacha. So now the team has extra motivation to fight for points with both cars in South Africa.”

Norman Nato is targeting back-to-back points finishes this weekend at the inaugural Cape Town E-Prix, with the Frenchman having scored his first points of the season last time out in Hyderabad.

In India, Nato managed to finish seventh and also claimed the fastest lap of the race, giving him some confidence ahead of this weekend’s fifth round of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. This weekend’s venue in South Africa is expected to be the fastest on the calendar this year, with the Nissan Formula E Team driver expecting it to therefore “be challenging to put a lap together”.

Nato is hoping to take another “step forward” in Cape Town with something having been found in India, with the ambition being for further points this weekend.

“Cape Town is a brand-new track on the calendar and it is expected to be the fastest of the season, so it will be challenging to put a lap together with all the high-speed sections and the bumps. We’ve scored points in the last two races and are continuing to improve as a team, but we are hungry for more. Taking a step forward and scoring with both cars is the target so we’ve been working hard in the simulator to optimize our performance.”

“The high speed corners will make it challenging” – Sacha Fenestraz

On the other side of the Nissan garage, rookie Sacha Fenestraz will be hoping to make up for his “very unfortunate” race in Hyderabad, where he had a potential podium stolen from him.

Jake Dennis is hoping to reduce the gap to Pascal Wehrlein in the Drivers’ Championship this weekend, at the fifth round of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in South Africa.

This weekend will see the second consecutive inaugural race, with the first ever Cape Town E-Prix set to be the fastest on the calendar. With a month’s break to follow this weekend, Dennis will be keen to take some good momentum into the break, especially with his recent round in India having been a disaster. After starting eleventh, Dennis had recovered into the points places, before being hit heavily late on by René Rast.

As a result of the collision, he dropped to the bottom of the field in sixteenth, allowing Wehrlein to extend his lead in the standings to eighteen points. Falling further behind this weekend would be disastrous for Dennis, with the British driver being aware that he needs to “turnaround” his “misfortune” from Hyderabad.

“We’re aiming to turnaround our misfortune in India and come away with some big points.”

On the other side of the Avalanche Andretti Formula E garage, André Lotterer is looking forward to the sport’s first trip to South Africa, with the event set to be “great to watch”. Lotterer recovered well in India to finish in ninth, despite having started twentieth.