Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Getting back on the front foot of the FIA World Endurance Championship, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus finished the practice sessions taking the fastest lap of the 1,000 Miles of Sebring.

It had looked to be another fastest session for Alpine Elf Matmut with the sole LMP1 car on the grid as Nicolas Lapierre lead most of the hour. He started by putting the benchmark at 1:50.293 before becoming the second driver to dip below the 1m50s lap time setting a 1:49.664. No one looked like they had anything to beat that lap time throughout most of the final practice session.

It was Olivier Pla who took the session fastest and fastest lap set so far this weekend in the Glickenhaus, setting a 1:49.261 with twenty minutes left on the clock. As much as the other drivers tried, no one could get anywhere near that time, with the closest being Lapierre four tenths down.

Before Pla’s stellar lap time, it had been a battle of the LMP2s to take second overall. Antonio Felix da Costa showed that JOTA were here for the fight putting in a strong 1:49.980, but he was beat by one of the class favourites Filipe Alberquerque in the #22 United Autosports who’s time got him just eight hundredths off the then benchmark of Lapierre. Alberquerque and da Costa dropped to third and fourth overall, first and second in class, when Pla set his lap time.

Toyota Gazoo Racing came out of the final practice session looking like the Hypercar team on the backfoot. They are now the only cars from the front-running class that has failed to set a sub 1m50s lap time during practice, now being out paced by some of the LMP2 cars. The #8 crew were, once again, faster than the #7, taking fifth with their 1:50.169, but the LMP2 #23 United Autosports and #83 AF Corse split the Toyota pair, adding more woes to the #7 team’s opening race weekend. Toyota certainly do not go into qualifying as the favourites and will be lucky to outqualify some of the LMP2 cars if their practice pace is to be taken into account.

British Formula 3 podium finisher, Oliver Clarke, joined Hillspeed for the first UK test of their new GB4 car. 

The car was tested at Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit on Wednesday 16 March by Clarke who made his first appearance on track since the end of the 2020 BRDC F3 campaign.

Clarke became a multiple podium finisher with Hillspeed two years ago when he raced with the team in the BRDC British Formula 3 series. 

The team has spent the last month in Spain for winter testing with a comprehensive schedule featuring GB4 and GB3 single seaters. This week was the first time the car has been tested in Britain. 

“Having spent a month testing in Spain, Donington marked our first time on a UK circuit with the GB4 and we were delighted Oli returned to the team to have a run in the car and provide some quality feedback,” explained Team principal, Richard Ollerenshaw.

Former Porsche Carrera Cup GB Am class winner Peter Kyle-Henney will make his return to the series after a few years away, aiming for the Am class championship with newcomers Toro Verde GT.

Kyle-Henney is a big fan of the Porsche Motorsport brand, and in 2013 joined the GT3 Cup Challenge GB grid before moving in to Carrera Cup GB a year later. 2014 saw him take four victories in his debut year, finishing the Pro-Am 2 class (now Am Class) in second place.

2015 was a partial season for Kyle-Henney before embarking on a successful (but unlucky at times) run from 2016 to 2019 which saw him collect twenty-three victories and a further twenty podiums; The highlight of this run was 12 wins from 15 races in 2017.

Despite his success, luck hasn’t always been on his side, and so far the championship title has been just out of reach. His return to the series for 2022 will see with renewed focus on the Am class title in the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, running with Toro Verde GT.

“After a few years away from the Carrera Cup, the pull to get back out on track was getting stronger and stronger and with the introduction of the 992-style 911 GT3 Cup this year, I couldn’t say no. The new car not only looks fantastic but is another brilliant Porsche to drive, so I am really looking forward to getting the season underway.” said Kyle-Henney.

Kay van Berlo fired a warning shot to his rivals as he dominated the opening race of the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup North America season at Sebring International Raceway.

Starting from Pole position, the Kelly-Moss Road and Race driver led the field into Turn 1 as JDX Racing’s Parker Thompson got the jump on Riley Dickinson. Thompson would put pressure on van Berlo throughout the opening laps of the race, at one point pulling alongside. This would prove to be the only challenge to the lead of the race as van Berlo remained calm and pushed on for victory, eventually ending the race nearly six-seconds clear of Thompson.

For Thompson the early charge for the lead soon turned in to a race of defence as Kelly-Moss driver Riley Dickson tailed the JDX Racing Porsche, waiting for his chance to pounce, despite collecting damage on the opening lap of the race to the splitter on the front of his car. Normally damage like this would see the driver fall down the order with the loss of downforce but Dickinson soldiered on, looming large in the mirrors of Thompson’s car.

The top three cars remained near each other for the opening half of the race, pulling out a gap to fourth place, with van Berlo released at the front as his teammate battled on, he put in consistent lap times, including the fastest lap of the race (2:03.520) to go on to victory. Thompson and Dickinson would take second and third places, with a gap of over ten-seconds to the next car, Trenton Estep of MDK Motorsports.

Fifth-place finisher Leh Keen in the 311RS Motorsport car had a relatively quiet race, finishing a second and a half behind Estep and five seconds over Michael McCarthy in sixth place.

After a thrilling open to the season last month, the NTT IndyCar Series returns to the Lone Star State and the Texas Motor Speedway for the Xpel 375.

This will be the first of five oval races this season, and the first time we will get to see rookies and fan-favorites take to the high banks, as well as the return of some oval specialists. And as always with the 1.5 mile oval, talk of how to make the track more interesting dominates the conversation as the sport looks for alternatives to the PJ1 traction compound that has not helped make the on-track action more exciting. Other alternatives are being explored this weekend.

Will this race be the one to buck the trend of less than stellar performances at Texas? Who will be holding up the six-shooters and wearing the cowboy hat in victory lane? Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Xpel 375.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR?

In 2021 IndyCar ran a double header at Texas, the Genesys 300 and Xpel 375. Scott Dixon dominated the Genesys 300, taking the lead from teammate Alex Palou on lap three and immediately stretching out to a lead.

Before the first round of pit stops, the lone caution flag of the race flew on lap 53 for a hard crash involving Josef Newgarden and Sebastien Bourdais. An accordion effect started by Colton Herta forced cars to check up behind him, with Newgarden making contact with the rear of Bourdais’ car, sending him rear-first into the turn two wall and ending his day. Newgarden was given a penalty for avoidable contact in the aftermath of the incident.

As the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship arrives this weekend, Michelin has announced the choice of tire for both the Hypercar class and LM GTE Pro and LM GTE Am classes. 

Receiving only minor tweaks and changes this season, the Hypercar class will see the same tire compounds return from 2021. While the compounds remain the same themselves, some teams have opted for a shift in tire size or configuration namely, Toyota Gazoo Racing and Alpine Elf Team. The GR010-Hybrids of Toyota will make the change from the 31/71-18 tires for the new LMDh prototype meaning a skinnier front end at 29/71-18 and a wider rear end at 34/71-18.

Alpine Elf Team will still use the same 31/71-18 tires throughout the season, however, they have been changed from the LMP1 configuration to the hypercar configuration. Meanwhile, Glickenhaus Racing will run the same tires previously ran in 2021 due to last season’s results, while Peugeot’s 9X8 is still in speculation as to whether it will debut this season but bespoke tire work is on the table should it appear in 2022.

Pierre Alves, manager of Michelin’s endurance racing programs had this to say about the tires, “The results we obtained in 2021 speak volumes for the outstanding work accomplished by the engineers at Michelin Motorsport who developed our new Hypercar tires using digital tools alone.”

Additionally, in order to help teams and engineers in understanding the tire compounds, they have been named simply as Hard, Medium, and Soft. These will vary in terms of their optimal operating temperature where the soft compound may perform better between 10℃-25℃. Wet tires also will offer two compounds, drying wet and full wet with the former being optimal for damp or drying conditions and the latter for full wet courses.

Formula 1 is back this weekend for the 2022 season opener at the Bahrain International Circuit, for the Bahrain Grand Prix, where Scuderia Ferrari are many peoples favourite to claim an incredible victory.

Pre-season testing proved that Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr have one of the strongest cars on the grid this year, in the form of the F1-75. Early predictions have Ferrari right at the top alongside Oracle Red Bull Racing, will they live up to the hype this weekend?

Reliability hasn’t been an issue for Ferrari over winter testing, in fact they’ve been one of the only team’s not to have suffered any setbacks. This could be crucial come Sunday as it’s highly likely that reliability will be a key factor during the race on Sunday, with the new era of Formula 1 cars to take to the grid for the first time.

Matteo Togninalli, Head of Track Engineering at Ferrari, is very excited for the season opener, with a new era of the sport about to begin.

“The first race of the season is always special, because it’s the start of a new adventure. This time however, it’s even more special because there are many new factors to take into account and I’m keen to find out, if everything we have done in terms of processes and procedures is taking us in the right direction and delivering the benefits we are expecting.

Hyundai Motorsport will be starting their 2022 WRC2 campaign in the FIA World Rally Championship when the round four takes place at the Rallye de Portugal on 19-22 May.

For third year in a row, the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 cars will be operated by the Estonian outfit Red Grey with support by the Korean automotive manufacturer. The team is run by the WRC factory driver Ott Tänak and fellow former Estonian WRC driver Markko Märtin.

After leaving M-Sport Ford World Rally Team last year after a tough period within the team, the Finn Teemu Suninen alongside co-driver Mikko Markkula will return and pilot one of the cars. Suninen made his debut for the team in Spain where he finished second in WRC2 class and he was given an opportunity to drive the Hyundai i20 WRC at the season-finale in Monza – where he placed sixth overall.

“I am very excited to team up with Hyundai Motorsport again and contend a full WRC2 season with the Hyundai i20 N Rally2. Mikko and I have already had a small taste of what to expect with our outing in Rally de España last year, where we finished second. For me, the opportunity to take part in regular testing and play a role in the development of the car was the reason why this was an attractive offer for this year. I have the potential to not only create a competitive rallying package, but also grow as a driver with the support of the teams in Estonia and Alzenau.” Suninen said.

Newcomer for the team this season as Oliver Solberg have been promoted to the WRC factory team is the Paraguayan talent Fabrizio Zaldivar and will have the Spaniard Carlos del Barrio as his co-driver.

Yacht brand Riva have renewed their partnership with Scuderia Ferrari ahead of the 2022 season opener, the brand will continue to be an official sponsor of the famous Formula 1 team, which is entering its seventy-third year in the sport.

Riva’s logo will appear not only on the F1-75, Ferrari’s car for the season, but also on the helmets of drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr.

Ferretti Group CEO Alberto Galassi. is extremely pleased that Riva are continuing their partnership with Ferrari.

“Riva and Ferrari have a lot in common, from their legendary history and planetary success to leadership responsibility in their respective industries. You don’t say: ‘I have a boat, or I have a car,’ but ‘I have a Riva, I have a Ferrari’. Formula 1™ also combines competitive spirit, innovative research and peerless appeal, the same world navigated by our boats and owners. It therefore gives us immense pleasure to associate our brand with the names of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr., two highly talented drivers who are perfectly aligned with our values.”

Sports clothing brand PUMA, have announced the signing of Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team driver George Russell, who will become a brand ambassador for the company.

Russell joins Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton who for a number of years has been part of the PUMA team. In is role at the sports company, Russell will become part of their lifestyle and performance programmes.

The young British driver is very proud to have become a member of the PUMA family, having used their products for a number of years.

“There isn’t a day where I’m not doing some form of training. PUMA is a brand that I’ve worn for many years, I use it for my fitness program, leisurewear and of course any time I’m in a Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 car. I have a great relationship with the brand and to finally be officially part of the PUMA Family is a real honour for me. I’m looking forward to our journey together. “

James Clark, Head of Sports Marketing Motorsport & Operations at PUMA, is very pleased to have a cool, young athlete in the form of Russell to help drive their future programmes.

Alpine Elf Endurance Team are ready to get stuck in to the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship after completing 1,300 kilometres of testing at the Prologue event.

The team is back on the FIA WEC grid with their A480, joining the Hypercar class again as they do battle with Toyota and Scuderia Glickenhaus with Nicolas Lapierre, André Negrão and Matthieu Vaxiviere behind the wheel.

The team showed strong pace during the opening session at Sebring International Raceway, finishing in second place with a time of 1:50.263, set by Vaxiviere, 0.525 seconds behind the leading time set by the #708 Glickenhaus car.

During the second session Vaxiviere topped the timesheets with a time of 1:50.512, 0.528 seconds faster that the United Autosports team, and 0.333 faster than his teammate Negrão in the same car.

Speaking before the race weekend, Philippe Sinault, Alpine Elf Endurance Team Principal said, “After the Prologue which allowed us to rediscover Sebring, we must continue our work to tackle this first race in the best conditions. It is probably one of the hardest races of the year.

The BWT Alpine F1 Team are preparing for the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit, where drivers Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon will be hoping to extract all the performance from the A522.

As a new season approaches, Alpine will be hoping to take their late-form from 2021 into the new season, something which would be very beneficial to them given the new technical regulations this season, which will very possibly shake-up a lot of the field. It was an okay pre-season for Alpine, the French-side did suffer from some reliability issues, something which will most likely play a big factor this weekend.

Nevertheless Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi, is extremely proud of all the effort his team has put into this season’s car, as they look to start the season on a positive note.

“It’s always exciting to embark on a new Formula 1 season and, this year especially, there are more question marks surrounding the deeply changed technical regulations and subsequent impact on competitiveness and hierarchy. I’m looking forward to seeing all the hard work from Enstone, Viry and the trackside team come to fruition when Esteban and Fernando drive the A522 at full capacity in real racing conditions. 

“We had some very positive days across Barcelona and Bahrain and we also endured some slightly trickier sessions with the usual testing glitches and gremlins popping up from time to time. I’m very proud of the efforts from everyone in allowing as much preparation as possible. We were able to conclude the Bahrain Test with our two best days of running and over a double century of laps completed. Now, it’s time to see what we’ve got in hand, so bring on this weekend.”

This weekend’s season opening Bahrain Grand Prix will see BWT Alpine F1 Team driver, Fernando Alonso, begin his twentieth season in Formula 1. Both Alonso and team-mate Esteban Ocon are looking forward to getting racing with the new era of Formula 1 cars this weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit.

The veteran Spaniard driver is incredibly entering his twentieth season in the sport this weekend, perhaps it will be his final. Alonso who has won in Bahrain three times during his Formula 1 career, may well find himself getting up to speed quicker than his younger opponents this weekend, the Spaniard has plenty of experience at having to adjust to new technical regulations.

Alonso is feeling good in himself ahead of the season-opener, he is also relatively happy with the team’s A522.

“The winter has gone well for me. I feel in good physical shape and I had some rest over the winter too. We’ve been busy in Barcelona and Bahrain the last few weeks and because we’ve had more time in the car I’m far more prepared. 

“We’re reasonably pleased with the A522 and our preparations over the winter. Nobody knows what fuel or engine modes everybody has been using during testing, so it’s impossible to place an order right now. We always want to do more laps as the learnings are endless in Formula 1 but I’m looking forward to Saturday and seeing where we are against our competition.”

Both Scuderia AlphaTauri drivers, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda, are looking forward to kicking-off their 2022 season this weekend, at the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Gasly had a very strong 2021 season and was a regular figure in the top eight across the season, the Frenchman will need to enter this season open-minded however with the new technical regulations looking all but certain to reshuffle the field slightly.

The Frenchman is more than ready to get going with the new season, where he hopes his team can work in the right direction.

“We start the year in Bahrain, where I have gone well in the past. I’m ready and excited to get going. Of course, we have to be open minded in terms of what we can expect. One topic of winter testing has been the “porpoising” that affected all teams. From our side, the situation regarding this was already much better in Bahrain than in Barcelona, so it’s one thing we still need to work on, as it’s definitely not a nice sensation and it shakes your head around, but I’m not too anxious about it.

“We seem to be working in the right direction. In terms of the track, we know what to expect after three days testing there last week and so we have a clear idea of what we need to work on to have a good race. We have only had six days on track in total and so there is going to be a lot to do, a lot to learn, with the aim of developing the car as quickly as possible.”

Ferrari have given a first look at the next model that will take on their GT3 hopes in sports car racing, the Ferrari 296 GT3, base on the 296 GTB which will be release this year.

The 296 GT3 will have a huge legacy to live up as it replaces the outgoing Ferrari 488 GT3, the most successful car in Prancing Horse history, which has seen 107 titles from its debut race to date, with 429 wins from 770 starts with both of its Standard and Evo 2020 versions.

The race version retains its links to the production model, which was inspired by legendary cars such as the 1963 250 LM. That car holds a huge importance in the history of Ferrari as it marks the last time they won the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright in 1965.

The timing of the new GT3 and links to its past are no coincidence as Ferrari will be returning to the top tier of sports car racing with their Hypercar in 2023, the endurance classic is likely to be seen as the ultimate goal for the brand in sports car racing as they aim to take both the Hypercar and GT crowns.

Production has already started on the 296 GT3 in Ferrari’s Oreca di Signes factory and will feature a 6-cylinder engine. Testing is expected to begin in the coming months as they prepare for its race debut in 2023.