Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

With only two weeks left to go until the start of the second round of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship, it was time for the British M-Sport outfit to reveal the first liveries for it’s 2022 WRC2 entry.

Rally Sweden will be moving further north for this year, to Umeå in the Västerbotten region, to ensure the rally will be held on snow. The M-Sport team decided to start their 2022 campaign there by fielding two Ford Fiesta Rally2 cars for the local talent Mattias Adielsson and 2020 WRC3 champion Jari Huttunen.

The Adielsson announced last year that he will start to work with M-Sport and drove a Fiesta Rally2 with support by the team in the Swedish Rally Championship last season. He didn’t enter any WRC rounds for the team until now, where he will contest Rally Sweden together with co-driver David Arhusiander.

Huttunen meanwhile made his debut with M-Sport at the end of last season after he parted away from Hyundai Motorsport The debut ended with a rally win in the class at the season-finale in Rally Monza. Mikko Lukka will be his co-driver for the weekend.

There are a total of 24 cars entered for the class over the Rally Sweden weekend with a lot of promising names and stiff competition of which biggest are the two Skoda backed Toksport WRT teams with drivers as Andreas Mikkelsen, Marco Bulacia, Nikolay Gryazin and Emil Lindholm.

Hansen Motorsport have presented their 2022 plans, and as one of the most successful teams in the history of rallycross, confirms a commitment to enter the new era of rallycross with a multi-year programme in the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

The defending teams’ champion will be returning with the same driver line-up for this season consisting of the Hansen’s brothers Timmy Hansen and Kevin Hansen, with the team led by the founder, 14-time European champion Kenneth Hansen.

“This a huge investment that we are making to the World Rallycross Championship, with a plan for multiple years – it’s the biggest thing we have ever done. It’s very new and very exciting for all of us.” Kenneth said.

“It feels a little like when we entered four-wheel-drive rallycross for the first time in 1993. We didn’t know many things then, and with the switch to electric technology there are many things we are learning about from scratch as well. I

“t’s very refreshing to be focusing on something so new, with some people we have worked with for many years and some new faces around inspiring us as well. There really is a lot of fresh energy here to push forwards.

After the success of the new Renault Clio Rally4 and Rally5 cars, the French manufacturer has confirmed they are a taking a step-up and will start to develop a car for the all-new four-wheel-drive Rally3 class.

According to an article published by DirtFish, Renault Sports’ customer racing director Benoit Nogier has revealed that a first car is expected to be tested as early as the end of this month.

The testing will be happening in France with the first tests taking place on gravel roads before moving on to asphalt later towards the summer.

The official competitive debut for the new car could happen in a year when the tests are completed. The drivers are expected to be able to compete with M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta Rally3 in FIA World Rally Championship which is the sole model to be offered in the new regulations for now.

The contract for M-Sport to supply cars in WRC3 ends in 2023 which opens up for a potential new supplier for 2024.

Lance Stroll is heading into his sixth season in Formula 1, and feels hopeful that his team can make progress after a difficult 2021 season for the Aston Martin team. The Canadian driver spoke today at the launch of Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team‘s 2022 Car and seemed more hopeful that the team have done a better job and praised the work ethic of the team members

Stroll said “This is not only a big opportunity for Aston Martin, but also for all the teams. We just have to believe that we have done a better job and i know that everyone involved is working unbelievably hard to give Seb and me the best chance. At the same time we have to be realistic heading into the new season”

Speaking of the team’s aims for the season, Stroll stated how he wanted the team to take a step forward. However the new technical regulations mean it is almost impossible to predict any sort of pecking order until the first race weekend in Bahrain in March. He was full of praise as he complimented the intelligence of his team members and stated his optimism for the season ahead and the progress he hopes to make.

Addressing his targets, Stroll said “Our main aim is to move nearer the front than we were last year. That would be progress. As Seb [Vettel] said, it is impossible to know where every team will be until we all get on track, and even then you might not know who has really got it right until qualifying in Bahrain. Aston Martin has some really clever people so I am optimistic we can make good progress this year.” 

Stroll will race alongside four-time Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel for the second consecutive year, as Aston Martin will look to improve on their seventh place finish in the Constructors’ Championship in 2021. Vettel claimed an impressive podium at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix while Stroll’s best result was an impressive sixth place in Qatar. What will their 2022 season hold? We may have to wait until that first qualifying session in Bahrain.

The #43 and STP is a legendary number/sponsor combination in the NASCAR Cup Series, most synonymous with the great Richard Petty. On Thursday, GMS Racing announced the pair will appear in the Camping World Truck Series with Petty’s grandson Thad Moffitt in the #43 Chevrolet Silverado RST.

Moffitt will run a part-time Truck schedule, with his first start in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway on 18 February being his series début. Further dates were not immediately revealed.

“Daytona is a track that has a lot of family history, and having STP onboard makes it that much more special,” said Moffitt. “It truly is an honour to run the iconic STP branding on my Silverado along with my fire suit, and I am hoping to represent their longtime support of my family in a great way.”

Since 2017, Moffitt has primarily competed in the ARCA Menards Series for Empire Racing and David Gilliland Racing, the former of which was a satellite team of Richard Petty Motorsports. In forty-four career starts, he has twenty-five top tens and a best race finish of third at Phoenix and Mid-Ohio this past season. He ran eighteen of twenty-five races in 2021 and placed fourth in points.

The #43 will be fielded by GMS in conjunction with Reaume Brothers Racing, who fields various trucks and also has a Cup alliance with Team Hezeberg. Richard Petty Motorsports merged with GMS for the 2022 Cup season to form Petty GMS Motorsports, though GMS will remain a separate entity in the Truck Series.

Fortec Motorsport announced that F4 British Championship race-winner Zak Taylor will join the team for the 2022 GB3 Championship on Thursday (10 February).

They are the third team to have announced their full line-up for 2022, after Carlin and Hitech GP.

Taylor competed in British F4 last year with Arden Motorsport, who enter their second year in GB3 in 2022, taking five podiums in addition to a win at Brands Hatch.

Prior to his switch into single-seaters, Taylor moved up from karting into the Ginetta Junior Championship for 2019, and took seven podiums in 2020, despite only running in six of the eight rounds.

The 19-year-old started karting in 2016, competing in Junior TKM and the British Schools Karting Championship. He finished sixth in the 2017 Super One National Junior TKM Championship and won the Junior Winter Series at the PF International kart circuit near Grantham.

If there’s one person who has been renewed by Aston Martin’s return to Formula 1, it’s Sebastian Vettel. Whilst the 4-time world champion is yet to win any races for the team, it has brought his passion and enthusiasm for the sport back and nobody can complain about that! With the reveal of the new car earlier today and the prospect of the grid being switched up a little as a result of the new regulations, you can’t blame Vettel for being excited about what’s the come. Excited is something he definitely seems to be, as he had nothing but positive words to say about both the car and the team as we build up towards the start of the 2022 season.

“Look at that car, who wouldn’t feel excited about the prospect of racing that?” Vettel enthused excitedly about his new wheels for this year. With how great the car looks (yet again), it’s not surprising that he feels this way! He is, however, very realistic about how things might pan out when the season actually starts due to how much the new regulations could affect the dynamics between teams. “…when it comes to hopes for the season, I do not think anyone really knows what to expect,” the F1 veteran stressed. “There are new rules and of course all the teams will be hoping that they have got it right.”

Vettel was keen to stress too that the Aston Martin project is very much a long term one and that, whilst he isn’t winning any races right now, it’s more important for the team to keep making forward progress. “Everyone wants to win, me included, and no one would be in Formula One if their dream was not to win. I am no different,” Vettel continued. “The main thing is to keep moving forward and moving up. This is only year two of a five-year plan, so we are still quite near the start. But this team has big ambitions and big plans, and I am hugely excited to be a part of that.“

Sebastian Vettel will once again partner Lance Stroll (the son of the team’s chairman Lawrence Stroll) for the 2022 season. It’s a partnership that’s worked really well so far, so it’s not surprising that Aston Martin has decided to keep it going for the foreseeable future. The two of them will also be joined by fan favourite Nico Hulkenberg, who has retained his role as test and reserve driver for 2022.

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team officially launched their AMR22 Thursday afternoon, with the event taking place at the team’s global headquarters at Gaydon, UK.

Incredibly it does appear that Aston Martin have in fact become the first team to reveal their actual 2022 challenger, not just their livery! Many wondered if Aston Martin would follow in Uralkali Haas and Oracle Red Bull Racing’s footsteps, and only reveal their livery, Aston Martin clearly thought otherwise.

The AMR22 includes a radical aerodynamic design philosophy as prescribed by the new technical rules designed to deliver more competitive racing. An updated car livery adds further aggression with lime details blended across a refined version of the traditional green livery.

Aston Martin’s Chief Technical Officer Andrew Green, believes that no one has all the answers to the new regulations but believes it will bring new opportunities.

“The 2022 regulations are like no other that have gone before: a radical change of direction in both concept and application, probably the most significant change of chassis regulations ever implemented, with an incredibly small amount of carry-over from 2021 into 2022. As a direct result of that, the past winter has undoubtedly been the toughest we have ever had. But with new regulations come new challenges and new opportunities.

The newly named Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team have officially launched their 2022 challenger, the AMR22, at their global headquarters at Gaydon, UK.

The team have not only released their livery, the third team so far to do so after Uralkali Haas and Oracle Red Bull Racing, they’ve also become the first team to officially reveal their 2022 car. Both Haas and Red Bull are believed to have used the 2022 model designed by Formula 1 last year.

In attendance was Executive Chairman, Lawrence Stroll, alongside Chief Technical Officer, Andrew Green, and Performance Director, Tom McCullough. Driver’s Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll were heavily involved at the presentation.

One of the defining features on the AMR22 is a radical aerodynamic design as prescribed by the new technical rules, designed to hopefully deliver more competitive racing. Aston Martin have also tweaked their livery, with lime details blended across a refined version of the traditional green livery. New major sponsor Aramco, have their logo incorporated into the livery to mark the beginning of a strategic long-term partnership, while branding from title partner, Cognizant, appears on the sidepods, chassis top, front wing and rear wing. Prominent logos from Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%, Crypto.com, SentinelOne and JCB also feature across the AMR22.

Executive Chairman, Lawrence Stroll, is very happy to have such high valued partners onboard with the team for 2022, as Aston Martin continue to strive towards their five-year plan.

Williams Racing were the proud winners of the ‘Creative Content of The Year Award’ at the recent ‘The Race Media Awards’, which took place in London Wednesday night. The Race Media Awards, hosted by Rufus Hound, celebrate creative excellence in motorsport PR, marketing and communications.

Williams won the award after their activation for the release of The King’s Man, in collaboration with 20th Century Studios and MARV. MARV specialises in genre-redefining films and is owned by renowned British director Matthew Vaughn.

The partnership between Williams and The King’s Man, which took place at the end of last year, ran over the course of a week with activations in London, New York and Abu Dhabi. Branded Williams show cars were unveiled at the World Premiere in Leicester Square, London, as well as the US Premiere at the MoMa in New York City.

Both Williams Racing cars also ran King’s man logos at the season finale Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, George Russell was also spotted pre-weekend dressed in a tailored suit from the film’s impeccable collection. Williams also filmed several short videos for social media relating to King’s man content.

James Bower, Commercial Director for Williams Racing is extremely pleased that Williams have been recognised for the brilliant work they produced in cooperation with The King’s man.

Ahead of the upcoming 2022 season, Scuderia AlphaTauri have announced a brand-new global partnership with Hong-Kong based company Flex Box. AlphaTauri’s 2022 challenger the AT03, will carry the coloured Flex Box logo on the front wing endplate, as well as on the nose throughout the entire season.

The Hong Kong-based company is an international leader in the logistics industry with operations around the globe, it was founded by Henrik Nielsen in 2001. Flex Box develops, manufactures, and ships containers from China directly to clients worldwide and are known for their innovative customer solutions thanks to their vast experience in the cargo industry. Based on the founder’s passion for racing, the company name is well established in the world of motorsports thanks to partnerships in various top-class categories. 

Scuderia AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost is delighted with the partnership and is looking forward to working with Henrik Nielsen.

“I am very happy to welcome Henrik and his company to our team. Logistics are a fundamental part of our sport, and it simply couldn’t exist without an exceptional infrastructure. Besides the obvious travelling to the races, we have constant demands for specialised logistic solutions such as transporting parts between our factory in Italy and the wind tunnel in England, receiving components from Japan or flying our cars around the world for sponsor events. Furthermore, it’s always a pleasure for me to work with people who are as passionate about racing as I am, and Henrik is a real motorsport enthusiast.”

Flex Box founder Henrik Nielsen is equally pleased with the partnership.

Williams Racing have finally announced their date for their pre-season launch, making them the final team to announce their date. Williams are set to reveal their 2022 challenger to the world via a digital launch on the 15th February at 1pm GMT, where we will at least see the team’s new livery.

The launch will be exclusively live on the team’s official website, as the British team look to the future without George Russell but with the addition of the returning Alex Albon, who will be alongside the remaining Nicholas Latifi. For Albon their will be a sense of redemption, as the Thai driver makes his highly-anticipated return to Formula 1 after being replaced at Oracle Red Bull Racing by Sergio Pérez. For Latifi, 2022 is perhaps his year to come out of Russell’s shadow, after being out-performed the majority of the team whilst being alongside the new Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team driver.

Fans will be hoping for a brand-new livery from Williams for 2022, after being one of the team’s in 2021 who drastically changed their livery, giving the team a fresh look. The team will announce more details on how to watch the launch over the coming days.

For those who tuned in to Red Bull Racing’s RB18 launch or have seen the photos from the event, will have noticed one very big change! U.S tech giants Oracle have had their partnership with the Red Bull outfit enhanced, with the tech company now becoming the title partner of Red Bull Racing resulting in a brand new team name, Oracle Red Bull Racing.

The Oracle logo is a key factor on the team’s 2022 car, as they prepare for a new chapter of innovation in Formula 1. The enhanced partnership will see Red Bull increase their use of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to further improve race strategy, engine development, and projects within Red Bull Advanced Technologies. That isn’t the end of it though, as Red Bull fans are in for a treat! Red Bull Racing Paddock will gain new features to boost excitement and create stronger connection with fans. The deal will also see Red Bull’s Esports team renamed to Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports, after the pair also announced a new gaming partnership.

Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner, is delighted at the enhanced partnership between the pair after a successful 2021 season.

“Oracle Cloud enabled us to make race-day decisions that helped Max Verstappen win the 2021 Drivers’ Championship. Discovering and reacting to opportunities quickly, is crucial to our success on and off the track, and Oracle is integral in that effort. Every element of our performance is driven by data analysis. Having Oracle as our title partner shows the confidence we have in their expertise and their ability to deliver a true competitive advantage.”

Looking into the future, after a successful beginning –

Incredibly, in 2021 Red Bull increased the number of simulations they ran by a thousand times, to improve the accuracy of their predictions and sharpen their decision-making. The team’s tactics were one of their biggest strengths last season and it’s clear to see why. The team’s numbers are truly staggering, they accelerated simulation speed by 10 times, which gave race strategists more time to make the right call.

Chip Ganassi Racing is one of two American teams in the Extreme E Championship alongside Andretti United, but the only one whose two drivers also represent the Stars and Stripes. This will remain the case for 2022 as the team announced Wednesday the returns of Kyle LeDuc and Sara Price.

The duo placed eighth in points after struggling through the year with misfortunes like mechanical issues. Although they were one of two teams that failed to score a podium, they were the first to win the Super Sector, which rewards five bonus points for the fastest car through a certain track sector, when it was introduced at the Ocean X Prix. CGR was a lap away from turning their luck around in the Island X Prix, but the steering failed and relegated them to a fourth that remained their best finish of the year.

Price was the first confirmed driver in Extreme E when CGR signed her ten months prior to the inaugural round, the Desert X-Prix in April 2021. The first female driver in CGR’s history, she entered Extreme E with a decorated motocross and off-road background, the latter of which included the Stadium Super Trucks and Baja 1000. In 2019, she became the first woman to run the full Baja 1000 distance on her own and won the SCORE International Trophy Truck Spec class, which enabled her to place second overall. Outside of Extreme E, she raced in the SCORE Trophy Trucks alongside Adonia Racing’s Dave Taylor.

“I’m very excited to be with Chip Ganassi Racing for our second season in the Extreme E series,” commented Price. “In our first season, our speed showed but the results weren’t there. This is our redemption year. We are more than prepared, we’ve learned a lot, and it’s time to show the world what we have. We have an incredible team behind us, and Kyle and I are two drivers ready for what’s to come and showing the world what we are capable of.”

LeDuc joined CGR as one of the most accomplished short course racers in the discipline’s history. The seven-time Pro 4 champion has over 100 career victories, sixty of which came in the now defunct Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. After winning the inaugural Championship Off-Road Pro 4 title in 2020, his defence ended with four wins and a runner-up points placement. Like Price, he has experience in the Stadium Super Trucks which entailed racing in the X Games in 2015 and notching a podium at the 2016 Sand Sports Super Show.

For the first time in over five years, Trevor Bayne is racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. For the first time in over a decade, he will run a NASCAR race in a Toyota.

On Wednesday, Joe Gibbs Racing announced Bayne will drive the #18 Toyota Supra in seven races at Auto Club Speedway (26 February), Phoenix Raceway (12 March), Charlotte Motor Speedway (28 May), Nashville Superspeedway (25 June), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (16 July), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (15 October), and Homestead-Miami Speedway (22 October). He will be sponsored by Devotion Nutrition.

Bayne’s NASCAR career is synonymous with his win in the 2011 Daytona 500 as a 20-year-old. Much of his Cup and Xfinity Series career has been with Ford as a member of the now-RFK Racing family, which included running full-time in the premier division between 2015 and 2017. His 2018 full Cup slate dropped down to a part-time schedule and he fell out of NASCAR for the next two seasons. He made his NASCAR return in 2020 by running eight Camping World Truck Series races for Niece Motorsports. Bayne scored two top tens including nearly winning at Talladega; he also had a top five taken away at Bristol after being disqualified. He did not race in NASCAR in 2021.

With his full-time career mostly over, Bayne has since returned home to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he runs Mahalo Coffee Roasters with his wife Ashton. Outside of stock cars, he also races dirt cars like late models, which Devotion Nutrition sponsors.

Bayne last drove a Toyota in the 2009 and 2010 Xfinity Series for Michael Waltrip Racing. He ran the full 2010 season in the team’s #99 Toyota Camry before signing with then-Roush Fenway Racing to finish the year.