Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Robby Gordon‘s qualifying run at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach continued for another year as he led Friday’s practice/qualifying ahead of the Stadium Super Trucks season opener.

Gordon set the fastest time of the twelve qualifiers at 1:43.846, barely beating out reigning champion Gavin Harlien by less than a tenth of a second. Max Gordon and Robert Stout were the only other drivers within a second of the leader.

“I followed the monster @madmaxgordon the whole time and the Massive Draft tow at 2 minutes to go was enough to grab the pole,” Gordon recalled. It is his third straight Fastest Qualifier at Long Beach and fifth overall including 2016 and 2018.

Matt Brabham had a tumultuous run after a mechanical issue forced him to abandon his original truck just minutes into the session; after rejoining without the truck’s hood, he elected to switch to a backup for the rest of the day. Despite the change, the three-time series champion salvaged a fifth-place qualifying effort.

Myles Cheek qualified sixth ahead of his first SST start since 2017. Fellow short course regular Ryan Beat was one spot behind him.

Teenage Formula 3 driver Jonny Edgar has been announced as Envision Racing‘s second driver for the Berlin rookie test, which takes place a day after round eight of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

It’s certainly an unbelievable opportunity for Edgar to gain experience in a high-level series, with the nineteen-year-old being a hot prospect for the future. The rookie test actually comes at a great time for the Brit, with his third season in F3 having started badly. Edgar has claimed just two points this season since joining MP Motorsport, after leaving the Red Bull Junior Team.

The chance to test a Formula E car is certainly an exciting one for the young driver and might help him find some confidence, given that Envision clearly see potential in him. Edgar is “thankful” for the opportunity he’s been given and is planning on making the most of the test, which takes place at the Tempelhof Street Circuit.

“I’m thrilled to be driving for Envision Racing in the Formula E rookie test in Berlin. Formula E is a championship all professional drivers aspire to be in and I’m very thankful to Envision for this opportunity. The team have been very welcoming and I’m very much looking forward to getting on track.”

Edgar will be alongside ex-Formula 1 driver Jack Aitken in the Envision camp for the rookie test, with the Silverstone-based side opting for an all-British pairing. The test will give Envision Team Principal Sylvain Filippi a great chance to see what both drivers can do, with him having an eye in particular on Edgar.

The Spa-Francorchamps Grand Prix, also known as the Belgian Grand Prix, is a Formula One motor race held annually at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Stavelot, Belgium. The circuit is known for its fast, sweeping corners and challenging elevation changes, making it a favorite among drivers and fans alike.

The first Belgian Grand Prix was held in 1925, and the race has been a regular fixture on the Formula One calendar since 1950, with a few exceptions. The race typically takes place in late August or early September and is one of the most popular and prestigious events on the motorsports calendar.

In addition to the main Formula One race, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit also hosts other racing events throughout the year, including the Spa 24 Hours endurance race and various touring car championships. The circuit has undergone several upgrades and renovations over the years, but it remains one of the most challenging and exciting tracks in motorsports.

Overall, the Spa-Francorchamps Grand Prix is an iconic and highly anticipated event for motorsports fans around the world, offering thrilling racing action and a unique and historic setting.

Scout will once again race in Baja California as the manufacturer has partnered with Anything Scout Vintage Racing Team to field a 1976 Scout Terra for team owner Sean Barber at the NORRA Mexican 1000.

Unlike the current Scout Motors Inc., which is a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group founded in 2022 to build electric off-road vehicles, the original Scout was an SUV model produced by International Harvester from 1961 to 1980. The Terra is a variant of the Scout II built in the final five years of the series’ life.

Two years after the line’s discontinuation, Sherman Balch and team-mates James Acker and Byron Rexwinkle piloted an IH Scout 392 to the Class 3S victory at the 1982 Pernod-SCORE International Baja 1000 in what would be its last factory-backed appearance in Baja motorsport. Most Scout racing action took place in Class 3 and its variations for four-wheel-drive short-wheelbase vehicles, with Jimmy Jones being the first to run the legendary Baja 1000 in one and finishing thirteenth overall. IH increased its involvement into full-fledged factory support in 1976 for those like Jones and Balch, as well as Jerry Boone and Frank Howarth.

International Harvester was reformed into Navistar in 1985. Volkswagen inherited the Scout name after its Traton truck offshoot merged with Navistar in 2021, and the German company quickly put it to use for electric pickup trucks and SUVs.

“Off-road racing serves as a proving ground for American automotive die-hards,” Scout Motors CEO and President Scott Keogh stated. “The Baja peninsula, in particular, is the spiritual home for high performance off-road racing. As we build Scout Motors, it’s only fitting we start in Baja in classically proven trucks to capture the essence of Scout. From there, the NORRA Mexican 1000 is a chance for us to draw inspiration from Scout racing heritage and learn how to best inject future products with off-road DNA and rugged capability.”

The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will have a new support class at five of its six rounds in 2023 as the Eurolegend Cup makes its début starting with the NWES season opener at Circuit Ricardo Tormo on 6/7 May.

Legends car racing is a common discipline of short track oval racing in the United States, where many future NASCAR drivers got their starts. While an American concept, it is heavily present overseas in Europe, especially in Britain courtesy of Legends Racing UK and the Nordic states where some even take part in non-pavement motorsport like rallycross and ice racing. On the other hand, the Eurolegend Cup hopes to be a continent-wide championship.

The discipline is based on drivers in spec cars modelled after automobiles from the pre-World War II era.

The Eurolegend Cup was formed in February with GP2EMME Srl created to serve as overseer. Vehicles are sourced from Castelletto Circuit Legend Cars, which has hosted the Legends Car Italia series since 2019. The Italian championship was a support event to the NASCAR GP Italy at Autodromo di Vallelunga in 2021 and 2022.

“The Eurolegend Cup has its origin in Italy and it’s the first time we join the international racing stage by joining the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series at selected events,” said GP2EMME CEO Romano Pisi. “We have a cooperation with EuroNASCAR and we created the Eurolegend Cup to be part of the US American themed festivals in Europe and become a part of the unique show. It’s an amazing opportunity for young drivers to experience international racing in the wake of NASCAR in Europe and the cars are amazing to make the first step in motorsports.”

Diespro Adventour & Racing Logistics will provide assistance for multiple bike and quad riders as the World Rally-Raid Championship visits their home soil for the first time at the Sonora Rally on 25–28 April. Among those under Diespro’s wing are a pair hoping to get a shot to compete at the 2024 Dakar Rally as Jatin Jain and Sebastián Olarte plan to take part in the Road to Dakar category.

A former supercross rider from Nagpur, Maharashtra, Jain won back-to-back FMSCI National Rally Championships in 2018 and 2019 (Group 1A) before expanding to international competition in 2020. The only Indian privateer, he made his début at the Hispania Rally in Spain and finished fifth in class.

Olarte, a Colombian-American, returns to Diespro hoping to rebound after retiring from the 2022 Sonora Rally three stages in. Prior to his exit, he was sitting as high as eighteenth overall after two legs. He was one of fifteen riders in the 2022 edition’s Road to Dakar category, which included the likes of 2023 Dakar Rally competitors Morrison Hart, Ace Nilson, and David Pearson.

Matt Sutherland, the 2022 Mexican 1000 winner and another rider with Diespro support, was also a Road to Dakar competitor at that year’s Sonora. With the Sonora Rally and Mexican 1000 set to take place back-to-back, he and Matthew Glade will run both races as Malle Moto/Ironman riders, meaning they will not have any outside assistance for either event.

The Road to Dakar is aimed at getting amateur riders and T4 drivers to the Dakar Rally via free entry if they excel at select races. All four rounds of the W2RC are part of the programme, as is the South Africa Rally-Raid Championship’s TGRSA 1000 Desert Race. Tobias Ebster won the Rally2 overall at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in March to clinch that event’s Road to Dakar victory. While the TGRSA 1000 Desert Race will only have the programme for T4, the Sonora Rally’s Dakar ticket is limited to bike riders.

Williams’ Racing Head of Vehicle Performance Dave Robson felt the team missed an opportunity to score good FIA Formula 1 World championship points in Melbourne after chaos throughout the Australian Grand Prix.

Alex Albon qualified excellently on Saturday, but ultimately failed to convert it into any points in the race. The Thai driver was running as high as sixth on lap seven, when he lost the car and crashed into the wall at turn seven ending his race. Albon apologised to the team after the race and recognized it had to been a good oppourtunity for himself and the team to score big points, with Robson remarking he was on for a comfortable top ten finish.

“It was a remarkable race but ultimately it was a missed opportunity for us. Alex built on his excellent qualifying display to make more positions at the start and was looking good for a comfortable top ten finish. Unfortunately, touching the kerb at high speed in Turn 5 led to a small snap and a spike in tyre temperature, which led him to lose the car at the next corner.”

Logan Sargeant had an equally frustrating race as his teammate and was forced to retire after an incident on the red flag restart with Nyck de Vries. The American driver also struggled with strategy throughout the race and was caught out by a red flag, which saw his early pit stop lose him a big chunk of time.

“We tried a different initial strategy with Logan, but the early red flag rendered that ineffective. Although he had some decent pace, he was unable to benefit from the unusual way that race developed ahead.

The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One race that takes place on the Circuit de Monaco, a narrow and winding street circuit located in the Principality of Monaco. The race has been a regular feature of the Formula One World Championship since its inception in 1950, and is considered one of the most prestigious and challenging races in the world.

The Circuit de Monaco is known for its tight corners, narrow streets, and high speeds, which make it a formidable challenge for drivers. The circuit features several famous landmarks, including the Casino de Monte-Carlo, the famous hairpin turn at the Grand Hotel Hairpin, and the tunnel that runs under the Fairmont Monte Carlo hotel.

The Monaco Grand Prix is not only popular among racing fans, but also among celebrities and high-profile guests who come to watch the race from yachts in the harbor or from the grandstands overlooking the circuit. The race is also known for its glamour and prestige, with many events and parties taking place in and around Monaco during the race weekend.

The Monaco Grand Prix is often considered one of the most important races on the Formula One calendar, alongside the British Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix. Winning the Monaco Grand Prix is considered a major achievement for drivers and teams, and is a testament to their skill and courage on one of the world's most challenging racing circuits.

It was not the race that Alex Albon and Williams’ Racing would have been hoping for despite looking strong for the majority of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World championship weekend in Melbourne.

Albon qualified really well and started the race in a season best position of eighth, and looked good value for points in the race. However, Albon crashed out of the race causing the first red flag on lap seven.

Albon took full responsibility for the incident, and offered his apologies to the team claiming that the weekend had offered “a good chance to score points.” The Thai driver has already previously scored points this season, finishing tenth in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

“We’re still looking at the data but there was nothing unusual in the corner itself. When I lost the car, I was going through slower than the previous lap; I went wide on the corner before and spiked the tyre temperatures, losing grip and going into the next corner a bit hot, so I think that’s what happened but we need to look at it.

“With all the accidents, it was a good chance to score points this weekend, so I’m very sorry to the team. I’m disappointed, as we had a great car today and were really strong.”

Guanyu Zhou and Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake scored their second points finish of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship in Melbourne as they capitalized on a number of retirements and a late red flag.

Zhou and Logan Sargeant began in P17 and P18 on the back row of the grid because Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez started in the pit lane. However, the Chinese driver went on to make some impressive overtakes while taking advantage of the red flags to move through the pack.

“Ninth at the chequered flag is a good result, especially considering where we started and the challenging weekend we had. There are positives to take – we had a really good start, which is something we worked really hard on, and we didn’t do any mistakes in a race where there were plenty of spills.

Although Alfa Romeo scored points, it was evident they lacked the pace of some of the midfield runners, especially BWT Alpine F1 Team and McLaren F1 Team who showed pace throughout. Both Alpine drivers collided on the final red flag standing restart, and Zhou and Alfa Romeo were big beneficiaries allowing them to score their second points of the season.

“We kept it clean, kept out of trouble, and I was able to keep the pressure on Magnussen in the later stages, which in the end allowed us to get points. The conditions out there were difficult, the track temperatures were very low but we didn’t do mistakes and it is what matters.

Hyundai Motorsport factory driver Craig Breen has passed away following an accident today in Poland at a pre-event test ahead of the Croatia Rally, co-driver James Fulton was unharmed in the accident.

According to reports the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 went off the road, and the front-left of the car collided with a pole fatally injuring Breen.

The Irishman joined the Hyundai Motorsport WRC team this year following a full season with M-Sport in 2022, and equalled his best result at Rally Sweden in February when he finished in second place, having done so in Sweden 2018, Estonia, 2020 and 2021, Belgium 2021 and Sardinia 2022.

Hyundai Motorsport confirmed the tragic loss of life of the 33-year-old in a statement released today:

Hyundai Motorsport is deeply saddened to confirm that driver Craig Breen today lost his life following an accident during the pre-event test for Croatia Rally.
 
Co-driver James Fulton was unharmed in the incident that occurred just after midday local time.
 
Hyundai Motorsport sends its sincerest condolences to Craig’s family, friends and his many fans.
 
Hyundai Motorsport will make no further comment at this time.

I can hardly believe the season that’s approaching – I have to keep pinching myself to remind me it’s reality. In what only amounts to my second season of single-seater racing, I’ll be contesting the brand new F1 Academy series with the multi-championship winning ART Grand Prix team. It feels so surreal but it’s happening and I’m so, so excited! 

As this is my first column for The Checkered Flag I thought it a good idea to tell you a bit about myself and the journey to reach the F1 Academy. I’m from Perth in Scotland and having attended Perth High School, now go to Loughborough College in Leicestershire where I’m completing a two-year Enhanced Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) course provided by Motorsport UK Academy.

I began racing after watching my older sister, Lucy, compete. I started karting in 2013 when I was seven-years-old even though, officially, I wasn’t old enough to race. The North of Scotland Kart Club in Golspie were massively kind to me as they’d allow me to go out with the cadets for Saturday practice. 

I started to compete at the East of Scotland Kart Club in Crail the following year and was awarded their Newcomer Award for the season. The next two years I continued with cadet racing at the ESKC, finishing third and second in the club championship.

When I turned 11 in 2017, I moved up a class to Minimax, and loved the speed of the two stroke Rotax engine. This was the same year I won the ESKC championship in Minimax non-MSA and was also the Most Improved Minimax Driver of The Year. I stayed in a Minimax for the 2018 season and travelled to a few other tracks to gain more experience.

Kove Moto will bring a triumvirate of bikes to their second World Rally-Raid Championship start at the Sonora Rally, and with more diversity in nationalities. Sunier will be the only Chinese and returning rider from the season-opening Dakar Rally in January, joined by new factory rider and Frenchman Neels Theric as well as the American Mike Johnson.

Theric joined Kove’s factory programme in March, becoming their first non-Chinese factory rider after finishing fifth in Rally2 at Dakar for GasGas. He will also run the W2RC-ending Rallye du Maroc in October and the FIM Bajas World Cup’s Baja España Aragón in July for the team, all of which will culminate in the 2024 Dakar Rally.

Johnson is the owner of Rally Comp, a metering device manufacturer founded in 2015 that riders use in conjunction with their roadbook to read details like distance and upcoming hazards via a built-in odometer. He raced at the Dakar Rally in 2014 and finished seventy-fourth overall among Bikes, while also taking part in events like the 2013 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (a current W2RC leg) and Mexican 1000. The Mexican 1000 is scheduled to take place immediately after the conclusion of the Sonora Rally, and various colleagues of Johnson’s plan to do both as Malle Moto/Ironman competitors. He finished third at the 2019 Sonora Rally.

Prior to racing in multi-stage rally raid, he was one of the top bike riders in the point-to-point desert races of SCORE International, winning the Pro Moto 30 championships in 2009, 2011, and 2012; he also claimed the category under Best In The Desert sanction in 2009 and 2010.

Sunier and his fellow countrymen Deng Liansong and Fang Mingji represented Kove at the 2023 Dakar Rally, marking the Chinese manufacturer’s début in the event. All three reached the finish, with Sunier scoring the best finish of twenty-seventh overall in Rally2 with a best stage run of thirteenth. The effort was such a success that their bikes were donated to be immortalised in various museums.

After finishing third in both of his seasons in the Stadium Super Trucks, Robert Stout is hoping to finally break through and win a title in Year 3.

On Thursday, Stout announced Injector Dynamics has returned as a “key marketing partner” for the 2023 SST season, which entails being co-primary sponsor of his #28 truck alongside Continental Tire and Impact Race Products.

Injector Dynamics, a fuel injector manufacturer run by Paul Yaw, is no stranger to Stout’s team as they worked together during Stout’s time in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. With Injector backing, he claimed Production 1000 UTV Rookie of the Year honours in 2018 followed by the the 2019 class championship.

“This has turned into a great partnership,” Stout said. “Paul Yaw is without question one of the most talented team owners/builders I’ve ever worked with. He is also an extremely successful businessman and has been following the SST series since I entered it. It’s super exciting to see them jump on board, hopefully I can give him and our great partners from Continental Tire along with Impact Race Products another championship at the end of the season.”

Stout moved to SST two years after his LOORRS title, scoring his first career win at Nashville en route to a third-place points finish behind Matt Brabham and Robby Gordon. In 2022, he scored four podiums and controversially lost the Mid-Ohio Race #1 win due to a lap counting error, but managed to pick up a victory in the finale at Bristol to once again place third in the standings, trailing Gavin Harlien and Max Gordon.

Stephen Mallozzi will run his second career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday at Martinsville Speedway, driving the #22 Ford F-150 for AM Racing.

The 22-year-old made his series début at Mid-Ohio in 2022 with Reaume Brothers Racing, for whom he also races in late models as a development driver, finishing twenty-second. He has also worked for TobyChristie.com as a sim racing and NASCAR fantasy writer.

“Guys guys guys I’m in the #22 this weekend,” he tweeted on Tuesday.

AM Racing has a partnership with RBR, both being Ford teams, and team owner Josh Reaume ran three of the first six races in the #22 to start 2023 with a best finish of nineteenth at Daytona. Logan Bearden, Chase Briscoe, and Max Gutiérrez also made one-off starts with Briscoe scoring a top ten in the most recent race at Bristol Dirt. The #22 is currently twentieth in owner points.

Reaume will be in the #34 for RBR, giving Mallozzi a familiar face at Martinsville.