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After two months away from the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Robin Frijns is finally ready to make his comeback in the all-electric series at this weekend’s inaugural São Paulo E-Prix, after recovering from the hand he broke at the season-opener in Mexico City.

Perhaps sooner than most expected, Frijns is back this weekend in Brazil for the ABT CUPRA Formula E Team, with the Dutchman having missed the last four rounds following his painful crash in Mexico City. Frijns’ recovery has thankfully gone very smoothly, with him now being in a state where he can safely return to racing.

Frijns is incredibly pleased to be back this weekend with his recovery having “felt like an eternity”; however, he was quick to thank everybody who has supported his road o recovery.

“It feels insanely good to be preparing for a race again with Nico and the whole team – it’s so good to be back. The past two months have felt like an eternity. Many thanks to the team, the FIA, all the doctors and physios, and the whole Formula E paddock, who have been patient with me despite me being so impatient.”

This weekend in Brazil won’t be the first time that Frijns has been back behind the wheel of a race car, with the ABT CUPRA driver having successfully completed in last weekend’s Sebring 12 Hours. Ahead of São Paulo, Frijns has revealed that his comeback to racing “went smoothly” and that he endured no issues, ensuring that he his “fit” to compete in South America this weekend.

Logan Bearden will once again drive for AM Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Circuit of the Americas, though in a different number and manufacturer as he will pilot the #22 Ford F-150.

Bearden, a late model racer, had hoped to race in the Trucks for the first time at the 2021 COTA weekend for Niece Motorsports but failed to qualify. A second attempt, this time in AM’s new #37 Chevrolet, succeeded as he qualified twenty-first but finished twenty-eighth after his fuel pump died with just five laps to go.

“I learned a lot in my NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series début last year, even though we experienced mechanical hiccups early in the race,” said Bearden. “The team worked diligently to fix the truck so I could get as many laps as I could under my belt. Without a doubt, I believe that seat time will pay off this weekend and hopefully, I can contend for a top-fifteen finish in our #22 Bearden Automotive/Parker Electric Ford F-150.”

He also works for AM as a mechanic, serving on both the Truck and ARCA Menards Series programmes.

AM’s #22 began 2023 with Josh Reaume running two of the first three races with a best finish of nineteenth at Daytona. Max Gutiérrez took over at Las Vegas and placed twenty-first. After three races, the #22 is twenty-second in owner points. The team also fields the #25 in the Xfinity Series for Brett Moffitt.

KAMAZ-master is the undisputed king of the Dakar Rally‘s T5 category for trucks, having won a record nineteen times including six in a row from 2017 to 2022. The streak was broken when the team refused to denounce the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a rather unsurprising choice given their parent company is partly owned by Russia’s government and supplies trucks to their military for the war, resulting in their absence from the grid.

Speaking to Interfax, KAMAZ driver Anton Shibalov stated he had been told by some foreign competitors, both fellow T5 racers and outside the class, that the Rally was not as intriguing with them not there.

“There are foreign pilots with whom we communicate, indeed there are buddies, friends. Even those who are not in trucks, but from other disciplines, say, ‘It’s not so interesting without you,'” Shibalov said. “But there are those who say that the intrigue has grown as there were chances for other teams. Well, everything that is done is for the best, let them take advantage of the moment.”

Shibalov had competed at Dakar every year since 2017 with podium finishes in his last three starts. He won three stages in 2020 en route to a runner-up finish behind team-mate Andrey Karginov, followed by another second to Dmitry Sotnikov in 2021. He fell to third in 2022 behind Sotnikov and Eduard Nikolaev in a KAMAZ podium sweep.

KAMAZ and Belarusian team MAZ-SPORTauto were not allowed to take part in the 2023 Rally unless they agreed to the FIA’s policy condemning Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began a month after the 2022 race. Due to KAMAZ’s close ties to the Russian military, the team flatly turned down the FIA’s conditions and therefore focused on the Russian Rally-Raid Championship, during which they won the Silk Way Rally with Sotnikov.

The Short-course Off-road Drivers Association continues to diversify as the 2023 season looms. Over the week, the series announced dates at the Sunnyview Expo Center and Tigerton MX, as well as a new partnership with the Monster Truck Nitro Tour to bring the latter’s vehicles to SODA race weekends.

Located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the roughly 100-acre Sunnyview Exposition Center is predominantly used for fairs and horse shows. SODA’s predecessor of the same name competed there from 1990 to its demise in 1998. The World Series of Off-Road Racing, a short-lived spiritual successor to the original SODA, organised a round there in 2008 followed by its own replacement TORC: The Off-Road Championship until 2011.

Tigerton MX, located in the eponymous Wisconsin town, is overseen by Fantasy Moto. As the track name suggests, it is typically used for motocross though four-wheel off-road vehicles also take part. Its course is natural terrain but features man-made jumps and various drops and whoops. The Wisconsin Coalition of Four Wheel Drives (WC4WD) off-roading club, whose members frequently assist SODA races, are co-hosting the race weekend in addition to organising an off-road trail ride the day after in the nearby Tigerton OHV (Off-Highway Vehicle) Park and Campground.

The two tracks join Wisconsin International Raceway on the 2023 calendar, though specific dates have not been revealed. Unlike Sunnyview and Tigerton, WIR in Kaukauna is a paved oval primarily used for stock car racing; SODA had opened the 2022 season at another NASCAR-savvy oval Slinger Super Speedway. Other rounds have yet to be announced as well, though SODA President Willie Freshour has expressed interest in a memorial Class 9 Super Buggy race to honour late Vice President Kyle Koehler.

At said rounds, SODA announced Monday that the Monster Truck Nitro Tour will bring full-size monster trucks for fans to ride along; at its regular events, the tour’s ride-alongs go for USD$20 (€18.68) and are held during intermissions and after the shows. The tour was founded in 2021.

After a month away, the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is back this weekend for round six of the season, at the inaugural São Paulo E-Prix. Jaguar TCS Racing enter this weekend in desperate need of a points finish, after failing to score any points in the last two races.

Jaguar’s only points from India and South Africa are those that Mitch Evans was awarded for claiming pole in Hyderabad, back at the start of February. Jaguar have endured a really challenging couple of rounds despite having had excellent pace, as demonstrated by Evans’ pole. The Coventry-based team suffered a double retirement in India after Sam Bird crashed into Evans, whilst in Cape Town, Evans missed out on the top ten after serving a drive-through penalty for an overuse of power, whilst Bird failed to start the race due to damage from an earlier crash.

Ultimately, there is work to be done for Jaguar, who need a strong weekend in Brazil in order to challenge Porsche, who continue to sit comfortably at the top of the Constructors’ Championship. After five races, Jaguar sit sixth in the standings and eighty-four points behind the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, with Jaguar Team Principal James Barclay knowing how important it is for the British manufacturer to “build points and momentum” in São Paulo.

“As a team, we are really looking forward to racing in São Paulo for the first time in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Brazil has an incredible motorsport history and is renowned for its extremely passionate and knowledgeable fans so it’s an honour to be racing here in São Paulo.

“We have demonstrated that the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 has very good pace and efficiency, so will be focussed on maximising this to build points and momentum in round six in São Paulo. Despite the challenges, the past couple of races have been important for us to continue to learn and further develop both our new car and processes in this new Gen3 era.

Alex Bowman will return to Spire Motorsports‘ #7 Chevrolet Silverado RST and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on 20 May. The start is intended to provide extra practice ahead of the Cup Series‘ NASCAR All-Star Race there the following day.

In 2022, Bowman raced for Spire’s then-newborn Truck programme at Circuit of the Americas and Sonoma, nearly winning the former before late contact and a spin while fighting for the lead pushed him down to twenty-fifth. His Sonoma race ended with a crash after seventy laps.

“Last year we were really fast in the Truck race at COTA and I am hoping we can be fast again this year,” Bowman commented. “It would be really cool to get a truck win and have won a race in all three of NASCAR’s top series. I feel like racing there in the truck will help me get ready for Sunday as well.”

Spire, a Truck arm to the two-car Cup Series team, had one of their Cup drivers Corey LaJoie run the 2023 season opener at Daytona. Despite leading the most laps, he was shuffled back when the race was shortened due to rain and classified twenty-third. The team ran eleven races during their début year in 2022 with Bowman, William Byron, Rajah Caruth, Chase Elliott, Austin Hill, and Dylan Lupton; Byron and Elliott are Bowman’s Cup team-mates at Hendrick Motorsports, with the former winning at Martinsville.

In the Cup Series, Bowman sits twenty-ninth in points due to a 100-point penalty incurred by him and each of his Hendrick colleagues. If not for the deduction, he would be the points leader with top tens in four of five races; he also won the Daytona 500 pole for the third time to start the season.

Baltazar Leguizamón was originally set to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series début at Circuit of the Americas with MBM Motorsports before that was dropped as he could not find enough funding for the seat. However, CHK Racing was willing to lend a hand. On Monday night, the team announced he will drive the #74 Chevrolet Camaro at COTA on 25 March with backing from TEDIT and Alstadt Brewery.

Leguizamón will be the first Argentinian driver to compete in a NASCAR national series. Regional divisions like the Mexico Series and ARCA have seen fellow Argentines Waldemar Coronas and Guillermo Ortelli, though neither went on to race in the top three tiers.

The 22-year-old mainly competes in open-wheel racing, finishing second in the 2017 F3 Americas Championship followed by winning the 2018 Atlantic and Formula 4 United States Championships. He returned to Argentina in 2019 and nowadays races in the Top Race Series for DM Team with two career podiums.

“I’m really happy to have a dream becoming real, can’t be more excited to represent Argentina for the first time ever in a NASCAR national series,” said Leguizamón. “Hope to have a good weekend, our goal will be to finish the race, I have a lot of work to do with no prior testing, so it’s going to be the best challenge of my life.”

Despite the COTA plans falling apart, MBM expressed hope of having him return later in the year as Leguizamón had joined the team for the full road course calendar. Cameron Lawrence will drive for the team at COTA.

IMSA and Trans-Am star Cameron Lawrence will return to NASCAR at his home track Circuit of the Americas on 25 March when he enters the Xfinity Series race in the #66 Toyota GR Supra for MBM Motorsports. It will be his first time racing in the Xfinity Series after débuting in the Truck Series two years prior.

Lawrence finished ninth in the 2022 Trans-Am TA2 standings with three podiums and a sixth in the season finale at COTA. He won the championship in 2013 and 2014.

For 2023, he is competing in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge for Turner Motorsport in a BMW M4 GT4 with Robert Megennis. Last Thursday, the team scored a 1-2 finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring with Lawrence and Megennis in second.

When NASCAR began visiting COTA in 2021, Lawrence was entrusted with the #33 truck by Reaume Brothers Racing. Despite an impressive qualifying effort in which he started seventh, he finished last due to mechanical trouble.

“We certainly surprised everyone with our top-ten qualifying effort in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2021, and we have the chance to surprise people again,” said Lawrence. “I look forward to working with MBM Motorsports and having a strong run in their Toyota Supra. I’m hopeful this opportunity will foster future growth in the NACAR Xfinity Series.”

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano dominated Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway from the pole for his first win of 2023, but he needed a last-lap pass to secure it.

Incidentally, said overtake came on his former Penske team-mate Brad Keselowski after receiving help from Penske’s Ryan Blaney on the inside line.

“I’ve got great team-mates and I wanted to stick with them,” said Logano. “There were plenty of times I could have moved up, but I didn’t want to leave my team-mates down there. I wanted them behind me. I knew how fast their cars were. If I could pick one, that’s the one I want, so I was able to try to keep them with me. I thought with two to go, the outside lane got three cars, four cars clear and I was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m gonna make it here,’ but I got a good push, enough to get to the outside of the #6 and that was the big difference.”

Keselowski finished second in a heartbreaking day for his RFK Racing team. Besides coming up just shy, team-mate Chris Buescher had crashed out with B.J. McLeod, Harrison Burton, and Kevin Harvick in the first and largest wreck of the day on lap 189 when Harvick had gotten loose while leading and drafting with Ross Chastain.

Despite the disappointing end, it was still a strong day for RFK as they continue to see improving results since Keselowski’s arrival as co-owner in 2022.

After having a month to get over the disappointment that was his Cape Town E-Prix, Sam Bird is feeling “fired up and ready as ever to go again” this weekend at the inaugural São Paulo E-Prix, as the British driver targets a return to the points.

It’s been a very challenging couple of rounds for Bird, with the Jaguar TCS Racing driver having retired in India after causing a multi-car collision, before being pulled from the recent round in Cape Town due to hefty damage to his I-TYPE 6. Bird crashed heavily towards the end of his group in qualifying in South Africa, where he slammed into the barrier and Edoardo Mortara‘s stricken Maserati, due to a red flag having not been flown quickly enough.

Bird’s car was completely destroyed, with the Coventry-based team having quickly decided after the crash that he would be unable to participate in the race. Missing the race was particularly disappointing for Bird, who’d hailed Cape Town as the new venue he was most excited for. After two consecutive races without points, Bird is certainly up against it this weekend to get his season back on-track, should he wish to remain in the title fight.

Looking ahead to Brazil this weekend, Bird is “determined to deliver a strong performance” in order to leave the South American nation with some points, something which will be a challenge given that his five-place grid penalty from South Africa (awarded following his mistake in India) has carried over into this weekend.

“It was difficult not being able to race in South Africa, it was an amazing location with an incredible backdrop. I am fired up and ready as ever to go again in Brazil, another location filled with fans that I am determined to deliver a strong performance at and take the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 back into the points!”

It was a near-perfect result for Red Bull Racing at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with Sergio Perez converting pole position into a well-defended victory and Max Verstappen recovering from his starting position of fifteenth to a second place result. 

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner was impressed by Verstappen’s charge through the field, defying the competition and minimising the impact of the reliability issue he suffered during Q2 of Saturday qualifying. He was likewise pleased with Perez’s drive, describing his campaign as one of his absolute best. 

“What a race! All credit to the Team today. They’ve built an incredible car. That coupled with some truly fantastic driving has made for the best start to a season in our history, consecutive 1-2 finishes.

“Max had a mountain to climb, overcoming a significant deficit, but with over half the race to go, was already in P4. Similarly, Checo turned in an equally outstanding performance, perhaps the best drive I have ever seen from him.”

The team came away with the maximum number of points possible in Jeddah, securing not only a one-two but also fastest lap. Horner said that the drivers put maximum effort into their battle for the victory, resulting in outstanding performances from the pair. 

Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Perez took his fifth career victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, successfully converting his pole position and holding a gap to team-mate Max Verstappen, who crossed the line in second. 

Perez’s position up front was at risk in the race’s initial stages, with Fernando Alonso taking the lead off him into turn one. It wasn’t long, however, until he reclaimed the top spot with an overtake on Alonso under DRS. 

A mid-race safety car would put his lead in jeopardy once again, though he would ultimately pull far enough ahead afterward to secure the victory with Verstappen finishing about five seconds behind. 

“I had a wicked race – which is a new word I learnt this week! I didn’t have a great start but after I got back around Fernando, I was able to create a good gap between the rest of the field and me… until the safety car came out and I was reminded of Jeddah 2022… It was a new race after the safety car though and I’m happy I was able to build a gap again and then keep it, even when Max was pushing at the end.”

Perez said that he was excited to have achieved another amazing result with the team, once again proving to be a dominant force on the 2023 grid. He thanked his team members on site in Jeddah and back at headquarters for delivering such a strong car and helping secure a “massive team result.”

Mahindra Racing Team Principal Frederic Bertrand has assured that his side are “ready to bounce back stronger than ever” at this weekend’s inaugural São Paulo E-Prix, after deciding to pull-out of the recent event in Cape Town following safety concerns.

The Cape Town E-Prix was a disaster for the Indian manufacturer, as both Mahindra and customer side ABT CUPRA Formula E Team pulled-out following safety concerns with the rear suspension of the powertrain. It was an embarrassing moment for the team, given that it raised question marks of how long they’ve been suffering from the issue. Thankfully, the team have solved the issue during the recent four-week break, meaning they are back and ready to make up for lost time in Brazil.

Mahindra will be incredibly well supported this weekend, given that it’s Lucas di Grassi‘s first home race in his nine-year career in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. It’s a monumental occasion for Di Grassi, meaning there will be added importance on the team to produce a strong set-up, given the spectacular reception that would be received should the Brazilian finish on the podium.

Oliver Rowland will also be hoping for a strong weekend after finishing sixth in Hyderabad, India, which is the last race that the team participated in.

Whilst this weekend is the sixth round of the season, São Paulo is very much the end of the first part of Season Nine, given that the championship returns to Europe in April. With that in mind, Bertrand is hopeful that Mahindra can score “strong points” in Brazil, to give them “momentum” for the next phase of the season.

This weekend’s inaugural São Paulo E-Prix will likely feel like a victory regardless of the result for Lucas di Grassi, as the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship veteran prepares for his first ever home race in the all-electric championship.

After a four-week break, Formula E is back this weekend with a third consecutive new venue, as São Paulo prepares to host round six of the championship. For Di Grassi, this weekend is a monumental occasion, with the Brazilian having worked for ten years to get Formula E to race in Brazil. With Mahindra Racing having pulled out of the most recent round in Cape Town following safety concerns with their rear suspension, a big result by Di Grassi this weekend will feel that much more special.

The former champion’s friends and family are set to be trackside this weekend, with the Brazilian hoping that his home nation catch the Formula E bug following Saturday’s race. Di Grassi knows that the sport isn’t currently massive in Brazil; however, he’s hopeful that this weekend’s event will be a massive turning point for the sport in his country.

“I’m super excited for my home race. It’s been 10 years of work to get here. Finally being able to race at home is a huge honour, in front of my friends, my supporters and my family in the place I grew up, and in front of the Brazilian fans.

“I don’t think Formula E is known enough in Brazil and this race will definitely help that. From the team side, we are going to fight as hard as we can to get a good result and try to get back to the same level of performance that we had at the start of the season. We are going to work extra hard to make it happen.”

Austin Hill might have been the winner of Saturday’s RAPTOR King of Tough 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but Josh Williams is the talk of the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

In one of the most bizarre events to occur in recent memory, Williams was metaphorically parked on lap 33 by NASCAR after debris from his car—sustained in a crash four laps earlier—fell off, to which he responded literally by parking the car along the start/finish line before getting out and walking away.

Under Section 8.8.9.I of the rulebook, NASCAR is permitted to penalise a driver “if a damaged vehicle elects not to enter pit road on the first opportunity or if a damaged vehicle exits pit road before sufficient repairs had been made and thereafter causes or extends a caution.”

He was eventually ordered to meet with officials and awaits a potential penalty, though various drivers like Denny Hamlin and Chris Buescher have offered to cover any fine for him.

While Williams certainly stole the show, on-track drama expanded to the entire field as twelve cautions were flown, the most for the series at Atlanta. A crash occurred almost immediately when Joey Gase was turned just two laps in after Caesar Bacarella‘s axle broke and spun into him, setting the tone for the rest of the day. Williams was involved in the race’s third accident when Kyle Weatherman spun in front of him and Jeb Burton, causing the latter two to stack up and result in hood damage to Williams which came off while the race was still under yellow.