Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

The Superstar Racing Experience‘s third season will see the summer championship head back to Stafford Motor Speedway and Eldora Speedway, while also racing at four new locations. The schedule was released on Wednesday.

“The six tracks we selected came from a list of 42 fantastic venues, all who had real interest in hosting an SRX race this summer,” series CEO Don Hawk stated. “When selecting the schedule, we prioritised historic tracks that have had success hosting big-time events. We are really excited with the six tracks that have been selected; the venues will be packed and bring incredible energy and local racing passion that will come out on ESPN for Thursday Night Thunder. This summer will be short track racing at its very best. SRX at 6 historic short tracks all over the US—we can’t wait and are so excited for the fans to experience it on ESPN in primetime.”

Stafford has served as the season opener since the inaugural year in 2021, with Doug Coby and Ryan Newman winning the two editions, and will continue to do so in 2023 on 13 July. The half-mile track is located in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, just fifty miles away from Bristol where new SRX broadcaster ESPN is headquartered.

Thunder Road Speedbowl is one of the four new tracks. Founded by legendary commentator Ken Squier, the Vermont quarter mile hosts the popular Milk Bowl and is even the racing stomping ground for Governor Phil Scott, who has won a championship at the track three times.

In Virginia, SRX will race at Motor Mile Speedway. The NASCAR Xfinity Series held a round there between 1989 and 1992. Berlin Raceway in Michigan has hosted the ARCA Menards Series since 1986.

With the first series of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship docuseries ‘Formula E Unplugged’ having been a hit with fans, the series has returned for a second season, which UK-based fans can already view.

If you imagine Netflix’s Formula 1 docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’ but without the forced narratives, then that is effectively what ‘Unplugged’ is and why it went down so well the first time around. The docuseries gives a behind-the-scenes look at the championship, including, driver interactions that aren’t traditionally captured on TV.

The second season retells the story of Season Eight and the end of the Gen2 era of the all-electric series through six, thirty-minute episodes. Season Eight was an unbelievable one which saw the title fight go right down to the wire at the season finale in Seoul, something that will be portrayed in the second season of the docuseries. Stoffel Vandoorne ultimately walked away with the title, after beating Mitch Evans to glory.

Aarti Dabas, Chief Media Officer, Formula E gave an insight of what the new series is all about, and how the drivers were able to “reveal their real personality”, something which will make for fantastic viewing.

“The second season of Formula E Unplugged is about giving drivers the chance to take off their racing helmet and reveal their real personality, their motivation and fears in what is the emotional rollercoaster of world-class motorsport.

Mahindra Racing left the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, last Friday pleased with the progress they’d made with their M9Electro, as the side continue their preparations for Season Nine and the birth of the third generation of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Despite it being winter, all the teams were thankfully met by dry weather for the vast majority of the official pre-season test (excluding Tuesday), which gave Lucas Di Grassi in particular plenty of time to get to work with his new team. The Formula E veteran joins Mahindra for Season Nine after leaving ROKIT Venturi Racing (known now as Maserati MSG Racing) at the end of Season Eight. It means that Di Grassi will have driven for a different team in each of the last three seasons; however, at least he will be back working with ABT Sportsline.

The brand new ABT CUPRA Formula E Team are a customer side of Mahindra, meaning that Di Grassi might be collaborating with his former side.

Oliver Rowland enjoyed a strong week in Valencia and was occasionally seen towards the top of the timesheets, suggesting that the Indian outfit have some pace at their disposal for the season opener in Mexico City.

Whilst Rowland is remaining is with the team for a second season, Di Grassi isn’t the only new face, with the side having a new CEO in Frederic Bertrand. Reflecting on the week in Valencia, Bertrand hailed it as “very long” but was pleased by the effort put on show by Mahindra, with 1600km worth of data having been collected.

Mahindra Racing left the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, most happy with the progress they made during the official pre-season test for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, as Season Nine and Gen3 edges ever closer.

Last week was one of exploration for the entire paddock, with all the sides having been in need of gathering crucial data for the new Formula E challengers. Given that Oliver Rowland is entering his second season with the team, it appeared that his focus was more on outright pace than team-mate Lucas Di Grassi, with the Brit having featured towards the top of the timing sheets at times.

Rowland was on the whole “pretty happy” with how the week in Valencia went and was even happier that his side “resolved” any issues they had “relatively quickly”.

“I’m pretty happy after testing. We came to Valencia not sure how prepared we were in terms of the car and everything that goes with it, but I think every day we made progress. We had a few issues, but we resolved them relatively quickly and we finished on a positive note. I was really happy in terms of progress we made but I still see areas we can improve on so I’m feeling really positive about the four days in general. We have a lot of work to do but I think the start is very positive.”

“I’m enjoying working with Mahindra” – Lucas Di Grassi

Di Grassi’s week appeared to be more focused on data gathering and settling into the team, with the side having been the third team that Di Grassi has driven for in the last three seasons. The Indian outfit will be eager to get the most out of Di Grassi, given that he is a former Champion in the series and is by far one of the sport’s most decorated drivers.

Ethan Ebert might only be sixteen years old, but Honda has already named him their driver of the future. On Tuesday, Honda Off-Road Factory Racing Team announced Ebert will replace team owner Jeff Proctor in their flagship Honda Ridgeline, which will begin competing in the top-level SCORE International Trophy Truck class in 2023. His début will take place at King of the Hammers in February.

A short course ace who competed in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series and Great American Shortcourse, Ebert became a Honda development driver in 2021 and has spent the last two seasons with the Honda Talon department. He began competing in SCORE races in 2022 starting with the Baja 500, where he finished fifth in the Pro UTV Normally Aspirated class. At the legendary Baja 1000, he teamed up with Honda partner Zach Sizelove to finish runner-up.

“I’m blown away to have this opportunity to move ahead in my career,” said Ebert. “It doesn’t always happen that way, so this means a lot. To carry-on Jeff’s legacy and be able to learn from him makes all the difference. In the Talon, I’ve been able to learn about set-up and my driving style and how I want the vehicle to drive for me. I have lots of hard work ahead of me to get dialed in on the Ridgeline and I’m ready for it.

“It’s a cool learning curve to get my brain equipped to manage the added and sustained pace of the Ridgeline and find out where the lines are, how hard I can push it. The new Ridgeline will be ready soon and I can’t wait. My first race is King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley. We’re not holding back and going for it.”

With Proctor behind the wheel, the Ridgeline won Class 7 at the Baja 500 five times and the 1000 in 2021 and 2022. The latter victory allowed him to end his driving career on a strong note as he is stepping away for health reasons.

Ryan Ellis has never run a full season in a NASCAR series, and while that remains the case in 2023, the number of races missed will only be in the single digits. On Tuesday, Alpha Prime Racing announced they have created a new #43 Chevrolet Camaro that Ellis will drive in twenty-four of thirty-three Xfinity Series rounds.

The team initially announced Ellis’ return in September. He ran eleven races for the team in 2022, mostly in the #44, with five top-twenty finishes and a best run of thirteenth at Charlotte. With Jeffrey Earnhardt in the #44 full-time for 2023, Ellis moves to the #43 which he will share with multiple drivers like Sage Karam. APR has not announced a driver lineup for the #45.

“Tommy (Joe Martins, team owner) and I have spoke about this obviously, and I’m sure the other drivers at APR have as well,” Ellis commented on Reddit in response to a user asking about the team’s rapid expansion. “Tommy has been around a long time and I have faith that he will build it cohesively. he’s seen the mistakes that younger teams have made by growing too quickly.

“I’ve also spoke to our individual 43 team a bit about it. If we keep our head buried down and do our jobs just like we did last year, nothing will be different in our deal. Goal is to not get caught up in the chaos of a growing organization! We’ve got great people there and I have faith that it will be a positive step for the whole team.”

The twenty-four races are the most for Ellis in a series in any season since he made sixteen Xfinity starts in 2016 for Obaika Racing and Rick Ware Racing; he also failed to qualify for three events with the former, upping his total runs that year to nineteen. Ellis also attempted double-digit Xfinity races in 2014 and 2015 for a plethora of smaller operations, while he tried thirteen Truck Series races in 2015 with FDNY Racing and MAKE Motorsports (missing two).

Yasmeen Koloc had hoped to make her Dakar Rally début alongside twin sister Aliyyah in 2023, but a wrist injury sustained in a 24H Series crash at Spa-Francorchamps in April will prevent the effort from taking place. Twice Dakar winner Josef Macháček will substitute for her in the #345 Can-Am in the T3 category.

The injury sidelined Koloc for much of 2022, including her initial plans of racing in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. She had also been racing in the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, which her sister won.

Her Buggyra Racing team, owned by father Martin Koloc, intends to welcome her back to the driver’s seat for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge on 26 February – 1 March.

“I have been recovering since and making good progress but unfortunately, I am still not 100% ready to start the Dakar,” commented Koloc. “But I’m not losing hope, I’m just postponing my debut until next year. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for my sister and Josef Macháček, who will take my seat.

“It’s going to be difficult just watching them. The Dakar is one of my motorsport highlights. It’s all about the team and it’s like riding a roller coaster, one day you are down and then you are up again. But I have decided to look on the bright side of my Dakar postponement: I have an extra year to prepare now.”

With just over a month until racing in Pite Havsbad, the 2023 Race of Champions field continues to grow. David Coulthard and Tom Kristensen have confirmed their returns to the race, while Felipe Drugovich, Thierry Neuville, and Felix Rosenqvist are set for their maiden runs.

Hailing from Brazil, Drugovich is fresh off winning the FIA Formula 2 Championship, doing so in dominant fashion with five wins and over 100 points on the rest of the field. While his 2023 plans are limited to being a reserve driver for Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team at the moment, the Race of Champions will provide him with a chance to keep his racing skills sharp, even if it is off-road.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to get to race against so many big names at the Race Of Champions,” said Drugovich. “It will be tough for me going from asphalt to racing on snow and ice for the first time, but I will try to learn as quickly as possible. Whatever happens it will be a lot of fun and a fantastic experience.”

By contrast, Neuville is more than familiar with snowy and icy surfaces. He is a seventeen-time winner in the World Rally Championship with five runner-up points finishes. The Belgian finished third in the 2022 championship with two victories.

He is no stranger to victory in the snow, let alone in Sweden, as he won the Rally Sweden in 2018. Sébastien Loeb, who has raced against Neuville on occasion in WRC, proved rally drivers are the easy favourites to succeed on such a surface by winning the 2022 ROC.

King of the Hammers and the Mint 400 are two of the most prestigious off-road races in the United States, while the latter’s sister event California 300 is the newest addition to the scene having just hosted its inaugural edition. In 2023, the organisers of the three races will bring them together under a single championship system called the Unlimited Off-Road Racing Triple Crown Championship.

Hammerking Productions, led by CEO Dave Cole, oversees KOH while brothers Matt and Josh Martelli run the Mint 400 and California 300. The parties previously worked together in 2018 for a triple crown that consisted of KOH, the Mint 400, and the Crandon World Championship Off-Road Races.

“When we added desert classes out here initially, it was to give these Unlimited Trucks a fresh event and course to shine on, in front of our massive online audience and race fans,” said Cole. “That had already grown to include quite a few more desert classes. Then when we sat down with the Martellis recently, it became clear that what we both wanted was to propel the entire sport forward – and there’s no denying that if you come and compete at these three events you’ll get more exposure, and earn more prestige than with any other series next year. If you’ve ever wanted to compete at KOH, now’s your chance. If the Mint has been on your bucket list, next year is the year, and by all accounts, the California 300 was brutal. Anyone who can tame these three races next year deserves special recognition.”

Located in Johnson Valley, California, King of the Hammers is already a points-paying round for Ultra4 USA, serving as the season opener. Hammerking Productions formerly owned Ultra4 USA before selling the series to MidAmerica Outdoors, though the company still owns Ultra4’s international championships in Europe and Australia. Ultra4 Europe recently announced a partnership with RBI Sport to become a class at the latter’s rally raids in 2023 and 2024.

The Mint 400 in Las Vegas was formerly on the Best In The Desert schedule but is currently not part of any series. The Martelli Brothers introduced the California 300 in Barstow, and the first race took place in October.

Life in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship started well for the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, as the British side performed very well in the official pre-season test at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia.

Across the week in Spain, rookie Jake Hughes and the returning René Rast completed an impressive 517 laps between them, with McLaren having been a regular side in the top six. Interestingly, the all-electric championship’s newest side fared better than the team they are a customer side of, with the Nissan Formula E Team having done nothing special during pre-season.

Despite this, NEOM McLaren Team Principal Ian James was pleased to see that Nissan have given them a “very solid basis” to start Season Nine and Gen3 from; however, James noted that there is “still a lot more learning to do”.

“We came to Valencia not knowing exactly what to expect. We didn’t have sight on how the other teams and manufacturers had been preparing for the event and have had little track time with the new generation of cars. I’m pleased to say that overall, we’ve had a successful few days of testing here. It’s been crucial given how little time we’ve had as a team to prepare for the season and how little track time we have been able to get with the Gen3 cars. So, it’s been very important for the drivers and the team to get in some good mileage.

“From a package perspective, the car performance has been promising. We’ve been able to see that Nissan have given us a very solid basis on which we can build on during Season 9. The team itself is getting used to the new generation of cars and the nuances of these cars. It comes with its own complexities, which we are just now starting to get to grips with. And we know there is still a lot more learning to do.”

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship‘s newest outfit, the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team have enjoyed a very strong start to their time in the all-electric series, with rookie driver Jake Hughes having been one of the stars of pre-season testing.

Hughes was phenomenal all week at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo and was a regular name towards the top of the timesheets, mixing it amongst the DS Automobile powered challengers. McLaren are, of course, using the Nissan Formula E Team‘s package for Season Nine and have interestingly faired better than the Japanese side in Valencia.

The Brit incredibly won a mock-race on Wednesday, cementing his place as someone who could pull-off a few surprises in the upcoming season. Apart from causing a red flag on the opening day after breaking down, the week was largely positive for the former Formula 2 driver, who is aware that there is a “certain level of expectation” on his shoulders.

Based on completed laps, Friday was his best day by far after completing ninety-five circulations of the circuit; however, two sessions did take place on the last day of the official test. Despite it being a new car and a new team, Hughes appeared somewhat surprised at how well everything went, something he said was a “testament to the hard work” of every colleague in his team and at Nissan.

“It’s been overall positive I would say. It was my first proper time in this car with this team and I feel good about it. As a team we haven’t had much time with this new generation car.

DS Penske are perhaps the team to beat looking ahead to the season opener of Season Nine and Gen3 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, after the newly-signed reigning World Champion Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Éric Vergne enjoyed a solid week of testing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia.

All the teams were thankfully greeted by sunny skies for three out of four days at the official pre-season test in Valencia, as the Gen3 challengers were put to work. Both Vandoorne and Vergne were towards the top of the timesheets in every completed session all week, with the DS Automobiles powertrain having liked very much like the package to have.

The early signs point to this with Maserati MSG Racing having also had Maximilian Günther and Edoardo Mortara in the top five almost all week; Maserati too are using DS powertains. It was a common sight to see all four DS powered cars in the top six during the week, signalling that they’ve made the best start with their Gen3 package.

Eugenio Franzetti, director of DS Performance, hailed the week of testing as “intense” and that the data gathered shows that Gen3 is set to be “very closely-fought” throughout the field.

“After having worked very hard on the development of the DS E-TENSE FE23, the Valencia tests have finally taken place. There, it was possible for us all to come together and to begin to understand the performance of our competitors. It was an intense week that gave us some very positive signs but also showed us that the level of competition will be extremely high and that Season 9 is set to be very closely-fought!”

Stoffel Vandoorne and DS Penske enjoyed a strong week of testing to start Season Nine of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, with the team’s DS E-TENSE FE23 appearing to be the real deal in Gen3.

Following his switch from the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team to DS Penske, which is, of course, a merge of DS Automobiles and Penske Autosport, many wondered how the reigning World Champion would get on this week at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia. Unsurprisingly, he’s adjusted to his new work environment brilliantly and was a regular figure towards the top of the timesheets all week in Spain.

DS Penske appear to be one of the strongest teams on the grid this season, at least that is the early suggestion based on the fact that the DS powertrain being used by DS Penske and Maserati MSG Racing looked very good all week.

Vandoorne ended the week very pleased with how the test went, with the Belgian driver confident that his side “have a good base” going into the season opener in January.

“It was really exciting to be back in Valencia for these pre-season tests! The sessions were extremely positive for us. We learned a lot of things about our new car. Now we have a good base from which to tackle the first race of the season in Mexico!”

Ultra4 Racing prides itself in being the top “extreme off-road” series, which consists of rock crawling and navigating thick forests in especially difficult terrain. Likewise, rally raid is regarded as the most difficult form of off-road racing with its multi-day and -stage endurance format.

Starting in 2023, the two disciplines will join forces as Ultra4 joins RBI Sport‘s Rallye Breslau in Poland on 25–30 June. This partnership will expand to all three RBI rounds in 2024 including the Fenix Rally in Tunisia and the Balkan Offroad Rallye in Transylvania/Romania. Ultra4 will be a separate class and points earned in Breslau will go towards the Ultra4 Europe championship.

“I am happy that Dave and I work in one direction and share common values in terms of the
overall organisation of off-road events,” said RBI Sport CEO Alexander Kovatchev. “We want to deliver high quality experience to the participants and assist them in making life time memories in a very friendly atmosphere despite of the competitive characteristics of a rally. We both know our teams and what they love at the races. I very much look forward to this great cooperation.”

Ultra4 Europe and its Australian counterpart are independent of Ultra4 USA, which is owned by MidAmerica Outdoors. The non-American championships are overseen by Hammerking Productions, who runs King of the Hammers and previously Ultra4 USA until its sale in March.

“Since the founding of King of the Hammers and Ultra4, our mission has been to give teams the opportunity to prove their skill while also having lifetime experiences,” commented Hammerking owner Dave Cole. “Alex and the RBI team exemplify this approach. This opportunity is an honour, one which I’m sure our drivers will rise to the challenge. Thank you RBI for allowing us to join your party.”

As the name suggests, the Short-course Off-road Drivers Association (SODA) primarily races off-road tracks. But in back-to-back years, it will begin a season at a track mainly known for stock car pavement racing as the 2023 calendar kicks off at Wisconsin International Raceway.

Located in Kaukauna, WIR is a four-track speedway with half-mile and quarter-mile ovals, a figure 8, and a drag strip. Grassroots racing dominates the track and it is one of the many Midwestern circuits that future NASCAR stars have used to build their name: 2003 Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth won the 1994 and 1995 Super Late Model track titles, while 1992 Cup titlist Alan Kulwicki did so in 1979 and 1980. The decorated Sauter family is a household name at WIR, as are 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Mark Martin, 2022 Truck Series Championship Round contender Ty Majeski, and the late Dick Trickle.

Of course, a short course off-road series is a far cry from the aforementioned. While the premise of off-road trucks jumping ramps and plowing through the grass at a stock car track is certainly an oddity, SODA has a weekend of experience after beginning the 2022 season at Slinger Super Speedway. Slinger, which is slightly over an hour’s drive away from Kaukauna, has a figure 8 that SODA used in addition to much of its main quarter-mile oval; SODA’s track layout also included an over/under jump at the figure 8’s intersection and a series of kicker jumps.

In an interview with The Checkered Flag in May, SODA President Willie Freshour said he and Slinger owner Todd Thelen were initially skeptical of the idea, but “figured it out” and “it was a lot of fun.” Freshour explained visiting asphalt courses in addition to the usual dirt tracks is a boon for Wisconsin’s racing scene as it allows SODA’s drivers to stay within the area while providing a unique racing experience for fans accustomed to stock cars. This was especially the case as most asphalt tracks host an “Eve of Destruction” night where they invite drivers to race bizarre vehicles in events like demolition derbies and stunt shows; such an event is one of WIR’s most popular, while Thelen told TCF that Slinger’s Slamfest was the genesis for the SODA round.

“[The asphalt tracks] don’t make a ton of money on their regular show, and then they’ll have a destruction-type show where they pack the house every year,” said Freshour. “What kind of our hope is that basically within three years or something, we’re competing with these tracks. We’re competing with those numbers of their destruction shows where we can pack the place once a year for these tracks. Our circuit can tour around this area of Wisconsin and really bring the fans out. It’s just good for the whole sport because then those fans are going to come to the regular races too at those circle tracks and/or follow our circuit around.