Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

16-year-old Jack Sherwood will continue with the Chriss Dittmann Racing team for the final two race weekends of the 2022 ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA season.

Sherwood made his series debut in the summer when he took points on his first race weekend at Snetterton, following on from that performance he continued to build his confidence in the car at Thruxton.

As he targets further experience ahead of a full-season campaign in 2023, Sherwood has signed up with CDR for the final race weekends at Silverstone and Brands Hatch.

“Making the move into ROKiT British F4 with Chris Dittmann Racing was a great experience,” says Sherwood. “I’ve learned a lot over the last two rounds, and I’ve really enjoyed driving the car and the racing.

“The team have been mega with helping me develop as a driver, so it was a bit of a no-brainer when it came to deciding whether we were going to do the last few rounds. Because we learned so much from the first two, we knew it would have been good for whatever we do next year to continue on and finish the season.

Fortec Motorsport will head back to the ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA series for the final two race weekends of the series with 16-year-old James Higgins taking the wheel of their car at Silverstone and Brands Hatch.

Following his rise through the karting ranks, the Daventry-based teenager made his car racing debut at the end of the 2020 season, racing in the Ginetta Junior series before returning to the series in 2021.

For 2022 Higgins switched his focus to a comprehensive testing programme with Fortec Motorsport with a view to joining the F4 British Championship in 2023 for a full-season campaign.

“I’m really pleased to be joining the ROKiT British F4 grid, and with such a renowned team as Fortec Motorsport,” said Higgins.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to test the car on a number of occasions with the team throughout this year, but there’s no substitute for competitive experience. The ambition is to be back on the grid full-time for 2023, so to get a head start going into the winter is only a benefit to me.

Anton Marklund is now a three time FIA European Rallycross Champion having done enough at the Lusocursos World RX of Portugal (17/18 September) to seal the title with a round in hand. The Swedish star finished fourth in the final, behind a superb Enzo Ide who finally managed to convert his strong pace into an event win, with championship rival Janis Baumanis not able to close the points gap enough by finishing second, and Ulrik Linnemann crossing the line in third.

In a season dominated by Marklund, however, it was far from a straightforward race to the title in this, the fifth round of the season. He got a terrible start in his first heat race, bogging down completely on the line and having to fight back and managing to take 3rd overall. Then, in the second heat, Baumanis and Marklund came together in spectacular fashion. Baumanis was on the tail of the SET Promotion Hyundai i20 for the majority of the race before going into the Joker lap first. Baumanis did what he had to do and absolutely sent it as Marklund completed his Joker the following lap. In a move not dissimilar to when Andreas Bakkerud and Timmy Hansen came together in 2019 in Abu Dhabi, the pair came together as Baumanis came into the Joker merge very hot indeed, colliding with Marklund’s rear left and spinning both cars. Never one to give up, Marklund managed to keep going and convert what looked like a slam-dunk retirement into a race win.

In the final, Marklund was left on the outside of turn 1 before committing that rarest of things from him this year: a mistake in the Joker lap. He managed to stay in contention and ultimately managed to finish fourth, doing enough to secure his third EuroRX title.

Enzo Ide demonstrated superb driving all weekend, finally taking his EKS Audi S1 to victory. He was top of the overnight standings, having driven consistently well on Saturday, and defended well from Baumanis in the final. Baumanis did everything he could to overtake the Belgian driver, but had to settle for second, finishing less than a second behind Ide. Marklund very nearly got a podium finish, had it not been for the stellar defensive performance from Ulrik Linnemman in his Ford Fiesta, taking the Norwegian driver to his second podium finish of the campaign.

A jubilant Marklund threw his car into donuts after crossing the line, before getting out and climbing onto the roof to the obvious delight of the Portuguese crowd at Montalegre. “It was a big, big relief” he said afterwards, reflecting that “It’s been an awesome year…the car hasn’t broken down a single time. They give me the right tool, and I think this year we have been treating that tool well and scored some good races.”

Johan Kristoffersson’s unbeaten run in the 2022 FIA World Rallycross Championship is officially at an end after a 10-second penalty promoted Niclas Grönholm to the top spot of the podium. A sensational day of racing was rounded off by the Construction Equipment Dealer Team driver taking his maiden victory in the new RX1e class, fending off Kristoffersson’s teammate Ole Christian Veiby, who took his second second position of the double header weekend, and Grönholm’s teammate Klara Andersson became the first female driver ever to achieve a podium in top flight world rallycross.

The final started innocently enough with 2019 champion Timmy Hansen pulling off a beautiful move around the dusty outside of turn 1, leading the pack for the first lap. Kristoffersson was super aggressive, weaving across the track as they started lap two, his Volkswagen Polo RX1e all over the back of the Hansen World RX Team car. He dived down the inside at turn 1, muscling his way alongside Hansen, and, as the cars squirmed under braking, they came together. Hansen was thrown off to the left, dancing through the gravel trap, before going for his Joker lap, coming out behind Grönholm and Veiby.

Andersson was absolutely sensational in the final. She piled the pressure onto Veiby relentlessly as she fought for what was the final podium position, not letting the Norwegian driver get a moment’s rest. Meanwhile, at the front, Kristoffersson waited until the last possible opportunity to Joker, coming out on track just in front of Grönholm and finishing less than a second in front of him on the road.

Speaking after the race, Grönholm acknowledged the less than ideal circumstances surrounding his first RX1e win, saying “This obviously isn’t the way I like to win and it’s always slightly bittersweet in situations like this…I was confident of challenging for the podium in the final if we got the tactics right. I made a few mistakes towards the end, without which I think I could have got Johan anyway. I know how it feels to be in his shoes, but it’s great for CE Dealer Team and all our partners to get both cars inside the top three. We’ve had a tough season so far, but we seem to be on a good path at last – so hopefully we can keep this going.”

Fortunes were mixed for the rest of the field. Timmy’s teammate Kevin Hansen has been flying all weekend, taking heat wins and generally making his presence felt at the sharp end of the grid. Unfortunately, it all came to an end in his semi-final. At the exit of the first corner, Grönholm ran a little wide, allowing Hansen into a gap. There was a little rubbing of door panels between the two cars and Hansen’s Peugeot 208 RX1e came off worse, spinning into the barrier and breaking his rear suspension, putting him out of the race. Meanwhile, the third KMS driver, superstar teenager Gustav Bergström was denied any chance of success when a late arrival at pre-grid ruled him out of his progression race.

Last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix marked Monza‘s one hundredth anniversary, and Pirelli‘s one-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary, making the race a very special occasion. Max Verstappen crossed the line to take his eleventh victory of the season, and would receive a special trophy to mark the anniversaries of the legendary circuit and the exclusive tyre provider of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Marco Tronchetti Provera, CEO of Pirelli, described the event as a “celebration of Italian automotive technology and know-how” :

“We are proud to play a prominent part in this celebration of Italian automotive technology and know-how at our home grand prix, on the occasion of Monza’s centenary and Pirelli’s 150 years,” said the Italian.

“As well as also producing motorsport tyres at the cutting edge of technology for nearly 250 championships worldwide, we sustain culture and support the arts through Pirelli HangarBicocca in particular, so Pirelli wanted to mark this occasion with a unique trophy that has a direct relevance to the pinnacle of world motorsport.

“Many thanks to Patrick Tuttofuoco and Pirelli HangarBicocca for making it happen through an iconic artwork that perfectly links past and present.”

McLaren F1 Team announced Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey as an official partner this week, stating that the brand will feature on the nose of the team’s 2023 car, race suits and pit crew helmets. 

McLaren and Jack Daniel’s plan to host media and hospitality events and develop a retail programme. A special-edition bottle of whiskey featuring McLaren branding will be released to select markets in 2023 as part of the campaign. 

McLaren Team Principal Zak Brown looks forward to the partnership, and is excited to involve the brand in next year’s celebrations as McLaren turns sixty. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Jack Daniel’s to the McLaren F1 Team. Together we will look to reach new audiences as well as hosting a variety of events together. 2023 is an important year for McLaren as we commemorate our 60th birthday, and we are excited to celebrate with an iconic brand like Jack Daniel’s by our side.”

Jack Daniel’s aims to increase brand recognition on an international scale with the partnership, with the goal of reaching new consumers around the world. 

All-female racing championship W Series has announced that Czech racing driver Tereza Babickova will not race at Round 7 in Singapore on 30 September-2 October due to a spinal injury.

The driver, who currently sits 18th in the driver standings, sustained a spinal injury during Race One of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) on 10 September 2022. After the accident at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, Babickova returned to her home in the Czech Republic where she is now receiving medical treatment for her injuries. Due to this, doctors have advised that she does not take part in any racing until further notice.

As well as competing in the W Series championship at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Babickova was due to test at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France for Formula 3 on 16/17 September 2022 but will also miss this as a result of the accident.

Fellow W Series star Nerea Martí, who stands sixth in the championship, will replace Babickova for the Formula 3 test in France where she will join W Series drivers, Chloe Chambers and Abbi Pulling.

Who will replace Babickova at the W Series race will be announced in due course as we all wish her a safe and speedy recovery.

A.J. Allmendinger might have won his second straight NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season championship at Bristol Motor Speedway, but Noah Gragson got to puke for the third race in a row (which isn’t a good thing, even if it came in response to a good thing).

Much like how Ty Majeski won the Truck Series race the previous day, Gragson did not lead any laps until the final restart with twenty laps remaining set up by a caution involving his team-mate and a slower car (in Gragson’s case, JR Motorsports ally Justin Allgaier made contact with J.J. Yeley which shot the latter into the wall). Gragson would hold off Brandon Jones to win his third straight race; he is the first driver to achieve the feat since Austin Cindric swept the Kentucky doubleheader and won Texas in 2020, but the first to do so in three separate weeks and locations since Christopher Bell at Kentucky, Loudon, and Iowa in 2018.

“That last caution came out, and I knew if I could ring the top, it was going to be hard for them to get there,” commented Gragson. “I appreciate Brandon Jones racing us clean. He gave us the bumper with two (laps) to go, and I was hanging on, scrubbing the fence.”

Prior to the caution, Allgaier dominated the affair by winning Stage #2 and leading 148 laps. However, while he avoided damage in the Yeley incident, he was caught speeding on pit road which dealt the death blow to his chances.

Gragson did not have a totally clean journey to Victory Lane either. On lap 150, a battle for the lead led to Gragson clipping Stage #1 winner Ty Gibbs which sent him into Sheldon Creed, who needed to win to qualify for the playoffs and whom Gragson defeated at Darlington two weeks prior.

Ty Majeski‘s NASCAR career might not have been the rocket start that some expected when he was a prospect, but when he finally found his mojo (and an actual full-time ride), it placed him on the cusp of winning a Camping World Truck Series championship.

Majeski’s ThorSport Racing team-mate Christian Eckes spun Chris Hacker with fifty laps remaining, setting the stage for him taking the lead on the ensuing restart. Despite pressure from Zane Smith, he kept him at bay to take the win.

“We came guns blazing for this race and brought our best truck,” said Majeski. “Joe (Shear, crew chief) was aggressive on pit strategy, got us out front and we were able to get it done. This is so cool, and my crew has been so up and down. There’s been a lot of people who have helped get me to this point. I know my late model guys are watching back at the shop and they’re a big part of me getting here. My parents, my fiancé, this is just damn cool.

“We came with this plan and obviously it’s a tall task to win at any of these races. I’ve been in that position a lot as a late model guy, and I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the position to win a lot of races and I’ve been in that position a lot. Just another late-race restart on a half-mile.”

Fellow Toyota driver Chandler Smith had dominated the race by winning the first two stages, but fell back in the last segment and finished ninth. Nevertheless, he remains the points leader and remains in position to reach the Championship Round provided disaster does not strike in the next two races at Talladega and Homestead.

Four-time FIA World Rallycross Championship winner Johan Kristoffersson is now a four-time race winner in the new RX1e class, having taken victory in the fourth round of the championship in Montalegre in Portugal. The Swedish driver is still yet to be defeated in this new all-electric class, having won every single event this year. KMS teammate Ole Christian Veiby made it a one-two finish for the team, with 2019 champion Timmy Hansen rounding off the podium.

The final featured all three KMS Volkswagen Polo RX1e cars and the Hansen brothers in their Peugeot 208 RX1e machines. Kevin got the best start, attempting to go around the outside into turn one and colliding with Veiby, causing a half spin for the Peugeot and opening the door for Kristoffersson to take the lead. Ultimately, and not for the first time this season, the final turned into a KMS technical masterclass. Timmy Hansen elected to Joker first, coming out just behind the third KMS driver Gustav Bergström, who managed to defend against the 2019 world champion until Hansen pulled off a textbook rallycross move up the inside at turn seven, gently nudging his way past and then immediately slamming the door shut again. That little hold up, however, was exactly enough to ensure that Kristoffersson and Veiby could emerge from their Joker laps in first and second.

When asked how it felt to have won every race this year, Kristoffersson showed typical humility. “When you say it like that, it feels very very nice” he smiled, adding “I was just trying to drive safe without getting a puncture…after the Joker lap on the last lap I spent more time in the mirror to see who was p2 than I did actually [going] forward” with a wry smile.

That the two KMS cars were even in the final is a remarkable achievement in itself. In his first race of the day, Veiby ended his race crossing the line before his car shunted hard into the wall, breaking his rear suspension and ruling him out of heat two entirely. In his progression round race, Kristoffersson drifted his car ever so slightly too wide in turn 7, digging his left rear tyre into the deeper gravel, ripping it from its rim, forcing an unscheduled retirement. Fortunately, he had done enough by winning both heats to see him through to the semi-final. Veiby benefited from the small grid size and the incredible speed of the KMS mechanics, who managed to get the car repaired and on the grid for his semi-final as well.

The Lusorecursos World RX of Portugal provided action from the start. The track layout has been revised to ensure even more exciting racing than the fan- and driver-favourite already did. A longer start / finish straight leads to the first corner (the old Joker lap), and a new Joker section utilising Montalgre’s famous gravel section and super high curves, making the drivers really fling their cars into the turns. The Hansens were excited about the prospect of the new track, saying they expected new speed records for the sport, and indeed that they would be competitive. Heat 1 race 1, in fact, saw a Hansen World RX Team one-two, with Timmy taking top spot, and brother Kevin slotting his car just into second position ahead of the third KMS driver, the very impressive Bergström, as both cars danced through the twists and turns of Montalegre.

Former Formula 1 and Formula E driver Jérôme D’Ambrosio, has announced his departure from the newly named Monaco Sports Group (MSG), ahead of Season Nine and the start of the Gen3 era.

Following the conclusion of Season Eight, MSG took full control of ROKIT Venturi Racing, who D’Ambrosio was Team Principal for last year. He joined Venturi as Deputy Team Principal in 2020, before taking the step up at the start of last season. The former Mahindra Racing driver took over from Susie Wolff, who also left the team following the conclusion of the recent season.

Whilst Wolff and star driver Lucas Di Grassi were expected to leave Venturi before it was taken over by Maserati, D’Ambrosio’s “amicable” departure has left some surprise.

He led the Monegasque team to second in the Constructors’ Championship last season, which was the team’s most successful to date. MSG truly appear to be attempting a complete clean slate before Gen3 gets underway, with very little of the team’s Venturi roots remaining.

D’Ambrosio wished the team the “very best” going forward, whilst he pursues “new opportunities”.

Alex Albon has been released from hospital and returned back home, after he suffered a respiratory failure as a result of complications with his surgery on Saturday following on from his appendicitis diagnosis.

Following his successful laparoscopic surgery on Saturday, the twenty-six year-old suffered post-operative anaesthetic complications that led to respiratory failure. Albon missed the Italian Grand Prix with Nyck de Vries taking his place, securing a ninth place finish, equalling the team’s best finish of the season.

A Williams Racing Statement on Monday read:

“Following surgery, Alex suffered with unexpected post-operative anaesthetic complications which led to respiratory failure, a known but uncommon complication. He was re-intubated and transferred to intensive care for support. 
 
“He made excellent progress overnight and was able to be removed from mechanical ventilation yesterday morning. He has now been transferred to a general ward and is expected to return home tomorrow. There were no other complications. 

There have been further updates today that have said the Thai driver has been released from the hospital back to his home in Monaco, after he spent a further two days in hospital after he was released from intensive care.

Team Principal of the Haas F1 Team Guenther Steiner was left furious with the race official’s decision-making at the Italian Grand Prix as the team boss stated that Kevin Magnussen’s opening lap penalty wasn’t appropriate given the situation.

After Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher qualified towards the back of the grid, both Haas drivers were left with the mammoth task of attempting to take home a positive result from the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.

Magnussen’s task was made all that more impossible as contact from behind by Valtteri Bottas into turn one caused substantial damage to his VF-22’s diffuser. After feeling the contact from behind Magnussen opted to cut the corner at turn one to avoid any potential further damage; the race stewards would go onto award Magnussen a five-second time penalty for his corner cutting exploits leaving Steiner furious.

“The thing about this race is basically we got done by the officials. Kevin had an incident at the start where he got shoved off and his diffuser was damaged. He got a penalty because he couldn’t stay on the racing line but with the rear wheels up it’s difficult to stay on the racing line – I don’t think the penalty is appropriate.“

Damage to his diffuser would prevent Magnussen from making any progress and despite undertaking his second stint on the soft compound of tyre, Magnussen would come home last of all the runners who finished the race in sixteenth-place.

At 15 years old, Katie Hettinger is already making a name for herself. On September 15, Hettinger announced that she has teamed up with Young’s Motorsports to make her ARCA Menards Series West debut at The Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring on October 14. Along with that, she will also run the West Series finale at Phoenix Raceway in November.

“Anytime I get in a race car, my goal is to win, but ARCA is a step up with strong teams and talented drivers, so the more realistic expectation is to finish Las Vegas among the top-five and, ideally, the top-three. Phoenix is a bigger track, the biggest one I’ll have ever been on, so that will be a little more challenging. A top-10 at Phoenix would be great,” said Hettinger during a press release.

Recently, she became the winningest female driver at Hickory Motor Speedway, racking up five wins.

Throughout most of her career, she has primarily competed in over a hundred late model races. “Every time I get into a new car, I just drive it like I normally would. I don’t struggle with switching classes or cars or anything like that,” said Hettinger.

Hettinger was just four weeks old when she attended her first race. Her grandfather, Jim Hettinger, was a very successful midget racer, earning two championships in 1984 and 1990. Because of his success, he was inducted into the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame. Her father, Chris Hettinger, was also a midget racer, earning several wins, making Katie a third-generation driver.

Due to a hand injury, Yasir Seaidan will not race for the rest of 2022 and his 2023 Dakar Rally pospects are looking grim. He posted on social media that he recently underwent surgery to address the matter, which will force him to wear a cast for a month before beginning physical rehabilitation. With Dakar only three months away, he fears the timetable for recovery will not be optimal for him to take part.

“Yesterday, I had an operation on the palm of my right hand due to an injury that caused a torn ligament and inflammation and moved the tendon out of its place, and I will be in a plaster cast for a month and then physical therapy for two months, God willing,” wrote Seaidan. “Unfortunately, I will not participate in the upcoming races and the possibility of my participation in the Dakar Rally became weak.”

Seaidan races in the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and finished third overall at the Qatar International Baja in March. In 2021, he placed runner-up for the Cross-Country Bajas World Cup to fellow Saudi racer Yazeed Al-Rajhi with a pair of wins in the Sharqiyah Baja and Jordan Baja.

He first competed at Dakar in 2014 in an SSV, but retired after five stages. A return two years later saw great improvement as he placed third in the T2 category.

Since the Rally moved to Saudi Arabia in 2020, he has attempted every edition in the Cars class. He finished ninth in the 2020 race with X-raid Team followed by thirty-ninth with SRT Racing Team, then rejoined X-raid for 2022. Despite finishing fourth in Stage #4, the following leg ended when his Mini rolled over.