Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Drivers can spend years competing in a given level to never win a race. John Holtger was able to do it in just one.

Saturday’s Championship Off-Road round at Bark River International Raceway saw the 17-year-old make his début in the Pro 2 class with a bang by leading flag to flag. Keegan Kincaid and Kyle Kleiman joined him on the podium.

A Pro Lite regular, Holtger entered Pro 2 at Bark River driving a Yokohama truck prepared by 2010 TORC Limited 2WD champion Mike Vanden Heuvel. He qualified tenth of thirteen but started on the pole courtesy of a field invert, from which he greatly benefitted by leading all nine laps.

While wins are always difficult to come by, Holtger received some help in the form of carnage involving his adversaries. Ricky Gutierrez, who started third, collided with second-placed Kleiman in the opening corner and suffered nose damage, preceding a series of truck issues for him. Kleiman stalked Holtger for the first lap before being swamped by a massive pack of trucks, which allowed Holtger to build some margin while Doug Mittag moved up to second. Points leader Jerett Brooks challenged Holtger on a restart before a flat tyre in the front of the field caused Brooks and those behind him to bunch up together.

Brooks’ trouble promoted Gutierrez and Mittag to second and third, respectively, before Mittag went off course and lost his spot to Kincaid. Gutierrez’s truck, sans nose and rear quarter panel, was overtaken by Kincaid and Mittag. An attempt to salvage a podium by Gutierrez resulted in contact with Mittag and Ryan Beat, and Kleiman snuck by for third.

Kris Wright‘s full-time 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series campaign was abruptly halted after seventeen races, but he will still have ride to finish the year as he joins Brandonbilt Motorsports to run nine of the last twelve Xfinity Series races in the #68 Chevrolet Camaro.

After a part-time Truck schedule in 2021, Wright was due to run the entire 2022 slate with Niece Motorsports. However, he departed the team prior to Saturday’s race at Richmond to end what had been a difficult season in which he wrecked out thrice, failed to score a finish higher than fifteenth, and was twenty-sixth in points.

Wright served as Sam Hunt Racing’s road course ringer in 2021, which gave him his first taste of Xfinity competition.

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be back in the NASCAR Xfinity Series garage, and surrounded by a great team, Brandonbilt Motorsports,” said Wright. “The team has been super helpful in trying to acclimate me into the #68 Chevrolet Camaro for the majority of the remainder of the 2022 season.

“Looking forward to seeing the fans at Watkins Glen.”

Anton Marklund currently looks set to make it three wins from the first three rounds of the FIA European Rallycross Championship. The championship leader looked in commanding form as he set the pace in today’s two heats, taking his SET Promotion Hyundai i20 to victory in both cases.

He was challenged on the very opening corner of the first race of the day. Sivert Svardal tried to challenge by taking his Volkswagen Polo R right around the outside, but didn’t quite have enough to send it into first place. Marklund then disappeared off into the distance, taking an easy win.

Race 3 of Heat 1 saw some spectacular battles between the Audis of Tamás Kárai and home favourite Sondre Evjen. After both drivers got their elbows out in the first couple of corners, it was the Hungarian Kárai who just managed to squeeze into second position behind Belgian Enzo Ide. Kárai and Evjen then battled bumper to bumper, neither giving an inch, until Kárai bailed and dived for his Joker Lap on lap 4. Evjen absolutely sent it on his standard lap, meaning he came out well ahead of his rival. Neither of them, however, could match Enzo Ide, who took advantage of the squabbles behind him to finish up only half a second behind Marklund.

Then came the noise. Local superstar and 2019 Euro RX1 champion Andreas Bakkerud emerged for his heat race in his EKS Audi S1, and the crowd went wild. He put on a show for them, going three abreast into turn one with Jānis Baumanis and Euro RX1 debutant Fraser McConnell. McConnell, who had promised to “send it in Hell” was as good as his word, barging into the side of Bakkerud as he emerged from his joker lap, but Bakkerud held his line and second place. Baumanis, though, was absolutely flying, finishing his race just 0.013 seconds behind Marklund.

Heat 2 Race 1 demonstrated a remarkable feat of survival from Marcin Gagacki. After lap 1 contact to his Ford Fiesta, his rear left tyre rubbed on the bodywork to the point where the tyre completed gave way, before practically the entire rear left of the car disintegrated, littering the track with parts that unfortunately Mandie August collected en route, causing an unfortunate end to her race. Somehow, Gagacki managed to nurse three quarters of his car home, much to the delight of the crowd.

The new all-electric era of the FIA World Rallycross Championship finally got underway today at Lånkebanen in Hell, Norway today, with some familiar favourites proving that they have adapted well to the new regulations.

On a day crammed full of firsts, the new “superpole” system was used for the first time in the RX1e class. After free practice, each driver takes it in turn to set one hot lap that determines their grid position. The field is very tightly bunched, as the top five drivers were separated by just over half a second, with Johan Kristoffersson, Timmy Hansen, and Kevin Hansen all setting identical sector two times. Ultimately, it was the four-time world champion Kristoffersson who snatched pole by 0.15 seconds to the visible disappointed of main rival Timmy Hansen.

Then began the racing proper. Despite having had virtually no testing, the speed of the launches of these cars is undeniable. With drivers now unable to use the Joker Lap on lap 1 of any track where the Joker is at the first corner, all the cars were forced to do battle on their opening laps. In their race, Kristoffersson, Kevin Hansen, and Kristoffersson’s Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS teammate Ole Christian Veiby did battle into turn one of their opening heat race, with Kristoffersson’s Volkswagen Polo RX1e just squeezing ahead of Hansen’s Peugeot 208 RX1e. The four-time world champion defended his position before settling into a comfortable lead and the heat win, beating Hansen by over 2 seconds.

In the second race in heat 1, it was clear that the drivers have not forgotten the old maxim “rubbing is racing.” On the run down to turn 2, the four cars concertinaed up, with debutant Gustav Bergström in the third Polo ultimately paying the price when his front bumper ripped on the back of Niklas Grönholm’s PWR RX1e. The chaos helped Timmy Hansen on his way, finishing just 0.291 seconds behind his compatriot Kristoffersson.

In heat two, the tables were turned. Kevin Hansen led the way in the first of the heat races, with Grönholm finishing one and a half seconds behind. Having struggled a little in practice this morning, Hansen now seems to be settling into the car a little more. As the drivers become more familiar with their machinery, we can expect the pace to increase. Then came the first time the two world champions faced each other in the new era of the sport. This time, it was Timmy Hansen who managed to come out on top, finishing 0.412 seconds ahead.

The FIA European Rallycross Championship is heating up in Hell, as Anton Marklund will try and secure three wins from three events this weekend (13/14 August). However, he will have to fend off attacks from an 18-strong field, including the return of local hero and WorldRX superstar Andreas Bakkerud as the sport returns to the Lånkebanen circuit for the Ramudden World RX of Norway 2022.

The Norwegian crowd will be cheering for the six Norwegian drivers in the field, reserving their loudest roars for Bakkerud. The 30 year old rallycross veteran made WorldRX history at this venue in 2016, securing the sport’s first ever grand slam when we won all four heats, his semi-final, and the final. The racer knows how to win here and is in the best possible position to take the fight to Marklund

However, Marklund’s SET Promotion Hyundai i20 is looking hard to beat at the moment. For all that he benefitted from a post-event disqualification for Oliver Solberg, the Swede’s pace was remarkable all weekend, finishing third in heat three and moving to the top of the leaderboard. Bad luck struck in the semi-final when he picked up a puncture, leading to a less than ideal start for the final. Nevertheless, Marklund has secured the full 40 points available so far, and is 18 ahead of his nearest rival, Latvia’s Jānis Baumanis.

The #YellowSquad driver will be hoping to turn the tables on his current run of bad luck. Baumanis has been consistently quick this year, but has been scuppered by punctures and the weather turning against him at precisely the wrong moment. The Latvian driver is approaching the weekend with confidence, saying “We have done some testing since Höljes to be prepared for the race and I’m feeling more confident in the car…I’m looking forward to Hell, I think this will be our best race of the season so far.”

Baumanis is not the only one hungry to make amends. After a stunning podium at the season opener in Hungary, Enzo Ide could only manage a bitterly disappointing 13th in his EKS Audi S1 in Sweden. Denmark’s Ulrik Linnemann finds himself in a similar position, having been hounded by bad luck meaning he finished 20th in round 2, despite taking the third position on the podium in Hungary. Expect them both to want to prove their successes were no fluke.

After years of waiting, the revolutionary new era of the FIA World Rallycross Championship gets underway this weekend in Hell with the return of a classic track, a hugely competitive field of rallycross superstars, and the first glimpse of the 500kW (680bhp) beasts in action. After the launch event on 11 August, where the excitement levels for these astonishingly fast cars began to rise, the racing proper begins on Saturday 13 August at the Ramudden World RX of Norway 2022.

The new age for the cutting edge of the sport nevertheless has a sense of familiarity about it, as the sport returns to the ever popular Lånkebanen circuit in Hell, Norway, after a three-year absence. The undulating track always delivers spectacular racing, and it is fitting that the new electric machines make their debut at such a classic track, in a country which is one of the world’s leading lights for automotive sustainability.

The opening round of the new RX1e class may only have 8 competitors (unfortunately the much anticipated GCK Motorsport Lancia Delta Evo-e is not ready to compete yet but will appear later in the season), but they are 8 of the finest and most exciting drivers in the world. Spearheading the field into the future is defending and four-time world champion Johan Kristoffersson. The Swedish superstar leads a three car Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS outfit, which also features teenager Gustav Bergström, who is an exciting, promising young talent, and Norway’s Ole Christian Veiby. Having spent the last 6 years honing his skills in rallying, Veiby is itching to get back into rallycross and is confident his Volkswagen Polo RX1e will be competitive from the off, saying “we have produced a good package that should put us in strong shape for the season ahead and enable us to fight at the front.”

They will have their work cut out to stay at the top of the sport, as an old rivalry is set to be reignited. Timmy Hansen tied with Kristoffersson at the end last season, losing out to his compatriot on countback, and so will be more determined than ever to add a second world title to his collection. The fraternal Hansen World RX Team lineup remains unchanged, as Timmy’s brother Kevin Hansen goes into battle once more. Having scored a remarkable 7 podiums out of 9 events in 2021, Kevin is more than ready to step out of his brother’s shadow and take centre stage.

Expect great things from the Construction Equipment Dealer Team outfit as well. Finland’s Niklas Grönholm is on top form, having matched Kristoffersson’s 3 event wins in 2021. In a season already crammed with firsts, Klara Andersson makes the step up from the supporting RX2e category. Having impressed last season, finishing fourth at her debut event at Spa-Francorchamps, Andersson’s ascent to WorldRX makes her the first permanent female competitor in the sport’s history.

Robert Shwartzman says he is excited by the prospect of running two free practice session with Scuderia Ferrari later this season, although where he runs is yet to be determined.

Despite Russian athletes being banned from competition following the countries invasion of Ukraine, Shwartzman will get the opportunities as he applied for an Israeli licence, thanks to being born in Tel Aviv and living in Israel for the first three years of his life.

And Shwartzman admits he was quick to make the application as he did not want to risk losing out on driving opportunities within the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

“I obviously always had an Israeli passport, and for this reason, when the situation between Russia and Ukraine worsened, I decided to apply for a license in Israel,” said Shwartzman to Motorsport.com.

“After all, I want to be a driver, reaching Formula 1 is my only goal and, waiting for the motorsport authorities to make the decisions that they then made, the need immediately arose in me to make sure I was available again if Ferrari needed to put me in the car.

Bubba Wallace signed more than just autographs and the Busch Light Pole Award backdrop in the past seven days. Nearly a week after scoring his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole, he received a multi-year contract extension to stay in the #23 Toyota Camry of 23XI Racing.

The news comes with perhaps no surprise as Wallace is a founding member of 23XI Racing, having served as the #23’s driver since the team’s maiden season in 2021 and is one of the most marketable personalities in the sport today. 2022 has been his best statistical campaign to date with career bests in top fives (four), top tens (six), his Michigan pole, and a current standing of nineteenth. He scored his and 23XI’s first win at Talladega in 2021.

Although currently outside the playoff line with three races left in the regular season, he is riding a four-race streak of top-ten finishes, and many have asserted that Wallace’s playoff hopes would be much more secure if not for early struggles with his pit crew. At Michigan, Wallace became only the second black pole winner in the Cup Series (Wendell Scott in 1962 was the first) and finished runner-up.

“Bubba was a key part of the early stages of 23XI, and I am thrilled that he will continue with the team,” said 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin. “When we announced Bubba as our first driver, the goal was to help him take his career to a higher level, and we have done just that. Bubba and the #23 team earned the organization our first win and first pole award, and with a career-best four consecutive top-ten finishes heading into Richmond this weekend, Bubba is continuing to get more competitive each week. We’re excited to see his growth as he and the team work toward achieving our goals.”

Wallace has competed in the Cup Series since 2017. As the championship’s lone black full-time driver, he has helped bring the sport to new audiences by frequently commenting on social issues and being involved in philanthropic activities. On Thursday, ahead of the Cup race at Richmond Raceway, Wallace hosted “Bubba’s Block Party” with musical performances by hip hop artist Wale and the HBCU Virginia State University’s Trojan Explosion marching band. His marketing power has also attracted major sponsors such as Columbia and DoorDash.

The new age of the FIA World Rallycross Championship finally dawned last night (11 August) as the brand new all-electric beasts were revealed to the public for the first time.

The new RX1e class cars were unveiled during a launch event in the Norwegian town of Stjørdal. The rain could not dampen the spirits of the assembled crowd as they were warmed up by an electric DJ set before the new machines were revealed. There was a similarly excited reception as the drivers stepped out and shared their thoughts on the new era of WorldRX.

Safe to say, they are all eager to get going. Four-time world champion Johan Kristoffersson said: “I think fans are going to be surprised by the performance and speed. I’ve rarely felt so pumped going into a new season – it’s certainly going to be one to remember.”

While this may be a new era for the sport, there are still large elements of familiarity for the fans – one of Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS‘s main rivals is going to be the similarly legendary Hansen World RX Team, helmed by Kenneth Hansen. Speaking separately to the event, Hansen explained the challenges that have led to this historic moment: “It was not as simple as just removing the internal combustion engine and putting in the electric powertrain – this has been a huge effort by everyone in the team, in Sweden, France and England.”

The end result is cars that produce 500kW of power (the equivalent of 680bhp) and 880Nm of instant torque, making them the fastest rallycross cars ever. They are so fast, they even took former world champion Timmy Hansen by surprise: “I’m very positively surprised by many things, mostly with how fast the car is – it really is as fast as we had been hoping. The speed of the launch is just incredible now – it’s something completely different.”

Just four points apart going into Summer Shutdown, the closest battle in the constructors’ standings is between BWT Alpine F1 Team and McLaren F1 Team, with both teams vying for fourth place in this year’s championship. 

Both Alpine and McLaren have a significant margin on Alfa Romeo Racing, who sits in sixth, while Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team has transcended the midfield teams, having essentially secured a top three result with their recent performances. With the exception of any huge gains made from teams lower in the standings, it appears that the battle for the “best of the rest” will be fought by the evenly-pegged constructors. 

Alpine, who sits at ninety-nine points as of the Hungarian Grand Prix, and McLaren, with ninety-five, have both shown strengths and weaknesses as the season has developed, each with stand-out results and difficult weekends– Let’s take a look at how the season has panned out so far.

Alpine may have comfortably outperformed McLaren at the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix, but the first handful of races ended up playing out in McLaren’s favour. The early-season Australian Grand Prix and Emilia Romagna Grand Prix were McLaren’s two best performances of the season, giving them a great margin over their rivals.

Lando Norris finished fifth and Daniel Ricciardo finished sixth in Australia, coming off a solid qualifying performance and benefitting from some key retirements from ahead. The team made out with an even bigger haul of points in Imola, as both drivers qualified well and were able to snatch seven points in the sprint, followed by Norris’ first and only podium of the season so far with a third place finish. Ricciardo unfortunately didn’t score any points on Sunday, finishing last after suffering a first lap collision with Carlos Sainz. Ultimately, the team brought home twenty-two points from the Imola Sprint weekend, their largest points result of the season so far. 

NASCAR‘s new testing rules for elite drivers from outside the stock car world were put to the test (pun intended) on Thursday as Kimi Räikkönen and Mike Rockenfeller took to Virginia International Raceway for some laps ahead of their Cup Series débuts.

NASCAR’s new non-regular “Select Driver Orientation Test” rules include stipulations like having “elite credentials from the highest forms of motorsports in the world”, testing with an organisation not connected to the team fielding the ride in the race, and both parties receiving express approval from NASCAR. The provisions were outlined in June following the announcement that Räikkönen would enter the Cup race at Watkins Glen in August.

Due to the limitation on the team fielding the test car, Räikkönen and Rockenfeller drove a generic Next Gen car prepared by IMSA team Action Express Racing. Still, Räikkönen’s employer Trackhouse Racing Team brought four employees to provide insight. The car, built as part of Next Gen road course testing in 2021, features no manufacturer badging (though Räikkönen and Rockenfeller will both drive Chevrolets in their races) and sports #31 to reflect AXR’s IMSA programme; the number prompted Justin Haley to quip, “Is Kimi replacing me in the 31?”

Räikkönen, the 2007 Formula One World Champion, previously tested at Virginia in 2011 for Robby Gordon Motorsports ahead of what would have been his maiden Cup start at Sonoma Raceway before going off course, damaging the nose and aborting the start. At the time, the Finn had run a race each in NASCAR’s Xfinity and Truck Series, though he would not return to the discipline for over a decade. Rockenfeller’s entry at the Charlotte Roval for Spire Motorsports will be his first foray into stock cars after enjoying tremendous success in endurance racing and DTM.

While Virginia International Raceway is not on the NASCAR schedule, it is frequently used as a test track for teams hoping to practice for road course racing.

Stoffel Vandoorne is preparing for the most important weekend in arguably his motorsport career, with the Belgian driver on the verge of becoming the Season Eight Formula E World Champion.

Vandoorne has been the class driver throughout the season, and will be hoping for a strong weekend at the brand-new Seoul E-Prix. The season finale looks set to be completely unpredictable, with it being the first time Formula E has visited South Korea, meaning a new track to learn. The weather has also been shocking in Seoul over the last few days, with the city having experienced its worst flooding and rainfall in eighty-years.

The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team are also close to wrapping up the Constructors’ Championship, putting added pressure onto Vandoorne to deliver. It’s also Mercedes-EQ’s last weekend in the all-electric series, with the team leaving at the end of the season.

Vandoorne is aiming to treat this weekend like any other; however, with so much on the line, that could be extremely difficult to do.

“It looks like we are in for a tricky weekend in Seoul, partly because of the weather, but also with it being a new track for all of us. So, there are quite a few unpredictable factors in the run-up. For me, though, it’s just a race like any other.

The BWT Alpine F1 Team are expecting a battle within the London High Court if Oscar Piastri opts not to honour his contract with the team in 2023, according to Otmar Szafnauer.

Piastri was announced to race for Alpine in place of the departing Fernando Alonso earlier this month, only for the Australian to deny he would be moving up from his role of reserve driver amid rumours of an imminent move to the McLaren F1 Team.

McLaren are rumoured to be bringing in Piastri in place of Daniel Ricciardo despite Alpine claiming a contract is in place for him to partner Esteban Ocon next season, and Szafnauer says the courts are the likely destination for the battle should the twenty-one-year-old fail to honour his contract with the Enstone-based team.

Szafnauer, the Team Principal at Alpine, has already contacted Formula 1’s Contract Recognition Board (CRB) after Piastri’s intentions were revealed, and should the Australian decide not to race for them, compensation will be sought.

“Going to the High Court is over 90% certain that’s what we’ll do,” Szafnauer is quoted as saying on Reuters. 

Helmut Marko, the Motorsport Advisor at Red Bull, has poured cold water onto the rumours that Pierre Gasly has a clause in his contract that would allow him to join the BWT Alpine F1 Team next season.

The recent driver merry-go-round that began with the retirement announcement of Sebastian Vettel has seen Fernando Alonso leave Alpine to join the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team on a multi-year contract from 2023, whilst Alpine’s reserve driver Oscar Piastri has distanced himself from replacing the Spaniard.

Daniel Ricciardo has been muted as a possible Alpine arrival as Piastri has been linked with replacing his fellow Australian at the McLaren F1 Team, whilst another name that has been long linked with the team is current Scuderia AlphaTauri driver Gasly.

However, Marko says the Frenchman is under contract with AlphaTauri for 2023 and does not have any kind of clause within that contract to move away from them.

“There is no exit clause for Gasly, there was none before the summer break and there will be none after the summer break,” Marko is quoted as saying to German publication Sport1.

Short course modified kart racer Drake Bitetti suffered severe head injuries in a mountain biking accident on Monday, resulting in hospitalisation. His team Davis Motorsports has set up a GoFundMe to raise support.

Bitetti has competed in Great American Shortcourse‘s Mod Kart class since the series’ founding in 2021. After placing eighth in points that year with a best race finish of seventh on four occasions, he sits sixth in the 2022 standings across six rounds with a highest run of fifth at the SBC Fairgrounds in June.

He also races in the GBC UTV/Quad/Trophy Kart Short Course Series at Glen Helen Raceway, winning the second round in late February. Glen Helen is too a GAS track, and Bitetti’s Saturday GAS race there in March saw him come back from getting turned and flipped after starting on the pole to finish sixth.

“We are putting this together to help the Bitetti family is this tragic time,” reads a statement from Davis Motorsports owner Brian Benites. “Drake has had a major accident on his mountain bike on Monday he is in Loma Linda hospital with severe brain trauma! He is a great kid and has a long road to recovery!! We all need to come together and help anyway we can.. thank you.”

As of this article’s publishing, the GoFundMe has garnered $3,850 from nine donors, with the goal being set at $25,000.