Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

George Russell continued his record of finishing inside the top five in every race in 2022 on Sunday, with the Briton taking fifth place in the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team driver admitted it was a tough day behind the wheel of the W13 amid changeable conditions at the Circuit de Monaco, and he enjoyed a good little battle with McLaren F1 Team’s Lando Norris after the pit stops, a battle he ultimately won.

Russell said Mercedes found some limitations with their car during the Monaco weekend, but he was still pleased to secure a top five finish for the seventh time in seven races, and believes better results are just around the corner.

“That was a tough afternoon out there, very physical with the bumpy ride of the car, and a long afternoon across a range of conditions,” said Russell.  “It was tricky in the wet, holding onto the wet tyres for as long as possible, then I had a nice dice with Lando after the stops – and some strong pace on the hard tyre.

“It was tough on the medium in the second part of the race, with a lot of graining towards the end, but P5 is still a decent result.

Road courses tend to mean the enlistment of drivers familiar with the track even if they have little to no experience in NASCAR. As the NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Portland International Raceway on 4 June, RSS Racing will do just that by entrusting the #38 Ford Mustang to Darren Dilley, an amateur sports car racer who mainly works as a primary school physical education teacher.

Dilley races in the Sports Car Club of America in a family operation called Cheap Fast Racing, which is overseen by his father Bert. The team began competing in 1990, with the younger Dilley having taken his Mazda RX-7 to the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; he finished sixth in the Class E Production category in the 2021 Runoffs at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The opportunity arose when Dilley’s marketing director Jeff Hanken spotted an RSS Racing post on Facebook recruiting drivers who are familiar with Portland, which is a new stop for the Xfinity Series.

“That was a great opportunity because Portland is my home track, so they were really excited to have a road course racer who had experience at Portland,” Dilley told local news network KPTV. “Because they don’t get to practice at Portland at all and we have thousands of laps.

“If I ever got in the winner’s circle and it happens this weekend? I am going to the East Bank because that is where I grew up watching the races out on the East Bank so that is where the car will park, and we will celebrate together because that’s the people that matter most to me.”

Dino Beganovic kept up his remarkable run of results at the start of the 2022 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine season as he took victory in race two at the Circuit de Monaco on Sunday morning.

The Swede, a part of the Ferrari Driver Academy and racing for Prema Racing, controlled the race from start to finish to claim his third victory of the year while finishing second in the other three races.

Beganovic, starting from pole position after a superb performance in Friday’s Qualifying session, got the jump on fellow front row starter and Saturday race winner Hadrien David at the start, with the Frenchman forced to defend from the fast-starting Gabriele Mini into turn one rather than attacking for the lead.

A couple of incidents on the opening lap further down the field necessitated the use of the safety car, with Trident’s Roman Bilinski ending up in the wall at Casino and Monolite Racing’s Macéo Capietto ending likewise at Tabac.

Van Amersfoort Racing’s Joshua Dufek headed to the pits for a new front wing after contact with R-ace GP’s Lorenzo Fluxá, although both drivers were able to continue in the race.

For the fourth straight year, the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Camping World Truck Series will determine their champions in the Arizona desert. On Tuesday, Phoenix Raceway announced the return of NASCAR Championship Weekend for 2023, news that comes as the track has already sold out grandstand seating for the 2022 Cup Championship Race.

“This historic achievement wouldn’t be possible without the outpouring of support the community and our fans continue to show for events at our facility,” commented track president Julie Giese. “They continue to make Phoenix Raceway a must-visit sports and entertainment destination, and our dedicated team will continue their tireless efforts to deliver a championship-caliber experience that our race fans will remember for years to come.”

Phoenix assumed the title of championship host from Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2020, which converted its playoff date into the final race of the year. The mile-long oval had received substantial upgrades to its facilities in 2018 to justify receiving such a major event, including a reconfiguration of the track surface and new amenities. The 2022 edition was confirmed nearly a year ago on 1 June 2021.

The track also holds a Cup and Xfinity Series weekend in March, which was respectively won by Chase Briscoe and Noah Gragson.

2022 NASCAR Championship Weekend will take place on 4–6 November. The ARCA Menards Series West will also conclude its season during the weekend on 5 November.

The Superstar Racing Experience will once again carry the Camping World SRX Series moniker for its sophomore season. On Tuesday, less than three weeks before the 2022 season opener, the series confirmed Camping World‘s return as title sponsor.

Run by Marcus Lemonis, Camping World has a massive presence in motorsport with title sponsorships of series like the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. The Truck Series sponsorship has been in effect since 2009, with Camping World subsidiary Gander Outdoors also having a brief moment of holding the naming rights.

Ahead of the inaugural SRX season in 2021, Camping World took over the series’ name alongside Lemonis’ Plating Change philanthropic programme. Camping World also served as a “primary sponsor” of Ernie Francis Jr.‘s car while the Camping World SRX Series logo appeared on every vehicle’s doors.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with SRX and retain the entitlement sponsorship for the 2022 season,” said Lemonis. “Camping World is proud to support the drivers and race fans of the Superstar Racing Experience series, and we look forward to an electrifying six-week season.”

During the off-season, Camping World was initially reported to not be returning as title sponsor as the series negotiated with other companies. Of course, Tuesday’s announcement rendered such speculation void.

Mattia Binotto admits Scuderia Ferrari made ‘a few poor decisions’ during Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, which meant the team failed to convert their one-two starting positions into a victory.

Charles Leclerc started on pole position and lead the initial stages, but strategy calls meant the Monegasque racer slipped back to fourth.  Initially, he fell behind eventual winner Sergio Pérez when switching from full wet tyres to intermediates, but then he fell behind team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. and the second Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 of Max Verstappen when making the switch to dry tyres.

Sainz was adamant to ignore the strategy calls made by the pit wall during the race, with the Spaniard opting to rather pit for intermediates, wait a few more laps to go directly to slick tyres, and this gamble could have paid off had he not encountered traffic on his out-lap that allowed Pérez to take over at the front.

Binotto, the Team Principal at Ferrari, says the team will be looking to learn from their mistakes in Monaco before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix gets underway in two weeks’ time.

“When you start with your two cars on the front row and you don’t win, it means something went wrong from our side,” said Binotto.  

Charles Leclerc finally finished a Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, but the Monegasque racer was left frustrated by the strategy calls that left him down in fourth having started from pole position.

The Scuderia Ferrari driver dominated the initial stages of the race when conditions were tricky due to the weather, but he found himself overtaken by Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Pérez when he made the switch from the full wet tyre to the intermediates.

It would get worse for Leclerc as a few laps later he was to pit again for slick tyres as the track continued to dry, and he ended up behind his team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. and the second Red Bull of title rival Max Verstappen.

With overtaking nearly impossible in Monaco, Leclerc was forced to settle for fourth, a position he was sure he did not deserve as Ferrari made too many wrong calls when it came to strategy.

“I’m disappointed to have lost this win and it’s a tough one to take, especially at home,” said Leclerc. “It will be important to understand exactly what happened to make sure that this doesn’t happen again.

Fresh off the back of his Monaco Grand Prix victory, Sergio Pérez has signed a two-year extension to his contract with the Oracle Red Bull Racing team until the end of the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season.

Pérez became the winningest Mexican driver in Formula 1 history when he took the chequered flag first for the third time in his career in Sunday’s encounter at the Circuit de Monaco, and he has been rewarded for his improved performances throughout 2022 with a new deal.

Red Bull’s line-up has now been confirmed for the next two seasons at least, with Max Verstappen already signed to a long-term contract with the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

“For me, this has been an incredible week, winning the Monaco Grand Prix is a dream for any driver and then to follow that with announcing I will continue with the Team until 2024 just makes me extremely happy,” said Pérez.

“I am so proud to be a member of this Team and I feel completely at home here now. We are working very well together and my relationship with Max, on and off the track, is definitely helping drive us forward even more.

The World Rally-Raid Championship cannot catch a break in 2022. Already on a three-month hiatus after the cancellation of Rally Kazakhstan in April, the upcoming Andalucía Rally is the newest victim of ongoing circumstance as a heat wave and drought, both of which carry the danger of causing wildfires, have resulted in its postponement. A new date has not been immediately revealed, though series officials expect it to be in the fall.

Held in Spain since 2020, the Andalucía Rally is billed as a prelude to the Dakar Rally in January. Had the event taken place as scheduled, 5/6 June would have seen private testing followed by qualifying on 7 June and five days of racing beginning in Dos Hermanas. The second stage would take place in the Sierra Sur, with the next three respectively at Comarca de Antequera Valle Del Guadalhorce, Condado de Huelva, and the Bay of Cádiz. The rally’s bivouac would be located at the Gran Hipodromo de Andalucía.

2022 is also supposed to see the début of the Andalucía Classic, a regularity rally whose format has been used at Dakar since 2021. The Classic is one stage shorter than the primary Rally as it has a prologue and just four stages to end on 11 June.

While a formal replacement date has not been finalised, the series hopes to retain the original course layout.

“These extreme weather conditions have considerably increased the risk of fires in the region, leading the local authorities to raise the level of fire alert to its maximum,” reads a W2RC statement. “To preserve this already fragile ecosystem and despite the full support of the local authorities, all the parties involved have decided that continuing with the rally is not possible at this time.

XITE Energy Racing announced Monday that Kris Meeke will enter the world of rallycross, serving as a replacement driver for Jenson Button in the Nitro Rallycross season opener at Lydden Hill on 18/19 June, followed by dates in Sweden (30/31 July) and Saudi Arabia (10/11 December). The news comes due to scheduling conflicts that prevent Button from taking part.

Meeke competed in the World Rally Championship from 2002 to 2019, during which he won five times with ninety-four stage victories. He also won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2009 and finished third in the Junior WRC in 2005.

His World Rally career came to a close after the 2019 season, though he continued rallying on a sporadic basis. In 2021, he added rally raid to his résumé when he entered the Dakar Rally, competing in the T3 class but struggled with mechanical issues; nevertheless, he described the experience as “simply incredible”. Meeke was placed on standby for Giniel de Villiers at the 2022 Rally after he tested positive for COVID-19, but de Villiers ultimately ran the race. Despite missing out on another Dakar run, the Briton continued his rally raid adventures by competing in the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and won the T3 category.

In addition to the Button/Meeke entry, XITE Energy Racing fields the #42 for owner Oliver Bennett, both in the new Group E class.

“I’m really excited to join the team,” said Meeke. “When Oli contacted me and was speaking about the car and the amount of power it’s putting out with this full electric machine, it definitely makes you intrigued. Being asked to join the XITE Energy Racing team with Oli is something nice to be part of. I’m really happy to be able to come and hopefully give some helpful input into their programme.”

A pair of Aussies will cross the Pacific Ocean to take on North American deserts later this year. On Monday, Toby Price and Paul Weel announced they will run three major desert events in the continent: the Best In The Desert‘s Vegas to Reno on 10–13 August, SCORE International‘s Baja 400 on 13/14 September, and the legendary Baja 1000 on 15–20 November. The effort, under the Team Australia name, will see them compete in the Trophy Truck class in Weel’s Geiser Brothers truck.

“Very excited to be able to announce I’ll be driving with Paul Weel for Team Australia in Baja 400, Vegas to Reno and Baja 1000 this year,” Price posted on social media. “Weely has put a heap of work into setting up this program so I’m looking forward to getting over there to show everyone what the Aussies can do…”

Price is one of the biggest names in Australian off-road racing, winning the Dakar Rally‘s Bikes category in 2016 and 2019 and the Finke Desert Race seven times. He is the only person to win the latter’s overall in both the Bikes and Cars divisions. For his accomplishments, he received the Order of Australia in 2021.

While Price has predominantly been on dirt his whole life, Weel is a longtime veteran of pavement racing as he competed in the Supercars Championship from 1998 to 2008, though he enjoyed success in the Australian Stadium Off Road Championship before moving to Supercars. Serious injuries in a practice crash leading up to the 2008 Bathurst 1000 ended his driving career and he shifted towards focusing on his family business for the next decade.

In 2020, Weel made his racing return in the Boost Mobile Super Trucks (the Australian counterpart of the Stadium Super Trucks) as well as desert racing in Australia and America like the Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship and Best In The Desert. Weel acquired his trophy truck from Price for his rally raid adventures. He overcame mechanical issues to finish tenth in class in his Mint 400 début, while his maiden Finke start saw him place twelfth.

Reaume Brothers Racing continues to provide opportunities for regional drivers, this time signing Mason Maggio for his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series début at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Saturday, 4 June. He will drive the #33 with sponsorship from HMY Yachts.

The 17-year-old Maggio mainly competes in late models. In 2021, he won four limited late model races at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina, which led to him joining NASCAR Cup Series operation Rick Ware Racing and Ford Performance for the 2022 Carolina Pro Late Model Series. So far, he has three victories in the CPLMS including this past weekend at Motor Mile Speedway.

“I am beyond excited to be making my NASCAR Camping World Truck Series début,” said Maggio. “During my time with Leicht Motorsports at Hickory in 2021, along with E33 Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing in 2022, the success that stemmed from 2021 has only progressed into 2022, leading me to an amazing opportunity with Reaume Brothers Racing.

Looking back throughout my career, I never would have imagined I would be making my NASCAR Camping World Truck Series début in 2022. It’s still crazy hearing myself say it. I am beyond grateful for Josh Reaume and the entire Reaume Brothers Racing organisation for the opportunity to debut at such a technical and demanding track as is Word Wide Technology Raceway. I am excited to not only make the team proud, but my fans and partners as well.”

Of the fourteen drivers who have made a start for RBR ten races into the 2022 season, all but three made their Truck débuts with the team (exceptions being Reaume, Akinori Ogata, Will Rodgers). Series newcomers in 2022 include Loris Hezemans, Chase Janes, Blake Lothian, Thad Moffitt (in alliance with GMS Racing), Brad Pérez, and Armani Williams. Brayton Laster‘s maiden NASCAR race will come with the team at Knoxville in mid-June.

A new Extreme E team will join the championship for its third season in 2023 as XE Sports Group becomes the series’ first operation based in the Asia-Pacific region. The team is the impact sports arm of EVDirect.com, which serves as a distributor for BYD‘s electric cars in Australia and New Zealand. Leadership comes via a proprietary company directed by Luke Todd with backing from former footballer Tim Cahill.

Cahill is perhaps best known for his eight seasons in the Premier League for Everton and participation in the FIFA World Cup for Australia from 2006 to 2018. Considered one of the greatest players in Australian history, he was the first player to score a World Cup goal for the country and has five career goals in the tournament. He retired from football in 2019, but remained in the public spotlight by investing in various businesses and being a board member for Belgian club K.A.S. Eupen.

The 42-year-old is a racing enthusiast, having attended Formula One and MotoGP races and participating in track days. In 2017, he piloted a Nissan NISMO GT-R around Bathurst’s Mount Panorama Circuit with guidance from Supercars Championship veteran Alex Davison, who even proclaimed Cahill was capable of pursuing his own driving career.

“I’m really excited to be a part of this team,” said Cahill. “The combination of thrilling, competitive racing and leaving a lasting, positive impact makes the sport totally unique. We look to bringing a significant new audience to Extreme E from within the millions of football fans across the world.”

Todd has served as EVDirect’s managing director and CEO since 2021 and was previously an advisor for BYD’s Asia-Pacific operations. His link to BYD also extended to his founding of Nexport, which also distributes the Chinese manufacturer’s cars in Oceania, in 2018. From 2003 to 2014, he was the general manager of Australian airport busser Carbridge and was its CEO during his final five years with the company. In a statement, Todd commented EVDirect’s “investment and participation in Extreme E will enable them to showcase BYD’s high quality, affordable luxury vehicles and raise awareness within Australia and wider Asia Pacific Region of the benefits of electric vehicle technology.”

Denny Hamlin held off Kyle Busch in double overtime to win his first Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the longest NASCAR race ever at a distance of 619.5 miles.

Hamlin and Ross Chastain started on the front row for the second overtime, with Busch following his teammate past the damaged car of Chastain and into a battle for the win. In turn two on the final lap, Busch tried to make the move stick on the high side but got loose, sealing the win for Hamlin.

“It’s so special,” Hamlin said post-race. “It’s the last big one that’s not on my résumé. It meant so much. … I’ve been a Coke family driver for 18 years. Never won the Coke 600 before. This means a lot. Man, we weren’t very good all day. Just got ourselves in the right place at the right time.“

The first attempt at overtime ended with a crash involving the leaders. Austin Dillon got a huge run on leader Kyle Larson headed into turn four while Chastain tried to make a pass on the outside. Dillon and Larson lost control and crashed, collecting Chastain and Joey Logano while Hamlin and Busch snuck through to put themselves in position for the win.

Overtime was brought out when Chase Briscoe lost control of his Stewart Haas Racing Ford trying to pass low with two laps to go in regulation.

After some phenomenal late-race defending, a good strategy and a mistake on the Scuderia Ferrari pit-wall, Sergio Pérez has taken victory for the first time around the streets of Monte Carlo, and for a third win of his career.

Following an end-of-session crash in Qualifying Three on Saturday, Pérez started behind the two Ferrari cars in third place, ahead of team-mate Max Verstappen in fourth. The Mexican stayed composed and now finds himself just six points shy of Charles Leclerc in the drivers championship standings, while Verstappen extends his lead.

The number eleven driver says that is is “very special” to take victory at the Monaco Grand Prix – and says that his victory was inspired by his mother who was feeling unwell last week.

“It was really hard for me to think straight after the race, I was full of adrenaline and so much energy going through the race. Once I heard my national anthem on the podium here it hit me, it is a dream come true for any driver in the world to tick that box in Monaco and I can just be extremely happy,” explains the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver.

“We were quick all weekend, we kept our heads down and knew today with the right strategy we could make things happen. This win was for my mum and all my family, she was very sick last week so I had very good motivation going into this race to get her a victory.”