Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is one of the most prestigious races on the NTT IndyCar Series schedule, and after hosting the season finale last year it returns to its April date to host the third race of the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season.

Victory lane has only hosted Team Penske cars this season, and head to a track where they are tied for the most wins in track history along with Chip Ganassi Racing and Newman//Haas Racing at six. The early points standings have been dominated by Penske and Ganassi as well, with the top five consisting of drivers from those teams.

Scott McLauglin‘s white-hot start to his sophomore season has him at the top of the standings with 97 points, ahead of teammate Will Power on 69 points. Defending series champion Alex Palou sits third, only four points behind the Australian veteran at 67 points, with Josef Newgarden‘s Xpel 375 victory propelling him to fourth on 65 points. Rounding out the top five is Marcus Ericsson who has 58 points.

Will Penske continue their dominance early in the season and break the win record? Can Ganassi snap their streak and claim the record for themselves? Could five-win Andretti Autosport make it a four-way tie with a victory? Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR?

The 2021 Grand Prix of Long Beach had the Astor Cup on the line, moved back to the season finale due to COVID protocols.

Alex Connor has announced his return to the GB3 Championship for 2022, continuing his relationship with Arden Motorsport into a fourth season.

The British driver took three wins and eight total podiums with the team as part of the Young Racing Driver Academy (YRDA) in the 2020 F4 British Championship.

He stepped up to GB3 for the first three meetings of 2021, delivering three podiums from nine races at Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Donington Park, including two in the first two races in Leicestershire.

Alongside his graduation into British single-seater racing, with a British F4 campaign bringing one podium, the Dubai-based driver won the UAE Formula 4 Championship‘s support race for the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Some years earlier, Connor won the 2016 UAE X30 Cadet championship aged 12.

Arthur Leclerc ended Wednesday’s FIA Formula 3 Championship test at Circuito Jerez on top, having finished both the morning and afternoon session with the fastest time.

Prema Racing seemed to have the edge on the field over the two days, with Leclerc topping three sessions in total, and Oliver Bearman setting the fastest time on Tuesday afternoon.

The circuit dried throughout Day 2, while a wet circuit and intermittent rain kept times above the 1:33 barrier throughout Tuesday’s two sessions.

Prema’s second-year driver brought Tuesday’s times down by two and a half seconds by the end of Wednesday morning; the session ended with Leclerc setting a 1:30.634 ahead of Zak O’Sullivan (Carlin) and Caio Collet (MP Motorsport).

Morning

The early running on Wednesday morning was conducted on a still-wet track, despite times tumbling throughout the latter stages of Tuesday afternoon. 

Edoardo Mortara goes into the Rome E-Prix double header weekend on top of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship standings, and the Swiss racer will be doing everything he can to maintain that position.

The ROKiT Venturi Racing driver has started the 2021-22 season strongly, with three top six finishes, including a race victory in the second race of the Diriyah E-Prix weekend back in January, and he is looking for another strong weekend in Italy.

Mortara holds a five-point advantage over defending champion Nyck de Vries in the title battle, and providing they are able to qualify well in Rome, he believes the team has what it takes to be a leading contender once more.

“It feels like a long time since Mexico City and I’m looking forward to being back in the car this weekend,” said Mortara.  “Rome is a circuit I enjoy – it’s a city with great food, great people and a great atmosphere – it’s also my home race so it feels even more special for me to race there.

“Racing in front of a home crowd is a unique experience and there are few feelings in motorsport that can match the energy of your home circuit.

The Nissan e.dams team are hoping to break into the top ten again this weekend in the Rome E-Prix double header after scoring their first points of the 2021-22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season last time out in Mexico City.

Both Sébastien Buemi and Maximilian Günther had much better energy management than a few other drivers and teams in Mexico and were able to jump up the order in the closing laps as others fell back, ultimately finishing eighth and ninth respectively.

Last year in Rome, Nissan were able to show a good turn of speed, but Buemi could only convert that into a solitary fifth place finish, something he wants to improve on across the two races this year.

“I am looking forward to Rome,” said Buemi.  “Last season we were quite competitive but we did not manage to convert our pace into a great result, although I did finish P5 in the first race.

“It’s a very challenging circuit with lots of bumps, but at the last round in Mexico we had a lot more pace in free practice and during the race. I didn’t do a great job in qualifying, but I feel that our car is good and we’ve had a bit of time to bring some new things to it.

Haas F1 Team’s Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher shared their hopes for the Australian Grand Prix and memories of the venue ahead of Formula 1’s much-anticipated return to Melbourne this weekend.

Having achieved second place in Australia for his debut race in 2014 and a notable sixth place finish with Haas in 2019, Magnussen said that although the memorable performances he has had in Melbourne are likely “by coincidence”, he loves the atmosphere and energy of the event and hopes to continue this success with the 2022 weekend. 

“It’s always been a good race to us somehow, I think it’s more by coincidence than anything else but I love being there, it’s a great race to go to. I really like Australia and Melbourne. There’s something about that race – for so many years it used to be the first race of the year – so there’s always a special feeling there, so let’s hope we can keep it going and have another good weekend.”

Magnussen gave insight into the unique circumstances and obstacles that come with travelling to Australia, which results in a significant time difference to contend with.

“We always go quite early to Australia because the time difference is so big, at most other places you don’t need to go too early but for this one you do. It’s important to get straight into it and get up in the morning even though you’ve only slept two hours. You need to get up when it’s time to get up, do some training, eat your meals at the right times and just get into a rhythm as much as possible. You can plan a little bit ahead on the flight on whether you need to go to sleep or stay awake.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing UK have further completed the line-up for the 2022 British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season with Ricky Collard set for his first full season partnering Rory Butcher in the Speedworks Motorsport ran team.

Collard’s father Rob was a hugely successful and popular driver racing between 2000 and 2019 winning 15 races and it is a championship where the highly-rated third generation racer has experience deputising to great effect in 2018 sealing six points finishes and a podium at Silverstone which caught the eye.

Since then, he has been involved in GT racing winning at the Nürburgring as part of the Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe which is part of an impressive CV of race wins and curtailing a move down under, he tested for Speedworks at Donington Park, Knockhill and Croft and has put those plans to bed with the BTCC now his next focus. His target is ‘podium finishes’ at least.

“I’ve been knocking around the BTCC paddock since I was just three years old,” said Collard, “Standing at the side of the track watching my dad compete against the likes of Jason Plato, Colin Turkington and Gordon Shedden – so as a series, it has huge personal appeal to me and I’ve made no secret recently of my desire to return. It definitely feels like I have some unfinished business after dipping my toe into the water at the end of 2018, and with my dad no longer racing, it’s almost like I’m now picking up the reins and carrying on the family legacy.

“Last week’s test at Donington was the first time I’d ever driven a front-wheel drive race car, and while we’re clearly not yet where we want to be, my lap times showed that I already feel pretty comfortable in the Toyota. The Corolla is a proven race-winning package, and everybody in the team is doing all they can to help me to get quickly up to speed. I’m getting faster with every lap, and that progression is only going to continue.

Pascal Wehrlein says he is itching to get back to racing this weekend in Rome after winning for the first time in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship last time out in Mexico City.

The Tag Heuer Porsche FE Team driver took his and his team’s first victory around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez at the end of February, and he is looking for a repeat of that success this weekend in the Italian capital.

Wehrlein took his first Porsche podium in the Rome E-Prix last year, and after the success in Mexico, he arrives in Italy full of confidence.

“Those days in Mexico were super exciting,” said Wehrlein.  “We had a fantastic weekend with pole, my first win for Porsche and the first Formula E victory for Porsche.

“Now, of course, we want to keep winning races. I feel that we understand our car better and better and we know precisely what we have to do to be able to compete at the top.

Garrett Mitchell, popularly known as Cleetus McFarland, will race in the Stadium Super Trucks‘ season opener at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. He tested the truck at SST headquarters last Monday, which was posted on his YouTube channel on Wednesday.

McFarland is one of the largest YouTube automotive personalities with a channel boasting over 2.8 million subscribers. Much of his content focuses on modifying and driving various vehicles including production cars, supercars, and even a Ripsaw Army tank and street-legal NASCAR Truck. Naturally, his work ties in heavily with motorsport and he has experience in drag racing, drifting, and stock cars. In March, McFarland made his dirt track début when he entered the Bristol Dirt Nationals.

In 2020, he purchased DeSoto Speedway in Bradenton, Florida, and renovated it into the Freedom Factory. On Friday, the track hosted the third annual Freedom 500, a 100-lap race involving nitrous-boosted Crown Victorias that was won by motocross great Brian Deegan. Many other personalities in the racing world have taken part in the event over the years including Deegan’s daughter and NASCAR Truck Series driver Hailie, NASCAR Cup race winner Alex Bowman, and off-road icons Tanner Foust and Travis Pastrana.

Sporting a persona of a highly patriotic redneck, McFarland’s stadium truck builds upon the image with its #1776 number plate and bald eagle logo. The number, obviously referring to American independence, is the first in SST to reach quadruple digits (the previous highest number was Greg Gartner‘s #410). His sponsor Fun-Haver is run by Formula Drift champion and close friend Vaughn Gittin Jr.

Outside of the channel, Mitchell works full-time at car media company 1320Video. He celebrated his birthday on Tuesday.

Arthur Leclerc and Oliver Bearman went quickest in FIA Formula 3 Championship testing at Circuito Jerez, on the first of two days in Spain before the Championship visits Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari Imola for the first time.

The Prema Racing pair set the pace across a wet morning session and drying afternoon, with Bearman ending the day quickest with a 1:33.009, six tenths clear of Josep Maria Marti and Zane Maloney.

The times were seven seconds slower in the morning, with Leclerc setting a 1:40.202 ahead of Roman Stanek and Franco Colapinto.

Morning

The track remained wet for much of the morning, with Bahrain International Circuit‘s Race 1 winner Isack Hadjar ahead of the two most recent GB3 champions Zak O’Sullivan and Kaylen Frederick in the early stages.

Hadjar held the top spot until he retired from the session as the track began to dry, with MP Motorsport‘s Caio Collet overtaking him by moving into the 1:41s, before Leclerc ultimately ended the session fastest with a 1:40.202.

Defending World Champion Nyck de Vries hopes the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team can continue to have a strong package this weekend as the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship hits the streets of Rome for the Rome E-Prix double header.

The Dutchman has scored points in all three races of the 2021-22 season to date, including a victory in the opening race of the Diriyah E-Prix, while he scored a sixth-place finish in the Mexico City E-Prix back in February.

De Vries hopes the long gap between Mexico and this weekend’s races in Italy will not harm the Mercedes team too much, and he hopes they can hit the ground running and secure two strong results as he bids to regain his lead in the Drivers’ Championship.

“We’ve had quite a long break since the last round in Mexico, but I’m very pleased to be back racing with the Rome E-Prix,” said de Vries. “I’ve had plenty to do since the last race weekend and have managed to maintain a good rhythm.

“However, since it’s been so long, it’s about time now that we went racing again in order to continue the season. We had a competitive package the last time we were in Rome, and hopefully, we can build on that again this year.

After missing the opening two rounds of the championship after testing positive for COVID-19, Sebastian Vettel is finally back this weekend as Formula 1 returns to Melbourne at last for the highly-anticipated Australian Grand Prix.

It has been the worst start to the season possible for Vettel, who tested positive right before the season began in Bahrain. The German was replaced by fellow German driver and Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team Reserve Driver, Nico Hülkenberg. The Four-Time World Champion is back in the seat of the AMR22 this weekend though, after finally testing negative.

Vettel can’t wait to finally start his season, and feels like he is running late for class!

“After testing positive and missing the first two races, it feels a bit like arriving late to school, so I’m really keen to get going again! Starting my season in Australia is something I’ve done before, of course, and it’s also great that Formula One is returning after a difficult couple of years. For me, after nearly a month out of the car, it will be important to learn throughout the practice sessions, and I hope we can take some steps forward in what is usually an exciting and unpredictable race.”

“Melbourne is such a great sporting city” – Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll has had a poor start to the season, the Canadian driver has under-performed at both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, leaving him with much to improve on going into this weekend.

Pierre Gasly goes into this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, on the back of a good weekend in Saudi Arabia after coming away with his first points of the 2022 season.

After retiring in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia went much smoother for the Frenchman who not only made it to Qualifying 3 for the second-time this season, but also brought home a points finish.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s returning Australian Grand Prix, Gasly is excited to be heading back to the Albert Park Circuit, a track which he enjoys. The Frenchman is also intrigued to see whether the circuit’s changes will have any effect on the quality of the racing.

“The Albert Park track layout in Melbourne has been changed significantly and very few corners are the same as before, so it will be slightly new for everyone. It seems much faster than before because of the many corners that have been widened and opened up so there are more straight sections. We will need a car that works efficiently and is quick down the straights but still keeps enough downforce for the corners.

“Personally, I’m really happy to be racing here again. The last time I was there was 2020, when it was the first race to be cancelled because of Covid, so we haven’t raced in Melbourne since 2019. It’s a track I like a lot and the same goes for the country. The only downside is having to spend 48 hours in a plane in the space of a week! It’s incredible to be going back there. I’m looking forward to it.”

David Gilliland Racing will have four trucks at 16 April’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway, two of which will be piloted by Cup Series drivers. While Harrison Burton is in the #17 Ford F-150, the team confirmed Wednesday that Joey Logano will drive the newly opened #54. Planet Fitness will serve as his sponsor.

Logano announced his plans to race at Bristol in March, which will be just his eighth career Truck Series start. His seventh and last came at Martinsville in 2015 for the now defunct Brad Keselowski Racing, a race that saw him win the pole before scoring the victory. The 2018 Cup Series champion won the inaugural Cup race on Bristol’s dirt layout last year.

Many had expected Logano to take over the #17, which serves as DGR’s multi-driver truck, before Burton was announced as its driver on Tuesday. Burton, a Cup rookie, races for Wood Brothers Racing who has a partnership with Logano’s employer Team Penske.

DGR previously fielded the #54 in 2018 and 2019 for a variety of drivers including team owner David Gilliland and former partner Bo LeMastus. Dirt ringers drove the truck at the two Eldora Speedway rounds as Chris Windom and Kyle Strickler placed fourteenth and eighteenth, respectively. The number has a history of winning on dirt as Bubba Wallace scored the 2014 Eldora victory when it was used by Kyle Busch Motorsports.

“NASCAR Cup Series standouts and Ford Performance drivers Joey Logano and Harrison Burton will compete in the Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway for David Gilliland Racing,” begins the official team statement.

This weekend see’s Formula 1 return to Australia after two years away due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, BWT Alpine F1 Team Reserve Driver, Australian Oscar Piastri, is incredibly excited for the Grand Prix.

Piastri is perhaps one of the most excited team members in the paddock this weekend, as the Australian not only gets to celebrate the sport returning to his home country, but he also gets to celebrate his twenty-first birthday!

The reigning Formula 2 World Champion and all-round Australian hero, has had a busy week ahead of the Grand Prix after taking part in a number of events. Piastri began the trip in his hometown just down the road from his family home and school, at the world-famous Brighton Bathing Boxes. This was followed by a tour of the 100,000 seater Melbourne Cricket Ground, which then saw him round-off his trip with a karting display at Todd Road, where his racing journey began eleven-years ago!

Piastri can’t wait for the Australian Grand Prix to get going and is expecting a monster crowd, you’d imagine it won’t be long until he takes part in the Grand Prix himself.

“It’s going to be a big old week, that’s for sure! My birthday on the Wednesday, Grand Prix weekend immediately afterwards. Obviously, this is the first time back for the Australian Grand Prix in the last couple of years. It’s going to be a massive crowd and a big event, which I’m looking forward. Being able to see my family on top of everything else going on; it’s very special for me.”