Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

In December, SSR Performance announced that they will be participating in the 2022 DTM series with a pair of Porsche 911 GT3 R’s, at the time the driver line up was unconfirmed, but today (7 March) Porsche Works driver Laurens Vanthoor, and Porsche contracted driver Dennis Olsen have been unveiled as drivers fro the season ahead.

Stefan Schlund, managing director, SSR Performance was delighted to secure the pair of drivers, “I am enormously happy with the selection and by Porsche making the drivers available for this project. I am convinced that we have a powerful brigade and can be successful with both the #92 and the #94 car.”

30-year-old Vanthoor brings with him a wealth of experience as a GT driver, including IMSA GTLM and GTD title wins, a FIA GT World Cup win and victories in the 24-hour races at Le Mans, Spa-Francorchamps, the Nürburgring and Dubai; The Belgian will drive the #92 car.

“I am massively looking forward to the season,” said Vanthoor. “The team has made a name for itself in the sport within a really short time and I am looking forward to working with them now. The season will certainly not be easy because competition is really strong. Nevertheless, it is our ambition to be successful. For me, being alone in the car is a while ago, motivation is accordingly high. As far as I am concerned, it can start,”

While 25-year-old Olsen doesn’t have the experience of his team-mate, he does bring Porsche experience with him, having worked up the Porsche Pyramid, starting out in the national Carrera Cup series, taking the championship in Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland in 2017, along with victories on the way to second place in the 2019 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. The Norwegian has also claimed wins in IMSA, Intercontinental GT Series, 9 Horus of Kylami and the 12 Hours of Bathurst, all in Porsche machinery.

The NASCAR Cup Series‘ Next Gen car promised to be more difficult to drive to challenge a pilot’s abilities, and Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway did just that. Sin City became Spin City as multiple drivers spun while battling their way in the seventh-generation Cup car. For Alex Bowman, the only spinning he was doing was a victory burnout.

A gamble to take two tyres ahead of overtime proved correct as it placed him alongside Hendrick Motorsports team-mate and defending race winner Kyle Larson on the front row for the restart. The two raced side-by-side for the two laps before Bowman had enough of a run in the final two corners to pull away and win at Vegas for the first time.

Christopher Bell won the pole ahead of Larson. Kyle Busch wrecked in practice and switched to a backup car, while Cole Custer (engine part), Daniel Hemric (transaxle), and Tyler Reddick (steering rack) went to the rear after changing certain components.

Bell led for the only time from the start of the race to the competition caution on lap 30. Ryan Blaney became the new leader until Custer became the first spinner on lap 37. Busch and Justin Haley suffered the same fate shortly after the ensuing restart, followed by Reddick on lap 63. Amid the spin cycle, Bowman took the lead with two laps before the stage conclusion to win ahead of Hendrick Motorsports team-mate William Byron, Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Larson, Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Busch, and Bell.

Michael McDowell elected to stay out between stages, a play that ended in disaster on lap 93 when he got loose on older tyres and caused Briscoe to swerve into Daniel Suárez. Brad Keselowski, also with aged tyres, was the next driver to spin and did so on lap 103 in front of former Team Penske ally Ryan Blaney, ending the latter’s race. Penske and Briscoe’s woes continued thirty laps later when the latter and Austin Cindric spun on their own. Another caution flew on lap 141 for Bell going around.

Ty Gibbs‘ prodigious performance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series continued Saturday when he dominated the final restart to win the Alsco Uniforms 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but it came after a tumultuous day for the 19-year-old phenom. Much of his race day was dominated by a rivalry with Ryan Sieg after the two collided twice and a forty-minute red flag for, unexpectedly, snow in the Nevada desert.

Gibbs started his race in eleventh, though he and fifteen other drivers were ordered to the rear for switching to a backup car following damage to their primaries the previous week at Fontana; teams were supposed to use the same car for both races, though crashes and other incidents resulted in so many drivers at the back that it was basically a field inversion. As pole winner A.J. Allmendinger and eventual stage winner Noah Gragson dominated the segment, Gibbs’ climb through the field saw him feud with Sieg after contact sent the latter into the wall just three laps in.

Although the incident was attributed to Gibbs being over-aggressive rather than malice, Sieg was livid over the radio and vowed to return the favour. However, he had to wait until the snow cleared up when it forced a red flag after twenty laps. During the wait, Sieg called out Gibbs for his driving style, especially as he has “the best car in the garage.” Gibbs took responsibility during his red flag interview with FOX Sports and further apologised in his post-race interview, saying it “wasn’t my best decision and I’m sorry to their whole group. Ryan’s family, they worked so hard, so I want to apologise to them.”

Despite Gibbs’ apology, Sieg was eager to exact revenge and tried to execute his plan on lap 30, though it completely backfired instead. As Gibbs attempted to pass him in turn four, Sieg moved up to squeeze him into the wall. However, this resulted in Sieg’s decklid coming off and him spinning into the outside wall, with Brett Moffitt and Sheldon Creed as innocent victims when they tried to thread the needle between Sieg and the barrier.

The opening stage finally ended with a JR Motorsports podium sweep as Gragson led Sam Mayer and Josh Berry. Gibbs, Ryan Truex, Allmendinger, Austin Hill, Brandon Jones, Daniel Hemric, and John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top ten.

FIA Formula 1 and the Russian Grand Prix organisers have gone separate ways after confirming the termination of their race contract on 3 March 2022.

The future of the Russian Grand Prix did not look promising, after an announcement on 25 February confirmed that plans for a 2022 event later in the year had been ‘suspended’ due to the current situation in Ukraine.

The upcoming season was intended to be the final year in which the drivers would race around the layout introduced in 2014, as an announcement from last June would see the Russian Grand Prix switch from Sochi to a ‘purpose-built’ circuit called Autodrom Igora Drive in St Petersburg. However, the termination of the contract between F1 and Russian Grand Prix organisers means the drivers and teams will no longer be participating in Russia, and this circuit will not make an appearance on an F1 calendar.

As of now, Formula 1 has not confirmed a replacement for this year’s spot on the calendar, nor has a venue for future seasons been announced. However, the official Russian Grand Prix organisers also released a statement regarding the contract termination and explained that refunds will now be available for ticket holders to apply for – after previously telling people to wait in case plans for the grand prix continued again.

“Due to FIA’s decision, the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix 2022 in Sochi has been cancelled. The agreement between the official promoter of the Russian Grand Prix ANO ROSGONKI and FORMULA 1 has been terminated,” the statement claims.

Fernando Alonso’s latest venture in motorsport has seen him co-found a new management agency, which will aid young drivers as they make their way through the junior formulae.

The veteran Spaniard, who will race for the BWT Alpine F1 Team in 2022 after returning to Formula 1 with the team last year after a two-year hiatus, has set up the agency – called A14 Management – alongside his owner manager Alberto Albilares as well as Albert Resclosa Coll, who he has previous links with back in his karting days in the 1990s.

French driver Clément Novalak, who will race with MP Motorsport in FIA Formula 2 in 2022, and Bulgarian teenager Nikola Tsolov, who will compete in Spanish Formula 4, are A14 Management’s first acquisitions.  Novalak’s appointment comes as little surprise as he was already under the management of Coll prior to the formation of the agency.

The agencies aim is to help young drivers progress through from karting into single seater racing, aiding their development and maximising their potential.

“A14 Management was born with the illusion of instilling what the sport has taught us in young drivers,” reads the statement on A14 Management’s home page.

The 2022 NTT IndyCar Series rookie class has finally hit the road, making their debuts at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg last weekend. Six drivers make up an incredibly talented group with diverse backgrounds across the world of motorsport from Formula 2 to Indy Lights. Though the 2021 rookie class may be regarded as one of the most star-studded groups of all time with Romain Grosjean, Jimmie Johnson, and newest race-winner Scott McLaughlin, this new crop of drivers are looking to make their mark on the series.

In this new segment to our NTT IndyCar Series coverage, we will take a closer look at the individual performances of the rookies as they take on their first taste of IndyCar action.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD – RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING

QUALIFYING: FIFTEENTH – RACE: ELEVENTH (+4)

Lundgaard took the IndyCar world by storm last year in his debut race, qualifying fourth in the 2021 Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix. His first qualifying session as a full-time IndyCar driver with RLL didn’t quite recapture the magic, knocked out in the first group of the first round of qualifying.

The Danish driver lost more ground at the start of the race as he fell down to twentieth place by the end of the first lap. After starting on the harder black-walled Firestone tyres, a long run on the softer, red-walled alternate tyres during his second stint allowed Lundgaard to make up a lot of ground. His final stop onto another set of blacks cycled him out in ninth place, battling with Takuma Sato and Marcus Ericsson. Both the veterans managed to work their way past the rookie with three laps remaining, pushing Lundgaard to eleventh.

“In the end I think the balance of the car was decent today, we just didn’t have the proper pace that the Penske cars had,” Lundgaard said. “So, I think to come home with a result like this is pretty good on our first weekend.”

Following the announcement that his contract with the Haas F1 Team was being terminated prior to the start of the 2022 season, Nikita Mazepin has revealed his disappointment over the decision, feeling he was prepared to accept the FIA’s proposals to allow him to race.

Mazepin and Haas title sponsor Uralkali – which is owned by Nikita’s father Dmitri Mazepin – both saw their contracts with the American team terminated on the back of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

However, the younger Mazepin has revealed that he was willing to accept the conditions given to Russian drivers that would have allowed him to race, including racing under a neutral flag without any flags or symbols that would identify as Russian.

But despite this, Haas opted to release him from his contract after just one season, leaving a vacancy on the grid ahead of the start of the year, which is less than two weeks away, a decision that has left the Russian driver disappointed.

“Dear fans and followers, I am very disappointed to hear that my F1 contract has been terminated,” Mazepin said in a statement on social media. 

Nikita Mazepin’s time in Formula 1 is over – for now – after the Haas F1 Team terminated his contract ahead of the second pre-season test as a response to Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine.

The FIA had already applied sanctions to Russian drivers and teams in recent days, and a lot of pressure was being applied to Haas as they decided on whether or not they would keep Mazepin and title sponsors Uralkali.

After a few days of deliberation, the team opted to sever ties with both, leaving a vacancy on the grid ahead of the start of the season, which is less than two weeks away in Bahrain.

In a statement on Saturday morning, Haas said they had opted to terminate the contract with both Mazepin and Uralkali as they were saddened and shocked by the events taking place between Russia and Ukraine.

“Haas F1 Team has elected to terminate, with immediate effect, the title partnership of Uralkali, and the driver contract of Nikita Mazepin,” read the statement.

Williams Racing announced on Friday that Michelin Starred Chef Niall Keating, has joined the team for the 2022 season as a brand associate.

Niall is one of the most decorated chefs not only in the UK but across the world. The 31-year-old is one of the few chefs in the UK to have earned two Michelin stars, which he staggeringly achieved before the age of 30! 

Keating was awarded his first star in 2018 while working at The Dining Room at Whatley Manor Hotel, Wiltshire, just eight months after opening. That same year he also won Michelin’s Young European Chef award and received a second Michelin star for The Dining Room in 2019. 2020 saw him star on BBC2’s Great British Menu, where he was crowned Champion of Champions, further proving the incredible talent Keating possesses.

Keating, who is a strong advocate for sustainability in the gastronomy industry, became one of the first UK chefs to receive a Green Star in January 2021, a new distinction from Michelin to recognise restaurants that are leading the way in the industry on sustainable practices.

As a brand associate, Niall will join Williams at eight Grand Prix events across the season. The partnership will see the chef create a set of exciting sustainable, fine dining menus for Williams’ trackside guests, something which they will all certainly enjoy. Williams’ Head Chef, Dan Motchman, will also get the opportunity to work with Keating, to develop food concepts and menus for the team and special celebrations when needed.

In Formula 1 and in Motorsport in general, driver, fan and marshal safety is always paramount, which is why the FIA approving new advanced debris fencing is excellent for the motor-racing world.

Swiss development company Geobrugg, have been working on new advanced debris fencing which will not only improve driver safety but also spectator visibility. Motorsports Governing Body the FIA, approved the new fence design which enables wider spacing between fence posts, improves driver safety, fan visibility but also increases the sustainability of Grade 1 circuits.

The fences will be used at Grade 1 circuits that host Formula 1 and other top-level championships across the world. Before the fences were introduced, steel fence posts were found four metres apart, the new fencing will see that distance increased to six metres, therefore reducing the chance of a driver having an impact with a steel fence post.

This would theoretically reduce the strength of the catch fencing in theory, however as well as the posts being further apart, the catch fencing has seen an increased cable diameter of 16mm in combination with high tensile helix spirals to connect the cable to the mesh. The fencing was put through rigorous testing to get FIA approval.

The tests included a 780kg sphere fired at it from a cannon at 60kph and a full-size car impacting at 150kph. After successfully passing the tests, Geobrugg found that the 6m post solution further increases the safety for open cockpit series and bike riders, by decreasing the likelihood of impact with a debris fence post. 

Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN have partnered up with Global Content Service Provider Hyland, with the aim of driving better business performance.

The partnership between the pair also has the aim of helping the team make better informed and data-driven decisions, something which will be key as Formula 1 enters a new era. As a company Hyland enables thousands of organisations to deliver better experiences to their customers, one of which is now Alfa Romeo!

Like with most partnerships, Hyland branding will be visible on the outer side of the halo on the C42 cars of Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou, as well as on the team’s garage walls and other team properties.

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal of Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN recognises that F1 relies on speed both on and off the track, he hopes the partnership with Hyland will improve their performance at both.

“The world of Formula One relies on speed and agility: not just on the track but also in the factory, where new developments are designed and produced from one race to the other. This agile philosophy is shared by the team and Hyland. By applying advanced technologies and solutions to predict, respond and adapt to the speed of change, Hyland, as it does for all business partners, will help us make the next step forward.”

Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN announced yet another new partnership last Monday, this time with Global Production Leader Camozzi Group. Camozzi Group are the global leader in the production of components and systems for high-tech industrial automation, adding yet further expertise to the rapidly expanding Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN.

Camozzi Group have enjoyed plenty of success within Formula 1, the Italian company are experts in a variety of fields, which Alfa Romeo will certainly be hoping to make the most of. These areas include, additive manufacturing, mechatronics and production process modelling.

The partnership agreement also includes a brilliant new talent and knowledge exchange programme, through the creation of a joint development lab involving the Camozzi Research Centre in Milan, Italy, and the Sauber Technologies headquarters in Hinwil, Switzerland.

Camozzi branding will be featured on the sidepod air inlets on the team’s C42 cars and also inside the garage.

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal of Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN believes the Camozzi Group are perfect for the team.

From 2011 to 2013, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was dubbed the Smith’s 350 as part of Smith’s Food & Drug Store’s sponsorship that had taken place since 2006. While it is now known as the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200, Friday’s race still ended with a battle of the Smiths as Chandler Smith chased down Zane Smith and overtook him on the final lap to win. A Smith 1–2 finish was subsequently denied when Zane was disqualified for lug nut violations.

Kyle Busch Motorsports entries swept the podium in qualifying with John Hunter Nemechek leading boss Kyle Busch and Chandler Smith. Busch, a Cup Series driver making his first of five annual allowed Truck starts and an obvious favourite regardless of race he runs, led early before the Smiths passed him. The stage ended under caution when a five-abreast situation on the frontstretch ended with Zane clipping Colby Howard and shooting him into Matt Crafton, spinning him up the track into Chase Purdy and Hailie Deegan. Ben Rhodes led at the time of the crash and won the stage ahead of Chandler, Tanner Gray, Jack Wood, Carson Hocevar, Crafton, Busch, Nemechek, Ty Majeski, and Ryan Preece.

Two-time Truck champion Todd Bodine, who was making his first series start since 2013, was responsible for the lone caution of Stage #2 when he spun on lap 56 to set up a two-lap run to the finish. Although Carson Hocevar and Busch led much of the segment’s laps, Rhodes came out on top again with Busch, Majeski, Nemechek, Gray, Chandler, Crafton, Christian Eckes, Stewart Friesen, and Derek Kraus in tow.

Perhaps as expected from the Truck Series in recent times, the final stage exploded in chaos as six cautions for wrecks occurred beginning with Wood spinning while racing Chase Purdy on lap 73. Bodine hit the wall and suffered damage on lap 91, though he was able to continue racing. Hocevar’s night ended as the race reached 100 circuits following a spin through the frontstretch grass. Rhodes, despite winning the first two stages, was knocked on lap 105 out after being sandwiched between former ThorSport Racing team-mate Grant Enfinger and current colleague Majeski, causing him to go around into the outside wall. Kris Wright spun on lap 120. The final yellow flag waved with eight laps remaining for Eckes being turned into the wall while trying to block Busch. Amid the wrecking, Nemechek, Busch, and Chandler Smith led the bulk of the laps.

Eckes’ accident resulted in the green flag waving with three laps remaining. Zane Smith led the first two laps as Chandler gave chase. Chandler found a run on the backstretch and cleared his surname brethren for the lead in turn three and pulled away to win his third career race.

Scuderia AlphaTauri announced last Monday that Randstad Italia, the global leader in HR services, would remain as the team’s official HR Partner for at least the next three seasons. As part of the extension between the pair, the Randstad logo will appear on the drivers’ race suits, team members’ clothing and on the AT03 for the Italian, Dutch and Miami Grand Prix’s.

Randstad was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands. Both companies strive to nurture young and exciting talent through the Formula Future Programme, which the pair will be continuing. The programme covers technical, scientific and engineering disciplines, all aimed at careers in Formula 1. In 2021, over 3000 candidates applied to join the Formula Future programme and 41 of those were selected to participate. Following the completion of the programme 90% of these employees then went on to join Scuderia AlphaTauri on a permanent basis.

Scuderia AlphaTauri Team Principal, Franz Tost, is very pleased that the partnership has been extended, especially with the expertise that Randstad provide.

“We’re pleased to be extending our partnership with Randstad. Having their expertise on-board for a further three seasons is very beneficial to us, as we continue to work closely together across a variety of HR projects, including the Formula Future programme. This joint venture has been a big accomplishment for the partnership so far, as we have been able to select, train and develop young talents to help grow our team and we hope to continue its success as we work together in the upcoming seasons.”

Marco Ceresa, Group CEO Randstad Italy, are equally delighted to see the deal between the pair continue until at least the end of 2024, Ceresa is hopeful that the pair will continue to achieve great things with each other.

The Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN announced an exciting brand-new partnership last Monday, with dairy brand AMX, who are a premium yoghurt.

The deal will see AMX branding on the nose of the C42 as well as on the front wheel winglets. AMX are a premium yoghurt under the Yili dairy product company, who are a leader in the milk and dairy products sector in China and East Asia.

The premium yoghurt is available in sucrose-free varieties designed to appeal to sportspeople, fitness lovers and other people with a taste for adventure, arguably making it the perfect dairy product for a Formula 1 driver.

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal of Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN is looking forward to working with the company in the Chinese market.

“AMX is a cool brand, targeted at people who want to explore their sense of adventure. In this regard, they reflect what we do as we go racing around the world, and the pioneering spirit of AMX is something that sounds true to us as well. We are looking forward to working with them on the Chinese market, and to reaching out with our team and our sport to a new audience together with Zhou Guanyu.”