Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Derek Griffith will make the jump to the NASCAR Xfinity Series for “multiple races” in 2022. Sam Hunt Racing announced Wednesday that Griffith will drive the #26 Toyota GR Supra on a part-time basis beginning with the Martinsville Speedway race on 8 April.

A Toyota programme driver, Griffith made his Camping World Truck Series début in 2021 at Gateway, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports. He finished twenty-sixth.

Much of his career has been spent in super late models, enjoying success in the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) and World Series of Asphalt with championships in both. Since 2020, he has also sporadically competed in the ARCA Menards Series and its Eastern division. In ten ARCA starts, he has top tens in all but two, while he won the pole and finished second in his maiden ARCA East start.

“It’s a dream come true for me. I thought after running in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series last year that it would be the peak of my career, but to get together with Sam Hunt Racing, it’s going to help elevate me to new levels,” Griffith stated. “It’s just perfect timing for me. I’ve been working hard to try and get something together since the end of 2021 and keep the ball rolling. I had the opportunity to race a lot last year, but it’s hard to get into a rhythm with just one or two races at a higher level.

“Sam Hunt Racing wanted me to race for them just as much as I wanted to race for them. Everything fell right into place for us. I’ve heard some great things about Sam and his team—everything seems in line for them to be successful. Sam is really excited about having me on board to try and build a future.”

Van Amersfoort Racing have announced the signing of Argentinian driver Franco Colapinto to race with them for the 2022 season in their debut in FIA Formula 3, he will be racing alongside Rafael Villagómez and Reece Ushijima. Signing the dotted line off the back of a busy season, where he divided his time between single-seater and racing in the LMP2 category.

Colapinto finished sixth last season in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, there were appearances for the Argentinian in the World Endurance Championship and both the European and Asian Le Mans Series.

The 18-year-old made has already got some experience in the Formula 3 car making his debut in the machinery at the post-season test in Valencia where he was no slouch setting the fastest time on the second day.

Colapinto had a great time in his first outing in the machinery he will be driving this season, being more powerful than the FRECA car he had been used to driving all year but perhaps surprisingly handles similar to the LMP2 car he had been driving in the endurance categories of the sport.

“I really enjoyed my first time in the F3 car, it is obviously way more powerful than the FRECA car, but at the same time has surprisingly similar driving characteristics to the LMP2 car; fast and loads of downforce.”

The new Porsche LMDh Prototype has hit the track for the first time as the German marque returns to the premiere tier of sports car racing in 2023, running the car in both FIA WEC World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

With the race debut at the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona a year away, the manufacturer started testing the twin-turbo V8 unite that complements the standard hybrid elements in a private test. The engine will run on renewable fuels, meaning a significant reduction in CO2 emissions compared to previous engines; During the race the hybrid drive will output around 500kW (680 PS).

“We were spoiled for choice with the engine for our LMDh prototype, because the product range offers several promising baseline units,” explained Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “We decided on the V8-biturbo, which we feel offers the best combination of performance characteristics, weight and costs. The kick-off to the active test programme was an important step for the project.”

Urs Kuratle, Overall Project Manager LMDh at Porsche Motorsport added, “The rollout of the LMDh racing car was also the first track outing for Porsche Penske Motorsport. The squad worked well together right from the start. This shows a high level of professionalism in all areas.

“After all, the operational requirements for the safe running of a hybrid vehicle are very high. In the next outings we will focus on going deeper into the required processes and procedures. During these first test days at Weissach, the V8-biturbo impressed us in every respect. We’re convinced that we’ve chosen precisely the right unit.”

Living up to the number in its name, G2G Racing will field two trucks full-time for the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. Matt Jaskol will drive the #46 Toyota Tundra Pro for the full schedule, while the #47 will be split between Johnny Sauter, Roger Reuse, and owner Tim Viens; Sauter will run thirteen of the twenty-three races.

G2G, which stands for Glory 2 God, was announced last May by Viens after he purchased unused Tundras from Kyle Busch Motorsports. Viens has raced for multiple teams in the Xfinity and Truck Series since 2015, though he failed to qualify for his two Truck attempts in 2021 with CMI Motorsports. Ten of his fourteen career Truck starts came in 2020.

Jaskol joins the team for his first foray into the Truck Series. A former open-wheel racer and Red Bull USA member, he ran six Xfinity races in 2021 for MBM Motorsports with a best finish of nineteenth at Mid-Ohio. The 4 Less family of brands, which includes AutoParts4Less and LiftKits4Less, follows him from MBM to G2G.

“I can’t fully express how grateful I am to have this opportunity with G2G Racing and have the continued support from AutoParts4less.com & LiftsKits4Less.com,” said Jaskol. “All I’ve wanted is a chance to work with a team for a full season, and it looks like I’m finally going to get to do just that.”

Sauter is easily the most decorated driver of the quartet, with starts across NASCAR’s three national series and a Truck Series championship in 2016. He has twenty-four career Truck victories and finished in the top ten in points every year between 2009 and 2019. However, the last two seasons with ThorSport Racing saw him fall on tough times as he missed the playoffs both years.

Newly formed GT3 team 7TSIX has confirmed its entry for the 2022 Intelligent Money British GT Championship season, bringing a McLaren 720S GT3 to the grid with 2020 GT4 Pro-Am champions Mia Flewitt and Euan Hankey behind the wheel.

Flewitt and Hankey have seen success together for a number of seasons; in 2017 Flewitt entered in to her first GT4 competition with Hankey as her mentor, claiming the inaugural Pure McLaren GT Series title in the next season with podiums at each of the 12 rounds including five race wins. 2018 saw her defend the title along with making her British GT debut at selected rounds.

2019 saw the pair team up as drivers for the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi, taking second place in the GT4 class. For 2020 they moved in to a full season of the British GT Champioship with a Pro-Am entry, taking an overall GT4 win at the first round and going on to be crowned Pro-Am champions.

Aside from acting as a coach, McLaren Factory Driver Hankey has seen success across a variety of high level GT series, including multiple podiums and race wins across GT4, GT3 and GTE competition; 2022 will mark his fourth season entry into the British GT championship.

“It has been a rollercoaster ride since I joined the grid for the first time back in 2017, and it is great to continue gathering momentum,” explained Flewitt. “I am so pleased to continue my journey with Euan, who has been a key part of each step so far, and we are more motivated than ever for this latest challenge in the British GT championship.

Josh Bilicki has joined DGM Racing for the NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway on 19 February. He will drive the #36 Chevrolet Camaro. Zeigler Automotive Group and Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts will be primary sponsors.

“Starting the new race season at Daytona is always a very important piece to the puzzle, so I am very excited to be joining DGM Racing in their #36 Chevrolet Camaro,” said Bilicki. “While it will be my first time with the organisation, I am familiar with the team and how strong they have ran at superspeedways in the past.”

Bilicki is already scheduled to race part-time in the Cup and Xfinity Series for Spire Motorsports and Alpha Prime Racing, respectively. His full itinerary with the former was not revealed beyond his first race coming at Fontana, while the latter will be a six-race schedule beginning at Circuit of the Americas in May. Much of Bilicki’s APR slate will come on road courses, though he has two oval dates at Darlington and Richmond.

Daytona is the site of Bilicki’s maiden NASCAR top ten when he finished tenth in the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400. That year, he ran the full Cup schedule for Rick Ware Racing, though he was not eligible for Rookie of the Year honours as he switched to Xfinity points midseason.

The news all but confirms that unless the team suddenly decides to field a fourth car, Alex Labbé will not return to the team for a full schedule. Labbé has been the #36’s main driver since 2018, and ended 2021 with a nineteenth-place points finish and three top tens. The Canadian has not revealed his 2022 plans.

Fortec Motorsport have announced Joel Granfors as their second driver for the 2022 GB3 Championship season, joining fellow Scandinavian, and GB3 race-winner Mikkel Grundtvig.

He finished fourth in the 2021 F4 British Championship after one win and eight podiums with Fortec, in his first season racing outside his native Sweden. His move up to GB3 had been rumoured since he began testing with the team over winter.

Winning and setting fastest laps at Thruxton, as well as at Snetterton and Knockhill on the British Touring Car Championship support bill, Granfors convinced Team Manager Oliver Dutton that he was ready to make the step up to Britain’s premier single-seater championship.

“We are ecstatic to welcome Joel back for another year with us at Fortec Motorsport,” Dutton said.

“He was a great asset last season and was instantly on the pace again in testing this winter.

Zak Brown says Pato O’Ward’s quickest way of getting himself into Formula 1 will be to win the NTT IndyCar Series title as the Mexican continues to be linked with the move.

O’Ward was a two-time winner in IndyCar with the Arrow McLaren SP team in 2021 and tested a McLaren F1 Team car for the first time during the post season young driver test after Brown offered him the chance if he was to take his car to victory lane last year.

And Brown, the CEO of McLaren, says O’Ward will find his way into Formula 1 faster if he follows in the footsteps of the likes of Juan Pablo Montoya, Alex Zanardi and Jacques Villeneuve by winning the IndyCar title before making the switch over to Formula 1.

“That’s exactly what I told him. The quickest way to F1 is to go and do what Juan Pablo Montoya or Alex Zanardi or Jacques Villeneuve or Michael Andretti did – go win in IndyCar,” said Brown to Motorsport.com.

“That will be your best chance of getting into F1.”

Jonathan Wheatley says that whilst it is hard to predict the running order for the 2022 teams due to the huge change in aero regulations heading into the new season, he does believe Scuderia Ferrari could be a dark horse this year.

Wheatley, the sporting director at Red Bull Racing, believes the Italian outfit could be one to watch, particularly if the rumours of improvements and big gains to their power units is proven to be true. 

Ferrari also switched their full attention to designing their 2022 challenger – the F1-75 – earlier than Red Bull did, mainly fact to the Milton Keynes-based outfit were involved in a titanic battle with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team in 2021 for both World Championship titles.

“I think it’s very difficult to predict at this point. You only have your own references compared with last year’s car,” Wheatley said to The Jack Threlfall Show.  “You can get snippets of information from other teams, but you don’t know if they are telling you the truth or just trying to make you worried.

“Basically, you have to look at your own office desk and you have to do the best job you possibly can with that.  Ferrari, certainly the power unit, looked very strong at the end of the year. They were clearly the third fastest team at the end of the year.

Two of Sir Jackie Stewart’s championship winning Tyrrells will go on show this summer at Thirlstane Castle as part of a new motoring festival in aid of Race Against Dementia.

The ‘Sir Jackie Stewart Classic – Presented by Rolex’ event will see the fabled Tyrrell 003 that Stewart took to the 1971 World Drivers’ Championship, his second title having taken his first back in 1969.

The event will also see the Tyrrell 006 that saw Stewart clinch his third and final World Championship in 1973, the year that also saw the Scottish legend retire from the sport after the passing of his then team-mate Francois Cevert.

Race Against Dementia is a global charity that was founded by Sir Jackie himself, with his wife Helen amongst the fifty million or more diagnosed with the life-changing disease across the globe.  It is believed that one in three individuals will suffer from dementia during their lifetimes.

And the festival at Thirlstane Castle will see the two Tyrrells on show as they bid to highlight the disease further and raise awareness and funding at the same time.

Ahead of the highly-anticipated 2022 Formula One season, the Alpine F1 Team have announced two key in-house promotions in preparation for the opening pre-season test at the end of the month.

The promotions include Pat Fry moving up to become Chief Technical Officer, and Matt Harman who is now Technical Director. The promotions come as a result of a new organisation initiated by the team back in November, to maximise the team’s performance and to be fighting for the title within one-hundred days of Alpine’s return to the sport.

Fry’s role will involve overseeing all technical activities at the team’s Enstone base, as well as setting the team’s performance targets. Fry will play a crucial role in the team’s operation.

Harman who was previously the team’s Engineering Director, will oversee the team’s experiments on track as well as take responsibility for the team’s circuit performance. Harman joined the team back in 2018, having spent eighteen years at Mercedes.

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi, believes that the promotions made will enable Alpine to further progress, especially after a successful 2021 season.

The Uralkali Haas F1 Team will be the first team of 2022 to reveal their official livery for the upcoming season, as the American team set this Friday as their official VF-22 launch date.

It is a huge year for Haas, who sacrificed their entire 2021 season to develop their 2022 car, due to the vast change in the technical regulations. Both Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin will be hoping for a car capable of challenging the midfield, and potentially scoring some valuable points.

The team have also announced a multi-year partnership with Dutch company Tricorp Workwear, who will become the team’s official kit supplier.

Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner is very pleased to be welcoming Tricorp Workwear onboard!

“I’m pleased to introduce Tricorp Workwear as an official partner of Uralkali Haas F1 Team. This season is set to be the longest in the history of Formula 1 – with 23 races – hence it’s crucial that our team feels that they have the most comfortable and hard wearing workwear possible to go out and achieve great things on track. With their sustainability credentials and forward-thinking approach to clothing, I’m excited to see our collaboration grow through multiple years.”

The Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN have announced that they will be revealing their 2022 challenger at the end of February, after the first pre-season test of the season. The C42 will be officially launched on the twenty-seventh February.

Both Valtteri Bottas and rookie Guanyu Zhou will be involved in an online press conference after the launch, which is set to be done completely digitally. It’s an exciting time for the Alfa Romeo team, despite their dismal 2021 campaign. A new team name and an all new driver line-up, as well as the brand-new regulations gives the Swiss team many reasons to feel excited ahead of the new season.

Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur, Technical Director Jan Monchaux and reserve driver Robert Kubica will all be involved too in the online press conference following the digital launch.

For the opening pre-season test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Alfa Romeo will run a special testing livery. The first test takes place from the 23rd-25th February.

Red Bull Racing will become one of the first team to unveil their 2022 challenger, as the team announced that the RB18 will be launched on the ninth February.

With the biggest technical regulation change in Formula One history taking place for the 2022 season, there is much excitement around all of the team’s launches for the upcoming campaign. Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen will be eager to get behind the wheel of the RB18, as he attempts to retain his World Driver’s Title.

Red Bull are well-known for pushing the limits and exploring new territories, their launch will be no different. The team are continuing this tradition by moving beyond the traditional car launch, by allowing fans to host the unveiling via their own social media channels.

Through Red Bull’s digital loyalty platform The Paddock, fans have the opportunity to host the launch through their media channels, in what Red Bull are hoping will create a fan first multi-channel experience.

Former Formula 1 racer Jos Verstappen will be making a comeback in motorsport as he makes his rally debut on 26 February.

Verstappen, who last raced in Formula 1 in 2003 before going on to take part in A1GP and competing in prototype racing, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will try rallying for the first time as he enters Rally van Haspengouw in the national Belgian rally series in a Citroën C3 Rally2.

Sitting right beside Verstappen will be the experienced co-driver Kris Botson and the pair will be entered for DG Sport Competition

“I look forward to the competition, because I have found that I really enjoy this sport and its unpredictability. I have a great team in the background, but at the same time I have to understand my own limits.” Verstappen commented about his rally debut.

“In the rally, experience is very important, getting it is my biggest challenge. The rally is completely new to me and there has been nothing like it in my career. Everything in the car is new, as is the notation. I don’t have time to get acquainted with things, so I have to drive full speed right away, but at the same time we need to avoid unnecessary risks.”