Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

The Motorsport UK 5 Nations British Rallycross Championship embarked on a brand new charity partnership back in November 2021 with Prostate Cancer UK, hoping to raise awareness of the disease which affects approximately one in eight men in the UK. They also hope to support the charity in it’s mission to fund lifesaving research to improve testing, treatments, and care for those affected by the disease.

Rallycross competitor Ian Luffman-Smith, who plans to compete in 5 Nations BRX next season once he’s secured the necessary competition licence is one of those affected by the disease and partly the reason behind the choice of charity partner. Here is Ian’s story:

“Having been adopted I had no idea about my birth parents’ family medical history, they say prostate cancer can run in the family. My first concern was that something wasn’t quite right in April 2021. My bladder flow was suddenly restricted, and I started to feel more fatigued and was getting up several times a night to use the loo.
I saw my GP, who was hesitant to offer me a PSA blood test

“However, I had a gut feeling something wasn’t right, so I saw my GP again. I asked a second time for an NHS PSA test which he agreed to. After a couple of weeks my doctor contacted me to say the test showed I had an extremely high prostate level of 92. A normal level is between 4 and 6.

“The next step was to see a professor in oncology at the hospital. He did a rectal examination and said my prostate was definitely abnormal and given the high PSA reading there was a probability it was prostate cancer. The next step was to have both a soft tissue CAT scan, and a bone scan to see if it had spread. The good news was that it hadn’t and was confined to the prostate. The next step was a biopsy, a very uncomfortable procedure. That confirmed the devastating news that I had stage 4 advanced and aggressive cancer.

“They said I would need radiation treatment, but before that I had to start hormone treatment. This was to stop the body producing testosterone, something which prostate cancer feeds on, and it also shrinks the prostate making it easier to treat with the radiation beam. I started hormone treatment in September via a slow-release capsule injected in the stomach. This has side effects, fatigue being the main one. You know how it feels when you haven’t slept for over 24 hours, imagine feeling like that constantly, even after a good night’s sleep. Other side effects include shrinking of the genitals and a complete loss of sexual appetite. 

“I started radiation treatment mid-January for an 8-week course which means going into hospital daily. Each morning you must have a mini enema to clear the bowels and drink a specified amount of water to ensure the bladder is the same size prior to each treatment. So, fingers crossed they can kill off the cancer.

“As for life expectancy, I probably only have a few years left because it wasn’t caught early. Unfortunately, with prostate cancer, once you start feeling the symptoms it is already quite advanced. So, it is vital for men over 50, black men and men with a family history of the disease. You also have to get over the embarrassment of having all the doctors and nurses looking at your private bits. But I will battle on to the end and will not let it get me down.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men with more than 11,500 dying from the disease each year – that’s one man every 45 minutes. And 47,500 men are diagnosed with it every year, 129 men every single day.

Prostate Cancer UK’s ambition is to stop prostate cancer damaging the lives of men and their families by spreading the word about who is at risk via a simple 30-second online risk checker.

You can help 5 Nations BRX fight the fight, by buying one of their charity calendars: https://www.askonline.shop/collections/5-nations-brx or by donating on their official Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/5nationsbrx

Prostate Cancer UK

About Prostate Cancer UK

Prostate Cancer UK has a simple ambition – to stop prostate cancer damaging the lives of men and their families.Investing into finding better treatments and tests that could save thousands of lives.Working with the NHS to make sure men get access to breakthrough tests and treatments.Spreading the word about who is at risk of prostate cancer, especially to those at higher risk.Supporting people dealing with prostate cancer and providing health information.Visit prostatecanceruk.org now to help beat this disease.@ProstateUK  #MenWeAreWithYou

About prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.More than 11,500 men die from prostate cancer in the UK each year – that’s one man every 45 minutes.More than 47,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year – that’s 129 men every day.1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. This raises to 1 in 4 for black men.Around 400,000 men are living with and after prostate cancer.A 30-second online risk checker is available at prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker Prostate cancer mainly affects men over 50 and the risk increases with age. But the risk is higher for black men or men with a family history of prostate cancer, so they may wish to speak to their GP from age 45.Prostate cancer often has no symptoms so men shouldn’t wait to see changes before they act.Anyone with concerns about prostate cancer may contact Prostate Cancer UK’s Specialist Nurses in confidence on 0800 074 8383 or online via the Live Chat instant messaging service: www.prostatecanceruk.org. The Specialist Nurse phone service is free to landlines and open from 9am to 8pm on Monday, 9am to 6pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 10am to 8pm on Wednesdays.

Envision Racing and Jaguar TCS Racing have had a close and fierce rivalry between the two of them over the years in Formula E. They have also had a driver who has driven for both teams in Sam Bird, who switched to Jaguar from Envision a couple of years ago. Now it looks like the two of them will be even closer on track in the coming years, as Envision has now signed a multi-year agreement for Jaguar to provide the team with powertrains. This will begin from the start of the Gen 3 era next year and replace Envision Racing‘s current powertrain supplier Audi, who pulled out of Formula E as a customer team last year. As with all the other teams, the batteries will be supplied by Williams Advanced Engineering.

Envision Racing and Jaguar TCS Racing have a combined number of 15 wins and 40 podiums so far in Formula E. As well as their racing aspirations, both teams are fully committed to sustainability via Jaguar Land Rover‘s Reimagine strategy (part of which involves making Jaguar a fully-electric brand by 2025) and Envision Racing‘s Race Against Climate Change strategy. Both of these factors resulted in Jaguar being Envision Racing‘s first choice as a brand new powertrain supplier and technical partner.

“We are pleased to announce that we will supply Envision Racing with our Jaguar Formula E powertrain in Gen3,” said James Barclay, Managing Director at Jaguar Land Rover Motorsport. “They are one of the most competitive teams in Formula E and it’s an honour that they want to use Jaguar’s powertrain technology in this new era of FIA Formula E. We look forward to working and achieving further successes together in the future. We have a huge amount of respect for Sylvain and all of the Envision Racing team – they are an ideal customer team for Jaguar.“

“Envision Racing will be able to optimise their own performance so we remain rivals on track. We race to innovate together and I’m excited to see four Jaguar powered Formula E race cars line up on the grid alongside each other next season.“

“Jaguar has been one of our fiercest competitors in Formula E since they joined the Championship in 2016,“ said Envision Racing’s Managing Director and CTO Sylvain Filippi. “The team’s advanced powertrain technology and overall commitment to its Formula E programme made them the most attractive option to us.“

It goes without saying that Sebastian Vettel is a star on paved circuit racing, being a four-time Formula One World Champion with fifty-three Grand Prix wins. But could he potentially add some off-road to his diet?

The past weekend’s Race of Champions saw a new surface for Vettel as he competed on an ice and snow race course in Pite Havsbad, Sweden. The event pitted drivers against each other in vehicles that are built for such climates such as the Polaris RZR PRO XP and Olsberg MSE’s rallycross-specific cars like the RX2e and Nitro Rallycross’ FC1-X; in fact, the only car that seemed more fitting for pavement was the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, and even that was set up for the Arctic Circle. Vettel, who grew up in karts and formula cars, was seemingly out of his element, but instead proved his meddle in Sunday’s individual tournament when he reached the final before losing 3–1 to legendary World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb.

While Loeb was the obvious favourite to win on such a surface, Vettel’s run has him considering more. Speaking to Dirtfish, Vettel confessed his fascination with off-road racing, remarking that “I need a lot of catching up, but I think I enjoy it a lot. I always enjoyed watching what they are doing. It’s a different discipline so you’re still having fun with a car but it’s just there are a lot of differences.”

Saturday’s Nations Cup was a learning experience for Vettel, who suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of esports driver Lucas Blakeley. Despite the upset, he and Team Germany partner Mick Schumacher reached as far as the quarter-final where they fell to Team USA, with Vettel losing to Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR Cup champion who grew up in off-road trucks.

The individual ROC saw Vettel get by Finland’s Emma Kimiläinen and USA’s Colton Herta, the latter victory coming on a tiebreaker, before beating Tom Kristensen of Team Nordic. Considering the environment, the odds were stacked against Vettel regarding potential opponents in the opposite bracket, with all eight drivers there having WRC or FIA World Rallycross experience. Had Travis Pastrana not been injured (which prompted Herta to take his spot), he would have been another formidable adversary for Vettel as a multi-time rally title winner and defending Nitro Rallycross champion, the latter of which he founded.

Greek rally enthusiast Jourdan Serderidis was the first private driver to test drive a Rally1 car, and that was with M-Sport Ford World Rally Team as they tested the new car with a selection of drivers at the end of 2021, now he will become the seventh driver confirmed to drive a Ford Puma Rally1 this season.

His last start in WRC was in 2021 when he contested his home rally in Greece, as the famous Acropolis Rally returned to the WRC circus, then in a Ford Fiesta WRC rented by M-Sport.

Now he is ready for two new WRC appearances in 2022 and it is far from the simplest rounds he has selected. He starts with the Safari Rally in Kenya and continues with another bet in Acropolis Rally in September together with Belgian co-driver Frederic Miclotte

On social media he has now revealed the design of his Puma for the two rallies and is also hoping to get an exemption from national rules to make some appearances with the car in national rallies in Belgium and Greece.

When Jesse Iwuji contests his first full NASCAR Xfinity Series season as an owner/driver, it will be in a Chevrolet Camaro SS. On Monday, Jesse Iwuji Motorsports (JIMS) announced it will field the #34 Camaro for Iwuji in 2022.

JIMS was formed in August by Iwuji and Emmitt Smith, the National Football League’s all-time leader in rushing yards who spent much of his career with the Dallas Cowboys. Iwuji grew up in Dallas County’s Carollton, Texas, and also played football in high school and the United States Naval Academy. The latter and his ensuing military service have made him a prominent ambassador for NASCAR and its military fanbase and communtiy.

When Iwuji began his professional motorsport career in road racing, one of his first vehicles was a Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06. While he has used all three NASCAR manufacturers—Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota—as a stock car driver, much of his starts have come with Chevy.

“The story of going from the Navy to NASCAR and having my Corvette play a key part in that journey makes this partnership not only authentic, but inspirational for any person out there looking to accomplish big goals and dreams,” Iwuji said Monday. “This journey gives people hope and shows how much life truly rewards those who stay strong enough, long enough.”

He has five career Xfinity starts since 2020. His series début, a twenty-sixth at Road America, came in an MBM Motorsports-owned Toyota while the next four were in Camaros for B.J. McLeod Motorsports and Mike Harmon Racing. Of the quintet, his best career finish came at his home track Texas in 2020 of twenty-third. Iwuji also has fifteen career Truck starts since 2018 with a pair of top twenties at Texas 2019 and Talladega 2020.

It is perhaps NASCAR‘s most ambitious plan in a long time. Many were rightfully skeptical when it was revealed. The premier Cup Series and its new Next Gen car racing in a temporary quarter-mile oval located in a college football stadium in the heart of Los Angeles? If one went back in time and presented this idea to another fan, they would likely be met with a confused look, if not boisterous laughter.

But that was what NASCAR did, and while it is too soon to make a proper retrospective, it might have been one of their biggest hits to date.

The Busch Light Clash, which had been held at Daytona International Speedway as a prelude to the season-opening Daytona 500 for over four decades, instead took place Sunday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the first time ever. After Saturday’s practice and night qualifying and the drama of the Last Chance Qualifier, the yellow-and-red car of Joey Logano held off pole winner Kyle Busch to win his second career Clash in a stadium whose primary tenant—the USC Trojans football team—wears red and yellow.

Busch, the reigning Clash winner, established himself as the early favourite when he set the fastest time in qualifying before dominating his heat race. Unlike previous Clashes where only a select few were invited, all thirty-six chartered cars participated which necessitated four heats and two LCQs to whittle down the grid to twenty-three for the final. The heats’ pole sitters Busch, Tyler Reddick, Justin Haley, and Logano all led flag to flag, though stories were aplenty in the midfield such as Cody Ware‘s dramatic effort to make the final for perennial underdog Rick Ware Racing and a crash involving Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Landon Cassill.

The first LCQ once again saw the first-place starter leading every lap with Denny Hamlin locking his spot in. Save for an early wreck in which Todd Gilliland turned Aric Almirola into the wall, it was once again a relatively clean race. On the other hand, LCQ #2 was a microcosm of what doubters expected of the Clash: an incident-filled scramble that was exacerbated by drivers hoping to secure the final spots in the feature. Seven cautions occurred in the fifty-lap race, with Ty Dillon being involved in five. Dillon’s tumultuous day seemed to find light when he escaped with the LCQ win after starting last, only for it to come to an end entirely when he was penalised for jumping the final restart and the win shuffled to Ryan Preece. With reigning champion Kyle Larson qualifying via heat finish, Martin Truex Jr. rightfully opted not to run the heat and instead took the provisional given to the highest 2021 points finisher who had yet to advance (Truex was the 2021 runner-up).

The Japanese FIA World Rally Championship driver Takamoto Katsuta who is racing for Toyota Gazoo Racing in the fourth Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 car, has risen through the ranks over the past seasons with the Toyota WRC Challenge program, and now through the same program efforts are being made to bring more Japanese drivers to the top class of rallying.

Over the last couple of weeks, eight Japanese drivers took part in a Toyota assessment camp in central Finland, where the WRC team is located. The skills of the drivers were tested at the wheel of road-legal GR Yaris cars.

They underwent neurological and fitness tests together with the former WRC stars Mikko Hirvonen and Juho Hänninen, and Jouni Ampuja will evaluate the drivers’ performance in the role of driving coaches.

Mikko Hirvonen – Credit: M-Sport Ford World Rally Team

“We were really impressed by the attitude of all the candidates over the two weeks. They really tried hard and wanted to push their limits. They came from different backgrounds within motorsport and most of them had not driven on snow and ice before.” Hirvonen said.

“So there were lots of new things for them to handle but they did that really well and made big steps forward. We tried to select the drivers who we felt have the most potential for the future, but it was not an easy decision to make.”

2021 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Pro-Am champion Ryan Ratcliffe launched his 2022 programme this week at Porsche Centre Swindon, unveiling his livery and new car for the season ahead.

Ratcliffe took the 2021 Pro-Am title with a margin of 23 points over his nearest challenger, showing constancy was key, finishing on the podium in all by one race of the 16-event schedule with three wins, eight second-places, and four third-places.

“The launch went way better than I could ever have imagined,” Ratcliffe told The Checkered Flag. “It was great to continue the partnership I have with Porsche Centre Swindon and get some of their customers down to see the Cup car!

The 2022 Carrera Cup GB season sees the teams switch to the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup ‘Type 992’, with an updated look and more power for the year ahead.

“It’s not often people get to see the race cars up close and personal so to see it next to the road going Porsche 992 GT3 was a special moment for a lot of them!” Ratcliffe added.

Reigning GB3 champion Zak O’Sullivan had arguably the weekend of his dreams last week (4-6 February).

On Friday, he was announced as a Williams Racing Driver Academy driver, also confirming his place on the FIA Formula 3 Championship grid with Carlin.

He completed his own ‘Triple Crown’ as he spent his 17th birthday at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London on Sunday (6 February) for the Autosport Awards, and left as the 32nd winner of the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award.

He joins an illustrious list of names including David Coulthard, Jenson Button, George Russell and Lando Norris, and is the sixth GB3 graduate to win the award in the last seven years.

O’Sullivan competed with two fellow GB3/British F3 alumni Oliver Bearman and Louis Foster, as well as Jonny Edgar for the Award, during the assessments at Silverstone after the season concluded.

The big Formula One news over the past weekend was that Lewis Hamilton after fifty-six days away, finally made his highly-anticipated return to social media. The post which was uploaded to all of his social media accounts, simply read “I’ve been gone. Now I’m back!”, alongside a photo of himself standing in the grand canyon.

Credit: Twitter @LewisHamilton

Hamilton’s sabbatical from social media came after the controversial ending to the season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit, where the Seven-Time World Champion believed the result had been manipulated to crown fierce rival Max Verstappen as champion, the first Dutchman to ever do so in the sport. The incident in question came in the closing stages of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when Nicholas Latifi crashed into the barrier at Turn Fourteen.

At the time of the crash Hamilton was comfortably leading the Grand Prix, and was looking all but certain to clinch a record breaking Eighth World Title. As the safety car was brought out so that Latifi’s stricken Williams Racing car could be rescued, Hamilton stayed out on track whilst Verstappen behind pitted for soft tyres, Hamilton remained out on considerably older hards. For all the world it looked as if the race would end behind the safety car, especially after the brakes on Latifi’s Williams had caught fire, however Race Director Michael Masi thought otherwise.

After having to deal with the constant opinions complaints and bickering of both Mercedes AMG Petronas Team Principal Toto Wolff, and Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner, the Race Director decided that the race would in fact finish under green flag racing.

Porsche Carrera Cup GB race winner Will Martin has been rewarded for a strong 2021 season by the British Racing Drivers Club as he becomes a BRDC Rising Star for the 2022 season.

Martin finished the 2021 season in fifth place, taking two victories and six further podium finishes in his second season with Richardson Racing; This complemented his first win and five podiums from the 2020 season.

“I’m extremely honoured to be apart of the BRDC Rising Stars,” said Martin. “It is a huge privilege to be part of a club as prestigious as the BRDC, it is also a huge confidence boost in my ability due to being recognised by the BRDC and I hope to confirm their beliefs in me in the years ahead.

“I have already received a very warm welcome and can’t wait to carry on the relationship.” he added.

Former Porsche Carrera Cup GB Pro-Am champion Esmee Hawkey also joined the ranks of BRDC Rising star following her debut season in the 2021 DTM series, which saw her take on a highly competitive field in the T3 Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo.

The opening round of the 2022 World Endurance Championship will see a strong 37 car entry tackling the notoriously bumpy Sebring Circuit. After taking a hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Sebring 1000 miles will be the opening round of the WEC as it celebrates it’s tenth anniversary this year.

The new Hypercar class will make their debut on American turf with the Glickenhaus entry looking to take the fight to Toyota Gazoo Racing and Alpine on home soil. This will be the final year of competition for the Alpine A480 as the manufacturer gears up for a full Hypercar entry in 2024. Toyota goes into the first round as favourites as they won the Championships last season, however, American Ryan Briscoe and his fellow teammates will be looking to hit the ground running.

Briscoe and Glickenhaus aren’t the only American flagged competitors going for glory, Corvette Racing will be contesting a full WEC campaign with the US car brand eager to chalk up the first victory and shock the Ferrari and Porsche, teams. Ferrari and Porsche will have numbers on their side as they will each be fielding two cars whereas Corvette will have just one car.

In LMP2, there is a stacked grid of 15 cars all vying for victory, Some big names have entered, with the likes of Team Penske and AF Corse all looking to get prototype experience before moving up into the top category. These teams and more are likely to give reigning champions Team WRT a run for their money so the Belgian squad will have to be on their toes if they are to keep their crown for another year.

13 teams will be gunning for glory in the GTE AM category, with America’s Ben Keating, looking to take the checkered flag beating last year’s winners, the Dempsey Proton squad. Keating will be driving the No. 33 Aston Martin Vantage AMR, one of three that are entered in the race. Porsche has 5 cars representing the German marque and Ferrari will make up the field with 4.

BTCC race winner, Dan Lloyd has announced his next move in the championship by signing with EXCELR8 Motorsport to return for the 2022 season with a new team.

It is a second consecutive full season for Lloyd who teams up with Tom Ingram, title contender and two-time Independents’ champion to form aspirations of his own for a Drivers’ title tilt in the Hyundai i30 N Fastback.

In an ageing Vauxhall Astra, he showed his potential claiming four podium placings in 2021 after a tricky start to the season and after signing with his new team, the only way is up for the Huddersfield based driver.

“I’m very excited to announce that I’m joining EXCELR8 for 2022,” said Lloyd. “Although I’ve been involved in the BTCC for a number of years, 2021 marked my first opportunity to really show my full potential across the season, and between some great race results and growing my network of partners, it was probably one of my most successful years in motorsport.

“My main goal for the 2022 campaign is to become a more consistent front-runner, and I feel that EXCELR8 has the full package to help me to achieve this. I’m hoping to learn as much as I can from the team and as quickly as possible transfer that into results on the track. It’s going to be great to have Tom [Ingram] as a team-mate and to be able to lean on his experience whilst getting used to the new car.

Team Dynamics Motorsport have confirmed today (7 February) that Gordon Shedden and Dan Rowbottom will return to form Halfords Racing with Cataclean in the Honda Civic Type R once again as the 2022 BTCC season approaches.

Rowbottom returned to the championship in 2021 with the title sponsor backing and showed he deserved his place on the grid winning his first race and claiming a pole position as well as dominating the Jack Sears Trophy.

Shedden will look to go full speed ahead in his second season after a double win at Donington Park and seven podiums albeit in a season where consistency saw his title fight diminished.

They will be joined by a third driver in the team after obtaining the TBL with Team Principal, Matt Neal confirming that this seat is very much up for grabs.

“These are two of the best drivers on the grid and we wanted to make sure we retained them for the 2022 season. Dan has proven himself as a title-winning package and with Gordon being a three-time BTCC Champion already, his credentials speak for themselves. The third drive is still up for grabs, and we currently still have a vacant position, so let’s see what happens,” said Neal.

2021 Porsche Carrera Cup GB championship runner-up Lorcan Hanafin will contest the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland series after signing a deal with series frontrunners FACH AUTO TECH.

Hanafin missed out on the title last season after a season-long battle with eventual champion Dan Cammish, taking four victories and a further four podium finishes throughout the season with JTR.

“I’m looking forward to driving for FACH AUTO TECH in the 2022 season,” said Hannafin. “Participating in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland will be a challenge, but I am happy to compete my first season in Europe with a strong team. Can’t wait to collaborate with them when the season starts in just a few months.”

The highly competitive one-make series is the ideal place for Hannafin to continue to develop his skills and learn new circuits, with the series visiting the likes of Spa-Francorchamps, Red Bull Ring, Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Imola), Zandvoort and a number of German circuits including Nürburgring and Hockenheimring.

Many drivers who have succeeded in the series have gone on to compete in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, supporting the FIA Formula 1 World Championship throughout Europe.