Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

When the NTT IndyCar Series heads to Nashville for the first time on 6–8 August, the Stadium Super Trucks will be there too. On Friday, Big Machine Music City Grand Prix officials announced SST will join the weekend to support IndyCar.

The GP posted on social media, “Super excited to announce that we are adding Robby Gordon’s Stadium Super Trucks to the Big Machine #MusicCityGP weekend! We hope you have your tickets!”

New for 2021, the Music City Grand Prix takes place on a 2.17-mile, 11-turn street circuit in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Located by Nissan Stadium, perhaps the track’s most notable feature is running along Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge that stretches the Cumberland River.

Nashville will serve as the fourth weekend of the SST season after St. Petersburg and two Mid-Ohio rounds; St. Petersburg and Mid-Ohio 2 were both held in support of IndyCar. Other undercard classes for Nashville include SRO GT Americas and the Trans-Am Series.

Bart Horsten joined Hitech GP for his, and the team’s second season in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship, going into 2021.

The Australian has already taken one podium this year, and has his sights set on more going into the third round of the season at Donington Park this weekend (10/11 July).

The Checkered Flag caught up with him to talk Australian Formula Ford, iRacing and his FIA Formula 3 ambitions.

The first race of the 2021 season yielded a maiden podium with Hitech at Brands Hatch, as Bart finished third ahead of team-mates Reece Ushijima and Sebastian Alvarez.

He views results since then through the lens of ‘what might have been’, though.

Oliver Rowland feels the Nissan e.dams team are beginning to find the kind of performance levels they have been looking for, with his pole position and podium in the Puebla E-Prix three weeks ago proof the team are on the right track.

Rowland says the performance in Mexico has given the team confidence, and they will be looking to build on that potential in this weekend’s double header around the Brooklyn Street Circuit in New York City.

And the British racer says it is clear that Nissan’s Gen2 powertrain is proving to be fast, and once they find consistency, they should be confident of fighting at the front of the field in every race.

“It was great to get our first pole position and podium of season seven in Mexico, and it feels like we are beginning to build speed and confidence with every race now,” said Rowland.  “Our new Nissan Gen2 powertrain is clearly fast, and I am working well with the car and my engineers.

“We just need to make sure our consistency matches our pace and the results will come. I’m really excited to race again in New York City.”

Rick Ware Racing‘s presence in the motorsport world knows no bounds, and it only continues to grow as the team announced Thursday that it will expand into Canada, where it will field the #51 in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series. Andrew Ranger, the 2019 series champion, will drive the car in addition to making his first Xfinity Series start since 2013 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

A three-time Pinty’s Series champion, Ranger has twenty-eight career wins including four in 2019 en route to the third title. He skipped the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am very excited to be back in the Pinty’s Series racing for a championship again with Rick Ware Racing,” said Ranger. “I sat out last year because of COVID, and can’t wait to get back to my winning ways this year. I look forward to working with Rick and his team and making this a successful year.”

On the other side of the border, the Quebec native has also competed in all three NASCAR national series. Ranger made seventeen Xfinity starts between 2008 and 2013, primarily as a road course ringer, and scored two top tens with a best finish of third at Montreal in 2009. Seven such starts came on ovals, and he finished twenty-eighth in his lone run at New Hampshire in 2011 (where he won in the Pinty’s Series in 2019). His last Xfinity start was sixteenth at Mid-Ohio in 2013.

Ranger has also competed in the Cup and Camping World Truck Series. He finished thirty-fifth in his lone start in the former at Watkins Glen in 2011, while the latter featured a fifth at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2014.

Jake Dennis admits he has been waiting all year long to race in the New York City E-Prix, with the Briton aiming for two strong results around the Brooklyn Street Circuit this weekend.

The BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver comes to the United States on the back of two top five finishes in the Puebla E-Prix three weeks ago, and he currently sits eighth in the 2020-21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship standings with three rounds and six races remaining.

And Dennis is looking to take the momentum from Puebla into this weekend’s double header in Brooklyn as he bids to bridge the gap between him and those at the top of the championship standings.  He currently is only eighteen points behind championship leader Edoardo Mortara.

“I have been looking forward to this event since the race calendar was published,” said Dennis.  “I’ve always wanted to go there since I was a kid, but I’d never made it.

“I can hardly wait to see the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge and to race in such a cool part of New York.

Shae Davies had a perfect Friday ahead of the Boost Mobile Super Trucks weekend in the Townsville 500 as he led practice and qualifying. The latter also saw a wild ride for Dave Casey as he flipped multiple times, though he walked away unscathed.

Davies dominated the practice with a fastest time of 1:35.52, which was over two seconds quicker than second-placed Shaun Richardson‘s 1:37.55. This success carried into qualifying with his best time being 1:35.79, though the advantage over the others greatly slimmed with points leader Paul Morris qualifying second at 1:35.93. Nevertheless, Davies clinched his second straight Fastest Qualifier, granting him a bonus point, and he will hope to translate his momentum into wins in the three races.

Toby Price, who is running his first weekend of the season, was respectively sixth and third in practice and qualifying. Price has raced in the Stadium Super Trucks every year since 2015.

After finishing sixth in practice, Casey had completed just one qualfiying lap before rolling his truck as he entered turn eleven. The accident occurred when he locked his brakes while going into the corner, causing the truck to flip three-and-a-half times before landing on its roof. Paul Weel, who was the victim of a roll at Darwin in June and would qualify fifth, stopped in front of Casey’s truck to check his condition, and a red flag was called for cleanup. Casey was ultimately uninjured in the accident.

Morris, Richardson, and Rob Whyte are the only drivers in the nine-man grid to have SST familiarity at Townsville as they participated in the series’ first and then-only trip in 2016; Morris scored two podiums in three races. Richardson qualified fourth, while Whyte placed third in practice and seventh in qualifying. Greg Gartner also ran the 2016 weekend and was slated to return for 2021 before backing out due to broken vertebrae in a motorbike accident.

Patrik Pasma has made the switch from KIC Motorsport to ART Grand Prix for the remainder of the 2021 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine season.

The Finnish racer has replaced Thomas Ten Brinke, who announced his immediate retirement from racing after the race weekend at Circuit Zandvoort.

Pasma will join current championship leader Grégoire Saucy and 2020 Italian Formula 4 champion Gabriele Mini at ART Grand Prix, starting later this month when the season continues at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

“I am really happy to announce that I’ll be joining ART Grand Prix for the remainder of this season,” said the twenty-one-year-old.  “It is a great team with many great records, and I can be proud to be part of it.

“It won’t be a walk in the park, starting our collaboration in the middle of the season, but I love the challenge. I am really looking forward to working with them and seeing what we can achieve together.”

The calendar for the 2021-22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season has been unveiled, with sixteen races across twelve cities on four continents forming the series’ biggest year to date.

The season will begin with a double header on 28/29 January 2022 in Saudi Arabia with the Diriyah E-Prix before the Mexico City E-Prix returns on 12 February.

The first new race on the calendar will take place around Cape Town in South Africa on 26 February before a race in China on 19 March, although the venue for the Chinese race has yet to be confirmed.

The Rome E-Prix reverts to just a single race for next season after running as a double header in the 2020-21 season as it hosts round six on 9 April, while the Monaco E-Prix becomes an annual feature on the calendar after being a bi-annual event up until now.

The traditional Berlin E-Prix will be round eight on 14 May, while there is a yet-to-be-announced round nine on 4 June.  The final single race weekend is another new event on the calendar on 2 July, with the Canadian city of Vancouver hosting its first race.

Robin Frijns says he has more confidence coming into the New York City E-Prix this weekend than he did three weeks ago for the Puebla E-Prix, with the Dutchman aiming to keep himself involved in the championship battle.

The Dutchman has not won a race yet during the 2020-21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship but has tasted success before around the Brooklyn Street Circuit, with Frijns taking victory there in race two back in the 2018-19 season.

Frijns failed to score points in either race in Puebla but still finds himself sitting second in the standings, just ten points behind new championship leader Edoardo Mortara, and he is confident of adding to his points tally in New York City.

“I have raced in New York twice, as sadly last year we couldn’t go due to the pandemic,” said Frijns. “Last time I was there we won the race on the second day.

“I have always felt quite competitive, quite strong in New York. I like the track, I like the layout and I like the city as well, of course! So I am looking forward to it. 

Pascal Wehrlein knows he should be entering the New York City E-Prix weekend on top of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship standings, but the German finds himself twelfth after penalties in both Puebla E-Prix races lost him a significant number of points.

The Tag Heuer Porsche FE Team driver took the chequered flag in race one in Mexico but was disqualified as he crossed the line by the stewards after the team failed to declare his tyres prior to the race.  This promoted Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler driver Lucas di Grassi to first place.

And after finishing second in race two, he was handed a time penalty for an incorrect use of fanboost that relegated him to fourth.  It meant he ended up scoring only twelve points rather than forty-three.  He sits only twenty-four points off top spot in the championship!

Wehrlein says the team will refocus and build on their potential from Puebla in this weekend’s double header around the Brooklyn Street Circuit, and he knows that first Formula E victory is just around the corner if everything comes together.

“We all did a super job in Puebla and we deserved that first victory,” said Wehrlein.  “But no matter how big the disappointment was at first, we have to keep working hard and try to make the most of the next opportunities.

Edoardo Mortara goes into the New York City E-Prix double header this weekend on top of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship standings after a podium and a win in the Puebla E-Prix three weeks ago.

The ROKiT Venturi Racing driver took a third place in race one in Mexico before coming through to take victory in race two, with the points earned seeing him move ten points clear of Robin Frijns at the head of the standings.

Mortara says he is looking to carry the momentum from Puebla into this weekend’s races around the Brooklyn Street Circuit, and the confidence and motivation of the team has never been higher as they look to continue their strong form in New York.

“Following on from my double podium and win in Puebla, I can’t wait to get back out on the track in New York City this weekend,” said Mortara.  “The Brooklyn Street Circuit is a track that I enjoy and it has a good mixture of corner types which can be good for overtaking.

“As the championship leader, we expect tough races starting from Group 1 in qualifying so performing well will be crucial to setting up my weekend, especially in Race 1.

Nyck de Vries says there is always a surprise in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, so it is always difficult to go into a weekend with any kind of expectations.

The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team driver has scored only two points across the past four races and since his victory in the crazy opening race of the Valencia E-Prix in April.  As a result, he has dropped to sixth in the Championship standings having led them earlier in the year.

Heading into this weekend’s New York City E-Prix around the Brooklyn Street Circuit, de Vries hopes to be in a position to score good points in both races across the weekend, but he expects there to be a surprise or two thrown into the mix that could make it more difficult.

“In all honesty, in a championship like Formula E it’s very difficult to have any expectations heading into a race weekend, as the field is so evenly matched and is always good for a surprise or two,” said de Vries.  “Of course, I’m really looking forward to going racing again.

“We were competitive during the last race weekend in Mexico and had a strong package, so I hope that this New York weekend will favour us more, that we’ll be able to deliver two strong races and come away with a good haul of points.

Alexander Sims goes to the New York City E-Prix this weekend optimistic of a strong weekend, with the British driver having had a positive weekend the last time he raced in Brooklyn.

The Mahindra Racing driver took his maiden pole position and a first podium finish around the streets of Brooklyn back in 2019, and he is keen to return to the kind of performance levels he knows he and the team can achieve this weekend.

Sims says it is important to have smooth race days in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship if he is to be a contender for the big results, and he hopes this weekend’s double header in New York will see him challenging for points on both days.

“The New York City track is good fun and both Alex and I have had decent success there; the only time I’ve raced there before in Season 5 was one of the highlights of the season for me, scoring my first Formula E pole and podium,” said Sims.

“It’s critical in Formula E to have smooth race days and you’re only going to get good results from hard work, so hopefully that’s going to play out this weekend. I go to New York feeling optimistic that the ingredients are there for a strong result.”

Greg Gartner will not be able to run the upcoming Boost Mobile Super Trucks weekend at the Townsville 500 due to three fractured vertebrae from a motorbike accident. He announced his exit on Thursday.

“Good luck to all the Stadium Super Truck drivers this weekend at Townsville,” began Gartner on social media, “unfortunately due to me somehow fracturing 3 vertebrae which I believe was from a previous motor bike stack I won’t be able to join the Stadium Super Trucks this weekend”.

Gartner raced the most recent weekend at Darwin in June, where he finished second, fourth, and seventh in three races. Making his first start of the 2021 season, Race #1 saw him lead much of the event before being passed by Paul Morris on the final lap. Despite falling short of his first career win, the runner-up finish still marked his maiden podium. Gartner had also hurt his back after Race #2, though his finishes there and in the final event coupled with his podium were enough to earn him third for the overall weekend points.

He has raced in SST since the trucks débuted in Australia in 2015. During the series’ first and then-only trip to Townsville in 2016, he recorded finishes of fifth, sixth, and sixth.

Another driver change from Darwin for Townsville comes in the addition of Toby Price, who will make his 2021 début.

Polish driver Roman Bilinski will make his BRDC British Formula 3 Championship début at Donington Park this weekend (10/11 July).

After two pre-event test days, he will compete in the triple-header with Arden Motorsport, having left the team for Carlin ahead of his second FIA F4 British Championship campaign in 2021.

Bilinski joins fellow British F4 graduate, and Silverstone podium-finisher Alex Connor in the test, deputising for Frederick Lubin this weekend after he was ruled out on medical advice.

He makes the step up to the Tatuus BF3-020 in the week the FIA announced the second-generation Formula 4 car, complete with halo and an updated safety profile, to be introduced in coming National F4 seasons.

Arden are one of two teams making their first foray into British F3 this season, having brought Lubin and Connor up with them. The pair finished ninth and fourth in the 2020 British F4 standings; Bilinski split the pair in eighth, with three podiums and 23 points-scoring finishes from 26 races.