Formula 1 raced at Suzuka Circuit last Sunday for the MSC Cruises Japanese Grand Prix. Race coverage follows.

MotoGP is in Texas for their lone North American race. The Red Bull Grand Prix of Americas is on Sunday. Read on for a preview and make sure to check out the broadcast schedule below.

MotoAmerica's King of the Baggers series races in support of MotoGP at COTA this weekend. We preview their Texas two-step below.

Formula E visits Misano this weekend for a doubleheader. Rounds 6 and 7 from Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli take place Saturday and Sunday. We preview the races below.

We appreciate you taking the time to read and for supporting our sponsors. For more news, visit the home page of SARNIMOTORSPORTS.

Jay Geils Memorial TV Links:

Saturday, April 13th: MotoGP - COTA Sprint Race 3:30 PM ET TRUTV

MotoAmerica - COTA King of the Baggers Race 1 4:30 PM ET - Race 2 5:00 PM ET MAVTV

Sunday, April 14th: MotoGP - Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas 2:30 PM ET TBS

Tuesday, April 16th: Formula E - Italy Round 6 (4/13) 9:00 PM ET CBSSN

Formula E - Italy Round 7 (4/14) 10:00 PM ET CBSSN

ENJOY YOUR RACE WEEKEND!

MOTOGP - Prima Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin arrives in Texas with an 18 point lead in the MotoGP World Championship. He is chased by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Brad Binder.

Behind Binder are the two Lenovo Ducati riders; Enea Bastianini, who is 21 points out of first, with former championship leader Pecco Bagnaia two points behind his teammate. The revelation of 2024, Rookie sensation, Pedro "The Amazing" Acosta is P5 in the championship.

Acosta scored his first MotoGP podium in Portugal in only his second premier class race at the challenging Algarve International Circuit. He knows how to win in Austin, coming out on top of a fight with Tony Arbolino to take last season's Moto2 victory.

On the subject of battles; Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia fought for the spoils in Portimão and both came up empty. This one was a matter of track turf, if any blame can be placed, it goes with the reigning World Champion. But it is hard to discount that there is a Marc Marquez buffer zone that competitors should heed to succeed. COTA is MM93's counter-clockwise playground. He has seven wins in Austin and he looks to add to that total this weekend.

Aprilia Racing's Maverick Viñales won the Sprint in Portugal and if not for gearbox woes that knocked him out on the last lap, he was a challenger to Martin for the win in Portimão. If there were any justice, Top Gun would be P3 in the WC heading to COTA. As it is, the equipment failure sees him P8, behind teammate Aleix Espargaro.

This weekend, Trackhouse Racing makes their American debut. The Independent Aprilia team is co-owned by NASCAR team owner Justin Marks and rapper Pitbull. The team is at the center of the celebration, with visits to the Governor's Mansion, with the Red, White and Blue bikes also visiting the Revival Cycles store on South Congress Avenue.

Trackhouse Racing Team Owner Justin Marks: “This is the event I’ve been looking forward to since we announced we were entering the MotoGP World Championship. Trackhouse is an American company but we’re a global brand and welcoming the MotoGP team to our home is something that is very special to the company. It has already been an amazing week with the team at our NASCAR headquarters in North Carolina but now it’s time to focus on the race at COTA. Raul and Miguel have shown some very promising speed this year and I think we have a big opportunity this weekend to fight for a good result. We’re making good progress with the bikes and the team. It would be very special to have a successful weekend and I know we have the tools to do so at our home race.”

The acquisition of MotoGP by American company, Liberty Media Corporation, is also in the spotlight this weekend, with a press conference held today with Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta. To top off the Americanization of the world's top two-wheel racing series, there will be a demonstration lap by a NASCAR Trackhouse car after MotoGP Qualifying on Saturday. Plus - American iron will be in the spotlight, with MotoAmerica's King of the Baggers racing their second round of 2024 at COTA.

The Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas is Sunday, April 14th. The live broadcast of the Saturday Sprint is on truTV at 3:30 PM Eastern. Sunday's GP has been moved to TBS and airs at 2:30 PM Eastern. Check out the MOTOGP CALENDAR and the MOTOGP STANDINGS.

WORLDSBK - Much has been made about the meteoric rise of MotoGP Rookie Pedro Acosta, who is fifth in the World Championship after two rounds. WorldSBK has also raced two rounds and the series has a rookie leading the championship!

Nicolo Bulega won the WorldSSP title in 2023 and is picking up where he left off in WorldSSP. He leads his two-time World Champion Aruba Ducati teammate Alvaro Bautista. Granted, it is early in the year, but talent and confidence are the marks of a champion. Success elsewhere is no guarantee that it will translate to other categories, but champions have traits that earmark them for success.

Nicolo Bulega took the time between the Catalunya Round and next weekend's Pirelli Dutch Round to address a health issue. On Thursday, March 28th, Bulega underwent surgery at the Oglio Po Hospital in Cremona, Italy. The procedure was performed by Professor Alessio Pedrazzini to address the issue of chronic exertional forearm compartment syndrome (arm pump).

This pathology, now very common in the world of motorcycling, has been present since last winter and worsened during the Australian Round. It got worse in Barcelona, where severe pain threatened to limit the performance of the reigning Supersport World Champion and current leader of the Superbike World Championship standings.

He should be good to go for the third round of the 2023 WorldSBK season at the TT Circuit in Assen, Netherlands. Round 3 of 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship is the Pirelli Dutch Round, taking place on April 19th - 21st.

Six races and two rounds in and the pecking order is starting to emerge in WorldSBK. There were lots of off-season changes in the paddock and some are adjusting quicker than others. As mentioned above, Nicolo Bulega is nothing short of sensational. Leading a two-time World Champion teammate in no easy feat. Especially for a new arrival.

Toprak Razgatlioglu is also a new arrival - switching from Yamaha to BMW. WorldSBK veteran Scott Redding, who also rides a BMW, for the Bonovo Action team, never thought that Toprak would have won on a BMW so quickly. But the Turk has so far topped his ROKiT BMW Motorrad teammate Michael van der Mark.

Pata Yamaha's Jonathan Rea came into the Yamaha team hoping to fight at the front on a consistent basis, but that’s not happened in 2024 yet. Without points until Race 2 in Barcelona, Rea’s struggles coupled with Andrea Locatelli's rapid pace mean the Italian leads 5-1 over Rea, with the six-time Champion finishing ahead in Race 2 in Barcelona when ‘Loka’ was caught up in someone else’s accident. Locatelli has an average finishing position of sixth, but that’s lowered when considering his Barcelona Race 2 result of 13th, while Rea’s average is 12th when finishing races.

Let's see how it plays out in the Netherlands next weekend.

WORLDSBK 2024 CALENDAR

MOTOAMERICA - Is this weekends Mission King Of The Baggers COTA appearance, in support of the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas MotoGP US Round, a dress rehearsal for future dates on the world stage?

With American media mogul Liberty Media Corporation's purchase of MotoGP, nothing is off the table. There is no doubt that the company is as much about the show as the go. One thing is for certain, the whole world's watching.

Everybody loves a rivalry, especially Americans. Baseball has Red Sox vs Yankees, basketball has Lakers vs Celtics. In MotoAmerica it's Harley vs Indian. After Daytona, Harley-Davidson’s Kyle Wyman leads the series standings thanks to his two wins at DIS.

The racer who sits just 10 points behind Kyle Wyman in the 2024 title chase after Daytona is newcomer Troy Herfoss, the three-time Australian Superbike Champion made his Mission King Of The Baggers debut at Daytona, as well as his forst race in MotoAmerica. Herfoss opened eyes when he finished second in both Daytona races in March. The Aussie will be making his COTA debut this coming weekend. He teams with Tyler O’Hara, the 2022 Mission King Of The Baggers Champion.

Mission King Of The Baggers riders will participate in qualifying, a two-lap “dash for cash” Challenge, and two six-lap feature races that will take place in conjunction with MotoGP’s program that weekend.

Other riders of note include SDI/Roland Sands Racing/Indian Motorcycle’s Bobby Fong, who won twice and had six total podiums last year.

Spaniard Ruben Xaus debut yielded just one point at Daytona. The Feuling Parts Harley racer comes to MotoAmerica with an impressive resume that includes race wins in the World Superbike Championship. Xaus, who lives in Andorra, will be looking to find his feet at COTA.

One could make a case that the series is already international, with riders from Spain, Ireland and an English native. Mad Monkey Motorsports’ Max Flinders, who was born in England, moved to Louisiana, and now lives in New Hampshire. He sits in the top 10 following Daytona after his ninth- and 11th-place finishes in the two races. Flinders earned his first MotoAmerica podium last year in the Baggers season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park. He is one of five entries aboard Indian Challengers this weekend.

After Daytona Kyle Wyman is Presently King of the Baggers

Commenting on the event, current championship leader and Harley-Davidson Factory Racing rider Kyle Wyman said, “I’m super excited to be joining MotoGP at Circuit of The Americas with King Of The Baggers and exposing this series to a global audience. I think we will put on a great show for the fans, and I expect a lot of interest from the MotoGP paddock in what we are up to. COTA always provides great racing, so there is a lot to look forward to, and I hope to continue our results as we started at Daytona.”

S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara added, “First off, a big thank you to MotoAmerica, Drag Specialties, Mission Foods, and MotoGP for giving us this opportunity to race on the world stage. COTA is an amazing venue and a very technical track that suits the strengths of our Indian Challenger very well. I’m treating it like any other race, I’m engaged, doing my homework, working with the team, focused on the process, and prepared to go to battle with confidence.”

The Baggers hit the COTA road course for the first time at 8:20 AM on Friday for Practice 1 and then again at 4:15 PM for a 15-minute qualifying session. At 4:45 PM, the Baggers will race for the first time in the three-lap Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge.

On Saturday there are two six-lap Mission King Of The Baggers races; before and after the MotoGP Sprint race. The Mission King Of The Baggers Presented By Drag Specialties will be broadcast on MAVTV. Our cable guide shows broadcasts at 4:30 PM and 5:00 PM Eastern Saturday afternoon.

Max Verstappen: “Today was simply lovely and I really enjoyed the race. We stayed out of trouble in the first lap and from there we tried to look after the tires as much as possible. We made the right calls before we went into qualifying, which definitely helped today, and it’s very nice to come back and win after Australia. The car just got better throughout the race and although it took a few laps before I got a nice rhythm, on the second stint the car really came alive. I could push where I needed to and I could look after my tires well, so the race went really nicely. It was a great team result the whole weekend and brilliant to score a one-two here: our third of the season. Suzuka is always a great track to go racing at and overall I’m really happy about the performance today.”

As Formula 1 stays in the Far East the early races have Red Bull Racing, despite the scandals, remaining the dominant force. Ferrari are the only ones within shouting distance, with Team Zak in P3, with nearly twice as many points as Mercedes in the Constructors' Championship.

Red Bull Racing has one year remaining in the Honda/Red Bull Racing Powertrains arrangement, before entering a technical partnership with Ford in 2026. Why break up the marriage when it is still reaping results? In two years there will be big changes. All around.

As far as F1 marriages go; how ironic that Señor Alonso will be reunited with Honda? Images of engine failures and lounging in a trackside beach chair, when engine after Honda engine imploded, is one of the enduring Alonso images. Stay tuned.

The Formula 1 Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix is on Sunday, April 21st. The race broadcast is on ESPN at 2:55 AM ET. Late night Kowloon take-out on order over here.

Pascal Wehrlein: “The pace was good throughout the weekend in Tokyo. We have to build on that in Misano. The track has fewer bumps and faster corners than a street circuit. I've raced there before in DTM but it'll be a completely different story in a Formula E car. This will be an important weekend because there are two races and thus double the points up for grabs. The fact that I'm leading the drivers' standings shows that we're doing a good job as a team. But we’re aware that the season is still long.”

Ahead of the main event, Formula E will host a rookie free practice session on Friday, providing each team with the opportunity to showcase talent. This session promises to add an extra layer of anticipation and excitement to the race weekend, while teams also gather valuable data that will aid them in strategic decision-making down the line.

Taking part for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, Matt Campbell will get his first laps in the Porsche 99X Electric. In Sports Cars Campbell has driven the Porsche 911 RSR to wins at Le Mans (2018) and Sebring (2021). Most recently, he was on the team to take the overall victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January with Porsche Penske Motorsport in the Porsche 963.

The NEOM McLaren Formula E Team has confirmed that Taylor Barnard will drive for the team in the official Rookie Free Practice session of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship at the 2024 Misano E-Prix on Friday, April 12th.   

Taylor, from Norwich, England, entered single-seater racing in 2020. Since then, he has become the 2022 ADAC Formula 4 runner-up, as well as the 2023 Formula Regional Middle East Championship runner-up. In 2023, during his debut season in FIA Formula 3, he took his maiden victory in the championship at Spa-Francorchamps and finished the season 10th in the Drivers’ standings. He has now moved up to FIA Formula 2 for the 2024 season.  

This weekend's Round 6 and 7 from Misano can be seen on CBSSN on Tuesday, April 16th beginning at 9:00 PM Eastern.

IMSA WTSC - We are one week away from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, which is next Saturday, April 20th.

Porsche Penske Motorsport seeks to repeat its overall and GTP class win from a year ago, when No. 6 Porsche 963 co-drivers Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet succeeded with the assist of the team’s decision not to change tires on their lone pit stop. The win drew headlines as it was the new car’s first global victory, which was achieved by employing a tire-saving double stint.

Two teams, each a winner in the first two rounds of the 2024 season, are deadlocked atop the GTP standings heading to Long Beach. The No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963, with full-season drivers Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron, won the Rolex 24 At Daytona to open 2024. The No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06, with Louis Deletraz and Jordan Taylor won last month’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Cadillac.

There will be no repeat winner in GTD; Paul Miller Racing, which won the last three GTD races at Long Beach, is no longer competing in the class. BMW’s chances at a third straight GTD victory lie in the hands of the No. 96 Turner Motorsport team and co-drivers Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher, who finished eighth a year ago.

Russell Ward and Philip Ellis head to Long Beach in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 on the strength of back-to-back GTD wins to start the season. That has given them a sizable lead in the class standings. The duo has finished 14th and fifth at Long Beach the last two years.

Flying Lizard Motorsports returns to the IMSA WTSC grid for the first time since Sebring 2016. Next weekend they enter the No. 28 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo with drivers Elias Sabo and Andy Lee in GTD. It will mark both Sabo and Lee’s WeatherTech Championship debuts.

The team is in the process of transitioning their base of operations from Sonoma to Apex Motor Club in Phoenix, where it should be operational by the end of April.

Where, time is everything at a 100-minute sprint race, the pressure is on for teams to use the same tire strategy as Porsche Penske Motorsport employed to take their maiden win last April. That is, don't use them up and don't change them. It saves 10-12 seconds during a stop and that adds up to a win if executed correctly.

The IMSA Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is on Saturday, April 20th, where the GTP and GTD classes will compete in a 100-minute race that airs live at 4:30 PM Eastern on USA.

2024 IMSA WTSC SCHEDULE.

FIA WEC - A press conference was held on Tuesday, April 9th in Liège, Belgium; the capital of the province where the Spa-Francorchamps circuit is located. The event was held to promote the upcoming TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on May 9th - 11th.

Belgian press had the opportunity to meet and speak to the organizers, teams and and drivers competing in this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship.

Frédéric Lequien, FIA WEC CEO, presented the 2024 season, where 14 manufacturers are fighting for victory across the highly-competitive Hypercar and LMGT3 categories.

Two Belgian WEC drivers were in attendance at the press conference, including Dries Vanthoor who will compete at his home race in the headline Hypercar category with Belgian-based Team WRT in the the BMW M Hybrid V8. Vanthoor’s team manager Vincent Vosse was also there to speak with the media about BMW WRT’s program this year in both Hypercar and LMGT3.

Tom Van Rompuy was the other home driver present in Liege. Van Rompuy will pilot TF Sport’s Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R and spoke eagerly about wanting to repeat his strong performance from round one in Qatar last month. 

Frédéric Lequien: "As confirmed by pre-sale tickets, we have every reason to believe that the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will be a huge success. This is all thanks to the presence of 14 manufacturers, the beauty of the cars and the format of the race. There will also be excellent support races and ample entertainment both on and off track helping to make this a truly family event. Everything is in place to make our race at Spa a tremendous sporting success."

Director of Circuit Spa-Francorchamps Amaury Bertholomé: "Along with Formula 1, the WEC is another big annual event at our circuit. The infrastructure is a credit to the level of this fast-growing discipline, and we're delighted with the growing success of the 6 Hours, which offers great economic spin-offs for the whole region."

The 6 Hours of Imola is next up on the WEC schedule. It will mark the first time that the World Endurance Championship has been to Imola, with Monza previously hosting the Italian round of the World Championship since 2021.

Despite being new to the WEC, Imola has hosted several other endurance races in recent times. In 2011, a round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup was included in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) calendar from 2013 to 2016 - an event that returned in 2022 and is again scheduled for July later this year.

Further back, in 1984, the racetrack hosted a round of the World Sport Prototype Championship - the 1000 KM of Imola, won by German pairing Hans-Joachim Stuck and Stefan Bellof, driving a Porsche 956 B.

Italian manufacturers – Ferrari, Lamborghini and Isotta Fraschini – will account for the three of the 14 car marques that will compete in Hypercar and all-new LMGT3 category.

A total of nine Italian teams will battle it out on home soil next month with a whole host of local drivers (Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi and Antonio Fuoco for Ferrari AF Corse; Mirko Bortolotti and Edoardo Mortara for Lamborghini Iron Lynx) plus many more in the LMGT3 category including multiple MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi, who will drive a BMW M4 LMGT3 car with Team WRT.

Supporting the WEC at 6 Hours of Imola will be Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe and Porsche Carrera Cup Germany. The 6 Hours of Imola is on April 21st. Follow the link for more info and tickets for the 6 HOURS OF IMOLA.

2024 WEC CALENDAR.