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Happy Birthday America. We'll keep today's update brief so you can eat 47 hot dogs, wave the flag and make loud booms.
In today's update we feature results from an eventful Austrian GP, the Motul TT Assen MotoGP Dutch Round, Formula E in Portland and MotoAmerica in Washington.
This weekend is another MotoGP/F1 doubleheader. MotoGP moves to the Sachsenring for the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland and Formula 1 is at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. INDYCAR begins the Hybrid era at Mid-Ohio at the Honda Indy 200. Read on for details.
Condolences to Ermanno Alboreto and his sister Laura on the loss of their Mother Flora this week.
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For more news, visit the home page of SARNIMOTORSPORTS.
Jay Geils Memorial TV Links:
Friday, July 5th: Formula 1 - Great Britain FP1 7:25 AM ET - FP2 10:55 AM ET ESPNU
Saturday, July 6th: Formula 1 - Great Britain FP3 6:25 AM ET - Qualifying 9:55 AM ET ESPN2
MotoGP - Germany Sprint Race 8:30 AM ET TRUTV
Sunday, July 7th: MotoGP - Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland 7:30 AM ET TRUTV
Formula 1: Great Britain Grand Prix Sunday 8:30 AM ET ESPN2
Formula 1 - Qatar Airways British Grand Prix 9:55 AM ET ESPN2
INDYCAR - Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio 2:00 PM ET NBC
ENJOY YOUR JULY 4th RACE WEEKEND!
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MOTOGP - Pecco Bagnaia had a perfect weekend at the Motul TT Assen. On Saturday he took the Sprint win and continued his winning on Sunday, with his third consecutive Motul TT Assen victory. Jorge Martin could not match Pecco's pace, but did manage a P2 and maintained a 10-point advantage over the reigning champion heading into this weekend's Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at Germany's Schsenring.
Bagnaia's Lenovo Ducati teammate Enea Bastianini charged from P10 on the grid to the podium. Fourth place went to Marc Marquez, who jumped on a mistake from Maverick Viñales on the final lap, which allowed him to take P4. But, a 16-second tire pressure penalty applied to his finish dropped Marquez to P10.
The penalty on Marquez promoted Fabio Di Giannantonio to fourth, after Viñales ran onto the green at the final chicane and was demoted one position for a track limits infraction.
Sixth went to Brad Binder on the Red Bull KTM Factory bike, Alex Marquez took P7 ahead of Raul Fernandez, who had another strong outing on the Trackhouse Racing Aprilia. It would be a close fight for the final spots inside the top 10, with Prima Pramac Racing's Franco Morbidelli claiming P9 ahead of the demoted Marc Marquez in tenth.
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Bagnaia Completes Perfect Dutch Weekend | |
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Francesco Bagnaia: “I really had fun this weekend and everything went perfectly. I’d like to thank the team because we did a fantastic job: on Thursday we already had a clear idea regarding the bike set-up and after FP1 we were basically ready. The race today was 30 seconds faster than last year, which is incredible. I managed to be quick and precise, the weather was fantastic and we were able to show our full potential. Next is Sachsenring, where I expect two hard-fought races.”
From TT Assen, the teams competing in the MotoGP World Championship head 400 miles East into Germany and the tight, challenging, Sachsenring circuit. Located close to the city of Chemnitz, the German Grand Prix is Round 9 of the 2024 schedule and the second race in consecutive weekends.
Sachsenring is a unique venue – one of the few tracks on the calendar that is predominantly counter-clockwise, its 10 left corners and 3 right corners swoop through the Saxony countryside, giving the bikes and riders a set of parameters to contend with that demands well-tuned handling and a set-up that promotes grip and corner speed.
The track is the shortest of the year, with one of the slowest average lap speeds, but makes up for it with sections of pavement where the bikes are not leaned over on the side of the tire and it features the ‘waterfall’ where the riders approach, after a succession of lefts that allow the right side of the tire to cool before they flick right, at high speed while leaning and then drop through a blind, off-camber, apex at 170 miles per hour. This complex section has made the difference in many wins and losses.
This is an important round in the championship, since there's a three-week break that comes after the weekend in Germany. For Jorge Martin he wanst to right the ship and stop his point's lead from disappearing. For World Champion Pecco Bagnaia, he has momentum right now and probably doesn't even want a summer break to put an end to his winning rhythm.
The Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland is on Sunday July 7th with broadcast coverage in the States beginning at 7:30 AM Eastern on truTV. The Sprint is at 8:30 AM ET Saturday the 6th, also on truTV.
After the summer break it's the Monster Energy British Grand Prix, where celebrations will be held at the MotoGP 75th Anniversary Special on August 2nd - 4th.
The weekend will feature a vintage feel with bikes sporting a special one off livery at Silverstone. The 11 teams on the grid – including the five factories – will each race with their own special edition vintage paintwork.
On Thursday, August 1st, every bike will be unveiled in the pitlane in front of those with a Day of Champions paddock pass. The unveiling will also be televised in a a one-hour MotoGP 75th Anniversary Special program featuring the liveries of each team before they take to the track for the one and only time in their unique 75th Anniversary liveries.
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WORLDSBK - We are four rounds into the 2024 WorldSBK season, which is exactly one third of the calendar completed.
After switching from Yamaha to BMW, it has taken Toprak Razgatlioglu exactly that amount of time to adjust to his new machine and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team and to land atop of the WorldSBK Championship. So far the Turkish rider has taken half of the wins in 2024.
With an historic win at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in just his fourth race, a triple at round four at Misano and now as the Championship leader, Toprak Razgatlioglu has brought BMW back to the top in their first year together.
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Toprak Leads the WorldSBK Championship | |
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At the last round in Misano, Toprak was on the pace. However, not many could’ve predicted such an emphatic display during the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round as Razgatlioglu eased his way to three wins and the Championship lead, the first time for BMW in 12 years, their first-ever triple and Toprak’s first since 2022.
The next WorldSBK round is under two weeks away in Donington for the Proseco DOC UK Round on July 14th - 17th.
MOTOAMERICA - MotoAmerica touched down in the Pacific Northwest at The Ridge Motorsports Park last weekend in Washington. Bobby Fong came into the weekend having swept the last round at Brainerd International Raceway and was at the top of the championship. After an up and down weekend, he left The Ridge with the lead, but just by one point over Jake Gagne.
Race 1 was a tricky deal, with rain beginning to fall, it was declared a wet race and riders went out with a mixture of wet and slick tires. The teams who got the guesswork done correctly were Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha and the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teams.
It went down to a close fight between the Yamaha teammates Cameron Petersen and Jake Gagne, with the South African topping the No. 1 by just .032 of a second in the red-flagged race that was already shortened because of the conditions.
Third place went to the other factory team that got it right with Xavi Forés earning his first-career MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike podium.
Those who gambled wrong and finished down the order included Josh Herrin, who was 11th and Bobby Fong who finished P14. That put Jake Gagne back into the points lead after Race 1.
Cam Petersen: “As a team, we kind of sat down and decided to go with the rains and it worked out. It definitely was the right choice. But it was just such a fun race. It’s really fun racing with JG when you know that nothing crazy is going to happen. Nobody is going to throw a shot at you that’s sketchy or dangerous. It was funny because literally, like Jake said, we locked eyes going down the straightaway. I looked into his eyes, and I just started cracking up. The team did an incredible job in the short amount of time they had, with getting the bike somewhat into a wet setting. Just a good day overall. Third win on the season. I think coming into this season, I only had three Superbike wins. So, super stoked to get that in one season. I’ve felt good all weekend here. Congrats to these two boys for being on the podium. Congrats to Xavi on his first MotoAmerica Superbike podium.
Sunday was a different story, with the riders greeted by sunny skies and a dry track. Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin won his second Steel Commander Superbike race of the season and it tightened up the standings.
Bobby Fong also recovered nicely from his Saturday finish and was P2, which put him back in front of Gagne by a single point. Third place went to Petersen, a day after the South African won his third race of the season on Saturday. Petersen was some four seconds behind Fong and another four some seconds clear of Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz. His two podiums in the two races put him squarely in the hunt for the title.
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Josh Herrin Leads the Pack at the Ridge Race 2
Josh Herrin: “Obviously, I wish I was further ahead and didn’t do so bad in all four of the rain races we had, but it’s exactly what the championship needs with a fight like this with a bunch of different manufacturers. So, I’m excited for that, especially since Laguna Seca is all of our home rounds. So, it’s going to be a lot of our family there cheering us on. It should be an exciting weekend. Race went great. Tires were great. Everything just clicked today, just like Road America. Like I said all year, we knew Barber was difficult, but every other race we’ve been right there with the exception of the rain. Maybe Dunlop will let us go use the rain track for the end of the year and try to get a little bit better. It’s mainly my fault with all the stupid choices I’ve made with tires the last couple years, running slicks in the rain. I’m just happy to be up here, happy to claw back in the points again. This is the closest we’ve been all year. Thank you to my entire team. Really excited to go to Laguna, not just for the race but Ducati DRE on Monday and hang out with all the Ducati fans and riders. Can’t wait to see you there.”
How is this for a close championship battle? Fong leads Gagne by a single point, 158-157. Petersen is next with 151 and Herrin is fourth with 149, and that all translates to the fact that the top four in the championship point standings are separated by just eight points.
Cameron Beaubier who is still recovering from his broken heel, returned at The Ridge, but dropped out of Race 1, after making the wrong tire choice and not wanting to risk further injury. In Race 2, Beaubier rode through the pain of his surgically repaired broken right heel to finish P8, just in front of Jake Gagne, who is still struggling with arm pump. Warriors.
MotoAmerica is at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California July 12th - 14th.
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FORMULA 1 - Last weekend's Qatar Airways Austrian Grand Prix had a surprse ending. Mercedes' George Russell took the victory after a dramatic end to the race saw Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collide in the battle for the lead, knocking Norris out and dropping Verstappen down the order.
Verstappen held P1 from pole position and for much of the race. But after the final pit stops on Lap 52, Norris closed down on Verstappen and a rarely seen fight for the win ensued.
With the gap between them at less than two seconds, Norris was all over Verstappen, but the Dutchman defended all Norris' efforts to take the lead. Then, on Lap 64 they made contact, causing both to head to the pits with punctures.
This allowed Russell, who was third, to take the lead in the Mercedes. He held on to take the second race win of his F1 career. Oscar Piastri took P2 ahead of the lead Ferrari of Carlos Sainz in third. Lewis Hamilton finished a distant fourth.
Verstappen crossed the line fifth, a position he kept despite being handed a 10-second penalty for the incident with Norris. Seems like that isn't a very convincing incentive to prevent anybody from knocking somebody from the race.
Nico Hulkenberg took sixth, with the Red Bull of Sergio Perez seventh, spliiting the Haas teammates with Kevin Magnussen finishing P8. Daniel Ricciardo claimed two points for RB in ninth, and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.
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George Russell Took Advantage of the Norris and Verstappen Tussle | |
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George Russell: "Incredible! That's the only way I can describe it. We had a tough fight in the early stages to make sure we held on to P3. That would prove crucial at the end. I could see that Max (Verstappen) and Lando (Norris) were having a big battle. We were only just over 10 seconds behind the pair of them, which is really encouraging pace-wise. I knew there was a possibility that they could come together, even if it was only a slim chance. You have to be there at the end to pick up the pieces and that's exactly where we were. I am so proud to be back on the top step of the podium.
"The team have done an amazing job to get us closer to the fight at the front. We have made so many strides since the start of the season. The last few races have been great and hopefully there is more to come. It's no secret that Max and Lando are a little bit ahead of us at present but we're now consistently putting ourselves in that third position. It's an exciting time for us; we're riding a bit of a wave, and I can't wait to go to my home race at Silverstone next week and see what we can do there."
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff talked about the opportunistic win in Austria and heading to Silverstone for this weekend's home race for the team.
Toto Wolff: "We head to Silverstone encouraged by our weekend in Austria. We capitalized on the opportunities that presented themselves to claim victory. We were running an honest third on track, not too far behind the leading duo. When they tangled, we were there to take advantage. That is due to the hard work of everyone at Brackley and Brixworth over the recent months. Our incremental gains have brought us closer to the front and turned us into regular podium contenders. Everyone is focused on maintaining that positive trajectory and getting ourselves into the fight for victories on a regular basis. We are optimistic that we can achieve this. There is a great energy and momentum within the team and last weekend's result only adds to that.
"Turning to this weekend, Silverstone is something of a home race for our team, being close to both our technical centers in Brackley and Brixworth. It is always fantastic to see our factory-based team members in the grandstands. I'm sure the British fans will also be out in force cheering on the team, and both Lewis and George; the atmosphere each and every year is exceptional. On track, the battle at the front is tight. We will have to be at our best to challenge for the podium once again. That is our aim, though, and we are excited for the challenge."
This weekend's Qatar Airways British Grand Prix will wrap up three straight races on consecutive weekends. The Silverstone Circuit is the fifth-longest on the F1 calendar and only Spa-Francorchamps, Baku, Las Vegas and Jeddah are longer.
Silverstone boasts some of the most iconic names for corners in the whole of Motorsport - Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel are legendary. Drivers complete almost 80% of a lap at full throttle at Silverstone, the third-highest percentage seen so far this season after Australia and Saudi Arabia.
This produces some of the highest lateral g-forces of the season, with a maximum of 5.2g at Stowe. At nearly 2,133 feet, the run down to the first braking point is the second longest on the 2024 F1 calendar. Only Mexico is longer at 2518 feet.
Sunday's Qatar Airways British Grand Prix will be broadcast at 9:55 AM ET on ESPN2. For practice and qualifying times and channels, refer to the Jay Geils Memorial TV Links above.
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INDYCAR - This weekend's Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid ushers in a new era of NTT INDYCAR SERIES electrified hybrid racing. The series is going hybrid with the introduction of the Energy Recovery System, or ERS.
The new INDYCAR ERS hybrid will be combined with the existing 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engine and produce up to an additional 60 horsepower. The hybrid unit will be located within the bell housing area of the car, between the engine and transmission, allowing it to fit within the existing chassis and engine footprint.
The ERS system will be made up of four major components. The Energy Storage System - ESS. The Motor Generator Unit - MGU. The DC / DC converter. The Voltage Control Device.
The ESS is a series of 20 supercapacitors—designed by Skeleton—that store the energy harvested by the MGU until its deployment by the drivers. HRC US opted to use a supercapacitor rather than a battery because of its ability to both capture and deploy energy faster. The ESS can fully charge and deploy in approximately 4.5 seconds.
The Motor Generator Unit , or MGU is produced by EMPEL in collaboration with Ilmor, the MGU captures spent energy produced under braking, turning it into electricity to be stored by the Energy Storage System. The MGU is also linked to the driveshaft of the existing Indy car engine—allowing the driver to deploy the harvested energy as additional power.
The DC / DC converter is produced by BrightLoop Converters, the DC / DC converter on the IndyCar ERS ensures that the energy from the ESS or generated by the MGU is output at the correct voltage for the existing powertrain, 12 volts.
The Voltage Control Device is essentially an oversized fuse, the Voltage Control Device is a safety component that ensures the entirety of the system never exceeds 60 volts.
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A New Era of Engineering Begins This Weekend
The ERS captures what would otherwise be wasted energy generated under braking and uses it to charge up the supercapacitors within the unit. The 'regen' process can be moderated by technology or controlled manually by the driver. When deployed, the ESS sends the energy to the MGU, which is linked to the driveshaft of the existing Indy car engine, adding up to 60 horsepower at the drivers' disposal.
In the automatic 'regen' process, software dictates a set level of regeneration that will occur as the driver is racing. In the manual 'regen' process, drivers have more control over the degree of energy harvesting. A button on the steering wheel activates energy harvesting at a set rate, while pulling a paddle on the rear of the steering wheel changes the amount of regeneration.
The process is the same for oval racing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Despite not often lifting or braking on ovals in qualifying situations, it is common to lift on the ovals when drafting or lining up to execute a pass in race-day scenarios. Therefore, regen will occur often during a race as drivers are setting up their passes. Then, energy can be deployed when they are making the pass.
Deployment of the energy stored in the ERS is activated manually by the driver via a button on the steering wheel.
An additional benefit to going hybrid is the ability for the ERS to start or restart the car without the need for the current external starter. With stalling being a common cause for full-course cautions, the ERS will provide enough power that a driver can restart the car without outside assistance. This will not only reduce the number of yellow and red flag periods, but also the risk safety workers face while attending to a stalled race car on course. The system will always keep some energy in reserve to allow for multiple engine restarts should a driver need it.
The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented the 2025 Civic Hybrid is on Sunday, July 7th at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The race will be broadcast on NBC at 1:30 PM ET.
FORMULA E - Antonio Felix da Costa swept the Portland E-Prix weekend, giving him three staright Formula E victories, dating back to the previous round. In Saturday's Round 13, a late unforced error by current World Championship leader Nick Cassidy saw the Jaguar TCS Racing driver slip from the lead at the end of the race, dramatically altering the outcome.
Cassidy took the lead on Lap 23, with four laps remaining and seemed set for victory. His teammate, Mitch Evans, despite a five-second penalty for an early collision, played the perfect supporting role. Evans overtook da Costa - Cassidy's nearest challenger - to secure what seemed like a sure one-two finish for Jaguar.
But Cassidy misjudged Turn 11, which sent his I-TYPE 6 off the asphalt and across the grass, dropping him to 19th place. That handed the win to da Costa. Robin Frijns took P2, with the Round 13 podium completed by Jean-Eric Vergne of DS PENSKE.
Round 14 produced another win for TAG Heuer Porsche's Antonio Felix da Costa. Nick Cassidy failed to score points for a second consecutive race. His championship lead is now down to 12 points, with his teammate Mitch Evans tied for second with TAG Heuer Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein heading to the London finale.
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Antonio Felix da Costa Has a Three E-Prix Win Streak | |
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Also joining da Costa on the podium for the second time last weekend was Robin Frijns, who celebrated his 100th Formula E race with back-to-back podium finishes for Envision Racing. Mitch Evans, representing Jaguar TCS Racing, claimed the third podium spot.
Antonio Felix da Costa: “This is crazy. I’m happy, I’m emotional, I’m angry, I’m everything. I’m just glad that I’m getting to ride this wave right now - I know it doesn’t last forever. I’ve been on it before, I’ve been out of it before, so I’m just going to try and keep doing things right. I’m going to enjoy this moment. A lot of people in this world live by the motto of never giving up but I think we’re going to a completely new degree of that motto if I’m honest!”
CBS Sports Network will televise last weekend's Portland E-Prix this weekend! On Saturday, July 6th you can watch Round 13 at 1:00 PM Eastern, followed by Round 14 at 2:00 PM ET.
As the championship heads to London, the battle for the top spot is more intense than ever. The Hankook London E-Prix doubleheader season finale will take place the 20th and 21st of July.
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Alboreto: Gasoline in the Veins - The story about the man who grew up to realize his childhood dream of driving a Formula 1 car for Enzo Ferrari is now available once more in the United States.
Alboreto: Gasoline in the Veins is written by Michele Alboreto's brother Ermanno and details his early years and rise through the racing ranks.
It also tells about his character outside the car and that is the contribution that we are most proud to be associated with. It began with an interview during Michele's Indy car career and a request to use it in his life story. We also contributed interviews with his teammates and racing legends like Giacomo Agostini.
Listen to that interview HERE.
For ordering information, simply reply to this update for details. There are a limited number of copies here in America, you will save international shipping prices by getting your copy right here.
There is also a Facebook page for the book HERE.
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FIA WEC - The FIA World Endurance Champioship is in the middle of a competitive season, with more cars and teams than ever in the top class. In the headline Hypercar category, there have been four different winners in 2024 so far, making for a close championship.
At Round 1 in Qatar, it was Porsche Penske Motorsport and the increasingly-competitive Porsche 963 that was victorious. This was followed by Toyota Gazoo Racing and its 2023 championship-winning Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar which triumphed at Round 2 in Imola.
Hertz Team JOTA and its privately run Porsche 963 was next to take the glory as the British squad won an action-packed Spa-Francorchamps in May. Most recently, it was Ferrari AF Corse's turn, as the Ferrari 499P Hypercar once again proved the car to beat at Round 4 of the year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
There are just 12 points separating the top three manufacturers – Porsche, Ferrari and Toyota – in the overall Hypercar manufacturer standings. With a total of 108 points, Porsche top the overall leaderboard but they face stiff competition from Ferrari who are just behind on 99 points and Toyota who are third with 96 points. It must not be forgotten that more than 100 championship points are still available at the remaining WEC rounds in Brazil, USA, Japan and Bahrain.
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Spa-Francorchamps Victors Hertz Team JOTA | |
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At season’s half-way point, in LMGT3, it’s even closer, with Manthey PureRXcing and Manthey EMA tied at the top of the standings with 75 points apiece and Round 2 winners, Team WRT, have a total of 73 points. The class includes manufacturer participation from Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, McLaren and Porsche.
Round 5 of the World Endurance Championship; the Rolex 6 Hours of Sao Paulo is on July 14th. Check out the 6 HOURS OF SAO PAULO ENTRIES.
ELMS - The grid for the 4 Hours of Imola, on July 5th - 7th, will feature 128 drivers, including five newly crowned 24 Hours of Le Mans Champions - Nicklas Nielsen (Ferrari AF Cose - Hypercar), Oliver Jarvis (United Autosports – LMP2), Bijoy Garg (United Autosports – LMP2), François Perrodo (AF Corse – LMP2 Pro/Am) and Nicolás Varrone (AF Corse – LMP2 Pro/Am).
For the third round of the 2024 season the grid will consist of 22 LMP2 cars, 14 in LMP2 and 8 in LMP2 Pro/Am, 10 LMP3s and 11 LMGT3s. The 128 drivers and 28 teams will represent 30 different nations from all corners of the globe.
For the first of two visits to Italy, with the ELMS racing at Mugello for the first time in September, the home nation will be well represented with four teams and seven drivers.
With the 24 Hours of Le Mans not part of the European Le Mans Series, the winners of the 4 Hours of Le Castellet, Sebastian Alvarez, Vlad Lomko and Tom Dillmann head to Imola with a seven-point advantage at the head of the LMP2 points standings on 33 points in the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca-Gibson.
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LMP2 Leaders Inter Europol Competition | |
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The next seven cars are split by just 12 points, with the No. 22 United Autosports Oreca of Filip Ugran, Marino Sato and Ben Hanley in second spot on 26 points.
Round 1 winners Lorenzo Fluxa, Malthe Jakobsen head to Imola on 25 points and will be joined by former ELMS champion Paul Loup Chatin in the No. 37 COOL Racing Oreca, replacing Ritomo Miyata. 19-year-old Thai driver Carl Bennett will make his ELMS debut alongside Ferdinand Habsburg and Frederik Vesti in the No. 47 COOL Racing Oreca.
IDEC Sport trio Paul Lafargue, Reshad de Gerus and Job Van Uitert are also on 25 points after two rounds, one point ahead of reigning LMP2 Champions Algarve Pro Racing with Alex Lynn, Olli Caldwell and Mathias Kaiser on 24 points after the 4 Hours of Le Castellet.
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IMSA WTSC - Honda Racing Corporation USA announced late last week they will partner with championship-winning Meyer Shank Racing to field a pair of Acura ARX-06 entries in the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, starting with the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.
The multi-year agreement will see HRC US take on a larger operational role as the company further develops its personnel and technology for the hybrid electrified racing era.
HRC US associates will race engineer one of the two GTP entries, while Meyer Shank Racing will oversee the second Acura ARX-06.
Acura and HRC US developed the electrified Acura ARX-06 for the debut of IMSA's hybrid GTP category in 2023. The 2025 GTP entries will once again rely on the proven ORECA [ORganisation Exploitation Compétition Automobiles] LMDh-based chassis, and exterior body that was created and styled by the Acura Design Studio in Torrance, CA. HRC US developed the electrified powertrain, vehicle, engine and simulation software and control systems along with advanced driver-in-the loop simulator for the ARX-06.
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HRC USA Teams With MSR For 2025 | |
Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti and HRC US currently campaign two Acura ARX-06 GTP cars in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with drivers Louis Deletraz and Jordan Taylor piloting the No. 40, while Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque drive the No. 10. Deletraz and Taylor captured pole at the recent Watkins Glen IMSA race, while Taylor and Albuquerque took victory at the Detroit Grand Prix earlier this month.
With Chip Ganassi Racing and GM parting ways at the end of both the WEC and IMSA seasons and Wayne Taylor Racing joining up with Andretti Global this year, it isn't too difficult to see where this is heading. Cadillac is Andretti Global's partner in the development of their Formula 1 program.
Honda Racing Corporation USA President David Salters: "Running our own GTP car is the next step for our associates at HRC US. We race to develop our people and technology and we are thrilled to be partnering with MSR to race our ARX-06 against some of the world's best sportscar teams. This is why the next logical step for us is to race engineer our own car."
Acura is a three-time series champion in the former Daytona Prototype International (DPi) category, claiming the Manufacturer, Driver and Team DPi titles in 2019, 2020 and again in 2022, the final season in the DPi era. In IMSA GTP competition, Acura has recorded five poles and four victories since the electrified hybrid GTP category began competition in January, 2023.
The GTD classes join LMP2 north of the border for the Chevrolet Grand Prix at CTMP on July 14th. The broadcast is on USA at 11:00 AM Eastern. The next race for the GTP class will be the IMSA Sports Car Weekend from Road America on August 4th.
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