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Sarni Motorsports Update

Racing News

September 12, 2024

Last weekend featured FIM World Championship rounds in MotoGP, at Misano and the French Round of the WorldSBK at Magny-Cours. Race coverage follows.

There's lots of racing to look forward to this weekend, including Formula 1 in Baku for the Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix. INDYCAR crowns the 2024 season champion in Nashville on Sunday. MotoAmerica has two more rounds to go, including this weekend's Superbikes at Texas. The FIA World Endurance Championship was at COTA two weeks ago and are in Japan this weekend for the 6 Hours of Fuji. Read on for race previews.

Check out the J Wood and Company auction at the end of the month in Springfield, MA, where over 100 motorcycles are on offer from the Jack Weaver collection. Click on the banner below for more information and registration details.

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For more news, visit the home page of SARNIMOTORSPORTS.

Jay Geils Memorial TV Links:

Friday, September 13th: Formula 1 - Azerbaijan FP1 5:25 AM ET - FP2 8:55 AM ET ESPN2

Formula 1 Grand Prix Insights 12:00 PM ET MAVTV

Saturday, September 14th: Formula 1 - Azerbaijan FP3 4:25 AM ET - Qualifying 7:55 AM ET ESPN2

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

FIA WEC - 6 Hours of Fuji Part 1 9:30 PM ET MOTORTREND

Sunday, September 15th: FIA WEC - 6 Hours of Fuji Part 2 3:00 AM ET MOTORTREND

Formula 1 - Azerbaijan Grand Prix Sunday 5:30 AM ET ESPN

Formula 1 Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix 6:55 AM ET ESPN

MotoAmerica - COTA Superbike Race 2 1:00 PM ET

INDYCAR - Big Machine Music City Grand Prix 3:00 PM ET NBC

MotoAmerica - COTA Superbike Race 3 4:00 PM ET MAVTV

MotoAmerica - King of the Baggers Race 2 5:00 PM ET MAVTV

ENJOY YOUR RACE WEEKEND!

MOTOGP - After not standing on the top step of the podium for 1043 days, Marc Marquez has won three races in 8 days. A light rain before the start of Sunday's San Marino GP began to fall on the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Teams were already having to choose between soft and medium compound tires on the grid.

Race Control waved the white flag, signaling that riders had the option to change bikes. That crucial call, whether to come in or stay out on slicks would be the deciding factor, in not only the race, but the championship fight.

At the start, Pecco Bagnaia led from pole, followed by Franco Morbidelli from the front row. Soon Martin charged by his teammate and was into P2. While tracking Pecco Jorge went wide and a decision about whether to make the bike swap was on the minds of the riders.

Jorge Martin was the first to blink, The other front runners kept their eyes wide open and stayed out. Martin rolled into the pits from P2 for a bike change with 21 laps to go. The only others who made the call were back in the pack. That's exactly where Martin ended up when he came in a second time to change back to slicks.

Meanwhile one lap later, Marquez was by both Brad Binder and Bagnaia. From there he would not be headed. You could feel what Bagnaia was thinking; pressure from afar and settle for second if Marquez rode mistake free. Marc Marquez did just that, riding to a 3.1 second victory and back-to-back GP wins. His ride from ninth on the grid, negotiating the conditions to manage the race was pure MM93 masterpiece.

Enea Bastianini was a further 5.4 seconds back to take third, ahead of Bard Binder in P4. Pertamina Enduro VR46 's Marco Bezzecchi completed the top five.

In Saturday's Sprint, Jorge Martin launched from P4 to take the win ahead of Bagnaia and a resurgent Franco Morbidelli. Martin's Saturday mood did not portend what lie ahead for the Martinator on Sunday.

Jorge Martin's lead has now decreased from 26 points to just seven points ahead of Bagnaia. Marc Marquez is in the hunt in P3, 53 points behind Martin and 11 clear of Bastianini in the race for the Ducati Cup.

Marc Marquez Out Front. Again

Marc Marquez: “Those rain drops helped a lot… Maybe Fausto looked down and gave us a helping hand. I thought I had nothing to lose and gave it all. Honestly, I would have never got back to the pits to change the bike, and surely not that soon. Had it rained for a couple of more laps then maybe… but I chose to follow the instincts of the home riders who stayed out. I can’t say if it’s an open championship again, but we want to continue looking for consistency.”

The reason for two consecutive GPs at Misano is due to the cancellation of the Kazakhstan GP, it was replaced by the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Italy's Misano circuit on September 20th - 22nd. The race at the Sokol circuit was postponed once and was originally intended to take the place of the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit. That race was shortened last September because of oppressive heat and humidity. So we're back at Misano next weekend for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, with a test in between, which was held at Misano on Monday.

At the Misano Offical Test, Bagnaia hit the mid 1:30 bracket to take the top spot ahead of Prima Pramac's Franco Morbidelli and Pecco's Ducati Lenovo teammate Enea Bastianini.

Everyone had a big workload on a hot day, with new parts being rolled out. With his Lenovo Ducati teammate leaving the Factory team in favor of Marquez next season, the onus was on Pecco to test the new 2025 chassis. Pramac's Morbidelli completed over 40 laps in the afternoon session, taking a late second place. teammate Jorge Martin rode around in P6, also a lame duck Ducati man for 2025.

Red Bull GASGAS Tech3's Pedro Acosta was P4. One of his bikes had a different tail section and a new top exhaust, Acosta also had one of the experimental machines to try, just like 2025 teammate Brad Binder, who finished 11th on the day.

San Marino GP winner Marc Marquez was seventh for Gresini, with brother Alex finishing 12th on Monday in Misano. MotoGP Legend and test rider Daniel Pedrosa returned to action for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, taking over Miller’s side of the garage, finishing 13th. Jack Miller took part in the afternoon session, ending the Test in 15th.

At Aprilia, Maverick Viñales and teammate Aleix Espargaro spent the day trying to find improvements with their set-up and ergonomics as the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix nears. Viñales also said a key focus was improving in braking. He took ninth as Espargaro placed 14th. Test rider Lorenzo Savadori was also out on track working towards the development of the 2025 package.

Over at Trackhouse Racing, Raul Fernandez put in the miles on both an RS-GP23 and an RS-GP24 in his box and some different parts to test during the day. He claimed 11th, while teammate Miguel Oliveira completed a solid number of laps and was P17 at the end of the day as the he tried to refine his current package.

Yamaha had new parts for the Misano test, including a new engine and chassis. The Iwata factory had already tested many parts in private tests throughout the year, taking full advantage of their concessions. This allowed the Japanese manufacturer to do some back-to-back runs to confirm where the improvements were.

Monster Energy Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo showed progress on the time sheets too, ending the day in fifth after improving in the final hour of action. Meanwhile, teammate Alex Rins was "satisfied" with the parts that were tried on Monday, and he finished up the session in P16.

In the Honda camp, there is still a lot of work to do, Repsol's Joan Mir had three bikes on his side of the garage, including one of wildcard Stefan Bradl's, and was 22nd at the end of the day, finishing behind teammate Marini in 21st. Bradl was also back out, working with one machine.

At LCR, Johann Zarco tested a new side fairing, using it first during the morning session. Takaaki Nakagami spent the day testing new aero as well, with all hands on deck at Honda to start moving forward towards the fight for the top ten.

The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix is on Sunday, September 22nd with an early start on the East Coast. The broadcast can be seen in the States on truTV at 6:30 AM Eastern. Saturday's Sprint race is at 8:30 AM Eastern, also on truTV.

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 info, 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. Visit the Facebook page HERE.

WORLDSBK - Toprak Razgatlioglu did not extend his WorldSBK record breaking-win streak last weekend at the Motul French Round for one simple reason. He did not compete.

In Friday's FP2 he was setting fastest sectors all around Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours and exceeded the limit, suffering a bad crash. He injured his back and was ruled out of the weekend. On Tuesday, September 10th BMW updated his condition: "Toprak Razgatlioglu suffered a severe crash during the second free practice session of the FIM Superbike World Championship at Magny-Cours last Friday. As a result, he sustained a pneumothorax and was declared unfit for the remainder of the race weekend.

"Further examinations at the medical center at Magny-Cours have now confirmed that the pneumothorax is healing positively. The attending doctors have already cleared Razgatlioglu to travel to Italy, where his treatment will continue with another professional medical team. Italy is also the location of the next WorldSBK round. However, whether he will be able to compete in the races at Cremona remains uncertain. This will depend on his continued recovery and the assessment of Dorna’s medical team before the race weekend."

In a wet Race 1 on Saturday, it was Razgatlioglu's ROKiT BMW Motorrad teammate Michael van der Mark who took home his first win in 1070 days. The Dutch rider has suffered a couple of tough years plagued by injuries. He carried to torch for the team, giving them 14 straight wins.

Known as a wet weather specialist, van der Mark came out on top of a battle of attrition, with just 12 riders finishing Race 1 in the French rain. The crashes included a vicious high-side for championship contender Nicolo Bulega in the chicane at the end of Lap 1. Pata Yamaha's Jonathan Rea went down in reaction to the Ducati rider in front of him. Rea sustained a broken finger and deep cut and was ruled out of racing on Sunday.

Alvaro Bautista finished P2, after riding cautious and coming through the carnage from 17th on the grid to finish 8.288s behind the BMW. Danilo Petrucci has been on form and has a string of recent podium finishes that continued in Magny-Cours Race 1. His first win isn't far off, especially if Razgatlioglu is unable to mount up at Petrucci's home round in Cremona.

Bonovo Action BMW's Scott Redding had pitted on lap 4 and then crashed from a top ten position on wet tires on lap 9 at Turn 5, but he was able to pick his BMW M 1000 RR up to bring it home in fourth place, ahead of Team GoEleven's Andrea Iannone in fifth.

Michael van der Mark Ends Drought With Wet Race 1 Win

Michael van der Mark: “I am really, really happy with how the weekend went. The bike felt fantastic from the first day on. We had some really good results, especially yesterday’s victory, and we scored a lot of points. In the Superpole race, we gambled a little bit with the tire and for some reason it did not really work out on my bike. It was a shame to lose so many positions in the end, but we were still in the top ten and scored some points. In Race 2, I had fantastic start but straight away I felt I did not have the pace of Nicolo Bulega and Danilo Petrucci so I tried to manage my pace and I was having a good race. We have to improve in some areas, for example on the exit of the corners and if we fix this, we should be able to fight longer for podiums. But overall, I think the weekend has been fantastic and going home with a victory and a lot of points is always great.”

On Sunday, Nicolo Bulega ignored his right shoulder and collarbone contusions to win the Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2. Once again it was Barni Spark Racing's Danilo Petrucci on the podium, this time in P2. Although close, Petrux never really challenged Bulega who won by 2.3 seconds.

Nicolo Bulega: "I'm really happy with these results also because last night, after the crash, I was down in the dumps. This morning, however, I woke up with a strong determination to recover what I had lost. The feeling with the bike was extraordinary and allowed me to ride at my best despite the pain. See you at Cremona."

There was another highlight on the weekend in the BMW camp, as American rider Garrett Gerloff took his first podium on a BMW.

Garrett Gerloff: “I’m very happy with this first podium for me and the team! I actually thought this is something we could do much earlier, I thought we could have a podium already last year, and we have been close a couple of times last year, but not close enough. Now I’m so happy for the team. We have been struggling a bit this year, but we all have been focused and were trying to figure out the problems and we have been able to make big progress. To finally get the podium is really amazing. But I just wanted to say: all the best for Toprak and I hope he recovers as soon as possible. For sure, if he was out there, it would have been a lot more difficult to get the podium. But anyway, I take the podium, when it comes.”

Starting in second on the grid, KRT's Alex Lowes ran wide at Turn 8 on lap 1 – dropping to the back of the race. Lowes then fought back brilliantly, making his way through the pack, eventually getting in front of his former Yamaha teammate Van der Mark for fourth with four laps to go.

Now it is on to the WorldSBK debut at the Cremona Circuit. Unfortunately, the second MotoGP race at Misano is also scheduled the same weekend. The two venues are under three hours driving time apart from each other.

We're not even going to try predicting when MAVTV will air the Acerbis Italian Round. They moved the schedule all over the place for last weekend's MOTUL French Round. Stay on your toes and don't trust the program guide or websites apparently!

MOTOAMERICA - Yamaha Motor USA has announced that Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne will sit out the remaining two rounds of the MotoAmerica season to focus on returning to full fitness for 2025. Filling in for Gagne will be Xavi Forés.

Although the the three-time defending Superbike Champion is tied with Bobby Fong for second in the championship, the decision was made by Gagne, with support from the team, to sit out the final two rounds of the season in order to focus on returning to full fitness for next season.

Jake Gagne: “It wasn’t an easy decision, but we needed to look at the bigger picture and get back to 100%. Despite my best efforts to fix it in between races, I’ve continued to deal with issues with my arm and hand. We’ll go get this sorted and come back stronger next season.”

There are three races for the Steel Commander Superbike class on the schedule this weekend at COTA. This could take a toll on riders, with temperatures expected to reach 100 degrees. Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin comes into the weekend with a 52 point lead in the class. He won an AMA Superbike Championship 11 years ago, which puts him among the older riders on the grid. In Texas, fitness will be put to the test for all, no matter their age.

Herrin has hit his stride in recent rounds and hopes to grab the lion's share of the 75 points on offer at COTA. The intent is to lock it up in Texas and not to wait for the final round in New Jersey. Fong is second and although Gagne won't be adding to his three Superbike titles in 2024, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier is perfectly capable of throwing down a monster weekend at COTA in his quest for his 6th Superbike Championship. He is 60 points off the top and if he rides smart and grabs enough points, the title race will go to the final round at NJMP.

There are two rounds left in the MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike season, but ahead of this weekend's Superbikes at Texas the series has announced the dates for the 20-race 2025 calendar.

After the Supersport class kicks off 2025 at the the 83rd Running Of The Daytona 200, the Steel Commander Superbike season gets underway at Barber Motorsports Park the first weekend of April. Five months later, the 2025 season concludes once again at New Jersey Motorsports Park on the last weekend of September.

The Barber round swaps places with Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta as the series opener, with Road Atlanta moving to Round 2, May 2nd - 4th. Road America follows on May 30th - June 1st, which is the weekend after Memorial Day.

The series moves to West Coast in June and July, with dates at the Ridge Motorsports Park in Washington on June 27th - 29th then at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on July 11th - 13th.

The last three rounds of 2025 duplicate this season's order at Mid-Ohio (August 15th - 17th) COTA (September 12th - 14th) and wrapping up two weeks later at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

MotoAmerica Superbikes at Texas is this weekend from Circuit of The Americas. The weekend features three Steel Commander Superbike races, one Saturday and two on Sunday. For broadcast times refer to the Jay Geils Memorial TV Links above.

FORMULA 1 - Adrian Newey took Lawrence Stroll's money and now will be an employee of Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. The team announced the signing of the Red Bull Chief Technical Officer in a press conference on Tuesday, September 10th.

The long and storied career of the car designer includes stints in Sports Cars with March in the United States in the IMSA series, where his cars won the GTP title in 1983 and 1984. He also designed March Indy cars that won multiple titles and Indy 500s in 1986 and 1987.

In the early 1990s he took Williams F1 to the top of Formula 1 with Constructors' Championships and driver titles for Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill.

He then brought success to McLaren with Mika Häkkinen, who won two world championships in Newey-designed cars. The turn of the century brought with it the Ferrari and Michael Schumacher era that McLaren could not top.

Newey took a leap of faith and signed on with the fledgling Red Bull Racing F1 team in 2006. By 2010 the team was at the top with Sebastian Vettel taking four world championships. Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes then became the combination to beat for the next eight years. But soon it was happy times again, with Max Verstappen beating Hamilton for the Drivers' World Championship in 2021, a title he has not relinquished. Yet.

Last year, with the Newey-designed RB19, the team secured their second consecutive Constructors' Championship with 860 points, the highest ever scored in a single season. Verstappen, already established as a force, won his third title in a row with a record 19 victories in 22 races - breaking his own record from 2022.

The acclaimed British designer will begin working at the Aston Martin's Silverstone HQ beginning March 1, 2025 taking up a new role as Managing Technical Partner.

There is plenty to exercise Adrian’s mind in this new role: a reset in the technical rules for 2026, the integration of Honda works power units, advanced fuels by Aramco, and the newest wind tunnel in the sport.

Adrian Newey Makes World Champions

Adrian Newey: “I am thrilled to be joining the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. I have been hugely inspired and impressed by the passion and commitment that Lawrence brings to everything he is involved with. Lawrence is determined to create a world-beating team. He is the only majority team owner who is actively engaged in the sport. His commitment is demonstrated in the development of the new AMR Technology Campus and wind tunnel at Silverstone, which are not only state of the art but have a layout that creates a great environment to work in. Together with great partners like Honda and Aramco, they have all the key pieces of infrastructure needed to make Aston Martin a world championship-winning team and I am very much looking forward to helping reach that goal.”

This weekend is the front end of a doubleheader, with Azerbaijan leading into Singapore next weekend. It's been awhile since we have seen Adrian Newey wearing the Red Bull kit at the races. Will we even see him again in 2024?

F1 first visited Baku in 2016, when the race was known as the European Grand Prix. It has been known as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix every year since.

The Baku City Circuit is the fourth longest on the F1 calendar this year - only Spa, Las Vegas and Jeddah are longer. A lap of the track sees drivers change gears 64 times, more than at any other circuit on the 2024 calendar. The Baku City Circuit also ranks highest in terms of braking energy. No track on the 2024 calendar has more braking zones of over 2G.

The Safety Car has been deployed five times across the last five races and is often required more than once across a Grand Prix. The section from the exit at Turn 16 to the braking zone for Turn 1 is the longest full-throttle passage of the year. It is around 656 feet longer than the segment from Turns 1 to 5 at Spa-Francorchamps.

The 2024 event is taking place in September for the first time, having previously taken place in the first half of the season (April or May).

Max Verstappen leads Lando Norris by 62 points entering this weekend, but has not won a race since June. He will be out to end that streak in earnest from the start of FP1 on Friday.

The Formula 1 Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix is on Sunday. The race broadcast is begins with Grand Prix Sunday at 5:30 AM Eastern. The lights go out at 7:00 AM ET, also on ESPN.

INDYCAR - There is a high likelihood that the remants of Francine will impact the schedule of this weekend's final NTT INDYCAR SERIES race of 2024. The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for this Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway. Rain is a great reason to not schedule an oval race to conclude a race season.

Nashville Superspeedway will host the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale for the first time in 2024.

Three drivers are still mathematically eligible for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship: Alex Palou, Will Power and Scott McLaughlin. Palou will clinch his third NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship in the last four years with a finish of ninth or better.

The 33 points separating Alex Palou and Will Power is the seventh-largest point margin with a race remaining since 2008. During that span, the average lead with one race remaining is 29.9 points.

A Third Astor Cup is Palou's to Lose

In partnership with Firestone, INDYCAR has announced the addition of Firestone Firehawk alternate-compound tires for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale. Used in addition to Firestone Firehawk primary compounds, the softer alternate red-sidewall tires will provide another set of options, strategies and choices for drivers and teams. In addition, rules for use of the weekend’s tire allotment also have been updated.

Each NTT INDYCAR SERIES entry will receive:

Six sets of primary-compound tires and four sets of alternate-compound tires. Teams may use their weekend allotment unrestricted in practice and NTT P1 Award qualifying. In the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix race, teams must use, in any order:

One set of primary-compound tires. Two sets of alternate-compound tires. As on road and street circuits, cars must complete two laps on each set of required tires. Failure to comply with this rule will result in a minimum one-lap penalty.

Also new to the event, there are no requirements whether the tires used in the race must be “new” or “used.” Additionally, there are no restrictions governing the use of new or used primary or alternate tires in NTT P1 Award qualifying.

This is the second time alternate-compound tires have been used on an oval following the successful debut of the option in August of 2023 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge is on NBC at 3:00 PM ET Sunday September 15th. Sunday's forecast calls for a 70% chance of precipitation, so chances are there will be delays in the program. If the race were pushed to Monday, the forecast sees the chance of showers decrease to a 40% chance of scattered showers.

FORMULA E - The ABB Formula E World Championship announced on Monday, September 9th that Jeddah will be the new host city for its race in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, beginning in Season 11. The 2025 Jeddah E-Prix will take place on a modified version of the iconic Corniche Circuit on February 14th - 15th 2025 on the Red Sea coastline.

The new venue follows six seasons of racing in Diriyah and marks a new chapter in Formula E's history since its inaugural race in Saudi Arabia in Season 5.

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport has approved Jeddah as the new venue. Formula E has worked with the FIA for final approval, with the FIA World Motor Sport Council approving the venue.

Formula E Come to The Jeddah Corniche Short Circuit in Season 11

Formula E Co-Founder and Chief Championship Officer Alberto Longo: “We are delighted to bring the excitement of Formula E to Jeddah, a city that embodies the spirit of progress and transformation. The revised Corniche Short Circuit will offer thrilling new challenges for our teams and drivers while showcasing the vibrant atmosphere of Jeddah to our global audience. We have raced in the Kingdom for many years and this move signifies the growing scale and appetite for Formula E in the region.”

Formula E will be in action in preparation for Season 11 at Pre-Season Testing in Valencia, Spain on November 4th - 7th. The season opener is the São Paulo E-Prix on December 7, 2024.

SUN SPECIALTIES - Sun Specialties is the official promotional products supplier of Sarni Motorsports. Sun Specialties has over 35 years of experience, providing quality and service on wearables and all imprinted products. Whether you are looking for Team Gear, Corporate Awards, or Specialty Advertising Products, we want to share our longstanding relationship with this great company with you. We encourage you to take advantage of special savings.

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FIA WEC - There are two rounds remaining in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, beginning with this weekend's 6 Hours of Fuji. The focus will be on home team Toyota, who have been peerless in their home round. As reigning World Champions, Toyota has won nine of the ten WEC races in Japan since returning to top-level endurance racing in 2012, including a run of six consecutive victories since 2016, making Fuji Speedway the team’s most successful circuit.

With a length of 2.835 miles, Fuji is the second-shortest circuit of the season, after Interlagos. However, the Fuji Speedway is renowned for its endless straight, which stretches for almost a mile. This is where drivers fully exploit the potential of their cars. Last year, Antonio Fuoco reached a top speed of 207 mph in the Ferrari AF Corse 499P No. 50. The Fuji Speedway features 16 turns (10 right, 6 left).

Eighteen entries in the Hypercar class will battle it out at the historic speedway in the shadow of Mt. Fuji. Toyota leads the Manufacturers’ standings as it targets its sixth consecutive crown. They are fighting with Porsche and Ferrari for Hypercar class supremacy. Porsche is 11 points behind and Ferrari eight further back, with only the Fuji race and a season finale in Bahrain on November 2nd remaining.

The gaps are even narrower in the Drivers' Championship. Winners of the inaugural Qatar Airways 1812 km of Qatar with the Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 No. 6, André Lotterer, Kévin Estre, and Laurens Vanthoor still lead the championship. However, the trio has only a 12-point lead over the drivers of the Toyota No. 7, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries (Mike Conway is fourth due to his absence from the 24 Hours of Le Mans), and the same lead over Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen, winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the No. 50 Ferrari.

Following its triumph in Texas at the Circuit of the Americas, the Ferrari No. 83 of AF Corse has reignited the race for the Hypercar Teams' World Cup. With two rounds remaining, the yellow-liveried 499P is only 30 points behind the Porsche Hertz Team JOTA No. 12, winner of the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The Porsche Proton Competition No. 99 and the Porsche Hertz Team JOTA No. 38 are third and fourth.

Last year’s Fuji winners Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi, alongside Nyck de Vries, aim for a second win of 2024 to strengthen their World Championship chances. World Champions Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa won at Fuji in 2022.

Toyota Team Principal and driver Kamui Kobayashi: “Everyone in the team is looking forward to our home race. It is very important; after Le Mans, Fuji is the second most significant race of the season for us. As a Japanese driver and as a Japanese manufacturer, competing in Fuji is very important, plus it’s great to meet our Japanese fans. We have always been strong there and we have a fantastic record, with nine wins. Of course, we want to keep that successful run going in front of our fans, partners and colleagues.”

A Race With a View

In LMGT3, the Porsche 911 No. 92 of Manthey PureRxcing sits atop the LMGT3 standings with 118 points. Following its second-place finish in Austin, the Lithuanian team has extended its lead over its sister car, the No. 91 Manthey EMA, to 28 points. Third with 84 points, the BMW M4 No. 31 of Team WRT is only three points ahead of the Aston Martin Vantage No. 27 of Heart of Racing, which earned its first win at Lone Star Le Mans.

Klaus Bachler (No. 92 Porsche 911 GT3 R): “We’re now heading into the seventh and penultimate race of the season and we are currently ranked first in the overall standings. That’s fantastic, but it’s also a burden – literally! We have to load 40 kilograms of success ballast into our Porsche 911 GT3 R in Japan. Under these conditions, it’ll be tricky to fight at the front. However, the last sector in Fuji has a lot of corners, some of which are extremely tight. As a driver, I enjoy that and our car should also be able to cope well with these sections. We want to defend the lead in the overall standings and take another step towards the title.”

It seems like Motorsports grooms their athletes for success at a younger age each year. Enter the picture Luna Fluxa, who is just 14 years of age. Today Iron Dames announced they have signed the young lady from Mallorca, Spain to their project. Fluxa currently is a Junior Driver for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team.

Luna was born in Spain in 2010 and joined the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team’s Junior Program in 2022, after impressing in her initial seasons racing in karts and showing encouraging signs of a driver on the rise. She started racing in 2017 and has been travelling around Europe competing in various series since 2019.

Luna Fluxa: “I am super excited and grateful to join the Iron Dames Family. This project is so inspiring to me. Being part of this great group of female athletes performing at the highest level means a lot to me. Having the support of both Mercedes-AMG F1 team and Iron Dames is the perfect mix to continue my development. I can’t wait to fly both colors on track.”

The 6 Hours of Fuji is Sunday, with the race start scheduled for Saturday night at 10:00 PM Eastern time. MotorTrend TV has race coverage in two parts, starting at 9:30 PM ET Saturday and continuing at 3:00 AM ET Sunday morning until 4:30 AM ET.

IMSA WTSC - Hyundai couldn't have timed their press release more perfectly. The message being; they want in too. With next weekend's IMS TireRack Battle on the Bricks and this weekend's WEC race in Japan, the whole world took notice that the Korean brand will enter GTP/Hypercars through their premium Genesis brand in both IMSA WTSC and the FIA WEC series.

Hyundai Motorsport announced on Thursday, September 12th they will expand Motorsport activities with the launch of a top-level prototype endurance racing program entered under its premium Genesis brand. Hyundai is the world’s third-largest car manufacturer.

The statement read:

“Genesis is proud to announce its ambitious entry into the world of endurance racing through the LMDh program. Genesis is actively exploring programs to strengthen its high-performance image, and after a thorough evaluation of various options, LMDh emerged as the most strategic choice for us at this time.

“We have carefully analyzed LMDh and found it to be a natural fit for our Motorsport ambitions and a valuable platform to drive the development of future mobility technologies for road cars. Endurance racing presents an unparalleled opportunity to showcase Genesis’ cutting-edge technology, design philosophy and performance-driven character in a highly competitive arena. This project is part of our broader vision for the future of mobility.”

Hyundai has been a manufacturer partner of IMSA since 2019, when it began competing in the Touring Car (TCR) class of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. Since that time, Hyundai has claimed five straight TCR driver and team championships (all with Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian) and four consecutive (2020-23) manufacturer titles.

Hyundai Will Skip Steps Climbing From TCR to GTP

The South Korean brand claimed the World Rally Championship Manufacturers’ title in both 2019 and 2020, as well as notching up 31 individual rally wins to-date. It has additionally secured four world-level titles in TCR competition and no fewer than 21 regional and national TCR series titles, and 368 race wins in TCR-sanctioned competitions.

Hyundai also has experience in endurance racing, with class victories in the Nürburgring 24 Hours every year from 2020 to 2023.

The statement did not specify any further details of the program, like when they are looking to debut or which chassis its car will be based on.

All four WeatherTech Championship classes – GTP, LMP2, GTD PRO and GTD – return to action on September 22nd at the TireRack Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The season concludes October 12th with the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.