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- Category: Road Racing
By: Paillé Course//Racing
September 10, 2024
September 10, 2024
Birmingham, Alabama – It was an eventful weekend for Jean-Frédéric Laberge, Kyle Marcelli, and the GT Racing team at Barber Motorsports Park during the penultimate round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge. The Canadian outfit took to the track in Alabama for their second event of the season.
Friday saw both Laberge and Marcelli set competitive times during the practice sessions. They secured 6th place in the Pro-Am class during the morning session and posted the fastest overall lap time in Practice 2. Despite persistent rain, the duo, with their extensive experience in wet conditions, navigated the challenges confidently.
For Laberge, who was racing at Barber Motorsports Park for the first time, it was an important opportunity to familiarize himself with the track. The Québec native maximized his time on the track by running in both the GT America and Fanatec GT World Challenge practice sessions.
However, qualifying proved more difficult for the team. They were unable to replicate their practice success, with Laberge placing the No. 92 Dagobert / Éclair Porsche 992 GT3 R in 9th position in the Pro-Am class for Race 1. Marcelli qualified 7th in class for Race 2.
“The car setup gave us trouble, and the lack of testing became apparent,” said Laberge. “The car was highly sensitive, with oversteer in high-speed corners. I spun in a fourth-gear corner during qualifying, which damaged the tires, forcing us to change two tires and start Race 1 from the back.”
Race 1 turned out to be a disaster for the team, as a mechanical failure cut Laberge's stint short. Despite their best efforts, the GT Racing crew battled several mechanical gremlins throughout the weekend, with the clutch ultimately failing. The crew worked tirelessly through the night to repair the car.
On Sunday, Marcelli took the green flag for the 90-minute race, with Laberge stepping in for the final stint. The pair ultimately finished 8th in the Pro-Am class and 12th overall.
“The results didn’t meet our expectations,” Laberge admitted. “We faced challenges with tire pressures, especially since the new tire warmers were unfamiliar to us, leading to unwanted variations. Race 1 was cut short on lap 4 due to a clutch failure, and although the team worked hard to fix the car by 1:00 AM, a persistent mapping issue remained. We leave this weekend with valuable experience but are disappointed with our on-track performance.”
“Our goal this weekend was to get J.F. more seat time and continue learning the car,” added Marcelli. “This is a new car for both of us, and we’re still benchmarking ourselves against the other Porsches. Qualifying was tough—we struggled to put together a clean lap—but we made significant progress by Race 2, moving from 13th to 10th overall. J.F. did a great stint, setting his fastest lap toward the end of the race. We’re improving, and that’s what these races are all about as we prepare for a full season.”
Laberge and Marcelli will return to action in the No. 92 Dagobert / Éclair Porsche 992 GT3 R for the final round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge at the famed Indy 8 Hour, held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway from October 3rd to 6th.
- Details
- Category: Road Racing
By: ST Racing
September 10, 2024
September 10, 2024
Samantha Tan Racing will go into this year’s Indianapolis 8 Hours, the season finale for the 2024 GT World Challenge America season, on top in the PRO-AM championship standings after a combative weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. One that saw the Canadian team secure hard-earned podium finishes with both cars.
Putting the speed of its BMW M4 GT3s to good use in Alabama, ST Racing was among the quickest PRO entries (#28) across the entire event. BMW M Motorsport legend Bill Auberlen and teammate Varun Choksey produced one of their strongest showings of the 2024 season to finish overall runner-up in the second race of the weekend.
The team’s PRO-AM BMW meanwhile (#38), driven by Samantha Tan and BMW works driver Neil Verhagen, fought back from a fraught opening race to secure a PRO/AM podium on Sunday. ST Racing’s now holds a 36-point lead in the PRO/AM Drivers’ standings heading into Indianapolis.
Samantha Tan, team co-owner / driver (#38): “We managed to secure a podium at Barber, despite a challenging start. It was our first time at the track with no prior testing, so we had to maximize every on-track session and carefully analyze the data afterward. Practice and qualifying went smoothly — Neil and I qualified P2 and P4 in class. However, in Race 1, I broke formation at the green flag (we were supposed to wait until the start/finish line to pass). I went for a pass on the inside of Turn 1 but was given little room. I was more than halfway on the grass when I made contact with the #29 BMW, which resulted in two drive-through penalties. Despite the setback, we pushed hard and salvaged P7 by the end. Race 2 went better; we battled throughout the race and finished 3rd at the checkered flag. Now, all focus is on Indy with a 36-point gap to close, and I'll be training harder than ever until then. Huge thanks to my team for all their hard work this weekend!”
Race 1
From 5th on the grid (4th in-class), the #28 BMW, with Bill at the wheel, was quickly up to 4th overall shortly after the green flag dropped. Such was Bill’s pace, the BMW M Motorsport brand ambassador spent most of the next 25 minutes crawling all over the back of 3rd-placed Random Vandals Racing. He was also routinely the fastest car overall in sectors one and two, and even set the fastest race lap early on.
Job done, Bill handed the BMW over to Varun at half-distance. Shortly afterwards, the young up-and-comer pulled a stunning move, around the outside of turn 14, to vault the #28 BMW up into 3rd overall.
Thereafter, Varun held the hard-charging Racers Edge Motorsports Acura at bay for close to 30 minutes, and only relinquished the final rostrum spot to his more experienced rival on the penultimate lap. Holding his nerve to the bitter end, Varun gave – and, indeed, received – no quarter, and 4th overall is a mighty feather in the Georgia native’s cap as he continues his transitional first season to GT3 competition.
A tough afternoon for the sister #38 BMW meanwhile, started with mild contact between ST Racing and Turner Motorsport’s respective BMW M4 GT3s on the opening lap. After serving her drive-through penalties, and despite the frustration, Samantha was in inspired form for the remainder of her stint, closing down an 18-second gap to, and ultimately passing, her closest rival and moving up to 12th overall. Teammate Neil proved similarly metronomic during his stint, pulling audacious switchback passes out of turn five to vault the #38 ST Racing BMW up to 7th in PRO-AM in the closing stages.
Race 2
Sunday’s race two, fortunately, began far smoother with both front row starter Neil (#38) and Varun (#28) retaining their starting positions into turn one. Neil in particular, taking a conservative approach to preserve his tires, withstood enormous pressure to hold on to 2nd all the way to the mandatory mid-race pit stops. The 2016 F1600 Champion even took the top spot briefly when overall leader Turner Motorsport headed to pit road early.
Typically rapid work by ST Racing’s mechanics saw Samantha emerge from pit road ahead of the Turner Motorsport BMW, though the latter, two laps into its stint and thus with warmer tires, was able to sneak back past. Looking “menacing” aboard the planted BMW, Samantha kept the leader in her sights, with both M4s nose-to-tail for the next 20 minutes.
Varun ran a mature opening stint to bring the #28 BMW onto pit lane, at half-distance, 5th in the PRO class. Bill got the hammer down quickly during his stint, and had quietly scythed his way through the pack – setting the fastest overall time in sector two as he did so – to 7th overall when a full-course yellow was called, 25 minutes from home.
At the restart, Bill, elbows out, was quickly up to 3rd, while Samantha, shuffled back to 7th at the restart by the faster PRO cars around her, withstood massive pressure over the closing 20 minutes to hold on to 3rd in-class. Bouncing back from a difficult race on Saturday, ST Racing’s namesake collected the team’s 10th PRO-AM podium – of a possible 12 – of the 2024 season.
Incredibly, when the overall leader was forced to pit for a last-minute splash and dash, Bill was dutifully promoted to 2nd overall – from 12th on the grid – with just six minutes of race two remaining. The #28 BMW’s first podium finish since May had been well-earned.
Neil Verhagen, driver: “Considering that I had never turned a single lap at Barber before this weekend and only had two free practice sessions—one of which was in wet conditions—I think we did an excellent job as a team to qualify P2. We just barely missed out on pole. The lack of testing became more evident during the races as we struggled a bit against our rivals. However, it was still a very positive weekend overall. We maintain the championship lead heading into the final round at Indianapolis, a track where we have more experience, and we’ll be aiming to bring home the championship for Samantha Tan Racing.”
Samantha Tan Racing brings its 2024 motorsport program to a close at the Indianapolis 8 Hours on 4-6 October. Prior to that, the Canadian team makes its return to endurance racing action at this weekend’s 24H BARCELONA at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
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- Category: Road Racing
By: IndyCar
September 7, 2024
September 7, 2024
Indianapolis, Indiana – In partnership with Firestone, INDYCAR has announced the addition of Firestone Firehawk alternate-compound tires for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale, the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge on Sept. 14-15 at Nashville Superspeedway.
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 as INDYCAR continues to enhance wheel-to-wheel racing action and turbocharge the championship weekend.
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
Four sets of alternate-compound tires
NTT INDYCAR SERIES 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 Aug. 27, 2023, at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at World Wide Technology Raceway.
“Firestone has done a phenomenal job with this expanded format,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “It will be interesting to watch how the different strategies play out. We look forward to an amazing race and championship for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES at Nashville Superspeedway.”
In addition to the combined 10 sets of primary and alternate tires, each entry will receive a third and different set only to be used in the high-line group practice aimed at adding additional grip to a second racing groove – a session that has produced favorable results in 2023 and 2024.
“The time between the announcement of a new Nashville venue and the race itself was just seven months,” said Cara Krstolic, director, Race Tire Engineering and Production, chief engineer, Firestone. “Our Firestone team rose to the challenge of an extremely short design cycle and its shortest-ever production timeframe to produce tires for a now heavier hybrid-powered car on a track the NTT INDYCAR SERIES hasn’t competed on since 2008.
“Following two tests on the Nashville oval, we worked with INDYCAR to create differentiation in tires that would provide fans and competitors with an exciting race. To achieve that goal, Firestone is providing an alternate tire for the Music City Grand Prix. Lessons learned from introducing alternates on an oval last season at St. Louis also contributed to our preparation.
“The goal for the alternate tire is to have significant wear and degradation to the point that team pit stop strategies could change as tires may wear before the end of a fuel stint. They are also designed for the different grip levels of the two types of tires to aid in creating more passing opportunities.”
Practice at Nashville Superspeedway begins at 11 a.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 14, with NTT P1 Award qualifying scheduled for 2:15 p.m., high-line practice at 5:15 p.m. and the final practice of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season at 6 p.m. All sessions are available via Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Coverage of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, Sept. 15 begins at 3 p.m. on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
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- Category: Road Racing
By: Aston Martin Formula One Team
September 10, 2024
September 10, 2024
Adrian Newey has committed his long-term future to the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. The acclaimed British designer will begin working at the team's Silverstone HQ from 1 March 2025 taking up a new role as Managing Technical Partner.
The appointment of Adrian Newey is yet another statement of Aston Martin Aramco's Formula One ambitions. Adrian has an unmatched record of success: he has led F1 teams to 25 Formula One world titles, establishing his position as the greatest technical mind in the sport's history.
Ready for something new in Formula One, Adrian sees Aston Martin Aramco as the ideal project to apply his guidance and creativity. A private tour of the team's brand-new AMR Technology Campus in June – a tangible demonstration of the team's limitless ambition – proved a decisive factor in the decision-making process.
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.
Something New
A new chapter begins with Adrian Newey. Watch the announcement at the AMR Technology Campus.
Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, said:
"This is huge news. Adrian is the best in the world at what he does – he is at the top of his game – and I am incredibly proud that he is joining the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. It's the biggest story since the Aston Martin name returned to the sport and another demonstration of our ambition to build a Formula One team capable of fighting for world championships.
"As soon as Adrian became available, we knew we had to make it happen. Our initial conversations confirmed that there was a shared desire to collaborate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Adrian is a racer and one of the most competitive people I have ever met. When he saw what we have built at Silverstone – our incredible AMR Technology Campus, the talented group of people we have assembled and the latest wind tunnel in the sport – he quickly understood what we are trying to achieve. We mean business – and so does he.
"Adrian shares our hunger and ambition, he believes in this project, and he will help us write the next chapter in Aston Martin Aramco's Formula One story."
Adrian Newey said:
"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."
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- Category: Road Racing
By: ST Racing
September 5, 2024
September 5, 2024
ST Racing will make a return to European endurance racing competition at next month’s 24H BARCELONA, with IndyCar star Pippa Mann and GT4 up-and-comer Fabian Duffieux alongside Samantha Tan, Neil Verhagen and Jon Miller at the 25th edition of the 24H BARCELONA.
ST Racing contested its first full endurance racing program in the 24H SERIES in 2021, securing both the Overall GT Teams’ championship and the Overall GT Drivers’ titles. The team will contest the 24H BARCELONA for a third time, aiming to defend their 2021 GT4 class victory with two newcomers to the driver line-up.
Team co-owner Samantha Tan and BMW works driver Neil Verhagen, who currently lead the PRO/AM standings in the GT World Challenge America, will continue their partnership in Barcelona alongside ST Racing staple, Jon Miller.
Samantha Tan, team co-owner / driver: “We’re very excited to return to the 24H BARCELONA with such a strong and diverse driver lineup. It’s always a thrill to compete at such a historic event, and having Pippa and Fabian join our team brings an exciting new dynamic. We will be racing with the new G82 BMW M4 GT4, and we’re eager to build on the successes we’ve had here in the past. The 24-hour race is one of the most challenging formats in motorsport, but I’m confident in our team’s ability to rise to the occasion and fight for a strong result.”
Kenneth Tan, team co-owner: “We are excited to be back racing with Creventic and at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, one of our favourite destination race tracks in the world. I come to Catalunya about four times a year and have many friends in the area so its always a fun time here. We have also raced well at this circuit over the years. I remember the last time we were here for the 24 hour in 2022 our BMW M4 GT3 was leading the race by a lap before an unfortunate engine failure caused us to retire at the 14th hour. We are therefore very motivated to race here once more and get back into 24-hour racing, which I find a lot more fun with all the challenging strategies and calls. Makes for a very interesting and exciting race where we have excelled in the past. On top of that, we have always enjoyed our time racing with Creventic over the years with the atmosphere being so family-oriented and the officiating consistently fair and logical. So yah, we can’t wait. Vamonos!”
Jon Miller, STR38 Motorsport team manager / driver: “The Barcelona 24 hour is one of our team’s favorite events. We’ve had success here in the past and are looking forward to returning with a strong group of drivers for our GT4 entry in 2024. Adding Pippa and Fabian to our lineup positions us with an experienced and formidable crew who all know how to win races.”
Pippa Mann and Fabian Duffieux are set to make their debuts with ST Racing in Barcelona.
Pippa, a former racer winner in Indy NXT is best known in America for her 7 starts at the Indy 500 from 2011-2019, where she became the 8th female driver (of 9 to date) to qualify for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Since then she has competed in a variety of sports car events and series across North America and Europe, including the Indy 8 Hour in a GT4 car, Pro Am podiums in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, and a win in the SP8T GT4 class at the grueling Nurburgring 24 hour race. In 2023 she set the fastest lap in the class, and in 2024 she and her team-mates returned to the podium for the 4th time.
GT racing newcomer Fabian Duffieux completes the line-up. After whetting his racing whistle in the UAE’s Procar Championship in late 2021, this Belgian-born, Dubai-based athlete has gone on to race in the GT4 European Series. Like Samantha and Jon, Fabian is also a former 24H SERIES champion, having secured GT4 Drivers’ honours (also aboard a BMW M4 GT4) in the Dutch promotion’s 2023-2024 Middle East Championship.
Fabian Duffieux, driver: “I'm thrilled and excited to join ST Racing for the 24 Hours of Barcelona. It's an incredible opportunity to be part of such a dedicated and talented team, and I'm looking forward to giving my all on the track. Together, I believe we have the potential to achieve great things in this iconic endurance race.”
Pippa Mann, driver: “I’ve been following Sam’s career, and the STR team she has built from afar for years, and I met Sam briefly on the grid at the Nurburgring 24 hour race a couple of years ago, so I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to join her team for the upcoming Barcelona 24 hour race this September. The BMW M4 GT4 platform is one I’m familiar with from racing at the Nordschleife with the Girls Only team, and I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to work with them as we try to defend their race win from 2021.”
Following its championship success in the 24H SERIES in 2021, ST Racing started its first campaign with BMW’s M4 GT3 at the 24H DUBAI in 2022. ST Racing took victory with the BMW at Mugello – marking the first overall series win for the Bavarian brand in more than a decade –and marking the first global victory for the BMW M4 GT3.
Following the 24H BARCELONA on 13-14-15 September, ST Racing brings its GTWC America season to a close at the Indianapolis 8 Hours on 4-5-6 October.