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- Category: Road Racing
By: ABB FIA Formula E
June 29, 2024
June 29, 2024
Portland, Oregon - Canadian racing driver Robert Wickens made history at the 2024 Hankook Portland E-Prix, jumping into Formula E’s GEN3 car for a number of test laps at the Portland International Raceway.
For Wickens, the 35-year-old racing driver from Ontario, Canada, these laps were more than just a test, but an inspiring comeback against adversity in his first return to single-seaters since his accident in 2018. His run in the GEN3 car was not just a one-off demo, but an evaluation session for Robert to assess opportunities for a full-time return to single-seater racing in the future.
Wickens had his first-ever experience behind the wheel of a Formula E machine in the cutting-edge GEN3 Formula E car – the latest generation of electric race cars – ahead of the 2024 Hankook Portland E-Prix. He completed eleven full laps, demonstrating the potential for inclusivity and technological innovation within the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
The GEN3 is the world's fastest, lightest and most sustainable electric race car and was specifically modified by manufacturing partner SPARK for Wickens to drive via hand controls. It is also the most efficient race car on the planet, with almost 50 percent of its running energy coming from regeneration in the rear and new front powertrain, achieving up to 600kW of total energy regeneration.
Compared to its predecessor, the GEN3 car is 75 percent more powerful, has a top speed that is 95km/h greater, and boasts six times the power regeneration capability.
Robert Wickens' participation in the 2024 Hankook Portland E-Prix not only highlights his extraordinary comeback but also symbolises the inclusive spirit and relentless pursuit of innovation that defines the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Robert Wickens said:
“It was such an amazing opportunity to drive the GEN3 car yesterday. Formula E has been a series that I’ve been keeping a close eye on for quite a while, but I never knew how I could get myself into the series. A huge thanks to Formula E and SPARK for their ingenuity and for developing a hand control system for me to drive the car in Portland.
“It was only a few laps, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and it left me wanting a lot more. Hopefully this will lead to more opportunities in the future and possibly a rookie test. I think right now, that would be the goal for me, to try and get onto the grid in Formula E for the future.”
Jeff Dodds, Formula E CEO, said:
“It’s a privilege to offer a driver of Robert’s calibre a drive in our GEN3 Formula E car. Throughout his career, Robert has proven his speed and talent, and since his accident, his determination and dedication to return to the sport we love has been nothing short of awe-inspiring.
“I’ve been following Robert’s career for a number of years, and it’s clear he was always destined for motorsport success. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive championship led by technology and innovation, and thanks to SPARK, our ambitions to provide greater accessibility for talented racing drivers have been made possible.
“Robert’s passion and commitment to a full-time return to single-seater racing are clear, and I’m hopeful this drive will open doors for his future.”
ABOUT ROBERT WICKENS
Wickens’ journey in motorsport began in karting as a child, eventually progressing through the ranks of lower formulae. In 2009, he showcased immense talent after winning two races in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, finishing second overall. His career continues to ascend as he clinched the 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 Championship, where he raced alongside Jean-Éric Vergne. His prowess on the track earned him a role as a reserve driver for Virgin Racing in Formula 1.
In 2018, Wickens joined the American IndyCar series and made an immediate impact, being named Rookie of the Year at the Indy 500. However, his promising career was abruptly halted by a severe crash at Pocono, which left him paralysed from the waist down. Despite daunting challenges, Wickens’ determination never wavered. After nearly four years of recovery, he returned to racing, testing a specifically modified Hyundai with hand controls at Mid-Ohio raceway - 989 days post-accident.
ABOUT THE 2024 HANKOOK PORTLAND E-PRIX
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returns to Portland for a double-header event on June 29-30, 2024, after a successful debut in 2023. Portland International Raceway's 3.190km track remains unchanged, promising high-speed action and strategic overtaking opportunities after last year's Portland E-Prix saw over 400 changes of position.
Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans could tie the all-time Formula E win record if he wins in Portland, while teammate and current leader Nick Cassidy holds a 25-point lead in the championship.
Off-track entertainment includes gaming arenas, local street artists, and live performances by Jxdn and Natalie Jane in the Allianz Fan Village.
start at 14:00 local time on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th June. Tickets are still available for people who don't want to miss out on the action: https://fiaformulae.com/
About Formula E and the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship
As the world’s first all-electric FIA World Championship and the only sport certified net zero carbon since inception, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship brings dramatic racing to the heart of some of the world’s most iconic cities providing an elite motorsport platform for the world’s leading automotive manufacturers to accelerate electric vehicle innovation.
The Formula E network of teams, manufacturers, partners, broadcasters, and host cities are united by a passion for the sport and belief in its potential to accelerate sustainable human progress and create a better future for people and planet.
www.FIAFormulaE.com
About ABB
ABB is a technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. The company’s solutions connect engineering know-how and software to optimize how things are manufactured, moved, powered and operated. Building on over 140 years of excellence, ABB’s more than 105,000 employees are committed to driving innovations that accelerate industrial transformation. http://www.abb.com/
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- Category: Road Racing
By: Samantha Tan Racing
June 24, 2024
June 24, 2024
Samantha Tan Racing enjoyed another successful weekend with BMW’s latest generation M4 GT4 this past weekend at the Nürburgring, securing a class win in the hotly-contested ‘SP8T’ category.
A guest entrant for round three of this year’s Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie, the ST Racing BMW, operated by The Netherlands’ Bas Koeten Racing, ran faultlessly across the four-hour event to take victory. In a heartening performance, the #158 G82 M4, which completed 26 laps of the notoriously complex, 24.358km ‘Länge’ configuration, finished nearly three and a half minutes clear of its nearest rival.
Samantha Tan, team co-owner/driver:
“We won at NLS3! P1 in the SP8T class at Nürburgring with Jon Miller. It was our first race back at the Ring this year, and my first time in a GT4 there! I had a lot to learn in a short period of time. Thankfully, Jon was an amazing teacher in helping me get up to speed quickly. We had mixed conditions all weekend, as per usual at the Green Hell, with pouring rain during practice and fog in the morning on Saturday’s race day, which delayed us 3 hours. We qualified P5 but brought it home on the top step.
Our partner team, Bas Koeten Racing, gave us a great car and we slowly clawed our way up to first place throughout the 4 hour race. There truly is no other place in the world like this track, and I had an absolute blast flying through the trees, reaching almost 290kmph down to Tiergarten, and jumping the car in Pflanzgarten over the course of the weekend. Can’t wait to come back!”
Kenneth Tan, team co-owner:
“I have always been in awe of this venerable race track they call the Green Hell. I initially was able to test my mettle on this ultra challenging track back in 2012 when I took delivery of a brand new BMW 1M from The Welt and did 25 laps over two days on the Nordschleife. I had just purchased the 1M with the intention of one day being able to hand it down to my daughter Samantha. It has been her daily driver since she got her driver’s license at age 15 and I know she loves the car.
How appropriate is it now that Samantha and Jon won the GT4 class in the Nordschleife against a very competitive field. I feel so proud for our team and especially for Samantha. We have come so far. It was also very encouraging to watch the effort put together by the team that resulted in this win. It shows that we have gelled together over the years working together. A big thank you to our BMW European race partner Bas Koeten Racing for preparing the car and their crew as well as our resident crew chief Mark and engineer Tom. We carry this momentum to the GT4 World Challenge at the Spa24 next week. More excitement coming soon!“
Having started 5th in-class, and 51st overall in the 110-car field, Samantha, driving alongside long-time teammate Jon Miller at the event, had already moved into the top four in-class after the opening lap, and onto the fringes of the overall top 30 after the second.
A dazzling stint from Jon, whose Nordschleife experience proved invaluable across the weekend, meant the ST Racing BMW was well into the top 20 and into the SP8T class lead when Jon made the second pit stop on lap 15. After two final, controlled stints from both Samantha and Jon, the #158 BMW had moved its way up to 21st overall – 30 spots ahead of its grid position – and spent almost half of the race in the SP8T lead en-route to a deserved class win.
Jon Miller, driver / STR38 Motorsports team manager:
“NLS3 was a great result for the team and another great step forward in Samantha’s development at the Nurburgring. The GT4 M4 was a blast to drive in SP8T trim, with more power and less weight than what we’re used to with standard GT4 BoP. We’re thrilled to get the class victory and top 20 overall.”
This is the second prosperous weekend with BMW’s ‘G82’ M4 GT4 BMW for Samantha Tan. Back in April, the young Canadian came away with 2nd and 5th place finishes in her first weekend aboard BMW’s second-generation M4 GT4 in a one-off run with GT America at Long Beach. The result also marks the second class win at the Nürburgring for Samantha, who took ‘BMW 240i’ victory at round six of last year’s NLS, once again alongside Jon Miller.
The ADAC Westfalenfahrt was the first of two fly-away races for ST Racing in successive weekends, as the Canadian team is also set to contest next weekend’s GT4 European Series event at Spa-Francorchamps.
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- Category: Road Racing
By: IndyCar
June 23, 2024
June 23, 2024
Monterey, California – Amid varying fuel and tire strategies and numerous restarts, one truth emerged again Sunday in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey: Alex Palou is almost untouchable lately at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Palou earned his second victory in the last three years at the Northern California circuit, taking the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship lead with his second victory of the season in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Two-time and reigning series champion Palou, who started from the pole, beat Colton Herta’s No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian to the finish by 1.9780 seconds.
“It was a chaotic race, man,” Palou said. “We didn’t do a very good job on the starts and those restarts at the beginning. The strategy was a bit risky for the position we were in, but we knew we had the pace, and we just had to execute.”
Palou’s victory continued an impressive string of results at this track. Besides the victory today and in 2022, Palou finished second here in 2021 and third in 2023.
Alexander Rossi finished a season-best third in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Romain Grosjean placed fourth in the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, the best NTT INDYCAR SERIES finish ever for that team. Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top five in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda of Andretti Global.
Palou jumped to a 23-point lead in the series standings over Will Power, who finished seventh in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet. Power led Palou by five points entering this race, the eighth of 17 on the 2024 schedule.
Two distinct tire strategies emerged early in the 95-lap race, as there was no clear consensus up and down pit lane about whether primary or alternate Firestone Firehawk tires were the fastest and preferred rubber over the length of a fuel stint.
Fuel and tire strategies first diverged in stark fashion on Lap 36. The first of five caution periods was triggered when rookie Luca Ghiotto went off track into the tire barrier in Turn 4 in the No. 51 GAV Air Technology Honda of Dale Coyne Racing.
Rossi was leading during that incident and pulled a train of leading cars down pit lane under yellow on Lap 37, that pack of early-pitting cars including Herta, early leader Kirkwood, Scott Dixon and Power. But 13 drivers, including Palou, decided to stay out.
Palou discussed that call over the radio with strategist Barry Wanser during the caution period, wondering if it was the right move.
“At that time, I doubted (the strategy) a little bit,” Palou said. “I didn’t know if my radio was working or not. But everything was fine. I’m sorry I didn’t have that trust, that belief in his call during those 10 or 20 seconds, but overall an amazing job for the Ganassi team.”
Palou stayed out front from that point until he made his second pit stop on Lap 56, handing the lead to Herta and taking Firestone’s alternate, red-sidewall tires for the first time, deeper into the race than any other driver.
Herta made his final stop on Lap 67, along with Rossi. Once again, Wanser instructed Palou to stay on track on the fast Firestone alternate tires, trying to build upon his lead of nearly three seconds.
Palou made his last stop on Lap 70, along with Grosjean, and took on used Firestone primary tires. Josef Newgarden cycled to the lead at that point in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet.
But Palou took the lead for good when Newgarden made his final stop on Lap 75.
Still, the last 20 laps were not a stroll through the picturesque, 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit, as Palou had to endure restarts after three caution periods during that span.
“Too intense there at the end with those restarts, but an amazing win for the No. 10 DHL car,” Palou said.
Palou pulled away cleanly on each restart, building a lead as large as four seconds over Herta when Jack Harvey pulled his No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda off track near the start-finish line with a mechanical problem, triggering the penultimate caution.
On the ensuing restart on Lap 85, Palou built a gap of 1.6 seconds by Lap 87 when Agustin Canapino’s contact with Kyffin Simpson’s No. 4 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda cut Simpson’s rear tire exiting Turn 5, forcing him into a spin. The trailing No. 15 Mobil 1 Honda driven by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal had nowhere to go in thick traffic and made contact with Simpson. Both cars ended up in the gravel, with Rahal making contact with the wall. Both drivers were unhurt, and Canapino was penalized for avoidable contact.
Herta had one final shot at Palou on the restart on Lap 91, but once again Palou pulled away, building a gap of 1.1 seconds after one lap.
“It’s a good result,” California native Herta said. “We chose the strategy that we did, and we did a really good job with what we chose. It hurts not to win here, but we have to be happy with second place here.”
The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid on Sunday, July 7 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. That event marks the dawn of a new era for the series, as the hybrid power unit will make its race debut after months of extensive, successful testing.
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- Category: Road Racing
By: Vasser Sullivan Lexus
June 23, 2024
June 23, 2024
Watkins Glen, New York – The Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3s earned hard fought fourth-place results in Sunday’s six-hour IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship endurance race at Watkins Glen International. Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat finished fourth in the GTD PRO class in the No. 14 Lexus while Parker Thompson, Frankie Montecalvo and Aaron Telitz also scored a fourth-place result in the GTD class in the No. 12 RC F GT3.
Hawksworth started from the fourth position on the GTD PRO grid and jumped into the lead after a fast pit stop by the Vasser Sullivan pit crew. He led 36 laps before Barnicoat jumped in nearly two hours into the event. Barnicoat went on to lead 23 laps before a penalty on a restart resulted in a drive through penalty and the No. 14 Lexus fell back to the eighth position. Barnicoat drove back up through the field and was in fourth place when he pitted to give the car back to Hawksworth for the final stints. As the Lexus came to pit lane, heavy rain began to fall and eventually caused a red flag after Hawksworth got back on track. Following the red flag, Hawksworth passed multiple cars to earn the fourth-place result.
Thompson earned his third GTD pole of the season on Saturday and led the GTD class to the green flag in the No. 12 Lexus. He led the entire first stint before Montecalvo jumped in the Lexus and ran among the top-three the majority of his two stints. Telitz then jumped in and raced among the top-five before Thompson finished the race for the 12 team. While going for the class lead late in the race, a competitor made contact with the No. 12 and they fell out of podium contention, finishing fourth.
The Vasser Sullivan Lexus team will return to racing action at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday, July 14. To keep up with all the racing action, follow Lexus Racing on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok by using #LexusPerformance.
Vasser Sullivan Driver Quotes
JACK HAWKSWORTH, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3
Can you take us through an eventful six hours of racing at the Glen?
“Crazy, crazy day, obviously with the weather and everything. We fought hard all day, we led for a portion of it at the start. We had a drive through, but Ben (Barnicoat) did a great job to come back through and we got up to third. Then it was should it be wets or slicks? We had a bit of drama on the second to last pit stop, then on the red flag and restart we were able to come back through to fourth at the end and managed to close up the gap for the top of the championship. Some lessons to learn from the weekend, but the Lexus was great. Now, we analyze what went wrong, but also be proud of what this Vasser Sullivan team did because we fought all day and did a great job.”
BEN BARNICOAT, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3
How was your race?
“P4 on the day, where we started. The huge positive from this is that we took a step closer to the championship lead. We’re closer to the leader of the championship than we were heading into the weekend. Another positive is that everyone here at Vasser Sullivan and Lexus Racing gave us a great race car. We certainly had a car capable of winning, but things just didn’t quite fall our way today. It kind of went wrong when we got the drive through penalty for the safety car procedure infringement, which is something that feels like it wasn’t super fair, but when these things come you just have to take them. Then we got back into position after that, we recovered well and were in the front and then got a little bit unlucky with how things panned out there with the weather and the red flag. We made the right call to put wets on when it rained, but then the lengthy red flag meant that everyone who was on the slick tires were able to stay out and not change and make it to the end, so a little unlucky on that side. We just have to take the positives -- things didn’t quite click for us today, but still happy leaving here.”
PARKER THOMPSON, No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3
What are your emotions after the six-hour race?
“There’s honestly not much more to say than onwards and upwards after this. The No. 12 Vasser Sullivan team did absolutely everything they needed to do to win the Watkins Glen six-hour race back-to-back and it got taken away from us there with seven minutes to go -- racing hard for the win. I’ll decompress and learn from this. I’m new to the closer stage in these GTD races. I’m still learning who is a friend and who is a foe, and I had to learn that the hard way today. But one thing is for sure, we’ve got more momentum than any other team in GTD and I can’t wait to take that back up to the Great White North and use this as motivation to fuel the fire for the back half of the season.”
FRANKIE MONTECALVO, No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3
How was your race?
“Yeah, that was a tough one. Team Vasser Sullivan gave us everything we needed today. Our Lexus was great. Parker (Thompson) did a great job qualifying us up front, Aaron had an absolutely phenomenal drive in the conditions, everyone was spinning and crashing, and he kept it right where it needed to be and was fast at the same time. Overall, it was a lot of ups and downs. It’s a shame to finish fourth because I think we had a win in it at the end, but we got nudged off the track there and it didn’t work out for us today.”
AARON TELITZ, No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3
Can you talk about your race today?
“Wild day here at the six hours of the Glen as it always is. Mother Nature threw us every curveball it had, but we managed to keep that SealMaster Vasser Sullivan Lexus running at the front through rain or shine, it didn’t matter. The guys made great calls on the pit stand and everyone did a great job just trying to go for the win there at the end and couldn’t quite get it done. We got pushed off the track and ended up falling back to fourth there and not enough time to get it back. We had all the ingredients for a big result, but in the end couldn’t quite pull it off.”
About Lexus
The Lexus RC F GT3 enters its eighth season in the GTD class, and third year in the GTD PRO category, competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Over the last six seasons, Lexus and Vasser Sullivan have combined to earn 15 wins, 41 podium finishes and 21 pole positions with the RC F GT3. Lexus won its first full-season IMSA GTD PRO Manufacturers Championship on the strength of two wins and podium positions in nine of 11 races in 2023.
Lexus' passion for brave design, imaginative technology, and exhilarating performance enables the luxury lifestyle brand to create amazing experiences for its customers. Lexus began its journey in 1989 with two luxury sedans and a commitment to pursue perfection. Since then, Lexus has developed its lineup to meet the needs of global luxury customers in more than 90 countries. In the United States, Lexus vehicles are sold through 244 dealers offering a full lineup of luxury vehicles. With eight models incorporating Lexus Hybrid Drive, Lexus is the luxury hybrid leader. Lexus also offers nine F SPORT models, one F performance model and one F model. Lexus is committed to being a visionary brand that anticipates the future for luxury customers.
Canadians In BOLD
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- Category: Road Racing
By: IndyCar
June 23, 2024
June 23, 2024
Monterey, California – Reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou maintained the pressure in his quest for a third title by winning the NTT P1 Award for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey on Saturday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Palou earned his second pole of the season and fifth of his career with a best lap of 1 minute, 7.1465 seconds in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou is second in the championship standings, five points behind Will Power, who qualified 15th in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet.
“It was really tough, really tight all qualifying to get to the Fast 12 and then the Fast Six,” Palou said. “It was really tricky with track conditions. As soon as there was some wind, you couldn’t really finish the lap because there was no grip.
“Really happy. The car was on rails today, so the best starting position for tomorrow.”
Live coverage of the 95-lap race starts at 6 p.m. ET Sunday on the USA Network, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network. A 30-minute warmup precedes the race at 3 p.m. ET, live on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
The pole continued an impressive history for Palou at this picturesque Northern California road course, an 11-turn, 2.238-mile layout that includes the famous “Corkscrew” complex of turns. Palou won this race in 2022 and finished second in 2021 and third in 2023.
Kyle Kirkwood will join Palou on the front row after a best lap of 1:07.2204 in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda of Andretti Global. The second starting spot was Kirkwood’s best performance in qualifying since winning the pole and the race in April 2023 at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Felix Rosenqvist continued his reinvigoration with Meyer Shank Racing, qualifying third at 1:07.2917 in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda. Colton Herta, who led practice Saturday morning, qualified fourth at 1:07.2972 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian. Herta won this race in 2019 and 2021.
Alexander Rossi qualified fifth at 1:07.3594 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Christian Lundgaard rounded out the Firestone Fast Six and Row 3 at 1:07.5112 in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
The other three drivers in the top five of the championship standings – third-place Scott Dixon, fourth-place Pato O’Ward and fifth-place Scott McLaughlin – will try to keep pace with Palou from the fourth and fifth rows of the starting grid.
McLaughlin qualified seventh in the No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet, O’Ward ninth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and Dixon 10th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
