Indholdsfortegnelse for 08/08/24 i Autosport

We’re in the midst of what, admittedly unexpectedly, has developed into a gripper of a Formula 1 season. The early-campaign domination of Max Verstappen and Red Bull seems a long time ago now. Hurrah for being able to sit down and watch a grand prix without knowing who’s going to win before it even starts! While the drivers and teams enjoy their summer break, our F1 chaps have been working on their half-term reports. Jake Boxall-Legge is our class teacher on assessments of the drivers, and you can turn to p20 to see who’s going to be put in the top set and who’s going to be shoved into special measures to improve performance. On p16, Alex Kalinauckas casts his eye over the developments so far this term, and how…

FORMULA 1 McLaren’s popular Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella has signed a “multi-year” extension to his contract, the team announced last week. The Italian took over from Andreas Seidl at the end of 2022 and has since guided the Woking-based squad towards the front of the grid. Following a reshuffle of technical personnel, Stella oversaw a series of big upgrade packages over the past 18 months that has culminated in two grand prix wins and 18 podiums, with McLaren challenging Red Bull in the constructors’ championship. Stella has often been praised by McLaren CEO Zak Brown and drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for his role in the team’s upturn in form. “I am honoured to continue in my role as team principal,” said Stella. “We’ve made great strides…

FORMULA 3 Swiss single-seater stalwart Jenzer Motorsport is calling time on its involvement in the FIA Formula 3 Championship at the end of this season, ending an unbroken run in the series dating back to the inaugural race in its predecessor, GP3, in 2010. F3 organiser Formula Motorsport Limited is introducing a new Dallara car for 2025, coinciding with the next three-year cycle of commitments from teams to cover 2025-27. The popular Jenzer squad will not be among them, leaving space on the grid for a new entry. Jenzer will continue to operate its teams in continental Formula 4 competition – it currently competes in the Italian championship, and leads the Central European series with Oscar Wurz, the younger racing son of Alexander. Team founder Andreas Jenzer said to the…

FORMULA E Formula E veteran Lucas di Grassi has committed to the Abt team for next season, when it will use the Lola/Yamaha powertrain for the first time. Di Grassi’s FE career has been synonymous with Abt. He has raced for the German team over a seven-year period, which includes winning the 2016-17 title when it ran the Audi works squad. The Brazilian rejoined Abt at the start of the 2023-24 season after two years away, but struggled to match the performances of team-mate Nico Muller. Di Grassi has been involved in the testing of the new Lola/Yamaha powertrain and the new Gen3 Evo machine, both of which will debut in FE next season. “Abt is my family,” said di Grassi. “I have experienced the best moments of my career…

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, Super GT is venturing beyond Japanese shores next year. The championship’s first-ever night race at Sepang in Malaysia, which should have taken place in 2020 only to be scuppered by the onset of the global health crisis, was part of the series’ 2025 calendar released at the start of this month. You’ll struggle to find anyone in the Super GT paddock who isn’t excited about heading to Sepang. There were strong hints that the former Malaysian Grand Prix venue, the original ‘Tilkedrome’ (and still arguably the best), would be added to the calendar after GT500 manufacturer testing was held there back in January for the first time since the pandemic. Masaaki Bandoh, head of the GTA organisation that promotes the series, was…

The 2023-24 Formula E Championship looked destined to be heading the way of Nick Cassidy and Jaguar, before capitulation over the final two events opened the door for Pascal Wehrlein to snatch the drivers’ crown. But while the title was decided in a dramatic London winner-takes-all finale, the 15 other races during the season played their part in shaping the outcome of the championship. At points this year, Porsche star Wehrlein was undoubtedly the man to beat. Pole and a dominant victory in the season-opening Mexico City E-Prix set the tone, and put down a marker that Wehrlein and Porsche were going to be a force to be reckoned with. While it would be another six races until the German won again, at Misano, consistency across the opening half of…

Its striking silhouette and evocative V6 engine note are unmistakable. There hasn’t been a car in the rally world quite like the Lancia Stratos. This Italian short-wheelbase, wedge-shaped weapon ripped up previous conventions, changed the game in rally car design, and left stunned rivals in its wake. It won 18 WRC rallies, scored 29 podiums, racked up 480 stage wins and collected three world titles (1974-76) to put Lancia firmly on the motorsport map. Half a century on from its World Rally Championship debut in 1974, the Stratos has earned cult status. It was one of those cars that seemed destined for success and to frighten its rivals, according to Cesare Fiorio, who as Lancia boss was among the instrumental figures behind its birth. “If you look at the Stratos…

SUPER GT FUJI (JPN) 4 AUGUST ROUND 4/8 Honda scored a breakthrough first victory with its all-new Civic Type Rbased GT500 challenger in the fourth round of the Super GT season at Fuji. ARTA pair Tomoki Nojiri and Nobuharu Matsushita claimed the honour of delivering the first win for the Civic, taking advantage of their relatively light success handicap of 6kg to convert pole position into a straightforward win. They led a 1-2 for Honda, with Naoki Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino bringing the Team Kunimitsu Civic home in second. Only three seconds split the two Hondas at the end of the 77-lap contest, despite the Kunimitsu car carrying a 40kg handicap. The battle for third was fought between two Toyota GR Supra crews, and in the end it was Cerumo…

MASTERS HISTORIC Fifteen years after he drove the Ginetta-Zytek 09S at the Le Mans 24 Hours, Lawrence Tomlinson returned to racing the car alongside his son Freddie at Donington Park last weekend and they took a double win in Masters Endurance Legends. Tomlinson Sr and Richard Dean raced the LMP1 machine (below) at Le Mans in 2009 but retired mid-race after a fire. “It’s either been in reception at Ginetta or in my shed ever since,” said Tomlinson of the car, which spent a long time without an engine. “It’s taken a couple of years to get it together. It’s such a fantastic car and my eyes are on stalks after driving it.” With a fresh engine built by Bill Gibson and a full restoration carried out by Trevor Foster…

SUPERKARTS Lee Harpham was on top form at the Dutch Grand Prix for Superkarts last weekend, the Briton scoring three wins at Assen to add to victories at the French and British GP events earlier in the year. The Harvey Motorsport driver swept into an early lead from pole in the opener but, following a safety-car period, Harpham was hounded by Yannick de Brabander and then Wout Kurstjens. It was Kurstjens who posed the biggest threat as the gap shrunk when they encountered traffic. Matt Robinson picked up a good third place when de Brabander dropped back. Race two was another tense affair between Harpham and Kurstjens. The Dutchman took the lead just before half-distance, but a braking issue and then no clutch later dropped him out. Harpham therefore secured…

116 TROPHY Ex-Formula 1 driver and 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours winner David Brabham made a surprise appearance in last weekend’s 750 Motor Club meeting at Snetterton in the 116 Trophy. Brabham shared a DTO Motorsport BMW with Ben Willshire, with whom he has worked on a circuit design project. “We went to India again for a project together when he was with Apex Circuit Design,” said Brabham, who has been racing in the GT Cup this year. “He rang me up about six months ago and said, ‘Do you fancy doing a race with me?’ When I heard Darren Turner had done it, I thought, ‘Yeah, a bit of fun.’” After retiring from Saturday’s second sprint race with ABS failure, Brabham took over from Willshire for the final hour…

BRANDS HATCH MSVR MINI FESTIVAL 3-4 AUGUST Not for the first time in recent Mini Festival history, Nick Padmore and Endaf Owens tasted success at Brands Hatch as the Mini Miglia championship served up three typically thrilling races for last weekend’s large crowd to enjoy. Padmore, a double winner at this event last season and in 2018, took victory in the first encounter after indulging in a tight lead battle with 2011 series champion Owens for much of the 21-lap race. Former British Touring Car driver Jeff Smith closed in on the duo as the race concluded, but he was forced to settle for third. There was a dramatic start to race two when poleman Rupert Deeth and front-row partner Owens tangled as they sprinted away from the line, the…

SNETTERTON 750MC 3-4 AUGUST There were plenty of thrills, spills and first-time winners during last weekend’s 750 Motor Club meeting at Snetterton. The highlight was the Sports 1000 contests, which produced three different winners. After qualifying on pole for his debut (see News), two-time Ma7da champion Jonathan Lisseter stalled his Mittell MC-53 at the start of race one. A squabble between championship leader Ryan Yarrow and fellow Spire GT-3 runner Clint Newman then ended with Yarrow having a 360-degree spin at Riches. Newman therefore went on to claim his first win, while a track-limits penalty demoted Yarrow two places to fourth behind Dan Clowes (Mittell) and Paul Rogers (Spire). Rich Miles bounced back from a clutch failure on his Spire in qualifying to climb to sixth, and he then gave…

MASTERS GT TROPHY Races 1 & 2 Craig Wilkins (Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo) MASTERS ENDURANCE LEGENDS Races 1 & 2 Lawrence Tomlinson/Freddie Tomlinson (Ginetta-Zytek 09S, above) MASTERS RACING LEGENDS Race 1 David Shaw (Williams FW06) Race 2 Matt Wrigley (Tyrrell 011) HRDC ALLSTARS John Davison (TVR Griffith, below) MASTERS GENTLEMEN DRIVERS John Spiers/Nigel Greensall (TVR Griffith) MASTERS PRE-’66 TOURING CARS Sam Tordoff (Ford Falcon) MASTERS SPORTS CAR LEGENDS Diogo Ferrao/Martin Stretton (Lola T292) For full results visit: tsl-timing.com…

EXPERIENCE GOODWOOD RACE SIMULATOR £50 Over the decades, the Goodwood Circuit has become synonymous with racing from a bygone era through its Revival and Members’ Meeting events, which showcase the very best of historic machinery. But nothing in life stands still. And for those events to remain relevant they must embrace the modern age to some extent. For example, all cars in next month’s Revival are set to run on sustainable fuels for the first time. It’s the same principle off the track too. Goodwood has moved into the sim racing world with its own simulator experience, located quite literally a stone’s throw away from the famous 2.4-mile circuit. Inside the renovated shed sit four state-of-the-art Exsim VR5 Simulators. Featuring direct drive force feedback wheels and motion technology, each one…

IndyCar race winner Charlie Kimball has spent more than two decades in motorsport and traded experiences with numerous team-mates in various series around the globe. Now 39, the Britishborn American last raced an IndyCar in 2021, but has remained in the paddock as a consultant to various teams and through his work as a broadcaster. When it comes to selecting a favourite team-mate, an honourable mention goes to six-time champion Scott Dixon. During their seven years together at Chip Ganassi Racing from 2011-17, he learned important lessons from the Kiwi both on and off track, including how to handle the deaths of Dan Wheldon and Justin Wilson. But Kimball’s first pick is the late Christian Bakkerud, with whom he spent the 2005 British Formula 3 season at Carlin Motorsport. Both…

FORMULA 1 Jonathan Wheatley is the latest senior member of the Red Bull Formula 1 team to be heading for the exit door. Along with the departure of technical wizard Adrian Newey, Wheatley will leave his role as sporting director at the end of 2024 to become team principal of Audi. Wheatley will serve a period of gardening leave on his departure from Red Bull, and will then assume his new Audi role in time for the marque’s official works entry in 2026. Long-time Red Bull pillar Wheatley, who joined the team in 2006 from Renault, was known to harbour ambitions to become a team principal in F1 at some point, and amid contract negotiations at Red Bull it was understood that the squad would not stand in his way…

FORMULA 1 Hitech Grand Prix boss Oliver Oakes will become the new team principal of Alpine following the Formula 1 summer break. As revealed by Autosport over the recent Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Oakes emerged as the lead candidate to replace Bruno Famin, who will be returning to work at Renault’s Viry-Chatillon base. Oakes arrives at Alpine with a wealth of experience in motorsport – he is a former world karting champion and the Hitech team is currently a force in F2, F3, GB3 and F4. Speaking about his appointment, which was endorsed by Renault CEO Luca de Meo and F1 advisor Flavio Briatore, the 36-year-old said: “I’m extremely grateful to Luca de Meo and Flavio Briatore for this opportunity to lead Alpine back to competitiveness. The team has talented…

WEC Cadillac’s switch to Jota for its expanded attack on the World Endurance Championship next season has finally been confirmed. The worst-kept secret in sportscar racing became official on Tuesday of this week. The British team will take over the WEC programme from Chip Ganassi Racing and field a pair of Caddy V-Series.R LMDhs as per new rules demanding manufacturers must run two cars in the Le Mans Hypercar class. They will run under the Cadillac Hertz Team Jota banner, the team maintaining the relationship with the global car-hire giant that allowed it to graduate from LMP2 to Hypercar last year with Porsche’s 963 LMDh. Jota director and team founder Sam Hignett described linking up with the General Motors marque as “the realisation of the goal to become a manufacturer…

SUPER FORMULA Ex-Formula 1 driver Nyck de Vries will make a surprise outing in this month’s Motegi Super Formula round with Team Impul. The Toyota World Endurance Championship and Mahindra Formula E racer will take over the #19 car for the 25 August race. It will be his first outing in a conventionally powered single-seater since he lost his AlphaTauri F1 drive last year. De Vries becomes the fourth driver this year to pilot the #19 Impul machine that was driven in the Suzuka season opener by Theo Pourchaire before the Frenchman abruptly left the team to pursue a McLaren IndyCar drive. Lexus IMSA star Ben Barnicoat had a one-off in the car in the following race at Autopolis, before Toyota youngster Hibiki Taira took over for Sugo and Fuji.…

There were hands on heads all around, cheeks blown out and red, the crushing realisation of a dream denied at the last gasp by the era’s dominant power – all because their concentration had collapsed at a late moment. Little did they know what a run of success was to follow. The Saracens rugby team came within four minutes of winning a first Premiership title at Twickenham in 2010. It was to be denied by Leicester that day, the Tigers clinching their seventh crown because they simply didn’t know when they were beaten. In the years since, how their roles have reversed… Saracens, admittedly not without controversy (and remember, the results of the 2023 Formula 1 budget cap assessment should be released soon), have since become six-time champions in the…

CLOSE COMPETITION (HOPEFULLY) CONTINUING After Max Verstappen won the Japanese Grand Prix in April, 20 seconds ahead of the best non-Red Bull, few could have predicted the current exciting state of Formula 1. Sure, Ferrari and Carlos Sainz had grabbed that feel-good Melbourne victory following the Spaniard’s appendicitis, yet Verstappen surely would have won from pole in Australia without his disastrous brake problem. Seven different winners from the first 14 races – the most since the eight of 2012 – just didn’t seem possible. Except it was. And F1 is now enjoying exactly the sort of close contests, with regular different winners, that it wanted from the 2022 rule changes. Plenty has gone into this. Red Bull appears to have hit something of a development ceiling with the RB20, with…

A NEW WINNER ARRIVES 1974 SANREMO Total confirmation that Lancia had indeed built a real rally weapon arrived when the Stratos took its first World Rally Championship win on its series debut on home soil at the Sanremo Rally. It only received its FIA Group 4 homologation a day before the rally started. Sandro Munari claimed the dream result to ignite Lancia’s title surge. SLIDING TO VICTORY ON THE SNOW SWEDEN 1975 Bjorn Waldegard took his first WRC win on the snow in Sweden to further underline the Stratos’s credentials. Waldegard was narrowly trailing compatriot Stig Blomqvist until his Saab 96 suffered an engine failure. Blomqvist was handed a penalty after team-mate Per Eklund gave him an illegal push, which helped Waldegard to victory. UTTER DOMINATION MONTE CARLO 1976 Sandro…

IMSA SPORTSCAR ROAD AMERICA (USA) 4 AUGUST ROUND 8/11 Exactly one year since scoring a breakthrough maiden IMSA SportsCar Championship victory at Road America, Porsche Penske Motorsport went one better this time around as Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet headed the sister Porsche 963 of team-mates Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr to a resounding 1-2 triumph. Curiously, the factory cars were outpaced all weekend long by the privateer Proton Competition 963, especially in the hands of Gimmi Bruni, but a combination of consistency, excellent strategy, fortunate timing of the full-course cautions and Jaminet’s impressive fuel conservation won through in the end. The class of the field in terms of pace on the fast and challenging Wisconsin road course, however, were the pair of Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06s.…

IMSA SPORTSCAR ROAD AMERICA (USA) GTP Nick Tandy/Mathieu Jaminet Porsche Penske Motorsport (Porsche 963) LMP2 Ben Hanley/Ben Keating United Autosports (ORECA 07) GTD Pro Daniel Serra/Giacomo Altoe Conquest Racing (Ferrari 296 GT3) GTD Robby Foley/Patrick Gallagher Turner Motorsport (BMW M4 GT3) TCR WORLD TOUR EL PINAR (URY) Race 1 Yann Ehrlacher (below) Cyan Racing (Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR) Race 2 Thed Bjork Cyan Racing (Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR) SUPER GT FUJI (JPN) Tomoki Nojiri/Nobuharu Matsushita ARTA (Honda Civic Type R-GT) POWERED BY For full results visit motorsportstats.com…

BRITISH GT FF Corse is planning to end its five-year absence from the British GT Championship with a return in 2025, Autosport can reveal. The successful Ferrari Challenge team, which is a Prancing Horse stalwart, will submit an application when the entry window opens and intends to compete with the Ferrari 296 GT3. FF Corse last contested the series at Silverstone in 2020, which was six years after its previous full-time British GT campaign, during which the Ferrari customer squad won at Rockingham. The Ferrari marque has rarely featured in British GT in recent years, and the 2024 Silverstone 500 was the Italian marque’s first appearance since 2020, but the Tempesta team withdrew its entry before qualifying due to a crash in practice. “It will be great to have a…

MG COCKSHOOT CUP The MG Car Club’s long-running Cockshoot Cup will be taken on by the British Racing & Sports Car Club from 2025. The multi-class, northern-based championship, run by the MG club’s northwestern centre for circuit racing since 1984, was left without a home when the MGCC ceased organising race meetings last year. Coordinator Paul Goodman managed to arrange a four-weekend calendar of double-headers at various other clubs’ events this year, including the Scottish Motor Racing Club’s trip to Anglesey last weekend. But the BRSCC move secures the championship’s longer-term future, with a five-weekend northern-focused 2025 calendar set to be unveiled soon. “There were two things that I wanted to secure,” said Goodman. “One was that we didn’t want to become a national championship, and the other one was…

RALLYING Five-time British Rally champion Jimmy McRae will celebrate his 50th anniversary in the sport with a return to competition in the Grampian Forest Rally this weekend. McRae, the father of World Rally champion Colin and 1995 BRC conqueror Alister, will take to the stages in the Ford Escort Mk1 used by fellow Scot Mike Stuart in the 2023 Roger Albert Clark Rally. He will be co-driven by M-Sport’s Gail Whyte on his first BRC event in over three decades. The 80-year-old is the most successful driver in BRC history, claiming the title in 1981, 1982, 1984, 1987 and 1988, and he will go toe to toe with grandson Max in Scotland. “I’d thought for a while that it would be nice to do a Scottish event on my 50th…

HISTORIC F3 Ex-Formula 1 designer Steve Nichols expects to have repaired the Chevron B17 Formula 3 car he upended in the Oulton Park Gold Cup meeting in time to return to action next month. Nichols, who was chief designer on the dominant 1988 McLaren-Honda MP4/4, has revealed that the ex-Peter Hanson car sustained only light damage in the startline shunt in the first of the two Historic F3 races at Oulton at the end of last month. Repairs are already in hand, and he is confident of being out for the next round at Castle Combe on 21-22 September. “The accident was less dramatic than it looked and I got away without any aches and pains,” said the 77-year-old, whose F1 design career also included stints at Ferrari, Sauber and…

MINI MIGLIA Races 1 & 2 Nick Padmore Race 3 Endaf Owens MINI SE7EN Races 1 & 2 Joe Thompson Race 3 Mike Jordan FASTEST MINI IN THE WORLD Races 1 & 2 Harvey Death (Mini Cooper S V8) UNITED FORMULA FORD/CHAMPION OF BRANDS Race 1 Jason Smyth (Van Diemen RF00/JL12, below) Race 2 Andrew Rackstraw (Spectrum KMR) PRODUCTION GTIs Races 1 & 2 Simon Hill SANWA TROPHY FOR PRE-’66 MINIS Race 1 Nathan Heathcote (Cooper S) Race 2 Joe Ferguson (Cooper S) MSVR ALL-COMERS Races 1 & 2 Tim Bishop (Caterham Seven) For full results visit: tsl-timing.com…

SPORTS 1000/CUP 200 Race 1 Clint Newman (Spire GT-3S) Race 2 Rich Miles (Spire GT-3) Race 3 Dan Clowes (Mittell MC-53) MA7DA Race 1 Martin West Race 2 David Hitchin TYPE R TROPHY Race 1 Trafford King Races 2 & 3 Matt Wilkins ARMED FORCES RACE CHALLENGE Race 1 Alex Rivett (Lotus Elise) Race 2 Mark White (Honda Civic Type R) 116 SPRINT TROPHY & 120 COUPE CUP Race 1 Alan Corfield (120i) Race 2 Rob Carvell (120i) 116 TROPHY James Wareing CALM ALL PORSCHE TROPHY Race 1 Jamie McHugh (944 Turbo) Races 2 & 3 Christian Walker (Cayman S) CLIO SPORT Races 1 & 2 Justin Griffiths (197) Race 3 Peter O’Connor (182, below) BMW CAR CLUB RACING Race 1 Stuart Pywell (M3) Race 2 Jason Rees (M3) For…

CASTLE COMBE CCRC 3 AUGUST Doug Watson took both wins in his Ferrari 488 Challenge in the Castle Combe GT Championship last weekend, coping with immense pressure in each race. Watson lined up on pole next to Josh Smith in his Caterham RLM 260 Edition for race one. Smith attempted to outdrag Watson off the line, but the faster Ferrari was able to defend the position. Smith stuck with Watson throughout the race but lacked the outright pace to make an overtaking move. “He felt like he was right on the back of me and I had to really push the car hard,” reckoned Watson. “Then the tyres went off because I pushed it so hard in the first few laps. It was tricky and really hot.” After a clutch…

Six-time grand prix winner Ralf Schumacher is to make his return to competition this month, sharing a car in the Prototype Cup Germany with his son David. The duo will drive a Ligier in the LMP3-only series at the Nurburgring round on 17-18 August, and have already tested the car. It will be run by US Racing, the team 49-year-old Schumacher Sr set up with former Mercedes DTM luminary Gerhard Ungar in 2016 and which is one of the most successful in Formula 4. His son is currently third in the ADAC GT Masters series and has competed in the NLS (see below).…

MOTORSPORT GAMES Motorsport UK’s Team UK will be contesting seven disciplines in the 2024 edition of the Motorsport Games, which take place at Valencia on 23-27 October. The governing body of British motorsport last week released the names of the aspiring medallists who will be competing at the Olympics-style event, under the leadership of team captain Chris Froggatt, who will be competing in the GT Cup. Among them is up-and-coming tin-top racer Jenson Brickley, who will represent his country in the Touring Car discipline. After finishing third in TCR UK last season, he is now contesting the TCR Spain series with a Cupra Leon VZ and leads the points after the first two rounds. Brickley has not yet won any of the four races, but three podium finishes across the…

What do Aussie Supercar aces do on their weekends off? They fight for the country’s GT title. Current Supercars points leader Will Brown and co-driver Brad Schumacher (no relation) became the 2024 season’s first two-time winners at Queensland Raceway last Sunday in their Audi (above), and are now just a point adri. of Ferrari-mounted series leaders Chaz Mostert (runner-up to Brown in the Supercars standings) and Liam Talbot. The Saturday race in Queensland was a maiden victory for ex-FIA F3 ace Alex Peroni, who is sharing an Audi in the Pro-Am (British GT-style) series with Mark Rosser. BRITS ON FORM IN AMERICA Briton Alex Sedgwick continued his strong Carrera Cup North America season last weekend at Road America. Following his maiden win in the previous round at Watkins Glen, the…

Jake Dixon’s victory in the Moto2 race at Silverstone last Sunday was a moment for the home fans to enjoy. But as he encouraged the crowd to produce an even-louder cheer to accompany only his third victory in the series, it was also a moment to assess Britain’s relationship with MotoGP. Perhaps there was good reason why Dixon was underwhelmed by the crowd’s first attempt – he couldn’t hear them. Four weeks earlier, 164,000 people watched Lewis Hamilton’s incredible Formula 1 victory at Silverstone, smashing the venue’s single-day attendance record. But just 42,529 turned up for MotoGP on Sunday, despite the championship enjoying bumper crowds at tracks such as Le Mans and Jerez earlier in the season. So why the poor attendance? There’s a number of factors. As of Saturday…

PASCAL WEHRLEIN 1 Heads list after not cracking in title-deciding finale when pressure was at its highest and on a track favouring his Jaguar rivals. Only non-scored twice after collisions not his fault, with three wins, three poles and most laps led (87). MITCH EVANS 2 Only one of leading title protagonists to suffer a race-ending mechanical issue (at Misano). Jaguar driver seemed to suffer worst of the luck that included car problems in opening rounds. Was at his best at Shanghai to beat Wehrlein to victory. NICK CASSIDY 3 Would and should have been number one on this list with a world title to his name but for catastrophic Portland error. Two wins and six more podiums the backbone to his title tilt, but three non-scores in final four…

At last it seemed that Finnish rally fans would finally receive what they had craved so much. Not since 2015 has there been a home winner of Rally Finland, and still the wait goes on. Kalle Rovanpera had dominated the stages and tamed changeable weather on what was one of the most demanding editions of the event on record. But once again he was cruelly denied. This time, penultimate stage heartbreak allowed fellow Toyota part-timer Sebastien Ogier to steal the spoils to mount an unlikely World Rally Championship title push. Rovanpera has now had four attempts to win the fabled ‘Gravel Grand Prix’. In 2021 he suffered a crash, the following year he finished second behind an inspired Ott Tanak, and now the past two years he’s rolled out of…

TCR WORLD TOUR EL PINAR (URY) 4 AUGUST ROUND 5/7 Lynk & Co Cyan Racing duo Yann Ehrlacher and Thed Bjork each took a win in the TCR World Tour’s Uruguayan round at El Pinar, but a pair of fourth places for Hyundai star Norbert Michelisz helped the Hungarian to build his points lead. Ehrlacher romped to pole ahead of the Hyundais of Mikel Azcona and Michelisz and controlled the first race, which was disrupted by two safety cars. The first was after the two Hondas of Marco Butti and Norberto Fontana collided in a four-wide squabble into Turn 1, and the second when Fontana and Galid Osman collided on lap 11, leaving Osman’s Cupra stranded. After the first restart, Bjork jumped ahead of Michelisz for third at the final…

MOTOGP SILVERSTONE (GBR) 4 AUGUST ROUND 10/20 The MotoGP title fight took another twist as the series reconvened at Silverstone after a three-week summer break. While all eyes were on championship protagonists Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin after the Spaniard’s crash at the previous round in Germany, it was Enea Bastianini on the second of the factory Ducatis who stole the show to establish himself as an outside contender for the ultimate prize in motorcycle racing. At the start of Saturday’s sprint, Bastianini settled into second place behind the Pramac Ducati of Martin, who surged into the lead after making a rapid getaway from fourth on the grid. Bagnaia ran in third position, while polesitter Aleix Espargaro dropped to fourth on the Aprilia. Bastianini spent the first five laps biding…

CASTLE COMBE GT An initiative offering a free double-header entry to Castle Combe GT Championship newcomers is being put forward in the hope of attracting a bumper grid. Through the generosity of a GT enthusiast benefactor, up to 10 first-timers will receive a 50% discount on their entry fee for the 26 August meeting, which will be matched by Castle Combe Racing Club in its endeavour to build the championship for 2025. “Normally, we would like to spend money rewarding our loyal competitors, but I hope you will understand our decision to accept this one-off offer is intended to bring benefit to everybody,” said CCRC chairman Ken Davies. Grids at the four doubleheaders to date this season have ranged from a very promising 22 for Easter Monday’s opener to nine…

A Nissan R90CP YHP Group C machine returned to the track for the first time in 33 years at the end of last month. The Le Mans veteran had been in the Nissan Heritage Collection until being acquired by the Ascott Collection and rebuilt by Scott Sport. Aaron Scott gave it a faultless shakedown at Turweston Aerodrome before Ascott owner Xavier Micheron got behind the wheel at Donington Park. The car is now due to race at Paul Ricard later this month in the Peter Auto event. GINETTA SCHOLARSHIP OPEN Entries have opened for the 2025 Ginetta Junior scholarship, with one teenager again receiving a fully funded drive in next season’s championship. A series of assessments will be held at Blyton Park over 11-13 October to determine the latest winner…

MA7DA Two-time Ma7da champion Jonathan Lisseter hopes for more Sports 1000 action after impressing on his series debut during last weekend’s 750 Motor Club meeting at Snetterton. Lisseter, driving a Mittell MC-53, bounced back from an engine failure in testing to take pole during damp qualifying for the opening contest, although a stall on the grid denied him a chance to challenge for victory. “It was a bit of a surprise,” he revealed of his debut pole. “I was about maybe a second off [his teammates in testing] but I knew there was still time in me. I quite like those mixed conditions from racing the Mazdas and from karts years ago. “We had an engine change overnight. The best repayment for these boys slogging their guts off was to…

You’re not really supposed to have favourites in this job. But, between 2015 and 2019, the Renault UK Clio Cup was regularly my favourite British Touring Car support series to report on. After all, there was always something happening. The racing was invariably close and exciting, the grid was usually packed with rising stars (including the likes of Ash Sutton), and there was always at least a hint of controversy. On top of that came a variety of off-track shenanigans. I was therefore intrigued when a new Clio Cup GB series for the latest fifth-generation racer was announced last year. Now, we’d been here before. After Renault UK revealed it was ending its support of the old championship for 2020, French-based Renault Sport Racing said that it would step in…

Strong grids and household names helped the Sanwa Trophy make a successful return to the Mini Festival programme after an eight-year absence as the 65th anniversary of the Mini was commemorated at Brands Hatch. Open to pre-’66 Minis and Mini derivatives, the Trophy event attracted more than 30 entrants and, unlike in its previous guise when the race was held as an endurance contest, two short sprint races were run this time instead. Among the star-studded entry was current British Touring Car racer Adam Morgan, driving the Mini his father Russell debuted in the BTCC-supporting Pre-’66 Touring Car race at Croft the weekend beforehand; former BTCC contenders Jeff Smith and Mike Jordan (the latter in a Swiftune Cooper S), Historic Formula 1 ace Nick Padmore (sharing a Cooper S with…

DONINGTON PARK MSVR MASTERS HISTORIC 3-4 AUGUST The opening Masters GT Trophy race at Donington Park last weekend delivered an absorbing 45-minute contest from an encouraging grid as Craig Wilkins proved the class of the field in his Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo. Wilkins built enough of an early advantage to rejoin from his pitstop still ahead, despite the extra 25-second time stationary applied to the Lamborghinis. But it was never easy for Wilkins, and for most of the second half he had Adam Sharpe on his tail in the Mosler MT900, which had been started well by George Haynes. Initially they ran nose to tail before Wilkins eked out a couple of seconds, only to lose it to traffic in the closing stages. But he kept his cool for a…

CASTLE COMBE GT Races 1 & 2 Doug Watson (Ferrari 488 Challenge) CASTLE COMBE HOT HATCH Race 1 William di Claudio (Peugeot 106) Race 2 Shaun Goverd (Citroen AX) ALLCOMERS SINGLE-SEATERS Races 1 & 2 Nigel Davers (Jedi Mk6, below) CASTLE COMBE FF1600 Race 1 Luke Cooper (Swift SC20) Race 2 Felix Fisher (Ray GR05) CASTLE COMBE SALOONS Races 1 & 2 Adam Prebble (Vauxhall Astra) NORMAN LACKFORD TROPHY FOR SPORTS PROTOTYPES Races 1 & 2 Andy Fido (Radical SR3 RS) For full results visit: tsl-timing.com…

Final checks and procedures take place in the moments before the start of the 1980 Le Mans 24 Hours. The #16 Jean Rondeau/Jean-Pierre Jaussaud Rondeau M379B sits alongside the #8 De Cadenet Lola LM of Alain de Cadenet/Francois Migault. Behind is the #41 Kremer Racing Porsche 935 of Ted Field/Danny Ongais/Jean-Louis Lafosse, and #12 Dome RL80 shared by Chris Craft and Bob Evans [there can be few things more quintessentially ’80s than sponsorship from a synthesiser manufacturer – ed]. Next up is the #45 Bob Wollek/Helmut Kelleners Gelo Racing Porsche 935, and the #5 and #7 WM P79/80s of Guy Frequelin/Roger Dorchy and Serge Saulnier/Jean-Louis Bousquet/Denis Morin. This rain-soaked edition of the French enduro is remembered for the unique feat of Jean Rondeau’s victory as driver and constructor. For more…