Hyundai’s Ott Tanak has thrown down the first marker at the start of the 2021 World Rally Championship season in Monte Carlo with victory in both of Thursday’s stages. Tyres were the major talking point of the day, with Pirelli replacing Michelin as the WRC’s new control supplier. A shortage of pre-event testing in the
Month: January 2021
The 39-year-old, who has been without a Cup ride since his five-year spell with JTG Daugherty Racing concluded at the end of the 2018 season, has scored three wins with Kaulig in the second tier of the NASCAR pyramid in the past two years and is contesting the full Xfinity season with the team in
AJ Allmendinger plans to make his first NASCAR Cup Series start since 2018 next month on the Daytona road course with regular Xfinity Series outfit Kaulig Racing. The 39-year-old, who has been without a Cup ride since his five-year spell with JTG Daugherty Racing concluded at the end of the 2018 season, has scored three
Toyota World Rally Championship driver Elfyn Evans says a safety-first approach is not how he plans to win the 2021 WRC title, despite it almost netting him glory in 2020. A consistent run of points scoring finishes and two victories in Sweden and Turkey meant the Welshman was tipped to become the first British WRC
Ott Tanak says he is confident of giving a better account of himself in his second World Rally Championship season at Hyundai, after a disappointing title defence in 2020. The Estonian caught many WRC paddock figures off guard when he decided to leave Toyota in the wake of his title-winning 2019 campaign and join Thierry
Toyota World Rally Championship driver Sebastien Ogier says “the most important thing” in his swansong campaign is that the series can stage a more representative season amid continued COVID-19 restrictions. The Frenchman defeated team-mate Elfyn Evans to claim his seventh world title in 2020, but after a flurry of events were cancelled due to the
Team Penske has announced Cindric will attempt to make the season-opener in the #33 Ford, with Miles Stanley, a race engineer for Penske’s #12 and #22 Cup teams, serving as crew chief. Cindric, 22, is planning to run a limited Cup schedule this season in preparation for his full-time move to the Wood Brothers’ No.
NASCAR Xfinity champion Austin Cindric will aim to make his Cup series debut next month at the Daytona 500. Team Penske has announced Cindric will attempt to make the season-opener in the #33 Ford, with Miles Stanley, a race engineer for Penske’s #12 and #22 Cup teams, serving as crew chief. Cindric, 22, is planning
The 2016 Indy 500 winner lapped the 1.7-mile track in 52.272s and completed 105 laps, finishing Tuesday’s running 0.106 seconds faster than Andretti Autosport team-mate Colton Herta, who was third in last year’s IndyCar championship. Jack Harvey of Meyer Shank Racing, which has a technical partnership with Michael Andretti’s squad, was third, ahead of 2012
Alexander Rossi finished on top after a second day of IndyCar testing on Sebring’s short course, while he also got behind the wheel of a prototype Acura machine. The 2016 Indy 500 winner lapped the 1.7-mile track in 52.272s and completed 105 laps, finishing Tuesday’s running 0.106 seconds faster than Andretti Autosport team-mate Colton Herta,
The team, created by former SRT Motorsports director Beth Paretta, is part of Roger Penske’s 2020-initiated program “Race for Equality & Change” and will showcase women in motorsports. Paretta Autosport will “integrate women in the team to ensure that it provides opportunities, including competition, operations and administrative roles such as logistics, marketing and public relations”,
Simona de Silvestro will return to the Indianapolis 500 this season driving with female-operated newcomers Paretta Autosport, along with support from Team Penske. The team, created by former SRT Motorsports director Beth Paretta, is part of Roger Penske’s 2020-initiated program “Race for Equality & Change” and will showcase women in motorsports. Paretta Autosport will “integrate
McMurray, who stopped competing on a full-time basis in the NASCAR Cup following the 2018 season, will drive the #77 Chevrolet run by Spire Motorsports in partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing. The effort will be sponsored by AdventHealth, one of the largest faith-based healthcare systems in the United States. McMurray, 44, currently works as a
Jamie McMurray will make a return to NASCAR Cup competition, and will race in February’s Daytona 500 for the Spire Motorsports team. McMurray, who stopped competing on a full-time basis in the NASCAR Cup following the 2018 season, will drive the #77 Chevrolet run by Spire Motorsports in partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing. The effort
Sebastien Ogier believes his final World Rally Championship season could be the most open yet, with the defending champion tipping Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanpera to be a dark horse. Ogier’s last full season in rallying’s top division will get underway at Rallye Monte-Carlo on Thursday afternoon where the Frenchman is targeting a record-breaking eighth victory
The 40-year-old reigning champion, who has 50 IndyCar wins to his name, lapped the 1.7-mile course in 52.320 seconds, one-tenth faster than former Formula 1 star Marcus Ericsson who is about to embark on his third IndyCar season and his second with the Ganassi team. Just seven drivers were in action on the opening day
Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon led his Chip Ganassi Racing team-mates in the opening test of 2021 at Sebring International Raceway. The 40-year-old reigning champion, who has 50 IndyCar wins to his name, lapped the 1.7-mile course in 52.320 seconds, one-tenth faster than former Formula 1 star Marcus Ericsson who is about to embark on
Marco Andretti announced on Friday that he was going to pursue other opportunities within motorsport while remaining with his father Michael’s team for the Indy 500, possibly competing in some other races and also making himself available for testing. It’s therefore uncertain how many race entries there will be this year for the #98 car,
Marco Andretti’s decision to withdraw from full-time IndyCar competition does not affect Bryan Herta’s commitment to the Andretti Autosport team, despite joint ownership of the #98 entry. Marco Andretti announced on Friday that he was going to pursue other opportunities within motorsport while remaining with his father Michael’s team for the Indy 500, possibly competing
The 29-year-old has been affiliated with the Japanese marque since he became the third winner of the Nissan-backed GT Academy gamer-to-racer competition in 2011, and was the last of the GT Academy drivers still on the factory’s books after original winner Lucas Ordonez was dropped after the 2018 season. Mardenborough has raced in SUPER GT
British sportscar racer Jann Mardenborough has lost his SUPER GT drive with Kondo Racing and been left without a seat in Nissan’s GT500 roster for 2021. The 29-year-old has been affiliated with the Japanese marque since he became the third winner of the Nissan-backed GT Academy gamer-to-racer competition in 2011, and was the last of
The news shortly before Christmas that Sandy Mitchell had been appointed as a Lamborghini factory driver was a richly-deserved endorsement of his role in securing the marque’s first British GT drivers’ title in 2020. But it was also a triumph for pragmatism, which vindicated Mitchell’s decision to leap off the single-seater ladder before his 16th
The latest addition to Lamborghini’s factory GT roster faced the tough prospect of abandoning his F1 dream while still at school. But 2020 British GT champion Sandy Mitchell has proved that the move was absolutely the right one, as he told JAMES NEWBOLD The news shortly before Christmas that Sandy Mitchell had been appointed as
Toyota driver Nasser Al-Attiyah says he is “not interested” in returning to the Dakar Rally if the rules are not changed to make the fight fair between buggies and 4x4s. Three-time Dakar champion Al-Attiyah suffered a second successive defeat to the JCW buggies fielded by X-raid Mini in 2021, losing out on the crown by
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville has said he will make a decision on remaining with co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe for the remainder of the 2021 World Rally Championship after next week’s Rally Monte-Carlo. On Friday the Belgian announced that his 10-year partnership with fellow countryman Nicolas Gilsoul – which stretched back to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge – had
Andretti has scored two wins since making his IndyCar debut in 2006, and as recently as last August took pole for the Indianapolis 500. However, he has notably struggled with the current car on road and street courses admitting his late-braking technique requires a ‘solid’ rear end – something that disappeared with the arrival of
Marco Andretti has announced he will no longer be a full-time IndyCar driver, but is targeting Indy 500 glory and other iconic races in other series. Andretti has scored two wins since making his IndyCar debut in 2006, and as recently as last August took pole for the Indianapolis 500. However, he has notably struggled
Trackhouse Racing, founded by Justin Marks, is making its Cup Series debut in February’s Daytona 500. With Monterrey native Daniel Suarez at the wheel of the No. 99 Chevrolet, the team intends to run the entire Cup Series schedule. Suarez is the only foreign-born national NASCAR series champion in the sport’s history, winning the Xfinity
Grammy award-winning music artist Pitbull has secured an ownership stake in the Trackhouse Racing NASCAR Cup Series team. Trackhouse Racing, founded by Justin Marks, is making its Cup Series debut in February’s Daytona 500. With Monterrey native Daniel Suarez at the wheel of the No. 99 Chevrolet, the team intends to run the entire Cup
Stephane Peterhansel has responded to the comments made by Nasser Al-Attiyah and believes the Toyota driver lost the 2021 Dakar Rally because he was too egoistic to win the Prologue. X-raid Mini driver Peterhansel clinched a record-extending 14th Dakar title on Friday, beating Al-Attiyah by just under 15 minutes in what was effectively a two-horse