RacingNation.com

Rolex 24 Race Report

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Sun, 11 Feb 2024 21:41:00 +0000

Winning Porsche Penske 963. [Photo by Jack Webster]

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

The Captain won the 24 Hours of Daytona for the second time. Roger Penske’s first time was in 1969 with a Lola Mk 3B Chevrolet with drivers Mark Donohue and Chuck Parsons. This time, the Roger Penske led Porsche Penske Team triumphed in the Rolex 24, with their Porsche 963, piloted by Dane Cameron, Filipe Nasr, Matt Campbell and Josef Newgarden besting all others in taking a 2.1 second victory. Second place overall went to the Whelen Engineering Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series R, while the final podium spot went to the #40 WTR/Andretti Acura.

Actually, it wasn’t quite a 24-hour contest, as confusion reigned at the finish, with the checkered flag being shown some one minute and 36+ seconds early. It is likely that the error did not affect the final outcome, as the Porsche seemed to have everything well in hand, but in racing you never know until it is over. IMSA admitted the error right away, and the rule book states quite clearly that when something like that happens, even if the flag was thrown in error, the results stand and are official. Regardless, no one from the Cadillac team was complaining as they were quite sure that they couldn’t have caught the Porsche in another minute and a half.

Filipe Nasr: “The race really came down to the wire at the very final stop. It was pretty much all about the fuel numbers…I just have to say that was a great call from the team, from Porsche Penske Motorsports, just to give me the opportunity to be in the lead again in that final part of the race, and then it was down to me to hit the numbers and keep the 31 behind.”

In a welcome change from past Rolex events that we have covered, the weather was perfect both all week and for the race itself. 60’s at night and high 70’s to low 80’s during the day under sunny to partly cloudy skies made for a comfortable race for crews, drivers and spectators.

Speaking of spectators, in all of our years of going to this event we have never, and we repeat, NEVER seen such a large crowd at the Rolex 24. It seemed even larger that the crowds back in the heyday of GTP racing back in the 1980’s. IMSA certainly seems to have tapped into what the public wants with the new GTP class. Not only GTP, but LMP2, GTD-Pro and GTD featured outstanding cars and drivers. There were IMSA regulars, WEC drivers, former F1 stars and current IndyCar pilots sprinkled among the starting grid of 59 cars.

Pipo Derani (always quick), put the Whelen Cadillac on Pole at the Roar before the 24 the weekend prior to the race and as usual the Cadillac was strong throughout the entire race, only losing to the Porsche Penske after the final pit stop. Fastest lap of the race was set by new Whelen Cadillac driver Tom Blomqvist, who fit in quite nicely with the Cadillac team after winning the Rolex 24 last year in the MSR Acura. Five of the GTP entries finished on the lead lap, a testament to the quality of the GTP field.

In LMP2, it was Era Motorsport taking the win in their ORECA LMP207 with Christian Rasmussen, Dwight Merriman, Ryan Dalziel and Connor Zilisch sharing the driving duties. Again, the LMP2 class was top notch, with five of those entries finishing on the same lap.

In the GTD-Pro ranks, which featured the debut of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R (four of them) and the highly anticipated Ford Mustang GT3 (three of those), it was Ferrari on top, with the popular Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3, piloted by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Daniel Serra and Davide Rigon taking the class win, with a one lap margin over AO Racing’s pole sitting Porsche 991 GT3 R in its popular “Rexy” dinosaur color scheme.

Risi driver Alessandro Pier Guidi: “Well, it’s amazing. First of all, I think we deserved this victory. We were also trying a lot of times to achieve this victory. We finished twice second, and it’s a long time partnership between Risi and Ferrari….we’ve been close many times, but never able to achieve this victory. Finally we get it. If you see in the footage after the checkered flag and the picture is amazing. Everyone was crying, happy, and I went and I gave a big hug to Giuseppe, because all the passion he put in here in this effort, he really deserves this.”

Finally, in GTD, Mercedes came out on top, with Winward Racing’s Daniel Morad, Russell Ward, Philip Ellis and Indy Dontje sharing driving duties, besting the AF Corse Ferrari, which finished on the same lap as the Mercedes.

In the land of make believe, the new Brad Pitt racing movie was filming all week at Daytona with a real Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, which ran in the race, and a duplicate “movie” version which ran with film crews several times during the week, both in daylight and in the night. There was even a “staged” victory lane celebration right after the real race winners’ overall podium was concluded, which featured three actors celebrating. We were there, right in the front row of journalists. Unlike real life, there were three takes. Who knows, we might end up in the finished movie – or more likely on the cutting room floor!

We even spotted Brad Pitt, who worked undercover as the fire extinguisher man on a real race pit stop for the Wright Motorsports team. Don’t think anyone else noticed him.

All in all, a Rolex 24 for the ages, the history books and the movie theatres.

See you all at the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring in March.

The post Rolex 24 Race Report appeared first on RacingNation.com.

A New IMSA Season Begins

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 15:21:19 +0000

New Porsche Penske 963 in the garage. [Photo by Eddie LePine]

By Eddie LePine & Jack Webster

The recent December IMSA test session at Daytona International Speedway marked the official beginning of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. Most of the teams we expect to see at the Rolex 24 at Daytona at the end of January were present, testing new cars, new drivers and providing IMSA with data for the calculation of BOP in 2024.

Of note, the new Lamborghini SC63, which will be campaigned by Iron Lynx Racing in the 2024 season (beginning with the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring in March), was on hand for BOP testing and was quite impressive, topping the time charts. Pilots Andrea Caldarelli, Matteo Cairoli and Romain Grojean make up the driving team which will be competing in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Championship races in 2024. Unfortunately, the new GTP Lamborghini will not be at the Rolex 24, but will be on hand for Sebring, Watkins Glen, Indianapolis and Petit Le Mans. It is a beautiful car and the US program is headed by our old friend and Audi veteran Brad Kettler (we see him as Lamborghini’s secret weapon and key to success). Look for a lot from this team and this car, right out of the box.

Of course, the other GTP teams were not resting on their laurels from last season. WTRAndretti (the new official name for the Wayne Taylor led 2 car Honda/Acura factory effort) was on hand and preparing for a full season with two all new Acura ARX-06 cars with drivers Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor, Louis Deletraz, Jordan Taylor with Colton Herta and Brendon Hartley added for the endurance championship, while Jensen Button and Marcus Ericsson have been added for the Rolex 24. Taking over the Acura program from Michael Shank for 2024, WTRAndretti has big shoes to fill. After just missing out on the overall victory in 2023 at the Rolex, you can be sure that the WTRAndretti squad will be doing everything they can to get to the top step of the podium in 2024.

Other GTP news of note: The Whelen Engineering Cadillac team has added hot shoe Tom Blomqvist to their roster for the endurance races, partnering with the very rapid duo of Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken. That’s a championship winning combo if we have ever seen one.

Ganassi Cadillac features Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande for the season, with Scott Dixon added for the endurance races in the #01 Cadillac.

In Porsche 963 GTP news, JDC-Miller teams Tijmen van der Helm and Richard Westbrook for the season, adding Phil Hanson for the endurance races and our favorite, Ironman Ben Keating, for the Rolex 24 (where Ben will also be driving the #2 United Autosports ORECA LMP2 car). Wow!

Also, in Porsche 963 GTP news, Mustang Sampling has been signed as full season sponsor for the Proton Competition Porsche 963, with championship contending drivers Gianmaria “Gimmi” Bruni and Neel Jani announced (additional pilots TBA). The Porsche looks fantastic in its black and gold paint scheme.

At Porsche Penske, they are putting forward new and updated Porsche 963s, to be piloted by Mathieu Jaminet, Nick Tandy, Dane Cameron, Felipe Nasr all season long, to be joined by Kevin Estre and Josef Newgarden for the endurance races and Matt Campbell and Laurens Vanthoor for the Rolex 24. A very strong line up in a very strong team, indeed.

At BMW, the Bobby Rahal led Team RRL group features Augusto Farfus, Jesse Krohn, Dries Vanthoor, Connor De Phillippi, Nick Yelloly and Maxime Martin as drivers. Full season vs. endurance driver assignments have yet to be determined, with the announcement of 4th drivers for the Rolex 24 to be announced as well.

Other big news, looking forward to 2024, is the head-to-head Chevrolet vs. Ford battles we will see when Corvette Z06 GT3R takes on the Ford Mustang GT3. The Ford Multimatic Mustangs and the Pratt Miller Corvettes looked outstanding at the Daytona test and we can’t wait to see them fight it out at the Rolex 24. Not only will they be battling for the GTD-PRO title, at least 2 additional Corvette Z06 GT3.R entries and at least one additional Mustang GT3 are entered in the GTD class. I think we are going to see a lot of rubbing and bumping this year in GTD-PRO and GTD competition.

As Ford factory driver Joey Hand said about the Ford vs. Corvette battles to come: “The two iconic American sports cars, head-to-head. There’s nothing better than that. What I’m most excited for is the fans. There are going to be a lot more people coming to races. They’re going to come cheer for their car, whatever car that is.”

Also on hand at Daytona for the test was the Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 of Alessandro Pier Guidi, Davide Rigon and Daniel Serra – fan favorites that will be cheered on at the Rolex 24 by legions of tifosi from around the world. Also on hand was FIA-WEC Ferrari 499P Hypercar driver Nicholas Nielsen, taking some laps in the GT3 Ferrari. He is not currently on the entry list for the Rolex 24 in either the GTD-PRO or GTD Risi Ferraris, but it didn’t look like he was at Daytona as a tourist!

Not present yet, but waiting for new or updated cars, were the entries of Heart of Racing, which will be campaigning Aston Martin Vantage GT3 cars in both GTD and GTD-PRO and Pfaff Motorsports, which have switched from Porsche to McLaren for 2024. Can’t wait to see if they keep the plaid livery on the McLaren!

The 2024 full season grid of cars in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is outstanding and historic. Here is the grid as of the middle of December, and includes the cars that will only contest the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races. There are 11 GTP entries – 2 from Cadillac, 2 from BMW, 2 from Acura, 4 from Porsche and 1 from Lamborghini.

In LMP2, there are 12 confirmed entries, while in GT Daytona Pro there are 12 cars and in GTD there are a staggering 26 cars. That’s a total of 61 cars! (including Endurance Cup). There is no doubt about it – we are living in the modern “golden” era of sports car racing, and have IMSA to thank for it.

World class drivers – including legends from Formula One and IndyCar, world class manufacturers and teams, world class circuits. What more could you ask for?

The 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is shaping up to be the best ever – and that includes the incredible 1980’s GTP era that we participated in and reported on. It would be safe to say that IMSA racing in 2024 will rank right up there with the best and most well-known racing series in the world – including Formula One. For sure it will feature a wider variety of winners!

It’s going to be one hell of a ride. Be sure and join us in 2024 and take in some of the best racing on the planet. Go see some of it in person – it will be well worth the trip.

See you at the races.

The post A New IMSA Season Begins appeared first on RacingNation.com.

HSR Classic 24 At Daytona

Eddie LePine — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 02:14:50 +0000

Porsche Fabcar crosses the finish line. [Robert Madara photo]

By Eddie LePine

The ninth running of the HSR Classic 24 at Daytona presented by IMSA recently concluded and it was everything I expected it would be – a gathering of great cars and good friends to celebrate motorsports.

The unique format, which featured 6 different race groups running 4 race sessions each, formed the basis for the name “Classic 24”. Obviously, most of these priceless machines are no longer meant to run 24 straight hours in anger, hence the sensible HSR Classic 24 format. However, that’s not to say drivers were just tooling around – these races were flat out, with cars and drivers pushing to the limit, and sometimes beyond.

Classic 24 veteran Gérard Lopez and Classic 24 rookie Marcel Fassler (he of Audi Sport and Corvette Racing fame) won both Group A and Group F with Iconic Racing as the first Classic 24 overall double group race winners since the inaugural event in 2014 – a fine job by both of them. Marcel told me that he really enjoys doing vintage racing because of the comradery of the drivers and the relaxed atmosphere at the track. Plus, he loves getting to see and drive some of these classic racing machines.

Other drivers of note who participated in the Classic 24 were old friends Andy Wallace and Butch Leitzinger and it was good to touch base with these legendary drivers, who we all remember from their days driving in the American Le Mans series for Rob Dyson (among other teams).

Also on hand was the President of Ford Motor Company, Jim Farley, a true motorsports enthusiast, who co-drove Jim’s 1965 Ford GT40 Mk1 with none other than Adrian Newey of Red Bull Formula One fame. Newey certainly enjoyed his trip to Daytona, a brief respite from the high-pressure world of Formula One, for some old-fashioned sports car racing. He told me that the schedule for Formula One has become overwhelming and that he was glad to make the trip to Daytona for some much-needed down time – and to get back to racing’s roots. He and Jim Farley are true motorsport Renaissance men, who represent the spirit of the Classic 24 at Daytona.

Also of note, John Higgins was on hand, driving the original chassis #001 Porsche Fabcar, which finished second in class at the 1987 Sun Bank Daytona 24 Hours and then went on to win the Camel Lights class at the Sebring 12 Hours the same year. Now in the White Allen Motorsports collection and superbly prepared by Dale Oakes and his crew at Euro Classics in Dayton, Ohio, the Fabcar ran perfectly and John (driving solo), finished first in class and 2nd overall in the Group C race. It was an excellent conclusion to an storied driving career, as before the race John announced that he would be retiring from competition after this race. Reached in Victory Lane right after his podium finish, however, John admitted that his statement about giving up driving might be a little premature. The car is still strong and the competitive fire still burns in his veins.

Such is the lesson of the Classic 24 at Daytona – keeping history alive and the competitive juices flowing. That’s what it is all about.

In anyone’s book, it was a Classic event.

The post HSR Classic 24 At Daytona appeared first on RacingNation.com.

Rennsport VII

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Sun, 22 Oct 2023 22:17:56 +0000

Porsche 911 in the beautiful California countryside. [Jack Webster Photo]

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is the ideal place to hold a Porsche reunion. The track offers excellent facilities, the area has plenty to offer (for even the non-racing spectators such as the driver’s and owner’s wives in places like Carmel), and usually at the end of September, the weather is superb. It was with this backdrop that Porsche faithful from around the world descended upon the Monterey Peninsula for the highly anticipated Rennsport Reunion VII.

The event was literally a sellout, with an announced weekend crowd of over 90,000 in attendance. If you weren’t up at the crack of dawn and at the track, you had little luck finding a parking place, and that is after waiting in traffic to even get into the facility. Even with those inconveniences, the event was stellar and Laguna Seca and Porsche put on great and well-organized show.

Whether you liked old Porsches like the 356 or early 911 or were intrigued by the latest machinery like the all new GTP Porsche 963 or Le Mans winning Porsche 919, there was something for everyone, including tractors. Two all Porsche tractor races were held during the event, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.

If you were into celebrities, you had you pick of them as well. Patrick Dempsey, Jerry Seinfeld and John Oates (who drove a tractor in the tractor race), were among those in attendance.

Of course, the great appeal to us, other than the cars, were the legendary drivers and Porsche personalities who were on hand to greet spectators and sign autographs at the numerous autograph sessions scheduled throughout the event. Alwin Springer of Andial fame and former Porsche factory driver Patrick Long were Grand Marshalls and they were joined by such Porsche legends as George Follmer, Jacky Ickx, Jochen Mass, Derek Bell, John Fitzpatrick, Brian Redman, David Hobbs, David Piper, Thierry Boutsen, Timo Bernhard, Roman Dumas, David Donohue, Jim Busby and many, many more. Porsche fans had the rare opportunity to meet and talk to these legendary drivers in a relaxed atmosphere where it felt more like a family reunion than a race meeting. Hats off to Porsche and the organizers for making it such a fan friendly event.

For the kids (and us big kids as well), they got to see ‘Rexy’, the Porsche 911 RSR in the T-Rex color scheme that has been running in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship this season. For us older kids, we got to see a couple of Gulf-Porsche 917Ks mix it up at speed on the track. The sound alone of those cars accelerating out of Turn 11 made attending worthwhile. In addition to all the classic Porsches running in various classes, IMSA was even on hand with the Porsche Carrera Cup and held two pro races during the event. A huge favorite among the spectators were the aforementioned tractor races (we didn’t know that many Porsche tractors still existed!). Of course, not to be forgotten were the high-speed demonstration laps put on by the Porsche 919 Tribute car, the Porsche Penske 963 and the all-electric Porsche RSR.

Even a few showers on Saturday couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd, and later in the day the rain stopped and Sunday typically Monterey beautiful.

Aside from the long lines to buy Rennsport souvenirs (Porsche needs to work on that), the only complaint we heard all weekend was that there was just too much to see and do. Now, that’s not a bad problem to have.

We can hardly wait for the Rennsport VIII – hopefully coming soon. Be sure not to miss it.

See you at the races.

The post Rennsport VII appeared first on RacingNation.com.

UPDATE: Ben Keating – Ironman

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 22:51:46 +0000

[Jack Webster Photo]

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

Ben Keating did what he had to do and got it done at Motul Petit Le Mans, securing the LMP2 driver’s title in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, along with taking the Team’s title for PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports. Ben, along with season long co-driver Paul-Loiup Chatin showed speed and consistency all season long in securing the title. Things got off to a blistering start at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta when Keating put his ORECA on pole on the final lap of qualifying and followed up with a podium finish to secure the championship.

We look forward to following Ben as he moves to United Autosports for the 2024 season.

The post UPDATE: Ben Keating – Ironman appeared first on RacingNation.com.

Motul Petit Le Mans – Redemption

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 22:31:08 +0000

[Jack Webster Photo]

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship started the season with the grueling Rolex 24 at Daytona, and in between that race and the season ending 10 Hour contest at Motul Petit Le Mans, there were countless stories of triumph and tragedy, victory and defeat, damnation and redemption.

This race saw the end and the beginning of several eras – the first season of GTP competition, the last season of LMP3 in the WeatherTech series, the last season for Corvette Racing as a factory team and the end of MSR’s association with Acura.

It has been a trying season for the Michael Shank led race team, which was penalized after the Rolex 24 win for rules infractions, related to reporting of tire pressure settings. No need to go into details here, the facts are well known. The team kept the win, but gave up all the prize money, lost 200 points and was fined $50,000. To make matters worse, it appeared all season long that Acura would likely abandon the team at the end of the season, regardless of their achievements after Daytona. Did the punishment fit the crime? Who can say? All we know is that MSR knuckled down and did what they needed to do all season. They were the only team to score 3 overall wins in 2023, with victories at the Rolex 24 and Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and finally capping the season off with victory at Motul Petit Le Mans. In the last hour of Petit, they literally went from last to first in GTP and held on for a fine and popular victory. The driving team of Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun and Helio Castroneves combined talents for the win. On the podium, everyone looked like the weight of the world had been lifted off their shoulders. Redemption for the team at Petit.

Michael Shank said it best: “I don’t even know what to say right now. The crap this team’s been through this year. I have to thank Acura and all the crew and drivers. It’s too much. It’s just too much. I’m so happy. So happy.”

They are stepping aside from IMSA competition for the time being, but are certain to be back in 2025. Word has it that they are having serious discussions with Alpine about a GTP program – stay tuned. MSR is a fan favorite – they will be back. “Quit” is a word that is not in Michael Shank’s vocabulary.

Here are all the class winners from Motul Petit Le Mans.

GTP: #60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06
Drivers: Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Helio Castroneves
LMP2: #04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR ORECA 07 Gibson
Drivers: George Kurtz, Nolan Siegel, Ben Hanley
LMP3: #30 JrIII Racing Ligier JS P320
Drivers: Garett Grist, Dakota Dickerson, Bijoy Garg
GTD-PRO: #79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
Drivers: Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon, Maro Engel
GTD: #78 US RaceTrtonics Lamborghini Hurcan GT3 EVO2
Drivers: Misha Golkhberg, Loris Spinelli, Patrick Liddy

Going into Petit, any of 4 GTP manufacturers could have won the championship, but in the end, it was Cadillac and the Whelen Engineering team taking top honors, with Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims taking the driver’s title. The Porsche challenge fell by the wayside, as the Penske team tried to fight back all day from on track incidents and the Wayne Taylor Raciing #10 crashed out when Filipe Alburquerque tried to pass Derani on the outside of Turn 1 late in the race.

In other championships, in LMP2 Ben Keating (who we just did a feature story about) and Paul-Loup Chatin won the driver’s title with a solid 3rd place at Petit Le Mans. Keating once again set the pace, taking pole position in the class with a blistering lap as time expired in qualifying.

In the final season of LMP3, Gar Robinson locked up the driver’s title after a stellar performance all season long.

In GTD-PRO, this season marked the end of the Corvette factory team, as next year Corvettes will be in the hands of privateers. Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth took the championship for Vasser Sullivan and Lexus, with the WeatherTech Racing team a close second.

Finally, in GTD, Bryan Sellars and Madison Snow won the championship for BMW, with a brilliant multi-win season. The Paul Miller Racing team was flawless all season long and the championship was secured by just starting Motul Petit Le Mans.

What else is there to say? The IMSA WeatherTech Championship keeps going from strength to strength. Season long entries for next year are set, with a record 48 cars set for the full season and a capacity field of 57 have signed up for the Michelin Endurance Cup. WeatherTech and VP Racing Fuels just extended their sponsorships through 2030 and Michelin is signed up through 2028. The new Lamborghini GTP car is expected by Sebring next season and down the road, new GTP cars are coming from Aston Martin, Alpine and likely others. Under the leadership of John Doonan, IMSA has grown and continues to grow. Record crowds are showing up at the events, TV viewership is up, worldwide interest is continuing to grow. The sky seems to be the limit.

Forget longing for the past, we are right now living in the new golden era of sports car racing.

Enjoy the ride.

The post Motul Petit Le Mans – Redemption appeared first on RacingNation.com.

IndyCar Returns To The Milwaukee Mile For A Tire Test

RacingNation Crew — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 22:42:01 +0000

Linus Lundqvist heads out on track at the Milwaukee Mile to test tires for Firestone. [John Wiedemann Photo]

West Allis, WI – Preparing for the return of the NTT IndyCar Series return to the Milwaukee Mile in 2024, Firestone held a tire test at the historic track. With temperatures heading into the sixty degree zone and rain in the forecast, Will Power in a Team Penske Chevrolet and Linus Lundqvist in the #8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda helped Firestone put their tires through laps on the bumpy and worn surface of the one mile oval.

Will Power waits to get back on track during a Firestone tire test at the Milwaukee Mile. [John Wiedemann Photo]

Power, a veteran series champion and winner at the Mile in 2014, is at a vastly different experience level than Lundqvist who has completed just three races in the series including the World Wide Technology Raceway, a mile and a quarter oval.

“It felt exactly the same,” explained Power at the lunchtime break. “The track has not changed very much. It felt very similar to the last race here almost ten years ago. It’s a long time ago but it was good.”

Lundqvist got the call in Florida yesterday to fly up to Milwaukee for the test and was happy for the seat time. “For me as a rookie to get the extra milage is always nice.”

His first impressions were, “It’s pretty bumpy and pretty fast, it really is a short oval.”

Comparing to his run earlier this season at World Wide Technology Raceway /Gateway he explained, “It’s similar in a sense that it’s a short oval, but I think the surface and the non-smoothness that this place reminds me more of Iowa than Gateway. The surface and the bumps are very similar to that, it’s just that this has less banking which puts a little more stress on the car and the driver.”

The NTT IndyCar Series will return to the Milwaukee Mile on Labor Day weekend of 2024 for a double-header event. The last time the series raced at the one mile oval was in 2015.

The post IndyCar Returns To The Milwaukee Mile For A Tire Test appeared first on RacingNation.com.

Anticipation Builds as Larson Passes Indy 500 Rookie Test

RacingNation Crew — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 03:30:16 +0000

Kyle Larson during the Rookie Orientation Program for the Indianapolis 500. [Media Credit-Penske Entertainment: Chris Owens]

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023) – Another important step down, more to come in Kyle Larson’s Indianapolis 500 journey.

NASCAR Cup Series star Larson completed the Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Program (ROP) on Thursday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a significant milestone as he attempts to become just the fifth driver to compete in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day. Larson’s “Hendrick 1100” – the moniker given to this “double” initiative – will take place Sunday, May 26, 2024.

“It was fun,” Larson said. “It was mostly what I anticipated, in a way. The speed and the grip didn’t feel, thankfully, scarier than what I thought it might.

“Just how much the car wants to pull left and you have to kind of fight it back to the right on the straightaways and all that was something I didn’t expect. The weight of the wheel was a lot lighter than the simulator, but it was still a little heavier than what I expected. Other than that, I think it went really smooth.”

Larson needed a little more than two hours to complete the three-phase speed test on the historic, 2.5-mile oval, which also were his first laps in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car. Drivers must start ROP with 10 laps between 205-210 mph, following with 15 laps at 210-215 and finishing with 15 laps faster than 215 mph.

His top lap was 217.898 in the Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet fielded by Arrow McLaren in a joint effort with Hendrick Motorsports, Larson’s NASCAR team and 10-time winners of the Brickyard 400 at IMS. Larson turned 72 laps, with his fastest coming on his 65th trip.

2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Larson joined NTT INDYCAR SERIES regulars Tom Blomqvist of Meyer Shank Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Marcus Armstrong and Linus Lundqvist in completing the traditional Indy 500 rookie test this week at IMS. Armstrong, Blomqvist and Lundqvist finished all three phases of ROP on Wednesday, with Blomqvist topping the speed chart at 220.176 in a Meyer Shank Racing Honda.

The presence of Larson at the test attracted plenty of stars in the North American motorsports galaxy to IMS on a sunny fall afternoon. Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick and five-time Brickyard 400 winner Jeff Gordon – now the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports – observed the test, and Larson received plenty of advice from 2013 “500” winner Tony Kanaan, recently named Arrow McLaren sporting director.

“I’m certainly going to live vicariously through Kyle a bit through this experience and see how excited he is about it, and he clearly is,” said Gordon, who grew up in nearby Pittsboro, Indiana.

Said Kanaan: “It was seamless. We did what we were supposed to do today. Let’s come back here in April and get on.”

Larson’s next on-track step in this Indy 500 journey will be more laps in April during the Indianapolis 500 Open Test.

“It’s going to be really exciting next year when April and May come around because it’s going to be real then, race time, getting ready to race,” Larson said. “This is such a huge race for myself and my family, so I’m just glad I get to do it.”

2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Larson hopes to join John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and Kurt Busch in completing the “double.” 2004 Cup Series champion Busch was the last driver to successfully attempt the double, in 2014. Stewart produced the most successful double in 2001, when he finished sixth at Indianapolis and third at Charlotte.

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES tested the 2.2-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine with hybrid technology Thursday at IMS, with Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing, Will Power of Team Penske, Colton Herta of Andretti Global and Alexander Rossi of Arrow McLaren turning laps.

Hybrid testing will continue from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. Friday, with David Malukas of Arrow McLaren and Marcus Ericsson of Andretti Global joining Palou and Power on track.

Fans can watch hybrid testing Friday from the grandstands inside the short chute between Turns 1 and 2 of the IMS oval, near the IMS Museum, and the spectator mounds inside Turn 2.

Visit IMS.com for more information and to buy tickets for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and all Month of May activities at IMS.

The post Anticipation Builds as Larson Passes Indy 500 Rookie Test appeared first on RacingNation.com.

Ben Keating – Ironman

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 14:21:44 +0000

Ben Keating at speed in the beautiful Wynns P2 car. [photo by Jack Webster]

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

Motul Petit Le Mans is coming up shortly and all the different classes in IMSA will be crowning their champions. Currently lying second in points in the LMP2 class heading into the season finale is Ben Keating who is piloting the PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA 07 Gibson in his quest for the championship. The title would go nicely with his LMP2 Championship and Michelin Endurance Cup from the 2021 season.

Also, Ben Keating is the first American driver (in any class) to have won multiple World Championships. Driving in the FIA-WEC series in 2022, Keating secured the LMGTE Am Driver’s title piloting an Aston Martin for TF Sport. This year, having gotten the attention of Corvette Racing after last year’s championship run, Ben was signed by the GM squad to pilot their C8.R in this year’s FIA-WEC championship. He certainly didn’t disappoint. He proceeded to win the WEC race at Sebring, won the 6 Hours of Portimao and clinched the LMGTE Am Championship at the 6 Hours of Monza.

Now he is on the cusp of potentially another IMSA LMP2 title and at Indianapolis we had the chance to sit down with Ben to discuss his career and where he is headed next. The very popular and fan favorite Texas car dealer has been going nonstop in the world of motorsports since he was first introduced to the sport a number of years ago with a gift of a track day by his wife.

“I just think it is crazy for a 52-year-old car dealer from Texas to be the only American to have won multiple World Championships in sports car racing.”

We don’t think it is crazy at all, as without doubt, Ben Keating is the finest pro-am driver we have ever seen race. And we have seen a lot of them.

Ben is known for maximizing his track time while at the race track. Many times, he has driven two different cars in different classes in the same endurance race, like the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Even with a championship on the line, he is branching out into something completely different at Motul Petit Le Mans. He will be driving a Mazda MX-5 in their race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. “I am extremely excited to be racing in the MX-5 Cup with Saito Motorsports Group and, to be honest, quite nervous. It looks like a total blast to drive and the competition looks like a ton of fun”, Ben told IMSA.

Driving constantly both overseas in the FIA-WEC series and in IMSA certainly requires a lot of stamina and fitness and we asked Ben about how he handles it all. What is his routine, how does he stay fit?

“Riding a bicycle. I do a lot, a lot, of cycling. The hardest part of being in a sports car for a long period is the elevated heart rate. People don’t realize how high your heart rate gets. I’m somewhere around 150 beats per minute on average – for a long period when I’m in the car.”

“You know, at Daytona for example, if I’m gonna drive in two different cars, I need to be comfortable with 150 beats per minute for three hours at a time. And you still have to make good decisions, good judgement calls, be able to have your wits about you, and the only thing I’ve ever found where I can do that is on a bicycle.”

Coupled with his strict training discipline, Ben prepares his own custom nutrition for his use during a race. He doesn’t use a cool suit, cool hat or even a drink bottle in the car.

“I don’t use a drink bottle in the car because it’s distracting. Every time I come in for a pit stop, I have this funky looking plastic collapsible bottle. It’s got my mixture of calories and electrolytes and water all in there. And I know it works well for me because of cycling. Every time I come in for a pit stop, they hand it to me.”

Ben likes to race what he sells. Among his 28 dealerships he represents many brands. At his garage at home he has the Ford GT he raced at Le Mans and joining it soon will be his WEC Championship winning Corvette C8.R. His championship Aston Martin from last year, he does not have an interest in.

“I am really big about racing what I sell. I love the World Endurance Championship but I don’t sell Porsches or Aston Martins or Ferraris. I always wanted to drive a Corvette. So, the fact that I won the World Championship last year (for Aston Martin), I won Le Mans, won a bunch of Poles, I was able to get my toe in the door (with Corvette).”

The rest, as they say, is history.

And next year for Ben Keating? Well, he is leaving the FIA-WEC behind (except for Le Mans, anyway), and has signed on with United Autosports who will be fielding a two-car team in the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the P2 class. Expect to see Ben’s familiar Wynns sponsorship on his United Autosports ride next season.

“I’m spending about a third of my year at a racetrack. I need to race less. I’m done with the WEC (except for Le Mans, he says). I’m going to be full time in IMSA (next season).”

If racing less means another full season of getting to see Ben racing all the IMSA events, plus perhaps at Le Mans, we’ll take it. It wouldn’t seem like a proper race weekend if Ben Keating wasn’t racing in at least one car – or two.

We will see you, and Ben Keating, at the races.

The post Ben Keating – Ironman appeared first on RacingNation.com.

Petit Le Mans GTP Showdown

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 17:52:29 +0000

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine
photos by Jack Webster

All eyes will be on Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on October 14 as the inaugural season of GTP racing in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship comes to a close at Motul Petit Le Mans.

It has been an incredible season of racing so far, and going into the final round there are four manufacturers that are still in the mix for the championship. Porsche is in first, followed by Cadillac, Acura and BMW. However, it looks like Motul Petit Le Mans will be winner take all, as all four manufacturers are only separated by 64 points.

The driver’s championship in GTP is just as tight, but in a different order. Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims of the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac share first place, followed by Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor in the #10 Wayne Taylor/Andretti Autosport Acura, with Mathiew Jaminet and Nick Tandy third for the #6 Porsche Penske and then Nick Yelloly and Connor de Phillippi in the #25 BMW Team RRL. Again, super tight points battle here with only 38 points difference among those four title contenders.

In the team’s championship, things are just as tight, but again in a different order. Leading is the #10 Wayne Taylor/Andretti team, despite not having won a race this season. Second is the #31 Whelen Engineering entry, which won Sebring. Next is the #25 Team RRL BMW – the Watkins Glen 6-Hour winner and has been getting stronger and stronger at each outing. Next is the #6 Porsche Penske, which won for the first time at Long Beach. The same car won on the track at Watkins Glen, but was disqualified for a ride height infraction after the race. The #6 Porsche Penske also won the most recent race at Indianapolis, making them the only repeat winner in 2023. Fifth in the team standings is the #60 MSR Acura, controversial Rolex 24 winner who lost the points after Acura turned themselves in for tire pressure manipulation. The team bounced back from the controversy and won Detroit later in the season. Finally, in sixth is the #01 from Cadillac Racing, which won the Laguna Seca race. These six teams are separated by only 139 points, so again, the championship will be decided at Road Atlanta.

There are a couple of ironic things to note in the team’s championship. The Wayne Taylor squad is leading the points, despite not having a race this season. The MSR Acura sits in fifth place, with a shot at the team’s title. Regardless of outcome, MSR has lost their Acura deal for 2024 and Wayne Taylor/Andretti will be taking possession of their car after Petit Le Mans. Kind of sad, really. Hard fought racing all year, a chance to win it all and no matter the outcome, MSR is out for 2024.

Anyway, that’s how things line up for the final IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race of the 2023 season, and the inaugural season of GTP. We are sure the final will be just as exciting and unpredictable as the rest of the season has been. By the end of Motul Petit Le Mans all will be decided, and it will be time to move on to 2024 and an even more competitive and exciting GTP sophomore year.

See you in Atlanta.

The post Petit Le Mans GTP Showdown appeared first on RacingNation.com.