(Chevrolet images)
For the first time in its 24-year history, Corvette Racing will contest multiple endurance racing championships during its 2022 racing program. Corvette Racing will contest full-season championships in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Corvette Racing will field one Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in each series with the teams coming together for a two-car effort planned for the 24 Hours of Le Mans next June. All six Corvette Racing drivers from 2021 will return for the new season. Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg will race in IMSA, while Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims will race in the WEC. Chevrolet also confirmed that it will build and sell all-new Corvette Z06 GT3.R race cars (shown) to customers beginning with the 2024 racing season. Following the final race of the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category at Petit Le Mans on Nov. 13, Corvette Racing will shift to the new-for-2022 GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category. Garcia and Taylor – who are on the verge of repeating as GTLM Drivers champions – will run the full 10-race championship in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. Catsburg will rejoin Garcia/Taylor for the Rolex 24 At Daytona (where they won the 2021 GTLM class), Sebring and Petit Le Mans. Though the GTD-PRO Corvette C8.R will look similar to the GTLM car, a revised wing profile will mean a slightly different level of downforce at the rear of the C8.R, and the IMSA team will run on customer Michelin tires, per GTD regulations. The GTD-PRO Corvette will use the same 5.5-liter, flat-plane crank V-8 but with a slightly decreased power output over the GTLM rules package. An anti-lock braking system (ABS) also will be featured on the IMSA C8.R along with other driver aids that are mandated by the class regulations. Chevrolet has won 13 Manufacturers Championships (14 with the start of Saturday’s Petit Le Mans) in IMSA since 2001. The presence of Corvette Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship means Chevrolet will fight for the GT Manufacturers World Championship, along with another IMSA Manufacturers title in 2022. Milner and Tandy will take on the six-round global championship with the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, which will continue in the GTE Pro category against similar factory entries. Milner and Tandy’s season will begin with the 1,000 Miles of Sebring on March 18 as the FIA WEC returns to its doubleheader weekend with IMSA, which runs the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring the following day. Other circuits for the WEC Corvette Racing effort in 2022 include Monza, Fuji and Bahrain, plus a return to Spa-Francorchamps. The focal point, as is the case each season, will be the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Corvette Racing aims to gain invitations for two Corvette C8.Rs as the program goes for a ninth class victory since 2001. Sims will reunite with Milner and Tandy at Le Mans, with the Garcia/Taylor/Catsburg trio eyeing a Le Mans return, as well. But the really big news from Corvette Racing? The 2024 season will mark the debut of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R racer, marking the first time Chevrolet will be offering a turn-key, customer-focused racing Corvette for competition in a wide variety of GT3 championships. “It’s an exciting time for Corvette – first with the reveal of the production Z06 and now confirming the Corvette Z06 GT3.R for customer racers,” said Mark Stielow, Chevrolet Director of Motorsports Competition Engineering. “The availability of the Z06 GT3.R will allow customer race teams the opportunity to campaign a Corvette that has benefited from Corvette Racing’s rich history.” The introduction of the Z06 GT3.R will mean privateers can compete in both endurance and sprint races across multiple series. Additional details such as pricing and support package options will be confirmed at a later date. More information is available at Chevrolet Motorsports.
(PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA AFP)
Francesco Bagnaia (No. 63 Ducati Lenovo Team) was unstoppable at the Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve on Sunday, picking up his third victory of the season. And with his latest 25-point haul, Bagnaia handed Ducati the 2021 Constructors title. Joan Mir (No. 36 Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Jack Miller (No. 43 Ducati Lenovo Team) completed the podium in Portimao as the race ended prematurely. Iker Lecuona (No. 27 Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) and Miguel Oliveira (No. 88 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed at Turn 13, bringing out the red flags. Both riders were conscious; Oliveira went to the medical center for a checkup. Watch race highlights here. (Thank you to MotoGP)
(F1/Getty Images)
Max Verstappen (No. 33 Red Bull Racing Honda) cruised to a record third career Mexico City Grand Prix victory ahead of Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team) and teammate Sergio Perez (No. 11 Red Bull Racing Honda), who became the first Mexican driver to take a Formula 1 podium at their home race. Watch race highlights here. (Thank you to F1 Media)
(NASCAR)
Kyle Larson, the season’s most dominant driver in the NASCAR Cup Series from start to finish, completed his run to the top by winning the 2021 championship Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) finished ahead of his fellow Championship 4 contenders — defending champion Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet), Martin Truex Jr. (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) and Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joes Gibbs Racing Toyota) — at the 1-mile track to claim the crown in his first season driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Larson, 29, from Elk Grove, California, took his career to a new level in 2021. The veteran driver more than doubled his career wins total this season, entering ’21 with six since his first full-time season. By every measure, 2021 marked Larson’s best season and one of the best in modern NASCAR history. He’s one of just 17 drivers to win eight or more times in a year at the top level, joining a host of NASCAR Hall of Famers to do so. Larson started out the 2021 season with a 10th-place finish at the Daytona International Speedway before picking up his first win since 2019 just three races later at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. From there, it quickly became evident he would be a force this season. Larson put together the best three-race stretch of anyone this year from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Nashville Superspeedway, winning a crown jewel, his first road-course victory and the inaugural Cup race at the Music City track. He added another over the summer, holding off Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott for another road win at Watkins Glen International before scoring another three in the playoffs (Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Roval, Texas Motor Speedway) leading up to Phoenix. Larson also won at Texas earlier this year in the All-Star Race. Watch video highlights here. (Thank you to NASCAR.com)
(Trans Am)
Matt Brabham (No. 20 CD Racing ALTWELL CBD Ford Mustang) passed Ernie Francis Jr. (No. 98 Future Star Racing Ford Mustang) in the final 50 feet on the final lap to win the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli race by 0.393-seconds on Sunday at Circuit of the Americas. A late caution set up a two-lap, fender-rubbing dash to the checkered flag. Francis, who had led every lap from the pole despite constant pressure by Brabham, had to settle for second. “I was surprised, I just got a run on Ernie (Francis Jr.) on the last lap,” Brabham said. “It was the last lap, and I thought he had it because I wasn’t close enough. I had made some in-car adjustments and I managed to be fastest in the Esses at the end, and I got a run down the back straight. I was surprised he gave me a car length, so I stuck it down in the inside and we ran side by side. The track limits for both of us went out the window, and I got a little tap in the last corner as he was trying to get me a little loose coming to the checkered flag. That was so much fun, racing like that, door to door, leaning on each other and coming to the checkered,” added Brabham. “That was awesome, and I can't thank Chris Dyson and CD Racing enough for the opportunity.” Brabham was filling in for Chris Dyson, who sat out the finale due to family matters. (Thank you to Trans-Am Media)
(Racer.com)
Max Esterson produced a master class to take victory in today’s 21st annual Walter Hayes Trophy Grand Final at Silverstone. Esterson, 19, from New York, N.Y., swept the weekend aboard his Low Dempsey Racing Ray GR18, winning his heat race yesterday and continuing his rich vein of form this morning in the Semi Final round. He started on pole for the 15-lap Grand Final and controlled the race from the front, despite intense pressure from an array of competitors. Esterson’s performance capped a tremendous few weeks, which included a second-place finish in last weekend’s 50th Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. After finishing close behind Esterson in third place one week ago, teammate Andre Castro, 22, also from New York, N.Y., ran out of luck in today’s chilly conditions and was forced to retire his Ray GR14 early in the Grand Final. Last year’s winner, Oliver White (Medina JL17) finished hot on Esterson’s heels, less than a quarter of a second behind. He was followed by Ben Mitchell (Van Diemen JL16) and 2021 Avon Tyres British Formula Ford Champion Chris Middlehurst (Van Diemen LA10), who lost two places on the final lap after leading the chase of Esterson for most of the way. Esterson became the fourth Team USA Scholarship driver to take top honors at the Walter Hayes Trophy, following in the wheel tracks of Conor Daly (2008), Connor De Phillippi (2009) and Tristan Nunez (2012). “Thank you to Low Dempsey Racing, Ray Race Cars, iRacing, Max Papis Innovations, and of course Jeremy Shaw, the Team USA Scholarship, and all of its supporters," Esterson said. "Winning the Walter Hayes Trophy means the world to me, especially after being so close last week at the Festival. It’s been nine years since an American has won it so hopefully this is the start of another successful run!” (Thank you to Jeremy Shaw/Team USA Scholarship)
(BMW images)
BMW M Motorsport has announced that BMW Team RLL, who has been celebrating successes with BMW M Motorsport since 2009, will compete with two LMDh prototypes as of 2023. An initial sketch of the car (above), which will be called BMW M LMDh, was revealed during the Petit Le Mans weekend at Road Atlanta. Alongside the LMDh test program, BMW Team RLL will field two BMW M4 GT3s in the new GTD Pro category in the 2022 IMSA season (below). BMW Team RLL has been contesting the GT category of the IMSA and its predecessor series in BMW racing cars since 2009. This partnership’s biggest successes have been the GTLM wins with the BMW M8 GTE at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2019 and 2020, the GTLM title wins in the driver, team and manufacturer standings of the 2020 Michelin Endurance Cup, and a total of five GT titles with the BMW M3 GT in the 2010 and 2011 seasons of the American Le Mans Series. Bobby Rahal’s team also enjoys success in the North American IndyCar Series. The team has won the legendary Indy 500 twice, most recently in 2020. Alongside the intensive testing with the BMW M LMDh, BMW Team RLL will contest the 2022 IMSA season starting with two BMW M4 GT3s in the newly established GTD Pro category in the first races. “For me personally and professionally this is a dream come true,” said Rahal. “Now to first run a brand-new car like the BMW M4 GT3 and after that make the next step with BMW Team RLL to race for overall wins in the LMDh class is a direction we definitely wanted to go. I’m so pleased, so proud, so thankful that we’ll be able to do it together with BMW M Motorsport.”
