Sunday
Jun262022
JUNE 29, 2022
Sunday, June 26, 2022 at 02:25PM 
(crash.net)
Francesco Bagnaia (No. 63 Ducati Lenovo Team) roared back into the MotoGP™ title picture after taking victory in a chaotic Motul TT Assen. World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (No. 20 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) clashed with his nearest rival on the points table, Aleix Espargaro (No. 41 Aprilia Racing) on Lap 5 at the TT Circuit Assen, then crashed again later in the race. It left Pecco to take a much-needed victory, with fellow Italian Marco Bezzecchi (No. 72 Mooney VR46 Racing Team) claiming a career-best second place and Maverick Viñales (No. 12 Aprilia Racing) clinching third. From as low as 15th, Espargaro got back to fourth by the checkered flag, a charge he completed with an incredible double-move on Jack Miller (No. 43 Ducati Lenovo Team) and Brad Binder (No. 33 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). Heading into the summer break, Quartararo’s Championship lead over the Aprilia pilot has been cut to 21 points, with Johann Zarco (No. 5 Prima Pramac Racing) third at 58 points off the pace, and Bagnaia back up to fourth at just eight points further back. Watch the race highlights here. (Thank you to MotoGP Media)
(Trans Am Series by Pirelli)
Matthew Brabham (No. 21 allgram Ford Mustang) earned his second Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli race win last Saturday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, holding off his teammate Chris Dyson (No. 20 ALTWELL Ford Mustang) in the final lap to earn his first victory of the season and second in only three series starts. The win was hard fought, as Brabham battled the highly-competitive Kaz Grala (No. 2 Technique Chassis/STEEL-IT Weaver Dodge Challenger) and the always-fast Dyson to take the checkered flag. Grala kept up his fast pace from the second position until he was forced to pull off the track with a differential issue on lap 34, ending his Trans Am debut and bringing out a full-course caution. When racing resumed on lap 40, Brabham still had his work cut out for him, with teammate Dyson now in the second position. He held him off until a car in the sand trap brought out the second double yellow of the race two laps later, leaving only one lap of green-flag racing remaining once cleanup was complete. During the final lap, Dyson challenged Brabham until the final turn, but it wasn’t enough, and it was Brabham with the lead when the checkered flag waved. David Pintaric (No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang) returned to the track after a three-race hiatus and had a stellar race at his home track, running just behind Dyson the entire event and earning the third podium spot. “These cars are some of the most fun cars I’ve ever driven in my life,” said Brabham in Victory Lane. When you have a team like Chris’ and the boys do such a good job prepping the car, it’s just a dream for me to come here and drive. I said at COTA [Circuit of The Americas] there’s no other team I could have just come in and felt at home like with these guys. Today was hard racing; I was pushing the whole race, and that was kind of our game plan. I told Chris ‘I’ll push the whole race, and if you want to save tires you can save tires.’ I think if there weren’t those yellows at the end, Chris probably would have gotten me. I had nothing left, I had no tires left and I was pushing hard the whole race. It’s a big shame for Kaz, it was great racing with him early in the race and we had some great side-by-side battles. He’s an incredible driver and I’m sure he would have been right there with us at the end if he hadn’t had issues. Thank you to Chris, to everyone at allgram, and everyone at CD Racing for making me feel at home.” (Thank you to Trans Am Media)
(IMSA)
The excitement and emotion were palpable. Yet Canadian racer Robert Wickens delivered the ultimate of understatements following the victory drive he and co-driver Mark Wilkins put together in the Touring Car (TCR) class of the Tioga Downs Casino Resort 120 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Watkins Glen International on Saturday. “Not bad," a smiling Wickens said. “Not bad." Most would argue, “pretty good … pretty doggone good!” The win for the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR marked the first for Wickens since he began racing fulltime again this season – the first triumph since he suffered major spinal cord injuries in a 2018 crash while competing in the IndyCar Series. Wickens, a paraplegic who uses a specially constructed steering wheel to steer as well as control the brakes and throttle, drove the No. 33 Hyundai for the first half of the two-hour race – moving from his third-place qualifying effort into the class lead for the final 10 laps of his stint behind the wheel. Fellow Canadian Wilkins took the driver’s seat for the final hour and quickly made his way forward from the pit stop – ultimately holding off a hard-charging Tim Lewis in the No. 5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR by a mere 0.374 seconds. Bryan Herta Autosport drivers A.J. Muss and Ryan Norman finished third in the No. 2 Elantra. (Thank you to Holly Cain/IMSA Wire Service)
Francesco Bagnaia (No. 63 Ducati Lenovo Team) roared back into the MotoGP™ title picture after taking victory in a chaotic Motul TT Assen. World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (No. 20 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) clashed with his nearest rival on the points table, Aleix Espargaro (No. 41 Aprilia Racing) on Lap 5 at the TT Circuit Assen, then crashed again later in the race. It left Pecco to take a much-needed victory, with fellow Italian Marco Bezzecchi (No. 72 Mooney VR46 Racing Team) claiming a career-best second place and Maverick Viñales (No. 12 Aprilia Racing) clinching third. From as low as 15th, Espargaro got back to fourth by the checkered flag, a charge he completed with an incredible double-move on Jack Miller (No. 43 Ducati Lenovo Team) and Brad Binder (No. 33 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). Heading into the summer break, Quartararo’s Championship lead over the Aprilia pilot has been cut to 21 points, with Johann Zarco (No. 5 Prima Pramac Racing) third at 58 points off the pace, and Bagnaia back up to fourth at just eight points further back. Watch the race highlights here. (Thank you to MotoGP Media)
(Trans Am Series by Pirelli)Matthew Brabham (No. 21 allgram Ford Mustang) earned his second Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli race win last Saturday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, holding off his teammate Chris Dyson (No. 20 ALTWELL Ford Mustang) in the final lap to earn his first victory of the season and second in only three series starts. The win was hard fought, as Brabham battled the highly-competitive Kaz Grala (No. 2 Technique Chassis/STEEL-IT Weaver Dodge Challenger) and the always-fast Dyson to take the checkered flag. Grala kept up his fast pace from the second position until he was forced to pull off the track with a differential issue on lap 34, ending his Trans Am debut and bringing out a full-course caution. When racing resumed on lap 40, Brabham still had his work cut out for him, with teammate Dyson now in the second position. He held him off until a car in the sand trap brought out the second double yellow of the race two laps later, leaving only one lap of green-flag racing remaining once cleanup was complete. During the final lap, Dyson challenged Brabham until the final turn, but it wasn’t enough, and it was Brabham with the lead when the checkered flag waved. David Pintaric (No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang) returned to the track after a three-race hiatus and had a stellar race at his home track, running just behind Dyson the entire event and earning the third podium spot. “These cars are some of the most fun cars I’ve ever driven in my life,” said Brabham in Victory Lane. When you have a team like Chris’ and the boys do such a good job prepping the car, it’s just a dream for me to come here and drive. I said at COTA [Circuit of The Americas] there’s no other team I could have just come in and felt at home like with these guys. Today was hard racing; I was pushing the whole race, and that was kind of our game plan. I told Chris ‘I’ll push the whole race, and if you want to save tires you can save tires.’ I think if there weren’t those yellows at the end, Chris probably would have gotten me. I had nothing left, I had no tires left and I was pushing hard the whole race. It’s a big shame for Kaz, it was great racing with him early in the race and we had some great side-by-side battles. He’s an incredible driver and I’m sure he would have been right there with us at the end if he hadn’t had issues. Thank you to Chris, to everyone at allgram, and everyone at CD Racing for making me feel at home.” (Thank you to Trans Am Media)
(IMSA)The excitement and emotion were palpable. Yet Canadian racer Robert Wickens delivered the ultimate of understatements following the victory drive he and co-driver Mark Wilkins put together in the Touring Car (TCR) class of the Tioga Downs Casino Resort 120 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Watkins Glen International on Saturday. “Not bad," a smiling Wickens said. “Not bad." Most would argue, “pretty good … pretty doggone good!” The win for the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR marked the first for Wickens since he began racing fulltime again this season – the first triumph since he suffered major spinal cord injuries in a 2018 crash while competing in the IndyCar Series. Wickens, a paraplegic who uses a specially constructed steering wheel to steer as well as control the brakes and throttle, drove the No. 33 Hyundai for the first half of the two-hour race – moving from his third-place qualifying effort into the class lead for the final 10 laps of his stint behind the wheel. Fellow Canadian Wilkins took the driver’s seat for the final hour and quickly made his way forward from the pit stop – ultimately holding off a hard-charging Tim Lewis in the No. 5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR by a mere 0.374 seconds. Bryan Herta Autosport drivers A.J. Muss and Ryan Norman finished third in the No. 2 Elantra. (Thank you to Holly Cain/IMSA Wire Service)
(Michelin Motorsport)
Acura dominated the IMSA WeatherTech Championship Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen Watkins Glen International on Sunday. Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor (No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05) led the Tom Blomqvist/Oliver Jarvis No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-05 to a 1-2 finish for the Japanese manufacturer. With a bold move, little fuel and a broken car, Albuquerque turned a weather delay into victory.He took the lead with a daring pass late in the race, then swerved through traffic with a damaged car while saving fuel for the win. “It was really crazy,” Albuquerque said. “When you believe in it, you just keep your foot down.”After a lengthy red flag for severe weather, the race restarted with 21 minutes on the clock and Albuquerque second behind Tom Blomqvist, who had teamed with Oliver Jarvis in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-05 to lead most of the endurance race. After the restart, Albuquerque chased Blomqvist through the first four turns before pulling alongside heading into the inner loop. The two cars made contact, Albuquerque pulled ahead, and then somehow managed to hold off Blomqvist’s tenacious challenge to the finish. The drama didn’t end there. Shortly after he passed Blomqvist, Albuquerque made contact with a GTD car, knocking the left mirror askew on the No. 10 car. In spite of that and the low fuel, he made it work. “The mirror was gone, the car was bent,” Albuquerque said. “I just put full throttle to try to get it to the (inner loop). I was like, ‘This is going to be funny now.’ The car was going sideways. It was really weird. And then (strategist) Brian (Pillar) was saying, ‘You need to save fuel.’ I had bigger problems than this. I didn’t know if I could finish the race.” The last-minute victory had a dramatic effect on the standings in the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class. Albuquerque and co-driver Ricky Taylor came into the race trailing Blomqvist and Jarvis by 13 points. With the victory, Albuquerque and Taylor regained the championship lead, taking a 17-point advantage into next Sunday’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario. (Thank you to Jeff Olson/IMSA Wire Service)
(Michelin Motorsport)
(IMSA)
Twenty-one-year-old Scott Huffaker made the most of the opportunity to win Sunday’s LMP2 portion of the race – barely. The talented young Californian held off a charging Louis Deletraz (No. 8 Tower Motorsport ORECA) win by a tenth of a second. Mikkel Jensen normally finishes in the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 when he, Huffaker and Ben Keating are paired. Huffaker was driving when the race was stopped by the weather delay and the team opted to keep him in the car for the conclusion rather than take time to pit and change drivers. (Thank you to Mark Robinson/IMSA Wire Service)
Acura dominated the IMSA WeatherTech Championship Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen Watkins Glen International on Sunday. Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor (No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05) led the Tom Blomqvist/Oliver Jarvis No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-05 to a 1-2 finish for the Japanese manufacturer. With a bold move, little fuel and a broken car, Albuquerque turned a weather delay into victory.He took the lead with a daring pass late in the race, then swerved through traffic with a damaged car while saving fuel for the win. “It was really crazy,” Albuquerque said. “When you believe in it, you just keep your foot down.”After a lengthy red flag for severe weather, the race restarted with 21 minutes on the clock and Albuquerque second behind Tom Blomqvist, who had teamed with Oliver Jarvis in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-05 to lead most of the endurance race. After the restart, Albuquerque chased Blomqvist through the first four turns before pulling alongside heading into the inner loop. The two cars made contact, Albuquerque pulled ahead, and then somehow managed to hold off Blomqvist’s tenacious challenge to the finish. The drama didn’t end there. Shortly after he passed Blomqvist, Albuquerque made contact with a GTD car, knocking the left mirror askew on the No. 10 car. In spite of that and the low fuel, he made it work. “The mirror was gone, the car was bent,” Albuquerque said. “I just put full throttle to try to get it to the (inner loop). I was like, ‘This is going to be funny now.’ The car was going sideways. It was really weird. And then (strategist) Brian (Pillar) was saying, ‘You need to save fuel.’ I had bigger problems than this. I didn’t know if I could finish the race.” The last-minute victory had a dramatic effect on the standings in the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class. Albuquerque and co-driver Ricky Taylor came into the race trailing Blomqvist and Jarvis by 13 points. With the victory, Albuquerque and Taylor regained the championship lead, taking a 17-point advantage into next Sunday’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario. (Thank you to Jeff Olson/IMSA Wire Service)
(Michelin Motorsport)(IMSA)Twenty-one-year-old Scott Huffaker made the most of the opportunity to win Sunday’s LMP2 portion of the race – barely. The talented young Californian held off a charging Louis Deletraz (No. 8 Tower Motorsport ORECA) win by a tenth of a second. Mikkel Jensen normally finishes in the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 when he, Huffaker and Ben Keating are paired. Huffaker was driving when the race was stopped by the weather delay and the team opted to keep him in the car for the conclusion rather than take time to pit and change drivers. (Thank you to Mark Robinson/IMSA Wire Service)
(IMSA)
There’s something about Watkins Glen that suits Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga and the No. 74 Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320. Returning this weekend after winning a pair of Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) races at the track in 2021, they rolled into victory lane again Sunday. Robinson, Fraga and third driver Kay van Berlo won by a full lap over the No. 54 CORE autosport Ligier. After Robinson negotiated the caution-heavy start of the race, van Berlo and Fraga pulled away. (Thank you to Mark Robinson/IMSA Wire Service)
There’s something about Watkins Glen that suits Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga and the No. 74 Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320. Returning this weekend after winning a pair of Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) races at the track in 2021, they rolled into victory lane again Sunday. Robinson, Fraga and third driver Kay van Berlo won by a full lap over the No. 54 CORE autosport Ligier. After Robinson negotiated the caution-heavy start of the race, van Berlo and Fraga pulled away. (Thank you to Mark Robinson/IMSA Wire Service)
(IMSA)
A 60-minute stoppage for lightning three-quarters of the way through the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen threw calculations for minimum drive time and fuel strategy into disarray in Round 7 of the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. That resulted in the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 driven by Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas being awarded the GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class victory after the No. 25 BMW M Team RLL (drivers: Connor De Phillippi, Augusto Farfus, and John Edwards) that crossed the line first was put to the back of the field because one of the drivers failed to meet the adjusted minimum drive time for each driver of 1-hour, 17-minutes during the six-hour endurance race. (Thank you to John Oreovicz/IMSA Wire Service)
A 60-minute stoppage for lightning three-quarters of the way through the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen threw calculations for minimum drive time and fuel strategy into disarray in Round 7 of the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. That resulted in the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 driven by Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas being awarded the GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class victory after the No. 25 BMW M Team RLL (drivers: Connor De Phillippi, Augusto Farfus, and John Edwards) that crossed the line first was put to the back of the field because one of the drivers failed to meet the adjusted minimum drive time for each driver of 1-hour, 17-minutes during the six-hour endurance race. (Thank you to John Oreovicz/IMSA Wire Service)
(IMSA)
There was no shortage of irony for the GTD class winners Sunday. After a season of frustration and near-misses, the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team hoisted its first trophy of 2022 on Sunday – declared the class victor about 20 minutes after taking the checkered flag in second place. The Winward Racing Mercedes team – first across the finish line and also looking to take its first win of the season – was penalized for not meeting drive-time requirements with its drivers. It was only the second top five of the year for the Heart of Racing GTD team – improving on a runner-up showing in the previous race at Detroit. The team’s second car also won in the GTD PRO class giving the Heart of Racing organization its first double class victory. “We always know our car is strong here, this is a really good track for us,’’ said Heart of Racing driver Roman De Angelis who drove the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the final stint. “We had really good results last year here so we came in here with a lot of confidence.“I thought second would have been a good result for us and it was very close. As I came to the last corner and got out of the throttle, we ran out of gas, so we coasted across [the finish line]." “We got really lucky and so obviously, with the drive-time [penalty] everything worked out for us,’’ added a smiling De Angelis, who co-drove with Maxime Martin and Ian James. “We haven’t had a win in a while. We’ve had a pretty rough start to the year, so obviously, super happy to get that result." It marked the 10th career IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship win for James, second for Martin and fourth for De Angelis. “For sure we had some luck but at the end of the day, it was good racing," James said. With the drive-time infraction by the Winward team, the No. 70 inception racing McLaren 720S GT3 team of Brendan Iribe, Ollie Millroy and Jordan Pepper were officially scored in second place. And the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 team moved onto the podium. For Turner drivers Robby Foley, Bill Auberlen and Michael Dinan, it marked their third podium finish this year and was best among the championship leaders heading into Watkins Glen. (Thank you to Holly Cain/IMSA Wire Service)
There was no shortage of irony for the GTD class winners Sunday. After a season of frustration and near-misses, the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team hoisted its first trophy of 2022 on Sunday – declared the class victor about 20 minutes after taking the checkered flag in second place. The Winward Racing Mercedes team – first across the finish line and also looking to take its first win of the season – was penalized for not meeting drive-time requirements with its drivers. It was only the second top five of the year for the Heart of Racing GTD team – improving on a runner-up showing in the previous race at Detroit. The team’s second car also won in the GTD PRO class giving the Heart of Racing organization its first double class victory. “We always know our car is strong here, this is a really good track for us,’’ said Heart of Racing driver Roman De Angelis who drove the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the final stint. “We had really good results last year here so we came in here with a lot of confidence.“I thought second would have been a good result for us and it was very close. As I came to the last corner and got out of the throttle, we ran out of gas, so we coasted across [the finish line]." “We got really lucky and so obviously, with the drive-time [penalty] everything worked out for us,’’ added a smiling De Angelis, who co-drove with Maxime Martin and Ian James. “We haven’t had a win in a while. We’ve had a pretty rough start to the year, so obviously, super happy to get that result." It marked the 10th career IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship win for James, second for Martin and fourth for De Angelis. “For sure we had some luck but at the end of the day, it was good racing," James said. With the drive-time infraction by the Winward team, the No. 70 inception racing McLaren 720S GT3 team of Brendan Iribe, Ollie Millroy and Jordan Pepper were officially scored in second place. And the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 team moved onto the podium. For Turner drivers Robby Foley, Bill Auberlen and Michael Dinan, it marked their third podium finish this year and was best among the championship leaders heading into Watkins Glen. (Thank you to Holly Cain/IMSA Wire Service)
(Porsche images)
The Porsche Penske Motorsport team unveiled its new Porsche 963 entry, which will hunt for overall victories in the world’s greatest endurance races. From 2023, two of the hybrid LMDh-spec prototypes will be fielded in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The new racing machine was unveiled on Friday, June 24, at Goodwood in England. It wears a more traditional Porsche motor racing livery in white, red and black. Experienced racers and championship winning prototype drivers will be paired with seasoned specialists from Porsche’s works driver squad. Porsche Penske Motorsport will operate from two locations: The branch in Mannheim (Germany) is responsible for the FIA World Endurance Championship, with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship vehicles prepared in Mooresville, North Carolina, USA. “After 7,889 test kilometers during the first half of 2022, we’re on a very good path but there is still work to be done before the start of next season,” outlines Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Motorsport. “Our new Porsche 963 should continue the legacy of legendary models such as the 917, 935, 956, 962 and the 919 Hybrid. I’m positive that we’ll be well-positioned when it comes to technology and we’ve also created the relevant team structures to set us up for wins in the thrilling competition between many manufacturers and different concepts.” The official race debut of the Porsche 963 is planned to take place in January 2023 at the 24 Hours of Daytona in the USA. In the meantime, the FIA WEC has opened the door for testing as part of the upcoming world championship races this year. Porsche Penske Motorsport is aiming for a non-competitive dress rehearsal at the final round of the season in Bahrain this November.
The Porsche Penske Motorsport team unveiled its new Porsche 963 entry, which will hunt for overall victories in the world’s greatest endurance races. From 2023, two of the hybrid LMDh-spec prototypes will be fielded in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The new racing machine was unveiled on Friday, June 24, at Goodwood in England. It wears a more traditional Porsche motor racing livery in white, red and black. Experienced racers and championship winning prototype drivers will be paired with seasoned specialists from Porsche’s works driver squad. Porsche Penske Motorsport will operate from two locations: The branch in Mannheim (Germany) is responsible for the FIA World Endurance Championship, with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship vehicles prepared in Mooresville, North Carolina, USA. “After 7,889 test kilometers during the first half of 2022, we’re on a very good path but there is still work to be done before the start of next season,” outlines Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Motorsport. “Our new Porsche 963 should continue the legacy of legendary models such as the 917, 935, 956, 962 and the 919 Hybrid. I’m positive that we’ll be well-positioned when it comes to technology and we’ve also created the relevant team structures to set us up for wins in the thrilling competition between many manufacturers and different concepts.” The official race debut of the Porsche 963 is planned to take place in January 2023 at the 24 Hours of Daytona in the USA. In the meantime, the FIA WEC has opened the door for testing as part of the upcoming world championship races this year. Porsche Penske Motorsport is aiming for a non-competitive dress rehearsal at the final round of the season in Bahrain this November.
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG