Listen to this article Revealed last year during the Austrian Grand Prix, MotoGP is making the most radical format shake-up to a race weekend for decades in 2023. On the Saturday of all 21 rounds this season, a sprint race running to half the distance of the main grand prix will take place. It is a format tweak that is set to have major ramifications on the destiny of the 2023 world championship. Ahead of this weekend's first round of the season in Portugal, here is everything you need to know about MotoGP sprint races. Why is MotoGP running sprint races? Alex Rins, Team Suzuki MotoGP leads at the start Photo by: Dorna MotoGP is currently trying to re-position itself in the motorsport landscape amidst a drop in interest in the series. The series tried to boost this by releasing a behind-the-scenes docuseries entitled MotoGP Unlimited on Amazon Prime in March. But the series was deemed a failure and a second season of it was shelved not long into filming. … [Read more...] about MotoGP sprint races: Everything you need to know
Le mans 24 hours race
Huracan Tecnica Has Big Advantage Over 911 GT3 RS In Drag Race
The Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a brutal performance car designed to live its life on the race track. The Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica occupies a similar space in its lineup, sitting between the track-focused STO and the regular Evo. A new video pits the two in a drag race to see which track superstar is king. Powering the Porsche is its naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six engine. It produces 518 horsepower and 342 pound-feet of torque. The company claims the car can hit 60 miles per hour in 3.0 seconds flat, reaching a top speed of 184 mph. Extensive use of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic for the doors, seats, front wings, and other components allowed Porsche to keep the car’s weight down to 3,268 pounds. Gallery: 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 10 Photos The Huracan Tecnica also packs a naturally aspirated engine behind the cabin, but it’s larger than the Porsche’s. The … [Read more...] about Huracan Tecnica Has Big Advantage Over 911 GT3 RS In Drag Race
Land Rover Defender Chief Engineer Wants Pickup Version
The idea of a pickup truck based on the new Land Rover Defender isn’t exactly new as we’ve heard executives from the company talk about it on a number of occasions. There have been hardly any solid signs that one is actually under development but the Defender’s chief engineer recently spoke to media representatives and claimed this is indeed a very good idea. The model hasn’t been given the green light yet, however. “It’s something that I would personally like to do because I think the Defender brand would lend itself to a ute very much so. And we’ve seen that in the history of Defender in particular,” Stuart Frith, chief engineer for the Land Rover Defender, told Drive. Unfortunately, Frith said a Defender truck (or a ute as they call them in Australia) isn’t something the British automaker is currently planning. Gallery: 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 28 Photos … [Read more...] about Land Rover Defender Chief Engineer Wants Pickup Version
W Series names 55 eligible drivers for inaugural 2019 season – RaceFans
W Series, the new championship targeted exclusively at female racing drivers, has confirmed an initial list of 55 drivers it says are eligible for its first season of racing. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The series received over 100 applications for the 18 places in the championship. The 55 chosen drivers will under three days of testing including assessments of their driver and fitness. Former F1 drivers David Coulthard and Alexander Wurz and former McLaren racing director Dave Ryan are among those who will be involved in the judging process. W Series CEO Catherine Bond Muir said they are “thrilled but perhaps not surprised by the response. “Even today there is a massive gender imbalance in motorsport and W Series is making the first step to correct that. Drivers from all over the world have stepped forward, so it’s clear that with the right framework we can make the changes this sport desperately needs.” The list features drivers from 26 … [Read more...] about W Series names 55 eligible drivers for inaugural 2019 season – RaceFans
F1 Esports champion Brendon Leigh joins Mercedes Esports team · RaceFans
Mercedes has announced F1 Esports champion Brendon Leigh as part of its four-man Esports team for 2018. The 19-year-old beat an entry of 66,000 players to win the inaugural F1 Esports World Championship last year. He will be joined by fellow Briton Harry Jacks (24), Poland’s Patryk Krutyi (22) and Hungary’s Dani Bereznay (18) in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports team. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Jacks was a finalist in McLaren’s World’s Fastest Gamer competition last year. Krutyi is a multiple champion in Poland’s online gaming scene and Bereznay made it to the final 40 in the F1 Esports Series 2018 Pro Draft. The quartet will compete in the F1 Esports Series 2018 beginning in October. Mercedes says it is beginning construction of a dedicated training centre for its Esports team headquarters of its F1 operation in Brackley. It will operate out of the same building as the team’s Driver-In-Loop Simulator. The team says the Esports programme “will … [Read more...] about F1 Esports champion Brendon Leigh joins Mercedes Esports team · RaceFans
Motorsport.tv guide: What’s on 25-26 March weekend?
Listen to this article Here is a guide to what's on Motorsport.tv for the weekend of 25-26 March. For a detailed list of what's available in your area, please visit the livestream page: Motorsport.tv/livestream. FIM X-Trial - Pamplona After the thrilling battle in Wiener Neustadt, all eyes are now on Pamplona! Jaime Busto managed to close the gap on Toni Bou in the last event. Available to Motorsport.tv subscribers, catch every moment live. Race : (25 March) - 18:45 CET - 17:45 BST - 12:45 EST 24H Series - 12H Mugello A very crowded grid heads to the 12H Mugello race for round two of the 24H Series. Ferrari 488 GT3s, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO IIs, Porsche 911 GT3 4s and many more will be vying for victory, with a slew of top GT drivers participating. Catch qualifying and the race live and free on Motorsport.tv Qualifying : (24 March) - 14:25 CET - 13:25 BST - 08:25 EST Race - Part 1 : (25 March) - 10:40 CET - 09:40 BST - 04:40 EST … [Read more...] about Motorsport.tv guide: What’s on 25-26 March weekend?
RacingLines: What is and isn’t behind F1’s share price moves – RaceFans
Last month we outlined how precariously Formula 1’s fortunes hinge upon its share price , in turn driven by factors surrounding the sport and the subsequent opinions of investment analysts. Yet, many of these have seldom – if ever – seen a grand prix live or on TV, and base their (critical) analyses on developments that profoundly affect stock value. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free In a nutshell, uncertainty immediately knocks the price; positive, hard news gradually boosts it. At the time we flagged two dates: November 8th, on which F1’s commercial rights holder Liberty Media would field investor calls on Q3 earnings; and November 14th, Liberty Media’s Annual Investor Day, at which the results and prospects of group entities are presented to shareholders. F1 in particular seemed to leave the investment community distinctly lukewarm. During the investor call F1’s share prices – A Class FWONA and C Class FWONK – dipped. Steeper falls followed the call’s … [Read more...] about RacingLines: What is and isn’t behind F1’s share price moves – RaceFans
Why ‘full throttle’ doesn’t mean ‘full power’ any more · RaceFans
Last week Formula One drivers had their first taste of a radical new generation of engines. But while much attention has been focused on the downsizing of engines from normally aspirated V8s to turbocharged V6s, the introduction of more powerful and complex energy recovery systems will have the biggest effect on driving technique. The internal engine plus its heat and electrical energy recovery systems are collectively known as the power unit [PU]. The car’s electronics have to continually balance performance against economy as a driver varies his demands for acceleration over the course of a lap. The upshot of this is that when a driver puts his foot to the floor at the exit of a corner, he may not get all the power his internal combustion engine has to offer. “Full throttle no longer means a demand for full engine power,” explained Renault’s technical director for new generation power units Naoki Tokunaga. “It is an indication to the PU given by the driver to go as fast as … [Read more...] about Why ‘full throttle’ doesn’t mean ‘full power’ any more · RaceFans
WRC Mexico: The Good, the Bad and a legend at his peak
Listen to this article Top Performer - Sebastien Ogier and Vincent Landais Two record-breaking victories from two WRC events contested and the championship lead. It has been a perfect start to the year for Sebastien Ogier and new co-driver Vincent Landais. But it was the manner of the Toyota driver's latest triumph in Mexico which confirmed Ogier is driving at his very best. Armed with a favourable road position and six WRC wins on Mexican soil, Ogier was definitely a firm favourite to clinch a record-breaking seventh. However, he was pushed throughout Friday by Hyundai's Esapekka Lappi as he trailed the Finn by 5.3s heading into Saturday, but it was clear the eight-time world champion had more in the tank. Knowing how brutal Mexico can be, Ogier adopted an approach of taking just the correct amount of risk which has served him so well in the past. Once Lappi crashed, Ogier was afforded the luxury of being able to manage a healthy gap to the finish. However, the … [Read more...] about WRC Mexico: The Good, the Bad and a legend at his peak