Motorsport

McLaren W1 First Drive: Ferocious Hypercar Transcends the Track

You know things are getting serious when McLaren rolls-out the ‘1’ suffix. The origin story is, of course, the very first road car McLaren ever built, the F1. Designed by visionary Formula 1 aerodynamicist and engineer Gordon Murray, it arrived in 1992 and rendered all other supercars obsolete. The tiny, lightweight F1 embraced carbon-fibre material technology, adopted a radical centre seat driving position with two passengers set back and either side and was powered by a 6.1-litre V12 engine from BMW that might as well have been passed down directly from the Gods. Game-changer? That doesn’t even come close to describing its impact, even if at the time sales didn’t come easy… The P1 was very different. Rather than a unique side project from the Formula 1 team, it was instead a statement piece for McLaren Automotive, a new road car division still in its infancy. It arrived in 2013 and was a wild-eyed showstopper. It traded the long-legged gait and supple suspension of the F1 for a weaponized hybrid system capable of delivering 903bhp and huge blue flames from its drainpipe exhaust. In Race mode, it lowered by 2-inches and its massive concave rear wing extended into the sky. The P1 was all about aerodynamic downforce, crazed acceleration and a snorting, angry soundtrack that mixed venomous twin-turbocharged V8 with the manic whirr of electric motors. Not so much a car as a force of nature. And now there’s this: The W1. It’s a true successor to the P1 with a similar brief and, on the face of it, it evolves rather than radically reinvents McLaren’s vision for the ultimate hypercar. This is not a criticism. How could it be when the result is this dramatic and has such staggering, other-worldly potential? The W1 has 1258bhp delivered to the rear wheels. It’s capable of 0-124 mph in 5.8-seconds, the quarter mile in 9.6-seconds at 167 mph and produces 2205lbs of downforce at 174 mph. The active aerodynamics – particularly a rear wing that extends way out beyond the rear of the car – are pure performance art and deliver massive aerodynamic efficiency. The result, aside from looking extremely cool, is that the W1 is McLaren’s fastest road car around a racetrack. Ever. Their benchmark circuit is the breath-taking Handling Track at the Nardo proving ground in southern Italy, where the W1 beats their previous benchmark, the flyweight McLaren Senna, by three seconds per lap. Or “a lifetime” as they call it in racing. Maybe two lifetimes! Core to the W1’s performance is the new ‘Aerocell’ carbon fibre tub. With integrated seats and a raised footwell to allow for inboard pushrod-operated front suspension – which in turn gives air a clean path to the huge underbody diffuser – it’s light, stiff, space efficient and has been instrumental in McLaren realising a full ground-effect concept. Just like last year’s F1 cars, which were the fastest ever made. There is also an active front wing and the aforementioned complex rear wing dubbed ‘Active Long Tail’. All of which is very admirable. But the ‘anhedral’ or gullwing doors and the fantastically shirnked-wrapped feel to the minimalist, highly-focussed interior are a pretty good side effect. The W1 feels special. Those fixed seats are perhaps a shade more upright than expected, and the driving position is less obviously racecar than, for example, the Aston Martin Valhalla or Ferrari F80. However, once you’ve adjusted the pedals (they move on a slider) and the delicate, slim-rimmed and alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, there’s an overwhelming sense of purpose. The cabin is so tightly tailored and imparts a sense of lightness and agility before you so much as start the all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which makes 916bhp all on its own and revs to 9200rpm. Reach up to a roof-mounted control panel to find the starter button. Maybe this fighter plane trope is a little corny, but somehow you feel thrilled rather than manipulated. The W1 has a sense of humour as well as all that motorsport-derived sophistication. There’s a short delay, but when the engine does fire it’s instant – as the high-powered hybrid system negates the need for an old-school starter motor. A sharp flare of revs tells you that this engine is hyper-responsive and angry. On some deep level your brain and body have been sent all the signals required to prepare for something new and intense. Ahead of us, an empty Mugello racetrack, so press and hold the blue button next to the red starter to select Race mode. The centre display graphic shows the W1’s transformation in real time as it lowers by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear whilst simultaneously undocking all that active aero goodness. Race mode is not road legal and is geo-locked. You can show your friends and neighbours the aero dance, but it won’t allow you to select a gear to actually drive unless you’re at a circuit. Incidentally, the rocker switches either side of the display binnacle allow further options now: Toggle up the Handling control on the left for Race+ (for F1-spec super smooth tracks) or stick to Race for gnarlier ones. On the right toggle select ‘GP’ for sustained performance over a stint or ‘Sprint’ to unleash all 1258bhp for a time attack. There’s also a DRS and Boost function on the steering wheel. But I guarantee you won’t have the mental capacity to use them… Exit the pitlane, pin the throttle and W1 takes maybe a millisecond or two to gather its might (the gearing stretches to around 60mph in first, nearly 100mph in second, primarily to aid traction), but then lunges at the first turn with incredible ferocity. It instantly feels light, almost like inertia is no longer a thing. McLaren really does prize lightweight engineering, and at 3084lbs (dry) the W1 has a 278lbs advantage over the Ferrari F80. Plus, Ferrari uses figures for cars fitted with every single carbon fibre option. In reality, the gap is probably wider still. The impression of agility and stunning control continues as the track is unravelled at startling pace. The electric motor mounted to the side of the new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission is good for 342bhp and 324lb ft and it boosts any low rev lethargy the new flat-plane crank V8 might have (spoiler alert: It doesn’t appear to have any), so the W1 just feels massively, almost impossibly powerful at any revs. Even so, there’s real reward for wringing it out to 9200rpm and the power curve feels superheated but organic, too. In Race mode the steering – still hydraulically powered – has less assistance and it is noticeably heavier than other McLarens. However, that resistance is welcome as it gives you something to push against and imparts so much information about the front grip level. New Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres with a bigger front footprint than P1 or Senna really help. The front-end feels incredibly secure and the rear-axle follows with perfectly-aligned precision. The whole car feels super-stiff, completely locked into the surface and inspires confidence, but there’s an inherent agility and adjustability that means you’re quickly confident to push at its limits and really impose yourself on the chassis. It’s such a complex car but the driving experience is intuitive, and the driver feels a key contributor rather than just amazed (or terrified) observer, holding on for dear life. Every dynamic ingredient really is shockingly effective and yet has a subtlety and lightness of touch. From that delicious steering to the incredible brakes, the W1 just feels so mission-focussed, so hooked-up. Only the new 8-speed gearbox is a slightly disappointment. It’s fast and punchy, but after the scintillating energy of the Ferrari F80 ’box it feels competent rather than inspired. Other quibbles – it’s okay to quibble when the starting price is $2.1-million before tax and destination charge. Well, that new twin-turbocharged V8 sounds tightly wound and aggressive but if you have a P1 tucked in the garage you’ll miss the snorting, Darth Vader-style soundscape and all the drama that goes with it. Ferrari does this better, too. The F80 sounds deathly dull from the outside but is a riot of turbochargers, electric motors and all sorts of mechanical fury within the cockpit. Even so, the W1 is wildly entertaining on track, and the rear-drive configuration makes it more of a challenge and more satisfying than the F80 when chasing lap times or just sliding around for fun. In the Ferrari, you must second-guess what the front e-axle might do, whereas in the W1 it’s all on you. There are plenty of tools to help, including the ingenious Variable Drift Control, but somehow the W1 is more heroic. Or at least fools you into feeling more heroic – which is surely the point! On the road? Nimble, loaded with feel and sublime response. The ride is noticeably tougher than, say, a 750S but the control is ramped-up too, and with a bit more speed the whole car finds a delicious rhythm. Sport mode for the drivetrain brings some nice turbo whooshes and chirps, but the noise remains high-quality rather than extreme excitement. It is perhaps the one area the W1 feels just a little too tame. Of course, there’s nothing tame about the raw performance… which is genuinely shocking and literally hurts your neck muscles after a few hours. How McLaren has given the W1 such immense traction through just two driven wheels is beyond me. So, is it worthy of that ‘1’? I think so. Perhaps we won’t be talking about $25-million auction results for the W1 in 30 years from now, as we are for the F1. Perhaps it doesn’t quite have the amazing presence and jaw-dropping star quality of the simply gorgeous P1. But it is such an intense experience and the way it marries stunning track performance with delicate poise and entertainment on normal roads is something akin to magic. Maybe not ‘the one’ but definitely a searing, outrageous addition to McLaren’s fiercest family line. Just 399 W1’s will be built and they’re all sold. I’m not surprised at all. View All McLarens For Sale Images: McLaren Automotive

By Jonathan Noble of Motorsport.com – July 27, 2022

First Details of Porsche’s F1 Buy-in of Red Bull Revealed

Co-author: Christian Nimmervoll The first details of Porsche’s planned 50 percent buy-in of the Red Bull Formula 1 team have been revealed in legal documents, ahead of a potential announcement next month. Despite the lack of any official press release announcing that the long-rumoured partnership between the German car manufacturer and the Milton Keynes-based F1 squad is go, formal processes have begun to ensure that the tie-up does not hit a snag. One of the hurdles that needed to be overcome was a green light from anti-cartel authorities around the world to ensure that there was nothing untoward in the two companies joining up. As well as this needing to be done in the European Union, it also required applications to be lodged in more than 20 countries outside the EU. One of these is Morocco, whose government legislation stipulates that applications are subject to mandatory publication once approved. The process to get the green light has required Porsche and Red Bull to reveal details of their tie-up, which have now been published in Morocco by the Conseil de la Concurrence. The document reveals that Porsche notified the Conseil on July 8 that it will be setting out on a 10-year partnership with Red Bull – which includes a 50 percent stake in its grand prix operation. It suggests the partnership will be formally announced on August 4. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB18Photographer:Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images This week’s notification mentioned only a 50 percent buy in of Red Bull Technology, but it is understood that the partnership will also extend to the separate F1 team business as well. The revealing of the details by authorities, even before the announcement has been made public, has partly been triggered by delays in a formal green light from Porsche for its F1 return. The original plan had been for its partnership to be announced at the Austrian Grand Prix three weeks ago. However, that idea was postponed because the FIA World Motor Sport Council did not approve the engine regulations from 2026 as announced on June 29. Finalised engine regulations are a prerequisite for Porsche to officially communicate its entry into Formula 1. While the Moroccan document only mentioned Red Bull, its sister squad AlphaTauri will in all likelihood also compete with Porsche power - anything else would be illogical in view of the synergies sought between Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri. The Faenza-based team will, however, remain 100 percent in the hands of Red Bull. The second brand of the Volkswagen Group, Audi, whose Formula 1 entry has already been approved by all the necessary bodies, is not yet as far along with its project as Porsche. Motorsport.com understands that the Ingolstadt-based company is still negotiating with Sauber owner Finn Rausing about the acquisition of 75 percent of the team shares. The Volkswagen Group's Supervisory Board had already given the green light for Porsche and Audi's Formula 1 entry on April 7, 2022, and approved the corresponding budgets after all the boards of the two brands had previously given their consent. Doubts arose briefly recently because Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess announced his resignation on July 22. However, Diess will be replaced on September 1 by the CEO of Porsche AG, Oliver Blume, who was already one of the major supporters of the Formula One program at brand level at Porsche. Additional reporting by Luke Smith

By Edward Jones – June 23, 2022

Luxury Lease Partners Jumps in the Driver’s Seat at Watki...

Presented by Luxury Lease Partners (LLP). Luxury Lease Partners (“LLP”), a leading nationwide independent exotic car lessor, is excited to support the Taurino Racing by D Motorsports #88 Lamborghini Palm Beach Super Trofeo Evo2 driven by World Champion and current European ST leading Pro Loris Spinelli alongside AM Prospect Giano Taurino.Returning to the Taurino Racing lineup in the PRO class #88 Luxury Lease Partners Lamborghini Palm Beach Super Trofeo is the 2021 Super Trofeo AM class leader before being moved up, Giano Taurino alongside World Champion Pro driver, Loris Spinelli. He is currently dominating the European leg of the series with a four-victory streak. Spinelli is traveling back and forth to the United States to jump back into the driver's seat of the #88 alongside Taurino for the duration of the North American leg while also competing in the European version of the fastest single-make series in the world. “We’re thrilled to partner with our friends at Lamborghini Palm Beach to back Giano and Loris and the #88 car in the 2022 Super Trofeo series,” commented Doug Goodman, CEO of LLP. “In our leasing business, we’ve helped clients across the country get behind the wheel of some of the finest vehicles in the world. With the skill that the team brings to the track, we’re able to help showcase the capability of these truly exquisite machines. It’s great to be a part of that.” Luxury Lease Partners was formed to fill a much-needed void in the highline and exotic car markets. Working with over 300 dealer partners from coast to coast who specialize in marques such as Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Rolls-Royce, LLP works with customers across the credit spectrum to offer competitive leases that fit each customer’s specific situation. For more information, or to get pre-qualified for a lease, visit https://www.luxuryleasepartners.com/. Spinelli and Taurino are currently standing P4 for the North American championship title in the PRO class after Rounds 1-4 at WeatherTech Laguna Seca and NOLA Motorsports Park. Spinelli and Taurino aim to reset their position in the North American leg despite a few challenging races in the highly competitive Pro class lineup. Rounds 5-6 resume at Watkins Glen International Raceway June 24th – 26th. Visit https://www.imsa.com/tvlive/ Fri, June 24th @ 2:20 PM, Sat, June 25th @ 12:00 PM EST to live stream the race.For series information visit https://www.imsa.com or https://www.lamborghini.com/en-en/motorsport/super-trofeo/north-america Visit LuxuryLeasePartners.com Official ScheduleRace 3: JUNE 23 – 26 Watkins GlenRace 4: AUGUST 5-7 Road AmericaRace 5: AUGUST 26-28 Virginia International RacewayRace 6: NOVEMBER 3-6 World Finals in Portimao, Portugal Follow on Social mediaLuxury Lease Partners: IG: @luxuryleasepartnersLamborghini Palm Beach- IG: @LamboPalmBeach Taurino Racing- IG: @taurinoracingGiano Taurino- IG: @giano_taurinoLoris Spinelli- IG: @loris_spinelliLamborghini Squadra Corse- IG: @Lamborghinisc

By James Allen – June 01, 2022

Why F1’s Top Bosses Are Thinking About A ‘Bigger Future”

Liberty Media have owned Formula One for five years. At the recent Financial Times/Motorsport Network Business of F1 forum in Monaco, we spoke to Liberty CEO Greg Maffei and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali about the key milestones and their future plans for F1 for the latest edition of #ThinkingForward. Greg Maffei: Formula One has never been healthier from all indications. Fan interest is incredibly high. We have great on track competition and we have helped the teams. When we entered Manor, the 11th team had just been sold in receivership for a pound. And today, I don't think you can buy a team for less than $500 million, maybe $700 million. You can go try. But it's gonna be hard. It's an amazing increase in value. And in part, that's because of the things that have been put in place to try and create more on track competition that also bolsters the health of those teams. You needed to have a healthy ecosystem of teams to make it work. And I think all those things are happening, and you're seeing the increase in fan interest as well. On TV, in person, we had never had larger events. So pretty good. Stefano, the key milestone in terms of raising the value of the teams was the cost cap, something that many thought we’d never see achieved in F1. Stefano Domenicali: Absolutely. I think that the vision that Greg had, together with Chase (Carey), to whom we need to do give a big credit, was the need to have a discontinuity from what has happened before. And discontinuity means having the professionalism with a different way to do sport business. It was the vision of making the business of Formula One sustainable from the financial point of view. We can talk about revenues that could be higher, but cost is something that you have for sure. So the only way to make sure that the margin is bigger is to control what you spend. So that was a very big milestone that's changed completely the vision of the sport and gives the system credibility. Sustainable business means that the teams can invest and grow. All the elements now are secure and financially strong. We can think about the bigger future. Thinking about the bigger future means that we need to be respectful what has been Formula One, but entering new markets that potentially will enable us to grow; not only financially, but in terms of awareness and passion for the sport. We're talking about a sport that needs to have the element of emotion; we want to focus the main attention on the track. So great racing, making sure that the drivers, who represent for us the jewels, have the chance to fight between themselves, opening up the possibility through social media to have a chance to see them. It's important to get in touch with the new generation. We need to create different narratives for different kinds of fans. I don’t think there’s ever been an influx of new sponsor money coming into the sport like this since tobacco advertising was banned in the mid 2000s. Pretty much every F1 team you speak to, they’re almost turning sponsors away now. GM: I think they are, there's only so much room on the car, to put another logo. The growth of interest from people who really understand the technology, that’s been a huge part and how that's grown interest among the technology communities in Silicon Valley - look at how many of the cars now have a technology sponsor, if not multiple technology sponsors. That has opened up one set, but then you also get fans who are more casual, appreciate maybe the stories of the drivers, the personalities. Then there’s the increasing youth of our fans, by one survey (Motorsport Network Global F1 Fan Survey 2021) we brought it down four years, the average age. So that's opened up a whole bunch of consumer products and a whole bunch of other kinds of brands which find it appealing. So we've really been very lucky to have all sorts of sponsor interest. SD: Just think about the depth of crypto. We have 10 different brands of crypto. And I can tell you software businesses are exactly the same. (It’s) very healthy. It means that for the first time, there is no need to have any kind of loans that used to be normal in the past, to make sure the teams were alive. So they are very solid. And this is a big reward for their investment in us. And that's the reason why we believe that the community of the teams has to be respected. Today it is not a problem of having more teams, because we have a list; some of them are more vocal than others, but a lot of people and investors would like to be in Formula One. But we need to protect it. So this is really another sign of a very healthy system. So do you have the right number of teams now with ten? SD: I think so. Anyone that wants to come in has to be really significant. GM: About the young audience, we credit Netflix for opening it up to a lot of people. But what's fascinating is how many of these people have come in in different ways. Social media, an enormous part. Gaming: you can go on and play Lando Norris and race the same track that Lando does. That's very appealing to a lot of young fans. That didn't exist seven years ago, it really was not planned. And so opening up the sport, making it more appealing. Yes, it's got elements of exclusivity, for sure. But there are elements that all fans can touch. Another of your objectives was to grow the sport in the United States. We saw Miami added this year. Next year, we're going to have a third race in the US in Las Vegas. What other areas in the future do you want to push on? SD: There are other areas of the world that want to have Formula One. And I think that one area that we want to develop is the African area, because this is a world championship. So I think that we are working very hard to make sure that this is an area where we are going to have a Grand Prix very soon. And then there is the interest of the Far East. And we don't want to lose the interest of course of Europe, because we were born here. And we will stay here because I hear a lot of voices, you know, that are not true. The beauty of the situation today is that we have a lot of options. One of the key future strategies is the shift we're going to have in 2026, to 100% sustainable fuels. We will effectively be showcasing this technology in the biggest annual sporting spectacle in the world. And that's got to be transformative. SD: I would say so. And I think that we want to be realistic. We want to see the things happening straight away. And we do believe that it is an option that will enable the manufacturers to be credible in a dimension that will be also profitable for them. With all due respect thinking that electrification will hit the whole world in two years - we know that it's not possible. Therefore, also, from the technical point of view, a strategic choice to be sustainable with hybrid engines, we believe is the right one. And that's the reason why we have a lot of interest from other manufacturers in coming on with us. GM: Sport obviously has a lot of attributes that are positive, we think we can be positive by going places like Africa and expanding the audience, and expanding the interest of motorsport around the world. That's not necessarily the place where we're going to make the most money. But if you invest for the long term, we think it's the right opportunity. Thinking about sustainability. The US case, I know pretty well, there are 250 million cars in the US, 200 million of which run. They last an average of about 11 years plus, people buy used cars. At best, we have 15 to 17 million new cars a year. If you do the math, even if the third or half are electric, it's going to take a very long time before you do anything to clean out the existing 200 million car base. The reality is, is we want to really attack carbon, coming up with other ways to fuel the existing 200 million cars is really the right and best answer. I'm not saying we're going to cure that all. But if we can contribute to that knowledge, if we can contribute with our work on sustainable fuels, I think it's a positive. We’ve talked about five years of Liberty Media ownership, you've delivered a lot of things you said you were going to deliver. What about the next five years? GM: We have the benefit of the stewardship of a 72 year old enterprise. So we think about the long term and what it will do. We have a lot of interest now. We want to sustain the growth of that interest more broadly. And doing things like going to Africa and doing things about sustainability is all thinking how do we grow this 72 year old franchise for the next five years and the five years beyond that. There's a huge amount of momentum now we'd like to capitalise on that. Not just financially, but for the breadth of the sport.

By Gary Watkins – May 31, 2022

Ferrari F1 Technology to Boost Le Mans Hypercar Challenge

The new Ferrari Le Mans Hypercar that will join the World Endurance Championship next year will employ technology from the Italian manufacturer’s Formula 1 team. Antonello Coletta, who is heading up the LMH project in his role as boss of the Attivita Sportive GT department at Ferrari, explained that the marque’s first factory prototype program in 50 years is utilizing all the technological resources available within the company. “I think that the technology that we have in Ferrari is one of the most important assets for us and it is normal that we share this technology in all our projects,” Coletta told motorsport.tv in an exclusive interview for the Ferrari channel. “It is normal that the LMH project has an experience of F1, but not just from F1 but also from the road cars - it is a synthesis of our knowledge. “Our technicians are mixed of all of these, and we hope to realize a very competitive and amazing car.” He added that some of the solutions on the LMH hybrid prototype have already been “taken from past experiences both at F1 level and from road cars”. “Ferrari is a great company with a very important technical heritage and our role has always been that of innovators,” he said. “Given the new regulations it was impossible not to go fishing for knowledge and the important thing to underline is the LMH is not the project of a part of the company, but it is a transversal project because Ferrari is one. LMGTE Pro winners Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, C™me Ledogar, #51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO LMGTE Pro, LMGTE Am winners Franois Perrodo, Nicklas Nielsen, Alessio Rovera, #83 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO “It would be silly to not take advantage of all the know-how we have at our disposal.” The LMH program, announced in February 2021, is being masterminded from new Attivita Sportive GT premises next to the Ferrari’s Fiorano test track along with the new 296 GT3 racer, which will be released to customers in time for next season. Coletta described the facility opened last year combining the Competizioni GT and Corse Clienti departments as “a testimonial of the importance to Ferrari about our business”. He called the LMH “an important challenge” for Ferrari as it aims to add to its tally of nine overall victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours, the centerpiece round of the WEC. Ferrari has yet to release technical details of the LMH, including the configuration of its internal combustion engine, but is expected to make a further announcement in June. The Ferrari LMH, which will run a front-axle hybrid system, is penciled in to turn a wheel for the first time in July, though Coletta stressed that no firm date had been set. Attivita Sportive GT technical director Ferdinando Cannizzo confirmed that the LMH project is “on schedule at the moment”. He revealed that the first iteration of the LMH ran on the simulator as long as one year ago. “Clearly it was something that kept evolving month after month after looking at the results - every session brings new idea to the table,” he explained. “The car exists virtually and we are continually developing; we are now excited to see the car on track.” Coletta reaffirmed Ferrari’s intention to begin testing with drivers from its existing GT roster, which includes reigning WEC GTE Pro champions Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado. He also once again hinted at a future involvement by Ferrari in the top class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship after the North American series cleared the way for LMH machinery to compete in its series in the middle of last year. “For Ferrari the US market is crucially important,” he said. “But in 2023, we will be involved just in the WEC. For more on the Motorsport.tv Ferrari channel go to https://motorsport.tv/channel/ferrari/271.

By Edward Jones – May 04, 2022

O'Gara Motorsports Earns a Victory at Laguna Seca Lamborg...

An incredible weekend for O'Gara Motorsport. Over the weekend, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America 2022 race series started the season at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for some incredible action. Making the most of the weekend was O'Gara Motorsport who just returned to the series alongside Arrow Electronics who is making their first appearance in the GT car racing world. On Saturday, the US RaceTronics / O’Gara Motorsport / Change Racing team in the Arrow-sponsored No. 50 Lamborghini was driven by Patrick Kujala and co-driver Edoardo Piscopo managed a second-place overall finish. For the second Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America race of the weekend, Kujala and Piscopo of the O'Gara Motorsport team took 1st place after an exciting race. With these placements, the US RaceTronics / O’Gara Motorsport / Change Racing team sits in first place in the Super Trofeo Pro Championship. Regarding the weekend's events, Kujala had this to say: “What a great start for the USRT team! All our drivers were in the hunt all race long. It’s a long season, and we plan on capitalizing on the momentum we’ve achieved here. That includes everyone on this world-class team. We want to thank our title sponsor, Arrow Electronics. I am proud to be part of the team.” "After being out of racing for three years, it’s exhilarating to be back racing at this level, said Piscopo. "Having the support of a team like Arrow O’Gara/Change Racing/US RaceTronics makes it easy to concentrate on getting the job done. My thanks go out to Lamborghini Beverly Hills as well." This outing was an excelling start for the O'Gara Motorsport team as a victory in the first round of the series is always welcome. From here, the team will travel to NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, Louisiana May 20-22. You can follow alongside O’Gara Motosport’s return to the Super Trofeo North America Series through their Instagram account. View O'Gara Coach Beverly Hills Inventory Images by O'Gara Motorsport

By Edward Jones – April 20, 2022

Formula 1 Race Car Tows Parks Bonifay Through Gator-Fille...

This is about as "Florida" as it gets. As the Miami GP draws near, everyone in the motorsport world is gearing up for the inaugural race. For Red Bull, they decided to make a wild video to celebrate the occasion. Titled "Race To Miami," the video sees Sergio Perez taking a road trip from New York City down to Miami. Along the way, he meets a few friends and runs into a little bit of trouble. One of the friends he happens to meet along in the Everglades is a professional wakeboarder and Florida Man Parks Bonifay. You can see their meeting at the 4:30 mark in the video up above. In Parks' section of the video, he helps Checo get to his destination and scares off an 11-foot alligator. To help him along, he gets towed behind the Red Bull Formula 1 car and does some insane barefoot water skiing at 70 mph through the Everglades. To me, a fellow Floridian, what makes this stunt even crazier is known that there are more than likely an untold amount of gators lurking in those waters. Let's just say I wouldn't be caught going for a dip in Florida swamps, let alone water skiing across them at 70 mph. You can check out the full video up above, as well as a behind-the-scenes look from the Parks Bonifay YouTube channel down below. View All Race Cars For Sale " width="680">

By Charles Bradley of Motorsport.com – April 18, 2022

Exciting Racing “First and Foremost” in Miami GP F1 Track...

Formula 1’s newest 2022 track, the Miami International Autodrome, has been designed with the racing product “first and foremost” in mind, according to its designers. UK firm Apex Circuit Design has laid out the 3.36-mile anticlockwise circuit – which winds around the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens – with an expected lap time of 1m35s and an average speed of just under 135mph. It is expected to produce overtaking opportunities in at least three points around the 19-turn circuit, with one of the more likely spots being the approach to the Turn 17 hairpin at the end of a 1.2km, 199mph straight. “Racing comes first and foremost in our company’s design philosophy,” said Apex design engineer Charles Metcalfe, who has been involved with the project since planning commencement. “As a company our ethos is to challenge all of the F1 teams, their cars, their race engineers and, of course, their drivers. “So we focus on corner sequences, a dynamic range of corners – from fast-speed to low-speed – and to achieve this we do a lot of simulation work and intentionally ensure there are different corner sequences in a lap which flatter different vehicle set ups. “There is a very high speed and high lateral g section from Turns 4-8 where cars will likely struggle to pass and where vehicle performance on the exit of Turn 8 is critical to laptime, followed by two fast power-limited corners at Turn 9 and 10 where it is credible to imagine side-by side racing.” Apex wanted the track to seriously challenge F1’s teams from a car setup perspective, adding in slow-speed sections as well as higher-speed sweeping curves. “In Sector 3, where we have the low-speed and grade-changing Turns 14-16 beneath the Turnpike flyovers, it’s intentionally a very challenging technical sequence,” Metcalfe added. “We have engineered ‘mistake generators’ in the form of grade – and grip – change on corner apexes that could result in changes of position and where a team might choose a set up that optimises low-speed traction over high-speed grip. “We’re seeking to challenge the race engineers and their vehicle setups as much as possible. It’s notionally a street track with some really challenging corners, so you’d expect high downforce, but we have some really long straights and some high-speed corner sequences too that would favour a lower drag setup. Image Source: Miami GP “There will definitely be a compromise here between downforce levels, and it’ll be interesting to see the top speed differentials between the teams. We want to see a big mix to make the racing as exciting as possible.” As well as creating a track design that works from the racing side, Apex was keen to make the circuit work from an on-site spectator perspective for an inaugural event that sold out its grandstands a matter of hours after tickets went on sale last September. “Right from the initial masterplanning phase, we laid out some concepts of what we want from a racing perspective and we’ll consider how that can be integrated as an event for the spectators, how it can work well for the teams and F1,” added Metcalfe. “It’s a big balance, so that leads to an iterative process where you go back and forth with all the features of the circuit and venue, just to nail that optimal approach and solution.”

By Luke Smith of Motorsport.com – March 31, 2022

F1 to Return to Las Vegas With Saturday Night Race in 2023

Formula 1 will return to Las Vegas in 2023 after announcing plans for a Saturday night street race to be held next November, incorporating the iconic Vegas Strip. This article first appeared on Motorsport.com. F1 has been in talks with promoters over a potential Las Vegas Grand Prix for some time, but confirmed on Tuesday night that the race would be joining the calendar from next year. It means the United States will stage three grands prix from next year as Las Vegas joins the Miami Grand Prix and the United States Grand Prix in Austin on the schedule. The 3.8-mile street circuit will feature 14 corners and a long straight that will see drivers reach speeds of over 210 mph during a race that will last 50 laps. It will be the first time since 1985 that F1 has held a grand prix on a Saturday, breaking with its traditional weekend format to secure a primetime slot for the US audience. “This is an incredible moment for Formula 1 that demonstrates the huge appeal and growth of our sport with a third race in the US,” said F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali. Las Vegas track action. Image Source: Liberty Media “Las Vegas is a destination known around the world for its excitement, hospitality, thrills, and of course, the famous Strip. There is no better place for Formula 1 to race than in the global entertainment capital of the world and we cannot wait to be here next year.” F1 previously held a race in Las Vegas in 1981 and 1982, constructing a temporary circuit around the parking lot of the Caesars Palace casino, a venue that was widely criticized and poorly attended by fans. According to F1, it will work along with many of the casinos and resorts around Las Vegas to help promote the race, as well as with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “We eagerly anticipate the moment when the history, energy and momentum of Formula 1 will culminate in an unforgettable Saturday night on the Las Vegas Strip,” said Steve Hill, the president and CEO of the LVCVA. “Spectators will experience the unrivaled thrill of watching these world-class drivers race through what is sure to become one of the most iconic racetracks in the world. Las Vegas track action. Image Source: Liberty Media “Formula 1 and Liberty Media have been incredible partners, and we look forward to November 2023 when we once again showcase that Las Vegas is ‘The Greatest Arena on Earth.’” As well as adding Las Vegas to the calendar for next year, F1 is already confirmed to be returning to Qatar and has a contract in place for the Chinese Grand Prix, which has not been held since 2019. F1 boss Domenicali recently said there was enough interest for as many as 30 races each year, but the Concorde Agreement limits the number of events to 24 per season. It means that some of the existing races on the calendar are at risk of dropping off, and may only return on a rotation basis in the future as F1 balances the number of markets in which it races. Image Source: Liberty Media

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