Motorsport Media Hub

Author: Motorsport Media Hub

  • The Next-Gen LMP2 Fight Is A Go – Ligier Lands Three of LMP2s Best Teams To Run the JS P228

    The Next-Gen LMP2 Fight Is A Go – Ligier Lands Three of LMP2s Best Teams To Run the JS P228

    In a major power-shifting move for the future of the LMP2 class, it was announced on Wednesday that three of the most successful teams in prototype racing today — Inter Europol Competition, Algarve Pro Racing, and Panis Racing — will all make the move from Oreca to Ligier for the launch of the new regulations ruleset in 2028.

    The duo of Ligier and Oreca are primed to be the sole providers of LMP2 hardware in the new era of the formula, and both are in continued work developing the chassis of their next generation of prototypes.

    For Ligier, the JS P228 will succeed the JS P217, while Oreca will be advancing to the Oreca 09.

    Both prototypes will make their worldwide competitive debut at the 2028 European Le Mans Series season, followed by their debut in the World Endurance Championship the same year, meaning Ligier will make it’s return to Le Mans for the first time since 2022.

    The JS P228 and Oreca 09 are set to debut in the IMSA WeatherTech series the following year in 2029, as was confirmed by IMSA president John Doonan back in June.

    The JS P228 will carry with it the ambitions of many to rebalance the competitive landscape of LMP2 after so many years of worldwide dominance in the class by the Oreca 07. For those of you that had forgotten that Ligier actually made a prototype chassis for competitive purposes, you’re definitely not alone. Both the Oreca 07 and the JS P217 launched back in 2017 to usher in the new LMP2 ruleset that is still in place to this day. Over time, due to the amazing reliability, strength of performance and overall ease of use with the Oreca 07, virtually every team competing in any of the top racing series’ in the world eventually switched over to the platform, making the Oreca 07 a dominant force and de facto choice for teams, while also leaving the JS P217 behind in the dust.

    Ligier’s last competitive victory in either the ELMS, IMSA WeatherTech Series or the World Endurance Championship came in the 2018 ELMS series at the 4 Hours of Portimao via United Autosports. Yeah, quite a while ago.

    The news of Inter Europol, APR and Panis all choosing to work with Ligier is a major shot in the arm for the future of the class, as Oreca won’t have the same sort of stranglehold it’s had in motorsport for the last half-decade, well at least at the beginning of things, at least.

    Inter Europol have rapidly blown up as one of the premier teams in all of motosports, having posted an insane four-year run at Le Mans with wins in 2023, a second place finish in 2024, and back-to-back wins in 2025 and 2026, with the most-recent triumph in ’26 also serving as a 1/2 finish along with the sister car.

    Their success has transferred over to North America and IMSA to the tune of multiple class wins, over a dozen total podium finishes, a 3rd place finish in the standings in 2025 and a championship title in 2024. They currently sit second in the LMP2 standings with two races remaining in the season, behind only the No. 4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR – yes exactly that same Algarve Pro Racing.

    Speaking of which, APR have run in tandem with CrowdStrike at different points in recent seasons, often bouncing their name combinations back and forth depending on the year and series, but long story short both APR and CrowdStrike have found success to the tune of winning the LMP2 championship in the 2023 ELMS season, and going back-to-back in the Asian Le Mans Series in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

    Panis Racing meanwhile are the reigning ELMS champions in a joint effort with VDS Racing, which again highlights just how successful these three teams have been in recent years, making their commitment to Ligier all the more noteworthy.

    On the other side of the coin, United Autosports and Duqueine Team have already been tabbed as the first customers of the new Oreca 09, and as we move on through the next months it’ll be great to see where the remaining teams opt to lay their allegiances by the time 2028 comes aorund.

    As for the delay in getting the new prototypes to North America, IMSA President John Doonan explained the decision as a way to provide teams with additional runway ahead of the change, allowing the new cars more time to go through R&D in competition around the world before they are brought in to IMSA. For teams already facing the substantial costs associated with developing and purchasing new machinery, that extra year could prove valuable as the LMP2 enters its most significant change in more than a decade.

    For the teams that also compete in IMSA – the aforementioned group of CrowdStrike Racing by APR, Inter Europol and United Autosports – the easy guess today is to assume that those teams will run their new prototype choices come 2029. Ideally that plays out exactly as we should expect while we avoid any potential cost-cutting measures for them maybe opting to focus on the European or Asian LM series first before taking on more and more.

  • Ford Racing Drop Nate Cicero Following Abrupt Retirement, Departure From McCumbee McAleer

    Ford Racing Drop Nate Cicero Following Abrupt Retirement, Departure From McCumbee McAleer

    On the heels of the announcement that McCumbee McAleer Racing and driver Nate Cicero had severed professional ties, Ford Racing have now also confirmed that they’re ending their partnership with the 21-year-old, dropping him from their team’s junior development program.

    In a quote provided to SportsCar365.com, Ford kept things short and to the point in regards to Cicero’s standing with the brand, stating pointedly that the now former GS points leader in the Michelin Pilot Challenge series is no longer associated with the dev program.

    The statement reads –

    “Ford Racing holds every member of our program to a high standard of conduct, on and off the track. Effective immediately, Nate Cicero is no longer part of the Driver Development program.”

    In directly related news, McCumbee McAleer Racing announced that Finn Wiebelhaus will be the one to replace Cicero alongside Robert Noaker, with the move being ready and in place for this weekend at Virginia International Raceway.

    The team will be looking to finish out the Michelin Pilot season as GS champions, as the MMR Mustang GT4 currently leads the title fight by 100 points over both Turner Motorsports and Auto Technic Racing, who are both tied for second place with 1710 points a piece.

    For an introduction to Wiebelhaus, the 20-year-old is a rising talent in the GT landscape and is already rated as a Silver driver by the FIA. The young German is currently competing with Haupt Racing Team in both GT World Challenge Europe and in DTM as a rookie. Wiebelhaus has scored a P3 and P2 finish in his first-year campaign in the DTM circuit, while last season he secured the ADAC GT Masters championship alongside teammate Salman Owega, also racing for HRT.

    As for Cicero, the immediate and sudden fall from one of the more engaging personalities on the IMSA/GT4 grid to a complete banishment across the board in his professional career brings way more questions than answers at this point in time. We aren’t in the business of alluding to sources or things we hear when we ever do have something of substance, and this is by no means going on the record with reporting any sort of update (are those enough qualifiers?) but what we can contribute is that from what we’ve heard through people with knowledge of the happenings, we can confidently say that the responses by both MMR and Ford Racing are certainly justified and warranted if these things turn out to be accurate.

    It’s unfortunate for a variety of reasons from the people involved to the damaged professional relationships and beyond, but again, the actions of MMR and Ford will surely be looked at as swift and responsible once all of the facts come out, whenever that may be.

  • Facing An Uncertain Future, Paul Miller Racing Fighting For Championship Success

    Facing An Uncertain Future, Paul Miller Racing Fighting For Championship Success

    There is an unwritten contract that exists between someone and their pet, be it a dog, a cat or otherwise, that is essentially a mutual understanding that through all of the good times and bad, and all of the love and time spent together, there is an expiration date at the end of the road. It’s a rule of nature, the cycle of life, and it comes for us all in every human/pet relationship on this planet earth (unless you’re Tom Brady and somehow manage to clone your pit bull).

    The same principle applies for race teams that live in the topsy-turvy, always-volatile landscape of professional motorsports. No matter how great things can get or how much success can come to one organization, there is the inevitable fate that the good times will not last forever, and that eventually every team can see their own time come to an end. You absolutely can’t ever take anything for granted; Hell if Brumos Racing can see their operation fold, then absolutely no one is above the potential of seeing theirs come too.

    Just a few weeks ago after Road America, we saw one of the most popular teams in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, Pfaff Motorsports, announce that they were departing the IMSA grid at the end of this season. According to reports during that same weekend, another mainstay of the IMSA GT scene is facing an uncertain future – Paul MIller Racing.

    John Dagy’s from Sportscar365.com reported that PMR is facing an increasingly uncertain future regarding its plans for the 2027 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. Speaking with team principal Mitchell Simmons, Simmons revealed that the team currently does have a contract secured for operating next season, adding that although the desire is there to remain in the WeatherTech series, where and how it would look remains firmly up in the air with a substantial lack of clarity. Due to cost factors, and possibly a little bit of resentment towards the Balance of Performance process, Paul Miller Racing is facing the reality of exiting the top level of sports car racing in North America after the end of this season.

    PMR have been a mainstay since the American Le Mans days dating back to 2011. They established themselves a long time ago as one of the most consistent and respected organizations by winning essentially everything there is to win when it comes to competing in IMSA. We’re talking two Rolex 24 victories, two wins at the Sebring 12 Hour, two wins at Petit Le Mans, and over 50-combined podium finishes. They’re back-to-back Michelin Endurance Cup champions and are in great shape to pull off the three-peat with just Petit Le Mans remaining. All of that without mentioning their GTD class championships in 2018 with Lamborghini and the utterly dominate season that Byran Sellers and Madison Snow put together in 2023 with five race wins and the Pro title with BMW.

    The team again finds itself fighting at the front of the championship battle in the Pro class this season. Following their victory at the Rolex 24, Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen have delivered another steady, consistent campaign of performance with three total podiums, putting them in first place going into VIR this weekend. In a highlight of just how close things currently are, their lead is just 15 points over the No. 4 Pratt Miller Corvette of Nicky Catsburg/Tommy Milner, and 21 points ahead of Nick Tandy/Harry King in AO Racing’s Rexy.

    With VIR being a GT-exclusive event, it’ll serve as a pivotal marker in determining the direction of the title battle. It was last season at VIR that the No. 3 Corvette of Alexander Sims and Antonio Garcia finally found their breakthrough victory that ultimately put enough breathing room between them and Albert Costa in the DragonSpeed Ferrari. It’s also what makes the situation surrounding Paul Miller Racing so interesting, and fairly bittersweet. While questions remain about their future, the team has the opportunity to cap off another stellar chapter in their IMSA tenure with one of the biggest prizes the series has to offer.

    If PMR were to depart the scene, a tied-in question of what would happen to the BMW M4 GT3 in the Pro class comes right after. You have to believe that if the opportunity opens up that there would be a massive amount of interest from other teams looking to fill the BMW shoes in the class.

    An easy answer to that question would be Team WRT, which already runs the pair of M Hybrid V8s in GTP. However, WRT’s decision to skip the fourth round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge season at Suzuka does raise some questions about just how much the organization is willing to take on with so much already on their plate. They’re balancing a two-pronged effort in the World Endurance Championship campaign with four cars total in Hypercar and LMGT3, along with factory efforts in GT World Challenge Europe. Adding a GTD Pro operation to that workload is certainly not impossible, but it would require a significant amount of effort, commitment, and financial backing to make it happen. The decision to skip Suzuka shows that WRT are being mindful of its resources and workload, and bringing on another full-time IMSA program would be a substantial undertaking, even for an organization with the experience and infrastructure of WRT.

    Could W Racing Team take on even more in 2027?

    Before we get to that, there is still the end of the IMSA season to get through first, and your guess is as good as ours as to who will ultimately come out on top. Last year, it was No. 3 Corvette taking home the championship, and the year before that it was AO Racing. Go figure, both of those teams are right back in the fight once again, albeit this time the Corvette sister car No. 4 is the one in line for hardware.

    For Paul Miller Racing, though, there is potentially even more at stake. A championship could serve as a fitting career capstone to what has been another remarkably consistent season for the team, or it could serve as a jolt of energy to reverse course and secure some additional funding or buy-in from BMW or another brand that could see them extend their stay in the series. Before Lamborghini and BMW, the team entered onto the scene with Audi and the No. 48 R8 LMS ultra, finishing second and third in the standings in their two seasons with the car.

    For now, Paul Miller Racing is still on the grid and they’re in the captain’s seat for the championship fight. With just three races remaining to decide how it all goes down we’re going to remember the mutual understanding that exists between us fans and our favorite race teams; we’re gonna live presently in the good times and we’re going to appreciate the war of attrition to come and which will culminate at Petit Le Mans in early October. Buckle up buckaroos.

  • Suzuka 1000km Entry List Revealed, Amazing Entries Present and Some Things Missing

    Suzuka 1000km Entry List Revealed, Amazing Entries Present and Some Things Missing

    The Suzuka 1000km marks the fourth round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar, with SRO releasing an entry list featuring some big names and teams, while also revealing a noticeable number of absences ahead of the September 13 race.

    In what will serve as the 50th running of the historic Japanese enduro, we’re set for a 28-car grid and 9 Pro class entries, highlighted by the dual-car effort of Absolute Racing and AO By Absolute Racing, which will see DTM champion Ayhancan Güven, Alessandro Ghiretti and Dorian Boccolacci will share the No. 7 Porsche, while the AO By Absolute Racing entry will sport the latest iteration of Rexy’s incredible string of livery designs as ‘Bushi Rexy’ will be piloted by none other than Laurin Heinrich, along with Alessio Picariello and Julien Andlauer.

    Bushi Rexy is next up in the long line of amazing AO liveries (photo via SportsCar365.com)

    Right off the bat, that trio will be really hard to beat if this already legendary No. 8 Porsche can avoid any setbacks during the 6+ hours of racing.

    We’re also getting a return of the Johor Motorsports Racing Corvette, with Nicky Catsburg, Alexander Sims and IndyCar legend Scott McLaughlin reprising their entry from last season.

    The fun continues with the noticeable debut of the Mustang GT3 at Suzuka Circuit via a three-way partnership between Australian powers Miedecke Motorsport and Team MPC with Ford Racing, That Ford Racing entry will see Dennis Olsen, Christopher Mies and Frederic Vervisch link back up after the three-man team won the 2025 Rolex 24 in GTD Pro.

    Ford Racing have been steadfast in their commitments to race the Mustang GT3 and GT4 around the world, and a huge focal point for this 2026 season was to have representation at all five rounds of the IGTC season. With three rounds complete, two remain: Suzuka and the Indy 8 Hour in October.

    We’re set for two Mercedes-AMG entries in Pro, with one serving as Craft-Bamboo Racing with Luca Stolz, Maxime Martin and Kakunoshin Ohta, while IGTC regulars and 75 Express will race with Kenny Habul, Mikael Grenier and Philip Ellis as Habul will aim to replicate 2018 and 2019 class victories at the circuit.

    In an awesome wrinkle for this year’s rendition, a Lexus RC F and a Nissan GT-R Nismo will both be present via strong Japanese-based outfits K-tunes Racing and Team Szigen, respectively.

    As for other drivers being sprinkled throughout, we have Mathieu Jaminet in a Porsche with EBM Giga Racing, Augusto Farfus in a BMW with Team KRC, and Ferrari factory talent Thomas Neubauer in a Ferrari 296 with Maezawa Racing.

    For some of the notable absentees, last year’s race winner Team WRT will not race as a factory team, meaning Kelvin van der Linde, Raffaele Marciello and Charles Weerts will not be present to defend their victory. Team WRT will still be present on the grid but dressed up as a Bronze Cup entry with a trio of Anthony McIntosh, Parker Thompson and Dan Harper, which on their own is still a real great car on the grid.

    GruppeM, winners of the season-opening Bathurst 12 Hour, will not be on the grid. Maro Engel, who currently leads the IGTC championship, will instead be in Germany fulfilling his DTM commitments. The DTM round at Sachsenring will also rule out KVDL, as well as all three drivers from Lionspeed GP: Thomas Preining, Ricardo Feller, and Bastian Buus, who won the Spa 24 Hours.

    Additionally, last year’s second place finishers Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, and Patrick Pilet will all not be present.

    The last major absence from the grid comes from Goodsmile Racing, who will miss the Suzuka 1000km for the first time since 2008 as they’re remaining solely focused on their Super GT campaign in 2026.

    Overall, the 28 initial entries—down from 33 last season—represent eight different brands and should still produce an engaging event that you won’t want to miss. Regardless of which drivers or teams may be absent, this year’s Suzuka 1000km should still deliver peak GT3 racing. Don’t miss it.

  • YRB Racing Jump Back To GTD Pro for VIR, Draft In Marco Sørensen

    YRB Racing Jump Back To GTD Pro for VIR, Draft In Marco Sørensen

    If you’re trying to keep up with the whiplash of how YRB Racing is navigating its first few months of existence, don’t worry — you’re definitely not alone.

    We’re set for another round of it with ‘Car Blanche’ at next week’s GT-exclusive event at VIR, as it was confirmed through IMSA’s release of the entry list for the upcoming sprint round that YRB is set to return to the GTD Pro ranks for the second time this season.

    Even more notable than that is the fact that Valentin Hasse-Clot will be paired with yet another teammate through this whirlwind of a season, and that teammate happens to be fellow Aston Martin factory talent and current Heart of Racing Hypercar driver Marco Sørensen.

    Just over a week ago at the Motul Sportscar Endurance Grand Prix, the trio of Hasse-Clot, Trenton Estep and Marius Fossard claimed their second podium finish in as many tries as a grouping, repeating their P3 effort from the Glen with another P3 finish in the GTD class at Road America.

    In the previous race at Mosport, YRB had announced a move up to the GTD Pro class, with Hasse-Clot being joined by Scott Andrews for the event. The duo fared less favorably, finishing last in class. After the race, both Hasse-Clot and team principal Christopher Deely expressed their views on how the rest of the season could go in terms of which class they’d continue to race in through the remainder of the 2026 season, while also looking ahead to 2027. Questions that have come of YRB’s jumping back and forth between classes revolved around their driver lineup, with Hasse-Clot serving as a Gold-rated talent, whereas Estep and Fossard are both currently Silver-rated. Andrews filled the spot for the race at Mosport, and now we have our answer for their plans at VIR with Sørensen flying in to take a spin behind the wheel.

    For Sørensen, VIR will mark his first time back in IMSA’s GTD Pro raks since the 2025 Rolex 24 when he served as the fourth man in for The Heart of Racing. Later in the year Sørensen also took a ride with Magnus Racing at Watkins Glen, while his lone venture in IMSA competition this season came at the Rolex 24, again with Heart of Racing and this time in the No. 23 Valkyrie.

    For YRB as an operation, the facts are starting to trickle out more and more about their sudden burst onto the scene and the financial backing that they have. At this point it’s public knowledge that a major player tied to the Aston Martin Formula 1 team is the one behind the takeover, and the understanding is that there is/has been a massive influx of cash and support to boost the team up across the board. Acquiring a driver of Sørensen’s talents is on par for how things are going with Car Blanche thus far.

    These guys certainly know how to make headlines
  • Nate Cicero, Co-Leader In GS Championship Fight, Takes Shock Leave From Racing

    Nate Cicero, Co-Leader In GS Championship Fight, Takes Shock Leave From Racing

    In a story that has raised way more questions than answers to this point in its very early lifecycle, we surely haven’t heard the end of the sudden fallout between Nate Cicero and McCumbee McAleer Racing.

    Back on August 8th, Nate Cicero posted on his Instagram page a brief, out-of-the-blue message that he is taking a leave from racing to focus on “personal matters,” asking those in the world to appreciate his privacy as he works through whatever he’s dealing with, with the 21-year-old ending the post with a blended present and past-tense message of “I want to thank everyone who supported me over the years.”

    Fans began offering their support for Cicero on different posts and racing channels due to the fact that comments were made unavailable to leave on the post itself. Naturally, when you hear something worded like that, you start to imagine the worst when it comes to bouts of depression, the state of someone’s mental well-being, etc.

    For Cicero, he’s been on an amazing trajectory in his racing career since claiming Rookie of the Year honros in 2023 in Mazda MX-5, while in 2025 he joined McCumbee McAleer Racing alongside Jensen Altzman halfway through the campaign, managing to claim three pole positions and a race win at Road America.

    Paired up with Robert Noaker for 2026, to date the pair had performed consistently all season to the tune of a first place positioning with 1810 points to their name, 100 ahead of both Dillon Machavern and Luca Mars of Turner Motorsports, and funny enough, Roland Krainz and Cicero’s boss Stevan McAleer, of Auto Technic Racing.

    However, now with just three races to go in the season, the partnership is severed between Cicero and MMR, had the team has since released their own version of the happenings on their social pages:

    Yeah, like we said, that absolutely doesn’t read like the two parties have parted ways because of mental health concerns.

    We’re not here to speculate, but in these sort of instances across all professional sports, when something like this goes down 90% of the time its related to either the contract and a breach of terms, or there was an inappropriate relationship that went down between people or peoples. If it’s the contract side of things, perhaps some conversations were had regarding seats for next year, switching teams here at this time, etc., which depending on how advanced and detailed those talks may have been, it would give MMR the out to sever ties immediately with Cicero.

    The next race for Michelin Pilot Challenge is coming up next week at VIR, and we’re gonna guess that we’ll have a better sense of what happened in this bizarre story by the time we get to racing on the weeknd of the 22nd..

  • Turner Motorsport Again Hunting GTD Titles, Can They End the Drought?

    Turner Motorsport Again Hunting GTD Titles, Can They End the Drought?

    There’s no denying the amazing consistency that Turner Motorsport has shown ever since team owner Will Turner began racing back in 1998. That consistency is front and center once again in the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar season, with the No. 96 split-liveried BMW once again fighting for GTD championship honors.

    The question is: will this be the season Turner finally puts it all together to end a 12-year title drought?

    Following a third-place finish at the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Mosport, the veteran duo of Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher find themselves third in both the GTD Drivers’ and Teams’ championship standings. Unfortunately for the car and crew, the only two teams ahead of them also happen to be two other amazingly-consistent teams – the No. 27 Heart of Racing of Dudu Barrichello and Co. and the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus pairing of Benjamin Pederson and Aaron Telitz. 

    Although Turner haven’t won a race yet in 2026, consistency – there’s the word again –  is what gives teams the best possible chance at delivering the Big Trophy Hardware at the end of a season. Foley and Gallagher have yet to finish outside the top 10 in the GTD class through six races, a feat only the No. 27 entry also claim.

    A runner-up finish at the Long Beach Grand Prix (behind the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan, naturally), a 10th-place result at Daytona, fifth at Sebring and a pair of seventh-place finishes at both Laguna Seca and Watkins Glen has produced a total of 1,705 points for the team, just 120 points behind Barrichello and THOR and just a paltry 28 points behind the No. 12.

    For Turner, an IMSA class championship has not come since 2014, the inaugural season following the merger between the American Le Mans Series and GRAND-AM, when Dane Cameron secured both the Drivers’ and Teams’ championships. Since then, the team has enjoyed tremendous success elsewhere. Foley and teammate Justin Rothberg captured back-to-back GT World Challenge America Pro-Am championships in 2024 and 2025, while Rothberg added the 2025 GT America Drivers’ title. Foley and Vin Barletta also claimed the 2023 Michelin Pilot Challenge GS championship.

    Since then, it’s been a lot of close calls and near misses as that next WeatherTech title has remained elusive. Since 2014, Turner has recorded seven top-five championship finishes in the past 11 seasons, with its closest call coming in 2024 when the team finished second behind the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG.

    To be fair to really everyone else in the class and not just Turner, nobody was catching Winward Racing these last two seasons as they’ve gone back-to-back in convincing fashion. It hasn’t been as easy of a run for Winward this season as they shoot for a Threepeat, yet with wins at Daytona and at Mosport themselves, they find themselves right on the tail of Turner in P4 for both championships.

    As you’re surely catching on by now, the GTD class is extraordinarily tight when it comes to the winning margins on the race track. As we close out these last four races of the season things are only going to get tighter and tighter before building to an eventual showdown at Petit Le Mans in early October. The teams in the class are too good, the drivers are top-tier and as long as they keep their noses clean they’ll be setting themselves up as best as possible come the season finale.

    The way IMSA structures their points system, there isn’t much separation between cars that finish down the line at the end of races. The largest gap is just 30 points between first and second place, while the remaining positions generally decrease in increments of 10 or 20 points. The difference between P1 and P10 is 140 points, which is certainly substantial when things get so tight. The major killers are DNFs, crash outs or failed post-race tech inspections, as well as the bonus points earned for qualifying results. The risks are amplified for a class like GTD where the entry list goes 20-deep in endurance rounds. A P20 finish yields just 110 points.

    Considering just how dominant Winward Racing was in 2024 and 2025 – when both championships were effectively wrapped up well before Petit Le Mans – that almost certainly won’t be the case in 2026. Instead, Heart of Racing, Vasser Sullivan, Turner, and Winward are locked in what promises to be a thrilling four-way title fight. Focusing solely on Turner for now, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that wouldn’t be rooting for the New Hampshire-based outfit as they get closer and closer to securing a championship result that is a fight 12 years in the making. 

    Next up on the schedule is the return of endurance racing to Road America – a fitting venue considering it was the site of Turner’s most recent IMSA victory two years ago. which Turner claimed victory back in 2024. If the team can repeat that performance in a few weeks’ time, the championship dream will move one big step forward.

  • YRB Racing, Car Blanche Elevate To GTD Pro Class Starting Now

    YRB Racing, Car Blanche Elevate To GTD Pro Class Starting Now

    There’s a lot going on with the newest team on the IMSA WeatherTech grid as we’ve gotten another dose of ‘what the?!’ with YRB Racing.

    Revealed to their Instagram page just before Noontime on Monday, the former Van Der Steur Racing outfit announced that not only has the driver lineup changed in time for their second race coming up at CTMP on Sunday, but more shockingly that the car will be joining into the GTD Pro ranks for the race as well.

    Out are Trenton Estep and Marrius Fossard, and in draws Scott Andrews who returns to the fold alongside Valentine Hasse-Clot.

    Andrews last raced with VDSR at Laguna Seca back in May so there draws the familiarity between the two parties, while the Aussie was also racing with Lone Star Racing through the first three Michelin Endurance Cup rounds of the 2026 season at Daytona, Sebring and just recently at the Glen.

    For the GTD Pro class, the entry will serve as the first Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo to enter into the class since the Heart of Racing fielded a one-off entry No. 007 to the 24 Hours of Daytona last season, which before that THOR ran the No. 23 AMR as a full-season Pro entry in 2024 before turning their efforts towards their Valkyrie entry in 2025.

    As for YRB, this move is a fantastic addition to the Pro ranks as we’ll always accept more entries into the class. YRB’s first race as a team at the Glen produced an amazing podium finish, with the trio of Hasse-Clot, Trenton Estep and Marius Fossard beating out all but two fellow class competitors to claim a P3 finish.

    There is a bit of a whiplash effect for Estep and Fossard after having just completed that first race with the team, and at this time it remains to be seen what will come of the two for the rest of the IMSA WeatherTech season and how the Pro lineups would shake out, and if YRB would opt to try and secure the services of another Pro talent for the final endurance rounds of the year at Road America and Petit Le Mans.

    It is also completely fascinating to try and figure out more about YRB and how they’ve burst onto the scene here in the middle part of the campaign. Obviously the transition of VDSR to YRB took place and we can assume most things stayed the same while a new paint scheme was simply applied, however it is interesting to think about who and how much was retained or changed between the organizations? We’re talking race directors, engineers, the pit crew, equipment, etc. Ideally we’ll get more answers soon as they continue building their foundation in the series.

    More to come…

    (photo via Motorsport Media Hub)

  • Manthey Director Arkenau: ‘Full-Season IMSA Effort Being Looked At’

    Manthey Director Arkenau: ‘Full-Season IMSA Effort Being Looked At’

    Manthey Racing are one of the most successful GT racing outfits of all-time, and there could be an expanded effort to their IMSA WeatherTech Series efforts in the near future.

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  • Report: FIA Has Backup Plans In Europe If Qatar, Bahrain Races Cancelled

    Report: FIA Has Backup Plans In Europe If Qatar, Bahrain Races Cancelled

    The day prior to last weekend’s 94th running of Le Mans, the FIA, ACO and numerous racing partners were present for the annual press conference to set the stage for next year and beyond in the World Endurance Championship.

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  • THOR Boss Ian James: Second IMSA Valkyrie ‘Unlikely’ In 2027

    THOR Boss Ian James: Second IMSA Valkyrie ‘Unlikely’ In 2027

    Last weekend at the Detroit Sports Car Classic, Heart of Racing team boss Ian James all but ruled out a second Valkyrie GTP entry for the team next season.

    Speaking to Sportscar365.com, James labeled the idea “unlikely,” even after what is understood to be a strong push from IMSA asking/probing if THOR would consider adding a second Valkyrie to the grid with the imminent departure of Acura on the horizon. 

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  • Maybe Barreling 50+ GT3 Cars Into Prima Variante Isn’t Worth It Anymore

    Maybe Barreling 50+ GT3 Cars Into Prima Variante Isn’t Worth It Anymore

    The third round of the GT World Challenge Europe season went down at Monza this weekend and there’s a decent chance that if you’re reading this article you’ve already seen the absolute calamities that went down multiple times at Turn 1.

    Twice we saw massive pile-ups at Variante del Rettifilo, first on the opening lap and then again with just under five minutes remaining on the clock that ended the day, leaving the Silver Cup Audi-entry of Tresor Attempto Racing to claim the unlikely overall victory ahead of the Pro Cup entry No. 48 Mann-Filter of Lucas Auer, Luca Stoltz and Maro Engel.

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  • IMSA At Detroit Brings Out the Best and Worst of Street Racing (Again)

    This year’s Detroit Sports Car Classic delivered the kind of classic, chaotic racing that can only occur when you stuff more than 20 prototypes and GT3 cars into a narrow, tight street circuit for 100 minutes.

    The second and final sprint race of the IMSA season was relatively tame for the most part — until things hit the fan in the closing stages. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac, driven by Earl Bamber and Jack Aitken, ran away with the overall victory, making good on their strong practice and qualifying pace. In GTD Pro, the No. 3 Corvette of Alexander Sims and Antonio Garcia did the same, converting pole position into a dominant class win after leading a staggering 75 laps.

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