February 2025 - Octane Photography

Feb 28

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Aprillia, Martin, MotoGP

Injured Jorge Martin out of Thailand MotoGP

The 77th edition of the premier class of motorcycle racing is kicking off for the first time in Thailand however reigning champion Jorge Martin will not be racing, forced to wait his MotoGP debut in Aprilia colours. A crash during pre-season testing left the Spaniard with three fractures across his hand and foot while another incident left him with four new fractures in his wrist. As a result Martin has been ruled out of both the Thailand and Argentine Grands Prix with no clear date as to when his title defence will start. “The blows are always hard, but when they come one after another, the impact is multiplied,” Martin wrote on social media. “This time they have been especially strong, both physically and mentally, and have meant that, for the first time in my life, I have missed the opening race of the season. “If there is one thing I am clear about, it is that blows can be overcome. I don’t know if this will make me stronger, but I do know that I will get through it, as I have always done.” Whilst Martin won’t be here this weekend, there will still be two Aprilias with replacement […]

Feb 25

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Ford, Grove, Supercars

Grove sticks with Ford

Grove Racing could have turned to Chevrolet or Toyota next year but believes sticking with Ford is the way forward. GM is on the search for a new homologation team to replace Ford-bound Triple Eight Race Engineering. Though it is not the only team on GM’s radar, it’s understood the US giant approached Grove Racing about becoming the homologation team. However, the Melbourne-based squad has no interest in cutting its ties to Ford. Fundamentally, there are several reasons for sticking with Ford. The cost associated with the switch would be exorbitant in Grove’s eyes, whether that’s to Chevrolet or even Toyota. Grove also sees benefits in Triple Eight making the move to Ford and what impact it’ll have on his team. Add to that, Ford has certainty in its Mustang platform for the foreseeable future. GM, meanwhile, has a significant question mark attached given the demise of the Camaro platform and no clear replacement looming. “There’s been a lot of change and there’s a lot of discussion in pit lane about where teams are going,” Grove told Speedcafe. “Our allegiance is to Ford and long term we want to continue to grow the relationship. “I’m super excited about Triple Eight […]

Feb 22

by darren in Track 0 comments tags: EWC, Guintoli, Le Mans

On Board with Sylvain Guintoli Bugatti Circuit Le Mans

Sylvain Guintoli takes us on a lap of the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit used for the FIM World Endurance Championship.

Feb 21

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Formula1, Gunther

Guenther Steiner ends suit against former racing team

Former Formula One Haas team principal Guenther Steiner voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit against Haas Formula racing team Wednesday, after coming to an agreement in mediation proceedings. Steiner sued the Formula One team in April 2024, claiming that it failed to pay him commissions from 2021 to 2023 and that the team had continued to use his name and likeness in promotional materials and to sell merchandise after it declined to renew its contract with Steiner. Steiner dismissed the case with prejudice, so he cannot refile, after parties spent more than 28 hours in mediation. Before Superior Court Judge Richard Gottlieb could decide on the parties’ requests for judgment; they reached an agreement, which was not made public Wednesday. The case, which was deemed “exceptional” by the superior court in Charlotte, has largely proceeded through heavily redacted documents as attorneys work to prevent the financial details of the disagreement from becoming public. Steiner helped to build Haas’ Formula One team, recruiting sponsors and crew members and helping to keep the team financially viable in the beginning. He served as team principal from 2014 to 2023, and debuted the team in 2016. In January 2024, it was announced that team owner Gene […]

Feb 18

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Macau, TCR

TCR Australia off to Macau in 2025

The 2025 TCR Australia season will end with a bang as it joins the World Tour on the famous streets of Macau. The last unconfirmed spot on the five-round calendar has been filled by the iconic Macau Grand Prix on November 13-16. It completes the season following rounds at Wanneroo, One Raceway, Winton and The Bend. The big announcement is the second piece of news on the TCR calendar a week after One Raceway replaced a proposed trip to Taupo. As a result the final two rounds of the TCR Australia season will be double headers with the TCR World Tour, which also heads to The Bend 500. One driver who will welcome the Nes will be Ben Bargwanna, who made the journey to race at Macau in 2022 as a rookie in 2023. TCR Australia’s first international world has been made possible by the global rights holder, WSC Group, which will ensure freight costs for Australian teams heading to Macau will be covered in full. “TCR Australia has always been one of TCR’s more important and exciting competitions that takes its roots in the long-standing tradition of touring car racing in the country,” said WSC Group President Marcello Lotti. […]

Feb 17

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Rea, Superbike, Yamaha

Jonathan Rea ruled out of Phillip Island World Superbike GP

Jonathan Rea has been ruled out of the opening round of the 2025 World Superbike Championship after sustaining fractures to his left foot in a crash during Monday’s official test at Phillip Island in Australia. The Pata Maxum Yamaha rider came off at the Southern Loop during the opening practice run, resulting in a red flag. Rea was taken to the medical centre for a check-up and has been declared unfit for this weekend’s first round of the season. The 38-year-old had been running outside the top ten when the incident happened, with Rea credited with the 15th fastest time after the conclusion of FP1 with a best time of 1’30.885s, completing 20 laps before his crash. It is a major blow for the six-time world champion, who had been hoping to make a strong start to the season after struggling to 13th in his maiden year as a Yamaha rider in 2024. A statement from Yamaha said: “Jonathan Rea will miss the opening round of the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship after a crash on the first day of testing at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. “Rea fell on the exit of Turn 2 in the closing stages […]

Feb 16

by darren in Track 0 comments tags: Supercars, Taupo, Waters

Waters Pole Lap Taupo Super400 2024

Cam Waters on-board Pole Lap at the 2024 Taupo Super400

Feb 15

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: De Pasquale, Supercars, Team18

De Pasquale reacts to new Team18 chassis

The Supercar once destined to become part of Will Brown’s title defence has made its track debut in the hands of his former Erebus Motorsport ally Anton De Pasquale. Triple Eight had chipped away at a new chassis to reward which ever of its drivers won the 2024 Championship, with Brown prevailing over teammate Broc Feeney. However, that chassis was sold in December when Team18 came calling and it has now been assembled as De Pasquale’s #18 DeWalt Camaro. Pasquale hailed his maiden drive aboard Team 18’s new chassis as “faultless,” following the star recruit’s laps at a shakedown at Winton Motor Raceway. De Pasquale got behind the wheel of his newly-built Chevrolet Camaro on Thursday, with the former Dick Johnson Racing driver joined by new teammate David Reynolds. The fourth Gen3 Camaro built by the team, chassis T18-004, takes over from chassis T18-002, which was previously driven by Mark Winterbottom in 2023 and 2024. Reynolds will begin the 2025 campaign behind the wheel of T18-003, the chassis he drove at the 2024 Gold Coast and Adelaide rounds, while T18-002 will transition to serve as the team’s spare car for the upcoming season. De Pasquale got laps in T18-002 in a […]

Feb 14

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: MotoGP, Testing

Key takeaways from 2025 MotoGP pre-season testing

The most atypical pre-season in recent years concluded on Thursday in Thailand, with Marc Marquez revealing his intention to become the top dog in MotoGP again – no matter what the cost. MotoGP held five days of testing in Malaysia and Thailand in February, giving all five manufacturers a chance to hone their new bikes before the start of the season later this month. The winter turned out to be a lesson in humility for Ducati, which is set to begin the season in practically the same way as it ended last year: mostly likely winning and with a bike that is nearly identical. Far from hiding from the situation, those at the helm of the Borgo Panigale marque have recognised the lack of progress, aware that the GP24 it built for last year was the perfect bike. However, this ‘stagnation’ at Ducati has created the perfect situation for the competition to regain ground on it for the first time in years. Over at Yamaha, a discrete performance in Buriram has raised questions about the extent of improvement seen at Sepang, while also highlighting the upward trend at fellow Japanese manufacturer Honda. Aprilia ended pre-season in a solid manner, with Marco […]

Feb 13

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Bastianini, KTM, MotoGP

Enea Bastianini Struggling on the KTM MotoGP bike

“It’s not natural for me and, at the moment, I can’t be very fast like Pedro…” The end of the 2025 MotoGP winter testing period seems to have come too soon for Enea Bastianini, who feels he still has to adapt his style to the KTM RC16 he has moved to from Ducati for this year. The Italian ended the 2025 MotoGP preseason in Buriram feeling like he’d made progress, but also like there was much more margin for him to improve. “Overall, I’m a bit happier than [Wednesday], because this afternoon I improved a bit my lap time,” Bastianini said after the final day of MotoGP preseason testing in Buriram. “About my pace, I’m not very happy at the moment because I committed many mistakes during my laps – sometimes I can’t brake hard, sometimes yes, and at the moment I don’t know very well the situation. “For the race we have to do something more, to understand better. “Now, it’s important this period [between the test and the race] to study better the data and to learn, because the bike is different and my approach at the moment is not correct.” Bastianini said he and his crew chief – Alberto Giribuola, […]