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Mar 08

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Formula1, Red Bull, Tsunoda

Honda distances itself from Tsunoda

The manufacturer has clarified that Tsunoda is “fundamentally an independent driver” with sponsorship from Honda, and that it no longer needs to negotiate deals for him. If Yuki Tsunoda and his new management were hoping to receive a helping hand from Honda as Tsunoda builds a case to remain in Formula 1, the mood music coming from HQ isn’t promising. As a member of Honda’s driver programme, Tsunoda was fast-tracked through the European junior single-seater ladder, making his F1 debut in 2021 with the team then known as AlphaTauri. At the time it was politically expedient for Red Bull to take a Honda-supported driver since it was trying to keep the manufacturer engaged in F1 after an expensive spend to reach competitiveness – and much bad PR during its abortive comeback with McLaren. But now the landscape has shifted: Honda is realigning itself with Aston Martin, Red Bull is pivoting back towards building its own engines, albeit with Ford sponsorship, and Tsunoda is entering his fifth season in F1 having failed to convince Red Bull he is worth promoting to partner Max Verstappen in its senior team. And the message to him from Honda is: you’re on your own. “He [Tsunoda] needs to […]

Mar 08

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: KRE, Supercars

KRE signs exclusive GM Supercars engine deal

Supercars’ engine supply tug-of-war is at an end with KRE Race Engines signing an exclusive agreement with General Motors. The Ken McNamara-run KRE is the single engine supplier to Camaro teams. Motorsport Powertrains — which is owned and run by Dick Johnson Racing — supplies engines to Ford teams. Questions over KRE’s engine supply future were raised after current General Motors homologation squad Triple Eight Race Engineering announced its move to Ford from 2026. Triple Eight had declared KRE would take on the Ford engine supply from 2026 when it announced its own switch to the Blue Oval back in January. That was met with heavy resistance from GM, Supercars and various teams in the paddock. McNamara has now shut down the saga by signing an exclusive GM contract, which covers the 2025 and ’26 seasons. The news has been trumpeted by GM in a brief statement from local Chevrolet Racing boss Chris Payne. “We believe that the powertrain is a critical part of the DNA in the sport of Supercars, and that the fans want to see that aspect of the competition continue with strong brand differentiation,” said Payne. “We look forward to working with and extending our relationship […]

Mar 05

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Supercars, Toyota

Toyota in second Supercars team talks

Toyota believes it is closing in on its second Supercars team despite the complicating factor of the GM homologation team saga. The Japanese carmaker has been working to a clear plan for its entry to Supercars next season which involves there being four new Supras on the grid. Two will come from homologation outfit Walkinshaw Andretti United with a second yet-to-be-appointed team to run the other two. Following the Toyota announcement there was a flurry of interest in the second Toyota ‘slot’ with Team 18 quickly emerging as the favourite to land a Supra deal. That has since been deeply complicated by Triple Eight’s impending defection to Ford, which has given GM the carrot of homologation duties to shop around to its current line-up. That too has seemingly piqued Team 18’s interest with the squad being touted as a frontrunner along with PremiAir Racing. It could be that whichever doesn’t end up as the GM HT will switch to Toyota. Not that Toyota’s marketing boss Sean Hanley, who has driven the Supercars program, is worried about what GM may have to offer its teams. “We can only control what we control,” he told Speedcafe. “We had no knowledge of anything that was happening […]

Mar 03

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Grove, Le Mans

Groves to race in 24 Hours of Le Mans

Grove Racing team owners and experienced GT racers Stephen and Brenton Grove have confirmed they will be taking on the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. Five-time class winners at the Bathurst 12 Hour, the father and son duo will team up with Italian outfit Iron Lynx in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, competing in the LMGT3 category. The Groves will be sharing the car with a name very familiar to Bathurst 12 Hour viewers, with two-time 12 Hour winner and factory Mercedes pilot Luca Stolz joining the pair. The 2025 running of the endurance classic will take place from June 14-15, falling in between the Bosch Power Tools Perth Super 440 (June 6-8), and the Betr Darwin Triple Crown (June 20-22). Iron Lynx already run two cars in LMGT3 in the World Endurance Championship, with the Grove/Grove/Stolz combination a third invitational entry for Le Mans only. There is already Australian representation in LMGT3, with Yasser Shahin competing for this year’s Bathurst 12 Hour winners Team WRT in a BMW backed by The Bend Motorsport Park, a sister entry to that of 12 Hour runner-up and motorcycle legend Valentino Rossi. For 57-year-old Stephen, the Le Mans announcement marks a […]

Mar 03

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Buriram, Marquez, MotoGP

Marquez was “playing with us” in Thailand GP

Marc Marquez’s sudden pace drop in the Thailand MotoGP was about more than just managing tyre pressure, claims Francesco Bagnaia. Francesco Bagnaia says Marc Marquez was “playing with us” in the Thailand Grand Prix and could have dominated the MotoGP race if he wanted to. New factory Ducati signing Marquez claimed victory in the opening round of the 2025 MotoGP season, beating brother Alex Marquez and team-mate Bagnaia to the top spot at Buriram. While the elder Marquez secured pole position and comfortably led the race early on, he suddenly slowed down on lap 7 and dropped to second position, where he stayed for the majority of the race. It was only four laps from the finish that he repassed his Gresini Ducati-mounted brother at Turn 12, before crossing the finish line with a winning margin of 1.7s. Marquez later revealed that he had to drop a place to keep the tyre temperature above the regulatory window, having noticed a significant drop while running in clear air at the front. Marquez’s tyre pressure drama brought Bagnaia into play, with the two-time MotoGP champion closing within half a second of the leading duo in the closing stages of the race. But Bagnaia believes Marquez was simply […]

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 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 […]