Japfest 2025 is going BIG this year — with two days of track action at the legendary Silverstone National Circuit! For the first time ever, the weekend kicks off with a full track day on Saturday, 12th April, giving you the perfect opportunity to push your car to its limits before the legendary Japfest show on Sunday. Whether you’re chasing lap times, testing your setup, or just out to enjoy the thrill of Silverstone’s National Circuit, this is your ultimate track experience.

Saturday Track Day: Unleash Your Car’s Potential!

The track action plays a huge part at events like JapFest, Ford Fair, and Trax, with Silverstone’s National Circuit in full swing throughout the day. And now, for the first time at Japfest, Saturday is all about you and the track. Book your spot early to enjoy multiple sessions on the iconic racetrack — the perfect chance to test your car’s limits and fine-tune your driving skills. Whether you’re a seasoned track addict or giving it a go for the first time, this is your chance to make memories on one of the UK’s most iconic circuits.

No doubt, many of you take the opportunity to head out onto that hallowed tarmac to enjoy your very own car at full throttle in a safe environment alongside fellow enthusiasts. Well, if you are, you need to read this first. We grabbed racing instructor Alex Nevill, to guide us around each part of the track, so you can nail that perfect lap during your time on track.

Just off the A43 in Northants, Silverstone is easily reached from the M1 and M40, and track sessions at our events start at just £40 at Japfest, Ford Fair and Trax!

Silverstone National Circuit

Fast Car Entertainment events Japfest, Ford Fair, and Trax make use of Silverstone’s famous National Circuit. This 1.64-mile track is the same layout as used by many of the country’s leading motorsport series, including the British Touring Car Championship, meaning you’ll be able to really put your modified car through its paces.

The National Circuit  also features in many of Silverstone’s most legendary and iconic corners (including Copse, Maggotts, Brooklands, Luffield, and Woodcote) that form part of both the new and old F1 layouts – giving you the opportunity to follow in the tyre tracks of truly great drivers both past and present!

Relevant content – Don’t forget to check out our guide to preparing your car for a track day, as well as the ultimate guide to braking on track. 

Track Guide to Master The Silverstone National Circuit 

Entering the track

Your track time at Japfest, Ford Fair or Trax will start with you lining up in the track assembly area near the medical centre. With so much going on around the show, the traditional pit lane entry is not in use, so follow the signs for ‘Track Time’ and you will be guided to track entrance behind the Medical Centre building.

When it’s time to go you will be led out by a Safety Car, joining the track at Brooklands corner. DO NOT overtake on this first slow lap. Use the steady laps to familiarise yourself with the circuit and to keep an eye on your temperature gauges, making sure everything is as it should be before the full-throttle laps to follow.

The Safety Car will stay out for one or two laps, or until the track staff are happy everyone is good to go, and when it leaves the track at the exit just after the Luffield corner (note, this is where you will exit at the end of the session), then your track time is under way…

1 – Copse Corner

The first corner in our Silverstone National track guide is Copse – the fast right-hander after the start/finish straight that famously made the headlines when Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen collided at the British Grand Prix in 2021.

As you approach the corner, you’ll want to brush the brakes before turning in as you approach the ‘50’ board on the driver’s left. On the inside of the corner, you’ll see two red markers to the right of the kerb; the first of these is your apex.

You’ll want your right tyres on the kerb here, and you should be hard on the throttle by this point, letting the car run out to the left-hand side on the exit until your left tyres are on the kerb. You shouldn’t be going any further than that, as otherwise you’ll be exceeding track limits, which is frowned upon.

Once you’ve exited Copse you’ll want to gently bring the car over to the driver’s right to set yourself up for Maggotts.

2 – Maggotts

The next corner up in our Silverstone track guide is Maggotts, and it’s a bit of an oddity on the National Circuit; it’s the point at which the National layout deviates from the GP circuit, cutting through the middle before joining the Aintree corner that leads onto the Wellington Straight.

Maggotts is an awkward but crucial corner; it doesn’t really matter how well you do it, it’ll always feel slightly underwhelming. You must be wary of that though, as it may lead you to push harder through the corner and over-drive, which will hurt your exit speed and cost you crucial time on the Wellington Straight.

There’s a slight curve to the left before the corner itself, so you’ll want to be on the right-hand side of the circuit as you approach. Gently turn in to the left; not to take the corner, but to position yourself properly for the right-hander that follows.

You can use the sausage kerb on your left as your brake marker. Make sure you’re in a straight line as you hit the brakes, or your lap could be ending in the gravel trap.

It’s a short braking zone, so make sure you’re hard on the brakes to get it slowed down for the corner in time and you’ll probably want to downshift to third gear. Because the road has turned slightly to the left and you’re braking in a straight line, the car will already be quite tight to the corner.

A tip here is to make sure you keep tight to the kerb until you’re off the GP circuit and onto the cut-through section, at which point you can start to release the steering and let the car run out to the left-hand side as you build speed and enter the Wellington Straight.

3 – Wellington Straight

Now it’s time to gun it. As you enter the straight, you’ll most likely be to the left of the track, but as you power down the straight, gently make your way over the right-hand side to better position the car for the next corner at Brooklands. But keep an eye in your mirrors for faster cars as you do so.

4 – Brooklands

After the Wellington Straight you will be heading towards the Brooklands complex.

Here is the best overtaking opportunity on the circuit. It’s a very late apex for this corner, which means looking long towards the apex is very important.

There’s usually a board to the driver’s right indicating that you need to turn left; turn just after that but make sure you’re looking ahead to your apex, otherwise you’ll find yourself too tight to the corner.

The most common mistake for newcomers and inexperienced drivers is to turn in far too early here, which not only compromises your entry to the next corner, but often sees you end up straight across the track and off onto the infield.

You’ll notice some tarmac to your left where the old GP circuit used to join the current layout; the apex is just beyond where the two tracks merge. It can be tempting here to stay wide and cut back in for the apex. It’ll feel faster on the exit, but as it’s a very short straight afterwards it won’t compensate for the longer line you’ve taken through the corner itself.

5 – Luffield

Luffield follows almost immediately after Brooklands. As with Maggotts it always feels a little underwhelming, and the key is not to over-drive it. The car will be on the right-hand side of the circuit after Brooklands and there’s no time to move over to the left, so it’s a very shallow entry to the corner.

Focus on smooth braking and turning, keep tight to the inside kerb, and be smooth with the throttle through the corner and the exit. If you can hear tyre squeal, you’re losing time. Tyre squel at the start of the corner, it’s either because you haven’t braked enough or you’re being too aggressive with the wheel. If it’s tyre squeal from mid-corner onwards, you probably need a little less throttle.

6 – Woodcote

Woodcote is the last corner on the National Circuit, and the last in our Silverstone track guide, but if it’s dry this isn’t much of a corner. You can’t gain time through here, but you can lose it. Make sure your input on the wheel is minimal – the car accelerates best in a straight line, after all, so try to smooth out the racing line as much as possible. Also, think about how tightly you’re holding the steering wheel; a tight grip on the wheel will make it harder to move the wheel and turn the car, which will mean more turning and therefore less speed. It’ll also wear you out more.

7 – Finish Line

And that concludes our Silverstone track guide to the National Circuit. The more laps you complete, the more familiar you will become with the surroundings and the better the feel you will have for your car and the conditions, meaning you can expect to get faster and faster throughout the day.

The key, though, is to build things gradually and improve on your previous lap. That way, you can learn what works and what doesn’t.

Silverstone GP Circuit advice

The start of the 3.66-mile GP circuit is on the newly-named Hamilton Straight opposite the Wing. Almost flat out, the first corner to tackle is the right-hander of Abbey, which leads immediately into the left-hander of Farm before you brake heavily into the right-handed turn three; Village Corner. The even slower left-hander of the Loop comes immediately after, and leads into the opening left-hander of Aintree, before heading down the Wellington Straight.

Turn six, the left-hander of Brooklands, is tight and leads immediately into the right-hand hairpin of Luffield. The right-handed kink of Woodcote leads cars down the old pit straight, before the difficult fast right-hander of Copse. Then, comes the challenging complex of Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel – a fast left-right-left-right-left complex. This then leads down the 770-metre Hangar Straight with the fast right-hander of Stowe at the end.

The fifteenth turn of the track, Stowe, precedes a short straight, named Vale, which leads downhill towards the Club complex. Heavy braking is required for the left-hander of turn 16, and understeer can be an issue for the next right-handers of turns 17 and 18, as you tentatively accelerate round to the start-finish straight. As you’d expect, the surface is excellent, though some standing water can gather in places in very wet conditions.

Silverstone track guide: fast facts

Track length: 3.66 miles (GP), 1.64 miles (National)

Corners: 18 (GP), 6 (National)

Highlight: The exit of Chapel onto the long, wide Hangar Straight, probably the best chance in the UK you’ll find to really stretch your car’s legs.

Price: From £219 (National), £319 (GP)

www.silverstone.co.uk

Tips to driving Silverstone National circuit

• Don’t overdrive: The National circuit isn’t one that rewards aggressive driving as most of the corners are fairly slow. You want to drive with smoothness and precision so that you don’t scrub off corner speed.
• Focus on your exit speed: The two most important corners on the circuit are Maggots and Luffield, as they lead on to the lengthy front and back straights. Get either of these wrong and your lap time will really suffer.
• Watch your mirrors: More important for racers, but still worth bearing in mind for track days. The nature of the corners here really encourages ‘lunges’ that could end your day. Make sure you’re aware of the cars around you and what they’re doing, and obviously make sure you make good overtaking decisions yourself! It’s also a much wider circuit than most other UK tracks, which means you can lose sight of a car around you fairly easily.

Track guide from Fast Ford magazine. Words: Alex Nevill & Jamie King. Photos: Fast Ford archive.

The post Silverstone Track Guide appeared first on Fast Car.

The competition on the staged and closed roads of UK rallying in 2024 has been frenetic, with several championships providing nail-biting climaxes to crown a champion.

From the rejuvenated British Rally Championship through to the clubmen series, the pace has been fierce and now Motorsport News is on the hunt to crown its National Rally Driver of the Year, sponsored by Motul.

Our experts have hand-picked a shortlist of 10 drivers, who are featured below, and it is now over to you to have your say. We are asking our readers to register their vote by simply clicking on the photos below.

We have chosen from a wide array of successful drivers. We’ve included drivers who are not only champions, but those who have been outstanding in their classes.

The voting will be open for three weeks (deadline November 29^th, 2025), and the results will be published in Motorsport News on December 5.

The post National Rally Driver of the Year 2024: Motorsport News Awards appeared first on Fast Car.

Now the motor racing engines are being switched off for the season, it is a brilliant chance for us to look back on the UK sporting season and pick out Motorsport News’s fourth annual Racing Driver of the Year, sponsored by Motul.

From the door handle-to-door handle thrills of the British Touring Car Championship to the phalanx of rising stars who have been collecting trophies throughout Britian, there is a host of talent which has been on display.

Our experts have hand-picked a shortlist of 10 drivers, who are featured below, and it is now over to you to have your say. We are asking our readers to register their vote by simply clicking on the photos below.

The voting will be open for three weeks (deadline is November 29th, 2024), and the National Racing Driver of the Year results will be published in Motorsport News on December 5.

The post National Racing Driver of the Year 2024: Motorsport News Awards appeared first on Fast Car.

Exciting news for motorsport fans today; it has been officially confirmed that Nico Hulkenberg will be Audi’s first Formula 1 driver when they enter the sport in 2026. The 36-year-old German, who has been impressing since his return to the grid in 2023, will drive for Sauber in the 2025 season before Audi takes over the team.

Impressive Comeback for Hulkenberg

After three years without a permanent drive, Nico Hulkenberg returned to Formula 1 with Haas in 2023. His performance since then has not gone unnoticed. This recent signing by Audi confirms sets the stage for an exciting partnership between Hulkenberg and the German car manufacturer. It also means that he will displace either Valtteri Bottas or Zhou Guanyu from the Sauber driver line-up for 2025. The 2024 season has only just got underway, but with Lewis Hamilton already confirming he will leave Mercedes for Ferrari, we expect to see several driver changes ahead of the 2025 season.

According to a recent Sky Sports report, Hulkenberg expressed his excitement about the opportunity to compete for Audi in Formula 1. “The prospect of competing for Audi is something very special,” he said. “When a German manufacturer enters Formula One with such determination, it is a unique opportunity. To represent the factory team of such a car brand with a power unit made in Germany is a great honor for me.”

Nico Hülkenberg becomes a driver for the Audi F1 factory team

Praise from Sauber CEO

Andreas Seidl, Sauber’s chief executive, spoke highly of Hulkenberg and his contribution to the team’s transformation. “With his speed, experience, and commitment to teamwork, he will be an important part of the transformation of our team – and of Audi’s F1 project,” Seidl said. “Nico is a strong personality, and his input, on a professional and personal level, will help us to make progress both in the development of the car and in building up the team.”

Hulkenberg’s Impressive Resume

Throughout his career, Hulkenberg has driven for various teams, including Williams, Force India, Renault, Racing Point, and Aston Martin. He previously had a one-season stint with Sauber in 2013 before moving on to other teams. His experience and expertise make him a valuable asset for Audi’s entry into Formula 1.

Motorsport fans all over the world will undoubtedly be eagerly awaiting Audi’s debut in Formula 1 in 2026 with Nico Hulkenberg at the wheel. The partnership between Hulkenberg and Sauber, leading up to Audi’s takeover, will be an exciting glimpse of what we can expect to see in the coming years.

The post Nico Hulkenberg Confirmed as Audi F1 Driver for 2026 Season appeared first on Fast Car.

For Formula E, its new event in Japan is a big deal. Famed for competing on streets all around the world, FE has been chasing a deal with Japan’s capital for the best part of a decade, and finally it’s all come together. The new race which will take place around the Tokyo International Exhibition Centre is set to become one of the championship’s landmark events, so to celebrate its inaugural running, Formula E has tapped into Japan’s rich modified car culture. As well as collaborating with Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift star Sung Kang, there’s also this rather cool Liberty Walk Formula E car that’s been commissioned.

Based on the current GEN3 Formula E racer, the championship organizers have let the folks at Liberty Walk go wild with their styling efforts, and the result is pretty mega. Sadly it won’t be competing, but nonetheless it’s cool that it exists.

Liberty Walk Formula E car design

According to the accompanying press release, the inspiration behind this wild body kit comes from a blend of Japan’s many decades-old car tuning scene, plus the snappily-titled anime series, Future GPX Cyber Formula.

Starting at the front of the car, the GEN3 is now sporting a triple-tier front wing with some aerodiscs on the wheel rims. Further along, a whole new segment of aero has blossomed from the car’s typically minimalist side profile, forming the closest possible thing to a wide arch on an open-wheel racecar.

At the back, the car gets a very cool, low-hanging rear wing which drapes down behind the rear wheels. There’s even some old-school underglow all around the bottom of the chassis!

Overall, I reckon it’s a definite improvement over the stock GEN3 Formula E design. It certainly has a more spectacular presence, anyway, though perhaps is a little too ‘busy’ at the front.

How to watch Formula E

If you want to follow the Tokyo e-Prix action this weekend (Saturday 30th March 2024), UK audiences can catch all the sessions live on TNT Sports, while in the US there will be coverage on CBS and Roku.

The title battle between between Jaguar and Porsche is heating up nicely, while the Nissan factory team and Nissan-powered McLarens will be wanting to perform well on home turf after a hard-fought double-podium last time out in Sao Paulo.

The post Liberty Walk Formula E Car Celebrates First Ever Tokyo e-Prix appeared first on Fast Car.

Dash cams in the British Touring Car Championship. For a motorsport series known to be so tough on body panels, it’s a wonder that nobody’s thought of this before! I kid, of course; NAPA Racing won’t be using Road Angel dash cams to claim back the insurance on any mean-spirited scrapes they get into, but rather as a valuable new tool for analysis. If you’re a keen track day-goer, read this article to see what ideas you can steal from the pros. Who knows, if it’s good enough for the likes of Ash Sutton and Dan Cammish, maybe these techniques will help you shave some fractions off your own lap time.

Now, there is a bit of fine print to cover before I explain what this is all about. See, BTCC regulations prohibit teams from installing non-broadcaster-sanctioned cameras inside their cars. As such, the Road Angel dash cams will only make an appearance aboard NAPA’s quartet of Ford Focus STs during testing sessions outside of scheduled championship events. Still, there’s plenty to learn from them, as I’ll describe next.

How can dash cams help track performance?

NAPA Racing’s team of engineers will be able to download the footage and assess it with the drivers to understand where each of them can enhance their racing lines; corner entries and exits, essentially. In the past, teams will have been able to do this via telemetry, but the addition of dash cams into the mix provides a visual element that may further help the drivers’ understanding of how to improve.

Similarly, if you’re on an amateur track day, you might be able to look back at your dash cam footage and decide where you can adjust your driving to get more out of your car in terms of lap time.

The Road Angel cameras that NAPA Racing will be using are designed to handle bumps and speeds of up to around 140mph. As such, they make use of high-end image sensors cand stabilization tech to counteract car vibrations that would otherwise blur the image. While this isn’t what you’d want when recording footage for recreational purposes (as it would detract from the drama), it’s ideal for motorsport use as it gives the engineers and drivers a clearer view of everything.

The dash cams are the same specification as available to regular Road Angel customers. Though, if you wanted to get really serious with your personal improvement, there are a whole host of track day-specific dash cams out there designed to not only capture your performance, but train you too. Either way, it’s something to consider if you dream of reaching the speeds that Sutton managed on his route to the 2023 BTCC crown.

The post Road Angel Dash Cams Added To NAPA Racing BTCC Cars appeared first on Fast Car.

From rallying to endurance racing, some major motorsport events took place this weekend. So, let’s take a look at what went down:

Lappi triumphs amidst heartbreak for Katsuta at Rally Sweden

Heading into this year’s edition of Rally Sweden (the second event of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship), the majority of people expected it to be a straight fight between returning champion Kalle Rovanperä and last year’s winner Ott Tänak. However, the pair threw everyone a curveball on Friday by crashing out of contention. So, with the other regular frontrunners Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans hamstrung by severely disadvantageous road positioning in the harsh Swedish weather, the door opened up to the rest of the pack to assert their own dominance.

Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta was the first to oblige. In recent rallies, the Japanese driver has reached new heights. He arguably should’ve taken his first rally victory at his home event last year, but after the first full day of running in Sweden, it looked as though he’d be in with a great chance of putting that right. However, after taking a little longer to get up to pace, Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi was also hot on Taka’s heels on the time sheets. And eventually, the Finn would move up into the overall lead of the rally.

On Saturday, the pair looked set to continue their close-fought duel, but tragically, a dive into a snowbank would put an end to Katsuta’s bid for a first victory. From there, Lappi knew that as the gap to the cars behind was too large, all he needed to do was bring the car home safely. He did just that, and in doing so ended a six-and-a-half-year wait for his second WRC career victory; one of the longest gaps between wins ever recorded in the sport.

Behind, Evans claimed second place overall, thus closing the points gap to championship leader Neuville who finished fourth. Sandwiched between them on the leaderboard, Adrien Fourmaux drove an incredibly mature – and incredibly quick – rally to take his first ever WRC podium. As a result, all three competing manufacturers were represented on the Rally Sweden podium. Shout out to Oliver Solberg too, who placed fifth overall in a Rally2-spec car!

Bathurst 12 Hour kicks off top-flight GT racing season

On the other side of the world, Mount Panorama played host to one of the top international GT racing events of the year – the Bathurst 12 Hour.

In this event, factory-supported GT3 crews would do battle on the famous Aussie mountain over half a day, starting an hour before sunrise, and finishing in the early evening. As a test of endurance, the duration and track difficulty makes this one of the most unforgiving races of the year, and as such, every top GT racer wants to add to the list of wins on their CV. Despite some shipping problems, the 2024 edition of the race still enjoyed a healthy field of cars, particularly where the German marques were involved. Audi, BMW, Mercedes-AMG, and Porsche all sent across some of their top talents.

The race had everything you’d expect; hard car-to-car overtaking, dramatic crashes, and even the element of changeable weather. So, if you’ve got 45 minutes to spare this lunchtime, or this evening, check out the highlights above.

Enjoy motorsport? Have a read of these classic stories next:

• Motorsport Legends: Prost vs Senna
• Motorsport Legends: Hunt vs Lauda

The post Weekend Motorsport Round-Up appeared first on Fast Car.

The 2024 Formula One season is just around the corner, but before pre-season testing gets underway, first there’s launch season to deal with. Last week we saw the likes of Alpine, Stake, and the lower half of the field unveil their cars, but this week the expected top dogs lifted the lid on their creations for the new year. Here’s a first glimpse of the expected 2024 F1 frontrunners.

Aston Martin AMR24

Aston Marin launched its 2024 F1 car alongside the brand new Vantage road car and Vantage GT3 racecar, each sporting the now-familiar (and achingly beautiful) green and yellow livery. As is the trend this season, the AMR24 does feature more bare carbon than previous years, but thankfully that is reserved solely for the sidepods and front wing, rather than the entire chassis of the car. Some teams could take note…*cough* Alpine *cough*.

As for the technical aspects of the car, Aston Martin’s Dan Fallows says, “the chassis design is new, as well as the nose, front wing, front suspension and rear suspension. We want to compete in the development race this season and this car is designed to do just that.”

Last year, Aston started incredibly well, but tailed off as the teams around them developed their cars more successfully. Clearly, that’s been taken to heart. Check out this video to learn more about the AMR24 in its launch guise.

Ferrari SF-24

Yes, it’s red. But look – it has white and yellow stripes now too! I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this addition to the familiar Ferrari color palette, but it does bring the F1 team closer in line with the livery on Ferrari’s Le Mans hypercars. Of course, much of the noise around Ferrari recently has been about its signing of Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season, but understandably, the Italians weren’t particularly willing to talk about it at their launch event in front of outgoing driver Carlos Sainz jr.

As for the car itself, most of the attention has gone on refinement rather than revolution. In 2023, the Ferrari concept was quick in qualifying, but would often fade away in the races. So, attention has gone on making small developments to the car to make it better over long distances. For all the nerdy tech updates, watch this.

McLaren MCL38

McLaren surprised everyone when it dropped its new 2024 livery earlier in the year, however this is the real deal – the MCL38 in its official launch spec. The British-Kiwi outfit had quite a rollercoaster 2023 campaign. After starting the year at the back of the grid, McLaren brought an aggressive update package along by the midway point of the season, and by the winter they had arguably the second-fastest car behind Red Bull.

Naturally, Zak Brown’s crew will want to build on that momentum. Team principal Andrea Stella said, “there are a number of innovations on the car, but not all the areas we want to address have been completed for our launch-spec car. Those areas now become the focus of our in-season development, which is already in progress.” Watch this to get a glimpse of what some of those initial innovations might be.

Mercedes-AMG F1 W15 E Performance

Lewis Hamilton’s final Mercedes F1 car is a thing of beauty. Blending Mercedes’ traditional silver with the new-age black, it’s a mixture which summarizes the team’s presence in F1 perfectly. It’s not just the color scheme that has changed either – Merc has opted for a fresh new car concept which they hope will get them back on track after a couple of years of barking up the wrong aerodynamic tree. To see what I’m on about have a watch of this video.

As well as a new chassis and new gearbox architecture, Mercedes has also been busy redesigning the car’s aero and suspension. “A big focus has been on improving the previous car’s unpredictable rear axle,” explained technical director James Allison. “We have worked hard to ensure that both axles, but particularly the rear axle, retain better control of the tire than on the W14. There’s also been some housekeeping on areas in which we had room for improvement, including the DRS effect, and pit stop performance.”

Red Bull RB20

Although the rest of the teams have clearly been hard at work over the winter break, there was an inevitable feeling that Red Bull would shift the goalposts again this year. Sadly, for enjoyers of competitive racing, it does appear as though Adrian Newey has found some more magic to sprinkle over the design. This video explains exactly what the RB20 appears to have up its sleeve, and weirdly, some of it will be familiar to Mercedes.

Of course, whether or not the RB20 works in practice remains to be seen – as is the case with all of these cars – however if I were a betting man I’d put money on it being as strong a package, if not more so, than the dominant RB19. Perhaps, if there’s one thing that could dislodge Red Bull from its perch at the top of the F1 tree, it could be the current ongoing investigations into team principal Christian Horner’s conduct towards employees. Depending on the fallout of that, who knows how the race team will be affected. One thing’s for certain though – the RB20 looks like a rather impressive beast indeed.

The post Every New F1 Car Launched This Week appeared first on Fast Car.

After a flurry of activity at the back end of January, things are a little quieter this month. However, there is still some high-level international motorsport going on in February that you should be aware of. Here’s what’s on this weekend.

What motorsport is on this weekend?

WRC: Rally Sweden

The FIA World Rally Championship moves onto its second round of the 2024 season, swapping the alpine roads of Monte-Carlo for the snowy forests of Sweden. Last time out, Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville claimed victory ahead of the Monte master Sébastien Ogier, but with Ogier skipping the Swedish round, we’re guaranteed a different look to the battle for rally victory this weekend.

Being the only snow rally of the year, it takes a certain set of skills to triumph at Rally Sweden. Local Scandinavian stars often do well, so plenty of attention will be on reigning champion Kalle Rovanperä, who makes his return to the series after skipping Monte-Carlo. Like Ogier, Rovanperä is only competing in a part-campaign this year, so although he’ll be one of the favorites for victory this time out, the wider championship narrative will be focused on drivers elsewhere. Of course, Neuville would love to double up on wins this early in the season, but it’s also worth keeping an eye on his Hyundai teammate Ott Tänak. Tänak won Rally Sweden last year for the less competitive M Sport Ford team, so he’ll be hotly tipped for another win now that he has Hyundai factory machinery underneath him.

Wales’ Elfyn Evans will want to build on the speed he showed in glimpses at Monte-Carlo too, having led the season opener for the first couple of days. And, who knows, after a promising showing in round one, perhaps M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux could surprise us all. Either way, there’s likely to be plenty of storylines unfolding throughout the weekend.

New-look Hyundai

Another thing to note is the fresh new look to the Hyundai factory WRC team. The South Korean marque has already changed its livery, just one event into the 2024 season. Essentially, the reason being for this is to put greater emphasis on Hyundai’s N performance branding.

Team boss Cyril Abiteboul explained it, saying, “As some of our colleagues celebrate the Lunar New Year, we are also marking a fresh beginning with an all-new livery for the remainder of the FIA WRC season. The design was created to pay tribute to our close working relationship with Hyundai N and Hyundai Motor Company, and complements their celebrations of ten years in the pinnacle of rallying.

“Starting the 2024 season with a win at one of the most iconic events in WRC history was an incredible moment, ten years after our first-ever Rallye Monte-Carlo, and it is fitting that Thierry (Neuville) and Martijn (Wydaeghe)’s Monte-Carlo colors are memorialized in the history books.”

And that’s a fair point – not many liveries can claim a 100% win record…

How to watch it

As ever, Rally Sweden will be held over multiple days, spanning Thursday 15th January – Sunday 18th January. The best way to watch the WRC is through the championship’s online streaming service, Rally TV. Rally TV also gives you access to the European Rally Championship and the FIA World RX Championship, plus tons of archive content. It is quite costly though, priced at €119.99 per year, or €12.99 per month. The exact amount will vary slightly depending on your region.

Alternatively, if you want to watch the WRC through a television broadcaster, UK audiences will be able to follow the action live on TNT Sports. In the US, sadly no broadcaster has picked up the FIA World Rally Championship this year. Fortunately, American (and international) audiences will at least be able to catch up with highlights for free on Red Bull TV.

Enjoy rallying? Check out the video above where we sent Jamie to check out an old-school Focus WRC and put it up against a modern-day Rally2 Fiesta! For more details, have a read of the full article.

The post What Motorsport Is On This Weekend? appeared first on Fast Car.

It’s an age-old cliché. What happens when you pitch an extravagant extrovert against a calculated introvert? In fact, you could argue that the same (or at least, a similar) recipe is what led to the great battle between Prost vs Senna as well. In this case, it was James Hunt that took up the role of extrovert; a man known arguably more for his partying antics than even his extreme speed in a race car. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ring, Niki Lauda preferred to let his driving do the talking. The pair would go head to head in a  battle full of twists and turns, so buckle up, this story is one that earned its place in the history books.

The first steps in F1

To get into F1, you need talent. But you also need money. A lot of it. How you get that money varies from driver to driver. These days, if you’re lucky enough, you might get an F1 seat if you’re part of a driver academy for one of the big teams. Or, you might be able to get behind the wheel if you bring enough sponsorship money with you. Back in Hunt and Lauda’s day though, things were a little different. Lauda, a man from a wealthy background, managed to convince a bank to lend him enough money to bag a seat with  a March chassis, while Hunt got on the grid after befriending affluent aspiring team owner, Lord Hesketh – ironically, also running a March chassis.

This occurred at slightly different times at the start of the 1970s, and it wasn’t until 1973 that the pair would both be on the F1 grid together; by then, Lauda, had moved across to BRM which was a former top team nearing its demise. That year, Jackie Stewart won his third and final championship, but lower down the order, Hunt impressed. Despite only undertaking a part-season, the Englishman nabbed two podium finishes and never finished outside the top 10. For that, he earned an impressive eighth place in the final series standings. Lauda, meanwhile, struggled with an uncompetitive car, his best result being fifth place at the Belgian Grand Prix amidst a sea of disappointment.

1974 – differing fortunes

The following year, it was all change. Lauda landed a dream move to Ferrari through the potential he had shown glimpses of in the previous year’s BRM, and as Hunt struggled with an increasingly unreliable Hesketh-run March, the Austrian finished 1974 as the higher-placed of the two. Though, at this point, there still wasn’t much of a rivalry – if any – between the pair to speak of. In fact, it’s doubtful that Hunt would even have been on Lauda’s radar at this point. Sure, the Brit was quick, but he was feeling the effects of competing for a privateer team.

Lauda, meanwhile, had managed to wrangle enough performance out of his Ferrari to be leading the championship mid-way through the season. Though, five straight retirements at the back end of the year would ultimately drop him down to fourth in the standings, behind team-mate Clay Regazzoni who had been the first of the two to jump ship from BRM to Ferrari. Despite Regazzoni’s best efforts, neither Ferrari ace would win the title. Instead, that honor went to McLaren’s Emerson Fittipaldi.

1975 – Lauda returns Ferrari to the limelight

Having come so close the year prior, Lauda made amends in 1975 and had a year to remember. He picked up five grand prix victories en route to his first World Drivers’ Championship, and with Regazzoni also on form, Ferrari claimed its first constructor’s championship title since 1964!

On Hunt’s side of the paddock, Hesketh had finally ditched their aging March and built their own car. It was reasonably quick, too. Quick enough to take victory at Zandvoort. But let’s be real, Hesketh isn’t Ferrari or McLaren. So although Hunt did well to finish fourth in the overall standings, it was never going to be a title-contending season. To rub salt into the wound, Lord Hesketh’s bank balance had finally taken enough of a hit to worry him. And so, that was that. The team was closing up shop, and James Hunt was out of a drive. That is, until news emerged from McLaren.

Emerson Fittipaldi had handed in his notice, and the double World Drivers’ Champion would be off to compete for his family team (a move that would prove to be more of a backwards step than he might have anticipated). That meant that suddenly there was an opening at one of the best teams on the F1 grid. And I’m sure you can imagine who wanted to fill it…

1976

So, here we are, the year depicted as the main focus of the film, Rush. The scene had been set perfectly. Reigning champion Lauda would defend his title with Ferrari, while the Italians’ greatest rivals McLaren would field the fiery and eager Hunt. Until now, the pair of them had never truly gone head to head, only sparring in passing glances. But boy did it kick off once they had equal machinery.

Wasting no time, Hunt promptly put his McLaren on pole for the season-opening Brazilian Grand Prix, with Lauda alongside him on the front row. Lauda would win the race though, with Hunt’s car succumbing to a terrifying ‘sticky throttle’. Lauda won the second round too, this time in South Africa, with Hunt tailing him home. The third race at Long Beach once again resulted in Hunt sitting on the sidelines after coming together with Patrick Depailler, while Lauda further added to his points tally with a second-place finish. By the time the Spanish Grand Prix rolled around, Hunt already had some notable ground to make up.

But, fortune seemed to favor the Brit. Between races, Lauda had managed to break his ribs in a tractor accident of all things, meaning that although he was still allowed to race, he wasn’t exactly at full fitness. The result? Hunt wins, Lauda finishes second. At least, that’s how it finished at the flag. During a post-event inspection, the FIA governing body decided that Hunt’s car was a mere 1.8cm too wide. To you or I, that might sound like a negligible offence, but to the FIA, that was worthy of getting Hunt kicked out of the race. Maybe fortune wasn’t on his side after all. Mechanical problems in Belgium and Monaco compounded his woes, with Lauda again making strides at the front.

No stopping Lauda?

At this point, the Austrian’s advantage in the championship was huge. He had collected a total of 51 points by this stage, with his closest challenger being teammate Regazzoni with a comparatively poultry 15. Bear in mind, this was at a time when points were much harder to come by in F1, as they only extended down to the sixth finisher. As Lauda was proving, if you could string together a chain of wins and podiums back then, you were practically untouchable.

In Sweden, a brief interlude in Ferrari and McLaren’s successes saw the freakish six-wheeled Tyrrells dominate the weekend, but it was back to business as usual in France for Round 7. There, Hunt grabbed a much-needed swing of points. The Brit converted pole to victory, while Lauda retired with crankshaft dramas. With the British Grand Prix just around the corner, it appeared as though the home favorite had finally found some luck.

The British Grand Prix

After qualifying at Brands Hatch, it did indeed look as though Hunt was in with a shout. Sure, Lauda had taken another pole, but Hunt was right there alongside him on the front row. Of everyone on the grid though, it was Lauda’s teammate Regazzoni who got the best start, jumping both the Lotus of Mario Andretti and Hunt’s McLaren. In fact, with a tempting gap in front of him, Regazzoni even dared to launch past Lauda, but turn one at Brands is a tricky affair, and such a move resulted in the pair coming to blows. It was the sort of gung-ho corner entry that the likes of Senna and Prost would go on to replicate many years later at Suzuka, although this time the outcome was far less dire for Ferrari’s championship hopes.

Regazzoni span out, but Lauda wrestled his car into line and resumed the lead of the race. Unfortunately for Hunt, the Brit would get tangled in the ensuing melee, wrecking the McLaren’s rear suspension. Here we go again…

It wasn’t uncommon in the ’70s for the drivers of damaged cars to swap into the team’s spare one if an opening lap crash caused the race to be halted, and, given that a clean-up operation was underway at Paddock Hill Bend, that’s exactly what Hunt attempted to do. The FIA were having none of it though. In their minds, such a move would be illegal, as by the time the race had been halted the cars had already technically completed the first lap. Arguments ensue.

However, while all the fuss was being kicked up, the plucky engineers in the McLaren garage managed to get Hunt’s broken suspension fixed. So, no need for the spare car. Until, yet again, the FIA decided that wasn’t adequate. As the fixed car hadn’t completed the first lap like the others on the grid had, it wouldn’t be allowed to take the restart either. Disaster.

In 99% of cases that would be that. But, no, there was another twist in the tale. See, while all of this had been happening, the 100,000 fans around the circuit had become pretty aggravated about the whole scenario. In the eyes of the paying public, they were witnessing an injustice, and boy did they let the FIA know. Remarkably, the officials did eventually back down. And so, Hunt was allowed to take the restart after all. I’m not exactly sure what the moral of the story here is…

As if written in the stars, a close battle on track ignited, culminating in Hunt passing Lauda at the hairpin, and sending the crowd into raptures as a result. From there, gearbox issues would see Lauda helpless to retaliate, and having been helped along by the home crowd, Hunt was able to mop up the points for victory. As a sweetener, it soon emerged that after a successful appeal, Hunt’s win in Spain had been reinstated. Game on. But wait, hold on, if you thought we were all out of curveballs, prepare to be amazed. With the fans having left the track gleefully, the FIA promptly disqualified Hunt for an illegal restart. The win was Lauda’s.

Tragedy at The Green Hell

Next up, the Nürburgring, and whereas it had been uncharacteristically sunny in the UK, the German Grand Prix weekend offered a rather more mixed climate to deal with. The Nordschleife was dangerous enough for F1 cars to begin with, but add uncertain conditions into the equation, and you’re asking for trouble. Lauda knew this, and earlier in the year he had unsuccessfully tried to get the track boycotted in favor of the safer Hockenheimring. That decisive vote would prove to be a fateful one.

With reports of rain on certain parts of the track, both Hunt and Lauda started the race on wet tires. However, it soon became clear that that was the wrong call, as drivers with slick-shod cars began to surge past them. Inevitably, the call was made to swap over to slick tires, by which point neither Hunt nor Lauda were in great positions, but Lauda in particular had ground to make up to regain contact with Hunt. So, as any racing driver would, he pushed hard. Too hard.

In the depths of the Green Hell’s forests, Lauda suffered a high-speed impact with a wall. The Ferrari burst into flames and rebounded onto the circuit, where it was collected by the car of Harald Ertl. Ertl, Brett Lunger, Arturio Merzario, and Guy Edwards all abandoned their own cars on the spot to rush over and come to Lauda’s aid. Merzario in particular showed admirable bravery, reaching into the flames to undo Lauda’s seatbelts. Their efforts, and of course the efforts of the medical staff who received Lauda at hospital, undoubtedly are what saved him from certain death.

Nonetheless, the extent of his injuries were life changing. His lungs had to be vacuumed to get rid of toxic material and he suffered widespread burns, particularly across his right ear and scalp. He also suffered damage to his tear ducts, which caused complications with his vision. That alone would be bad enough, but Lauda’s time in hospital was made even worse by some of the people he encountered.

A brazen photographer snuck into Lauda’s room disguised as a doctor and took pictures of him laying in bed, unable to say or do anything in response. Fortunately, the slimy rascal was caught and forbidden from publishing the images. There was also an incident with a priest. Lauda says that the priest in question merely turned up, gave him his last rites, and left again, without any sort of compassion or encouragement. Mind you, you could argue this was a blessing in disguise, as Lauda was so upset by the priest’s behavior, he vowed not to die in that hospital bed. Incredibly, despite all of this, he was back in a Ferrari F1 car just six weeks later.

Lauda’s remarkable return

During that time though, the F1 show went on. Ferrari didn’t attend the eleventh race of the year in Lauda’s home event at the Austrian Grand Prix, but Hunt of course did. The trouble for Hunt was that, so did everybody else, and consequently he only managed fourth place while John Watson took the victory for Penske. Next time out at Zandvoort, Hunt did manage to win the race, despite Regazzoni and Watson’s best efforts. With Lauda obviously not scoring, Hunt was now within striking distance.

The thirteenth race of the year was to be held at Monza – the home of the Italian Grand Prix and the Ferrari-loving Tifosi. And, poetically, it was here where Lauda would return to the cockpit of one of the famous red cars. Incredibly, he outpaced both Regazzoni and new Ferrari wildcard Carlos Reutemann in qualifying. To make things even better for Lauda, Hunt started the race right at the back following a fuel infringement. Perhaps in an eagerness to regain ground, Hunt ended up in the gravel trap and out of the race, while Lauda steered the Ferrari home to fourth place.

However, as the championship moved across to North America for the next two rounds, Hunt would find form just when he needed it. Two victories compared to an eighth- and third-placed finish for Lauda meant that there would indeed be a final-round showdown in Japan to end the year.

The Japanese Grand Prix

Going into the final race at Fuji Speedway, the situation was this: Lauda had 68 points to his name, and Hunt had 65. Nine points remained on the table, meaning that as long as Lauda could simply follow Hunt home to the flag, he’d be a valiant double World Champion.

Qualifying went well for the Austrian. Although Hunt was on the front row, Lauda would start just behind in third. But, as if the stakes weren’t already high enough, the heavens opened, and the track was deluged. It’s not uncommon to get this sort of severe wet weather in Japan. Rain-instigated red flags are no rare thing in the Japanese Super GT and Super Formula championships of today, but back then, F1 had a show to put on, so the decision was made to go ahead with the race despite the downpour.

As you can imagine, visibility was atrocious. The spray kicked up from the cars meant that if you were even two or three positions behind the leader, you might as well be driving the track by memory rather than by eyesight. That wasn’t a particular issue for Hunt though, who had vaulted into the lead of the race in the early stages. Lauda, meanwhile, wasn’t having such a fun time. Having dropped to fifth, and now all too aware of the danger that can strike in adverse racing environments, he decided that enough was enough. On lap three, Lauda pulled into the pit lane and simply stepped out of the car. Although probably shocked by the novelty of the situation, the Ferrari crew couldn’t exactly argue with Lauda’s choice. He would go home knowing that Hunt was the champion this year, but at least he’d be going home.

It’s also worth noting that Lauda wasn’t the only competitor to withdraw. Fittipaldi, Carlos Pace, and Larry Perkins joined him in pit row. Hunt, however, probably would’ve stayed out on track even if a tsunami hit.

From there, it looked as though the title was neatly wrapped up for Hunt, but this being Japan, the weather wasn’t done yet. As the race wore on, the track began to dry. In fact, it dried out so much that a distinct dry racing line had emerged. This wasn’t ideal for Hunt’s wet-weather tires, which degraded rapidly as the Brit made little effort to preserve them. As a result, both Depailler and Andretti caught and passed him. Third would still have been enough to capitalize on Lauda’s retirement though. But then, Hunt’s tires gave up for good. Having dragged the McLaren to his pit box, Hunt received a fresh set of rubber, emerging back onto the track in fifth. If he wanted that title, he had work to do.

Fortunately for hunt, there was yet another twist in the tail. Remember Reutemann, the Ferrari wildcard at Monza? Well, Regazzoni caught wind of the fact that Reutemann was set to take his seat at Ferrari in 1977, and knowing that, the Swiss felt little loyalty towards the Prancing Horse anymore. So, when Hunt appeared behind him, Regazzoni didn’t put up the strongest of fights. Though, in fairness, Hunt’s fresh tire advantage should have been enough to see him through anyway. Following in the wheel tracks of Depailler, Hunt made his way past Alan Jones too, and eventually crossed the line in third. After this absolute rollercoaster of a year, Hunt had done it. He was champion by one single point.

What did the future hold?

In the winter months and beyond, Hunt became a national darling in the UK, and would even go on to commentate on F1 alongside Murray Walker once his driving career ended just three years after winning the 1976 championship. As for Lauda, well if you feel that he should’ve been the rightful winner of the ’76 championship, don’t worry – he bounced back the following year and claimed the 1977 title with two races to spare! And, after a brief hiatus, he’d even go on to claim a third title in 1984 while driving for Hunt’s old team – McLaren.

In fact, Lauda would go on to remain a beloved member of the F1 paddock for decades to come, assisting with the running of multiple race teams, most notably Mercedes up until his passing in 2019, aged 70. Sadly, Hunt didn’t get to enjoy such longevity. Despite everything that Lauda had been through, it’s almost little surprise that he outlived his great ’76 rival. Hunt’s hedonistic ways would eventually catch up to him in 1993, when he died of a heart attack at just 45 years of age. In a way, the fates of these two drivers summarizes their respective personalities and careers to a tee. Hunt shone brightly across just six and a half F1 seasons (relatively few for a driver of his caliber), whereas Lauda’s career always contained an element of long-term thinking.

This battle of wills would’ve made for a great spectacle on its own, but when you throw in all the adversity that struck in 1976, the story becomes one that will live on in F1 folklore forever. Someone should make a movie of it, don’t you think?

The post Motorsport Legends: Hunt vs Lauda appeared first on Fast Car.

After years of overbearing middle-management as part of the Renault Group, the Alpine F1 Team starts afresh in 2024 with a new, simplified leadership structure, which will hopefully be for the better. With less commercial meddling going on, us neutrals can only hope that the F1 team will be well-funded, but left alone to do its work more effectively. So far, given the relative absence of new Alpine CEO Philippe Kreif from any headlines, initial assumptions are that things are flowing smoother than when Laurent Rossi was at the helm. Anyway, that’s the big off-track change that Alpine has undertaken over winter, but how has the fresh approach translated into actual car design? Let’s find out.

The livery

First of all, it’s worth briefly touching upon the livery (or, liveries). As has become tradition for Alpine, the French marque will run two different liveries throughout the year – the main one containing more blue on the nose to represent the car brand (as shown above), and a secondary one containing more pink to appease the team’s biggest sponsor, BWT (as shown below). However, whereas the BWT livery only ran at the opening two rounds last year, the 2024 edition will be present at eight of the 24 scheduled grands prix.

This Alpine A524 alternate pink livery will be used at eight grands prix.

Predictably, the liveries follow the trend seen with every other team’s launch so far this year, and that is the much greater presence of bare carbon. The reason for this trend essentially boils down to weight-saving, as less paint means less weight. We’re talking fine margins, but that is what F1 is all about after all. Anyway, from a spectator’s point of view, it’s less than ideal. What we’re set to be faced with is a grid of mostly dark, black cars, only identifiable by their accent colors.

Fortunately, each car revealed so far does at least have a distinct secondary palette. McLaren sticks out with its bright papaya orange, whereas the fluorescent green of the newly-rebranded Stake F1 team pops well too. The Alpine livery, with its blues and pinks is also fairly distinctive, and in isolation does look good to me. Let’s just hope that when we see the cars on the circuit together, those accent colors are bold and big enough to help us easily spot who’s who.

Technical evolutions

As always, the caveat with any launch-spec F1 car is that it’s unlikely to look this way by the time pre-season testing arrives. However, there are at least some hints at what we can expect from Alpine’s 2024 F1 car – which is called the A524, by the way. Firstly, a side-by-side comparison with the 2023 car reveals that the sidepods have a more aggressive undercut, though the top surface remains pretty much identical (at least in this spec).

As for the wings, the front item displayed at the launch is marginally wider with slightly bigger vanes than before, whereas the rear wing concept is likely to change more often between circuits than previously.

Perhaps the biggest point for improvement for Alpine was the suspension. Last year, the team wasn’t able to cure some baked-in ride and stability problems, though a reworked rear suspension design should help to remedy at least part of that problem. For a more detailed analysis of the car, check out this video.

The Le Mans Hypercar

While we’re here, it’s also worth mentioning the *other* car that Alpine launched yesterday, the team’s Le Mans Hypercar. Named A424, this beautiful prototype arguably looks and sounds far better than its F1 counterpart. It wears a much more traditional Alpine livery, and other neat features like taillights shaped in the mold of Alpine’s logo.

Designed atop an Oreca chassis, the car is powered by a Mecachrome 3.4-liter turbo V6, which bears resemblance to the standard power unit used in Formula 2. The team is set to make its debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship this year, which includes the highly-prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours. Amidst a raft of experienced sportscar talent, the team’s most prominent star name within its driver roster is ex-F1 racer, and son of Michael, Mick Schumacher. However, due to commitments with the Mercedes F1 team as its test driver, it remains to be seen how many WEC races Schumacher will actually compete in.

Overall, expectations for Alpine’s WEC debut should be kept realistic. Although the Oreca chassis is one of the best in the industry, this is still a new car which has received much less development time than the big dogs in endurance racing that have been around for a while. Plus, it’s fair to say that Alpine’s overall WEC driver lineup doesn’t quite have the ‘wow factor’ of some of its rivals. Anyway, in the meantime, check out this video of the Alpine A424 testing at the Barcelona circuit, it’s one beautiful machine.

The post Alpine F1 Team Lifts Lid On 2024 Challenger appeared first on Fast Car.

The Evolution of Rally Cars

The Ford Focus WRC

The Ford Focus WRC made its debut in 1999 and it quickly became a force to be reckoned with. Developed by M-Sport, the official motorsport division of Ford, the Focus WRC showcased cutting-edge technology and engineering prowess. Indeed, it was Ford’s first ‘proper’ WRC car, designed specifically to meet the new regulations after the ageing Escort Cosworth.

Powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter Zetec engine, the Focus WRC produced an impressive 300-plus horsepower. Its all-wheel-drive system provided exceptional traction, allowing drivers to tackle various terrains with ease. The multilink rear suspension setup that made the Focus such a great handling car on the road also has its roots in the WRC design. Homologation rules forbid significant changes to suspension mounting points, so the road cars benefited as a result.

Piloted by legends

Under the guidance of legendary drivers like Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae, the Ford Focus WRC made an instant impact. Colin McRae finished 3rd in the car’s first-ever competitive event at Monte Carlo in 1999. He was later disqualified for the infamous water pump homologation debate, but it showed the car’s inherent speed. McRae went on to win the gruelling Safari Rally a few weeks later. And then claimed victory again in Portugal in the same year.

With its powerful engine and advanced suspension system, the Focus WRC became a formidable force on the rally stage. In 2000, McRae and Sainz finished on the podium no fewer than 9 times – doing so together on four occasions! The following year was similar story – with five podiums for both Sainz and McRae. In 2002 (the final year of the iconic Martini livery), the Focus notched up another six podium finishes – three of those being outright victories.

The Ford Fiesta Rally2

Fast forward to the present day, and we have the Ford Fiesta Rally2, the latest iteration of Ford’s rally car line-up. The top-tier WRC category still exists (now called Rally1), and M-Sport enjoyed lots of success with the Mk8 Fiesta, including winning both driver and manufacturer’s titles in 2017, and winning the drivers championship again in 2018. When the rules changed to the current Rally1 specifications that include the use of hybrid technology, M-Sport switched to the Puma.
The Fiesta is still a formidable machine and is the weapon of choice for many competitors in the Rally2 Championship. Unlike Rally1, with its big budgets that only manufacturers can afford to compete in, Rally2 regulations include a price cap to keep costs under control. But think this is a ‘budget’ form of motorsport. It just isn’t. The Fiesta Rally2 still features an improved suspension system, more aggressive aerodynamics, and a refined chassis, resulting in enhanced handling and agility.

Tech Specs

Engine

The Ford Focus WRC has a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, based on the Zetec motor found in road cars. Initially built by Mountune and later by Cosworth, the spec includes a Garrett turbo with a 34mm restrictor. Power is rated at 300bhp at 6500rpm, with peak torque of 550Nm at 4000rpm.

On the other hand, the Ford Fiesta Rally 2 is powered by a modern direct-injection, turbocharged 1.6-liter engine. It uses a smaller 32mm turbo restrictor and delivers around 280 horsepower at 6000rpm and 475 Nm of torque at 4000rpm. While the Fiesta Rally2 has a smaller engine, advancements in turbocharging technology and modern direct fuel injection allow it to generate impressive performance figures.

Both cars feature anti-lag systems to ensure the turbo is always ready to provide boost. The WRC car uses a more complex ‘fresh air’ system, while the Rally2 car uses an electronic throttle body and jacks open the throttle slightly when the system is activated. Both systems do the same thing – they allow combustion to occur in the exhaust to provide maximum energy to keep the turbo spinning. On the WRC’s fresh air system, air is taken from the cold side of the turbo and plumbed directly into the exhaust manifold. Whereas on the Rally2’s system, the extra air has to pass through the intercooler, inlet, and cylinder before it reaches the exhaust where it combusts. The fresh air anti-lag system is what gives rally cars that distinctive chirping noise, too.

Drivetrain

Both the Focus WRC and the Fiesta Rally 2 feature an all-wheel-drive system, providing exceptional traction and stability on various surfaces. Both have sequential gearboxes: a six-speed Xtrac in the Focus and a five-speed Sadev unit in the Fiesta.
However, the Focus WRC utilises a fully active differential system. This allows the ramp angles of the front, rear, and centre differentials to be altered electronically. An ECU controls the settings, providing full tunability of the drivetrain.
Active differentials are incredibly expensive, therefore they have been outlawed for Rally2 specifications. The Fiesta employs mechanical limited-slip differentials, which still provide excellent performance but at a lower cost.

Weight and Aerodynamics

Surprisingly, given their 20-year gap in age and different regulations to comply with, the Focus WRC and the Fiesta Rally2 weigh exactly the same. They both tip the scales at 1230kg.
The Focus competed in a time when the manufacturers wanted the rally cars to closely resemble those on dealer forecourts, and as such the WRC car is the same overall dimensions as the road car.
However, with rules relaxed and more aggressive aerodynamics employed, the Fiesta Rally2 has little in common with its road legal counterpart. The Fiesta Rally2 is a full 50mm wider than the Focus. It’s shorter too (4065mm compared to 4152mm of the Focus), giving a squarer and more stable platform.
And that’s without the aero package. Much more than just a rear wing, the aero kit on the Rally2 car includes wider fenders, redesigned bumpers, and even aerodynamic wing mirrors.
This results in enhanced downforce and reduced drag.

Performance on the Stages

When it comes to comparing the performance of the Ford Focus WRC and the Ford Fiesta Rally 2 on the track, it’s important to consider the changes in regulations and competition. The WRC has seen several rule changes over the past 20 years, affecting everything from engine displacement to aerodynamic modifications.

What we really need is someone who has driven both the Focus WRC and Fiesta Rally 2 in anger. Someone who can offer a direct comparison of what each car feels like when strapped in and belting across the stages. Enter David Wright.

In the hot seat: David Wright

David is a keen and very talented rally driver. But he’s not a works-backed professional racer. He runs a local branch of Fix Auto UK in his home town of Bentham in North Yorkshire. “Owning a bodyshop certainly comes in handy when rallying doesn’t quite to plan,” he laughs.
Having competed at numerous events in an ex-Carlos Sainz Focus WRC (V2 FMC) belonging to a family friend, David has recently acquired a modern Fiesta Rally2 to compete in tarmac rallying events. That makes him perfectly poised to compare these two impressive fast Fords.

David explains: “They are two very different machines. The Focus was designed and built using the very latest technology and active differentials. That makes the car surprisingly easy to drive compared to the Rally2. Coupled with the extra torque from the larger capacity engine, the Focus is a bit more forgiving and is always fast.

“By contrast, you need to get hold of the Fiesta by the scruff of the neck and really throw it around. The mechanical diffs and torque deficit mean you need to be on-song all the time to extract maximum performance,” he continues.

“You can take the Focus across incredibly hostile terrain like the Safari and Acropolis, and you know it’s tough enough to cope. And you can feel that behind the wheel. Whereas the Fiesta isn’t tough enough to survive events like those, on tarmac rallies the Fiesta feels like a go-kart compared to the Focus. It’s so nimble and precise. And the Fiesta Rally2 can easily be as quick, if not faster, than the Focus WRC on the right surface.”

Which is best: Focus WRC vs Fiesta Rally2

While the Focus WRC dominated the WRC during its prime, the Fiesta Rally2 is designed to excel in the Rally2 championship, which features slightly less powerful cars than the top-tier Rally1 cars. But this allows for closer competition and, reiterating David’s comments, puts a greater emphasis on driver skill and strategy.

Both cars offer exhilarating performance, but the Fiesta Rally2 showcases the advances made in rally car design and technology. The Ford Focus WRC and the Ford Fiesta Rally2 represent two different eras in the evolution of rally cars. While the Focus WRC will always hold a special place in rallying history, the Fiesta Rally2 proves that innovation and progress are constant in the world of motorsport.

The value of the WRC car these days means it just isn’t worth the risk of David using it in competition regularly. But rally fans will still get the opportunity to see used in anger at events like Goodwood Festival of Speed. And given his record of winning the rally stage outright, David isn’t one to potter around doing exhibition runs. Oh no, this will be spitting flames and spraying dirt everywhere as onlookers are immediately transported back to the early 2000s and the era of playing Colin McRae Rally on the PlayStation.

To answer the question, ‘Which is best?’ we don’t know. On one hand, you have the technical advances and rawness of the Rally2. On the other, you have powerful nostalgia and a car that was designed with no expense spared.

Which do you think is best?

Photos: Mantis Pro Media

The post Ford Focus WRC vs Ford Fiesta Rally2 appeared first on Fast Car.

Given the state of this team’s performance as ‘Alfa Romeo’ last term, it would be easy to overlook the Sauber C44, writing it off as another inevitable backmarker of the 2024 Formula One season. However, once you start to dig deeper into the design and personnel underpinning it, the car actually has quite an interesting story to tell – beyond the lairy new color scheme. So, stick around and I’ll tell you exactly why Sauber… sorry, Stake… shouldn’t be as anonymous as they were in 2023.

The new Stake F1 team identity

Before we get into the actual engineering details, it’s worth covering the most eye-catching part of the Sauber C44 – its livery. As is the case with all of the 2024 F1 liveries revealed so far, the theme is very much “have a bare carbon base, then add a splash of accent color.” However, instead of McLaren’s papaya, or Williams’ blue, fluorescent green is the color which will represent Stake. And frankly, I’m all for it. Amidst an increasingly dark and gloomy grid, any source of bright color is welcomed, and it’s fair to say that you won’t fail to spot these on TV. Plus, given the fluorescence, I imagine the car will look particularly good under the lights during F1’s series of night races.

Increased fan focus

If you’re unaware as to why Sauber is now calling itself Stake, go back and check out this article to get up to speed with what Stake is, why it’s controversial, and what role Audi has in the background. Anyway, one of the major points reiterated during the launch show was that Stake wants to elevate the way it interacts with fans. That was apparent in the new graphic style used during the presentation, as well as the easily identifiable bold color scheme. Plus, with the amiable and often butt-naked Valterri Bottas, plus fashion-savvy Zhou Guanyu hired to sit behind the wheel, Stake has a pair of drivers which it can certainly lean on to elevate the team’s new personality and social media presence.

From the outside, it looks as though they’ve peered over at McLaren’s highly successful identity overhaul and decided that they wanted a slice of that pie. Good luck to them, but for any of this to have any sort of meaningful impact, the car needs to be quick enough to get the team’s drivers and its ‘new identity’ into the spotlight in the first place. So, are there any early signs of promise?

Reasons to be optimistic

Now for the nerdy bit. Let’s talk aero. During the car’s launch, words like “aggressive” and “brave” were thrown around when describing the team’s approach to its new car concept. But what does that actually mean?

Often, a lot of attention gets paid to the front wing of an F1 car, but not so much during launch season given that the final version is almost always kept secret until pre-season testing begins. Instead, the Sauber C44’s sidepods are one of the biggest obvious changes made to the car from an aero perspective. In particular, the design of the pods’ intakes has been revised to better aid the flow of air. New channels on top of the sidepods then give the air that doesn’t enter the intake a less resistant path around the car. Plus, the sidepods themselves are more compact than they were last year.

Elsewhere, whereas last year Sauber ran pushrod suspension at both ends of the car, it’s now opted for a pullrod design at the front, emulating the concept used by Red Bull and McLaren. Now, you might think that suspension changes would come as a result of wanting to recuperate some sort of mechanical deficit in the car’s handling, but actually Sauber technical director James Key states that it has happened for aero reasons. To learn more about the intricacies of the Sauber C44’s aero concept in its launch specification, watch this video.

What secrets are Stake hiding?

It’s also worth noting that, as with every F1 team’s season launch these days, there is an element of smoke and mirrors at play. When the Stake F1 team arrives in Bahrain for pre-season testing, the car will already have evolved and added further aero features on top of what we see now. Key has admitted exactly that.

So, although there’s certainly a lot of uncertainty about the car, it’s positive to know that Sauber’s engineering team is in a well-funded, creative place now, rather than the stagnant one that it had become in recent years.

What does the future hold?

By now, it’s well-known that Sauber/Stake will become the Audi factory F1 team in 2026, but in the shorter term, there’s still notable plots to keep track of. The first one is the team’s recruitment drive. In the engineering departments, Andreas Seidl and James Key are already in place, having previously served their time at McLaren during the first stage of the ‘papaya revolution’. Seidl in particular is a big coup for the team to have secured, and there’s no indication that the recruitment drive on the engineering side of things is over.

Expect more talent to join the Sauber project in the months and years to come. In fact, it’s not just engineers that are likely to be coming through the door. Lewis Hamilton’s shock move to Ferrari has left Carlos Sainz Jr jobless for 2025. As things stand, Stake is the Spaniard’s most likely destination, given the draw of an Audi factory drive (and pay cheque) in 2026. Having another proven Grand Prix winner in its ranks would be a further necessary step for the team on its path to factory status.

To be successful in F1 though, it’s not just about the people you have at your disposal, but the equipment that they have to work with. Fortunately, the team’s newfound investment hasn’t overlooked that, and a raft of updates and upgrades to the teams wind tunnel should certainly help matters. Expect more frequent, higher quality car upgrades throughout the year as a result.

Anyway, those are my first impressions of the Sauber C44 and the state of the Stake F1 team. Let’s see how this early-year optimism translates into reality once the racing begins.

The post Sauber C44 Takes ‘Brave’ Aero Direction appeared first on Fast Car.

It’s official. Lewis Hamilton – the seven-time Formula One World Driver’s Champion – is joining Ferrari on a multi-year deal from the 2025 season onwards. It’s a link that we’ve heard whispers of before in past rumor mills, but this time, the rumors had legs and it didn’t take long for the story to start running at full pace. Yesterday began with a flurry of shock reports from multiple respected F1 journalists breaking the news. Then, in the evening, the parties involved confirmed the deal on social media.

Undoubtedly, this is the biggest F1 driver transfer of the 21st Century, given the stature of the names and history involved. As a result, there’s a lot to unpack, so let’s try to unpack it all together. Here’s everything we know about the deal that’s taking Hamilton to Ferrari.

The details

It wasn’t that long ago (August 2023) that Hamilton signed a new deal with the team he has considered like family since 2013. Back then, we understood that his now-current contract would see the Brit continue his association with Mercedes in both 2024 and 2025. However, we now know that the 2025 season was only ever an option rather than an obligation, and Hamilton has elected not to take up that option.

Ferrari’s interest in Hamilton has been long-standing, but until now he has always stuck by Mercedes. So, for this move to have gone ahead, Hamilton must have very recently either lost faith in Merc’s ability to turn its form around, or simply decided that a new challenge in a new environment was necessary to revitalize his own personal performance.

Throughout Merc’s decline since the start of 2022, Hamilton has been adamant that he trusted the engineers at Brackley to get on top of the car concept and restore themselves back to victory contention. However, perhaps this move to Ferrari is an indication that he now feels his trust was misplaced. Or, less harshly, maybe is an indication that the staff turnover at Mercedes hasn’t been able to replicate the genius of the former setup.

Either way, it’ll be very interesting to see how the 2024 Ferrari stacks up against the 2024 Mercedes.

The domino effect

With Ferrari confirmed to be signing Hamilton, what does that mean for the Italian team’s current driver line-up? Well, this shock news comes at a very interesting time. Only last week, Ferrari reached a deal to extend Charles Leclerc’s contract on a multi-year basis. That therefore means that Carlos Sainz Jr will be shown the exit.

If further rumors are to be believed, that would then pave the way for Sainz to join Stake in 2025 and bed into the team before it evolves into Audi in 2026, though there could also be movement at Aston Martin, and there’s even potential for him to slot into Hamilton’s old seat at Mercedes.

As for who else could take the newly-vacant Mercedes seat, well that’s anyone’s guess. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are tied down to McLaren for the long-term, but Alexander Albon is likely to be in the conversation if he repeats his 2023 form again this year. If Albon does make the step up, that would then create room for Mercedes junior driver Kimi Antonelli to make his F1 debut with Williams, who are a Mercedes engine customer and are led by former Mercedes man James Vowles. For now though, all of that remains conjecture.

The first word

When such a landmark driver transfer happens, there’s understandably plenty of emotion involved. Here’s what everyone had to say about the news, starting with Mercedes F1 team principal, Toto Wolff:

“In terms of a team-driver pairing, our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has seen, and that’s something we can look back on with pride,” Wolff said. “Lewis will always be an important part of Mercedes motorsport history. However, we knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come.

“We accept Lewis’ decision to seek a fresh challenge, and our opportunities for the future are exciting to contemplate. But for now, we still have one season to go, and we are focused on going racing to deliver a strong 2024.”

Hamilton then followed up, saying, “I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together.

“Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge.

“I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together. I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember.”

The right move?

It’s worth pointing out that although this is a spectacular new challenge for Hamilton, he won’t be walking into a completely foreign environment. After all, he worked with Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur back in the mid-2000s when Vasseur was heading the ART GP2 team that Hamilton raced for prior to his breakthrough in F1. That partnership bore plenty of success – namely, the GP2 championship title – so the pair will want to pick up in F1 where they left off in GP2.

There is still an element of risk attached to this move though, for both parties. By the time the 2025 season rolls around, Hamilton will be 40 years old, so it’d be asking a lot for him to replicate the success he enjoyed earlier in his career. Mind you, Fernando Alonso is currently proving that age is just a number, so it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility that an equally fit athlete like Hamilton could still do a job at the top of the sport in his forties.

Regardless of how things pan out, one thing is for certain. F1 now has the intriguing storyline that it so desperately needed.

The post Hamilton to Ferrari: Mercedes Confirms Champion’s Exit appeared first on Fast Car.

Separated by a five-year age gap and entirely different cultural backgrounds, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna were two very different people – but both ferocious competitors. In hindsight, perhaps it should’ve been obvious that pitching the pair of them against each other (often in the same garage) would result in fireworks. But, it didn’t start out that way.

Although they had both held places on the F1 grid throughout the early-to-mid eighties, the story really begins in 1988. Fresh off the back of a successful stint with Lotus, Senna graduated to the McLaren Formula One team, which at the time was the crew to beat. Replacing Stefan Johansson, he took up the role of Alain Prost’s teammate; the Frenchman having won the F1 World Driver’s Championship the previous year. However, Senna proved to be a much closer match for Prost than Johansson ever was.

The pair of them traded victories throughout 1988, culminating in what would turn out to be a rather foreshadowing showdown in Japan. Heading into that race at Suzuka, a win would see Senna dethrone Prost as king of F1, but a dodgy start meant he was faced with an uphill battle. After dropping down to as far as 14th, Senna miraculously climbed his way back up through the order, even managing to hunt down Prost and re-pass him. With that, Senna claimed his first F1 driver’s world championship title at Prost’s expense, but this would barely be a footnote in the story that was yet to come…

Teammates turn sour

Although the battle had been hard-fought, Prost and Senna remained relatively amicable throughout the 1988 season. However, that all changed in 1989.

Imola was the venue where the spark would be ignited. Behind the scenes, McLaren had come to the agreement that whoever was first to make it to turn one would be allowed to cruise to victory without threat from their teammate. And, given the dominance that McLaren had over the other teams at the time, they knew that nobody else would be a factor either. To an outsider, it all sounds tremendously unsporting, but I guess this was just another example of Ron Dennis’ hard-nosed management style. Unfortunately, when you have two drivers as competitive as Prost and Senna, such an agreement was never going to be a good idea.

A deal gone wrong

At the start of the race, Senna converted pole position into the race lead as the pack of cars headed into turn one. And, as requested, Prost kept in line without offering much in the way of a challenge. Not too long later though, Gerhard Berger suffered a massive accident in his Ferrari, which burst into flames. Fortunately, Berger would get away from the incident with ‘just’ a set of bruised ribs and second degree burns. Nevertheless, the race was halted under red flag conditions so that the medics could extract the Austrian from his car.

On the restart, things went down a little differently at the head of the field. This time, Prost beat Senna off the line and led into turn one, but then Senna retook the lead of the race further around the lap. In his mind, this didn’t breach McLaren’s prior agreement, as he had already ‘earned’ the win by leading before the race had been temporarily halted. Prost, however, did not see it the same way, suggesting that the opportunity for ‘earning’ the victory should have been reset after the red flag period. This was the first real sign of tension between the two sides of the McLaren garage; tension which would bubble away and evolve into something much greater as the year went on.

Two Suzuka showdowns

1989

Just like in 1988, the pair were pretty evenly matched throughout the 1989 season, resulting in a winner-takes-all scenario in Japan yet again. Senna had to win to defend his title, and although Prost was leading in the latter stages of the race, the Brazilian was reeling him in. Eventually, Senna launched his car into an overtaking move at the chicane, which was the penultimate corner of the lap – just in view of the massive grandstand along the start-finish straight.

Diving down the inside, Senna quickly found that the gap he had gone into was closing rapidly. Approaching the corner, Prost turned in as per usual, as if he either hadn’t seen Senna – or simply didn’t care that he was there. A cynic might call it calculated. The result was, inevitably, contact between the two of them.

Prost retired on the spot, but Senna wouldn’t give up. The marshals managed to bump start his McLaren, and after a quick trip to the pit lane, Senna was back out onto the circuit. Due to the dominant speed of the ’89 McLaren, the only real barrier to victory for Senna was Alessandro Nannini’s Benetton, which he dispatched with relatively easily. Indeed, Senna would go on to win the race, but that still wasn’t enough. Hours after the checkered flag had fallen, the FIA governing body disqualified him for that bump start he got off the marshals – a move deemed illegal.

So, in the end, the title would go to Prost. After the event, Senna reiterated his intent to always fight until the very end, meanwhile Prost – who was headed out the McLaren exit door for Ferrari – said, “to be very honest, I’m quite happy to leave because it becomes absolutely impossible to work with Ayrton.”

1990

As was now becoming tradition, the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka once again promised a title showdown between Prost and Senna, this time with the added flavor of them competing for different teams. On this occasion though, the tables were turned. Instead, it was Prost who was coming from behind in the points standings. Just like Senna in the previous year, Prost knew that he needed to win the race to keep his championship hopes alive.

Before the green flag had even been waved though, controversy was brewing. Having won pole position, Senna was irked by the fact that the leading grid slot was on the less grippy side of the grid. As Prost had qualified second, but would therefore start on the grippier side of the circuit, Senna felt hard-done by and attempted to get the sides of the starting positions reversed. Naturally though, this was rejected.

Anyway, either through emotion or genuine lack of grip, Senna made a worse start than Prost, handing the Ferrari driver the lead as the cars headed towards turn one. That lead didn’t last long however, as Senna flung his McLaren into a gap that was always going to close. The result was a heavy contact between the front of Senna’s McLaren and the rear-quarter of Prost’s Ferrari, sending them both spectacularly off into the gravel trap, and out of the race. As neither of them would score any points, the championship would therefore go to Senna. In the aftermath, Senna would utter his now-famous quote, “If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.”

However, while that may have been his public defense, it’s easy to view this incident as one of revenge for the ’89 crash that favored Prost.

Into the ’90s

In 1991, Prost found himself stuck with a Ferrari that was barely up to winning races, let alone championships. As a result, the Prost-Senna rivalry lay dormant for much of the year as Senna strolled to a third championship title with McLaren. There was one particular  flashpoint for the pair of them though.

At the German Grand Prix, Senna and Prost were battling away for fourth place. Prost tried a move on the outside, but Senna held his line, meaning Prost locked up and went out onto the run-off area at the chicane. The Frenchman then had to wait for a marshal to remove a cone from his path so that he could rejoin the circuit, only to stall his Ferrari, and promptly retire. From the outside, the coming together looked fairly innocuous, but Prost was furious with Senna. In response, Senna replied “I think everyone knows Prost by now… there’s always somebody else to blame, it’s never his fault.”

Ferrari sacked Prost at the end of 1991, but after a sabbatical in 1992, the veteran made his way back to the F1 paddock for 1993. And, in doing so, he would re-ignite the bad blood he shared with Senna. After much speculation, Prost eventually signed for Williams. However, due to the changing tides of dominance between the teams, Senna had also been interested in signing for the British outfit. At least, that was until that it emerged that Prost had negotiated a veto against the team signing Senna as his teammate. In the press, Senna brandished his rival a “coward” for not wanting the fight.

A happy ending?

Prost’s comeback ended up being a farewell tour, with the 1993 Adelaide Grand Prix turning out to be his final ever F1 race as a driver. A stellar year behind the wheel earned him his fourth championship title, with Senna ending the year as runner-up in a slightly inferior McLaren.

Although Prost had won the war in 1993, Senna took the honor of winning the final race. During the podium ceremony, the Brazilian invited Prost to join him on the top step as a mark of respect. So, despite everything that had happened between the pair, even up until that very same year, it became apparent that Senna had a willingness to end the feud.

In a future interview, Prost would reveal that, “he changed his way completely with me when we were on the podium in Adelaide. A few days later, he called me, and that kept going throughout the winter. So, yes, in this way, he’s a friend.”

Senna would of course go on to replace the retired Prost at Williams for the 1994 season, during which he would tragically lose his life at Imola, the circuit where this titanic rivalry began. In that context, the amends made between the pair before Senna’s death seem even more poignant.

All in all, Prost vs Senna was one of the greatest rivalries that motorsport has ever seen; one that flared up often and sometimes brought the sport into disrepute, but ultimately burned out into a beautiful sense of respect. Keep an eye out for the second entry into my Motorsport Legends series next week.

The post Motorsport Legends: Prost vs Senna appeared first on Fast Car.

The landscape is shifting in the rally raid sphere. Ford is coming along in a big way with a yet-to-be-unveiled Ranger Raptor behemoth, but after finally winning the Dakar with its hybrid RS Q e-tron, Audi is on its way out the door ahead of a big new adventure in F1. So, to keep things competitive, the World Rally Raid Championship needed a new manufacturer to step into Audi’s shoes, and that manufacturer is Dacia. However, the proposed Dacia Sandrider is a rather different vehicle to the RS Q e-tron which currently holds the Dakar crown.

See, following the eventual success for Audi and its electrically-propelled RS Q e-tron, you’d be forgiven for assuming that other manufacturers would follow in the Germans’ EV footsteps. However, that’s proven not to be the case. The upcoming Ford is set to use synthetic fuels in a combustion engine, the venerable Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux already does, and now so too will this Dacia. And what an engine to choose. Dacia has leant on the Renault-Nissan alliance to secure itself a supply of 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engines, based on the VR30DDTT architecture found in the current Nissan Z! Those engines will be fueled by synthetics produced by Aramco.

Tech specs – what we know so far

Of course, the Dacia Sandrider is still a concept that’s in its infancy, however we do know a little bit about it already. Those V6 engines, for example, will be tuned to compliance with the premier T1+ regulations of the World Rally Raid Championship, meaning that they’ll actually produce less power than a standard Z. Whereas the roadgoing coupe cranks out 400hp in its stock guise, the competitive regulations dictate that the Sandrider will churn out 360hp instead. However, torque is quoted by Dacia as 539Nm (398lb ft) which is more than the Z’s figure of 350lb ft, or 384 in the Nismo variant. Another trait that the Dacia Sandrider has over the Nissan Z Nismo is a six-speed manual sequential gearbox.

The body will be constructed from carbon fiber and sit atop a tubular chassis, with double wishbone suspension at both ends. Up to 350mm of suspension travel will help the Sandrider to glide its way across tough terrain.

British motorsport legends, Prodrive, have been tasked with building the Dacia Sandrider, but they’ll receive factory assistance from the Renault Group. That should be a lethal combination given Prodrive’s prowess in the sport – as privateers, they claimed the runner’s-up medal in this year’s Dakar with their own Prodrive Hunter. And, it’s worth pointing out that they’re the team that was behind Subaru’s WRC programme, and Aston Martin’s GT racecars.

‘Essential’ design

Dacia prides itself on its philosophy of ‘essentialism’, which is basically a fancy way of saying that they’re a ‘no frills’ company. They’ll focus on what matters, and deliver those aspects the best way they can; no more, no less. That comes across in the Sandrider’s purposely straightforward design. As Dacia puts it, there are no “decorative or superfluous” parts. Whether that’s the right approach for what is essentially a halo car, I’m not sure, but for better or worse, it definitely adheres to Dacia’s brand identity.

There are some clever bits of thinking packed in. For example, although it’s based on the Dacia Manifesto concept, the raked front bodywork and anti-reflective paint have all been introduced to give Dacia’s team of drivers the best possible visibility. On the inside, the Dacia Sandrider features a modular dashboard, allowing crews to change the interior setup to their own liking. It’d be interesting to see if aspects of that ever make it to Dacia production cars…

The Romanian marque also claims that a lot of thought has gone into the Sandrider’s dynamic efficiency. Compared to “comparable prototypes” (presumably its Dakar rivals in the T1+ category?), Dacia says the Sandrider is 15kg lighter, creates 10% less drag, and 40% less lift. This should lead to better fuel efficiency and less of a need to stop during a rally stage. Speaking of stopping, should the crews ever need to change a tire, a magnetic plate on the car gives them somewhere to attach the wheel bolts, preventing them from getting lost in the desert sand.

Sébastien Loeb (left) and Cristina Gutierrez (right).

Who will race it?

Prodrive will operate the Dacia factory team and the Sandrider is set to make its competitive debut at the 2024 Rallye du Maroc in October. However, three Sandriders will be entered into the full 2025 World Rally Raid Championship, which includes the prestigious Dakar event.

9x World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb will continue his association with Prodrive going into the new Dacia era, having led the development of the British team’s Hunter prototype which he has competed with over the past few years. With plenty of rally raid experience now under his belt, the former WRC star is primed to take his first Dakar win with Dacia.

Joining the legendary Frenchman in the team is Spanish racer, Cristina Gutierrez. Gutierrez has been making a name for herself in the lower off-road categories, and is a race winner in the Extreme E series. This top flight factory drive will be quite a step up for her, but she’s well equipped to make the most of it.

Finally, multiple Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah is slated to take up the third car. However, the Qatari Olympic medalist hasn’t exactly got off to the smoothest of starts with Prodrive. To get acquainted with the team, he traded his trusty Toyota for a Prodrive Hunter in this year’s edition of the Dakar rally, in preparation for the Dacia assault next year. However, a string of problems with the Hunter resulted in Al-Attiyah walking away from the car and refusing to drive it to the finish. I suppose the only way is up, but I also wouldn’t be surprised to hear Ford knocking at his door in the near future either…

The post Dacia Sandrider Dakar Buggy Gets Nissan Z Engine appeared first on Fast Car.

Everyone loves a rally special, right? From the Tommi Makinen Edition Lancer Evo, to the Impreza RB320, there’s a short but strong history of marques producing modified road cars to celebrate the successes of their drivers on the World Rally stage. And now, after quite a long wait, there are some new ones to add to our wish list.

See, Toyota has enjoyed a lot of success in motorsport in recent years, including in the discipline of rally. In fact, a Toyota driver has won the WRC title every year since 2019. Undoubtedly, a lot of that success is down to the machinery that the Japanese marque has engineered and provided, but they’ve also had an array of superstar drivers in their ranks. Amongst them are French rallying legend Sébastien Ogier, and Finnish wonderkid Kalle Rovanperä. Between them, the two drivers have collected a staggering ten WRC championships so far, so who better to honor with a set of special edition road cars? However, are these Toyota GR Yaris special editions worthy of the tradition? Let’s find out.

GR Yaris RZ High Performance Sébastien Ogier Edition

The first thing to acknowledge is that name. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it? Mind you, all of those words do at least point to quite an exciting combination.

Power is the same as that of the updated road car; 299hp from its 1.6-liter three-pot. For context, that’s an additional 20-odd horsepower compared to the old GR Yaris.

The real charm, however, comes in the form of ‘Seb Mode’. Both of these special edition cars have been set-up with different traits and capabilities which reflect the style of each honored driver. This mode sends more power to the real wheels for “a sense of oneness with the vehicle.” This is in addition to Normal Mode and Morizo Mode, which focuses on maintaining traction above all else.

Aesthetically, the Ogier Edition is certainly the more restrained of the two, featuring a matt grey exterior and newly-designed rear wing. As for the Rovanperä Edition…

GR Yaris RZ High Performance Kalle Rovanperä Edition

Yep, this car has exactly the sort of wild design that Rovanperä would appreciate. It also takes the rear wing from the Yaris GRMN. Like the Ogier Edition, the powertrain remains the same, but again there are personalized driving modes.

Now, it must be said that Rovanperä is one of the most precise drivers in the current WRC field, however his extracurricular exploits in the Japanese drifting scene prove that he’s also happy driving like a total lunatic. For that reason, instead of Morizo Mode, this car gets Donut Mode. This ensures that all four wheels of the car get an equal maximum propulsion, allowing for controlled AWD drifts and, well… donuts. Kalle Mode, meanwhile, employs an extra rear diff to allow the driver to swing the back end of the car out into a turn, and then reliably pull it back into shape on exit.

Inspired by Morizo

If you’re into cars, you’ll know that Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda is a real enthusiast. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that these cars were designed and built at the request of ‘Morizo’ himself.

Explaining the project, he says that these special editions “express my respect and gratitude to the drivers who hone and grow our cars in rallies, to all the teams that provide us with such opportunities and to rally organizers and all others involved, as well as to fans”.

Other little touches include interior stitching that corresponds with each driver’s national flag, a commemorative plaque, and references on the front wings to Toyota’s WRC successes in 2023.

Only 100 examples of each special edition are slated for production, and all are reserved for the Japanese market. In fact, to get the chance to buy one, potential suitors will have to enter a lottery – Nissan Figaro style! So, if you plan on importing one of these to the West in the future, you better have very deep pockets.

Although officially launched before the start of this year’s Rallye Monte-Carlo, eagle-eyed visitors would’ve been able to spot these cars in Japan a few weeks ago. To see what else was at the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon, read our report on some of the show’s other highlights.

The post Toyota GR Yaris Special Editions Launched At Rallye Monte-Carlo appeared first on Fast Car.

Alongside driver changes and new teams, the state of the calendar is a regular talking point in F1 circles. Does it visit the right circuits? Are there too many events in the year? Well, this announcement of a new F1 race in Madrid is likely to irritate people who answer ‘no’ and ‘yes’ to those questions, respectively. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has announced that the new Spanish race will take place on a completely fresh street circuit in the capital, and there’s no indication that it’ll come at the demise of another event on the schedule.

First look at the circuit

Before we dive into the fine details of this announcement, let’s first take a look at the proposed circuit layout itself. The race is set to take place around the grounds of the IFEMA Madrid exhibition center, in a course that will feature both street sections and non-street elements. I suppose there are parallels to be drawn with the FIA Formula E race in London at the ExCel arena, though admittedly this new Madrid F1 race won’t be passing through any of the indoor halls like FE does. Perhaps the stadium-circling Miami Grand Prix bears a closer likeness.

Anyway, the track is five and a half kilometers in length, featuring 20 turns which F1 expects to take 1:32minutes to complete during qualifying. Arguably the most defining feature of the circuit layout is its inclusion of two tunnels, though F1’s Head of Vehicle Performance, Craig Wilson, was also keen to highlight the steep downhill section between turns 7-9, and the possibility of turn 10 being banked.

For context as to *where* exactly the circuit will be located, the exhibition center is 16 kilometers away from central Madrid in the Barajas district, but “within five minutes” of the Adolfo Suarez airport. As such, it should be highly accessible to both domestic and international fans. As well as the IFEMA plot, other locations that the track is set to pass by include Real Madrid’s Sport City training ground.

What does this mean for Barcelona?

The new Madrid F1 race will take over the Spanish Grand Prix title, and given that its organizers have a signed a deal spanning the 2026-2035 seasons, some have assumed that this event will take the place of the current Spanish Grand Prix venue. However, Domenicali won’t rule out the possibility of retaining the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on the calendar alongside Madrid.

In fact, he says, “For the avoidance of doubt and to clarify here, the fact we are in Madrid is not excluding the fact we could stay in Barcelona for the future.

“Looking ahead, there are discussions in place to see if we can really extend our collaboration with Barcelona, with whom we have a very good relationship, for the future.”

So, what do you think? Is this the right move for F1, or are they barking up the wrong tree?

The post New Madrid F1 Race To Join Calendar From 2026 appeared first on Fast Car.

It is just shy of 70 days since the engines were switched off at the end of the 2023 World Rally Championship season, but they will be back this Thursday to kick off one the most unpredictable seasons for more than a decade. Toyota drivers Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä have scooped the last four WRC crowns between them, but both Yaris drivers are conducting part-time programmes in 2024. That presents a golden opportunity to Elfyn Evans, himself a three-time runner up in the global contest.

The Welshman will not have things his own way though, because the potential tinder box of a partnership between 2019 king Ott Tänak and Belgian speed demon Thierry Neuville will either spark into a highly successful assault or suffer a meltdown. How this conundrum is stage-managed will be fascinating to watch. And British heroes M-Sport will be back at the party, initially with a brace of Ford Pumas. Grégoire Munster will be joined in the line-up by British Rally title winner and Rally1 returnee Adrien Fourmaux. The Puma, don’t forget, was a two-time winner in the WRC last term and so it can’t be discounted.

Sit back, buckle up and enjoy what is likely to be a lip-smacking WRC season, and you can read how it all unfolds in Motorsport News each week. For now though, let’s take a closer look at some of the key pre-season storylines, as I sit down with Toyota’s Welsh superstar.

Toyota will wear a new black livery for its 2024 WRC campaign.

Can Evans assert dominance at Toyota?

No driver goes into any new season without a winning ambition. That is a given. And that has been Elfyn Evans’ philosophy since he joined rallying’s top fight over a decade ago. Approaching 2024, the Toyota World Rally Team ace has all the aces up his sleeve. He is in arguably the best car in the contest in the Rally1 Yaris, he has banked the experience from more than 100 events at the highest level and he has a free run at the silverware this term as title-winning team-mates Rovanperä and Ogier are on part-time programmes on their side of the service park.

It was French legend Ogier who crushed Evans’ title hopes in 2020 in the final round in Italy, while Rovanperä has ripped up the history books to become the WRC’s youngest-ever title winner in 2022 and 2023. All the while, Evans has looked on enviously from his close-but-no-cigar viewpoint.

Since the 35-year-old joined the Japanese firm in 2020 after a stint at M-Sport, he has proved to be a reliable and fast driver. Seven wins have come his way including his highest-yet season’s return in 2023 when he claimed three victories and he signed off his campaign with glory in Toyota’s backyard on Rally Japan. That was a statement win by over a minute ahead of Ogier and Rovanperä.

Frenchman Ogier will continue with the part-time campaign that he is comfortable with in the latter stages of his career, but Rovanperä’s decision to adopt a similar approach was something of a shock when it was confirmed at the end of 2023. At just 23 years old, the double title winner will step down from a branch of the sport few had conquered even once at his tender age. So, by rights, this should afford Evans his best chance yet at lifting that elusive World crown. But the driver himself has been around the block long enough to know that nothing is a given in the WRC and there will be no let-up in the competitive edge at the front.

Elfyn Evans interview

“For sure, when you take two very fast guys and title contenders and put them on part-time seasons, then the chances increase for everyone who is left doing it full-time,” Evans told Motorsport News. “That goes without saying. But that doesn’t mean to say that the challenge will be any less, because the overall speed will still be there [on each event]. Seb and Kalle will still be around on various rallies, still fighting for wins. So I think certainly there is an opportunity like there is every year but winning rallies will still be very difficult.

“It is clear the level of competition is still the same because either of those two guys will still be there throughout the season. Then you have to factor in Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville at Hyundai too.” That last sentence could highlight the major thorn in Evans’ side this season. Hyundai was the paciest car at a number of events in 2023. There might have been only two victories for Neuville but the speed won’t diminish this term and the painful lessons of the previous campaign will only be a spark to perform at a higher level.

The threat of Hyundai

The interest, and the potential downfall, for Hyundai will surround the working cooperation between the two drivers. They were partnered back in 2021 and 2022 and the relationship quickly became frosty (not helped when Tänak felt Neuville should have given up a win in Greece to help his ’22 points chase). It was almost irreparable and therefore Tänak’s decision to turn his back on M-Sport and return to the South Korean firm’s attack was something else that caught service park insiders off guard. Evans has looked on with interest. He was a team-mate to Tänak at M-Sport back in 2017 and knows the Estonian and his working methods well. But, much like his theory on the chances of a World championship chase, he is keen to sidestep the chance to wade into the potential tinder box that could be the Hyundai squad’s combination. How does he think they will gel?

“I have no idea, to be honest. It is not anything for me to worry about,” he says candidly, but he is aware of the threat they pose as a pairing. “I don’t discount anybody. Of course, Thierry is always fast and Ott is a former champion so there is no doubt they are going to be among the fastest in the championship,” he adds.

The magic of the Monte

While Evans won’t discount anyone, he knows that coming out of the blocks fast will be key to the 2024 campaign. Monte Carlo maestro Ogier will be part of the Yaris line-up as he chases a ninth WRC win on the event but points are the target for Evans. Hitting the ground running is perhaps a poor turn of phrase, as Evans did that quite literally before Christmas when he broke some ribs after falling off his bike while training. Fully repaired now, he is relishing the challenge ahead. The Monte Carlo Rally in 2024 will return to some of its traditional tests to the north of the base and use the iconic Gap stage. This will present an even bigger challenge to the regulars.

Changeable conditions mean that the pressure level for the competitors will increase, but it is all part of the beauty of conquering one of the sport’s most famous events according to Evans.

“It is one of those yes and no rallies,” he says. “It is always a massive challenge. I don’t think everybody enjoys every minute of the Monte Carlo Rally. It is one of those rallies, especially as the route is now going back up north, where there is a lot of stress and there are a lot of decisions to be made. It is not just about driving as fast as you can. There is a lot of judgement and rally management.

“It is definitely a tough way to start the year but it is an event which you get a huge amount of satisfaction from, but it can also be a frustrating event if it doesn’t go your way. Monte had, in a way, lost a little bit of character when we moved down south. There was a lack of snow and ice compared to previous years. The chances of a ‘whiter’ Monte is much, much higher but, of course, that also adds to the difficulty.”

M-Sport will compete in a fetching new white livery.

The teams

Let’s be honest, the World Rally Championship entry list isn’t the healthiest it’s ever been. Across three teams, there are just eight full-time Rally1 cars entered for the 2024 season, and two of those will feature a rotation of drivers. It’s a big concern for the championship, and one which has caused plenty of discussion in recent months about the future of the championship. Although these hybrid Rally1 cars look, sound, and perform superbly, the costs involved seem to be alienating any potential new factory teams that might be interested in joining, while most independents would simply scoff at the idea of running a car as expensive as a Rally1.

However, until a resolution is found, we can only appreciate what we already have, and thankfully although the numbers aren’t massive, the quality is very high indeed. We’ve already mentioned the might of Toyota and Evans, but it’s worth pointing out that Takamoto Katsuta is set for perhaps the most important season of his senior career to date. The Japanese prodigy will run alongside Evans on a full-time basis for Toyota in 2024, and after showing signs of real speed in glimpses last year, a first WRC rally victory might not be an entirely outlandish aim.

What have the others got up their sleeve?

Hyundai’s WRC team went viral in the off-season thanks to their recreation of the GTA VI trailer (which you can watch above), though I wouldn’t be surprised if the jovial atmosphere in the team sours sooner rather than later. As referenced earlier, Neuville and Tänak have certainly had their differences in the past. However, Hyundai’s hiring of ex-Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul seems to have convinced the Estonian about rejoining. Certainly, with Abiteboul steering the ship, the Hyundai factory team could/should feel a bit less like ‘Team Neuville’ if Tänak proves that he can outshine the Belgian on pace. Cue the fireworks already. A third Hyundai will also be in attendance at each event, shared by the trio of veteran Dani Sordo, Finnish ace Esapekka Lappi, and reigning WRC-2 champion Andreas Mikkeslen.

We’ve not spoken about M-Sport much in this preview, and regrettably that’s with good reason. Despite the fresh new look unveiled at Autosport International, the Puma is undeniably the weakest of the Rally1 cars due to M-Sport’s lack of factory testing budget from Ford, and the British team’s chances of success were reduced even further when Tänak abandoned the project over the winter. In his place, Adrien Fourmaux does at least have a point to prove. He’s always been quick, but has seemingly matured a lot since his previous stint in the WRC’s top class. His team-mate, Grégoire Munster, is set for a steep learning curve though.

Whatever happens over the course of this season, you’ll be able to keep up to date with it right here on Fast Car, or in Motorsport News’s weekly paper. Stay tuned!

Words by Matt James & James Bowers

The post 2024 World Rally Championship Preview appeared first on Fast Car.

For the first time in a long while, there’s plenty of hype surrounding the potential success of the McLaren F1 team. At the tail end of 2023, the Woking-based outfit was arguably Red Bull’s closest challenger on pace, so every (non Red Bull-aligned) F1 fan is eager to see whether McLaren can keep that trajectory up. Adding to the buzz in this early part of the year, McLaren has shocked us all with a surprise 2024 livery reveal. Importantly though, the team’s actual 2024 car design remains firmly under wraps, suggesting that this year maybe they really do have something worth hiding for a little longer.

Only time will tell if the optimism translates onto the track, but for now, here’s an overview of the colors you can expect to see McLaren wearing in 2024.

2024 McLaren F1 livery details

Unsurprisingly, the new 2024 McLaren F1 livery isn’t anything radically different to that of 2023. That said, there are certainly some changes to be aware of. For a start, the sky blue accents (which I quite enjoyed) have been axed in favor of more black. I’m sure there are branding explanations that McLaren would be happy to provide, but the reality is that more black in the livery means that they can run more pure carbon fiber and less paint – and that means less weight. It’s a trend which most F1 teams jumped on a few seasons ago, and it’s not something which I expect to change anytime soon.

Other differences include the finish of the driver numbers. This might seem like an almost irrelevant point, but driver numbers serve an important role of aiding fans at home and at the circuit to identify who they’re watching drive past. Unfortunately, both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri appear set to wear chrome numbers on their cars, which in the renders at least, are a little more difficult to read than is necessary. Perhaps it’ll be different once they’re out in natural sunlight, rather than depicted as pixels on a screen.

Speaking of Pixel, Google is once again a prominent sponsor on the car, its wheel rims painted in the colors of the tech giant’s logo. This familiar little styling cue is quickly becoming one of the most ‘iconic’ elements of modern F1 liveries, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about that.

As mentioned earlier, it’s not worth trying to analyze the details of the aero, as this is not what the McLaren MCL38 will look like.

What can the team achieve this year?

As we all know, what the car looks like isn’t hardly as important as how it performs. So far, the outside world’s optimism is being mirrored by Zak Brown and Andrea Stella, the team’s two leading lights. However, that optimism is also tempered with a sense of caution. As worrying as it might be for all the other teams on the F1 grid, the reality is that Red Bull aren’t going to stand still. The question, therefore, is whether McLaren et al. can make enough of a leap to the point where Red Bull’s own gains don’t matter. To me, that seems like a tall order…

The post 2024 McLaren F1 Livery Revealed Early appeared first on Fast Car.

Admittedly, off-road builds aren’t usually our thing here at Fast Car, but in the case of the Dakar Rally, the ‘cars’ involved – if we can even call them that – are simply too fun to turn a blind eye to.

Fans of the famous cross-country race will know that drivers and riders can enter all sorts of vehicles into the Dakar Rally’s multitude of different classes. Bikes, buggies, quads – even full-size trucks! However, the stars of the show tend to be the cars. These often involve the best styling, best tech and best drivers, and 2024 is no different…

Toyota GR DKR Hilux EVO T1U

If you broaden your motorsport horizons beyond the closed paddock of F1, you’ll quickly begin to realize that Toyota Gazoo Racing is an absolute powerhouse. This has been the case for a good few years, but last year alone, Toyota won the FIA World Endurance Championship, FIA World Rally Championship, and the Dakar Rally, at a relative canter. The only blot on their otherwise immaculate copy book was coming second to Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Intending to start 2024 on a similar high, Toyota Gazoo Racing is back again to defend its Dakar crown. However, things are a little different this year. For a start, the team has a whole new look. Gone is the iconic white and red livery of years past, and in its place comes this stealthy black number. For brand alignment’s sake, you’ll see this dark new aesthetic on Toyota’s WRC Yaris fleet and WEC Hypercars too.

That’s not all though. See, Toyota has parted ways with its former star driver, Qatari sporting hero Nasser Al-Attiyah. Without him, the Japanese marque faces an uphill battle to retain its position on the top step of the Dakar podium. That said, Toyota’s fresh five-strong squad of drivers aren’t without their own prestige in rally-raid circles. Lucas Moraes steps up to the factory team after finishing third in last year’s Dakar for privateer Team Overdrive, and he’ll be joined by Seth Quintero, a young graduate from the ‘buggies’ class. Giniel de Villiers is an experienced veteran of the sport, while rookie Saood Variawa joins TGR from the South African Global Touring Car Championship. Guy Botterill, another Dakar rookie (albeit an established rally ace), completes the line-up, substituting for the injured Henk Letigan.

Not your average Hilux

Upon first glance, it’s easy to tell that this is no ordinary Toyota Hilux. In fact, aside from the silhouette, there’s little that this wild pick-up shares with its roadgoing namesake. The engine, for instance, is based on one of Toyota’s production blocks – but not one that you’ll find in the humble Hilux. Instead, this Dakar special runs a modified version of the V35A twin-turbo petrol V6, found in the Land Cruiser SUV. In stock form, the V35A outputs 410PS, but for the Dakar, sporting regulations mean that Toyota has had to detune it to around 360PS. Still, that’s plenty to be playing with, especially with 457lb ft of torque on tap.

During the winter off-season, the Hilux has undergone a number of small evolutions. Its track is now 100mm wider, and the air conditioning unit has been relocated for better efficiency. As well as airing the drivers, Toyota has also upgraded the engine’s cooling system. As for the rest of the Hilux’s design, there’s no need to fix something that ain’t broken.

Prodrive Hunter

Based on last year’s form, Toyota’s biggest threat for victory could be Prodrive. Up against the might of OEM constructors, it’d be easy to assume that a small organization like this might be an underdog. However, let’s not forget what Prodrive is. Sure, it may be a little company tucked away in the British midlands, but Prodrive was the driving force behind Subaru’s WRC dynasty. When it comes to off-road racing, these guys know what they’re doing.

Nowadays though, they aren’t operating under the guise of another manufacturer. Instead, the Prodrive Hunter is a self-titled album, designed to prove exactly what Prodrive stands for. It’s quite an attractive-looking thing too. Sure the front end won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but we’re a fan of its high-riding coupe-esque proportions. And, maybe it’s just us, but the Hunter’s rear lights seem rather reminiscent of some current Jaguar models.

Underneath its brawny exterior, the Prodrive Hunter makes use of a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 like the Toyota Hilux mentioned above. However, the block you’ll find in the Hunter’s engine bay is based on a modified Ford Ecoboost motor.

Star-studded drivers

Arguably, what makes Prodrive the biggest threat to Toyota is not simply its engineering prowess, but its two star drivers. 9x World Rally champion Sébastien Loeb placed second in the Dakar last year, and for 2024, he’s joined at Prodrive by former Toyota man Al-Attiyah. I’d be surprised if those two weren’t the bookies’ favorites.

You might be wondering why Al-Attiyah would trade a Toyota factory contract for a Prodrive one, but that equation starts to make more sense once you factor in the news that Prodrive will evolve into the new Dacia factory team in 2025…

Audi RS Q e-tron

So far, Audi’s foray into the Dakar Rally has been a tricky one. The Audi’s RS Q e-tron is the most innovative Dakar machine in the car category, and as such, it’s needed a slightly more extensive development phase to truly become competitive. Couple that with a heavy dose of bad luck in both 2022 and 2023, and the big results haven’t yet come the German marque’s way. However, that innovation which has caused some of the trouble, has also led to the Audi RS Q e-tron being the most widely spoken-about car on the grid. Whereas Audi’s rivals rely on combustion, the RS Q e-tron takes on the desert dunes with battery power. As a result, what we have is a full-on tech war at the top of the Dakar tree, which Audi is keen not to lose.

So, how exactly does this SUV-spaceship lovechild work? Well, two Formula E-sourced electric motors propel it along. However, it’s not exactly easy to find a charging station in the middle of the desert, so to get around that issue, the RS Q e-tron charges itself. To do that, it relies on a neatly tucked-away 2.0-liter TFSI DTM petrol engine. It’s worth pointing out though that the thoroughbred four-cylinder never actually moves the car along. Instead, it’s simply there to power an onboard generator, which then charges the electric propulsion motors.

Make or break?

With two competitive years under its belt, Audi has been able to move on from developing the core concept, and instead gone down a more specific upgrade plan for 2024, in line with the likes of Toyota. For Audi, a big focus in the off-season has been on improving comfort for the crew inside the cabin. If Audi’s drivers and navigators aren’t buffeted around so much, it stands to reason that they’re likely to perform better and make less mistakes.

Interestingly, Audi has paid particular attention to the way that the car travels across soft sand too, rather than any of the other terrain variants that the teams come across during the event. According to factory driver Mattias Ekström, the revisions should allow the drivers to traverse big dunes without so much of a need to be constantly shifting in and out of different gears, making the driving process more efficient.

Multiple DTM champion Ekström will once again partner veteran stalwarts of the Dakar, Stéphane Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz. Given the number of accolades that this trio shares between them, there can be no doubt over the quality of Audi’s driver roster. All they need to do now is put the full package together – luck included.

Ford M-Sport Ranger Raptor T1+

Ford is the new kid on the block. The fourth full factory effort in this year’s edition of the Dakar ensures that the car category will enjoy its deepest, most competitive entry list for a very long time. However, as Audi and Prodrive found out at the start of this decade, it’s not easy to come into this event and be fighting for victory right away. As such, it’d be a minor miracle if the team was to win on its first outing, but we shouldn’t discount them from potential podium or top five contention.

The organizations running and developing Ford’s factory Dakar effort are Malcolm Wilson’s M-Sport outfit, and Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM). Both have a long-standing association with the Blue Oval, especially M-Sport, having run Fords in the WRC for more than twenty years. This, however, will be Ford’s début at the Dakar.

First impressions

As far as appearances go, the M-Sport Ranger is much more recognizable as a ‘car’ than the Audi is. But, like Toyota’s Hilux, there are few similarities between it and the average roadgoing Ranger pickup. As per the regulations, it’ll be running a tuned 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, but to be honest it’s not worth getting too bogged down in the tech specs of this Ranger. Ford has already admitted that, since this car is based on an old formula, there will be an all-new Dakar Ranger coming in 2025. This year then, is largely a dress rehearsal for the main push in years to come.

Piloting the Rangers in 2024 will be Dakar veteran Nani Roma (formerly of Prodrive), and NVM’s Gareth Woolridge.

The Dakar Rally always provides some pretty brutal automotive entertainment. So, if you find yourself with a spare few minutes over the next week or two, follow the highlights of this year’s event over at the official Dakar YouTube channel. The first official day of the rally is Saturday 6th January, 2024.

The post The Beasts Of The Dakar Rally appeared first on Fast Car.

After a six-season stint in partnership with Sauber Motorsport AG, the Alfa Romeo marque will not be on the F1 grid in 2024. However, while Alfa is gone, Sauber is here to stay, albeit with an entirely new team identity. Instead, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will compete as the Stake F1 Team. So, let’s take a moment to understand what this all means…

What is the Stake F1 Team?

To put it simply, the Stake F1 Team is the new name for the team that F1 fans know as ‘Sauber’. The Swiss racing outfit has been in the sport for decades and enjoyed a reasonable amount of success in the past. However, F1 is an incredibly expensive championship, so it’s very difficult to fight against major constructors like Ferrari and Mercedes as a sole privateer. For that reason, Sauber has elected to seek major financial support from commercial partners throughout its racing history. Alfa Romeo was the most recent example of that, but now Stake is the new source of cash injection. So, what exactly is Stake?

Well, the company biography sounds like a collection of 2020s buzzwords. It’s a crypto-casino and sports betting hub, or as Sauber puts it in its press release, a “leading betting, entertainment, and lifestyle brand”. As a result, the news of this rebrand is likely to bring some controversy with it.

The problem with choosing Stake

The mass promotion and glorification of sports betting is an issue across many sports internationally. Football is arguably the place where detractors have spoken up the loudest so far, concerned that the overwhelming presence of these brands is inciting addiction. In fact, Stake itself is the current shirt sponsor of Everton Football Club, but a recent ruling will ban betting companies from sponsoring player kits from 2026 onwards.

Taking over the naming rights of an entire F1 team is new territory for a brand like this though. Admittedly, there are parallels to be drawn from history. After all, it wasn’t long ago that every F1 car worth its salt was a rolling cigarette billboard. Gambling is simply the new profitable vice to take the place of the tobacco, but no matter how you rationalize it, it still leaves a bad taste.

Team name or chassis name?

The Stake F1 Team naming rights will span both the 2024 and 2025 seasons, but if you thought Sauber’s major new sponsorship deals ended there, you’d be wrong. Running in tandem with the Stake partnership across 2024 and 2025, Sauber will also be profiting from a deal with streaming platform, Kick. If you haven’t heard of Kick before, consider it a rival to Twitch. This agreement will see Kick gain naming rights for the car’s chassis. So, although the team will be entered into the championship as the Stake F1 Team, the car itself will be known as the Kick Sauber C44.

If you’re a TV commentator, that poses an interesting question. Do you refer to the cars as ‘Stakes’ or ‘Kick Saubers’? We’ll let Crofty figure that one out…

What does this mean for the future of Sauber?

These lucrative deals with Stake and Kick will run for two seasons until the end of 2025. So, what happens after that? Where will Sauber’s money come from? Well, if you’ve been keeping up with major F1 news over the past year or so, you’ll already know the answer to that.

From 2026, Sauber Motorsport AG will become the official Audi factory F1 team. That means it’ll not only enjoy Audi’s cash, but also benefit from Audi’s engineering expertise, culminating in a factory engine deal. Indeed, this won’t be like the outgoing Alfa Romeo partnership where Alfa handed over some money in return for a livery on the racecar. This will be a fully-fledged F1 commitment from the German marque, mirroring that of the biggest constructors in the sport. It’s a deal which could utterly redefine Sauber’s potential as a racing team.

For that reason, this somewhat complicated new Stake/Kick rebrand will only ever be a stop-gap solution (assuming Audi doesn’t get cold feet). As such, it’s hard to get too worked up about the new branding, whether you like it or not. It isn’t here to stay, so for now, let’s just be grateful that Sauber has enough backing to remain on the F1 grid in 2024.

The post Sauber Rebrands To Stake F1 Team appeared first on Fast Car.

The Formula One driver market is often a fickle thing. A few dodgy races at the wrong point in the season, and depending on how trigger-happy your team boss might be, you’ll quickly find yourself out the door, replaced by the brightest new face from F2. Or at least, that’s usually the case. This year, however, the ten teams on the Formula One grid have collectively shown a rare hand of loyalty. As such, when the 2024 F1 grid forms for the first time next year on the start line in Bahrain, there won’t be any new names to learn (well, at least as far as the drivers go, but more on that later).

Now, that might not be great for headlines, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to talk about during the winter break. So, here’s a run down of each team’s driver-lineup, along with what you should expect from them all in 2024.

2024 F1 Grid

Red Bull Racing

Drivers: Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez

Red Bull’s 2023 campaign was practically faultless. For the most part, Max Verstappen seemed untouchable behind the wheel of the RB19, which was easily the best car on the 2023 grid. When you pair a driver of Verstappen’s talent with a car as good as that, what you get in return is dominance at an elite level. Over the course of 2023, the Dutchman would go on to break more records than any normal person could keep track of, collecting 19 wins from 22 races, which of course culminated in an early romp to the title. The constructor’s championship fell the way of Red Bull too. In fact, the only blot on Red Bull’s 2023 copy book came in Singapore, where Carlos Sainz Jr. took victory for Ferrari. But hey, nobody’s perfect.

That is especially true of the driver on the other side of the Red Bull garage. Without wanting to be too dismissive, Sergio Perez had a forgettable year that verged on becoming inadequate. In the early weeks of the season, two race wins in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan teased a potential title fight between himself and Verstappen. But that storyline quickly fell away; his confidence apparently crumbling as the year drew on. Perez did still manage to finish runner-up in the championship standings, but from the outside you couldn’t help but wonder if a different caliber of driver might have gone toe to toe with Verstappen more consistently. Perez will certainly be watching over his shoulder in 2024, but it feels like only a matter of time before Red Bull’s notorious axe catches up with him.

Mercedes

Drivers: Lewis Hamilton, George Russell

The gap in performance between Red Bull and the rest is vast. To put things into perspective, Red Bull ended 2023 with more than double the amount of points scored compared to Mercedes, who finished second in the constructor’s standings. That’s not the sort of difference you can make up between races, and it might not be the sort of difference you can make up in one winter break either. Still, although there’s evidently a big challenge ahead for F1’s former dominant force, there were at least signs of life in 2023, which is why they ended the year as the best of the rest.

Still, it will no doubt come as relief to both Hamilton and Russell that Mercedes is shelving its current design concept in favor of something less radical (and hopefully less flawed). If the German marque can show significant gains over the winter, there’s no reason why they can’t catch up to Red Bull in years to come. They’ve certainly got a worthy driver pairing.

There had been question marks over Hamilton’s commitment to F1 this year, as there always is with any driver entering the twilight years of their career, but rumors linking him with Ferrari and Red Bull were always fleeting at best. When Hamilton does eventually bow out of the sport, it’ll be behind the wheel of a Mercedes. But between now and whenever that may be, it’s clear that he not only has the fitness but also the pace to match anyone on the grid (given the equipment to do so). Russell, too, continues to look like a solid bet for the future, despite a few shaky moments.

Ferrari

Drivers: Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Jr. 

2024 will be an interesting one for Ferrari. It’ll mark the roll out of the first car to be engineered under Fred Vasseur’s guidance, the Frenchman having taken over from Mattia Binotto too late in the day to have any real impact on the SF-23’s development. Whether Vasseur’s steadying of the red ship will translate into speed remains to be seen, but it undoubtedly gives Leclerc and Sainz something to wonder about.

The two drivers were always there or thereabouts this year, without ever really *wowing* on a regular basis – aside of course from Sainz’s Singaporean victory, when Red Bull did their best to self-destruct. Yet, despite their relative indifference, I think the pair of them will have very different feelings about how the season panned out.

For Sainz, it was arguably his best year yet as an F1 driver, whereas Leclerc seemed to lose some of the shine that marked him out as Ferrari’s leading light. As far as 2024 goes, there’s a certain amount of pressure on Leclerc’s shoulders to turn the tide. We all know he has the potential to become one of the sport’s great drivers, but the time has come for him to start delivering on that promise more regularly. In 2024, Leclerc needs to not only finish ahead of Sainz in the standings, but to do so comfortably.

McLaren

Drivers: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri

Well, that was an impressive turnaround. McLaren started 2023 floundering at the back of the pack, but after a steady stream of effective upgrades, the Woking-based team emerged as Red Bull’s closest challenger by the time late Autumn arrived. Heading into 2024, McLaren will certainly be buoyed by their dramatic rise. If they manage to retain that position over winter, second place in the constructor’s championship is nailed on. Which is quite remarkable, when you think about where the team was not even a year ago.

Plus, although the car itself is now undoubtedly very good, there’s a lot to be said for McLaren’s young driver pairing too. This year, Lando Norris gained an air of maturity in his driving that felt different than before. In fact, I’d even go as far as to say that aside from Verstappen, he was perhaps the most exciting talent on the grid. Oscar Piastri, too, was the most impressive rookie F1’s had in a long while. If Zak Brown can keep all the individual parts together, he could have one hell of a team on his hands in the near future.

Aston Martin

Drivers: Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll

‘Team Silverstone’ was one of the feel-good stories of 2023. In the early parts of the year, Aston Martin’s financial backing looked to have transported the outfit from the lowly midfield ranks right up to the top echelons of the sport. Fernando Alonso even felt so confident after the first few races that he predicted he’d finish on the podium at every event this year. Unfortunately for Alonso, things didn’t quite pan out that way. Although still a commendable improvement on where they were in 2022, Aston Martin’s pace did begin to fizzle out as the year drew on and other more established teams developed upgrades. Really, it’s that rate of development which is holding this team back.

The Lance Stroll conundrum

Well, perhaps you could argue that it’s not just the rate of development. Fernando Alonso had a stunning season, but Lance Stroll remained… Lance Stroll. Truth be told, I don’t think the kid is half as bad as his most cynical detractors would have you believe. He’s certainly no Nikita Mazepin. But the harsh truth is that his father’s team has now outgrown him. The car is faster than he ever will be, and if Aston Martin wants to be considered a serious team in F1, then they need an elite driver alongside Alonso to bring home the results that the car is now capable of.

It’s also worth mentioning that Aston Martin recently revived its previously-mothballed Le Mans Hypercar programme, with a race version of the Valkyrie AMR Pro. Lance has already been linked with a switch to the FIA World Endurance Championship, but for now the team has batted away any talk of such a move. Still, if Lawrence Stroll can’t bring himself to sack his own son, you can’t help but notice that the WEC project would fix the F1 inadequacy problem, while keeping Lance under the Aston Martin wing. For now though, his presence on the 2024 F1 grid remains assured. We’ll have to revisit that statement when the Valkyrie LMH takes to the track in 2025…

Alpine

Drivers: Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon

Alpine’s recent injection of celebrity cash investment will be much-needed in the off-season. Both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon showed flashes of real speed this year, but neither had a car that was going to threaten the top of the leaderboard. Alpine missed a trick when they lost Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri in 2022, but both of their current drivers are certainly worthy of the opportunity to compete in F1. Gasly and Ocon are race winners at this level, and although neither are likely to be world champion material, they’re certainly good enough to feast on any crumbs of performance that Alpine manage to throw their way.

It’s now up to Alpine’s team of engineers to deliver a car that’s at least level with the Aston Martin, let alone the cars above. If they can manage that, a few more podiums may be on the cards. But otherwise 2024 looks set be another bland season in the midfield, comfortably ahead of the backmarkers, but too far away from the front to have any sort of impact.

Williams

Drivers: Alex Albon, Logan Sargeant

One team that’s definitely on the up, however, is Williams. Ever since James Vowles took over from Jost Capito at the helm of the team, there’s been a positive calmness about the Williams garage. They’re making incremental steps to improve the car, and are now regularly a top ten fixture. You only have to look back to the sort of results they could muster in 2022 to understand the weight of that. This is a team that his been in the doldrums for far too long, but under Vowles, it feels as though Williams is on a clear upwards path for the first time in a long time. Of course, it remains to be seen how far they can realistically climb when up against the financial might of OEMs, but there’s no reason why in a few years they can’t emulate what McLaren are doing right now.

The team’s choice of driver line-up is perhaps a little more divisive than their choice of team boss though. There’s no question about Alex Albon. The London-born Thai looks like a completely different driver compared to his Red Bull days, bursting with confidence and speed. That’s translated into a healthy sack of points for Williams this year, which they’ll no doubt be looking to build on in 2024.

Was Sargeant the right call?

There is less certainty, however, over Logan Sargeant – which is perhaps why it took so long for the young American’s contract renewal to be taken up. There’s no hiding from the fact that the first three quarters of his season were anonymous at best, and De Vries-esque at worst. However, a late upturn in form seems to have convinced Williams that there is a handy racer in there after all. That said, flashes of pace still only translated into a single championship point for Sargeant by the end of 2023 – and that only came after two other cars ahead of him were disqualified.

Still, if Williams can continue to develop the car, Sargeant will have a better chance of turning positive qualifying outings into fruitful races. Certain F1 teams can be all too quick to ditch academy starlets if they show any sign of weakness, so perhaps we should be applauding Williams for allowing Sargeant to blossom.

Alpha Tauri (Racing Bulls?)

Drivers: Yuki Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo

Red Bull’s secondary team got its driver swaps done early this year. Alpha Tauri started 2023 with Honda-backed Yuki Tsunoda and former FIA Formula E World Champion, Nyck de Vries. De Vries had starred in a cameo for Williams in 2022, which seemed to be enough to earn him a full time gig with Alpha Tauri in 2023. However, De Vries was never able to recapture the form he showed in a Williams. Undoubtedly, he wasn’t helped by the fact that the team started off the year with arguably the worst car on the grid, but results really were worrying. Red Bull management took action early and replaced the Dutchman with F1’s smiling assassin, Daniel Ricciardo.

Musical Chairs

The likeable Aussie was a welcome addition to the grid, having started the year on the sidelines after departing McLaren. His arrival was all the more welcome when it became apparent that he’d be able to drag some pace – and points – out of the ailing Alpha Tauri.

As the season progressed into its latter stages, the Italian team managed to find something in its upgrades that worked. All of a sudden, the car was now able to challenge the rest of the lower midfield, but Ricciardo wasn’t able to enjoy the fruits of the engineers’ labor. Injury saw him sidelined again, with Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson jetting in to take his place. Lawson made an immediate impression, often outperforming the more experienced Tsunoda.

Ricciardo would reclaim the seat once again though, once his injury had healed, and he’ll keep it for 2024. That leaves Lawson without a place on the 2024 F1 grid, despite being heavily linked with vacancies at both Alpha Tauri and Williams. Tsunoda, meanwhile, will be looking to build on a strong end to the year, while a proper pre-season and full campaign should do Ricciardo plenty of good as well. Rumor has it, if Perez gets the chop, Danny Ric could be first in line to return to the A-Team, as it were.

Oh, and one final point of intrigue – Alpha Tauri won’t be called Alpha Tauri anymore. Trademark files seem to suggest that the team will instead take the Racing Bulls name. I’ll let you come to your own opinions about that…

Sauber

Drivers: Valterri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu

With their Alfa Romeo sponsorship deal drawing to a close, the Swiss outfit will likely return to its core Sauber identity in 2024. The team appears to have adopted a ‘play it safe’ approach to the coming season, with both Valterri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu having proven to the team that they’re a reliable (albeit perhaps not super inspiring) pairing. Bottas certainly has the pace of a top tier driver still, but regardless of any of that, it’s practically impossible to get excited about what Sauber might achieve in 2024.

The reason for that is simple. This chapter of their history is a stop gap, nothing more. A new manufacturer partnership with Audi is on the horizon, but until they officially get into bed with the German marque, there isn’t much resource available to their engineering division. I expect Bottas in particular will salvage a chunk of points for the team – perhaps with an eye on earning a renewal with Audi, but don’t be surprised if they sink to the bottom of the pile in 2024.

Haas

Drivers: Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen

It’s a wonder that Gene Haas still has an F1 team. That’s not meant as a criticism per se, I just can’t fathom what he’s getting out of it. The team spent years floating between underwhelming, crash-prone drivers, and now that they seem to have a reasonable pairing in the form of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, there doesn’t seem to be any gusto behind the development of the car.

Although they’re two of the more experienced drivers on the 2024 F1 grid, it’s probably fair to say that Hulkenberg and Magnussen both still have something to prove. That, combined with team boss Gunther Steiner’s injection of urgency, could elevate the team back into ninth above Sauber next year, but I can’t see them reaching any higher than that. If the Andretti-Cadillac project makes it onto the F1 grid in years to come, and if Sauber makes strides with Audi, you really do have to fear for how far Haas might fall out of touch.

Anyway, that’s the 2024 F1 grid. Let’s hope it provides more entertaining races than it did this year…

The post 2024 F1 Grid Remains Unchanged appeared first on Fast Car.

Japan is a hotbed for modified cars, and those automotive extremes in both performance and styling are reflected in their motorsport too. In fact, the modified street culture that we all know and love was ultimately inspired by the tuning houses’ high-speed antics on the circuit. So, naturally, Japan’s racecars are as wild as anybody’s. But, in case you’re in the dark about what Super GT actually is, allow me to shed some light on the Far East’s (somewhat) hidden gem.

What is Super GT?

Super GT has gone through a few different identities over the years (such as ‘JGTC’ in the ’90s), but whichever title the competition races under, it’s essentially a place for the nation’s top sportscar drivers to compete for the highest circuit honor in the country. Factory-supported teams from Japan’s big three – Toyota, Nissan, and Honda – each enter a handful of cars into the top category (GT500) to battle for supremacy over the span of hundreds of kilometers per event.

Given the endurance nature of the races, two drivers share each car, and some of which are even renowned international stars. For instance, 2009 F1 World Champion, Jenson Button, supported Naoki Yamamoto to win the 2018 Super GT title. Though, given that Yamamoto was actually the quicker of the two over the course of the season, it’s fair to say that Japan’s national driving talents are worthy of star status in their own right.

Anyway, as for the sort of cars that these heroes drive, well – even if you don’t think you know Super GT, you’ll probably have seen some of its classic icons. Take the Group A Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 for example, or, perhaps you might remember that Castrol-liveried widebody Supra from Gran Turismo. Nowadays, the cars are just as cool, if not more so. Although they might share body styles with recognizable street cars, underneath, these silhouette racers come packing the sort of engineering capable of matching a Le Mans prototype. This season, cars based on the Toyota GR Supra, Nissan Z, and Honda NSX are duking it out. However, with the NSX production car set for retirement, Honda needs a new challenger for the 2024 season. That’s where the Civic Type R GT500 comes in…

Honda Civic Type R-GT Specs

As we’ve established, GT500-spec racecars are serious bits of kit. The Honda Civic Type R-GT (to give it its official name) has been developed in-house by HRC. It features a 2.0-liter direct injection turbocharged inline 4-cylinder racing engine, which not only sounds amazing but performs exceedingly well too. Of course, given that this car is built for a certain motorsport series, there are many technical rules that it has to stick to. So, while we aren’t aware of the Civic Type R-GT’s exact horsepower output, we can expect it to be around the 600hp-mark. The weight of GT500 cars is it kept down to around 2200lb (1000kg), thanks largely to their strong-but-lightweight carbon monocoque chassis. Plus, unlike the regular Honda Civic Type R FL5, the GT500 racer is RWD. When you add all of that together, you get a machine which can lap Fuji Speedway in less than 90 seconds.

Yasuharu Watanabe, President of the Honda Racing Corportation, is pretty bullish about the new Civic’s ability to hang with Toyota’s Supra and Nissan’s Z GT500 cars too. He says, “…We will aim to win the championship from the first year, so please keep your expectations high for the permeance the Civic Type R-GT will demonstrate in the coming years.”

Rousing stuff. Anyway, for now, enjoy the video above of the Civic Type R-GT’s recent test session at Okayama circuit.

The post Honda Civic Type R GT500 Prepares For Battle In 2024 appeared first on Fast Car.

The world of performance cars is a very different space compared to what it was, having evolved almost beyond recognition. But, if the changes of the past decade have left your spectacles with a rose-tinted sheen, you can take solace from the fact that in the year 2023 there’s still a new highly-modified Subaru rally car to get excited about. Yep, that blue and yellow livery, complete with aggressive aero and trademark gold wheels is back for a new generation.

Now, just to be clear, this car won’t be taking part in the FIA World Rally Championship, as Subaru’s most famous cars did. Instead, it’s a Vermont SportsCar creation, which means it comes from the folks that are behind the Subaru Motorsport USA programme. As such, this new-age competition-spec Subie will take to the rally stages of North America instead, as Subaru aim to add more ARA titles to their trophy cabinet.

Anyway, now that the caveats are out of the way, let’s take a closer look at this epic throwback machine.

New Subaru WRX Rally Car Specs

Compliant with ARA’s Open 4WD class regulations, the new car was designed, built, and tested over a period of 18 months. Under the hood, it’s got a custom-built turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder boxer engine, restrained by a 33mm restrictor and 22psi boost limit as the ARA championship rules dictate. Still, that’s good enough for 320hp and 380 lb ft. of torque, while a SADEV six-speed close-ratio transmission sends the power to all four wheels. Springs and dampers are from R53 Suspension, and are supplemented with in-house crossmembers, links, and hubs. Those famous gold rims are then wrapped in Yokohama 15-inch ADVAN A053 gravel rally tires, while the whole widebody is made from carbon fiber.

Being a pro rally car, this thing is kitted out with a whole host of strengthening and safety gear too. It’s got a fully seam-welded body shell and an FIA/USAC-spec roll cage constructed from T45 steel. An 82-liter Kevlar fuel cell replaces the stock gas tank, while in the cabin you’ll find Sparco ADV Prime competition seats with HANS (Head and Neck Restraint System) devices. The fabric liner used inside the car is even self-extinguishing!

Driver Crews

Subaru factory driver, Brandon Semenuk (pictured on the right), is currently leading the 2023 ARA championship, leaving him in an excellent position to benefit from his new ride. As ever, the quick Canadian is supported by British co-driver/navigator Keaton Williams (left). That duo will have a new team-mate next year as a second Subaru WRX rally car will be introduced in 2024. Extreme sports legend and former rallycross champion Travis Pastrana is the driver selected to get behind the wheel, though there’s no official word yet on who his co-driver will be. As we’ve already seen though, Travis is a demon behind the wheel of a Subaru…

Before we sign off, we’ll hand it over to Brandon and Travis:

“The release of the new car will bring an exciting future along with it,” says Semenuk. “This platform has been completely reengineered and the car looks and feels more dynamic, which will translate to an even better show for the fans!

“We will also have Travis coming back to the championship next season, which I’m looking forward to. Not only is it more fun having a teammate, but you learn so much more with a two-car team and this will be important for the ongoing development of the platform.”

Pastrana adds, “[I’m] So excited about the 2024 ARA rally championship. The new Subaru platform is amazing and the chance to battle again with two-time and defending champion Brandon Semenuk is going to be so much fun.

“When Brandon joined the team, I was the veteran. But the tables have turned and I’m looking forward to learning a lot and hopefully getting back to the top. I’ve only been away from the sport for a year but a lot has changed and I’m ready for the new challenge.”

The post New Subaru WRX Rally Car Takes On America appeared first on Fast Car.

If you love modified cars, it’s well worth tuning into the annual competitive hill climb at Pikes Peak. High horsepower, wacky aero, creative engineering: this internationally-renowned American sporting event is a great showcase of all those things.

So, if you missed this year’s running, here are some of the best Pikes Peak cars of 2023.

Best Pikes Peak Cars of 2023

Wolf TSC-FS

Let’s start this shortlist with the outright winner of the 2023 event; Robin Shute’s Wolf TSC-FS. A privately-built, true underdog creation, the Wolf is run by an outfit called The Sendy Club, and essentially is an open-wheel racecar evolved to tackle hill climbs rather than conventional circuits.

Powered by a highly modified 2.1-liter turbocharged Honda unit, its lack of weight means that this thing accelerates with an extreme ferocity. That certainly seemed to help it on its run up the mountain, as despite some gearbox issues, British driver Robin Shute managed to set a time of 8:40.080 minutes. For context, that’s the third-fastest time anybody has ever reached the summit…

Watch the mind-bending onboard footage here!

Ford Performance SuperVan 4

The next quickest time went the way of the factory-funded Ford Performance SuperVan 4. Piloted by Romain Dumas – the current all-time Pikes Peak record holder, the SuperVan made it up the hill in a time of 8:47.682 minutes (about 50 seconds shy of the record Dumas set in the Volkswagen ID.R).

Now, don’t be fooled. Although this thing is sporting van-like bodywork, it’s a far more specialized bit of kit than its visuals may perhaps suggest. It creates over 4400lbs of downforce at 150mph thanks to its aggressive carbon fiber front splitter and rear wing, and when pairing that with a trio of STARD electric motors (collectively outputting around 1400hp), the results are – evidently – quite effective to say the least…

Update: Since Pikes Peak, the SuperVan has been embarrassing other high-end performance marques around the globe. Click here to read about its latest antics versus an unrestricted Mercedes-AMG GT3 racecar at Bathurst. 

Alpine A110 GT4 Evo Pikes Peak

Alpine’s debut in the Race to the Clouds went pretty well, it must be said. Having enlisted the talents of French rally driver, Raphaël Astier, the Renault-sub-brand claimed the third fastest time of 2023.

The car that they used to do so was this highly modified Alpine A110, which weighs just 950kg (2100lbs) and has almost 500hp at its disposal.

Interestingly, rather than keeping this project totally in-house, Alpine leant on the minds of the engineers at Signatech (the team which runs Alpine’s Le Mans racecars) in order to make this machine a reality. That becomes evident when you look at some of the car’s finer details, such as its rear window-mounted shark tail fin, which is commonly seen in the world of endurance prototype racing.

Mad Mike’s Quad Rotor Mazda 3

You can always trust Kiwi drifter, ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett, to come up with something spectacular. Famed for his affinity with Mazda, Mike has created all sorts of heroic cars over the years based on models such as the FD RX-7, RX-8 and MX-5 Miata. Now though, he’s turned his attention to the humble Mazda 3 grocery-getter.

Underneath the smart bodywork, you’ll find a 1200hp quad-rotor Wankel engine hooked up to a drivetrain that’s been converted to send power to the rear wheels. The build has been fully designed and constructed by the folks over at TCP-Magic Japan, and before it made the trip Stateside, our good friend Dino Dalle Carbonare shot an in-depth showcase of the car. Watch the video here!

Radford Type 62-2 Pikes Peak Edition

Radford is an old name in the world of motoring, but recently, it’s been injected with a new lease of life. With the likes of F1 Champion Jenson Button and TV mechanic Ant Anstead at the helm of the company nowadays, the reinvigorated coachbuilder has lofty ambitions.

As a sign of its big aspirations, Radford has created this – the Type 62-2 Pikes Peak Edition. You can trace its core DNA back to the Lotus Emira, but this isn’t just a simple rebody job. Its 3.5-liter supercharged V6 now churns out around 700hp. On top of that, a big effort has gone into weight-saving, meaning it tips the scales at just 861kg (1900lbs). As a result, 60mph arrives in just 2.2 seconds from a standing start.

Of course, Pikes Peak isn’t all about pure speed. You need serious downforce too, and this car clearly has plenty of that. Renowned rallycross driver, movie stunt double, and former Top Gear America host Tanner Foust was the man elected to get behind the wheel, and predictably he did a thoroughly good job. The Radford reached the summit in 9:37.326 minutes, which was enough to win its Exhibition class and finish 8th overall.

Now, the question is, do any of these motors make it onto your list of all-time Pikes Peak favorites?

The post Best Pikes Peak Cars Of 2023 appeared first on Fast Car.

Back in the latter stages of 2021, French off-road aces GCK Motorsport teased us with some renders of their latest project – an all-electric Lancia Delta Integrale destined for the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

Well, they’ve kept us waiting a while, but at last the car has finally been shown off in the flesh. The Lancia Delta Evo-e RX, to give it its full title, has today made its public debut ahead of the weekend’s World Rallycross Championship finale. Hosted at the legendary Nürburgring circuit in Germany, the 2022 World RX season finale will mark the GCK Lancia’s competitive debut ahead of (hopefully) a full campaign next year.

We’re glad to report that GCK has stayed true to the Delta Evo’s original design cues, enhancing it with a few aggressive touches rather than trying to reinvent it entirely. Underneath the retro bodywork, however, the car’s inner workings are cutting edge.

Its tubular chassis took more than 1200 hours to build at GCK’s design centre in Issoire, France, while propulsion comes from a pair of Kreisel Electric motors. Naturally, it’s based on an all-wheel drive platform, and with 680hp at its disposal it’ll go from 0-62mph in just 1.8 seconds!

Guerlain Chicherit – the boss of GCK Motorsport – is set to get behind the wheel of it at the Nürburgring this weekend, fresh off the back of victory at the Rallye du Maroc in early October (driving a rugged Prodrive Hunter).

Anyway, other than the fact that it’s cool, what’s the reasoning behind entering an ’80s icon into a modern-day professional motorsport championship? Well, the answer lies in one of Chicherit’s other businesses – retrofitted powertrains. As we speak, a roadgoing version of the Lancia Delta Evo-e is undergoing homologation, and what better stage to show off his new product than the FIA World arena?

Prefer your Deltas to have a combustion engine up front? Check out this modified Manhart Integrale next!

The post GCK Lancia Delta Rallycross Monster Makes Public Debut appeared first on Fast Car.

Being brought up on a diet of Group C racing in the 1980s was no bad thing. The packed grids (OK, so they were mostly Porsche 956s and 962s) were fizzing with driving talent, and the competition was always fierce.

But as with all things in motorsport, the golden period couldn’t last forever, and it didn’t. It nearly fell on its sword in 1992 as the sport’s governors, the FIA, tried to force firms into using what were, effectively, Formula 1 powerplants. It proved fatal to the World Sportscar Championship in 1993, and the World Endurance Championship title would not be seen again until 2012.

Of course, the appeal of Le Mans has always remained strong, and it has managed to weather the storms because of its prestige, history and profile. But now, there is a huge amount of optimism breaking out in long-distance racing and it all came from a bit of common sense, which is sometimes sorely lacking in motorsport.

US sportscar gurus the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) talked to the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) in Europe, and Europe talked back. The resulting unified ruleset has since taken on momentum that’s been nothing short of phenomenal.

The Le Mans Daytona hybrid (LMDh) ruleset was formally launched at the end of January in 2020 and the regulations were published in May of that year, giving long distance racing the shot in the arm it badly needed.

Toyota has been a long-serving fan of the long-distance format, but other firms came and went, dabbling with the category before sliding away. Now though, the Japanese marque is set to gain some much-needed competition, as the combined rules for 2023 have captured the imagination of many of sportscar racing’s most iconic brands.

The platform to showcase hybrid technology, which many of the leading manufacturers were exploring already, has been a massive attraction.

Peugeot has already built a pair of Le Mans Hypercars (LMH) but the convergence of performance with the LMDh ruleset (which includes more spec parts than an outright LMH car) has opened up the scope for so many more to join the party.

Porsche, Cadillac, and BMW – along with Ferrari’s Le Mans Hypercar, which was seen in public for the first time this week – have already been putting in the hard testing yards. All four are scheduled to make their race debuts in 2023 and BMW, Cadillac and Porsche are looking at split programmes in the World Endurance Championship and across the pond too in America’s IMSA series.

But it doesn’t stop there. Acura (Honda to you and me here in Europe) will join the party too to line-up alongside Toyota and the rest in its Oreca-developed chassis. There is more: French firm Alpine has confirmed a programme with an Oreca chassis scheduled for 2024, and Lamborghini will join LMDh in that same season. Meanwhile, Nissan and Mazda are two other names rumoured to be joining the action in 2025.

That means Le Mans, in 2025, could potentially have more than ten works-backed hypercar teams on the grid. See what we mean? Sportscar racing has never had it so good…some joined-up thinking has blown the doors wide open.

And, if as seems likely, the profile of sportscar racing will flourish, there is nothing to stop more and more firms getting involved. How long, for example, could McLaren or Aston Martin ignore something which has the potential to rival any other series in the world?

What it also does, thank goodness, is create a host of opportunities for talented drivers to get a decent shot of a full-time ride in a factory programme. Sportscar racing was, in the 1980s, a hotbed for up-and-coming talent with the likes of Riccardo Patrese, Michele Alboreto, Alessandro Nannini, Thierry Boutsen, Jonathan Palmer, Derek Warwick and Stefan Bellof all getting the chance to display their abilities. While they might have, at various stages, been saddled with back-of-the-grid grand prix cars, the outlet of a competitive sportscar seat gave them a chance to show what they could actually do.

While it is hard to imagine F1 drivers today being given the free rein to go and dabble in long-distance sport, there is a whole host of talents sitting just below that level who need a decent break. It looks like they will now be able to get one thanks to these new Le Mans Hypercars.

There is much to look forward to in the long-distance arena at the moment. Next season can’t come soon enough.

The post Why You Should Be Excited About Le Mans Hypercars appeared first on Fast Car.

Unveiled at Fuji International Speedway, the new Nissan Z GT500 racer will take up the grid in the 2022 Super GT Series.

Those who know will remember Nissan’s efforts with previous Z cars in motorsport, with the wins landing during its first year in US motor racing in the 1970s with the S30 240Z. In the 1990s, Nissan had multiple wins at the IMSA Series with the Z32 300ZX and its participation in the JGTC/Super GT series with the Z33 in the 2000s ultimately led to a series championship.

Super GT Series regulations mean that the car will utilise a turbocharged, 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine that produces some 650bhp, with power sent to the rear wheels. It’ll go up against cars from the likes of the Toyota and Honda.

Nissan COO Ashwani Gupta said: “The Nissan Z GT500 symbolizes Nissan’s spirit of taking on challenges and bringing excitement to life. Through our racing efforts we continue to innovate our cars and we race to win with the same daring we have displayed so many times over the years.”

President and CEO of NISMO Takao Katagiri said: “We are entering the 2022 Super GT series with our all-new Nissan Z GT500 car and our huge passion for motorsports. We hope that our fans will continue to passionately support the Nissan and NISMO motorsport teams.”

The post NISSAN Z GT500 RACE CAR REVEALED appeared first on Fast Car.