IndyCars - The off-season: Series news and comment until the March 2014 kick-off

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Tony Kanaan will be in the 2022 Indy 500…

.
…and he will be driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, of course. Tony drove Jimmie Johnson’s # 48 car at the 2021 iteration of the iconic race, but Jimmie has decided to drive that car in this year’s 500 (and all other series ovals) himself. So, Tony will need his own mount to go for his 2nd WIN.

.
Tony Kanaan (right) and wife Lauren Bohlander

.
.
While Kanaan has been “retiring” a little bit at a time for three years, now, the success of his good friend Helio Castroneves at WINNING the 2021 Indy 500 has him wondering if he really needs to retire at all?

.
Said TK, “Look at what happened to Helio. My question would be what if we go and win No. 2; are we coming back or not? I’m actually not announcing anything because I don’t know. I can tell you my intentions are not to be the last one. Next year will be my 25th year in IndyCar, and I think it would be pretty cool if I could do that. We’ll see, but for now ’22 is just Tony’s ‘another Indy 500’.

.
.
.
Tony came home in P10 at the 2021 race. We know he’s entirely capable of pulling off another WIN. The experience and the courage are there. All he needs is the same bit of luck that every Indy 500 WINNER gets.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
It’s time for the Roar Before the Rolex 24!!!..

.
This weekend IMSA invades Daytona International Speedway to do the test and qualifying weekend for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. It’s called the Roar Before the Rolex 24 and anyone who wants to race in the Rolex 24 next weekend has to be here.That’s all five classes of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series. In addition, The Michelin Pilot Challenge series will be testing for their own endurance round next weekend, the 4-hour BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona, to be run next Friday. Lastly, there is one race this weekend, as the IMSA Prototype Challenge gang hold Round 1 of their season.

.

.
.
As is always the case, this weekend and next weekend will have MANY IndyCar drivers in attendance - some current drivers who are available before the IndyCar season starts, and a lot of former IndyCar and Road to Indy aces who have found their way to IMSA and SportsCar racing. Let’s see who most of them are, starting with the DPi class of the WeatherTech gang:

.
DPi class - 4-time IndyCar Champion Sebastien Bourdais will be a regular this season in the # 01 Cadillac DPi V.R for Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing alongside Renger van der Zande. Added to help them both this and next weekend will be 6-time IndyCar Champion Scott Dixon and 2021 IndyCar Champion Alex Palou. This will be Palou’s first foray into prototype racing. This is a clearly outstanding squad full of Champion-caliber talent.

Sebastien Bourdais (left), Scott Dixon and Alex Palou (right)

.
.
Chip Ganassi’s other car, the # 02 Caddy, will feature another first-timer, as Marcus Ericsson aids regulars Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn. Also added for Daytona will be Kevin Magnussen.

Marcus Ericsson

.
.
The # 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi V.R features former Indy Lights Champion Tristan Vautier all season long, with co-driver Richard Westbrook in the JDC-Miller Motorsports entry. Added for Daytona are Loic Duval and 2021 LMP2 class Champion Ben Keating in his first outing in a DPi car.

Tristan Vautier

.
.
The # 10 Acura ARX-05 for Wayne Taylor Racing with Konica Minolta sponsorship will have IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi in the car for probably the first and last time this season, as he is the “add” for this car only at Daytona, this year. Last year, he was in it for all four Michelin Endurance Cup races, aiding regulars Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor. They WON this race, with Helio Castroneves as the 4th driver. The 4th this year will be England’s Will Stevens.

Alexander Rossi

.
.
The Action Express # 31 Whelen-sponsored Cadillac - the 2021 series Champions - will once again have Indy Pro 2000 alum Pipo Derani as a regular in the car but Felipe Nasr has been replaced with Tristan Nunez as the other regular for the season. Added for the race is IndyCar driver and race WINNER Mike Conway.

Pipo Derani (left) and Mike Conway

.
.
IndyCar driver Jimmie Johnson is one of of the four drivers in the Action Express # 48 ALLY Cadillac DPI V.R which will contest some if not all of the endurance races, in 2022. His co-drivers in the car are Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Rockenfeller and Jose Maria Lopez. This car with Jimmie onboard was P2 in the race, last year, so the talent and the technical prowess is there.

Jimmie Johnson

.
.
2021 race WINNER and Indy 500 four-time WINNER Helio Castroneves returns to drive an Acura again in 2022, but this year it is the # 60 ARX-05 for Meyer Shank Racing, for whom Helio is an IndyCar driver in 2022. Also added in the car is fellow MSR IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud. They are the adds to # 60 regulars Oliver Jarvis and Tom Blomqvist.

Helio Castroneves (left) and Simon Pagenaud

.
.
LMP2 class - 16-year-old Josh Pierson is already a Road to Indy phenom in USF2000 and will make his SportsCar debut in the # 11 ORECA 07 Gibson for PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports. He will be in great company with co-drivers Steven Thomas, Jonathan Bomarito and Harry Tincknell.

Josh Pierson

.
.
Indy Pro 2000 alum Will Owen returns to do battle in the LMP2 class at Daytona for the first time since 2018. The 2-time Vice Champion in European LMP2 racing is in the # 22 ORECA 07 Gibson for long-time team United Autosports with co-drivers James McGuire, Guy Smith and Phil Hanson.

Will Owen

.
.
Racing Team Nederland features IndyCar Nederlander Rinus VeeKay in the # 29 ORECA 07 Gibson with co-drivers Frits Van Eerd, Giedo van der Garde and Dylan Murry. This will be VeeKay’s 2nd Rolex 24 at Daytona. As he is representing the Netherlands, Rinus will enter under his real name Van Kalmthout.

Rinus Vee Kay

.
.
IndyCar driver Ed Jones reignites his SportsCar career with an appearance in the # 68 ORECA 07 Gibson for G-Drive Racing by APR. His co-drivers in the car will be Francois Heriau, Oliver Rasmussen and Rene Rast.

Ed Jones

.
.
Eric Lux will share the # 81 ORECA 07 Gibson with 3 IndyCar drivers who were all recently Indy Lights aces - Pato O’Ward, Colton Herta and Devlin DeFrancesco. Colton is a former Rolex 24 WINNER but in GTLM cars. Pato is the 2017 Champion of the WeatherTech Prototype Challenge class - the open-cockpit precursor to LMP2 class cars. Devlin has been driving IMSA prototypes of various kinds since 2018.

Pato O’Ward (left), Colton Herta and Devlin DeFrancesco (right)

.
.
LMP3 class - Former USF2000 pilot Austin McCusker was the 2018 Champion of the IMSA Prototype Challenge series that uses the same LMP3 machinery as the WeatherTech LMP3 class. That makes him dangerous. His co-drivers in the # 7 Duqueine D08 for Forty 7 Motorsports are veteran Mark Kvamme and Road to Indy Shootout ace Trenton Estep - a former Porsche Cup Champion. Also in the car will be Antoine Doquin. This is a stout squad.

Austin McCusker (left) and Trenton Estep

.
.
It’s been a few years since USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 pilot Cameron Shields has raced a SportsCar but he was good at it back in the old days in Australia, so he will be in the # 26 Duqueine D08 for Muehlner Motorsports America with co-driver and fellow Road to Indy ace Nolan Siegel. Co-drivers will be R Crews and Ugo de Wilde.

Cameron Shields (left) and Nolan Siegel

.
.
Andretti Autosport will field a great Ligier JS P320 with a lot of talent onboard. The # 36 will have Jarett Andretti, Rasmus Lindh and Gabby Chaves - all champions in other disciplines - with Josh Burdon as the team’s 4th.

Jarett Andretti (left), Rasmus Lindh and Gabby Chaves (right)

.
.
Former Indy Lights ace Garett Grist is driving the # 38 Ligier JS P320 for Performance Tech Motorsports with co-drivers Nico Pino, Hikaru Abe and Dan Goldburg - another stout squad.

Garett Grist

.
.
GTD Pro class - The new replacement class for GTLM class will feature Road to Indy former Champions and IndyCar drivers Jack Hawksworth and Kyle Kirkwood in the # 14 Lexus RCF GT3 for Vasser Sullivan. Jack is the regular and Kyle is the add. The other regular in the car will be England’s Ben Barnicoat.

Jack Hawksworth (left), and Kyle Kirkwood

.
.
Another Road to Indy ace in the new class is Connor de Phillippi who will drive the new # 25 BMW M4 GT3 for BMW M Team RLL. Connor was not only the Vice Champion of Indy Pro 2000 but has WON the 24h at Nürburgring, the ADAC GT Masters title and is one of 4 Americans to WIN the Walter Hayes Trophy. Co-drivers in the new GT3 Bimmer are John Edwards, Augusto Farfus and Jesse Krohn. John is an Indy Pro 2000 champion himself, from 2008, but has been in SportsCars almost ever since.

Connor de Phillippi (left) and John Edwards

.
.
GTD class - yet Another Road to Indy Champion, Aaron Telitz, will drive the # 12 Lexus RCF GT3 for Vasser Sullivan for the full season with co-driver Frankie Montecalvo. Their adds will be Richard Heistand and IndyCar driver and Broadcaster Townsend Bell. Townsend is not only a former GTD class Champion but he has also WON the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the past. This squad is a great contender.

Aaron Telitz (left) and Townsend Bell

.
.
Former Champ Car driver Jan Heylen had an outstanding 2021, capturing no less than THREE major SportsCar championships driving for Wright Motorsports. He returns to Wright in 2022 as one of their regular guys in the # 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R, with co-driver Ryan Hardwick. For Daytona they are adding Richard Lietz and 2021 GTD class Champion Zacharie Robichon. Look for this car to be a contender.

Jan Heylen

.
.
Indy Lights driver Linus Lunqvist is making his 2nd ever SportsCar start as an add in the # 28 Alegra Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 with co-drivers and regulars Michael de Quesada and Daniel Morad. Also added in is Maximillian Goetz.

Linus Lundqvist

.
.
Indy Lights ace Rob Megennis starts his first full season as a SportsCar driver in the # 39 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 for CarBahn w/ Peregrine Racing alongside fellow regular Jeff Westphal. The adds in the Lambo will be Corey Lewis and Sandy Mitchell. Rob got a lot of experience in SportsCars as an add in the Vasser Sullivan Lexus for the last few seasons, with a best finish of P2 at Road Atlanta.

Rob Megennis

.
.
Indy Lights driver and 2021 Formula Regional Americas Champion Kyffin Simpson tries his hand at SportsCar driving in the # 66 Acura NSX GT3 for Gradient Racing with co-drivers Till Bechtolsheimer, Marc Miller and Mario Farnbacher. That’s a talented and accomplished squad.

Kyffin Simpson

.
.
Indy Lights alum and IndyCar driver Stefan Wilson is an add in the # 99 Porsche 911 GT3 R for Team Hardpoint with regulars Rob Ferriol and Champ Car alum Katherine Legge. Also added in the car for the Rolex 24 is Nick Boulle.

Stefan Wilson (left) and Katherine Legge

.
.
.
Continued…

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
It’s time for the Roar Before the Rolex 24!!!..(part 2)…

.

• The Michelin Pilot Challenge series has a few IndyCar drivers competing on the same weekend as the Rolex 24 at Daytona and so they are at Daytona this weekend for the Roar to practice and qualify:

.
Grand Sports class - The only IndyCar driver in GS class this year is Indy Pro 2000 Champion Jack Hawksworth, who will be an add for the # 68 Toyota Supra GT4 for Smooge Racing, with co-drivers Kevin Conway and John Geesbrecht.

Jack Hawksworth

.
.
Touring Car class- Indy Lights ace and 2020 TCR class Champion Ryan Norman will return to drive for Bryan Herta Autosport in the # 2 Hyundai Elantra N TCR with fellow Champion Parker Chase and AJ Muss.

Ryan Norman

.
.
IndyCar driver and paraplegic Robert Wickins is returning to racing all season long in the # 33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR for Bryan Herta Autosport, using hand controls. Fellow Canadian Mark Wilkins will be his co-driver. For Daytona the pair are adding Harry Gottsacker.

Robert Wickens

.
.
Indy Pro 2000 alum and another paraplegic driver is Michael Johnson who is returning in the # 54 Hyundai Elantra N TCR for Michael Johnson Racing w/ Bryan Herta Autosport. Michael’s co-driver is as usual Stephen Simpson. Added for Dayton is Mason Filippi.

Michael Johnson

.
.
.

• IMSA Prototype Challenge has a number of IndyCar folks racing this weekend in Season Round 1. They include:

.
Road to Indy Shootout entrant Courtney Crone will be a regular in the # 3 Ligier JS P320 for Jr III Racing, co-driving with Terry Olson.

Courtney Crone

.
.
CART driver Memo Gidley had a good 2021, WINNING 2 races in GT Americas, and will return to full-time driving in 2022 in the # 23 Duqueine D08 for JDC Motorsports with co-driver Alexander Koreiba.

Memo Gidley

.
.
Indy Pro 2000 alum and Radical SR3 Champion Antoine Comeau will drive the # 44 Ligier JS P320 with Tony Ave for Ave Motorsports w/ GRS.

Antoine Comeau

.
.
Road to Indy ace and the 2021 IMSA Prototype Challenge Champion Dakota Dickerson returns with fellow Champion Josh Sarchet to contest another season in the # 54 Ligier JS P320 for MLT Motorsports.

Dakota Dickerson

.
.
.
Friday was a day of practice for all three series and the IMSA Prototype Challenge gang also qualified for Saturday’s Season Round 1.
.
.
.

Let’s get the Roar ROARING!

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Friday at Daytona - The practice begins…

.
The IMSA Prototype Challenge gang held two practice sessions today and then qualified for Saturday’s Season Round 1 - the first IMSA race of 2022. We have the TOPS in practice here, as well as the TOP THREE qualifiers for the race:

.
Road to Indy ace and 2021 IPC Champion Dakota Dickerson TOPPED the practice sessions in the # 54 Ligier JS P320 for MLT Motorsports with a P-1 session time of 1:43.310s for a speed of 124.054mph, but when it came time to qualify it was former CART driver Memo Gidley on the pole for JDC Motorsports in the # 23 Duqueine D08 with a time of 1:44.144s for a speed of 123.060mph. Memo bested Dakota’s co-driver Josh Sarchet by 0.089 seconds. Starting 3rd will be # 60 Ligier for Wulver Racing thanks to veteran driver and coach Tonis Kasemets.

Memo will share the # 23 with Alexander Koreiba while Tonis will share the # 60 with Bruce Hamilton.

.
The # 23 Duqueine D08 for JDC Motorsports - on the pole

.
left to right, Alexander Koreiba, John Church and Memo Gidley

.
.
.
The race is scheduled for a 12:05 EASTERN time start and will run to 3:05pm. It can be seen in its entirety on Peacock - NBC’s streaming service.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Friday at Daytona - the Michelin Pilot Challenge gang hold practice…

.
The MPC series held their first two practice sessions of the weekend and we have the TOP THREE for each class here, starting with the GS class:

.
Grand Sport class - The HOT SHOE in class after two sessions was Tyler McQuarrie in the # 93 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS Cayman for CarBahn w/ Peregrine Racing, with a P-2 session time of 1:53.433s for a speed of 112.983mph. Tyler bested **Billy Johnson’s ** P-2 session time in the # 59 Ford Mustang GT4 for KohR Motorsports by a slight 0.013 seconds. Third fastest was Chad McCumbee in the # 40 Ford Mustang GT4 for PF Racing.

Tyler shares the Porsche with Mark Siegel and Tom Dyer while Billy shares the # 59 Mustang with Bob Michaelian. Chad’s co-driver in the # 40 Mustang is James Pesek.

.
The # 93 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS Cayman for CarBahn w/ Peregrine Racing - TOPs in practice on Friday

Tyler McQuarrie

.
.
.
The Touring Car class - TCR class LEAD FOOT today was Chris Miller in the # 17 Audi RS3 LMS SEQ for Unitronic JDC-Miller MotorSports with a P-2 session time of 1:59.459s for a speed of 107.283mph. Chris was able to get on Victor Gonzalez’ P-1 session time in the # 99 Honda Civic FK7 TCR for Victor Gonzalez Racing Team - VGRT - by a healthy 0.405 seconds. Third fastest on the day was Tim Lewis in the # 5 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR for KMW Motorsports w/ TMR Engineering.

Chris shares the Audi with Mikey Taylor while Victor shares the Honda with Ruben Iglesias. Tim’s co-driver in the Alfa is Roy Block.

.
The # 17 Audi RS3 LMS SEQ for Unitronic JDC-Miller MotorSports - TOPS in Friday practice

Chris Miller

.
.
.
The Michelin Pilot Challenge gang will practice twice more on Saturday, then once more on Sunday.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Friday at Daytona - The WeatherTech bunch practice…

.
All five classes of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series held two practice sessions today and we have the TOP THREE cars for each class here:

.
DPI class - TOPS in class after two sessions was the # 60 Acura ARX-05 for Meyer Shank Racing, driven by Tom Blomqvist in the P-2 session to a time of 1:34.351s for a speed of 135.833mph. Tom topped Filipe Albuquerque P-2 session time in the other Acura, the # 10 for Wayne Taylor Racing, by 0.336 seconds. Third quickest on the day was IndyCar driver Alex Palou in the # 01 Cadillac DPi V.R for Cadillac Racing in his own P-2 session effort.

Tom is sharing the # 60 Acura with Oliver Jarvis and IndyCar drivers Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud, while Filipe is sharing the # 10 Acura with Ricky Taylor, Will Stevens and IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi. Alex Palou’s co-drivers are Renger van der Zande, and IndyCar drivers Sebastien Bourdais and Scott Dixon.

.
The # 60 Acura ARX-05 for Meyer Shank Racing - TOPS in Friday practice

Tom Blomqvist

.
.
LMP2 class - TOPPING the day was Rene Rast in the # 68 ORECA 07 Gibson for G-Drive Racing By APR with a P-2 session time of 1:35.933s for a speed of 133.593mph. Rene beat out Giedo van der Garde’s P-1 session time in the # 29 Racing Team Nederland ORECA by 0.329 seconds. Third fastest for Friday was Fabio Scherer in the # 20 ORECA for High Class Racing.

Rene’s co-drivers in the # 68 are Francois Heriau, Oliver Rasmussen and IndyCar driver Ed Jones while Giedo’s co-drivers are Frits Van Eerd, Dylan Murry and IndyCar driver Rinus Van Kalmthout. Fabio shares the # 20 with Dennis Andersen, Anders Fjordbach and Nico Mueller.

.
The # 68 ORECA 07 Gibson for G-Drive Racing By APR - TOPS in practice on Friday

Rene Rast

.
.
LMP3 class - TOPS in practice on Friday for the littler prototypes was young Malthe Jakobsen in the # 33 Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier JS P320 with a P-2 session time of 1:43.006s for a speed of 124.420mph. Malthe bested the P-2 session time of Colin Braun in the # 54 CORE Autosport Ligier by 0.240 seconds. Third quickest was Canadian Indy Lights pilot Garett Grist with his P-1 session effort in the # 38 Ligier for Performance Tech Motorsports.

Malthe shares the # 33 Ligier with Joao Barbosa, Seb Priaulx and Lance Willsey while Colin shares the # 54 with Jon Bennett, George Kurtz and Nic Jonsson. Garett’s co-drivers are Nico Pino, Hikaru Abe and Dan Goldburg.

.
The # 33 Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier JS P320 - TOPS in Friday practice

Malthe Jakobsen

.
.
GTD Pro class - TOPPING the day was Mirko Bortolotti in the # 63 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 for TR3 Racing with a P-2 session time of 1:46.516s for a speed of 120.320mph. Mirko bested Mathieu Jaminet’s P-2 time in the # 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R for PFAFF Motorsports by 0.269 seconds. Third fastest for the day was Marco Mapelli in the same Lambo that took the TOP spot, but in the P-1 session.

Mirko shares the Lambo with Marco, Andrea Caldarelli and Rolf Ineichen while Mathieu’s co-drivers are Matt Campbell and Felipe Nasr.

.
The # 63 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 for TR3 Racing - TOPS on Friday practice sheets

Mirko Bortolotti

.
.
GTD class - TOPPING the class for the day was IndyCar driver Jan Heylen in the # 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R for Wright Motorsports with a P-1 session time of 1:46.483s for a speed of 120.357mph. Jan bested Raffaele Marciello’s P-2 session time in the # 75 Sun Energy 1 Mercedes-AMG GT3 by 0.129 seconds. Third quickest for the day was Mikael Grenier in another Mercedes-AMG, the # 57 for Winward Racing.

Jan’s co-drivers in the Wright Porsche are Ryan Hardwick, Richard Lietz and Zacharie Robichon, while Raffaele shares the # 75 Mercedes with Kenny Habul, Luca Stolz and Fabian Schiller and Mikael shares the # Winward Mercedes with Russell Ward, Philip Ellis and Lucas Auer.

.
The # 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R for Wright Motorsports - TOPS in Friday practice

Jan Heylen

.
.
.
Jan Heylen speaks:

Wright Motorsports

.
.
.
The WeatherTech series will practice again in the morning, then qualify for the Rolex 24 qualifying race, (if that makes sense), and finally practice again late in the day. On Sunday they will run the qualifying race for the Rolex 24.

.
.
.
M

.

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Saturday at Daytona - The Michelin Pilot Challenge gang hold two more practice sessions…

.
First out the gate this morning were the MPC gang for their P-3 session and that was followed late in the daylight with their P-4 session and we have the TOP THREE for the day for both classes here:

.
Grand Sport class - TOPS for the day and for the weekend, so far is Andrew Davis, driving the # 8 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS Cayman for McCann Racing to a time of 1:52.720s for a speed of 113.697mph in the P-4 session. Andrew beat out another Cayman, the # 93 of yesterday’s top performer Tyler McQuarrie, driving in the P-4 session for CarBahn w/ Peregrine Racing, by 0.098 seconds. Yet another Cayman, the # 540 for Black Swan Racing with Jeroen Bleekemolen driving was 3rd, with his P-3 session time. The Porsches are dominating the proceedings, at this time.

Andrew shares his Club Sport with Michael McCann while Tyler shares his Club Sport with Tom Dyer and Mark Siegel - father of Road to Indy ace Nolan Siegel. Jeroen’s co-driver in the Black Swan Cayman is Tim Pappas.

Andrew Davis - TOPS for the weekend, so far

.
.
.
Touring Car class - The TOP TCR class car today was the # 61 Audi RS3 LMS SEQ for Road Shagger Racing, in the hands of Jon Morley, whose P-3 session time was 1:59.638s for a speed of 107.123mph. Jon bested Mikey Taylor’s P-3 time in the # 17 Unitronic JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS SEQ by 0.563 seconds. Third fastest on the day was Gavin Ernstone in the same # 61 Audi that Jon used to top the day, but in the 4th session.

Mikey shares his Audi with Chris Miller, whose P-2 session time yesterday remains the fastest TCR time of the weekend.

.
The # 61 Audi RS3 LMS SEQ for Road Shagger Racing - TOPS for Saturday

Jon Morley

.
.
.
The Michelin Pilot Challenge gang will hold their P-5 practice on Sunday - their final practice of this weekend, and the last one before the Rolex 24 weekend.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Saturday at Daytona - the IMSA Prototype Challenge series holds Season Round 1…

.
…The weather was mixed - at times wet and at other times dry - as veteran driver, starter and closer Tonis Kasemets and middle man Bruce Hamilton - another veteran - WON the opening round of the IPC season in the # 60 Wulver Racing Ligier JS P320 from a lap down, at one point. Coming in P2 was closer Patrick Kujala, who shared the # 77 US RaceTronics Ligier with starter Brian Thienes while P3 went IndyCar driver Memo Gidley,who started from pole, and closer Alexander Koreiba in the # 23 AL Autosport with JDC MotorSports Duqueine D08, after dominating most of the race.

.

.
Tonis Kasemats (left) and Bruce Hamilton

.
.
.
Memo took off from pole but Kasemets, who has coached some of the finest SportsCar drivers in North America, was quickly by him for the lead in wet conditions. The track began drying through the first hour, enough that Gidley radioed for his crew to change to dry-condition slick tires when Koreiba took over the car with just under two hours remaining in the three-hour race. Despite his lack of LMP3 experience, Koreiba took the lead back and then blew away the competition, putting the ENTIRE field a lap down in the next hour. He made his final pit stop with 58 minutes remaining. Then, horrible luck, as moments later the second and final full-course caution was ordered for a car stopped off track. It allowed those cars that had not made their final stops – including Kasemets’ teammate Bruce Hamilton – to get back on the lead lap and pit under the yellow.

Kasemets replaced Hamilton for the last stint as light rain began to fall again. That was perfect for the veteran driver , who once again displayed the talent that makes him one of the best ever, as he went from P6 to P1 with 22 minutes left to run. Patrick Kujala overtook Koreiba for second place with 17 minutes left. Kasemets WON by 3.928 seconds at the checkered flag.

For Tonis it was an emotional WIN: “Bruce did a hell of a job in his stint like we asked. It was phenomenal. The car was hooked up, the team was unbelievable. We never gave up, we did some bold strategy, completely outside of the box this week. We took care of our things; we didn’t care what anybody else did. It paid off.”

.
.
For Memo Gidley it was also a great day. He was elated with the podium and just to be racing in prototypes again, following his near death crash at Daytona 8 years ago in the Gainsco Covette Daytona prototype:

“I feel great! This was obviously a last-minute deal and I haven’t been back to Daytona for a long time. And I haven’t driven a prototype for a long time as well. To come back out with a limited amount of practice, it was just great to get back in the car.

“I felt comfortable and to stick it on pole was awesome. It just felt great, then to have such a strong car in the race. Super happy for AL Autosport and it’s cool to be with JDC. I’ve known those guys a long time but never raced with them as a team. It’s like a dream come true right now.”

Memo Gidley

.
.
.
The next round for the IMSA Prototype Challenge series will be at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, May 13-15, in conjunction with the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Michelin Pilot Challenge races.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Saturday at Daytona - The WeatherTech gang qualify for the Sunday Qualifying race…

.
On Sunday the entire field will qualify for their starting positions and pit lane spots for the Rolex 24 at Daytona by holding a race, in essence, and to run that race they had to qualify today. Following the P-3 practice session this morning the qualifying was held midday and we have the TOP THREE qualifiers for each class here:

.
DPI class - On POLE for the qualifying race on Sunday will be IndyCar driver Tristan Vautier in the # 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi V.R for JDC-Miller Motorsports, with a time of 1:34.034s for a speed of 136.291mph. Tristan bested the # 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 driven by Filipe Albuquerque for Wayne Taylor Racing by 0.122 seconds but at post-qually inspection the Acura was found to have the minimum rear wing assembly angle wrong, and was DQ’d. That put the # 2 Caddy for Cadillac Racing (Chip Ganassi) in the P2 spot with Alex Lynn driving while P3 went to Tristan Nunez in the # 31 Cadillac for Action Express.

Tristan Vautier shares the # 5 Caddy with Richard Westbrook, Loic Duval and Ben Keating, while Alex shares the # 2 Caddy with Earl Bamber, Kevin Magnussen and IndyCar driver Marcus Ericsson. Tristan Nunez’ co-drivers are IndyCar drivers Pipo Derani and Mike Conway.

.
The # 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi V.R for JDC-Miller Motorsports - POLE in DPi class

Tristan Vautier

.
.
LMP2 class - On POLE will be 2021 series Champion Ben Keating in the # 52 ORECA 07 Gibson for PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports with a time of 1:37.296s for a speed of 131.721mph. Ben beat out Steven Thomas in the team’s sister car, the # 11, by 0.637 seconds. Starting 3rd will be Dennis Andersen in the # 20 ORECA for High Class Racing. Ben is also a co-driver in the # 5 DPi-class Cadillac, which is also on the pole (see above), so he is in TWO pole-sitting cars at the same time!

Ben’s co-drivers in the # 52 PR1 car are Mikkel Jensen, Scott Huffaker and Nicolas Lapierre while Steven’s co-drivers in the # 11 PR1 car are Jonathan Bomarito, Harry Tincknell and Road to Indy ace Josh Pierson. Dennis shares the # 20 with Anders Fjordbach, Fabio Scherer and Nico Mueller.

.
The # 52 ORECA 07 Gibson for PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports - On the pole in LMP2

Ben Keating

.
.
LMP3 class - On POLE will be Road to Indy driver Cameron Shields in the # 26 Duqueine D08 for Muehlner Motorsports America with a time of 1:42.182s for a speed of 125.423mph - This, despite this being Cam’s first-ever SportsCar race! Cameron bested Nico Pino in the # 38 Ligier JS P320 for Performance Tech Motorsports by 0.286 seconds. Starting third will be Indy Lights driver Jarett Andretti in the # 36 Ligier for Andretti Autosport. This is Andretti Autosport’s first ever 24 hour race as a team.

Cameron shares the # 26 with R crews, Ugo de Wilde and Indy Pro 2000 driver Nolan Siegel while Nico shares the Perf Tech Ligier with Dan Goldburg, Hikaru Abe and Indy Lights driver Garett Grist. Jarett’s co-drivers are Josh Burdon and IndyCar drivers Rasmus Lindh and Gabby Chaves.

.
The # 26 Duqueine D08 for Muehlner Motorsports America - on pole in LMP3

Cameron Shields

.
.
GTD Pro class - On POLE will be Alexandre Imperatori in the # 2 Porsche 911 GT3 R for KCMG with a time of 1:46.136s for a speed of 120.750mph. Alexandre bested another Porsche in the new class, beating Mathieu Jaminet in the # 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R for PFAFF Motorsports by a scant 0.063 seconds. Starting third will be Andrea Caldarelli in the # 63 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 for TR3 Racing.

Alexandre shares the # 2 Porsche with Laurens Vanthoor, Patrick Pilet and Dennis Olsen while Mathieu shares the # 9 Porsche with Matt Campbell and Felipe Nasr. Andrea’s co-drivers are Marco Mapelli, Mirko Bortolotti and Rolf Ineichen.

.
The # 2 Porsche 911 GT3 R for KCMG - on the pole in GTD Pro

Alexandre Imperatori

.
.
GTD class - On POLE will be Kenny Habul in the # 75 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Sun Energy 1 with a time of 1:46.313s for a speed of 120.549mph. Kenny got on top of Russell Ward in the # 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Winward Racing by 0.151 seconds. Starting third will be Jon Miller in the # 59 McLaren 720S GT3 for Crucial Motorsports.

Kenny’s co-drivers in the # 75 Mercedes are Luca Stolz, Raffaele Marciello and Fabian Schiller while Russell shares the # 57 Mercedes with Philip Ellis, Mikael Grenier and Lucas Auer and Jon shares the McLaren with Lance Bergstein, Patrick Gallagher and Paul Holton.

.
The # 75 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Sun Energy 1 - on the pole in GTD

Kenny Habul

.
.
.
The Qualifying Race will be held on Sunday and broadcast on Peacock from 2:00pm EASTERN time to 4:00pm.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Saturday at Daytona - The WeatherTech gang complete the P-4 session…

.
What makes the P-4 practice session so special is because it is held at night, as half the Rolex 24 at Daytona will be driven when the Sun is down. We have the TOP car in each class here for the P-4 session:

.
DPi class - TOPS in DPi class was Ricky Taylor in the # 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 for Wayne Taylor Racing with a time of 1:34.592s for a speed of 135.487mph. Ricky’s co-drivers in the car will be fellow regular Filipe Albuquerque and adds Will Stevens and IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi.

.
The # 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 for Wayne Taylor Racing - TOPS in P-4

Ricky Taylor

.
.
LMP2 class - Rene Rast took the top spot for the class in the # 68 ORECA 07 Gibson for G-Drive Racing By APR with a time of 1:35.874s for an speed of 133.675mph. His co-drivers in the car are Francois Heriau, Oliver Rasmussen and IndyCar driver Ed Jones.

.
The # 68 ORECA 07 Gibson for G-Drive Racing By APR - TOPS in P-4

Rene Rast

.
.
LMP3 class - It was IndyCar guy Trenton Estep who blasted to the top in the # 7 Duqueine D08 for Forty 7 Motorsports with a time of 1:42.582s for a speed of 124.934mph. Trenton’s co-drivers in the car are Mark Kvamme, Antoine Doquin and USF2000 alum Austin McCusker.

.
The # 7 Duqueine D08 for Forty 7 Motorsports - TOPS in P-4

Trenton Estep

.
.
GTD Pro class - Italian Mirko Bortolotti took the top spot in the # 63 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 for TR3 Racing with a time of 1:45.757s for a speed of 121.183mpg. Mirko shares the car with Marco Mapelli, Andrea Caldarelli and Rolf Ineichen.

.
The # 63 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 for TR3 Racing - TOPS in P-4

Mirko Bortolotti

.
.
GTD class - The TOP performer in the P-4 session was Paul Holton in the # 59 Crucial Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 with a time of 1:45.965s for a speed of 120.945mpg. Paul’s co-drivers in the car are Lance Bergstein, Jon Miller and Patrick Gallagher.

.
The # 59 Crucial Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 - TOPS in P-4

Paul Holton

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Sunday at Daytona - Michelin Pilot Challenge hold their final practice of the weekend.…

.
…and we have the TOP THREE performers in both classes here, starting with the Grand Sport class:

.
GS class - The TOP performer in the class was Sebastiaan Bleekemolen in the # 540 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS Cayman for Black Swan Racing with a time of 1:52.636s for a speed of 113.782mpg. Sebastiaan bested Jason Hart in the # 47 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS Cayman by a teensy 0.065 seconds.Third quickest was Chad McCumbee in the # 40 Ford Mustang GT4 for PF Racing.

.
Sebastiaan’s co-drivers in the # 540 Porsche are brother Jeroen Bleekemolen and Tim Pappas while Jason’s co-driver in the # 47 Porsche is Matt Travis. Chade shares the Mustang with James Pesek.

.
The # 540 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS Cayman for Black Swan Racing - TOPS in P-5

Sebastiaan Bleekemolen

.
.
Touring Car class - TOPS in TCR class in P-5 was Gavin Ernstone in the # 61 Audi RS3 LMS SEQ for Road Shagger Racing with a time of 1:59.606s for a speed of 107.152mph. Gavin got the best of Tristan Herbert in the # 44 Audi RS3 LMS SEQ for NGP Motorsports by 0.174 seconds. Third quickest was Mikey Taylor in yet another Audi RS3 LMS SEQ, this one the # 17 for Unitronic JDC-Miller MotorSports.

Gavin’s co-driver in the # 61 Audi is Jon Morley while Tristan hasn’t yet named his co-driver for the race. Mikey shares the # 17 with Chris Miller.

.
The # 61 Audi RS3 LMS SEQ for Road Shagger Racing - TOPS in the P-5 session

Gavin Ernstone

.
.
.
The 4-hour BMW M Endurance Challenge At Daytona is scheduled for Friday the 28th, early afternoon.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Sunday at Daytona - The WeatherTech gang hold their qualifying race…

.
The 100 minute race today was meant to set the grid in each class of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, to be run starting next Saturday, and as with virtually every race these guys run lately, it was a slugfest right to the end.

At the finish the WINNER in DPi class and overall was closer Ricky Taylor in the # 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 for Wayne Taylor Racing, following a great battle with Richard Westbrook, closing in the # 5 Cadillac DPi V.R for JDC-Miller Motorsports. P3 went to Kamui Kobayashi in the # 48 Ally Cadillac for Action Express. Felipe Albuquerque started the day from P7 in the # 10 while IndyCar driver Tristan Vautier started from pole in the # 5 Caddy. It was IndyCar driver Jimmie Johnson who started the Ally Caddy from P4.

The WIN will put the # 10 Acura on pole for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, as the team attempts to WIN for the 4th year in a row.

.

.
Filipe Albuquerque (left) and Ricky Taylor

.
.
.
In the LMP2 class the WINNER was Mikkel Jensen in the # 52 ORECA 07 Gibson for PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports from the pole that co-driver Ben Keating secured yesterday. P2 went to Jon Bomarito in the # 11 sister ORECA for PR1, put on P2 at the start by Steven Thomas. Completing the podium was Rene Rast in the # 68 ORECA for G-Drive Racing By APR. That car started the day from P4 thanks to Francois Heriau.

Ben Keating is the current LMP2 Champion and is on a roll. Starting the Rolex 24 from pole next weekend seems completely correct.

.
Mikkel Jensen (left) and Ben Keating with the # 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA 07

.
.
.
In LMP3 class the WINNER was Josh Burdon in the # 36 Ligier JS P320 for Andretti Autosport, from Jarett Andretti’s P3 start. Josh beat young Ayrton Ori in the # 6 Duqueine D08 for Muehlner Motorsports America, which was started by Moritz Kranz from P4. P3 at the end went to starter Orey Fidani and closer Kuno Wittmer in the # 13 Duqueine for AWA, from their P7 start. The heartbreak for the day was Cameron Shields. The young Australian Indy Pro 2000 driver started on pole in the # 26 Muehlner Motorsports America Duqueine and led the race for two hours, almost lapping the field, when his engine sidelined him and put him a lap down.

.
Josh Burdon (left) and Jarett Andretti with the # 36 Ligier JS P320 for Andretti Autosport

Cam Shields - bad luck

.
.
.
The WINNER of the new GTD Pro class was Mirko Bortolotti in the # 63 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 for TR3 Racing from the P3 start provided by co-driver Andrea Caldarelli. P2 went to Felipe Nasr in his new # 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R ride for PFAFF Motorsports. Mathieu Jaminet put the # 9 car in P2 at the start. Completing the podium was Dirk Mueller in the # 15 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Proton USA from the P13 start of Austin Cindric.

.
Andrea Caldarelli (left) Mirko Bortolotti and Marco Mapelli (right) with the WINNING Lambo

.
.
.
GTD class was WON by Lucas Auer in the # 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Winward Racing from the P2 start provided by co-driver Russell Ward. P2 was Paul Holton in the # 59 McLaren 720S GT3 for Crucial Motorsports. Jon Miller started in the car at P3. Completing the podium was IndyCar driver Townsend Bell in the # 12 Lexus RCF GT3 for Vasser Sullivan, from the P6 start of co-driver Frankie Montecalvo.

.
Russell Ward (left) and Lucas Auer and the # 57 Mercedes-AMG for Winward Racing

.
.
.
The whole circus returns to Daytona on next Wednesday, starting with a practice for the Michelin Pilot Challenge, while the WeatherTech gang all begin to practice on Thursday. The MPC will race on Friday and the Rolex 24 at Daytona will begin on Saturday afternoon.

.
.
.
M

.

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Road to Indy catch-up…

.
While we have been concentrating on the Roar Before the Rolex 24 there has been a lot of news in the Road to Indy, mostly concerning some big CONFIRMATIONS for the '22 season for three of the four series, so let’s catch up, starting with Indy Pro 2000:

.
BIG news, as England’s Louis Foster has been signed to do the entire season of Indy Pro 2000 with Canada’s Exclusive Autosport, driving their # 90 IP-22 after TOPPING three of the six sessions at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test in late October.

.
Louis Foster

.
.
The 18-year-old was the Vice-Champion of Euroformula Open last year, with 3 WINS, and has multiples WINS in British F3, British F4 and Ginetta Junior going back to 2018. He may be the best rookie “get” of the off-season, so far.

.
Said Louis, “I moved to America in August of last year and I’m delighted to get this opportunity to race here with Exclusive Autosport in Indy Pro 2000 while continuing my studies in LA. Last year was a massive learning curve for me in Euroformula Open, as it was my first year competing full-time outside the United Kingdom. Now we’ve taken another big step to head to another continent to live and race. I’m really happy with how the Indianapolis test went and if that’s a reflection of how our year could go, I’m really looking forward to the challenge. The team is really friendly and well organized, and I’m excited to work with them more in the off-season to build on what we’ve achieved already.”

.
.
.
Announced today, Louis will be joined on the squad with California’s Christian Brooks, who is graduating from Exclusive’s USF2000 team and moving into his rookie season of IP2K for 2022.

.
Christian Brooks

.
.
In his 2 years with EA on their USF2000 squad the 21-year-old from Santa Clarita gave them 3 WINS, 7 podiums and 3 poles. In the 2021 season finale at Mid-Ohio Brooks jumped into the team’s IP2K car for the first time and promptly gave them 2 TOP FIVES, proving himself ready to make this move.

Said Christian, “What an honor to be back behind the wheel of the Exclusive Autosport Indy Pro 2000 machine. The team had such a great season last year and I’m ready to continue the success. Now it’s head down until St. Petersburg next month!”

.
.
.
With Brooks and Foster, team principal Michael Duncalf already has a title-contending team and either one of these guys is capable of a championship run.

Michael Duncalf

.
.
.
(continued)

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Road to Indy catch up…(part 2)…

.
In more Indy Pro 2000 news Jay Howard Driver Development has resigned Wyatt Brichacek for another season of Indy Pro 2000, following his rookie year in 2021. Prior to that Wyatt had a season of USF2000 with JHDD in 2020 and a season of F4 United States with them in 2019, so he is a company man.

.
Wyatt Brichacek

.
Said Wyatt, “I’m really excited to be returning with JHDD for a second season in Indy Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires. We’ve been working hard during the off season, and I can’t wait to get started and see how we stack up in 2022. Aiming to continue the success the team saw last year, winning the Indy Pro 2000 Championship.”

.
.
.
Wyatt will have a very strong teammate to bounce off of as this week JHDD announced that they have signed Braden Eves for the IP2K season. The 2019 USF2000 Champion for Cape Motorsports sat out much of the 2020 Indy Pro 2000 season due to a serious injury to his neck sustained at Indianapolis on the Road Course, but came back with a vengeance in 2021 and almost WON the title, losing to Christian Rasmussen, who drove for JHDD. Now, Braden is also to drive for JHDD, his former F4 United States team from 2018.

.
Braden Eves

.
.
Eves already has 10 WINS, 19 podiums and 8 poles in his Road to Indy career, along with the USF2000 title. He figures this is a MUST WIN season in Indy Pro 2000 and he needs to get on to Indy Lights. He is easily the most likely returning driver to reach that goal with the scholarship in hand by season’s end.

Said Braden, “I am very excited to reunite with Jay Howard Driver Development to fight for the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 Championship. Jay helped me make the transition from karts to cars and has helped me develop my race craft throughout my career. It feels surreal to be going full circle and racing with him once again. I know we’re going to be a strong pairing and I can’t wait to see what we can do together!”

.
.
.
In other Indy Pro 2000 news Pabst Racing is announcing that they have acquired 23-year-old Jordan Missig to drive the full season alongside fellow rookie Yuven Sundaramoorthy. Like Yuven, Jordan already has a career with lots of race WINS, but in disciplines outside the Road to Indy. Jordan has WINS in Radical Cup racing, karting, Formula Regional Americas and Lamborghini Super Trofeo. He was introduced to IP2K with Pabst at the 2021 season finale at Mid-Ohio and decided he wanted a full season in a Tatuus IP-22.

.
Jordan Missig

.
.
Said Jordan, “I am very happy and excited to be joining Pabst Racing for the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 season. We worked together towards the end of the 2021 season and now I am happy to be on the team for the full season. What I want to try to achieve this year is good communication within the team, which will then lead to great success out on the race track."

.
.
.
Missig and Sundaramoorthy are both proven WINNERS who should push each other, and that will be great for the “Speed Boys” team.

Yuven Sundaramoorthy

.
.
.
(continued)

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Road to Indy catch up…(part 3)…

.
In USF2000 news Swedish champion Viktor Andersson has signed to do his rookie season for relatively new USF2000 team Velocity Racing Development. Andersson WON the junior classification title and was second overall in the Formula Renault 1.6-based Formula Nordic in 2019, then tried moving into United States Formula 4 the year after but got hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 he was able to do the full US F4 season with Kiwi Motorsport and came 20th in the standings with a best finish of a P6.

.
Viktor Andersson

.
.
Said Viktor, “First off I am thankful for the opportunity that VRD and Dan Mitchell have provided me and am excited to get the 2022 race season started. They are proven winners in other formulas and have their entire program buttoned up to near perfection. I believe that they have the equipment and personnel to win, and I hope that I can push them to the top step of the podium in USF2000 competition.”

.
.
.
Jay Howard Driver Development has announced that they will have Lucas Oil School of Racing graduate Yeoroo Lee in one of their USF2000 cars for the 2022 season.

.
Yeoroo Lee

.
.
Said Yeoroo, “I am very excited to be a part of Jay’s program for the 2022 season, and I am so happy with the off-season progress I have made so far with this team. I feel like I am learning something new every time I get out of the car. Taking it session by session and maximizing my time to its optimal potential is my mindset right now. I intend to be a competitor all season long!”

.
Yeoroo has worked with coach Timmy Pagliuso, who has been involved with names like Linus Lunqvist, Oliver Askew, Matt Round-Garrido, and David Malukas. Said Jay Howard:

“We are happy to sign Yeoroo for the 2022 season and working with him and Timmy from Pagliuso Sports has been great. Yeoroo is working closely with Timmy and the entire team to make sure he is fully prepared for the start of the season. I look forward to seeing Yeoroo hit the track at St. Pete for the first race of the year.”

Jay Howard

.
.
.
(Continued…)

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Road to Indy catch up…(part 4)…

.
Finally, in USF Juniors news, the series has released details of the 2023 chassis that will be used, replacing the current Ligier Honda, which is also used in United States F4. The new car is yet another iteration of the familiar Road to Indy Tatuus chassis that is currently used in USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000. It will be called the Tatuus JR-23.

.

.
From the series:

The Tatuus JR-23 will utilize the same monocoque and main components of both the USF-22 and IP-22 chassis, which will launch this year in USF2000 and the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires respectively. Upgrades include a new, wider monocoque with the addition of a Halo-type device as well as new sidepods, underfloor, engine cover, air ducts, damper cover and fuel cell.

Modifications for the USF Juniors series include the uprights, brake package, dampers and wheels. The USF2000 2-liter MZR powerplant prepared by Elite Engines will use a different restrictor plate producing 150 horsepower. The Cooper tire-shod chassis will feature a slightly harder compound than a USF2000 car. Completing the package is the latest Cosworth Badenia 2 data logger and ECU.

.
.
.
What makes the car so great is the three-step process it begins. If a team wants to run in the USF Juniors it buys the one chassis. If they want the next year to run in USF2000 all they need do is buy the parts to convert that chassis to the USF-22. Then, if they want to go Indy Pro 2000 racing, they only need to buy the parts to convert the same chassis to the IP-22.

This is a significant advantage over all other sanctioning bodies, as the price of a complete car, including two sets of wheels, Elite engine, engine installation kit, Cosworth data logger and ECU, is projected to be approximately $94,000 and can be used for any one or all three different series, with simple modifications.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
It seems like we were at Daytona only last weekend…

.
Why, yes we were, for the Roar Before the Rolex 24, and here we are back again, as this weekend we will do the Rolex 24 at Daytona - the first race of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season and the first of four Michelin Endurance Cup races within that season.

.

.

It’s the longest of the four, at 24 hours, and the most grueling, requiring most teams to field two season regular drivers and two “adds” for the race in each car. This year there are no less than 61 entries - the most in many years. They are divided very nicely between three classes of prototypes, (Dpi class, LMP2 class and LMP3 class), and two GT classes.

The only difference at the moment between the two GT classes are whether or not they employ a fully “pro” set of drivers, (GTD Pro class), or a pro gold or platinum-rated driver paired with a bronze or silver-rated “amateur”, known as simply the GTD class. (a bit of a joke, as the amateurs are way too good to fit the moniker). All the GT cars hew to the FIA’s GT3 specifications.

.

.
.
.
We watch the race because there are so many IndyCar and Road to Indy drivers in it, either current drivers able to race before their own season starts, or recent drivers who are now committed SportsCar drivers. We detailed most of them in posts # 1602 and # 1603. Any not mentioned there will get mentioned somewhere in the next few days.

.
The Michelin Pilot Challenge series will also be racing this weekend as they do their own longest endurance race of the year, the BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona. Today both classes of the MPC had their first practice for the weekend and we have the TOP THREE from each class here:

.
Grand Sport class - TOPPING the charts was IndyCar driver Eric Filgueiras in the # 28 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS Cayman for RS1 with a time of 2:02.990s for a speed of 104.203mpg. Eric bested Tyler McQuarrie in another Cayman, the # 93 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS of CarBahn w/ Peregrine Racing, by a healthy 0.775 seconds. Third fastest was IndyCar driver Jack Hawksworth in the # 68 Toyota Supra GT4 for Smooge Racing. Eric was the 2016 Champion of USF2000 while Jack was the 2012 Champion of Indy Pro 2000 - a pair of Road to Indy aces!

Eric’s co-driver in the # 28 Porsche is Stevan McAleer while Tyler’s co-drivers in the # 93 Porsche are Tom Dyer and Mark Siegel. Jack shares the Toyota with Kevin Conway and John Geesbreght.

.
The # 28 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS Cayman for RS1 - TOPS in the P-1 session

Eric Filgueiras

.
.
.
Touring Car class - TOPS in the TCR class was Mikey Taylor in the # 17 Audi RS3 LMS SEQ for Unitronic JDC-Miller MotorSports with a time of 2:10.536s for a speed of 98.179mph. Mikey got on top of 2021 Champion Michael Lewis in the # 1 Hyundai Elantra for Bryan Herta Autosport by 0.437 seconds. Third quickest was Indy Lights ace Ryan Norman in the # 2 Hyundai Elantra for Bryan Herta Autosport.

Mikey’s co-driver in the Audi is Chris Miller while Michael’s co-driver and co-Champion in the # 1 Hyundai is Taylor Hagler. Ryan - the 2020 TCR Champion - shares the # 2 with AJ Muss.

.
The # 17 Audi RS3 LMS SEQ for Unitronic JDC-Miller MotorSports - TOPS in P-1

Mikey Taylor

.
.
.
Thursday will see another practice for the MPC series and their qualifying for their Friday race. We will also see the WeatherTech gang come out for their first 3 of 4 practices of this weekend.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
We’re back!..

.
Last week, just as we were about to begin covering the Roelx 24 at Daytona, we suffered a major technical meltdown that took away much of our ability to get realtime information and present it. We thought for a while it might be the end of the thread, but we have recovered!

In the mean time the Rolex 24 came and went with its usual last lap heroics - especially in the brand new GTD Pro class. We won’t fully report on what is now old news, but we would like to acknowledge all of the class winners - ESPECIALLY since so many of them were IndyCar drivers!

DPi class and overall was WON by the # 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05, crewed by Oliver Jarvis, Tom Blomqvist and IndyCar drivers Simon Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves - the MSR IndyCar guys for2022. This is the 1st Daytona WIN for Simon but the 2nd in a row for Helio, who drove it to the end, battling all the way with Ricky Taylor in the # 10 Acura…

Also on the podium were IndyCar guys Alexander Rossi in P2 and Tristan Vautier in P3

.
The MSR gang, left to right, Oliver Jarvis, Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud and Tom Blomqvist

.
.
LMP2 class looked like an IndyCar young lions parade as the # 81 ORECA 07 Gibson for DragonSpeed came home in P1 piloted by Eric Lux and IndyCar drivers Colton Herta, Pato O’Ward and Devlin DeFrancesco, with Colton bringing it home. IndyCar driver Rinus VeeKay also garnered a P2 for Racing Team Nederland

.
The crew for DragonSpeed, left to right, Pato O’Ward, Eric Lux, Colton Herta and Devlin DeFrancesco

.
.
LMP3 was another victory for 2021 race and series Champ Gar Robinson in the # 74 Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320 with co-drivers Felipe Fraga, Kay van Berlo and Michael Cooper. They were the only LMP3 on the lead lap at the end and thus were the only “run-away” of the race. What does it take to beat Gar?

.
The # 74 Riley Motorsports guys, left to right, Felipe Fraga, Gar Robinson, Kay van Berlo and Michael Cooper

.
.
GTD Pro class - the first ever class WINNERS were the guys in the # 9 PFAFF Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, Matthieu Jaminet, Matt Campbell and Felipe Nasr. The last two full hours of the race were a spectacular battle between Jaminet and Laurens Vanthoor in the # 2 Porsche 911 GT3 R for KCMG. It literally came down to the final lap with Matthieu regaining the lead in Turn 3 and keeping it as the cars rubbed all their paint off in the Bus Stop chicane. A THRILLING finish!

.
The PFAFF crew prevail, left to right Matt Campbell, Matthieu Jaminet and Felipe Nasr

.
.
GTD class was WON by IndyCar guy Jan Heylen with co-drivers Zacharie Robichon, Richard Lietz and Ryan Hardwick. Jan had a front row seat of the GTD Pro battle as he was cruising right behind the two fellow Porsches for much of the last few hours of the race, content to let them battle without trying to pass them, though he clearly was as fast or faster than they.

.
WINNERS in GTD class, left to right, Zacharie Robichon, Richard Lietz, Jan Heylen and Ryan Hardwick.

.
.
.
The next race for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the 2nd of the four Michelin Endurance Cup races within the season, the 12 Hours of Sebring. This one will have fewer current IndyCar guys in it, as the 12 Hours is on Saturday, the 19th of March, but the IndyCars are scheduled to race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, the 20th. A FEW will actually try to make both races, with the aid of bizjets to haul them to Texas after racing at Sebring.

.
.
.
Hey, it’s great to be back!

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Road to Indy news catch-up…

.
The CONFIRMATIONS are coming in faster now as we get closer to Spring Training for the Road to Indy and we have some of them for you here:

.
In Indy Lights news we finally have the confirmation of Ernie Francis Jr. as the driver of the Force Indy # 99 Dallara IL-15. Ernie drove splendidly at the Chris Griffis Memorial test last October in an HMD Motorsports car but it was known at the time that Force Indy was just renting the ride for him while their own chassis was undergoing retrofitting.

.
Ernie Francis Jr. for Force Indy

.
.
Francis is one of the most anticipated drivers of the upcoming season, as he has a splendid resume in racing. The 24-year-old Florida native is a seven-time class champion in the Trans Am Series. His 47 career victories are the most of any driver in Trans Am history. He also had a second-place finish in the inaugural season of the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), with a WIN at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. For formula cars, in his lone season in the Formula Regional Americas Championship last year he pulled down 3 WINS.

Said Ernie, “This is an incredible opportunity. After getting a taste last year and beginning to learn what open-wheel racing is all about, I found myself wanting more. Open-wheel cars are incredible to drive. To know that I’ll continue my education with Force Indy and only one step away from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES makes this unbelievably special. I cannot wait to get started.”

Francis is already pulling in test numbers the equal of most of his competition in Indy Lights.

.
.
.
In Indy Pro 2000 news Juncos Hollinger Racing has CONFIRMED a 2nd season for Reece Gold, following a splendid rookie season in 2021, where he claimed one WIN, five poles and seven podiums.

.
Ricardo Juncos (left) and Reece Gold

.
Said Team Owner Ricardo Juncos, “We are thrilled to have Reece back on board with us this season. He proved to be a strong and consistent driver at a young age during his rookie year, so we are thrilled to build off that momentum going into St. Pete next month. I am confident Reece will find more success this year as we battle for the championship.”

.
Gold is the first driver announced to the championship winning team for the 2022 season.
.
.
.
continued…

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Road to Indy news catch-up…(part 2)…

.
Turning to USF2000 now, where the most news is. First and foremost, the one we have been waiting for, as 2021 Vice-Champion Michael d’Orlando has decided that he will return for another season of USF2000 with Cape Motorsports, again, with the goal of WINNING the 2022 title and the scholarship that goes with it. That will fuel his move to Indy Pro 2000 in 2023.

.
Michael d’Orlando

.
Said the 19-year-old, “I’ve looked in the past and it seems as though most of the drivers who win USF2000 are in their 20s, with three or more seasons of auto racing under their belts.

“I look at guys like Kyle Kirkwood and Oliver Askew, they did other open-wheel racing before USF2000 so I feel as though I’m right on schedule. I would have loved to move up to Indy Pro 2000, but budget constraints combined with my desire to win this championship – and the scholarship – made the decision to return this year an easy one.”

.
.
.
While the Capes keep Michael they will lose Spike Kohlbecker, who was in a partnership with the Capes and Ignite Autosport in his rookie season in 2021. Spike ended up the TOP performing rookie of the year by coming seventh in the standings, with one podium appearance. He was always in the mix of things, and clearly talented and courageous.

.
Spike Kohlbecker

.
For 2022 Spike is moving to Turn 3 Motorsports and taking the Ignite team with him. Spike has a history with Turn 3’s Dempsey family, as in 2019, Kohlbecker was title runner-up for Cliff Dempsey Racing in the United Kingdom’s BRSCC National Formula Ford 1600 championship. The self-titled CDR team was run by Turn 3 owner Peter Dempsey’s father.

Said Spike, “It feels great to say ‘I’m back! The Turn 3 team is filled with many familiar names and faces for me, so it feels like home, and racing for the Dempsey family again is a real honor.”

.
.
.
Exclusive Autosport has announced that New Zealander Billy Frazer will return to the Canadian “eh” team for his sophomore season of USF2000 in the # 92 Tatuus USF-22 machine.

.
Billy Frazer

.
In the 2021 USF2000 season, the 18-year-old completed every lap in all but one race in his 21 starts and posted two TOP FIVE and eight TOP TEN finishes. Since it was his first season in the United Staes his concentration was on learning the new car and learning the new tracks. He feels ready to try to WIN races, now. With his resume we know he’s capable of it.

Said team principal Michael Duncalf, “It is great to have Billy back with us for a second year of USF2000. Billy got his feet wet with North America racing in 2021 and put up some solid performances. He had to learn a new car, new tracks and the North American lifestyle the last year. He did a great job adapting to his new surroundings and came out stronger at each event. We are looking to build and capitalize on that growth and experience in our 2022 efforts and look forward to kicking things off in St. Petersburg in February.”

Michael Duncalf

.
.
.
(continued)

.
.
.
M