Motorsport Series News for July 6, 2022-A Glimpse of the New Porsche 911 GT3 R

This week in the Motorsport Series News roundup I bring you the first shots of the new Porsche 911 GT3 R, the debut of two new racing series for 2023, Praga R1 test days, the appeal of MX-5 Cup racing, an SCCA update, the new Cross Car, and more.

• Porsche has revealed the first photos of their new 911 GT3 R. The German manufacturer is introducing a 992-based Porsche 911 GT3 R to replace the current 991.2 model of the same name that has been active since 2019. As reported in Sportscar 365, “according to program manager Sebastian Golz, one of the key improvements of the new Porsche GT3 car over its predecessor is the implementation of more sophisticated driver assistance technology. Golz said that extensive track testing, which has taken place at several European circuits including Spa-Francorchamps, Barcelona and Monza, has enabled the GT3 engineering team to get the product in a high-performing and reliable state ahead of its launch.”

• With the launch of the new Porsche 911 GT3 R among a number of new cars being launched this year and next, a few prominent Mercedes-AMG teams have voiced general support for the manufacturer’s plans to keep its current GT3 car active until the end of 2024. Haupt Racing Team CEO Ulrich Fritz, GetSpeed Performance team principal Adam Osieka and Akkodis ASP boss Jerome Policand have given their thoughts to Sportscar 365 on Mercedes-AMG’s stated future plans in the global GT racing formula.

• Porsche has also announced a new Time Attack North America championship. “Time Attack is a timed motorsport event where a single car laps the track for the quickest time. The car which sets the fastest lap time wins the event. The sport has become a popular way for drivers to focus on precision driving, maximizing performance without the risk of contact with another car or the expenses associated with GT and sports car racing. Contenders can enter any Porsche-built race car, in factory specification, with the exception of current model year Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport machines. The Porsche Time Attack will be conducted at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, providing two practice sessions on Saturday, followed by two timed events Sunday to determine the ultimate winner.”

• A new, multiple-class, sprint-race series will make its debut in 2023 as IMSA officials unveiled the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, with entitlement sponsorship from longtime pillar IMSA partner VP Racing Fuels. “The series will feature currently homologated Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) and Grand Touring 4 (GT4) race cars in 45-minute sprint races with one driver per car. The new series class names will be LMP3 and GSX respectively. To be eligible to drive in either class, all drivers must have an FIA Driver Categorization of either Bronze or Silver. A five-event, 10-race schedule is planned for the series, which replaces the current IMSA Prototype Challenge series.”

• According to Sportscar 365, IMSA is looking to “revitalize” the BoP process for the new GTP class. “We’re looking at further developing and introducing new tools into IMSA’s BoP toolbox that will allow us to regulate and keep these LMH and LMDh cars as close as they can to each other. Especially considering we’re going to have hybrid cars, all-wheel drive cars… It’s a layer of complexity that we haven’t had to deal with so far.”

• Praga Racing UK has unveiled their upcoming Praga R1 test days for amateur and professional drivers this summer in advance of the 2023 season. The test days will be supported by the experienced team from Idola Motorsport which currently runs four R1 cars in the Praga Cup 2022. Competitive, all-inclusive test days packages are available which include mechanical team for the day, data/performance engineer, tyres, fuel and circuit costs. The dates are:
  • 7th July – Donington – Sessioned Test Day – ARDS Race National Licence required
  • 12th August – Silverstone National Sessioned Test Day – ARDS Race National Licence required
  • 21st September – Snetterton – Open Pit Lane – UK driving licence required, driver must be over 18 years

• Autosport reports that there will be no FIA F3 or FIA WTRC races at Macau once again this year. “The FIA Formula 3 World Cup in Macau will not take place in 2022 due to ongoing restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” a brief statement said. “Due to the ongoing quarantine restrictions and associated logistical challenges in Asia, rounds of WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup and FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup set to take place on the continent will not be held this year,” it said.

• Speed Cafe reports that the the Supercars Commission has decided that the Dunlop Super2 Series title will be open to both Gen2 and pre-Gen2 model Car of The Future vehicles next year. “This combined Dunlop Super2/Dunlop Super3 Series category gives drivers the opportunity to become more familiar with how to race Supercars. The primary focus for us is around the driver pathway, a commitment which Dunlop shares.”

• The Hankook 24H Sebring has been called off by series promoter Creventic citing ongoing uncertainty in global logistics chains. “Ongoing uncertainty in global logistics chains has now made it impossible for Creventic to guarantee safe passage of team containers, and the equipment therein, across the Atlantic within the allotted time,” a statement from Creventic read.

• Entry to the 2023 Student Motorsport Challenge is now open. They are looking for College, UTC, University and Student Teams to join their successful and growing racing series for the 2023 season. ‘Early bird’ entry is available until 30th September 2022 when you can ‘lock in’ and reserve your place on the 2023 Challenge grid! More details can be found here.

• With the Mazda MX-5 Cup running at a NASCAR event for the first time, it is drawing NASCAR crossover interest. “In a lot of ways, the MX-5 Cup car philosophy aligns exactly with what the Next Gen car is all about,” IMSA President John Doonan said. “This cost-effective platform that level-sets for whatever the team size is. There’s a one-car team that have won the championship twice. That’s the philosophy that MX-5 has.”

• SCCA President and CEO Mike Cobb recently provided SCCA members with a midyear status update on the Club. The address was conducted virtually as a webinar and recorded so members can review the full presentation at their leisure. To access the one-hour video, click here, or login to your account at my.scca.com and click “Annual Meetings & Updates” under the “My Learning” tab. A quick summary can be found on the SCCA website here.

• The FIA has released updated information on their Cross Car concept at the FIA eConference 2022. More details can be found in the video above.