This week’s Motorsport Series News Roundup has a lot of news from Maserati as they rejoin the sports car racing fraternity. I also have news of Touring Cars at the Motorsport Games, IMSA on the streets of Chicago, BMW goes WEC, the Vanwall Hypercar on track and more.
- A lot of news this week from Maserati as they have confirmed that their new MC20 GT2 will be racing in the Fanatec GT2 European Series Championship in 2023. In the words of Davide Grasso, Maserati CEO: “We are driven by our passion, both on the road and on the track. We have a long history of world excellence in motorsport and we are extremely proud to race with the extraordinary MC20. Racing has always been Maserati’s natural habitat and now, both in the Fanatec GT2 European Series Championship and in the Formula E Championship, this brand is making a new start from its roots to build the future”.
- Maserati also announced their new Project24 track car. “Designed by Centro Stile Maserati, the Project24 has a completely new look. This time, Maserati design pushes the boundaries to the limits, free of the constraints usually seen in a racing car. The result is something never seen before, combining beauty with genuine sporty capabilities to become an instant classic collector’s item.”
- BMW has announced that they will racing in the WEC in 2024. “The decision to run the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the IMSA series from 2023, and the WEC from 2024, is a milestone for the project,” said Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH. “I sampled and marvelled at the extraordinary flair of the 24 Hours of Le Mans during my first term as CEO of BMW M so I am very excited to be challenging for overall victory as BMW M Motorsport again at this classic and in the whole World Endurance Championship for the first time for decades. The BMW M Hybrid V8 represents a turning point towards electrification for BMW M. The IMSA series in North America and the WEC, which takes place all over the world, are the perfect platforms, on which to use our prototype to show how exciting electrified BMW M cars will be in the future.”
- Alongside NASCAR, IMSA has announced that they will be racing on the Chicago street circuit in 2023. According to Sportscar365, “The yet-to-be-named IMSA event will take place on Sat. July 1, with the series to be announced at a later date. The early July weekend has traditionally seen the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Michelin Pilot Challenge in action at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. However, the status and/or date of next year’s CTMP event has yet to be confirmed.”
- Touring Cars are set to return to this year’s FIA Motorsport Games. “Touring Cars will run to the World Sport Consulting (WSC) TCR Technical Regulations. Since TCR’s introduction in 2015, WSC has licensed the category to more than 30 championships and series worldwide, making it one of the world’s most successful customer racing platforms.”
- Autosport reports that ByKolles was “surprised” by the Vanwall Hypercar reliability in its latest test. “We are surprised ourselves, to be honest,” said Kolles. “The car just keeps going, lap after lap, even at 40 degrees. We’ve now done about 1800km and haven’t had a single technical issue.”
- Damien Smith at Autosport looks at the rough WTCR weekend in Vallelunga as tire issues caused Cyan Racing to withdraw their 5 cars from an already thin grid. “Goodyear is vastly experienced at supplying spec tyres, at much higher performance levels than TCR touring cars. So it’s a puzzler. Much the same can be said for Cyan Lynk & Co’s choice of bridge-burning tactics in the paddock.”
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a former lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.