Motorsport Series News for April 13, 2022-Changes From Around the Racing World

This week’s Motorsport Series News is filled with news of change. From Argentina to Asia, from Canada to Europe and beyond, this edition is filled with new and renamed racing series and more. As I like to say, the only thing constant about motorsport is change.

Single-Seaters

• Formula Scout has the details on two Formula Renault series that are getting rebranded. Argentinian FR2.0 is changing its name to Formula Nacional Argentina and adding the halo cockpit protection device to the chassis it was already using. And over in Asia, the series that was given the FRegional Asia Series name (FRAS) for its cancelled 2021 season is now set for a comeback all in China. “Formula Scout spoke to Renault Sport Racing’s customer racing director Benoit Nogier about the brand’s plans in Asia, and he was enthusiastic to get FRAS off the ground again with FRegional cars. This week Renault told Formula Scout that the series would go ahead with only a FRegional class, and had no comment to make on the series’ website which has renamed the series as Formula Alpine Club.”

• Also according to Formula Scout, the FIA Formula 3 Championship’s newly introduced steering wheel was one of the main topics of conversation among drivers at this week’s in-season test at Jerez. “Following the Bahrain season opener, F3 has introduced a new, bulkier steering wheel for the rest of the year. From discussions with teams at Jerez, Formula Scout understands there had been a struggle to ensure an adequate supply of spare parts and electronics for the existing wheels.”

• Racer.com reports that the Formula Regional Americas Championship and Formula 4 United States Championship have announced that Racing Force USA has expanded its partnership to include support from both Bell Helmets and OMP Racing for the top finishers in each series’ championship with end-of-year awards.

• In The promise of the UK’s newest junior single-seater series, Autosport looks at the brand new GB4 Championship as it kicked off its inaugural season last week. “I think it’s a good start to what is a completely new championship and, in terms of people on the grid, I don’t think there is anybody here that actually would have been on a British F4 grid,” says (organizer MSV’s Jonathan) Palmer. “It is as we always intended, it is a championship that’s aiming for those that just can’t get near a British Formula 4 grid, but want to develop their careers in single-seater racing.”

• Finally, the Boss GP Racing Series is getting ready to kick off it’s 2022 season in about a month. Billed as “Europe’s fastest racing series”, new series coordinator Dario Pergolini states: “We have so many great teams and drivers from all over continental Europe, the UK and the USA who are loyal to our racing series.”

Sports Cars

• Ferrari has completed a rollout of the new 296 GT3 model ahead of its competitive race debut next year according to Sportscar 365. “Alessandro Pier Guidi and Andrea Bertolini handled driving duties Tuesday of the new V6 turbo contender at Ferrari’s test track in Fiorano, with the day’s program alternating between on-track running and time being “checked by technicians in Marnello” according to a statement from the Italian manufacturer. The 296 GT3 is the first Ferrari race car to be built by ORECA, which will be charged with production.”

• Reiter Engineering have confirmed that they will be running LMP3 programs in both the Michelin Le Mans Cup and Prototype Cup Germany according to DailySportscar.com. “Founded in the year 2000 by experienced racing engineer Hans Reiter, Reiter Engineering made a name for themselves with the manufacturing of several Lamborghini GT cars. Since 2015, the German team has been fully focused on the development of the KTM X-Bow in GT4, GTX and GT2 racing.”

• In Canada, FEL Motorsports has announced that they have acquired a 3-year TCR Licence from the WSC Group. A TCR class will be run by FEL Motorsports within their Sports Car Championship Canada series. The 2022 calendar consists of six events, including one at the Honda Indy Toronto street-circuit as support to the Indy Car Series; the event format comprises two 40-minute sprint races, one Saturday and one Sunday. During the three previous seasons TCR cars raced in Canada as part of the Canadian Touring Car Championship. As Stephanie Wallcraft reports, that series in now “on hold.”

• An unchanged lineup of seven manufacturers will compete for global Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS title this year. Audi, Mercedes-AMG, McLaren, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari and BMW are all confirmed for another Global GT World Challenge title fight.