Motorsport Series News for March 16, 2022-Hypercar, Formula 2 and More

This week in Motorsport Series News I have developments from the world of Formula 2, the new ERA Championship, GT racing, GTP/Hypercar, SCCA road racing and more.

Single-Seater Series News

• As the 2022 season kicks off in Bahrain, F2 and F3’s CEO Bruno Michel looks back at 2021 and looks ahead to 2022 in both series.

• Speaking of Formula 2, the Checkered Flag looks in detail at Formula 2’s Dallara F2/18.

• Green Racing News has a great overview of the brand new all-electric race series in ERA Championship Everything You Need to Know About the Series.

Sports Car Series News

• In GTP/Hypercar news, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus has confirmed that there would no third SCG 007 LMH entered in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team has released the following statement though for 2023 indicating that cars will be available for purchase: “So, giving everyone a bit more time, we now offer 007LMH’s and 007S’s for 2023. The conditions of our LMH offer require the purchaser to commit to the full 2023 WEC/Le Mans season.”

• Not for Audi though as there are strong indications that Audi will be pausing or canceling their LMDh program. Reasons given for the change include a move to Formula 1 in 2026, the increasing cost of their rally-raid program with the RS Q e-tron and having VW allocate the capacity at Multimatic to build cars away from Audi to Lamborghini. The official line from Audi is about resources “being used differently and more sensibly at the moment.”

• The Bathurst 12 Hours is set to introduce wave-bys in a sporting regulation overhaul for this year’s race. Speedcafe.com reports that the wave-by rule, known in NASCAR and Australian terms as the ‘Lucky Dog’, will be employed, along with other initiatives including the requirement that Am drivers will be required to complete one stint in the morning and one in the afternoon during the race.

• Shannonville Motorsport Park is thrilled to be introducing a new car racing program for 2022. The program is focused on performance driving and motorsport enthusiasts who want to try their skills in a more controlled and respectful environment. The Supercar Pirelli Challenge (Supercar), will be open exclusively to the Shannonville Racing Club members and kicks off May 11, 2022. Full details can be found at the Shannonville Motorsport Park website.

• Following the announcement that IMSA has acquired Historic Sportscar Racing during January’s 60th Rolex 24 At Daytona, IMSA President John Doonan and HSR President David Hinton met at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America recently to share some information on the new partnership and address some of the questions HSR competitors and race fans alike have raised in recent weeks in this video produced by IMSA and NASCAR Productions. You can watch the video above.

• GT Celebration have announced that the KTM X-BOW RR will become the Official Pace Car of the series in 2022. In addition to becoming the Official Pace Car, KTM is providing a grand prize to the GT Celebration overall Championship winner which includes a tour of the KTM factory with track time at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

• The SCCA has announced their Road Racing Contingency Programs for 2022. A full rundown of contingency offerings can be found on the SCCA Contingency webpage. Many contingency opportunities require pre-registration with SCCA and/or with the sponsoring company. Details and instructions to register for each of these programs are available on the same page. Remember, it’s your responsibility to make sure you’re in compliance with each program for which you enroll.

Stock Cars and Other Motorsport Series News

• As NASCAR continues to expand its footprint to new places and new dates, officials confirmed last Thursday that the sanctioning body is exploring the possibility of scheduling a street race in Chicago. Steve O’Donnell, newly promoted to the position of chief operating officer by NASCAR, also said officials are considering scheduling an exhibition series for electric cars.