Sports Car Press Releases

Unser to Pursue Book Promotion Program

INDIANAPOLIS (January 25, 2023) Al Unser, Jr. and Mark McAlister announced today that Unser has resigned from the team on entirely amicable terms. Unser decided to focus on promotional opportunities with his book, "A Checkered Past." Among his plans is an audiobook version of his successful book, released in late 2021. He will continue with his responsibilities with Vintage Indy and additional projects.

“Al has been an invaluable asset to our company,” said Future Star Owner and President McAlister. “He has brought us to a top caliber level, allowing us to win races and regularly putting our drivers on podiums. This success gives me complete confidence we can sustain that level of performance. We wish Al all the best fortune with his book promotional efforts."  

Marotti Autosport Expands Partnership with Legacy Autosport at Barber

Marotti Autosport is expanding its partnership with Legacy Autosport by bringing back Simon Sikes and adding Andre Castro for the USF 2000 opener at Barber Motorsport Park in the Road to Indy Series. Marotti and Legacy launched their partnership in 2020.

Sikes won the 2020 FRP F1600 Championship, was an SCCA Runoff Champion, and was recognized for his accomplishments with the highly coveted Team USA Scholarship. Castro has had previous experience in USF2000 and performed well in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.

 Wallingford, CT (August 20, 2020) -- Marotti Autosport announced today that Medi-Share has joined its roster of partners. The partnership between Marotti and Medi-Share reflects Marotti’s support for the mission of Medi-Share and its decades-long track record of providing high quality, biblically-based health care, at low cost to faith-based consumers. Information about how to join Medi-Share will soon be available on Marotti’s Website to make it easier for fans and followers to learn more about the ministry and how to join.

Medi-Share is a healthcare sharing ministry founded on the belief that there is a better way to provide health care — by focusing on people, not profit. The organization works to inspire people to adopt healthier lifestyles. Its goal is to help people save money so they can better support their families and do God’s work.

“Medi-Share is exactly the kind of organization we seek to foster partnerships with,” said Will Marotti. “We are delighted to announce this agreement because we share the core values Medi-Share lives by.”

“Will and everyone at Marotti Autosport are a great fit with the values we hold dear in serving others,” said Dom Robin, Director of Channel Partners for Medi-Share. “So many good people in motorsport understand faith and the awesome power of serving others. Marotti Autosport certainly does.”

Agreement Will Support Standout Driver Cameron Shields in USF2000

Wallingford, CT (August 19, 2020) Marotti Autosport announced today that it will join forces with Legacy Autosport and rising star driver Cameron Shields. The arrangement will begin at the August 21 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship race on the 0.686-mile Lucas Oil Speedway oval. 

Marotti brings proven experience in sponsorship attraction and retention. By understanding the individual needs and goals of sponsors Marotti fosters win-win outcomes for both teams and businesses, bringing financial support.

A Dyson family holiday tradition enters a new generation this weekend when the Trans Am presented by Pirelli headlines the Memorial Day Motorsports Festival at Lime Rock Park.

Pegasus Marketing President, Ralph Hansen is pleased to announce that Marotti Racing has signed 2018 SCCA Runoffs Champion and Pacific F2000 Champion Jason Reichert as a driver for their USF2000 program in 2019.

Marotti Racing has participated in the 2016 and 2017 Indianapolis 500 with Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports, as well as three other IndyCar races also with SPM. In 2016, Will Marotti became the first active pastor to help lead a team to the 500 (source Donald Davidson). The team continues to work with an IndyCar team (not yet announced) and sponsors to participate in the 2019 Indy 500.

Tales from the paddock - Gary Paffett: "The guys with more experience are getting the best out of the car on a more consistent basis"
 

 
 

Early each week, Porsche Cars North America will provide a weekend summary or pre-race event notes package, covering the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Pirelli World Challenge (PWC), the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) or other areas of interest from the world of Porsche Motorsport. Please utilize this resource as needed, and do not hesitate to contact us for additional information.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (Oct. 3, 2016) – A panel of Trans-Am racing experts will speak about the series’ 50-year history at the International Motor Racing Research Center on Oct. 22.

Glenda Gephart, International Motor Racing Research Center

Director of Administration and Communications

607-535-9044; glenda@racingarchives.org

Judy Stropus

203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438;

 jstropus@earthlink.net

The Wayne Taylor Racing #10 Konica Minolta Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype (front), driven by Jordan and Ricky Taylor, races to victory Saturday, April 18, 2015, winning the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship on the streets of Long Beach, California. (Photo by Richard Prince for Chevy Racing)

HPD Racing Report

Sixth Place Finish for Honda, Michael Shank Racing at Long Beach

• ·        First temporary street circuit event for Honda-powered Ligier chassis
• ·        First sprint event of the 2015 season
• ·        Pit strategy gamble comes up short

Fort Worth, Texas – RIS – Will Owen announced today that he will graduate to the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires where he will compete with Juncos Racing during the 2015 season.  After a successful rookie year in the USF2000 Championship in 2014, Owen will look to continue his climb up the Road to Indy ladder as he sets his goals of one day competing in IndyCar. 

VIRginia International Raceway, one of America’s premier road courses, is excited to announce the spectator race schedule for 2015. Kicking off in April, the 2015 schedule is one of VIR’s most prominent to date, featuring 10 exceptional events!

October 4, 2014 (BRASELTON, Georgia)  –  The Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta wrapped up the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship on Saturday night.  While the headliner was the 10-Hour TUDOR race, the weekend also featured the season finale for the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, and season ending double-headers for both the Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires and the Cooper Tires IMSA Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda.  These four series are among a wide variety of roadracing series featuring Mazda cars and teams.  The Mazda Road to Indy seasons wrapped up in late August, while there are still a few more weekends of major club racing events between now and year end.   

There will be only one place to be this November as the 1/3-mile Canyon Speedway Park clay oval will close out the season in grand style with three don't miss, blockbuster events.

Pro-Am Drivers & Cars

Parnelli Jones Grand Marshal / Pace car driver for the Pro-Am
Bobby Unser Oval only - Exhibition and Oval open wheel classes

Spike Gehlhausen / Dickenson Rathbone -1966 Shelby GT 350, # 111*
Mark Dismore / Scott Hackenson - 1967 Mustang, # 317*
Lyn St. James / Curt Vogt 1970 Boss Mustang, #23*
Rick Treadway / Addison Brown - 1968 Camaro # 67
Willy T. Ribbs / Mike Moss – 1965 Corvette, # 81

SCOTT GOODYEAR RETURNS TO COMPETITION AT IMS

P.J. Chesson Also Joins Talent-Rich Field in “Indy Legends” Pro-Am

Southlake, TX (May 26, 2014) – The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) today announced two additional late entries from Indianapolis 500 Mile Race history - Scott Goodyear and P.J. Chesson - to compete in the “Indy Legends Pro-Am,” a special feature to its June 6 – 8 “Brickyard Invitational” vintage race weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). Earlier this week the SVRA announced it had reached its goal of 24 Indianapolis 500 veterans in the event. The SVRA’s vision is to create a return to competition for veterans of the Indianapolis 500 with a 40-minute race of American muscle cars on the Speedway’s 2.43-mile Grand Prix road course on Sunday, June 8. Goodyear and Chesson join a great field steeped in the talent of veteran drivers holding a long list of championship credentials across a wide variety of motorsport disciplines.

Legendary Car Builder Remembered With Trophy For “Best Roadster”

Southlake, TX (May 20, 2014) – The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) today announced that legendary Indianapolis 500 mechanic and car builder A.J. Watson will be remembered when they present the first annual “A.J. Watson Tribute Trophy” during their Brickyard Invitational vintage race event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) June 6-8. The “Brickyard Invitational” weekend will be the largest gathering of race cars ever assembled for competition in America. The SVRA has 11 groups of cars spanning 100 years of vintage machines and all will be in action at IMS.  Most of the races will take place on the Speedway’s 2.43-mile Grand Prix road course but for the first time in history cars will be at speed on both the world-famous 2.5-mile oval and the road course on the same day. All cars will have a chance to tour the oval at speed, including the crowd-favorite 1950’s-vintage Indianapolis 500 “roadsters.”

BUDDY LAZIER ENTERS “INDY LEGENDS” PRO-AM

1996 Indianapolis 500 Winner to Compete in Big Vintage Race at IMS

Southlake, TX (May 15, 2014) – The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) today announced another Indianapolis 500 Mile Race winner will compete in the “Indy Legends Pro-Am,” a special feature to its June 6 – 8 “Brickyard Invitational” vintage race weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). Buddy Lazier, whose mastery of the Speedway oval is undisputed with an exceptional record of finishes, will join fellow Indianapolis 500 Mile Race winner Al Unser Jr. in a field loaded with great names of Brickyard lore. The SVRA, America’s premier vintage racing organization, is creating an intriguing competition for veterans of the Indianapolis 500 with a 40 minute race of American muscle cars on the Speedway’s 2.43-mile Grand Prix road course on Sunday, June 8.

“INDY LEGENDS” PRO-AM FIELD NEARLY FULL

More than 350 vintage and historic race cars highlight May 17-18 weekend George Follmer and Don Nichols are honored guests; popular racing seminar set for third year.

 - The Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival returns

The Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival returns to Sonoma Raceway on May 17-18 for the fifth straight year under that title. The program for the 28th annual historic-car event organized by General Racing Ltd. in Sonoma will celebrate the early years of the iconic SCCA Can-Am Series, which ran from 1966 to 1974, with a focus on the unique Shadow race car that competed in the Series from 1970-1974.

 
INDIANAPOLIS (April 23, 2014) -- Josef Newgarden finds a flavor of familiarity as he heads to Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Ala., for the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday, April 27. He grew up less than four hours away in Hendersonville, Tenn., just outside of Nashville.
 

Garcia, Magnussen dominate street race; Gavin, Milner take third-place GTLM finish

LONG BEACH, Calif.(April 12, 2014) – Corvette Racing won its first race with the new Chevrolet Corvette C7.R on Saturday at Long Beach as Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen dominated in their No. 3 Corvette to take the GT Le Mans class of the Patrón Sports Car Showcase. The duo led all but one lap and took the checkered flag by 5.408 seconds in the third round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Wayne Taylor Racing places second, Action Express third to lead Corvette DP fiel

LONG BEACH, Calif.-RIS -(April 12, 2014) – Corvette Daytona Prototypes took two of the three podium steps Saturday in the Patrón Sports Car Showcase, the third round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Wayne Taylor Racing’s Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor placed second in the 100-minute race at the Long Beach street circuit, the first visit to the venue for the Corvette DPs.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Feb. 21, 2014) - Three of auto racing's rising stars under the age of 21 who have already demonstrated their talents on North American race tracks for at least a dozen years are candidates for the 20th Gorsline Scholarship in 2014.

DETROIT  – The most demanding auto race in the world again will have a distinctive American flavor with the returns of Corvette Racing to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. For its 15th consecutive appearance in the French classic, Corvette Racing will be armed with the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R. Two of the new GT challengers were accepted to race at Le Mans in the GTE Pro class.

The question posed to the Magic Eight Ball leading into the July 26 Brickyard Sports Car Challenge was: Will Bryan Sellers follow his first career GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) win at historic Watkins Glen International with another this week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS)? The Braselton, Ga.-resident got his answer: "It is decidedly so!"

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – July 27, 2013... Ryan Dalziel and Alex Popow won the 3-hour GRAND-AM Brickyard Grand Prix in the No. 2 Starworks Motorsports BMW Riley, finishing 3.438 seconds ahead of the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates BMW Riley of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas. The 1-2 finish added an exclamation point to the story of the debut race for the new BMW 4.5-liter powerplant. The victory moved Dalziel and Popow to the top of the Daytona Prototype driver point standings and the runner-up finish won CGRFS a $100,000 pay day for the 2013 North American Endurance Championship.

MAZDA RETURNS DIESEL POWER TO THE BRICKYARD

When the Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel racecar hits the track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week, it will be the first time in six decades that a diesel has competed at the most famous track in the world.  Historians will note that the last time a diesel competed at the speedway was in the 1952 Indianapolis 500, when the Cummins Diesel Special surprised the establishment with technology unknown to most racers at the time.  While there are no direct links between these two companies or their products, they share common goals in testing production technology in the harshest of environments.

Jul 26, 2013 , HERNDON, Va. Audi announces that two Audi R8 GRAND-AM cars will race this tonight at 7:30pm EST at the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the third and final race of the North American Endurance Championships. Both a quattro GmbH factory team and the new customer-racing team, Fall-Line Motorsports, will race in the three-hour Brickyard Grand Prix, the eighth round of the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series.

The Audi R8 GRAND-AM that won the Daytona 24 Hours earlier this year will race this Friday at the Indianapolis Motors Speedway in an effort to win the North American Endurance Championship. Filipe Albuquerque (Portugal) – who took the checkered flag at Daytona – and Edoardo Mortara (France/Italy) will pilot the number 24 car.

        The USAC West Coast Sprint cars return to Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif. and the point standings are expected to tighten in the wake of Cory Kruseman’s recent Santa Maria victory, which ended the nine-race stranglehold of Ryan Bernal and Richard Vander Weerd.

INDIANAPOLIS, Friday, July 12, 2013 - AJ Allmendinger will add a third race to his Indianapolis Motor Speedway resume later this month, as he will drive for Michael Shank Racing in the Brickyard Grand Prix GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race Friday, July 26 during the Kroger Super Weekend at the Brickyard.

HPD Racing Report
Sunday, June 23, 2013
24 Hours of Le Mans Race Report

ASTON MARTIN TAKES THIRD IN THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS

Aston Martin Racing finished third in the highly competitive GTE Pro class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its #97 Vantage GTE, a result dedicated by the team to its driver Allan Simonsen (DN), who was involved in a tragic accident in the #95 car shortly after the start of the race.

David Richards, Chairman of Aston Martin comments: “Following the wishes of Allan’s family, the team continued its participation in the race which was obviously very emotional and difficult for everyone. Both the #97 and #99 cars led for long periods of time but, ultimately, it was the changing weather conditions in the last hours that cost us the victory we all longed for. I’d like to thank everyone who has shown us such support over the weekend and sent the messages of condolence to Allan’s family.”

Joest celebrates 14th victory at Le Mans

For the second time in succession, Audi and the Audi Sport Team Joest have won the Le Mans 24 Hours with a hybrid race car and quattro drive, thus continuing the unique success story of Audi and Joest at the world’s most important endurance race. Victory was clinched by Loïc Duval (F), Tom Kristensen (DK) and Allan McNish (GB).

As expected, the twelfth triumph for the four rings at Le Mans and the 14th of Joest Racing was one of the most difficult and hardest-fought ones. Following a change in the regulations that was made at short notice, the three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars on average were able to do two laps less on one tank filling than their main rival Toyota. The Audi drivers had to compensate for the additional pit stops by faster lap times on track – and did so in weather conditions that at times were extremely difficult.

Zytek Engined Cars Lead At Le Mans

First four positions in LMP2 after eight hours.

After eight hours Zytek Nissan engined cars were leading the LMP2 class of the Le Mans 24-hours. The OAK Racing Morgans and two of Zytek’s own Z11SN chassis occupied the first four places with a third of the race run.

Having moved up the field, the number 35 car of Bertrand Baguette, Ricardo Gonzalez and Martin Plowman led the class ahead of the Morgan of early race leaders Olivier Pla, Alex Brundle and David Heinemeier Hansson.

Audi at 24 Hours of Le Mans: Tune-In Schedule

Audi fans in North America can share in the excitement as Audi goes for its 12th win at 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend, Sat., June 22 and Sun., June 23. On the 90th anniversary of the world’s most important endurance race, Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen (eight wins) expects to be in contention for a top result with his current team-mates Loïc Duval (F) and Allan McNish (GB). The team will compete in an Audi R18 e-tron quattro with optimized aerodynamics at Le Mans.

It’s the ultimate test of man and machine and a race that’s steeped in history. Nearly 300,000 spectators are in attendance and millions more watch at home. For more than 80 years, it’s driven technological innovation and has shaped the evolution of the automobile. Driving careers are defined here, but at the same time, can also be lost in the matter of a split second.

Scott Tucker and Level 5: Test Day at Le Mans

MADISON, Wis. — For teams competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Sunday, June 9 is often considered to be the single-most important day in the build-up to the world-famous endurance race. That’s because, for eight hours, drivers will have full reign of Circuit de la Sarthe, in the one-and-only testing opportunity prior to race week itself on the legendary French circuit.