Rain threatens Pirelli’s tire strategy test at Belgian GP

Rain threatens Pirelli’s tire strategy test at Belgian GP

Pirelli wanted to try something new at the Belgian Grand Prix by using a bigger gap between the medium and hard tires to make race strategies harder. The goal was to stop teams from doing easy one-stop races and make things more exciting. However, heavy rain is expected in Belgium this weekend, which could ruin the test and force teams to rely on wet-weather tires instead. The tire tweak was meant to create more action by discouraging predictable strategies, especially during a sprint weekend at Spa’s demanding circuit. If the weather prevents the trial, Pirelli may struggle to find another race suitable for this kind of tire experiment.

Click here to read the full article by Stuart Codling (motorsport.com)

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Only four drivers left in IndyCar title fight

Two weekends ago at Iowa, 20 of the 27 full-time IndyCar drivers were officially out of the championship fight, including all three from Team Penske. After the Toronto race, three more drivers were eliminated, so now only four can still win the title: Alex Palou, Pato O’Ward, Kyle Kirkwood, and Scott Dixon. Palou has a 99-point lead over O’Ward, who is the only one with a real chance to catch him after winning in Toronto. With just four races left, Palou could soon lock up the title and become the first modern driver to lead the standings all season and win the Indy 500.

Click here to read the full article by Asher Fair (beyondtheflag.com)

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How Susie Wolff is helping Australia’s rising female drivers

Two teenage girls from Melbourne, Aiva Anagnostiadis and Joanne Ciconte, are racing in the F1 Academy and hope to become the first women to race in Formula 1. Their chances have grown thanks to Susie Wolff, who leads the Academy and works to support young female drivers. Aiva says racing is very expensive, but the Academy helps cover most of the cost, so more girls can participate. Wolff also teaches them how to handle pressure and believes that strong performance can help women earn respect in the sport.

Click here to read the full article by Shivaune Field (forbes.com)

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Sesame Street star to kick off Brickyard 400

Cookie Monster will be the grand marshal at this weekend’s NASCAR Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis. He’ll say the famous words, “Drivers, start your engines,” before the race begins. The campaign, led by Sesame Workshop, aims to bring Sesame Street characters to local events like state fairs, baseball games, and NASCAR to connect with young fans and families. Past Muppet appearances in NASCAR include Elmo waving the green flag in 1993 and The Great Gonzo acting as grand marshal in 2014.

Click here to read the full article by Alex Marshall (motorsport.com)

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Kenton Koch ends IMSA run with Team Korthoff

Kenton Koch and Team Korthoff mutually agreed to part ways with four rounds remaining in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Koch said there were no hard feelings and that the split wasn’t caused by any specific issue. His final race with the team was a third-place finish at Watkins Glen, and the No. 32 Mercedes-AMG GT3 did not appear at the next round in Canada. After the split, Koch joined Triarsi Competizione and finished seventh in his debut race for the Ferrari customer team.

Click here to read the full article by RJ O’Connell (racer.com)