2023 Random Sportscar & GT Racing News

[erwin greven]

Bottom post of the previous page:

[Everso Biggyballies]

How lucky is it no one was there in the grandstand on a Friday for practice. Still scary none the less. Good to see they have closed the grandstand off for the weekend and until they understand more about how it managed to end up there.

[Vassago]

So the Renee Gracie GT racing comeback is serious enough the livery is done already. Well, we've had Playboy, Penthouse and Durex sponsorship so it's time for OnlyFans as well...

https://www.motorsport.com/gt-world-cha ... /10458356/

[Everso Biggyballies]

So the Renee Gracie GT racing comeback is serious enough the livery is done already. Well, we've had Playboy, Penthouse and Durex sponsorship so it's time for OnlyFans as well...

https://www.motorsport.com/gt-world-cha ... /10458356/

I wouldnt be expecting too much from her tbh.... She hasnt tested or driven the car at all yet, and her first seat time in it will be P1 in Perth, and it must be 5 or 6 years since she last raced. Mind you, with the sub 1 minute lap times at the track she shouldnt be too many seconds off the pace

[Vassago]

Well, Wanneroo still has the sand traps? The bigger issue might be her getting stuck in one of them too often?

[Everso Biggyballies]

No real surprises really in this given the direction their motorsport programme is heading in the foreseeable future.

Audi is expected to shut down its customer racing division after the 2023 racing season, including its involvement in the DTM and other GT3 categories with the R8 LMS,

It seems that an official statement has not been made public, but people who should know have said its imminent, and given the F1 direction and other category closures for Audi, like FE, DTM as a factory entry etc it is pretty much writing on the wall.

This would make customer racing the latest programme to be scuppered by the Audi board in recent years following its factory exits from DTM in 2020 and Formula E in 2021, and its decision to stop its LMDh project in 2022.

Audi CEO Markus Duesmann had been keen on taking the brand to F1 ever since he took over the reins of the company in 2020, having previously headed the engine programmes of both Mercedes and BMW.

His dream of Audi joining F1 was finally realised in August last year when they were formally able to confirm an entry for the 2026 season that will see it construct its own engines and partner with Sauber on the chassis side.

It seems that this decision was made some time ago at Board level..... just not made public yet. Of some influence could be the fact that the R8 road car is scheduled to end its production during 2024. VW Group member Lamborghini of course will see the group still in GT3.

One program that seems to have escaped the chop, at least for 2024, is the Dakar Rally programme.

If Audi’s customer racing division is indeed discontinued, it could mean all 14 factory drivers will likely lose their place at the marque. This includes ex-Formula 1 driver Markus Winkelhock, Christopher Mies, Christopher Haase and DTM driver Ricardo Feller. Kelvin van der Linde and Robin Frijns had both announced their departures earlier this year. Moreover, the customer sport division employs nearly 80 people within the larger Audi Sport GmbH department.

There will still be customer support as I understand it, but just no update programme. Once the GT3 works programmes for are gone the manufacturing support will no doubt follow although that could be outsourced to an external organisation.

There is a more detailed account that I have picked at to post this, here https://www.motorsport.com/dtm/news/aud ... /10464606/

[erwin greven]

[Vassago]

@Everso Biggyballies I rewatched the Fanatec races in Wanneroo & PI they posted on YT channel and well, it seems like the series is embracing the Renee Gracie experience. They did a special interview piece with her and put onboard camera in the OF car. At least she doesn't appear to be Carmen Jorda-slow against some of these Pro-Am entries

[Everso Biggyballies]

it seems like the series is embracing the Renee Gracie experience. They did a special interview piece with her and put onboard camera in the OF car. At least she doesn't appear to be Carmen Jorda-slow against some of these Pro-Am entries

She is no SVG, but not a complete dunce. She gives the press something to talk about and so thats something good I guess. Doing what she is doing though is a long way from a full time V8 gig whatever the rumours.

[Vassago]

I sit pretty far from Australia to even know about "Gracie to V8" rumours Maybe they'll wait for Marcos Ambrose's daughter as I heard she started her racing career lately?

[Vassago]

Well, so this is why you didn't post in the Supercars thread. Got distracted by Renee Gracie?

[Everso Biggyballies]

Well, so this is why you didn't post in the Supercars thread. Got distracted by Renee Gracie?

Lol I just a few minutes ago realised I must have done and forgot to go back to the supercars thread. Was just going to delete my posts in here but it wont let me. Not sure what happened but I certainly screwed up. Apologies. I actually thought you had disappeared! Blame it on me falling asleep in the chair after qualy and waking up as the race was about to start and didnt have my glasses on!

[Vassago]

Super GT round at Suzuka was red-flagged after a huge crash at 130R between Tsugio Matsuda and Kosuke Matsuura. The former's teammate #3 was declared the winner but they didn't complete the second mandatory pitstop so were handed a 60 secs time penalty and dropped to 4th after several teams protested the provisional results.

There was no TV replay shown during the original broadcast as there was still some concern for Matsuda but he's totally fine.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Super GT round at Suzuka was red-flagged after a huge crash at 130R between Tsugio Matsuda and Kosuke Matsuura. The former's teammate #3 was declared the winner but they didn't complete the second mandatory pitstop so were handed a 60 secs time penalty and dropped to 4th after several teams protested the provisional results.

There was no TV replay shown during the original broadcast as there was still some concern for Matsuda but he's totally fine.

I said elsewhere that I hope that Matsuda bought himself a lottery ticket that night. It was surely his lucky day. He more than dodged a bullet to walk away from that with everything still attached to his body.

[Everso Biggyballies]

it seems like the series is embracing the Renee Gracie experience. They did a special interview piece with her and put onboard camera in the OF car. At least she doesn't appear to be Carmen Jorda-slow against some of these Pro-Am entries

She is no SVG, but not a complete dunce. She gives the press something to talk about and so thats something good I guess. Doing what she is doing though is a long way from a full time V8 gig whatever the rumours.

Well, just when all had gone quiet quiet, Renee Gracie is back in the news (nudes? ) today announcing her GT4 debut next weekend......

Renee Gracie to make GT4 debut

Renee Gracie will make her GT4 debut at Round 3 of the Monochrome GT4 Australia Series at Sydney Motorsport Park on June 16-18.

Gracie will run a G55 Ginetta owned by Mark Griffith, with whom she made a return to racing in 2023 at the wheel of an Audi R8 GT3 in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia.

The former Supercars driver says that the opportunity arose given her smooth debut in GT3 and the opportunity for more seat time as she re-ignites her motor racing career.

“I didn’t get any track time at the start of the year, obviously, for the GT3 stuff, and it was so rushed between Perth and straight to Phillip Island, it was sort of all over before we knew about it,” Gracie told Speedcafe.

“The opportunity sort of came about as Mark’s obviously going to Sydney Motorsport Park. He has cars running there, he had the Ginetta available, and it just made sense to do because things have just been running so well, so smoothly.”

Gracie tested the Ginetta at the circuit ahead of her first stint in the GT4 series as she looked to familiarise herself with the new car in what will be, at this stage, a single-event appearance.

“It just wasn’t as different as what I thought it was going to be because I was a bit nervous,” said Gracie. “I’ve sort of just slipped back into a GT3 after having six years off, I thought it might be a bit difficult to adapt.

“My first thought was it felt like a little go kart. It could turn really well, after doing a full day in the GT3 car, just comparing the two, it had good feel.”

Gracie will be among 29 entries for the Monochrome GT4 Australia Series, which is part of the inaugural Motorsport Australia Trophy Series.

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/06/08/re ... gt4-debut/


The weekend bill will also include Production Cars, MARC Cars Australia Championship and the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia Scholarship, among others, with a live stream available on Speedcafe.

I must admit knowing very little about GT4 in Aus, other than a few GT4 cars were part of the line up for the Bathurst 6 Hour meeting at Easter, and there was talk of there being a GT4 series. I guess this event above is part of that series. All I know about GT4 is that I think it is a more production based form of GT3 and thus should be cheaper to run in. Not sure even if they run more production type (treaded) tyres or slicks.

29 entries seems quite healthy for a start up series though. Good news from a watching POV is that they seem to have a free live stream that doesnt seem like you need to sign up for a subscription streaming service like "Stan".

[theracer120]

The GT4 cars are running with the Production Cars this season which is why there's 29 cars entered. I think there's only 7 or 8 GT4s racing atm.