The ZERO in the type designation is intended to indicate that the hypercar developed by Rodin Cars in New Zealand is subject to zero restrictions. Because it is not bound by any regulations or laws, it can only be driven by solvent and talented customers on closed race tracks at track days.

First monoposto, then hypercar with 1176 hp
The Rodin FZERO follows on from the FZED, which is a formula racing car that can also be used for private pleasure, with performance in the direction of a GP bolide (see video). The fully shuttered, futuristic-looking FZERO with carbon fiber monocoque is now said to be the world's fastest and most powerful vehicle for track days at present.

The 4.0 V10 biturbo (gallery left) was developed in collaboration with Neil Brown Engineering from England. Thanks to electric assistance (134 kW), a system output of 1176 hp and a maximum torque of 1026 Nm have emerged. The combustion engine delivers its maximum output of 1000 hp at 9000 rpm. Weighing just 132 kilograms, this is said to be the lightest V10 engine on the market.

Faster than a small plane
The 8-speed transmission comes from Ricardo, a company specializing in racing cars, with its titanium housing (gallery on the right) created in Rodin Cars' 3D printer. The total curb weight is just 698 kilograms. The power-to-weight ratio is thus only around 0.6 kg/hp or 1.662 hp/kg, which no regulated racing car currently achieves.

The eye-catching wing unit and underbody ensure a downforce of four tons. The whole thing is put on the road via 18-inch racing tires from Avon. Rodin states "over 360 km/h" as the top speed. More would probably only be possible on superspeedways in the U.S.A. or on long roads straight ahead. But the laws prevent the latter...

According to Rodin, this vehicle could not have been realized with any regulations. It is subject only to the physical limits that the track day pilots can test.

Limited series without price
Rodin Cars has its large headquarters on the southern island of New Zealand near Christchurch. The 550-hectare site includes its own test track.

The European branch is stationed at Donington Park Circuit in the UK. One of the brand ambassadors is New Zealander Liam Lawson, who races in FIA Formula 2 and is a member of the Red Bull Racing junior squad.

Only 27 Rodin FZEROs are put on wheels for customers. These can configure their car according to their own wishes. Rodin also offers full service at the race tracks and maintenance, as well as driving training under the guidance of professionals.

The first models will be delivered next summer. The price will only be known on request.

rodin-cars.com

The initiator of the project to develop and distribute a synthetic fuel is Markus Hotz, former racing driver and founder of Horag Hotz Racing AG in Sulgen. With Mario Illien, an engineer known from Formula 1 and the IndyCar series as an ingenious engine builder, the Thurgau native was able to inspire a technician who is always forward-looking. Entrepreneur and patron Fredy Lienhard also supports the ambitious project.

Premiere in front of audience
The project group will make its first public appearance at the always well-attended hill climb in Oberhallau on August 27 and 28, 2022. The aim and purpose of the exercise is to bring a fuel technology that is hardly known in this country closer to a larger audience. Politicians and people with various interests in this topic are invited to participate.

Racing pros Marcel Fässler and Neel Jani as well as Benjamin Hotz will be driving various Ligier race cars, whose production-based engines are made to run on the newly developed synthetic gasoline, uphill.

As good as normal racing gasoline
Although these are purely demonstration runs out of competition, the two Le Mans winners and the sports car driver Benjamin Hotz, who will stand in for Fässler on Sunday, will certainly cover the 3,000-meter track at a brisk pace in the sports prototypes that are actually designed for circuit racing.

Markus Hotz: "Our revolutionary campaign is intended to show what the fuel available to us from this year can do. It is made from renewable biogenic materials and can also be used in existing race cars without mechanical modification."

For everyday life and the race track
Even though research on synthetic fuels has been going on for some time, the general public still knows little about the possibilities offered by this new technology, the project group argues.

Their non-fossil fuel for gasoline engines consists of 100% regenerative biogenic materials. Switzerland, which does not have its own circuit, might therefore be able to run full-scale hill climbs or slaloms with small amounts of available fuel in accordance with FIA regulations.

In addition, the gasoline, which is CO2-neutral up to 85% and has a knock resistance of 97.5 RON, could immediately support the energy transition in the area of mobility with internal combustion engines without the need for a new filling station infrastructure. The price will be in the lower range of commercially available racing gasolines.

Do something, not just talk
The project is being supported by renowned scientists and automotive experts. In addition to the aforementioned Petrol Heads Hotz, Illien and Lienhard, Christian Bach from EMPA and Prof. Dr. Andreas Herrmann from the Institute for Mobility at the University of St. Gallen are among the contributors.

All those involved - including the Le Mans winners and endurance world champions Fässler and Jani, who are taking part in Oberhallau - are committed out of personal conviction and on their own account. Their common motto is: "Do something, don't just talk."

horag.com

After the three practice runs on the 2030-meter short track in Borgloh just outside Osnabrück, the starting position still seemed open, although Christian Merli had already set the best times. This year's Swiss record winner Eric Berguerand, however, was still struggling with his car because he tried a smaller tire dimension and thus did not feel the Lola-Cosworth as usual.

Marcel Steiner in the LobArt with Helftec Honda turbo engine also failed to achieve the desired times. But the Bernese was still second fastest among a dozen large three-liter racing sports cars from Group E2.

Record drive and spin with happy ending
In the very first race on Sunday morning, which he was allowed to start twice because the track was dirty (warmed tires were certainly no disadvantage), the Italian was the first driver to achieve a time of under 50 seconds with 49.817 (average 145.71 km/h) at the hill climb in northern Germany, which has been held for the 54th time since 1968. In doing so, the three-time European champion in his optimum Osella FA30 with Zytek V8 LRM engine beat all opponents by two seconds and more.

After 50.154 in the second heat, his fourth stage win in Osnabrück after 2016, 2017 and 2019 - in record time in each case - was already clear before the final sprint. In the final sprint, Merli managed the feat of spinning in a corner bordered by guard rails and tire piles without hitting the ground due to gearshift problems. The following recording from the livestream shows this situation.

Berguerand catches up on training
Second place was taken by Eric Berguerand (left gallery) after the first run and Marcel Steiner (right gallery) after the second run, but only a tenth of a second separated them. Frenchman Sébastien Petit (Nova Proto, center gallery), the old and now new overall winner of the FIA Hill Climb Cup, like the Swiss champion also still sensed his chance for the place of honor behind Merli.

All three turned up the heat in the third race, but improved to varying degrees. As a result, Petit first ousted Steiner from second place and first in the sports cars, before Berguerand also took over second place overall as the second fastest of the day with 50.998.

Eric Berguerand: "I missed the whole of Saturday because I was converting the car back to the big wheels. It wasn't until the third race that I was where I should have started on Sunday. But I probably wouldn't have come closer than half a second to Merli. He is a professional. Therefore I am completely satisfied with the outcome of the race. It was fun and motivating to fight for second place with several strong opponents."

Consolation plaster for Steiner
Meanwhile, Steiner found no explanation why he was nowhere near his best time of 2019 with the weaker Mugen V8 engine (P2 with 50.615).

Marcel Steiner: "It is what it is. With new tires, I hadn't made the progress from practice to the race that I had hoped for and was actually used to. And so Petit beat me by 16 hundredths."

At least he was able to stand on the extended overall podium in fourth place like fifth-placed Alexander Hin, who is by far the fastest German of the present day with the ex-Lampert Osella. Robin Faustini and Joël Volluz in their Osella FA30s missed the podium by fractions of a second.

With his fastest Osnabrück time so far in the third run, the man from Aargau still pushed the man from Valais - who was the last Swiss day winner so far in 2015 - out of sixth place. Both were quite satisfied with their own best times and, like Steiner, they know that there is still room for improvement in the future.

Class victory for Burgermeister
Joel Burgermeister in the Tatuus-Abarth F4 evo (lower gallery, left) ensured a Swiss victory. Like Merli in the strongest racing sports cars, the Thurgau native gave his opponents, most of whom were Formula 3 cars, no chance, setting three 56 times and thus deservedly winning the two-liter class of racing cars.

The fastest of all touring cars and GT vehicles was Frenchman Nicolas Werver in a Porsche 997 GT3 R (lower gallery, center). He was the only one to beat the minute mark at the end. The E1 record of Ronnie Bratschi from 2019 (57.338) could also never be threatened by the Czech Dan Michl in a Lotus Elise and the South African King of the Hill Pieter Zeelie in a Toyota MR2 Turbo.

The only touring car driver from Switzerland to finish fifth in his class was 23-year-old newcomer Kyrill Graf in the BMW M3 GTR (lower gallery, right).

Next summit in the canton of Jura
Some of the international participants in Osnabrück will have the opportunity to take revenge the weekend after next at the Swiss European Championship race St-Ursanne-Les Rangiers. Eric Berguerand, who has never competed there since his serious accident, will then watch this event from a distance as a bystander and will not attack again until a week later in Oberhallau.

msc-osnabrueck.com

It's a mountain race of superlatives, high up in Germany in the so-called Borgloher Schweiz. This is shown in the trailer for the 2018 event.

In the years before the Corona pandemic, between 20 and 30,000 spectators came to the idyllic area of Hilter-Borgloh near Osnabrück to watch the racing action at Uphöfener Berg. Whereby Berg sounds a bit exaggerated...

FIA Cup final run on challenging hill
The track, which is only 2030 meters long and starts at an altitude of 95 meters above sea level, has a difference in altitude of just 73 meters. With its blind curves surrounded by guard rails or tire piles, it is nevertheless very demanding, so that the wheat is separated from the chaff here among the mountain specialists, just as on the well-known Swiss courses.

Around 180 drivers from 14 nations are entered for the 54th staging of this race, which, in addition to the German Hill Climb Championship as the final round, also counts towards the FIA International Hill Climb Cup. Thanks to the sponsors, the organizing MSC Osnabrück with the enterprising Bernd Stegmann at the helm is always able to persuade many foreigners to take part in this hill climb with entry fee bonuses and/or travel subsidies.

Swiss top quartet in pursuit of podium
Among these are also the currently strongest Swiss. Eric Berguerand (1st 2014), Robin Faustini, Marcel Steiner (1st 2012) and Joël Volluz (1st 2015) will be at the start this weekend with a claim to the overall and/or category victory.

In the order Berguerand (Lola-Cosworth, upper gallery left), Steiner (LobArt-Helftec-Honda-Turbo, upper gallery right), Faustini (lower gallery right) and Volluz (both Osella FA30, lower gallery left) they last occupied the top four positions (gallery) at the hill climb Ayent-Anzère.

Joël Burgermeister joins them in his Tatuus-Abarth-LRM F4. The Thurgau native is thus a contender for class victory in the two-liter race cars. And Kyrill Graf in his BMW M3 GTR is the only touring car driver to fly the Swiss flag.

All against the European champion
Even for Eric Berguerand, who is still undefeated in the 2022 Swiss mountain racing season, the path to the stage win primarily leads via Italy's Christian Merli. The reigning European champion, who is likely to remain in 2022, traveled directly from the previous EBM run in Poland.

Merli holds the absolute track record with 50.055 seconds (exactly 146 km/h). Since this was set in 2019 and his Osella FA30, as well as the Trentino himself, have gained in power since then, the 50-second mark is likely to fall on Sunday. Especially since pleasant and not too hot summer weather is forecast.

Other contenders for the overall podium besides Merli and the four Swiss are Frenchman Sébastien Petit in the Nova Proto (winner of the day in 2018), the currently strongest German Alexander Hin (Osella FA30) and Czech Petr Vitek (Osella PA30).

Attack on Bratschi's touring car record
Because Ronnie Bratschi is unlikely to race his Mitsubishi Evo RS this year after an engine failure during dyno tests, the three-time FIA Hill Climb Cup champion will also be unable to defend his 2019 Osnabrück Touring Car record (57.338).

The Czech Dan Michl in a Lotus Elise or the Frenchman Nicolas Werver in a Porsche are most likely to improve on this this year. With Pieter Zeelie in a monstrous Toyota MR2 with 850 hp, even the South African "King of the Hills" is in the game, which underlines the internationality of this event.

Livestream from both race days
As a special service, MSC Osnabrück offers a free livestream on YouTube on both days. On Saturday this is from 8 to c. 18 clock under this Link on Sunday from 8 a.m. until the end of the race - four scoring runs are planned - under this Link.

msc-osnabrueck.com

On the occasion of AMG's 55th birthday, Jules Gounon (F), Daniel Juncadella (E) and Raffaele Marciello from Mercedes-AMG Team AKKODIS ASP won the 74th edition of the legendary endurance classic. With his third pole position in a row at this race, the man from Ticino had himself the best starting position in the field of 66 GT3 sports cars.

Reward for flawless ride
In a race contested for once by several teams in ideal weather conditions in the Ardennes, the Mercedes #88 always remained in the leading group. After a good one-hour interruption during the night due to an accident without any casualties, three Mercedes teams as well as the fastest Ferrari and BMW seamlessly continued their hunt for overall victory.

The tipping point in favor of the team around the Swiss, French and Spaniard was a faultless drive and a perfect pit stop strategy. With a 31-second lead over the second-best Mercedes, Marciello crossed the finish line as the winner after 536 completed laps.

The sixth overall Swiss winner
After years of driving with an Italian license and being perceived only as an Italian, "Lello" thus gave Switzerland its first victory since Marcel Fässler and Jean-Denis Delétraz in the 2007 rain race (on Corvette) on the Sunday before the national holiday. Before that, only Marc Surer (with BMW) and the now married pair Lilian Bryner/Enzo Calderari on Ferrari (2004) had managed this.

No fewer than eight teams covered the same distance (3754.14 kilometers) as the winners within 24 hours. With victory in the world's biggest GT race, Jules Gounon, Daniel Juncadella and Raffaele Marciello also increased their lead in the Endurance Cup of the GT World Challenge Europe.

Raffaele Marciello: "We know how hard it is to win this race, because for many years it didn't work out and today we finally had success. For me it was a relatively quiet race, sometimes harder, sometimes easier. We were very lucky throughout the race with the car, the tires, the traffic and the track conditions. But that's also part of it!"

Rahel Frey leads women's team to success
Pure joy also surrounded a second winning team with a Swiss lineup (middle gallery). Rahel Frey, Denmark's Michelle Gatting, Belgium's Sarah Bovy and 18-year-old Frenchwoman Doriane Pin, who joined the team for this race, left all 14 class rivals behind in the Gold Cup. The Iron Dames, led by Gold driver Frey, had a dream race in the Ferrari 488 GT3 entered by Iron Lynx from Italy.

Starting from 11th in class, they stayed out of any incidents, had no technical problems and, thanks to a convincing drive by newcomer Pin, took over the class lead during the night, which they gradually extended over the following eleven hours until the finish. The "Iron Ladies" made up 32 places and thus crossed the finish line just five laps behind the overall winners in 18th place out of 43 classified teams.

Three weeks after the first podium for an all-female team in the WEC at Monza (P2), the quartet thus achieved another historic result. And for team leader Rahel Frey, who crossed the finish line as the winner, it is one of her greatest successes as a professional racer. Congratulations from the bottom of our hearts!

Podium for Philip Ellis and Emil Frey Racing
Zug's Philip Ellis on a Mercedes-AMG also made it to a podium in second place in the Pro-Am class (gallery below, 2nd from left). After an engine change after practice, the SPS team had started from the pit lane, whereupon it staged an impressive recovery.

Alain Valente rolled out at the wheel of another Mercedes on Sunday morning as the leader in the Silver Cup. The Porsche driven by Niki Leutwiler was also in front in the Pro-Am Cup in the second half of the race, when first a slip through the gravel trap and, after the pit stop, the loss of a wheel on the open track deprived him of a possible victory.

For Emil Frey Racing, a difficult race ended with a well-deserved podium in the Silver Cup. Stuart White, Konsta Lappalainen and Tuomas Tujula brought their Lamborghini Huracán (lower gallery center) home in third class position and 16th overall.

Giacomo Altoè, Léo Roussel and Arthur Rougier also made it to the finish line in a solid 14th place. The third Lambo with the strongest drivers, Mirko Bortolotti, Albert Costa Balboa and Jack Aitken, was a promising fourth on the grid but retired after an accident during the night.

No luck for the Swiss Audi works drivers
A lot of undesirable things were experienced by the strongest Audi Sport teams featuring the three Swiss factory drivers Ricardo Feller, Nico Müller (Gallery right) and Patrick Niederhauser. They were fast but experienced all the adversities of such a race.

After some big time losses and subsequent catch-up chases, they at least finished in 12th (Feller), 17th (Müller with Valentino Rossi) and 19th (Niederhauser with compatriot/private rider Lucas Légeret).

Junior Julien Apothéloz's Porsche had to be parked in the third hour of the race after an accident that was not his fault. His brand colleagues Mauro Calamia and Dominik Fischli came over the distance with their teams in positions 25 and 29. Only 39 of the 66 cars that started also managed to do so.

(Photos: DPPI)

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totalenergies24hours.com

Maserati will offer customers and teams a GT2 racing version based on the road-going version of the MC20. The GT2 model adopts the Nettuno V6 engine with the new Maserati Twin Combustion Technology (MTC), as well as the double wishbone suspension with semi-virtual steering axle and the carbon monocoque.

From the road to the race track
The Maserati MC20 GT2 is a single-seater racing car (width x height = 2.02 m x 1.22 m) with the Maserati Nettuno V6 twin-turbo with a displacement of 3000 cc and 630 hp. The power is transmitted to the rear wheels by a sequential six-speed racing gearbox with paddle shifters, racing clutch and self-locking mechanical differential with limited slip.

Race series for private drivers
The Maserati MC20 GT2 can be used in the Fanatec GT2 European Series. This is aimed exclusively at ambitious private drivers and gentleman drivers. Professionals are excluded from participation.

The Audi R8 LMS GT2, Brabham BT63 GT2 Concept, KTM X-BOW and Porsche GT2 RS CS are the brands on show so far. During the 24 Hours of Spa this weekend, a Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series also joined the ranks of the GT2 cars on display, but the manufacturer has not yet announced any planned customer racing commitments.

maserati.com

gt2europeanseries.com

BMW M Motorsport returns to Le Mans the year after next with a prototype for the first time since 1999. Back then, Joachim Winkelhock, Pierluigi Martini and Yannick Dalmas celebrated overall victory after 24 hours in the BMW V12 LMR (center gallery). In the same year, the car also triumphed at the 12 Hours of Sebring, where its successor will also compete.

First the USA, then the whole world
The new BMW M Hybrid V8 will make its debut in the North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in January 2023. After that, the Munich-based company will face top-class competition in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), including in the top hypercar category.

On Monday, July 25, BMW M Motorsport's first prototype since the legendary BMW V12 LMR turned its first laps at the rollout in Varano de Melegari (I).

Franciscus van Meel, Managing Director of BMW M GmbH: "The decision to use the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the IMSA series from 2023 and also in the WEC in 2024 is a milestone for the project. It represents a turning point at BMW M in the direction of electrification. The IMSA series in North America and the WEC, which is starting worldwide, are the perfect platforms for our prototype to show just how exciting electrified BMW M vehicles will be in the future."

Intensive test work
Due to the very tight schedule for the project under the new regulations, BMW wants to focus on one area of operation in the first season in 2023. The IMSA series is perfectly suited for this. The medium-term goal has always been to run the BMW M Hybrid V8 on two tracks and also to use the large WEC platform with the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport: "We are now working towards this with full motivation in parallel with our program in North America. The vehicle has successfully completed its rollout. Now it's time for intensive testing for the race premiere in Daytona in January 2023."

Driver and team selection still open
The BMW M Hybrid V8 used Dallara's test track near Parma for a functional test lasting several days. At the wheel were factory drivers Connor De Phillippi and Sheldon van der Linde.

Further testing in Europe is scheduled for August before BMW M Team RLL and a BMW M Motorsport expert crew in North America begin specific preparations for the IMSA season and the 24 Hours of Daytona (January 26-29, 2023) from September.

The cockpit lineups will be decided at a later date. The same applies to the choice of the entry team for the WEC and the drivers for the 2024 season.

bmw-motorsport.com

It was thanks to Marcel Fässler's outstanding performance at the wheel of a Phoenix Racing Corvette that he and Geneva's Jean-Denis Delétraz secured the last Swiss overall victory to date in the 2007 rain race.

Three years earlier, privateers Enzo Calderari and Lilian Bryner scored their biggest individual success at this traditional event. They became the first Swiss to do so since Marc Surer in 1985 on BMW 635 CSi.

 "Le Mans" of the GT3 sports cars
In the meantime, the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on the seven-kilometer GP circuit in the Belgian Ardennes has taken on a completely different significance. For years, many more manufacturers have been involved with factory-supported teams and factory drivers.

What Le Mans is for sports cars, this endurance race is exclusively for GT3 sports cars according to FIA regulations. They are divided into the Pro, Pro-Am, Gold, Silver and Bronze categories according to the classification of the respective drivers and their composition.

Of course, the overall victory, for which a good two dozen of the 66 cars are eligible under normal circumstances, is the most important. But the bar is also very high in the sub-rankings.

Nico Müller still lacks an overall victory
A total of 236 riders from 19 nations are lined up for the last official Start list. Switzerland is represented by several riders and a team with good prospects.

The best chances can be attributed to the #88 Mercedes team with Raffaele Marciello, the factory driver from Ticino. As in 2020 and 2021, "Lello" will start from pole position after the fastest Lamborghini was stripped of all its times due to a technical irregularity. However, the driver from southern Switzerland has never had luck on his side so far.

In Audi teams that are also factory-supported, Nico Müller (#46), Ricardo Feller (#66) and Lucas Légeret and Patric Niederhauser (#25), who are driving together, are hoping to make the most of their chances. For Müller's famous partner and MotoGP star Valentino Rossi, Spa is a premiere. The driver from Berne was already second overall with Audi in 2015 and third in 2016.

Italian Marco Mapelli (Lamborghini #6), who lives in Lugano, and German Marvin Kirchhöfer (McLaren #38), who has made Lucerne his home, will also be competing with Swiss licenses in the top Pro class, which is fought over by 23 teams.

More Swiss hope for class podium
Seven teams are fighting for a podium in the Pro-Am Cup, including Antonin Borga (in the only Bentley Continental, #107), factory driver Philip Ellis (Mercedes #75) and Niki Leutwiler (Porsche #24, lower gallery).

In the 15-car Gold Cup, Rahel Frey in the Ferrari 488 TG3 #83 of the Iron Dames wants to build on the sensational result at the WEC round in Monza, where they finished second in the GTE-Am class and were the first women's team ever to finish on the podium of a World Endurance Championship race (center gallery).

Karim Ojjeh (Audi R8 #10) and Julien Apothéloz (Porsche #91) also have podium ambitions in the Gold Cup, as do Mauro Calamia (Porsche #56), Dominik Fischli (Porsche #22) and Alain Valente (Mercedes #4) in the Silver Cup, which has a strong field of 19 cars.

Surely the 2022 edition can only get better for Emil Frey Racing with its three Lamborghini Huracán #14 (Silver), #19 (Pro) and #63 (Silver) (gallery below), after the Safenwil-based team had a disastrous race last year with two serious accidents and the third car out.

In full length on YouTube and on the Internet
On Thursday evening, as darkness fell, qualifying took place. The average time of each pair of drivers was taken into account. The fastest 20 teams qualified for the so-called Super Pole.

The start of the marathon will be at 4:45 p.m. on Saturday. Last year's runner-up WRT, which started from the back of the grid and missed out on victory by just four seconds, proved that the starting grid is not the decisive factor but good race speed.

Super pole and race can be viewed in full on GT World's YouTube channel at this Link and on the GT World Challenge Europe homepage under this Link can be followed. The livetiming is available at this Link.

Last GP before summer break
The fourth Grand Prix in July and at the same time the last before the four-week summer break of Formula 1 will take place on Sunday in Hungary. For Sebastian Vettel, a native of Thurgau by choice, who announced his retirement on Thursday, the Hungarian GP marks the start of his emotional farewell tour with Aston Martin Racing.

After his self-inflicted accident while leading the race at Le Castellet last Sunday, Charles Leclerc wants to redeem himself with Ferrari with a top performance. For the Scuderia, a success would be important in order not to lose touch with the clear WRC leader.

Hinwil-based Alfa Romeo Sauber is also hoping to end a three-race pointless streak to remain ahead of Haas, Alpha Tauri, Aston Martin and Williams in the World Championship standings.

With Oliver Sittler and Marc Surer as commentators, Swiss television will report from qualifying on Saturday on SRF two from 3.55 to 5.15 p.m. and on Sunday on the same channel from 2.20 p.m. from the twelfth round of the 2022 World Championship.

(Photos from qualifying 24 Hours of Spa: DPPI)

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totalenergies24hours.com

f1.com

The fifth event of the world's most important drift series took place at the World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis, Illinois, in the mid-summer heat.

All employees of The Drift Force, the team from Nidwalden founded by Yves Meyer and Joshua Reynolds, would have liked to stay cool despite the high temperatures. But the one or other mishap caused excitement that could have been avoided.

Command back
The first damper came in the form of the bad news that the expected new Nexen Nfera Sport R tires would not be available until the next event. Therefore, with the support of its American partners, the team had to rebuild the Toyota GT86, which had been weighed down by 140 kilograms for the larger tires in accordance with the regulations.

In addition to the problems with the used tires, which were no longer intended for use, there was a fire in the engine compartment during practice due to a leak in the power steering. Fortunately, it was quickly extinguished and the 900 hp drift car was prepared for the warm-up to qualifying.

Handicap in the qualification
Unfortunately, engine misfires occurred in qualifying, which forced Yves Meyers to improvise with a lot of use of the clutch. The three judges had to deduct eleven points for this, but otherwise they liked his performance.

Yves Meyer: "It's a shame that a defective spark plug threw a spanner in the works with the points deduction. Otherwise I would have made it into the top 10 for the first time and not had to settle for 25th qualifying place."

Meyer's first opponent in the Top 32 bouts was Michael Essa from California. He clearly won the duel against the 42-year-old champion from 2013.

Duel against Ferrari icon from Italy
In the next round of the Top 16, Meyer met Italian Federico Sceriffo. With his self-built Ferrari 599 GTB with around 1000 hp, the Milanese is an exotic in the field. Unfortunately, the latter lost cooling water in his lead run, whereupon his Swiss opponent abruptly spun out at the first drift approach after the start.

The reason for this was only explained to Meyer after his perfect chase run, which, however, did not change the elimination.

Yves Meyer: "I had looked for the mistake with me and not with the opponent. Unfortunately, we should have protested immediately and been given a second chance, but it just came too late. An internal team communication error that will certainly not happen to us again."

A great opportunity was thus ruined. Due to several engine failures and accidents on the track, which is also used by the IndyCars and Nascar Cup cars, the ranking list was mixed up. The first top result for The Drift Force would have been feasible and is therefore probably only a question of time.

The wait is over
The next round of Formula Drift 2022 will take place on August 5 and 6 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe outside the major city of Seattle in Washington state.

The new Nexen tires developed in Korea have already arrived there, also Joshua Reynolds should finally get to work after the arrival of eagerly awaited spare parts for the suspension of his Toyota.

thedriftforce.com

instagram.com/thedriftforce

Julien Apothéloz (center gallery) had actually no longer expected to take part in the famous 24-hour race on the Spa-Francorchamps GP circuit. In 2022, the Zurich native will concentrate on the Nürburgring endurance series with a Mercedes team, where he recently shone with two fourth-place finishes.

Reward for the good performance in the previous year
Last week, an unexpected call came from Allied Racing, where the winner of the 2018 Swiss Young Driver Challenge competed in the 2021 GT World Challenge Europe and also in Spa as the season highlight - and apparently made a good impression.

Julien Apothéloz: "The team still needed a second silver rider to start in the new Gold Cup. So they came back to me at short notice. Unfortunately, I wouldn't have been able to start at Spa otherwise for budget reasons. I'm honored that Allied Racing has placed its trust in me, and I'd like to thank them for that. All the more reason for me to look forward enormously to this exciting race week."

Rapid switch from the Mercedes to the Porsche
There's no question that Julien Apothéloz will again give his best. The rapid switch from the Mercedes-AMG with V8 front engine to the Porsche 911 GT3-R with the six-cylinder powerplant installed in the rear will be a challenge for him, as he was unable to take part in the pre-practice session (action photos gallery) due to the last-minute commitment.

Julien Apothéloz: "The Porsche has very unique handling, but I got on very well with it toward the end of the 2021 season. In the meantime, the team has made great progress with the car set-up. So I'm confident that I'll be able to match my previous performance in terms of driving."

Quartet with ambitions in the Gold Cup
His three race partners in the number #91 sports car are Ayhancan Güven, Florian Latorre and Alex Malykhin. The Turkish Porsche contract driver is the gold driver in the team, the experienced Frenchman has silver classification like Apothéloz, and the Russian competing under a neutral flag is the mandatory bronze driver.

Together, the quartet is aiming for a top finish in the newly created Gold Cup, for which 15 teams are registered.

Julien Apothéloz: "I think that in this constellation we are certainly one of the stronger pairings in this classification. But to get on the podium, which is our goal, you always need the necessary racing luck in such a competitive race."

In full length live on YouTube
The 24 Hours of Spa will be held next weekend for the 74th time since 1924. More than 100,000 spectators are expected along the track over all four days.

The first highlight is the big drivers' parade in the center of Spa on Wednesday evening. Practice begins on Thursday, with the race starting at 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, July 30, after a long ceremony.

66 GT3 teams with over 230 drivers from 19 nations are entered. The marathon twice around the clock counts towards the GT World Challenge Europe and the Intercontinental GT Challenge, which is effectively a world championship for GT3 sports cars.

The whole race can be watched on the GT World YouTube channel at this Link be followed live.

julienapotheloz.ch

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