Weekly News Roundup

After the drama and excitement of the 6 Hours of Monza it's been a relatively tranquil week in the realm of the FIA World Endurance Championship. 

Next up, it's time for drivers to be turning their steeds at the fabulous Fuji Speedway with its mammoth long straight as well as all those turns on the 4.6km Japanese circuit.

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Caddy rack up the miles
Cadillac Racing has completed its eagerly-awaited maiden on-track laps its Hypercar as it prepares to enter the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year.

Cadillac Racing driver Earl Bamber was impressed with attributes of the race car as he had the privilege to be the first to get behind the wheel to shake down the race car.
“This was a monumental event thanks to a complete group effort between Cadillac, Chip Ganassi Racing and Dallara,” said Bamber, co-driver with Alex Lynn of the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R this season in IMSA competition. “It was an exhilarating feeling to jump in the car for the first time and get a sense of what the future will look like. So much work has gone into the 2023 race car, and I can’t wait to see it take flight next season.”

Alpine feel the love
It was a happy camp at Alpine after their Monza 6 Hours victory. From third on the grid, the #36 Alpine A480 returned to the top step of the podium after an intense strategic and elbows out battle.Thanks to their second triumph of 2022, Nicolas Lapierre, André Negrão and Matthieu Vaxiviere increased their lead in points. 

"The 6 Hours of Monza reminds us of everything we love about motorsport and why we do it,” beamed Alpine Elf Endurance Team’s Team Principal Philippe Sinault after the race.

“I'm so proud we played a big part in the show today. It was going to be a challenging race as the technical specifications of our prototypes are very different. We knew it would be difficult to overtake our rivals on the straights, so we worked hard on all aspects of strategy: undercuts, full course yellow, tyre management and fuel consumption. 

“We achieved this result step by step from our first laps on Friday. The entire team got its act together after Le Mans to put in a flawless performance, as did the drivers with some incredible, even magical moves. All of us can be very proud of this superb victory!"

Ladies first 
After a sensational first female FIA World Endurance Championship pole position on Saturday in Monza from Sarah Bovy, Iron Dames became first all-female line-up on the FIA World Endurance Championship podium in the 6 Hours of Monza. 

The Iron Dames fought hard to maintain their position atop the field, but ultimately came second after a hard-fought contest at the Temple of Speed.

After becoming the first female driver to get a pole in FIA WEC Bovy led from the start and battled hard to maintain position during the opening stints full of incident. The pace continued in the hands of Michelle Gatting, as the Danish racer looked to consolidate the leading fight before handing over to Rahel Frey.

Iron Lynx Team Principal, Andrea Piccini, said: “This weekend has been one that the team will never forget. The Iron Dames have made history not once but twice – something we are very proud of.

“Scoring the team’s historic pole position yesterday, there is no doubt that Sarah, Michelle, and Rahel showed enough speed to win. The car led most of the race, and all three drivers showed experience and great car management to bring the team an excellent second-place finish.

Ferrari go horse in Monza
Eagle-eyed Ferrari fans my have noted that Ferrari were running with the original Ferrari prancing horse logos on their cars at Monza. 

In celebration of 90 years since the logo’s first appearance, at a venue which is celebrating its 100th year, in the 10th year of the FIA WEC, the logo hasn’t changed much over the years, with a yellow background a tribute to the city of Modena with the black stallion in the foreground making for one of best-known brand identities in the world. 
 

With a Rebel yell, Habsburg launches fan-based team
In an attempt to bring motorsport closer to the people, LMP2 champion and Le Mans winner Ferdinand Habsburg has launched Rebel Team, a professional racing outfit to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship owned and run by motorsport fans. 

Rebel Team intends to change things by creating a new sponsorship model where race fans can fund the team and have a say in important team decisions such as choosing the driver line-up. The project will operate through an exclusive membership scheme. The limited number of fans who buy a membership pass will gain access to a wide selection of virtual and real-life experiences. 

Rebel Team will enjoy full support from reigning LMP2 World and European champion Team WRT providing the Rebel members with the best package on the grid. 

“I want to give back to the fans by opening the door to a world that’s been unreachable to most. Those who’ve been dreaming of being involved in motorsport can now make big decisions and see them come to life in an affordable way.,” said Ferdinand Habsburg.

“I want to create a community using all the virtual platforms but also meet them in real life at race events or exclusive team gatherings.”