Paretta named IMSA grand marshal
Beth Paretta, the founder, owner and team principal of Paretta Autosport – the first woman-owned, woman-driven and woman-forward team in the NTT INDYCAR Series – has been named grand marshal for the upcoming IMSA race at Lime Rock Park on July 21-22.
As the grand marshal, Paretta will have the honour of signalling the start of the race action.
In addition to her role as grand marshal, Paretta will host the Women in Motorsports North America “Power Hour” reception on the Sam Posey Straight on Friday (July 21). The event aims to celebrate and showcase the accomplishments of women in various motorsports disciplines, including drivers, engineers, mechanics and team managers.
“I am truly honoured to be named the Grand Marshal for the FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix,” said Paretta.
“Lime Rock Park has a rich history and is an iconic venue in North American motorsports. The Women in Motorsports North America Power Hour is a platform to showcase the talented women who have made significant contributions to the sport. I hope this event inspires the next generation of female racers and industry professionals.”
D’Station & TGR Indonesia add to GT4 Japan entry for Okayama
D’station Racing’s Aston Martin Vantage and Toyota Gazoo Racing Indonesia’s GR Supra are joining SRO Motorsports Group’s GT4 Japan races at Okayama on August 18-20.
This year’s penultimate GT World Challenge Asia round doubles up as the Japan Cup finale. However, those races are now solely for GT3 cars following the organiser’s decision to hold two standalone 60-minute GT4 races for the first time in series history.
The list of confirmed GT4 Japan entries includes cars that raced at Fuji in mid-June as well as the GR Supra that won on the opening weekend in Thailand. Silver-Am pairing Haridarma Manoppo and Nonaka Seita will be amongst the favourites again when Toyota Gazoo Racing Indonesia travels to Japan for another one-off outing.
Team regulars Tatsuya Hoshino and Kenji Hama were Super Taikyu GT4 (ST-Z) class runners-up with a Vantage in 2020 and ’21 before switching to the car’s GT8R version two years ago. They will race in GT4’s Am/Am class at Okayama.
“GT4 Japan is a really interesting opportunity for D’station Racing and something we are very eager to support,” said the team’s managing director and GT3 driver Tomonobu Fujii. “Japan doesn’t have a GT4 sprint championship and the jump to GT3 can be quite daunting for some amateur drivers, so we see this event as an important development and showcase for the class.”
The exercise is a precursor to 2024 when GT4 will potentially move from Fanatec GT Asia into a new championship solely based in Japan.
This year’s Fanatec GT Asia and Fanatec Japan Cup campaigns continue at Suzuka next weekend (July 14-16).
First 24H Series six-hour Qualifying Race to be held at Estoril
The 24H Seris event at Estoril this weekend will feature the organiser’s first-ever six-hour Qualifying Race.
The inaugural Hankook 12H Estoril on 7-8 July is be the penultimate European round of this year’s 24H Series. The new Qualifing Race will determine the grid for the 12-hour endurance event.
The addition of this lengthy contest to set the grid means there will be 18 hours of racing action over the weekend. Points are up for grabs during the six and 12-hour races.
Prior to the Qualifying Race, there will be an hour-long Free Practice session and a set of qualifying sessions to determine the grid for the six hours. On Saturday (July 8th), the Hankook 12H Estoril will begin at 9am
The entry list for the event, which features seven GT3 cars, can be found HERE >>>
10 GT3 cars entered for NLS 6-Hour race
The full entry list for this weekend’s NLS ROWE 6 Stunden ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen has been released.
It features over 100 cars, including 10 SP9 GT3 cars (seven in Pro, one in Pro Am and two in Am), seven GT4 cars (Across SP8T and SP10) and a single Schnitzelalm Racing GT2 Mercedes-AMG in SP-X.
The GT3 field consists of two Porsches entered by Falken Motorsports, two Audis from équipe vitesse and Scherer Sport PHX, one Schnitzelalm Racing Mercedes, two Aston Martins from PROsport and Dörr Motorsport, a racing one Ferrari 296 and two Walkenhorst BMWs.
