Innholdsfortegnelse for 15th January 2026 i Motorsport News

Experienced grand prix racer Zhou Guanyu (below) has been confirmed as Cadillac’s reserve driver ahead of the GM giant’s debut in Formula 1 this season. The Chinese driver, who took part in 68 grands prix for Alfa Romeo-Sauber between 2022 and 2024, was confirmed in his new role last week. He will join race drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as part of the programme. Former IndyCar star Colton Herta has been confirmed as the test driver. After missing out on a race seat in 2026, Zhou, joined Ferrari in a reserve driver role and conducted simulator work for the Italian team. Ferrari will be supplying the engine and gearbox for the Cadillac programme. Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon said: “We wanted a [driver] who had recent F1 driving experience,…

Kean Nakamura-Berta has been recruited by Williams as part of its Driver Academy. The 18-year-old , who is the reigning Italian Formula 4 champion, has won multiple karting titles. The Japanese-Slovak racer graduated to single-seaters in 2023 in South East Asia before switching to race in Europe last term. This season, he will contest the Formula Regional Middle East and Formula Regional European competitions. He said: “It’s a team that has achieved so much and has a vast history, and I’m proud to be part of it. Racing in Formula Regional will be a new challenge but one that I’m especially looking forward to. “Thank you to everyone at Williams for believing in me, and I can’t wait to start this new chapter!”…

All at Motorsport News were sorry to learn of the death of successful Formula Ford 1600 racer Dave Hart shortly before Christmas. A telecoms engineer by trade, Ellesmere Port-based Hart was a regular in Champion of Oulton races in the 1990s having been one of the pioneering bunch of Formula E racers, the wishbone suspension FF1600 class that started in 1985. Having stopped racing, Hart was a regular instructor at Oulton Park and Anglesey Trac Mon as well as a regular engineer for Cliff Dempsey Racing. He also was a familiar figure at the Walter Hayes Trophy and Formula Ford Festival. Hart’s family have been contacted by MN and have requested we pass on their thanks to the many people who sent cards and attended the funeral. It was especially…

Rod McGovern will continue in the TCR UK Championship with the Power Maxed Racing team for the upcoming season, switching to reigning TCR Europe champion Jenson Brickley’s Cupra VZ TCR. A comprehensive testing and preparation programme ahead of the new campaign is planned for McGovern in the championship-winning Cupra VZ. The Irishman is the 2017 SEAT Supercup Ireland champion and finished 12th in the TCR UK standings last year, and third in the Goodyear Diamond Award for drivers aged over 40, in a PMR-entered Cupra Leon Competicion TCR. McGovern said: “The team knows the championship inside out, and staying together gives us a great platform to keep progressing. I’m looking forward to getting back on track and building on what we’ve already learned.”…

M-Sport has developed a series of upgrades for its Ford Fiesta Rally2. According to the British firm, the new evolution will feature “a range of performance and reliability enhancements, including engine and electrical updates, revised suspension geometry, improved cockpit cooling, a new rear brake cooling kit and a lightweight components package”. M-Sport confirmed that “initial production of the upgrade components has been allocated to new car sales, with a limited first batch of upgrade kits subsequently made available to existing Fiesta Rally2 customers for pre-order, ahead of April delivery”. British title contender and European championship podium finisher Romet Jurgenson will contest the opening three WRC2 rounds with the updated car.…

Following the cancellation of the 2026 edition of the Speyside Stages, the organisers of the Scottish Rally Championship have confirmed that the season will now be a seven-round championship, rather than eight as initially planned. With championship regulations about to be published, the SRC management team have said that the seven-round schedule will start on February 14 with the Snowman Rally, and finish on September 12 with the Galloway Hills Rally. In between, the Border Counties Rally will join the 2026 championship schedule on March 14 and the twin asphalt events of the Jim Clark Reivers Rally (May 24) and the Argyll Rally (June 19-20) will complement the five gravel events on the Scottish schedule. CALENDAR Scottish Rally Championship 2026…

Aiming to get in amongst the modern R5 and Rally2 machinery will be the best of the two-wheel-drive cars, and it is the sleek Darrians and potent Ford Escort Mk2s that will be fighting for a place in the overall top 10 as well as major class points at Brands. The quick Darrians are headed by Cornish brother and sister Joshua and Tamsyn Davey along with the 2.5-litre example of James Garner and Jack Cuttill. They will go up against the top Ford Escort Mk2s and it is Bradley Carroll and Gareth Short who have set the two-wheel-drive mark so far this season with three strong performances. Running alongside the Darrians and Escorts will be the gorgeous Vauxhall Chevette HSR of Alasdair Stables and Neil Jones. They are loyal CRC…

This will be a big season for the ADAC GSE Rally Cup, Europe’s premier competition for electric rally cars. Established by the sport’s governing body in Germany, the ADAC, this will be year six of the GSE Rally Cup, which takes a major step forward with the introduction of the new Mokka GSE Rally. With 281hp and 345Nm on tap, the Mokka GSE is a potent package, and the experience gained in the previous five years will ensure a season of great competition. Around 20 identical cars will take on a schedule of seven rallies. Between the end of May and the end of November, as well as two rounds of the German championship, the schedule takes in Rally Vosges in France, Rally Weiz in Austria, the famous Rally San…

Thruxton’s annual flagship race events are those for the British Touring Car Championship, British Superbikes, the British Truck Racing Championship, and Thruxton Retro. The last-named stems from the track’s 2018 50th-anniversary race meeting and subsequent Thruxton Historic event. Last year it got Thruxton Retro branding for a festival-style event with a music stage, food stalls and lots of family friendly entertainment. It returns this year with a 1980s theme. Another recent addition is the Woodham Hill Bank viewing area, with an elevated vantage point out of Church, up Woodham Hill and into Club chicane. It also has a beer tent and food stands. On top of the race meetings, Thruxton driving experiences are long-established and fleets of single-seaters and supercars are available. There’s also a skid pan facility, with a…

Sebastien Loeb: Quit full-time rallying to go World Touring Car racing and impressed by claiming six wins. He finished second in the 2006 Le Mans 24 Hours and was a contender for a Toro Rosso seat in the 2009 Abu Dhabi finale only for a lack of Super Licence to dictate otherwise. Colin McRae: McRae had yet to reach the peak of his rallying powers when he made his British Touring Car debut at Knockhill in 1992, taking a best result of eighth. His outing in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2004 was somewhat more impressive, with the Scot finishing third in GTS. Sebastien Ogier: Frenchman Ogier was no stranger to racing when he tried his hand at the World Endurance Championship in 2022, having raced in Porsche Supercup,…

Max Verstappen’s engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will remain with Red Bull into this season, despite speculation linking him to a team switch. The Briton, who has a contract with the Milton Keynes firm until 2027 according to reports, had been courted by Williams and Aston Martin. However, Red Bull confirmed last week that he would remain to work alongside Verstappen this term. While Lambiase is due to stay, Red Bull’s head of strategy Will Courtenay has been granted an early exit to take up a position as McLaren’s sporting director. Despite signing for the Woking team in September 2024, he was due to see out his Red Bull deal, which lasted until the middle of 2026. However, he has been allowed to switch teams early. Courtenay wrote on social media last…

New Zealand driver Nick Cassidy took Citroen’s maiden victory in Formula E as he prevailed at Mexico City last weekend. The 31-year-old left it late to use his Attack mode boost, and his early power-saving tactics paid off. He was able to fend off the Mahindra machine of Edoardo Mortara over the closing stages to claim the breakthrough triumph for the French firm, which was in its second race. Third place went to Briton Oliver Rowland for Nissan. Cassidy now leads the standings ahead of Brit Jake Dennis, who finished in fifth in his Andretti-run car. It had been a bruising race, and Cupra Kiro driver Dan Ticktum was ruled out by early contact. It led to a colourful outburst on the pits-to-car radio.…

Governing body Motorsport UK has proposed a regulation change to formalise drivers whose licences are suspended receiving a driver re-education programme. Following positive feedback and outcomes from the introduced re-education programme in 2025, it is proposed that a more structured and transparent process is included in the regulations. With this, drivers who receive 12 penalty points within a rolling 12-month period will have their licence suspended for a month. The competitor’s record will be reviewed, resulting either in a referral to National Court for further penalties, or the re-education programme. Their licence will be reinstated upon successful completion. The consultation is open until January 30. Comments can be emailed to: raceconsultation@motorsportuk.org.…

British single-seater rising star Reza Seewooruthun is aiming for the title in his first full-season international campaign in the Formula Regional European Championship this year with Rodin. The Dorset 19-year-old finished fifth in the standings on his GB3 debut last year with the Argenti with Prema team, having finished third in the standings both in British Formula 4 in 2024 and in Ginetta Junior in 2023. Powerhouse squad Rodin is expanding into FREC this year, and Seewooruthun has been confirmed for its driver line-up alongside reigning GB3 champion Alex Ninovic. Seewooruthun told Motorsport News: “We’re going to go in with a bang. We’re going into it to try and win. It’s now my season. I’m effectively a second-year driver at this level. The team really want to have a strong…

Seasoned racer and backer Barry-John McHenry will have a new chapter in his career by returning to competition to make his TCR UK debut in 2026 with Vannin Motorsport. McHenry will contest the season in an Audi RS3 TCR that was previously with Volcano Motorsport and competed in the TCR World Tour 2024. A testing programme is planned with Vannin Motorsport ahead of the 2026 season. McHenry has competed across a variety of championships on and off since 2006. He won 2011’s Abarth Trophy Championship title, and more recently raced in the Fiesta ST240 Championship, where he finished 11th in the standings in 2022. He has also been a committed sponsor of several Irish racing drivers through his car sales business. McHenry said: “I’ve spent the last few years working…

The Classic Sports Car Club’s boss has said the club has learned its lessons after putting on too many race meetings in 2025, which diluted its grid sizes. The club has a more compact calendar for 2026, with 11 meetings plus having a grid making a guest appearance at Oulton Park’s British GT meeting and Gold Cup. CSCC’s managing director and competition secretary David Smitheram said: “Financially, [2025 was] not a success, but from a quality of racing, paddock atmosphere, that kind of thing [point of view], it was excellent. We had our usual good driving standards, membership was as strong as ever. We just had too many race meetings. So we just diluted the grids. “We’ve gone back by a couple of days [for 2026’s calendar]. It was just…

Welsh crew Gerwyn James and Rhys Wyn Davies will tackle their first rally in Ireland in March when they compete on the West Cork Rally in their Darrian T90 GTR. James, who works at Darrian Cars in West Wales, has been rallying since 2016 but is usually only able to compete on three or four events a year. For the last two seasons he has only competed once, which included an overall win on the Smeatharpe Stages in Devon. Now they will take on their biggest challenge yet on the three-day Irish event, which runs over the St Patrick’s weekend of March 13-15. James said: “This will be our first overseas event, and a rally that has been on our bucket list for many years. We’ve previously watched and serviced…

Widmer steps up Swiss racer Austin Widmer will step up fully into Historic Formula 3 this season after acquiring the ex-Peter Thompson Brabham BT21. Widmer has been racing a Lotus 61 Formula Ford in the series on an invitation basis, but will now join his father Christoph, who races a Brabham BT18, in a one-litre F3 car for UK and European rounds. Austin’s younger brother Calvin has taken over the Lotus 61 for his racing debut. HSCC dates The Historic Sports Car Club will run an eight-event programme of racing this season, starting with the Snetterton Trophy on April 25-26. Donington Park, Cadwell Park and Brands Hatch GP are all on the calendar before the reworked Silverstone Classic at the end of July. The HSCC season then concludes with a…

Inevitably, Saturday’s weather will be a significant factor and, if the cold spell continues, the opening stages could be critical to the final results. As 2025 event winner Michael Igoe will start as car one, that puts him in a rather difficult position as he will need to find the mark in low ambient temperatures. It could be wet or even snowy and icy when the action starts on Saturday morning. However, a year ago, it was John Griffiths who struggled on the treacherous opening stages, and the lost time that cost him any chance of battling for victory. While Igoe won seven of the eight tests, Griffiths dropped 26s over the first two stages and ended the rally in fourth. He will not need reminding of that in the…

Wales is an hotbed for rallying and the area around Newcastle Emlyn includes the small town of Llandysul, where West Wales Rally Spares is based. WWRS is the business of the Lloyd family, set up by Ioan’s parents, and continues to be a cornerstone of rallying activity in the region. Ioan’s father Gareth is an accomplished driver in his own right, and has enjoyed extensive success in Ford Escort Mk2s in particular, but also in a BMW M3 and other machinery. As Ioan grew up around the sport, there was never really any doubt that he would get involved as soon as he could, and that all started in Junior 1000 in 2016. Lloyd is acutely aware that to get to where he has so far in his rallying career…

In common with many UK circuits, Thruxton’s story started as a World War Two airfield. RAF Thruxton was swiftly constructed and opened in 1941, west of the village of the same name, for extra capacity for nearby RAF Andover. The airfield was central to many operations, including D-Day, but after the war it was quickly declared surplus. The Air Ministry-owned site was soon leased by the Wiltshire School of Flying, and in 1950 motorsport started at Thruxton for motorbikes. The opening race meeting, held on Easter Monday, used some of the venue’s runways and perimeter road for a 1.89-mile layout. Four-wheeled machinery had its first meeting there in 1952 on August Bank Holiday Monday; more than 60 cars attended. There were two more car meetings in 1953 on a longer…

Derek Warwick World Sportscar Champion and F1 racer “Thruxton has always been a very special place. It was so close to home in Alresford that just about every marshal was a neighbour. It was the first place where I had proper contact with circuit racing. It takes a very special set-up to do well at Thruxton. It is a very quick circuit.” Tiff Needell Racer, broadcaster and regular Thruxton passenger experience driver “Thruxton hasn’t really changed much since it first opened. It’s still the fastest track in Britain, it still separates the men from the boys and it still generates great racing – it has never been a place for the faint of heart! Every lap round Thruxton for me is great fun; its fast-and-flowing nature is a real hoot!”…

George Proudford-Nalder made stunning progress in his car-racing debut in Ginetta Junior last year with MDD Racing. The young Australian’s improvements led to him finishing second outright at Croft’s penultimate round, then dominating the opening race of the Donington Park season-finale meeting, only to be robbed of victory by engine failure when approaching the last corner. The 16-year-old will step up to singleseaters this year in British Formula 4 with the Virtuosi Racing team. We caught up with him to talk about it all. Motorsport News: How was Ginetta Junior last season? GPN: “It was an up-and-down season. We definitely had a lot of highs; a lot of learning. That was the main reason we did Ginetta Juniors, to learn as much as we could and take it all in.…

Audi has teased some images of its first Formula 1 car after initial running with the machine at Barcelona in Spain last week. The German firm, which has taken over the Sauber team, ran the R26 model in a behind-closed-doors test. Both of the team’s 2026 drivers, Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg, drove the machine, which was in an all-black livery. It was deemed as an Audi filming day and the circuit was in lockdown, although some images, not authorised by Audi, have emerged. The photographs released by Audi were not in detail, but do give some clues to the 2026 generation. They include a raised nose and a pushrod front suspension. Audi also released some audio of how the new powerplants will sound in 2026. The car is due…

British GT’s reigning GT4 champions Marc Warren and Jack Brown will step up to make their debut in the frontrunning GT3 class this year, staying with Optimum and McLaren. The pair won last year’s GT4 title with Optimum in a McLaren Artura, making history by becoming the first Pro-Am crew to lift the overall GT4 title since 2016, while Brown became British GT’s first-ever two-time GT4 champion. Brown and his Amateur driver partner Warren will in 2026 graduate to British GT’s senior class and remain with the same team and manufacturer, driving McLaren’s 720S GT3 model. They will race in GT3’s Silver-Am category, a class not available in GT4. Brown has been part of Optimum’s British GT4 programme since 2023, when in partnership with Charles Clark he narrowly missed out…

South African Ginetta Junior racer Ethan Lennon will step up to race in single-seaters in the British Formula 4 championship this year with the reigning champion Rodin Motorsport team. Lennon turns 15 years old next week and is a South African karting champion who completed a part season in the UK’s Ginetta Junior championship last year with the Pace Performance team, achieving a best finish of fourth. Rodin and its predecessors have won the British F4 teams’ title in three of the last four seasons. Lennon is its second driver signing for the 2026 campaign, following Alfie Slater. Lennon said: “Winning the teams’ title in 2025, I’m very confident going into 2026 as Rodin is a top team to learn from and I look forward to progressing with them out…

Former MG Trophy frontrunner Josh Bromley is aiming for Civic Cup race wins this season after confirming he will continue in the championship under the Bromley Motorsport banner. Bromley will again compete in a self-run EP3 Honda Civic, building on his 2025 campaign where he finished 10th in the standings and achieved a podium finish. Bromley finished a close runner-up in MG Trophy’s Class B championship in 2022. He said: “Last season was a huge step forward for me, and with the support we have in place, my goal is to be fighting consistently at the front and chasing race wins throughout the year.” Championship manager Jack Finlan added: “Josh showed strong pace and consistency in 2025, and we’re really looking forward to seeing what he can achieve with another…

Chris Ingram will return to the World championship on the Monte Carlo Rally next week as he moves closer to a full WRC2 campaign in 2026. The former British and European champion, 31, will pilot a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 for the Polish Rallylab squad with London-based American Alex Kihurani co-driving. Manchester-born Ingram competed once in 2025 following the birth of his son, Romeo, and hasn’t rallied at WRC level since he took part on Rally Japan in November 2024. Although he has experience from three Monte Carlo Rally starts, he’s yet to use Hankook tyres in competition mode. While Ingram admits he’ll be on the back foot in terms of recent experience compared to his rivals, he told Motorsport News there’s no reason why he can’t build on previous…

Four trans-Atlantic crews will compete at Brands Hatch this weekend in the Winter Stages, with three drivers coming from Barbados to be joined by American driver George Sherman. The 2024 Rally Barbados winner Stuart Maloney has rallied in the UK several times before and finished sixth at Brands a year ago. This time, he will be joined by his brother Mark and Brian Gill, who are both competing in the UK for the first time, while Sherman returns for a third visit. All four drivers will compete in Skoda Fabia RS Rally2s. Like his brother, Mark Maloney has been competing in Barbados for more than two decades, and will be guided by experienced UK co-driver Steve McNulty at Brands Hatch.…

The British Association of Rally Schools has confirmed changes to the structure of the test required by all new applicants for a Motorsport UK special stage rally licence. The long-established BARS test is a mandatory step in the process for drivers aiming to start competing on stage events and from 2026 the price for the test has risen by around 40% to £500. This increase reflects changes in the test process to enable all BARS schools to deliver a more in-depth driving assessment, and offer all new entrants into the sport a better driving experience, according to officials. In a statement, BARS noted that: “Increasingly, new entrants into the sport have had less hands-on experience of driving a competition vehicle, or have not been part of a motor club or…

John Davies started 2026 in the same way that he’d finished 2025, as he followed up his Preston Rally win in December with victory on the Twilight Targa. Partnered by his son Ethan, Davies took fastest time on four of the six tests and came home almost a minute clear of the field. The event marked a welcome return for motorsport to the Weeton Barracks, although only half the venue was available due to solar farm work. A 10-second cone fault meant that after Test 1 Davies/Davies shared the lead with Alun Tudur Morris and Dylan Sion Richards. However, fastest time on three of the remaining tests, plus second quickest on the other two, allowed the Puma pair to claim the win. Morris/Richards ended up 46s off first place having…

David Brabham is the new president of the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association, and has taken over the role from outgoing president Clive Chapman. Brabham, son of Formula 1 champion and constructor Jack, made his F1 debut in the team bearing the family name in 1990 but struggled with an uncompetitive car. He returned to Formula 1 in 1994 before switching to touring cars and sports cars with great success. He won Le Mans in 2009 and scored extensive success in sportscar racing across the world. Now based in London, Brabham recently accepted the role of president of the HGPCA, which is the racing home for a number of the cars built by his late father up to 1965. Sir Jack Brabham won three drivers’ titles and remains the only…

Another contender who will be pushing for a place in the top 10 at the very least is Alfie Threlfall with Patrick Cross on the maps in his Mitsubishi Lancer E10. This will be only his 12th rally and his fourth in the four-wheel-drive Evo, but what Threlfall lacks in rallying experience he makes up in natural ability, and the Somerset driver has been one of the revelations of this season’s competition. The Mitsubishi belongs to Alfie’s dad Mike, but Alfie has taken control of the four-wheel-drive car in fine style. He is the man to beat in Class Two, which is for the non-R5 and Rally2 four-wheel-drive machinery.…

Ioan Lloyd Age: 23 From: Llandysul, Wales 2025: Runner-up in the Junior ERC in a Peugeot 208 Rally4. Contested Rali Ceredigion in a Peugeot 208 Rally4 and finished 10th overall and won class BRC4 2024: Stellantis Cup and Junior BRC campaign in Peugeot 208 Rally4: won the Stellantis Cup Ireland and UK, and finished fourth in JBRC 2023: Selected international events in Peugeot 208 Rally4 2022: Junior British Championship assault in Peugeot 208 Rally4 and he finished in fourth place 2021: BTRDA Silver Star campaign in Peugeot 208 R2: won the R2 Cup and Junior R2 1600 Cup 2020: One rally in a Ford Escort Mk2 with Dai Roberts 2019: Final season in Junior 1000, which included three wins and fifth overall in the championship 2018: Full season in Junior…

Drivers make the same immediate association with Thruxton as everyone else. “Amongst all drivers, Thruxton is always hailed as the home of speed,” Gordie Mutch, a regular racer, coach and instructor at the track, tells Motorsport News. “It requires a high, high amount of commitment and a lot of trust in your car. It’s got a lot of character, and it helps build character.” The almost flat-out Allard opening turn “sets the scene” for the circuit. Then before the Complex there’s a long left that, Mutch says, should not be underestimated. “The car’s already very on edge because you’re carrying a huge amount of speed. It can make the [Complex’s] braking zone very, very unstable.” You then “tighten the belts” for the track’s crowning glory. “You take Noble, the left-hander,…

Heikki Kovalainen hasn’t raced in Super Formula, but seven seasons competing in Japanese Super GT means the Finn knows a thing or two about the tracks his compatriot Kalle Rovanpera must tame and what makes the local teams tick. “His ambition has to be Formula 1, otherwise I don’t understand the move,” Kovalainen says. “But he’s still got time, he’s not like a total rookie because in the top rally teams, the engineering level and how they go about the whole business is a pretty good school. The only question mark I have is his decision to come to Japan. I know Toyota wanted him, and are supporting him, but the culture in Japan is more that the teams need a driver to guide them, not the other way round.…

Alain Prost Prost Grand Prix(1997-2001) The Frenchman bought the Ligier team, which had been under the ownership of Flavio Briatore, in 1997. It had been a long-held ambition of the four-time title winner to head up a French-flavoured team. After an initial season with Mugen-Honda engines, Peugeot came on board in 1998 and Prost eventually persuaded John Barnard to join the programme as a technical consultant. However, a change in management at Peugeot meant Prost had to pay for what had initially been agreed as a free engine supply deal. That led to the eventual decline of the team with a lack of funds, and it withdrew at the end of 2001 after a dreadful season with the Acer powerplant. Jackie Stewart Stewart Grand Prix(1997-1999) With strong links to Ford,…

EMAIL matt.james@motorsportnews.co.uk X Updates: @MNmotorsport FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM Search for ‘Motorsport News’ DIGITAL ISSUE See motorsportnews.co.uk READERS PICTURES ART EDITOR MIKE STOKOE’S FAVOURITE OF THE WEEK! TV GUIDE Daily highlights of the final decisive stages of the latest Dakar Rally are available to view on TNT Sports. The best of today’s (Thursday’s) action is shown today on TNT Sports 4 at 2100hrs-2200hrs and early tomorrow at 0600hrs-0700hrs on the same channel. Tomorrow’s best is shown at the same times: 2100hrs-2200hrs tomorrow on TNT Sports 3 and 0600hrs-0700hrs on Saturday on TNT Sports 2. Then the final day’s action from Saturday is shown that day on TNT Sports 4 at 2100hrs-2200hrs and again at 2330hrs-0030hrs on TNT Sports 1. And with the next World Rally Championship season shortly to kick into life on the Monte Carlo…