MINI John Cooper Works Team Enters 2021 SRO TC America Season Following Back-To-Back Manufacturers Titles
Thu Mar 04 18:55:48 CET 2021 Press Release
Woodcliff Lake, N.J., March 4, 2021 - MINI USA and the MINI John Cooper Works Team (MINI JCW Team) have announced their participation in the upcoming 2021 SRO TC America series, beginning at Sonoma Raceway on March 5. In its continued partnership with Indianapolis-based LAP Motorsports, which owns and operates the MINI JCW Team, MINI USA will once again run two cars in the Touring Car A class (TCA) for the 2021 season. Mark Pombo will return in car #61 MINI JCW alongside Clayton Williams driving the #62 MINI JCW.
Le Mans May Move To August To Allow Attendees Time To Get Vaccinated
Image: 24 Hours of Le Mans
It is expected that the Automobile Club de l’Ouest will announce this week the postponement of its blue riband 24 Hours of Le Mans event from the current June 12-13 weekend to a new date in August, possibly the weekend of the 21st. As coronavirus vaccinations ramp up around the world, this postponement will allow some extra time for distribution and implementation for the large crowd of international attendees to gather in safety of a hopefully post-COVID society.
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In 2020 the event was postponed from June to September in the hopes that the virus would dissipate and people could gather safely, but we now know that was impossible, and the event went off without fans in the stands. Of course, members of some racing teams contracted the virus anyway. The difference between that postponement and this one is that the race organizers are optimistic that vaccine distribution w
Mazda Will Discontinue IMSA Prototype Program At The End Of 2021 Season
Photo: Mazda
IMSA is getting beat up in the ring lately. With the collapse of its factory-supported GTLM category, the sanctioning body has already had to pivot its GT classes to a more affordable GTD-based program. Friday’s announcement that Mazda would be ending its DPi program at the end of the 2021 season and would not be pursuing a replacement LMDh program in the future has been a serious hit to the series. This leaves only Acura and Cadillac participating in the class in 2022.
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Mazda has been an integral part of the IMSA prototype class since the merger of ALMS and Grand Am in 2014. The series was so well-meshed with Mazda Motorsports that team boss John Doonan left the Japanese manufacturer to be president of IMSA in early 2020. The Mazda program has not, however, been without difficulties. The team has worked with three different supporting partners, finding success difficult until rec