Changes and Additions to know before Formula E Season 9

As a new year begins in the world, a new era dawns on a motorsport series. This time, it relates to Formula E. The changes being brought it are pretty huge in comparison to the previous generation.

2 Gen 3 Cars in testing. Credit: Formula E

Sporting Regulation Changes:

Laps replaced timed races:
One of the most notable changes for the Formula E championship is the removal of timed races and the introduction of lap raced. This brings it on par with some of its other counterparts in the FIA series such as Formula 1. The amount of laps is unknown but this may bring a curveball into the team’s strategy. With this change, if there are any Safety Cars or Full Course Yellows at any stage during a race, more laps will be added onto the end of the race to maintain consistency.

Goodbye FanBoost, hello Attack Charge:
A key feature in Formula E, FanBoost, will be removed. This feature saw fans vote for a driver to gain 5% more power near the end of the race. However a new feature will be added: Attack Charge. Attack Charge is a 30 second stop which is mandatory which will allow the energy in the car to be increased from 300kW to 350kW. This will be trialled at certain races throughout the season and where it is not at the races, Attack Mode will be reinstated.

Rookie Sessions in FP1:
Following the footsteps of Formula 1, Formula E will allow drivers who have “never previously competed in the championship” to have at least 2 FP1 sessions during the season. These are mandatory and they will allow young drivers to see what Formula E has to offer as a sport.

Speaking about these regulation changes, Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle said that the new regulations “are evidence of the continued evolution and positive impact of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship” They go on to state that ” The combination of sporting enhancements, a step change in car performance, cutting-edge battery technology and the innovation of Attack Charge will make our racing more competitive and entertaining .”

Team and Calendar Changes:

3 cars on track in pre season testing. Credit: Formula E

New Teams and Drivers:
As with a traditional motor racing series, there have been changes to the driver line ups at teams and a few team changes. The most obvious one is Mercedes EQ have left the world of Formula E and have been replaced by McLaren.
McLaren’s line up is Jake Hughes and Rene Rast. The Formula E champion of 2022 Stoffel Vandoorne has gone to Penske while Nyck DeVries has gone over to Formula 1’s Alpha Tauri team.

Nissan have signed Sacha Fenestraz who took over from Antonio Giovinazzi at the final race last year, Sergio Sete Camara has joined NIO 333, Andre Lotterer has joined Avalanche Andretti with Antonio Felix da Costa joining Porsche and Mahindra Racing signing Lucas Di Grassi. These changes are expected to spice up the grid and the racing.

New Venues Enter the Calandar:
With a new season of Formula E also brings new and exciting venues which bring a factor of unpredictable to the track. The 4th, 5th and 6th rounds of Season 9 are the majority of the new venues on the calandar. These are Hyderabad in India, Cape Town in South Africa and Sao Paulo in Brazil. The final new venue for this season is Portland, America. Each of these venues are set to bring new and exciting changes for the drivers and the teams.

Formula E kicks off the start of the new era in Mexico City on 14th January 2023.

15th December 2022

The title showdown in F1 esports. Who will be the new champion?

F1 esports has seen a changing of the guard this year. Brendon Leigh, driving for Mercedes AMG Petronas, took the title in 2017 and successfully defended the crown in 2018 in dominant fashion, before Scuderia Ferraris David Tonizza took the title to Italy for the prancing horse in 2019, narrowly fending off the advances of Denmarks Frederik Rasmussen. Since then, the wonder-Dutchman Jarno Opmeer has held dominion in the F1 esports arena, taking the crown in 2020 and 2021, both times seeing off fierce competition, and both times Rasmussen taking the second spot in the championship.

Mercedes and Redbull have been the teams to beat throughout F1 esports history (that sounds familiar), with two titles each (there was no constructors championship awarded in 2017). The constructors this year has already been sealed, McLaren Shadow will be crowned 2022 F1 esports constructors champions following the great work from Scotlands Lucas Blakeley, and the Man from Iranhaveari Boroumand.

So who are the main contenders for Opmeers title this year?

Lucas Blakeley
Hailing from the highlands, Blakely was signed by BWT Racing Point in 2019. This would prove to be a somewhat difficult start to Blakeleys esports career, despite proving himself a very capable driver in the league racing scene. Whilst the speedy Scotsman did score a podium in 2019, he only raced anoBlakeley’sces that year, with results that did not reflect his talent. He was retained by Racing Point for 2020, in which he raced almost every race, but again the results didn’t go as expected. When Aston Martin took over Racing Point for 2021, Blakeley was now really getting into his stride, finishing third in the season, and this year, he has been a major component in McLaren Shadows championship winning season, and leads the drivers championship.

Thomas Ronhaar
The new rising star from The Netherlands is Ronhaar. He absolutely stormed the league racing scene and currently drives in Haas colours. Ronhaar sits just five points behind Blakeley, and has been doing everything to win his debut championship and keep the title in Dutch hands.

Frederik Rasmussen
You can never keep a good man down, or a good diver back. Rasmussen has finished in the top three in the drivers championship in every year F1 esports has existed, and was a force in league racing before 2017 as well. The great Dane has been in the Redbull family since being signed by Toro Rosso in 2018 and moved over to the main squad in 2019, where he has been ever since. Only 14 points separates him to Blakeley, and the competition is as fierce as ever.

Bardia Boroumand
The man from Iran has been in the league racing scene a long time, and is no stranger to competing at the front, but didn’t enter the F1 esports world until 2020, where he was the third driver for Mercedes behind Leigh and Bono Huis. Boroumand only raced once that year, and after moving to McLaren in 2021, he has gone from strength to strength. A regular points scorer and occasional podium saw Bari finish fifth in 2021, and this year he has scored a far bigger haul of podiums, and a win at Spa, all of which sees him fourth in the standings, just 16 points behind teammate Blakeley.

Jarno Opmeer
A man that is known throughout the F1 esports and league racing world, he hit the ground running, being signed by Renault in 2019 and coming home in fourth in the championship, before commencing his dominance in 2020 with Alfa Romeo and continuing with Mercedes in 2021. The champion is still mathematically able to retain the crown, but with a 34-point deficit to Blakeley, it will need a big helping of luck to swing the momentum his way

With two races still left, Brazil and Abu Dhabi, the stage is set for a thrilling conclusion to a season that has seen a huge shake-up in the establishment.

13th December 2022

Guenther stars as Gen3 test begins

Formula E Valencia Test

Image courtesy of
ABB Formula E Gen goes Green! Expect the phrase in a few weeks! The first day of the 2022/23 test at Ricardo Tormo went ahead today and the machinery is fantastic! The previous generation had a maximum of 250kw but they now have a further 100 with 350 at their disposal.

Wehrlein now an experienced driver in the field was quickest out the blocks early on in the Porsche, with a 1:27:492.
We have the introduction of Maserati and Mclaren, the latter who took over the defending Champions Mercedes with big boots to fill. Jake Hughes fits in and the Papaya orange was perfect especially in Spain.

Rowland hopes to have a better string of results especially with Di Grassi alongside in this Season’s battle, and laid down an early gauntlet for the field with a 1:26:351 which was seven tenths quicker than anyone else before Max Guenther joined him in the 1:26’s too, but still 0.559 away from the time. A few yellow flags with a spin or two but only one real flag of concern early on when Cassidy’s Envision got stuck in the gravel at turn six which brought the session to a brief stoppage. DS Penske duo paired with reigning drivers champion Vandoorne not Da Costa continue to look strong early on being within the top 5 as the track gripped up Stoffel went 0.322 behind Rowland.

Abt name is back in the sport with Cupra, and just getting mileage in the morning session, this was held by Mueller being unable to get out early on but he eventually did manage to get out alongside Frijns both lapping in the low 1:28’s, at the back of the field and further interrupted late on in the session with Mitch Evans spinning at T5, causing a red flag for 10 minutes. We had 18 of the 22 drivers before lunch on track and Jake Hughes in Mclaren finally toppled Rowland’s impressive lap to a 1:26:178 with Guenther after in Maserati a 1:26:096, the new teams wanting to take the headlines at lunch. The second Maserati in P4 whilst Rast must’ve been focusing on long runs in P20. The Top 10 covered by 1.050.

The second session went green at 14:00 hours and Guenther who went straight to top carrying on where he left off with a 1:26:852 amongst eight others. Sam Bird who failed to win in last year for the first time in a full Season looks to build slowly after sustaining a wrist fracture missing the Seoul double finale he had a fairly quiet morning, and was one of those who just looked to continue to plow away, getting the data for Jaguar. One that also jumped out of the blocks was Jake Dennis with Andretti only P17 in the morning, who improved on his time by three tenths to be P2 after the first rush of action.

Guenther improved to a 1:26:221 as they came to an hour in the afternoon running whilst Porsche hot on the heels, another team with a switch Wehrlein under a tenth but Antonio Felix Da Costa making it P2 and P3 for the team. Porsche with that line up look to see better than P7 in the final standings. Continous action, only a brief yellow as Mortara’s Maserati coming to a stop, a quick reset let it go on its way, as the times begin to fall, the top five now being in the 1:26’s with Mortara being one of them. Jake Hughes brought the afternoon to an abrupt end for 20 minutes as the NEOM Mclaren came to a stop, and failed to restart.

The teams had 90 minutes remaining of Day One Norman Nato joined the track for the first time but only a sightseer, Buemi still yet to be seen in the afternoon. The top twelve all within a second of Guenther, with eight different teams.

With under an hour the drizzle threat began to become into play, and the track became damp, so the fastest times of the day were not going to be touched but it is interesting information for these new Hankook tyres, Michelin being the supplier since the inaugural season in 2014.
No spins in the rain happened to cause any flags showing the true skill of the drivers at hand. The running was interrupted further with further teething problems on reliability as Sette Camara’s NIO halted between T5 and T6. Ticktum currently in the top 10 ahead of his Brazilian team-mate in the sister car.

The track returned to green flag running under dark clouds and damp track so it continued to be a reliability test and data collection for the teams rather than outright speed. A really wet track with 20 minutes remained so Guenther would take plaudits for being fastest in both the morning and afternoon session before the rain came. Porsche and DS Penske as duos looked solid, whilst Nissan had a difficult day in at the back on average being 1.6 off the pace across both sessions. Buemi seemingly had a reliability issue as no time was set in the afternoon.

A full qualifying and race exercise is due to happen in Valencia tomorrow before they a further day of testing on Thursday, so some gremlins found, and much running done today.

12th December 2022

Important Motorsport Dates for 2023

Motorsport at present will not be interrupted by any third party events, so according to current calendars we have racing from the weekend we go into 2023 with the Dakar Rally, through to December with national events and eSports. Here are just a small selection of dates to keep free as a motorsport enthusiast!

14th January

Formula E starts its third generation at the beloved Autodromo Hermamos Rodriguez in Mexico City, where we shall see the new era of cars reach 200mph hour and a new format of racing begin. McLaren and Maserati enter the fray with a mix up of drivers, so keep the date free! Formula E expects more overtaking in much smaller and lighter machinery, and don’t forget that all the qualifying and racing in one day so an action-packed day looms!

19th February

On this day, you shall see the 65th running of the “Great-American Race” at Daytona Beach in Florida. Daytona is one of three Superspeedways in the States, the others being Indianapolis and Talladega. Fan-favourite Jimmie Johnson is expected to return for the Stock Car Series, which would have seven former winners in the field. Even if NASCAR is not your taste, I do advise it as a watch as they do race on tracks of COTA and Road America throughout the year. There is also the conclusion of the Asian Le Mans series at Yas Marina on the same day, which is a four-hour event.

YAS MARINA CIRCUIT, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (Photo by Mark Sutton / LAT Images)

26th-28th May

This weekend is a belter. In Europe and stateside we have two of the three legs of the ‘Triple Crown’ running simultaneously. On Saturday is the F1 Monaco Grand Prix, where on most occasions qualifying could be more important than the Sunday. On Sunday we have the 107th running of the Indy 500 at the Brickyard. Monaco could be more of a tactical battle strategy, followed by seeing the complete flipside of motorsport with cars going at 220mph for nearly three hours! Do not forget to finish off the day one of the speedways. NASCAR has the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, so if no problems do arise with cautions and delays you could watch all three consecutively, a true treat to a motorsport fan!

10/11 June

The final third of the ‘Triple Crown’ would be the famous Le Mans 24 hours which celebrates its centenary this year. The categories for this season have either been revamped or doubled, especially the hypercar which should make it the most contested battle, with Ferrari and Peugeot joining Toyota in the battle at the top for overall victory.

Ferrari seek for victory for the first time since 1965 when legendary Jochen Rindt won as part of the team and Peugeot more recently with the 908 in 2009. The middle classes of LMP2 and GTE will continue to be as close as ever throughout the race and season, a race that is 6/7 times longer than Indy 500 can be separated by seconds overall. The go-to section if you want to go would be the Porsche Curves, a fantastic section to see a car hooked up in qualifying or race mode!

Photo: Rick Dole
©2010 Rick Dole/All Rights Reserved.

24th September

MotoGP heads to India. The Buddh International Circuit was first used in 2011 by F1, the banked 10-12 turns having an Istanbul Park feel. India is second most populated country with nearly 1.4 billion people and with reports of over 200 million owning a motorcycle which is a 75/25 ratio making it perfect sense for bikes to race here.

It will be great to see the track return to the world stage as the Grand Prix of Bharat and with bikes it has the chance to provide some fantastic overtaking opportunities. National racing has taken place there from 2016, but do expect the likes of WSBK to strike a deal in the future as this will be an instant success! Along with this, F1 hosts the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, the European Le Mans Series is at Spa and British Touring Cars is at Silverstone. Three of the most iconic tracks in use along with MotoGP possibly breaking into India.

19th November

Is it another cash cow or F1 gone bust with a third race in America with the race in Vegas? It is not the first time F1 has gone racing in Vegas, as they had two races in the 80’s. They raced at Caesars Palace in 1981 and 1982. It is expected that they will be using the Las Vegas Strip in the night race featuring 17 corners going past the previously used palace and Casinos.

The festival in 2022 that announced the race went well and it comes across as an unique event. With the race being the penultimate round of the season we could see a driver or constructor be crowned here – what a place to do so!

Qatar continues to go strength to strength with MotoGP at Losail for another race in penultimate round of this year’s series this weekend as well. An honourable mention for WRC which concludes in Japan on this day too.

Just a few dates to advise! We will give you weekly updates of all events from Speedway to F1 happening on that weekend. Looks like a fantastic year ahead.

12th December 202212th December 2022

Jost Capito is leaving Williams Racing

BREAKING: Jost Capito is leaving Williams Racing

The Williams Racing announced that Team Principal and CEO Jost Capito and the Technical Director FX Demaison has confirmed that they will be leaving the team ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season.

In a statement published by the team, Jost said it was a “huge privilege to lead Williams Racing” and to “lay the foundations for the turnaround.” He went on to say that he will be “watching the team as it continues on its path to future success.”

The Chairman of Dorilton Capital Matthew Savage thanked Jost for his “hard work and dedication” as they “embarked on a major transformation process to begin reviving Williams Racing.” He went on to say, “We also thank FX for his contribution and wish him all the best for his future as he moves on.”

Williams Racing was sold to Dorilton Capital in 2020 after discussions with the Williams Family. This lead to both Capito and Demaison’s arrival to the team.

5th December 2022

McAMS Yamaha promote Tim Neave to British Superbikes for 2023

The latest news from the British Superbike paddock sees McAMS Yamaha announce the promotion of Tim Neave from National Superstock 1000 to British Superbikes for 2023.

After an injury riddled season aboard an R1 for the team in the National Superstock 1000 category which saw a broken pelvis ruin Neave’s season, McAMS have decided they had seen enough to warrant signing Neave into their superbike squad in the vacated seat of Tarran Mackenzie.

With Mackenzie, the former British Superbike Champion of 2021 having announced he is moving on to pastures new for 2023, this leaves the Fleetwood based squad in a position to take a chance on the young BSB rookie. Neave joins the team to learn and develop alongside current Yamaha Veteran rider, Jason O’Halloran.

Steve Rogers and Tim Neave – McAMS Yamaha

Neave said: “To get the call up to ride for McAMS Yamaha is a dream come true. When I signed to ride for the team last year, in the back of my mind I was thinking if I could do a really good job on the Superstock bike and a seat became available, it would be the dream but I didn’t think it would actually happen!

“Raceways are one of, if not the best teams in the paddock – they’ve certainly won more races than anyone else in recent years so I can’t think of a better team to step up into BSB with. I loved riding the R1 Superstock bike, it really suited me as a rider and from what Jason has told me, the Superbike has similar characteristics so I’m looking forward to getting out on it for the first time. BSB is one of the toughest classes in racing, but I’ll give it my everything to make sure this opportunity isn’t wasted on me.”

Team Owner Steve Rodgers commented: “When Tim joined the team to race the Superstock bike in 2022 we were all really impressed by him. Not only was he super quick straightaway, but his attitude and the way he went about things meant that he fit in to the team immediately. There’s no doubt had the Knockhill accident, which wasn’t his fault, not occurred, he’d have continued to fight for the Superstock title.

“When he was fit, he was super-fast on the R1 and the Superstock bike has a lot of similarities to the Superbike, including the fact that we couldn’t run any traction control on the stocker, so the jump isn’t as big as it is with some other manufacturers. There’s still a lot to learn, but we are confident he’ll pick it up and look forward to seeing what he can achieve.”

5th December 2022

Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Racing Kawasaki confirm Max Cook to BSB for 2023

Darren Fry and Nigel Snook of FS-3 have doubled down on their commitment to bring on the youth of our sport with the announcement that Max Cook, the 2022 winning Junior Superstock Champion will ride for the team in British Superbikes in 2023.

Max Cook – Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki

The latest news from within the successful 2022 Motorcycle Live event saw the announcement of Max Cook and FS-3 Kawasaki.

The 2022 season was a dominant one for Cook. 9 wins saw him go on to wrap up the Superstock 600 title and as reward for that hard work and dedication, he will line up next to FS-3 Kawasaki stalwart, Lee Jackson on the grid next season in a move that echos the signing of Rory Skinner in 2020. A move which saw him learn, develop and ultimately move on to the Moto2 category from under the wings of FS-3 racing team.

Team owners and operators Darren Fry and Nigel Snook have made no secrets of their desire to run a team that prioritises winning the British Superbike Championship, but at the same time has an eye on bringing through the talent of tomorrow!

Max Cook said: “This is a dream come true for me. Firstly, I would like to thank Nigel and Darren for supporting me for six years and now, to finally be their rider is so surreal! Nigel has supported me throughout my years at Red Bull Rookies Cup, Moto3 Junior World Championship and most recently, winning the Junior Superstock 600 championship, so he knows what I can do on a bike.

“Of course, this is a big step for me, but I feel like I am totally ready for the challenge and looking forward to showing people what I can do. To have Lee Jackson as my teammate is amazing. We all know he is very fast, and he is someone that I have always looked up to, so I can’t wait to soak up his knowledge. I have already had a taste for the superbike in early October, and I’m very excited to give it the beans in a proper run out in winter testing!”

Darren Fry said: “We’ve been supporting Max for six years and have been really impressed with his progress. He’s served his apprenticeship winning the BSB Moto 3 championship in 2017, then progressing through the British Talent Cup, Red Bull Rookies and the Junior World Championship. His talent really shone through this year as he dominated the Junior Superstock Championship and made a very impressive Supersport debut at the final round at Brands Hatch.

“As a team, we pride ourselves on actively supporting young talented riders, so the decision to promote Max to ride alongside Lee Jackson fitted perfectly with our philosophy. As a front-running BSB team, it’s easy to overlook a long-term development plan in return for instant results.

“We believe every team in the paddock has the responsibility to nurture young talent to keep British riders at the forefront of world racing and show everyone that the British Superbike Championship is the strongest domestic championship in the world.

“Just coming up to his 20th birthday, Max will certainly have his work cut out getting used to the raw power of a superbike, but we’ve got a full testing plan in place for him over the winter, and he’s very excited to get going. Based on his previous experience, we don’t think it will be too long before he surprises a few people.’’

4th December 2022

X44 Claim Their Maiden Extreme E Title in Uruguay

X44 (Courtesy of Extreme E)

Lewis Hamilton’s team, X44, won their first Extreme E championship title in Uruguay last month.

The British team, who were 17 points behind leaders Rosberg X Racing (RXR) going into the weekend, pulled off an unlikely comeback to take the crown from their rivals.

In the first round of the season in Saudi Arabia, it was RXR who looked the strongest. The German-team continued their performance from the previous season by claiming maximum points for the weekend. X44 had a decent race, finishing third.

The next two rounds in Sardinia seemed to confirm RXR as the title favourites. Despite finishing fifth in the first Sardinian round, they won the second. X44 continued to be slightly off the pace, ending round three fourth in the standings – one point behind Acciona Sainz in third. Chip Ganassi came first in the second round.

But round four in Chile was when X44 started to show themselves as title protagonists. Despite picking up a 10 second penalty in the Semi-Final for knocking over a waypoint marker, they made the final and went on to win it. With RXR finishing sixth overall, the gap between them was seventeen points.

Going into the final round in Uruguay, X44 still had a lot to do to overtake RXR in the standings. If the British team were hoping for a miracle, it didn’t initially seem like they would get one. During Qualifying One, X44 driver Cristina Gutierrez crashed, leaving the team too much work to fix the car in time for Qualifying Two. They were allowed to use the spare car, but had to serve a five second time penalty in the Crazy Race the next day.

In Qualifying Two, Sebastien Loeb used all of his experience to help the team get the points they desperately needed. Sensing X44 were destined for the Crazy Race regardless of where they finished, Loeb dropped back from the pack to give himself space to go quickly through the Continental Traction Challenge. His plan worked as his and Gutierrez’s time through the section combined to put them quickest and gain the five bonus points.

To win the championship, though, X44 still needed to make it to the final and then finish at least third. Making the final wasn’t made any easier when championship leaders RXR also had a poor qualifying. Only one team could progress from the Crazy Race.

With it all on the line, and with the time penalty looming over them, X44 put in a great performance to see themselves through to the final. Even better for them, RXR were disqualified from the Crazy Race when they had too many engineers in the Switch Zone trying to repair damage sustained on the opening lap. RXR would only pick up one point the entire weekend.

The final approached and X44 were still in with a chance of winning the championship. When nobody was able to beat their time in the Continental Traction Challenge, X44 knew third was enough to win.

It was a slow start for the championship hopefuls, as they entered the switch zone in fourth place. They would remain there until the very end when it was revealed that Andretti United, who were only two seconds up the road, would receive a seven second penalty for speeding in the switch zone.

The stars had aligned and X44 had won the title. Meanwhile, ABT Cupra won their first ever race, and McLaren claimed their first podium.

Championship Standings after Round 5:

X44 86 Points
RXR 84 Points
Acciona Sainz 66 Points
Chip Ganassi 63 Points
McLaren 52 Points
ABT Cupra 46 Points
Andretti United 45 Points
Xite Energy 33 Points
JBXE 27 Points
Veloce 18 Points

Another crazy season of on-track action in Extreme E has come to a close. But, of course, Extreme E is about more than what happens on track.

Off-track Extreme E have been involved in a number of legacy programmes aimed at leaving a positive impact on their race locations.

This year they have supported the protection of the Green and Hawksbill turtles in Saudi Arabia, restored seagrass habitants and areas hit by wildfires in Sardinia, rebuilt habitats for the Loa Water Frog in Chile, and are working with the Organisation for Cetacean Conservation in Uruguay.

Now the teams look ahead to next season, where we will see a new race location (Scotland), and potentially some new driver line-ups too. The 11th March can’t come soon enough.

26th November 2022

Extreme E: RXR Aim to Claim Second Title in Season Finale

Image courtesy of Extreme E Rosberg X Racing (RXR) will be trying to win their second team’s title in as many seasons at this weekend’s Extreme E finale in Uruguay.

The German team, who won the first ever Extreme E championship title last year, go into the final round with a 17 point lead over second placed X44.

There are four teams still in with a chance of claiming the championship (RXR, X44, Acciona Sainz, and Chip Ganassi), showing just how tight this season has been.

To win regardless of where their rivals finish, RXR need to achieve either 3rd or higher with no bonus points for the fastest time through the Continental Traction Challenge, or at least 5th if they do get the bonus points.

X44 need to outscore RXR by 18 points to win the title, whilst Acciona Sainz need 24 more points than RXR, and six more than X44. Chip Ganassi face the toughest challenge, needing to outscore RXR by 29 points, X44 by 12, and Acciona Sainz by 6.

Championship Standings:

RXR 83 Points
X44 66 Points
Acciona Sainz 60 Points
Chip Ganassi 55 Points
McLaren 34 Points
Andretti United 33 Points
Xite Energy 29 Points
JBXE 25 Points
ABT Cupra 21 Points
Veloce 8 Points

In the midst of the championship battle, we will see some new driver line-ups for this weekend. Veloce decided they wanted two new drivers, bringing in last season’s champion Molly Taylor, and former JBXE driver Kevin Hansen. They replace Christine GZ, and Lance Woolridge. GZ is one of the championship reserve drivers for this weekend.

Filling in for Kevin Hansen at JBXE will be Jamaican racer Fraser McConnell. McConnell had previously been a reserve driver for the championship.

Timo Scheider, formerly of Xite Energy will take McConnell’s spot on the side lines as he is replaced by Extreme E newcomer Ezequiel Perez Companc.

Another new face to the grid will be RJ Anderson, who is replacing Kyle Leduc at Chip Ganassi. Klara Andersson, who filled in for an injured Jutta Kleinschmidt at ABT Cupra in the last round, will take the seat permanently.

But Extreme E is not just about the racing. Every race weekend they have a new climate-related focus, and a legacy programme, that aims to leave a positive impact on their race locations.

This week, that focus will be on marine conservation, ecotourism, and renewable energy awareness.

Uruguay are a world leader in wind energy production, alongside Denmark, Ireland, and Portugal. Renewable energy generation is at the heart of their energy sector, with 98% of electricity in Uruguay coming from renewable sources.

Extreme E’s legacy programme for this weekend will see them team up with the Organisation for Cetacean Conservation (OCC) to help educate children about marine life. They will also help fund improvements to the OCC’s whale photo-ID catalogue.

In a press release, Extreme E founder and CEO Alejandro Agag said of the finale: “It has been an extremely competitive second season of Extreme E, with new winners and so many new teams securing podiums it just goes to show the strength of our field out on course.

“It is fitting that we are completing the season in Uruguay a country which shares so many of our beliefs around environmental progress, sustainability focuses, and raising awareness of the climate crisis.”

23rd November 2022

Vickers Given a Golden Opportunity to Shine with OMG Racing Yamaha in British Superbikes

In a surprise twist to the British Superbike silly season, championship winning OMG Racing Yamaha have announced former Superstock 600 Champion, Ryan Vickers will be joining them for the 2023 and 2024 seasons in a 2-year deal.

After a frustrating season aboard FHO’s BMW M1000RR Vickers has surprised Superbike fans by bagging what many believe to be one of the best and most sought-after rides on the grid. With newly crowned BSB Champion Bradley Ray rumoured to be stepping up to the World Superbike Series next year, Ryan Vickers, his personal team and OMG Racing have pounced on the opportunity to put themselves in the spotlight again and have some big boots to fill.

Riding alongside 2022 race winner and 6th place finisher overall Kyle Ryde, I’ve no doubt the pairing will be expected to perform from the get-go after the team have become accustomed to British Superbike success. Ryde more so than Vickers as there will be an adjustment period to be taken into account, hence the 2 year deal to allow Vickers to settle in a find his feet. You also have to bear in mind the calibre of riders he will be up against next year in British Superbikes. Staying on the bike and being inside the Top 10 has to be Vickers’ first priority in year 1. If he can regain the confidence he oozed in his days with the Lee Hardy Racing team, where Ryan was a regular runner inside the top 6 during races, success, podiums and potential race wins will come at some point.

Vickers has experience on Yamaha machinery from his championship winning season aboard an R6 in 2018 before debuting in Superbikes, though personally I’m unsure as to whether data and riding styles from a stock R6 can translate to a British Superbike spec R1 with instant results. Stranger things have happened. We have seen high calibre riders struggle on BMW machinery due to the integral characteristics of the bike whereas the R1 has long been seen as the friendliest bike to ride being it’s such an allrounder, it could just be that this is the move Vickers needs to settle things down, renew his confidence and start bringing some BSB trophies, if not in 2023 then definitely in 2024.

The one thing Vickers has been universally commended on, when life became tough in the FHO Racing BMW camp, his attitude towards the team, improving himself and the bike were never in doubt. On and off the bike his character has shone through.

Good luck to him I say. Kudos on his negotiating skills and well done that man for being brave enough to go even further down the rabbit hole to find himself and chase his dream. Vickers could easily have gone back to a series he has had success on (i.e. 600’s) but it takes a brave man to dig in and crack on for another year. Congratulations to both Ryan and OMG Racing for putting together what will hopefully be a belter of a lineup for 2023.

On the move, Vickers said: “I’m so pleased to be given the opportunity to ride what I and many others perceive to be the best bike on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship grid, with a team have that have impressed a huge number of people by winning the championship.

“My love of Yamaha stems from my Superstock 600 Championship win onboard an R6, so I’m looking forward to gelling with the R1, and being able to deliver OMG Racing the level of success they’ve become used to.

“I can’t thank Alan [Gardner] and Paul [Curran] enough for their belief in my abilities, and I’ll be working harder than ever to give them the results the team deserve. I appreciate that to step into the boots of the Championship winner is a big ask, and Brad has set the bar high, but I relish the challenge and I’m excited for what I’m hoping will be my best season yet.”

Alan Gardner, OMG Racing Team Owner said: “Ryan is a rider that OMG Racing have had their eye on for quite a while and has really impressed with both his performance on-track, and his attitude off it.

“He’s a well-known and liked character within the paddock and has proven himself to be a rider that will go above and beyond to constantly improve and better his lap times and ability, and that fits perfectly with us and our goals moving forward.

“We plan on pulling no punches in our pursuit of our second championship victory in 2023, and with both Ryan and Kyle on board our Yamaha R1s, are feeling strong as we move into our sixth BSB season.”

Paul Curran, OMG Racing Team Principal commented: “I’m really looking forward to working with Ryan, and he’s a rider that I’ve admired for quite a while. His success on the R6 in the Superstock 600 Championship back in 2018 demonstrates his comfort on Yamahas, and from experience we know this normally translates well to the R1 – you only have to look at Brad [Ray]’s results and progression to see that.

“His drive and positivity will see him slot perfectly into the team, and I’m confident he’ll be at the sharp end of the grid from the off.

“We head out to Cartagena in a few short weeks, and we’re all looking forward to giving both Ryan and Kyle the opportunity to get some track time under their belts. I have no doubt that Ryan will get his head around the bike very quickly and we’re really looking forward to seeing what he can do.