Motorsport Recap: The Busy Season Has Arrived!
Australia
GT World Challenge Australia | Sydney Motorsport Park
Ryan Wood: Race 1 – P6 | Race 2 – P2
Brendon Leitch: Race 1 – P14 | Race 2 – P5
Across the water at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend, the Shannon SpeedSeries arrived to race both during the day and under the lights at night. Both Ryan Wood and Brendon Leitch competed in the GT World Challenge Australia Pro-Am class. Ryan Wood achieved solid results in both races, finishing P6 in Race 1 and then securing a podium with a P2 finish in the second race. A lap 1 incident for Brendon Leitch's car in the first race saw them drop down the ranks, but the car had speed, resulting in a P14 finish. Leitch came back stronger in the second race, finishing P5. Next up – Queensland Raceway (30 May – 01 June).
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia | Sydney Motorsport Park
Willie Exton: Qualifying – P9 | Race 1 – P9 | Race 2 – P20 | Race 3 – P9
Sprint Challenge Australia joined the Shannon SpeedSeries in Sydney. Willie Exton qualified in the top 10 with a P9 result. In the first race on Saturday afternoon, he maintained his position to finish P9. Willie looked strong in the Saturday night race but was caught in a late incident, resulting in a P20 finish. He made a comeback in the Sunday 45-minute endurance race, rounding out the weekend with a P9 finish. Next up – Queensland Raceway (30 May – 01 June).
Porsche Carrera Cup North America | Miami Grand Prix
Ryan Yardley: Qualifying – P2 | Race 1 – P12 | Race 2 – P2
Ryan Yardley had a great start to the weekend in Miami, qualifying P3 and then being promoted to P2 after post-qualifying vehicle checks. Starting from the front of the grid, he had a good battle with the top cars and managed to escape the drama-filled start. Unfortunately, near the end, he was bumped by car #2, driven by Jimmy Llibre. Yardley spun but managed to turn his car around and rejoin the race, ultimately finishing P12 in Race 1. Ryan had better luck in Race 2, finishing P2. The next race is at the Canadian Grand Prix (13-15 June).
Formula 1 | Miami Grand Prix
Liam Lawson: Sprint Qualifying – P14 | Sprint Race – P13 | Qualifying – P15 | Grand Prix Race – DNF
It was a rollercoaster of events in Miami for Liam Lawson. During the Saturday Sprint Race, an incident with Fernando Alonso resulted in a post-race penalty, dropping Liam from P7 to P13 and causing him to miss out on his first points of the season. In the opening lap of the Grand Prix, Lawson had contact with Aussie Jack Doohan. Although Liam continued, the damage was too severe, forcing him to retire with 19 laps remaining. The next race is in Italy at Emilia-Romagna (16-18 May).
INDYCAR | Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix
Scott Dixon: Qualifying – P26 | Grand Prix Race – P12
A tough start to the weekend at Barber Motorsport Park for Scott Dixon, qualifying in 26th place he fought hard and showed off his experience to climb back up the ladder to finish in 12th place. Next up is Sonsio Grand Prix, Indianapolis road course this weekend
INDY NXT | Alabama Grand Prix
Liam Sceats: Qualifying – P9 | Grand Prix Race – P6
Callum Hedge: Qualifying – P18 | Grand Prix Race – P18
A great result for the Indy NXT rookie Liam Sceats with this weekend getting his first top 10 finish with a P6 result in Alabama. It was a tough qualifying in the rain, but with the P9 spot, it set him up for the race. Making attacking moves early in the race paid off, moving up three spots at the "Augusta of Motorsport" Barber Motorsports Park.
Callum Hedge had a challenging race, finishing in 18th place. Despite the tough competition, he managed to keep running until the end of the race. Next up is the Indianapolis Grand Prix on the Indianapolis road course this weekend alongside IndyCar.
NASCAR | WÜRTH 400 – Fort Worth, Texas
Shane van Gisbergen: Qualifying – P37 | Race – P22
NASCAR was at the Texas Motorsport Park in Fort Worth this weekend. Shane van Gisbergen was lucky to avoid the carnage that unfolded on the track with a big accident right in front of him. Shane managed to finish in P22, which is a solid result for him on oval circuits. Next up is the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, an oval track where SVG had success last year during Xfinity, finishing in the top 10.
Europe
Formula E | Monaco E-Prix
Mitch Evans: Qualifying R6 – P8 | Round 6 Race – P20 | Qualifying R7 – P17 | Round 7 Race – P18
Mitch Evans made it to the duels during qualifying for the first race, qualifying in P8. Ultimately, he finished in 20th, which was a bit of a shame given his strong practice sessions. Evans didn’t find much luck during the second race of the weekend. The next rounds are in Tokyo, Japan (17-18 May). You can also catch Mitch in the new docuseries “Formula E: Driver” on Amazon Prime.
