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Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS points leader Nate Cicero has announced that he will take a leave from racing. The Ford Racing Driver Development Team member released a statement on social media, stating he will step back from driving, effective immediately. “I will be taking a leave from racing to focus on personal matters and would appreciate privacy at this time,” the statement read. “I want to thank everyone who supported me over the years.” Cicero, 21, who scored two poles this year, and co-driver Robert Noaker currently have a 100-point lead in their McCumbee McAleer Racing Ford Mustang GT4, with two podium finishes to their credit. A replacement for Cicero has not yet been named by the Stevan McAleer and Chad McCumbee co-owned team. The next Pilot Challenge race is at Virginia International Raceway on Aug. 22. Source: Sports Car 365

Photo: Nikita Johnson Facebook Nikita Johnson said he’s still aiming to have a place in sports car racing despite his goal of reaching the NTT IndyCar Series next year. The 18-year-old Floridian is currently undertaking dual programs in Indy NXT and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having received a last minute call-up to drive Team RLL’s McLaren 720S GT3 Evo at Daytona in what’s turned into a full season program in the GTD Pro class alongside fellow sports car racing rookie Max Esterson. Johnson, meanwhile, currently leads the championship in Indy NXT competition, with two wins and five additional podium finishes in his first full season of the series that sits on the rung directly below IndyCar. “I got used to traveling a lot when I did a double campaign two years ago in British F3 and USF Pro 2000 where I was gone for eight weeks traveling back and forth,” Johnson told Sportscar365. “This has not been too big of a challenge, just ...

The rise of Charles Weerts, the most successful driver in GTWC Europe Sprint Cup history... Source: Sports Car 365

Photo: GT World Challenge Asia Honda SUPER GT star Tadasuke Makino will spearhead the lineup of the PONOS Racing Ferrari team for next month’s Suzuka 1000km. Makino, who races in the GT500 class for the Team Kunimitsu Honda team, will share the Pro class-entered No. 45 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo with GT300 regulars Seita Nonaka and Takuro Shinohara for the Intercontinental GT Challenge fixture on Sept. 11-13. It will mark 2020 GT500 champion Makino’s first race outing with PONOS and at the wheel of a Ferrari GT3 car, although he is understood to have driven for the team in paid practice sessions in SRO Japan Cup competition earlier this year. Makino previously raced in the Suzuka 10 Hours for Team UpGarage at the wheel of a Honda NSX GT3 Evo back in 2019. Shinohara is one of PONOS’ two regular drivers in its SUPER GT entry alongside Shintaro Kawabata, while Nonaka is mostly known for driving Toyota machinery, and currently races for the Saitama Green Brave team in the...

Source: Sports Car 365

Photo: Mustang Cup Australia GWR Australia has announced it will join the Motorcraft Mustang Cup Australia grid starting at next month’s Sydney Motorsport Park round. Founded by driver Garth Walden, GWR Australia is a professional organization competing in a variety of national series including Carrera Cup, Monochrome GT4 Australia, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and Radical Cup Australia, among others. The Sydney-based team will compete with a brand-new Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, delivered into Australia earlier this year, entering the final two rounds at SMP and Sandown while assessing an expanded presence in the series in 2027. “We’ve been looking at Mustang Cup closely since it started, and we felt that committing to the last two rounds at Sydney Motorsport Park and Sandown was a great opportunity to get involved,” said team director Garth Walden. “The class has a great support from Ford, and that is really appealing. “The best one-make c...

Source: Sports Car 365