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Photo: SUPER GT Joao Paulo de Oliveira has set his sights on another strong finish in next week’s Fuji 300km SUPER GT round after ending Kondo Racing’s losing streak at the same venue in May, even if he expects a more “challenging” event this time. Sharing the No. 56 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 with Iori Kimura, de Oliveira scored Kondo’s first lower-division win in three years during the Golden Week fixture to launch himself in contention for a third GT300 crown to add to his 2020 and ’22 successes. However, de Oliveira and Kimura, who are now fifth in the points standings, face a nominal 54 kg success handicap when SUPER GT returns to action after a recess prolonged by the cancellation of June’s Sepang round, and in much hotter weather. Those factors, combined with a shorter race distance compared to the three-hour format used last time, means de Oliveira is expecting a tougher battle this time, even if he hopes to be able to score at least a to...

Source: Sports Car 365

Photo: Porsche Drivers from the Porsche Motorsport North America Junior Program and Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver Program completed the annual driver development workshop this week, spending two days at PitFit Charlotte and Team Penske, home of Porsche Penske Motorsport’s championship-winning Porsche 963 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program. The workshop brought together rising stars from Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama and GT World Challenge America powered by AWS for physical testing, classroom sessions, and behind-the-scenes access to one of North America’s premier motorsport organizations. Open to all members of both the Junior Program and Mobil 1 Female Driver Program, the workshop serves as a cornerstone of the year-round development pathway within the North American Porsche Motorsport Pyramid, pairing classroom instruction and professional mentorship with hands-on learning experiences. Participants ...

Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP points-leading Cadillac V-Series.R has been hit with a hefty weight increase ahead of next weekend’s Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Road America. Confirmed in the release of the Balance of Performance table for the first-ever six-hour WeatherTech Championship enduro at the Wisconsin circuit, the three Cadillacs will be running 21 kg heavier than it did last time out in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. This puts the Dallara-chassied LMDh car at a minimum weight of 1053 kg, as now the third-heaviest GTP car. It comes after back-to-back wins for the No. 31 Action Express Racing entry of Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber, who were joined by Fred Vesti for top honors at Watkins Glen. Second-place runner Laurin Heinrich, who will again be in JDC-Miller Motorsports’ 2025-spec Porsche 963, will also have some added weight in the form of 4 kg, while the factory 2026 Porsches will lose 7 kg...

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA Just 40 points cover the top three and 190 span the top five contenders in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS coming out of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, and it’s truly a toss-up with just four rounds to go. Nate Cicero and Robert Noaker have ascended to the GS lead with their third podium in the last four races aboard their No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing Ford Mustang GT4. The young chargers hold a 30-point lead over two-time race winners Michael Cooper and Moisey Uretsky in their No. 44 Ibiza Farm Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 and 40 over Austin Krainz and Stevan McAleer in the No. 27 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO. A back-to-back pair of unlucky races for Turner Motorsport’s No. 95 BMW has dropped the early season championship leaders and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca winners, Dillon Machavern and Luca Mars, to fourth and now 140 in arrears. Bryce Ward’s second tough result in the last three races – sandwiching a win at Watkins Glen International – ...

Photo: racingpixels/Creventic Creventic has provided an update regarding the status of the Michelin 24H Series Middle East Trophy, which remains its “full focus” despite now currently drafting up a contingency plan amid increased conflict in the region. An update to teams was sent on Thursday morning, three weeks after confirming the 2026-27 winter calendar which is due to hold races at both Yas Marinia Circuit and the Dubai Autodrome, both in the United Arab Emirates. However, since the calendar release, which was during a cease-fire period, Iran and the U.S. have resumed strikes, which has led to series including Formula 1 and the FIA World Endurance Championship to also re-evaluate its options for this fall and winter in the Middle East. “Our full focus remains on organizing the Yas 12 Hours, 24H Dubai and 6H Abu Dhabi as planned,” the letter from Creventic read. “At this stage, preparations continue according to schedule. “Transport to Dubai...

Photo: Michael L. Levitt/IMSA Fifty-four cars are set to contest the fourth round of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup next weekend in the inaugural six-hour Motul Sportscar Endurance Grand Prix at Road America. The Wisconsin-based circuit had previously been part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as a two-hour and 40-minute race, but was extended to become an Endurance Cup round for 2026. A total of 11 GTP cars headline the entry list , which was released by IMSA on Wednesday. The class was absent at the last round of the championship at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. The majority of GTP teams have decided to favor a two-driver lineup for Road America. This includes the No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06, as it appears Kaku Ohta will not join teammates Renger van der Zande and Nick Yelloly as he did in Watkins Glen. Frederick Vesti will return to the championship-leading No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R alongside Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber. The No. 5 JDC Mille...