INSIGHT: The New Chapter in AMG’s Customer Racing Story
How and why Mercedes-AMG will take customer racing in-house with new company… Source: Sports Car 365
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Johnson, Michaelian Return to No. 59 KohR Mustang GT4
Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA Billy Johnson and Bob Michaelian will return to the wheel of the No. 59 KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge next year, it has been announced. The pairing, who closed out the recent season with two podiums and five top-ten finishes, will continue as a driving duo next year. Michaelian is set for his fifth consecutive season with the Dean Martin-led squad, while Johnson is back for a second straight run with the Florida-based team, having also taken part in previous seasons with KohR. They join the all-new pairing of Evan Slater and Ray Mason in the team’s No. 60 entry, which will sport a Greg Biffle tribute livery for next month’s four-hour season-opening BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona International Speedway. With 24 GS wins, former Ford factory driver Johnson is tied with Matt Plumb for the most victories in the series heading into the 2026 season, which kicks off at Daytona on Jan. 23. Source: Sports Car 365 ...
Shade Racing Switches to RC F GT3 After Troubled Year
Photo: Toyota Shade Racing has announced it will campaign a Lexus RC F GT3 in SUPER GT next season after a troubled year with its Toyota GR86 GT. The GT300 team based just outside Fuji Speedway endured a 2025 campaign that yielded no drivers’ points, with a best finish of 16th in the first Fuji sprint race, and no fewer than three non-participations during the year due to various incidents. Two separate fires that struck the team’s apr-supplied No. 20 GR86 forced it to miss the third round of the season at Sepang as well as the fifth round at Suzuka, while a heavy crash at Sugo also sidelined the Shade Toyota for the following race at Autopolis. While the car returned for the final round at Motegi, the team has announced it will switch to the venerable RC F GT3 for the 2026 campaign. Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Eijiro Shimizu remain as drivers, as announced by Toyota last week , while Michelin stays on as tire supplier, guaranteeing the French firm at least one car in the GT300 field...
KohR to Run Biffle Tribute Livery on Mustang GT4 at Daytona
Image: Andy Blackmore Design KohR Motorsports will run a Greg Biffle tribute livery on its No. 60 Ford Mustang GT4 in next month’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season opener at Daytona International Speedway, it has been revealed. The Dean Martin-led squad, which recently confirmed its full season lineup of Evan Slater and Ray Mason in the GS class entry, will adorn the colors that Biffle took to the 2002 NASCAR Busch Series championship title. Biffle, named one of NASCAR’s ’75 Greatest Drivers’, tragically died in a plane crash with his family last week at the age of 55. The livery, adapted to the Mustang GT4 by renowned motorsports graphic designer Andy Blackmore, will be on the No. 60 car for both the pre-season test during the Roar Before the Rolex 24 and the four-hour BMW Endurance Challenge the following week. Biffle, who retied from full-time NASCAR Cup Series racing in 2016, was a longtime Ford Racing driver and ambassador. Source: Sports Car 365
Reis Completes Stallion CUPRA TCR Lineup
Photo: TCR South America Brazilian touring car driver Raphael “Raphinha” Reis will complete Stallion Motorsports’ lineup in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge next year, joining the previously announced Celso Neto in the team’s CUPRA Leon VZ TCR. Reis, who is the only driver to take part in every race in TCR South America history since its inception in 2021, also gave CUPRA its first victory in global competition with the Leon VZ TCR. “Rapha is such a phenomenal addition to the team,” said team partner Pedro Moises. “I worked closely with him for many years, including delivering CUPRA’s first worldwide win with the new VZ platform. His consistency and precision are exactly what a championship-level program needs. “The combination of Rapha and Celso gives us confidence to fight at the front immediately.” Reis added: “Joining IMSA is a very special moment in my career. The CUPRA Leon VZ TCR is a car I know extremely well, and racing it full-time in North America is a great opportunit...