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Photo: KCMG KCMG has finalized its driver lineup for next month’s Nürburgring 24, with Japanese duo Nirei Fukuzumi and Naoya Gamou completing its quartet. The two SUPER GT regulars will share the No. 47 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo with David Pittard and Jesse Krohn for the Eifel classic on May 16-17, as the Hong Kong team maintains the same lineup it ran for the N24 Qualifiers earlier this month. Fukuzumi made his top-class Nordschleife debut for KCMG in NLS2, together with fellow Toyota GT500 driver Sho Tsuboi, and will be taking on the N24 for the first time. Gamou, who campaigns a Mercedes-AMG for LEON Racing in SUPER GT’s GT300 division, meanwhile is a N24 veteran, having won the SP3 class back in 2014 driving for Gazoo Racing, and was part of TG-RR’s lineup last year in the SP8T division. However, the N24 Qualifiers marked the two-time GT300 champion’s first experience of the Nordschleife in GT3 machinery. Team manager Matt Howson commented: “This season has been one of the most ...

Source: Sports Car 365

Photo: Perry Nelson/IMSA For IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competitors, particularly those with California ties, this year’s trip to Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will mean more. The series schedule will shift away from the West Coast, as a return to Lime Rock Park in September means Laguna Seca will drop off the Pilot Challenge calendar after this season. That adds extra incentive for those California drivers and teams to make this year’s race in Monterey memorable. There are 13 Californian drivers, all in GS, and three California-based teams among the 45 cars (31 in GS, 14 in TCR) on the entry list. One entry off to a strong start is the lone GS entry featuring two California residents on a California-based team, which features primarily California crew members. Sonoma, Calif.-based Stephen Cameron Racing’s No. 19 Ford Mustang GT4 of Palo Alto’s Sean Quinlan and San Francisco’s Gregory Liefooghe is keen to improve on some strong early-season results. The No. 19...

Source: Sports Car 365

Photo: Gruppe C Photography Mercedes-AMG driver Maro Engel is the early DTM championship leader after taking a win and a third place during the season-opening weekend at the Red Bull Ring. The Winward Racing driver had started the first contest from pole and proceeded to lead the first portion of the race, but a slow tire change at his pit stop proved costly and ultimately left him finishing third in the No. 80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo racer Thomas Preining was able to capitalize on Engel’s misfortune to take the honors, helped by jumping into second spot at the first corner. The 2023 DTM champion was chased by Jules Gounon in the latter stages until his Winward Mercedes-AMG picked up rear damage and was forced into retirement. This promoted the Landgraf-run Mercedes-AMG of Lucas Auer to second and meant Austrian drivers finished 1-2 on their home turf. Behind Engel, Auer’s rookie team-mate Tom Kalender and the lead BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Marco Wittmann co...

Source: Sports Car 365

Photo: Fabian Lagunas/SRO Wright Motorsports scored a surprise overall win for one of its Pro-Am class Porsche 911 GT3 R Evos in Sunday’s GT World Challenge America powered by AWS race at Circuit of The Americas following a pair of late-race penalties for the dominant JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. Porsche Motorsport North America Selected Driver Ryan Yardley claimed victory in the No. 31 Porsche that he shared with Dave Musial Jr., with a third place overall, and second-in-class, for the sister No. 242 entry of Thomas Merrill and Therese Lahlough marking a 1-2 class finish for the Ohio-based squad. It came after the overall and Pro class pole-sitting No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG, which dominated the first three-fourths of the race, was handed two penalties in the final 40 minutes. Mikael Grenier, who was out front by nearly 25 seconds, first served a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility with the No. 71 Rebel Rock Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo of ...