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Photo: Wes Duenkel/Ford Cole Loftsgard proved to be quick in both the dry and wet, with the Round 3 Racing driver having topped the time charts in both practice sessions for this weekend’s Mustang Challenge North America rounds at Watkins Glen International. Loftsgard, who currently leads the Dark Horse class points standings, reeled off a chart-topping 1:58.373 in Thursday morning’s dry session to edge out the No. 22 TechSport Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R of title rival Devin Anderson by 0.537 seconds. Will Lucas was third quickest, thanks to a 1:59.628 lap time in his No. 34 Wheelhouse Motorsports entry. Ethan Low was credited with the quickest time in Dark Horse Legends, although the 30-year-old was moved to the top class due to his age in Practice 2. All but four cars ventured out for the noon-time second session, which started in full wet conditions before partially drying out. Loftsgard’s 2:13.382 lap time was just over a tenth quicker than Lucas, with...

Photo: SRO/JEP Ferrari maintained its position at the top of the times for this weekend’s CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa in second free practice. Arthur Leclerc emerged fastest in the 60-minute Free Practice 2 session on Thursday afternoon in the No. 50 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo. But his 2:18.169 lap was nearly a second slower than Alessio Rovera had managed in the sister No. 51 entry in the cooler temperatures of the morning practice period. Leclerc, like the majority of the runners in the top ten in FP2, set his time early in the session, but Fabian Schiller jumped to second aboard the No. 17 GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo after approximately 30 minutes. Schiller’s 2:18.310 time put him between the two factory AF Ferraris, Nicklas Nielsen ending up third in No. 51 on a 2:18.628. Salman Owega was a late improver in Optimum Motorsport’s No. 5 Silver Cup entry. The German posted a 2:18.645 in his McLaren 720S GT3 Evo to take fourth. Malte Ebdrup made it three Ferraris in the ...

Photo: Gruppe C Photography/SRO Maxime Martin says this weekend’s CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa will be a chance for him to “reset” and “come back stronger” after a tough previous GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup event at Monza. The Mercedes-AMG factory ace was penalized for his part in an opening-lap pileup at Monza triggered by him overtaking beyond the track’s boundaries and, when he rejoined, forcing Alessio Rovera’s Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo to take avoiding action, which sparked mayhem behind. Martin, in the No. 17 GetSpeed-run entry, was slapped with a three-minute penalty for his role in the crash that caused the instant retirement of seven front-running contenders and, despite leading at the time of the penalty, the team opted to withdraw the car. Now Martin is looking to bounce back at Spa, in what will mark his 20th event start, when he will share with Maxi Goetz and Fabian Schiller. “For sure, when you st...

Photo: Porsche Porsche has unveiled its new GT4 machine of choice, the 911 GT4 R, that will replace the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport beginning next year. The 911 GT4 R, which is largely based on the German manufacturer’s high-performing new Type-992.2 Porsche 911 Cup car, will allow drivers to begin in single-make series and progress through the Porsche Motorsport pyramid, up to GT3 competition, all on a single 911 platform. Powered by a 4.0 liter six-cylinder boxer engine that delivers up to 520 horsepower, the same powertrain found in the single-make car, the 911 GT4 R is expected to make its official race debut in January’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season-opener at Daytona International Speedway. It will be eligible in all series than run to the SRO GT4 technical regulations, including GT4 European Series, Pirelli GT4 America, among numerous others. Compared to the 718 Cayman, which has gone out of production as an internal combustion engined road-going model, th...

Source: Sports Car 365

Photo: SRO ***GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS and Intercontinental GT Challenge teams continued preparations for this weekend’s CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa on Wednesday, which included the annual track-to-town parade that featured every car competing in the Belgian endurance classic, as well as most of the machines from the support series that includes the GT4 European Series, Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe, McLaren Trophy Europe and GT3 Legends. ***The parade also included the BMW M3 Touring 24H, driven into the town center by Kelvin van der Linde. The car that finished fourth overall in last month’s Nürburgring 24 will be on display this weekend as part of its European tour that included an appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It is due to also be present at the Goodwood Festival of Speed next month. ***The entry list is down to 69 cars following the late withdrawal of the No. 81 Era Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo, which only had team owner Kyle Tilley ...

Source: Sports Car 365