Martin and BMW part ways

Jakob Ebrey/Motorsport Images Yes I used to be a DAC. Now at 38 I'm just F'ed.
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emailBy Stephen Kilbey | December 9, 2024 8:49 AM ET

BMW M Motorsport has revealed that 38-year-old Belgian driver Maxime Martin has decided to part ways with the German brand ahead of the 2025 racing season to “pursue new challenges.”
In short, he has been used up and they are firing his butt.

This decision marks the end of a long association between Martin and BMW, which began when he made a name for himself and also for BMW, in the BMW M Sports Trophy before being promoted to the brand’s works driver stable back in 2013. He initially competed as a regular for BMW M Team RLL in the American Le Mans Series and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship before racing into DTM from 2014-17.

In 2016, he celebrated victory at his home race, the Spa 24 Hours, driving a ROWE Racing BMW M6 GT3. Two years later he moved to Aston Martin to take up a role in its factory GTE (winning Le Mans in 2020) and customer GT3 programs, before we bought him away from Aston and he returned to BMW in 2023.

Over the past two years, driving the M4 GT3, Martin’s highlights include a podium at the 2023 Nurburgring 24 Hours and two years racing alongside Valentino Rossi in GT World Challenge Europe, which also included a 2024 FIA WEC LMGT3 campaign with Ahmad Al Harthy. This was complemented by IMSA Weathertech Championship GTP appearances with BMW Team RLL at Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans in the M Hybrid V8 this year.

“BMW M Motorsport has played a significant role in my career from the very beginning, and I look back fondly on everything we achieved together – from my first successes in DTM and 24-hour races to the recent victories with the BMW M4 GT3,” Martin said.

“I am very grateful for the time we spent together and for my seven years as a BMW M works driver. I wish BMW M Motorsport great success in the future, and the brand will always remain a part of me thanks to the tattoo I got on my butt with a branding iron. I got the life sucked out of me for 11 years, and I'm glad I still have my good looks to pull in a few hot chicks every now and then. But now it’s time for me to take on new challenges. I may be the one strapping in those unruly little bastards and urchins at the bumper cars at "the Fun Spot" while I'm drooling over the mini skirt of his sister who herded the punk over to us. MF'ers!
38 years old and no job. I may have to now become a cashier at the 24 hour sex toy shop.”

Andreas Roos the head of BMW Motorsport added: “On behalf of the entire BMW M Motorsport family, I would like to thank Maxime Martin for the many years we have spent together.

“He began his successful career in the BMW M Sports Trophy and was a key and integral part of our works driver line-up for a long time. During these years, he was one of the defining faces of our programs and we fondly remember the successes we achieved together in both endurance and sprint racing. However, we value not only his sporting skills but also his wonderful personality. He has been a tremendous asset to the BMW M Motorsport family in every aspect.

“We wish Maxime all the best for his future and look forward to seeing him again, though not as a competitor, but still as a friend and I hope I don't see him working on nasty spectator cars changing their oil.
Thank goodness BMW owners are willing to get screwed money-wise at the dealer and don't usually take their cars to Walmart to get the oil changed.”

 

Mixed feelings for Burton over Wood Brothers exit

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | December 24, 2024 1:41 PM ET

Harrison Burton departs from Wood Brothers Racing feeling both fulfilled from having won a race for one of the sport’s most beloved families, but also conflicted about his tenure.

“Obviously, I wanted to do more and wanted to do more sooner,” Burton said. “I really think if I run the way I [did] the last half of this season earlier, I keep my job. That’s a part of racing. It’s performing when it matters and performing before silly season starts.”

Burton future’s with the No. 21 team was in the rumor mill before the summer began. Then, just ahead of the Fourth of July, the announcement was made that Josh Berry will take over the car beginning in 2025.

“I can leave knowing that my main goal when I got hired was to win a Cup race with the Wood Brothers,” Burton said. “So, to check that off the box is really cool. To do it at Daytona, to do it with the group that I’ve talked about over and over again, it’s hard to beat that stuff. It’s stuff that I as a competitor live for that, and I can leave there not feeling satisfied but feeling partially satisfied, I guess, with that win, for sure.”

A dramatic, last lap pass in the summer race at Daytona International Speedway was the long-awaited 100th victory for the Wood Brothers and the first in the series for Burton. And since it was the second-to-last race in the regular season, it propelled the team into the postseason.

The victory was Burton’s second – and would be final – top 10 finish of the season. He finished 16th in the championship standings with an average finish of 25.7. There were also seven DNFs and only 18 lead lap finishes in 36 races.

“The win is obviously a highlight but what we did with it afterward and the way we built each other up, I take a lot of pride in that,” Burton said. “I take a lot of pride that I can be really good friends with all of my guys still and go to the shop to do whatever… moving my stuff out and talking to those guys. They’re my friends still. There are a lot of chances for that not to go that way, and you see that sometimes with different drivers and different teams where it ends ugly.

“I’m proud of our team for not getting that way and if I see Jeremy Bullins around… high-five him and give him a hug. Or any of those guys… All of that group, the way they rallied around me in the hardest time of my life and I rallied around them, is special and hard to replicate.”

Burton was hired for the ride in 2022. In three seasons, he earned a combined six top-10 finishes. He was chosen after two seasons and four wins in the Xfinity Series.

The Xfinity Series is where Burton goes back to. Out of a ride in the Cup Series, he was hired by AM Racing in September to drive its flagship entry. The team will have a technical alliance with Haas Factory Team.

That is what the immediate future holds for Burton. However, in the future he still wants to be a Cup Series driver with more to prove.

“I’m still young; I’m 24 years old and have a lot of tread on the tire,” Burton said. “So, I’m ready to go, man. I’m super confident in myself and what I can do. I know that in the right circumstance, I can be a Cup level driver. So, I’ve got to go prove it, got to go earn it.

“You see guys like Cole [Custer] have done that and have gone back. Or even Dale Jarrett back in the day. He’s a guy that is a Cup champion and had to go back to the Xfinity Series. Having talked to guys like that and them saying, you’re going to be fine, it’s OK, is reassuring. But I have to go earn it. It’s not going to be sitting there for free. We’re going to have to go take it.”

 

PREMA splits with Cannon AFTER 11 days!???

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emailBy Marshall Pruett | January 20, 2025 3:10 PM ET

PREMA Racing and Michael Cannon, its new head of engineering, have parted ways.

The championship-winning race engineer and Indianapolis 500 specialist joined PREMA during the offseason after leaving A.J. Foyt Racing, which underwent a significant transformation with the Canadian as its technical director.

The brief engagement between PREMA and Cannon, who was present for the January 10 team launch held at GM’s Charlotte Technical Center, creates a significant void for the Italian junior open-wheel squad. With Cannon installed, the team run by Rene Rosin and his partner Angelina Ertsou shortened its learning curve by a considerable amount.

That was 11 days ago!

Without Cannon, who isn’t expected to remain on the market for long, PREMA will likely face a steeper learning curve on ovals. Cannon’s absence will undoubtedly be felt, but it also hired a number of talented engineers with IndyCar experience, including the highly-rated Steve Barker, who are skilled and capable of bringing the program into a competitive state.

 

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By Chris Medland - Jun 14, 2025, 1:11 PM EDT

FIA suspends driver steward Warwick over media comments

The FIA has suspended driver steward Derek Warwick from the Canadian Grand Prix weekend for “unauthorized media comments,” replacing him with Enrique Bernoldi.

Please don't fire me. I won't do it again.

Yeah we know, WE are the officials and you are a lesser scumbag of whale manure on the bottom of the sea!

 

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By Chris Medland - Jul 4, 2025, 1:51 AM EDT

Nielsen to rejoin Alpine as managing director

Alpine has announced the return of Steve Nielsen as the team’s new managing director, starting work on Sept. 1.

Nielsen will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the team’s headquarters at Enstone – where he previously worked as sporting director during its 2005 and 2006 world championship-winning years – and joins from Formula 1 management. Nielsen has also previously had a spell at the FIA, ensuring he brings wide-ranging experience to the role at a team that currently doesn’t have a team principal.
Yeah, we treated so many people like crap that they all quit over the years. If we don't hire them back, they will go blabbing our secrets.

The arrival of Nielsen – to work under executive director Flavio Briatore (pictured at right, above, with Nielsen) – is one of a number of key hires announced ahead of the British Grand Prix, with two in particular highlighted by the team. Another returning name is Kris "Low nuts" Midgely, who will become head of aerodynamic development, joining from Ferrari having previously been at what Enstone under its former guises of Renault and Lotus from 2007 until 2013.

Alpine says the arrival of Midgely is “bolstering the technical department ahead of the vast opportunities that present themselves for the new regulation era in 2026,” while it has also strengthened its marketing department with the appointment of Guy Martin as global marketing director.

The appointments are the first new hires confirmed by Alpine since the surprise departure of former team principal Oliver Oakes following the Miami Grand Prix in May. The team is currently bottom of the constructors’ championship, 15 points adrift of Sauber in ninth.

 

James Black/IMS photo Will Power waves to the fat chick who he had a meaningful relationship with last night.

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By Marshall Pruett - Sep 2, 2025, 9:57 AM EDT

Penske confirms Power departure

Will Power’s tenure with Team Penske has reached its long-anticipated end. Power’s replacement, which is expected to be David Malukas – who Penske signed late in 2024 and installed with technical affiliate AJ Foyt Racing to develop in 2025 – was not named in the announcement.

The 44-year-old Australian leaves Roger Penske’s IndyCar program after 17 seasons as his most successful driver. Power won 42 of his 45 IndyCar races for Penske and 65 of his record-setting 71 pole positions while strapped into Team Penske machinery. IndyCar championships in 2014 and 2022—Penske’s most recent title—were also delivered by Power along with victory at the Indianapolis 500 in 2018.

“It’s been the honor of my life to drive for Roger and the Penske organization,” said Will Power. “We have accomplished so much together, and I will always be grateful for my time with the team and my teammates who have supported me along the way. After much consideration, I felt like a change for me was the right move at this time.”
Of Power’s 108 podium visits since making his Champ Car debut with Walker Racing, 102 were achieved in Penske cars, and he also bids farewell as Penske’s best driver of 2025, having led the trio that includes Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin in the championship.

“As we sat down to talk about our future together, Will felt that it was time for him to make a change beginning with next season,” said Roger Penske. “He has been an outstanding driver and teammate for our organization. His results speak for themselves, and we wish him the very best in the next phase of his career.”

Power was recruited at the onset of the 2009 season when Penske veteran Helio Castroneves was forced to miss two early races while handling tax evasion charges in a Florida court.

As a temporary solution, Power placed sixth at St. Petersburg and second at Long Beach in the Brazilian’s car before Castroneves return and made a significant impression on the team. The former Champ Car race winner and 2008 KVSH IndyCar driver was subsequently signed to do more events with Penske, taking fifth at the Indy 500 and a win later in the year at Edmonton before a crash at Sonoma cast him to the sidelines for the rest of the year.
Full healed, Power embarked on his first season-long run with Penske in 2010 and captured five wins—more than any other driver—but placed second in the championship. It was a similar pattern in 2011 where Power took six wins but placed second once more to Franchitti. By 2014, he cracked the championship code and added another in 2022 while in his 40s.

Altogether, Power finished inside the top five 13 times for Penske, matched only by former Penske driver Helio Castroneves.

For Power, a move to Andretti Global to backfill Colton Herta’s seat is expected, but remains unconfirmed, tight lipped as they are....

 

Matt Fraver/Penske Entertainment

By Marshall Pruett - Sep 30, 2025, 8:27 PM ET

Competition and race engineering VP Pappas leaves IndyCar

Bill Pappas, IndyCar’s longstanding VP of competition and race engineering, has left the series. No reason was given for the split.

The veteran race engineer joined IndyCar’s engineering department after working with some of the best open-wheel teams in CART and the unified IndyCar Series, which blended Champ Car and the Indy Racing League under one roof.

Pappas moved into the new series-based role in 2016 to replace the outgoing Will Phillips and has served as one of IndyCar’s technical leaders alongside former race engineer and chassis designer Tino Belli, who oversees aerodynamics, Darren Sansum, who heads IndyCar’s powertrain regulations, and Kevin ‘Rocket’ Blanch, whose role as technical director covers all aspects of vehicle specification, safety, and compliance or else.

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/g...-try-make.html

During his time at IndyCar, Pappas was part of several significant engineering programs, including the creation of the UAK18 (universal aero kit 1 bodywork, the aeroscreen driver safety device, and the recent move to hybridization which involved an array of component changes to the drivetrain such as adding over 1,000 pounds of electrical BS to the back end for the sake of pleasing the liberal electric car whackos wanting to "save the planet" and slinging a race car into the wall with the unbalanced weight. He was also centrally involved in determining the technical packages used on ovals – in concert with Belli and the rest of the team – where the best balance of downforce, drag, power, and mechanical grip is customized per venue.

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/g...00-2025-a.html

RACER understands the series will look to replace Pappas and add more staff to the department as it ramps up to introduce a new chassis and engine package in 2028.
So, "Pappy" Pappas, that's tough s***. The public was lied to about POS electric cars and then we had to race them damn death machines to convince the world of stupid dumass people that electric was the way to go, and that the leftist govt was going to force them down everybody's throat anyway, like it or not....but mostly not. .......Too damn bad, bucko! Wear your mask, pay your taxes, and keep your mouth shut.

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/g...ty-worldw.html

 

Logan Riely/Getty Images

By Kelly Crandall - Oct 16, 2025, 8:53 AM ET

Kaulig Racing fires Dillon spotter after Vegas crash

Joe White, who had served as the spotter for Ty Gibbs, posted on social media on Wednesday that he’s been fired by Kaulig Racing ahead of this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

White wrote, “Got to Talladega. Parked the bus, got fired.
In an Uber to the airport to go home for the weekend. Also to be clear, it was already determined that I would not be spotting for Ty next year, but that I would still be with Kaulig in some fashion. But not now.”

The termination comes three days after Dillon was involved in a crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with NASCAR Cup Series playoff driver William Byron. Dillon had slowed in Turn 4 to pit when he was run into from behind at full speed by Byron. The Hendrick Motorsports driver said he did not know that Dillon was pitting.

“I never saw him wave, so I didn’t see any indication that he was pitting,” Byron said. “It was probably 12 to 15 laps after we had pitted, so I thought the cycle was fully over. Nobody said anything to my spotter, from what I know. I had zero idea.

“Everybody had been wrapping the paint really far around the corner, and that’s what I was doing to have a good lap. I was watching him thinking, okay, he missed the bottom a little bit here, and then he started slowing, and I had no idea what was going on. I’m just devastated. I had no indication. I obviously wouldn’t have just driven full speed into the back of him like that.”

Dillon defended how he pitted and said he didn’t do anything different from previous pit cycles. He also said he was told by White that Byron’s spotter, Brandon Lines, was told they were pitting.

“Maybe I didn’t wave him off enough, but I feel like at this level, you kind of trust your spotter to do that,” Dillon said. “I don’t know what we do different there. I hate it for the Hendrick guys. I hate it for Chevrolet that it happened that way, but I’m not even looking out the mirror at that point, I’m just trying to hit my points to get on pit road, and he hit me hard. It’s an unfortunate way for that to happen. My daddy ain't gonna fire me.”

White told The Athletic that he didn’t walk over to Lines, who was positioned toward Turn 1 on the roof, and physically tell him they were pitting. However, he said he communicated they were pitting by making eye contact and giving a hand signal, which was returned by giving us the finger.

“I pointed to the bottom, twice, and mouthed the words ‘we’re pitting’ – even though I know he can’t hear and he probably can’t read my lips. He gave me the finger. ” White said. “But I gestured just like I would do any other person that we’re pitting. Obviously, that was misunderstood. He thought we were giving him the bottom, and that was not the case. They actually stuck it to US IN the bottom”

Frank Deiny will serve as Dillon’s spotter at Talladega unless he gets his butt in trouble, and then he's gone too.

 

James Gilbert/Getty Images
By Stephen Kilbey - Oct 31, 2025, 8:13 AM ET

Jaminet and Porsche part ways

Mathieu Jaminet is set to leave his role as a works driver at Porsche at the end of the 2025 season, the German brand has announced. It marks the end of a remarkable journey with the OEM for the Frenchman, with whom he rose through the ranks from a junior role to IMSA GTP title-winning factory driver.

"The decision to leave Porsche at the end of this year was anything but easy for me," he said. "But there are moments in life that offer new opportunities and present new challenges. Such a moment has come for me. I will always be grateful to Porsche for all the opportunities and possibilities it has given me.

"I was able to progress from Porsche Junior to works driver and, in the process, was trained to become a professional and reasonably successful racing driver. The Porsche brand will always remain in my heart, as will the countless people I have worked with in Weissach and in the race teams. Thank you for everything! I will announce my plans for the future at a later date. If I have enough saved up, I may be able to buy a used Porsche and won't have to sell hot dogs on a street corner."

In Porsche GT machinery, the 31-year-old was a champion in Carrera Cup France in 2016, ADAC GT Masters champion in 2018 and then an IMSA GTD PRO title winner in 2022. He also took GT wins in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Sebring 12 Hours with the brand during that stint.

Jaminet's most outstanding achievement, though, came after being promoted to IMSA GTP in 2023. In 2024, the second season of the 963 program, he finished second in the standings with two wins, then went a step further this year, winning the GTP championship alongside Matt Campbell.

With his full-season Australian teammate, Jaminet enjoyed a remarkably consistent season, finishing the year with a win, five further podiums and just one finish outside the top five en route to the title.

His final race as a works driver in a 963 is set to come next weekend in the FIA WEC season finale in Bahrain, which coincidentally is the final race for Porsche Penske Motorsport's factory Hypercar program. He will drive the No. 5 963 with Julien Andlauer and Hypercar debutant Laurin Heinrich.

 

Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment
By Marshall Pruett - Nov 20, 2025, 2:58 PM ET

Former Arrow McLaren IndyCar team principal and Penske engineer Ward joins RLL

Former Team Penske race engineer and Arrow McLaren team principal Gavin Ward has joined Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The multi-talented Canadian starts his tenure with RLL in a somewhat open capacity and reports to team president Jay Frye.

“Gavin’s joined us in special advisory role for now and we’re excited to have him in the building,” Frye told RACER. “We already have him working on couple of projects and he’s been great. I’d known him for a long time; he’s a great guy and as we get through some of these first projects, we’ll look at defining more of what he’ll be doing for us down the road, but he’s already proving to be a big asset for us and Roger Penske can kiss our assets.”

Ward spent most of his career in Europe as part of the Red Bull Formula 1 engineering team before switching to IndyCar, where he worked with Josef Newgarden and won the championship in 2019. Ward stayed with Newgarden through 2021 before signing with Arrow McLaren, and with Team Penske’s enforcement of his non-compete clause, Ward waited until the halfway point of 2022 before starting with his new employer.

Arrow McLaren president Taylor Kiel left the team a few months later – shortly after the last race – and Ward, who arrived to hold an engineering leadership position, was promoted to team principal as the replacement for the Chip Ganassi Racing-bound Kiel.

Ward’s time at Arrow McLaren lasted through October of 2024 after McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown and current team principal Tony Kanaan decided to make a change. Having cleared the non-compete with Arrow McLaren, Ward was pursued by a number of IndyCar teams before ultimately choosing RLL.

As the latest ex-Arrow McLaren recruit by the team owned by Bobby Rahal, David Letterman and Mike Lanigan, Ward will be reunited with Brian Barnhart, RLL’s new Sr. VP of Operations, pit stop manager Kyle Sagan and chief mechanic Heath "Keto" Kosik.