Author Archives: PressBox

June 17, 2026

Trout faces Bonner for vacant BKFC lightweight title in Philly

BKFC’s first Liberty Brawl in Philadelphia will feature Austin Trout challenging Ben Bonner for the vacant lightweight title. The promotion says the card is set for Friday, July 3 at Xfinity Mobile Arena as part of an Independence Day showcase tied to America’s 250th birthday and Philadelphia’s 250th anniversary. Trout called the matchup an honor and a chance to represent the United States.

Trout enters unbeaten at 5-0 in BKFC. The former WBA boxing champion and former BKFC world welterweight champion is trying to join the small group of fighters who have won BKFC titles in more than one weight class. He said Bonner will bring his best effort and described him as the toughest opponent of his BKFC run to date.

BKFC also announced public and media workouts for Tuesday, June 23 at Stateside Live! in Philadelphia, with Eddie Alvarez scheduled to appear alongside founder David Feldman and newcomers Johnny Garbarino, Cody Russell and Lex Ludlow. The card also features Britain Hart defending her strawweight title against undefeated challenger Sarah Shell in the co-main event. BKFC said Liberty Brawl will be its third event at Xfinity Mobile Arena, following the previous two record-setting sellouts.
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June 17, 2026

High Point National sets deep 450 field for June 20

The provisional 450 entry list for the June 20 UFO Plast High Point National at High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, remains subject to change before race day. The field is expected to be one of the deepest of the season, with Cooper Webb, Eli Tomac, Chase Sexton, Aaron Plessinger, Jett Lawrence, Jorge Prado, Hunter Lawrence, Justin Barcia, Malcolm Stewart, Christian Craig and Haiden Deegan among the riders entered. The lineup also includes machinery from Yamaha, KTM, Honda, Kawasaki, Ducati, Triumph, Husqvarna, GasGas, Suzuki and Beta, along with a substantial number of privateers and regional riders.

High Point National is round four of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship and round 21 of the SMX regular season. The event is scheduled for Saturday, June 20, in Pennsylvania, with points-paying motos set to begin just after 1 p.m. Eastern, or 10 a.m. Pacific. The 250 Class is expected to open the race program, the SuperMotocross paddock will be on site, and race-day coverage will stream on Peacock. It is the 49th running of the Father’s Day classic, officially titled the UFO Plast High Point National, with UFO Plast serving as the SMX World Championship’s official and exclusive plastics partner.

The championship picture tightens in both the 450SMX and 250SMX classes as the series arrives at High Point. Jett Lawrence leads the 450SMX standings after consecutive 1-1 sweeps and a win at Thunder Valley, and he holds an eight-point lead over his brother Hunter Lawrence. Jett also carries a three-year unbeaten streak at High Point Raceway. In 250SMX, Seth Hammaker and Levi Kitchen are tied for the lead, Jo Shimoda is six points back, and three different riders have won the last three races. The Women’s Motocross Championship also returns to High Point for the first time since 2024, with reigning champion Lachlan Turner perfect in the standings and Charli Cannon having led every moto in the title battle.
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June 17, 2026

Florida Swing Grows to Four Weeks for World of Outlaws Late Models

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series will expand its 2027 season-opening Florida swing into a four-week run with added venues and higher purses. The stretch opens at Volusia Speedway Park with the World of Outlaws Sunshine Nationals from Jan. 28-30 and ends there again at the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals on Feb. 18-20.

The Sunshine Nationals will pay $12,000 to win on Thursday and Friday, with a $20,000-to-win finale on Saturday. Crate Racin’ USA DIRTcar Pro and 602 Late Models are also scheduled to race at the event. The series then moves to Hendry County Motorsports Park for the Swamp Cabbage 100 on Feb. 5-6.

Hunt the Front’s Southern Raceway in Milton is a new addition to the schedule and will host the inaugural Gulf Coast Winter Nationals on Feb. 12-13, with the finale paying $20,000 to win. The Florida swing will close at Volusia during the DIRTcar Nationals, where World of Outlaws Super Late Models will race for $12,000 on Thursday and Friday and $20,000 on Saturday, and the series will again crown its Big Gator champion.
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June 17, 2026

Aston Martin suffers double DNF as Barcelona woes deepen

Aston Martin endured a miserable weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, with both cars retiring after a race that underlined the team’s poor pace and reliability. The team qualified on the back row and was more than three seconds off the pace in Q1. Lance Stroll retired on lap 5 after losing third and fourth gears, and the team told him to stop to avoid further gearbox damage. Fernando Alonso started from the pit lane after adding power unit elements to his pool, ran a longer stint, battled Cadillac’s Sergio Pérez, then retired after a battery failure and stopped on the grass after his pit stop.

Chief trackside officer Mike Krack apologized directly to fans after the double DNF, saying he was sorry for supporters in green shirts and disappointed the team could not give them anything to celebrate. He said Aston Martin had expected a difficult event, but not one as severe as Barcelona, and said the team lacked both reliability and performance. Krack added that the lack of progress was weighing on everyone and that morale was hard to keep up while rivals continued to improve.

Aston Martin is now relying on a major upgrade package that is expected around the Belgian Grand Prix in mid-July, or later in the season around the summer break. The team chose to hold back smaller updates in favor of the larger rollout, with changes expected on both the chassis and power unit side. Alonso said the team needed to stay united and keep hoping for gains in the second half of the season, while noting that the upgrades still have to prove they can make the car faster. Aston Martin remained in Barcelona this week for a Pirelli tire test, with reserve driver Jak Crawford taking part alongside Ferrari and Cadillac.
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June 17, 2026

Ferrari unveils eight-part SF-26 aero package in Barcelona

Ferrari introduced a major eight-component aerodynamic upgrade package to its SF-26 at the Barcelona Grand Prix aimed at boosting performance and closing the gap to Mercedes. The package was the largest of any team at the weekend and represented a broad aerodynamic revision rather than a single targeted tweak.

The upgrades centered on an evolved front wing and a redesigned nose with a raised lower surface, and included a revised footplate with different vane placement plus a new dive plane on the endplate. Ferrari also revised the floor, diffuser and sidepods as part of the set. The team said the changes were intended to improve aerodynamic load distribution, cut turbulence over the front tyres, increase downforce and make the car easier to balance by managing airflow, reducing wake and directing cleaner flow to the rear.

Ferrari introduced the package at Barcelona after an encouraging performance in Monaco and as a follow-up to a previous development step at the Miami Grand Prix in early May, which had not stopped Mercedes maintaining an early-season advantage. Barcelona was treated as an important development benchmark because its mix of low, medium and high-speed corners and the weekend’s three practice sessions on a permanent circuit allowed teams to compare new parts. Several other teams also brought updates, including Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, Williams, Racing Bulls, Haas and Cadillac. Lewis Hamilton said, “Ferrari’s innovation has been encouraging.”
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June 17, 2026

Spanish Grand Prix Set to Return to Madrid in 2026

Madrid’s new Madring circuit is nearing completion and is set to bring the Spanish Grand Prix back to the city for the first time in 45 years, with the race moving from Barcelona under a 10-year agreement. The 5.4-kilometer layout at the IFEMA fairgrounds near Barajas International Airport is scheduled to make its Formula 1 debut in September 2026.

Organizers recently opened the site to select media and dignitaries at a launch event that featured race ambassador Carlos Sainz. The project marks Formula 1’s return to Madrid for the first time since Jarama last hosted the series, and the venue is being positioned as the new home of Spain’s race.

The circuit’s defining feature is La Monumental, a 550-meter corner banked to the maximum permitted 24% incline and sweeping through a 270-degree arc before a blind uphill exit. Organizers have made the corner central to the track’s identity, using it in the design of the trophies and the official poster, while Sainz said it should be taken at very high speed and could create an overtaking chance into the next corner.
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June 17, 2026

Fever to run Formula 1 ticketing platform in five-year deal

Formula 1 has appointed Fever as its new ticketing operator in a five-year partnership beginning in 2027, giving Fever responsibility for a revamped global ticketing platform designed to modernize how fans search for, buy and manage tickets. The new system will launch with the 2027 season and run through 2031 on Formula 1’s website and digital channels.

F1 said the platform will cover general admission tickets, venue-specific hospitality and the series-wide Paddock Club. Chief commercial officer Emily Prazer said the deal is intended to make the consumer journey more seamless and improve the fan experience, and F1 said the overhaul reflects a renewed focus on digital ticketing infrastructure as its global audience continues to grow. F1 also said only a small portion of its supporters will ever attend races in person.

The move ends Platinium Group’s run as F1’s ticketing operator after more than a decade and marks the first major ticketing operator change for the series in more than ten years. Fever said the agreement expands its presence in racing and builds on existing work with Formula 1, including its involvement at the Spanish Grand Prix and a separate agreement tied to Ifema Madrid through 2035. Fever also works with E1, SailGP and LIV Golf.
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June 17, 2026

Cummins takes Eastern Storm lead after Grandview win

Kyle Cummins opened the USAC Yokohama Tire Eastern Storm by winning Tuesday’s feature at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania, then moved into the lead in the series standings heading into Wednesday’s round at Bridgeport Motorsports Park in Swedesboro, New Jersey. Cummins started from the pole and led all 40 laps, with Jake Swanson second, Brady Bacon third and C.J. Leary fourth. Christian Bruno climbed from 19th to fifth to earn hard-charger honors, and Briggs Danner set the fastest lap in qualifying.

Cummins held a narrow edge in the standings after the first of six races, with 76 points to Swanson’s 75 and Bacon’s 70. The win also pushed Cummins to the top of the USAC national series points standings. The Eastern Storm, now in its 19th year, runs over six consecutive nights from June 16 through June 21 in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The remaining Eastern Storm stops include Bridgeport, Big Diamond, Williams Grove, Port Royal and Action Track USA. The series carries a $24,000 point fund, with the champion earning $12,000. Drivers also are chasing a $500 Parallax Group Passing Master award for the racer who gains the most positions.
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June 17, 2026

Yamaha urged to let Quartararo join Brno 2027 bike test

Rider selection is the main talking point ahead of MotoGP’s first official 850cc test at Brno, with manufacturers working within limited places and several 2027 moves already shaping their plans. Lucio Cecchinello said Yamaha should let Fabio Quartararo take part, arguing he could still help develop the new bike, and said it would not be surprising if riders already committed to switching brands were included in the session. On Honda’s side, Cecchinello said Diogo Moreira will not test the new bike on Monday because HRC has other plans for its restricted allocation, and the factory is likely to prioritize current riders Joan Mir, Luca Marini and Takaaki Nakagami.

The closed one-day session is scheduled for Monday, June 22, immediately after the Czech Grand Prix, and will give full-time riders their first official run on 2027-spec MotoGP machinery with 850cc engines, reduced aerodynamics and no downforce devices. The test will be run on Pirelli tires and, because of the tire allocation, each manufacturer is limited to two bikes. Marc Marquez is expected to make his first run on the new Ducati prototype alongside Fermin Aldeguer, while Aprilia has indicated that only championship leader Marco Bezzecchi will ride. Honda and Yamaha still have lineup decisions to make, and KTM has not finalized its roster.

The Brno test is an important early step in MotoGP’s next rules cycle, with no official timing and no media access. Pirelli says the new tires are designed to improve feel, warm-up and grip, while reducing the need for dangerously low pressures. Further race-rider tests are planned after the Austrian Grand Prix in September and again in Valencia, with additional riders expected to take part in those sessions.
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