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$Nakagami ruled out of Motegi MotoGP after collarbone fracture$

October 1, 2026

Nakagami ruled out of Motegi MotoGP after collarbone fracture

Takaaki Nakagami was ruled out of the rest of the Japanese MotoGP weekend at Motegi after a heavy crash in Friday morning practice left him with a fractured left collarbone. Honda said he was declared unfit and would now focus on recovery, ending his home wildcard appearance before he completed a full lap.

Nakagami lost control and high-sided at Turn 11 after just four minutes of first practice. He was thrown from his bike on his out-lap in cold, slightly damp conditions, and was diagnosed before the session ended. The crash brought an abrupt end to what was set to be his final MotoGP wildcard before one-off entries are banned from 2027.

Nakagami had returned to Honda action on home soil as a wildcard entry, and the Japanese appearance came after he had replaced the sidelined Joan Mir for Honda HRC Castrol in Austria last time out. Honda was set to continue with its usual four bikes, with Mir already out because of illness and Somkiat Chantra brought in as his replacement.
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October 1, 2026

Tyler Erb sits third as full-time Outlaws return pays off

Tyler Erb said his return to full-time World of Outlaws Late Model racing in 2026 has produced “exponential” growth, and with five races left in the season he sits third in the championship standings, a career high. He returned to full-time national late model racing with Best Performance Motorsports after spending the 2024 and 2025 seasons on a self-directed “Fun Tour.”

Erb has won four races this season and said the year has been solid, even if it has fallen a little short of his goals. Bobby Pierce and Nick Hoffman are ahead of him in the standings, and Erb said the weekly battles with that level of competition have helped him better understand his strengths and weaknesses.

Erb also said he has a bond with fellow Rocket Chassis driver Dennis Erb Jr. Away from the track, he is entering a new stage of life as he prepares to become a first-time father with fiancée Emma Hodge.
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October 1, 2026

HP stays on William Byron’s No. 24 for two races a year through 2029

Hendrick Motorsports has extended its relationship with HP Inc. through the 2029 NASCAR Cup Series season, keeping HP as the primary sponsor of William Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet for two races each year. The partnership began in October 2022 and expanded to Byron and the No. 24 team in 2023.

HP branding will remain on the car, fire suits, apparel and equipment throughout the season. Hendrick Motorsports said it uses HP technology across its operations, including HP Z workstations and other high-performance hardware, and said the deal reflects a strong fit between the two companies.

Byron said the partnership has coincided with consecutive Daytona 500 wins in 2024 and 2025, along with the 2025 Cup Series regular-season championship. Since HP joined the No. 24 team, Byron has also captured those titles as the team continued its run with the sponsor.
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October 1, 2026

Rochester Opens 2026 NLL Draft by Picking Finn Thomson No. 1

The 2026 National Lacrosse League Draft opened with Rochester selecting Syracuse forward Finn Thomson first overall. The league had moved to 12 active clubs after the Ottawa Black Bears and Philadelphia Wings ceased operations, and it had already scheduled a dispersal draft for those former players, followed by free agency and the entry draft.

Vancouver took Matt Collison at No. 3, Calgary traded up to select Joey Spallina at No. 5, Buffalo chose Dante Bowen at No. 6, and Rochester later added Saka Thompson. Toronto also added Silas Richmond and other players as clubs continued to reshape their rosters.

Halifax picked incoming Rutgers defenseman Nick Crowley 12th overall. Crowley, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound native of Peterborough, Ontario, played 44 games at Princeton and finished with 32 ground balls, 19 caused turnovers and one assist as a long-stick midfielder. Colorado selected Utah attacker Ryan Stines at No. 25 after he set a rookie-season record with 30 regular-season points and finished as a Rookie of the Year finalist; he left Utah with a program-record 230 points, including 141 goals and 89 assists.

Syracuse had four players selected, with Thomson, Spallina, Bowen and Kyle Gonsiorek, who went 64th overall in the sixth round. Utah had three players taken, with Joel Mullen going to Vancouver in the third round after playing all 14 games in his senior season in Salt Lake City, and Connor Gorman selected by Halifax after three seasons at Monmouth. The three Utah picks pushed head coach Andrew McMinn past 30 players sent to the next level, while Syracuse’s draft haul added to a history that includes six No. 1 overall picks.
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October 1, 2026

Marquez Balances Recovery, Payday and Title Push

Marc Marquez’s new Ducati deal is set to give him a sizeable pay rise through the end of 2028, but it also brings more off-track commitments that he has previously said he dislikes. Spanish reports said he considered retirement before agreeing to the extension, and also weighed a one-year deal against a longer renewal as concerns grew around injury and nerve damage in his right arm. Ducati sources said the renewal was not outrageous by MotoGP standards.

Marquez has also spoken openly about the toll of his comeback. A year after winning his 2025 title, he said he had found peace with himself, after six years and six operations following his 2020 shoulder injury left him physically and emotionally drained. He has become more protective of his recovery, skipped a promotional event in London to rest and said time at home can make a big difference as he manages his battered right arm. After the Mandalika round in Indonesia, he planned to stay there with his partner before heading to Australia.

On track, Marquez returned to Motegi nearly a year after sealing his seventh MotoGP title there and entered the weekend 12 points behind championship leader Jorge Martin. He has won five races in 2026, including dominant weekends in Hungary, Germany and Aragon, but Ducati has been less reliable for him on off-weekends. The title fight remains tight with seven races in nine weeks, after Martin retook the lead in Austria, and Marquez said his aim in Japan was to be competitive in front of the home fans. Reports also say Ducati’s lineup could change from 2027, with Pedro Acosta expected to join and Francesco Bagnaia to move to Aprilia.
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October 1, 2026

Talladega to race with smaller spoiler, same 465 horsepower

NASCAR sent Cup Series teams a rules update for the Oct. 25 race at Talladega Superspeedway that keeps the superspeedway package largely the same as Daytona’s August setup, with one change. Talladega will use a 3.5-inch rear spoiler, down a half-inch from Daytona’s 4-inch spoiler, while horsepower stays at 465. At Daytona, NASCAR had already cut the spoiler from 7 inches to 4 inches and reduced horsepower from 510 to 465, changes the sanctioning body said were meant to cut drag and help drivers build runs in traffic.

NASCAR also kept Talladega’s stage lengths at the same marks used in the spring race, with the first stage ending on Lap 98, the second on Lap 143 and the race scheduled to finish on Lap 188 barring overtime. Those shorter stages are intended to discourage fuel-saving strategies and push teams to race hard to the finish.

NASCAR had discussed changing stage lengths on superspeedways, but did not make that move for Talladega.
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October 1, 2026

Stroll: Honda deficit still leaves Aston Martin near midfield

Lance Stroll said Aston Martin is still losing about one to two seconds per lap because of its Honda power unit, and he described the engine as the team’s biggest weakness and a question mark heading toward 2027. Honda has now used both of its 2026 additional development opportunities, with the first upgrade introduced at the Dutch Grand Prix and the second, an updated turbocharger, fitted at the Spanish Grand Prix. Honda said the gain was only a small number, and Stroll said the change made “not much” difference.

Stroll said the engine deficit is worst on power-sensitive tracks such as Baku and Monza, where lack of power and drivability on long straights hurt the car most. He said Aston Martin is still struggling for pace and reliability this season, and that the team remains near the back of the midfield despite a major upgrade package introduced in Hungary. Honda’s update focused on turbocharger performance and boost following rather than peak power, and the company said it was not a big improvement.

Stroll said Aston Martin is continuing to work with Honda and does not plan to reconsider the partnership. He said the team has a clear direction on chassis development after a big step in Budapest, while the engine remains the unresolved issue for next year. Stroll also said Aston Martin has ideas for 2027 and hopes to be in a much better position next season, with the first race of next year expected to show where things stand. Aston Martin confirmed this week that Stroll and Fernando Alonso will return for 2027.
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October 1, 2026

F1 stars stop in Langkawi for training before Malaysia GP

Several Formula 1 drivers turned a last-minute stop in Langkawi into a boys’ trip that mixed training with downtime ahead of the Malaysia Grand Prix weekend. George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Oscar Piastri, Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman and former F1 driver Roberto Merhi were among those who took part after deciding to stop in the island rather than fly straight to Kuala Lumpur from Baku. Lando Norris joined for chess and training, and Kimi Antonelli also arrived early, spending time in Kuala Lumpur and at a water park.

The group spent the trip cycling, hiking rocky trails, cooling off at waterfalls and playing chess on the beach, with some go-karting mixed in. Russell said the visit was recommended by Petronas and described Langkawi as “incredible,” calling it a perfect way to prepare for the weekend. Photos Russell posted showed the drivers in swimsuits and casual clothes instead of team gear, and Norris appeared to be filming his McLaren teammate in one shot.

The karting session turned rough, with Russell calling it “carnage.” Bortoleto was bruised, Piastri nearly broke a rib and Bearman put Merhi into a wall. Several drivers said the outing gave them a rare chance to relax together before the physically demanding race weekends in Malaysia and Singapore, and the trip may also have been filmed for upcoming media projects.
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October 1, 2026

High heat and rough asphalt put Sepang tyre life in focus

Pirelli says F1 teams will face a major tyre-management test when the Malaysian Grand Prix returns to Sepang after a nine-year absence. It has brought the C2, C3 and C4 compounds, a more aggressive range intended to widen strategy options and narrow the gap between one-stop and two-stop races. With high temperatures, low grip and an abrasive surface, tyre life is expected to be the main issue, and the C4 is expected to last only one qualifying lap.

Several drivers said they expected two or three pit stops. Carlos Sainz welcomed greater degradation, while Oscar Piastri, Kimi Antonelli, Fernando Alonso and Gabriel Bortoleto all said Sepang would be especially tough on tyres. Antonelli said the asphalt was the roughest he had seen and thought the heat could force multiple stops. George Russell said surface overheating could make it harder to follow closely and re-overtake, and Valtteri Bottas and Laurent Mekies also pointed to overtaking as an important factor.

The race should look very different from 2017 because the cars, battery limits and track conditions have changed, and there is limited data with current-generation cars and tyres. That should make Friday practice especially important, particularly for several drivers learning Sepang in F1 for the first time. Weather could add more uncertainty, with early October heat, humidity, thunderstorms and heavy rain all possible. Lando Norris said the new cars would face a completely new experience in wet conditions, and he and others suggested Sepang could produce chaotic, yo-yo-style racing.
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