Author Archives: PressBox

March 3, 2026

Yamaha link and Pramac deal set Toprak’s 2027 path

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, 29, is on a multi‑year transition from World Superbike to MotoGP, with his 2026–27 future shaped by overlapping agreements. He left WSBK after winning a third title and signed a two‑year MotoGP deal linked to Yamaha that begins in 2026, while remaining contracted to Pramac through the end of 2027. Sources say the presence of both a Yamaha‑linked factory arrangement and an existing Pramac seat creates the central overlap about where he will race in 2027.

The 2026 season is being presented as a transition year on and off track. Razgatlıoğlu made his MotoGP debut for Pramac at the Thailand Grand Prix, finishing 17th — third of four Yamahas and ahead only of teammate Jack Miller — in a weekend that featured strong Sprint pace but a last‑corner crash. Paddock observers said the Yamaha V4 package looked uncompetitive in that outing.

His manager, Kenan Sofuoğlu, told reporters there “could be interest” from factory Yamaha but he was “99% sure” Razgatlıoğlu would remain with Pramac in 2027; Pramac’s resistance to Honda’s attempt to sign him for 2026 has reinforced that position. Honda rider Luca Marini suggested Razgatlıoğlu may need until the 2027 season to be truly competitive and pointed to planned 2027 rule changes — 850cc engines, tighter aerodynamic limits and a ban on ride‑height devices — as factors that could affect adaptation. Those 2027 expectations are already affecting the rider market: Yamaha plans a largely new lineup for 2027 and has reportedly identified 2024 champion Jorge Martin as its preferred signing on a two‑year deal while it seeks his teammate. Reports say Yamaha views Razgatlıoğlu and Alex Rins as “far behind” in the race for a factory seat, even as Sofuoğlu and Yamaha describe an ongoing project aimed at improving the bike’s competitiveness for next year. With only one race contested so far this season, Razgatlıoğlu’s on‑track development and the team decisions that will shape his 2027 programme remain a developing story.
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March 3, 2026

Kevin Thomas Jr. sweeps USAC sprint features in Arizona

Kevin Thomas Jr. completed a two-race sweep of USAC Avanti Windows & Doors sprint car features in Arizona, winning at Mohave Valley Raceway and then at Central Arizona Raceway during the Sonoran Clash. The Cullman, Alabama driver started fifth in both features and swept the weekend for Bonneau Motorsports’ No. 78 in Mohave and for the USAC Avanti Windows & Doors Southwest Sprint Car field in Casa Grande.

At Mohave Valley Raceway Thomas—running a 360-cubic-inch engine against a field of 410-cubic-inch engines—started fifth, passed Eddie Tafoya Jr. on lap nine and, after multiple lead changes in the final three laps, retook the lead with the white flag and held it to the checkered. The victory was his ninth career USAC CRA feature win and moved him to 15th on the USAC CRA series all-time wins list; he earned $3,000 plus an additional $720 for the Rolls Scaffold 360 Challenge. Ricky Lewis charged from 10th to finish second and collected the Steve Lafond Photos Hard Charger award, Eddie Tafoya Jr. was third, Austin Williams fourth and Charles Davis Jr. fifth; R.J. Johnson posted fast time at 13.897 seconds and finished sixth. Heat winners included Braden Chiaramonte, A.J. Bender and Eddie Tafoya, and Chiaramonte flipped in his heat.

The win at Central Arizona Raceway completed the sweep. Connor Lundy briefly took the lead during an opening-lap scramble, but Thomas moved into the lead by lap two and paced the field for 24 of the 25 laps to secure the feature victory. Steve Sussex finished second, R.J. Johnson third, Bruce St. James fourth and Charles Davis Jr. fifth. Both events were staged under the USAC banner with Avanti Windows & Doors as a presenting sponsor.
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March 3, 2026

Anthony Macri wins Volusia Jamboree; 2 points behind Gravel

Anthony Macri’s victory in the Bike Week Jamboree at Volusia Speedway Park underscored an early-season surge: he became the first driver with two World of Outlaws wins in 2026 and, after five races, sits two points shy of points leader David Gravel.

Macri took the lead on Lap 14 and held off a late charge from 19-year-old Ashton Torgerson to claim the win; Torgerson finished second, marking one of Shark Racing’s three top-five results in five starts. David Gravel finished third, recording his fourth consecutive podium, while Carson Macedo and Daryn Pittman finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Macri, who races for Dillsburg, Pennsylvania-based Macri Motorsports, came to Volusia off a strong Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals showing — the team collected third- and fourth-place finishes and earned a $20,000 victory in the DIRTcar Nationals finale to capture the Big Gator. The Volusia triumph also made Macri the 13th driver to score multiple victories at the track; he credited his crew and a pacing strategy devised with Joe Mooney, saying the team “gave me a badass car” and that they worked to let others “wear their equipment” before making a decisive move.
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March 3, 2026

2026 F1 overhaul forces teams to rethink race strategy

The 2026 Formula 1 season begins under a wide technical and regulatory overhaul that will change race strategy and overtaking. New elements — roughly 50/50 hybrid power units, active front and rear wings, revised chassis dimensions, lighter minimum weights, and smaller Pirelli tyres — will force teams and drivers to relearn setup, driving techniques and energy management.

Several distinct technical shifts define the package. Cars are shorter, narrower and lighter with a return to a more raked aerodynamic platform; active aero, including moving rear wings, now reduces drag on straights and can be adjusted in different conditions. DRS has been removed and replaced by an electrical “overtake mode” (also called boost mode or straight‑mode drag reduction), which provides temporary additional power under predefined rules.

Power units are integrated engine-and-battery systems designed to run on fully sustainable fuels, and regulations expand energy-recovery and deployment options. Early testing has highlighted new engineering demands — changes such as revised compression ratios and altered energy-harvesting architectures have been discussed in the paddock — and teams face heavier energy-management workloads in race simulations.

Early running in Bahrain produced high-profile experiments during testing, notably Ferrari’s rotating “upside-down” rear wing, and paddock discussion flagged a contested Mercedes power‑unit issue rather than an established fact. Broadcasters and pundits warned the opening rounds could be unpredictable; Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle said “all bets are off,” predicting continual flip-flopping as upgrades arrive. Pre-season form is a useful but imperfect guide: Lando Norris enters the season as reigning champion, with McLaren hoping to remain competitive, while Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull appear to be credible threats. Eleven teams completed varying amounts of pre-season running, and the opener in Melbourne (March 6–8) — the first round of a 24-race calendar — will be a crucial test of how teams translate winter development into race pace, energy strategy and overtaking. Analysts say the season narrative will be driven less by a settled pecking order and more by how quickly teams master the new hybrid architecture, active aero and overtaking systems as upgrades and circuit characteristics reshuffle the championship picture.
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March 2, 2026

Drew Adams Breaks Thumb in Daytona Whoops, Fails to Finish

Drew Adams’ night at the second round of the 250SX East at Daytona ended when he crashed in the whoops and suffered a broken thumb, a team press release said. The injury forced the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider to fail to finish the Main Event, with the team statement cited as the primary source for the update.

Adams had been strong through the weekend, posting the fastest qualifying time and winning his heat. In the Main Event he got off the line well, moved from fifth to third by passing Pierce Brown and Nate Thrasher, then slipped to fourth after Cole Davies reeled him in before crashing in the whoops and being unable to continue. Adams said he was “super bummed,” that the speed had been there and that the result was not how he wanted the evening to end; he planned to have his thumb checked to determine next steps.

Further medical details and any potential effect on Adams’ season were pending additional evaluation. Team and media reports noted he maintained a strong pace throughout the day, underlining his potential as a contender going forward, and more updates on his condition and status were expected after medical evaluation.
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March 2, 2026

Race Direction docks Jalek Swoll two spots at Daytona

Race Direction announced that Jalek Swoll was docked two positions for grooming — stopping in front of the gate to perform a burn-out on the sighting lap — at the Daytona Supercross round. Citing Supercross rule 1.8.10, officials said an AMA representative observed the maneuver and confirmed it on replay, which moved the Triumph Factory Racing rider from eighth to 10th in the official 250SX East main-event results. The two-position penalty adjusted Swoll’s event result and points tally but carried no suspension or additional sanctions, Race Direction said.

Swoll recorded results of 21 and 10 in the first two rounds and, after the Daytona adjustment, sits 14th in the 250SX East standings. Daytona was his first completed main event since 2024 after missing the 2025 Supercross season recovering from a torn Achilles; he had crashed out of the Arlington opener.

Swoll described the day as “frustrating,” saying he had “struggled to get comfortable” but viewed the outing as progress in his comeback. After the race he wrote he had “stumbled a little trying to spin my rear on the way out for sight lap and got a penalty,” called the ruling “kinda crazy,” and said he was “confident that his team can improve” and would “get back to work.”

Race Direction also reviewed a 250 LCQ incident involving Bryton Carrol going off track and crashing in a battle with Marshal Weltin and imposed no penalty after review.
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March 2, 2026

Pedro Acosta’s Buriram haul puts KTM atop MotoGP standings

Pedro Acosta enjoyed a strong weekend in Buriram, winning the Saturday Sprint and finishing second in the Sunday Grand Prix after starting sixth on the grid on both days. His 32 points from the season opener put KTM seven points clear and made him the first KTM rider to lead the premier-class riders’ standings.

Acosta credited KTM’s off-season development and winter work — saying the team had recovered from a prior financial hit — and praised quicker garage decisions and a calmer approach fostered by crew chief Paul Trevathan’s video calls. The weekend underlined Acosta’s improved race execution: decisive overtakes, including one on Marc Márquez, better tire management and a more measured mindset. The Sprint win followed a controversial penalty for Márquez and broader steward interventions that left both Márquez and Acosta unhappy, while Marco Bezzecchi dominated Sunday’s main race to deny Acosta victory and extend Aprilia’s early momentum. Márquez suffered a late puncture or mechanical problem that cost him a top result, and Ducati (Borgo Panigale) endured mechanical and tire issues that ended its 88-race rostrum streak.

Acosta and KTM tempered expectations after the milestone weekend, stressing their priority is avoiding mistakes and aiming for consistency and regular top-five finishes rather than expecting every round to be equally strong. They warned the title fight remains wide open with Ducati and Aprilia competitive, and several reports cautioned a Sprint is not the same test as a full Grand Prix, so further confirmation will be needed as the season now heads to Brazil’s Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna.
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March 2, 2026

Albert Park to open 2026 F1 season in Melbourne

The 2026 F1 season will open in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, running across the March long weekend, March 6–8 (organizers list March 5–8). The race is scheduled to start at 15:00 AEDT on Sunday, March 8. Albert Park is a 5.278 km, 14-corner semi-permanent street circuit first used for F1 in 1996; the grand prix will run 58 laps (just over 306 km). Teams will arrive to debut F1’s new-generation cars, and support categories FIA Formula 2 (F2) and FIA Formula 3 (F3) will each run two races during the weekend.

On-track running is scheduled across Friday–Sunday. Session times listed by most sources are: FP1 — March 6, 12:30–13:30 AEDT; FP2 — March 6, 16:00–17:00 AEDT; FP3 — March 7, 12:30 AEDT (some sources give only a start time); qualifying — March 7, 16:00 AEDT; grand prix — March 8, 15:00 AEDT. Broadcasters for the Australian opener include Sky Sports F1 in the U.K. (live, with a 04:00 UK start for the race), Channel 4 highlights, Apple TV and U.S. linear partners including ESPN/ESPN+, Fox Sports in Australia, and radio/independent coverage such as BBC Radio 5 Live and RaceFans Live.

Off-track activity will spread beyond Albert Park, with organizers and local venues staging fan zones, pop-ups, street-side activations and waterfront events across the Melbourne CBD and the St Kilda foreshore. The program includes ticketed and free experiences; organizers say it will turn the city into a “motorsport playground” and boost foot traffic over the long weekend. Pre-season testing in Barcelona and Bahrain saw Ferrari set the pace — Charles Leclerc posted a 1:31.992 in Bahrain — while Red Bull’s power unit kept Max Verstappen competitive; Alpine and Haas showed promising multi-stint form, and Aston Martin reported battery issues.

The season starts amid a major technical and regulatory overhaul: shorter, lighter cars with active aerodynamics; roughly 50/50 electric/internal-combustion power units running on sustainable fuels; expanded energy-recovery systems; and the replacement of DRS with an electrical “overtake mode.” The 24-race calendar moves next to Shanghai (March 13–15), which will host the year’s first sprint. Cadillac joins as the 11th constructor, with Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas named to its entry. The 2026 grid includes one rookie, Arvid Lindblad, and features the returns of Bottas and Pérez.
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March 2, 2026

FIA orders hot and cold engine tests after Mercedes row

The FIA published unanimous amendments to the 2026 F1 regulations a week before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, introducing a technical fix to compression-ratio testing after rivals accused Mercedes of conducting tests at ambient temperatures that effectively exceeded the 16:1 compression limit. Under the changes, compression-ratio tests will be carried out in both hot and cold conditions from June 1 for the remainder of the season, while testing at full operating temperature (130°C) has been deferred until 2027. The FIA said it will continue to evaluate related energy-management issues and signaled that qualifying changes will place greater emphasis on electrical energy management.

The wider 2026 rule reset — described by observers as the biggest regulatory overhaul in the sport’s history — forces teams to start from scratch with new cars, engines and active aerodynamics, and power units that split energy roughly 50/50 between combustion and batteries. The package combines immediate regulatory fixes with transitional timelines and contains a number of qualifying and calendar adjustments: Q1 and Q2 eliminations increase from five drivers to six; Q3 is extended to 13 minutes; the interval between Q2 and Q3 is shortened from eight to seven minutes; the one-off 2025 Monaco rule requiring three sets of dry tires was shelved; and the arrival of Cadillac as F1’s 11th team was cited as a partial prompt for the qualifying tweaks. The reset, across a 24-race calendar running until December, widens the scope for surprising results and unexpected championship contenders.

The timing of the amendments sharpened tensions ahead of the Australian opener, with reports of possible protests in Melbourne and the FIA proposing a potential mid-season rule change in response to the controversy. Commentators pointed to historical season-opening disputes — from the drivers’ strike at Kyalami in 1982 to the 2009 Australian “lie-gate” and other legal and technical upheavals — to frame the present unease. Analysts say teams that best integrate engines and chassis, manage electrical energy and execute rapid in-season development are most likely to convert the 2026 reset into sustained on-track success; Mercedes, aided by a strong pre-season showing and its 2014 pedigree, are widely viewed as early favorites, while Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull remain credible contenders. The Monaco Grand Prix on June 7 will be the first race to fall under the revised compression-ratio testing regime.
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