RACE RAP: Friday, January 10
SvG is filling his calendar: He already has been racing sprintcars at home in New Zealand, with a coupe of podium places including second at Western Springs in his final start, and now Shane van Gisbergen is locking more dates into his calendar for 2025.
In addition to a full season in the NASCAR Cup series, he will also take in a handful of XFinity events.
"Looking forward to doing some @nascar XFinity Races this year with @jrmotorsports in Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma & Watkins Glen!," SvG said on his socials.
As background, JR Motorsports runs Chevrolets and is co-owned by former retired NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt Jnr, his sister Kelly and her husband L.W. Miller, as well as legendary Cup team owner Rick Hendrick.
No litter on the Dakar: Doing the wrong thing in the desert can cost you big, as Nasser Al-Attiyah discovered following the latest mishap with his Dacia Sandrider.
He was penalised 10 minutes and lost a stage win as a result – for leaving a flat tyre behind.
Dakar crews are required to clean up after themselves and the policy is super-strict on flat tyres, which have to be loaded back onto a competition vehicle – most run with two spares – after any repair work.
Cadillac fires up: The race to get a Cadillac engine into Formula One in 2026 has begun, following the appointment of Russ O'Blenes as chief executive of a new company called GM Performance Power Units LLC.
He is currently the director of GM Motorsports' Propulsion and Performance team.
Plans are in place to open a dedicated facility for Performance Power Units LLC near GM’s Charlotte Technical Center in the USA sometime in 2026.
Changes at the top of Supercars: Two new members have joined the board of RACE, the owners of the Repco Supercars championship.
Brian Learst has joined as a Board-appointed director and Ryan Whitelegg has become the new shareholder-appointed director.
According to Supercars, Learst acquired a significant share in Supercars in March 2024 and brings extensive experience in events and hospitality from his time as CEO of QuintEvents, a global provider of premium experiences at the world's most prominent sports and entertainment events.
Whitelegg represents Halo Adapt Pty Ltd. and succeeds Stephen Macaw, who has stepped down after three years.
