Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Thursday, July 16, 2026
Ferrari Details Added ‘Cost, Effort’ of WEC’s End-of-Season Calendar Uncertainty
Ferrari has outlined the additional cost and effort of preparing two logistical plans amid uncertainty over how the FIA World Endurance Championship season will conclude. The Middle East conflict already forced the Qatar 1812km opener from March to October, and continuing doubt over that date and November’s Bahrain finale has produced a backup plan ending the year at Barcelona and Monza. AF Corse team manager Batti Pregliasco said every team has made a ‘Plan B’ with double kits of material sent by sea freight, and a final decision is expected next week when the calendar is presented to the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Ohta Eager to Keep Racing in IMSA Even After Acura’s GTP Exit
Honda factory driver Kaku Ohta wants to race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year even after Acura withdraws from the GTP class. The 27-year-old finished second at last month’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen alongside Nick Yelloly and Renger van der Zande, his first WeatherTech podium in seven attempts and his final scheduled Acura Meyer Shank Racing outing of the year. Ohta said teams have already contacted him about available races, though Super Formula and SUPER GT commitments in Japan leave only Petit Le Mans free this season, and any 2027 program depends on Honda’s blessing.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Mercedes-AMG Claims 1,000th Win in Customer Racing Program at Mugello
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport recorded the 1,000th win of its customer racing program last weekend when Team KRT’s Vincent Iogna won the opening Ultimate GT Sprint Cup race at Mugello in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. The tally, built since the program launched in 2010 with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, spans four models, with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 the most victorious on 612 wins and the GT4 adding 195. More than 100 teams and over 400 drivers have contributed across 34 countries, and head of customer racing Stefan Wendl called the milestone ‘a testament to the impressive track record’ of the program.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
De Angelis: GTP Return to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Would Be ‘So Special’
Roman De Angelis says a GTP return to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park would be ‘so special,’ suggesting Canadian fans would be ‘pretty pumped’ to see IMSA’s top prototype class back at Mosport. The Heart of Racing driver raced in GTD at last weekend’s Chevrolet Grand Prix and noted the Aston Martin Valkyrie is the only car platform he has not driven at his home track. GTP appeared once at CTMP, in 2023, when Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun won for Meyer Shank Racing. IMSA President John Doonan has cited budget reasons, with GTP limited to nine of eleven annual WeatherTech Championship rounds.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Catsburg Has ‘High Hopes’ of Suzuka 1000km Return With Johor Racing JMR
Corvette factory drivers Nicky Catsburg and Alexander Sims hope to return to the Suzuka 1000km with Johor Racing JMR after finishing third on their debuts last year alongside IndyCar star Scott McLaughlin. Sportscar365 understands the Malaysian squad plans a Pro entry for Suzuka and October’s Indianapolis 8 Hour, beyond its confirmed Pro-Am car for Prince Jefri Ibrahim. The Sept. 11-13 event comes one week after the IndyCar season finale, which would allow McLaughlin to take part again. ‘I’m definitely hoping to be there again,’ said Catsburg, who noted JMR recently won Spa in Pro-Am, while Sims cautioned nothing is yet confirmed.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Toney Driver Development Commits to Multi-Car LMP3 Program for 2027
Toney Driver Development announced on Wednesday that it will return to the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge for 2027 with a multi-car LMP3 program using the Ligier JS P325 Toyota, becoming the first team confirmed for the series’ new-look season. The commitment coincides with the championship’s return to an all-endurance format, with seven events ranging from 90 minutes to three hours, opening at Sebring in late February and closing at Lime Rock Park in September. Team owner Nathan Toney said the timing ‘couldn’t be better’ with the format change, and each entry must include at least one FIA Bronze- or Silver-rated driver.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Porsche Carrera Cup Miami Make-Up Race Set for Road America Triple-Header
Porsche Motorsport North America has confirmed that the canceled second Porsche Carrera Cup North America race from Miami will be made up at Road America, creating a triple-header weekend for the IMSA-sanctioned single-make series. Race 2 at the Miami International Autodrome, originally scheduled for May 3, was canceled after a Formula 1 schedule change moved F1’s race earlier in the day because of forecasted weather. The rescheduled 40-minute contest runs Saturday, Aug. 1 at 8:50 a.m. CST, following the two regular Road America rounds on Friday, with only drivers entered for the Miami weekend eligible. All three races stream live on Peacock.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Alesi Admits Anything Short of Victory at Fuji Would Be a ‘Disappointment’
Giuliano Alesi concedes that anything other than a win in next month’s fourth SUPER GT round at Fuji Speedway would be a ‘disappointment,’ with his No. 37 TOM’S Toyota carrying zero success ballast. The GR Supra that Alesi shares with Ukyo Sasahara has failed to score points in 2026, hit by engine issues at Okayama in April and electrical trouble at Fuji in May, while the sister No. 36 car won both races. Team boss Jun Yamada called the failures ‘just bad luck’ and backed the pair to challenge for victory, while points leaders Sho Tsuboi and Nirei Fukuzumi carry a nominal 80 kg of ballast.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1= Rast / Frijns / van der Linde (BMW M Hybrid #20) — Joint Lead
1= Kobayashi / Conway / de Vries (Toyota GR010 #7) — Joint Lead
3. Hartley / Hirakawa / Buemi (Toyota GR010 #8)
4. Pier Guidi / Calado / Giovinazzi (Ferrari 499P #51)
5. da Costa / Milesi / Habsburg (Alpine A424 #35)
6. Magnussen / Marciello / Vanthoor (BMW M Hybrid #15) — Won São Paulo
WEC Hypercar — Teams
1. Toyota — Leads by 5 pts
2. BMW
3. Ferrari
4. Alpine 5. Cadillac 6. Aston Martin
After Round 5 (São Paulo) — full standings: fiawec.com
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. Jack Aitken — 1,760 pts
2. Laurin Heinrich — 1,616 pts
3. Julien Andlauer / Felipe Nasr — 1,606 pts
4. Renger van der Zande / Nick Yelloly — 1,552 pts
5. Kevin Estre / Laurens Vanthoor — 1,501 pts
6. Earl Bamber — 1,412 pts
7. Tom Blomqvist / Colin Braun — 1,391 pts
8. Sheldon van der Linde / Dries Vanthoor — 1,385 pts
IMSA GTP — Teams
1. Cadillac (leads)
Through Watkins Glen (Round 6) — no GTP at CTMP — source: imsa.com
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.