Latest news with #DXDTRacing
Belfast Telegraph
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
We just didn't have the pace to stay the course in Belgium, laments frustrated Charlie Eastwood
The No.81 Corvette Racing Z06 GT3.R the Belfast driver was sharing at the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps was clearly down on speed across the weekend, with this also the case for the sister car of Ben Keating, Jonny Edgar and Dani Juncadella. Eastwood's team-mate Tom Van Rompuy qualified their TF Sport-run car 11th in the 18-car LMGT3 field following the initial 15-minute qualifying session with a 111.723mph lap. That set the tone for race day, with neither Eastwood, Van Rompuy nor Rui Andrade able to break into the points-paying positions and eventually crossing the finish line in 14th. 'It wasn't the weekend any of us wanted,' said Eastwood, whose WEC appearance meant he had to skip the Fourth Round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Laguna Seca in the United States with DXDT Racing. 'The result at the end of race day was somewhat expected but maybe slightly worse than any of us had thought initially. 'The positives, if you look at any, is that the team once again executed a really good race. There was nothing wrong with any of the pit stops or the race strategy. 'It was clear to see that we just didn't have the ultimate pace with the car to go forward in the LMGT3 class.' There was some cause for optimism, however, with Eastwood's car running third at the three-hour mark thanks to a proactive race strategy before the momentum shifted away. That chink of light could help the pair of TF Sport-run cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France (June 11-15) – an around-the-clock event where Corvette has enjoyed a total of nine class victories so far. 'The next one is the Le Mans 24 Hours and it is the one where you have the most pit stops – something like 24 or 25 stops in a race,' said Eastwood, who in 2020 became the first driver from Northern Ireland to win there in a decade. 'For the team to go in with the pace that they are doing on the tyre changes and things, I know these guys can make the difference if we have the pace on track. 'I am looking forward to getting started at Le Mans in a month's time and I am just happy to get Spa behind us.' Meanwhile, at Rally Hungary – Round Two of the FIA European Rally Championship – a double puncture on Saturday's antepenultimate stage thwarted Jon Armstrong's hopes of a top-three finish. Prior to hitting trouble over a rough and rutted 'Hegyesd' test, the Ford Fiesta Rally2 driver was provisionally third with Shane Byrne, just 10.6 seconds off the summit.
Motor 1
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
The Technology That Got Robert Wickens Back In Top-Level Racing
Even by the standards of elite racing drivers, Robert Wickens is remarkable. After a 2018 IndyCar crash at Pocono rendered him with paraplegia, he never for a second gave up on racing. In 2022, he made his comeback in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series with Bryan Herta Autosport in a Hyundai Elantra N TCR with hand controls. The next year he won the championship. Now, he's in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series, racing a Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R GT3 with DXDT Racing. That's been made possible by a crucial piece of technology from Bosch, and a close collaboration with Corvette and Pratt Miller. Wickens' first hand-controlled race cars were purely mechanical, with just a simple rod connecting a hand lever to the brake pedal. That sort of thing is fine in a road car, but in a race car, it's extremely difficult to generate enough force to brake competitively, and to feel out the threshold of grip. Bosch's Electronic Braking System (EBS), developed for sports prototypes, was a better solution. Today's LMDh cars require brake-by-wire to blend friction and regenerative braking. But, as this new documentary series from our colleagues at Autosport reveals, Bosch engineers realized that it could be adapted to Wickens' needs. A brake-by-wire system typically translates the signal from a position sensor on a brake pedal to an electronic command to the actual brakes. But you don't need a brake pedal to generate that signal. You could use hand controls. Pratt Miller, the longtime builder of Corvette race cars, developed the controls to work with the Bosch system, giving Wickens a bit more feel through his hands, and it works incredibly well. In his first test with the Corvette Z06.R GT3 at Sebring, he was at competitive pace by the end of his first stint. It's a testament to Wickens' character that he can bring people together to do incredible things. His drive to be back at the top of racing is an inspiration. So enjoy this first episode in a coming series on Wickens' IMSA WeatherTech run. More Corvette Racing The Indy 500's Pace Car Has More Power Than the Race Cars The Corvette C6.R Will Always Be My Favorite American Race Car Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Fox Sports
12-04-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Paddock Buzz: Double Duty for Robert Wickens at Long Beach
INDYCAR Robert Wickens is pulling double duty during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race weekend. On Friday, Wickens made his GTD debut in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, driving the No. 36 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 for DXDT Racing in practice. Saturday's race is the first of five sprint events Wickens will be competing in, sharing the car with Tommy Milner. Wickens returned to racing in 2022, competing in the Michelin Pilot Challenge for Bryan Herta Autosport in a modified Hyundai Elantra. He uses hand controls after suffering spinal cord injuries in a crash during an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race in 2018 at Pocono Raceway, during his rookie season. Wickens and co-driver Harry Gottsacker won the TCR class title in the series in 2023. With the aid of Bosch developing a new brake-by-wire system, Wickens moved up the ranks this season and will be the only driver on the grid using hand controls in WeatherTech Championship competition. 'Kind of an emotional journey of having my debut on a race weekend that we share with INDYCAR is going special,' Wickens said. Wickens is racing Saturday but also working Sunday because he serves as a technical advisor with Andretti Global in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach airs at 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. 'I'm excited to see him race,' Andretti Global driver Kyle Kirkwood said. 'I'm excited to see him get into the car, run around Long Beach, a place he knows very well and is very quick around.' Kirkwood boasts about Wickens' interaction with the team because he's more than an extra set of eyes. He's a former driver and knows exactly what another driver needs to be fast. 'When you have another driver kind of looking over things and paying attention to what other people are doing, picking out certain things, sharing that with you,' Kirkwood said. 'We are very limited on how much time we have to look over stuff. He's been a huge help in that department. 'He sits inside the engineering truck with us. Mostly, he just goes over data, video, analyzes what other drivers are doing, then kind of gives us a rundown. Even if it's a driver we wouldn't be paying attention to, he's going over that, 'Look at what he's doing in this corner, you should try doing this or this.' 'Because of that, it's taken a lot of pressure off of us to have to self-learn because he's just there to help push us along without having to dig into in-depth.' A documentary is in production about Wickens that has been picked up by Mark Wahlberg's production company, and extensive filming is taking place this weekend at Long Beach, including Wickens' life beyond the cockpit as a technical advisor. McLaughlin, DeFrancesco Mend Fences Racing has a sense of humor. Whenever drivers tend to spat, they seem to be in close proximity to each other at the next race, whether on or off track. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES isn't immune. Scott McLaughlin was upset with Devlin DeFrancesco after a first-lap incident in the March 23 race at The Thermal Club. McLaughlin confronted DeFrancesco after the race in DeFrancesco's pit box, sparking a heated conversation. The two quickly buried the hatchet, with McLaughlin texting DeFrancesco that they should meet and chat once they've calmed down. Each came to Long Beach with no hard feelings. But this weekend, both drivers' pit stalls are located next to each other. By INDYCAR SERIES rule, pit stalls are selected in order from the previous race's qualifying results. Pato O'Ward earned The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix NTT P1 Award and had the first pick of pit stalls this weekend. McLaughlin qualified 25th at The Thermal Club and DeFrancesco 26th, meaning pit selections were limited. 'It's funny, I went and saw the No. 3 car crew yesterday and they're (DeFranceco's crew) putting their pit together,' McLaughlin said. 'I said, 'Hey, boys, at least I know my neighbors, but at least I'm not yelling and screaming here on Sunday.'' Rahal Feeling Early Momentum Sunday's 90-lap race is Graham Rahal's 18th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start on the 1.968-mile Long Beach street circuit. His runner-up result in 2013 is his best finish, which ties his dad Bobby Rahal (1992 and 1993) and Jimmy Vasser (2002) as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's best Long Beach finishes. Last year, Rahal qualified 12th but charged to fifth place by the time he made his second pit stop. Unfortunately, a fueling issue added an additional 12 seconds to the stop, which cost valuable track position. Rahal settled for a 17th-place finish. 'We were in a really good spot until an issue in the pits, but in general Long Beach is a race that we circle every year on the calendar,' Rahal said. 'It's an important race every year, and I'm hopeful we have can a really strong performance.' Rahal is thrilled to flash early-season consistency but ponders if his No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda could have charged higher into the top 10 in both the March 2 season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding and The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix on March 23. He finished 12th and 11th, respectively and sits 12th in points entering Long Beach. 'A couple of bounces here or there, and we got two top-10 finishes, and those are legitimate bounces,' Rahal said. 'We just need to put our heads down and have a really strong weekend from qualifying, as well as race really strong Sunday. We have a lot of things we conceptually want to try over the weekend, so we're excited.' Unfinished Beach Business for Rosenqvist Felix Rosenqvist earned the first NTT P1 Award at Long Beach for Meyer Shank Racing in last year's Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The previous best qualifying effort for MSR was third by Helio Castroneves in 2021. Unfortunately, Rosenqvist faded to ninth at the checkered flag, which leaves the Swedish driver with unfinished business. 'Getting pole at Long Beach last year was pretty exciting for myself and the whole team,' Rosenqvist said. 'It's definitely something that we are aiming to do again this year. The MSR cars have a pretty strong street course package. It's a track that suits me well, and I'm hungry for a good finish.' Prior to last year, Rosenqvist finished 10th, 13th, 11th and seventh, respectively, at Long Beach. Driver's Eye Experience Debuts This Weekend Racing Force Group reached an agreement with FOX Sports for the use of the Driver's Eye technology in selected events of the 2025 season, including the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 25. Integration of Driver's Eye in NTT INDYCAR SERIES coverage on FOX begins with this weekend's Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Driver's Eye developed by Zeronoise, the electronics division of Racing Force, is the world's smallest micro-camera for live broadcasting. The FIA-homologated system is installed inside the helmet to give TV viewers the totally immersive experience of the driver's exact point of view during the race. The micro-camera has a size of only 0.35 by 0.35 inches and a weight of .003 of a pound. MSR Partners with St. Thomas University Meyer Shank Racing and St. Thomas University (STU), a Catholic university in Miami, created a partnership offering hand-on experience to STU students to learn more about the engineering, design and business administration roles of the race team. This weekend, STU Big Data Analytics students will work with MSR's NTT INDYCAR SERIES and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship engineering staff, interpreting and learning about the team's data analytics and what goes into the engineering side on a race weekend. The culinary students will work to create a race-specific sports drink. Three flavors will be created. JHR Adds Three Sponsors Juncos Hollinger Racing had a busy week of sponsorship news. MannKind Corporation, a company that develops products to help people manage medical conditions such as diabetes, joined JHR and will be featured on the No. 76 Chevrolet driven by diabetic driver Conor Daly. MannKind will also be a primary sponsor at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix and at World Wide Technology Raceway and will continue to serve as an associate sponsor of Daly throughout the rest of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. JHR also added Liquid I.V. to the organization as an official partner for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. Finally, TrueAGI, an artificial general intelligence company, has renewed its technical partnership with the team for the 2025 season. Odds and Ends All 27 cars feature a LA Strong decal this weekend for overall awareness and support of the wildfires that scorched Southern California in early January. Colton Herta and his sponsor Gainbridge teamed with Pasadena Humane to raise awareness for pet adoption and support animals impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires. Fans can purchase a limited-edition dog bandana at with 100 percent of the proceeds going toward Pasadena Humane. Herta is matching the donations, and his No. 26 Gainbridge Honda features paw prints on the top of the sidepods this weekend. Oliver Wheldon, son of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, will race for VRD Racing in the 2025 USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire Championship with the support of Andretti Global. Wheldon moves up to USF Juniors after a championship-winning 2024 Skip Barber Formula Racing Series championship that earned him a $100,000 scholarship. His brother, Sebastian, won the 2023 title. Oliver had nine wins and 11 podiums. Rahal topped Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing in the final round of the Thunder Thursday Pit Stop Challenge at Long Beach. Spark Compass has become the Official Fan Engagement, CRM, and AI partner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, deploying its patented AI (Augmented Intelligence), Internet of Things and fan engagement technologies. As part of the Ultimate Small Business INDYCAR Experience Sweepstakes, The Maker Society will have its logo prominently displayed on the No. 10 DHL Honda driven by Alex Palou this weekend at Long Beach. The Maker Society was founded by a group of students from California State University Long Beach as a small club dedicated to 3D printing and design. The club has evolved into a business providing prototype and design services while also creating STEM curriculum and educational tools for students across North America. Saturday will feature practice at 11:30 a.m. ET on FS1 and qualifying to set the lineup for Sunday's Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS2. recommended
New York Times
10-04-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Paralyzed in a crash, Robert Wickens kept on racing, and now he's adding a new chapter
The crash was horrifying. During a 2018 IndyCar race, the wheels of Robert Wickens' car clipped those of Ryan Hunter-Reay's car, launching Wickens airborne and into the fencing surrounding Pocono Raceway. Among the injuries Wickens suffered were a thoracic spinal fracture, a neck fracture, tibia and fibula fractures to both legs, fractures in both hands, four fractured ribs and a pulmonary contusion. He also had a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Advertisement At the time, Wickens was on the cusp of stardom in one of motorsports' premier series. That year, he had seven top-five finishes in 14 races, finished ninth in the Indianapolis 500 and won IndyCar's Rookie of the Year honor. Those injuries cut short a promising IndyCar career and could've meant Wickens' days as a professional race car driver were over. But that thought never crossed the now 36-year-old's mind. 'I thought I was going to make the first (IndyCar) race in March the following year,' Wickens said. 'We were always talking about what (racing) would look like if I used hand controls. It was never a question; it was a question of 'How? Where?' I knew it was something that was possible.' Wickens, who regained some use of his legs but lacks the full capability to use them while driving, returned to competitive racing a little over three years after the accident, using a hand-controlled throttle and braking system to control the cars. He competed in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, and in 2023, he captured the drivers' championship. And he isn't done. A new chapter begins this weekend when he moves into an even higher level of racing by competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in a race through the streets of Long Beach, Calif. He'll co-drive a Chevrolet Corvette fielded by DXDT Racing in the highly competitive GTD class, going against Mercedes, Ferrari, Porsche and other top-flight exotic sports cars. Wickens will be on the grid at Long Beach due in part to an electric hand-controlled throttle and braking system, developed by Bosch and Pratt Miller, that he's been able to utilize since returning to racing. Without it, Wickens' driving career would've likely ended in August 2018. However, the system has proven to be an equalizer, allowing him to compete on a mostly level field. And continued technological refinements by Bosch over the past few years have narrowed the performance gap between a car operated by hand controls and one operated by traditional pedals. The hand control operates like similar systems that can be installed in road cars, except this one has been more fine-tuned to allow Wickens to drive almost as if he were using the throttle and brake by foot. He can lightly tap the brake while turning and thereby carry greater speed through the corners. Advertisement 'The best thing about my new system with Bosch is that the tuning can happen in the background because this is an electronic braking system,' Wickens said. 'So if I want more brake sensation or less braking sensation, I can either have a button on the steering wheel that I tune out of brake pressure that I get to apply to the brakes. 'The old system that I was using when I first started, the system was a very mechanical system where there's a bunch of linkages and levers that just pushed the able-bodied brake pedal down, but I would squeeze something with my hand up by the steering wheel. … The downfall of that is there was a lot of latency in that system and a lot of inconsistency.' Because Wickens and fellow driver Tommy Milner must trade off driving the Corvette, Bosch had to develop a straightforward way to switch between Milner using pedals and Wickens the hand controls. 'It's quite impressive,' Milner said. 'There's just one button that either of us has to push to put it in the mode that we want and that switches all the systems over within a second.' Once Wickens was committed to racing again, the challenge of navigating the expense and lack of accessibility only further complicated the endeavor. Finding sufficient sponsorship is often problematic enough in racing; Wickens also had to convince a team owner to install a hand-control system in their car. Having gone through the process himself, Wickens would like to see such features more readily available in commercially produced vehicles. Just as manufacturers use auto racing to develop technology that can be applied to passenger vehicles, Wickens wants to see the same principle applied to hand-controlled systems to make it both convenient and cost-effective. 'I kind of have naive dreams of thinking that there could be a Robert Wickens steering wheel that can just fit into every road car in the world,' he said. 'I'm imagining it's like, 'Oh, yeah, just plug it in like a USB or something and you're on your way.' But I know that that's just not how it works. … 'The reality is, right now, when I'm driving on the road and I want to make a lane change, for example, I have to consciously over-speed because when I take my hand off the throttle to put on my turn signal, I slow down, and my hand isn't on the throttle. Then, I have to signal and put my hand back on the throttle, make the lane change, and then take my hand off the throttle to stop your signal. It's just a lot of extra steps.' Advertisement Long Beach is the first of five events in 2025 in which Wickens will drive the DXDT Racing Corvette entry. Plans beyond this season are still being determined. He is open to securing a full-time ride in the IMSA SportsCar Championship if the opportunity arises. He'd also like to race again in the Indianapolis 500. Wickens downplays the idea that he is an inspiration, but those who know him marvel at how he's refused to let go of his dream of being a professional driver when he had every reason to quit. He also wants to help others facing a similar situation. 'I personally don't feel like I'm an inspiration to anybody, but I'm always kind of humbled when people tell me that I am,' Wickens said. 'After I was paralyzed and out of my medical-induced coma, I was trying to understand what life I had. I was just working hard to try getting myself and my wife the best quality of life possible. 'There are people racing all over the world with disabilities. I'm just fortunate that I had a platform to show my progress where others might not.' (Top photo of Robert Wickens: Courtesy of Chevrolet Racing)
NBC Sports
08-04-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Wickens' return to racing hits new chapter in IMSA
Seven years after an IndyCar crash at Pocono left him paralyzed, Robert Wickens' is suiting up in the IMSA Grand Prix of Long Beach for DXDT Racing with the help of an adaptable hand control system.
