At long last, Spring has finally sprung, but the sunshine isn’t the only thing to be making a welcome return. This weekend marks the start of a new season of LIVE endurance racing on Motorsport.tv and with a combined 10 hours of action on offer from the opening rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series at Silverstone, you won’t be starved for entertainment!
Audi may have departed the FIA World Endurance Championship, but there are plenty of fascinating storylines in the LMP1 class, with greatly reduced downforce increasing the driving challenge and several key changes in personnel. Reigning World Endurance Driver’s Champion Neel Jani is joined in the No. 1 Porsche by Audi refugee Andre Lotterer and Britain’s Nick Tandy – making his first appearance in LMP1 since he won Le Mans in 2015 – while Earl Bamber steps into Mark Webber’s boots in the sister car. Main rivals Toyota topped The Prologue at Monza and have three-time WTCC champion Jose Maria Lopez in their ranks, joining Britain’s Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi. With the all-new LMP2 cars now much closer to the P1s on outright speed – if not yet reliability – and the return of Porsche to GTE-Pro with a radical mid-rear engine layout, Sunday’s 6 Hours of Silverstone will certainly not be lacking for intrigue…
Image courtesy of Porsche Media Centre
The Home of British Motor Racing also plays host to the opening round of the European Le Mans Series, which is showing LIVE on Motorsport.tv on Saturday. The LMP2 class boasts even more variety than in WEC, with three different manufacturers represented including ORECA, Ligier and Dallara. After winning the title last year with Jota Sport, G-Drive Racing has now moved its backing to TDS Racing, with last year’s runner-up Ryo Hirakawa joined by Memo Rojas and Leo Roussel. Spa winners DragonSpeed return with Nicolas Lapierre, Ben Hanley and Henrik Hedman, while goalkeeper-turned-racing driver Fabian Barthez is also back with his own team, co-owned by 1996 Monaco GP winner Olivier Panis.
Image courtesy of Jakob Ebrey Photography
Across the Gulf, the TCR International Series circus moves on to Bahrain, with Davit Kajaia on cloud nine after his breakthrough victory on home soil in Georgia last time out. The GE-Force Alfa Romeo driver won the fan award on his TCR debut in Bahrain last year, but will he be able to usurp Rustavi race two winner Pepe Oriola, who took a stunning double there last year? VW man Oriola can draw level with Stefano Comini as the winningest driver in championship history with a repeat double this weekend, but don’t count out Comini and his brand-new Audi RS3, which finished third in Georgia despite a boxing match with former team-mate Jean-Karl Vernay.
Image courtesy of TCR International Series
.Over on two wheels, the FIM MXGP Championship returns from a South American sojourn to begin the European leg of the season in Italy. Eight-time champion Tony Cairoli always receives a warm welcome from his adoring home fans, but they will be particularly eager to see their hero return to the top step of the podium after reigning champion Tim Gajser swept the last two rounds in Argentina and Mexico. Meanwhile in MX2, a surprise win for Thomas Covington in Mexico helped Jeremy Seewer to maintain his slender advantage in the standings over second-placed Pauls Jonass, the KTM rider still playing catch-up after a disastrous weekend in Indonesia.
Symmons Plains may only be 1.5 miles long, but the Tasmanian venue always provides thrilling racing when the Australian Supercars comes to town. Last weekend was no different, as reigning champion Shane van Gisbergen looked to continue his strong form in Adelaide, but after winning twice in the non-championship Melbourne Grand Prix support race, could Fabian Coulthard challenge his Kiwi compatriot?
Finally, there’s just enough time to cram in highlights from the WRC Rally Corsica, as Thierry Neuville capitalised on Kris Meeke’s misfortune to take an overdue first win of the season for Hyundai, plus coverage from the opening round of the MSA British Rallycross Championship from Croft and round six of the NASCAR Xfinity Series from the newly-repaved Texas Motor Speedway, where Hendrick protégé William Byron and veteran Elliot Sadler looked to continue their duel for supremacy.
Friday 14th April
20:00 – Belgian Rally Championship, Rd 1, Haspengouw
20:30 – Belgian Rally Championship, Rd 2, Spa Rallye
21:00 – FIA World Rally Championship Best Of, Rd 4, Rally France
22:05 – NASCAR Xfinity Series, Rd 6, Texas
Saturday 15th April
09:40 – MSA British Rallycross Championship, Rd 1, Croft
14:15 – LIVE European Le Mans Series, Rd 1, Silverstone
19:00 – Delayed-as-Live TCR International Series, Rd 2, Bahrain (Race 1)
20:20 – Australia Supercars Championship, Rd 2, Tasmania
22:25 – FIM X-Trial of Nations, Pau
Sunday 16th April
08:50 – Caterham UK Racing, Rd 1, Snetterton
11:45 – LIVE FIA World Endurance Championship, Rd 1, Silverstone
19:00 – Delayed-as-Live FIM MX2 Championship, Rd 5, Trentino (Race 1)
19:50 – Delayed-as-Live FIM MXGP Championship, Rd 5, Trentino (Race 1)
20:40 – Delayed-as-Live FIM MX2 Championship, Rd 5, Trentino (Race 2)
21:30 – Delayed-as-Live FIM MXGP Championship, Rd 5, Trentino (Race 2)
22:20 – Delayed-as-Live TCR International Series, Rd 2, Bahrain (Race 2)
