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News

Past And Present MotoGP Icons Grace The 2023 Goodwood Festival Of Speed

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual motorsports event that celebrates the rich legacy of motor racing while embracing the modern era. The festival showcases historic vehicles and pays homage to the passion and camaraderie that define the world of motorsports.

The 2023 festival featured the presence of past and present MotoGP icons, adding excitement to the otherwise serene atmosphere of the Goodwood Estate in West Sussex, England. The sound of classic and modern race bikes reverberated throughout the festival, captivating the attention of spectators.

Past And Present MotoGP Icons Grace The 2023 Goodwood Festival Of Speed
Past And Present MotoGP Icons Grace The 2023 Goodwood Festival Of Speed

Despite the wet weather, both past and present MotoGP icons showcased their skills on the track. Pol Espargaro, Michele Pirro, Mika Kallio, and Lorenzo Savadori were among the riders who displayed the 2023 lineup of race bikes, representing GasGas Factory Racing, Ducati Lenovo Racing Team, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, and Aprilia Racing, respectively.

The following day focused on the legends and icons who have shaped MotoGP. The highlight was the appearance of Casey Stoner, who rode his iconic Ducati Desmosedici GP with the Number 1 livery from the 2008 season. Stoner’s presence evoked nostalgia and reminded fans of the excitement during the peak of MotoGP. Other notable icons who joined the event included Kevin Schwants, Wayne Gardner, Randy Mamola, and Kenny Roberts Jr.

Motorsport

Ford Factory Prepares for Dakar Race with Ranger Raptor T1+

Ford has a long history of success in motorsports, but they have never participated as a factory-backed team in the Dakar, the toughest off-road race in the world. However, that is set to change next year as Ford Performance announces their entry into the Dakar Race with a new Ranger Raptor in the top-tier T1+ category.

Mark Rushbrook, the global director at Ford Performance Motorsports, explained that while there was a Ford South Africa effort in 2014, this time they will be going as a factory team with great partners.

Ford Ranger Raptor T1+ Dakar
Ford Ranger Raptor T1+ Dakar

The Dakar is known for its challenges, and this year’s race covered over 3,000 miles of Saudi Arabian desert. Participants faced intense conditions like heavy rains, rocky terrain, and other grueling obstacles. In January 2024, Ford Performance will enter a Ranger Raptor into the T1+ category, which is the top class where renowned drivers like Nasser Al-Attiyah and Sebastien Loeb competed for overall victory last year.

To come out on top, Ford will rely on the assistance of their partners. One major partner is Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM), a South African team that already worked on a Dakar entry in 2014. NWM will take charge of the design and initial development of the Ranger Raptor, a process that has been underway for several years. Ford Performance’s direct involvement marks a significant development.

The other partner is M-Sport, the race shop led by Malcom Wilson that has been responsible for Ford’s World Rally Championship efforts for over 25 years. According to Rushbrook, M-Sport has vast experience in designing and engineering vehicles, as well as building service and support trucks, which are crucial for success in the Dakar.

It seems that NWM will primarily handle the development of the 2024 truck, while M-Sport will take care of the logistical challenges involved in running and supporting the team throughout the demanding Dakar race.

ToyotaUk

Toyota Racing’s Antron Brown Is Focused on the Next Generation

The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is home to many well-known drivers, with Antron Brown being one of them. Brown is a Team Toyota motorsports driver who has been with them for 16 years now. He also became the first African-American driver in history to win a major auto racing championship in the United States in 2012, claiming the NHRA Top Fuel series title.

In 2022, Brown created his own team, AB Motorsports, after spending several years with Don Schumacher Racing. Last year, his team finished second in its debut season. Brown is proud of all they have accomplished, and his plan is to continue building something special.

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How Hard Work Pays Off

Antron Brown comes from a family that instilled the values of hard work and dedication from a young age. For as long as he can remember, he has watched his family run a family-owned septic business, and it has been his grandfather’s practice to give them everything they needed as long as they worked for it.

While Brown was already familiar with drag racing due to his father and uncle’s passion for it, he was initially not interested in pursuing this career. Instead, Brown wanted to race in motocross, even though he was not fond of how much time drag racers spend on making modifications to their vehicles instead of actually driving them. However, as he grew older and gained more driving experience, his initial distaste for drag racing turned into a newfound appreciation for the sport.

Shaping the Future of Drag Racing through AB Motorsports

As AB Motorsports’ owner and driver, Antron Brown is focused on creating a legacy that will last for years to come. He is heavily invested in bringing young talent into the sport, thereby ensuring its continued development. To that end, he has introduced his own children to drag racing through the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing series, in which children as young as five years old can drive half-scale dragsters.

Brown believes that it is essential to cultivate more racers earlier in order to attract new fans to the sport. He is dedicated to identifying talented young racers and has made it his mission through ABM to give them a chance to pursue their passion for drag racing.

“It really gets me pumped up when I can see somebody that has passion and that want-to,” Brown says. “That’s something you can’t instill in people. And I see it every day in those junior dragster ranks.”