Penske and ECR reshuffle Engineering

Although they’re not alone in the pursuit of the “Unfair Advantage!”

 

Laying dormant over thoust winter slumber, thru the new year and first four races. I’ve finally been able to track down the results of the significant engineering reshuffle at Team Penske this season. With the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle being Tim Cindric’s re-hiring.

 

Following last May’s firing of Cindric, Ron Ruzewski and Kyle Moyer, Porsche Penske Motorsport major domo Jonathan Diuguid assumed Cindric’s role and is in charge of the IndyCar and IMSA GTP programs. With Travis Law serving as Competition Director.

 

David Faustino, Will Power’s engineer and 16 year Penske veteran has been appointed as Technical Director, overseeing R&D and technical aspects of the IndyCar program.

 

Ben Bretzman, who’s served as Simon Pagenaud’s and Scott McLaughlin’s race engineer. Was promoted to Engineering Manager of Competition, overseeing all three Team Penske IndyCar’s engineering efforts.

 

Josef Schlick’ Newgarden retains His Indianapolis 500 winning race engineer Luke Mason and team boss Jonathan Diuguid as race strategist.

 

ScottyMac’, ergo Scott McLaughlin has new race engineer Raul Brados. And on the timing stand, Tim Cindric as strategist.

 

David Malukas continues with James Schnadel as race engineer, the pair working together at Foyt last year. While Travis Law steps up to being a first time race strategist.

 

Matt Johnsson, a former chief mechanic becomes the new Assembly Manager. While Robbie Atikson becomes the new Team Manager.

 

Another IndyCar team making significant changes over winter was Ed Carpenter Racing. (ECR) With Matt Barnes being elevated to Vice President of Competition.

 

Thus relative newcomer Quentin Montigaud, who becomes Alexander Rossi’s new strategist. As the former Formula E employee will also engineer Rossi’s car, after serving as performance engineer last year on the No. 20 ECR entry. While Christian Rasmussen’s No. 21 entry retains Peter Craik.

 

Robert Gue, former Arrow Mclaren and Prema Racing employee joins ECR as Special Projects Manager. Derek Davidson, former Rahal Letterman Lanigan (RLL) chief mechanic and team manager becomes ECR’s new team manager. And Chase Campbell has been hired as the team’s first ever Stregth and Conditioning coach; also overseeing pit stop practice for both entries, and serve as pit stop coach.

 

On an unrelated note. Ryan Briscoe, former sporting director of Prema Racing, has taken up a similar role for RLL, working with its three drivers, primarily newcomer Mick Schumacher. While veteran engineer Mike Pawlowski who recently worked with Kyle Larson, becomes Schumacher’s race engineer.

 

Then after finishing this story. I spotted news that Pawlowski will shift to an R&D engineering role at RLL, since the chemistry between Him and Mick wasn’t panning out.

 

Veteran engineer Ed Jones will fill-in at Barber, and remain with Schumacher thru Long Beach. Then shifts over to Takuma Sato’s No. 75 entry for theIMS Open test and Indianapolis 500. With the team using this time to determine who Schumacher’s next race engineer for the remainder of the season will be. 

A Different Herta moves to Sports Cars

Hey, I had to do it. As Pun intended…

 

Forgive Mwah if my No Fenders content takes a slight dive here, Y’all. But I’m still patiently Cough-Cough! Waiting for Racer.com’s 2.0 website revision to comply with WCAG 2.2 Accessibility standards.

 

And Nah, I haven’t been holding my breath since this was promised Wayback’ on August 1st. So never fear Yuhs Blue Smurfs!

 

Thus perusing Daily Sports Car, I ran across the article about BHA joining forces with PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports, Huh?

 

For those of Yuhs who still don’t know what I’m talking about? Which Tacoma Bureau Chief Mary Ellen says is a common occurrence, Youch! Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) will make the leap to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s LMP2 category next year.

 

As Bryan Herta, Colton’s father, has run a very successful motorsports team for several years now, Uhm decades. Most notably winning the Indianapolis 500 twice as a Car owner. First in 2011 with the late Dan Wheldon. And then in conjunction with Mikey A’, and Andretti Autosport as co-owner of Alexander Rossi’s Centenary edition 2016 Indy 500 winner.

 

BHA has been most successful in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge with Hyundai. Winning six manufacturers Championships. Along with five straight Touring Car (TCR) titles between 2019-2023. Most notably when Robert Wickens and co-driver Harry Gottsacker won the title in 2023. Aboard their Hyundai Elantra N TCR, specially adapted with Hand Controls, which BHA pioneered in the TCR class with Michael Johnson.

 

PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports has been a perennial winner in the LMP2 category, having claimed five of six LMP2 titles, last in 2024. Making this partnership a force to be reckoned with!

 

As the No. 52 Oreca/Gibson V-8  LMP2 entry will be run out of BHA’s new premises in Brownsburg, Indiana. Debuting at the forthcoming November IMSA test at Daytona, with drivers to be named later.

 

Purely speculating, could this be a tune-up for BHA running Hyundai’s Genesis Magma Racing GMR001 Prototype in IMSA GTP in 2027? You Make the Call… 

MOTO GP: Steiner leads Tech3 Takeover

As may be NetFlix will need to start a Real Housewives of MotoGP series, Eh?

 

Herr Guenther’, aka Guenter Steiner, former Haas F1 Team Principal who resides in North Carolina. Leads a consortium that has bought the Red Bull KTM Tech3 MotoGP team from current owner Herve Poncharal, and will take over ownership beginning in 2026.

 

Poncharal will stay on as team consultant next year, and the satellite KTM squad will remain in its base in France, along with all of its current staff.

 

Steiner, (age 60) will be the team’s CEO, with Richard Coleman becoming the new Team Principal, in what’s rumoured to have been a $20m Euros transaction. Apex Management Group and Icon Capital led the group of investors in this purchase. With the deal being announced at the Barcelona MotoGP round.

 

Steiner says that Dorna Sports told Him to “Not F**K IT UP!” As presumably this scratches Herr Guenther’s itch to return to the Paddock, albeit in two wheels instead of four…

 

As Poncharal founded Tech3 in 1990, first contesting the 250cc Grand Prix category, which the team won with Olivier Jacque in 2000 riding a Yamaha.

 

For 2001,  the team based in Bormes les Mimosas, France graduated to the GP500 series, forerunner of today’s MotoGP, continuing with Yamaha. As the team would include the impressive lineup of Ben ELBOZ’ Spies and Colin Edwards in 2010.

 

Tech3 made the shock decision to switch to KTM Scooters’ for the 2019 MotoGP season, becoming KTM’s satellite squad.

 

Miguel Oliveira won His and Tech3’s maiden MotoGP race at Spielberg the following year, on Tech3’s 373rd start. And Oliveira backed this up by winning again at season’s end at His Home race in Portugal.

 

Tech3’s current MotoGP riders are Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini, who ranked P14-15 Overall respectively prior to Barcelona. Whilst Tech3 also competes in Moto3 currently with riders Jacob Roulstone and Valentin Perron.

 

Meanwhile, and Don’t tell DC Comics about this! But just think of the fun they could have with Herr Guenther’, Vinales who’s nickname includes Top Gun and Batman. Whilst Bastianini is known as The Beast, just Sayin’, Hya! 

MOTO GP: the Forgotten Championship?

As the title fight tightens up between two Ducati riders…

 

Unless there’s a MotoGP race weekend that doesn’t conflict with IndyCar Broadcast-wise, I tend to lose track of the latest news surrounding it. Especially since I still haven’t managed to find a decent MotoGP News website that works favourably with my screen reader, “Zoey the Princess Warrior”.

 

With an “Off” weekend IndyCar-wise, I decided to tune into both the TT Circuit Assen’s MotoGP sprint and main races a Fortnight ago.

 

And whilst I wasn’t surprised that Pecco’ Bagnaia swept the weekend, and continues to claw His way back towards the championship points lead. Emulating Max Verstappen with a “clean” sweep of the weekend by leading every single session, i.e.; practice, qualifying and both races wire-to-twire!

 

Now trailing Jorge Martin by only 10 markers following the Dutch Grand Prix, having shaved eight points off of Martin’s ever shrinking points lead at Assen. While Martin hopes to stem the tide at the following Sachsenring round in Germany.

 

I was surprised by the news that Prima Pramac Racing is leaving Ducati after a twenty year partnership to become Yamaha’s new Satellite team for 2025.

 

Yet Pramac will receive current Factory spec machinery, giving Yamaha four current Scooters’ on the grid to speed-up development of the YZR-M1, in hopes of returning Yamaha back to the podium’s top step.

 

As there’s no word on who Pramac’s riders will be next year, albeit the team sounds like they want experienced riders versus rookies next year. Giving KTM’s recently ousted Jack “thriller” Miller and others good opportunity for next season, with Miguel Oliverira’s name having also been mentioned.

 

As Franco Morbidelli sounds somewhat resigned to not returning to Pramac next year, leading me to believe they’ll have an all new rider line-up next season…

 

Meanwhile Aprilia announced that Marco Bezzecchi will join Jorge Martin as it’s two werks’ rider for next year, with both signed to de riggour “Multi-year” (two year) contracts…

 

This sees Maverick “Top gun” Vinales joining “the Beast” Enea Bastianini at what will become the rebranded KTM Tech 3 Satellite Squad next year. With Pedro Acosta previously having been announced as Miller’s replacement alongside Brad Binder in the Factory KTM team.

 

Although KTM a la Yamahhopper’ will supply top-flight Werks’ specification Scooters’ for all four of it’s team riders. Also hoping to make a step forward with it’s RC16 race bikes.

 

And that’s just some of the latest NotoGP news I’ve learned over the Assen TT race weekend. Whilst I’m certain Thars muc more I’ve missed…

 

Meanwhile, tuning into the Sachsenring action, Martin put an audacious pass upon Bagnaia during the sprint race, with Michel Oliveira doing likewise. Then holding off Bagnaia to the end of the race to claim His first podium finish of the season, with Bagnaia settling for third place.

 

Martin gained five points on Bagnaia prior to the main race on Sunday.

 

Inexplicably, Martin crashed out of the German Grand Prix whilst leading with two laps remaining! And with Bagnaia winning His fourth consecutive MotoGP race, Pecco’ now leads Jorge 222 to 212 points! While Marc Marquez is 56 markers adrift in third with 166 points.

 

It was Bagnaia’s 200th Grands Prix start, with the Italian rider becoming Ducati’s most successful winner.

 

While brother Marc and Alex Marquez who finished second and third respectively, becoming the first brother pairing to share a podium since 1997.

 

As Martin will have a month’s time to rue His mistake. As MotoGP goes on it’s Summer’s “Holiday” until resuming action at Silverstone on august 4th.