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Archives for January 2021

New Canadian series promises international quality competition

January 20, 2021 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Motorsport, like just about every business/activity/hobby/sport/whatever, has been in a bit of a state of flux since March 2020, as the world figures out how to deal with the challenges presented by operating during a global pandemic.

That doesn’t mean that those behind the scenes are just hanging out on the couch swilling PBR and downing Doritos like the government wants us to do.

There are those who are so passionate about the health of motorsport that they are, in between snacks, are laying the foundation for the future of racing. Chris Bye from FEL Enterprises is one of those guys.

Bye’s business FEL is known for hosting top flight events for auto manufacturers, but his passion is racing. So much so that he spends an inordinate amount of time working with up and coming drivers, who have their eye on a career as Canada’s next international superstar.

We are arguably in a modern golden age of motorsport, when a significant number of auto manufacturers are building true turn-key race cars. Cars that the aspirational racing team can buy and go racing without doing anything beyond choosing their own suspension settings. Perhaps even more exciting is that those aspirational teams have the opportunity to prove their mettle against actual factory run racing teams.

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INDYCAR Announces Paretta Autosport

January 20, 2021 by ponycargirl Leave a Comment

Sandwiched between the United States holiday celebrating the life of slain Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., and January 20 when a new US president will be inaugurated, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES announced a new team formed by Beth Paretta. Paretta Autosport, a team geared towards motorsports opportunities for women, is entering the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge with Simona De Silvestro as the driver of the Chevrolet-powered number 16 car.

This won’t be Paretta’s first time putting together a woman-focused INDYCAR team. She formed Grace Autosport to enter the Indy 500 in 2016 with the goal of giving visibility and opportunity to women and girls in STEM careers (science, technology, engineering, and math). While Grace Autosport had all of the necessary components to race – including driver Katherine Legge, who at the time was also piloting the Nissan Delta Wing in the North American Endurance Cup – Paretta ended up pulling out after not being able to secure a viable race car.

Driver Simona De Silvestro has a deep resume in motorsports, having raced four full seasons in the INDYCAR series and winning 2010 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. At the 2013 Grand Prix of Houston, the Swiss driver earned her first INDYCAR podium, placing second in the first race and becoming the third woman in the series with a podium finish. The other two women? None other than Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher. Since her last full INDYCAR season in 2013, De Silvestro has been a test driver for Formula 1 and competed in Formula e and Supercars Championship, among others.

This is all part of an INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway “Race for Equality & Change” initiative announced in July of 2020. A $1 million fund was set up to support diversity in the driver pool, the SERIES workforce, promoters, and vendors, as well as fan engagement. INDYCAR isn’t the only North American series to realize a certain homogeneity in the sport. NASCAR faced a rather public reckoning in early 2020 after banning the Confederate Flag from their races. Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said in July, “As our country has grappled with systemic issues related to race, equality and access to opportunity, we’ve been doing a lot of listening, learning and reflecting. Race for Equality & Change’ will create a more diverse and inclusive INDYCAR community that fundamentally transforms our sport.”

Also part of this initiative, the “Force Indy” team was announced in early December 2020. Team Principal Rod Reid is in the process of testing drivers, focusing on Black American men and women, to race in the 2021 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship. 

While the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar is still subject to change depending on the ongoing Corona virus pandemic, it is tentatively slated to start April 11 at Alabama’s Barber Motorsports Park. 

You can follow both teams on Instagram: 
@forceindy99 
@parettaautosport

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