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Mini That Won Goodwood Race To Honor 60 Years Of Cooper Had Livery Designed By 9-Year-Old

The trend of racecar drivers allowing their helmet or car liveries to be designed by children is one of the purest forms of sweetness in motorsports. Fun, kind, and a way of reaching out to youth, the practice has now extended to the Goodwood Revival grid.

In the John Whitmore Trophy race that celebrated 60 years of the Mini Cooper and featured 30 Minis battling out with some of motorsport’s most illustrious names at the wheels, one car, the 1963 Morris Mini Cooper S raced by Nick Swift and Andrew Jordan, featured a very bright livery.

Stanley Wilkinson, a 9-year-old who took inspiration from Richard Petty’s legendary Plymouth Superbird, designed the livery that won the “Design a Mini” competition at Goodwood SpeedWeek last year to become a reality and line up in the one-off race held especially to commemorate the legacy of the car.

“I had the best day at the Revival,” said Wilkinson. “I was really excited to see the Mini and I could not believe it when I saw it in real life, it was exactly like my design.”

The drivers, Swift and Jordan, had quite the competition on their hands for the September 18th race. They lined up alongside former F1 drivers Jochen Mass, Brendon Hartley, Martin Brundle, and Karun Chandhok, as well Tiff Needell, Jean-Eric Vergne, and Le Mans legends Emanuele Pirro and Andre Lotterer. AC/DC lead singer, and known petrolhead, Brian Johnson was among the contestants, too.

As the 45-minute race elapsed, though, Swift and Jordan proved their mettle, beating their rivals and winning the race.

“It was an honor to be a part of this project although I can’t say I’ve ever had a Mini with a rear wing before!,” said Swift. “It was brilliant to be back out on the track at Goodwood and thanks to my co-driver Andrew, we were able to bring home the win and celebrate with Stanley.”

Wilkinson was, of course, also thrilled with the outcome of the race: “I was cheering on the Mini during the race and it was amazing when Nick and Andrew won, and I got to celebrate with them afterwards. It was a day I will never forget.”

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Ferrari Announces Le Mans Hypercar Entry, Will Compete In 2023

Ferrari has become the latest automaker to announce a Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) program.

The company didn’t say much about their effort, but confirmed the program was greenlighted following careful study and analysis.

Development is already underway as the automaker has spent the past few weeks working on the car’s design as well as running simulations. If everything goes according to plan, Ferrari will enter the new top class of the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2023.

Also Read: Toyota GR010 Hybrid Unveiled With Twin-Turbo 3.5-Liter V6 For Le Mans Hypercar Class

This will be a big moment for Ferrari as 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of their last official participation in the World Sports Car Championship. Ferrari went on to say they “proactively helped to establish” the FIA World Endurance Championship and aren’t a stranger to the 24 Hours of Le Mans as they have racked up 36 victories over the years.

In a statement, Ferrari President John Elkann said “In over 70 years of racing, on tracks all over the world, we led our closed-wheel cars to victory by exploring cutting-edge technological solutions: innovations that arise from the track and make every road car produced in Maranello extraordinary. With the new Le Mans Hypercar program, Ferrari once again asserts its sporting commitment and determination to be a protagonist in the major global motorsport events.”

While Ferrari didn’t go into many specifics, they confirmed drivers and the name of the car will be revealed in future announcements.

Regardless, they’ll be competing against Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, Peugeot and Toyota. Aston Martin was supposed to be part of that group, but they pulled out last year.

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Audi RS E-Tron GT Teased Before Pacing The Field At 24 Hours Of Spa

Audi has showcased a prototype of the RS E-Tron GT ahead of its public debut leading the field during the formation lap at the 24 Hours of Spa next weekend.

The German car manufacturer has teased its upcoming E-Tron GT on a number of occasions in recent months, but this is the first time it has previewed the flagship RS model. There are no apparent visual differences between this RS prototype and lesser E-Tron GTs, but under the skin, there will be changes.

As with lesser E-Tron GT variants, the RS model will use the same platform as the Porsche Taycan, but whereas the Porsche only two electric motors, some reports claim the RS E-Tron GT will have three, two at the rear axle and one at the front. These motors will reportedly combine to produce approximately 700 hp, allowing the EV to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3 seconds.

Powering the three electric motors will be a 95 kWh battery pack that will offer a range of approximately 250 miles (400 km).

“The Audi R8 and the RS e-tron GT prototype with its expressive design stand for sportiness in the present and the future, both on the road and in racing,” head of Audi Sport customer racing Chris Reinke said about the prototype’s presence at Spa. “The fascinating Audi RS e-tron GT prototype is the ideal basis for a promising concept with electrified drives in GT racing, as announced by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation with the GTX World Tour.”

“The Audi RS e-tron GT prototype is the first all-electric high-performance model from Audi and the next icon in the RS model portfolio,” added director of sales & marketing at Audi Sport Rolf Michl. “With it, we are heralding a new era of the two letters RS at Audi.”

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