Category: Radical Cup

It was a busy day on track at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto as Radical Cup North America teams and competitors hit the track Friday for three on-track sessions. Taking on the 1.786-mile, 11-turn street circuit for practice, qualifying, and the first wheel-to-wheel action of the weekend, 39 drivers raced hard for pole positions and the podium’s top step.

Platinum

After the single practice session on Friday morning, drivers rolled straight into qualifying just after lunch, with the results setting the grid for race one later that afternoon. Louis Schriber (EVR Motorsports) was the quickest qualifier overall and in the Platinum class, but it wasn’t without consequence as contact with the wall late in the session brought out the red flag and an eventual end to qualifying. Turning a lap of 1m14.574s, Schriber was exactly 0.2s ahead of Platinum class championship point leader Jon Field (ONE Motorsports). Wayne Williams (Esses Racing) was the best of the rest in third with Kevin Poitras (Radical Canada East) and Chip Romer (ONE Motorsports) rounding out the top-five.

Wayne Williams was aggressive on a late-race restart, managed to take the point from Jon Field with six minutes remaining, and never looked back. Leading late before the final yellow flag came out and ended the race, Williams, a dirt racer turned Radical Cup competitor, earned his first career series victory and the fastest lap of the race.

Spinning because of the battle with Williams, Jon Field fell to sixth on the results sheets and opened the door for Chip Romer and Kevin Poitras to climb onto the second and third steps of the podium. Schriber, who started from the pole position after his team was able to get his car rebuilt, lacked the pace to compete and eventually finished fourth, ahead of Scott Wagner in fifth. Following the race, Poitras was hit for a passing under the yellow penalty and relegated to fifth, putting Schriber on the podium in third and Scott Wagner in fourth.

Pro 1500

Jordan Missig (Graham Rahal Performance) topped the charts in the Pro 1500 class as he was quick on the streets of Toronto clocking the second-quickest time overall. Spencer Schmidt (Cameron Racing) was a distant second having only been on the track for one session with Evan Slater (EVR Motorsports) a scant 0.007s behind him. The second of the GRP drivers, Nick d’Orlando, slotted into the fourth position with Matt Romer (ONE Motorsports) in P5.

Missig continued the GRP domination in Pro 1500 as he scampered away early on and took the win after starting from the pole position. To flex his muscles and show his speed around the streets, Missig earned the fastest lap of the Pro 1500 drivers, besting his teammate Nick d’Orlando by a tenth of a second with d’Orlando on the podium in third. Splitting the two GRP drivers as EVR Motorsports competitor Evan Slater as he continues his strong run as of late adding another piece of hardware to his trophy case. With his dad Chip on the podium in the Platinum class, son Matt narrowly missed the feat in Pro 1500 as he finished fourth ahead of Canadian and Racing With Autism driver Austin Riley.

Pro 1340

2023 Pro 1340 runner-up and multi-time race winner Mike Anzaldi (RYNO Racing with Team Stradale) returned to the top of the charts in qualifying as he earned the pole position for the 1340 class. RySpec Racing’s Mayer Deonarine was just over 0.3s behind in second but was 0.3s quicker than Suellio Almeida (Graham Rahal Performance) in third. Crown Racing with Apex’s Seth Bacon, whose son is competing in USF2000, was fourth in class, just ahead of Pro 1340 championship leader Chris McMurry (Crown Racing with Apex).

Canadian Deonarine secured his first career Pro 1340 win as he followed in the footsteps of Williams to take the checkered flag. Not the fastest driver in the Pro 1340 field over the 21-lap race, Deonarine kept a strong and hungry field behind him to claim some hardware. Pro 1340-point leader McMurry advanced from his starting position to extend his championship lead, finishing second, while Anzaldi fell from his pole position effort to finish third when the checkered flag flew. The fastest lap of the race went to Suellio Almeida as he showed his speed to finish fourth, with Ibby Hadeed (Graham Rahal Performance) in fifth. McMurry fell to fourth on the results sheets due to a passing under the yellow infraction opened the door for a Deonarine, Anzaldi, and Almeida podium.

RCC 1340

Young Canadian Kenny Riedmann (RRM) led the RCC 1340 class in qualifying with a blistering lap time that earned him the pole position, more than a second ahead of his rivals. Owen Clarke (JMJS Motorsports) and Jonathan Woolridge slotted into the second and third positions respectively, ahead of the fourth- and fifth-place qualifiers of Travis Hill (TWOth Autosport) and Brady Clapham (Radical Canada).

A rocketship on track, Riedmann was able to convert his pole position into a race win and also score the fastest lap of the race to take top honors in RCC 1340. Woolridge, who started third, was able to advance one position and climb to the second step of the podium as he looks to do more tomorrow with the block being rounded out by Travis Hill. Behind the podium trio, Owen Clarke and Brady Clapham rounded out the top five. Similar to a Platinum class driver, Woolridge was dropped down the running order after a post-race review for yellow flag infringement that saw him classified seventh. With Riedmann the victor, the official podium results included Travis Hill in second with Owen Clarke in third.

RCC Masters

It was the No. 07 entry of Tim Sanderson (Northwest Atlantic MS) and the No. 2 entry of Robert Burgess (Radical Canada) who were on top after qualifying as they would occupy the RCC Masters front row. Daniel Earle (Radical Canada) and Liang Qiu (TWOth Autosport) would roll off from row two ahead of John Hughes (Radical Canada) and Jon Sobol (JMJS Motorsports) in row three.

Much like Riedmann did in the RCC 1340 class, Sanderson dominated the RCC Master class taking the win and honors for the fastest race lap in his class. Burgess crossed the line in second as the top two qualifiers finished first and second on track. Liang Qui and Daniel Earle swapped third and fourth between when the green flag waved and the checkered flag flew with Qiu getting the best of the duo to stand on the podium. Earle crossed the line in fourth with Sobol in P5.

Drivers will be back on track Saturday for the second race of the weekend with race three taking place on Sunday. Stay tuned to the Radical Cup North America pages for news, information, photos, and results from the event weekend.

Radical Cup North America events are open to local and regional Radical racers of all ages with eligible cars to participate. More information, including links to register for events and obtain licensing, can be found at www.radicalmotorsport.com. Stay tuned to the Radical Cup social media pages for the latest series news and updates.

 

The penultimate event weekend of the 2024 Radical Cup North America season sees competitors head north of the border to Toronto, Ontario this weekend. Not only will drivers be taking on the streets of Toronto alongside the NTT IndyCar Series, the Emzone Radical Cup Canada series has swelled the Radical Cup ranks, which will see 39 Radicals tackle the 1.786-mile, 11-turn, barrier-lined circuit.

“We’re delighted to yet again be showcasing the Emzone Radical Cup Canada run by FEL Motorsports alongside Radical Cup North America in Toronto,” said Radical’s Tom Drewer. “Both series have turned up in force, and if we see 37 cars take the green, it will be the largest ever Radical Cup field to race here in North America.”

The Platinum class will feature series regulars with ONE Motorsports driver Jon Field leading the way. Scoring multiple wins this season and a threat for the title, Field will look to add more victories to his resume this weekend. Fellow ONE Motorsports teammate Chip Romer will help his stablemate when he can but will also look to beat him to the checkered flag. The pair will battle the EVR Motorsports trio of Scott Wagner, Jim Booth, and Louis Schriber. EVR Motorsports is coming off a season-best event at Laguna Seca and will look to carry that momentum into Canada. Esses with Crown Racing driver Wayne Williams along with Radical Canada East’s Kevin Poitras will both by flying the Canadian flag and will both look to challenge for a podium finish or two on home soil.

In the always competitive Pro 1500 ranks, EVR Motorsports Evan Slater is coming off a career-best event in California and would like nothing more than to earn three wins on the Streets of Toronto. Nine other drivers will look to steal his momentum including a trio of Cameron Racing entries in Spencer Schmidt, Arul Venkatesh, and Corey Neveau while the multi-time winning Graham Rahal Performance program will enter Nick d’Orlando and Jordan Missig. Both drivers have scored wins and podium results and find themselves in contention for the Pro 1500 title.

2023 Pro 1340 podium winner and Racing With Autism driver Austin Riley will look to make his hometown fans proud while Group-A Racing will see Jack Yang battle in one of their prepped machines. Richard Durocher will join Slater in the EVR motorsports camp while Matt Romer, son of Platinum class driver Chip Romer, will look to see if the father and son duo can pick up wins in two different classes.

Two drivers dominated the Pro 1340 class in the past two event weekends and will fight head-to-head again in Toronto. Canadian resident Suellio Almeida, who competes out of the Graham Rahal Performance camp, and Crown Racing with Apex’s Chris McMurry have both earned multiple wins this season and they will look for more on the challenging street circuit. GRP teammates Kenny Naill and team newcomer Ibby Hadeed will join Almeida. While making his series debut this weekend, Hadeed is a Gulf Radical Cup regular in the Middle East, and another Canadian to watch, as is Seth Bacon, another podium winner who joins McMurry in the Crown Racing with Apex stable. RYNO with Team Stradale had a very strong Barber Motorsports Park event and will look to get back to their winning ways in Canada with Mike Anzaldi. Canadian outfit RySpec Racing will enter the youngest driver in the field Mayer Deonarine. At just 15 years of age, Mayer starred in the opening round at Sebring and has four podiums this season while also contesting GB4 in England. All cars in the Radical Cup North America field will be running on Hankook rubber.

Fifteen Emzone Radical Cup Canada drivers will tackle the tight and twisty circuit, with five of those entries making up the Masters class and nine in the outright ranks in 1340cc Radical SR3 machinery shod with Michelin tires. Championship leader Owen Clarke and JMJS Motorsports will look to add to their tally of wins but will have fierce competition in the likes of Kenny Riedmann in the RRM No. 42 and Travis Hill in the TWOth Autosport No. 22 machine. The sole female in the field, Alana Carter will pilot a Radical Academy entry.

Radical Canada East will have a trio of drivers looking to fight for the win in John Painter, Steven Chen and Brady Clapham while Chris Styles and Mark Boyd represent Auto Electric Motorsports. In the Masters class, Radical Canada fields Robert Burgess and Daniel Earle while TWOth Autosport will enter Liang Qiu. John Hughes and Radical Canada West will make their series debut, after travelling all the way from Area 27 in British Columbia. Jon Sobol with JMJS Motorsports and Tim Sanderson with Northwest Atlantic Motorsports will round out the FEL Motorsports RCC entry list.

Drivers will hit the track on Friday with three wheel-to-wheel races over the weekend. Stay tuned to the Radical Cup North America pages for news, information, photos, and results from the event weekend. All three races will be livestreamed on Radical Motorsport’s YouTube channel.

Radical Cup North America events are open to local and regional Radical racers of all ages with eligible cars to participate. More information, including links to register for events and obtain licensing, can be found at www.radicalmotorsport.com. Stay tuned to the Radical Cup social media pages for the latest series news and updates.

 

The majority of purpose-built race cars are offered only in white. They get wrapped, they get raced, they get crashed, they get repaired and sent back out to race again. Over half of the 150+ Radical race cars that leave the Cambridgeshire, UK each year are also ordered in white for this reason. However, not all racers want to follow the trend, and for this reason Radical offers seven different colors for bodywork, with an eighth bespoke option that caught the attention of back-to-back Gulf Radical Cup Champion, Alex Bukhanstov.

Bukhanstov decided on a unique “Ruby” color when ordering his new Radical SR3 XXR in preparation for the 2024-25 season, where he will be defending his title for the third year in a row. It’s currently the only SR3 XXR in this color although the factory team can offer it for subsequent customers, available to order through Radical’s 30+ global dealers.

Reigning Gulf Radical Cup champion Alex Bukhanstov ordered his Ruby SR3 XXR through Radical UAE, operated by GulfSport, one of the longest-standing members of the Radical Motorsport dealer network. Celebrated for its racing credibility, much like Bukhanstov, GulfSport is also the back-to-back winner of the Radical Dealer of the Year award for the Rest of World region, which spans Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

Headed by father-son duo Barry and Martin Hope, and based at the FIA-sanctioned Dubai Autodrome, GulfSport has long been a focal point in the Gulf’s motorsport community. Opening in 2004, GulfSport has been developing the Radical market across the Gulf region for over twenty years. In 2005, it established the Gulf Radical Cup, which remains one of the most popular of the official Radical Cup championships around the world, and this November Radical UAE will be hosting the 2024 Radical World Finals at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Creating this unique Ruby color for the fiber-reinforced composite bodywork panels was the task given to the experienced team at Radical’s Cambridgeshire, UK factory. Small samples were first created that could be easily sent to the customer in Dubai, allowing them to see first-hand how the color looks in the sunshine of Dubai. Once approved by the customer, the in-house body shop team could get started, while next door, in the main Radical assembly hall, the spaceframe chassis, 1500cc RPE engine and internals of the race car are bought to life.

Mixing specially-formulated pigments into the gelcoat layer creates a colored, glossy surface that will retain the SR3 XXR’s finish for years to come. Plus it won’t easily chip like paint when pushing up to, and occasionally beyond, the limits of both car and driver.

Evan Slater and EVR Motorsports turned some heads last weekend by earning three wins in the Pro 1500 class at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Chip Romer was able to end Jon Field’s winning streak in Platinum, while Blake McGovern took home some hardware in Pro 1340, disposing of Chris McMurry. With only six races remaining, championship battles will continue on the Streets of Toronto in July.

Platinum
For the first time all weekend long, it wasn’t a driver with the last name of Field at the top of the results sheets as Romer found his time to shine in race three. Starting on the outside of the row, Romer was able to move his way to the point and take his first Platinum class win of the season. Gregg Gorski, who finished on the podium in race two on Saturday, improved his result Sunday, climbing to P2 as he was able to sneak by Schriber late in the race. Schriber made it three podium results in three races this weekend, finishing third. Race one and two winner Jon Field finished just two seconds shy of the podium in the fourth position, as he recovered from a disastrous first half of the race. Wayne Williams added another top-five finish to his resume in fifth. Clint Field had a strange mishap that took him out of contention as a pocketknife was found lodged in his radiator during the race, forcing him to retire.

Pro 1500
It was the Slater and EVR Motorsports show in Pro 1500. The young driver managed to earn three wins in three races and the first three wins for his new EVR Motorsports program. However as in race one and two, the win didn’t come easy. The Graham Rahal Performance duo of Nick d’Orlando and Jordan Missig kept him honest, with d’Orlando finishing just 0.1s behind Slater, and Missig just two seconds behind that.

Missig led early and while others elected to pit early, Missig stayed on track, which turned out to be the wrong strategy. d’Orlando showed great pace and chased down Slater, but the EVR Motorsports drivers made his Pro 1500 machine as wide as possible to keep the GRP driver behind him. Eventually d’Orlando found his way past, but Slater repaid the favor in the last corner on the last lap to take the win. Matt Romer, another driver who capitalized in the pit stop cycle, continued to show his pace as did Spencer Schmidt who rounded out the top-five on the results sheet. Jack Yang was the Gold class winner.

Pro 1340
With Chris McMurry taking a pair of wins on Saturday, he could only muster a P3 result on Sunday’s podium, which opened the door for some of his rivals. After McMurry led early, Blake McGovern was able to break through with the race three win as he took the lead on the pit stop exchange. Graham Rahal Performance driver Suellio Almeida charged his way forward after an epic battle with McMurry. With McMurry defending hard, the duo almost came together on several occasions with Almeida finally making the move stick as he found his way back to the podium, scoring the second step just ahead of McMurry in third. Pro 1500 driver turned Pro 1340 competitor this weekend due to car damage at Road America, Mike Anzaldi earned a top-five finish in fourth, with Evan Wolf closing his weekend in the fifth position.

“This was some of the best racing I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Radical Motorsports’ Tom Drewer. “The battle between Slater and d’Orlando was spectacular. I keep saying, but the level of competition in the Radical Cup series is hard to beat right now, in all three classes. I hope the IndyCar team owners are taking note because we have some fantastic talent in this series.”

Next up for Radical Cup North America will be a trip north of the border as they take on the Streets of Toronto alongside the NTT IndyCar Series in mid-July.

Be sure to follow the Radical Cup North America social media pages for news, information, photos, and results from the event weekend.

Radical Cup North America events are open to local and regional Radical racers of all ages with eligible cars to participate. More information, including links to register for events and obtain licensing, can be found at www.radicalmotorsport.com. Stay tuned to the Radical Cup social media pages for the latest series news and updates.radi

Radical racer Gavin McAlpine made history during last weekend’s Hagerty Radical Cup UK, becoming the first driver to use synthetic fuel during the championship. The green No. 17 crossed the finish line at Oulton Park Circuit last weekend using the “drop-in” SUSTAIN Super 80 fuel from UK-based Coryton, without any modification to his SR3 XXR.

Supported by RAW Motorsports, Gavin McAlpine and his Radical SR3 XXR contested the third round of the single-make Championship in front of over 20,000 spectators, with sustainable fuel developed by bespoke fuel specialist Coryton.

SUSTAIN fuels are developed by bespoke fuel specialist Coryton. The fuels currently derive predominantly from second-generation biofuels manufactured from agricultural waste, such as straw, by-products or waste from crops which wouldn’t be used for consumption. This means they utilize the carbon that already exists in our atmosphere, which the plants absorb as they grow, recycling it, rather than releasing additional CO2, as fossil fuels do.

Speaking about his decision to use sustainable fuel, Gavin McAlpine said:

“I have been exploring sustainable fuels for some years now. Two of the passions in my life are the natural world and the automotive world. And I believe that technological developments are the solution to many of the world environmental issues so being able to indulge now one of my passion’s and contribute to a sustainable low carbon future is great step forward for me personally, for the racing community and of course the future of transportation.”

Gavin’s passion for renewable energy and his fascination with innovation and technical possibilities has led him to become Chairman of RES (Renewable Energy Systems) the largest global independent renewable energy company now employing 5,000 people and operating across 24 countries developing, constructing and operating large-scale renewable energy projects around the world.

Radical Motorsport’s Global Head of Marketing, Jon Roach, added:

“The recent developments in sustainable fuel is an exciting step forward for motorsport, offering an alternative solution that can be enjoyed by owners of older cars without the need to make any modifications, and without any impact on performance. Seeing one Radical on the grid here in the UK is a small step, but a step in the right direction and hopefully will provide the catalyst to start the right conversations.“

Before the race weekend the engineering team at the Radical factory in Peterborough carried out extensive testing with the SUSTAIN Super 80 fuel to ensure that no calibration would be required at the race track, and also that running the fuel would not give any advantage or disadvantage compared to the rest of the Radical grid running the championship-regulated fuel.

SUSTAIN Super 80 is a “drop-in fuel”, meaning it can be mixed with all traditional fossil petrols and with no modifications needed to the vehicle. Furthermore, the fuel undergoes a complete molecular restructure to produce a fuel that looks identical to traditional fossil petrol, but from biological sources with less than 1% ethanol to mitigate against the common issues of corrosion caused by a higher percentage of ethanol content. The blend is based on 80% renewable materials and delivers a minimum 65% greenhouse gas saving when compared to traditional fossil fuel, taking into account the carbon costs used to produce and transport the product.

David Richardson, New Business Director at Coryton, said:

“We’re delighted to be celebrating this sustainable first for the Hagerty Radical Cup UK and to have worked with Gavin and his team to make it happen. Through events like this, we can showcase the power of sustainable fuels and their ability to preserve the sights and sounds of motorsport, without relying on fossil fuel for our ICE engines. Every new milestone we mark takes us one step closer to a cleaner future, and we hope it inspires many more within the industry to explore the technology available.”

Under cool conditions but sunny skies, Radical Cup North America teams and competitors took to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for a pair of practice sessions and qualifying on Friday. With more than half of the race season in the books, all eyes are staring at the championship point battles in all three classes. Starting their weekend off on the right foot were Clint Field, Jordan Missig, and Chris McMurry as they all earned their respective class pole positions for race one tomorrow.

Platinum

In two practice sessions, the name of Jon Field (ONE Motorsports) was at the top of the time charts as he handily had the speed to fight for the Platinum class pole position come Saturday afternoon. The Field name continued at the top of the charts in qualifying. However, Clint Field (ONE Motorsports) stole the pole position from Jon Field on the penultimate lap to earn the preferred inside front-row starting position for race one. Jon Field was able hang on to the second position ahead of Chip Romer (ONE Motorsports) in third. It was Gregg Gorski (EVR Motorsports) who was the best of the rest in the fourth position, turning his fastest lap on lap six. Wayne Williams (ESSES Racing) continued his trend in the top-five, earning the fifth position for the start of race one.

Pro 1500

Nicholas d’Orlando (GRP) followed a similar path as Field as he led both practice sessions, heading into the only qualifying session to set the grid for race one on the weekend, but it was his Graham Rahal Performance teammate who found his way to the top of the charts. Jordan Missig (GRP) put in a monstrous lap that not only earned him the Pro 1500 pole position but also was the third-fastest lap overall beating out many of the Platinum competitors. d’Orlando made it a GRP one – two with the second-fastest lap of the session, with Evan Slater (EVR Motorsports) in third. Austin Riley (Racing with Autism) had one of his strongest qualifying performances of the year slotted into P4 on the results sheet, just ahead of Matt Romer (ONE Motorsports).

Pro 1340

It was a familiar name at the top of the charts in practice one with Chris McMurry (Crown with Apex) leading the way, but Mike Anzaldi (RYNO Racing with Team Stradale) would claim that honor in practice two. After a Road America crash destroyed his Pro 1500 machine, Anzaldi had no interest in sitting on the sidelines as the team prepped his 1340 for the California sun. McMurry remained true to his form in qualifying, securing another pole position, with Blake McGovern (Crown with Apex) in the second position, Anzaldi was able to keep his name near the top of the charts, qualifying third in class, just ahead of the second McGovern, Keith McGovern (Crown with Apex). Evan Wolf (Crown with Apex) rounded out the top-five.

Radical Cup North America will return to the track today for a pair of wheel-to-wheel races. Race one will take place at 11:20am while race two rolls off the grid at 4:55pm PDT. Follow LIVE on the Radical Motorsport YouTube page.

Follow the Radical Cup North America social media pages for news, information, photos, and results from the event weekend.

Radical Cup North America events are open to local and regional Radical racers of all ages with eligible cars to participate. More information, including links to register for events and obtain licensing, can be found at www.radicalmotorsport.com. Stay tuned to the Radical Cup social media pages for the latest series news and updates.