Author: Official Release

• The Pair of Championship-Winning Sports Car Racing Organizations To Race Under the RAFA Racing Tent Beginning in 2025
• The Long Standing Relationship With Toyota Gazoo Racing North America Will Remain a Key Part of the Team’s Plans, Ranging Across Multiple Race Series

HOUSTON, Texas (December 10, 2024) – Two outstanding sports car racing teams have merged beginning with the 2025 season, combining the championship-winning results of Kevin Conway’s program at Smooge Racing with the up-and-coming drivers and marketing machine of RAFA Racing for a full-fledged IMSA and SRO America effort.

The combined effort will race under the RAFA Racing Team banner in both paddocks. Standing for “Race As Family Always,” the RAFA Racing Team made its debut in 2023 with a runner-up finish in the McLaren Trophy Europe Series, and expanded that footprint to include a championship-winning effort in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and in the SRO GT4 European Series during 2024.

Conway-led race teams have been crowned SRO GT4 America team and driver champions utilizing the Toyota GR Supra GT4 platform, and multi-time race winners in Lamborghini Super Trofeo. The new-look RAFA Racing Team will continue to support the existing Toyota Gazoo Racing and Lamborghini Squadra Corsa relationships established by Conway’s team in 2025.

With driver line-ups to be confirmed in the coming weeks, RAFA Racing will appear in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge and SRO GT4 America utilizing the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 along with an LMP3 car in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. Likewise, the team will have a multi-car presence in the IMSA-sanctioned Lamborghini Super Trofeo paddock for 2025. An outside partnership will also include RAFA Racing branding and drivers in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup.

“This was not necessarily an opportunity we were searching for, but merging our efforts with Kevin’s makes perfect sense for the RAFA Racing team, our program, and our future goals,” RAFA Racing founder Rafael Martinez said. “We’ve worked with some fantastic teams over the past couple of years, but this relationship and the existing partnerships with Toyota Gazoo Racing North America and Lamborghini Squadra Corsa are something special. It’s a logical step in our mission, and a great way to make our debut at this level here in the States.”

The RAFA Racing team is just a part of the RAFA Family of businesses. The RAFA umbrella encompasses a variety of automotive and motorsports-related businesses, including RAFA Media (The Race, Driver DataBase, WTF1, WTF Talent, Grid Finder, Traxion GG), 8TWELVE Wheels, 812 Brands, and RAFA Racing Club, amongst others. Each business, including the RAFA Racing Team, has a mission to bring motorsports to the masses.

That includes the racing program, where three-time Call of Duty World Champion and X Games medalist Ian “Crimsix” Porter captured the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America championship in his rookie season after a move from sim racing, and French driver Caroline Candas earned the Mobil 1 Female Driver Development and Porsche Junior titles in the same class for RAFA Racing. Each utilized a RAFA Racing Team partnership to advance their careers in ways that likely would not have happened otherwise.

“I’m looking forward to pairing our efforts with the larger group at RAFA Racing,” Conway said. “The off-track activities that RAFA Racing is already involved in will not only augment our existing relationships but give them a chance to grow. It’s going to be a busy upcoming season, but we’re ready to make a difference immediately both on and off the race track.”

The new-look RAFA Racing Team will make its IMSA debut during the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona with the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, followed by the Michelin Pilot Challenge four-hour race the next week in advance of the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

About RAFA Racing Club:

RAFA Racing, utilizing the motto “Race As Family Always,” is a motorsports club and race team founded by and made for high-performance auto drivers, supporters, and fans of all types. Started by Rafael Martinez, the Club aims to create a space for high-performance car enthusiasts to enjoy like-minded individuals, network and share ideas on and off the track, and bond as one team with a common interest. The RAFA Racing Team made its debut in 2023 with a runner-up finish in the McLaren Trophy Europe Series, and expanded that footprint to include a championship-winning effort in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and podium finishes in SRO GT4 Europe in 2024. The Club’s off-track presence can be felt on social media and beyond, including YouTube, Instagram and Facebook and at RafaRacing.Club.

Texan second in Qatar Sprint Race but eliminated in both Middle East Feature rounds

ABU DAHBI, United Arab Emirates (9 Dec. 2024) – 19 year old Texan Jak Crawford’s second FIA Formula 2 Championship season came to a bittersweet conclusion this weekend, with a pair of strong runs in Sprint Races negated by early disappointment in both Feature events in back-to-back rounds in the Middle East.

The young American finished second in last weekend’s Sprint Race in the inaugural F2 event at the Qatar Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit, gaining two positions on the final lap.

The Qatar event was Crawford’s second-consecutive runner-up finish in Sprint Races, and third of the season as the Formula 1 hopeful was engaged in a terrific battle for position for most of the event before coming on strong at the finish.

“It was quite a crazy one,” Crawford said. “There was a lot of action. It was tricky to pass as well, but eventually, I got the job done.”

The following day, though, he was eliminated by contact after 13 laps in the Feature race. The contact cost critical points and momentum against Crawford’s pursuit of third in the 2024 championship after having qualified sixth for the Sunday Feature.

“We weren’t really the fastest, at Qatar, we missed a bit of pace, but we were definitely in the top five all weekend,” said Crawford. “We had a slow stop, and we lost a lot of positions with the safety car, then I made a mistake on my side trying to go for a move that didn’t work out, and I had to retire with damage.”

Returning to race action just one week later at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, Crawford’s push for points was frustrated by a suboptimal run in the all-important qualifying session. Crawford was fastest early in the 30-minute session, but ended up 16th – putting him near the back of the grid for both weekend races as a grid penalty compounded the challenge.

“We just missed the right tire window on my car, and we didn’t find the optimum grip of the tires,” Crawford said.

Starting 20th, Crawford was 13th and maintained that position for 15 laps, managing his tires, before he was able to put on a late-race charge that put him in a points-paying eighth-place. His closing laps featured a hard charge to the finish that included taking 12th on the 18th of 23 laps, then improving four positions on the final lap through passes and penalties to score points in the final Sprint of the year as he gained more positions than any other driver.

“It was quite chaotic, and I was just trying to work my way though the chaos,” he said. “I found myself in 14th after Lap 1, and there were a couple of penalties and a couple of people dropping off with tire deg, and I found myself in eighth at the end.”

The final Feature race of the weekend didn’t help Crawfords points position as a technical issue with the brakes saw his race ending just a few laps after the start.

Starting 14th for Sunday’s feature, Crawford was quick off the line before encountering problems.

“I had a good start, but I got hit from behind in the first corner, which spun me into someone else,” he explained. “At that point, I was at the back, but I still had the possibility for a decent race. Then I had a brake failure. They turned off completely, and that was quite a scary moment. It was an unfortunate way to end the year, for sure.”

Crawford ended the 14-event campaign fifth in the points, with 21 top-10 finishes. He ended up with six podium finishes, highlighted by a Feature Race victory at Barcelona. His racecraft also impressed, as he was the top overaker of the year.

“It was definitely a tough season,” Crawford said. “We had some bad moments, but there were also some very good moments with some good results. I’m very, very happy at the end. It’s just unfortunate what happened in the last two Features.”

Looking ahead to the 2025 Formula 2 campaign, which will mark Crawford’s first time returning to the same race team, Crawford is hopeful that the team will up its game in qualifying and that he can fight for the title as he anticipates even more Formula 1 engagement in his role with Aramco Aston Martin.

Ahead of that, Crawford, who continues to field interest from teams for a future in F1, will be getting additional time at Yas Marina’s circuit this week.

“On Tuesday, I’m in the Young Driver’s Test with the Aston Martin Formula 1 car, then I had three days of Formula 2 testing right after that, so there will be many days of driving at Abu Dhabi!”

Crawford then hopes to spend a few days in the U.S. for Christmas, before it’s off to a well-deserved vacation prior to returning to DAMS Lucas Oil Racing for the 2025 Formula 2 champaign.

Induction Set for March 13 in Las Vegas as Part of NASCAR Race Weekend and Includes AJ Allmendinger, Chuck Gurney, Davey Hamilton, Jeff Jefferson, Justin Marks and Boris Said

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Dec. 9, 2024) – A diverse motorsports career that began more than 40 years ago and continues to this day has earned racing team owner and Los Angeles native Rick Ware a place in the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

Induction is set for March 13 in Las Vegas in conjunction with the NASCAR race weekend March 14-16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Joining Ware among the Class of 2025 are AJ Allmendinger (Los Gatos, California), Chuck Gurney (Oakland, California), Davey Hamilton (Nampa, Idaho), Jeff Jefferson (Naches, Washington), Justin Marks (Menlo Park, California) and Boris Said (Carlsbad, California).

“It’s truly an honor to be a part of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame Class of 2025,” said Ware, owner of Rick Ware Racing (RWR). “I’m a proud Californian and growing up on the West Coast put me right in the heart of racing and hot-rod culture. For me, there was no better place to be, and to join such an esteemed group of racers who came from the same region of the country as me is an incredible, full-circle moment.

“I’ve been to some of the most iconic venues in North American motorsports, first as a fan with my dad, then as a driver, and then as a team owner. Riverside, Long Beach, Pomona, Irwindale, Del Mar, Ontario, Laguna Seca, Ascot… I look back and realize just how blessed I’ve been. And then to make a career out of motorsports and to be recognized for all the time, energy and effort we put into everything we do at RWR, really means a lot. I want to express my sincere gratitude to the Hall’s nominating committee.”

Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for nearly five decades. It began at age 6 when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt.

Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Ware’s home track, Riverside International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries forced Ware out of the driver’s seat and into fulltime team ownership.

In 1995, RWR was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that fields two entries in the NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship.

RWR is coming off one of its best seasons in 2024 where its NHRA Top Fuel driver Clay Millican won the prestigious U.S. Nationals and rider Kody Klopp won the AMA American Flat Track 450cc class championship.

Millican’s victory was RWR’s fourth NHRA Top Fuel win since entering NHRA in 2023. Klopp’s title secured RWR’s third championship. RWR rider Shane McElrath won the 2022 FIM World Supercross 250cc class title. RWR’s first championship came in sports cars, specifically the Asian Le Mans Series, where co-drivers Cody Ware and Gustas Grinbergas won the 2019-2020 LMP2 class title.

“We do this because we love it,” Ware said. “Racing is hard, really hard. So, you’ve got to have a passion for it. The hard times make you appreciate success so much more, and our success comes from our people. We have excellent people at RWR and I’m proud of their skills and their spirit. This honor is directly attributable to them, and I’m very thankful.”

The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame was conceived in 2001 as a means of recognizing significant contributors and contributions to the sport. It was founded to preserve the history and heritage of the sizeable role West Coast stock car and motorsports figures have played in the ever advancing world of professional racing.

To obtain media credentials for coverage of the 24th West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame dinner and awards, please contact Owen A. Kearns at 661-342-2983.

DAMS Lucas Oil is delighted to announce that Alpine Academy member Kush Maini will compete for the team in the 2025 FIA Formula 2 season.

The Indian driver has raced in F2 for the previous two seasons, taking one victory and five further podiums throughout his time in the championship, securing P13 in the recently concluded 2024 campaign.

In a strong junior career so far, Maini impressed by taking wins in British Formula 3 becoming Vice-Champion in 2020. He then moved on to compete in F3 Asian Championship before heading into FIA Formula 3, scoring a podium at the Hungaroring. The 24-year-old has also raced in Formula Renault Eurocup and World Endurance Championship.

DAMS Lucas Oil has now confirmed its full line up for the 2025 Formula 2 season with Maini alongside Jak Crawford, and both drivers will participate in this week’s post-season testing in Abu Dhabi. The experienced pair will get their 2025 competitive campaign underway in Melbourne on March 14-16 and the full calendar can be found here.

Kush Maini

“I’m thrilled to be joining a team with such a strong pedigree and history in Formula 2 like DAMS Lucas Oil. I feel like my story in this championship isn’t completed yet, and I know that this is the right crew to help me further my career. I’ve taken pole positions and won races, so now it’s all about consistently delivering over the course of a campaign. I can’t wait to get started this week with post-season testing alongside Jak, and to form an experienced team as we look to battle for the championship in 2025.”

“We’re pleased to confirm Kush for next year as he’s a talented driver who has shown excellent raw speed throughout his time in the series. We know that together with our experienced team we can find the correct balance and ensure Kush has a consistent level of performance. We believe with Jak and Kush that we have a very strong partnership, which can help us to consistently fight at the front of the grid in 2025.”

About DAMS
DAMS is a professional racing team founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot, currently competing in FIA Formula 2, F1’s main feeder series. Ahead of the 2022 season, ex-F1 driver Charles Pic took control of the team. So far, 33 DAMS drivers have reached F1, with many more going on to become professional racing drivers. In its history, DAMS has won 15 drivers’ titles, 16 teams’ championships and has scored over 170 race victories.

• RBN Motorsports with Cosmo-Sport 2020 No. 60 Acura ARX-05 of Bob Neapole and Guy Cosmo Edges 2017 No. 02 Matador Motorsports Cadillac DPi of Pierce Marshall and Eric Foss for First Top-Tier HSR Feature Race Victory
• Vincent Barletta Secures GT Modern Class Honors in 2016 No. 95 BMW M6 GTD Prepared by Turner Motorsport
• Vintage Military Aircraft Arrive Friday Afternoon at Sebring International Raceway

SEBRING, Florida (December 5, 2024) – The season-ending HSR Sebring Historics and Mission Foods HSR Sebring Classic 12 Hour, Pistons & Props, Presented by the Alan Jay Automotive Network, moved off to a thrilling and competitive start Thursday at Sebring International Raceway.

In the day’s featured one-hour B.R.M. Endurance Challenge race, Bob Neapole and Guy Cosmo broke through for their first Historic Prototype and overall race win in the series in the RBN Motorsports with Cosmo-Sport 2020 No. 60 Acura ARX-05. Neapole and Cosmo narrowly came out on top in a race-long battle with their friends and on-track rivals Pierce Marshall and Eric Foss in the 2017 No. 02 Matador Motorsports Cadillac DPi.

The Acura squad’s victory came after a great opening and race-leading stint by Neapole and a perfectly timed pit stop at mid-race when Cosmo took over for the run to the finish. Cosmo and Foss ran in a close one-two formation in the race’s closing stages with the No. 60 taking the team’s maiden Historic Prototype class checkered flag for the win just 4.264 seconds ahead of the No. 02.

The top-two shared the overall and top-three Historic Prototype podium with the ageless Travis Engen in his nearly 20-year-old 2005 No. 2 Audi R8 LMP prepared by GMT Racing.

The race win in the GT Modern (GTM) class went to Vincent Barletta in the always-quick 2016 No. 95 BMW M6 GTD Prepared by Turner Motorsport. In addition to taking GTM division honors, Barletta was the also the first non-Prototype in the 31-car field to take the checkered flag a solid fourth overall behind only the top-three Prototypes.

Second in GTM went to Conor Flynn and his father Mike Flynn in the Irish Mike’s Racing 2020 No. 195 Porsche 991.2 GT3. The senior Flynn started the race but came to the pits during a yellow flag period in the opening laps to selflessly pass the Porsche over to his son who completed the balance of the race’s 60 minutes for the competitive runner-up result.

Third in GTM in the B.R.M. race was secured by frequent HSR podium finisher Colin Dougherty in his 2008 No. 92 Porsche 997 Grand-Am Cup prepared by DAS Sport.

A dual celebration of Sebring International Raceway’s rich auto racing history and patriotic military aviation legacy, the Mission Foods HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour Sebring, Pistons and Props, is an on-track and on-the-runways celebration of the 12 Hours of Sebring and historic Hendricks Field, the World War II era military and civil aviation facility on which the famous sports car race has been held for more than 70 years.

In addition to a full slate of HSR WeatherTech Sprint races and three more HSR Feature Races on track, another Friday highlight is the arrival of the vintage and historic military aircraft that land throughout the afternoon before parading over to the Sebring International Raceway paddock at 5:15 p.m. EST. The planes will be on display at the track and available to fans and competitors alike for an up-close look through Sunday morning.

A returning favorite after a one-year absence is the blue B004 numbered 1942 Vultee BT-15 Valiant piloted by Tom Smith. The BT-15 is just one of four still flying today out of 1,200 produced, and Smith and his wife Kim Smith have flown it more than 1,000 hours over the last 15 years. The Vultee missed last year’s HSR Classic Sebring awaiting a new engine, but its return will be more than special this weekend.

Among the plane-enthusiast guests in attendance will be Jack Hill, a friend of the Smiths whose father – in addition to a stint as B-17 instructor at Hendrick’s Field in Sebring in 1943 – served in a similar capacity in Bainbridge, Georgia in 1942 teaching trainees how to fly BT-15 Vultees. The Smith’s Vultee was delivered to Bainbridge in August of 1942, one of just seven BT-15s stationed there, so it is very likely Hill’s father, 2nd Lieutenant Roland V. Hill, instructed in the very plane the Smith’s will have at Sebring this weekend a full 82 years ago!

Back on track, this weekend’s featured HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour starts at 1 p.m. EST Saturday, December 7, with each of the four Run Groups taking to the three times in succession in a rotation that races into the night with the day’s final checkered flag just before 10 p.m. EST.

Classic Sebring 12 Hour competitors return to the track Sunday, December 8, at 12 p.m. EST with each Group getting one final segment to decide this year’s winners. Overall Run Group winners will be presented with all-new and custom-made Wall Clocks from B.R.M. Chronographes. Displaying the same dial design as B.R.M.’s unique time pieces, the oversized clocks have been a big hit this year with race winners at The Glen and Daytona.

More information on both the HSR Classic 12 and HSR Sebring Historics events, including entry lists, ticket purchases and the event schedule, can be found on the official event page by clicking here.

About HSR: An International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) property, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) was formed in the mid-1970s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the racing cars from the past. As a “time machine” of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions eight vintage and historic racing events at some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and more. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR’s website at www.HSRRace.com. Look for the HSR Channel on YouTube and follow HSR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HSRrace/ and on Twitter X at @HSR_race and Instagram @HistoricSportscarRacing.