News & Notes Roundup: 12.23

Photo: GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing

***GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing completed a shakedown of its new McLaren 650S GT3 last week at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, Tex. Jon Fogarty completed laps in the new “Red Dragon” that will compete in next year’s Pirelli World Challenge season. “It feels like Christmas came early,” Fogarty said after the successful test.

***IMSA has corrected the Prototype class fuel tank capacities to 2015 end-of-year for next months’s Roar Before the Rolex 24. Corvette DPs will be allowed 76 liters, with the Ford and Dinan-powered Rileys at 78 and 79 liters, respectively. The Honda-powered P2 cars will run at 78.3 liters, with the Mazda at 70 liters.

***Onroak Automotive has finalized the concept phase of its monocoque for the 2017 LMP2 regulations. The French constructor will shortly send the project to the ACO, FIA and IMSA for approval. The next deadline in the process for all four selected LMP2 constructors comes on April 1, with the validation of the bodywork and mechanical components. 

***Shinyo Sano will join Atlantic Racing Team’s Wolf GB08 for the final two Asian Le Mans Series rounds of the season at Buriram and Sepang. Sano joins Zen Low at the wheel of the CN class car.

***Sixteen FIA WEC drivers will be Super License holders, under the new points-based criteria that comes into effect in Formula One next year. Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler, Benoit Treluyer, Loic Duval, Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish, Anthony Davidson, Sebastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima, Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, Marc Lieb, Neel Jani and Sam Bird are all above the 40-point minimum, calculated by success in major championships.

***JRM has announced a winter test program with its 2015-spec Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 at Portimao at the end of January. The two-day test will be open to prospective new drivers and teams wanting to sample the JRM-developed car, which proved to be one of the most successful GT3 cars on three continents in 2015.

***After a season in the European Le Mans Series, Massive Motorsport is set to return to Creventic-run championship next year. The Danish team is finalizing an entry for March’s 12 Hours of Mugello with its Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3. The driver lineup has yet to be announced.

Laurent Mercier contributed to this report

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John