Motorsport news

VRS will present its latest hardware offerings at the SimRacing Expo Frankfurt, taking place from 16–18 October. The sim racing hardware manufacturer joins the event's exhibitor line-up to showcase its products to visitors.

The 70th edition of the Turckheim hillclimb will serve as the penultimate round of the French hillclimb championship in 2026, with the nearly 6 km Alsatian course set to host a competitive field across multiple categories. The event marks a milestone anniversary for one of Europe's most prestigious hillclimb competitions. Among the headline contenders, Maxime Dojat (France) will pilot his Nova NP 01-2 C Honda Turbo in pursuit of his first overall victory at the event. He faces stiff opposition from fellow Frenchman Sebastien Jacqmin, also driving a Nova NP 01-2 Honda Turbo in the 3-litre E2-SC sportprototype class, who has impressed throughout the season. Swiss driver Joel Volluz will bring his distinctive Norma M20FC Judd Evo C to the grid, while Belgian Corentin Starck (Nova NP 01-2 C Honda Turbo) and Frenchman Cedric Lansard (Osella PA27 Cosworth) are also expected to challenge for top positions. In the 2-litre E2-SC category, Marc Pernot (France) arrives as the already-crowned French hillclimb champion, driving his Nova NP 01-2 C Hartley Turbo. Young Swiss driver Victor Darbellay (Nova NP 01-2 Hartley Turbo) and French competitor Mylenia Machado (Revolt 2P0 Hartley Turbo) will also contest this class. The 2-litre formula car grid features Romain Pezot (France, Tatuus Formula Master F2 Honda) as a leading favourite following his recent victory at Mont Dore, alongside veteran Stephane Baudin (Tatuus Formula Master F2 Honda) and Pierre Mayeur (Martini MK69 Evo BMW). The 2-litre CN class is densely populated with contenders including Tom Diebold (France, Norma M20F Honda), Guillaume Jean (Norma M20FC Honda), Yohan Bardin (Norma M20FC Honda), Yannick Latreille (Norma M20FC Honda), Freddy Cadot (Norma M20FC Honda), and Jennifer La Monica (Norma M20FC Honda). Additional competitors span multiple categories and nationalities, with drivers from Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, and France represented across the entry list.

Codemasters' F1 25 now supports NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction, accessible through the NVIDIA App. The racing simulation has also received confirmation of RTX Spark compatibility alongside native Javelin Anti-Cheat integration. These additions expand the graphical and performance options available to players running compatible NVIDIA hardware, allowing for enhanced ray-traced visuals with DLSS upscaling technology.

The 33rd Rally Alto Appennino Bolognese (RAAB) will take place on 12–13 September, serving as the final round of the Zone 6 Rally Cup and determining which crews will qualify for the national final in Lucca in November. Organised by MaremmaCorse 2.0 with support from the Bologna Automobile Club and local authorities, the event will run across the Apennine roads near Castiglione dei Pepoli. Entry closes on 7 September. The rally features ten special stages totalling 63.7 kilometres of timed running within an overall route of 272.2 kilometres. The opening stage, "Castiglione dei Pepoli" (1.6 km), is a short opener combining flat terrain with a gentle climb. The "Valserena" stage (6.33 km) is repeated three times and is described as one of the most selective, mixing flat forest sections with demanding descents and tight corners. "Sparvo" (7.0 km, run three times) demands precision and concentration, featuring a mid-stage jump. The "Traserra" stage (7.37 km, run three times) is a historic route combining narrow, uneven sections through hamlets with faster passages and undulations. Modern rally cars will compete alongside historic vehicles and classic cars (produced 1991–2000 under international regulations). The event has a distinguished history; past winners include Tosi, who won last year in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, alongside names such as Bandieri, Battaglin, Fontana, and Sossella. Action begins on Saturday 12 September at 18:01 from Castiglione dei Pepoli – La Torretta, with overnight reordering in Piazza del Mercato. Sunday's restart is scheduled for 07:30, with the finish in Piazza della Libertà from 17:00. Two service parks will operate at Roncobilaccio.

The Automobile Club Trapani has expanded its offering at the Monte Erice hillclimb by introducing a food and wine showcase alongside the racing action. The event, scheduled for 4–6 September, will host the "Villaggio del Gusto" (Taste Village) in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele on Friday 4 September during technical and sporting scrutineering. The hillclimb counts towards three Italian championships: the Italian Historic Speed Climbing Championship (CIVSA), the Italian Mountain Speed Championship (CIVM), and the Italian Classic Car Speed Championship (CIVSAC). The food village concept, previously launched at the Rally Valle del Belice in July, aims to blend motorsport with local gastronomy and cultural promotion. Local producers will showcase regional specialities throughout Friday, with the Sicily Food Belìce Valley cooperative—led by Valentina Blunda—presenting olive oil and extra virgin oil products from the area. According to Giovanni Pellegrino, president of Automobile Club Trapani, the initiative reflects a commitment to using motorsport events as a platform for broader territorial development. "Events of this calibre should serve as an integrated showcase, combining sporting passion with economic and cultural value for the Trapani region," Pellegrino stated. Technical checks and village setup will commence early on Friday 4 September, marking the official start of race weekend.

Gamescom 2026 will showcase a new generation of sim racing displays, with both AOC and iiyama introducing 49-inch ultrawide monitors capable of 240 Hz refresh rates. The releases represent a significant shift in peripheral hardware for competitive sim racing, offering high-refresh alternatives to traditional triple-screen setups. These ultrawide panels are designed to deliver the immersive field-of-view advantages of multi-monitor configurations while maintaining the simplicity and performance benefits of a single display solution. The 240 Hz refresh rate positions them as competitive tools for esports and serious amateur drivers seeking minimal input lag and smooth motion rendering.

The 18th edition of AKPOL Baja Poland will take place from 27 to 30 August in Szczecin and Drawsko Pomorskie, serving as the fourth round of the FIA Baja Europe Cup. Poland's premier cross-country rally will also count towards Polish and regional championships, as well as the FIA Central Europe Zone Championship and Czech Republic cross-country title. The event will feature cars, motorcycles, and quads across multiple categories, including an amateur Baja Promo series. The rally covers a total distance of 611.15 km, with four special stages totalling 351.66 km for the FIA Europe Cup classification, plus an 8.85 km prologue. Krzysztof Hołowczyc holds the record for most victories at Baja Poland with ten wins; his most recent triumph came in 2025 co-driven by Łukasz Kurzeja. Friday begins with a test section between Dobra and Wołczków (10:00–14:00), followed by the prologue on the Głębokie–ul. Zawadzkiego route in Szczecin at 17:20. The prologue does not count toward the final classification but determines starting order for Saturday. An opening ceremony on the Wały Chrobrego waterfront at 20:00 will allow spectators to see the rally cars and crews in central Szczecin. Saturday is the decisive day, with crews tackling the Drawsko military training ground twice. Each pass covers 149.75 km, with the first run starting at 09:15 and the second at 13:40, totalling nearly 300 km against the clock. The route has been modified to be faster than previous years, featuring fewer turns but higher speeds. The military terrain is closed to spectators, though a service park at Drawsko Pomorskie railway siding will be open; crews have 45 minutes between runs. Sunday concludes the event with two passes of the Sławoszewo–Wołczkowo–Szczecin stage (26.08 km each), starting at 09:05 and 13:05. The podium ceremony takes place at Enea Arena at 14:30. The rally combines urban spectacle in Szczecin with long, fast stages on the Drawsko range, where reliability, navigator skill, and sustained concentration over Saturday's marathon will prove decisive.

Project Motor Racing is actively developing support for larger grid sizes on PlayStation 5 and Xbox platforms, according to a statement from the development team. The studio emphasised that the feature is not merely planned but is currently in active development. The announcement suggests the team is working to increase the number of simultaneous competitors in online races on console versions of the title, though specific target grid sizes and a timeline for implementation were not disclosed.

The 2026 Oberhallau hillclimb in Switzerland's Canton Schaffhausen will serve as a round of both the KW Berg Cup and the German hillclimb championship, attracting a competitive international field to the 3 km course. Reigning Swiss hillclimb champion Robin Faustini enters as the favourite in his Nova NP 01-2 Honda Turbo, with a track record within reach under ideal conditions. Marcel Steiner (Nova NP 01-2 C Honda Turbo) and Simon Hugentobler (Osella PA30 Zytek) are expected to challenge for top honours in the sportprototype classes. In the 3-litre E2-SS formula category, Benjamin Noll (Osella FA30 Zytek LRM) and Roland Bossy (Tatuus F3-T318 Alpine) headline a strong contingent. The 2-litre E2-SC sportprototype class features Michel Zemp (Norma M20FC Honda Turbo), Georg Lang (PRC FPR VW Turbo), and Jean-Jacques Maitre (Nova NP 01-2 C Honda) among the contenders. Touringcar competition spans multiple capacity classes. In the E1 category up to 4 litres, Roger Schnellmann (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) and Remo Fischer (Ford Escort Cosworth RS) are among the frontrunners. The over-4-litre E1 class includes Bernhard Permetinger (BMW Z4 GT3) and Stefan Hetzenauer (Subaru Impreza WRX STI). The 3.5-litre E1 class features Reto Steiner (Ford Escort EGMO Cosworth), Alexander Sohm (Mazda 323 Turbo), and hillclimb veteran Bruno Ianniello (Lancia Delta S4).

Drivers representing Automobile Club Salerno achieved multiple podium finishes at the 61st Trofeo Luigi Fagioli hillclimb in Gubbio, a round of the Italian National Speed Championship, while also competing internationally in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at Zandvoort. Salvatore Tortora secured first place in the RSCup group at Gubbio, piloting a Peugeot 308 RC for Scuderia Ateneo Motorsport and contending for the overall and RSTC2 class honours. Valerio Magliano won the E1 1600 class in a Peugeot 106, while Salvatore's brother Alessandro Tortora finished second in the E1 group, also driving a turbocharged Peugeot 106 with a nearly identical time to his sibling. Other notable results included Sebastiano Castellano taking third in the E2SC 2000 class with a Nova Proto NP 01-02, and Francesco Urti securing third in the TCR group with a Hyundai i30 TCR. Kadija Mourtaji, making her debut in a Ferrari 296 Challenge, finished fourth in the GT group and GTSC Division I. In the Racing Start Plus category, Francesco D'Amore claimed seventh in group and sixth in the RSP1.6 class with a Peugeot 106. On the international stage, Aldo Festante competed in the penultimate round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup 2026 at Zandvoort. Driving the Porsche 911 Cup #28 for Target Competition, Festante qualified 19th after traffic disrupted his lap, finished 17th in Race 1, and mounted a comeback in Race 2 to secure 15th place and score championship points.

Scuderia Gretaracing delivered a strong performance at the 61st Trofeo Fagioli in Gubbio, one of two finals in the 2026 Italian Super Hillclimb Championship. The prestigious event, organised by the Comitato Eugubino Corse Automobilistiche (CECA), attracted 250 drivers competing over the 4,150-metre course. The team secured multiple podium finishes and accumulated significant championship points from the Umbrian hillclimb, marking a decisive result ahead of the season's closing rounds.

The 32nd GHD Ilirska Bistrica hillclimb in Slovenia this Sunday could prove decisive in the 2026 European Mountain Championship prototype category, with O'Play entering the competition in Group P3 for the first time this season. The driver, piloting a Nova Proto NP03 fielded by CR Corse with an Aprilia naturally-aspirated 1100cc engine, had previously competed in Group P2 due to inconsistent grid sizes in P3, accepting a significant power disadvantage of around 200 horsepower against direct rivals. With both prototype groups now confirmed for the Ilirska Bistrica event, O'Play will face direct competition from Austrian drivers Christian and Sigrid Eva Ferstl in their Tatuus Master S2000 machines, as well as Marietto Nalon in a Dallara Nissan Formula. The 5010-metre course features a 206-metre elevation gain and average gradient of 4.2 per cent, divided into three distinct sections: a fast opening stretch to the first hairpin, a sequence of medium-speed curves and four consecutive hairpins, and a final acceleration zone. The layout demands precise line work and careful management of track edges throughout. O'Play claimed the Category 1 (closed cars) continental title at Ilirska Bistrica last year. This season's Category 2 competition remains wide open, with the outcome far from certain heading into the penultimate round of the championship.