Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Driver's Preview WeatherTech Raceway Event

ACURA Grand Prix Of Long Beach DPi Class race start at Turn 1. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2022)

Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Driver's Preview WeatherTech Raceway Event

The overall fourth event weekend in the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season rolls into the Monterey Bay area to take over the Laguna Seca venue in a reset of a Springtime event timeframe. The last three years, when the INDYCAR Series finale was moved from Sears Point's Sonoma Raceway, saw a push to try to put IMSA Sportscars and NTT INDYCARS open-wheel racing on successive weekends in September but after a two year run at this set up, it was probably best for track management and the separate series to carry these events on a stand alone basis.

To some of the enthusiasts, it seemed smart to secure a campsite and live in the Monterey Bay area, tied to the dirt, but so much for glamping. It was fun while it lasted but now folks can get down to brass tacks and focus, focus, focus just one weekend on DPi (focus), GTD PRO (focus), and GTD (focus) competitors and cars.

Drivers of these three classes sat down and participated in arranged virtual press conferences via the ZOOM Call technology and format with a plan for three drivers for each class held on separate days for each of the classes. 

A line of questions made themselves clear to Motorsports Journal when DPi ACURA driver from Wayne Taylor racing pointed out one of the challenging characteristics in the driving surface of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is the maturity of the asphalt which creates tire wear and has the surface be a little slick in response. The next three clips start at a point where this topic is discussed by most all of the participating drivers. This is a great listen when one has the time and focus of a drive from Southern California to the Salinas Valley and beyond.

A Zoom interview held April 19 with select DPi drivers previewing the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Presented by Motul, April 29-May 1, 2022.

 

ZOOM Call Time: Tuesday, April 19, 2022 | 2 p.m. ET

Participants:

** Alex Lynn, co-driver of the No. 02 Cadillac Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R

** Ricky Taylor, co-driver of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 Acura DPi

** Tristan Vautier, co-driver of the No. 5 JDC Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi-V.R

18:18 - Ricky Taylor - Talking about Laguna Seca and track conditions. Just click and listen.

A Zoom interview held April 21 with select GTD PRO drivers previewing the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Presented by Motul, April 29-May 1, 2022.

 

ZOOM Call Time: Thursday, April 21, 2022 | 1 p.m. ET

Participants:

** Antonio Garcia, co-driver of the No. 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C8.R GTD

** Mathieu Jaminet, co-driver of the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R

** (Scheduled/Missed Call) Cooper MacNeil, co-driver of the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3

19:23 - Mathieu Jaminet, in responding to a question about track surface. Just click and listen.

A Zoom interview held April 25 with select GTD drivers previewing the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Presented by Motul, April 29-May 1, 2022 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

 

ZOOM Call Time: Monday, April 25, 2022 | 2 p.m. ET

Participants:

** Mike Skeen, co-driver of the No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3

** Ryan Hardwick, co-driver of the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R

** Bryan Sellers, co-driver of the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3

14:53 - Mike Skeen, in responding to a question about track surface. Just click and listen.

Context is everything, but the most important understanding, is that sportscars, racing in multiple classes at the same time, deliver one of the most satisfying racing experiences one can receive in modern motor culture. The Monterey Peninsula provides the best of backdrops geographically anywhere in North America for one to immerse themselves in Touring, Eating, Camping, Carmel-ing, or just plain multiple class IMSA professional sportscar racing (tickets) on a surface that helps to separate true competitors from simple drivers.

... notes from The EDJE

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TAGS: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship, DPi. GTD PRO, GTD, Class Racing, Presented by Motul, April 29 - May 1, 2022, The EDJE

Stuttgart-Based H2FLY Sets New World Record For Hydrogen-Electric Passenger Aircraft

Stuttgart-Based H2FLY Sets New World Record For Hydrogen-Electric Passenger Aircraft

On April 12th, 2022, H2FLY, the Stuttgart-based developer of hydrogen fuel cell technologies for aircraft, announced that its demonstrator aircraft, the HY4, set what is believed to be a new world record last week for hydrogen-powered passenger aircraft, flying at an altitude of 7,230 feet and confirming the company's position as one of the leading companies in this new sector.

The news comes as the company also flew a 77-mile journey between Stuttgart and Friedrichshafen on this day of April 12th, marking the first time a hydrogen-electric passenger aircraft has been piloted, between two major airports.

Commenting Prof. Dr. Josef Kallo, co-founder and CEO of H2FLY said "This is a remarkable achievement for H2FLY, as no other hydrogen-powered passenger aircraft has flown between two commercial airports to date. We are also thrilled to have set what we believe to be a new world record by reaching an altitude of over 7,000 feet with our HY4 aircraft. We want to thank our long-time partners Stuttgart Airport, University of Ulm, DLR Stuttgart, Friedrichshafen Airport, and AERO Friedrichshafen, for supporting us in our mission to make sustainable travel a reality."

The aircraft flew the mission to Friedrichshafen in order to participate in the AERO Friedrichshafen airshow, taking place from April 27th. The HY4 will be presented to the general public for the first time and will be exhibited until the end of April. Up to now, testing of the HY4 as taken place exclusively in the test area around Stuttgart Airport. Stuttgart Airport is a long-term partner of H2FLY and plays a key role in supporting the company with it's infrastructure.

Walter Schoefer, Speaker of the Board of Flughafen Stuttgart GmbH concluded: "We are delighted that HY4 has achieved this next technical milestone. This is another step on the long road of the aviation transformation process towards a more climate-friendly air transport. We see hydrogen-electric engines as the key to zero-emission flying and have therefore been promoting the HY4 project for many years. As a ‘fairport’, we want to continue to be a pioneer and enabler for the next steps when it comes to sustainability.”

Claus-Dieter Wehr, Managing Director of Friedrichshafen Airport commented: "In the airport's more than one-hundred-year history, this is the first time a hydrogen-powered aircraft has landed here in Friedrichshafen. We are very pleased that we can thus play our part in the further development and testing of hydrogen-electric propulsion. Particularly in view of the numerous projects on sustainable mobility in aviation, I see great opportunities for the Friedrichshafen site to create the framework conditions for innovative aviation companies and to attract them here.”

The four-seat HY4 has successfully demonstrated the applicability of hydrogen-electric propulsion solutions in aviation during several flight campaigns and with more than 90 takeoffs. It also serves as a test platform to further develop the propulsion system and thus lay the foundation for development work on a hydrogen-electric-powered, 40-seat Dornier 328, which will be developed jointly with Deutsche Aircraft by 2025.

"Sustainable aviation is the central topic at this year's AERO Friedrichshafen. We are, therefore, really pleased that Prof. Dr. Kallo and his team from H2FLY are celebrating a trade show world premiere at AERO Friedrichshafen with the HY4 hydrogen-electric aircraft. For more than ten years, we have been showcasing innovations from the field of electric aviation as part of the e-flight-expo. With the AERO Sustainable Aviation Trail, we are illustrating how innovative the entire general aviation sector and this year's AERO are with over 75 registered exhibitors on this sustainability trail in 11 exhibition halls," as stated by Head of AERO Roland Bosch and Show Director - Tobias Bretzel, AERO Friedrichshafen.

Sustainability in aviation also plays a significant role for Friedrichshafen Airport and this year's AERO, one of the world's most important aviation trade shows with more than 600 exhibitors from 35 nations. H2FLY will be represented at the air show from April 27 to 30 with its booth and the HY4 in Hall A7. In addition, H2FLY co-founder and CEO Prof. Dr. Josef Kallo will hold the presentation "Powered by Hydrogen H2FLY - Emission-Free Flying" as a featured speaker at the "IASA Conference - GREENER SKIES AHEAD The Future of Regional Aviation Pioneering Sustainable Air Transport" on April 27 from 11:00 a.m. CET.
[ht: H2FLY]

... notes from The EDJE

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TAGS: H2FLY, HY4, Stuttgart, Friedrichshafen, 77 miles, 7,230 feet, AERO Friedrichshafen airshow, The EDJE