New RACER magazine gets into reimagining mode

You will discover that a substantive part of our latest RACER magazine, The Racing Reimagined Issue, is for those who keep an open mind. It’s not just about eclecticism; it’s about understanding the broader picture of where our beloved sport is right now, and how there are more entry points to fandom and participation than there were three or four decades ago, and that we need to take advantage of that to help ensure our successors succeed in keeping motorsports relevant in the decades to come.

Whatever we think of Formula 1’s current cars, “lifer” race fans can at least appreciate that Liberty Media has done a fine job of reaching a new demographic through beyond-TV media. Just as one example, celebrities and influencers on the grid or in the garage at countless races, many with little or no racing interest or agenda, are often derided by stay-at-home fans. “What’s X, Y or Z doing hanging with Lewis Hamilton/Lando Norris/Max Verstappen/Mercedes/Aston Martin… (delete as applicable)? They couldn’t tell a front wing from a rear wing. Probably thinks an MGU-K is a new model from an old British sports car marque.” Etc., etc.

But those influencers who are putting posts on social media while posing with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari or watching the race from Cadillac’s garage are the ones bringing Formula 1 to the attention of folks who’d never previously cared about the sport or who didn’t realize the sport was glamorous (anywhere other than Monaco, and possibly Miami or Las Vegas) and that access to the grid pre-race is a real privilege. And it seems to be working: if F1’s figures are to be believed, it’s reached a far younger demographic over the last decade. Obviously, now F1 needs to do some deep thinking and hard work – and listen to the drivers – regarding technical regulations, so it doesn’t drive the more established (yes, that’s a euphemism…) fans away.

At the more attainable – and hugely aspirational – end of the scale, younger fans over the past near-quarter-century have thrilled to the spectacle provided by Formula DRIFT. For traditionalists, it may be anathema that a sport can be to some extent defined by style over the measurable, and that the subjective melds with the objective to determine outcomes. But, damn, it’s spectacular to watch a Mustang and a Supra go side by side, inches apart, at 45 degrees to the direction of travel, while pouring smoke from the outside rear tire. But as a pair of multiple FD champions explain, the tech that goes into judging is on another level, each car is a technical tour de force that demands much from the driver, but rewards him or her accordingly, apparently catchable from any angle! Real trick stuff.

Drifting forms part of the burgeoning nationwide series that is GRIDLIFE which, in simple terms, is where motorsports, car culture and music festival vibes meet in one race track, as an increasingly successful attempt to offer something for every gearhead of any age. It started at Gingerman Raceway in Michigan in 2014, but now travels the country to bring its unique take on racing meets world to some high-profile venues. After checking it out, we get why it’s on such an upward trajectory.

Chances are, many of the youngsters who experience GRIDLIFE events with their friends and families will get the racing bug and want to take things much, much further. The path to pro racing is a tough one – not least because of the sheer expense of getting on the ladder from karts to cars. Could sim racing be a lower-cost, but valid alternative to karting? We look at the pros and cons.

There are other ways to interpret our Racing Reimagined theme, too, and we’ve tapped into a few of those.

As we build an issue, it’s rare that the big talking point among the editorial crew is a single news item, rather than planned or reactive features. But when it was confirmed that Scott Dixon will leave Chip Ganassi Racing at season’s end, we knew it was a great fit for our SPIN pages. After 24(!) years at CGR, Dixon will head to Arrow McLaren for 2027 – now that’s a racing career reimagined… – where he’ll join up with McLaren returnee Felix Rosenqvist, who looks back on his stunning Indy 500 victory for Meyer Shank Racing in this issue.

Another legend who moved late in his career, Lewis Hamilton, has rediscovered his mojo – and the top step of an F1 podium – in his second year with Ferrari and is the subject of a fascinating RACER deep dive. And we also take a look at how F1 rival Max Verstappen went for max fun by racing in the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Speaking of 24-hour races, we get the inside line on how Toyota grabbed Le Mans glory, despite the best efforts of BMW and Cadillac, while at the other end of the duration scale – as in, less than four seconds – we meet the new hero of NHRA Top Fuel dragsters, Maddi Gordon.

Plus, we pay tribute to NASCAR’s late, lamented, irrepressible and brilliant Kyle Busch, while also tracking his elder brother’s foray to Le Mans to compete in the Le Mans Classic with one of his winning Chevrolet Camaro NASCAR Cup Series cars.

Throw in some fascinating insight from former Indy 500-winner Ryan Hunter-Reay and a pair of Pikes Peak Hill Climb aces, Romain Dumas and JR Hildebrand – the latter   recounting his record-setting tackling of Pikes Peak in a production Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X – and it’s a packed issue.

But it doesn’t stop more. At the more modest end of the street-car world, we’ve road tested a Toyota GR Corolla, a car which revives happy memories of ultra-quick compacts of 40 years ago.

Oh, and in a somewhat self-indulgent move, we’ve taken that Racing Reimagined theme as license to create our own fantasy grand prix schedule that delves into F1’s 75-year past, but includes plenty of the present, too.

OK, so on reflection, maybe we can consider issue No. 341 of RACER as more eclectic than usual. All it took was a little (re)imagination.

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