Schmidt Peterson Motorsports rookie Tristan Vautier has been penalized 10 spots on the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach starting grid for an unapproved engine change on his No. 55 Honda. The young Frenchman, who was slated to start 19th, will now start 27th and dead last in the field for today’s 80-lap race (4 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network/NBC Sports Live Extra).
With Vautier’s penalty, here’s your new starting lineup for the race:
IZOD IndyCar Series – Toyota GP of Long Beach
Row 1
10-Dario Franchitti
1-Ryan Hunter-Reay
Row 2
12-Will Power
14-Takuma Sato
Row 3
17-Mike Conway
3-Helio Castroneves
Row 4
27-James Hinchcliffe
11-Tony Kanaan
Row 5
83-Charlie Kimball
5-E.J. Viso
Row 6
15-Graham Rahal
4-JR Hildebrand
Row 7
16-James Jakes
2-AJ Allmendinger
Row 8
7-Sebastien Bourdais
67-Josef Newgarden
Row 9
77-Simon Pagenaud
22-Oriol Servia
Row 10
78-Simona de Silvestro
6-Sebastian Saavedra
Row 11
98-Alex Tagliani
18-Ana Beatriz
Row 12
20-Ed Carpenter
19-Justin Wilson
Row 13
25-Marco Andretti
9-Scott Dixon
Row 14
55-Tristan Vautier
Beta Motorcycles joins SuperMotocross in 2024, Benny Bloss named first factory rider
Benny Bloss will race for the factory Beta Motorcycles team in 2024 as that manufacturer joins SuperMotocross as the ninth brand to compete in the series. Beta Motorcycles will make their debut in the Monster Energy Supercross opener at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California in January.Benny Bloss finished among the top 10 twice in Pro Motocross, in 2016 and 2018. – Beta Motorcycles
“The wait is over and we can finally share everything we have been working towards,” said Carlen Gardner, Race Team Manager in a press release. “It has been a great experience being a part of this development and seeing the progression. The only missing part was finding a rider that would mesh well with our Beta Family.
“After a one phone call with Benny, we knew it would be a good fit for him, and for us. We are happy to have him on board for the next two years and can’t wait to see everyone at Anaheim in January.”
Bloss has a pair of top-10 rankings in the division with a sixth-place finish in the Pro Motocross Championship in 2016 and a seventh in 2018. His best Supercross season ended 15th in the standings in 2018.
“I’m extremely excited to join the Beta Factory Racing team,” Bloss said. “It’s cool to see a brand with such a rich history in off-road racing to come into the US Supercross and Motocross space. I know this team will be capable of great things as we build and go racing in 2024.”
Bloss is currently 22nd in the SuperMotocross rankings and has not raced in the first two rounds of the Motocross season.
Testing for Beta Motorcycles is scheduled to begin in August and the team expects to announce a second rider at that time.
The family-owned brand adds to the international flare of the sport. The company was founded in Florence, Italy in 1905 as Società Giuseppe Bianchi as they built handmade bicycles, The transition to motorcycle production in the late 1940s.
Beta Motorcycles competed and won in motocross competition in the late 1970s and early 1980s with Jim Pomeroy and other riders.
