Today’s Supercross Round 15 in Salt Lake City: Start times, TV, info

By Jun 13, 2020, 8:00 AM EDT
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With three races remaining in the Supercross season, Eli Tomac seems to have a new challenger as the Kawasaki rider bids for his first championship.

Entering today’s Round 15 of the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season, Tomac has a 27-point lead on Cooper Webb, who moved into second in the standings with his second consecutive Wednesday night victory in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Since the Supercross season resumed May 31 after an 85-day layoff because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Tomac and Webb have been the riders to beat with two victories apiece and podium finishes in all four races.

Ken Roczen, meanwhile, has slipped from three points behind Tomac following Round 10 to a 29-point deficit four races later.

After a third in Round 11, Roczen, who revealed Friday he has been battling the shingles virus, has finished fifth, 10th and fifth on the alternating track layouts at Rice-Eccles Stadium, which is the site of the final seven races this season.

Here are the details for tonight’s Round 15:

(All times are ET)

BROADCAST/STREAMING SCHEDULE:  TV coverage of Round 14 will begin at 7 p.m. today on NBCSN. The event also will be streamed on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports App, and NBC Sports Gold’s Supercross Pass.

SCHEDULE:

7:05 p.m: 250SX Heat #1 – 6 Minutes/Plus 1 lap – 20 riders (1 – 9 to Main)
7:19 p.m.: 250SX Heat #2 – 6 Minutes/Plus 1 lap – 20 riders (1 – 9 to Main)
7:34 p.m.: 450SX Heat #1 – 6 Minutes/Plus 1 lap – 20 riders (1 – 9 to Main)
7:48 p.m.: 450SX Heat #2 – 6 Minutes/Plus 1 lap – 20 riders (1 – 9 to Main)
8:11 p.m.: 250SX Last Chance Qualifier – 5 Minutes/Plus 1 lap – 22 riders (1 – 4 to Main)
8:24 p.m.: 450SX Last Chance Qualifier – 5 Minutes/Plus 1 lap – 22 riders (1 – 4 to Main)
8:51 p.m.: 250SX Main Event – 15 Minutes/Plus 1 lap – 22 riders
9:29 p.m.: 450SX Main Event – 20 Minutes/Plus 1 lap – 22 riders

TRACK LAYOUT: Though all seven races are being held at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the course will be changed for each event. Here’s a rendering of the Round 15 layout from @SupercrossLIVE:

WEATHER: Weather Underground forecasts temperatures around 75 degrees at race time under sunny skies.

FORMAT: A standard event format will be used for the seven remaining rounds, except for the season finale on June 21, which will include an East/West Showdown in the 250SX class.

    • 450SX Class – 40 Riders based on current point standings and 2020 top 100 number or combined season qualifying results
    • 250SX Class – 40 Riders based on current point standings and 2020 top 100 number or combined season qualifying results
    • Two qualifying sessions will be held for gate pick
    • 250SX Class – Two Heat Races and a Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ)
    • 450SX Class – Two Heat Races and a Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ)
    • 250SX Class Main Event
    • 450SX Class Main Event

REST OF THE SCHEDULE: After tonight, there are two rounds remaining at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, all on NBCSN and concluding on NBC:

  • Wednesday, June 17 (7-10 p.m. ET, NBCSN);
  • Sunday, June 21 (3-4:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN; 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. ET, NBC).

ROUND 14 RECAP: Cooper Webb stayed unbeaten on Wednesday nights, leading all 26 laps for his third victory of the Supercross season. Click here for details.

POINTS STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 14: 450 points standings | 250 West points standings | 250 East points standings

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN RESTART: A look at some of the burning issues as Supercross restarted its 2020 season after a nearly three-month interruption.

COVID-19 IMPACT: Earlier this month, Feld Entertainment senior director of two-wheel operations Dave Prater confirmed that protocols for the final seven races will include COVID-19 testing for everyone on-site at Rice-Eccles Stadium. A negative result will be required to enter the stadium’s perimeter; only one test will be necessary as long as the person remains in Utah throughout the seven-race stretch.

The Associated Press reported that Prater said no one tested positive among more than 700 officials, riders and team members in the initial screenings.

Additional protocols include temperature checks (administered when someone enters the stadium perimeter), face masks, increased sanitation efforts and social distancing.

Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).