Chip Ganassi Racing names Kyle LeDuc as second Extreme E driver

Chip Ganassi Racing
0 Comments

Chip Ganassi Racing completed its Extreme E driver lineup, hiring off-road champion Kyle LeDuc to its team.

Ganassi hired Sara Price last month as the first driver in the environmentally conscious series, which will race 550-horsepower electric SUVs next year around the world in five locations threatened by climate change.

LeDuc, 38, has won multiple titles in short course off-road series.

EXTREME DIRECTIONWhy Extreme E interested Chip Ganassi Racing

The series will consist of eight teams (including Ganassi and Andretti Autosport), and each will have a male and female driver who will trade  stints in the events.

Here’s the release on Ganassi hiring Extreme E driver Kyle LeDuc:

14 July, London: Extreme E is delighted to announce Chip Ganassi Racing is the first team to complete its driver lineup for the series with the signing of Prolite World Champion and six-time Pro-4 Short Course Off-Road Champion Kyle LeDuc, who will race alongside Sara Price.

LeDuc, 38, started his career racing downhill mountain bikes with his brother. He later followed in his father’s footsteps in building his own off-road cars, is a true champion with an astonishing record of 101 victories and six Pro-4 Championship wins.

At the age of 20, LeDuc, nicknamed “The Kid”, was the youngest active driver in off-road racing. He the 2003 Prolite World Champion at Crandon International Raceway then Prolite Champion the following year. LeDuc’s successes quickly moved him up from 2-wheel drive to 4-wheel drive as he entered the Pro-4 category in 2008 and took his first win in his first year.

Since 2008, LeDuc has won six Pro-4 Championships in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS), with his first in 2012 and completing the 2019 season with his most recent championship win. These titles became the norm for LeDuc as he continued to achieve a career-total of three LOORRS Challenge Cup wins, two Pro-4 World Championships, and two LOORRS Driver of the Year titles.

LeDuc has also competed in several Trophy Truck races with great success. He won the 2016 Baja 1000 where he qualified first and started first on the road and finished fifth in his first ever attempted Trophy Truck race. LeDuc has the mind of an engineer and builds his own race vehicles from the ground up.

LeDuc and Off road Truck Champion and X Games Medallist Price will team up to race the ODESSEY 21, a 550-horsepower electric SUV, in extreme environments around the world that have been damaged or affected by climate and environmental issues. This partnership highlights a world first in motorsport. Extreme E is the only championship to stipulate teams have to field both a male and female driver promoting gender equality and a level playing field amongst competitors.

Extreme E’s five-race global voyage, spanning four continents, will highlight the impact of climate change and human activity on some of the world’s most remote locations. It also will promote sustainability and the adoption of electric vehicles to help protect the planet.

Kyle LeDuc, Driver, Chip Ganassi Racing said: “I am beyond excited to announce that I will be driving in the Extreme E series for Chip Ganassi Racing. Not only do I get to drive these fully electric 4-wheel drive cars around the world, but I get to do it for the man himself, the biggest team in motorsports, Chip Ganassi Racing.

“I was born and raised around racing with my family and to see the desire and determination in Chip and the entire team to be successful and win in this newly developed form of motorsports has given me the drive to bring victories to this program. The 2021 Extreme E series is going to be groundbreaking and we are going in with the goal of victory!

“I’m looking forward to working with my teammate, Sara Price. Some of the unprecedented features of this new series will be splitting these races 50/50 and racing worldwide in climate-affected areas. This is a huge opportunity for all involved and we cannot wait to get this thing started!”

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO at Extreme E commented: “Congratulations to all at Chip Ganassi Racing for completing their driver line-up and a big welcome to the Extreme E family Kyle.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing both Sara and Kyle race, they’re both super successful in their motorsport endeavours and have already achieved so much. I’m sure they’ll be bringing this determination and skill to the Extreme E paddock.”

Mike Hull, Managing Director, Chip Ganassi Racing added: “We are really excited about Kyle joining our team and being a teammate to Sara in Extreme E. Kyle is a really quality off-road all-terrain driver. Presently, Kyle has 101 victories in off-road racing. He is a true champion, a race winner, and understands how to drive in all terrains. He will have a positive effect, not only behind the wheel but also with our team with his experience. We are looking forward to him joining Chip Ganassi Racing!”

IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix: How to watch, start times, TV, schedules, streaming

2 Comments

The NTT IndyCar Series will return to the Motor City for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix but with start times in a new location for 2023.

After a 30-year run on Belle Isle, the Detroit GP has moved a few miles south to the streets of downtown on a new nine-turn, 1.645-mile circuit that runs along the Detroit River.

It’s the first time single-seater open-cockpit cars have raced on the streets of Detroit since a CART event on a 2.5-mile downtown layout from 1989-91. Formula One also raced in Detroit from 1982-88.

The reimagined Detroit Grand Prix also will play host to nightly concerts and bring in venders from across the region. Roger Penske predicts the new downtown locale will be bigger for Detroit than when the city played host to the 2006 Super Bowl.

Here are the details and IndyCar start times for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race weekend (all times are ET):


CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX INDYCAR START TIMES

TV: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock, the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. Leigh Diffey is the announcer with analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kevin Lee are the pit reporters. Click here for the full NBC Sports schedule for IndyCar in 2023.

Peacock also will be the streaming broadcast for both practices and qualifying.

POSTRACE SHOW ON PEACOCK: After the race’s conclusion, an exclusive postrace show will air on Peacock with driver interviews, postrace analysis and the podium presentation. To watch the extended postrace show, click over to the special stream on Peacock after Sunday’s race ends.

COMMAND TO START ENGINES: 3:23 p.m. ET

GREEN FLAG: 3:30 p.m. ET

PRACTICE: Friday, 3 p.m. (Peacock Premium); Saturday, 9:05 a.m. (Peacock Premium); Sunday, 10 a.m. (Peacock Premium)

PRACTICE RESULTS: Session I l Session II l Combined

QUALIFYING: Saturday, 1:20 p.m. (Peacock Premium)

STARTING LINEUP: Alex Palou captured the first street course pole of his IndyCar career; click here for where everyone will begin Sunday’s race

RACE DISTANCE: The race is 100 laps (170 miles) on a nine-turn, 1.645-mile temporary street course in downtown Detroit.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Seven sets primary, four sets alternate. Rookie drivers are allowed one extra primary set for the first practice.

PUSH TO PASS: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation (Indy NXT: 150 seconds total, 15 seconds per). The push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race. The feature increases the power of the engine by approximately 60 horsepower.

FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 80 degrees with a 0% chance of rain.

ENTRY LIST: Click here to view the 27 drivers racing Sunday at Detroit

INDY NXT RACES: Saturday, 12:05 p.m. 45 laps/55 minutes (Peacock Premium); Sunday, 12:50 p.m. 45 laps/55 minutes (Peacock Premium)

INDY NXT ENTRY LISTClick here to view the 19 drivers racing at Detroit


CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX START TIMES

(All times are Eastern)

Friday, June 2

8:30-9:30 a.m.: IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge practice

9 a.m.: IndyCar garage opens

9:50-10:20 a.m.: Trans Am Series practice

11:40 a.m.-12:40 p.m.: IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge practice

1-1:30 p.m.: Trans Am Series practice

1:50-2:40 p.m.: Indy NXT practice

3-4:30 p.m.: IndyCar practice, Peacock

4:50-5:05 p.m.: IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge qualifying

5:30-6 p.m.: IndyNXT qualifying (Race 1 and 2)

6-7:15 p.m.: A-Track concert (Hart Plaza Stage)

7:30-8:30 p.m.: Big Boi concert (Hart Plaza Stage)

Saturday, June 3

6 a.m.: IndyCar garage opens

8:15-8:45 a.m.: Trans Am Series qualifying

9:05-10:05 a.m.: IndyCar practice, Peacock

10:35-11:35 a.m.: Trans Am Series, 3-Dimensional Services Group Muscle Car Challenge

12:05-1:00 p.m.: Indy NXT, Race 1 (45 laps or 55 minutes), Peacock

1:15-2:45 p.m.: IndyCar qualifying, Peacock

4:10-5:50 p.m.: IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic (100 minutes), Peacock

5:30-7 p.m.: Z-Trip concert (Hart Plaza Stage)

7-8:30 p.m.: Steve Aoki concert (Hart Plaza Stage)

Sunday, June 4

7 a.m.: IndyCar garage opens

10:00-10:30 a.m.: IndyCar warmup, Peacock

11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Trans Am Series, 3-Dimensional Services Group Motor City Showdown

12:50-1:45 p.m.: Indy NXT, Race 2 (45 laps or 55 minutes), Peacock

2:47 p.m.: IndyCar driver introductions

3:23 p.m.: Command to start engines

3:30 p.m.: Green flag for the Chevrolet Detroit Prix, presented by Lear (100 laps/170 miles), NBC


2023 SEASON RECAPS

ROUND 1Marcus Ericsson wins wild opener in St. Petersburg

ROUND 2Josef Newgarden wins Texas thriller over Pato O’Ward

ROUND 3: Kyle Kirkwood breaks through for first career IndyCar victory

ROUND 4: Scott McLaughlin outduels Romain Grosjean at Barber

ROUND 5: Alex Palou dominant in GMR Grand Prix

ROUND 6: Josef Newgarden wins first Indy 500 in 12th attempt 


COVERAGE ON NBCSPORTS.COM

Inside Team Penske’s bid win another Indy 500 for “The Captain”

Annual photo shows women having an impact on Indy 500 results

Roger Penske feeling hale at another Indy 500 as Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner

Honda needed 45 seconds to approve Graham Rahal racing a Chevy at Indy

A.J. Foyt takes refuge at Indy 500 while weathering grief of wife’s death

Gordon Johncock: The most unassuming Indy 500 legend

Alex Palou on his Indy 500 pole, multitasking at 224 mph and a Chip Ganassi surprise

Marcus Ericsson, engineer Brad Goldberg have ties that run very deep

New competition elements for 2023 include an alternate oval tire

Indy 500 will be Tony Kanaan’s final race

IndyCar drivers say Thermal Club could host a race

IndyCar team owners weigh in on marketing plans, double points

Alexander Rossi fitting in well at McLaren

Phoenix takes flight: Romain Grosjean enjoying the pilot’s life

Helio Castroneves says 2023 season is “huge” for IndyCar future

How Sting Ray Robb got that name

Kyle Larson having impact on future McLaren teammates

Simon Pagenaud on why he likes teasing former teammate Josef Newgarden

HOW TO WATCH INDYCAR IN 2023Full NBC Sports schedule