Motorsports
Filipino racer Eduardo Coseteng helps Ford Mustang GT3 make history
NÜRBURGRING, Germany | Filipino racing driver Eduardo Coseteng shared a landmark Silver Cup victory as HRT Ford Racing gave the Mustang GT3 its first class win in the GT World Challenge Europe.
Coseteng, Nicolas Baert and series newcomer Niklas Kalus drove the number 65 HRT Ford Racing Mustang GT3 Evo to the Silver Cup win in Sunday’s three-hour race at the Nürburgring.
Team WRT controlled much of the class battle with its number 30 BMW M4 GT3 Evo. The HRT crew fought back during the final hour before Kalus completed the decisive pass for the lead late in the race.
The result gave Coseteng his first GT World Challenge Europe victory during his debut season in the Endurance Cup. It also delivered an important result for Ford’s expanding international GT3 program.
The 22-year-old Filipino joined HRT Ford Racing this year after three seasons in the ADAC GT Masters. Coseteng started his sports car career in 2023 with Schubert Motorsport, where he drove a BMW M4 GT3 and finished seventh in the championship during his rookie campaign.
He later spent two seasons with FK Performance Motorsport before moving to the Mustang GT3 Evo for 2026. His first year with HRT has included races at Paul Ricard, Monza and the 24 Hours of Spa.
The Nürburgring victory rewarded the team’s progress in a championship that regularly attracts more than 50 GT3 cars. HRT entered two Mustangs this season, with the number 65 car assigned to the Silver Cup and the number 64 competing in the Pro class.
Team WRT still secured the Silver Cup teams’ championship despite losing the race win. Its crew of Matisse Lismont, Ignacio Montenegro and Amaury Cordeel finished second in class, while the number 6 GetSpeed Team Bartone Bros Mercedes-AMG completed the podium.
Overall victory went to the number 7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin of Nicki Thiim, Marco Sørensen and Mattia Drudi. The number 64 HRT Mustang also finished sixth overall during a strong home race for the German team.
Coseteng and HRT will next prepare for the Endurance Cup finale at Portimão, Portugal, from 16 to 18 October.
Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris has extended his contract with McLaren until at least 2030, securing his long-term future with the team that launched his career.
The agreement includes an option for a further multi-year extension beyond 2030. It was announced less than a week after Norris won the Dutch Grand Prix, his second straight victory following his triumph in Hungary.
“McLaren is my home, and I’m very pleased to be signing a new contract to keep me with the team until at least 2030,” Norris said.
The 26-year-old Briton joined the McLaren junior program at 17 before making his Formula 1 debut with the team in 2019. He delivered McLaren’s first drivers’ championship since Lewis Hamilton claimed the title in 2008.
“When I started this journey nine years ago, I was clear about the goals I wanted to achieve: to get McLaren back to the front and to win championships,” Norris said.
“We’ve achieved that goal, but we want more. We want to keep on winning, and we know as a team that we’re capable of achieving it.”
Norris currently sits fourth in the championship, 83 points behind Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli with 11 races remaining. His victories in Hungary and the Netherlands have revived his hopes of successfully defending the title after McLaren struggled to adjust to Formula 1’s new regulations early in the season.
McLaren entered the campaign as the winner of the previous two constructors’ championships. Those titles in 2024 and 2025 ended a drought stretching back to 1998.
Team principal Andrea Stella said Norris had played a central role in McLaren’s return to the front of the grid.
“He is an exceptional driver, someone who combines outstanding natural speed with maturity, consistency and a strong commitment to McLaren,” Stella said.
Norris will continue to race alongside Oscar Piastri, whose contract is believed to run until at least 2028. Stella described them as one of Formula 1’s strongest and most united driver pairings.
McLaren will also give Norris one of the MCL39 cars he drove during his first championship-winning season.
Alain Gabriel Alzona claimed two Super Sporting Class victories as the Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippine Cup made its Batangas Racing Circuit debut during Race Weekend 3.
The Toyota Gensan/Davao Racing driver won Sprint Races 7 and 9. Red Diwa of Toyota Isabela denied him a sweep after taking Sprint Race 8 ahead of Joaquin Garrido and Alzona.
Alzona’s final victory came after a well-timed pass on Michael Bryan Co before the first turn. Co stayed close but could not regain the lead and finished second. Diwa completed the podium.
The Sporting Class produced a close fight between Bern Zaragoza and Joshua David Marquez. Zaragoza won Sprint Races 7 and 9 for Resultado Racing, while Marquez took Sprint Race 8 for Obengers Racing. Mike Santos earned two third-place finishes before Raymond Paul Base placed third in the final sprint.
Obengers Racing also secured two Tamaraw Class victories. Jesse Garcia led Iñigo Anton and Potenciano Andaman II in Sprint Race 7, while Anton won Sprint Race 8 ahead of Oliver Aquino and Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippines driver Enzo Ison.
Raymond Cudala of R Racing-Toyota Dagupan captured the final Tamaraw race. Anton finished second, followed by Aquino.
Tamaraw Sprint Race 9 included several late incidents. Ison spun after contact with teammate Will Lucas, while Garcia and Russel Reyes were also removed from contention following separate collisions.
Paolo Ang completed a clean sweep of the Legacy Class for Madkart-R Racing. He won Sprint Races 5 and 6 ahead of Gabie Desales and Oliver Estrella.
The weekend marked the Philippine Cup’s first appearance at BRC in its 13-year history. It was also the second leg of Toyota Motor Philippines’ “rolling laboratory” for sustainable racing. The Vios one-make cars used an E20 bioethanol blend, while the Tamaraw race vehicles ran on B5 coco-biodiesel.
The fourth and final race weekend will be held from September 10 to 12 at Clark International Speedway.
WASHINGTON, United States | US President Donald Trump took center stage as IndyCar made its street-racing debut in Washington, but Kyle Kirkwood left the capital with the victory.
Trump completed a ceremonial lap aboard his armored limousine, known as “The Beast,” before waving the green flag to start the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.
The 147-lap race covered 250 miles around a 1.7-mile street circuit that passed the US Capitol, Washington Monument, National Archives and several museums. Cars reached speeds of up to 185 mph.
Kirkwood won after two hours, 40 minutes and 42.9548 seconds. The American crossed the line 3.09 seconds ahead of Denmark’s Christian Lundgaard, while Australian Will Power finished third.
Kirkwood survived a late restart when New Zealand’s Scott McLaughlin crashed while attempting to pass him. He then held the lead to secure the seventh IndyCar victory of his career.
“This is a big moment for us. A big moment for America,” Kirkwood said after the race.
Trump created the Freedom 250 through an executive order as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Before the start, the president met IndyCar owner Roger Penske and the seven Indianapolis 500 winners among the 25 drivers. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump then toured the circuit aboard the presidential limousine.
Pre-race activities included flyovers by a stealth bomber and Air Force One. Air traffic at nearby Reagan National Airport was temporarily suspended during the event.
IndyCar and Penske Racing shouldered most of the estimated $35-million cost of staging the race. Organizers said about 215,000 spectators attended the two-day event.
Penske said the series had been trying to organize a race in Washington for two decades. He described the inaugural event as an iconic addition to the US anniversary program.
Power called meeting Trump before the race a surreal experience for someone who grew up in a small Australian town.
The event could also return next year. Freedom 250 chairman Bud Denker said Trump wants the race to continue for another five years, although organizers must determine whether it can generate the same level of revenue.
Much of the circuit infrastructure, including its protective walls, will be stored nearby.
Denker said Melania added to the expectation of a second running when she told organizers that she looked forward to seeing them again next year.
