DBA USA announces its 10 year anniversary in the United States, after having established a sales, marketing and warehousing arm of Disc Brakes Australia in the US in 2005 that has garnered success. By locating a team in the US, DBA has been able to better cater to the needs of its US customers, as well as adapt its product mix and application coverage to better suit the vehicles in America.

"Despite over 30 years of brake manufacturing in Australia, we still learned a lot in the decade we have been here," said Mark Joseph, General Manager, DBA USA. "The needs of our customers and the way people use their cars is different here, as are the trends and popular vehicles. So we have had to add some vehicle coverage and also modify our products in some ways to better suit the American enthusiast."

During the last ten years, DBA USA has held true to its "Made in Australia" heritage, as well as expanded its global footprint to keep up with increasing demand, all while continuing to innovate and improve its rotor design. DBA's patented Kangaroo Paw ventilation has been embraced by racers and street enthusiasts alike, and that trust has also allowed DBA to develop its improved T-slot curved slotting that is a vast improvement over straight slot designs.

DBA USA attributes its ongoing success in the US to its highly supportive dealer network and its loyal customers. DBA USA will be running contests and offering special deals and discounts throughout the year to say "thank you" for ten years of great partnerships and continued growth.

The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce has announced a new education initiative.

The On Track motorsports education program is a partnership with the Warren County Area Technology Center, Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College and Holley Performance Products.

Students at the tech center and at SKYCTC will spend the 2015-16 school year rebuilding two late-model Chevrolet Camaros, incorporating the science, technology, engineering and mathematic disciplines.

The cars were donated to the program by Holley and the program is part of a chamber educational initiative to teach local students motorsports technologies and work practices in southcentral Kentucky.

The Verizon IndyCar Series and chassis manufacturer Dallara are working on new methods to prevent future injuries like the one suffered by driver James Hinchcliffe.

The Canadian’s crash during practice for the Indianapolis 500 took place after a suspension component failed, and in the ensuing high-speed impact with the Turn 3 wall, a right-front wishbone entered his No. 5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara DW12 chassis, where it penetrated his lower extremities. In response to the crash, the series and Dallara mandated the installation of new wishbone “pads” for the race and made the welding of a rod between the wishbone legs optional.

The metal pads are affixed to the rear leg of the lower front wishbones at their mounting points and create more surface area to reduce the likelihood of a wishbone leg piercing the chassis in an impact. The wishbone rod addition, which was given the green light two days before the Indy 500, was a regular item found on Indy cars prior to the DW12, and were created to prevent wishbone intrusions from happening.

Although the rods have not stopped every intrusion, the welded tubes have been an enormous help to reduce intrusions by having a welded metal barrier to push against the chassis and keep wishbone mounting points from being freely driven into the cockpit.

With less than 48 hours to respond prior to the Indy 500, most IndyCar teams said they will have the rods added prior to the next oval race in Texas on June 6.

“We did the pads and didn’t do the tubes—didn’t feel it was appropriate to weld everything without the proper time for heat treating and testing,” said CFH Racing team manager Tim Broyles.

“We suggested it to IndyCar earlier in the week, but with the time left to do the solution when it came down, there wasn’t enough time to make the suspension modifications and shake the cars down after a fairly substantial disassembly and reassembly before the race, so we will have it done before the next oval race,” added Rob Edwards, Andretti Autosport’s director of race operations and engineering.

Indy 500 winners Team Penske were one of few to compete on Sunday with the anti-intrusion pads and wishbone rods on their cars.

“We did it for Indy,” said Penske Racing president Tim Cindric. “It wasn’t easy, but we sat down, said this is what we need to do and this is what we’re going to do. We try and do whatever we can on those fronts.”

The series and Dallara made safety upgrades to the spec DW12s (ABOVE) ahead of the 2014 season, adding more Zylon anti-intrusion material to the cockpit area and down the sides of the chassis where drivers legs rest inside the carbon fiber tub.

Depending on the angle of an impact and where a wishbone is bent and pushed into the tub, situations like the one experienced by Hinchcliffe—and other drivers before him—are almost impossible to prevent in every instance with a chassis made from carbon fiber. According to Broyles, Dallara has been looking at other ways to reduce the chances of cockpit intrusions, and his team has supported their efforts since Hinchcliffe’s crash.

“Dallara has some ideas they’d like to try—came by our shop—that they’re looking at before Texas,” he said. “They’re taking a very active role in coming up with solutions so we don’t have to go through that again. And since they aren’t involved in the aero kits, they’re having to get an understanding on aero loads, breaking loads, and we’re trying to help any way we can with that data. I’m confident with the approach they’re taking and what they’re doing.”

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports technical director Nick Snyder also applauded the efforts of Dallara and IndyCar in the wake of Hinchcliffe’s crash.

“I was fairly involved in most of the conversations with them because we have the car here so we were sending pictures back and forth on how the penetration happened, and I think everything they’re doing is positive and headed in the right direction,” Snyder said.

“You’re never going to prevent metal from penetrating a carbon fiber tub; if everything aligns the way it did, you’ll have something break through, but anything we can do as teams to help prevent it in the future is the right way to go.”

Snyder says Dallara and IndyCar could take a page from the Italian manufacturer's previous Indy car chassis in an effort to further safeguard drivers in the DW12, but cautions against adding too much weight to the front of the car.

“The only thing we had on the last car that isn’t on this car is a stainless steel plate that was bonded to the outside of the tub,” he added. “That was bonded onto the Dallara IR03—they called it the ‘TK Bulletin’—when the wishbone pushed through [Tony Kanaan] at Motegi. I think that idea is bouncing around still. It’s a little bit more difficult with this car because of how the underwing mounts, but I know it’s been in discussion.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that came out once they find a way to install it and make the underwing removable. But as far as the bits they’ve added with the pads and the bars, it’s a good reaction. And we need to draw a line as to what’s too much—we don’t want to turn the cars into tanks, because then you create other problems.”

Racing season is heating up in Central Pennsylvania, with higher-than-average car counts and competition as stiff as ever.

Lincoln Speedway alone has seen seven different winners in 10 races, with Alan Krimes, Greg Hodnett, Danny Dietrich, Brian Montieth, J.J. Grasso, Glenndon Forsythe and Lance Dewease all scoring wins.

The Dirt Classic Qualifier will keep the heat turned up and kick off the month of June at Lincoln Speedway with a new format for the fans and a boosted purse with $7000-to-win and a Golden Ticket to the $20,000-to-win Dirt Classic for the drivers.

“The fans really liked the format that we did for the Classic last year,” Jarrod Adams said. “We decided to do a simplified version for the Qualifier to mix it up a bit, make it a night that rewards both fast cars and those who can pass, and really keeps fans on the edge of their seats.”

The Qualifier format will utilize both a pill draw and points for qualifying and heat races. The initial pill draw will determine the qualifying order (straight up) and heat race starting position (inverted).

For example, the driver who draws the lowest pill will go out first for qualifying and start last in the final eight-lap heat race. Points will be accumulated for time trials (200 points for quick time, subtracting 5 points per position) and heat races (200 points to the winner, subtracting 5 points per position).

Points will be tallied after the heat races and the top-18 drivers will advance to the 35-lap A-main. Teams outside of the top-18 will run a B-Main to earn the final six A-Main starting spots.

The top-six in total points will be entered into a pill draw for the first six starting positions. Positions 7–18 will be lined up by total points. The remaining positions will be determined by the B-Main finish.

In addition to the main event, The Dirt Classic Fans Choice Race will be held on June 6th at the Dirt Classic Qualifier. The four drivers with the most votes will race a 5-lap dash for $400-to-win and $100-to-start.

Well over 100 Charlotte-area race industry members, as well as those in town for the Coca-Cola 600, got together for a festive evening to network and re-connect over food and drinks at one of the region's premier eateries. Among those in attendance were representatives from Automotive Specialists Racing Engines, Carolina Racing Supply, CV Products, Heintz Performance, Kooks Custom Headers, MAVTV, Motovicity Distribution, NASCAR, Roush Yates, Tiger Rear Ends, XRP and many more, as well as professional drivers and race teams.

One of the evening's highlights was the presentation of an oversized check for more than $52,000 to the Victory Junction children's charity, all of which was raised during the Sunnen Engine Charity Sweepstakes at the 2014 PRI Trade Show. Tickets were purchased online prior to the PRI Show, and during exhibit hours in Machinery Row on the show floor at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

To raise funds, a Reher-Morrison race engine was raffled off as the grand prize. The 583ci big block Chevrolet racing engine was dyno tuned and tested at 1,200 horsepower and 880 ft/lbs of torque, and valued at $25,000. The winner of the engine was Richard Ageton of Tucson, Arizona.

Founded in 2004 by the Petty Family, Victory Junction is a year-round camping facility in Randleman, North Carolina, for children ages six to 16 with serious illnesses. For more information on Victory Junction, go to www.victoryjunction.org.

Click on the following Photo Gallery to see some of our friends and colleagues in attendance, as well as a few of the evening's more memorable moments. Enjoy!

 

Premium synthetic lubricant and performance chemical manufacturer, Royal Purple, has announced The Royal Treatment Sweepstakes; offering one race fan the opportunity to meet Indy 500 and sports car racing driver, Townsend Bell, and attend the Lone Star Le Mans race as a guest VIP pit crew member of Scuderia Corsa at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on September 19, 2015.

Beginning May 4 and going through May 31, race fans can enter the sweepstakes at www.GetTheRoyalTreatment.com. Fans are also automatically entered to win when they redeem a $2.00 mail-in rebate as part of a promotion with the purchase any of Royal Purple’s high performance fuel or coolant treatments, including Max-Atomizer, Max-Clean, Max-Tane, Max-Boost, Royal Flush and Purple Ice, from a US retailer.
 
Under the terms of the sweepstakes, one winner will be chosen at random to win the grand prize. In addition to meeting Townsend Bell and becoming a guest pit crew member of Scuderia Corsa, the grand prize winner will have the opportunity to lap the Circuit of the Americas as a passenger in the pace car, as well as receive special behind-the-scenes access to the Scuderia Corsa team as they prepare their Ferrari 458 Italia to campaign in the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship race weekend.
 
The sweepstakes winner also receives a complete race day apparel and travel package, which includes specially-branded Royal Purple wearables; complimentary roundtrip domestic airfare, hotel accommodations, meals and transportation for two in Austin, Texas, courtesy of Royal Purple.
 
“Our line of performance lubricants and chemicals is preferred by many professional racers and mechanics, as well as a loyal fan base of amateur racers, shade tree mechanics and enthusiasts, all of who want the best product on the market for their vehicles,” said Leah Herrington, Royal Purple Vice President of Marketing. “It’s fitting then that we sponsor Townsend Bell; he’s at the wheel of some of the most technically-advanced open-wheel and sports racing cars where every component—including the lubricants—need to outperform. We want to give someone this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience—to see up close—how Townsend, his crew, his car and Royal Purple work together to succeed.”
 
For more information on the mail-in rebate, as well as terms and conditions for The Royal Treatment Sweepstakes, please visit www.GetTheRoyalTreatment.com.

Teams in all three of NASCAR’s national series will race with the same tire combination this weekend at Dover International Speedway.

While the right-side tire has been run at Dover since 2012, teams will have a new left-side tire. The new left-side tire has a compound, construction and mold shape change compared to what had been run there before. The changes are intended to provide more grip  and to make the Dover tire similar to what is run at other speedways.

This left-side tire has been run at Texas with Sprint Cup and Xfinity teams earlier this season and at Chicagoland, Darlington (Cup and Xfinity), Homestead and Texas last year. Goodyear confirmed this tire choice in a test May 11-12 at Dover. Drivers participating were AJ Allmendinger, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Danica Patrick.

For the weekend, Sprint Cup teams will have five sets for practice/qualifying and nine sets for the race. Xfinity teams will have six sets for the event. Camping World Truck Series teams also will have six sets for the event.

WC Vision has announced that the fines handed down for penalties assessed during the Long Beach Grand Prix Pirelli World Challenge event have been collected and donated to four charities/foundations.

An amount in excess of $40,000 has been distributed to the Road Racing Drivers Club Safe is Fast campaign, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, the SCCA Foundation and Project Peanut Butter.

“As a collective group, drivers and teams included, we were disappointed by some of the on-track behavior exhibited at Long Beach,” said Scott Bove, president and CEO, WC Vision. “The silver lining though is that we get to move in a positive direction with monies being donated to four very worthy charities/foundations.”

“We at the Road Racing Drivers Club are honored to have been selected to be one of the beneficiaries of the penalties assessed at the Pirelli World Challenge race in Long Beach earlier this year. The funds we are receiving will allow the Safe is Fast driver development program to continue to help improve driver skills through its tutorials, which should benefit the sport,” said Bobby Rahal, President of the Road Racing Drivers Club.

“Project Peanut Butter is the charity chosen by StopTech’s VP Sales & Marketing Mark Cornwell to honor the memory of their daughter Madison,” said Greg Gill, General Manager/VP Marketing, WC Vision. “Mark and the team at StopTech have been great partners to the series and our thoughts and prayers go out to the Cornwell family.”

The FIA is pushing hard for its regulations to be fully respected by Formula One teams in 2015.
 
With the governing body having already clamped down in the area of fuel flow, it's reported that the FIA is now targeting engine upgrades that are being introduced for supposedly reliability-based reasons.
 
Amid the current engine freeze, F1's enginemakers are able to modify their power units for reliability reasons without dipping into their allocation of upgrade "tokens."
 
But Honda, for instance, appears to have made big steps forward so far in 2015—reportedly to the tune of 50 hp—despite not yet spending a single performance "token."
 
The FIA issued a technical directive in Monaco, warning that manufacturers will now have to lodge an application for reliability upgrades some eight days before they are due to be deployed on the track.
 
The application will have to include explanations, drawings, photos and test-bench data to prove the changes really are for reliability, rather than performance through the back door.
 
Another issue being freshly targeted by the FIA in 2015 is in the well-trodden area of "flexi wings."
 
It was reported that a new 50 Newton load test will be applied for front-wing flexibility compliance from next weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.
 
And media reports in Italy suggest that Ferrari's wind tunnel at Maranello is set to be inspected by the FIA.
 
It follows rumors after the recent Strategy Group meeting that some rival teams, perhaps Mercedes, questioned Ferrari's activities when it comes to helping the new American entrant Haas prepare for its 2016 debut.
 
Wind tunnel use in F1 is now tightly controlled, so it is suspected Ferrari may be benefiting from the data being produced in the tunnel to develop the 2016 Haas car.

Richard Childress Racing announced the appointment of Robin Johnson as the organization’s new Vice President of Business Development.

Johnson, who starts his new role immediately, will oversee sponsorship sales and partnership expansion.

“I have always admired Richard Childress and his organization, and have marveled at how his team members, business associates and partners are genuinely considered as family,” Johnson said in a team media release. “I’m truly honored and look forward to introducing new partners to the RCR family.”

Johnson has over 20 years of legal and business development experience. While his most recent position was as General Counsel for the South Carolina State Treasurer’s Office, Johnson has significant motorsports experience as well.

He previously worked in business development roles at Front Row Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing.

“We are very happy to have Robin join our team because he brings a great deal of knowledge and experience to our organization,” RCR President Torrey Galida said. “We are confident he will be a major contributor to our mission in keeping RCR as one of NASCAR’s premier racing teams, both on the track and in the marketplace.”