American Michael Lewis joined eight other drivers from a total of eight countries as they competed for the chance to win a €200,000 scholarship to race in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup series in 2015.

Porsche Motorsport North America nominated Michael to participate in the 2014 Porsche International Cup Scholarship test due to his phenomenal rookie season in the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama where he finished third and earned Rookie of the Year honors.

Michael flew to Valencia, Spain, where he participated in the two-day process on September 29 and 30, that not only judged the participants on their driving skill, but also their character as a driver. In addition to winning the scholarship, the winner will receive a professional coach who offers advice regarding fitness level, psychological training and media relations at all rounds of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, which runs as a support series to Formula 1.   

Michael first thanked his Competition Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian team owner Bob Faieta for the opportunity to compete in the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama in 2014. "After all, it was Bob's Competition Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian team that put me in the position to get great results to be invited to this shootout for a potential Supercup 2015 scholarship," explained Michael Lewis. "It was an honor to represent the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama and the Los Angeles-based Competition Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian team overseas. Being in the company of the factory Porsche Motorsport engineers and personnel was a result of all the people back in the US who supported my driving career, including great sponsors such as Curb Records, Eibach, Cometic Gasket, ASE, C&R Racing and McKenna Porsche to name a few. I hope that I can bring them the gratitude and recognition that they deserve, and it was great to represent USA among the international countries! I put in my best effort on and off the track, and we will see the result in the approaching weeks. Thank you to Porsche for this experience, and surely the experience gained from this shootout will help for the future."
 
Porsche Motorsport has a long tradition of using the International Cup Scholarship shootout to offer drivers the opportunity to advance from the worldwide Porsche Carrera Cup and Challenge series into the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and beyond. Perhaps a driver can make it to the professional segment of motorsports, such as a works driver.

"I would also like to thank IMSA, Porsche Motorsport North America and Yokohama Tire for inviting me to participate in the 2013 Porsche Young Driver Academy," said Michael. "This academy definitely helped me prepare for the 2014 International Cup Scholarship as there were many similarities between the two tests. If anything, being under pressure to perform was present and it's good to experience that when you can. 

"In addition, I would like to thank all of my sponsors Curb Records, Eibach, Cometic Gasket, ASE, C&R Racing, McKenna Porsche of Southern California, Camisasca Automotive Mfg., The Smile Generation, Ed Pink Racing Engines, Buwalda Construction, Laguna Classic Cars and Automotive Art, Mönik, Performance Racing Tech-Talk, Realatrends, RFMS Racing, Mr. Paint Inc., Burger King, Val Lambros M.D., F.A.C.S., Surterre, Klotz Synthetics, Coast Fabrication, GoPro, Racing Electronics, Bell Helmets, Racing Goes Safer Foundation, SAC Design, CXC Simulations and JDR Graphics."



To see an exclusive, behind-the-scenes video from Porsche, click on the following link: http://vimeo.com/m/107939244


   
For more information about Michael Lewis, visit www.mjlracing.com.

AMSOIL has signed on as title sponsor and official oil of an exciting project vehicle to be unveiled at SEMA 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Chrysler Group conducted a nationwide search for a talented team to modify a 2015 Challenger fresh off the line, months ahead of release to the market. Vintage Race Rentals and Pfaff Designs were selected out of countless proposals to take on the project. Named Rapture Challenger, the finished vehicle will be a show-stopping display of power and performance on a truly American modern muscle car.

The assembled team of experts and enthusiasts from Vintage Race Rentals and Pfaff Designs has earned several previous SEMA project vehicle awards, racing accolades and national exposure through TV, print and nationwide event tours. The upcoming 2015 Challenger 392 Scat Pack features the 6.4L HEMI, shaker hood and 6-speed manual transmission. AMSOIL lubricants will be used exclusively throughout.

If you're headed to SEMA, this is something you won't want to miss. Rapture Challenger will be unveiled in the AMSOIL booth live at SEMA in front of industry leaders while cameras roll. After the show, it is slated for high-profile appearances at national and regional events with TV coverage, magazine features, social media campaigns and much more. SEMA attendees can witness the official unveiling at AMSOIL booth #24661, November 4, 9:30 a.m. For those unable to attend the SEMA event, Rapture Challenger will also be on location in the AMSOIL booth #3175 at the PRI Trade Show, December 11-13.

Showgoers can kick off the 2014 SEMA Show by enjoying breakfast and honoring Ed Pink, legendary hot-rod engine builder. Secure tickets to the SEMA New Product Awards Breakfast, where Pink will be presented with the Robert E. Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award. Tickets to the breakfast are free, but because space is limited, they are required to attend.

The prestigious Robert E. Peterson Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented for the first time at the SEMA Show's opening breakfast. Previous award winners include: Dave McClelland, Wally Parks, Carroll Shelby, George Barris, Vic Edelbrock, Jack Roush, Ed Iskenderian, Jack Chisenhall, Bill Smith and Alex Xydias.

Pink, the legendary “Old Master” of engine builders, has enjoyed success with his Southern California business, Ed Pink Racing Engines, and individual achievements, including being inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2012. His expertise in numerous motorsports disciplines has contributed to more than 500 wins and accomplishments in drag racing, midgets, silver crowns, hydro planes, desert racing, Indy cars, sports cars and drifting.

SEMA’s annual New Product Awards Breakfast recognizes outstanding achievements in the development of products being introduced to the automotive specialty-equipment market. Secure tickets to attend this annual SEMA event to learn what the best new products are, what vehicles are named SEMA Award winners and honor well-known industry professionals for their outstanding achievements.

The Speedway Redevelopment Commission and AJ Foyt Racing signed agreements for purchase and renovation of the 45,000 square-foot building located at 1180 Main St., Speedway, Indiana.

The new location will serve as an expansion of AJ Foyt Racing's team offices in Waller, Texas. The team will begin renovations with a brick facade to the north side of the building and installation of windows on the south side.

As auto racing's most inspiring champion, A.J. Foyt is the record winner of 67 IndyCar races, and seven national championships. He is also the only driver to win all three major motorsport races: the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"The Indianapolis Motor Speedway holds a rich part of my history and future," said A.J. Foyt. "During the racing season, it makes sense for our team to operate close to the track where my name was made. I remember what Main Street looked like when I first came to Indy and the Commission has managed to modernize it but retain the area's history too. We're happy to be part of Speedway's redevelopment."

The Town of Speedway is pleased to welcome a corporation who shares their close identification with racing and innovation. This new addition to Main Street helps bring growth and economic development to Speedway's already growing community.

"When Speedway began their redevelopment plans in 2005, one of the dreams was to bring racing legends like A.J. Foyt and his team back to Main Street—the racing capital of the world," said Vince Noblet, Director of the Speedway Redevelopment Commission. "We're primed to build upon our unique history and motorsports ancestry—both of which are an integral part of the rich fabric that makes Speedway a great place to live and work."

"A.J. Foyt on Main Street further demonstrates that our community's economic development is creating a place where a legend of the track would want to locate and this move is another step in our revitalization," said Gary Raikes, President of the Speedway Town Council.

Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) announced it is relocating its corporate headquarters from Fullerton, California to nearby Santa Ana to accommodate business growth. The move is expected to take place in November.

YTC signed a 10-year lease for its new 57,000-square-foot headquarters at 1 MacArthur Place. The tire maker will occupy two-and-a-half floors at the high-tech, nine-floor office complex building near John Wayne Airport.

“Unlike other companies that moved out of the state, we wanted to stay in California,” said Tom Masuguchi, YTC’s chief strategy officer. “We looked at several buildings in multiple cities and considered many factors. These included layout efficiencies, cost advantages and employee-commute times. The Santa Ana location provided the best match for all our requirements now and in the future as we expand our business even further.”  

Yokohama was situated in Fullerton for 28 years. The announcement comes two months after YTC said it was moving its Western Region Distribution Center from a 380,000-square-foot warehouse facility in Fullerton to a newly constructed 658,000-square-foot facility in Chino, about 22 miles away.

Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American sales and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tires since 1917. Servicing an extensive sales network throughout the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation is a leader in technology and innovation. The company’s complete product line includes tires for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, and off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama’s broad product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com.

On Monday, Sept 29, the Hanna Motorsports/GOJO/XLERATOR team made drag racing history by visiting and testing the revolutionary Queen of Diamonds II jet dragster in the A2 wind tunnel located in Mooresville, NC. Never before has a jet drag racing machine been in a wind tunnel for aero testing.  It was a proud moment for the team which has actually been in the works for over 20 years.

In 1994, Al Hanna had revolutionized the jet funny car category and developed the first ever successful center drive jet f/c. The body of the car was a Pontiac Firebird and coupled with their Auto Palace stores sponsorship, the team was also supported for several years by GM. Al had reached out to GM for aero advice for the one of a kind machine and they provided help from the likes of their top aero man at the time, Gary Eaker. Gary flew to CT from Detroit and worked for several days on the machine making radical changes to the body which also made radical improvements to its performance immediately. There, a friendship between Al and Gary was formed as well.
 
Al had kept in contact with Eaker over the years, as he moved from GM to Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR innovating many well known updates still seen on the cars today.  He would eventually leave Hendrick to follow a life-long dream of owning his own wind tunnel, and Aerodyn was born.  In 1994, Al had wanted to put the jet funny car in the wind tunnel, but the opportunity could never develop. In 2013, Al and Rich had built another new radical machine in the QOD II and again the idea arose if it would be possible to have this car tested in a wind tunnel. Al contacted Gary and the two made it finally happen this past week.
 
Many Hanna Motorsports team members were on hand for the almost once in a life time opportunity.  he team made a total of 24 test runs in the A2 wind tunnel run by Gary’s son Geoff. An incredible amount of data was gathered and also the event was documented by Drag Racing Action’s John Dibartolomeo.
 
“It was a dream come true to see our machine in one of the top wind tunnels in the country. A true honor,” said Hanna Motorsports vice president Rich Hanna.  Al added “This has been a goal of mine since the center drive car in 1994, our jet car in a wind tunnel. What a day! Truly an immediate highlight of my 50 year career.”
 
The team plans on reviewing the data and making changes to the car for the 2015 season. They may even bring the car back to the wind tunnel in the spring of 2015. Rich said after the test, “It was our first time here, so we tried to be as prepared as we could, which we were.  But we now have a better idea for what to do next time as well. Things will only get better from here.” 
 
Two days earlier, 'QD II' driver Jill Canuso had run at Maryland International Raceway at a PMRA National event.  She set her best time with the new car with a 5.29@299.93mph. With the information gathered at the wind tunnel, it is only a matter of time before the new car breaks the 300 mph barrier and beyond. 
 
Testing to measure the results of the wind tunnel updates will take place October 17-18 at the New Capital Raceway, Crofton, MD. Hanna Motorsports thanks GOJO and Excel Dryer for support of this program. "Without such support, a day at A2 would remain a dream," said Al.

The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) announced the locations for its second annual twin 2015 NASA Championship presented by Toyo tires events.
 
The 2015 NASA Eastern States Championships will move to the iconic Virginia International Raceway (VIR). The NASA Western States Championship will move to historic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

In 2014, NASA decided to enhance what had been traditionally a single National Championship event into the country splitting Eastern and Western States Championship events. This move was designed to make the events much more accessible to a wider range of NASA competitors providing each coast with an event much closer to home.
 
"The move to a dual Championship event format was well received in 2014," Ryan Flaherty, NASA National Chairman, said. "We expect a very positive response from our members upon learning that the Championship events will move to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Virginia International Raceway. These are two world class tracks revered in the motorsports community each offering a fantastic set of challenges our competitors must overcome to be crowned NASA Champions. We look forward to visiting each of these amazing facilities in 2015."
 
This move provided competitors the opportunity to compete at and experience a Championship level event all set over a shorter three day format again designed to decrease the expense and time requirement a Championship level event can present competitors. This change has been well received, as nearly 600 entries will have competed for Championship titles at the conclusion of the 2014 season. Unprecedented in club racing, NASA also worked with its partners to offer over $2 million dollars worth of contingency prizes available through a vast network of generous contingency sponsors.

NASA competitors will make their way toward Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the 10th annual running of the event for the Western States Championships that will begin July 31 - August 2, 2015.
 
"We are proud to extend our relationship with NASA and to be chosen to host their 2015 Western States Championship event," Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, said. "Our challenging 2.238-mile natural terrain road course coupled with our inviting locale is sure to draw a large field of competitors and family members eager to race and enjoy everything the Monterey Peninsula has to offer."
 
The NASA Western States Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca also presented a special synergistic opportunity considering Mazda is the track's title sponsor and the Official car of NASA.
 
"We can't imagine a better pairing of tracks for the 2015 NASA Championship," John Doonan, Director of Motorsports at Mazda North American Operations, said. "Mazda has thousands of racers competing with NASA, and it will be great to host all of the competitors at our home track. Simply based on its characteristics, we have often said that VIR is the East Coast counterpart to Mazda Raceway, and we expect both tracks will be popular choices."
 
The Eastern part of the Championship event will begin at Virginia International Raceway September, 4-6, 2015.
 
"VIR is ready to open its gates to the 2015 NASA Eastern Championships," Mike Rose, Virginia International Raceway Director of Marketing, said. "We hold several NASA events every year and competitors come to Danville, VA from all over the country to compete for the Championship crown. We're honored to host this fantastic event."
 
Continuing to grow in popularity, 2015 will see NASA crown Champions for the 10th consecutive year. It will take both consistency and tenacity to persevere at either event where competitors will be required to complete two qualifying races to attain their stating position for the main event. NASA expects to crown Champions in 35 classes at each event over three days of intense competition.

In honor of its 40th anniversary, Skip Barber Racing School has announced two new programs for the motorsports enthusiast for 2015.

The first product combines the best of both worlds—high-performance driving and racing—in an action-packed experience. Migrate from intensive driving instruction in the Porsche 911s and Mazda MX-5 Cup Cars to on track sessions in the Formula Skip Barber 2000 race car. The best of the Skip Barber Racing School experience in one half-day program will be known as the Skip Barber High Performance Driving & Racing Combo School. The program teaches vehicle dynamics in Porsche 911s and Mazda MX-5 race cars before heading out on track for two 25-minute sessions to learn the basics of racing.

Students will drive on the Skip Barber Racing School autocross constructed by instructors and will test their response time in the fun yet challenging skid pad. In this condensed program, participants will get the instruction needed to become a better and more knowledgeable driver for only $1200.

"The Skip Barber Racing School programs provide driving experiences that customers never forget and these new offerings are no exception," said CEO Michael Culver. "Upon graduation you will be a member of a passionate group of alumnae that includes many successful professional drivers like Ryan Hunter-Reay and Bryan Herta, to name a few."

The second product is a much anticipated addition to the Skip Barber Racing School line—Skip Barber Racing School Track Days. Motorsports enthusiasts can take advantage of the legendary Skip Barber Racing School instruction during select Skip Barber Race Series weekends.

This product will be a perfect match for experienced drivers who own performance vehicles and want to test those sports cars at their limit on iconic race tracks. Skip Barber Racing School's professional instructors—each holding professional racing licenses themselves—will provide timely feedback and pointers to the drivers throughout the day.

The program will kick off during Skip Barber Race Series' first race weekend of the 2014-15 Winter Series in Road Atlanta. For only $400 for the day, Track Day racers will receive professional instruction, 2.5 hours of track time in their car and in-depth event orientation via van arounds/track inspection.

Lotus F1 Team will use the Mercedes-Benz Power Unit from the start of the 2015 season until the end of the current Power Unit generation.

Under the terms of the agreement, Lotus will be supplied with Mercedes-Benz Power Units by Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP) based in Brixworth, England. The Power Unit will use Fluid Technology Solutions developed by Petronas, the technology partner of Mercedes-Benz.

Lotus will continue to design and manufacture its own transmission at its Enstone base, where work is already underway on the team’s 2015 car, the E23 Hybrid.

“The Mercedes-Benz Power Unit has shown good performance on track and it is our goal to marry this motive force to Enstone’s chassis expertise,” said Matthew Carter, the CEO of Lotus F1 Team.

Lotus, which will have 2014 be its final season with Renault power, is set to be the third customer Mercedes team.

“It was strategically important for Mercedes-Benz to continue to supply three customers throughout this generation of Power Unit, in addition to the primary focus on our Silver Arrows works team, and it was therefore clear that we would be looking for a new customer from 2015,” Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, said.

“Lotus F1 Team is an impressive organization that has delivered competitive on-track performances in recent seasons. We are pleased to welcome them to the Mercedes-Benz family and look forward to building a productive and performant working relationship in the years ahead.”

The new 410 sprint series established by Tod Quiring of Big Game Treestands has added the support of Knoxville Raceway for the 2015 season.

The famed half-mile oval in Knoxville, Iowa, has selected four dates with the newly formed series, which was created to strengthen 410 sprint car racing in the Midwest. The four events at Knoxville Raceway will be part of the Knoxville Championship Cup Series.

“Our region is extremely fortunate to have a class facility like Knoxville Raceway and the talented drivers who compete there weekly,” Quiring said. “I’ve had a vision for this series for several years. With the point fund of Knoxville Raceway and our series, it will allow many drivers the opportunity to race at Knoxville weekly and also with the series.”

The first series race at Knoxville Raceway is slated for May 9. A $5,000-to-win event will follow on June 27 before a race on July 4. The Knoxville Raceway season championship is set for Aug. 29 and will be a $5,000-to-win series event.

“Knoxville Raceway General Manager Brian Stickel and Race Director John McCoy have been great to work with,” Quiring said. “Knoxville is very proactive and understands we are putting this deal together to strengthen 410 racing in our region.”

The Knoxville Championship Cup Series pays out more than $250,000 in cash and prizes and the new sprint car series will pay a standout point fund of approximately $350,000.

In addition, Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb., will host a series event on May 8. If any driver wins that feature along with the May 9 main event at Knoxville Raceway, he or she will receive a $20,000 bonus thanks to Phil and Ryan Durst of Durst Motorplex.

The new series will include approximately 30 events, which will allow drivers to compete weekly for the Knoxville point fund in addition to the series point fund.

“The outpouring of support and calls I’ve received from major businesses to promoters to race tracks has been beyond what I thought it would be,” Quiring said. “The future looks very bright.”