A Michigan racer won a new race engine for the second time in as many years at the 10th Annual Funny Car Nationals presented by Discount Tire held recently in Martin, MI. Rick Morley of Allendale won this year’s prize as he did in 2012 at US 131 Motorsports Park. It was the seventh year running the Engine Pro Engine Giveaway presented by Pro-Filer and is an event that bracket racers anticipate all year.  

With 20 eligible racers, only one racer would walk away with the engine assembled by Performance Engineering and valued at more than $15,000. This year, it again was Morley.
 
Sponsors on hand to present the prize were Scott Overlund and Tom Stuyvesant of Engine Pro, Don Kraii of Performance Engineering, Sue Rynberg of Mahle Aftermarket, CeCe DeMond of Hastings Manufacturing and Tim Foster from Melling Engine Parts.  Special thanks to Pro-Filer for providing the CNC heads and manifold.  Other sponsors who made this possible were ARP,Oliver, Ferrea, Comp Cams, JE Pistons, Clevite, Fel-Pro and Milodon.

The Southeastern Wisconsin Short Track Hall of Fame at the Wisconsin Automotive Museum in Hartford will induct ten new members in its eighth Hall of Fame Class, including a pair from Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Sheboygan racer Randy Markwardt—the son of six-time Eastern Wisconsin modified champion Ken Markwardt—will be honored for his success on the same circuit as his father while posthumously former Eastern Wisconsin modified champion Woody Klug, of Cascade, will be honored.

The ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. on November 1, at the Wisconsin Automotive Museum and the Schauer Performing Arts Center in Hartford, Wisconsin. Tickets are available at the Schauer Center box office or from Dave Magnus at 414-483-2142.

Randy Markwardt this season came out of retirement to race again with the late models at Manitowoc and Plymouth. He began his racing career in 1977 in Sportsman stock cars on the Eastern Wisconsin circuit. and by 1978 had recorded his first feature victory and finished second in final point standings.

Markwardt competed in Sportsman cars through 1996, when the division became known as Limited Late Models. He raced there through 1999 at which time he had amassed 35 EWSC features and set fast time 51 nights.

He captured the EWSC championship for Sportsman cars in 1993 and for Limited Late Models in 1999, while finishing second three times and third five times.

Markwardt moved into the late model division in 2000 and raced consecutive seasons through 2011 in those cars at Plymouth, Manitowoc, Seymour and Shawano, before retiring.

As for Klug, he raced from 1957-1981 for Reilly Skelton of Cascade, primarily on the Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car circuit. In 1964 he finished fourth in EWSC points, which began a streak of eight straight seasons of finishing in the Top 10 in points.

In 1966 he climbed to second in points, finishing behind Ken Markwardt. In the 1970 season the team captured nine feature wins on its way to winning the overall modified championship for EWSC.

In 1971, carrying the coveted No. 1 on his car, Klug wound up second in points to champion Ken Painter, just short of repeating as champion.

Klug passed away in 1995 at age 59.

* High-End Rearends: Recently, PRI had the privilege of touring the one-and-only Currie Enterprises race shop and manufacturing facility in Corona, California. The company that started out designing and building differentials for material-handling equipment back in 1959 has grown over the decades to become one of the world’s most recognized names in rearends and drivetrain components. As Ray Currie explained, his business now supplies products for scores of off-road, rock-climbing, endurance and other applications in some of the planet’s least forgiving environments. During our visit we observed a massive array of different rearend products at various stages of design, build, testing and modification. A particular source of pride, Currie noted that all R&D work is now done in-house in a dedicated section of his 44,000-square-foot machine shop. It’s mostly custom jobs that come out of the facility, Currie explained, noting “there’s very little production work; it's a lot of one at a time.” Among the manufacturer’s many growth areas are its short-course off-road business—about half the trucks running in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series’ Pro Lite division use Currie rearends—as well as sales of axles, housings, etc. to chassis shops, although, “really, we’re busy in all categories,” Currie conceded, adding of his bread and butter, “off-road carried us through bad times and has grown the most through the good times.” There’s no mistaking the pride, passion and precision that Currie’s team puts into every part that’s shipped outside the company’s walls. We certainly appreciated the inside look into his top-quality operation.

* A Proper Tribute: All-time great Don Garlits will journey across the pond later this year to be honored among the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame’s class of 2014. “Big Daddy” will be joined by his daughters, Donna and GayLyn, and grandchildren at the Gala Awards Dinner at the famed Savill Court Hotel at Windsor Great Park, near Windsor, Surrey, on November 22. The occasion marks the 50th anniversary of the first “British International Drag Racing Festival” (also known as “DragFests”) organized by the late Sydney Allard, the British industrialist and automaker who built his nation’s first dragster. Garlits and the “Swamp Rat 6B” participated in that initial series of races held at various Royal Air Force airfields across Britain in 1964. In fact, a number of match races with friend and rival “TV Tommy” Ivo encouraged other US drag racers to follow behind, and subsequently helped launch the sport in Britain and throughout Europe.  

* New Online Media Center: As the true epicenter of modern racing technology, PRI’s annual Trade Show offers more new products, more business opportunities and more speed solutions than anywhere else on earth. It’s a global marketplace of epic proportions—all under a single roof. And because there’s so much to take in, PRI is now making it easier than ever for our 1100 exhibiting companies to publicize their news and information to the tens of thousands of industry buyers, as well as the hundreds of media members in attendance at the 2014 Show. Now available, our all-new Exhibitor Press Release Center allows exhibitors to submit Trade Show-related press releases on new products, company announcements, promotional offers, booth appearances and more for publication online. This easy-to-use portal is located on the Trade Show website, www.pri2014.com, and can be accessed by placing your cursor over the “Exhibitors” tab and clicking “Submit Exhibitor Press Release” on the dropdown menu. Once exhibitors have completed the form, their press release will be reviewed by PRI editors and approved for publication online. It will then appear on a dedicated web page (www.performanceracing.com/press) that will be promoted to the media in the weeks leading up to the Show. There is no deadline to submit releases, and they will remain available for viewing online through the Trade Show; the page won’t be taken down until January 2015. We’ve already received some great submissions, and we invite all exhibitors to take advantage of this new—and free—opportunity to further promote your news and information to the tens of thousands of buyers, attendees and media at PRI2014!

To ensure a continued level of exceptional customer support, Hewland Engineering Ltd has recently hired several new staff across the company, including a new Technical Director, to enhance the design, operations, assembly, procurement and commercial teams.

Pleased to be expanding his team, Chairman of Hewland Engineering, William Hewland, had the following to say. “Hewland, or any leading business, relies upon a great team. All areas of the company need experienced leaders with broad market experience and this is what Hewland has implemented over the past two years in particular. We now have the most capable and dynamic staff structure in the long history of the company.”

Jonathan Dean joins Hewland as the new Technical Director, bringing with him experience of the highest caliber, having headed the Caterham F1 design office and has over a decades’ experience designing transmission solutions for winning Sports and Touring car vehicles. Overseeing the Design Office at Hewland, he will be responsible for all new projects, and will be heavily involved in diversifying the product range for new markets.

With experience at the highest levels of motorsport, Dean will bolster our drawing to manufacture capabilities, specifically in the Formula 1 and Electric Vehicle markets. His oversight will ensure the company continues to provide quality solutions to all levels and forms of motorsport.

Hewlands new Operations Manager, Mark Baker, is an expert in the field of lean processes. Toyota trained and developed, and with almost two decades experience, he will be charged with stream-lining our operations, delivering an improved customer experience through a reduction in waste, and an overall improvement in production capacity.

Peter Metcalf, joining as Head of Assembly, brings with him a wealth of experience in motorsport following involvement in Rallying, Racing and Formula 1, where he managed Caterham’s F1 Assembly Department. With over 30 years’ experience at the highest levels, Metcalf will oversee the assembly of all Hewland products, delivering further reliability and quality assurance for every customer.

Daniel Broomfield starts as Marketing Assistant, drawing on several years’ experience in motorsport to promote the Hewland brand globally, and working internally to develop the customer facing elements of the business, ensuring Hewland retains the title of the leading name in motorsport transmissions.

Duncan Medlock becomes the new Procurement Manager. With previous roles at McLaren (F1, Road car and GTR projects), Airbus and Overfinch, Medlock brings a wealth of experience to the role, coordinating both sub-contract and mainstream purchase negotiations, ensuring Hewland continue to source only the highest quality components at the best possible price.

Officials with the National Championship Racing Assoiation presented by Precise Racing Products have announced schedule changes for the series modified division.

The originally scheduled event for this coming Saturday night, Sept. 27, has been nixed. The remaining two dates for the tour are Saturday night, Oct. 11 and Saturday night, Oct. 18. Both events will take place at 81 Speedway in Park City.

It will be an intense final two events for the tour as four drivers have a shot at the 2014 series championship. Currently Dan Powers hold a slim 10 point lead over defending tour champion Marc Hurd. Nebraska veteran Jon Thompson is just 40 points out of the lead while Kirby Robe is just 155 points out.

The 2015 World Rally Championship format will finally be agreed via a specially-convened WRC Commission meeting and FIA World Motor Sport Council e-vote next month.

Controversial changes to the Powerstage system were expected to be ratified by the WMSC in Beijing earlier this month, but despite getting unanimous WRC Commission approval, the scheme was unanimously rejected by the FIA's rule-making body.

The WMSC asked for a review of the proposal, which is aimed at reducing the time gaps between crews to close up competition and improve the chances of position change on the final stage.

The WRC Commission—led by FIA president Jean Todt—will meet in Geneva on October 16, with a WMSC decision expected quickly afterwards.

FIA rally director Jarmo Mahonen said, "It was important to reconvene the WRC Commission as soon as possible, in order that we have the opportunity to re-discuss our proposals for the future. "There will be an [WMSC] e-vote as soon as possible after the meeting."

WRC Promoter's Oliver Ciesla remains convinced that the radical format change will still go ahead.

"I believe this is the right step for the WRC to move forward and achieve the objective of reaching more people," he said. "I have no indication that we should not be optimistic."

The seventh round of the 2014/2015 FIA Formula E championship will take place at the legendary Monaco street circuit, but the route used will not be the same as Formula One.

The 1.2 mile course will have Formula E drivers take a sharp right at St. Devote, deviating from the usual path. They will then run parallel to and in the opposite direction of the F1 track as they race towards the famed tunnel.

A hairpin at the chicane will take the cars back onto the usual circuit for the remainder of the lap. It's a unique layout which will certainly prove difficult for all drivers in the field.

The NHRA has named Precision Turbo & Engine, a leader in turbocharger technology for street and race applications, as presenting sponsor for the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series event at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, September 26-28 at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois.

It is the ninth of 10 races in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.

“This is a historical partnership between NHRA and the Real Pro Mod Association and we are working towards a common goal of ensuring the longevity and prosperity of Pro Mod racing,” said PTE president and owner Harry Hruska. “Precision Turbo & Engine’s sponsorship of the St. Louis Pro Mod race is just one of the many ways our company is showing its commitment to supporting this great class.”

PTE offers a complete line of replacement, upgrade and custom turbochargers featuring the exclusive CEA (Competition Engineered Aerodynamics) compressor and turbine wheels. Additionally, PTE manufactures its own line of intercoolers, boost control products, electronic fuel injectors, and is a top distributor for stand-alone engine management systems and fuel system components.

With a resume featuring more than 40 years in motorsports, Kenny Hunley is well acquainted with NASCAR’s short-track racing program. This week, the Kingsport, Tennessee, native was named the new NASCAR Director of Weekly Racing.

“I literally grew up in the grandstands,” said Hunley from his office at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center in Concord, North Carolina.  “My father, Ken “Bear” Hunley, raced on the beach in 1958, and was a Sportsman National Champion crew chief. I worked for him when he ran Kingsport Speedway—every job at the track except flagman.”

The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, NASCAR’s weekly racing program that encompasses 58 tracks in the United States and Canada, is the grassroots foundation of stock car racing. More than 10,000 NASCAR-licensed drivers compete in a multitude of divisions at member tracks, a combination of young talent looking to move up the NASCAR ladder and weekend racers who have made a racing career at their home tracks.

Hunley’s career in racing is marked by success at every level, from his first job at Black Diamond Racing in 1974 to his most recent stint as a crew chief and chassis and shock specialist for Henderson Motorsports through 2012.  His teams have captured championships at iconic NASCAR Home Tracks including Lonesome Pine Speedway, and he has worked with a number of racing legends along the way—NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson, Donnie Allison, Neil Bonnet, and Harry Gant to name a few.

“Kenny’s knowledge, experience, and unmatched passion for weekly racing made him an obvious choice to lead our weekly racing program,” said Brad Moran, NASCAR’s Managing Director of Touring Series.  “He brings a unique perspective—as someone involved in operating a track, as a mechanic, a crew chief—that makes him a great asset for our team as well as our partners.”

Hunley was an original member of Morgan McClure Motorsports, joining that organization when it was founded in 1984.  Wanting to take a break from the travel demands associated with full-time racing to focus on his family, Hunley became a professional fireman and paramedic for the Kingsport Fire Department in 1988—but never completely left the racing business. In addition to his duties as a first responder, in 1988 he also took a position with his father’s company, Bear Hunley Racing and Hunley Built Shocks, as a shock and chassis specialist providing consultative support to the full spectrum of race teams, from weekly dirt and asphalt Late Model teams to NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series teams.

“I was a volunteer fireman while I was a professional mechanic, then I became a professional firefighter while I was a volunteer mechanic,” Hunley said.

As the Director of Weekly Racing, Hunley’s attention will be focused on the teams, tracks, and fans who comprise motorsport’s most dedicated and vocal base. Hunley believes his background has prepared him to make an immediate, positive impact.

“I bring the competitor’s perspective to this position, and I really want to work toward improving communications between our racing teams and tracks and NASCAR,” Hunley said.

Since its inception in 1982, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series has been the launching point for the careers of some of NASCAR’s brightest stars, including seven drivers currently competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup: Greg Biffle, Kurt and Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, and Kevin Harvick.

“The Whelen All-American Series is an integral part of the fabric of NASCAR, and getting Kenny Hunley is a win for everyone,” said Moran.

ExxonMobil announced a multi-year sponsorship and expansion of its relationship with the National Corvette Museum (NCM) becoming a sponsor of the new NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky. As part of the agreement, Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil will become the “Official Motor Oil” of the Motorsports Park and Exxon and Mobil will become the “Official Road Fuel” of NCM Motorsports Park.

The expanded sponsorship includes a number of activations to support the museum and new track, including the NCM Corvette Delivery program, where new owners receive their Corvette directly from the Museum, and the “Build Your Own Engine” program, where new owners who choose this option will hand-assemble their Z06 Corvette’s engine.

“We’ve had a long-standing relationship with Corvette and are very proud to sponsor and support a place where the heritage of this iconic American car is celebrated each and every day,” said David Tsurusaki, strategic global alliance manager, ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricants. “This announcement is a great complement to Mobil 1’s standing as the factory-fill choice of many Corvette models for more than 20 years.”

“ExxonMobil and Mobil 1 have been valuable partners of Corvette and all of Chevrolet for many years,” stated Wendell Strode, executive director of the NCM. “With such a rich partnership history between these two iconic brands, we’re thrilled that they’ll be lending their unmatched product to our brand new Motorsports Park.”

ExxonMobil will be installing a Mobil-branded gas station on the Motorsports Park grounds to provide professional and amateur racers with fuel.

With a factory-fill relationship that began in 1993, ExxonMobil has a legacy of helping Corvette engines perform at their maximum with Mobil 1 lubricant technology. The fully synthetic motor oil also serves as factory-fill for the Corvette Stingray with the Z51 Performance Package and the highly anticipated 2015 Corvette Z06.

Additionally, Mobil 1 has been a major associate sponsor for Corvette Racing and the “Official Lubricant of Corvette Racing” since 1997. In that time, ExxonMobil engineers have worked closely with Corvette Racing to develop and test new technologies to optimize power-train performance, improve fuel economy benefits and increase horsepower output without sacrificing engine durability.

For more information about Mobil 1 motor oil, go to www.mobil1.com.