Building on the strengths of its inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Championship schedule, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) announced an enhanced 12-event calendar for the 2015 TUDOR Championship season. Each of the four TUDOR Championship classes will compete in 10 races.

The 2015 TUDOR Championship schedule includes one notable addition at the historic Lime Rock Park. The race at the Lakeville, Conn. circuit will be held on Saturday, July 25.

The season opens with the 53rd running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 24-25. The Rolex 24 also kicks off the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup, which returns in 2015. It continues with the 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida on March 21, followed by the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on June 28 and the season-ending Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda on Oct. 3.

Continuing its commitment to include the most iconic and premium road courses in North America, the first TUDOR Championship visit to Lime Rock Park will feature a race for the Prototype Challenge (PC) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes.

“This is simply an outstanding and exciting schedule for sports car racing fans across North America,” said IMSA CEO Ed Bennett. “We wanted to further elevate what was an impressive TUDOR Championship schedule in 2014, and we accomplished that goal with the addition of Lime Rock Park by popular demand.

“Moving to 10 races per class addresses a desire and positive input voiced by many of our competitors. One of the most important components for all of our stakeholders is the fact that all 12 TUDOR Championship races will be televised on FOX Sports.”

Every TUDOR Championship class will compete simultaneously in the four Patrón Endurance Cup events, as well as two additional venues: Road America (Aug. 9) and Circuit of The Americas (Sept. 18).
 
The class format for 2015 events at Long Beach (April 18), Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (May 3), Detroit Belle Isle (May 30) and Virginia International Raceway (Aug. 23) go unchanged from 2014. Long Beach will once again feature the Prototype (P) and GT Le Mans (GTLM) classes, while Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will again include a pair of two-hour races – one for the P and GTLM class and one for PC and GTD.
 
The P and GTD classes will share the stage in the Motor City, while the unique doubleheader returns at VIR in 2015, featuring the GTLM and GTD classes battling it out in one race and the PC class headlining its own race.
 
Another notable revision to the 2015 schedule sees the PC class join P and GTLM at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. PC replaces the GTD class, which competed at the facility this year.
 
“When we set out to create the inaugural TUDOR Championship schedule we wanted to have a calendar that featured the most iconic endurance races, historic road courses and major market street circuits in North America all on the same schedule,” said IMSA President and COO Scott Atherton. “We have confirmed all of those elements once again on the 2015 schedule, while also adding another noteworthy venue in Lime Rock Park. This is a schedule that we are confident will be embraced by the industry and sports car fans worldwide.”
 
The first IMSA-sanctioned activity for the 2015 TUDOR Championship will be the annual Roar Before The Rolex 24 test session at Daytona International Speedway on the weekend of Jan. 9-11.
 
Kansas Speedway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which hosted TUDOR Championship events this year, will not be on the 2015 schedule.
 
2015 TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Date, Event, Classes
*Jan. 24-25, Daytona International Speedway, ALL
*March 21, Sebring International Raceway, ALL
April 18, Long Beach Street Circuit, P/GTLM
May 3, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, P/GTLM and PC/GTD
May 30, Detroit Belle Isle, P/GTD
*June 28, Watkins Glen International, ALL
July 12, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, P/PC/GTLM
July 25, Lime Rock Park, PC/GTD
Aug. 9, Road America, ALL
Aug. 23, Virginia International Raceway, PC/GTLM/GTD
Sept. 19, Circuit of The Americas, ALL
*Oct. 3, Road Atlanta, ALL


* Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup Event
 

Honda believes that IndyCar fans will be surprised by the visual differences when the manufacturers finally introduce their own aerodynamic body kits in 2015.

Development of the kits, which were delayed several times before finally being confirmed for next year, is now at an advanced stage.

Manufacturers will be permitted six test days in a window that runs between October and January before the specification is finalised and kits are shipped to the teams.



Steve Eriksen, vice president and COO at Honda Performance Development, said that he expects the extent of differentiation to create a lot of interest.



"When you see what the aero kits look like in person, you're going to be surprised how open the rules are," he said.

"The target of having distinction between a Chevy car and a Honda car is going to be achieved because it's so open on the rules that you're going to see quite a bit of variation between the cars.



"I think you'll end up in a sportscar situation where people are going to be looking at all the little details on the car, and it's going to generate quite a bit of interest."



Eriksen said that Honda has already completed extensive windtunnel testing of its kit with "very good" correlation to the virtual design work and performance targets.

Under the current rules, the homologated version of the kits will be frozen for 2015, with manufacturers allowed to make limited changes ahead of 2016.



"If the rules stay the same as they are now, you'll see a 2015 car, then you'll see an updated 2016 car," Eriksen said. "As long as a team stays with the same manufacturer, the base components would stay the same. Then whatever you chose to update, you'd just buy those new parts."



Teams planning to use Honda's aero kit in 2015 must have their orders placed by November 1 in order to receive their kits on March 1 next year, meaning that manufacturer alliances will need to be finalized relatively early.

There is also the option to remain with the current Dallara package, although the expected performance increases in the manufacturer versions mean that there will be little benefit to doing so aside from cost.



The international races that are expected to open IndyCar's 2015 season will be run using the Dallara kits, with the manufacturer packages likely to debut at the first US event.

Officials from the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) confirmed the structure and specifications for all four of its current TUDOR United SportsCar Championship classes through the 2016 season.
 
“It is important to all of our stakeholders to have a clear understanding of where the TUDOR Championship is headed from a technical standpoint, which we now have established through 2016,” said IMSA Vice President of Competition and Technical Regulations, Scot Elkins. “This will enable our manufacturers to build race cars with these specifications and timelines in mind, and allow our competitors to make fully informed investment decisions for the future.”
 
A breakdown of each class is as follows:
 
Prototype (P)
The Prototype class will continue to consist of Daytona Prototypes, race cars built to LM P2 specifications per rules established by the Automobile Club l’Ouest (ACO), which governs the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the DeltaWing through 2016. Last fall, officials from IMSA, the ACO and the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) World Endurance Championship (WEC) jointly announced these Prototype regulations would remain in place for three seasons. A new, globally unified Prototype format for all three organizations will be introduced in 2017, with a planned vehicle life of at least three years (through 2019). The Prototype class will continue to feature predominantly professional driver lineups while also allowing pro/am driver combinations.
 
GT Le Mans (GTLM)
The GTLM class adheres to GTE specifications established by the ACO. New GTE technical specifications will be introduced for the 2016 season, with a planned vehicle life of at least three years (through 2018). The class, which includes factory-backed teams from many of the most iconic automotive brands in the world, will continue to feature professional driver lineups while continuing to allow pro/am driver combinations.
 
Prototype Challenge (PC)
The Prototype Challenge class will maintain its current format through 2016, with every team using ORECA FLM09 chassis and 6.2-liter Chevrolet engines. Driver lineups will continue to require a mix of professional and amateur drivers.  Beyond 2016, the class will be further evaluated once the vehicle design, performance levels and cost is finalized for LMP3 and the new Prototype referenced above.
 
GT Daytona (GTD)
The GT Daytona class will utilize its current race cars through 2015. In 2016, the class will adopt full FIA GT3 specifications for all of its cars. Traction control, Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS) and the full FIA GT3 aerodynamic specification will be allowed beginning in 2016. An Adjustment of Performance process will be managed through restrictors and weight. Driver lineups in GTD will continue to require a mix of professional and amateur drivers.

A sprint car driver was killed Saturday night when he was hit while on foot by NASCAR driver Tony Stewart during a Canandaigua Motorsports Park event in New York.

Amateur video of the incident shows racer Kevin Ward Jr. stepping out toward Stewart's car at the Lucas Oil SuperSprint feature race after it appears Stewart had cut off his driving line and forced him into the wall, causing him to spin out.

In a matter of moments, Stewart's car hits Ward and drags him several feet before Ward slides another 50 feet along the track. People in the audience can be heard screaming in horror at the incident.

A witness told the Associated Press that it appeared Ward was trying to confront Stewart, the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion. A video showed Ward standing to the right of Stewart's familiar No. 14 car, which seemed to kick out from the rear and hit him.

The incident happened around 10:30 p.m. at the exit for turn 2 during lap 14 of the 25-lap event, according to the Ontario County Sheriff's Office.

Ward, 20, was pronounced dead at F.F. Thompson Hospital at 11:15 p.m., according to the sheriff's office.

Stewart, 43, has been "fully cooperative" with the investigation, sheriff's officials said. The Associated Press reported that according to Sheriff Philip Povero, the investigation is not criminal.

Ward's website said he began racing go-karts in 1998 at age 4, but didn't start driving sprint cars until 2010. The Port Leyden, New York, resident was Empire Super Sprint rookie of the year in 2012, and this year was his fifth season racing the Empire Super Sprints.

Rottler Manufacturing continues to build on its 91 years of producing a complete line of  innovative engine machining equipment.

Rottler has named industry insider, Jeff Butcher, to the newly created role of Marketing & Sales Manager. Butcher brings over 20 years of performance experience and successful company growth initiatives to the Rottler Team.

Butcher has worked closely with the PRI staff including participation on the Performance Racing Industry Roundtable. He has also authored dozens of industry technical articles and his business articles are published under the BLOG tab on the PRI website.

Rottler VP Anthony Usher stated, “We are excited about the new role and look forward to meeting the demands of our continued expansion at Rottler Manufacturing.”

Holley announces that the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) has selected Holley EFI to power the new ARCA Ilmor 396 engine recently introduced for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards 2015 stock car racing season. ARCA introduced the new engine on Friday, August 1, 2014, as an option for teams in an effort to address the challenges of rising costs in the series.

ARCA partnered with legendary IndyCar engine builder, Ilmor Engineering, to develop and assemble the engines. Ilmor and ARCA then selected Holley EFI ECUs and hardware to deliver the fuel on the engines. The ARCA Ilmor 396 is expected to deliver 700 horsepower and 500 ft. lbs. of torque, with durability and performance standards.

“We’ve partnered with ARCA to construct a durable, reliable engine capable of running 1500 miles between re-builds,” affirmed Paul Ray, President of Ilmor Engineering. “The teams will be able to use the same ARCA Ilmor 396 at short tracks or a superspeedway, a road course or the mile dirt tracks. We have begun to conduct extensive testing, and our plan calls for the first engines to be available for purchase by the teams by early December,” Ray concluded.

“Holley carburetors have powered ARCA racers over two million miles in the last two decades alone, so it is a natural transition for Holley fuel injection to deliver the fuel on the ARCA Ilmor 396,” said ARCA President, Ron Drager.

“We’ve worked very hard to make Holley EFI products capable, robust, easy to use, and cost effective,” said Holley President, Tom Tomlinson. “We’re very pleased that ARCA has selected Holley EFI for their new fuel injected engine program.  With NASCAR’s Cup series and GM’s COPO Camaro already using our EFI products, they’re in good company.”

Holley’s VP of Sales, Trevor Wiggins, was on hand for ARCA’s announcement. “This is an exciting day for Holley. I am very excited about the momentum we are building in our EFI program,” said Wiggins. “Our EFI engineering and tech groups are gearing up to assure this transition is seamless.”

Beginning in 2015, ARCA teams will have the option of using the new ARCA Ilmor 396 or continuing to use the open motor rules package currently in place.
 

The 23rd annual DIRT Modified Hall of Fame inductions took place at the Hall on Wednesday before an exceptionally large crowd.

On hand were the three driver inductees; Mike Colsten, Lloyd Holt and Charlie Rudolph, plus all of the award winners.

The ceremonies were hosted by Shane Andrews and the voice of central New York racing, Joe Marotta. The evening started off with Dean Reynolds introducing two new additions to the ESS Wall of Fame located inside of the DIRT Modified Hall of Fame and Classic Car Museum. The ESS honored Walter “Walt” Thorne and Johnny Brutcher.

Thorne was a car co-owner for Mike Bozzutto in those early years.  Thorne may be better known for his ownership of Walt’s Hobby Shop, a major sponsor of the ESS Dashes.

Brutcher was one of the found.e.rs of the ESS series and one of its earliest stars. He ran up 16 A-main ESS wins during his sprint car career. He also was in the top 10 in series points seven times.

Cliff Barcomb was honored with the Gene DeWitt Car Owner award. Barcomb sat behind the steering wheel for a number of seasons in the 1950’s and 60’s. Then in 1963 he obtained his first opportunity to be a car owner with Buck Holliday as his driver. Over the years he had such stars as Alan Johnson, Buck Holliday, C.D. Coville, and Davey Moore as his drivers.

Lebanon Valley promoter Howie Commander was up next to receive the Lenny H. Sammons Awards for Outstanding Service. Long overdue for this great promoter, Commander related a number of stories about is life as a racing promoter.

First of the drivers to be inducted was Mike Colsten. He related to the assembly about his diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, in September 2012 and having to endure countless chemotherapy treatments and surgeries during the winter to eradicate the disease. When spring arrived, Colsten felt well enough to race and after a discussion with his wife, Lea, returned to Five Mile Point. After three wins, two seconds and never finishing out of the top 10, Colsten walked away with the track championship.

The legendary Lloyd Holt was up next. He began his racing career in 1957 at Merrittville Speedway. Lloyd was one of the first modified drivers to dominate in the U.S. He became a regular at the old Waterloo Speedway and the newly opened Rolling Wheels Raceway. He became the latter’s first full season modified champion.

The final inductee was Charlie Rudolph. He is a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in engineering. Rudolph who grew up in a household with father Jim Rudolph driving, had racing in his blood from day one. During his stint at RIT, he got behind the wheel himself in 1978 on the asphalt at Lancaster Speedway. Two years later he found himself dirt racing. In 1986, as he won the track titles at Ransomville, Rolling Wheels and Weedsport, as well as the Mr. DIRT Championship.

Sprint car racers planning to attend the 19th annual Budweiser Oval Nationals presented by All Coast Construction at Perris Auto Speedway in November now have an added incentive to do so.

Promoter Don Kazarian has announce a hefty increase in the race purse. The total purse is $91,000 with the winner taking $20,000. The race will pay $1,000 to start.

The Oval Nationals is also the biggest motorsports event in California’s Riverside County. This year’s edition will feature the USAC West Coast and Southwest Sprint Cars on Nov. 6 and the AMSOIL USAC National and AMSOIL USAC-CRA sprint cars on Nov. 7-8. The PAS Senior Sprints and California Lightning Sprint Cars will also be in action on Nov. 7-8.

The $20,000 winner’s share of the purse from the 40-lap main event on Nov. 8 is up from the $15,000 it paid to win in 2013. In addition to the big money payday on Nov. 8, the preliminary main on Nov. 7 will pay $5,000 to win and $500 to start. A separate purse will be announced for the Thursday night 360 portion of the program featuring the USAC West Coast and USAC Southwest sprint cars.

“This is great news for drivers and fans alike,” said Kazarian. “This will once again elevate the Oval Nationals into one of if not the best paydays in traditional sprint car racing and it should add some more top drivers to what already is a superstar field. It is a win win-win situation for everyone involved. The racing at the Oval Nationals is always off the hook and this should make it even better as hard as that is to believe. There is so much prestige associated with winning the Oval Nationals from the bragging rights to the much sought after eagle trophies to the winning owner & driver and the winning crew chief gets the Ray Scheetz Award. Now throw in a minimum of $20,000 for the win on the final night.”

The jump in the purse comes from presenting sponsor All Coast Construction.

“Mike Grosswendt, who owns All Coast Construction, is probably more passionate about 410 sprint car racing than anyone I know,” Kazarian said. “His voice exudes his love of the sport when you talk to him. He called and said he wanted to bump the purse up for the Oval Nationals and he jumped in with both feet. This means a lot to everyone involved from the drivers to the fans and everyone in between. A huge thank you is in order to ‘Big Mike’”

Motovicity Distribution, a performance aftermarket distributor, welcomed Airaid to its ever-expanding lineup of performance aftermarket products for modern muscle and sport compact enthusiasts.
 
Founded in 1997, Airaid manufactures a line of performance open-element cotton gauze filters and intake kits which dramatically increase air flow, horsepower and torque while improving overall engine performance.
 
The company has since expanded its offerings to include cold-air carburetor hats, complete performance air intake kits for gasoline and diesel applications, and PowerAid throttle body spacers.
 
“As demand for performance intake kits and filters continues to grow, having Airaid among our already strong lineup of performance intakes is just one more reason performance retailers think of Motovicity first when they’re looking for products in this category,” said Ryan Balicki, Motovicity sales manager.
 
Motovicity will stock a wide selection of Airaid products. For more information about Airaid and other new lines, please call 888.SPEED.16.

TAG Heuer, the world-leading luxury Swiss watch brand recognized for its prestigious sports watches and chronographs, became the official watch of the Verizon IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday.

The partnership includes entitlement sponsorship of the TAG Heuer Pit Stop Challenge, held annually on Carb Day before the Indianapolis 500.

“The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is proud of its long association with TAG Heuer and excited that the partnership has expanded to include the Verizon IndyCar Series,” said Mark Miles, Chief Executive Officer of Hulman & Company, the parent of INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “TAG Heuer is an iconic brand and a perfect representation of the speed, precision, technology and innovation that are the pillars of our sport.”

For more than 150 years, TAG Heuer has stood at the forefront of the auto racing industry. Crafting and perfecting timepieces of ultimate precision, TAG Heuer’s involvement in motorsports extends from legends like Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna, Steve McQueen and Jenson Button to mythical races including Le Mans, the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500.

To commemorate this partnership and to celebrate the brand’s newest title as the official timepiece of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Verizon IndyCar Series, TAG Heuer has created a special edition, Indy 500 Chronograph.

“The Verizon IndyCar Series embodies TAG Heuer’s brand DNA of mental fortitude, perseverance and inner strength and brings it to life,” said TAG Heuer President and CEO Ulrich Wohn. “We are thrilled to continue our successful partnership and to become not only the official timepiece of the Verizon IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway but the title sponsor for an event so focused on timing, the TAG Heuer Pit Stop Challenge.”