Formula 1 teams have failed to agree unanimously to delay a ban on FRIC suspension until the end of the season. The situation means that the door is now open for protests to be lodged at this weekend's German Grand Prix against any team that runs with the front-and-rear-interconnected suspension concept.

Following last week's letter from F1 technical delegate Charlie Whiting outlining his belief that FRIC could be challenged, efforts have been ongoing to try to get full backing for a non-protest pact between all teams. But although a majority of the teams were in favor of such an agreement, some of F1's smaller outfits were more reluctant to allow FRIC to remain for the rest of the campaign. Their stance is understood to have prompted some of the big squads that initially were willing to go along with a delay to change their view, ending all hopes of a deal happening.

An FIA spokesman confirmed on Tuesday that the governing body was no longer expecting to get a deal in place to prevent FRIC being challenged from this weekend.

"We have not yet got, nor do we expect to get, the agreement of all teams to the proposed amnesty," he said.

TEAMS FACE FRIC CALL

The failure to get full support for a non-protest pact means each team must now choose whether or not to run FRIC. The danger for any team running it is that they risk being disqualified from the results if they are protested and found to be in breach of the rules.

The FIA is not expected to offer any advice about what teams should do now, having made clear in last week's letter that it believed the system could be viewed as illegal.

McLaren on Monday became the first team to confirm that it was taking FRIC off its cars for Hockenheim, and other squads are expected to follow suit. However, with the FIA indicating that it will likely take a hands-off approach and not step in to report any team running FRIC, the situation will come down to whether or not any team will be willing to protest one of its rivals.

One possible scenario is for a team to use the Thursday of the event as a test case for the legality of FRIC, as it is the race stewards who have the ultimate say in the legality of components. If the concept is ruled illegal, then FRIC suspension could be removed before first practice begins on Friday.

If the stewards disagree with Whiting's view that FRIC is an illegal moveable aerodynamic device, then the way would be left clear for all teams to run it again.

Several of the world’s leading authorities on motorsports performance and safety will be on hand for the International Council of Motorsport Sciences’ (ICMS) Annual Congress, which once again co-locates with the PRI Trade Show in 2014.

The two-day symposium takes place Wednesday and Thursday, December 10-11, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, site of the world’s premier trade event for racing professionals.

This year’s conference features faculty and presenters from the McLaren Technology Centre, the FIA Institute, Circuit of The Americas, the Biofeedback Institute and other top organizations addressing topics that range from Emergency Response and Extrication Protocols to Drug Testing Procedures in Motorsports.

“It is going to be a very timely and informative symposium,” added Don Andrews, executive director of the ICMS.

Based in Denton, Texas, the ICMS is comprised of medical, scientific and educational professionals and other stakeholders focused on the improvement of performance and safety in motorsports. It is a nonprofit organization whose members represent various forms of racing, including auto, powerboat, off-road and more.

The ICMS meets each year during the PRI Trade Show to promote, conduct and relate research associated with the human aspect of racing—i.e., how today’s research will improve tomorrow’s practice.

Attendees of the Annual Congress are exposed to different points of view and new ways of thinking that invariably enhance their understanding of motorsports sciences.

This year’s Curriculum Committee consists of doctors Hugh E. Scully (chairman), Richard Jennings, Stephen Olvey and Terry R. Trammell. In addition to the aforementioned topics, the 2014 symposium will address themes including Pathophysiology of Head and Neck Injury in Motor Sport; Circuit Debris and Catch Fencing Considerations; and Race Track Safety Application Including Advanced (Hybrid) Technology.

For addition details, including a full Faculty listing and registration information, visit www.TheICMS.org.

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) collegiate-level programs will now be able to join the Honda Racing Line, giving them access to products and services offered by Honda Performance Development.

Universities operating SAE-affiliated programs, such as Formula SAE and Baja SAE, can now apply for membership in the Honda Racing Line, gaining direct access to HPD-developed racing products, original equipment replacement parts and support specifically tailored to the motorsports competitor.

“We are delighted to be offering memberships in the Honda Racing Line to universities involved with collegiate-level SAE programs,” said Jeff Barrow, HPD Manager of Commercial Motorsports.

“Both HPD and our parent company, American Honda, have long been associated with the SAE and the organization’s student competitions. Many current HPD associates participated in Formula SAE and similar programs during their university years,” Barrow added. “Now these programs will have access to our performance product lines as well as our talented technical support.”

To join the Honda Racing Line, a university SAE program administrator can contact HPD to obtain an HPD Collegiate SAE Program Racing Product Purchase Agreement. Once completed and returned to HPD, the university program will be assigned a membership number providing access to HPD products and services.

For more information on the HPD Collegiate SAE program, contact Jeff Barrow, Manager, Commercial Motorsports, Honda Performance Development, Tel. 661-702-7845 or e-mail jbarrow@hra.com.

This past weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams were honoring the 10th anniversary of the Victory Junction camp for seriously ill children.

In 2004, former Sprint Cup driver Kyle Petty and his wife, Pattie, founded the camp in North Carolina as a tribute to their late son, Adam, who died in a practice crash at NHMS in 2000.

According to the camp, it has provided fun experiences for more than 17,000 children and families since its formation—all of them coming free of charge thanks to donors. Campers’ activities include everything from swimming and horseback riding to a special NASCAR-themed program with race cars, simulators, and gear.

Additionally, the camp provides 24-hour medical supervision for the children with the help of thirty different hospitals.

A special decal marking the 10th anniversary of Victory Junction was seen on cars throughout the Sprint Cup garage this weekend.

Power Automedia revealed plans to launch an innovative new publication—Revved—targeted to sport compact performance enthusiasts.

“Revved is a digital magazine that is about the Sport Compact scene and lifestyle, but is specifically targeted to enthusiasts that have the desire to upgrade performance, looks, and handling,” explained James Lawrence, Power Automedia CEO. “Revved is for the hardcore enthusiast.”

Revved will deliver content enthusiasts crave, including:
● Tech content and how-to’s (power, handling & performance)
● The latest in wheels, tires & appearance: style/stance & fitments
● Amazing photography - shows, girls & scene/lifestyle
● Engine swaps & power adders
● High performance handling & driving
● Motorsports: drifting, road racing & drag racing

Power Automedia currently publishes ten leading automotive performance magazines that reach over 1.3 million readers a month.

“Power Automedia is filled with some pretty serious sport compact guys,” explained Power Automedia’s Editorial Director, Mark Gearhart. “We’ve traditionally been strong in domestic performance, but internally we’re filled with import enthusiasts. I’ve been into the scene for over 17 years, and have built a wide variety of sport compacts, plus we have multiple employees here that are pretty hardcore into the scene. We’re all excited about the Revved launch and what we can bring to the sport compact community.”

Revved will launch in Q4 2014 at www.revvedmag.com.

After an arduous construction process that included unforeseen delays and impasses along the way, the management team at the new Red River Speedway in Wichita Falls, Texas, is finally able to focus on one thing: racing.

Racers will finally get their chance atop the quarter-mile banked oval with an open practice for any and all dirt racing divisions on Friday, July 18.

Interested race fans can take in the practice night without any grandstand admission charge.

The first night of competitive racing will be the following Friday, July 25. Event details including racing divisions, times and pricing will be published soon.

The 2014 revised schedule will also be posted in the days to come.

Drivers and fans are asked to be patient while officials put the finishing touches on the opening night event components, and the remaining 2014 schedule over the next few days.

Those details will be posted shortly at www.rrspeedway.com, as well as the track Facebook page and racing forums such as ElbowsUp.com.

Here are the specifics for the July 18 open practice:

- Pit gates open: 5:00 p.m.

- Hot Laps start: 7:30 p.m.

- Pit Passes: $15 (all ages)

- Driver Registration: Due to the shorter-than-planned racing schedule, there will be no driver registration fee for 2014. However, drivers will still need to fill out registration forms upon arrival.

- Grandstands: Open and free admission for all ages.

Red River Speedway is located at 1633 FM 369 N, Iowa Park, TX 76367. To contact RRS, email mark@rrspeedway.com.

Red Bull Global Rallycross has announced an adjustment to its 2014 event calendar, effective immediately.

Red Bull Global Rallycross Los Angeles, previously scheduled for September 19-20 on the Port of Los Angeles, will be extended to a three-day event, replacing the series’ round in Detroit scheduled for August 2-3.

Red Bull Global Rallycross Los Angeles will now serve as a doubleheader event, ensuring the preservation of the series’ 10-race championship. The race weekend will now kick off on Friday, September 19, while dual finals will be run on Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21. Both events will be televised live on NBC.

In addition to the scheduled broadcasts, the series will run a 90-minute midseason recap broadcast on Sunday, August 3 at 4:30PM ET, which will include new and exclusive content to help showcase Red Bull Global Rallycross to its ever-growing fanbase.

“Los Angeles has been the home of Red Bull Global Rallycross since the series was founded, and is home to some of our most passionate fans as well,” said Red Bull Global Rallycross CEO Colin Dyne. “By converting our round in Los Angeles into a three-day event and points-paying doubleheader, we offer additional value to our fans in one of our core markets, as well as creating additional championship intrigue for our fans watching at home on NBC. We remain committed to our fanbase in Detroit, and we look forward to racing in the Motor City in 2015.”

The revised 2014 Red Bull Global Rallycross schedule is as follows:

    •    May 17-18: Top Gear Festival Barbados
    •    June 7: X Games Austin
    •    June 21-22: Volkswagen Rallycross DC
    •    July 19-20: Volkswagen Rallycross NY
    •    July 25-26: Red Bull Global Rallycross Charlotte
    •    August 22-23: Red Bull Global Rallycross Daytona
    •    September 19-20: Red Bull Global Rallycross Los Angeles I
    •    September 21: Red Bull Global Rallycross Los Angeles II
    •    September 26-27: Red Bull Global Rallycross Seattle
    •    November 5: Red Bull Global Rallycross Las Vegas

Royal Purple’s fourth-annual Show It Off at SEMA photo contest will launch Monday, July 14, on the brand’s Facebook fan page.
 
The winner of the contest will have the opportunity to display his or her vehicle at the 2014 SEMA Show, November 4–7, in Las Vegas, as a feature vehicle outside the Las Vegas Convention Center.
 
In addition to paid registration as a feature vehicle, the winner will receive hotel accommodations (restrictions apply), Royal Purple products, Royal Purple apparel and an invitation to attend a winner’s dinner hosted by Royal Purple.
 
Following initial photo submissions, online fan voting will begin July 25, followed by a final round of judging August 5–9. The winner will be announced August 11.
 
The judging panel for this year’s contest includes last year’s Show It Off at SEMA winner Mark Fields and a variety of personalities from the automotive, motorsports and entertainment industries, including Townsend Bell, IndyCar and TUDOR Sportscar Championship driver and TV personality; Tim “Skrape” Katz, vice president and co-founder, Authentic Brands Group LLC, TAPOUT LLC; Jeff Thisted, Discovery Channel’s television show “Rods ‘N Wheels;” and Carrie Strange, 2013 Royal Purple Ladies Feature Vehicle Contest Winner.

The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and IRG Sports + Entertainment have announced that Spokane County Raceway, located in Airway Heights, Washington, just outside of Spokane, has become IHRA’s newest member track and IHRA’s first on the West Coast, effective 2015.

Spokane County Raceway (SCR), which boasts one of the largest motorsports facilities in the Northwest, will instantly become an important hub for the IHRA as the sanctioning body looks to make its presence felt for the first time in the western half of the United States.

In addition to providing a number of new and exciting options for area racers, plans are already in place to add IHRA’s most popular series, the Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series, to the SCR calendar in 2015.

The exciting nitro-powered IHRA series features professional competition in a number of fan-favorite classes including nostalgia Nitro Funny Car, Nitro Harley, Pro Stock, Jets and, special to this event in 2015, 10,000 horsepower, 320 mph Top Fuel Dragsters. All of that will take place in addition to a full weekend of sportsman competition.

Not since the mid-1980s has Spokane County Raceway played such a pivotal role in hosting a national drag racing championship as it will with the IHRA’s Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series.

By partnering with the IHRA, facility General Manager Craig Smith hopes to provide a foothold in bringing IHRA drag racing to the western United States while providing his racers and fans with more racing opportunities in the years to come.

Over the past two decades, the International Hot Rod Association has made major headway in bringing its motorsports programs to the world. Currently, the IHRA sanctions more than 100 facilities in 31 states, five Canadian Provinces and five countries. With the addition of Spokane County Raceway, the IHRA now hopes to see even more growth in the one area of the country that its presence is currently not strongly felt.

To further assist in the crossover to IHRA, many of the IHRA sportsman classes and rules closely resemble those that racers are already familiar with.

In addition to the great new options for racers, spectators will enjoy the debut of the Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series in 2015 as the best racers in North America travel to Washington next season. Details on the 2015 IHRA Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series season will be announced later this year.

Founded in 1974, Spokane County Raceway features a quarter-mile drag strip, a paved oval, road course, mud drags and more. Spokane County, which owns the 315-acre facility, purchased the track in 2008.

For more information on Spokane County Raceway, visit www.racing.sc, and for more information on the IHRA and its programs, visit www.ihra.com.

I just received the results of the Readex Research Study on the readership of Performance Racing Industry magazine, and there’s a definite smile on my face as I write this blog entry. In this third-party study of how readers interact with the magazine, you have given PRI magazine high marks, indeed. The typical reader of PRI magazine spends an hour with each issue, refers back to each issue more than three times, then saves each issue for more than 10 months.

Most importantly, 93% described PRI as a credible source. This is a big deal to the PRI team, as we work to deliver in-depth and accurate business editorial features to the racing industry’s decision-makers. 81% of readers are owners, presidents or other executives within their racing companies, and 83% of readers told Readex that PRI magazine remains relevant to their work.

The typical racing business tends to have a much closer relationship with its customers than other businesses on Main Street, as racers rely on motorsports entrepreneurs not just for parts and services, but for their best advice on becoming more competitive. Racing businesses essentially partner with race teams. That’s the exact relationship PRI magazine works each month to have with our readers, and the Readex Research Study verifies that it’s happening, thanks to the strong editorial leadership of Editor Dan Schechner, Managing Editor Meredith Burns and Associate Editor Christen D’Alessanddro.

The total survey sample for the Readex Research Study was 7,460, representing 28% of PRI’s circulation. Of this sample, 1,081 readers responded from June 3 to June 10. The margin of error for percentages based on the first 1,000 responses is ±2.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. PRI would like to thank all those who took the time to complete the survey. Readex Research is a nationally known, 67-year-old independent research company that conducts over 700 such research studies each year for some of the largest media companies in the country.

The evolving digital world has added new levels of complexity and confusion to the media world, but some things clearly haven’t changed. PRI magazine continues to perform a singularly powerful service for its readers as an essential business tool in the racing industry. No other media vehicle comes close.

Thank you for the time you spend with PRI magazine each month. We love this racing industry. There’s a lot of fun in what we do, in addition to the hard work. It’s most gratifying to hear once more that we’re on target in providing you with the information and insights you need to navigate your racing business.

One more thing: PRI magazine remains the single strongest advertising vehicle in the racing industry. Over 80% of this key target readership has taken action in the past 12 months as a result of reading an advertisement in PRI magazine. The digital world has its place, and emailing customers has value, but nothing beats this magazine for new leads and growing market share. PRI magazine works as effectively today as it has for decades to help race parts manufacturers deliver their new product messages directly to the biggest buyers in racing.