Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s new driver Daniel Ricciardo joined Infiniti to bring top budding engineers a step closer to their dream in Formula One, by announcing that today marks the opening of applications for the Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy.
 
Speaking at Melbourne’s Monash University ahead of last weekend’s Australian GP, the 24 year-old racer was joined by the team’s Chief Engineer - Car Engineering, Paul Monaghan and Infiniti Global Director of Formula One, Andreas Sigl to reveal that the window for applications runs from March 19th to April 11th. Candidates must upload their resume and submit a 500 word entry to www.infiniti-gp.com/engineering in that time to be considered for the program.
 
The Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy, announced last year, will see the three top candidates complete a 12-month engineering assignment with four-time consecutive Formula One Constructors’ World Champions Infiniti Red Bull Racing at their UK base. As well as playing a key technical role within the team and working with Infiniti’s road car engineers, the candidates will also receive free accommodation in the UK, a full salary, their own Infiniti company car plus behind the scenes access to the British Grand Prix.
 
The program is open to final year undergraduate engineering students studying in Australia, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States.
 
“The Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy is the latest development in our close technical partnership with Infiniti Red Bull Racing,” said Andreas Sigl. “We’ll be looking for candidates who can really demonstrate they understand the potential of crossover between Formula One and road car technologies, and those we think can help to bring us further success on both the track and the road.”
 
Christian Horner, Team Principal, Infiniti Red Bull Racing said: “What Infiniti is offering engineering students around the world is something quite unique. Infiniti Red Bull Racing has always been committed to working with the very best people in the industry and this has been a key part to our achievements over recent years. We’re fully supportive of this fantastic global initiative and we look forward to working with the budding new talent that comes from it.”

When Denny Hamlin returns to Auto Club Speedway this week, he'll find more of the SAFER barrier in the area where he crashed last year.

The Southern California facility has added an additional 1000 feet of the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction barrier inside Turn 4, according to a track spokesman. The change was made in September, six months after Hamlin sustained a broken back vertebra after crashing into an unprotected area of the wall in the track's Sprint Cup Series event last March.

Hamlin missed four full races and most of a fifth after the crash, which occurred as he was racing Joey Logano for the victory on the final lap. The two drivers—who had feuded the week before at Bristol—made contact off the final corner, and Hamin's car slid down the track and impacted an inside wall. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was strapped to a backboard and airlifted to an area hospital, where he was diagnosed with a compression fracture of a lumbar vertebra.

In the wake of the accident, NASCAR officials said experts would reevaluate that section of the wall and recommend changes if necessary. SAFER barriers are typically first installed along the parts of track walls where impacts are most likely to occur, but it's not uncommon for the barriers to be added or altered in reaction to accidents. A Jeff Gordon hit at Las Vegas, an Elliott Sadler incident at Pocono and a Jeff Fuller accident at Kentucky each resulted in changes being made to walls or barriers at those facilities.

Hamlin's crash and subsequent layoff last season was a major factor in him missing the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for the first time in his career as a driver at the sport's highest level. He said last week that because of that incident, the two-mile facility in Fontana now moves to the top of the list of tracks where he wants to win most.

"California is No. 1 simply because we never made it to the finish last year," he said at Bristol, where he finished sixth. "While we had a great shot to win it, we never made it. It would feel like you do have some redemption, and it would make a great story."

Andersen Promotions announced a new partnership with Delta, B.C., Canada-based Race Energy, a designer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art power conversion solutions for motorsports. The new association will benefit all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy as Race Energy will become the Official Battery Charger of the ladder series—Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda.

Race Energy will be using the Mazda Road to Indy platform to debut its latest innovation - the Race Energy BCM21 motorsports battery charger, a new Digital Signal Processor (DSP) based charger which allows precise programming to the exact charging profile recommended by a battery manufacturer. Programmable from a laptop via USB, the charger allows a race engineer to positively ensure a race car battery is fully recharged and ready for the next on-track session in the shortest possible time.

As part of its new partnership, Race Energy will be providing customized BCM21 chargers to each race-winning team on the Mazda Road to Indy this season.

"Race Energy is once again at the forefront with another leading product, and we are very pleased to welcome them as a partner and excited that they have chosen the Mazda Road to Indy to showcase their technology," said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. "In racing, it is all about the details, and Race Energy's sophisticated charging unit will be a welcome addition for our teams."

The BCM21 is compatible with all 12-volt lead acid, Gel, VLRA and Lithium-ion batteries.

"We at Race Energy are very excited to partner with Dan Andersen and his team at Andersen Promotions for the 2014 Mazda Road to Indy season," said Race Energy President Jim Hargrove. "We will be introducing the new Race Energy BCM21 motorsports battery charger to the world through the Mazda Road To Indy. The BCM21 has world class features including a worldwide universal AC input with power factor correction, easy to use front panel controls for basic operation, and a USB port that allows more sophisticated programming for non-standard battery topologies.

"The winning team of each USF2000, Pro Mazda and Indy Lights race in 2014 will be awarded a special edition of this revolutionary new charger personalized with their team logo and pre-programmed to match the team's requirements. We hope to have one or more of these amazing new chargers in the hands of every team on the Mazda Road to Indy by the end of the season. We believe that this will be an extremely effective way to kick off sales for this great new product that has been more than two years in the making."
 

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series is set to invade Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan, on September 27.

It marks the first time “The Greatest Show on Dirt” will race at Berlin, a semi-banked asphalt oval near Grand Rapids, Michigan, that will be covered in dirt for a series of special events this fall, including the World of Outlaws Late Model Series’ Keyser Manufacturing Down & Dirty Weekend on September 12–13.

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars will take their shot at the storied venue two weeks later.

“The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars is something that the fans have wanted to see here ever since the World of Outlaws Late Model Series race was announced two years ago,” stated Mike Bursley, Promoter of Berlin Raceway.

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series event has yet to be named, and Bursley is enlisting the fans’ help to give it an identity.

“This is such a special event we want our fans to have a direct impact by letting them help choose the name for the event,” Bursley said. Details on the event-naming process will be announced soon. “We received many excellent submissions for the Late Model race in 2012; we are excited to see what the fans will come up with this year.”

The event will mark the final time the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars will race in the Wolverine State in 2014, and the last chance Michigan fans will have to see 20-time champion Steve Kinser on his “Salute to the King” tour, marking his final run at a World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship.

The International Motorsports Hall of Fame, adjacent to Talladega Superspeedway, will establish a new process for enshrinement beginning in 2015.
 
There will not be an International Motorsports Hall of Fame induction ceremony this year, as a result of no individual receiving the required 51 percent of the vote from the 120-person voting panel. The annual event was tentatively scheduled for Thursday, May 1, as a kickoff to the Aaron’s Dream Weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
 
“The process of election into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame has served the institution and public well for many years,” said Senator Gerald Dial, Chairman of the Board for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. “We want to make sure we are consistently honoring those deserving individuals on a yearly basis, so we are looking to create new and better procedures for induction and implement them for 2015. Once the Board of Directors of the Hall has approved and finalized the future process, we will make our members, as well as the public, aware of the changes.”
 
In early November last year, the Hall announced its second ballot with 22 finalists for the 2014 induction class. The percentage of votes cast for any of the finalists, however, from the panel which consists of media members as well as current International Motorsports Hall of Famers, didn’t meet the requirement for new membership. The finalists included: Michael Andretti, Raymond Beadle, Keith Black, Harold Brasington, Clint Brawner, Joie Chitwood, Harvey Firestone, Tommy Hinnershitz, David Hobbs, Ted Horn, Connie Kalitta, Joe Leonard, Roger McCluskey, Tom “Mongoose” McEwen, Danny Ongais, Marvin Panch, Les Richter, Troy Ruttman and Sir Henry Segrave. All 22, plus others, will be on the 2015 list for possible induction.
 
Currently, to be eligible for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, an individual must be retired in his or her line of work in motorsports for at least five years. However, that person may still be active in the sport in a different capacity. The Hall is dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to motorsports, either as a driver, developer, engineer, promoter, etc. Opened in April of 1983, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum is dedicated to the preservation of the history of motorsports.

VP Racing Fuels announced the extension of its sponsorship of World Racing Group’s DIRTcar Racing sanctioning body through 2017. With the agreement, VP will continue as the “Official Fuel of DIRTcar,” one of the largest sanctioning bodies in the world by race count, providing spec fuels to Big-Block and 358-Modified competitors, serving as exclusive trackside fuel supplier to the Sportsman and Pro Stock classes and as the preferred supplier to DIRTcar’s Late Model, Pro Late Model, Sprint Car, 305 Sprint Car, UMP Modified, Pro Modified, UMP Sportsman, Stock Car, Factory Stock and Sport Compact competitors across the country.
 
“We value our relationship with DIRTcar and are pleased to secure it well into the future, allowing us to build on what we’ve accomplished together and develop new business,” said Jim Kelly, Eastern Regional Manager for VP Racing Fuels. “Since its inception in 2009, the DIRTcar Northeast spec fuel program has been great for VP, member tracks, engine builders and racers alike. Engine builders and racers have embraced our consistent, top quality products and are clearly relying on them at every event. We see this not only in the East but in the Midwest, where VP is not spec but has clearly evolved into the preferred fuel for performance.”
 
An important component of the agreement is VP’s program to provide support for DIRTcar’s member tracks. In addition, VP will activate cross-promotions with DIRTcar and other partners to promote DIRTcar’s headliner Super DIRTcar and Summer Nationals series, and VP’s growing roster of consumer products via social media and internet, as well as marketing initiatives involving VP’s branded gas stations and convenience stores.

 “VP’s spec fuel program has been an important part of DIRTcar’s growth in the Northeast and we look forward to the consistent fuel and consistent support for our tracks, teams and drivers that they provide,” World Racing Group CEO Brian Carter said.  “Across the country VP’s fuels have proven to offer a competitive advantage to DIRTcar racers and we are proud to partner with the best in the business as our fuel supplier for DIRTcar Member Tracks and Series from coast to coast.”
 
The VP-DIRTcar relationship reignited for 2014 during the recent DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Florida, and will continue through NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week in Syracuse before concluding at the World of Outlaws World Finals at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
 
More information about VP fuels and other products is available online at VPRacingFuels.com. Technical questions regarding fuel selection and tuning can be directed to VP Tech Support at 302-521-1767 or ovaltracktech@vpracingfuels.com.

The initial eight 2014 inductees into the USAC Hall of Fame have been announced and four more, selected by popular vote from a list of 16 eligible names, will be announced April 15.

The third annual USAC Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will be held May 17 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Clermont, Indiana, in conjunction with the annual USAC Hall of Fame Classic Silver Crown Series race.

The eight-member class of inductees announced today includes five drivers, a race organizer, an official and a chief mechanic. They are George Bignotti, Don Branson, Larry Dickson, Norm Nelson, Don Smith, Bob Stroud, Rodger Ward and Bob Wente.

- George Bignotti was one of America’s premier chief mechanics and earned seven victories in the Indianapolis 500, along with six National Championships. He started his career as a midget car owner who occasionally drove himself. He worked with such stalwart drivers as Freddie Agabashian, Marvin Burke, Johnny Boyd, Earl Motter and Bob Sweikert. Agabashian won the 1947 and 1948 BCRA titles and Boyd won the 1951 title in Bignotti cars. His Indianapolis 500 victories came in 1961 and 1964 (A.J. Foyt), 1966 (Graham Hill), 1970 and 1971 (Al Unser), 1973 (Gordon Johncock) and 1983 (Tom Sneva). In 1964 he and Foyt swept the first seven races of the National Championship season and won 10 of 13 races that year! Bignotti passed away September 27, 2013 in Las Vegas.

- Don Branson, USAC’s 1959 Midwest and 1964 National Sprint Car Champion, began racing in 1946 and in 1955 he won the final AAA race in an indoor Midget event at Fort Wayne, Ind. A stellar Championship-car and Sprint car veteran, he also excelled in the Midgets, twice winning the Hut Hundred (in 1958 and 1966). He also won the first midget race at what was then known as Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1961. The 1964 USAC National Sprint Car Champ scored 13 victories before losing his life in a 1966 accident at Gardena, Calif. Affectionately called “Gramps,” he competed in eight Indianapolis 500s and finished fourth in 1960 and fifth in 1963. His seven Championship-car wins were part of 85 top-10s. He is a member of both the National Sprint Car and Midget Halls of Fame.

- Larry Dickson owns three USAC National Sprint Car Championships, 1968, 1970 and 1975 and formed half of the feared “Larry and Gary Show” with Gary Bettenhausen, swapping first and second place point finishes between 1968 and 1971. His 45 career Sprint wins are tied with Tracy Hines for fourth on the all-time USAC list. In 1975 he also added the prestigious Little 500 to his victory list at Anderson, Ind. In eight Indianapolis 500 starts he scored a ninth-place finish in 1969. A 1990 inductee into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, he was among their inaugural class, A versatile driver, he even drove a Ford Torino in the Daytona 500 and ran in the top-10 before retiring with engine woes. He added a pair of wins in the USAC Silver Crown series.

- Already a winner under the AAA banner, Norm Nelson went on to win 35 events in the USAC Stock Car series, earning the season’s championship in 1960, 1965 and 1966. He was also runner-up four times and third in three other seasons in addition to having already been runner-up under AAA sanction in 1950. Nelson always fielded his own equipment and after switching from Ford to Chrysler in 1963, he typically fielded a second car for such outstanding drivers as Roger McCluskey (won the USAC title in 1969 and 1970), A. J. Foyt (runner-up in 1963), Jim Hurtubise (won NASCAR’s Atlanta 500 in 1966), Paul Goldsmith and Lloyd Ruby. As a car entrant, Nelson won USAC’s seasonal championship six times and was runner-up five times. A longtime USAC Board member, he passed away on November 8, 1988.

- Don Smith was a thinker and he came up with a lot of good promotional ideas He kept a notepad by his bed and whenever he came up with an idea, he’d jot it down. And one of his really big ideas was the famed “Tony Hulman Classic” USAC Sprint spectaculars. He was the Director of Racing at the Terre Haute Action Track from 1953 through 1980 and scheduled the inaugural “Classic” for 1971. For the next decade, he presided over one of the most prestigious and richest USAC events at the half mile dirt oval. Sprint racing by USAC’s best, Hollywood celebrities, and the huge “Driver Appreciation Dinner” made for one spectacular weekend.

The centerpiece of the dinner, which was discontinued after Hulman’s death in 1977, was the Calcutta-style auction of drivers who had qualified during preliminary races earlier in the day. The money pool was split evenly between the bidders and the Hulman Classic feature race purse, swelling it well beyond the USAC average. The city’s merchants wholeheartedly supported the event and the local Terre Haute Tribune-Star even published a 32 page Sunday supplement the weekend before the big race. And, adding to the prestige of the event, ABC-TV sent their “Wide World of Sports” team to cover the event each year. His tenure at the Indiana State Fairgrounds helped maintain the rich tradition of the prestigious “Hoosier Hundred.” His leadership at the Terre Haute First National Bank and First Financial Corporation was legendary and he is revered among the sport.

- Hardly known at all by the race fans, but extremely highly regarded by the participants, the gravel-voiced but fatherly Bob Stroud seemed to have had two separate careers as a USAC official. After many years with AAA in several disciplines, he was named USAC’s full-time Midget division supervisor on January 1, 1960 and for the next decade became so totally devoted to that series that associates were astonished when at the end of the 1970 season he agreed to take over the USAC Stock Car series. It was an entirely different cast of characters, but Stroud quickly won them over, his rapport with participants and race track promoters alike always having been second to none. Always a strong advocate for fairness in competition and safety, he retired at the end of the 1976 season due to ill health and passed away on July 24, 1981 but he supervised hundreds of USAC events spanning two decades.

- One of the greatest drivers of all-time, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rodger Ward (1959 and 1962) had an amazing run in USAC National Championship competition, never finishing lower than fifth in the final point standings for seven straight seasons between 1958 and 1964. Champion in 1959 and 1962 (edging A. J. Foyt in the latter year), Ward finished runner-up in 1960, 1963 and 1964, each time to Foyt. He also ranked third in 1961 and fifth in 1958, winning a total of 24 USAC National Championship races between 1957 and 1966. The versatile Ward, who was an excellent road racer, also won five USAC Stock Car races and in very limited appearances with Midgets, won four major events. A magnificent spokesman for the sport in general, Ward served for several years on the USAC Board of Directors and as a part owner and founding partner of Indianapolis Raceway Park, designed both the road course and the five-eighths-mile oval in place to this day. He passed away on July 5, 2004.

- Bob Wente won USAC’s National Midget Championship in 1963 after scoring runner-up point finishes for three consecutive seasons. A member of the inaugural group inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1984, he scored 78 USAC National Midget wins, third to Mel Kenyon’s all-time record 111 and Rich Vogler’s 95. Wente made his Midget racing debut in 1954 and was the 1960 USAC Midwest Midget Champ, losing the National title by just 9.75 points to Jimmy Davies. He won the 1961 USAC Indoor title and in 1969 and 1976 won the Night Before the 500 classic. In 1963 he won the Hut Hundred. He posted a USAC Sprint win at Winchester, Ind. In his only Indianapolis 500 start he came from 32nd starting position to finish 9th in a car prepared by his Midget mechanic Bob Higman. Bob, who passed away on August 12, 2000, had three sons, all of whom competed in USAC Midget competition.

BFGoodrich Tires has taken a significant marketing and promotion position in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, which begins a 16-event season March 22–23 at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona.

BFGoodrich will co-promote the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series through its social media channels and those of the company’s racing partners, including Menzies Motorsports, which features drivers Bryce Menzies, Ricky Johnson, and Travis Pastrana with Discount Tire.

Similar efforts to elevate brand and series awareness will be initiated with several additional off road racing drivers and teams including Rob MacCachren, Casey Currie, R.J. Anderson, Sheldon Creed and Justin Bean Smith.

“BFGoodrich makes excellent tires and the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series is an ideal platform to expose the brand to thousands of fans at each event, as well as selected TV exposure,” said Ritchie Lewis, Lucas Oil Off Road Racing series director. “We look forward to seeing them as an increasing presence at all our races.”

“BFGoodrich Tires have always been synonymous with rugged off-road performance and on-track success,” said Peter Calhoun, motorsports manager for BFGoodrich Tires. “The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series is a marquee series that we are honored to partner with to showcase BFGoodrich performance and toughness to race fans everywhere.”

The Motorsport Safety Foundation debuted at Sebring International Raceway, introducing the non-profit organization dedicated to improving safety standards in motorsport. This organization was founded with the mission to give members a voice about safety concerns at racing tracks all over the world, and is committed to not only discussing and researching these concerns, but to rectify them as well.

The Motorsport Safety Foundation honors the memory of Sean Edwards, a professional race car driver who was killed at a track in Australia that was not equipped with the minimum safety barriers. Founded by Sean's teammate and friend, Henrique Cisneros, the Foundation aims to prevent injury or death in motorsports by helping to solve fixable issues at tracks like the one at which Edwards lost his life.  

The Foundation is looking for members who are devoted to seeking safety in motorsport. These members may contribute to safety forums, collaborate on and donate to projects, and have access to a number of databases and media to help with education and awareness in the community. 

The Foundation also announced their first initiative and flagship program, Adopt a Corner. Adopt a Corner is committed to helping race tracks cope with the changing economics of the sport by finding donors to help offset the high costs of sophisticated crash barriers. It provides an individual, company, or organization the opportunity to donate a safety barrier upgrade in exchange for a long term branding contract of a chosen racetrack. All barrier upgrades are to FIA standard and will provide an increase in crash protection compared to the current barriers in place.

"The idea for the Motorsport Safety Foundation was formed after we lost a dear friend and teammate, Sean Edwards," said Cisneros, Chairman, Director and President of the Motorsport Safety Foundation. "We wanted to do something to honor him but most importantly, we want to help prevent future racing injuries or deaths. The Motorsport Safety Foundation is also a forum for anyone involved in racing to bring safety issues to the forefront and seek help to get these issues resolved. We don't want to just be an organization that talks about improving track safety, we want to be the catalyst for change."

Cisneros is joined on the MSF Board of Directors by fellow racers Dr. Jim Norman, Mark Llano, and Eduardo Cisneros. Other directors on the board include Beaux Barfield and Martyn Thake. The Directors have been involved in motorsport for many years, and Dr. Norman has extensive knowledge on the medical effects of a high-impact collision. As Race Steward for a number of racing series, Barfield contributes vast experience with motorsport rules and safety regulations, as does Thake. Thake also has performed numerous track inspections and assisted with track designs, and will supply further guidance to the Foundation.

For more information and to become a member of the Motorsport Safety Foundation, please visit www.motorsport-safety.org.

Famed Formula One racer and one of the most recognized names in motorsports, Mario Andretti, will act as Grand Marshal to Long Beach’s 40th Toyota Grand Prix, organizers announced.

Andretti is not only a staple to worldwide motorsports, but a key figure in the history specific to the Long Beach Toyota Grand Prix: he won the Grand Prix here four times, with two of them (1977 and 1984) being particularly key. 1977 marks the first and only time an American has won the Formula One (F1) race in Long Beach and 1984 marks the year that Long Beach first ventured into Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) racing. During his career, he has driven his way to 111 racing victories.

Andretti represents a motorsports bridge between two ends of the historic Long Beach racing spectrum--the far more expensive F1 racing and the less expensive CART racing, the former of which has recently been a political contention in Long Beach as some within the F1 world are asking that the contractual bid to host the race be opened.

“If you and the City Council so determine, the opportunity to operate an automobile race through the City Streets of Long Beach can be put out to open bid,” wrote FIA CEO Bernie Ecclestone in a letter to Mayor Bob Foster last year. “Please be advised that Formula One is interested in returning to your city, and we will consider the appropriate entity to make such a bid if you decide to permit such a process.”

While it is unclear where the contract bid will stand come 2015, Long Beach is invited to attend this year’s festivities, which run from April 11 through 13. For more information, visit www.gplb.com.