Virginia International Raceway is welcoming 2014 with the release of its action-packed schedule of spectator events.

Kicking off in March, the schedule is one of VIR’s most prominent to date, featuring 13 spectator events, up from 11 in 2013.

Highlighting this year’s season are two unique series that promise to deliver exciting and adrenaline-filled racing. First, the Biscuitville 125 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East returns to VIR for a third year on August 16, featuring some of NASCAR’s most talented up-and-coming stars.

The newly formed TUDOR United SportsCar Championship has also selected VIR as one of 14 tracks to host a race during its inaugural season. The TUDOR USCC race will take place during the Oak Tree Grand Prix August 22–24.


In addition to these two marquee events, the schedule also features the ChumpCar World Series in both March and December, NASCAR stock car open test days in May, both the North American Road Racing Association and the Virginia Festival of Speed Motorcycle Racing in June as well as Gold Cup Historic Races and Car Show September.

All of the 2014 events will benefit from track improvements made during the offseason. VIR’s full course was repaved for the first time since 1999 and was widened by six feet at several locations to allow for easier passing.

In addition, the start and finish line were moved to just beyond pit row, allowing better viewing for spectators as well as positioning the finish on a wider portion of the track. Lastly, the north paddock was paved, including both previously paved and unpaved portions, to ensure an even and smooth surface.

Ulrich Batetzky, Peter Prodromou, Pratt & Miller and Bosch were the recipients of the Race Engine Designer, the Dino Toso Racecar Aerodynamicist and the Most Innovative New Motorsport Product of the Year awards respectively, in a night of celebration during the RACE TECH World Motorsport Symposium.
 
The 2013 season will go down in Audi's history as one of the most successful—perhaps the most successful ever, with the highlight being its second successive victory at Le Mans with a hybrid race car and quattro drive, the 12th win for the marque in the race. Another milestone came in Texas, as it marked Audi's—and therefore Ulrich Baretzky's—100th overall victory with cars powered by his engines. It also marked his 20th year at Audi Sport, during which time none of his engines has ever blown up.
 
The Dino Toso Racecar Aerodynamicist of the Year award was presented to Peter Prodromou. The RB9 was the class of the field in 2013, especially so in the second half of the season, and while its success is partly down to the brilliance of Sebastian Vettel, the role which the aero department, led by Peter, played cannot be overstated.
 
The sheer variety of machinery found in sports car racing is one of its great attractions, but with such a large variety of machinery on the track at the same time, it can lead to real problems when overtaking, with the closing speed of a Le Mans Prototype bearing quickly down on a GT car.
 
Until now it has been a question of looking into the mirrors, but Pratt & Miller, along with Bosch Motorsport, have developed a new radar-based collision avoidance system, which has at its heart a custom-built Intel Core i3 processor, which signals to the driver the closing speed and the calculated overtaking maneuver.

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series has announced a 50 percent increase of its award-winning TV package for the upcoming 2014 season.

Lucas Oil Products, Lucas Oil Production Studios, and the series' Team Lucas Partners have made it possible for fans to view over 75 hours of LOLMDS programing on four major networks.

The series TV package will air on MAVTV, CBS, CBS Sports and NBC Sports networks.
 
For the first time in series history, the LOLMDS will compete live on MAVTV American Real Network. The 38th Annual Winternationals will air from East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday night, February 13. MAVTV has signed renowned motor racing broadcaster Dave Despain to host the event.
 
The 2014 TV package will also include a CBS broadcast of the Lucas Oil Show-Me 100-Presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com for the fourth consecutive year. The annual crown jewel event takes place at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri.

The Show-Me airings have produced the highest viewership of any series event televised over the past three years. The event will also air on CBS Sports Network and MAVTV in 2014.
 
In all, there will be 15 events on the series schedule to broadcast on TV this season. Series events scheduled to air on TV in 2014 include: the Feb. 7 and 8 events from the Super Bowl of Racing-Brunswick, GA; East Bay Winternationals-Tampa, FL on Feb. 13; the Feb. 14 and 15 events from the East Bay Winternationals-Tampa FL; the Show-Me 100-Wheatland, MO from May 24; the Clash at the Mag-Columbus, MS from June 14; the July 11 Battle at the Beach-Pontoon Beach, IL; the July 12 Diamond Nationals-Wheatland, MO; the August 9 North/South 100-Florence, KY; the August 16 Topless 100-Batesville, AR; the August 23 Whiskey City 50-Lawrenceburg, IN; the September 27 Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals-Knoxville, IA;  the October 4 Dixie Shootout-Woodstock, GA; and the season finale on Oct 18, The Dirt Track World Championship-Portsmouth, OH.
 
The award winning Lucas Oil Production Studios, based in Corona, CA will tape each scheduled TV event using state-of-the-art HD cameras and the popular Helicopter Cam at most TV races.

The TV package will also feature Cinema Camera Technology; in-car cameras and the cut-away car technical segments will all be a part of the TV shows.

For more information, visit www.lucasdirt.com.
 
 

The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame has announced its eight inductees for 2014.  Those that will be inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 31, during the 25th annual ceremonies in Knoxville, Iowa, are:
 
Drivers: Dave Blaney, Bobby Davis (Jr.), Mark Kinser.
 
Owners-Mechanics-Builders-Manufacturers-Car Sponsors: Chuck Merrill, George Nesler.
 
Promoters-Officials-Media Members-Event/Series Sponsors: Dave Argabright, William “Windy” McDonald.
 
Pre-1945: Larry Beckett.
 
According to National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation executive director Bob Baker, “We are very proud of the work done by our 72-member National Induction Committee each and every year, and this year is no exception.  I think modern sprint car fans will be very pleased with this year’s line-up of inductees.  We look forward to our very special twenty-fifth induction banquet on the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa, on May 31.”
 
For more information on the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, visit www.sprintcarhof.com, or call 641/842-6176.

Max Papis Racing has announced its presence in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, fielding the No. 99 racecar for the 2014 season.

Team Principal and Italy native Max Papis, who has the most NASCAR starts for a European driver, and his wife/car owner, Tatiana Fittipaldi Papis, have a personal connection with the NASCAR family.

“Being a NASCAR team owner is a very important step in my professional career,” said Papis. “I am excited to create a working platform that will act as a bridge between racing in the United States and Europe, creating opportunities for drivers and technicians to experience the best of the two worlds combined.”

Kevin Gilardoni will drive the No. 99 racecar in the Elite division. The 21-year old Italian driver has competed in the Eurocup Megane Trophy and Formula Renault 2.0 series, showing great talent and potential with multiple wins, pole positions, and podium finishes in the past three seasons.

“I am looking forward to having a young and upcoming talent like Kevin Gilardoni in the Elite Series,” said Papis. “He is a self-motivated young man and we will work efficiently to give him all of the tools he needs to prove his ability to be a front runner in NWES and in selected Late Model races in the USA, guiding him in his dream of becoming a NASCAR driver. We are currently finalizing our driver for the Open Division and hope to have further details available by the end of January."

“It is a great pleasure for the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Organization to welcome Max Papis and the Max Papis Racing team. From his achievements, Max is clearly a racing legend but also the only European driver who succeed in having a racing career in NASCAR,” said Team FJ General Manager, Jerome Galpin.

The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will begin its third season under the NASCAR banner with the season opener April 12-13 at Valencia in Spain. The six race-weekend schedule also includes stops at England’s Brands Hatch, Germany’s Nürburgring and the championship weekend at France’s famed LeMans. In addition, the series competes on the first purpose-built oval for stock cars in Europe, Tours Speedway in France.

Pirelli will continue as Formula One racing’s official tire supplier for three more years, it was announced this week.

The Italian company, whose new supply deal runs from 2014 until the end of 2016, have also collaborated with Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, and the teams to implement changes to the sporting regulations regarding the testing of tires.

From the start of 2014, one of the 12 days of official pre-season testing will be dedicated exclusively to wet tire testing. Furthermore, each team must dedicate one of their eight days of in-season testing exclusively to the testing of tires. This means that during each of the eight days of in-season testing, at least one team—and up to a maximum of two—will be concentrating on tire testing along with Pirelli’s engineers.

As was previously the case, Pirelli will continue to determine the specification of the tires and to manage all aspects of their development, in close consultation with the FIA and the teams.

The first pre-season test of 2014, a four-day session in Jerez, Spain, gets under way on January 28. So far, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, Williams and Caterham have confirmed their attendance at the test. Lotus are the only team to have announced that they will not be present with their new car.

In my career at PRI, it has never ceased to amaze me how the sport of auto racing is intertwined throughout American lives. In my own life, some very fun moments have occurred far away from a race track. It might have been at a back-to-school night, sitting in the grandstands for a Little League game or at a wedding reception. I am talking to a stranger or new acquaintance when the subject of what I do for a living comes up.  Next, I find the person I’m talking to runs a Winston West stock car (some time ago), or competes in Time Attack or spent years drag racing. Suddenly, we are speaking the same language. There’s a real enthusiasm in the conversation. And pretty soon, some fun stories are shared, and mutual acquaintances identified.

And you don’t have to go far for a good racing story. My father has a great story about driving from Ohio to Daytona Beach, and sneaking into the big race with his three buddies through a swamp. From my calculations, it was probably the late 1940s, and could have been NASCAR’s first race in 1948. One of his buddies went on to buy a jalopy to go racing, and my Dad would volunteer to crew for him. Most recently, my daughter began bringing home a fine young man, who eventually revealed that he and his father go autocrossing.

In all this talk of auto racing, the eyes light up a bit in the person doing the talking. The passion for the sport and its endless possibilities become clear. There’s a connection to something that is thrilling and fun and larger than the daily lives of most folks. It’s always great fun at industry events to hear racers share their stories. But, it’s also really cool to meet up with this great sport in such surprising ways far away from a race track. It happens a lot. Auto racing is definitely woven deep into the fabric of American culture and history. You can see what’s great about this country reflected in the sport. And we feel damn lucky to be making a living in it.

Strong Racing Industry Numbers In The UK: We just returned from the Autosport Engineering Show in Great Britain where the results of a study called the 2013 Review of UK Motorsport Valley Business Cluster was released. It showed that England’s motorsport and engineering services industry has nearly doubled since 2000, with 2012 revenue reported at £9 billion (roughly $15 billion). Some 4300 businesses employed 41,000 people. Commissioned by the Motorsport Industry Association and completed by Motorsport Research Associates, these figures serve as a strong reminder of how valuable auto racing is to a nation’s economy. The study can be downloaded for a fee at the MIA website—www.the-mia.com.

McLaren Group today announced that Ron Dennis CBE, Chairman of McLaren Group, has been appointed to the additional role of Group Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Group, with immediate effect. Dennis, a shareholder of McLaren since 1980 and the architect of its modern era, was the CEO of the Group from 1982 to 2012 and the Team Principal of the McLaren Formula 1 racing team from 1982 to 2009 before becoming Chairman of the Group in 2013. 



Following his appointment today, Dennis said, "My fellow shareholders have mandated me to write an exciting new chapter in the story of McLaren, beginning by improving our on-track and off-track performance. Over the coming weeks I intend to undertake a thorough and objective review of each of our businesses with the intention of optimizing every aspect of our existing operations, whilst identifying new areas of growth that capitalize on our technologies, and where appropriate further investing in them. During February, I will articulate a new Group strategy and implement the organizational structure best suited to achieving it. I am excited by the prospect of returning to the role of Group Chief Executive Officer and working with my many colleagues and fellow shareholders to fulfill our objective—which is to win at whatever we do."



Dennis will remain Chairman of McLaren Automotive, the marque's successful high-performance road car company.

Bernie Ecclestone has relinquished his role as a director of the F1 Group and thus left the board of the organization. He will continue to have his day-to-day responsibilities within Formula One, but he will be subject to closer monitoring than previously.

The decision follows the confirmation that Ecclestone will stand trial on bribery charges in Germany, which led to a meeting of the board of Delta Topco, the holding company of the F1 Group.

The German charges relate to the now-infamous $44 million payment Ecclestone made to former banker Gerhard Gribkowksy, who is currently serving an 8 ½-year jail sentence. Gribkowsky, who was chief risk officer at BayernLB, was found guilty of tax evasion and bribery.

Ecclestone's view has always been that he was a victim of a “shakedown” and made the payment to stop Gribkowsky triggering a time-consuming U.K. tax investigation.

A statement from the prosecutor said that “under current planning, the main trial should start in late April,” but few further details have emerged.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Ecclestone's German legal team said: “The decision to go to trial is normal and in no way is it a finding in the issue at hand. This is something that is up to the trial itself. The alleged bribery never took place. The accusations that are based on Gribkowsky's testimony are incorrect and, based on the facts, offer no coherent picture.”

Despite Ecclestone's confidence, he is clearly under pressure. A later statement from the F1 Group confirmed that his wings have been clipped: “Mr. Ecclestone has reassured the board that he is innocent of the charges and intends to vigorously defend the case, which will commence in April 2014. After discussion with the board, Mr. Ecclestone has proposed and the board agreed that until the case has been concluded, he will step down as a director with immediate effect, thereby relinquishing his board duties and responsibilities until the case has been resolved. The board believes that it is the best interests of both the F1 business and the sport that Mr. Ecclestone should continue to run the business on a day-to-day basis, but subject to increased monitoring and control by the board. Mr. Ecclestone has agreed to these arrangements. The approval and signing of significant contracts and other material business arrangements shall now be the responsibility of the chairman, Mr. Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, and the deputy chairman, Mr. Donald Mackenzie.”

For the sixth time in his career, Donny Schatz, of Fargo, ND, was voted the Driver of the Year by the North American 410 Sprint Car Poll voting panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers.

The 2013 Knoxville Nationals winner, who had 23 wins with the World of Outlaws, earned 13 of the 23 first-place ballots cast in the year-end poll.

Those drivers ranked second through fifth, respectively, are eight-time WoO winner and overall WoO champion Daryn Pittman, Paul McMahan, Tim Kaeding and Central Pennsylvania Point Series and Williams Grove Speedway champion Fred Rahmer.

Rounding out the ‘top ten’ for the season are Craig Dollansky, Sammy Swindell, All Star Circuit of Champions champion Dale Blaney, Joey Saldana and Steve Kinser, respectively.

Pittman earned 10 first-place votes, while his sprint car owner Kasey Kahne will take the Team of the Year honors.

Christopher Bell will receive the “Wild Card Award” for his exciting ‘410’ sprint car performances in 2013.

Dominic Scelzi of California, a competitor with the Golden State King of the West Series, has earned the Rookie of the Year award. Due to a tie in voting, Roger Slack and Tony Stewart of Eldora Speedway and Brian Stickel of Knoxville Raceway will share the Promoter of the Year honors.

Phil Plant of Ti22 Performance/GF1 chassis will earn the Builder/Manufacturer of the Year honors for the ‘410’ poll. For the second year in a row, the Media Member of the Year award will go to the team of Kendra Jacobs and Steve Post of the Motor Racing Network’s “Winged Nation” program.