TMG Performance Products LLC, the Cleveland, Ohio-based manufacturer of CORSA Performance Exhausts, has acquired Volant Performance, a Southern California-based manufacturer of performance cool air intakes for cars, trucks and SUVs. 
      
"Volant is an ideal fit for TMG Performance Products," said Craig Kohrs, VP and general manager, TMG Performance Products. "The brand is synonymous with industry-leading technology that maximizes airflow and performance. Volant, coupled with our flagship CORSA brand, positions TMG Performance Products to deliver technology-driven performance products to automotive enthusiasts worldwide."  
      
Volant's patented designs and exclusive filtration technology for a variety of vehicles offer enthusiasts choices in systems ideal for their vehicles, the company says.

In addition to Volant Cool Air Intakes, TMG Performance Products manufactures premium cat-back exhaust systems under the CORSA Performance Exhausts brand, which features Reflective Sound Cancellation (RSC) technology.
      
Through this acquisition, TMG Performance Products has announced that it is establishing a product development and sales facility, located in Southern California.

The company says this will position TMG Performance Products to meet the needs of its customers, regardless of geography, from either of its locations. The daily operations of the business and manufacturing will transition to the Ohio facility by the end of the year.

National Speedway Directory has announced that its highly successful Race Track Business Conference will be held once again at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Now in its second year, the annual conference is designed to create dialogue and interaction among motorsports professionals featuring track operators, sanctioning body executives, track designers, attorneys, financiers and more.    

“The success of the inaugural event exceeded expectations,” said Tim Frost, publisher of National Speedway Directory, the annual book and online tools that provide information on North American race tracks. “We are pleased to once again be joining the 2013 PRI Show as part of Race Industry Week.”

“With the return of the PRI Trade Show to Indianapolis, the racing capital of the world, this conference will become the central place for all race tracks,” said Frost. “The agenda and speakers will offer valuable insights and networking opportunities for the attendees.”

The Race Track Business Conference will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11, 2013, in Room 238 of the Indiana Convention Center. There is a fee to attend.

The three-day PRI Trade Show begins the following day, on Thursday, December 12. The PRI Trade Show is the world’s premier gathering of racing professionals, with 40,000 attendees from all 50 states and 72 countries in attendance, and over 1100 companies exhibiting the latest advances in racing technology.

“PRI is returning to Indy and we’re glad to have the Race Track Business Conference come along with us,” said John Kilroy, Vice President/General Manager of Performance Racing Industry. “The PRI Show is going be an incredible showcase of the latest advances in racing technology—a ‘must-attend’ event for racing professionals everywhere. The events, conferences and seminars comprising Race Industry Week offer ample opportunity for educational and networking rarely found in one centralized location.”

Additional information on the RTBC-2013 can be found at www.racetrackbusinessconference.com or by calling 847/853-0294.

For more information or to register for the 2013 PRI Trade Show, visit www.pri2013.com.
 

This year marks the 65th running of the Detroit Region Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Press On Regardless? Rally (POR), the oldest continuously run rally in North America.

More than 20 teams of drivers and their navigators will compete over 525 miles of mostly unpaved roads near Indian River, Michigan, during the two-day event September 6-8, 2013. This TSD (Time-Speed-Distance) rally is NOT a race, but rather a competition involving precision driving and teamwork between a driver and a navigator.

The roads on POR will be mostly unpaved, fun and challenging. It’s not a “car-breaker” rally, but vehicles with low ground clearance are not recommended. Running the event after dark allows for increased levels of safety.

Press On Regardless? first ran in 1949, with entries including an SS100 Jaguar and a 1936 Duesenberg. That first POR started in Dearborn, and took competitors to Battle Creek and Flint before returning to the start. The first winners drove a 1949 Studebaker.

Since that first presentation, POR has been a unique event, going from an SCCA-sanctioned National Rally, to a “brisk” 24 hour Time-Speed-Distance event and then to a closed road performance event patterned after the European Championship rallies.

After several years as a FIA listed event, it became the first World Rally Championship Rally in the United States in 1972. When SCCA initiated the Pro Rally series, POR joined that series and was generally considered not only the oldest but also the longest, toughest and meanest event on the schedule.

Finally, in 1994, the Detroit Region decided to return the event closer to its roots, and it once again became a TSD event.

The challenge of a TSD rally, such as POR, is to follow a set of route instructions, which describe both the route to be followed, and the speed at which the car should be traveling. Periodically, competitors encounter checkpoints—unknown to them—where the rally car is timed precisely.

The difference between the actual time the car arrives and the time the car should arrive, based on the route instructions, becomes the competitor’s score. A perfect score is zero, indicating the car arrived exactly on time. Cars are penalized for each hundredth of a minute they arrive early or late.

The 64th running of POR will award points for the SCCA Detroit Region, Great Lakes Division, and National Tour Rally Championship, and the overall winner’s names will be added to the “GENE HENDERSON MEMORIAL TROPHY” along with all of the past winners since 1949.

For more information, see the Detroit Region's website at www.detroit-scca.org.

MavTV American Real’s hit series Won & Done will be going on a national tour, including stopping at some NHRA Member Tracks, allowing racers and fans from all over to watch and/or participate in the videotaping of the new shows.

Season one was videotaped exclusively at Irwindale Speedway in Southern California; however, for season two, the Lucas Oil Studio will bring their lights, cameras, and action to four elite drag racing tracks in Milan, Mich. (Aug. 24-25); Cecil, Ga. (September 27-28); Norwalk (October 4-5); and Orlando, Fla. (November 8-9).

Won & Done is hosted by Rich Christensen (formerly of Pinks and Pinks All Out that aired on SPEED).

The HD television show consists of two vehicles competing in a single drag race where everything about the race is negotiable, from the lanes, the distance, the car lengths, and the start.

Once the negotiation is finalized, the vehicles line up, and the first racer to the finish line wins. The winner earns $500 and the right to compete another day. The loser's VIN number is recorded, and that vehicle is done forever ... banned for life from the show.

Any vehicle that stays undefeated for 10 races wins a $50,000 bonus.

For more information, log on to MavTV.com.

Experts in digital marketing—from email promotion to website best practices to social media—will take the stage at the 2013 PRI Show for an encore presentation of the innovative “Winning the eRace” conference.

Winning the eRace, which debuted at PRI last year and garnered widespread praise for its range and depth of information, returns in 2013 with a revamped lineup that promises to deliver practical digital solutions for today’s racing professionals.

The program, which takes place Wednesday afternoon, December 11, 2013, at the Indiana Convention Center, includes presentations by Lorraine Ball of Constant Contact (email marketing) and Tim Odom of AAM Group (web marketing), as well as a strategy session on social media with panelists Steve Wolcott of ProMedia, Brian Lounsberry of Motovicity Distribution, and Chris Douglas of COMP Performance Group.

“PRI has put together a ‘Best Of’ lineup covering the absolute essentials of digital marketing for this year’s Winning the eRace presentation,” said Dan Schechner, editor of PRI and emcee for the program. “This outstanding collection of speakers and presenters will share valuable information and insights based on proven techniques and experiences. And we’ll have some fun as well—racing businesses won’t want to miss this very special event.”

The Winning the eRace Digital Marketing Conference takes place in Room 243 of the Indiana Convention Center, from 1 to 5 p.m. on December 11, the day before exhibits open for the 26th Annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show.

There is no charge for registered Trade Show attendees, and seating will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information on Winning the eRace, the 2013 PRI Trade Show or its return to Indianapolis, visit www.pri2013.com.

Melling Engine Parts has named longtime Melling employee Thomas Trosin as Executive Vice President, and added two new key employees.
 
"Tom has been with the company for many years and has worked closely with all departments to grow the business," said Mark Melling. "His experience and knowledge of the industry is valuable in this new role as we continue our manufacturing growth plans for the future."
 
In related news, Jim Stark has been hired as the new purchasing manager, and will be based in the company's Jackson, Michigan, plant.

Stark brings 20 years of successful materials and supply chain management experience in a manufacturing environment. He has a strong focus and background in scheduling, purchasing, inventory control, material planning, logistics and shipping, as well as ISO-TS 16949  & ISO 14001 operating procedures.

Jeffrey Schaerer has also been hired as the new product manager, and will be based in Jackson as well.

Schaerer comes to Melling with 22 years of automotive aftermarket experience at Mahle Clevite, where he was an engine parts product manager. He has 25-year master certification status with ASE, as well as being a certified master automobile technician, certified in advanced engine performance, certified automobile parts specialist, certified undercar specialist, and a licensed master automotive mechanic in the state of Michigan.

For more, visit www.melling.com.
 

Nearly 300 drivers have now registered for the September 2–7 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, 23 more than the total from the same date a year ago.

As of August 15, early entries from 295 drivers have been processed at the IMCA home office; 118 of those, 19 more than a year ago at this time, are from Modified drivers.

Because of the volume, IMCA Vice President of Operations Brett Root noted that the deadline to submit early entries has been extended to Monday, August 26.

Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod entries are also up appreciably, from 60 in 2012 to 70 already this year.

Other pre-registered numbers are 59 Stock Cars, 36 Hobby Stocks, 11 Mach-1 Sport Compacts and one Late Model. Twenty-three states and two Canadian provinces will now be represented at Boone Speedway.

Another 129 drivers, more than half of them Modified competitors have paid for pit stalls but have not completed pre-registration.

The Michigan Heritage, an ode to the spirit of the automobile and its importance to the race track, will be awarded to the winning manufacturer of Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400.

The trophy, inspired by the iconic Stanley Cup, will recognize the winning manufacturer—Ford, Toyota or Chevrolet—after each NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Michigan International Speedway.

Each manufacturer and MIS has donated $10,000 that will be given to a youth-related, STEM-related charity in Michigan. The charity will be named at a later date.

The trophy was designed by Fortress Studios artists Steven Kuypers and Steven McShane, both graduates of Detroit’s College for Creative Studies. The Michigan Heritage trophy is three feet tall, weighs about 30 pounds and features an original sculpture similar to Greek goddess of victory Nike, also inspiration for classic cars hood ornaments from Cadillac, Rolls-Royce and Packard.

The original bronze artwork sits atop a wooden base similar to architecture of Detroit landmarks such as the Fisher Building and Guardian Building.

MIS annually recognizes NASCAR’s manufacturers, asking fans in the grandstands to cheer on their favorite during a fun poll conducted over the PA during pre-race ceremonies.

The Michigan Heritage will be presented after every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan in June and August, starting with Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400. The trophy was initially announced in June.

Honda has unveiled the NSX CONCEPT-GT, a racing machine designated for entry in the GT500 class of the 2014 SUPER GT Series* Round 5 "2013 AUTOBACS SUPER GT" at Suzuka Circuit.

The NSX CONCEPT-GT is a dedicated racing vehicle based on the NSX Concept, the next-generation super sports model that made its world debut in January 2012 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan.

This vehicle complies with the Japan Automobile Federation's GT500 regulations for 2014. Along with a mid-mounted 2.0 L inline direct-injection 4-cylinder turbo engine, the vehicle is equipped with a racing hybrid system.

Prior to the debut of the NSX CONCEPT-GT, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. showcased the running of a prototype NSX at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 4, the final day of "the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio," which serves as Round 14 of the IndyCar Series.

DeltaWing Racing Cars has announced that the coupe version of the radically innovative DeltaWing is available now for advance customer purchase.

A total of three coupes will be built by Élan Motorsports Technologies for sale to teams planning to compete with United SportsCar Racing in 2014. The DeltaWing coupe is designed to meet the FIA mandate that all prototypes will have closed cockpits beginning next season.

The coupe is the closed-top version of the car that has captured the imagination of the motorsports world since its first race at Le Mans last year. The DeltaWing continues to make history, leading 16 laps in the recent ALMS race at Road America.

Both versions of the DeltaWing embody a new era of eco-friendly technological advancement, with nearly half the weight, aerodynamic drag, horsepower and fuel consumption of the competition.


The 2013 DeltaWing coupe is scheduled to make its debut September 19–21 in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón event at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, part of the International Sports Car Weekend.
 


Teams interested in the 2014 DeltaWing coupe should contact Élan Motorsports Technologies at 706/658-2853.