Formula One racing’s official tire suppliers Pirelli have confirmed that they will not be changing the construction of their P Zero tires—contrary to initial plans—after announcing the compound allocations for the next three races.

The Italian manufacturer had wanted to introduce new rubber to improve both tire durability and performance, but rain prevented new specification tires from being tested sufficiently and, additionally, the teams failed to agree about introducing any changes.

Instead, Pirelli have made changes in the tire production process to ensure that they have addressed the tire delamination problem that has affected a number of drivers this season.

Pirelli have opted to bring their orange-marked hard compound and white-marked medium compound tires to Silverstone for the next round of the championship, the 2013 Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix on June 30.

For Germany, they have nominated the white-marked medium compound and the yellow-marked soft compound tires to deal with the Nurburgring’s variety of corners, smooth asphalt and heavy braking areas.

Finally, for Hungary, teams will use the orange-marked hard compound and the white-marked medium compound tires to deal with the Hungaroring’s twisty demands and the high ambient temperatures found in Budapest.

At a glance—tire compounds for 2013:

Australia - medium, supersoft
Malaysia - hard, medium
China - medium, soft
Bahrain - hard, medium
Spain - hard, medium
Monaco - supersoft, soft
Canada - supersoft, medium
Britain - hard, medium
Germany - medium, soft
Hungary - hard, medium

The WKA VEGA/TS Racing Road Racing Series driven by Mazda turns next month to the 2013 WKA Road Race Grand Nationals, which take place July 26-28 at VIRginia International Raceway.

The VIR Grand Nationals entry form has been posted. Click here to view and print the entry blank.

The Road Race Grand Nationals, hosted by the Woodbridge Kart Club, will run on the 17-plus-turn high-speed 3.27-mile VIR Full Course and includes the famous Oak Tree corner and the long downhill back straightaway that leads back to turns 14 through 17 and onto the front stretch and past pit lane.

Pre-registration for the VIR Road Race Grand Nationals opens June 17. Pre-registration will remain open until the Friday before the event, July 19.

Competitors have two options to pre-enter for VIR.

Using the traditional WKA entry blank, send completed pre-entry forms with a check made out to WKC and mail to Woodbridge Kart Club at 3383 Hickory Hills Drive; Oakton, VA 22124.

Or competitors can pre-enter online with a credit card by visiting WKC official website, woodbridgekartclub.com.

Direct questions to WKA’s Keith Shampine at 704/455-1606 or WKC’s Rodney Smith at 304/261-7765.

When the Great American Dirt Track in Jetmore, Kansas, was forced to cancel the remainder of the 2013 season recently, it left a void in the United States Modified Touring Series Casey’s Cup Series schedule on Thursday, June 20—the first of four straight nights of racing in Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma.

Enter promoter C. Ray Hall and the 81 Speedway in Park City, Kansas, where the USMTS Modifieds last visited in 2008.

In fact, when the USMTS last visited the 81 Speedway on August 5, 2008, the largest crowd ever for a one-day USMTS event was on hand to watch Jason Hughes of Watts, Oklahoma, pull off the win against a field of 59 competitors.

Hall is enjoying his 42nd year as the head man in charge of daily operations at 81 Speedway, and also manages the day-to-day happenings for his National Championship Racing Association (NCRA).

Gates for the event—featuring open-wheel dirt Modified drivers vying for a $2000 top prize on the 3/8-mile clay oval—will open at 5:30 p.m., with hot laps slated for 6:30 and racing at 7:30.

For race day information, call the track hotline at 316/755-1781 or visit www.81speedway.org online.

Due to the late start of the racing season, cancellations due to weather issues, etc., late model tire testing for the WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track Series has been postponed until later in the season (August) of 2013.
 
The Hoosier WRS2-55 and WRS-55 will remain the mandatory tires for late models throughout the 2013 season.

The results and any decisions rendered from the tire testing will be published after the completion of testing.

For more information, visit www.wissota.org.

Patrick Dempsey and teammates Joe Foster and Patrick Long (#77 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in LM GTE Am) will be the only all American drivers' line-up to race this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Like in 2012, the Strakka Racing #21 Honda-HPD ARX-03c in LM P1 will display the Union Jack on the shark fin to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, but also because Danny Watts, Jonny Kane and Nick Leventis are very proud of being the only British trio at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2013.

They will once again fight against Rebellion Racing, especially in the quest of the Trophy of LM P1 privateers in the FIA-WEC.

There are four 100 percent French drivers' line-ups this year, and the first two will compete in LM P2. Behind the wheel of the #36 Alpine A450, Nelson Panciatici, Pierre Ragues and Tristan Gommendy are among the clear favourites in the class following the lap times during the Test Day on June 9.

Jacques Nicolet, Jean-Marc Merlin and Philippe Mondolot won't go unnoticed since their OAK Racing #45 Morgan-Nissan is the official "Art car"designed by Fernando Costa for the 90th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

There are two more French drivers' line-ups in the LM GTE Am class: Emmanuel Collard-François Perrodo-Sébastien Crubile (ProSpeed Compétition #75 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) and Raymond Narac-Christophe Bourret-Jean Karl Vernay (Imsa Performance Matmut #76 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR).

Italy and Denmark also have their own national teams with Giancarlo Fisichella-Gianmaria Bruni-Matteo Malucelli (AF Corse #51 Ferrari 458 Italia) and Christoffer Nygaard-Kristian Poulsen-Allan Simonsen (Aston Martin Racing #95 Aston Martin Vantage V8). They will respectively race in LM GTE Pro and LM GTE Am.

Click the following links for further information on the entry list, classes and program of the 90th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans scheduled for June 22-23.

The USAC Benevolent Foundation has announced a $10,000 grant in the memory of the late USAC racing champion Jason Leffler, who lost his life Wednesday (June 12) night in a racing accident in New Jersey.

The 501-3C-designated Foundation will also be accepting additional donations earmarked for usage by Jason’s son Charlie Dean and Charlie’s mother, Allison.

A designated cap amount to be announced by the Board of Directors of the Foundation will also result in additional dollar-for-dollar matching funds for this purpose.

“We are devastated by Jason’s loss and recognize his long and loyal commitment to USAC racing and to the sport of auto racing in general,” said USAC CEO/President Kevin Miller. “We encourage everyone to participate in this worthwhile endeavor as we honor the memory of one of our most cherished champions and appreciate the Foundation Board for their efforts in making this all possible.”

All contributions earmarked for the Leffler program, which may include the Charlie Dean Leffler Education Fund, may be directed to the USAC Benevolent Foundation, c/o Executive Director Bill Marvel, 4910 W. 16th Street Speedway, Speedway, IN 46224.

Marvel may be reached at 859/749-0646 or at billmarvel@gmail.com. Donations should be earmarked for this program.

The first-ever GCC Drag Race Championship organized by Peacock International has announced its 2013-14 schedule of events.

Round 1 – November 6-8, 2013, at Bahrain International Circuit
Round 2 – December 4-6, 2013, at Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi
Round 3 – January 15-17, 2014, at Dirab Motorsport Park, KSA

“This is the first time that drag racers from across the region can be crowned a GCC Champion, and its very exciting," said Fawzi Soliman, CEO and founder of Peacock International. "In the coming weeks we will announce our title and category sponsors, and we will be encouraging racers to register early and support the championship."

For more information, visit www.gcc-dc.com.

Last month I had the pleasure of visiting one of my customers, Motor State Distributing, in Watervliet, Michigan.

I was generously given a tour of their 150,000-square-foot facility, and I must say it was quite impressive. Motor State Distributing warehouses products for approximately 600 companies, and has around 90,000 part numbers in stock.

Each employee I spoke with was very welcoming and truly seemed to enjoy working there.

However, the main reason behind my visit to this Midwest mega-distributor was to attend the 25th Annual Lane Automotive Car Show and Cruise In, which took place May 24-25.

It’s stating the obvious that there were a ton of cars on display. But in addition, approximately 154 booths and 215 product lines were represented from Motor State Distributing’s various high-performance brand manufacturers.

It was a great opportunity for me to visit with so many PRI customers all under one tent, and hear their excitement about the upcoming PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis.

I was also able to catch the Dyno Challenge, as well as the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge competition. So much going on!

The event, all told, logged about 1400-1500 car show participants and some 15,000 spectators. In fact, it was their largest car show ever—one that would make any car enthusiast proud.

Until next time, Michigan!

On behalf of the PRI team, I wish to express our appreciation and utmost respect for all of Jason Leffler’s extraordinary achievements in the sport of auto racing, and share our condolences with his family and his friends.

As one of Steve Lewis’ drivers in the #9 Midget, many of the PRI team got to know Jason. He was a fierce competitor, a real champion, and a great guy.

I recall Steve telling a story about an incident that occurred when data acquisition was first starting to filter down into the grassroots ranks of racing, and the #9 team was testing at Phoenix. As one of his drivers approached one of the turns, it was discovered that a dip in the track surface would cause the car to jump to the right and the driver would immediately lift off the throttle. You could see it in the data. He sent Jason out. There was no lifting when the car jumped. Steve was able to tell the other driver, “Don’t lift.”

I also recall Jason helping us out with a new event we created, called the Festival of Speed. We held it at Irwindale Speedway the day of another event we were promoting, the Twin 25s Midget race. As part of the Festival of Speed, there was a quarter midget competition. We asked Jason to come over as a former quarter midget competitor and spend time as a celebrity driver with the kids. He was quiet, but he was all smiles, happy to sign autographs. At one point, the diminutive Leffler even crawled back into a quarter midget. It was a tight fit, but he made it, much to the delight of the crowd that had gathered around him.

A three-time USAC National Midget Champion and a USAC Silver Crown Champion, as well as a winner of the Turkey Night Grand Prix and other major races, Leffler was plenty amazing before he reached NASCAR.

Jason Leffler was one of those racers who demonstrated that human beings are capable of so much. We are deeply saddened to have lost him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.