iRacing, the sim racing platform based in Massachusetts, has partnered with Microsoft to explore and develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.

The partnership will see the companies collaborate on AI foundation models, called Large Action Models (LAMs), which can power advanced functionality on the platform, including improvements to AI-based drivers, AI-based coaching, crew chiefs and other possibilities.

"We couldn't be more excited to work with Microsoft on new AI-based learning models which hopefully will lead to iRacers having even a better experience, not to mention improving their racecraft and performance," said iRacing president Tony Gardner. "Our goal is to leverage the realism and quality of our existing product, build upon our market-leading existing single-player opponent AI, and learn from the collaboration with Microsoft Research to create new and improved features that will benefit all iRacers."

For more information, visit iracing.com.

Italian marque Maserati has extended its commitment to compete in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship as a manufacturer until 2030.

Maserati, supported by Stellantis Motorsport, will use the GEN4 Formula E platform to develop road-relevant electric vehicle (EV) technologies, the company said, and is the fifth manufacturer to announce support for the platform.

The GEN4 car, developed by the FIA and Formula E, will debut during the 2026-27 season and will feature 700kW regeneration and 600kW power output, setting the stage for faster and more energy-efficient racing, according to the sanctioning body.

For more information, visit fiaformulae.com.

Custom Titanium Zoomies on the Murder Nova NPK 2024 Car. Over 30% lighter than the old stainless system.

For serious drag racers and high-performance teams, every pound counts. Titanium zoomie headers offer the ultimate in weight reduction and strength without sacrificing performance. Crafted with precision from commercially pure titanium, Stainless Headers Manufacturing Inc.'s custom-built headers are designed to fit your exact needs, whether replicating your current system or creating something completely tailored for your car.
 

Why Choose Titanium for Your Zoomie Headers?

The primary reason to switch to titanium is simple: weight reduction. Every racer knows that shedding pounds off the car, especially at the front end, can significantly improve acceleration, handling and overall performance. With our custom titanium zoomie headers, you can expect at least a 30% reduction in weight, allowing you to redistribute that weight for improved weight transfer and faster passes. Whether you're looking to drop 15-30 lbs. from the front end or enhance your chassis setup, titanium gives you that flexibility.

Original stainless Zoomie Headers for Murder Nova's NPK car. More than 60 lbs. combined weight and many unnecessary weld joints. These were tired and ready to be replaced.

Beyond weight, titanium also offers exceptional strength and incredible pressure rating, making it the ideal material for headers that need to stand up to extreme heat and constant pressure during high-performance racing. The lightweight nature of titanium also helps reduce engine load, which can be crucial during championship weekends.
 

Craftsmanship and Precision Engineering

Each set of our titanium zoomie headers is handcrafted and built to order. We understand that every racer's needs are unique, which is why we focus on delivering a personalized system designed for your specific build.

New Titanium Zoomies for Murder Nova's NPK car. Less than 35 lbs. combined weight, and many unnecessary weld joints were removed, improving strength and durability. Note the additional gussets and support brackets added to improve durability.

The flanges are CNC-machined from pure titanium billet, ensuring a perfect, leak-free fit. By using titanium billet for the flanges, we also improve their overall durability and resistance to warping under extreme temperatures. The tubes are CNC mandrel-bent, minimizing the need for weld seams and ensuring consistent flow dynamics. This also improves the overall strength of the headers, reducing the risk of fatigue under high-stress conditions.

Each header system includes features that help improve structural integrity and longevity. We incorporate gussets and doubler plates at key stress points--typically a minimum of 16 gussets--to further reinforce the headers. This added structural support allows the titanium headers to withstand the rigors of racing while ensuring longevity.
 

Custom Fitment for Elite Performance

Our titanium zoomie headers are not mass-produced "universal" parts. Instead, we work directly with you to design a header system that's perfectly suited to your chassis and engine configuration. Whether it's an adjustable zoomie tip angle, stepped tube sizing or other customization options, we provide a solution tailored to your performance requirements.

Built-to-Spec Titanium Zoomies. Hand-fit to your exact specs using CNC mandrel bends. 

Fitment is critical, especially when working with custom race cars. We use precision measurements to ensure that your new titanium headers fit flawlessly, whether replacing an old set or building from scratch. The result is a perfect match for your existing setup, with improved flow characteristics and easier installation compared to standard headers.
 

High-Performance Welding Techniques

One of the key aspects of building custom titanium zoomie headers is the welding process. Titanium's unique properties--especially its high strength-to-weight ratio and resistance to corrosion--require precise welding techniques to ensure structural integrity.

We employ Purge-TIG welding for every header system. Argon-Purged TIG welding is the only process we use for titanium due to its ability to produce clean, precise and strong welds without introducing impurities. The argon-gas shielding from the torch and back-purging on the inside of the tubing ensures the titanium remains free from oxidation during the welding process, which is crucial to maintaining the material's strength and performance characteristics.

Our expert fabricators take care to minimize weld seams, which not only improves the aesthetic but also enhances the flow dynamics inside the header tubes. The cleaner the weld, the better the overall performance of the exhaust system.
 

Optional Features for Tuning and Performance Enhancement

World's-First Customizable Titanium Zoomie Tips. Adjust your exhaust outlet angle for fine-tuning downforce on different track prep environments and adjust your front-end downforce.

We also provide a variety of optional features to enhance your header system. These include:

• EGT sensor bungs: For exhaust gas temperature monitoring, crucial for fine-tuning engine performance and preventing potential damage.
• O2 sensor bungs: To monitor air-fuel ratios, ensuring your engine runs at peak efficiency for individual cylinders.
• O2 sniffer kits: For advanced tuning and data logging across entire banks of cylinders, this is the best option for multi-cylinder logging for zoomie systems.
• Adjustable Zoomie Tips: We are the only company on the market that has an option to adjust your zoomie tip angles. The removable tips allow you to change out from bare tips to muffler-tips, as well as create a variable exit angle to further tune your launch. A change in as little as 10 degrees of tip angle can be the difference in planting your front tires or pulling a wheelie for your 60' times. These adjustable tips also work great for tuning for different tracks and different prep conditions.

These options allow you to integrate additional performance monitoring equipment seamlessly into your header system, giving you greater control over engine management and tuning.
 

Proven Results in Elite Racing Circuits

Our titanium zoomie headers have been designed and tested in some of the most demanding racing environments, including No Prep Kings and other top-tier drag racing series. The extreme weight reduction, coupled with enhanced durability and improved flow characteristics, makes these headers an indispensable tool for elite racers looking to push their performance to the next level.

Whether you're competing in the highest echelons of drag racing or pushing the limits of your personal build, our custom titanium zoomie headers are engineered to deliver unmatched performance and reliability.
 

Order Your Custom Titanium Zoomie Headers Today

When you choose our titanium zoomie headers, you're not just getting a product off the shelf. You're getting a system that’s engineered and crafted to meet your exact needs, with a focus on performance, durability and precision. We keep your design on file for future orders, ensuring faster lead times and consistent quality for your entire team.

Don't settle for less when it comes to your racing performance. Contact us today to discuss your needs and get started on your custom titanium zoomie header build.

Stainless Headers
1135 N. 7th St. Lake City, MN 55041
stainlessheaders.com
Tel: 1-800-290-3920
Email: sales@stainlessheaders.com

Responding to an active effort to convince President-elect Trump to retain the Biden-Harris Administration's tailpipe rules and forgo a key campaign promise to halt electric vehicle mandates, PRI and SEMA have urged the incoming administration to stay the course and reject widely unpopular electric vehicle mandates. 

PRI and SEMA's letter follows a New York Times report that several of the nation's largest automakers are requesting that President-elect Trump keep the Biden-Harris Administration tailpipe emissions policy that would eliminate consumers' vehicle choice by mandating electric vehicles. 

"It is disheartening to hear that some within the automotive industry are seeking to largely keep the Biden Administration's tailpipe rules in place," the letter says. "On behalf of SEMA and PRI's members, we support your stated goal of a 'Day 1' end to EV mandates. As you are well aware, such mandates stifle the innovation and ingenuity that makes our nation great." 

"EV mandates are the antithesis to what drives America. Whether these mandates arrive in the form of tailpipe emissions standards that can only be achieved through the sale of EVs or waivers that enable some states to impose their own standards on other states (as is the case of California's standards that as many as 16 states can adopt), they all destroy consumers' freedom to choose what vehicles they want--or need--to drive. While EVs are a part of the solution for reducing carbon emissions for mobile sources, mandates rob our nation's innovators of the opportunity to develop new technologies and solutions that meaningfully reduce emissions in a way that doesn't hurt consumers and small automotive businesses. They harm our economy, threaten to stifle interstate commerce, and place millions of jobs at risk." 

Read the full letter here.  

FM3 Marketing has added Rollie Miller to its event management team as a senior event manager.

Miller has more than 30 years of experience as a high-performance motorsport operations director in the drag-racing market. The Texas native spent more than 25 years with the NHRA Safety Safari, promoting safety and protecting drag racers from the highest levels to entry-level street car programs.

Prior to joining FM3 Marketing, Miller served as the general manager and national event director of ProMedia Events, the group that produced the NMRA and NMCA championship drag racing series, managing both sanctioning bodies.

Miller will support FM3 Marketing-owned events, as well as partnership events with clients including MotorTrend, Holley, OPTIMA Batteries, Summit Racing Equipment and more.

For more information, visit fm3marketing.com.

Skip Barber Racing School, based in Virginia, has formed with Ireland-based karting firm Tillotson Racing. The new partnership will provide those associated with Tillotson Racing opportunities to train at the Skip Barber Racing School.

Additionally, the Skip Barber Racing School will appear on various material related to Tillotson's T4 Nations Cup, and the Skip Barber logo will adorn all karts in the T4 Nations Cup.

"This partnership will allow us at Skip Barber to do what we do best: turn drivers into champions," Skip Barber Racing School Chief Marketing Officer Dan DeMonte said. "Each day we work to identify prospective talent, train the next generation, and prepare them for a career in racing. With Tillotson, we'll be able to do that on a global scale. I'm eagerly awaiting the deserving talent that will get to train with us as a result of this new partnership."

For more information, visit skipbarber.com.

The NASCAR Foundation announced Judy Simmons as the winner of the 14th annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award during the NASCAR Awards Banquet in Charlotte, North Carolina.

As the award winner, Simmons will receive a $100,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation to God's Pit Crew, a non-profit dedicated to providing disaster relief services to children and families.

"This award means so much to God's Pit Crew and me, and it will make a tremendous impact for the children we strive to provide healing to in the midst of disaster," said Simmons. "With this award, we will be able to provide more hope and comfort to the young lives that need it most."

Simmons, of Axton, Virginia, is a volunteer at God's Pit Crew, a local non-profit disaster relief organization that works to provide aid and hope to communities all over the country in the face of a major weather event. Judy has been a member of the God's Pit Crew disaster response team of more than 1,500 volunteers for six years, leading volunteer teams to provide essential needs to families and children in their time of crisis, including Play Pails that contain toys, games and hygiene items for children who have lost everything.

"Judy is an incredible person doing impactful work for families that have experienced hardship due to natural disasters, especially during the difficult times faced in Western North Carolina this year," said Nichole Krieger, The NASCAR Foundation vice president and executive director. "The $100,000 she won for God's Pit Crew will allow them to continue providing essential items for kids and families in need in times of major weather event or crisis. Both Judy and her organization are very deserving of this award."

Simmons earned the most online votes from a pool of nominees, including Tammy Raulerson with the Periwinkle Foundation in College Station, Texas; Carlos Washington with Boys and Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area in Florence, S.C.; and Julie Woolridge with Hope of Mooresville in Mooresville, N.C. Each of these charities will receive a $25,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation.

In its 14 years, the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award has recognized 56 NASCAR fans who are dedicated volunteers working for children's causes in communities nationwide. More than 553,288 children's lives have been affected by the program with $2.56 million contributed to children's charities.

To learn more about The NASCAR Foundation's programs, including the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award and Speediatrics Children's Fund, please visit www.NASCARfoundation.org.

Formula 1 has announced that it has reached an agreement in principle with General Motors (GM) to bring GM/Cadillac as the 11th team to the Formula 1 grid in 2026. The automaker will also launch an F1 power unit by the end of the decade, GM said.

In addition, Mario Andretti, the last American F1 Champion, will serve as a director on the team's board.

"Innovations created for Formula 1 will contribute to GM's push to drive the future of transportation, leveraging advanced electrification, powertrain, software and internal-combustion-engine technology for consumers around the globe," GM representatives said in a statement announcing the agreement. "Launching a Formula 1 team will also highlight the Cadillac brand to a diverse international audience, showcasing GM's technology and design capabilities."

Since GM's bid to join F1 was announced in January 2023, Cadillac Formula 1 has assembled an experienced team to work on aerodynamics, chassis and component development, software, and vehicle dynamics simulation. The team has operations in Fishers, Indiana; Charlotte, North Carolina; Warren, Michigan; and Silverstone, England.

TWG Global owns and operates Andretti Global, Wayne Taylor Racing and Spire Motorsports.

For more information, visit formula1.com or gm.com.

Friends of Laguna Seca, the group managing WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, and A&D Narigi Consulting will terminate the management agreement between the two parties, effective December 31.

A&D Narigi decided that the termination of the management agreement is the best step forward for Laguna Seca and for Friends to execute its long-term vision for the facility, the company said in a statement announcing the decision.

"Since 2020, A&D Narigi, LLC has done a great service to Monterey County and Laguna Seca Recreation Area, including WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in returning the operations of the facility to profitability and in the many improvements made to the park during the past few years, including the new racing surface and Mission Foods Bridge," stated Ross Merrill, president of the Friends of Laguna Seca. "Friends will take over management of Laguna Seca while retaining all existing employees. We are looking forward to a bright future for Laguna Seca under our new operating structure."

"I have put a lot of time and effort into Laguna Seca Recreation Area and WeatherTech Raceway, and I am extremely proud of my teams' efforts, which have yielded impressive results, as well as my personal and professional commitment to its future these past five years", stated John Narigi, president of A&D Narigi Consulting, LLC.

For more information, click here.

The Featured Products Showcase at the PRI Show returns with the hottest motorsports products and technology on display at the Indiana Convention Center, December 12-14, 2024.

Located at the ICC Capitol Connector--near the yellow hall, Capitol Cube hanging car and Georgia Street entrance--the Featured Products Showcase offers media, buyers, decision-makers and automotive professionals at the Show the opportunity to discover top products from leading racing and performance aftermarket brands in one single location.   

Innovation on Display 

From engine blocks and batteries to race gear and fuels, the showcase will spotlight top products submitted by PRI Show exhibitors from every segment of the industry. Buyers can explore cutting-edge innovations, gain insight into emerging trends and see the latest advancements that can enhance racing performance and efficiency.  

"The showcase enables attendees to quickly identify products and solutions tailored to their needs," said PRI President Michael Good. "From there, they can visit the manufacturer's booth to check out the product up close, ask questions and learn how it works."  

A Must-See for Media  

For media and influencers, the showcase is a valuable resource for discovering popular motorsports products to share with their audiences. Each product includes information and descriptions to help visitors understand its relevance and potential impact within the market. This not only benefits those creating content but gives exhibitors opportunities to build relationships with media who are interested in their product, which can lead to increased brand exposure and ROI.  

Award-Winning Creations 

Happening throughout the days of the PRI Show are the Featured Products Showcase Awards. The awards feature an esteemed panel of racing industry professionals--consisting of track operators, sanctioning bodies, social media influencers, and media--selecting their favorite products on display. Top vote-getters receive the title of a Featured Products Showcase Award recipient, a crystal award and their product name included in an article in PRI Magazine.  

"The Featured Products Showcase is a testament to the growth of the industry and its passion to innovate," said PRI General Manager Jim Liaw. "Those seeking to discover the latest cutting-edge performance products are encouraged to visit this exciting Show feature."  

All 2024 PRI Show exhibitors are eligible to participate in the Featured Products Showcase. Submissions made pre-show before the Dec. 6 early bird pricing deadline are $75 per product. After the deadline, exhibitors can enter product(s) in the Showcase onsite at the PRI Show (as space permits) at $100 per product. For more information, click here. To view a map leading to the showcase, click here.

The PRI Show attracts attendees from all 50 states and all over the world, including professional race teams, retail shops, warehouse distributors, engine builders, fabricators, dealers, installers, jobbers and media. To register for the 2024 PRI Show or for more information, visit PRI2024.com/Attend.