Jason Anzalone

Michelin North America, Inc. in Greenville, South Carolina, has named Jason Anzalone director of motorsports, effective August 1, 2022, succeeding Tony Ménard, who is returning to Michelin headquarters in France after three years in North America.

“Tony has been instrumental to our motorsports success in North America, nurturing the heritage of Michelin and BFGoodrich racing through iconic race victories and technical leadership in endurance and desert racing,” said Matthieu Bonardel, global director for Michelin Group’s motorsports business entity. “We appreciate his leadership and dedication, steering the motorsports team through tough pandemic periods by not only persevering, but growing the business with new partnerships. The North American motorsports team is stronger than ever, with many opportunities to accelerate innovation and serve the company’s ambition.”

Anzalone has served in several positions during his 11-year Michelin career, most recently as a strategic account director for Discount Tire and Tire Rack. Anzalone started his career in the automotive industry as a mechanic, working predominantly with Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari. He has worked closely with the motorsport teams since May to help prepare for his new role. 

Ménard helped advance Michelin’s involvement in IMSA sports-car racing, including the new Porsche Carrera Cup partnership. In his three years, Michelin Motorsports was able to support all IMSA races through the pandemic with great success. 

Under Ménard’s leadership, BFGoodrich achieved the 100th overall SCORE Baja victory and introduced the first 18” Baja T/A KR3 for Trophy Truck® and Unlimited Truck classes. His tenure also includes three Baja 500 wins, two Baja 1000 wins, three Mint 400 wins, and a victory at King of Hammers. Lastly, he helped continue the successful partnership of the Mazda MX-5 Cup, which highlights the development and competition of up-and-coming drivers. 

“I want to thank all the teams, partners, officials and fans who have made our relationships so successful and are essential to the successes of our brands,” Ménard said. “I look forward to new innovations through Jason’s leadership, as well as the continued dedication of the Michelin Motorsports North America staff and volunteers who help our product perform at its very best.”

Attendee registration for the 2022 PRI Trade Show, scheduled for December 8-10 at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis, is now open at PRI2022.com/Attend.

The PRI Show is the world’s premier business event for the auto racing industry. It encompasses all forms of motorsports and 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.

Open to PRI Members who work in the motorsports industry, the PRI Show is the most influential business event in racing, featuring the newest parts and technology, access to countless manufacturers and service providers, and virtually unlimited opportunities to network face-to-face with industry leaders.

"Anticipation for the 2022 PRI Show is high following the success of last year's event, which proved that business, networking, and education is better when it's done in person," said PRI Trade Show Director Karin Davidson. "Tens of thousands of industry professionals will be looking to conduct business and discover new products at this year's Show."

The 2022 PRI Show will connect buyers with representatives from over 1,000 exhibiting companies who are eager to showcase their latest products, services, machinery, simulation and testing technologies, trailers, and more. Attendees will also have unmatched access to live demonstrations, numerous conferences and seminars that are unique to the PRI Show, and special features like the Featured Products Showcase, Machinery Row, EV Performance Zone, and the Content Creation Zone—all in a single location.

For the first time ever, only qualified industry professionals who are also PRI Members will be permitted to attend the PRI Show. This requirement will ensure that only the highest-quality buyers and attendees will be on hand to shop the latest racing and performance products and services. Individuals can sign up for PRI Membership as part of the online attendee registration process.

“PRI Membership is at the forefront of protecting the racing community and creating a unified voice for the industry,” said PRI President Dr. Jamie Meyer. “The PRI Membership program has been developed for both businesses and individuals as a way for them to get in on the ground level with this critical advocacy for the industry and the way of life that we all love.”

PRI Membership supports race tracks and race events, helps promote motorsports to a growing audience, and supports advocacy efforts. Qualified industry professionals gain entrance to the PRI Show with the annual membership, as well as a range of exclusive year-round benefits. PRI Membership includes a subscription to the digital PRI Magazine and the weekly PRI eNewsletter. Members are also able to post on the PRI Jobs Board. And, they receive a discount on PRI merchandise at the PRI Show. To learn more about the racing industry's first-of-its-kind membership program, visit PerformanceRacing.com/Membership/Individual.

By registering early, attendees will ensure they receive their credentials before the Show—beginning in October—allowing them to save time and bypass lines at the on-site registration desk. To register for the 2022 PRI Show, secure hotel reservations, and RSVP for exclusive PRI Education seminars, visit PRI2022.com/Attend.

Pictured, from left, are Rep. Brad Schneider and HP Tuners co-owner and CEO Keith Prociuk.

Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL) announced his support for the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act during a recent visit to diagnostic, logging, calibration, and data acquisition solutions provider HP Tuners in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.

Rep. Schneider toured the facility and met with company employees to learn more about how HP Tuners designs and manufactures its software and hardware tools that are used both for racing and helping to bring motor vehicles into emissions compliance—or to maintain emissions compliance. He also got to see firsthand how important the RPM Act is to the specialty automotive aftermarket at large and to HP Tuners in particular, including its leadership and workforce.

The bipartisan RPM Act aims to protect Americans’ right to convert street vehicles into dedicated race cars, and the motorsports-parts industry’s ability to sell products that enable racers to compete. It essentially reverses the Environmental Protection Agency’s interpretation that the Clean Air Act does not allow a motor vehicle designed for street use to be converted into a dedicated race car.

To date, more than 150 federal lawmakers and candidates on both sides of the aisle have either signed on as co-sponsors or expressed support for the RPM Act.  

“We were happy to welcome Congressman Brad Schneider to come take a tour of HP Tuners and share some insights with our employees,” said co-owner and CEO Keith Prociuk, who founded HP Tuners over 20 years ago to help offset the costs associated with his passion for racing.

“Thank you to the Congressman for visiting and engaging in a thoughtful dialogue about some of the most important issues facing the industry,” he added, “including the RPM Act, the right to repair and modify vehicles, tax policy, and data protection/cyber security. We appreciate Rep. Schneider voicing his support for the RPM Act, which is so critically important to our company and racers like myself.”

For more on the RPM Act and how to host your federal lawmakers, visit saveourracecars.com. And for additional information, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

The SCCA Foundation is set to award grants with the goal of eliminating a significant burden for SCCA Regions that need to make an investment in a program in order to flourish.

“The SCCA Foundation Region Development Grant will give Regions the opportunity to grow and evolve their programs, member experience, and equipment,” said Abby Scher, SCCA’s Region Communication, Training, and Events manager. “Many Regions are working to create positive changes in their programs, and this type of support will help them to the finish line.

In addition to meeting certain eligibility criteria, applications must include a detailed project management plan, with goals and objectives, timelines, overall budget, the schedule, and the people involved all being included, according to the Foundation.

Grants will be awarded quarterly – the first application deadline is August 31, with those grants being issued by October 31.

For more information, click here.

At left is a legitimate SFI label, at right is a counterfeit label. Photo courtesy of National Auto Sport Association (NASA).

The SFI Foundation has released a bulletin alerting all consumers to counterfeit SFI labels on suits and gloves from Pakistani company Speedsy Racewear. The suits and gloves have not undergone testing by SFI, and labels on the merchandise are counterfeit, the Foundation said.

According to the SFI bulletin: “SFI has found driver suits and accessories sold by Speedsy Racewear that bear counterfeit SFI labels stating that the manufacturer certifies that its products meet applicable SFI specs. A suit was found to have a counterfeit level 20 label, but very thin construction not capable of providing level 20 protection. Also, single-layer gloves were found to have level 15 counterfeit labels. In each case, this represents dangerously substandard levels of protection.”

For more information, visit the SFI Foundation website.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has announced that after making history at CES 2022 with the world’s first-ever, head-to-head autonomous race car competition, that the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) will return to CES 2023.

The Autonomous Challenge @ CES will take place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, January 7, 2023. The event will be limited to CES attendees, and transportation will be available from the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Collaborating with partners like AWS, Cisco, Continental, Dallara, dSPACE, and Luminar, the primary goal of the IAC is to solve real-world problems by advancing technology that will speed the commercialization of fully autonomous vehicles and deployments of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).

The IAC is a prize competition designed to engage university teams from around the world to program autonomous-modified race cars and compete in a series of competitions. Based in Indiana, the IAC is working to establish a hub for performance automation in the state and is harnessing the power of prize competitions to attract the best and brightest minds from around the globe to further the state-of-the-art technology in safety and performance of automated vehicles.

Scott “Woody” Woodruff has been named the new Branding and Motorsports Director at Elite Motorsports, LLC.

In his new role, Woodruff will work closely with the organization’s various brands, including Elite Motorsports, Elite Performance, Elite HP, Patterson-Elite and Elite Cultivation.

Woodruff was most recently the director of Media and Motorsports at JEGS, where he spent the last two-and-a-half decades “effectively and efficiently increase branding,” according to published accounts. He graduated with a degree in Marketing from Ashland University in 1992.

Having recently completed major capital investments and added staff, Borowski Race Engines, Inc. is broadening its scope to include Big Block Chevy engines. The company had focused on LS engines in recent years.  

Borowski’s new BBC product line will build on its long-standing relationship with Dart Machinery, as Borowski will be using their Big M (billet steel main caps) and Sportsman blocks (ductile iron main caps) in a 4.560" bore diameter. Borowski’s Sportsman blocks will have a BBC standard deck height of 9.800”, while the Big M's will be tall decks at 10.200".

The rotating assemblies will feature Callies Performance Products crank and rods with Diamond Pistons. The Sportsman block builds will use Callies Compstar crank & rods. Diamond Pistons will provide a range of products with various compression ratios and design features for specific naturally aspirated and boosted engines, the company said.

The Big M blocks are intended for heavier boost, Borowski added, and the tall deck will be utilized to incorporate much stronger parts appropriate to the task.

The parts and assemblies used in these engines will be available for sale to Borowski’s retail and trade customers. In addition, the company will be offering custom BBC engines built on these available foundations to cover street, marine, and a range of race applications.

For more information, call Borowski Race Engines at 815-25-2727, visit borowskirace.com, or email sales@borowskirace.com.

Nic Moncher has been tapped to head up the newly established marketing department at Hoosier Racing Tire in Lakeville, Indiana.

In his new role, Moncher will be responsible for developing business plans that support the company’s strategic targets, supporting sales concepts and expanding promotional marketing strategies to drive growth. In addition, he will help with overall brand development and strengthening of the brand in the global marketplace.

Moncher holds a degree in Business Management with a concentration in Marketing and Communications from Belmont Abbey College. He also brings years of marketing experience in the racing industry, having worked with several major racing teams based in North Carolina.

“I am excited about the appointment of Nic. I am convinced he will further advance our marketing vision and ambitious growth plan,” said Joerg Burfien, president and CEO of Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. “Nic’s history in the motorsports industry and passion for racing is the perfect combination to accelerate our brand development and marketing initiatives.”

Gold Eagle Co., a family-owned and ISO 9001-certified manufacturer, has acquired Lubrication Specialties Inc. (LSI). Ohio-based LSI makes several fuel and oil products for the automotive industry, including the Hot Shot’s Secret brand line.

“LSI has always been dedicated to creating high-quality products, and it begins with the way they approach research and development,” said Gold Eagle Co. CEO Marc Blackman. “They have an established record of identifying engine, transmission and fuel system related problems, and then developing cutting edge chemistry to develop best of class solutions.”

Currently, there are over 50 products, fuel and oil additives, specialty oils, coolants, and fluids, that make up the Hot Shot’s Secret line.

“Gold Eagle will be a strong strategic partner that will help us scale to our fullest potential and allow us the freedom to continue making the best products money can buy,” said LSI CEO Chris Gabrelcik.

The merger will not lead to downsizing or significant changes for the LSI team, the companies announced. All 71 employees will retain their respective roles and position LSI for future growth in the local Morrow County economy. The LSI executive team will work closely with Gold Eagle Co.’s senior management in Chicago, but it will be business as usual for LSI’s staff and middle management, they added.

The strategic acquisition of LSI inclusive of the Hot Shot’s Secret product brand was completed July 1. Details of the agreement will not be publicly disclosed.