The Brembo Group has announced the opening of a new production facility for the manufacturing of aluminum brake calipers in Nanjing, located in China's Jiangsu province.

The inauguration of the 430,000-plus-square-foot Brembo production hub comes after nearly 20 years of operation in the Chinese market.

All production stages will be integrated into the new site, from delivery of raw material to shipping the finished product, which will better serve customers in Europe, Asia and America that also operate in Asia.

The plant currently employs 450 people. With 67 production lines, the facility offers a production capacity of more than 2 million pieces per year and adopts some of the most advanced technologies available.

The new plant was also built according to progressive criteria in order “to guarantee quality, efficiency and environmental protection with an eye to minimizing waste and maximizing energy recovery by applying the strictest regulations imposed by the Carbon Disclosure Project protocol,” according to Brembo.

"This event is dedicated to a highly tangible illustration of the innovative process and product technologies Brembo uses in the production site on behalf of its customers that operate in China. Today's inaugural event also confirms Brembo presence in one of the most strategic geographic areas as regards to our growth and development," Brembo President and Chairman Alberto Bombassei said, who was on hand for the ceremony.

For more information, visit the Brembo website.

Battery-Biz has entered a licensing agreement with Goodyear, the globally recognized tire brand. Battery-Biz will launch an all-new line of Goodyear branded tire inflators, with shipments to North America set to begin this summer.

The announcement marks Battery-Biz’s entrance into the tire inflator category. Under the agreement, Battery-Biz will sell Goodyear branded tire inflators through all major retail channels in the United States and Canada.

“The Goodyear brand brings over 120 years of credibility and dedication to the automotive industry and we couldn’t be happier to be partnering with them on this project. This partnership will allow us to offer yet another world-class brand to our existing retail customers,” Battery-Biz Sr. Director of Marketing & Product Design Doug Broadhurst said. “We know that combining premium products with globally recognized brands is a winning formula for driving exceptional sales.”

The initial tire inflator offering will include six SKUs ranging from $24.99 to $79.99. More product specific details will be disclosed closer to the official launch.

For more information, visit the Battery-Biz website.

NASCAR today announced the 2020 schedules for both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, and both include a return to race tracks that were part of the original schedule for each series—venues that have been absent from the respective slates for more than a decade.

For the first time since 2006 – and only the second time in the last 25 years – the Xfinity Series will race at Martinsville Speedway in Henry County, Virginia. With a final chance to lock up a spot in the Championship 4, Martinsville will serve as the final Playoff cutoff race in all three national series. The Gander Trucks will race under the lights at “The Paperclip” on October 30, 2020, with the Xfinity Series making its return on October 31.

Likewise, Richmond Raceway in Henrico County, Virginia, plays a prominent role in both schedules. The Gander Trucks will return to Richmond for the first time since 2005, while the newly-renovated raceway will play host to the regular season finale in the Xfinity Series to set the field for the 12-driver Playoff field.

“The NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series were both built on short track racing, and it is important that short tracks remain a prominent part of our series schedules,” Ben Kennedy said, who is the NASCAR managing director of racing operations and international development. “We returned to our roots in many ways with today’s announcement.”

For more information, and to view the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series schedules, visit the NASCAR website.

Quaker City Motorsports Park Owner Norm Fox has signed a multi-year sanctioning renewal with the International Hot Rod Ass’n (IHRA).

“It blows my mind when I see racers from Canada and as far as Florida and California stopping here,” A.J. Fox said, who is the son of Track Owner Norm. “A lot of these guys hear it’s the nicest grassroots race track. It’s been around since 1957 and I think the word of mouth and having a good program brings people to check it out.”

Recent improvements to the 1/4-mile drag strip based in Salem, Ohio, include re-pavement jobs, new concrete walls, a new track surface, building enhancements, improved restrooms and new showers.

For the bracket racers, Quaker City Motorsports has found a good fit with the IHRA Summit SuperSeries and Summit Team Finals programs.

Special events for the track include the Nostalgia Classic in May, the QMCP Summer Nationals in June and the Night of Fire in July. The Great Pumpkin Race in October—which attracts over 700 entries annually—will also see costume contests, trailer-decorating contest and thousands of trick-or-treaters.

For more information, visit the IHRA website.

The Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) will debut restructured event formats in 2019, beginning with the Road to the Finals event this weekend at GALOT Motorsports Park in Benson, North Carolina.

Going into its sixth season of operation, the PDRA will introduce new daily event schedules for its “Friday Night Fire” and “Main Event” formats.

Friday night’s events will begin at 6 p.m. with back-to-back qualifying races for its professional classes, while the main event on Saturday will begin with pro eliminations and sportsman eliminations at 4 p.m.

“The Friday Night Fire and Main Event formats will hopefully make our schedule a little more fan-friendly,” PDRA Race Director Tyler Crossnoe said to Drag Illustrated. “This new event schedule will make it easier for fans to finish work on Friday or go to their kids’ ball game Saturday morning and still get to come out and watch an evening of pro drag racing.”

For more information, visit the PDRA website.

Car Chix, a premier motorsports organization for women, has announced four women-only drag races that will take place at four iconic Midwest drag strips in 2019.

The first ever Ladies Only No Prep class will be part of the Anarchy No Prep event set for June 8 at Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, Wisconsin. Set to be run in a “blind bracket” format, this event will be the first race of its kind where women compete against each other on a non-prepped race surface.

The 2nd Annual Car Chix Battle of the Sexes returns to Great Lakes Dragaway in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, on June 22. This unique event will see women competing against each other, as well as men competing against each other, in ET based categories. The winners will face off in the conclusion, Battle of the Sexes.

New for 2019, Car Chix has announced a Junior Dragster Category, with girls and boys competing in the same format as the adult categories to determine the Junior Battle of the Sexes Winner.

The 6th Annual Car Chix Ladies Only Drag Race and Breast Cancer Fundraiser returns to Byron Dragway in Byron, Illinois, on August 17. Racers will compete in a women-only bracket race program to raise money for the “All About Me Program” at Rochelle Hospital in Rochelle, Illinois, in addition to cash prizes and trophies.

Car Chix will close out the season with the return of Car Chix Outlaw on October 12 at Cordova International Raceway in Cordova, Illinois. Run in conjunction with the River Redemption Series radial tire season finale, this heads up 1/8 mile “run what ya brung” race was a crowd favorite in 2018, and promises more of the same in 2019. New for 2019, Car Chix has added a 7.50 Index Class.

For more information, visit the Car Chix website.

(Photo courtesy of Mike Garland, Magic Photos and Car Chix).

The Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center has announced that the Indiana State Fairgrounds one-mile dirt track will be converted from a dirt surface to an all-weather track made of crushed limestone to be utilized for year-round harness training and parking for the Indiana State Fair.

The conversion of the surface means that, following the 2019 Hoosier Hundred, auto racing events will no longer be held on the famed short track. The 64th running of the 100-mile, 100-lap race, is scheduled for Thursday, May 23.

“USAC, Track Enterprises, Bob Sargent and I have been in meetings with the Fairgrounds staff and in discussion for the last two years about any way to keep auto racing at the historic one-mile oval,” USAC Series Coordinator Levi Jones explained. “To no avail, the economics of the horse industry and their desire to use the one-mile track year-round instead of the half-mile currently in the infield won out in the end.”

USAC and Track Enterprises are currently exploring possible venues that could host the Hoosier Hundred for the 2020 season and beyond.

The inaugural “Hoosier Hundred” took place in 1953 and turned into a long-lasting tradition with only a handful of interruptions due to inclement weather.  Today, it remains one of the oldest, most tradition-rich racing events on the planet.

Gates for the May 23 event open at noon (EST), with the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand opening at 3 p.m. and practice beginning at 5 p.m. Silver Crown qualifying races start at 6 p.m., while the green flag drops at 8 p.m.

Tickets are available by calling Track Enterprises at 217/764-3200 or through Ticketmaster.

For more information, visit the USAC Racing website.

(Photo courtesy of Doug McSchooler and USAC).

Last year at the PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis we did something new. It was actually based on something we’d launched a year earlier.

The “year earlier” thing was our Featured Products Showcase—a dedicated section of the Indiana Convention Center where exhibitors could display their newest race parts and technology all in one location. Buyers and media would then explore these products up-close, learn a bit more about them, and connect with the respective manufacturers in their booths on the Show floor.

The Showcase was a hit, as hundreds of exhibitors took advantage of the opportunity for additional exposure while highlighting their hottest products. Attendees dug it, too, recognizing the value in gaining unprecedented access to scores of new components and equipment.

So, it was a win-win.

The next step for Featured Products Showcase—that “something new” I mentioned before—was the creation of PRI’s Global Media Awards. Established in 2018, the program was designed to bring added attention to products entered in the Showcase that appealed not only to customers in the US, but to international buyers as well. Think of it as a way to bridge the divide between domestic and overseas race markets.

To serve as judges, we enlisted media members from key racing markets around the world, including Asia, Australia, Canada, South America and the UK. Judging took place on the first day of the Show, and when the dust cleared our panel of journalists had each selected 10 products from hundreds of entries as PRI’s inaugural Global Media Awards winners.

It was particularly interesting to hear the reasons our judges gave for choosing the products they did. For example, Luke Nieuwhof of Drag News in Australia noted that late model Mustangs and Camaros are relatively new to market there, which is why he gravitated toward the Mustang 5.0L Coyote Billet Intake Manifold by Plazmaman, as well as the 2019-16 Chevy Camaro SS & ZL1 ProCharger 10 Rib Belt Drive by ProCharger. “I think anything that people can bolt on readily to their cars in Australia and go drag racing with is going to appeal to them,” he told us.    

Fast-forward to the current issue of PRI Magazine—and specifically our International Report highlighting the Australian market, which begins on page 90. In sourcing the article, writer Todd Ryden spoke with several industry contacts both here and abroad. And what he found was a country rife with opportunity for racing parts and service providers.

Among key takeaways from the piece: Australia plays host to a vast array of motorsports, including circuit racing, dirt oval track, drag, rally, drifting, karting and off-road. And there’s big business to be captured Down Under: While most big-time race teams build their engines from US-sourced components, “[others] will purchase engines built and tuned by American builders and ship them back to the States for freshen-ups at the end of the race season,” according to Bruce Williams of Auto Action, an Australia-based motorsports monthly with 30,000-plus circulation.  

But perhaps most striking, Williams (who also was a judge for our aforementioned Global Media Awards) noted that Australia imports more American-made hardcore racing products than any other country on earth.

Alas, a land of opportunity! And with that in mind I invite you to have a look at our write-up on this evolving market. It’s a good read, and it includes some enlightening info on our fellow speed enthusiasts who—though separated by distance—aren’t all that different from us in their pursuit of and passion for performance and horsepower.
   

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Museum has unveiled a special presentation, “Team Penske’s First 500,” honoring 50 years of winning for team owner Roger Penske’s namesake racing organization.

The mini-exhibit officially opened last weekend and runs through mid-November.

“Team Penske’s First 500” honors a trio of milestones: the team’s 50th anniversary at the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, Team Penske’s 500th win in major racing competition and a “Penske sweep” of major NASCAR Cup Series and NTT IndyCar Series events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2018.

The exhibit features five cars and historic memorabilia and runs concurrently with the Museum’s major 2019 exhibit honoring Andretti. Opening May 1, “Mario Andretti: ICON” presented by Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Premium Gasoline celebrates his 1969 “500” triumph and incredible driving career, which included a period with Team Penske.

The Team Penske Indy cars and NASCAR Cup Series stock cars in the display include:
    •    The 1969 No. 66 Sunoco-Simoniz four-wheel-drive Lola T152
    •    The 1972 No. 66 Sunoco McLaren M16B
    •    No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevy-powered Dallara, winner of the 2018 INDYCAR Grand Prix (2.439-mile IMS road course) and the 102nd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
    •    No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Fusion driven by Brad Keselowski to victory at the 2018 Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Powered by Florida Georgia Line, the first Cup Series win at IMS for Team Penske.
    •    No. 2 Autotrader Ford Fusion driven by Keselowski to Team Penske’s 500th major win on Sept. 16, 2018, at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway NASCAR Cup Series race.

For more information, visit the IMS Museum website.

With the season opener just one week away, officials with the POWRi United Rebel Sprint Series (URSS) have announced a new partnership has been formed with Mel Hambelton Ford Racing based in Wichita, Kansas.

Mel Hambelton Ford Racing will become the series presenting partner and contribute to the year-end 2019 point fund.

“We are honored to be associated with the fine people of Mel Hambelton Ford Racing and are excited to have them climb aboard with our series,” Series President Rick Salem said. “They are racers as well and we will do our best to represent them well as we go through this upcoming season.”

Mel Hambleton Ford Racing is a major supplier of racing products from circle track to drag racing “and everything in between.” Their product line includes Hoosier Racing Tires, Sunoco Racing Fuel, VP Racing Fuels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Wehrs Machine, Keyser, Integra Shocks, Penn Grade Racing Oil, G-Force Racing Gear,  Holley, ARP Bolts, Moroso, Weld Wheels and more.

The 14th consecutive season for the POWRi URSS presented by Mel Hambelton Ford Racing series kicks off April 5-6 with a pair of events. Friday night will feature the ninth annual Park City Cup/Air Capital Shootout at 81 Speedway in Park City, Kansas. On Saturday, the tour will head to Dodge City Raceway Park in Dodge City, Kansas, to go head-to-head with the DCRP sprint regulars.

In other URSS developments, two additional events have been added to the 2019 season schedule.

On Friday, June 28, the tour will make an appearance to Wakeeney Speedway in Wakeeney, Kansas, for a special $1,000-to-win event. The tour also added a season-ending event set for Saturday, October 5, at 81 Speedway in Wichita, Kansas.

For more information, visit the POWRi United Rebel Sprint Series (URSS) website or social media page.