The FIA is considering significant changes to the structure of the World Rally Championship to increase privateer participation and help young drivers.

The introduction of a separate manufacturers' award in the second-tier WRC2 category is under consideration for 2020, along with a new specification of R5 car to bridge the gap between WRC2 machinery and the current-generation World Rally Cars.

The WRC2 title race is currently being dominated by factory-backed teams from Skoda, M-Sport, Hyundai and Citroen.

The R5 class was introduced in 2013 with the intention of offering private drivers the chance to shine in the WRC, but the WRC2 title has never been won by a genuine private driver.

The FIA hopes these latest changes will offer genuine privateers a shot at the WRC2 title, while leaving Skoda and other firms fielding factory line-ups free to chase the manufacturers' award.

This would mean, however, that factory drivers would sacrifice their own title chances for their employers.

It is reported drivers in the manufacturer class would be permitted to drive the mooted R5-plus car with more power—an attempt to reduce the advantage of the near-400bhp current World Rally Cars over R5 cars with a 260bhp output.

A driver entering WRC2 via a registered team will pay £3400 for a Rally GB entry, for example, while a private driver of an R5 car can do the same stages for £2200.

Rally GB managing director Ben Taylor said, "We want to see as many R5 cars competing as possible on what is an aspirational event for drivers from around the world.

"But what we have at the moment is a two-tier entry system for R5 cars.

"We have those who can afford the higher entry fee [for WRC2] which gives them a priority seeding and maybe more chance of time in the spotlight and then we have the crews who are paying less as privateers.

"Those not paying [for WRC2] have to be seeded further back on the road and, to be honest, I don't feel we offer them the right kind of welcome."

That system has created issues as Rally GB is the final round of the British Rally Championship.

"We've had to dictate to crews that, if they want to score BRC points, they can't register for WRC2," said Taylor.

"Understandably, this has upset some of the drivers who wanted to come and compete on a level playing field against the likes of Pontus [Tidemand] or Gus [Greensmith].

"I think this is a bit of a nonsense, the crews should be seeded on merit—surely that would provide a better incentive to bring more crews into the championship and to the rallies."

NASCAR’s first and only African-owned race team, Obaika Racing, will be heading back to the track very soon. Obaika Racing’s owner, Nigerian entrepreneur Victor Obaika, recently acquired race cars and equipment from the former BK Racing team and plans to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at some point during the remainder of the 2018 season and thereafter full-time in the 2019 season.

In addition, Obaika Racing will be returning to the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season, at some point, with plans to run full-time in 2019. The team also has exciting news concerning driver development and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series coming later this week.

“This is a very exciting and intense time for Obaika Racing,” said team owner Victor Obaika. “We are aware that there will be challenges going into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but this team will take on those challenges. Since our last race, we have maintained our shop and key personnel while taking the time to personally learn even more about this sport, and that will position this team for more momentum than we’ve ever had. We are definitely looking to add more new team members soon, and things are coming together.”

Obaika Racing made their NASCAR debut in 2015 competing full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Despite being entirely new to NASCAR, the team finished in the top-30 of NASCAR Xfinity Series owner standings at the end of the 2015 season.

The team will announce race dates, sponsors, and drivers in the coming days.

INDYCAR released its 2019 schedule featuring 17 events, a newly announced race and a new event finale. All the action will be showcased in INDYCAR’s first full season with NBC Sports Group.

Circuit of the Americas (COTA), the permanent road course in Austin, Texas, will make its debut on the IndyCar Series schedule on Sunday, March 24. It will be the second race of the 2019 season.

“COTA is one of the finest motorsports facilities in the world and Austin is a happening city. This a natural fit for the IndyCar Series,” said Mark Miles, president and CEO of Hulman & Co., which owns INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Indy car racing has a large and passionate fan base in Texas with a hunger to attend more races. This added date will allow us to deliver both oval and road course events to the state in a single season.”

INDYCAR recently announced a four-year agreement with Texas Motor Speedway, which has hosted 30 Indy car races since 1997. The 2019 race on the Fort Worth superspeedway will be Saturday, June 8 under the lights.

Circuit of the Americas founder and chairman Bobby Epstein said the track’s fan base has been excited to see INDYCAR race at COTA “from Year 1.” The permanent road course opened in 2011. At more than 3 miles, COTA will be the second-longest circuit on the 2019 INDYCAR schedule, behind only Road America (4.048 miles).

“It’s going to be spectacular,” Epstein said. “Our entire team at COTA is excited to welcome the teams, drivers and visitors to our great city, and we know Austin will give them a warm welcome.”

For the ninth consecutive year, the IndyCar Series season will kick off in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Sunday, March 10. The 1.8-mile temporary street circuit in the Gulf Coast city includes a runway of Albert Whitted Airport. St. Petersburg first hosted Indy cars in 2003 and has continuously since 2005, providing the perfect warm-weather backdrop to usher in the new season.

INDYCAR’s 2019 season concludes Sunday, Sept. 22 with the championship race at the legendary WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, which has hosted 22 previous Indy car races, the most recent in 2004. The permanent road course near Monterey, California, was last the site for an Indy car season finale in 1996.

The centerpiece of the 2019 schedule again includes two races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the INDYCAR Grand Prix will be held for the sixth time on the road course, on Saturday, May 11. The 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 on the historic 2.5-mile oval will take place Sunday, May 26.

A focal point for INDYCAR has been maintaining date equity with race tracks. The 2019 IndyCar Series schedule accomplishes that with a pair of minor exceptions for good reason:

• Barber Motorsports Park’s event shifts two weeks forward to Sunday, April 7. That early April date was the slot that the scenic permanent road course in Birmingham, Alabama, held on the schedule for the first four years of its nine-year run to date;

• Iowa Speedway returns to a night race at the overwhelming request of fans on Saturday, July 20. It moves back on the calendar by two weeks. Next year’s IndyCar Series race will be the 13th on the bullring oval in Newton, Iowa.

Proof of INDYCAR’s track diversity lies in the 2019 schedule that features races on seven permanent road courses, five temporary street circuits and five ovals. Other schedule highlights include:

• The Grand Prix of Long Beach returning for the 36th consecutive year (Sunday, April 14). Outside of the Indianapolis 500, the event on the iconic Southern California street circuit is the longest running in the sport;

• Detroit as site of the season’s only doubleheader race weekend (Saturday-Sunday, June 1-2). It will be the seventh time that two Indy car races will be contested on the same weekend on the temporary street course;

• The streets of Toronto, another popular staple event, returning to the schedule (Sunday, July 14). The urban street circuit in the cosmopolitan Canadian city has been home to 34 previous Indy car races dating to 1986;

• Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois, returning for another late-summer race under the lights (Saturday, Aug. 24). Officials at the 1.25-mile oval recently staged a second straight impressive event in the sports-hungry St. Louis market.

“INDYCAR has worked to deliver a consistency and cadence to the schedule and that is reflected again in 2019,” Miles said. “We’ve added races at a pair of tracks that know how to put on fantastic events, while returning to tracks where INDYCAR has longstanding relationships on familiar race dates.

“The diversity of next year’s schedule will continue to make what we believe is the most challenging and competitive championship in motorsports.”

Nearly half of the 2019 races will air on network television as part of a previously announced multiyear media rights deal with NBC Sports Group that will significantly increase INDYCAR exposure. Broadcast times will be confirmed later, but eight races, including the Indianapolis 500, will air on NBC. Nine races will be on NBCSN, with all track activity and additional exclusive content available on NBC Sports Gold, the direct-to-consumer product that will bring subscribers closer to INDYCAR racing than ever before.

DIRTcar Racing has announced a successor to replace Mike Perrotte as DIRTcar Northeast Director following his retirement at the end of this season, naming Dean Reynolds as Director of Series and Sanctioning, DIRTcar Northeast.

Reynolds has served as Vice President of the Empire Super Sprints since 2006, and Perrotte, who announced his retirement in May, will continue to work with Reynolds until the end of the season in order to ensure stability.

“The biggest thing I want to look at is scheduling and make it a little more racer-friendly,” Reynolds said. “I want tracks to do well. I want the purse to increase. I want more cars following the tour. I want more people at the track. It’s an all-out effort. The pieces are here. I can’t wait to start.”

Added Perrotte: “Dean will do a great job. He knows the area. He knows the racers, the promotors, and runs a series now. It’s a natural fit.”

Reynolds has worn multiple hats with the Empire Super Sprints, creating 30-plus race schedules, attracting sponsors, managing public relations, and spearheading merchandise.

For more information, visit dirtcar.com.

Formula One officials have released the preliminary 2019 Formula One World Championship calendar.

The schedule, which features 21 races, will be submitted for approval during the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting on October 12.

The announcement marks the third time in F1 history that its calendar has featured 21 events, along with 2016 and 2018.  

Formula One will also celebrate a major milestone in 2019 with the completion of the 1,000th Grand Prix since the creation of Formula One in 1950. That honor belongs to the Chinese Grand Prix, which will be held April 14, 2019.

In addition to the calendar release, officials have confirmed three-year contract extensions with the promoters of both the Japanese Grand Prix and the German Grand Prix.

Tentative 2019 Formula 1 Calendar
Date – Grand Prix – Location
March 17 – Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit – Melbourne, Australia
March 31 – Bahrain Int’l Circuit – Sakhir, Bahrain
April 14 – Shanghai Int’l Circuit – Shanghai, China
April 28 – Baku City Circuit – Baku, Azerbaijan
May 12 –  Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Barcelona, Spain
May 26 – Circuit de Monaco – Monte Carlo, Monaco
June 9 – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – Montreal, Quebec
June 23 – Circuit Paul Ricard – Le Castellet
June 30 – Red Bull Ring – Spielberg, Austria
July 13 – Silverstone Circuit – Silverstone, England
July 28 – Hockenheimring – Hockenheim, Germany
Aug. 4 – Hungaroring – Mogyoród, Hungary
Sept. 1 – Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps – Stavelot, Belgium
Sept. 8 – Autodromo Nazionale Monza – Monza, Italy
Sept. 22 – Marina Bay Street Circuit – Marina Bay, Singapore
Sept. 29 – Sochi Autodrom – Sochi, Russia
Oct. 13 – Suzuka Int’l Racing Course – Suzuka, Japan
Oct. 27 – Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez – Mexico City, Mexico
Nov. 3 – Circuit of the Americas – Austin, Texas
Nov. 17 – Autódromo José Carlos Pace – São Paulo, Brazil
Dec. 1 – Yas Marina Circuit – Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi

The IMSA Technical Committee made unprecedented changes to the LMP2 race cars that compete head-to-head with Daytona Prototype international (DPi) cars in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship prototype class.

The news comes ahead of next week’s two-hour, 40-minute America’s Tire 250, the headline event for the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 7–9.

Since the current generation LMP2 cars began competing alongside DPi cars at the start of the 2017 season, the only Balance of Performance (BoP) adjustments in the Prototype class had been made to DPi cars, with the goal of balancing all DPis to the best LMP2 example.

However, in the wake of three straight victories by LMP2 cars, the IMSA Technical Committee determined that adjustments to LMP2 cars now were necessary. Ten kilograms have been added to all LMP2 cars, and the fuel capacity in each LMP2 car is being reduced from 75 to 72 liters.

In addition, all DPi cars will see an increase of two liters from their previous fuel capacity, and the Mazda DPi cars will see a 10-kilogram reduction in weight.

The recent BoP adjustment is in compliance with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and IMSA technical partnership.

A group of investors based in Raleigh, North Carolina, have purchased Rockingham Speedway.

Rockingham Properties LLC has purchased the facility from its most recent owner, Billy Silas and BK Rock Holdings, according to a report from the Richmond County Daily Journal.

Dan Lovenheim, the majority owner Rockingham Properties LLC, told the publication that his plans for the facility are “remarkably encompassing.”

Rockingham Speedway—previously known as both North Carolina Motor Speedway and North Carolina Speedway—opened in 1965 and played host to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series through the 2004 season.

International Speedway Corp. acquired the track and before later selling it to Speedway Motorsports Inc., which moved the NASCAR race date from Rockingham to Texas Motor Speedway in 2005.

The track was later sold at auction to Andy Hillenburg in 2007. He returned racing to the facility, with the track playing host to the ARCA Racing Series in 2008. NASCAR eventually returned for a pair of Truck Series races in 2012 and 2013. Rockingham also became a popular test track for Sprint Series and Nationwide Series drivers before it was shuttered once again in 2016.

PRI offices in Aliso Viejo, California, will be closed on Monday, September 3, for the holiday. We will return on Tuesday, September 4.

We would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Labor Day!

For more information on the 2018 PRI Trade Show, including registration, visit pri2018.com.

Babcox Media, Inc. has announced that Susan Givens has been promoted to group publisher of Motorcycle & Powersports News, effective immediately. She will also continue her role as publisher of AutoSuccess.

Beginning her career with AutoSuccess in 2001, Givens held various sales and operational roles before being named publisher in 2008. Givens and AutoSuccess joined the Babcox Media team in 2017 and has continued to develop the brand within the dealership market.

In her newly expanded role, Givens will oversee the integrated sales and marketing operations across all platforms for these two brands, among its print, video, online and social media audiences. She will work closely with Group Publisher Sean Donohue to develop new growth opportunities for the brands’ readers and advertisers.

“Susan’s longstanding industry relationships, creativity and charisma make her a terrific sales and marketing leader for our team,” Babcox Media President and CEO Bill Babcox said.

The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) online portal, ARCARacing.com, will relaunch on Tuesday, September 4, with a new look and features that will enhance the site's functionality, particularly on race days.

The new site, set for launch at 11 a.m. ET, will feature a cleaner appearance that will easily translate to a wide range of mobile devices and screen sizes, allowing registered users to easily follow along with live timing and scoring while at ARCA races.

Users will also be able to utilize the new ARCA For Me features, which will allow them to receive alerts when their favorite drivers are on track during practice sessions, qualifying, and races, as well as following multiple drivers’ social media feeds and tailor news stories to favorite tracks, teams and drivers.

Users will also be able to access the ARCA Racing Series Fantasy Game, purchase ARCA fan gear online at a discount, and register for sweepstakes and giveaways.

Registration to access ARCARacing.com is free.