The 2019-2020 FIA World Endurance Championship calendar heralds the return of two popular venues, São Paulo and Bahrain, and also introduces a revision to the duration of its different races in line with fan feedback gathered in the 2017 WEC Fan Survey.

There are eight races set to be run over five continents.

A significant change in this first stage of the new reverse calendar format, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans being the finale to the season, sees a revision to the length of certain established events. Four, six and eight-hour races will feature ahead of Le Mans in a targeted moved aimed at creating additional interest and growing the fanbase.

The calendar also sees the return of the WEC to popular venues São Paulo and Bahrain, alongside the traditional venues of Fuji, Shanghai, Sebring (to be confirmed), Silverstone and Spa.

The FIA WEC 2019-2020 calendar will be presented to the FIA Endurance Commission presided over by Richard Mille, and will be submitted to the FIA World Motor Sport Council for approval in Paris on October 12.

“Our fans spoke, we listened and have reacted,” WEC CEO Gérard Neveu said. “Naturally we have had a period of consultation with our partners and competitors, and we believe that this new calendar will meet their expectations and requirements as well as please the fans who are so important to us all. Our aim is to introduce an additional round to the 2020-2021 calendar so that there is more or less an event every month to help maintain interest.”

2019-2020 FIA World Endurance Championship Provisional Calendar
(subject to approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council)

September 1, 2019 — 4 Hours of Silverstone (Great Britain)
October 13, 2019 — 6 Hours of Fuji (Japan)
November 17, 2019 — 4 Hours of Shanghai (China)
December 14, 2019 — 8 Hours of Bahrain (Bahrain)
February 1, 2020 — 6 Hours of São Paulo (Brazil)
March 'xx' 2020 — 1000 Miles of Sebring (8 hours) (USA)
May 3, 2020 — 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
June 13–14, 2020 — 24 Hours of Le Mans (France)

The inaugural Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by NOS Energy Drink, set for September 5–6, at the new quarter-mile dirt track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, has 86 cars entered so far.

The race, sanctioned by the USAC P1 Insurance National Midget Championship and taking place at the new quarter-mile dirt track inside Turn 3 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, honors the late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson. The event also increases awareness of the Indiana Donor Network's Driven2SaveLives campaign. With one of the richest purses in midget racing, the 39-lap feature will see more than $70,000 in purse and incentives, including a $15,000 winner’s purse.

Tickets for the Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by NOS Energy Drink can be purchased at IMS.com.

The BC39 kicks off five days of racing at IMS, leading up to the Big Machine Vodka 400 on September 7–9.

(Photo courtesy of IMS).

The Australia-based Noonan Inc announced that the company would add the production of cylinder heads and manifolds to its American capabilities, designing and producing high-end components under one facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The company had previously announced the purchase of the NAS racing facilities in Spartanburg, where they have been operating since a little over a year ago.

“…we completely recognize the loyalty of our Australian customers and want to assure them that we will have dedicated customer support locally and the capability to contact our American team,” Jamie Noonan said. “Our hours of operations in the US will be extended to enable customers to reach us regardless of time zone. Of course, repairs and maintenance activities of Noonan products will continue to be undertaken in Australia by our trusted partners.”

Noonan Inc is working on its worldwide resellers' program that enables reputable engine builders and specialists to sell Noonan products.

The CNC machines required to manufacture Noonan Inc’s line of engine components will be completely installed in the Spartanburg facility by the end of November. Company officials anticipate mainstream Australian production will decrease in September, allowing the company to transition assets from overseas.

“We will keep all our customers updated as we complete this journey, please keep an eye on our FB page and website, or alternatively, please call our shop in South Carolina on +1 864/754-4111 or +61 7 3807 2144 in Queensland Australia,” Renee Noonan said.

PRI exhibitor Maxiforce, which celebrates 24 years as one of the brand leaders in replacement diesel engine parts, has announced the opening of a new and larger distribution center in Indianapolis, Indiana.

To provide faster service and increased fill-rates, Maxiforce has invested in a new distribution center more than four times the size of its old location. With the new facility, Maxiforce can now cover 90 percent of the US market in 48 hours or less, with locations in Doral, Florida, Santa Fe Springs, California, and Indianapolis.

“We’re thrilled to move into this larger distribution center, and place a big bet on the success of our customers,” Maxiforce Vice President Paul Kelly said. “This will allow for better service in the Midwest and Northeast while helping grow our brand presence across the country. This larger facility will also allow us to increase our inventory, providing improved fill rates for our expanding product range.”

The Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel driver development program will kick off with the 2019 season with the annual Spring Training Open Test at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 2-4.

The ladder system, which offers a series of scholarships to assist young drivers in progressing all the way from the grassroots of the sport to the Verizon IndyCar Series, will continue for a 10th consecutive season. As recently confirmed by IndyCar, the value of the Indy Lights champion’s scholarship prize will rise to $1.1 million next season, ensuring entry into a minimum of three Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2020, including the 104th Indianapolis 500.

Next year’s Spring Training will comprise three days of on-track action on the 2.21-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway road course. The first two rungs on the open-wheel ladder, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda and the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, will each get four hours of testing time on Saturday and Sunday, March 2–3.

The Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires field will have its own dedicated day of action on Monday, March 4, comprising five hours of track time on the road course.

In addition to testing, Spring Training will include the Road to Indy Driver Summit Program, which provides the warmup for the start of the regular season on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, on March 8–10.

Activities include a comprehensive competition presentation, media training and unique presentations on the sixth annual Cooper Tires social media hashtag program and Road to Indy TV, which returns for its sixth season.

In related news, Mazda announced the company will end its sponsorship of the Road to Indy program after 2018.

The first-half recipients for the VP Racing Fuels Front Runner Awards in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge have recently been recognized.

The awards are presented to the car in each WeatherTech Championship and Continental Tire Challenge class that have led the most laps in each race and were presented by Donato Bonacquisto, director of marketing for VP Racing Fuels.

In the WeatherTech Championship, the Prototype class recipient was the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R shared by co-drivers Joao Barbosa and Filipe Albuquerque, which led the most laps in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and April’s BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach. The No. 5 team from Action Express Racing earned a $5,000 fuel credit.

In the GTLM class, the No. 912 Porsche GT Team 911 RSR shared by Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor led the way with the most laps led at Long Beach, and May’s Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio. In GTD, meanwhile, the award went to the No. 86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 driven full-time this season by Katherine Legge, which led the most laps en route to victory in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic at Detroit’s Belle Isle Park in June, when Legge partnered with Mario Farnbacher.

Both the No. 912 and No. 86 teams also received $5,000 in fuel credit each.

In the Continental Tire Challenge, the No. 60 Roush Performance/KohR Motorsports team of Nate Stacy and Kyle Marcelli brought home the $5,000 in fuel credit for the team by leading the most laps in the Grand Sport (GS) class at both Sebring International Raceway in March, and at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last month.

In the TCR class, the award went to the No. 77 Compass Racing Audi R8 LMS TCR squad of Britt Casey Jr. and Tom Long. In the Street Tuner (ST) class, the award was given to the No. 81 BimmerWorld Racing BMW 328i co-driven by Nick Galante and Devin Jones.

The TCR and ST winners each received $2,500 in fuel credit.

With the first half of the season completed, the VP Racing Fuels Front Runner Awards point standings were reset. The second half awards will be presented at season-ending awards celebrations for both the Continental Tire Challenge and the WeatherTech Championship.

Engine & Performance Warehouse Inc. (EPWI) has named its 2017 Vendor Of The Year and Representative Of The Year during EPWI’s annual summer conference in Beaver Creek, Colorado, on August 9, 2018.

Mahle Motorsports received the EPWI 2017 Vendor of the Year, while Bill McKnight of Mahle Aftermarket was named the EPWI 2017 Representative (Rep) of the Year.

Managing Director of Mahle Aftermarket Worldwide Olaf Henning, General Manager of Mahle Aftermarket US Jon Douglas, EPWI Account Manager Jesse Wadell, and Account Manager Felix Hernandez were present to accept the award for Mahle Motorsports. The annual Vendor of the Year award is presented to the supplier or manufacturer based on performance scores during the prior year in seven categories, including distribution/sales policies, pricing policies, inventory, returns, labor claims, office support and shipping/packaging.

Mahle Aftermarket Training Manager Bill McKnight was present to accept the Rep of the Year award, which is selected annually, on a rotating basis by region, using combined votes based on performance scores during the prior year in three categories: sales support, distribution philosophies, and timely and accurate follow-through.

NHRA has announced that effective October 1, Jeff Conley (pictured at left) will become NHRA director of technical services, moving on from his current position as NHRA’s North Central (Division 3) director. At that time, Atlanta Dragway general manager William Tharpe (pictured at right) will take over the role of Division 3 Director.

Conley joined NHRA in 2007 as a member of the certification team. In 2013 he became operations and track manager at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. Before joining NHRA, Conley held a number of positions in racing including event coordinator and national tech director for NMCA and NMRA.

Experienced track manager Tharpe will move to Indianapolis, to become director of Division 3, serving NHRA tracks in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio. Most recently, he’s managed NHRA-owned Atlanta Dragway. Prior to that, he served as general manager for Kil-Kare Raceway, a Division 3 track in Xenia, Ohio, for almost 20 years. Tharpe’s father ignited his passion for the sport of drag racing at a young age and inspired him to pursue a career with NHRA.

(Photo courtesy of the NHRA).

BorgWarner announced that effective immediately, current Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Tonit Calaway has been promoted to executive vice president, chief legal officer and secretary. In her new role, Calaway will report directly to President and CEO Frédéric Lissalde and will oversee the legal and the reliability and sustainability functions.

“Tonit is a strong leader with broad experience,” Lissalde said. “Her skills and perspective give me confidence she will continue to add tremendous value to BorgWarner.”

Calaway joined BorgWarner in 2016. Previously, she worked at Harley-Davidson for approximately 18 years, serving most recently as vice president of human resources. Prior to that, she served in positions of increasing responsibilities in the legal department, including assistant general counsel. She has a law degree from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The National Mustang Racers Association (NMRA) Limited Street class rules will be adjusted in order to increase parity among competitors.

NMRA officials released the following announcement regarding its Limited Street class:

“Just like with the turbocharged combination adjustment earlier this season, we are keeping a close eye on Limited Street and would make changes if needed. Those changes are to keep the class competitive and also keep the field away from the SFI 25.5 cage requirement,” NMRA Tech Director Lonnie Grim said.

Effective immediately, the supercharged combinations have some adjustments with the Vortech V-1, V-2, and V-3 superchargers with the Ti configuration being reclassified as a Group 2 supercharger and additional weight added to that group.

“We looked at a variety of ways at keeping a few combinations consistent with the rest of the class and felt this was the best course of action. For those who don’t want to add weight with the grouping change, there is still the option of a different head unit in the Group 1 superchargers.”