On July 1, Australian taxation authorities began collecting a new 10 percent Australian goods and services tax (GST) on overseas sales of low-value imported goods (LVIG)—defined as having a customs value of AU$1,000 (approximately $750 USD) or less—by consumers into Australia.

What US companies meeting these conditions are required to do:
    •    Track Australian sales to determine whether they are made for Australian consumers and, if so, whether they anticipate that they will exceed AU$75,000 (approximately $56,000 USD) per annum in aggregate. If so, they will need to choose whether to increase prices for GST or absorb the additional cost.
    •    Register with the Australian Tax Office (ATO).
    •    Pay any GST due.

Businesses/sales NOT covered by this new tax:
    •    Those with sales of AU$75,000 or less to consumers in Australia within a 12-month period.
    •    Those with sales of low-value imported goods made to Australian GST-registered businesses that purchase for business use.
    •    Any individual sales more than AU$1,000. These sales will continue to be taxed at the border.

More information, including how to be sure a distributor/customer is an Australian GST-registered business (not a consumer), is available on the Australian Taxation Office’s website here and here.
 
For more information contact SEMA’s Linda Spencer at lindas@sema.org.

A new left-side tire will be utilized by teams in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series this weekend at Kentucky Speedway as a result of a tire test at the track on May 15–16.

The new tire features a compound change and construction update said to give the vehicles more grip. Teams will utilize the same tire compound on the right-side as last year’s Kentucky Speedway race.

“We had a great roster of drivers at our Kentucky test in May and we have come back with a grip improvement on the left-side of the car,” Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing, told Motorsport. “After having a new track surface put down in both 2016 and 2017, we return this year with the track having its first chance to weather for a full year.

“As we move on from the repaves, we always like to keep up with the surface. A tripleheader NASCAR weekend gives us our best look since we have full fields in actual race conditions, but holding tire tests are a critical part of our program.

“Tests give us the opportunity to try different compounds and constructions so we can fine tune our tire recommendation and make for the best racing possible.”

The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) has announced it is expanding the Teen Mazda Challenge (TMC) program nationally. The newly expanded TMC will add value and help drivers up to age 20 climb the ladder to success in racing and help develop the skills they need in their race careers.

“The strength of this new program is to give young drivers coming out of the karting world a clearer path to racing in Spec Miata and, ultimately, a career in professional racing,” NASA Director of Business Development Jeremy Croiset said. “…by expanding the Teen Mazda Challenge to all NASA regions nationwide, more young drivers will be able to climb the motorsports ladder.”

The program also will deliver a suite of contingency prizes to help make racing more affordable. For the 2018 season, NASA and a few select sponsors will offer the following benefits for the TMC:

Mazda Motorsports
Mazda Motorsports will make each regional TMC champion eligible for nomination to the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout, which typically is held each November or December. The grand prize is a scholarship valued at $100,000 applicable to a season of racing in the Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires. The nominations will be based on regional points standings at the end of September. Each TMC regional champion will also earn the opportunity to win a $500 cash award from Mazda.

NASA Driver Advancement Scholarship
NASA will award each TMC regional champion complimentary entry fees for the 2019 Spec Miata racing season. This applies to any NASA region where there are TMC competitors. Even if a competitor doesn’t win the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout, he or she can return to competition in the Teen Mazda Challenge the following season to further develop his or her skills and get another opportunity to advance to the Shootout. These scholarships will be tallied after each NASA region has completed its full season of racing.

Toyo Tires Ron Cortez Memorial Award
In honor of TMC founder Ron Cortez who passed away in January 2018, TMC regional competitors finishing in the three podium positions in their regions will be eligible for $1,000, $500, $300 in direct cash benefits to assist them with racing in the NASA Championships. This will be open to all TMC competitors in all regions who run the five required races that make them eligible to race in the Championships.

These positions will be tallied according to regional points standings July 1, which will give drivers a chance to prepare for the Championships September 13-16, at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.

In addition, the top finishing TMC competitor at the 2018 NASA Championships will be awarded $2,500 regardless of overall finishing position.

Hawk Performance Benefits
The top five finishing TMC competitors at the NASA Championships will be eligible for $400 in product certificates that will assist them in purchasing brake pads for the season.

Visit tmc.drivenasa.com for more information.

With days to go until the ABB FIA Formula E Championships doubleheader season finale in New York City on July 14–15, DS Virgin Racing has appointed Sylvain Filippi as the team's managing director, effective immediately.

The France native, who previously held the position of chief operations officer in the team, was one of the founding members of the racing outfit.

“I’m very grateful for this opportunity and thank the team’s board and shareholders for their support and trust in me," Filippi said. "The current season may be drawing to a close, but we have a lot of exciting work ahead of us to prepare for Formula E’s important fifth season, and the whole team together with its partners and new majority shareholder Envision are very much looking forward to this.”

Filippi's appointment comes in the wake of DS Virgin Racing's former Team Principal Alex Tai ’s departure in June 2018.

American-Canadian Tour (ACT) officials announced that the Chevrolet CT350 “GM 602” crate engine has been approved for use by all ACT teams, effective immediately. The decision comes on the heels of a testing phase that saw multiple drivers have success behind the wheel of a 602-powered ACT Late Model.

ACT previously announced in February they would be testing the GM 602 engine in select events this season. During the testing period, Northfield, VT’s Matt White and Fayston, VT’s Brooks Clark ran multiple ACT Late Model Tour and Thunder Road Late Model events with a GM 602 powerplant under the hood.

White has scored a combined four top-10 finishes while competing part-time with both ACT and Thunder Road. Clark earned a victory in a Maplewood/Irving Late Model feature at Thunder Road on June 8, and was leading the Memorial Day Classic when a broken hub ended his day.

Based on these results, ACT has added the GM 602 to the list of approved Chevrolet racing engines. This list also includes the CT355 “GM 603” and the CT400 “GM 604”. Those who choose to run the GM 602 performance sealed engine must also use a stock 80541-1 Holley 650 CFM carburetor. All 602 engines must be ordered directly through ACT co-owner managing partner Cris Michaud.

“It didn’t take long to see that the GM 602 is competitive in an ACT Late Model,” Michaud said. “This is another less expensive engine option to choose from that can only help teams as they search for the winning combination. We have a great relationship with General Motors racing and look forward to continuing and expanding it to the benefit of our teams.”

Xtreme Diesel Performance, LLC. (XDP) has expanded its east coast distribution operation with the opening of a new warehouse in Lakewood, New Jersey.

The new Lakewood distribution center features the latest in inventory management software, order picking equipment, and conveyor systems allowing for an estimated 85 percent increase in daily shipping volume.

In addition, the new facility houses XDP’s manufacturing division, XDP MFG. The new manufacturing area includes added space for additional CNC equipment and quality control personnel.

Founded in 2003, XDP has grown to become one of North America’s largest supplier of diesel performance products. XDP carries an extensive inventory of products designed to help meet performance, repair, or accessory needs. In addition to the new Lakewood distribution warehouse, XDP has its corporate headquarters and flagship store in Wall Township, New Jersey.

Federal-Mogul Motorparts, on behalf of its Garage Gurus technical education network, announced the 12 recipients of $2,500 tuition scholarships presented to students enrolled in accredited post-secondary automotive technology schools.

This is the fourth consecutive year for the scholarship program, which the company has handed out $120,000 in tuition support to future automotive service professionals during this time.

"The main goal of the Garage Gurus scholarship program has remained the same since its introduction—to encourage and support the next generation of automotive and truck repair service professionals as they pursue their careers," Federal-Mogul Motorparts Training and Consumer Experience Director Brent Berman said. "These scholarships often serve as motivation to these men and women to fully engage in their training to become knowledgeable and active technicians in the future."

Automotive service is one of several skilled trades facing a shortage of incoming professionals needed to address business growth and worker retirement. The Garage Gurus scholarship program was established in 2015 to serve as an investment in the future of local automotive service businesses and their employees, and specifically to the next generation of talented, highly trained professionals who will help keep millions of vehicles in road-ready condition.  


Students who will receive Garage Gurus scholarships for the 2018-2019 academic year include:

        John Hartman, Lima, Ohio, University of Northwestern Ohio
        Jessica Jahuey, Sugar Hill, Ga., Gwinnett Technical College (Lawrenceville Campus)
        Holly Pierre, Planfield, Ill., Southern Illinois University of Carbondale
        Madison Lusche, Columbus, Neb., Southeast Community College
        Jaivon Bennett, Waldorf, Md., Old Dominion University
        Miguel (Mike) Perez, Rifle, Colo., New Mexico Junior College
        Emily Koch, Warren, Mich., Lincoln College of Technology
        Joseph Waldeyer, Manasquan, N.J., Pennsylvania College of Technology
        Kimberly Rains, Horse Shoe, N.C., Blue Ridge Community College
        Mary Griswold, Eau Claire, Wis., Chippewa Valley Technical College
        Kyle Sadler, Mont Belvieu, Texas, San Jacinto College
        Stetson Wolfe, New Castle, Pa., New Castle School of Trades

Drivers in Formula 2 will be given 62.1 miles (100 kilometers) of additional testing when teams receive a new engine and clutch following issues experienced on the starting grid.

Due to issues with the clutch, the last two F2 races have been started behind a safety car. Officials from the FIA and F2 have set the Hungaroring race (July 27–29) as the return to regular standing starts.

A specific issue has reportedly been diagnosed, notably where the engine is not producing enough torque, increasing the chances for stalling.

Officials recalled all 20 engines after the Silverstone races July 6–8. Teams will receive an updated engine, clutch and set of supersoft tires for practice starts at their venue of choice.

"The idea is to come back to a normal start for Budapest," F2 boss Bruno Michel told Autosport.

Toyota plans to bring the iconic Supra nameplate back in a big way in 2019, announcing that the model will compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series starting next season.

Toyota unveiled the dynamic race car prototype in the Toyota Injector at Daytona International Speedway, where it will debut in the Xfinity season opener next February. The road-going Supra will hit showrooms starting with the 2019 model year, returning to production for the first time in 17 years.

The Supra replaces the venerable Camry, which will continue as the automaker’s vehicle of choice in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Supra will soon go head-to-head against its performance-car brethren in Chevrolet’s Camaro SS and Ford’s Mustang.

A sports-car version of the new Supra debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The recent unveiling of the stock car racing edition stands to fuel the anticipation for the street-legal production car, which is still awaiting its release date.

The NASCAR rendition of the Supra is built with design help from Calty Design Research—a longtime Toyota design studio—to conform to stock-car specifications. A distinctive, “swoopy” nose helps give the car its identity.

The Xfinity Supra marks the sixth race car produced by Toyota Racing Development in collaboration with Calty in the last six years. The manufacturer indicated in a news release that the two groups began work on the NASCAR Supra project last year.

The U.S. Army has elected not to renew its sponsorship with Don Schumacher Racing and the National Hot Rod Ass’n (NHRA) due to a reallocation of its marketing budget.

DSR is actively pursuing a new brand to partner with the team. Its roster of sponsors and personalities have contributed to 325 NHRA national event titles and 16 championships.

The U.S. Army’s partnership with DSR extends all the way back to the 2000 season when its colors debuted on Tony Schumacher’s Top Fuel dragster at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Schumacher raced to the victory that weekend.

“The U.S. Army has been a great partner of Don Schumacher Racing for nearly two decades,” Team Owner Don Schumacher said. “It has been a mutually beneficial relationship with the U.S. Army instilling the mental, physical and emotional strength of the U.S. Army Soldier in all of us.”

The U.S. Army will remain as the primary sponsor of Tony Schumacher and his U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster through the remainder of the current NHRA season.

Schumacher is the winningest Top Fuel driver in NHRA history and has earned seven of his eight world titles behind the wheel of the U.S. Army car.

“The U.S. Army has been an incredibly loyal and longtime supporter of NHRA Championship Drag Racing and we are sad to see them go, especially during a time in which NHRA is experiencing so much success,” NHRA President Glen Cromwell said.