(Photo courtesty of SPJD).

The Société du Parc Jean‑Drapeau (SPJD), which reached an agreement earlier this year to stage the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles‑Villeneuve through 2029, has announced the commitment to renovations and infrastructure upgrades for the circuit.

The group revealed plans for a $48 million makeover of facilities at the track including the paddock, garages and media/hospitality complex.

The building above the garages, which will be equipped, among other things, will be upgraded with a freight elevator which can be used to bring cars or heavy furniture to each of the levels of the building. The section above the garages will be expanded to accommodate up to 5,000 people, up from the current capacity of 1,800.

The new paddock building will be set up on three floors, divided in the following manner:
1st floor: F1 team garages, control tower, and offices for the staff

2nd floor: private boxes, control tower, podium and media areas
3rd floor: private boxes and terrace

The SPJD told RACER the project there will have no impact for users of the Olympic Basin, which is located behind the paddock area. The redevelopment project is scheduled to be completed by June 2019 in time for that year's Canadian GP.

(Photo courtesy of CU-ICAR).

A group of graduate students at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) called the Deep Orange 9 is building the “first-ever, high-performance, ultra-tough” motorsports vehicle with a clean, fuel-efficient hybrid powertrain, advanced technical features and highly dynamic handling and acceleration.

The fuel-efficient rallycross concept is in response to rising fuel-efficiency standards and millennials’ interest in vehicles that are both safe and clean, according to Clemson.

Honda R&D Americas is the primary sponsor of Deep Orange 9, also supported by Aisin Group and JTEKT Corporation as Leadership Sponsors; BFGoodrich as Track Sponsor; and Red Bull and the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) as Marketing Sponsors. Deep Orange 9 will also integrate unique concussion research in collaboration with the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System (SRHS) Sports Medicine Institute, DriveSafety Inc. and EyeTracking Inc.

“Honda R&D Americas is excited to support the next generation of engineering talent through CU-ICAR’s one-of-a-kind student program,” David Thompson, chief engineer at Honda R&D Americas, said to the Clemson Newsstand. “We look forward to seeing how the dreams and innovations of these Deep Orange 9 students can reshape motorsport vehicles, ensure customer safety, improve our environment and increase joy for future generations.”

Most global rallycross cars feature internal combustion engines to meet the power and agility needs of the sport. As a hybrid vehicle, Deep Orange 9 will “disrupt” current perceptions of energy-efficient vehicles by showing they can meet extreme performance demands in a safe, economical way, according to Clemson.

Over two years, the Deep Orange program provides students with experience in financial and market analysis, vehicle design, development, prototyping and production planning. While developing and manufacturing the prototype, students gain comprehensive technical knowledge as well as valuable “soft skills” that often are overlooked in traditional engineering programs.

Track Enterprises, a racing promotion company based in Macon, Ill., has announced its 2018 special event schedule.

The new slate includes the traditional stops for ARCA at the Illinois dirt miles, in addition to Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis and a fourth year visit to Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville. Track Enterprises added a fifth ARCA event last season, in Elko, Minn., which makes a return to the schedule. This season, a sixth ARCA race will be promoted by the company at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis, Mo.

Other series that are part of this year’s events include the USAC Silver Crown Series and Sprint Cars, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the Southern Super Series, the CARS Tour, World Of Outlaws, along with UMP Modifieds and Sportsman.

Arguably the biggest event on the Track Enterprises season takes place on Saturday and Sunday, August 18 and 19 at the Illinois State Fair as it’s the annual stop for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards and the USAC Silver Crown Series.

In addition to the special events listed above, Track Enterprises also promotes the full slates at Macon IL Speedway, Lincoln IL Speedway, and the Terre Haute Action Track.

The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) has announced that the inaugural Toyo Tires Classic will take place during the 2018 NASA Championships presented by Toyo Tires to be held during the Circuit of the Americas, Sept 13–16, 2018.

This newly created event will include Spec Miata competition during the championships and will provide competitors with the largest purse ever in modern amateur competition history, according to NASA.

This unique race will award the overall winner at the event with a cash payout of up to $80,000, with more than $131,000 in cash awards made available to Spec Miata racers.

A hard charger award will land a $10,000 payday for a lucky driver. Qualifying requirements to enter the Toyo Tires Classic will follow the typical NASA Championship qualification format.

“We’re really excited to announce this new program with our long-time partner Toyo Tires,” NASA Director of Business Development Jeremy Croiset said. “This new program demonstrates a level of commitment to the amateur racing community that is nearly unprecedented. We fully expect this to be the largest Spec Miata competition in history at one of the best tracks in the country and we’re just getting started.”

Additional event format details will be posted to www.nasaproracing.com following New Years Day.

The current grid of Formula 1 (F1) drivers has united to influence the future direction of the sport by joining the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), which has hit full membership. The GDPA is the trade association of F1 drivers, which was first formed in 1961 to improve safety standards.

GPDA chairman Alex Wurz confirmed the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen have officially joined the union, for what he believes could be the first time ever.

"F1 is entering a period of evolution, change and perhaps even a degree of turmoil," Wurz told the BBC. "They recognize they must be united and represented to face that challenge.

"[The drivers want to] prevent any politics or power fights from ultimately compromising on-track performance. The drivers believe unity is fundamental [to] the sport's success."

Drivers are expected to see the new 2017 regulations resulting in increased interest in the sport, even if they still want to see improvements made.

"We are all particularly proud that the new cars, with their faster cornering speeds, had such great effect," Wurz said. "The drivers love them and we have seen an instant increase in viewership and followers.

"The GPDA pushed for this rule direction for the last three years. Happy drivers are F1's best sales tool.”

Drivers still want to address the issue of track limits and over-regulation of the sport, while also seeking ways to improve overtaking and track action, according to Wurz and the BBC.

Other areas the GPDA are concerned about include the noise of the power units, lack of visual impact from current camera angles and the large variation in budget levels leading to a significant spread in performance from the front to the back of the grid.

The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Board of Directors has approved a new Runoffs-eligible Formula Enterprises 2 (FE2) class.

The new class will run alongside original Formula Enterprises cars at all 2018 and 2019 SCCA U.S. Majors Tour events but will be scored as an individual class.

Creation of the new class centers around the need for a new drivetrain. Currently, FE cars are powered by a 2.3-liter engine. However, SCCA Enterprises President Robey Clark noted that replacement parts for that powerplant have become increasingly scarce.

To address the situation, SCCA Enterprises is introducing a new Mazda 2.0-liter MZR motor for FE cars. Upgrading to the 2.0-liter MZR engine, available for delivery by February 2018, will result in a car being classed as FE2.

Those using the old 2.3-liter engine can continue to do so for the next two years as Runoffs-eligible FE cars and can compete at U.S. Majors Tour events. The goal is to have all chassis upgraded to FE2 specs by 2020, at which point the original FE class will be designated for Regional competition only.

Along with the new engine, SCCA Enterprises is introducing a new 6-speed SADEV transaxle gearbox that will be an option for FE and FE2 cars, as well as Enterprises Sports Racers.

For the purpose of Runoffs participation in 2018, FE drivers can campaign 2.3-liter cars during the year and have those races transfer to the FE2 class as long as the 2.0-liter engine has been installed prior to Runoffs qualifying in October at Sonoma Raceway.

South Boston Speedway is introducing a division new to the track in 2018 but one that is familiar with fans and competitors in the region.

The Mod 4 division will debut at the track’s second event of the season on April 7 with a 30-lap race. The division will feature light-weight, rear-wheel-drive cars that run a high-revving four-cylinder engine.

The division has been a popular, strong class at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, which recently announced it would not be open for racing in 2018.

Several of the Mod 4 teams from Motor Mile contacted South Boston Speedway about the possibility of having that class run there, according to officials, who saw it as a great opportunity to introduce “an exciting division to fans and competitors.”

The Mod 4 division has seven race dates at South Boston Speedway in 2018 for a total of eight races. In addition to the April 7 30-lapper, the division will have 30-lap races on April 28, May 26, June 9, July 28, and Sept. 8. The division will run twin 15-lap races on August 25.

Hankook Tire announced new executive appointments made to further its goal of becoming a global top-tier company by enhancing global competitiveness, according to officials. The changes will take effect on Jan. 1, 2018.

Hankook Tire appointed Soo Il Lee as president and CEO of Hankook Tire. He will serve alongside CEO Hyun Bum Cho as a separate representative of the company.

Lee will oversee Hankook Tire’s management using experience gained by serving as the chief operating officer and chief marketing and corporate management officer of Hankook Tire’s America & China headquarters. Along with President Lee, one executive vice president, five senior vice presidents and 17 vice presidents were also appointed.

Vice Chairman Seung-hwa Suh, serving as the CEO of Hankook Tire since 2007, will retire and serve in an advisory role.

New positions include:
President and CEO
    •    Soo Il Lee, Hankook Tire separate representative
Executive Vice President
    •    Dong Whan Moon, chief operating officer of Production Division
Senior Vice President
    •    Sung Ho Chung, plant managing director of Chongqing plant, China headquarters
    •    Seung Bin Lim, division director of marketing division
    •    Sang Hoon Lee, department director of sales and strategy, China headquarters
Vice President
    •    Yong Sub Chung, managing director of Australia, Asia region
    •    Eui Don Suh, plant managing director of Jiaxing plant, China headquarters
    •    Man Joo Kim, department director of distribution, Asia region
    •    Hyang Bong Kim, team manager of Jiangsu plant, China headquarters
    •    Byung Hee Kim, America headquarters corporate management team manager

FCA US has opened a new 500,000-square-foot Mopar Parts Distribution Center (PDC) near Detroit, marking the second new Mopar PDC to open in the US this year. The Romulus, Michigan, facility employs more than 100 workers and represents an investment of $10.4 million by the company.

With an additional PDC opened earlier this year in Winchester, Virginia, FCA US has invested $22.6 million in 2017 to strengthen its parts distribution network in the US, with 23 PDCs in North America. Combined, the two facilities represent more than 170 jobs, according to FCA US.

The Romulus PDC was built to address growth in sales and active part numbers by handling the fastest-moving parts in the Mopar distribution network. The facility will focus on parts that comprise 80 percent of daily dealership order volumes, encompassing in-demand products such as maintenance and repair parts.

The Metro Detroit facility will serve as a global source PDC, replenishing other regional PDCs in the area with the 10,000 highest-volume products in the Mopar brand’s 500,000-plus portfolio, according to FCA. Overall, the facility will use two shifts of workers to handle approximately 45 million parts annually and an estimated 35 inbound and 35 outbound trailers each day.

Mopar has also recently expanded its international parts distribution network. In less than five years, Mopar has added four new parts distribution centers, including joint ventures in Asia, Europe and South America. Mopar has a footprint of more than 50 PDCs worldwide, including North America.

Recently retired F1 star Felipe Massa was named president of the International Karting Commission of the global motorsports governing body.

The Sauber, Ferrari and Williams mainstay was managed by Jean Todt’s son, Nicolas and was at the Scuderia when Todt was team principal.

Massa cut his teeth in Brazil behind the wheel of a kart before turning his attention to single seat formula racing. He’s also a noted advocate for the discipline. He will take over as head of the CIK-FIA from Shaikh Abdulla Bin Isa Al Khalifa, whom served from 2005 to 2014.

Massa will serve alongside new CIK-FIA vice president Kees Van De Grint.