After 11 years and 332 races in the Pirelli World Challenge, Cadillac Racing has withdrawn from the competition, effective immediately.

Since the team’s 2004 arrival with the first-gen CTS-V sedan, it has amassed 33 wins, 88 other podia, 25 pole positions and taken home five Drivers’ championships (one for Andy Pilgrim and four for Johnny O’Connell) and five Manufacturers’ crowns.

Global director of product strategy for Cadillac Rich Brekus said the team currently maintains a “regular and open” communication with World Challenge CEO Greg Gill, and hopes “to one day return to the Series in some form.”

Michael Cooper and co-pilot Jordan Taylor earned the first-ever SprintX Driver Championship honors this year, and Cooper ended Cadillac’s season in style by sweeping the doubleheader at Sonoma two weeks ago. Cooper and O’Connell finished second and sixth respectively in the drivers’ championship this year.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) officials announced a tripleheader NASCAR short track weekend will replace the departing Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekend in September 2018.

The event will be headlined by a 250-lap NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series will also compete in a 125-lap event while the NASCAR Pinty Series will make their first-ever trip to the United States for a 100-lap event.

The event is scheduled to take place on Friday, September 21 and Saturday, September 22 next year. The 250-lap NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event will be the longest event in series history.

For New Hampshire Motor Speedway, it continues the tradition of a marquee event at the one-mile oval since the NASCAR Cup Series first visited the speedway in September in 1997.

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will return to Canada’s Ohsweken Speedway for a two-day event in 2018. Burger Barn presents the Northern Summer Nationals is scheduled for Monday, July 23, 2018, and the Arrow Express presents the Six Nations Showdown will cap off the two-day event on Tuesday, July 24, 2018.

Located in the village of Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada, Ohsweken Speedway is a high-banked, 3/8-mile oval. The Outlaws history at the Oshweken Speedway dates back 10 years when the Series made their first appearance at the dirt oval in 2007. After taking a year off in 2008, the Series returned north of the border in 2009 and 2010 for a two-day event before reverting back to a single-day show starting in 2011 through 2017.

Tickets for the two-day event at Ohsweken Speedway will go on sale, Monday, Sept. 25th. Six Nations Showdown tickets can be purchased by visiting OhswekenSpeedway.ca or by calling 519/717-0023. Stay up-to-date with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series through the series website.

Audi has revealed its first all-electric race car, the Audi e-tron FE04, that will compete in the FIA Formula E World Championship.

The engineers of the Audi e-tron FE04 mainly focused on enhancing the efficiency of the motor-generator-unit (MGU), according to the company. To transfer power to the wheels, Team Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler will rely on a high-efficiency transmission with just one—instead of three—gears.

In Formula E, the teams and manufacturers are allowed to develop the powertrain consisting of the motor, transmission, parts of the suspension and the respective software.

Reigning Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi will be the lead driver for the team, wheeling the No. 1 while Daniel Abt will return as his co-driver at the new factory Audi squad. The team was previously known as ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport and will now be known as Team Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler.

Allan McNish, a veteran member of Audi’s sports car program and multi-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, will serve as team principal.

Dana Inc. has selected Christophe Dominiak to serve as its new senior vice president and chief technology officer. He replaces George Constand, who is retiring.

Dominiak has served as vice president of global engineering for Dana’s Off-Highway Drive and Motion Technologies business since February 2016. Previously, he was deputy chief technology officer for Hutchinson Industries Inc., a global automotive and aerospace supplier.

Prior to that, he served in a variety of technology leadership positions, including senior director of electronics engineering and purchasing, managing director of electronic assess systems, and vice president of security systems at Valeo Inc. He also served as R&D chief engineer and program director at Rockwell in Paris and held engineering roles at both Webasto and Corning Inc.

Dominiak earned a master’s degree in material specialization from the prestigious Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris and both an associate’s degree and bachelor’s degree in physics from Rouen University.

“I would… like to thank George Constand for his leadership in this role over the past eight years and wish him all the best in retirement. He brought valuable insight, business acumen, leadership and integrity to this position,” Dana president and CEO James Kamsickas said.

At the end of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) contract term in 2018, Continental Tire’s sponsorship of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and Prototype Challenge series will come to an end.

After submitting a proposal for a multi-year extension, which included a significant increase in investment, IMSA has chosen not to extend the partnership. Continental Tire will remain a partner through the 2018 season and will supply tires for those series.

Over the past eight years, Continental Tire and IMSA/GRAND-AM have enjoyed a strong partnership. Since 2010, Continental Tire made a considerable investment to develop and produce race tires that fit IMSA’s specifications. In addition, Continental Tire has invested substantially to help grow sports car racing in the US with a focus on fans through various marketing activities.

“We are extremely proud of the contributions we’ve made to sports car racing in the U.S.,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing of Continental Tire the Americas. “We worked diligently to continue our support of IMSA, and the growth of the sport, and are disappointed in IMSA‘s decision to go a different direction. We remain committed to making the 2018 IMSA season a fantastic year for the fans, drivers and all the teams.”

BILSTEIN of America has launched its new E-Catalog at cart.bilsteinus.com. Designed with the user experience in mind, the website includes improved navigation and functionality throughout, according to the company.

In addition to an enhanced year-make-model vehicle-specific product lookup tool, customers can now search for custom, non-vehicle specific BILSTEIN products in different categories.

In addition to these updates, BILSTEIN dealers and distributors will also experience new features and functionality within the Dealer Portal. Once signed in, Dealers can view inventory data for all warehouses. The ordering process has also been streamlined and now provides complete shipment tracking information.

To help users further navigate the E-Catalog product pages, custom attributes can be selected to search product by length, mount type, extended and collapsed measurements, chassis type, and more.  


Technical information, videos, 360-degree images and application data provide a detailed overview of BILSTEIN's capabilities across a wide range of automotive segments. The website also offers an enhanced part number search that supports OE interchange part numbers, competitor part numbers and partial searches to aid in finding the precise results.

Users can also share product pages via email and across social media outlets, according to BILSTEIN.

Phoenix Raceway and ISM Connect, a pioneer in smart venue technology, announced a multi-year partnership that includes naming rights for the Raceway’s venue as well as the installation of a digital fan engagement experience. Beginning in 2018, the venue will be known as ISM Raceway.

ISM’s 360° Connect network will provide the modernized venue with advanced, robust technology and data capabilities to create meaningful connections between fans, partners and the venue itself. This will be done through the use of digital display screens, interactive experiences, social media integrations and a mobile app that will give fans access to unique content, in-seat ordering, and more.

“We’re focused on building a world-class facility and the partnership with ISM will further enhance our technology capabilities and create opportunities to better engage with fans,” said Phoenix Raceway President Bryan R. Sperber. “ISM Raceway will serve as a premier motorsports and entertainment destination for generations to come.”

The ISM Connect network will power various fan activations and experiences throughout the venue, including the new infield Fan Zone, the new pedestrian tunnel connecting the infield to the new seating areas and one of the two new Canyons—the immersive and interactive entrances.

As part of the partnership, ISM Connect will also receive naming rights for one of the Canyons—providing over 20,000 square feet of fan engagement and brand activation that vertically spans multiple concourse levels.

This is not ISM Connect’s first presence in motorsports, as the company has brought ISM Vision Powered by BoldVu, “the World’s Largest 360° Digital Engagement Venue Network,” to the NASCAR experience earlier this year.

Inflexion Private Equity announced that funds managed by the company have agreed to the buyout of Xtrac Ltd., the designer and manufacturer of high-performance transmissions for the motorsports and automotive industry.
 
Xtrac supplies many of the world's top motorsports teams across the globe from MotoGP to Formula 1.
 
Inflexion is backing Xtrac’s well-established management team, who will remain with the business. The investment will also help fuel Xtrac’s future expansion, supporting its high-performance road car division and increasing Xtrac’s team of 330 in the UK and US.  

Inflexion will also support the extension of Xtrac’s factory and purchase of additional world-class machinery, accelerating the development of the next generation of high-end automotive transmission systems and advancing its capabilities in hybrid and electric vehicles.
 
The Inflexion deal team comprised John Harper and Henry Arundel, both of whom will join the board at acquisition. Xtrac was advised by Cavendish Corporate Finance LLP.

ATI Performance Products, Inc. has announced Harvey Baker as the new Marketing and Sales Associate.

Harvey joins the ATI Performance Products team with 25 years of experience in the aftermarket performance parts and racing industry.

"I am honored to be part of such an outstanding company with a stellar reputation and working with a wonderful group of people. The atmosphere is very exciting and upbeat. Great things are happening at ATI,” Baker said.

"We are thrilled that Harvey has joined our team of professionals. Harvey's commitment to the highest standards of customer care and business ethics makes him an ideal fit for ATI,” an official from ATI Performance Products said in a release.