The International Council of Motorsport Sciences (ICMS) and Stand 21 are holding a Short Track Drivers Safety Seminar at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show on December 9, 2016.

The purpose of the seminar is to create an awareness of the unique safety needs of short track drivers (Sprint Cars, Midgets, Modifieds, etc.) and the safety measures that are available to lessen their risk of injury.  This free seminar addresses these issues for drivers, builders and mechanics who run this configuration of race car.

In the Driver Symposium segment Tony Stewart, Kevin Swindell, and Brian Gerster will be drawing on their own experiences and sharing with attendees how to protect drivers from injury in these open cockpit machines.  Stewart will also discuss his personal experiences with safety measures in different types of race vehicles.

IndyCar motorsports Doctor Terry Trammell will explain why drivers may be more exposed than necessary to back injuries in these cars. Davey Hamilton, Midget, Sprint and IndyCar driver, also a father of a short track driver, will discuss how to assess the safety of a Midget and Sprint Car chassis.

How to make drivers' racing seat more protective will be the subject presented by Jeff Horton, Director of Engineering with IndyCar and Dave Sharpley, a leading seat builder with DJS Safe Seat.

Doctor Steve Olvey, Motor Sports Director at the University of Miami Concussion Center and Julia Daly, ATC from Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, will address how to know if a driver has a concussion and what you can do about it.

Presented by ICMS and the Stand 21 Safety Foundation, the emphasis of this seminar will be how to make race cars safer without making it more expensive.

There is no cost to attend this seminar, but, please help with the seating and refreshment requirements by pre-registering at racinggoessafer.org. To make this session most valuable to you, feel free to bring your own safety questions to ask our assembled group of experts. For questions regarding this seminar, please contact Don Taylor at dtaylor@racinggoessafer.org.

The ICMS is an organization of professionals involved in the medical, scientific and educational aspects of the human element in motorsports safety. The Stand 21 Safety Foundation is an organization whose primary purpose is promoting enhanced motorsports safety through education and the sharing of information.

SHORT TRACK DRIVERS SAFETY SEMINAR SCHEDULE
Friday, December 9, 2016, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Indiana Convention Center, Rooms 206 & 207
COST: FREE

1:00 – 1:10 p.m.
OPENING REMARKS
 • Terry Trammell (ICMS) and Don Taylor (Stand 21 Safety Foundation)

1:10 – 2:00 p.m.
DRIVER SYMPOSIUM (RACING INJURIES AND PERSONAL INSIGHTS)
• Brian Gerster, Moderator & Participant, Midget and Sprint Car Driver    
• Kevin Swindell, Sprint Car Driver
• Tony Stewart, Short Track Expert Driver
            
2:00 – 2:30 p.m.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH SAFETY MEASURES IN DIFFERENT CARS
• Tony Stewart, NASCAR Driver

2:30 – 3:00 p.m.
WHAT IT TAKES TO BREAK YOUR BACK. NOT MUCH!
• Terry Trammell, M.D., Drivers Medical Advocate, Verizon IndyCar Series

3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
HOW TO ACCESS A MIDGET & SPRINT CAR CHASSIS SAFELY
• Davey Hamilton, Midget, Sprint and IndyCar Driver and Father of a Driver

3:30 – 4:15 p.m.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR RACING SEAT MORE PROTECTIVE
• Jeff Horton, Eng., Director of Engineering, Verizon IndyCar Series            
• Dave Sharpley Jr., DJS Safe Seat LLC

4:15 – 5:00 p.m.   
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE A CONCUSSION AND WHAT DO I DO ABOUT IT
• Stephen Olvey, M.D., Motor Sports Director Un. of Miami Concussion Center        
• Julia Daly, ATC, Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
            
5:00 – 5:05 p.m.
SYMPOSIUM SUMMARY
• Terry Trammell (ICMS) and Yves Morizot (Stand 21 Safety Foundation)

* All Business: We’re pleased to announce that a top-notch panel of presenters, headlined by Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles, is being assembled for the 5th annual Race Track Business Conference (RTBC-2016) at this year’s PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis. The conference, which takes place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 7, in Rooms 208–209 of the Indiana Convention Center, once again brings together track owners, operators and key stakeholders to discuss a range of topics, challenges and opportunities unique to this segment of the industry.

“The RTBC-2016 will continue the dialogue for motorsports professionals away from the track,” said Tim Frost, publisher of National Speedway Directory, which is presenting the conference. “From risk management to track operations to sanctions to safety to media, we expect to present a wide variety of sessions with expert panelists.”

Atop this year’s slate of presenters is Boles, who’s responsible for all day-to-day operations at IMS, including events such as the Indianapolis 500, Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Brickyard 400, among others. Boles, who previously served as COO, VP of communications, and PR director for IMS, was also a founding partner of Panther Racing, whose roster of IndyCar drivers included Scott Goodyear, Sam Hornish, Jr., Dan Wheldon, Ed Carpenter and J.R. Hildebrand. Joining Boles on the RTBC-2016 stage throughout the day will be more than a dozen industry leaders representing a host of different categories, including Ron Knoch of DIESEL Motorsports, Jim Liaw of Formula Drift, John Oreovicz of ESPN, Chip Pankow of Red Bull Global Rally Cross, Paul Pfanner of Racer Magazine, and Ralph Sheheen of Turn 3 Media, to name a few.

Cost to attend the 2016 Race Track Business Conference is $250, which includes lunch and program materials. Additional information can be found at www.racetrackbusinessconference.com or by contacting Frost directly at twfrost@speedwaysonline.com or 847/853-0294.

* Recommended Reading: When asked about the timing behind his newly published biography, NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon explained, “I purposely waited until I retired from driving so the book would encompass my entire career. People are going to be able to read about me like they’ve never read about me before.” Penned by New York Times bestselling author Joe Garner, Jeff Gordon: His Dream, Drive & Destiny is indeed a frank, sometimes brutally candid look inside the childhood, rise to prominence, and pivotal life experiences of a true racing legend. In fact, the author draws on 15 months’ worth of extensive access to Gordon—at the race track, at special events, and at his home—as well as in-depth interviews with dozens of family members, friends, competitors, and colleagues, some of whom have never gone on the record before. The nearly 200-page book also contains exclusive unseen and rare material from Gordon’s personal photo and memorabilia collection. With an official release date of November 22 (visit store.jeffgordon.com to pre-order), it will also be available for purchase during the 2016 PRI Trade Show—at the PRI Store in the lobby area outside the Yellow Exhibit Hall of the Indiana Convention Center….

Considered among the most recognizable personalities in the history of motorsports, Linda Vaughn has charmed and inspired generations of racers and fans with her grace, charisma, and incomparable spirit. And what stories she tells! In her recently released biography Linda Vaughn: The First Lady Of Motorsports, the iconic Miss Hurst Golden Shifter offers an unfiltered and deeply personal account of her extraordinary life thus far. Packed with more than 500 photos, it traces her early days growing up in rural Dalton, Georgia, to her reign as Miss Atlanta Raceway (“That was 1961. They had a bathing suit and an evening dress competition…. The evening dress was beautiful, but I looked pretty damn good in that white bathing suit, too.”) through her years with Hurst, appearances at countless top races and industry events, experiences in television and Hollywood, and so much more. It’s a total page-turner, and those who’ve been fortunate enough to meet or know Linda Vaughn will hear her voice, her heart, and her beautiful soul come to life in this long-awaited—and sincerely satisfying—memoir, which can be purchased online at www.cartechbooks.com/linda or by calling publisher CarTech at 800/551-4754.
  

AFCO Performance Group of Boonville, Indiana, recently announced it has acquired Longacre Racing Products of Monroe, Washington. For 38 years, Longacre has designed and manufactured gauges, electronic scales, specialty tools, and chassis setup equipment in the racing industry.

“We are very excited to join the AFCO Performance Group”, said Jack Jaynes, owner of Longacre Racing Products. “Beginning in January 2017, we will begin shipping Longacre products from AFCO’s Indiana facility. This central location will provide much quicker service to our customers in the East, Midwest and plains states with delivery times improving by as much as 5 days. In addition, there will be opportunity to combine Longacre products with other AFCO Performance Group products into one shipment, saving shipping costs and ordering time. All sales terms and conditions will remain the same.”
 
“We look forward to welcoming Longacre Racing Products into our growing family of companies," said Jeff Scales, President of AFCO Performance Group. "Their product quality and delivery is second to none. Jack Jaynes and the Longacre team have a reputation for excellent customer service and leading edge product innovation that fits perfectly with all of our core values as a company. Supplementing their current strengths with our engineering and distribution systems will provide many positive benefits for Longacre and AFCO Performance Group customers going forward."

The Sports Car Club of America announced the results of the SCCA Board of Directors elections held in four of the SCCA’s geographic Areas. Three new board members were elected, with one incumbent rejoining the board for another three-year term in office.

Jack Burrows, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, will now be the Area 2 Director, garnering more votes than incumbent Terry Hanushek.  In Area 6, Chris Albin, of Maryland Heights, Missouri, takes over the Director seat being left by Peter Zekert.  Then in Area 10, Earl Hurlbut, of Batavia, New York, will take over the Director’s position being vacated by John Walsh. And Area 12 Director Tere Pulliam, of Oxford, Georgia, was unopposed in her reelection bid.

2017 Board of Director Election results are as follows:

Area 2: Encompasses part of the Northeast Division, including Northeast Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Steel Cities, Washington DC, Central Pennsylvania, Mahoning Valley, South Jersey, Susquehanna, Blue Mountain and Misery Bay Regions.

- Jack Burrows: 665

- Terry Hanushek: 624

Area 6: Encompasses the Midwest Division, and each Region contained within it.

- Chris Albin: 472

- Michael West: 329

Area 10: Encompasses part of the Northeast Division, including Central New York, Southern New York, Western New York, Finger Lakes, Mohawk-Hudson and Glen Regions.

- Jack Hanifan: 262

- Earl Hurlbut: 324

Area 12: Encompasses part of the Southeast Division, including Alabama, Atlanta, Buccaneer, Tennessee, North Carolina, Central Carolinas, Old Dominion, Eastern Tennessee, South Carolina, Middle Georgia, Tennessee Valley, Chattanooga, and Blue Ridge Regions.

- Incumbent Area 12 Director Tere Pulliam ran unopposed.

The 2017 SCCA Board of Directors:

Area 1 - Bob Dowie

Area 2 - Jack Burrows

Area 3 - Lee Hill

Area 4 - Steve Harris

Area 5 - Bruce Lindstrand

Area 6 - Chris Albin
Area 7 - Dan Helman

Area 8 - Arnie Coleman

Area 9 - Charlie Davis

Area 10 - Earl Hurlbut

Area 11 - KJ Christopher

Area 12 - Tere Pulliam

Area 13 - Jim Weidenbaum

Election ballots were received through November 15, 2016, and counted by Mize, Houser & Company, Certified Public Accountants. The current board is set to have one more meeting in December, with new BoD members officially taking their seats January 1, 2017.

Tommy Baldwin Racing has sold its NASCAR Sprint Cup charter to Leavine Family Racing.

Regan Smith drives the No. 7 Chevrolet for TBR. Smith has two top-10 finishes this season and was eighth in the Daytona 500.

Baldwin was noncommittal about remaining in NASCAR in some form. He says there, "have been many teams like ours that have come and gone. I'm proud that we have been able to sustain ourselves from the very beginning."

Bob and Sharon Leavine have been active in NASCAR since 2010 when they became sponsors in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Leavine Family Racing was formed in 2011 and has grown to an organization employing 25 people with a race shop in Concord, N.C.

Michael McDowell has made 30 starts this season driving for Leavine Family Racing.

NASCAR shifted to a franchise-like system this season intended to provide actual value and financial stability to team owners after decades of heavy reliance on sponsors.

The AAM Group, a program distribution group in the SEMA marketplace, is a Hot Rodders of Tomorrow sponsor through its Parts Pro performance-aftermarket marketing program. This year the company plans to acknowledge perfect engine builds by the teams that competed at this year’s dual national championship, held at the SEMA and PRI shows.
 
Hot Rodders of Tomorrow, which began in 2008 and is sponsored by many of the biggest names in the performance aftermarket, tests the ability of elite student teams to quickly and accurately tear down an engine and rebuild it to operational condition—often in 20 minutes or less. Though participants are certainly drawn to the thrill of competition, the education they receive in the areas of teamwork and technical excellence is designed to give them a head start on careers in the automotive industry. Plus, winners receive scholarship money to help offset the cost of their education.
 
AAM Program Sales Manager Jerry Simpson, who has called many Hot Rodders of Tomorrow events, will be presenting the awards at PRI 2016: a plaque to each of this year’s Elite 8 teams that achieved a perfect engine build and a single trophy to the team that achieved the fastest perfect engine overall.
 
“What these high school students are doing is simply amazing, and to do it with no penalties—what we call a ‘perfect engine’—is even more awesome,” said Simpson. “I just felt it was time for Parts Pro to recognize that level of performance. Stop by Room 125 at PRI on December 9 and 10 to see the students in action!”
 

In a break with tradition, the Lifetime Achievement Award in the 2016 International Historic Motoring Awards, in association with Octane magazine and EFG private bank, went to a place and the events held there, rather than to a person. At a glittering gala dinner at London’s magnificent Guildhall, the highest accolade of the evening went to America’s Bonneville Salt Flats Land Speed Racing, in tribute to over 100 years of inspirational achievements in a unique location.

Octane Publishing Director Geoff Love explained: “For over a century the Bonneville Salt Flats have been the scene of innumerable speed record attempts. We all know of the successes there of Sir Malcolm Campbell, George Eyston, John Cobb and Al Teague for example, but everybody from car and tyre manufacturers to college students with trucks powered by used vegetable oil have traveled to this vast expanse of land to try to set their own records. I can think of no other place that has inspired so many people to such a level, and this award goes to the place itself and to all of those enthusiasts who have endeavored to take a minute, a second or a fraction of a second off a speed record there.”

Originally nominated by "LandSpeed" Louise Ann Noeth in the "Motorsport of the Year" category, the IHMA Judging Panel recognized the dire ecological plight facing amateur racing brought about by decades of BLM mismanagement that allowed the once five-foot thick, concrete hard salt crust to wither to an almost paper thin layer less than a half-inch in many places.

"We may well witness the end of land speed racing on the Bonneville Salt Flats in our lifetime," warned Noeth, the acknowledged LSR author and historical expert. "Racing returned in 2016 after two years or rainouts that diluted the fragile crust to a point that many of the plus 300MPH speed machines chose to pack up and go home instead of risking a wreck. I am so very grateful for the recognition spotlight the IHMA has cast upon the home of so many extraordinary speed deeds by ordinary people."

Celebrating ‘the best of the best’ in the international historic motoring industry, the Guildhall saw the great and the good of the industry come together from around the world to discover who had won the hotly-contested awards.

For further information please visit www.historicmotoringawards.com.

The Mazda-powered Tatuus PM-18 will make its public debut at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Indianapolis on December 8 – opening day of the world’s largest auto racing trade show.

The new chassis, which will begin a summer testing program around the 2017 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires race calendar, marks the latest equipment update of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires driver development ladder following the introduction of the Dallara IL-15 and Tatuus USF-17 chassis.

Pro Mazda has long been a staple in driver development and advancement, and next season will see incentives for drivers to experience this step. The champion’s Mazda scholarship to advance to Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires in 2018 has been increased by $200,000 bringing the total award to $790,300. The champion will also receive a Cooper Tires Tire Award valued at $75,000 and a series entry award valued at $24,000. Year-end prizes will total over $1.1M.

Additional enhancements include a one-day Indy Lights test for each of the top-three finishers in the championship and a new Pro Mazda Rookie of the Year Mazda Car Award which features a new Mazda street car of choice to the winning driver.

A cost-effective 2017 schedule – with all six events/12 races in support of the Verizon IndyCar Series – has seen a reduction in team budgets with some programs on offer at the $300,000 mark including a testing program.

The National Class prize package – for drivers 20 years of age and older competing in cars running in Pro Mazda specification and meeting the older Star Mazda technical requirements by SCCA FA Class competition rules – has also been increased for 2017.

The PM-18 will be available to teams as early as June 1. Uniquely, the PM-18 will use the USF-17 as the base chassis to help control the operational costs for teams who wish to move up. The PM-18 adds more Mazda power over the USF-17, more sophisticated aerodynamics with a revised underbody and diffuser, a three-element rear wing and a front wing with adjustable composite wing flaps. The PM-18 also adds a higher level Cosworth data system to help train the next level of drivers and engineers in the Mazda Road to Indy. Larger American Racing wheels with Cooper Tires add to the package.

For teams, the series is offering a $5,000 discount on the PM-18 for each driver who commits to running the entire 2017 season in addition to full-season entry fee discounts.

“The USF-17 debuted to rave reviews by our teams in October and we expect the same from the PM-18,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “Tatuus has done an outstanding job and we can’t wait to see this car begin prototype testing.

“I have to thank our teams who are willing to reduce budgets for next season in what is a transitional year for Pro Mazda to the new car, and to Mazda and Cooper Tires who have upped the ante for drivers to benefit from their participation with an enhanced awards package.”

The 2017 schedule comprises rounds on the streets of St. Petersburg, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Road America, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Gateway Motorsports Park and Watkins Glen International.

The PM-18 unveiling will take place on the INDYCAR stage at PRI on Thursday, December 8, at 10:00 a.m. EDT.
 

The 49th annual SCORE Baja 1000 takes place this weekend in Ensenada/Baja, Mexico, and one of the pinnacle races in off-road racing has been a trademark for tire manufacturer BFGoodrich in its history.

BFGoodrich celebrates 40 years of Baja desert racing this week, following what began as an entry for testing purposes in 1976. The genesis of BFG’s Baja success began with an Oldsmobile Starfire driven by Fritz Kroyer, and has since exploded into one of the great success stories in off-road racing.

BFGoodrich has 86 overall wins in SCORE Baja racing, which is more than all other tire manufacturers combined.

There’s been 32 overall Baja 500 and 27 overall Baja 1000 wins. A win this year would be BFGoodrich’s third consecutive at the Baja 1000.

In 2014 and 2015, BFGoodrich performance team member Rob MacCachren claimed the overall title and will be seeking his third straight with co-driver Jason Voss.

More details on their success and a full breakdown can be found here, including an infographic about their 40 years at Baja, via the BFGoodrich racing website.

New Porsche 911 RSR specifications have been released during a press conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show, confirming that the 2017 Le Mans and World Endurance Championship (WEC) racer will use a mid-engined layout.

Unlike the rear-engined road 911, the RSR’s 503bhp 4.0-litre six-cylinder engine is located in front of its back axle to enable the fitment of a large rear diffuser. The use of this new part should help the car to produce significantly more downforce than the current one, which uses a much smaller item.

The midship location of the powertrain is also likely to improve the RSR's overall weight balance, and it comes as part of a complete overhaul for the racer that includes an all-new structure, suspension and aerodynamic concept compared with the current RSR.

The head of Porsche Motorsport, Frank-Steffen Walliser, said the new car’s engineering changes represent “the biggest evolution in the history of [Porsche’s] top GT model”.

The car uses a six-speed sequential gearbox with steering wheel shift paddles, a multi-disc self-locking differential and a three-disc carbon race clutch.

The car’s base weight – as per regulations – is 1243kg, and it conforms to LM-GTE class rules that are use at Le Mans and in the WEC.

New for the 2017 racer is an automatic emergency braking system that uses radar control like road cars to help avoid major impacts during a race. There’s also a new multi-function steering wheel, LED headlights and tail-lights and an air conditioning system – as per GT racing regulations.

The new RSR's first race will be in the US at the International Motor Sports Association championship season opener at Daytona on 28-29 January. It'll then be used by the factory Porsche team for the WEC and Le Mans.