Racers, race teams, and manufacturers at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show have the unique opportunity to learn from international leaders about how vehicle dynamics and data acquisition can be used to influence a car’s performance, during a three-day seminar on Monday-Wednesday, December 5-7, 2016, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
 
Titled “Vehicle Dynamics & Data Acquisition Seminar,” the seminar is presented by top engineer Claude Rouelle at OptimumG. Rouelle will uncover the mystery behind vehicle dynamics and data acquisition, explaining why today’s most competitive racers are integrating the system into their race strategies.

Topics to be covered include: tires; aerodynamics; kinematics; steady state weight transfer; shocks, ride, and transient weight transfers; data acquisition; and car design, tuning modification and chassis setup.
 
The content will be presented in three parts:
 

1. Part One begins with a discussion on the fundamentals of vehicle dynamics, including a review of definitions and terminology to avoid any confusion due to different automotive cultures or habits. The discussions moves onto tires, and why and how much the grip, balance and performance of a car is decided by the contact patch forces and deflections. Aero maps, gurney flaps and static and dynamic ride height settings of aerodynamics will also be discussed. 
2. Part Two includes a discussion about the forces in suspension stiffness choice. As the discussion moves into kinematics, participants will learn about setting up and designing suspension. Participants will also learn how the elastic and geometric weight transfers affect the balance of the car, as steady state basics and weight transfers are explained.
3. Part Three dives into the yaw moment diagram methodology, which explains how aerodynamics, roll centers, anti-roll bars and spring stiffness influence the balance of the car as well as its control and stability.

The seminar wraps up with data acquisition and new ways to use the data to enhance and understand vehicle performance.
 
As part of the PRI Show activities that help make up Race Industry Week, the seminar takes place at the Indiana Convention Center, in Room 245. Cost to attend is $1625. To sign up or learn more, visit www.pri2016.com.

The International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) today announced that VP Racing Fuels has been designated the Official Trackside Supplier for the 2016 quakysense World Finals scheduled October 1-9 in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.  

“We’re pleased to partner with a company like VP Racing Fuels, whose cutting edge, high energy unleaded fuels for PWC racing have made VP the dominant fuel in this sport for two decades,” said Scott Frazier, Executive Director of IJSBA.

VP’s distributor, Western States Petroleum, will be on site at Lake Havasu from October 1-9 with fuels available for sale including Motorsport 93, VP100, Motorsport 103, Motorsport 109 and HTG as well as VP Motorsport Containers, jug caps, jug hoses and siphon pumps.
 
Because supplies will be limited, racers are encouraged to pre-order their fuel to ensure they get the specific fuel they want in the quantity they need.  Pre-orders must be submitted by September 26. 
 
Racers arriving prior to October 1 can contact Western States to arrange delivery of fuel direct to the customer’s Crazy Horse Campsite.  Additional supplies of VP fuels are also available locally at:
 
VP Racing Fuels has fueled virtually every form of motorsport on land, sea and air since 1975.  VP is the Official Racing Fuel of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, AMA Supercross, NMRA, NMCA, World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and Late Models, Formula Drift, Pirelli World Challenge, PDRA and Rally America, among more than 60 VP-sponsored series and sanctioning bodies.
 
As part of a retail branding program, gas stations and convenience stores across the U.S. are being branded as VP Racing Fuels, with each providing distribution for VP’s other product lines.

Jeff Gordon cut his teeth racing winged sprint cars before moving to stock cars in one of the most prolific careers in NASCAR Sprint Cup history.

Atomic Speedway is hosting "Jeff Gordon Night" on Saturday, September 17, and Gordon is scheduled to return to the place he won his first sprint car race at age 14.

"This is a great honor for all of us to have Jeff Gordon back at Atomic Speedway," said track owner Brad McCown in a release. "And of course, we will have a great night of racing as well. Who knows? Maybe another young star gets inspired and begins another chapter of racing history."

Gordon began racing sprint cars in 1985 at age 13. With age restrictions in California, his parents moved to Indiana to help further his career.

Gordon raced primarily at tracks in Ohio and the surrounding area and one of his favorite stops became Atomic Speedway, the release said.

Promoters, track owners, and insurance folks thought it was too big of a risk to let 13-year-old Gordon race on their tracks, even with the ability he had displayed in quarter midgets and karts. Gordon's parents appealed to the racing insurance companies and their persistence paid off, however, some tracks still weren't willing to take a risk on the young driver.

Dave and Eleanor Karshner, the owners and promoters of what was then called K-C Raceway took a chance and let Gordon race at the Chillicothe track in 1985. One year later, the track was the site of his first sprint car victory. Gordon went on to win several times at Atomic Speedway, including multiple wins in 1988.

Gordon's success in winged and non-winged sprint cars helped open the door for NASCAR owners to look not only outside of NASCAR, but to the world of open wheel racing.

Saturday will be Gordon's induction into the Atomic Speedway Hall of Fame. The release said he will spend the rest of the night enjoying the racing.

On the race card for "Jeff Gordon Night" will be 410 Sprints, AMRA Late Models, AMRA Modifieds, AMRA Sport Mods and an Enduro.

Gates will open at 4 p.m. with Hot Laps starting at 6 p.m.

Atomic Speedway is 12 miles south of Chillicothe off Ohio 23, two miles out Blain Highway between Chillicothe and Waverly.

Maltese drag racer Duncan Micallef has become the fastest drag racer in Europe after clocking 1,000 feet at 3.89 seconds, with a top speed of 312mph, while competing at Santa Pod in the United Kingdom on Sunday, September 11.

Mr Micallef beat his personal best of 3.91 seconds and a top speed of 302mph, which he acquired a fortnight ago at the Tierp Arena in Sweden.

He now holds the record for the fastest lap in the European FIA drag racing finals, besides setting a new track record for the Santa Pod race track in the UK.

At the championships, Malta was also represented by Glenn Borg and Shawn Buttigieg.

To watch a video of the record-setting race, visit the Times of Malta website.

The National Mustang Racers Association (NMRA) announced the official schedule for the 2017 season. Featuring a line-up of all Ford drag racing classes, car shows and special events, the NMRA Keystone Automotive Ford Nationals Series in 2017 includes events in their second decade of existence.

"Our hugely popular Spring Break Shootout is established as a destination event for thousands of Ford fans across the country,” said General Manager, Rollie Miller. “We’re thrilled to return to Bradenton, Florida as well as locations like Maple Grove, Pennsylvania and Bowling Green, Kentucky, where the NMRA fans and racers are eager to see us in 2017."

NMRA events offer competitive grassroots all-Ford drag racing combined with all-Ford car shows, manufacturers’ midways, burnout contests, grudge nights, specialty classes, celebrity appearances and more.

The prospective 2017 schedule is as follows:

March 2-5, 2017 
23rd ANNUAL NMRA SPRING BREAK SHOOTOUT • Bradenton Motorsports Park, Bradenton, FL
 
April 6-9, 2017 
9th ANNUAL NMRA/NMCA ALL-STAR NATIONALS • Atlanta Dragway, Commerce, GA

May 4-7, 2017 
17th ANNUAL NMRA FORD MOTORSPORT NATIONALS • Maple Grove Raceway, Reading, PA

June 8-11, 2017 
14th ANNUAL NMRA FORD SUPERNATIONALS • National Trail Raceway, Hebron, OH

July 27-30, 2017 
12th ANNUAL NMRA/NMCA SUPER BOWL OF STREET-LEGAL DRAG RACING • Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, IL
 
September 28 – October 1, 2017 
19th ANNUAL NMRA ALL-FORD WORLD FINALS • Beech Bend Raceway, Bowling Green, KY

For more information, visit the NMRA site.

One well-known short track racing events, the All American 400, will be more affordable for racers in 2016. Announced on Monday by Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville officials, the 32nd running of the 400-lap Super Late Model race on October 1-2, 2016, will feature a new controlled cautions concept.

In recent years, many Super Late Model races in the Southeast region have featured live pit stops.  While that format adds strategy and excitement for the fans, its downfall is larger costs for the racers. 

The goal for the All American 400 is to minimize the cost of running the race, while also providing the most excitement for the fans in attendance at the historic 5/8-mile Nashville, TN race track.

Head Tech Official Ricky Brooks and Track Promoter Tony Formosa made the decision to introduce controlled cautions for this year’s race.

This includes controlled pit stops during the 400-lap race, meaning no car may lose a lap under caution while pitting.  In addition, no car will lose positions in regards to other cars that pitted during the controlled caution period.

After 50 green flag laps without a caution, a competition caution will be utilized within the next 15 laps. For example, if there is a caution at lap 22 and the green flag is displayed again on lap 30, if no cautions occur prior to lap 80 a competition caution will be displayed prior to lap 95.

Pit road will be open for a minimum of four laps under each caution, unless declared a “quickie yellow,” which will be when a simple caution occurs within 15 laps of a previous caution.

“The idea came from ARCA Midwest Tour president Gregg McKarns who has already proven that it makes for exciting racing,” Brooks said.  “I spoke with several teams about changing the format from two breaks to this and have had nothing but a big yes from teams, especially since it keeps the cost down and puts more money back in the racer’s hands.”

“I think it is a great idea to add excitement and strategy back into the race,” Formosa added.  “The drivers will really have to use their heads with only 10 tires in the race. Racers and crew chiefs will have to decide on each pit stop exactly what will be the best move to make to advance in track position.”

The Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville management have decided to extend the due date for Super Late Model teams to register for the race from September 1 to September 9.

Thirty-two cars will take the green flag at the start of the All American 400 on October 2. Twenty-eight fast qualifiers will be locked in by time and four will transfer from the last chance race.

All of the racing action starts on Friday, September 30 with Super Late Model and Pro Late Model practice.

Saturday October, 1 will have a full line up with all quarter-mile races, Super Late Model and Pro Late Model qualifying and last chance races if needed.

On Sunday, October 2 the Super Late Models will race for a chance to win over $24,000, with the Pro Late Models on the line up as well for their final 100-lap, $5,000-to-win race of the season.

Six finalists for this year’s Team USA Scholarship will be put through their paces during a one-day shootout later this month hosted by Cooper Tires and the Lucas Oil School of Racing at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, FL.

The day also will include a fitness element conducted by Jim Leo of Indianapolis-based PitFit Training.

The Team USA Scholarship originated in 1990 when a young Jimmy Vasser was selected to contest the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, England. Subsequent scholarship winners include IndyCar race winners Bryan Herta, Buddy Rice, Charlie Kimball and Josef Newgarden; sports car standouts Andy Lally, Paul Edwards, Bryan Sellers and Dane Cameron; and rising stars such as Conor Daly, Matthew Brabham and Spencer Pigot.

The finalists have been chosen from 11 candidates who attended the recent Verizon IndyCar Series event at Mid-Ohio, and were interviewed by a panel of judges.

The group also met with Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman and Co., the parent company of INDYCAR, toured Race Control with racer-turned-steward Max Papis, and gained an opportunity to see the inner workings of the K-PAX Racing with Flying Lizard Motorsport McLaren Pirelli World Challenge team, courtesy of Austin Cindric.

“[The candidates] learned a great deal about the inner workings of the sport and were able to meet a selection of influential figures who can help them as they work their way up the ladder. At the same time, it was an opportunity for us to learn more about the youngsters,” said Team USA founder and auto racing writer/broadcaster Jeremy Shaw.

The following drivers will be making their way to South Florida for the shootout:

• Oliver Askew, 19, Jupiter, FL., Skip Barber Racing Series
• Andre Castro, 17, New York, NY, Skip Barber Racing Series
• Konrad Czaczyk, 19, Loxahatchee, FL., F4 U.S. Championship powered by Honda
• Tim de Silva, 20, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, Pacific F2000
• Kyle Kirkwood, 17, Jupiter, FL, F4 U.S. Championship powered by Honda
• Robert Megennis, 16, New York, NY, Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda

America’s newest racing school features Ray GR11 open-wheel cars powered by 2.0-liter Elite Engines power plants and Cooper tires, as well as a comprehensive AiM Sportline Formula Steering Wheel 2 data and SmartyCam video systems to provide students with all the tools they will need to pursue a career in the sport.

“We are excited to work with Team USA Scholarship on the final steps in their selection process”, said Todd Snyder, COO of Lucas Oil School of Racing. “Our fleet of race cars will prove to be an ideal platform to showcase this talented group of drivers.”

Two winners will be chosen and invited to contest the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, England, on October 21-23 and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone on November 4-6.

Team USA Scholarship drivers have enjoyed success at both events in the past. In 2008, Newgarden became the only American driver to win the Festival, while Daly (also in 2008), Connor De Phillippi (2009), who currently races for Audi in European sports car competition, and factory Mazda Prototype driver Tristan Nunez (2012) claimed victory at the Walter Hayes Trophy.

IndyCar has announced testing regulations for the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season, highlighted by four open tests during the season, and an overall reduction in the amount of in-season testing.

IndyCar will conduct the following open tests next year: February 10-11 at Phoenix Int’l Raceway; March 21 at Barber Motorsports Park; May 2 at Gateway Motorsports Park and Sept. 14 at Sonoma Raceway, the same week as the season finale in 2017.

“We collaborated with all of our teams on the 2017 testing regulations with the goal of minimizing the amount of in-season testing,” said Jay Frye, IndyCar president of competition and operations. “The majority of testing will take place at a series of open tests, which have been strategically routed to coincide with our race schedule.”

The in-season testing window runs from April 11-September 17 next year, with teams permitted one test day, in addition to open tests, within that time frame. The off-season testing window for the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season begins October 3, 2016, with teams permitted three test days from the start of the testing window until April 6, 2017, which allows teams to utilize the break between the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 12 and the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 9.

Teams may earn additional test days by running a rookie driver (up to four days) for the season, a current Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires driver (one day) or operating an Indy Lights team under the same ownership as the Verizon IndyCar Series team (one day). New teams entering the Verizon IndyCar Series would be allowed up to four additional test days.

Tire testing comes at the request of Firestone, the official tire supplier to the Verizon IndyCar Series. Any tire test is limited to two days, either in-season or off-season, with no more than two teams participating. All teams are permitted to have one car conduct team testing during an in-season tire test. Engine testing for Chevrolet and Honda is limited to two days for each manufacturer in the off-season window.

Originally reported by Speed Sport.

Thermo-Tec Automotive Products announced the appointment of Nick Helms as its new sales manager, supporting customers nationwide. Helms joins the company with more than eight years of experience in the automotive industry, most recently working in the sales and marketing department at Aber’s GMC.
 
Helms started in the auto industry in June 2008 with Spitzer Motors in Mansfield, Ohio, before moving to Donley Ford in Ashland, Ohio in April, 2009. There, he refined his sales skills for four years before moving to Aber’s GMC in August 2013, where he worked in both the sales and marketing departments.
 
“Nick is a great addition to the Thermo-Tec team,” Thermo-Tec’s Jim Henderson said. “With his experience in the industry and ties to the local area, we are thrilled to have him on board as we enter the next chapter of growth at Thermo-Tec.”


Since 1987, Thermo-Tec has offered customers exhaust insulating and heat protection technology. Thermo-Tec manufacturers more than 130 products to either control heat dissipation or reflect heat away from parts and components for different performance racing, including: NASCAR, Drag Racing, Oval Track, Motorcycle, Off Road, Street, and Industrial.
 

International Speedway Corporation (ISC) announced on September 8 that it has named Rick Brenner as President of Michigan International Speedway (MIS) effective Monday, September 19.

Brenner accepts the role, making a move from Minor League Baseball to motorsports.

“[Brenner] is a seasoned sports executive who is well positioned to lead Michigan International Speedway into the future,” stated ISC Chief Operating Officer Joie Chitwood.

Brenner most recently served as President of DSF Sports and Entertainment for over 10 years, the company that owns the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. In that role, Brenner managed all facets of the multi-unit business as well as leading the design and construction of the Bowling Green Ballpark.

Prior to DSF, Brenner spent six of his 11 years with the Trenton Thunder as Chief Operating Officer and General Manager. Brenner earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire.

International Speedway Corporation is a leading promoter of motorsports activities, currently promoting more than 100 racing events annually as well as numerous other motorsports-related activities. Originally posted by ISC.