Motion Industries, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC), has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Colmar Belting Company. The closing of the transaction is expected to occur May 1, 2016.

Colmar Belting Company is a regional distributor focused primarily on power transmission and belting sales and service based in South Boston, Massachusetts. Their offerings include material handling related products such as conveyor belting, idlers and pulleys, as well as a wide spectrum of custom belt services such as slitting, fastening, and vulcanizing.

In business since 1933, Colmar serves the needs of numerous industries including aggregate, manufacturing, food processing, HVAC and recycling.

Michelle and Rob Labossiere, owners of Colmar Belting, said, “Throughout the growth of the company, Colmar has continually diversified to meet the challenges of this rapidly changing industry. Joining the Motion Industries team allows Colmar to continue to provide outstanding service to our customers, while providing excellent opportunities for our employees. We are excited to be part of Motion Industries.” Colmar Belting will continue operations under its existing management team in all locations.

"Growth is the key driver behind this transaction, and the complement of Colmar's belting and power transmission expertise places us in an even stronger competitive position in the Northeast," said Tony Cefalu, Motion's Senior Vice President of Shops and Services.

Tim Breen, Motion's President and CEO, added, "We welcome all Colmar Belting Company employees to the Motion family and look forward to working together to provide even better service to our customers across the industry."

A Russian billionaire is now the full owner of the Nurburgring circuit.

In late 2014, Viktor Kharitonin, who co-founded the pharmaceutical company Pharmstandard, bought into the embattled German Grand Prix venue.

Forbes Russia now reports that Kharitonin, 43, has upped his stake from 80 to 99 percent.

"Today we have closed the deal," he is quoted as saying, with Forbes claiming that the value of the new transaction is some €38m (£29.5m).

It is believed that Kharitonin has paid €77m (£59.7m) in total for the circuit, with the minority shareholder GetSpeed keeping a symbolic 1 percent.

Amid the Nurburgring's well-documented financial and ownership troubles, Germany fell off the Formula 1 calendar last year and is once again back in doubt for 2017.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said that he came close to buying the Nurburgring, but the then owners opted for another offer "for the sake of one or two million.”

"I think we can say for sure that there will not be a race [in 2017],” he told motorsport-magazin.com late last year.

Explaining the 2015 absence now, Kharitonin said: "We ourselves refused because they did not agree with the organisers on financial matters."

Kharitonin, however, claims that talks with Ecclestone will resume.

The BMW 228i will make its Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge competition debut in Saturday’s Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

JDC-Miller Motorsports joins the series with a car specially equipped with hand controls for the two-hour, 30-minute race. Michael Johnson, a former open-wheel driver who has been paralyzed since being injured in a motorcycle race at age 12, will co-drive with 2016 Rolex 24 At Daytona class winner Stephen Simpson in the yellow No. 54 Universal Coating BMW 228i. The car will compete in the Street Tuner (ST) class.

“I’m super excited that it’s finally coming together,” said Johnson, a 23-year-old resident of Flint, Mich. “I spent time with Stephen Simpson following his recent victory at Long Beach, and the team has a lot of good mojo going into the race. It’s fun to get back on the racetrack – my last race was last year at Mazda Raceway in Pro Mazda. It’s a fun track, and I always like going there.”

JDC-Miller Motorsports competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, currently leading the Prototype Challenge class with victories at Daytona and Long Beach.

The car is specialty-equipped with hand controls provided by GuidoSimplex. Due to Johnson being paralyzed from the waist down, his car has a sophisticated brake, gearshift, and throttle system—he presses a ring on the steering wheel forward to accelerate, then pulls another ring toward him to brake. The car was built by Burton Racing, the 2013 ST team champions.

NASCAR and Lixar, a technology company driven by mobile and data science innovation, announced a multi-year deal, designating the company as a preferred technology partner of NASCAR. Lixar specializes in mobile solutions for enterprise airline, automotive and travel clients and will work with NASCAR to enhance the guest experience at national series events, specifically related to garage access.
 
NASCAR’s Garage Access Program is a three-year initiative to enhance guests’ experience while visiting the garage. The initial steps of the project debuted during 2016 Daytona Speedweeks when NASCAR’s in-house credentialing and registration operations merged to form The Guest Fulfillment Center. Working with Lixar, NASCAR plans to integrate state-of-the-art technology that will make the credential process easier and faster.
 
“The Garage Access Program will modernize and streamline the NASCAR credentialing process, providing industry guests with a more intuitive, informative and convenient system,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “Lixar technology will deliver a large-scale customer interaction solution that will reshape the guest experience when it comes to accessing the garage at NASCAR events.”  
 
With the rapid evolution of mobile technology, Lixar specializes in connected product platforms and mobile-to-everything software solutions. Through personalized architecture, design, development, implementation, and support, Lixar will evolve the credential system and help push forward NASCAR’s renewed focus on improving the event experience.   
 
"Lixar is thrilled to be part of the NASCAR family and to have the opportunity to enhance the garage and at-track experience for NASCAR and its fans," said Bill Syrros, Lixar CEO.

Officials with the United States Auto Club (USAC), POWRi and ARDC Midget Series have jointly announced a rule that will unify engine platform-specific RPM limits in all sanctioned races, effective May 29, 2016. This commitment to RPM limits constitutes a three-year commitment, and any uniform limit modifications will be determined through ongoing data analysis obtained through actual on-track racing.

RPM limits are used in midget racing as a “throttle” to limit the expense of further development of current midget racing engine platforms, save money for car owners with increased time between engine maintenance cycles, and as a means to enable midget racing to welcome lower cost alternatives to current engine platforms in the future.

The initial RPM limits will be adopted from a USAC-sponsored study conducted by ILMOR Engineering and in use for the last four race seasons. These RPM limits can be found posted in the individual series rule books for USAC, POWRi and ARDC.

Throughout 2016, additional race data will be collected to further study equivalency power curves among the varying midget engine platforms, including pushrod and overhead cam configurations. This data will be used to determine if RPM limit modifications will be required.

Additionally, all entrants using an EFI-branded ignition must use the new EFI “R1” (Red) Ignition Box for all sanctioned races with USAC, POWRi and ARDC. The EFI R1 unit was designed specifically for midget racing and has a limited range of user interface which assures race officials adherence to RPM limit rules and eliminates traction control capabilities through the EFI module.

Registration for the 11th annual NASA Championships is now open and includes a new registration option for 2016 competitors.

The Championship tour will first visit historic Watkins Glen International Raceway in upstate New York, site of the 2016 Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires. The event will kick off September 22-25, 2016.

NASA then heads west to Buttonwillow Raceway Park in central California, home of the 2016 Western States Championships presented by Toyo Tires. The event is scheduled for October 13-16, 2016.

Interested parties are encouraged to visit www.nasachampionships.com to register for the NASA Championships.

Registration pages for each event can be found here:


Eastern States Championships – www.nasaproracing.com/events/2377  


Western States Championships – www.nasaproracing.com/events/2378

For an 18th season, IMCA drivers will be in the running for contingency awards from Holley Performance.

The Bowling Green, Kentucky, company is manufacturer of the official carburetor of IMCA and returns to the decal program for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars; drivers in that division must display two Holley decals to be eligible for national and regional point fund shares.

Holley again awards 750 cfm gas or al­cohol HP carburetors to top eligible drivers in each of the five Xtreme Motor Sports Modified regions. Prod­uct certificates valued at $350, $250, $100 and $100 go to the next four drivers.

Top three drivers in both Northern and Southern Stock Car regions earn 350 or 500 cfm carburetors. Fourth and fifth place drivers receive $100 product certificates and sixth through 10th place finishers each get $50 certificates.

Top eligible drivers based on national Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod and Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMod standings determine claim engine recipi­ents of 500 cfm carburetors or crate engine recipi­ents of 650 cfm carburetors.

Runners-up receive $175 cer­tificates, with $125 for third and $50 for both fourth and fifth.

Both the national IMCA Late Model rookie of the year and the Deery Brothers Summer Series rookie of the year get 4150 series gas carburetors.

Drivers in all five divisions must compete with Holley-manufactured carburetors to be eligible and proof of pur­chase may be required. Modified, Stock Car and SportMod drivers must return a sign-up form to the IMCA home of­fice by Aug. 1.

Awards will be presented during the national banquet in November or mailed beginning the following week from the IMCA home office.

Information about Holley-manufactured products is available by calling 866/464-6553 and at the www.holley.com web­site.

Stand 21 North America is closing the doors at its 3303 Harbor Drive facility, and has upgraded to new facilities with 2500 more square feet to better serve the North American racing community.

The company’s new location is 17882 Georgetown Lane, Huntington Beach, CA 92647.

Stand 21 was established in Dijon-France over 45 years ago by Yves Morizot. With 150 employees worldwide, Stand 21 products are hand-crafted within its own factories, and exceed the safety and medical standards required by the FIA, SFI, the Snell foundation and more.

For additional information, visit www.stand21na.com.

The inaugural Grand Prix of Boston IndyCar race is 130 days away and, according to the event's CEO, the time to question whether it will take place has passed.

"This race is happening," John Casey said. "We have had every timetable set forth before us. There's always obstacles. Man-made, non-man-made. With a big event like this in a big metropolitan city, we've met every obstacle, conquered every obstacle, and anything that comes up between now and September 2 we will conquer because we have the support of the state and the city and the majority of the population."

The Verizon IndyCar Series' debut race around Boston's Waterfront area has faced more scrutiny and negativity than any brand-new event in recent memory. Set for the weekend of Sept. 2-4, Casey believes the push-back has been more of a cultural norm than a specific reaction to the city's first street race.

"I'm a native Bostonian—I understand," he said. "I think if a promoter came in from outside of Boston and tried to do this they would've abandoned the effort a long time ago, but I understand the populace. People in Boston are starting to rally around this event.

"There's always going to be people who disagree; this is the nature of Boston and what makes Bostonians special. Remember, Boston is the home of the greatest universities in the world, some of the greatest intellects and ideas. With every intelligent person, they're going to have their own views, and whether it is right or wrong I think people dig in with their ideas and they hold onto them and they fight, they fight hard. That is the Boston way. Bostonians would boo a rainbow. It's just the nature of the citizens that love the city."

Casey says Boston's unsuccessful bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics fostered distrust within the city that remains today.

"The biggest hurdle for us is we are coming on the heels of a failed Olympic bid, which some of the major leaders of the city rallied around and tried to jam this down the throat of the city, of the citizens. And the citizens said, 'Hold on here, this doesn't make any sense.' It turned out it didn't make sense. It wasn't presented properly," he said.

"So we have taken a very pragmatic approach, more of a low-key approach. We've met our own challenges and questions head on. We're not going to rely on taxpayer money. When people say we haven't engaged the community, that is also a falsehood – we have engaged the community. We've taken feedback; we've made changes to the circuit. We've made changes to the layout (left), where the grandstands are. There will always be something to address because that is the nature of the city, and we're prepared for it."

Members of the Boston Grand Prix's leadership team, including Casey, traveled to California earlier this month to take notes from IndyCar's marquee Long Beach street race. Founded in 1975, the beachside event is the most successful North American street race and serves as a blueprint for startups like the Boston GP.

"We are following the model of Long Beach; they are the gold standard of the IndyCar Series," Casey said. "I think once we get the event in place they will see, as we saw in Long Beach, everybody is having a party. The community is fully engaged, and part of that is from the race being more than 40 years old. I would say that year one for us, the community will not be fully engaged.

"But, subsequent to that, they'll realize, the world didn't end, businesses enjoyed a nice windfall and the streets were put back the way they were. There wasn't that much interference in our daily lives. I am very confident that this is going to come off. We will continue to have challenges but we have come this far, we're not going to give up on anything."

Long Beach was started amid Southern California's rich automotive and racing culture, which helped the event grow and quickly take root. In a stick-and-ball town like Boston, overcoming the lack of hardcore familiarity with auto racing is among Casey's top priorities in the months and years ahead.

"I think, of the people that come to IndyCar, it will be different; being a native Bostonian, the only sports I knew growing up were baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and nothing else," he explained. "Part of what we're trying to do is educate the local population on what IndyCar is. The mayor himself kept referring to our event for three or four months as a NASCAR event. I would have done the same thing because we're just not as educated about IndyCar, but it's amazing to experience.

"I think when people realize what the sport is about and all that goes into it, it's not just a guy getting behind the wheel of a car and trying to race as fast as he can – there's a lot of strategy, a lot of teamwork, a lot of people with laptops monitoring their every move. I think the technology aspect of the racing is going to be very appealing to the Boston population, and the cars are highly sophisticated and so much faster than anything they've seen before. I'm confident the people of Boston will particularly enjoy this type of racing."

The International Speedway Corp. has named Joie Chitwood III has been promoted to chief operating officer of ISC.

Concurrently, the company announced that Chip Wile, president of Darlington Raceway, has been promoted to president of Daytona International Speedway to replace the outgoing Chitwood.

“Joie has played a tremendous role in the success of our flagship racetrack at Daytona Int’l Speedway since 2010,” said ISC CEO Lesa France Kennedy. “Most recently, his leadership of the DAYTONA Rising project, while simultaneously operating the facility, has demonstrated his operational acumen.”

Chitwood moves into the newly-formed role of COO following oversight of the company’s largest development to-date—the $400 million transformation of Daytona International Speedway into the world’s first motorsports stadium, along with the 2010 repave of the Speedway. In his new position, Chitwood will oversee ISC enterprise facility operations, along with strengthening key industry initiatives.

“Joie’s promotion is well deserved and reflects his achievements and increased role in the Company’s future,” said John Saunders, president of ISC. “He brings a distinct passion, creativity, and drive to this new role and we look forward to his contributions.”

Wile, promoter of one of NASCAR’s most successful events of the 2015 season—the Bojangles’ Southern 500, will transition from leadership of Darlington Raceway to president of Daytona International Speedway.  In just two years as president of Darlington Raceway, Wile transformed the facility’s identity and impact on and off the track. He spearheaded a five-year strategy to reinvent Darlington Raceway with an inaugural Throwback Campaign during NASCAR’s return to Darlington on Labor Day weekend, in addition to re-engaging the local community hosting nearly 15 annual events.

In his new role, Wile will oversee promotion and operation of the new motorsports stadium beginning with its first major event, the Country 500 over Memorial Day weekend, followed by the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola.

“Chip personifies the ideal track president being someone who values relationship building as the catalyst for collaboration and promotion,” said Kennedy. “He not only operates with a fan-first mentality, but is deeply community-focused and a real team player, all of which will serve him well in this new role.”

A replacement for Wile at Darlington Raceway has not yet been announced.