Hong Kong will be on the schedule for season three of the FIA Formula E Championship.

The Hong Kong ePrix will take place on October 9, 2016, subject to FIA track homologation. The 2km circuit will run between Lung Wo Road and the Star Ferry, with cars reaching speeds of up to 225kph (140mph).

Exactly one year from now the cars will hit the track for the Hong Kong ePrix with DHL, the championship’s Official Logistics Partner, delivering Formula E to the city’s Central district.

Announced at a press conference at the Central Harbourfront Event space along with the reigning Formula E champion Nelson Piquet Jr, Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag, said: “The Hong Kong ePrix will be one of the highlights on the FIA Formula E Championship calendar. As one of the most innovative, cutting-edge and fun-loving cities in the world, Hong Kong and Formula E share many of the same qualities. We look forward to bringing all the fun and entertainment of Formula E to this amazing city, and international motorsport back to Hong Kong.”

Lawrence Yu Kam-Kee, President of the Hong Kong Automobile Association (HKAA), the SAR’s official motorsport body and the driving force behind the project, said: “I would like to thank the Hong Kong Government, and particularly the Tourism Commission, for their support in helping to make the Hong Kong ePrix a reality. The street circuit will showcase our city to millions around the world, and demonstrate that Hong Kong can stage a major international event of the very highest caliber. The Hong Kong ePrix will be far more than a race; it will be a celebration for the entire community.”

* Power Hours: What does a daily columnist for The Washington Post have in common with a YouTube sensation? If you said both will be presenting dynamic seminars at the 2015 PRI Trade Show, well, you’re now eligible for our bonus round. You’re also in luck, because registered Trade Show attendees will be able to catch both presentations, free of charge, from 8–9 a.m. on Friday, December 11, and Saturday, December 12, at the Indiana Convention Center.

The first day of PRI-sponsored seminars leads off with Gene Marks, a bestselling author, weekly columnist for Forbes, Inc. Magazine and The Huffington Post, among others, and a frequent guest on MSNBC, Fox News and CNBC. Described as “energetic, informative and entertaining,” Marks’ presentation “The Next 2 Years: Your People” delves into some of the most important employee-related issues for today’s small to mid-sized businesses. He’ll explain how your company can locate the best people, keep employees motivated and productive, manage mobile workers, and much more. You’ll find him in Room 239.

Then on Saturday, buckle up as EricTheCarGuy (aka Eric Cook) explains how he managed to convert 20 years of experience as an ASE certified master technician into a YouTube channel with over 600,000 subscribers. In “EricTheCarGuy’s YouTube Experience And How It Can Benefit Performance Automotive Businesses” (catchy title, right?), Cook will share his keys for success while outlining how racing businesses can use video as a powerful, cost-effective marketing tool. Did we mention that his detailed repair clips have garnered over 100 million views since 2009? Check him out in Room 242.  

* Winning Connection: Congratulations to leading motorsports communications supplier Racing Electronics, which was recently acquired by in-venue content and information provider FanVision Entertainment. At the time of this writing there wasn’t much to report beyond the deal itself being consummated. However, it is worth noting that according to Andrew Daines, CEO of Fanvision, “motorsports is very important to FanVision, and RE is an integral part of that ecosystem. We love their technology, their know-how, and their approach to the business.”

It’s hard to argue with that assessment, especially after seeing RE’s operation up-close. Indeed, a few years back we had the opportunity to visit with Racing Electronics founder Bruce Silver, who is now president of motorsports for FanVision, at his company’s headquarters in Concord, North Carolina. It was an eye-opening experience, as Silver gave us a behind-the-scenes tour of RE’s shop that, quite honestly, felt more like a laboratory than your typical manufacturing space. A well-oiled machine, in fact, with each department working hand-in-glove to supply and service clients in NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, ARCA, and every type of short track imaginable. Combine that with FanVision’s innovation in event-based delivery of video, audio and information in real-time, and the future, you could say, has never looked—or sounded—better.              

* Juniors Race To Madera: More late-developing news, this time out of Central California, where officials at Madera Speedway announced last month their plans to launch an eight-race Jr. late Model Series for drivers aged 10 to 16 during the 2016 season. Promoter Kenny Shepherd said the idea had been marinating since 2007, “and it is now going to happen. This will give our racing youth a solid path that will provide major media coverage in motorsports.”

In terms of eligibility requirements, young racers must have prior racing experience (with resume), fall within the designated age range, and have his/her parent or guardian’s signed permission. As for the fun stuff, a relatively straightforward rulebook allows for several engine options, including a 602 crate, 604 crate, or any cast iron block wet sump engine; vehicles must weigh between 2850 and 3050 lbs., depending on the engine combo; and all competitors will race on Hoosier 8-inch tires and strictly all-steel shocks (though aluminum rod ends on the shaft end are OK). Races, Shepherd says, will consist of 50 laps—a pair of 25-lap segments with a break in between. Keep an eye out for updates at www.racemadera.com.      

Bobby Unser, three-time Indianapolis 500 Champion, will be in the FST Performance booth (# 2404) during the three days of the 2015 PRI Show in Indianapolis, Indiana, signing autographs and bench racing.

Unser attended PRI in 2013 with friend Rick Rollins of FST and enjoyed catching up with friends, checking out the latest in racing technologies, and bench racing with race fans, but was unable to attend last year. Be sure to stop by the booth for appearance times, and pick up an autographed poster.

Additionally, FST FILTER’S new RPM700 FUEL Filter was approved by NASCAR for use in competition in the Sprint Cup, Xfinity, Camping World truck, and all Touring series. The FloMax RPM700 is designed to be a high flow/low restriction system that filters down to 4 microns.

MAHLE Aftermarket Inc. has announced the appointment of Andreas Huber as general manager for MAHLE Service Solutions. Huber will report directly to MAHLE Aftermarket general manager Jon Douglas.

Huber will be based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and responsible for MAHLE Service Solutions, which specializes in the development, manufacturing and distribution of automotive services, tools and maintenance equipment, including air conditioning service, fluid exchange and nitrogen tire inflation systems. This includes TechPRO, a new diagnostic scan tool previewed at AAPEX 2014.

“Andreas brings strong leadership skills to his new role with MAHLE and a deep knowledge of the design, development and marketing of automotive diagnostic tools,” said Douglas. “He comes to us at a critical time as we develop our diagnostics portfolio and continue to provide shop equipment innovations to help technicians be even more productive.”

Before joining MAHLE Aftermarket, Huber was the director of system design and product management at Harman Becker. He spent nearly 13 years at Robert Bosch GmbH and Robert Bosch LLC where he served in a variety of engineering and business solutions roles.

“MAHLE has a worldwide presence that supports the technician segment with innovative tools and equipment,” said Huber. “It is an honor to join the division at this crucial time in the development of TechPRO, as we integrate diagnostics into the core offerings of the division.”

In addition to the high-quality products offered through its Service Solutions division, MAHLE Aftermarket provides a comprehensive and well-developed service network to ensure quick and professional technical support and training for repair shops.

The International Council of Motorsport Sciences has announced the schedule for their Annual Congress in December. Registration for the Congress is available now. The Congress begins on Wednesday, December 8 at the Indiana Convention Center with opening remarks at 8:55 a.m.

“This year, we are pleased to announce some additions to our Annual Congress,” said Don Andrews, Executive Director of the International Council of Motorsport Sciences. “We continue to offer a wide range of scientific sessions for those interested in motorsport medicine, science and education. The 2015 Congress will offer, for the first time, practical training sessions and race track safety demonstrations. We are thrilled to offer these additional educational opportunities for our attendees.”

The ICMS Annual Congress 2015 will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis,  December 8–11, 2015. The advance program, conference schedule and registration are now available. To register for the Friday only Race Track Safety Program, a separate registration form is to be completed.

For the full schedule and any other information, visit http://www.icmsmotorsportsafety.org/.

The International Council of Motorsport Sciences is an association of medical, scientific and educational professionals and other interested persons concerned with the improvement of performance and safety in motorsport. The ICMS is a non-profit organization and has members interested in all forms of motorsport including open wheel, stock car, drag racing, sports car, powerboat, karting,  off-road racing, rallying, truck/tractor pull, motorcycle and any other competition using motor power and drivers.

Legislation (HR 3668) has been introduced in the US Congress to create five new national off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation areas in the California Desert (Spangler Hills, El Mirage, Rasor, Dumont Dunes, and Stoddard Valley). Under the bill, off-road enthusiasts would have access to over 60,000 additional acres of land. The “California Minerals, Off-Road Recreation, and Conservation Act” would also designate Johnson Valley as a National OHV Recreation Area and expand it by nearly 20,000 acres.

• HR 3668 offers a balanced approach to protecting, managing, and using the desert and forest areas in San Bernardino and Imperial Counties.

• HR 3668 prevents the president from designating national monuments within OHV and Special Management areas created and expanded in this legislation.

• HR 3668 preserves a total of 300,000 acres of the California desert for off-roading and expands OHV recreation areas by over 60,000 acres.

• HR 3668 expands the Johnson Valley OHV Recreation Area by nearly 20,000 acres and provides it National status.

• HR 3688 affords additional protections to OHV users, ensures that OHV recreational areas cannot be closed administratively, and it creates the first system of National OHV Recreation Areas in the US.

Contact your US Representative immediately to request their support for HR 3668.

Or email a copy of your letter to Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org and forward this Alert to your fellow off-road enthusiasts. Urge them to join the SAN and help defend the hobby!

The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge has put 12 events in the books for 2015. Throughout these events, held from Florida to California, 40 teams have qualified to compete for the Engine Challenge National Championship. In order to qualify, these teams, comprised solely of high school students, must complete a performance engine rebuilt in less than 35 minutes. These 40 teams have now advanced to the semi-finals.

Twenty-three of these teams will compete in the first round of semi-final competition, held at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, November 3-6. A second round of semi-final competition will be held at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show, December 10-12, with the remaining teams competing there.
 
In 2014, Hot Rodders of Tomorrow converted to a Dual Championship format where the top two SEMA teams face the top two PRI teams in an epic showdown. With the success of this new format, Hot Rodders has expanded the amount of teams from four to eight, in 2015.

Rancho Alamitos High School of Garden Grove, California, qualified with Team Aeroquip coming in at a time of 25 minutes and 21 seconds and Team Scorpion Racing with a time of 26 minutes and 4 seconds. Rancho Alamitos Coach David Le is thrilled to be a part of the Engine Challenge Dual Championship. He sees first-hand the benefits that the Engine Challenge provides.
 
“Not only is the Engine Challenge beneficial to our students, it is beneficial to our city and the future automotive program,” Le explained. “Until we started competing, automotive wasn’t a sought after class. We’ve only focused on kids graduating and passing their classes, not figuring out that what keeps these kids in school are these [extracurricular] classes. On top of that, these kids have the amazing opportunity to travel across the country to compete and meet students from other schools and states. It opens up their world. Some of these kids’ parents never went to college and they’re stuck making minimum wage, and that’s all these kids ever see. The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow program opens new doors to them. It really gives value to our schools.”

A total of 3.8 million dollars in scholarships opportunities will be available to the teams competing in the Dual Championship. The University of Northwestern Ohio, Ohio Technical College and the School of Automotive Machinists are all returning college sponsors.
 
SEMA President, Chris Kersting, supports the efforts of Hot Rodders of Tomorrow and feels the Engine Challenge provides value to the industry as a whole. He stated, “Hot Rodders of Tomorrow demonstrates that even in the age of video games and non-stop phone messaging, if you give young people a shot at hands-on action in the automotive realm, they will jump at the opportunity! SEMA is pleased to be able to support this great program that provides lessons in auto-mechanics and teamwork while helping kids with their education and career options.”
 
“We are excited to have so many teams qualified for the 2015 Dual Championship,” added Rodney Bingham of Hot Rodders of Tomorrow. “We are truly blessed to be able to help so many students get scholarships for them to change their lives!”

Kentucky Trailer, a manufacturer of custom trailers and truck bodies, announced that they have acquired Smit Mobile Equipment B.V. and Smit Mobile Equipment (UK) Ltd. Based in the Netherlands, Smit BV is an established, global provider of specialty trailers and mobile solutions to the medical sector, including mobile and relocatable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET/CT) products. Smit UK is a service organization located in the United Kingdom. 



“By leveraging the combined capabilities of Smit and Kentucky Trailer, we are strengthening our commitment to the mobile medical market and advancing our goal of delivering exceptional custom design, build and service solutions for the specialty trailer, custom transport and mobilized business markets,” commented Gary A. Smith, Sr., President and Chief Executive Officer of Kentucky Trailer. “Together, we will be able to offer more comprehensive global solutions to our original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and mobile medical imaging service provider partners worldwide.”



Gerben Smit, President and Chief Executive Officer of Smit, stated, “As a company that traces its roots back to 1750, it is very exciting for Smit to become part of a company that has its own long and accomplished history and that shares our dedication to excellence in all aspects of product design, manufacturing and customer service. We are excited to combine the strengths of our businesses and capitalize on the significant opportunities resulting from this transaction.”


The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series has unveiled an aggressive 2016 event schedule, which includes 47 events at 31 different venues across 19 states. The 2016 schedule will feature 13 events that will pay $12,000-to-win, along with 12 crown jewel events that will pay $20,000-to-win (or more).

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will once again kick off its season with a tripleheader at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga. The Georgia Boot “Super Bowl of Racing” will open on Thursday, February 4 with a $7,000-to-win program. The action on Friday, February 5 will be highlighted by a $10,000-to-win event, before capping off the weekend with $15,000-to-win finale on Saturday, Feb. 6.

From there, the series will travel to East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Florida. The 40th annual Winternationals will get underway with an open practice on Sunday, Feb. 7. Racing action will begin on Monday, Feb. 8—followed by six straight nights of racing, concluding on Saturday, Feb. 13.

“We want to welcome three new venues in 2016: Boyd’s Speedway in Ringgold, Ga., East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala., and Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. We’d like to thank all of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series track promoters who see the value in our events. With their support, we’re able to raise all the Saturday events to a minimum of $12,000-to-win/$1,000-to-start in 2016,” stated Assistant Series Director Rick Schwallie.

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction some of most prestigious dirt late model events of the season, including the Bad Boy 98 ($20,000-to-win); Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 ($30,000-to-win); Ralph Latham Memorial ($30,000-to-win); Clash at the Mag ($20,000-to-win); Silver Dollar Nationals ($40,000-to-win); Sunoco North/South 100 ($50,000-to-win); COMP Cams Topless 100 ($40,000-to-win); Hillbilly Hundred ($25,000-to-win); Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals ($40,000-to-win); Pittsburgher 100 ($20,000-to-win); and the season finale – Dirt Track World Championship ($100,000-to-win).

2016 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Schedule

Dates – Venue – Location

Feb. 4-6 – Golden Isles Speedway – Brunswick, Ga.

Feb. 8-13 – East Bay Raceway Park – Gibsonton, Fla.

March 18 – Atomic Speedway – Chillicothe, Ohio

March 19 – Brownstown Speedway – Brownstown, Ind.

April 1 – Boyd’s Speedway – Ringgold, Ga.

April 2 – East Alabama Motor Speedway – Phenix City, Ala.

April 15-16 – Batesville Motor Speedway – Batesville, Ark.

April 23 – Hagerstown Speedway – Hagerstown, Md.

April 29 – Tri-City Speedway – Granite City, Ill.

April 30 – Macon Speedway – Macon, Ill.

May 20 – Oshkosh Speedzone Raceway – Oshkosh, Wis.

May 21 – LaSalle Speedway – LaSalle, Ill.

May 26-28 – Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, Mo.

June 3 – Tazewell Speedway – Tazewell, Tenn.

June 4 – Florence Speedway – Union, Ky.

June 16-18 – Magnolia Motor Speedway – Columbus, Miss.

July 1 – 201 Speedway – Sitka, Ky.

July 2 – Portsmouth Raceway Park – Portsmouth, Ohio

July 3 – Muskingum County Speedway – Zanesville, Ohio

July 7 – Fayetteville Motor Speedway – Fayetteville, N.C.

July 8 – Cherokee Speedway – Gaffney, S.C.

July 9 – Smoky Mountain Speedway – Maryville, Tenn.

July 15 – Tri-City Speedway – Granite City, Ill.

July 16 – Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, Mo.

July 21-23 – I-80 Speedway – Greenwood, Neb.

Aug. 11-13 – Florence Speedway – Union, Ky.

Aug 18-20 – Batesville Motor Speedway – Batesville, Ark.

Aug. 26 – Ponderosa Speedway – Junction City, Ky.

Aug. 27 – Lawrenceburg Speedway – Lawrenceburg, Ind.

Sept. 2 – Attica Raceway Park – Attica, Ohio

Sept. 3 – Portsmouth Raceway Park – Portsmouth, Ohio

Sept. 4 – I-77 Raceway Park – Ripley, W.Va.

Sept. 15-17 – Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, Iowa

Sept. 23-24 – Brownstown Speedway – Brownstown, Ind.

Oct. 1 – Dixie Speedway – Woodstock, Ga.

Oct. 2 – Rome Speedway – Rome, Ga.

Oct. 7-8 – Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway – Imperial, Pa.

Oct. 14-15 – Portsmouth Raceway Park – Portsmouth, Ohio

Porsche will again contest the highest level of US sports car racing in 2016.

The Porsche North America squad will campaign two 911 RSR at the qq rounds of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (2015 still the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship), the most important sports car race series in the US and Canada. The season gets underway with the 24 Hours of Daytona on January 30.

In the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Porsche claimed all three GT titles for the first time. Scoring overall victory at Petit Le Mans, the first in the history of this championship for a GT vehicle against significantly more powerful and lighter sports prototypes, the German manufacturer succeeded in its title defense at the final round of the 2015 season last Saturday on the storied Road Atlanta track.

“The US is the most important sports car market for Porsche,” said Porsche Head of Motorsport Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser. “We take on the challenge of defending the titles we won this year in the 2016 season and continue to trust the excellent work done by our race team Porsche North America.”