Racecraft & Driver Development Roundup for October 10, 2022

Racing is expensive so any opportunity to defray those costs is always welcome. In this week’s edition of the Racecraft & Driver Development Roundup, I highlight several Racing Scholarship Opportunities that you should check out.

In addition to the Scholarship Opportunities, there is Racecraft advice from people such as renowned experts Ross Bentley and Samir Abid, a road racing helmet buyers guide, and a preseason workout program you can participate in. All this plus three more Driver Snapshots that you can take inspiration from.

I want to make it clear that I do not get any financial incentive from any of the services featured in the Racecraft & Driver Development Roundup. If there is any financial remuneration involved between Motorsport Prospects and a service featured on the site, it will be clearly indicated in the interest of full transparency.

So, let’s get going with this week’s Racecraft & Driver Development news racers can use.

Racecraft Tips & Techniques

Racecraft & Driver Development Roundup for October 10, 2022
  • In the video above, Samir Abid of Your Data Driven explains how telemetry data can help you drive faster. Make sure you also check out the links on the YouTube page. “Where do you start with motorsports data? Is it even worth it? All you want is to drive faster so how can squiggly lines on a page make any difference? In this brief video I show you how I use data to help me piece together a lap. By knowing how to determine what works and what doesn’t work, you will hopefully gain an appreciation of how data can help you drive faster.”
  • In Grassroots Motorsports, J.G. Pasterjak explains the 6 driving fundamentals I wish I could explain to a younger me. “If only I could go back 30 years. Once my time machine gets finished, as soon as I’m done collecting Infinity Stones and buying Apple stock, I’d head to whatever track a younger, likely mulleted me is circling and share the following driving tips. They would have gotten me up to speed sooner.”
  • Grassroots Motorsports has also reprinted a 2015 article on how to tackle your first track day. “If you’ve never done a track event before, this is the year you should give it a go. Programs like the SCCA’s new Track Night in America driven by Tire Rack can make taking this leap easier than ever. Track events are a great way to enjoy your car at speed while hanging out with like-minded individuals. Just be warned that they can become an addiction.”

Driver Development News & Resources

Scholarship Opportunities

Racecraft & Driver Development Roundup for October 10, 2022

Racing is expensive but scholarships offer a way to cover those costs if you can prove you have what it takes both on and off the track. Here are a few scholarships that are currently available for you to look into.

  • Lucas Oil School of Racing is again presenting their 4th Annual Scholarship Shootout. “Want a chance to earn a $80,000 Scholarship for a FULL SEASON racing our 2023 Formula Car Race Series? For the 4th year, we are inviting the best young drivers to try their hands at racing a real formula car in our challenging two day Scholarship Shootout Presented By Cooper Tires. Do you have what it takes to take the top step and claim the $80,000 grand prize to race a FULL SEASON in our Formula Car Race Series? As a reminder, hopeful candidates must successfully pass our Basic Racing School to be eligible.” More information can be found here.
Racecraft & Driver Development Roundup for October 10, 2022
  • The Software AG ERA Championship has also teamed up with Racing Pride to offer an additional driver scholarship for 2023. “The Software AG ERA Championship and Racing Pride are teaming up to offer a scholarship worth approximately 150,000 euros for an LGBTQ+ driver aged 16+ to compete in the 2023 Software AG ERA Championship. The application deadline for candidates to express interest in the Racing Pride Scholarship is 23:59 GMT on Sunday 16th October 2022. More information and how to apply can be found here. Shortlisted candidates for the scholarship will be invited to attend an assessment day at Zolder on Monday 31st October 2022. The assessment day will involve practice media interviews and assessments, simulator driving, and on-track sessions with the ERA Championship car. All of the drivers at the assessment day will receive constructive coaching and feedback. Drivers will be judged not just on their outright pace and current driving ability, but also their response to coaching, the quality of their feedback to the team, their performance in media assessments and interviews, and their potential to be a positive ambassador representing the values of Racing Pride and of ERA.”
  • Championship winning race team The Heart of Racing is looking for a female driver to place in their 2023 GT4 race car. “By submitting an application, you are entering the search. Each candidate will be reviewed and considered by Heart of Racing. Select applicants will be invited to our two-day shootout in November where they will go head-to-head on the track where one lucky lady will earn her spot as a driver for our GT4 teams.” Full details and to apply can be found here.
  • Finally, while not a traditional scholarship or shootout, a Female Driver Search is underway for a 2023 Kelly Moss Porsche Carrera Cup North America Seat. “Kelly Moss, based in Madison, WI, has extended invitations to twelve women with proven race talent from around the globe for a chance at a coveted Porsche Carrera Cup North America seat. Their invitation requires each applicant to submit the necessary information for the committee to narrow the field to a top four. The committee is pleased to have oversight by 1992 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, 24 Hours of Daytona (twice) and 12 Hours of Sebring winner Lyn St. James, and also includes the owners of Kelly Moss, Victoria Thomas and Andy Kilcoyne, Race Manager Ken Swan, Team Manager Will Alexander, Data Engineer Alex Stone and Pro class race-winning driver Riley Dickinson.”

More Driver Development News and Resources

Racecraft & Driver Development Roundup for October 10, 2022
  • NASCAR has announced that it has partnered with the United States Auto Club to rebrand the USAC.25 Series into the NASCAR Youth Series. The quarter midget championship will run a nine-race schedule in 2023 at tracks that currently host NASCAR national series events. “We are extremely excited about this new venture with USAC,” commented Senior Vice President of NASCAR’s Chief Track Properties Office and Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile. “We feel the NASCAR Youth Series will provide aspiring drivers and their families a platform to both showcase their talents along with providing the entire family memories that will last a lifetime at our facilities. The drivers will not only fiercely compete on the track but will get an opportunity to be a part of NASCAR’s event weekend in a memorable way. Some of today’s NASCAR Cup Series stars cut their teeth in the NASCAR Youth Series and are now battling for the Bill France Cup. The future is bright.”
  • NASCAR has also unveiled Advance Auto Parts as the title sponsor of their Drive for Diversity Combine. The NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program was created in 2004 to develop and train ethnically diverse and female drivers both on and off the track. Nascar Cup Series drivers Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suárez and Kyle Larson are alumni of the program, which is operated by Rev Racing in Concord, North Carolina. “This program has been advancing careers for many years, with so many talented drivers getting the opportunity to showcase their abilities,” said Jason McDonell, Advance’s executive vice president of merchandising, marketing and ecommerce. “Increasing diverse representation within the motorsports community is paramount, and our Advance team is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Nascar to create a pipeline for tomorrow’s racing stars.”
  • British Touring Car Championship Chief Executive Alan Gow has expressed his desire to find a ‘significant new junior series’ to join the TOCA package from the 2024 campaign. “We want to introduce a top-level junior series to the TOCA package from 2024 onwards,” he said. “I should note that we are not talking about an already existing series. We are looking for something fresh, new and exciting to bring to the most popular and high-profile motorsport package in the UK.”
Road Racing Helmet
  • Winding Road Magazine kooks at the 10 best auto racing helmets with their updated 2022 buyers guide. “Whether you are road racing, doing a track day, running autocross, driving circle track or participating in High-Performance Driver Education, you need a helmet. But it can be confusing when it comes to actually buying one. There are a lot of choices and sometimes the differences aren’t obvious. To give you some help, we recently reviewed over 50 helmets from Bell, Stilo, Arai, B2, and Zamp. That isn’t every helmet on the market, but it is close.”
  • MotiV8 Training has launched their annual Pre-Season Training Program and it starts November 1st 2022. What is included?
    • 12 week personalised fitness program via our app (home-based or gym)
    • Cardio / reaction training resources
    • Mindset activities
    • Nutritional guidelines
    • Mini Challenges
    • Weekly lives with special experts and to get your questions answered!
  • F1 Feeder Series notes that there is an increasing amount of criticism from teams on the changes made to the Indy Lights advancement money now being paid to the series winner. “At the same time, there’s also a plenty left to be desired. F1 Feeder Series reported last month that the fallout from the winner’s banquet has been messy. When it became clear that 2022 champion Linus Lundqvist would only receive $500,000 instead of the usual $1.2 million – less than what Louis Foster earned with his Indy Pro 2000 title – frustration reigned. Several teams expressed their displeasure and Lights leadership now has a problem to fix if it doesn’t want to stunt its own growth.”

Driver Snapshots

Learning from the experience of others is key to succeeding in any walk of life and racing is no different. In Driver Snapshots, I will feature the experiences of various drivers where you can get some perspective on what they have gone through (and continue to go through) as they work to make their motorsport careers happen. I hope you can take some lessons from these experiences and apply them to your own motorsport careers.

Chris Overend

Racecraft & Driver Development Roundup for October 10, 2022

Chris Overend is a handicapped racing driver competing in the real world for Team BRIT. The team has the aim to become the first all-handicapped team competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours. In 2022, Chris Overend has joined Esports Team WRT in the World eX Championship. Find out more about Chris in a quick talk with him in the video above.

Abbie Eaton

Racecraft & Driver Development Roundup for October 10, 2022

In a special edition of their In Conversation episodes, the BritCham Singapore podcast interviews W Series race driver Abbie Eaton. “Abbie talked with our Executive Director, David Kelly about her driving journey, the obstacles she has faced including her back-breaking racing injury last October, and the success that comes with hard work and commitment.” You can listen here.

Aron Canet

Racecraft & Driver Development Roundup for October 10, 2022

Moto2 front-runner Aron Canet claims that he has been rejected by certain teams because of his heavily tattooed body. “It turns out that we were in negotiations with several teams of various categories and some rejected me because I wore tattoos and more nonsense. And outside the paddock I have also been crossed out as things without knowing me, because of my image. I can understand that I like reggaeton and another likes hard rock, but that’s why I don’t treat him worse or I’m going to discriminate against him. What I want to make clear is that by having tattoos you are not a worse person or a bad person, far from it. You are the same person.”

Mark Boudreau
Author: Mark Boudreau

Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a former lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.