Get ready for the Mustang Challenge in 2024 as Ford has announced a new one-make series sanctioned by IMSA that will debut in 2024.

Not only will there be a new Mustang racing series, but Ford have also debuted the 2024 Mustang Dark Horse joining track-ready cars from Maserati and Nissan for 2024.

I also look at the latest race series developments as well as an appeal for rookie disabled race drivers by UK Team BRIT for the 2024 C1 season.

All this and more racecraft advice in this week’s edition of the Racecraft & Race Cars Roundup on Motorsport Prospects.

Racecraft Tips & Techniques

On-Track

Some more great stuff from Ross Bentley of Speed Secrets this week.

Is his weekly Ask Ross column he answers the question, what driving technique changes should I make when driving on a newly-resurfaced race track?

Ross has also announced the debut of SpeedSecrets.ai, your instant, personal performance driving coach at your fingertips. “Discover the power of our AI-driven driving coach, designed to push your driving to new heights. Whether you’re new to the sport of track driving, a veteran of the sport, amateur or pro race driver, autocrosser, or sim racer, our cutting edge and unique tool is tailored to help you excel on the real or digital track.”

This week in the paid edition of Terence Dove’s On Racing Drivers newsletter he looks at Freaky talent alien drivers – what do they do differently? “I’ve worked with a few drivers with extra-terrestrial powers who, at the time, were fascinating to work with. However, the aliens are VERY useful to you, a human racing driver, with the potential to make of yourself a real masterpiece.”

Grassroots Motorsports looks at how to quickly and easily find speed from those data traces. “All the squiggly lines in the world mean nothing if you’re not taking the time to decipher them and turn that info into a plan.”

Off-Track

Get Ready for the Mustang Challenge in 2024

The Alpine website talks to F1 driver Esteban Ocon’s performance coach Tom Clark about, amongst other things, dealing with jet lag. “The ways in which you want to tackle jet lag are in your preparation, and in your behaviour and the way you approach it rather than, say, a pill to fix things. Seeing people adopt those strategies when we are at the airport – maybe pulling out light blocking glasses as an example – is really encouraging. With the way the sport is going, with more and more races each season, and big jumps between time zones, it’s good to see people are being more wary of it.”

Race Car & Series Developments

Ford Performance and IMSA have announced that the Mustang Challenge, a single-make racing series featuring the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, will debut next year. The schedule will consist of six race weekends, each with a pair of sprint races for a total of 12 races throughout the season.

“Mustang Dark Horse R bridges the gap between Dark Horse and Mustang GT3 and GT4,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “Production-based Mustangs have raced from the very beginning, all the way back to winning the 1964 Tour de France, even. Dark Horse R offers our passionate customers not just an attainable, factory-built race car, but also a racing series to compete with other Mustang enthusiasts.”

The Sports Prototype Cup has announced that the final races of the 2023 season will take place at the legendary Le Mans circuit on November 10 – 12. The Le Mans event will take place on the Bugatti circuit, known for hosting world championships such as MotoGP. The Sports Prototype Cup has been invited by the French Trophee Tourisme Endurance series, ensuring a shared full grid of prototypes competing across three races. An additional endurance style race is included in the event, as our eleventh race of the year.

Motorsport Australia has confirmed that it will abolish its endorsement of the Superlicence from the start of next year.

“The Board today considered and discussed a recommendation put forward by the Australian Motor Racing Commission (AMRC). Following those deliberations, the Board resolved to no longer require Supercars drivers to hold a Superlicence from the start of next year,” confirmed Eugene Arocca, Motorsport Australia CEO. “This decision follows recent changes to the power-to-weight requirements and age limits imposed on those seeking to obtain a Circuit licence. Those requirements did not exist when the Superlicence was introduced, therefore the Board is comfortable that these restrictions effectively ensure that only qualified drivers of the right age will be able to apply for and receive an International Circuit Licence, in line with FIA requirements.”

“The Superlicence was always a free endorsement for Australian drivers on their existing licence, so this will not require Supercars drivers to make any changes in 2024 and beyond as current drivers will already hold an International Circuit Licence and can simply renew as normal. New drivers can apply for an International Circuit Licence via the Motorsport Australia website or by contacting our membership team.”

Motorsport Australia has also issued a Targa update. “Motorsport Australia continues to work with other event promoters to ensure Targa style tarmac rallies can be sanctioned on the basis that they will implement the Targa Review Panel’s recommendations, which are the result of one of the most comprehensive and detailed safety reviews conducted in the sport.”

The ADAC 24h Nürburgring joins Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli next season. “The announcement, made at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours on Spa on July 1, was met with universal enthusiasm by teams, drivers, manufacturers and fans, but also raised some key questions about how the race and its promoter will work together with IGTC’s organiser, SRO Motorsports Group.” Ahead of last weekend’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS round at the Nurburgring, SRO’s founder and CEO, Stephane Ratel, answered some questions about what to expect.

The ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA has announced that it will continue to be part of TOCA’s British Touring Car Championship support package until the end of 2026.

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive: “Being on the TOCA package is very much part of the DNA of British F4. Our drivers really appreciate showcasing their skills both to a massive free-to-air terrestrial TV audience at home and in front of the enormous crowds that BTCC and the support package generate. The benefit of the reach and profile of the TOCA package, combined with a festival atmosphere at each and every round is very special. It made sense to be able to announce the continuity of the package for the next three years and give certainty for our teams, championship partners and prospective drivers alike.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing North America’s GR Cup Series is going high-tech to deepen ties between drivers and fans. Leveraging the expertise of software and data services company Toyota Connected North America (TCNA), the GR Cup Series has created personalized digital trophies via polygon blockchain that display driver statistics, podium finishes, finishing position and lap times in a sharable package that updates after every race weekend.

Track Days

According to Road & Track, the Nürburgring has a problem with traffic jams. Since the second entrance at Breidscheid was closed during a shift to a pandemic-era contactless system, drivers entering and exiting the ‘Ring during touristenfahrten public lapping sessions have found themselves stuck in long lines on the long Döttinger Höhe straight. A new public rest area planned for turn 13 should alleviate that starting next month.

With the announcement of the Ford Mustang Challenge (see above), Ford has announced the 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Here are some of the reviews.

Maserati has announced that the Project24 is being renamed the MCXtrema, with a full reveal coming on August 18 at The Quail during Monterey Car Week. Maserati has also clarified that the MCXtrema will now be rated at 730 hp instead of the 740-hp figure that was previously quoted. Maserati also said all 62 examples have already been spoken for.

The brand new 2024 Nissan Z Nismo has debuted with 420 Horsepower and track-focused aero. And if you are wondering why there is no manual option, it all comes down to customer demand. “With Nissan, any product we’re conceptualizing always starts with the customer,” Hawson said. “Our process is that way. So the customers we talked to, when it comes to the Nismo, they were track-oriented people. These are people that are concerned about lap times, they’re not concerned about the nostalgia for Z. We have something for that. It’s the Z. This one, in particular, is lap time and performance, and it is faster. If you benchmark it, look at other manufacturers that are making sports cars, a lot of them are two-pedal now. Even the upper grade, performance versions are two-pedal because it is faster.”

Racing Opportunities

Team BRIT are looking for disabled rookie racing drivers for 2024. This is directly from the team via their LinkedIn page.

WANTED!
DISABLED ROOKIE RACING DRIVERS FOR 2024
Our first season in the C1 Series has been a huge success!

Our rookies have enjoyed racing at tracks like Silverstone, Donington and Oulton Park for races from 4hrs to 24hrs. This has given them loads of seat time to build up their racing skills and experience. Two of our rookies now have serious racing ambitions, and are looking at stepping up to race in our BMW M240i next season!

We are on the lookout for the next batch of C1 rookies who are interested in racing in the full 2024 C1 season. Check out the C1 Championship website…https://c1racing.club/

If you’re interested, please check out our Route to Racing info on our website so you can get a clearer understanding of the process and costs of racing. https://lnkd.in/er-5K8zs

Note: Motorsport is expensive and there are no grants or charity funding – there is no free racing. We support our drivers by teaching them how to go about seeking sponsorship, which is hard work but all other racing drivers have to endure this and are successful.

If we still haven’t put you off the idea and you’re seriously interested in going racing, drop us an email at info@teambrit.co.uk!

We look forward to hearing from you!

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.