This week in the Racecraft and Race Cars Roundup you will learn how to make the most out of a test day. You will also get tips on racing on the rain and more.
In Race Series news you will learn about the fallout from the Dubai 24 Hours date change, the path to the SCCA Runoffs and grassroots racing with FARA.
All this and more in this week’s edition of the Racecraft and Race Cars Roundup on Motorsport Prospects. Its news racers can use.
Racecraft Tips & Techniques
On-Track
Ross Bentley has posted a lot of great racecraft tips and advice over the holidays so here is a New Year’s selection of more great stuff from the founder of Speed Secrets.
First, Ross answers the question of whether it is better to have understeer or oversteer when I enter a corner too fast?
Second, he has compiled a list of books he recommends that a race driver should read.
Third, he will be having a free, online Q&A chalktalk session on Sunday, January 7th, 2024. I usually have a couple of ideas for content, but I mostly just answer your questions, and questions from others who are taking part. I’ve been told that hearing the questions and answers that other participants generate is part of what makes this fun and valuable, so even if you don’t have a specific question, join in (I’ll bet that what someone else asks will trigger a question in your mind, too). One of the highlights for me from these chalktalks is how the Speed Secrets community gets together (as much as possible online), and shares their own thoughts, answers and comments in the Chat section of the webinar platform. I’m looking forward to that, once again.
You do need to register, though, so please go to https://event.webinarjam.com/channel/SSChalktalk24 and reserve a spot. It takes place Sunday, January 7, 2024 at 11:00am Pacific/2:00pm Eastern.
Fourth, Ross has a great 3-part 2017 series on how to make the most out of a track day. You can find the posts below:
- Speed Secrets: How To Make The Most Out Of A Test Day – Part 1
- Speed Secrets: How To Make The Most Out Of A Test Day – Part 2
- Speed Secrets: How To Make The Most Out Of A Test Day – Part 3
Finally, Ross reviews the Garmin Catalyst.
Grassroots Motorsports explains how they turned their autocrossing MX-5 into a time trials champion.
Pro driver Tanner Foust is no stranger to wet conditions and shares his tips and tricks for finding grip in the rain in the video above.
On Racing Drivers by Terence Dove explains how to deal with super-stubborn defensive drivers. “What is the right way to deal with drivers who defend too aggressively?”
In the episode of the Optimum Drive Podcast presented by TFLtalk above, host, ex stig and author of Optimum Drive, Paul Gerrard, talks with Peter Krause, a multi-championship winning racing driver and professional driver coach!
Off-Track
In a high-speed corner, the gravitational forces drivers experience can make their helmeted heads weigh up to five times more than normal. Antti Kontsas, Hintsa’s Head of Performance for Motorsport and former coach to Sebastian Vettel, visited the F1 Explains podcast to discuss the importance of neck strength and the extreme physical demands that F1 drivers face.
Listen to the full episode by clicking here.
Race Car & Series Developments
In the video above, witness the exciting beginning of the Mustang GT3’s journey, as Ford preparea for its inaugural season at the world’s most challenging endurance races. Experience the trials and triumphs of our team in diverse conditions, laying the groundwork for a legendary racing legacy at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and beyond.
The postponement of the 2024 Dubai 24 Hours to the same weekend as the Rolex 24 has caused some concern and confusion amongst teams. A newly updated entry list shows that six teams have had to reduce their participation.
It’s time to start thinking about the 2024 Summit Racing Equipment SCCA® Road Racing season – and for many, the coming season is imminent. The 2024 U.S. Majors Tour kicks off on Jan. 5-7 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour beginning just one week later at Sebring International Raceway. Those with their eyes on the 2024 National Championship Runoffs® – taking place Sept. 28-Oct. 6 at Elkhart Lake’s Road America – should already be knee deep in race prep. Which classes will be invited to the 2024 Runoffs, and how do racers qualify for SCCA’s massive winner-take-all National Championship road race? Here are the details.
“Aside from the previously-announced discontinuation of the SCCA Pro Racing path to the Runoffs, drivers hoping to attend the 2024 Runoffs will find the qualification criteria very similar to last year,” said SCCA Director of Road Racing Deanna Flanagan. “Like in the past, there will be multiple paths to a Runoffs invitation, allowing racers to qualify in the way that makes the most sense for their racing program. Classes will look the same as 2023 as well, with the exception of Spec MX-5 (SMX) being a full National Championship Runoffs class.”
Wheel-to-wheel racing has a lot of barriers to entry, be it proper safety equipment, the right race car or securing the correct competition license. As a way to lower those barriers to road racing, the SCCA has introduced the SCCA Race Experience, a new program “focused on providing enthusiasts an opportunity to engage in SCCA wheel-to-wheel road racing at lower peak levels of performance and pressure than SCCA Road Racing events, all the while focusing on education and the best overall experience.”
You can read more about it at Grassroots Motorsports here.
Grassroots Motorsports looks at how FARA aims to bring thrill of pro racing to the grassroots level.
“Why do I need to spend so much to get recognition?” That’s the question David Tuaty, one owner of FARA, asked before he and Jose de las Casa took over the Miami-based sanctioning body in late 2022. Long known for open-wheel cars and exotics, FARA has since pivoted to a much more Grassroots field, full of Miatas, BMWs and wishbone Hondas sharing the paddock with LMP3 cars and other exotic track builds. Organizers have also expanded the series geographically, branching out from FARA’s roots at Homestead-Miami Speedway to add three Sebring events in 2024.
AutoWeek looks at how the TransAm TA2 class is producing the NASCAR stars of tomorrow. “Beyond budding young superstars Brent Crews, Connor Zilisch and Thad Moffitt, the TA2 arena is also a place where NASCAR veterans can brush up on their road racing skills.”
The Mazda Pro8 New Zealand Series and Australian RX8 Cup have announced a new partnership that will begin in 2024, with a Trans-Tasman drive up for grabs for the winner of each championship.
“The cars are quite similar, both running Nankang tyres, so the drivers will adapt easily, and new race tracks are always fantastic,” said Ric Shaw. “Our plan is simple: to aid the drivers in experiencing as much RX8 racing at as many tracks as possible and with the ease of international team support,” said McConchie. “Other than the winner’s prize, drivers from both series can travel during the season and race each other’s cars, making the process simple and cost-effective.”
A new female-only racing series, the Formula Pro WRS Championship, has been announced for the West Coast of the United States. Running in conjunction with the Formula Pro USA Western Championships, the new WRS Championship will utilize the Ligier JSF4 race car and will feature 12 races over six race weekends at some of the most iconic tracks in the region, including WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Sonoma Raceway, Thunderhill Raceway, and Buttonwillow Raceway.
You can find more details here.
Building upon the success of the 427 & 500SC, Revolution’s dedicated team of passionate racers and skilled engineers is thrilled to unveil the latest evolution in the 500SC series: the Revolution 500 EVO. Full details can be found here.
TCR Germany is to be relaunched as a standalone series for the 2024 season, with a six-event calendar having been announced. The series will feature three events on German soil along with three in neighbouring countries, with those three being run alongside TCR Eastern Europe. The German meetings will all be part of ADAC Racing Weekends events.
The Checkered Flag reports that the FIA published the official Cross-Country Rally Sporting Regulations codifying a swath of rule changes that have been in the works since summer along with introducing new ones granted by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council in October.
They are also reporting that the 2024 Africa Eco Race has received FIA recognition.
Racing Opportunities
Neil Woolridge Motorsport and M-Sport are eager to unleash their new Ford Ranger T1+ in the 2024 Dakar Rally, and Past-Racing is eager to let others have a shot at doing so themselves. The Spanish team has a fleet of the vehicle and will put them up for rental to those who hope to run the World Rally-Raid Championship or the FIA World Baja Cup in 2024, followed by the Dakar Rally starting 2025.
“We are delighted to see growing interest from around the world for our T1+ Ranger, and we are confident that our South African championship success, our solid results internationally leading up to the Dakar Rally, as well as our participation at this crucial event in January, will spur on further demand from around the world,” said Neil Woolridge.
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.
