Motorsport Prospects Weekly Debrief for December 20, 2021 – What a Year It Has Been!

As this is the last Motorsport Prospects Weekly Debrief for 2021 and with the racing season pretty much over until January, you would think that there would not be much news and resources to share. How wrong you would be! This week’s Debrief covers what it is like attending a performance driving school, tips from Ross Bentley on improving reaction time, why you need a fulfillment report, Formula 4 updates from around the world, new WEC LMP3 and NLS rules for 2022, why a premium automotive brand goes racing and more. Throw in a couple of cool in-car lap videos and I think you will agree that this is a satisfying way to end 2021. Let’s get dive in!

Driver Development News, Tips & Techniques

• If you have ever wondered what it is like to attend a performance driving school, Autoweek looks at how a session at BMW Performance Center West gives attendees a new appreciation for IMSA racers.

• Revolution, Motorsport UK’s weekly magazine has a great article called First Timers which looks at drivers who have “who have taken steps to expand their motorsport experience beyond their comfort zones.”

• The Team Canada Scholarship recently announced their new Shootout scheduled to take place in late summer of 2022. Team Canada Scholarship Shootout judge James Hinchcliffe interviews former Team Canada Scholarship winner Parker Thompson about what the Team Canada Scholarship can mean to a young race driver.

• Ross Bentley over at Speed Secrets answers the question “How can I improve my reaction time & hand speed to drive faster?“

• On the Autosport podcast Jonathan Palmer talks about the changes in UK junior single-seaters.

• In a wide-ranging interview with Autoweek, Beth Paretta has stated that, in addition to going back to the Indy 500 and racing in more Indycar races in the near future she is also focusing on developing an Indy Lights team to help develop young talent, again, primarily female drivers, that can eventually move up to racing in Indycar.

• Patrick O’Donovan has been crowned the 2021 Motorsport UK Academy Young Driver of the Year.

• The Go Girls All Ireland Karting Shootout was a huge success!

• In rallying news, Hyundai Motorsport will support the Junior BRC champion with a World Rally Championship prize drive.

The Business of Being a Race Driver

• What is a Fulfillment Report and why do you need one? Megan Lingner explains.

• Just about all of us in motorsport considers race strategy to be an absolutely vital component to winning on track. But are we applying that same strategic rigor and fine detail to our businesses or racing team? And if not, how can we?“

• Forbes has a great look at part-time NASCAR driver Ryan Ellis in Nascar’s Blue-Collar Connection: A Part-Time Racer Lives His Dream.

• Jake Dennis has posted a great video on “A Week In The Life Of A Racing Driver.” See it below.

Drive & Testing Opportunities

• Kevin Mills Racing has drives available for the 2022 UK National Formula Ford championship. For more details email them at kevinmillsracing@hotmail.com or call 07798 754394.

Series News

• Brazilian F4 as well as F4 Southeast Asia, Chinese F4, United States F4 and NACAM F4 have all announced some details on their plans for 2022. Formula Scout has the round up.

• Revolution Race Cars are promoting their A-One 500SC as “capable of LMP3-rivalling lap times on a sub-GT4 budget” and are promoting it internationally with a new push for those looking to race in 2022. More details can be found here.

• I mentioned in last week’s Debrief about the Trans Am TA2 Young Gun Award and it looks like the series is poised for significant growth in 2022 according to series organizers. In addition they have announced the newly re-named Trans Am Western Championship.

• The SCCA’s Road Racing Department has announced qualifying criteria for those seeking an invitation to the 59th Sports Car Club of America National Championship Runoffs taking place September 24 -October 2 at Virginia International Raceway. More information can be found here.

• Work is progressing on significant changes to Nurburgring Long Distance Series regulations for 2022.

• Speaking of regulation changes, LMP2 performance will be reduced further for the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship season.

• TCR New Zealand has “paused” for 2022 with the title possibly being awarded as part of the North and South Island Endurance Series. Details are still to be worked out.

• Czech race car manufacturer Praga have announced the latest details ahead of the inaugural Praga Cup in 2022.

• Van Amersfoort Racing have finally confirmed that they will be taking over HWA RACELAB’s F2 entry for 2022.

• GT World Challenge Asia has had to do some significant calendar changes for 2022 and has introduced the Japan Cup.

• Club racing is alive and well in the UK according to data from Autosport. “Out of the 110 English series with comparable data (Scottish, Northern Irish and Irish classes are not included as it is unfair to compare them when they have a smaller pool of drivers to draw from), 75 had an increase in average participants or stayed the same – a truly incredible 68%.”

• Pirelli’s new P Zero DHF racing tire is set to debut in 2022 for all the main classes of GT racing: GT2, GT3 and GT4.

• Finally, Porsche has teased us with pics of their forthcoming LMDh challenger that will have “956-inspired styling.”

Business of Motorsport

• Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been elected Jean Todt’s successor as FIA president, securing 61.62% of the vote. You can read his full platform here.

• I mentioned in a recent Debrief the impact that motorsport has on the Australian economy and now a study has been released by Motorsport New Zealand that claims motorsport is worth $1.1billion to the New Zealand economy.

• Despite the technical gremlins, it seems that Nascar’s new gen car has attracted yet another new sponsor.

• The organisers of the 31st edition of the Autosport International Show, scheduled for January 13-16 2022, at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre, announced that in response to the ongoing Covid-19 variants and the Government’s recent directives related to the Omicron variant, the Autosport International Show scheduled for January 2022 has been postponed. Alternative dates are under consideration and options for ticket holders will be communicated shortly. Detailed information will be released in due course.

• Forbes has a great look at why Porsche races in Why Does A Premium Brand Like Porsche Spend Money On Racing? It’s Done To Improve The Breed.

• Red Bull Racing has announced their involvement in the America’s Cup, a move that brings what they have learned in F1 to high stakes international sailing.

• If you were not able make the PRI show, Autoweek has published 10 Things That Caught Our Eye at PRI.

• McLaren CEO Zak Brown came from a background in motorsport sponsorship so it is no surprise that with their signing of Immersive Labs to Mclaren Racing he is talking up the team’s tech platform.

• With Mazda stepping down from high level prototype racing, they have indicated that they are continuing to focus on motorsport but have shifted to grassroots racing.

In Case You Missed It

As 2021 comes to a close and I look back on the Motorsport Prospects blog, it has been an incredible year of growth as I focus on “news racers can use.” Along with the relaunch of the Weekly Debrief as well as the debut of the Sustainable Motorsport Round-Up and the Motorsport Prospects Marketplace Feature, I published a number of interesting and I believe incisive features aimed at racing drivers of all types. If you are new to Motorsport Prospects, here is what you may have missed.

February 2021

• Going Radical Racing with Group A Racing
• New Team Brazil Scholarship Announced for Young Race Drivers
• A Ferrari Challenge Primer

March 2021

• Carol Glenn Tackles the Diversity Challenge with Her Next Racing Generation Motorsport Team & Academy
• Josh Evans of Evans GP on Racing in Asia and Australia, Running a Race Team during Covid and Advice to Young Drivers

April 2021

• Race Cars for Sale – Introducing the Marketplace at Motorsport Prospects
• The Motorsport Prospects Charity Spotlight is on Driving for Dyslexia
• Getting Green Tech Motorsport Sponsorship in this Age of Sustainability

May 2021

• The Importance of the Race Driver’s Brain – In Conversation with Sabine Tyrvainen
• The Motorsport Prospects Charity Spotlight is on VETMotorsports

July 2021

• The Appeal and Opportunity of Sportscar Racing – In Conversation with Paul Charsley
• The Motorsport Prospects Charity Spotlight is on Race Against Dementia

August 2021

• The Motorsport Prospects Mid-Year Review for August 2021
• An Interesting Driver Development Opportunity from Japan
• The Motorsport Prospects Charity Spotlight is on The Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive

September 2021

• Vicky Piria launches female-dedicated Simulator day
• Porsche Sportscar Together Fest Uniting Racing Pyramid
• The Appeal of Historic Racing

October 2021

• 8 Top Tips for Investing in a Driving Simulator
• The Motorsport Prospects Charity Spotlight is on Grid4Good

November 2021

• Tami Powers is Connecting Corporate Brands with Women Racers and this is Important for the Future of Motorsport

December 2021

• Some Ideas of Where You Can Race Your Vintage Race Car
• Team Canada Scholarship and Canadian Racer James Hinchcliffe Announce the Inaugural 2022 Team Canada Shootout

Expect more in-depth features on programs, resources and news racers can use in 2022!

The Last Lap

• Sad news as Hazel Chapman, co-founder of Lotus has died at 94. Make no mistake about it, she was integral in the launching of Lotus Cars in 1948 and was as important to the company as her legendary husband Colin.

• If you are interested in Formula 1 logistics then you will like this. See how Formula 1 prepares to race at new venues like Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

• Oldtimer Galerie Toffen will be holding a classic car auction on December 29th, 2021. Viewing is in the Festival tent of the Sportzentrum in Gstaad, More details can be found here.

• If you love Grand Prix History you will love this! Check out Here’s what grand prix racing was like before F1 for some extraordinary photographs.

• Watch Pato O’Ward do hot laps in Abu Dhabi with Racer’s Chris Medland below!

• Here is another in-car video. Watch Ben Collins drive a Ferrari Challenge Evo racing car at Brands Hatch.

Thank you

As 2021 draws to a close I just want to thank you all for your support in what has been an interesting year to say the least! This is the last Weekly Debrief for 2021 but I will be back with the first Weekly Debrief of 2022 on January 10th. Until then have a safe, relaxed and wonderful holiday. Here is to a safe, healthy and hopeful 2022. Cheers!