Motorsport Prospects Weekly Debrief for November 1, 2021 – Lessons from Stirling Moss and More

This week on the Motorsport Prospects Weekly Debrief I look both to the past and to the future as I comb the motorsport world to bring you news racers can use. From how to get into racing in your 20s, 30s and beyond, to racecraft tips from Sir Stirling Moss, to using trade shows to build your career, to tips on buying a driving simulator, there is enough here for every racing driver to learn and benefit from.

In case you missed it I posted a new Sustainable Motorsport Round-Up last week with some great examples of green tech companies in motorsport sponsorship and a ground-breaking Sustainability in Motorsport questionnaire that you can be a part of. I also featured an LMP1 race car that is fueled by bio-fuel for sale in the Motorsport Prospects Marketplace.

Finally, I have updated the Motorsport Prospects Events page to include some of the major motorsport trade shows taking place around the world. If you would like an event added please contact me with the details.

Let’s get moving!

Driver Development News, Tips & Techniques

• The FIA Girls on Track program has chosen their “Rising Stars” for further scouting camps. Here are the second edition finalists.

• Christina Nielsen is the co-founder of Accelerating Change a track day program that aims to help women sharpen their driving skills.

• Mazda has been exceptionally generous in their driver development programs and this year is no different as they awarded five deserving racers with scholarships. Connor Zilisch, of Mooresville, North Carolina emerged as the big winner earning a scholarship valued at $110,000 to take part in next year’s Mazda MX-5 Cup. Laura Hayes won the MX-5 Cup Scholarship as part of the 2021 Women’s Initiative.

• The FIA is aiming to bridge the gap between the lower levels of competition and single-seater racing in order to help promote more females into the FIA motor sport ladder. They have invited four drivers from the FIA Girls on Track program and four drivers from the Iron Dames program to test F3 machinery in Magny Cours in November.

• Shift Up Now has an excellent webinar coming up on November 2, 2021 at 8:00 p.m. ET called “How to Get Into Racing in Your 20s, 30s and Beyond” this webinar is specifically for those who want to start racing later in life, or who started racing later, but still want to figure out what their next steps are. Panelists include Lynn Kehoe, Mandy McGee, Erin Vogel and Pippa Mann. You can get more details here.

• If you are debating the impact that a good physiotherapist may have on your performance on track, check out none other than Lewis Hamilton’s thoughts on the topic in Lewis Hamilton reveals key ingredient to F1 success – ‘I couldn’t do it without her’.

• The SCCA has an excellent new program that works to eliminate barriers to participating in motorsport called the Minority Racing Association. Full details can be found here.

• Indycar is moving from strength to strength and this is attracting young drivers from Europe who for multiple reasons are not finding a seat in an F1 team. Jack Benyon asks the question, Is IndyCar now a real threat to poach F1’s best juniors?

• Racer has an excellent article on the PTC: Age-old challenges in 2.2 miles of modern racetrack.

• Needless to say many drivers who have been caught speeding have been asked the age old question ‘Who Do You Think You Are, Stirling Moss?’ Well none other than Sir Stirling Moss gives this racing masterclass from Donnington Park. Yes the video is a bit old featuring a vintage race car but all drivers could learn something from the video posted below.

The Business of Being a Race Driver

• Is a one race deal a good idea for the driver or the sponsor? Drive Sports Marketing asks that very question in One-Race Deal: Good or Bad?

• Trade show season is rapidly approaching and after the chaos of 2020, in person events are now starting to happen again. If you have never been to one as a driver, Megan Lingner discusses How to Use Upcoming Trade Shows to Your Career Advantage. You can get more information on some upcoming motorsport trade shows on the Motorsport Prospects Events Page.

• Sport Dimensions looks at The Underrated Ingredient to Sponsorship Value.

Drive & Testing Opportunities

• GT Celebration are to feature East and West Coast Championships in 2022 and Paul Gerard of Speed Club Team are looking for anyone interested in joining their Championship winning Speed Club Team in GT4 or GT3. You can connect with him through their Motorsport Prospects listing.

Series News

• Honda have launched their new 2022 Civic Si production racer. Created, developed and tested in-house by HPD engineers, the car draws upon HPD’s extensive production car and race vehicle engineering experience, including the development of the 10th-generation HPD Civic Si TCA race car program.

• With Roger Penske taking control of the Indy Lights Championship in 2022, changes are coming fast and furious with the series set for calendar shifts and to be more closely intertwined with Indycar on race weekends.

• The initial SCCA Enduro class and technical rules have been released. Now is your chance to offer feedback before the final rules are presented to the SCCA Board of Directors for approval in December.

• While the LMP2 regulations will be changing soon, according to Daily Sportscar there is still a healthy demand with two seasons remaining of the current LMP2 regs.

• When Peugeot released images of their upcoming Hypercar challenger the motorsport world was both shocked and delighted with the revolutionary approach to a sports car. PMW Magazine interviewed Olivier Jansonnie of Peugeot Sport for more insight on their plans.

• Formula Motorsport Limited, the promoter of the FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships reported a 23% fall in income in the first year of pandemic.

• Here is everything you wanted to know about the Nascar Next Gen car.

Business of Motorsport

• The 2021 SportsPro 50 Most Marketable List has been released and there are six motorsport-related properties on the list. There are also two esports properties on the list with one, League of Legends ranking ahead of the Ferrari Formula 1 team which would have been inconceivable only a few years ago.

• McLaren Racing and Creative Access have announced a career development bursary as part of the team’s Engage Alliance which is aiming to diversify talent in motorsport.

• A tireless group of volunteers, including Danny Sullivan are continuing their efforts to save Palm Beach International Raceway.

• Increasing concerns about human rights in countries like Saudi Arabia, China and Qatar are being voiced by a number of sport stakeholders and activists. Sport Business looks at the issue and asks the question of whether sport is being asked to do something more suited to governments instead of sports federations. As could be expected, not everyone agrees.

• European MEPs are calling for more government insight into the operations of sports federations in light of the European Football Super League proposal.

• Jacques Villeneuve, who just won his first European NASCAR race this past weekend is facing questions related to his offshore tax dealings in light of the leaked Pandora Papers. The former F1 champion declared just $6,431 in income in 2010 and claimed a low-income tax credit.

• NASCAR appears to be on an upswing when it comes to sponsorship, and not just on the top rung. Full-Season sponsorships are making a comeback in NASCAR, and not just in the Cup Series.

From the Motorsport Prospects Archives

With racing season on track winding down, as a driver you will be spending an increasing amount of time on your driving simulator over the next few weeks and months. In case you missed it, here are 8 Top Tips for Investing in a Driving Simulator.

The Last Lap

Here are a few things that caught my eye over the last week that are related to motorsport in some way.

• It takes a great sense of character to take a negative and turn it into a positive but that is just what race driver Juan Manuel Correa has done. Following his horrific F2 crash and subsequent rehabilitation, he has taken the lessons he learned and used that knowledge to help veterans. Racer has the details in INSIGHT: How Correa is helping veterans.

• One thing I must admit I am loving is all the great racing content now available on YouTube, various streaming services and even on the big screen. Get ready for another one as Hagerty Motorsports and Round 3 Racing are set for a new TV series.

• Here is a great article on Road & Track on Pikes Peak. Check out Pikes Peak Is the Only Place Where Formula Libre Racing Without Rules Still Exists.

• Ever wonder how a team prepares for an endurance race? This is how Corvette does it.

• Motorsport Magazine has an excellent look at some awesome, newly discovered photos taken at the Donnington Park Grand Prix from 1938.

• Watch Dario Franchitti test Gordon Murray’s latest hypercar below.

That’s it for me for this week! Stay safe and I will see you at the track!