The new BMW M4 GT3 EVO has completed its first test at the Nordschleife as it prepares for its 2025 debut, and this week I have the details. I also have a great tip from IndyCar and F1 driver Romain Grosjean, the importance of getting ready for your first race and how real and virtual racers train their mental capacity.
Racecraft Tips & Techniques
On-Track
Romain Grosjean has developed an intriguing strategy to help his IndyCar team’s data analysis. Team members of Juncos Hollinger Racing (JHR) shared with Autosport their learning of Grosjean’s approach during offseason testing, when they noticed he continued to hit the button despite not having a drink in the car. Grosjean told Autosport: “The drink button, when there’s no drink, it’s a mark on the data, so it’s easy for the engineer to find.”
Read more at Autosport.
Ross Bentley at Speed Secrets explains the importance of getting ready for your first race. “Rather than just jump right into this huge topic (more than can be covered in just this article, so I’ll come back to it at a later date), let’s look at a few things you should consider and be prepared for as you transition to wheel-to-wheel racing.”
Read his tips here.
TCR race winner turned Super2 front-runner Aaron Cameron has explained how tough it is to transition between the two touring car platforms.
“Everything in a TCR car goes through the front wheels and so you progressively get more understeer and you’re just worried about conserving the front tyres. Then you get into a Supercar and you’ve just got to be so patient on the throttle and try not to burn the rears off it, especially in Gen3.”
Read more at SpeedCafe.
In their Tech Explained column, Racecar Engineering explains data acquisition. “Data acquisition a broad topic – on modern race cars, there are oceans of data recorded over a run, from hundreds of sensors measuring quantities from airspeed via pitot tubes, fuel flow with ultrasonic sensors, ride heights via lasers and much in-between.”
Read the full explanation here.
Off-Track
Davey Euwema of Sportscar365+ explains how real and virtual racers train their mental capacity by talking to Formula Medicine founder Riccardo Ceccarelli.
“What sometimes gets forgotten in that discussion is the mental toll that a high-stress environment such as motorsport takes on drivers. They are in an inherently dangerous situation that often forces them to make split-second decisions. Those decisions can sometimes have enormous ramifications. A driver’s health, livelihood, a race win, a championship – all things that can hang in the balance, depending on the situation.”
Read the full article here.
Terence Dove from On Racing Drivers by Terence Dove explains how you can sharpen your racing brain. “Most drivers hear “visualisation” and roll their eyes. It’s become standard practice, a bore even. But I’m going to show you how to make it relevant and bloody useful.”
Read the details here.
Race Car & Series Developments
BMW has carried out the first Nordschleife test with the M4 GT3 EVO, which is due to debut in customer hands in 2025. While BMW did not release a mileage figure for the test, the two drivers were noted to have ‘completed numerous laps and collected valuable data.’ Read more at Sportscar365.
McLaren Automotive has confirmed the calendar for the 2025 McLaren Trophy, Europe season with ten rounds at five venues, following the recent announcement of the inaugural McLaren Trophy, America championship schedule.
The McLaren Trophy, Europe championship will visit the UK for the first time in 2025 with the opening rounds taking place in May at the famous Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, located within 50 miles of the McLaren Technology Centre. This will be followed by another classic Formula 1 circuit, Italy’s Monza in early June.
The championship will be on the bill for the famous CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa once again in late June before heading to Germany’s iconic Nürburgring circuit in August. All of these rounds will support the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS.
The 2025 season will conclude in October at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France. This event will be appearing alongside the French GT Championship.
All McLaren Trophy races will be live streamed on the McLaren Automotive YouTube channel, with more than 250,000 fans regularly viewing the races.
More details and the dates can be found here.
Grassroots Motorsports asks the question, is the Nissan Sentra Cup one of the best deals in motorsport? “The series regularly attracts fields nearing 20 entries, delivering fierce yet surprisingly clean racing. It even gets TV coverage–not just on social media, but on a major network. Oh yeah, did we mention that a brand-new race car costs only $47,000 Canadian (roughly $34K U.S.)? Welcome to the Nissan Sentra Cup.”
Read more here.
After a successful debut of the 2024 Mustang Challenge season, Ford Performance is excited to announce the 2025 season schedule for the IMSA-sanctioned series. The championship schedule grows to six rounds and 12 races, plus the addition of the non-points Invitational round at Circuit de la Sarthe in support of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
More details can be found at the Ford Performance site here.
Driving Force Events has unveiled a series of format changes to the Gulf 12 Hours, including the reintroduction of a mid-race break, as the event returns to a Pro-Am setup for the first time since January 2022.
In addition to outlining a new lineup requirements, Driving Force confirmed that it will do away with the interrupted 12-hour runtime that was a feature of the IGTC rounds to return to a format that will see the race broken up into two segments with a break in between.
Sportscar365 has all the details.
Racecar Engineering looks at the new TC Lite class, a class that will share technical regulations with rallying, providing a ‘cost-effective’ solution towards the base of the motorsport pyramid.
“TC Lite will consist of two tiers – TCL4 and TCL5 – whose cars will be built to the same parameters as existing Rally4 and Rally5 machinery. This could open the door for manufacturers to build one car that that is easily adaptable for both circuit and rallying applications, saving on the need for separate development programmes. Current Rally4 cars include the Peugeot 208, Ford Fiesta, Opel Corsa and Renault Clio.”
Read more at Racecar Engineering here.
With South Korea and Malaysia adding international flavor to Japan’s two largest championships in Super Formula and Super GT, Jamie Klein of Autosport thinks this could be promising signs that Japanese motorsports are making a comeback after the pandemic.
“Super GT views hosting races outside of Japan as essential for living up to its billing as an international series (it has now been 20 years since the series was known as the All-Japan GT Championship), expanding its fanbase and providing an extra incentive to the manufacturers by giving them a platform to market their products to a wider audience. As such, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the revived Sepang race proves to be the first step in an expanded presence across the Asian region.”
Next year’s Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar has been finalised following confirmation of the Suzuka 1000km weekend and a small but significant change to the Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS date. Daily Sportscar has all the details.
Rallying will be a major highlight at the FIA Motorsport Games 2024 in Valencia, Spain, on October 23-27. This edition will introduce a new All-Stars category, featuring top rally drivers, alongside the returning Rally2, Rally4 and Historic Rally categories.
PMW Magazine has more details.
Kart.com asks, is one-design racing inevitable? “At all levels of motor sport, one-design formulas have played a growing role over the last few decades. Understanding why this phenomenon has developed is the key to clarifying their impact and future on the various disciplines.” Read more at Kart.com.
Track Days
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Nissan Motorsports & Customizing Co., Ltd. (NMC) are excited to announce the 2024 NISMO Festival is scheduled for December 1, at Fuji International Speedway in Shizuoka, Japan.
The 2024 festival will celebrate NISMO’s 40th anniversary, paying homage to the brand’s rich heritage, racing achievements and the evolution of its high-performance road cars.
Iconic vehicles, including the NISMO 270R, NISMO 400R, and R34 GT-R Z-tune, will be on display, along with models from the NISMO road car lineup extending from the March NISMO to the high-performance Nissan GT-R NISMO.
More details can be found here.
Racing Opportunities
Eurasia Motorsport is set to enter the Yas Marina F4 F1GP support race as part of the Formula Trophy Series. New for 2024 a three round Formula 4 Series will held in the UAE with one event at Dubai Autodrome and two at Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi. The first Yas Marina event will support the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix.
Interested drivers can download their guide here.
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.
