Patrick Dempsey explains the mental fitness required for his racing return after nine years and you will find out the details in this week’s edition of the Racecraft & Race Cars Roundup. You will also find out how to design a test day to maximize your racecraft skills, dealing with your nerves and get some testing and race drive opportunities to explore plus much more!
Racecraft Tips & Techniques
On-Track
In the video above, Enzo Mucci explains how to design a test day to maximize your racecraft skills. “This video is giving you advice on how to design your test days so they virtually force you to grow.”
Randy Pobst of Grassroots Motorsports explains how autocross can make you a better road racer. “Everything in autocross translates to road racing in a most beneficial way. And proof of concept: Autocrossers always make better road racers, and road racers always make lousy autocrossers. (And never say “always.”)”
Read the full article here.
In his October 30, 2024 Speed Secrets column, Ross Bentley explains the best way to get ready to drive in the rain. “I don’t need to be a meteorologist to be able to predict that it’s going to rain in the not-too-distant future, in some places more than others (and if I did, would I be as accurate as the local weather reporter?!) So, it’s time to prepare to drive on a wet track. After all, the answer to the question, “When should I start preparing?” is just about always, “Now.””
Read his advice here.
Samir Abid of Your Data Driven gives 2 clear explanations of tyre slip angle with accompanying animation. You can read the explanations here.
The FIA Impact Data Recorder (IDR) is now available for National Sporting Authorities (ASNs) around the world to order and implement in grassroots and national level competitions.
The device has been developed by the FIA, with the support of the FIA Foundation, to be a low-cost, fit and forget system that has the potential to revolutionise motor sport safety across the globe by giving organisers access to real-world accident data. While data is a core part of elite-level motor sport, accident data recorders are often too costly for grassroots competitors – the FIA IDR addresses this issue.
The FIA IDR will be very low-cost for the competitor – less than half of the average cost of a single competition tyre – and will last for two years, recording up to 80 impacts.
More details can be found here.
The Driver’s Eye this week is on Alex Ellis at Barber Motorsports Park. You can watch it here.
Off-Track
In the video above, Enzo Mucci explains how you should use each weekend to progress your mental performance.
The Motorsport UK magazine Revolution has a great article on dealing with your nerves. “Nerves are an unavoidable part of motorsport, but without them we would not reach our full potential. Learn why they occur, and how to benefit from them.”
You can read the article online here.
After a hiatus from racing, driver and actor, Patrick Dempsey, has made the decision to get back behind the wheel and return to racing. This four episode series, Back on Track, follows Patrick behind-the-scenes as he goes through the process of not only getting ready to get back into the driver’s seat of a racecar, but takes you inside the car with him on race day as well.
Joined by longtime friend and fellow Porsche driver Patrick Long, the two Patricks share the seat in the number 98 Mobil 1 Porsche GT4 RS Clubsport during the 2024 North America Porsche Endurance Challenge.
In this first episode (see above), we follow Dempsey on his initial return to racing as he prepares and competes in the first round of the Porsche Endurance Challenge which takes place at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. There is a lot of great insight on mental fitness as well as dealing with your emotions and stress.
Race Car & Series Developments
Stellantis Motorsport recently unveiled the Peugeot 208 Racing, designed to meet the newly introduced FR6 regulations from the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile (FFSA). As the first manufacturer to enter this category, Stellantis hopes to cement its credentials for making motorsport accessible to all.
Drawing on experience gained across projects such as the 208 Rally4 and C3 Rally2, the aim was to create a car capable of propelling up-and-coming young talent as well as more experienced drivers.
More details can be found on the PMW website here.
Ferrari is preparing to roll out with an Evo version of its 296 GT3 for 2026 according to the brand’s head of endurance race cars Ferdinando Cannizzo, who has outlined the car’s targeted areas of development.
The Italian manufacturer, which is completing its second year with the mid-engined GT3 model, has opted against any significant updates for 2025 following successful campaigns with customer teams around the world. Check out Sportscar365 for all the details.
For 2025, Hoosier Racing Tire will replace Toyo as the tire supplier for several NASA classes: 944 Spec, American Iron, Camaro-Mustang Challenge, Spec Iron and Spec E46. The spec tire will be the RCES, a DOT-approved tire with a 4.5/32-inch tread depth.
Grassroots Motorsports has the details.
2025 Series Calendars & News
F1 Academy has announced that the 2024 F1 Academy Champion will receive a fully funded seat in GB3 with Rodin Motorsport for the 2025 season. In addition to the full-time race seat, the Champion will receive 20 days of testing in the GB3 car to support her campaign, also funded by F1 Academy. As part of the newly created Pirelli Prize, Pirelli will provide a financial contribution towards the seat.
More information on the program can be found on the GB3 Championship website here.
An agreement between the SRO and the SUPER GT organizer GTA that would allow GT300 teams to contest next year’s Suzuka 1000km appears set to provide a boost in entry numbers for the revived Intercontinental GT Challenge fixture.
The tie-up was revealed by GTA chairman Masaaki Bandoh in his regular press conference ahead of last weekend’s penultimate round of the SUPER GT season at Motegi, and follows a meeting between Bandoh and SRO founder and CEO Stephane Ratel during last month’s FIA Motorsport Games at Valencia.
Sportscar365 has all the details.
FEL Motorsports has announced that a new GT3 Cup class will be added to the 2025 Sports Car Championship Canada (SCCC) presented by Michelin. The GT3 Cup class will become the fastest form of sports car racing in Canada, joining the existing GT4, TCR, and TCA categories in the fifth-year series.
Details about the GT3 Cup class will follow. Currently, FEL Motorsports is working on firming up the 2025 schedule. Event and schedule announcements will be released in the coming weeks.
Supercars will not award a Super3 Series title in 2025 reports SpeedCafe. The category has confirmed a long-expected move to axe its third-tier following a season where Super3 car counts have hovered between just two and three starters per round.
Cars currently eligible for Super3 – the Car of the Future-specification Holden Commodore VF, Ford Falcon FG X and Nissan Altima – will from 2025 be allowed to compete in Super2.
Building on a season that produced several epic races and a three-way championship battle, the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series is set to enhance that with more races and bigger payouts in 2025.
The new season presents a 57-race schedule among 32 tracks and 16 states, and points fund now over $1 million – a 20-percent increase overall from 2024 – that will award a series-high $225,000 to the 2025 champion.
SpeedSport has more.
Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) has announced the 2025 race season schedules for each of its one-make championships with a focus on continuity. Each of the four championships will return with event calendars mirroring the successful 2024 race season.
Competitors in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Porsche Endurance Challenge North America, Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama and Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama will again race on the continent’s most famous and popular road courses.
More details can be found at the Porsche Motorsport North America website.
The Provisional Monoposto Calendar for 2025 is now available and can be found here. The Monoposto Championship will be held over 6 meetings, making up 15 rounds and the Reprise IT Tiedeman Trophy will be a 6 round championship held over 3 meetings. 2025 Membership and Entry Forms will be available soon.
Targa Tasmania will return in 2025 after a three-year hiatus according to SpeedCafe. The rebooted asphalt rally will take on a new look upon returning, with the event set to begin in Hobart and conclude in Launceston.
Track Days
Grassroots Motorsports has the details on the addition of The Devil’s Pass to New Jersey Motorsport Park’s Thunderbolt Circuit. The Thunderbolt Classic Circuit features The Devil, which consists of two highly technical turns, 9 and 10. Essentially, The Devil’s Pass does what it sounds like: It bypasses The Devil, creating a path from Turn 9 straight to Turn 11A. The course makes a 90-degree left where Turn 11A is to rejoin the existing circuit.
“This offers the challenging flow of setting up through the sweeping right and subsequent straightaway for a new braking zone and passing opportunity–and a critical turn to execute perfectly for maximum speed down the front straight,” said Brad Scott, President and Chief Operating Officer of NJMP, in a press release.
Get more details here.
Flatrock Motorclub has released a video featuring a full lap of its Club circuit. The 3.5-mile, 23-turn circuit in Cumberland County, Tenn., officially opened to members last month.
The Club track at Flatrock offers an elevation change of 127 feet, with highlights including an 18-degree banked Turn 3 and a series of winding, high-speed turns and marked elevation shifts. Simulations conducted with a GT3 car predict an average speed of 101mph. Watch the video over at RACER.
Racing & Testing Opportunities
World Speed Motorsports have testing (and racing) opportunities available in Lamborghini Super Trofeo, Formula Pro USA, and SFR SCCA. They have already begun testing drivers for next year! Whether you’ve never driven a race car, or have been racing for years, World Speed has the tools to evaluate your current performance and develop an individual program that meets your racing goals.
Find out more at their website here.
Ready to get a head start on the 2025 racing season? Join Muehlner Motorsport for two exclusive test days to feel the power of the Duqueine D08 LMP3 or the Porsche 992 Cup on iconic Spanish circuits.
- December 3-4 – Barcelona
- December 11-12 – Aragon
Whether you’re looking to sharpen your skills or prepare for a full-season campaign, this is your chance to take the wheel of top-tier machinery with professional support.
Spots are limited, so secure your place now. Email marcel (at) muehlner-motorsport (.) com for booking details.
Steadfast Racing will have two cars available for rent in 2025. FARA, Track day events, SCCA, SVRA, HSR, NASA, etc.
- Ligier JS51 (FARA FP-3 Spec): Starting at $7000
- Porsche Boxster: Starting at $4000
Private message or e-mail ( Steadfastracingflorida@gmail.com ) for details.
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.
