Tips on rotating your race car is just some of the advice in this week’s Racecraft & Race Cars Roundup.
I also bring advice on getting over having had a crash, the foundations of peak performance, a look at the VW Fun Cup and more.
All this plus an EV hot hatch, raising the age to race in NASCAR and more in this week’s edition of the Racecraft & Race Cars Roundup on Motorsport Prospects.
Racecraft Tips & Techniques
On-Track
The latest Safe is Fast video (see above) describes the secret to rotating the car. “How are the really quick guys able to be fast both entering and exiting the turns? Their secret – how and when they rotate the car. Four of the world’s fastest road racers – Filipe Albuquerque, Pipo Derani, Renger van der Zande and Colton Herta – explain just how they do it.”
In Racing 101 #6, Ross Bentley explains why racers are superhuman scientists. “The best drivers look at what’s ahead of them and calculate the best way to get from where they are to the end of a track’s section in the least amount of time. They use geometry to determine the perfect line through a corner or series of corners. Driving the ideal line requires thinking beyond the geometry of curves, as tracks are not two-dimensional with consistent surfaces. Elevation changes, banking, and different grip levels of various surface conditions turn these calculations into, at the very least, a 3D matrix.”
In his weekly Ask Ross column, Ross also answers the question, How can I get over having had a crash?
Episode 18 of the Your Data Driven podcast features Scott Gardner on how coaching Chris Hoy can help your racing. “Olympic cycling coach Scott Gardner, joins Samir Abid on the Your Data Driven podcast. This show is all about performance. Ex-Team GB Scott Gardner has coached multiple Gold medal winners such as Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton Learn how professional coaches performance plan to develop Olympic athletes to win. Then understand how you can apply that learning to improve your own racing. Packed full of great advice. You will be thinking different after this one!“
Here is a recap video of the live webinar I mentioned last week on data analysis and the Spec MX-5 Series. “In this live webinar, the Spec MX-5 series and Mazda’s support was discussed. Then the use of competitors data for the first level of technical compliance in the series was introduced. Several different methods of data analysis processes based on actual Spec MX-5 series data was used to demonstrate the how the series uses data as the 1st level of technical compliance.”
The webinar presenters are: Host: Roger Caddell – AiM Sports National Training Manager Justin Cornelison – Spec MX-5 Challenge Series Manager Josh Smith – Mazda Motorsports – Business Development Manager
- Useful Links: Webinar Live Questions (and Answers) .pdf document: https://www.aimsports.com/webinars/Do…
- Webinar Presentation Slides .pdf document: https://www.aimsports.com/webinars/Do…
- Spec MX-5 Challenge Website: https://specmx-5.com/
- Mazda Motorsports Website: https://www.mazdamotorsports.com/
- AiM Sports Website: http://www.aimsports.com/
- AiM Sports LearnFast YouTube Page: / aimdata
Off-Track
This comes courtesy of the latest Blayze newsletter. “This week’s video of the week is a podcast from Tim Ferris and Andrew Huberman – its discussion focuses on the science behind peak performance and we think you’ll love it!“
Motorsport UK is inviting the British motorsport community to kick start their journey on the coaching pathway with the launch of a new Accelerator Award. “The online course is a Motorsport UK recognised qualification and open to anyone – whether an aspiring coach, parent, club co-ordinator or volunteer – looking to develop skills to promote motorsport to a broader range of people. The Award is structured around four key themes: Driving Motorsport Forward, Keeping Motorsport Safe, Connecting with Participants and Accelerate Motorsport.”
More details can be found here.
Motorsport in Australia is thriving, with record license numbers in June adding to an already strong start to 2023. Currently, there are a total of 23,500 active competition licence holders, along with 9,650 licensed Officials.
Race Car & Series Developments
Volkswagen’s Fun Cup is an international series that tries to minimize the barriers for people who want to compete in race cars on a proper race track. The Fun Cup series uses extremely basic race cars which vaguely resemble a Volkswagen Beetle but have very little in common with Germany’s favourite bug. At the series’ biggest event, the Spa 25 Hours, Motul took a closer look at the world’s funniest race cars.
NASCAR president Steve Phelps says the sanctioning body is reviewing the age requirement for drivers in NASCAR’s top three series. Currently, a driver must be 18 to compete full-time in NASCAR’s top three national touring series. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series allows a person to compete as young as 16, but only on tracks one mile or less in length and road courses.
“I don’t like the direction motorsports is going as a whole,” says team owner Tony Stewart, who also possesses championships in Indy, Midget, Sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars. “I’m not just picking on NASCAR. There are series putting kids in late models at 12 and 14 (years old). It makes zero sense to me.”
Feeder Series looks at the progress of the GB3 series with series founder Jonathan Palmer. “GB3 is probably the most successful single-seater championship – certainly in this country – but in Europe probably under Formula 3, alongside Italian Formula 4. We’ve got 25 cars in it at the moment, the racing is incredibly close [and] the cars are quick.”
Track Days
Evo Magazine reviews the 2023 Revolution A‑One 500SC. “It operates in a different sphere from all but the most hyper of hypercars partly because it’s not road-legal: built by Peterborough-based Revolution Race Car Co and engineered by Phil Abbott (who co-founded Radical Sportscars) and son James, its an innovative, carbon-monocoque, aero-driven sports car designed for both trackdays and racing in prototype series around the world. Performance is close to that of LMP3 cars, yet it’s intended to be accessible to drive for beginner, intermediate and experienced drivers alike.”
Porsche is offering a Manthey Kit for the 718 Cayman GT4 RS that is specially optimized for use on the racing track. The Manthey Kit is sold by Porsche Centres worldwide. The country-specific price is listed in the accessory finder (tequipment-finder.porsche.com). In Europe the launch is planned for December 2023. Other markets will follow. The manufacturer’s warranty for the 718 Cayman GT4 RS is unaffected.
“The 718 Cayman GT4 RS with the Manthey Kit is able to demonstrate its full potential on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the traditional benchmark for sports cars at Porsche. With Porsche brand ambassador Jörg Bergmeister at the wheel, the modified GT sports car completed the 20.8-kilometre course in the Eifel at 18 degrees Celsius under an overcast sky in 7:03.121 minutes – 6.179 seconds faster than the series-production 718 Cayman GT4 RS did the previous year. Both cars were equipped with the optional Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres. The lap time was certified by a notary on site.”
Could this be the first true electric hot hatch? According to Road & Track, the 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is a 641-HP EV built for track rats. “The Ioniq 5 N is far more than a reskinned Ioniq 5 with a more powerful drivetrain. The entire car has been transformed with the goal of delivering more smiles to the driver.”
Ferrari revealed a one-off track car ahead of last weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed festivities called the KC23. Based on the 488 GT3 Evo race car, it sports unique bodywork that the company says hints at future models. “The twin-turbo V-8 from the 488 GT3 is carried over for the KC23, but Ferrari has yet to say how much power the car is making. The 488 GT3 is limited by FIA protocols, and according to Ferrari’s website, offers a maximum of 591 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. But we know this motor can make much more than that in road-going applications.”
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.
