Testing the Maserati MCXtrema track car is just one of the items featured in this week’s Racecraft & Race Cars Roundup. There are also racecraft tips, advice on becoming a top race driver, road racing on a budget and more. It’s all in this week’s edition of the Racecraft & Race Cars Roundup on Motorsport Prospects.
Racecraft Tips & Techniques
On-Track
In the video above, Enzo Mucci explains how to be come a top race driver. “Face and focus on your weaknesses as a performer. See your performance in the curious way to keep improving. Here I will share with you what spotters and scouts are looking for.”
Grassroots Motorsports explain how to methodically find more speed at the track. “Any hobby you engage in–particularly one that requires the commitment and focus of motorsport–is going to have its own siren song of improvement. After all, motorsport is a metric-rich environment, and every split second, every g and every mph represents another yardstick. But when we talk about “improving,” which of those metrics really matters? Which should we focus on, and what path should we take to hone our skills?”
Buggyra Racing speaks to racer Aliyyah Koloc who races both in off-road rallying and in GT road racing to get a feel for which is more difficult?
“GT endurance and off-road rallying both require driving for long periods of time. But whereas in GT, you are in the relative comfort of the track, with your team just a few minutes away to help in case of any issues, off-road rallying is a different story where the driver is alone in the car with his or her navigator, for long hours each day, with the team support sometimes hours away and some places accessible by helicopter only. In addition to driving, the crew not only has to navigate and find their way – and thus sometimes go wrong – they also are the first intervention crew in case of any mechanical issues. The average speed is much lower than in circuit racing, but the terrain is often unknown and extreme, with dunes, loose sand, or rocks.”
Dion von Moltke of Blayze looks to answer the question, How Do I Remain Focused During a Longer Stint? “Driving a racecar is one of the most mentally demanding things you can do. A common misconception I find a lot of grassroots racers have is that pro drivers never lose their concentration, they are just robots fully in the moment at all times. The reality couldn’t be farther from the truth! Can a pro maybe sustain focus a little longer than an amateur driver? Sure, but where a pro is able to separate themselves is in their ability to realize they have lost focus early and regain focus quickly.”
Ross Bentley of Speed Secrets answers the question, what’s the best way to break in a tire, and then learn to drive it to its peak?
No money? Think you’ll never be able to race? Austin Bradshaw is an SCCA road racer keeping up with the fast guys while sticking to a budget, and his tips can get you on track and running with the best of them in no time. Can’t afford the good stuff? No problem! With determination and the right attitude, you’ll be out there road racing with the SCCA before you know it. Watch the SCCA video above for how.
The Driver’s Eye this week was on Alexander Koreiba as he laps a Formula 3 car around the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
Off-Track
Blayze has an exercise to help you with you both identify your reference points ahead of time as well as focus on your timing of when you look at each reference point. It is called Reference Point Call Out and you can learn how to do it here.
Race Car & Series Developments
After two successful World Finals in Las Vegas (2022) and Portimao (2023), Radical Motorsport have confirmed the chosen destination for the 2024 World Finals will be at the world-famous Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Radical owners and racers from around the world, including the 14 Radical Cup championships, are invited to join the event with registration opening later in April.
The World Finals normally marks the end of the season for Radical’s 14 Cup Championships but for the Gulf Radical Cup it will be towards the start of the season, presenting an opportunity for Radical owners to extend their stay, and extend their racing calendar.
Further details and the booking process to attend the Radical World Finals 2024 will be announced in the coming weeks. Until then, Radical owners are invited to register their interest by emailing worldfinals@radicalmotorsport.com .
Porsche Motorsport North America has launched the Porsche Endurance Challenge North America series, a four-event championship featuring Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport machinery. The four-event championship will include three 60-minute races and a single six-hour endurance race which will bring the inaugural season to a close. The new race series will debut at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas on May 26, 2024, and conclude at the Texas track on November 22, 2024. The series will be sanctioned by USAC.
Both the Type 991.2 and current-generation Type-922 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car will be eligible, alongside the GT4-spec Porsche in separate classes, with the series set to utilize regulations from Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama.
“The Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America is designed to bridge the gaps through the ranks of racing in the United States and Canada,” said Porsche Motorsport North America President and CEO Volker Holzmeyer. “The Porsche Endurance Challenge North America will take this further. The series is designed to provide our one-make drivers – particularly those who don’t make racing their livelihood – and teams an endurance racing alternative with cars they know well: the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.”
“We have focused on cost efficient ways to go endurance racing and, as all cars are the same, a very equal competition between the drivers participating. Initial interest has been very positive, and we look forward to our first event in Austin at the end of May.”
The new Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS season gets underway in less than two weeks’ time at Circuit Paul Ricard (5–7 April). The French venue will stage the first of 10 events, each of which will enjoy a packed line-up of high-level support races. These are the series set to join Fanatec GT Europe on tour in 2024. The series has now confirmed their support line-up for 2024 and they will include the following series:
- GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club
- Fanatec GT2 European Series Powered by Pirelli
- GT1 Sports Club Powered by Curbstone
- McLaren Trophy Europe
- Lamborghini Super Trofeo
- MITJET
- F4 French Championship
- Clio Cup Series
- Co-Headlining with the FFSA French GT And TC Championships
- The Best of British at Brands Hatch
Audi will continue to supply select works drivers to customer teams in 2024 despite curtailing its GT3 program. “The three drivers Ricardo Feller, Christopher Haase and Markus Winkelhock, as well as Frank Stippler, still have valid contracts with Audi Sport Customer Racing for the 2024 season,” Audi’s head of customer racing Chris Reinke told Autosport sister title Motorsport-Total.com. “They will be used in corresponding programmes from our customer teams.”
Track Days
The Robb Report tests the Maserati MCXtrema, a track-only beast with 730 HP. “The body isn’t the only aspect of the MC20 that’s been treated to a makeover. If anything, the powertrain has been subjected to an even more thorough overhaul. Both cars are powered by Maserati’s 3.0-liter Nettuno V-6. The mill has been tuned and outfitted with a new exhaust and turbochargers. The upgrade engine pumps out 730 horses, or around 100 more than before while maintaining the same torque peak of 538 ft lbs and redline of 3,500 rpm.”
MotoTrend points out 8 things you didn’t know about the Aston Martin Vulcan track-only supercar.
“Every once in a while, a sports car manufacturer looks around its showroom and decides it’s time to throw off the burden imposed by government rules and regulations. Instead, it concentrates on building the ultimate expression of racing performance it can offer a customer. Such is the case with the Aston Martin Vulcan , a track-only supercar that married the best of that company’s engine technology with avant-garde aerodynamics and cutting-edge materials to create a limited production package sharper than anything that had ever emerged from its Gaydon factory.”
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.
