The unfiltered thoughts of Ayrton Senna, widely regarded as one of the greatest race drivers of all times, headlines this edition of the Racecraft & Race Cars Roundup. You will also find articles on AI and racecraft, Colin Braun’s advice on how to drive anything fast and arrive & drive packages to evaluate. All this plus of course, much more!
Racecraft Tips & Techniques
On-Track
Widely regarded as one of F1’s greatest ever drivers and a fiercely ruthless competitor, Ayrton Senna was also renowned as one of motorsport’s most sensitive and empathetic characters outside the car. “In the first of our new ‘The Race Presents’ series, we’re delighted to bring you unedited raw footage of Senna at his most reflective, looking back on the trials and tribulations of a personally challenging 1990 F1 season.”
On Episode 46 of the Your Data Driven Podcast, host Samir Abid of Your Data Driven talks to racing driver and coach Nick Padmore.
“Today we have a fantastic guests lined up for you – racing driver and coach Nick Padmore. From the high uptime world of racing to the intricacies of car dynamics, we’re going to delve deep into a range of topics that will hopefully give you a range of new perspectives to apply to your motor sport. So much to take away from this conversation, not only about the racing, but also how to manage the practicalities of life, including with your family, in a racing environment. So as ever. Grab a pen. Grab a coffee. Sit back and enjoy what Nick has to say.”
You can listen to the episode here.
Can AI replace, or at the very least contribute to a driver’s success? Here are two posts looking at AI and racecraft.
The first is from Grassroots Motorsports and asks the question, what makes a better driving coach, a human or an AI data analyst? You can read the post here.
The second is a video from Your Data Driven where Samir Abid asks, what if you had a virtual race engineer to help you with your setup decisions? In the video he presents a very very early prototype of “Samirs Ai”. You can watch his video above.
Ross Bentley of Speed Secrets explains how you can apply the concept of Ancora Imparo to racecraft. “It’s a reminder to be curious, ask questions, and grow. Roughly translated, it means, “I am still learning.” Interestingly, the need to remind himself and others of how important it is to stay open-minded and focused on learning is not something limited to the Renaissance great.”
You can read Ross’s article here.
Terrence Dove of On Racing Drivers by Terence Dove provides step-by-step techniques for overtaking other drivers while maintaining race pace while minimizing time lost with each position gained. You can read them here.
The video above is from the It’s Not The Car podcast is called How to Drive Anything Fast featuring IMSA and Le Mans Champion Colin Braun.
“Listening to Colin as we recorded this episode, a thought went through my mind: THIS is the masterclass on car control and driving at the limit! Not only can he drive, but he can explain how he drives (a rare ability).”
Off-Track
In the video above, Enzo Mucci explains the importance of controlling your emotions.
The quick test in this link is brought to you by the soon-to-be-launched BASE Mental Fitness, created by Enzo Mucci to help you develop the mind you need to succeed. There is a version of the test for race drivers and another for non-race drivers.
MotiV8 Training explains the what and why of reaction training. As the name suggests, reaction training is not rocket science but simply a set of activities undertaken to improve two things:
1. Your hand-eye coordination.
2. Your reflexes or your neuron communication speed.
Read their post here for a more thorough explanation.
Race Car & Series Developments
Racing Prodigy is a sports, entertainment, and media property that opens motorsports to all – both in and out of the race car – by overcoming the major financial barrier to entry. This is accomplished through the Prodigy Racing League (PRL), the world’s first e2Real sports league, which discovers talent through gaming and provides real-world racing opportunities.
Jim Adams is starting something new on the Get On Track podcast. It’s called Chasing Tenths—a “show within a show” where I’m sharing the ups and downs of the amateur racing journey. This first episode is about my transition into sprint racing, why those tiny gains matter, and how this all parallels the stuff we’re all working on in life. You can listen to the first episode here.
Can an all-volunteer team podium in IMSA? Yes says Grassroots Motorsports as they point to driver Patrick Wilmot and his Split Decision Motorsports IMSA team. Read the full article here.
Hoping to give privateers in vehicles from Red-Lined Motorsport their due, the manufacturer has launched the Red-Lined T1 Adventure Cup for the 2025 South African Rally-Raid Championship.
Any non-factory driver piloting a Red-Lined VK50, VK56, REVO T1+, or even the new REVO+ GT-R in the Adventurer category is eligible for the Red-Lined Cup. Adventurer is a subsect of the usual Ultimate class, classified as T1 while the latter is T1+.
More details can be found at The Checkered Flag.
The USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire has announced it will increase horsepower on road and street courses for the top two rungs of its open-wheel driver development ladder system — USF Pro 2000 and USF2000.
“Our goal is to consistently provide the best platform to prepare our drivers to progress up the ladder,” said Dan Andersen, owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “Increasing horsepower will not only improve the training drivers will receive from the series, but also make the cars more exciting to drive and more challenging.”
Read more about the change at RACER.
FEL Motorsports had a number of announcements this week. In the first, they have announced discounted early entry fees for the 2025 Sports Car Championship Canada presented by Michelin teams that run a current Gen TCR car for the full season. They will receive a 50% discount for the entry of a first Gen TCR car. This program is designed to help current teams find and facilitate new drivers while increasing the grid size of the Sports Car Championship Canada presented by Michelin.
In the second announcement, they have announced the addition of the Radical Cup Canada to the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières (GP3R) on August 8,9,10, 2025. GP3R is the longest-running street race in North America. It is a weekend with great heritage and significance to the Canadian motorsports community.
From now through Nov. 30, 2024, Mazda Motorsports is offering a 15% discount on nearly all Spec MX-5 parts.
“We’re thrilled with the progress we’ve seen in Spec MX-5 as the SCCA’s newest National Championship-eligible class,” said Josh Smith, Mazda Motorsports’ Business Development Manager. “With an average of 22 cars at each [Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA] Super Tour event in 2024, we’re eager to keep the momentum going with this new discount offer. We’ve already sold over 180 build kits in total, and with another 30-50 cars expected to be built before the next race season, we’re confident in the continued growth of this class. This is a long-term commitment for our department, and we’re fully stocked on both competition and OEM parts to ensure we support Spec MX-5 for many years to come.”
Find out more at the SCCA website.
2025 Series Calendars & News
- 2025 Clio Trophy France calendars full of challenges (Renault)
- The Masters Historic Racing 2025 World Tour is unveiled, and it’s full of surprises! (MHR)
- British F4 updates 2025 calendar, Chinese and CEZ F4 reveal theirs (Formula Scout)
- 2025 Australian Trans Am, TCR calendars taking shape (SpeedCafe)
- 2025 Skip Barber Race Series Schedule Released (Skip Barber)
Track Days
As the 25th anniversary of the Sintura S99 approached, Rodin Cars jumped at the opportunity to revive the iconic GT1 car and pay tribute to its racing heritage.
In less than a year, the Sintura has been completely redesigned to showcase Rodin Cars new 4L V10 engine and cutting-edge manufacturing capabilities. Along with the 2002 purchase of the S99, Rodin acquired a spare chassis and bodywork molds, which have been utilized in Rodin’s re-imagined build. However, beneath its exterior, the project incorporates entirely new bespoke components created in-house at Rodin Cars.
Read more about the car at Race Engine Technology.
Racing & Testing Opportunities
CCK Motorsport are excited to be offering ‘Arrive and Drive’ Packages for the 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Season. With 2 cars available, we can accommodate any skill level from ‘Am’ to ‘Pro-Am’ to ‘Pro’.
A drive in PCCGB in 2025 will elevate your racing career to greater heights, with all the benefits of the TOCA package: Marketing that includes ITV coverage, dedicated Media coverage by our team, Porsche exclusive benefits, corporate event days, and much more!
All that, and you’ll be driving the FASTEST One-make GT Championship in the UK!!!
Address enquiries to Shaun:
Info@cckmotorsport.com
01825 733060
The P1 Groupe has a number of drives available. “We have a number of drives available for 2025. Options that are currently available include drives in the SRO GT4 America, GT America and SRO McLaren Trophy America with Artura Trophy. Other international options also available such as 24h of Dubai, etc. Contact for details on any of these opportunities that are of interest.”
FF Corse have a number of testing days available in Europe. “You can join us over the winter months at some of Europe’s finest circuits for what should be, warmer and drier climates! We can provide you with track day, test and race support for days in Europe from December 2024 through to March 2025.”
Winter Track Days with FF Corse
- Portimao, Portugal – 10-11 December 2024
- Portimao, Portugal – 11-12 January 2025
- Valencia, Spain – 11-12 February 2025
- Barcelona, Spain – 11-12 March 2025
Contact the team at enquires@ffcorse.com for pricing.
FF Corse also has testing and racing opportunities in the GT Winter Series. Running from January to March, the Winter Series is now entering its sixth season. Stronger than ever before and with more events on the most beautiful race tracks in Southern Europe. Participation is possible with a National race license and you can gain signatures to upgrade to an International C license.
Race Format
- Each Event 4 Days
- 2 Test Days / 2 Qualifying Sessions
- 2 x 30 minute Races / 1 x 55 minute Race
- Participation is possible with a National Race License, gaining signatures to upgrade to an International C Race Licence
- Drive solo, or as a pair
- Livestream and highlights video for all races
Full Season Entry Fee only €23,000, including the test days! That’s 20 days on track!
- Estoril, Portugal – 16-19 January
- Portimao, Portugal – 23-26 January
- Valencia, Spain – 13-16 February
- Aragon, Spain – 27 February – 2 March
- Barcelona, Spain – 6-9 March
Download their full brochure here or contact the team at enquires@ffcorse.com for more information.
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.
