The Toyota GR Corolla TC racecar is set to debut in TC America in 2025 and this week’s Racecraft & Race Cars Roundup has all the details. I also have news on a new single-seater formula debuting in South Africa, nutrition and fitness tips for the race driver and the latest 2025 race calendars. All this and much more.
Racecraft Tips & Techniques
On-Track
In his latest Speed Secrets column, Ross Bentley explains what he learned coaching two young drivers who ran nearly identical lap times but with vastly different steering inputs. You can read the article here.
On the Your Data Driven podcast, host Samir Abid speaks to F1 engineer Richard Frith on suspension setup and driver feedback. It’s a two-parter. You can listen to Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
McLaren Applied have introduced a new software package for data acquisition called TAG GT. “The TAG GT package is a comprehensive solution designed to enhance vehicle performance and data analysis in motorsport. It integrates advanced control systems and data acquisition software to provide an efficient way to for optimize sports cars and GT racing vehicles.”
- The TAG-510/VCU-500, used for vehicle and chassis control as well as data acquisition.
- The EIU-510 works with the TAG unit as a flexible engine interface to power an internal combustion engine. It acts as the switch to activate processes such as ignition and injection.
- ATLAS GT provides an accessible data analysis tool. It is a complete control and data acquisition system, targeted at sports cars and GT racing, to provide unlocked performance for the future of motorsport.
You can get more details here.
Terrence Dove of On Racing Drivers by Terence Dove explains why your worst race could be your biggest break.
“This was after a difficult weekend for the driver, where things hadn’t gone to plan. His kart lacked pace, and instead of confronting the issue, he became moody and detached from the team. One of the most senior figures in the room—a man who had worked with some of the best drivers in the world—lost his temper. He saw the driver’s negative attitude as a red flag, saying that if this wasn’t fixed, his future was at risk. He emphasized that every driver, no matter how talented, must learn to deal with losing, because in racing, that happens more often than winning.”
You can read the full article here.
Open-wheel driver coach and Motorsport Prospects contributor Martin Villari breaks down whether driving is easier for Max Verstappen than it was for Ayrton Senna in an exclusive interview with The SportsRush. “When asked if Senna had a harder time than the Dutchman, he said, “I think so, yes.”” Read the full interview here.
Off-Track
On episode 195 of Inside the SCCA they catch up with Amy Mills. Amy has competed at the Runoffs for more than a decade. She’s also a nutritionist. They talk about her racing career and she imparts some wisdom on how to get race fit. They also go over some great ideas for getting into shape, or getting into better shape for 2025. You can watch the interview in the video above.
Race Car & Series Developments
Toyota Gazoo Racing North America (TGRNA) is expanding its sports car racing program with the new GR Corolla TC racecar, unveiled at the GR Garage in Mooresville, North Carolina. With the addition of this new race platform, the TGRNA sports car ladder continues to grow in North America.
The new GR Corolla TC racecar, crafted for track day enthusiasts and competitive racers alike, starts as a production GR Corolla and undergoes a series of race-ready upgrades to compete in SRO’s TC America series. The race vehicles will feature the 1.6L 3-Cyl. turbo engine, 8-speed GAZOO Racing Direct Automatic Transmission (DAT), and GR-FOUR All-Wheel-Drive system. The GR Garage team will make extensive race spec enhancements throughout each vehicle. These upgrades include Alcon 6-piston front and 2-piston rear brakes, custom MacPherson struts designed by TGRNA, JRi dual-adjustable shocks, and various aerodynamic improvements. The vehicle’s drivetrain, power management, and ABS are managed by Bosch Motorsport electronics. A host of safety upgrades are added, such as an FIA-approved roll cage, an OMP fiberglass seat with a six-point harness, and an OMP electronically activated fire extinguishing system.
You can find out more details on the TC America website.
The recent FIA World Motor Sport Council published a number of decisions from their October 17, 2024 meeting covering a number of topics including:
- New structure for Formula 1 regulations and evolution of Financial Regulations from 2026
- Paving the way for Touring Car Lite
- FIA permits cars from 1991-2000 to enter historic competition
- Regulatory updates amongst a number of series
They also set out a number of technologies and strategies including:
- WRC Working Group presents key objectives for the next generation of regulations – informed by FIA fan survey and approved for next phase by the WMSC
- FIA sets out new vision for future of hydrogen fuel technology
- Drivers’ Committee presents Driving Standards Guidelines for circuit championships
More details can be found here.
This year’s Ferrari Finali Mondiali was as much of a celebration of Ferrari’s back-to-back Le Mans wins as it was a climactic race weekend for the European and North American Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli fields. RACER has a full report.
As mentioned above, the FIA has now allowed cars produced between 1991 and 2000 will be eligible for competition in historic events from next year, following an adjustment to the FIA’s International Sporting Code.
The governing body has stated that it will conduct workshops in early 2025 to assist the owners of newly-eligible historic cars with applications for the required documentation to allow the cars to race. Further announcements are set to follow, the FIA has pledged. Autosport has more details.
2025 promises to be a bumper new racing season for South Africa single-seater participants as Formula 1600 is retired and a new MSA4 Formula is launched utilising a locally designed and manufactured halo-inspired car, designed by Kyalami-based firm WCT Engineering, powered by Volkswagen and dubbed the Investchem MSA4.
“We have been incredibly impressed with the safety and performance features and will be ready to start racing in the second week of March 2025 at Killarney.
MSA4 Formula participants interested may contact kgregory@investchem.co.za.
Vic Maharaj, Motorsport South Africa CEO, says the cars will race in the new MSA4 Formula sanctioned by Motorsport South Africa. “We are excited to be able to offer local racers a more modern and affordable option for this series and think it will add a much-needed boost for young drivers looking to move up from karting. We wish Ian and the whole development team much luck with the new racing season in 2025.”
More details can be found at the Motorsport South Africa website.
2025 Series Calendars & News
- Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Unveils 2025 Schedule (MX-5 Cup)
- Sunoco Support Brings Mazda MX-5 Cup Martinsville Purse to Over 60,000 Dollars (MX-5 Cup)
- SRO reveals all new Beijing Street Circuit for 2025 GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS finale (GT World Challenge Assia)
- Porsche Motorsport North America releases 2025 one-make series schedules (RACER)
- Nitrocross pauses remainder of 2024/25 season (Nitrocross)
- FEL Motorsports announces significant drop in series registration and race entry fees for 2025 (FEL Motorsports)
- SRO Motorsports Australia and Motorsport Australia announce new national racing series (SRO)
- TCR World Tour to join Supercars at The Bend (SpeedCafe)
- Radical Cup North America racing alongside IndyCar again in 2025 (Radical Motorsport)
- With an awesome 2024 season in the books, welcome to Crossflow Cup 2025! (Crossflow Cup)
Track Days
For €60, the 2nd ‘From Kart to F1’ Challenge lets you take part in a selection process in karting, then in F4, for a chance to win a drive in an F1 car on the Circuit Paul Ricard. Through selections in four-stroke karts, then two-stroke karts and finally Formula 4, reach the holy grail of driving an F1 car on one of France’s greatest circuits.
The fastest driver over the age of 18 in the Final will drive an AGS F1 SH4 at the Historic French Grand Prix on the Le Castellet circuit, while the other finalists will win an F1 training course in 2025 at the wheel of a Prost F1, Arrows F1 or AGS SH1 on the same circuit.
The “From Kart to F1” challenge is open to all drivers aged 16 on 4th April 2025. It is organized in partnership with Sodikart, ITAKAShop, KSP Reportages, le Grand Prix de France Historique and AGS F1. The entry fee is €60.
Entries will be open in six different categories from 15th October 2024 on www.dukartalaf1.com. Participants can enter at several tracks and on different dates to maximise their chances of Qualifying, thereby increasing their opportunities to progress in the competition.
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.
