Why you need awareness on track is just one of the tips you will receive in this week’s Racecraft & Race Cars Roundup. I also have opportunities to test a EuroNASCAR race car, lap Circuit Mont Tremblant and details on the changes coming to the Gold Star.
Racecraft Tips & Techniques
On-Track
Randy Pobst writes in Grassroots Motorsports how a lack of awareness on track is every racer’s worse enemy.
“Drivers, everything you do with your car sends messages to the drivers around you. Street and track. This is a fundamental understanding we must all emphasize to others, newbie and experienced. Cars in front, beside and, most dangerously of all, behind and bearing down on you are affected by what you do and make decisions based on those moves or non-moves.”
Read the complete article here.
In the video above, Suellio Almeida explains the difference between being an active or passive driver. Which one are you?
Terence Dove from On Racing Drivers by Terence Dove explains why he is using a SmartyCam to send his drivers nuts on numbers and you can do the same on the cheap. Read how here.
Off-Track
Drivers that sustain a concussion will be sidelined for a minimum of two weeks under Motorsport Australia’s new protocols. Motorsport Australia flagged late last year that it would issue updated protocols for 2025, as recommended by the National Medical Advisory Committee. Those protocols have now received board approval and now apply to all competitors at Motorsport Australia events. V8 Sleuth has more details.
MotiV8 Training is holding a free webinar on February 27, 2025 called Fuel, Focus & Fitness. “Discover how to train smarter, fuel your body, and sharpen your mind with proven strategies designed specifically for Motorsport athletes. We’ll cover fitness programs to build endurance and strength, customized nutrition tips to sustain your energy on race day, and mindset techniques to help you stay calm, focused, and confident.” More details can be found here.
Race Car & Series Developments
It has been announced that driver compensation ballast will be introduced to Hypercar and LMGT3 in 2025. The FIA WEC driver crews in both classes will all be balanced to meet an average minimum weight for the 2025 season, according to a bulletin posted to the championship’s noticeboard this morning in Qatar.
The rules state that the reference crew weight has been set, as expected, at 82 kg, meaning crews that have a combined average weight that comes in under that figure will have ballast applied to their car. Daily Sportscar has more details.
The Drivers Recruitment Tests continue with one of the last opportunities to get behind the wheel of a EuroNASCAR car before the NASCAR Euro Series 2025 season kicks off! On March 26, 2025, the TEAM FJ, the founder, owner and promoter of EuroNASCAR, and Sharks Team will host a recruitment test at the Autodromo Tazio Nuvolari in Cervesina, Italy, located near Milan. Speedway Digest has the details.
What is the @imsaofficial Michelin Pilot Challenge? TCR racer, Formula Drift Champion, and Pikes Peak Unlimited Class winner @DaiYoshihara breaks it down for you in the first RACER Ask Dai Anything!
Autoweek spoke to new Trans Am Series boss Andy Lally who admits he is facing a daunting task. “It’s a thin herd because not a lot of people choose difficult challenges and Trans Am is not easy” said Lally. Read more here.
Marcello Lotti has reiterated the stance of WSC Group regarding TCR cars competing in ‘unlicensed events’ by confirming that an entry into such an event will result in a car losing its official homologation reports the Touring Car Times.
“It’s important for any team that chooses to race their car in an unlicensed series to understand the ramifications to themselves from both a commercial and safety perspective,” Lotti said.
Following the FFSA initiative to make motorsports more affordable, the Clio range is expanding with Renault Clio Rally6. This car, a competitive and reasonable alternative, complies with FR6 regulations thanks to a kit compatible with the fifth generation of the production Clio. Offered for €19,999, including VAT, it will allow drivers to demonstrate their skills in multiple disciplines, starting in France.
An innovative concept in response to the FR6 regulations launched by the French Federation, Renault Clio Rally6 is the first to offer a kit-based solution, thus highlighting the efforts of the Viry-Châtillon and Dieppe teams to bring motorsport to the masses without any compromises.
Get more details here.
If you were thinking of racing a Radical, check out the series A Radical Journey on YouTube for some insight on what to expect. “Come with us on A Radical Journey throughout the 2024 season as owner and racer, Chris McMurry, takes us on a behind the scenes look at the racing, the cars, the drivers, the stories and more of the Radical Cup North America.” You can watch the complete series here.
Autosport looks at how arrive-and-drive is on the rise in club racing in the UK. “Gone are the days when the vast majority of club competitors turned up at a track with a race machine on a trailer and a few friends or family members to act as mechanics. Now a whole industry has developed to assist the time-deprived amateur driver.” You can read more about this development here.
The Gold Star has received a major overhaul as Motorsport Australia reintroduces the prestigious award. For the first time in its history, drivers across select domestic and international competitions will be eligible. SpeedCafe has more information.
RACER looks at 35 year racing legacy of the Mazda Miata. “To me, and I think a lot of other people, the Miata was not immediately obvious as this great racecar that was going to be fast around the racetrack,” notes Randy Pobst, who became SCCA’s first National Champion driving a Miata by taking the Showroom Stock C title in 1992 at the Runoffs at Road Atlanta. “What led me to the Miata was the contingency program. Mazda is still very strong in support of motorsports, including all the way down to the autocross level. And they offered contingency awards. If you could win, it was pretty strong money. That’s what led me to the Miata.” Read Part 1 here.
Series News
- Formula FARA Announces 2025 Schedule (Formula FARA)
- New TOCA Junior series won’t run this year, gets revised plans for 2026 and will be centrally run (Autosport)
- SCCA Extends Stay at Road America for 2026 Runoffs (SCCA)
- The UK club racing championship that enjoyed a 175% grid rise (Autosport)
From the Sim Racing Roundup
Sim racer Sean Terre will be making his motorsport debut in the 2025 all-electric NXT Gen Cup and last week’s Sim Racing Roundup has all the details on how he got there. I also have news on a whole bunch of other sim racers making the leap to real-world motorsport as well as how you can get a chance to sim race your way to the Race of Champions.
Track Days
Bridging the gap between pure club racing and professional customer racing, the latest model version of the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport competed in over 550 races last year, achieving 19 overall victories, 80 class wins, and securing 11 championship titles. This mid-engine race car remains a key player across all five continents.
The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport had an impressive start to the 2025 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season opener in Daytona, finishing in second place. In an intense battle, Belgian driver Jan Heylen and American Luca Mars narrowly missed victory for Team RS1 by just 0.364 seconds after the four-hour race. The 368 kW (500 PS) mid-engine race car has firmly established itself in the North American motorsports scene and beyond. In 2024, Porsche customer teams claimed titles in the Pro-Am, Silver, and Am classes of the Pirelli GT4 America series, while also winning the GT4 championship in the GT America Powered by AWS series for the German sports car manufacturer.
Porsche has more details here.
Porsche and Michelin have co-developed a new tire specially designed for circuit use in wet and low-temperature conditions. The Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 is a road-legal track tire for the 992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, focusing on circuit use in wet and cold conditions.
“We are responding to demand from our particularly performance-focused customers that have expressed a desire to spend more time on track during spring and autumn,” said Andreas Preuninger, director GT Vehicles at Porsche. “The new tires significantly increase the annual usage period of the GT3 RS.”
After many years of tourists in cars and motorcycles running fender-to-fender at full tilt around the Green Hell, the Nürburgring is effectively banning bikes on the famous Nordschleife. The decision is being presented in the name of safety, which is fair, but is a blow to the sport-riding motorcycle community, as a major opportunity for performance riding has just disappeared. It is the end of an era.
While the bikes may not be welcome, cars are as on 25 and 26 March, the official Nurburgring Test Days will bring the sound of engines roaring back on the legendary track. They serve as a test, training and rollout opportunity for racing teams to optimally prepare for the upcoming motorsport season. Autosport has more details and how you can score a 10% discount.
Circuit Mont Tremblant has released 2025 dates for both their Lapping Days as well as their Performance Driving Course. Contact the track here for more details.
FEL Motorsport has launched an Official FEL Motorsports Marketplace.
After 62 years of family ownership, California’s famous Willow Springs International Raceway is about to have a new owner: private equity. The Drive can report that a Boston-based private equity firm named CrossHarbor Capital Partners that specializes in “property turnarounds” for commercial real estate is in the closing stages of purchasing the iconic race track.
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a 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.
