RACING TO END ALZHEIMER’S

Over 180 names will adorn the RACING TO END ALZHEIMER’S No. 43 Porsche in the weekend’s Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America doubleheader at the Brickyard. Driver Mark Kvamme leads the series’ Am class - part of IMSA’s TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks - with six wins in 10 races behind the wheel of the No. 43 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. But for Kvamme, the most important part of the season is the chance to make a difference in the fight to end Alzheimer’s. “I’ve been fortunate to b...
Read More

BONNEVILLE: A RACER IN NEED!

Rob Freyvogel was seriously injured in a 400-mph crash on the Salt Flats in an attempt to set a new Piston Powered Land Speed record. Anyone who has ever participated as a competitor or even a spectator at Speed Week at Bonneville is aware that land speed record racers, regardless of class, are the most generous, sharing and friendly in the hobby. Bonneville is a place where there are no strangers; even competitors are treated as friends. I’ve been there multiple times as a journalist and...
Read More

GREAT DRIVES: ONE NIGHT AT TEXAS WORLD SPEEDWAY!

GREAT DRIVES: ONE NIGHT AT TEXAS WORLD SPEEDWAY!
Most of racing's great stories (and some of its great drivers) are not on radio or TV. You gotta go see it for yourself, blogs Stephen Cox. Al Unser, Sr. used a hotel lobby display car to win at Indianapolis in 1987. Juan Fangio at 46 years old broke and re-broke the Nurburgring lap record three times during his miracle Formula One victory in 1957. Every motorsport enthusiast can recite a list of the great driving performances in auto racing history. But many of the sport's truly amazing drives...
Read More

DRIVER EGO: KEY TO BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL RACING SERIES!

DRIVER EGO: KEY TO BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL RACING SERIES!
The easiest way to increase car count in short track racing as well as amateur road racing is to keep your drivers happy. Really happy! Fortunately, there is a very effective and affordable way to do that, blogs Stephen Cox. It was four o'clock on a Sunday afternoon, August 29, 2004. It was blazing hot at the Hallett Motor Racing Circuit just outside of Tulsa. Although we missed the setup and were posting slower-than-usual lap times, we won the GT-2 qualifying race after the leader retired with...
Read More

GRID GIRLS: AN ENDANGERED SPECIES?

GRID GIRLS: AN ENDANGERED SPECIES?
Stephen Cox blogs about auto racing's long-standing tradition of grid girls being the next casualty in the war for political correctness. It was early 2015 when the World Endurance Championships (WEC) got rid of them, and Formula 1 may be next. Director Ross Brawn of Liberty Media, the new controlling group of Formula 1, recently said that the tradition of grid girls is being reconsidered. For the uninitiated, “grid girls” are the pretty women who stand beside the racecars prior to many events ...
Read More

EMPTY STANDS: IS AUTO RACING DOOMED?

EMPTY STANDS: IS AUTO RACING DOOMED?
Stephen Cox blogs about the good old days and bringing fans back to tracks. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2014 The past few years have brought every gimmick imaginable to auto racing. NASCAR holds races that three people can win. The ever-changing playoff system (a gimmick in itself) functions like an automotive version of musical chairs! Indycar's gimmicks are even worse. They tried mandating overpriced “body kits” to make their field of 33 identical Dallara chassis look like some...
Read More

OMOLOGATO CHRONO: JOHN SURTEES, CBE WATCH!

OMOLOGATO CHRONO: JOHN SURTEES, CBE WATCH
Unique Omologato Chronograph watch honors the career of legendary two and four-wheeled racing champion, John Surtees, CBE.Late last year, John Surtees, CBE started the unique challenge of designing a watch with Omologato. After his unfortunate passing in March, the bespoke timepiece project was picked up by his family and is now available exclusively to the public in order to raise money for the Henry Surtees Foundation. Omologato prides itself on offering people the opportunity to wear a piece ...
Read More

KARTING: SALTY DOG GP & THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN RACING!

Go find yourself a Kart track this weekend. No, it's not “real” racing, but for millions of Americans it's the only first-hand motorsports experience they'll ever have. And that's surely better than the alternative, blogs Stephen Cox. I started late. I didn't drive in my first professional auto race until age 21. Before that, I was addicted to Go Kart racing. No, not the World Karting Association or the National Karting Alliance. I'd never heard of them. My Karting career began by paying fiv...
Read More

SHOW & GO: PITTSBURGH VINTAGE GRAND PRIX!

The PVGP brings together classic, exotic, concours and racing enthusiasts for the 35th year. And it just keeps on getting better. Now in its 35th year, there are many reasons to celebrate at PVGP. This premier event offers rare opportunities to spectate/race a challenging course on city streets and feast on displays of sports, classic and exotic cars. Raymond Peterson, Group 5, above, crosses the finish line in his 1985 BMW 325i. Plus there are significant donations made to the Autism Society o...
Read More

PART IV: 10 GREAT RACE TRACKS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN!

Stephen Cox blogs about a century of motorsports magic at Montpelier Motor Speedway. Indianapolis. Le Mans. Milwaukee. Those are the places that come to mind when discussing the oldest and most legendary racetracks on the planet. Montpelier is rarely mentioned, though it should be. Last weekend I discovered a small, dirt bullring in eastern Indiana that has been one of auto racing's best-kept secrets for over a century. Built as a half-mile horseracing track in 1903, Montpelier Motor Speedwa...
Read More