Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach – 18 to 20 April

Because of the signing of an agreement on 22 February 2008, by the Indy Racing League, so as to unify open-wheel racing, this year will be the last time fans will see their turbocharged Champ Cars of up to eight hundred horse power perform. And as one era draws to a close, the organizers of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach have vowed to make this year a racing extravaganza of spectacular proportions. It will reflect back on the memorable moments and drivers that have made the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach a favorite racing event for twenty-five years.

Long Beach, in Southern California, staged its first Formula One Grand Prix on 26 March 1977, through the efforts of Chris Pook. The travel agent and dedicated racing enthusiast hosted a Formula 5000 race eighteen months prior to the Grand Prix, which successfully drew a crowd of forty six thousand spectators. It was a tremendously nerve wrecking time for Pook, who was unsure if he could draw the U.S. Grand Prix race to Long Beach. With a little help, he managed to get the race, and brought the legendary battle between Mario Andretti, Jody Scheckter and Niki Lauda to thousands of spectators and millions of fans across the world.

Other big names in racing, such as Nelson Piquet, Gilles Villeneuve, Jacques Laffite, Alan Jones, Carlos Reutemann, Eddie Cheever and Emerson Fittipaldi, also thrilled the crowds over the following years. In 1984, an agreement was signed for Champ Cars, and in the beginning of this new venture no-one was sure if the race would attract spectators and give them the same racing experience as the Formula One racing did. But again, Mario Andretti climbed behind the wheel, and the crowds went wild. And while the face of Champ Car racing might be changing, Long Beach will always be host to this magnificent event.

Over and above three days of spectacular racing, which takes place between the 18th and the 20th of April 2008, the 34th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is set to have an action packed program lined up. Features, such as the Lifestyle Expo will have exhibitors, retail vendors, a family zone filled with simulators, video arcade, games and race cars, with the Expo Arena being the scene of professional skateboarders, bicycle tricksters and motorcyclists. The Support Series Garages at the expo will allow fans to watch cars being repaired, and even catch a glimpse of their favorite driver.

As a street racing event, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach has become legendary in this category and will continue to bring the excitement and action of racing to the city, and its faithful fans.

Scuderia Toro Rosso for Sale

Formula One Scuderia Toro Rosso (Italian for Team Red Bull) has been put up for sale by joint-owners Dietrich Mateschitz and former F1 driver, Gerhard Berger. The recent announcement has put an end to rumors that have been circulating in auto racing circles for some time with regard to the fate of the team.

Dietrich Mateschitz is the man behind the successful Red Bull Formula One team, and Scuderia Toro Rosso has been considered to be Red Bull’s “B” team. With amendments to the Concorde Agreement, which will come into effect at the beginning of 2010, the collaboration between Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso will no longer be feasible. The Concorde Agreement amendment will prohibit Red Bull Racing from building cars for Scuderia Toro Rosso, prompting the decision to sell the team before 2010.

The Concorde Agreement is a contract between the motor racing events governing body, FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), Formula One teams and Formula One Administration. The agreement dictates the terms under which F1 teams compete in races, as well as the share split of television revenues and prize money. The main purpose of the Concorde Agreement is to promote the commercial success of Formula One in a professional manner. This is achieved largely through each team meeting its obligation to participate in every race of an F1 season, thereby making the sport financially viable for broadcasters who invest a great deal in the television broadcast rights.

Confirmation of the team being up for sale has led to much speculation as to who would be in the market to buy Scuderia Toro Rosso. Possible buyers include Nicolas Todt, the manager for Sauber driver Felipe Massa and son of Ferrari’s CEO, Jean Todt, as well as A1GP chairman Tony Teixeira. The current owners have made it clear that Scuderia Toro Rosso will only be sold if it is being put into safe hands.

Scuderia Toro Rosso made a notable start to the 2008 F1 season at the Australian Grand Prix, with Sabastien Bourdais featuring prominently throughout his F1 debut race. He narrowly missed fourth-place when his car suffered engine failure with two laps to go, but nevertheless was classified in seventh place. Auto racing enthusiasts agree that with performances of this caliber, Scuderia Toro Rosso should have no problem in finding a buyer.

Development of the High Plains Raceway

Auto racing enthusiasts are thrilled that plans for the High Plains Raceway in Colorado are well underway. The closure of the Second Creek Raceway in 2005 was a blow to the auto racing clubs that had been making use of this racing facility for many years. The lack of a suitable alternative auto racing venue has been putting the brakes on growth opportunities in club racing.

Initial plans for High Plains Raceway include obtaining all the necessary permits, designing the track and, most importantly, raising the money to make the project a reality. Five auto racing clubs are involved in the fundraising efforts, under the entity CAMA (Colorado Amateur Motorsports Associates), and member donations along with sponsorships by local companies have made great strides towards the goal of raising the $3,000,000 required for Phase I. Members of CAMA are Motorcycle Roadracing Association (MRA), Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing (RMVR), Porsche Club of America Rocky Mountain Region (PCA-RMR), Multi-Car Club Alliance (MCCA) and Colorado Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). The Multi-Car Club Alliance incorporates eight other car clubs. Clearly there is an urgent need for the High Plains Raceway to be completed, and organizers anticipate being able to race at the new race track before the end of 2008.

The 460 acre rectangular property is situated about a 30 minute drive east of the old Second Creek Raceway on U.S. High 36. The rolling terrain will give the track at High Plains Raceway a number of significant elevation changes, a feature which is considered to be the hallmark of memorable race tracks. There are adequate flat areas to accommodate a large paddock and, at a later stage, an autocross/skid pad. The proposed configuration is approximately 2,5 miles with 15 turns and several elevation changes. Phase one of High Plains Raceway will only make use of about half of the available acreage and the autocross/skid pad will fall into phase two.

There are many advantages to having a CAMA-controlled raceway, the most obvious being that CAMA member auto racing clubs will be in a position to control their own track destiny. Organizers are confident that High Plains Raceway will open up exciting developments in the club auto racing world.

Enthralling Racing at the Olympus International Rally

The United States held its first Rally Championship in 1973, and the Olympus International Rally was a part of this historical moment. Sponsored by Toyota, it later became an important stage during the World Rally Championships from 1985 to 1988 and was again included in the United States Rally Championship in 2006. From 2007 it was added to the Rally America National Championship and it has many legendary rally drivers associated with it.

One of America’s well known rally racing champions, John Buffum, has raced at the Olympus International Rally many times, taking home four wins. Another driver who also has four Olympus wins to his name is the New Zealand Rally Champion, Rod Millen and in 1985, Hannu Mikkola won the World Rally Prototype here. Other famous rally drivers include Juha Kankkunen, Miki Biasion, John Nagel, Markku Alen, Alex Fiorio, Ilkka Kivimaki and Arne Hertz.

This year the Olympus International Rally will form part of the Rally America National Championship, and takes place between the 18th of April 2008 and the 20th of April 2008. Here, drivers will be putting their navigational and driving skills to the ultimate test, as racing at Olympus is known to be a challenging event. The rugged rally terrain of this course in the Washington State will not only see drivers battle against each other but they will be tested on every turn by unpredictable weather conditions and the vast variety of road surfaces they will have to face.

It is a course that provides excitement and thrilling racing for the participants and the spectators, as every bump or turn in the road can have an overwhelming effect on the race. The Olympus International Rally is a serious race for teams, as it is a fight for points and a place at the X Games 13. Spectators will be able to see eleven great vehicle manufactures represented at the rally, including Ford, Subaru, Volkswagen, Dodge and Mitsubishi.

For rally racing at its best, and to catch a glimpse of favorite teams and drivers, supporters and racing enthusiasts should ensure that they don’t miss out on the action and exhilaration of this rough rally spectacular. The Olympus International Rally is an event worth supporting.

The Physics of NASCAR

Diandra Leslie-Pelecky is a professor of physics, researching biomedical nanomaterials at the University of Texas in Dallas, USA. As a devoted NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) fan, she is fascinated by the science behind this popular American sport. This intense interest has been channeled into writing what is being haled as one of the most educational and intriguing books that has ever been written about NASCAR – “The Physics of NASCAR“.

Although some may be tempted to dismiss the book as being too technical for the average NASCAR fan to comprehend, this would be a misconception. The author manages to superbly balance the numerous scientific aspects of the sport with its human element and this is reinforced by the appealing stories of her visits to the racing tracks and the development facilities during her research for The Physics of NASCAR.

Professor Leslie-Pelecky was given access to race shops, crew chiefs, pit crews and mechanics to research her book, and she has displayed the ability to translate technical jargon into something that the majority of fans can readily understand. She acknowledges that she did not fully appreciate the extent of the science behind NASCAR at the beginning of her project and emphasizes that her greatest reward has been to become acquainted with an exceptional group of people who are united in their passion for racing. Critics agree that the people discussed in the book as well as the bits of history and general information are very interesting and because these are balanced with the technical aspects of auto racing, the book is both educational and entertaining – even if best read with a dictionary at hand.

The information for the book has been taken from different areas in the United States. For example, in one chapter Professor Leslie-Pelecky talks about tires at a shop in North Carolina and includes the history of vulcanized rubber as a point of interest. In another chapter she examines track safety improvements, such as more efficient barriers, that are being tested in Nebraska.

Interestingly, research reveals that 75 million people are NASCAR fans, forty percent being women. Television broadcasting of NASCAR events reaches 100 countries in 21 languages and NASCAR generates over two billion US$ in sales of licensed products each year. Just with these figures in mind, there is certainly a market for “The Physics of NASCAR” – a book which combines the curiosity of an auto racing fan with the expertise of a physics professor resulting in a book that NASCAR fans are sure to appreciate.