Posted by admin on in Miscellaneous News

Canadian Tire Ending Partnership with Canadian NASCAR Series

JEFF PAPPONE
Special to The Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Feb. 17 2015, 10:07 AM EST
Last updated Tuesday, Feb. 17 2015, 5:57 PM EST

Canada’s top stock car series needs to look for a new title sponsor.

Canadian Tire will end its decade-long partnership with the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCTS) at the end of 2015, a move that may leave stock cars on shaky ground in this country.

“For over eight years, Canadian Tire and NASCAR have shared a successful partnership that has helped grow the sport of auto racing in Canada,” the company said in a written statement.

“We’ve shared with NASCAR our decision to end the partnership at the end of the 2015 season. We are proud to have brought The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series to racing enthusiasts across the country. We will continue to be a sponsor of the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and support Canadian drivers and racing where it makes sense in the future.”

The exit also includes ending sponsorship of three-time NCTS champion Scott Steckly. The move comes 10 years into NASCAR’s ownership of the series, which was supposed to breathe new life into the old CASCAR Series. In reality, it’s almost impossible to see any difference, and it’s tough to blame Canadian Tire for jumping ship because it’s doubtful the retailer gets much value for its sponsorship money.

With almost non-existent live television exposure, its visibility is almost zero. That, in turn, makes it difficult for young talent to get backing and move to bigger and better things, which is supposed to be a regional series’ raison d’être. It’s also no surprise that young star J.R. Fitzpatrick announced this month that he’d rather go back to late model racing than spend $1-million in NCTS.

The retailer’s decision may now open the door to spend money elsewhere. For example, IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe is probably the most popular Canadian racer and a marketer’s dream and Canadian Tire may want to look at riding his rising star.

Although IndyCar isn’t breaking any audience records lately, its races are on live TV, its audience is bigger than NCTS and growing, and it has the added lure of the Indianapolis 500.

Posted by admin on in World Challenge

Pirelli World Challenge 2015 season opener, March 6-8, at Circuit of The Americas

WC Vision has released the official entry list for the Pirelli World Challenge 2015 season opener, March 6-8, at Circuit of The Americas. With one month to go before the race weekend, over 100 cars are entered over the series’ seven classes. Updated 02/06/2015.

Here are the Canadian Entries:

GTS  38  Mark Wilkins Toronto, ON  Kinetic Motorsports /Kia RacingKia OptimaKia Motors America
GTS  07  Max Riddle (R)Vancouver, Canada  TRG-AMRAston MartinVantage GT4

TCA  11  Chase Pelletier Brampton, ON  Garrett RacingHonda Civic SiADA/American Honda/Animas
TCA  49  Patrick Seguin Ottawa, ON  Branden PetersonRacingHonda Civic SiLet’s Hug It Out
TCA  70  TBA Compass360 RacingHonda Civic Si  Honda Performance Development
TCA  71  TBA Compass360 RacingHonda Civic Si  Honda Performance Development
TCA  72  TBA Compass360 RacingHonda Civic Si  Honda Performance Development
TCB  8  P.J. Groenke Toronto P.J. Groenke RacingMINI CooperVerax.ca/Tundra/Mulligan Gold/Clairhaven
Ltd/Martinrea International Inc/Pelto AgriInvestments/Warp Speed Computers Inc.

TCB  57  Andrei Kisel North Vancouver  Racing.caMINI CooperRacing.ca/LaptopScreen.com
TCB  58  Glenn Nixon Mission, BC  Racing.caMINI CooperRacing.ca/LaptopScreen.com/NixonProsports

TCB  59  Wei Lu (R) Richmond,BC,  Racing.caMINI CooperRacing.ca/NixonProsports/LaptopScreen.com/Miniusa.com

Posted by admin on in Verizon IndyCar Series

SPM signs James Jakes to 2015 IndyCar Ride

Indianapolis, IN – February 16, 2015 – Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) announced today that James Jakes will pilot the team’s No. 7 Honda-powered Indy car for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season.

The 27-year-old, British driver participated in a two-day test with SPM last week at NOLA Motorsports Park and made a solid impression on the engineers and teammate James Hinchcliffe.

A native of Leeds, Great Britain, Jakes got his start racing in T-cars. He then moved up the ranks in Formula Renault, Formula Three, GP2 and GP3 before moving to IndyCar.

“First of all, a big thank you to Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for giving me the opportunity to test last week in NOLA after 16 months away,” said Jakes. “I’m extremely excited and motivated to drive the No. 7 Honda SPM Indy car in 2015.

“The team has done a fantastic job over the past few seasons and I look forward to continuing that progress. I believe that – between myself and James [Hinchcliffe] – we can really push the team to the top of this sport. I’m excited to be working alongside him as we look to help Honda in maximizing the new aero kits. It’s going to be an exciting year and I cannot wait to get started in St. Pete.”

Team co-owner Sam Schmidt stated, “We are very pleased that James will be competing with SPM in the No. 7 for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar season. The goal of the team when it moved to IndyCar in 2011 was to get to the point where we had two veteran drivers in the car, capable of pushing each other. This finally checks that box.

“Even with 16 months out of the car, James was immediately up to speed at NOLA last week and contributed to the successful test of the team. We look forward to continuing the tradition that has been established over the past three seasons of winning races and competing for the Championship.”

Team co-owner Ric Peterson added, “We’re confident that James will be a great addition to the SPM team. He knows the IndyCar landscape and he has impressed us, both in and out of the race car. Over the past several years, we have aimed at developing a group of talented drivers who fit seamlessly into the culture of our great team. We feel that James meets those criteria and we’re happy to welcome him to SPM.”

The next time Jakes is scheduled to turn laps in his No. 7 car will be the Verizon IndyCar Series open test at Barber Motorsports Park on March 16-17. Just one week later, the 2015 season kicks off on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will take place on Sunday, March 29 with the green flag scheduled to drop at 3 p.m. ET.

Posted by admin on in Verizon IndyCar Series

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Completes IndyCar Test at Sebring

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Completes IndyCar Test at Sebring

Sebring, FL – February 4, 2015 –As the start of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series closes in, James Hinchcliffe and Conor Daly completed a successful day of testing on Tuesday at Sebring International Raceway.   The SPM crew focused on mechanical setup and fine tuning during the one-day test on the 1.65-mile short course. This was only the second test of the off-season for twenty-eight-year-old Hinchcliffe, a Toronto, Canada native who signed with SPM in October to pilot the No. 77 entry for a full season in the Verizon IndyCar Series.   “It was a great day for us and just so nice to get back in the car,” said Hinchcliffe. “We’ve had a long off-season and I know we got a day back in December, but it’s just not enough. To know that it’s the new year and we’re getting back in the car really makes it feel like the season is coming.   “I worked closely with Allen [McDonald] to try to tune the car more closely to my liking and I think we made some good progress. Until we get the new body kits on, it’s all sort of an exercise in teamwork, practicing and getting used to procedures. But I still think we made some good gains and learned things we can apply when we get our new kits in a couple weeks. So all in all, a very successful day and I’m just looking forward to doing some more testing.”   Twenty-three-year-old Daly from Noblesville, Indiana shared the testing time as part of a one-day agreement with SPM. Daly’s last stint in an IndyCar was 2013 when he competed in the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500. He was eager to get back in the car and reacquaint himself.   “The day went really well for me, personally,” said Daly. “I think the engineers and I did a lot of great work with the setup. It felt like we were on pace pretty quickly into the morning and it was a great feeling to work with a solid, great group of guys. I’m very happy with where we ended up, pace-wise, compared to what we saw from everyone else, and I’m just thankful for the opportunity to drive the SPM car.”

SPM Engineering Manager Nick Snyder commented, “We had an excellent test today with both James and Conor. The goal going in was to focus on chassis mechanical setup, as we eagerly await the release of the 2015 aero kits. We accomplished everything on our test list without issue.

“James picked up right where he left off after our last test, continuing to develop the car and fine tune the setup. Conor was immediately up to speed, despite not having driven an IndyCar for quite some time, and provided feedback on par with some of the most veteran drivers in the field. His time spend doing development driving in Europe certainly proved valuable.

“Both drivers worked together very well, and built off of each other the entire day. We are all looking forward to visiting NOLA for the first time next week and continuing our development plan.”

The Verizon IndyCar Series is scheduled to kick off the 2015 season on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will take place on Sunday, March 29 with the green flag scheduled to drop at 3 p.m. ET. Fans can get more information and purchase tickets at www.GPStPete.com.