Posted by admin on in Miscellaneous News

Maxx Ebenal Readies for Asia Formula Renault at Shanghai & Victory for Canada

PRLog (Press Release) – Oct. 23, 2014 – SHANGHAI, China — Shanghai International F1 Circuit

Shanghai, China –

To his friends back home in the small city of Regina, Saskatchewan Canada, Maxx Ebenal has certainly become a hometown hero from half a world away.

From his humble upbringings to newfound glory in high-level international Formula Renault racing, Ebenal epitomizes the famous quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that one must “…go where there is no path and leave a trail.” And a trail Ebenal certainly has made – from battling cancer in his youth, to working in the oil fields of Northern Canada to save money for his racing, then working as a race mechanic to further fund his racing, and finally moving halfway around the world to Asia to risk it all, for one shot at glory.

There is no doubt that glory has certainly been found by Ebenal this season, as he is currently dominating the 2014 Asia Formula Renault Championship by a staggering 57 points. With next weekend’s rounds 10&11 of the series at the world-famous Shanghai International Formula One Circuit, Ebenal has with a chance to seal the overall championship victory with one race weekend still to go, and in so doing, become the first Canadian to win the Asia Formula Renault Championship in its 13 year history.

However, although Ebenal is well on his way to bringing glory to Canada, there is no doubt that a strong part of his motivation for victory comes from his support of the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children. Since 2009, Ebenal has used his racing efforts to promote the charity and in doing so has consistently raised money for the foundation, inspired by his own battle with a brain tumor at a young age. For more information on Maxx Ebenal’s story and updates on his next race weekend at the world-famous Shanghai International F1 Circuit, visit http://www.maxxspeed.ca or his facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/maxxebenalracing.

Posted by admin on in World Challenge

Pirelli World Challenge Announces 2015 Schedule

Written by  Series Staff

PWC-LOGO

Denver, CO – After a record-setting 25th anniversary 2014 season, WC Vision today announced the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge Championships schedule featuring 10 weekends, including five standalone events. Next year’s schedule includes events across North America at some of the world’s most challenging and legendary permanent road courses and temporary street circuits. All standalone races will also feature TC/TCA/TCB rounds, with one further event still to-be-announced.

The series opens up its 2015 season at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, TX, March 6-8. All classes (GT/GT-A/GT Cup, GTS, TC/TCA/TCB) will be racing as part of a series headliner event weekend at the world-class 3.4-mile circuit.

From Austin, GT, GT-A, GT Cup and GTS teams head to St. Petersburg, FL March 27-29, to run alongside IndyCar as part of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

It’s the ‘Roar by the Shore’ April 17-19 as GT, GT-A and GT Cup competitors travel to Long Beach, CA to compete as part of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend. A week later, GT/GT-A/GT Cup competitors as well as GTS competitors will be running as part of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park, April 24-26, near Birmingham, AL.

May 15-17 all classes head north of the border to run at the challenging high speed Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, in Bowmanville, ON co-headlining with the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series as part of the Victoria Day Speedfest. From CTMP, all competitors head to Wisconsin June 26-28, as the series returns to Elkhart Lake’s legendary four-mile, 14-turn Road America.

In late July (July 31-Aug. 2), GT/GT-A/GT Cup and GTS teams travel to Lexington, OH to compete at the scenic 2.4-mile, 15-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, co-headlining with the IndyCar series as part of the Honda Indy 200.

The series then heads back out west for the final three event weekends to close out the 2015 season. August 21-23, all classes have a return date at picturesque and challenging Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT.

August 28-30, GT/GT-A/GT Cup and GTS competitors return to California’s beautiful 2.52-mile road course at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, CA along with IndyCar as part of the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma weekend.

The 2015 season finale weekend is set for a return appearance at the 11-turn, 2.238-mile jewel of a road course on California’s beautiful central coast – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, in Salinas, CA September 11-13. The weekend season finale is a series headliner event.

“I’m confident our 2015 season will continue to build on our record-breaking 2014 season,” said Scott Bove, President and CEO, WC Vision/Pirelli World Challenge. “We had record TV viewership this past season that was seven times higher than in 2013. Additionally, on the digital side, our YouTube channel garnered over 300,000 views and fans have watched close to 3 million minutes of Pirelli World Challenge racing coverage on the channel. World-challenge.com had over 1.2 million page views with close to 200,000 visitors frequenting the site, roughly of which 60% are new visitors. The series’ Facebook page is one of the largest in motorsports and has over 610,000 Likes and the engagement/interaction level of our fans on the page has quintupled.”

2015 Pirelli World Challenge Schedule
March 6-8 — Circuit of The Americas**
March 27-29 — St. Petersburg*
April 17-19 — Long Beach* (GT/GT-Cup Only)
April 24-26 — Barber Motorsports Park*
May 15-17 — Canadian Tire Motorsport Park**
June 26-28 — Road America**
July 31-Aug. 2 — Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course*
Aug. 21-23 — Miller Motorsports Park**
Aug. 28-30 — Sonoma Raceway*
Sept. 11-13 — Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca**

*Events with IndyCar
**Pirelli WC Headline Events (All standalone races will also feature TC/TCA/TCB rounds, with one further event still to-be-announced)

Posted by admin on in Verizon IndyCar Series

James Hinchcliffe Joins IndyCar Team Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 7, 2014) – Three-time Verizon IndyCar Series race winner James Hinchcliffe has signed a multi-year contract with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) to drive the team’s No. 77 entry, beginning with the 2015 race season.

SPM has finished fifth or better in the series championship for the past three years, and Hinchcliffe, 27, will join the team immediately for off-season testing.

“Despite being around in Indy Lights for years, SPM is a relatively young team in the IndyCar paddock,” Hinchcliffe said. “To see what they have accomplished in the last few seasons has been incredible. Winning races, being competitive at all tracks and finishing in the top five in the championship against more experienced teams at this level is impressive. Because they are young, there is still room for them to grow and improve, and that’s an exciting thought for me.”

In 2009, Toronto-area native Hinchcliffe drove for SPM in Indy Lights, finishing fifth in the championship. He entered IndyCar in 2011, earning Rookie of the Year honors. His highest championship finish has been eighth, where he finished in 2012 and 2013, and his three wins came in 2013 on street courses at the Streets of St. Petersburg and Sao Paulo, as well as on the short oval at Iowa Speedway.

“James had great success in Indy Lights and other series on his way to IndyCar,” team owner Sam Schmidt said. “In fact, he would already be with us driving the No. 77 if he would have been available three years ago. We went after him in 2011, but it didn’t work out then.

“We know that his success in the Verizon IndyCar Series is no fluke. We’ve now won races and contended for championships, and we believe he’s going to be the person we need to keep moving forward as a team. It’s a very big compliment to the team that James wants to come drive for us and that he thinks that he can win and contend for championships with us.”

SPM has laid out clear goals for its future in the Verizon IndyCar Series, with Hinchcliffe at the center of execution, according to team co-owner Ric Peterson.

“When Sam, Rob Edwards (SPM general manager) and I discussed who was going to drive our No. 77 car, it was always focused on who could help us achieve our two main goals over the next three years – winning the championship and the Indianapolis 500,” Peterson said. “James’ three victories in 2013 and his two career front row starts at the Indy 500 were evidence that he had the potential to help us realize those goals. I am also very proud to welcome a fellow Canadian to our team.”

From : www.spmindycar.com/hinchcliffe-joins-spm/

Posted by admin on in Miscellaneous News

Sweedler, Bell, and AIM Autosport Capture Patron North American Endurance Cup

AIM Autosport: Official PR

AIM Autosport
AIM Autosport

October 5, 2014 (Braselton, GA) – Fifty-two hours of racing in the Patron North American Endurance Cup’s GT-Daytona class were dominated by the no. 555 AIM Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia of Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell, as they were crowned the NAEC’s driver champions during Saturday’s Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

At the drop of the green flag, AIM Autosport earned enough points to secure the NAEC’s team championship. The opening portions of the race were promising for the team as they moved up through the field with Bell and Sweedler taking turns at the head of the GT-Daytona field. After leading during the race’s fifth hour, Sweedler was hit by an Audi R8 forcing him to an unscheduled pit stop which put the AIM Autosport Ferrari down one lap.

The team, who was joined for Petit Le Mans by Formula Drift star Conrad Grunewald, was unable to make up the lap after its’ unscheduled pit stop. Ultimately, the Ferrari saw the checkered flag in seventh position. The result meant that Sweedler and Bell would finish the season in fourth position in the GT-Daytona driver’s championship after leading for most of the season.

“We are feeling some mixed emotions tonight,” said Sweedler. “We are really proud to have won the NAEC title. It’s been a very exciting season and I am proud that we could win at Daytona and stand on the podium at Sebring and Watkins Glen. But we are a bit disappointed to have lost out on the regular season championship after leading it for most of the year. We lost a lap when I was hit by one of the Audi’s and it put us in a position where we couldn’t attack for the championship. But, it’s still been a great season and I’m very proud of what we have done in the Ferrari.”

Sweedler and Bell secured their NAEC driver’s championship after meeting their minimum drive times by opening the race with a pair of double-stints.

“We were expecting a challenge for Petit Le Mans, and that is what we got,” said Bell. “GT-Daytona is really competitive and once we had lost that lap we knew it was going to be a big challenge to get back on the lead lap. Despite the issues we have had with Balance of Performance, I thought we may be able to battle with the 94 and the 22, and we were able to beat the 22 on the track. I’m proud to have won the NAEC with my friend Bill and with the great guys at AIM Autosport.”

The NAEC championship was the second one in three years for AIM Autosport, as the team won the 2012 Rolex Sports Car Series championship. After beginning the season with Level 5 Motorsports, Sweedler and Bell moved to AIM Autosport and continued their relationship with Ian Willis who had engineered their Daytona-winning Ferrari 458 Italia. The partnership nearly produced a GT-Daytona driver’s championship.

“We are a bit disappointed to have missed out on the TUDOR Championship, but winning the NAEC title is very exciting and a true testament to the reliability of our car and the work by our crew,” said Willis. “We drafted Conrad in for this race and he did a phenomenal job. He was right on pace and never put a wheel wrong and did everything we asked of him. A part of this championship belongs to Level 5 Motorsports, who I engineered for at Daytona with Bill and Townsend as part of the driver lineup. I am glad that once again that we have proven that AIM is a championship caliber team and that Bill and Townsend gave us this opportunity this year.”