The new ARC2 rally car aims to boost rallying in the United States, and I have the details on how in this week’s Racecraft & Race Cars Roundup. I also have advice on visualization, learning a new racetrack and a whole bunch of 2026 race series news.
Racecraft Tips & Techniques
Visualization for Race Drivers
How Does Short Shifting Affect Lap Times?
Does short shifting affect your lap times? If so, then by how much and how can you spot this in the data? This is what Samir Abid from Your Data Driven investigates in his latest article here.
Norris Is His Own Biggest Critic, but He Won the F1 World Title His Way
Lando Norris has been open about his weaknesses as the 2025 F1 title fight has developed, but his performance in the Abu Dhabi championship showdown demonstrated that he is a worthy champion. Read James Allen’s article in Autosport on how Norris won the world title his way.
J.G. Pasterjak’s Tips for Quickly Learning a New Race Track
J.G. Pasterjak of Grassroots Motorsports presents his tips on quickly learning a new race track. “So, let me walk you through my process of learning a new track. Maybe it can help you go faster quicker, too.”
In-Race Tire Testing
Ross Bentley of Speed Secrets explains how to conduct in-race tire testing. “At the end of the day, what matters to me is how a tire feels. Yes, I want the ultimate lap time out of every tire I drive on when on track, but there are other things I want (and sometimes even more than outright grip).”
What Makes You A Fast Driver? – Racing Psychology
Is AI Driver Coaching the Future of Racing? Fire Laps Says Yes
Ask anyone how to log faster laps around a track, and the short answer will be “seat time.” The problem is, seat time is only as good as the laps you’re putting in. Keep making the same mistake time and time again, and those errors will compound and become second nature – before you know it, you’re learning the wrong line, the wrong entry techniques, and you’re getting on the gas too late. One solution is data analysis via one-on-one driver coaching. Another solution, says Fire Laps, is data analysis using machine learning.
Check out this review at the SCCA website.
Cosworth Launches SaaS Version of Pi Toolbox
Cosworth has transitioned to a Software as a Service (SaaS) model with the introduction of Pi Toolbox, providing continuous updates, reduced upfront costs and quicker access to new features.
Paul Newby, managing director at Cosworth Electronics, said, “Pi Toolbox has powered decision-making in top-tier motorsport for nearly three decades, and this next step is one of the most significant evolutions in its history. By moving to a true Software as a Service model, we’re giving teams continuous access to the latest capability the moment it’s ready – not once a year, not behind an upgrade fee, but as an always-current platform. It means engineers, drivers and data specialists at every level around the world can operate with the same clarity, precision and pace of development trusted at the very top of the sport.”
Get more details here.
Race Car & Series Developments
IMSA Support Series Surge: Michelin Pilot Challenge Averages 39.5 Entries, VP Challenge Peaks at 33 Cars in 2025
IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge averaged 39.5 entries per race in 2025, while the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge hit a season-high 33-car grid. These trends show rising class stability, expanding participation, and new GT3 momentum across IMSA support series. Vantage has all the details.
TCR European Endurance joins GTC Endurance Challenge for 2026 season
TCR European Endurance will be part of the GTC Endurance Challenge in the 2026 season. After listening to the feedback of teams and drivers alike, the exciting endurance format used by the continental series dedicated to TCR cars will be used in the new championship, too. Each race will be split into two 55-minute stages, with a mandatory pit stop in both segments. Points will be awarded for each stage, as well as qualifying and the total race result, which will be created by combining the times of each stage.
Ex-F1 Race Director Masi Lands New Role in Kiwi Championship
Ex-Formula 1 race director Michael Masi has joined the NZ Championship ahead of the start of the 2026 season, MotorSport New Zealand has announced. Masi will oversee a range of national series in New Zealand as the event director, with a focus on “ensuring the safe, fair, and professional delivery of each round”.
Formula Regional Middle East Unveils 11-Strong Powerhouse Team Entry
Formula Regional Middle East Trophy (FRME) 2026 is set to write the next chapter in its remarkable success story when the new season gets underway in Abu Dhabi on January 16. Eleven of the world’s most highly-regarded teams have been selected by promoter Top Speed to contest this season’s trophy: ART Grand Prix, CL Racing, G4 Racing, MP Motorsport, Pinnacle Motorsport, Mumbai Falcons Racing Ltd, R-ace GP, Rodin Motorsport, RPM Motorsport, Trident Motorsport and VAR.
All the teams will be racing the brand new Tatuus T-326 which will be making its world debut in the series.
Inaugural Mustang Cup Australia Champion to Earn Triple Eight Supercars Test
The inaugural champion of the new-for-2025 Mustang Cup Australia series will earn a prize test drive at the wheel of a Triple Eight Race Engineering-run Ford Mustang Supercar.
Triple Eight, which begins a new relationship with Ford in Australia’s premier touring car category next year, will host the post-season test at Queensland Raceway for the title winner of the top Dark Horse class in the newly-established series.
Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific partners with China GT to introduce 992 Cup Class for 2026
Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific and China GT have completed an agreement which will see the introduction of a new 992 Cup Class, exclusively for Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992.1) entries.
Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific will support entries in the championship, including but not limited to spare parts, technical support and increased access to other Porsche One-Make Series in the region. In addition, the leading driver after Round 4 of the 2026 China GT 992 Cup class will receive an entry to race at the popular Porsche Sports Cup China event at Shanghai International Circuit.
AASA Announces All-New, Four-Round ‘Nationals Series’
The Australia Auto-Sport Alliance (AASA) has announced a new, four-round Nationals Series to debut in 2026. The series is being billed as a cost-effective way to go racing, catering for the increased demand thanks to the success of the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series.
AASA said the Nationals Series will “cater to grass roots and budget-focused categories, giving them a national series to race in, offering each category an opportunity to be a feature event.”
Porsche Cayman and Boxster Newly Added to SCCA’s Spec Racing Roster
Following the successful footsteps of the Club Spec MX-5 and Club Spec Mustang categories, the SCCA has announced that the latest car to get the Club Spec treatment will be the 718-chassis Porsche Boxster and Cayman. Allowable models for this new program will be “base” Boxsters and Caymans, with the 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder MA2.2 engine producing 296 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque.
More details can be found here.
Become a EuroNASCAR Driver – Jan 30, 2026
The NASCAR Recruitment Tests program offers drivers from all over the world to drive the EuroNASCAR race cars and discover the NASCAR Euro Series at Fontenay Le Comte, France. Selected drivers will be allocated scholarships to enter the series, and management support to develop their international career in Europe and in the USA.
More information can be found at https://www.nascar.eu/recruitment/.
You can see how the first EuroNASCAR recruitment test in December went here.
Grönholm Aims to Give U.S. Rallying a Shot in the Arm With New ARC2
Rallying legend Marcus Grönholm will be testing a new car specially developed for rallying in the U.S. that will bridge the gap to European Rally2 cars, and which he hopes can help grow the sport stateside.
The ARC2 is a new car developed by Johan Ragnarsson’s Georgia-based JRD Motorsport, which worked on the Panoz LMP900 car and more recently won the American Rally Association 2WD championships in 2018 and from 2020-22. It has been designed to compete in the American Rally Association series’ RC2 class and be equal in performance to Rally2 machines, albeit as a low-cost alternative to the European-built machines and without the need to go through a difficult import and approval process.
RACER has all the details.
RallyX Americas Relaunches Rallycross in North America
Rallycross in the United States has been given another reprieve with the announcement of the new RallyX Americas series, which will debut next year with three doubleheader events at established venues across the U.S. and Canada. “We’re thrilled to return the sport of rallycross to a high level in America with the creation of RallyX Americas,” he said. “We couldn’t be more excited to work with three of the best racetracks and promoters in America to create a stable set of events that will help us grow the sport.
Mustang Cup Classic Offers a New Home for Older Mustang Racers
The latest addition to the Mustang Cup USA series, the Mustang Cup Classic, is a lot like a greatest hits album, but for Mustang race cars from the 2000s and 2010s.
“In allowing select Mustang models to compete alongside the current generation Mustang Dark Horse R cars that currently make up the entry point of its Motorsports Pyramid,” explains Chris Ward, Ford Racing Global One-Make Series Manager, “Mustang Cup Classic will introduce a lower barrier of entry for competition oriented owners of these recent generation Mustangs.”
Eight-Event 2026 FIA TCR World Tour Calendar Revealed
The calendar for the 2026 FIA TCR World Tour has been published by TCR rights holder WSC, featuring 20 races across eight events and three continents. The schedule features much similarity to the 2025 campaign, with two notable changes. For the third event of the season, Circuit Paul Ricard takes over from Monza, whilst there will be no Australian round in 2026, with a second Chinese event instead taking its place.
2026 FIA GT World Cup Date Confirmed
The date of the ninth edition of the FIA GT World Cup, which will again take place in Macau, has been set for next year. Confirmed in last Wednesday’s FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the GT3 sprint race is scheduled for Nov. 19-22, 2026.
Numerous International F4 Championships Reveal Their 2026 Calendars
The 2026 calendars for international Formula 4 championships F1 Academy, F4 South East Asia, French F4 and Nordic 4 have been revealed and Formula Scout has all the details.
Road Atlanta Added to Radical Cup Schedule
Radical Cup North America has added another renowned circuit to its 2026 roster with the return of Road Atlanta to the calendar. With the announcement that Radical Cup will support the FIA World Endurance Championship at COTA next September, it appeared the home of Petit Le Mans might be missed, but the series has struck a deal with World Racing League to appear on its spectator weekend of July 23-26.
Formula Delta Announces 2026 Calendar
Formula Delta has announced their 2026 calendar. You can find it on their Instagram page here.
HybridV10. A New Single-Seater Race Series by Anthony Hamilton?
Is Anthony Hamilton launching a new race series using hybrid V10s? A new website has been published under the name HybridV10. The blurb suggests a V10 based single seater project created by Anthony Hamilton, the father of Lewis Hamilton. Alan Dove looks deeper into it here.
From the Sim Racing Roundup
How Sim Racing Reinvented Simon Pagenaud
How sim racing reinvented Simon Pagenaud is just one of the topics covered in last week’s Sim Racing Roundup. I also had the latest tech news and reviews, software updates and much more!
Track Days
Randy Pobst on the 1064-Horsepower C8 Corvette ZR1: Like a Big Miata
Randy Probst takes to the track in the 1064-horsepower C8 Corvette ZR1. He likes it. “The ZR1 is the latest, greatest version of the Corvette C8 platform, of which I have always approved, and what’s very interesting is that its driving personality is the exact opposite of the twitchy C7’s in some important ways.”
Jzilla Track Days: Go Fast Without the Intimidation
You know that feeling when you roll up to a new track day and immediately wonder if you’re out of your depth? Like, are these folks going to be friendly? Am I going to get yelled at in the paddock for not knowing the right torque spec or what flag means what? That’s the kind of anxiety that keeps a lot of would-be drivers on the sidelines.
But then there’s Jzilla Track Days, which flips that vibe completely on its head. Grassroots Motorsports explains.
Lots More Nismo Models Are On The Way From Nissan
Nissan has been in need of good news stories more than many other brands of late, and here’s one to warm the hearts of car enthusiasts everywhere. As part of its in-motion plans to turn around the dire financial straits it found itself in recently, it’s going to be quite literally doubling down on its Nismo performance brand, by increasing its range from five to 10 cars, as well as providing more support for owners of its classic performance cars.
Read more at Car Throttle.