Supremacy Games from Helsinki, Finland announces a licensing deal with legendary American supercar manufacturer Saleen Automotive. Company’s original vehicles can be collected and driven in Apex Kings NFT Racing game.

Saleen is an American car manufacturer that is known for its high-performance sports cars and muscle cars. Founded by Steve Saleen, the company has a long history of building some of the most iconic and sought-after cars in the world.

One of the key features of Saleen cars is their impressive performance. Many of the company's vehicles are equipped with powerful engines and advanced suspension and brake systems, which allows them to deliver agile handling and impressive acceleration. This makes Saleen cars a favorite among car enthusiasts and performance driving enthusiasts.

Among the many real car brands and models available in the game, players can now find three exciting vehicles from Saleen: the S1, S5S Raptor, and S7. For a limited time, everyone can participate in a giveaway of a Saleen S7 car, further details in Apex Kings Twitter @ApexKingsNFT

Apex Kings NFT Racing is a new web3 racing game that allows players to collect and trade unique cars using digital collectibles based on real car brands and models. This feature adds an extra layer of strategy and depth to the game and provides players with several benefits. One of the main benefits of collecting NFT cars in Apex Kings NFT Racing is the added value that they provide. Just like in the real world, certain cars are more rare and valuable than others, and these cars can be more difficult to obtain or have better performance on the track.

A unique feature is the game’s natural scarcity feature, where the number of digital collectibles dropped corresponds to the actual production number of the cars. By collecting and trading NFT cars, players can build a valuable and powerful collection that can help them win races and earn rewards. First Apex Kings NFT Racing cars will be available in blind packs of 3 cars by the end of March 2023. The game will be available for a limited audience to play soon afterwards.

“We are thrilled to be able to add official Saleen cars to the game. All the Saleen models are very rare and will be a very valuable addition to anyone’s collection and formidable opponents on the racetrack. One lucky winner will get a free Saleen S7 supercar in our giveaway,” commented Supremacy Games CEO Jari Pauna.

More info
www.apexkings.io
https://twitter.com/@ApexKingsNFT

Andersen Promotions today announced a multi-year partnership with the Dallara Research Center to further prepare drivers on their rise through the USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires ranks. The final step on the ladder – USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires – will now offer the top-three finishers in the championship simulator time at the renowned Speedway, Ind.-based facility.

Built in 2014, the Dallara USA simulator is one of only three Dallara simulators in the world. The state-of-the-art unit features a full motion platform with post lifts, movement, vibration, simulated G-force, immersive audio and 180-degree video. It is the most precise simulator dedicated to professional racing and has been utilized by top drivers and teams across the globe.

Alongside the USF Pro 2000 champion’s scholarship valued at $664,425 to advance to INDY NXT in 2024, Dallara will provide a full day of simulator testing with half-days awarded to second and third in the final finishing positions. All will drive an INDY NXT car at a track(s) mutually agreed upon.

“We have had a great working relationship with Dallara for many years including developing the Dallara IL-15,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “I want to thank Bryce Moore [Dallara Commercial and Business Development] and his team for reaching out to us and offering this great award package to assist our drivers in taking their next steps.

“I have seen the Dallara simulator in action and the amount of accurate, realistic set-up changes that can be made in a short amount of time coupled with the physical aspects and live data will definitely help to accelerate a driver’s learning curve. It truly is revolutionary as to what can be accomplished in one day in the simulator versus several days trackside. As always, our goal is to train drivers to advance and this is another benefit to our ladder system thanks to Dallara.”

“We have always had such a great relationship with Dan and his team and feel that, as the sole chassis supplier for the pillar series up the ladder, this is a way that we can continuously help and improve the abilities of the younger generation of drivers moving on to the next levels,” said Moore. “We are thrilled to have this partnership and are excited about what it can bring.”

USF Pro 2000 will be trackside February 27/28 at Sebring International Raceway for Spring Training followed by the season-opener on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., March 3-5 in support of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

With excitement already brewing surrounding the start of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series at the 54th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, eight Top Fuel stars are already planning for a memorable weekend at historic Gainesville Raceway.

The Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout returns in 2023, pitting eight standouts against each other in a unique specialty race that takes place on Saturday, March 11. It’s a marquee, can’t-miss attraction to help kick off the new season, and a definite highlight of famed Gatornationals.

Reigning world champion Brittany Force, defending callout winner Steve Torrence, Justin Ashley, Mike Salinas, Doug Kalitta, Josh Hart, Austin Prock and Clay Millican make up the eight-car field for the one-day shootout with a distinctive callout format that promises big money and major bragging rights, along with a special broadcast on Fox Sports 1 (FS1).

The Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout’s format was introduced in 2022, with the top-seeded driver – which is Force this season – getting the first selection to call out her first-round opponent. Torrence gets the next selection, going down the line until the first-round matchups are set. After a sure-fire dynamite first round, the driver who makes the quickest winning run will select their semifinal opponent, locking in the other matchup as well.

It makes for a thrilling Saturday duel leading into Sunday’s eliminations, also setting the stage for a terrific way to open the 2023 season. Last year’s Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout was finished in Indy due to weather, with Torrence going 3.692-seconds at 329.02 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors dragster to slip past Force in a stellar final round. Torrence, who won four straight world championships from 2018-2021, will look for back-to-back specialty race wins and the chance to do it for the first time in Gainesville, while Force will look to start her second career championship defense with a callout victory. The speed dynamo made a track-record run in Gainesville last year, scorching the track with a run of 337.75 en route to her world title.

Standouts Ashley and Salinas, who each had the best seasons of their careers in 2022, advanced to the semifinals in the shootout last year, while the veteran Kalitta was a participant last year and is no stranger to specialty races in his storied career. Millican and rising stars Josh Hart and Austin Prock will make their first appearances in the callout. Hart started his Top Fuel career with a victory at Gainesville at his first career race in 2021, while Prock came on strong to end 2022, winning two playoff races and finishing third in the points standings.

With three rounds of the specialty race set to take place on Saturday, it adds another thrilling attraction to the kickoff of the NHRA’s 72nd season. For more than five decades, Gainesville Raceway has served as hallowed grounds for drivers eager to leave their mark at the storied facility. The first event of the year will also celebrate the 2022 world champions with a ring ceremony, along with a pre-race kickoff party in Gainesville to help set the tone for an incredible opener.

In 2022, Tripp Tatum (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock), and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all picked up victories during a record-breaking weekend in Gainesville. Hagan earned the first-ever victory for Tony Stewart Racing, and Karen Stoffer made the quickest pass in Pro Stock Motorcycle history at 6.665 seconds en route to the win. Tatum earned his first career victory, as a first-time winner picked up the victory for a second straight year in Top Fuel.

Action will start with qualifying on Friday, final qualifying and the Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout on Saturday, and eliminations on Sunday as the NHRA stars will aim to open their 2023 season in standout fashion.

To purchase tickets to the 2023 Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are free in general-admission areas with the purchase of an adult ticket. 

2023 Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout Final Standings

1.   Brittany Force

2.   Steve Torrence

3.   Justin Ashley

4.   Mike Salinas

5.   Doug Kalitta

6.   Josh Hart

7.   Austin Prock

8.   Clay Millican

(Note: Force will get the first selection for the opening round, followed by the next-highest seeded driver until matchups are set.)

(Courtesy of NHRA Communications)

Due to the severe weather conditions afflicting Northern California, Round 2 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship originally scheduled for Saturday, January 14 at RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland, California is being rescheduled for Saturday, February 18, 2023. The safety of our athletes, teams, operational and television staff, and fans is always our foremost concern.

All original ticket purchases will be honored for the rescheduled date. Ticket purchasers can visit SupercrossLIVE for the most up to date information regarding this rescheduled event. 

Round 3 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship will continue next Saturday, January 21 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.

Cosworth has launched its very first racing product dedicated to sim racing purposes, the CCW MkII Pro Sim wheel, in partnership with SIMTAG, exclusively at the Autosport International Show.

The launch of this sim wheel marks Cosworth’s first foray into the ever-expanding sim racing industry. The CCW MkII Pro Sim is the first product of the partnership which is to deliver exclusive high-end sim racing equipment, with more to follow. The partnership combines Cosworth’s decades of expertise in the motorsport industry with SIMTAG’s experience in creating high-quality sim racing products.

The CCW MkII Pro Sim has been designed exclusively for simulators, around one of Cosworth’s current race steering wheels, the CCW MkII, providing sim racers and racing drivers the visual, tactile and functional accuracy of the real steering wheel, simulating reality to the highest degree, helping to enable the most productive sim training experiences for drivers and teams. 

Cosworth will be exhibiting at the Autosport International Show from 12-15 January 2023, with the CCW MkII Pro Sim available to test on the simulator at the stand as well as whole host of products from across the Cosworth Group.

Stefan Balkowiec, Managing Director of Cosworth Electronics said: “This is an historic moment for Cosworth. It’s our very first product sim racing product, utilising our decades of experience in motorsport electronics. We envision this to be a vital aid for drivers, especially those with the need to accurately replicate their real-life race cars for training purposes. It also, for the first time, gives sim racers the opportunity to have a genuine Cosworth wheel with identical functionality to the motorsport version of the CCW MkII at home for use on their favourite sim racing titles which feature real-world cars equipped with Cosworth wheels. We’re really excited to be working with SIMTAG as part of an ongoing partnership to design ever more exciting products for the sim racing space.”

János Zsinor, co‑owner and Sales Manager at SIMTAG says: “We’re very thrilled to be working with Cosworth as part of this partnership to create the CCW MkII Pro Sim wheel. Cosworth is a historic name in the motorsport industry and with their expertise in designing ground-breaking products in motorsport, we’re looking forward to designing even more products for sim racing enthusiasts and racing drivers alike.”

The Piston Foundation, whose mission is to bring more young people into the trades of the collector car industry, will receive support from the Cavallino Classic on January 26-29, 2023, for the second straight year as a sponsored charity.

The 32nd edition of the “Concorso d’Eleganza" will celebrate the Ferrari marque, dedicating a class to the 100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race that is a significant part of Ferrari’s legendary racing pedigree. It will be held at the famed Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, and will feature a Piston Foundation discussion panel at noon on Saturday, January 28, entitled “The New Wave: Everything You Don’t Know About The Next Generation of Collector Car Technicians.”

Included on the panel, hosted by The Piston Foundation’s Manager of Development Sperry Hutchinson, will be Paul Russell, owner/manager of Paul Russell and Company in Essex, Massachusetts, which offers restoration, preservation and maintenance services; along with Jon Dega, who operates Rare Classics Restorations LLC in Boca Raton, Florida. where he and his team manage and care for four private collections and provide restoration services. https://paulrussell.com, www.americancoachbuilder.com, www.vignalecabriolet.com, www.chryslerboano.com, www.maxradpicturecars.com.

Russell and Dega will be joined on the panel by Jeff Mason, President/COO of The Piston Foundation, and three of the 10 recipients of the inaugural 2022 Piston Foundation Scholarships: Zoe Carmichael, Jacob Koehn and Sean Whetstone. All three are juniors at McPherson College and part of the Automotive Restoration Technology Program.

The Piston Foundation is working to bring more young people into the trades of the collector car industry. (Image courtesy of Chris McNeil Photography and Black Horse Garage.)
The students will also take part in assisting J.R. Amantea and his team from GT Motorcars of Wallingford, Connecticut, in preparing and placing client’s cars on the show field. The cars include an unrestored Ferrari 288 GTO, a Ferrari 512bbl and a low-mileage Ferrari F40. Amantea earned a 2017 and 2022 Sports Car Market “40 Under 40” award. https://www.gtmotorcarsllc.com/.

At Sunday’s Sports & Classic at Mar-a-Lago Club resort in Palm Beach, the students will walk the car show with car collector volunteers who will share career advice and guidance.

“Across the industry, there is a shortage of skilled workers,” Mason said. “Every shop can tell you about the difficulty of finding qualified technicians to hire. At the same time, young people with the interest, talent, and skill to be collector car technicians are unaware of the rewarding career opportunities the industry offers. The Piston Foundation is working to solve these problems through its scholarship and apprenticeship programs.

“In 2022, the Piston Foundation awarded scholarships to its inaugural class of Piston Scholars – 10 aspiring technicians who are each studying in an automotive technology program with the goal of building a career in vehicle restoration. Three of these impressive young people will join the Foundation at the Cavallino Classic to share their experiences with the collector car community."

Mason added, "During the discussion we’ll talk about generational differences that affect the workforce and unpack the myths about bringing young workers into skilled trade careers. This is the first discussion panel on workforce development in the collector car industry. I think it’s going to start a lot of conversations in the community.”

The 2022 Cavallino Classic "Overall Outstanding Ferrari Competition" winner: the 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO Serial No. 5573, owned by Aaron Hsu. (Image courtesy of Justin Nardella Photography.)
The Piston Foundation is one of several sponsored charities at this year’s Cavallino Classic. Each charity benefits from the support of the Cavallino Foundation created by Canossa Events CEO Luigi Orlandini. “One of the very first tasks I set myself was to increase the charitable contributions of the Cavallino Classic, to continue supporting the organizations we have already helped in previous years, and to also launch some new initiatives,” said Orlandini, Chairman of Canossa and Cavallino. “As the lucky father of three kids, I strongly believe that the younger generation is the most important part of our future, and young people deserve our help to seize their opportunities in life.”

“We appreciate the continued support of the Cavallino Classic,” said Robert P. Minnick, CEO and Founder of The Piston Foundation, “They are an important and valued partner and we are excited to join them at this year’s event.”

Tickets for the Cavallino Classic may be purchased at https://cavallino.com/palm-beach-cavallino-classic/.

• Mexico has been a mainstay on the Formula E calendar since its initial appearance in Season 2 with Mexico City hosting apart from Covid-hit Season 7 (with Puebla filling the gap). Only Germany (16) and USA (13) have hosted more races than Mexico (8).
• The 2023 Hankook Mexico City E-Prix will be run to a new track layout with a chicane being added after Turn 8, making the circuit the longest Formula E configuration around the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
• The 19-turn layout will be the fourth different configuration across the seven Mexico City E-Prix.
• After eight years of the Formula E season commencing in Asia, Formula E will start its GEN3 journey in North America, with Mexico City being the fourth city to have hosted the opener (after Beijing, Hong Kong and Diriyah).
• The opening race isn’t always a clear indicator of who will clinch the championship in Formula E. In only two seasons has the Driver’s Champion won the opening race (Sébastien Buemi in Season 2 and Nyck de Vries in Season 6).
• Lucas di Grassi won the Season 3 Mexico City race from 15th on the grid, the lowest position any driver has won an E-Prix from.
• Of the six previous races in Mexico City, Sébastien Buemi has stood on the podium three times, more than any other driver.
• António Félix da Costa is coming up to his first Formula E race with his new team, Porsche. Da Costa will be hoping he starts the GEN3 era in the same way he started GEN2, which is with a win.
• Sébastien Buemi, Sam Bird and Lucas di Grassi are the only drivers to have raced in every season opening race (each having claimed at least one win at a season opener).
• The last visit to Mexico City saw Pascal Wehrlein claim his maiden Formula E victory. Seven drivers come into Mexico City in search of their first Formula E win.
• NIO 333 Racing will start Season 9 with the youngest driver pairing (with an average age of just 24 years and 45 days). Mahindra Racing will start the season with the oldest driver pairing (with an average age of 34 years 156 days).
• The last three Julius Baer Pole Positions in Mexico City have all been claimed by German drivers. However, pole position isn’t always the spot to be in Mexico City, with three of the six pole sitters having failed to make it to the chequered flag.
• Starting last in Mexico City isn’t always the end to a driver’s weekend. In three of the last four Mexico City E-Prixs, the driver starting in last has picked up points (with a ninth-place finish in each instance).