Red Bull Global Rallycross has announced an adjustment to its 2014 event calendar, effective immediately. Red Bull Global Rallycross Los Angeles, previously scheduled for September 19-20 on the Port of Los Angeles, will be extended to a three-day event, replacing the series’ round in Detroit scheduled for August 2-3.

Red Bull Global Rallycross Los Angeles will now serve as a doubleheader event, ensuring the preservation of the series’ 10-race championship. The race weekend will now kick off on Friday, September 19, while dual finals will be run on Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21. Both events will be televised live on NBC.

In addition to the scheduled broadcasts, the series will run a 90-minute midseason recap broadcast on Sunday, August 3 at 4:30PM ET, which will include new and exclusive content to help showcase Red Bull Global Rallycross to its ever-growing fan base.

“Los Angeles has been the home of Red Bull Global Rallycross since the series was founded, and is home to some of our most passionate fans as well,” said Red Bull Global Rallycross CEO Colin Dyne. “By converting our round in Los Angeles into a three-day event and points-paying doubleheader, we offer additional value to our fans in one of our core markets, as well as creating additional championship intrigue for our fans watching at home on NBC. We remain committed to our fan base in Detroit, and we look forward to racing in the Motor City in 2015.”

The revised 2014 Red Bull Global Rallycross schedule is as follows:

·         May 17-18: Top Gear Festival Barbados

·         June 7: X Games Austin

·         June 21-22: Volkswagen Rallycross DC

·         July 19-20: Volkswagen Rallycross NY

·         July 25-26: Red Bull Global Rallycross Charlotte

·         August 22-23: Red Bull Global Rallycross Daytona

·         September 19-20: Red Bull Global Rallycross Los Angeles I

·         September 21: Red Bull Global Rallycross Los Angeles II

·         September 26-27: Red Bull Global Rallycross Seattle

·         November 5: Red Bull Global Rallycross Las Vegas

This change undoubtedly reflects the continued economic issues facing the city of Detroit, and sends a bad message about the health of motor racing in Motown. One wonders if the IndyCar race at Belle Isle will be the next to go. We shall see.

As they say, two heads are better than one. That must be the reason why Scuderia Corsa, founded in 2011 by Giacomo Mattioli and Art Zafiropoulo, is headed to two entirely different racetracks in two different countries this coming weekend.

Near Toronto, the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia driven by Alessandro Balzan and Jeff Westphal will compete in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship round at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.  It will be both drivers' first visit to the circuit, noted for being one of the most challenging in North America with a collection of high-speed corners and large elevation changes.   

"Canadian Tire Motorsports Park is a fairly fast track having an average speed of over 115 mph," said team engineer Joe La Joie.  "Turns 1, 2, and 4 are all long sweepers between 100-to-130 mph and produce 2 lateral G's.  Therefore, the car has to be well balanced in high speed with enough support to handle these turns.  Considerations must be made with the gearing so that the downshifts and throttle applications do not unsettle the car here either. Turn 5 is the slowest turn on the track and leads to the longest straight. The lead in to turn 5 is challenging because of the decreasing radius of Turn 4, a heavy brake zone, and a tricky double apex.   The car must accelerate well out of turn 5 with good throttle application and proper gearing in order to drag down the back straight which leads to turns 8, 9 and 10."

Balzan and Westphal finished in fifth position at the previous round at Watkins Glen International, putting in a strong performance after the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia suffered contact in the early stages. That finish, along with their victory at the previous round at the Raceway at Belle Isle, has pushed them to sixth in the TUDOR Championship's GT-Daytona championship standings. 

While Balzan and Westphal compete at CTMP, the Scuderia Corsa drivers who compete in the North America Ferrari Challenge will be in action at another great North American circuit - Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.   

Driver Chris Ruud, who lives near the circuit in Milwaukee, currently leads the Coppa Shell championship ahead of teammate Jon Becker. The two drivers have taken nine out of a possible ten victories in the Coppa Shell class this season. They will be joined by John Horejsi, who competes in the Trofeo Pirelli class.  

 "We anticipate that we will have a big challenge on our hands at CTMP with the high level of competition in the GT-Daytona class as well as the big differences in speed with the Prototype cars", said Giacomo Mattioli, team owner of Scuderia Corsa.  "Alessandro and Jeff have been doing a fantastic job, as has the crew. In Ferrari Challenge, Chris and Jon have been very impressive and are first and second in the Coppa Shell championship. They are pushing each other very hard and have almost swept the season, while John has been making huge strides after being away from racing for several years. Hopefully after the end of the weekend, we are celebrating several wins for Scuderia Corsa!" 

Scuderia Corsa will remain busy after the weekend, as team Sporting Director Stefan Johansson will then take part in a Ferrari Driving Experience event at Mont Tremblant that is exclusively dedicated to clients of Ferrari Beverly Hills and Ferrari Silicon Valley.

The Mobil 1 Sportscar Grand Prix will be shown live on Sunday, July 13 at 2:00 PM ETon FOX Sports 1.  

Christina Nielsen's 2014 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama campaign is flying by, as she heads to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP) for Rounds 9 and 10 of competition July 11-12 in Bowmanville, Ontario. Nielsen, 22, from Aarhus, Denmark, raced in May at CTMP - commonly known as Mosport - with the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin series, collecting a pair of top-10 finishes. Nielsen is in the midst of her first season of North American racing, and her return to CTMP this weekend will mark the first time this year she is coming to a track where she has previously raced. 

"I find Mosport challenging, and therefore consider it important that we were here earlier this year," Nielsen said.

 Nielsen most recently raced at Watkins Glen International, where she pulled double duty in Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama and the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen endurance race. Nielsen found a distinct difference in the driving approach taken in a 45-minute timed GT3 Cup sprint race compared to an endurance race.

 "For the TUDOR endurance race, you have different priorities," she said. "We push every lap, but it is not a sprint race. It is important to have good pit stops, consistent lap times and to keep the car on track. In contrast, with the 45-minute GT3 Cup USA races, you push in a different way and take more chances, especially at the beginning of the race."

 Competition is extremely tight in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama, and Nielsen knows anything could happen within the field of 29 racers at the 10-turn, 2.459-mile rollercoaster of a circuit at CTMP.

 "Track time in practice before qualifications and the races will be important, but then again the other drivers have also had track time over the last few weeks," Nielsen said. "You can never predict anything in racing, but as usual, we aim high."

 Driving for NGT Motorsport in the No. 25 Porsche 911 GT3 Platinum Cup car, Nielsen is sixth in championship standings with 69 points.

 Practice at CTMP starts at 10 a.m. (ET) and 3:25 p.m. Thursday, July 10, with qualifying at 10:35 a.m. Friday, July 11. Two 45-minute races are scheduled, for 5:40 p.m. Friday, and 10:10 a.m. on Saturday. Visit FansChoice.TV to watch the races streamed live and get live race details on Twitter@IMSALive.

 Kelly Moss Motorsports will be back on track looking to increase its championship lead in Rounds 9 and 10 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama July 10-12 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Since the beginning of the season, Kelly Moss Vice President Jeff Stone has focused on a mission for his team - winning a championship.

After Kelly Moss young star Colin Thompson swept both races June 27-28 at Watkins Glen International, the team is right where it wants to be.

"We feel we are on track for both team and drivers' championships," said Assistant Competition Director Alex Stone. "We still have to remain focused and continue to push with the momentum we gained at Watkins Glen."

Kelly Moss leads the Platinum Cup Team Championship with 118 points, just one ahead of rival Formula Motorsport/Avid Motorsport. The team will need two clean races from Thompson to keep control of the championship at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, or Mosport, as it is commonly known.

"We have to be consistent, we have to score points, and we have to be very clean on the racetrack so we can go into Road America with a better points lead," Stone said. "We bring the same game with us no matter who or how many cars we are bringing."

 Thompson, from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, leads the Drivers Championship, 116-112, over rival Angel Benitez Jr. in the Platinum Cup class.

The Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered By Mazda field will start its engines July 12-13 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) for Rounds 7 and 8 in the series championship. The only Canadian race on the 2014 schedule for the International Motor Sports Association(IMSA) Development Series will mark Alta Velocita Racing (AVR) driver/team owner Jerome Mee's first time on the historic 10-turn, 2.459-mile permanent road course. 

"This will be my first time here, but the track looks like it's similar to Watkins Glen as far as being smooth, fast and very high speed," Mee said. "I've looked at the track, have my drivers' notes, and it looks like a lot of fun."

 Mee is fresh off his first 2014 Lites 2 victory June 28 at Watkins Glen. He is focused on continuing to make improvements in the No. 95 AVR machine at CTMP, commonly known as Mosport.

 "I tend to take things one step at a time," Mee said. "It was great to win, but frankly it's a new track, new day, new conditions and new everything. We're going to take the same exact approach, and that is to go into practice and diagnose the track, look at data and get the car set up the right way."

The Cooper Tires Prototype Lites field will hit the pavement Wednesday, July 9 for a Promoter Test Day, which will give Mee more time to learn the circuit. 

"It's signifigant that we have extra time," Mee said. "We have three 40-minute sessions, which is more than double the amount of time we had before qualifying at Watkins Glen. There are challenges with not having a lot of time, but when you have a lot of time it makes your expectations higher, and you want to be quicker when it gets to qualifying time."

 Qualifications for Rounds 7 and 8 begin at 3:40 p.m. (ET) Friday, July 11. The green flag will drop for Race One's 30-minute sprint at 6:45 p.m. Saturday, July 12. Race Two's 45-minute event starts at 9:50 a.m. Sunday, July 13.

Road racing fans are in for a treat this weekend as the country's top riders will share the stage with their World Championship counterparts at the GEICO Motorcycle U.S. Round, a combined AMA Pro Road Racing/FIM Superbike World Championship event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. 

The 2014 AMA Pro SuperBike championship outlook has snapped into focus as the title fight begins its run down the homestretch. Despite losing his crown in 2013 and getting off to another rocky start early in 2014, three-time series champion Josh Hayes on the No. 4 Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 has silenced any premature whispers that his era was coming to a close.  While his primary rivals all stumbled when confronted with three tricky races in succession, the 39-year-old's unique combination of speed and experience allowed him to secure a commanding advantage with just five races remaining this season. 

Hayes has just about every statistic going in his favor ahead of the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca weekend. Now boasting a remarkable 45 career victories and 31 poles, the Mississippian comes to California boasting three straight victories on the season and three in a row at the fabled circuit. 

In fact, as a result of the compacted schedule featuring just one AMA Pro SuperBike race, there is only one rider in the field with even a remote chance of stealing Hayes' title lead this weekend. And no, it's not perennial contender Roger Hayden on the No. 95 Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing GSX-R1000nor rookie phenom Cameron Beaubier and his No. 2 Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1. The solitary racer within 30 points of Hayes at the moment is the ultimate championship dark horse, privateer David Anthony, pilot of theNo. 25 ADR Motorsports/Sic/Motul Fly Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000. 

The Australian has been the revelation of 2014. Having reorganized his team to allow him the freedom to focus on his riding as opposed to the business aspects of running a top-flight independent effort, Anthony has been quick enough to keep the leading factory riders on their toes and has the consistency to make up ground whenever they falter.

 Anthony earned the first AMA Pro SuperBike podium of his career with a runner-up result in the wet at Road America and then backed that up with another second-place ride in the extreme heat of Barber Motorsports Park. As a result, he's currently second in the points, albeit 29 down on the resurgent Hayes.  While Anthony has garnered some well-deserved accolades as of late, he can't ease up now because the aforementioned Hayden and Beaubier are just three and six points back, respectively.

 Hayden didn't get the big results he expected in Alabama and will be looking to make amends this weekend. The Yoshimura Suzuki ace has flashed exceptional speed in Monterey each of the last two seasons, even if the results haven't exactly been there, and he could be in position to get his title push back on track this time around.

 Beaubier, meanwhile, is looking to regain his confidence after a few difficult outings that have hindered his hopes for a championship run as a rookie. The Monster Energy Graves Yamaha rider has accomplished what no one since Mat Mladin has in demonstrating superior outright pace to teammate Hayes on multiple occasions. While his dazzling talent remains unquestioned, Beaubier has suffered from a handful of falls that have damaged both his title positioning and his psyche.

 However, assuming he rediscovers his early season form, Beaubier could very well prove to be the one to beat this weekend. He scored the best result of his rookie AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike season in 2011 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with a runner-up result and followed that up with three straight victories at the venue. Back on his home turf, the 21-year-old Californian could prove difficult to overcome - even for his legendary teammate.

 Chris Clark on the No. 6 Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing GSX-R1000 is only five points behind Beaubier and enjoying a breakthrough season of his own. Having finished no worse than sixth all year, Clark climbed on the podium for the first time in his AMA Pro Road Racing career in Birmingham with a third place result at Barber.

 Clark actually leads his heralded teammate, Martin Cardenas on theNo. 36 Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing GSX-R1000 by 15 points. However, the Colombian is coming off his best result of 2014 with a runner-up finish last time out in the Alabama heat.

 Chris Fillmore aboard the No. 11 KTM/HMC Racing KTM RC8R, meanwhile, is still seeking that elusive first AMA Pro SuperBike podium for both himself and KTM. His bike expired late in Saturday's race in Alabama while solidly holding down a podium position. That heartbreak was reminiscent of the one endured last season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca when Fillmore powered onto the start/finish straight in third position only to run short of fuel before he arrived at the checkered flag.

 Cory West, pilot of the No. 13 Team AMSOIL Hero EBR 1190RS, and Trent Gibson on this No. 17 Seven Sports Kawasaki ZX-10 round out the contenders ranked in the top ten who are readying to do battle in this weekend's AMA Pro SuperBike contest. Both men enjoyed season-best results in last year's finale at the circuit, with West taking fourth and Gibson coming home ninth.

 The AMA Pro SuperBike stars will hit the track for the first time at 11:25 a.m. local time (2:25 p.m. ET) on Friday. The class' 23-lap race is slated for a 4:20 p.m. (7:20 p.m.) start time on Sunday.  

Every so often, it is a good idea to remember that all auto racing evolved from original horsepower, when a jockey and his mount raced around a small track in search of fame and glory. Nowadays, the power of man and animal combined has been almost entirely replaced by the roar of man and machine. So much so that many of the once great horse racing facilities have fallen into disrepair as the number of spectators have plummeted. 

On Tuesday, July 1, the long anticipated racing dates agreement between the Stronach Group and Churchill Downs Inc. was finalized with the owners of Gulfstream Park and The Stronach Group officially taking over Calder’s race dates.  A minimum of 190 race days will be run at Gulfstream each year with 40 days to be run at Calder.  However, those 40 days will also be operated by Gulfstream Park. 

Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association President, Phil Combest, stated, “This is a new era for Florida racing.  The horsemen are looking forward to a much brighter future here in South Florida.  Churchill Downs has long made it clear that horse racing is only a means to an end for them.  They’re a casino company now.   On the other hand, The  Stronach Group and Gulfstream Park have demonstrated time and time again that their focus is on horse racing.   On raising purses.   On improving their facilities.   On making it a better experience for all concerned.  The horsemen are excited to be their partners and look forward to the journey ahead.” 

I bet that most of the people reading this don't even realize what a large percentage of horse training takes place in Florida. South Florida alone is the winter home for many of the major horses who are featured in the triple crown, as well as many other smaller races held throughout the year.

Kent Stirling, Executive Director of the FHBPA, added,  “For the owners and trainers that race in Florida, the final settlement of the Calder/Gulfstream dates war is definitely the best thing that could have happened.  South Florida racing, in general, has suffered greatly during the long war and now the horsemen can expect higher purses, less anxiety and year round, quality racing at Gulfstream.”

In September, the world's of auto racing and horse racing will combine, if only for one day, as the Sunshine Stakes at Sunshine Meadows features a celebrity race with IMSA driver Tristan Nunez and former host of "Pass Time" Brett Wagner zooming around the course in a celebrity harness race.  

 The Sunshine Meadows Equestrian Village features a one mile racetrack, a five-eighths mile training track and a half mile Euro strip. The facility has 18 barns that can house more than 650 horses, numerous show and jump rings and turnout paddocks.  The facility is the winter home to world-renowned Standardbred trainers Jonas Czernyson, Chuck Sylvester and FrankAntonacci. World class trotters Maven, Spider Blue Chip and D’Orsay trained all winter at Sunshine Meadows.  Also stabled at Sunshine Meadows are many riding horse trainers for English, Western and Dressage, who have shown successfully world-wide.

 Any vendors wanting to reserve rental space during the two days of Sunshine Stakes racing, businesses wishing to advertise in the race program, sponsor races or host sponsorships can contact the Sunshine Meadows Equestrian Village by calling 562-281-7659 or emailing sunshinemeadowsharness@gmail.com. Their website is www.sunshinemeadows441.com.

Over the fourth of July weekend, Super Boat International crowned 7 winners in the fleet of 41 boats for the running of the 30^th Annual Suncoast Superboat Grand Prix. All the class winners included Two Cruel (P4), Black Pearl (P3), The Hulk (Superstock), Sun Print (Superboat Vee), Team STIHL (Superboat), Team Instigator (Superboat Extreme) and Miss GEICO (Superboat Unlimited).

This year’s event was a milestone for the City of Sarasota and Super Boat International (SBI). In its 30^thyear, Super Boat still wows the crowd with one of the biggest holiday parades in the State of Florida and the Sunday finale of the world’s fastest offshore race boats. Suncoast Children’s Charities continues to raise record amounts and SBI delivers one of the largest professional boat races in the United States.

President of SBI, John Carbonell, expands on the success of the event, “This was an all around group effort for another successful event. From the local group and volunteers, to our staff and the race teams that put on a great show, it was just a terrific weekend. Two of our larger teams, Team Envy and Spirit of Qatar, showed their commitment by bringing all their equipment and their largest boats to the event and they didn’t even race.” Their choice would have been to race; but for new equipment and long lead-times on parts, their teams and equipment were not quite ready to run safe and competitive races. Chris Cox, owner of Team Envy commented, “ I just wanted my team to have fun, even knowing we weren’t going to race. Also, we wanted to show our commitment to SBI and the wonderful Sarasota people for their efforts.” The Spirit of Qatar was committed to doing the same, knowing their engine package would not be ready for race day. It’s teams like those and the competing teams that showcase the true professionalism of Superboat racers.

Team Cleveland Construction experienced an unfortunate accident with a rollover in turn one early in the race. The quick response of the Super Boat rescue team assisted the racers on-scene and, fortunately, both driver and throttleman were uninjured.

Each class of racing saw some very competitive action on the course. The Superboat class with 7 entries is always a very close battle with Team Broadco and WHM Motorsports on the heels of Team STIHL all race long. The Superboat Stock class, another class with 7 entries that always keeps the fans on their feet, has seen The Hulk rise to the top with two wins after three races.

The next race on the Super Boat circuit is the 6^th Annual Great Lakes Superboat Grand Prix, Aug 1^st– 3^rd. Join us in Michigan City, IN and, if you cannot make it, watch it live online at http://new.livestream.com/sbi/michigancity2014.