Two LMP2 classes are to be renamed in 2027 and in this week’s Racecraft Brief you will get the details of which series are involved. I also have racecraft tips, the importance of recovery after a race and much more!
Overview
Racecraft
How Jim Leo Changed Racing Fitness With Roger Penske
What happens when you take a chance, pitch an idea to Roger Penske, and help change the way motorsports approaches physical performance?
On this episode of the Late to Grid Podcast, host Bill sits down with Jim Leo of Pit Fit to explore his remarkable journey into the motorsports industry and the role he played in bringing a more structured approach to physical conditioning in racing.
You can listen to the episode here or watch the video of it above.
You can also listen to Jim on the Motorsport Prospects Podcast here.
How to Learn a New Track Faster: A Data-Driven Approach
Track knowledge is lap time. Give two equal drivers ten laps at a circuit only one of them knows, and the local wins by seconds, not tenths. Which means learning tracks faster than the other guy is itself a competitive skill, and it responds to method just like braking does. Ghostlap explains their data-driven approach to learning a new track.
Motorsport Performance Academy Winter Season is On
Winter testing season is officially underway at Motorsport Performance Academy. Their pre-season testing program is designed to help drivers get ready for the season ahead, with dedicated track time, professional support and a development-focused approach.
Testing opportunities are available at some of the most iconic circuits, including Imola, Monza and Mugello, as well as selected smaller tracks for more specific training sessions. It’s the path already chosen by drivers coming from karting, like Andrea Manni, Noah Baglin, Veer Chopra, Samuel Del Gaudio, Vicky Farfus and Mariano Lopez.
Only a few spots are still available. More details can be found here.
Guven Found WEC LMGT3 Transition Tougher Than He Imagined
Porsche factory driver Ayhancan Guven admits that he found the transition to the FIA World Endurance Championship’s LMGT3 class “harder than I expected” as he got used to coaching less experienced teammates for the first time with the Manthey squad.
“Honestly, first of all, it was harder than I expected it to be,” Guven told Sportscar365. “You drive the session, then you debrief with the engineers, but then on the other side your teammates are waiting for your feedback and some driving advice. So actually sometimes it was quite hard to do everything together.
Racecraft Starts in Your Head: The Importance of Mental Resets
Racecraft isn’t just about car control and finding the fastest line; it’s also about managing your mindset when things go wrong. In this article, Grassroots Motorsports‘ J.G. Pasterjak explores how drivers can recover mentally from mistakes on track, put an off-track excursion or poor corner behind them, and regain their rhythm without letting frustration compromise the rest of a session. An important reminder that the ability to reset and refocus is just as valuable as knowing how to drive fast.
The Importance of Motorsport Insurance Featuring Darren Hickey
This week on the Motorsport Prospects Podcast I speak with motorsport insurance professional Darren Hickey. Darren explains why motorsport insurance is critical to your racing career and why talking to an experienced motorsport insurance professional is so important.
Listen to the full episode here!
The Importance of Recovery During a Race Season
Recovery is an essential but often overlooked part of a race driver’s development. In this article, 16-year-old F4 driver Ana Palestro shares how she balances the demands of racing, school, training and travel by making time for physical rest, mental recovery and activities outside motorsport. From reviewing race footage and learning from mistakes to getting enough sleep and pursuing other interests during the mid-season break, Ana explains why recharging is not time away from becoming a better driver; it’s part of the process.
Why Young Drivers Should Focus on Driving Before Chasing the Perfect Setup
Young drivers can lose valuable track time chasing the perfect setup instead of learning to get the most out of the car they have. In this post, motorsport professional Dan Wells explains why understanding setup is as much about developing driving skills as making mechanical adjustments. His advice: learn to drive the car first, make one change at a time, distinguish driving errors from setup problems, and prioritize a car the driver can trust over one that is marginally faster over a single lap. A useful reminder that becoming a faster driver starts with understanding the car, not constantly changing it.
Dartfish for Motorsports Free Webinar
Dartfish is hosting a free webinar on how video analysis can help motorsport professionals optimize racing lines, refine pit stops, and improve driver performance.
They’ll demonstrate how Dartfish helps drivers, coaches, and racing teams uncover valuable performance insights.
The webinar takes place Tuesday, November 17 at 9:00 AM MST and you can register through this link here.
Racers Voice: Secrets of GEN4 Episode
In the build up to Formula E’s official GEN4 pre-season testing, we sat down with ex race engineer and current FE broadcaster Albert Lau to discuss how the new era see key challenge from a technical perspective, which manufacturer may have got the jump on the rest of the field and some of the more exciting aspects racing with GEN4 cars is going to bring the electric series.
The Zone: When Focus, Instinct and Racecraft Come Together
What does it feel like when a driver reaches the ultimate state of concentration and performance behind the wheel? In this story, renowned driving coach Ross Bentley recalls a memorable 90-minute battle with Max Papis during the 2000 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Through intense wheel-to-wheel racing, traffic management and split-second decisions, Bentley describes experiencing the Zone—a state of heightened awareness where instinct, skill and decision-making come together without conscious thought. An excellent illustration of the mental side of racecraft and what it means to perform at the highest level when everything simply clicks.
Introducing The Zone Program
Speaking of the zone, Ross Bentley has also announced The Zone Program. The Zone Program is a 30-day coaching program from Ross. Every day you get one short email with one simple task. Thirty days later, you have a repeatable way to drive at your best when it counts. And it stays with you for life. Full details can be found here.
Mental Performance in Motorsport: Why Managing Cognitive Load Matters
In motorsport, managing performance means more than physical conditioning and time behind the wheel. In this article, Pieter Bulsink of Maverick Training reflects on how mental overload, competing demands and insufficient recovery can affect performance, even for experienced coaches and professionals.
Drawing on lessons from athlete development and the Driver Readiness Index (DRI), he explains why prioritizing commitments, managing cognitive demands and protecting recovery are essential to sustaining high performance. A valuable reminder for race drivers that mental capacity, focus and recovery deserve the same attention as physical preparation.
The Halo: Protecting the Next Generation of Racing Drivers
Introduced in 2018, the Halo has become an important part of driver safety in single-seater motorsport. This article from Sports in Transit explains how the halo is protecting the next generation of racing drivers.
Series Watch
New Names for Le Mans, ELMS LMP2 Classes
The two LMP2 classes within the European Le Mans Series and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans have been renamed for next season. The Automobile Club de l’Ouest and Le Mans Endurance Management have announced the changes to create a unified policy whereby the category name itself automatically designates Pro-Am lineups and have been instigated to make it easier for fans to distinguish between different classes.
Sportscar365 has all the details here.
Michelin 24H SERIES And RAVENOL Renew Key Partnership To End Of 2028
Creventic has announced RAVENOL, one of the world’s premier automotive lubricant manufacturers, will continue its support of the entire Michelin 24H SERIES throughout 2027 and 2028, after agreeing a continuation of their strong relationship for the next two years.
How GTA Chairman Masaaki Bandoh Sees Super GT’s Future Shaping Up
Masaaki Bandoh has been a fixture of Japanese motorsport for the last 50 years, first as an amateur racing driver, then as a championship-winning team owner, and for the last 20 years, as the Chairman of the GT Association (GTA), which manages Japan’s most popular domestic racing championship: the Autobacs Super GT Series.
While in Japan for the historic Suzuka 1000KM (an event that was once Super GT’s crown jewel race), RACER was granted the opportunity to speak with Chairman Bandoh at the GTA’s office in Tokyo — a chance not often afforded to racing media outside of Japan.
As Super GT is set to turn the page to 2027, there were no shortage of topics worth covering in this interview and you can read it all here.
10 Years of F2: Jeremy Cotterill, MP Motorsport Team Manager
MP Motorsport’s 2022 season is one of the great success stories of the second tier of single-seater motorsport. Team manager Jeremy Cotterill spoke to Feeder Series about that year and much more as he reflects on a decade of Formula 2 in a continuation of our series interviewing those who have been there since the beginning.
“I basically try to balance between accommodating what the engineering team wants to do and what’s feasible for us to do [at] any given time.”
Sharing the Car and the Costs in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe
Getting on track in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe is becoming more accessible with the Club Division’s two-drivers-per-car allowance. Two drivers can share the same car throughout every Round, from Free Practice and Qualifying to Race 1 and Race 2.
Available only within the Club Division, this format offers a great way to gain valuable track time during the winter months while sharing the costs. More details on the series can be found here.
BTCC Announces Rule Changes for 2027 Season
The British Touring Car Championship has announced sporting changes for the 2027 season, which include a number of changes to how grids are formed. This season, the BTCC introduced a qualifying “Race to Pole” to set the grid for the first of the three championship rounds each weekend. That will remain for next year, running at around half the distance of a championship round, but will now be preceded by a sole 20-minute qualifying session to decide its starting order rather than two 15-minute sessions with the grid field split evenly across both. More details can be found here.
Race Across Europe: Revolution Announces 2027 Equipe Sports Prototype Arrive and Drive
Revolution Race Cars heads into the 2027 Equipe Sports Prototype season on the back of a commanding performance at the series’ season finale at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, where its cars took center stage across the weekend.
For 2027, Revolution will offer drivers the opportunity to compete in either the proven 500 EVO, 427 or the new HyperSport in the Equipe Sports Prototype series, through outright purchase or a fully supported arrive and drive package.
For drivers who want to compete without the commitment and practical demands of running their own car, Revolution offers an arrive and drive package that provides a straightforward route onto the grid. The approach is designed to take care of the major demands of race preparation and weekend support, with a dedicated car and professional trackside assistance allowing drivers to concentrate on getting the most from their racing.
The Future of Hypercar: Is Balance of Performance Still Necessary?
The future of Balance of Performance (BoP) is emerging as one of the biggest points of contention in the development of the 2030 Hypercar regulations. Ferrari’s Antonello Coletta believes a unified technical platform and tighter regulations could reduce or even eliminate the need for BoP, allowing manufacturers to compete more on merit. BMW’s Andreas Roos strongly disagrees, arguing that BoP must remain a cornerstone of the championship to control costs, maintain manufacturer participation and preserve competitive racing. These contrasting perspectives raise an important question: Can Hypercar deliver genuine competition without BoP, or is it essential to the long-term health of endurance racing?
Join the 2027 Caterham Academy Season
You can secure your seat for the 2027 Caterham Academy season. Created exclusively for novice drivers, the Caterham Academy is Europe’s largest factory-backed racing championship. Full details can be found here.
NZ Race Cars Spark Tobacco Ad Controversy Across Tasman
Historic race cars are once again putting motorsport’s relationship with tobacco sponsorship under scrutiny. A broadcast of the New Zealand Grand Prix’s historic racing category led Australian authorities to find broadcaster Foxtel had breached tobacco advertising regulations after showing cars in their original Marlboro and Benson & Hedges liveries.
While historic racing organizers and drivers argue these liveries preserve an important part of motorsport heritage, the controversy raises a wider question: where should regulators draw the line between preserving racing history and complying with modern restrictions on tobacco advertising? Full details can be found here.
Calendar News
- Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup 2027 Schedule Brings Subtle Changes with Big Impact
- 2027 Radical Cup North America Schedule Released, Headlined by Road America INDYCAR
- Sonoma beckons: NASA Championships return to the famed track in 2027
- Alpine Cup Series 2027 Schedule
- F1 ACADEMY reveals 2027 calendar
- The 2027 Shannons SpeedSeries calendar is officially locked in
- GT World Challenge Australia 2027
- 2027 Monoposto Calendar
Team Moves
- Forbush Performance Set for a Full VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Season in 2027 (IMSA)
- How F3’s teams adapted to the three-race finale at the brand-new Madring (Feeder Series)
- Kellymoss returning to IMSA GTD (RACER)
- Signatech weighs options as Hypercar deadline looms (RACER)
- Signatech Remains in Talks With One OEM for 2027 (Sportscar365)
- LN4 Fusion announces British F4 program (LN4 Fusion)
- Canadian Entrepreneur Chiko Nanji Takes Major Stake in Fusion Racing Group, Becomes Group Executive Vice Chairman (LN4 Fusion)
- Brutal Fish Campos Racing to compete in the 2026-2027 Asian Le Mans Cup season (Campos)
- MG1 Confirms Two-Car Ferrari Effort for 2027 (Sportscar365)
- SP Motorsports Moves to GT4 America With Two New Porsches (Sportscar365)
- Penske in Frame for Factory Cadillac Programs in 2028 (Sportscar365)
- DFYNE Racing Announced (DFYNE Racing)
- JLOC Remains Non-Committal on 2027 Temerario Switch (Sportscar365)
- Hanley ‘going out and living my dream’ with new IMSA venture (RACER)
Race Car Watch
Surprise Look at Toyota’s New GT3 fighter in Action
Toyota has offered a first public look at its new GR GT3 Concept in competitive action, with Rookie Racing debuting the car in the GT300 class of Japan’s Super GT championship at Motegi. Replacing the team’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 mid-season, the debut provided an early opportunity to see Toyota’s next-generation GT3 contender on track. Although the car finished 24th, its appearance marks an important step in Toyota’s return to the forefront of GT3 competition and offers a glimpse of what could be a significant new player in international customer racing.
GWM Explores NASCAR as Hybrid Stock Car Prototype Spotted in China
Great Wall Motor (GWM) appears to be exploring engineering work involving American stock-car and open-wheel racing. Automotive blogger SugarDesign photographed the automaker’s magenta-and-gold NASCAR-style hybrid prototype on an open transporter near Baoding Love Square and GWM’s headquarters on November 7, ahead of the company’s Car Carnival, which runs through November 9. Read more about their plans here.
From the Sim Racing Roundup
Driver-in-the-Loop Simulator: What It Is and How It Works
A driver-in-the-loop simulator is used in F1 and now in IndyCar. What they are and how they are used is covered in last week’s Sim Racing Roundup. I also had tips on how to use your sim for testing, generating revenue and more!
Track Days
Olympian Tom Pidcock Tackles the Nürburgring in his 911 GT3 RS with Manthey Kit
Professional cyclist and double Olympic gold medallist Tom Pidcock takes his pursuit of performance to the Nordschleife, joining Jörg Bergmeister for a track day with Manthey at the wheel of his Porsche 911 GT3 RS with Manthey Kit.
“What I’ve learned from Manthey is that, if you’re developing a car at the Nürburgring, the data doesn’t tell you everything. You have to use feeling,” says Pidcock. “And personally, I think feeling is even more valuable than data when I’m trying to develop a bike. The Nordschleife is such an unpredictable place, and Porsche and Manthey manage to make the cars feel as predictable as possible for the people driving them.”
Valkyrie AMR Pro Unleashed
Aston Martin takes the track day experience to an extraordinary level with the Valkyrie AMR Pro, a track-only machine producing 1,000 bhp from its naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 and generating an astonishing 2,000 kg of downforce. This behind-the-scenes look at an exclusive four-day experience at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya explores how owners, guided by professional racing drivers, progressively learned to harness the car’s extraordinary performance. It’s also an interesting example of how structured driver coaching, simulator work and familiarization laps can help drivers get the most out of even the most extreme track cars.
Introducing The G-Load Collective.
Former pro driver Juliana Chiovitti has built something that goes beyond the traditional track day. A private club that brings together accomplished individuals who share a genuine passion for automotive and motorsport, while offering real value throughout the year. It is called the G-Load Collective and you can get more details here.
Seats & Tests
- Female-Focused Race Seat Available with Box Motorsports
- CCR Motorsport is looking for one funded driver for the 24H Kyalami, 8–10 January 2027.
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects and the host of the Motorsport Prospects Podcast. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
