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Racing News: Formula DRIFT Signs VP Racing Fuels as Official Fuel Partner

Compiled by SEMA Editors

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Formula DRIFT presented by BlackVue announced that it has signed VP Racing Fuels as the Official Fuel of Formula DRIFT.

Formula DRIFT Signs VP Racing Fuels as Official Fuel Partner

Formula DRIFT presented by BlackVue announced that it has signed VP Racing Fuels as the Official Fuel of Formula DRIFT. VP Racing Fuels will be on-site at each round of competition distributing fuel to teams that need fuel service. VP is the official racing fuel of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, AMA Supercross, NMRA, NMCA, World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and Late Models, Pirelli World Challenge, PDRA and Rally America, among more than 60 VP-sponsored series and sanctioning bodies. As part of a retail branding program, gas stations and convenience stores across the U.S. are being branded as VP Racing Fuels, with each providing distribution for VP’s other product lines.

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Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green's Jeremy McGrath will serve as the inaugural Lucas Oil JuniorMotoX ambassador.

Jeremy McGrath Named Lucas Oil JuniorMotoX Ambassador

Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green's Jeremy McGrath—the seven-time AMA Supercross and AMA Motocross champion—will serve as the inaugural Lucas Oil JuniorMotoX ambassador. The Kawasaki brand ambassador will be on hand at the event to host a Q&A session open to all JuniorMotoX participants at the track Thursday after practice. McGrath will also provide commentary to the Lucas Oil broadcast team throughout the event. More details will be provided as the May 12–14 event approaches. Kawasaki has so far confirmed that Team Green riders Jett Reynolds, Lance Kobusch, Joey Crown and Jordan Bailey are planning to attend and race for the first-ever championships at the inaugural event. The Lucas Oil JuniorMotoX, presented by Monster Energy, will also feature a live webcast of the Friday qualifiers and Saturday night main events on LucasOilRacing.TV, plus a feature show on MAVTV.

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The Touring Car class top three were Gary Sheehan, Hyundai Genesis (center); Michael Shawhan, BMW 330i (left); and Patrick Chio, Nissan 350Z (right).

Las Vegas USTCC Season Opener Full of Action

Winning the Touring class at the 2016 United States Touring Car Championship (USTCC) season opener was last year’s runner-up Gary Sheehan driving the GoGoGear.com/Konig Wheels/UTI Hyundai Genesis Coupe. In the Super Touring class, VJ Mirzayan took the win driving his Achilles Motorsports BMW M3, while Larry Bani took the Sportsman class victory in his GoGoGear.com/Konig Wheels/UTI BMW M3. The GT class was won by Daniel Akhromstev in the Domport/Red Star Racing BMW M3. The racing continues next month as the USTCC teams head out to the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for three days of racing, May 13–15. 

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Pro Buggy Racer Garrett George. Photo credit: Lucas Oil

Team M/T Earns Seven Podium Spots During Rounds 3 and 4 of LOORS Competition

Team M/T dominated races in the Pro Buggy class during rounds three and four of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) competition, April 23–24 at Lake Elsinore, California. Garrett George, last year’s LOORRS Pro Buggy champion and second-place rider in round one, was on top of the podium in round three. Teammates Taylor Atchison and Mike Valentine rounded out the podium positions in second and third position respectively, with Darren Hardesty Jr. in fourth. In round four of Pro Buggy action, Valentine was on top of the podium with Atchison close behind in second place. Racing in the Pro 2 class, Brian Deegan earned third place in round three and second place in round four.

WELD Renews Sponsorship of Hot Rodders of Tomorrow

Recognizing the opportunity to support young people in their pursuit of an automotive career, WELD has renewed its sponsorship of the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow (HROT) Engine Challenge program. WELD has been a HROT sponsor since 2013. Hot Rodders of Tomorrow is a nationwide high-school engine-building competition that engages the next generation to pursue careers in the performance aftermarket and racing. Regional competitions are held across the country where high school teams compete against the clock in a total engine rebuild. Last year, 153 teams competed in regional competitions for the right to claim a share of the $4.55 million pool of scholarships offered by supporting educational institutions. Each team has an assigned sponsor coming from the pool of HROT supporters that include many major manufacturers in the performance aftermarket, along with SEMA and PRI. Last year, the WELD-sponsored team from Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center claimed the HROT national championship. To qualify for the HROT dual championships held at the SEMA Show and PRI Trade Show, teams must complete a total engine rebuild in less than 35 minutes. The top two teams from the SEMA Show in November will take on the top two teams from the PRI Trade Show in December in the finale to crown the 2016 Engine Challenge champion.