NACON, the KT Racing studio and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA - the International Automobile Federation) are pleased to announce that the new Rally Star DLC for WRC 9, the official video game of the FIA World Rally Championship, is now available. The result of close collaboration with the FIA, this brand-new competitive mode is part of the very first worldwide program for finding future rally drivers.
 

 
Hailed by the media and gaming community as the most realistic rally simulation, WRC 9 has been winning over new players around the world since its release on PlayStation and Xbox consoles and on PC. This unique DLC brings the video game closer to reality by becoming the first step in the FIA Rally Star selection program, which has been set up to find future talent.
 
FIA Rally Star: the green flag in February!
 
From February to August 2021, 12 online trials will be held to select the most promising drivers in WRC 9. This first phase of the competition will be open to drivers from 17 to 26 years of age, and will be played exclusively with the new M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3. The winners of each of the 12 trials will qualify for one of the six continental finals.
 
At the end of the finals, the 7 best drivers, including at least one woman, will be enrolled in an exclusive FIA training and practice program. For the best of them, the adventure will continue with 2 seasons in the FIA Junior WRC!
 
"The new level of realism in WRC 9 gives us the opportunity to propose this challenge to all of the sport's fans around the world" said Jérôme Roussel, FIA programme manager. "The next Sébastien Loeb, Ott Tänak or Sébastien Ogier may well already be practicing on their console or PC! We just need to find them!”
 
For more information, visit http://www.fiarallystar.com
 
The FIA Rally Star DLC is now available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5 and PC on the Epic Games Store for €9.99.
 
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With WRC 9, the passionate developers of the French studio KT Racing have pulled out all the stops to once again meet the high expectations of rally fans looking for tougher challenges and heightened realism. With an enhanced career mode and many technical improvements, players are thrust into the heart of the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship season with many great highlights.
 

• 3 new rallies: Japan, New Zealand, Kenya
• Over 50 official teams and their livery from the WRC, WRC 2, WRC 3 and Junior WRC
• Over 15 bonus cars that have left their mark on the history of the WRC
• The brand-new Clubs Mode, to create customized championships

Ricky Carmichael is considered by many to be the best dirt bike racer to ever imprint tire tracks in dirt; his sport has designated him as its G.O.A.T. And after five Monster Energy Supercross titles and 48 wins, he retired from professional Supercross racing in 2007 and went on to ARCA and NASCAR racing while also amassing 5 X Games medals.

This past weekend, the 2021 Supercross series hosted Round seven inside Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. Carmichael was there, but he called the race action and offering insights during the Saturday night broadcast; since 2019 he's been the on-camera expert for the Monster Energy Supercross series from inside the broadcast booth. 2021 will mark the first time the Supercross series has returned to the Orlando venue since the legendary 2007 Orlando race… Ricky Carmichael's Supercross swan song.

The battle that night in '07 brought out what Carmichael has said was the best Supercross riding he's ever done – the lack of ego in that statement rides in the fact that he didn't win. Having won two races and finishing second in the four other races he contested that year, Orlando would be his final laps; he had no designs on another title.

The event pitted him against his two main career rivals: James Stewart and Chad Reed. Reed jumped into the early lead with Carmichael soon right behind and Stewart two spots back. Within two laps of the twenty lap Main Event, the three top racers had gapped the field. Four laps later it was down to two as Stewart gained and lost tenths of seconds on the retiring, defending champion dead ahead.

Carmichael didn't need to win that night. He was competing only in select events for his final year of competition. He had nothing left to prove on a motorcycle. Equally, James Stewart had little to gain with a win over Carmichael. Three additional points over his title-rival Reed weren't worth the risks he was taking. But, like Supercross racers do every time the starting gate drops, the two threw down. It was a brilliant wrap to a legend's Supercross career.

And that legend is still a part of the sport, up in the booth where he's showing another talent. For race fans in Orlando, tickets are available in a restricted-attendance, pod-style seating arrangement. For all other sports fans, the race this weekend is broadcast live on both the Peacock app and NBCSN. The race starts at 7:00 p.m. ET and there will surely be a highlight reel of the Greatest Of All Time's last previous visit to this stadium.

450SX Class Championship Standings

1. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda (138)

2. Cooper Webb, Newport N.C., KTM (122)

3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (114)

4. Adam Cianciarulo, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Kawasaki (105)

5. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS (96)

6. Dylan Ferrandis, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha (96)

7. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha (95)

8. Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM (94)

9. Zach Osborne, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna (87)

10. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (82)

Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings

1. Colt Nichols, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha (143)

2. Christian Craig, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (137)

3. Jo Shimoda, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki (119)

4. Jett Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Honda (102)

5. Michael Mosiman, Menifee, Calif., GASGAS (97)

6. Joshua Osby, Valparaiso, Ind., Honda (88)

7. Mitchell Oldenburg, Aledo, Tex., Honda (73)

8. Thomas Do, Murrieta, Calif., KTM (65)

9. Grant Harlan, Justin Tex., Honda (64)

10. Joshua Varize, Perris, Calif., KTM (64)

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli opens its 54th season of racing next weekend, headlining the Sebring SpeedTour Feb. 19-21 at Sebring International Raceway, the same historic venue where it debuted in 1966.
 
This will be Trans Am’s 16^th visit to the Sebring circuit, which was originally a training base for B-17 pilots during World War II. In 1950, several runways and adjoining roads were converted to a circuit to host international sports car racing. The track began hosting its trademark 12-hour race in 1952, and even hosted the first U.S. Grand Prix Formula One race in 1959.
 
The 17-turn, 3.74-mile airport-based circuit opens its season next weekend, when Trans Am highlights a weekend of SVRA vintage and historic competition.
 
The original Trans American Sedan Championship was a constructor-driven series showcasing Detroit’s popular “pony car” sedans including the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvair, Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda. Also eligible were foreign cars under two-liters, including the Alfa Romeo GTA, Ford Cortina Lotus, Mini Cooper, Saab and Opel Kadett.
 
Then two-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt led the opening lap of the 1966 four-hour Governor’s Cup in a Ford Mustang. Jochen Rindt – the future 1970 F1 World Champion – took over at hour three and led the rest of the way on the bumpy 5.2-mile circuit. Meanwhile, Bob Tullius gritted his teeth and won the over two-liter class in a Dodge Dart. Instructed to follow its two lead Barracudas, Tullius decided to make his bid as Foyt was pulling away in the lead.
 
“I was instructed by our Chrysler team manager to follow the two Barracudas, because they wanted those cars to win and I was going to be a nice guy,” Tullius said. “But they didn’t count on A.J. Foyt, who went into the lead in a Mustang. I ran around for awhile, and then decided to pick it up. I passed both of the Barracudas, and then caught Foyt and passed him for the lead. Eventually, his car bailed [following a long pit stop] and I wound up winning the [Over-two liter] race.”
 
The inaugural race was held the day before the annual 12-hour classic, attracting a 40-car field.
 
Trans Am returned in 1967 as the Four-Hour International, drawing a then record 61 entries. Jerry Titus won in a Ford Mustang, lapping the second-place Camaro Z-28 of Mark Donohue. Peter Gregg and Sam Posey took honors in the Under-two liter class, driving a Porsche.
 
For 1968, Trans Am ran concurrently with the 12-hours – similar to the race format at Daytona that year when TA was a class in the 24-hour race. Mark Donohue and Craig Fisher took Trans Am honors with a third-place overall finish, one position ahead of Roger Penske-entered Camaro teammates Joe Welch and Bob Johnson.
 
With the series moving to shorter races, the next Trans Am race at Sebring was not until 1999, with a stand-alone weekend serving as the finale. Paul Gentilozzi capped his championship season by winning in a Ford Mustang. Trans Am ran in support of the Twelve Hours of Sebring the following two years. Brian Simo won the 2000 season opener in a Qvale Mangusta, while Boris Said won the following year in a Ford Mustang.
 
Since 2013, Trans Am has been a major component of the SVRA Sebring Vintage Classic, held several weekends prior to the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours. Doug Peterson won the 2013 and 2014 overall victories in a Corvette, while Cameron Lawrence began a three-year TA2® winning streak in a Camaro. The two drivers went on to win their respective titles in both seasons.
 
Other recent Sebring highlights include Amy Ruman winning the 2015 season opener to begin her successful bid to become Trans Am’s first female champion. In 2019, Rafa Matos won TA2 in a Camaro, beating out Marc Miller’s Dodge Challenger. That avenged Miller’s dramatic triumph in 2018, when he passed Matos for the lead with only two laps remaining.
 
Last year, South Floridian Ernie Francis Jr. began his successful run for a seventh-straight Trans Am title – making it four-in-a-row in the premier TA class. Mike Skeen (TA2®) and Lakeland driver Lee Saunders (SGT) also kicked off championship seasons with victories.
 
For the 2021 opener, testing begins on Friday for the 55-car entry, with practice and qualifying on Saturday. Sunday includes the 27-lap TA2 feature race at 11:15 a.m. ET, followed by the TA/XGT/SGT/GT event at 1:35 p.m. Please visit http://gotransam.com for additional details. 

 Thomas Nepveu was back this past weekend on the 0.7 mile, 11-turn kart track at the AMR Homestead-Miami Motorplex for the third and fourth rounds of the now legendary SKUSA Winter Series (Superkart! USA - X30 Senior class). Over Friday's practice and Saturday's races, Thomas Nepveu and his PSL Karting crew worked hard to recover the 0.2 sec. lap time deficit against the quickest machines. During the Saturday Final race, the young driver from Oka demonstrated his talent by moving up from 31^st to 15^th place at the finish. The innocent victim of two incidents in the Sunday Final crossed the finish line in 7^th position.

As the lead driver at PSL Karting, Thomas Nepveu benefits from the full support of this leading team and its technical director Coy Arbour when racing his Birel ART machine in the X30 Senior category, the most competitive one in the SKUSA series. Races in this class are always close, with 35 riders registered for this weekend’s competition.

The Weekend Action According to Thomas Nepveu

Friday (February 12): "We needed more speed right from the start of practice on Friday morning. That meant that we had to go through the kart to ensure that every component was working as it should, that the settings were correct, and also had to replace any parts that were not up to spec, After an improvement of two tenths of a second compared to the quickest kart in the last session today, we still have to fine-tune the settings tomorrow (Saturday) in order to be well positioned for a podium finish in the finals tomorrow and Sunday," concluded a driver satisfied with his team's day's work.

Racing is a complex sport that depends on the perfect efficiency of the equipment and the participants. When things do not go as planned, such as today and during the first rounds of the series last January, the team has to refocus and recheck everything without ever giving up. This is what the team and Thomas Nepveu have done so far this weekend.

Saturday (February 13): "After a decent result in the warm-up session, I got stuck in traffic during qualifying and recorded a time 0.2 seconds slower than the pole sitter. In the Pre-Final race, I moved up from 11th at the start to 6th place, despite the fact that the kart was still somewhat slower than the leaders. Starting from 12th place on the grid for the 22-lap Final, I was pushed into an incident that occurred right in front of me on the first lap, The blow bent my bumper and affected the handling to a certain degree. I found myself in 31st position on lap 2 and pushed as hard as I could for the rest of the race. In fact, I clawed my way back to a 16^th-place finish. The machine was not yet perfect, and we are still working on it to make the most of tomorrow’s qualifying session and races," explained Thomas Nepveu, a motivated driver for the second day of racing on Sunday.

Moving up from 31^st to 15^th position in a short race on a less-than-perfect machine illustrates certainly Thomas Nepveu's driving talent, but it also shows his determination and an ability to adapt his driving to the behaviour of the kart in order to still get the most out of it.

Sunday (February 14): "Qualifying was not perfect, but it was better than yesterday. I improved a little bit on the last lap and ended up 10^th, as we are still two tenths of a second short. In the Pre-Final I moved up from 10th on the grid to 6th on the first lap. Another incident occurred in front of me and forced me to drive on the dirty and slippery side of the track, which dropped me back to 9th place for the end of the pre-final. I had a good start from 9th on the grid for the 22-lap Final, moving up to 5th place on the first lap. I did not last, as another incident in front of me dropped to an honest 7th place finish for the last race of the weekend," according to the driver who was somewhat dissatisfied with the result despite some excellent driving on his part.

Next Race: Round 2 of the ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour - Kart #353 - Senior ROK class (February 18 to 21 - ROK)

"The ROK Cup USA series has changed venues fir this second round of the series, to abide more effectively to the local health directives. Accordingly, the event will take place at the Ocala Gran Prix track dedicated to Karting. The six very different corners make it more challenging than an urban track which is often bumpy and painful for the drivers’ neck and back. I already know this track and I believe that everything will be fine," added a Thomas Nepveu who is aiming at nothing less than podium results.

Thomas Nepveu will drive in the Senior ROK class rather than Shifter ROK for the PSL Karting team, replacing Ben Cooper who is not unavailable due to new health restrictions imposed by the authorities.

ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour - classe Senior ROK (February18 to 21 - ROK)

• February 19: Practice  9:50 am – 11:30 am | Qualifying 2:22 pm – 4h18 pm
• February 20: Warm-up  9:35 am |Qualifying 11:14 am – 2:14 pm | Pre-Final 4:38 pm
• February21: Warm-up 8:40 am| Final 10:46 am
• Live timing: ROK Cup USA app

Karting Championships

Participating in three championships over the summer adds up to 23 professional events over the season (13 in karts and 10 in USF2000 cars). Each weekend is composed of multiple practice/qualifying sessions, Pre-final and Final races depending on each series’ rules. The considerable amount of racing time, plus the hours spent on simulators, will certainly accelerate Thomas Nepveu’s learning process given the high level of competition in every series.

Driving Instructor

Thomas Nepveu's personality and technical knowledge also make him an ideal driving instructor, capable of transmitting his knowledge while making the student and the family comfortable during these important and often emotionally charged moments. Thomas Nepveu began working with novices in the spring of 2019, when he was only 14 years old, and continues to do so for the BCR (Ben Cooper Racing) race team. Last winter, with he even helped some PSL Karting drivers at a track in addition to taking care of his own machine (track walks, debrief meetings after each track session).

2021 Thomas Nepveu Karting Schedule

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship

Thomas Nepveu's plans for the 2021 season call for him to participate for the first time in the eight (8) weekends of the USF2000 series (for a total of 18 races), the first of the four steps on the Road to Indy Program on the way to a career in IndyCar, the fastest and most prestigious single-seater series in North America.

The USF2000 professional-level series uses technically advanced cars that are all identical, and feature a reinforced carbon fibre central tub, adjustable front and rear spoilers, a sealed 175 hp engine and a six-speed gearbox with paddle shifters on the steering wheel, driver-adjustable front-rear braking distribution, and adjustable suspensions. The complexity of the car's settings and the analysis of driving and track performance data allow young drivers to learn how to refine their driving skills and gain a deeper understanding of the technical aspects of such sophisticated machines.

Debuting this week is a fresh edition of Neale Bayly Rides YouTube, now featuring a new crew behind the lens and in the editing room to enhance the production values of the fun and lively show. 

Bayly is a world-renowned motojournalist, adventurer and moto-philanthropist, who you might recognize from his forays in television, including Neale Bayly Rides: Peru, that aired on Speed TV and MAV TV, now available on YouTube here. He was also featured on the TV show Trippin' On Two Wheels. 

This latest episode of NBR is the culmination of efforts during the 12 previous shows, retaining the entertainingly wacky observations from Nate Hamlin, proprietor/mechanic from 2Topia Cycles, in his amusing "Get Off My Lawn" segment, as well as the creatively skewed news from Dave “Basil” Collier.

This week's interview is with Florian Neuhauser from RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Tour & Travel, one of the few motorcycle print magazines enduring in America, who shares insights about moto publishing and a heart-tugging story about how he endured the passing of his father in a motorcycle accident. We also get a look at NBR's latest test bike, Triumph's 1200 Scrambler.