CarRacingBlog.com

What is it about ice racing that I love so much? Guess it reminds me of childhood back in Ohio watching the older kids doing donuts at the high school parking lot - I couldn’t wait to get my license and do it too. Alas, they moved me to California before my 16th birthday… maybe watching ice racing videos is just my wistful, wishful thinking…

Welshman Tom Cave passed his practical driving test today (Tuesday 25th) and when he goes over the Wales Rally GB start ramp on Thursday 4th December he will be - at 17 years and 18 days - the youngest ever driver on Britain’s round of the WRC. His examiner noted only seven minor faults (up to a maximum of 15 are acceptable to gain a pass) and attributed some to Tom being ‘over confident’.

The teenager from Aberdyfi has been competing on special stage rallies in Latvia for the past two years where local laws allowed him to drive the Special Stages but not on public roads. For the liaison sections his co-driver, Wolverhampton-born Gemma Price, took the wheel.

Speaking after the test, Tom said: “I’m delighted to pass my test today. It was the last hurdle to get over before I could take the start of Wales Rally GB and it’s a huge relief to have it out of the way. Now I can concentrate on the rally and my preparations for the most important motorsport event of my life.”

Watch out for Tom - he’s sure to be making many headlines in racing for years to come!

Well, it looks like they’ve been pretty busy in the off-season - and it’s only just gotten started!

We already told you about the new “wrap” design they’ve been hard at work creating. The brand new wrap includes a posting of the ‘09 schedule on the back of the trailer, which will also include the TV schedule, expected to be released at the annual ARCA RE/MAX Series press conference at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, KY Saturday, December 6th. The 56th annual ARCA RE/MAX Series championship awards banquet will follow the press conference in the same location later that night. The annual black-tie affair is open to the public.

“We’re as busy as we can be,” said ARCA PR/Media director Don Radebaugh. “It’s business as usual here at ARCA. The phone’s ringing, and we’ve all got a lot to do this month to get ready for the new season.

The 46th annual ARCA 200 at Daytona is the next race on tour coming February 7th, 2009. However, the first order of business in regards to the Daytona opener is a three-day open test at Daytona December 19th, 20th and 21st. The annual open test always attracts a wide array of drivers, from rookies to veterans, and everywhere in between. More than 70 teams participated in the open test in 2007.

But before the open test, ARCA staffers are busy in preparation for the annual championship awards banquet coming December 6th, which is produced by the home office staff in conjunction with ACME Branding Company and MAC Productions.