During the 49th annual Westernationals at Australia’s Perth Motorplex, two match racers set new records for 1,000 feet. Peter Xiberras (far lane) initially set the new national marker of 3.85 seconds during the day on Sunday, March 1, before Phil Lamattina (near lane) claimed the speed record of 314 mph for himself in the final pass of Sunday evening. Each driver won three of the six matches held throughout the event.

See complete Westernationals results at here.

Two events remain on the 2019/2020 ANDRA Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series:

March 13-14: The Twilight Nationals, Sunset Strip

March 28-29: ANDRA Grand Final, Adelaide International Raceway  (High Octane Photos)   [03/4/20]

Twelve AA/Fuel will be in competition at the 62nd Good Vibrations Motorsports March Meet this weekend at Bakersfield, CA.

Last year's March Meet champion, Adam Sorokin, will suit up and close the canopy on the latest evolution of the Champion Speed Shop AA/Fueler. The all-new dragster brings South San Francisco hot rod heritage to the “Patch” with its handcrafted aluminum bodywork by Roy Brizio Street Rods and McLennan small-block Chevrolet power.

Other drivers are Tyler Hester (nephew of two-time March Meet champ Rick McGee), Tyler Hilton, Dan Horan Jr., Jim Murphy, Pete Wittenberg, Brendan Murry, Rick White, Dusty Green, Bret Williamson, Bryan Hall and Frank McBee Jr.

Mendy Fry and the High Speed Motorsports team, the 2018 and 2019 season champions, will not be running at this event and have no plans to return after the death last season of team owner NAME.  [03/04/20]

After a successful trial at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona this year, the NHRA Wi-Fi For All Zone will be featured at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, FL, March 12-15. This is the next step in a long-term rollout plan to enhance the fan experience through reliable wireless internet service throughout the pits, midways and grandstands.

“NHRA national events have a large footprint and some are in areas with limited cellular data service, making accessing the internet a challenge,” said Brad Gerber, vice president of sales and chief development officer for NHRA. “We knew it was high time to begin exploring how best to invest in the infrastructures necessary to provide consistent and convenient wireless internet to our fans, teams, sponsors and partners.”   [03/04/20]

Coming on the heels of the cancellation of the Geneva, Switzerland, auto show and the postponement of the Beijing auto show , we now see that the Hyundai plant in South Korea has been idled and about 150 BMW employees in Munich, Germany, have been told to stay home after an employee tested positive for the disease.

Ford and other manufacturers closed their Chinese operations in late January. Ford, which has about 37,00 employees in China, announced an immediate restriction on all domestic and international air travel, with no travel within countries or between countries.

In addition, the UAW has announced a domestic and international travel ban for all staff as a precaution.

Global vehicle sales figures have dropped to 6.2 million, the lowest since 2012. With many parts manufactured in China, this virus will have a ripple effect.

“With viral spread and travel restrictions, auto will see a slowdown in industry activity, Parts shortages, and great exposure to the financial impacts of this virus than other less globally integrated industries,” said Kristin Dzikcek, vice president of industry, labor and economics at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, MI.    [03/04/20]