As the world rings in the New Year, sports car racing’s newest online authority kicks into high gear, with the announcement of new partners, writing talent and an expansion of European coverage.
Launched in September 2013, Sportscar365 has quickly become the leading independent news source for worldwide coverage of endurance and GT racing. More than 1 million page views have been recorded in the site’s first four months of operation, with visitors from 165 different countries.
Adding to the momentum is the addition of Continental Tire as the presenting sponsor of Sportscar365’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship content, along with a multi-faceted partnership with Endurance-Info.com, Europe’s leading destination for sports car racing news, that will further strengthen its global reach.
Additionally, Sportscar365 welcomes motorsports journalists Tony DiZinno and Vincent Wouters, who will help provide expanded coverage in North America and Europe, respectively. They will work alongside site founder and editor, John Dagys, who will continue to anchor Sportscar365’s day-to-day content.
“This is a big day for Sportscar365 as we take the next leap forward,” Dagys said. “With the changing media landscape, and the site’s rapid growth, it’s clear that we helped fill a void for sports car racing news. Now the task is to take it one step further. I’m convinced that with our new partners in Continental Tire and Endurance-Info, along with the addition of Tony and Vincent to the team, we’ll be able to grow this platform to new levels.”
A key part of Sportscar365’s expansion comes with Continental, the exclusive tire partner for three TUDOR Championship classes and entitlement sponsor of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. A new “Driver of the Week” feature will launch later this month, profiling some of the most interesting and successful IMSA drivers in the paddock. Fans will be able to submit questions to the drivers via Twitter, which would then be included in each feature.
“We’re looking forward to working with Sportscar365,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing for Continental Tire. “Our partnership with Sportscar365 is an extension of our commitment to IMSA fans and teams, as well as the sport of auto racing. John’s built a great site that has quickly become the ‘go to’ place to get all the latest sports car racing news and content so it’s a nice addition to our overall efforts.”
Boosting Sportscar365’s foothold in Europe is a new partnership with French language site, Endurance-Info. Founded in 2006, it has become the leading destination for news on the Blancpain GT Series, European Le Mans Series, 24 Hours of Le Mans and more. Content from Editor-in-Chief Laurent Mercier and Claude Foubert will be featured on Sportscar365, along with the pooling of resources between the two websites to further enhance coverage.
“Endurance Info is very proud to establish a partnership with Sportscar365,” Mercier said. “We want to grow its worldwide coverage and Sportscar365 is the perfect media for this expansion. With this partnership, we are convinced U.S. fans will be able to have more information on European championships, like the Blancpain Sprint and Endurance Series or European Le Mans Series. It’s a real pleasure to share our content with Sportscar365.”
Expanded coverage will also come in the form of two new writing additions to the Sportscar365 team. DiZinno, a graduate of Marquette University and contributor to NBCSports.com, will support coverage of the TUDOR Championship, while Belgian native Wouters, a corespondent for autosport.be, will focus his efforts on the Blancpain Sprint and Endurance Series.
Sportscar365’s 2014 trackside coverage begins this weekend at Daytona International Speedway for the “Roar Before the Rolex 24,” followed by the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai on Jan. 9-11, which kicks off the international endurance racing season. The 52nd annual Rolex 24 at Daytona is set for Jan. 25-26, followed by the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour just two weeks later.