Marketing agency The KINC has announced it has signed Red Bull Global Rallycross driver Nelson Piquet Jr to its motorsport talent roster.

Piquet Jr, physician a former Formula 1 driver, NASCAR race winner, GP2 Series runner-up and British F3 Champion, is currently competing in his first full rallycross season and has made an impressive start, achieving two podium finishes from the first three races.

Piquet Jr has followed his agent Steve Hewett, who joins The KINC from his previous role as Head of Athletes Relations for North America at Alpinestars where he worked on several motorsport series including IndyCar and Formula Drift. Piquet Jr retains NASCAR representation in the USA with FUEL Sports Management.

Piquet Jr said: “My career is quite diverse – this year I am participating in Global Rallycross, FIA GT and some NASCAR activities and so it’s important to have the right team around me. I have great NASCAR representation in the US and now with The KINC I believe I have a great European based company to work with. I am really looking forward to working with them.”

Kristoffer Hansson, Head of Rights and Athlete Representation at The KINC, said: “Nelson is a driver who has demonstrated his skill and adaptability by competing at the highest level across a range of different racing formats from F1 to NASCAR. He’s a great addition to The KINC team and we’re looking forward to working with him.”

Williams have unveiled a new Advanced Engineering facility in Grove, Oxfordshire.

A dedicated 3,800m sq. building located on the same site as the WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING Formula One team, the new Advanced Engineering facility is the result of £8m of investment by Williams over the last two years. The facility is a state-of-the-art R&D site that features a ground floor workshop with Formula One inspired build bays that can be used for one-off projects or low-volume production. The facility will accommodate up to 250 design engineers and also features a number of confidential rooms where projects can be worked on in complete secrecy – vital given the nature of Williams Advanced Engineering’s client base. 

The aim of Williams Advanced Engineering is simple: to use the technology, know-how and rapid development skills honed in Formula One to deliver cutting edge technology solutions to the automotive, motorsport, transport and energy sectors. 

Speaking at the launch of Williams Advanced Engineering’s new facility the Prime Minister David Cameron said; “Formula One is a world beating, hi-tech industry and I am very proud that Britain and British engineers and designers play such a key role within it. Williams opening their Advanced Engineering facility in Oxfordshire is great news for the local area and a vote of confidence in our long-term economic plan to back business, create jobs and secure a better future for Britain”.

Mike O’Driscoll, Group CEO of Williams, added: “We are honoured to have the Prime Minister here today to join us at the start of an extremely exciting time for Williams Advanced Engineering. This new state-of-the-art building gives our talented and diverse skills base a home and provides capacity for 250 designers, engineers and technicians. Williams’ diversification programme has achieved much over the past few years and from here I expect Williams Advanced Engineering to make rapid progress. Improving energy efficiency is an important global concern and we are confident that Williams has the unique know-how and resources to play an important role in tackling this issue. “

V8 Supercars have made available three unused entries for sale as hey look to have a 28-car field next year.

Chief executive James Warburton on Tuesday announced the start of a tender process for the dormant racing entitlement contracts (RECs), which were handed back by Tekno Autosports, Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport and Tony D’Alberto Racing before the 2014 season.

Each REC allows its owner to race one car, with holders also entitled to a share of V8s’ end-of-year profits.

The move opens the door for new teams to enter the category, existing outfits to expand or previous entrants to return.

There is also the possibility of teams competing in V8 Supercars’ development series to step up into the premier class.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to compete in one of the most successful categories in world motorsport and we believe there will be significant interest,” Warburton said.

The news follows revelations at the weekend that leading NASCAR team owner Richard Childress was eyeing a move into V8 Supercars.

The American businessman and former racer is said to be interested in buying a team or at least establishing a technical partnership with a current contender.

Parties have until July 8 to register their interest and will be assessed by the V8 Supercars Board.

The National Football League have announced the 2015 Pro Bowl will be played in Gelndale, Arizona.

It will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium, a week before Super Bowl XLIX at the same venue

“Hopefully they are eliminated from the Pro Bowl because they are participating in the Super Bowl,” the Cardinals’ team Michael Bdwell president said. “That’s the current plan.”

The NFL announced Wednesday its decision to play the league’s all-star game in Arizona, a possibility set in motion more than a year ago when Bidwill suggested it while Commissioner Roger Goodell was fishing for ideas on how to improve the Pro Bowl.

A Pro Bowl bid made sense to Bidwill from the league side, to bring the game to another warm climate as was done when the Pro Bowl spent one January in Miami back in 2010 – the only other time since 1980 the game was played anywhere but Honolulu.

It made sense for Arizona, too, Bidwill figured.

“When you look at the game that has been played in Hawaii and the way it’s been broadcast, it turns into sort of a soft infomercial for Hawaiian tourism,” Bidwill said. “We hope this time around with the game in Arizona we are able to showcase Arizona and emphasize such an important industry for our state — tourism.”

Tickets will be available first to Cardinals season ticket holders and annual Pro Bowl season ticket holders. Next season’s 2016 game has already been scheduled to be played in Hawaii.

It’ll be the fifth major professional all-star game to be played in the Valley. The Major League Baseball all-star game was held in Phoenix in 2011. The Suns have hosted the NBA all-star  game three times, in 1975, 1995 and 2009. The Coyotes once were supposed to have the NHL all-star game in 2006, but lost it after both the lockout and the Olympic break. 

Many of the details of the game are yet to be announced. Super Bowl host committee chairman David Rousseau acknowledged his group will have to make a greater effort coordinating that time of year now with an extra game at the front of Super Bowl week, but that the benefits outweigh any issues.

“The whole reason we are doing the Super Bowl from our perspective is to put the Valley in the best light possible,” Rousseau said. “This will just extend that window. More cameras, more attention, more players, for a longer period.”

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has confirmed Pat McQuaid and Brian Cookson are the only two candidates for presidency of cycling’s governing body.

McQuaid is seeking a third term in the role and will go head-to-head with the president of British Cycling for the role at the end of September.

The Irishman had to seek a nomination from Switzerland, where he is based, after a potential nomination from Cycling Ireland was defeated at an Emergency General Meeting.

He has become a controversial figure in the sport and was heavily criticised over the way the UCI dealt with the Lance Armstrong doping scandal last year.

McQuaid said: “Cycling has changed since I became UCI President in 2005. Cycling is now a global sport. It is now possible to race and win clean.

“During the past eight years I have introduced the most sophisticated and effective anti-doping infrastructure in world sport to cycling and opened up everything that is beautiful about our sport to new countries around the world.

“My mission now is ensure that we never turn back and that we preserve the culture of change within the peloton, that we revolutionize the way that we present our sport and that we continue to develop cycling worldwide in collaboration with all of our stakeholders.”

Cookson said: “The UCI and cycling face some huge challenges as we look to the future but our great sport also has some incredible opportunities – if we can grasp them.

“I believe that I have a strong and proven track record in delivering positive change in cycling and in a way that is collegiate – not confrontational – as my time as President of British Cycling shows.

“I want to see the UCI defined by genuine collaboration, renewed trust and with a vision to fully tackle the issues we face. If we deliver then cycling can reach new heights in the years ahead.”

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has officially received the bids for the right to host the 81st IIHF World Championship in 2017 from Germany-France and the other from Denmark-Latvia.

Following the success of the Finland/Sweden World Championship in 2011-12, link the door has opened to more co-hosting opportunities for the world’s biggest annual international ice hockey tournament. The winning bid will be voted on during the 2013 IIHF Congress in Stockholm in May.

France and Germany have combined forces in an effort to bring the Worlds as part of a wider effort to promote hockey in both countries. 

“From our side, cheap cialis hosting the World Championship is a part of the development strategy for France,” said French Ice Hockey Federation General Secretary Eric Ropert. “We thought that we wouldn’t be able to do it alone, after all the last time we hosted the World Championship was in 1951. We have an excellent working relationship with Germany, and we can benefit from the experience that they had hosting the World Championship in 2010.” 

“If we look at the last six years we are increasing the number of players, the national team is doing better each year, the media attraction is developing and our budget is increasing as we take on more and more partners. The timing is good for us.” 

The plan according to the bid is to have Cologne, Germany as the primary venue, with the secondary venue located at the Palais Omnisport Paris-Bercy Arena in Paris. Cologne’s Lanxess Arena – the biggest arena in Europe with a capacity for 18,000 spectators – will host the semi-finals and medal games. 

“We chose Cologne because of the good infrastructure and because it is closer to Paris than Berlin,” said Germany Ice Hockey federation General Secretary Franz Reindl. 

“In Germany we like to always have a goal on the horizon to reach. Hockey in Germany is very regional, newspapers cover the sport in the major cities like Berlin and Cologne, but at the nationwide level is where we think the sport needs to be promoted, and the World Championship will help with this.”

Denmark and Latvia have also tabled a joint bid for 2017. These two countries may be smaller than their bid rivals, but have repeatedly punched above their weight when it comes to their hockey teams. 

For Denmark, the main host for the championship, the 2017 Worlds would be the single biggest sporting event that the country has ever hosted. The site for the games in Denmark will be Copenhagen Arena, a planned multi-use indoor arena in the neighbourhood of Ørestad Syd. Construction of the arena is set to begin in mid-2013, and will be able to host up to 12,500 spectators. 

Since 2003 Latvia has hosted nine IIHF tournaments and two Olympic qualification tournaments, with a third coming up next month. The country has also developed a reputation for having some of the most enthusiastic hockey fans on the continent, and its national team is a regular fixture at World Championships. Latvia’s hockey-mad reputation was cemented in 2006 when Riga hosted the World Championship. 

“Taking into account the successful organization of the IIHF World Championship 2006 in Latvia I believe that it was a great experience for all participating nations, as well as all parties involved, such as organizers, teams, staff and guests,” said Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis. “With the experience the Latvian Hockey Federation gained during this event, we will be honoured to host the Championship in 2017 once again.”

Bitzio, Inc., a leader in apps, mobile media and behavioral analytics, today announced a licensing partnership with NFL Players, Inc., the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFLPA, to develop an innovative, player-based trivia application for IOS devices.

The Football Trivia app, which will launch in mid-October, will pit fan against fan as they answer trivia questions about a selected player in a competitive duel of football knowledge. To make the game more challenging and fun, users will need to dodge obstacles thrown by their opponent in a race against the clock to earn the most pigskins. The fan who collects the most footballs is the winner.

“NFL PLAYERS is the perfect partner for engaging, competitive mobile gaming apps Bitzio creates,” said William Schonbrun, President and CEO of Bitzio. “The cooperation we have received from NFL PLAYERS has been amazing. We can’t wait to make this trivia app available to the over 180 million football fans out there.”

Bitzio joins the ranks of an impressive group of licensees within NFL PLAYERS’ multimedia and interactive category. The division has already demonstrated consistent growth in the mobile gaming space and continues its efforts to identify creative app developers that incorporate the use of NFL players. “Bitzio will offer one of the most innovative sports trivia games on the market today,” said Kathie Vu, Vice President of Licensing and Business Development for NFL PLAYERS. “This partnership brings unique challenges to our devoted fans and gives them a new platform to demonstrate their knowledge of football and passion for our players.”

Fans can look forward to playing with football stars like Peyton Manning, Adrian Peterson, Tom Brady, Ndamukong Suh, Tony Romo, and Aaron Rodgers with many more fan favorites slated for addition in the coming weeks and months.

“We continue to see reports suggesting almost 40% of loyal fans will download apps for their favorite athletes, entertainers or teams and that over 45% of those fans are ‘social butterflies’ who tell everybody they know about the app,” added Schonbrun. “With more than 100 million smart phone users in the U.S. alone, and with such a strong global NFL fan base reported at over 180 million, we believe downloads will be measured in the millions, or tens of millions, for superstar players. Using advanced marketing and social media techniques, gamification and a freemium model that delivers great value via in-app purchases, this trivia game is stacked for success … and this is only the beginning of what we hope to deliver to football fans across the globe.”

The 2012 Major League Baseball All-Star game had the highest-rated prime-time show Tuesday night, according to overnight ratings. The game drew a rating of 8.1 and a 14 share, up 3 percent over the 2011 game.

NBC came in second thanks to a jump from “America’s Got Talent.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series was up 17 percent with a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49.

ABC landed in third in ratings with an average 1.3/4 rating and 4.4 million total viewers. CBS ran repeats Tuesday night, leaving it in fourth place in overall ratings with a 1.1/3 and 6.5 million total viewers, reports The Wrap.

Ratings represent the percentage of all households with televisions tuned into a program, and shares represent the percentage of all homes with TVs in use at the time.