As you know the weather has been unbelievably wet in the past few months. This has had a real impact on the track works at Eastern Creek, putting the construction of the new South Circuit layout well behind schedule. So far behind that all events scheduled at the circuit between now and the end of July have been cancelled. This includes our scheduled Round 2. All of our remaining rounds are set to go ahead as scheduled.

All of this means its now only three weeks until Round 1 at Queensland Raceway! A reminder that this opening round is for Muscle Division, Production Racing Cars and Touring Car Challenge. The round itself will be held Saturday 31 March and Sunday 1 April. Friday practice is also available on Friday 30 March. Entries for this round are open, you can use the button below to choose your preferred method to enter.

You can also get a nice discount if you would like to enter for multiple rounds.

The remaining rounds of the series will be open to all categories, with Round 3 at Morgan Park 16-17 June, Round 4 at Eastern Creek North 5 August, Round 5 at Eastern Creek North 27 October and Round 6 at Eastern Creek North 30 November.

We've just launched a basic line of iRace merchandise, available immediately. There is a nice iRace Polo shirt (and this same embroidered design can be added to other tops including hoodies and jackets if you choose), plus a range of caps - an iRace version and one for each category. You can choose your own sizes and colours, and order directly from the manufacturer, payment via PayPal or credit card.

Check out the products and links below, and feel free to send us your ideas for new products!

The direct link to our storefront is: www.zazzle.com/iracehq

There are regular discounts, so make sure you check this page before you check out to see what the current offers are.

There are some great specialist motorsport publications in Australia, with a wide variety of coverage available. Some publications naturally focus most of their attention on V8 Supercars, but there are two in particular that look a bit further and really provide opportunities for more 'grass roots' motorsport to get some coverage.

We've mentioned Race Magazine in our email newsletter. This print magazine has great coverage of a wide range of Australian motorsport, and also delves into many of the technical areas. Subscriptions are available for very reasonable rates. Check it out.

Another very cool publication is Ripple Strip - an online magazine, developed specifically for grass roots Australian motorsport. Ripple Strip have also recently launched a motorsport forum - well worth a look if you're interested in having a discussion about Aussie motorsport.

Congratulations to members of the iRace family Stu and Karen Inwood who were married on Saturday. Stu has raced with iRace from the early days, and has also been a great help with scrutineering at our events.

The wedding and reception were held on Saturday, with the Inwood boys then heading straight off to Canberra to compete in a hill climb event today!

Entries are now open for our first round of 2012. As with previous years, you have a number of options for submitting entries - the old fashioned paper entry (you can download a PDF, print it out and post or fax it in), the even more old fashioned paper entry (where you can request us to send you a paper form so you can fill it out and send it in), or the all-singing, all-dancing online entry system. The one link below will take you to a page where you have all three options. We're also rewarding those who enter for multiple rounds with a discount system - the more rounds you enter, the bigger the discount.

Round 1 will be held at Queensland Raceway, 31 March - 1 April (with Friday practice available 30 March). Entries are open to Production Racing Cars, Muscle Division and Touring Car Challenge.

It's around 80 days to the first round of the 2012 Independent Race Series. Our last round was nearly four months ago. For many of us, we'll be suffering from withdrawals, and itching to get back on the track.

To help get you in the mood, we've compiled a list of inspirational videos - either directly motorsport related, or looking at competition in parallel sports. Enjoy!

Senna movie - just a preview here, go and get yourself the whole thing on DVD (or from iTunes).

TT3D - Closer to the Edge - an awesome documentary about the Isle of Man TT, it features some stunning footage, and looks at why people keep coming back. A really good look at why people love motorsport. Preview below, the whole thing is tricky to get hold of on DVD/Bluray, but it's worth the search!

Why - a short film to promote a new Nikon camera, but looks at why people love the sports they live and breathe.

The Art of Flight - a snowboarding movie, but visually stunning, and again it looks at why people keep coming back to the sport they love. The full thing is well worth a watch, available on DVD, or iTunes.

24 Hours in 19500 Frames - short film capturing some of the emotion of endurance racing.

Climb Attack - a bit of a tribute to the classic Climb Dance.

Danny Hart Downhill Run - some amazing commentary, and a sportsman operating well and truly in the "zone".

Those of you who are eagle eyed or subscribe to our newsletter (or both) will already know about the 2012 iRace calendar. Six rounds at Queensland Raceway, Eastern Creek and Morgan Park between March and November.

The 2012 Independent Race Series calendar is now available to download in two convenient formats:

• Click here to download and print a PDF calendar
• Click here to subscribe to the iCal format calendar

Entries for Round 1 will open very soon. Competitors, please note that Round 1 is open to Production Racing Cars, Touring Car Challenge and Muscle Division only. All other rounds will be open to all categories.