Make sure your wing is screwed on properly...

Just screwing a wing to the trunk lid of your STI and calling it a day can have unintended consequences especially when said STI is good for 150 mph (240 km/h) .

Luckily Element Tuning's cage was built properly and the driver walked away with just a dislocated thumb (notice the broken steering wheel.)
(NASIOC.forums)




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BMW Z4 GT3 Debuts at Nürburgring: Onboard Video

BMW Motorsport's latest race car, the Z4 GT3 made a successful debut at the Nürburgring scoring a top ten finish in the recent VLN race with Schubert Motorsport. The BMW Z4 GT3 driven by Jorg Müller, Claudia Hüertgen and Stian Sørlie finished ninth overall, the second Z4 GT3 was eleventh overall.

Have a look at this practice lap in the 92 Schubert car driven by Richard Göransson. If you've ever driven at the Nürburgring in wet or worse, semi wet conditions, you will fully appreciate the video. Check out the snap oversteer moment at Kesselchen.


(photo: VLN-Fanpage)




Schubert Motorsport BMW Z4 driving the GT3 in the top ten
The Schubert Motorsport BMW Z4 GT3 of the teams celebrated a successful debut at the Nurburgring Nordschleife. In the first race of the VLN Endurance Championship 2010 Hürtgen occupied Claudia (GER), Stian Sørlie (NOR) and BMW works driver Jorg Muller (GER) in the car with the number 91 in ninth place overall. Jörg Viebahn (GER), Richard Göransson (SWE) and Marko Hartung (GER) came in the second BMW Z4 GT3 (No. 92) on the eleventh position.

In dry conditions completed Tronrud Nils (NOR), Buchardt Anders (NOR) and Martin Öhlin (SWE) with position 31 in the BMW Z4 M Coupé good team result in the "Green Hell".

Stefan Wendl, Team Manager:
"I am pleased with our first race on the Nordschleife. This track is always a challenge, especially if you like us takes up with many innovations in luggage. Our BMW Z4 GT3 celebrated his debut. With the reliability we are more than satisfied. Both cars ran over the weekend properly. We have managed to continuously improve performance. We have used the race as a test set-up and fundamentally changed during the pit stops. The Top Ten Square is a high priority for us, because the power density in the VLN is this year even bigger. But there is still a lot of work to do to reduce the distance to the top. The whole team is looking forward to this challenge. The BMW Z4 M Coupe has also achieved a more than respectable result. Our Norwegian drivers did a great job. "

Jorg Muller, BMW Z4 GT3 race number 91:
"We have the car today, put it very well over the rounds. Ninth place overall in the inaugural race of the new BMW Z4 GT3 can be proud of. My stint is actually running perfectly. Working with the Schubert Motorsport team has once again great fun. "

Claudia Hürtgen, BMW Z4 GT3 race number 91:
"We can be very satisfied. What mattered was the first place that we can finish the race without any technical problems. This has worked fine. Of course there are some things that we want to improve, so we was approaching at the lap times even closer to our competitors. One must always remember that our car is only a few weeks on the track. Against this background, today is a fantastic result. "

Jörg Viebahn, BMW Z4 GT3 race number 92:
"The BMW Z4 GT3 is a great car. We experimented a lot with the suspension - and he's made a lot. During my stint the car was really good. If we now go on in detail, then we get where we want to go. The potential is there - and I'm looking forward to the tasks that lie before us. "

Nils Tronrud, BMW Z4 M Coupe race number 191:
"For us it was the first race with the BMW Z4 M Coupe. The car on the 31 Place and intact to have brought to the finish, is a great result. I am proud to be able to compete for Schubert Motorsport and look forward to the coming races. "


Results 2010
57. ADAC Westfalenfahrt
BMW Z4 GT3 # 91, grid position: 18, Rennplatzierung: 9
BMW Z4 GT3 # 92, grid position 40, Rennplatzierung: 11
BMW Z4 M Coupe # 191, grid position 46, Rennplatzierung: 31

Meanwhile, back at Road Atlanta...

CG got another Porsche Club H Stock class record, a 1:36.1. He also went on to win Sunday's Enduro overall, in the rain!

More videos after the jump. (Photo:Connor Hinkle)









Start of the Enduro race from P1. Opened up a good lead until the full course yellow.
Got Black Flagged for that last pass before catching the Pace Car.
Challenging race after the Black Flag 1min penalty, but was able to pass the field afterwards (good thing it rained!)

More of catching up the field after the Black Flag penalty and regaining the race lead

Cult Car: BMW e30 M3

Is there such a thing as too much e30 M3 on tarmac stages with only the music of its 2.3 liter S14 four pot as accompaniment?

I suspect e30 fans will watch the whole 10 minutes of this very cool clip.

Australian GP: just add water.

Reports of the rebirth of Formula 1 fun will be as greatly exaggerated as reports of its demise were after the Bahrain GP but, once again, the Australian GP delivered the goods.

Now here is a radical idea: how about Formula 1 hold all of its races where there are actual people watching? Notice a difference in the stands in Melbourne? Notice that there actually are spectator stands all around the race track? You don't believe the energy of that many fans can be felt by the drivers? Nothing more needs to be said, right?

The race, like any variable conditions race, was great fun to watch. I was traveling this week end and did not see it until late last night and I must say, I could not take my eyes off the screen. There were some fantastic drives. Vettel, man he's good, he pulverized Webber in the same car and Webber is not exactly slow. Weber felt it for sure and made some pretty bad judgement calls and took out a now rather tense Lewis Hamilton.

Interesting about Hamilton in contrast with Fernando Alonso. Fernando was spun in what can only be described as a "racing incident" by Jenson Button and ended up dead last. He clawed his way back to fourth place, just behind a slower Massa. Yet there was no complaining, no demands for a pass, at least in public. Rightly, Alonso figured an epic climb from 22nd to 4th and keeping the lead in the championship was good enough for the day. Hamilton instead went fairly ballistic on his team over the open radio about his pit stop strategy. This looked kind of bad when Button was being praised for making his own call on tires. Hamilton had a great drive, but questions over his tire management will dog him.

Kubica, getting a midpack car on the podium speaks for itself. Great to see.

Button drove a perfect race and benefitted from his gamble on the tires and, as Alonso did in Bahrain, from Red Bull possibly pushing the envelope a bit too far with the car design.

And Schumacher? I think Schumacher's race showed where F1 really is, you still can't pass unless you are willing to go Webber Kamikaze or, the guy in front makes a big mistake. The race in Melbourne just had the right condition for mistakes to happen. Don't get too excited, you probably saw that in the final phase of the race, on the dry track the usual blanket of rolled up rubber covered the track except for the narrow racing line making overtaking essentially, impossible.

This klag buildup is one of the main problems F1 should address. What's the point of building wider tracks in the middle of deserts when, by half race, it becomes a single lane toboggan?

Finally, the new teams are simply moving chicanes, dangerous ones when they lose parts along the way. Kobayashi's wing failure accident would have killed three people not so long ago. it's not wise to tempt fate like that.

Highlights after the jump.
(photos: F1photos.org)

I did not have time to prepare the usual reel this time, but I think the BBC's are well worth watching.


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Grumpy grandpa Schumi sends back soup but not spaghetti.

In Bahrain it was the lack of a nap Schumacher blamed for qualifying behind Rosberg, in Australia it was blocking. "I could have been fourth" he is reported to have told his team but instead he was seventh, behind Nico once again.

Not exactly the return to F1 Der Kaiser was imagining and the increasingly grumpy grandpa, who has been refusing to sign autographs for the fans, showed his frustration when got up in Fernando Alonso's face after qualifying. Out of view of tv cameras but not photographers, he had what what is described "a heated discussion punctuated by hand gestures" and later asked the race director for a "clarification" on blocking. Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, in Schumacher view, were both guilty of not getting out of his way.

Schumacher is risking big in starting a polemic with Alonso, this week he was seen again having lunch in the Ferrari motorhome (he either really, really likes the spaghetti all bolognese or maybe he's thinking Massa's contract's up at the end of the year...). If he wants to keep telling Alonso to get off his lawn, he better like whatever they're cooking in the Mercedes tent from now on.

Pos  Driver         Team                   Q1        Q2        Q3
1.  Vettel         Red Bull-Renault      1:24.774   1:24.096  1:23.919
2.  Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1:25.286   1:24.276  1:24.035
3.  Alonso         Ferrari               1:25.082   1:24.335  1:24.111
4.  Button         McLaren-Mercedes      1:24.897   1:24.531  1:24.675
5.  Massa          Ferrari               1:25.548   1:25.010  1:24.837
6.  Rosberg        Mercedes              1:24.788   1:24.788  1:24.884
7.  Schumacher     Mercedes              1:25.351   1:24.871  1:24.927
8.  Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth     1:25.702   1:25.085  1:25.217
9.  Kubica         Renault               1:25.588   1:25.122  1:25.372
10.  Sutil          Force India-Mercedes  1:25.504   1:25.046  1:26.036
11.  Hamilton       McLaren-Mercedes      1:25.046   1:25.184
12.  Buemi          Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:26.061   1:25.638
13.  Liuzzi         Force India-Mercedes  1:26.170   1:25.743
14.  de la Rosa     Sauber-Ferrari        1:26.089   1:25.747
15.  Hulkenberg     Williams-Cosworth     1:25.866   1:25.748
16.  Kobayashi      Sauber-Ferrari        1:26.251   1:25.777
17.  Alguersuari    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:26.095   1:26.089
18.  Petrov         Renault               1:26.471
19.  Kovalainen     Lotus-Cosworth        1:28.797
20.  Trulli         Lotus-Cosworth        1:29.111
21.  Glock          Virgin-Cosworth       1:29.592
22.  di Grassi      Virgin-Cosworth       1:30.185
23.  Senna          HRT-Cosworth          1:30.526
24.  Chandhok       HRT-Cosworth          1:30.613

All Timing Unofficial

(Mediaset, Autosport)


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Hamilton BreaksTraction, Australia Breaks Wind

I mean...really. So much for the Land of Hoon, pffft. The BBC report is perhaps even more comical.





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Traqmate 3.0 software released and, it's free!

Heads up tracktards, 3.0 versions of the Traqmate software packages (Traqstudio and Traqview) are out and available for free download.

There are a number of improvements, most notable for Traqstudio users, the addition of LANC control allowing convenient automatic control of Sony HD camcorders. This will require the purchase of the new TraqDataHD interface. You also get upgraded dash controls and configurations as well as assorted other function.

Details and download links are available after the jump.


The easiest data analysis, data/video player, and video editor just got even better.

TRAQSTUDIO 3.0
Enhanced Features
Optional Friction Circle Cursor Trails
Optional Friction Circle Vector display
Updated graphical video dash
-Classic/solo/full dash versions
-Sizable
-Transparent
Better support for GoPro video (non HD) and other cameras using MJPEG format
Single or separate distance cursors
Video files optionally renamed to match the session file
Templates to save program default setups (ie lap selection mode, open graphs/forms)
Lap selection for 'all' drivers
Time/distance graphs 'collapsed' on setup screen
New auto-segment methods
Rules for opening previously named video files when a session is opened
Search for video files
Search for session/analysis files
Right click options
Improved Video Creation (SD only)
-DashPaq Gauges
-Selectable full or tach only
-Transparency
-Sizable
-Location options
-Pre/post roll function
Improved handling of smaller (less than 640x480) video input files. When a smaller format is detected (like those produced by the GoPro camera) the frames are resized to a larger intermediate size, graphic overlay applied, and resized to the final output.
Improved traqmate basic data transfer
Improved graph range limits

Click link below to download FREE update.
TraqStudioSetupV3.00.exe

TRAQVIEW 3.0
The easiest data analysis tool just got easier and more powerful.

Enhanced Features
Optional Friction Circle Cursor Trails
Optional Friction Circle Vector display
Single or separate distance cursors
Templates to save program default setups (ie lap selection mode, open graphs/forms)
Lap selection for 'all' drivers
Time/distance graphs 'collapsed' on setup screen
New auto-segment methods
Search for session/analysis files
Right click options
Improved traqmate basic data transfer
Improved graph range limits

Click link below to download FREE update.
http://www.traqmate.com/downloads/traqview/TraqviewSetupReleaseV3.00.exe

New Traqmate Firmware 3.00

Enhanced Features
Data recovery feature that will salvage data lost due to power interruption
Support for new TraqData HD interface with HD cameras
Faster GPS lock
Traqmate Complete Firmware
How To Update your Traqmate Complete
http://www.traqmate.com/downloads/tmrelease300/dsu.tqc
http://www.traqmate.com/downloads/tmrelease300/du.tqc


Traqmate Basic Firmware
How To Update your Traqmate Basic
http://www.traqmate.com/downloads/tmrelease300/ssu.tqc

About Traqmate

Traqmate is a line of GPS Data Acquisition and Video products for high performance and racing vehicles developed and marketed by Track Systems Technologies, LLC. The Traqmate product was introduced in 2005 and several thousand systems are in operation worldwide. For more information or a downloadable demonstration, visit www.traqmate.com.

Traqmate introduced industry innovations such as GPS predictive lap timing, track-map analysis, automatic data/video synchronization, and video theoretical best lap playback.
Traqmate Sales
Ron Hlozansky
877-289-0312
sales@traqmate.com
Traqmate Marketing
Glenn Stephens
877-289-0312
marketing@traqmate.com

Expensive Stripes.

Option PNT6 on the Ferrari 599 GTO order sheet, "Historic GTO Stripes" runs a cool $9500 with tax but don't worry, if you haven't bought an F40, a couple of Scuderias and at least one Enzo in the past you are not going to get your mitts on one, even if you could.

Autogespot , the ones who first published that dodgy white GTO picture that has been making the rounds and claimed as an exclusive here and there now have gotten a hold of what purports to be an order sheet for the car. Check it out, what options would you add?






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Inside Ferrari's F1 Pit Box

In case you ever wondered where all the money goes this video, from a recent test session, will make it clear. Don't forget to multiply by two!
Coolest small detail: the red horse blanket style quilted engine covers, with embroidered prancing horse, natch.



If you prefer the origilal language version you can find it HERE


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Jenson Button in a V8 Supercar

Grand Prix build up has started, this was just on Australian TV. Jenson Button and fellow Vodafone sponsored driver Jamie Whincup swapped cars. Unlike Juan Pablo Montoya, I can't see Button ending up on ovals...

Listening to his answers about who's the better driver, him or Hamilton, does Jenson have that killer instinct or is he the Hugh Grant of motorsport?



In Australia and want try a V8 Supercar? Check out the V8 SuperChallenge at Calder Park.


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Porsche GT2 RE Exclusive Spy Shot!

That's Red Elmo



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Deutschland Drift

Usually not a big fan of drift videos but I do have a soft spot when it's done with a BMW rather than with the usual Japanese tool. Markus and Olli from M3-Drift.de having some fun at the Nürburgring GP track. Well done!

More videos after the jump... Hesse James? How can you resist?

Recommend full screen viewing in 1080P...amazing the quality you can get from tiny cameras now! Check out our 2010 in car camera roundup


(m3-Drift.de)

3x Honda HSV-010 GT / 1 space=KURASSHU!

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It's No Hairdresser...

I loved the lines of the old BMW Z4 GT but this new Z4 GT3 comes from the factory with the proper V8 in front. Official details after the jump.







22.03.2010Press Release
Munich, 22nd March 2010. The BMW Z4 GT3, which was officially launched and completed its first test drives at the start of March, is already enjoying great popularity among BMW Motorsport customers. The first cars have been delivered to private BMW teams, who will prepare them for use in various national and international championships.
“The feedback on the BMW Z4 GT3 is extremely positive,” says BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen. “This sports car rounds off our product range, and offers drivers and teams the opportunity to compete in championships in accordance with the GT3 regulations – such as the FIA GT3 European Championship, the International GT Open or the ADAC GT Masters – as well as at 24-hour endurance races.” In addition, the BMW M3 GT2, the BMW 320si WTCC, which complies with Super2000 regulations, and the close-to-production BMW M3 GT4 are also available to customer teams from all over the world at BMW Motorsport Distribution.
The production model of the BMW Z4 is already impressive: with its elongated bonnet, flared wheel arches, long wheel base and narrow projections, the car boasts an unmistakable appearance. The two-seater provided BMW Motorsport engineers with a good basis for developing a close-to-production GT3 racing car.
The largest difference between production and racing car can be found under the bonnet: while the production version of the BMW Z4 is driven by a six-cylinder engine, the GT3 car is powered by a 4.0-litre eight-cylinder engine similar to the unit used in the BMW M3 GT2. This powerful heart produces over 480 bhp. Its excellent performance characteristics and good torque curve make the base engine from the production version of the BMW M3 predestined for use in motorsport.
The fitting of the V8 engine had a considerable influence on the development of the BMW Z4 GT3. Initially, design-space examinations were performed using CATIA V5 design software, in order to place the engine in the ideal position and meet racing specifications. The engineers then added all the other components.
When it comes to electronics, the private teams can look forward to innovative BMW solutions, which have already been tried and tested on the BMW M3 GT2: the modern ECU408 takes over the engine management, while the Power400 electronic control unit is responsible for controlling all the actuators. The power is transmitted through a six-speed, sequential gearbox with “Quick Shift” function.
Rims with central locking and safety clip are also included in delivery. In addition, the BMW Z4 GT3 also offers driver assistance systems such as racing ABS and traction control, which have been adopted from other cars in the customer racing range, and then further developed and modified for use in the GT3 car.
The front axle of the BMW Z4 GT3 is a completely new design, based on a series concept. It is equipped with a tubular stabiliser bar with adjustable blades. The rear axle is designed as a longitudinal link axle, as with the series version of the BMW Z4. The steel body of the car comes from the BMW Plant in Regensburg. A safety cell made of extremely rigid, precision steel tubing is then welded into the body. The engine block of the V8 engine is produced in the BMW foundry in Landshut. The BMW Plant in Dingolfing contributes the rear axle differential and drive shaft, among other things.
During the development, BMW Motorsport engineers worked hand in hand in other areas with their colleagues from series production. This allowed them to access calculations from the field of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) when designing the car’s aerodynamics. Furthermore, tests were also carried out in the wind tunnel and on the BMW Group’s test benches.
Front and rear wings, bonnet, roof, fender and many other components are made of carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP). Using this lightweight, torsion-resistant material contributed significantly to reducing the weight of the BMW Z4 GT3 to 1,200 kilograms.
As with all cars in the BMW customer racing range, the emphasis was also put on cost-efficiency when developing the BMW Z4 GT3. As a result, the car offers a very good cost/performance ratio and gives private teams the opportunity to participate in affordable motorsport at the highest level.
The BMW Z4 GT3 is available as a racing car at a cost of 298,000 Euros (plus VAT). Interested teams can find further information at: Z4GT3@bmw-motorsport.com.

Ayrton Senna

Would have been fifty years old today. You'll read a lot of tributes but, if you have the time, take a look at this documentary again. There is little to add to it.
Happy Birthday Ayrton!

Ferrari, on fire at Sebring!

Literally. Ferraris catching on fire, they have a bit of a reputation for that.



The 2010 12 Hour of Sebring saw very little passing for position (except for the BMW #92 which started from pit lane end ended up on the podium in GT2 and Emanuele Pirro terrorizing the field in the early stages) . As most endurance raced do, this year's edition settled into al long procession with results determined by errors: the Corvettes taking each other out in the pits, two top Porsches done in by one wheel, a Ferrari with a slight overheating problem. P1 was beyond boring, I mean in a class with 5 cars where 3 are factory Peugeots and one did not make the grid? ....snore.

GT2 was better but the race was determined by a caution period with the Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GTC gaining a one lap advantage it would hold to the end. There was very little on track passing and I wonder if there will be an uproar like after the Formula 1 season opener. What was amazing was the pace, all the cars in the GT2 field lapped at near qualifying pace for 12 hours straight. That is simply put, astounding.

Pos  Cl   Drivers                        Car                     Time/Gap
1.  P1   Gene/Wurz/Davidson             Peugeot            12h00m54.362s
2.  P1   Lamy/Bourdais/Minassian        Peugeot                + 13.817s
3.  P1   Mucke/Primat/Fernandez         Lola-Aston Martin       + 3 laps
4.  P2   Pickett/Graf/Maassen           Porsche                + 14 laps
5.  P2   Brabham/Pagenaud/Franchitti    HPD                    + 18 laps
6.  GT2  Melo/Bruni/Kaffer              Ferrari                + 36 laps
7.  GT2  Auberlen/Milner/Werner         BMW                    + 37 laps
8.  GT2  Muller/Hand/Priaulx            BMW                    + 37 laps
9.  GT2  Bergmeister/Long/Lieb          Porsche                + 38 laps
10.  PC   Tucker/Bouchut/Wilkins         ORECA                  + 40 laps
11.  GT2  Law/Neiman/Lietz               Porsche                + 42 laps
12.  P1   Drayson/Cocker/Pirro           Lola                   + 43 laps
13.  GT2  Brown/Cosmo/Barbosa            Ferrari                + 44 laps
14.  GT2  Krohn/Jonsson/van de Poele     Ferrari                + 46 laps
15.  GT2  Magnussen/O'Connell/Garcia     Corvette               + 47 laps
16.  GT2  Beretta/Gavin/Collard          Corvette               + 47 laps
17.  PC   Zugel/Jeannette/Julian         ORECA                  + 56 laps
18.  GTC  Gonzalez/Leitzinger/Keen       Porsche                + 59 laps
19.  GTC  Sweedler/Kapudija/Lueders      Porsche                + 62 laps
20.  GTC  Gonzalez/Diaz/Kelly            Porsche                + 63 laps
21.  P2   Dyson/Smith/Meyrick            Lola-Mazda             + 64 laps
22.  GTC  Rodriguez/Bieker/Friedman      Porsche                + 65 laps
23.  GT2  Robertson/Robertson/Murry      Doran Ford             + 67 laps
24.  GTC  Lewis/Vento/Aschenbach         Porsche                + 68 laps
25.  GTC  Richard/Ende/Lally             Porsche                + 85 laps
26.  PC   Wallace/Sutherland/Hildebrand  ORECA                  + 86 laps
27.  GTC  Curtis/Sofronas/Pilgrim        Porsche                + 87 laps
28.  GT2  Sharp/van Overbeek/Farnbacher  Ferrari                + 96 laps
29.  GT2  Sellers/Henzler/Pilet          Porsche               + 112 laps
30.  PC   Feinberg/Marcelli/Weickardt    ORECA                 + 133 laps
31.  PC   Pagerey/Wong/Ducote            ORECA                 + 135 laps
32.  PC   Tucker/Hunter-Reay/Gue         ORECA                 + 143 laps
33.  GT2  Gentilozzi/Goossens/Dalziel    Jaguar                + 356 laps
34.  P1   Willman/Burgess/Ehret          Lola                  + 367 laps

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Now two Porsches take each other out!

A wheel came off the Falken Tire Porsche and went right in the path of Jeorg Bergmeister's Flying Lizards RSR. There was nothing he could do to avoid it. (You'll see the replay at the end of the clip below). This leaves The Ferrari and the two BMW in good shape for a podium.

It was the second wheel coming off the 17 Falken Porsche, Earlier Wolf Henzler lost the same right rear.






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Corvette pounds itself out of Sebring!

Can't blame Porsche this time...


Amazing...



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How do you take care of the car in a 12 hour race?

The question came from Andres in Colombia...


Email questions HERE.


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Postcard from Sebring

The BMW-RLR M3 of Müller-Hand- Priaulx ready for 12 hours of ripping!



Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand on now being with different crews for the 2010 season after "doing it together for five years"...




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More Reader Questions for The BMW RLR Team...

Jay O'Connell, technical director at Rahal-Letterman Racing answers questions from Alex and from Ruben in Holland...
Oh and in case you are wondering what a "stall test" is, (what the pole sitting BMW of Dirk Müller failed), it involves blocking the intakes with the engine at idle, if it stalls you pass the test. If it does not it means there is a leak which can potentially be construed as cheating since more air than allowed by the restrictors reaches the engine.







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Your Questions for BMW, Answered From the Sebring Paddock!

Tough break for BMW at Sebring, Dirk Müller's car failed a post qualifying "stall test" after setting the fastest GT2 time. Flying Lizards Porsche inherits the pole spot.

Bad luck there but the Rahal-Latterman team did take some time out to answer a few of our reader questions. Let's start with Tommy Milner fielding one on that eternal Sebring dilemma, from out own Axis CG. More to come. You can still send us your questions and we'll forward them to Florida though we suspect they might get a little busy... Email the questions HERE

Corvette responds to Porsche : You're gonna get pounded

The GM team makes their feelings about Porsche and last season's final lap clear in this video. Bumpers reinforced on the Corvette, looking for Lizard tails to go thug on...





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Mclaren MP4-12C Launch

Mclaren's new supercar goes primetime.



To recap:
1300 kg/ 2866 lb.
600 bhp, 600 Nm / 443 lb ft.
0-100 km/h (62mph) under 3 seconds
0-200 km/h (124 mph) under 10 seconds
200-0 km/h in under 5 seconds
60-0 less than 30 meters (98')
1/4 mile under 11 seconds
Top speed over 320 km/h, 200 mph
Projected price in UK £175,000 $267,000.

After the jump, the official "Jensen and Lewis take the 12C to the track" video.

12 Hour of Sebring Preview: Corvette vs Porsche

I admit, I put the two together mostly as a convenient excuse to post that last lap from Laguna Seca last season. Considering history, it's not unlikely we might see something similar at Sebring...again.

Corvettes will be driven by Magnussen-O'Connel-Garcia and Beretta- Gavin-Collard. The main Porsche team, Flying Lizards will be in the hands of Darren Law, Richard Leitz, Seth Neiman and Joerg Bergmeister, Patrick Long and Marc Lieb.

Don't forget to send us your questions for the BMW team!




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Everything you wanted to know about the BMW M3 RLR but were afraid to ask

...well, probaly not EVERYTHING but BMW kindly offered to field questions from our readers on video during the upcoming 12 Hours of Sebring.

What was it you always wanted to ask Bill Auberlen? How do you set someone up for a pass? What pressure do you use for those Dunlop tires? How do you cope with the Sebring bumps? How does the team keep from getting its Dirks confused? Whatever, send us your questions for the drivers or the engineers, we'll forward the best ones to the team and wait for the race on Saturday. Email the questions HERE, post them as a comment or, if you are especially ambitious, record your question on YouTube and send us a link.



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Cars are meant to be used...

Bike Rack? Check.

Muddy mountain bike? Check.

Pirelli Sottozero snow tires? Check.

Porsche Gt2? Check.

Axis CG Tracktard hero? Check.



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12 Hour of Sebring Preview: Four Ferraris

You need Ferraris for a proper endurance series and Risi Competizione will field two F430s at Sebring. The car driven by Jaime Melo, Gianmaria "Gimmi" Bruni and Pierre Kaffer will be the familiar "Rosso Corsa", the second car will sport the familiar day-glo green of Krohn Racing. Driving it will be Tracy Krohn, Nic Jonsson and Eric Van Der Poele.

Risi is the official Ferrari team but look for two "unofficial" Ferraris sporting Patron Tequila colors. These will be driven by
Scott Sharp, Dominik Farnbacher, and Johannes Van Overbeek and by Joao Barbosa, Guy Cosmo and Ed Brown.





RISI AIMING TO CONTINUE ENDURANCE SUCCESS RUN AT SEBRING
The Houston-based Ferrari GT2 team has, over the last two years, enjoyed a phenomenal run of five consecutive successes in international sports car racing’s major classics. It has taken victory laurels at the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans and Petit Le Mans, and the 2009 12 Hours of Sebring, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Petit Le Mans.
2010, however, could offer the toughest challenge yet for Risi and its endurance racing partner, Krohn Racing, thanks to the increased level of competition in the GT class.
Team Principal, Giuseppe Risi, highlights the challenges ahead. “BMW, Corvette, Ford, Jaguar and Porsche are all joining Ferrari in making the production-based category a real jewel in the ALMS crown in terms of excitement, noise and great on-track battles for the fans and TV audiences. That number of manufacturers, represented by some of the best teams in racing today, and with some truly excellent driver line ups, also means that the contest for top honors – always close in 2009 –will be yet more intense throughout the year.
“We are prepared, as always, for the challenges ahead,” continued Risi, “but certainly don’t underestimate the task ahead. We are confident we’ve got all the elements in place for success, but you always need that little bit of luck on your side too. Having our friends from Krohn Racing back with us is part of having those elements in place – we’ve always done well with them and with them alongside us, and I’m delighted that Tracy, Nic and Eric will once again be part of our team at Sebring and beyond.”
Risi regular, Jaime Melo, and his season-long partner, Gianmaria Bruni, will be benefitting from the experience, skill and consistency of Pierre Kaffer in the #62 ‘Rosso Red’ Ferrari 430, while Tracy Krohn, Nic Jönsson and Eric van de Poele, piloting the #61 ‘Krohn Green’ Ferrari, will once again we warmly welcomed back into the Risi fold with the sole aim of adding to their great tally of endurance successes of recent years.
Tracy Krohn, who, with his team mates, has taken the Ferrari to two podiums finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a third place at Sebring in 2008, is very much looking forward to getting back into the F430. “The car is very predictable, and very well sorted. Risi has had great success with this car and is a very well run organization that has the results to back it up. They work hard at improving on success.
“We have very experienced drivers overall, but also with this particular car [#61]. Nic Jönsson and Eric van de Poele are easy to work with and we all feel the car pretty much the same which means driver styles are fairly similar. As for getting back in the car, I know that it will be better than it was before and that gives any driver more confidence.”
2010 is the super-successful F430’s last full year of international competition at this level, but Ferrari and Michelotto have not been idle over the winter months. There are three important changes to the specification of the car for this season and they are:
1) The car will run 100 kg heavier, now 1245kg;
2) It carries wider rear wheels and bigger tires front and rear;
3) It will be fitted with bigger air intake restrictors, permitted due to the increased weight and wider wheel, thus offering 9% more flow area and an increase in horsepower which should offer more straight line speed equalization for the Ferrari with its competitors compared to 2009. Horsepower figures are not available.
Visually the F430 remains outwardly very similar to the 2009 version although the car will feature more flared wheel arches and quarter panels to accommodate the bigger wheels and a different front splitter.
Risi Competizione is a Houston-based Ferrari racing team lead by Managing Director Giuseppe Risi. Official team sponsors include Motorola, Boardwalk Auto Group, Ferrari Financial Services and Ferrari of Houston.

12 Hour of Sebring Preview: Jaguar

(photo: Murigu/Flickr)

Paul Gentilozzi is another name familiar to American fans from his Trans Am racing and from his bid to run the Champ Car series. Rocketsports Racing team is back with a Jaguar for ALMS and LM. The GT2 Jaguar RSR will be driven by Gentilozzi, Marc Goossens and Ryan Dalziel.

RSR Jaguar
More after the jump...


March 15, 2010 – The JaguarRSR race team is set to make its Sebring debut with the JaguarRSR XKR GT this weekend in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron season opener, the 58th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Fresh From Florida.

Driving the #75 JaguarRSR XKR GT will be Marc Goossens from Belgium and Scotland’s Ryan Dalziel, who can almost call this a home race as he resides in Orlando, Florida. With Sebring being one of the longer endurance events this season, JaguarRSR Principal Partner and driver Paul Gentilozzi has been slotted as the third driver for the team’s entry this weekend.

1992 was the last time Gentilozzi’s team won the 12 hours of Sebring in a Bob Riley designed car. The team won the 1992 GTO Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championship and the 1992 and 1993 GTS Manufacturers’ Championship, second in GTS Drivers’ points in 1993. Gentilozzi’s return this year continues that relationship as Bob and Bill Riley’s Riley Technologies company will be joining the team to further the development program of the new JaguarRSR XKR GT.

Incidentally, the #75 JaguarRSR XKR GT will not be the only Jaguar on track this weekend. The field for the 58th Annual Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Fresh From Florida will be paced by a production based XKR, as Jaguar also serves as the Official Car of Sebring International Raceway.

The team will take to the track on Monday, the first of a three-day promoter test before the race weekend officially kicks off on Thursday, March 18. There will be three practice sessions on Thursday and qualifying will be held on Friday at 1:50 p.m. ET for the GT and GTC classes. The 58th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida takes the green flag at 10:30 am on Saturday, March 20th, kicking-off the 2010 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron.

Want to take the JaguarRSR XKR GT for a test drive around Sebring? Download the Jalopnik Car Pack for Forza Motorsport 3 on the Xbox 360 to drive the newly available JaguarRSR XKR GT. In Forza Motorsport 3, live the most realistic racing experience available as you take the wheel of more than 400 of the most-beloved cars on over 100 renowned real-world tracks and exotic road courses from around the globe. The download content itself costs 400 Microsoft Points and if you would like to add it to your download queue check out this link.

12 Hour of Sebring Preview: Joy of Racing

Great slogan and nice work if you can get it we might add!

Many of our readers not from the US may not be familiar with the BMW North America, Rahal-Letterman Racing team.

Dirk Müller will be a familiar name from WTCC but maybe you don't know Bill Auberlen, a legend of American road racing. Along with Joey Hand (he of the biggest crash ever) and Tommy Milner, he will be duking it out with Porsches, Ferraris, Jaguars and Corvettes at Sebring this coming week end, March 20th. The 90 and 92 cars will each have a third driver especially for Sebring, Dirk Werner and Andy Priaulx respectively.

The 12 Hours of Sebring is the final warm up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and ALMS runs what are usually called GT cars as GT2 in order to conform with the LM rules. This is not to be confused with the FIA's GT2 class which will not run at all this year for lack of entries, despite the recent fanfare in Paris. Confused yet?

The ACO is in fact expecting a healthy field of GT2 cars for the 24 hour classic later this year.

Below is a BMW produced video introduction to the RLR team. After the jump, our own clip from last season taking you up close and personal with the BMW M3 RLR.

2010 Bahrain GP: a bit dry.

Did you find it boring? That seems to be the general consensus.

Didn't think it was that bad and would not jump on the blame the refueling ban or the diffusers bandwagon just yet (Mclaren who was a bit off the pace is all of a sudden anti clever aero devices?...hmmm).

I would point to the track design and to the half hearted "for the show" tire rule. While there is great potential for spectacle as the cars get lighter and faster during the race, the tire component was a failure, tires are too good. Seems to me you should make the soft compound way less durable, right now they are too close in performance. In fact, why not make them choose one or the other for the whole race?

Others think the compounds should be even closer in performance. I don't see the point, might as well just throw arbitrary full course yellows, NASCAR style. Or maybe introduce a mandatory Lotus engineered Random Part Ejector to mix thing up. Thoughts?

While one can appreciate the effort organizers at venues like Bahrain have put in, who thought it was a good idea to have the very first race, the season opener, be in the middle of a sterile desert with barely any spectators and on a track that necessitated having its runoff areas painted in order to give it some character and make the corners distinguishable?

If ever there was an illustration of the problems of Formula 1, clinical, removed, remote, they came all wrapped up in a neat bundle this past week end.

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First one For Fernando and Ferrari

To win you need to be fast but also get to the end, Ferrari had both covered today though barely with Massa's car. Bad luck for Vettel but...that's racing....more later.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Bahrain Grand Prix
Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain;
49 laps; 308.405km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos  Driver        Team                       Time
 1.  Alonso        Ferrari                    1h39:20.396
 2.  Massa         Ferrari                    +    16.099
 3.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes           +    23.182
 4.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           +    38.713
 5.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   +    40.263
 6.  Schumacher    Mercedes                   +    44.180
 7.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           +    45.260
 8.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           +    46.308
 9.  Liuzzi        Force India-Mercedes       +    53.089
10.  Barrichello   Williams-Cosworth          +  1:02.400
11.  Kubica        Renault                    +  1:09.093
12.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes       +  1:22.958
13.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +  1:32.656
14.  Hulkenberg    Williams-Cosworth          +     1 lap
15.  Kovalainen    Lotus-Cosworth             +     1 lap
16.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +    3 laps
17.  Trulli        Lotus-Cosworth             +    3 laps

Fastest lap: Alonso, 1:58.287
      
All timing unofficial

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2010 Porsche Supercup: Bigger Wings, Bigger Brakes ..Daytime Running Lights?

New cars with 70'' rear wings, carbon brakes, bigger tires, more power and led running lights. Ok, whatever, Supercup is always good for door banging entertainment. As you can see, there is not much passing at Sakir though.


Continues after the jump...

2010 Bahrain GP Qualifying Executive Summary

Vettel was amazing in Q3, Ferraris are right behind, great day for Massa who was faster than Alonso. Great day also for Kubica and Sutil who made Q3, Sutil is the only one in the top ten to start on hard tires which may or may not be a factor.

Bad day for Schumacher, seventh and beaten by Nico Rosberg is certainly not how he wanted to start the week end. Much ado about nothing, it seems, with the Mclaren blower wing. That dog did not hunt today. Webber too, cannot be happy.

Special congratulations have to go to HRT's Karun Chandhok whose F1 debut was, amazingly, today! He did not get a chance to to turn any laps at all in practice and in an interview with Spain's La Sexta, said he has not had a real seat fitting and was still trying to learn all the control on the wheel!

Key for tomorrow, tire wear vs fuel consumption.

Pos  Driver         Team                   Q1        Q2        Q3       
1.  Vettel         Red Bull-Renault       1:55.029  1:53.883  1:54.101 
2.  Massa          Ferrari                1:55.313  1:54.331  1:54.242
3.  Alonso         Ferrari                1:54.612  1:54.172  1:54.608
4.  Hamilton       McLaren-Mercedes       1:55.341  1:54.707  1:55.217
5.  Rosberg        Mercedes               1:55.463  1:54.682  1:55.241
6.  Webber         Red Bull-Renault       1:55.298  1:54.318  1:55.284
7.  Schumacher     Mercedes               1:55.593  1:55.105  1:55.524
8.  Button         McLaren-Mercedes       1:55.715  1:55.168  1:55.672
9.  Kubica         Renault                1:55.511  1:54.963  1:55.885
10.  Sutil          Force India-Mercedes   1:55.213  1:54.996  1:56.309
11.  Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth      1:55.969  1:55.330
12.  Liuzzi         Force India-Mercedes   1:55.628  1:55.653
13.  Hulkenberg     Williams-Cosworth      1:56.375  1:55.857
14.  de la Rosa     Sauber-Ferrari         1:56.428  1:56.237
15.  Buemi          Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1:56.189  1:56.265
16.  Kobayashi      Sauber-Ferrari         1:56.541  1:56.270
17.  Petrov         Renault                1:56.167  1:56.619
18.  Alguersuari    Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1:57.071
19.  Glock          Virgin-Cosworth        1:59.728
20.  Trulli         Lotus-Cosworth         1:59.852
21.  Kovalainen     Lotus-Cosworth         2:00.313
22.  di Grassi      Virgin-Cosworth        2:00.587
23.  Senna          HRT-Cosworth           2:03.240
24.  Chandhok       HRT-Cosworth           2:04.904

All Timing Unofficial

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Le Mans Series Le Castellet Test

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A Hot Lap with Bill

...in Will's car

The great Bill Auberlen on a practice lap for the this year's Daytona 24 hour race in the Turner Motorsport BMW Riley M6 (the car is a tube chassis silhouette with a Fletcher built BMW S62 V8.)
The Freep points out a cool read about Auberlen and the second Rolex race at Homestead-Miami. Check it out HERE



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2010 Formula 1 Season Kick Off in the Desert

First race week end laps in three years for der Kaiser, Michael Schumacher at the 2010 season opener in Bahrain today. In today's practice session, in front of about 12 spectators in the middle of the desert, back markers were some seven seconds off the pace and some teams are going through their soft compound rear tires in four laps! Tomorrow we'll se the return of true low fuel qualifying which should be quite cool.


(no guarantees on how long the above clip will last on YT...)

Pos  Driver         Team                    Time              Laps
 1.  Rosberg        Mercedes                1:55.409            23
 2.  Hamilton       McLaren-Mercedes        1:55.854  + 0.445   22
 3.  Schumacher     Mercedes                1:55.903  + 0.494   23
 4.  Button         McLaren-Mercedes        1:56.076  + 0.667   28
 5.  Vettel         Red Bull-Renault        1:56.459  + 1.050   18
 6.  Hulkenberg     Williams-Cosworth       1:56.501  + 1.092   26
 7.  Massa          Ferrari                 1:56.555  + 1.146   30
 8.  Petrov         Renault                 1:56.750  + 1.341   26
 9.  Alonso         Ferrari                 1:57.140  + 1.731   25
10.  de la Rosa     Sauber-Ferrari          1:57.255  + 1.846   24
11.  Kobayashi      Sauber-Ferrari          1:57.352  + 1.943   27
12.  Sutil          Force India-Mercedes    1:57.361  + 1.952   29
13.  Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth       1:57.452  + 2.043   21
14.  Liuzzi         Force India-Mercedes    1:57.833  + 2.424   29
15.  Kubica         Renault                 1:58.155  + 2.746   29
16.  Alguersuari    Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1:59.799  + 4.390   31
17.  Webber         Red Bull-Renault        2:00.444  + 5.035   12
18.  Kovalainen     Lotus-Cosworth          2:00.873  + 5.464   23
19.  Trulli         Lotus-Cosworth          2:00.990  + 5.581   14
20.  Glock          Virgin-Cosworth         2:02.037  + 6.628    3
21.  di Grassi      Virgin-Cosworth         2:02.188  + 6.779   21
22.  Senna          HRT-Cosworth            2:06.968  + 11.559  17
23.  Buemi          Toro Rosso-Ferrari                           1
24.  Chandhok       HRT-Cosworth

All Timing Unofficial

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They'll never live this one down....

oh boy...




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Mclaren's Blower Wing Explained.

Mclaren's rear wing passed tech today in Bahrein and is now legal, look for other teams to follow suit if it proves successful.

This video from Gazzetta Dello Sport explains the basic concept. The "shark fin" encloses a hollow section channeling air from the intake to narrow slits along the top element of the wing. In the very fast sections this flow reaches a critical speed at which the turbulence created detaches the air from the wing causing it to stall and lose downforce and therefore, drag. On a track like Bahrain which with the new added sections is essentially long straights joined by a go kart track, you can see the benefits of such a solution.

There was some suspicion that the flow in this channel could be controlled by the driver and that it would therefore constitute a movable device not allowed by the regulations (as opposed to the front flaps). It's not clear if that is the case or not but whatever it is, it's legal, at least for this first race.

UPDATE: the snorkel mentioned in the comments appears to be true making this explanation even more simplistic! ...amazing, add another duty for the drivers now they have to play, as mentioned, a formula 1 flute!





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Very Cool, Sauber!

Some excellent promo footage released by BMW Sauber (yes, that's the official name even though a Ferrari engine powers the car). There are a number of not seen before camera angles including the very cool, what can we call it...."Shark Fin Cam" and a great overhead shot at about 5:15 in the first clip. The use of super wide angle lenses in some of these shots makes the already long 2010 car look like an angry dachshund with wings (and shark fin...). Recent rumor has the Sauber as being the best new car on tire wear, a crucial factor this year. I guess we'll see this week end in Bahrain, if Kamui makes it past the first corner!






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Montmelo, Spain. March 8, 2010 (by Circuit de Catalunya)

Continental Challenge, Homestead-Miami Highlights.

Continental Tire Challenge is what used to be called Koni Cup Challenge, the "entry level" Grand-Am series. Cars are reasonably "stock" and are divided into two classes: GS , Mustangs vs BMW M3 vs Porsche 997 and ST which is Mazda Mx5 vs Mini vs Honda Civics.

Here is a highlight reel from Grand Am. Bit sad American road racing barely gets covered live on tv these days (this race will air March 13 on SpeedTV). Check out what happened to the number 13 Bum Bum Racing BMW M3 (that's just all wrong isn't it?...13...bum rum bum whatever...I'd re-evaluate! Nice gold intake plenum though).
Results can be found HERE




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The Woodstock of Motorsport

And you thought Americans did not like road racing...

It's a tradition and once again more than one hundred vehicles with around three hundred fans are already lined up outside Sebring International Raceway, waiting for the gates to open one week from tomorrow on March 17th.

That's Apple ipod fan crazy, people have been camping by the entrance for the past two weeks and by the time next Wednesday comes around, organizers expect the line to be four thousand strong.

The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring starts Saturday March 20th at 10:30 AM ET. It is the oldest endurance race in America and is the final shakedown, literally on that bumpy track, before the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

(Thanks Freep!)




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The 'Ring, Another Way.

So by now you've done the touristen, or terroristen days, you cursed at fool who crashed on the straight closing the track for an hour or perhaps you came across "Crazy tongue man" (I think he's still looking for it somewhere after Hocheichen)

Maybe you've been stuck behind a biker, terrified to push him into a crash and frustrated when he slows you in the corners and blows you away in the straights....

Of course, you could do like the crazy Ring Mini dude and run the track backwards but that requires becoming real good friends and drinking buddies with the track marshals and who's got the liver for that...

There is another way, maybe the ultimate way to do it: the closed track day. Axis friend Darren Langeveld runs Destination Nürburgring and has a date coming up Monday April 19th. Having done 'Ring trips before, this is a pretty sweet deal: € 875 gets you two nights in a proper modern hotel on the GP track, breakfast and dinner plus unlimited track time from 8AM to 5 PM.... bring extra brake pads boys!. Add to that the VLN track configuration (GP track + Nordschleife) and no bikes. Perfect.

Short notice? Yes but, hop on a plane, rent a car from RSR Nürburg (what...is that a 997 GT3RS they now have available?) and have a hell of a day!

home

Phillip Island Road Rash

Ouch.... Superbike offs at the season opener in Australia


(SBK)


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Rally Mexico Day 2 Highlights

Day two of Rally Mexico saw another amazing performance by Sebastien Loeb making up a 20 second first day deficit and adding almost a minute to P2 in the process.

Ken Block ended up crashing out, not quite as spectacularly as Kimi Raikkonen but at least he made it much further into the rally!

Full highlights after the jump.


















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