How to Own a Cayman

And by own, I don't mean buy...

Our friend Sean during Sunday's NASA race at Thunderbolt. Some guy in a shiny GTS4 Cayman S thought he passed the SpecE30... He would not try it again for the remainder of the race!



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Have a nice Week End!

I'm off to Thunderbolt!



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Memo to Hermann Tilke...

... next time, add jumps!

(photo via David Traver Adolphus)
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12 Minutes of Badass Racing

The 2010 Gold Coast V8 Supercars race started with guest driver Jacques Villeneuve setting what may be a new record, hitting five cars in one accident!

It may have started with a clown show but it had a sublime ending: 12 minutes of some of the best tin top action you can imagine on this fiendishly difficult track between veteran Jamie Whincup and rookie Shane Van Gisbergen. The ending, I won't give it away but I'm sure will spark some discussion in the comments.
Twelve minutes well spent, thanks to Jamey Price for the clip!




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Seems like a worthy cause to us!

But there is not much time left, can you help?
This is from the makers of GT Racer, an excellent program seen on HD Theater





What makes you feel alive?

Try chasing an AC Cobra through the corners of the brand new F1 circuit of Portimão's Autódromo, Portugal - in the early morning - at the wheel of an Bizzarrini Strada. One of only a handful of such cars in existence. Despite it being 7:52am you couldn’t be more awake. Your car drifts sideways through that wet corner too close to the edge that’s hard to make out against the low sun. This is historic racing at its best.

I am the director and producer of the popular TV Series GT RACER, that is taking you literally inside the cars and onto the tracks. As a member of several idiosyncratic race teams, you are getting a peek at the most spectacular series of international classic racing, where the most beautiful vintage racers ever built battle it out on their most glamorous original tracks: 1950s and 60s Aston Martins, Ferraris, Maseratis, Porsches, at Spa, Le Mans, the Nuerburgring, Limerock and Laguna Seca.

But despite great popularity of the series among car and racing enthusiast - due to the global economic melt down the networks that have been perviously financing the show have either folded or have serious financial shortfalls. ...No more money left for small innovative but unconventional special series. The fans want more but money is tight so we have to go the creative way. Here we are on Kickstarter!

The good news is we are already almost there. And we are going to Portugal to shoot as of October 13th...
So far the shoot in the Algarve is privately financed in its entirety and only by the enthusiast who want to see more episodes made.

This time we are pushing the envelop even further by shooting HD video on Nikon Digital SLR Cameras.

We are getting support from the racing community, from the event organizers, from equipment manufactures.

But we don't have enough for post production. We need cold hard CASH. And we need it now.

Our series is known for its timeless cinéma vérité style and classic moviesque feel. Those new DSLRs will push the esthetic right up close to 35mm.

But it is an "all or nothing" deal. If we don't raise our goal by THURSDAY NOV 4, 11:08PM EDT all falls through. The way it works is, you "pledge" funds and they will only be charged to your credit card if the goal is reached in time. Otherwise no money changes hands.

And to get people on board we are giving out many rewards. One is: PLEDGE $15 OR MORE and a DVD of the finished Algarve Racing Film is yours. The DVDs will have a retail price of $19.95 so you are not "donating". In fact you are getting a discount.

PLEASE HELP US to bring the next GT RACER film to the audience. We need you ALL. You can pledge as little as ONE Dollar. Every backer is counted. Please be one of them. Thank you.

Google GT RACER and check us out on YouTube and facebook - to learn where we are coming from.

Thanks for your support.

Alexander Davidis

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1484615843/gt-racer-the-algarve-special



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Robert Kubica, rally in car

Ride along on this year's Rally Antibes special stage 14 with F1's Robert Kubica in his S1600 Renault Clio.
(YouTube)

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BMW E30 Baja Edition

You remember Bill Caswell, he of " hey, why can't I build a $500 Craigslist car into a something that will pass tech at a WRC event"?

That he built it and it passed tech and he competed in the WRC Rally Mexico is the stuff of legend. But why stop there? Next on this e-30 loving nut's agenda is to turn one of the boxy bimmers into a Baja buggy in four days during this year's SEMA show. No kidding! Check out the press release and more sketches after the jump, more details as we get them. Go Bill.






PPLETON, Wis. — October 22, 2010 — Miller Electric Mfg. Co. is pleased to announce that rally racer and ultimate DIY enthusiast Bill Caswell will join the company at the SEMA 2010 show in Las Vegas, Nev., to completely overhaul his signature, late-’80s BMW, transforming it into a Baja vehicle. Caswell will complete the transformation from Miller booth #23913 in the Racing and Performance pavilion, performing the necessary welds in just four days to prepare his car for the upcoming SCORE Baja 1000 on Nov. 17 – 21, in which he plans to compete.

“Bill’s passion for racing combined with his desire to create fits nicely with our vision of empowering auto enthusiasts through the Power of Blue®,” said Tim Swanson, vice president of marketing, Miller Electric Mfg. Co. “Rally and Baja racing requires a diverse skill set, from detailed fabrication and welding to high-speed driving. We’re looking forward to watching Bill build and race the Miller car.”

Formerly a finance banker from Chicago, Caswell left his job in 2009 to focus on rally racing, competing in several races in the U.S. in cars that he built, modified and fabricated himself. Caswell made a name for himself in March of this year by placing third in the Rally America class of Rally Mexico, an FIA-sanctioned event run concurrently with World Rally Championship in Corona, Mexico.

Racing alongside professional cars valued at $400,000 or more, Caswell (and co-driver Ben Slocum) competed in a 1991 BMW 318i that he bought off Craigslist for a mere $500, which he again modified and fabricated himself.

In November, Caswell will take a similar BMW to Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula to compete in the Sportsman class of the five-day event.

“I grew up watching the Baja 1000 race, and actually running it has been a lifelong dream of mine,” said Caswell. “Welding is probably the most critical part of prepping the car for a Baja race, and I’m excited to finish the car and get underway.”

As part of the Baja 1000 BMW build, Caswell will fabricate the following components during the course of the SEMA trade show.

· Day One – Main Roll Cage
· Day Two – Front Cage and Suspension
· Day Three – Rear Cage and Suspension
· Day Four – Accessories including complete main cage structure, front brush guard, fuel cell, light bar, safety gear and exhaust.

To see more of Caswell’s story, and to catch live reports and updates from the show, please visit MillerWelds.com/SEMA.

You can also learn more about Bill Caswell at http://www.caswellmotorsport.com.

Miller Electric Mfg. Co., headquartered in Appleton, Wis., is a leading worldwide manufacturer of Miller brand arc welding products and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE: ITW).

One Seven Seven at the Ring

Interesting about the lockups, maybe they are testing ABS calibrations?

(Auto Motor und Sport)

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The Korean Wars

Wow, good thing for the track organization and for Formula 1 that it rained, that way nobody saw how dismal a place that circuit is ( at least in its present form) and how if it were dry there would have been zero passing opportunities. It even ended in the dark so nobody saw what kind of shape that swamp was. As it was though, it turned out to be quite and exciting race after all, once they actually got to race, seventeen laps and two safety car starts into the fifty five lap contest.



Key to the race was Alonso's and Ferrari's ability to manage tires while keeping a good pace and reliability. Red Bulls are faster but more fragile and Vettel paid a high price for that in Korea. Webber is probably the luckies driver out there, after a very bad unforced error he finds himself still ahead of Vettel in points and with the team that will, you would think, finally forced to get fully behind him. After watching his off over and over, I keep wondering why he did not lock his wheels to stop rolling across the track, did his brakes totally fail or was it just an "oh crap" moment? Too bad for Rosberg's race being ruined.



Mclaren are in the same boat and Red Bull now with Button having, for whatever reason made a complete mess of his race and being effectively out of the championship running, they need to get fully behind Hamilton for the last two races.
Hamilton will seriously regret his silly mistake on the restart from the second safety car period. He was gifted a second place because of an errant wheel nut in the Ferrari pit stop, a second place he might have easily nursed home, as it turned out, for a win. Instead he blew the very first braking zone after the restart and let Alonso back through. Hamilton also continued to have, along with Mclaren, an issue degrading tires under these conditions, shades of corded tires passed.



Alonso really did not put a wheel wrong all race, he kept the pressure on just enough and in the later stages set a pace Hamilton could not cope with. Brilliant, for a guy who was almost written off after Spa.

Best of all, with two races to go, it's still all quite open at least for the top three. Very cool.



(it's a big file, if it's slow, let it load!)

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Korean GP Qualifying

I'm not sure who exactly is who is "heaping praise" on the Korean circuit, to my eyes it looks like a race in a wasteland, like Valencia with two really long straights added. The Red Bulls are superior on the technical sections 2 and 3 while giving up raw speed to Mclaren and Ferrari in section 1, I get the feeling here will be no passing after turn 1 and that Red Bulls, if they get through the first lap will just run away with it.

If on the other hand Alonso or maybe Hamilton get in front, things might get interesting. Of course it can always rain...

Here are some moments from Practice and qualifying

Hamilton almost crashes again



Turn 16 was re-profiled but still has a weird bump



A full lap onboard with Lewis Hamilton



Last moments of Qualifying

Pos  Driver         Team                   Q1        Q2        Q3
 1.  Vettel         Red Bull-Renault       1:37.123  1:36.074  1:35.585
 2.  Webber         Red Bull-Renault       1:37.373  1:36.039  1:35.659
 3.  Alonso         Ferrari                1:37.144  1:36.287  1:35.766
 4.  Hamilton       McLaren-Mercedes       1:37.113  1:36.197  1:36.062
 5.  Rosberg        Mercedes               1:37.708  1:36.791  1:36.535
 6.  Massa          Ferrari                1:37.515  1:36.169  1:36.571
 7.  Button         McLaren-Mercedes       1:38.123  1:37.064  1:36.731
 8.  Kubica         Renault                1:37.703  1:37.179  1:36.824
 9.  Schumacher     Mercedes               1:37.980  1:37.077  1:36.950
10.  Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth      1:38.257  1:37.511  1:36.998
11.  Hulkenberg     Williams-Cosworth      1:38.115  1:37.620
12.  Kobayashi      Sauber-Ferrari         1:38.429  1:37.643
13.  Heidfeld       Sauber-Ferrari         1:38.171  1:37.715
14.  Sutil          Force India-Mercedes   1:38.572  1:37.783
15.  Petrov         Renault                1:38.174  1:37.799 *
16.  Alguersuari    Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1:38.583  1:37.853
17.  Buemi          Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1:38.621  1:38.594
18.  Liuzzi         Force India-Mercedes   1:38.955
19.  Trulli         Lotus-Cosworth         1:40.521
20.  Glock          Virgin-Cosworth        1:40.748
21.  Kovalainen     Lotus-Cosworth         1:41.768
22.  di Grassi      Virgin-Cosworth        1:42.325
23.  Yamamoto       HRT-Cosworth           1:42.444
24.  Senna          HRT-Cosworth           1:43.283

* Drops five places for Japan penalty

All Timing Unofficial

Home

Kimi Crashonen

Usually it's during a race, not before a race...

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Dusty, Bumpy Korea

Looks to me like Valencia...minus the city. Weird.

Free Practice 2 results:

Pos  Driver         Team                     Time              Laps
 1.  Webber         Red Bull-Renault        1:37.942            23
 2.  Alonso         Ferrari                 1:38.132  + 0.190   30
 3.  Hamilton       McLaren-Mercedes        1:38.279  + 0.337   29
 4.  Kubica         Renault                 1:38.718  + 0.776   29
 5.  Button         McLaren-Mercedes        1:38.726  + 0.784   19
 6.  Massa          Ferrari                 1:38.820  + 0.878   32
 7.  Vettel         Red Bull-Renault        1:39.204  + 1.262   22
 8.  Petrov         Renault                 1:39.267  + 1.325   28
 9.  Rosberg        Mercedes                1:39.268  + 1.326   29
10.  Kobayashi      Sauber-Ferrari          1:39.564  + 1.622   26
11.  Heidfeld       Sauber-Ferrari          1:39.588  + 1.646   25
12.  Schumacher     Mercedes                1:39.598  + 1.656   26
13.  Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth       1:39.812  + 1.870   35
14.  Liuzzi         Force India-Mercedes    1:39.881  + 1.939   27
15.  Sutil          Force India-Mercedes    1:39.971  + 2.029   22
16.  Hulkenberg     Williams-Cosworth       1:40.478  + 2.536   30
17.  Alguersuari    Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1:40.578  + 2.636   29
18.  Buemi          Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1:40.896  + 2.954   32
19.  Kovalainen     Lotus-Cosworth          1:42.773  + 4.831   29
20.  Trulli         Lotus-Cosworth          1:42.801  + 4.859   19
21.  Glock          Virgin-Cosworth         1:43.115  + 5.173   26
22.  di Grassi      Virgin-Cosworth         1:44.039  + 6.097   29
23.  Yamamoto       HRT-Cosworth            1:45.166  + 7.224   19
24.  Senna          HRT-Cosworth            1:46.649  + 8.707    3

All Timing Unofficial

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Axis of Power: Porsche 997 GT2 vs Ferrari F430 Scuderia Track Test.

Two of the best cars on the planet, a fantastic track, a couple of Traqmate data recorders and some cameras,  we set out to produce the kind of comparison test we would love to read more of.  The idea is to be as transparent as possible so we would like to encourage you to download the data files and the free software to read it.  The more we looked at the data, the longer this article became. It's great to be able to analyze performance, give it a try, maybe you can pick up something we missed.

Download the data file HERE.  Download the TraqView software HERE

It's a lot of reading, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did putting it together.  Hopefully we'll get to do more in the future!

Take it away CG!



It was a tough week to be performing the Axis Supertest at Monticello Motor Club. Having ended my most recent Club Race weekend early during practice shiny side down (karma from disliking Lewis Hamilton so much?), the prospect of going balls out just a few days later on a track with a 160mph + straight was a bit daunting. I would hurling a combined 1040HP from two cars that cost what a small Manhattan studio is worth or a big house anywhere else in this land of awesomely cheap cars (Yes, Americans should go to bed every night and thank the gods for a system which allows them to enjoy cars at the lowest price anywhere in the world!)



Monticello Motor Club is a challenging track with very technical, demanding corners. It needs a very well handling car to be enjoyed but also allows the opportunity to to open up the big guns of power and reach speeds of 160mph on its very long back straight before hitting the brakes hard for a Laguna Seca, or perhaps more like Thunderhill, style 45mph corkscrew. This in full view and with appreciation for, a very close tree line beyond a short sand trap. It gets your attention.
There are many 2nd gear corner exits where judicious throttle application on 500hp cars on street rubber is a must.

Both the Porsche 997 GT2 and the Ferrari F430 Scuderia are bone stock riding on the same tires that came from the factory and using the same brake pads. So the same exact tires mind you, the GT2 shows 23000 miles on the clock and is now on its 5th set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cups (what can I say, other than grin?). The Scuderia’s Pirelli PZero Corsa were replaced just before I bought the car at 3500miles, that was 3000 miles ago. So tires have roughly the same life and , as I found out later, not yet totally heat cycled out.

Both cars are equipped standard with ceramic brakes which don’t fade at all, the sandard “street” pads work great at the track. Both Porsche and Ferrari offer “race” pads for their CCB’s but those are only necessary if you are racing, 20+ laps at race pace. For a occasional track day they will just wear out the rotors faster, not a good thing at $5000 per corner!

I ran both cars with all driver aides turned off. No matter what you read on internet forums, driver aides on street cars cut performance and power as they work for safety, not designed as performance enhancement like on the old F1 cars (Ed. note This may have changed on the new Ferrari 458). All systems off, in addition to being faster and allow to truly get 10/10ths out of the car, it’s also more fun!
I wish we could have had the time to do laps with driver aides on and off to show with the Traqmate data how much lower the HP (calculated based on weight, Gs, speed and other factors) is on corner exit.



Decided to go first in the GT2 as it certainly requires a sense and sensitivity retune given that its power limit is not as linearly approachable as in the naturally aspirated Ferrari. I feared I might just kill myself in the GT2 if I jump right after getting comfortable with the Ferrari’s linear throttle. The GT2 is extremely approachable at 9/10ths and a lot more fun/and faster than a GT3. It shares the same geometry with a GT3RS but shocks are better tuned. Extracting that last 10th is what makes it a great driver’s challenge, given the immense torque and brutal nature of Turbo cars (with only RWD).

Oh my god Is this thing fast!! Not having driven it that much lately just means the impact of the turbo power surge feels more insane. It is such an expression of effortless performance. No big revs, no big noise, but you just feel your back stamped to the seat and watch the digital speedo creeping up to unbelievable numbers. The power gap to the Scuderia feels like 100bhp instead of just 20bhp.
I can barely go full throttle anywhere on the first lap on cold tires and the landscape just moves too fast on the back straight making me brake a lot earlier than what I should.
Even after a cautious approach on the first 2 laps to warm up the tires, it becomes oversteering mayhem. Quick pitstop confirms 38psi in the rear: 4 psi too high. This car clearly depends on its rear tires mostly. Bleed down and ready to go. I post some decent lap times but not yet the ultimate pace. Several controlled oversteering slide exits help build up the confidence and the Porsche brakes are the best in the business allowing confidence for as late and as sanely advisable braking points.



Ready for the next session. Started pushing more and more and traffic became an issue, the GT2 is so fast that on such a Iong track, 500yds is sometimes not enough space to allow the car in front before a hot lap and not finding myself catching it mid corner somewhere. The big Porsche is hard to dance with on the limit, power on exit and once you have exceeded the rear grip you just cannot micro adjust the throttle back. Backing off the throttle, even slightly, means the boost falls off and a massive tank slapper awaits, so your only choice is to keep the throttle pinned and ride the power slide with very fast and confident opposite lock.

Short shifting is mandatory in some places with the PSC tires as 2nd gear puts too much torque to the ground. On Hoosiers it can hold up full throttle at many more places. After 23Kmiles I think the LSD might be not at its best as the car is a bit more twitchy under braking and the inside rear doesn’t feel as locking up that much under power on corner exit.

Steering is precise and confident but you need to make sure the front is weighed before turning in, then the car just needs to be set on its rear tires and make sure you are unwinding lock once you start to put the exit power down. Applying massive throttle without unwinding will make it understeer first as the nose loses weight, then it will be massive oversteer if you keep it pinched.

No serious scary moments and sort of a clean lap in the 2:33s, 1sec+ better than what I did in the summer heat but still 2.5secs off my best time on Hoosiers. I was going for another hot lap after cooling things down, but some loud resonance noise started coming out from the rear. Checked in the pits and we had very little rear pads left; it is not advisable to wear the CCB pads fully as they can compromise the rotors. Not worth it to lose precious track time swapping pads but 0.5sec better lap could have been possible in the Porsche.



The GT2 is really an awesome machine, but not for the faint of heart and 10/10ths is really a knife’s edge. It is definitively a much bigger challenge and a lot more risk tracking with the GT2 than a highly linearly predictable GT3, which is significantly slower.





Time to jump to the Scud.



First impression sitting in the Scud coming from the GT2 is how much lower the seating position is, it truly feels racecar low.
Full throttle out of pits and the power is so linear you feel the performance envelope is easier to approach. Steering is lighter but you can feel all the road and what the car wants to do. Gear changes are the best thing on this car. The GT2‘s box feels so dated compared to this paddle shifter. Close ratios, immediate gear changes anywhere through a turn, plus the ability to left foot brake ALL the time, make the Ferrari drivetrain the best in the business. Why the need for heavier Double Clutch gearboxes? This is already almost perfection (DCTs solve just the problem of working properly as an automatic, which I don’t really care for).

Two laps to get reacquainted and get pressures right and one can clearly tell this car works the front tires a lot harder. The Scud could benefit from wider front rubber and adjustable swaybars. MMC requires a tail happy setup, which I could only dial in the GT2 by stiffening the rear bar. Good thing the Scud is an eager turning in machine so I was able to manage the slight push, but that meant only doing one hotlap at a time not to overcook the front tires.
Rear grip on corner exit can be managed to perfection thanks to the best throttle response on any car and the amazing LSD that still does what is supposed to do with all aids off. I wish I could have that differential in all the cars I own from now and forever in the future, including racecars.



Its hard not to get biased just by the experience of driving the Scud. The noise is really music. It even sounds great on video, so just imagine how truly great it is on real life. All the controls in the car: steering, throttle, gearbox and brakes allow you to place the car wherever you want it with the attitude you need (over/under steering, etc.). Only the brakes feel inferior to the GT2’s. For some reason the Porsche’s have more initial bite as well as more feel at the limit while the Ferrari’s require increasing pressure on those big brake zones, up to the point it feels like a huge work out and you are putting more than your body’s weight on that left pedal praying for it to slow down. Telemetry should show shorter stopping distances for the GT2.

Some traffic on that first session and the Scud was almost a full second down on the GT2. I had worked the front tires too hard so decided to stop, cool things down and then go for the ultimate flyer.
Started the next session by gently having the tires come to the right pressure, made sure traffic is far enough ahead, and went for it. With that diff it’s tempting to play Dorifto master on every corner, I tried to keep things clean but did put ALL the power down on exit correcting when needed. The Scud doesn’t lose a bit of forward thrust under mild opposite lock.
Had a nice clean line through the tight stuff and then braked as late as I could on the back straight, so much so that the car was all over the place and ended entering the corkscrew from the middle of the track (instead of the edge). Not much time lost there, maybe just 1/10th as you still have plenty to slow down turning right up the hill. The traqmate reveals how good the lap was: 2:32!; more than a second faster than the GT2!



This car feels too good to be just a streetcar. Whomever says that once you drive racecars you don’t want to drive any street car at the track is wrong. Both these cars are so much fun, and you can push them hard and have fun at the track. I even like that the tires are not as grippy and that you can use more slip angle. I think the RComps like the Sport Cups are pointless as they cant take any standing water, while the Ferrari’s Corsas, although less grippy, have decent water channels. Drove 300mi last week down to Summit Point in monsoon weather with no issues in the Scud.

Checking the telemetry and best sector times (feasible sectors that can be truly achieved independently) reveals the laptime difference favours the Scud by about 1 second, despite the GT2 being slightly faster on straightline acceleration and later brake points. MMC has a lot of long corners that prove and advantage to the better handling Ferrari and more neutral midengine layout. Had it been more 90 degree fast corners like The Glen, I think the slight advantage will be to the GT2.





Check the charts below (Blue Scud, Red GT2). The second graph is how the Time Gap develops (lap starts on back straight). Notice how the GT2 loses on the continuos corners but then creeps time back under acceleration from the slower stuff.
In high speed acceleration the Scuderia doesn't lose ANY time between gears and its ratios are closer (less difference in the rate of speed increases).
On the lower chart, is the calculated Turn radius. The higher spikes in Red mean the GT2 moves laterally a LOT more, mostly under braking but also on corner exit (corrections).




So our test reveals that our outcome is in-line with EVO and Top Gear Tracks tests. Both cars are almost equally fast, with a slight edge to the Scud; but on seat of the pants experience and emotions the 430 Scuderia can really be the best Track car (OEM street legal) in the World. Nevertheless, if you can afford it and are up to the Challenge, get a GT2 anyday over the GT3 (and race a Cup Car for that N/A Porsche experience).

Specs	Porsche 997 GT2	Ferrari F430 Scuderia
Body	Steel Unibody	Aluminium body on tubular space frame
Engine	Aluminium 3.6 L Twin Turbo Flat 6	Aluminium 4.3 L V8
Power (declared)	530 hp @ 6500 rpm / 505 ft lbs @ 2200 rpm	510 hp @ 8500 rpm / 347 ft lbs @ 5250 rpm
Transmission	6 speed manual	6 speed semi automatic
Differential	Mechanical LSD	Electronic variable differential
Brakes	Porsche Ceramic Composite	Carbon Ceramic
Suspension	Mcpherson struts front, Multi Link rear, Adjustable shocks. Adjustable anti roll bar.	Double Wishbone all around, adjustable shocks, fixed anti roll bar.
Wheels	19 x 8.5, 19 x 12	19 x 8, 19 x 10
Tires	Michelin Pilot Sport Cup "N" F: 235/35ZR19 R: 325/30ZR19	Pirelli PZero Corsa System F: 235/35ZR19 R: 285/35ZR19
Weight (declared)	3174 lbs / 1440 kg	2976 lbs / 1350 kg
Year of Production	2008	2008
Milage	23,000 miles	6000 miles
MSRP	$ 192,500	$ 281,956

Data	Porsche 997 GT2	Ferrari F430 Scuderia
Top Speed on track	159.31mph / 256.38 km/h	160.68 mph /258.58 km/h
Max Lateral G	1.729 (peak) 1.3 (sustained)	1.730 (peak) 1.25 (sustained)
Max Braking G	1.603	1.512
Max Acceleration	0.888	0.794
Best Lap Time	2:33.462	2:32.770
Theoretical Best Lap Time	2:32.722	2:31.991

Seat of the pants comparison	Porsche 997 GT2	Ferrari F430 Scuderia
Power	Definitively the upper hand over anything else at its price range / build quality	Extremely linear and approachable at the track. A well built Lotus Exige on Steroids
Brakes	Perfection. Unfadable stopping power, even on the street pads. Perfect pedal position/effort all the time	Weakest link and only gripe in the whole car. Requires increasing pressure (up to insane levels) on the big brake zones, while doesn’t offer the same instant bite as the Porsche’s
Turn-In	Very precise and confidence inspiring	Surgical, and extremely agile. Almost “twitchy” and loose but confidence inspiring
Fast Cornering	The most confidence inspiring as suspension is the stiffest. Can slalom at 120mph.	Softly sprung so it requires commitment but the geometry is perfect and the cars just leans, takes a set and grips; but a lot more body roll and suspension travel
Corner Exit	A lot of grip, but a lot more power! Adjust your line to make sure, some serious steering unwind is done before going 100%	The LSD diff of God. Power can be always put down. It is just a matter of how much rear slip angle you want/can manage
Ride (over bumps, Kerbs etc.)	Suspension never bottoms out, and despite stiff springs and bars, the shocks can take almost anything and keep the wheels at grip. The Nurburgring masters at work	More supple ride than the GT2 and provides good control, but eventually the suspension can bottom out and “pogo-stick” you off-line if you are too aggressive.

Subjective Impressions	Porsche 997 GT2	Ferrari F430 Scuderia
Ergonomics	Typical Porsche clean and efficient interior, same as every other Porsche. Fantastic seats. Nav system is as unintuitive as an old iDrive.	Great seating position, Lots of carbon fiber, Paddle shifters are perfection but ergonomic nightmare for all else. Hard to read dash with cartoonish labelling but, nobody cares! So what if you can't turn on the radio?
Street ride	Fine thanks to adjustable shocks	Same but softer
Sound	Like a giant vacuum cleaner from Hell	Sound? you mean music...there is nothing better.
Fun Factor	Insane power but perhaps the GT2 is so good at being a normal car you don't realize how insane it is	Simply put, the Scuderia is a laugh machine, anything you do in it is a hoot. Simply starting it is an event
Personality	Efficient, brutal axe murderer masquerading as a mild mannered athlete	Will steal your heart and wallet and leave you on your knees begging for another date.

.

Rain Line

Keep it in mind before your next VLN race. If you fail, you risk getting mocked by intoxicated German fans like that gummy bear sponsored 911 after the jump!

From VLN Race 9, October 16, 2010




Crash HARIBO Porsche 911 GT3 R 997
Drivers - Lance David Arnold, Richard Westbrook, Christian Menzel


Dörr BMW Z4 GT3
Drivers - Rudi Adams, Stefan Aust, Peter Posavac


Corvette
rivers- Sascha Bert, Duncan Huisman


Here is one from further back in the pack, onboard a Team MK BMW Z4 Coupe.
Driver Daniel Zils

(thanks to VLN-fanclub.de)

The Axe Murderer vs The Scalpel

Why would Axis publish a comparison piece on two cars that have been written about so many times before, that are not even new cars? Temping to say simply, because we can and because the cars are awesome.

In reality though, like all of you reading these pages, we have been devouring car reviews and comparison tests for as long as we can remember and, just like you, spend our time blabbing about horsepower, tires, brake feel all that good stuff.

Sometimes we wonder about what we read and how writers arrive at certain conclusions so we wanted to see what it would be like to do as objective a performance review as we could, with data gathered via our Traqmate data recorders and, in this case, Axis CG's own backside data recorder. We gathered the results, fed them into our Axis STFU 3000 supercomputer and tabulated the results.

Did I mention the cars are awesome? Awesome is probably not a good enough term to describe the GT2 and the Scuderia. Awesome is not a good enough term to describe the fact that they now both happily share CG's garage and that enabled us to fulfill our fantasy.

No manufacturer loaners, no factory engineers setting tire pressures between runs, no free food and goodie bags, just us, data recorders, some cameras and CG balls shooting for 10/10th laps with a couple of very expensive toys.

The methodology was straight forward, the cars are stock, tires, brake pads, but both aligned properly for track duty as much as possible of course. Same day, same track, same driver, back to back, best flying lap.
As it turns out getting this done was not a simple as we first thought, we planned on having a lot of traffic free laps at Monticello Motor Club but when we got there we found an unexpected event was scheduled so had to adapt to running in sessions with other cars, finding free space on the track and ended up being a bit more rushed than we would have liked.

We did get clean laps for both cars though and tomorrow we'll have the results for you. Perhaps in the meantime you would care to make educated guesses on the lap time outcome?







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33 Stewardesses in 14 days

Somehow I can't imagine a Nico Rosberg or a Lewis Hamilton in the role, guess Senna sort of ruined all that with that darn professionalism and fitness... I suppose Formula 1 drivers just don't go on two week long sex, booze and drug binges in between races anymore, like James Hunt did in 1976 before the Japanese Grand Prix (see this old article on Axis).

The story in the Daily Mail (which excerpts "Shunt" by Tom Rubython) would is amusing even if half of it is true what with tales of streams of British Airways stewardesses in the hunt for pole position, James sharing the spillover and the coke and the blunts with Barry Sheene and still finding time to sample the local female population.

"While Jackie Stewart famously abstained from sex a week before a motor race, Hunt would often have sex minutes before climbing into the cockpit.
Nothing could have prepared Patrick Head, now co-owner of the Williams F1 team but then a young car designer, for the morning when he inadvertently walked into the wrong pit garage.
He found Hunt inside, with his racing overalls around his ankles, cavorting with a Japanese girl. Hunt laughed when he saw the interloper, who left, not quite believing what he had seen.

A few minutes later, Hunt left the garage and went around the side to carry out his pre-race ritual of vomiting — the result of extreme nerves combined with overindulgence.
Finally ready for action, Hunt went out to drive the race of his life... and won the 1976 world championship, beating his nearest rival by one point."

But that's not all, he ended up selling his wife too, to Richard Burton...for $1,000,000! That story you will have to read on your own HERE
(thanks to Alex McHenry for the tip!)


Purchase "Shunt, the story of James Hunt" by Tom Rubython on Amazon (and help Axis in the process!)



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Formula 1 in 3-D

It takes some virtuoso rigging to attach twelve cameras to a single Ferrari 312T5 but that's what cinematographer Eric Koretz, director Paul Crowder, producer Alex King and crew managed to achieve for an upcoming documentary on historic racing. Having just one day of shooting, they threw the book, or rather the whole rental catalog, at the issue. They clamped on everything from GoPro's (prototype 3d GoPros!) to Silicon Imaging and Cinedeck products on that ex-Niki Lauda car.

Eric's account of the day's shooting goes into some depth about the technical issues and problems involved with 3-d production and filming cars in his article about the project, have a look.
Anyway, anything that includes the sentence "we rigged the shit out of this Ferrari" should most definitively be on your reading list!

(Pictures via TheImageHunter, MitoMedia, Paul Crowder)




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2010 Supercheap Bathurst 1000

The annual dodging of the kangaroos on Mt. Panorama. Enjoy. Thanks to Ruben D'Arco for the video tips!



Start and huge crash on the fastest part of the track



After the Jump: laps 1 to 52 and more...


race highlights



Laps 1 to 52



Some of the best camera coverage in all of motorsport



RACE REPORT on Motorsport.com

2010 Japanese Grand Prix Executive Summary

Not very much to say about the Japanese Grand Prix, aside from the first lap carnage and the various odd failures, it was a Red Bull domination and a set piece. I think it was clear Webber was not attacking Vettel, probably an understanding between the two drivers and a good strategic move by Red Bull for once.

Damage limitation for Alonso, Massa's future seriously in question. Mclaren not up to speed and still not sure who made the call on Button's tire strategy. Disaster for Hamilton whose brand new gearbox broke, meaning yet another five spot grid penalty for the next race. I stand corrected on that, see comments. For the life of me I cannot figure how that regulation makes any sense...
Schumacher showed some of the old form with a great, clean pass on Barrichello at the "Senna-Prost" chicane. Kubica and Rosberg's races ruined by wheels coming off their cars.

The highlight of the race, undoubtedly Kamui Kobayashi's hairpin haikus, which were brief moments of awesomeness in between boredom and silly crashes. Suzuka is still a great track though I think 130R might have to be renamed 130ZZZ if the guys can keep going through it flat and with only one hand on the wheel!

Championship now looks more like a three way fight, though Hamilton and Button are not out out of it by any means.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

Pos  Driver        Team                       Time
 1.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           1h30:27.323
 2.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           +     0.905
 3.  Alonso        Ferrari                    +     2.721
 4.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           +    13.522
 5.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes           +    39.595
 6.  Schumacher    Mercedes                   +    59.933
 7.  Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari             +  1:04:038
 8.  Heidfeld      Sauber-Ferrari             +  1:09.648
 9.  Barrichello   Williams-Cosworth          +  1:10.846
10.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +  1:12.806
11.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +     1 lap
12.  Kovalainen    Lotus-Cosworth             +     1 lap
13.  Trulli        Lotus-Cosworth             +    2 laps
14.  Glock         Virgin-Cosworth            +    2 laps
15.  Senna         HRT-Cosworth               +    2 laps
16.  Yamamoto      HRT-Cosworth               +    3 laps
17.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   +    5 laps

Fastest lap: Webber, 1:33.474

World Championship standings, round 16:                

Drivers:                    Constructors:             
 1.  Webber       220        1.  Red Bull-Renault          426
 2.  Alonso       206        2.  McLaren-Mercedes          381
 3.  Vettel       206        3.  Ferrari                   334
 4.  Hamilton     192        4.  Mercedes                  176
 5.  Button       189        5.  Renault                   133
 6.  Massa        128        6.  Force India-Mercedes       60
 7.  Rosberg      122        7.  Williams-Cosworth          58
 8.  Kubica       114        8.  Sauber-Ferrari             37
 9.  Schumacher    54        9.  Toro Rosso-Ferrari         11
10.  Sutil         47       
11.  Barrichello   41       
12.  Kobayashi     27       
13.  Petrov        19       
14.  Hulkenberg    17       
15.  Liuzzi        13       
16.  Buemi          8       
17.  De la Rosa     6       
18.  Heidfeld       4       
19.  Alguersuari    3       
       

Hamilton takes a five spot grid penalty in Japan!

Week end going from bad to worse for Mclaren and Lewis Hamilton. BBC reports the team was forced to change the gearbox on Hamiltons car which will result in a five spot penalty after today's delayed qualifying. Qualifying will take place at 11PM ET, not sure yet if SpeedTV will carry it live before the race.

Another hard blow for Lewis' championship chase.

"In P3 (final practice) we noticed abnormal gearbox oil pressure on Lewis's car which we believed we had corrected ahead of this afternoon's qualifying session," said a McLaren team statement.
"This afternoon, as we fired up Lewis's car several times in preparation for qualifying, we became aware that the symptoms were worse than we'd originally diagnosed.
"A decision was later taken to change the gearbox ahead of tomorrow's qualifying session and the grand prix. As a result, Lewis will receive a five-place grid penalty for tomorrow's race."

(BBC)

"Guys, it's impossible to drive out here!"

That was Lewis Hamilton during the final practice session at Suzuka. Look at the Mclaren barely staying on the road despite "monsoon" tires. Only two cars put in timed laps and I have to wonder what will happen if the weather stays like that for qualifying... They may have to be run tomorrow morning before the race!


Hamilton wet practice lap @ Suzuka 2010


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Team Axis at the Glen: Dodging 944's and other Stories

Axis Pete Thibault was up at Watkins Glen recently for the NASA Spec e30 race and you can find his tales of dodging Porsche 944s after the jump.

Have a look at his full race videos: Pete is way too modest about his skills behind the wheel, he made some great moves in that race (an opportunistic outside pass in turn 10 comes to mind).

Just to give you an quick idea, I think the difference between a racer and a guy with a race car is illustrated PERFECTLY in this video: faced with a closing gap, the racer will always press the right pedal (or in the case of an e30...not lift :)).
Pete is a racer!

Pete writes:

After a crack of dawn tow from New Jersey, Justin and I arrived at the Glen with Axis 343 Spec E30 ready for battle.

Team Axis quickly hit the track for practice and the car immediately handled very nicely, perhaps a little soft up in the higher rpm range, but i was running good times.

During this practice session, a 944 drove right into me. Yes, in practice and for no apparent reason other than total brain fade!!! That 944 driver insisted to officials it was me who hit him, a swift correction with some of my own, choice words followed. I love having video in the car!



We started the Saturday race in P3. Our Spec E30 group, running within the larger race group, paced itself at the back of the main pack, we would start the race as we got to the pit in wall. Got an ok start but then was powered by climbing up the esses.
As always, some 944s got in the way with the racing, but ended up finishing up the race P3, little over a second back from the leader. The top 3 E30 fastest laps were 3 tenths apart.



Sunday i started the race in P4 with the motor really showing its lack of power in qualifying. Started to check some motor sensors and found that the air flow sensor was again, faulty. With Justin's help, I installed in a new unit about 10 minutes before gridding for the race.

After the first race lap, i could feel that the motor was back to power. Some great, clean racing i came out in P2 position.



Axis 343 was taken to battle at the Glen and came out with quite a few scars butI think that this race weekend will be hard to top. Running nose to tail with J. Allen, and S. Curran for both days was a blast. Congrats to J. Allen for the both Spec E30 wins.

And to some 944 drivers some situational awareness will do your class some good!

SCCA Solo National Finals Video

It's almost impossible to translate US style Autocross into something visually compelling but this video does a pretty good job.

Fun to take part in, even just for the combined 6 minutes of driving over a week end, the competition at the national level is pretty fierce. For those not familiar, autocross, officially SCCA Solo , is essentially a timed gripfest run on gigantic parking lots. Competitors get three runs on each of two courses with the two best runs on each course added. A two second penalty is given for any cone hit so clean driving is essential. There are classes for almost any kind of car imaginable with very specific rule requirement for each class.

The main point of posting this clip though is to give a shout out to two Axis friends who became national champions this year: Radomin Delgado won A Stock with his #199 2007 Porsche Cayman S and, with the same car, Stephanie Chang won the A Stock Ladies title. Congratulations!

2010 SCCA Solo National Finals Results



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Japanese GP Practice: RedBulls Fly, Hamilton Turns in Early

Wow, that's three crashes in three racing week ends for Lewis Hamilton. This one, in the the first Friday practice session, was especially strange: he just turned in too early and went straight off on exit. Brain fade which cost him a lot of track time, only ran his Mclaren nine laps in the first practice and eight in the second.

Red Bulls dominated, seven tenths to the next fastest car, Renault. Almost nine tenths to Alonso' Ferrari! However, there is a good chance qualifying will to be in the wet.

Pos  Driver         Team                    Time              Laps
 1.  Vettel         Red Bull-Renault        1:31.465            31
 2.  Webber         Red Bull-Renault        1:31.860  + 0.395   29
 3.  Kubica         Renault                 1:32.200  + 0.735   32
 4.  Alonso         Ferrari                 1:32.362  + 0.897   34
 5.  Massa          Ferrari                 1:32.519  + 1.054   35
 6.  Button         McLaren-Mercedes        1:32.533  + 1.068   28
 7.  Petrov         Renault                 1:32.703  + 1.238   32
 8.  Schumacher     Mercedes                1:32.831  + 1.366   27
 9.  Sutil          Force India-Mercedes    1:32.842  + 1.377   26
10.  Hulkenberg     Williams-Cosworth       1:32.851  + 1.386   26
11.  Rosberg        Mercedes                1:32.880  + 1.415   26
12.  Kobayashi      Sauber-Ferrari          1:33.471  + 2.006   31
13.  Hamilton       McLaren-Mercedes        1:33.481  + 2.016   8
14.  Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth       1:33.564  + 2.099   16
15.  Heidfeld       Sauber-Ferrari          1:33.697  + 2.232   33
16.  Buemi          Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1:34.005  + 2.540   32
17.  Alguersuari    Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1:34.055  + 2.590   37
18.  Liuzzi         Force India-Mercedes    1:34.310  + 2.845   33
19.  Kovalainen     Lotus-Cosworth          1:36.095  + 4.630   37
20.  Trulli         Lotus-Cosworth          1:36.333  + 4.868   33
21.  di Grassi      Virgin-Cosworth         1:36.630  + 5.165   28
22.  Glock          Virgin-Cosworth         1:36.834  + 5.369   28
23.  Senna          HRT-Cosworth            1:37.352  + 5.887   33
24.  Yamamoto       HRT-Cosworth            1:37.831  + 6.366   34

All Timing Unofficial

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Massa: "Ferrari will not turn me into another Barrichello"

Ouch, old Rubens just cannot get any respect, not even from his buddy and compatriot Felipe Massa.

Massa, in an interview in Germany's Sport Bild, answered Luca di Montezemolo call for him to step up his performance and help Alonso with a resounding " you're not gonna make me your bitch, like Rubens"!

"I'm sure Ferrari will not make of me another Rubens Barrichello. If this were to happen, I would stop racing for Ferrari, I will not take part in any race where the objective is to come in second"

Nice words Felipe but perhaps then you should not have pulled over in Germany then. At least Barrichello waited until the final straight.

Looks to me like Felipe is negotiating for next year, he'll help Alonso these four races if he can get an assurance of parity for 2011. The reply came promptly from Montezuma himself: "Felipe will always be a first drive at Ferrari, I expect from him first drive performances in the final races and next year"

Translation: "Felipe you shot your mouth off against the team, if you don't come in precisely one position behind Alonso for the rest of the season, you're toast"end of post

Ferrari 599 GTO, Nürburgring onboard

This first Nürburgring Ferrari 599 GTO onboard video may not be an especially fast lap, in fact there are some huge lifts where there really should not be any and some serious pussyfooting around the twisty sections but, on the plus side he gets up to 182 mph on the back straight and that's with a slow exit out of the Galgenkopf corner.

The big Fiat's exhaust note, when you catch a bit of it through the wind noise, is just glorious.

Still, you'd think if you owned a GTO you could spring for a full version of editing software and a proper GPS data recorder...look at that GPS map and jumpy speed display! Get a Traqmate buddy! :)

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Mike Skeen named SCCA Trans-Am Rookie of the Year

Well done Mike, 2010 SCCA Pro Racing Trans Am Rookie of the year!

Spec e30 must be a good school, check out Skeen's pole position lap in qualifying for the Trans-Am race at Road Atlanta , just before the Petit Le Mans last week end.

Bit more power than a BMW e30 in this case, He's driving some monstrous Corvette, I'm guessing one front tire has probably more contact patch than all four Spec e30 Toyos put together.

You can read the press release and see video from the race after the jump.









BRASELTON, Ga. -Newly crowned series champion Tony Ave, of Maiden, N.C., picked up his sixth career SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series victory on Friday afternoon at Road Atlanta, coming out on top in a seesaw battle with polesitter Mike Skeen, of Charlotte, N.C.

Driving the No. 4 Boden Masonry/Lamers Racing/McMahon Group/Optech/PME Chevrolet Corvette, Ave vaulted from third on the starting grid and into the lead on Lap 1 of the 36-lap race. His lead would be short-lived however, as Skeen reclaimed the lead on Lap 5 and appeared to be well on his way to victory in the No. 81 ECR Chevrolet Corvette.

Unfortunately for Skeen, disaster struck on Lap 26 when he spun after encountering traffic in an inopportune spot in Turn 10, giving the lead back to Ave. From there, Ave – who clinched the 2010 Trans-Am championship in Thursday’s qualifying session – cruised to an easy victory.

“We got the lead right away and the car seemed like it was running like it had been on the practice day,” said Ave. “But when I got into the Esses and every time I turned to the right it would just stumble and not run very good. Coming out of (Turn) 7 it would do that every other lap. He was faster because of that. Finally, he got close enough to me and he drove by me coming down the straightaway like I was tied to a rock. I was worried if it was even going to finish, and it kind of maintained about that pace.

“I drove it as hard as I could just to try to hopefully stay with him and then he had a problem. We had such a big gap on third that I just had to drive around. It was a testament to the team; Larry and Debbie Beebe, for letting me drive their car after I sold the one I raced with all year. We’ve had a perfect year with the Pro Motor horsepower and Lamers and everybody that helps us out. I can’t say enough for those guys and Bob Monette helps. I’ve just got a lot of friends that help us do it, so I’m glad it worked out.”

Despite the spin, Skeen recovered to finish second in the final race for Agee Racing, which is retiring from Trans-Am competition. The second-place result was the best of the season for Skeen, and it enabled him to win 2010 Trans-Am Series Rookie of the Year honors.

“We were just running along there and trying to save fuel, save the brakes, have something for the end and holding the gap to Tony,” Skeen said. “We came into (Turn) 10a, I was behind a lapped car and I just got onto the brakes a little bit harder than I usually do. I locked them up and that was enough to do a 180 and let Tony by. It’s disappointing. It feels like we got robbed. We were running up front and kind of controlling the pace and now here we are with another second place. We’ll take it.

“This is a tiny little team. Agee Racing has only does three races this year. We’re on a very limited budget, running an older car and doing the best we can. Every time we’ve been out, we’ve been fast. We set the pole here, we’ve set lap records earlier in the year and here, so we’re really happy to get the results we’ve had and go out on a good note with the car. I hope all the best for Agee selling the car and good luck to whoever runs it next.”

For the second consecutive Trans-Am Series race, Doug Harrington, of Kemah, Texas, was rewarded for his perseverance throughout the race with a third-place result in the No. 00 PinnacleAutosport.com Chevrolet Corvette. This time, Harrington capitalized on a mechanical failure on the No. 17 The Pita Pit/The Grotto at Capone’s Chevrolet Corvette driven by Bobby Sak, of Kalamazoo, Mich. Sak was poised for his first podium result of the year before the last-lap misfortune.

“It feels great,” said Harrington of his third-place run. “There’s something to be said about just trying to hang in there and stay on the track, make the race, let things happen as they go, not lose focus and not wear your car out along the way. It feels really good. I didn’t really expect to get here today, but I’m definitely excited about it and happy. My guys really did a good job of thinking about things and trying to get me set up for the track and for the way I drive. It seemed to work.”

Finishing fourth was Amy Ruman, of Kent, Ohio, in the No. 23 McNichols/Goodyear/Cenweld Chevrolet Corvette. Ruman finished fifth or better in all but one of her Trans-Am Series starts in 2010 and finished fifth in the final championship standings.

Simon Gregg, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., also closed out his year on a high note with another top-five result by finishing fifth in the No. 59 Derhaag Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette. It was Gregg’s seventh top-five run of the year and he finished fourth in the final driver standings.

Today’s race featured the new Trans-Am 2 and Trans-Am 3 classes, which raced on an exhibition basis in preparation for a full-time run in 2011. Bob Stretch, of Arlington, Texas, drove the No. 98 NewWheel.com Chevrolet Monte Carlo to the TA3 victory, while Jeff Dernehl, of Woodstock, Ga., was the lone TA3 racer in the field in the No. 03 Mazda RX-7 and finished 10th overall.

BRASELTON, Ga. – Results from Friday’s 36-lap (91.44-mile) SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series Round 10 race at Road Atlanta, with finishing position, starting position in parentheses, class, driver, hometown, car, laps and reason out (if any).

1. (2) TA, Tony Ave, Maiden, N.C., Chevrolet Corvette, 36.

2. (1) TA, Mike Skeen(R), Charlotte, N.C., Chevrolet Corvette, 36, -30.098.

3. (10) TA, Doug Harrington, Kemah, Texas, Chevrolet Corvette, 36, -49.225

4. (6) TA, Amy Ruman, Kent, Ohio, Chevrolet Corvette, 36, -51.516.

5. (7) TA, Simon Gregg, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Chevrolet Corvette, 36, -1:28.736.

6. (13) TA, Bobby Sak, Kalamazoo, Mich., Chevrolet Corvette, 35, -1 lap.

7. (5) TA, Glen Jung, Osteen, Fla., Mazda RX-7, 35, -1 lap.

8. (9) TA, John Baucom, Charlotte, N.C., Ford Mustang, 34, -2 laps.

9. (13) TA, Bob Monette(R), Alpharetta, Ga., Ford Mustang, 34, -2 laps.

10. (18) TA3, Jeff Dernehl, Woodstock, Ga., Mazda RX7, 32, -4 laps.

Time of race: 50 minutes, 05.029 seconds.

Average speed: 109.544 mph

Margin of victory: 30.098 Seconds

Lap leaders: Laps 1-4, #4 Tony Ave; laps 5-26, #81 Mike Skeen(R); laps 27-36, #4 Tony Ave

Fastest race lap: #4 Tony Ave, 1:21.341 (112.415 mph)

Fastest qualifier: #81 Mike Skeen(R), 1:19.321 (115.278 mph)

Sebastien Loeb joins "Club 7"

Very exclusive club that one, seven time winners of a top category in Mototsport. There's Schumacher of course, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt in NASCAR, Valentino Rossi (if you count the one 500 cc championship) and now Sebastien Loeb.

Loeb, With Daniel Elena, clinched the 2010 title at Rally France, in his own home town, making it an incredible seven consecutive WRC crowns. The last time someone not named Loeb and driving a Citroen won a title was 2003 when Petter Solberg beat him by one point.

Has Loeb's domination killed off the WRC? I don't think so, if anything it has given the WRC a center during a period when the series has been, pardon the pun, a bit lost in the woods. The amazing thing about him is how very few mistakes he makes, his driving is so phenomenally precise without giving up any speed. Watch the Monte Carlo Clips after the jump, it's no endlessly rehearsed stunt driving, those are real cliffs just off the side.

Loeb has hinted at his retirement at the end of the 2011 season giving him the chance to join and even more exclusive club, "Club 8". That one has only one member, 8 time 500cc champion Giacomo Agostini.

SIde note: Check out the shifter, it's a single fixed paddle in a push pull arrangement, you can barely see Loeb punch it with his knuckles to downshift. More fodder for the paddles on the wheel vs paddles on the column debate.

Clips after the jump







2006 Monte Carlo Rally, note walls, cliff...


Another insane Monte stage

Sex and Speed

I'm not real big on drag racing but sometimes it all just comes together...like from 1:47 on.

Read the story of Jungle Jim and Jungle Pam at the always amazing Selvedge Yard





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"For Restaurant Guests only"

What goes well with GT1?


(tweeted by SpeedSportLife.com) home

Ferrari out of gas on last lap, BMW wins '10 ALMS GT championship!

Wow... what a finish.



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2010 ALMS Petit Le Mans Videos

Best I can find will be added AFTER THE JUMP so check back. Tips welcome! m




Robert Rodriguez Porsche gt3 high speed off

Macel Fassler off

Shane Lewis-Dirk Müller contact

Andre Lotterer destroy the Audi R15

Audi and Peugeot make contact

BMW pits




Capello has a wardrobe malfunction


Wow

Pugs on Petit P1 Pole but GT will be where it's at.

(Photo: Corey Beaman/Oneighturbo i know it's not a Pug but I like the shot!)

Don't forget "Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda 2" (yup, that's the official name!) starting at 11:20 AM ET. It will be ten hours flat out.
It's two Peugeots followed by the two Audis and the Lolas. In the more competitive GT it looked like total Ferrari domination in qualifying, with the F430GT in the first 4 grid spots followed by the BMW M3 RLR of Müller, Hand. Priaulx and then the two Corvettes. In reality though the first ten cars are in the same second so it should be a hell of a race!



Here is Müeller's qualitying lap.

SpeedTV will have some live onboard Streaming at THIS LINK

Click HERE for your spotter's guide from, where else? Spotter'sGuides.com

I case you are wondering, the Porsche 911 Hybrid is starting from the back of the field and is running in its own "experimental" class. It held up for 22 hours at the Nürburgring, it should have no problems finishing the 10 hour Petit.
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