January 31, 2013
2013 Mclaren Mercedes MP4-28
Mclaren raises its nose and the level of the show at the launch for the 2013 F1 contender. Isn't it nice to see a bit of flash after all the years of pseudo poverty launches?
Rolling is the M8D followed by all the other Woking classics was a fantastic way to celebrate 50 years of the team.
Presentation wings and bits are, of course, just there for show. The biggest news is Mclaren will the first team to follow Ferrari's move to a pull rod front suspension. It's a tradeoff, slightly higher CG and setup complication vs much cleaner airflow under the nose. It will be interesting to see how Mclaren get on with it after watching the red team with it for a year.
January 28, 2013
2013 Lotus F1 Team E21
Kimi Raikkonen and Romain's Grosjean's ride for the 2013 Formula 1 season.
Pictures and a very cool, almost Red Bull style press kit after the break.
The Pagani Huayra was quite fast on the Top Gear track
The power of tortellini, tango and beer all came together to propel the steampunk hypercar to an impressive lap time on the Top Gear power board.
January 27, 2013
Great Show at Daytona
The final minutes of the 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona with the proper commentary. Grand-Am put on a hell of a show at Daytona but Speed TV sure did their best to ruin it, cutting to commercial constantly in the final phases, I'm sure I was not the only one who felt like throwing something at the TV if I heard about rednecks one more time...
In DP there was much grumbling about the performance advantage of the Ganassi BMW Rileys, not to mention some allegations of funny business when the 02 stopped on track, causing a yellow flag which allowed the winning 01 car to un-lap itself.Despite some heroic driving by AJ Allmendinger, you can see from the video that, in the very final phase of the race, it was no contest, Montoya just put the hammer down and that was that.
In GT, Audi almost pulled out an incredible 1-2-3 finish but the RumBum AudiR8 ran out of gas on the final lap giving the AIM Autosport Ferrari 458 the final spot on the podium.
Hard luck for the second Alex Job car, 2012 Team Axis co driver Damien Faulkner was so close... I know my friend Declan must have been close to tears!But it was the best day ever for AJR when Portuguese DTM star Felipe Albuquerque made a final splash and go and took the win, celebrating with some great donuts.... shame drivers cannot do that in F1, who does not love a good victory donut? ( I guess they are so close to weight limist they are afraid to vaporize any rubber at all)
The first ever GX winner was the Napleton Porsche Cayman in the historic Hippie Livery you know from the Cayman Interseries. They also get the award for the cleanest car after 24 hours of racing.
DP:
1. Chip Ganassi /Felix Sabates BMW Riley. Montoya, Dixon, Kimball, Pruett, Rojas
2. Velocity WW Corvette DP. Angelilli, Hunter-Ray, J.Taylor
3. Michael Shank Racing Ford/Riley Allmendinger, Ambrose, Negri, Pew, Wilson.
GT:
1. Audi Sport Customer Racing/ AJR Audi R8. Albuquerque, Jarvis, Mortara, Von Moltke
2. Audi Sport Customer Racing/APR Motorsport LTD.UK/ Baas, Basseng, Rast, Stippler
3. AIM Autosport Team FXDD with Ferrari Ferrari 458. Assentato, Lazzaro, Longhi, Wilkins
GX:
1. Napleton Racing Porsche Cayman, Canache, Donohue, Lewis, Norman
2. Bullet Racing Porsche Cayman. Clay, O'Young, Rogers, Thomas, Thompson
3. BGB Motorsports Porsche Cayman. Davis, Eversley, Foss, Mosing, Tecce
Full Results HERE
For anyone tuning in from Portugal or Brazil, the final minutes of the race with Portuguese commentary in after the break.
Photos by Halston Pitman. MSM
Finish the 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona onboard the Magnus Racing Porsche
Follow the longest 4 hours ever with Magnus Racing as they go for a second GT win in a row at Daytona
Fog over Daytona
 |
| @swelk57/twitter |
In GT there even more cars on the same lap, six to be exact. Two Ferraris are leading at the moment, with Nick Longhi leading in the AIM Autosport 458. in . He's followed by the Scuderia Corsa-Michelotto 458 of Olivier Beretta, the AJR and the Rum Bum Audis and the two Porsches from Momo Motorsport and last year's winners Magnus.
Check out some pictures from yesterday evening Halston Pitman shot for us yesterday evening after the break.
January 26, 2013
Ready for Battle!
 |
| The night before the storm by Halston Pitman/MSM |
Tune in for the 51st running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona at 3 PM on Speed TV and at some point on Grand-Am TV.
Don't have much interest in DP, just hope Montoya wins. GT is where it's at, as far as we are concerned with huge competition between Porsche, Ferrari and Audi slugging it out with BMW and Camaros.
Sean Edwards qualified the car third on the grid but in post race tech the car were found to have the rear wing too far back and was disqualified. The team appealed and now rather than starting from the very back, they will start 12th. You would think qualifying is not that important in a 24 hr race but the reality is that these races are run as 24 hour long sprints so yeah, it does matter.
We'll also keep and eye on the all Brazilian GT3 number 21 team led by Rubens Barrichello and Tony Kanaan.
Audi will also be interesting to watch, obviously the factory has put in a big effort placing top drivers in the different teams, Mortara, Biela, Rast, Stippler, Basseng... hopefully they will more reliable than last year.
Follow Axis on Twitter for updates
Click below to view pictures by Halton Pitman / MSM who is at Daytona with Axis credentials this week end, cool!
January 25, 2013
God that sounds awesome: a lap of Daytona with Magnus Racing
Not going to waste your time, just turn it up.
OK no, wait! I do have something to add, you may have seen Magnus' Daytona promo on a couple other web sites yesterday and perhaps you read some of the comments. Seriously there are people who either read or write sites like Jalopnik and have never read a Magnus Racing press release? Let's just say they need to catch up... like a lot of the field at the Rolex 24.
Picture every self important, grandiose, overwrought, pompous, hyper dramatic racing "clip" you've seen online, OK now imagine it directed and edited by Trey Parker and Matt Stone...
Retro Alpine!
Forty year ago, Alpine-Renault scored a 1-2-3 finish at the Monte and went on to win what was the first WRC manufacturers title.
The winning crew from 1973, Jean Claude Andruet and Michele "Biche" Petit will be leading the group. Madame "Biche" should be quite familiar with some of the roads, she just finished competing in the 2013 Rally Monte Carlo as a navigator in a Mitsubishi Evo IX!
January 24, 2013
Robert Kubica driving a Mercedes DTM car
 |
The test on a wet track in Valencia went "without any problems" and, if you believe rumors reported here and there, Kubica was a half second faster than Mercedes' Gary Paffet but there are no official times. The important point is that Robert was able to come up to speed quickly.
What is clear in this video that was not so clearly seen in previous ones is the extent of his injury to his right arm. You can see how Kubica is always hiding it and it looks like he has very limited motion at the elbow.
A hero.
January 23, 2013
Mark Hales Invitational Trophy
Shit happens, at the track more so than elsewhere. Maybe Hales gambled and lost but don't any of you tracktards reading this lie and say if had the same opportunity you would not have taken it.
Certainly you have enjoyed his work so I say: let's help the man out, every little bit can help and if the response is overwhelming, the excess goes to charity.
We for one want to live vicariously sliding sideways at Goodwood in a priceless 250 GTO this fall!
"During 2009 Mark Hales was driving a Porsche 917 belonging to David Piper for a feature with a Ferrari 512S owned by Nick Mason. This was for publication in Octane and Auto Italia magazines.
The engine failed due to an over-rev caused by a missed gear, and while Mark maintained there was a wrongly adjusted gearshift which he raised prior to failure, Piper maintained all was well. Similarly Mark maintained there was a verbal conversation surrounding liability in the event of mechanical failure not covered by the insurance, Piper maintained this conversation didn’t take place. Having then failed to obtain remedy from Octane magazine and their insurers he then sued Mark personally in the high court.
Any claim is highly unusual in the world of classic car racing and there are implications for both those driving other peoples cars, and the motoring press in general. This is well described by Motorsport Magazine's Andrew Frankel below;
http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/miscellaneous/mark-hales-found-liable-in-piper-case/
The judgement went against Mark and he has now to settle the entire judgement of over £120,000.
The claimants lawyers have stated their intention to issue an interim demand for £35,000 which has to be paid in 14 days’ time.
Mark does not have the means to settle the judgement and now faces bankruptcy. The industry has pulled together to avert this and discussions are underway for events that you can support. In the meantime this Paypal account has been set up to assist Mark in relation to the adverse judgement.
Funds credited to the account are gifts, with any surplus being paid to Mission Motorsport – The forces charity headed up by Jim Cameron. While negotiations are underway, Mark is currently dealing with a judgement in excess of £120,000. The claimants lawyers have stated their intention by issuing an interim demand for £35,000 which has to be paid within 14 days of the judgment.
A personal message from Mark follows;
I’ve thought long and hard about this as you can imagine. I feel the decision against me was unjust and I can’t help but come to the conclusion the judge had made his mind up before the case began.
The lawyers have advised that an appeal is legally possible, but this has been an emotionally upsetting time and after four years the prospect of another two spent in similar fashion are not welcome and I would like to bring an end as far as I am able. Unless some significant new evidence comes to light, I do not intend to pursue this further.
I am a racing driver and journalist not a lawyer, and I would like to get back to what I do best.
Thank you all for your support both on line and directly, it’s very welcome and comes at a difficult time.
Mark"
Meanwhile, near Cremona...
 |
| Photos: Autosprint |
300 km on track driving a Team Oregon Renault Megane Trophy as a warm up for his upcoming Mercedes DTM test in Valencia this week, Robert Kubica takes another step in his rehabilitation just about two years after his horrific accident in a rally car in February 2011.
Despite much media speculation and wishful thinking, Kubica has always lowered expectations about a full return to action, essentially ruling out the possibility of ever having the mobility required to drive a single seater again. Sedans though, even the most extreme ones like DTM, are another story and even though once again Robert plays down speculations, there is still room on the Mercedes 2013 DTM roster should the test prove successful.
It would be a feather in Merc's hat and frankly a relief to all of Robert's fans who cringe a little every time they see him dodging trees and cliffs in a rally car.
January 22, 2013
Who pays for damage to a race car?
Over the week end an article popped up on Twitter telling the story of the dispute between 1960's race driver David Piper and motoring journalist/author/classic car racer Mark Hales.
Piper has sued and won judgement against Hales for the cost of an engine rebuild on a replica Porsche 917 he had lent the journalist for a magazine article in 2009. Boiled down to Hales maintaining there was a problem with the gearbox, Piper saying Hales "money shifted" the air cooled 12 blowing it up.
If you follow classic car racing you will have seen Hales drive some of the world's rarest and most precious cars. If you have ever seen a Goodwood Revival, it's pretty clear many owners of these rolling treasures appreciate the very real risk that they will get bent. Certainly they understand, as anyone who has run cars on track, that every part of a car is a consumable destined for replacement or rebuild. But mistakes can an do happen.
In a modern race car this would not have been an issue, a perfect example at last year's 24 Hour of Daytona our friend Spencer Cox had the engine let go in practice on a TRG Porsche GT3. Porsche engineers plugged in a computer and in less than an hour determined it was their fault and rolled in a crate with a new lump. Montreal GP this past year, CG was racing Ferrari Challenge, tearing through the field when he lost 3rd gear. Later that day data was sent to Maranello and Ferrari covered the gearbox under warranty (much to CG's relief, I'm sure).
The issue with older cars is murkier. I was surprised to read a complete engine rebuild for a Porsche 917 is "only" $58000 and considering Mr. Piper owns the cars in the clip below amongst other things, it seems bad sport to go after Hales like that. One wonders if there was more to it and in fact, if you read the judgment motivations, it does not look so good for Hales who was less than clear in giving evidence and seems to have made some ill advised statements.
This morning reading Pistonheads I saw Chris Harris has written about the case, exploring it from the working journalist angle. Not surprisingly he's very much in Mr. Hales' camp.
This particular case did not involve racing, just a photo shoot apparently but I'm curious about how you approach the subject of lending yours or driving someone else's car in a track situation.
What about endurance racing, if you are part of a team and one of the drivers has a problem, how have you dealt with a mechanical issue? How about if the car gets hit though no fault of the driver, or if a driver goes off in the rain for example? Discuss!
January 20, 2013
7th Monte Carlo win for Loeb
Surprising probably no one, it was the semi retired Sebastien Loeb who took victory at the 81st edition of the Monte. It is Loeb's seventh win of Monegasque classic. Behind Loeb, the next rising star, Sebastien Ogier and a great first result for the Volkswagen Polo R WRC on it's first outing.
The rally, characterized this year was by brutal weather and road conditions, was shortened on the final day because of safety concerns.
Aside from the massive crowds standing, in darwinian rally fan tradition, pretty much where they could be mowed down at any moment, a group of spanish fans had to be rescued after falling down an embankment stopping the race.
The final day saw some high profile retirements, Ford's Evgeny Novikov and Juho Hanninen and VW' Jari-Matti Latvala were all victims of the dreaded Col de Turini. Check out Latvala's brutal crash.
With his 7th win at the Monte Carlo Rally Loeb, who will only compete in 4 WRC events this year, further cements his position as arguably one of the best racing drivers of all times.
(more videos after the jump)
January 19, 2013
Watch amazing driving at the Monte Carlo Rally.
Some racers resort to mixing studded and "winter" tires, one of each on front and rear axles, you can imagine how tricky that is.
One thing seems clear from the interviews, nobody was happy and it's no surprise that one man is dominating this most difficult of challenges, Sebastien Loeb.
Next stop: Turini!
January 18, 2013
BMW, the preferred car of German Terrorists.
Still, a curious piece of trivia and in the tradition of outlaw cars (Clyde Barrow and John Dillinger liked Fords).
(via Motoring Con Brio and Ralf Becker)
In the early 1970s, the automaker BMW's brand was symbiotically linked to left-wing terrorism in the company's native West Germany. BMW/Brand Terror explores how BMW came to be connected to terror.
BMWs became so strongly associated with terrorism that a common joke emerged among Germans: "BMW" didn't stand for "Bavarian Motor Works" but instead stood for "Baader-Meinhof Wagen" after the notorious Baader-Meinhof Gang that was waging war against the German state.
Police would regularly set up roadblocks and simply pull over just BMWs, certain in their belief that the terrorist group only preferred the sporty cars from the Bavarian automaker. As Der Spiegel magazine noted, BMW owners had a very tough time in the early seventies, because quite simply they were ALL under suspicion.
BMW/Brand Terror was created by Richard Huffman, who has become one of the world's leading experts on this arcane era of German history. Huffman's father served as the head of the US Army's bomb disposal unit in Berlin in the early 1970s, and defused several terrorist bombs, including one meant specifically to kill him. It is this family history that inspired Huffman to learn more about the Baader-Meinhof Gang, the June 2nd Movement, and other radicals who waged war on the German and American states in the 1970s.
January 17, 2013
F1 news: Force India on the verge of collapse?
 |
| Paul di Resta, Brazil 2012 |
Force India in crisis. According to some, the English team is on the verge of total collapse.
Vijay Mallya, the team principal who in 2007 bought the dutch Spyker, has run into serious financial difficulties with his companies and cannot support his team any longer. According to OneIndia, Mallya's airline, Kingfisher, is in dire straights having failed to meet yet another reorganization plan demanded by Indian Civil Aviation authorities. Other businesses Mallya is involved in, United Spirits and Diageo (owners of the Johnny Walker brand among many others) are also in some trouble.
 |
| VJ Mallya |
In 2005, Ecclestone was instrumental in keeping what was Jordan in F1 when it got into trouble. At the end of that season, Jordan, the team where Schumacher started his F1 career, was bought by Midland, owned by the Russian-Canadian Alex Shnaider. Shnaider only lasted one year before giving up and selling the spot to Spyker's Michael Mol. A failure as well, the team was bought by Mallya at the end on 2007. Mallya had ample pockets and this gave the team some stability but in the past few months this has all changed.
There is talk of a possible return of Colin Kolles, dentist and manager trusted by Ecclestone who was already involved in operations at Jordan and HRT. Another name floating about is that of Flavio Briatore.
Paul di Resta, confirmed for 2013 has been telling the press he could not explain why it was taking so long for the team to name a second driver. That second seat at Force India, or whatever it will be called if Ecclestone's operations are successful, will certainly be sold at a very high price, possibly as an expensive training spot for Ferrari's Jules Bianchi?
(via Massimo Costa/ItaliaRacing)
UPDATE: Plot thickens, in essence from the german text, team spokesman predictably denies but evidence exists of a deal to sell the team....
Dakar Postcards
 |
| Pascal Larroque, co-driver of Pascal Thomasse, both of France, pulls their car with a cable from the bank of a river during Stage 11 from La Rioja to Fiambala, Argentina, on January 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Bertrand Metayer, Le Parisien) |
More problems with rain at the Dakar. Stage 11 was partly cancelled when the Rio Grande became impassable.
Pictures are from this excellent photo feature on The Atlantic. (thanks Tim!)
 |
| A motorcyclist in the 4th stage of the Dakar Rally 2013 from Nazca to Arequipa, on January 8, 2013. (Reuters/Franck Fife) |
 |
| KTM Ferdinand Kreidl of Austria kicks up dust on his way up a mountain during Stage 4 from Nazca to Arequipa, Peru, on January 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano) |
Monte Carlo Rally, 11 minutes of Pure Sound
Two clips thanks to Axis friends Andrea and Master: The top is fresh from Special Stage 1 at the Monte where Sebastien Ogier debuted the VW Polo WRC.
Below is an older clip from practice. OK, first off, Loeb arrives to work in an Aventador... Then, just look at how he rips on those tree lined roads, it's just breathtaking, no fancy editing and multiple takes needed!
January 16, 2013
California Singer
In the market for (very) expensive retro, some people like those wide-bodied japanese customs, I think I would much, much rather this...
Battle of the Sabastiens!
Apparently, if your name is Sebastien, you have a 60% chance of being faster every time but, how does it work if you pit two Sebastiens against each other?
2013 Montecarlo Rally, the last one ever for Sebastien Loeb, the first for the "other" Sebastien, Ogier, in the new Volkswagen Polo WRC.
Stage 1 and it's a narrow victory for Ogier, 3.7 seconds over Loeb. Predictably, this just serves to make Loeb mad and he proceeds to give Ogier 10 seconds on Stage 2 and 19 seconds on stage 3.Overall the four stage first leg ends with Loeb ahead of Ogier by a fairly massive 1:20 and 1:46 in front of third place Hirvonnen.
Long rally, brutal weather, lots of snow,and as it turns out, embarrassing timing and scoring issues for the FIA and the ACM
The 25
 |
| 2012 Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill winner Ehret Porsche by Danny Sullivan |
The 25 Hours of Thunderhil, because only 24 hours is for wimps. The NASA sanctioned event is the enduro equivalent of turning up to 11, it's one more, isn't it?
Have a look at this film, sent to us by Pete Billington showcasing three Miata fielded by the Atlanta Motorsports Group.
Optrix also offers an app, Optrix Video Pro, allowing real time overlay of GPS and accelerometer data. Some of you may be familiar with Harry's LapTimer Pro, this is a reworking of the the same software by the same designer.
The AMG crowd survived the 25 quite well at this year, a 1st, a 3rd and a 4th in class. Well done guys!
E0 Class, 4th Place
Daniel Deckers
Michael Hall
Stephan Tisseront
Kevin Baillie
E1 class, 3rd Place
Todd Lamb,
Andrew Caddell
Brad Rampelberg
Ryan Winchester
E2 class, 1st Place
Guy Laidig
Beau Borders
Todd Launchbaugh
Travis Wolcott
Film by Landis Fields, Brian Berringer, Pete Billington, Punn Wiantrakoon, Zac Wollons and Anna Fields. Music by Vincent Tone - Astronaut.
January 14, 2013
Aston Attacks America!
The aim is to provide customer cars for Grand-Am, ALMS, Pirelli Challenge as well as a for a new single make series.
The Aston Martin Vantage will run in GTE trim for ALMS, GT3 trim in Grand-Am and Pirelli World Challenge with the GT4 version ready for Continental Challenge and a new single make series launching in the fall of 2013.
The Aston GT4, as an alternative to Porsche and Ferrari in single make series or even as a track day car, offers some significant advantages. It is more forgiving to drive, is less expensive (under $200K) and crucially has wider service intervals. Like the 458 Challenge but unlike the Porsche GT3 Cup, it has ABS meaning no flat spots. Like the Ferrari it has an available paddle shifter eliminating the danger of expensive over-revs and even comes with a mind boggling 11 different traction control settings and air-con options.
TRG and Aston are betting "if they build it, they will come" but will they make a dent in Porsche's leadership? I kind of hope so and I hope it encourages BMW to jump in, the more competition, the better.
Press release after the jump and after this clip of a Vantage GT4 lapping Laguna Seca along with brochures and more info than you can shake a stick at.
Any further inquiries, email Kevin Buckler President of AMR/TRG.
Zakspeed Turbo Capri
As almost every other car site on the web is likely to be filled with new Corvette superlatives today, we thought we'd offer some old Ford goodness.
Let's ride in an 1981 Zakspeed Ford Turbo Capri DRM car racing in year's Oldtimers race at the Nürburgring.
Takes a brave soul to actually run a vintage 1.4L engine outputting 320bhp/l (as comparison, GM's LS engine in the new Corvette is 78hp/l)
Predictably, it does not last long but it's interesting that, while no match for the much more powerful Group 1 935 K3, it kills it in the turns. The Capri had very advanced aero for the time and was condemned as a "cheater car" by rivals. Zachspeed also built the 1980's IMSA Mustangs.
You can find out everything about the Zakspeed Fords HERE
The video is set to start as the race starts but, by all means do go back and check out the beginning with the well chosen 80's soundtrack from Motorsportvideo.tv
January 13, 2013
January 12, 2013
All the winners from the 2013 Dunlop 24 HR of Dubai
 |
| Team Abu Dhabi/Black Falcon MB SLS GT3: Overall and A6 Pro |
 |
| SP2: Equipe Verschuur Renault Megane Trophy |
 |
| 997: Crucible Sport GT3 Cup |
More after the jump...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)