Porsche announced today their plan to return to Le Mans with works-run LMP1 prototype. The newly developed race cars first outing is planned for the year 2014. “Motorsport was always an essential part of the Porsche brand,” emphasizes Matthias Müller, President of the Executive Board at Porsche AG. “So for us it was only a matter of time before we returned as a factory to the top league of racing. Porsche’s successes in Le Mans are unrivalled. We want to follow up on this with the 17th outright victory.” According to…
Read MoreAuthor: Mike Shaw
Great win to help the series grow, unless you live by Marco
So if a tree falls in the woods, will anyone hear it? If a third generation INDYCAR star wins, will his home media market hear of it? Yes and no respectively. Marco Andretti had an impressive win last night in Iowa. INDYCAR fans were thrilled to see a non-“red car” win. Andretti showing he is in the big series not just because of his last name. Marco is America’s first winner in the series for 2011. Yet here in the Philadelphia media market (which myself and Marco call home), you…
Read MoreINDYCAR, we can’t pick our fans, but we can pick our officials
So another work week is wrapping up, with a Saturday night INDYCAR race waiting for us. Don’t worry; I am not going all Rebecca Black. However, all week the biggest chatter among the INDYCAR fans on-line has been a lack of penalties to Dario Franchitti. While many fans have a very valid point that the series needs rules with consistent enforcement. “Black & White” as many have called for, would mean if you violate there is no exceptions. Well, this is more of a NASCAR like move. Once upon a…
Read MorePole Day Report: Back to Beer City, racing at the Old Milwaukee Mile
Well, a week has passed since the Texas races. While many have complained about various aspects: (Dario on how they used random drawings for starting spots in a points race. Fans on Dario’s complaints while sponsored by a diaper brand. Many more on how the two races had rather dull results.) Here is one thing I would like to add, why not do a “Day/Night Doubleheader” like MLB uses? A “Day/Night” means there is a 1PM game and a 7PM game. While in baseball you kick the fans out after…
Read MoreAudi Wins Le Mans
Benoit Treluyer, Andre Lotterer and Marcel Fassler won the 79th Le Mans 24 Hours in the #2 Audi Sport Team Joest R18, 13.854 seconds ahead of the #9 Peugeot of Simon Pagenaud, Sebastien Bourdais and Pedro Lamy. It was an exciting race as Audi and Peugeot battled throughout, exchanging leads several times during the night and early morning. The race was marred by two serious incidents that took out two of the three font running Audis, both involved slower cars from the GTE-Pro class. Allan McNish crashed out in the…
Read MoreSecond Audi Involved in Horrific Crash
The #1 Audi R18 of defending Le Man winner Mike ‘Rocky’ Rockefeller has been involved in a violent shunt with a slower GTE car at the high speed kink between Mulsanne and Indianapolis corner. Audi Sport has confirmed that Rockefeller was able to get out of the car himself that he spoke to the team and has been taken to the hospital. Rockefeller was overtaking one the AF Corse Ferrari 458s on the straightaway leading up to Indianapolis when the Ferrari inexplicably started to move into the path of the…
Read MoreMcNish Survives Massive Crash
Allan McNish survived a massive crash that put the #3 Audi out of this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours in the first hour of racing. McNish was attempting to pass teammate Timo Bernhard for the lead in the esses after the Dunlop Bridge, but as he past Bernhard’s Audi the Luxury Racing #58 Ferrari 458 GTE of Anthony Beltoise, also racing for position, moved over and clipped the Audi sending both cars off course. McNish’s Audi appeared to glide and skipped across gravel trap, becoming airborne and slamming into the…
Read MoreFIA Endurance Championship Official
More details of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship were shared today during an ACO press conference at Le Mans. ACO President Jean-Claude Plassart and FIA President Jean Todt presented the main championships guidelines during. As recently reported on openpaddock.net the new Championship series will mirror the current ILMC series. There will be six races plus Le Mans. Two will be in North America, most likely at Sebring and Petit Le Mans at the Road Atlanta circuit. Two will be in Europe in addition to Le Mans, and two races…
Read MoreAudi On Pole, Clinch Front Row
Frenchman Benoit Tréluyer set pole position for the 24 Hours of Le Mans piloting the #2 Audi Sport Team Joest. It is Audi’s first pole at Le Mans since 2006. Tréluyer benefited from a clear lap to best the #1 Audi Sport Team Joest of Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas/Mike Rockenfeller. The Team Peugeot Total of Simon Pagenaud/Sebastian Bourdais/Pedro Lamy will start third. The Audis and Peugeots traded fast times but as often the case at Le Mans, traffic hampered flying laps for both teams. The final session wasn’t without incident…
Read MoreLe Mans Notes 06/08/11; Sarrazin Peugeot Set Pace
Just as it appeared Audi had lay claim to the top three positions during provisional qualifying Peugeot Sport Total‘s Stephane Sarrazin peeled off a blistering lap that undercut the German squad by nine-tenths of a second during an incident packed session. The Audi Sport Team Joest R18 TDI’s and Team Peugeot Sport Total 908’s were fastest throughout the session. The 908 of Sebring winners Team Oreca Matmut were seventh in LMP1. The Pescarlo Judd was the fastest of the petrol powered LMP cars, in eighth position, nearly two seconds ahead of…
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