Two Audi R18 “Evolution 2” racers made their first public appearance following the 12 hours of Sebring. All ten Audi drivers were involved in the four day test and the R15 was used to set test benchmarks. According to Audi all three cars generated “thousands of test kilometers to generate important findings relating to vehicle setup, aerodynamics, tires, cooling, and reliability.” The R18’s were scheduled to arrive at Audi Sport in Ingolstadt, Germany, Monday and will be dismantled and analyzed. It’s been reported that one of the R18 “Evolution 2” bested Peugeots…
Read MoreAuthor: Mike Shaw
BMW Announce ILMC GTE Contenders
BMW Team Schnitzer will contest the European and China rounds of the ILMC. Drivers for the Team Schnitzer No. 55 BMW M3 GT are Augusto Farfus (BR) and Jörg Müller (DE). ALMS BMW Team RLL driver Dirk Werner (DE) will join them at Le Mans. Lead driver for the second Team Schnitzer (No. 56) BMW M3 GT will be three time world touring car champion Andy Priaulx (GB). Priaulx will be reunited with his Sebring winning teammates, Dirk Muller and Joey Hand at Le Mans. Hand, winner at the Rolex…
Read MoreINDYCAR – St. Pete post race wrap up
The 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series started out much like the 2010 season; with a massive pile up into the first turn, taking out Marco Andretti. The crash would involve Andretti, Oriol Servia, Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon, and Mike Conway. Andretti and Conway would both DNF from the incident, the others would continue on with scares of the event. Right as the crash happened in turn one, Mario Andretti grandfather of Marco was exiting the two seater he had just pulled onto pit road. He (Mario) shook his…
Read MoreWill Power takes the pole for St. Pete 2011
After a long cold wait, the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR season has officially begun. With the temperature reaching a sunny 80 degrees; the first qualifying session of 2011 looks very much like one from 2010, Will Power is P1. Power took the top spot with a speed of 104.579 MPH, just beating out 2010 Champion Dario Franchitti who ran a 104.021 MPH lap. Followed by Dixon in P3, Mike Conway will start P4 with an impressive debut for Andretti Autosport being the only from Andretti in the “Fast 6”. Rounding…
Read MoreALMS – Michelotto Test Ferrari 458 at Sebring
While the Risi Competizione 458 that raced at Sebring was headed back to the team’s Houston shop to begin preparations for Long Beach in two weeks, another 458 Italia was being purposely “beat up” at the circuit this week. The unliveried 458 arrived at the track race week from Michelotto, Ferrari’s division responsible for GT and sports prototype racing efforts and development. The car was secured in the Risi transporter, out of sight from the throng of fans and media during the race. That is until Monday when the car…
Read MoreIndy Hump Day Report: Live from St. Pete
A very brief “Hump Day Report” since I have spent the last two days driving to the St. Pete area. First, glad to see Tony Kanaan will have a full time ride for 2011, and glad he will be teammate to bot Viso and Sato. (I suspect he will work out better than “First lap wreck” Mario) Next, it is cool that Paul Tracy will at least have a ride for Indy with Dreyer & Reinbold. Last season at Watkins Glen PT and Justin Wilson seemed to enjoy…
Read MoreALMSChicks – Sebring: Fan Frenzy
There is just something about the 12 Hours of Sebring. We felt it the first time we stepped foot onto the grounds, though we knew next to nothing about the historic event. It is like nothing you have ever experienced before. Every year In mid-March, people from all over the world converge on Sebring, Florida to see Audi, Porsche, Peugeot, and dozens of other brands showcase the latest in racing technology. Whether one is coming to to watch these spectacular cars or attending for the carnival-like atmosphere, there is something…
Read MoreBREAKING NEWS: KANAAN with KV for 2011
Tony Kanaan is finally announced as the third driver for KV Racing Technology. Kanaan will drive the #82 Lotus sponsored entry for the team owned by Jimmy Vasser (1996 CART Champion) and Kevin Kalkhoven. According to Curt Cavin the paint scheme for TK will be a tribute to the Indy 500 winning entry of Jim Clark. Kanaan will now be teammate/coach for E.J. Viso and Takuma Sato, replacing Mario Moraes as the third driver for KV. A growing rumor also has Geico as sponsoring Kanaan for several races this year.…
Read MoreALMSChicks – Friday Sebring Report
We keep waiting for Sebring to let us down. Not because we expect it, but because we have such a great time every time we enter the gates, we keep waiting for it to level out. To not be able to get better. However, today, as usual, beyond exceeded our expectations. We ended up arriving at the track about 6:30 am this morning to pick up our credentials. After a 7 am photographers meeting, it was out to pit road to photograph the sunrise. There are many sights in…
Read MoreIndy Hump Day Report: Barber, Streams,and Seats
Normally I leave the sad parts to end my column, but my heart is so heavy this week I have to begin with a few words on Japan first. I was up when the 8.9 hit Japan, being the ultimate Gaijin I tend to read the news from Japan many days after midnight ET. First the footage of the quake broke my heart, but then the Hollywood like aftermath with the Tsunami just made it ache with pain. On behalf of everyone not just at Open Paddock; but the entire…
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