American automotive racing great Phil Hill has passed away. Hill was 81 year old, and had suffered from Parkinson's disease for a number of years. His last public appearance was at the recent Pebble Beech Concours d"Elegance.
The following statement is from Ferrari North America.
Appreciation
Maranello, August 28, 2008 - As soon as he got word of Phil Hill's passing, Ferrari's president Luca di Montezemolo declared:
I, as well as all employees of Ferrari are extremely saddened by the news of the passing of Phil Hill, a man and a champion who gave so much to Ferrari and who has always greatly represented the company's values inside and outside the racing track.
Phil Hill raced and won many competitions both with prototype cars, like the 24 hour of Le Mans, as well as with production race cars. With our car, Phil won the Formula One Championship title in 1961 as the first American-born to reach this result.
Phil and I have always kept in touch throughout the years and I know I will miss his passion and love for Ferrari very much.
My deepest sympathies are with his wife Alma and son Derek in this sad moment.
Formula Zero--as in "Zero" emissions--is a new kart racing series in which only fuel-cells are used. The first race took part in the Netherlands this past weekend. The event was divided into two sections: a sprint being the first, and an endurance phase being the second.
The karts are powered by hydrogen fuel cells that story their energy in lightweight, compact super-capacitors. This eliminates the need for a large battery, which is important considering the
lightweight kart platform. Compared to conventional karts, the speeds are slow; but hey, it's a start. Let's see where they go with this.Full story here.
Just found the following over at SpeedTV.com (here).
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We received this e-mail from Bart Brown of Wings'n'Wheels Hobbies, Clinton CT, USA. He forwarded it. We do not know the writer.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 Lime Rock Park was closed down for an hour and half today to honor Paul Newman. He was attended by his family, close friends, Skip Barber, mechanics on his race team, and those who happened to be at the track. PLN toured the track in his Corvette race car with his Buick V8 powered Volvo station wagon following. He had come to say goodbye. Diagnosed with terminal cancer he is not expected to live beyond September. Race driver, actor, humanitarian, family man and friend, they did not come any better.
Looking like a mutant Ralliart Sportback, this Mitsubishi rally racer, simply called the "Racing Lancer," has enough torque to rotate this planet a few degrees, as in 640 lb.-ft. Horsepower? How's 260 grab you?
VW, and possibly Fiat and Renault too, are considering putting forth rally teams for the WRC. I think this is great news if it comes to pass. I say the more the merrier.Personally I think the WRC is the most exciting form of 4-wheeled motorsport out there. And unlike NASCAR, the racers bear more than a passing resemblance to "stock" cars--like those you might find in showrooms.Full story here.
Anybody who has been following the career of Travis Pastrana knows that he came out of the motorcycle ranks, and is famous for his back flip jumps on bikes--and especially so for the incredible double back flip he did a year or so ago.
Now he and fellow Subaru rally racer Ken Block have teamed up again to do yet another spectacular video (remember this one? 2009 Subaru WRX teaser video)--which will go on the cover of Racer X. I also wouldn't be surprised if Subaru uses this in some marketing fashion down the road.
Full story here at Racer X--which also has a couple of other video links that show these guys to be certifiably nuts.
A 1923 specially restored Ford Model T returned to the famous Le Mans 24 Hours circuit for the 2008 Le Mans Classic. This significant car took part in the very first Le Mans 24 hour race in 1923, and never before has such an old car participated in this prestigious biennial meeting of Le Mans Classic.
This deal was rumored last month (Harley-Davidson to buy MV Agusta?), and it's now official. All-American Harley-Davidson buys Euro-centric MV Agusta and Cagiva (which is owned by MV Agusta).
Future Harley corporate/family cookouts ought to be interesting. Wonder what will be the prevailing liquid refreshment? A workin' man's Budweiser or a premium Barbaresco?
So you want to know what it's like to pull off a 7:26.4 lap at Nürburgring? Well then, check out this video of the new Corvette ZR-1 doing just that (Corvette ZR1 tops GT-R 'Ring lap time)!
With all this interest and fuss about lap times at the Nürburgring, Jalopnik has posted some info and several videos of other vehicles lapping this famous track. So while the Corvette ZR1 Nissan GT-R lap times are amazing, they're nowhere near the time posted by the Porsche 956, which has lapped the 'Ring at 6:11.13.
Lots of new stuff on the 2009 Porsche 911, but you'd never know by just looking at them. Nope, all the big changes are under the skin, with only a few cosmetic changes to be seen.
Automotive editorial god David E. Davis, Jr., most recently editor-in chief of Winding Road, offers his two cents on the sordid Max Mosley F1 Nazi sex affair. Actually Davis offers up something more like a buck twenty, which is considerably more than two cents. Soooo David, tell us how you really feel...
NHRA Funny Car racer Scott Kalitta, son of legendary drag racer Connie Kalitta, was killed when his Toyota-powered racecar exploded during a race at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. It's estimated that car was doing around 300 mph when the 46 year-old racer was killed.
Kalitta, of Palmetto, Fla., was a two-time Top Fuel champion (1994-95) had 18 career victories, 17 of them in the Top Fuel class. He began his racing career at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in 1982...
In qualifying for the 76th running of the 24-Hours of LeMans this weekend, Peugeot obliterates the lap record with their 908 diesel racer. Stephane Sarrazin, in the No.8 car, lapped 7.8 seconds quicker than last year's pole time with a best of 3:18.513. Teammate Franck Montagny put the No.9 car just one tenth of a second behind, and Nicolas Minassian completed a lockout of the top three.
Formula One Drivers Add High-Speed Skills and Thrills to Toyota Race of Legends at Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races International Field of Drivers Vie for $25,000 Charitable Donation
TORRANCE, Calif., June 10, 2008 – Some of the most respected former Formula One (F1) drivers are ready to go wheel-to-wheel in this year’s Toyota Race of Legends at the 35th annual Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, presented by Toyota. In addition to good-natured bragging rights, these drivers are looking to secure a $25,000 check that will be donated to the winner’s selected charity.
The Toyota Race of Legends is an exciting feature of the Monterey Historics taking place August 15-17 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and is the centerpiece of Toyota’s Celebration of History showcase.
Derek Bell (Britain) returns to defend last year’s inaugural win against an impressive lineup of F1 veterans looking to unseat him. Joining Bell on the starting grid will be Eddie Cheever (U.S.), Johnny Herbert (Britain), Jean-Pierre Jarier (France), 1980 World Champion Alan Jones (Australia), Danny Sullivan (U.S.), Patrick Tambay (France) and John Watson (Britain).
Adding to the race excitement will be Alain de Cadenet (Britain) of SPEED TV and former 24 Hours of Le Mans driver, who will provide fans and television viewers with a driver’s-eye race commentary from inside the cockpit. The tenth and final car will be driven by a charity auction winner held among Monterey Historics race participants. The winning bid last year was $16,100 and benefited the Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Foundation.
Practice for the Toyota Race of Legends is Friday, August 15 and the eight lap race is Saturday, August 16. The starting grid will be determined by a random drawing that is overseen by a special surprise celebrity guest, who will also be calling the race.
Last year, Bell split his $25,000 winner’s donation equally between the U.K.-based national cancer charity Hope for Tomorrow and the Florence Fuller Foundation based in Boca Raton, Fla.
“This is an amazing group of drivers who have experienced the thrills of racing in the pinnacle of motorsports,” explains Kim McCullough, corporate manager for marketing communications of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. “It is a thrill to have them come together to race for charity, sign autographs and share their experiences with the fans. It’s not everyday you meet such a distinguished group of drivers.”
The legends will tackle legendary Laguna Seca in identical race-equipped Scion tC sport coupes. These high-performance tCs feature a 2.4-liter, 215-horsepower supercharged engine and are well matched to the track’s sweeping turns, uphill straightaway and challenging Corkscrew.
Now this is interesting: Honda is racing a Euro-Civic in the 2008 Intercontinental Rally Challenge. The car is racing in a class designed specifically for production 2WD cars with engines no more than 2.0 liters. The car is being campaigned by the Italian team Procar and JAS Motorsport. Reading this you gotta wonder if Honda has bigger plans for rally racing...
It's been roughly two months since the Max Mosley sadomasochist video orgy made headlines. Now, finally, Formula One President and CEO Bernie Ecclestone has asked FIA President Mosley to resign. So far Mosely has refused, and is in fact suing the News of the World, the tabloid newspaper that first published news.
"The last thing most people involved in the sport, including the clubs, would want to see is Max in a position where he could be forced to stand down," Ecclestone told the Telegraph...
Yep, Sebastien Loeb and Citroen took the usual top spot at the 2008 WRC Acropolis rally this weekend. However, for Subaru fans, the debut of the all-new WRC 2008 rally racer, was equally noteworthy. In the hands of Petter Solberg, it placed second in this very grueling rally, which is known as one of the toughest on the WRC race calender. Much hope and great expectations are being placed on this all-new racer from Subaru, and in its initial outing showed great promise for the future...
Here are a few automotive items that might tickle your fancy while lying on the beach this Memorial Day. Or between flippin' burgers on your grill—not grille, unless you actually cook on a "grille," which would then score you a 10 on the Straightline gearhead-o-meter.
For those waiting to see the new-generation Subaru STI factory rally racer in action, your wait is almost over. The new WRC2008's race debut is going to be at the upcoming Acropolis Rally, which starts on May 29.
Besides the new car, Subaru is also sporting new racing graphics which includes a new color scheme. Silver replaces the previously used yellow, but with the WR Blue being carried over as the primary signature Subaru racing color...
Autoblog (via Motorcycle News) is reporting that seven-time F1 champ Michael Schumacher is to race a Honda CBR1000RR superbike this weekend at the IDM International German Motorbike Championship.
The relationship between motorcycle racing and car racing is nothing new. Many former bike racers, John Surtees and Mike Hailwood just to name two, all went on to become great car racers. What's unusual here is we have one of the best car racers ever going on to race a bike, which is the other way around...
The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is sending 11 dragsters to England for Goodwood Festival of Speed. The following is from the press release. ___________________
The relationship between the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, presented by Automobile Club of Southern California, and the prestigious Goodwood Festival of Speed continues to prosper. The Museum has been supplying cars to the event for a few years, according to Tony Thacker, executive director of the Parks Museum...
Fresh off her Japanese IndyCar race win, Danica Patrick may be considering a possible run at F1. Back in 2005 Patrick had said:
"Every driver would love to drive a formula one car at some point in their life, so yeah. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a real, proper test.” Late last month she said she was "dead set" on giving it a try at some point.
Nick Fry, chief executive of Honda's F1 team recently stated:
"We haven’t instigated anything, but if Danica wanted to be test driver then we’d be more than happy to talk about it.”
Beginning next year F1 will be phasing in the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), resulting in hybrid race cars; and by 2013, all F1 racers will be hybrids.
The KERS works by storing energy expelled under braking, which can then be used via a "push-to-pass"-style button mounted on the steering wheel that drivers can employ for an extra power boost.
Danica Patrick becomes the first woman to win an IndyCar race, or any major open-wheel racing event for that matter. Patrick finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of Helio Castroneves to take the Japan 300.
Many have wondered if this win—or any win, for that matter, was to be in the cards for the much ballyhooed 26-year old Patrick, as this was her 50th race start...
If you recall, last year Porsche developed a special Cayenne to compete in the 4,400 mile Moscow-to-Mongolia Transsyberia Rally. Now they've come up with a new-and-improved version for this year's race.
Improvements over last year's racer include a new sump guard, a beefier tire package, tweaked air suspension, a shorter final drive ratio (shared with the new Cayenne GTS), plus updates to the transmission programming, dynamic chassis control and traction management systems. Also, an upgrade conversion package is available for those who own last year's model...
Subaru will enter an STI in the upcoming 36th ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race, which is held at the Nürburgring circuit in May.
The car will be almost stock, but it will be lightened and will have added safety features. It will be run in the SP6 class (3.0-3.5 liter displacement as turbochargers/superchargers account for 1.7 times the actual displacement). Interesting to note that this STI racer has 4 fog lamps...
Now that the dust has settled a bit on the Max Mosley sexcapade, several automakers that participate in F1 have had a chance to respond with their own comments on the matter. BMW and Mercedes issued a joint statement. These two firms, being German, are especially concerned about the alleged Nazi connotations of the incident. BMW & Mercedes-Benz: "The content of the publications is disgraceful...
Despite the headline news about his 'sadomasochistic orgy' sex video, Max Mosley has no plans of stepping down as the FIA head. He has just issued an apology for the embarrassment this has caused the FIA, but remains committed to remain in his current role of president of the organization. He blames this on a 'covert' operation that's out to discredit him.
In the apology letter, Mosley writes:
"From information provided to me by an impeccable high-level source close to the UK police and security services, I understand that over the last two weeks or so, a covert investigation of my private life and background has been undertaken by a group specialising in such things, for reasons and clients as yet unknown...
Wow—and nope, this is not an April Fool's joke two days early. Max Mosley, president of the FIA has been caught on a sado-masochist sex video in which he engages hookers in a Nazi orgy.
Mosely is the 67-year old son of infamous British wartime fascist leader, and a friend of Adolf Hitler, Oswald Mosley. In fact Hitler attended his father's wedding; his father died in 1980...
Straightline has reported before that NASCAR was slipping in terms of fans support, and now Inside Line has a story up reinforcing that claim. While there still is a lot of support for the Daytona 500, that's not the case for other races held throughout the season. TV ratings have also shown a marked decline over the last several years. So there is much concern within NASCAR ranks as to its future...
In somewhat of a surprise, Dodge pilot Ryan Newman wins this year's 500, with his Penske Racing teammate Kurt Busch coming in second. For quite a while it looked like Joe Gibbs Racing driver (and Toyota driver no less!) Kyle Busch was going to take the honors, as he lead for much of the race.
“It was special for me. We’ve tried for many years, but never actually executed...
Anyone remember the 1965 movie, The Great Race? It was loosely based upon this 1908 event, which was then the longest race in the world. The winner, George Schuster, drove a Thomas Flyer, and it took him took 169 days to win the race, which was 26 days faster than the second place finisher.
This year celebrates the100 year anniversary of that fabled event...
The American National Unimotorcyclists Society, a.k.a. A.N.U.S. (I kid you not), hold these one-wheeled drag racing events during the Daytona Bike Week (here), which starts Feb. 29...
For all those of you who complained that the BMW M3 has become too soft in its current form, have a look-see at this, the coolest car on the Chicago auto show floor: the M3 ALMS racecar.
The Rahal/Letterman team will campaign the car in American Le Mans Series racing in 2009. BMW reckons the V8 makes about 485 horsepower. The car weighs 2,535 pounds and carries 15-inch front and 13.1-inch rear brakes...
In the latest episode of "As World Turns According to Ol' Shel," a.k.a. Carroll Shelby vs. the Shelby American Automobile Club... GARDENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan...
“Your luck would be better if you came to Jesus,” is what NASCAR racer Jon Denning has been told a number of times by those within NASCAR.
NASCAR does have a diversity program, and Denning has applied three times only to be rejected. The reason given is that the program is aimed at women, African-Americans and Hispanics.
Automotive legend Carroll Shelby shares his 85th birthday with a new performance standout—the 540-horsepower 2008 GT500KR. The GT500 KR starts production today.
The blond and photogenic Franz Von Holzhausen, Mazda's North American design chief, had the pleasure of "driving" the Mazda Furai concept onto the stage during the press conference today in Detroit. (For most of the show, the Furai sat uncovered, but the company whisked it out of sight just before its official debut.)
Von Holzhausen revved the mid-mounted, three-rotor 20B rotary engine before disembarking, commenting, "It sounds good, doesn't it?"
Indeed. As we reported in our full article on the Furai, this concept sports car is built on a racecar chassis from the American Le Mans Series. It's fully driveable, and the engine develops some 450 horsepower.
