Category Archives: racing

Milestones: 50 years of Mustang at Watkins Glen

It was 50 years ago that Ford Motor Company decided to show a mid-engine, V-4 powered two-seat concept car at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix.  While the striking handsome white car – still residing at the Henry Ford museum in … Continue reading

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New Thermaltake Mouse Designed by BMW as E-Sports Thrive

Forget Formula One, the future of motorsports might be in the hands of gamers. BMW DesignworksUSA has created the latest mouse for Thermaltake, a Taiwanese based company well known for gaming. The so-called Thermaltake Level 10 M mouse that just went on sale is a high-tech extension of a gamer’s hand in computerized sports competition.

Traditionalist sports fans, as in occupiers of stadium or race track or couch potato seats, might be surprised to learn that that e-sports have evolved from simple Nintendo or Playstation set-ups at home to professional competition at the annual World Cyber Games with millions of dollars in prize money. So much money is floating around from sponsorships that professional gamers can now earn hundreds of thousand of dollars a year. At peak times, 15 million gamers could be online – and football and auto racing are the top games, err sports. Continue reading

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Goodyear Drops World of Outlaws Racing Series After 2012

The surprise announcement ends Goodyear’s three-year sponsorship of sprint car racing in what is arguably the most competitive racing series run on dirt. Goodyear, of course, has been racing for more than 100 years going back to Henry Ford in 1901. Supplying tires for the Outlaw series is complicated with one tire with four different compounds on the right rear. The left rear comes in four sizes and compounds. The front tires have three different compounds. Continue reading

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Audi Hybrids One-Two at Le Mans. Toyotas Crash, Break

In a 24 race marred by accidents, two Audi diesel hybrid P1 cars took first and second at the 24 hours of Le Mans, with a another Audi in third. A Toyota-powered Lola took fourth, boldly inserting itself ahead of the fifth place car – another Audi diesel, but not good enough to prevent an all Audi podium. All four Audi R18 cars could have won what became the brand’s eleventh Le Mans victory in front of a claimed 240,000 spectators. Continue reading

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Mazda to Supply Diesel Engines for 2013 Le Mans 24 Hour

As the 24-hour endurance race at Le Mans got underway today, Mazda Motorsports announced that it would sell racing versions of its new diesel engines to teams competing at Le Mans. Continue reading

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Le Mans Test Day – Audi and Toyota Hybrids, Nissan DeltaWing

Two new unlimited racecar entrants – Toyota with a pair of TS030 hybrid cars and Nissan with its lightweight DeltaWing – successfully participated in the traditional test day to prepare for the Le Mans 24 Hours on 16-17 June. They were joined on the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans by Audi dieselR18 ultra and R18 e-tron Quattro models, the latter another hybrid design. Missing, sadly was Peugeot, which last year placed four Peugeot 908s in the Top Five finishing list, but whose endurance-racing program fell victim to the Eurozone crisis. Continue reading

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Mazda to Race Diesel Engines in U.S. Grand Am GX

With the RX-8 no longer in production for the U.S. market, Mazda is moving to bolster its marketing efforts by combining racing with a car that will be on sale here. The racing effort also begs the question when and where a Mazda Skyactiv-d production engine will appear in the United States. No Japanese automaker is currently selling a diesel in the U.S. – a possible area Mazda could exploit, building on its fuel-saving technologies. Continue reading

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Carroll Shelby – Sports Car Racer and Builder – Dead at 89

Carroll Hall Shelby, a legendary sports car racer and builder died Thursday at age 89, his company, Carroll Shelby International, said today. The creator of the Cobra, Shelby passed away yesterday at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. Carroll Shelby is the only man to have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race as a driver, team owner and automotive manufacturer. Shelby once told me that he “spent a ton of old man Ford’s money, and kicked Ferrari’s ass,” which his team did for successive years at the 24 Hours of Le Mans until a rule change made the brutally fast and reliable cars illegal. Continue reading

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Speedway Motorsports, NASCAR Track Owner, Posts Q1 Loss

The entertainment company, which owns many NASCAR tracks including Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, is suffering from declining fan attendance and weak corporate sponsorships. Continue reading

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Nissan to Run Delta Wing at Le Mans in P.R. Stunt

The real Japanese race to watch at Le Mans this year will be a Toyota, which will run a hybrid in the LMP1 class. Last year’s race was the most exciting in years – maybe decades – as Peugeot and Audi fought an epic battle. In a fiercely fought 24 hours of racing with sporadic rain, wrecks and attrition, a diesel-powered Audi R18 won the 24 hours of Le Mans in the fastest, factory run P1 class. The Audi was followed by four Peugeot 908s. The three drivers of the second place Peugeot – Simon Pagenaud, Pedro Lamy and Sebastien Bourdais – competed to the very end as their 908 was only 13 seconds behind. Nissan and Chevrolet Corvette did win in other classes. Continue reading

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Camaro COPO Drag Racing Car Ready to Burn Out in 2012

The new COPO Camaro, if it is competitive, should be fastest Camaro ever offered by Chevrolet since current national records for quarter-mile times in these classes are in the nine-second range. The Camaro starting at $89,000 cannot be registered, titled, licensed, or driven on public roads or highways. COPO is specifically offered for off-highway, competitive NHRA use only. Continue reading

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Drag Racing 2013 Cobra Jet Mustang Revealed

The 2013 Cobra Jet Mustang has two 5.0-liter Ti-VCT engine options – a naturally aspirated engine with Cobra Jet induction system, CNC ported heads, high-lift cams and low-drag accessory drive; or a Whipple supercharged version with CNC port-matched manifold and heads, and what’s said to be a proprietary 10-rib supercharger drive system for high-rpm use without belt slip. Continue reading

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Toyota Returns to Le Mans in 2012 with Hybrid LMP1 Racecar

Toyota Motorsport’s high-performance technical center in Cologne, Germany, where the chassis has been designed, developed and produced, will be the base for the team. The Toyota LMP1 racecar will have a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain developed in Japan. Continue reading

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IndyCar Returns to Detroit for Chevrolet Belle Isle Grand Prix

Chevrolet today announced a multi-year agreement with the Penske Corporation and IndyCar to bring professional motorsports to the Motor City for the first time in four years. The first Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix will be held June 1-3, 2012 at a 2.1-mile Raceway at Belle Isle Park road course. Continue reading

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IndyCar Racing to Return to Detroit Next Year

Next Wednesday Detroit Mayor Dave Bing , Mark Reuss, President, GM North America,
Roger Penske, Chairman, Penske Corporation and Randy Bernard, the CEO, of IndyCar will hold a news conference where they will likely announce that Indy car racing will return to the Motor City. Continue reading

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