Tag Archives: le mans

Renault Revives Alpine with First Le Mans Entry in 35 Years

Posted on 16 March 2013 by Ken Zino

Last November, Renault said it will revive the long defunct Alpine brand with the creation of the Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham. While the first new Alpine is expected go on sale in 2016, the publicity machine is already in full operation. Continue reading →

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Nissan to Return to Le Mans in 2014 as Garage 56 Entry

Posted on 11 March 2013 by Ken Zino

In 2012, a number 0 Nissan Delta Wing ran at the world’s most famous endurance race from the same unclassified Garage 56 spot. The real Japanese racers that were closely watched at Le Mans last year were a pair of Toyota hybrids, which ran in the fastest LMP1 class but lost to Audi. Continue reading →

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Older C6R Corvette to Race in American Le Mans This Year

Posted on 13 January 2013 by Ken Zino

While the success or failure of a revised 2014 model C7 Chevrolet Corvette will be much debated this week at the North American International auto Show this week in Detroit, the success of Corvette’s racing program seems certain, as the C6.R will return for the 2013 season. The C7.R is expected to make its racing debut in 2014. Continue reading →

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Toyota Hybrid in First Win Beats Audi in Six Hours of Sao Paulo

Posted on 17 September 2012 by Ken Zino

A Toyota hybrid turned in a dominant performance at the Six Hours of Sao Paulo this weekend going from the pole to first place during the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. It was the first overall win this year for the new hybrid racing team, which challenged Audi’s clear dominance in endurance racing by showing up at Le Mans last June, a year ahead of announced plans. Continue reading →

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Blower Bentley Sets £4.5 Million Auction Record

Posted on 2 July 2012 by Ken Zino

Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin’s 4.5-liter supercharged Bentley race car sold for £4.5 million when auctioned at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. In March 1932, Birkin set a record 137.96 mph at the Brooklands in the United Kingdom. Continue reading →

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

Posted on 18 June 2012 by Ken Zino

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

Posted on 16 June 2012 by Ken Zino

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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Audi Hybrid on Pole at Le Mans. Toyota Hybrid Third on Grid

Posted on 15 June 2012 by Ken Zino

Toyota in its first big time endurance race in years split the two Audi hybrids by putting its #8 Davidson-Buemi-Sarrazin TS030 hybrid in third position on the starting grid – just 1.055s off the leading pace, and in front of the second Audi Hybrid entry. Continue reading →

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

Posted on 6 June 2012 by Ken Zino

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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Toyota Returns to Le Mans in 2012 with Hybrid LMP1 Racecar

Posted on 14 October 2011 by Ken Zino

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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Porsche Returns to Le Mans in 2014. Will VW Group Spend Millions to Compete Against Itself with Audi in the Top Class?

Posted on 30 June 2011 by Ken Zino

Some potentially contentious racing and marketing budget allocation debates are ahead, and they will last longer than 24 hours. Will Volkswagen really spend hundreds of millions of dollars to run multiple factory teams to compete against itself? Continue reading →

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Audi, Nissan, and Chevrolet Corvette Win Le Mans

Posted on 12 June 2011 by Ken Zino

Audi completed 355 laps around the 13.629 km (8.469 mile) circuit for a total of 4838 km (3006 miles). It was the tenth Audi victory at Le Mans, one more than Ferrari. Porsche still holds the factory record with 16. Continue reading →

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Audi R18 TDI on Pole at Le Mans, Peugeot Third in Qualifying

Posted on 10 June 2011 by Ken Zino

The fastest six cars were running within just five tenths of a second – meaningless in the world’s oldest endurance race, but exciting nonetheless. It looks like there will be 24 hours of intense racing for an estimated 250,000 fans, which because if the web millions of people can track real time at home. Continue reading →

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Porsche 918 RSR Debuts in Detroit. Latest Flywheel Technology Fantasy or a Serious Le Mans Contender?

Posted on 11 January 2011 by Ken Zino

Porsche AG returned to the Detroit Auto Show for the first time in several years with a delicious 918 RSR single-seat racing car that uses a flywheel mounted on the passenger side to capture some of the energy normally wasted by converting kinetic energy to heat under braking. Continue reading →

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