Motor Authority - blog Tag: GT1

The Corvette C6.R GT1 car had its last hurrah at the Long Beach leg of the American Le Mans Series GT1 championship, but today General Motors unveiled the car that will be replacing it - the C6.R GT2, based on the Corvette ZR1.

With the season half over already, Corvette Racing will be using the final five rounds to test and develop the car for next year. The decision to run the car in GT2 is based in part on an upcoming move to a unified GT category in ALMS racing, which will pit the ZR1-based racer against the likes of Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche, Viper, Jaguar, BMW, Panoz and Ford.

"The global movement toward a single GT class will... The Corvette C6.R GT1 car had its last hurrah at the Long Beach leg of the American Le Mans Series GT1 championship, but today General Motors unveiled the car that will be replacing it - the C6.R GT2, based on the Corvette ZR1. With the season half over already, Corvette Racing will be using the final five rounds to test and develop the car for next year. The decision to run the car in GT2 is based in part on an upcoming move to a unified GT category in ALMS racing, which will pit the ZR1-based racer against the likes of Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche, Viper, Jaguar, BMW, Panoz and Ford. "The global movement toward a single GT class will allow us to compete head-to-head with more marketplace competitors while increasing both the production content of the Corvette C6.R race cars and the relevance of racing to our customers. This is a step that positions Corvette for the future of production-based sports car racing worldwide, and a move that is perfectly aligned with GM's marketing and business objectives in racing," said Mark Kent, GM Racing manager. This radical change in GT regulations precipitated the redesign of the Corvette C6.R package. The new car uses the production aluminum hyrdoformed frame complemented with an integrated tubular steel safety cage instead of a ground-up steel frame as in the GT1 car. In addition, ZR1 production-style fenders replace the GT1's wide, louvered units and the rear wing is cut back by 25% in width, while the rest of the car's aero is also reduced or limited to production levels. For the remainder of 2009, the new C6.Rs will get their power from a 470hp 6.0L GM small-block V8 based on the 7.0L LS7.R under the hood of the GT1 version. For next season, the displacement will be cut even further to 5.5L. Both engines run on E85R racing ethanol. The first race for the new GT2 car will be the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio this coming Saturday, August 8. It will be televised on ABC at 2:30pm Sunday, August 9.Corvette C6.R GT2 race car Read More

This coming weekend Nissan will bring its iconic GT-R back to the Spa 24 Hours race in Belgium, the scene of the firm's dominant win in the grueling event back in 1991 with the R32 Skyline GT-R Group A car. Since shakedown in December of 2008, the GT-R has completed over 10,000km of testing, including its pair of appearances in the FIA GT Championship, and is now fully prepared for its biggest challenge of the current season.

The new car's outings in the European-based GT championship are a precursor to a full assault on the series next season. Its recent entry at the Oschersleben (Germany) FIA GT event was a good simulation for the Spa 24... This coming weekend Nissan will bring its iconic GT-R back to the Spa 24 Hours race in Belgium, the scene of the firm's dominant win in the grueling event back in 1991 with the R32 Skyline GT-R Group A car. Since shakedown in December of 2008, the GT-R has completed over 10,000km of testing, including its pair of appearances in the FIA GT Championship, and is now fully prepared for its biggest challenge of the current season. The new car's outings in the European-based GT championship are a precursor to a full assault on the series next season. Its recent entry at the Oschersleben (Germany) FIA GT event was a good simulation for the Spa 24 Hours and its notoriously changeable weather. Belgium's Circuit de Spa Francorchamps is one of Europe's most venerable racetracks, with a history to match. The Spa 24 Hours was first run just one year after the famous Le Mans 24 Hours got its start, back in 1924. Until 2000, the Spa 24 Hours was a race for touring cars, and made the switch to the more powerful GT category in 2001, since when it has also been a part of the FIA GT Championship. For full details on Nissan’s FIA-spec R35 GT-R GT1 race car, check out our previous story by clicking here.R35 Nissan GT-R FIA-GT1 race car2010 FIA GT1 race cars Read More

The 2009 season of the FIA GT Championship got underway with the official media launch and test days, which took place at the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit earlier this week. Cars from the FIA GT Championship, the FIA GT3 European Championship and the GT4 European Cup were entered for the test days, with a total of 49 cars taking part over the two day event. Two special cars, built according to the 2010 GT1 technical regulations, were also included in the event. They were the Nissan GT-R and the Ford GT1.

A number of changes to the motorsport series will be taking place for 2009, including a calendar reduced to eight events, the removal of... The 2009 season of the FIA GT Championship got underway with the official media launch and test days, which took place at the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit earlier this week. Cars from the FIA GT Championship, the FIA GT3 European Championship and the GT4 European Cup were entered for the test days, with a total of 49 cars taking part over the two day event. Two special cars, built according to the 2010 GT1 technical regulations, were also included in the event. They were the Nissan GT-R and the Ford GT1. A number of changes to the motorsport series will be taking place for 2009, including a calendar reduced to eight events, the removal of development tires, and less team assistance. The FIA also announced plans for the GT1 World project. The 2010 GT1 World project aims to set up a World Championship title for independent teams, with 12 events in 12 countries, on five continents. Letters of intent have been received from circuits in Argentina, Australia, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Romania, Russia, Bulgaria, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. The single GT1 class would consist of six brands, a maximum of 24 cars, two cars per team and two teams per brand. Hans Reiter, from Reiter Engineering, also confirmed at the event that he would be building a new generation GT1 car : “As some of you may know, Lamborghini has recently released a new version of the Murcielago, SV version, 670hp, 6.7L, and this will be our car for the GT1 World Championship. Unfortunately, the car is not ready yet as the car was only launched in March, but should be ready for the second part of the season,” he explained.Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV2010 FIA GT1 race cars Read More

Nissan is just a year out from entering its giant-killing GT-R supercar into an FIA sanctioned GT1 race, with the company confirming that a race-prepped version will be available for sale to teams competing in the FIA-GT1 class early next year. We will get our first taste of the new car on May 3rd in Silverstone, however, as the Nismo-developed racer will run as a non-championship entry in four races this year to check its performance.

Nismo will be partnering with Gigawave MotorSport to finalize testing of the car, with drivers Michael Krumm and Darren Turner likely to compete this year. Gigawave MotorSport, a racing team based in county... Nissan is just a year out from entering its giant-killing GT-R supercar into an FIA sanctioned GT1 race, with the company confirming that a race-prepped version will be available for sale to teams competing in the FIA-GT1 class early next year. We will get our first taste of the new car on May 3rd in Silverstone, however, as the Nismo-developed racer will run as a non-championship entry in four races this year to check its performance. Nismo will be partnering with Gigawave MotorSport to finalize testing of the car, with drivers Michael Krumm and Darren Turner likely to compete this year. Gigawave MotorSport, a racing team based in county Essex, England, has been competing in the FIA GT Championship since 2007. The team's parent company Gigawave is an official partner of the FIA GT Championship and provides on-board cameras for real-time coverage of the races. The race packs a unique VK56DE V8 engine displacing 5.6L and developing up to 600hp (447kW) and 480lb-ft (650Nm) of torque. Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a Ricardo six-speed transaxle and 5.5in carbon-fiber triple plate clutch. Stopping power comes from carbon-ceramic discs with six-piston calipers all ‘round, and these are housed within 18in forged alloy wheels from Rays. Other pieces include a full carbon-fiber Nismo bodykit, GT-style wing, plastic windows, and a vented bonnet. Other details include a rumored ¥65,000,000 ($720,000) asking price and a kerb weight of just 2,976lbs (the production model weighs 3,792lbs). Via: Zerotohundred.comR35 Nissan GT-R FIA-GT1 race car2010 FIA GT1 race cars Read More

Just when you think there’s nothing more to see or read about Nissan’s GT-R supercar, images of a mysterious prototype start to crop up on the internet. The latest shot depicts a car with several features you would normally find on a GT style race car, leading to speculation that Nissan is planning to take its GT-R into the international motorsports arena.

According to Japan’s Auto Sport magazine, where this image was sourced, Nissan is planning an assault on the FIA-GT1 series or possibly Le Mans endurance racing.

While Nissan is yet to reveal any specs for the race car, or even confirm its existence, it is expected to... Just when you think there’s nothing more to see or read about Nissan’s GT-R supercar, images of a mysterious prototype start to crop up on the internet. The latest shot depicts a car with several features you would normally find on a GT style race car, leading to speculation that Nissan is planning to take its GT-R into the international motorsports arena. According to Japan’s Auto Sport magazine, where this image was sourced, Nissan is planning an assault on the FIA-GT1 series or possibly Le Mans endurance racing. While Nissan is yet to reveal any specs for the race car, or even confirm its existence, it is expected to feature a Nismo bodykit, GT-style wing, plastic windows, uprated brakes and tires, and a vented bonnet. The car is also rumored to be running a naturally-aspirated 4.5L VK45DE V8 engine instead of the production model’s twin-turbo 3.8L V6. The V8 mill is the same unit used by Nissan for its SuperGT race car. Other details include a rumored ¥65,000,000 ($720,000) asking price, a kerb weight of just 2,976lbs (the production model weighs 3,792lbs), and a power output of 592hp (442kW) and 506lb-ft (685Nm) of torque. One of the benefits of Nissan competing in motorsports with its GT-R is the introduction of street-legal homologation special. For its latest R35 GT-R, Nissan is once again expected to revive the LM badge for a detuned version of its GT-R race car, but like previous generations it will be very exclusive. Production is tipped to be limited to just 300 units and pricing could go as high as ¥18,000,000 ($200,000). Via: GTRCenterNissan GT-R FIA-GT1 race car prototype spy shots Read More