24 Hours of Le Mans
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McLaren on Tuesday confirmed that star driver Fernando Alonso will take time out from his busy schedule in the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship to contend some rounds for Toyota in the 2018/2019 super season of the World Endurance Championship. Yes, we're finally going to see the double-F1 world champion behind the wheel of a competitive car in top-level motorsport once again. One of the WEC rounds he'll be at is the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, thus fulfilling a lifelong dream of his. The Spaniard has frequently mentioned a desire to win motorsport's Triple Crown, i.e. the Monaco Grand...
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First LMP1 racer for revamped 2018/2019 WEC season revealedMost readers won’t be familiar with the Ginetta name but that should change in the very near future. The British motorsport company is one of the biggest race car constructors in the world, and it also offers a line of sports cars for road use. Now Ginetta's also offering a race car for top...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Class-winning Le Mans racer rolls into Jay Leno's GarageIf someone ever utters the phrase, "Do you want to see my class-winning Le Mans race car?" to you, the answer is always yes. It's unlikely that you'll hear such a phrase, however, unless your first name is Jay and your last one Leno. Such a phrase was said to Jay, and thankfully he answered...
Jeff Glucker -
Toyota to remain in World Endurance Championship, Le MansWith Porsche’s July announcement of an exit from the World Endurance Championship, both Toyota and organizers of the series were left with the dilemma of there going to be just one manufacturer in the premier LMP1 class next season. The organizers, which include the ACO and FIA, have...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Alonso tests Toyota LMP1, Hartley signed by Toro Rosso F1 teamFernando Alonso is testing the waters in more race series outside of Formula 1 than just the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The Spaniard is already confirmed to be competing in the 24 Hours of Daytona next January, the opening race of the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2018 World Endurance Championship will see Ginetta LMP1 hit the trackBritish motorsport and engineering firm Ginetta has announced that a team will field two of its new LMP1-spec prototype racecars in the 2018 World Endurance Championship. Still in development, the prototype is expected to be roughly 130 pounds lighter than a current LMP2-spec car. Power, meanwhile...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
While BMW holds off on unveiling the production version of its new 8-Series a while longer, the Bavarian automaker is whetting our palettes with the debut of the BMW M8 GTE racecar at this week's 2017 Frankfurt motor show. It's not the "8" we'll see on the street, but the M8 GTE program has run parallel with the road car's development and more accurately portrays the production model than the 8-Series concept we saw earlier in the year. This is especially true for the grille shape, lights and profile. A 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine will power the M8 GTE, though its power will be restricted...
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Porsche commits to Formula E, ends LMP1 campaignPorsche on Friday confirmed plans to enter the Formula E Championship with its own factory-backed team starting in the 2019/2020 season, the electric car racing series’ sixth. It means Porsche will be entering Formula E at the same time as Mercedes-Benz, though it will be a year later than...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: Porsche killing LMP1 program, announcement imminentPorsche's storied run in the World Endurance Championship may be sprinting toward its ultimate demise. Earlier this month it was reported that the automaker may leave the race series in favor of joining Formula 1, as a power unit supplier. An official announcement from Porsche could come within 24...
Joel Feder -
Alpine promoted to Le Mans podium after Vaillante Rebellion disqualificationThere’s been a shakeup in the results of last weekend’s 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans regarding the LMP2 class. The No. 13 Vaillante Rebellion Oerca 07 which placed third, thanks to the efforts of Nelson Piquet Jr, Mathias Beche and David Heinemeier Hansson, was disqualified on Monday...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Watch Ken Block blast the 2017 Ford GT at Le MansOnly a lucky few have been given the tick of approval—500 individuals so far—from Ford to own the modern GT supercar. Yes, it's a rare and beautiful thing. However, we understand why someone like Ken Block would be offered the chance to muscle one around the 24 Hours of Le Mans' Circuit...
Sean Szymkowski -
LMP1 Hybrids will require an electric-only mode in 2020There’s no doubt vehicle electrification is going to play a major role in the development of new cars in the coming decade. Organizers of motorsport, even at the highest levels, are well aware of this and are reshaping the regulations to ensure the technology of the racing world doesn’t...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Porsche pulled off a miracle finish at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sunday when it’s No. 2 919 Hybrid LMP1 driven by Earl Bamber, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley crossed the finish line first, despite being stuck in the pits for over an hour at one point. The miracle was made possible due to reliability problems that plagued Toyota’s TS050 Hybrids. Hopes were high of a first Toyota win when the pole position-winning No. 7 TS050 Hybrid led for the opening 10 hours, but a clutch problem meant the car had to retire. The No. 8 TS050 Hybrid had also been in contention for almost...
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Toyota’s Kobayashi secures 2017 Le Mans pole with record lapKamui Kobayashi driving the No. 7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid during qualifying for the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans has smashed the lap record and in the process secured pole position for this weekend’s race. The ex-Formula One driver's time during the second qualifying session on Thursday was 3:14.791...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Get ready for Le Mans with this 360-degree view lap in a Porsche 919 HybridTeams are currently qualifying for the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans which runs June 17-18. You can get a sense of what it’s like to head out on the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe where the race is held thanks to this interactive video. (Note, the video doesn’t work in all browsers.) The...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ford GT struggles at test day ahead of 24 Hours of Le MansFord arrived at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans with one mission: to do right by the brand's historic 1-2-3 finish at the race in 1966. Ford was indeed successful and placed first, third, and fourth in the GTE-Pro class. This year is shaping up differently, however. After Sunday's Le Man's test day...
Sean Szymkowski -
French team to race wild Corvette C7.R art car in 24 Hours of Le MansFrench race team Larbre Competition has revealed a wild livery for the No. 50 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R it plans to enter in the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, which runs the weekend starting June 17. The livery was created by French artist Ramzi Adek who came up with a pop art theme that would fit right...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW M8 teased, will race at Le MansBMW M used this weekend’s M Festival held at the Nürburgring to confirm an M8 performance flagship will form part of the new 8-Series range currently in the works. The first member of the new range will be a regular 8-Series coupe. It debuts in 2018 and was previewed on Friday at the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Amazon is tapping into the love of motorsport. The company's Prime streaming service has announced it will debut a new documentary series that revolves around the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans titled, "Le Mans: Racing Is Everything." The documentary series will be aired exclusively on Amazon and is currently in production with leadership from London-based New Black Films, Emmy Award-nominated director James Erskine, and producer Victoria Gregory. Amazon says the series will explore the "Mount Everest of motorsports" and take viewers through the historic lineage of the motorsport event that has...
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Ford planned to race the Mustang at Le Mans, before deciding on the GTThe automotive world collectively gasped when Ford rolled out quite the surprise at the 2015 Detroit auto show. The blue oval welcomed the GT back into its portfolio of performance vehicles, and it had its sights on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Believe it or not, the rebirth of the iconic GT almost...
Sean Szymkowski -
2017 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 out to defend WEC, Le Mans titlesPorsche has revealed the new LMP1-spec race car that it hopes will earn it its third-straight title in both the World Endurance Championship and the event highlight, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The new car is still classified as a 919 Hybrid, but it is significantly improved compared to the 919...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota reveals 2017 TS050 Hybrid LMP1 endurance racerA new season of the World Endurance Championship is nearly upon us and Toyota will be back to chase the title. The automaker will do so with the 2017 TS050 Hybrid revealed today and destined to compete in the premier LMP1 class. This is the car Toyota hopes will finally earn it victory in the 24...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mazzanti is new technical partner of LMP2 team Cetilar Villorba CorseItalian supercar Mazzanti, maker of the 1,000-horsepower Evantra Millecavalli, has joined forces with Italian racing team Cetilar Villorba Corse. Cetilar Villorba Corse competes in a number of endurance events, the premier one being the 24 Hours of Le Mans in which it competes in the LMP2 class...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Historic Alpine Le Mans prototype preserved in French shedIt's hard to imagine a more romantic barn find than a dust-covered Le Mans prototype quietly sitting, waiting, in a dilapidated wood shed covered with moss in the south of France. When vintage car racer/restorer Graham Long and I first saw it on a cold, winter evening, it was as if we'd stumbled...
Mitch McCullough