Racing
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The dedicated motorsport version of KTM’s X-Bow track car has been comprehensively updated for the 2018 season. The updates are aimed at improving the reliability of the GT4-spec race car and thereby reducing the running costs for teams. Responsible for the X-Bow GT4 project is Germany’s Reiter Engineering, best known for churning out race cars based on Lamborghinis. For the 2018 X-Bow GT4, a new Holinger transmission has been installed, which is designed to run twice as long as the previous unit. Chassis components such as the suspension wishbones and the wheel center locks are...
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Group B rally racing was too dangerous to live onWhen someone mentions Group B, enthusiasts' minds immediately recall thoughts of monstrous racers with insane amounts of horsepower, wild body kits, and incredible danger. Danger. That's the one reason why Group B was not long for this world. Donut Media dedicated a whole episode to the history of...
Sean Szymkowski -
Mazda ends relationship with Laguna SecaBack in 2001 Mazda teamed up with a wonderful sliver of tarmac located in Monterey, California called Laguna Seca. The result of this sponsorship became Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. That's still the name, but only for another few months. Why? Because Mazda has decided not to renew its naming rights...
Jeff Glucker -
Toyota boss hints at Le Mans-inspired hybrid sports carIn announcing on Tuesday Toyota’s commitment to future seasons of the World Endurance Championship, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, company president Akio Toyoda dropped a major hint that Toyota might be working on a hybrid sports car utilizing technology derived from the company’s...
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 -
A pit stop can be a work of art or an exercise in tragedy. In Formula 1, they can be completed in mere seconds, while some racing series have mandated minimum times before a car can leave the pit lane. The folks at FCP Euro hung out at the edge of the pit to document the dance that is a racing pit stop, and the resulting video provides some wonderful insight into what's taking place. The team providing this view is MARC Cars, which was competing in a recent round of endurance racing here in the States. The track is Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the cars being used are V-8-swapped Mazda 3 race...
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The sky's the limit: flying car racing series under developmentAustralia bid goodbye to local automobile manufacturing this past October as the final Holden Commodore rolled off the assembly line, but perhaps the country will be at the forefront of another transportation sector: flying cars. One Aussie's idea isn't an unmanned transportation pod, however...
Sean Szymkowski -
Aston Martin could race Valkyrie at Le Mans if regulations changeAston Martin envisions a redefined LMP1 class at Le Mans if the FIA changes regulations to allow race-modified versions of hypercars to compete. If that were to happen, it would include the Aston Martin Valkyrie. The marque's CEO, Andy Palmer, told Autocar in a report published on Monday that the...
Sean Szymkowski -
Audi and Porsche: Formula E pair may have tenuous bondAudi has been a part of Formula E since the inaugural 2014-2015 season, and now fields its own team. Soon Porsche will enter the field and the two brands will effectively compete against one another in the 2019-2020 season. Rather than outright rival one another, both brands will hold discussions...
Sean Szymkowski -
Could Maserati follow Alfa Romeo with F1 return?Could Maserati be about to follow in the footsteps of fellow Fiat Chrysler Automobiles brand Alfa Romeo and make a return to Formula 1? According to Auto Express’ sources, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne is preparing a similar deal to the one between Alfa Romeo and Sauber for Maserati and American...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Volkswagen reveals Polo GTI R5 rally carPrior to pulling out of the World Rally Championship at the end of the 2016 season, Volkswagen had been developing a new rally car based on the sixth-generation Polo hatchback. Rather than let the design go to waste, as well as the experience gained from 4-straight WRC titles (from 2013-2016)...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Just days after it was revealed that Alfa Romeo was returning to Formula One after nearly 30 years away from the sport, the livery that will adorn the Italian brand’s cars next season has now been revealed. Note, Alfa Romeo is not returning as a constructor, nor is it returning as a power unit supplier; two capacities the brand has served in previously. Instead, Alfa Romeo is serving as title sponsor and technical partner of current F1 team Sauber. The partnership is thus different to the one between BMW and Sauber that ran from 2006 to 2009, as BMW owned and ran the team. Alfa...
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Cadillac celebrates 2017 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship title with special V-Series modelsCadillac is celebrating its win in the 2017 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s premier Prototype class with some special versions of its sporty V-Series models. Called the Championship Editions, the cars are based on the 2018 ATS-V, ATS-V Coupe and CTS-V, and offer a number of sporty...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing first to join Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy electric race seriesFormula E will gain a supplementary series for the 2018/2019 season with the Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy series, a one-make series that will pit 20 Jaguar I-Pace electric crossovers against one another. On Tuesday, we learned of the first team to sign on. None other than Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is...
Sean Szymkowski -
Alfa Romeo makes F1 returnAlfa Romeo is returning to the Formula 1 World Championship after three decades away from the sport. The Italian automaker won’t be fielding its own team, though. Instead, it will serve as title sponsor and technical partner to Sauber in a multi-year deal starting from 2018. In this way, Alfa...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Behind the scenes with the development of the Aston Martin Vantage GTEAston Martin has been quite successful in the world of motorsport. The British automaker has been pushing its cars on the racetrack since the 1950s. In recent years, Aston Martin Racing has had strong results running in various GT endurance races around the globe, with a notable first-in-class...
Jeff Glucker -
Faraday Future out of Formula E as Dragon Racing partnership endsFaraday Future looks to be out of Formula E after just one season. The struggling electric car startup became the title sponsor and technical partner of the Dragon Racing Formula E team in July 2016, with the team rebranded Faraday Future Dragon Racing for the 2016/2017 season. However, the team...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mercedes-AMG’s Valtteri Bottas concluded the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship with a decisive win on Sunday at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It was Bottas’ third F1 victory and his first at the Yas Marina Circuit where the race was held. Behind him was fellow Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. Despite already securing the 2017 title several weeks earlier, Hamilton didn’t let up on the pace in Abu Dhabi and ended up finishing just 3.899 seconds behind Bottas. In third place was Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, 19.330 seconds behind the winner. The race wasn’t what...
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2017 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix previewThe 2017 Formula 1 World Championship concludes with this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. There were high hopes going into the 2017 season that the top teams would be more competitive. And in the first half there were plenty of great battles as Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mini John Cooper Works Buggy revealed for 2018 Dakar RallyMini and the X-Raid Team will head to the 2018 Dakar Rally with not one, but two rally racers. The Mini John Cooper Works Rally will return, but the all-new John Cooper Works Buggy also will tear up the terrain. Mini revealed the Buggy rally racer Tuesday and noted its rear-wheel-drive layout...
Sean Szymkowski -
McLaren to launch one-make racing series in 2018, new 720S GT3 race car in 2019McLaren wants to take the owners of its cars racing and on Tuesday announced plans for a new GT one-make race series coming in 2018. Alongside the race series announcement, McLaren also revealed that a new 720S GT3 race car is under development and will arrive for track duty in 2019. The one-make...
Sean Szymkowski -
Aston Martin Vantage GTE race car revealed on heels of 2019 Vantage road carJust hours after revealing the 2019 Vantage production car, Aston Martin took the wraps off the racing version, the Vantage GTE. The race car replaces the most successful Aston Martin racer of all time, the V8 Vantage GTE, and will be the brand's entry in the FIA World Endurance Championship...
Kirk Bell -
Danica Patrick to retire from motorsports after 2018 Indy 500Next year, NASCAR will see another high-profile retirement following Dale Earnhardt, Jr's final race, which took place yesterday. Danica Patrick announced she will retire from motorsport following two final races. She'll run NASCAR's season-opening Daytona 500 and one last race at the 2018...
Sean Szymkowski