Event Alert: February Calendar of Automotive Events

Thanks to your suggestions, we added a Google Calendar after the jump so you can bookmark it and constantly receive updates as we add them. We appreciate all of your input and hope you find our calendar a useful tool. We also appreciate your comments listing events we might have overlooked or that are just near-and-dear to your hearts. Event cancellation notices are also greatly appreciated.

Highlights for February include the Chicago Auto Show, which we will be covering obsessively from McCormick Place; the kickoff of the NASCAR and NHRA seasons with the Daytona 500 and the Winternationals, respectively; and the RetroMobile show in Paris. There's plenty of other fun stuff scheduled all over the country and indeed around the world.

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Bee Four revives BRM brand, reveals in-wheel motor source

It's been announced that the electric race car we were telling you about from Bee Automobiles Ltd will now contend for the British Speed Hill Climb Championship in 2010 as the BRM Bee Four ERV.

This revives the BRM (British Racing Motors) brand that was born 60 years ago and has a rich and proud history. This also delays the original plan by a year, but should give them the necessary time to introduce a car that is fully tested and ready to win. There is hope that we'll see it before then as it is rumored that it may make some cameos at events this year.
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VW Claims First and Second Place of the 2009 Dakar Rally

"It was just an incredible result for the Volkswagen team this year, with Giniel and Dirk taking the historic first diesel-powered win," said Clark Campbell, Volkswagen of America Motorsport Manager. "All of us here at Volkswagen of America are also especially proud of Mark and Ralph's tremendous finish this year as well."


History was made on several levels when the Volkswagen Factory Driving team won the 2009 Dakar Rally. It was the first time that a diesel-powered vehicle had won the Dakar, the first time VW itself had won the famous endurance race, the very first time the team posted a one-two finish and the first time ever that the Dakar Rally was not held in Europe and Africa. A lot of firsts indeed, but that's not all.


VW drivers Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz are South African and German respectively. Their teammates Mark Miller and Ralph Pitchford are American and South African respectively, making it the first one-two finish for South Africa as well. Miller became the highest finishing American to ever test the Dakar.


Because of geopolitical reasons and a terror threat it was decided last year to move the rally to South America where competitors experienced temperatures ranging from 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celcius) to below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celcius). The race started from the city of Buenos Aires in Argentina, went across to Chile and ended back in Argentina. Teams were subjected to varied terrain that encompassed hard stony ground, very high sand dunes, extreme passages through water and scaling the Andes Mountains.


Team Volkswagen made use of a special Race Touareg 2 TDI which is powered by a five-cylinder diesel turbo motor. It produces 280hp (206kW) and about approximately 440 lbs.ft. of torque. US consumers will get to test their own suburban rallying skills when the standard six-cylinder Touareg TDI appears at US dealers this spring.
via:World Car Fans




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Maserati 250F is voted the greatest racing car ever

Traffic in London’s Pall Mall came to a halt today (Thursday January 15th) when the “world’s greatest racing car” driven by rock legend Nick Mason from Pink Floyd called into the Royal Automobile Club.

The club welcomed the car after thousands of readers from Octane, one of Britain’s top motoring magazines, had voted for the car which had been nominated by Sir Stirling Moss.

Nick Mason said: “The accolade is well deserved. To many the 250F is the archetypal Grand Prix car and, apart from being one of the most beautiful, it is one of the most progressive and forgiving of racing cars to drive. Who can forget what must be the most iconic of motor racing images – Fangio in a full power-slide at the French Grand Prix in 1957, with battle scars evident on the nose? (The car that is, not the driver…).”

He added: “It was a great idea from Octane to get readers to vote for their favourite racing car and I am delighted that the 250F beat its rivals.”


The 250F competed between 1954 and 1958, during which time it won 55 races. It first raced in the 1954 Argentine Grand Prix in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio, who won the first of his two victories before he left for Mercedes Benz. Sir Stirling Moss raced his privately owned 250F for the full 1954 season. In 1956 he won the Italian Grand Prix and the Monaco Grand Prix in his private car.

In 1957, Fangio drove to four more championship victories, including his legendary win at the Nürburgring where he overcame a 50-second deficit in just 20 laps, passing the race leader on the final lap to take the win.

The cars were nominated by famous motor racing drivers and personalities, including Brian Redman, Damon Hill, Derek Bell, Carroll Shelby, Andy Wallace and Bobby Rahal. The Maserati 250F was put forward by Sir Stirling Moss, who said: “I have great affection for the 250F because it was the car that gave me my first proper break in Formula One.”

Now 79, Sir Stirling Moss is one of the best-known racers of all- time. He won 194 of the 497 races he entered, including 16 Formula One Grand Prixs.

Ben Cussons, Motoring Committee Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, said: “We are delighted to have the winning car featured outside the Club. The Maserati 250F combines the very best in both automotive design and racing car engineering of the era. Its style and appeal are timeless.”

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Sainz wins 10th stage in Dakar Rally

SANTIAGO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Spain's two-time rally world champion Carlos Sainz further extended his overall lead in the Dakar Rally on Tuesday as he won the 476 km 10th stage around Copiapo of Chile.

Sainz, who was winning his sixth stage of this year's edition and fourth in a row, beat U.S. driver Robby Gordon, and was 7 min 39 sec ahead of his American Volkswagen team-mate Mark Miller.


Spain's Carlos Sainz and co-driver Michel Perin drive their Volkswagen during the tenth stage of the South American edition of the Dakar 2009 rally, from Copiapo to Copiapo, January 13, 2009.

Spanish rider Jordi Viladoms, on a KTM, won the motorbike section, finishing 1min 06sec ahead of Franco-Malian rider Alain Duclos (KTM) and 8:29 ahead of Portuguese biker Helder Rodriguez, also on a KTM.

Viladoms' compatriot Marc Coma retained the overall lead and increased his lead over second placed rider David Fretigne of France despite finishing 12 min 17 sec behind the stage winner.

The start of the stage was delayed two-and-a-half hours with the Chilean race venue of Copiapo enshrouded in thick morning fog.


Spain Marc Coma rides his KTM during the tenth stage of the South American edition of the Dakar 2009 from Copiapo to Copiapo January 13, 2009.


France's Alain Duclos rides his KTM during the tenth stage of the South American edition of the Dakar 2009 rally, from Copiapo to Copiapo, January 13, 2009.


France's Cyril Despres rides his KTM during the tenth stage of the South American edition of the Dakar 2009 rally, from Copiapo to Copiapo, January 13, 2009.


Robby Gordon of the U.S. and co-driver Andy Grider drive their Hummer during the tenth stage of the South American edition of the Dakar 2009 rally, from Copiapo to Copiapo, January 13, 2009.


Chile's Francisco Lopez rides his KTM during the tenth stage of the South American edition of the Dakar 2009 rally, from Copiapo to Copiapo, January 13, 2009.


Netherlands' Herwin De Roo (front) rides his Yamaha during the tenth stage of the South American edition of the Dakar 2009 rally, from Copiapo to Copiapo, January 13, 2009

2008 25 Hours of LeMons at Thunderhill: In the pits and on the track

Imagine this: text-message updates on your favorite LeMons teams that includes their last lap time and overall position. Or real-time telemetry data streaming online. How about pictures and analysis, straight from the track and beamed down through the tubes right into your home? Fantasy? Hardly.

When you get hundreds of die-hard DIY types together for a weekend of wheel-to-wheel racing, anything's possible. Unless, of course, the one necessary component – a stable internet connection – is missing from the equation. And so concludes our overall coverage of the 2008 24 Hours of LeMons at Thunderhill. After battling wonky wifi and sketchy EVDO connections, we bailed on the race late last night so we could give you a brief snippet of the action outside of Willows.
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Spied: Nissan GT-R FIA GT Spec Race Car

Nissan have recently been testing their latest race car prototype which is most likely for the FIA GT racing at circuits in Japan. Above we can see a photo of the car testing at Fuji Speedway. AutoSport magazine with another set of spy pics also just hit news stands in Japan.


Giant AP Racing brakes from the SuperGT series cars find there place behind the Rays forged aluminium wheels which are also taken straight from SuperGT. The rear wing is also a new GT spec item which may have some relation to it’s SuperGT cousin.


Some of the obvious changes we see hint at some significant upgrades. Front bumper is replaced with a carbon item with a more aggressive splitter, the front fenders are flared out and built from carbon as well. The wide body continues along the side skirts to the rear quarters which are bulked out and vented for the rear brakes.
via gtrblog.com



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Chrysler to remain in NASCAR despite cost cuts

Chrysler LLC has decided not to pull its sponsorship from NASCAR, a company executive told Reuters. Instead, the cash-poor company will cut spending on the race circuit by 30 percent.
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Ford Focus RS gets driving debut by 'Flying Finn' Marcus Grönholm in Wales

The production Focus RS will feature the same 2.5 liter, 5 cylinder Duratec turbocharged engine currently found in the Focus ST. But this new variant will be pumping out 300 horses, compared to the ST's 225.

Peak torque will also be a substantial 440 Nm. Ford has achieved those numbers by tweaking the 2.5 liter power plant with new a cylinder head and gasket, special camshafts and a new intake and manifold system (and likely a little chip tuning, although Ford doesn't mention that). 0 to 100 km/h comes in at under 6 seconds and top speed is 161 mph, or 260 km/h.


The RS badge, of course, was born from rally racing (it stands for Rallye Sport) and Ford has chosen former WRC Champion Marcus Grönholm, who began his career in rally racing back in 1987 with a Ford Escort, to introduce the car to the public at the last race of the WRC season.



The RS will come with all the expected colors of Ford tradition. Performance Blue, echoing the blue oval logo, will be the mainstay of the RS. It will also be available in Ultimate Green and Frozen White. No ST-style orange, though, perhaps to keep that model distinct from the RS.


Move over Focus ST, here comes the Ford Focus RS...again.

Yes, the RS badge is back on the Focus after a 6 year hiatus. And Ford has found just the right event at which to debut the new RS - at the WRC Wales Rally GB.


But, alas, the Focus RS remains front-wheel drive. The Quaife Automatic Torque Biasing limited-slip differential and something called a RevoKnuckle front-suspension system are supposed to make up for that and control all that power coming through the front axle. But one has the right to be skeptical here. The last RS was a success at this dilemma, but that was only 215 hp spinning the front wheels.


At 300 hp this may be Ford's most powerful production car in Europe, but let's hope its not too much for a front-wheel drive Focus to handle.
Source:World Car Fans



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2008 25 Hours of Thunderhill: #19 Mazdaspeed/Team MER1 2006 Mazda MX-5 WINS overall!

Before we get to the results and wrap-ups, just a quick apology to all of you following along at home. Thunderhill's wifi left a lot to be desired -- namely, a steady connection -- and our EVDO card was constantly struggling to keep a signal, let alone allow us to post galleries and on-the-fly standings.

Thankfully, by the time the 24 Hours of LeMons rolls around in a few weeks, the track will supposedly have a T1 connection for blazing uploads and constant updates. Thanks for your patience. On to the good stuff...
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2008 25 Hours of Thunderhill: Powerslides and peg-legs

The sun has set and the fog is beginning to roll in. But before darkness descended on Thunderhill, we were able to catch some of the contenders in action, including the ultra-quick pit-stop performed by the Cytosport team, the everlasting Scion (yes, that's an air-jack setup) and plenty of peg-leg performances from our favorite front drivers.

Check it out in the gallery below and follow the action live at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill website.
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Photos & Video: Audi R8 LMS Hits the Racetrack

How do you improve on perfection? That is the opening line for Audi's new promotional video on the Audi R8 LMS. The well-shot, fun to watch, two minute long video shows the Audi R8 LMS as it jumps off the line and takes a blazing fast lap around a racetrack.


As we previously reported, the LMS will be a part of Formula GT3 beginning next year, with LMS customers as the actual race drivers. As many as eight of these drivers will compete in a variety of European circuits.


Getting 500 horsepower from its V10, the Audi R8 LMS will be a sought after variant for fans of the R8. The car has a six speed sequential gearbox so the driver can take full control as he or she pushes the car around the track. The Audi R8 LMS comes with a €262,000 pre-tax price tag. More Photos






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Mugello_ Rossi in Rosso: MotoGP star drives Ferrari F2008

The Ferrari World Finals at Mugello finished a few weeks ago. But someone appeared to have forgotten to tell the tifosi, as a loyal garrison of the Scuderia's most loyal fans, thousand-strong, came back out last week to the track. After the Challenge series were decided, the 16M Scuderia Spider unveiled, the FXX program ran its laps and the fans celebrated the Formula One constructors' championship, what exactly were they hoping still to see? How about the prospect of seeing an Italian driver piloting an Italian F1 car around one of Italy's most famous tracks? And not just any driver, but Valentino Rossi, a world champion with credentials to rival Schumacher's.
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Event Alert: December Calendar of Automotive Events

We started our monthly calendar of events last month and learned almost immediately that we will never be able to make it as comprehensive as everyone would like, but that's where you come in. Take a look at the list we've put together for December after the jump, and if you see changes that need to be made or events you'd like to add, leave a comment with event info and a link. Once again we've used two of our favorite resources: the New York Times automotive calendar for national and international stuff, and for local stuff here in Southern California, our buddy Dave Lindsay's SoCalCarCulture pages. Dave's photos from these local events are fantastic.
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2009 Audi R8 LMS Details

'We know just how important motorsport is for the success of the brand,' emphasises Michael Dick, who as Chairman of the Board for Technical Development is responsible for the AUDI AG motorsport programme. 'Therefore it goes without saying that Audi must also be present on the race track in economically hard times. It is all the more important for us to enter a motorsport category in which the cost-benefit calculation is positive.'
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Car News: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Super Trofeo

Lamborghini has high hopes for their Gallardo Super Trofeo on the racing circuit, especially now that the car has surpassed everyone's expectations by posting lap times faster than any ever recorded with a single-brand trophy race car.


To deal with these challenges Lamborghini allows the Gallardo Super Trofeo to be calibrated depending on the driver and the track it will be driven on. Test driver Giorgio Sanna credits the Gallardo's all-wheel drive system and the aerodynamic downforce with giving the car exceptional handling. The Super Trofeo is the only one-make series in the motorsport world to feature cars with all-wheel drive, giving it an edge up on competitors.


The car was being tested for the first time under simulated race conditions at the Vallelunga Race Track outside Rome by the Lamborghini development team and driven by test driver Giorgio Sanna when the records were broken. It is scheduled to make its first racing debut on May 2, 2009 at Silverstone. The race will last 40 minutes and during that time the driver will not be allowed to change tires, putting higher demands on both the driver and the tires.


A total of 30 Super Trofeo cars will be built and are available to individual enthusiasts and Lamborghini dealer teams, additionally one car will be entered by Lamborghini itself.


Based on the new Gallardo LP 560-4, it is powered by a 5.2-liter V10 with direct injection which produces 419 kW (570 hp). The car also features the e.gear transmission, competition tires from Pirelli, a special racing brake system, additional carbon-fiber exterior bodywork, an ultra-light race seat, a racing steering wheel, and unique racing instrumentation.
Source:World Car Fans



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