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Showing posts with the label motorsports

2017 Ferrari motorsports documentary set for wide video on-demand release July 24

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In case you missed the documentary Ferrari: Race to Immortality when it launched with mixed reviews to DVD last fall, you will soon have another viewing option. According to an announcement from Freestyle Digital Media, the film will launch widely to video on demand platforms on Tuesday, July 24. Auto Enthusiasts Newsblaster will publish additional details about viewing options as we receive them. Meanwhile, you can enjoy the trailer above.

Bridgestone confirms continued sponsorship of biennial 1,878-mile race of solar-powered cars

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Photo: Bridgestone media website. With some motorsports events and venues, you can be confident that nearly every enthusiast knows about them. Even if you’re a newcomer, it won’t be very long before you start stumbling across references to the benchmark events of the sport, like the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It’s ba-aaaack! Toyota’s motorsports program makes it official: Supra will return to the track in 2019 NASCAR season

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Toyota Xfinity Supra. Photo: Toyota USA Newsroom Toyota announced last week that the automaker’s official racing program will return the Toyota Supra to the track next year, with the debut set for Saturday, February 16, 2019, in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona.

Volkswagen, Dumas electrify the automotive world with all-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb record.

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Photo: Volkswagen U.S. media website. As covered in our article just over a month ago, Volkswagen said they would do it. And on Sunday, they did it. Those of us who have been watching the advances in electric vehicle technology have known it for a while. But in case you haven’t been paying attention, something happened at Pikes Peak this week to add a big, public, exclamation point to the reality that electric vehicles aren’t just for tree-huggers any more.

13 vintage and modern GM race cars now on display at GM Renaissance Center in Detroit

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1967 Camaro Indy 500 pace car. Photo: GM Corporate Newsroom. An exhibition honoring GM's motorsports heritage opened to the public last week at GM World, a space providing visitors with a year-round car show experience at the GM Renaissance Center.

Volkswagen builds a stunning new electric race car to tackle Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

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Photo: Volkswagen U.S. Media Site No, you haven't seen a Volkswagen like this before. And, yes—it's glorious. A stunning vehicle like this can do much to transform the image that comes into the mind of the skeptical car enthusiast on hearing the phrase "electric car." This one certainly isn't built for the stereotypical tree-hugging, latte-sipping environmentally-correct eco-car owner.

"So a Camry, a Prius, and a Corvette drive onto a racetrack—" Why are you laughing? This isn't a joke.

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Photo: Toyota USA Newsroom. Seriously. The above headline is not a setup for some kind of corny car-guy punchline. It's for real. And let me preface this by saying that I'm not  a Toyota basher at all. In fact, I own a Toyota. That said, I do share a certain level of the sensibility of many in the automotive press—among them Todd Deeken and Paul Schmucker of Everyday Driver , for instance—that the Toyota Camry and Toyota Prius can be looked at as archetypes of the "appliance on wheels" concept.

BMW Group set to debut new 8 Series coupe at Le Mans

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Photo: BMW media website. The highways may be awash with crossovers, but luxury sports coupes are alive and well at the BMW Group, with the debut of the new BMW 8 Series Coupe set for Le Mans on June 15, the eve of the 2018 edition of the legendary 24-hour long-distance race.

Got an Extra Couple-Hundred Euros in Your Pocket? Why Not Hail a Jaguar Race Taxi at Green Hell?

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Photo: Jaguar media website. If an extra €199 is burning a hole in your pocket and you'll be in the vicinity of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, why not take a thrill ride in a Jaguar Race Taxi on what is reputed to be the world's most demanding track—the Nürburgring Nordschleife, known affectionately in the motorsports world as Green Hell?

Toyota Aims to Boost Performance Cred of the Camry—Yes, You Read That Right

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Photo: Toyota media website. In the midst of high-profile recent announcements of GM and Ford phasing out storied sedan models like Impala and Taurus, Toyota is focusing on boosting the performance cred of what has, historically, been denigrated by auto enthusiasts as perhaps the most infamous example of an unexciting grocery-getter by entering three Toyota Camrys in a challenging 3,657 mile rally.

Opel to Celebrate 50th Birthday of the Opel GT at the Bodensee Klassik Rally in May

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Photo: Opel Pressroom—Poland. Remember the Opel GT, that German-import sports coupe, with hot looks and unremarkable power, that was brought to the U.S. through a partnership with GM and affectionately known here in the States as the "Baby 'Vette?" Well, the Opel GT, which was actually manufactured in two generations (1968-1973 and 2000-2010), has its 50th birthday this year. To celebrate, Opel will send five Opel GTs to join a lineup of 180 classic cars for the Bodensee Klassik (May 3-5). The rally starts and ends on the picturesque shores of Lake Constance in Bregenz, Voralberg, Austria, and features a challenging stretch through the mighty summits of the Tyrolean Alps. 

Porsche 911 GT3 RS Goes to Green Hell, Sets Speed Benchmark for Road-Approved Sports Cars

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The Porsche 911 GT3 RS, running the demanding "Green Hell" circuit in Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Photo: Porsche media website. It's known as the most demanding race track in the world, so demanding that it has earned the nickname "Green Hell." That was the setting that Porsche Works race driver Kévin Estre was dealing with when he set a lap time of 6:56.4 minutes in a 520-hp Porsche 911 GT3 RS, according to a Porsche report released April 20. Porsche stated that the 911 GT3 RS follows the 918 Spyder and the 911 GT2 RS as the third production Porsche sports car with a notarised lap time of less than seven minutes on the "Green Hell" track, officially known as the Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit in  Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Honda Wraps Up Dominating Motorsports Victory at Long Beach with Alexander Rossi

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Race car driver Alexander Rossi and his Andretti Autosport Honda brought it home for Honda on Sunday, with a decisive victory for Honda at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Rossi, who led 71 of 85 laps, managed to fend off former series champion Will Power after a late-race caution bunched the field. Starting from the pole, Rossi took the lead at the green flag and remained in command throughout the 85-lap event, surrendering the lead only as the field cycled through various pit stop strategies.  Although a late yellow flag bunched the field and eliminated his seven-second advantage, Rossi held off second-running Will Power over the final 10 laps, and built a 1.24-second lead at the checkers. This victory was  Rossi's first of 2018 and his third career Indy car triumph. The win  moves him into the championship lead, with 126 points to Josef Newgarden's 104. With this event, Honda also has widened their lead in the IndyCar Manufacturers' Championship, with an unofficial t...

Rossi Takes His Andretti Autosport Honda and "Clears the Field" in Long Beach Qualifying Round

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Honda reports that race car driver Alexander Rossi took his Andretti Autosport Honda to the pole yesterday in qualifying for today's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, emerging as the leader in both the opening and final rounds of "knockout" IndyCar Series qualifying. Rossi logged a time of 1 minute, 06.5528 seconds in the third and last round, 0.3526 seconds quicker than nearest rival Will Power, exceeding the gap that covered the entire remaining Fast Six final qualifiers. Scott Dixon, the 2015 Long Beach winner, and Graham Rahal also advanced to final round qualifying for Honda. Another four Honda drivers advanced as far as the second qualifying round, including Ryan Hunter-Reay, defending race winner James Hinchcliffe, impressive rookie Robert Wickens and St. Petersburg race winner Sebasties Bourdais.

No, This Ain't Your Grampa's Honda Civic.

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Those of us old enough to remember the humble, under-powered origins of the Honda Civic when it first graced American shores know that this venerable Japanese automotive brand has, to say the least, come a long, long way. And now, a pair of Honda Civic Type Rs will join the popular new TCR category as the Touring Car divisions of the 2018 Pirelli World Challenge series begin their season this weekend with a pair of races at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. RealTime Racing will field veteran Honda driver Ryan Eversley and the returning Nick Esayian aboard Honda Civic Type Rs in a competitive TCR field that includes no fewer than 14 entries representing five major automobile manufacturers.

Car Guys & Gals to Rally in April, Supporting Parkinson's Awareness

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In an event that demonstrates how living your passion can also drive your efforts toward doing good, car enthusiasts will converge in California May 4-6 for the second annual Drive Toward a Cure Rally, an awareness and fundraising event for Parkinson's Disease. When name brands like Shell, Piloti, Maserati, Acura and Hagerty join forces for a second year in a row – as each are doing for non-profit Drive Toward a Cure and the organization’s multi-day ‘California Adventure’ charity rally – they are standing together to show that ‘driving has never meant more!’  Each are contributing once again to help raise awareness of Parkinson’s Disease and funds for research and patient care.  Through their involvement with Drive Toward a Cure, they are helping to open channels throughout the nation.

Pennzoil AutoFair at Charlotte Motor Speedway to Feature SuperLite SL-C Kit Car in April

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It's stunning. It packs a 6.2L LS3 under the hood that makes 470 horsepower. You can put it together in your garage. And if you'll be in the Charlotte NC area in April, you'll be able to take a look at the  SuperLite SL-C Kit Car at the Pennzoil AutoFair Presented by Advance Auto Parts (April 5-8 at Charlotte Motor Speedway), where an example, built by enthusiast Bill Phillips, will be prominently on display. If Phillips’ low-slung racer looks familiar, it is because Superlite Cars – the Detroit-area company that designed and produced it – fashioned the SL-C to recall vehicles from the 1960s-era International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) GTP series. Superlite and its sister company, Race Car Replicas (RCR), produce component kits that allow buyers to drive clones of iconic competition cars such as the Jaguar D-Type and Ford GT40. The cars’ bodies are fiberglass with embedded, color gel coats that require no paint. Most of Superlite and RCR’s chassis are aluminum monocoqu...

Another Off-Road Season Confirmed for Subaru's Crosstrek Desert Racer

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Subaru of America and collaborators Grabowski Brothers Racing and Crawford Performance confirmed on Thursday that they are entering the 2018 off-road racing season with the Subaru Crosstrek Desert Racer, an Unlimited Class 5 car. So far, this year's schedule includes six confirmed races,starting with the Polaris RZR Mint 400 March 7-11. In a news release, Crawford Performance characterized the 2017 Season as merely a test, with improvements to the car leaving the team prepared for their first 2018 race with confident enthusiasm. They describe the vehicle as "one of a kind and spearheading a new arena for Subaru to dominate."