Motorsports: FPR debuts Falcon Car of the Future for V8 Supercars series

Filed under: Motorsports, Ford, Australia, Racing

Usually, shaking down a new race car can be full of agony and heartaches, so it's surprising how positive Ford Performance Racing's (FPR) feedback was after its first tests with the Ford Falcon Car of the Future (COTF). This new racer is being tested in preparation for the 2013 Australian V8 Supercars season.

In total, the Falcon COTF ran 20 laps around Winton Motor Raceway, and based on the initial tests, FPR said the car performed better than expected during a short session. The car will perform its first full day of testing on Monday ahead of the Dick Smith Sandown 500.

That's not all the news happening for next year's V8 Supercar season. We already knew that Nissan is returning to the series for the first time since 1993, but now we know what'll be under the hood of its Altima racer: a Nissan Motorsport VK56DE V8 engine. Made in Tennessee, this aluminum V8 has been modified for race use by dropping its displacement from 5.6 liters down to 5.0 to comply with V8 Supercars regs.

Of course, we'll be able to see all of these cars in action in the U.S. next season when the V8 Supercars invade the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

FPR debuts Falcon Car of the Future for V8 Supercars series originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 08 Sep 2012 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorsports: Mitsubishi i-MiEV Evolution crashes on first practice day of Pikes Peak Hill Climb

Filed under: Motorsports, Mitsubishi, Electric, Racing

Mitsubishi had high hopes for this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, entering a production i-MiEV and a radical racing version called the i-MiEV Evolution into the ever-growing Electric Division. We had our eye on the Evolution model in particular, as the car was specially developed for the hill climb with a tube-frame chassis, sleek carbon fiber body and an all-wheel-drive system.

Things haven't started quite as Mitsubishi planned, though, with the i-MiEV Evolution crashing during today's second practice session on the lower third of Pikes Peak. The car overshot one of the many hairpins on the course, ending up in a ditch several feet off the road. There's no word on whether the incident was due to a mechanical problem or driver error, but the car looks to be pretty heavily damaged. Fortunately, driver Hiroshi Masuoka, one of Mitsubishi's test drivers and two-time Dakar Rally winner, was unhurt in the accident.

We don't know whether the crew at Mitsubishi will be able to repair the car in time for this weekend's race, but we hope to see it on the mountain come Sunday.

Mitsubishi i-MiEV Evolution crashes on first practice day of Pikes Peak Hill Climb originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorsports: Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Practice Day 1 is the beginning of a new era

Filed under: Motorsports

2012 marks a special year for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. For the first time in the event's 96-year history, the entire course is paved, beginning a new era in the Race to the Clouds. While many are bemoaning the loss of the gravel and dirt (us included - the dirt was great for photography), the fresh pavement is bringing plenty of new faces and cars to the event. Interest in this year's hill climb was so great that organizers are contemplating expanding the event to two days for 2013.

Much of the new vehicles for this year are in the Electric division. Normally filled with one or two entrants, this class features some of the most interesting cars this year, including two Mitsubishi iMiEVs, a prototype from Toyota Motorsports GmbH and a BMW E36 M3 converted by EV West. The biggest news, however, is that reigning Unlimited Class champion Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima has swapped out his Suzuki SX4 Hill Climb Special for an all-new machine called the Monster Sport E-Runner. Our curiosity about this incredible looking vehicle was so great that we skipped out on our usual subjects from the Unlimited and Time Attack divisions to see the new electric racer in action along with the Pikes Peak Open, Stock Car, Exhibition and Vintage classes.



The Japanese driver didn't disappoint, setting blistering times of 4:14.8 and 4:13.3 in the two practice sessions. To compare, Tajima set times of 4:45.9 and 4:33.8 last year, albeit those were partially on dirt.

Unfortunately, another driver in the Electric division didn't fare so well. Hiroshi Masuoka, driving the Mitsubishi i-MiEV Evolution, overshot a corner and crashed in the second practice session.

Also of note is the Porsche 911 GT3R being driven by Frenchman Romain Dumas in the Pikes Peak Open division, the Lexus IS F CCS-R being driven by Ken Gushi and a mean looking Lister Knoop/Mann Special being driven by Rick Knoop in the Exhibition class.

You can see our photos from the first practice day of the 2012 Pikes Peak Hill Climb in the gallery above. Check back tomorrow to see our coverage of what's new in the Unlimited and Time Attack classes.

Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Practice Day 1 is the beginning of a new era originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorsports: Chevrolet Camaro tours overseas as new safety car for World Touring Car Championship [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Europe, Videos, Chevrolet, Specialty, Racing

Seeing a Chevrolet Camaro setting the pace at a NASCAR or Indy race is not uncommon, but its latest tour of duty has taken GM's modern ponycar to another form of racing altogether: the World Touring Car Championship.

The WTCC pits race-prepped sedan and hatchback touring cars against each other on tracks across Europe and around the world. Considering that the factory-backed Chevrolet Cruze has emerged over the past couple of seasons as the car to beat in WTCC competition, perhaps its only fitting that another Chevy act as safety car.

The Safety Ca(r)maro, as it's been dubbed, appears pretty much bone stock, though we'd assume it has had the necessary safety gear fitted, like a roll cage, five-point harness and fire supression system. But as it stands, its 430-horsepower V8 is about 40% more powerful than the restricted engines in the touring cars it's keeping at bay. Scroll on down for the full press release and video clip.

Continue reading Chevrolet Camaro tours overseas as new safety car for World Touring Car Championship [w/video]

Chevrolet Camaro tours overseas as new safety car for World Touring Car Championship [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 16 Jun 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorsports: ALMS confirms 2013 race at Austin's Circuit of the Americas

Filed under: Motorsports

The American Le Mans Series has announced that the 2013 season will include a race at the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, which is currently under construction in preparation for the upcoming Formula One race in November. The last time ALMS held an event in Texas was in 2007, when it raced on a street course in Houston.

"The opportunity to partner with the Circuit of The Americas and bring North America's premier sports car racing series to fans across Texas, at what is going to be one of the finest road-racing facilities in the world, is a natural fit for all involved," ALMS President and CEO Scott Atherton said. "The addition of Circuit of the Americas to our schedule will be very well-received by our fans and stakeholders alike. We know we have a lot of ALMS fans in Texas, and for our teams, manufacturers and sponsors, Austin and the surrounding region represent an important new business market."

Specific dates for the race are still to be announced, although ALMS says that it will be a springtime event. The full 2013 race schedule will be announced later this year. You can read the full announcement from the American Le Mans Series below.

Continue reading ALMS confirms 2013 race at Austin's Circuit of the Americas

ALMS confirms 2013 race at Austin's Circuit of the Americas originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 08:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorsports: IndyCar's return to Detroit's Belle Isle Grand Prix comes apart at the seams [SPOILERS]

Filed under: Motorsports, Honda, Racing

After a three-year hiatus, IndyCar racing finally made its return to Detroit this weekend. But after only five laps, things started to fall apart - literally - for Belle Isle's big race.

Now, any Michigan native - or anyone who has spent enough time here - will tell you that this state isn't exactly renowned for its immaculate road surfaces. And because the Belle Isle circuit sat unused for the past three years (aside from its day-to-day duties as a public road on Detroit's island park), cracks and potholes were present along the entire race surface. Before the weekend's events took place, road crews used synthetic rubber to fill the cracks and dips, but as you can see from the photo above, the patch job wasn't good enough. As the racers lapped the patched pavement at high speed, it began to break loose to dangerous effect.

Autoblog was present at the race, seated trackside between Turn Nine and Turn Ten - the latter of which being one of the corners where the synthetic rubber patching started to come apart. Huge chunks of the rubber would break off and scatter across the track, and in one case, a car kicked up a piece of the asphalt with such force that it flew over the safety fences and landed on the roof of a nearby chalet.

As the race went on, we cringed while watching the cars speed over the broken pavement, wondering how long it would be before track officials would declare the conditions unsafe, or worse, how long it would be until a driver lost control over the broken pavement and went off the course... which is exactly what happened.

Continue reading IndyCar's return to Detroit's Belle Isle Grand Prix comes apart at the seams [SPOILERS]

IndyCar's return to Detroit's Belle Isle Grand Prix comes apart at the seams [SPOILERS] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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