We may not be seeing the United SportsCar Racing Series officially until next year, but those wanting to see this year’s American Le Man Series’ competition should tune into the 2013 12 Hours of Sebring.
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Along with a new name being announced today for the merged Grand-Am/ALMS series, sanctioning body IMSA has announced that a total of five classes will form the makeup of the racing organization. Continue Reading…
The American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am have decided on a name for their newly-merged series, United SportsCar Racing, and will become official when the two organizations begin racing together in 2014.
With the recent debut of the Z4 GTE race car, a replacement for the M3 GT in the American Le Mans Series, BMW is now showcasing the new model in a stunning video.
BMW has revealed its Z4 GTE race car that will compete in the 2013 ALMS season, replacing the BMW M3 GT car that is retiring from competition.
Two factory backed SRT Viper GTS-Rs will be competing at this year’s 24 hours of Le Mans, marking the return of the brand to the iconic French race.
When the Rolex 24 at Daytona kicks off in 2014, American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and Grand-Am will be running under one banner for the first time in history.
BMW has confirmed that it will return to the American Le Mans Series in 2013 with a new GTE-class Z4, scheduled to debut at the Twelve Hours of Sebring in March 2013.
It’s a chance to make your mark on racing history and to witness the whole thing in person.
One of the main concerns with the recent American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and Grand-Am merger was the involvement and relationship with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), which is the organizing entity behind the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That can be put to rest however, as the organizations met with one another to find a way to put it all together.
Corvette Racing capped off a very successful 2012 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) campaign with a victory at Virginia International Raceway.
Later today, details of the Grand-Am and ALMS series merger will be official, with the two series racing under one banner starting in the 2014 season.
The biggest news in motorsports this weekend is not the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix or NASCAR, but reports that the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series will merge shortly, combining both series under a single race banner.
Even if you’re a die-hard Porsche driver of a fan of Corvette Racing, there’s no denying the return of the Viper to sports car racing is a good thing.
We are probably more excited than SRT is for the Viper’s return to the American Le Man Series, but the brand and its race team has finally announced that the GTS-R will make it highly anticipated race debut at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge from August 2 through 4.
When the SRT Viper debuted, automotive enthusiasts worldwide had huge smiles on their faces. But when the SRT Viper GTS-R debuted alongside the production model, racing enthusiasts worldwide had to pick their jaws up off the floor.
Patrick Dempsey, known for his acting role on the medical drama television show Grey’s Anatomy, is set to compete in his first American Le Mans Series race this weekend at Laguna Seca raceway.
Dyson Racing, reigning American Le Mans Series (ALMS) LMP1 champion team, will take possession of the first production Caterham SP/300.R over a year after it was revealed in partnership with Lola Racing.
Final assembly of the SP/300.R will take place at Dyson Racing’s facility in New York, where they are also the official U.S. distributor for Caterham Cars. The first production model will be used as the company’s demonstration cars with several more production models heading to America in a few weeks.
Dyson Racing played a pivotal role in developing the SP/300.R race car, sending former Le Mans 24 hour winner Guy Smith and its technical director, Peter Weston, out to Caterham’s test sessions during product development. The goal of the Caterham race car is to mirror the technology and appearance of the Lola Le Mans prototype, but in a more affordable fashionable.
“Like many of our customers, we can’t wait to get our hands on the SP/300.R. As in the UK, the popularity of track day driving is rocketing and the new vehicle is ideal for anybody who wants a reliable and cost-effective vehicle with very serious but accessible performance,” said Chris Dyson, Dyson Racing Team Vice President and Sporting Director.
Check out two videos on the Caterham SP/300.R after the break.
The all-new 2013 SRT Viper is without a doubt the star of this year’s New York Auto Show. Boasting big numbers, the Viper’s enormous 8.4-liter V10 engine produces 640-hp. Plus, SRT has announced a factory-backed return of the Viper to the American Le Mans Series and international endurance racing.
But here comes the most important bit of information of all – show your support for the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer and the very first Viper can be yours. The official charity of the American Le Mans Series, the Austin Hatcher Foundation For Pediatric Cancer’s mission is to aid cancer children and their families during the treatment and to provide continuing support throughout survivorship, all services are at no cost to families, and are funded solely buy donation.
The auction for the first 2013 SRT Viper will hold at Barrett-Jackson of Orange County, from June 22-24. Serial #01 vehicles have displayed a historic trend of reaching massive figures by auction end, so it will be exciting to see how much the new Viper can raise for the Austin Hatcher organization.
Co-founder of Austin Hatcher Foundation Dr. Jim Osborn said, “We are very excited that the first production Viper be auctioned at Barrett- Jackson Orange County to benefit the many families faced with pediatric cancer. We just can’t thank Mr. Gilles and his team enough.”
GALLERY: 2013 SRT Viper
Since 1953, the Chevrolet Corvette has been a part of the American landscape, both on the road and on the track.
It is easily the most winning American sports car, having clocked wins on national and international circuits. Corvette’s have been particularly competitive at the 12-Hours of Sebring race. Since its first race outing in 1956, 231 Corvette’s have competed at Sebring, 24 of which have won class or outright victories at this track.
So it is fitting that Sebring International Raceway has inducted the Corvette into its Hall of Fame. It also worked out for Corvette that on its 60th anniversary, the car placed second and third place in this years grueling endurance race.
Russ Clark, Chevrolet’s marketing director for performance cars said; “We are thrilled that Sebring has recognized the success of the Corvette on the race track by inducting it into the hall of fame. Even more important than the awards and race wins are the benefits to our production vehicles as a result of our racing programs,” said Clark. “We have been successful at transferring racing technology to the street, especially in our high-performance vehicles such as the Corvette ZR1, Z06 and our carbon fiber models, including aerodynamic, powertrain, chassis, braking, safety and design features.”
On the occasion of the Corvette’s 60th Anniversary, Chevrolet is offering the 427 Convertible Collector Edition Corvette, which is essentially a z06 without the roof. A 60th Anniversary appearance package is also offered on all 2013 Corvette’s.
Congratulations on your new honor Corvette, you truly deserve it.
One of the most interesting race cars to ever come to life is the DeltaWing racer.
Originally designed to be an innovative replacement for the IZOD Indy Car race series, this futuristic race car seems to have a found some new life. Originally, it was rejected by the Indy Car series, who opted to go with the tried and tested (boring) choice of the old Dallara chassis, but Nissan Europe has given us new hope.
Thankfully, Ben Bowlby, the designer of the DeltaWing racer found new interest from the American LeMans Series, and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, who have granted it a spot in the popular 24-Hours of LeMans Endurance Race.
The question everyone has been asking though is, who and what will power the DeltaWing racer?
Nissan of Europe today posted a shadowy image of the DeltaWing, with “Nissan” written prominently on its nose, an obvious tip as to who will power the car.
The DeltaWing racer was using a four-cylinder, twin-turbo motor in its initial testing at Buttonwillow race track in California, and was believed to be the engine that was going to power this vehicle at the Sebring 24-Hour race, but only for exhibition. This car’s first official race outing with be at LeMans in June.
We will keep a keen eye on this project, as it is one of the radical race cars ever made. We hope to see it in the winners circle very soon.
[Source: Autoweek]
After a 71 year absence from Le Mans, Bentley returned in 2001, but with little success and in-house competition with Audi the decision was made to drop the Speed 8 LMP1 program in 2003. The team did go out with a bang, however, taking the checked flag at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – due in part to a lack of participation by Audi.
Now Bentley is poised to return to motor racing once again, with AutoCar reporting the British luxury brand is preparing to make an announcement next summer.
“An LMP1 car would be a good way to go, but not the only possible way,” said Bentley CEO Wolfgang Durheimer. While in-house competition with other VW owned brands like Audi and Porsche (which is planning its own Le Mans entry for 2014) seems unlikely, Durheimer suggests that one solution would be to run the cars in different markets, with the Bentley team perhaps competing in the ALMS series in the U.S. (it’s strongest retail market), or overseas in Asia, to help grow the brand there. As a result the only time the three teams would come together would be to race at certain major events, like the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
With Audi continuing its diesel push and Porsche rumored to be planning hybrid technology for its LMP1 car, expect Bentley to try a different route, perhaps running on an alternative fuel like ethanol.
[Source: AutoCar]
Porsche‘s updated GT3 R Hybrid made its North American debut this weekend at the American Le Mans Series race at Laguna Seca and the folks at Porsche couldn’t be happier. Well, that’s not exactly true. They’d be a lot happier if the car had been racing for points.
Driven by Porsche works drivers Romain Dumas and Richard Lietz the hybrid not only posted the fastest lap time of all the GT competitors, but it completed the 6 hour endurance race with just three pit stops, compared to five for its rivals. And to make the victory even more impressive, because the car wasn’t competing for points it wasn’t eligible to qualify and so it started at the back of the grid.
“The start phase was huge fun, because it was relatively easy to overtake the slower competitors,” said Romain Dumas. “But it’s even more fun because we can apply superior tactics thanks to the lower fuel consumption. We are much more flexible and we made the most of this today.”
“We had the least pit stops of all the teams and showed clearly what the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid can do,” said Lietz. “We didn’t experience one technical problem and left all the other GT vehicles behind us. Our expectations have been far exceeded.”
And with that excellent news, there was added celebration as it was also a Porsche that managed to take the first place spot in the race, with Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long finishing just ahead of one of the BMWs to lock down the team’s third victory this season.
The GT3 R Hybrid mates a 470-hp naturally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine powering the rear wheels with an additional 200-hp of electric boost available on demand to the front wheels thanks to Porsche’s innovative flywheel hybrid technology.
GALLERY: Porsche GT3 R Hybrid at Laguna Seca
