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.

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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

Audi‘s LMP team is coming back to the United States, debuting the R18 TDI in American soil for the first time and challenging for victory at the Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta.

Earlier this year, the Audi R18 TDI already won at the 24 hours of Le Mans in dramatic style, so the team looks forward to ending the racing season in dominant form. Driving the R18 will be Rinaldo “Dindo” Capello, the winningest racing driving at Road Atlanta, along with the duo that earned many podiums for Audi, Timo Berhand and Marcel Fässler.

During last year’s race at Road Atlanta, Capello had to make an unscheduled pitstop when an insert in his helmet came unfastened and dangled over his eyes, obstructing his view. Were it not for that wardrobe malfunction that cost Capello the race, Audi would have won at Road Atlanta for the tenth time.

If you won’t be able to travel, catch the race on Eurosport or ESPN. Qualifying begins Friday, September 30th and the race will start on 11:30am on Saturday, October 1.

GALLERY: Audi R18

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

Porsche is about to unleash a very different type of hybrid on the residents of California, announcing plans to have the GT3 R Hybrid race car take part in the American Le Mans Series race at Laguna Seca on September 17th.

The race car won’t be eligible to race for points, as the ALMS governing body does not yet allow hybrids, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be competing and looking for a win. Porsche works pilots, Romain Dumas and Richard Lietz, who have both raced the car, will be sharing duties behind the wheel.

Version 2.0 of the hybrid racer, the GT3 R Hybrid uses a modified version of the original’s powertrain, making 470-hp from a naturally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine, with an additional 200-hp of electric boost available on demand. It also weights over 100 lbs less than the original thanks to a focus on weight savings for the electric components.

So far the GT3 R Hybrid has competed in two races this year, finishing a disappointing 28th at the Nurburgring 24 Hour Race as a result of rule changes for hybrid cars as well as contact with another vehicle. The hybrid racer did start off the year strong, however, taking the podium at the Nürburgring Long Distance Championship in Germany.

GALLERY: Porsche GT3 R Hybrid

Auto racing and environmental consciousness normally do not mix, however, the American LeMans Series has been working on changing that, and hopes to improve on its already green track record.

This is the only race series around the world in which four different types of fuels are being used, namely E10, E85, diesel and isobutanol. Also, apart from the result of championship points given to teams and drivers respective of their finish in the race, ALMS also awards a championship within a championship to the greenest team on the grid.

Now the series is looking to go greener still by hoping to soon introduce natural gas powered race cars. In an interview with Fox Car Report, ALMS President and CEO Scott Atherton said he wants to “demonstrate the competitiveness of natural gas, and the ease and convenience of refueling, because right now that’s seen as one of the impediments. If you can take away some of what the consumer would describe as downside issues, and demonstrate its competitiveness and the fact that you don’t have to sacrifice anything, I think it would go a long way toward mainstream acceptance of natural gas as a fuel for any type of vehicle.”

When asked about electric race cars, Atherton said this technology might play in this series in the future, but not at the moment, saying electric drivetrains cannot handle the stress of such a race series, however he is looking at other electric race series to bring in as part of their support festivities. Nissan has already hinted at an all electric series using spec versions of the NISMO Leaf RC race car.

In a merger that seems obvious from the get-go, American Le Mans has named the Sports Car Club of America its Official Grassroots Motorsports Partner.

No, not Grassroots Motorsports, the required summer reading of any Miata or E30 owner—grassroots motorsports, as in an attempt for American Le Mans to reach out to those not blessed with talent scouts or an innate driving ability honed from being in go-karts from the age of 4. It’s a way for American Le Mans to leverage the support of SCCA’s 60,000+ members, though we’d be hard-pressed to find one of them who hasn’t heard of ALMS.

“The partnership between ALMS and SCCA is a very natural one,” said Scott Atherton the president and CEO of ALMS. “The majority of ALMS fans are auto enthusiasts, many of them wondering how they can become more involved in motorsports at a grassroots level; the SCCA is the ideal place to start that journey. Similarly, we believe SCCA members have a deep appreciation for our sport and hope all of them will take full advantage of the fan-centered opportunities the ALMS offers.”

The next race in the 2011 American Le Mans season will be on the weekend of July 8-9 at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. And in the grand tradition of motorsports being sponsored by vaguely irresponsible-seeming manufacturers of hard liquor, the top sponsor this year is Tequila Patrón.

[Source: American Le Mans]

It may be one of America’s most storied races, but the car sitting on the pole for tomorrow’s 59th running of the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring isn’t even from a manufacturer that sells cars here.

Topping the Audis in qualifying was Anthony Davidson in the Peugeot 908 with a 1:46.571 lap time. Davidson will race with Alexander Wurz and Marc Gene in tomorrow’s endurance classic, defending last year’s title. Peugeots also took third and fifth place in qualifying, divided by two Audi R15s in second and fourth. Tom Kristensen set the second fastest lap in qualifying with a 1:47.680, and will share the car with partners Allan McNish and Dindo Capello before the R15 chassis is retired.

And while LMP1 saw a battle between European rivals, LMP2 came down to an all-Japanese dual, with the Level 5 Motorspots Lola-Honda driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay besting Soheil Ayari in the Signatech Nissan. A second Level 5 Motorsports Honda placed third.

In the hotly-contested GT category, the new Ferrari 458GT cars got all the publicity, but managed only 5th in class, while one of the older F430GT models driven by Gianmaria Bruni took the GT pole. Finishing just behind was the Corvette ZR1 driven by Oliver Gavin. BMW took third in an M3 GT driven by Dirk Werner, with the top-placing Porsche just sixth.

Watch all the action starting Saturday, March 19 on ABC, ESPN2 or ESPN3.com. Those outside the U.S. can watch the race live at www.americanlemans.com

Highcroft Racing has dominated the LMP2 class of the American Le Mans Series for the past 4 years, but the program didn’t seem to be doing much to promote the Acura brand. In light of that, the car will now be branded as a Honda Performance Development car, a move that signals both a positive shift for Honda’s in-house go-fast division, and a bad omen for the company’s beleaguered luxury division.

This year, Highcroft will be campaigning their new entry in the much tougher LMP1 class. Patron will also no longer be sponsoring the car, having decided to instead sponsor the ALMS series as a whole. Michelin will step up to provide the funding for Highcroft. The new car, dubbed ARX-01e, will share the same tub and 3.4L V8 as the LMP2 cars of years past, but everything from the suspension to the aerodynamic package will change to make the car more competitive for LMP1.

With legendary race cars like the Audi R15 and Peugeot 908HDi as the top dogs of LMP1, Highcroft will have a tough fight ahead of them if they want to gain any ground. The first race, held in Sebring, Florida, kicks off Saturday.

Hit the jump to read the official press release

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West Racing Team announced last October that it would field a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 race car in the American Le Mans Series, marking the return of the Italian brand to ALMS since a dismal performance back in 2004 with a Murcielago R-GT. After much anticipation and with the season nearing its start, West Racing has just released the first photos of the purpose built race car.

Few details about the car are available, but it certainly looks menacing painted matte-black and sporting a set of HRE Monoblok wheels. Tires come from Yokohama Advan, which will sponsor the effort for the season.

West Racing recently announced Nicky Pastorelli and Dominik Schwager as drivers, with the first race set to take place March 19th, at Sebring.

We’ll be sure to keep an eye on the team and see if a Lamborghini can in fact be a successful race car.

GALLERY: West Racing Team Gallardo LP560

At the recent launch of the 2011 Porsche Carrera GTS in California, the journalists present were treated to a special guest: five-time American Le Mans Series champion Joerg Bergmeister.

The Porsche factory driver got his first chance behind the wheel on the streets, comparing the wide-body 408-hp Carrera to his own daily driver, the 911 Carrera S. He even draws a few comparos to his Flying Lizard 911 GT3 RSR race car

No Corvettes were harmed in the making of this film.

See the video after the jump:

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A pair of Lamborghinis will compete in the 2011 American Le Mans Series, marking a return to the series for the raging bull brand after a disappointing season back in 2004 with the Murcielago R-GT. It wont be the top-dog Murcies trading paint, but rather the more appropriate Gallardo models competing in the GT Class, alongside road rivals from Porsche, Ferrari and of course the Chevy Corvettes.

Commanding the effort will be West Racing Team with sponsorship by Yokohama. That being said the team will compete using Yoko’s Advan tires.

While Yokohama might have a rather impressive racing history, Lamborghini does not, with past efforts more embarrassment than a cause for celebration. However, it’s likely the GT Class Lambos will share a great deal with the Gallardo SuperTrofeo racing cars that have now been tested and improved over two seasons as purpose built race cars. And so along with hope, there are the assurances of Mark Chung, Yokohama’s director of corporate strategy. “With the Ferraris, Porsches, Corvettes and everyone else battling it out, we feel the GT Class is going to be super competitive and a lot of fun. The West Racing Lamborghinis will be right in the mix and ready for the challenge,” he said.

We’re excited to see the Lambos back in action and hope the company’s racing future is brighter than its past. Could it be any worse?

Don Panoz, the mastermind behind the production of hand-built exotic sportscars like the Panoz Esperante and 24 Hours of Le Mans GT2 class winning Esperante GTLM (2006), has outdone himself with this latest creation, the Abruzzi ‘Spirit of Le Mans’.

Built and named to pay tribute to what Panoz considers the world’s greatest motor race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Abruzzi is both a technological marvel and a uniquely delivered ownership experience, with every one of the planned 81 examples being delivered to their European owners at the famed Circuit de La Sarthe racing circuit where the day-long mid-summer classic takes place each year.

The link to Le Mans will go deeper still, with each Abruzzi’s chassis number containing the date of the Le Mans race it was delivered on. Each delivery will also include professional driving instruction on the Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans and all service and repair work will be done at the ACO facilities at the Circuit 24 Hours Le Mans.

The uniqueness of the Abruzzi buying experience doesn’t end there. Panoz will give each new owner the VIP treatment during the 24 Hours of Le Mans race weekend including access to the ACO hospitality facilities and a parade lap of the full 8.3-mile La Sarthe circuit. There will also be a ‘Spirit of Le Mans’ reception held at the clubhouse of the famed 24 Hours golf club in the historic town of Arnage, where new Abruzzi owners can rub elbows with past Le Mans winners including Derek Bell and Jacky Ickx.

Although the Abruzzi will be road legal and available for purchase in Europe and parts of Asia, this front-engine rear-wheel drive very bespoke sports car will not be seen on North American roadways. But if you can afford one, chances are you’ve got a villa in the south of France where you can enjoy this 600-hp piece of rolling art work. And if you do buy one, you’ll have to let us know how its Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System (REAMS) body works out, since its multi-layer composite construction is apparently lighter than carbon fiber and just as strong while also being dent-resistant, shatter-proof and completely recyclable.

A video interview of Don Panoz speaking about the creation of the Abruzzi ‘Spirit of Le Mans’ is available after the jump.

[Source: American Le Mans Series]

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Chevrolet announced a custom one-off Z06 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Corvette’s first appearance at LeMans. Featuring the traditional American racing color scheme (white with blue stripes), as the 1960 Corvette, which won its class at the 24 hour race. The car’s sale will benefit the National Corvette Museum, and anyone who wishes to buy the car must make a $300,000 donation to the Museum, and then pay the $85,000 sticker price of the car.

The special edition Z06 also comes with a Z07 package, featuring some bits from the Corvette ZR1. A celebration will be held in honor of the Corvette at this Saturday’s ALMS race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one week before the Corvette racing team heads off to contest the 24 Hours of LeMans in Frace.

[Source: TopSpeed]

If you’ve ever heard the Chevrolet Corvette ALMS car, you’ll know that they are far and away the loudest, most evil sounding cars in the field, an impressive feat when you’re competing against Porsche 911s, Aston Martins and open-cockpit prototypes. For a car that sounds like Armageddon, one would expect that being green isn’t exactly a priority, but the latest episode of the Corvette Racing Series shows that the team can find ways to go fast and back up their green credentials. Using little tricks like ceramic wheel bearings, lower rolling resistance tires and lightweight body panels, the ‘Vettes are able to go faster with less fuel, which is the same logic behind Porsche’s 911 GT3R Hybrid,

Coincidentally, the road-going Corvette delivers very respectable fuel economy numbers, especially considering the massive V8s used in them. Sadly, the old dogmatic meme of a gas-guzzling V8 refuses to die.

[Source: Chevrolet]

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Panoz isn’t exactly a household name and yet the American sports car maker has been building exotics for almost two decades. Set to debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next month, Panoz will look to heighten awareness of the brand when it unveils the all-new Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans” mode. Its third model ever.

For those who don’t know, Panoz gets its name from Don Panoz, the man behind the American Le Mans Series. In the past his road cars have competed on track as well so we’ll be sure to await further news of an Abruzzi GT.

As for the vehicle itself, we don’t know much other than the body is made from a Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System (which sounds to us like carbon fiber mixed with pop cans). The teaser photo above doesn’t show much, but so far we think it looks a lot like a Morgan Aero 8.

We’ll be sure to bring you more info when the Abruzzi gets its world premiere on June 7th.

[Source: ALMS]

In its first outing at the season opener for the Nürburgring Long Distance Championship race, Porsche’s new GT3 R Hybrid placed an impressive sixth overall, raising speculation that there may be a future for hybrid sports cars.

In fact, according to a report by Autoblog Green, Porsche spokesmen Steve Janisse and Andy Schupak have confirmed the German sports car maker is in talks with the America Le Mans Series (ALMS) to run the hybrid Porsche in North America.

Based on the GT3 chassis and powered by a traditional 4.0-liter flat-six engine making 480-hp at the rear wheels, the GT3 R Hybrid also gets two electric motors that power the front wheels, with 60 kW of power going to each axle. The driver will be able to call up this extra power on-demand, for six to eight seconds, giving the GT3 R a temporary all-wheel drive setup as well.

In addition to the hybrid racer’s impressive debut, Porsche also took the top spot on the podium at the Nürburgring with the Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3, driven by Timo Bernhard, Marc Lieb and Marcel Tiemann.

If Porsche can reach an agreement with the ALMS, it hopes to compete with its new hybrid racer in a couple of races later this season.

GALLERY: Porsche GT3 R Hybrid

[Source: Autoblog Green]

Official release after the jump:

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Corvette Racing has just released the first part of a 12 part series, chronicling the team’s build up and follow-through for the 2010 American Le Mans Series. The first video in the series doesn’t waste any time dealing with Corvette Racing’s crushing finale at Laguna Seca, where contact by one of the Flying Lizard Porsches sent driver Jan Magnussen into the wall, just seconds from the finish line. (see below).

Crew Chief Dan Binks expresses his anger, but says that the best way to avoid that situation in the future is to build a car that’s so far out front, this problem won’t occur. Corvette thinks they’ve got such a car, but this year the competition is even tougher, with the GT1 and GT2 classes amalgamated into a single GT class. Plus, for 2010 (like in 2009) the new C6.R is much more closely based on the street car and new for 2010 is a smaller 5.5-liter V8 engine.

We’ll be sure to keep an eye on how the new car stacks up, with the 2010 ALMS Season beginning with the 12 Hours of Sebring, March 17-20.

See after the jump for a video of last year’s season ending crash.

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With the start of the 2010 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) just around the corner, Corvette Racing has announced a new 12-part video series that will take an in-depth look at the new car, while following the team’s season this year.

Each of the videos will be posted on the Corvette Facebook page, starting with this first trailer. Over the past decade, Corvette Racing has been a dominant player in the GT1 category, switching to GT2 last year after there was really no one left to race against. For 2010 the GT1 and GT2 classes have been joined to form a single GT class and the racing will be ultra-competitive with Ferraris, Porsches and numerous other exotics looking to take the win in each and every race.

For 2010 (like in 2009) the new C6.R is much more closely based on the street car and new for 2010 is a smaller 5.5-liter V8 engine.

The 2010 ALMS Season begins with the 12 Hours of Sebring, March 17-20.

GALLERY: 2010 Corvette C6.R

Corvette Racing has just released the first official photos of its new GT Class (formerly GT2) C6.R team, with new livery for 2010. The teams consist of Corvette Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell, Jan Magnussen, and Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R, while Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta, and Emmanuel Collard will pilot the No. 4 car. All drivers have been testing the cars this week at Sebring International Raceway in Florida.

Along with new livery, the car’s have a new 5.5-liter V8 that many expect will be the new base engine in the next generation (C7) Corvette. Last year Corvette Racing only ran a partial season in the new GT (then GT2 Class) cars, using a downsized 6.0-liter version of the old GT1 Class 7.0-liter V8.

The 2010 ALMS Season begins with the 12 Hours of Sebring, March 17-20.

GALLERY: 2010 Corvette Racing C6.R

Official release after the jump:

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Corvette Racing boss Doug Fehan has confirmed that when the team of GT2-spec Vettes debut for their first full season at Sebring in March, they will be equipped with an all-new, smaller V8 engine. Gone is the 6.0-liter V8 from last year, which Fehan said was just an temporary engine. That motor, essentially a donwsized version of the GT1-spec 7.0-liter V8, had very little in common with the street-going Corvette’s V8.

This new 5.5-liter V8, however, is expected to be in many ways similar to a production V8 that will find its way into the next generation C7 Corvette. In fact, it will be built alongside engines for the ZR1 and Z06 at GM’s Performance Build Center.

We’ll be watching the new GT2 Corvettes closely during the 2010 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) season, in articular during their race debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring running from March 17-20.

GALLERY: Corvette Racing ALMS GT2 Cars

Official release after the jump:

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After launching the R8 LMS race car in Europe last year, Audi has now announced its intentions to bring the track-only version of the R8 to North America. In an interview with the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), Audi Sport boss Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, said he’d like to have the car run in something like the ALMS’s GT Challenge class in 2011.

The GT Challenge class is the entry-level class, which is part of a new set of classes the series has created to stay competitive confuse people.

“From 2011 on, we want to the cars available to customers in the United States,” he said, commenting that obviously Audi would need to support the teams and not just sell the cars.

With Audi’s huge involvement in the ALMS over the past several years with its TDI diesel R8, R10 and now R15 cars, the German automaker has done a lot to raise the series’ profile. Dr. Ulrich hinted that it would be nice if the GT class could accommodate Audi, which has done so much for the sport. With Audi not as involved in the ALMS any more, however, he even commented that Audi would like to continue to support the series, something the introduction of a fleet of R8 race cars most certainly would do.

[Source: ALMS]

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Going by the name of Mattzel (or FONESupports), his videos have become a YouTube phenomenon. That being said, we couldn’t resist the urge to post up his latest motorsports-related work – a compilation of slowed down clips from some of the world’s premiere racing series including: Formula One, NASCAR, ALMS, WRC and there’s even some touring car and bike racing tossed in. Oh, and there are several amazing crashes included in the clips.

Combined with some subtle music it has a serious TopGear look and feel that we could just put on repeat and watch all day.

Be sure to check out FONESupports YouTube channel here and subscribe for his next masterpiece.

[Source: AxisofOversteer]

See after the jump for the original Racing in Slow Motion video:

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Along with its announced plans for Formula One next season, British sports car maker Lotus is also looking at expanding its racing efforts to include IndyCar, GT and Le Mans racing. Newly appointed company CEO Dany Bahar made the announcement to employees, stating that Lotus is studying expanding its racing efforts under a new corporate outlook.

Bahar, who comes from working for Red Bull’s Formula 1 team and as the former head of marketing for Ferrari has ambitious plans to return Lotus to its former position as a motorsports leader, using motorsports as a way to brand the company’s road cars, while using technology gained from racing efforts to help improve those very cars and develop new ones.

Lotus has made known plans to field a two car Evora team at next years Nürburgring 24 Hour race but now it appears as though as more long term plan may be coming into place.

No official decision has been made but we expect to see Lotus cars racing in the European and American Le Mans series in the near future.

[Source: AutoCar]