A new advantage will be granted to Audi’s drivers next month in the 24 Hours of Le Mans: a rear-view mirror. It wasn’t possible to see behind the R18 race car until now, thanks to a tiny rear-mounted camera.

Previously, the engine made it impossible for a rear-view mirror to allow the driver to look directly behind the car. Audi dealt with the engine problem by mounting a camera at the car’s rear and a screen inside the cockpit. The automaker says this new technology will allow for significantly improved safety because traditional mirrors mounted to offer a side view can only give a limited viewing range and are less reliable at high speeds.

“This gives us a whole host of benefits,” Audi Motorsport boss Wolfgang Ullrich said. “The operation of the mirror is weather-neutral. By contrast, when using outside mirrors, heavy water spray severely impairs the driver’s field of vision when it rains. For the new digital mirror, we worked out various day and night driving modes. Even when a rival approaches from the rear with high-beam headlights the image is superb and not just a glaring light spot.”

It probably seems particularly strange that something like this hasn’t happened until now. Cameras are easily available, after all, but dealing with a video system that has to function at more than 200 mph isn’t that simple.

Cameras add weight, so until recently setting a rear-view monitor didn’t merit the disadvantage. That’s no longer the case now that cameras can be lightweight and only a few millimeters wide.

Even with technology like that, screens capable of accurately capturing motion at those speeds were also unavailable until very recently. Audi uses an active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) screen with super-high resolution and a fast enough refresh rate and response time to accurately depict things passing that quickly without motion blur.

“The system was initially installed in an Audi R8 in which we sent Marcel Fässler and Marco Bonanomi out to test it in road traffic,” Ullrich said. “Today, the system functions perfectly in the Audi R18 LMP race car.”

Nissan‘s Delta Wing Le Mans race car looks like something out of a comic book, and as much as imaginative thinking went into it, the real magic came from the engineers who managed to make it work. 

Perhaps one of the most surprising things about the Delta Wing, though, is that it uses an almost-identical engine to the Nissan Juke. In order to work with the car’s lightweight, unique design, it needed a small engine, something the Juke’s powerplant was perfect for according to Ben Bowlby, the Delta Wing’s originator and designer.

The 1.6-liter turbo four cylinder red lines at around 7,500 rpms, much like the production version. Its efficient fuel demands mean the Delta Wing can run about 110 miles of Le Mans racing on a single fuel cell fill up.

In the clip below, you see animations of how the engine works, get a brief explanation of it and see exactly how small it is for such an imposing-looking car.

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Carroll Shelby, the automotive legend, died last night at age 89 because of medical complications.

Shelby recently released a statement through Facebook commenting on his health. In it, he addressed concerns about his recent hospital stints, saying he had been battling pneumonia but was comfortable and in good hands. Shelby died in Baylor Hospital last night, presumably of complications stemming from that illness, though official word has yet to be released.

Known best, perhaps even to this day, for his iconic AC Cobras, Carroll Shelby always loved going fast. Born in Leesburg, Texas, in his early days he was known to take his father’s Willy’s to its very reachable limits on a regular basis.

The boy who loved speed, as many know, would make one of the most legendary marks on the auto industry to date. He would go on to a career that included being a race car driver in the ’50s, ultimately winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Maserati in 1959 — his last year.

In the same year, Carroll Shelby first got a license to import the AC Ace cars from Britain which would serve as the body for his soon-to-be-legendary AC Cobra. His formula was simple and potent: pull the straight-six Bristol engine out and replace it with a Ford 260 V8. The result and subsequent versions were electrifying: A light, powerful sports car that was incredibly fast.

It wasn’t long before Carroll Shelby started tuning cars for major auto manufacturers like Dodge with the Viper and most notably the Ford Mustang. Still in production today, the Shelby GT Mustangs continue to gather praise. Most recently the GT500′s 662-hp 5.8-liter V8. With the most powerful production V8 to date, the current GT500 carries on the legendary tradition surrounding his name.

Plagued by health problems that started in his youth and continued through his life including a donated kidney from one of his sons and a heart transplant. Despite those setbacks, Carroll Shelby managed to live an unparalleled life that won’t be soon forgotten. May he rest in peace.

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.

Dempsey is already a well known racer on the Grand-Am GT circuit where he runs modified Mazda RX-8s, and now he will compete in an LMP2 prototype car, which is quite a change up from what he is used to. ”It feels familiar but so much more intense, the braking, the acceleration, cornering and power, it is all on a much more dynamic level than the GT cars I have driven,” said Dempsey.

The actor owns and runs his own race team, called Dempsey racing, along with co-driver and business partner Joe Foster. This season the team is competing in a handful of races to test the cars and ready themselves, as next season Demspey racing is planning a full season run for the championship.

In testing the Dempsey Racing Lola-Judd prototype had the third fastest time in its class and fifth overall.

Watch the race this weekend on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 13.

Audi is jumping back into the documentary film making game with its Truth in 24 II documentary, the first of which was released three years ago.

In its first film, viewers saw Audi struggle as the underdog against Peugeot, only to come back and win the race. The film was so successful that the automaker decided to film a sequel showing its three-car team competing again at the world-famous race.

Word of the film emerged late last month, and now there’s a trailer to watch as well. It’s packed with the same high-speed driving and action you would expect after the first film.

Unfortunately it doesn’t look like there will be a third installment after Peugeot pulled out of the sport in January, but keep your fingers crossed that the sequel will be every bit as entertaining as the first.

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The Toyota TS030 Hybrid Le Mans car is going to begin testing, again, on May 4 following a crash which put the car out of commission and caused the race team to miss what was supposed to be the first real race for the car, the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

This means that the TS030 will have its first real world race at 24 hours of Le Mans, which was not the intended plan as Le Mans is a grueling race that Toyota hoped to be bettered prepared for.

The monocoque body of the first TS030 was damaged in the accident, so the production time on the second car had to be seriously sped up, and will be transported to Magny-Cours circuit in France for testing as soon as it is ready.

“I would like to express my thanks to the staff members at TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH who have worked so hard to deliver our second monocoque ahead of schedule. Now we have a very intense testing program to prepare for Le Mans, beginning with an initial functionality test to shakedown our systems,” said Yoshiaki Kinoshita, the Toyota Race Team president.

Toyota will be entering two TS030 cars at Le Mans, marking the first hybrids to run in the race.

The Nissan Delta Wing Le Mans race car is certainly one of the most experimental cars the racing world has ever seen, and its creation was documented by Nissan to show off the extensive amounts of research and development it takes to build such a race focused machine.  

Nissan is releasing the footage in installments, each one focusing on a different aspect of the development process.

We have seen it testing at Sebring, and now Nissan intends to show us the steps it took to bring the car into reality and actually get it out on the track. The first video in the series focuses on aerodynamics, and specifically on preparing and testing the race car in the wind tunnel.

You can watch the first video in the series below.

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When Toyota revealed its TS030 LMP hybrid, the Japanese automaker had its targets sighted onto the reigning diesel Audi R18. However, the R18 is proving to be a fast moving target. Earlier this month, Audi announced that it will field two innovative diesel-hybrid LMP1 cars for the first time in its team of four at the 2012 24 hours of Le Mans.

These are the first images of the 2012 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro LMP1 race car. While its exterior looks very much alike the race car that participated last year, the hardware underneath has been vastly redesigned. The new R18 will continue the use of the V6 TDI diesel engine (rated at 510-hp), but will mate it to Audi’s regenerating brake energy technology and an all-wheel-drive drivetrain. Rather than the use of a battery pack, the R18 e-tron Quattro is able to store energy from braking forces into the flywheel, where the electricity can then be used to power the two electric motors at the front wheels. Moreover, the added weight of the complex hybrid system will be neutralized by a carbon-fiber gearbox housing designed to be as light as possible. This is the first time a carbon-fiber gearbox housing will be used in endurance racing.

Although Audi is going to field two hybrid prototype racers, the German automaker does not intend to soley rely on the new technology for  a win. For that, the team still believes last year’s R18 TDI will be more reliable for the job. Audi will get to face off against the Toyota TS030 throughout the racing season. Time will tell which prototype reigns supreme.

GALLERY: Audi R18 e-tron Quattro

Aston Martin will return this year to the FIA World Endurance Championship to compete in the eight round series, kicking off with the 60th anniversary edition of the 12 Hours of Sebring, on March 17.

The company confirmed today that it will enter an updated version of the Vantage GT2, calling it the Vantage GTE. That car will be based off the Vantage road car, getting the same bonded aluminum structure with and aerospace specification steel roll cage. All but the roof will be made from carbon fiber to shed weight. A 4.5-litre V8 with an aluminum block  and will keep the street-legal Vantage’s double-wishbone suspension, but with purpose-built components.

The driver line-up has also been confirmed: Darren Turner, Stefan Mücke and Adrian Fernandez will compose the team.

“I’m excited about this program as it’s our opportunity to take Aston Martin back to the top of the world of GT racing. The Vantage GTE is a great car; she’s coming along nicely now and we’re ready to take on what we expect will be tough competition,” Turner said.

“The FIA World Endurance Championship calendar looks good to me, especially as I’ve already won in an Aston Martin at half of the tracks: Sebring, Silverstone, Interlagos and of course at Le Mans. We are going to Sebring next month with a brand new car, but that’s exactly what we did with the DBR9 back in 2005 and we won that race. I’m not promising we can repeat that but we’ll certainly try.”

GALLERY: 2012 Aston Martin Vantage GTE

Lotus Motorsport and Alex Job Racing (AJR) will partner to compete for the GT championship in the American Le Mans Series, starting with the race at Long Beach on the weekend of April 14.

The factory-backed Lotus Evora GTE will feature a black-and-gold painted car reminiscent of JPS Lotus F1 cars. The team will also be be backed by Battery Tender, William Rast and Yokohama in 2012.

“We are focused on winning,” said Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus. “Alex Job has one of the best records in sports car racing. We look forward to working together and developing a top-tier team over the coming years. Racing is a core component of the Lotus brand, and we are thrilled to have this new partnership to further enhance our winning racing heritage.”

Alex Job, the team principal, confirmed that IndyCar driver Townsend Bell will partner with two-time ALMS Founders Cup winner Bill Sweedler for the entire season.

“Lotus has made a lot of racing news lately with significant programs announced in multiple categories of motorsport,” said Scott Atherton, ALMS President and CEO. “After a full evaluation of all options we are proud they selected the ALMS for their factory-backed GT racing platform. This represents the best possible opportunity for Lotus to race what they sell and to showcase the technology and performance of their cars against the benchmark examples of the industry.”

Dominating Le Mans during the 1920′s with its powerful, rugged, and reliable Bentley Blower, the British automaker from Crewe established itself as one of the earliest names in motorsports.

This June, Bonhams’ Goodwood will offer a rare red 1929-32′Bentley 4 1/2-Liter for auction. According to experts, the Bentley is expected to reach bids as high as $6.3 million, potentially making this example the most valuable Bentley in the world. In 2004, a 1930 Bentley Speed Six Tourer was sold for $5.1 million.

Previously owned by watchmaker George Daniels, who passed away last year, the Bentley 4 1/2-Liter  as well as Daniels’ six other cars and two motorcycles will be featured as the highlights of Bonhams. According to Bonhams, Daniels once wrote in a statement, “For all its inconvenience, (the Bentley) is a most exhilarating car to drive both on the road and track.”

The red supercharged Bentley was originally raced and owned by Sir Henry “Tiger Tim” Birkin. Described as a British racing folk hero, Birkin set the Brooklands Outer Circuit Lap record at 137 mph in 1931.

GALLERY: 1929-32′ Bentley 4 1/2-Litre

National Geographic rated the 24 hours at Le Mans race the greatest sporting event in the world, beating the Olympics, Superbowl and the World Cup for the top spot. Who ever said driving wasn’t a “real sport”?

The race at Le Mans started in May of 1923 and has been an annual event ever since. The idea behind starting the race was to push manufacturers and race teams to put a car together with not just the fastest engine, but also a reliable engine capable of running for a full 24 hours. Each car has a team of at least three drivers who run parts of the race, with stints of two hours of more. But the race at Le Mans is about more than just three pilots and is truly a team sport when you consider the mechanics, the manufactures, the crew chief and everyone else who works on creating a winning race car.

While it seems that the easy choice would be the Olympics or the World Cup, National Geographic took the road less traveled and decided to back a truly grueling contest that tests man and machine. Bravo National Geographic, Bravo.