Audi is out to steal Toyota‘s thunder in the World Endurance Championship this year.

The German automaker announced today that it will run two hybrid LMP1 cars for the first time in their team of four during the 24 hours of Le Mans.

Details were scarce in the release, but we know that the cars will be officially released at the end of the month. Their first race debut will follow on May 5 at the 6 hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

Despite running the hybrid cars, Audi isn’t relying on them. Instead the R18 TDI that raced last year will remain the staple.

“The first test results are very encouraging and we are intrigued to see just how this technology performs in combination with our ultra lightweight technology on the race track at Le Mans. As before, we still, however, see potential with the conventional drive – just as our colleagues do in production development,” head of Audi Motorsport Wolfgang Ullrich said.

It seems that the engineers at Audi are putting some stock in Toyota’s strategy because developing and running those cars is no small feat.

“To develop the hybrid technology for Le Mans is at least as ambitious and challenging as our diesel project was in its early stages,” Ullrich said.

Audi won 10 of the total Le Mans races since 2000, so the fact that they’re putting money into a hybrid LMP1 means there’s probably something significant to be gained.

Try this little experiment: put a pair of headphones on if you can, or just turn the volume up. Skip to the bottom of the page and watch the video, but do it with your eyes closed. Come back and read the article after that.

It’s the kind of outside-the-box thinking one might hope for with a brand launching into Formula One racing for the first time. Although the Lotus name has been around in F1 since 1958, there’s an important distinction: Team Lotus and Lotus weren’t exactly the same group.

The name disappeared from the sport between 1994 and 2010 when it came back under license to Tony Fernandes, an entrepreneur best known for turning once-failing Air Asia into a successful publicly listed company. For the upcoming year, Lotus will run under their own name, while Fernandes’ team will re-emerge as the Caterham F1 Team.

The Caterham CT01 car made the news last week after its photos leaked a day early onto the internet. We don’t have much information on the Lotus car yet, but we do know that 2007 Formula 1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen will be at the wheel.

Watch the teaser below.

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British luxury sports car brand Aston Martin will make its debut in the Grand-Am series on January 27th, as it prepares to take part in the 2012 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC), which will be held at the Daytona International Speedway.

For its return to North American racing, Aston Martin has teamed up with Multimatic Motorsports, which are based in Toronto, Canada. The lead car in this endurance race will be driven by Scott Maxwell and Joe Foster, while the second car will be piloted by Hollywood star Patrick Dempsey, who has proven over the years that he is a very accomplished racing driver. For this inaugural event, Dempsey will be teamed-up with Chriss Porritt, Aston Martin’s chief engineer, who is very experienced with the Vantage GT4.

The first round of the CTSCC will be run in support of the 50th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and this support race will run for two and a half hours, with a mandatory driver change. The Aston Martin team will be competiting in the Grand Sport Category, which features six and eight cylinder cars. Aston’s main rival will most certainly be the Audi R8 LMS, which is in the same class.

With experienced drivers and the combined talents of Aston Martin and Multimatic Motorsports, this team will certainly be among the favorites to take the race win. We only have to wait a few days to find out.

Ford and General Motors could have an all-too-familiar rival in the V8 Supercar series and despite some rumors, it won’t be from German or Japan. Hailing from the other side of the world, where they’re cross-town rivals, Chrysler is tipped as the latest possibly entry into the touring car championship.

Top Chrysler designer and CEO of the new Street and Racing Technology (SRT) brand Ralph Gilles confirmed as much recently, telling Australian outlet The Age, that, “I am extremely interested (in V8 Supercars),” though he stopped short of confirming anything.

According to Chrysler Group Australia managing director Clyde Campbell his division is in constant contact with SRT and even made some strong hints about the future, commenting that, as SRT is all about incorporating racing technology into street cars, having a strong racing presence is important.

A possible timeline for entry into the series could see Chrysler coming in at the start of next season with a new “Car of the Future” plan that would make fielding a team more affordable. Estimates peg a two car team at roughly $10 million dollars for a season. There’s a catch, however, as fielding a team takes more than just money. Current regulations mean Chrysler would have to enter the series using an existing team, meaning they’d have to woo one of the Ford or Holden groups away from their current partner.

While Chrysler putting so much effort into an Australian-market-exclusive product seems like a long shot, the series’ plans for the future include expanding the championship to a wider audience. The Australian V8 Supercar series has already visited the Middle East and is scheduled to run one race in Austin, Texas in 2013.

[Source: The Age]

Who says cartoons are just for kids? TheDRIVER, an animated series focusing on fast cars and swift justice, is anything but childish.

It features cell shaded computer animation similar to what you might associate with the Gorillaz. TheDRIVER is a story centering around a mystery man in a Nissan GT-R who roams the streets of Los Angeles stopping street racers, drunk drivers and other “unsavory” characters. His sidekick, a caped kid with a cartoonishly big camera takes photos of his vigilanteism from surrounding rooftops.

Series creator Chris Hung cleaned up his trailer and added more footage to re-release it. In the video we see a Nissan 350Z escape a police chase, only to be run off the road by the protagonist’s GT-R.

The show is jam-packed with brand sponsoring, which is fine because it adds an aire of authenticity. The show does a fantastic job of capturing what it’s really like to be inside a 350Z as well, which is refreshing. If there’s one thing modern car chases get wrong, it’s the little details. The stunt driving is exaggerated, but that’s forgivable in a cartoon that clearly cares to go the extra mile for things like believable shift noises and throws.

Hung hopes the show will promote safe driving and show people about car culture and racing while exposing the dangers without seeming preachy.

Its not clear when or where we can look forward to the first full episode, considering the first footage came out in April 2010, but we’re eager to see more as it comes out. You can watch the trailer below.

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Racing a Prius might sound like the start of a joke, until you see this. Unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan, this Toyota Prius is fully prepped and sporting its race livery. Significantly wider and lower than a factor model, this Prius is designed to compete in Japan’s Super GT racing series starting this year.

Regulations in the series are loose, so there’s little left of the original Prius here, although the original’s sleek aerodynamic shape is still obvious. Also of note is that the car appears to retain a hybrid drivetrain with the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive logo on the back. Another hint is the massive sponsorship by Panasonic, which supplies the batteries for the road car.

Exactly how this hybrid racer will do remains to be seen and we’ll have to wait for the first round of the Super GT series in March to find out.

GALLERY: Toyota Prius Race Car

See AutoGuide’s complete Tokyo Auto Salon Coverage Here

Patrick Dempsey may be giving up his role on TV’s Grey Anatomy in order to pursue his other passion – racing.

Known and loved as Dr. Derek Shepherd (aka Dr. McDreamy) on the top-rated series, Dempsey said that this year would be his last season on the show. Now we know why – he says he’d rather race then commit to another season.

Recently, Dempsey was testing his car at the Daytona International Speedway for an upcoming race, where he took time out to tell reporters that: “The biggest point for me in negotiations is getting time off to come race, so if I don’t miss races, I’ll probably stay on Grey’s Anatomy.”

Dempsey is planning ahead, and even though the show is a Thursday night staple, it seems that his heart is in racing right now. But if you’re a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, there’s no need to panic just yet. The actor still enjoys starring in the show, as it keeps it close to his family. Here’s hoping he can work out a deal that keeps him in the show and on the race track.

If you want to see Dempsey in action – on the race track, that is – you can catch him as he gets behind the wheel for the Grand-AM Series’ Rolex 24 (he placed third in this race last year). The race airs on SPEED network January 28 at 3:30 p.m. ET and January 29 at 9 a.m. ET.

[Source: People]

Cadillac released its third teaser video for the 2013 ATS, their compact sport coupe. In the video, Cadillac engineers explain why they have focused their efforts so closely on gathering data at the Nurburing track, saying they can gather more data in one lap at “The Ring” than in twelve at any U.S. track.

Dave Mikels, energy and powertrain integration engineer, tells us that the car will experience full compression loading and being airborne during a lap. What that really speaks to is the company’s dedication to the ATS and making it a true performance machine.

With the Detroit Auto Show coming up next month, expect more details on the ATS very soon.

You can watch the video below

Ford is thinking about adding a mid-range track car to their Boss 302S and 302R lineup. They quietly debuted a concept called the 302SX at the recent Performance Racing Industry trade show in Orlando, FL.

Don’t let their modest unveiling fool you, this car is something to talk about. It borrows aspects of the new Cobra Jet drag car and the Boss 302R race car. With that step comes a jump from the standard 444 horsepower to more than 500 out of a built 5.0-liter V8.

It also means a slew of improved parts like the six-speed transmission out of the 302R.  Upgraded exhaust,oil and fuel systems offer the engine help while a fully adjustable coilover suspension, adjustable front and rear sway bars, camber/caster plates, Brembo brakes and racing slicks deliver track-gripping performance.

The interior is also trimmed back including lightweight seats, and a quick release steering wheel. Proving that this is a serious track machine, as if that isn’t enough, Ford is also tossing in a system to record lap times.

The 302SX is a concept for the time being but Ford says it’s testing the market to see if releasing this latest iteration is worth their while.

It was back in 1967 when the AMG badge first appeared on a Mercedes-Benz product, and in 2012 it will first appear on a Formula 1 car.

In order to promote its performance division, Mercedes-Benz has decided to change the name of its F1 team for the 2012 season, and it will now be called “Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team.”

On this occasion, the director of motorsport at Mercedes, Norbert Haug said: “Our new team name fuses the proud traditions of AMG and the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows at the pinnacle of motorsport. These three letters (AMG) are synonymous with high technology, sporting performance and excitement and this step is a further strong sign of the strategic commitment Mercedes-Benz has made to Formula 1.”

So if you are a fan of the Aufrecht Melcher Grobaspach (AMG) racing cars, wait until March 18, for the first Formula 1 race of 2012, which will be held in Melbourne, Australia, to see your favorite racing cars in action.

[Source: Autocar]