Category: Motorsports

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Motorsports Porsche

Walter Röhrl returns to Nürburgring 24 hour race

Walter Rohrl

Porsche test driver, dual world rally champion and all round motor racing legend Walter Rohrl will be driving a Porsche 911 GT3 RS at the 2010 Nürburgring 24 hour race. Rohrl will be 63 when the race takes place in May and it will be his first N24 since 1993.

There’s not much else around announcing this drive at the moment other than the following quote from Rohrl himself, “No other road-going 911 has ever been as close to a race car as this current GT3 RS,” said Rohrl. “That’s why I’m thrilled to be able to prove that this sports car is up to the challenge of the 24-hour race.”

Rohrl will have 118bhp per litre at his disposal from the 3.8 litre flat six engine. That’s around 450bhp (335kW), which won’t grab too many headlines for outright power, but it’s safe to say the GT3 RS will handle itself very well around the demanding Nordschleife circuit.

As usual AUSringers.com is planning to cover the race as best as can possibly be done from the other side of the globe!

[via evo]

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Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

Schumacher watch: Walking on the moon edition

Schumacher watch

Today Bernie Ecclestone and Eddie Irvine have stepped up to the plate providing the content for Schumacher watch.

Bernie said his legs don’t break, walking on the moon. Actually, I think he might have said he is “absolutely over the moon” at the thought of Schumi returning to the F1 grid.

Apparently Robert Kubica’s phobia of Luxembourg has him thinking twice about staying at Renault, following news that Genii Capital are moving in. The Pole was said to be eyeing off Michael’s seat at Mercedes. But Bernie soon put that right saying, “Well, they’ve got Michael haven’t they. They won’t want Michael and Kubica.”

Well, Robert, back in your box son and back to Renault for you.

Lovable playboy Eddie Irvine managed to roll over this morning pushing models away to answer BBC Five live’s distress call. To help calm them down he revealed that Schumacher has a drug habit. Yes, you see, Eddie says nothing match the thrill that Formula One provides, “In F1, you’re on show and got to perform, whereas in the real world it’s months or years before you can get the same rush. Michael has been karting since he was four or five so he knows nothing else,” said the Irishman.

Irvine also took the time to indulge in a bit of sledging, “He tried the motorcycle riding which was sheer madness because he wasn’t very good and wasn’t getting paid so I never understood that one, but F1 makes sense.”

So, there you have it. Schumi has an addiction and is a rubbish motorbike rider. Eddie said so. Until next time…

[Source: guardian.co.uk & crash.net]

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Formula 1 Renault

Renault stay in F1, kind of

Renault F1

The Renault name will remain in Formula One into the 2010 season. However, as much as 75-80% of the operation will be sold to Luxembourg based company Genii Capital.

According to a statement posted on the Renault F1 website (available after the jump) this deal will help secure a long term future for the French manufacturer, who have a 35 year history in F1, “The new partnership will contribute to procuring the team the resources to compete sustainably at the highest level, and creates a great opportunity to modernise its governance.”

The news will certainly come as a welcome relief to former BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica who was signed by Renault after he was left without a seat following BMW’s departure from F1.

Meanwhile, Bernard Rey, Renault’s Team President is understably happy with today’s announcement, “I am delighted to welcome Genii Capital as our new strategic partner as I am sure that their enthusiasm and business expertise will create a new dynamic for the team, the staff, and our partners. Altogether, we look forward to competing again at the highest level in Formula One.”

Rumours first surfaced of a Renault withdrawal from Formula One about six weeks ago. A little over a week ago strong rumours suggested that Prodrive were set for a complete buyout of Renault’s F1 program. Now, though, another piece of the 2010 Formula One jigsaw has been locked into place in what has been one of the best silly season’s ever.

And with Schumacher watch in full operation, I think we are yet to see the biggest and best news the sport could hope for.

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Formula 1 Lotus

Lotus in Formula One

Lotus F1 history

The return of Lotus to Formula One in 2010 is a bitter sweet scenario for many. The much revered icon of British motorsport is now heavily backed by outside influences with Malaysian ownership under the watch of Proton since 1994. Will the return of Lotus to the F1 grid honour the memory of the late, great Colin Chapman? Or will its return be a once great star that fails to glimmer as brightly as in times past?

At this stage, at least, the current holders of the Lotus name seem to be making the right noises in regards to understanding the burden they carry with their return to the Formula One paddock.

Having just been given the keys to the Lotus F1 Racing media portal it was a nice surprise to discover these old skool images. A timely find, too, as today marks the 27th year since Colin Chapman passed away.

Also of note is an article which briefly documents the history of Lotus in F1. That piece, along with more images to accompany that stunning image of Graham Hill in a Lotus 49B from the 1969 German Grand Prix can be seen after the jump.

For more historic Lotus racing material, check out the Classic Team Lotus website.

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Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

Schumacher watch: Eternal flame edition

Schumacher watch

Michael Schumacher’s German compatriot  Timo Glock reckons the Schumacher household is ablaze with candles bearing the Mercedes Benz logo. Apparently they accompany a lovingly arranged set of Ross Brawn portraits. Speaking at the launch of the Virgin Racing Glock said, “The flame is still there, it’s still burning and it will be great if he returns. For me, my personal feeling, it’s quite obvious he is coming back.”

Mercedes GP team heavyweight Nick Fry has also thrown his hat into the ring wanting to get on the Schumi bandwagon. Although, when asked directly if a Schumacher deal was imminent he coyly replied, “I can’t tell you at this stage, unfortunately.” Yes you can Nick, go on, be a sport. You can tell us, we’re just a little blog in far away Australia.

Maybe, though, Fry has already let the cat out of the bag by admitting his Mercedes GP team wants Michael in their car, “The view from inside Formula One, not just in my team, is that they all hope it will happen.

“On Saturday night in Germany, the news that Michael might return was the first thing on and the Copenhagen climate talks was second. Not sure if they have their priorities right, but it shows the impact.”

Fry went on to say that the seven-time world champion would be “very good for our team.”

Unless the rumour dam breaks in the meantime I’ll see you here tomorrow for the next edition of Schumacher watch.

[Source: Associated Press & Crash.net]

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Formula 1

Red team gives Schumacher the green light

Michael wants to play at Ross' place

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has perhaps thrown the most potent log on the Schumacher to Mercedes GP fire by giving the seven time world champion a green light to reunite with Ross Brawn.

Schumacher recently stood down from his advisory role with Ferrari’s F1 team, but still had a three year agreement in place to consult with their road car program. When asked recently if this agreement would deny Schumacher the freedom to join Mercedes GP di Montezemolo said, “No, [it’s] not binding. It’s clear that if he decides to take another road our [consultancy] agreement will no longer be valid, that is logical. You can’t work with a competitor and with us at the same time.”

With this new revelation following the weekend’s news that Schumacher and Mercedes have reached a verbal agreement it would now appear the only thing standing in the way of an official announcement being made is time.

Things aren’t all plain sailing for Mercedes GP, though. According to The Press Association an £80 million pound sponsorship deal is about to go horribly wrong. It would seem that someone got a bit ahead of themselves by signing the agreement without authorisation.

While the motorsport world is salivating at the thought of Schumacher and Brawn starting a new competitive relationship there is a jilted lover in all of this. Spare a thought for Nick Heidfeld. The 32-year-old German is widely tipped to be the man Mercedes GP sign if the Schumacher deal doesn’t come to fruition. And, yet, he must wait in the shadow of Schumacher’s hype to see if he has a job in 2010. Mind, Heidfeld claims he has knocked back concrete job offers, so if he is without an F1 seat in 2010 he may only have himself to blame.

[Source: Telegraph.co.uk]

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Formula 1 Lotus

Lotus F1 signs Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen

Lotus F1 2010

Lotus F1 announced today that Italy’s Jarno Trulli and Finland’s Heikki Kovalainen will form their main driving team in 2010. Malaysia’s Fairuz Fauzy will fill the test driver’s role.

Team Principal, Tony Fernandes, said in a statement released by Lotus F1, “The appointment of Jarno, Heikki and Fairuz as our race drivers is a testament to the quality of our team, to our ambition and drive, and above all to our long-term vision of success in Formula 1.”

Trulli and Kovalainen are well known to Formula One, of course, both having won races in the past. Fauzy, meanwhile, last experienced F1 in a test driver capacity for the Spyker team in 2007.

Both Jarno and Heikki said all the right things on their first day on the job, “It is a privilege for me to sign for the new Lotus F1 Racing team. I have been impressed by the long-term vision of the team management and technical staff. Tony has set out very ambitious plans and I am ready to help the team achieve these high targets,” said Trulli.

Meanwhile, Kovalainen showed he knows on which side his bread is buttered, “I’m also excited to be part of a team that is not only bringing back the Lotus name, one of the most iconic teams in any form of global motorsport, but also doing so with the support and backing of Malaysia, a country I fell in love with when I first raced there in 2007.”

So, is the the coup that Lotus F1 would have us believe? Or in the cut and thrust world of F1, is this a middle of the road signing for what is likely to be a middle of the road team (in its first year or two, at least). Maybe it’s a wise move to sign two guys with experience, and both have shown, with the right cars, they have the pace. The question is, will they have the right car?

The full release can be read at the Lotus F1 Racing website. The Q&A statement, featuring Tony Fernandes, Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen is also worth a read.

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Accessories & Tech Motorsports Volkswagen

Volkswagen launches Dakar iPhone app

Volkswagen Dakar iPhone app

Volkswagen are not new to complementing their activities with iPhone apps, and now we can add another to the list with the launch of ‘Volkswagen Rally mobile – 2010 Dakar’. It’s a free application and is available for download now via iTunes.

‘Rally mobile’ will allow users to follow the progress of Volkswagen’s Race Touareg 2 teams during Dakar (1-17 January). Updates will include daily summaries, video reports and access to stage maps. Could be worth a look.

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Motorsports Video

VIDEO: Snail’s pace II

More super slow mo YouTubery from the same creator featured in the first Snail’s pace post. This one goes for longer and fits in more cars, more bikes and more overall goodness. Enjoy.

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Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

BREAKING: Schumacher & Mercedes GP reach verbal agreement?

Schumacher agrees to drive for Mercedes GP in 2010?

German language news reports from Focus and Bild, along with countless Twitter posts, are abuzz with rumours that Michael Schumacher and Mercedes GP have verbally agreed to a one year deal that will see the seven time world champ to return to Formula One in 2010. Apparently the only hurdles remaining are the results of a medical and the willingness for Ferrari to release Schumacher from his advisory role with their road car program.

It is believed that the Schumacher-Mercedes deal could be announced as soon as this Monday. Reports suggest Schumacher, who turns 41 on 3 January, may earn as much as €7 million in his comeback season.

From what I have been able to gather it would appear that Andrew Benson’s blog about Schumacher’s comeback, posted yesterday on the BBC website, is very close to the mark.

If, or hopefully when, Schumacher’s return to F1 is confirmed it will be massive, massive news for the sport. Whether the second coming would last any more than one year will be the next piece of the jigsaw puzzle. However, speculation will most likely increase that Schumacher’s return will be a stop-gap for Mercedes until they can pry the 26th greatest F1 driver of all time, Sebastian Vettel, from Red Bull Racing when his contract ends after the 2010 season.

More on this breaking story as it comes to hand.

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Formula 1

F1 drivers name Senna greatest of all time

Autosport.com greatest F1 drivers of all time

Autosport.com has taken on one of the most ambitious F1 polls of all time to discover who is recognised as the sport’s greatest ever driver. To establish the list they went straight to the source, the drivers themselves, asking 217 racers to list their top 10 greatest drivers. The definition of “greatest” was left to each individual.

The top three drivers won’t come as any surprise, although debate on their final rankings is likely to continue for years to come. There have been 60 World Championship seasons and the top three drivers account for 16 titles between them. An astonishing stat in itself.

As with any poll, controversy is never too far away. And perhaps it is no surprise that the most questionable results concern current drivers. Four active drivers made the list, with two-time champion Fernando Alonso finishing inside the top 10, in 9th place. 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton finds a home in 17th. Sebastien Vettel may be the sport’s youngest ever race winner, but with only three fully completed seasons behind him, even he would raise his eyebrows at being ranked the 26th greatest driver of all time. Reigning F1 World Champion Jenson Button fills 30th place. It is worth noting that WRC-convert Kimi Raikkonen is ranked 22nd in the poll.

Since the World Championship era began in 1950 a total of 32 drivers have been crowned champion. However, winning a world title was not an automatic entry to this exclusive group. In all five World Champions missed out—Mike Hawthorn (1958), Denny Hulme (1967), Jody Sheckter (1979), Damon Hill (1996) and Jacques Villeneuve (1997).

Stirling Moss (8th) was the highest ranked driver not to win a World Championship, with Ronnie Peterson (19th) the only other driver in the top half of the ranking not to have a title next to his name. Phil Hill (33rd) is the lowest ranked World Champion.

Great Britain is represented more times than any other country, with nine drivers making the grade. While Australia’s two champions earned enough votes to make the final cut—Jack Brabham (18th) and Alan Jones (31st).

The full list is available after the jump. Let the debate continue.

[Source: Autosport.com | Thanks to Mat for the tip]

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Formula 1

2010 Formula One calendar

Overnight the FIA released a revised calendar for the 2010 Formula One season. As expected, the Australian Grand Prix relinquishes its premiere status to Bahrain. Since hosting its first race in 1996 Melbourne has held the opening race of every season, with the exception of 2006 when it was pushed back to avoid clashing with the Commonwealth Games. Ironically, Bahrain was the location for the season opener in 2006.

The Canadian Grand Prix returns to the F1 calendar, coming back at the expense of the French race. Abu Dhabi will again host the final race of the year. An earlier calendar released by the FIA had Brazil closing out the year, but they have been switched back, and will be held just one week apart. That’s a lot of miles for the F1 circus to cover in seven days.

Now that Silverstone has been locked in as host of the British Grand Prix the only question mark remaining over this latest calendar concerns a new event. The Korean Grand Prix is scheduled to make its F1 debut at the end of October, but cannot be confirmed until the track has been approved by the FIA.

The full listing of races can be seen after the jump.

[Source: Formula1.com]

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