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AUDI TOP LE MANS TEST
Audi completed its preparations for the most important endurance race of the year with a test in France that was largely held in rain. Two weeks before the Le Mans 24 Hours, Audi Sport Team Joest set up the long-tail version of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro for the high-speed track on the eight-hour test day. On a mostly wet Sunday at La Sarthe, the team of the eleven-time Le Mans winner concentrated on testing various aerodynamic set-up versions of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro. In addition, the engineers experimented with different tire pressures in order to analyze the performance of the rain tires on a single lap and across longer distances. When showers set in, the team decided to end the morning’s practice session early. The track conditions were too inconsistent, as Loïc Duval came to find out too in an off-track excursion in the Tertre Rouge corner toward the end of the first half of the day. His car, designated as number 2, remained structurally undamaged in the incident and was ready to resume the test after the lunch break. Despite inclement weather there were as many spectators at the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours test day as in 2012 when it was sunny. A crowd of around 23 000 had a taste of what they will experience at the Le Mans 24 Hours in two weeks time. It shows just how much people are looking forward to the 90th anniversary event.
Continue reading...VETTEL THE UNTOUCHABLE
10. June 2013
Sebastian Vettel has dominated the Canadian Grand Prix with a lights-to-flag victory in Montreal. Vettel lapped all but the top five finishers of the race on his way to securing Red Bull's first win in Canada, and was at no point threatened by another driver. 'Great race,' said Vettel. 'Great feeling, great car today. A really important race for us to win.' 'Obviously we've had good races before, but they didn't come together for the win. 'I was able to enjoy every single lap.' Fernando Alonso moved from sixth on the grid to second on the podium, salvaging 18 points and minimising the damage dealt to his title ambitions. The Spaniard played the long game, passing Mark Webber during the second stint after the Australian picked up damage to his front wing, and then passing Hamilton with just six laps remaining in the race.
Continue reading...BRIGHT START TO THE GREATEST RACE
9. June 2013
The cars are soon on the famous Le Mans circuit for the first time in 2013 as the test day gets under way for the World's greatest motor race. For almost a year people everywhere have been waiting for this moment! The test day kicks off a hectic fortnight, which will climax on 23rd June with the huge crowd of supporters flocking to the track under the podium to crown the winner of this year's Le Mans 24 hour classic. Between now and then laughter and tears will follow each other in rapid succession! Thousands of stories, whether of great or little import, will be written between the centre of Le Mans and the Mulsanne corner at the southern extremity of the circuit. From this day, memories will be made, dreams will come true and the 56 garages will be a theatre of great joy and huge disappointments. There is always something at stake at the test day. It is THE day that plunges teams into a state of doubt or panic or, on the contrary, gives them the impetus and the confidence to reach for the heights. In short, it sets the tone. This year there are many questions: will Audi or Toyota come out on top psychologically speaking in LM P1? Which of the 24 LM P2s prototypes will find the best setup as they are all potential category winners? Will the new Vipers, back in GTE Pro after a 10-year absence, be able to match the pace of the Ferraris, Porsches, Corvettes and Aston Martins? For Austrlaian V8 Supercar Star Jason Bright, today is the fulfilment of a career long dream. For as long as I have known Jason he has always had a burning desire to race at this, the world's greatest race...
Continue reading...VETTEL POLES AGAIN BUT IT’S ALL ABOUT VALTTERI
9. June 2013
Sebastian Vettel has scored his third pole position of the season with a perfectly-timed lap in a rainy Montreal. With rain affecting the entire hour of qualifying, Vettel posted his pole time just before the rain started to hammer down in the dying moments of the session. 'It was very tricky,' said the pole sitter. 'Especially when you don't know what the conditions will be when you go out, it's extremely tricky to adapt.' 'We though the second run would be quicker because we had a new set of tyres left, but it started to drizzle in the last sector' so very happy the first lap was good enough. 'For us, really happy with the result. Looking forward to the race tomorrow.' He held a slender 0.09 second advantage of Lewis Hamilton, who looked good to take pole himself before running through the final chicane in the heavy rain. Hamilton was downcast in the post-session interviews, and kept his response brief. 'I was doing a pretty good lap, but then I went wide,' he said. 'A bit unfortunate.' 'I'm still happy to be here for the team.' The story of the day, however, was Valtteri Bottas' third-fastest time, putting him in a great position for significant points should the race be affected by similar weather...
Continue reading...ORECA to build new LMP1 for Rebellion Racing
8. June 2013
ORECA’s Technology department has been chosen by leading privateer LMP1 team REBELLION to design, build and develop the new REBELLION R-One which will race in the LMP1 class, the top category in endurance. This new car, entered by the Swiss team REBELLION Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and FIA World Championship, will benefit from ORECA’s know-how and expertise. The two outfits will work hand in hand to work on the exciting project. « ORECA and REBELLION Racing share in the desire for captivating challenge » "Everyone at ORECA is very happy with this partnership with REBELLION Racing " said Hugues de Chaunac, President of the ORECA Group. « They are a team who have proven their ability in running an LM P1 program and who are ambitious. Along with our partnership with TOYOTA Motorsport Gmbh regarding their Le Mans program, this project to design the REBELLION’s car fits perfectly with our developing constructor activities and we are motivated by the idea of doing so with a professional outfit. We share in the desire for a captivating challenge. » "The new Regulations for 2014 provide a great opportunity for Privateer LMP1 entrants to challenge for overall race wins” said Bart Hayden, REBELLION Racing Team Manager.
Continue reading...ROSBERG WINS AT “HOME”
27. May 2013
Nico Rosberg has controlled the Monaco Grand Prix, taking home his first win of the season, and Mercedes' first from four pole positions. Rosberg survived two safety cars, a red flag period, and perfectly managed the question marks over his car's tyre use issues, to win Formula One's most prestigious race exactly thirty years after his father Keke Rosberg won the same event. Rosberg, who grew up in Monaco, was ecstatic after the race. 'Monaco is such a special place to win and it just feels amazing today,' he said. It was my childhood dream to win this race and to do it in a Silver Arrow on the streets where I have lived all of my life is fantastic.' 'It was just a case of keeping a cool head through all the incidents and the team did a great job of keeping me in touch with what was happening.' Rosberg also paid tribute to his team, which has been grappling all season with the Mercedes car's extreme tyre wear on Sundays. 'Thank you to the team for the car that we had this weekend and it's good to have been able to show the same level of performance on Sunday and convert our pole position. 'I can't quite believe it has happened yet and it will probably take a while to sink in.'
Continue reading...RECORD BREAKING DEBUT GT WIN FOR LE BROCQ
26. May 2013
Erebus Motorsport continued their domination of the Australian GT Championship at Phillip Island with 20-year old Jack Le Brocq destroying the opposition to win race one. Starting from pole position, the reigning national Formula Ford champion held a narrow early lead over veteran John Bowe, before charging away from the field as the fuel load lightened, [...]
Continue reading...MERCEDES ON POLE IN MONACO
26. May 2013
Nico Rosberg has secured Mercedes' fourth consecutive pole after a mixed-conditions qualifying in Monaco. Rosberg, who ended up on top after a shootout between Red Bull Racing and Mercedes, also made Monaco his third successive pole position. 'It could've been a lot easier out there today,' said Rosberg of the weather. 'The conditions were all over the place.' 'I'm really happy, everything went to plan. The last lap was okay. 'It's great to be on pole again ' especially in Monaco. If any track, here it really makes a difference.' However, despite the Silver Arrows being favourite for pole all weekend, Rosberg's ultimate lap time ' 1m 13:876s ' was just one-tenth faster than Vettel in P3, the two split by Hamilton in the second Mercedes. 'I've been struggling all weekend, my pace has been sucking,' said Hamilton. 'Just struggling with the car all weekend.'
Continue reading...FORD’S AUSSIE PULLOUT: HEAR THE FULL MEDIA CONFERENCE
24. May 2013
In case you missed it, here is the full audio of the Ford Australia media conference announcing the company’s decision to end manufacturing in Australia. ford-press-23rd-may-2013ford-press-23rd-may-2013
Continue reading...THE FALCON IS DEAD! FORD TO END AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING
23. May 2013
NO DECISION ON MOTORSPORT FUTURE, YET! Ford Australia have announced their decision to withdraw from manufacturing in Australia with both Geelong and Broadmeadows plants to close in October 2016. Rumours of the withdrawal have been rife within the local car industry for several years now, with most talk centring around the future of the iconic Ford Falcon. The move comes after years of declining sales for the Falcon and the failure of other nameplates to capture the market. Bob Graziano, president and CEO of Ford Australia, told the media that the company had lost $144 mil. Last year alone making a loss of $600 mil. Over the past five years. Mr Graziano confirmed that the Falcon nameplate would cease when production of the car ends in 2016. He sais the the decision to end local production followed a comprehensive review process of the companies operations in Australia. In it's media staement Ford said: "Given the changing dynamics of the auto industry, a number of business scenarios were reviewed during the past year to determine next steps for Ford’s Australian business....
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- BRIGHT START TO THE GREATEST RACE
- VETTEL POLES AGAIN BUT IT’S ALL ABOUT VALTTERI
- ORECA to build new LMP1 for Rebellion Racing
- ROSBERG WINS AT “HOME”
- RECORD BREAKING DEBUT GT WIN FOR LE BROCQ
- MERCEDES ON POLE IN MONACO
- FORD’S AUSSIE PULLOUT: HEAR THE FULL MEDIA CONFERENCE
- THE FALCON IS DEAD! FORD TO END AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING
10. June 2013