CARRERA CUP RETURNING DOWN UNDER

It's official, The Carrera Cup is set to return to Australia's racetracks for 2011. In a media release issued late this afternoon, Porsche Cars Australia (PCA) announced that they would seek dates for a series, hopefully next year. The announcement means that PCA can now enter formal discussions with all key stake-holders for a possible return to the V8 Supercar calendar from as early as next year. Carrera Cup was introduced to Australia in 2003 and ran up to and including 2009 through a third party service provider. The reintroduction of Carrera Cup would this time be exclusively managed and operated in-house by PCA. “We have the chance for a fresh start, with an all-new race car and an all-new approach for Porsche Carrera Cup Australia,” says PCA Managing Director Michael Winkler.

THE RETURN OF THE MOUNT BULLER SPRINT

The famous Mount Buller Sprint is ready to run, but only if competitors are ready to support it. The eighth annual race to the summit of the mountain in Victoria's alpine region is scheduled for September 3 - 5th, but organisers say it will only run if the tarmac rally community comes to the party. The Buller Sprint will again use the famous sixteen kilometre stretch of road from the foot of Mt Buller to the luxury resort centre on top of the mountain. With more than 132 corners separated by short bursts of straight and cambered tarmac, the sprint is arguably Australia's premier hillclimb and draws competitors from all over the country. The 2010 event has gained valuable sponsorship from Pacific Hire and RDA Brakes and is open to both Classic cars (pre-1982) and Modern cars (1982 onwards).

RICHARDS RUNS NEW CARRERA CUP CAR AT SANDOWN

A surprise visitor to the Sandown pits for today's open practice for round three of the Victorian State Circuit Racing Championship at Sandown. The new challenger of the reborn Carrera Cup series completed a handful of laps with Jim Richards behind the wheel. The new car features more advanced aerodynamics than the previous model with a wider rear wing and more pronounced front splitter. The new car is also more powerful than the car it will replace with power increased to 450 bhp. The car was entered for the day via Porsche Cars Australia who were testing the car for compliance with noise regulations. Porsche Cars Australia have made no secret of their desire to return the Carrera Cup to the local racing scene. The return to the V8 Supercar support calendar could cause some consternation in the ranks of the Australian GT Championship who have established for themselves a popular niche in several major V8 events.

SPORTSCARS GO FLYING AT ALMS UTAH

PEUGEOT POWERS BACK IN PORTUGAL

After playing second fiddle to the Peugeot factory team for most of 2010, the Oreca Peugeot team of Stephane Sarrazin, Olivier Panis and Nicolas Lapierre have won the Algarve 1000 kms in Portugal, the third round of the 2010 Le Mans Series. It was a dominant performance by the works assisted team, winning the race by five laps after starting from pole. "It's good to win!." said Sarrazin after the race. "The team did a super job. We were under a little pressure but we did what we had to. The refuelling stops were excellent and we dove the right kind of race - a good pace and no mistakes. It's also worth underling the way the team's matured since the Le Castellet 8 Hours. I'm delighted to taste the joys of victory again." Second place went to the Rebellion Racing Lola of Nicolas Prost and Neel Jani, It was a great performance by the team who drove their way through the field after starting the race in last place. Aston Martin was third today with Team Signature coming back strong after the retirement at Le Mans. The third place was also a great result for Vanina Ickx who shared the drive with Pierre Ragues and Franck Mailleux.

FERRARI CHALLENGE HEADING DOWN UNDER ?

Ferrari's new 458 Challenge series has been announced and it could be heading to Australia. The unveiling of the new series took place in Maranello during the Annual Dealer Meeting, a traditional event that brings together the representatives of Ferrari’s international sales network. Speaking at the launch the company said that the series, would be expanded to include a new Asia Pacific series. Coming just  months after the Frankfurt Motor Show unveiling of the 458 Italia on which it is based, the 458 Challenge introduces a number of important modifications to adapt it for competition use. The direct injection 4497 cc V8 remains strictly in production tune, with an output of 570 hp at 9,000 rpm. That said, modifications have been made to the gear ratios and calibration of its dual-clutch F1 gearbox to guarantee higher torque at lower revs. The 458 Challenge is also equipped with the E-Diff electronic differential already employed on the road-going version, a first for Ferrari’s track-only cars.

BRABHAM, PAGENAUD WIN UTAH ALMS

Australian David Brabham and team-mate Simon Pagenaud have raced to their third consecutive victory in the American Le Mans Series with a hard-fought victory in the Utah Grand Prix. Pagenaud drove the final 1:45 in the team’s HPD ARX-01c, and the Patrón Highcroft crew took advantage of a quick final pit stop to beat Drayson Racing’s Emanuele Pirro to the line by 19.116 seconds at Miller Motorsports Park. Pagenaud and Brabham haven’t lost since the Long Beach round in April and increased their championship lead in LMP to 11 points over Muscle Milk Team CytoSport’s Klaus Graf. He and Greg Pickett, driving a Porsche Spyder, were third, 90 seconds behind the winning car.

LE MANS CLASSIC LOOKS TO THE ELECTRIC FUTURE

The Le Mans classic is a bi-annual event featuring a stunning collection of classic sportscars from Le Mans legendary past. But this year, the classic will see the on-track debut of what many believe will be the racecar of tomorrow. French manufacturer Citroen will debut the "racing" version of it's Citroen's all-electric concept car, The Survolt. Appropriately the car will be driven by one of the most famous surnames in all Le Mans history.  Vanina Ickx, daughter of multiple Le Mans winner (and one time Bathurst winner) Jacky Ickx will be behind the wheel of the new car when it makes it's international on-track debut.

ELECTRIFYING GULLWING FROM MERCEDES AMG

The push towards high performance all electric vehicles takes another step forward as Mercedes Benz announces the SLS AMG E-CELL. With 392 kW and 880 Nm of torque, the car offers exceptional performance. The gullwing with electric drive is part of the company strategy entitled "AMG Performance 2015" which aims to continually reduce fuel consumption and emissions. With the SLS AMG E-CELL, Mercedes-AMG is providing a glimpse of its latest development project – a powerful and locally emission-free super sports car. Finished in fluorescent "AMG lumilectric magno" paint, the gullwing offers the prospect of a possible small series production run and at the same time reflects the innovative strength and development competence of the AMG performance brand. "We take social responsibility very seriously and with the SLS AMG E-CELL we are demonstrating a further milestone in our "AMG Performance 2015" strategy. It is our goal to continually reduce the fuel consumption and emissions of new models in the coming years, while at the same time enhancing the core brand value of performance", explains Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

PRUETT/ROJAS TAKES DAYTONA GRAND-AM

Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas of the TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates team celebrated the 100th race for the Daytona Prototype class by scoring an impressive victory in Saturday's Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway, adding to their record win totals in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series' leading division. Pruett took the lead with one hour remaining and led all but one of the remaining laps in the No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley started by Rojas. Pruett beat Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Ryan Dalziel to the checkered flag by 24.304 seconds, extending his DP-leading total to 28 victories; it was the 29th triumph for the Ganassi team. "It's great for our team to win the 100th DP race - that's incredible," Pruett said. "That says a lot for GRAND-AM for what they've achieved and where it's going. It's a special mark for our team. Today we didn't have the fastest race car, but we raced smart and we raced clean and we did what we had to do. Good things happen to good people." The victory came only four days after a penalty resulting from post-race inspection at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course cost the team 25 points, cutting their lead to seven points in the battle for the DP championship title. Pruett and Rojas now lead Ryan Dalziel by 13 points.