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THE PROFITS OF CAPTAIN PENSKE

Brett Ramsey — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:23:48 +0000

Success on the racetrack is not the only source of good news for US racing legend Roger Penske. Penske’s US based Auto sales and dealer network, has reported an impressive $29.4 million second quarter operating profit. Penske Automotive Group Inc. is the United States’ second-largest dealer holding company, and it has seen a 16% rise in [...]

THE RETURN OF THE MOUNT BULLER SPRINT

Brett Ramsey — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:04:33 +0000

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).

EASTERNATS HEADING TO WINTON

Brett Ramsey — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:47:58 +0000

The popular Easternats Street Machine festival is heading North. Easternats promotor Jon Davison today announced a ten year deal to move the event to Winton Motor Raceway begining Easter 2011. The event which had been held at Sandown Raceway since 1997 was set to move to Calder Park after issues with the local council and circuit owners The Melbourne Racing Club, but was cancelled due to regulatory issues. Mr Davison said the move to Winton was an exciting one for the event, “Winton can accommodate all the action that the EASTERNATS is famous for, including cruising, burnouts, street drags, stampede and go to whoa all complimented by extensive display areas, first class pit & garage facilities. Onsite camping is a further benefit with the potential to build the EASTERNATS into a full scale regional spectacular. The Benalla Auto Club are to be congratulated on the upgrades and improvements that have been made to the facility.” “Winton is perfect for the EASTERNATS and the participants will love it”. he said.

DANDENONG COUNCIL DROP EASTERNATS CHARGES

Brett Ramsey — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:21:36 +0000

The City of Greater Dandenong have withdrawn all charges against the company of former Sandown promotor Jon Davison in regard to alledged breaches of the council permit at the Repco Easternat staged at Sandown in April 2009. The charges against Davison and the event were the catlyst for the axing of the popular event from the Sandown calendar. The cancelation of the Easternats and the subseqent cancelation of a replacement event at Calder Park Raceway led to a riot at the Bob Jane T-Mart store in Chadstone in March this year. The City council has issued Mr Davison with six infringement notices for permit breaches at the 2009 event including excessive noise levels and burnouts in places they were not permitted. According to a media release by Mr Davison the withdrawl of all charges was supported by the Magistrate at hearing today (July 21). The City of Greater Dandenong was not available for comment.

FERRARI CHALLENGE HEADING DOWN UNDER ?

Brett Ramsey — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:44:10 +0000

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.

LE MANS CLASSIC LOOKS TO THE ELECTRIC FUTURE

Brett Ramsey — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:47:53 +0000

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

Brett Ramsey — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 03:21:49 +0000

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.

FERRARI 458 ITALIA ARRIVES DOWN UNDER: Get yours now!

Brett Ramsey — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 07:54:32 +0000

The first Australian-specification Ferrari 458 Italia has arrived in Australia, with the 325 kmh super car making its debut in Brisbane this week (10 June 2010) after being flown direct from Italy to Australia.

“Australian deliveries have started a little earlier than planned because the interest in this remarkable car has been so great that the car has been air freighted to Australia,” explains Kevin Wall, General Manager for Ferrari in Australia and New Zealand. “Even before it was announced we have had Australian clients expressing interest in the 458 Italia and, once its specification was announced, revealing it to be, even by Ferrari standards, a technical tour de force, interest has climbed dramatically and shows no sign of slowing.”

Launched in the same year as the legendary car maker celebrates 60 years in Formula One and has competed in its 800^th Grand Prix, the Ferrari 458 Italia uses a remarkable amount of Formula One technology in every aspect of its design. This enables it to be the fastest production Ferrari the company has produced and, to place this position in perspective, the launch version of the 458 Italia is faster in all areas than the ultimate, race track orientated, version of the car it replaces.

MITSUBISHI CONFIRMS ALL ELECTRIC i-MiEV FOR OZ

Brett Ramsey — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:43:30 +0000

Mitsubishi Motors have announced that the company's new all electric vehicle the i-MiEV is coming to Australia. Mitsubishi's global president, Osamu Masuko, confirmed that Mitsubishi will be the first company to release manufacturer produced electric vehicles down under. The i-MiEV has been attracting a lot of attention in Australia, and I am pleased to announce that we can now confirm additional vehicles will be arriving here in the next few months.” he said. “This announcement will ensure that we will be number one in bringing the electric vehicle to Australia.” According to MMAL’s CEO and President, Masahiko Takahashi, the vehicles will find no shortage of potential owners on local shores.

CLASSIC LIVERY FOR LIMITED LOTUS

Brett Ramsey — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 04:25:42 +0000

Lotus Cars Australia has announced that it has secured three Exige S limited edition vehicles for the Australian market, the Lotus Exige S Type 72. The limited edition Exige S celebrates the most successful F1 car of all time, the Lotus Type 72 Formula One car, which achieved 20 Grand Prix victories between 1970 and 1975. The Lotus Type 72 was driven by such Lotus greats as Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Ronnie Peterson and Jacky Ickx and won three Formula One Constructors’ Championships (1970, 1972 and 1973) and two Drivers’ World Championships (the first being won by Jochen Rindt in 1970 and the second by Emerson Fittipaldi in 1972). The Type 72 features a number of enhancements that draw on the history of Lotus racing.