NEW TTA SERIES GETS UNDERWAY

22 CARS FOR ISLAND 6 HOUR SHOWDOWN

A field of 22 cars will face the starter for this weekend's Phillip Island Six Hour Endurance race. With entries representing most leading Australian car companies, the fight for the top step of the podium will be very keenly contested. The race is the second round of the Australian Manufacturers Championship as well as the opening round of the Australian Production Car Endurance Championship. Defending race and series champions Stuart Kostera and New Zealand's Ian ‘Inky’ Tulloch, driving the Team Mitsubishi Ralliart-prepared Evo X, are once again favourites for the race. But Jim Pollicina teamed with Ryan Simpson and the father and son pairing of Tony and Klark Quinn are also in the latest racing Class A Extreme Performance Mitsubishis and will match the TMR boys for pace while perennial placegetters Dylan and Dave Thomas should again be very consistent.

IN PIT LANE IS “ON THE ROAD”

From Australia's longest running live motorsport show In Pit Lane comes "ON THE ROAD" a new weekly online news update featuring the latest news from the world of general motoring, the automotive industry and road safety issues. OTR will feature new product reviews, consumer tips, interviews and road tests. The show has come from the demand of many In Pit Lane viewers for more general motoring news, but without the need to sacrifice In Pit Lane's traditional hardcore motor racing and high performance focus. "There's lots of interesting news comes in every week about new models, new technologies and interesting products and services." said In Pit Lane producer Brett Ramsey.

DUBAI 24 SET TO ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK

All the transport containers have been placed in the paddock of the Dubai Autodrome, all the drivers and team members are flying in from all over the world: this week, the 2012 motor racing season officially gets underway with the seventh running of the Dunlop 24H DUBAI, No less than 20 car brands will be present on the grid for this year?s Dunlop 24H DUBAI, the first international endurance race of the year for GTs, touring cars and 24H specials.

PEUGEOT ON TOP AGAIN IN ZHUHAI LE MANS FINAL

<strong>Peugeot have kept their recent edge on Audi alaive with a one, two in qulifying for tomorrow's 6 hour race at Zuhai in China.</strong> Anthony Davidson set a fast lap of 1:22;038 to edge out team-mate Stephane Sarrazin and the Audi pair of Tom Kristensen and Macel Fassler. Neel Jarni in the rebellion Toyota was the quickest of the petrol cars in fourth place just ahead of the Oak Pescarolo Judd of Neel Jarni. Stefan Mucke had a dissapointing run in the Aston Martin and will start back in seventh place.

AUDI ENDURANCE DOMINANCE CONTINUES AT SPA

Audi have backed up their 2011 Le Mans victory with a win in the most important endurance race for GT cars, the Spa 24 hours. The Audi R8 LMS GT3 of DTM stars Mattias Ekström (Sweden) Timo Scheider (Germany) and Belgian endurance specialist Greg Franchi led home teams from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Experts agreed before the race started that the endurance classic, held since 1924, had never fielded so many potential winners as this year. A total of 62 cars representing 13 different manufacturers joined the grid, including no less than 57 cars of the booming GT3 category. The opening stages of the endurance classic fulfilled all expectations. Spectators lining the 7.004 kilometre track and in front of television screens enjoyed tough battles for position, countless overtaking manoeuvres, retirements and small and big dramas which are typical for a 24-hour race. The Audi R8 LMS was the fastest car in the field from the very beginning. After just a few hours it was clear that the V10 powered R8 sports cars where the favourites for victory. The race of the victorious #33 R8 LMS fielded by Audi Sport Team WRT was particularly impressive. The car driven by Mattias Ekström, Greg Franchi and Timo Scheider ran like clockwork for 24 hours, while many other GT3 cars were no match for the stresses and strains of the hard fought endurance race. The brake discs and pads were changed twice as scheduled. Apart from this, the R8 LMS only entered pit lane to refuel, change tires and to swap drivers. At the start of the tenth hour Ekström/Franchi/Scheider took the lead which they duly held all the way to the checkered flag. At the finish the trio had a two-lap lead over the closest rival.

AUDI ON POLE AS ALENCON LOCAL WEAVES HIS MAGIC

Audi will start this weekend's Le Mans 24 hour race from pole with local driver Benoit Treluyer setting the quickest time in an exciting final qualifying session. Treluyer, from the town of Alencon, 50 minutes north of the track, took advantage of a relatively clear track to record a time of 3m25.799s to take the coveted pole. "I am very happy. I just really realise now that it is just fantastic for me." he said/ "I was born so close to here and the 24 Hours is such a challenge and I was not even thinking about the pole position and then I did and it is just fantastic." Alongside Treluyer on the front row will be his team mate Romain Dumas who held out the Peugeot of Simon Pagenaud, Sebastien Bourdais and Pedro Lamy. "The car was quick" said Dumas, "but unfortunately I didn’t manage to get a perfect lap. The first row for Audi - that is very nice and shows clearly that we are competitive. We were fast with new tires and old tires and that is a good sign for the race." Pagenaud looked set to challenge for the pole but traffic held him up on for several laps and he was forced to settle for third place. Wednesday's provisional pole winner Stephane Sarrazin was also hampered by traffic and could only manage fourth for and all Peugeot second row. Dindo Cappello, Alan McNish and seven time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen were next in their Audi R18 alongside the Marc Gene, Alex Wurz and Anthony Davidson Peugeot.

THE PROFITS OF CAPTAIN PENSKE

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 [...]

MITSUBISHI WINS SYDNEY SIX HOUR

Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Australia has dominated the innaugural Australian Six Hour Production Car race at Eastern Creek Raceway in Sydney. Warren Luff and Stuart Kostera dominated the event, starting from pole and leading home a Evo X one-two. The winners finished two-and-a-half laps clear of Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X stable mates Inky Tulloch and Steve Jones, with third place going to Peter Conroy and Mark Brame in another EVO X. Incredibly, the six hour long marathon went caution free, with the lack of a safety car intervention allowing the winning duo to walk away from the field. “It was a great day start to finish,” Warren Luff said.

DTM CONFIRMS SHANGHAI FINALE FOR 2010

The final round of the 2010 DTM will be held on the streets of Shanghai. The race was confirmed today by the DTM promoters ITR at a media conference at the Euro Speedway at Lausitz. Hans Werner Aufrecht, chairman of the board for ITR said: "The contract is ready now, and we will be there on the 26-28 November this year. The move to China comes with the support of DTM manufacturers Audi and Mercedes who are both keen to use the race to promote their brands to the growing Chinese auto market. "We know what is happening in the Chinese market. The car market will be, in the near future, the number one in the world. said Mr Aufrecht. "That is the reason why we have built this platform for our manufacturers to showcase their products in this very important market."