Race cars have all the safety equipment and power required to win races and protect their driver at the same time. Some of them are street legal but most of them are not
Earlier this month, Honda was said to enter a total of 10 cars, motorcycles and ATVs in the upcoming 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Along with setting a world record for the company with the most entries in the ultimate hill climb, Honda is also aiming for an overall victory. Last year, Honda obtained victories only in the 450 Division and the "Quad Modified" class, making the run a nearly complete disappointment for the proud automaker.
One of these 10 entries will be a CR-Z driven by Sage Marie for Honda North America in the Exhibition class. This race version of the CR-Z was developed by Honda Performance Development and will be equipped with a turbocharger and upgraded hybrid drivetrain that delivers a total of 200 horsepower.
The 91st running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is scheduled for June 30, 2013 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Click past the jump to read more about the standard Honda CR-Z.
Porsche scored amazing results with its 911 GT3 RSR race car, so it is no surprise that the company developed a GT3 RSR based on the new 991 generation. The 991-Series 911 GT3 RSR has been unveiled just in time to celebrate 50 years of the Porsche 911.
The new 911 RSR received a series of updates that make it ready for any competition around the world. These updates include a new wishbone front suspension replacing the previously used McPherson struts and a particularly lightweight racing gearbox. Under the hood the racing version keeps the same 460 horsepower 4.0-litre six-cylinder boxer engine as it predecessor.
With the new RSR model, Porshe paid extra attention to a more evenly balanced weight distribution. Lots of aerodynamic components are now made in carbon fiber, like the front and rear mudguards, front and rear lids, doors, underbody, wheel arches and rear wing. The same material has been used on the interior for the dashboard and the center console.
Exterior updates include new air ducting, a centrally-located radiator, while the front end, front lid and rear panel are fitted with quick release systems and can be replaced within seconds.
During the 2013 racing season, the 911 RSR will be wearing starting number 92 and will be driven by Marc Lieb (Germany) and Richard Lietz (Austria).
Updated 04/23/2013: Porsche has unveiled a new promo video for the new-generation 911 RSR that shows the car testing on the racetrack. Enjoy!
The Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 is a beast of a racecar that carries quite a bit of technological innovations, making for a racer that you wouldn’t want to mess with out on track.
But for all the tidy gloriousness of the GT-R Nismo GT3, there’s an amazing team of race mechanics behind the car, doing all the work to ensure that the racer is always in tip-top shape and ready to compete at a moment’s beckoning.
In this video released by Nismo TV, we get to see a behind-the-scenes look at how the engineers and mechanics behind the modifications of the GT-R Nismo GT3 go about their work.
Equally important are the details they go through, including the brake system the car uses, the diagnostics run on the engine management system, and how it’s different from the stock GT-R.
It’s worth a watch if you’re a hopped-up Godzilla ready to belch fire on the competition.
Click past the jump to know more about the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3
The 2014 racing season will mark Porsche’s return to the famous Le Mans race in an attempt to continue its ongoing success story. During its participation at the Le Mans race, Porsche scored a total of 16 overall victories, but the best year for the company was 1971.
For Porsche, the 1971 Le Mans was the race of records: its 917 racecar managed to average a speed of 222 km/h (137 mph) - a first for the company.
This video was developed as a tribute to the amazing 1971 racing season, but also wants to prepare you for Porsche’s great comeback at the world’s most famous long-distance race.
For those of you interested in learning more about Porsche’s presence at the Le Mans race, check the official web page. Here you will learn about Porsche’s 16 victories and all the moments in Porsche’s motorsport history.
Rumors have been floating recently that the new cooperation between Alpine and Caterham will give birth to a new sports car. While that has surely driven intrigue into this still-to-be-named model, it’s still part of the not-so-distant future.
What is recent, though, is Alpine’s apparent return to 24-hour racing and it’s got quite a racecar in its fold ready to take on all comers. Called the A450, the race car is expected to bring the extra excitement to endurance racing at the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours and this year’s European Le Mans Series (ELMS). The car will be raced by the 24-year-old Nelson Panciatici and 29-year-old Pierre Ragues. This marks Alpine’s return to the world of motorsport after an absence of 35 years.
The new Alpine A450 will be powered by a Nissan-sourced V-8 engine that delivers a total of 500 horsepower and is mated to a six-speed sequential X-Trac gearbox. With a total weight of just 1984 pounds, the new race car will hit a pretty impressive top speed of 205 mph.
Speaking of impressive, have a look at the A450; it’s all that and then a little more. The brand’s striking blue and orange color combination harkens back to the days of the Alpine-Renault A442B that raced the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1978. If for nothing else, it’s a fitting tribute to the company’s racing history while also serving a reminder to the rest of the field that Alpine is back and ready to take some names.
Updated 04/10/2013: Alpine officially confirmed today that its first racing car in 35 years will be called A450. The model pays tribute to the A441, A442 and A443 which scored amazing results at the Le Mans in the 1970s. The figure "50" "symbolizes the fiftieth anniversary of Alpine’s first official entry for the Le Mans 24 Hours." The new A450 will be available for purchase in 2016.
Formula Drift Champion, Vaughn Gittin Jr., officially unveiled the 2014 Mustang RTR that seems to be ready to rock the 2013 Formula Drift season. The 2014 RTR was developed by Autosport Dynamics and will make its competitive debut at Formula Drift Round 1 in Long Beach, California April 12th and 13th. After that, Vaughn will compete in the World Drift Series in China and in numerous other select competition and demonstration events in Europe.
If last year’s model impressed you, the 2014 version will be a sensation. Its V-8 engine delivers a total of 845 horsepower - an increase of 45 horsepower over the previous model year. As usual, the engine has been developed by Ford Racing, so you know it’s built to run with the best of them.
The car sits on 18-inche wheels wrapped in Nitto NT05 tires sized 295/35R18 on the rear and 275/35R18 on the front. The model is distinguished by a carbon-fiber body with RTR appearance package. On the inside, it adds Recaro racing seats with Takata six-point harness.
Last year, LoveFab made its debut at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with a race car based on the Acura NSX. The team did great at the race and managed to finish one of the toughest motorsport events in the world. For the 2013 Pikes Peak, the team will make a comeback with a lighter and more powerful Acura NSX-based machine.
The new project is known as the "Enviate" and will be driven by LoveFab’s owner and professional driver, Cody Loveland. Even though it is based on the NSX, the new Enviate will only retain the original subframes and suspension. Everything else has been modified, including the twin turbocharged, dry-sumped LS1 engine; ultra-lightweight chromoly tube-chassis; and the full carbon fiber body.
The new LoveFab Enviate will begin testing on May 1st and then will be ready for the 91st running of the Pikes Peak run.
The McLaren MP4-12C GT3 can now lay claim to holding the fastest lap ever set at the new Highlands Motorsport Park in New Zealand.
All it took was a blistering lap time of 1:41.9 with Porsche 911 Cup racer, Craig Baird, behind the wheel.
The Highlands Motorsport Park just opened last month and it certainly kicked off its opening weekend in remarkable fashion with Baird and the MP4-12C providing a lot of the fireworks. In this video, you can check out seven different camera angles of the record-setting lap, complete with remarkable camera work on both the exterior and interior of the car.
We’re pretty confident that, at some point, another car will be able to hold the lap record at Highlands Motorsport Park. But for now, it’s the McLaren MP4-12C GT3’s turn up the record books and if you’re part of Highlands management, you couldn’t have picked a better super car/racecar to become the inaugural record holder of the fastest lap on your track.
Racing season is now in full swing and as the days go by, we’re seeing more and more racing series begin their respective seasons.
One that’s scheduled to start in a month’s time is the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship (STCC) and Romanian automaker, Dacia, is preparing for the series with a new racecar in the form of a second-generation Logan that has been christened as the Logan STCC 1024.
After plying its craft in Pikes Peak with its custom Duster rally cars, Dacia wants to make headway at the STCC and it picked a pretty good car to do it, thanks to the Logan’s 400-horsepower V-6 engine that’s mated to a six-speed sequential transmission. Add that to a model that only weighs slightly north of 1,100 kg (2,425 pounds) and you have a racecar that’s ridiculously quick and can bust out of the gates with the nimbleness and power of a pouncing panther.
Hyperbole notwithstanding, the Logan STCC 1024 looks ready for competition and it will get its chance to show everyone what it’s got when the STCC season kicks off on May 3rd.
Chevrolet Performance announced today the availability of an NHRA-certified Camaro rolling chassis specially designed for drag racing. Customers will only get the painted body and chassis ready to be finished and they will have to add the engine, transmission and other drivetrain components. The price for the rolling chassis is $55,000 will be put on sale on March 28th, 2013.
If you are interested, Chevrolet can provide you with all the other components needed to finish your car: engine and air inlet system, engine mounts, engine controller and wire harness, exhaust headers, transmission and shifter assembly and driveshaft.
Customers can choose between a 350-cubic-inch engine that delivers a total of at 325 horsepower; a 396-cubic-inch engine with 375 horsepower, and a 427-cubic-inch engine delivering 425 horsepower. The engines offered in the COPO Camaro program are also available
The chassis will be offered with a roll cage, NHRA-approved racing chassis and suspension components. The models will be painted in Summit White and will feature a production Camaro hood and SS grille, production window glass, headlamps, taillights and more. On the interior, Chevrolet will add racing seats, a production-style instrument panel, steering wheel, racing switch panel, door panels, headliner and black carpeting.
