Earlier this month, the Mitsubishi Racing Lancer was the winner of the Baja Portalegre 500, and now it’s testing for the Paris to Dakar Rally (officially now know as just "The Dakar".) Watch as the team gets prepared for their January endurance run.
Even the Germans know the best was to go 100+ mph over rough desert terrain is with a big honkin’ truck. Volkswagen unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show the Race Touareg TDI Trophy Truck that will run the 41st Baja 1000 desert race in the SCORE Trophy Truck class. The racer is powered by a 5.5 liter V-12 clean diesel engine that produces 550 hp and 625 lbs.-ft. of torque.
The Race Touareg TDI Trophy Truck features a wheelbase of 125 inches, overall length of 213 inches, width of 92 inches, an overall height of 78 inches and weighs 5650 pounds. This is a specialty race car, with an entirely unique suspension set-up. VW did not just pluck a Touareg off the assembly line and put it to use at Baja. The dimensions for the Trophy Truck are 16 inches wider, 10 inches taller, and 26 inches longer (13 inches more in the wheelbase) than the standard Touareg 2 SUV.
Back in August, we got a first look at Mitsubishi’s off-road racing version of the Lancer. Now Mitsubishi will be putting it to the test with a debut at Portugal’s Baja Portalegre beginning on October 30th and running through November 2nd.
Like the VW Touareg 2 off road racer we saw earlier this week, the Mitsu will use diesel power. The Racing Lancer is powered by a 3.0-liter diesel V6 engine that delivers a maximum power of more than 280hp. The car features a fully-integrated multi-tubular steel frame, lowered positioning of the fuel tank for a lower overall center of gravity, and Brembo brakes with 16-inch ventilated discs and six-piston calipers all around.
As much as you may want to bring this car to hunting camp this winter, don’t bother even trying to pick one up at your neighborhood Mitsubishi dealer.
Peugeot will unveil at the final round of the 2008 Le Mans Series at Silverstone the 908 HDi FAP equipped with hybrid power featuring a kinetic energy recovery system.
The 908 HY can be powered in one of three ways: electric mode only, internal combustion engine only, a combination of the two.
The system features three key elements: a 60kW gear-driven electric motor-generator which takes the place of the conventional starter motor, batteries which permit recovered energy to be stored in 600 lithium-ion cells divided into 10 battery packs and an electronic power converter which controls the flow of energy between the batteries and the motor-generator.
Audi Sport revealed a racing version of the R8 sports car. The R8 racing version conforms to the production-based GT3 regulations and will be available in the fall of 2009.
Because the GT3 regulations prohibit the use of four-wheel drive the Audi R8 comes with the typical GT rear-wheel drive. The power is transmitted via a newly developed six-speed sequential sports gearbox. A modified front end and a large rear-wing generate the required downforce for the race track.
Toyota has announced a partnership with Warner Bros. to promote the latest Batman movie: "The Dark Knight" that will be revealed on July 25.
Formula 1 met Hollywood at Silverstone on 3 July when Panasonic Toyota Racing’s TF108 Formula 1 car drove head-to-head with the ’Batmobile’, as part of a promotion for the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight.
Timo Glock drove the TF108 alongside the Batmobile, which made a Formula 1-style pit stop, while Jarno Trulli had the chance to sample the Bat-Pod vehicle. In addition to the on-track action, Panasonic Toyota Racing is also featuring The Dark Knight artwork on the TF108, the drivers’ outfits, and the team’s motorhome. Available video includes highlights from the event and driving shots of the TF108 race car and of the Batmobile around the Silverstone circuit.
Ford Racing Australia today revealed the FG01 V8 supercar ahead of the car’s initial debut at Sandown in Melbourne this week-end where it will take to the track for the first time.
Based on Ford’s recently launched FG Falcon XR8 sedan road car, the new Blue Oval weapon was designed and built by major Ford V8 Supercar teams Ford Performance Racing Triple 8 and Stone Brothers Racing.
In development for over 18 months, FG01 was created to meet specific Ford design requirements in addition to fitting the Touring Car Entrants Group "Blueprint specification" and it is now set for a mid-year homologation.
The FG01 build involved a number of complex processes including the floor, cage, internal structural panels and external finish panels.
A major design consideration was to ensure that the maximum amount of BF mechanical components could carry over into the new FG chassis to assist with cost control and minimize redundant parts.
The cage and floor are assembled together in a master jig which provides dimensional points for the body to be built. This method gives structural integrity without relying on exterior panels for safety which allows for quicker and more cost effective crash repair.
FG01 features a strengthened roll cage at the driver’s door area to minimize any side-impact intrusion which combined with the shift in seat position provides an optimum level of driver safety.
Toyota revealed today the TRD Aurion Pro-Factory Xtreme (Pro-FX), a car with an amazing output of 1743 hp. The car was designed for the biggest event in Australian drag racing: the 2008 Winter nationals.
The TRD Aurion Pro-FX makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in only 1 second and can hit a top speed of 217 mph.
Former Australian champion Tony Wedlock will debut the car at this weekend’s Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) Winternationals - the headline event of the 2008 Australian season.
At the 2008 Le Mans 24 Hours on 14/15 June, the three Audi R10 TDI prototypes entered by Audi Sport Team Joest will race for the first time with the next generation of Biofuel manufactured from Biowaste and promising a reduction in the emission of CO2 by almost 90 per cent when compared with traditional diesel.
Audi fields the 650-hp plus R10 TDI, which has already won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, in sportscar races since 2006. Shell V-Power Diesel race fuel produced by development partner Shell has been used since the very beginning. It’s a particularly powerful and efficient synthetic fuel which is created from Natural Gas in a process called Gas To Liquids (GTL). Fuels with these components are already available at the pumps.
For the third appearance of the Audi R10 TDI at Le Mans, a small amount of Biofuel of the next generation is mixed for the first time with the previously well-proven GTL components: BTL (Biomass To Liquids), as it is officially called, is extracted from Biowaste that is unfit for use in foodstuffs, for example from waste wood. BTL promises a reduction in the amount of CO2 emission by almost 90 per cent compared to traditional diesel.
Kia’s stylish and sporty pro_cee’d is no stranger to Germany’s Nürburgring having been extensively tested there during development but this weekend is back to prove itself in the Nürburgring 24-hour race.
The barely modified three door pro_cee’d has been entered into Europe’s toughest and most legendary long-distance race by a team from Continental Italia who are hoping to triumph over the competition with as few tire changes as possible. In fitting ContiSportContact 3 standard tires to the pro_cee’d rather than race tires, the team expect to have an advantage over those that have to swap tires with each change in weather conditions.
The pro_cee’d is powered by Kia’s strong, flexible 2.0-litre diesel engine producing 138bhp at 4000rpm and 305Nm of torque all the way from 1800 to 2500rpm, giving instant, strong response throughout the rev band and outstanding performance.
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