Are you ready to have your 2011-racing itch finally scratched? With the 2011 Formula One season getting delayed by political unrest in Bahrain, the racing community turns its attention to the opening of the 2011 American Le Mans racing season this weekend with one of the most iconic endurance races in the world, the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Always one of the most eagerly anticipated races of the year, the 12 Hours of Sebring kicks off the 2011 ALMS season in grand fashion with the reigning champs from Peugeot Sport Total ready to defend their 2010 title against a field of heavyweight contenders, including headlined perennial contender, Audi, and last year’s runner-up, Aston Martin.
This year, Peugeot will be bringing the new Peugeot 908 HDi FAP to compete against the likes of the Audi R15+TDI and the Aston Martin Lola B08.
In addition to the top-of-the-field LMP1 class, the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring will also feature races from a number of different classes, including the new LMPC class, led by PR1 Mathiasen M/Sport’s Oreca FLM09, and the always-competitive GT class, which has a formidable entrant in the form of the recently-revealed Risi Competizione’s new Ferrari 458 GTC.
To keep you updated with all of the cars scheduled to participate in all of the weekend’s races, the folks over at SpotterGuides.com have provided everything you need to know about each and every car that will see the green light this weekend. Keep tabs on some of the favorites and be on the look-out for dark horses, because this weekend’s 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race is expected to be one for the books.
If you’re going to keep tabs on all the action from the confines of your own home, you can watch the race in its entirety online on ESPN3.com, or if you have an Xbox, you can catch the action through live streaming. If you miss out on watching the race live, ABC will have a recap from 12:30 – 2:00 pm EST with ESPN2 airing the same recap show next Tuesday, March 22, 2011.
About a month ago, Peugeot came out and introduced their 2011 race car, the new 908 HDi FAP LMP1 race car.
Turns out, the French automaker may have more than one race car that’s set to compete in one of the most important races of the calendar year. Much to our surprise, the French automaker came to the Geneva Motor Show and unveiled another version of their new LMP1 bad boys, the 908 HYbrid4 LMP1 racer.
Dressed in white and black livery, the 908 HYbrid4 comes with the same powerplant as the 908 HDi FAP, except that on top of the 3.7-liter V8 engine, the former will also be carrying a hybrid system that comes with an added ’assist power’ of 80 horsepower.
After spending some quality time in Geneva, the French automaker will be bringing the 908 HYbrid4 out on the test track to further work out the kinks in time for the official pre-Le Mans 24 Hours test day on April 24th, 2011.
The work is far from over for the folks over at Peugeot so we’ll just have to wait and see how the team progresses with the testing and development of their newly revealed 908 HYbrid4 racer.
Details on the Peugeot 908 HYbrid4 LMP1 Racecar after the jump.
Full story
A new season of automotive racing is coming closer and closer to the green light, which, of course, could only mean one thing for the boys over at Corvette Racing. Yes, friends, family, and countrymen, it’s time to gear up and buckle down for another season of the Track to Street series.
For the first episode, the team has set up shop at Road Atlanta to spend some laps testing out an important and newly legal element of GT2 racing: paddle shifters.
Whereas a lot of people driving streets cars with paddle shifters don’t necessarily feel the importance of this new technology, in GT2 racing, it can spell the difference between faster shifting from one gear to another while also minimizing the wear and tear on the gearbox.
In a racing series as grueling as the ALMS endurance races, the importance of keeping critical parts of your race as fresh as possible is of vital importance to any team that has aspirations of becoming a contender.
The addition of paddle shifters for the 2011 season may mean more work for the men of Corvette Racing, but then again, that’s the price you pay if you want to succeed in such a long and arduous racing environment.
The Le Mans endurance race is long considered as the oldest and pre-eminent race of its kind in the world. It’s safe to say that the teams that participate in Le Mans aren’t exactly what you’d consider as run-of-the-mill. Only the big boys play here, so they say.
On that note, recent Le Mans history has seen two automakers sit on top of the throne. While one team has long dominated the endurance race for the past decade, one team was able to put a stomp to the other’s run of dominance, claiming the overall championship in 2011.
Sure, Audi reclaimed its throne from Peugeot last year, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned from these two teams, it’s that Peugeot won’t go down without taking any swings for the fences.
This year, the French automaker is armed and ready for battle after introducing their 2011 Le Mans racer, the new 908 HDi FAP race car.
While it’s going to have it’s hands full against Audi and their equally new R18 LMP1 racer, the new 908 race car is expected to be the strongest challenger to Audi’s reign of dominance. Whether the latter has the goods to knock off the former from its perch is still anyone’s guess. What we do know is that these two cars will be front and center when the 2011 Le Mans endurance race kicks off in June 11.
Details after the jump
Full story
The 2011 24 Hours of Nurburgring is still months away, but even now, we’re already seeing teams introduce their stallions for the grueling endurance race.
One team that’s scheduled to participate in the event will be the FALKEN Motorsport Team, which will be fielding a custom, race-ready Porsche 911 GT3 R.. There’s no denying that the competition at the 24 Hours of Nurburging is going to be as tough as it’s ever been. FALKEN will need to be on its A-game with their development of the car leading up to the race this June 25-26, 2011.
Fortunately, they picked a pretty good car to go to battle with. The Porsche 911 GT3 R is powered by a 4.0-liter six-cylinder, naturally-aspirated boxer engine that produces 480 horsepower at 7,250 rpm. Whether that is enough to outlast the competition is anyone’s guess. But at least you know that the FALKEN Motorsport Team won’t go down without a fight.
UPDATE 07/25/2011: If there is anything that can top watching the Porsche 911 GT3 R as it speeds along in the 24H race at the Nurburgring, it’s watching the Porsche as it tackles the Nurburgring at night! Apparently, Wolf Henzler - the man behind the wheel - enjoys staring death in the face! In one word, this video is mesmerizing! Check it out after the jump!
Details on the FALKEN Porsche 911 GT3 R after the jump.
Full story
