Do you have that obsessive desire to keep track of anything and everything that goes on at the 24 Hours of Le Mans? If the answer is yes, you should send a fruit basket to the folks over at EVO for creating a free iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad app that chronicles everything you need to know about the legendary endurance race.
With the help of Audi, all of the pertinent information you need will be featured in the app, including driver bios, team profiles, and the ever-so-important trackside and behind-the-scene news. Granted, Audi made sure that they have a section all to themselves, but still, the whole app was created especially for the most obsessive fans of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
So, before you start jumping and screaming in delight, you better head over to the iTunes App Store and start downloading the program. Oh, did we mention it was free? Get to it, then.
What goes on in building a race car? That’s a question that’s been asked by curious bees since time immemorial, but since the whole process takes a long time to be documented in detail, Jaguar’s US-based racing team, Jaguar RSR, was kind enough to show us how they built their XKR-based GT2 racer from the ground up - in a little more than 30 seconds.
While the specific details of the whole process are a little too fast for our liking, the time-lapse video does show us a quick overview of the building process of the car that’s scheduled to compete at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of the brand’s 75th anniversary.
Panoz Auto Development is just tired of seeing images on the web of cars people are claiming as the "Panoz Abruzzi", so they have released a teaser image as a little taste of what’s to come when the Abruzzi "Spirit of Le Mans" supercar debuts at the world famous 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race. While waiting for the official details, the first teaser image of the future supercar looks quite promising.
"The styling is inspired from a classic era when racers would literally drive their own cars to Le Mans to compete and then drive back home. However, the technology of the Panoz Abruzzi ’Spirit of Le Mans’ is absolutely leading-edge. We will provide many more details about the concept and some very special elements surrounding this exciting new car next month at Le Mans," says Panoz
The supercar will feature a new body made from a Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System (REAMS) which provides many environmental, performance and structural advantages. Panoz Auto Development will also utilize a new three-stage "TRIFECTA COOLING" technology. This "Trifecta" is an innovative development that improves both engine performance and efficiency. In addition to a typical high-efficiency radiator, there are stage two and stage three cooling systems that lower coolant temperature on both the inflow to and the outflow from the radiator.
Here we go again. Another timepiece by yet another automaker. Remember the AMVOX2 Chronograph revealed in 2009? If you do and never had the chance to buy one (it was limited to only 24 units), you’ll be happy to known that Aston Martin and Jaeger-LeCoultre will reveal the AMVOX5 Chronograph at the Le Mans Series championship race on the Paul Ricard circuit. This new and exclusive chronograph is limited to 300 units in ceramic and titanium and 200 in ceramic and pink gold.
The chronograph features a winding mechanism on lubricant-free ceramic ball bearings, a large variable inertia balance and laser-welded balance spring, all of which ensure its reliability. This all-terrain caliber is inserted in a case made of high-tech ceramic combined with titanium and 18 carat pink gold. Made by compacting yttrium oxides mixed with a binder and a small proportion of zirconium oxide under high pressure, the compound is then subjected to a temperature of 2,000°C. After fluoroscopic testing for homogeneity, the ceramic block is then shaped using special diamond-tipped tools. The intensely black case weighs much less than steel, yet is twice as hard, giving the AMVOX5 World Chronograph its infallible resistance. Did you get all of that? Okay, keep reading.
Jaeger-LeCoultre will also offer two Racing models made in ceramic and titanium, with a black or white dial, each in a limited series of 100. Inspired by the performance of the meteoric LMP1 Aston Martin Racing prototype, these timepieces feature chronographic counters executed in carbon fiber, punctuated with a flash of orange on the world time disc, the chronographic second hand and the overstitching on the calfskin leather strap.
Only a few weeks after its official debut, the Audi R15 Plus has made a strong impression by winning its first race at Le Castellat in France. The racing sports car ran the entire distance without the smallest problem during the test race which means no unscheduled pit stops.
On the opening lap of the 8-hour race, Allan McNish overtook the Peugeot which had started from pole position in the hands of Frenchman Stéphane Sarrazin and on the third lap the Lola-Aston Martin of Stefan Mücke. After 266 laps the two Audi drivers held a five-lap lead from the Lola-Aston Martin of defending champion Stefan Mücke, Harold Primat and Adrian Fernandez. The Oreca team, Peugeot, finished fourth after succumbing to a technical problem during the opening stages of the race.
So, it seems that the Audi R15 Plus is more than ready for the 24-hour race at Le Mans on June 12-13, 2010 and Audi is making sure of that by succumbing the Audi R15 Plus to a 30 hour test followed by the LeMans dress rehearsal.
