THE LINE

November 17, 2010

  GM's New Chevrolet-branded Indy Engine. Now that the formal announcement has been made, Chevrolet is debating whether or not to "name" the Ilmor Engineering-designed Direct-Injected Twin-Turbo V6, other than "Chevrolet Indy V6." We can't confirm it, but one thought was to call it the Chevrolet Turbo-Fire Indy V6, in a shout-out to the famous "Turbo-Fire" moniker used on Chevy's hot engines during the 60s. We'll see. Speaking of Chevrolet power at Indy, check out the photos below to see some of Chevy's previous cars and drivers.

(Photos courtesy of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
The front row for the 1987 Indianapolis 500: Mario Andretti, Bobby Rahal and Rick Mears.

Rick Mears after winning the pole for the Indianapolis 500 in 1988. He would go on to win that year.

Arie Luyendyk won the Indianapolis 500 in 1990 with a average speed of 185.981 mph. A record that still stands to this day.

Al Unser Jr. in Victory Lane after the 1992 Indy 500.

Helio Castroneves delivered Chevy's last win at The Speedway in 2002.

(Image © 2010 - John Thawley)
Flying Lizard Motorsports - the Sonoma, California-based independent but factory-backed Porsche racing team - will return to the 2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, fielding two Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs – the now traditional No. 45 and No. 44 – in the GT class for the nine-race season. “2010 was a phenomenal year for the ALMS, and GT was clearly the place to be,” said Seth Neiman, Flying Lizard team principal and driver of the No. 44 Porsche. “We fought a long, tough battle all season, and came away with the drivers’ championship. All credit goes to some very tough racing by Joerg (Bergmeister) and Patrick (Long), and an incredible performance by the crews at every single event this year.” Bergmeister and Long won four times together and shared their second straight Series driving title. It was the third for Long and record-tying fifth for Bergmeister. Each had one class pole position on the season. Flying Lizard finished second in the team championship and also helped Porsche to place second in the manufacturer standings to BMW. The team has been a championship contender since making its Series debut in 2004 and won team titles in 2008 and 2009. Flying Lizard and the rest of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón will open the 2011 season at the 59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida on Saturday, March 19.

(Photo©2010, Tyler Barrick Autostock)
Carl Edwards drove his No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion to victory at Phoenix International Speedway last Sunday, his first Sprint Cup win since Nov. 16, 2008, at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Denny Hamlin leads the 2010 Sprint Cup Series by 15-points over four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, with Kevin Harvick another 46 points back going into the series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway this Sunday.

(Ford)
The Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) / Miikka Anttila - Ford Focus RS WRC finished 3rd overall in the 2010 Wales Rally GB and the duo finished 2nd overall in the 2010 World Rally Championship. French superstar Sebastien Loeb dominated the 2010 WRC in his Citroen C4 and scored his eighth victory of the season in Wales, his 62nd career triumph. He also became world champion for the seventh time at the Rallye de France last month.

(Ford)
Ford introduced the Focus Race Car Concept at the L.A. Auto Show, saying it demonstrates the future potential for the all-new 2012 Ford Focus to compete in road and touring car championships with teams around the world, with Ford providing the technical support to private race teams to develop one common race car capable of winning major touring car categories. Powered by the 2.0-liter Ford EcoBoost I-4 engine, the Focus race car concept has been "based around rules governing circuit racing in the United States and beyond." “This teamwork has resulted in a global racing platform using a common Focus body and a safety cage built to FIA regulations – a competitive platform that can be tailored for regional competition, based on different rules,” said Jost Capito, director of Global Performance Vehicles and Motorsport Business Development. The Focus race car concept features AST performance coil-over adjustable dampers, Ford Racing upgraded sway bars with adjustable end links, front brakes with 320-millimeter two-piece rotors and race pads, anthracite 18-inch wheels and Hoosier race tires. In addition to the FIA Super 2000 regulations roll cage, interior components include a Recaro® racing seat, AIM MXL Pista data system and AIM SmartyCam. Ford Racing fire suppression system and Ford Racing six-point safety harness round out the modifications that bring the car from street-spec to race-ready. The machine will be raced by touring car teams globally, with the first race appearance anticipated to be in the 2011 British Touring Car Championship.

 

Editor-in-Chief's Note: If you really must keep up on all of the latest F1 developments and the potential U.S. GP in Austin, Texas, go here. - PMD

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Check out Michelin's racing website - "Michelin Alley" - and get in on all of the behind-the-scenes buzz. Go here. - PMD

WE'RE OPENING THE VAULT!

The AE wearables are back - and only in extremely limited quantities and sizes, we might add - and once they're gone, they're gone! We're starting with our most popular items, the classic AE Sweatshirt and AE Hat. Click on a PayPal button below to order yours now! (If you prefer to pay by check, please send us an email with AE STORE in the subject line, and we'll reserve your item.)

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