May 12, 2010
(Ford)
BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team driver Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) and co-driver Miikka Anttila at speed in their Ford Focus RS WRC on day three of the 2010 Rally New Zealand. The duo won Rally New Zealand - the fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship - by just 2.4 seconds, the third closest finish ever. It was the 75th victory for Ford in the WRC making it the most successful manufacturer in the history of the series with 75 wins, eclipsing Lancia. Four drivers started the final stage - the legendary 29.67km Whaanga Coast test - with a chance of victory. Petter Solberg (Citroen Total C4 WRC) was the first to reach trouble when he crashed into a telegraph pole and then Sébastien Loeb (Citroen Total C4 WRC) spun - for the second time in the rally - less than 10km from the finish. Remarkably, leader Sébastien Ogier (Citroen C4 WRC Junior Team) then went off the road just three corners from the finish. Amid all the drama, the consistent Latvala came through for a classic victory, with Ogier finishing second, and Loeb third. Ford teammates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished fourth in another Focus RS WRC, allowing Ford to close to within five points of the lead in the manufacturers' championship standings with eight rounds remaining. It was Latvala's third career victory and his first since triumphing in Italy almost 12 months ago. He climbs to second in the drivers' standings 36 points behind Loeb, while Hirvonen moves up to third. "I didn't think it could happen, it's the most amazing and beautiful win," said Latvala. "Whaanga Coast showed its teeth. I neared the end of the stage and could see a car's bumper on the road but I didn't know which car it was from. I didn't know we had won until three minutes after the finish of the stage and Miikka did the calculations. It's my best win and makes up for my disappointments." "I can't believe I'm second in the championship. I wasn't the fastest here but I was the most consistent and that paid off when it mattered. I need to carry on doing the job I'm doing as second driver because my strategy is working. It was a fantastic rally over the most beautiful roads in the world," he added. Next up for the WRC is the Rally de Portugal on gravel, May 27-30.
(Ford)
Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila celebrate their big win in the 2010 Rally New Zealand.
SPEED. The cable channel is launching a new broadband network featuring live, streaming events that will complement the offerings of its SPEED network. This is what SPEED says: “NASCAR, the most popular form of motor sports in North America, is the foundation and top priority of the linear network,” SPEED president Hunter Nickell said. “Developing SPEED2 provides a dedicated platform for a wider variety of racing, including some of the coolest international events from tracks around the world.” This is what we say: "Seeing as SPEED long ago turned itself into the 'All NASCAR, All The Time' network - and combined that with an array of idiot, lowest common denominator programming that has little to do with speed and everything to do with rampant stupidity - the network had no choice but to address the concerns of the enthusiast motor sport community, which is growing more outraged by the day over what the network has become." A beta version of SPEED2 will be available in June 2010 with a wider consumer debut targeted for July. Available only to SPEED subscribers as an authenticated online network, SPEED2 also will provide a variety of video-on-demand international motor sports content (FIA GT, DTM, WTCC, BTCC, Formula 2, and various motorcycle events) and compelling automotive and motorcycle enthusiast programming. Let's hope they don't screw this up too.
Road America. "America's National Park of Speed" will host the SVRA Spring Vintage Weekend, a three-day event, May 14-16, 2010. The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association will showcase wheel-to-wheel racing for fans of vintage and historical cars, with over 300 participants competing in ten race groups. Friday’s track activity will end with a 200-mile, 50-lap, two-stop enduro race for Production and Grand Touring cars. On Saturday, a 150-mile, 38 lap, two stop enduro race for Sports Racers, Prototypes and Formula Cars will wrap up the day. Gates will open to the public each day at 7:00 a.m. For more information visit www.roadamerica.com or call 800/365-7223.
ESPN Classic. The ESPN network is getting you geared up for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" by airing past Indianapolis "500s" during the month of May on ESPN Classic. The schedule (all times Eastern): Monday, May 17, 3 p.m. - 1990 Indianapolis 500; Monday, May 17, 5 p.m. - 1992 Indianapolis 500; Monday, May 24, 1 p.m. - 1991 Indianapolis 500; Monday, May 24, 3 p.m. - 2008 Indianapolis 500; Saturday, May 29, Noon - 1971 Indianapolis 500; Saturday, May 29, 2 p.m. - 1981 Indianapolis 500; Saturday, May 29, 4 p.m. - 2001 Indianapolis 500; Saturday, May 29, 6 p.m. - 2002 Indianapolis 500; Saturday, May 29, 8 p.m. - 2009 Indianapolis 500; Saturday, May 29, 10 p.m. - 2005 Indianapolis 500.
(Photos courtesy of BMW)
Giuliano Cané and Lucia Galliani took the factory-entered BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupé to victory in the tradition-steeped Mille Miglia. The duo were able to complete the 1,000 miles through Italy without a single technical hitch, 70 years after its victory in the 1940 Mille Miglia. Enzo Ciravolo and Maria Leitner finished third in a series-production BMW 328. The team journeyed to the Italian race venue - not on the back of race transporters but under their own power on open roads - just as they had done 70 years ago. During the classic recreation of the famed Mille Miglia, the teams encountered radical weather changes, from 27 degrees Celsius on the Adriatic to near-freezing with snow and fog on Monte Terminillo.
The winning BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupé at Mille Miglia 2010.
(MSU Formula Racing)
The Michigan State University Formula Racing team will be competing in its first race against 120 universities from all over the world at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, this Wednesday-Saturday. You can keep tabs on what's happening here website as daily reviews along with pictures will be posted. The event is open to spectators and is free. The MSU Formula Racing Team also announced that it has partnered with the Mid-Michigan affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure through our Race for a Cause program. Race for a Cause is a non-profit organization created by the students of the MSU Formula Racing Team to support local non-profit organizations. The team has chosen Komen Mid-Michigan to help raise funding and awareness in the battle against breast cancer. 75% of the funds raised by Komen Mid-Michigan remain in Michigan, and the other 25% are utilized to fund national research towards the goal of discovering the causes of breast cancer and finding a cure.
(MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development)
Former Indy 500 Champion Danny Sullivan and his wife Brenda are both active animal advocates interested in the promotion of shelter adoptions, and both are active with the SPCA for Monterey County. And it just so happens that the SPCA is located directly across the street from the main entrance to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, which is why the 1985 Indy 500 winner will race in the Playboy MX-5 Cup to Support the SPCA for Monterey County on Sunday, May 23. This will be the fourth year that Mazda has teamed up with the SPCA at major race weekends to promote shelter animal adoptions. Since the 2007 season, a variety of Mazda racers have carried the humane message but this will be the first time a car will be branded with large SPCA lettering and have a former Indy and Formula 1 racer at the wheel. Mazda is graciously providing the car and crew, BFGoodrich is donating race tires, the SCCA is waiving the entry fee, and fellow racing enthusiasts donated $5,000 to the SPCA to move this beyond a PR stunt into a legitimate fundraiser for the SPCA. Members of the public are invited to join “Danny’s Pet Crew” on Sunday, May 23rd. In honor of the 105th anniversary of the SPCA for Monterey County, Danny will race car number 105. The first 105 people to donate $105 or more will receive a race-day ticket, a team T-shirt, and an opportunity to meet Danny. For the five people donating the most money, they will watch the race from the Mazda VIP suite above pitlane. Go to http://www.spcamc.org/petcrew.htm for complete details.
(BMW Motorsport GmbH)
The BMW M3 GTS - the most powerful version of the high-performance BMW M3 Coupe - has made its official debut in Germany. Produced at the BMW M GmbH manufacturing facility, the BMW M3 GTS has a 331 kW/450 BHP engine, an exclusive sport-tuned 7-speed M Dual Clutch Transmission with Drivelogic, modified suspension technology, aerodynamic enhancements and specific lightweight body panels. The car, which is designed for club sport events, is also officially road-legal. The power-to-weight ratio of the M3 GTS has been lowered to 3.4 kg per HP and according to BMW it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in a 4.4 seconds, reaches the 1000 meter mark from a standstill in 22.5 seconds and has a top speed of 305 km/h.
(Courtesy of Corvette Racing)
Chevrolet will pay tribute to Dr. Dick Thompson - the championship-winning Corvette driver known as "The Flying Dentist" - as one of the Corvette Legends of Le Mans at the American Le Mans Series Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on May 21-22. Thompson co-drove one of Briggs Cunningham's trio of Corvettes in the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans in Corvette's debut in the world's most prestigious sports car race. He later became the first driver to win a race in the legendary Corvette Grand Sport, and served as a Chevrolet development driver and promotional spokesman for production Corvettes in the '60s. Thompson will be reunited with the restored No. 2 Cunningham Corvette that he shared with Fred Windridge in Le Mans 50 years ago. The Thompson/Windridge Corvette retired at 20 hours, but the sister No. 3 Cunningham Corvette driven by John Fitch and Bob Grossman won the large displacement GT class, finishing eighth overall. Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov accompanied the Corvettes to Le Mans as an "advisor" and was listed as a reserve driver by the Cunningham team. “I enjoyed racing in Europe very much, and competing at Le Mans in 1960 was an unforgettable experience for me, and for the entire team," Thompson said. "Briggs Cunningham had the experience, and quite frankly the money, to put forth an effort that was second to none. We had support from Chevrolet, from Zora, and others. The cars were race prepared by Alfred Momo at his shop on Long Island. We knew going to Le Mans that the cars would be ready and we’d have a very real opportunity to win our class there." Thompson's driving career mirrored Corvette's rise to prominence in sports car racing. He drove a Corvette on his way to the 1956 SCCA C-Production national championship, putting the Corvette name on the tips of enthusiasts' tongues for the first time. In 1957 the momentum for Corvette continued, with Thompson earning a class victory at Sebring and another SCCA national title. Thompson went on to win three more national championships driving Corvettes, including the C-Modified title with Bill Mitchell’s famed original Stingray Racer in 1960, B-Production in a Gulf Oil-sponsored Corvette in 1961, and the A-Production crown in another Gulf Oil Corvette in 1962. "The Le Mans race was really a remarkable experience for me," Thompson remembered. "By 1960 I had done quite a bit of driving, at a lot of different tracks, but Le Mans was unique in many ways. It was particularly interesting at night. Sebring of course was quite dark at night, but at Le Mans it was a different feeling, a feeling of really being alone out there. The fog and the rain added to that sensation, the feeling that you’re driving through the countryside as fast as you can possibly go, with nothing but the rain, the darkness, your car, and your courage!"
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.)
AE Sweatshirt - Crewneck, sturdy 80/20 cotton/poly, in black with throwback lettering - the original AE logo in our Chiller typeface shown above. Size XL only. 40 bucks, including shipping. US orders only.
AE Hat - Black with throwback lettering - the original AE logo in our Chiller typeface shown above. 25 bucks, including shipping. US orders only.
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