THE LINE

May 19, 2010

(Jim Haines/IndyCar)

Scott Dixon topped the speed chart in his No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda-powered Dallara for the second consecutive day, Wednesday, May 19, as preparations for the 2010 Indianapolis 500 continued at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dixon turned in a lap at 39.6526 seconds (226.971 mph), followed by Ryan Briscoe in the No. 6 Team Penske entry at 39.7118 seconds (226.633 mph). Next up was Alex Tagliani at 226.002 mph in the No. 77 FAZZT Race Team car. Hideki Mutoh, driving the No. 06 Newman/Haas Racing Panasonic machine, jumped to fourth with a 225.926 mph lap, and Dario Franchitti was fifth at 225.850 mph on his 37th birthday in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing team car. Twenty-five drivers were within .5968 of a second of Dixon, and seven different teams and seven different countries were represented in the top 10. The two-stage run for the PEAK Performance Pole Award presented by AutoZone happens on Saturday, May 22. The 2010 Indianapolis 500 is on Sunday, May 30.

(Harlen Hunter/IndyCar)
Dario Franchitti and wife Ashley Judd celebrate Dario's 37th birthday Wednesday, May, 19, in Gasoline Alley at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

(Photos courtesy of BMW AG)
Team BMW Motorsport won the 2010 24-hour race at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife last weekend. Jörg Müller, Augusto Farfus, Uwe Alzen and Pedro Lamy (No. 25 BMW M3 GT2) shared driving duties and crossed the finish line first after 154 laps of the 25.378-kilometre circuit despite encountering gearbox problems in the last three hours. This was the fifth win for the Schnitzer Motorsport team in the “Green Hell” after previous victories in 1989, 1990, 2004 and 2005. Team Manager Charly Lamm said: “Days like this are the ultimate reason why I love my profession so much. The commitment shown by the entire team today is really unique. We had to overcome some tricky situations, but always believed in ourselves. The preparation time was tough, as we had to get the best possible package on its feet within a relatively short time frame. We obviously succeeded. It goes without saying that I feel sorry for the rivals who did not finish the race. However, reliability is crucial in a race like this, and in that regard we were number one today.” Pedro Lamy's fifth personal win on the Nordschleife ties him on the all-time winners’ list with Marcel Tiemann (DE), who is the only driver to have enjoyed as much success at the 24-hour race as the Portuguese BMW driver. It was the second win for both Jörg Müller and Uwe Alzen and the first win for Farfus. An estimated 220,000 spectators witnessed the classic event.

Jörg Müller (DE), Augusto Farfus (BR), Uwe Alzen (DE) and Pedro Lamy (PT) celebrate their big win in the 2010 ADAC 24h Nürburgring.

 Toyota. Editor-in-Chief's Note: Automotive News reports that Toyota has no intention of returning to F1 anytime soon. In an interview with Senior Managing Director Tadashi Yamashina, conducted at the 24 hour race at Nurburgring, the Toyota position was made clear. “It might not have been so abrupt, but it would have happened,” Yamashina said, referring to the company's pullout from F1 that admittedly was hastened by the global economic crisis. “President Toyoda’s stance on motorsports is geared more toward the customer,” Yamashina said. “There is a big gap between Formula One and Toyota’s actual car users.” The implication being, of course, that F1 is elitist. Really? Who knew? “For the fortunate few who can afford to do that, it’s fine,” Yamashina said. “I think the best kind of races are those in which people can get in close to the race.” Uh, okay, let's review, shall we? Toyota spent eight years and almost $3.0 billion with a "B" in F1, and they basically got their assess handed to them, never winning a single race. Not one. So badmouthing it now in 20/20 hindsight is just a bit disingenuous, wouldn't you say? And gearing Toyota's racing involvement more "toward the customer" on the grassroots level? As in NASCAR? That's rich. The racing that's furthest removed from anything to do with the customer or production-based technology is now "right" for Toyota? It's just another case of a manufacturer making excuses for the fact that they couldn't cut it in a particularly white-hot arena in motorsport. So now Toyota is going to spank their monkeys in NASCAR insisting it's all going to be good for them and their customers? And this is their answer to the whole "relevant" racing thing that every other manufacturer involved in the sport is staying up nights working on? What a bunch of unmitigated bullshit. - PMD

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Marc Sproule - who was lucky enough to cover the heyday of the Formula Atlantic series here and in Canada - has posted some sensational photos (plus his recollections and commentary) from that era on flickr. It was a fantastic time in North American racing, when fans were able to see stars like Gilles Villeneuve, Keke Rosberg and Bobby Rahal as young - and hungry - up and coming drivers. The fact that the series is on hiatus - some fear permanently - is a sad commentary on the state of racing in North America today. Go here, and revel in one of the greatest eras in road racing history.

(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!"

(Corvette Racing)
GM Designers created a special 2011 Corvette Z06 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Corvette's first racing appearance at Le Mans. This one-of-a-kind Corvette (VIN 0001) boasts a blue and white racing color scheme - the official colors assigned to the U.S. for international competition - similar to the one used on the 1960 Corvette, which won its class at Le Mans 50 years ago. This one-off Corvette will be sold at auction later this year to benefit the National Corvette Museum.

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.

See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" hosted by Autoline Detroit's John McElroy, with Peter De Lorenzo and friends this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.

By the way, if you'd like to subscribe to the Autoline After Hours podcasts, click on the following links:

Subscribe via iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=311421319

Subscribe via RSS:

http://www.autolinedetroit.tv/podcasts/feeds/afterhours-audio.xml