THE LINE

May 5, 2010

(Jim Haines/IndyCar)
Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda-powered Dallara) celebrates with his family in Victory Lane last Saturday afternoon after winning IndyCar's Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway for the second consecutive year, giving the Target Ganassi team its fourth victory in a row on the 1.5-mile oval (Dan Wheldon won in 2007 and '08). Dixon's teammate, Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Ganassi Racing Suave D/H/F), finished second and Tony Kanaan (No. 11 Andretti Autosports Team 7-Eleven D/H/F) finished third. It was Dixon's 22nd career IZOD IndyCar Series victory. It was also the seventh 1-2 finish for Target Chip Ganassi Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series and the third time that Dixon and Franchitti have finished 1-2 since the start of 2009 season. Next up for the IndyCar Series is the 2010 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 30 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be televised live by ABC at noon. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Firestone Freedom 100 on Friday, May 28 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It will be broadcast live by VERSUS as part of its coverage of Miller Lite Carb Day.

(Burns Group Unlimited)
The Classic Motorsports MITTY presented by Mazda race weekend featured a Formula 5000 race. Here the grid is prepared for the race start under Road Atlanta's famous tower. Jim Stengel of New York was the winner in his No. 59 1973 McRae GM-2.

(Burns Group Unlimited)
Houston, Texas native George Robinson - owner/driver of the No. 74 Riley & Scott MK111C - beat out England’s Andy Wallace in the Group 6 Historic GTP/WSC/DP class by nearly a two-second margin of victory at the Classic Motorsports MITTY presented by Mazda race at Road Atlanta. “The car ran great. Andy (Wallace) ran really hard but we had a clean track and everything worked out," said Robinson.

(Al Merion/SCCA)
Lyonel Kent (No. 13 ALARA Racing/Bulldog Productions), of Knoxville, Tenn., earned his second career SCCA Pro Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup victory with a win Saturday at Road Atlanta, part of the Classic Motorsports Mitty presented by Mazda. Brad Rampelberg (No. 4 AMG Racing/Mazda/Cobalt Brakes Mazda MX-5), of San Jose, Calif., made a last lap pass to finish second, ahead of Atlanta’s Mat Pombo (No. 01 PFM Pombo Racing/Range of Motion ATL/Carbotech Mazda MX-5) in the 27-lap, 68.58-mile race. After two races, Rampelberg leads the season championship with 120 points, followed by Justin Piscitell (104). Michael Cooper (103) and Pombo (103) are tied for third, with Dean Copeland (99) completing the top five. Kent was docked 10 points following the race for a blocking infraction on the penultimate lap and now sits 12th in the championship with 65 points. Next up for the series is Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, May 21-23. 

(Burns Group Unlimited)
Peter Brock poses with the BRE tribute Nissan 370Z at Historic Sportscar Racing's Classic Motorsports MITTY presented by Mazda race last weekend at Road Atlanta. In the background are numerous Brock Racing Enterprises cars from back in the day. The BRE Reunion was one of the featured events during last weekend's event. Peter Brock, the 73-year-old designer of the World Championship Shelby Daytona Cobra and a former racer himself, was owner and originator of Brock Racing Enterprises, the American racing team who first put Datsun (now Nissan) in victory circle in the 1970s. Brock was the grand marshal of this year’s event and was honored by over 200 people - along with several members of his BRE race team - Thursday evening at the BRE Reunion Dinner. Invited guests included former BRE drivers John Morton, John McComb and Bobby Allison. Additionally BRE team members Kirk Allegro, Trevor Harris, John Knepp, Joe Cavaglieri, and John Caldwell participated. Bob Lyon, Brock’s former Baja 1000 race co-driver, was also an honoree. "I’m just so honored that so many people turned up, " Brock said. "I’m absolutely blown away that there is such a following. This is a completely new generation. A lot of these guys that came out today weren’t even born when these cars were running. To find this following and that the cars have turned into a real classic is an honor both to the team and to Mr. Katayama, who was the guy that developed the car for Nissan Motor Corporation, (the Datsun brand in the U.S.). Added Brock, "At the time we were running these cars, it was just great fun racing and a great team but you never look far ahead to a day like today to contemplate how much appreciation there might be one day in the future. That is just really great to see that here tonight.”  

(Panoz Auto Development)
Don Panoz, the founder of Panoz Auto Development and the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, announced Monday that an exciting new and exclusive Panoz super sports car – the Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans” - will be unveiled next month in France at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “We are truly excited about the Panoz Abruzzi – not only about the design and performance of the car – but by the whole concept it represents,” Panoz said. “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.” The Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans” is being produced by Panoz Auto Development, located in Hoschton, Ga, and is currently undergoing early homologation and production testing. The car will be unveiled at the historic Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France during race week in June. By special arrangement with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), the car will occupy center stage in the “village” at the track from June 7-13. Prior to the public unveiling, international media representatives will be invited to a preview approximately two days in advance of its introduction. Panoz won the GT2 category at both the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2006 with its Esperante GTLM.

(Patron Highcroft Racing)
Patrón Highcroft Racing founder Duncan Dayton (above) claimed his ninth and tenth victories on the streets of Monaco last weekend, dominating both of his events in the bi-annual Grand Prix de Monaco Historique. The reigning American Le Mans Series LMP1 champion team owner already held the record for the most wins ever around the streets of the famous Mediterranean principality prior to the weekend's events. But Dayton made it a perfect 10 by taking his ex-Graham Hill 1959 Lotus 16 and 1970 Brabham BT33 historic Formula 1 machines to victory lane. "When I first drove out the pit lane for the first time in 1997, the thought of winning at Monaco was merely a dream - let alone the possibility of taking ten victories here," Dayton said. "You hope that you can do well, but it is such a special place and I was just excited for the opportunity to race there. Taking both wins on the weekend was an amazing feeling. To stand on the podium again to hear the national anthem was pretty special."

(Patron Highcroft Racing)
Duncan Dayton in his 1970 Brabham BT33 historic Formula 1 machine at Monaco.

(Patron Highcroft Racing)
Duncan Dayton at speed in his 1959 ex-Graham Hill Lotus 16 at the bi-annual Grand Prix de Monaco Historique last weekend.

  Paul Tracy, KV Racing Technology. Paul Tracy will not only drive the No. 15 entry in the Indianapolis 500 for KV Racing Technology, he'll have his old mate Barry Green on board as his race strategist. The two last teamed-up in the 2002 Indy 500 when Tracy finished second to Helio Castroneves driving for Team Green in a hotly-disputed finish. Tracy's teammates at Indy will be E.J. Viso, Takuma Sato, and Mario Moraes. Tracy finished ninth in the 2009 Indy 500.

 Graham & Bobby Rahal. Graham Rahal will drive for his dad's Rahal Letterman Racing at the Indianapolis 500 in a one-race deal. The 21-year-old driver will be in the No. 30 RLR Dallara/Honda. No sponsorship was announced. Bobby Rahal told The Associated Press: “It’s always flattering when one of your children wants to follow in your footsteps. It’s even more so when they want to be a part of what you’ve built over the years. We at Rahal Lettermen are thrilled that Graham will represent us at Indy in two weeks.” Bobby won the "500" in 1986 as a driver and as an owner with Buddy Rice in 2004. “To have watched his career grow from the first day in karts and now to be there side-by-side with him as he tries to win Indy for himself and for our team is a dream come true for me,” Bobby Rahal said to the AP.

(Audi)
Audi is presenting several “competition kits” for the new A1 at the 29th Wörthersee Tour. Audi Genuine Accessories (AOZ) is offering A1 customers the opportunity to order the “competition kit Aerodynamic” and the “competition kit Legends” (above). For the "Legends" look Audi combines an Amalfi White finish with detailed design elements inspired by the company's rally exploits. The package includes a front spoiler lip and rear diffuser in Begonia Red, and a large, gloss-black Number 1 on the hood and the doors (if you insist on being a total geek). Interior design elements include decorative bezels for the rearview mirror, air vents, door pull handles and the center console and Black cloth floor mats with Begonia Red, Stone Gray and Gray Brown strips. The “competition kit legends interior plus” adds a color accent on the leather sport steering wheel, gear shift lever and parking brake lever.

(Photos courtesy of BMW)
70 years ago, the BMW motor racing department entered five racing cars in the 1st Gran Premio Brescia delle Mille Miglia. After scrambling to even make the event, the silver BMW racers crossed the finish line in Brescia on April 28th, finishing first overall and in third, fifth and sixth places. “Victory in the 1940 Mille Miglia remains a landmark in the history of the BMW brand. It reflects not only the extraordinary technical expertise but also the passion with which BMW approaches its work,” commented Dr Klaus Draeger, member of the BMW Group Board of Management responsible for development, on the significance of the 1940 Mille Miglia. To mark the anniversary of that historic event, BMW Classic recreated a model that had disappeared from sight for almost 60 years – the BMW 328 Kamm Coupé.

 Dario Franchitti, Scotland. Two-time IZOD IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti has teamed up with Scotland's national tourism organization VisitScotland to launch "Dario Franchitti's Great Drives," three car-touring itineraries highlighting routes from Edinburgh to Inverness, the West Coast and Far North and the South of Scotland. Written by Franchitti, the driving itineraries will target visitors from the U.S. and Canada interested in traveling in the tire tracks of the 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner. "Scotland is my home and these are some of the roads I grew up on, so it's an honor for me to share the breathtaking views, the off-the-beaten-path sites and some of the rich tradition of our great country," Franchitti said. "I'm very excited to share these scenic drives with visitors looking to tour Scotland by car. The moment I have a break in my IndyCar racing schedule, I fly back to Scotland and quite often jump in my car and drive around the country on the same roads and routes that VisitScotland and I have showcased in these itineraries." The car-touring itineraries are being promoted on the VisitScotland home pages at www.cometoscotland.com and www.cometoscotland.ca. They will also appear in several American and Canadian travel e-newsletters.

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