THE LINE
Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 10:07AM January 11, 2012
(APR Motorsport)
APR Motorsport has announced that famed factory Audi driver Emanuele Pirro will join its efforts for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Pirro will be behind the wheel of the No. 51 APR Motorsport Audi R8 Grand-Am for this year's race. Pirro drove to five wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as two championships in the American Le Mans Series in Audi R8 and R10 racing machines.
(Aston Martin)
Multimatic Motorsports has been appointed by Aston Martin Racing as its official partner to campaign two Vantage GT4s in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) for 2012. Toronto-based Multimatic Motorsports has won the championship three times (2002, 2005 and 2008). The lead car will be driven by Multimatic regulars Scott Maxwell and Joe Foster. Actor Patrick Dempsey will drive the second car, partnered in the opening round of the series by Aston Martin Chief Engineer and vastly experienced Vantage GT4 racer Chris Porritt. Aston Martin will compete in the headlining Grand Sport category, which is contested by six- and eight-cylinder production-derived sports cars.
(Toyota)
Scion unveiled its Scion Racing/GReddy FR-S race car at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Based on the 2013 Scion FR-S that will go on sale in the spring of 2012, the 600-horsepower FR-S race car is the result of a collaboration between Scion Racing and GReddy, a performance-products company that has been involved with Toyota and racing for over twenty years. The FR-S will compete in the 2012 Formula DRIFT series with veteran driver Ken Gushi behind the wheel.
The Indy 500. It's never too early to start thinking about Indy. Legendary American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, will headline the Miller Lite Carb Day concert Friday, May 25 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
(Toyo Tires)
Robby Gordon (No. 303 SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires two-wheel-drive HUMMER) won today’s Stage 9 of the 2012 Dakar™ by 1-minute 38-seconds over race-leader, Stephane Peterhansel. Gordon’s charge has reduced Peterhansel’s lead to less than six minutes with four days left of competition. Today’s 556km stage ran from the coastal cities of Antofagasta to Iquique, northward along the Pacific Ocean coast of Chile. Competitors were faced with a variety of terrain including canyons, hills and perilous silt-beds known as “fesh fesh.” Highlights of the Dakar are broadcast in the U.S. each night on the NBC Sports Network (formerly known as Versus) at 1:30am EST (10:30pm PST.)
Corvette Racing. America's most successful road racing team, Corvette Racing, will be seeking its ninth American Le Mans Series championship and its eighth victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012. To that end, the team has revised its driver lineup, with a combination of youth and experience. Antonio Garcia joins Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, and Tommy Milner as the four full-season drivers. Richard Westbrook will reprise his role as third driver in endurance events (Sebring, Le Mans, and Petit Le Mans), and Jordan Taylor will join Corvette Racing for the three long-distance races. Taylor, a 20-year-old resident of Apopka, Fla., and the son of championship-winning driver Wayne Taylor, will become the 23rd driver to race in Corvette Racing colors. The team will participate in the Sebring Winter Test on February 8-9 in preparation for the season-opening 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 17. With two automatic invitations to qualify for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the team will return to the French circuit for the 80th running of the classic endurance race on June 16-17, 2012.
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
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