THE LINE

August 1, 2012

(Russell LaBounty - Autostock 2012)
Greg Biffle (No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing 3M Ford Fusion) enters turn 1 during The Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. The big news was Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet Impala) winning his fourth Brickyard 400 tying Jeff Gordon for the most Sprint Cup wins at the historic 2.5-mile Speedway. With his third win this season Johnson also served notice that he will be a force to be reckoned with in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing M&M's Toyota Camry) finished second, Biffle finished third, Dale Earnhardt (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet Impala) finished fourth and now leads the Sprint Cup points championship, and Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet Impala) rounded out the top five.

 Baltimore Grand Prix. Three alterations have been made to the 2-mile, 12-turn temporary street circuit for the Aug. 31-Sept. 2 Grand Prix of Baltimore. The chicane on the Pratt Street main straightaway will be removed, the right-hand Turn 1 will be widened and the shape of Turns 5-6 (also pit entrance) will be changed, according to Tony Cotman of NZR Consulting, which is contracted to build the circuit. "I talked to a number of drivers to get their thoughts about the chicane and the recommendation was with some grinding (to the street surface) it would speed the cars up going into Turn 1 about 7 mph," Cotman said. "Without the chicane I think it will improve the show with a longer run into Turn 1, which will be widened to create a better passing zone and will be a good viewing place." 

(Grand-Am)
Sebastien Bourdais and Alex Popow (No. 2 Starworks Motorsport Soloson Ford/Riley) survived a frammin' and bammin' round of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series to win the inaugural Brickyard Grand Prix on Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Bourdais, who drove the anchor leg in the No. 2 Daytona Prototype, pulled away on the final restart on the 2.534-mile Indy road course to clinch the Daytona Prototype division's first North American Endurance Championship, a three-race mid-season series. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas (No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing TELMEX BMW/Riley) limped home second in the three-hour event, which was pelted by heavy rain in the early going and nine full-course cautions in total. Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor took third in the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Corvette DP.
   

(Grand-Am)
Andy Lally and John Potter (No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3) prevailed in the Grand Touring class, finishing fifth overall and securing the North American Endurance Championship in that division. Lally drove the closing segment for the team, which won for the second time this season. GT class pole winners Sylvain Tremblay and Jonathan Bomarito (No. 70 Mazdaspeed/ModSpace Mazda RX-8) finished second, followed by the No. 59 The Brumos Companies Porsche GT3 co-driven by Andrew Davis and Leh Keen in third.

(Grand-Am)
Eric Curran and Lawson Aschenbach (No. 01 CKS Autosport Chevrolet Camaro) won the inaugural Brickyard Sports Car Challenge at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, enduring two late-race restarts and a torrential rain for the team's first-ever win in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. The victory was Curran's 14th in the series and Aschenbach's sixth. Jeff Bucknam and George Richardson finished second in the No. 62 Henderson Insurance Brokers/Lucas Oil Camaro from Mitchum Motorsports. And the No. 48 Safecraft/OMP Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 of Charles Putman and Charles Espenlaub, which led briefly during the scramble for tires, was third as the race finished under the third full-course caution period in the final 30 minutes.

(Grand-Am)
Seth Thomas and Dan Rogers prevailed in the Street Tuner class, co-driving the No. 82 CRC Brakleen BMW 328i to victory. James Clay and John Capestro-DuBets finished second in a 1-2 finish by BimmerWorld Racing BMWs on the 2.534-mile Indy road course.

(John Thawley  ~  Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com  ~ 248.227.0110)
Last week's stop for the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón was at Mosport, or, ahem - "Canadian Tire Motorsport Park" - and once again photographer extraordinaire and practicing Renaissance Man John Thawley sent us some wonderfully spectacular images (which we're leaving up this week) from the event. Next up for the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is Mid-Ohio at 1 p.m. ET this Saturday, Aug. 4. ABC’s broadcast featuring live coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET. 

(Porsche)
Porsche says the development of the 918 Spyder has entered the next phase. A permanent fixture of the test program for the 918 Spyder – and in the tuning process for all Porsche vehicles – is the world famous 12.92 mile (20.8 km) long Nordschleife of the Nürburgring race course. A lap time of less than seven minutes and 22 seconds is one of the development goals of the innovative plug-in hybrid drive super sports car. The latest test vehicle is now turning laps in the legendary Martini® Racing look of many historic Porsche racing cars, particularly from the 1970s. More than nearly any other design, the Martini® Racing livery quickly attained cult status and is still in vogue today. Martini® was the official partner of the Porsche factory team between 1973 and 1978. “Martini® Porsche” racing cars achieved numerous victories including finishing first overall at the Targa-Florio in 1973, winning the Sports Car World Championship in 1976 and overall victories at the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1976 and 1977. A Porsche 917 finished first at Le Mans with the support of Martini® as early as 1971. The famous livery graced various racing Porsches over the years including Porsche 908, 917, 935, 936 or one of several 911 RS or RSR models. Porsche AG and the Martini® brand, represented by Bacardi & Company Limited of Switzerland, have signed a new partnership agreement to create a modern Martini® Racing design to be exclusively available on the innovative 918 Spyder.

(BMW)
BMW Motorrad has introduced the BMW HP4, calling it "the lightest 4-cylinder supersports bike in the 1000cc class to date." Based on the BMW S 1000 RR, the new HP4 has an output of 193 hp (142kW) and has a dry weight of 373 lbs (169 kg) including Race ABS. The HP4 weighs just 439 lbs (199 kg) with a 90% full fuel tank. The HP4 is a continuation of BMW Motorrad's HP model series founded in 2005. After the boxer models HP2 Enduro, HP2 Megamoto and HP2 Sport, the BMW HP4 is the first 4-cylinder motorcycle in the HP family. BMW says, "The HP label stands for high performance, and the HP4 once again embodies outstanding handling, power and riding dynamics. But it also reflects the use of extremely high-quality materials and intelligent technology, carefully conceived down to the last detail."  Each BMW HP4 motorcycle is issued with its own serial number which is engraved indelibly in the upper fork bridge. The new production HP4 is immediately ready for use on the race track, requiring no elaborate modifications, it also offers great potential for sport road riding.

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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