THE LINE

September 12, 2012

(Brian Czobat, autostock USA, 2012)
Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Best Buy Ford) finished fifth in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway Saturday night. Clint Boyer (No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing 5-Hour Energy Toyota) won and Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet) finished second, securing Gordon a spot for the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. Mark Martin (No. 55 Michael Waltrip Racing Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota) was third and Tony Stewart (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet) came home fourth. The drivers for The Chase are: Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing FedEx Express Toyota, 2,012 points), Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe's Chevrolet, 2,009), Stewart (2,009), Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Penske Racing Miller Lite Dodge, 2,009), Greg Biffle (No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing 3M Ford, 2,006), Boyer (2,006), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet, 2,003), Kenseth (2,003), Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Budweiser Chevrolet, 2,000), Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 Michael Waltrip Racing NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, 2,000), Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Quaker State Chevrolet, 2,000) and Gordon (2,000). Who will win? It all depends on who gets hot.

(John Thawley  ~  Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com  ~ 248.227.0110)
The 3.27-mile Virginia International Raceway will host Saturday's American Le Mans VIR 240, the ninth round of the 10-race 2012 American Le Mans Series. Corvette Racing leads the driver, team, and manufacturer championships in the hotly contested GT class and can clinch the titles at VIR, the second to the last race of the ALMS season. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner (No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R) have a 28-point lead in the GT standings over their Corvette Racing teammates (Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R) and a 30-point margin over their closest BMW rival. A lead of 24 points at the conclusion of the VIR 240 would clinch the GT championship for Gavin/Milner. The four-hour American Le Mans Series VIR 240 will start at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 15. The race can be viewed live on ESPN3.com starting at 2:15 p.m. ET. ESPN2 will televise the race at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 16.

(Jamey Price - INDYCAR/LAT Photo USA 2012)
And now, it gets interesting. After 14 races, more than 1,700 laps and 3,000 miles of ifurious competition this season, the race for the IZOD IndyCar Series championship has come down to Will Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay (above). Power leads Hunter-Reay by 17 points, 453-436, entering the Sept. 15 MAVTV 500 on the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway oval, the season-finale of the 15-race season. The race broadcast starts at 7:30 p.m. (EDT) and will be televised live on the NBC Sports Network. The winner of the title will earn a $1 million bonus.

(Michael L. Levitt - INDYCAR/LAT Photo USA 2012)

(Audi)
The last victory ceremony for Bernd Rosemeyer: 75 years ago, in October 1937, the famous Auto Union driver won the Grand Prix of England.

We wish we were going to be there: (From the Audi press release) In honor of racing legend Bernd Rosemeyer, Audi Tradition is bringing four Auto Union Silver Arrow cars to the Goodwood Revival (September 14 to 16) in the south of England. Over the three days, renowned drivers such as Formula 1 legend Jacky Ickx, five-time Le Mans winner Frank Biela, and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Masonwill be demonstrating the impressive technology of the historic racing cars.

75 years ago – in October 1937 – Rosemeyer, the great Auto Union driver won his last Grand Prix in England. Just three months later, Rosemeyer was killed during a record-breaking attempt. To mark Rosemeyer’s victory in the very first British Grand Prix, Audi Tradition is putting on a remarkable parade of Silver Arrow cars at the Goodwood Revival. Goodwood, one of the world’s most prestigious classic motorsport events, will play host to a presentation of the Auto Union models alongside their Mercedes-Benz competitors from the 1930s. A total of ten Silver Arrow cars are expected. To complement the Audi Tradition cars, there will also be a privately owned replica of an Auto Union Type A from 1934. On each day, Audi Tradition will give a demo run of replicas of the Auto Union Type C (1936) and of an Auto Union Type D Dual Compressor (1939). Then there are the famous “Karassik models” that are made largely from original parts: the Auto Union Type D (1938) and Audi Tradition’s recently acquired Auto Union Type D Dual Compressor from 1939. Since both vehicles were restored in the early 1990s, this is the first time that they have appeared side by side; Paul Karassik painstakingly tracked down the parts in the former USSR.

The drivers of the rare Silver Arrow models are also a big draw: Nick Mason, drummer of the world-famous band Pink Floyd, is driving for Audi Tradition for the sixth time. Mason played only recently during the magnificent closing ceremony of the Olympics in London, and is one of the most engaging personalities on the international classic car scene. No driver is more experienced behind the wheel of these remarkable racing cars than the Pink Floyd drummer, and Audi Tradition is delighted that he is able to participate. Mason, dubbed “the last Auto Union works driver”, is eagerly awaiting the occasion: “When the German Silver Arrows hit Donington 75 years ago, motorsport in England changed forever. It’s really special to be allowed to drive such a racing car.” A sentiment shared by Jacky Ickx, of Formula 1 fame. In anticipation of appearing at the Goodwood Revival, Ickx, who ranks alongside other racing legends of the 1960s and 1970s such as Sir Jackie Stewart and Emerson Fittipaldi, declared: “It is a privilege to drive these cars.” Audi Tradition’s team of drivers is completed by a representative of Audi’s more recent motor racing history, Frank Biela. The man from Neuss not only won the STC and DTM Championships, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times and is one of the all-time greats of the world-famous 24-hour race.

The Silver Arrow models built by Mercedes Benz and Auto Union dominated the racing scene from 1934 to 1939. They easily reached speeds in excess of 300 km/h. Even today’s Formula 1 cars are no faster. The esteem in which these models and their drivers were held was based on their superb technology, which was way ahead of its time, and their drivers, whose courage is still a huge inspiration to subsequent generations of drivers. The legendary Bernd Rosemeyer captured one of the coveted places in the Auto Union cockpit at the age of 25. 1936 was his best season: European Champion, German Champion and German Hill Climb Champion. Within a year, the young German became the superstar of his age. While he was unable to retain the European Championship in 1937, he did break the world record. He became the first man to exceed 400 kilometres per hour on an ordinary road in the Auto Union Type C Streamliner. However in 1938, the pursuit of the next record finally proved his undoing. At a speed of almost 440 kilometres per hour, his car was caught by a gust of wind and swept off the road. News of his death caused widespread shock. Auto Union never again took part in record-breaking attempts.

Pink Floyd-Drummer Nick Mason and the 1936 Auto Union Type C.

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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