THE LINE - MARCH 12, 2014

(John Thawley  ~  Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com  ~ 248.227.0110)
Corvette Racing will be out in full force at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the 62nd running of the event. The spiritual home of GM factory participation in road racing, the Florida endurance classic is rich in Chevrolet and Corvette history. A Corvette first raced at Sebring in 1956, placing ninth overall. Almost 60 years later, Corvette Racing will go for its ninth class win at Sebring (since 2002), which is now Round 2 of the inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Sebring International Raceway sits on the site of Fort Hendricks - a World War II airbase that was used as a training ground for American B-17 bombers - and it's the most brutal test in all of sports car racing. Part of the circuit – most notably Turn 16 through the exit of Turn 1 - uses the old concrete runway and taxiway, which pounds the cars and drivers unmercifully. As at the season-opener at Daytona, the factory Corvette team will have three drivers each. Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen will team with IndyCar star Ryan Briscoe in the Pratt & Miller-prepared No. 3 Corvette C7.R. And Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner will share the No. 4 team car with Robin Liddell. Television coverage of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will be available live on FOX Sports 1 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT, with the remainder of the race airing live on IMSA.com. FOX Sports 1 also will air a three-hour recap at 8:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, March 16.

(Images courtesy of Honda)
Honda will join the Daytona Prototype category in the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship at the 62nd annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Honda Performance Development (HPD), Honda's North American racing company, has developed a new, 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged Daytona Prototype version of the production J35 engine, joining Chevrolet and Ford in the Daytona Prototype manufacturer ranks while becoming the only company to field efforts in both categories that make up the new Prototype class in the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship. In the companion LMP2 prototype category, HPD produces a complete chassis-engine package, including the ARX-03b chassis and Honda 2.8-liter HR28TT twin-turbo V6 engines, in competition with both Nissan and Mazda. The Daytona Prototype Honda Riley package will debut at Sebring fielded by Starworks Motorsport, while Extreme Speed Motorsports will continue to field a pair of HPD ARX-03b Hondas created to LMP2 specifications, continuing a partnership that began in 2013.

(Photo by Russell LaBounty NKP, ©2014, courtesy of Ford Racing)
Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Miller Lite Ford Fusion) charged past a sputtering Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Mountain Dew Kickstart Chevrolet SS), who ran out of fuel on the last lap, to win the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. It completed the weekend sweep for Keselowski as he also won the Nationwide race on Saturday. Keselowski's "sweep" was the first for a Ford driver since Carl Edwards did it at Phoenix in 2010. Paul Menard (No. 27 Richard Childress Racing Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet SS) had an impressive run to finish third. Watch a NASCAR video of the final laps here.

(Photo by Harold Hinson/HHP courtesy of GM Racing/Chevrolet)
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is looking very competitive early in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season with three top three finishes in the first three races, including a win in the Daytona 500. Earnhardt Jr. leads the Sprint Cup standings.

(Photo by Christa L. Thomas/HHP courtesy of GM Racing/Chevrolet)
Paul Menard (No. 27 Richard Childress Racing Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet SS) ran a very racy third in Las Vegas on Sunday. Here he gets pit service from his RCR crew.

(Photo by Matthew T. Thacker/NKP, ©2014, courtesy of Ford Racing)
It was a big weekend for Brad Keselowski, Team Penske and Ford.

(Volkswagen)
Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (No. 1 Volkswagen Polo R WRC) and runners-up Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (No. 2 Volkswagen Polo R WRC) finished 1-2 at the Rally Mexico, the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), the seventh Volkswagen victory in a row. It was also the fourth one-two for the Polo R WRC in 16 outings in the World Rally championship. Ogier/Ingrassia finished 5:28.6 minutes ahead of Thierry Neuville (No. 7 Hyundai i20 WRC, with co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul). It was the first podium finish for the Hyundai team.

(Images courtesy of Porsche)
Porsche has taken the wraps off of its 919 Hybrid prototype racing machine at the Geneva International Motor Show. According to Porsche, the high efficiency of the Porsche 919 Hybrid is the result of a balanced overall concept. From the combustion engine to the energy recovery systems, suspension and chassis, aerodynamics and driver ergonomics, the sum of the components "form an incredibly efficient unit for maximum performance." The drive system is based on a 4-cylinder gasoline engine that is compact and lightweight. The 2.0 liter V-engine is a structural component of the chassis, and reaches a maximum engine speed of approximately 9,000 rpm. It features direct injection, a single turbocharger and thermodynamic recovery capabilities. The compact unit outputs around 500 hp. Two different energy recovery systems harness energy to replenish the batteries and provide power. The first system is the innovative recovery of thermal energy by an electric generator powered by exhaust gases. The second hybrid system is a motor on the front axle utilizing brake recuperation to convert kinetic energy into electric energy. The electric energy is then stored in water-cooled lithium-ion battery packs and when the driver needs the stored power, the front motor drives the two front wheels through a differential during acceleration. This gives the Porsche 919 Hybrid a temporary all-wheel drive system, because the gasoline engine directs power to the rear wheels, just like the 918 Spyder. Porsche formed a new team of over 200 employees to develop and implement the program at their development center in Weissach. Friedrich Enzinger, Head of LMP1: "Within two and one half years we built the infrastructure, assembled our team and put this highly complex race car on wheels. We have the greatest respect for the lead our competitors have in racing experience. Our objective in the first year is simple: to finish races and be competitive." Don't kid yourselves folks, they're in it to win. Anything less than victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be a massive disappointment.

Porsche also displayed its 911 RSR racing machine at Geneva, the seventh generation of the 911 racer. In its first appearance at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans the Porsche 911 RSR placed first and second in the GT-Class. Improved even further for the 2014 season, the 911 RSR started the 2014 season with a class victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The 911 RSR is raced in the new TUDOR United Sports Car Championship as well as being part of the WEC World Sportscar Championship series, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"Crucial in the development of the Le Mans prototype were the newly created and revolutionary racing rules for this class as they relate to energy efficiency," Matthias Müller, Chairman of Porsche AG, commented. "In 2014, it will not be the fastest car that wins the World Endurance Championship series and the 24 hours of Le Mans, rather it will be the car that goes the furthest with a defined amount of energy. And it is precisely this challenge that carmakers must overcome. The 919 Hybrid is our fastest mobile research laboratory and the most complex race car that Porsche has ever built."

Romain Dumas (France), Neel Jani (Switzerland) and Marc Lieb (Germany) will share driving duties in the Porsche 919 Hybrid with number 14. Car number 20 will be driven by Timo Bernhard (Germany), Brendon Hartley (New Zealand) and Mark Webber (Australia).

Porsche North America racing team on Twitter: @PorscheNAracing
Porsche Motorsport on Twitter: @PorscheRaces
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