(Volkswagen)
Volkswagen of America has announced a contest to design the competition livery for its Atlas Cross Sport R race car. Using downloadable assets, eligible participants will be able to submit original designs and artwork to a judging panel comprised of Volkswagen designers, drivers and executives. The winning submission will be adapted for the vehicle’s final race livery before it competes in an off-road race later this year. In addition to having their design become reality, the contest winner and a guest will be given the opportunity to attend a pre-race test experience with Volkswagen. Developed in conjunction with Tanner Foust and Baja race veteran Rhys Millen, the plan for the specially-modified Atlas Cross Sport R race car is for power to be distributed to the wheels from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, first developed by Volkswagen Motorsport for use in its WRC and Rallycross programs. Capable of running up to 600HP — or 300HP per liter — the engine can be detuned to roughly 480HP for an optimized balance of performance and reliability. Currently in concept form, the vehicle is being tested for further development. The winning design will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show this June. Official Rules and details for the contest can be found at vwdesigncontest.com.
Volkswagen of America has announced a contest to design the competition livery for its Atlas Cross Sport R race car. Using downloadable assets, eligible participants will be able to submit original designs and artwork to a judging panel comprised of Volkswagen designers, drivers and executives. The winning submission will be adapted for the vehicle’s final race livery before it competes in an off-road race later this year. In addition to having their design become reality, the contest winner and a guest will be given the opportunity to attend a pre-race test experience with Volkswagen. Developed in conjunction with Tanner Foust and Baja race veteran Rhys Millen, the plan for the specially-modified Atlas Cross Sport R race car is for power to be distributed to the wheels from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, first developed by Volkswagen Motorsport for use in its WRC and Rallycross programs. Capable of running up to 600HP — or 300HP per liter — the engine can be detuned to roughly 480HP for an optimized balance of performance and reliability. Currently in concept form, the vehicle is being tested for further development. The winning design will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show this June. Official Rules and details for the contest can be found at vwdesigncontest.com.
(Sonoma Speed Festival/Volkswagen)
The Sonoma Speed Festival will host the all-electric Volkswagen ID.R on the 2.52-mile (4.06 km) 12-turn road course at Sonoma Raceway from May 28-31, 2020, in an attempt to set a new track record. The record lap time of 1:15.430 minutes was set by Esteban Gutierrez in the Mercedes-Benz F1 W07 Hybrid at the inaugural Sonoma Speed Festival in 2019. The Volkswagen team will perform daily runs in the ID.R with the goal of besting the Formula 1 car by the end of the weekend. The Volkswagen ID.R currently holds the overall record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb as well as the electric car record on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The ID.R produces 670 horsepower from its electric drivetrain and will be configured for optimal performance at Sonoma Raceway, including updated aerodynamics and battery load. The car joins over 220 vintage and modern race cars at Sonoma Speed Festival for the annual food, wine and motorsports event.
The Sonoma Speed Festival will host the all-electric Volkswagen ID.R on the 2.52-mile (4.06 km) 12-turn road course at Sonoma Raceway from May 28-31, 2020, in an attempt to set a new track record. The record lap time of 1:15.430 minutes was set by Esteban Gutierrez in the Mercedes-Benz F1 W07 Hybrid at the inaugural Sonoma Speed Festival in 2019. The Volkswagen team will perform daily runs in the ID.R with the goal of besting the Formula 1 car by the end of the weekend. The Volkswagen ID.R currently holds the overall record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb as well as the electric car record on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The ID.R produces 670 horsepower from its electric drivetrain and will be configured for optimal performance at Sonoma Raceway, including updated aerodynamics and battery load. The car joins over 220 vintage and modern race cars at Sonoma Speed Festival for the annual food, wine and motorsports event.
(Haas F1Team)
Haas F1 Team has unveiled the design and livery of its VF-20 challenger for the record-breaking 22-race 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship. The reveal across the team’s social media channels showcased a variety of digital renderings of the VF-20, set to be driven by Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, complete with its new livery – one that sees the American outfit return to its traditional base colors of gray, red and black in a contemporary restyling of a familiar theme. Haas Automation maintains its significant presence on the VF-20, the global CNC machine tool company founded by team owner Gene Haas prominent on the sidepods, engine cover, front wing endplates and rear wing – a continuous theme in the livery since the team’s Formula One debut with the VF-16 in 2016. Team partners JACK & JONES, PEAK, BlueDEF, Richard Mille, Alpinestars, Windshear and Pirelli continue to enjoy on-car branding, while MindMaze and Nominet will feature on a variety of key team assets throughout trackside operations. The VF-20 will make its physical debut on Wednesday Feb. 19 – the opening day of pre-season testing at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Grosjean and Magnussen will unveil the car at 8 a.m. outside the Haas F1 Team garage. Magnussen will undertake steering duties that day with Grosjean driving on the Thursday – both drivers are then expected to split the third and final day of the first week of testing. “I’m pleased to see the car return to the more familiar Haas Automation colors, it’s certainly a livery that people identify with,” said Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation and chairman of Haas F1 Team. “Frankly, I’m hoping the VF-20 will return us to the kind of form we ran in 2018 when we finished fifth in the constructors’ championship. 2019 was a tough season to endure. We’ve been through a real education process, one that comes to all Formula One teams at some stage. I’m trusting we’ve learned from those lessons and have applied that knowledge into making the VF-20 a more competitive entry. It’s important to me that we’re back in the mix and consistently scoring points, we certainly have the capability and we’ve proved as an organization we can do it.” Pre-season testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya runs from Feb. 19-21 and again Feb. 26-28. The 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship launches with the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 15, in Melbourne.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: I have read all of the (mostly) gushing praise for the "convergence" at the top rung of sports car racing between IMSA and the ACO, and it all sounds good, at least on paper. The manufacturers are happy because they think they will be able to leverage their involvement in a more efficient way in order to compete in the "big" races (Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans, for starters) with one specification car. Team owners like it because they'll be able to pitch the "big" races to sponsors without having to do a separate budget breakout just to compete at Le Mans. And, of course, the drivers like it because, well, they'll do anything for a quality ride. But I am not a fan of the KERS system, and until we get closer to reality in late 2021 and into 2022 I must classify it as a giant "we'll see." I've been an observer of this sport for a long time, and I've seen time and time again that things that sound good on paper have a way of delivering something less - sometimes much less - when it becomes reality. -PMD (1/29)
(IMSA)
Kamui Kobayashi, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon and Renger van der Zande (No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R/Michelin) won the IMSA WeatherTech SportCar Championship Rolex 24 overall on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. It was the second straight victory for Wayne Taylor Racing and the fourth total for the team. “I can’t explain it,” Wayne Taylor exclaimed when asked what the win meant to him. The team became the first to repeat as overall Rolex 24 winners since Chip Ganassi Racing won three straight Rolex 24s between 2006 and 2008. Dixon was part of the winning lineup for that 2006 victory, which was his first in the twice-around-the-clock. “When they come into this little team of ours, they are just so focused, and so passionate about winning,” Taylor added. “And unfortunately, we are really bad losers. So, when we win like this… I have got to talk about Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe, van der Zande. Kobayashi - I mean, the guy is a superstar.” Following the mid-way point in the race, it appeared to be clear sailing for the reigning race winners as they led at the hour mark for the next six hours. But Briscoe’s final turn in the car proved to be a true test for the team. “That was a roller coaster,” he said. After taking over for van der Zande in the 18th hour, Briscoe faced mechanical issues that caused a loss in power steering as he navigated the bus stop. He was able to pull to the apron, recycle the electronics and avoid pitting to stay in the lead. But while pitting from the lead under caution at just over eighteen and a half hours into the race, Briscoe missed the red light on pit road upon exiting his pit box, landing the team a stop plus 60 seconds penalty. That put the No. 10 a lap down when Loic Duval (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R/Michelin) overtook Briscoe as he was leaving pit road after serving the penalty. Briscoe was relegated to fourth place overall with just over five hours remaining in the race. “It’s my bad, I just didn’t see it," commented Briscoe. “Thankfully, we had a couple yellows fall our way, we were able to get back on the lead lap and just go to work.” Briscoe regained the lead from Mustang Sampling (now with Joao Barbosa behind the wheel) just minutes after the clock turned to 20 hours completed. And other than a brief trading of the lead during final pit stops, the team never looked back as they drove to a dominating win. Oliver Jarvis, Tristan Nunez and Olivier Pla (No. 77 Mazda Team Joest Mazda DPi/Michelin) finished second. Barbosa, Duval and Sebastian Bourdais (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R/Michelin), finished third. The race was a record-breaker in terms of distance. The previous lap record total of 808 (set in 2018) was bettered by 25 laps for a total of 833 laps and 2,965.48 miles. (Thank you to IMSA Media.) (1/29)
(IMSA)
The No. 81 DragonSpeed ORECA LMP2 07/Michelin entry piloted by Ben Hanley, Henrik Hedman, Colin Braun and Harrison Newey led the final 212 laps of the race to take the victory in LMP2. It was the first IMSA victory of any kind for Hanley, Hedman and Newey. “I’m the only American racing rookie here, this is my first time to Daytona,” Newey said. “It looks like a simple track on paper, but there are a lot of nuances that could cost you a lot of time. All these guys really brought me up to speed and got me comfortable. There were no secrets, and I think that’s what put us on the top step.” For Braun, it was his second Rolex timepiece, following a 2014 Prototype Challenge win with CORE autosport. And he held no reservations about it being a total team effort to get the victory. “Ben drove the wheels off the thing,” Braun said. “The guys have great pit stops and great strategies all day. When you execute like that and make no mistakes, you’re usually rewarded with a victory.” The battle was intense atop the LMP2 leaderboard for most of the race, and only two teams ever holding the lead – the race-winning DragonSpeed entry and the pole-sitting No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07/Michelin piloted by Ben Keating, Simon Trummer, Nick Boulle and Gabriel Aubry. PR1 Mathiasen held onto the lead for the opening 104 laps of the race. After that initial stretch, the teams traded the top spot frequently until Braun passed Keating just after 7 a.m. on Sunday (17.5-hour mark) for the final time. Shortly thereafter, PR1 Mathiasen fell four laps behind during an extended pit stop to repair damage and although they got back to just a lap down at the end, the car could never catch back up to DragonSpeed, who led the final 212 laps. The PR1 Mathiasen team finished secon, while Kyle Tilley, Dwight Merriman, Ryan Lewis and Nic Minassian (No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA LMP2 07/Michelin) finished third. (Thank you to IMSA Media.) (1/29)
(IMSA)
Kamui Kobayashi, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon and Renger van der Zande (No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R/Michelin) won the IMSA WeatherTech SportCar Championship Rolex 24 overall on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. It was the second straight victory for Wayne Taylor Racing and the fourth total for the team. “I can’t explain it,” Wayne Taylor exclaimed when asked what the win meant to him. The team became the first to repeat as overall Rolex 24 winners since Chip Ganassi Racing won three straight Rolex 24s between 2006 and 2008. Dixon was part of the winning lineup for that 2006 victory, which was his first in the twice-around-the-clock. “When they come into this little team of ours, they are just so focused, and so passionate about winning,” Taylor added. “And unfortunately, we are really bad losers. So, when we win like this… I have got to talk about Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe, van der Zande. Kobayashi - I mean, the guy is a superstar.” Following the mid-way point in the race, it appeared to be clear sailing for the reigning race winners as they led at the hour mark for the next six hours. But Briscoe’s final turn in the car proved to be a true test for the team. “That was a roller coaster,” he said. After taking over for van der Zande in the 18th hour, Briscoe faced mechanical issues that caused a loss in power steering as he navigated the bus stop. He was able to pull to the apron, recycle the electronics and avoid pitting to stay in the lead. But while pitting from the lead under caution at just over eighteen and a half hours into the race, Briscoe missed the red light on pit road upon exiting his pit box, landing the team a stop plus 60 seconds penalty. That put the No. 10 a lap down when Loic Duval (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R/Michelin) overtook Briscoe as he was leaving pit road after serving the penalty. Briscoe was relegated to fourth place overall with just over five hours remaining in the race. “It’s my bad, I just didn’t see it," commented Briscoe. “Thankfully, we had a couple yellows fall our way, we were able to get back on the lead lap and just go to work.” Briscoe regained the lead from Mustang Sampling (now with Joao Barbosa behind the wheel) just minutes after the clock turned to 20 hours completed. And other than a brief trading of the lead during final pit stops, the team never looked back as they drove to a dominating win. Oliver Jarvis, Tristan Nunez and Olivier Pla (No. 77 Mazda Team Joest Mazda DPi/Michelin) finished second. Barbosa, Duval and Sebastian Bourdais (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R/Michelin), finished third. The race was a record-breaker in terms of distance. The previous lap record total of 808 (set in 2018) was bettered by 25 laps for a total of 833 laps and 2,965.48 miles. (Thank you to IMSA Media.) (1/29)
(IMSA)The No. 81 DragonSpeed ORECA LMP2 07/Michelin entry piloted by Ben Hanley, Henrik Hedman, Colin Braun and Harrison Newey led the final 212 laps of the race to take the victory in LMP2. It was the first IMSA victory of any kind for Hanley, Hedman and Newey. “I’m the only American racing rookie here, this is my first time to Daytona,” Newey said. “It looks like a simple track on paper, but there are a lot of nuances that could cost you a lot of time. All these guys really brought me up to speed and got me comfortable. There were no secrets, and I think that’s what put us on the top step.” For Braun, it was his second Rolex timepiece, following a 2014 Prototype Challenge win with CORE autosport. And he held no reservations about it being a total team effort to get the victory. “Ben drove the wheels off the thing,” Braun said. “The guys have great pit stops and great strategies all day. When you execute like that and make no mistakes, you’re usually rewarded with a victory.” The battle was intense atop the LMP2 leaderboard for most of the race, and only two teams ever holding the lead – the race-winning DragonSpeed entry and the pole-sitting No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07/Michelin piloted by Ben Keating, Simon Trummer, Nick Boulle and Gabriel Aubry. PR1 Mathiasen held onto the lead for the opening 104 laps of the race. After that initial stretch, the teams traded the top spot frequently until Braun passed Keating just after 7 a.m. on Sunday (17.5-hour mark) for the final time. Shortly thereafter, PR1 Mathiasen fell four laps behind during an extended pit stop to repair damage and although they got back to just a lap down at the end, the car could never catch back up to DragonSpeed, who led the final 212 laps. The PR1 Mathiasen team finished secon, while Kyle Tilley, Dwight Merriman, Ryan Lewis and Nic Minassian (No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA LMP2 07/Michelin) finished third. (Thank you to IMSA Media.) (1/29)
(IMSA)Jesse Krohn, John Edwards, Augusto Farfus and Chaz Mostert (No. 24 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE/Michelin) prevailed over the factory Porsche onslaught to deliver back-to-back Rolex 24 At Daytona wins in the WeatherTech Championship GTLM Class. In the final hours of the race, the two Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR-19/Michelin entries were in hot pursuit of the No. 24 BMW. Edwards handed the car over to Krohn in the lead with two hours remaining, but Nick Tandy in the No. 911 Porsche was able to pass the BMW fairly quickly after the stop. Krohn lost ground but valiantly fought back to get bumper-to-bumper with Tandy with less than an hour remaining. The Finn pulled his BMW on the outside of the Porsche down the front stretch heading into Turn 1 but was initially unable to complete the “over-under” pass. It didn't work, however, but just a few minutes later, Krohn pulled the same move on the front stretch, and, with momentum, swung from the outside to the inside of Tandy’s Porsche heading toward the International Horseshoe. He stuck the BMW to complete the pass and didn’t relinquish the lead for the final 45 minutes. “It’s stressful,” said Krohn. “I had little sleep through the night. It was all on my shoulders in the end. I didn’t want to be the guy who finishes second and denies these guys the watches. I put my head down. I didn’t know how we did it. I’m out of words. No mistakes from anyone at BMW RLL. This is what it takes to win the race.” After Krohn’s pass, the No. 24 BMW pulled away, with the Nos. 911 and 912 Porsches dueling among themselves for the final two podium positions. With under 40 minutes remaining, Earl Bamber in the No. 912 passed his teammate Tandy in the No. 911. The finishing order remained the same, with Bamber co-driving with Laurens Vanthoor and Mathieu Jaminet, and Tandy alongside Frederick Makowiecki and Matt Campbell. Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg (No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R/Michelin) finished fourth in the mid-engine car's debut; and Connor De Phillippi, Philipp Eng, Bruno Spengler and Colton Hertahe (No. 25 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE/Michelin) rounded out the top five. (Thank you to IMSA Media.) (1/29)
(IMSA)After one of the most intensely competitive battles in the Rolex 24 At Daytona field, Andrea Caldarelli, Madison Snow, Corey Lewis and Bryan Sellers (No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO/Michelin) edged John Potter, Andy Lally, Spencer Pumpelly and Marco Mapelli (No. 44 GRT Magnus Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO/Michelin) by 21 seconds to earn the GT Daytona (GTD) Class victory Sunday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway. The two Lamborghinis fought each other for the entire race. After taking the lead for the last time during a pit stop only 50 minutes before the checkered flag flew, Italian Caldarelli held off the field for the win. It was the first win for all four drivers and for Miller, the longtime team owner and former IMSA driver. The victory was the third consecutive GTD Rolex 24 At Daytona victory for the Italian manufacturer. “A lot of years trying, a lot of years of pain and watching other people walk by you with the watch you want so bad,’’ said Sellers. “It feels so good to have it all finally come together.” Calderelli credited the crew for playing a huge role in the victory. He passed his former teammate and fellow Italian Marco Mapelli in the pits. “It was very tight,’’ Calderelli noted with a smile. “I used to race with Marco in the same car, so we never really fought one-on-one. I know him. It was a very fair fight and we both represent Lamborghini as well. So we didn’t do any stupid things, but outside it was fun to watch and also inside the cockpit. The last eight hours were like a sprint race.’’ Dries Vanthoor, Mirko Bortolotti, Rolf Ineichen Daniel Morad (No. 88 WRT Speedstar Audi Sport R8 LMS GT3/Michelin) finished third. The next race on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts on Saturday, March 21. The race starts at 10:40 a.m. on CNBC. It can also be streamed on the NBC App with authentication and TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold. IMSA Radio will have coverage available at IMSARadio.com, RadioLeMans.com and Sirius XM. (Thank you to IMSA Media.) (1/29)
(Mercedes-Benz)
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams Riley Motorsports and Winward Racing combined to give the Mercedes-AMG GT4 its first podium sweep in worldwide competition Friday with a 1-2-3 finish in the season-opening IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge four-hour race at Daytona International Speedway. Dylan Murry, Jim Cox and Jeroen Bleekemolen (No. 35 Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4/Michelin) won their third-straight four-hour IMSA race. The winners were followed across the finish line by the Bryce Ward and Philip Ellis (No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4/Michelin) and the No. 4 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4/Michelin driven by Russell Ward and Indy Dontje. (1/29)
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams Riley Motorsports and Winward Racing combined to give the Mercedes-AMG GT4 its first podium sweep in worldwide competition Friday with a 1-2-3 finish in the season-opening IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge four-hour race at Daytona International Speedway. Dylan Murry, Jim Cox and Jeroen Bleekemolen (No. 35 Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4/Michelin) won their third-straight four-hour IMSA race. The winners were followed across the finish line by the Bryce Ward and Philip Ellis (No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4/Michelin) and the No. 4 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4/Michelin driven by Russell Ward and Indy Dontje. (1/29)