(Francesco Corghi/AUTOSPORT)
Ferrari is returning to major league sports car racing after a 50-year absence, just in time for the centenary year of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “All the numbers have come in a magic moment,” says Antonello Coletta, Ferrari’s sports car racing boss and the architect of its return to the prototype ranks as a factory with a hybrid prototype called the 499P. The name of the new Ferrari prototype follows a tradition that dates back to the very first Ferrari, the 125S of 1947. The 499 refers to the capacity of a single cylinder in cubic centimeters of its engine. The engine in the back of the new Ferrari LMH is a twin-turbo V6 with a 3.0-liter – believed to be 2992cc, to be exact – capacity. The 125S was a 1.5-litre V12. The P stands for "prototype." The new car was unveiled in a livery that also tipped its hat to the past. The 499P will race in red, of course, but it carries yellow trimming that harks back to the 3.0-liter Group 6 car with which Ferrari competed in the World Championship for Makes in 1972 and 1973. Back then, the lead Ferrari entry had a stripe in yellow down the nose – the colors of Ferrari’s hometown of Modena – and it was this entry that won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1972 with Jacky Ickx and Mario Andretti driving, helping the marque to the WCM title. Ickx and Brian Redman would win two more races in the yellow-trimmed machine - at Monza and the Nurburgring the following year - in what turned out to be the factory’s final season of prototype racing before the decision was taken to focus purely on F1. The 499P presented last week carried the No. 50 to mark the gap in years since the 312 PB competed at Le Mans for the final time. The second car - No. 51 - coincides with the four GTE Pro drivers’ titles claimed by Ferrari since the rebirth of the WEC in 2012, which were all fielded by the AF Corse factory team. The decision to go with V6 power was made after a number of other concepts were evaluated, according to Ferdinando Cannizzo, head of design and development at Attivita Sportive GT. The prototype’s internal combustion engine is the same capacity and architecture – with the turbos mounted inside a wide-angle 120-degree "V" – as the powerplant in the 296 GTB launched last year, as well as the GT3 version that debuts next season. Cannizzo explains that “this makes it much easier to have technological feedback into our road cars.” (Thank you to Gary Watkins/AUTOSPORT)
(Ferrari)
(Ferrari)
Ferrari is returning to major league sports car racing after a 50-year absence, just in time for the centenary year of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “All the numbers have come in a magic moment,” says Antonello Coletta, Ferrari’s sports car racing boss and the architect of its return to the prototype ranks as a factory with a hybrid prototype called the 499P. The name of the new Ferrari prototype follows a tradition that dates back to the very first Ferrari, the 125S of 1947. The 499 refers to the capacity of a single cylinder in cubic centimeters of its engine. The engine in the back of the new Ferrari LMH is a twin-turbo V6 with a 3.0-liter – believed to be 2992cc, to be exact – capacity. The 125S was a 1.5-litre V12. The P stands for "prototype." The new car was unveiled in a livery that also tipped its hat to the past. The 499P will race in red, of course, but it carries yellow trimming that harks back to the 3.0-liter Group 6 car with which Ferrari competed in the World Championship for Makes in 1972 and 1973. Back then, the lead Ferrari entry had a stripe in yellow down the nose – the colors of Ferrari’s hometown of Modena – and it was this entry that won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1972 with Jacky Ickx and Mario Andretti driving, helping the marque to the WCM title. Ickx and Brian Redman would win two more races in the yellow-trimmed machine - at Monza and the Nurburgring the following year - in what turned out to be the factory’s final season of prototype racing before the decision was taken to focus purely on F1. The 499P presented last week carried the No. 50 to mark the gap in years since the 312 PB competed at Le Mans for the final time. The second car - No. 51 - coincides with the four GTE Pro drivers’ titles claimed by Ferrari since the rebirth of the WEC in 2012, which were all fielded by the AF Corse factory team. The decision to go with V6 power was made after a number of other concepts were evaluated, according to Ferdinando Cannizzo, head of design and development at Attivita Sportive GT. The prototype’s internal combustion engine is the same capacity and architecture – with the turbos mounted inside a wide-angle 120-degree "V" – as the powerplant in the 296 GTB launched last year, as well as the GT3 version that debuts next season. Cannizzo explains that “this makes it much easier to have technological feedback into our road cars.” (Thank you to Gary Watkins/AUTOSPORT)
(Ferrari)(Ferrari)
(Formula1.com)
Max Verstappen (No. 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing) claimed his 14th victory of the 2022 season in the Mexico City Grand Prix, ahead of rival Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team) and Sergio Perez (No. 11 Oracle Red Bull Racing) after an intriguing strategic battle played out at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The victory secures another record for the Dutchman in his burgeoning career, as he now boasts the most wins in a single F1 campaign, moving one clear of the 13 achieved by Michael Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013). Verstappen, whose Red Bull team opted for a soft-medium tire strategy, took the checkered flag some 15 seconds clear of Hamilton, who was left to question why Mercedes swapped their starting set of medium compound tires for hards. Perez gave the home fans something to cheer about in third, having threatened to challenge Hamilton late on, while Russell (No. 63 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team) – who lost out to his teammate at the start – took a distant fourth. Watch the race highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Worth a watch. Ross Chastain's "video game" move at the finish of the Martinsville NASCAR Cup race. -PMD
Max Verstappen (No. 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing) claimed his 14th victory of the 2022 season in the Mexico City Grand Prix, ahead of rival Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team) and Sergio Perez (No. 11 Oracle Red Bull Racing) after an intriguing strategic battle played out at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The victory secures another record for the Dutchman in his burgeoning career, as he now boasts the most wins in a single F1 campaign, moving one clear of the 13 achieved by Michael Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013). Verstappen, whose Red Bull team opted for a soft-medium tire strategy, took the checkered flag some 15 seconds clear of Hamilton, who was left to question why Mercedes swapped their starting set of medium compound tires for hards. Perez gave the home fans something to cheer about in third, having threatened to challenge Hamilton late on, while Russell (No. 63 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team) – who lost out to his teammate at the start – took a distant fourth. Watch the race highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Worth a watch. Ross Chastain's "video game" move at the finish of the Martinsville NASCAR Cup race. -PMD
(INDYNXT)
The pathway to North America’s premier open-wheel racing series has a fresh, more youthful and energetic final level: INDY NXT by Firestone. INDY NXT (formerly known as Indy Lights) will feature a new generation of global racing talent, competing for podiums and the opportunity to join the elite ranks of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The presenting sponsor and Official Tire of INDY NXT will be Firestone, also the Official Tire Supplier and longtime partner of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. INDY NXT by Firestone will emphasize talent development, while extending racing’s reach and impact to a younger and emerging consumer audience. The re-branded racing series will stage 14 races in 2023, starting March 5 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, and competing on a diverse set of ovals, road courses and street circuits. The 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone championship still will compete on the same tracks and on the same weekends as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES events, providing further exposure to the series. As in 2022, the schedule consists of three doubleheader weekends: the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, Streets of Detroit and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where the 2023 INDY NXT champion will be crowned. Additionally, coverage of all 14 races once again will be available in the United States via Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, and the INDYCAR Radio Network. For more information about INDY NXT by Firestone, visitwww.indynxt.com.
The pathway to North America’s premier open-wheel racing series has a fresh, more youthful and energetic final level: INDY NXT by Firestone. INDY NXT (formerly known as Indy Lights) will feature a new generation of global racing talent, competing for podiums and the opportunity to join the elite ranks of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The presenting sponsor and Official Tire of INDY NXT will be Firestone, also the Official Tire Supplier and longtime partner of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. INDY NXT by Firestone will emphasize talent development, while extending racing’s reach and impact to a younger and emerging consumer audience. The re-branded racing series will stage 14 races in 2023, starting March 5 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, and competing on a diverse set of ovals, road courses and street circuits. The 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone championship still will compete on the same tracks and on the same weekends as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES events, providing further exposure to the series. As in 2022, the schedule consists of three doubleheader weekends: the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, Streets of Detroit and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where the 2023 INDY NXT champion will be crowned. Additionally, coverage of all 14 races once again will be available in the United States via Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, and the INDYCAR Radio Network. For more information about INDY NXT by Firestone, visitwww.indynxt.com.
(Road America)
A ribbon cutting on Thursday, November 3, at Road America - "America's National Park of Speed" - commemorated the completion of the long-anticipated replacement project of the racing surface that has not been overhauled since 1995. Milling and grinding the entire 4.048-mile racetrack, including the pit lane, began on October 3. Fine grading, a new base layer and a new final surface asphalt layer followed in late October. Now the all-new race surface has the entire off-season to cure before the 2023 season. The big news is that aside from the opportunity to make minor adjustments, the original configuration of the entire racetrack remained the same. Advanced Materials Services consultants, Walbec Group engineers and their Northeast Asphalt team were mindful of the track's history and authentic character. Before milling off the old surface, the entire racecourse was surveyed to allow the engineers and Road America to review the track's unique characteristics and make decisions that guided the grade control process during each step of the repaving process. Over 7,000-grade control points were set to direct the grading and paving process to ensure that the track width, camber angles, and curbing locations were accurate within a tenth of an inch.
A ribbon cutting on Thursday, November 3, at Road America - "America's National Park of Speed" - commemorated the completion of the long-anticipated replacement project of the racing surface that has not been overhauled since 1995. Milling and grinding the entire 4.048-mile racetrack, including the pit lane, began on October 3. Fine grading, a new base layer and a new final surface asphalt layer followed in late October. Now the all-new race surface has the entire off-season to cure before the 2023 season. The big news is that aside from the opportunity to make minor adjustments, the original configuration of the entire racetrack remained the same. Advanced Materials Services consultants, Walbec Group engineers and their Northeast Asphalt team were mindful of the track's history and authentic character. Before milling off the old surface, the entire racecourse was surveyed to allow the engineers and Road America to review the track's unique characteristics and make decisions that guided the grade control process during each step of the repaving process. Over 7,000-grade control points were set to direct the grading and paving process to ensure that the track width, camber angles, and curbing locations were accurate within a tenth of an inch.
"Our goal was to put the track back exactly as we found it to maintain its distinct features and preserve the track's significance in the racing world," said Craig Donze, Engineering Manager for the Walbec Group. "High-quality aggregates were locally sourced from Wisconsin, and the team used a highly polymerized asphalt mix to maximize durability. Multiple tests were performed throughout the project to ensure the surface would handle the weather and racing stresses. Teamwork from initial planning through construction resulted in a racing surface that will provide competitors and racing fans enjoyment for years to come."
Engineers and Road America worked collaboratively throughout the project to improve drainage around the property and upgrade features that cross beneath the racing surface before paving. This included increasing the size of culverts and running new conduits under the track to support the facility's events. Over 800 truckloads were removed during milling, with nearly the same number of trucks bringing in the new asphalt racing surface for paving. During the project, two paving machines ran in an echelon (side-by-side) pattern to minimize the center seam visibility and maintain a consistent density.
"This was a massive endeavor, and we are extremely excited to have a new racetrack for competitors and fans to enjoy," said Mike Kertscher, Road America's President and General Manager. "The goal was to keep it the same as our founder Clif Tufte envisioned, and we're certain we met that goal. We look forward to the future with this all-new track and pit lane, and we encourage everyone to get their season passes, tickets, and camping for what we anticipate will be an incredible season in 2023."
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG