THE LINE

February 17, 2010

  That Pathetic Auto Publication That Used to Be Weekly but Now Comes Out Every Other Week. You got your facts wrong, boys. There are two manufacturers directly involved in talks with NASCAR and there's more to the story than you're being told. Much more. And we can assure you that you will be the very last to know when it comes to the who-what-when-where of it all too.  And just for the record, only you lame-asses could have taken a weekly automotive publication - the only print car mag premise that had even a whiff of a shot at survival in this Internet age - and turn it into an even more boring excuse for a car mag that now comes out every other week. Nicely done.

(Photo©2010, autostock, USA Brian Czobat)
Publisher's Note: The field heads for yet another restart (above) in the 2010 Daytona 500. Even though the day was ruined by two excruciatingly long delays for a total of over two hours - due to a deteriorating track surface, which caused a Motor City-sized pothole that needed to be fixed and then fixed again - there was no denying the fact that it was a hugely satisfying - and emotional - win for Jamie McMurray and the entire Earnhardt Ganassi Racing organization (with Felix Sabates). McMurray, who was given his first break by Ganassi, found himself looking for a ride after Roush-Fenway Racing dropped his team at the end of last season. And Ganassi stepped in to give him another shot, which paid off handsomely for both men. Ganassi now becomes only the second car owner - after Roger Penske - to have won the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500 and the Daytona 24 Hour sports car race. And after languishing in near obscurity for years, Jamie McMurray will now forever be a Daytona 500 champion. Congratulations to all for a superb win. - PMD

 

(Ford)
Finland's Mikko Hirvonen, with co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen (BP Abu Dhabi Ford Focus RS WRC) on their way to victory in the 2010 Rally Sweden, the first round of the 2010 World Rally Championship. Hirvonen defeated world champion Sebastien Loeb of France (Citroen) by 42.3 sec. Ford's Jari Matti-Latvala, also from Finland, finished third.

(ALMS)
Drayson Racing has added five-time overall 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro to its squad for three races this season. The former Audi factory driver will join Drayson Racing pilots Paul Drayson (London/Gloucestershire, UK) and Jonny Cocker (Guisborough, Yorks, UK) in the program’s Le Mans Prototype One (LMP1) entry. Pirro will drive for the UK-based team at the season-opening 58th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida on March 20, at Le Mans in June and Petit Le Mans in October to close the 2010 season. The Italian has won 19 times in the American Le Mans Series. 2010 marks the first full year in which the Dale White (Bozeman, MT, USA)-managed team will race in the prototype class.

(ALMS)

(Richard Prince/GM Racing Photo)
In preparation for the season-opening round of the 2010 American Le Mans Series - the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, to be held in Sebring, Fla., on March 20 - Corvette Racing is testing at the historic Florida road course February 16-18. The No. 3 C6R will be driven in the GT class by Johnny O'Connell, Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia, while the No. 4 team car will be driven by Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Emmanuel Collard.

(ALMS)
Extreme Speed Motorsports, the new race team created and owned by Scott Sharp, announced today that Dominik Farnbacher (above) and Joao Barbosa will join the team for next month’s 58th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida, and Road Atlanta’s Petit Le Mans later this year. Farnbacher - a four-time winner in the Series - will join Sharp and Johannes van Overbeek in one of the team’s Ferrari F430 GTs..Barbosa, who won the 24 Hours of Daytona title last month, will join drivers Ed Brown and Guy Cosmo in the other team car. The team will compete in the American Le Mans Series’ GT class.

(Pawel Litwinski © 2010, Courtesy of Gooding & Company)
Gooding & Company - the internationally-known auction house - will feature cars from Porsche, Bugatti and Alfa Romeo for its first-ever Amelia Island Auction on March 12 in Amelia Island, Florida, including this 1961 Porsche RS61 Spyder. One of only 14 ever built, the lightweight, 4-Cam 1961 Porsche RS61 Spyder was the ultimate evolution of the Porsche Spyder project that began with the legendary 550 Spyder. Originally raced by famed Porsche advocate and works driver Bob Holbert, this highly-developed sports racer found early success in major East Coast events. Between 1961-1963, this car captured over a dozen victories in the hands of numerous significant racing figures. Since retiring from racing, this car has been featured in several distinguished Porsche collections and has been a successful participant in vintage racing and various concours.  Gooding & Company estimates that this car will sell between $1.2 Million - $1.5 Million.

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