THE LINE

January 6, 2010

In 2010, the American Le Mans Series will use its "Global Leader Green Racing" mark as its primary logo. “Major auto manufacturers and our government leaders confirm that racing series which provide opportunities to showcase and develop new technologies – with an emphasis on the environment – are the future,” said American Le Mans Series President and CEO Scott Atherton.  “We have also led the way in proving to the public that ‘green racing’ gives nothing away to other forms of motorsport in terms of sheer excitement, passion and close competition. We have never been more confident in our positioning. We believe our branding should reflect that confidence.” The American Le Mans Series will open its 12th season with America’s greatest sports car race, the 58th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida from March 17-20. The green flag will fall at 10:35 a.m. on Saturday, March 20 with live coverage on SPEED. The annual American Le Mans Series Winter Test is scheduled for February 22-23, also at Sebring International Raceway.

Ken Block, Ford. Ford announced today that it is teaming up with Ken Block, the California-based action sports icon-turned-rally driver, for future global motorsports endeavors. Block - the 2005 Rally America Rookie of the Year and a three-time medalist at X Games - has cultivated a tremendous following with his wild-ass videos on YouTube.  In 2010, Block will campaign a Ford Focus in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) and a Ford Fiesta in Rally America and X Games. "Ken Block has established himself as an action sports competitor and a rising star in the world of American rally racing," said Jamie Allison, director Ford North America Motorsports.  "We are excited to have him on our team to help promote our new global products, the 2011 Ford Fiesta and 2012 Ford Focus."  

 Flavio Briatore. Samuel Petrequin (Associated Press) reports that former Renault Formula One team boss Flavio Briatore had his lifetime suspension from motor sports overturned by a French court Tuesday (January 5). The Paris court did not immediately explain its reasons for overturning Briatore’s ban, but has ordered the FIA to pay him $21,500 - far short of the $1.4 million he had sought in damages. The Paris court also overturned a five-year FIA ban imposed on former Renault chief engineer Pat Symonds. He was awarded $7,200, also far short of the $722,000 he had sought. F1's governing body, the FIA, banned Briatore in September after it ruled that he had ordered Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to deliberately crash his car to help teammate Fernando Alonso win the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008. Briatore denied a role in the scheme and took legal action to be reinstated. FIA lawyer Jean-Francois Prat said the motor sports governing body was likely to appeal, preventing Briatore from returning to the sport until the appeals process runs its course. “We have the feeling that some justice has been reinstated,” Briatore’s lawyer Philippe Ouakrat said. “I’m certain that the court was quite shocked by the way that the decision was made against Mr. Briatore.” Ouakrat had argued that Briatore was suspended because of his tense relationship with then-FIA president Max Mosley, and that the FIA exceeded its authority by imposing a sanction on individuals. Gee, and here we were hoping that Briatore would just go away - permanently.

(Ford)
Ford Racing is introducing the 2011 BOSS 302R, a factory-built race car ready for track days and road racing in a number of Grand-Am, SCCA and NASA classes. Each base model of the Mustang BOSS 302R will come with a new 5.0-liter four-valve engine, six-speed manual transmission, a roll cage, race seats, safety harness, data acquisition and race dampers/springs, and a Brembo brake and tire package. (12/28)

Road America, NASCAR. The NASCAR Nationwide Series is going to add a third road race to its 2010 schedule. The new venue? Road America - America's National Park of Speed. The spectacular 4.048-mile road course will host the Road America 200 on Saturday, June 19. A trial run before adding a road race to its ten race "Chase for the Sprint Cup" Championship, with the beautiful Elkhart Lake, WI, circuit being the No.1 contender perhaps? Only time will tell. (12/21)

(Ron McQueeney/IMS)
The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS Indianapolis 500 Pace Car was unveiled at the Speedway’s Hall of Fame Museum Dec. 18. The special Camaro has a Inferno Orange Metallic paint scheme with White Diamond rally stripes that travel from the front to the rear over the top of the body, as well as extending to the interior dash. This year’s pace car is equipped with a stock 400 hp 6.2-litre V-8, an RS appearance package with special grille and leather interior with Inferno Orange interior accents. The first year Camaro paced the Indianapolis 500 was back in 1967, the year the car made its debut. Camaro has since paced the race in 1969, 1982, 1993 and 2009. 

(ALMS)
Twenty-five-year-old French sports car star Simon Pagenaud will join Patrón Highcroft Racing alongside David Brabham for the 2010 American Le Mans Series. Pagenaud has been a key rival of the Danbury, Conn.-based team during his stint at de Ferran Motorsports during the past two seasons but will now join forces with Brabham to form a potent attack at the Honda Performance Development factory squad armed with the newly revised ARX-01c chassis. Pagenaud made his US debut in 2006, winning the Atlantic championship, beating out Graham Rahal in the process. He graduated to the Champ Car World Series in 2007, finishing eighth in points before making his sports car debut with Gil de Ferran at Salt Lake City in May 2008. Pagenaud blossomed in 2009, taking three poles, five race victories and five fastest laps in the 10 American Le Mans Series races. He and de Ferran placed second in the LMP1 championship behind Brabham and Scott Sharp. Brabham captured his first American Le Mans Series championship alongside Sharp for Patrón Highcroft Racing in 2009 and he also scored his first victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Peugeot. Pagenaud and Brabham will begin testing duties next month in preparation for the opening round of the 2010 American Le Mans Series that kicks off at the Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 20.

(ALMS)
Simon Pagenaud and David Brabham will be a force in the 2010 ALMS.

 VW. Beginning January 18, the SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup one-hour documentary, “Racing Under Green” will begin airing on the Discovery Communications networks. A preview of the documentary is already available online, as Volkswagen has released the long-form trailer on YouTube. To view the trailer, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnHaIVGou8U. The broadcast schedule for the documentary (all times Eastern): 1/18 @ 2 a.m. on Discovery Channel (Premiere), 1/19 @ 9 p.m. on Planet Green, 1/22 @ 7 a.m. on Science Channel, 1/24 @ 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. on HD Theater, 1/25 @ 6 p.m. on HD Theater, 1/29 @ 3 p.m. and 5 a.m. on HD Theater, and 1/30 @ 8 a.m. on HD Theater.

 The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is trimming its "Month of May" schedule leading up to the Indy 500. A full week will be lopped off of the schedule turning it into a two-week, three-weekend event. Daily practice is scheduled for seven consecutive days from Opening Day, Saturday, May 15 through Fast Friday, May 21. Pole Day qualifications are scheduled for Saturday, May 22, and the remaining spots in the 33-car field will be determined on Bump Day, Sunday, May 23. Track activity will resume Thursday, May 27 with practice for the Firestone Freedom 100 Firestone Indy Lights race. Miller Lite Carb Day is Friday, May 28 and will feature a schedule packed with the final Indianapolis 500 practice, the Firestone Freedom 100 race, the annual Pit Stop Challenge for Indianapolis 500 teams and the Miller Lite Carb Day Concert. The 2010 Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for 1 p.m. (ET) Sunday, May 30. Leading the numerous storylines for the 2010 race will be Helio Castroneves’ attempt to become just the fourth driver to earn four Indianapolis 500 victories, joining legends A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears. Castroneves earned his third Indy victory last May for Team Penske, giving team owner Roger Penske his record 15th victory at the “500.” "I commend Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar Series officials for this change to the month of May schedule," said Penske. "It will reduce costs for teams on several fronts and provide continuous activity as we build momentum from Opening Day through race weekend. We look forward to the traditional battle on Pole Day and defending our 2009 race victory."

John Thawley. Publisher's Note: I'm happy to report that there's a new must-see destination for sports car racing enthusiasts: John Thawley's Sports Car Insider. Featuring John's outstanding photography and the excellent work from contributors such as John Dagys, Rick Dole, Regis Lefebure and others - as well as yours truly - I expect Sports Car Insider to become the go-to place for hard-core road racing enthusiasts. Check it out here. - PMD

Publisher's Note: Along about this time of year - with the racing season starting to wind down - we like to publish The Year in Review by John Thawley. John and I knew each other way back in the 70s when we were both doing something totally different, and we renewed our friendship around racing three decades later. John is now considered one of the best at what he does, and it's a real privilege to be able to share his work with our Autoextremist readers throughout the season. John's year-end gallery allows all of us to step back and savor another excellent season of racing in the American Le Mans Series. Thanks again to John for allowing us to display his work. Click here. - PMD

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