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Sunday, August 7, 2011
ALMS: Porsche 911 GT3 R hybrid to race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Porsche will race the 911 GT3 R hybrid at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
By: Brad Constant on 8/05/2011
Porsche Motorsport on Friday announced that its 911 GT3 R hybrid 2.0 will compete in the six-hour American Le Mans Series race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Sept. 17.
The hybrid 911 has two 75-kilowatt electric motors powering the front wheels and a 465-hp boxer six-cylinder for the rear. Electrical energy is generated during braking and stored in an electric flywheel. The overall package reduces fuel consumption and increases the distance between pit stops. It made its American race debut in the 2010 Petit Le Mans, where it finished eighth on the GT-class lap chart, though it was technically unclassified in the final results because of running a hybrid drivetrain.
"The Porsche 911 GT3 R hybrid represents one of the best examples ever of technology transfer between racetrack and showroom," said Scott Atherton, president and CEO of the American Le Mans Series. "It brought an entirely new level of relevance to our platform during its North American debut at Petit Le Mans last year; certainly it stands to do the same during its maiden appearance on the West Coast. We are proud that our position as the 'global leader of green racing' enables such technologies to be put to the ultimate endurance test and actively developed in front of our fans."
Porsche's GT3 R hybrid made its racing debut in the 2010 Nürburgring 24-hour race. It led for eight hours before problems with its gasoline engine forced the car to retire with just one hour, 45 minutes left in the event.
Porsche returned to the 'Ring in 2011 with its upgraded GT3 R hybrid 2.0. The car, which includes a reworked hybrid unit to reduce weight and improve the output of the electrical motors, suffered a broken flange in the differential on two different occasions. The team fought back to come home in 28th position.
The next challenge will be six hours around the 2.238-mile Laguna Seca circuit in Monterey, Calif. Porsche factory drivers Romain Dumas and Richard Lietz will team up behind the wheel of the hybrid 911.
"I'm so looking forward to showing this very special car at race speed to the spectators in California," Dumas said. "Many Porsche fans live on the West Coast of America, and some of them have already discovered the advantages of the hybrid system at the wheel of a Porsche Cayenne S hybrid. I'm very curious, because Laguna Seca is one of the most exciting racetracks on earth. I only know it from computer games and onboard videos. Its layout, with a series of up and downhill passages, should actually suit our 911 GT3 R hybrid."
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Formula One: No electric motors in the pits, Ecclestone says
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Formula One: Flavio Briatore linked to Bernie Ecclestone payoff case
LAT PHOTOGRAPHICBernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore are friends.
By: Quentin Spurring on 8/05/2011
Flavio Briatore, the former team principal of Renault F1, has come up in connection with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone's extraordinary payment to a former BayernLB bank executive who is now jailed in Munich and facing prosecution on charges of alleged corruption and tax evasion. Ecclestone admitted paying Gerhard Gribkowsky more than $42 million but strenuously denies any wrongdoing.
Unconfirmed German media reports say that Ecclestone paid the money in two installments, the first $20 million via First Bridge--a now-defunct offshore company in Mauritius--directly to a company Gribkowsky established in Austria. The reports add that Ecclestone subsequently paid the balance of more than $22 million in Geneva to Briatore, who then transferred the money to Gribkowsky via Lewington Investment. This is another offshore vehicle, listed in the British Virgin Islands, where a Briatore company, Formula FB Business, is also based.
Briatore is an old friend of Ecclestone and is his partner in the ownership of the Queens Park Rangers, a London soccer team. The two men are preparing to sell their 67 percent stake in the club, part of which is reportedly being purchased by Tony Fernandes, the man behind the Team Lotus Formula One project.
Ecclestone has played down Briatore's role in the affair.
"In no shape or form is Briatore involved in this," he told the U.K.'s Daily Express newspaper. "He did make a payment for me, but only because I asked him after this man, Gribkowsky, threatened to make trouble for me, and said he didn't want the money paid direct from the U.K. Briatore did me a favor and, far from being dragged into this, I told the German prosecutors about it. That's how his name has appeared."
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Formula One: Indian Grand Prix circuit on schedule
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Le Mans: Jaguar denies it is working on an LMP1 race car
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Saturday, August 6, 2011
IndyCar: Graham Rahal tops speed charts at Mid-Ohio
LAT PHOTOGRAPHICGraham Rahal posted the fastest lap during IndyCar practice on Friday.
Published on 8/05/2011
Graham Rahal led the 75-minute first practice of the Izod IndyCar Series Friday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a track where his father, Bobby, once excelled.
Rahal posted a time of 1 minute, 9.603 seconds around the permanent road course, besting the times of E. J. Viso of KV Racing Technology, Dario Franchitti of Ganassi Racing and the rest of the 27-car field.
The field includes Martin Plowman, who is driving his first IndyCar race in a Sam Schmidt Motorsports car. He led all 40 laps in last year's Firestone Indy Lights race at the track in Lexington, Ohio.
Practice continues Saturday with qualifying to follow. The race is Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern.
FRIDAY'S TIMES:
1. Graham Rahal (Ganassi Racing) 1:09.603
2. E. J. Viso (KV Racing Technology) 1:09.652
3. Dario Franchitti (Ganassi Racing) 1:09.694
4. Will Power (Team Penske) 1:09.720
5. Justin Wilson (Dreyer & Reinbold) 1:09.791
6. James Hinchcliffe (Newman-Haas Racing) 1:09.814
7. Scott Dixon (Ganassi Racing) 1:09.971
8. Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport) 1:10.051
9. Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske) 1:10.139
10. Helio Castroneves (Team Penske) 1:10.203
11. Simona De Silvestro (HVM Racing) 1:10.352
12. Vitor Meira (A.J. Foyt Racing) 1:10.360
13. Tony Kanaan (KV Racing Technology) 1:10.369
14. Alex Tagliani (Sam Schmidt Motorsports) 1:10.372
15. James Jakes (Dale Coyne Racing) 1:10.405
16. J. R. Hildebrand (Panther Racing) 1:10.598
17. Sebastien Bourdais (Dale Coyne Racing) 1:10.795
18. Charlie Kimball (Ganassi Racing) 1:11.065
19. Martin Plowman (Sam Schmidt Motorsports) 1:11.177
20. Mike Conway (Andretti Autosport) 1:11.434
21. Sebastian Saavedra (Conquest Racing) 1:11.579
22. Danica Patrick (Andretti Autosport) 1:11.608
23. Oriol Servia (Newman-Haas Racing) 1:11.632
24. Ana Beatriz (Dreyer & Reinbold Racing) 1:12.014
25. Ed Carpenter (Sarah Fisher Racing) 1:13.498
26. Marco Andretti (Andretti Autosport) 1:14.200
27. Takuma Sato (KV Racing Technology) 1:15.039
AutoWeek loves passionate comments and debate, but remember that you're part of a diverse community. Above all: be respectful. Critique statements, not people; talk about the automotive world, but skip the political rhetoric, hate speech, and obscenities. While we can't read every post, this site is moderated and AutoWeek will remove comments as we see fit. Questions? Read our Terms of Use or email moderator@autoweek.com.
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