Car Sports Review: 2011

Sunday, August 7, 2011

IndyCar: Honda to supply engines to Sam Schmidt Motorsports in 2012

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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."

Formula One: No electric motors in the pits, Ecclestone says

Formula One: Flavio Briatore linked to Bernie Ecclestone payoff case

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Bernie 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."

Formula One: Indian Grand Prix circuit on schedule

Le Mans: Jaguar denies it is working on an LMP1 race car

Saturday, August 6, 2011

IndyCar: Graham Rahal tops speed charts at Mid-Ohio

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Graham 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

NASCAR: Carl Edwards explains decision to stay with Roush Fenway, sort of

ACTION SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Carl Edwards said money was not the key factor in negotiating a new contract with Roush Fenway Racing.

By: Al Pearce on 8/05/2011

Neither driver Carl Edwards nor owner Jack Roush would reveal details of their new “multi-year” contract that Roush Fenway Racing announced on Thursday. For much of this season the media, fans, and competitors had played the game of “where will Carl go?” In the end, amid great scrutiny, he stayed put with Roush Fenway after listening to an offer from Joe Gibbs Racing.

On Friday, between practice sessions at Pocono Raceway, driver and owner finally talked about their deal. Well, they talked about the deal, but not the deal itself.

“First off, I wish I’d never confirmed that our (contract) was up this year because it would have been a lot quieter (otherwise),” Edwards said. “I looked at a lot of things, but at the end of the day, our negotiations and our deals and the things that I look at competitively are private matters. We went through the process, worked really hard and this is the outcome, and I’m proud to be here.

“I can say, just like I said earlier, that I learned a ton. I learned about Roush Fenway Racing and about Jack as a person and about me and what’s important to me. I learned about my competitors and you guys (the media), and I’m really appreciative for all those folks who were patient. We’re in a position now where our cars are fast and we have chances to win almost every week. We have the opportunity to go out and win this championship, to continue my partnership with Jack, to continue with Ford and the sponsors. I’m really happy with the way this turned out.”

Even after reminding the media he’d said he wouldn’t talk about contract details, he kept getting those questions. Politely, as is his way, he refused to answer. But he did politely offer these insights.

“From the beginning I said, ‘What would I do if money weren’t a factor and if I didn’t care what (anybody else) thought about my decision?’ ’’ he said. “It’s a decision that’s important to me and my family for all the hard work I’ve put in. For the path I’ve taken, for me personally. I act as my own agent and make my own decisions. I understand my own deals, and the decision was made under those thoughts.

“So that’s what made this simpler and that’s how I came to the conclusion. Whenever I’d start feeling that pressure start creeping in I’d think, ‘OK, let’s get back to the basics. Where can I win the most championships? And what would I do if other people’s opinions weren’t a factor?’ That helped me a ton and my family and Jack’s patience and Jack’s support helped me do that. When I talked to Jack on the phone he said, ‘Look, Carl, you do whatever you think is best for you.’ He said those words and that meant the world. It meant I didn’t have that pressure to do something for any reason other than what I thought was best. That was huge.”

Edwards said that contrary to widespread reports he didn’t make his decision based on a last-minute deal sweetener from Ford Motor Co.

“There was no last-minute money,” he said. “The idea that some people have run with is … well … first of all, the money numbers that I read are not correct and that’s all I’ll say about that. And if anybody who wants to publish any more of those numbers would like to come ask me if they’re correct, I’ll tell you they’re not correct.

“And then second: there was no difference in the deal at the last minute or anything else (that had to do with Ford corporately). My deal with Ford is that I believe in the company. I believe in the products they make and just like everyone else at Ford and Roush Fenway Racing, if Ford benefits, I have the potential to benefit from that success too. But there was no last-minute influx of money or anything like that. That’s a false assumption.”

Roush jumped in to say it wasn’t a factor from his side of the table, either.

“I’d like to make one follow-up comment on that, on the money thing,” he said on Friday. “The one thing Carl and I did not have a discussion about at any point in the negotiation or consideration was money. It was not a factor from my side, from the Roush Fenway side, and from what I could see it was not a factor from Carl’s side. That did not weigh into the decision Carl made.”

Finally, the timing of the announcement. Why now? Why not last week or last month or a month from now? What happened this week to convince Edwards it was time to end the suspense and re-sign with Roush Fenway? And in the end, what factor tipped him one way and not the other?

“I think staying was for the reasons we talked about,” Edwards said. “I just decided this is the right place for me. If I’d made this decision three months ago I might have had more second thoughts, I might have felt not as sure about it. To me, the fact I had the time I had and the opportunities, and Jack being as open as he was and showing me things that were going on. With the way Ford treated me through the process and showed me things that were gonna happen in the future. All that was a risk on their part because they didn’t have to show me those things.

“It took time for me to come to that conclusion. There wasn’t one thing at the end that changed my mind or made my decision different. When I made up my mind, you folks heard about it.”

NASCAR notes: Newman, Kahne lead Cup practice

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Crew chief Chad Knaus talks with driver Jimmie Johnson at Pocono Raceway on Friday.

By: Al Pearce on 8/05/2011

Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne were fastest in Friday's two Sprint Cup practice sessions at Pocono Raceway. Teams will qualify Saturday morning at 10:40 (three of the 46 entries won't make the show) and start their 200-lap, 500-mile at 1:15 on Sunday afternoon.

In the first session, Newman (170.026 mph) easily beat Kurt Busch (168.621 mph), A. J. Allmendinger (168.517 mph), Carl Edwards (168.360 mph) and Mark Martin (168.300 mph) in the 90-minute session. Jimmie Johnson, David Ragan, Paul Menard, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top 10. The five slowest were Geoffrey Bodine, Jason White, Erik Darnell, Scott Speed, and T. J. Bell.

Kahne led the second 90-minute session at 167.520 mph. Mark Martin (166.834 mph), Kevin Harvick (166.756 mph), Clint Bowyer (166.667 mph), and Juan Pablo Montoya (166.599 mph) also were in the top five. Jeff Burton, Newman, Brad Keselowski, Regan Smith and Carl Edwards were in the top 10. The slowest five were White, Casey Mears, Bell, Mike Skinner and David Stremme.

Cup drivers rule truck practice

Sprint Cup stars Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Mark Martin were first, third and fifth in Friday morning's Camping World Truck Series practice at Pocono Raceway. Teams practiced for almost two hours, will qualify Saturday morning at 9:35 and run their 50-lap, 125-mile race at 1 p.m.

Harvick's best lap of 161.493 mph beat the 160.964 mph of Todd Bodine. Busch ran 160.878 mph to show in third, Matt Crafton ran 160.829 mph for fourth, Martin ran 160.691 mph for fifth and Johnny Sauter ran 160.494 mph for sixth.

Nelson Piquet Jr., Miguel Paludo, Jason White and Joey Coulter rounded out the top 10. Only 30 teams showed up and practiced, four fewer than allowed on the entry form. The slowest of those 30 was Chris Lafferty at 119.600 mph.

Mattiolis step down

Doctors Rose and Joe Mattioli, both deep into their 80s, announced Friday afternoon their joint retirement from daily operations of the three-sided, 2.5-mile track at Long Pond, Pa. Their three eldest grandchildren will take over daily operations, effective immediately.

Brandon Igdalsky, 35, the track's president since 2007, has assumed addition duties as chief executive officer. His brother, 33-year-old Nicholas, has been named executive vice president and chief operating officer. Their sister, 30-year-old Ashley, has been named secretary-treasurer of the family-owned corporation. They have four younger siblings, almost ensuring that the track Bruton Smith reportedly has wanted for years will stay in the family for generations.

The Mattiolis built Pocono Raceway in 1970 and hosted the first of their 67 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 1974. The track also has hosted 20 IndyCar, four Indy Light, 30 ARCA, one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and seven NASCAR Modified races.

Saturday's Pocono schedule

-- 9:35 a.m., Camping World Truck Series qualifying

-- 10:40 a.m., Sprint Cup qualifying

-- 1 p.m., start of Truck Series 125

-- 3 p.m., start of ARCA 125

ALMS: Guy Smith takes overall pole for Dyson Racing at Mid-Ohio

ALMS
Guy Smith and Chris Dyson look to repeat their 2010 win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend.

Published on 8/05/2011

American Le Mans Series driver Guy Smith was fast Thursday. He was fast Friday morning. More importantly, he was fast Friday afternoon for the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge and earned his first career pole position at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The British pilot turned a lap of 1 minute, 12.727 seconds (111.771 mph) for Dyson Racing in qualifying for the fifth round of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.

Smith was 0.165-second quicker than Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing’s Klaus Graf in his Lola-Aston Martin coupe.

Smith and Chris Dyson were overall race winners at the circuit in 2010, and their Mazda-powered Lola coupe was fastest in three of the first four sessions of the weekend. Last year’s victory was the first for both Smith and Dyson, as well as for tire partner Dunlop and for an ALMS car running on isobutanol.

Through two days of practice and qualifying, it looks as if the Dyson duo isn’t exactly eager to settle for anything short of a repeat.

“I wish it was that easy,” Smith said. “We struggled quite badly with the setup and we pretty much threw everything at it but the kitchen sink. Qualifying was a wild ride with the car sideways a lot of the time. It was a good lap and I’m very happy with it.”

Smith didn’t post his first flying lap until nearly the halfway point of the 15-minute session. He felt a misfire in the Lola-Mazda on his outlap, but the Dyson squad sorted the issue about five minutes later. It took Smith four laps to post his pole-winning time.

“It’s a real challenge,” Smith said of the circuit. “You go somewhere like Mosport and it’s high speed and a challenge in a different way. Here you have times where the car is getting air, time where you have to use the curbs. This is one of those circuits where you can be 23/100s of seconds off but can suck it up and find some time. When you get a good time it’s very rewarding.”

Graf’s best lap was 1:12.892 (111.518 mph) in the car he drives with Lucas Luhr. Steven Kane qualified third at 1:13.607 (110.435 mph) in the Oryx Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda he drives with Humaid Al Masaood. Smith and Dyson entered Mid-Ohio leading the LMP1 championship over the duo of Graf/Luhr.

“For them, you give nothing. Those guys are so good and they are both great drivers,” Smith said. “It’s a difficult track to pass on so if you lose the lead then it is difficult to recover. You get some GT cars between us and it would be fantastic. But it never works like that. Those guys put up a good fight.”

In the GT class, Joey Hand led another 1-2 qualifying result for BMW Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan with a lap of 1:20.539 (100.930 mph) in the BMW M3 GT that he will drive with Dirk Müller. The class championship co-leader was just 0.116-second clear of Dirk Werner in the sister BMW, and the top eight cars were within 0.741 second.

“This is a track that puts on one of the best shows of the year,” said Hand, who saw BMW Team RLL’s three-race win streak end at Mosport. “I lived in Cleveland for awhile and have some track knowledge. The talent in our class is so deep. That’s why having pole here is big. You’re definitely throwing down every lap. A proper qualifying lap is where you got to let it all hang out.”

Risi Competizione’s Jaime Melo sat behind the two white M3s in qualifying. Last year’s GT race-winner set a lap of 1:20.745 (100.672 mph) on Friday in the Ferrari 458 Italia that he shares with Toni Vilander. With so many teams and manufacturers within such a small interval, Hand is more than aware of how “on it” he, Müller and BMW Team RLL need to be in order to get back on the winning track.

“There is a lot of back-and-forth here. It’s right-left-right-left,” Hand said. “Our cars are famous for being agile and stopping well. If you get a car with good balance then you’ll be really good. If you get a car without balance then you’ll struggle. The strength of this team is that everyone works together and brings it. Today we took a car that wasn’t that great out of the trailer and worked on it to where it was comfy for me.”

STARTING LINEUP

1. Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, New York; Guy Smith, Bracken, Yorkshire, UK; Lola B09 86/Mazda (LMP1), 1:12.727, 111.771

2. Lucas Luhr, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Klaus Graf, Dornham, Germany; AMR/ Lola Coupe B08 62 (LMP1), 1:12.892, 111.518

3. Steven Kane, Newtownards, Ireland; Humaid Al Masaood, Abu Dhabi, UAE; Lola B09/86 Mazda (LMP1), 1:13.607, 110.435

4. Tony Burgess, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Chris McMurry, Phoenix, Ariz.; Lola B06/10 (LMP1), 1:17.035, 105.521

5. Gunnar Jeannette, Salt Lake City, Utah; Ricardo Gonzalez, Monterrey, Mexico; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:17.281, 105.185

6. Kyle Marcelli, Barrie, Ontario, Canada; Tomy Drissi, Los Angeles, Calif.; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:17.332, 105.116

7. Jon Field, Dublin, Ohio; Clint Field, Dublin, Ohio; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:17.670, 104.658

8. Eric Lux, Jacksonville, Fla.; Christian Zugel, Holmdel, New Jersey; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:17.972, 104.253

9. Javier Echeverria, Mexico City, Mexico; David Cheng, Sammamish, Wash. (CN); Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:18.540, 103.499

10. Jon Bennett, Fort Mill, South Carolina; Frankie Montecalvo, Highlands, New Jersey; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:18.684, 103.309

11. Anthony Nicolosi, Palm Beach, Fla.; Jarrett Boon, Phoenix, Ariz.); Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:19.032, 102.855

12. Dirk Mueller, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Joey Hand, Sacramento, Calif.; BMW M3 GT (GT), 1:20.539, 100.930

13. Bill Auberlen, Redondo Beach, Calif.; Dirk Werner, Kissenbruck, Germany; BMW M3 GT (GT), 1:20.655, 100.785

14. Jaime Melo, Cascavel, Brazil; Toni Vilander, Kankaanpaa, Finland; Ferrari F458 Italia (GT), 1:20.745, 100.672

15. Joerg Bergmeister, Langenfield, Germany; Patrick Long, Bellaire, Fla.; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 1:20.917, 100.458

16. Oliver Gavin, Yardley Hastings, UK; Jan Magnussen, Roskilde, Denmark; Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 (GT), 1:20.944, 100.425

17. Ed Brown, Las Vegas, Nev.; Guy Cosmo, West Palm Beach, Fla.; Ferrari F458 Italia (GT), 1:21.068, 100.271

18. Scott Sharp, Jupiter, Fla.; Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, Calif.; Ferrari F458 Italia (GT), 1:21.256, 100.039

19. Olivier Beretta, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Tommy Milner, Leesburg, Va.; Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 (GT), 1:21.280, 100.010

20. Bryan Sellers, Braselton, Ga.; Wolf Henzler, Nuertingen, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 1:21.921, 99.227

21. David Murry, Atlanta, Ga.; Anthony Lazzaro, Atlanta, Ga.; Doran Ford GT (GT), 1:22.128, 98.977

22. Bruno Junqueira, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Kenny Wilden, Oakville, Ontario, Canada; Jaguar XKR (GT), 1:22.569, 98.449

23. P.J. Jones, Torrance, Calif.; Rocky Moran, Ladera Ranch, Calif.; Jaguar XKR (GT), 1:22.971, 97.972

24. Bryce Miller, Summit, New Jersey; Sascha Maassen, Lontzen, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 1:23.084, 97.838

25. Andrea Robertson, Ray, Mich.; Melanie Snow, Pleasant Grove, Utah; Doran Ford GT/Elan (GT), 1:23.854, 96.940

26. Seth Neiman, San Francisco, Calif.; Darren Law, Phoenix, Ariz.; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 1:24.712, 95.958

27. Spencer Pumpelly, Mason Neck, Va.; Duncan Ende, Los Angeles, Calif.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:26.602, 93.864

28. Bill Sweedler, Westport, Conn.; Leh Keen, Dublin, Ga.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:26.614, 93.851

29. Tim Pappas, Boston, Mass.; Jeroen Bleekemolen, Monte Carlo, Monaco Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:26.741, 93.713

30. John Potter, Salt Lake City, Utah; Craig Stanton, Long Beach, Calif.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:27.336, 93.075

31. Dion von Moltke, Coral Gables, Fla.; Marc Bunting, Monkton, Md.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:27.429, 92.976

32. Nick Ham, Evergreen, Colo; Chris Cumming, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:27.784, 92.600

33. Peter Lesaffre, Rye, New Hampshire; Andrew Davis, Bogart, Ga.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:27.791, 92.593

Monday, August 1, 2011

IndyCar: Castroneves, Power, Briscoe and others enter V8 Supercar race in Australia

NASCAR: Brickyard 400 loses some luster with fans, not with drivers

ACTION SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Jamie McMurray won NASCAR's Brickyard 400 race in 2010.

By AL PEARCE on 7/28/2011

It was not long ago that the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway stood unchallenged as NASCAR's second biggest race behind only the Daytona 500. The inaugural event in 1994 drew upward of 275,000 fans, leading Speedway officials to quip that they could have sold a million tickets if they'd had enough seats.

The annual midsummer race remained important--although nothing like in its early years--until three or four years ago. But the embarrassing Goodyear tire debacle of 2008 deeply hurt its prestige, and many will argue that the 400 still hasn't recovered.

With 2008 still painfully fresh, attendance and media interest dipped in 2009. Attendance went down again last year, and if race-week rumblings can be believed, it will be down again for Sunday afternoon's 18th-annual race. Some series watchers say officials will be thrilled if a strong walk-up sale on Sunday morning gets attendance into the 100,000 range.

Why the alarming decline in just a few years? Why has the Brickyard 400 become--if not just another stock-car race--something approaching that? Almost everyone who follows NASCAR has opinions, from the 2008 tire fiasco to the economy (travel/lodging/tickets) to the proximity of Kentucky (it hosted Sprint Cup a month ago) and Michigan (which hosts in three weeks) to poor sightlines (but haven't they always been poor?) to boring racing to uninspiring promotion efforts.

On the latter front, officials have urged drivers to step up, check their egos at the gate and help promote this weekend's race as never before.

But even a bad crowd at Indy beats a good crowd at most NASCAR venues. And even a boring Brickyard 400 win beats a thrilling win anywhere except Daytona Beach in February. Such is the prestige still attached to the world's most famous speedway, if not to its second biggest race.

"For us, it's where you bring your latest and greatest car," says Kevin Harvick, a Brickyard 400 and Daytona 500 winner. "It's all about trying to win and putting it on the line. It's a prestigious race, and nobody goes there with any intention other than winning."

Says teammate Jeff Burton, "Being at the Brickyard with NASCAR is an unbelievable experience. The things that are in front of me [in my career] that really mean a lot are winning a championship, winning a Daytona 500 . . . and certainly the Brickyard 400 is on that list as well."

Six active drivers have won Brickyard 400s: Jeff Gordon (four), Jimmie Johnson (three), Tony Stewart (two) and Harvick, Bobby Labonte and defending champion Jamie McMurray (one each). Other winners include retired drivers Dale Jarrett (two), Ricky Rudd and Bill Elliott, and the late Dale Earnhardt (one each).

On-track activities open on Friday with practice sessions from 1 to 2:15 p.m. and from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Teams will practice again on Saturday morning from 10 to 11:30 and qualify that afternoon at 2:10. Sunday afternoon's 160-lap, 400-mile race (on ESPN) is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.

Nationwide, Truck series run nearby

The Brickyard 400 is part of NASCAR's annual three-series, three-race weekend in the Indianapolis area. The Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series have Friday and Saturday night races at Lucas Oil Raceway in nearby Clermont, Ind. Unlike recent years, only a few Cup drivers have entered either of the support races.

Nationwide championship contender Elliott Sadler is the only "outsider" entered in Friday night's AAA Insurance Truck Series 200. Team owner Kyle Busch is skipping it but Josh Richards will drive the No. 18 Toyota as Busch chases his second consecutive owners' championship. Teams will practice at 10 and 11:45 on Friday morning, qualify at 4:40 p.m., and then run their 200-lap, 137-lap race at 7:30 p.m.

X Games superstar and action-sports icon Travis Pastrana is scheduled for his Nationwide debut in Saturday night's Kroger 200. He's undaunted despite less-than-spectacular results in his K&N East Pro Series races, most recently a 22nd two weeks ago at Loudon, N.H. He's also finished sixth, 25th, 33rd and 22nd.

"For me, it's always about a new challenge and finding the most competition," Pastrana said after a recent Late Model test. "I've been talking with [driver coach] Matt Crafton, really working on figuring out how to adjust the car. You might be good at the beginning or end of practice, or good in qualifying or good in the race, but it's so difficult. You have to continue to work with the team to make your car better. It's been a lot of fun and humbling, for sure."

Pastrana will face a fairly manageable field--Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski are the only Cup stars expected--in the 200-lap, 137-mile race. Teams will practice Saturday morning at 10 and 11:45, qualify at 4:45 p.m., and then race at 7:15 p.m.

Penske interested in partnering with Porsche for its return to Le Mans

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
“What we are saying is that when they come back in LMP1, they know we are interested,” Penske Racing team president Tim Cindric said of Porsche.

By GARY WATKINS on 7/28/2011

Penske Racing has “thrown its hat into the ring” to run Porsche's forthcoming LMP1 prototype when the German manufacturer returns to top-level sports-car racing in 2014, according to team president Tim Cindric.

Cindric was elaborating on comments team boss Roger Penske made on television. Penske said his organization wanted to follow up on its success with the Porsche RS Spyder LMP2 in the American Le Mans Series in 2005-08.

“With the recent announcement of Porsche going back to the Le Mans 24 Hours, we hope we can be a part of that program,” Penske said. “Romain Dumas, Timo Bernhard and Mike Rockenfeller have been stars over there [with Audi], and we'd like to get them back in a Penske Racing Porsche and see if we can't take on Le Mans.”

Cindric stressed that there had been no formal negotiations, although Penske has discussed the matter with Wolfgang Durheimer, who is in charge of motorsport in his position as R&D boss at the German sports-car marque, and Ferdinand Piech, chairman of the supervisory board of Porsche parent Volkswagen.

“What we are saying is that when they come back in LMP1, they know we are interested,” said Cindric. “I would like to think that if they look outside of Porsche [and don't run an in-house team] or race in the U.S. that they would consider us.

“We had a lot of success with Porsche and have remained in touch. There is certainly interest from our side, but any assumptions that we will be together on the new program are premature.”

Porsche has said no decision has been made as to whether it will campaign its new LMP1 design with its own team based at its motorsport headquarters at Weissach or combine forces with a partner such as Penske. The German manufacturer fielded a full-factory squad through much of the 1970s, '80s and '90s but has also been represented by teams such as JW Automotive and Joest Racing.

Penske has raced at Le Mans only once during its long history. It fielded a Sunoco-sponsored Ferrari 512M in the 1971 race but retired early with engine problems.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Ferrari 458 Italia completes tests at Daytona

Aston Martin reverts to old LMP race car for 2011

Formula One: Lewis Hamilton fastest for McLaren in Hungary practice

Formula One practice Hungary Lewis Hamilton.

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Lewis Hamilton posted a time of 1 minute, 21.018 seconds in Hungarian Grand Prix practice on Friday.

By ADAM COOPER on 7/29/2011

Formula One looks set for another close race in Hungary this weekend after McLaren and Ferrari topped the times during Friday's practice sessions.

Last year, Red Bull Racing dominated qualifying in Budapest, but first impressions this weekend indicate that the 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix could produce a quiet different result.

Lewis Hamilton topped both sessions for McLaren-Mercedes, beating Fernando Alonso by 0.241 second in the faster afternoon practice session. Teammate Jenson Button was third in that session, emphasizing that McLaren has found some pace here.

Mark Webber was the fastest Red Bull Racing driver in fourth, despite losing time with a crash in the first session.

The 2010 Budapest winner ran wide and spun into the barrier on the opposite side of the track, ripping the front wing off of the car. He missed the remainder of the session but said he and his crew are still up to speed.

"My mistake, I got on the damp kerb," said Webber. "In fact, on the Astroturf, we've seen a few of those the last few years. Drivers still don't learn. They still go out there and try and push. So I clipped the Astroturf and hit the barrier, but fortunately only the front wing was damaged.

"We recovered pretty well this afternoon, got a lot of mileage in; the car ran well. Obviously it's a pretty tricky venue for tires, and there's lot of information to go through."

Webber said he was not surprised to see McLaren and Ferrari ahead of Red Bull at the end of the day.

"They're certainly performing pretty well, as they have done in the last few events," he commented. "It's no big surprise that they're doing decent lap times. It's a race between all of us."

World champion Sebastian Vettel was second quickest in the morning but only fifth in the afternoon, while Felipe Massa was sixth in both sessions for Ferrari.

Behind the top three teams it was very much two-by-two. Mercedes GP led the chase, with Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher taking seventh and eighth, respectively, in both sessions. Force India was the fifth-best team, as Paul Di Resta and Adrian Sutil finished in ninth and 10th, ahead of the Sauber-Ferraris of Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Pérez 11th and 12th.

Bruno Senna had his first outing of the year in the first practice session, replacing Nick Heidfeld at Renault. He finished the session in 15th before handing the car back to the German.

PRACTICE TIMES

1. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes, 1 minute 21.018 seconds, 29 laps

2. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1:21.259, +0.241, 40

3. Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes, 1:21.322, +0.304, 34

4. Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing-Renault, 1:21.508, +0.490, 35

5. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing-Renault, 1:21.549, +0.531, 31

6. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:22.099, +1.081, 40

7. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP, 1:22.121, +1.103, 36

8. Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP, 1:22.440, +1.422, 36

9. Paul Di Resta, Force India-Mercedes, 1:22.835, +1.817, 40

10. Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes, 1:22.981, +1.963, 37

11. Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber-Ferrari, 1:23.030, +2.012, 34

12. Sergio Pérez, Sauber-Ferrari, 1:23.399, +2.381, 37

13. Rubens Barrichello, Williams-Cosworth, 1:23.679, +2.661, 34

14. Nick Heidfeld, Renault, 1:23.861, +2.843, 28

15. Pastor Maldonado, Williams-Cosworth, 1:24.181, +3.163, 39

16. Jaime Alguersuari, Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1:24.182, +3.164 26

17. Vitaly Petrov, Renault, 1:24.546, +3.528, 21

18. Sébastien Buemi, Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1:24.878, +3.860, 35

19. Jarno Trulli, Lotus-Renault, 1:24.994, +3.976, 38

20. Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus-Renault, 1:25.447, +4.429, 39

21. Timo Glock, Virgin-Cosworth, 1:26.823, +5.805, 33

22. Jerome D'Ambrosio, Virgin-Cosworth, 1:27.261, +6.243, 28

23. Daniel Ricciardo, HRT-Cosworth, 1:27.730, +6.712, 31

24. Tonio Liuzzi, HRT-Cosworth, 1:28.255, +7.237, 25

Formula One: Austin Grand Prix moving to November 2012 as part of calendar shuffle?

Saturday, July 30, 2011

NASCAR: Travis Pastrana out of Nationwide Series race with broken foot and ankle

NASCAR: Kenseth and Biffle lead Brickyard 400 practice at Indianapolis

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Jeff Gordon rolls out of Gasoline Alley at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday for practice for Sunday's NASCAR race.

By AL PEARCE on 7/29/2011

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Fords of Roush Fenway Racing showed well in both of Friday afternoon’s Sprint Cup practice sessions at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Matt Kenseth led the first 90-minute session and teammate Greg Biffle led the second as teams began preparations for Sunday afternoon’s 18th annual Brickyard 400.

Kenseth led the opening session at 181.203 mph. Toyota drivers Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin were second and third, Kahne at 181.178 mph and Hamlin at 181.050 mph. Roush Fenway teammates Carl Edwards (180.658 mph) and David Ragan (180.404 mph) rounded out the top five.

Kurt Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya, defending race champion Jamie McMurray, four-time Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton were sixth through 10th. The slowest five were Scott Wimmer, former series champion Terry Labonte, Mike Bliss, Robby Gordon and rookie Andy Lally.

Sunday’s 160-lap race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the first since Hendrick Motorsports announced that crew chief Kenny Francis would come along when Kahne moves to the No. 5 Chevrolet next year. Kahne and Francis work together at Team Red Bull this year and it’s been generally accepted that Francis will stay with Kahne when he replaces Mark Martin next year.

"I’ve always wanted to work for Hendrick Motorsports and I think anyone who gets into this deal has seen that," Francis said on Friday. "I'm 40 years old, so I remember when I was a kid [Geoffrey] Bodine was driving the No. 5 and [Tim] Richmond was driving it, and I used to watch on TV and think 'man that would be cool to be associated with that one day.' Then the company grew and became the preeminent company in this sport, so it's really an honor to be associated with it and I'm looking forward to it."

Biffle, who ran his car in race rather than qualifying trim, led the second session at 178.310 mph. Martin Truex Jr. in a Toyota was second at 178.172 mph, then Jimmie Johnson in a Chevrolet at 177.669 mph, Casey Mears in a Toyota at 177.289 mph and Kevin Harvick in a Chevy at 177.249.

Edwards, Joey Logano, David Reutimann, Jeff Burton and Brian Vickers completed the top 10 in the second session. Travis Kvapil, Wimmer, Dave Blaney, David Gilliland and David Stremme were the slowest five. Hamlin had an issue in the second session and will now start from the rear of the grid on Sunday because of an engine change.

Teams get a final 90-minute practice session Saturday from 10-11:30 a.m. Eastern, then qualify at 2:10 p.m. Sunday’s race on ESPN is scheduled to start at 1:15 p.m.

NASCAR: Timothy Peters spins to win Truck Series race

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Timothy Peters leads the field during Friday night's Camping World Truck Series race at Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis.

By AL PEARCE on 7/29/2011

Toyota driver Timothy Peters used his own spin and resulting caution period to make a critical pit stop that helped him win Friday night’s AAA Insurance Camping World Truck Series 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway at Clermont, Ind. It was Peters’ first Truck Series win this year and third of his career, after Martinsville in 2009 and Daytona Beach in 2010.

When Peters spun at lap 91, crew chief Butch Hilton gave him four fresh tires and a full load of fuel. The race was green the last 106 laps--an unprecedented, perhaps record-setting stretch at the track--giving Peters just enough time to rally back toward the front. He passed leader James Buescher (who was in fuel-conservation mode) at lap 195 and easily led the rest of the way, winning by 2.645 seconds.

Buescher, who led twice for 97 laps, finished second, with David Starr, Miguel Paludo and four-time series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. rounding out the top five. Matt Crafton, Joey Coulter, Cole Whitt, pole-winner Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain completed the top 10. Points leader (by only four) Johnny Sauter led once for 44 laps, but a flat right-front tire and subsequent suspension damage left him 23rd among the 34 starters.

Buescher (97 laps) led the most, then Sauter (44), Dillon (the first 36), Parker Kligerman (twice for 16) Peters (the last six) and Bodine (once for one) were the only lap leaders.

Dillon was on the verge of a top-five finish and perhaps the points lead when Bodine wrecked him on the last lap. Dillon called the former two-time champion "an idiot" and Bodine didn’t disagree, saying the accident was strictly his fault.

"He has a right to be mad," Bodine said after his lap-down 12th-place finish. "I just didn’t see him over there. It was my fault all the way."

The race may have been the last in the foreseeable future for the Truck Series at the popular. 0.686-mile bullring. NASCAR is moving its annual Brickyard 400 weekend Nationwide Series race to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next year. Most series watchers expect NASCAR to also pull its trucks from Lucas Oil Raceway instead of going back for an 18th consecutive year.

TOP 10 FINISHERS

1. Timothy Peters, Toyota

2. James Buescher, Chevrolet

3. David Starr, Toyota

4. Miguel Paludo, Toyota

5. Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet

6. Matt Crafton, Chevrolet

7. Joey Coulter, Chevrolet

8. Cole Whitt, Chevrolet

9. Austin Dillon, Chevrolet

10. Ross Chastain, Chevrolet

POINTS LEADERS

1. Johnny Sauter, 453

2. Austin Dillon, -4

3. James Buescher, -20

4. Timothy Peters, -22

5. Cole Whitt, -29

6. Matt Crafton, -38

7. Parker Kligerman, -46

8. Joey Coulter, -50

9. Ron Hornaday Jr., -52

10. Todd Bodine, -70

Next event: Aug, 6, Pocono, Pa.

Formula One: Hamilton wins German Grand Prix; Vettel only fourth:

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Lewis Hamilton won the Grand Prix of Germany on Sunday at the Nurburgring.

By ADAM COOPER on 7/24/2011

Lewis Hamilton on Sunday scored a brilliant victory for McLaren in the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring on a day when Red Bull Racing's dominance was finally challenged. In fact, the battle for victory came down a fight between Hamilton and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

Red Bull's Mark Webber started from pole position, with Hamilton alongside and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel in an unusually low third place at his home race. Ferrari again showed good form, with Alonso fourth and Felipe Massa fifth.

The race was dry after heavy rain on Sunday morning, though a few drops of water fell as the cars sat on the grid before the start. The biggest problem was the low track temperature, which put a premium on getting the tires to work effectively, especially at the start and after pit stops.

Webber appeared to bog down at the start, and Hamilton surged into the lead. Behind him, Alonso made an aggressive move on Vettel and managed to take third place. On the second lap, however, Alonso ran wide, allowing Vettel back into third place.

The Spaniard regained the spot with another great move into turn one at the start of lap eight. Vettel's challenge for the podium then faded when he had a spin, and he could never quite find the speed he needed to get back on terms with those ahead.

Meanwhile at the front, Hamilton ran ahead of Webber, the Aussie pushing hard but unable to find a way past. He nearly made it by at the start of lap 13, and when it didn't quite happen he became the first of the leaders to pit, coming in on lap 14. Hamilton stayed out for an extra three laps on his old tires and, when he came in, Webber jumped ahead.

Alonso joined them to make it a fabulous three-car battle, and it was clear that everything would depend on how the rest of the stops played out. Webber was the first to come in for a third set of options, stopping on lap 30. Hamilton went one lap longer and just managed to get out ahead. Alonso did one further lap and briefly emerged in the lead, only for Hamilton, on warmer tires, to get back past. However, Alonso had demoted Webber to third, and thereafter he became Hamilton's main challenger.

The key to the race was the compulsory change to the medium-compound tire, which was significantly slower. Hamilton pitted first, and his new mediums proved to be more competitive than Alonso's old options, although it was close. Hamilton thus stayed ahead when the Ferrari driver pitted.

Webber dropped away from the two leaders in third stint, taking a gamble by staying out longer on his prime rubber. Massa and Vettel waited until the last possible opportunity--the start of the last lap--before pitting, and when the Ferrari crew had a glitch, Vettel jumped ahead to claim fourth and useful points for his championship campaign. It was the first time all year he finished worse than second.

Adrian Sutil did a great job to take sixth for Force India, beating the Mercedes GP pair of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher. The final points went to Kamui Kobayashi and Vitaly Petrov. Jenson Button was recovering well from a bad start when he retired with a hydraulic problem.

Results

1. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes, 1 hour, 37 minutes, 30.334 seconds

2. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, +3.980s

3. Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing-Renault, +9.788

4. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing-Renault, +47.921

5. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, +52.252

6. Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes, +1:26.208

7. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP, +1 lap

8. Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP, +1 lap

9. Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber-Ferrari, +1 lap

10. Vitaly Petrov, Renault, +1 lap

11. Sergio Pérez , Sauber-Ferrari, +1 lap

12. Jaime Alguersuari, Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari, +1 lap

13. Paul di Resta, Force India-Mercedes, +1 lap

14. Pastor Maldonado, Williams-Cosworth, +1 lap

15. Sébastien Buemi, Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari, +1 lap

16. Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus-Renault, +2 laps

17. Timo Glock, Virgin-Cosworth, +3 laps

18. Jérôme d'Ambrosio, Virgin-Cosworth, +3 laps

19. Daniel Ricciardo, HRT-Cosworth, +3 laps

20. Karun Chandhok, Lotus-Renault, +4 laps

Not Classified:

--Vitantonio Liuzzi, HRT-Cosworth, 44 laps (electrical)

--Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes, 42 (hydraulics)

--Rubens Barrichello, Williams-Cosworth, 23 (oil leak)

--Nick Heidfeld, Renault, 10 (crash)

Drivers' Championship Standings After 10 of 19 Races

1. Vettel, 216

2. Webber, 139

3. Hamilton, 134

4. Alonso, 130

5. Button, 109

6. Massa, 62

7. Rosberg, 46

8. Heidfeld, 34

9. Schumacher, 32

10. Petrov, 32

Constructors' Championship Standings

1. Red Bull Racing-Renault, 355

2. McLaren-Mercedes, 243

3. Ferrari, 192

4. Mercedes GP, 78

5. Renault, 66

6. Sauber-Ferrari, 35

7. Force India-Mercedes, 20

8. Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 17

9. Williams-Cosworth, 4

Next: Hungary, July 31 (7:30 a.m. Eastern, Speed)

Short-Track Roundup: Shaffer and Blaney take wins; Saldana released from hospital; more:

Tim Shaffer and Dale Blaney (shown) split $15,000 wins this weekend.

By MIKE KERCHNER on 7/24/2011

The Outlaw Trail

It was a busy week on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series trail, beginning with the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Pennsylvania's Lernerville Speedway. Tim Shaffer and Dale Blaney split $15,000 wins, but Shaffer earned the event trophy based on his second-place finish in the race he did not win.

From there, it was on to Williams Grove Speedway, where Greg Hodnett won on Friday night, leading into Saturday's Summer Nationals. Defending series champion Jason Meyers claimed his first victory at the legendary Pennsylvania half-mile oval and banked $20,000 for his 49th career victory.

Meyers left Williams Grove trailing four-time series champion Donny Schatz, who finished third Saturday, by a single point.

Saldana Goes Home

World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series driver Joey Saldana on Thursday was released from Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

Saldana, who was injured badly in a crash during the July 16 Kings Royal sprint-car race at Tony Stewart's Eldora Speedway in Ohio, was cleared to return home after a chest tube--which had been inserted into his body to inflate a collapsed lung--was removed.

Saldana also suffered a broken right arm, which required two plates and 25 screws to repair, and three broken ribs.

Saldana has been replaced by Kasey Kahne Racing teammate Brad Sweet.

What Vacation?

While most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers took advantage of the off-weekend on July 23-24 to travel to exotic locations, several went short-track racing. Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne each raced sprint cars, with Kahne escaping unhurt from a wild crash Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway in Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, Kyle Busch ventured to Maine to go asphalt late-model racing. Busch won Saturday night's Pro All-Stars Series late-model event and was the favorite to win the prestigious 38th annual TD Bank 250 Sunday afternoon at the three-eighths-mile track. Busch followed up the 150-lap triumph on Saturday by winning Sunday's 250-lap event in his familiar black No. 51 late model.

Money Man

Don O'Neal, who banked $100,000 earlier this summer for winning The Dream dirt-late-model race at Eldora Speedway, added another $25,000 to his bank account Saturday night, claiming the inaugural Silver Dollar Nationals at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb.

NASCAR Touring

Darrell Wallace Jr. collected his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series victory of the season Saturday night at Ohio's Columbus Motor Speedway. It was the fourth career triumph for the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program driver.

Meanwhile, Scott Steckly earned his 10th NASCAR Canadian Tire Series win.

Other Winners

Points leader Jason Johnson swept a pair of ASCS Lucas Sprint Car Series features Friday and Saturday night at Oregon's Cottage Grove Speedway . . . Veteran NASCAR modified driver Ted Christopher stepped into a supermodified and won the International SuperModified Association feature at New York's Airborne Park Speedway . . . Tim McCreadie and Shane Clanton collected World of Outlaws Late Model Series wins . . . Bryan Clauson led all 30 laps in the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series event at Macon (Ill.) Speedway.

F1: Lewis Hamilton surprised by victory at German Grand Prix:

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Lewis Hamilton was surprised by his victory at Germany.

By ADAM COOPER on 7/24/2011

Lewis Hamilton says that even McLaren can't say for sure exactly where its winning form came from in Germany.

Hamilton qualified second and scored a superb victory after jumping into the lead at the start, although he had to fight off Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso along the way.

“We didn't really think we would be so fast, and [we're] not quite sure what we've done because we've not really brought much here,” said Hamilton. “I don't know if it's the conditions. I think we were competitive in Montreal, and in Monaco and in Valencia; in hot temperatures, we are less competitive. We obviously went to Silverstone with the rule changes, which was a big problem for us, and then, we come back here to where we were, really, in cool conditions.

“I think we're there or thereabouts, but I do still feel that the overall performance of the two guys here, particularly the Red Bulls', is slightly better than ours. You can see this weekend, I was quickest in the first sector and the last sector, but we lose a lot in the middle sector, and that's because we don't have a DRS, [drag-reduction] system, as efficient as theirs, so I think that we will lose at least half of those four tenths in the middle sector.

“If we can improve in that area, then I think we could definitely eke ahead of them, so that's what we need to work on.”

Hamilton said that the German win would be a big boost to the team: “I think days like this definitely pay off more than you could imagine, and being able to have close races--this was a great race in the sense that there was Mark, me and Fernando all within a tenth of each other, lap after lap after lap, and it was about real perfection, and it was about really not making mistakes.

Hamilton also had kind words for Sebastian Vettel: “You can't expect him to be perfect all the time. He's won a huge amount of races from the end of last year into this year. It's easy for everyone to criticize him, just from one race, but he's been exceptionally consistent for a long time. For whatever reasons, I'm sure he will bounce back, he will be very quick at the next race, and I think it's maybe a one-off.”

IndyCar: Will Power gets back to winning ways at Edmonton:

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Team Penske driver Will Power takes a winner's leap at Edmonton.

Published on 7/24/2011

Will Power got 18 of his Canadian points back in the Izod IndyCar Series.

Power got knocked out of the Toronto race earlier this month, costing him valuable points toward the championship. He finished 24th.

Sunday, he got part of the points back at the new circuit at City Centre Airport by winning the Edmonton Indy.

Power might have gotten more of them back had championship leader Dario Franchitti, the winner of the past two season titles, not rallied to finish third. Franchitti got pushed back to ninth place in a mid-race accident involving his Ganassi Racing teammate, Scott Dixon, but he did what he normally does in these tight situations.

That means the separation is 37 points heading to the Aug. 7 race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Power's win also allowed him to avenge last year's disappointment here, when Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves blocked him entering what was then turn one. That win went to Dixon.

Castroneves finished a season-best second on Sunday. The margin of victory was 0.8086 second.

Sunday's race was a festival of contact before a crowd estimated at 25,000, although perhaps not as much was expected.

The first corner started things, though, with Alex Tagliani flying in from the inside, hitting Graham Rahal's car as he turned in. Rahal's car took significant damage; Tagliani's damage was contained to the right-front part of the wing.

Rahal was knocked out of the race, giving a big hand gesture to Tagliani as the French-Canadian drove past on the next lap. Tagliani was penalized with a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact. Tagliani finished 17th.

Sebastián Saavedra and Paul Tracy made the full-course caution necessary by suffering damage in the incident.

The top of the pack stayed mostly consistent for the next 24 laps until Mike Conway plowed into championship contender Oriol Servia in turn 12. Servia's car was knocked in the air and then into the tire barrier, bringing out a full-course caution. Conway was penalized for the contact but battled back to finish eighth.

That caution allowed Tagliani to get back into the lead group as he had pitted just a few minutes earlier. But on the restart, trouble returned.

E. J. Viso made contact with Dixon in the treacherous turn five. Viso stopped on the course briefly and Dixon headed to pit road for repairs to a broken radiator, which is located in the sidepod. The Ganassi crew had to pull the car behind the wall to make the lengthy repairs. Dixon finished 23rd.

IndyCar officials said Viso would have been penalized for avoidable contact had his car continued on, but since he lost a lap while disabled on the course, the penalty was, in effect, self-imposed. He finished 20th.

That restart saw pole winner Takuma Sato make a bold move to the inside to get the second spot behind Power but he didn't hold it that long. On lap 38, with Ryan Hunter-Reay charging, there was contact that sent Sato spinning.

Consistent with the similar incidents, Hunter-Reay was penalized for the contact, but it didn't please Sato's co-owner, Jimmy Vasser, who threw his arms in the air. Hunter-Reay came back to finish seventh with Sato settling for 21st.

The pole was the second of the season (and of a career in the series) for Sato. He didn't finish the first one, at Iowa Speedway in June, either. That time, he crashed on his own. Clearly, he had help this time.

RESULTS

1. Will Power, Team Penske

2. Helio Castroneves, Team Penske

3. Dario Franchitti, Ganassi Racing

4. Tony Kanaan, KV Racing Technology

5. Justin Wilson, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

6. Sébastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing

7. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport

8. Mike Conway, Andretti Autosport

9. Danica Patrick, Andretti Autosport

10. Ryan Briscoe, Team Penske

11. J. R. Hildebrand, Panther Racing

12. Vitor Meira, A.J. Foyt Racing

13. Ana Beatriz, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

14. Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport

15. James Hinchcliffe, Newman/Haas Racing

16. Sebastián Saavedra, Conquest Racing

17. Alex Tagliani, Sam Schmidt Motorsports

18. James Jakes, Dale Coyne Racing

19. Charlie Kimball, Ganassi Racing

20. E. J. Viso, KV Racing Technology

21. Takuma Sato, KV Racing Technology

22. Oriol Servia, Newman/Haas Racing

23. Scott Dixon, Ganassi Racing

24. Simona De Silvestro, HVM Racing

25. Graham Rahal, Ganassi Racing

26. Paul Tracy, Dragon Racing

Friday, July 29, 2011

Grand-Am: Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas take the trophy in New Jersey:

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Scott Pruett won at New Jersey Motorsports Park for the first time in his Grand-Am career.

Published on 7/24/2011

Scott Pruett put another check on his victory list Sunday, taking advantage of hot weather to post his first career victory at New Jersey Motorsports Park--one of only two circuits that the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series visits where he had never won.

Pruett and co-driver Memo Rojas took their fifth win of the season in the No. 01 Telmex BMW/Riley, taking another step toward a second consecutive Daytona Prototype championship in front of the largest crowd for a Grand-Am event in the four years the series raced at the circuit.

Max Angelelli passed Alex Gurney in the closing laps to take second in the No. 10 SunTrust Chevrolet/Dallara, which started from the pole in the hands of driver Ricky Taylor. Gurney held on to finish third in the No. 99 Gainsco Auto Insurance Chevrolet/Riley co-driven by Jon Fogarty.

In a change from the Telmex Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates strategy for the sprint races on the Grand-Am schedule, Pruett both started and finished the event, with Rojas driving the middle hour.

Pruett rebounded from a drive-through penalty early in the race when he spun out Taylor while battling for the lead. Taylor led the opening 36 laps before the contact.

Pruett took the lead for the first time with less than one hour remaining when Angelelli pitted on lap 99. He led the final 19 laps to score his 36th Daytona Prototype victory, sharing 23 of them with Rojas.

In the production-based GT class, Mazda scored a podium sweep led by Sylvain Tremblay and Jonathan Bomarito in the No. 70 Mazdaspeed/Castrol Edge Mazda RX-8.

Unlike last year, when SpeedSource cars took the top three positions, three different teams finished on the GT podium as the marque took its first victory of the season.

Bomarito took the checkered flag 0.685 second ahead of John Edwards, who won the pole in the No. 42 TheRaceSite.com Mazda RX-8 he shared with Wayne Nonnamaker. James Gue and Dane Cameron took third in the No. 41 Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8.

Jordan Taylor and Bill Lester finished fourth in the No. 88 Autohaus Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, narrowing the gap in the point standings to one point behind Brumos Racing teammates Andrew Davis and Leh Keen with three races remaining. The championship-leading No. 59 Porsche GT3 was never a factor, going several laps down in the early going with a thrown alternator belt.

NHRA: Massey, Force, Edwards collect wins in Colorado:

NHRA
Pro Stock driver Mike Edwards scored his third win of the NHRA season Sunday in Colorado.

Published on 7/24/2011

Spencer Massey raced to his third Top Fuel victory of the season Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals and, in the process, qualified for the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, NHRA's playoffs.

John Force (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners at the Bandimere Speedway near Denver.

Massey powered his Prestone/FRAM dragster to a performance of 4.150 seconds at 269.67 mph to hold off seven-time world champ Tony Schumacher, who trailed with a 4.255 seconds at 266.95 mph in his U.S. Army dragster. Massey became the second Top Fuel driver to earn a post-season playoff berth, joining current series leader Del Worsham.

Massey outran Brandon Bernstein, Shawn Langdon and Antron Brown in earlier rounds to advance to his fifth final of the season and move to second in the points standings, 68 behind Worsham, who lost in the second round to Brown.

"I'm just ecstatic,” said Massey of his fifth career victory. "I wanted to do well at this race, especially with our sponsor's race at Sonoma being next week. Now we get to go there with a full head of steam. The final round was kind of crazy because it started hazing the tires at the eighth-mile. I just kept my foot in it and hoped that our Gates belt held on. I never saw Tony. When I saw the win light, I started going crazy.”

In Funny Car, Force won his first race of the season and the 133rd of his career, as he took an automatic win light when final round opponent Matt Hagan fouled at the start in his Mopar/DieHard Dodge Charger. Force finished in 4.361 seconds at 285.23 mph in his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang to claim his sixth win in nine career finals at Bandimere.

In the first three rounds Force raced past Tony Pedregon, series leader and teammate Mike Neff and Jeff Arend to advance to a record 214th career final round.

"Like the military, it's all about teamwork, and we have great guys,” Force said. “(Crew chiefs) Dean Antonelli and Ron Douglas have been struggling, and Mike Neff and Jimmy Prock stepped in to help them. Robert Hight, the president of the company, even spoke up and told me, ‘It's you. You have to get back in the game. Your head is hopscotching to the air show and the Indy 500 and every place you're going. You taught me that you need to live it.' He was right. I'm back in the game today.”

Neff, who became the first Funny Car driver to secure a Countdown playoff berth during the weekend, maintained his series lead, 192 points ahead of teammate Hight. Force climbed from eighth to seventh in the standings with his victory.

Edwards scored his third win of the season and 31st of his career by holding off Bandimere Pro Stock dominator Allen Johnson in the final round. Edwards ran 6.970 seconds at 197.56 mph in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP in the final but ultimately wouldn't need the strong performance as Johnson turned on a rare red light at the start in his Team Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Avenger.

“We got the Wally, but I believe that Allen Johnson is still ‘King of the Mountain,' ” said Edwards, who beat Warren Johnson, Jason Line and Larry Morgan to advance to the final round.

“It's so sweet to come up here because the Bandimere family does such an awesome job, and the fans are great,” Edwards continued. “It's such a privilege to come up here and race because it is such a unique place. We have to change everything from one end of the car to the other [to adjust for the increased] altitude, and it's a game to see which team can make the best guesses and best choices, and who can be ‘King of the Mountain' for one year. I just give praise to God because this team is all about him.”

With the win, Edwards trimmed Jason Line's series lead to six points.

Stoffer ended a four-year winless drought in Pro Stock Motorcycle as she sped to her sixth career victory with a 7.283 seconds at 182.58 mph on her Geico/Powersports Suzuki and held off fellow Suzuki rider Michael Phillips, who trailed with a 7.394 seconds at 182.01 mph on his Racers Edge-sponsored bike.

“Our main goal this season was consistency and to go as many rounds as available at each racing event,” said Stoffer, who beat Shawn Gann, Jerry Savoie and Eddie Krawiec in the first three rounds. “If you do that and do it right, you're going to get the win lights and you're going to get the Wallys. We had to wait and be patient. We went to three final rounds this year and had to wait until about midseason before we could bring it home, but we finally made it happen.”

With the victory, Stoffer regained the series lead and moves 33 points ahead of Krawiec with three bike races remaining until the playoffs.

“We got the double whammy here by taking home the Wally and also getting in front of the points,” Stoffer said. “We're now in control of our own destiny.”

The NHRA Full Throttle Series continues July 29-31 with the FRAM/Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

NASCAR: Richard Childress Racing latest team to make crew chief change:

NASCAR: Scott Speed to return for three races with owner Brad Jenkins:

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Ferrari 458 Italia tests at Daytona:

Ferrari
The Ferrari 458 was tested at Daytona. It's shown in this stock photo.

By DAVID ARNOUTS on 7/26/2011

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series-designed Ferrari 458 Italia premiered for tests at Daytona International Speedway on July 26.

“The big significance for this car is that it was conceived and produced by Ferrari and built specifically for the Rolex Series,” said Mark Raffauf, Grand-Am managing director of competition. “This car comes here straight from Maranello, Italy, right from Ferrari, and it's also significant that this is really a Grand-Am car.”

Ferrari factory engineers spent the morning preparing the car for its run around the 3.56-mile circuit.

Behind the wheel for the first time at Daytona was Ferrari factory driver Jaime Melo and 2008 Rolex 24 at Daytona winner Raphael Matos.

Owned and operated by Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale, the first 458 is hopefully one of two cars for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“This was a two-year project, and to finally be out here on the track at Daytona is really great,” said Ronnie Vogel, team principal. “So far, so good--the test is going great. Now, we're going to continue to dial it in.”

Raffauf mentioned that several teams were looking at running Ferraris in the Rolex Series Championship; one of which includes1998 winner of the Indianapolis 500 Eddie Cheever.

“I know of at least five groups that are seriously entertaining racing a 458--and I might even be one of those,” said Cheever.

The Ferrari 458 will continue its tests at Daytona International Speedway on July 27.

The next Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race will be Aug. 12-13, when teams will tackle the famous Watkins Glen course in New York.

Robertson Racing forms ALMS\'s first all-female team for Mid-Ohio:

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Robertson Racing is forming the ALMS's first all-female team for Mid-Ohio. Its Ford GT is shown at Le Mans.

By DAVID ARNOUTS on 7/26/2011

American Le Mans Series GT-class team Robertson Racing will have the first all-female team in series history at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge on Aug. 6.

Team co-owner Andrea Robertson will be joined by Melanie Snow in the No. 40 Doran Ford GT as co-owner and her husband, David Robertson, steps down for the Mid-Ohio race.

Snow, no stranger to racing or the ALMS, returns after her shared ALMS Challenge championship in 2009. She won her first and only main GT-class appearance in Sebring in 1999 and is a current contender in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama's Platinum Cup standings.

“Andrea and I have been friends for a while and always joked about forming an all-girl team,” said Snow. “It was something I never really expected though, so when I got an e-mail out of the blue, it was a shock, but also a nice surprise. At the moment, the deal is just for Mid-Ohio, but we'll play it by ear and see what happens for the rest of the season.”

Snow will test the Doran Ford GT on Aug. 2 in Lexington at Mid-Ohio.

“It's great to have Melanie onboard for Mid-Ohio. She has a lot of experience in GT cars, so I'm confident it won't be long before she's up to speed in the Ford,” said Andrew Smith, team manager. “Andrea had expressed an interest in her joining the team, and I think it's a great opportunity for them to show how well they stack up against their male counterparts. We've had lots of [female] racers take part in the ALMS over the past 12 years, so it's about time an all-female crew was given their chance.”

There are no current plans to bring Snow on full-time after Mid-Ohio.

“We're not ruling out running Melanie [Snow] again later in the season,” said Smith. “But at the moment, Mid-Ohio is the only round scheduled.”

The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge is the fifth round in the 2011 ALMS championship and is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Aug. 6 on ESPN3.com.

Porsche GT3 RS 3.8: A year in the life:

Ronan McGrath
Contributor Ronan McGrath took delivery of his Porsche GT3 RS 3.8 in Germany.

By RONAN MCGRATH on 7/25/2011

When the final RS 4.0 rolls off the production line, the Porsche 997 era will finally end. There have been innumerable variants of the car, including the mad turbo GT2 RS, but the car that topped virtually all comparisons was the less powerful but more communicative GT3 RS. Now, after a year with that penultimate car, a look back is on order.

The second-generation GT3 RS received heavily revised aerodynamics with a redesigned front end, larger rear wing, wider track and dynamic engine mounts, all of which were intended to differentiate it from the base GT3 and its predecessor. It also gained power, up from 415 to 450 hp, and slightly shorter gearing. The only transmission was a six-speed manual, coupled to a dry-sump race-derived engine, naturally aspirated with a redline of 8,500 rpm.

The car was ordered for factory delivery with a fairly standard specification: The first-generation car had been so low that the splitter was a disposable item, so the new car was optioned with front lifts that raised it to negotiate ramps. Because it would be tracked, standard steel brakes with their slightly better feel were specified, as was a thicker factory steering wheel and a nav system for street use.

Initial impressions on picking up the GT3 RS at the Porsche factory were that the interior was much more purposeful. The nonadjustable carbon-fiber-backed seats offered much more support than before, and pull straps to open the door and lack of side pockets were designed to reflect the track focus of the car.

During the run-in period through the Czech Republic, it was difficult to feel much differentiation from the earlier GT3 RS, but then the fun began. The 3.8 was about as tight as anything I have ever driven. The dominant impression was of perfect balance from the hyper-communicative steering and chassis, coupled with the hair-raising sound of the Metzger flat-6, which can run all day at high revs.

At 180 mph on the Dresden-Berlin autobahn, the revised aerodynamics were striking. Where the earlier car felt light and nervous at the same speed, the Gen 2 car was utterly composed with the much greater downforce being immediately evident.

Ronan McGrath
Driving the Porsche GT3 RS 3.8 on the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

No Porsche factory delivery would be complete without a week at the Nordschleife. Endless words have been written about it, but it remains for me the definitive track experience, thrilling, terrifying, frustrating and utterly addictive. Some 600 kilometers of the ‘Ring later, the GT3 RS 3.8 had proven to be a much easier car to push hard than its predecessor was, more predictable in the corners and more composed.

The extra power was less important than the greatly improved handling, the ability to brake later, attack the corners more aggressively and the higher margin of safety. The 3.8 features standard--but fully defeatable--stability control, but which only engages in extreme circumstances. Most laps were completed with the stability control engaged as a result. The new seats offered superb lateral support on the track.

A day of heavy rain revealed the greatest weakness of the GT3 RS: The Michelin Cup tires were superb in the dry, but on a very wet evening, I managed four laps that were about the most stomach-churning I've ever experienced. The track had a lot of standing water in the gathering darkness, and the car skittered though the pools with as much grip as I'd have expected on black ice. When a Carrera GT spun off into the Armco barrier in front of me, I called it a day.

When my GT3 RS finally made it to America, I was curious to see how it would perform in the real world. Sometimes, the design compromises that make a great track car result in a nervous and raw driving experience unsuitable for regular road use. The much lower speed limits here mean that performance driving is limited to tracks.

Ronan McGrath
Inside the Porsche GT3 RS 3.8.

After a year of mixed driving, the Porsche GT3 RS has proven to be a perfectly practical road car and no more difficult to drive on public streets than a Toyota Camry. The front lifts work perfectly, and there has been no damage to the splitter as a result.

There are a few negatives: Compared to a normal road car, the GT3 RS has an exceptionally heavy clutch, which, although progressive and smooth to engage, is a left-leg workout. The deep buckets do not meet with universal enthusiasm due to the lack of adjustability and the difficulty on exit. The suspension transmits every change in road surface, and the tiny front trunk gets extremely hot in a short period and is impractical for laptops or cameras as a result.

Issues have been few. The end plate on the rear wing had been over-torqued in production and was replaced under warranty, as was a slider on the A/C vent. A recall to replace all hubs on center lock wheels due to danger of loosening was remediated in a couple of hours by the dealer. The Michelin PS Cups will soon be replaced, which is normal, given their softness.

Fortunately, the Alcantara and leather interior has worn much better than expected, and even the edges of the seats are unmarked. The invisible 3M clear plastic on the hood has prevented any stone chips.

The Porsche GT3 RS 3.8 is one of the most visceral cars I've ever experienced; in another way, it leaves a feeling of sadness. After all, the 4.0 will be the ultimate 997, but when the last one is built, with it will go the magnificent, screaming Metzger engine, hydraulic steering, the simple interior, the stick-shift-only RS, the handbrake and the short wheelbase.

Of course, the new car will be more practical, with better rear seating, an interior inspired by the Panamera, electric steering and much more. Porsche knows its marketplace, and it will doubtless be a success. As usual, the new 911 will improve in every way.

Yet out at the edge where the RS lives, it's not yet clear whether the mechanical, analog experience will be repeated. The day of the stick shift as the dominant transmission is already gone--long gone in the AMGs, fading fast at BMW and a rarity at Ferrari. The high-revving engine follows BMW's unique M powerplants to extinction. When the last car is built, I can't help but think we will have lost something that may not be repeated again.

Ronan McGrath is an AutoWeek contributor.