Axis CG is running the season finale of IMSA GT3 Challenge at Road Atlanta
AC and Stee are at Watkins Glen at the NASA Time Trials
Fearless Freep, Pete and Justin also at the Glen in Spec E30
and if there is an autocross somewhere, Adil will be out in the GT3!
Full house, See you next week!
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One of BMW's fast Dirks shows you how's it done with the RLR M3 GT during practice for the 2011 Petit Le Mans.
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Paying for an error on qualifying which relegated him to eleventh on the grid, Carlos Gomez managed to drive the Axis of Oversteer/ Capital Partners Porsche GT3 Cup to P9 after an eventful race 14 of the IMSA GT3 Challenge championship at Road Atlanta.
Tomorrow is the Last race of the season, with the green flag dropping at 11:30 AM. If you are at RA don't forget out photo contest for a chance to win some Axis swag!
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Jetalliance Lotus Evora GT, 2011 Petit Le Mans practice, Road Atlanta by James Boone.
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Watch as CG explores innovative ways to enter pit lane in stylish and unforgettable fashion today at Road Atlanta, during IMSA GT3 Challenge practice.
Turn 12 at Road Atlanta, a blind, 120 mph downhill right, is arguable the hardest, scariest turn in all of North America.
Go big or go home!
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All right shooters, here is another chance to win some fabulous Axis of Oversteer goodies a special treat from The Racers Group.
Sent in your best shot of the #75 Axis car ripping at Road Atlanta this week end, you could win an Axis T-shirt, stickers and a full set of signed hero cards from all the TRG drivers in both IMSA GT3 challenge and ALMS!
To enter send your best shots to us HERE . Deadline is a week from today, October 4th, Winners will be announced the following Friday.
Happy Hunting!
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Anything can happen on the Nordschleife, check out the adventures of these Italian racers in a SEAT Leon Supercopa during a recent VLN practice session after the jump...
Clips below look all the same but I've broken up the start times: After you see what's described, just move on to the next clip.
Let's see...
First you have to dodge spinners...
... of course, you have to mind marshals and recovery trucks...
Then, this being the 'Ring, it starts to rain on the far side of the track from the pits...and you are, naturally, on slicks....
Then it starts to rain inside the car. Of course the sprinkle turns into a downpour just a mile further on and you lose all steering.
Then the window totally fogs up and you can't see a thing...
Lucky for you, your passenger has a stroke of genius!
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Big boys are out testing ahead of this coming week end ALMS Petit Le Mans 1000 mile ( or 10 hours) race at Road Atlanta. IMSA GT3 Challenge will be there as well and CG will be out for the final time this season in the Axis of Oversteer/Capital Partners GT3. We will be having a photo competition again, so make sure you catch him in action!
(photos: James Kirkham/TRG)
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Sebastian Vettel controlled and dominated the week end once again. He is 9 for 14 this season, enough said.
Three points about the 2011 Singapore GP
Safety car:
Brilliant people work in Formula 1, nobody can figure out how to sort out the safety car rules properly? Lapped cars should go around. And Formula1 drivers can't figure out you should stick close to the safety car?
The restart in Singapore was a joke, with Vettel able to get over a five second lead by the time they crossed the release line! Race control seemed to be allergic to blue flags in Singapore.
Hamilton:
Should he have been given a penalty? Well, by the letter of the rules, he certainly did cause an avoidable accident, there is no question there. Had Massa not gotten a puncture he would not have gotten penalized I would rather he had not been penalized than have to hear all the bellyaching about it.
What about Schumacher, the Ham brigade might protest, Hamilton gets penalized only because he's Hamilton... In Schumacher's case he put himself out and Perez was able to continue.
What's amazing is that Hamilton would make such a rookie mistake, Massa had out braked him into that corner and was fully ahead, Hamilton just turned in too early. He certainly needs to sort his mental game. He should ask Fernando some advice on how to keep cool and get the best out of what he has under him at the moment.
The track:
Looks cool under the lights and I'm sure journalist love to go there but man, Formula 1, concrete barriers and those awful curb chicanes don't mix.
Highlights after the jump
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This will be "the incident" the 2011 Singapore GP will be remembered for. In the end it's racing and frankly neither one of these two is the sharpest pencil in the F1 box at the moment. Hamilton was pretty shameful bitching at his team for the qualifying mistake and then declaring he does not want to be lame like Barrichello (Ok that was kind of funny). You can't do that, not when you are going to have a start like that and then make a mistake like he did with Massa. Note that that is not the first time Massa does something like that, a few years back when he bumped with Alonso they had words after the race, or more precisely Massa went at it, Alonso just smiled and brushed it off. Then again Alonso won that race. Lewis instead threw a hissy fit. Oh well, at least he lucked out with Grandpa Schumi's crash and ended up in the points after all. Drivers of the race: Vettel for being an alien and, again, Jenson Button for being in a state of grace right now. I think that really is what's driving Hamilton off the deep end: he will enter 2012 as a de facto #2 at Mclaren in many people's eyes . --> READ MORE
First off thank you for all the submissions, there were some really great shots sent in but we did have to pick a winner. Well, we tried to pick a winner anyway.
It's interesting, all the finalists were pictures taken on the same corner but I suppose The Corkscrew IS the signature turn a Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca so, it's fitting.
So who won? OK, after the jump if you please some big pictures!
The picture that got the most votes among us was the above one by Danny Sullivan. We loved the wheel up moment, CG leaning into the turn inside the car, the perfect sharpness and the field flattened by the long lens. Fantastic. You can find more of Danny Work on his Flickr page.
At the same time we all loved the dynamic action and drama in Jim Hunter's shot below. CG had just made the pass and is oversteering down the hill. Very cool. You can see more of Jim's work at Flat-12.com
So both Danny and Jim will get and Axis t-shirt in the color of their choice and one large and one small Axis sticker. I'll have to see how to work out the TRG hat, there was only one up for grabs...I'll figure something out.
Now, honorable mention has to go to Kai Wilson for catching CG on his Paris Dakar moment in practice. CG was trying to play it all cool about it but I bet him on the phone someone caught him raking the gravel trap.... there you go! So Kai, please accept an Honorable sticker from the Axis!
We will be running the same contest at Road Atlanta next week end during the Petit LeMans so, get your cameras ready!
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What more to say about our CG, he started P16 and ended the race on the podium in third after a grueling 75 minutes.
He saved his tires early, he dodged the spinners, the strays and made the bold moves when he had to. Fantastic job, we will have to call him Jenson Gomez from now on and, as Diego Mejia suggested, change to Axis of Overtaking!
Next and final rounds at Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta Septemner 28th to October 1st. We will be running a Photo Contest for that race as well, so get your cameras ready!
Here is a video of the race, condensed and annotated. It was shot with a GoPro super wide angle camera and looks great in HD. I promise an entertaining 18 minutes or so.
(Photo: TRG)
Note to iPad users, apparently the youTube captions will not work on a mobile device, sorry.
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Doesn't take much, a little bit of gas too much here, lifting a bit too much there, I guess that's the fun of it, right CG? Nice recovery BTW.
These a snippets from CG's first Porsche GT3 Challenge race at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca. He had a big workout on day one starting and ending in P10. Day 2, in the 75 minute race, was a different story. CG started P16 but ended on the podium in P3. We will have that video as soon as as it's trimmed and edited.
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Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe driven by Tom Kristensen at the 2011 Goodwood Revival, the best historic racing event on the planet.
Photograph by Julien Mahiels.
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(photo by Jason Ozaeta)
TRG's Spencer Pumpelly, Duncan Ende and Peter Ludwig, winners in GT-C class at the Mod Space American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patron six hour at Laguna Seca.
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(Telegraph.co.uk)
I wonder is Stephen Mitchell ever has second thoughts about selling his... In any case, Steven's memories are priceless.
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CG qualified P10 on his first drive ever at Mazda Raceway. His time was 6/10th off of pole which means there will be some incredibly tight racing and much will be down to the cart and not making any mistakes.
CG writes: "Never worked so hard and been so happy with a P10.
What an amazing technical track. Games and simulators do no justice to it."
Don't forget about our Photo contest for a chance to win Axis t-shits and stickers, as well as a TRG team hat. Winners to be announced Friday so send those pictures in! Details HERE.
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No, you are not looking at an early 70's Mclaren Can Am car. The visual cues are all the, open cockpit, batwings, tall boy velocity stacks, big displacement Chevy lump but what you are looking at is a brand new spec racer.
IMSA and ALMS have announced that a new series will be part of selected race week ends, Unlimited Racing Championship (URC) is aiming to give race fans some of the flavor of the classic big displacement racing of that golden age.
The car looks like the classic beasts of the era but is built to modern safety standards along with some "conveniences" such as scalable traction control. The NeuArt Can Am is available for purchase from Southwestern Performance but also as a turnkey arrive and drive package, complete with crew.
The formula chosen, which boils down to cool looks, big motor, manual H pattern box, crappy brakes, aims to put on a good show for the crowd. We look forward to it!
Unlimited Racing Championship 
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Spencer Pumpelly on board the TRG Porsche showing just how you achieve "big speed" at Mazda Raceway/Laguna Seca, placing at the top of the charts during ALMS GT-C practice yesterday.
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...but you might have just been slower.
You hear all the time about e36 BMW with V8 stuffed up front, more rare is an e-36 with a 4 cylinder S14. Even more rare and odd an e36 with an S14 and an e30 semi trailing arm rear suspension.
Our friend Seth Thomas got the chance to drive this rare British Touring Car Championship car at Road Atlanta recently and sent us the video to share. Seth writes:
This past weekend I had the chance to drive an old touring car from Europe. I am not 100% sure on the specific series the car ran in while in Europe but I can tell you this thing was a blast to drive. It was an early 90s E36 BMW 2-door chassis with a 2.5L Gruppe A S14 stuffed under the hood with individual throttle bodies working with a slide type throttle linkage. Along with the wild motor it had a sequential 6-speed transmission with gears so close it kept the car in a 1500 RPM revband the whole time. Coming out of turn 7 at Road Atlanta I was in 5th gear before the bridge and 6th shortly after. Shifting this quick was similar to driving a big rig.
Overall this was a great experience and I am glad Drew Slayton gave me the opportunity. Watch the video below to see our race during the BMWCCA 1.5 Hour enduro. We qualified on the pole with a 1:32.85 on a set of scrubbed Yokohama slicks. We started the race on a set of Nitto NT01s to ensure they would last the whole time and to not waste a good set of slicks for the sprint races the rest of the weekend. Best I could manage on the NT01s was a 1:35.10. We led the first half of the race until some trouble popped up about 35 minutes in. Watch to find out what happened.
Produced by Stereoscreen this documentary follows BMW's attack of the 2011 Twenty Four Hours of the Nürburgring.
It is showing in selected theaters in Europe and will be available on Blu Ray and DVD November 1st so check Amazon!
24hours-der-film and Facebook
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Get your cameras and long lenses out
Poor CG will be all alone on the West Coast this week end. With none of us there to cheer and take pictures of the amazingly cool # 75 Axis of Oversteer Porsche GT3 Cup racing at Laguna Seca in IMSA GT3 Challenge, we thought we would encourage a little tracktard love.
Here's the deal, the best picture of the Axis car at Laguna Seca, as judged by us (no bribes please, unless your bribe has at least 400hp that is) will win:
One Axis GT3 Challenge t-shirt
One large Axis Sticker
and courtesy of our friends at TRG, one black TRG team hat.
Second place will receive a large sticker
Third prize will be a small sticker.
To enter,
send your best shots to the us HERE . Deadline is Thursday, September 22.
Practice
starts tomorrow at 11:30 am pacific and again at 4:30.
Qualifying is Friday at 5:20 PM
Races are Friday at 10:20 AM for 45 minutes and Sunday at 12:45 for and hour and 15 minutes.
Now go get him!
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Pete and the Freep raced their Spec e-30 at Summit Point in August. Here is a chronicle of their week end as told by Pete.
"Last minute" would be the operative word for the Spec E30 race at Summit Point in August.
Freep and I planned on leaving New Jersey early for West Virginia but, of course, it was not to be. Freep had trouble getting down to the Axis secret warehouse due to some very bad thunderstorms. In reality his being late was not the end of the world as Justin and I were still in the process of replacing the transmission in the Axis #343, cracked housing mount. After a very quick gearbox swap, 66 minutes to be exact, we loaded up the cars and headed down into the night and never ending rain.
Morning brought us lots of sunshine and dry track conditions. Some triple checks on the cars and it was off to practice. Freep in # 232, ran only a few laps to shake down the car, I on the other hand used every second of available track time. In the middle of the previous race at Pocono, #343 had ABS issues and during practice at Summit it became clear the fix had not worked.
Qualifying was uneventful in a good way, I was only a few tents off the leader. i would start the race in P4 with the Freep in P5.
Rather than the usual roll and go, NASA decided on a traditional standing start, WOW we were excited: Australian V8 super car style with 500 less HP! Continues, with videos, after the jump
The green flag dropped and the action was on. Freep and I got off to a great start, the first few laps were exciting.
The lack of ABS was hurting me, I could not slow down as well as other Spec E-30s and in Turn 5, Robert Grace in the orange car, hip checked me pretty hard. The incident left Grace's car blowing smoke all around the track. At first though was tire rub due to contact, but soon after my windshield was filled up with oil. My car was feeling very different than in qualifying and for the rest of the race I battled with the Freep. After Grace had thoroughly filled the track with oil and smoke he finally pulled off about halfway through the race, handing me the last podium step and P4 to the Freep.
On Sunday I had to figure out what changed with the car. A quick check on the alignment jig and found both left side wheels not pointing in the proper direction. Damaged alignment corrected, it was time to qualify.
Sundays times were almost a second quicker for everyone, the track was in great shape. I would start the race in P4 again, with the Freep in P6. We all set up and ready to go.
But then, a rain shower came about 45 minutes before the race. Minutes before the race and conditions changing by the second. After extensive conversation, Freep and i decided full wets were the way to go. Rolling to the grid it wasn't clear we made the right decision but everyone else was on the same tire. A rolling start for Sunday was called because of conditions.
After a very limited visibility run down to turn 1, it was time to test braking without abs for the first time. I guess i was so excited about actually having made it into turn 1 that I quickly ran out of talent on the exit. Too much gas for too little grip and I lost three spots in three turns.
I gave an encore exiting turn 9 and ended up in the middle of the track yet somehow, didn't get hit.
(on board with the Freep)
Next lap a full course caution came out and we ran around with the pace car for a long time. by then, I could hardly see Freep, i think he was in P3 and i was P13. During the yellow flag the rain stopped but the track was still very wet.
After the caution it was looking like a 2 lap shootout. Freep lost a position then got it back before the end of the race to finish P3. I guess the long caution period helped me remember how to race in the rain again. I managed to pick up 7 spots in 2 laps to finish P6. At the finish line i had P5 to my right and P4 about 3 inches ahead.
Overall i think the Freep and I were happy with our week end results. Without mistakes and mechanical problems, i think we would have been fighting for the top spot each day. Competition is so tough in this series and i think the equipment has gotten better year by the year. Winter will definitely be the time to build some motors that can compete with the Mid Atlantic motor supplier. This years focus has been on setup, which has kept us up in the top of the pack.
(photos by Aldo Pinotti)
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James Bond like music, fantastic sound, great locations... what more do you want?.
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If Thor had to take the kids to soccer practice... Do me a favor, turn it up all the way, now.
Leave the SLS for Mrs Thor, it sounds wimpy compared to the C63 AMG Medical Car.
Photo: AndreaLoro.com
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It was an exciting race...for three laps, then it became an interesting race to fill the rest of the podium.
It would have been an even shorter race for first had Alonso not managed to shoot around everyone, driving his Ferrari on the grass from fourth place on the grid to first at the end of the straight. The tifosi's roar could be heard over the field of 24 screaming Formula 1 cars.
Liuzzi tried the same move, over precisely the same patch of grass and quickly ran out of talent and taking out Rosberg and Petrov and giving herr Maylander a few laps in the big SLS safety car.
That mess just delayed the inevitable for one lap. On lap three, Vettel put in a spectacular move on Alonso and from then on, he was gone. Pole, win and fast lap, complete domination.
Two lingering questions have been answered this week end: of course Vettel can race and yes Schumacher still has a place in Formula 1. Vettel's pass on the Ferrari at 200 mph with two wheels in the dirt has to be one of the moves of the year and the fight between "Grandpa" Michael and Hamilton was just great fun to watch.
Well, probably not if you are a big Hamilton fan as Lewis was the big loser today (along with Mark Webber).
Lewis has to be seething, he could not not get free of Schumacher despite the Mclaren being clearly the second best car in the field. After Spa Lewis made such a big deal about passing Alonso on the outside, he must have freaked when Schumacher re- passed him on the outside on the Curva Grande. In a post race interview Lewis certainly smirked enough to make it clear that he was saying one thing but thinking another when asked about the Schumacher duel. Probably a good thing, looking at the onboards, Schumi's supposed weaving does not look as extreme and the fact remains that Jenson Button was able to dispatch the German in less than half a lap.
However you feel about the fight between Hammy and Schumi, It was great to see some sustained hard racing for a change. 
(photo: Steve Etherington/LAT Photographic/ agpc)
Vettel is obviously World Champion, but it's great to see he will not go all Prost on us and be content to cruise for the rest of the season, I'm positive he would not be happy to clinch the championship with anything less than a win.
Another great race by Jenson Button who is really the man at Mclaren right now, fantastic pass on Schumacher , had to laugh when I heard him say he closed his eyes and went for it. Fernando Alonso managed a third which is good for second place in the championship over Button, Webber and Hamilton, not bad considering the Ferrari is certainly the third best car on the grid.
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h20:46.172
2. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 9.590
3. Alonso Ferrari + 16.909
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 17.471
5. Schumacher Mercedes + 32.677
6. Massa Ferrari + 42.993
7. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
8. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
9. Senna Renault + 1 lap
10. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
11. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
12. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
13. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 1 lap
14. Trulli Lotus-Renault + 2 laps
15. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
Fastest lap: Hamilton, 1:26.187
Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 40
Perez Sauber-Ferrari 34
Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 23
Sutil Force India-Mercedes 11
Webber Red Bull-Renault 6
D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 3
Petrov Renault 1
Rosberg Mercedes 1
Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1
World Championship standings, round 13:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. Vettel 284 1. Red Bull-Renault 451
2. Alonso 172 2. McLaren-Mercedes 325
3. Webber 167 3. Ferrari 254
4. Button 167 4. Mercedes 108
5. Hamilton 158 5. Renault 70
6. Massa 82 6. Force India-Mercedes 36
7. Rosberg 56 7. Sauber-Ferrari 35
8. Schumacher 52 8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 29
9. Petrov 34 9. Williams-Cosworth 5
10. Heidfeld 34
11. Kobayashi 27
12. Sutil 24
13. Alguersuari 16
14. Buemi 13
15. Di Resta 12
16. Perez 8
17. Barrichello 4
18. Senna 2
19. Maldonado 1
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Between the two Lesmo corners, in the same place Lewis Hamilton crashed a few years back. Hard to see clearly but I'm guessing he might have tried to squeeze into a space that was not quite there.
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They say Red Bull may have chosen the wrong gear ratios for the race but check out this little number by Sebastian Vettel at Ascari.
Any doubts as to how perfectly set up to Seb's style and how balanced the RB7 is, should be put to rest by the seeming effortless way Vettel pulls this off.
Stunning.Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m22.275s
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m22.725s + 0.450
3. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m22.777s + 0.502
4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m22.841s + 0.566
5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m22.972s + 0.697
6. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m23.188s + 0.913
7. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m23.530s + 1.255
8. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m23.777s + 1.502
9. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m24.477s + 2.202
10. Bruno Senna Renault No time
Q2 cut-off time: 1m24.157s Gap **
11. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m24.163s + 1.249
12. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m24.209s + 1.295
13. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m24.648s + 1.734
14. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m24.726s + 1.812
15. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m24.845s + 1.931
16. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m24.932s + 2.018
17. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m25.065s + 2.151
Q1 cut-off time: 1m25.164s Gap *
18. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m25.334s + 1.358
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m26.647s + 2.671
20. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m27.184s + 3.208
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m27.591s + 3.615
22. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m27.609s + 3.633
23. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1m28.054s + 4.078
24. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m28.231s + 4.255
107% time: 1m29.854s* Gap to quickest in Q1
** Gap to quickest in Q2
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In our personal evolution as drivers and racers, the biggest "quantum leap" in performance came from simply becoming aware.
It's one thing to evaluate your performance by the seat of your pants or even using a stopwatch, it's quite another to be able to figure out exactly why you achieve the results you do and how you can improve
Are you late on the throttle? Are you carrying enough speed through the apex? Are you braking too early? How long is it taking you to go from gas to brake? Answer to all these and many more questions will make you faster butcan only come from a clear understanding of empirical data gathered on track.
Please go read this article on the always excellent Craig Scarborough F1 tech blog. Read it with an eye to the fact that, while data recorders were once exclusive to big budget race teams, these systems are now accessible to many of us.
Pirelli with the FIA imposed a limit on how Formula 1 teams can set up camber on their own cars, this because of the blistering issues especially Red Bull was having in Spa. For Pirelli the concern is from a PR point of view, the public just will a tire fail not a team that risked an extreme setup and ruined perfectly good rubber. Too bad having to limit another risk/reward variable in F1, but of course, like every technical partner, Pirelli is in F1 to show off its know-how, not to have tires fail.
In the clip above, from Motosportblog.it, some highlights from Pirelli great racing history. The company was started in Milan in 1872 by then twenty four year old Giovanni Battista Pirelli and it was involved in racing since the beginning of racing itself with its first win coming in the 1907 Paris to Peking race.
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Ah Monza.... the un-Tilke track. yes there are two super tight chicanes but there are also gravel traps meaning if you make a mistake it will actually cost you. That's a welcome change from the "oh well I will just run wide" racing we see even at Spa now.
Sebastian Buemi learned that and his radio transmission back to the team sounded like a grade school kid confessing something real naughty to his teacher.
Have you noticed how in Italy, all drivers get into the spirit? Even Lewis is talking with his hands!
And speaking of hands, check out at the end of the clip the difference between "Grandpa" Schumacher and Button. Schumi has the lightest hands on the wheel than anyone I can think of but at the same time he is always super busy, always changing brake balance and other settings. Button on the other hand never changes a thing. Interesting.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m24.010s 37
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m24.046s + 0.036 21
3. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m24.347s + 0.337 39
4. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m24.366s + 0.356 33
5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m24.433s + 0.423 31
6. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m24.468s + 0.458 32
7. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m24.508s + 0.498 30
8. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m25.097s + 1.087 39
9. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m25.182s + 1.172 37
10. Bruno Senna Renault 1m25.325s + 1.315 38
11. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m25.450s + 1.440 31
12. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m25.496s + 1.486 39
13. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m25.683s + 1.673 37
14. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m25.758s + 1.748 29
15. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m26.202s + 2.192 36
16. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m26.353s + 2.343 40
17. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m28.347s + 4.337 5
18. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m28.559s + 4.549 32
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m28.605s + 4.595 32
20. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m28.804s + 4.794 25
21. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m29.162s + 5.152 34
22. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m29.184s + 5.174 29
23. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m29.622s + 5.612 34
24. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1m29.841s + 5.831 7All Timing Unofficial
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(photo: Teamspeed.com)
This car is a home run for Ferrari, everyone in LA and Miami will want one. Owners of 458 Italia berlinettas should immediately sell their now totally useless cars to me, cheap! 
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We love helmet cams. Here you are Gunnar Jeannette, driving the CORE Autosport LMPC at Road America.
(Photo ALMS)
Added another video with good audio from a fixed on board, also from Road America, after the jump
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For your voyeuristic pleasure. Thank god the economy in the UK is not going so well, otherwise this fellow would have been really confused...
"I apologize for not really knowing what to film! This is the moment 150+ supercars fired up to leave Gurston House to arrive as part of the supercar convoy at this summer's Wilton House event. As you can see it's a bit of a jam as everything tries to get out of the car park but a sample of the cars present:
2 Bugatti Veyrons
Koenigsegg Agera
Koenigsegg CCR
2 Ferrari 599 GTOs
Ferrari Enzo
Ferrari F40
Ferrari 288 GTO
Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4
2 Jaguar XJ220s
2 McLaren MP4-12C
Porsche Carrera GT
RUF CTR 3
Filmed at the 2011 Wilton House event, organised by JayKayBi. For Wilton House 2012, please see the event page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=195803563815581"
Shmee150
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Argue all you want about the significance of this and if it's a record or not, still damn fast lap for the big Supra! Check out the details from Lexus after the ...jump. 
On August 31st 2011, Lexus undertook a performance check with the Lexus LFA Nürburgring Package, a two-seater supercar, at the Nürburgring (Rhineland-Pfalz, Germany).
Scheduled for production in 2012, the LFA Nürburgring Package has been optimized to deliver higher performance on the track, with a number of modifications made to the standard LFA. The LFA Nürburgring package is included in the limited 500 production run of the LFA.
The Nürburgring package includes a carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) front spoiler and fixed rear wing to enhance aerodynamic performance. The LFA Nürburgring Package also comes with track tuned suspension and custom wheels to improve maneuverability and stability. Compared to the standard LFA’s output of 412 kW (560 PS), the output of the LFA Nürburgring package has been raised to 420 kW (571 PS).
On the Nürburgring Nordschliefe (North Loop), where the LFA was extensively developed, professional race driver and LFA test driver, Akira Iida recorded a lap time of just 7:14.64. The tires used during the performance evaluation were Bridgestone Potenza RE070 tires which are the standard road legal specification for this LFA.
Dr. Schmidt , the COO of the Nürburgring Automotive GmbH stated “For us, it is always very special when a car is developed to meet the needs of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. It shows us that the Nordschleife still is of particular importance for the automotive industry and that it still radiates a tremendous fascination. Lexus met the challenge Nordschleife by developing the Lexus LFA Nürburgring package. The lap time driven demonstrates impressively that Lexus have done an excellent job in matching the challenges of the track with the needs of an exclusive sports car. This is an outstanding result for Lexus and a reassurance of the excellent work done. We are very delighted by this”.
Haruhiko Tanahashi, LFA Chief Engineer stated “Since 2004 in the spring and summer of every year we have conducted development tests for the LFA at Nürburgring Nordschleife. The LFA Nürburgring package is the compilation of our extensive testing programme and we have appreciated the opportunities to utilise the Nürburgring Nordschleife to strengthen and develop the LFA into the vehicle it is today. The development team’s obsession, Iida-san’s concentration and good course conditions all led to achieving this record”.
Commenting on the result Iida-san said “We are delighted with this achievement. Our ongoing development of the LFA and our recent outings at the Nürburgring 24h race have enabled us to continued to tune the vehicle. The result with the LFA Nürburgring package shows the cars ultimate performance and agility. This is a first activity of its type for Lexus and the constant effort of the team has brought this fantastic result”.
The Lexus LFA supercar was first shown at the 41st Tokyo motorshow. The development took place over a period of ten years and was an indispensable step for Lexus, and its future models. The first model of the new generation Lexus, the new GS shows the new direction for the brand in terms of bold, dynamic styling, precise handling and innovative technology. The full hybrid GS 450h will be shown for the first time at Frankfurt motorshow on the 13th September.
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...is sound like a 3 liter V12 or a 5.3 liter V8 for that matter.
In case you are wondering, the car you don't recognize in the bunch is an Iso Rivolta GT, another Giotto Bizzarrini design from the early 1960s.
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Axis stickers, guaranteed to cut your lap times! Get yours HERE
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Ok, that's a first but it elevates Jeroen Bleekemolen to master of awesome status in our books!
Here is the long version uploaded by ALMS
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If the Toyota electric Radical freaked you out you might want to look the other way. If on the other hand you are interested in technological development and how engineers solve challenges they are presented with, you might look past the frankly, goofy looks and read further.
This is a design concept by FondTech, a name F1 fans will be familiar with, founded by auto guru Jean-Claude Migeot and the late Gabriele Rumi of Fondmetal wheels, FondTech has clients from F1 to DTM to LeMans.
FondTech's was founded in 1993 by Migeot who pioneered the likes of the now the de rigueur raised front nose and blown diffuser. Today FondTech, along with its subsidiary Aerolab, employs around 90 staff (mostly engineers and technicians) spread across its three wind tunnels and has become a trusted partner in many fields of aerodynamic development. Its direct influence and innovation can be seen in Formula 1, prototype sportscars and DTM.
The brief here was to design a formula car that would match the performance of current Formula 3s. Luca Gasparini Head of engineering for the project:
"As an engineer it is extremely liberating to work without the usual set of boundaries and principles that often stifle progress in other realms of motorsport. With the E-11 it is the level of a technology outside of our control that has proven most prohibitive so we have had to work hard to overcome a lot of potential pitfalls.Jean Claude-Migeot:
E-11 also includes a number of innovative features, like four wheel-drive, which we believe are essential to extracting the most potential from electric racing cars. Due to the limitations of existing batteries, and in helping restore motorsport's value as the proving ground of tomorrow's road car technology, it was imperative that our imagination was not restricted. I am hopeful the FIA will appreciate this pioneering spirit when framing their own regulations in the coming months.
SO what do you say, repulsed or intrigued?
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The final 997 racers are released to customers, the GT3 is the "midrange" Motorsport offering sitting between the Cup and the RSR.
Finally for Porsche The 997 GT3 R features paddle shifters with "autoblip", racing ABS and traction control bringing it more in line with Ferrari's 458 racers. Price will be Euro 304,500 plus applicable taxes.
2011 models will be able to be upgraded to 2012 spec for a relatively reasonable Euro 43100.
Press kit and more pix after the jump
Press Release 02/09/2011
Porsche 911 GT3 R
Race car for customer sport now with even better driveability
Stuttgart. Amongst racing customers all over the world, the Porsche 911 GT3 R is extremely popular for its forgiving handling and basic speed. And it is exactly in this direction that the improvements for the 2012 model year have been targeted. The engine output has increased by 20 hp to now deliver 500 hp (368 kW). Paddle-shifts on the steering wheel ensure gear changes are even quicker and simpler, making it easier for pilots to concentrate on braking. Moreover, the transmission electronics, featuring an automatic throttle blip control, make it almost impossible to miss a gear and over-rev the engine. A softer anti-roll bar on the front axle reduces understeer.
The power increase of the four-litre, six-cylinder flat engine in the rear was achieved through optimisation of the intake system. The gearing of the sequential six-speed dog-type gearbox was adapted to the higher maximum output. In order to bring the power to the tarmac safely and to assist race drivers, the 911 GT3 R has featured a sophisticated ex-works traction control since the 2010 model year. An efficient race-ABS assists braking.
The new Porsche 911 GT3 R will be delivered to teams around the world from November 2011. The vehicle costs 304,500 Euro plus the value added tax of respective countries. The Porsche 911 GT3 R from the 2010 and 2011 model years can be upgraded to the 2012-spec. An upgrade kit is available from Porsche Motorsport for 43,100 Euro.
The 911 GT3 R represents the mid-range of Porsche’s customer racing vehicles. The 911 GT3 Cup, as the top-selling race car in the world, serves as the basis. Ranking above the 911 GT3 R is the 911 GT3 RSR, built for GT2 racing, which competes in series like the American Le Mans Series, the Le Mans Series and at the Le Mans 24 hour race.
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Mclaren MP4-12C: Supercar in a Gray Flannel Suit
Gumpert Apollo Track Test
Part I: Pilgrimage
Part II: Vomit Comet and other stories
Part III: TerroristenFahrten
