THE LINE - FEBRUARY 6, 2013

(McLaren Automotive)
The McLaren P made a brief appearance at the McLaren Technology Center, driven by 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button. The reveal was part of the launch event for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 2013 Formula 1 car, the MP4-28. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez arrived at the event in a 12C Spider finished in heritage McLaren Orange, while his teammate followed closely behind in a camouflaged XP prototype version of the McLaren P1. These two models joined a spectacular grid of racing cars showcasing the brand’s history, kicking off a year of 50th anniversary celebrations. Other cars present: A 1970s era M8D CanAm sportscar, Emerson Fittipaldi’s iconic 1974 M23, Ayrton Senna’s dominant 1988 MP4/4, the 1995 Le Mans-winning F1 GTR, Mika Hakkinen’s MP4-13 car from 1998, and the most recent championship winning car to wear the McLaren badge, the MP4-23 from 2008.

(McLaren Automotive)
McLaren Automotive has released more about the development of the McLaren P1. You can watch the video of the P1 undergoing testing here. You can also watch "McLaren 50 – Courage" here. It is the first of three specially commissioned short films depicting the McLaren brand in a way never seen before as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations. Instead of focusing on the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team or the new Automotive division, part one of the 50th anniversary trilogy sheds light on Bruce McLaren, who founded his racing team five decades ago. Directed by Marcus Söderlund, a leading music-video maker from Sweden, the short film follows the ghost of Bruce McLaren as he retraces the scene of his crash at the Goodwood circuit in 1970 – the crash that took his life at the tragically young age of 32. Shot in Söderlund’s trademark, dreamlike state, it is accompanied by a spine-tingling Bruce McLaren monologue, ending poignantly with the words: “…What might be seen as a tragic end was in fact a beginning. As I always said, to do something well is so worthwhile that to die trying to do it better cannot be foolhardy. Indeed, life is not measured in years alone but in achievement...”

(Ferrari)
Scuderia Ferrari unveiled its latest single-seater Formula One car yesterday in Ferrari’s home town of Maranello, Italy. The new car - the Ferrari F138 - will be driven by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa during the 2013 Formula One season. Ugly as all get-out - and no different in that regard than the rest of the current class of F1 cars - the F138 is the 59th car built by Ferrari specifically to take part in the Formula One World Championship. in case you're wondering, the name comes from a combination of the current year and the number of cylinders, to mark the fact that this is the eighth and final year of competition for the V8 engine configuration.

(Ferrari)

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Gordon Kirby's lengthy interview last week with Scott Pruett was revealing. Pruett's view of the racing world is heavily influenced by his repeated ingestion of the France family/NASCAR Kool-Aid, but he made some realistic points nonetheless. This week, Kirby, gets at the other side of the story in an interview with Chris Dyson of Dyson Racing. Chris had this to say: "I think we've just got to get over the petty arguments and the tribal warfare that's going on some places. It's time to drop that and act like grownups and really let the market decide. Write the rules and let the market decide what the best outcome will be. If you do that, you certainly can't be afraid of the outcome." Smart man. Read the rest of Kirby's interview here. As I said last week, anyone who thinks that just throwing the "switch" on the unified 2014 season (and the ALMS/Grand-Am mash-up) will bring instant results is sadly mistaken. It's going to take work, time and a heavy participatory presence by the auto manufacturers to make it all work. - PMD

(Images courtesy of Ford Racing)
Ford Racing will introduce its new OlsbergsMSE-built Fiesta ST Global RallyCross Championship (GRC) race car - based off the new Ford Fiesta ST production car - at the Chicago Auto Show. The new car will be on display Thursday and Friday only. Ford Racing and OlsbergsMSE have signed a multiyear manufacturer partnership to build on their back-to-back Global RallyCross Championships and multiple X Games medals. Ford is also the sole automotive sponsor for the 2013 summer X Games with RallyCross events at all four global events. The OlsbergsMSE Fiesta ST GRC cars will be driven by Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan. Ford driver and 2012 X Games silver medalist Ken Block will also compete in the 2013 Global RallyCross Championship and will introduce his new Fiesta ST GRC car later this year. The production Ford Fiesta ST, which goes on sale this summer, is available exclusively as a five-door hatchback in North America. Equipped with a new high-output variant of Ford's 1.6-liter EcoBoost® four-cylinder engine, the Fiesta ST will have an estimated 197 horsepower, 214 lb.-ft. of torque and is equipped with a six-speed manual transmission. Fiesta ST is projected to achieve up to 34 mpg. Other tweaks for the Fiesta ST include a unique grille, chin spoiler, rear diffuser, fascia extensions, bright tipped dual-exhaust pipes, a high-mounted spoiler and unique 17-inch wheels.

(Digital art by Neillsen Hines)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: AE reader and graphic designer Neillsen Hines loved my suggestion that the Corvette should be a separate brand within GM, so much that he has envisioned a Corvette Racing LMP1 car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Here, in his own words, are his thoughts behind the illustration: "I loved your column on how Corvette should be its own separate brand. I've been thinking the same thing for years... I know you said there was no chance that they will do it, but I came to the conclusion it is quite possible. If GM develops a Le Mans Prototype Corvette racer that is successful and I mean successful in that it wins the LMP class, it would send the message that Corvette is at the pinnacle of performance technology. It worked for Audi and it definitely can work for GM. I've done some rendering of what a Corvette LMP1 Racer can possibly look like." Thanks to Neillsen for his imaginative take. - PMD

(ALMS)
Aston Martin Racing has announced that they will race in the 61st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on Saturday, March 16. Darren Turner and Stefan Mucke will team with AMR newcomer Bruno Senna in a 2013-spec Aston Martin Vantage GTE for the opening round of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón. Along with Sebring, the Aston Martin factory program will compete in the full FIA World Endurance Championship – including the September round at Circuit of The Americas as part of a shared weekend with ALMS – and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race will air live starting at 10:30 a.m. ET on SPEED, and ticket information is available through ALMS.com.

(Alex Job Racing)
West Racing and Alex Job Racing are joining forces to compete for the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón’s GT championship in 2013. The team – Team West/AJR/Boardwalk Ferrari – will make its debut at the season-opening 61st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida. Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell will pilot the Yokohama-backed No. 23 Team Ferrari 458 GT in the North American-based ALMS. Their first start in the new car will come a year after they won the GT Challenge class at Sebring.