JUNE 15, 2016

(GPUpdate.net)
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 AMG Petronas Mercedes) held off Sebastian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari) to win the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. Valtteri Bottas (No. 77 Williams Martini Racing Mercedes) finished third. Vettel made a superb start to take the lead going into Turn 1 but made two pit stops to Hamilton's one, which was the difference. There was the usual breathless hand-wringing and whining when Hamilton and his teammate Nico Rosberg (No. 44 AMG Petronas Mercedes) came together in the first turn on the first lap, but we view it as just one of them racin' deals. Rosberg finished fifth. It was Hamilton's fifth victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and he is now just nine points behind Rosberg in the F1 Championship standings.

(Photo: Aaron Doster, USA TODAY Sports)
Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion) won the FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. Logano was the Coors Light Pole Award winner and dominated the race, leading 138 of 200 laps at the 2-mile superspeedway in Michigan's Irish Hills. "Everyone did a great job of understanding what this package was going to do," Logano said in Victory Lane. "They put together a great race car for me. It was a lot of fun racing with Chase there at the end... Perfect execution. We've been knocking on the door for a win here all season. We got that All-Star win, but it's nice to get that win and lock ourselves into the Chase." It was Logano's first win of the season and fifteenth of his career. It was also the 50th Sprint Cup victory for Team Penske since switching to Ford after the 2012 season and the 100th premier-series victory for Roush Yates Engines. Chase Elliott (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet SS) was second and Kyle Larson (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Target Chevrolet SS) was third. Significant fact? The top three finishers made up the youngest average age for a podium in Sprint Cup Series history - 23.0. Logano is 26, Elliott 20 and Larson 23. The previous youngest average age for a top three was 24.7 (three times, dating back to 1951 at Charlotte Speedway), according to NASCAR. Get more info here.

(Ford)
Norway’s Andreas Bakkerud (No. 13 Hoonigan Racing Division Ford Focus RS RX) won last weekend’s NAF World RX of Norway becoming the first driver in FIA World Rallycross Championship history to win all four qualifying sessions plus the semi-final and final. Sweden’s Timmy Hansen (No. 21 Peugeot Hansen Peugeot 208 WRX) finished second, while Mattias Ekstrom (No. 5 EKS Audi S1 RX Quattro) took the third podium spot. Ekstrom continues to lead the overall driver standings after five rounds, five points clear of Petter Solberg who is second. “To win my home round on our home track is the best feeling in the world – I’m living the dream,” grinned 24-year-old Bakkerud. “The team has been working really hard for this and now we have the pace with the Focus, all the hard work has paid off." Watch a video here.

(Hyundai/newspress)
Thierry Neuville (No. 4 Hyundai Motorsport i20 WRC) won the WRC Rally Italia Sardegna over the weekend, the Korean manufacturer's second victory of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship season. Neuville finished 24.8 seconds ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala (No. 2 Volkswagen Motorsport Polo R WRC).

(Photo by Richard Prince courtesy of GM/Corvette Racing)
This year marks the 17^th consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans for Corvette Racing, which enters the GTE Pro class with two Pratt & Miller-prepared Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs. Last year, Corvette Racing won the most prestigious endurance road race in the world for the eighth time. Corvette Racing machines have won five straight times in international road racing's most important races – the Rolex 24 At Daytona (2015, 2016), Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring (2015, 2016) and 24 Hours of Le Mans (2015). No sports car team in any class has accomplished that feat. Equally impressive, Corvette Racing has 21 victories - all-time - in the world's most significant endurance races. For this year's race, Antonio Garcia set the fastest time in class during Test Day in the No. 63 Corvette C7.R. The No. 64 Corvette was fourth-quickest with Oliver Gavin at the wheel. (Editor-In-Chief's Note: Corvette Racing was "rewarded" for being the class of the GTE Pro field on the official Test Day with another "Balance of Performance" adjustment - a .3mm reduction in the engine air restrictor and a smaller refueling restrictor. And the Ford GTs? They were given another 5kg weight reduction. More Bush League Bullshit from the brainiacs in the ACO and the FIA. -PMD). Corvette Racing has 99 victories in program history heading to Le Mans. Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Ricky Taylor (No. 63 Konica Minolta/Mobil 1/Sirius XM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R) will drive one team car, while Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Jordan Taylor (No. 64 Konica Minolta/Mobil 1/Sirius XM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R) will wheel the other. Michelin has prepared three tires for GTE PRO competitors going into this weekend's race; one compound is specifically designed for the mid-engined Ferrari and Ford machines, one for Corvette, and one for Porsche. “Our Test Day experience demonstrated the proficiency of our engineering staff, the dedication of our powertrain guys and the implementation capabilities of our our crew," Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing Program Manager commented. "Now they are all facing a new challenge as we excitedly approach two days of qualifying. There is a reason we have won here eight times: we operate as a unified team that focuses on winning regardless of the odds. This has the potential to be the hardest-fought GT race in Le Mans history and we at Corvette Racing, along with all our fans, can't wait for that green flag to drop!” Practice and qualifying takes place Wednesday and Thursday, including mandatory night running. Here's the weekend television schedule for the race:

• 8:30 a.m. -2:00 p.m., Saturday  (FOX Sports 1)
• 2:00-4:30 p.m., Saturday (FOX Sports 2)
• 6-6:30 p.m., Saturday (FOX Sports 2)
• 7-7:30 p.m., Saturday (FOX Sports 2)
• 10:30 p.m., Saturday-2:30 a.m., Sunday (FOX Sports 2)
• 2:30-9:30 a.m., Sunday (FOX Sports 1)

In addition, the full race will be streamed on FOX Sports GO.

(Audi)
Nick Mason, the drummer of Pink Floyd and noted car enthusiast and vintage racer, will be driving a reconstructed Auto Union Type C from 1936 at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in Westhampnett, southern England. Mason will be taking the wheel for Audi Tradition for the ninth time at Goodwood. The Auto Union Type C was the most successful model of the Auto Union Silver Arrows before the Second World War. In 1936, the 560HP sixteen-cylinder developed by Ferdinand Porsche won the European Grand Prix Championship with the legendary Bernd Rosemeyer behind the wheel. Ever since then, the Type C has been inseparably associated with Rosemeyer, who was almost unbeatable in that racing season eighty years ago. Audi will also have five-time Le Mans champion Frank Biela behind the wheel of an Audi V8 quattro DTM. Twenty-five years ago, Biela from Neuss in Germany, won the German Touring Car Masters title in this model. More than 200,000 spectators are expected to attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed from June 24-26, which is the annual highlight for fans of historic motor sports. Watch two videos of the magnificent Auto Union Type C here and here.

(Ferdi Kräling Motorsport-Bild GmbH/Audi)
In 2006, Audi became the first manufacturer to win the world’s most prestigious endurance race - the 24 Hours of Le Mans - with diesel power. 2016 marks the tenth anniversary of that achievement. With new regulations in place for the 2016 season to further reduce energy consumption, Audi has developed the V6 TDI engine and the highly complex diesel-hybrid powertrain in its R18 LMP1 machine to a new level. The current V6 TDI engine consumes 32.4 percent less fuel than the first generation from 2011. The progress made in comparison to 2006 is even more substantial. Today's Audi R18 with the current powertrain uses 46.4 percent less fuel at Le Mans than it did ten years earlier. In spite of this, it achieves lap times that are ten to fifteen seconds quicker than those of a decade ago. Developments in the areas of aerodynamics, lightweight design and powertrain have also contributed to this notable improvement. The Audi lineup for the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans: Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer, Benoît Tréluyer (No. 7 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18); and Lucas di Grassi, Loïc Duval, Oliver Jarvis (No. 8 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18).

(Nissan)
Nissan-powered teams have been the dominant force in the LMP2 class since its debut in 2011. The 2016 season marks the final year of competition for the VK-spec power plant, with new LMP2 regulations taking effect in 2017. Since making its debut at Sebring International Raceway at the opening round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Challenge, Nissan has won 61 out of 66 races in the ILMC, FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series – a staggering 92-percent win rate. Last season, Nissan swept the FIA WEC championship with G-Drive Racing, the European Le Mans Series with Greaves Motorsport and took its fourth 24 Hours of Le Mans win with KCMG. Nissan power has been so dominant in the FIA WEC, every team entered in the LM P2 class in 2016 has chosen NISMO-power.

(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)
Brad Keselowski chats with Simon Pagenaud and Team Penske President Tim Cindric on pit lane during the open IndyCar test at Road America. Brad Keselowski, the 2012 NASCAR Cup champion, turned his first laps in an Indy car today as part of a multi-team test at Road America, the 4.048-mile natural terrain road course. "America's National Park of Speed" will play host to the KOHLER Grand Prix, the next event on the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule June 24-26. "I've always wanted to drive an Indy car, I think (Penske Racing President) Tim Cindric knew that," Keselowski said. "The opportunity came up to dip my toes in the water and kind of expand my knowledge base and put it in the back of my mind for wherever it goes, I don't know. But it was a heck of an opportunity and I'm glad to have a chance."
(Photo by Brian Simpson/IndyCar)
Brad Keselowski sets up for Turn 5 during the open test at Road America. "It sure was getting in the corners a lot deeper," Keselowski commented. "I think the Indy car just pulls so many G's through the center of the corner and in the brake zone. You have to build confidence in it because the stock car does everything it can to wreck your confidence and in the Indy car it's important to have confidence. So you have to kind of unlearn everything you learned in a stock car to be good in these cars. That's a heck of a process but a fun one. It's certainly a different feel, trying to get acclimated to a different seat and you lean back more. I was kind of sitting in Simon's seat and it doesn't always fit you perfect, so it wears you out pretty quick. But it's a good way to get worn out." Pagenaud ran a few shakedown laps in the car before turning it over to Keselowski. "First thing I told Simon (after the test) is he has a very secure job, at least from me," Keselowski said. "I've got a lot of respect for him and his team, everyone at Team Penske. This (No.) 22 Menards team, they did a great job today and I had a lot of fun going with them. Simon was fast, really fast and gave me a good rabbit to chase. I learned a ton today and had a lot of fun. I've got to let it soak in here to think about all of it. It was a heck of a day here at Road America."
(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)
Alexander Rossi (No. 98 Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Honda Turbo V6) waits in pit lane during the IndyCar open test at Road America. Other drivers who participated were Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Team Penske Menards Chevrolet Turbo V6), Graham Rahal (No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing GEHL Honda Turbo V6), Carlos Munoz (No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda Turbo V6), Marco Andretti (No. 27 Andretti Autosport Snapple Honda Turbo V6), James Hinchcliffe (No. 5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Arrow Electronics Honda Turbo V6), Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 Andretti Autosport DHL Honda Turbo V6), J.R. Hildebrand (in for Josef Newgarden in the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Preferred Freezer Chevrolet Turbo V6), Max Chilton (No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Gallagher Chevrolet), Spencer Pigot (No. 16 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda Turbo V6) and Tony Kanaan (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing NTT Data Chevrolet Turbo V6).

Editor's Note: Ford has just released "The Road to Le Mans" and "The Driver's Perspective" - the fourth and fifth (final) chapters in “The Return,” which is a long-form documentary that follows the development of both the street car and race car versions of the Ford GT from the decision to build the cars to the return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Watch chapter one, "The Decision," here, chapter two, "The Cutting Edge," here and chapter three,   "Let's Race," here. (FYI: The Autoextremist makes a cameo appearance in chapters one, four and five.) -WG