January 26, 2011
(Grand-Am)
Jorg Bergmeister (No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche/Riley) set a Daytona Prototype track qualifying record lap of 1:40.099 (128.033 mph) to capture the pole for Saturday's 49th Rolex 24 At Daytona. "I was ready to come in, and the team told me to try again," Bergmeister said, who will co-drive with Patrick Long, Seth Neiman and Johannes van Overbeek. "I went for it. I risked everything, and it worked out perfectly. I knew we have a great car and a great engine, but I was really surprised to win the pole - with the team running the DP for the first time. I was hoping to qualify in the top five." Max Angelelli qualified second at 1:40.133 (127.990 mph) in the No. 10 SunTrust Chevrolet/Riley. Final Rolex Series practice is set for Friday morning at 9 a.m. - noon (ET), followed by the GRAND-AM 200 for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at 1:30 p.m. The 24 Hour race starts at 3:30 p.m. (ET) Saturday. SPEED will provide seven hours of live coverage beginning at 3 p.m., and resuming with seven hours on Sunday beginning at 9 a.m.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Check out TRG's 2011 Rolex 24 Preview video here as the team prepares for the season's opening endurance race at Daytona International Speedway. - PMD.
(Ford)
Ford's all-new Fiesta RS World Rally Car will make its debut in Finland's Arctic Lapland Rally next week. Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila will drive a leg each in the two-day snow and ice rally based in Rovaniemi, as the final part of the squad's pre-season testing schedule. The Arctic Rally will conclude the Fiesta RS WRC's comprehensive test and development program ahead of its FIA World Rally Championship debut at Rally Sweden (February 10 - 13) next month.
Road America, SCCA. Road America has just signed a two-year extension of the original three-year agreement with the SCCA to keep the Runoffs at "America's National Park of Speed" through 2013, ensuring that the premier event for amateur road racers will remain at America's most picturesque circuit through the event's historic 50th running. “Feedback from competitors and our members indicated that we should extend our relationship with Road America, but the reality is, assuring that the 50th Runoffs is at a track with an equal amount of history and significance is a natural fit,” SCCA President & CEO Jeff Dahnert said. “The 2013 event will be a historic milestone for both the Runoffs and Road America, and we’re looking forward to sharing it, and the next three Runoffs, with them.” More than 600 competitors participated in 28 classes at the 2010 Runoffs, which included four days of qualifying and three days of races. In addition, over 500 volunteer workers operate the week-long event, making the Runoffs the center of the road racing world during that period. “We've seen some of our season's finest, most competitive racing action during the Runoffs,” George Bruggenthies, Road America President, said. “The extension through 2013, including the 50th anniversary, is a great compliment to our organization. We will work closely with the SCCA to plan a celebration which befits the incredible spirit and passion behind SCCA club racing.”
Corvette Racing has added two new drivers to its lineup for the 2011 American Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans (pending official invitation). Tommy Milner will join Olivier Beretta in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R for the full season, with Antonio Garcia continuing as third driver at Sebring, Le Mans, and Petit Le Mans. Richard Westbrook will be teamed with Jan Magnussen and Oliver Gavin in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R in the three long-distance events. Milner, 24, of Lake Mary, Fla., is a second-generation racer who has competed in formula and sports car series with distinction. Milner has driven for factory-affiliated teams representing Panoz, Porsche, and BMW, and has competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He finished third in the ALMS GT standings in 2010. Westbrook, 35, of London, England, won the FIA GT2 championship in 2009, and scored podium finishes in 24-hour races at Le Mans (third in GT2) and Daytona (third overall) in 2010. A two-time Porsche Supercup champion, Westbrook delivered a win in the ALMS GT2 class at Road America in 2008. He has competed in the Spa and Nurburgring endurance races, selected ALMS and Grand Am events in the U.S., and the FIA GT1 championship.
A special-edition Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible will serve as the official pace car of the 2011 Indianapolis 500.
Indy 500 fans. Indianapolis 500 fans worldwide have debated for decades about which drivers are the greatest in the race's glorious history, now you can weigh-in for real on the subject. "The Greatest 33" fan interaction platform will give fans around the globe the opportunity to pick their dream all-time starting lineup of 33 drivers for the Indianapolis 500 online at thegreatest33.com from mid-March until early May. The top 33 drivers, based on fan input, will be announced in early May as "The Greatest 33." Fans are encouraged to visit thegreatest33.com now to register for early admission to the site before driver selection opens officially in mid-March. The site currently provides a video glimpse of some of the most historic highlights in Indianapolis 500 history.
Pirelli and Ken Block have teamed up with video game company Codemasters® to bring the pavement pounding thrills of Gymkhana to the small screen in the new driving game DiRT 3™. The introduction of Gymkhana Mode to the upcoming DiRT 3 video game brings the sport popularized by Ken Block to gamers who can now mimic KB’s Gymkhana driving style in addition to the traditional rally racing format that the previous installments included. For the new game, Block was able to lend his expertise to the Codemasters Racing Studio as a technical consultant during the development of the game, helping create an experience that embraces the free spirit of Block’s Gymkhana driving style. "I can remember being in Japan in the 1990’s when the first rally arcade game was introduced, playing it and thinking how cool it was that there was finally a game out for my favorite type of racing,” said Block. “Now, I’m actually in the epitome of rally racing video games. It’s awesome. The thing that makes DiRT 3’s Gymkhana Mode so revolutionary is that it’s the first time where a game isn’t demanding I drive a specific way, it lets me hoon around the way I want. It’s something I’ve always wanted to be able to do in a video game.” DiRT 3 is the first driving simulator that doesn’t put an emphasis on everyone driving the same, repetitive lines over and over again. Instead, the focus is on how well one can imitate Mr. Gymkhana himself as each player navigates his/her way through Gymkhana Mode’s DC Compound, sliding, jumping and rotating to satisfaction in Block’s own Gymkhana THREE Ford Fiesta fitted with Pirelli P Zero Trofeo tires. Users will have access to a selection of other vehicles with which to gymkhana, along with the ability to play in split-screen mode or online against friends in either a trick-format freestyle mode, or an open joyride mode. There will also be levels that feature competition events similar to Block’s own Gymkhana Grid competitions and an ability for players to create their own in-game footage highlight reels, similar to the Dirt3 Gymkhana Mode trailer released by Codemasters at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRtCQ2yPLWo .
(Jeff Tan)Augie Pabst, center, receiving the 2010 Bob Akin Award at the RRDC dinner in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Jan. 26, from Bobby Akin, left, and Bobby Rahal. Pabst, described as "one of the fastest, most charismatic and popular drivers in his day" by the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America - to which he'll be inducted later this year - was named the recipient of the 2010 Bob Akin Award by the Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC). The award was presented at a dinner prior to the running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the season opener of the 2011 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Each recipient of this honor, considered the top award in motorsports for amateur, vintage/historic or semi-professional drivers, is selected by Akin's son Bobby, RRDC members Brian Redman and Archie Urciuoli, and approved by RRDC president Bobby Rahal. The distinctive trophy was conceived by the RRDC to honor the memory of long-time RRDC member and past president Bob Akin, who lost his life in a racing accident in 2002. The trophy was designed by Steuben Glass in Corning, N.Y., and is given to a driver who best exemplifies the extraordinary qualities and characteristics that Akin represented, including a passion for motorsports and automobiles, a high level of sportsmanship and fair play, and who has contributed to the sport of motor racing. A scion of the family that founded Pabst Brewing Company in 1844, whose early racing career spanned a 10-year period (1956-66), Pabst won the 1959 USAC Road Racing Championship and the SCCA B-Modified Championship in 1960. He and his wife Joan reside in Oconomowoc, Wis., and he considers historic Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., his home track.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: If you really must keep up on all of the latest F1 developments and the potential U.S. GP in Austin, Texas, go here. - PMD
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Check out Michelin's racing website - "Michelin Alley" - and get in on all of the behind-the-scenes buzz. Go here. - PMD
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