THE LINE

December 5, 2012

(Michael L. Levitt - INDYCAR/LAT Photo USA 2012)
Ryan Hunter-Reay and Michael Andretti with their Astor Cups at the 2012 IndyCar Championship Celebration at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on December 6th.

(Michael L. Levitt - INDYCAR/LAT Photo USA 2012)
Michael Andretti receiving congratulations from Roger Penske and Tim Cindric at the 2012 IndyCar Championship Celebration.

 

Autosport Magazine has awarded the DeltaWing racer its Pioneering and Innovation Award at the prestigious Autosport Awards in London Sunday night, December 2.   Concept originator Ben Bowlby (above, right) was presented with the prize by the car’s chief development driver Marino Franchitti at the black-tie event at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. As racing enthusiasts know by now, the unique Nissan DeltaWing features the performance of contemporary Le Mans sportscars but consumes only half their fuel and tires, using half of their power, aerodynamic drag and weight. The machine has gathered a collection of accolades in recent weeks including the Evo Magazine (UK) Innovation Award; Automobile Magazine’s Racing Car of the Year and a Popular Science “Best of What’s New” Award. Bowlby recently received the Royal Automobile Club’s Simms Medal and scored the Dino Toso Award for the racecar aerodynamicist of the year by Race Tech magazine. The car was also nominated as a contender for the Autosport Awards Racing Car of the Year.
 
After the recent Petit Le Mans success, the American Le Mans Series announced that the car would be eligible to compete as a classified entry in next year’s championship. “We’re very honored to receive this award and incredibly grateful to our partners Nissan and Michelin for their contributions,” said DeltaWing Racing Cars’ Don Panoz said. The car will also be seen at the Michelin display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January next year.

(Chevrolet)
Chevrolet unveiled its 2013 NASCAR Chevrolet SS race car in Las Vegas on November 29th. Chevrolet's newest entry in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series closely resembles the all-new rear wheel drive V-8 Chevrolet SS performance sedan that will debut early next year. The production Chevrolet SS will be a derivative of the global rear-wheel-drive architecture that has spawned performance vehicles like the Chevrolet Camaro and Holden’s upcoming VF Commodore. The limited-production version of the Chevrolet SS will be a 2014 model and will arrive in dealer showrooms in late 2013. It is the first time in 17 years that Chevrolet will offer a rear-wheel-drive sedan for sale in the United States. Chevrolet has long used the SS (Super Sport) designation on high-performance models of some of its most enduring nameplates. The SS designation first appeared in 1957 on a Corvette prototype race car built under the guidance of Zora Arkus-Duntov with the plan to enter it in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The first production vehicle to be offered with an SS optional package was the 1961 Impala – 453 were built with the performance upgrades, which included a modified chassis and suspension, power brakes, a steering column mounted tachometer and unique wheels and tires.  The SS designation returned to the Chevrolet lineup in 2010 with the debut of the fifth-generation Camaro. Chevrolet has 702 victories in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, more than any other manufacturer.  Fonty Flock earned the manufacturer’s first win on March 26, 1955, at Columbia, S.C. Five-time series champion Jimmie Johnson achieved Chevrolet’s 700th victory earlier this month at Texas Motor Speedway.

The 2013 NASCAR Chevrolet SS in Tony Stewart livery.

(Photo by Isaac Brekken for Chevrolet)
General Motors President North America Mark Reuss (left) and GM Vice President Performance Vehicles and Motorsports Jim Campbell unveil the 2013 NASCAR Chevrolet SS race car Thursday, November 29, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

(Grand-Am)
From the Press Release: The Racer’s Group (TRG) and Aston Martin Racing announced today the formation of a partnership to bring a factory-supported, multi-faceted Aston Martin Racing program to North America starting in 2013. The move encompasses the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge as well as plans to launch a single-make support series featuring Aston Martin Vantage GT4 race cars. The new, multi-level partnership – TRG-Aston Martin Racing North America, LLC – commenced with TRG-AMR North America’s acquisition of 10 brand new race cars to compete in several North American sports car series. The Aston Martin Vantage GTE will be unveiled at the American Le Mans Series’ annual Winter Test on Feb. 7-8 in preparation for the March 16 running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida. In the GRAND-AM Rolex Series and Pirelli World Challenge, the Vantage GT3 is in its final homologation stages and will be ready to race for new customers after the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The new Vantage GT4, running in the Continental Tire Challenge, will debut at the January test days and will be ready to race in support of and alongside the highly successful Multimatic team already running in the championship. In addition to managing its own race program and customer programs, TRG-AMR North America also has started the development of a one-make series with the Aston Martin GT4 Vantage. This series will race identically prepared Aston Martin GT4s against one another in a sprint race format at select venues throughout North America beginning as early as the fall of 2013.

(Mazda)
Mazda North American Operations has announced that the racing version of the 2014 Mazda6 will make its motorsports debut at the Rolex 24 endurance race on January 26-27, 2013 in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Mazda6 racer will be powered by a Mazda SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel engine and is being developed for the new GRAND-AM GX class. This will be the first time a diesel-powered vehicle of any type has ever raced at the Rolex 24.  Mazda will be seeking their 24th class win in the American endurance classic, having most recently won in 2008 and 2010. John Doonan, Motorsports Director, Mazda North American Operations noted that: “We have been eager to announce this car for months, but had to wait until the production car was revealed. The SpeedSource engineering team, working with the Mazda engineers, have been flat out for months on engine development.  We’re happy to report that the engine is meeting the performance targets for both power and endurance. That means 400+ hp for over 50 hours, with an engine that includes a very long list of production Mazda parts. This is not a pure race engine; it is a production block SKYACTIV-D. We’re excited about having our newest engine powering our newest car.”

(John Thawley  ~  Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com  ~ 248.227.0110)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Autoextremist readers have enjoyed John Thawley's brilliant photographic work for years, so we're pleased once again to be able to bring you his "Best Of" the past ALMS season, in racing shots, and in "faces at the races" shots. I feel it's a privilege to display John's work, as he brings a level of intensity and creativity to his craft that is extraordinary. John and I crossed paths years ago when we were immersed in different lives, and it has been a distinct pleasure to see him thriving in an entirely different arena. Please enjoy the "Best of ALMS 2012" by John Thawley. - 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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