Editor-in-Chief's Note: NASCAR's move to finally resuscitate its moribund qualifying procedures is more than a breath of fresh air, it's damn near a revelation. Qualifying has been such a joke in NASCAR - and for so long too - that this change unexpectedly came out of the blue. To say that it's long overdue is beside the point. They did it and it will change the tone and tenor of NASCAR weekends forever. Is clear thinking and common sense enveloping NASCAR? I wouldn't go that far, but this indeed is welcome news. - PMD
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Check out the launch video for the new McLaren Mercedes MP4-29 here. - PMD
(BMW Group)
Forty-seven-year-old Alessandro Zanardi will be back in the cockpit on a regular basis in 2014, driving for BMW Motorsport. Zanardi will race in the Blancpain GT Sprint Series behind the wheel of a ROAL Motorsport BMW Z4 GT3, which has been specially modified to meet his unique requirements. Zanardi lost both legs in a devastating Indy car crash back in 2001, but overcame his disability to return to motorsport. Zanardi drove for BMW in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), where he stood on the top step of the podium on four occasions. Zanardi won two gold medals on his hand bike at the 2012 Paralympics in London. He also tested a BMW M3 DTM in the same year. Zanardi is now set to contest a full season for BMW for the first time since 2009. “Even after leaving the sport in 2009, I was still a racing driver at heart,” Zanardi said. “When I took to the track in the BMW M3 DTM at the end of 2012, I immediately got itchy fingers again. Ever since that moment I have been toying with the idea of returning to motor racing. Together with BMW we have looked at various options. I am even more pleased that it has worked out with my old friends at ROAL Motorsport. I would like to say a big thank you to BMW for this unique opportunity.” The 2014 Blancpain GT Series season features both endurance and sprint races. Zanardi will drive one of the two ROAL Motorsport BMW Z4 GT3s in six of the seven sprint races, which each last one hour.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Ford Racing will debut its 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 in the TUDOR United SportsCar Series this weekend in the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Watch a video here. - PMD
(Nissan/Muscle Milk Pickett Racing)
Official Nissan Nismo partner team and two-time American Le Mans Series P1 champions Muscle Milk Pickett Racing will lead the charge for the former ALMS contingent at Daytona alongside FIA World Endurance Championship LM P2 title winners Oak Racing. Muscle Milk Pickett Racing will return this year with Klaus Graf and Nissan’s 2011 FIA GT1 World Champion Lucas Luhr as its full-season drivers for the new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship which brings together the American Le Mans Series and the GRAND-AM Rolex Series into a single championship. Young Nissan LM P2 FIA WEC regular Alex Brundle will fill the third seat for the Rolex 24 at Daytona – a race his father Martin Brundle won in 1988.
(GM Racing/Chevrolet)
The all-new Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R makes its debut in the 2.5-hour BMW Performance 200 IMSA Continental Tires SportsCar Challenge race at Daytona International Speedway this Friday, Jan. 24. The race begins at 1:45 p.m. EST, kicking off the 12-race 2014 season. The racing version shares aero, engine and even axle components with the new 2014 Camaro Z/28 production car. Stevenson Motorsports and CKS Autosport will campaign Z/28.R race cars in the GS class in 2014. The Z/28.R is also powered by the same LS7 7.0L V-8 engine as the production Z/28 and employs the unique, helical-gear limited-slip rear differential that is standard on the production model.
Audi is using a combination of LED and laser light at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in its new R18 e-tron quattro racing machines. “We’ve always attached great importance to making our drivers feel safe and comfortable in the cockpit of an Audi race car,” says Chris Reinke, Head of LMP at Audi Sport. “Good night vision is an essential element of this. The matrix beam LED headlights already provided our drivers with a major advantage at Le Mans – combined with laser light, it’ll increase even further. This new technology has great potential for the future.” The R18 e-tron quattro set standards in terms of lighting range and light intensity at Le Mans last year with its matrix LED headlights, consisting of eight LED units per side, according to Audi. The innovative headlights of the new R18 combine the strengths of the matrix LED headlights with those of laser light. “Laser light provides a much more homogenous and precise spread in front of the car,” Reinke continued. “For us, this technology marks a milestone – it’s a reflection of the pioneering spirit of Audi Sport that, yet again, we’re assuming a pioneering role and, together with our colleagues in production development, deploying this new technology at such an early stage in racing. This collaboration is remarkable.”
(Audi Motorsport/newspressUSA)
(Volkswagen Motorsport/newspressUSA)
Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (No. 1 Volkswagen Polo R WRC) won the Rally Monte Carlo, the opening round of the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship. Second place went to privateer Ford driver Bryan Bouffier (No. 11 M-Sport LTD Ford Fiesta RS WRC), who won here in 2011, with Citroën’s Kris Meeke (No. 3 Citroën DS3 WRC) taking third.
(Lister Motor Company Limited/newspress)
The Lister Motor Company has published its 60th Anniversary Lister Jaguar brochure, which fully outlines the specifications for its authentic recreation of the Lister Jaguar ‘Knobbly’ racing car. The new continuation cars will provide an all-new, factory-approved entry into FIA/HTP Appendix K historic racing, without the risk of buying non-factory recognized replica cars, which may prove to be ineligible for FIA completion use. The Lister Motor Company will build the ‘Knobbly’ for road and racing use, which is detailed in the new brochure at prices of £259,000 + tax and £249,000 + tax, respectively. A link to the PDF version of the catalog is available here.
Shelby American will offer 50 limited-edition continuation (CSX7000) Shelby 289 FIA Cobras this year. Each will be painted “Viking Blue” with FIA stripes and roundels, feature a black FIA interior, special billet anniversary badges, original style wheels and a variety of additional options. The 50th Anniversary FIA Shelby Cobra was introduced at the annual Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz, on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014. These are component vehicles that can be fitted with a proper drive train by a customer or automotive professional. Each car is built to order and delivered as a rolling chassis, less drive train, with a Shelby American issued MSO. Editor-in-Chief's Note: It will be interesting to see how long the market for "officially sanctioned" Shelby Cobras will last. Even though I have a deep appreciation for the accomplishments of Shelby and his phenomenally talented team and that glorious era of unbridled American ingenuity, each newly created tribute to the man and his machines seems to get us closer to the time when no one will be interested in recreations, no matter how well executed. - PMD
(newspressUSA)The Continuation Shelby Cobra 289 FIA is upgraded to contemporary standards using modern disc brakes and a stronger frame with the bodies available in either aluminum or fiberglass. The 50th Anniversary Edition also features a complete exhaust for a small block Ford V8, a special fitted car cover and optional detachable steering wheel.
(newspressUSA)The 50th Anniversary CSX7000 FIA Continuation Cobra will begin at $94,995 (in fiberglass) or $159,995 for an aluminum bodied car, excluding drive train. Each will be documented in the ‘World Registry’ by Shelby American. Cobras can be purchased through a network of Shelby American Cobra dealers. Information about options and availability can be found at http://www.shelbyamerican.com/50fia.asp.