AUGUST 3, 2016

(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)

Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Team Penske PPG Automotive Refinish Chevrolet Turbo V6) won the Verizon IndyCar Series Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Sunday. Will Power (No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet Turbo V6) was second, 4.1620-seconds behind, and Carlos Munoz (No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda Turbo V6) used a fuel-saving strategy to finish third, the Colombian's best showing since he placed second at the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in May. Defending race winner Graham Rahal finished fourth in the No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Steak 'n Shake Honda Turbo V6 and James Hinchcliffe (No. 5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Arrow Electronics Honda Turbo V6) finished fifth. Conor Daly (No. 18 Jonathan Byrd's Hospitality Honda Turbo V6) impressed again and wound up in sixth place after a late splash-and-go. Mikhail Aleshin (No. 7 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda Turbo V6) led a race-high 33 laps in the best race of his IndyCar career, but made contact exiting his pit with Josef Newgarden on Lap 62. Aleshin was penalized for making an improper pit exit and hitting Team Penske crewman Vance Welker (who was uninjured) and finished 17th. "I was the fastest car on the track so obviously the car was pretty good," said Aleshin, who had led only four career laps prior to today. "I think the incident (with Newgarden) was unfortunate... Sometimes these things happen in the race and we're ready to win, but we just got a little bit unlucky today." Next up is the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 21. Get more info here. www.IndyCar.com

(Pirelli World Challenge)

Michael Cooper (No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R. GT3) won Sunday's Round 15 in the GT class at the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio presented by Honda Racing HPD. Cooper had finished seventh on Saturday, but a 1:20.891-second lap time in that race was good enough for a P2 start on Sunday, just 0.137-seconds behind pole-sitter Alvaro Parente (No. 9 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S GT3). A pass for the lead during the first lap of the race put Cooper out front, and he stayed there for the remaining 38 laps. It was Cooper's second win of the season. Ryan Eversley (No. 43 RealTime Racing Acura TLX-GT) finished second,  1.597-seconds behind. Johnny O'Connell (No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R. GT3) came in third.

(Pirelli World Challenge)

Alvaro Parente (No. 9 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S GT3) of Porto, Portugal, secured the Round 14 GT class win at the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio presented by Honda Racing HPD. Parente came into the weekend with a small lead in points but managed to qualify for P2 next to seventeen-year-old teammate Austin Cindric (No. 6 K-PAX McLaren 650S GT3) in the pole position, in spite of the lack of practice on-track Friday due to inclement weather. Taking advantage of a full-course yellow just after the rolling start, Parente put himself in the position to overtake Cindric in the third lap in Turn 5. Parente managed to keep his lead despite two more full-course yellow conditions in the 30-lap race. Cindric finished 1.009-seconds behind Parente in second place. Bryan Heitkotter (No. 05 AE Replay XD Nissan GT Academy Nissan GT-R GT3), of Fresno, Calif., came in third.

(Volkswagen)

Scott Speed (No. 41 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Special Operations Warrior Foundation Beetle GRC) set the quickest time in qualifying and won each of his Heat and Semifinal races in the Red Bull Global Rallycross event in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. Patrik Sandell (No. 18 Bryan Herta Rallysport Ford Fiesta ST) was second and Tanner Foust (No. 34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Rockstar Energy Drink Beetle GRC) finished third. “It seems like we’re back on track with two wins in a row — I’m so happy to show the full capabilities of our car and team,” said Speed after the race. “It was something special for me at this race in the Nation’s Capital to have Special Operations Warrior Foundation on the car. I’m so proud to be representing them and back-to-back wins with them has been amazing.” Speed's stellar weekend moves him into second in the provisional points standings just behind Foust. Volkswagen leads the manufacturer points standings. Next up is the inaugural race in Atlantic City on August 28th.
 

(The Daily Mail)

Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 AMG Petronas Mercedes) won the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim on Sunday. Daniel Ricciardo (No. 3 Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer) was second and Max Verstappen (No. 33 Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer) finished third. It was Hamilton's 49th career victory and sixth win in seven races, and he heads into the traditional F1 summer break leading Nico Rosberg (No. 6 AMG Petronas Mercedes) in the championship by 19 points. Rosberg finished fourth on Sunday.

(Audi)
At the 2016 Classic Days at Schloss Dyck, Audi Tradition will be presenting three automotive milestones from Audi's motorsports history: the 1936 Auto Union Type C (above), the 1985 Audi Sport quattro S1 and the 2000 Audi R8 Le Mans. Racing legends Hans-Joachim Stuck, Walter Röhrl and Frank Biela will drive these racing cars in two special races on August 6th and 7th. Hans-Joachim Stuck, known colloquially as "Strietzel," will be behind the wheel of the Auto Union Type C from 1936. What makes it even more special is that his father, Hans Stuck (below), drove the Auto Union Silver Arrows to a number of successes between 1934 and 1939. He was crowned the German Hillclimb Champion three times and from then on was known as the "King of the Hills." Stuck won 16 of the 23 international hillclimb races held. Visitors to Classic Days will get to experience the 16-cylinder Auto Union Type C in person, and in hillclimb configuration, specially equipped with dual rear wheels. This configuration provided increased traction, particularly on loose ground during various hillclimb events. The vehicle was used for the first time in 1934 at the Feldberg race in the Taunus mountain range. "Strietzel" Stuck is looking forward to Schloss Dyck: "In view of the family history, it's a very special honor for me whenever I get the chance to drive one of the Silver Arrows along the route. The car is truly sensational."
(Audi)
Hans Stuck in the Auto Union Type C racing car at the Hillclimb Grand Prix at the Schauinsland track near Freiburg in 1937.

(Triumph Motorcycles)
Triumph has confirmed that it will return to the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats, in Toole County, Utah, this month in an attempt at breaking the motorcycle world land-speed record. Triumph is aiming to exceed the current record that stands at 376.363 mph, using its purpose built 1,000HP Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner. Guy Martin, Isle of Man TT racer and multiple speed record holder, will be riding the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner over the measured mile. The special Triumph features carbon Kevlar monocoque construction and is powered by two turbocharged Triumph Rocket III engines running on methanol which produce a combined 1,000HP at 9,000 rpm. (Yee-Hah!) The motorcycle is 25.5 feet long, 2 feet wide and 3 feet tall. The bike will be competing in the Division C (streamlined motorcycle) category. Triumph has a history of breaking the land speed record, holding the title of "World's Fastest Motorcycle" between 1955 to 1970, except for a brief 33-day period. The record-breaking Triumph Streamliners included: Devil's Arrow, Texas Cee-gar, Dudek Streamliner and Gyronaut X1, the former achieving a top speed of 245.667 mph (395.28 km/h). Today's record, held by Rocky Robinson (set in 2010) riding the Top Oil-Ack Attack streamliner, sits at 376.363 mph (605.697 km/h). The iconic Bonneville name was conceived by Triumph following Johnny Allen’s land-speed record runs at the Salt Flats in September 1956, when he reached the then record-breaking speed of 193.72 mph. The first T120 Bonneville model was unveiled at the Earls Court Bike Show and went on sale in 1959. Title sponsorship partner for Triumph’s 2016 record attempt will be global cloud applications provider Infor, with further support from iconic clothing brand Belstaff. To follow the progress of the world land-speed record attempt, go to www.Triumph.co.uk

(Triumph Motorcycles)
Guy Martin.

America's National Park of Speed.

I was getting caught up on the Pirelli World Challenge Races at Road America, and thought I saw the Autoextremist.com sign at Turn 5. Could you please show a picture of it, and the story behind it? I am a huge fan of both Road America and your website!

DR
Scottsdale, Arizona


Editor-In-Chief's Note: I first went to Elkhart Lake's Road America in 1967, when my brother Tony was racing a "A" Production Corvette in the SCCA June Sprints National races. I've been going ever since. If you have traveled around to race tracks as much as I have - including the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany - you will come to appreciate Road America, simply the most stunning natural-terrain road racing circuit in North America. With a track layout that has been unaltered since it was first opened in 1955 - which, believe me, is a rarity - and a park-like setting that is simply unrivaled, Road America is the race track for road racing enthusiasts in this country. To me, Road America looks and feels like a national park, and the track's theme line - America's National Park of Speed - is something I came up with to best describe the feeling you get when you're there. We first used it on that Autoextremist billboard in Turn 5 and I'm proud to say that it has become a fixture there. I gave the theme line to the track to use several years ago and I encouraged track president George Bruggenthies and his talented staff to use the theme consistently in all of their communications, and it's really starting to pay dividends. It's gratifying to hear the theme on TV broadcasts and to see it in-person when you're at the track. -PMD