Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[VIDEO: Scott Sharp's Acura prototype completely destroyed during Petit Le Mans practice]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/27/video-scott-sharps-acura-prototype-completely-destroyed-at-pet/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/27/video-scott-sharps-acura-prototype-completely-destroyed-at-pet/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/27/video-scott-sharps-acura-prototype-completely-destroyed-at-pet/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Scott Sharp's accident at the Petit Le Mans Thursday practice session - click above to watch the video after the jump

Earlier, we told you about the Patron Highcroft racing team's marathon 20 hour build of a brand new Acura ARX-02a the day before the Petit Le Mans. The reason the crew had to work even harder than normal on a race weekend was a crash during Thursday's afternoon practice that left many observers astonished as Scott Sharp walked away unharmed.

Sharp's LMP1 Acura was heading into turn 3 at Road Atlanta when it apparently made contact with another racer exiting the pit lane. This caused the Acura's front end to lift, and that's never a good thing in one of these high-powered prototypes. Into the air the car went. After makng 3.5 revolutions, Sharp managed to crawl out of the car's remains with just a clump of mud stuck to the top of his helmet.


"I really don't know what happened," Sharp said. "I was heading up the hill in sixth gear and felt a hit in the right rear. The wheel arches are very high with the wide front tires on the Acura - I didn't see a thing - only felt the contact. I knew it was a big one and I am just really grateful to Acura and all the boys at Patrón Highcroft Racing for building such a strong car. I'm shattered for Duncan, all the guys, Brabs and Dario (Franchitti). We went through this last year and I can't believe it's happened again. I was just thinking to myself how much I like this place when next thing I'm headed upside down with a mouth full of Georgia clay."

Heading into Atlanta, Sharp and co-driver David Brabham were tied at 142 points and leading the LMP1 drivers championship race, a position they maintained by finishing sixth in yesterday's rain-shortened Petit Le Mans. The video of the crash is available after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Ryan.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Scott Sharp's Acura prototype completely destroyed during Petit Le Mans practice

VIDEO: Scott Sharp's Acura prototype completely destroyed during Petit Le Mans practice originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2009 Petit Le Mans2009PetitLeMansAcuraALMSAmerican Le Mans SeriesAmericanLeMansSerieshighcroft acurahighcroft acura arx-02ahighcroft racingHighcroftAcuraHighcroftAcuraArx-02aHighcroftRacingpatron highcroft racingPatronHighcroftRacingPetit Le MansPetitLeMansRoad AtlantaRoadAtlantaScott SharpScott Sharp crashScottSharpScottSharpCrashvideoSun, 27 Sep 2009 19:06:00 EST<![CDATA[Rahal Letterman Racing tests new M3 racer at Road Atlanta, Sebring]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/24/rahal-letterman-racing-tests-new-m3-racer-at-road-atlanta-sebri/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/24/rahal-letterman-racing-tests-new-m3-racer-at-road-atlanta-sebri/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/24/rahal-letterman-racing-tests-new-m3-racer-at-road-atlanta-sebri/#commentsFiled under: ,


Click above for a gallery of the BMW M3 Racing Version

Motorsports fans are eagerly anticipating the 2009 ALMS season where Ferrari, Porsche, Panoz, Ford, Dodge, Chevrolet and now BMW will be competing for the GT2 title. BMW Motorsport unveiled the new M3 racing program back in February of this year and have been developing the car in Europe since then. They recently handed off the car to Rahal Letterman Racing who tested the car this past week at Road Atlanta and are currently running laps at Sebring International Raceway. BMW also announced the first two drivers for the program, Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand, both of whom have extensive experience driving previous versions of the M3. Auberlen first drove for BMW in 1996 and won titles in 1997 and 2004. The M3 will make its 2009 racing debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 21.

Gallery: BMW M3 racecar testing at Road Atlanta

[Source: ALMS via SpeedHunters and AutoFiends]

Continue reading Rahal Letterman Racing tests new M3 racer at Road Atlanta, Sebring

Rahal Letterman Racing tests new M3 racer at Road Atlanta, Sebring originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BMWBMW M3bmw m3 racing versionBmwM3BmwM3RacingVersionRahal Letterman RacingRahalLettermanRacingRoad AtlantaRoadAtlantaSebring RacewaySebringRacewayMon, 24 Nov 2008 19:59:00 EST<![CDATA[Record qualifying time puts Peugeot on pole at Petit Le Mans]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/04/record-qualifying-time-puts-peugeot-on-pole-at-petit-le-mans/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/04/record-qualifying-time-puts-peugeot-on-pole-at-petit-le-mans/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/04/record-qualifying-time-puts-peugeot-on-pole-at-petit-le-mans/#commentsFiled under: ,

It was a record setting day yesterday at Road Atlanta, with all four classes setting qualifying records including a blistering 1:06.242 by Stephane Sarrazin in his Peugeot 908 HDi to take the top overall spot. Peugeot has continually proved that it has a fast car, taking the last two pole positions at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but it was Audi on top at the end of that race. Allan McNish will be putting plenty of pressure on the Peugeot team, who qualified just .085 seconds behind the Peugeot in his Audi R10 TDI. In P2, Penske racing not only captured pole with a record qualifying time of 1:07.061, but also grabbed the top three spots. It was all Corvette Racing in GT1, but it will be a close race between the two Corvette who were separated by only .047 seconds. Finally, Risi Competizione qualified first in GT2 for the second straight year.

Coverage of the event starts today at 11:00 AM EST on SPEED TV today, with the green flag waving at 11:15. A NASCAR race splits up the coverage from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. EST, but you can still watch the race on AmericanLeMans.com (as well as look up live timing and scoring) or listen in on XM channel 166. Full details of the qualifying and driver quotes can be found in the press release after the jump.

[Source: AmericanLeMans.com]

Continue reading Record qualifying time puts Peugeot on pole at Petit Le Mans

Record qualifying time puts Peugeot on pole at Petit Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ALMSAmerican Le Mans SeriesAmericanLeMansSeriesAudi R10AudiR10Petit Le MansPetitLeMansPeugeot 908 HDiPeugeot908HdiRoad AtlantaRoadAtlantaSat, 04 Oct 2008 02:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Shelby Racing returns to the track]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/16/shelby-racing-returns-to-the-track/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/16/shelby-racing-returns-to-the-track/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/16/shelby-racing-returns-to-the-track/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click above for more classic Shelby race photos from the Ford archives

When the vintage racers hit the track for the 2008 Kohler International Challenge at Road America this weekend, the Shelby Automobiles Racing Team will be officially represented for the first time since the late 1960s. Ford is one of the event sponsors and is backing the Shelby effort, which will field four CSX4000 Shelby 427 Cobras in the event. To hear Carroll Shelby tell it, there's probably more to come. In Ford's official announcement (pasted after the jump), Shelby is quoted as saying, "My goal is to return us to professional racing and this is just the beginning." Does that mean we'll be seeing factory-backed Shelby Mustangs in other racing series as well? Who knows. Still, it's kinda cool that the team's official return is at a vintage event, driving brand-new continuation-series cars like the ones that started this whole thing way back when.

Gallery: Vintage Shelby racing photos


[Source: Ford / Shelby Autos]

Continue reading Shelby Racing returns to the track

Shelby Racing returns to the track originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>427cobracsx4000kohler international challengeKohlerInternationalChallengeroad atlantaRoadAtlantashelby cobrashelby racingShelbyCobraShelbyRacingWed, 16 Jul 2008 14:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Audi reunites Le Mans winning trio for Petit Le Mans]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/22/audi-reunites-le-mans-winning-trio-for-petit-le-mans/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/22/audi-reunites-le-mans-winning-trio-for-petit-le-mans/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/22/audi-reunites-le-mans-winning-trio-for-petit-le-mans/#commentsFiled under: ,



Six races, six wins so far this year for the incredible (and eerily quiet) Audi R10 TDI: Sebring, Le Mans, Salt Lake City, Portland, Road America and Mosport. They've already clinched the Teams' and Drivers' Championships. Now all that remains is to sew up the Manufacturers' Championship in the "Champions League" LM P1 class for Audi. Heading into this week's Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta they've decided to take no chances and have brought together the Le Mans-winning trio of Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro, and Marco Werner.

The Petit Le Mans has grown to be one of the most important endurance races in motorsports. Although locking up the championship is still a concern, the Audi team has won the race six years in a row with the R10's predecessor, the R8, and they'd hope to keep the streak alive. Additionally, because it is one of the longer races on the calendar it gives teams a chance to test late season improvements for next year. The revolutionary diesel-powered R10 would also be one step closer to finishing off its maiden season with a perfect record. Full release after the jump.

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Audi reunites Le Mans winning trio for Petit Le Mans

Audi reunites Le Mans winning trio for Petit Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Sep 2006 17:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Petit Le MansPetitLeMansR10Road AtlantaRoadAtlantaFri, 22 Sep 2006 17:07:00 EST