Continue reading NASCAR Sprint Cup crowns winner as Dodge bows out of series [spoilers]

NASCAR Sprint Cup crowns winner as Dodge bows out of series [spoilers] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In a recent announcement, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest informed endurance racing fans that the two remaining races of the 2012 European Le Mans Series will be canceled. Citing too few cars to fill the grid, the September 7-9 race in Brno, and the November 2-4 race in Algarve will not be held.

In a statement from the ACO, the recent news is a "result of the current economic climate and a very competitive GT market with numerous championships that have led to the disposal of cars of this type in Europe."

In a spot of good news, ALMS has invited full-season competitors to Petit Le Mans in October. As many as 14 registered full season teams will get help from ALMS to Road Atlanta, a 1,000-mile/ ten hour endurance race. These 14 teams will join a grid of up to 40 cars from ALMS.

The remainder of the ELMS schedule is the latest casualty in road racing, as the FIA GT1 World and GT3 European Championships have also been axed.

Petit Le Mans is set to feature double-points scoring for teams. ELMS is still expected to award entries to 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours for LMP2, GTE-Am and GTE-Pro.

At the Six Hours of Donington, a season-low of only 13 cars entered, promoting a series of internal meetings at ACO. Hopefully, a long-term plan will be hatched that can allow one of the top road-racing series to continue for next year.

European Le Mans Series cancels last two races, will join ALMS at Petit Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Chevrolet Cruze at Marrakech WTCC

REPORT: World Touring Car Championship eyeing race in the U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Go Rally! - Citroen rolls out the C2-R2 Max originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Singapore is getting ready to host the first night race in Formula One history after the FIA approved the proposed calendar for next year's championship. Race promoters in Singapore got the clearance from the FIA to build the Monaco-style street circuit in May, and things are reportedly moving along well. The spectacle of the flood-lit road race in the Pacific city-state promises to inject some more excitement into what is already held as the pinnacle of international motorsport.

As we had reported earlier, there were a few proposed grands prix that were up in the air, but the motorsport governing body has approved them all. (Yay!) In addition to Singapore, the new event in Valencia, Spain, was awaiting approval. The French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours was under threat, as well. Even the perennial Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal wasn't for sure, as the economies of scale in schlepping the whole F1 circus to North America were eliminated with the cancellation of the race at Indianapolis. In the end all were confirmed, alongside the usual suspects in Australia, Malaysia, Bahrain, Spain, Turkey, Monaco, Britain, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Japan, China and Brazil. Only a few dates were changed around by the FIA in the process. Altogether it makes for a full eighteen races, and we're looking forward already.

Follow the jump for the full 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar.

[Source: Autosport]

Continue reading Singapore night race joins 2008 F1 Calendar

Singapore night race joins 2008 F1 Calendar originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Thursday, September 13th, the World Motor Sport Council will meet to decide on whether McLaren should be punished for industrial espionage in the Stepneygate affair. What had been winding its way to a peaceful conclusion has now been blown back open with the recent revelation that the drivers exchanged information that came from the Ferrari dossier in McLaren's possession.

Some newspapers claim that in the 166 pages of new evidence is enough damaging material that McLaren and its drivers could be excluded from the 2007 F1 World Championship. McLaren boss Ron Dennis has claimed that no one else in the team knew about the dossier -- and this was before it was revealed that the drivers knew. Now it's claimed that not only did the drivers know, but McLaren actually tried some of Ferrari's technical innovations on its car. Ron Dennis is also accused of trying to bring Renault into the affair, but it is unclear how. If things go against McLaren, the Championship-leading team and its drivers could face exclusion from the Championship this year and beyond.

[Source: Daily F1]

Rumormill: McLaren facing exclusion from 2007 F1 Championship originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Sep 2007 19:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After 17 years, Nigel Mansell is returning to the wheel of a Ferrari. The former world champion will be driving an F430 GT for Scuderia Ecosse in the second round of the 2007 FIA GT Championship, held at the same Silverstone track where Mansell scored three celebrated grand prix victories.

The old dog can apparently still learn new tricks - at 53 years old, this will be the first time the champ will be racing sports cars. Driving alongside him will be one of Scuderia Ecosse's team drivers, either fellow British pilot Andrew Kirkaldy or Canadian driver Chris Niarchos, to be confirmed before the race this Sunday.

Although he evidently welcomes the new challenge, Mansell's remains understandably apprehensive about his prospects: "The Ferrari is fun to drive, but it remains to be seen how I will get on in a race situation, as ex-F1 drivers tend to go out with a target on their backs!"

The race looks set to gather quite a crowd. In addition to Mansell's participation, the Silverstone race will also mark Jaguar's return to GT racing.

[Source: Auto Express]

Mansell returns to race at Silverstone in a Ferrari originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 May 2007 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There's smug satisfaction and then there's smug satisfaction. And the folks over at Citroen Sport are enjoying some serious smug satisfaction after taking a brilliant 1-2 finish in the Monte Carlo Rally. Taking first AND second is enough to make any team happy, but to compound that, this was the first race for Citroen's factory rally team since returning to the World Rally Championship, and the first race for their shiny new baby, the Citroen C4 WRC.

First place was taken by three-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb and his co-pilot Daniel Elena. To make the victory even sweeter, Loeb was fresh back at the wheel after recovering from a broken arm. Claiming the checkered flag at Monte Carlo set a new record for Loeb as his 29th career rally win. This was also the fourth time Loeb won in Monte Carlo, tying the record shared by rally legends Sandro Munari, Walter Rohrl and Tommi Makinen.

The second Citroen factory team driven by Dani Sordo took second place behind Loeb and ahead of Marcos Gronholm's Ford Focus. Not a bad day for Citroen and for Loeb, who are off to a great start to claim another championship.

[Source: Citroen]

Loeb pilots new Citroen C4 WRC to victory in Monte Carlo originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jan 2007 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nine years ago, from his couch in El Cajon, California, Jimmie Johnson watched his future team's co-owner, Jeff Gordon, win the NASCAR Nextel Cup championship (then the NASCAR Winston Cup Series). Last night, he raised the chalice himself after finishing 9th at Homestead, 56 points ahead of Matt Kenseth for the season, as the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup series champion.

The #48 Lowes Home Improvement Chevrolet team overcame a hole in the grille and no tape to fix it, a fantastic call by crew chief Chad Knaus, catching a loose left front lug nut before Jimmy left the pits that kept them from going a lap down, and a near-miss with Robbie Gordon in the closing laps to complete the chase for his first NASCAR Nextel Cup championship. Greg Biffle, who finished second to Tony Stewart for the championship last year, won the season-ender Ford 400 for the third year in a row.

Continue reading Jimmie Johnson finally wins NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship

Jimmie Johnson finally wins NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Nov 2006 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Renault R26 is an impressive piece of machinery, to say the least. Piloted by Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella, the French team's 2006 Formula One race car managed to secure both the titles: the drivers' championship and the constructors'. And it did so under a great deal of stress as Ferrari put up a good fight for both titles, and hardly broke down the entire season.

This video from Renault gives you a look at the car and its engine, all developed and produced in-house, in all their championship-winning splendor.

[Source: Renault via Auto Motor Portal]

VIDEO: Renault's championship-winning R26 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The 2006 Formula One season came down to a nail-biting final race in Sao Paulo, Brazil today, as hometown hero Felipe Massa sailed to the checkered flag and reigning champion Fernando Alonso claimed his second consecutive title with a comfortable second place podium finish.

Despite having dominated in the practice sessions on Friday and Saturday, retiring legend Michael Schumacher had to start the race from tenth position, as his team-mate Felipe started from pole. Things then went further downhill for Michael as he blew out a tire and limped back to the pits, then got back out on the course to fight all the way up to fourth place from twentieth. Renault reduced the revs on Alonso's car after Schumacher's blow-out to ensure he would finish in the points and secure the championship (Michael would have had to have won the race and Alonso to have earned no points for the German to win the title over the Spaniard). A smiling Jenson Button took third place on the podium.

With a Ferrari 1-4 and a Renault 2-6, the French team also secured the constructor's championship. That didn't seem to upset Massa too much, though, as the jubilant driver - wearing a special racing suit in his national colors - became the first Brazilian driver to win the Brazilian Grand Prix since Ayrton Senna. Felipe described the victory as the happiest day of his life.

Next season will see Massa stay with Ferrari to be joined by Kimi Raikkonen, whose place at McLaren will be taken by the champion Alonso, as Michael Schumacher retires after narrowly missing the shot at his eighth world championship. This was one of the most exciting seasons in recent history, and while Michael will be missed, the next should be even more gripping as the sport steps out from under the dominant figure's shadow.

SPOILER ALERT: Ups and Downs at Brazilian GP season closer originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 Oct 2006 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Simon Evans and his wife/co-driver Sue took the Australian Rally Championship in their Toyota TRD Corolla after finishing a close second on their home turf at the NGK Rally of Melbourne this past Sunday.

Going into the Melbourne rally, the Evans' only needed an eighth place finish in Melbourne to secure the title, and they nearly took first place, only surrendering to Mitsubishi's Scott Peder on a technicality after the two were deadlocked.

All the jokes about the wife giving directions aside, there are doubtlessly many single gearheads out there who wish they could find a spouse to share in their passion.

Follow the link for the full race report.

[Source: Rally.com.au]

'Till checkered-flag do us part: Husband & Wife team claim Austalian rally championship originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Sep 2006 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.