Autoblog

Diesel-powered Mazda6 going racing in Grand-Am Series

Jeffrey N. Ross — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, Mazda, Diesel

The diesel version of the 2014 Mazda6 won't be hitting North American showrooms until the middle of next year, but we won't have to wait that long to see the car in action. Mazda will enter its midsize sedan in the new Grand-Am GX class with a Skyactiv-D clean diesel engine under the hood, and the car will make its racing debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 26. This will be the first time in the race's 60-year history that a diesel-powered car has competed in the 24-hour race.

We first heard about the 2.2-liter turbocharged Skyactiv-D race engine back in June, but we now know it will used in the Mazda6 and we have a little bit better of an idea of power output. Developed in conjunction with SpeedSource, the clean diesel racer is said to produce more than 400 horsepower using many of the same components that will be found on the passenger version of the car.

The newly created GX class will race against the Daytona Prototypes and GT class cars, and its goal is to provide a race class for alternative fuels and technologies. In addition to the Mazda6, the Lotus Evora GX will also compete in the this class, which will be composed of 13 models from 12 automakers - including Audi, Hyundai, Ford and Scion.

Scroll down for Mazda's press release, and be sure to check out the Grand-Am link for more information.

Continue reading Diesel-powered Mazda6 going racing in Grand-Am Series

Diesel-powered Mazda6 going racing in Grand-Am Series originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford Racing gives Focus ST-R race car tour

Zach Bowman — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Videos, Hatchback, Ford, Racing

Ford has finally given us a complete walk around video of the company's ready-to-order Ford Focus ST-R racer. The vehicle is available through the Ford Racing catalog and features all the tricks you'll need to compete in series like the Grand-Am ST class or the SCCA World Challenge TC. The racecar makes use of the same production EcoBoost 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual transmission found in the production model, though the engine has been calibrated to suck down race fuel for a little more power.

As Ford Racing's Andy Vrenko shows us, larger brakes and a set of three-way adjustable coilovers are part of the suspension package, and indoors, the Ford Focus ST-R comes equipped with an FIA-spec roll cage, Recaro race seat and AEM data logger. The machine looks like a great way to have a lot of fun on track. Expect to shell out $98,995 for the pleasure of ownership, however. If that seems steep, we encourage you to build a similar machine for less. Hit the jump to check out the video.

Continue reading Ford Racing gives Focus ST-R race car tour

Ford Racing gives Focus ST-R race car tour originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ferrari rolls out latest 458 Italia Grand Am racer

Noah Joseph — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:32:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Ferrari, Racing

On any given Sunday, you can expect to find a Ferrari 458 Italia racecar screeching around one or more circuits around the world.

Unsurprisingly, Maranello is serious about challenging the Porsche 911 for shear proliferation in sports car racing. That's why the mid-engined GT has already spawned Challenge, GT2 and GT3 racing versions, and has now bred one more for the Grand Am series. Developed by Ferrari's go-to racing garage, Michelotto, this latest competition 458 has just undergone its initial shakedown at the company's on-site Fiorano test track at the hands of Jamie Melo (who's driven the previous F430 GT2 to two consecutive class wins at Le Mans and class titles in the American Le Mans Series and FIA GT Championship) and Maurizio Mediani (who just happened to have been our instructor at the Alfa Romeo driving school at Varano).

In compliance with the American series' regulations, the engine has actually been detuned from 562 horsepower in stock street-going trim to 500 for track duty, thanks in part to a 48-millimeter restrictor plate and an 8,000 rpm rev limiter. The aerodynamics are also reworked compared to other racing versions, the spec Continental tires are of a particularly hard compound, and the suspension has been beefed up to deal with the higher collision rate in American racing.

In other words, the 458 Grand Am may be the slowest racecar in the lineup. Of course, that's not an issue (it won't be going up against its own stablemates, after all), the question is whether it will prove faster than the other cars on the Grand Am grid. Follow the jump for the press release and scope out the images in our gallery for more.

Continue reading Ferrari rolls out latest 458 Italia Grand Am racer

Ferrari rolls out latest 458 Italia Grand Am racer originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia Forte Koup going racing in 2010 Grand-Am Koni Challenge series

Sam Abuelsamid — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:10:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, SEMA Show, Kia

Kia Forte Koup Grand-Am racer - Click above for high-res image gallery

For the first time in its history in the U.S. market, Kia is going racing in 2010. Kia announced today at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas that it has partnered with the Kinetic Group to build and compete with a pair of new Forte Koups in the 2010 Grand-Am Koni Challenge series. The Koups will be driven by Andy Lally and Nic Jönsson in the Street Tuner class of the Koni Challenge. Kia says it chose the Kinetic Group for its experience working in NASCAR, ALMS, IndyCar and, of course, the Koni Challenge.

The front-wheel-drive Kias are based on the production Forte Koup and will be running against the likes of the Mazda MX-5, Honda Civic Si and MINI Cooper. The Kias will make their debut January 8-10 at the Grand-Am test days at Daytona and then really hit the track in anger at the end of the month for the season opener as part of the Daytona 24 Hours weekend. Will the little two-door from South Korea have the racing chops to hang with other, more experienced production-based racers? Time will tell, but it's great to see Kia hop into motorsports with both feet and choose a series where its actual cars have the potential to shine.

Gallery: Kia Forte Koup Grand-Am Koni Challenge

[Source: Kia]

Continue reading Kia Forte Koup going racing in 2010 Grand-Am Koni Challenge series

Kia Forte Koup going racing in 2010 Grand-Am Koni Challenge series originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TiVo Alert: Grand-Am Rolex Series rolls into Barber Motorsports Park

Chris Tutor — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:22:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Porsche

click above image to view more high-res pics of last weekend's racing action

While Autoblog doesn't cover every motorsport event, or most for that matter, it doesn't mean we're not fans. So when racing comes to town, we try to check it out. Barber Motorsports in Birmingham, Ala. was busy last weekend and, except for the heat, was blessed with an almost perfect three days of racing weather. Blue skies and a continuing, statewide drought brought out thousands of fans. The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series doesn't get the publicity of NASCAR, but the racing is heated and the competition fierce, two facts that were evident while watching the Porsche 250.

Driving the red No. 99 Pontiac, Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty took the checkered flag in Sunday's Porsche 250 Grand-Am race at Barber Motorsports. An 11th-lap tie-up forced the field to take a mandated pit stop, and was one of only two full-track cautions in the race. The win put the team within one win of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series single-season record for victories.

If the name Gurney sounds familiar, it should. Alex is the youngest son of Formula 1 driver, Dan Gurney.

Second place went to the Krohn Racing Pontiac driven by 18-year-old Colin Braun. In third was Max Angelelli and Memo Gidley, a full 40 seconds behind the leaders. At race's end, Angelelli was loaded into an ambulance, possibly suffering from the heat and dehydration. Reports say he recovered well.

More, larger photos in the gallery. Follow the jump for more racing coverage of the KONI Challenge Series race that also took place at Barber Motorsports this past weekend.

[Sources: Grand-Am.com]

Gallery: Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports

Continue reading TiVo Alert: Grand-Am Rolex Series rolls into Barber Motorsports Park

TiVo Alert: Grand-Am Rolex Series rolls into Barber Motorsports Park originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Proof of evolution: Pontiac announces next gen GXP.R racer for GT racing

Dan Roth — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:06:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., GM, Pontiac

Pontiac will continue it's GT class racing efforts with the new GXP.R, a car that replaces the successful GTO.R (pictured). The GXP.R is being tested today for the very first time in Florida. Pontiac is looking to rack up wins, so it's decided to continue its development partnership with Pratt & Miller Engineering who spent most of last season working on the new car. The GXP.R, photos of which GM has yet to release, is set to bow at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona carrying primary sponsorship from Leighton Reese's Banner Engineering. We're not sure on what production car the GXP.R will be based, if it will remain the GTO despite that car's last year of production being 2006, or if it will change to a new vehicle entirely.

The number 06 GXP.R is the result of Pontiac's GT class championship program evolving after campaigning the GTO.R in 2005 and 2006. Leighton Reese Racing will be campaigning a pair of GXP.R cars from track to track in an effort to bring home checkered flags for itself and GM. Reese has been loyal to GM since forming his racing enterprise in 1986, and will drive one of the two GXP.Rs, along wilth factory aces Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards.

Press release after the jump.

[Source: GM]

Continue reading Proof of evolution: Pontiac announces next gen GXP.R racer for GT racing

Proof of evolution: Pontiac announces next gen GXP.R racer for GT racing originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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