Gallery: 2009 One Lap of America - Wrapup

Nissan GT-R wins 2009 One Lap of America originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 May 2009 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: 2009 One Lap of America - Tire Rack & Autobahn

One Lap of America 2009 - The flag drops... originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 May 2009 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Stock Nissan GT-R fares well in One Lap originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 May 2008 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Vanishing Point Challenger replaced with... regular Challenger SRT8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 May 2008 07:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Dodge "Vanishing Point" Challenger

Vanishing Point Challenger meets tire wall at Road America originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 May 2008 20:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Dodge "Vanishing Point" Challenger

Continue reading Chrysler enters Vanishing Point Challenger in One Lap of America

Chrysler enters Vanishing Point Challenger in One Lap of America originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 May 2008 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Click above to view Hennessey's Viper ACR upon delivery

Gearheads across the country are crossing off days on the calendar until May 2 when One Lap of America returns. The annual event, for those unfamiliar, takes participants across the country on a Cannonball-style rally competing on racetracks and road courses scattered along the way. Dodge always makes a strong showing at One Lap, and the team at the company's SRT workshop planned on entering two vehicles this year: a Challenger and a Viper. Time and resources being limited however, Dodge SRT turned to noted Viper tuner John Hennessey to help prepare a brand spankin' new Viper ACR - unveiled just this past November in LA - for the event. To that end, Dodge sent the first Viper ACR off the assembly line to Hennessey, who is now undertaking the task of preparing the car for the race next week. With SRT chief Erich Heuschle driving the Challenger, multiple SCCA national champion and SRT engineer Chris Winkler will be piloting the Viper. Considering that, as John H. points out, Hennessey Vipers came in second place the past two years running, the new ACR promises to put up a good snake fight for the honors this time around.

Gallery: Hennessey Viper ACR - One Lap of America

Gallery: 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR

[Source: Viper Alley]

Hennessey preparing first production Dodge Viper ACR for One Lap originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One Lap of America winner crowned originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 May 2007 08:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Another great One Lap blog to watch originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 May 2007 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Winding Road arrives at One Lap of America originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 05 May 2007 14:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

VIDEO: Team Panther slides. We catch their drift. originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 19 Nov 2006 14:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Autoblog Podcast #31 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 May 2006 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Given the somewhat lackluster response by consumers to Subaru's B9 Tribeca, the automaker's first 'real' crossover could probably use a little help. Enter COBB Tuning, a Subie-specific tuning house best known for ratcheting up the performance envelope of the WRX and Forester, has stepped in to augment the controversially-styled vehicle with improvements in three areas: Power, Control and Styling.

To that end, the tuners put together a Rotrex compressor-based supercharger setup with a side-mount air-to-air intercooler. Along with a reworked programmable ECU, the 3.0-liter flat-six generates 320 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of twist. To give the force-fed Tribeca a properly sporting tone, a COBB-designed cat-back set of pipework was fitted.

Given the bonus chutzpah, COBB wisely added big brakes (four-piston, 13" units) and a lowered, retuned suspension, along with a set of 20" x 9" Advan Connoisseurs in a bronze finish.

Of course, the B9's Achilles heel has arguably been its aesthetics. In an effort to clean up its visuals, their stylemeisters have added black mesh grille inserts, modified headlamps, and shaved the roof rack rails. According to COBB, the changes were inspired by "older Soviet MiG fighter planes," which may be a bit of stylistic hyperbole, but there's no denying that the reworked schnoz looks a good deal more aggressive than the factory's take.

Autoblog's staffers haven't had the opportunity to sample any of company's handywork first-hand, but we were there to watch a COBB-prepped 2004 Forester XT make an improbable run to a 14th place finish in One Lap Of America two years ago, and if Subaru won't oblige enthusiasts with an STi variant, this aftermarket solution ought to do the trick.

[Sources: COBB Tuning; One Lap of America]

COBB Tuning takes wraps off supercharged Subaru B9 Tribeca originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 May 2006 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A few years ago, some enterprising One Lapper that was short on lebensraum and/or tool space sourced a small trailer and a hitch for their racecar. The next year, what was a mere curiosity became a major piece of pit gear overnight, quickly evolving into a game of 'one-upsmanship,' a common theme among gearheads. What started out with basic little U-Haul types and little flat-bed steel-frames begat a full-blow trailer war, with One Lappers showing up with custom trailers painted to match their racecars, rigs capable of hauling bicycles for track recon laps and trundling about the paddock, etc. A few years ago, a particularly quick early 90's Ford Thunderbird sported a 'mini-me' version of itself in tow, with South Park figures at the helm. Though some of the rental trailers post warnings about traveling above 55 mph, we have it on good authority that the little load luggers 'remain rock solid right up until around 110 mph... that's when things start to get a little spooky.'

This year, trailers are once again out in force, with setups attached to everything from Truck/SUV class entrants to bespoke hitches and trailers on the backs of Vipers, 911s, and even that Ultralite Lotus Seven knockoff, making for an odd scene for passers-by on America's roads. Some have built-in tool racks, while we've even spotted a rig with a wireless Internet workstation and vehicle diagnostic equipment. In years past, a 1960's Corvette GS even had a sizeable auxiliary fuel tank with some aircraft-grade hoses running to the racecar itself.

This year's selections have become a little tamer, but trailers remain a major component of One Lap paddock life, enabling a large amount of tools, parts and detritus to be shuttled around the country, and we thought you'd like a quick peak at some of this year's entrants.

Click through to the jump, and enjoy.

Continue reading Autoblog Travelogue - Trailer Queens and Kings of One Lap of America

Autoblog Travelogue - Trailer Queens and Kings of One Lap of America originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 May 2006 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It isn't an official Gumball 3000 until the authorities start impounding cars. The annual event for car-loving millionaire scofflaws kicked off on Sunday in London, and various police forces around Europe have wasted little time in catching up with the cash-happy racers.

Wuerzburg, Germany authorities reportedly bagged 44 of the 120 Gumballers en route to Belgrade for various infractions, holding on to four of the racer's prized vehicles. No word on if any of the race's celebrity entrants have been ensnared, but somehow we figure that Snoop Dogg, Jodie Kidd, Hugh Hefner and their ilk can talk/photograph/autograph/buy their way out of any such issues.

This year's 3,000 mile high-speed, debauchery-laden Gumball will see stages in Europe, Thailand and the Western U.S.

More details can be found by checking out the Gumball's official website here, and CarDomain.com just launched its event coverage here (tip nod: Greg).

[Sources: MonstersandCritics; Gumball144.com; Gumball3000.com; CarDomain.com]

2006 Gumball rally officially underway as German police impound four cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 May 2006 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

National road rallies are nothing new for North American enthusiasts. Brock Yates' Cannonball Run offshoot, the One Lap Of America has been plugging away in earnest for decades now. But for those without big budgets, trans-continental automotive hooliganism has remained somewhat less accessible.

Enter the BABE, or BigApple2BigEasy. Basically, it's a 'run whatcha brung' event from NYC to New Orleans on public roads. The catch? Competitors can only spend the princely sum of $250 on a vehicle. In other words, expect a parade of bangers, heaps, jalopies, junkers, and the stray basketcase.

Crazy BABE seeks bangers to mash from Big Apple to New Orleans originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Apr 2006 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Well, the fuse has been lit on the 2006 installment of the splendiforously-titled Tire Rack Car & Driver Cannonball One Lap of America (better known as 'One Lap'), and as usual, your trusty Autoblog contact is on the scene. We had high hopes for 'live-blogging' the Cannonball Run offspring this year via daily updates, but circumstances have conspired against us.  At any rate, for those not terribly familiar with the event, here's the (kinda-sorta) quick and dirty:

Brock Yates, patron saint of modern American automotive journalism and founder of the original 'Cannonball Run Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash,' created a weeklong national road rally in 1984 for gearheads and their hangers-on. In its original incarnation, the event was a bleary-eyed run around the perimeter of these United States. In more recent times (1992-present), One Lap has evolved into a more sophisticated setup that sees racers drive from racetrack to racetrack around the country (the route changes each year), with stops at major and minor tracks along the way. The race is essentially a 'rung whatcha brung' event in which cars of wildly varying description and capability duke it out in different racing venues for overall and in-class wins. The beauty of One Lap is its simplicity-- if you can find a state willing to slap a license plate on it, it's okay by Brock. Racers must attend a couple of track day schools and meet certain rudimentary safety standards (helmets, SFI-rated firesuits, etc.) and run on tires purchased from title sponsor The Tire Rack, but everything else is essentially fair game.

Entrants test the durability of their rides, their backsides, and their mental states not only with long transit stages, but also a good cross-section of events -- everything from road courses to ovals to drag strips. Transit stages on public roads are not timed or scored events, though generally there is at least one passage control along the way to keep things 'on the level.' By way of example, a few years ago, One Lappers were treated to a dirt oval, proving once and for all that auto afficianados haven't lived until they've seen a Lamborghini Diablo spraying muddy roostertails up over the catch fence.

Continue reading Autoblog Travelogue: 2006 One Lap Of America

Autoblog Travelogue: 2006 One Lap Of America originally appeared on Autoblog on . Please see our terms for use of feeds.