Autoblog

There hasn't been any news on a Lexus racecar since we heard rumors that the IS-F racer, unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon, was really a reskinned 2004 Opel Vectra DTM. While Lexus might not be supporting a factory-backed motorsports program for the IS, that doesn't mean that privateer teams can't develop a car on their own. DRC Motorsports has done just that and has built two IS 350 racecars that will compete in the GT class of the SPEED World Challenge. Dubbed the IS GTF, it will be sporting a 4.7-liter V8 putting out 510 horsepower and attached to six-speed sequential transmission. The first car will make its debut this weekend at Mid Ohio with Jeff Altenburg, last year's SWC Touring Car champion, behind the wheel, and the second car, driven by Robb Holland, is scheduled to make its maiden run the following race at Road America. Both cars are scheduled to run the remainder of the race season. If you want to watch the new IS GTF in action, SPEED will be airing the race on Thursday, July 24 at 1:00pm (EDT) following the Touring Car race.

[Source: my.IS]

Mitsubishi will no longer be absent from the starting grid of the SCCA Speed World Challenge with the new WORKS-prepared SWC Lancer race car. The tuning company that specializes in tweaking EVOs, in a partnership with Mitsubishi North America, will be hitting the racetracks next year against Mazda, BMW, Audi, and more with two-time U.S. Touring Car champion David Brown behind the wheel. The car received new front and rear coilovers, two-piece rotors with Brembo calipers, a racing clutch and flywheel, and a fully built Mitsubishi inline-4 among other racing necessities. Pending its final homologation, it will race the full 2008 season in the Touring Car class. Follow the jump for the full details in the press release.

[Source: WORKS]

Click above image to view more photos of the 2007 Cadillac CTS-V race car

Andy Pilgrim won his second race of 2007 this past weekend to secure Cadillac a Manufacturers Championship of the SCCA Speed World Challenge. Pilgrim started second in the race behind polesitter and points leader Randy Pobst, but took the lead on lap 21 eventually won by just under two seconds. Fellow team drivers Lawson Aschenbach and Ron Fellows finished sixth and seventh, respectively. Cadillac finished the season with 71 points followed by Porsche with 60, Chevrolet with 50, and Dodge with 24.

After the race, Cadillac announced that this would be the brand's last season in the series, at least for a while. "With the second-generation CTS-V still a year away from its introduction, we'll close this chapter of Cadillac in racing and explore future opportunities to showcase the performance of the Cadillac portfolio," he said. They referred to the current car as the "first generation", so we can only hope that this means that a second generation will follow.

Cadillac ends its dominant four-year run in the Speed World Challenge as the most successful team during that time. CTS-V drivers racked up twelve wins, the most of any manufacturer, as well as two manufacturer championships.

[Source: GM]

Sorted Performance had its Speed World Challenge racing season come to an abrupt halt earlier this week when its transporter consisting of a 2005 Dodge Ram 3500 4x4 dually and 48-foot Gooseneck Haulmark Edge triple axle trailer were stolen from a Hampton Inn parking lot in Livonia, MI. Team manager Ken Grammer was transporting both of the team's Grand Touring Class Dodge SRT-4 race cars at the time, along with all the spare parts available for the cars. Today it was learned that the truck has been recovered in Detroit and sustained some damage, though not as much as the trailer, which was also found in Detroit burnt to a crisp. The two SRT-4 race cars, one driven by team owner Hal Brown and the other by current Rookie of the Year points leader Stan Wilson, are still missing. The racing community has its feelers out for the cars, as their parts are very specific and should be easy to spot should the thieves attempt to sell them.

You can view all the currently available info on the situation in this thread on the SCCA Pro Racing forums, and please keep your eyes open if you live in the Detroit area. Hopefully these two race cars can be found in good shape thanks to the collective effort of a concerned auto and racing community. Sorted Performance was looking forward to the next round of the series at the 2007 Grand Prix of Toronto. With any luck, Hal and Stan will be behind the wheels of their SRT-4s by then.

Thanks for the tip, Joe!

[Source: SCCA Pro Racing forums]

We present you with another big gallery of photos from the weekend's activities in Long Beach. Besides the Champ Cars, ALMS, and Toyota Pro/Celebrity races we've already covered, the Long Beach GP hosted Formula D, Champ Car Atlantics, and Speed World Challenge GT racing. We were there on Friday during practice and captured some images to share with all of you. Next year we hope to get an earlier start to secure some credentials so we can get access to pit lane and head-on shots along the fence line. But for now we have these tower shots and some random pics from around the grounds.

Right on the water, with the Queen Mary and various cruise and cargo ships in the distance, there is a definite charm to this temporary street course that has hosted Formula 1, CART, Trans-Am, Can-Am, Rolex and ALMS over its 33-year history. Close to Hollywood, this is the racing event most likely to attract celebrities on the Champ Car schedule. Between practice sessions and races, fans had a lot of other things to keep them occupied. Minardi has a special two-seat formula car that allows passengers to experience 180-mph thrills, for just $10,000 a go. There are also rides and vendor booths everywhere, making the place feel like a community carnival as much as a racetrack.

Click one of the images below to go to our gallery. We also had one of our readers pass along a link to his own gallery of incredible shots from Saturday. Make sure you check them out. Thanks for sharing them, Mark!

Oakland University's PDMC Motorsports team, a program of the school's Product Development and Manufacturing Center, saw its Ford Focus reach the winner's circle last weekend in the teams first-ever professional series race - the SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Series event at Mosport International Raceway.

Piloted by professional racer Jeff Nowicki, the car finished the race in 17th place, making its trip to victory lane as the recipient of the race's B&M Holeshot Award.

The PDMC Motorsports program gives students a chance to apply their engineering skills in a challenging and high-intensity environment, and is also a centerpiece of the university's "Students First" outreach program to elementary and high schools. Oakland University, based in Rochester, Michigan, plans to make PDMC Motorsports the hands-on component of its forthcoming Motorsports Systems Engineering Degree program.

Congratulations to everyone involved! Follow the link for more information on the PDMC Motorsports program, one of a number of similar programs that have sprung up at U.S. colleges in the last decade.

[Source: Oakland University/PDMC]

Let's face it - fairly or not, Volvos have been type-cast as safe, solid and somewhat uninspired family cars. Well here's one Volvo that could go a long way to changing that image! The At Speed Motorsports Volvo S60R, driven by Michael Galati, powered to a dominating win in this weekend's SPEED World Challenge GT class race at Mosport International Raceway, finishing at the head of a pack of Cadillacs, Vipers, Corvettes, Porsches and even an Aston Martin. The win marks the first for the hard-working At Speed team in two seasons of campaigning the AWD Volvo.

Galati used the Volvo's AWD to good effect in the rainy race at Mosport, earning the B&M "Coolest Move of the Race" award right at the drop of the green flag by catapulting from fifth on the grid to lead the field into the first turn. Galati, a five-time SWC champion, nearly lapped the entire field by the end of the race, with only Tommy Archer's Dodge Viper remaining on the lead lap at the finish. Ron Fellows' Cadillac CTS-V finished third, after starting from the pole.

[Source: SCCA Pro Racing/SPEED World Challenge]

Last month, Cadillac announced its relationship with Microsoft's XBOX in the form of a downloadable expansion pack for the console's Project Gotham Racing 3 game. Gamers were given the ability to add three of Caddy's V-Series cars to the already-impressive group of rides included with the game.

This coming weekend, that relationship is going to get some high-profile exposure as the #16 CTS-V SPEED GT racing car will sport a new PGR-themed livery for the Speed World Challenge race at Infineon Raceway. Cadillac is pulling out all the stops to make sure the car does well, as Corvette Racing's Johnny O'Connell will strap in behind the wheel. O'Connell, who along with teammate Ron Fellows has won his last five ALMS races at Infineon, will see if he can work his magic with the Cadillac and finish atop the podium. Reigining SPEED GT champ and Cadillac teammate Andy Pilgrim will join O'Connell on the circuit in the #1 car.

The SPEED GT race is part of this weekend's NASCAR Nextel Cup festivities at Infineon, so a huge crowd and equally huge exposure for the Caddy/XBOX relationship are all but guaranteed.

(Photo, press release after the jump)

[Source: GM]

Easter weekend is traditionally an off-weekend for most racing series, providing TV-watchers a chance to catch up on some taped broadcasts from the supporting series that we often miss in the busier weekends.

NASCAR:
No Nextel Cup action this Sunday, but Saturday features a live broadcast of this week's Busch Series race from Nashville, Tennessee. Matt Kenseth will be without crew chief Chad Norris, who received a 3-race suspension for rules violations in the Texas race. Craftsman Truck rookie Erin Crocker will make a Busch Series start, driving a Dodge for Evernham Motorsports. Full info here.

FX, Saturday 3:30pm ET.

SPEED World Challenge GT Series (pictured)
Last week's SPEED World Challenge race in support of the Long Beach Grand Prix was a barn-burner! Here's your chance to watch the Caddys, Vipers, 'Vettes and Porsches take it to the streets. Guaranteed great racing! The series website has plenty of info, but watch for spoilers if you haven't heard the results yet!

SPEED, Sunday 2pm ET

Champ Car Atlantic
Another terrific support race for the LBGP, this time from the resurgent Formula Atlantic open wheel series. With a new chassis, new engines and a huge field of young drivers looking to prove themselves, this series will be one to watch all year. Here's the series website - wait until after the broadcast though!

SPEED, Sunday 1pm ET