Lmp2

The car will compete head-to-head with Mazda and Nissan.

Bentley is reportedly working on a new Le Mans prototype campaign. Only instead of going head-to-head with Audi and Porsche in LMP1, it's tipped to take on the LMP2 class – starting right here in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.

The FIA, ACO, and IMSA have named four chassis constructors that will be authorized to provide all the LMP2 prototypes at Le Mans and the four series in which they compete around the world, all powered by a single engine and electronics system.

The FIA's World Motor Sport Council has announced a vast array of changes for the future of racing, including a new F1 calendar and revised regulations for LMP2 and WRC, among others.

Justin Wilson is slated to drive Honda Performance Development's new ARX-04b LMP2 racer up Pikes Peak in the Unlimited class this year in a rare exploratory effort.

A lot has happened since Sir Jack Brabham went down in history as the the only driver ever to win the Formula One World Championship in his own car. His offspring have followed in his footsteps, with two of his sons (Geoff in 1993 and David in 2009) having won at Le Mans with Peugeot. Bernie Ecclestone used the team as a springboard to seize control of F1's commercial rights. The Brabham name was subsequently adopted by a BMW tuner. And finally, Sir Jack himself left this world this past May. Bu

If you want to see a Ford racing prototype, you need look no further than the United SportsCar Championship, where the Blue Oval fields two Daytona Prototypes powered by an EcoBoost-branded 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6. But according to the latest rumors, that may not be enough for Ford, which has as much brand to promote overseas as it does back home.

Looking for a thrill? You're not the only one. You'll find kindred spirits at airfields going up for a skydive, atop bridges and towers with bungees attached to their feet and standing in line for roller coasters at the local amusement park. But you'll also find them in the paddock at the racing circuit.

Make no mistake about it: Honda is big in racing. It was the first Japanese automaker to enter Formula One, remains the most successful and is set to return as an engine supplier next season. It's powered more IndyCar race winners and champions than any other manufacturer, hands down. Honda has won races and titles in Super GT, WTCC, even motorcycle racing. Just about everything this side of NASCAR, really. And that includes endurance sports car racing.

Only a couple of years ago, it looked like the top tier of prototype endurance racing was in trouble. Peugeot shut down its program, leaving the LMP1 category all to Audi to dominate. Only six cars entered the Petit Le Mans in 2012, and the season was cut short. But the top class in the FIA World Endurance Championship has since blossomed. And it only looks poised to grow further.

Bringing two racing series together is good news for racing fans, whether it's the re-merger of the IndyCar and Champ Car series, the reconciliation between the FIA and the ACO to form the World Endurance Championship or the joining of forces between Grand-Am and the American Le Mans Series.

The 2013, 90th anniversary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has begun, tragedy marking the opening laps with the death of Allan Simonsen. We're at the track now as a guest of Audi and plan to stay through the evening, and even we haven't been able to find out what caused the accident – the only video is from just after the incident, and beyond the statement from ACO there's been no more news. The Aston Martin in the LM GTE Am class and its all-Danish drivers had taken pole in its class a

This is the Alpine LMP2 competitor you'll see contesting European endurance races this year, including The 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. Parent company Renault showed off the N36 racer at its atelier in Paris, the blue and orange a switch from the yellow, black and white livery Alpine wore last time it was seen in Le Mans way back in 1978 when it won the race.

Renault isn't letting up with the return of its Alpine brand. After announcing a partnership with Caterham to bring a new Alpine to market by 2015 (now expected by 2016), the French firm has announced it is taking Alpine racing again in the European Le Mans Series this year – and that includes The 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The American Le Mans Series headed to Braselton, GA this past weekend for the 15th annual Petit Le Mans and the conclusion of its 2012 season. While some of the championships had already been decided earlier in the season – the Corvette team had already captured the manufacturer, team and driver championships for the GT class prior to the race, for example – there were still several titles up for grabs. The Muscle Milk Pickett Racing team, having dominated much of the ALMS season in

The Grand AM GX class isn't the only place where Mazda will be running its 2.2-liter turbocharged Skyactiv-D four-cylinder diesel next year: it will power the LMP2 contender fielded by Dempsey Racing, a team co-owned by actor Patrick Dempsey. Mazda will also provide the engine to other teams running in the class at Le Mans, in the American Le Mans Series and the World Endurance Championship.

The Grand AM GX class isn't the only place where Mazda will be running its 2.2-liter turbocharged Skyactiv-D four-cylinder diesel next year: it will power the LMP2 contender fielded by Dempsey Racing, a team co-owned by actor Patrick Dempsey. Mazda will also provide the engine to other teams running in the class at Le Mans, in the American Le Mans Series and the World Endurance Championship.

Morgan and OAK Racing have put together a video to showcase the car that Morgan will be running at Le Mans this year in a jubilee celebration its GT2 class win in 1962. It's got just about everything you'd want from an LMP2 teaser: engine guts, carbon fiber, track time and roaring.

Lotus, we're sorry to say, promised a lot but delivered very little this year in Geneva. But that doesn't mean its show stand was without its eye candy. Feast your eyes on this new LMP2 racer.

Nissan doesn't compete in Formula One. It doesn't field a top-tier LMP1 team at Le Mans. It doesn't race in NASCAR, IndyCar or the World Rally Championship. Yet the Japanese automaker doesn't have to stretch all that far to make the association between its brand and racing. It does, after all, offer competition versions of its GT-R and 370Z for use in a number of sportscar racing series around the world. But where it really shines is in the LMP2 category.