Tag: Audi

Montoya.

There is no doubt he can drive and go fast. The third checkered flag for Montoya and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is certainly a show of driving force. The 01 Telmex BMW-Riley Daytona Prototype held strong throughout the Grand-Am/ROLEX 24 to take the win.

rlx24_01bmw_inside1It wasn’t just the efforts of Juan Pablo Montoya, behind the wheel for the checkered flag, as the 01 regular drivers Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett along with IndyCar driver Charlie Kimball kept the car on or near the point. The team in the garage kept the car smooth in and out of the pits even as the other Ganassi team suffered through issues that eventually removed the 02 from the field.

There was a strong field to contend with. Dario Franchitti and Ryan Hunter-Reay were challenging from IndyCar. Marcos Ambrose, A.J. Allmendinger and Jamie McMurray were in the seats from NASCAR. Guest drivers from the hottest series were all their to sit in with Grand-Am regulars to get the American racing season started.

However, it was Ganassi and the 01 team with Montoya in for the final laps to take them to the win… again. (more…)

Speed is universal. It is the variety of the vehicle that becomes a variable. It can be anything. The standard issue human body put to the test on the road of a marathon or a swimming pool or can be seen as a basis for muscle and blood endurance. Once you add a machine to the equation, the skills of handling the machine become another variable to consider.

In a very short period of time, we have been to one location to witness a range of machines and the people pushing their limits within. At Virginia International Raceway, variety is almost a constant. The terrain, the turns, the trees and the technology all come together in form and function. We have seen stock cars, prototypes, open-wheel and production based cars being raced here. Most recently, it was side by side racing with two less wheels.

Motorcycle racing is different. It is fast and fun to watch. The acceleration and the angles are multiplied by the human element which is plainly visible through every motion. The body is enclosed in a car. Surrounded by a roll cage and steel, the driver is mostly hidden from view. The motorcycle offers only a helmet and some bits of leather. (more…)

Audi is on the pole for the 24 Heures Du Mans (24 Hours of Le Mans). This is the showcase race that shares the name with the series for France, Europe and even the American Le Mans Series. This French race has been one of the centers of racing lore and history for decades.

These Germans have had a long history with Le Mans, including the pole and the win for 2011 at this race with their TDI R18. For 2012, they have taken the pole with a hybrid. A hybrid!! (more…)

We laugh. We had no ball in the basket, so to speak, so we laugh.

St. Patrick’s Day weekend was busy for motorsports with the opening of Formula 1, American Le mans, plus AMA Superbike. All of this while NASCAR was running at Bristol.

We laugh because we took a peek at the first week NCAA bracket results and we feel we made the right choice to watch racing this weekend. All of those folks who poured over stats and predictions to create a bracket were kicked in the pants by teams like Lehigh, Norfolk, Ohio and South Florida…

The crying over torn bracket forms was drowned by green beer.

Sorry. You could have saved yourself some frustration by settling in with a good motor race. Ultimately, you would get more out of it. Basketball isn’t going to do a thing to enrich your life. Motorsports can save you money and possibly your life. Over the top…? Maybe… However, racing tests engine, fuel, safety and other technologies that make their way into the car you drive, ultimately benefiting your budget and family safety.

That said, there was quite a bit of speed fun over St. Paddy’s weekend. (more…)