DOMESTIC INDULGENCE // DAYTONA DOWN THE CORKSCREW

There are few cars as important as the Shelby Daytona Coupe. Based loosely on the AC Cobra's chassis and drive-train, the Daytona Coupe was built specifically to take on Ferrari in the GT class. Pete Brock designed the Daytona's bodywork, while Bob Negstad designed the car's suspension. In 1964, Dave MacDonald and Bob Holbert drove a Daytona Coupe to a GT class win at the 12 Hours of Sebring, while Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant took the GT class win at Le Mans that same year // [comment]

VIDEO // BRUCE CANEPA'S 917K @ MONTEREY REUNION

Watch as Bruce Canepa drives his Porsche 917K to a first place finish in the FIA Manufacturers Championship Cars (1964-1969) class during this years inaugural Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion // [comment]

EVENT // 2010 MONTEREY MOTORSPORTS REUNION

Last weekend, ColdTrackDays correspondent, Camden Thrasher, visited the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, for the 36th annual Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (an event formerly known as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races). Amongst those racing over the weekend were motorsport legends Sitrling Moss, Bobby Rahal, Tomy Drissi and John Morton. An event like no other, follow the link for a few photos from Camden's experience in Monterey... [read more]

























Photo(s): Camden Thrasher
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

MotoGP // ROSSI WILL RIDE FOR DUCATI IN 2011

Valentino Rossi surprised absolutely nobody this afternoon when first Yamaha, then Rossi himself, then Ducati announced that he is leaving Yamaha to ride for the Italian manufacturer for 2011-12. While a big shakeup, Rossi’s Ducati move has been a near-certain rumor in the motorcycling world for many months, it’s unofficial status coupled with its near-certainty having been a running joke for some time now... [read more]

Yamaha issued a press statement about Rossi’s leaving, followed by a handwritten note by Rossi himself, filled with conciliatory language. That part was good to see given Valentino’s acrimonious departure from Honda at the end of 2003. Yamaha will release Rossi to test the 2011 Ducati machine directly following the season’s last race of the year in Valencia, Spain on the 7th of November.

Conventional wisdom cites Jorge Lorenzo’s dominance on the Yamaha M1 that Rossi and his crew chief Jerry Burgess have developed over the years as one of the prime motivators for Rossi’s departure. Yamaha also attempted to cut Rossi’s salary by around a third in order to give Lorenzo a hefty raise.

While it’s not hard to believe that the world is focusing on the “Italian on an Italian bike” narrative, the prospects of a title on a third manufacturer’s bike are likely what Rossi himself has in mind. That sort of a coup would leave little ammunition for those disputing his “greatest of all time” status.

The big question mark is still whether Jerry Burgess and the rest of Rossi’s crew will be making the jump yet again.

Photo/Editorial: Jeff Winterberg

VIDEO // 1992 MAZDA RX-792P @ MONTEREY MOTORSPORTS REUNION

Watch as Grey's Anatomy star turned race car driver, Patrick Dempsey, pilots the 1992 Mazda RX-792P IMSA GTP car during last weekends Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion qualifying race... [read more]



Photo: Acme Novelties
Video: Grand Touring Prototype
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

VIDEO // 1984 XJR-5 @ MONTEREY MOTORSPORTS REUNION

Ride along with former IMSA GTP racer Rick Knoop as he pilots a 1984 Group 44 Jaguar XJR-5 around the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during last weekends 2010 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion // [comment]

PREVIEW // ROLEX MONTEREY MOTORSPORTS REUNION

ColdTrackDays correspondent, Camden Thrasher, will be at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca all weekend for this years Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, an event formerly known as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races. The event, which will honor legendary racing driver, Dan Gurney, began Thursday and will conclude at 6pm (PST) on Sunday with an awards ceremony at the Rolex Driver's Club. And while we're green with envy, Camden was kind enough to send us a handful of images from Friday's qualifying session, just a taste of what the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is all about... [read more]









Stay tuned for continued coverage of the 2010 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion!

Photo(s): Camden Thrasher
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

MotoGP // LORENZO WINS AGAIN @ LAGUNA SECA

The MotoGP circus landed in the U.S. for the first of its two 2010 rounds this past weekend and your humble narrator was actually in attendance. This was great for me but from the standpoint of race reporting, it’s tough to give a nice overview having seen the race from only one vantage point, this explains the more brief report. To compensate, some nice photos are included here... [read more]

This weekend’s festivities at Laguna Seca marked the end of the first half of the MotoGP calendar. Jorge Lorenzo began the weekend with a hefty 47 point lead ahead of second place Dani Pedrosa. To put this in context, in 2008, Valentino Rossi left Laguna Seca with 50 points over Casey Stoner and would go on to win the championship with the most points ever scored in a season (373).

Lorenzo’s chances for the title seem to be better than average at the moment, but less overt is the asterisk hanging over its authenticity given Rossi’s four-race absence. In order to erase that doubt, Jorge knows he must win convincingly with Rossi now back in action. Valentino, while arguably not at 100%, came maddeningly close to a podium spot one week ago in Germany and in both practice sessions appeared to be riding with a shot of contending a top-three spot at Laguna. Lorenzo responded by taking pole position away from Casey Stoner in the final moments of qualifying with an authoritative lap of 1:20.978. Behind them was Andrea Dovizioso with his first-ever front row starting spot. The rest of the top ten, in order were Dani Pedrosa, Ben Spies, Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Colin Edwards, Marco Simoncelli and Hector Barbera.

Lorenzo got off the line well but was quickly swallowed up by Pedrosa, Stoner, Spies and Dovizioso. Going into turn 4, he was in fifth place. When they crossed the line for the first time it was Pedrosa, Stoner, Lorenzo, Spies, Dovizioso, Rossi, Hayden, Simoncelli, Edwards and Melandri making up the top ten. Spies began to come under pressure from behind and dropped back to seventh. Meanwhile, Stoner, who was running close to Pedrosa, dropped back toward Lorenzo. A few seconds back, Rossi began to harass Dovizioso over fourth position.

Lap five saw Lorenzo pass Stoner into turn five as Stoner ran wide. Now Jorge had the job of chasing down Pedrosa who has a nasty habit of escaping at the front and running away with races. As things began to settle in, Pedrosa, Lorenzo and Stoner were away together at the front; they were followed by a tight group comprised of Dovizioso, Rossi, Hayden and Spies a few seconds back. Next was Melandri, Simoncelli and Edwards with a gap over the group of Capirossi, Kallio and Espargaro. At the rear were the replacement riders DeAngelis (subbing for Aoyama) and Roger Lee Hayden (subbing for DePuniet), Barbera and Bautista both out of the race already with a retirement and a crash respectively.

Lorenzo began to gap Stoner and simultaneously chip away at Pedrosas lead, lap by lap gaining a tenth here and there and putting pressure on his former nemesis. But just as it appeared the race was headed for a good battle between the two Spaniards, Pedrosa succumbed to the pressure and tucked the front going into turn five, flipping the bike sideways into the air fence. Dani knew his bike was gone and his race over, he just took his gloves off and walked away. Lorenzo then ticked off fast, consistent laps, eventually gaining more than four seconds on Stoner and cruising to his sixth win of the season. Meanwhile, Andrea Dovizioso had pulled nearly two seconds over Valentino Rossi and a third place finish seemed to be very likely for him.

Unfortunately for Dovizioso, his tires began to fail him just as Rossi put his head down to try and reel him in. Just as the race was about to dip under five laps to go, Rossi took over third going into turn eleven. Dovizioso fought back down the straight but Rossi managed to cut across him going over the hill through the slight left-handed turn one, sealing the pass going into the turn two-three complex. Dovizioso held on tenaciously but was never able to mount a pass, he had to settle for third place while Rossi achieved the dream finish that so narrowly eluded him at Sachsenring.

Lorenzo’s victory was his sixth of the year, but almost as impressive is the fact that he has finished in second in the other three races. His penchant for dramatic highsides has been tamed completely along with his Biaggi-esque win- or-fall attitude. The first half of this season has given us a Jorge Lorenzo that can control himself when he knows he can’t win a race, not letting himself be goaded into wild riding that throws points away. Even more importantly is the Jorge Lorenzo we saw this past weekend who has seemingly begun to master Rossi’s trick of pressuring a rider into making a mistake when he may not be quite close enough to mount a pass.

The naysayers will always cite Rossi being gone for a good chunk of the season for Lorenzo’s title juggernaut but the absolute calm, smooth authority he has ridden with is dispelling that race by race. He may not have been 73 points (!) ahead of his closest rival if Rossi had been there the whole time but it’s hard to imagine him being anywhere but first place this year. Rossi has said this himself. If his march to the title is unstoppable, let’s at least hope Rossi’s return will give us some exciting racing to at least keep things interesting.

Photo/Editorial: Jeff Winterberg

VIDEO // BRIAN REDMAN + 1971 PORSCHE 908/3

Courtesy of our friends at the Axis of Oversteer and Checkered Flag Films, check out this wonderful footage featuring Brian Redman and the legandary Porsche 908/3. Powered by a 360hp 2997cc air-cooled flat-eight, and weighing just 1200lbs, the 908/3 was built to compete in but two races, the Targa Florio and Nurburgring 24 Hours. Just 13 examples were produced, eleven in 1969-1970, and two in 1971. In the video featured above, watch as Redman drives the 908/3 to a Group 7A victory during last years Monterey Historics // [comment}

MIATA MONDAY // LAPPING LAGUNA SECA

The car featured above belongs to a gentleman by the name of Scott, who, like a number of Miata owners I know, has been upgrading his roadster since the day he bought it. Powered by Mazda's 1.8-liter BP-I4 motor, Scott has since replaced the head with a ported and polished unit from a '99 Miata, added four Maruha Motors 45mm individual throttle bodies and stripped the powerplant of all the unnecessaries. The drivetrain has seen the addition of an ACT heavy duty clutch, Toda chromoly flywheel, Kaaz 1.5 way LSD, and a Maruha 4.875 final drive, while a set of Tein Flex coilovers help put power to the ground.

Aerodynamic and aesthetic improvements include the massive Rotora 3D GT rear wing, a custom front splitter with Garage Vary canards and APR splitter rods, Jubride fender flares, as well as a set of Work Meister S1's with 225/45/15 Toyo R888s mounted to them. For more images and information, check out the feature that former ColdTrackDays correspondent, Linhbergh Nguyen, put together for SpeedHunters // [comment]

MIATA MONDAY // MIATAS @ MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA

This weeks Miata Monday feature comes to us courtesy of Phil Walter who was lucky enough to spend the weekend hanging out with a bunch of Miata enthusiasts. Celebrating the birth of Mazda's MX-5 roadster, Miatas at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, now in its second year, is a two day event that incorporates both on and off track activities. Held, as you might have guessed, at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, this years event included two days of track time, a giveaway of a full Öhlins suspension, including installation and setup, a banquet with Derek Jenkins, head of design for Mazda North America, as well as nightly BBQs and a car show to wrap things up // [comment]

LUNCH BREAK VIDEO // "THE PASS"

The other day, while watching the first race of the 2010 IndyCar Series, my buddy Ted Anthony Jr. and I were discussing the state of open-wheel racing here in the states. As I mentioned yesterday, we agreed that Laguna Seca would be the perfect venue should Formula One ever return to America. Ted then suggested I watch a YouTube video known simply as "The Pass."

Filmed during the final round of the 1996 CART PPG Indy Car World Series, watch as Alex Zanardi makes a last lap pass of race leader Bryan Herta as the pair run through the infamous 'corkscrew' // [comment]

VIDEO // NICK CAHILL'S TURBO MIATA @ LAGUNA SECA

After some rather disheartening comments were posted on this weeks Miata Monday feature, I decided to do a bit of research and figure out not only who took the photo (Mike), but who owned the car... [read more]



After a quick search on Facebook, I soon discovered the Miata is owned by Nick Cahill, a NorCal roadster enthusiast hell bent on going fast and looking good.

Cahill, who we hope will supply us with some additional information regarding his car, sent me this video of his 250whp NA Miata, as he and a friend lap the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during a track day last month.

So while we wait for additional info on Cahill's Miata, enjoy the video and please, put down the Hatorade ;)

Photo: Mike (HooHa2040)
Video: Nick Cahill
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

DESKTOPS // LIGHTS OUT @ LAGUNA SECA

Courtesy of ColdTrackDays correspondent, Camden Thrasher, enjoy this desktop download of the Falken Porsche 911 GT3, taken at the American Le Mans Series finale at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Download: 1600 x 1200
Download: 1920 x 1200

Click here for a look at additional images from Camden's visit to the ALMS finale // [comment]

BLACK & WHITE // ALMS FINALE @ LAGUNA SECA

With Winter quarter at Western Washington University all but wrapped up, ColdTrackDays correspondent, Camden Thrasher, is now able to provide us with some long awaited photos from the American Le Mans Series finale at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

What follows are a handful of images, all of which have been given the once over in black and white, giving a vintage feel to what would otherwise be a very modern contest of man and machine.

Follow the link for a look... [read more]














For a look at more photos from Camden's visit to the ALMS finale at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, click here

Photo: Camden Thrasher
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

POST RACE RECAP // CAMDEN THRASHER @ ALMS FINALE

The cars lined up on the grid, with the #66 Acura of de Ferran Motorsports on pole. Gil de Ferran topped the qualifying session the day before. The car features a new white livery in honor of Jim Hall and his Chapparal race cars of the ‘60s. Jim Hall gave de Ferran his first professional motorsports drive many years ago. Gil is retiring from active driving duty after this race... [read more]

The Falken girls stand by the Porsche 997 RSR.

An overhead view of the #3 Corvette which took pole in GT2.

A layer of fog had been covering the track all morning but with about 5 minutes to go before race start, the sun broke through. At 2:45 the green flag dropped and the race was on. Simon Pagenaud made a perfect start, holding on to his lead over the other P1 Acura into the first corner.

By the time the GT field rumbled down the straight and into the Andretti hairpin, the two Corvette’s had jumped into the lead. In this photo, both yellow cars have already escaped out of view. 

The large 8 car entry in the Challenge class follows behind the GT2 cars. In the very back can be seen the #16 Dyson Lola which is running without classification in order to test their experimental Bio-Butinol fuel.

Almost as soon as the race had started, it was over for Drayson Racing. On lap 2, less than 5 minutes into the race, their Lola came into contact with the #6 Cytosport car in turn 9. Both cars skidded off track into the tire wall and while the Porsche was able to continue, the Lola suffered broken rear suspension.  This brought out the first of many full course caution periods.

On the restart, Jon Field turned up the boost on the turbocharged AER V8 engine fly past David Brabham in the #9 Acura to move up to second place overall.

Corsa Motorsports seemed to have their Ginetta-Zytek hybrid car dialed in fairly well. Johnny Mowlem was able to hang on to the top P1 cars and even mount occasional challenges on the Acuras.

The #20 Lola-Mazda of B. Leitzinger and M. Franchitti  suffered a premature race finish. With less than an hour of elapsed race time, Butch Leitzinger had to pull the Lola-Mazda off the track with mechanical  troubles and a small fire. This brought out the second yellow flag.  
 
Pit stops shuffled up the running order a bit but the Corvettes retained their lead in class. Here the #45 Porsche of Flying Lizard Motorsports follows behind the sister car.  
 
As the green flag dropped again for the restart, what was once a Corvette stronghold on the GT2 class lead fell apart rather quickly.  Oliver Gavin made a bit of a mistake under braking into the Andretti hairpin, knocking out Tommy Milner in the BMW and James Sofronas in a GT3 Cup.  This brought out yet another caution period as the BMW and Porsche were extracted from the gravel traps. 

The BMW force was suddenly down to just one (damaged) E92 M3 GTR. The sister car retired very early in the race with mechanical issues.

These incidents allowed the #62 Risi Ferrari in the hands of Pierre Kaffer to take over the GT2 class lead. However this would be short lived as contact with the new Jaguar GT2 car would cause damage to the Ferrari’s radiator. The team had to push the car behind the wall to fix the damage, handing the GT2 lead back to Jan Magnussen in the #3 Corvette.
 
Meanwhile, Simon Pagenaud still held onto the P1 lead. At one point he had opened up a gap of over a minute to the second place car.
 
The sole remaining BMW soldiered on, albeit far behind the leaders due to lengthy repairs in the pits.
 
The GT2 championship leading #45 car of the Lizard boys raced on, trying to catch the lead Corvette. They only needed to finish the race in order to claim the GT2 championship but the team was keen on getting the 100th victory for Porsche in the American Le Mans Series.

A pack of GT2 cars at the top of the hill just before they dive downward through the “Corkscrew”. About halfway through the race, the fog rolled back in, blocking out the usually spectacular sunset.

The #48 Ginetta-Zytek, now in the hands of Stefan Johansson, continued to put in a solid performance, occasionally mixing it up with the Patron Highcroft Acura for second in the P1 class.

The white liveried Acura, in honor of Jim Hall, was able to retain the lead after its pitstop for tires, fuel, and driver change to put Gil de Ferran in the car. Gil announced his retirement from active driving earlier this year and this would be his last race. It was obvious that Gil was determined to win this one and go out in style.

The #4 Corvette at the apex of turn 6.

Running a clean race a bit further back in the GT2 field was the Falken Porsche RSR of Dominic Cicero and Brian Sellers. The team ran a limited schedule this year, with this race being their third of the year. Next year the team plans to run a full season with the new 2010 Porsche 997 RSR.

With 146 laps complete, the #66 De Ferran Acura holds on to the lead but only slightly to the P2 class Acura of Adrian Fernandez. Fernandez was putting in some blistering laps to keep up with, and even pass the P1 Acura for the lead. The P1 car had the advantage on the straights, with Fernandez in the smaller P2 making up time in the corners.
 
 
The battle continued into full darkness. The excitement continued to build as both cars had to navigate through slower traffic. But in the end, Gil de Ferran held on to take the win in his last race of his driving career.

To add to the close battle for the overall victory, the GT2 class developed a fantastic fight of its own. Jan Magnussen in the #3 Vette  and the #45 Porsche of Jorg Bergmeister ran nose to tail, swapping places at every corner. On the last lap, both cars drag raced side by side to the finish line. The Porsche squeezed the Vette over towards the pit wall. The push and shove game ended dramatically with the Corvette spinning hard across the track and into the opposite wall and the Porsche crossing the line first. With this win, Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Long took the GT2 Championship.

Gil de Ferran and Simon Pagenaud celebrate an emotional victory to end the season. Due to a few bad finishes earlier in the season, the De Ferran team was not able to clinch the P1 Championship. This honor went to David Brabham and Scott Sharp of Patron Highcroft Acura. 

Here the winning Acura goes through post race technical inspection.

The weekend turned out to be tough one for BMW. With one car finishing sixth in class and the other not finishing the race, this was not exactly the kind of result that BMW would have been hoping for. However, their season overall was very solid and they were able to take their first win at Road America. The team can be expected to come back even stronger next year.

The Corvette team’s weekend did not end very well either. Although they qualified on pole, both cars were involved in accidents that prevented them from finishing on top. Here, the #3 car sits on the tow truck, heavily damged from the spectatucalr last lap battle and crash.

The Falken Porsche sits alone next to the team trailer. The team gained lots of experience this year and can be expected to come back stronger next year.

Overall, the race was a fantastic end to the 2009 season. The battle between the P1 and P2 car for the overall lead gives good impressions for next year and the combination of both prototype classes into a single class.

For a look at more photos from the ALMS finale at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, click here

Photo/Editorial: Camden Thrasher