BRAWN GP // FORMER HONDA TEAM SEEN TESTING AT SILVERSTONE

Just receieved a press release stating that former Honda F1 team principal, Ross Brawn, will be taking over the now defunct Honda operation. The new team will be titled Brawn GP and will retain the services of both Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button. A website for the team has already been established and the team was seen running tests at the Silverstone circuit earlier this week. For additional information about Brawn GP, click here // 03.07.2009 [your thoughts]

BRAVE SOULS // LIONEL REGAL F3000 HILLCLIMB

Courtesy of Joe LeBlanc, check out this onboard footage of Lionel Regal in a F3000 from the Course de Cote at Mont Ventoux. Not sure of the date, but if we had to guess, we'd say 1993(ish). A great bit of video that gives new meaning to being brave behind the wheel // 03.07.2009 [your thoughts]

FORMULA ONE TESTING // JEREZ SPAIN - MARCH 5TH

Featured above are a few shots taken during the F1 testing session at the Jerez Circuit on March 5th. BMW-Sauber driver, Nick Heidfeld, laid down the fastest lap of the day, with the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen close on his heels. Early reports of the McLaren MP4-24 suffering from problems associated with their 2009 rear wing seem to have dissipated, as the reigning world champion finished the day amongst the top three.


Complete results from March 5 testing:

1. Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) 1:20.052
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:20.414
3. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes) 1:21.272
4. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) 1:22.219
5. Kazuki Nakajima (AT&T Williams) 1:22.226
6. Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 1:23.119

Additional coverage of F1 testing to come. Stay tuned // 03.07.2009 [your thoughts]

LUNCH BREAK VIDEO // A HISTORY OF THE MUSTANG - DOWN UNDER

An in depth look at the Ford Mustang and its importance in Australian motorsport. From the Bathurst 1000 to Trans Am, be sure and set a bit of time aside for this one (run time is 60 minutes). Enjoy // 03.07.2009 [your thoughts]

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING // THE BOURNE TRILOGY

I cannot tell you how many times people have told me I look like Matt Damon. Hell, my grandmother even wrote it in a Christmas card this year. Now admittedly, having since trimmed out (lets just say I was well rounded), I myself can see the resemblance to Mr.Damon, at least a little. So, with that said, I decided to watch all three of the Jason Bourne movies, one after the other (for scientific reasons obviously).

Offering some of the best automotive chase scenes since The Fast & The Furious (just kidding), the Bourne trilogy ranks high atop my list of ‘willing to watch twice’ movies... // 03.07.2009 [your thoughts]

A LOOK BACK // 1970 TRANS AM FINALE @ PACIFIC RACEWAYS

Came across this short bit of video from the 1970 Trans Am season finale at none other than Pacific Raceways. A class of cars and competitors that may never be seen in motor sport again, the Trans Am class was created in 1966, by SCCA President John Bishop and was derived from the A & B Sedan amateur Club Racing classes. Best known for its connection with Americas 'pony car' era, the Trans Am series saw cars like the Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, Plymouth Barracuda, Mercury Cougar, AMC Javelin & AMC AMX, Pontiac Firebird, Dodge Dart & Dodge Challenger battle it out on road course across the US. However, due to a lack of participants, the SCCA cut the Trans Am series from their program after the 2005 season.

Be sure and stay with ColdTrackDays, as we will be bringing you live coverage of the 2009 SOVREN Pacific Northwest Historics, where the Trans Am cars will once again line up on the Pacific Raceways starting grid... Until then // 03.06.2009

UNMATCHED COOL // PAUL NEWMAN

Just a humbling reminder, that as cool as we think we are, we will never be this cool // 03.06.2009

LUNCH BREAK VIDEO // AUTO ERGONOMICS EVO VIII

A bit of video from our friends at Clashproduction. Shot during last years UK Time Attack series, check out their feature on the Auto Ergonomics Evo VIII 632PS.

Specs on the Auto Ergonomics Evo are as follows:

Mitsubishi Evolution VIII
2.3litre, HKS T04-Z Turbo, Complete Auto Ergonomics Specially built engine,
MOTEC M800 Pro Management with ADL Data Logger
NS Racing Complete Exhaust System,
Drenth Dog Box Gearbox, CARBONETIC Front and Rear Diffs & Triple Clutch,
MOTEC MDC Diif Controller, Carbon Propshaft, TEIN Super RACING Damper Kit,
Fully Adjustable Lower Arms,
DO-LUCK Combination Body Kit & RAYS Light wheels.


Never ones to disappoint, click here for additional videos from Clashproduction // 03.06.2009

FORMULA ONE TESTING // JEREZ SPAIN - MARCH 4TH

Listed below are the results from yesterday’s Formula One test session at the Jerez Circuit in Spain. A new lineup of drivers hit the track with the Reanult of Fernando Alonso posting the fastest time of the day. Also of note was McLaren’s usage of the 2008 spec rear wing, a decision that has many on the blogosphere wondering if they are having issues with their MP4-24

Complete results from March 4 testing:

Fernando Alonso (Renault) 1.19.945
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1.20.250
Nick Heidfeld (BMW-Sauber) 1.20.520
Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 1.20.540
Mark Webber (Red Bull) 1.20.894
Kazuki Nakajima (Williams) 1.20.948
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 1.21.302
Adrian Sutil (Force India) 1.21.411

Stay tuned for additonal coverage of F1 testing from Jerez // 03.06.2009

EYE CANDY // AC COBRA FROM ALASTAIR

This weeks Eye Candy comes to us courtesy of Photomotive.org photographer, Alastair G. For a look at additional shots from Alastair, click here // 03.05.2009

FORMULA ONE TESTING // JEREZ SPAIN - MARCH 1ST

This week saw all eight of the 2009 Formula One teams that have launched thus far, head to the Jerez Circuit in Spain for a second round of testing. Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari powered Red Bull RB5 was a solid 1.3 seconds faster than Felipe Massa in his F60 Ferrari. The Toyota of Kamui Kobayashi was close on his heels, posting times only a half a seconds off those of Massa.

Complete results from March 1 testing listed below:

Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 1.19:055 - 87 laps
Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1.20:330 - 63 laps
Kamui Kobayashi (Toyota) 1.20:699 - 79 laps
Nico Rosberg (Williams) 1.21:171 - 71 laps
Robert Kubica (BMW) 1.21:292 - 47 laps
Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India) 1.21:584 - 31 laps
Pedro De la Rosa (McLaren) 1.21:831 - 94 laps
Nelson Piquet Jr (Renault) 1.22:011 - 52 laps

Be sure and stay tuned for additional coverage of F1 testing at Jerez // 03.05.2009

A LOST ART // FORMULA ONE TIMING THROUGH THE AGES

Offering a look at vintage F1 timing methods, check out this video from our friends at The Axis.

Showcasing, in my opinion, what has been lost since Formula One implemented an automated timing system, I feel that what is gained in terms of accuracy, comes at a price. Your thoughts? // 03.05.2009

LIVE AND IN THE FLESH // ALFA ROMEO'S MiTo GTA @ GENEVA

By request, here are a few shots of the Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA in the flesh. Taken at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, we can't help but note, that as much as we rejoice in the return of Alfa Romeo to our United States, our interests lie in what is parked behind that MiTo GTA... I suppose you could say we are old souls // 03.05.2009

JASON CASTRIOTA & STILE BERTONE'S ONE-OFF SUPERCAR

Jason Castriota, the man responsible for James Glickenhaus’ one-off Ferrari P4/5, is now working with Stile Bertone to develop yet another one-off super car, set to be unveiled at this years Auto Shanghai. Dubbed ‘Project M,’ the video featured above is the first of what we assume will be a number of installments from Bradley Farrell, highlighting both the design and build of Castriota and Bertone’s supercar. Additional information can be garnered from the 'Inside Project M' website, but be sure and stay tuned, as we will continue to feature Farrell’s video as they are made available.

Oh, and did we mention we will be in Shanghai when Castriota and Bertone unveil their creation... Stay tuned // 03.04.2009

UNVEILED // FERRARI'S 599XX AT THE GENEVA AUTO SHOW

Based on the 599 GTB Fiorano, Ferrari’s 599XX features a handful of Formula One hand-me-downs and is the latest release of their ‘track only’ collection. Like the Enzo FXX, the 599XX will be a limited production car, sold only to those hand picked by Ferrari to become 'Client Test Drivers.'

Finished in paint matching that of Ferrari’s F2008, the 599XX made its debut yesterday at the Geneva Motor Show. Details are limited at this time, but I am sure carbon-fiber, 700bhp and carbon-ceramic brakes will be on the menu. For a few more shots of the 599XX, click here // 03.04.2009

LUNCH BREAK VIDEO // THE 2008 BATHURST 1000

Following Matthew Mead's coverage of the Bathurst 12 Hour, we thought we’d feature a bit of video from the Bathurst 1000. Also held at the Mount Panorama Circuit, the Bathurst 1000 is like nothing seen stateside. V8 sedans on steroids, helicopter film crews, loads of in-car footage and 1000km of door to door ‘V8 Supercar’ racing, on a circuit that sees 200+mph stretches and a downhill section that puts even Laguna Seca’s corkscrew to shame. You have to see it to believe it. Enjoy // 03.04.2009

SUNSEEKER '09 // NICHOLLS TAKES WIN AS FRONT RUNNERS FALTER

Will Nicholls and Nick Broom took the win in Bournemouth as others fell foul to various technical issues and accidents. The Isle of Wight driver and his Yeovil-based co-driver ended the 13 stages that make up the event nearly 30 seconds clear of 2004 winners Roger Duckworth and Mark Broomfield.
 
Will Nicholls inherited the lead when all three of his major rivals ran into trouble. The first of these was multi-Sunseeker winners Marcus Dodd and Andrew Bargery who suffered engine failure in their HPM Motorsport Hyundai Accent WRC. Dodd and Bargery were soon joined at the service park, when Paul Bird’s recently aquired Ford Focus WRC fell foul to an electrical problem, forcing him to retire.
 
Shortly after Bird's retirement Steve Perez's VK Liveried 07 Focus WRC ended its outing in the Dorset Forests embeded in a ditch.
 
Again, as in the last few years, the "Sunseker" was also the 1st round of the Mitsubishi Evolution Challenge running under Group N regulations. The win went to Daniel Barry and Martin Brady in their EVO9, only three seconds ahead of Simon Hughes and Patrick Walsh in their identical car.
 
The traditional Friday evening spectator stage at Bournemouth Gardens was curtailed following an accident on the opening stage along the seafront. A competeing car left the road, destroying a lamp post in the process. The driver and his co driver suffered minor injuries with the driver having to be carefully removed by rescue crew from the car. The two runs never re-started as live electrical cables had come down with the impact.

All in all, the 2009 Rally Sunseeker was a succes and certainly an event we recomend visiting if the opportunity were to arise. Be sure and stay tuned for additional coverage of the 2009 UK MSA Gravel Rally Championship.

Editorial/Photo: Neil Tozer // 03.03.2009

MAKE IT EASY // FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Oh come on, everyone is doing it...

A bit easier than an RSS feed, head over to the ColdTrackDays Twitter page, join up and start following us. Updated daily, our Twitter page is a great way to stay connected, receive updates and will allow you to tell people your are tweeting! Click here if you dare // 03.03.2009

THE UNDERDOGS // FORCE INDIA REVEALS THEIR VJM02

Force India, Formula One's smallest team has unveiled their entry for the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship. Dubbed the VJM02, Force India was seen testing their new platform at Silverstone last week, the first time the new car has been seen. Adrian Sutil, Giancarlo Fisichella and Vitantonio Liuzzi will again pilot the Force India cars and there is a great deal of enthusiasm about the 2009 season. With less than a month before the season opener at Melbourne, we are looking forward to what Force India and the rest of the privateer teams can do against a field of well funded operations. Until then... // 03.03.2009

THE NEW STANDARD // MUNICH EVOLUTION

Set to open later this month, Munich Evolution will be a high end consignment, service and car care facility located on Highway 99 near Greenlake. Matt LaCross, formerly of M-Cars Seattle, will be running the operation and hopes to provide the Northwest motorsport community with an alternative venue for sales, service and detail work. Matt brings an extensive knowledge of the automotive industry and has partnered with BMW Seattle as well as Group 2 Motorsports to provide exceptional service and tuning for his clients. We stopped by over the weekend to speak with Matt about Munich Evolution, snap a few photos and check out the new shop. Certainly worth a visit, be sure and stay tuned for additional information and features on a few of the cars Matt will have on consignment // 03.02.2009

A LOST CAUSE // JAKE YORATH LOOKS AT THE FORD 3L

Take that swooping shape. Follow the line over the headlights, the luscious form of that coupe top. Follow the pinch of the engine cover, down the deck and to that spoiler, and then remember it all. Not bad, the Ford P68. Actually, it’s better known as the Ford 3L. I remember it mainly because I had a Matchbox toy of it; a beautiful shape, with chipped edges and wheels that, by the time I got hold of it second hand, didn’t really go round like they should. It took me quite a while to meet a real one. They’re pretty rare- there were only three, ever, and now there are two running examples that remain.

I met David Piper’s, and it doesn’t disappoint. It was a bit crap as a race car. Drivers said it was unstable at high speed, to the extent that John Surtees and Jack Brabham both refused to drive it, and it broke down... every single time it raced. Between the P68 coupe, and the sole P69 spyder that followed, it never finished a race. Of the 8 events that were entered, an awful lot of things went wrong. Engine failure (Silverstone ’68), transmission failure (Brands Hatch ’68), engine mount failure (Brands Hatch ’68) and, in the final ever race at Silverstone in 1969, the car was withdrawn because of wet electrics. An apt end, some might say. Apt in that it rains more at Silverstone than anywhere on record (that may be a lie, but I doubt it) but apt also because, sadly, the 3L was a damp squib. Sum total of it’s career (remember, of course, that this car was introduced off the back of the stunningly effective Mark IV, arguably the best Ford ever made); one pole position. It’s not like all the drivers were unknowns, or half wits either. In it’s first event, the listed drivers were Denny Hulme, Bruce McLaren, Mike Spence and (soon to be Formula One world champion) Jochen Rindt.
 The car was built by Alan Mann Racing, who knew a thing or two about saloon cars, having run all kinds of Fords before becoming a Ford factory team in 1964.  It was penned by design legend Len Bailey, who’d done the GT40. “Ah,” I hear you say, “didn’t the GT40 have high speed stability issues too?” Yes. Maybe someone should’ve told Len. The car was built for the new Group 6 regulations, which called for lightweight, 3 litre sports cars (it was the same class that brought Porsche’s 908 and Ferrari’s stunning 312P/PB to the party), rather than “production” based 5 litre cars, which provided a new home for the GT40. The late sixties provided some pretty sexy race cars, didn’t it?  It had a drag coefficient of just 0.27 (meaning it was slippery), the frontal area of a mouse, and a top speed of 350 KM/H- or, in other words, far too much speed and far too little downforce. Bailey created a special tail, designed to create a vortex and therefore downforce over the back; he was wrong, most of the downforce ended up over the front. As the car evolved, the spoilers got bigger, and the drivers got no less scared of it.  It did have the legendary DFV engine, but that was no consolation. It wasn’t used as a stressed member like it was designed for, but in an aluminium frame- which broke on occasion. 

Eventually, they gave up with it, after the P69 was designed with hydraulic wings that got banned by the FIA.  So the story ended, and the car went into the history books as stunning, but not all that great at actually doing what it should.  A bit like Jessica Alba, really.

Editorial/Photo: Jake Yorath // 03.02.2009

SOONER THAN EXPECTED // CTD TO ATTEND THE 2009 CHINESE GP

After much deliberation and great debate, we have decided to attend the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix. Scheduled for the weekend of April 17-19, be sure and stay tuned for coverage of our visit to the People's Republic of China // 03.02.2009

NISMO'S GT-R GT1 // EXPECTED TO RUN FOUR RACES IN '09

When we first heard that Nissan would enter the 2010 FIA GT Championship with a Le Mans spec GT-R, a car that would allow privateer teams to compete in the GT1 class, thoughts of Paul Newman and his Nissan 300ZX came to mind. Now, in an effort to test the performance of their GT-R platform, Nissan has partnered with Gigawave MotorSport and will run their NISMO-developed GT-R in four races during the 2009 season. Piloting the GT-R will be NISMO’s GT500 driver Michael Krumm and Gigawave’s Darren Turner. Though a schedule of events is yet to be released, there is a good chance Nissan will run at Le Mans this June. More when we know more // 03.02.2009