GRAND-AM // BRUMOS PORSCHE 250 @ DAYTONA

Over the weekend, the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series held its ninth round of competition, the Brumos Porsche 250 at the Daytona International Speedway. This was the second time the GRAND-AM series has visited the infamous Florida speedway this season, and ColdTrackDays correspondent, Curtis Creager, was lucky enough to be trackside all weekend.

Follow the link for complete results and a handful of images... [read more]

































GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series // Brumos Porsche 250 @ Daytona:

1 01 DP 1 Pruett / Rojas Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates / BMW Riley 83 1:42.817 6 116.889
2 8 DP 2 Dalziel / Forest Starworks Motorsport / BMW Riley 83 1:43.129 39 116.578
3 60 DP 3 Negri / Pew Michael Shank Racing / Ford Riley 83 1:44.083 72 116.322
4 59 DP 4 Donohue / Law Brumos Racing / Porsche Riley 83 1:42.889 44 116.283
5 77 DP 5 Gidley / von Moltke Doran Racing / Ford Dallara 83 1:44.045 71 115.782
6 75 DP 6 Jonsson / Krohn Krohn Racing / Ford Lola 82 1:44.162 51 115.863
7 99 DP 7 Fogarty / Gurney GAINSCO/ Bob Stallings Racing / Chevrolet Riley 82 1:42.439 5 115.263
8 90 DP 8 Garcia / Rice Spirit of Daytona Racing / Porsche Coyote 82 1:43.477 38 114.406
9 10 DP 9 Angelelli / Taylor SunTrust Racing / Ford Dallara 81 1:42.527 41 114.017
10 9 DP 10 Barbosa / Borcheller Action Express Racing / Porsche Riley 81 1:43.878 76 113.866
11 66 GT 1 Lally / Valentine TRG / Porsche GT3 79 1:50.553 68 110.269
12 94 GT 2 Auberlen / Dalla Lana Turner Motorsport / BMW M6 79 1:51.195 53 109.801
13 57 GT 3 Davis / Liddell Stevenson Motorsports / Camaro GT.R 78 1:51.190 36 109.748
14 69 GT 4 Assentato / Segal SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8 78 1:51.564 39 109.714
15 68 GT 5 Christodoulou / Edwards SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8 78 1:51.135 39 109.713
16 70 GT 6 Bomarito / Tremblay SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8 78 1:51.640 36 109.466
17 41 GT 7 Gue / Keen Dempsey Racing / Mazda RX-8 78 1:51.344 67 109.316
18 30 GT 8 Lamb / Taylor Racers Edge Motorsports / Mazda RX-8 78 1:51.694 60 108.890
19 97 GT 9 Magnussen / Schaldach Stevenson Motorsports / Camaro GT.R 78 1:51.583 73 108.587
20 43 GT 10 Nonnamaker / Nonnamaker Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8 78 1:52.495 38 108.496
21 28 GT 11 Collins / Gigliotti / Lux LG Motorsports / Corvette 77 1:51.975 47 107.623
22 42 GT 12 Nonnamaker / Sahlen Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8 77 1:54.001 36 107.494
23 67 GT 13 Bassett TRG / Porsche GT3 76 1:51.386 34 106.928
24 61 DP 11 Frisselle / Wilkins AIM Autosport / Ford Riley 76 1:43.550 8 106.174
25 6 DP 12 Frisselle / Valiante Michael Shank Racing / Ford Dallara 58 1:43.432 7 112.301
26 40 GT 14 Dempsey / Foster Dempsey Racing / Mazda RX-8 55 1:52.040 47 105.976
27 65 GT 15 Martinez / Martinez SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8 45 1:53.429 5 62.591
28 44 GT 16 Potter / Stanton Magnus Racing / Porsche GT3 38 1:51.389 35 87.581
29 7 DP 13 Lester / Philippe Starworks Motorsport / BMW Riley 34 1:45.268 29 103.417
30 07 GT 17 Edwards / Russell Banner Racing / Corvette 26 1:51.975 19 77.961
31* 31 GT 0 Curran / Said Marsh Racing / Corvette 0 0 0.000

Photos: Curtis Creager
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

MotoGP // LORENZO WINS @ CATALUNYA

The last two MotoGP rounds (Silverstone and Assen) have been runaway victories for Jorge Lorenzo. While this is fantastic for Lorenzo, it has left fans perhaps wishing for some of the drama his rivalry with Valentino Rossi provided last year. Catalunya was the venue for what was arguably 2009’s most exciting battle. If you haven’t seen it, find a way to do so. This weekend’s festivities being the fourth Valentino Rossi-less race of the season, the announcers were keen to remind viewers of last year’s glory as perhaps a means of distraction. I don’t know how many times the final turn was referred to as “The Valentino Rossi Memorial corner” as if everyone knew 2010 would never eclipse 2009... [read more]

Leading up to Sunday, all was going according to the script of the last few races. Lorenzo was on pole and dominant in all sessions except for warm-up where he was third but only 0.161s off leader Dani Pedrosa. Pedrosa and Stoner, for their parts, maintained their alien status by being at the top end of the timesheets when it counted. It was, however, Randy DePuniet who again upset conventional wisdom by landing his satellite LCR Honda on the front row for the third week in a row. It’s worth noting that DePuniet actually led a good chunk of qualifying practice.

At the start of the race, Pedrosa got one of his trademark starts, catapulting him from the second row to first place immediately with Lorenzo close behind, his own starts having improved lately. Unfortunately for Pedrosa, as he later explained, his brakes failed him going into turn one. He managed to pump them in time to avoid running straight into the wall and was able to rejoin the race, albeit in tenth place. From here the leading pack consisted of Jorge Lorenzo followed by Casey Stoner, Andrea Dovizioso and Randy DePuniet, they quickly dropped the other riders. By the middle of lap two, Dani Pedrosa had managed to work his way back to fifth and was looking to close down on DePuniet. Then as lap three got underway, Dovizioso managed to out-brake Lorenzo into turn one and take the lead. A lap and a half later Lorenzo took it back and Pedrosa soon after got past DePuniet.

At the start of lap five, it was Stoner’s turn to run wide. He lost fewer places than Pedrosa did but he was still punted back to fifth. It only took Stoner a lap or two to get back past DePuniet and he set his sights on Pedrosa, Lorenzo and Dovizioso having pulled away. These latter two seemed to be locked in what was hopefully becoming a real protracted battle but, alas, with just over ten laps to go, Dovizioso lost the front going into turn ten, leaving Lorenzo to skate to another distant first place. Pedrosa and Stoner were left to provide the spectacle, though they were close, Stoner could never quite get the run to really make Dani too nervous. Randy DePuniet rode home to a season’s best and lonely fourth place. He had chosen a harder rear tire, which likely prevented him sliding around too much at the end at the expense of challenging in the early stages of the race. The top ten was rounded out by Alvaro Bautista, Ben Spies, Loris Capirossi, Nicky Hayden, Marco Melandri and Hector Barbera.

Aside from the obvious reinforcement of Lorenzo’s juggernaut status, Catalunya may have underscored Dorna’s need to get Rossi back into action as soon as possible. Despite the fact that there was a little more battle here than the past two outings, the contrast to last year’s Catalunya was still there. Rossi may be the only person in the series right now capable of challenging Lorenzo consistently. Let’s hope rumors of his return at the Sachsenring are true (most selfishly because I will be at Laguna Seca one week later).

Also very worth mention is Suzuki’s fifth and seventh places after what can only be termed a disappointing start to the season. Let’s hope it inspires the factory to start dumping a little more money into their MotoGP program. It should also be noted that Ben Spies continues to place highest of all the rookies, in races he has not crashed out of at least. If you consider that he has placed on or close to the podium at tracks where he has prior experience (Assen) or that nobody has been to (Silverstone) he would seem to be living up to his promise as the next real threat from America. Doubly so if he moves up to the factory Yamaha next year if all this gossip about Rossi defecting to Ducati comes true.

Photo(s): MotoGP
Editorial: Jeff Winterberg

THE PADDOCK // 2010 PACIFIC NORTHWEST HISTORICS

On Friday, ColdTrackDays correspondent, Danny Sullivan, spent the afternoon at Pacific Raceways for the 22nd Annual SOVREN Pacific Northwest Historics presented by Phil Smart Mercedes-Benz. And while the weather didn't exactly cooperate, Danny was able to snap some rather impressive images around the paddock. Follow the link for a look... [read more]


































Photo: Danny Sullivan
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

FOR SALE // McLAREN F1 GTR ART CAR

The McLaren F1 GTR 'Art Car' featured above will be up for auction on July 9th at Hervé Poulain's auction house in Le Mans. The car, which Poulain drove to a 13th overall finish during the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, was painted by César, a gentleman known for displaying crushed cars during the 1960s. For this particular livery, César painted 'flattened' Le Mans trophies on the GTR and was quoted as saying: “I have compressed your vanity but increased your glory.”

Follow the link for a bit of video... [read more]



Image: Sevan Calians
Info: Axis of Oversteer
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

VIDEO // NEED FOR SPEED'S Z4 GT3 CRASHES @ JARAMA

During last weekends FIA GT3 race at Jarama, Spain, Edward Sandström wrecked the Team Need for Speed BMW Z4 GT3 during Saturday's practice session. The FIA GT3 European Championship now moves onto the Circuit Paul Ricard for the fourth round of the 2010 season // [comment]

VIDEO // FORMULA 1 PIT STOP IN DOWNTOWN LONDON

Oh, how we love Formula One promotional stunts. And really, who does them better than Red Bull! At 5:00 AM GMT, Red Bull's Mark Webber drove the Renault powered RB5 through London's Parliament Square, stopping in front of the House of Parliament for a fresh set of tires. Good show // [comment]

PPIHC // TAJIMA WINS UNLIMITED CLASS

Although Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima was unable to break the illusive ten minute barrier during last weekends 88th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, he was able to collect yet another Unlimted Class victory, climbing the 12.42-mile course in just 10:11.490. Rhys Millen, driving his 750hp Hyundai powered PM580, hoped to break the overall record set by Tajima in 2007, but could only muster an 11:06.208 run up the mountain // [comment]

VIDEO // PAGANI ZONDA R @ THE NURBUGRING

Courtesy of our friends at YORK Motorsport, here is the video from Marc Bassen's record breaking lap of the Nürburgring in the Pagani Zonda R. Anyone speak German? // [comment]

NEWS // RAIKKONEN TO JOIN KUBICA @ RENAULT?

Autosport is reporting that Renault F1 is currently negotiating with MasterCard to be their title sponsor for the 2011 season and beyond. MasterCard last sponsored an F1 team in 1997, however their Lola failed to compete that year. If the deal were to go through, the French automaker might be able to retain the services of Robert Kubica, the Polish racing driver who joined the F1 ranks in 2006 after winning the Formula Renault 3.5 title the year before and who is currently sixth in the points this season. Additionally, if Renault were able to secure additional funding for their F1 efforts, rumor has it the French team might be looking to replace Russian Vitaly Petrov with someone a bit more experienced... like Kimi Raikkonen. Stay tuned! // [comment]

HISTORY // THE 4 HOURS OF MONZA - 1971

From our friend Harlo at The Chicane, check out this wonderful footage shot during the first round of the 1971 European Touring Car Championship, the 4 Hours of Monza. Featuring cars such as the Alfa Romeo GTA, BMW 2002 and 2800, Fiat 500, Ford Escort and even a Chevrolet Camaro, this footage is certainly worth a few minutes of your lunch break.

Follow the link for parts two and three... [read more]





Video(s): The Chicane
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

NEWS // PAGANI'S ZONDA R BREAKS RING RECORD

According to EVO, Horacio Pagani's Zonda R has just broken Ferrari's record at the infamous Nürburgring. Lapping the Nordschleife in just 6:47, the Zonda R is now, unofficially, the fastest production car to lap the Green Hell. And how did they do it? Well, Pagani hired Marc Basseng, a driver with a great deal of experience at the Nürburgring, who not only set the new record but said that the Zonda R could potentially lap the 15.2 mile circuit in under 6:40! Follow the link for a bit of video... [read more]



Image: Alexandre Besancon
Info: EVO
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

BTCC // TEAM HONDA TO APPEAR @ GOODWOOD F.O.S.

Current British Touring Car squad, Team Honda, will be heavily represented at this years Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 2nd-4th) with both Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden set to take to the famous hillclimb in this years BTCC Civic.

Honda will also be staging the next round of their "Question Of Motorsport" quiz at the show on Friday July 2nd starting at 3:15pm. The popular quiz which has travelled the country with events preceding BTCC race weekends, will once more be hosted by former champion Tim Harvey... [read more]

The "Festival Of Speed", considered to be the "Royal Ascot" of the motorsport world, this year has "Viva Veloce" (The Passion For Speed) as its theme and will be celebrating the famous Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo as its chosen marque. Highlights of the weekend include six of today's F1 teams featuring drivers such as Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg, Jarno Trulli and reigning F1 Champion Jenson Button.

Legendary F1 drivers such as Sir Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi and Damon Hill will also tackle the 1.16-mile hillclimb. The festival also includes a short rally stage which will see drivers such as Ken Block and Kris Meeke in action.

James Toseland, Max Biaggi, Leon Camier and Giacomo Agostini are amongst the famous names from the world of two wheels set to take centre stage. Organisers have indicated that just a few tickets remain for the 2010 event (which is strictly by advance ticket only).

To purchase tickets click here

Photo/Editorial: Neil Tozer

VIDEO // THE McLAREN ARCHIVE

Apparently, the brass at McLaren allowed Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button access to their storage facility, where the two promptly picked out their favorite rides, snapped a few photos and discussed the importance of their roles at the famed British racing team. Staged? Maybe. Do we care? Nope // [comment]

DRIVER BLOG // JOEY ATTERBURY @ MID-OHIO

After some very encouraging weekends at both rounds 5 & 6 of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge we were headed to Mid-Ohio. Mitchum Motorsports accomplished a lot in the two early races in June; our 8th place finish at Lime Rock Park was the best of the year, and we were running in the top five for the first hour of the race at Watkins Glen before our rear bumper peeled off and we had to stop for repairs. Needless to say we unloaded the trailer in Ohio with high hopes for the weekend... [read more]

GRAND-AM, who is always looking to keep the playing field level, allowed the Camaro’s to drop a bit more weight, down to 3200lbs. The team is constantly working with the officials and this change would certainly help us compete with those M3’s and Mustangs! We had great weather the entire weekend in Ohio, and also had the pleasure of having regular co-driver Devin Cates back in the car. With the sun out and high humidity, I was constantly reaching back to the cooler for yet another water or Gatorade. Staying hydrated in the car for almost two hours during a race is very important, and it starts well before race day.

For qualifying we decided to put Devin in the car and he performed great, giving the Camaro a starting spot of P12 out of nearly 70 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge cars. As Friday was coming to a close at the racetrack, things at the Mitchum Motorsports camp were just starting to get fired up. Chris Mitchum and I had planned a small meet and greet with several young, up and coming drivers to explore plans of racing in GRAND-AM in the years to come. Needless to say it was great to see the ‘new’ drivers in the paddock come and meet the team at Mitchum.

With race day upon us, that also meant the fan walk was drawing near. This is probably my favorite part of the weekend (besides the actual race), meeting our fans and sharing stories is always great! Attendance at Ohio was high - I love to see that people are interested in motor racing and are coming out to see it in person. I was even able to get an autograph of my own from the Sahlen’s ST car sponsor, ‘Hot Dog Boy’!

Saturday was the hottest day of the weekend, which made for an awesome crowd for Round seven of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. I don’t think the drivers or teams have let down the fans yet, every race has been action packed and Ohio did not disappoint. Devin made good work of his opening stint in the car moving all the way up to 5th position. I was able to get in the car just about half-way through and found myself 19th after the all the pit strategy worked out. Unfortunately I made a mistake with about 10 minutes left and spun the car, this resulted in another car clipping the front-end after I had come back on track to resume the race.

The damage was enough to force us to pit to check the car out before I could continue. Nothing could be repaired in pit lane but I was able to limp the car home to the checkered flag. It was a disappointing end to what seemed to be a great break-through weekend for the Mitchum Motorsports team. I made sure to apologize to the crew for the mistake I made and have learned from it so it will never happen again. With about a month before our next race at New Jersey, I’m confident that you will see the Black/Yellow #6.2 Mitchum Motorsports Camaro back at the front!



Photo(s): Curtis Creager
Editorial: Joey Atterbury

VIDEO // 1967 U.S. GRAND PRIX @ WATKINS GLEN

Our friends at YORK Motorsport just posted this video to their Facebook page, and I thought we'd reblog it. Filmed at the iconic Watkins Glen, enjoy nearly five minutes of footage from the 1967 United States Grand Prix, a race that saw Jim Clark beat his Lotus-Ford teammate, Graham Hill, by more than six seconds, collecting his third victory of the season // [comment]

NASCAR // MUSTANG TO MAKE NATIONWIDE DEBUT ON FRIDAY

The Ford Mustang will make it's NASCAR debut this Friday at the Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway. To promote the Mustang's entrance into NASCAR's Nationwide Series, Ford has just announced that it will offer a brand new 2011 Mustang GT to the winner of Friday's race, provided they do so in a Ford branded vehicle of course. Additionally, Dodge will unveil their NASCAR ready Challenger on Friday night, and with ColdTrackDays correspondent, Curtis Creager, live at Daytona all weekend, we're excited to see how the two stack up. Stay tuned // [comment]