NEWS // RAIKKONEN WINS A RALLY RACE?!

Okay, so it wasn't a round of the World Rally Championship, but the former F1 champ did collect his first rally win this past weekend. The event, known as the Rallye Vosgien, is a part of the French national series and was contested by Raikkonen's Citroën Junior Team ahead of the WRC Rally of France. Raikkonen and his co-pilot, Kaj Lindstrom, drove their Citroën C4 across the finish line some three minutes ahead of the next competitor, Quentin Gilbert. Now, we'll just have to wait and see if Raikkonen can have similar success when the WRC heads to France next month // [comment]

IndyCar // CASTRONEVES WINS @ TWIN RING MOTEGI

Over the weekend, the IZOD IndyCar Series held the penultimate round of their 2010 season, the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi. Starting from pole, Helio Castroneves managed to hold off the hard charging Dario Franchitti to collect his third win of the 2010 season. Franchitti would finish second ahead of Castroneves' teammate and current championship points leader, Will Power.

Follow the link for complete results... [read more]



2010 Indy Japan 300 // Complete Results:

1 3 Helio Castroneves Team Penske 200 02:04:04.4780 Running 53
2 10 Dario Franchitti Target Chip Ganassi Racing 200 02:04:09.0526 Running 40
3 12 Will Power Team Penske 200 02:04:09.5523 Running 35
4 6 Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 200 02:04:10.9605 Running 32
5 7 Danica Patrick Andretti Autosport 200 02:04:12.0837 Running 30
6 9 Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing 200 02:04:12.8421 Running 28
7 11 Tony Kanaan Andretti Autosport 200 02:04:13.8873 Running 26
8 02 Graham Rahal Newman/Haas Racing 200 02:04:16.1943 Running 24
9 37 Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport 200 02:04:16.6905 Running 22
10 4 Dan Wheldon Panther Racing 200 02:04:16.9500 Running 20
11 26 Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport 200 02:04:19.9787 Running 19
12 5 Takuma Sato (R) KV Racing Technology 200 02:04:20.5473 Running 18
13 77 Alex Tagliani FAZZT Race Team 200 02:04:22.1554 Running 17
14 06 Hideki Mutoh Newman/Haas Racing 200 02:04:22.7591 Running 16
15 8 E.J. Viso KV Racing Technology 200 02:04:23.2129 Running 15
16 22 Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 200 02:04:23.9073 Running 14
17 14 Vitor Meira A.J. Foyt Enterprises 200 02:04:24.5827 Running 13
18 2 Raphael Matos de Ferran Dragon Racing 200 02:04:25.7126 Running 12
19 18 Milka Duno Dale Coyne Racing 197 02:04:15.8904 Running 12
20 36 Roger Yasukawa Conquest Racing 195 02:04:17.7167 Running 12
21 19 Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne Racing 131 01:27:00.3441 Contact 12
22 24 Paul Tracy Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 114 01:08:35.9412 Contact 12
23 78 Simona De Silvestro Team Stargate Worlds/HVM 85 00:58:30.2743 Mechanical 12
24 32 Mario Moraes KV Racing Technology 66 00:39:41.1934 Contact 12
25 34 Bertrand Baguette Conquest Racing 1 00:00:30.9661 Contact 10

Image(s) and Info: Autoblog
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

BTCC // SHEDDEN, ONSLOW-COLE & NEAL WIN @ DONINGTON

Yet again the fight for the British Touring Car title will go right down to the last meeting of the year after a day of drama at Donnington Park. Race wins for Gordon Shedden, Tom Onslow-Cole and Matt Neal mean all three along with championship leader Jason Plato can still take the title at the season Finale in 3 weeks time around the Brands Hatch Indy circuit... [read more]

Taking a 20 point lead into the 3 races at Donnington Chevrolet's Jason Plato recovered from a race ending shunt in the first encounter of day to maintain his advantage at the top of the standings with two third place finishes in races two and three. Indeed the 2001 champion was in masterful form as he produced a stunning drive through the field in race two from the back of the grid.

For Team Honda driver Matt Neal Donnington could have seen him reduce his points deficit to Plato more substantially after the Chevrolet driver's race one retirement, but the former double champion was penalised for a jump start in race two dropping him down the order. Despite the penalty the hugely experienced Neal made amends in the final race of the day with a win and now goes to Brands some 17 points behind his old adversary.

Scotsman Gordon Shedden who took victory in the first race of the day is now also in with a chance of taking what would be his maiden touring car title and now lies just 4 points behind his team mate Neal. Sheddon won a chaotic opening race of the day after a hugely entertaining battle with the LPG Ford's of Tom Chilton and Tom Onslow-Cole before recordinga second place finish in race two.

The other driver still in the championship hunt and by far the youngest is 23yr old Tom Onslow-Cole who won race two in fine style after sustaining damage in race one when he was caught up in the incident at the newly reprofiled Goddard’s chicane that ended Plato's race.

RML Chevrolet driver Jason Plato (above) gave great credit to his Silverline team after the drama of race one and remains quietly confident for the title decider "“After race one it wasn’t looking too rosy but my team worked miracles to repair the car in such a short timeframe and third place in race two was all down to them. I knew this would be a great circuit for the Cruze and while I’m happy with a 17-point lead it should have been 25 or so. But I’d rather have a handy cushion than be going to Brands Hatch playing catch-up. We just need to do our homework between now and then, leave no stone unturned and take nothing for granted.”

The four way battle for the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car title will be decided around the natural amphitheatre of the Brands Hatch Indy circuit over the weekend of 9th/10th October.

BTCC Drivers’ Points after Donington Park (round 9 of 10):

1. Jason Plato, 224
2. Matt Neal, 207
3. Gordon Shedden, 203
4. Tom Onslow-Cole, 200
5. Tom Chilton, 171
6. Steven Kane, 152
7. Mat Jackson, 143
8. Robert Collard, 122
9. Paul O’Neill, 117
10. Andrew Jordan, 79

Manufacturers’ Points:

1. Honda, 500
2. Chevrolet, 410

HiQ Teams’ Points:

1. Honda Racing Team, 387
2. Team Aon, 346
3. Airwaves BMW, 293
4. Silverline Chevrolet, 282
5. WSR, 124
5. Sunshine.co.uk, 116

Independent Drivers’ Points:

1. Tom Onslow-Cole, 241
2. Steven Kane, 223
3. Tom Chilton, 219
4. Mat Jackson, 206
5. Paul O’Neill, 178
6. Robert Collard, 166

Independent Teams’ Points:

1. Team Aon, 312
2. Airwaves BMW, 287
3. Sunshine.co.uk, 217
4. WSR, 214
5. Uniq Racing with 888, 171
6. Pirtek Racing, 154

*All points remain provisional

Editorial/Photos: Neil Tozer

MotoGP // STONER BREAKS WIN DROUGHT @ ARAGON

After the terrible and depressing events of the last two MotoGP outings, all involved seemed to need a clean slate of some sort. The new circuit at Aragon promised that in a tangible sense because it is a brand new circuit for GP racing. In a more psychological sense, MotoGP used Aragon as the site to give Shoya Tomizawa a collective goodbye with a minute of silence held on the start/ finish straight between Sunday’s morning warm-up and the afternoon races. Shoya’s family laid him to rest in Japan this past Wednesday. Individual riders, almost without exception, rode with Tomizawa stickers on their bikes... [read more]

With Friday’s practices being a combination of acclimating to the track for FP1 and wet-weather damage control for FP2, Saturday was when the riders were really able to reconcile their bikes with the unfamiliar circuit. The usual suspects (Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Stoner) hovered near the top during both sessions. Valentino Rossi was noticeably far down the time sheet after struggling with his settings. More importantly, he revealed that the shoulder he injured early in the season has been much more persistent a problem for him than previously revealed, so much so that Rossi is considering skipping the final two races of the season in order to have surgery and be properly sorted out for next year. Casey Stoner finally seemed his old self again as he took an impressive pole position, his first since the opening race at Qatar, which he crashed out of on lap 5. Jorge Lorenzo defied the big weakness of the Yamaha (he, Rossi and Spies posted 3 of the slowest 5 top-end speeds) by landing in second. Dani Pedrosa blew a very promising last qualifying lap by running too deep into turn ten, although he still ended up on the front row in third. Final QP order was: Stoner, Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Hayden, Spies, DePuniet, Rossi, Dovizioso, Simoncelli, Barbera, Edwards, Bautista, Espargaro, Melandri, Aoyama and Kallio.

The first lap of the race provided some good action. Stoner got the holeshot but Lorenzo challenged him forcefully through the first few turns, getting ahead briefly before Casey stole the lead back from him, twice. Lorenzo knew he would have to get ahead from the start if he had any hope of staying at the front. Pedrosa, normally the early front runner, bobbled between turns one and two and was dropped to fifth. He would gain fourth place from Spies on the back straight. Here his Honda demonstrated how down on top speed the Yamaha was by blowing past Spies with almost no effort. The order at the end of lap one was: Stoner, Lorenzo, Hayden, Pedrosa, Spies, Simoncelli, Dovizioso, Rossi, Barbera, DePuniet, Bautista, Melandri, Espargaro, Edwards, Kallio and Aoyama.

Stoner immediately began a campaign to run away at the front as Pedrosa tried desperately to claw his way back up the order. He passed Hayden on the back straight in lap two exactly the same way he did to Spies on lap one. Lorenzo would suffer an identical fate one lap later. Pedrosa now tried valiantly to chase down the escaping Stoner but could never get any closer than around one second. Hayden now began hunting Lorenzo. Despite catching up quickly, he found passing near impossible. The race began to settle into a series of battles between pairs: Stoner/ Pedrosa, Lorenzo/ Hayden, Spies/ Dovizioso, Simoncelli/ Rossi, etc, etc. The action only really resumed on the last few laps when the Dovioso/ Spies heated up considerably. They swapped positions a few times, but instead of a battle to the end, the fight ended with Dovizioso crashing out near the end of the final lap. The Lorenzo/ Hayden battle came to a head simultaneously when Nicky made a brave overtaking move just before the back straight. Lorenzo was totally unable to match the Ducati’s top speed and Nicky secured the last podium spot. The final results were as follows:

MotoGP @ Aragon // Race Results:

1. Casey Stoner
2. Dani Pedrosa
3. Nicky Hayden
4. Jorge Lorenzo
5. Ben Spies
6. Valentino Rossi
7. Marco Simoncelli
8. Alvaro Bautista
9. Marco Melandri
10. Aleix Espargaro
11. Hector Barbera
12. Colin Edwards
13. Hiroshi Aoyama
14. Mika Kallio


Aragon marked Casey Stoner’s first win since Malaysia last year. He attributed his return to form to some very minor adjustments to the Ducati’s geometry, which he claimed made all the difference in his confidence in the bike. Aragon was also Nicky Hayden’s first podium of the season, this after a string of fourth places where he narrowly missed finishing one step higher. Conversely, it was Jorge Lorenzo’s first race of the season that he failed to finish on the podium. It was also Valentino Rossi’s worst finish of 2010 as well as the first race since Valencia in 2007 that a Yamaha factory rider failed to podium. Aragon’s clean slate was sort of a double-edged sword.

Lorenzo still sits 56 points into first place ahead of Pedrosa. Casey Stoner, in third now, is four points too far down to be able to win the championship, under any possible scenario. Lorenzo still seems to have a hand firmly on the trophy and a resurgent Stoner might further complicate Pedrosa’s miracle challenge. Hoping some action returns to the front in the remaining five races. Next race is in two weeks at Honda’s Motegi circuit, just outside Tokyo. It was originally going to be the third race of the season but was postponed after a volcano in Iceland decided to completely throw international travel into a tailspin.

Editorial: Jeff Winterberg
Photo: MotoGP

BTCC // FORD TAKES FRONT ROW @ DONINGTON

Team Aon produced a dominant qualifying performance at Donington Park to lock out the front row of the grid for Sundays 1st race of the penultimate round of the 2010 season. Tom Chilton recorded a best lap of 1min 11.328 seconds to end the session just ahead of Ford team-mate Tom Onslow-Cole as the series makes a welcome return to the Leicestershire circuit following the historic venue's near demise... [read more]

Behind the two Arena motorsport LPG Fords on the second row will be Team Honda's Gordon Shedden and the Chevrolet Cruze of championship leader Jason Plato. Plato who had been quickest in the first free practice session completed qualifying with the maximum 45kg of championship ballast which makes his second row start even more impressive.

The slowest of the runners who can still take this years crown was Matt Neal in the second Honda Civic with the former double BTCC champion setting a time good enough for the inside of row three just under three tenths away from Chilton's pole lap.

Quickest rear wheel drive car was the WSR BMW of Rob Collard who will line up in eighth place of the grid. Collard's team-mate at WSR Andy Neate caused the half hour session to be briefly halted after he lost control of his BMW and became beached in the gravel at Redgate.

Team Airwaves BMW driver Stephen Kane was forced to sit out the session completely after mechanical problems with his BMW 320si.

Unfortunately taking no further part in the weekend was Martin Depper after his Forster Motorsport BMW suffered engine problems during the 1st free practice session.



Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship 2010

Qualifying Results Donington Park Saturday 18th September:

1. Tom Chilton Team Aon Ford Focus ST 1min 11.328secs
2. Tom Onslow-Cole Team Aon Ford Focus ST 1min 11.409secs
3. Gordon Shedden Team Honda Honda Civic 1min 11.448secs
4. Jason Plato Silverline Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze 1min 11.542secs
5. Matt Neal Team Honda Honda Civic 1min 11.604secs
6. Andrew Jordan Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra 1min 11.717secs
7. Paul O'Neill sunshine.co.uk Honda Integra 1min 11.822secs
8. Robert Collard West Surrey Racing BMW 320si 1min 11.834secs
9. Tom Boardman Special Tuning (UK) SEAT Leon 1min 11.916secs
10. Alex MacDowall Silverline Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze 1min 11.919secs
11. Mat Jackson Airwaves BMW BMW 320si 1min 12.010secs
12. James Nash Triple Eight Vauxhall Vectra 1min 12.298secs
13. James Kaye WRC Developments with Barwell Honda Integra 1min 13.100secs
14. Andy Neate West Surrey Racing BMW 320si 1min 13.221secs
15. Lea Wood Central Group Racing Honda Integra 1min 13.287secs
16. John George sunshine.co.uk Honda Integra 1min 13.456secs
17. Martin Johnson Boulevard Team Racing Vauxhall Astra 1min 13.900secs
18. Dave Pinkney Pinkney Motorsport Vauxhall Vectra 1min 13.927secs
19. Shaun Hollamby AmdMilltekRacing.com Volkswagen Golf 1min 14.208secs
20. Arthur Forster Forster Motorsport BMW 320si 1min 15.140secs
21. Steven Kane Airwaves BMW BMW 320si No time
22. Martin Depper Forster Motorsport BMW 320si Withdrawn

Editorial: Neil Tozer
Photos: BTCC

EYE CANDY // A SUPRA @ LE MANS

This is the SARD Toyota Supra LM that raced in the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car was driven by Jeff Krosnoff, Marco Apicella and Mauro Martini. It was powered by a 3S-GTE 2.1-liter Turbo I4 and finished 14th in the GT1 class, just behind the BBA Compétition McLaren F1 GTR // [comment]

NEWS // THIRD GENERATION GP2 CAR UNVEILED

Ahead of last weekend's Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the GP2 feeder series held its penultimate race of the season, where Pastor Maldonado, driving for the Italian team Rapax, clinched the series title in its sixth season. Following the race, the series officials unveiled the third-generation GP2 spec racer... [read more]

Dubbed the GP2/11, the new car is designed and built by Italian chassis manufacturer Dallara. The car will be used exclusively by all of the GP2 teams for the next three seasons. Notable changes include a larger diffuser, a narrower rear wing, a raked front nose and anvil-shaped engine cover, and, like Formula One, the new GP2 car will switch from Bridgestone rubber to new Pirelli compounds. The car will see its first race early next year in the GP2 Asia Series.

Image and Info: Autoblog
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

GEAR // F1 2010 BY CODEMASTERS

The highly anticipated Formula One game developed by Codemasters goes on sale next week, and our friends at F1Fanatic were lucky enough to not only play a pre-release version of the game, but sit down and chat with two of the game's designers. Follow the link for a bit of video and the complete interview... [read more]



Click here for F1Fanatic's complete interview.

Image and Info: F1Fanatic
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

VIDEO // 1964 FAIRLANE 500 @ THE NURBURGRING

Ride shotgun in a Holman Moody prepared 1964 Ford Fairlane 500 as it navigates the infamous Nürburgring. Click here for additional information about the car and Team Classic Driver // [comment]

GEAR // GRAN TURISMO 5 - TOKYO GAME SHOW TRAILER

The 2010 Tokyo Game Show is underway at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan and one of the highlights for motorsport and gaming fans alike was the release of this new Gran Turismo 5 trailer. Showcasing a few of the games features, to include dynamic weather, as well as showcasing a handful of new cars and new tracks, the trailer is, as one would expect, a bit of a tease // [comment]

EYE CANDY // PORSCHE 917 @ 1970 24 HOURS OF LE MANS

Featured above is the Porsche 917K that won the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 38th Grand Prix of Endurance. The car was driven by Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood. Need we say more? // [comment]

NEWS // TURNER MOTORSPORTS PREPARING 30 M3 COUPES

The guys at Turner Motorsports are preparing to build 30 track ready Frozen Gray BMW M3 coupes. Equipped with a set of 18x10 Volk Racing G2s wrapped in 275/35 Continental Grand-Am spec race slicks, Turner Motorsport's E92 M3 will also feature a more aggressive braking system, a stiffer suspension, and a handful of other track day goodies. Additional information can be found at M3Post // [comment]

DOMESTIC INDULGENCE // CTS-V @ THE NURBURGRING

Just saw this ad for the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V and thought it was an appropriate addition to our Domestic Indulgence bit. And while I'm pretty sure the Porsche Panamera Turbo bested Heinricy's time of 7:59, I have to say, a four-door Cadillac that can out run a 911 GT3 and Viper SRT-10 around the famed Nürburgring is just what the doctor ordered // [comment]

VIDEO // MINI COUNTRYMAN WRC TESTING IN PORTUGAL

Earlier this week we posted a photo of the new MINI Countryman WRC. Developed by Prodrive, a British engineering firm based in Oxfordshire, England, the MINI Countryman WRC will compete in the World Rally Championship next season, assuming all goes as planned. In the mean time, the guys at Prodrive took their Countryman out for a bit of gravel testing. With Markko Märtin at the wheel and Ott Tänak riding shotgun, follow the link for video from their test session... [read more]



Image and Info: MotoringFile
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

VIDEO // KEN BLOCK'S GYMKHANA 3 - PART 2

l'Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry, a 1.58 mile oval track built in 1924 that features banks as steep as 51 degrees, is where Ken Block chose to shoot the third installment of his Gymkhana video series. At the wheel of his 650hp 2011 Ford Fiesta rally car, watch as Block shows us why this former French race track is the ultimate playground for hoons and hooligans alike // [comment]

VIDEO // METRO 6R4 @ 2006 HARRY FLATTERS RALLY

Ride along with John Indri and Dave Engwell in their mid-engined, four-wheel drive MG Metro 6R4 as they compete in the 2006 SGC Printing Harry Flatters Historic Rally in the UK // [comment]

NEWS // HEIDFELD TO REPLACE DE LA ROSA @ SAUBER

According to our sources, Nick Heidfeld is set to replace Spanish racing driver Pedro de la Rosa ahead of next weekends Singapore Grand Prix. The German driver, who will return to the team he drove for from 2001-2003, and from 2006 to 2009 when it was owned by BMW, has made a total of 120 race appearances for Sauber Motorsport AG, collecting a total of 188 points... [read more]

In a statement released by the team Peter Sauber said:

It was a hard decision for me to make as a team principal and I want to thank Pedro for his professionalism. By signing Nick we have a driver we know extremely well who will help us to further judge the comparative potential of our car.

Heidfeld, who has been conducting tire testing for Pirelli, had this to say:

I’m looking forward like crazy to having the opportunity to go racing again in a good car in Formula One from the Singapore Grand Prix onwards.

After the last months I’m even more motivated than ever. For me it is like coming home, as I raced for seven years in total for the team from Hinwil. Without doubt I will be feeling at home straight away and this should help me to familiarise myself as soon as possible with the car. I want to thank Peter Sauber for the faith he has put in me.

Image and Info: F1Fanatic
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

NEWS // RAIKKONEN WILL RACE FOR RENAULT IN 2011?

According to AUTOSPORT, Kimi Raikkonen is looking to return to Formula One next year after approaching the Renault F1 team for a drive in 2011. This news comes as a bit of a surprise, as many thought Raikkonen would remain in the World Rally Championship for another season. However, following Renault's impressive result at this years Belgian Grand Prix, the Finnish driver apparently approached the French automaker in hopes of securing a seat for the 2011 season. Click here for the complete story // [comment]

CULTURE // CTD'S "OFFICIAL" FACEBOOK PAGE

Okay, so for the last few months the ColdTrackDays Facebook page has been a bit difficult to find. I suppose I'm to blame for that. But now, thanks to our friend Genghis Kwon of MotorMonk, ColdTrackDays has an "official" Facebook page! Click here if you 'like' us ;) // [comment]

VIDEO // PASTRANA'S RECORD RUN UP MT. WASHINGTON

Last week we reported on Travis Pastrana's record run up the 149-year-old Mt. Washington Auto Road. At the wheel of a 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI prepared by Vermont SportsCar, the four-time Rally America National Champion managed an average speed of nearly 72mph on his way to the summit. Pastrana's official time of 6 minutes 20.47 seconds is more than 20 seconds faster than the previous record.

Follow the link for video from Pastrana's record breaking run... [read more]



Image and Info: Red Bull
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey

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]