One of our favorite forms of racing just wrapped up another season with a typically exciting finale at California's Laguna Seca raceway. Although it doesn't get much press, we love Speed World Challenge because the cars are so much like the ones we drool over in the real world and the drivers are a great mix of gentlemen racers and displaced pros looking to keep their skills sharp if and when they get the call to move up to the show. Some drivers only make it out to one or two races, while others are in it for the championship trophy –but when they do show up, they are driving some impressive machinery.
We just told you about the championship-winning Ford Mustang FR500C, but the list of competitors reads like a fantasy car collection, with drivers campaigning vehicles like the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Dodge Viper, Lamborghini Gallardo, Chevrolet Corvette, Aston Martin DB9, Lotus Exige S, Acura NSX, Cadillac CTS-V, and even a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT. The slightly less exotic Touring Car class features fun cars like the Mazda6, Mazda3 and RX-8, Dodge Neon SRT-4, Acura TSX and Integra Type R, BMW 325 and 328i, Scion tC, Honda Civic Si, Ford Focus, Subaru WRX and Legacy, Lexus IS300, and even a Volkswagen Jetta TDI.
As is the case with most racing these days, the series and event titles are longer than the tracks they race on, but we're willing to type it all out here for those who want to know what happened in the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Championship Presented by Toyo Tires season finishing Applied Computer Solutions Monterey Sports Car Championship Presented by Bondurant at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. That's quite a mouthful, but there's even more to the story. Follow the jump to read all about this, the final race to determine the championship. You'll find a full report as well as the complete results for the race and the final points standings for all of the drivers and teams that competed in Speed World Challenge this season.
With various racing series coming to a close this month, the Mustang has proven its worth on track by bringing home two major road racing championships. This past weekend Brandon Davis secured the 2009 SCCA SPEED World Challenge GT title in only his second season with a fourth place finish at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Davis, who was racing in the new 2010 ACS Mustang that debuted a few weeks earlier at Road Atlanta, only needed to finish in eighth place to guarantee the championship and beat out Porsche driver James Sofronas.
In the Grand-Am Koni Challenge series, the Mustang FR500C also captured not only the driver title, but also the team and manufacturers' championships for the second straight year. Rehagen Racing sat atop the driver and team points lead with a sixth place finish at Virginia International Raceway, and the win by JBS Motorsports helped put Ford just one point ahead of BMW in the manufacturers' standings. Mustangs won five races during the 2009 season and finished on the podium eight out of eleven races.
We didn't make it out to VIR for the Koni Challenge race, but we were on hand at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to watch the SPEED World Challenge race with cameras at the ready. Check out the high-res gallery below, or tune into SPEED TV on November 3 at 2:00 pm EST to watch the race yourself. If you're down with spoilers.
In this week's episode of Autoline After Hours, John McElroy, Peter "The Autoextremist" DeLorenzo, and David Welch of BusinessWeek are joined by the dean of automotive journalism, David E. Davis, Jr., for an unusually candid discussion about the issues and events affecting today's auto industry.
You can join in by submitting questions to the panel at viewermail -at- autolinedetroit.tv (put "AAH QUESTION" in the subject line) to be answered on-air tonight during the show's Rapid Fire segment. Follow the jump to watch it live beginning at 7 PM EST.
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Since a redesigned Ford F-150 was introduced to the world last year, that must mean this year will bring another limited-run Harley-Davidson edition. As with other recent examples of the co-branded truck, the new 2010 F-150 Harley-Davidson Edition is largely an appearance package, but certainly a striking one. This is the 14th time that Ford has created a Harley edition pickup with the current series running back to 2000. Over the past decade, some 74,000 customers have opted for the bike-badged trucks. Aside from the unique Harley-Davidson visual elements, this model features most of the goodies you can find on the top-end Platinum edition F-150.
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Automotive journalism legend David E. Davis, Jr., may find himself heading a new magazine if an independent effort to spiff up Detroit's image can find a footing. New York's Kelmenson, Davis (yes, that Davis) & Associates is trying to turn up $50 million to create a non-profit entity to spread the word about the great strides domestic automakers have made lately. The concept, which would be outwardly similar to the "Got Milk" campaign, was developed by Tony Kuhn, an executive partner at KDA. The $50 million would fund a marketing effort aimed at convincing Americans to take another look at General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. The advertising would be augmented by a cable TV documentary and a Davis-helmed "American Drive" magazine. Former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca thinks it's a dandy idea, and has even lobbied on Kelmenson's behalf to auto executives. While they're flattered by the attention and support the idea, honchos at General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford have passed on bankrolling it. While we're not able to throw any money at it, either, Detroit's perception versus reality gap is a palpable problem, and it would be nice to see some of the buying public receive a more up-to-date education.
We assume our own invitation to speak in front of the House Financial Services Committee today got lost in the mail, or perhaps we didn't respond quickly enough to Barney Frank's e-vite (we thought it was for another one of his crazy house parties). Regardless, our absence in DC today doesn't mean that Congress thinks the opinion of the automotive press is useless. We've just learned that Winding Road's grand poo-bah, David E. Davis Jr., is scheduled to testify at the bailout hearings today. WR tells us to expect DED sometime around 12:30PM EST after the second panel takes the stage. We've got our TiVo boxes set to record and we hope the former editor of Car and Driver, founder of Automobile and current head honcho of Winding Road represents our people well.
UPDATE: Doh! DED got pulled off the hearing schedule at the last minute. Guess Congress doesn't care about the perspective of auto journalists.
Harley-Davidson and the cruiser segment in general is currently being forced into the realization that such bikes are often considered playthings by their owners. Sure, there are plenty of die-hard HD fanatics who ride their bikes thousands of miles annually and attend faraway rallies to gather with other enthusiasts who share their passion. Many owners, though, spend more time polishing their chrome than out riding. Such weekend warriors make up a large portion of the cruiser market, and those owners are being forced to hold onto their current rides a bit longer than normal due to the slowing economy in the U.S. -- a country which easily makes up the bulk of cruiser sales.
Harley-Davidson and the rest of the industry could see this change coming long ago, and the V-Rod was its opening defense to this looming issue... and it was a good one by most accounts. The Motor Company, though, has not been content to rest on the original V-Rod as the only alternative to its classic line of air-cooled V-twin powered bikes. Thankfully, we have machines such as the Night Rod Special to provide a welcome diversion from the rolling pieces of nostalgia that make up the majority of HD's line. Does the Night Rod Special's riding experience live up to the promise made by its menacing looks? Read on to find out.
Well, it's official. If it has wheels, Craig Jackson and Steve Davis will let you sell it at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The item in question is none other than Robosaurus, the forty-foot tall transforming robot dinosaur that breathes fire and enjoys snacking on Grand Ams. We don't doubt that it'll attract a flurry of attention during primetime, and that some deep-pocketed bidder will throw money at it. What would make it the best Barrett-Jackson auction ever is if Robosaurus went crazy and started eating some of the big-dollar garage queens on live television.
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