ˆ Lotus reportedly considering Le Mans, GT and Indy teams

tags : dany bahar , danybahar , lotus , lotus alms , lotus f1 , lotus f1 racing team , lotus gt , lotus indy , lotus indycar , lotus le mans , lotus lms , lotus racing , lotusalms , lotusf1 , lotusf1racingteam , lotusgt , lotusindy , lotusindycar , lotuslemans , lotuslms , lotusracing , proton

Arguably more than any other automaker in the world, Lotus is ripe for a return to racing. Its products are uniquely track focused. Its history is rife with motorsport heritage. And its new chief executive comes to the company after stints at Red Bull and Ferrari, two outfits deeply involved in top-tier racing.

Unfortunately, as Dany Bahar points out, the formative Lotus F1 Racing team set to join the grand prix circus next season has little to do with the sportscar manufacturer and engineering concern which he now heads. Instead, the name is being furnished by parent company Proton to a consortium of investors in its native Malaysia. Bahar wants a slice of the action, and Proton would be wise to give it to him. But the executive who earned his reputation as a branding guru has more plans to get Lotus back into racing beyond the F1 team.

Speaking to a group of Lotus employees, Bahar reportedly disclosed that the company is looking at getting into a variety of racing series, including Indy, Le Mans and GT racing. That's some ambition for a company that hasn't seriously competed in decades, but if any team can pull it off, it's Bahar and Lotus.

posted : 10/28/2009 @8:48:02 PM

ˆ Open letter invites disgruntled F1 drivers to Indy Car

tags : f1 , fia , fia superlicense , fiasuperlicense , formula one , formulaone , gpda , grand prix drivers association , grandprixdriversassociation , indy racing league , indycar , indyracingleague , irl , superlicense

If you follow the political bickering in Formula One, you may have seen a heated exchange of correspondence between the F1 drivers and the regulatory body responsible for accrediting them to race. After the FIA exponentially raised the fees for a Superlicense – the certification that the FIA grants and requires of F1 drivers – the Grand Prix Drivers Association wrote an angry letter to the ever autoerotic Max Mosley, in which they compared the fee for renewing defending champion Lewis Hamilton's Superlicense – a whopping $270,000 – to the comparatively modest $4,000 that NASCAR charges its drivers. Mosley's response? So go to NASCAR, then!
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posted : 4/23/2009 @1:37:11 PM

ˆ 2010 Mazda CX-7 debuts with refreshed look and new four-cylinder in... Toronto?

tags : chicago 2009 , chicago auto show , chicago2009 , chicagoautoshow , cx-7 , cx7 , mazda , toronto , windy city , windycity

While we were gathered here in rainy Chicago for the Auto Show, we received word that the 2010 refresh for the Mazda CX-7 has in fact debuted some 500 miles away in Toronto, Canada. This switcheroo had us searching the floor here in McCormick for a 2010 model lazing away in the corner of Mazda's stand, but instead we only found the 2009 model. After the press conference, we stopped to chat with James O'Sullivan, Mazda's North American president and CEO, and he confirmed the Canadian debut was in fact the global premier.
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posted : 4/23/2009 @4:00:24 AM

ˆ New Indy engine could be delayed, three manufacturers in the mix

tags : indy racing league , indycar , indycar engine , indycar racing , indycar series , indycar turbo , indycarengine , indycarracing , indycarseries , indycarturbo , indyracingleague

Competition is a good thing, right? If so, IndyCar racing is slated to improve within the next few years as the series branches out to include multiple engine suppliers. As it currently stands, Honda, which has been the sole engine supplier for IndyCar since 2006, will continue with its current contract through the 2010 season at least. IndyCar organizers would like to have a few new contracts in place by 2011, but the slow economy and fewer dollars earmarked for motorsports may push that date off until 2012. In addition to Honda, which would like to stay in the series, Audi, Fiat, Porsche and Volkswagen are all currently negotiating with the racing league to offer alternative powertrain options. The current engines all displace 3.5 liters and are limited to 10,300 rpm, making about 650 horsepower running on ethanol fuel. The next contract will likely call for engines displacing 2.0 liters and feature turbocharging and direct injection. Both four cylinder and six cylinder options are being considered.

posted : 4/16/2009 @11:58:45 AM

ˆ Rahal-Letterman to quit IRL unless a sponsor steps up

tags : indy , indy 500 , indy racing league , indy500 , indycar , indyracingleague , rahal letterman , rahal letterman racing , rahalletterman , rahallettermanracing , sponsorship , sponsorships

Roger Penske once said "the quickest way to make a small fortune in racing is to start with a large fortune." Bobby Rahal is a racer, but he's no fool, and he appears to be taking Penske's sage words to heart. Unless a company steps up in the next couple of months with a truck-load of cash, Rahal-Letterman Racing won't be fielding a car in the 2009 IRL season. Rahal has seen plenty of other teams soldier on without a sponsor over the years only to finish at the back of the pack (if they finish at all) until they go bust. Rahal doesn't plan to be in that spot now that the ethanol company that sponsored his IndyCar team has pulled out. He and his partner David Letterman want to run in IndyCar, but if no one steps up before the the season opener on April 5, they won't be fielding a team. Rahal is confident the crew can at least line up something for the Indy 500 and the firm plans to remain in business regardless of what happens on the IRL front. The team has operations in Indy Lights, Formula BMW Americas and its factory ALMS GT2 program with the new BMW M3.

posted : 4/11/2009 @9:45:11 AM

ˆ Oh Canada, Oh Brother: the GP Limo for six

tags : f1 limo , f1limo , formula one limo , formulaonelimo , gp limo , gplimo , grand prix limo , grandprixlimo , passenger f1 , passenger indy , passengerf1 , passengerindy , six passenger f1 , six passenger grand prix , sixpassengerf1 , sixpassengergrandprix

With a handful of the teams filling the F1 grid for the upcoming season – including Ferrari and Toyota – having already unveiled their 2009-spec challengers, some have bemoaned the effect the new regulations have had on the cars' appearances. But after looking at this monster, we have no doubt those qualms will quickly disappear in its shadow. And quite a shadow it casts: you're looking at what its creators call the GP Limo. The concept is fairly straightforward: build a grand prix-style race car, only instead of a single-seater, why not give it room for seven: driver plus six ride-alongs. There have been efforts in the past to create tandem or 1+2 versions of F1 chassis, but this is taking it to the next level, approaching the look of a theme park attraction. Stretching the wheelbase to such an extent is bound to wreak havoc on its handling, but its creators are targeting the Bugatti Veyron's 250-mph top speed. So it may be hideous (and street legal), but between the requisite helmet and the bonkers top speed, nobody will see you riding in it anyway. The project is the brainchild of inventor Mike Pettipas, hailing from – where else – Canada, where they're apparently desperate to fill the void left by the departure of the Canadian Grand Prix. Hate to break it to my fellow Canucks, but this ain't it.

posted : 2/9/2009 @6:57:24 PM

ˆ Honda commits to remaining motorsport programs after F1 pull out

tags : acura racing , acuraracing , american le mans , american le mans ser... , american le mans series , american le mans series green challenge , american lemans series , americanlemans , americanlemansser... , americanlemansseries , americanlemansseriesgreenchallenge , honda racing , hondaracing , indy , indy racing league , indycar , indyracingleague , irl

The current economic climate has only just started to wreak havoc in the motorsports world, with last week's announcements that Honda is pulling out of F1 and Audi is leaving the American LeMans Series. Things are likely to get worse before they get better as other automakers, including those based in Detroit, will almost certainly cut racing programs and budgets. What won't be affected – at least for now – are Honda's non-F1 endeavors, including its motorcycle programs, the Indy Racing League and the American Le Mans Series. The ALMS and IRL programs are both operated by Honda Performance Development out of Torrance, CA. Unlike the F1 program, the IRL engine program generates revenue from the teams that lease these engines. The Acura ALMS program will definitely continue in 2009 as the team moves up from the LMP2 to the LMP1 class. The big bummer is that Acura won't have any competition from the Audi R10, which is leaving the ALMS next year.

posted : 12/22/2008 @2:24:20 PM

ˆ IndyCars to go Italian? IRL in talks with Alfa Romeo

tags : alfa indy , alfa irl , alfa romeo , alfa romeo irl , alfaindy , alfairl , alfaromeo , alfaromeoirl , indy , indy car , indycar , indycar alfa romeo , indycaralfaromeo , irl

IndyCar teams and fans have grown accustomed to the proliferation of Italian racing car chassis as Dallara has been supplying them for the past eleven seasons, now all but exclusively. But with Honda's engine supply contract coming to a close, series organizers have been discussing new powertrain options with a number of manufacturers. Among them is Alfa Romeo, the Italian automaker widely anticipated to make a return to the North American market in the near future. This wouldn't be the first time Alfa Romeo has provided motivation for the largely American racing series, having participated in the late 80's and early 90's with a project adopted from Ferrari. However, despite the company's deep racing heritage, Alfa Romeo does not currently compete in any major form of motorsport since the N.Technology team stopped campaigning race-prepped 156 Super Turismos in the World Touring Car Championship. The responsibility for developing the IndyCar engines – 3.5-liter V8s under the current regulations, tipped to be replaced by turbocharged fours – would presumably fall to Fiat Powertrain Technologies, headed by Paolo Martinelli, formerly head of Scuderia Ferrari's engine program. Nothing's certain, however, since IRL organizers are also rumored to be discussing a renewal with Honda as well as with Audi, Porsche and an undisclosed fifth automaker.

posted : 10/21/2008 @7:39:19 PM

ˆ Helio Castroneves indicted on tax evasion charges

tags : dancing with the stars , dancingwiththestars , helio castroneves , heliocastroneves , indy 500 , indy500 , tax evasion , taxevasion

Helio Castroneves has known only success in pretty much everything he's ever attempted, whether it be open-wheel racing or his fancy footwork on Dancing with the Stars. But the Brazilian-born driver is going to need more than quick feet and a knack for racing to get the Internal Revenue Service off his back. The two-time Indy 500 champ, along with his sister/business manager and lawyer, is in a world of legal hurt after being indicted by the IRS on six counts of tax evasion, which could send the talented driver to prison for up to 35 years. Castroneves was allegedly using an offshore bank account to hide millions of dollars from the U.S. government, which is a really bad idea, especially if you get caught. He received a $1 million driver agreement and $5 million licensing agreement from Penske racing for 2000-2002, and he allegedly stuffed the $5 million into an offshore account via a deferred royalty plan for which he wasn't eligible. For its part, the IRS seems intent on making an example out of Castroneves, saying "This case sends a clear message that the IRS is committed to vigorously enforcing the lax laws and stopping offshore tax evasion."

posted : 10/5/2008 @5:54:25 PM

ˆ Chevy Camaro SS unveiled at Indy Bash 2008

tags : 2010 chevrolet camaro ss , 2010chevroletcamaross , breaking , camaro , chevrolet , indy bash 2008 , indybash2008 , paris , paris 2008 , paris motor show , paris2008 , parismotorshow , ss

The crew from Camaro5 were on hand to capture the first live unveiling of the Chevrolet Camaro SS at Indy Bash 2008, and although we've seen the silver-hued coupe on numerous occasions, this is the first time we've gotten a glimpse inside. As you're undoubtedly already aware, the Camaro SS is powered by a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 putting out 422 hp and 408 lb.-ft. of torque, and in this case power is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox. The most striking element of the SS' interior is the shiny plastic door panels and dash trim that matches the two-tone black and leather seats, with contrast stitching. It's very racy, and should tie in nicely with the SS badges fore and aft. We'll be able to see the Camaro SS up close at the Paris Motor Show next month, so stay tuned for our impressions from the floor.

posted : 10/2/2008 @2:42:51 PM