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ALMS finishes off season at Laguna Seca

Many of the championships had already been wrapped up by the time the ALMS arrived at Laguna Seca for the last race of the season, but there were still a few battles to be won and you can always bet that none of the teams will back down in the name of competition. We were at the race as part of the Audi Mileage Marathon and were able to bring you a huge gallery of high resolution images that can be found in the gallery below. The race airs on NBC today at 2:00 p.m. EST, so you can still watch the race on television. However, If you want to know what happened, go ahead and follow the jump to read about the results of the race.
posted : 10/21/2008 @7:37:31 PM
Preview: ALMS at Laguna Seca

As part of the final leg of the Audi Mileage Marathon, we made a stop today at Laguna Seca in Monterey for the final ALMS race of the season. Acura was the top story yesterday, taking the two overall top spots with David Brabham capturing pole followed by Luiz Diaz in the Lowe's Fernandez Racing entry. Audi was the fastest of the LMP1 cars, although qualifying a disappointing 9th overall. In GT2, Dirk Werner took the top spot in the Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche GT3 RSR, making Porsche the favorite to win the overall manufacturers' championship for the season. The Ferraris will have to win the race and have Porsche finish no better than sixth to take the points lead. Finally, in GT1 it was only the two sister Corvettes battling for position, with Jan Magnussen claiming the faster time. The race is scheduled to run today from 2:45 to 6:45 PM PST, and you can watch the race tomorrow on NBC from 2:00 PM to 4 PM EST.
posted : 10/21/2008 @7:32:42 PM
Audi R10 driver Emanuele Pirro stepping down after 15 years

After 15 years of hustling factory Audi race cars around tracks the world over, Emanuele Pirro will have his last run in the R10 TDI this weekend at the American Le Mans Series' final race at Laguna Seca. The Italian driver first hooked up with Audi in 1994 running in the Italian and German Touring Car Championships where he won titles three years in a row. Later he moved over into sports cars where he has spent the last decade driving the R8 and R10 TDI. Over that span, he and his teammates have conquered the 24 hours of Le Mans five times including the first victory by a diesel-powered car in the 2006 R10. Pirro's most recent victory came just two weeks ago at the Petit Le Mans where he teamed with Alan McNish and Dindo Capello to storm back from two laps down to defeat the Peugeot 908 HDi. Pirro is also an avid pilot, so he'll probably be getting more of his thrills in the air now. It's not known if Pirro is retiring completely from competition or just leaving his team, but he will continue to be a brand ambassador for Audi, a task at which he should excel. Having met the man on several occasions, I can say first hand that he is very warm, friendly and personable and almost always has a big smile on his face.
posted : 10/18/2008 @7:28:37 PM
Cadillac prices 2009 CTS-V from $59,995

The Cadillac CTS-V has already proven that its impressive power stats translate nicely to the track with sub-8 minute 'Ring times and a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds. The General is also positioning its new 556-hp halo sedan as a performance bargain, having announced today that it will go on sale around November 1 with a starting price of just $59,995. That's more than $40,000 cheaper than the less powerful XLR-V, and we'd argue the CTS-V is more attractive with its v2.0 Art and Science styling and works much better as a daily driver with its back seat and usable trunk. The CTS-V also makes the larger $80,900 STS-V sedan completely irrelevant considering its 86-hp power advantage, improved aesthetics and quicker moves. Even the vaunted BMW M5 with its higher starting price of $83,900 and less powerful 500-hp 5.0L V10 engine can't touch the CTS-V in price or performance.
posted : 10/17/2008 @5:46:08 PM
Ford's light-duty 4.4L V8 diesel DOA?

Ford's reported decision to put its long-awaited light-duty diesel truck engine on ice for the time being could well be a result of slowing truck sales and the rising cost of diesel fuel. Indeed, the Blue Oval's pickup sales are down by about 27% compared to last year and are a far cry from what they were a few short years ago. That downward trend in sales is partly blamed on the recent rise in fuel prices, and diesel fuel has outpaced gasoline in its upward spiral. So, while diesel engines are inherently more fuel efficient than those running on gasoline, that pricing difference is usually only made up when a truck is used for heavy hauling and towing – one reason the expensive oil-burners prove so popular in the largest of trucks. Ford's not so sure any longer that drivers of its non Super-Duty trucks want or need a smaller diesel engine option. So, for now, Ford's 4.4-liter diesel V8 has been shelved. Though not in the full-size truck segment for nearly as long, Toyota's Tundra has seen sales declines much steeper than the pickups from Ford, and the Japanese automaker has also put its diesel V8 on hold. General Motors is still on track to launch its 4.5-liter oil-burner, as is Chrysler with a Cummins-built 5.0-liter turbodiesel V8. These relatively small diesels are expected to average about 25% better fuel economy than their gasoline brethren while offering a power improvement of 10-15%. Ford believes it can offer similar performance benefits with its EcoBoost series of engines, one of which is slated for the F-Series trucks in 2010, for a smaller surcharge. We'll see.
posted : 10/17/2008 @5:16:25 PM
Driven: Infiniti gives M35 more firepower for 2009

We slid behind the wheel of the 2009 Infiniti M35 S last week in Napa, California. It was a quick jaunt, but we wanted to try out the newly revised powerplant under the hood. Yes, even thought the nomenclature remains the same, the Japanese automaker has swapped out the mass of aluminum up front for something a bit more updated and powerful.
posted : 10/15/2008 @7:40:29 PM
Neiman Marcus nabs first 2009 BMW 7 Series

Those who do their daily shopping within the pages of the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book will be the first able to purchase the new 2009 BMW 7 Series beginning October 17th. The price of early adoption in this case will be a steep $160,000 for one of 31 Neiman Marcus Limited-Edition 2009 BMW Individual 7 Series sedans based on the new 750Li. While that price is tens of thousands above what we expect the 7 Series base price to be, buyers will get much more than just the car. Included in the asking price is a trip to Europe to take delivery of the special 7 Series at BMW's headquarters in Munich, after which buyers will tour the south of France in their new sedan. After the fun and frolicking, BMW will have the car shipped back to the U.S. for you. And, of course, you aren't just purchasing a standard 7 Series. Each model has been customized by BMW Individual and painted in a special Diopside Black metallic color with an interior stitched in Champagne Merino leather and accented with wood and Piano Black inserts. Is all that worth 160 large? That depends on how nice you want Christmas to be this year.
posted : 10/13/2008 @10:56:02 PM
Ford moves its F150 launch back up

Ford announced earlier this summer that it would delay the launch of its ultra-important F150 full-size truck by a few months to help dealers clear out left over 2008 inventory. For the record, the new truck's launch was originally scheduled for October before being moved to December. Finally, Ford has split the difference and will begin marketing its F150 in November. Jim Farley, main marketer at the Blue Oval, cites two main reasons for the revised decision. One: its dealerships culled their old supply faster than anticipated, and two: Dodge just launched its new-for-'09 Ram. Ford obviously doesn't want its cross-town rival to steal all its thunder. Expectations for the new F150 seem appropriately timid. Current market conditions, including the relatively high price of fuel and the difficulty in securing credit, mean the the days of Ford selling a million trucks a year are over. Still, there is a large market left of users who depend on their trucks for work, and Ford's targeting them. We'll see how it goes beginning next month.
posted : 10/13/2008 @9:22:01 PM
Late night winner at 2008 Petit Le Mans

The 10th anniversary of the Petit Le Mans occurred this weekend at Road Atlanta, and the annual endurance event that occurs before the season-ending race of the American Le Mans Series at Laguna Seca did not disappoint. Peugeot arrived ready to take up its diesel-powered feud with Audi in the LMP1 class that recently concluded overseas in the European Le Mans Series with the German brand on top. The LMP2, GT1 and GT2 classes were also hotly contested, and the most drama came from Helio Castroneves, who arrived at the track to drive an LMP2 Porsche for Penske after having been in handcuffs the day before facing tax evasion charges.
posted : 10/13/2008 @9:15:56 PM
Record qualifying time puts Peugeot on pole at Petit Le Mans

It was a record setting day yesterday at Road Atlanta, with all four classes setting qualifying records including a blistering 1:06.242 by Stephane Sarrazin in his Peugeot 908 HDi to take the top overall spot. Peugeot has continually proved that it has a fast car, taking the last two pole positions at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but it was Audi on top at the end of that race. Allan McNish will be putting plenty of pressure on the Peugeot team, who qualified just .085 seconds behind the Peugeot in his Audi R10 TDI. In P2, Penske racing not only captured pole with a record qualifying time of 1:07.061, but also grabbed the top three spots. It was all Corvette Racing in GT1, but it will be a close race between the two Corvette who were separated by only .047 seconds. Finally, Risi Competizione qualified first in GT2 for the second straight year. Coverage of the event starts today at 11:00 AM EST on SPEED TV today, with the green flag waving at 11:15. A NASCAR race splits up the coverage from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. EST, but you can still watch the race on AmericanLeMans.com (as well as look up live timing and scoring) or listen in on XM channel 166.
posted : 10/13/2008 @4:40:05 PM
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