I have to say that I absolutely love orange on e46 M3's, it makes them look more purposeful for some reason, especially on a race car. Here is some decent night time at the ring footage. Enjoy!
1986 bmw l7
2 hours ago
Friday, May 29, 2009
2009 ADAC 24h Nurburgring - Scheid Motorsport BMW M3 GTS Onboard
The videos from last week's ADAC 24 hour race at the Nurburgring keep rolling in. Here is some great footage from the Scheid Motorsport BMW M3. Enjoy!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Formula One - BMW Sauber Monaco Race Review
So of Joey Hand's win at Lime Rock shows where BMW has been dominate this year I think that this video from BMW Sauber shows a much dfferent picture of where they are in the 2009 Formula One season. Of note, the video 1/3rd. the length of the "Team on Tour Reviews" from the early part of the year, spends 40 seconds showing pictures of Monaco, and gives poor Nick Heidfeld 30 seconds to talk through the nightmare which is BMW's 2009 season.
Grand-Am Koni Challenege - Joey Hand's M3 battles Andy Lally for the win at Lime Rock
Here's some great in-car footage of Joey Hand and Andy Lally battling for the lead at the Grand-Am Koni Challenge race from Lime Rock this past weekend.
It's been said that Lime Rock favors BMW's but both drivers clearly show that they are the best out there. Special credit has to go to Joey Hand, driving the Turner Motorsports e46 M3 against the newer, lighter and more aerodynamic, TRG Porsche 911. Great Stuff. Thanks to Turner motorsports for the clip. Enjoy!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
2009 ADAC 24h Nurburgring - Finish
For anyone who missed the final lap of the ADAC Nurburgring 24hour race...Enjoy!
Das ist Motorsports, das ist die Eiffel!
Das ist Motorsports, das ist die Eiffel!
Car Porn Deluxe - Top Gear attacks France with Pagani Zonda, Ferrari F430 and Ford GT
Okay, I know that the Live Feed for the Nurburgring ADAC 24 was very spotty this past weekend. In a gesture of good will I thought I would post some glorious footage and sounds in four parts. Thanks to Top Gear and the BBC. Enjoy!
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Sunday, May 24, 2009
2009 Nordschleife 24 Hours - Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 RSR at Night
More great footage, mostly of the Manthey Porsche GT3 RSR. Enjoy!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Audi R8 V10 LMS Mattias Ekström Nordschleife Onboard at Night - 2009 Nordschleife 24 Hours Race
A brief glimpse into night at the Nordschliefe. Enjoy!
ADAC 24h Nurburgring Live Feed
EDIT : THE FIRST FEED MAY NOT WORK -- ADDITIONAL FEED BELOW!
ADAC 24h Nurburgring Live feed courtesy of Yaahman! Enjoy
Watch live video from Yaahman´s Racing Channel on Justin.tv
Or try this one...
Watch live video from tulz1978's channel on Justin.tv
ADAC 24h Nurburgring Live feed courtesy of Yaahman! Enjoy
Watch live video from Yaahman´s Racing Channel on Justin.tv
Or try this one...
Watch live video from tulz1978's channel on Justin.tv
Friday, May 22, 2009
2009 ADAC 24h Nurburgring - BMW M3 E92 Sartorius Team Black Falcon Onboard
A short bit of onboard from the Team Black Falcon e92 M3. Enjoy!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Mike Skeen - Trans Am - Mosport
Mike Skeen is a driver that Scuderia Asino Grigio has great respect for. Not only is he a great driver who has proven that he has the ability to run at the front of the pack, regardless of the car or class, but he is a consummate professional that handles tough luck and tough situations well.
We hope to hear more and better news from Mike in the next series he competes in. Video and Words below courtesy of Mike Skeen. Enjoy!
Racing North of the Border
Round 3 of the 2009 Muscle Milk Trans-Am series was headed north of the border to the infamous Mosport International Raceway and thousands of enthusiastic Canadian race fans. This was the first time any of us at Atlantic Autosport had been to the facility, but we were excited about the opportunity to share a race weekend with the SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge series and some of Canada’s finest touring car drivers.
Arriving at the track midday Thursday, we were able to get the rig parked and set up in the paddock without any major trouble. We made final preparations to the car so that it would be ready for the promoter test day on Friday—my first opportunity to get on the track and forecasted to be the best weather all weekend.
Friday morning’s first session went very well as we got up to speed quickly with a baseline setup from Scott Murphy that was very good. We were already very close to the pace and had a good idea where we could pick up more time. However, the second session changed our weekend outlook.
After just a couple laps, I noticed the car start to sound a bit off-song, so I brought it to pit road where we could hear a significant valve tick. We ended the session early and took the car back to the paddock to find the adjuster bolt on the number four intake rocker arm stripped and loose.
We hunted the paddock for spares with generous help from our competitors, but none were a match for ours. Many locals pointed us to various shops and engine builders, but we still came up empty handed until we found Dan Boudreau, a local GM toolmaker of many years that happened to have a machine shop in his backyard. Within minutes, he had installed a screw thread insert in our rocker arm and we were ready to get the car back on the track. Unfortunately, we had already wasted the afternoon searching for a solution and missed all of the remaining Friday test sessions.
The weather forecast showed sporadic rain all day Saturday, but dry and cool weather all through race day. Rather than put extra time on the car for wet-weather practice, we left the car parked on Saturday and saved as much as we could for qualifying and the race on Sunday.
With very few laps on a new track and a car of unknown reliability, our goal for qualifying was to go out and set some baseline laps that would keep us in the top half of the field for the race start. After a couple laps, I had put in some decent times but I found myself in traffic and decided to pit for a basic check of the car. As soon as I stopped in the pit box we could hear a valve tick starting to develop again, so we parked the car early to avoid any unnecessary damage.
Back in the paddock we found that the push rod under our repaired rocker arm had been fractured on the tip and shortened to the point that the valve was out of adjustment. With a new push rod from our Canadian competitor, Blaise Csida, we were up and running again in time for the race.
We were optimistic with our fourth position on the grid, knowing we had a better pace than we showed in qualifying. With a clean start, I followed Trans-Am veterans Jorge Diaz, Tony Ave, and Tommy Drissi as we straightened out after the first turn. The car was handling quite well and the power felt respectable considering the abuse the engine had taken all weekend, but after a few laps I could feel and hear problems. It was tough to watch the leaders pull away when I pitted on lap four, but it was clear that the car had lost power and we were risking a catastrophic failure that could have oiled the track if I continued circulating. Rather than do that, we took the car back to the paddock and began to load up for the long haul home.
It is certainly frustrating to give up what could have been a great result, but as they say, “that is why we run the races.” To go to a new track with an under-developed GT-1 car and run competitively among an experienced Trans-Am field is quite an accomplishment for the Atlantic Autosport team. I am proud of what we have done with our second place at the series-opener and two strong runs to follow that up, but I am afraid we will not be at Round Four.
We accomplished our goal of getting on the track and acquiring some valuable experience. Now is the time to step back and develop our program to take advantage of the strong potential it has shown. Keep watching for us as we prepare for the future!
Round 3 of the 2009 Muscle Milk Trans-Am series was headed north of the border to the infamous Mosport International Raceway and thousands of enthusiastic Canadian race fans. This was the first time any of us at Atlantic Autosport had been to the facility, but we were excited about the opportunity to share a race weekend with the SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge series and some of Canada’s finest touring car drivers.
Arriving at the track midday Thursday, we were able to get the rig parked and set up in the paddock without any major trouble. We made final preparations to the car so that it would be ready for the promoter test day on Friday—my first opportunity to get on the track and forecasted to be the best weather all weekend.
Friday morning’s first session went very well as we got up to speed quickly with a baseline setup from Scott Murphy that was very good. We were already very close to the pace and had a good idea where we could pick up more time. However, the second session changed our weekend outlook.
After just a couple laps, I noticed the car start to sound a bit off-song, so I brought it to pit road where we could hear a significant valve tick. We ended the session early and took the car back to the paddock to find the adjuster bolt on the number four intake rocker arm stripped and loose.
We hunted the paddock for spares with generous help from our competitors, but none were a match for ours. Many locals pointed us to various shops and engine builders, but we still came up empty handed until we found Dan Boudreau, a local GM toolmaker of many years that happened to have a machine shop in his backyard. Within minutes, he had installed a screw thread insert in our rocker arm and we were ready to get the car back on the track. Unfortunately, we had already wasted the afternoon searching for a solution and missed all of the remaining Friday test sessions.
The weather forecast showed sporadic rain all day Saturday, but dry and cool weather all through race day. Rather than put extra time on the car for wet-weather practice, we left the car parked on Saturday and saved as much as we could for qualifying and the race on Sunday.
With very few laps on a new track and a car of unknown reliability, our goal for qualifying was to go out and set some baseline laps that would keep us in the top half of the field for the race start. After a couple laps, I had put in some decent times but I found myself in traffic and decided to pit for a basic check of the car. As soon as I stopped in the pit box we could hear a valve tick starting to develop again, so we parked the car early to avoid any unnecessary damage.
Back in the paddock we found that the push rod under our repaired rocker arm had been fractured on the tip and shortened to the point that the valve was out of adjustment. With a new push rod from our Canadian competitor, Blaise Csida, we were up and running again in time for the race.
We were optimistic with our fourth position on the grid, knowing we had a better pace than we showed in qualifying. With a clean start, I followed Trans-Am veterans Jorge Diaz, Tony Ave, and Tommy Drissi as we straightened out after the first turn. The car was handling quite well and the power felt respectable considering the abuse the engine had taken all weekend, but after a few laps I could feel and hear problems. It was tough to watch the leaders pull away when I pitted on lap four, but it was clear that the car had lost power and we were risking a catastrophic failure that could have oiled the track if I continued circulating. Rather than do that, we took the car back to the paddock and began to load up for the long haul home.
It is certainly frustrating to give up what could have been a great result, but as they say, “that is why we run the races.” To go to a new track with an under-developed GT-1 car and run competitively among an experienced Trans-Am field is quite an accomplishment for the Atlantic Autosport team. I am proud of what we have done with our second place at the series-opener and two strong runs to follow that up, but I am afraid we will not be at Round Four.
We accomplished our goal of getting on the track and acquiring some valuable experience. Now is the time to step back and develop our program to take advantage of the strong potential it has shown. Keep watching for us as we prepare for the future!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Formula One Preview - Monaco - Kimi Raikkonen
Kimi Raikkonen recaps the first five races of the year--with his trade mark monotone making 2009's rough start sound even more depressing. On a side note, although I'm not sure if it's Kimi's attitude or the way he wears the hat, but he looks a little like a short-maned James Hunt. Enjoy!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Car Porn Deluxe - Audi R8 V10 in Maranello
Bringing a red, mid-engine car to Maranello is likely the next bad idea on the list after, "bringing a knife to a gun fight." Let's see if Audi has this same sense of humor if Ferrari leaves F1 and goes endurance racing.
Enjoy!
Willisch out at M GmbH - Changes in the air at BMW's M GmbH
According to Satch Carlson at Roundel, there are multiple shake-ups occurring within the four walls of BMW's M Division with the biggest change being the reassignment of Ludwig Willisch, President of BMW M GmbH to a position as Head of European Sales. He is being replaced by Dr. Kay Segler, VP at Mini.This news may signal the suspected change that BMW's M Division will be moving towards smaller, lighter M-series cars in the future, discarding amenities such as power seats and sunroofs, and moving further towards pressurized high-power 4-cylinder engines. Full story below, thanks Satch and Roundel!
Willisch reassigned as head of Euro sales
The reassignment of Ludwig Willisch (52), who as president of BMW M GmbH oversaw a sales increase of BMW M products by some 50% last year to more than 24,000 units. Willisch was adamant about the importance of M within the overall structure of BMW; he had promised a new generation of smaller, lighter M cars—hinting openly of an M car based on the next-generation 1 Series—and declaring that the next M3 will return to six-cylinder power. . . and then tossing a grenade by refusing to say whether it will be a straight six or a V6.
Perhaps Willisch’s success at M led to his new assignment: head of the BMW Group’s European sales region, responsible for sales of BMW and Mini in all European countries outside of Germany. With sales of 517,000 vehicles in 2008, this region accounts for 39% of the BMW Group’s total global retail volume, making it the most important of the company’s six regions in terms of sales performance. (For M cars, of course, the U.S. remains the 800-pound gorilla.)
Willisch’s successor at BMW M GmbH will be Dr. Kay Segler, 54, best known as a vice president at Mini. BMW says, “Until now, Dr. Segler has been responsible for the 100 markets around the world that BMW Group Sales serves via local importers. His previous positions include four years as brand manager for Mini and a period as director of the BMW Group’s regional office in Singapore.”
Hmmm. If you start hearing rumors about a Mini M, you’ll know why.—Satch Carlson
Willisch out at M GmbH by
Willisch reassigned as head of Euro sales
The reassignment of Ludwig Willisch (52), who as president of BMW M GmbH oversaw a sales increase of BMW M products by some 50% last year to more than 24,000 units. Willisch was adamant about the importance of M within the overall structure of BMW; he had promised a new generation of smaller, lighter M cars—hinting openly of an M car based on the next-generation 1 Series—and declaring that the next M3 will return to six-cylinder power. . . and then tossing a grenade by refusing to say whether it will be a straight six or a V6.
Perhaps Willisch’s success at M led to his new assignment: head of the BMW Group’s European sales region, responsible for sales of BMW and Mini in all European countries outside of Germany. With sales of 517,000 vehicles in 2008, this region accounts for 39% of the BMW Group’s total global retail volume, making it the most important of the company’s six regions in terms of sales performance. (For M cars, of course, the U.S. remains the 800-pound gorilla.)
Willisch’s successor at BMW M GmbH will be Dr. Kay Segler, 54, best known as a vice president at Mini. BMW says, “Until now, Dr. Segler has been responsible for the 100 markets around the world that BMW Group Sales serves via local importers. His previous positions include four years as brand manager for Mini and a period as director of the BMW Group’s regional office in Singapore.”
Hmmm. If you start hearing rumors about a Mini M, you’ll know why.—Satch Carlson
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Car Porn Deluxe - Win a Dream Date with Felipe Massa and the Ferrari 430 Scuderia
A fun romp around Interlagos with Felipe Massa (who looks about 10 years old) in a 430 Scuderia. Not sure if Felipe is just showing off for his passenger, if this is old hat, or both, but I love his antics behind the wheel with lots of "look mom no hands" motoring. Enjoy!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Car Porn Deluxe - Fiat Abarth Cinquecento
I'll admit that I am in lust with the Fiat Abath 500 (Cinguecento). For years I lusted after the original micro car version, with its tiny 695cc motor, unassisted everything, and raised engine cover, cum-whale tail. Although the current version is a million miles away from Carlo Abarth's vision for the car, I want one even more. If fact I will admit to hoping for a Fiat take-over of Chrysler, only so I can purchase a modern Fiat Abarth 500, in red with Ferrari shields on the wings. It's true...sorry MOPAR fans.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
VLN - 2009 Nurburgring - Onboard Porsche 997 GT3
As the part of the run-up to the 24 Hours Nürburgring, the VLN (eranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenpokal Nürburgring) race provides teams with an opportunity to shake-down their cars and test their set-ups in a live-fire 6 hour race that uses both the Nordschliefe and the Nurburgring F1 tracks linked together.
Enjoy a ride around the track in a Porsche 997 GT-3 piloted by K. Riemer. One of the great things about this event and this series is the wide variety of cars and driver skills combined on the track. It makes for some enjoyable viewing. Enjoy!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Formula One - BMW Sauber Team Film 2009 - Goose's Death all over again
Imagine that you are Dr. Mario Thiesen.
You are four races into the 2009 season, and you only have 4 more points than Force India, andthe even worse news is that Force India has no points. You are lagging way behind in areo development and you are sending your KERS system to the dust-bin for at least the next two races.
What's a modern team principal and head of BMW Motorsports to do?
Tell your marketing folks to crank up the video production and create video depicting a team at the top of it's game, complete with motivated, eager drivers, and slick camera work. (When you realize that this was probably shot some months ago, it's almost even more depressing, now that we know how the start of the season plays out, it's almost like Goose's death in Top Gun being proceeded by Goose and Meg Ryan playing it up at the bar with Goose being the only one unaware that his time onscreen is almost over. Sorry if I spoiled Top Gun for anyone.) Enjoy!
Captain Chaos RIP - So long Dom Deluise! Cannonball Run Hero
While I know that this doesn't qualify as true Automotive, Racing or HPDE content, I feel that we need to dip the Scuderia flag to honor Dom and his devotion to the crazy, stupid car movies that kept my early adolescence interesting.
How can you top a movie that showcased exotic cars (Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr in a Ferrari 308), silly jacked-up Hawaiian-Tropic pick-ups, Jaws (from Moonraker), tricked out Ambulances, and a military-spec Chrysler Imperial?
While the Cannonball movies were largely a showcase for Burt Reynolds, Dom and his Captain Chaos provided an honest barometer for the level of stupid humor that these movies contained. Captain Chaos RIP!
Friday, May 1, 2009
It was 15 years ago today - Aryton Senna
Aryton Senna
March 21, 1960 - May 1, 1994
Here's the news story from May 1, 1994 -- a tribute to a Champion who left us many years too soon.
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