Car Porn Deluxe - Ultra Premium Edition - Top Gear Compares Bugatti Veyron vs. McLaren F1

Don't want to spoil the surprise and say who wins, but I will say that there are no losers here. Not much else to say. Enjoy!

Seriously, You Don't Look a Day Over 39 ! Frank Williams honored for 40 Years in Motorsports.

Here's to Frank Williams for surviving forty years of the Circus that is motorsports! Frank Williams will be honored at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, ( held on July 3, 4 and 5th), for his contribution to the world of motorsports. While the last decade hasn't exactly been friendly to Frank and his F1 team, as you can see from the clip, there will be at least three cars run at Goodwood, that will elicit fond memories to those who have followed F1 across the decades. Enjoy!

FIA/FOTA Battle Ended - Let the Healing Begin!

While I think that it was the "Hitler on Formula One (Breakaway Series)..." video that finally did it, apparently the FIA and FOTA have reached an accord and are planning on playing well together for the 2010 season. Apparently one of the terms of the agreement is that Max Mosley will not apply for an additional term with the FIA. It will be interesting to see if this is really the end of this spat between the teams, Max and Bernie. Only time will tell.

Story from CNN International follows.

(CNN) -- Max Mosley, the president of motorsport's world governing body the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), has said there "will be a unified Formula One championship in 2010."

The statement comes after Mosley spoke to the FIA's World Motor Sport Council and the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA), at the governing body's headquarters in Paris.

It seems FOTA, as the representitive of all eight teams that had threatened to set up a rival series, have settled their differences with the controversial racing boss.

Mosley has confirmed a new cost-cutting agreement has been reached with those concerned which has ensured next season's Championship will include the eight breakaway teams - Ferrari, McLaren, BMW Sauber, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Brawn GP.

"There will be one F1 championship but the objective is to get back to the spending levels of the early 90s within two years," Mosley told a press conference.

It also appears the 69-year-old has now agreed to move aside when his fourth term as FIA president ends in October, saying: "I will not be up for re-election, now we have peace."

Mosley had previously maintained the decision of who should be president should reside solely with the members of the FIA despite growing pressure from the rebel teams for a new man to take charge.

Formula One supremo and sole commerical rights holder Bernie Ecclestone said he was "very happy common sense had prevailed" according to The Times.

The FIA announced on the June 19 they intended to sue the eight teams who had threatened to form a new, alternative championship for breach of contract.

Today's announcement could bring to an end an eight-week disagreement, that has threatened to tear apart the sport, which centered on proposals to introduce a $60 million budget cap for all teams competing in the next campaign.

Though the FIA hoped such plans will make the grid more balanced and easier for the smaller teams to compete successfully, FOTA had complained the wishes of the majority of teams to introduce the plans over a greater length of time had been "ignored."

"Furthermore, tens of millions of dollars have been withheld from many teams by the commercial rights holder, going back as far as 2006," FOTA added in a statement on its official Web site.

FIA / FOTA Battle Continues - Max, Bernie and the Teams have killed Hitler

Given Mox Mosley's proclivities for uniforms we had to guess that this wouldn't be too long inb coming. Enjoy!

Almost a rat rod...

Apparently these youngsters with VWs have started a trend. Of course, if I've heard about it, it is probably done by now. I am halfway there with my roof rack, now I just have to find a source for a pre-rusted steel hood (Maybe Porsche Tequipment is going to offer one?)

Seriously, I have been hard at work recently making my car totally undriveable on public roads. The only solution is to spend more time at the track.

Car Porn Deluxe - Ferrari FXX - Top Gear

Okay. I'm going to skip all of the "...Michael Schumacher is the Stig..." stuff and ask you just to focus on the sight and sound of the Ferrari FXX piloted by Michael Schumacher going around the Top Gear track. This video offer definitive proof that if you have a billion dollars and you don't participate in Ferrari's FXX program, you are wasting your life. Period.

Enjoy!

The FIA Empire Strikes Back - Threatens Legal Action Against FOTA

The Dark Lord, ahem, I mean Max Mosley speaks out about the rebel alliance, I mean FOTA's decision to break-away from Formula One and threatens legal actions, "without delay". I'm not totally certain what Mr. Mosley is thinking here, but I'm guessing that between BMW, Toyota, Renault, Red Bull and Mercedes/McLaren, they might be able to find enough lawyers to drag this battle into perpetuity, and although the auto industry isn't exactly having their best sales year ever, I don't think I'd want to get into a bleeding contest with companies that have spent between $250M and $475M a year to race cars.

FIA press release follows.

The FIA’s lawyers have now examined the FOTA threat to begin a breakaway series. The actions of FOTA as a whole, and Ferrari in particular, amount to serious violations of law including wilful interference with contractual relations, direct breaches of Ferrari's legal obligations and a grave violation of competition law. The FIA will be issuing legal proceedings without delay.

Preparations for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship continue but publication of the final 2010 entry list will be put on hold while the FIA asserts its legal rights.

So I guess that they weren't kidding - FOTA pulls out of Formula One

So in the ultimate iteration of "my ball, my basket", the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) has announced that they are leaving F1 to develop "... a new Championship which reflects the values of its participants and partners." This move has been a long time coming and unfortunately the FIA didn't pay much attention to the CART/IRL battle that destroyed open-wheel racing in America. While the IRL ultimately won, it was only because CART ran out of manufactures to finance the effort. In this case it appears that the manufactures are the ones leaving the building. I'm sure that there's more to come.

The FOTA press release follows.

FOTA UNITED ON THE FUTURE

Silverstone, 18 June 2009 - Since the formation of FOTA last September the teams have worked together and sought to engage the FIA and commercial rights holder, to develop and improve the sport.

Unprecedented worldwide financial turmoil has inevitably placed great challenges before the F1 community. FOTA is proud that it has achieved the most substantial measures to reduce costs in the history of our sport.

In particular the manufacturer teams have provided assistance to the independent teams, a number of which would probably not be in the sport today without the FOTA initiatives. The FOTA teams have further agreed upon a substantial voluntary cost reduction that provides a sustainable model for the future.

Following these efforts all the teams have confirmed to the FIA and the commercial rights holder that they are willing to commit until the end of 2012.

The FIA and the commercial rights holder have campaigned to divide FOTA.

The wishes of the majority of the teams are ignored. Furthermore, tens of millions of dollars have been withheld from many teams by the commercial rights holder, going back as far as 2006. Despite this and the uncompromising environment, FOTA has genuinely sought compromise.

It has become clear however, that the teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 World Championship.

These teams therefore have no alternative other than to commence the preparation for a new Championship which reflects the values of its participants and partners. This series will have transparent governance, one set of regulations, encourage more entrants and listen to the wishes of the fans, including offering lower prices for spectators worldwide, partners and other important stakeholders.

The major drivers, stars, brands, sponsors, promoters and companies historically associated with the highest level of motorsport will all feature in this new series.

Car Porn Deluxe - Porsche GT-3RS, Lamborghini Gallardo Superlegera and Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24

I realise that Top Gear's quest to find the best driving road in the world will be old hat to many of you...but after watching it again I find it to be a fantastic coming together of some amazing track-day weapons. Enjoy!

The New GM

I thought that these two ads were a fun take on the "new" GM ads that have been running recently. I am a fan of GM turning the corner and believe that they have the ability to actually make decent cars, but this ad spoof helps put some of the recent stories in a funnier context. Enjoy!

Top Gear Season 13 Trailer - Top Gear Returns June 21, 2009

The start of the 13th season of Top Gear is less than a week away. Here's a short trailer showing the Top Gear presenters when they were children. Enjoy!

2009 24 Hours of LeMans - Peugeot Wins - Congrats to Marc Gene, Alexander Wurz and David Brabham!

Peugeot ends Audi's reign of victories at LeMans in a grand way, finishing first and second after 24 hours of hard running. Audi has enjoyed beating the Pescarolo's and other privateer teams for years, but with the factory Peugeot and possible Ferrari entries for 2010, their long held grip on victory at LeMans may be coming to a close. Congratulations to Peugeot, Marc Gene, Alexander Wurz, and David Brabham.

2009 LeMans Live Streaming Video Feed - Updated!

I'm a little unsure of the quality of this feed... but I'll post up additional feeds as they become available throughout the race.

UPDATE : Best one yet! AGAIN UPDATED

Watch live video from tomcio6 on Justin.tv



UPDATE : There is also an additional (better quality) link at Justin.tv here

Watch live video from 2009 24 Heures du Mans on Justin.tv
Or here

Watch live video from corvettems on Justin.tv


Plus there is always Radio LeMans if you'd like to listen to all of the action.

2009 Le Mans 24 Hours- Qualifying Allan McNish Audi R15 TDi Onboard

Some great shots of qualifying at dusk. Thanks to MT89Motorsports. Enjoy!

Koni Challenge Watkin Glen 2009 - Auberlen / Hand Dual View

Great battle at the Glen between Joey Hand and Bill Auberlen in the Turner Motorsports e46 M3's. I'll use Turner Motorsports' decription of the clip so that I don't get blasted for being a spoiler about the outcome of the race.  

This is DUAL in-car footage from both the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 and the #97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3. From Round 6 of the Grand-Am KONI Challenge race at Watkins Glen, June 7, 2009. Footage begins with Bill & Joey coming in for their final pit-stop (under a full course caution) to take fuel and tires. The video then skips ahead a few minutes to the restart -- where some SERIOUS nose-to-tail racing ensues. Both Bill and Joey fight their way through some seriously dense traffic to make their way back up to the front positions. Once the ST class traffic has been cleared, the video jumpt to a battle with 2 mustangs, and lastly to Bill and Joey trying to fend off a Porsche. In the end, the TRG Porsche piloted by Andy Lally is able to get by both Bill and Joey's Turner M3s to win the race, though not without a hard fight from the TMS BMWs. 

Check out the complete race this weekend on Speed TV It airs at 2PM EST.  Enjoy!

Car Porn Deluxe Supersize Edition - Posrche Spa 2009 - Clash Productions

If you've ever heard of Eau Rouge and you like Porsches than you should be blown away by this meisterstuck from Clash Productions. Enjoy!

PORSCHE SPA 2009 from Clashproduction on Vimeo.

24 Hours of LeMans 2009 - Official Preview Video

As practice for the 2009 24 Hours of LeMans has begun, signaling that we are only days away from what should prove to be an epic battle between Audi and Peugeot.  If the 12 hours of Sebring gave us any insight into the racing game plan for LMP1, I would guess that we should expect a 24-hour sprint race between the top teams, with only a catastrophic breakdown or shunt causing the teams to stray from that course.

Likely the R15 will be a little slower than the 908 HDi DPFS, but will be more fuel-efficient and require fewer stops.  However if the Audi runs into trouble it will be harder for them to make up time on the faster Peugeot.

Here's an official preview courtesy of Crawford Photography.  Enjoy!

Scuderia On Track - Mid Ohio with the NNJR- PCA

I've noticed that we've had a heavy focus on professional motorsports lately and in an attempt to balance that I've asked Scuderia member Aaron S. to share an update from his weekend at Mid-Ohio with the NNJR-PCA.  Thanks to Aaron and his Cayman S for the update.

 
"I took a half day off work the day before the event to make the 6 hour drive.  I managed to roll in to the track by 7:30 PM and get my tires and rack taken off the roof and swapped for the next day.  (Max, I copied your roof rack tire carrier concept.  And yes, it does look completely ridiculous on top of a Cayman.)
 
About the track:  The Mid-Ohio sign in the picture has the slogan "Most Competitive in U.S.", and from my limited midwest track experience, I agree.  It doesnt have the high speed straights that Road America does, but it is still very challenging (probably more so) because of the terrain changes.  There's plenty of video of the track on Youtube and Trackpedia has a good turn by turn description.  The fun spots include the "jump" at turn 8.  This tends to spin a lot of people out.  The section from turn 9 to 11 requires attention to the throttle through the zig-zag turn 10.  Turn 11 also has a nice jump/hill to go over as you track out, and then you have to get lined up for turn 12 (watch the armco/concrete wall at the turn in point!).  It is also critical to hit the apex here and manage the throttle properly to make it through to the mini-carousel and then onto the front straight.  Turn 1 at the end of the front straight is also deceptive in that it is slightly banked and goes uphill so it is faster than you might think.  In summary, there were lots of spots like the kink at RA where you have to keep the ass end planted with throttle and never, ever get timid and lift.  I had a great time and learned a lot from my instructor.
 
I would highly encourage any Chicago area track junkies to make the trip.  It is worth it.  I was talking with some of the crowd from New Jersey in the paddock and realized that I had nothing to complain about with my 6 hour drive.  Most of them had an 8-9 hour drive.  NNJR also has a very active DE schedule - they run 9 DEs a year, 3 of them to "far away" tracks like VIR and Mid-Ohio.  Any marque is welcome, so there were lots of BMWs there as well.   

24 Hours of LeMans - Circuit de la Sarthe 1977

As the teams are working their way through the scutineering process for this weekend's ultimate test of endurance, the 24 Hours of LeMans, I thought that I would post some footage from a time when pant legs and shirt collars were wide and the circuit was narrow. Enjoy!

Formula One Turkey - Live Stream

For those of you who don't want to wait till the Fix network gets around to showing it this afternoon.

Watch live video from GP Formula 1 Turkey 1 Race @ HD on Justin.tv
Here's another one courtesy of Axis of Oversteer

Watch live video from . on Justin.tv

Death Race 2000 finally has a winner - RIP David Carradine

Sad news out of Thailand today, the AP is reporting that Death Race 2000 Star, David Carradine has taken his own life in a Thai hotel room.

Most are familiar with his work in the television show Kung Fu, or in the Kill Bill movies, but I will always remember him for his work in Death Race 2000.  God Speed David!

Employment be damned - Gran Turismo 5 Preview

How is possible to continue working with games this cool available? Enjoy!