Jalopnik: Racing

This is why the Nürburgring 24-hour race is ridiculously awesome

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST

We've already told you about the launch of DRIVE, the new YouTube channel devoted to motoring. Now, DRIVE's gone live with its first produced show — a gorgeously-shot mini-documentary on the intense, chaotic 24 Hours of Nürburgring endurance race. If it wasn't on your motorsports bucket list before, it will be now. More »

New Indian racing series puts F1 drivers in Radicals

Patrick Frawley — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST

How do you develop a nation's motorsports culture? Let a bunch of promising drivers race each other in Radical SR3s. How do you promote such a backwater series? Let a bunch of old F1 drivers race with them — for a total assload of cash. More »

Watch the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans recreated with slot cars

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST

The small details of this music video featuring a recreation of the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans with slot cars are staggering. There's Porsche's "psychedelic" 917LH of Martini Racing. Is that a miniature Sam Posey starting that Ferrari 512S? Or is it Nino Vaccarella? (Ok, so the numbers don't match.) Still, it's an amazing stop-action sequence, and it's also a music video. More »

You've gotta get to a race track

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST

This past weekend I froze my ass to the floor of a trailer not designed for human habitation, ganked my knee jumping a barricade while trying not to spill a bottle of water, and had to wash a car window while being timed. It was awesome. You've gotta get to a race track. More »

Video: Dan Wheldon's deadly Las Vegas crash

Ray Wert — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:30:00 EDT

I missed the multi-camera replay from yesterday's horrific IndyCar race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where Dan Wheldon died. After watching it this morning I can't help but think just how lucky it was that only one driver lost their life. More »

Building Need For Speed Mega Blok by Mega Blok

Mike Fahey — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 20:30:00 EDT

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Who would want to buy Need for Speed-branded Mega Bloks construction sets? That's the question I asked myself when I first heard the LEGO competitor had taken on EA's racing game license earlier this year. Now that the sets are hitting store shelves, I have an answer: Me. More »

Mustang Boss 302S with VIN 001 crashes on the track

Justin Hyde — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EDT

Ford says it will build only 50 copies of the Mustang Boss 302S, a track-only demon that we've called the greatest track-day Mustang ever. The very first copy off the assembly line met the walls — and hopefully not its end — at the Mid-Ohio track last weekend. UPDATED! More »

Australian V8 Supercars heading to Austin in 2013

Justin Hyde — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:30:00 EDT

The builders of the Formula 1 track in Austin, Texas have reached a deal for five years of races by Australian V8 supercars starting in 2013. Think of it as the Foster's to Nascar's Bud Light. Bonus: they turn right. More »

How one man got off his couch and became a Baja racer

Brian Driggs, Gearbox Magazine — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EDT

For those who haven't seen it, "Dust to Glory" is an epic movie about what it takes to run the Baja 1000 in Mexico. There probably isn't a gearhead on the planet who hasn't watched that flick and thought, "OMG. I wanna do that." Jim Graham, co-founder of Desert Dingo Racing, is one such gearhead, and OMG. He actually went out and did that. Here's how. More »

A mile's worth of rally footage in one, helicopter-free shot

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:00:00 EDT

Without a helicopter, it's hard to capture rallying in truly eye-satisfying video clips. Matthew Johnston hiked 700 feet up for a sweet vantage point of the Oregon Trail Rally, as Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard happened by. POV FTW! More »

Remembering "generous, lovable screwball" Matthew Marker, killed at Olympus Rally

Mike Spinelli — Sun, 01 May 2011 19:14:16 EDT

Tragic news today from the Olympus Rally, where 31-year-old Matthew Marker of Elk Rapids, MI was killed in an accident during the sixth stage of the rally's first day. Jalopnik confidant Michael Power reports from the event. Additional reporting by The Seattle Times. More »

Watch Vitaly Petrov's "yee-ha" jump during the Malaysian Grand Prix

Mike Spinelli — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EDT

F1 Driver Vitaly Petrov was in eighth place during the Malaysian Grand Prix today, when he ran wide at turn 7, then launched his Lotus Renault over the kerbing. The steering column snapped on impact. Podium for teammate Nick Heidfeld, though. More »

New BBC film on the blood-drenched glory years of F1

Peter Orosz — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EDT

When men were men and race cars looked like cars, men and women were dying on Grand Prix weekends like flies. The early history of Formula One is a horror of burning flesh, and a new one-hour BBC documentary puts the easy nostalgia for the early days in a sad new perspective. More »

Jenson Button uses the "button" to pass in Australia

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EDT

If there'd been any question whether the return of KERS energy-recovery and new adjustable rear wing would mean more passing in F1, McLaren's Jenson Button answered it this past weekend in Australia. Yes, Button pushed the button, and it worked. More »

Getting your gloves on in a speeding Seven

Peter Orosz — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EDT

What to do when it’s 15 seconds to the start of a Seven race, your helmet is undone, and you can’t do it up in your racing gloves? More »

Watch two F1 legends locked in a karting battle

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EDT

By 1993, when this exposition kart race happened, the epic rivalry between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost had mostly peaked. But the fiercest rivals the sport had ever known did take their karting seriously. Check out the technique. More »

Donald Trump to drive Indy 500 pace car

Ray Wert — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:30:00 EDT

Real-estate mogul and "Celebrity Apprentice" star Donald Trump has been asked to drive the Chevrolet Camaro SS pace car by Indianapolis Motor Speedway president and CEO Jeff Belskus at this year's Indy 500. More »

Polestar Volvo C30 touring car will see action in Brazil

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EDT

When WTCC's 2011 season starts in Brazil this weekend, it'll have a Swede in the grid: Polestar Racing's Volvo C30 DRIVe. The team's starting with a two-liter, and changing in-season to a 1.6-liter turbo from a brand-new Volvo engine family. More »

Japan's Sugo circuit reportedly damaged in earthquake

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 11:15:00 EDT

From @marshallpruett: In addition to the loss of life in Japan, Hidenori Suzuki from Sports Car Racing magazine tells me the Sugo circuit was badly damaged. More »

McLaren MP4-12C racecar gets inaugural shakedown

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST

Want to be the first privateer team to race a McLaren MP4-12C? They'd love to hear from you. But first, check out the first shakedown of the MP4-12C GT3 at Silverstone in the UK. Portuguese driver Álvaro Parente's the wheelman. More »

Red Bull F1 team just crushing it in Barcelona

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:00:00 EST

It could not look any better for the Red Bull Formula One team in Barcelona, where the grid is doing its annual March testing this week, with Sebastian Vettel the fastest throughout. In other news, McLaren's got serious issues. More »

Audi RS6 shatters Bentley's ice speed record

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:45:00 EST

The Bentley Supersports' corporate cousin, the Audi RS6, apparently just beat its speed record on ice. V10 > W12? Yes. More »

Can Aston Martin's gorgeous Le Mans prototype beat the diesels?

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST

Aston Martin Racing's spent late 2010 and early 2011 developing a turbocharged, direct-injection inline six to power its new, open-cockpit Le Mans prototype race car. It's here. But does it stand a chance against the diesels? More »

Vintage Saab Rally Documentary

Tom Joslin — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST

Titled "Masters at the Wheel", this vintage documentary produced by Saab details the company's early rally efforts. What could be better than vintage footage of screaming two stroke race cars? (Follow link for part 2) (H/t Cameage!) [via Saabs United] More »

Go, Junkyard Dog, Go!

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST

Tony "Junkyard Dog" Adamowicz flogged this Porsche to TransAm victory in 1968. The car began life as a shell from a NYC Impound lot — a 912 the team fitted with a 911 engine. [via vnkndsn] More »

Formula One Will Broadcast in High-Def for 2011

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 09:15:00 EST

Formula One will give broadcasters an HD feed for the 2011 season. But will they pass it along to the fans? [PlanetF1] More »

Designer Of Six-Wheeled Tyrrell F1 Race Car Dies

Justin Hyde — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:30:00 EST

Derek Gardner, the transmission engineer whose obsession with tire grip led him to design the six-wheel Tyrrell P34 race car, has died at the age of 79. Here's the Tyrrell lapping Monaco in its full freak glory. (H/T jalopnikfan) [ITV] More »

Fire In The Hole

Justin Hyde — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST

Racing exhaust maker Akrapovic likes to show off its wares on this modified Porsche 997 GT2, here shown during a track test harnessing the laws of thermodynamics to change forward momentum into heat, then awesomeness. [TeamSpeed] More »

P4/5 Competitzione: Race Car Or Carbon Fiber Sculpture?

Justin Hyde — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 09:30:00 EST

The scuderia elfi building Ferrari enthusiast Jim Glickenhaus' P4/5 Competitzione have been rushing to meet the goal of racing in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring next year. Judging by the photos from their Facebook page, they're getting close. More »

Top Ten Things I Accomplished While Contributing To Jalopnik

Rob Krider — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 14:30:00 EST

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I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to partake in a few motorsports events, snap a couple of blurry photographs, mistype some finishing results, and report back here on Jalopnik. Here is a top 10 list of those adventures. More »

McLaren Teases MP4-12C GT Racecar

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:30:00 EST

And, just like that, phase two of the McLaren takeover of the sports-car world is upon us. McLaren announced it will supply and support a new GT3 racecar based on its new MP4-12C for European privateers starting in 2012. More »

Porsche Gives 911 GT3 RSR A Nip And Tuck

Justin Hyde — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:30:00 EST

Porsche's latest race version of its 911 GT3 RSR has a little bit more power and a few other tweaks, mainly in aerodynamics, meant to cement itself as the perfect selection for the race team with $550,000. More »

Nissan Team Diary At The 25 Hours Of Thunderhill

Rob Krider — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST

A lone and scrappy Nissan Sentra SE-R run by LeMons / ChumpCar alumni ran against Honda and Mazda factory efforts at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Here is how they Survived the 25. More »

Western Endurance Racing Championship Decided During 25 Hour

Rob Krider — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST

The final race of the 2010 NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship (WERC) season was completed during the first six hours of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. See which teams came out on top. More »

The Cockpit-Like Interior Of The Mysterious 8-Wheeled Car

Justin Hyde — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST

Here's the first interior photo of the eight-wheel, dual-rotary juggernaut first profiled here weeks ago, and now dubbed the Greatest LeMons Racer of All Time, or GLCOAT. This is only the start of the engineering mystery underneath its fiberglass skin. More »

Mercer Motorsports/Porsche Win The 25 Hours Of Thunderhill

Rob Krider — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 22:30:00 EST

It took 25 long hours and nearly 2,000 miles of racing but Mercer Motorsports won the 2010 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Mercer Motorsports won the event last year and wanted to come back to repeat. They did just that by completing 628 laps, winning the ES Class and the event overall. More »

The Sun Finally Came Up At The 25 Hours Of Thunderhill

Rob Krider — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 22:00:00 EST

After endless hours of darkness, hard racing and fatigue, the sun rose at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill making things easier to see. With the morning light, and the end of the race nearing (but still 6 hours away), teams started to pick up the pace on a wet track. This combination led to the following great shots of cars slippin' and slidin' in the mud, dirty from the rain, damaged from contact and sometimes all of the above. The photos were taken by GotBlueMilk.com Photography. More »

Rain And Darkness Consume The 25 Hours Of Thunderhill

Rob Krider — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 00:10:00 EST

The sun is down and the rain has arrived at the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) 25 Hours of Thunderhill. The weather has kept crews busy throwing on rain tires. More »

Green! Green! Green! At The 25 Hours Of Thunderhill

Rob Krider — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 23:30:00 EST

The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) 25 Hours of Thunderhill is underway. Drivers, crews and these poor cars have just started the longest two days of their lives. More »

Grid For The 25 Hours Of Thunderhill

Rob Krider — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 13:15:00 EST

The 25 Hours of Thunderhill is about to begin. We know that 82 cars will see the green flag but after 25 hours of racing, how many will actually see the checker? More »