Although we know function is more important than form on a racing car, but if the latter is any indication of the former, BMW will have a real winner with the new M3. Of course, a 485 HP 4.0-liter V8 powering a 2535 lb car will more than likely help as well. We mean, can someone please tell BMW to forget that whole "flame-surfacing" thing and just put widebody kits on all their street cars? [BMW]

"First fan to guess the inspiration for the 'Scrape Stripe' design gets an autographed official 'team-only' CR '08 hat. Send your guesses to eddie@badboyvettes.com"

No emissions targets or environmental impact limits have been set. While we would love to see racing reduce its impact on the world around us, thus furthering research into enabling passenger cars to do the same, we can't help but feel efforts like this merely pay lip service to being environmentally friendly in order to placate critics.

According to the team owner, Lexus was originally planning to enter the GT2 class in 2006. The first race for the Lexus will be the Twelve Hours of Sebring this March 15-18th. Let's just hope they don't drain the battery trying to synch their blackberry's phonebook with the bluetooth memory module. [World Car Fans]

One of the series that could see corngas burning Aston GT2's is the American Le Mans Series, which allows competitors to use the E85 for racing fuel. Full details of AMR's plans for 2008 will be announced next Thursday. [Aston Martin Racing via World Car Fans]

FLYING LIZARD MOTORSPORTS' VAN OVERBEEK BECOMES FIFTH U.S. DRIVER TO WIN PORSCHE CUP - WORLD-WIDE TROPHY FOR MOST SUCCESSFUL PORSCHE PRIVATEER

—Patrick Long, Only American Porsche Factory Driver, Named to Penske Racing team for 2008—

ATLANTA - December 11 - Johannes van Overbeek, from San Francisco, and partner of the Flying Lizard Motorsports team based in Sonoma, Calif., has won the 2007 Porsche Cup. This is the trophy that the Porsche factory in Stuttgart, Germany, has been awarding each year since 1970 to the most successful driver of a private Porsche racing car. On the occasion of the Porsche Motorsports Night in Weissach, Germany, this past weekend, Executive Vice-President for Development Wolfgang Dürheimer presented the prize and 37,000 Euros ($54,000) prize money to van Overbeek.

As the driver, co-founder and co-owner of the Flying Lizard Motorsports Team, Johannes van Overbeek was the runner-up in the GT2 class of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Winning the races in Lime Rock, Mid Ohio and the Ten-Hour Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, the 34-year-old van Overbeek, together with his teammate Porsche factory driver Jörg Bergmeister (Langenfeld, Germany), remained within striking distance of the GT2 championship until the last race of the season. He has finished fifth, seventh, and second respectively in the Porsche Cup competition over the last three years before winning the trophy for 2007. Johannes' previous experience before joining the Lizards included 38 races in the Speed TV World-Challenge, where he finished on the podium 16 times, and a third place finish overall at the

2003 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Second place in the Porsche Cup standings went van Overbeek's Flying Lizard teammate Darren Law (USA), who received 23,000 Euros ($33,500), while Wolf Henzler (Nürtingen, Germany), who drove for Atlanta-based Tafel Racing in ALMS, finished third and took home a check for 18,000 Euros ($26.200). Law also accumulated points from his results driving the Brumos Porsche Riley in the Rolex Grand-Am series.

Other top 15 Porsche Cup finishers who earned their points racing in North America included Marc Besseng (Germany), who was on the winning GT team at the Rolex 24 at Daytona (seventh); Butch Leitzinger (USA), who drove the Dyson Porsche RS Spyder in ALMS (eighth - tie); Andy Wallace (England), Leitizinger's co-driver for Dyson (eighth - tie); Chris Dyson (USA), Dyson Racing Porsche RS Spyder (10th - tie); Guy Smith (England), Chris Dyson's co-driver (10th - tie); Andy Lally (USA), Rolex Grand-Am GT series with TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and ALMS with Dyson Racing Porsche RS Spyder (13th); and Dirk Werner (Germany), Rolex Grand-Am GT champion for Farnbacher Loles in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Van Overbeek becomes the fifth American driver to win the Porsche Cup since its inception in 1970. Others have included Price Cobb (1994), Cort Wagner (1999), Mike Fitzgerald (2000), and Kevin Buckler (2002).

A complete list of Porsche cup winners follows this release.

Long to Drive for Penske in 2008

In an equally exciting development for Porsche racing fans in North America, Patrick Long, the only American Porsche factory driver (from Southern California, but now living in Tampa, Florida), has been promoted to a full-time position at Penske Racing to drive the Porsche RS Spyder in the American Le Mans Series for 2008. Long, 26 years-old, has already proved his skills impressively at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in Gran Turismo events, winning the GT2 Driver's Championship in the American Le Mans Series in 2005 after clinching five races and finishing as the runner-up a year later in 2006. In 2004 and 2007, Long won the 24 Hours of Le Mans (France) in a 911 GT3 RSR. This past season, Long and Jörg Bergmeister also drove the Ruby Tuesdays Alex Job Racing Porsche Crawford in Rolex Grand-Am, winning one race and finishing in the top five a number of times. [Source: Sports Systems]

A member of Great Britain's House of Lords, Lord Drayson, Paul to his friends, is leaving his post as Defence Procurement Minister to race in the ALMS. Lord Drayson, a pharmaceuticals millionaire, raced an Aston Martin DBRS9 in the British GT championship in 2006, and ran an E85 ethanol-powered Aston in the Championship in 2007. Last week, he announced he was giving up politics to become a gentleman racer.

GT2 just got even more interesting. Corsa Motorsports and Hankook tires recently agreed to field a single F430 LMGT in the 2008 American Le Mans Series. Corsa, probably encouraged by the success of the Risi and Peterson White Lightning Ferrari teams, will field the car for the first time this March at Sebring.

Another item of interest quoted in the release is a Road and Track study wherein 88 percent of respondents felt auto manufacturers that participate in the American Le Mans Series produce vehicles and products with engineering that is superior to that of non-participating auto manufacturers, which may explain the tire manufacturer's involvement.

Another new entrant to the GT2 field will be the Rick Riley and "Sweet" Lou Gigliotti's Corvette team,. The GT2 cars will be based on the standard C6 instead of the GT1-class Z06.

GT1 will get (is "re-interesting" an acceptable word, Postfather?) Kevin Doran and Robertson Racing announced plans to field a freaking Ford GT in the class, and Primetime Racing is looking to enter a squadron of Dodge Vipers. Let's hope the C6.Rs keep the "Jake" paint jobs they displayed at Laguna Seca.** Jake, incidentally, is what the 'Vette team named their skull logo. Are they possibly taking a cue from Jalop's "Bruce" and "Dave"? Inquiring minds want to know. – James Gribbon

Formula 1
What: Brazilian Grand Prix
Where: Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos, Brazil
When: Qualifying Saturday, race Sunday

The final race of the season promises to be a nail-biter as rookie Lewis Hamilton, two-time defending world champion Fernando Alonso, and nose-picking party boy Kimi Räikkönen all duke it out for the 2007 driver's championship. Ferrari was pretty much handed the constructor's championship on a silver platter earlier this season when McLaren Mercedes was disqualified after the espionage scandal with Ferrari, so there won't be any surprises there. This grand prix also marks the racing debut of Kazuki Nakajima for Williams; the test driver was put into the seat vacated by Alexander Wurz, who announced his retirement last week.

Champ Car World Series
What: Lexmark Indy 300
Where: Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia
When: Qualifying Saturday, race Sunday

The Champ Car kids go to the land down under for their second-to-last race of the season. And since it's a day ahead in Australia, the starting grid is already set. Will Power (yes, we still snicker every time we write his name) sits on the pole (double snicker), perennial road-rager Paul Tracy will round out the front row, and season leader — and perhaps soon-to-be F1 driver — Sebastien Bourdais starts third.

American LeMans Series (ALMS)
What: Monterey Sports Car Championships
Where: Laguna Seca, Monterey Peninsula, CA
When: Qualifying Friday, race Saturday

The ALMS season finale is bound to be a fast one; thirteen cars across all four classes broke the track qualifying records on Friday. Sascha Maassen snagged pole in the P2 class in his Penske Racing Porsche RS Spyder with a time of 1:10.528, a whopping 3.203 seconds quicker than the former track record set by Stefan Johansson last year in a factory Zytek. Allan McNish took pole in the P1 class in his Audi R10 TDI with a lap time of 1:11.175. Jan Magnussen drove his Corvette to pole in the GT1 class, and Risi Competizione's Jaime Melo will start first in the Ferrari F403 in the GT2 class. Despite the rumors to the contrary, we will be at this race with some great behind-the-scenes action, so stay tuned.

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
What: Subway 500
Where: Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, VA
When: Qualifying Friday, race Saturday

Chevrolet claimed the top four spots during a rainy qualifying session Friday on NASCAR's shortest circuit. Jeff Gordon took pole with a top speed of 94.974 miles per hour. This marks Gordon's 63rd career pole, six of which have been at the Martinsville track. Martin Truex Jr. qualified second at 94.737 miles per hour, with Kevin Harvick behind him at 94.685 miles per hour. Points leader Jimmie Johnson qualified fourth at 94.618 miles per hour.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
What: Kroger 200
Where: Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, VA
When: Qualifying Saturday morning, race Saturday afternoon

Toyota could clinch the manufacturer's championship this season if the team finishes ahead of Chevrolet and Ford on the 2.66-mile oval. The stats are in their favor, as Toyotas have won the last three truck races at Martinsville. Ron Hornaday Jr. currently leads the series with 3207 points, with Mike Skinner just 14 points behind.

We'll pay out the cool grand to the first person who e-mails us (tips-at-jalopnik-dot-com) eight clear, high-resolution (defined as 1280 px-wide shots taken with a DSLR camera — no cameraphone, point-and-shoot or iPhone snaps kids!) of the full 2009 Corvette ZR1. We also want to get them before anyone else does — that means before the buff mags, other web sites, enthusiast sites. So, if you want the money, you've got to be quick. Assume you'll have to do it before the race ends. Heck, you may even have to get the shots in before the start of the race; we've no idea how GM will play this one, but we're pretty sure there are some people out there who may be interested in helping us find out.

As an added bonus we'll send a Jalopnik T-shirt out to those who submit even if they're not winners — so you'll get at least something for following all of the above rules. Any other caveats can be found in our standard contest rules and regulations found here. So get your DSLRs up and at the ready — and GO!

LMP1
1)Piro
2)Capello
3)Graf

LMP2
1) Dumas
2) Dyson
3) Leitzinger

GT1
1) O'Connell
2) Gavin

GT2:
1) Melo
2) Long
3) Dumbreck

Hey guys, we're trying to get the word out about a party we're hosting at a bar in detroit after the ALMS race this weekend. We did something similar (but lower key) this year in Le Mans and it went very well. Of course it's a "corvette party" but all alms fans are invited to come down and hang out, vip parking for corvettes though. The entire corvette team will be there, we'll be giving stuff away, the jagermeister girls will be there with shots, some hawaiian girls will be there or something... it should be a good time.

PRESS RELEASE:

Audi aim to end LM P2 cars winning streak

• Elkhart Lake next stop for the American Le Mans Series
• Fastest track of the year
• Audi unbeaten at Road America to date

The Audi R10 TDI has been front page news in the American Le Mans Series since March 2006. With the revolutionary Diesel Sportscar, Audi is also proving just how efficient modern Diesel engines are on the race track. The programme in the world's most important Sportscar racing series is important in paving the way for AUDI AG's forthcoming Diesel offensive in America.

Next stop on the Audi R10 TDI's US tour is Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin state. The 6.563 kilometre (4.048 miles) long "Road America" circuit is the fastest on the American Le Mans Series calendar - and one which the Audi drivers are especially looking forward to.

The Diesel Sportscar, developed specifically for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is at home on fast circuits. This is why Team Audi Sport North America believes it has the opportunity to beat the preferentially treated LM P2 cars, which recently celebrated five successive overall victories. As a consequence, the LM P2 car's minimum weight has been increased by 50 kilograms by the rule makers for the 2008 season.

Defending ALMS LM P1 Champions Dindo Capello and Allan McNish head to Road America as leaders of the LM P1 drivers' championship. They hold an 18 point lead over their team-mates Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner. The race starts on Saturday (11 August) at 4.p.m. local time (11 p.m. in Germany) and lasts four hours. An extra three points are awarded due to the longer race distance. Audi is unbeaten at Road America to date.

Quotes before the race at Road America

Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "In Road America we aim to continue with the big victories we recorded at the beginning of the season. However, this is no easy task as we have two handicaps handed out to us by the regulations when compared to the LM P2 cars: the higher weight and smaller fuel tank. We also lose time during the pit stops because diesel flows slower into the tank than gasoline. In spite of this, we'll do everything possible to beat the LM P2 cars - even though there are no points awarded in the American Le Mans Series for doing this."

Dindo Capello (Audi R10 TDI #1): "After having raced at several circuits that didn't quite suit our R10 TDI, we can hardly wait to drive at Road America. We should be capable of extracting the full potential of our Diesel Sportscar there. Our last overall victory was more than four months ago. It's high time that Allan (McNish) and I return to the winner's circle."

Allan McNish (Audi R10 TDI #1): "Road America is a fantastic track that has some very fast sections. It is demanding and you need to be quite courageous. Dindo (Capello) and I love the track. We were very strong there last year, but we nevertheless lost the win to our team-mates just before the finish. That means we have a score to settle at Road America. In view of the way the season's been running up until now, we are very hungry for success."

Emanuele Pirro (Audi R10 TDI #2): "In my opinion, Road America is one of the best circuits on the American Le Mans Series calendar. I really enjoy going back to race there. I have fond memories, not only of our win last year. The battle I had with Tom (Kristensen) in 2002 was even better, and I'll never forget it. At Road America I hope that Audi is finally seen in a more familiar position: right at the front."

Marco Werner (Audi R10 TDI #2): "Every one of us is looking forward to Road America. It's an extremely fast track with one very long straight. Road America is a big challenge for the driver, just how I like it. The R10 TDI is designed and built for Le Mans - and therefore rather more for Road America than for Lime Rock or Mid Ohio. I hope that we can get the R10 TDI right at the front again."

Dave Maraj (Team Director Audi Sport North America): "We lost too much time in the pits at Mid Ohio. We analysed exactly where we can be faster. As a team we do not give up. Even if Porsche has an advantage we want to beat them at Road America. It'll be difficult to repeat last year's one-two finish. But we'll definetly try."

I've been going to races at Lime Rock Park since around 1990 and I don't think I've ever seen this many people at an event. BMW Formula cars and IMSA Lites were both on the under card before the main event. Fans alternately checked out the races and wandered through the paddock watching the ALMS crews make last minute tweaks after the morning's practice session.

After a break for lunch during which I found out Lime Rock plans to open its own members-only motorsports club, it was show time. The prototypes and GT cars fired up their engines and rolled slowly through the crowds and onto the grid on the front straight. Cars and teams got situated and then the crowd was invited onto the track to meet the cars and drivers with no velvet ropes and no barriers besides a crewmember who might punch you in the mouth if you screw up a wing's angle. Considering the Bahamian heat, and in a truly humanitarian manner, the race officials took pity on the poor flag-bearers who stood by the teams, and allowed them to wear as little clothing as they felt necessary to beat the heat. Evidence of this truly magnanimous gesture can be found in the gallery.

The Race
The number seven Penske Porsche leapt across the line at the start of the race and immediately starting prying a sizeable gap between it and the rest of the 25-car field. All four classes dove into the braking zone of turn one at the same time — engines roared, whistled and popped, while clouds of vaporized rubber from locked brakes wafted like it was the Battle of Verdun. The Audis had already gained ground and the Corvettes were running in formation by the end of the first lap. The Porsche and Acura prototypes harried each other at the front of the pack and sliced through the slower GT traffic with the usually dominant R10s and other P1 cars well behind. At Lime Rock, the R10s were mere mortals; their fuel economy advantage all but nullified by the brevity of the race.

The number two car suffered a suspension failure at the worst possible time, sending Marco Werner spinning through the extremely fast downhill turn and into the wall before the front straight. The worst place to have a shunt at Lime Rock is better than the best place at a lot of tracks, however, and the Audi would be reassembled to finish the race. Allan McNish had problems of his own in the number one car. He spun twice, once after locking up the R10's brakes and punting the Intersport Creation Judd into the runoff area outside of Big Bend. The number one car would just barely come back to place fifth overall and first in the P1 class, followed by the two Creations and the other R10.

The unopposed Corvettes had no issues despite some jostling from other cars on the narrow track, and were hardly ever separated by more than 15 feet over the course of the two-hour forty-five minute race. They would finish eighth and ninth overall, ahead of no less than six prototypes. The GT2 class was once again home to some exciting racing as the top three Ferraris wrecked, leaving the door open for the Flying Lizard team to take home Porsche's first win this season and the first ever ALMS win for a Type 997. The RLR Porsche would place second in class ahead of a third place Ferrari. The final top five went as follows: Porsche, Porsche, Acura, Porsche, Audi, with the local Highcroft Racing Acura out placing Andretti Green's car by four positions. This is a great era in which to take in a sports car race. I can only recommend you jump on the opportunity before highlights like public access to the pre-race grid are a thing of the past. – James Gribbon

Related:
Race Day Preview: The 2007 American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix [internal]

The 1.53-mile Lime Rock course is by far the shortest on the ALMS calendar, and only has two left turns, including a IMSA-mandated chicane after a tricky uphill, but drivers can carry tremendous speeds through most of them. Corners are closer together than at other parks, and the prototype cars, with their massive downforce, must negotiate the less lamprey-like GT cars almost continually. Audi R10 driver Allan McNish recently called the track one of the more difficult circuits in America.

Behind Penske in the qualifying order is another RS Spyder, that of Dyson Racing, with local boys Highcroft Racing and Andretti Green Racing's Brian Herta following in their Acura ARX prototypes. A Radical P2 car from van der Steur Racing in Maryland will make its ALMS debut at Lime Rock, following a preseason crash and subsequent engine issues that sidelined it for the first five rounds. The independents will be looking to get in a few punches versus the Porsche, Acura and Lola-bodied cars. Corvette will once again play beat-the-clock at Lime Rock, running unopposed in the GT1 class.

We like GT2, since that's where all the ALMS action seems to be these days. The Peterson/White Lightning Ferrari F430 GT piloted by Thomas Enge is currently tops in class, with the ever-present Risi Ferrari and sports car veteran Bill Auberlen in his Panoz Esperante GTLM second and third in class, leading a swarm of Porsches.

We'll be on scene for the main event, starting at 3:00 PM EDT. But those unable to make the sports-car pilgrimage to northern Connecticut can catch the action on tape delay, starting at 1 p.m. Sunday on CBS. – Games Gribbon

Related:
You Are There: The American Le Mans Series New England Grand Prix, July 1, 2006 [internal]

What is it at the core of autosport? What are the facets and edges of this jewel that holds some of us so captive? A few quick words and phrases come to mind: machine vs. machine, driver vs. driver, sound, fury, glamour and glory. Endurance sports-car racing gathers all these angles and takes them to extremes. Machines vary wildly in their look, structure and abilities, but they're all thrown together into the same battle. Drivers must not only best the opponents in their class, but also be ready to tangle with traffic in other classes, as if it were a 12-hour chase on the interstate. Stand by the track with your eyes closed and you'll hear the tune of internal combustion instruments ranging from the gentle thrum of an Audi R10 to the skull-cracking wail of an Aston-Martin DBR9. Open your eyes and you'll see the smooth shape of a Panoz contrast with the angles of a Lola prototype and with the fuzzy lines of drunks in green, sequined top hats. It was St. Patrick's Day, after all.

Sebring International Raceway sits above Lake Okeechobee, dead in the middle of southern Florida. It's a decommissioned bomber base used now for a wholly different kind of battle. The 3.7-mile circuit is one of the more punishing venues on the ALMS calendar, owing to its bumpy surface and erratic weather. Molehills become mountains over the course of a race. An uneven joint in the concrete is a hiccup when you hit it, but try having the hiccups for 12 hours.

An American Le Mans Series event is like the circus coming to town. Rings of other attractions surround the main event. The Speed (Channel) World Challenge Touring and GT classes each had their own races last weekend, as did vintage racers and one-make series of Panoz Esperantes and open-wheeled Star Mazda cars. The crowd was as diverse as the field, Maseratis filed in behind duelie pickups with bumperstickers that read, "If it's got tits or wheels it'll give you problems." I've also never seen so many people without arms in one place before. But remember, this is gator country. Now, on to the photos.

The sun set as the race entered its home stretch. The Porsche prototypes struggled to stay near the top of the order as they faced a series of electrical problems. Andretti Green Racing (Kanaan, Franchitti, Herta) and their Acura ARX P2 car had a minimum of problems and took the class lead ahead of the Acura Lola of Fernandez Racing (Fernandez, Diaz, Martinez) and the eventual third place Penske Racing Porsche of Castroneves, Bernhard and Dumas.

The GT1 Corvettes driven by Max Papis, Olivier Beretta, Oliver Gavin, Ron Fellows, Jan Magnussen and Johnny O'Connell took first and second in their class and finished well ahead of several prototype teams, including both Dyson cars.

And so it came down to GT2, the least powerful class in the whole thing, to give us the best race. The Spyker Squadron team put on an impressive showing with their C8 (in Dutch orange, naturally), but it wasn't enough to contend with the more experienced teams.

Jamie Melo in the Risi Competizione F430 and Jorg Bergmeister in the Flying Lizard 911 GT3 RSR had risen above the fray as ten o'clock rolled around and fireworks exploded overhead. The two drivers laid absolutely everything on the line, as they charged for the finish. Twelve hours or racing boiled down to hand-to-hand combat, Porsche and Ferrari engines screaming only slightly louder than the fans who were watching as the cars jostled for position. In the end, it was the Ferrari with both the position and the power as Melo flew past the checkered flag. After twelve hours and half a rotation of the Earth, Bergmeister had lost by two-tenths of a second. He may not have been happy, but none of the fans who watched felt cheated. – James Gribbon

Related:
Sebring GT2 Finish Mayhem; You Are There: The American Le Mans Series New England Grand Prix, July 1, 2006 [internal]

While it was little surprise that the R10 took the 12 Hours of Sebring overall, the stuff-of-legends finish happened in GT2 between Jorg Bergmeister's Flying Lizard Neun Elf and Jamie Melo's Risi F430. Maybe it was the Floridian locale that inspired it, but they got into some serious NASCAR-style paint trading on the last lap, with Melo knocking Bergmeister off balance to take the win. Badassness, manly thunder and cojones of brass abound. Check it. [Props to the wily Mr. Brennan for pointing it out.] – Davey G. Johnson

Related:
24 Heures du Frites: Audi to Run R10 on Biofuel at Next LeMans [Internal]

According to Sweet Peet, GT1 in the American Le Mans Series will be a cakewalk for the Corvettes, so why not let them run wide-open and unrestricted at a couple of events? Instead of the damped-down configuration that still sent Aston home with its tail between its legs, not to return to the series, stonking 900hp machines could mix it up with the LMP cars. Peet thinks it'd be fun to watch and good for ticket sales. On the other hand, it does have a whiff of admitting that no matter what, the mighty screaming yellow zonkers will stomp anyone. Then again, that's what they do. But heck, we all know Audi's gonna win LMP1, wo why not let them run balls-out, too? For that matter, why not allow Can Am-spec 917s to run? – Davey G. Johnson

Memo to ALMS: Let 'em go WFO [Autoextremist]

Related:
Autoextremist on the Detroit Auto Show [Internal]

The close personal American friends of Bruce in Poughkeepsie, Dyson Racing, have decided to trade in their Audi Lola for a Porsche RS Spyder, a car which was only campaigned last season by Penske. According to Porsche Motorsports honcho Hartmut Kristen, the Dyson cars will come equipped the same as the Penske models. Guy Smith and Chris Dyson will run the No. 20 entry next season, while Butch Leitzinger and Andy Wallace are set to drive the No. 16 car. – Davey G. Johnson

Dyson Racing team to utilize Porsche cars [Poughkeepsie Journal]

Related:
More on the RS Spyder [Internal]

Yes! We love Honda engines. Love 'em. Our favorite mill in any car we've ever owned was the 2.7L V6 in our dear, departed Legend. And while Toyota's continuing on its quest to be All-American with its NASCAR effort and running a couple of Lexi in ALMS, Honda's taking on something more Jalopnik-speed with Acura-powered Lola and Courage LMPs, run by Andretti Green, Highcroft and Fernandez. With open-wheel racing in disarray, Formula 1 not particularly popular here, and NASCAR a somewhat impenetrable juggernaut, we're glad that more manufacturers are pouring their dollars into sports car racing. We hope it remains a smart move, both for the sake of the fans and the companies involved. We'll be pissed if you screw this up, Panoz. [Thanks to Ryan for the tip.]

Acura Announces Three-Team Lineup for 2007 [ALMS]

Related:
You Are There: The American Le Mans Series New England Grand Prix, July 1, 2006 [Internal]

The Race

History got a nod at historic Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn. on the first of July. The all-conquering Audi R8 raced in the spotlight — and won — one final time before being sent to pasture in favor of the new, Le Mans winning R10. Roger Penske's Porsche RS Spyders either lead or bit at the heels of the mighty R8 the entire race, coming up just short, but proving Team Penske is as dangerous as a Playmate with herpes in any race series in which they choose to compete — despite being in a lower, less powerful class than the Audis.

In The American Le Mans Series, four classes howl around the track at the same time in any race on the calendar: two prototype classes and two production-based Grand Touring classes. That means spectators watch four races happen simultaneously. At Lime Rock this year, paying crowds saw a heavyweight fight reminiscent of Ali/Frasier's Thriller in Manila, between the Corvette C6-Rs and the Aston Martin DBR9s. The two cars traded places throughout the race — the 'Vette's seven-liter V8 roaring deeply in counterpoint to the skull-shredding wail of the Astons' V12 — as they streaked down the front straight. In the end, the race was decided by 0.033 seconds — the closest finish ever in the history of the series.

One of the 'Vettes had been rudely shoved off the track by a prototype at the end of Lime Rock's esses, and now a lone C-6R was all that stood in the way of an Aston Martin 1-2 sweep in the final four minutes of a two-hour and forty-five-minute race — and it was well over a half mile behind the V12 banshees. During the next three minutes, the Corvette carved the competition on the narrow track like Billy Madison in a game of dodgeball. The crowd was screaming for America's sports car, and each time it passed it ate huge chunks of the Aston Martin lead. The cars were almost two wide as they launched into the dangerous downhill sweeper that lead to the front straight and the win. The Corvette had a run on and slid past the Aston Martin just after the finish line. The Aston had won it by a bumper after nearly three hours of action. The crowd kept cheering out of appreciation for a great race, no matter where their loyalties lay.

The Lot Scene and the Paddock

One of the most beautiful things about Lime Rock is that race fans get a show as soon as they pull into the parking lot. The cars spectators drive to watch the race are absolutely arresting. Parked two spots over from me was a British racer from another era, and probably a million-dollar car, in this Bentley.

Close by, on the other side, sat a red Lotus Europa.

Walking through the grass parking lots inside and outside the track I saw, within feet of one another two Ferrari 512TR Testarossas and a pair of sparkling new V10 BMW M5s.

Must be nice, right? One the other end of the sports car spectrum, but a short walk away, was this Lotus Elise — practically a matchbox car next to a Cadillac and an F-250.

Included in the price of your ticket is the privilege to enter the racers' paddock and get drool-on-the-tires close to the cars. You may also drool on the Pirelli girls, but the cars don't slap your face and call you a creep.

The nose section of the R8 was on display, showing off a special decal highlighting its eight overall series wins and its five wins in six years at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Here is your Penske Porsche Spyder RS team, about to storm to second and third place in class and overall.

The Corvette team was putting the finishing touches on their cars as I walked by, too bad this number three car was wadded into the wall after all that hard work.

The eventual race-winning 009 Aston Martin DBR9 showing a clean and organized engine bay. Not pictured is its teammate and eventual third place 007 car. Yes, like that 007.

This Dyson Lola's 3.6liter twin turbo V-8 is a little more complicated. Its driver, Butch Leitzinger, was on home turf at Lime Rock as a Connecticut native.

The winners in GT2 were Petersen Motorsports and their Porsche 911GT3 RSR. This was a brand new car, since their old RSR was annihilated in the eleventh hour at Le Mans two weeks earlier.

The drivers of the second place RSR of Team Flying Lizard, (and most other drivers in the series) wear shirts that pump cold water over their bodies to combat in-car heat that can top 150 degrees throughout the course of an hours-long stint behind the wheel. If that air were water, it would be hot enough to boil you alive.

BMW is back in ALMS racing this year with a strong showing out of a pair of E46 M3s. The duo finished third and fourth in class, and ninth and tenth overall, behind the RSRs.

The Risi Competizione Ferrari 430 GT Berlinetta is a beautiful thing. Or was. This one didn't finish the race after sliding off track at about 110mph on the downhill and hitting a prototype car which had wrecked in the same spot seconds earlier. The pictures came out great, though.

[by James Gribbon]

Two of the most hotly-anticipated prototype racers of the last um, uh, real long time made their full-series ALMS debuts at Sebring with mixed results. The pole-qualifying #2 Audi R10 of Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Rinaldo Capello took the race, while the #1 car, driven by Marco Werner, Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro dropped out due to overheating. Meanwhile in LMP2, the hyper-fast Porsche RS Spyder that looked so promising in qualifying lost out to Clint Field, his father Jon Field and Liz Halliday in a Lola.

The #4 Corvette driven by Olivier Beretta, Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen took down the Pedro Lamy, Jason Bright and Stephane Sarrazin #009 DBR9 in GT1, while in GT2, the David Brabham, Scott Maxwell and Sebastien Bourdais Panoz Esperante held off a gaggle of Porsches to take the win.

Audi Makes History as Diesel-Powered R10 TDI Wins Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring [ALMS]

Related:
Audi R10 Propaganda Broadside [Internal]

Ho boy. The ALMS GT2 class just got a bit gnarlier. Already featuring a first-time entry from Lexus, Houston-based Risi Competizione has officially tossed their hat into the ring, fielding their new F430GT this season. We can't wait to hear this thing's barbaric yawp when it debuts at Sebring next month.

Risi Competizione

Related:
IS350 to Run ALMS [Internal]

Houston, Texas - US sportscar racing's worst kept secret has been confirmed - and the rumours are true: Risi Competizione will campaign the new Ferrari F430GT in the American Le Mans Series' (ALMS) GT2 class this year. This brand new race car, which replaces the Ferrari 360GT model that Risi Competizione used to such good effect to win the IMSA Cup as the top private team during 2003, is expected to be very competitive notes Risi Competizione's eponymous Managing Director, Giuseppe Risi.

With the outgoing Ferrari 360GT, Risi Competizione also produced the first non-Porsche GT2 class win for more than 20 races during the 2004 ALMS series. Risi says that he has much to look forward to in 2006. This new car looks very promising. Intense chassis development by Ferrari has resulted in greatly increased stiffness, he said, and the car features a new larger displacement engine design with more horsepower. I'm really looking forward to joining battle with a stellar list of GT2 competitors, including Porsche, BMW, and Lexus. The competition on track will be great for everyone: manufacturers, teams, drivers, fans, quite simply everyone. We expect to fly the Ferrari standard high this year.
The ALMS GT2 class is set to be the hottest category in North American sportscar racing this year, with the factory-backed Porsche hordes under some serious pressure for the first time in two seasons. As well as the Risi Competizione Ferrari F430GT, there will be factory entries from another German arch track rival, BMW, while the Japanese carmaker Lexus, is also throwing its weight behind the GT2 class for the first time.

The ten-date 2006 American Le Mans Series will kick off with the Sebring 12 Hours on 15-18 March, one of most famous and evocative events on the global endurance racing calendar. Round two, the Lone Star Grand Prix on 11-13 May will take place in Houston, Texas. Six races over the summer: Mid Ohio (19-21 May), New England (29 Jun-1 Jul), Utah (13-15 Jul), Portland (20-22 Jul), Road America 500 (17-20 Aug), and Mosport (1-3 September) will follow before the series winds up at Road Atlanta for the prestigious 10-hour Petit Le Mans, on 27-30 September.

The season finale race will take place at Monterey in California on 19-21 October. "It looks a very exciting calendar" adds Risi, "everyone in really fired up for the challenge, and we are particularly looking forward to the race in Houston, our home turf."

Plans for drivers and other specifics details about the team have not yet been released.

About Risi Competizione

Risi Competizione is a professional racing team organised and managed by Giuseppe Risi, the owner and dealer principal of Ferrari Maserati of Houston. One of the world s top teams in sportscar and endurance racing, Risi Competizione most recently raced its own Ferrari 360GT in the ALMS GT2 class. The team also has had superb results running the famous Ferrari 333SP, winning its class at Le Mans, overall winner of the Petite Le Mans, and World Sports Car champion.

In 2002, a Risi managed and prepared team consisting of two Lola-Nissans, which completed a perfect season, winning the SRPII Grand American Championship with 10 wins, 10 poles, and 10 fastest laps. The team also won its class at the 24 Hours of Daytona and was placed third overall. Risi Competizione s 360GT was on the podium for every race it entered in 2002, and won the IMSA trophy for the best private team in ALMS. It kicked off the next year with second overall at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. In 2005, the team provided logistical support for the Maserati Reparto Corse MC12 campaign in the ALMS series.

Ferrari of Houston also provide technical, racing, and logistical support for selected clients who are taking part in the North American Ferrari Challenge; and the Ferrari of Houston team have produced more Championship Challenge drivers than any other team in North America. At the end of the Challenge Season, drivers are invited to the World Championships which are staged in Italy at one of the famous tracks.

Ends.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Donald Pierce or Russell Adams (713)772-3868

Further information: www.risicompetizione.com

Obsessive regulations-reader John calls attention to an interesting tidbit in the ACO's new rules for the LMP classes:

The ambient temperature around the driver must not be higher than 30 C (86 F) whatever the temperature on the outside when the car is in motion. After a stop, the temperature must go back down to this value in 5 minutes maximum. An efficient air conditioning system comprising a compressor, a condenser, a pressure reducer and an evaporator is compulsory for the closed cars. It must be described on the homologation form and approved by the ACO.

The closed cars also get a restrictor-plate advantage over the open cars to make up for the power-robbing climate-control system, and here's where it gets interesting: diesel cars get a .1mm advantage in restrictor sizing over gasoline cars. Is the R10 simply a stepping stone to a world-dominating descendent of the awesome Speed 8? As cool as the open cars are, there's just something about the look of a closed-cockpit Le Mans car that just does it for us like nothing else.

Mulsanne's Corner (scroll down)

Related:
Audi Launches R10 LeMans Racer: Yes, it's a Diesel

Lexus' IS cars haven't quite been the 3-series-beaters the Toyota division has hoped for. They hope to change that with the release of the completely revised version, and to put their scrill where they grill is, they've announced that they're entering the cars in the American Le Mans Series' new GT2S class, placing them up against the BMW M3. The factory-backed team will field two cars, although the drivers haven't been announced. The Lexii will bow at the 54th running of the 24 Hours of Sebring. Currently, GT2S cars aren't eligible for competition at the 24 Hours of LeMans, but ALMS officials are working with the ACO on the matter as a future possibility.

Lexus IS350 Joins ALMS GT2S Class [Planetlemans]

Related:
Porsche Revises LMP2 Race Debut [Internal]

Porsche has announced that the RS Spyder, their new LMP2 racer originally set to debut at Road Atlanta's Petit LeMans, will instead make its bow at the season-ending ALMS Laguna Seca event. Commissioned jointly by Porsche Motorsport North America and Porsche Cars North America, the RS Spyder needed a little more time in the hands of Porsche and Penske's people before being deemed ready for the track. While the basically inarguable title of today's 917 goes to Audi's LMP1-class R8, we can't wait to see what the new Porsche brings to the table.

Porsche revises LMP2 testing schedule [Motorsport.com]

Related:
Porsche Announces RS Spyder LMP2 Drivers [Internal]

Porsche's busted out with some more details on their American LeMans Series effort, including the names of the men who will pilot the RS Spyder LMP2: Sascha Maassen and Lucas Luhr, along with Emmanuel Collard at Road Atlanta's Petit LeMans. Maassen and Luhr recently tested the car at Portugal's 13-turn Estoril track, and the official word from der Vaterland is that officials are pleased with the car's progress. Only appearing at the last two events of the ALMS season the aforementioned Petit LeMans, and the year's final race at Laguna Seca the RS Spyder will make a full assault on the circuit in '06.

Together Again: Maassen, Luhr to Drive Porsche RS Spyder in Last Two ALMS Races [Dubspeed Racing]

Related:
Inside Porsche's New LeMans Prototype [Internal]

While Jalopnik will be flying the flannel at Sears Point (as NorCal expatriates we just can't quite bring ourselves to call it Infineon Raceway) in a little over a week for the NHRA's Fram/Autolite Nationals, it's time to look back at what could be called drag racing's inverse the American LeMans Series.

Having completed half the season when the checkered flag dropped in Sonoma, JJ Lehto and Marco Werner are out front in LMP1, while in LMP2, Jeff Bucknum and Chris McMurry hold a slight lead. The Corvette guys (surprise, surprise), are strong in GT1, with Plastic Fantastic infighting being the main story there. GT2's the tight contest of the season, with Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Long currently out front but only by 11 points. With American open-wheel racing having lost much of its luster and NASCAR a corporate carbon-copy-fest, ALMS seems to us to be the series most akin to racing's golden age of the 1960s.

By the Numbers: Infineon Technologies Grand Prix of Sonoma [Dubspeed Racing]

Related:
Inside Porsche's New LeMans Prototype [Internal]