This is The Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parse it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?
Mazda Returns To Le Mans Next Year With McDreamy Skyactiv Diesel
Patrick Dempsey is your racing savior. The actor-turned-driver's team will campaign a Skyactiv diesel-powered LMP2 car in the 24 Hours Of Le Mans next year. Not only will this bring the famous automaker back to the place of its greatest motorsports victory
Caterham Lola SP/300.R: A $100K Prototype Racer
Caterham's building its first "new" car in years, and like the Caterham Seven, it's all about joy-per-dollar. The Lola SP/300.R is a $100K prototype racer that'll blast to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds and hit 170 mph. We'll take three.
Forza Motorsports 3 Hot Holiday DLC Pack: What's Inside
If you're one of the million gamers laying virtual tracks in Forza Motorsports 3
Aston Martin Bringing Lola B08/60 LMP1 To Le Mans
Nationalistic British race fans rejoice! Aston Martin will be entering into the top class at Le Mans, going head to head with the dominant Audi R10s. The decision to run in the class was made after new rule changes gave an advantage to production-based engines. The 6.0L V12 is the same engine used in the GT1 class…
Monterey Historics Can-Am Action Gallery
The 1966-1974 salad days of Can-Am racing were a result of the Sports Car Club of America and the Canadian Automobile Sports Club joining forces. The adoption of Group 7 FIA rules spawned a North American racing class with no restrictions on engine size or boost pressure. Tire size was wide open. Weight was optional.…
Humbert Humbert is Sad: Lola Says Goodbye to Champ Car
We've always loved Lola. But who wouldn't love a green-haired, tatted-up Oregon stripper (full nudity + alcohol) who pole-danced to Iron Maiden and Slayer, whose real love was erotic performance art? Oh wait, sorry. Cars, right. Eric Broadley's brainchild bore fruit on the American open-wheel circuit as early as 1966, …
Al Melling's Empire: Engine Builder Expands to Supercars
If you're not a motorsports engineering wonk you've likely never heard of Al Melling; but if you're a fan of old Lola V10s or late-model TVRs, you've most assuredly heard one of his engines at full rip. Now, the 60-year-old is creating a luxury brand empire that includes high-end motorcycles, speedboats, fashion…
