ALMS is coming....

New SCX Corvette C6.R

Intercontinental LeMans Series Schedule

BRASELTON, GA (Monday, November 29, 2010) -- The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) today confirmed that the two premier races on the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón 2011 schedule would be featured as part of the prestigious Intercontinental Le Mans Cup championship next season.

The Series’ season-opener -- the 59th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida (March 19) -- will be the first race of the 2011 ILMC championship and Petit Le Mans (October 1) will be the sixth race of the seven event global championship format.

“Having our two showcase events – the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans – as key components to the prestigious Intercontinental Le Mans Cup will raise these two great races even further in stature on the global stage,” said Scott Atherton, President and CEO of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón. “We look forward to the many corporate partner opportunities and renowned race teams that these events will attract as we play a vital role in establishing the ILMC as one of the premier motorsport competitions in the world.”

The 2011 six-race 2011 ILMC calendar includes:

1. Sebring 12 Hours (Florida USA) March 19
2. Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours (BEL) May 8
3. Le Mans 24 Hours (FRA) June 11-12
4. Imola 6 Hours (ITA) July 3
5. Silverstone 6 Hours (GBR) September 11
6. Petit Le Mans (Georgia, USA) October 1
7. 6-Hours race to be organized in China (name defined in relation to circuit) November 12

The inaugural 2010 ILMC season included one race from each of the ACO sanctioned Le Mans series’ - Silverstone (Europe); Road Atlanta’s Petit Le Mans (North America); and Zuhai, China (Asia). Petit Le Mans with record race week crowd in excess of 124,000 saw Peugeot’s Team Total claim the 10-hour/1,000 mile endurance title among a diverse and prestigious international grid.

Series teams and factory efforts that competed in at least one Intercontinental Le Mans Cup race last year were Drayson Racing, Jaguar’s RSR, BMW’s Rahal Letterman, Ferrari’s Risi Competizione and Porsche’s Flying Lizard Motorsports. In addition, Flying Lizard regular season drivers Patrick Long and Joerg Bergmeister placed best in GT class at Zuhai in Porsche’s 911 GT3 R Hybrid that ran as unclassified due to its hybrid status. Drayson Racing competed in all three events and placed third overall in the ILMC championship.

BMW art car for LeMans-video

A cool video showing the BMW art car for LeMans this weekend.

BMW art car for LeMans

Paris, 2nd June 2010. At the premiere of the 17th BMW Art Car Jeff Koons unveiled and signed his car in front of 300 international VIP guests on 1st June in the Centre Pompidou, one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions for modern and contemporary art. It is the same venue where Roy Lichtenstein, back in 1977, first presented and signed his Art Car.

In the spirit of Calder, Stella, Lichtenstein, Warhol, BMW announced this year that the 17th Art Car created by Jeff Koons will race where the first rolling pieces of art by legendary artists raced – at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France on 12th and 13th June 2010. Koons’ canvas is a BMW M3 GT2, which was homologated to compete at this year’s running of the world’s most famous endurance race.

On 2nd June, between 11 am and 9 pm, the public will have the chance to see the Art Car free of charge in the Forum of the Centre Pompidou. At 5.30 pm Jeff Koons will participate in a book signing at the museum’s official book shop before he talks about his work in conversation with Alain Seban, President of the Centre Pompidou, at 6 pm at the Forum of the museum.

The Design Process.

As part of his creative process, the artist collected images of race cars, related graphics, vibrant colours, speed and explosions. The resulting artwork of bright colours conceived by Koons is evocative of power, motion and bursting energy. With its silver interior as well as the powerful exterior design, the Art Car will impart a dynamic appearance even when it’s standing still.

“These race cars are like life, they are powerful and there is a lot of energy,” said Koons. “You can participate with it, add to it and let yourself transcend with its energy. There is a lot of power under that hood and I want to let my ideas transcend with the car – it’s really to connect with that power.”


Koons has been in an intense collaboration with BMW’s team in Munich for months – melding his skill with sophisticated BMW engineering – to ensure the 17th BMW Art Car will be race-ready for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Travelling back and forth to Germany many times since the 2nd February announcement that Koons would create the 17th BMW Art Car, the artist has worked with the BMW engineering and design teams to conduct in-depth explorations of materials and application options that will prove crucial to optimizing both the aesthetic and aerodynamic attributes of the race car. Working with actual 3-D computer-aided design (CAD) models of the BMW M3 GT2, Koons was able to simulate the application of the graphic to the car’s surfaces and evaluate it from all angles.

Koons even donned a helmet and joined BMW’s American Le Mans Series race team for testing in Sebring, Florida, on 23rd February. Koons was able to experience the M3 GT2 at race speed to further inspire his design. As Koons describes it, he witnessed “the raw unfiltered performance” of the M3 GT2 from the seat of a historic BMW M1 race car. Koons also drove a BMW M3 Coupe on the circuit to further the dynamic exercise.

Under Koons’ direct guidance and supervision, his BMW Art Car was produced in association with a team of BMW engineers and designers at Schmid Design, near Munich. The challenge to create the BMW Art Car had to do with using a light material and a design that would not interfere with the race car's aerodynamics and weight. Timing was also an issue, as there was only a two month window between the first design sketches and the Paris world premiere. This is why digital print on car wrapping vinyl was used covered by a double clear-coating to bring out the colour.

To apply hundreds of dynamic lines of Koons' design onto the car, CAD designs were translated from 3D into 2D for the printing process and then painstakingly applied to the entire car as well as onto individual spare parts. Koons design incorporates many bright contrasting colours to communicate the aesthetics of power. The concept design was transformed into hard edged lines of colour. Graphics of debris were added to the rear sides and back of the car to simulate the power of the car. Furthermore, two graphic rings on the rear of the car represent supersonic acceleration.

Koons and BMW.

The germination of Koons’ collaboration with BMW began in 2003, when he expressed his desire to create a BMW Art Car. His relationship with BMW started more than two decades ago when he drove a BMW while residing in Munich, home to the BMW Group headquarters. Koons is known for his heartfelt appreciation of cars. Earlier this year he was even recognised by music icon Bono of U2 as one of the ideal artists to design a car that would make the world fall in love with automobiles again.

Koons’ creative process for the BMW Art Car mirrors techniques, some borrowed from transportation design and development, which he regularly employs for his artistic production. For example, in the creation of Koons’ monumental sculptures, his studio uses 3-D CAD models to evaluate the surfaces, assembles them via methods found in bike chop shops, and paints them in a manner based on sophisticated automotive painting techniques.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In April 2010, BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen announced the driver line-up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Andy Priaulx (GB), Dirk Müller (DE) and Dirk Werner (DE) will race the no. 79 BMW Art Car. Jörg Müller (DE), Augusto Farfus (BR), Uwe Alzen (DE) will drive the no. 78 BMW M3 GT2.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world’s oldest endurance race in all of sports car racing, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance, it is organized by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and runs on a circuit containing closed public roads. The race is designed not only to test a car and driver’s ability to be quick, but also to last over a 24-hour period.

French auctioneer and racing driver Hervé Poulain first had the idea of asking an artist to paint the car he himself would compete with. Taking up this initiative in 1975, American artist Alexander Calder painted a BMW racing car, thus laying the foundation. The Art Car experiment was soon continued: a year later, Calder Art Car co-driver Sam Posey introduced Frank Stella to the idea of BMW Art Cars when the New York-based artist covered a BMW with his typical grid-like pattern. Stella’s work was followed by a series of celebrated pop artists: Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg. Apart from Rauschenberg’s Art Car, all these took part in the Le Mans 24-hour race, some of them enjoying remarkable success.

The BMW M3 GT2.

Derived from the BMW M3 high-performance sports car, the BMW M3 GT2 boasts a 4.0-litre V8 engine with a maximum output of 500 bhp, an upgraded chassis, racing-caliber brakes, and extensive use of lightweight materials. Able to reach 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds, the BMW M3 GT2 is rapidly emerging as a real first year contender at this year’s event.

For the comeback at Le Mans BMW Motorsport is supported by numerous successful partners. This is why the BMW M3 GT2 will be decorated with the logos of Castrol, Crowne Plaza, Dunlop, Randstad, Sympatex, LuK, H&R, BBS and NGK for the race on the “Circuit de la Sarthe”.

BMW Art Cars.

Since 1975, artists from throughout the world have turned BMW automobiles into art signifying a particular period through the Art Car programme. In 2007, the latest instalment was revealed with Olafur Eliasson’s “Your mobile expectations: BMW H2R project.” Many of the cars by the likes of Warhol, Lichtenstein, Stella, Rauschenberg, Hockney and Holzer have been exhibited in renowned museums throughout the world including the Louvre, the Guggenheim Museums, and the Shanghai Art Museum. They have been displayed at the BMW Museum in Munich, between 2006 and 2010 and many went on a world tour throughout Asia, Russia, Africa, India, the United States and Mexico.

The Koons car number, “79”, pays tribute to the 1979 Andy Warhol car. The Warhol car was assigned the number “76,” an homage to the 1976 Frank Stella car, both of which raced at Le Mans. The home of all BMW Art Cars is the BMW Museum in Munich. Starting in September, Koons’ 17th BMW Art Car will be presented there together with some of its predecessors.

With over 100 major projects worldwide, BMW Group cultural programmes have been an integral part of the company’s contributions to society for almost 40 years. Besides contemporary art, architecture and design, classical music and jazz are key components of this engagement.

Photos of the new Carrera BMW and Audi R8 LMS

A few photos of the recently released Carrera BMW M3 GT2 American LeMans Series car, and the Audi R8 LeMans Series car.

ALMS spotters guide!

Download your copy of the ALMS spotters guide here!

Ninco January news

News from Ninco for January. Click on photos to see them larger.

New Porsche 911's in 1/24 by Scaleauto

Criccrac.com is showing the new Scaleauto Porsche's for sale, the new GT3 Cup 911 (997) Penthouse livery.



The Cup car adds to this release which is shown (here previously) and shown on Criccrac.com for sale as well.


And a cool body kit shown here:
http://www.criccrac.com/fichaprod2.php?id=10744

New SuperTires for Spirit Peugeot 406 ST-1800

Super Tires have made a new tire for the Spirit Peugeot 406, see this link. These tires are a very nice fit on the wheels as you can see. They're a nice flat fit across the tire's contact patch.


And, they also fit the Spirit Courage as well! There's a bit of flashing around many of the Spirit Courage wheels I've checked but with a tiny bit of sanding they'd be a great, flat fit as well!

Jaguar XKR RSR ALMS entry

The Jaguar XKR RSR went through scrutineering yesterday... but don't get too excited. The car was due to do some test laps this morning but because of the weather that's probably been cancelled. The team did a dry run with the IMSA officials yesterday at the end of the day and to give the team some experience with the process IMSA goes through for pre-race tech inspection. The car is scheduled to make it's debut this year at Laguna Seca.

Ford GT on the Pole for Petit! Video added.

Video of the press conference.



The Robertson Racing Ford GT is on the pole for the GT2 class for the Petit LeMans! Yes... the Ford GT. During a post-qualifying press conference driver David Murry talked about the long road that the Robertson Racing team has had over the past few years. They've had to work harder than the factory teams that are more well funded Murry said in a deadpan manner. Race after race the car has been a solid backmarker and it's a huge accomplishment for the team to start at the front of the grid. But it's a very, very long race. We'll see if the "David" team can stay ahead of the "Goliath" teams that are just behind them on the grid.

The GT2 Top 6 qualifying times:

1. Doran Ford GT 1:20.819 Murry/Robertson/Robertson
2. Chevrolet Riley Corvette 1:20.877 Sutherland/Drissi/Bell
3. Chevrolet Corvette C6.R 1:20.912 Beretta/Gavin/Faessler
4. BMW E92 M3 1:20.981 Mueller/Milner/Mueller
5. BMW E92 M3 1:21.219 Hand/Auberlen/Priaulx
6. Porsche 911 RSR 1:21.299 Bergmeister/Long/Lieb

The team talks with the scrutineering judges after a 1st place qualifying effort.

St. Pete ALMS recap from Patron Racing

Sebring wrap up from Patron Highcroft

Sebring Flying Lizard wrap up-spoiler alert!

March 21, 2009 -- Sebring, Florida -- The Flying Lizard No. 45 and No. 44 Porsches finished their sixth consecutive Sebring race fourth and fifth in GT2, respectively. The twelve-hour race was another contest of will and endurance: nearly half of the starting cars were no longer running by the end of the race.

With Joerg Bergmeister in the No. 45 starting second and Seth Neiman in the No. 44 starting 13th on the GT2 grid, both Porsches ran into trouble within the first ten minutes. The clean race start quickly turned ugly for the Lizards when on the fourth lap the No. 45 was hit by another GT2 car, causing rear suspension damage to the No. 45. The Lizard crew made the repair in the pits but the lengthy stop dropped the No. 45 from third to 13th. Meanwhile, the No. 44 had its own issues with an early race spin which sent it back to the pits for an unscheduled pit stop and fresh tires.

Over the next 10 hours, both Lizard Porsches cycled through their drivers, who patiently worked their way up from the back of the field. The 12-hour race had only three cautions, making it more difficult to find opportunities to regain lost laps or gain time in the pits. But by hour 10, the No. 45 Porsche was in fourth (Bergmeister, Patrick Long and Marc Lieb) and the No. 44 (Neiman, Darren Law, and Johannes van Overbeek) had recovered to fifth, with the No. 45 (Marc Lieb) having set the fastest race lap of 2:02.494.

At hour 10, the No. 62 Risi Ferrari was in the lead (having led most of the race) and the No. 95 Advanced Engineering Pecom Racing Ferrari was in second. The No. 21 Team PTG Panoz in third. The No. 45, with Marc Lieb at the wheel, was running a faster pace than the No. 21, and worked over the next hour to overtake the No. 21, putting pressure on in the corners, but losing ground on the long straights and to traffic. Taking an opportunity to pass, Lieb moved past the No. 21, but was not able to complete the pass, and the two cars made contact, with the No. 45 spinning into the tire wall. Although the radiators were not damaged and Lieb was able to make it back to the pits, the crew had to adjust bodywork, replace all four tires, but then was unable to fuel the car because of the damage to the hood. With Joerg Bergmeister behind the wheel, the No. 45 went out on track again, then pitted one more time for additional repairs and refueling. He was back on track again quickly, having lost just one position to the No. 44 with Johannes van Overbeek at the wheel, which moved to P4.

With the car nearly undrivable, Joerg was able to maintain a fast enough pace over the final hour to keep fifth and stay ahead of the No. 61 Krohn Racing Ferrari in sixth. The No. 44 was in fourth, but lost time in the pits with a late race pit stop, and finished fifth, just behind the No. 45 which took fourth place. The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari won in GT2, the No. 95 was second, and the No. 21 third.

Team principal and driver of the No. 44 Porsche Seth Neiman said, "This was another classic Sebring -- a race where you have to give it everything you have just to finish. A podium spot was not in the cards for the Lizards this year, but I'm proud that both cars finished the race in the top five. It was unfortunate that the No. 45 was knocked back so far in the field so early in the race, but a testament to the crew and to Joerg, Patrick and Marc that they came back not just once, but twice during the race to finish fourth. The No. 44 also had a rough start, but together with Darren and Johannes we were able to climb back up to fifth. Congratulations to Risi Competizione on their well-deserved win and seamless race."

News and photo used with permission from Flying Lizard Motorsports, no reuse for any reason.

"Truth in 24" LeMans documentary coming

The trailer for "Truth in 24" let's see how long it is before I'm told to remove this...


Well I'm very glad to see that ESPN is producing a documentary (that's what we call "reality TV" these days because "documentary" sounds too educational I guess) about Audi's pursuit of a win in the 24 Hours of LeMans during 2008. In an article I just read in AutoWeek (Jan.26th edition page 38) there's a description of the filming of the documentary, "Truth in 24" and it struck me that it's about damn time that racing got some kind of TV show. We have lots of reality shows with drunken fools and crab fishing Alaskans (BTW, I love Deadliest Catch so no emails please) but nothing to show the real drama that unfolds on the track from race-to-race about sports car racing. Recognizable cars (which are much closer to what you will see on the street...ok not the LMP's), races held at night, in the rain, what's not to like?

BTW, you've got to check out the promo's on the website...http://www.truthin24.com/#/the_story/

The story line, according to AutoWeek is that Audi is no longer the favorite (uh...ok) at LeMans and they're in a heated battle with the attack by Peugeot with the 908HDi. The viewer gets to see the action in the pits and an inside look at the Audi Motorsports efforts during the race using multiple cameras and wireless mics on the pit crew. Well it sure sounds like this has all the makings of an "event" not to be missed and also one to be recorded and played over again doesn't it?

Hopefully this will lead to some sort of modest awakening of the sports-watching-public that there's a really great racing series here.

Truth in 24 airs on ESPN at 8pm on March 20th, the night before the season opening race at Sebring... I know where I'll be that night. Watching ESPN for the first time in years!

On a personal note I read in the article that NFL Films shot the footage which means 2 things, the quality of the photography should be top notch AND... sometime during filming one of the NFL shooters filming either intentionally got in the way of a still shooter or got into a fight with a still shooter. Those NFL Films guys are a pain in the ass (any pro photogs out there that might read this will be nodding as they read this). During a previous career I'd gotten into more than one "discussion" with them on the sidelines.

I will make a note of this which will auto update that day so folks can be reminded to watch ESPN that night.

Dave K
Publisher, Slot Car News

New SCX Corvette C6R

SCX will release this Corvette C6R in February. The car was driven by Andy Pilgrim and Ron Fellows.

A pair of Flying Lizards for 2009

Finally some good racing news to report:

Flying Lizard Motorsports, the 2008 American Le Mans Series GT2 team champions, announced today its 2009 racing program. The Sonoma, California-based team will field two 2009 911 GT3 RSR Porsches in the GT2 class -- the No. 45 and No. 44 -- for the complete 2009 ALMS season.

Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) will return to Flying Lizard in 2009 for his third consecutive season to defend his and the team's 2008 championships. He will be joined in the No. 45 by Patrick Long (USA). In the No. 44, Seth Neiman (USA) will return with co-drivers Darren Law (USA) and Johannes van Overbeek (USA).

2009 will be the third season that Bergmeister and Long have competed together as a team. Two of the top Porsche drivers in the world, together they won back to back ALMS GT2 championships in 2005 and 2006, a total of eight ALMS GT2 races, and won in GT2 at the 2004 24 Heures du Mans (with Sascha Maassen). Bergmeister and Long are again both Porsche Works drivers for the 2009 season. For complete driver biographies, see www.lizardms.com.

Flying Lizard team management for 2009 includes: Seth Neiman, team principal; Tommy Sadler, crew chief and co-technical director; Craig Watkins, chief engineer; Stefan Pfeiffer engineer, No. 45 Porsche and co-technical director; Thomas Blam, chief strategist; Eric Ingraham, team manager and No. 44 Porsche strategist; Jennifer Hart, team marketing; and Paul Pillitteri, team merchandising.

Neiman looks forward to a competitive season: "Flying Lizard is excited and energized to be back with the series for our sixth consecutive year. Our goal this year is to defend our team and drivers' championships. Everything we've done since the day after celebrating at Laguna Seca has been focused on that goal. With 2009 likely to be a step up from the already intense competition of last season, it is going to be a very tough and challenging effort. The fans should be in for a real treat."

Flying Lizard expects to receive its two new 2009 Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs in early January and plans to attend the American Le Mans Series Winter Test in Sebring, Florida in late January. Flying Lizard will announce additional program details in early 2009.

For more on the team, see www.lizardms.com.

Porsche (P2) leaves ALMS....

Motorsports news just keeps getting worse and worse these days.... From the ALMS website:

It's been a roller coaster of a week for the American Le Mans Series. Last Friday, Audi served up a curve ball worthy of Sandy Koufax when, seemingly out of the blue, it revealed it would not compete in the 2009 Series after the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida. Coming on the heels of the not-unexpected news that Porsche had elected not to compete in LMP2 next year on a factory level, Audi's announcement was - if not devastating - worrisome news.

Seven days later, however, Mazda and Dyson Racing confirmed they will join forces in 2009 for a two-car LMP2 effort. While Mazda's decision to double its effort with one of the Series' top independent teams hardly balances-out the loss of two manufacturers who regularly fielded six prototypes in recent seasons, it goes a long way to nullify the perception that the Series is hemorrhaging manufacturers. In fact, given that BMW confirmed its plans for a GT2 program a fortnight ago and that Porsche's commitment to GT2 remains steadfast, the number of auto makers committed to the '09 schedule remains essentially unchanged from last year. And with a new, two-car LMP1 program and a continuing (if reduced) LMP2 effort, Acura is more committed to the Series then ever.

Still, there's no denying prototype racing circa 2009 will lack some of the pizzaz of recent seasons. Where once Porsche and Acura went toe-to-toe in an LMP2 battle that, often as not, threatened Audi (and occasionally Peugeot) for overall victory, now it will be a surprise if Acura does not win more or less at its leisure in LMP1 with any opposition from LMP2 for the overall victory offered by Mazda and, er, Acura.

On the other hand, GT2 figures to be more fiercely-contested ever, what with the welcome addition of BMW and (after Le Mans) Corvette with ANOTHER manufacturer in the wings. Indeed, this figures to be a dream season for GT2: not only a battle royal among a host of the world's leading auto makers, but an opportunity to emerge from the shadows of the prototypes.

No two ways about it, though, Audi will be missed. Just why the German automaker opted for a Sebring-only American Le Mans Series program this year is hard to define. Audi was sending all the right signals to the Series last year, from its less than top-secret decision to develop a successor to the mighty R10 TDI to Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich's upbeat comments at the post-season banquet about competing with Acura in 2009.

Audi pulls out of ALMS

Copyright 2008 Slot Car News Photo

From the ALMS website:
"American Le Mans Series President and CEO Scott Atherton expressed nothing but praise for Audi following its announcement that it will depart after the first event of the 2009 season, calling Audi's near-legendary accomplishments and technological advancements "the pinnacle of achievement in sports car racing.

Audi's new state-of-the-art R15 TDI sport prototype will still make its debut, however, in the American Le Mans Series. With its new revolutionary clean diesel-powered prototype, Audi will attempt to record its 10th consecutive victory at America's most iconic sports car race, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida on March 21. After that, it returns to Europe to prepare for its defense of the 24 Hours of Le Mans championship.

The decision to withdraw from the American Le Mans Series was a very difficult one," said Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Motorsport. "Furthermore, with the Champion Racing team, we also had a partner that operates at the highest level. The extraordinary dedication and precision of Team Champion was the key to Audi's victories over the last few years in America. We achieved an unprecedented winning series together. Our brand dominated proceedings last season by taking seven wins in 11 races. "