Nissan executive vice president of engineering Andy Palmer has announced no plans of fielding an LMP1 race car for the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in the foreseeable future. For now, Nissan will remain committed to its production-based LMP2 entries, jumping into battle starting next week at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Expect its main...
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If there’s an age old adage in motorsports, then it has got to be “racing improves the breed.” This idea is particularly close to Audi‘s heart, as the German automaker has participated in decades of racing and development for its Quattro all-wheel-drive technology. This year, Audi will field a pair of R18 e-tron Quattro cars which...
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Recently named the world’s best sporting event by National Geographic, this year the 24 Hours of Le Mans celebrates 80 years. The racing season may seem a long way off now, but to help set the mood the event’s organizing body, the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) has prepared a montage video of highlights throughout...
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National Geographic rated the 24 hours at Le Mans race the greatest sporting event in the world, beating the Olympics, Superbowl and the World Cup for the top spot. Who ever said driving wasn’t a “real sport”? The race at Le Mans started in May of 1923 and has been an annual event ever since....
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Toyota racing announced today that the TS030 hybrid powered race car will compete in the World Endurance Championship races. Originally Toyota racing had planned on entering selected races on the World Endurance Championship circuit, but citing unexpected changes faced by the championship has now announced they will be a full-time entrant. This means that the...
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Audi is out to steal Toyota‘s thunder in the World Endurance Championship this year. The German automaker announced today that it will run two hybrid LMP1 cars for the first time in their team of four during the 24 hours of Le Mans. Details were scarce in the release, but we know that the cars...
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You might be familiar with the sound a Le Mans car makes while whipping around the track, but this year Toyota is going to change all that. For the first time in more than a decade, the Japanese giant is entering in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, set to start this June. Yesterday...
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Toyota spilled more details on Tuesday of its plan to run a hybrid at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. Last week we reported that the Japanese automaker would be entering such a vehicle, but there were no details on the powertrain or the plan surrounding the car itself. That changed when...
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The dominating diesels will have a fuel economy foe at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, thanks to a new hybrid race car from Toyota. Set to compete in the top-tier LMP1 class later this year, the first photos of the hybrid electric drive prototype have hit the net, thanks to a tweet by...
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The publication Race Engine Technology has given Audi Motorsport the “Race Engine of the Year” award for their 3.7L V6 TDI powerplant. The engine, which was vital to Audi capturing its 10th title at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year, produces more than 540-hp through the use of a single turbocharger. Compared to...
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One of the darkest days in motorsports is arguably June 11, 1955. On this day, at the Le Mans 24-hour race, on lap 35, Pierre Levegh’s Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR hit the back of Lance Macklin’s Austin-Healey 100 Special, and was sent flying into the crowds. When all the smoke and dust cleared, 83 spectators had...
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Toyota has announced its three-man tea of pro racers, who will pilot the brand’s hybrid LMP1 car in the 2012 Le Mans and other races. The list includes former F1 driver and winner of the 2009 24 Hours of Le mans (under Peugeot) Alex Wurz, Team Oreca pilot and last year’s 12 Hours of Sebring...
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In the world of motorsports, it’s nearly impossible for a new team to come out of the box and be competitive. So what is a novice group that is looking for success to do? Simple, partner with one of the most successful teams in the sport. That is exactly what Toyota is doing by partnering...
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The only Japanese manufacturer to ever win the prestigious 24-Hours of Le Mans so far has been Mazda with its 787B. Toyota has been wanting to change that for nearly two decades now. Their last effort in the LMP1 class failed, but next year they’ll be back with a vengeance, using a hybrid racer. Not...
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After a 71 year absence from Le Mans, Bentley returned in 2001, but with little success and in-house competition with Audi the decision was made to drop the Speed 8 LMP1 program in 2003. The team did go out with a bang, however, taking the checked flag at the 24 Hours of Le Mans –...
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Audi‘s LMP team is coming back to the United States, debuting the R18 TDI in American soil for the first time and challenging for victory at the Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta. Earlier this year, the Audi R18 TDI already won at the 24 hours of Le Mans in dramatic style, so the...
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Rumors surfaced late last month that Toyota Motorsport in Germany was developing a Le Mans GT race car based on the Lexus LFA. Now photos have surfaced of what is believed to be the upcoming Lexus LFA GTE racer that will be a future competitor in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There are of...
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Jaguar hasn’t won at Le Mans since 1990, or when the XJS was just starting to get long in the tooth. But parent company Tata is interested in a return to the prototype class, with an LMP1 car of its own. Hopefully Jaguar will replicate any of its seven past wins, the most recent with...
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In this 14 minute video, Audi takes the viewer through all that goes into competing and winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The video takes an in depth look into the all-new sophisticated R18 TDI race car and all the people working for the Audi racing team. The video is very entertaining whether hearing from...
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When Porsche returns to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in search of its 17th overall victory in 2014 the famed German sports car maker could rely on hybrid power to do so admits motorsports boss Hartmut Kristen. Commenting in a release issued by Porsche on its return to the top-tier of sports car racing...
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To celebrate its 10th win at the 24 Hour of Le Mans, Audi has announced a new Limited Edition version of its R8 exotic sports car. Complete with plenty of standard equipment, like the magnetic ride suspension, Bang and Olufsen audio system and navigation, what really sets this R8 apart is the custom interior and...
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The famous 1991 24-Hours of Le Mans winner, the Mazda 787B will be featured at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Ex-Formula 1 driver and Le Mans veteran Mike Wilds and current Mazda works driver Mark Ticehurst will be racing the 787B up the hallowed Goodwood hill for the festival this weekend. The race car...
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Automotive giant Toyota has achieved just about everything it has ever set out to do, however there is one goal that has eluded this Japanese car firm thus far, winning the Le Mans 24-hour race. Since this famous, annual race began in 1923, Mazda is the only Japanese car company to have won this prestigious...
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One of the most hallowed racetracks in the world recently got an electric shave, and not just from a weedwhacker. The Nissan Leaf NISMO RC, which debuted at the New York Auto Show a few months prior, finally got a thrashing around the Circuit de la Sarthe. It was quiet, yet not entirely unexciting. Nissan’s Chief...
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