Tag Archives: lemans

WEC SPA – Toyota One-Two. 24 Hours of Le Mans Next

Posted on 17 August 2020 by Ken Zino

After days of sunshine and high temperatures, the frequently variable Spa weather struck just over an hour before the start, with a heavy rainstorm causing the race to begin behind the safety car. It would have been a vastly different race and outcome if it had remained dry as the rwd Rebellion was clearly faster, until it got wet and had to run against the awd Toyotas. Continue reading →

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Shanghaied! Porsche Takes Third Straight Endurance Driver’s Title

Posted on 6 November 2017 by Ken Zino

Toyota has yet to announce if it will return to LMP1 next year – right now they are the only factory entrant with, oh, potentially $100 million investment needed. Continue reading →

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Toyota Engines Fail on Way to Sure Win at SPA. Audi Triumphs

Posted on 9 May 2016 by Ken Zino

It was evident at the opening race this year at Silverstone that Toyota was still down on power compared to the Germans. In a classic demonstration of the trade-offs in racing, both TS050 Toyota hybrids had significantly improved performance – but. Continue reading →

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Milestones – 50 Years of the Porsche 911

Posted on 11 February 2013 by Ken Zino

More than 820,000 Porsche 911 models have been built, making it, arguably, the most successful sports car in the world since it was first shown in 1963. For each of its seven generations the engineers in Zuffenhausen and Weissach have revised it, while retaining its identifiable and now classic lines and proportions, as well as its famous but often quirky performance. Continue reading →

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Rotary Engine Le Mans Winner Mazda 787B Selected as ‘Legend’

Posted on 9 February 2013 by Ken Zino

For the 1990s, the voting- using French sponsorship and nationalist math – was a “dead-heat” between the Mazda 787B and the Peugeot 905 – so 11 cars were given ‘legend’ status. Continue reading →

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Le Mans Test Day – Audi and Toyota Hybrids, Nissan DeltaWing

Posted on 6 June 2012 by Ken Zino

Two new unlimited racecar entrants – Toyota with a pair of TS030 hybrid cars and Nissan with its lightweight DeltaWing – successfully participated in the traditional test day to prepare for the Le Mans 24 Hours on 16-17 June. They were joined on the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans by Audi dieselR18 ultra and R18 e-tron Quattro models, the latter another hybrid design. Missing, sadly was Peugeot, which last year placed four Peugeot 908s in the Top Five finishing list, but whose endurance-racing program fell victim to the Eurozone crisis. Continue reading →

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Carroll Shelby – Sports Car Racer and Builder – Dead at 89

Posted on 11 May 2012 by Ken Zino

Carroll Hall Shelby, a legendary sports car racer and builder died Thursday at age 89, his company, Carroll Shelby International, said today. The creator of the Cobra, Shelby passed away yesterday at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. Carroll Shelby is the only man to have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race as a driver, team owner and automotive manufacturer. Shelby once told me that he “spent a ton of old man Ford’s money, and kicked Ferrari’s ass,” which his team did for successive years at the 24 Hours of Le Mans until a rule change made the brutally fast and reliable cars illegal. Continue reading →

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Nissan to Run Delta Wing at Le Mans in P.R. Stunt

Posted on 13 March 2012 by Ken Zino

The real Japanese race to watch at Le Mans this year will be a Toyota, which will run a hybrid in the LMP1 class. Last year’s race was the most exciting in years – maybe decades – as Peugeot and Audi fought an epic battle. In a fiercely fought 24 hours of racing with sporadic rain, wrecks and attrition, a diesel-powered Audi R18 won the 24 hours of Le Mans in the fastest, factory run P1 class. The Audi was followed by four Peugeot 908s. The three drivers of the second place Peugeot – Simon Pagenaud, Pedro Lamy and Sebastien Bourdais – competed to the very end as their 908 was only 13 seconds behind. Nissan and Chevrolet Corvette did win in other classes. Continue reading →

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Toyota Returns to Le Mans in 2012 with Hybrid LMP1 Racecar

Posted on 14 October 2011 by Ken Zino

Toyota Motorsport’s high-performance technical center in Cologne, Germany, where the chassis has been designed, developed and produced, will be the base for the team. The Toyota LMP1 racecar will have a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain developed in Japan. Continue reading →

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Porsche Returns to Le Mans in 2014. Will VW Group Spend Millions to Compete Against Itself with Audi in the Top Class?

Posted on 30 June 2011 by Ken Zino

Some potentially contentious racing and marketing budget allocation debates are ahead, and they will last longer than 24 hours. Will Volkswagen really spend hundreds of millions of dollars to run multiple factory teams to compete against itself? Continue reading →

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Million Dollar Porsche 918 Hybrid on Sale – Only “918” Offered

Posted on 21 March 2011 by Ken Zino

The 918’s V8 engine delivers more than 368 kW or 500 horsepower. This is increased by two electric motors with a total of at least 160 kW (218 hp). Fuel consumption of 918 Spyder is estimated at three liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (~ 74 mpg) based on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Continue reading →

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Porsche 918 RSR Debuts in Detroit. Latest Flywheel Technology Fantasy or a Serious Le Mans Contender?

Posted on 11 January 2011 by Ken Zino

Porsche AG returned to the Detroit Auto Show for the first time in several years with a delicious 918 RSR single-seat racing car that uses a flywheel mounted on the passenger side to capture some of the energy normally wasted by converting kinetic energy to heat under braking. Continue reading →

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