Two weeks ago Japanese Le Mans Contractor Dome is to return to the Le Mans 24 Hours, joining with the Pescarolo team. Dome announced that it will enter an updated S102 in the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans. The updated car, designated the S102.5, will be powered by a Judd 3.4L V8. Also, it will do the 3rd Round of FIA World Endurance Championship race at 6 Heures de Spa-Francorchamps in May at Spa. Therefore, it will do two rounds in this seasons WEC.
Pescarolo Team will run the LMP1 car, the S102.5, alongside one of their own prototype Pescarolo 03 Judd 3.4 V8 at the 24 Hours in June.
Deals for the S102.5 to run with a Judd 3.4-litre V8 and Michelin tyres are already set in place. Former F3000 and Peugeot driver Nicolas Minassian has agreed terms to race the car in its two appearances this year. Former STR F1 driver Sebastien Bourdais is also close to a deal as-well, while the team will also have a Japanese driver.
Dome first raced at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1979 then returned in 2000 with the S101 customer car entered by the Racing for Hollandrun by former Le Mans winners Jan Lammers and John Nielsen respectively.
A Dome S101hb run by Racing for Holland at the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Below a video of Dome Prototype driven by John Nielsen at Le Mans in 2001 race.
Also, in late 1995, Dome announced its plan to enter F1 with a car designed by Akiyoshi Uko called the Dome F105 using a Mugen Honda V10ş Good Year tyres and Minardi transmission and hydraulic system. Planned to entred F1 in 1997, but never materialised due to lack of sponsorship and Mugen's refusal to supply engines. So here´s a YouTube vıdeo of Shinji Nakano testıng the F105 at Suzuka in 1996.Enjoy.
End of post for now. New one soon. Bye.
Second post of the week an a very angry one too. Mini yesterday has has confirmed that Prodrive will no longer run its manufacturer entry in the World Rally Championship, now on be a works-supported private team. The announcement comes after a weeks of rumours of a possible split between the two parties, despite a successful run of three podium finishes that Mini came back in WRC at the middle of 2011. Despite, the Countrymen WRC won the first round in 2012 Middle East Rally Championship, at the Qatar International Rally last month.
Mini has agreed that the Motorsport Italia-run WRC Team Mini Portugal will contest the remaining rounds of the WRC, with Armindo Araujo and Paulo Nobre driving, with Prodrive reduced to the position of a works-supported privateer.
However, Prodrive who worked alongside BMW to develop the car, will continue to be responsible for the construction and support of Mini Countrymen John Cooper Works WRC customer cars and will work on the continued development of the new car, the homologation of which has now been underwritten until 2018.
My opinion on the news I said on Twitter on Monday was the "Mini brand is a complete joke, splitting up with Prodrive for WRC program as a works team, a complete shot in the foot for Mini". When you looking a Prodrive WRC history is great, winning with Subaru with both Legacy and Impreza cars. And winning rallies with Tommi Makkinen and Juha Kankkunen. And WRC titles wins with the late Colin McRae, the late Richard Burns and Petter Solberg.
A bad decision from Mini, I hope Prodrive win a WRC round this year just to prove Mini wrong, I can see still under Prodrive that Mini still win this year if the luck this there they will win, maybe on a tarmac round possibly. Because I can't see Motorsport Italia-run WRC Team Mini Portugal winning a WRC round let alone a top 6 finish in a WRC round. A complete shot in the foot from Mini.
What if at the end of the season construction of Mini Countrymen John Cooper Works WRC development of the car goes to the WRC Team Mini Portugal team. Prodrive loses the works-supported privateer status. I think Prodrive should find another Manufacture to go Rallying with instead of Mini. Because, next season Volkswagen are coming back to WRC with their Polo R WRC car. Maybe one of them could be Hyundai. Hyundai Veloster is a example what I am taking about it, does suit WRC-S2000 rules very well.
Hyundai have competed in WRC back in the past with the Coupe F2 Rally Car and Accent World Rally Car back in 2000 to 2003. Best results were two forth places for the Accent in the WRC back in 2000 and 2001 with Alister McRae and Kenneth Eriksson.
With Prodrive and Hyundai working could be a better deal. Can't see Prodrive with Subaru again. Not sure with BMW/Mini will continue. At the end of it, its just a thought at the end of the day. Anyway here below Rhys Millen in his Rallycross version of Hyundai Veloster Rally Car on the golf course playing golf. Enjoy it, very funny film.
End of post for now. New one soon. Bye.
First post of the week, and yes I copied most of the first line from Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin (1970). Last year did a blog/post on F1 on ice of a Red Bull F1 car on ice in Canada with Sebastian Buemi driving.
I bought this subject back again due to most of Europe in snow, which lead Ferrari to cancel their Shakedown test at Ferrari own test circuit at Fiorano Italy because of the snow. Therefore, they have to wait till Tuesday at Jerez, Spain to test the new car.
So here is another Formula 1 car on snow and ice video below. Back in 2007 with Nick Hiedfied driving for the BMW Sauber team. Driving the 2007 car on snow spec Bridgestone tyres. Enjoy.
End of post for now. New one soon. Bye.
A post not for the beautiful or is it? The Ferrari F2012 car came out on Friday everyone described it as the ugliest Ferrari Formula 1 car for a very long time or is it? In today post I will discus this and other Ferrari news from the past month.
But first this car. Is it the Ferrari F2012 the ugliest Ferrari F1 car ever?
It isn't the ugliest F1 car there is a few are much uglier then this. But, this seasons car reminds me of a Lego Ferrari F1 car, it really the front end looks more like a ironing board in my opinion. The main problem is front end due to new technical rules about lowing of the front nose so we don't have another Mark Webber incident at Valencia 2010 were the car went airborne.
But, two other Ferrari have the reward of an ugly Ferrari F1 car in the past. As the first example the 1979 312T4 was described by Enzo Ferrari him self "the ugliest car he'd ever built". However, it won both championships that year.
While in 1996, the F310 was the only car in the 1996 field to have a low nose section, with the other teams having all switched to the more aerodynamically efficient high nose. The high nose was eventually adopted permanently from the Canadian Grand Prix onwards. That the last time a Ferrari F1 car was that ugly to look at, until now.
So the verdict the 1979 Ferrari 312T4, I don't really thinks its that ugly in my opinion, but it won the drivers and constructors championship that year. While 1996 Ferrari F310 is ugly, however it won races under Michael Schumacher. So F2012 it is in my opinion the ugliest Ferrari F1 car ever. But, if it win races it doesn't really matter on the looks of the car if its winning. So the verdict, the Ferrari F2012 is the ugliest Ferrari F1 car ever!
In other Ferrari news, last month Ferrari announced that former Bridgestone tyre engineer Hirohide Hamashima, will be moving to Ferrari this season and took role in its technical department to improve the interaction of the Ferrari car and its tyres. This was Ferrari worse problem last season with 150 Italia car to understand the Pirelli tyres and only winning one race last season. This is good news to get Hirohide Hamashima into the team for this to make the Pirelli tyres to work in their advantage, this must be their solution.
Speaking of Pirelli tyres, Pirelli last week announced their 2012 F1 tyres for this season. A 3D Animation of the new Pirelli tyres is below. Enjoy.
End of post/blog for now, That is all. Bye.
As the title says a 24 Hours of Daytona Review of the race. Michael Shank Racing team won the Daytona 24 hours race Overall and Grand-Am Prototype class in their Riley Ford 5.0L V8 with drivers A. J. Allmendinger, Oswaldo Negri, John Pew and Justin Wilson (big mention back from a long injury from last season) ahead of Starworks Motorsport team with Ryan Dalziel, Lucas Luhr, Allan McNish, Alex Popow and Enzo Potolicchio Riley Ford 5.0L V8 who finished second place in the race. While another Michael Shank Racing car finished 3rd, to make a Riley Ford 5.0L V8 1-2-3 in the race overall.
There is a very good YouTube video about the race from the Drive crew, presented by Leo Parente at the 2012 Rolex 24 At Daytona. Interviews with Jackie Stewart, Travis Pastrana, Michael Waltrip, and Allan McNish many more. Race car action from the race aswell to enjoy. Great video to enjoy.
Meanwhile in GT Grand-Am class, APR Motorsport team used the Audi R8, for the first time in the GT Grand-Am class at Daytona. It carries a Audi 5.2L V10 that produces a restricted 460bhp for GT Grand-Am class rules. Also mid-engined rear wheel drive as-well. As the video below shows.
APR Motorsport team only managed 447 laps in the race compared to the top Porsche team who done 727 laps, Magnus Racing in the Porsche 997 GT3 cup took GT class victory. But, still we going to see Audi in this seasons Grand ~Am Championship. in GT class.
End of post/blog for now, That is all. Bye.
Second post of the week, and the news of Narain Karthikeyan has signed to drive for HRT this year, alongside Pedro de la Rosa. The news means that Tonio Liuzzi is out of a drive, also out of Formula 1 this season with all the 24 drives are gone. Karthikeyan started last year as a HRT driver but was replaced in the mid-season by Red Bull funded driver Daniel Ricciardo (who will be driving at STR this season), his only drive after the news was at the first Indian Grand Prix. Its more than likely due to sponsorship from Tata (who own both Jaguar and Land Rover) and other Indian based sponsorship, anyway good luck Narain for this season.
Bye for now.
First post of the week, Rally America and WRC, I will review it all Rally America and WRC rounds this year. Starting with Round 1 of WRC at Monte Carlo a few weeks back, the reason why I haven't until now so I can do the first round of Rally America at the same time.
So 18-22 Januarys Monte Carlo Rally. Sébastien Loeb won his sixth Monte Carlo Rally win in his Citreon DS3. It would have been an interesting fight up front if Jari-Matti Latvala didn't crashed out of the lead of the first day it would have been a great rally. But, Loeb won the rally three minutes ahead of Dani Sordo in his Mini Coyntrymen, equal best result for the Mini brand in WRC. Petter Solberg third in his Ford Fiesta, Petter best result at the Monte Carlo Rally.
Meanwhile sixth place in the rally, François Delecour let co-driver Dominique Savignoni who going to retire from the sport to drive the final stage 5km, which was very respectful from François Delecour doing this, classy guy for doing this. A montage below of this years Monte Carlo Rally.
Meanwhile Rally America started last week for Snow*Drift Rally 2012. 2011 Champion David Higgins in his 2012 Subaru WRX STI. Subaru Rally Team USA driver won the rally by almost two minutes. Ahead of 2010 Champion Antoine L'Estage in his 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. So enjoy the 2012 Snow*Drift Rally videos folks.
End of post/blog for now, That is all, Bye.
