Motorsports being shaken to the core. Not stirred

If there is not a further sign that our economy is in peril, then look no further than to the motor sports community. In the last couple weeks we have seen most major forms changed. We have Honda pulling out of Formula 1. Then Suzuki pulls their World Rally Championship program. Followed a few days later by Subaru.

Next Audi and Porsche suspend racing in the American LeMans Series, with a triple blow by the announcement canceling the 2009 Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix after its short two year stint after nearly a decade off the circuit.

Nascar is pretty much in shambles because of the Detroit Big 3 cutting spending.

And now off road racing is feeling the effects. Land Rover is canceling the G4 Challenge.

While we do hate to see this happen. But given the current economic conditions it is understandable to see major changes like this. Especially since that is the reason given in each case. Hopefully 2009 will be prosperous for the economy and many of these series will resume to normal operating procedures.

Audi packs 1 2 punch at Long Beach

I an astounding 3rd race of the season, Audi has pulled of another win in the American LeMans Series at the Long Beach Grand Prix. This time a one, two win of Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner(Audi R10 TDI #2) and Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro (Audi R10 TDI #1). Not only that, it also marks two historical achievements for Audi. It marks the first victory for the R10 at Long Beach. And the second consecutive victory on a street circut.

Both Audi teams pulled off true underdog wins. Clinching first and second place in the final moments of the race. The win at Long Beach follows closely on the heels of the team's first win of the season at St. Petersburg, Florida a little more than a week ago.

Congratulations to both teams on their wins.

Source: Audi North America

Press Release:

20 April 20081-2 FINISH AT LONG BEACH IN 25TH RACE OF AUDI R10
-First victory of the Audi R10 TDI at Long Beach

-Second consecutive victory of Audi TDI power on street circuit

-Lucas Luhr/Marco Werner extend championship lead

Ingolstadt/Long Beach – In the 25th race of the Audi R10 TDI, the car scored a historic 1-2 victory at the Long Beach (California) round of the American Le Mans Series. After the success at St Petersburg a fortnight ago, the diesel-powered sportscar won a street race for the second time in a row. With Lucas Luhr/Marco Werner taking their personal as well as Audi’s second win in three races in 2008, the German works drivers extended their lead in the championship standings.

Having started from sixth position on the grid after a tight qualifying session, Lucas Luhr improved to fourth position at the wheel of the #2 Audi R10 TDI in the early laps of the 100-minute race. When the German driver was due to hand the car over to his team-mate, he held second position. Marco Werner returned on ninth overall position into the race after a full pit stop including the driver change.

Meanwhile, Frank Biela who had started from seventh place improved to sixth position that he held throughout his stint. In lap 43, he was due for his pit stop including a driver change to Emanuele Pirro. Only two lap later, however, debris on the track caused a full course yellow period of four laps. With more than half the race gone, Audi didn’t seem to be the likely winner.

However, both Marco Werner and Emanuele Pirro made best use of the Audi TDI power and grabbed back position after position. In lap 57, Marco Werner passed Porsche driver Romain Dumas and took the lead.

After a third and final safety car phase between lap 58 to lap 60, Emanuele Pirro overtook Romain Dumas as well and completed the Audi 1-2 victory. In 25 races, the Audi R10 TDI has scored 15 victories so far, emphasizing its strenghts once again even on a type of circuit it has never been designed for.

Quotes after the race at Long Beach

Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "Audi Sport and the team of Audi Sport North America can be really proud of this success. The Audi R10 TDI has not been developed with street circuits in mind. So it is all the more a great performance that we succeeded in clinching two consecutive races on this type of track. There is no better finish we could have wished for on the 25th anniversary race of the R10 TDI.”

Lucas Luhr (Audi R10 TDI #2): "It is a tremendous success for us, for Audi, for Team Champion and for Audi Sport North America. I think our boss Dr Ullrich is be delighted as well. The 1-2 finish was the icing on the cake. It was a thrilling race. Towards the end, Marco drove such a strong race that I could hardly watch at it – I had to turn away from the screens. This was fantastic. Marco and myself both felt a bit sick in the stomach so victory feels even sweeter.”

Marco Werner (Audi R10 TDI #2): "It was a fantastic race for Audi. We have been very happy after last year’s result. This is what we wanted although we didn’t expect it. After qualifying, we knew that it would become very hard. But it was okay. Thanks to TDI power, we have set the pace on the straights and we managed to clinch position after position so we won the race. I want to thank everybody.”

Frank Biela (Audi R10 TDI #1): "A superb result for Audi. After qualifying, you wouldn’t have necessarily expected a 1-2 finish. It was quite tight in qualifying so we have hoped for a good result, but I wouldn’t have put my money on it. Both cars worked well. In the first ten minutes, I was struggling a little bit with tyre temperatures and grip but then it worked out perfectly for the remainder of my one-hour stint. We worked our way through the field during several caution periods.”

Emanuele Pirro (Audi R10 TDI #1): "I was never very good in history but I think it is exceptional that we scored two consecutive wins for Audi on two street circuits. Especially here, it was great as I like the circuit and I have enjoyed the race very much. We haven’t been very strong at the beginning but later on we got much stronger and drove a good race. I’m really pleased especially as we did a 1-2. Such a result in this series is really nice.”

Dave Maraj (Director Audi Sport Team North America): "It was a great team effort by everybody. The drivers did a great job. Also, we had a very good strategy. To win here was very difficult. But to come home 1-2 was really a surprise to me. Congratulations to the whole team.”

The results at Long Beach

1 Luhr/Werner (Audi R10 TDI), 71 laps in 1h 40m 37.791s

2 Biela/Pirro (Audi R10 TDI) + 1.964s

3 Brabham/Sharp/Johansson (Acura/Honda) +3.786s

4 Dumas/Bernhard (Porsche) +4.822s

5 Maassen/Long (Porsche) +5.440s

6 Herta/Fittipaldi (Acura/Honda) +15.252s

7 Franchitti/Leitzinger (Porsche) +19.212s

8 Fernandez/Diaz (Acura/Honda) + 19.780s

9 Smith/Dyson (Porsche) + 20.517s10 Devlin/Bonilla (Lola) - 1 lap

Chevrolet to return to ALMS with Corvette C6.R in 2008

There had been some speculation that Chevrolet was not going to continue to participate in the American LeMans Series(ALMS) after the 2007 season due to lack of competition inf the GT1 class. Though today Chevrolet has announced that they will participate in the full 12 race 2008 schedule. So expect to see the familiar images of the competition yellow C6.R Corvettes thundering down the straights next year.

Competing in the series for 2008 will be an important part of General Motors 100th anniversary celebration in 2008.

Since the teams debut in 1999. Corvette Racing has won seven consecutive GT1 manufacturers and team championships and six straight drivers championships in ALMS. The team also holds the series' records for class victories (57) and 1-2 finishes (40).

Source: GM.

Press Release:

Chevrolet Factory Team to Run Entire ALMS Schedule and 24 Hours of Le Mans

DETROIT – Corvette Racing, the most successful team in the history of the American Le Mans Series, will compete in the GT1 class in all 12 events on the ALMS schedule in 2008. Chevrolet's two-car factory road racing team will also return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in pursuit of a sixth GT1 title in the world's most famous sports car race.

"Corvette Racing was conceived as a long-term program to showcase the performance, technology, and value of Chevrolet's world-class sports car," said Mark Kent, director of GM Racing. "Since the team's competition debut in 1999, Corvette Racing's success in top-tier road racing has produced a strong return on our investment, paying dividends in marketing, engineering, technology transfer, personnel development and other areas of our business. Corvette is now a performance icon that's recognized around the world, and Corvette Racing's continued participation in the ALMS and the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be an important element in the global celebration of GM's 100th anniversary in 2008."

Corvette Racing has won seven consecutive GT1 manufacturers and team championships and six straight drivers championships in ALMS competition. The team holds the series' records for class victories (57) and 1-2 finishes (40).

"Our decision to compete in all 12 rounds of the ALMS schedule in 2008 reflects our commitment to our sponsors, our suppliers, and to Corvette enthusiasts worldwide," said Steve Wesoloski, GM Racing Road Racing Group manager. "There is a reason why thousands of Corvette owners attend Corvette Corrals at ALMS events and why the autograph line at Corvette Racing is the longest in the ALMS paddock: Racing is an integral part of Corvette's history and heritage, and we are continuing that tradition.

"Experience teaches us that motorsports is cyclical, and the GT1 category is currently in transition," Wesoloski observed. "Would we like to see more competition in GT1 in the ALMS? Absolutely! But in the absence of season-long competition, we are absolutely committed to controlling our own destiny. We are pushing hard to develop our chassis and powertrain, to refine our race strategy, and to continuously improve every element of the program. We know that the competition at Le Mans will be intense, and we will use the ALMS series to hone the race cars, the drivers, and the team to prepare for it."

Corvette Racing will test two new Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars in February in preparation for the season-opening round of the ALMS series, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, on March 15, 2008.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 76 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 280,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2006, nearly 9.1 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.