Sports Car Digest - The Sports, Racing and Vintage Car Journal » Race Cars

The Greatest Race – 1908 New York to Paris

Art Evans — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:00:16 +0000

By Art Evans

As I described in my July column, the first motorized-vehicle race on land is acknowledged by historians to be the 1893 Paris to Rouen. Other place-to-place races followed in Europe before the turn of the century. Many of them involved Paris as a location of origination or destination. Paris-Bordeaux-Paris followed Rouen in 1895, Paris-Marseille-Paris in 1896 and so on. The original purpose of these events was to demonstrate the viability of motorcars as a means of transportation. The first in the U.S. was the 1895 Chicago-Waukegan-Chicago. By 1907, the longest race to that date was from Peking to Paris.

The ultimate of the genre, however, was the New York-to-Paris in 1908. Wait a minute! How could there be such an automobile race when there’s the Atlantic Ocean between the two cities? Well, it depends on which way you go. To the West, there’s only the 53-mile Bering Strait separating the United States from Russia. The rest is land.

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Can-Am Revisited – Unlimited Racing Championship

Sports Car Digest — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:00:54 +0000

Catching the spirit of Can-Am is one of the goals of the new Unlimited Racing Championship (URC) that will feature identically built NuArt CanAm cars reminiscent of the wide-open racing series from the 1960-70s. The URC will run as the “Heritage Series” with the American Le Mans Series for the 2012 season and beyond.

“The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is thrilled to welcome the Unlimited Racing Championship, which will be joining a number of ALMS events in 2012,” said Scott Atherton, President and CEO of the ALMS. “This ‘Heritage Series’ will provide more variety and a modern day link to the past for our many fans next year.

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Mercedes-Benz SSK and SSKL – Car Profile

Sports Car Digest — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:00:31 +0000

The design department at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) – which had not yet merged with Benz & Cie – began developing Mercedes compressor vehicles in 1919. Gottlieb Daimler’s son Paul, who had succeeded Wilhelm Maybach as technical director and board member in 1907, drove the development work forward. DMG already had some experience with mechanical supercharging because compressor technology was used in aircraft and submarine engines.

The first Mercedes compressor racing cars made their debut in 1922 at the Targa Florio in Sicily. They included, besides the 1.5-litre racing cars driven by Paul Scheef and Fernando Minoia, a Mercedes 28/95 PS, whose engine had been fitted with a compressor for this race and had an output of 140 bhp (103kw).

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Bonneville Speed Week 2011 – Photo Gallery

Sports Car Digest — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:00:59 +0000

Bonneville Speed Week 2011 was held August 13-19 at the famed Bonneville Speedway salt flats in Utah. Every August, the Southern California Timing Association and Bonneville Nationals Inc. organize Speed Week, which attracts several hundred drivers to compete to set highest speed in a range of categories.

Bonneville Speed Week consists of six days of racing, weather and conditions permitting, with entrants from all parts of the globe all seeking the maximum speed out of their vehicle. All vehicles are allowed to run every day, i.e no special days for motorcycles or cars. The Bonneville Speedway salt flats are located 88 miles west of Salt Lake City, Utah. The spectacular scenery and racing conditions at Bonneville make it one of the most popular areas in the world for speed.

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History of Sports Cars – Speed Records at Daytona Beach

Art Evans — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:00:53 +0000

By Art Evans

When younger motor racing enthusiasts think of Daytona, images of stock cars on the International Speedway come to mind. But older folks remember that Daytona Beach was a site for setting early land-speed records.

The history of racing at the beach extends almost to the turn of the last century when cars themselves were in their infancy. Famous automobile personalities of yore participated including Barney Oldfield, Ralph De Palma, Ransom Olds, Henry Ford and the Stanley Brothers.

In 1970, I was sent on a photo shoot to Florida; the assignment included going to the Daytona 500. Because I had not obtained credentials in advance, I was ushered into the office of Bill France, Sr. Since I had previously raced sports cars, we had a short and interesting chat. I found him most affable and I was given a pass to go almost anywhere. Bill told me that oval races at Daytona Beach were as old as record attempts and that the Speedweek predated the Indy 500.

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History of Sports Cars

Art Evans — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +0000

By Art Evans

The 1985 Benz is credited with being the first purpose-built automobile. (photo credit: Deutsches Museum)

Sports Car Digest Editor Jamie Doyle has assigned me to write a column about the history of sports cars. For the first one, I thought it would be interesting to look at the first events that established motorsports.

It’s rather obvious that the first was the invention of the automobile itself. The first motorized vehicles were steam-driven tractors. But the purpose of tractors is not transportation, so they don’t qualify.

Although there are reservations among some historians, it is generally held that Karl Benz designed and built the first workable car propelled by an internal combustion engine in 1885. But in 1873, Frenchman Amédée Bollée, made a number of experimental steam-powered carriages. His son (of the same name) made a large steam mail coach as well as a smaller steam-driven car in 1885. These were essentially motorization of existing horse-drawn vehicles.

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Ferrari 340 Mexico Berlinetta – Car Profile

Sports Car Digest — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:00:03 +0000

Alberto Ascari was a man in a hurry. In a relatively short Grand Prix career between 1948 and 1955, he became Formula One World Champion in 1952 and 1953, winning nine consecutive races on his way to the 1952 title.

Ascari also finished second in Mexico’s La Carrera Panamericana in 1951, teamed with Luigi Villoresi in the second of two factory Ferrari 212 Inter Berlinettas. After eight stages totaling 2,096 miles, on road conditions best described as wretched, the pair were only eight minutes behind winners Piero Taruffi and Luigi Chinetti. Ferrari had achieved a one-two finish, ahead of 33 American sedans, with varying degrees of factory support.

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Porsche Returns to Le Mans in 2014

Sports Car Digest — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:00:26 +0000

Porsche will return to Le Mans with a works-run LMP1 sports prototype, with the first outing of the completely new developed race car planned for 2014. With 16 overall victories, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer in Le Mans. The most recent win was in 1998 with the Porsche 911 GT1.

“Motorsport was always an essential part of the Porsche brand,” emphasises Matthias Müller, President of the Executive Board at Porsche AG. “So for us it was only a matter of time before we returned as a factory to the top league of racing. Porsche’s successes in Le Mans are unrivalled. We want to follow up on this with the 17th outright victory.”

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Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ Prototipo Berlinetta – Profile

Sports Car Digest — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:00:19 +0000

In response to Alfa Romeo’s request for a TZ successor, Autodelta’s co-founder Lodovico Chizzola built this prototype, only for Alfa Romeo to opt for its own design – the TZ2 – so the car remained a one-off. After completion this unique Alfa Romeo remained the Chizzola family’s property until it was bought by the current vendor at Bonhams’ Nürburgring Sale in August 2000.

Known in the Chizzola family as the ‘TZ1½’, the car is a development of the original TZ. The un-numbered chassis is a one-of-a-kind tubular design – a modified Ferrari F2 frame according to the late Lodovico Chizzola – but shorter and different to a TZ’s.

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Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum – Profile

Leigh Dorrington — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:00:12 +0000

By Leigh Dorrington

The history of the Indianapolis 500 fills one of the most remarkable galleries in all of racing.

Dan Weldon‘s 2011 race-winning car soon will join this collection—the most exclusive in racing—a collection of Indianapolis 500-winning automobiles. Other significant automobiles are displayed separately.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum is located in the Speedway infield between Turns One and Two and attracts visitors from around the world throughout the year. Exhibits change and a special exhibition was staged during the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500. But a visit to the museum shortly before the 2011 500 revealed the extraordinary attraction of this very special place.

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Record Lap at Isle of Man TT Circuit

Sports Car Digest — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:00:42 +0000

Subaru driver Mark Higgins set an all-time fastest lap of averaging 115.356 MPH today on the iconic Isle of Man TT Mountain Course driving a US specification 2011 Subaru WRX STI. The previous record of 100 MPH stood for 21 years. The lap took 19 minutes 37 seconds and the WRX STI hit speeds in excess of 162 MPH.

“This was the most thrilling and frightening thing I have ever done,” said Higgins, a Manx native. “It has been my dream to drive this course since I was a little boy and I am just elated that we were able to hit the speeds we did. The Subaru was just rock solid through the mountain section and took an amazing amount of punishment on the course.”

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1955 24 Hours of Le Mans – Race Profile

Art Evans — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:00:56 +0000

By Art Evans

The occurrences at the 2011 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans brought to mind those of 1955, the race that lives in infamy. More than 80 spectators were killed plus some 120 injured in the most horrendous accident in motor racing history.

My longtime and very close friend, John Fitch, was on the Mercedes team, co-driver with Pierre Levegh, whose car caused such carnage. A few years ago, I co-authored a book with Fitch, Racing With Mercedes. He told me a great deal about the accident and surrounding circumstances. Also, I talked with some others—Ken Miles and Phil Hill—who were there as well.

The 1955 season started on a down note when, on May 26, World Champion and revered driver Alberto Ascari died at Monza. A week later, Bill Vukovich was killed while leading the Indy 500. Both were highly skilled with vast experience.

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24 Hours of Le Mans 2011 – Report and Photos

Sports Car Digest — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:00:47 +0000

The 24 Hours of Le Mans 2011 was held 11-12 June at the 8.469 mile Circuit de la Sarthe in France. The Audi team defended their 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours win by beating the best Peugeot by a mere 13 seconds after 24 hours of intense racing. When the Rolex clock at the finish line showed 15:00 the expected battle between Audi and Peugeot came to an end with the remaining Audi barely staying ahead of no less than four Peugeots. The winning margin of just over 13 seconds was one of the closest in recent history. The British Zytek-Nissan won in the LMP2 class, while Corvette won its seventh Le Mans GT title in the Pro category. The American manufacturer was also successful in the Amateur GT category.

A crowd of close to 250,000 people watched this year’s running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from the Circuit de La Sarthe.

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Le Mans Legend 2011 – Report and Photo Gallery

Marco Zanello — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:30:02 +0000

Report by Marco Zanello and photos by Giacomo Zanello

The Le Mans Legend 2011 historic race was held 11 June at Circuit de la Sarthe in France on the morning of the modern 24 Hours of Le Mans. A grid of 61 cars lined up for the 45-minute race.

Among the numerous events supporting the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Le Mans Legend that has taken place for some years in a high-speed race for historic cars and created by Motor Racing Legends and ACO.

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Damon Hill Steps Down at BRDC

Sports Car Digest — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:00:05 +0000

Damon Hill O.B.E. announced to the Board of the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) that he plans to step down as BRDC President at the Club’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 25 August, 2011.

Damon was appointed BRDC President in 2006. During his tenure the BRDC has secured the long term future of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, agreeing a 17-year deal with Formula One Management; has overseen major developments to both the circuit and venue, including significant revisions to the Grand Prix Circuit layout in 2010, and the opening of the Silverstone Wing, the circuit’s £27 million state-of-the-art Pit and Paddock Complex, in 2011; has secured the rights to host Britain’s rounds of both the FIM MotoGP World Championship and Superbike World Championship; and has launched the BRDC SuperStars programme – an initiative that Damon is passionate about, supporting and encouraging young British racing talent.

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Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival 2011 – Results & Photos

Sports Car Digest — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:00:21 +0000

Photos by Dennis Gray

The Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival 2011 was held the weekend of June 3-5, at Infineon Raceway Sears Point in Sonoma, California. A strong field of 400 vintage race cars competing in 13 groups took to the technical 2.52 mile road course, headlined by featured marque McLaren.

While rain showers disrupted racing action on Friday and Saturday, the final day of races at the 2nd annual Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival were thankfully completed under primarily dry conditions. Only the early race groups faced wet conditions, while the remainder enjoyed a cool yet dry racing surface at Infineon Raceway Sears Point.

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Jaguar C-Type XKC 029 – Car Profile and Photo Gallery

Sports Car Digest — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:00:35 +0000

The Jaguar C-Type (also called the Jaguar XK120-C) is a racing sports car built by Jaguar and sold from 1951 to 1953. The “C” designation stood for “competition”. The car used the running gear of the contemporary XK120 in a lightweight tubular frame and aerodynamic aluminium body. A total of 52 C-Types were built.

The road-going XK120’s 3.4-litre twin-cam, straight-6 engine produced between 160 and 180 bhp. The version in the C-Type was originally tuned to around 205 bhp. Later C-Types were more powerful, using triple twin-choke Weber carburettors and high-lift camshafts.

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Tony DeLorenzo Headlines Bloomington Gold Hall

Sports Car Digest — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:00:16 +0000

Tony DeLorenzo and his 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 race car are being inducted into the Bloomington Gold Great Hall in St. Charles, Illinois, on June 24, 2011.

The Bloomington Gold Corvette USA’s show is honoring the 50 people and 50 cars that played the most significant roles in the Corvette phenomenon. They are being selected for induction into the Great Hall, 10 at a time, from 2010-2014.

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Ferrari Racing Days at Laguna Seca 2011 – Photo Gallery

Sports Car Digest — Mon, 30 May 2011 13:00:34 +0000

Photos by Dennis Gray and Bob Ross

The second race of the 2011 North American Ferrari Challenge Series was held May 21-22 at the 11-turn, 2.238-mile Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca road course in Salinas, California.

The Ferrari Racing Days Series offers Ferrari owners the opportunity to compete against each other at venues throughout the United States and Canada. In addition to the Ferrari F430 Challenge the new Ferrari 458 Challenge race cars, the Corse Clienti Department’s 599XX, FXX and F1 Clienti programs participated on the track at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

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East African Safari Classic Rally 2011 Information

Sports Car Digest — Mon, 30 May 2011 12:00:01 +0000

The East African Safari Classic Rally 2011 will be held November 19th through November 28th, starting in Mombasa on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast. It may seem a long way away in both distance and time but there are some people who are moving to make sure they are a part of the action when the 58th Safari Rally kicks off.

The Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally is one of the most highly regarded rally for historic cars. The entry list for 2011 is already open and though it does not close until mid-October, it is beginning to fill up and has reached twenty-two entries so far.

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