The 2013 Dodge Viper GTS-R, set to return to competition later this year in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), hit the track for the first time.
Marc Goossens put it through its paces at the Carolina Motorsports Park of Kershaw, in South Carolina. Everybody from within the team was very pleased with the way things went.
"Obviously it was a great feeling," Goossens said. "We had a lot of expectations there since we were all so motivated to go ahead and drive it; it did what we expected. It responded in a very positive way; it was a pretty good first test that we had there."
The fact the team had a trouble-free shakedown day is a feat in itself; many things can go wrong as the car runs for the first time, but nothing did.
"If you would have seen that car three days earlier there's no way you'd have believed that thing was going to roll off a trailer in three days to drive around the track," laughed Gary Johnson, Road Racing manager at SRT Motorsports.
Dodge Viper GTS-R. (Photo: ALMS)
Now, they all look into improving the car for its upcoming race debut.
"Over the next couple of months, we'll be at several different racetracks, several different environments to really improve the car's abilities as well as find any weaknesses or issues that could arise that could eventually cost us a poor race result or a poor race finish," further explained Johnson.
HRT could finally be on the cusp of speeding off the final row of the formula one grid.
Clearly the slowest team in F1 since its 2010 debut, the Spanish backmarkers' Pedro de la Rosa actually qualified clearly ahead of both Marussia drivers in Canada.
"In Monaco we had a good qualifying and here it was even better," he said.
It was a similar story in the race, although de la Rosa was gutted to have to retire with overheating brakes.
"I am left with a bad taste," he admitted to Antena 3 television, "because this weekend has been our strongest of the season."
Pedro de la Rosa. (Photo: HRT F1 Team)
Marussia's Glock commented on the poor pace of his car in Canada: "We did not have enough time to focus on an aero package for medium downforce," he told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.
Former Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari, however, thinks Montreal might have signalled a turning point for HRT.
Asked if he thinks the team will consistently perform better from now on, the Spaniard told AS newspaper: "Why not? The work they are doing is admirable. They are growing every weekend and now more competitive than Marussia, so I would like to send them a message of support."
This weekend Ford Racing will show off the latest tweaks to its' 2013 Sprint Cup Fusion at Michigan International Speedway.
Ever since a car show-like unveiling of the prototype, in Charlotte in January, engineers and designers have come up with a version which shows even more similarities to the street version which includes new grille work and hood lines.
2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Ford Fusion
According to the Ford folks “gone is the stickered front grille from the January reveal and in its place are actual grille bars which will adorn the 2013 Cup Fusion, in addition to several other key tweaks to the front end of the car.”
“We had an opportunity to add more personality and detail to the race car,” said Garen Nicoghosian, Ford design manager in charge of the NASCAR project.
“We took advantage of this opportunity and sculpted a more aggressive front end and we added grille bars that are identical in design to the production car. We also added more detail to the fog light housings, and created a more detailed headlight area as well.
“In addition, we also sculpted a more aggressive hood, and were able to achieve a closer look to the production car. Our race car is even closer in design to the production car now, and we are very pleased with the results.”
Final designs will need NASCAR approval before the start of the 2013 season.
Kurt Busch, who was suspended by NASCAR for one race, is keeping his ride with James Finch's Phoenix Racing.
The 2004 Sprint Cup champion was penalized for verbal abuse of a media member while he was already on NASCAR probation. And, in addition to the suspension, his probation was extended until the end of the year.
Finch, who runs a one-car Chevrolet team with Hendrick Motorsport equipment, sounded fed up with his driver last week saying, on SiriusXM Satellite radio, that he would have a “come-to-Jesus,” meeting with his turbulent driver this week.
Apparently after a meeting in South Carolina on Tuesday some oil has been spread on the troubled waters so to speak.
In a statement released on Tuesday Finch said “We have met with Kurt. At the end of the day, we are racers so we're going racing together with Kurt and the No. 51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet. We know adjustments have to be made but how we fix that is between Kurt and myself. We're going to go to the track, work hard, race hard and work on trying to attract a sponsor -- and we're going to do that together.”
The last time Busch missed a Sprint Cup race happened in 2005 when he was released from the Roush (now Roush Fenway Racing) team two races before the end of the season. Busch had been with Penske Racing from 2006 until last year.
David Reutimann, who usually drives for Tommy Baldwin Racing, filled in for Busch last week at Pocono International Raceway finishing 21rst. Busch now stands 27th in the points as the Sprint Cup series heads for Michigan International Speedway this weekend.
Toyota, Honda and General Motors have confirmed they plan to integrate Siri, Apple Inc.'s voice control technology used on the iPhone, into connectivity systems of upcoming vehicles.
The spiciest Focus on the menu was prepared by the chefs of the Global Performance Vehicle Group in close cooperation with Ford of Europe's Team RS and the American Special Vehicles Team, SVT. "It's a one-fits-all-markets concept," explains the project leader, Dieter Schwarz. "Design, engine specification, chassis calibration, and tire choice are exactly identical, regardless of whether the car is sold in Beijing, Los Angeles, or London. We are convinced we have found a global setup that fuses performance and comfort with practicality and affordability."
Allied Systems is back in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Decatur, Ga., vehicle transporter and 18 subsidiaries entered into bankruptcy protection on Sunday after some lenders last month submitted an involuntary Chapter 11 petition against the company.
Having recently gone on sale in markets throughout Asia, the Pacific Rim and North America, the fourth generation Lexus GS will soon reach dealers in Europe and Russia. Yoshihiko Kanamori, the car's chief engineer, spoke to just-auto at a media preview drive event in Austria and Germany.
Buick, Chrysler and Kia improved the most this year while Infiniti took the top spot from Lexus on Total Car Score's list of Best Scoring Car Brands of 2012.
The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2012 was under way on Monday at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, where Apple CEO Tim Cook has announced that the Siri personal assistant will soon be in the car.
A version of Volkswagen's 2013 Beetle with a turbocharged diesel engine and direct injection will start at $24,065, including shipping -- about $3,500 more than the base model -- when it goes on sale in August, the company said today.
Chrysler has expanded a recall regarding corrosion on Jeep Liberty SUVs to include the 2006 and 2007 model years after recalling the 2004 and 2005 model years in March, federal safety regulators and Chrysler said today.
The diesel-powered 2013 Volkswagen Beetle will carry a sticker price of $24,065 including $770 in destination charges when it arrives in dealerships in August.
The C70 is beautiful. Its sensuous curves and well-proportioned body have not aged a day in my eyes. It probably helps that the streets are hardly thick with them even after six years on the market.
Online auto shopping service and lead provider Autobytel is working with media giant E.W. Scripps to provide editorial content for Scripps' TV station Web sites.
Sales of new passenger cars in the Czech Republic increased 6% year on year to 76,093 units in the first five months of 2012, led as usual, by local Volkswagen group unit Skoda Auto, which took a 31% share.
Mopar Underground team members affectionately referred to the J-12 concept as the Old Man Truck during its hasty ten-week build. It only takes a glance at the finished product to understand why. This basic pickup looks just like your grandpa's old truck: no extended cab, no bucket seats, and a fishing pole hanging in the rear window.
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