By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

Last summer, I spent some time covering the American Le Mans series, and obviously, I had a blast. Of course, there weren’t any R35s—are you guys going to freak if I call it a Skyline?—on the grid yet, so I was stoked to stumble across this clip of a weapons-grade version competing in the GT1 class at Silverstone. Now, I know that in American GT1, all-wheel drive isn’t allowed, so even Audi’s mighty TDIs are RWD. Of course, since this race was run over in the UK—where they use “tyres” instead of “tires”—the rules might be different. But regardless of whether Godzilla is pushing two wheels or all four, it totally owns the number 150 Corvette starting at 1:45. Enjoy.

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Check out this spy shot of the BP team’s new closed-cockpit racecar. Lookin’ sharp! My understanding is that the American Le Mans Series is mandating that the top-class LMP1 cars run hardtops, doors, and full windshields by 2010. While the LMP2-class cars, like B-K’s Mazda-powered Lola, are not subject to the rule change, the team will be running an enclosed monocoque, beginning with the Petit Le Mans in Atlanta next month. Stay tuned, as CarDomain will be there!

Two years ago, I went to my first Formula D event, and when I saw people taking home tires, I thought it was hilarious. Seriously, what the hell are you going to do with one shredded tire? Now, up until last weekend, I assumed this whole tire thing was specific to drift events, but at Road America, I saw plenty of fans headed to the parking lot with tires in tow. As it turns out, Cooper was selling spent slicks for ten bucks, and donating all the proceeds to Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang camp, a charity that helps kids with serious illnesses. It’s an awesome idea, and while I still think the idea of lugging home used racing rubber is kind of silly, you have to be a pretty cold-hearted bastard to mock something which helps sick children. Bravo Cooper! Check out a couple pics of its operation after the jump.    

Continue reading "I Thought This Only Happened at Formula D…" »

Given the awesome performance Audi’s mighty R10 TDI has demonstrated lately, it’s wasn’t completely unexpected that the German team would deliver another one-two victory. But anything can happen during a race—especially one that’s fours hours long—and the fact that the Andretti Green Acura ARX-01B was able to slide between the TDIs during yesterday’s qualifying had to be making the team sweat a little bit. As it turns out, there was nothing to worry about. Driver Marco Werner—who crossed first in the number 2 car—said in a post-race press conference that there were no surprises from the car during the race, and he never doubted he’d take the checked. The last time Audi won back to back victories during an AMLS series race was in 2006, when it won at Road America and again in Portland. How do you think the team will do in Ontario at the end of the month? Check out a pic of Marco Werner and co-driver Lucas Luhr after the jump.

Continue reading "Audi Does it Again, Takes First and Second In LP1" »

While I was walking the pits yesterday, I noticed all the cars had three small LED lights running vertically along the doors, and I was pretty puzzled about exactly what they were for. Since the whole set blinked when the cars were jacked up, I thought they might be some kind of safety thing, but they actually have a much cooler function. Race officials have control of those lights, and during the race, they use them to indicate where a car is running in its class. If the only the top one is lit, the car is in first, if the top two are lit, it’s in second, and if all three are lit, it’s in third. If you aren’t in the top three, nobody cares, and they’re all off. Isn’t that cool?   

It was an eventful afternoon at Road America. Driver Lucas Luhr was the fastest man on the track, setting a new lap record of 1:46.935 in his LP1 Audi R10 TDI, and he’ll take the overall poll for tomorrow’s race. In addition to his mad driving skills, Luhr also made a hilarious comment during the post-qualification chat with the press. Now, standard AMLS races run 2 hours and 45 minutes, but the Road America stop lasts four hours, and when asked what’s different about running a four hour race, Luhr totally deadpanned, "it’s longer." Maybe you had to be here, or maybe my brain is sunburned, but I thought that was great. Anyway, Luhr’s blistering trip around the course wasn’t the only record-breaking run—two other drivers also managed to make history. Franck Montagny—is his website crazy or what?—piloted his LP2 Acura ARX-01B around the circuit in 1:47.345, and Dirk Mueller covered the track’s four miles in 2:06.083 while behind the wheel of the gorgeous GT2 Ferrari 430 Berlinetta GT below. All this record-break portends great things for tomorrow’s race. I can’t wait!

Once big racing slicks get hot, they pick up every little pebble or piece of dirt on the track. But with a little help from a heat gun and a spackle knife, they can be made nice and smooth again—that’s how soft this rubber is. Thanks to David from the Fernandez Racing Acura ARX team for showing me how it’s done!

While qualifying, teams have twenty minutes to run as many laps as they want, and the fastest one dictates their starting position. To prevent teams from a sending car out on super-sticky tires only designed to last a few laps, AMLS rules state that cars must begin the race with three of the same tires used during qualifying. The stipulation makes sense—thought it’s bad news for drivers who wind up in the gravel and mangle their rubber. During this morning’s practice laps, the engine in the B-K MotorsportsLola B07 Mazda was running hot, and there wasn’t time to swap it beforethe afternoon’s qualifying session. Since not qualifyingmeans starting from the back of the grid, driver Ben Devlin just tookthe car out, ran a few respectable laps, and then brought it in so theteam could start on the engine swap. There are two more pics after the jump—check out how the alternator is actually mounted on the transmission!

Continue reading "B-K Motorsports Qualifies 11th" »

While I was watching the team from B-K Motorsports get the car dialed in, I also managed to sneak off and get some shots of the other crews in action. To my surprise, I didn’t get yelled at once, and after seeing me try—in vain—to get a shot a GT2 Ferrari before it peeled out of the pit, one of the Italian Stallion’s mechanics even smiled and asked if I wanted him to call it back. It was the longest exchange I had while shooting, because only about ten seconds out of every minute are quiet enough that you can converse without shouting directly into the ear of the person you’re talking with. The rest of the time, wailing engines reign. As you’d expect, all the cars are wicked loud, but the racket of the GT2 cars really surprised me. The speed limit on pit road is a paltry 60KMPH, and when the GT2s come in, their engines are bouncing off their rev limiters, and produce some of the angriest, most vicious noise I’ve ever heard. In a word, it’s awesome. Along with some dope shots of the Ferraris and Aston Martins, I got pics the Porsche and Audi prototypes, a Panoz, an insane Ford GT and an evil looking Viper. Check them out after the jump.

Continue reading "A Ton of Pics From the Pits at Road America!" »

Over at the BP tent, the company has set up a game that challenges players to pump exactly five dollars of gas in ten seconds or less. It’s surprisingly fun, and if you succeed, the folks there will give you a gas card worth five bucks. Now, I don’t know whether my real-world experience helped me here—there have been plenty of times when I’ve only had five bucks to put into my tank—but I managed to nail it on the third try. And for those more concerned with answering nature’s call than playing around, there are also "luxury restrooms." Unfortunately, I didn’t have any cash to tip the men’s room attendant. Just kidding, there’s nobody waiting inside to help you dry your hands, but the bathrooms are considerable nicer than the campground-like facilities available elsewhere at the track. More pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Fun Game at the BP Tent" »