FIA WEC 6 Hours of Spa: Toyota Victorious

After two rounds within the 2014 World Endurance Champioship, Toyota seems unbeatable. During the first round at Silverstone, the Japanese hybrid TS040 racer finished first and second and has lead the race from start to finish. During this weekend's race things were slightly different with the Porsche 919 Hybrid looking strong and car no. 14 driven by Jani Neel qualifying first. However, the Porsches were both hit by technical problems during the race with the only finishing car taking fourth position. Toyota ended up finishing first and third showing good promise for next month's 24 Hours of LE Mans.

Audi had a luckier weekend than Silverstone and achieved their first podium of the season with the No. 1 R18 (di Grassi/Duval/Kristensen) finishing second in the hands of F. Duval. REBELLION racing's Toyota R-One showed little pace compared to the factory backed teams with the only red and white car to cross the chequered flag achieving a 7th position, 10 laps behind the leaders.




Race highlights and results after the jump. Full results can be found here.


The start of WEC 6 Hours Spa-Francorchamps par fiawec

Pos	N°	Cat	Team	Driver	Car	T	Laps	Gap
1	8	LM P1	TOYOTA RACING	LAPIERRE N.	TOYOTA TS 040 - Hybrid	M	171
2	1	LM P1	AUDI SPORT TEAM JOEST	DUVAL L.	AUDI R18 e-tron quattro	M	171	1:13.926
3	7	LM P1	TOYOTA RACING	SARRAZIN S.	TOYOTA TS 040 - Hybrid	M	171	1:20.861
4	14	LM P1	PORSCHE TEAM	JANI N.	Porsche 919 Hybrid	M	170	1 Lap
5	2	LM P1	AUDI SPORT TEAM JOEST	FÄSSLER M.	AUDI R18 e-tron quattro	M	170	52.000
6	3	LM P1	AUDI SPORT TEAM JOEST	BONANOMI M.	AUDI R18 e-tron quattro	M	169	2 Laps
7	12	LM P1	REBELLION RACING	HEIDFELD N.	REBELLION R-One - Toyota	M	161	10 Laps

12:20 AM Read More +

Rebellion Racing's Toyota R-one Revealed!

Swiss REBELLION racing team have introduced their new Toyota R-One LMP1 race car that is set to make its racing debut at this weekend's 6 Hours of Spa, part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. While it looks slightly similar to the Toyota TS040, Rebellion Racing's Toyota R-One is actually built by ORECA around a Toyota sourced power train.

REBELLION racing's No. 12 and No. 13 Toyota R-Ones will complete an already rich LMP1 grid that includes the Porsche 919 Hybrid, the Toyota TS040 (winner at the 6 Hours of Silverstone) and the Audi R18 E-tron.

The Belgian race will be a major step in the development of the Toyota R-One be fore taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans next month. It's nice to see the LMP1 grid expanding ahead of the French race.

[News source: FIAWEC]

8:37 AM Read More +

Mark Webber Takes Maria Sharapova for A ride with the Porsche 918

Former Red Bull Racing driver has got a busy weekend ahead with the 6 Hours of Spa (Belgium) part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. But that didn't prevent him from taking the beautiful and successful Russian Tennis legend Maria Sharapova for a joyride with the Porsche 918 Spyder. Mark says he is really tempted to buy one, but we're pretty sure that if he climbs on the top march of the podium next June at Le Mans, Porsche won't charge him for their latest hybrid supercar.

It's good to see Mark enjoying his time at Porsche. We can't wait to follow the 6 hours of Spa. Don't forget that you still have access to the Live timing for free on the official FIAWEC website here (link only active during races).


[news source: Porsche]

4:55 PM Read More +

Legendary Le Mans Race Cars Driven on a Daily Basis [VIDEO]

Some rich folks and die hard racing fans from Japan realized their dreams of buying their favorite Le Mans race cars. But not only they already own their dream machines but they also drive them on a regular basis on the public roads. Some of these cars were converted for road use and some of them even have air conditioning.

Watch the video featuring the owners and their cars: Jaguar XJ220LM, Mazda 767B and Porsche 962C, after the jump.

1:56 PM Read More +

The Porsche LMP1 Safety Concept [VIDEO]

No, you're not going to see the Porsche 919 Hybrid without camouflage in this video. Instead, Porsche wants you to learn about how it developed its Le Mans racer with the new safety rules in mind. Anyways, it's good to see the car from different angles. Video after the jump.

3:12 PM Read More +

1964 Jaguar E-Type Converted into a Racecar [VIDEO]

The latest clip from Petrolicious features Jason Len, a proud 1964 Jaguar E-Type owner who talks about his passion for the brand. Jason Len, a mechanical engineer largely influenced by his former professor who was a Jaguar addict, converted his own E-Type into a race car that looks like the ones raced by Jaguar at Le Mans back in the sixties.

In this clip, Jason talks about the continuous conversion process and his regular participation in various racing events. It's very inspiring and it's totally worth your time. Video after the jump.

10:53 AM Read More +

2014 Audi R18 E-tron Quattro Officially Revealed

Audi officially revealed its more efficient 2014 R18 E-tron Race car for the World Endurance Championship. Even though Audi won the 2013 championship as expected, Toyota started catching up at the end of the season and even won the last race. So let's see if the updated R18 put everyone in his place.

The updated R18 is powered by a centrally mounted V6 TDI sending power to the rear wheels while the fron axle is driven by the e-quattro hybrid system. Audi says the new car is a whole 30% more efficient with vital for the endurance races like Le Mans.

The car will make its race debut. Race debut on April 6 at the six hours of Silverstone. More pictures of the beast and press release after the jump.

1:43 PM Read More +

A Closer Look at The Only Privately Owned Porsche 917L [VIDEO]

The Porsche 917L was specifically built for Le Mans in 1970 but was unfortunately less successful than the 917K. But it remains a very important piece of Porsche's Racing history. Only five were ever built and this example entered in 1970 by Martini Racing and famous by its psychedelic livery is the only privately owned model.

You can see the "Hippie Car" in motion in the video after the jump.

11:16 AM Read More +

2014 Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro Revealed

Audi revealed its more efficient and 2014 rules compliant R18 E-tron Race car for the World Endurance Championship. Even though Audi won the 2013 championship as expected, Toyota started catching up at the end of the season and even won the last race. So let's see if the updated R18 put everyone in his place.

Your move, Porsche.

[Source: Audi-Motorsport]

12:37 AM Read More +

Nismo Festival 2013 [VIDEO]

It's really heartwarming to see all these historic NISMO race cars in one track. I'm pretty sure that all of you NISMO lovers wished you were at the Fuji Circuit last week to witness the event. But at least we have this clip to give us a glimpse of what happened. Video after the jump.

1:56 PM Read More +

Mazda Returns To Racing With A diesel Prototype

Mazda revealed its diesel Skyactiv-D powered Prototype that is set to compete in the United SportsCar Championship that came as a replacement for the ALMS and the Gran Am series. The car will make its racing debut at the Rolex Daytona 24 Hours next January.

Mazda has been absent from the global racing stage for quite a few years. Their latest and most significant achievement is their historic overall win at Le Mans in 1991 with the rotary-powered 787B race car. It's so refreshing to see them back, now we hope they also have plans to race with the top LMP1 league at Le Mans in the near future.

[Source: Mazda]

8:33 PM Read More +

2014 Martini Porsche LMP1 Could Become a Reality

Photo credits: Autosprint
According to Autosprint, the popular historic Martini Racing livery could very well be revived with Porsche's upcoming LMP1 effort at Le Mans next summer. Martini Racing and Porsche are no strangers to success, the most notable being Porsche's 1971 Le Mans victory with this beautiful Martini 917K with Helmut Marko (currently advisor for the Red Bull Racing Team) and Gijs van Lennep at the wheel. Stay tuned!

[Source: Autosprint via Axisofoversteer]

5:24 PM Read More +

Nissan ZEOD RC Makes Its Track Debut [VIDEO]

The Nissan ZEOD RC looks like it comes from another planet and that's why we love it and we're looking forward to see it race at Le Mans. Last weekend, the hybrid race car made its debut at the Fuji circuit in Japan and Nissan released the following photo gallery for the occasion.

The race car is set to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. It is powered by a 1.6-liter gasoline engine working with an electric motor for a total output of 300 Hp. You can see the car in motion in the video after the jump.

2:18 PM Read More +

Race Ready Nissan ZEOD RC Unveiled [VIDEO]

298 km/h (186 mph) top speed for the hybrid race car

NISSAN has revealed the final version of its ZEOD RC hybrid racer. The Delta Wing successor will compete in the 2014 Edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race car is powered by a 1.6-liter gasoline engine working with an electric motor for a total output of 300 Hp.

So, Nissan is transforming the 24 Hours of Le Mans into a testing ground for its hybrid technology? Good.

8:25 PM Read More +

X-CAR Puts the Ford GT, GT40 and GT70 Together [VIDEO]

As always, X-CAR surprises us with something really special. In this episode, they reunited a trio of some of the best supercars Ford built during the last 60 years: the ultra rare road going Ford GT40, the Ford GT70 and the modern interpretation of the GT40, the Ford GT. Now I'll just let Alex Goy do the talking for you! Video after the jump.

2:18 PM Read More +

100th LMP win For Audi!

Audi scored its 100th LMP win last weekend at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. It's already the 12th victory for the almighty R18 race car. Now it's time for Porsche to step in and stop the stop the domination of its sister company!

11:54 AM Read More +

Good news: Porsche starts testing its LMP1 prototype for 2014!

Photo credits: Porsche
The most successful manufacturer in the history of Le Mans won't give up its record so easily to its sister company Audi. That's why they are already testing their prototype for the 2014 Edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans even before this year's edition takes place.

Porsche released four pictures of its first camouflaged LMP1 racer prototype. The car's silhouette looks pretty much like its rivals from Toyota and Audi but you have to blame the rules for that. However there's a clear resemblance with the successful Porsche RS Spyder prototype. We are looking forward to know more about Porsche's historic return to Le Mans but for now you can look back at their past glories thanks to the dedicated micro site.



[Source: Porsche]

2:29 PM Read More +

2014 Porsche 911 RSR: Same but Different

Porsche unveiled its new 911 RSR race car based on the latest generation (type 991) Porsche 911. The car is set to compete in the World Endurance Championship. It is powered by a 4.0-Liter flat-six engine producing 460 Hp and sending power to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential transmission. More pictures of the beast posing with the lucky team comprised of Joerg Bergmeister, Marc Lieb, Patrick Pilet, Richard Lietz, Romain Dumas and Timo Bernhard in the gallery below.





[Source: Porsche]

11:08 AM Read More +

VIDEO: Porsche 962 in the Streets of Japan

If you're a fan the group C race cars in general or the Porsche Group C monsters in particular, you have to dedicate eight minutes of your time to this short documentary. In this video, the owner of an ultra rare street legal Porsche 962 race car talks about how drives his street legal Porsche race car on a regular basis. The video is nicely filmed and the Porsche 962 is an absolute beauty! The owner is so in love with his 962 that he says that throughout his entire life he will enjoy driving it. Video after the jump.

12:39 AM Read More +

A piece of History for Sale: Aston Martin DBR1/2

In an era dominated by Ferrari and Jaguar, a small British sports car maker took the crown at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the year 1959. It was Aston Martin with its DBR1/2 driven by legendary Carroll Shelby (US) and Roy Salvadori (GB). And today, this magnificent piece of history is for sale. British company Talacrest, which has already sold $750M worth of Ferrari is asking $32M for this ultra rare Le Mans racer and if this beauty finds a buyer that would make it join the likes of the Ferrari 250 GTO as one of the world's most valuable cars.

7:08 AM Read More +