FOR some Americans, a mention of Porsche conjures up images of Cayenne S.U.V.’s — or even the watches and sunglasses at Porsche Design stores. But enthusiasts have put the company on a sports car pedestal almost since Porsche sold its first production car 60 years ago.
After all, the very first Porsche won the first, and only, race it entered. Subsequent models continued that racing success.
Porsches have always been quite different from other cars in concept, engineering and performance. The company stuck with a rear-engine, air-cooled design into the 1990s, long after that configuration became unfashionable…Â More info
Racing is no exception when it comes to the slumping economy. With automakers in dire straits at present, dropping involvement in motorsport, especially sponsorships, will certainly tax teams and events from all venues of the sport.
While NASCAR is gearing up for its traditional annual kickoff, the Daytona 500 and related events, how its season will fare after the stock car giant’s main event is open to speculation. Teams have merged, sponsorship is way down, and layoffs at the race shops in the Mooresville, N.C., area have been heavy.
Chevrolet will be driven by the newly formed Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, an amalgamation of DEI and Ganassi. Driving for the entire Cup season will be Martin Truex and Juan Pablo Montoya…Â More info
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The Aston Martin V12 Vantage has arrived and yes, you want one. Evolving the styling and engineering exercise Aston unveiled in 2007 and set for a Geneva Motor Show debut, the blokes Gaydon claim the V12 Vantage is the most driver-focused sports car the automaker has ever produced.
Power is provided by a 6.0-liter V12 putting out 510 hp at 6,500 rpm and 420 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,750 rpm. The Vantage’s new-found grunt is sent through a carbon fiber driveshaft to a rear-mounted six-speed manual gearbox. The transmission benefits from an oil cooler and a new rear diffuser helps cool the standard limited slip differential. Aston claims a 0-60 time of 4.1 seconds and top speed of 190 mph…Â More Info…
The 2009 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda will feature a $1 million prize to the series champion as part of $3 million in prize money, series officials announced today.
The $1 million champion’s prize is the most lucrative championship payout in a North American open-wheel driver development series. The driver who finishes second in the 2009 Atlantic Championship will receive $500,000, with the remaining $1.5 million to be paid out in per-event race purses.
“This is a significant prize package that should attract top drivers from all over the world to the Atlantic Championship this season,” said Atlantic Championship President Ben Johnston. “The $1 million champion’s prize…Â More infoÂ