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Archive for the ‘car racing’ Category

If you could pit one sports car and one luxury car to engage in a good old fashioned quarter-mile race, you couldn’t find a more unlikely pairing than a Nissan GT-R and a Bentley Continental Supersports.

That is, until you look at the tale of the tape. Then the stats will tell you that
despite the obvious disparities, these two cars are a lot more evenly-matched than you’d think. Consider for a second that the Bentley is half a ton heavier than the GT-R. On the other hand, it also puts out about 140 more horsepower – 621 to 485 – than Godzilla, so at the end of the day, the two car’s power-to-weight ratio rounds out to about 8lb/hp.

See how looks – and stats – can be misleading?

Motor Trend went through a lot of work to put these two cars up to the challenge and the result is…well…you have to watch it to find out.

Video: Nissan GT-R versus Bentley Continental Supersports originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 18 February 2010 09:30 EST.

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Danica Patrick’s stock car racing career got off to a roaring start after she finished sixth in her inaugural race at the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200. While not exactly a NASCAR race, the results of the 80-lap ARCA race showed that Danica isn’t just a novelty item thrown into the NASCAR circus to drum up interest for the mainstream audience.

Danica’s debut at NASCAR didn’t end too well, though – she crashed out – but what was important was that she proved that she what it took to go fender-to-fender with the boys and add that to her immense popularity and you have someone companies are salivating to have their products attached to her.

Fittingly, one of the first companies to jump the Danica sponsorship bandwagon in NASCAR is Hot Wheels, a brand that’s famous for their, well, toy cars.

In addition to having their logo emblazoned on her overalls and her No. 7 Andretti Autosport car, Danica will also receive her own Hot Wheels car, which is being ingeniously labeled as the ’Danicar’, making her the first celebrity to have her own Hot Wheels car, which, incidentally, she co-designed.

Although she’s already one of the most bankable celebrity endorsers in sports today, there’s no telling how much more success Danica Patrick will have in stock car racing after her decorated career in open-wheel racing. But if she continues to pile up results like her finish at the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, then you can expect more companies to follow in Hot Wheels’ lead.

Press Release after the jump

Hot Wheels to sponsor Danica Patrick in NASCAR originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 15 February 2010 11:00 EST.

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When somebody mentions drag racing, chances are you picture two high-powered sports cars duking it out for those ever-so-important high-speed bragging rights. Those types of races are a treat to watch, especially when they’re relatively evenly matched, which would then provide us with a clear idea as to what sports car trumps another in a flat-out straight race from start to finish.

On the other hand, mid-sized sedans aren’t exactly the kinds of cars that you’d find getting involved in a full-throttle drag race, which then makes this drag race video of a 2010 Hyundai Sonata and a 2010 Toyota Camry both perplexing and amusing to watch.

Sure, they belong in the same segment and the tale of the tape would say that this one isn’t some novelty mismatch. But watching this race feels like you’re watching two well-off executives running a 100-meter sprint in their full-on business regalia. It should be entertaining, no doubt, but it doesn’t have the same energy and flashiness as, say, a Nissan GT-R taking on a Corvette ZR1.

Nevertheless, for your amusement, we invite you to watch the video to see which of these mid-sized ‘racers’ ends up reigning supreme.

Mid-sized Mayhem: 2010 Hyundai Sonata takes on 2010 Toyota Camry in a drag race originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 11 February 2010 08:00 EST.

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As we were perusing the Internet the other day, for car related reasons of course, we came across a very interesting post on Craig’s List that proves the second coming of the muscle car is still going strong. Chrysler’s in house high performance specialists will sell racers a Hemi powered Mopar Drag Pack Challenger that is good for 10 second quarter mile runs and the blue oval has brought back a purpose built Ford Racing Boss 302R Mustang ready for Grand-Am road racing with a 21st century 5.0 Liter V8 under the hood that promises to deliver some pretty fast laps. However bowtie enthusiasts will be happy to hear that GM Performance Parts is offering the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro as an off highway body in white blank canvas for race teams to drape over the chassis of their choice before packing up the trailer and heading out for whatever series they want to compete in, starting at only $7,000.

The benefit of this approach is that not only will racers be able to practice whatever discipline they desire, but also the bare metal body shell is a much better start for a purpose built racecar. The special order GM Performance Part means that crews will not have to waste any time tearing down the vehicle in order to strip as much weight as possible, in fact the only way to make a steel bodied 2010 Camaro weigh less would be to Swiss cheese one of these things. Offering the perfect start for anyone who is serious about going racing, the bare body means that the car can be custom built to whatever specifications are necessary, with everything from the engine and suspension to the rear end being up to the builder. Luckily GM also offers every conceivable component to fill those empty bolt holes from big blocks ready for drag racing to high performance trannys built to take the abuse. It’s the little things like these that our dreams are made of and makes us proud to be in America.

Press release after the jump.

GM Performance Parts offers a Camaro for any occasion originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 15 January 2010 12:00 EST.

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As we were perusing the Internet the other day, for car related reasons of course, we came across a very interesting post on Craig’s List that proves the second coming of the muscle car is still going strong. Chrysler’s in house high performance specialists will sell racers a Hemi powered Mopar Drag Pack Challenger that is good for 10 second quarter mile runs and the blue oval has brought back a purpose built Ford Racing Boss 302R Mustang ready for Grand-Am road racing with a 21st century 5.0 Liter V8 under the hood that promises to deliver some pretty fast laps. However bowtie enthusiasts will be happy to hear that GM Performance Parts is offering the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro as an off highway body in white blank canvas for race teams to drape over the chassis of their choice before packing up the trailer and heading out for whatever series they want to compete in, starting at only $7,000.

The benefit of this approach is that not only will racers be able to practice whatever discipline they desire, but also the bare metal body shell is a much better start for a purpose built racecar. The special order GM Performance Part means that crews will not have to waste any time tearing down the vehicle in order to strip as much weight as possible, in fact the only way to make a steel bodied 2010 Camaro weigh less would be to Swiss cheese one of these things. Offering the perfect start for anyone who is serious about going racing, the bare body means that the car can be custom built to whatever specifications are necessary, with everything from the engine and suspension to the rear end being up to the builder. Luckily GM also offers every conceivable component to fill those empty bolt holes from big blocks ready for drag racing to high performance trannys built to take the abuse. It’s the little things like these that our dreams are made of and makes us proud to be in America.

Press release after the jump.

GM offers a Camaro for any racing occasion originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 15 January 2010 12:00 EST.

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The Japanese automaker Honda didn’t become the world’s best selling engine manufacturer by resting on their laurels, in fact ever since the 1960s Soichiro Honda’s baby has been competing in the top tier of open wheel motor sports, Formula One. Despite withdrawing from competition last year, the current champion Brawn GP was born from the defunct Honda team. On this side of the pond we are more familiar with a different kind of high speed open wheel racing, the IRL, and Honda had quite a display set up at the largest specialty car show in the world, SEMA.

Honda had a few variations of open wheel competitors at the show in Las Vegas ranging from professional to grassroots efforts and even added a look into the future. Even though the Dallara Indy Racing League chassis is a non working show car, it was hard imagine anything other than the red and white winged wonder screaming as it climbs the high banked turns of a super speedway before rolling back into the throttle and rocketing down the back straight at 200 MPH. The other full sized single seater on display is the prototype Honda Formula F race car, intended for up and coming cash strapped SCCA racers, the Formula F is based around Honda’s 1.5 Liter four cylinder from the Fit as a cost effective racing solution.

Despite being trapped inside a glass case, the 2012 Indy Car Chassis Concept offered quite a view into the shape of things to come. Looking more like a stealth fighter then an Indy car, Honda promises to keep making things interesting well into the future. Aside from the cars, Honda had a few of their race engines on display as well, and the only way to get this good a look at the exotic power plants would be against the wishes of an angry pit mechanic. The display included a trio of championship winning CART V8s engines in both boosted and naturally aspirated forms as well as one very special IRL spec Indy V8. Having all these engines on display like this makes us laugh and think back to when we were nearly chased out of the paddock for snapping a few photos of the inside of an Indy car. Oh how the times have changed.

Honda Formula Cars at the 2009 SEMA Show originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 31 December 2009 14:00 EST.

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If you ever have the opportunity to attend a high quality racing school, you will find that the experience is worth more then its weight in gold. While the amount spent could easily buy a few more horse power for your daily driver, in the long run you will be better off being able to squeeze the most out of any vehicle you climb into. Programs like Skip Barber’s allow individuals to push their own limits as well as those of their vehicles in a safe and controlled environment. Skip Barber allows their alumni to hone their skills in everything from “fender cars” like the Lotus Elise and Mazda Miata to a much more visceral open wheel Formula machine. The school usually uses a wingless single seater with a traditional H pattern gearbox to instruct their students, however on the day that we showed up for class we were pleasantly surprised to see that we would be driving the cars that compete in their regional racing series, the Formula 2000.

Like a true racecar, the Formula Skip Barber 2000 is based around a steel space frame chassis much like that of the old Formula Ford racecar, a proven cost effective rigid body that has been lapping track around the world since before most of us were born. Despite the Mazda logos on the winged Reynard designed fiberglass body work and side pods, the engines are carried over from the school’s involvement with Chrysler, so the Formula Skip Barber 2000 is powered by a 2.0 Liter 16 valve four banger that has been modified to withstand the constant full throttle abuse of the track. The oil system has been converted to a hybrid dry sump, the ECU has been retuned to advance the ignition timing a bit in order to get the most out of the old Neon motor while a conical K&N air filter and custom racing headers allow the motor to breathe much easier. Providing a genuine racecar feel, the power plant is mated to a Ricardo 5 speed sequential gearbox meaning that in order to shift up all you have to do is quickly lift off the throttle and pull back on the billet shifter, while downshifts require a bit more heel toe expertise.

Continued after the jump.

Skip Barber Formula 2000 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 31 December 2009 13:00 EST.

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The Japanese automaker Honda recently announced that their SuperGT NSX succeeding HSV-10 GT will be making its competition debut on March 20 at the beginning of the 2010 season. It is now apparent that Honda isn’t taking any chances in front of their home audience when the green flag drops and in doing so have been spotted at the Suzuka Circuit stretching their legs around the automaker’s own testing facility. It appears that unlike the Lexus LF-A, the Honda Sports Velocity has no plans of becming a production vehicle, instead of homologating the new car, Honda has found a place in the Japanese GT racing series’ rule book stating that possible production vehicles are allowed to compete.

Powered by a low displacement 3.4 Liter V8 with a maximum output of over 500 HP, Honda will campaign four different HSVs at the Suzuka race while the high output engine is mated to a Ricardo sequential manual gearbox, the same unit used by Nissan and Toyota in their SuperGT machines, ensuring that the Honda drivers will be hard pressed to miss a shift. Thanks to the video we can hear that while Toyota engineered their latest super car to sound like a screaming Formula One machine, the pair of Hondas on track could easily be mistaken for some of the automaker’s classic F1 machines.

Honda HSV-10 GT spotted testing at Suzuka originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 28 December 2009 13:00 EST.

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It was almost 40 years ago when the American racing legend Parnelli Jones captured the 1970 Trans-Am title in a very special yellow Mustang. What made the yellow and black number 15 so special is that it was based on the best handling Mustang of all time, the Boss 302. Complete with hockey stripes and all, the blue oval will offer a special order Ford Racing Boss 302R 5.0 with a blacked out deck lid and a familiar paint scheme that will continue the modern Mustang’s road racing efforts that was revitalized back in 2005 with the FR500C.

We were privied to see the new car in person a few weeks ago, however we weren’t allowed to tall you about it until now. As soon as they fired up the all new fuel injected 302 cubic inch V8 we could smell the spent race gas all the way in the back of the room and we knew that this was going to be something special. Starting where the rubber meets the road, the all new Boss 302R wears a set of 275/35 Hoosier racing slicks wrapped around a set of slick BBS 18×10 inch racing wheels. Housed inside the lightweight mesh alloys are a set of Brembo four piston brake calipers up front clamping down onto a set of two piece rotors, because the Ford was designed to be raced in the Koni Challenge series, the Ford Racing Mustang has a set of fully adjustable dampeners from the Netherlands based suspension manufacturer.

A 20 gallon cell resides in the trunk complete with racecar style fuel fillers for fast pit stops and an FIA sanctioned roll cage and fire suppression system inside to safeguard the driver in the even of a worst case scenario. The pilots resides in the sole Recaro race bucket, strapped in with a Sabelt harness and directing the front wheels with a special Sparco/Ford Racing small diameter steering wheel while a Stack type racing gauge cluster provides all the necessary information about the 21st century 5.0 Liter power plant. Perhaps it was an oversight, or it might just be a testament to the 302R’s production car roots, but the Grand-Am spec racecar even has power locks.

Continued with press release after the jump.

Ford Racing Boss 302R originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 28 December 2009 00:00 EST.

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It was almost 40 years ago when the American racing legend Parnelli Jones captured the 1970 Trans-Am title in a very special yellow Mustang. What made the yellow and black number 15 so special is that it was based on the best handling Mustang of all time, the Boss 302. Complete with hockey stripes and all, the blue oval will offer a special order Ford Racing Boss 302R, a 5.0 Liter thoroughbred with a blacked out deck lid and a familiar paint scheme that will continue the modern Mustang’s road racing efforts that was revitalized back in 2005 with the FR500C.

We were privied to see the new car in person a few weeks ago, however we weren’t allowed to tall you about it until now. As soon as they fired up the all new fuel injected 302 cubic inch V8 we could smell the spent race gas all the way in the back of the room and we knew that this was going to be something special. Starting where the rubber meets the road, the all new Boss 302R wears a set of 275/35 Hoosier racing slicks wrapped around a set of slick BBS 18×10 inch racing wheels. Housed inside the lightweight mesh alloys are a set of Brembo four piston brake calipers up front clamping down onto a set of two piece rotors, because the Ford was designed to be raced in the Koni Challenge series, the Ford Racing Mustang has a set of fully adjustable dampeners from the Netherlands based suspension manufacturer.

A 20 gallon cell resides in the trunk complete with racecar style fuel fillers for fast pit stops and an FIA sanctioned roll cage and fire suppression system inside to safeguard the driver in the even of a worst case scenario. The pilots resides in the sole Recaro race bucket, strapped in with a Sabelt harness and directing the front wheels with a special Sparco/Ford Racing small diameter steering wheel while a Stack type racing gauge cluster provides all the necessary information about the 21st century 5.0 Liter power plant. Perhaps it was an oversight, or it might just be a testament to the 302R’s production car roots, but the Grand-Am spec racecar even has power locks.

Continued with press release after the jump.

Ford prepares to go road racing with the Boss 302R Mustang originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 28 December 2009 00:00 EST.

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