'Porsche' powered DP wins Rolex 24, Mazda takes GT

As I alluded to in my recent post about the Continental Sports Car Challenge, I have little to no love for Grand Am's performance-neutered classes in the Rolex series. I think the DP cars are ugly, uninspiring, and are generally the result of trying to apply a template that may work elsewhere (NASCAR's various oval series), but has no place in a top-tier championship. That said, Grand Am has what was once one of the most prestigious endurance racing events in the world under its jurisdiction, the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

So despite their best efforts to drag sports car racing back into the past, in terms of chassis and engine tech, Grand Am still has one event a year which is a little bit exciting and worth attending. This year the entry list was down compared to years past (when I was going back in the early aughts the field was into the high 70s and low 80s in terms of car counts), but the teams appeared to be as pumped as ever, and the result was quite a race.



A Riley chassis, powered by a Porsche Cayenne V8 which was not at all endorsed by the factory, somehow managed to overcome all the odds to take the overall and DP class win. The engine is street-derived, and despite Action Express being an offshoot of the Brumos team, it was not expected to win with all the other 'known quantities' at the top of the field. So I suppose Porsche won, but then since this was done without Porsche's blessing, who knows if they will acknowledge the win at all. Something tells me the marketing department will manage to put it in the headlines, even if they didn't originally want to make it so. Best thing about the win: Mike Rockenfeller played a key part in the victory and got a 24 hour win.



The GT class is one in which you pretty much expect a Porsche 911 to win. They always do, or used to anyways, as this year a tube-framed 'Mazda RX8' managed to stomp the formidable foes from The Racers Group, Flying Lizard, and the BMWs of Turner to take the GT class win. The winning 'RX8' was the #70 from SpeedSource Castrol Syntec. I feel about the same about tube frame racers as I do about the Daytona Prototypes, but damn that rotary sounded good screaming around the banking. Kudos to Mazda for getting the job done, and hey, at least they sounded good and looked good while winning. You can't count out the importance of that. In my opinion, winning is only worth doing with style...

Speed TV's race recap

_WRS

Continental Sports Car Challenge: Fresh from Florida 200

At the drop of the green flag for yesterday's Fresh From Florida 200, none of the APR Motorsport cars were in prime position for a quick or easy victory. Although solid times were managed in the warm ups, the brand-new supercharged B8 S4 in GS, and the two GTI Mk5s in ST, were starting towards the back of each of their respective classes. Still, it was a long race and anything could happen. Unfortunately it did, but not in a good way for the APR Motorsport team.



Ian Baas put in a strong performance in the APR S4, quickly and steadily moving up from 29th position to the top 10 before the first round of pit stops. Baas pushed the supercharged six up to a high of 6th place before handing of to co-driver Mark White. White re-joined in around 27th spot, and hung around the mid 20's for the entirety of his time in the car. Changing back to Baas at the second and final pit-stop once again saw the S4 on the move, before a puncture on the very last lap took the car out of any contention for a top-ten finish. The S4 ended in 19th position.

The potential is there, with the big sedan showing surprising speed compared to the more 'pure' sports racing cars such as the Porsches and BMWs, but naturally some teething problems were to be expected for the first time out. Matt Plumb was the eventual GS class and overall winner, in the #13 Rum Bum E92 BMW M3.



The results in ST were almost exactly the same as those in GS, in fact, you could substitute the names and problems and it would be almost 100% accurate. The 171 was piloted by last year's 3-time winner Mike Sweeney, with new driving partner Mike Halpin. 181 also had an APR veteran of 2009 behind the wheel, Josh Hurley, joined by Kevin Stadtlander. Both GTIs battled their way through the field, with Sweeney and Hurley handling first round driving duties. They eventually overcame the Jetta GLIs from Irish Mike's Racing before piercing the top-ten, much like the S4 had done.

After the first round of pit stops Halpin and Stadtlander took over for the 171 and 181, with Stadtlander putting in a particularly strong performance. The sheer number of cars in ST meant that the smallest problem or delay could cost precious positions on the track, and unfortunately for APR, problems for the team showed up in the waning laps. After his fantastic performance, Stadtlander handed the 181 over to Hurley within striking distance of a podium finish. It was not to be however as one of the Civics punted Hurley off the track with a hit from behind, ultimately moving him well outside the top ten. The 181 and 171 finished 15th and 16th in class. The ST class winner was the always quick Compass 360 Honda Civic of Aschenbach / Thilenius.

APR Motorsport showed real promise and speed in the Fresh from Florida 200, but the momentum carried from their outstanding late 2009 performances could not translate into victory in yesterday's race. You can bet they'll be working hard to prepare for a more successful round at Homestead Florida, on March 13th.

More info: Grand-Am.com / GoAPR.com

_WRS

Grand Am: CSCC First race of the season! 01/29/10

Today is the very first race of the Grand Am season. 1:45pm to 3:15pm, EST. Although TV coverage on Speed TV is delayed until February 13th, live timing will be available at Grand-Am.com, and I'm sure APR and other teams will be updating their various Twitter and Facebook pages accordingly. Taking place as a support race for the Rolex 24 at the world-famous Daytona International Speedway, APR Motorsport will be doing battle in the GS and ST classes of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. (Formerly known as the Koni Challenge) Honestly I am far from a fan of the Rolex series itself...the Daytona (D-U-M-B) Prototypes are possibly the ugliest racing cars this side of Death Race 2000 and they are far from interesting to watch.

Seriously...talk about a face only a mother could love. The best description I've ever heard of these cars is 'elephantine turtles.' Pretty accurate, no?

That said, the Continental Sports Car Challenge (also sanctioned by Grand Am) is everything that good racing is. Somewhat ironically, the success of the series is thanks to a sliding scale of weight, displacement, turbo boost and other factors which keep the diverse field close to the same times on the track. This is just like IMSA of days gone by, and is exactly the opposite of the approach with the DPs, which are the same car with very little to change in way of set up, horsepower, or anything else.



The ST and GS classes feature close, exciting, and cars that are not all that far removed from the ones which you and I drive on the street. More accurately cars that you and probably other people drive on the street, since my newest car is 15 years old, but you know what I mean. Anyways, when the Continental Sports Car Challenge comes to a track near you I highly recommend going to see it in person. It's great fun, the teams are fantastic, and the racing is absolutely some of the best you will see anywhere in the world. Better than F1, better than NASCAR, and better than half of the other series out there. I guarantee.

_WRS

I've never been a Sandra Bullock fan,

But she's got good taste in cars...

Pic Post: GT3R's under construction

So it would appear that the pictures which I posted here were in fact from an individuals collection, which I had no idea of, and even though I have received no direct inquiries, requests or anything else about these pictures from the person who took them, I've decided to remove them. It should be noted that these pictures were not displayed in such a way, nor were any claims laid to them being MY pictures. As an enthusiast who loves these cars, the early 996 GT3R models in particular, I simply wanted to share these images with those who read the WRS on a regular basis. It's not about money, of which I make none from this site, it's not about exclusivity, it's just about sharing the love of the cars.

Tagging along

I was put on 'assistant' duty for a Photoshoot that Josh had to do yesterday, and while I was standing around during all the static shots, I took the opportunity to take some pics of his Mk5. Winter can be a real pain the ass to deal with from time to time...brutally cold, hard on cars and equipment (not to mention people) and short days followed by long cold nights. It's enough to drive anyone to the brink, but it does have one thing: Good light.



Now, I'm far from a professional here, but I have picked up a few things in all my years of being drafted into the helper position for Josh's photoshoots, and I know good light when I see it. Capturing it is another thing altogether, but hey, I'm learning. (and yes I know these were all shot in the shadows..I was trying to get the 'setting sun vibe')



The main duty of the helper position usually involves a bit more hustle than yesterday's shoot, but that's often because there are cars about to run someone over, or bags to move, whatever. This was a pretty low-key process, so my main duty was navigator during the moving shots.



I've gotten pretty good, and can get close enough for the wide-angle shots to would make the Blue Angels proud.



Josh's shoot will appear in a future issue of Total 911. (it's a Porsche mag from the UK)





Despite the wind, which was cutting through us like an axe through butter, it was a good day, and nice to be able to get off from work early to enjoy the time outside.

_WRS

Is winter over yet?

Because it's depressing to open up the garage to this...

Dun dun dun...

Dah dun dun dah dun dun.



That would be phonetics for "another one bites the dust." Jason has official cashed in the chips on Project Fox. The years of sitting and consequent years of rotting would appear to be too much for both his pocket and his welding skills.



Once the fenders came off it was pretty clear that more than a simple resto would be needed to keep the front clip from breaking off over the first big bump. It's kind of surprising it made it home on the tow dolly in one piece.



So where do we go from here? Well this uber-rare 1973 Fox is up for grabs if anyone wants it. It won't go to the crusher, but it may end up being parted out for whatever the other 5 Audi Fox owners in the states might need. If you're interested, hit us up at wolfsburgrs@gmail.com and I can pass the offers along to Jason. He says he wants to get what he paid for it, but I can probably talk him into almost anything...



So there goes, our first Audi project is no longer.

_WRS

Dubai 24: The Winners

First in class A6, first overall: IMSA Performance MATMUT #66 - Porsche 997 GT3 RSR - 608 laps

First in class A5, second overall: Petronas Syntium Team #40 - BMW Z4 M Coupé - 605 laps

Second in class A5, third overall: Al Faisal Racing #2 - BMW Z4 M Coupé - 603 laps

Highest placing VAG product (not counting the fact VAG now owns Porsche) - 20th overall, first in class A3T: Sunred Seat Leon Super Copa #74 - 546 laps

The Wolfsburg RS 'VW Spirit' Award - Third in class A3T: Tschomia Motorsport VW Golf R-Line #75 - 535(?) Laps

The Wolfsburg RS favorite car (for awesome Harlequin-inspired paint) - Fifth in class A3T: Zengo Dubai Team Motorsport Seat Leon Super Copa #73 - 468 laps

There are Seven Hours...

Eight minutes and twenty-eight seconds left in the Dubai 24 hours. Porsche leads, BMW is in the hunt. Go check it out.

Dubai 24 Webcam

APR Motorsport: Ready for 2010

APR Motorsport, who managed to have a very fruitful 2009 by scoring not only their first win ever as a team, but also went on to score the MOST wins of any team in Koni Challenge last year, is looking to make 2010 a breakout year for the team. The championship in '09 went to Compass360, with their Honda Civic Si, but the strong APR Motorsport showing from June forward indicates 2010 could be the year for APR to make their championship bid. Both GTIs will return to the ST class to do battle once again, and the rest of the field will no doubt will be ready for them.



APR has decided not to rest on their laurels however, and has expanded in 2010, showing a strong commitment to the Grand Am series with a brand new Audi S4 3.0 TFSI. This is a very exciting development, and it pleases me to no end that APR has continued to commit to motorsport, even while so many other companies cut back or choose not to participate. The tribal style graphics which carry over from the GTIs are not my favorite...they're a bit busy for me, but I can understand the desire for visual continuity.



It takes more than money to make for a successful race team. It takes commitment, engineering and perhaps most of all, passion, to best the rest of the cars on the circuit and emerge anywhere near the top of the pack. APR has proved they can win, now let's see if they can keep it consistent and bring home a championship to VAG.



Ian Baas, who drove the #171 GTI last year, will be behind the wheel of the new S4, along with newly signed driver Mark White. White drove with APR in 2008, and should be a great addition to the team.



Check out this in-car lap from Daytona testing just a few weeks ago. The car certainly looks fit. (Ian is behind the wheel)

I always think I could be a competent race driver, then I see something like this and realize that's not likely. Still, it's fun to watch.

We will find out shortly whether or not this expansion will prove to be a wise move, or is perhaps going to spread resources too thin. Going by how Stephen and the gang usually do things, I would guess not. Here's to a championship season for both VW and Audi in 2010.

_WRS

Legendary Car: The Reeves Mk1

The Brits sure know how to build some amazing track day vehicles. Why? Not sure. Perhaps it has something to do with the 29,000 or some odd number of racing licenses held by in the UK. (I think I read that somewhere) Perhaps it has to do with the seemingly simple process of obtaining one of said licenses. (Really. Check out the website for Motor Sports Association, the governing body of the UK.) The prospect of building a car and hitting the track seems far more easy than it is in the states. Jealous? I know I am. With all the separate sanctioning bodies in the states, like the SCCA, NASA, IMSA, NASCAR, Rally America and so forth, it seem even more complex than it already is in comparison!



What does this have to do with anything you ask? Well it's just something that occurred to me when I was skimming the Club GTI forums the other day and happened upon The Reeves Mk1. Owned by a chap named Maurice Reeves, (sometimes driven by Trevor Reeves?) it's quite the car, and although I could try and get into a bunch of technical stuff based around guesswork, let's just let the pictures and videos speak for themselves.





After all, when a car is known simply as "The Reeves Mk1" on pretty much every video on Youtube and posting on the internet, it's got some cred. The end product is more than the sum of its parts. Just watch it disposing of everything else on the track at Belgium's Spa Francorchamps, leaving Porsches and anything else you can think of in it's wake. A Mk1 should not be able to perform like this, but it does, and in commanding style.



It's absolutely unbelievable. And nothing, I mean nothing, like this has ever been built in the USA as far as I'm concerned. If I'm wrong please do let me know, but it would be news to me...





The long and short of it is that it's 1.8t powered, has trick suspension parts, and is probably one of the most potent Mk1-based track cars in the world. (Along with the Berg Cup Group H cars of course)



This latest incarnation came as a result of a brake failure which had the car crash heavily into the barriers at the UK's Castle Combe. Luckily there were no injuries, but the car was written off. It was from this point that the widebody chassis was developed, after all if you're going to rebuild, you may as well upgrade at the same time.

Check out the full build thread for all the details.



So, anyone have any challengers they'd like to submit? Until we see a more impressive build or better footage, I'd say this is the top independently built VW in the world.

_WRS

-Most Pic Credits: Chris Eyre on Club GTI UK.

Found on Flickr: Golf Mk2 Rallye VR6

Golf Mk2 Rallye VR6
Originally uploaded by Pablo Urkiola Andujar

Awesome pic, and a really great color for the Golf Rallye...

2010 is here

And the crews are getting ready...Sebring is just about three months away. Anyone else going?

Team Falken Tire's new 2010 GT3RSR in the shops, next to their 2008 Porsche, preparing for the Sebring assault.

_WRS

8380 Laboratories, another killer design

In the modern world, where ideas are copied, recopied, and then copied again, it's hard to tell sometimes who's an originator, and who's a duplicator. This can be said for car designs, car parts, media ideas such as film or photo styles (or car blogs), or even clothing. Specifically car-themed clothing. 8380 Labs has been out there for a while now, and I can recall seeing them at shows for as far back as I can remember, always with a tent full of cool designs and innovative ideas. They are most definitely in the OG end of the spectrum when it comes to the 'tees.

Ethan (owner and designer) and co-owner Dave have been on a roll these past few months, with some killer, motorsport-themed designs. The Unbesiegt series (Deutsch for undefeated) all feature various models of European cars (VW and BMW so far) with an slightly realistic but clearly artistic take on the subject matter. Cool colors, cool cars and cool designs. Check them out, and stock up for Spring now, as most of the shirts are gone-when-gone.

I have the Mk3 Unbesiegt (with the Speedline / Compomotive MO looking 5-spokes) in black, and although I'm not usually a printed tee kinda guy, I love that shirt.

For more check them out at www.8380labs.com. Oh, and when they say to order one size larger than you usually do? I'd pay attention to that one...

_WRS