Video Post: Audi at Le Mans, 2003

An excellent look at the Audi Sport UK's run at Le Mans in 2003. With no factory / Joest Audi team, the group from England had Frank Biela on board and seemed to be in a prime position to challenge the Bentley boys for the overall win. Watch their rise, and tragic fall at Le Mans, in this excellent video. Bonus points for lots of great Sebring footage, which is just 52 days away and counting down...

_WRS

Audi - Le Mans 2003 from gt4zone on Vimeo.

Flash result: APR wins in ST!

APR motorsport took their first victory of the 2011 season at today's Grand Am 200, round one of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Drivers Ian Baas and Ryan Ellis took command of the race starting from pole position, and led the ST class the majority of the event. A fierce battle developed at the end of the race, with Baas dicing and trading the lead with Nic Jonsson in the Kinetic Motorsports / KIA Forte Koup (co-driven by Andy Lally), with Baas emerging victorious. The BimmerWorld 328i took the final podium spot.

Image: APR Motorsport

_WRS

CTSCC - Round 1 from Daytona - APR Motorsport on ST pole

The 2011 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge kicks off today at 1:30pm EST, with the Grand Am 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Like other large tracks, the CTSCC is running combined classes at Daytona so both GS and ST cars will be on course at the same time. You can check out live timing and scoring for the race at www.grand-am.com - and it will be broadcast live on SpeedTV at 3pm on February 5th.

The good news for VAG fans is that APR Motorsport, who like previous years is flying the flag in the CTSCC, earned pole position in the Street Tuner class with new driver Ryan Ellis behind the wheel of their new-for-2011 Mk6 GTI 4-door. This is a very strong indicator that 2011 could finally be the year that APR Motorsport has what it takes to clinche the championship. The Mk5 GTIs were always a bit down on power, and for the Mk6 to be on pole it's clear that APR has been doing a lot of homework on getting the absolute maximum from the 2.0t TSI. Ellis managed a 2:06.818 to get ahead of the DeMan Motorsports Porsche Boxster, and the always-fast Compass360 Racing Honda Civic Si.

The disappointment is in Grand Sport, where the B8 S4 qualified a low 19th in class, reportedly due to minor suspension trouble. We saw flashes of brilliance from the supercharged sedan last year, but it was plagued with teething troubles and APR had a rough go of it. APR's Jeff Mishtawy is usually quite adept at calling race strategy and consistently puts the team in the position to win, but with the competitiveness of the CTSCC, starting back in 19th does not always bode well for podium finishes. If the car can hold together, it should do well.

Here we go! The first event for 2011 in the USA is almost underway...

_WRS

Video Post: Le Mans 1982, with Derek Bell

An excellent period piece of video from the 1982 Porsche win at Le Mans. The debut of the 956, Derek's 3rd Le Mans win (he would go on to win a total of 5, all with Porsche), and lots of excellent footage of the Circuit de la Sarthe. Highly recommended.

_WRS

Le Mans 1982 from gt4zone on Vimeo.

Pic Post: Your basic Porsche 911 SC

It's amazing how little the early Porsche 911 needs to look 'right.' I suppose that's why it is the classic design, destined to last the ages, but I think it's pretty clear that the newer models will never be able to age this gracefully.



This 911 SC is at its newest almost 30 years old, but the Super Carrera (that's what SC stands for) really remains timeless. It was manufactured and sold at that pivotal point in time when imagination, technology and sheer willpower all combined to make interesting, fun and reliable cars of all sorts.



The more modern 964 would probably also qualify for this status, but defintiely not the 993. By that point technology had creeped in entirely too much, ruining the whole thing. One thing leads to another, and the next thing you know you have 2-ton "sports cars" (I"m looking at you E9x M3) that need way more power to get going and will never be as rewarding to drive.



It's a shame. I don't think I'll ever be able to own a "new" car ever again really. Good thing I like turning wrenches.

_WRS

Pic Post: (vintage) Trans Am Scirocco (Souped / Unsouped)

I've been on a quest to find out more of the history of the Trans Am Scirocco racers. Feelers have been put out to some contacts for more period pictures (aside from what's already out there and floating around) and I hope that bears some fruit shortly. In the mean time, here's an advertisement touting the Scirocco as a proper sports sedan. It's a shame they don't sell the Mk3 Scirocco here in the states as it would be a real sales hit I think, but VW of America never seems to have their head quite straight when it comes to that stuff...

_WRS

Video Post: Champions Forever (70s F1 warning)

I am not a Formula 1 fan. Single seaters have never interested me, aside from CART in the early to mid 90s I suppose, so I never pay much attention. Why bother? The cars are ugy, the passing does not pass muster (there is none) and all the 'star' drivers whine about everything and everyone.

But the 70s. Well, the 70s are different. Don't believe me? Check out this amazing film, Champions Forever. NSFW Warning: this was filmed in the 70s, with all the free and easy images one might expect when dealing with young, rich, and attractive racing drivers in exotic cars and locales, and the women who you would imagine to go along with it. All I can say is I was born in the wrong era...

Champions Forever from gt4zone on Vimeo.

_WRS

Video Post: Behind the wheel of the last 935

Johannes van Overbeek drives the Porsche 935/84 aka "The last 935" at Laguna Seca. Sit back, pop open a cold one, and turn up the volume! The weekend is here...

_WRS

Across the pond: Kamei Racer Replica

The Mk1. The original. The Best. And for years, sort of put on the back burner of the scene here in the USA. Sometime in the past couple of years that all changed, and they became the 'scene' thing to have. Unfortunately almost all of these cars or builds are more towards the show than go. Not that there's anything wrong with that per say, but as the most nimble, lightweight and spartan VW, it seems criminal to take a Mk1 and burden it with show queen status.



Not everywhere though, and it seems the tide may be turning. For example, Luis's killer brown supercharged 8v over on VW Vortex, which is sporting the key elements but has dare I say, a ride height and look that can be thrown around a bit? And nary a 'lower it' to be seen. GMP Performance restored their long moth-balled and historically significant racer, and there seems to be a renewed interest in the rich, if somewhat hard to research motorsport history of the VW brand.

Michael Flynn, a reader over the Atlantic and a member Club GTI, sent over word of his own motorsport-themed rebuild. His is of one of the most famous VW race cars of all, the Kamei Golf. The Kamei Golf is one which needs little introduction to the hardcore, but for the uninitiated it was one of the most visible and visually impressive GTIs to put tire to track. It raced in Germany at first, then over in the USA, and in fact is still here.



Not looking quite the same rather obviously, with that Westmoreland front end, but it's the same car.



Mike is going for the classic look naturally, and is nearly there. He's got a very detailed thread of the build, which looks to be quite promising. (and that's all paint! no vinyl wrap)



The car runs a 2.1 TSR-built 8v motor, with a 'Pack C' head and TSR cam. TSR is / was one of the classic tuners of the 90s over in the UK, and their heads are the stuff of legend...and the motor is quite stout, as you can see in this track-day video that Mike sent over a few days back. Sort of makes me a bit teary thinking back to my own Mk1; the sound is quite similar.

So I suppose all is not lost, after all what goes around comes around, and eventually the hard-parking / no fun to drive thing will become passé and we'll swing back the other way. Sometime soon I hope to be back into a Mk1 myself, and you can bet it'll be built for performance. Looks too, but the car has to perform, after all it's like they say: Going fast = looking good.

Pics / info: Thanks to Michael Flynn / Club GTI UK - Check their forums for an amazingly full history of the Kamei Golf.

_WRS

Even four deep...

With 100lbs of records, no problems as of now on the mean streets of NYC.

_WRS

Winter battle mode...achieved!

Video Post: Every Second Counts

Our buddy Alan emailed this over today, and I have to say it's a pretty well done video. It's a montage of racing moments from all sorts of disciplines, boiling it down essentially, to 'why we race.' If plans currently in motion happen to come to fruition, all I have to say is why indeed...watch this space, big plans for 2011!

_WRS

Pic Post: (vintage) Mk1 at the Ring

May, 1977 at the Nurburgring.

_WRS

Porsche 918 RSR

One has to wonder, if the 911's days are numbered as the top-competing GT car in the Porsche stables. This is obviously not an overall Le Mans type winner obviously, but in GT2, well, it has all the ingredients the 911 is missing. It will be interesting to see what happens, hopefully this car will be at Sebring so we can get a closer look....

_WRS

Video Post: G-lader Rallye Golf music

Not much to say but I cannot wait to get my Corrado back on the road. Just a few more months hopefully...

_WRS

In related news, new team for Falken Tire

Changes, they're a blowing in the wind. Or something. Team Falken Tire just announced they have contracted a new team to run their ALMS effort, or perhaps more specifically, they have sacked Rod Everett and crew for the 2011 season. After an up and down, but mostly mid-pack 2010, changes were needed to bring the performance up to where the team needs and deserves to be.

The announcement came today, and Falken has named Walker Racing in Indianapolis, Indiana as the replacement. Walker has mostly Indy Car (CART/ Camp Car) experience, and has the distinction of having run the Porsche Indy Car back in the very early 90s, in fact giving Porsche their only win in the series. So the level of professionalism should be next level, let's hope they have the engineers to back it all up.

With a little luck we should be seeing some green and blue in the winner's circle this year. The Falken boys are one of the few companies out there really stepping up and putting their money where their mouth is, and it would be great to see them rewarded for the effort.

_WRS

P.S. - Happy new year!