Crash Inches Over Spectators at Le Mans this Morning

Le Mans June 11-12, 2011

Live Le Mans coverage in USA:  SpeedTV.com

It's okay that LeMans runs at the same time as our Formula Car Challenge race at Sears Point this weekend. LeMans is a 24 hour race so only insane people watch it from start to finish.

. . . Okay, we admit that we dream of being trackside, in Le Mans, France. . . from start to finish. . . in the rain. . . oh, and we'd like to go there on the Concorde or the Queen Mary (why stop the insanity at just watching the race?)

Queen Elizabeth 2, Concorde, Red Arrows 

For kindred spirits, here's a little Le Mans trivia from the boys at Top Gear: Le Mans 2011: how it works - BBC Top Gear

RaceToWinCorvette.com

Just a head's up to our friends. Chevrolet is giving away a 2011 Corvette and a trip to LeMans. Sign up at racetowincorvette.com.

Sebring 12 Hours Looks Like a NASCAR Race

Ferrari 458 crash at 2011 12 Hours of Sebring
Photo by Rick Dole for Michelin North America

Race winning Peugeot 908 at 2011 12 Hours of Sebring

Maaco Fremont watched the 59th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring on ESPN.  We thought we were watching a NASCAR event instead of American Le Mans. Endurance racing used to be tough enough without worring about other racers hitting you on purpose. No longer. Drivers bumped & grinded all 12 hours. Cars were destroyed, carried back to the pits, rebuilt and went back out on the track. Favorites from Audi & Ferrari were totaled allowing Peugeot to win overall for the 2nd year in a row and BMW to win the GT2 class.

Here's footage from one of the big crashes that took out the Ferrari 458:

Rare New Film Footage of 1960's LeMans & Sebring Races

Original footage of 1960's LeMans & Sebring races put together by Jonny Shears from 8 mm film that his grandfather shot while managing the OSCA Racing Team. OSCA stood for Officine Specializzate Costruzioni Automobili - Fratelli Maserati SpA, founded by 3 Maserati brothers after they had sold their company.

Collection of 1962 OSCA 1600 GT Zagato #36 photos as seen in film: http://www.flickr.com/photos/osca1600gt/sets/72157625249511840/

Thanks to Axis of Oversteer for alerting us to the gem.

Check-out Jonny Shears automotive and fashion photography: http://www.jshearsphotography.co.uk/

Disastrous Start to Le Mans Series--Massive Crash

Race officials bungled the start of the Le Mans Series season opener at Paul Ricard HTTT (High Tech Test Track) in Le Castellet, France. The green lights came on above the starting line but the pace car stayed in front of the pole cars. Racers in back accelerated at the same time racers in front hit the brakes. Result: chaos, huge crash, destroyed cars, red-faced officials.



Thanks to Axis of Oversteer for the breaking news.

Gallery: Classic Fords - BBC Top Gear

Not to be missed--Ford releases thousands of historic photos from its archive. Maaco's favorites from TopGear's sneak peek are two shots of Ford GT40s. The first shows a collection of the cars parked in various racing liveries but without numbers. The second shows the three GT40s crossing the finish line of the 1966 24 Hours of LeMans in 1st, 2nd & 3rd places. There are plenty of others showing prototypes, show cars and other historic racers. Click the link below for more!

Gallery: classic Fords - BBC Top Gear

Aston Martin Announces 2011 AMR-One Racer for LeMans Series

Aston Martin AMR-One Racer

One of our regular favorites, Aston Martin will once again contest top tier racing with a new LeMans endurance machine in the LMP1 class.

Only six AMR-Ones will be produced. The first will be run by the factory team in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC.) Two others will run in other venues that have not yet been announced. Aston Martin says that the AMR-One race car shares design philosophy with the One-77 road car including carbon fibre monocoque.

Aston Martin One-77 Road Car

In 2010, Aston Martin Racing was on the winners' podium a lot. Aston placed in both of the American LeMans races it contested, 3rd at Sebring and 2nd in Long Beach.

In FIA-GT the DB9 came in 1st at the Nürburgring and 2nd at Silverstone, Brno and Navarra.

At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Aston DBR9 was 3rd in the LMGT1 Class.

Aston Martin at 2010 24 Hours of LeMans

There were more podium finishes and lots more races. See Aston Martin Racing for full results.

2010 Lola-Aston Martin LMP1 Racer

Ford & Ferrari at it Yet Again!

From our buddies at Axis of Oversteer we find an amusing and, apparently, true legal tidbit. Ford sued Ferrari this week over Ferrari's announcement that their new Formula 1 racer would be designated F150 (for Ferrari-150th Anniversary of the unification of Italy.) Ford contends that it would dilute the brand of their iconic and best-selling pick-up truck, the F-150. Ferrari quickly agreed to change the name, saying that they had not intended anyone to think that their race car was related to a Ford truck. The proposed new name is the F150th Italia. We say, "Ford, drop the suit and settle this like gentlemen. . . just like you did in 1963." The remake of the Ford GT40 just whet our appetites for a new Ferrari-Ford duel. You have Maaco-Fremont's blessing to do it in either F1 or LeMans-style racing.

Steve McQueen's LeMans Saturday on TMC

The greatest race in the world (apologies to Indy, NASCAR & F1 fans), this year's 24 Heures du Mans runs from June 11 to June 12, 2011. Steve McQueen immortalized the race with his 1971 movie "LeMans" (airing on TCM-Turner Classic Movies on Saturday, January 22, 2011.) Jalopnik & Wikipedia report that the movie was not well received at the time and nearly bankrupted McQueen. But it is considered a classic today, very accurately portraying the grueling race and the legendary rivalry between Ferrari and Porsche.