Ferrari Might Drop F1 if FIA’s Standard Engine Rule Passes

FIA, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, is trying to push through standards for Formula One teams that will constrict competitive advantages, cut costs and make F1 a pure race for the best driver. Although many manufacturers and race teams are not opposed to measures that help reduce costs, most feel that cost reductions should not come at the expense of technological advancement. Ferrari, who has competed in Formula One racing since 1950, will seriously consider leaving the sport if standardized engines become a new regulation.

The Formula One Teams Association called a meeting Geneva a few days ago to discuss alternative options for cost reductions. Toyota agrees with Ferrari and firmly believes that “Formula One must remain a technological challenge” and that other means of cost reduction must be considered. If Max Mosley, President of the FIA, is able to pass this standardized engine measure it will go into effect no later than 2010. Hopefully FIA will come to their senses and not push away auto manufacturers that support the F1 sport.

Hit the jump to read Ferrari’s full statement.

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Nissan Releases Second Video of the GTR Lapping the ‘Ring

After Porsche accused Nissan of cheating on the ‘Ring to get an unbelievable lap time of 7:29.03, Nissan released this second video to prove that the car was entirely stock and that it had the extra 100kg of recording equipment on board. Check it out, the speed of this car is incredible!

Nissan Serves Up More Proof for Porsche & the World

Nissan wants to make sure nobody is believes Porsche’s claim against the GT-R’s time on the ‘Ring. I thought they had made themselves clear by making an official statement and sending out a press release, but nothing is better than cold, hard proof. Today Nissan released a second video of the GT-R running around the ‘Ring in 7:29 seconds and also included a photo of the tires that were used and currently on display in Sumitomo Rubber Industries in Japan. The video shows the GT-R Nissan before the actual lap, along with the 120lbs of tracking and video equipment that was used to measure and record the GT-R’s performance. The racing starts around the 4-minute mark, hit the jump to watch the whole thing.

Source: GTRBlog.com

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Nissan Motors Smacks Porsche with Another Press Statement: Learn How to Drive

Hoping to set the record straight, once and for all, Nissan issued a press release today outlining the exact details of the GT-R’s record run around the Nurburgring. Not only did they clarify that the vehicle was completely stock, but also that using one-off specialty car to run around the ‘Ring would “have no meaning” to them. In case anyone wants to see the tires that were used to run that hot lap around the Nurburgring, the full set of Dunlops SP Sport 600 DSST CTT’s are on display at Sumitomo Rubber Industries in Japan.

Nissan also thought it was a good idea to let Porsche and any other auto maker know that Nissan does offer driving lessons to help people understand the full capabilites of the GT-R. Nissan also wanted to remind everyone that to ensure maximum performance from their GT-R, they should follow all break-in procedures, service schedules and routine maintenence. Sounds like Godzilla is confident that they will win this shoving match, hit the jump to read Nissan’s full press release.

Source: AutoBlog

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Porsche takes a Stand Against Nissan’s Lap Time on the ‘Ring

Ever since the Nissan GT-R ran around the Nurburgring in a blistering 7 minutes and 29 seconds, the auto industry has been ablaze. The GT-R is heavier and has less power than many of the cars it beat around the ‘Ring, but Nissan claimed it as their lap time in an official press release. Most people were shocked, many were stunned, but auto makers from around the world questioned the validity of the time, particularly Chevy. Now Porsche has done their own testing with a brand new GT-R they purchased from a US dealer.

Porsche claims their GT-R was completely stock, untouched with production tires and the fastest time Porsche could achieve was 7 minutes and 54 seconds, a full 25 seconds slower than Nissan’s claimed lap time. Porsche also ran stock 911 and GT2 models within two hours of the GT-R and got around the ‘Ring in 7:38 and 7:34, respectively.

August Achleitner, the 911 product chief at Porsche, stated “for us, it’s not clear how this time is possible. What we can imagine with this Nissan is they used other tyres.” If his guess is right, Nissan most likely used a semi-slick racing tire. Achleitner also wanted to be very clear that he was not speaking bad of the GT-R, in fact he commented that it was a very fast and consistent car, but the claimed lap time just didn’t make any sense to them.

This is a bold statement from Porsche and I for one can’t wait for Nissan’s response to it.

Source: CarsGuide

We got a New King of the ‘Ring!

The Dodge Viper has always been one of my favorite super cars. I had a poster of it on my wall as a kid, right next to the Lamborghini Diablo and Ferrari F40. My-o-my how the Viper has changed! The original styling was timeless and down right sexy. But the new body style is an evolution of the original and it never had a place in my heart like the first one did. But now that Dodge has released the 2008 version of the Viper ACR, I’m starting to warm up to it…

Powered by an 8-liter V10 producing 600hp and 560 ft-lbs of torque, the Viper ACR screams from 0-60 in a brief 3.5 seconds, running the quarter mile in 11.5 seconds. While it’s straight-line performance figures are quite impressive, whats important is how it puts all that power to the ground. Dodge engineers must have been burning the midnight oil because the ACR fast…really, really fast!

Motor Trend brings us the video to prove it: The ’08 Dodge Viper ACR ran the Nurburgring in 7:22.1. Thats 4 seconds faster than the Corvette ZR1 and 7 seconds faster than the Nissan GT-R!

Thanks to ViperAlley for the tip!

Danica Patrick to Tryout for Honda’s F1 Team

Danica Patrick started racing in the Indy Racing League in 2005 and she has quickly risen as a star.  She is ultra-competitive in a league that is predominantly male, which has attracted a lot of new attention from females to the sport.  Danica drives for Honda, but after she took 1st place in the Bridgestone Indy Japan 300 race, Honda thinks she may be on track for the Formula 1 series.  Honda will put Danica to the test later this year to see if she is ready for it.  Time will tell, more on this story as information develops.

Source: Yahoo! Sport

Indy to Make the Switch to Turbos

The Indy Racing League has used their 650hp, naturally-aspirated 2.4 liter V8′s since 1997, but drivers and manufacturers alike have been pushing for the ability to use turbos. That call has been heard and answered by the IRL who now plans to make the switch by 2011. The new engine will either be a 4 or 6-cylinder engine producing between 650-750 horsepower, offering up to 100 more horsepower than what is currently used; this will be a big boost for Indy cars power-to-weight ratios.

While Honda is the only manufacturer that currently competes in the IRL, 2-3 more manufacturers may enter the race series if the new engine guidelines are enforced. If more car manufacturers sign on, this could really help the IRL become an even bigger part of the racing world by attracting more fans and more sponsors. The Junkyard will follow this story and keep you updated on any news, so stay tuned!

Photos: IndyCar.com

Rally Deutschland Results

It was a tough rally with different driving styles required for each stage of the race, but Sebastien Loeb made it look easy and took a commanding lead over the rest of the drivers, beating second place finisher and teammate Danny Sordo by 47.7 seconds. Francois Duval took 3rd place, a full 1 minute and 20 seconds behind Loeb. Going into Rally Germany, Mikko Hirvonen was in the lead for the Driver’s Championship, but Loeb was hot on his heels and with Mikko finishing 4th means Loeb takes the lead there as well. Subaru drivers Petter Solberg and his teammate Chris Atkinson took 5th and 6th place.

Standings for the Drivers Championship is Loeb with 76 points, Hirvonen with 72 points, and Sordo with 43 points.  Next up is Rally New Zealand, which starts on August 28, 2008.

Find a full list of the results here: IHT.com

Photos: SWRT.com and WRC.com

Loeb vs. Schumacher in the Race of Champions

It’s been confirmed, Micheal Schumacher will compete in this years Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium. Although Schumacher is officially retired from F1, he is still very much involved in the racing world. Schumacher’s primary competition is Sebastien Loeb, pro-driver and World Rally Champion. Loeb has competed (and won) more times in the ROC than Schumacher has, who’s first year was in 2004. This year in particular will prove to be a tough battle as the two of the worlds best drivers duke it out for the 1st place spot on the podium.

The Race of Champions will take place this year on December 14th, 2008. The ROC features multiple events where the drivers go head-to-head in identical vehicles. This years selected vehicles are the ROC Car, a 170 bhp 1.1liter RWD buggy, a Ford Focus WRC car, an Aston Martin Vantage N24, the Solution F rally car (3.5 liter engine, 310 hp, 2090 lbs), and a Fiat Grande Punto S2000 Abarth, an AWD 270 hp rally car.

Source: RaceofChampions.com

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