Motorsports
Group Lotus to supply engine and aero body kits in IndyCar
Group Lotus has officially announced that it has secured a five-year deal that will see the Proton-owned British sports car maker supply racing engines as well as aero body kits for the IndyCar series, starting from 2012.
This is part of the brand’s extensive efforts to rejuvenating itself in both its road car business and motorsport. Group Lotus (not to be confused with Lotus Racing of Tony Fernandes) has already re-linked itself with IndyCar, in form of teaming up with KV Racing.
CEO Dany Bahar said, “Lotus is unique in the automotive world, no other car company has been more successful in such a wide variety of motorsports discipline, whether it is Le Mans, World Rally, Sportscars, F1 of course and IndyCar. This year we teamed up with KV Racing for IndyCar and we will significantly increase our participation next year. However in 2012 IndyCar competitors will have the exciting opportunity to choose an IndyCar with a Lotus engine and aero body kit, immediately become part of a legacy that is Lotus: one of the most innovative and successful sports and racing car brands in the world.”
The engine in question will be one that conforms to IndyCar regulations. This means that it has to be a 2.4 liter unit with a maximum of six cylinders. The engine must be turbocharged and is expected to produce between 550 and 700hp. The engine must be able to run on E85 bio fuel as well. Lotus will join Honda and Chevrolet as engine suppliers for the sport.
Group Lotus also announced that it will establish a motorsport facility in Indianapolis, US but did not reveal any possible dates. This would help the brand in supplying the above-mentioned parts to customer teams.
Paris 2010 – 300hp Ford Fiesta rally car revealed!
Ford has also taken the opportunity to showcase a rally racer in Paris. Just like the MINI Countryman WRC, this Ford Fiesta RS WRC will compete in the S2000 category and it will replace the Focus in Ford’s WRC campaign. The Fiesta RS WRC will make its rally debut at the 2011′s Swedish Round, happening in February.
Co-developed with M-Sport (no relation to BMW), the Fiesta RS WRC car is powered by a 1.6 liter turbocharged EcoBoost engine which makes up to 300hp. The engine has been tuned by a French tuning house called Pipo Moteur.
The rally-prepped Fiesta has a lot to live up to, as the Focus it is replacing won manufacturers’ titles both in 2006 and 2007. It will be piloted by Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen with teammates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila.
An image gallery is available after the jump. Read the rest of this entry.
Paris 2010 – MINI Countryman WRC concept
MINI has brought over the concept version of the MINI Countryman WRC to the Paris Motor Show. As mentioned earlier, the BMW-owned brand will be competing selected WRC events next year with Prodrive, before making a full-fledged entry the following year. The model shown here is being regarded as a concept, but expect the final contender’s design to look quite similar.
This rally machine is based on the MINI Countryman and is powered by a 1.6 liter turbocharged 4-potter, sourced from BMW Motorsport. We don’t have the engine’s performance details but we know that it is linked to a 6-speed Xtrac sequential transmission.
It was also confirmed that British driver Kris Meeke will be one of the drivers who will race the car. The MINI Countryman WRC rally car which is still in its testing phase can also take part in other championships that conform to FIA’s Super2000 regulations. You can check out a previous video of the Countryman WRC in action here.
More images can be seen after the jump. Read the rest of this entry.
MINI Countryman WRC rally car – action video!
We have come across an amateur video that showcases the MINI Countryman WRC rally car performing some tests in Portugal. This rally-spec Countryman is powered by a BMW Motorsport-sourced 1.6 liter engine, which is turbocharged. The beastly Countryman is being co-developed with David Richard’s Prodrive and it is expected to be ready to race in selected races next year.
Continue reading to check out the video. Read the rest of this entry.
2011 Aston Martin LMP1 race car – initial sketch
Aston Martin has released an initial design sketch of it’s 2011 Le Mans 24 Hour contender. Just like before, Aston’s prototype race car will be finished in Gulf Oil livery and this 2011 variant is being designed from the ground up featuring an open cockpit monocoque and a new petrol powerplant.
The company believes that his new race car can deliver what is expected of it especially when Automobile Club De L’Oues or ACO assured that the 2011 regulations will help balance out the performance between petrol and diesel-fueled Le Mans contenders. Diesel race cars have been dominating the sport since 2006 with cars like the Audi R10 TDI and the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP.
Aston Martin have won the GT category twice in 2007 and 2008 and it also clinched the overall Le Mans series last year. Continue reading to view a high-res version of the sketch above. Read the rest of this entry.
MINI Countryman WRC rally car – so far so good!
MINI is looking good in it’s rallying comeback. The BMW-owned brand previously announced that it will take part in the World Rally Championship starting from next year and has linked up with motorsport outfit Prodrive for the project. The announced was made in July and now MINI has released a single official image of the rally hatch under going testing.
It has completed it’s first round of testing on tarmac and low grip surfaces at Prodrive’s test facility and it is now scheduled for on-gravel tests in Portugal. It will comply with the Super2000 regulations and it is powered by a turbocharged 1.6 liter engine supplied by BMW Motorsport.
Both MINI and Prodrive are still working on the Countryman WRC’s exterior design and I can’t wait to look at the final product. Along with the initial announcement of the Countryman WRC rally car, a design sketch was released as well. Continue reading to view a high-res version of the image above. Read the rest of this entry.
Pirelli puts an end to WRC tire supply deal
Pirelli has elected to discontinue the supply of tires to the World Rally Championship, according to Autosport that is. Apparently the Italian tire company did not submit an application to the FIA to continue the tire supply deal next year, although the deadline was last week. The company has been supplying rubber for WRC cars for the last three years and it has struck a deal to supply tires to Formula 1 for three years, starting from 2011.
The website reports that Pirelli was offered a one-year extension for 2011 based on the same terms and conditions as the current three-year deal. This was unacceptable to the company hence it did not submit a bid to the motor sport governing body.
“In December we tendered for another three-year deal to supply tyres for WRC. Once again, our tender was set out to provide finance for continued investment in the FIA, in the sport’s promoter and, of course in the Pirelli Star Driver scheme which we financed from its inception in 2008,” said Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery.
“That three-year tender was rejected and we were offered a one-year extension on the same terms as the current three-year deal, then a one-year deal on the new tender conditions – that was something we felt was unacceptable,” he added.
After addressing that Pirelli doesn’t feel welcome in the sport he went on to say that the company will continue it’s involvement in rallying and said that it will look to focus more on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge or IRC where the tire supplier can have a proper competition.
