(Audi)
Four Audi RS 5 DTM machines participated in the first of two official DTM tests before the season opener at Barcelona. The Audi RS 5 DTMs were partially equipped with additional data acquisition equipment in order to log as much data as possible, which will now be analyzed by Audi Sport in Ingolstadt and by the three Audi Sport teams: Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg. During the course of the test, all eight Audi drivers tested the so-called option tires and the "Drag Reduction System" (DRS), with which the rear wing can be adjusted by pressing a button on the steering wheel. Both might be used in 2013 in the DTM. Each of the eight Audi drivers tested for two days at Barcelona. Busiest of all was double DTM Champion Timo Scheider who clocked up 346 laps around the 2.977-kilometer track, and recorded the fastest time (1m 06.844s) for an Audi RS 5 DTM on the last of the four test days.
(V8 Supercar Series)
The V8 Supercars are coming! The V8 Supercars are coming! Yes, they are, to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, May 17-19, for the Austin 400. Nissan and Mercedes-Benz are joining Ford and Holden this year, and Nissan has even produced a promotional video for its new entry here.
(V8 Supercar Series)
(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.011)
A couple of worthwhile videos, one for the Porsche Expansion Pack for Forza Motorsport 4 featuring the Falken Tire 911 GT3 RSR, and the other documenting the Falken Tire 911 GT3 RSR's run at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Also, in conjunction with Turn 10 Studios and the American Le Mans Series, Falken Tire has become an active participant within Forza Motorsport 4, the internationally popular racing videogame designed for the Mircosoft Xbox 360 console. During the month of April, gamers from around the world are invited to set their quickest lap time in the Forza Motorsport ALMS Challenge, while driving the No. 17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, which competes in the GT class of the American Le Mans Series. Entrants will challenge each other and potentially real-world Team Falken Tire drivers on the thrilling Bernese Alps Festival Circuit. In addition to the Forza Motorsport ALMS Challenge, Falken Tire is reaching out to the Forza Motorsport online community to encourage individuals to create their own one-of-a-kind Falken livery for Team Falken’s Porsche. The corresponding contest – which starts April 1, 2013, and runs through the month – asks players to submit their in-game designs via screenshots to Falken Tire’s Facebook page. The winning livery will be duplicated on the real Falken Porsche race car for the ALMS Petit Le Mans race in October. “Our livery contest blurs the lines of gaming and reality and actually inverts the order of design replication. Typically, players are recreating real-life vehicles in Forza, but this contest will allow one lucky winner's design to appears on our GT3 RSR for what most consider the biggest race of the ALMS season,” stated Nick Fousekis, Falken Director of Motorsports Marketing and Events. “We appreciate our fans and how better to have them be part of the team than allowing them to modify our historic motorsports livery."
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Sebastian Vettel, Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver and triple Formula One World Champion, has been named "Director of Performance" for the brand. Vettel has played a central role in the development of the new Infiniti Q50 from its early stages, according to Infiniti. He spent time with Infiniti engineers in Japan, providing them with his world-class chassis dynamics, performance and handling feedback. He was then involved in testing early models alongside Infiniti Red Bull Racing Test and Reserve driver Sebastien Buemi in Japan, around the famed Nürburgring in Germany, and at the Formula One pre-season test at the Spanish Circuit de Catalunya in early March. Watch a video here. - PMD
Editor-in-Chief's Note: A simply powerful video from McLaren entitled "Mclaren 50 - Courage." Beautifully written, shot and directed, it's worth every minute. "On that beautiful summer day, on that race track, I did more than leave a name and a memory... hopefully, I became an inspiration." - PMD
(McLaren Automotive)
French rally-ace Sébastien Loeb and young Portuguese driver Alvaro Parente (Sébastien Loeb Racing McLaren 12C GT3) won the opening round of the FIA GT Series at Nogaro. In the second race of the weekend the team finished in 11th and 12th, after incurring driver penalties. Loeb , the nine-time WRC world champion commented: “This was a really good event for us, and I am really pleased that we came away with the win on Saturday. We made a few small mistakes over the weekend, which affected the final result in the second race but, overall, I am happy with the performance of the team, and with how I drove. Over the course of the weekend the 12C GT3 felt great, especially in the dry conditions. There are some areas of set up where I feel we can find some more pace, and we need to work on optimizing the balance in the wet, but I really enjoyed the event, and we showed good pace.”
(BMW Group)
BMW M is celebrating its 15th season as “Official Car of MotoGP”. The opening round, which will be held at the “Losail International Circuit” in Qatar, will mark the public debut of the BMW M6 Gran Coupe. This season, the BMW M6 Gran Coupe will spearhead the fleet of Safety Cars in action in the MotoGP World Championship. The high-performance BMW M6 Gran Coupe is powered by a high-rev V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology generating 412 kW/560 hp. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds. In total, the fleet of official MotoGP cars for the 2013 season comprises five BMW M and M Performance models. A BMW M6 Coupe and the BMW M5 will also see action as Safety Cars. The Safety Officer will take to the track in a BMW M3 Coupe, while two BMW M550d xDrive Tourings will be used as medical cars. BMW Motorrad will also provide two new BMW HP4s as Safety Bikes. You can find more information on the 2013 Safety Car fleet online at www.bmw-m-safetycar.com.