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Pagani Video

Inside look: How to build a Pagani Huayra

The Pagani Huayra story - A documentary

The Pagani Huayra is the latest creation from Horacio’s mind. First revealed over 12 months ago Pagani confirms they now hold 85 confirmed orders and have met their production targets. As such full-scale production, if you can ever call it that for Pagani, is about to commence.

Alberto Giovanelli, Head of Sales at Pagani gives us a small insight into the production timetable, “In 2012 25 Huayras will see the light of day, another 40 will follow in 2013. The first deliveries will be made in April.”

That job will be made easier with the completion of new production facilities. A process that began two years ago.

Despite taking the company into new markets Giovanelli ensures you won’t be likely to see a Pagani on the street every day, “The Pagani dealership family has grown in 2011 and 2012 with new dealerships in Chile, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom and in the United States, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco. Nonetheless Pagani is very strict about safeguarding the exclusivity of its small volume production in the respective markets.”

Helping to bring you closer to the Huayra is this short documentary taking you inside the various factories used and the construction techniques applied. There’s no sideways tyre smoking action, just proper nerdy car stuff. We reckon you’ll like it.

Categories
Lamborghini

VIDEO: Lamborghini Aventador J

Lamborghini Aventador J We didn’t want you to forget the awesome Lamborghini Aventador J, just revealed at the Geneva Motor Show, so we’ve saved up this promo video for you. The clip brings you closer to the one-off 515kW V12 powered beast and leaves you wondering just who will buy it and will they care for it with the same love and attention that you would?

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Audi

Would you buy a Ducaudi?

Audi rumoured to buy Ducati

Audi is on the verge of buying debt-ridden Ducati, Car magazine reports. The Italian superbike maker is currently some €200m in the red and up for sale. There are several interested parties, including India’s Mahindra and Hero, Daimler and, perhaps a little strange, Volkswagen too.

You’ll recall Mercedes-Benz has a marketing/sponsorship deal with Ducati and on the surface it would make sense if the two companies made their association stronger. However, Audi has struck a deal with Ducati that gives them first right of refusal to buy.

An internal Audi team titled Project Eagle has been charged with managing the Ducati deal and is currently assessing the suitability of the buyout. It’s believed Audi will pick a number between €50–100m and won’t be drawn into an informal bidding war. A mid-April timeline is expected for the takeover to be finalised.

Volkswagen Group’s leader Ferdinand Piech is the man behind Project Eagle and he has coveted Ducati for some time. It’s reported Piech regrets not buying Ducati in 2008 when it was on the brink of bankruptcy. He hasn’t had to wait long to for a second bite at the cherry.

[Source: Car]

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Citroen WRC

Sebastien Loeb wins 2012 Rally Mexico

Sebastien Loeb, Citroen DS3 WRC, 2012 Rally Mexico

Sebastien Loeb has come away from Rally Mexico singing Two out of three ain’t bad after notching up his second win of the 2012 WRC season. A shade over 42 seconds behind was his new teammate Mikko Hirvonen, making this the first one-two for Citroën in the Loeb–Hirvonen era. We get the feeling it won’t be the last. Petter Solberg (Ford) was a distant 2:11.4 back in third place.

Speaking after the rally Loeb said, “This season has started in very typical fashion: a win at Monte-Carlo, an average result in Sweden and a win in Mexico. Let’s hope the rest of the season also goes the same way as in previous years.”

It was the 69th career win for Loeb and his co-driver Daniel Elena. That’s astonishing really, surely they must be considered the best the sport has ever seen.

“It really has been a perfect weekend. I know this 69th win means a lot to Daniel. The rally was very difficult, I had to push really hard to shake off Mikko. Once I’d built up a bit of gap, I was able to control the race a bit more, but I stayed alert nonetheless. There is always a chance of spinning or picking up a puncture, which can ruin a race,” added Loeb.

He resumes his familiar position on top of the drivers’ leaderboard, ahead of Hirvonen and Solberg. Similarly, Citroën is leading the manufacturers’ championship form Ford.

WRC action returns to Europe in a couple of weeks at the Rally de Portugal (29 March–1 April).

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Formula 1

HRT unveils 2012 F1 car

HRT F112

HRT’s new F112 is another latecomer to the 2012 F1 season and like Marussia the Spanish team has only managed promotional runs ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.

Acknowledged as a perennial backmarker it’s the first time HRT has been able to fire their car up prior to the first race. Luis Péres-Sala, Team Principal, said, “I’m very proud of each and every member of this team because everyone has contributed their little bit for this to be possible. Now we have to focus on Australia because we still have a lot ahead.”

HRT will have two new drivers this year, although both with previous F1 experience. Pedro de la Rosa moves back into full-time racing after spending several years as McLaren’s official test driver. He’s joined by Narain Karthikeyan, also back into a regular F1 seat after his debut with Jordan back in 2005 and a limited schedule with HRT last year.

Categories
Formula 1

Marussia unveils 2012 F1 car

Marussia MR01

Last week the Marussia F1 team revealed the MR01, their 2012 challenger. After failing an FIA crash test in late February the team has only managed to squeeze in a couple of promotional drives, meaning the car will get its first real test until later this week.

Team Principal John Booth explained, “so while the drivers will be able to get a feel for the car, they won’t be able to draw any real conclusions until we start running in anger in Melbourne.”

Marussia enjoys a partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies and it’s interesting to note the MR01 and McLaren’s MP4-27 are the only cars which don’t feature the controversial platypus style nose.

Timo Glock returns to the driving seat for Marussia this year and he will joined by 22-year-old French rookie Charles Pic.

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing Renault

Red Bull Taxi caught smoking in Melbourne

Red Bull Taxi

This year the Red Bull Race Off returns to Albert Park for the 2012 Australian Grand Prix. Helping to promote the event Red Bull sent V8 Supercar driver Rick Kelly and Kiwi Drifter Mike Wihddett out on Melbourne’s streets in a couple of Renault Megane RS 250s to offer a few free taxi rides.

Video and full details after the break.

[Thanks to Anthony for the tip]

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Ford Motorsports News Video

Bill Brown, Bathurst survivor

Bill Brown, Bathurst 1971

“The car rolled down and cut in two.

“I walked away from it and drove home that evening.”

They’re the words of Bill Brown in reference to his spectacular and famous accident at Bathurst in 1971. That’s him there in the picture above, you can see his head about to make contact with the wooden fence.

Back in the day, that’s all there was separating spectators from the competitors at McPhillamy Park. Not the best place to have a tyre blow out at around 180km/h.

Speaking to Speedcafe, Brown explained, “I thought we were in trouble then there was banging and crashing and I was rested upside down.

“I went around to have a look at the car and they said they’d take me to hospital, they wanted to put me on a stretcher, but I refused.

“The car didn’t have a roll cage as such, I was fortunate though when I came to rest my hat was only grazed on the left hand side, I was pretty lucky.”

You don’t say! Having seen footage of that crash many times we’ve always wondered how on earth Brown survived.

Follow the link below to read the full article. It’s a fascinating insight into Australian motor racing in the 1960s and 70s. There’s also a video of the incident after the break which shows rescue crews working on the car after the crash.

[Source: Speedcafe.com]

Categories
Accessories & Tech Motorsports News

Bathurst to be included in Gran Turismo 6

Bathurst to be included with GT6

Thanks to the magic of the internet we can bring word that Australia’s most famous race track, Mount Panorama in Bathurst, appears to be headed for the next evolution of Sony’s Gran Turismo franchise, GT6.

Last week a Bathurst local posting to the GTplanet forums, with the username jjh101, noticed numerous photographers working at the track for a few days. Wearing hi-vis vests and negotiating the track in a variety of vehicles, including a truck with make-shift camera rigs on the back, it appeared something was up. So, going all investigative journo jjh101 strapped a camera phone to his body and went and asked the smiling chaps what they were up to:

jjh101: G’day. Seen you guys here for a few days, wondering if you guys are here for a game or something?
Photographer: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah… A [?] game… Err… Gran Turismo?
jjh101: Oh, Gran Turismo?
Photographer: Yeah, yeah.
jjh101: Is it an update or… Do you think they’re making GT6 or…?
Photographer: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah… Gran Turismo 6 [?] Bathurst

So there you have it. The video can be seen after the break, along with another clip from the same guy showing more Polyphony Digital workers on site scanning, measuring and photographing the track.

Oh yeah, Gran Turismo 6 isn’t expected to be released for another couple of years. That’s assuming Sony can manage to meet a release timetable this time.

[Source: GTplanet via Internode | Pics: GTplanet]

Categories
Ferrari News

The dynamic ribbon

Dean Wills private track, Kulnura NSW

Dean Wills, former head honcho of Coca-Cola Amatil. Recognise the name? Well off bloke with his own private “race track” north of Sydney. Ringing any bells yet?

If you’re in Australia, chances are you’ve heard of this mysterious track, home to numerous urban myths. Thankfully for us Wills has put the record straight in an interview with the official Ferrari magazine.

Here’s a grab from the article which cuts through the hyperbole:

‘People are inclined to call it a track, but it’s a private road, a two-way country road,’ says Wills. True, as our photographs reveal. No barriers, no gravel run-off areas, no ripple strips, no garish advertising signs, nothing to suggest Wills’ wonderful road could be construed as a race-track. The road has no crown, flat curbs and regular road signs on each corner. It’s so politically correct that there are even recommended corner speed signs. The strip of blacktop runs through grassy fields, native Australian eucalyptus trees dot the paddocks and the road rises and falls with the undulations of the gentle hills. And, because the road is free of any of the safety measure now mandatory for a track, if you should somehow tire of perfecting the apexes, you can drive it in the other direction for an entirely different learning experience. Motoring heaven.

It’s certainly worth reading the full article (link below). If nothing else it provides a reliable background about the once mythical track.

No doubt Wills worked hard to earn himself the chance to fulfill his own motoring fantasy. We’re guessing many readers will have dreamt of having their own private tarmac ribbon too. Wills has shown it can happen!

[Source: Ferrari Magazine | Thanks to Micky and Dylan for the tips]

Categories
Caterham Formula 1 Lotus Red Bull Racing Renault

Renault reminds us they make F1 engines

Renault Megane RS, Formula One livery

Red Bull Racing, Williams, Caterham and Lotus will all be running Renault engines in 2012. And just in case you had forgotten, they have prepped these four Megane RS models to act as a reminder.

As these cars are left hand drive we imagine they’ll be touring around the globe with the F1 circus so fans the world over will get a chance to see them up close.

The promotional cars are designed to help demonstrate to buyers there is a direct link from F1 car to road car. So, are you convinced?

Categories
Formula 1

Fresh doubts over Robert Kubica’s F1 future

Robert Kubica

Former Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari has expressed doubts over the F1 future of Robert Kubica. In a recent interview with BBC Radio Alguersuari claimed Kubica is struggling to overcome the injuries suffered in his rally accident at the start of last year.

“At the moment the latest information I have about him is not very good. He cannot drink using his hand—I mean, he cannot take a glass and drink—so it doesn’t look very good. I think his injuries are more than expected,” Alguersuari said.

Meanwhile, an unnamed friend of Kubica’s has provided a more positive update, saying the 27-year-old is showing positive signs.

“He drives his road car and goes out by himself. He is still building up the strength in his right arm,” explained Kubica’s friend. “It will be June or July before it can be determined if he is fit enough to test a F1 car.”

[Source: FoxSports | Pic: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic]