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Audi Porsche Toyota WEC

Toyota claims pole for 2014 Le Mans

2014 24 Hours of Le Mans qualifying

The third and final qualifying session for the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans has just finished and the #7 Toyota TS040 Hybrid (Wurz/Sarrazin/Nakajima) has claimed pole position with a time of 3:21.789, set by Kazuki Nakajima.

Porsche’s return to the outright category has gone well so far with its #14 919 Hybrid (Dumas/Jani/Lieb) posting a best lap of 3:22.146, good enough to be on the front row. The #20 Porsche (Bernhard/Webber/Hartley) will start from P4 (3:22.908). This car held provisional pole (3:24.136) after Wednesday’s qualifying, but did not improve its time.

Audi had a less than smooth qualifying after a massive crash by Loic Duval in the #1 R18 e-tron quattro during the opening session on Wednesday. Remarkably, he suffered no serious injury but has been ruled out of the race and has been replaced by Marc Gene. The car was a total wreck an Audi has used a new tub to build a new car and will start with three cars as planned.

The best placed R18 is the #3 car (Albuquerque/Bonanomi/Jarvis) which will start from P5 (3:23.271). Starting from P6 will be the #2 R18 (Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer) with a best time of 3:24.276. The recreated #1 R18 (Di Grassi/Gene/Kristensen) is the last placed of the main front runners and will line up from P7 after setting a time of 3:25.814.

Toyota’s second TS040 will line up from P3 after the #8 car (Davidson/Lapierre/Buemi) lapped the 13.6km Le Mans circuit in 3:22.523.

Taking a look at the total lap count of the top seven cars from qualifying is interesting. The Toyotas and Audis had lap counts in the high 30s, while the Porsche lap counts were in the mid-teens. There’s probably countless theories as to why the 919 was relatively inactive, but if nothing else the car clearly has raw pace.

We’ve got an onboard video for you after the break, filmed from the #7 Toyota TS040. We’ll also update this post with official statements from the three main teams as they come to hand.

[Source: Autosport]

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Motorsports Oh the humanity Seat

Lifting a racecar: How hard can it be?

Seat WTCC lift fail

Okay, is the crane on a secure footing ready to lift?
Yes boss.

Are the cables tied securely to the platform, ready to lift the car?
Yes boss.

And, finally, is the car secured to the platform so it can’t fall off?
Yes boss. Wait, what?!

This incident was filmed during the set up of a promotional event at a hotel in Pachuca, Mexico. Watch the video below to see what happens next.

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Accessories & Tech Ferrari Formula 1 Video

A look at the Brembo brakes on the Ferrari F14 T

Brembo Formula 1 brakes

Brembo has produced this video giving us a closer look at the sophisticated braking system used on the Ferrari F14 T. With the revised regulations in Formula 1 this year the braking system takes on a new level of importance and this animation should help give you a better understanding of what does what.

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Porsche Video WEC

Patrick Dempsey is a Le Mans fighter

Patrick Dempsey

Porsche joins the ranks of producers for Lifestyles of the rich and famous. In its episode they bring Patrick Dempsey to life so he can wax lyrical about his fighting spirit. He tells us: “They know what you do for a living, but not what you live for.”

No, we’re not jealous of Patrick at all. Honest, we’re not!

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing Video

A lap of the Red Bull Ring

Red Bull Ring

The next race on the 2014 F1 calendar is the Austrian Grand Prix (22 June). It sees a return to the old A1-Ring site, which last hosted an F1 event in 2003. The track has since been bought and redeveloped by Red Bull and now it’s pretty much a giant advertising theme park.

Giving us a brief overview of the new 4.3km Red Bull Ring layout are Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo in this very slick animation. Really, the graphics are first class.

In addition to the video animation Red Bull has provided three wallpaper images. All of which you can see after the break.

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Porsche WEC

Mark Webber: The road to Le Mans – part 4

Mark Webber, The road to Le Mans

Mark Webber’s return to Le Mans is getting close now. In the latest episode of Red Bull’s feature we see Mark talk about his WEC debut at Silverstone and the follow-up race shortly after at Spa. That’s only 12 hours combined, but he says he’s ready for his first attempt at Le Mans since 1999. Or as he puts it, a full F1 season in one race!

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

Mark v Daniel: The first win

Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo celebrate their maiden grand prix wins

While we’re still in the afterglow of Daniel Ricciardo’s maiden grand prix win it’s timely to compare the immediate in-car reaction of Daniel with Mark Webber after his first F1 victory (see video after the break).

The circumstances leading to the wins for each is vastly different, in the paths their careers have taken and the circumstances in which those first wins took place.

For Mark his career was a hard graft and his win in at the 2009 German Grand Prix was in the bag a long time before the chequered flag.

In contrast, Daniel’s win in Canada came by surprise, almost, and he’s enjoyed a much smoother path into F1. Daniel has also said he was not comfortable celebrating in the car too much until he knew that Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez were okay after their race-ending crash.

[Thanks to Aaron for the tip]

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Caterham F1 in pictures Ferrari Lotus McLaren Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing Toro Rosso

2014 Canadian Grand Prix in pictures

2014 Canadian Grand Prix

DAN IS THE MAN!

It’s always special when we can bring you a pictorial update of an Aussie winning a Formula 1 Grand Prix. It’s been a while between drinks, but let’s hope we see a lot more of young Daniel on the top step.

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Safety Issues Volkswagen

Keep your eyes on the road

Volkswagen eyes on the road advertising campaign

Volkswagen has produced this excellent piece to warn of the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving. It was presented to cinema goers in Hong Kong and employs a clever use of technology and shock value to get its message across.

[Thanks to Mick for the tip]

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Datsun Video

Dare to be different

Datsun 240Z

Following a couple of requests from the 911 video we posted last week here is the Datsun 240Z featured by Petrolcious late last year.

The 240Z is a classic sports car from a classic era for the genre. A time when rules were still being defined and expectations were still being explored. In many ways the legacy of a classic car can be measured by the number of times it is referenced by cars made well after the original hit the streets. Yep, the 240Z has a superb legacy.

We like this quote, first published by Car and Driver in 1970, which has been included in the video’s blurb:

“Datsun didn’t invent the overhead cam engine, or disc brakes, or independent suspension but it has a habit of incorporating these sophisticated systems into brilliantly conceived and easily affordable cars.”

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Formula 1

Sir Jack Brabham trophy for Australian Grand Prix

2014 Australian Grand Prix

CAMS has today announced the winning trophy for the Australian Grand Prix will now be called the Sir Jack Brabham trophy. It is a fitting tribute for Sir Jack, who passed away on 19 May.

The current trophy design, being shown off by Nico Rosberg above, already references Sir Jack with the design based on the steering wheel from his 1959 championship winning Cooper Climax.

Sir Jack’s widow, Lady Brabham, was honoured to accept the renaming of the trophy.

“I have been overwhelmed by the tributes that have been pouring in from around the globe,” Lady Brabham said. “It has been comforting to hear kind words from the likes of Jean Todt, Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jackie Stewart to Alan Jones. Jack would have been so very proud.”

Daniel Ricciardo, fresh from his stunning win in Montreal yesterday morning, says he would one day love to lift the Sir Jack Brabham trophy for himself one day.

“What he [Sir Jack Brabham] achieved was incredible,” Daniel said. “Paying tribute to him each year with the Australian Grand Prix winner’s trophy is a fantastic way to celebrate this legend. It would be something very special to be able to lift that trophy.

“Racing at the Australian Grand Prix in front of a home crowd is a huge buzz; to be able to stand on the top step of the podium and lift the Sir Jack Brabham Trophy would be incredible.”

The public will have the chance to honour the late Sir Jack Brabham at his State funeral on Wednesday 11 June at 1.30pm at the Church of Christ in Southport, Queensland.

[Source: CAMS | Pic: Mercedes AMG]

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Ford WRC

That’s one expensive barbecue!

Mikko Hirvonen, 2014 WRC Rally Italia

M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson has revealed the cost of Mikko Hirvonen’s burnt out Fiesta RS WRC is beyond £400,000 (AU$718,000).

“The financial implications to replace it are huge,” Wilson told wrc.com “You’re looking in excess of £400,000 and we don’t insure the rally cars, so that’s a big hit.

“If you have a big crash then nearly all the mechanical components are usually OK. But with what happened here, there is absolutely nothing we can reuse. Everything is destroyed and it’s a big loss.”

M-Sport wants to investigate the cause of the blaze, but due to the severity of the damage the team isn’t sure if the wreckage will hold any answers.

“We’ll take the car back to the UK but it will be difficult to identify anything,” added Wilson. “Unless something like the propshaft has broken and gone through the fuel tank. Then it will be pretty obvious, even though the car is destroyed.”

[Source: WRC]