Cars Detroit: Nürburgring

Showing posts with label Nürburgring. Show all posts

Spy Photos: Porsche Aerokit Cup for 997 Facelift

Porsche is developing an Aerokit Cup (new front and rear bumper, rear wing) for their Tequipment program for the Porsche 997 facelift. While the front bumper is completly redesigned, the rear gets only minor modifications in comparison with the Porsche Tequipment Aerokit Cup for the first generation.
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Audi R8 LMS joins 24-Hour Nurburgring Race

Audi announced today that it will also join the Nurburgring 24-Hour Race with R8 LMS. The Audi R8 LMS will be raced by four different teams from ABT Sportsline and Phoenix Racing with two cars each.

This will not be the first race appearance for the R8 LMS, which took a podium spot in the BFGoodrich Endurance Championship. The 500 horsepower racers will also be used in a test race on May 2, where each of the 14 driving team members for ABT Sportsline and Phoenix Racing will get their turn behind the wheel. Audi also points out the street cred of these drivers, five of whom are factory drivers for the company. The fourteen pilots have more than a dozen first-place finishes, with five of the drivers having already one at least once at the Nürburgring 24 hour race.

Press Release

Ultimate endurance test for new Audi R8 LMS

* GT3 sports car competes in Nürburgring 24-hour race
* Teams ABT Sportsline and Phoenix Racing with two cars each
* High-calibre driver line-ups featuring four DTM Champions

Ingolstadt - In the course of the further development of the Audi R8 LMS, an ultimate endurance test is on the agenda for the new GT3 sports car of AUDI AG at the end of May: On May 23/24, Teams ABT Sportsline and Phoenix Racing, with "factory" support by Audi, will field a total of four vehicles in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.

"The 24 Hours is not only one of the biggest motorsport events in Germany," says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "The Nürburgring-Nordschleife is considered one of the world's toughest and most demanding race tracks. Similar to Sebring for the sports prototypes, it is superbly suited for revealing the final improvement potential of any new race car. This is exactly what we're planning to do at the 24-hour race before delivering the R8 LMS to customers, starting this fall."

The Audi R8 LMS delivering some 500 hp has so far completed two "test" races as part of the BFGoodrich Endurance Championship on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife and already clinched a podium result in the process. Another "test" race is planned for May 2. On that day, the 14 drivers scheduled to contest the 24-hour race will be at the wheel of the four vehicles.

Teams ABT Sportsline and Phoenix Racing managed to form high-calibre driver squads consisting of five current Audi "factory" drivers, four DTM Champions, four Le Mans winners and five drivers who have won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring at least once. All 14 drivers are regarded as outstanding endurance racers who are intimately familiar with the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.

They include the reigning DTM Champion Timo Scheider, who - together with his DTM teammate Mattias Ekström and three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner - will compete for Team ABT Sportsline. On the occasion of the Audi brand's 100th anniversary, their Audi R8 LMS will contest the event as car number 100. The second ABT Sportsline R8 will be driven by Christian Abt, Jean-François Hemroulle, Pierre Kaffer and Lucas Luhr.

Marc Basseng, Mike Rockenfeller and Frank Stippler will drive one of the two cars of Team Phoenix Racing. With the multiple Le Mans winners Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Hans-Joachim Stuck as well as Marcel Fässler at the wheel, the second R8 LMS fielded by Phoenix Racing has a particularly prominent cockpit crew.

With three overall victories under his belt so far, Hans-Joachim Stuck, who has been the Motorsport Representative of the Volkswagen Group since January 2008, is one of most successful drivers of the 24-hour race. Lucas Luhr, Emanuele Pirro, Timo Scheider and Mike Rockenfeller have entered their names on the winners' list of the endurance classic as well.

Also Team Phoenix Racing has already won the Nürburgring 24 hours. It triumphed at its home race in the Eifel region in 2003. The best result (second place) achieved by ABT Sportsline so far dates back to 2003 as well.

The 37th edition of the ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race will start on Saturday, May 23, at 4 p.m. (local time). Practice sessions will be held on Thursday and Friday. The sports channel DSF will air extensive live coverage from the Nürburgring.

The Audi teams at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring:

Audi R8 LMS #97 (ABT Sportsline)
Christian Abt (D)
Jean-François Hemroulle (B)
Pierre Kaffer (D)
Lucas Luhr (D)

Audi R8 LMS #98 (Phoenix Racing)
Marc Basseng (D)
Frank Stippler (D)
Mike Rockenfeller (D)

Audi R8 LMS #99 (Phoenix Racing)
Frank Biela (D)
Marcel Fässler (CH)
Emanuele Pirro (I)
Hans-Joachim Stuck (A)

Audi R8 LMS #100 (ABT Sportsline)
Mattias Ekström (S)
Timo Scheider (D)
Marco Werner (D)
via:zercustoms

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2009 Audi R8 LMS Details

VW Returns to Nürburgring with Scirocco GT24-CNG

At the 24-Hour Race on the Nürburgring on 23/24 May, Volkswagen will field two Scirocco cars with innovative natural gas engines. Following the historic one-two victory at the Dakar Rally in January, which Volkswagen won as the first automobile manufacturer using diesel technology in the event, the Wolfsburg brand is now taking on another technical challenge – the use of EcoFuel engines in the endurance test twice around the clock on the world’s most demanding race track.

The two Scirocco GT24-CNG 2.0-litre turbo engines powered by natural gas deliver nearly 300 hp. In addition, the “factory” team will field three further Scirocco GT24 cars powered by 2.0-litre turbo petrol engines in the classic endurance race at the “Green Hell” in the Eifel region in Western Germany.

Last year, Volkswagen clinched a one-two victory in the 2.0-litre turbo class even before the Scirocco’s market launch.

“The 24-Hour Race offers Volkswagen an exciting stage to demonstrate its technical capabilities and expertise,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. “The Scirocco GT24 already proved its strengths as a dynamic sports coupe by clinching class victory in its debut race last year. In 2009, we are taking yet another step forwards by using two different engine concepts. We want to prove that Volkswagen offers different powertrain concepts, all of which excel in terms of high efficiency, dynamics and reliability. The Nordschleife and the 24-Hour Race provide an ideal test bed for this purpose.”
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Nürburgring: BMW M3 GT4 race car to debut at 24 Hours

BMW Motorsport has announced today that the new M3 GT4 customer race car will debut at the 24 Hours endurance race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife on 23 and 24 May. Team Schubert Motorsport will be participating in place of a BMW works team. BMW Motorsport Director, Mario Theissen, says: "Although we will not be represented by a works team at this year's 24 hour race, our Customer Racing programme ensures that our fans will still see plenty of BMW racing cars and BMW works drivers." More images and full press release after the jump...
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Nürburgring_ MINI Crossman Crossover Hits

Testing season is now in full swing at the Nürburgring where MINI was caught testing their upcoming SUV supposedly named, Cross or Crossman. Recently the BMW X1 was spied testing on the same track, so it seems the BMW Group still puts a great deal of value in road-handling results for these mini crossovers/SUVs.
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More Spy Photos for Facelifted Porsche 997 GT3 RS

The GT3 RS is based on the wider bodied Carrera 4S, but in this case it looks like the front fenders have been extended even more. We also notice that huge adjustable rear wing that helps keep the car planted during high velocity. The lighter weight GT3 RS also boasts of wider wheels and retuned suspension. These close-up shots also give us a nice view of the roll cage and the tops of the carbon fiber race seats which are the same as the previous version.

Despite the fact that Porsche has already begun to develop the next generation 911, there are still some versions of the current 997 that have yet to receive the face lift. One of these models is the hardcore version of the GT3, the 997 GT3 RS. We brought you first spy photos of the GT3 RS facelift just a few days ago, and already spies have caught the puritan 911 during a second sortie at the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

The engine will remain the same as the "normal" GT3 facelift, meaning a 3.8 liter flat six delivering 435 horsepower. But a rumor we heard is that the PDK gearbox will be available as an option for the GT3 RS which may be controversial to Porsche purist. However, the rationale is quite simple - it makes the car faster.
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Spy Shots： BMW X1 Latest Spy Photos Shows Rear Window

Set to take on the VW Tiguan and the upcoming Audi Q3, the X1 is mostly based on the 1-Series even if there are some parts shared with the 3-Series as well. Power will come from both four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines and both petrol and diesel will be available. Base model will be front-wheel drive only but of course all-wheel drive is optional.

The BMW X1 is one of the most photographed prototypes lately. It's even been tested by some "select" auto journalists and photographers. But now the X1 has lost a lot of its camouflage and more details are revealed without the special invite. On two photos we can see the quarter panel rear window without camouflage, something that the BMW engineers noticed and taped up again later.

Debut is set for Frankfurt in September.
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Next Generation Porshe Boxster Spy Photos

Late last year Porsche unveiled its updated Boxster and Cayman range and there are still several other models based on the same Boxster/Cayman platform in the works. One of these is a high-performance RS model, recently seen testing at Germany’s Nurburgring, and another is a chopped 'Speedster' model.

However, development of the next-generation model is also well underway and images of a prototype for the car have once again surfaced. This time the prototype has been spotted on its way to Germany’s Nurburging circuit for some high-speed testing.

It's hard to tell if this is a subtly changed design or if, as with previously-spied 2011 Boxsters, this prototype wears the sheet metal of the current car to disguise its new lines. The mismatched taillights reveal that there's something different going under the surface. These clear-weather photos hint at revised bumper contours, but as with the previous shots of this car there's not much to go on.

A rumor alleging that Porsche insiders are talking about a lightweight, turbocharged four-cylinder platform for the next-gen Boxster recently began making the rounds.
via:motorauthority

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Nürburgring: Audi RS3 Mule First Spy Photos

According to a recent report, Michael Dick, a member of Audi's board of management for technical development has stated that the company is considering building a new RS3 – and here’s the first pictures that prove the car is in fact rolling. We snapped a mule of Audi’s future pocket-rocket testing at the Nürburgring.

First unveiled in the upcoming TT-RS, the RS3's 2.5-litre 5-cylinder engine utilises a turbo to force out 250kW (340hp) and 450Nm of torque through the quattro AWD system. Anticipating that the RS3's weight will be almost the same as the TT-RS, we think it's safe to use the TT-RS's performance specs as the standard of comparisson here. The 0 - 100km/h dash should be achieved in about 4.6 seconds and an optional unlimited top speed will be 280 km/h (173.98 mph). This kind of performance is approaching RS4 territory but at a considerably lower price.

The car spotted has S3 badges, but we can already see larger air intakes in the front bumper.

Power will very likely come from Audi’s 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbocharged engine, that develops 340 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque.

Same engine is under the new TT RS. We expect RS3 to hit 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in around 4.6 seconds while the top speed is around 288 km/h (179 mph)

Stay tuned, as we will be seeing more test mules with new details in the near future.
via:evo.co.uk

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