Golf GTI shines at opening round of TCR season in Dubai

Liqui Moly Team Engstler made a perfect start to the season with the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR. Drivers Luca Engstler, Florian Thoma, Benjamin Leuchter and Jean-Karl Vernay claimed a TCR class victory in the 24-hour race in Dubai which was also the victory in the TCE touring cars category. As at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, the 350-bhp-strong Golf GTI finished ahead of all the GT4 cars in Dubai, underlining its reputation as something of a surprise package on the sports car scene.

The Golf GTI TCR, which was prepared perfectly on site and entered by Liqui Moly Team Engstler, overcame the extreme demands of a 24-hour race and ran like clockwork. Starting from third place in the TCR class, the team produced a consistently strong performance and refused to be put off by the large field, with a total of 89 cars. The number 130 Golf GTI TCR had moved up to second place in its class by the halfway point of the race. Franz Engstler’s team had the ideal strategy for the closing stages of the race, pulling clear of the chasing pack and refusing to relinquish the lead.

Engstler and his fellow drivers – reigning TCR International Series champion, Jean-Karl Vernay, the 2017 champion in the TCR class of the VLN Endurance Championship, Benjamin Leuchter, and touring car newcomer Florian Thoma – appear to have formed a successful team right from the word go in 2018

Racing Porsches...

2017 WRC

Now if someone could tie up (well pay for) this car, Andreas Mikkelsen and (a soon to be unemployed) Jost Capito they'd have a winning team!!!

'British' 924 Carrera GT Le Mans returns 'home' for restoration.

The number 2 Porsche 924 Carrera GT Le Mans raced at the iconic French 24 Hours endurance motor sport event in 1980 as part of an innovative three-car, international team. Car #2 (the British entry) comprised Tony Dron and Andy Rouse and they finished the 24 Hours in 12^th place.

The car is now undergoing a full restoration before returning to race tracks across Britain - Porsche Classic centres in Britain are restoring the car in time for the 40^th anniversary of the launch of the 924 in 1976, the first model in the so-called ‘transaxle’ series of Porsche cars, with their front engines and gearboxes located in combination with the rear-driven axle.

The 924 Carrera GT Le Mans.

 Since its earliest days, Porsche has taken lessons from the race track and applied them in the development of its road cars – and vice versa. The 924 Carrera GT Le Mans was no exception. Taking as its basis the 210 hp 924 Carrera GT road car, famous Porsche racing engineer, Norbert Singer, was given the task of creating a fully-fledged racing car. Singer and the engineering staff at the Porsche Motorsport team at Weissach, near Stuttgart, Germany, drafted a relatively modest list of modifications. Under the product code Type 937, a production Carrera GT bodyshell was stiffened considerably with the addition of an aluminium roll-cage, and the exterior bodywork was clothed in new lightweight plastic panels. These extended to the nose, which was made more aerodynamic while keeping the appearance of the 924, and also helped to shroud the wider 11-inch front wheels and 12-inch wide rear wheels with racing Dunlop slick tyres.
The front cross-member was welded in place to increase cornering stiffness, and although the MacPherson strut front suspension was retained, titanium springs and Bilstein gas dampers were fitted. At the rear, however, the torsion bars were supplemented with titanium coil springs. The driveshafts were also made of titanium (in fact, they were taken from the ferocious 911-derived 935 race car) and the rear differential was fully locked for maximum traction.
Under the bonnet, the engine was relatively straightforward. The VW-based 1,984 cc, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder underwent some modifications to help with airflow and cooling; the KKK turbocharger was moved to the left side of the engine, and the intercooler increased in size and moved to the front. Bosch/Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection replaced the production specification K-Jetronic, and dry-sump lubrication ensured consistent oil supply under racing loads.
As a consequence, power output rose by 50% from the 210 hp / 6,000 rpm of the road car to 320 hp / 7,000 rpm, with a 40% boost in torque. Combined with a weight reduction to 930 kg from 1,180 kg, the car’s performance leapt forwards. For a Le Mans racer, top speed is a prime focus and maximum velocity rose to 180 mph; large ventilated and cross-drilled brake discs (borrowed from the 917) were employed to slow the cars after the Mulsanne Straight.
In the context of the recent success at Le Mans with prototypes vying for outright wins (and already by 1980 Porsche had an enviable record of triumphs in the 24 Hours), there was some mixed feelings regarding the relative performance of these brave 924 Carrera GTP race cars. However, a suggestion by Porsche Cars GB to run the cars in the national identities of Britain, Germany and the US, with national drivers and exterior liveries, saw the programme gain a welcome boost internally at Porsche AG and also generate wide media interest.

In the event, external factors prior to the 1980 Le Mans start, saw Derek Bell switch to the American #3 car with US driver Al Holbert, and the #2 British car was shared by the proven pair of Tony Dron and Andy Rouse, and the #4 German car was driven by Jürgen Barth and Manfred Schurti.
A wet start to the Le Mans 24 Hours race itself saw the modest expectations of qualifying transformed considerably, with Bell running 16^th overall after one hour followed by Barth in 22^nd and Rouse in 28^th. By nightfall, the three 924 Carrera GTP race cars were running 10^th, 14^th, and 15^th and by breakfast time on Sunday morning they had moved up to sixth, seventh and eighth.
At the chequered flag, the #4 German car finished in sixth place, a remarkable achievement for the 924 Carrera GTP in what was not only the car’s debut at Le Mans but also the first time the 924 model had been entered by the Porsche factory in motor sport. The #2 British car crossed the line in 13^th position, one place behind the #3 American entry.
In line with the Porsche ethos of race to road technology transfer, the 1980 Le Mans programme inspired the production of 59 examples of a new 924 GTS model that was homologated for competition use, plus a further 19 examples of the higher-powered GTR offered in full Le Mans race specification for customer motorsport (and priced at 180,000 Deutschmarks).
In a fitting post-script, in the 1981 Le Mans 24 Hours, the Porsche factory entered a 924 GTP which with a large 410 hp 2,479 cc four cylinder engine was technically a prototype of the forthcoming 2.5-litre 944 road car. Driven by Jürgen Barth and Walter Röhrl, it won the GTP class category and placed seventh overall. Of three privately-entered 924 Carrera GTR cars, the top finisher was the car of Andy Rouse and Manfred Schurti, in 11^th place.

Volkswagen Motorsport, Marklund Motorsport and the FIA World Rallycross Championship

Swedish Rallycross team Marklund Motorsport have agreed an exclusive three-year partnership with Volkswagen Motorsport (current World Rally Championship champions) for the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Marklund Motorsport recently unveiled 2013 GRC Champion Toomas ‘Topi’ Heikkinen as their lead driver for next two seasons and Topi along with teammate Anton Marklund will line-up in their new Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo RX Supercars at round one of the FIA World Rallycross in Montalegre, Portugal on May 3rd.

Jan Marklund, Marklund Motorsport team owner, believes Volkswagen's involvement gives the team the perfect platform to back-up its ambitions for title success. He said "Volkswagen’s pedigree in motorsport is there for everyone to see, there is no better manufacturer for us to be partnered with than the current WRC champions. Volkswagen is looking to make an immediate global impact in the world of Rallycross and I’m happy that Marklund Motorsport is their chosen partner for the FIA World Rallycross Championship."

The announcement comes just days after the officially supported Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team announced it was contesting the Global Rallycross Championship with a pair of Polos before switching to new GRC specific Beetles later in the season. With support from Volkswagen America the team will be pushing for the championship title with drivers Tanner Foust and Scott Speed.

Rally Sweden - Volkswagen 1, 2 & 6

Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila claimed victory on Rally Sweden today, having been in the top 4 from the start Latvala was able to master the ever changing conditions and was also able to fend off his teammates Andreas Mikkelsen / Mikko Markkula. Mikkelsen took second overall and his first ever WRC podium having challenge for outright victory throughout the whole event.

Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia recovered from the mistake of yesterday to take 6th overall, setting a string of fastest stage times along the way. Whilst Rally Sweden is disappointing for the French duo they have been able to keep their championship challenge on track.

Sweden marked Volkswagen Motorsport's the first victory of a dominant season last year, this year they looked even more impressive!

Day 3 Rally Sweden

At the end of the third days rallying in Sweden Volkswagen Motorsport drivers remain first and second overall, although during a dramatic day of rallying excitement and problems changed the look of the leaderboard dramatically.

Overnight leaders Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia plummeted down the leaderboard on the first stage of the day having spent over 4 minutes stuck in a snow bank. Ogier accepted full responsibility for the driver error blaming a lack of concentration. Having clipped a snow bank and got sucked into the duo then needed help to dig the car out before they could continue.

Andreas Mikkelsen / Mikko Markkula took the rally lead on the first stage and then became embroiled in a tight battle with teammates Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila for the top podium spot. Latvala really seemed to revel in the battle overtaking Mikkelsen and very gradually extending his slender lead.

With road conditions varying from snow and ice to gravel and standing water the drivers had to balance outright pace with tyre and car preservation. Despite this Ogier began a charge back up the leader board, finishing the day with 6 fastest stage times having recovered from 20th overall to 9th by the end of the final stage of day 3.

Day 4 sees the longest stages of the rally and there remains plenty of excitement left in the 2014 Rally Sweden.


Rally Sweden leader board after day 3

1.		J. Latvala
2.		A. Mikkelsen
3.		M. Østberg
4.		M. Hirvonen
5.		O. Tanak
6.		K. Meeke
7.		H. Solberg
8.		P. Tidemand
9.		S. Ogier
10.		E. Evans

Day 1 Rally Sweden

Andreas Mikkelsen / Mikko Markkula lead the Swedish rally after the first day of rallying. The Volkswagen Motorsport pair lead teammates (and current world champions) Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia with the third Volkswagen Motorsport Polo R WRC of Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila sitting in fourth overall after today's Super Special stage in Karstad.

Tomorrow sees the teams head off into the Swedish forests before a quick trip across the border into Norway for a set of four stages (2 stages run twice) before heading back into Sweden for the final stage of the day.

With temperatures expected to be hovering around freezing snow, ice, gravel, studs and the lack of all or any of these are expected to be the main talking points. Gravel in the stages and the resultant stud loss from the tyres is causing concern tonight for the drivers - the quickest driver may turn out to be the one who can nurse their tyres the best.


Rally Sweden leader board at the end of day 1:-

1.		A. Mikkelsen
2.		S. Ogier
3.		O. Tanak
4.		J-M. Latvala
5.		M. Hirvonen
6.		H. Solberg
7.		M. Østberg
8.		J. Hänninen
9.		T. Neuville
10.		K. Meeke

Rally Sweden

 

All three Volkswagen Motorsport drivers expressed concern at the changing levels of grip (and lack of snow) on the Official Rally Sweden - all of them voising worries about how they will be able to keep the studs in their winter tyres whilst driving competitively on the gravel strewn stages.

The drivers took differing approaches to the earlier shakedown stage with both Sebastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen opting for a cautious approach (aiming to save their tyres/studs for the first stages of the rally later tonight) whilst Jari-Matti Latvala drove harder and set the second fastest time overall.

Marklund Motorsport in the FIA World Rallycross Championship

 
Swedish Rallycross outfit Marklund Motorsport is delighted to announce that 2013 GRC Champion Toomas ‘Topi’ Heikkinen will lead the team in their bid for title success this coming season. The 22-year-old Finn signs for Marklund Motorsport on the back of a dominant season behind the wheel – taking two X Games gold medals, AKK Driver of the Year and the overall GRC title - and joins the team alongside Anton Marklund, who now heads into his second season in the Supercar Class.

Heikkinen, Marklund and the team will debut brand new Marklund Motorsport-built Volkswagen Polo RX Supercars in 2014 following a year of testing and developing the car last season, the team are aiming to be immediate title contenders in both driver and team championships.

Marklund Motorsport now continue their preparations for the 2014 season, which will see them compete in the newly formed FIA World Rallycross Championship and the summer X Games at COTA in Austin, USA.

Porsche at the 24 Hours of Daytona

 

Porsche factory drivers Richard Lietz, Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet won the highly-competitive GTLM class of the 24 Hours of Daytona race in Florida in their Porsche 911 RSR run by the Porsche North America factory squad. This was the 76^th class win and the 40^th for the Porsche 911, ensuring that Porsche remain the most successful manufacturer in the history of the 24 Hours of Daytona.

The 52^nd running of the Daytona 24 hour race marked the first time that Porsche ran a works team in US sports car racing - the newly-formed team ‘Porsche North America'. The debut race was a complete success with the number 911 works car successfully fending off all the challenges from their factory-run BMW, Viper and Chevrolet rivals. The number 912 of Patrick Long, Michael Christensen and Jörg Bergmeister had been running in second place until it was sidelined with an engine fault.

The 470 hp Porsche is based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car and celebrated its race debut last season, scoring a brilliant double victory on its first outing at the Le Mans 24 Hours. The American works team is part of Porsche's 2014 motorsport campaign "Mission 2014. Our Return".

The new Porsche 911 GT America (purpose-built for the Tudor United SportsCar Championship) enjoyed a successful debut in the GTD class with Madison Snow, Jan Heylen and Germany's Marco Seefried finishing second in class a less than one second shy of the winner - after 24 hours of competition!

Volkswagen Polo R WRC

To defend their Driver and Team WRC World Championship titles Volkswagen Motorsport are using an improved rather than new version of their 2013 rally car. There have been no major alterations rather the Volkswagen team have opted to concentrate on fine tuning a few vital areas. Thus the 2014 Polo R WRC boasts altered engine mapping, revised set-up for the drive train and optimised suspension.

All of these alterations are pretty much impossible to spot meaning all that the only change most rally fans and spectators will notice is the slightly different colour scheme.

ŠKODA Fabia R5

ŠKODA has announced that the current Fabia S2000 rally car will be succeeded by an all-new model, the Fabia R5. The Fabia R5 will undergo an intense development programme will begin at ŠKODA Motorsport's Mlada Boleslav base in early 2014, ahead of a competition debut in 2015.

Confirming the Fabia R5 programme, Michal Michal Hrabánek, ŠKODA Motorsport Director, said: "The new R5 rally car will be equipped with a 1.6-litre turbo engine, in accordance with FIA regulations. That's a big change compared to today's naturally-aspirated, two-litre petrol engines. The R5 category succeeds the previous Super 2000 class. This way, we are able to continue to compete successfully in international championships and to push ahead with our customer programme. Entering the R5 class is a logical step for ŠKODA. As it stands, we are assuming that the new car will be homologated by mid-2015."

The announcement of the Fabia R5 follows another remarkable season for both ŠKODA Motorsport and the Fabia S2000. With overall victories in three international and six national championships, ŠKODA has enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in its 112-year motorsport history. ŠKODA will continue to campaign the current Fabia S2000 in 2014. The brand will enter cars on selected rounds of both the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) and the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC). Current ERC Champions Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler will tackle the APRC, while rising star Esapekka Lappi will line up in the ERC with co-driver Janne Ferm. In addition, the German pairing of Sepp Wiegand/Frank Christian (ŠKODA AUTO Deutschland), will also contest rounds of the ERC in a factory-prepared Fabia S2000.

First shown at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show the S2000 Fabia was one of the most successful rally cars of the Super 2000 era and the most successful rally car in ŠKODA's 112-year motorsport history. Having recorded 27 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) event victories and three overall driver and manufacturer titles, the Fabia S2000 has won more IRC events than any other car. Andreas Mikkelsen became the first back-to-back champion driving for ŠKODA UK Motorsport in 2011 and 2012. 

Building on these triumphs, factory driver Jan Kopecký took the 2013 European Rally Championship (ERC) title with a commanding season-long performance.

Further afield, the Fabia S2000 has also recorded series victories in both the Super 2000 World Championship (SWRC) with Juho Hanninen and the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) with Chris Atkinson and Gaurev Gill.

Paraguyan Gustavo Saba won both the FIA Codasur South American Rally Championship and the Paraguayan Championship in 2013, with ŠKODA drivers accumulating a further five national titles in Austria (Raimund Baumschlager), Italy (Umberto Scandola), Bulgaria (Dimitar Iliev), Jordan (Marouf Abu Samra) and Portugal (Ricardo Moura).

Audi Sport and the 2014 DTM

Audi Sport will contest the 2014 DTM championship with 2 former DTM champions as well as the current (2013) champion all using a new for 2014 Audi RS5 DTM. Thus the Audi Sport team will consist of Mattias Ekström (2004 and 2007 DTM champion), Timo Scheider (2008 and 2009 DTM champion) as well as current champion Mike Rokenfellar. Audi were the first (and only) manufacturer to clinch three back-to-back driver championships and are hoping their team of champions can bring another title back to Ingolstadt.

 

The remaining 5 seats in the Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg Audi teams are yet to be filled although Audi DTM team boss Dieter Gass expects the seats to be filled with drivers capable of extracting the maximum performance available from the RSMs.