Kicherer E Class.

German tuner Kircherer {link} have unveiled their styling and performance package for the new AMG E Class.

Carbon is used widely in the body styling products thus the front spoiler, rear spoiler, rear bumper insert and mirror covers are all light weight carbon. All the styling items are designed to fit an E Class that has the AMG styling packet fitted already (Kircherer are well known and respected AMG specialists).

Kircherer already have a few engine tuning kits available for the new E Class with others under development.

A suspension kit is already on offer as is a performance exhaust sytem.

The interior also attracts Kircherer's attention gaining a sports steering wheel, carbon dash and door inserts as well as extra leather detailing.

Expect more tuning options from Kircherer for the E Class and other Mercedes to follow soon.

ALMS Miller Motorsports Park.

GT2 in the Utah Grand Prix, second round of the ALMS {link} was very much a Porsche benefit as the Jörg Bergmeister / Patrick Long Flying Lizard Motorsports {link} Porsche 911 GT3 RSR took a dominant 74 second victory from the Farnbacher Loles Racing {link} 911 GT3 RSR of Marc Lieb and Wolf Henzler. Porsches also finished 5th (Johannes Stuck / Nicky Pastorelli – VICI Racing {link}) and 6th (Johannes van Overbeek / Seth Nieman – Flying Lizard Motorsports) in GT2.
BMW’s E92 M3s, run by Rahal Letterman Racing {link}, finished 8th and 9th in GT2 showing increased performance and better reliability.

Winners of the Challenge class in their Snow Motorsport run Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car were husband and wife team Martin and Melanie Snow.

DTM Hockenheim.

Germany’s premier touring car championship, the DTM {link}, got underway last weekend at Hockenheim. With north Audi and Mercedes investing large amounts of time and effort into their challenges the racing is always close fought and entertaining.
Preseason testing had indicated that Mercedes had a clear speed advantage and the race at Hockenheimring was expected to favour those driving cars with three pointed stars.
Interestingly the race proved to be an Audi benefit with Tom Kristensen leading home another 3 Audis as the Ingolstadt marque locked out the top 4 overall positions. But for a late puncture the top 5 positions would have been held by Audi as erstwhile race leader Mattias Ekstrom surrendered his 9 second lead when he pitted to change his punctured left rear tyre.
Fifth overall and the honour of being the top Mercedes driver fell to Paul di Resta although he was some 21 seconds behind the victorious Audi of Kristensen.
Kristensen ended an almost 3 year draught of DTMs wins at Hockenheim and heads into the next race at EuroSpeedway Lausitz (31st May) in buoyant mood.

WTCC Pau.

BMW’s fortunes improved dramatically at Pau, France last weekend in the latest World Touring Car Championship {link} rounds, with a bizarre accident robbing them of an excellent result.
Race 1 on the tight and twisty street circuit saw a return to full competitiveness for BMW as their 3 series touring cars took 6 of the top 7 places as well as having claimed pole position. Unfortunately the BMWs finished 2nd to 7th with the podium’s top step being occupied by a Chevrolet. None the less the result was greeted with jubilation by the Bavarian marque who had endured a disappointing 4 races prior to this.
Race 2 was developing into an even better situation for BMW until the first corner! BMW drivers Jorg Muller and Andy Priaulx tangled with both paying visits to the unforgiving Armco barriers surrounding the track. Priaulx suffered rear bumper damage whilst Muller limped back to the pits for repairs.
Turn 2 saw BMW’s misery increase further as two more of its cars made contact with each other and the scenery. This time Felix Porteiro and Sergio Hernandez clashed after Porteiro clipped a kerb stone resulting in damage to both cars with Hernandez’ ending up burning!
Just when things couldn’t have got any worse for BMW and their drivers, race leader Franz Engstler came across the slow moving safety car with no prior warning. Travelling at race speed Engstler was unable to avoid hefty contact with not only the safety car but the barrier too. Engstler went from leading the race to an instant retirement.After the carnage and a re-start BMW managed to secure 2, 4th and 5th with Augusto Farfus taking 2nd overall for the second race in succession. Farfus is also 2nd in the championship as it moves on to Valencia in 2 weeks time.

BTCC Donington.

A wet Donington Park hosted the latest 3 rounds of the British Touring Car Championship {link} last weekend with damp conditions being the order of the day.
Whilst Opel’s sister company Vauxhall retain the lead of both driver’s and team’s championship it is with reduced margins.
The non-factory BMW teams struggled a little in the first 2 races with Rob Collard (Airwaves BMW) picking up a 4th place in race 1 and Colin Turkington (Team RAC) collecting a 5th place in race 2.
It all came together well on the drying Donington Park track in race 3 where Collard lead home Turkington to a BMW 1 – 2.
Turkington leads the independent driver’s championship from Collard whilst Airwaves BMW leads Team RAC in the independent team’s championship.

Gemballa Tornado 750 GTS

The first thing that strikes anyone viewing the Gemballa Tornado 750 GTS is its body styling. Svelte and subtle it is not with bulges and air intakes all over the front, including the 70mm longer (than standard) forward opening bonnet. The bonnet isn't the only part of the Tornado 750 GTS that has been lengthened, the front and rear bumper/spoiler combinations have also been extended compared to the standard Porsche Cayenne. Whilst dimensions have increased weight has actually reduced, impressively the all carbon body styling is estimated to reduce the weight of the Tornado 750 GTS by 250kgs in comparison to a standard Cayenne.

The weight saving is doubly useful when one considers the power and torque of the tuned engine Gemballa {link} have produced for the Tornado 750 GTS. From its now 5 litre turbocharged engine the Gemballa Tornado 750 GTS produces a very impressive 750PS and 1050Nm of torque. Enough power to propel this über-Cayenne to 62mph from rest in 4.3 seconds and on to a top speed in excess of 185mph. The extreme front body styling draws air into the engine, larger intercooler, radiator and brakes as well as actually drawing air away from hot areas in the engine bay too. Exhaust gases exit the engine through a custom designed exhausts system with 4 tailpipes.

With such explosive performance available Gemballa have had to improve the suspension and brakes considerably. Behind the 12x22" wheels, covered by 335/25 tyres, sit huge brakes (415mm diameter front and 380mm diameter rear) which offer excellent and durable braking. The handling has been radically altered and improved, the Gemballa Tornado 750 GTS sits some 70mm lower on coilover suspension. Even so the 750 GTS is no out-and-out sports car and has a higher centre of gravity than would be considered perfect for a car with 750PS.

Gemballa have created a sumptuous, refined and yet sporty interior with 4 sports seats, full leather and carbon seating, dash and door panels.

Exclusivity is assured as Gemballa are limiting the production of the £370,000 Tornado 750 GTS to 50 worldwide. Interested parties should contact Gemballa's Leonberg offices quickly as the über-Cayenne offers such performance that Gemballa are unlikely to struggle selling out, even in these difficult economic times.

AC Schnitzer ASC3.

BMW tuners AC Schnitzer {link} offer a complete tuning package for drivers of the current BMW 3 series. The ASC3 range covers everything from performance upgrades to styling and wheels.

The ACS3 exterior styling range includes front and rear spoilers (roof mounted for the 3 series Touring and boot mounted for the saloon), side skirts and mirrors. Designed to fit to BMWs with or without the M Technic pack the ACS3 styling is classic AC Schnitzer; purposeful, exceptionally well made yet slightly understated and fully in keeping with the original design of the 3 series.

Power upgrades range from 177PS to 360PS and cover diesel and petrol engines, the M3 receives its own stand alone tuning package. To complement the various engine tuning options available Schnitzer also offer an uprated limited slip differential as well as a performance exhaust system too.

With a selection of wheel designs and sizes available the BMW 3 series driver is almost spoilt for choice. The new range topping 9 & 10x20" wheels are certainly most impressive but the 17" wheels may be a more sensible choice in these harsh economic times. The option of 8 pot front brake calipers seems like a worthwhile investment for the most powerful ASC3s.

Helping keep the wheels in contact with the road at all times are a selection of suspension kits. Depending on use and budget AC Schnitzer can supply springs, springs and dampers, coilover suspension or a full race suspension kit. In addition there are also uprated anti roll bars as well as front and rear strut braces on offer.

Schnitzer have also improved the interior styling of the current BMW 3 series including having the option of a gear knob with digital display (showing what gear is selected). Other items include carbon dash and door inserts, aluminium pedals and velour mats as well as a 3 spoke sports steering wheel in a choice of two finishes.

AC Schnitzer's ACS3 tuning kits cover every aspect of the current 3 series BMW and allow a driver greater performance, exclusivity and extra style all at reasonable cost.

Brabus SV 12 S.

Brabus {link} are respected worldwide for their ability to take a Mercedes Benz and tune it to a level thought impossible by many. The SV 12 S is, possibly, the most tuned a road practical SL can be.

Brabus have breathed their technical wizardry onto and into the 6.3 litre twin turbo V12 resulting in 730PS and 1100Nm of torque (a little less than the same engined fitted in the Brabus Rocket). Combine this extreme power and torque with an uprated gearbox and limited slip differential and the SV 12 S will sprint from 0-62mph in 4 seconds carrying on accelerating right until the electronic regulator calms everything down at around 215mph!

Decelerating from the speeds the SV 12 S is capable is handled by huge, racing inspired brakes. 12 pot calipers exert the pressure on the front axle whilst 6 pot calipers are used on the rear, disks are 375mm x 36mm front and 355mm x 28mm rear, naturally vented and drilled.

The Brabus SV 12 S sits 25mm lower thanks to an electronic module that interacts with the suspension, stiffer anti-roll bars keep the car level through the corners. 9x20" (front) and 10½x20" (rear) wheels fitted with 255/30 and 305/25 tyres respectively transmit the power to the ground.

Front and rear spoilers and side skirts improve the standard SL aesthetics whilst LED daytime driving lights, long range driving lamps and fog lights help the SV 12 S driver to not only see but to be seen too.

New Volkswagen TSI and TDI engines.

Volkswagen are leaders in engine "downsizing" with their TSI concept offering large capacity engine perfromance from small capacity engines. The idea behind this so-called downsizing is that a smaller capacity engines are more economical, efficient and environmentally friendly (as well as cheaper to tax in many countries).

The latest TSI engine from Volkswagen debuted in Austria recently, the 1.2TSI. Destined for the both the new Polo and Golf the 1.2TSI offers all the benefits of a small capacity petrol engine but with 105PS and maximum torque from 1500rpm.

To compliment the 1.2TSI Volkswagen have also launched a 1.6 TDI engine which will, once again, debut later this year in both the Polo and Golf. Available with 3 different performance levels this new TDI engine is likely to become the staple diesel engine in the small Volkswagen range. The 1.6TDI will be available with 75PS, 90PS and 105PS.

Both the 1.2TSI and 1.6TDI will, naturally, fully comply with the Euro 5 emission regulations and should be available with both manual and DSG transmissions.

Vauxhall (Opel) Astra

The first official pictures of the new Vauxhall Astra {link} have been released today. The Astra, which is responsible for approx 30% of all Vauxhall {link} sales, takes its styling cues from the well received Insignia. (Opel sales figures for the Astra also average out at approx 30% of total car sales)

The British made Astra is due to offer Adaptive Damping as standard and Adaptive Forward Lighting as an option both of which are new to its class. Adaptive Damping will offer the Astra driver a choice of three settings pre-determined damper settings, Standard - Sport - Tour, although each setting will react and adapt to driving style and corner speeds. This, in conjunction with a 71mm longer chassis than the current Astra, is expected to ensure class leading ride refinement and excellent handling characteristics.

All 8 engines available at the launch of the new Astra will comply to the latest Euro 5 emission regulations. A new petrol engine debuts in the Astra, the new 140PS turbocharged 1.4 litre petrol engine offers the emission and consumption of a small capacity engine with the performance of a larger sized engine.

Vauxhall are aiming to make the new Astra a premium product and promise the interior will follow the same concept as that seen in the Insignia (as this article was written there were no pictures or information available about the interior).

The Astra is being launched at September's Frankfurt Motorshow with both Vauxhall and Opel sales starting before the end of the year.

Spanish Grand Prix.

The Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona hosted the latest round of the Formula 1 World Championship and saw a familiar driver and team combination standing atop the podium.

Once again Brawn GP, a Mercedes engine and Jenson Button took victory (making it 4 wins from 5 races this year), this time with the other Brawn driver, Rubens Barrichello, finishing second. The perfect result for Brawn GP {link} could have finished with either Button or Barrichello 1st overall but an issue with Barrichello's tyres saw him struggle to match Button's pace as the duo ran different pit strategies.

McLaren Mercedes {link} had yet another disappointing race weekend in 2009 with Heikki Kovalainen failing to finish and Lewis Hamilton finishing out of the championship points in a very uninspiring 9th overall.

Mercedes' last engine customer had an expensive weekend as Force India's Adrian Sutil became involved in the carnage of the first lap, resulting in considerable damage to his car and instant retirement. Giancarlo Fisichella, the other Force India driver, was the last classified finisher in 14th place.

At the last race the BMW Saubers were woeful eventually struggling round as the last two classified finishers. Barcelona saw a highly impressive transformation and a dramatic upturn in the teams fortunes. Both drivers proved to be competitive (although still lacking the outright pace of the Brawn GP cars) and the German / Swiss team {link} were rewarded by 7th (Nick Heidfeld) and 11th (Robert Kubica) at the end. Whilst these results are some way off the team's expected pace their are encouraging signs for the remainder of the season.

The teams now head off to Monaco {link} and the most famous and demanding Grand Prix of the year with Button holding a 34 point lead over team mate Barrichello in the driver's championship. Brawn GP are 29½ points clear in the team's championship.

Race results:~
1. Button Brawn GP / Mercedes
2. Barrichello Brawn GP / Mercedes
3. Webber Red Bull / Renault
4. Vettel Red Bull / Renault
5. Alonso Renault
6. Massa Ferrari
7. Heidfeld BMW Sauber
8. Rosberg Williams / Toyota
9. Hamilton McLaren Mercedes
10. Glock Toyota
11. Kubica BMW Sauber
12. Piquet Renault
13. Nakajima Williams / Toyota
14. Fisichella Force India / Mercedes
Retired Raikkonen Ferrari
Retired Kovalainen McLaren Mercedes
Retired Trulli Toyota
Retired Buemi Toro Rosso / Ferrari
Retired Bourdais Toro Rosso / Ferrari
Retired Sutil Force India/Mercedes

World Touring Car Championship, Marrakech.

The latest pair of WTCC {link} rounds were held in Marrakech, Morocco last weekend and were, unfortunately, none-to-kind to BMW.
Whilst Chevrolet were celebrating a double victory for their new Cruze BMW were left struggling with 4th overall in race 2 for Jörg Müller being their best result.
Race 1 was a disaster for the Bavarian marque with Müller being the highest placed BMW finisher in a highly disappointing 8th overall.
The championship table does not make pleasant reading for BMW at present with Andy Priaulx their highest placed driver in 7th, 27 points behind the championship leader.
The only slight glimmer of hope for BMW is that the results from both Moroccan races are still provisional whilst technical checks are carried out on other manufacturer’s cars.

British Formula 3 – honours even.

Victories in round three and four of the British F3 championship {link} were shared equally between Mercedes and Volkswagen powered teams.
Renger van der Zande took his Hitech run Dallara Mercedes to a dominant victory in race one at Silverstone last weekend (round 3 of the championship).
Victory in race 2 (round 4) fell to Daniel Ricciardo who took his Carlin prepared Dallara Volkswagen passed team mate Max Chilton in a daring late race manoeuvre to clinch victory.
Chilton’s weekend was slightly bitter-sweet having secured pole position for both races he was only able to finish 2nd and 3rd in races 1 and 2 of the weekend.
After his round 4 win Australian Ricciardo has stretched his championship lead to 28 points.

FIA GT4

Last weekend saw the first 2 rounds if the FIA GT4 European Cup & Supersport Championship {link}.

The GT4 class had a pair of BMW M3s entered for Kevin Veltman {link} (Genpact Racing) and André Grammatico and Pierre Brice Mena (Espace Bienvenue). Veltman took 8th and then 4th overall while the Espace Bienvenue car finished 9th in race one and retired from race 2.

The Supersport class is dominated by Audi powered cars with both the Donkervoort D8GT {link} and KTM X Bow GT4 {link} using Ingolstadt developed power plants.

Denis Donkervoort (Donkervoort D8GT) managed to claim victory in race 1 at Silverstone, finishing a remarkable 3rd overall. Stephane Wintenberger (Donkervoort D8GT) claimed 2nd with Augustin Eder (KTM X BOW GT4) taking 3rd from Nico Pronk (Donkervoort D8GT). Race 2 saw Eder win from Pronk with no others reaching the finish.

FIA GT2

Round 1 of the FIA GT Championship {link} took place at Silverstone last weekend and saw the Belgian ProSpeed Competition Porsche team {link} take victory in the GT2 class. After a hard fought race the ProSpeed 997 GT3 RSR of Emmanuel Collard and Richard Westbrook finished clear of a gaggle of following Ferraris.

FIA GT3

The FIA GT3 Championship {link} got underway at Silverstone with 2 races that saw impressive results for all 3 German manufacturers, especially the 2 who were debuting their cars.

Silverstone saw Team Rosberg {link} and Phoenix Racing {link} debut a pair of brand new Audi R8 LMS' each with impressive results. Team Rosberg's Nicolas Armindo and Cesar Campanico had the slightly better races claiming an impressive brace of 3rd positions (and claiming the R8 LMS' first podium finish in GT3) whilst Phoenix Racing's Christopher Haase and Chritsopher Mies claimed 2nd overall in race 2 after finishing an extremely disappointing 26th overall in race 1.

Mühlner Motorsport {link} Porsche's 997 GT3 Cup S narrowly missed out on podium positions with a 5th place finish in race 1 followed up by 6th in race 2, the Tim Bergmeister / Jaromir Jirik GT3 Cup S car did however manage to claim fastest overall race lap in race 2.

Alpina BMW {link} debuted their B6 GT3 car at Silverstone with impressive and encouraging results. Drivers Claudi Hürtgen and Walter Csaba drove the new car to 8th overall in the first race and then 7th overall in the second race. Michael Petit / Jose Manuel Balbiani and team mates Gilles Vannelet / Pierre-Brice Mena didn't have quite as much success in their Team MP Racing Alpina B6 GT3 as the Alpina cars with only Vannelet/Mena reaching the finish of either race (11th in race one.).