Grosjean is Roc Champ
Lotus F1 driver Romain Grosjean claimed the 2012 Race of
Champions (ROC) title at last December's event, held at the Rajamangala Stadium
in Bangkok, Thailand. The Frenchman, notorious for his "wild" starts
during the previous Formula One season, instead delivered consistent
performances to best more experienced drivers such as ex-Formula One pilot
David Coulthard and seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher in the knockout
stages to reach the finals.
Lotus F1 driver
Romain Grosjean claimed the 2012 Race of Champions
The last race was a best-of-three shootout between Grosjean
and Tom Kristensen, who holds the record for the most number of wins (eight) at
the 24 Hours of Le Mans. By winning two consecutive heats, Grosjean not only
avenged Team France's loss to Team Germany at the ROC Nations Cup, he also
denied Kristensen the individual ROC victory he had sought for the past 12 years.
Rallying pug
Peugeot Sport, the French carmaker’s motorsport division,
has begun testing its latest rally machine, the 208 Type R5. Based on the
street-legal 208 hatchback, the Type R5 succeeds the previous 207 Super 2000,
which won six IRC (Intercontinental Rally Challenge) championships.
Unlike its predecessor, which had a naturally aspirated 2 liter
motor, the Type R5 will have a 1.6-litre turbo as prescribed by FIA
regulations. The car, however, will continue to feature all-wheel drive and a
5-speed sequential gearbox.
The 208 Type R5
The 208 Type R5, which costs 180,000 euros ($234,000), will
be sold to teams participating in the IRC and European Rally Championship.
Fast goblet
Porsche has unveiled the all-new 911 GT3 Cup, which will be
fielded in the German marque’s own one-make series, the Porsche Mobil 1 Super-cup.
The GT3 is the first racecar based on the seventh-generation 911, and hints at
what fans can expect from the road going GT3.
Porsche Mobil 1
Super-cup
Motivating this track missile is a 3.8-liter flat-6 that
sends 460bhp (10bhp more than the previous model) to the rear wheels via a
6-speed gearbox. In a first for this model series, the transmission will be
operated using a pair of paddle-shifters.
The car's stopping power is supposedly enhanced by the new
braking system, which features 380mm slotted and ventilated steel discs
all-round, with 6-pot aluminum calipers up front and 4-pot calipers at the
rear. Each car comes only in white paintwork and commands a base price of
181,200 euros ($235,560).
Back on track
Bentley is hoping to return to the racetrack by year-end
with its new Continental GT3 model, which is currently being developed in
conjunction with technical partner M-Sport. Based on the road going Continental
GT, the GT3 will feature wider, ground-hugging bodywork in addition to the
usual raft of uprated powertrain as well as chassis components.
Bentley
Continental GT3
The announcement of the GT3 racer also means that the
British carmaker is readying the successor to the Continental Super-sports -
the marque's most powerful model to date. Bentley's last motorsport appearance
was at the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans race, where it won the LMP1 class.
Focused cornering
Ford Focus ST
Owners of the latest Ford Focus ST who want to enhance their
hot hatch's cornering ability even more might want to check out KW's Variant 3
coilovers. Targeted at serious enthusiasts, these adjustable coilovers have 12
levels of compression and 16 damper settings, and should help the driver find
his preferred handling balance for both track and everyday driving. The kit
also allows the Focus ST's ride height to be lowered by 25mm to 40mm in front,
and by 20mm to 35mm at the back. KW suspension components are distributed
locally by Autovox.
Updated 12C GT3
McLaren Automotive
McLaren Automotive is working to produce the next batch of
12C GT3s for the upcoming race season, following the car's successful track
debut last year which saw it take 19 victories at 14 different race series.
Upgrades to the 2013 model will include a modified ECU, an improved aerodynamic
package that helps to reduce under-steer, and a revised wiring loom. The
cooling system will also be tweaked to help the car run more reliably in warmer
climates. This should be good news for Singapore-based Team Clearwater Racing,
which will campaign its new 12C GT3 contender at this year's GT Asia Series.
Future furniture
Petrol heads who want to look "fast" even when
they're sitting still will probably be drawn to Audi's R18 Ultra Chair. Made
following the brand's focus of using strong but lightweight materials, each
chair is made of carbon fiber and aluminum, and weighs only 2.2kg.
The chair's design was honed at the 2012 Milan Furniture
Fair, where over 1,500 people "test-sat" a prototype to help Audi
engineers optimize its stability and comfort level
Digital Suits
Motorcyclists with a penchant for racing history will have
fun with the Dainese iPad app. It incorporates an "archive" based on
a real room at the Italian company's Vicenza headquarters filled with the
leather riding suits the brand has produced throughout its 40-year history, as
well as the famous racers who have donned them.
D-air suit
Apart from this "digital closet", users can also
read about the firm's many innovations: from back protectors to the current
D-air suit, which has its very own airbag. For even more biker apparel.
Stinging sensation
Corvette fans can now "test-drive” the new Chevrolet
Corvette Stingray - albeit virtually - on some of the world's most famous
racetracks after they download the car in Gran Turismo 5, the popular racing
game made for the Playstation 3 console.
Chevrolet Corvette
Stingray
As the most potent standard-production Corvette, the
Stingray is likely to be just as electrifying to drive in the real world thanks
to its 6.2-litre V8 engine, which produces 450bhp and supposedly propels the
coupe from a standstill to 100km/h in under four seconds.
Racy Toyotas
Toyota shed its normally conservative image for last month's
Tokyo Auto Salon (one of the world's largest custom car shows), in a 10-car
display that included the 86 TRD Griffon and Gazoo Racing's GRMN Yaris Turbo
concept.
This 86’s 2-liter
boxer engine was left untouched – its output is still rated at 200bhp
To make the Yaris go from perky to zippy, the sub-compact's
1.5-litre engine was turbocharged, boosting its output from 107bhp/141Nm to a
healthier 148bhp/205Nm. Complementing this performance boost are the upgraded
brake and suspension components, along with sport seats and aluminum pedals for
the cockpit.
On the other hand, going from sporty to track-ready is the
86 Griffon. TRD (Toyota Racing Development) swapped out most of the coupe's
metal body panels, such as the doors, roof, bonnet and boot lid for carbon
fiber pieces, which helped to cut the vehicle's 1.3-tonne mass by over 200kg.
Together with extensive suspension and drivetrain mods, this
86 allegedly 86ed (killed) a Ferrari 458 Italia by lapping Japan's Tsukuba
circuit nearly half a second quicker than the Italian Exoticar.
The GRMN mods also
include restyled front and rear bumpers, and upsized wheels
Hyundai's WRC plans
Hyundai is ramping up its preparations for a full-time
return to WRC (World Rally Championship) in 2014 by appointing Michel Nandan
(right), former technical director of Peugeot Motorsport, as
its team principal. The Korean carmaker is hoping the move will help in the
progress of its i20 WRC challenger, which is still in the development stage.
Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
To display its determination even further, the Korean
carmaker has also established Hyundai Motorsport GmbH, a
subsidiary based in Alzenau, Germany. Hyundai's last WRC
appearance was in 2003, when it competed with its three-door Accent model.
