MotoGP;A. Espargaró et Suzuki partent du bon pied en Argentine / Aleix Espargaro and Suzuki dominate day one in Argentina

Aleix Espargaró a démontré que la nouvelle GSX-RR pouvait être compétitive vendredi à Termas de Río Hondo.

Aleix Espargaró (Team Suzuki Ecstar) a signé le meilleur de chacune des deux séances d’essais de vendredi au Grand Prix Red Bull de la République Argentine et était ainsi le premier pilote Suzuki à dominer une séance MotoGP™ depuis Álvaro Bautista à Valence en 2011. Le matin, l’Espagnol menait un classement assez surprenant qui s’expliquait par le fait que les pilotes sur prototypes Factory n’avaient utilisé qu’un seul jeu de pneus pour toute la première séance. Face à une piste sale sur laquelle les gommes s'usaient rapidement, les pilotes ont en effet préféré préserver un maximum de pneus pour la suite du week-end, quitte à sacrifier leurs positions sur le feuille de temps.

L’adhérence était nettement meilleure l’après-midi pour la seconde séance d’essais, au cours de laquelle les temps au tour ont nettement progressé. Quelques gouttes de pluie sont venues semer le doute un instant mais la piste est restée sèche et les pilotes ont ainsi eu l’opportunité de s’attaquer au chrono.

Aleix Espargaró a alors surpris en se maintenant à la première position avec un chrono de 1’38.776 qui lui conférait une demi-seconde d’avance sur Andrea Iannone (Ducati) et Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda), qui avait remporté l’épreuve argentine l’an dernier lors de la première venue du MotoGP™ à Termas de Río Hondo.

Impressionnant lors des essais libres à Austin, Cal Crutchlow (CWM LCR Honda) a de nouveau affiché un bon rythme et s’est classé quatrième.

Andrea Doviziso (Ducati) a pris la cinquième position devant Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Pol Espargaró (Monster Yamaha Tech3), Scott Redding (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) et Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), le leader du classement général, qui finissait neuvième à un peu plus d’une seconde du temps de référence.

Quatorzième, Nicky Hayden (Aspar MotoGP Team) a été le pilote Open le plus rapide et était à 1.7s du leader tandis que les Français Mike Di Meglio (Avintia Racing) et Loris Baz (Athinà Forward Racing) ont respectivement fini cette première journée aux vingt-troisième et vingt-quatrième positions.

Cliquez ici pour accéder au classement combiné.

Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Aleix Espargaro showed how competitive the new GSX-RR will be in Argentina by topping the first day of Practice.

The MotoGP™ paddock arrived at the 4.8 km Termas de Rio Hondo for the first day of practice at the Gran Premio de la República Argentina to be greeted by some rather ominous grey clouds overhead.

It is the second time that the MotoGP™ World Championship has visited the Termas de Rio Hondo, with Marc Marquez winning the inaugural race last season. There were two MotoGP™ Free Practice sessions on Friday with FP3 scheduled for tomorrow ahead of Qualifying, and the race on Sunday.

FP1 saw Suzuki head a MotoGP™ session for the first time since Alvaro Bautista set the fastest time in FP2 at Valencia in 2011, as Aleix Espargaro finished on top of the timesheets in a morning that threw up somesurprising results. The reasons for this seemed simple, as during the session most Factory and Satellite riders used just one set of tyres in an attempt to clean the dust off the racing line and increase grip-levels and didn't even attempt to set a flying lap.

Grip levels had improved considerably during FP2 at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit, leading to all of the riders setting improved lap times in the afternoon, although ten minutes into FP2 the rain that had threatened all day finally arrived. Luckily it was a short shower that only caused a brief delay to proceedings. After the rain, it was the usual frantic end to the session as riders went out on a fresh set of tyres to attempt a flying lap. Therefore surely normal service would be resumed during the afternoon and Marquez would be back at the top of the timesheets? Not quite!

Surprisingly, it was Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Aleix Espargaro who repeated his feat from the morning, proving that his pace from FP1 was no fluke as he finished on top of the timesheets with a 1’38.776, making use of the softer tyre option available to the team.

This time was made even more impressive by the fact that he managed to beat Dani Pedrosa’s Circuit Record from the 2014 race in the process, although he was still over a second off Marquez’s overall lap record, and completed a day to remember for the returning Factory team: “I’m happy, even though its just the first day. The feeling I have with this track is special and layout of the track is really good for our bike. I think we can still improve with the hard front tyre, which we will try tomorrow.”

Ducati Team’s Andrea Iannone (+0.535s) finished in 2nd on the Ducati Team GP15 as they once again demonstrated that the competitiveness of the new Desmosedici at a different circuit: “I am very happy with the performance, but I want to improve the feeling with the bike.”

The Italian discussed having to pull off track in FP1 with smoke pouring from his bike: “I had a problem, I understand their was oil coming down, so I turned off the engine.” His team later confirmed that they had replaced the engine in the bike with a new one.

Marc Marquez (+0.560s) on the Repsol Honda had no real answer to the pace of the Suzuki of Espargaro, explaining afterwards that he felt like he was sliding around a lot and revealing: “I think the key to this weekend will be understanding the evolution of the grip level of the track, and adapting the setup to the changes. But the important thing is that we were able to go out and ride, and we are already at a good level."

CWM LCR’s Cal Crutchlow (+0.627s) once again impressed during practice, ending the day in 4th place, and will be hoping to turn his pace into points come the race on Sunday.

The second GP15 of Andrea Dovizioso (+0.658s) finished in 5th just ahead of the Movistar Yamaha of Jorge Lorenzo (+0.687s) who completed the top six.  Lorenzo said afterwards he had found a good setup on the harder tyre: “I have a good feeling for the hard tyre so we need to find a good set up for the soft too.” The double MotoGP™ World Champion feels it will be closer as the weekend progresses: “Apart from Alex Espargaro with the extra soft tyre we are very close to the rest so let‘s see for tomorrow.”

The provisional third row consists of Monster Tech 3 Yamaha’s Pol Espargaro in 7th, Scott Redding on the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Racing Honda in 8th, and Valentino Rossi who finished the day over a second behind the leader down in 9th.

Click here for the combined results from MotoGP™ FP1 & FP2, FP3 is scheduled to start at 09:55 local time in Argentina on Saturday.

WTCC ; López domine les tests du vendredi à Marrakech / WTCC champion López fastest in Marrakech testing

L’impressionnant début de saison de José María López en Championnat du Monde FIA des Voitures de Tourisme se poursuit à Marrakech où le champion en titre s’est montré le plus rapide des essais du jour.

Le pilote Citroën Racing, leader au championnat, n’a cependant pas marqué la séance de son empreinte, ayant réalisé le meilleur chrono dans son tout dernier tour au volant de la C-Elysée WTCC.

« Ce ne sont que des tests, la route est encore longue », prévient López. « Je donne le maximum à chaque fois que je suis dans la voiture et j’ai un bon ressenti. Les réglages sont bons. »

L’Argentin devance son équipier Yvan Muller de 0 »581 alors que Mehdi Bennani complète le trio de tête et prend la première place du Trophée Yokohama. Hugo Valente impressionne avec le quatrième temps dans l’habitacle de sa Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 du Campos Racing, tandis que Ma Qing Hua, pour sa première expérience du circuit de Marrakech, est 5e pour le compte de Citroën malgré un tête à queue. Tiago Monteiro apparait pour sa part comme le meilleur représentant des pilotes de Honda Civic WTCC en 6e position. Quant à Rob Huff, il est le premier des officiels LADA au 12e rang.

Les tests se déroulèrent sous un beau soleil et des températures ambiantes de 26°C. Les stars du WTCC reprendront la piste samedi matin à 8h15 pour les Essais Libres 1. Cliquez ici pour découvrir le classement des tests du vendredi.

José María López’s impressive start to his FIA World Touring Car Championship title defence continued when he went fastest in testing for Eurodatacar WTCC Race of Morocco.

However, Citroën Racing’s championship leader and Argentine hero isn’t getting carried away with his performance after he set his session-topping time on his final flying lap at the wheel of his C-Elysée WTCC.

“It’s just testing, there’s still a long way to go,” said López. “I always try every time I am in the car, we had a good feeling and a good set-up.”

López was 0.581s faster than team-mate Yvan Muller with local hero Mehdi Bennani third quickest and the top Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy contender. Hugo Valente impressed with the fourth best time in his Campos Racing Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 with Marrakech rookie Ma Qing Hua fifth for Citroën, despite a spin, and Tiago Monteiro the leading Honda Civic WTCC driver in sixth. Rob Huff was the fastest of the factory LADA drivers in 12^th.

Testing took place in sunny and dry conditions with the ambient temperature reaching 26 degrees centigrade. The WTCC stars will be back on track on Saturday morning for Free Practice 1 at 08h15 local time. Click here to view the full testing classification.

The Ferrari 330 P4 is One Sexy Beast

As much as any other car, the Ferrari 330 P4 is the embodiment and culmination of an entire era of racing. With its low-slung stance and voluptuous lines, it is also among the most visually stunning cars ever produced. Combine these factors and the word "icon" slips to the tip of one's tongue. 

Still smarting from losing the Constructor's International Sports Prototype Championship to Ford in 1965 and 1966 -- and, in 1966, watching a trio of Ford GT40s finish 1-2-3 at Le Mans -- Enzo Ferrari turned to his chief engineer, Mauro Forghieri, with a simple instruction: win. In world then dominated by Carroll Shelby and Ford's formidable 7-liter engines, this would be no easy undertaking.

What resulted from Forghieri's mandate was the 330 P4, arguably the greatest Ferrari endurance race car of all time. Based on the 330 P3 -- and almost identical cosmetically -- the 330 P4 represented a significant mechanical upgrade from anything Ferrari had run previously and, in 1967, it would return Ferrari to the pinnacle of sports prototype racing. 

The highlight of the 1967 season came at the 24 Hours of Daytona, a race that would come to be known as The Revenge of Il Commendatore. Led by Chris Amon and Lorenzo Bandini in a 330 P4 (and trailed by Mike Parkes and Ludovico Scarfiotti in another 330 P4), Ferrari finished 1-2-3 at the hallowed Florida circuit. Soon thereafter, a pair of P4s finished 1-2 at Monza, and while Ford again won at Le Mans, P4s finished second and third and Ferrari was once again in possession of the sports prototype title. 

Rules changes concerning engine displacement spelled the end of the 330 P4s in European racing, but by that time, the car had cemented its place in the pantheon of endurance racing. 

2013 FORD F-150 RAPTOR THAT IS DROOLWORTHY

John CappaFormer Editor, Four Wheeler

It’s no secret that the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is one of our all-time favorite pickup trucks. From the 411hp 6.2L V-8, 35-inch tires, and off-road-tuned suspension to the comfy leather seats and commanding controls, the Ford Raptor has little competition from the 1⁄2-ton OE truck market, especially if desert two-track is your favorite trail of choice. Nonetheless, a common misconception about the capable Raptor is that it has long-travel suspension. It’s true that the 11 inches of front and 12 inches of factory rear wheel travel are more than what you’ll find on a typical 1⁄2-ton truck. However, in the off-road world, it’s still only considered a mid-travel prerunner. The stock Raptor isn’t designed to hit deep whoops at 60-plus mph. When put in this situation, any sane driver will quickly realize the truck is out of its element. So what do you do when mid-travel suspension won’t work for your off-road needs? You drop your zero-mile ’13 Ford Raptor off at JD Fabrication in Escondido, California, for a complete six-month suspension, chassis, and interior makeover.

 In place of the factory pickup bed, JD Fabrication installed a hidden air compressor, two huge CBR transmission coolers with electric fans, a 50-gallon Fuel Safe fuel cell, two spare tires, a Stewart’s Raceworks jack mount loaded with a modified Harbor Freight floor jack, and Fiberwerx fiberglass bedsides. Custom aluminum rear cover panels hide the inner workings and were powdercoated with a black wrinkle finish by Electro Tech Powder Coating in San Marcos, California.

The crew at JD Fabrication quickly went to work and stripped the suspension from the brand new truck and gutted the interior. To start, a full bumper-to-bumper rollcage made from 1.75-inch, 0.120-wall DOM tubing was added to provide increased chassis stiffness and safety for the occupants in the event of a rollover. The factory Ford Raptor front suspension was scrapped in favor of true long-travel A-arms, while the rear leaf spring suspension was lopped off and replaced with a custom JD Fabrication four-link. The wider stance and 37-inch BFG tires required more coverage, so JD Fabrication installed a fiberglass front fender and hood kit. In the rear, the crew at JD Fabrication dumpstered the stock Raptor pickup bed and hung fiberglass fenders over custom aluminum bed panels. With the rollcage tucked and hidden in the body of the Raptor, V&J Custom Upholstery in Vista, California, was free to slather the headliner and other interior bits in luxuriously padded suede leather, maintaining the top-tier sentiment of the F-150 inside and out.

 The H&M Racing Designs long-travel front suspension adds 41⁄2 inches of width per side to the Raptor. The kit provides a total of 16 inches of usable wheel travel. A custom JD Fabrication skidplate protects the H&M Racing Designs steering and other vitals.

At a Glance
General
Vehicle: 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
Owner: Prefers to remain anonymous
Stomping grounds: Dubai sand dunes
Build time: 6 months

Drivetrain
Engine: 450hp Ford 6.2L V-8
Transmission: 6R80 SelectShift 6-speed automatic
Transfer case(s): B-W 4419 2-spd
Low range ratio: 2.64:1
Crawl ratio: 53.72:1
Front axle/differential: Ford 8.80 in/4.88 gears, open
Rear axle/differential: Currie F9 full-floater/4.88 gears, Eaton Detroit Locker

Suspension
Front: H&M Racing Designs long-travel A-arms, King 2.5in coilovers, King 3.5in 3-tube bypass shocks, and King 2.5in hydraulic bumpstops
Rear: Custom JD Fabrication four-link with notched frame, King 2.5in coilovers, King 3.5in 3-tube bypass shocks, and King 2.5in hydraulic bumpstops
Steering: H&M Racing Designs upgrade kit
Tires/Wheels
Tires: 37x12.50R17 BFGoodrich Baja T/A KR
Wheels: 17x8.5 Walker Evans Racing beadlock

Miscellaneous
Armor: Custom JD Fabrication front and rear bumpers and skidplates
Cool stuff: JD Fabrication bumper-to-bumper rollcage and center console, Crow harnesses, single Beard rear seat, custom suede interior, 450hp 5 Star Tuning program, UMP aluminum canister air filter, Stainless Works stainless steel headers, Richard’s Performance Muffler exhaust, Oceanside Driveline rear driveshaft, two CBR transmission coolers with electric fans, Fiberwerx fiberglass fenders, Speedway Engineering sway bar with JD Fabrication arms, two spare tires, onboard air compressor, two curved 40-inch Baja Designs LED lightbars, Stewart’s Raceworks jack mount, Harbor Freight floor jack, 50-gallon Fuel Safe fuel cell

 The new suspension and fiberglass fenders make room for 37-inch BFG Baja T/A KR tires mounted on 17x8.5 Walker Evans Racing beadlock wheels. The stock front bumper was replaced by a custom rolled-tube bumper that supports two curved 40-inch Baja Designs LED lightbars and a plastic air dam.

From: http://www.fourwheeler.com/

EWC ; 24 Heures du Mans Motos : la pole pour Kawasaki SRC / Kawasaki SRC takes Le Mans pole

Kawasaki SRC (Leblanc/Lagrive/Foret) s’élancera de la pole position de la 38ème édition des 24 Heures Motos, première épreuve du Championnat du monde FIM d’Endurance (EWC). La Kawasaki n°11 devance le YART, Honda Racing, le SERT, BMW Motorrad France Team Penz13.com et le GMT 94, tous prétendants à la victoire.

La pluie a finalement épargné les 59 équipages qui ont pris part ce matin à la seconde séance qualificative des 24 Heures Moto.

En améliorant son chrono d’hier, Grégory Leblanc (1.37.541) a permis à Kawasaki SRC de conserver la pole pour seulement 0.14 seconde sur le YART. Les améliorations de Max Neukirchner (1.36.969) et d’Ivan Silva (1.38.061) ainsi que le record du tour en endurance de Sheridan Morais (1.36.578) n’ont pas suffi pour déloger la Kawasaki n°11 de la première position. La Yamaha n°7 est créditée du deuxième temps moyen en 1.37.203.

Honda Racing (Da Costa/Gimbert/F.Foray) conserve également sa troisième place en 1.37.856. Seul Sébastien Gimbert a été plus rapide aujourd’hui en 1.38.141. Julien Da Costa n’a pas pris part à la séance.

Les trois pilotes du SERT, Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle et Etienne Masson ont également amélioré leurs chronos d’hier et permettent ainsi à la Suzuki n°30 de s’élancer de la quatrième place (1.37.948).

BMW Motorrad France Team Penz13.com (Reiterberger/Jones/Pesek) occupe la cinquième place sur la grille de départ en 1.38.057.

Le GMT 94 gagne trois places et se classe sixième à l’issue des deux séances qualificatives en 1.38.467.  Une chute de David Checa hier avait lourdement endommagé la moto. Le superbe travail des mécaniciens a permis à Kenny Foray et Mathieu Gines de signer de meilleurs chronos.

Trois équipes engagées en Superstock s’intercalent dans le Top 10. Tati Team Beaujolais Racing devance le vainqueur de l’édition 2014, le Qatar Endurance Racing Team et les vainqueurs de la coupe du monde Superstock 2014.

Bolliger Racing Team complète le Top 10. Trois équipes vont être éliminées, les moins rapides, à l’issue des deux séances qualificatives où 59 équipages participaient pour seulement 56 places sur la grille de départ.

La journée va se poursuivre avec la traditionnelle visite de stands à partir de 18h00. On vous donne rendez-vous demain à 15h00 pour le départ de la 38^ème édition des 24 Heures Motos.

The N°11 Kawasaki of Leblanc/Lagrive/Foret will start the 38th 24 Heures Motos from pole position. Kawasaki SRC qualified for Round 1 of the 2015 FIM Endurance World Championship ahead of YART, Honda Racing, SERT, BMW Motorrad France Team Penz13.com and GMT 94, all potential winners.

The 59 bikes finally had an all-dry run for the 24 Heures Motos’ second qualifying session this morning.

An improvement from Grégory Leblanc (1m37.541s) enabled Kawasaki SRC to defend pole by a mere 0.14s from YART. The latter’s Max Neukirchner (1m36.969s) and Ivan Silva (1m38.061s) both improved, too, and Sheridan Morais (1m36.578s) established a new endurance racing track record, but the Austrian squad failed to topple the N°11 Kawasaki. Its average of 1m37.203s ensured second place, however.

Honda Racing (Da Costa/Gimbert/F.Foray) held on to third (1m37.856s), even though Sébastien Gimbert was its only rider to improve today (1m38.141s). Julien Da Costa didn’t even take part in the session.

SERT’s Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Etienne Masson (1m37.948s) were faster today, as well, and the N°30 will start the weekend’s race from fourth on the grid, with BMW Motorrad France Team Penz13.com (Reiterberger/Jones/Pesek) alongside thanks to an average of 1m38.057s.

GMT 94 (1m38.467s) moved up three places to sixth. David Checa’s fall on Thursday caused big damage to the team’s Yamaha but the mechanics’ work allowed Kenny Foray and Mathieu Gines to go out and improve their respective best lap times.

Three superstock teams were next in the order, Tati Team Beaujolais Racing, the 2014 Superstock World Cup winner Junior Suzuki Team and the class’s 2014 winner Qatar Endurance Racing Team

Bolliger Racing Team rounds out the top 10, while three of the 59 entries have been eliminated since there are only 56 slots on the grid.

Today’s programme continues with the ever-popular pit walk at 6pm local time, and the 24-hour classic itself kicks off at 3pm tomorrow (Saturday).

WTCC : Marrakech

Pour la sixième fois de son histoire, l’Eurodatacar WTCC Race of Morocco prend ses quartiers sur le Circuit Moulay El Hassan. Voici ce que pensent de cette piste de 4,545 kilomètres les pilotes du Championnat du Monde FIA des Voitures de Tourisme.

« Marrakech est un lieu très particulier« , confie Tiago Monteiro, membre du Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team. « Le circuit est incroyablement difficile car il est constitué de deux lignes droites et simplement deux « vrais virages » avec des bordures très agressives. Il est également très exigeant pour les freins. Il est donc nécessaire de débuter le week-end prudemment pour gagner en confiance et se familiariser avec la piste durant chaque séance. »

James Thompson, pilote LADA Sport Rosneft, ajoute : « La clé de la réussite, c’est le freinage et la motricité. »

Pour Sébastien Loeb, enfin, qui s’y imposa pour ses débuts en WTCC en 2014, « Marrakech est un circuit particulier où la Citroën C-Elysée est compétitive. La voiture doit profiter d’une bonne vitesse de pointe et être efficace au freinage. Et c’est ce qui la caractérise ! »

Le team LADA Sport Rosneft participe ce week-end, à l’occasion de l’Eurodatacar WTCC Race of Morocco à Marrakech, à son 50e meeting de Championnat du Monde FIA des Voitures de Tourisme.

Le constructeur russe fit sa première apparition dans le championnat en 2008 avec le modèle 110. Depuis lors, il a progressé et s’est affirmé comme un prétendant à la victoire. En témoignent les deux succès signés Rob Huff la saison dernière. C’est cette année sur la nouvelle Vesta TC1 que reposent ses espoirs de LADA.

Au Maroc, Mikhail Kozlovskiy sera de retour aux côtés de Huff et de James Thompsonaprès avoir dû faire l’impasse sur l’Argentine en raison du retard d’assemblage de sa voiture.

« L’an passé j’avais terminé en 5e position de la course 2 et, pour l’heure, cela demeure mon meilleur résultat en WTCC« , confie le Russe. « J’espère aller encore plus haut avec la Vesta. Après mes deux premiers roulage à son volant sur notre base de Magny-Cours, puis au Portugal, j’avoue en être extrêmement content. Son comportement est sain mais je dois encore m’y acclimater car la Vesta est très différente de la Granta. »

Huff, qui remporta la première manche marocaine en 2009, ajoute : « Nous avons beaucoup appris sur la voiture en Argentine et avons déniché quelques petites choses qui peuvent nous aider dans son développement. Avoir réalisé le meilleur temps de la Q1 démontre par ailleurs que la Vesta est déjà performante. Nous devons cependant rester prudents ce week-end, car une petite erreur pour avoir de grosses conséquences. Nous devons donc bien évaluer quand attaquer et quant être plus prudents pour recueillir le maximum de données avec les trois voitures. »

Non content de fêter le 50e départ de LADA en WTCC, ce week-end marque également le 45e anniversaire de la sortie des chaînes de production de la première voiture de série assemblée à l’usine de Togliatti.

It’s Eurodatacar WTCC Race of Morocco time this week as the Circuit Moulay El Hassan hosts the high-speed action for a sixth time. This is what some of the leading FIA World Touring Car Championship drivers think of the 4.545-kilometre track.

“Marrakech is a very special place,” said Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team driver Tiago Monteiro in the build-up to the event. “The circuit is incredibly challenging with very long straights and really only two proper corners, with plenty of high-speed kerbs. It’s very hard on brakes so strategy wise, the best way to approach the weekend is to go slightly conservative, building confidence on familiarisation with the track over the sessions.”

LADA Sport Rosneft’s James Thompson said: “The circuit is all about braking and traction.”

Sébastien Loeb, who won in Morocco on his 2014 WTCC debut added: “Marrakech is an unusual track where the Citroën C-Elysée performs well. The car needs to have a good maximum speed and a good behaviour in terms of braking. That’s exactly the case.”

LADA Sport Rosneft will celebrate its 50th FIA World Touring Car Championship outing when Marrakech hosts Eurodatacar WTCC Race of Morocco this weekend.

The Russian make first appeared in the championship with its 110 model in 2008. Since then it has become established as a WTCC frontrunner with Rob Huff claiming a brace of wins last year and its all-new Vesta TC1 proving competitive in 2015 despite limited pre-season testing.

Rising Russian star Mikhail Kozlovskiy, who partners Huff and James Thompson in the three-car LADA line-up, missed the season-opener in Argentina last month while his car was in build, but will be back in action in Morocco.

“Last year I finished fifth in the second race [in Marrakech] and, for the moment, this is my best result in the WTCC. Hopefully, with the Vesta I will improve my achievements. I got my first taste of the Vesta at our technical base in Magny-Cours before our Portugal tests, and I can say that I am very satisfied with the car. It feels great, though there are some things I need to get used to, because the Vesta is different in terms of driving compared to the Granta.”

Huff, who won the first WTCC Race of Morocco in 2009, said: “We learned a lot about the car in Argentina and found a few things that we can put right and develop further, and the fact that we were P1 in Q1, shows the car has great pace. The car certainly feels fast, but we need to be careful this weekend, as a small error could see you in trouble, so we need to know when to attack and when to ease off in order to collect as much data as possible from all three cars.”

As well as marking LADA’s 50^th WTCC start, this weekend is 45 years since the first road-going LADA rolled off the production line at the company’s Togliatti plant in Russia.

Alex Wakefield’s analogue art sets an eerie scene of speed

From a young age, Chicago-based artist Alex Wakefield was intrigued by the drama of ‘Golden Era’ motor racing. Over the years, he developed this interest into a career, by using traditional methods and materials to depict memorable motorsport scenes from unorthodox perspectives…

A unique viewpoint

“My work differentiates from other artists in the fact that I seek to tell my own visual story. If there is a famous race or racing moment, I try to imagine a unique way to depict it,” Alex told Classic Driver. As such, whereas other motorsport artists might create their own take on a single iconic photograph, Alex strives to capture the action from his own viewpoint – often with dramatic (and sometimes sinister) results. Brian Redman’s Ferrari 312 PB storming round a corner on the old Spa-Francorchamps circuit, for example, or the birds-eye view of Jacky Ickx re-setting the Le Mans lap record in 1977, the headlights of his Martini-Porsche 936 the only light source in the eerie scene. “Historic racing scenes seem more visceral to me. Maybe a bit more pure and wild,” he tells us.

A rollercoaster ride of emotions

Many historic racing scenes are depicted in his work, but more recent MotoGP races have received the Wakefield treatment, too. “The reason I've created more recent imagery of MotoGP racers is for the same reason as the historic cars. Growing up watching riders like Gardner, Doohan, Schwantz, Rainey and Lawson on 500cc two-strokes really set a high bar in my mind. Their personalities; the wicked machines that one minute could be so beautiful to watch, then suddenly turn evil and send the rider off the bike.” Particularly poignant is the monochrome sketch of late MotoGP star Marco Simoncelli leaning low through a right-hand bend, reminiscent of his final corner. Emotion-stirring stuff, indeed.

Photos: Alex Wakefield

Alex Wakefield’s artwork can be purchased via his online store.

You can find numerous historic competition cars for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

What’s not to miss at Techno Classica 2015

Techno Classica is almost upon us and the 120,000 square metres of exhibition space are fully booked. We’ve spoken to the manufacturers and dealers to discover the highlights of the 27th edition of the world-famous classic trade fair…

From 15 to 19 April 2015, the world’s passion for classic cars, motorcycles and collectables again focuses on Essen, in Germany. More than 1,250 exhibitors are booked, while the organisers themselves are presenting an exhibition of historic racing cars from the late 1920s, all of which took part in the legendary Tourist Trophy in Ireland. At the time, this road race (held from 1905 to 1936) counted as part of the World Sportscar Championship. Models ranging from Alfa Romeo and Alvis, Austin, Bentley and Bugatti, to Mercedes-Benz, OM and Riley are expected at the exhibition in Hall 6.

Important birthdays and young classics

Every year, manufacturers celebrate the anniversaries of important milestones in their model histories. This year, Ford will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the GT40’s Le Mans win in Hall 3, while Jaguar’s 80th year is cause for much rejoicing, including a small excerpt from the Jaguar story in the form of an SS1 ‘closed coupé’ from 1935, a 1975 Jaguar XJ-S V12, and an XK8 from the 1995 ‘X100’ series. 

Speaking of younger classics, the 27th Techno Classica places many in the spotlight. Take BMW in Hall 12; here, a whole portfolio of ‘youngtimers’ is helping to mark the 30th anniversary of the BMW M3 – from the 6 Series Coupé to the Z1. And, as it happens, this year is the 90th birthday of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Meanwhile, in Hall 7, the VW Group will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of his engineering miracle that was the Porsche 959. The all-wheel-drive sports car from Zuffenhausen will be joined by a Carrera GT from the Porsche Museum and a 918 Spyder. But hold the headlines: in Hall 1, Mercedes-Benz will exhibit the 1955 Mille Miglia-winning 300 SLR, not to mention the reborn 1938 540K Streamliner.

A touch of motorsport from Coys

On the afternoon of Saturday 18 April, the annual Techno Classica Coys auction will take place, with the usual selection of athletic motorsport offerings that tends to be heavily Porsche-centric. One example is the 1992 Porsche 911RS in white, shown here, which was unfortunately upgraded to 3.8 RS spec during its career… but apart from that promises a clean history.

There’s also a 959 on sale, a 1988 example of the supercar that was recently running on Italian roads and has 75,000km on its odometer, Coys tells us. From the previous decade comes this redMaserati Ghibli Spyder 4.9SS, built in 1971. The Maserati counterpart to the Ferrari Daytona, this specimen comes to Coys with a relatively affordable price tag of just 250,000 to 300,000 euros.

Highlights from the dealers

As well as the auction, traders and private sellers provide a richly laid table in the market area of the fair. With a large booth in Hall 11, E. Thiesen is not only well represented in Essen but will also be presenting almost 50 classics. These include a beautiful, dark blue 1959 BMW 503 Cabriolet Series I with Italian history and, also with rich blue paintwork, a 1967 Ferrari 330 GT with beige leather interior and well-documented mileage. And you can’t miss the legends of motorsport that Jan B. Lühn is serving up on its stand in Hall 1, including (as we discuss in an interview with the man himself) a 1968 Ford GT40 with Le Mans history, a 1973 Porsche 2.8 RSR factory racer and an original Lancia Delta Integrale with Works history. Early 911s (Hall 3) brings not just theunique retractable roof Porsche, but also an orange Porsche 356 Speedster with a certain ‘special something’.

Also in Hall 3, thanks to Jochen70 , there are two great classics formerly owned by Formula 1 driver Jochen Rindt: a 1967 Porsche 911 S and the Brabham F2 BT23-5 with which Rindt took first place nine times in the 1967 season.

You can find further information about Techno Classica at www.siha.de.