OOOUUUFFFF drift ! featuring Ryan Tuerck.

 Formula Drift pro driver Ryan Tuerck in offseason. Film by Andrew Laputka.

Max Biaggi's tax evasion case thrown out

After losing their case against Argentine football legend, Diego Maradona who was accused of not paying a tax bill of 37.2 million euros (23.5 million of which was interest), the Italian tax man saw another famous sports star accused of tax evasion slip threw their sticky fingers, Max Biaggi.
The retired six-time World Champion was to be tried for tax evasion, but the 7th Criminal Court in Rome threw out the case because it reached the statute of limitations.
Biaggi had used the scudo fiscale, or “tax shield” law (which wipes the slate clean of any tax offences) to bring back money that he had desposited on foreign accounts to Italy, but he was still to undergo trial for tax evasion because the Italian Revenue office believed that Biaggi’s domicile in the Principality of Monaco was fake and only to take advantage of the country’s much lighter tax regime.
Biaggi isn’t the only Italian motorcycle star accused of tax evasion, Valentino Rossi was also caught up in the net, and he settled with the tax man - without putting up a legal battle - for 35 million euros. Marco Melandri was handed a suspended jail sentence last year and former MotoGP rider Loris Capirossi was ordered to pay a 2 million euro fine in 2010.
from TWOWHEELSBLOG

BMW of North America’s Vintage Collection: The BMW V12 LMR

-

by Mike Burroughs (stanceworks)

---

While BMW can claim one of the most renowned and prestigious racing pedigrees in history, there is one arena in which their tally falls short. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's oldest active endurance race, stands as one of the most important races in the automotive world. Also known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, the ultimate in technology, Le Mans Prototypes, race among GT class cars in a battle for the most laps in just 24 hours. With 90 years and 90 events under its belt, the overall victory has been claimed only once by BMW. In 1999, BMW's V12 "LMR" Le Mans Prototype racer took the win over Toyota by a single lap. And as quickly as it came, the LMR was left to the history books, running the iconic race only once.
The LMR was born as a response to BMW's failed 1998 V12 "LM" program. The LM program itself, however, was the result of BMW's own success. The McLaren F1, commonly accepted as one of the greatest cars ever built, retained several production car records for more than a decade after its release. Powered by a 6.1 L 60-degree V12 engine called the BMW S70/2, the naturally-aspirated beast still stands as one of the greatest achievements in automotive history. Powered by a slightly modified S70/2 to meet rules and regulations, the McLaren F1 GTR went on to take the overall victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. The cars were raced at the 24 Hours until 1997 when they were no longer competitive. BMW, however, still saw their S70/2 as something potent, and in turn, partnered with WilliamsF1 to build a Le Mans Prototype car for 1998.
After teaming up with WilliamsF1, Formula One constructors champions at the time, to build the chassis and suspension, BMW brought their majestic V12 to the table, utilizing the same S70 as the McLaren, but instead, in a 6-liter configuration. To campaign the car, BMW went to Schnitzer Motorsport, of AC Schnitzer fame. Unfortunately, the partnership was not initially successful. The "LM" suffered from several issues: terrible driveline vibrations lead to BMW pulling both cars from the 1998 Le Mans just 60 laps in. After further testing, it was noticed that the cars suffered from poor aerodynamics and were unable to cool themselves sufficiently. BMW abandoned the LM project and immediately focused on a complete redesign: the 1999 V12 "LMR."
BMW, WilliamsF1, and Schnitzer went back to the drawing board, retaining only the carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb monocoque chassis for their 1999 revamp; the bodywork itself was redesigned entirely. The primary changes to the car were for aerodynamic purposes. One of the major flaws from the LM was its unorthodox cooling method: air was ducted from underneath the car - a decision that proved to be affected by high ambient track temperatures. To fix this, the LMR featured cooling ducts atop the car. And in a loophole-utilizing decision, the LMR featured just a single roll-hoop above the driver's head, instead of one that spanned the entire cockpit as the LM's did. This daring move later became a staple of Le Mans Prototype design for some time to follow. The advantage? Less drag, and less drag means more speed. It also allowed for more airflow over the rear spoiler, granting more downforce.
The engine was retained for the LMR project - now dubbed the S70/3, the 5990cc V12 returned with 590 horsepower and more than 500lb-ft of torque - less than the McLaren road car it once powered due to restrictions on intake and displacement, but enough to push the car to a staggering 214 miles-per-hour on the Mulsanne Straight.. An X-Trac 6-speed sequential gearbox puts the power down to a set of OZ motorsport centerlock wheels wrapped in 36/71-18 Michelin race tires.
Four LMRs were built by Williams, two of which were debuted at the 12 Hours of Sebring, campaigned by BMW Motorsport and Schnitzer as a two-car team. The cars were impressive, devouring the capabilities of their predecessor. The LMR took pole position in qualifying, and the cars lead the pack for the first half of the endurance race. The outcome of the race was bitter-sweet; while one LMR took the overall win, setting the LMR's legacy off on the right foot, LMR chassis #001 suffered a catastrophic accident - enough damage to seal its fate, never to be raced again.
However, Sebring was merely a shakedown. The team went back to Europe to begin preparations for the race the cars had been built for: The 24 Hours of Le Mans. All three remaining LMRs were prepared for testing, one of which was a BMW Art Car painted by artist Jenny Holzer. The LMR was able to set the 4th fastest lap during the practice session despite the "disadvantage" of an open cockpit. While an open cockpit is more fuel efficient (which can prove to be more important in an endurance race,) the closed-cockpit cars often proved faster in a single lap.
Soon, qualifying rolled around, and two race-prepped LMRs took to the track. A Toyota GT-One managed to take the #2 spot from the LMR in qualifying - BMW knew that the Toyota would prove to be a formidable opponent after their practice sessions, and the qualifying results confirmed their worries. With the #3 and #6 spots confirmed for the grid, BMW and Schnitzer buckled down for the long haul. The first half of the race went as exceptionally as planned: the V12 LMRs held their own against the closed cockpit competitors from Toyota, Nissan, Audi, and Mercedes Benz, whom were all plagued by reliability issues or the victims of accidents.
It wasn't until the team neared the end of the race that they had their work cut out for them. The #17 LMR suffered the consequences of a stuck throttle, crashing in the Porsche Curves, leaving just the #15 LMR to fend for the victory. Piloted by Joachim Winkelhock, Yannick Dalmas, and Pierluigi Martini, the car would battle head-to-head with the single-remaining Toyota. Although in first place, the LMR was only one lap ahead of the GT-One, hot on the LMR's tail. However, the racing gods were smiling upon BMW, and the Toyota suffered a tire blowout at high speed. Victory was achieved with a margin of a single lap.
The success between BMW and WilliamsF1 brought BMW into the realm of Formula One once again, providing the engines for the Williams cars. BMW's decision to focus on Formula One meant that the LMR would not be campaigned in Le Mans in 2000. Instead, the LMRs would compete in the American Le Mans Series, in which they competed but were defeated by Audi and their 2000 Le Mans-winning R8 in almost every round. For Petit Le Mans, the Holzer Art Car was brought back out to make its first racing debut since the 1999 Le Mans Testing, and the 3 cars tried their hardest. However, one car crashed into the side barriers after losing downforce and back-flipping - only the Art Car was able to finish, and at #5, it wasn't a podium position. The cars were then retired; however, unlike the LM predecessor, BMW chose not to sell off the LMRs to their customers.
And thus, here sits one of the two remaining racers, with chassis #001 destroyed and the Holzer Art Car as #004. In just two years, BMW went from no prototype program to an overall victory at Le Mans, but just as quickly, BMW's sights changed once again. The BMW LMR is merely a blip on BMW's motorsports timeline, but will continue to stand as their single Le Mans victory... until the desire to win it arises again.

After SS3: Winter sport / Après ES3 : Aux sports d’hiver

 French drivers dominate in Sweden where Sébastien Ogier has pulled out an early advantage in his Volkswagen over Citroën rival Sébastien Loeb. Hirvonen has fallen out of contention after losing more than half-an-hour following a roll on SS2. Ostberg’s run is being spoiled by niggling problems with his Ford. 

 

Les Français dominent ce début de Rallye de Suède avec Sébastien Ogier (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) et Sébastien Loeb (Citroën DS3 WRC). Hirvonen a déjà perdu plus d’une demi-heure (tonneau ES2) et Mads Ostberg rencontre des ennuis techniques sur sa Ford. 

 

 

 

 The final portion of ‘Varmullasen’ (SS3, 23.77km) criss-crosses a ski slope, a spectator zone known as ‘Hagfors Arena’ which is famous for its spectacular leap, although the drivers tend to be cautious over this sort of artificial obstacle.
The last time we were here, the finish line was nearer to the jump. It has now been moved further down the hill, however, after a competitor wiped out the timing cell in 2011! As a result, the new Stop Control location means we can watch the last right-hand hairpin before the cars brake hard to come to a halt at our feet.
The clear blue skies we were promised have failed to materialise but the cloud cover means it is warmer than expected, a mild minus 6°C! Meanwhile, it is still snowing heavily to add to the top-coating of fresh powder that is making life difficult for many drivers. They include the morning’s chief victim Mikko Hirvonen, who rolled his Citroën DS3 on SS2, losing 33m20s! His car shows no signs of damage and he is continuing, but his dreams of victory are over…
Finland’s Jarkko Nikara (Mini) has lost a big chunk of time, too, after crashing at the beginning of ‘Varmullasen’. “He is stuck in a snow bank; it can’t have been easy for him being first on the road,” reported fellow Mini driver Kosciuszko. “As soon as I passed him, I could feel the difference.”
The established stars agreed that the conditions were difficult, but you sensed they were more focused on their personal battles… and problems. Volkswagen/Michelin’s Sébastien Ogier posted the best time on SS3 to extend his lead after winning SS2 (Lesjofors), yet he still complained of a small issue with his gearbox.
Just three seconds slower on SS3 was Mads Ostberg who was clearly angry with the world. He had dropped a little time with a problem on ‘Lesjofors’ and was three minutes late at the start of SS3 after stopping to add fluid to his Fiesta’s engine. Then, on ‘Varmullasen’, a piece of rollcage protection came off and got stuck in his pedals. “There’s always something,” he complained. He is currently sixth overall, 40s behind Ogier.
French drivers dominate at the moment, since former Rally Sweden winner Loeb is second, 6.2s adrift. The two Sébastiens are joined on the provisional podium by Jari-Matti Latvala (Volkswagen) who admitted to not feeling entirely confident with the rear handing of his Polo. The promising Swedish star Pontus Tidemund is fourth.
 

L’arrivée de Varmullasen (ES3, 23,77 km) coupe une piste de ski alpin qui descend jusqu’aux portes d’Hagfors. La zone, baptisée « Hagfors Arena », est connue pour son « jump » spectaculaire, le genre de rampe artificielle sur laquelle les pilotes ont plus à perdre qu’à gagner…
Il y a deux ans, la ligne d’arrivée était encore plus près du « jump ». Elle est aujourd’hui quelques mètres en contrebas car en 2011, un compétiteur avait arraché la cellule de chronométrage ! Du nouveau point-stop, on peut voir la dernière épingle droite de cette longue spéciale.
Le ciel bleu annoncé n’est pas au rendez-vous. Il neige à gros flocons et les températures ne dépassent pas les -6°C. Ce début de rallye est riche en rebondissements. Mikko Hirvonen est parti en tonneau dans Lesjofors (ES2) et a perdu 33min20s ! Sa Citroën n’en porte aucune trace : le Finlandais poursuit sa route mais ses rêves d’une 3^e victoire à Karlstad sont ensevelis dans la poudreuse.
Un autre Finlandais, Jarkko Nikara (Mini), a lui aussi perdu de longues minutes après une sortie de route au début de l’ES3 : « Il est planté dans un mur de neige, ça ne doit pas être facile pour lui d’être premier sur la route », expliquait Kosciuszko à l’arrivée. « J’ai senti la différence après l’avoir passé, dès que je me suis retrouvé à mon tour premier sur la route. »
 
Parti 17^e ce matin, Sébastien Ogier a remporté les ES2 et 3 malgré quelques petits soucis de boîte de vitesses. Mads Ostberg en voulait au monde entier : il a pointé trois minutes en retard au départ de l’ES3 afin d’ajouter du liquide de refroidissement dans le moteur de sa Ford. Puis, dans Varmullasen, une protection de l’arceau est venue se coincer sous la pédale de frein ! « Il y a toujours quelque chose… » Déçu, le Norvégien est actuellement 6^e à 40 secondes d’Ogier.
Les pilotes français dominent ce début de rallye avec Loeb pointé à 6s2 de son compatriote. Jari-Matti Latvala complète le podium provisoire malgré un manque de confiance sur sa Polo R WRC. Le jeune espoir suédois, Pontus Tidemand, est 4^e.
 
with  best-of-rallylive