VW Fun Cup - After 6h

24H Series à Circuit Paul Ricard ; FIRST IN CLASS AFTER 20 HOURS

After 20 hours we still have no clue who will win the Hankook 24H PAUL RICARD. What could be better?
 
The #30 Ram Racing Mercedes had gradually built up a lead during the evening hours but they were completely unable to shake the #7 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 997 GT3 R. They ran 1-2 in that order into the small hours with one swap during a pit stop exchange. The Porsche appears to have the upper hand on the pit stop pattern, which may—but then again may not, make the difference.
 
More significantly, the Ram Mercedes had some wheel problems which cost them nearly a lap and dropped them to second. The Porsche’s chances were aided by a stellar early morning stint by Nicolas Armindo, setting the race’s fast lap along the way. A mid-morning set of fuel stops again left the Porsche in front, but the situation at the top is far, far from settled.
 
Third and fourth overall represent a fine comeback for the two cars involved in the first lap fracas. The #2 Hofor Racing Mercedes is many laps behind the two leaders but only three laps clear of the #4 Scuderia Praha Ferrari which lost much time in the pits early in the race.
 
There has been relatively little attrition throughout the field but several key A6 class runners have nonetheless fallen by the wayside. The #16 Simpson Motorsport Audi R8 LMS, which ran as high as third overall, has now given up the ghost with a destroyed gearbox. The #33 SPS Automotive Performance Mercedes was also in the hunt but persistent wheel problems—seemingly a common Mercedes malady, have left it in the box.
 
A flawless run by Ruffier Racing has left their #17 Porsche atop the 997 class. The second and third place cars, #55 Crubile Sport and #62 Porsche Lorient, have only had minor problems but the Ruffier team’s perfection has made the difference. Earlier the 997 class lost an important contender when the #52 MSG Motorsport Porsche retired with a broken shock absorber assembly.
 
Two of the three MARC Cars Australia entries have remained very healthy and taken control of the SP2 class. The Ford badged #92 has about three laps in hand over their Mazda liveried #93 teammate. The #22 Leipert Motorsport Lamborghini is a distant third in the class although it is noteworthy that a Hurracan has recorded the fastest speeds along the Mistral. The #66 ARC Bratislava Porsche Cup S was an early casualty in SP2 with a broken engine. Similarly, an early class leader, the #164 GC, is out with a broken suspension.
 
As with the 997 class so it is with A3T class that the leading team is there because of a near perfect run. In the case of the turbocharged touring car category the #208 Team Altran Peugeot 208 GTi runs about five laps clear of the #98 Bas Koeten Racing Seat Leon Cup Racer, the top remaining runner of the new breed of Seats, just ahead of the similar #95 car of Memac Ogily Duel Racing. The early class leader, the #100 Motorsport Development Seat Racer, is gone with a broken engine.
 
There have been some unique twists and turns in the GT4 spec SP3 class. The #206 Nova Race Ginetta is in a commanding lead. Second in class is their teammate, the #200 Ginetta. While it is nearly 90 laps in arrears, that it is still running is quite an accomplishment. Twice it has been returned to the pits on a flatbed truck. Soon after the start their Ford engine failed and a unit from a spare car was installed. Some 18 hours later the driveshaft snapped. There is no one else left standing in the class which means that the #200 is destined for a podium finish. This is likely to embarrass one of the drivers who decided to stand down after the engine problem—no trophy for him!
 
The Cor Euser Racing Lotus Evora for a time was leading SP3 but massive fluctuations in oil pressure and an eventual failure of the pump caused them to retire. The other SP3 runners are also gone. A wheel and brake assembly parted company at speed on the #161 Sorg Rennsport BMW E92 M3 while a drive belt failure, followed by a broken head gasket and subsequent engine dilemnas did in the #170 Speedworks Motorsport Aston Martin.
 
All three of the CUP1 class BMW M235i Racing cars are still running, thank you. Gradually the #67 Sorg Rennsport entry has pulled clear of the Duwo Racing run and Bonk Motorsport entered #79 with the #70 Mission Possible BMW a not too distant third.
 
The #112 Presenza Renault Clio has been in control of the A2 class for many hours. They are about eight laps ahead of the #122 Autosport GP Clio while a Creventic series stalwart, the #126 Team Sally Racing Renault, is back to third after several long delays. The Team K-Reijser Peugeot RCZ was the early leader in the class and have had a long, long stop to deal with fuel system issues and still hope to finish. Cars from the A2 small touring car category which have fallen by the wayside include the #99 RKC / TGM Honda Civic (broken gearbox) and the #36 Exigence Motorsport Clio which never started, having broken its engine in the morning warm-up.
 
The A5 class has largely collapsed. There is only one car left—barely. That is the #75 Hofor Racing BMW E46 M3 which has had innumerable wheel and driveshaft problems. Their teammates, the late entered #14 BMW, was the first car to retire—having chronic overheating. The Saxon Motorsport diesel BMW never featured in the contest and had a broken differential.
 
The #116 Sorg Rennsport Renault Clio is likely to finish between fifth and seventh in the A2 class. There is nothing remarkble about that. What is noteworthy is the driver lineup. It is the husband and wife team from Denmark, Richard and Tanja Nilsson. There are no third-fourth-fifth drivers on the roster. This hearkens back to endurance races of old when two-driver lineups were the norm at Le Mans and elsewhere. It has been over 20 years since that has been the case and while 2-driver crews have occurred now and again since then, there has never been a Mr. and Mrs. arrangement. It is perhaps emblematic of the friendly nature of the International Endurance Series that the Nilsson family is treating this affair as simply their choice of a vacation venue this summer. Indeed, between stints Tanja can be found lounging about in shorts and shirt, catching up on her reading while Rickard sweats through another stint. Then Rickard settles back with an iced tea, following the lovely lady’s progress. Racing can be fun—imagine that!

The design of the race cars is almost as important as the technical attributes when competing. The bright colors and artistic patterns help fans and teams to get more attached to their babies.

Double up with these two uncannily similar Porsche 911 Carreras

Nope, you’re not seeing double. In fact, look a little closer at these two Porsche 911 Carreras, and you’ll realise they're different generation models…

Bet on red

We admit, the differences are minimal – but the later 1975 ‘G’ series Carrera (on the left) is ever so slightly bigger, with fewer lashings of chrome and more protrusive impact bumpers (an aspect loathed by many collectors since their inception). As nice as the later car is, the ‘proper’ 2.7 RS (on the right) – one of the sought-after ‘Lightweight’ models – is seriously desirable. Reportedly one of just three cars delivered in red with a roll bar and a limited-slip differential, this car (which is also currently for sale in the Classic Driver Market) benefits from careful restoration. Can’t choose between them? Then why not have both?

You can find hundreds of Porsche 911s for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

Pure&Crafted Festival 2015

The Pure&Crafted Festival presented by BMW Motorrad will be celebrating its première on the 28th and 29th of August 2015 in Berlin. The Hives, Refused, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis and many more will rock the “Postbahnhof at the Ostbahnhof”.After the party is before the party: The BMW Motorrad Days are barely over but the next event is already just around the corner. The Pure&Crafted Festival will be held for the first time in summer 2015 before the urban backdrop of the Berlin “Postbahnhof” and combines music, motorcycle culture and New Heritage lifestyle. The unique two-day festival offers the finest in guitar music, the love of handmade design and the best of the custom bike scene.

The line-up will thrill fans, enthusiasts and connoisseurs of rock, alternative and folk at two venues both indoor and outdoor. One of the highlights will be the spectacular The Hives, who will be playing one of their two Germany shows here this year as well as the punk rock heroes Refused who will be bringing along a brand-new album. Another act to appear on stage is the British trio of one brother and two sisters Kitty, Daisy & Lewis who recently sold out the Berlin Columbia Hall with their gripping rock'n roll sounds. The best in Indie folk rock is guaranteed by Mighty Oaks, three Berliners-by-choice with international roots.

Further acts include the English rock duo in "White Stripes" manner Blood Red Shoes, the Swedish Indie formation Friska Viljor, the Dutch rock band Birth of Joy, the west coast garage rockers Allah-Las as well as Talisco, Abay, BRNS, Suns of Thyme and Syd Arthur.
Unfortunately Annenmaykantereit are no longer part of the line-up.

The Pure&Crafted Festival, however, stands for a whole lot more than just the love of great rock sound. Next to the double-venue musical program, the hall of the “Postbahnhof” is turned into an urban-scene market place with hand-made products on offer as well as exhibitors and workshops which the New Heritage culture come alive.

Be it the painstakingly hand-crafted leather goods by the Berlin-based workshop Emma Opitz, the legendary hats and caps by the Stetson brand founded in 1865 or the sought-after diamond-look stocking collections by Burlington, this sample of fashion brands who will be present with small showrooms and shows, already provide a promising taste of all that is to come at the Pure&Crafted Festival.

Among other exhibitors, there is the Gestalten Verlag, the chronicler of and impulse generator for visual culture as well as the two friends Harry Brack and Frank Damson, who - with their Berlin project Harry Damson Speedshop - will bring a passion for art and crafts to the festival, too. 

To make sure visitors can preserve their look and style after dancing the night away, the hair and beard care product manufacturers Oak and Mühle Shaving as well as a barber will be on hand.

First-class food and drink will be available from exclusive food-trucks & bars to round off the experience for all the senses.

The outdoor area is fully dedicated to the topic of "Motorcycles": Apart from the motorcycle hellrider show in the legendary Motodrome as well as numerous custom bike garages, there will also be test rides and a Festival Bike Build-Off. The lottery for the Pure&Crafted Festival Bikes on Saturday evening will be a big highlight, too.

The Pure&Crafted Festival is moving from the original event location Ferropolis to the Postbahnhof site. This means that the first edition of the festival will take place in the urban melting pot of Berlin, where trends and subcultures are created, grow and are lived and where music is at the root of big-city life.
This is where Pure&Crafted belongs, this is the home of Pure&Crafted.

The Pure&Crafted Festival is organised by Gemeinsame Sache GmbH & Co. KG - Angency for Brand Communication - in close cooperation with experts from the custom bike and new heritage scene.

Together with the initiator and title sponsor BMW Motorrad, they are offering this scene a hitherto unknown platform in Germany.

Festival tickets are available for € 49.00 incl. charges if advance-booked.
In addition day tickets can be purchased for Friday (€ 22.00) and for Saturday
(€ 35.00) at www.pureandcrafted.com .
Ticket purchased for the Ferropolis venue remain valid.

Line-up:

Friday
Friska Viljor - Mighty Oaks - Blood Red Shoes - Allah-Las

Saturday
The Hives - Refused - Kitty, Daisy & Lewis -Talisco - ABAY - BRNS -
Birth of Joy - Syd Arthur - Suns of Thyme