Spyker may have dropped out of Formula One, but they haven't lost that competitive spirit. Even before selling its F1 team to Kingfisher's Vijay Mallya, who rechristened the squad as Force India, Spyker was fielding the race-prepped sports cars in the GT2 category, The C8 Laviolette GT2-R (pictured above) has been their weapon of choice, in turn yielding the road-worthy LM85 which debuted at last year's Los Angeles show. But the niche Dutch automaker is reportedly preparing to step into the big leagues.

According to the latest reports from across the pond, Spyker's new GT1 racer will be based on the latest C8 Aileron, complete with aluminum body and chassis and powered by a race-tuned Audi V8. Fielding the GT2 car will fall to privateer teams while the Spyker Squadron focuses on GT1. Of course the Dutch team will have to step up its game if it's going to dice it with the big boys next season, and we'll enjoy watching them go at it.




[Source: motorsportblog.it]

In the wake of Formula One's near collapse and the shock resignation of Indy chief Tony George, it'd be all to easy to assume these are the only two racing series in serious trouble. However, emerging reports indicate that they're only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

According to the latest, both the Speedcar and A1GP series are on the verge of total collapse. The former, for those unacquainted, is a stock car series pitting former F1 drivers like Jean Alesi, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jacques Villeneuve against each other on tracks around the Middle and Far East. After only two short seasons of operation, Speedcar's official website is offline and reports suggest the cars have been parked along with it.

Meanwhile, the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, an open-wheel feeder championship between various national teams, appears to be going down the same path. Only one season after unveiling their new Ferrari-designed and -powered spec single-seaters, A1 Grand Prix Operations Ltd has reportedly declared bankruptcy and began liquidating its assets. A1 was starting to position itself as an alternative to the likes of GP2 and the new Formula 2 as a feeder series for aspiring F1 drivers, but its purported collapse will leave that territory to the mainstream series, while Speedcar's demise will leave one less sunset into which burnt-out grand prix pilots can ride off.

[Source: F1-Live]

American fans of Nissan's fantastic new 370Z can order their cars in Chicane Yellow, but up until now, their counterparts in Blighty have been out of luck if they've wanted a sunburst Z of their own. Until now. That's because Nissan UK has cooked up a special new limited-edition (if unimaginatively named) 370Z Yellow.

Apparently inspired by the Japanese automaker's European GT4 series racers, all Yellows will receive 19-inch forged RAYS alloys, a black leather and suede interior, along with illuminated door sill plates, special floor mats, and so on. Did we mention the bespoke lower body graphics? They remind us of less subtle, billboard-sized versions of the graphics packages on certain Porsche 911s.

Nissan assures that there will be a "strictly limited volume" of Yellows for sale in the UK, with "exclusivity guaranteed." But tellingly, perhaps, the company isn't divulging just how many it plans to produce in the model's press release (available after the jump). If you're interested, prepare to shell out £31,650 (nearly $52,000 USD)
for a six-speed manual or £33,050 for the automatic (just over $54,000 USD – as usual, bear in mind the UK's comparatively inflated pricing structure for new cars).

Ford knows better than most that the way into an American car buyer's heart is through motor racing, so the latest step in Ford's North American "Fiesta Movement" is the deployment of the compact hatchback which we've driven and enjoyed on several occasions on America's most popular rally circuits.

Following its entry in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Ford will be fielding a team of rally-prepped Fiestas in the upcoming X Games, the 15th running of the famous stunt competition and the first time Ford will participate. Piloting a trio of Fiestas prepared by the same Swedish MSE outfit that created Marcus Gronholm's rallycross car will be a star-studded line-up comprised of drift champion Tanner Foust, ten-time X Games medalist Brian Deegan and former Indy champion Kenny Brack. With that much talent behind the wheel, we'll look forward to the Fiesta Movement getting into motion at the games running in Los Angeles from July 30 to August 2. Details are available in the press release below the fold and a pair of sketches of the X Games Fiestas can be found in the gallery below.

Typically F1 drivers come up through the formula racing ladder. But for every rule there's an exception, and that exception seems to be creeping up for Ferrari, who are facing a potential change-up in drivers that involves not just numerous racing classes but varied disciplines of motorsports.

First up is Kimi Raikkonen, the team's 2007 world champion who's been trying his hand at rallying. The Finnish driver has contested local-level rallies with limited success, but remains undeterred in entering the World Rally Championship stage in Finland next month. The event will be the first top-level rally for Raikkonen, and also the first professional rally on agravel surface following previous outings on ice, snow and asphalt. Given his level of performance lately in F1, if Kimi finds his footing in rally, he could make the switch.

If Kimi were to jump ship from F1, there's no lack of talent out for Ferrari, but the Scuderia could reach into a different talent pool and bring Valentino Rossi on board. The multiple MotoGP champion has tested for Ferrari on several occasions to considerable effect, and could be ripe for a switch from two wheels to four. But even if Kimi stays in F1, Rossi could find himself with an open door just the same as reports indicate that the terms of the new arrangement between the FIA and FOTA could make way for teams to field a third car in F1 in the near future.

[Source: Autosport and F1-Live]

As we start the second half of 2009, the automotive industry remains in turmoil but the economy is finally showing signs of recovery. And once again, we have a full calendar of events to keep our minds on the positive aspects of our industry. Show season is in full swing so you'll find plenty of concours events, cruise nights, and local shows filling July weekends. In America, Meadowbrook is the star of July, but there are also other interesting events like the GoodGuys Heartland Nationals, Hudson-Essex-Terraplane meet in Pontiac, New England Concours d'Elegance in Vermont, the First Annual Great American Car Show in Massachusetts, Micros on the Monument in Racine, International Bricklin Owners Club Annual Grand National Meet, and the Alfa Romeo Owners Club National Meet in Portland, among others.

There's lots of racing in July, too. Most Formula 1 teams will make a brief stop at Goodwood before resuming their regular racing schedule at the Nürburgring, followed by the Hungarian GP at the end of the month. IndyCar hits Watkins Glen, the Streets of Toronto, and the airport course in Edmonton. NASCAR fans can look forward to races in Daytona, Chicago, and at the Brickyard. ALMS teams can take it easy after the marathon that was the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a two-hour stint at Lime Rock Park.

There will also be plenty of other random racing action in July, with the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Portland Historic Races, Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, Kohler International Challenge with Brian Redman, and the New England Forest Rally. Green car fans can look forward to the Eco-Rally U.S.A. 2009, and bike fans can take in the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix or AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days at Mid-Ohio.

If none of those events appeals to you, check the Google Calendar after the jump for even more listings, all with detailed info and links. Please use the comments section to add or modify listings. Oh, and Happy 4th of July!

After being the first driver suspended for substance abuse under NASCAR's new drug policy, the sport's governing body has confirmed Jeremy Mayfield tested positive for methamphetamines on May 1.

At a federal court in Charlotte, NC, Mayfield's attorney mentioned the drug several times during his arguments against the suspension, and the driver and his legal representative are crafting a case to prove NASCAR's testing system is flawed. Mayfield maintains that the positive result was due to a combination of Adderall (for Attention Deficit Disorder) and Claritin-D (for allergies), and along with denying using meth, Mayfiled's lawyer argued that the racer wasn't given the opportunity to get his backup ("B") sample tested independently, something that's explicitly allowed under NASCAR rules.

The court has adjourned until this afternoon, so expect an update on the case later today.

[Source: AP | Image Source: Todd Warshaw/Getty]

As temperatures rose between Ferrari and its fellow constructors in the Formula One Teams Association, Le Mans class endurance racing provided a convenient alternative for Ferrari and FOTA chairman Luca di Montezemolo to wield against his adversaries. He was even invited to ceremonially start the race this year, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the marque's first win there while hinting that the Maranello squad had alternatives at its disposal. But now that the war appears to have come to an end (notwithstanding Max Mosley's infamous intransigence), Montezemolo has stated that Ferrari won't be returning in full force to Le Mans just yet.

Ferrari's president said that his company couldn't shoulder the enormous parallel burdens of racing in both F1 and Le Mans, though he did admit that the prospect of returning to Le Mans with a full factory racing effort was tempting, saying "sooner or later we will want to go back with an official car." In the meantime, privateer teams like GT2 champions Risi Competizione will continue to field race-prepped customer F430s, but we'll have to wait a little while longer for Ferrari to take on the likes of Audi and Peugeot with a full-on LMP1 works effort.

[Source: Autosport]

It's the end of an era for open-wheel racing in America as Indy chief Tony George has stepped down from his post. The long-time president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, George was widely seen as the impetus for the 1996 split in Indy racing that created the Indy Racing League (IRL) and the rival Champ Car series (formerly known as CART), but he was also instrumental in fostering the merger of the two championships into the new IndyCar Series over which he's presided.

During his nearly two-decade tenure as the head of the famous race track, George also brought NASCAR, Formula One and MotoGP to the speedway for the first time, vastly expanding the calendar of events at the iconic venue. However, elements within the Hulman-George company that controls the business were concerned with the amount of resources their chief executive put into the reintegrated IndyCar Series and recently asked him to reorganize the company, but Tony evidently decided to step down instead. He'll be focusing his energies on the Vision Racing team which he fields in the series, while the job he vacates will be split into two: CFO Jeffrey G Belskus will take the reins at the speedway, while chief legal counsel W Curtis Brighton will oversee the operation of the series.

[Source: Autosport | Image: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty]

You know you've made it when they name a turn after you at the Nürburgring.

Sebastian Vettel is only turning 22 this summer, yet he's already racked up an impressive collection of citations: not only is he the youngest to drive an F1 car on grand prix weekend, the youngest to qualify on pole, the youngest the lead a grand prix and the youngest to win a grand prix, but he's also won the Nations Cup at the Race of Champions, picked up the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy and had his school renamed in his honor. And now they're naming a corner of the Nürburgring after him.

Before you go riffling through the innumerable turns on the venerated Nordschleife, we'll point out that Vettel's corner is situated on the shorter, accompanying grand prix track that will play host to the German Grand Prix next season. The young German's name will adorn the sixth turn, previously unnamed, putting his handle alongside that of his mentor, Michael Schumacher, for whom the S complex bridging turns 9 and 10 is named. Automakers Ford and Mercedes, rubber companies Dunlop and Kumho along with Castrol and Coca-Cola also have turns on the "Grand Prix Strecke" named after them, though we have a feeling they might have paid a little more than Vettel for the naming rights.

[Source: F1-Live | Image: Mark Thompson/Getty]