Audi R8 LMS Ultra 2014

The competitiveness of the Audi R8 LMS ultra in GT world championships lends itself to the widely known belief that the car is as good a racer you can get. 

That competitiveness is expected to continue in the 2014 season, specifically at the Nurburgring 24 Hours where as many as eight R8 LMS ultra cars are tipped to compete.

Ahead of the actual 24-hour race this coming June, the R8 LMS ultra was put through the paces over the weekend in qualification for the endurance race. 

While it failed to upend the BMW Z4’s dominance, don’t expect for one second that the R8 LMS ultra won’t be a contender when the real race at the "Green Hell" commences this coming June.

All in all, five teams will be fielding the R8 LMS ultra at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, with some notable drivers in the mix, including Le Mans winners Frank Biela, Marcel Fässler, Stéphane Ortelli, and Marco Werner. 

These four drivers have accounted for 11 wins at the ’Ring, and will be complemented by former GT1 World Champions Marc Basseng and Markus Winkelhock, defending FIA GT Champion Laurens Vanthoo, and three-time Porsche Supercup Champion René Rast.

That’s as good a lineup to drive the R8 LMS ultra at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring. It’s going to face some stiff challenges, especially with the BMW Z4 and the defending-champion Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 in the fold. 

But don’t expect the R8 LMS ultra to just sit idle and let the rest get the spoils. The racer is tipped and ready to make some waves when the endurance race kicks off this coming June.

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Lamborghini Huracan GT3 2015

The 2015 Lamborghini Huracan has been assigned the near-impossible mission of replacing the mighty Gallardoas the company’s entry-level supercar. 

Before the 610-horsepower machines even began rolling off the Italian assembly lines, Lamborghini was already developing new, faster versions. 

First on its list was the 2015 LP620-2 Super Trofeo, the race car that comes with a one-make series of its own to displace the Gallardo’s. 

With the 2015 racing season just around the corner, the Italians revealed yet another iteration of the Huracan: the GT3. As the moniker suggests, we’re still in racing territory, but this time in a more disputed department — the Blancpain Series — in which Lamborghini faces competition from a handful of manufacturers, Audi andMcLaren included.

The brand-new race car comes to replace the Gallardo FL2 , the company’s sole offering for privateers in both the Blancpain Endurance and Sprint Series. 

Gentlemen racers, it’s time to grab your helmets, there’s a new kid in town!

Based on the road-going Huracan that arrived in 2014, the GT3 comes with all the goodies specific to an endurance race car, including an aggressive body kit, a stripped interior and a curb weight of only 2,731 pounds.

Updated: 01/21/2015 Lamborghini released the official details on the new Huracan GT3, which was unveiled at the company’s headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese. Click past the jump for the new details.

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2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Results and Highlights

After a huge wildfire delayed the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, it has finally had its day in the spotlight, and it did not disappoint. The entire PPIHC was chock-full of craziness and highlights, along with some low-lights worthy of mention.

The biggest highlight of the day was seeing a record set at last year’s race fall. It fell not only once, but twice in only 10 starts. Switzerland’s Romain Dumas – a PPIHC rookie – fired up the hill, completing the course in just 9:46.18 in his 2012 Porsche GT3 RS. This demolished the 9:51.278 record set by Nobuniro Tajima In 2011. Just 10 starts later, Rhys Millen, an 18-year PPIHC veteran, beat Dumas’ time by 0.02 seconds in his 2012 Hyundai Genesis coupe. Yeah, figure that one out; a Hyundai beat a Porsche GT3 RS.

Dejected, Dumas vowed never to race Pike’s Peak again, claiming it is unfair because he raced in rainy conditions, while Millen got a drier track to run on. In all honesty, though, 10 starts just doesn’t seem like a long enough time frame to cause a huge discrepancy in track conditions. We’re calling “Sore loser” on this one. That’s no way to get a good name in the racing world.

A huge low-light in this year’s race is the fact that the 2011 champion and former record holder, Nobuniro Tajima, didn’t even get a shot at the title, as his electric motor burned up. Tajima had a pretty good chance to win the race in back-to-back years, but that was apparently not in the cards this year. We’re sure he’ll be back near the top next year.

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