Trying to improve my ability on a black background but still unhappy with the outcome.
Suzuki Swift version by Saico.
emboss swift emblem on the back door...
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Gentilozzi and Jaguar RSR Racing tour England
Paul Gentilozzi on a "flyer" as he crests the top of the hill at the end of Rahal Straight before entering the Corkscrew at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the ALMS final race of the 2009 season. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)Gentilozzi and Jaguar RSR Racing tour England
GT racing legend and former co-cheif executive of the ChampCar World Series, Paul Gentilozzi is taking a break from a gruelling development program to feature the XKR in the largest dedicated trade motorsport exhibition in Europe. The race car will be on display at the Jaguar booth alongside a production model XKR, XFR, and the fastest Jaguar ever – the Bonneville XFR prototype, which Paul drove to 225.675 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2008.
Jaguar asked the Michigan-based RSR team to help create a race car to compete in GT2 racing in 2010. The Jaguar engineering and design teams, based in Coventry, have jointly developed the car from a standard road-going XKR with the RSR team.
Paul Gentilozzi piloting the new Jaguar RSR XKR GT through the "Corkscrew" turn at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: Scott Coursey/RallyBuzzThe new Jaguar RSR racing car makes its European debut this week at the 2010 Autosport International at the NEC in Birmingham, UK. It is the first and only chance for the public to see the stunning new XKR GT in the metal before it heads back to the US to compete in the entire 2010 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in North America.
The competition car uses the standard Jaguar XKR lightweight aluminum monocoque together with additional steel reinforcements and safety structure developed by RSR. The 5.0-litre V-8 engine boasts 550 horsepower at 7000 rpm and a maximum speed of 180mph.
The Jaguar RSR XKR GT made its racing debut during the Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, in September 2009. The car took its first green flag in the American Le Mans Series season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in October and is set for a full-season championship effort in 2010.
Mike O'Driscoll, managing director of Jaguar Cars said: "Our designers and engineers have taken the best of our standard road-going XKR and with Paul Gentilozzi's motorsport expertise created a first-class competition car. Paul and his RSR team are confident that they can compete against some serious competition in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).
Speed shot of the new Jaguar RSR XKR GT getting ready for the 2010 ALMS racing season. Image Credit: Scott Coursey/RallyBuzzRSR principle partner Paul Gentilozzi will be in attendance at Autosport International. Gentilozzi said of his attendance: "Jaguar is so intertwined with British motoring history making this a fantastic opportunity to debut the Jaguar RSR XKR GT racecar internationally. Having our new GT racecar and the Bonneville prototype XFR on display at the biggest motorsport exhibition in Europe with the production cars that made these possible is such a great way to showcase our dedication to the Jaguar brand and to motorsports.”
After taking centre stage at the car show, the Jaguar RSR XKR GT will visit “home” by making stops at Jaguar headquarter sites in Whitley and Castle Bromwich in the UK. “It will be incredibly exciting to take the Jaguar RSR XKR GT back to the team at Jaguar who worked so hard to make this dream a reality,” added Gentilozzi. “A picture may be worth a thousand words, but seeing this car in person is priceless.”
Aside from his role as team owner, Paul is one of the drivers for the #33 JaguarRSR XKR. Next up? The ALMS Winter Test February 22 – 23 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida and Season Opener – the 12 Hours of Sebring, March 20.
... notes from The EDJE
(ht: Jaguar GT racing car makes European debut - WheelsUnplugged Automobile Industry News)
Monday, January 25, 2010
2010 Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro high-performance Sports Car
2010 Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro
Audi announced that the price for the highly anticipated 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro V10 sports car will be rolled out in Germany in the second quarter of 2009 at a basic price of EUR 142,400. The Audi R8 V10 is the result of cumulative know-how from Audi's string of Le Mans victories. Its naturally aspirated engine combines racing technology such as dry sump lubrication with FSI gasoline direct injection. The ten-cylinder design is the perfect synthesis for impressive top performance, mighty pulling power, and low weight. Starting in 2009, this engine will also prove its potential on the world's racetracks - in the new Audi R8 GT3 racing car Audi is developing for customer teams in conformance with the GT3 rules.
2010 Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro
Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro is the next variant of its top-of-the-line model. With the Audi R8, the brand has established itself at the forefront of high-end sports cars from the very start - and now comes the Audi R8 V10. Its 5.2-liter, ten-cylinder engine churns out 386 kW (525 hp) and 530 Nm (390.91 lb-ft) of torque, which makes for breathtaking performance. With superior Audi technologies such as quattro all-wheel drive, the lightweight aluminum body, the innovative all-LED headlights, and its striking design, the Audi R8 V10 takes pole position against the competition.
2010 Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro
The V10 engine in the production sports car will be almost identical in construction to the one in the racing version. Its displacement is 5,204 cc, at 6,500 rpm it delivers 530 Nm (390.91 lb-ft) of torque, at 8,000 rpm its power tops out at 386 kW (525 hp). The specific power output is 100.9 hp per liter of displacement - and each hp has to propel only 3.09 kilograms (6.91 lb) of weight, because the Audi R8 V10 in the version with the six-speed manual gearshift weighs only 1,620 kilograms (3571 lb). The engine accounts for 258 of these kilograms (569 lb) - that's only 31 kilos (68 lb) more than the V8.
2010 Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro
The 5.2-liter powerplant uses direct injection according to the FSI principle developed by Audi. The Audi R8 V10 with R tronic gets by on an average of 13.7 liters per 100 km (17.17 US mpg). The Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro rockets from zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 3.9 seconds. In the version with the sequentially shifting R tronic it reaches 200 km/h (124.27 mph) in another 8.1 seconds. Even then its propulsive power hardly lessens: it's sufficient to reach a top speed of 316 km/h (196.35 mph). The immense force, the spontaneity and the thrust of the acceleration, plus the sound of the engine - all these impressions coalesce into a breathtaking sports car experience. The V10 plays a concert with growling bass tones and powerful high notes, which grows into a grandiose fortissimo as the engine revs up. This sonorous acceleration doesn't reach its limit until 8,700 rpm.
2010 Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro
A contributing factor to the wide lead in traction and driving safety of the Audi R8 V10 over the competition is quattro all-wheel drive - it's the superior technology especially for a high-performance sports car. Four powered wheels get more grip than two. They enable the driver to step on the gas sooner when coming out of a curve. It's not only the traction that benefits, but also the transverse dynamics and the stability.
2010 Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro
Toyota leaves Formula 1 with departing email
Panasonic Toyota Racing’s last Formula 1 car, the TF109. The end of Panasonic Toyota Racing's Formula 1 program is not the end of activity on www.toyota-f1.com - far from it. Image Credit: Toyota Motor CorporationToyota leaves Formula 1 with departing email
This morning, those who had been following the exploits of the Toyota Formula racing effort throughout the last couple of seasons, woke up to an email communique outlining the last efforts Toyota Motorsport GmbH will be doing to close the final chapter of their effort.
Jarno Trulli and former Champ Car World Series driver, Timo Glock have moved on, both have signed to drive with newly formed teams for the 2010 F1 season. Jarno was confirmed as one of the newly-formed Lotus F1 Racing's team drivers, joining former McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen. Timo chose an option where he will be guaranteed a drive, although the car might be less competitive, at the newly formed Virgin Racing. Virgin's car for 2010 will be the first F1 car designed entirely using CFD computer simulation technology and will be powered with Cosworth engines. Timo will be teamed with long-time Brazilian GP2 regular Lucas di Grassi.
Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli take the front row at the Bahrain Grand Prix 2009. Image Credit: Bahrain International CircuitA visit to the farewell website is a wonderful mix of photography, technology, and past F1 memories.
This excerpted and edited from Toyota's departing email -
A virtual goodbye to Formula 1
Monday 25 January 2010
Toyota Motorsport GmbH bids farewell to Formula 1 with an offering to all those who supported it during eight emotional seasons at the pinnacle of motorsport.
Fans, media and sponsors alike can relive memories from the team in the form of exclusive photos and videos, including an eight-minute video retrospective featuring exclusive footage of moments which variously made us laugh, smile or shed a tear.
Simply visit http://ms.toyota.co.jp/en/ and click on the banner ‘A Virtual Goodbye to Formula 1' to look back on our time Formula 1.
Since our first season competing in Formula 1, in 2002, we have experienced a whole spectrum of emotions but through the highs and the lows, we have been fortunate to enjoy the valued support of partners, media and fans.
There have been so many sponsorship campaigns, media collaborations and distributor initiatives it is impossible mention individual cases but we would like to sincerely thank all those partners, media and fans who have been part of our Formula 1 adventure.
This special website represents the final act for the marketing and communications department, which has ceased normal operations.
Until further notice, all media enquiries regarding Toyota's motorsport programmes should be directed to Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan on bl-pr@mail.toyota.co.jp while only specific requests relating to Toyota Motorsport GmbH in Cologne should be directed to pr@toyota-motorsport.com.
Our media website www.toyota-f1-world.com will continue to function until the end of the year to provide an archive of photography and information from the team's time in Formula 1.
Reference Here>>
Funny, it would be nice to have the same type of departure website attention given to other automobile-culture departures that have happened over this last full year ... and not necessarily departures in motorsport.
Let's see websites devoted to the history and legacy of Pontiac, Saturn, Dodge Aspen, Hummer ... heck, lets just add General Motors and Chrysler, in general, since they were once proud companies involved in the pursuit of free-enterprise and have departed from the annuals of needs-satisfaction, profit-oriented American automobile manufacturers.
... notes from The EDJE
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