Michelin Designs Nissan ZEOD RC’s Tires for Le Mans / Serge Grisin : « La Nissan ZEOD RC est importante pour Michelin. »

par Laurent Mercier (Endurance-Info)

Nissan ZEOD RC’s invitation to participate at Le Mans next year from the Automobile Club de l’Ouest is a tremendous technological development opportunity for the automaker, but also a ready laboratory for next-generation tires, says Michelin Director Serge Grisin. Michelin makes more than half the tires for vehicles competing at Le Mans, but the Garage 56 status, reserved for cars with new technology, has special allure. Grisin, speaking with the Global Media Center during the running of the World Endurance Championship at Fuji Speedway, said working with Nissan on the ZEOD project will help the tire maker in developing electric vehicle products and in bringing even better tires to consumers.

Après une grosse implication dans le projet DeltaWing, Michelin est maintenant partenaire du 56^ème Garage des 24 Heures du Mans 2014 en développant les pneus de la Nissan ZEOD RC. Le pneumaticien français équipe déjà plus de la moitié des équipes de la classique mancelle mais ce projet ZEOD RC est un nouveau challenge comme l’explique Serge Grisin, directeur de la compétition automobile chez Bibendum : « Le fait que la Nissan ZEOD RC participe l’année prochaine aux 24 Heures du Mans suite à l’invitation de l’ACO est une formidable opportunité de développement technologique pour le constructeur automobile, mais aussi un laboratoire bien préparé pour les pneus de nouvelle génération. »

Serge Grisin, Director 4 Wheels Racing Division, Michelin : “For Michelin this project is really important. We’re a technical leader in the tire industry. Garage 56 is a good way for Michelin to learn more about the way to design tires for electric vehicles, and then we can imagine new technologies for the next generation of tires that will have better performance and efficiency. This is a really specific tire, generally for LMP car the front tire is 20 cm, and with this tire it’s 10 cm. That means that with a tire that’s two times smaller we’ll have to develop the same road-car performance in terms of grip, in terms of longevity, and also the tire will be lighter. That means two times lighter than the standard LMP car tire, so by this way we’ll have a tire that will be smaller and lighter, that will allow the same car performance. It’s a way to improve the efficiency of the tire. So for the rear tire, based on the weight distribution of the car we have developed a specific tire that is more conventional, closer to standard LMP tires. It’s 40-cm width, a 15-inch tire. What is important is to adjust the tire size to the car geometry, weight distribution and aerodynamic distribution, and also to have the best possible balance for the car. It’s a fact we want to have the same longevity, to increase the longevity compared to standard racing tires, so we will develop specific compounds. The geometry of the car forces us to develop a front tire that is very narrow. But even with this narrow tire, we target to have a very high longevity. Competition is the laboratory for the street tire, and by the way of the project we are sure that we will have a lot of data from the run of the car that we will be able to use to develop the next generation of tire, and specifically for the electric cars.

 We talk about the future, but we are only at the beginning of the project. We can use a lot of simulation tools, because we want to be ready for Le Mans and we need to think about a lot of things regarding tire design. Before the car starts to run, we will start to give them the tire with the help of simulation tools that do analysis, and (make) a more efficient way to design the tire for the future.”

La Nissan ZEOD RC a fait ses premiers tours de piste devant un fort public sur le Fuji Speedway où Michael Krumm a électrifié la ligne droite des stands du tracé japonais. Serge Grisin revient sur l’importance de ce projet :« Pour Michelin, ce programme est vraiment important. Nous sommes leaders sur le plan technique dans l’industrie pneumatique. Le Garage 56 est un bon moyen pour Michelin d’en apprendre davantage sur la façon de concevoir des pneumatiques pour les véhicules électriques et nous allons pouvoir imaginer de nouvelles technologies pour la prochaine génération de pneus qui seront encore plus performants et efficaces. »

Comme sa devancière DeltaWing, la Nissan ZEOD RC est équipée de pneumatiques de petite taille à l’avant : « C’est un pneu vraiment spécifique. Généralement, le pneu d’une LMP est de 20 cm alors qu’avec la ZEOD RC nous sommes à 10 cm. Cela signifie que nous allons développer un pneu deux fois plus petit pour les mêmes performances qu’une voiture de route en termes d’adhérence, de longévité, sachant que le pneu sera plus léger. Ce pneu est deux fois plus léger que la voiture LMP standard, ce qui permet d’avoir un pneu plus petit, plus léger, mais pour des performances identiques. C’est une façon d’améliorer l’efficacité du pneu. »Michelin ne se contente pas de développer des gommes pour l’avant de la ZEOD RC car l’arrière est aussi pris en compte : « En fonction de la répartition du poids de la voiture, nous avons développé un pneu spécifique qui est plus classique, plus proche des pneus LMP que l’on connaît avec 40 cm de largeur et une taille de 15 pouces. Ce qui est important, c’est d’ajuster la taille des pneus à la géométrie de la voiture, la répartition du poids et la distribution aérodynamique, mais aussi d’avoir le meilleur équilibre possible pour la voiture. Nous voulons avoir la même longévité afin de l’augmenter par rapport aux pneus standards. Nous allons donc développer des composants spécifiques. La géométrie de la voiture nous oblige à développer un pneu avant très étroit. Mais, même avec ce pneu étroit, notre cible est d’avoir une grande longévité.

 « La compétition est le laboratoire pour les pneus des voitures de série et avec ce projet, nous sommes sûrs que nous allons recueillir beaucoup de données pour la prochaine génération de pneus, et plus particulièrement pour les voitures électriques. Nous parlons de l’avenir mais nous ne sommes qu’au début du projet. Nous pouvons utiliser beaucoup d’outils de simulation parce que nous voulons être prêts pour Le Mans et il faut penser à beaucoup de choses concernant la conception du pneu. Avant que la voiture ne commence à rouler, nous allons déjà leur donner une aide avec des outils de simulation, ce qui reste un moyen plus efficace de concevoir le pneu de l’avenir. »

Vida Kyrillos from BroopTV

Vida Kyrillos from BroopTV on Vimeo.

1972 BMW R75/5: A ‘TRADITIONAL CUSTOM’

There’s something magical about a classic 70s BMW airhead: Slightly oddball lines, that remarkable engine, and the promise of fine German engineering. An off-kilter charm, if you like.

This BMW R75/5, however, is not quite what it seems. It’s a subtly modified 1972 model that has been customized during a ground-up rebuild. And it looks as fresh as the day it rolled out of the BMW Motorrad Werk factory in Berlin.

The craftsman responsible for this ‘traditional custom’ is Brandon Mungai, who restores old BMWs out of a garage in Costa Mesa, California. Since 2011, he’s been chronicling these builds on the Bavarian Cafe website, and this R75/5 is his latest creation.

Brandon came across the /5 a few weeks after he survived a near-fatal crash on a similar bike. While taking time to recover, he felt that a new project would help his rehabilitation—and before he knew it, he was tearing the bike down, bolt by bolt.

It was an all-original 54,000-mile machine that had been parked under an awning since 1981. Brandon is a purist at heart, but also has a strong affection for cafe racers, so he decided to add a few period-correct mods and keep the rest of the bike original. If ever the day came when he wanted to convert it back to stock, a short time in the garage would be all that was needed to do the trick.

The build was unusually thorough: “The crank journals have been re-polished, the cylinders re-honed and the valve seats and guides resurfaced by John Edwards at Costa Mesa R&D,” Brandon reports. New Karcoma petcocks deliver fuel to the rebuilt Bing carburetors, and Brandon secured a stainless steel exhaust and Hoske Silencers from the specialist S. Meyer in Germany.

“I also located a five-speed gearbox from a 1977 R60/7, and replaced all the bearings, shifting cam springs, gaskets and seals. A 32/10 final drive was re-splined by Hansen’s BMW up in Oregon. The shocks are /5 replicas from Bob’s BMW.” Stainless steel spokes interlace the highly-polished Wiemann rims, and Brandon installed a reproduction SWB seat—complete with seat lock—plus a tool-kit, an air pump and a chrome headlight ring protector.

A new Brown-style sidestand and vintage Albert bar-end mirrors were supplied by Bench Marks Works in Mississippi. The ‘toaster’ panels were re-chromed and the speedometer was rebuilt. Tommaselli adjustable Clubman Bars were imported in from Italy to guide the controls, and a ton of OEM parts were located and delivered by the crew at Irv Seaver BMW in Orange, CA.

The end result is a siren of a bike: The red paint and chrome meet perfectly under the sun. Brandon’s called this R75/5 Freiin (“Free Lady”), a title of nobility often translated as ‘Baroness.’

A suitability classy name for a grand—and slightly racy—old lady.

See more of Brandon’s work on the Bavarian Cafe website. Photography and story by Shaik Ridzwan from The Mighty Motor.

via BIKEEXIF

Baugrud Roadrunner xs650

Steve Baugrad comes from just outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a city full of Harley’s. Which was all the motivation Steve needed to build this stunning XS650 special. When the world zigs, zag.

Steve’s day job is in healthcare and he builds his bikes (this is the fourth) in what little spare time he has. He brought the 1981 XS for $150 on Craigslist and went about tearing everything down, before building it back up again just the way he wanted it. Like a lot of us in The Shed, everything Steve did on this bike was self taught, learned by hanging around in, and asking the right questions on forums.

After vapour blasting the engine and rebuilding the top end, the engine covers were powder coated using iron glimmer. The frame was modified by removing all unnecessary tabs, along with the rear pegs, exhaust mounts and everything behind the rear shock. He then welded (again, self taught) a new rear hoop, and fabbed up an electronics tray so everything could be hidden neatly away underneath the seat hump.

Sticking to his, ‘doing something a bit different to everyone else’ philosophy, Steve decided to keep the original mag wheels instead of swapping out to spoked rims, and went for Avon Speedmaster MKII’s instead of Firestones. The forks were rebuilt, shaved of the extra caliper mounts and powder coated to match the frame. The triple trees were also powder coated and a new dash panel was made to hold the kill switch, start button and neutral light. The brakes were rebuilt using braided lines and a mini speedo and headlight finish off the front end nicely.

The tank was sourced from an XS750 which was modified to fit the frame. The seat was made by Ian at Twinline Customs/ House on Fire Industries and houses a neatly concealed half moon billet L.E.D. Upholstery on the seat pan is genuine leather and was made by the talented Ginger at New Church Moto.

The high pipes, made by Scott at Gordon Scott Engineering, really caught our eye on this build. We’re told they were extremely labor intensive, so much so that Scott says he probably won’t make any more (note the word ‘probably’ – sounds persuadable to us!). The equally eye catching paintwork was done by Todd Carlson using a silver base, silver HOK mini metalflake, HOK lime gold Kandy with black stripes and several coats of fuel proof automotive clear. According to Steve she’ll nearly blind you in the sun.
Steve tells us that from day one he set out to make this one a keeper, hence no corners cut and the meticulous attention to detail.
via The Bike Shed

WRC The title in sight for Volkswagen / Titre en vue pour Volkswagen

 to an 80-point lead over Citroën, Volkswagen is on target to collect its first WRC crown this weekend. Meanwhile, with two rounds remaining, the closest fight in the Manufacturers’ standings opposes Qatar Word Rally Team and Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team for third place.

Avec 80 points d’avance sur Citroën, Volkswagen devrait décrocher son premier titre mondial en rallye ce week-end. Mais c’est surtout le match pour la troisième place entre le Qatar Word Rally Team et le Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team qui va tenir le WRC en émoi ce week-end.

The recent Rallye de France-Alsace saw Volkswagen’sSébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia make sure of the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ titles, 17 years after Sweden’sKenneth Eriksson won the Group A Drivers’ championship in a VW Golf GTi.

This weekend, Volkswagen has a strong chance of wrapping up the overall Manufacturers’ crown to put an end to five years of domination by Citroën. As things stand, Volkswagen Motorsport has an 80-point lead overCitroën-Total Abu Dhabi WRT and only needs to harvestsix points in Spain (a minimum of seventh place for Latvala or Ogier) to secure the top prize after an impressive inaugural WRC campaign.

The new Polo R WRC has won eight of the 11 roundscontested to date, which is better than the sister brandAudi which became the first German make to win the WRC in 1982. Interestingly, Porsche won the‘International Championship for Makes’ in 1970 with a score of seven wins from 12.

Seven victories from 12 was Peugeot’s score, too, in1985, while Toyota and Mitsubishi also won seven rallies when they took Manufacturers’ titles in 1993 and 1998respectively. Only Lancia has done better (nine wins from 13 in 1987, the year ‘Group A’ became the top class). That said, the 2013 season isn’t over yet…

Meanwhile, the fight for third place opposes the two M-Sport Ford operations for the silver medal. The ‘B’ team (Qatar World Rally Team, Thierry Neuville and Nasser Al-Attiyah) currently totals 157 points, compared with156 for the ‘A’ team (Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team,Mads Ostberg and Evgeny Novikov)!

Au Rallye de France-Alsace, Volkswagen a offert les titres Pilotes et Copilotes à Sébastien Ogier et Julien Ingrassia, 17 ans après le titre Pilotes Gr.A décroché par le Suédois Kenneth Eriksson sur une VW Golf GTi.

Ce week-end, Volkswagen devrait s’assurer du titre Constructeurs 2013, après cinq années consécutives dominées par Citroën. Volkswagen Motorsport compte 80 points d’avance sur Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi WRT et six points lui suffisent pour être titré en Espagne (une 7eplace d’Ogier ou de Latvala). Une juste récompense après une première campagne mondiale parfaitementnégociée.

Avec sa nouvelle Polo R WRC, Volkswagen a remportéhuit rallyes sur les onze disputés jusqu’à présent. C’est mieux que son cousin Audi en 1982, premierconstructeur allemand titré en WRC - si l’on excepte Porsche vainqueur du Championnat International des Marques en 1970 - qui avait signé sept victoires endouze rallyes.

Mieux aussi que Peugeot, en 1985, titré après sept victoires en douze épreuves, ou que les marques japonaises Toyota et Mitsubishi en 1993 et 1998 qui avaient décroché leur premier titre Constructeurs avec sept victoires. Seul Lancia avait fait mieux en 1987, si l’on considère ce titre comme un premier (règlement GrA), avec neuf victoires en treize rallyes (mais s2013 n’est pas terminée !).

Mais ce week-end, c’est surtout la lutte interne à la structure M-Sport qui va animer les débats. Et oui : le Qatar World Rally Team, représenté par Thierry Neuville et Nasser Al-Attiyah, totalise 157 points, contre 156 à l’équipe Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team, emmenée  par Mads Ostberg et Evgeny Novikov… Le match pour la 3eplace du championnat Constructeurs 2013 entre l’équipe B et l’équipe A de Malcolm Wilson s’annonce d’une rare intensité !

Viva Espana !

Three weeks after the WRC’s French thriller in Alsace, the RallyRACC-Catalunya-Costa Daurada-Rally de Espana is likely to settle both the 2013 Manufacturers’ and WRC-2 titles. The mixed-surface event will begin with two days on asphalt and conclude with gravel action on Sunday.

Trois semaines après un Rallye de France-Alsace riche en émotion, le RallyRACC-Catalunya-Costa Daurada-Rally de Espana 2013 devrait décider des titres Constructeurs et WRC-2. Epreuve mixte, la 49e édition débutera par l’asphalte et se conclura sur terre dimanche.

As was the case in 2012, the outcome of this year’s Drivers’ championship was decided before the trip to Spain, but there will still be plenty at stake there.

It is almost certain that either Volkswagen or Citroën will leave Catalonia as the 2013 Manufacturers’ champion (which would be Michelin’s 23^rd since 1973), and we will also see the next episode in the battle between Neuville and Latvala for this year’s runner-up trophy. They are both likely to be strong in Spain where there will be pressure, too, on the home star and big favourite, Dani Sordo… Will he be the first driver to win the Spanish round since Sébastien Loeb started his winning streak there in 2005?

Also of interest will be the performance of Robert Kubica in what could well be his final appearance in the WRC-2 class. He has a real chance of wrapping up the title, because his main threat Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari from Qatar will be competing in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Another driver getting his first taste of competing at this level in a Ford WRC car is New Zealander Hayden Paddon.

Although it was in Catalonia last year that Ford officially waved goodbye to the world championship, there have perhaps never been as many Fiestas on a single WRC event, since the line-up of 35 Fiestas (WRC, RRC, R5, S2000 and R2) accounts for more than half the 64-strong entry!

Like last year, the rally will start in the centre of Barcelona, although this time competitors will contest three night-time stages (‘Querol’/21.26km, ‘Montmell’/24.14km, ‘Riudecanyes’/16.35km) before their return to the service park in Salou.

The second leg will kick off with a second attempt at ‘Riudecanyes’ before visits to ‘El Priorat’ (42.04km) and ‘Colldejou’ (26.48km). After a repeat of the loop in the afternoon, the day’s menu will end with the Salou super-special. Saturday evening’s service park has been extended to 1h15m in order to give teams time to switch their cars from asphalt to gravel spec. Indeed, four of Sunday’s stages will be all-dirt affairs, while one-third of ‘Terra Alta’ (35.68 km) will take place on twisty, abrasive asphalt.

Comme l’an passé, le titre Pilotes est joué avant le départ du RallyRACC-Catalunya. Mais l’épreuve espagnole ne sera pas dénuée d’intérêt pour autant.

Le match Volkswagen / Citroën pour l’attribution du titre Constructeurs – qui sera le 23^e pour Michelin depuis 1973 – devrait y trouver son vainqueur. On suivra aussi avec passion le duel Neuville / Latvala pour le titre de vice-champion du monde 2013, et peut-être pour la victoire finale tant le Finlandais et le Belge sont rapides sur les routes et chemins ibériques, et tant la pression sera forte sur les épaules de Dani Sordo, archi favori…

Qui succédera à Sébastien Loeb, invaincu en Espagne depuis 2005 ? Qui sera le 11^e vainqueur différent de cette épreuve apparue au calendrier mondial en 1991 ?

On surveillera bien sûr la prestation de Robert Kubica en WRC-2 – ce sera peut-être sa dernière apparition dans cette catégorie - qui pourrait s’assurer du titre puisque son principal challenger Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari pilotera une Ford Fiesta RS WRC. D’ailleurs, on suivra avec intérêt les débuts du Qatari et du Néo-Zélandais Hayden Paddon en catégorie WRC, tous deux chez Ford.

Ford, qui a officiellement dit adieu au WRC ici-même l’an passé, n’a peut-être jamais été autant représenté sur une manche mondiale : 35 Ford Fiesta (WRC, RRC, R5, S2000, R2) figurent sur la liste des 64 engagés, soit plus de la moitié du plateau !

Côté parcours, le rallye s’élancera vendredi après-midi depuis le cœur de Barcelone, comme en 2012, mais cette année, les concurrents reviendront au parc de PortAventura après trois spéciales nocturnes : Querol (21,26 km), Montmell (24,14 km) et Riudecanyes (16,35 km).

La deuxième étape débutera par un nouveau passage dans Riudecanyes avant le « juge de paix », El Priorat (42,04 km). Colldejou (26,48 km) conclura la boucle avant un second tour l’après-midi et une Superspéciale à Salou. L’assistance du samedi soir sera portée à 1h15 pour permettre aux teams de configurer les autos en version terre car dimanche, quatre ES seront à disputer exclusivement sur cette surface. La spéciale de Terra Alta (35,68 km) est mixte avec un tiers d’asphalte sinueux et abrasif.

JOGJA TOURING studio motor

JOGJA TOURING studio motor from eman pradipta on Vimeo.

DK Engineering: A family fascinated by Ferraris

Since the late 1970s, the name DK Engineering has been held in the utmost regard among Ferraristi. Today, the company operates from a converted-for-purpose farm, and covers all aspects of Prancing Horse ownership – whether it’s an entry-level car or a concours queen…

Things could have been so different. In 1977, founder David Cottingham realised that he could both earn a living and multiply his job satisfaction by developing his weekend hobby – in particular preparing and racing ex-Works Jaguars – into a business. Soon afterwards, having mastered the same basic six-cylinder design common to many competition Jaguars, his allegiance switched to Ferrari. As a result, DK Engineering is now the oldest surviving Ferrari specialist in the UK – one which remains a family affair, with David and his wife Kate (the ‘K’ in DK) enjoying significant support from their sons Justin, Jeremy and James.

While the majority of cars passing through the gates of DK’s Chorleywood premises wear the esteemed Italian badge, the company also deals with important cars from other marques. In the impressive galleried showroom, an Enzo and a pair of F40s (one a rare factory prototype that was later upgraded by Michelotto to full CSAI GT specification) are nestled among a Mercedes 300 SL, a Lister-Chevrolet ‘Knobbly’, an Alfa Romeo GTA stradale and a rare Short-Chassis Volante in Vantage spec. At any one time, DK has up to 30 cars in sales rotation (with roughly 80% being Ferraris), though many of these are sold 'under the radar'. One such example was last year’s multi-million-pound brokerage of the 250 GT SWB in which Sir Stirling Moss won the 1960 Goodwood TT, a sale only revealed to the public via a leak by the new owner’s insurance company.

As evidenced by the trio of SWBs and full complement of Maranello supercars found in the workshop during our stop-off, DK will often be tasked with maintaining a car once it finds new ownership. The company considers itself to be the only specialist in the world to cover all aspects of Ferrari ownership – indeed, its race preparation and restoration work is legendary within Ferrari circles (patrons include Eric Clapton, Sir Anthony Bamford, Chris Evans, Ralph Lauren and Sir Paul Vestey), and on-site facilities even stretch to a rolling road. However, despite the calibre of some of the machinery which passes through here on a daily basis, James Cottingham insists the owner of a £35,000 456 would enjoy the same level of service as a connoisseur of the bluest of blue-chip cars.

As James summarises nicely: “It’s a family-run business which grew from – and is still based on – an enthusiasm for cars.” That enthusiasm has thankfully carried over to the new generation, so DK Engineering’s service to the Ferrari community should continue for the next 40 years, and well beyond.

Photos: Alex Penfold / Joe Breeze

DK Engineering's full stocklist can be found in the Classic Driver Market.

Equus Bass 770: Bullitt time

This is the Equus Bass 770: a modern, no-expense-spared take on the hairy-chested muscle cars of the Sixties…

At first glance, it looks unmistakeably like a late-Sixties fastback Mustang...

At first glance, it looks unmistakeably like a late-Sixties fastback Mustang, but on closer inspection you’ll discover that not all is as it seems. What of those piercing xenon headlights and the slightly awkward front grille, not to mention the bold Bass (yes Bass, not Boss) script adorning the rear?

21^st Century design quirks à la Singer 911

Built around an aluminium chassis, the Bass 770 retains the 'Stang’s pure and iconic styling, but encompasses cutting-edge technology and mild design quirks, dragging the car into the 21^st Century, à la Singer 911. Power is derived from a 6.2-litre Chevrolet V8 (as found in the Corvette ZR1), developing 640HP and propelling the car from 0-60mph in a mere 3.4 seconds. Oh, and did I mention the 802Nm torque figure? If all this sounds a bit unwieldy, don’t worry. There are magnetic dampers to keep it balanced, and huge Brembo carbon-ceramic discs capable of quickly stopping the 770, even from its 200mph top speed. For the purists, there’s a manual 'box, while those wishing to kick back on their interstate road-trips can spec a six-speed dual-clutch auto.

Equus reckons the Bass 770 is "a new American milestone in high-end automobile history" and the craftsmanship and finish certainly looks as though it could back this up. It’ll cost you $250k to truly find out.

For more information, visit equus-automotive.com.

Testa Rossas, 250 GTOs, and other Ferraris from the Spencer family album

Back in the early 1960s, buying Ferraris of the calibre of the 250 GTO or Testa Rossa Prototype wasn’t exactly a poor man’s hobby, but you didn’t need quite the stratospheric wealth you do today.

A family blessed 'with a steady stream of amazing Ferraris'

Ferrari enthusiast (and Classic Driver reader) Roy Spencer well remembers his father, Bev Spencer, the American Ferrari dealer and privateer racing team owner, “blessing our family with a steady stream of amazing Ferraris” during the first few years of the Sixties. These were cars to use and enjoy – and, happily for us, to take photographs of, as the family picked up the cars and took them to concours events or friends’ houses or home to sit on the lawn – or even, on one memorable occasion, to be driven by Phil Hill while Bev took a thrilling passenger ride. Now, Roy has given us permission to reproduce some fascinating and previously unpublished pictures from his family archives, giving a rare insight into his childhood – which was ‘blessed’ indeed.

Heading home in a GTO

Take, for example, GTO #4219, pictured here being driven by Bev Spencer as he leaves the Hillsborough Concours in May 1963, having only collected the car from the airport at 5am that same morning. In the crowd of young, casually dressed onlookers are three of Roy’s four brothers.

The Spencer family favourites

Concours events were clearly a major part of Spencer family life, as here is a laden transporter ready to head to the Town & Country Concours in the spring of 1963 with some Spencer family favourites… namely their SWB, 2+2 and GTO.

A very special parking spot

 You need never worry about finding a parking spot if you arrive by Ferrari, as this wonderful photograph from 1963 helps to prove. “My mother and father were great friends with Henri and Werner Lewin who ran the Fairmont Hotel in the 1960s.” explains Roy Spencer. “They allowed him to display new Ferraris in the lobby.”

Ferrari Testa Rossa Prototype on the family lawn

Here is Bev Spencer with TR0666, the 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa Prototype as previously covered in Classic Driver, on the front lawn of the family home in May 1962. No doubt it gave Roy Spencer mixed feelings to see Gooding sell this ex-Jon Shirley car that was once in the possession of the Spencer family for a cool £16.4m in 2011.

Guest-starring: Phil Hill

And finally, few readers will need us to identify Phil Hill, as he stands in front of Bev Spencer’s 250 GTO '64 at the Spencer residence in the spring of 1965. Hill was over for dinner that night and was reunited with the freshly restored #5571, the car he and Pedro Rodriguez shared to win the epic 1964 Daytona Continental.

The good news is that if you enjoy such photographs – pictures that capture the very essence of California road racing in the Fifties and Sixties – Roy Spencer is working on a book that will share some of the thousands of unpublished images that have been “sitting stagnant within two tattered ring-binders”. The book is an on-going project – see kickstarter.com for more details.

10 years ago in Catalonia (Part 1): Panizzi’s last WRC win / Catalunya 2003 : le rallye des « dernières »

The 2003 Rallye Catalunya served as the backdrop to the final world class victory of asphalt specialist Gilles Panizzi. It was also the last WRC win for the Peugeot 206 WRC.

Il y a dix ans, Gilles « tarmac expert » Panizzi remportait sa dernière victoire en Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA au volant d’une Peugeot 206 WRC/Michelin dont ce fut également le dernier succès mondial.

Ahead of the Spanish event, which was round 13 of the 2003 season, the provisional Drivers’ standings were topped by Carlos Sainz (Citroën Xsara WRC), three points clear of Petter Solberg (Subaru) and Richard Burns (Peugeot). Sébastien Loeb (Citroën) was fourth, six points down…

Citroën had entered factory Xsara WRCs for Colin McRae, Philippe Bugalski, Sainz and Loeb, while Peugeot’s Marlboro-backed 206 WRCs were in the hands of Panizzi, Burns and Marcus Grönholm, and Ford had works Focus WRCs for Markko Martin, François Duval and youngster Mikko Hirvonen. Subaru (Solberg, Mäkinen), Hyundai (Schwarz, Loix) and Skoda (Auriol, Gardemeister) were each represented by two factory cars.

The line-up of privateers was quite impressive, too, including Cédric Robert (Peugeot 206 WRC) and Roman Kresta (Ford Focus WRC), not to mention the promising Kris Meeke (Opel Corsa S1600) and Dani Sordo (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII)…

The autumn date ensured chilly conditions in the Vic region as Solberg took an early lead by winning SS1 (‘Trona’). Loeb responded with the fastest time on SS2 with his Xsara on hard-compound tyres and he led at the end of Day 1, ahead of team-mate Sainz (+26.2s). The Peugeots all lost ground because of a poor tyre for the morning’s loop.

The second leg was dominated by Martin and Panizzi who respectively closed to within 20.8s and 36.7s of Loeb that day as bad weather blew in over the Costa Brava.

On the last morning, competitors were greeted by pouring rain as Solberg and Mäkinen turned on the speed. The Norwegian won the slippery SS17 (‘San Bartomeu’), while the Finn was quickest on SS19 (‘Viladrau’, the final stage victory of his career…) where the Subaru pair was a second per kilometre faster than third-placed Grönholm!

At the next service halt in Vic, tyre choices were the chief subject of conversation, especially in the Citroën camp.

On SS20, Loeb dropped 17s to Panizzi who closed to within 38.5s of the lead before gaining another seven seconds on SS21. The last stage (35km) saw Citroën’s drivers struggle on inappropriate rubber, a situation which Panizzi used to his advantage to claim SS22 by a margin of 44 seconds over Loeb!

That earned him the win, while Loeb managed to hold on narrowly to second spot, just 0.6s clear of Martin (3^rd). Sainz fell back to seventh following a starter motor problem, and McRae and Bugalski ended up ninth and 10^th.

A decade later, Hirvonen (14^th in 2003) is only the top-15 finisher in Catalonia in 2003 who is still active in the WRC…

Au départ de ce Rally Catalunya, 13^e et pénultième épreuve de la saison 2003, l’Espagnol Carlos Sainz est leader du championnat sur sa Citroën Xsara WRC avec trois points d’avance sur Petter Solberg (Subaru) et Richard Burns (Peugeot). Sébastien Loeb (Citroën) est encore trois points derrière.

Citroën engage quatre Xsara WRC « usine » pour Colin McRae, Philippe Bugalski, Carlos Sainz et Sébastien Loeb. En face, Peugeot aligne trois 206 WRC aux couleurs Marlboro pour Gilles Panizzi, Marcus Grönholm et Richard Burns. Trois voitures officielles également pour Ford avec Markko Martin, François Duval et le jeune Mikko Hirvonen. Subaru (Solberg, Mäkinen), Hyundai (Schwarz, Loix) et Skoda (Auriol, Gardemeister) présentent deux voitures officielles chacun.

Le plateau des « privés » n’est pas mal non plus avec Cédric Robert (Peugeot 206 WRC), Roman Kresta (Ford Focus WRC)… On trouve également Kris Meeke (Opel Corsa S1600) ou encore Dani Sordo sur une Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII…

L’épreuve, concentrée autour de Vic, débute dans une fraîcheur toute automnale. Après le temps scratch de Solberg dans la Trona (ES1), Sébatien Loeb prend la tête à l’issue de l’ES2 au volant d’une Xsara chaussée de gommes « hard ». A la fin de la 1^ère étape, Loeb est leader avec 26s2 d’avance sur son équipier Carlos Sainz. Les Peugeot ont été retardées par un mauvais choix de pneus dans la boucle matinale.

Le lendemain, Markko Martin et Gilles Panizzi dominent l’étape. Le soir, à Lloret de Mar, ils sont revenus à 20s8 et 36s7 de Loeb, toujours leader, qui a remporté la dernière spéciale du jour. Mais le temps se gâte sur la Costa Brava.

Il pleut des cordes au départ de la 3^e et dernière journée. Petter Solberg et Tommi Mäkinen passent à l’offensive sur ces routes très glissantes : scratch du Norvégien dans l’ES17 San Bartomeu, meilleur temps du Finlandais dans l’ES19 Viladrau (son dernier en WRC !) où les deux Subaru laissent Grönholm (3^e temps) à une seconde au kilomètre. A l’assistance de Vic, les choix de pneus sont au cœur des discussions - et des échanges verbaux - notamment chez Citroën.

Dans l’ES20, Loeb perd 17 secondes. Panizzi pointe à 38s5 au général, puis à 31 secondes à l’issue de l’ES21. Il reste une spéciale (35 km) à disputer et les pilotes Citroën galèrent avec un mauvais choix de pneus. Gilles Panizzi en profite, signe le scratch dans l’ES22 avec 44 secondes d’avance sur Loeb, et remporte le Rally Catalunya 2003 ! Sébastien sauve sa 2^e place pour 6/10^e de seconde devant Markko Martin, mais c’est la douche froide chez Citroën où Sainz dégringole à la 7^e place après des problèmes de démarreur, Colin McRae et « Bug » finissent aux 9^e et 10^e places.

Dix ans plus tard, Mikko Hirvonen (14^e en 2003) est le seul pilote du top-15 du Catalunya 2003 encore en WRC…

WINGS - a film about the retro motorcycle

The Lambretta Record

Can you imagine the kind of courage it took to climb into this tiny metal cabin and travel at over 124mph (200km/h)? Enjoy this photo gallery of the Lambretta Record Racer, from 1951.

Piloted by a fearless GP Racing soul by the name of Romolo Ferri, the Record was built by scooter company Lambretta and reached a maximum speed of 201km/h (124.9mph). Enjoy these photos – our favourite being the sketched plan showing the position of the rider. Absolutely awesome stuff!

Source: Italian Ways

via http://www.motorsportretro.com