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olivereliott · 6 years ago

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Custom Bikes Of The Week: 26 August, 2018

The octane rating is high this week. We’ve got a $144,000 Mike Hailwood replica Ducati, a Royal Enfield 650 breaking world records on the salt flats, a Honda CB1000R sprint bike and a race-winning Ducati Scrambler tracker. Buckle up tight.

Ducati Scrambler Hooligan racer One of the greatest features of the Ducati Scrambler is its receptivity to customization. Everything from mild to wild treatments work on that bike, regardless of the style. Recently, Coterie West got their hands on a Mach 2.0 Scrambler and even though the modifications are relatively minor, they’ve built a stunner of a hooligan racer.

The bike was was prepped it for slideways action at this year’s Motobay Classic Super Hooligan race. So the Duc’s 17-inch wheels were swapped over for a set of matched 19-inch Sun rims, running on the requisite Dunlop DT3 rubber.

You’ll notice that the front brake is gone, so the rear compensates—it’s been treated to an upgrade from Galfer. The rear suspension has also been beefed up, courtesy of an adjustable unit from Fox. An SC-Project exhaust has been fitted up.

Cosmetically this Scrambler has ditched its curvy subframe in favor of a new, flattened unit. It’s been topped with Kevin Lambert fiberglass, and the headlight has been binned to make room for the number plate.

Other changes include a new tray built to hang below the seat and house a lithium battery, and a number plate side panel. Rumor is these are only the first of more changes to come, but they were good enough for Ducati’s PR Manager (and friend) Nathon Verdugo to notch up Coterie’s first hooligan win. [More]

Mike Hailwood replica Ducati by Vee Two USA When Mike Hailwood piloted his way to victory at the Isle of Man TT in 1978, after an 11-year sabbatical, he cemented his status as an icon of the sport. The Ducati 900 he rode has become something special too, with several replicas and tributes built afterwards. But none are as incredible or exacting as this recreation, courtesy of Vee Two USA.

Working from a set of original casting drawings, the engine powering this bike is essentially the same as the unique bevel drive that Mike “The Bike” had for his Manx win. Of course, this being a modern day creation, Brook Henry took some liberties when it came to materials. Those casings and many of the parts bolted up are milled from chunks of Aerospace aluminum. Thumping away inside, the pistons are forged units from Pistal Racing in Italy—and spun by a plain bearing crank to increase reliability.

All of the bodywork, including the one-piece seat-tank unit, comes courtesy of Paul Taylor. And he ditched his usual material of choice, carbon fiber, for fiberglass and polyester resin. This was again done for authenticity, as was the painstaking process of recreating the livery. Things are so exacting that each bike even comes with the cut tennis ball that Hailwood used to house his visor wipe.

Endorsed by the Hailwood Foundation, there will only be a dozen of these incredible bikes produced. The costs are substantial—at $144,000 each—and I’m sure most purchasers will never put all 89 hp to use on a circuit hunting down a podium spot. But I think their existence alone makes this world a better place. [More]

Matt’s Triumph Trophy cafe racerIf you look closely under the seat of this Triumph Trophy, you’ll read the words “Built by a Spanner.” The owner and builder of this bike, Matt, doesn’t really consider himself a mechanic—but he did spend much of his youth handing spanners to his dad, who often wrenched on his Ariel 250 race bike.

With a bit of self-doubt to overcome and some general hesitations, the project took Matt about three years. Cafe Racer Kits UK supplied the new subframe and tail unit, but chopping up the old perch wasn’t an easy affair.

Matt hemmed and hawed and measured more times than most would admit, but eventually powered up the grinder and got things just right. Soon after, the engine was treated to a rebuild and everything was powder coated.

This cafe racer was built to pay tribute to Matt’s dad, so the paint was chosen to match his old Ariels—and the racing numbers were once his as well. But it was always built to race as well. Matt rode this machine to a 4th place finish at Lydden Hill for the Bike Shed’s Cafe Racer Cup, which coincidentally is a track his pops raced at years before. [Video]

Royal Enfield 650 twin Bonneville Salt Flats racer With plans for a global launch of their new 650 Twins slated for later this month, Royal Enfield decided to drum up some extra anticipation by having one prepped for a run at Bonneville in October.

Currently word is mum on exactly what’s going on here but we do know the new 650cc twin sits in a hard-tailed, custom frame. In fact, if you look closely most of us at the offices here would wager this bike is actually a re-working of LockStock, the custom-commissioned, Continental GT based drag bike we saw back in June.

Everything from the Öhlins suspenders to that lovely blue bottle of giggle-gas seems present and accounted for. That means the over-bored, S&S aided twin should be good for a similar 100hp out there on the salt.

There are some differences though, as the curved bars have been swapped for clip-ons and this version wears a stock tank and some extra aero wrapping around its tail. Regardless, Royal Enfield has enlisted 18-year old Cayla Rivas as the rider, who’s been racing since she was 12 and holds a dozen speed records already. Ms Rivas has delivered already: she’s just got the world record at 132 mph (212 km/h) for this class of bike. [More]

Triumph Thruxton cafe racer by Fuller Moto The Triumph Thruxton R is an incredible combination of aesthetics and engineering, right out of the crate. Hinckley really did a fantastic job on that bike. But that doesn’t mean a few subtle tweaks can’t make it better. And when the man behind those tweaks is Bryan Fuller, you know it will be special.

The stock subframe was treated to a minor snubbing to tastefully reduce the overhang out back. That meant a new hump had to be built and the OEM taillight was relocated with a custom bracket. The original seat pan needed some fettling but mates up perfectly and can still be released with the stock lock and key.

Derek Kimes was tapped to help with some titanium work that resulted in a smaller headlight being mounted up front but the bounty of this bike’s beauty can be found in its exhaust. Titanium was the alloy of choice and Fuller did an exquisite job on every bend and weld. A set of tips from Cone Engineering—also titanium—finish off the job and Paul Trunzo, the bike’s owner, says ““The sound is just amazing when the 1200 gets under load and starts to hum.”

Other changes to the bike include some powder coat work on the rims, engine covers and swingarm that leave things glossy and black. And of course there’s the titanium and gold colorway that’s been sprayed on the bodywork, accented by a gold leaf Tru-Flo logo on the tank, courtesy of Chastin Brand. Everything combines to deliver a unique look that accentuates the beefy lines of the stock Thruxton R without sacrificing style or ride-ability, which is a winning recipe every time. [More]

Honda CB1000R Glemseck sprint bike Every year, the bikes built to run the 1/8th-mile at Glemseck get better and better. This time around, Honda has plans to run a couple of factory-backed experiments. The pick of the litter is this custom CB1000R, which will be piloted by none other than Mick Doohan.

Pulling from their parts bin, Honda Europe was able to pluck a full set of Öhlins suspenders from a Fireblade SP to keep Mick pointed in a straight line. To ensure that line isn’t directed to the stars, a custom single-sided swingarm was fabricated to add some length to the back end.

Braking has been upgraded to bigger Brembo bits, and the exhaust is a lighter, louder, 4-into-1 unit from Akrapovič.

Painted in the requisite HRC livery, this CB1000R looks like a proper racer. And it begs a question too. Will Honda eventually pull the trigger on a special edition of their Neo-Retro cafe? We sure hope they do. [More]

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numberplates4u-blog · 7 years ago

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Great stuff you might have missed at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show

Antony Ingram Will Beaumont 14 Sep 2017 This year’s Frankfurt motor show was a busy one for the evo team, covering the full spectrum of performance cars - bookended by the humble but incredibly appealing Suzuki Swift Sport, and the F1-engined Mercedes-AMG Project One. But there’s more to motor shows than just the big new arrivals, and in between press conferences and interviews we had a little time to investigate some of the show’s less publicised vehicles and booths. Below is our pick of some great exhibits and details that you might have otherwise missed at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show... Aspark Owl Image 2 of 43 Image 2 of 43 We’re wondering if Aspark’s positioning next to Mazda in Frankfurt’s halls was deliberate, as there’s more than a hint of Mazda’s design strategy in its dramatic lines. And like Mazda, Aspark hails from Japan, though from there things begin to diverge. The headline figures are 430bhp and 563lb ft, sent through all four wheels. Those sound refreshingly sane by the usual standards of small-volume supercar companies, but things do take a turn for the less likely with a kerb weight of little more than 850kg and a 0-60mph time quoted at two seconds flat. Figures presumably possible at the expense of range, as that’s given as only 93 miles. It is of course electric, and arguably looks more dramatic than Mercedes-AMG’s Project One, also launched at Frankfurt, but we’re not wildly hopeful it’ll ever make its way into production. Still, an interesting diversion. Chery Tiggo Image 5 of 43 Image 5 of 43 We’d not normally advocate a Chinese SUV concept as something worth diverting to should you be visiting the show. But while you might not be interested in the brand, nor yet another large, lumbering vehicle, the subtext behind the unusually-named Tiggo is fascinating. Just a handful of years ago, it would have been unthinkable for a Chinese car company to display something with this much focus on design, technology and quality. The pace at which Chinese car companies are advancing is even quicker than the two decades or so it took Korean companies to produce cars competitive with the West. The industry is hiring big design and engineering talent (Geely’s design office, for instance, is headed by Volvo’s Peter Horbury) and rapidly catching up established European brands in terms of quality and features. It can’t be long until China produces a car that evo readers will want on their driveways… Retro metal Image 19 of 43 Image 19 of 43 A motor show isn’t the sort of place you expect to find hoards of older cars, but fans of classic metal won’t have been disappointed as they meandered around the halls. Brabus promoted its restoration service with over a dozen immaculate old Mercedes. From a 600 Pullman to a 190 SL, each example on show could only be described as perfect with not a single tarnished nut visible. The German car club, ADV were at Frankfurt to encourage owners of classic and modified cars into their club. To do so they had amassed a collection of some rather unfashionable tuned cars from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. But despite not being the epitome of taste, it was great to see that these cars still exist and that the owners haven’t removed the fibreglass arches, gullwing doors and airbrushed murals to turn them back to standard. Especially as some would be worth much more as a result. Bugatti deconstructed Image 22 of 43 Image 22 of 43 It shouldn’t need to be said how much engineering goes into creating something like the Bugatti Chiron - a car that can get from zero to 249mph and back to zero in under 42 seconds, according to its latest record - but there’s no harm in bringing a little extra attention to what’s going on under the skin. Behind Bugatti’s record-setter was a small enclosure featuring some of the individual components that go into the Chiron - from the enormous rear light bar, a single strip made up of 82 individual LED elements, to the entire 8-litre, quad-turbo W16 engine on a plinth, big enough to make you wonder how it could possibly fit within the confines of a car. BMW i8 MemphisStyle Image 25 of 43 Image 25 of 43 It’s probably pushing the boundaries of realism to suggest you might have missed as car as vibrant as this one-off art car-style BMW i8, but given BMW was making a much bigger deal of the Vision i Dynamics and X7 concepts, it’s fair to say the i8 MemphisStyle was less of a priority. It’s the work of Garage Italia, a Milan-based design centre which has tackled i3s and i8s in the past and has also made its name customising Mazda MX-5s, Fiat 500s and… Learjets. There’s a strong pop-art vibe to it - we saw hints of Alexander Calder’s CSL, David Hockney’s 850i and Andy Warhol’s M1 in its crazy colours - and unlike many of those cars, even the i8’s interior received the patchwork treatment. > Hypercar face-off - Mercedes-AMG Project One vs Aston Martin Valkyrie Brabus Smart Ultimate ED Concept Image 30 of 43 Image 30 of 43 With Daimler city car brand Smart announcing in Frankfurt that it would only produce electric vehicles from 2020, cars like the Brabus Ultimate 125 - a 123bhp, leather-lined take on Smart’s Fortwo - will soon make way for cars like the Ultimate ED Concept. Based loosely on Smart’s existing Fortwo ED (for electric drive, in case that acronym means something else where you live…) it features the same wild styling as the brand’s petrol models but even wilder performance. Courtesy of a 150kW, 350Nm electric motor, Brabus quotes a hilarious 4.5-second 0-62mph time and 180km/h top speed, with a range of around 100 miles from the 22kWh battery pack. While we’re not so sure about the eye-searing yellow and blue leather interior combination, that acceleration figure would show just about anything a clean pair of exhausts in city traffic. Honda Civic Type R Customer Racing Study Image 35 of 43 Image 35 of 43 The undoubted star of Honda’s stand was its ultra-funky Urban EV Concept, with sofa-like seats and styling influenced by the first-generation Honda Civic of 1972. But the modern Civic has plenty to offer, particularly with a Type R badge on the back - and the Civic Customer Racing Study concept was one of the highlights. In matte-black paintwork it wasn’t the most eye-catching car at the show (even with a racing livery), but the keen-eyed would spot the lightweight 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in square-shouldered racing slicks, and a lower stance over uprated suspension. It’s an example of the kind of car Honda is considering offering for club-level racing. Tuning parts Image 39 of 43 Image 39 of 43 As well as whole cars filling the halls of the show, there is an awful lot of floor space dedicated to car components. If you want to find manufacturers of dashboard support bracketry or have a look around an un-machined, freshly cast crankshaft the Frankfurt motor show gives you that option. It isn’t all deeply nerdy, functional components that end up hidden within the depths of a car, though. Recaro were at the show celebrating 50 years of its shell-backed seat. As well as a new, angular-looking carbonfibre seat suitable for both race and road cars, there was the brand’s famous Pole Position with a special commemorative finish. With carbonfibre effect leather, Dinamica cushions and lime green trim, the Pole Position Edition 2018 is limited to just 500 units. Brembo had its full range of discs on show, from basic cast iron ones to its two-piece aluminium bell and carbon-ceramic rotor versions, too. Its stand was made all the more colourful with calipers in numerous different hues on display. Slovenian exhaust manufacturer, Akrapovič, had a sparse stand with only a few of its systems on show as well as a couple of cars. Even so, never has titanium and carbonfibre looked like it was aching to make so much noise. The stubby, compact Lamborghini Aventador unit looked menacing even without a car attached to it. Image 1 of 43 Image 1 of 43

http://www.evo.co.uk/news/20010/great-stuff-you-might-have-missed-at-the-2017-frankfurt-motor-show

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privateplates4u · 7 years ago

Photo

Great stuff you might have missed at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show

http://www.evo.co.uk/news/20010/great-stuff-you-might-have-missed-at-the-2017-frankfurt-motor-show

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vehicleleasingspecialists · 7 years ago

Text

Great stuff you might have missed at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show

Antony Ingram Will Beaumont

14 Sep 2017

This year’s Frankfurt motor show was a busy one for the evo team, covering the full spectrum of performance cars - bookended by the humble but incredibly appealing Suzuki Swift Sport, and the F1-engined Mercedes-AMG Project One.

But there’s more to motor shows than just the big new arrivals, and in between press conferences and interviews we had a little time to investigate some of the show’s less publicised vehicles and booths. Below is our pick of some great exhibits and details that you might have otherwise missed at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show...

Aspark Owl

Image 2 of 43

We’re wondering if Aspark’s positioning next to Mazda in Frankfurt’s halls was deliberate, as there’s more than a hint of Mazda’s design strategy in its dramatic lines. And like Mazda, Aspark hails from Japan, though from there things begin to diverge.

The headline figures are 430bhp and 563lb ft, sent through all four wheels. Those sound refreshingly sane by the usual standards of small-volume supercar companies, but things do take a turn for the less likely with a kerb weight of little more than 850kg and a 0-60mph time quoted at two seconds flat. Figures presumably possible at the expense of range, as that’s given as only 93 miles.

It is of course electric, and arguably looks more dramatic than Mercedes-AMG’s Project One, also launched at Frankfurt, but we’re not wildly hopeful it’ll ever make its way into production. Still, an interesting diversion.

Chery Tiggo

Image 5 of 43

We’d not normally advocate a Chinese SUV concept as something worth diverting to should you be visiting the show. But while you might not be interested in the brand, nor yet another large, lumbering vehicle, the subtext behind the unusually-named Tiggo is fascinating.

Just a handful of years ago, it would have been unthinkable for a Chinese car company to display something with this much focus on design, technology and quality. The pace at which Chinese car companies are advancing is even quicker than the two decades or so it took Korean companies to produce cars competitive with the West.

The industry is hiring big design and engineering talent (Geely’s design office, for instance, is headed by Volvo’s Peter Horbury) and rapidly catching up established European brands in terms of quality and features. It can’t be long until China produces a car that evo readers will want on their driveways…

Retro metal

Image 19 of 43

A motor show isn’t the sort of place you expect to find hoards of older cars, but fans of classic metal won’t have been disappointed as they meandered around the halls. Brabus promoted its restoration service with over a dozen immaculate old Mercedes. From a 600 Pullman to a 190 SL, each example on show could only be described as perfect with not a single tarnished nut visible.

The German car club, ADV were at Frankfurt to encourage owners of classic and modified cars into their club. To do so they had amassed a collection of some rather unfashionable tuned cars from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. But despite not being the epitome of taste, it was great to see that these cars still exist and that the owners haven’t removed the fibreglass arches, gullwing doors and airbrushed murals to turn them back to standard. Especially as some would be worth much more as a result.

Bugatti deconstructed

Image 22 of 43

It shouldn’t need to be said how much engineering goes into creating something like the Bugatti Chiron - a car that can get from zero to 249mph and back to zero in under 42 seconds, according to its latest record - but there’s no harm in bringing a little extra attention to what’s going on under the skin.

Behind Bugatti’s record-setter was a small enclosure featuring some of the individual components that go into the Chiron - from the enormous rear light bar, a single strip made up of 82 individual LED elements, to the entire 8-litre, quad-turbo W16 engine on a plinth, big enough to make you wonder how it could possibly fit within the confines of a car.

BMW i8 MemphisStyle

Image 25 of 43

It’s probably pushing the boundaries of realism to suggest you might have missed as car as vibrant as this one-off art car-style BMW i8, but given BMW was making a much bigger deal of the Vision i Dynamics and X7 concepts, it’s fair to say the i8 MemphisStyle was less of a priority.

It’s the work of Garage Italia, a Milan-based design centre which has tackled i3s and i8s in the past and has also made its name customising Mazda MX-5s, Fiat 500s and… Learjets. There’s a strong pop-art vibe to it - we saw hints of Alexander Calder’s CSL, David Hockney’s 850i and Andy Warhol’s M1 in its crazy colours - and unlike many of those cars, even the i8’s interior received the patchwork treatment.

> Hypercar face-off - Mercedes-AMG Project One vs Aston Martin Valkyrie

Brabus Smart Ultimate ED Concept

Image 30 of 43

With Daimler city car brand Smart announcing in Frankfurt that it would only produce electric vehicles from 2020, cars like the Brabus Ultimate 125 - a 123bhp, leather-lined take on Smart’s Fortwo - will soon make way for cars like the Ultimate ED Concept. Based loosely on Smart’s existing Fortwo ED (for electric drive, in case that acronym means something else where you live…) it features the same wild styling as the brand’s petrol models but even wilder performance.

Courtesy of a 150kW, 350Nm electric motor, Brabus quotes a hilarious 4.5-second 0-62mph time and 180km/h top speed, with a range of around 100 miles from the 22kWh battery pack. While we’re not so sure about the eye-searing yellow and blue leather interior combination, that acceleration figure would show just about anything a clean pair of exhausts in city traffic.

Honda Civic Type R Customer Racing Study

Image 35 of 43

The undoubted star of Honda’s stand was its ultra-funky Urban EV Concept, with sofa-like seats and styling influenced by the first-generation Honda Civic of 1972. But the modern Civic has plenty to offer, particularly with a Type R badge on the back - and the Civic Customer Racing Study concept was one of the highlights.

In matte-black paintwork it wasn’t the most eye-catching car at the show (even with a racing livery), but the keen-eyed would spot the lightweight 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in square-shouldered racing slicks, and a lower stance over uprated suspension. It’s an example of the kind of car Honda is considering offering for club-level racing.

Tuning parts

Image 39 of 43

As well as whole cars filling the halls of the show, there is an awful lot of floor space dedicated to car components. If you want to find manufacturers of dashboard support bracketry or have a look around an un-machined, freshly cast crankshaft the Frankfurt motor show gives you that option.

It isn’t all deeply nerdy, functional components that end up hidden within the depths of a car, though. Recaro were at the show celebrating 50 years of its shell-backed seat. As well as a new, angular-looking carbonfibre seat suitable for both race and road cars, there was the brand’s famous Pole Position with a special commemorative finish. With carbonfibre effect leather, Dinamica cushions and lime green trim, the Pole Position Edition 2018 is limited to just 500 units.

Brembo had its full range of discs on show, from basic cast iron ones to its two-piece aluminium bell and carbon-ceramic rotor versions, too. Its stand was made all the more colourful with calipers in numerous different hues on display.

Slovenian exhaust manufacturer, Akrapovič, had a sparse stand with only a few of its systems on show as well as a couple of cars. Even so, never has titanium and carbonfibre looked like it was aching to make so much noise. The stubby, compact Lamborghini Aventador unit looked menacing even without a car attached to it.

Image 1 of 43

from News http://www.evo.co.uk/news/20010/great-stuff-you-might-have-missed-at-the-2017-frankfurt-motor-show via IFTTT

#vehicle leasing #car leasing #hiring cars #cars for hire

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katjabaader · 7 years ago

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Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Prepares to Defend Le Mans 24 Hours Title

• All four Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GTs to compete at 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours • In 2016 Ford took 1st (#68), 3rd (#69), 4th (#66), and 9th (#67) positions in the Le Mans 24 Hours GTE Pro class, 50 years after a 1-2-3 finish for the Ford GT40 in the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours. • 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of Dan Gurney (US) and AJ Foyt (US) taking the second win of what would become a four-year winning streak for Ford at Le Mans

DEARBORN, MI, June 7, 2017 – In 2016 Ford had a new car, a new team and a new challenge: to win at Le Mans 50 years after taking a 1-2-3 victory at the 1966 Le Mans race.

The team delivered an historic victory and since then has become even stronger, winning races all over the world, competing in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

In just 10 days time, the four Ford Chip Ganassi Racing GTs will line up at the Circuit de la Sarthe for the start of the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours and the defence of last year’s victory for the #68 Ford GT.

“The Ford GT represents the very best of Ford and our drive for excellence in all that we do,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company. “To come to Le Mans last year and win the GTE Pro Class was a huge source of pride for all our employees globally. It shows how, when you pull together, you can achieve remarkable things. We are excited to return to Le Mans to defend our title.”

The 2017 race also marks an important anniversary: 50 years since Dan Gurney (US) and AJ Foyt (US) won Le Mans, driving a Ford GT40. This, the second win in a run of four, cemented Ford’s dominance of the world’s biggest sports car race.

“Last year we returned Ford to the world of GT endurance racing, and winning at Le Mans was a very proud moment for Ford, our partners, and all of our fans,” said Raj Nair, executive vice president, and president, North America, Ford Motor Company. “We defend our title this year knowing that to win the Le Mans 24 Hours you have to have incredible commitment. I know our Ford Performance team is ready to take on the challenge and we can’t wait to compete again at this incredible event.”

“Everyone from all four of our car crews are looking forward to being back at Le Mans to defend last year’s win,” said team owner, Chip Ganassi. “It is always nice to compete when you know that you have four quality chances to win an historic event like the Le Mans 24 Hours. We had a fantastic 2016 with the Ford GT and we look to make 2017 even better.”

“It’s clear after the test with the 2017 Balance of Performance (performance restrictions designed to deliver close racing) that we have a lot of work to do before the race,” said Dave Pericak, Ford Performance global director. “Last year was a historic victory and the racing was as close as ever. We can only hope that the racing this year, with new cars from the competition, is as well balanced and will produce the same competitive racing that the fans are hoping for.”

Bourdais out, Kanaan in for Le Mans The only piece of the puzzle that will be missing is Le Mans born Sébastien Bourdais, who is recovering from an accident during qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. It is a blow to the team, especially as Bourdais was in the winning #68 crew in 2016, but Joey Hand (US) and Dirk Müller (GER) have INDYCAR star Tony Kanaan (BRA) to help them fight for the top prize all over again.

“For sure it won’t be the same without Seb at Le Mans,” Hand said. “But we are a strong team and we’re ready for this. I’ve been working out every day to make sure I can physically go the distance and be on my ‘A game’ throughout. Le Mans is tough mentally too, but the strong support I have from my family really helps me with that side of things. I think when your mind is right on everything else, your mind will be right on racing. We were lucky to get time on the Ford Performance simulator and I’ve done some thinking about the rules that are different at Le Mans. Mistakes aren’t an option if you’re going to win, so I want to make sure we’re all buttoned-up.”

The crew of the #69 Ford GT remains as Ryan Briscoe (AUS), Richard Westbrook (GB) and Indianapolis 500 pole sitter, Scott Dixon (NZ). They made it to the podium last year and that has given them a great preview of what success feels like at Le Mans.

“I can’t wait to go back,” Briscoe said. “Last year was such an amazing experience, being part of Ford’s historic comeback. I hope we can be up there competing for the win again. It was the experience of a lifetime to be on the podium last year. The sea of people cheering you on is an incredible sight. Le Mans is an amazing event to be part of. You have so many competitors from all over the world that compete there; lots of different nationalities and cultures but just one goal.”

The #66 Ford GT of Stefan Mücke (GER), Olivier Pla (FRA) and Billy Johnson (US) finished in fourth place last year after having to pit when penalised for a broken number panel light. Despite this, they were just one lap behind the winners at the finish and they are more motivated than ever this time around.

“That penalty cost us what could have been a very good result at Le Mans,” Mücke said. “For the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team it was a great result and it was very special for all of us to be the first people to drive the Ford GT race car at Le Mans. We didn’t get the result we wanted but that’s Le Mans. You need to have a perfectly clean race to win it. Our goal is always to win and this year we have the new World Championship so the double points at Le Mans are very important. It’s 24 hours, it’s a hard fight and you have to make it to the end without any issues. You can’t predict the Le Mans result. We saw last year with Toyota that everything can change on the last lap.”

The 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours was a tough race for the #67 Ford GT crew as the car developed a gearbox problem just before the start, which put paid to any challenge. This year Andy Priaulx (GB), Harry Tincknell (GB) and Pipo Derani (BRA) want to be at the heart of the battle.

“We qualified fourth for the start of last year’s race and we were really happy as we had a good race strategy and our pace looked good,” Tincknell said. “Unfortunately we had a gearbox issue on the way to the grid that we had to fix in the pits, and that lost us 40 minutes. That put us out of contention so our race was a fact-finding, data-gathering mission after that. We were really fast and we learned a lot so hopefully all of that knowledge will help us this year. Le Mans is the biggest race in the world and it scores double points for the World Championship so it’s super important. Our goal is to win of course, but we also need to be the top scoring WEC car.” USEFUL INFORMATION

Le Mans participations for the Ford GT drivers:

Stefan Mücke -– 10 times (2007-2016) Olivier Pla -– 9 times (2008-2016) Richard Westbrook -– 6 times (2010-2014, 2016) Dirk Müller -– 5 times (1999-2000, 2010-2011, 2016) Andy Priaulx -– 3 times (2010-2011, 2016) Harry Tincknell -– 3 times (2014-2016) Ryan Briscoe -– 3 times (2013, 2015-2016) Joey Hand –- 2 times (2011, 2016) Pipo Derani –- 2 times (2015-2016) Scott Dixon –- 1 time (2016) Billy Johnson -– 1 time (2016) Tony Kanaan – Le Mans rookie Which Ford GT is that? The Four Ford GTs will run at Le Mans in the same red, white and blue livery. In order to help the commentators and viewers differentiate between the cars they will all run brightly coloured windscreen strips, wing mirrors and an LED light strip down the middle of the windscreen using the following colours:

• #66 GREEN • #67 BLUE • #68 RED • #69 YELLOW

New for this year and especially striking at night, the wing mirrors will be coated in electroluminescent paint that will glow in each car’s unique colour, making each car easily identifiable at all times while adding almost no weight. Did you know? • When Dan Gurney decided to spray the Champagne he was given on the podium after his 1967 victory he started the tradition that continues all over the world today. • It was Bruce McLaren who told Chris Amon to “Go Like Hell!” in 1966.

Ford’s Le Mans results in the 1960s 1966 1st Bruce McLaren (NZ) / Chris Amon (NZ) 2nd Ken Miles (GB) / Denis Hulme (NZ) 3rd Ronnie Bucknum (US) / Dick Hutcherson (US)

1967 1st Dan Gurney (US) / AJ Foyt (US)

1968 1st Pedro Rodriguez (MEX) / Lucien Bianchi (BEL)

1969 1st Jacky Ickx (BEL) / Jackie Oliver (GB) 3rd David Hobbs (GB) / Mike Hailwood (GB)

from Der Kostenlose Depot-Konto Vergleich https://depotkontovergleich.wordpress.com/2017/06/07/ford-chip-ganassi-racing-prepares-to-defend-le-mans-24-hours-title/

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depotkontovergleich · 7 years ago

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Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Prepares to Defend Le Mans 24 Hours Title

DEARBORN, MI, June 7, 2017 – In 2016 Ford had a new car, a new team and a new challenge: to win at Le Mans 50 years after taking a 1-2-3 victory at the 1966 Le Mans race.

Le Mans participations for the Ford GT drivers:

• #66 GREEN • #67 BLUE • #68 RED • #69 YELLOW

Ford’s Le Mans results in the 1960s 1966 1st Bruce McLaren (NZ) / Chris Amon (NZ) 2nd Ken Miles (GB) / Denis Hulme (NZ) 3rd Ronnie Bucknum (US) / Dick Hutcherson (US)

1967 1st Dan Gurney (US) / AJ Foyt (US)

1968 1st Pedro Rodriguez (MEX) / Lucien Bianchi (BEL)

1969 1st Jacky Ickx (BEL) / Jackie Oliver (GB) 3rd David Hobbs (GB) / Mike Hailwood (GB)

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