motorsport

#213, CES: Moonbikes and Flying Formula 1 Cars

If the entrepreneurs at MACA get what they’re were hoping for at CES, motorsports enthusiasts may soon be watching racing featuring the MACA Flying Formula 1 Car. The fast and futuristic-looking vehicle is called a “Carcopter.” It could change motorsports, or so its creators believe. Much different but the same, Nicolas Muron, founder ad CEO of Moonbikes (www.moonbikes.com) believes his electric snowbikes will be a new way to travel on snowmobile trails and on private land. The two new vehicles were featured at the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The principles involved are my guests on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-host Bruce Aldrich is the producer of this episode in Sacramento. I attended the

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#198, Colton Herta, IndyCar racing champion

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:31 — 43.3MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More Colton Herta is 21 years old and he’s been behind one steering or another since he was age six. Go-karts to Indy cars and several racing classes between, Herta is now competing at his best as the NTT IndyCar Series concludes this week in Long Beach, California. Herta (Andretti-Autosport), the youngest driver to win an IndyCar race, successfully defended the Grand Prix of Monterey title he won two years ago on Sept. 19. He completed the 212.61-mile race at WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway in 2 hours, 2 minutes and 32 seconds and at an average speed of 104.114 miles per hour. Herta’s season

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Indy 500 will allow 135,000 fans in May return

When the Indy 500 returns to its traditional race day May 30, it will mark the country’s largest attended sporting event since the pandemic began. Speedway management, Penske Entertainment, recently announced 135,000 spectators will be allowed to attend the event. The total is about 40 percent of the famed raceway’s capacity. The 2020 Indy 500 was held last August without spectators. To date, the April 18 Alabama football game is currently the highest-attended post-pandemic event with over 47,000 fans. “The number-one thing fans can do to ensure a great race day is get vaccinated as quickly as possible,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said in a statement. “We continue to offer vaccinations at IMS and will be extending

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#177, Author details Indy car racing and its money-grab

A long-time battle between racing organizations could have destroyed Indy Car Racing. It’s unlikely anyone has as much intimate knowledge of the chaos, anger, resentment and money-grab than John Oreovicz. With the Indianapolis 500 on the not-too-distant horizon, Oreovicz, author of the new book Indy Split, is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I discuss with Oreovicz the money battle between the competing organizations and the men who sought to control the sport. A long-time motorsports reporter, Oreovicz began attending the Indianapolis 500 as a teenager in the late ‘70s. It allowed him to witness the sport’s growth as an avid fan before documenting its decline as a journalist. “My growing interest

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#170, WeatherTech Raceway ready for racing

Just like any business relying on visitors, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca had it tough during 2020. Events were rescheduled and canceled. But management did its best to offer recreation opportunities when it could. One unheralded but important track use is the facility’s access to non-competitive racing clubs and performance driving programs. Members rent or bring their vehicle to the racetrack and experience the famous layout. Barry Toepke, the director of heritage racing at the WeatherTech Raceway, is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Toepke the upcoming 2021 season and the varied competitive events on the horizon. WeatherTech Raceway: Improve Your Driving But we also talk about programs available

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#154 Todd Reiners combines racing, philanthropy

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:29 — 47.3MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreTodd Reiners is a race car enthusiast and philanthropist in Sacramento. He competes in vintage cars and is as passionate about his collection as anyone. Reiners is our guest on Episode #154 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. He discusses his long-time appreciation for cars as well as his fund-raising efforts and a unique, moving experience he shared with those less fortunate. As a daily driver, Reiners negotiates Sacramento in a 1994 Honda Accord “with a dent.” But it’s Reiners’ other vehicles he prefers to discuss. They include: * 1971 Detomaso Pantera, 351 CI Cleveland V8 Supercharged 600 HP; * 1972 Plymouth Barracuda, 383 CI

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Episode 52, Car driver Joey Hand talks racing, family

Joey Hand is among the country’s most versatile race car drivers. He’s competed as a solo driver on more than a half-dozen series through the years, the American LeMans Series to Formula BMW and Toyota Atlantic to Star Mazda. Like his father, Hand began his career in kart racing. Hand’s son is now the family’s third generation in racing and is also involved in kart racing. Hand, 39, from Sacramento, currently a Ford Factory driver, is our guest on Episode 52 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Hand his versatile victories in the 24-Hour of LeMans, Rolex 24 at Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. We also discuss Hand’s current successful season and

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IndyCar racing revving for 2019 return to Laguna Seca Raceway

After a 15-year absence, IndyCar racing will return to the Monterey Peninsula in 2019 with the series finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas. A three-year agreement was approved July 16 by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, which oversees the operation of the facility. Next year’s race will be held Sept. 22 and succeed the current season-ending event in Sonoma Raceway. It will end a 14-year run. Dates for the remainder of the 2019 IndyCar season were not announced. Laguna Seca hosted CART Indy cars from 1983 through 2004. The famed track opened in 1957, but Indy cars didn’t race on the course until 1983 when Teo Fabi was victorious. Bobby Rahal won at Laguna Seca the next

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Episode #39, Indy 500, Danica Patrick and a reporter’s legacy

Mark Glover has been a journalist for more than 40 years. He’s reported on sports, news and business and with a keen interest in automobile racing, particularly the Indianapolis 500. Glover, who lives in Sacramento, will be attending the Indy 500 with his son. It’s a special time, since the duo has been attending the event together for nearly 30 years. The elder Glover is well into his second half-century of witnessing what is called the “Greatest Spectacle In Racing.” Glover is our guest on Episode 39 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I talk with Mark about his history at the Indy 500, the event he first attended with his father when he was a young

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New auto books showcase Porsche racing, rusty relics

There’s no shortage of books written about automotive topics. Cars, drivers, craftsmanship, manufacturers and racetracks have all been exhaustingly detailed. But two new offerings cover unrelated compelling niche topics. Porsche Werks/Team, a coffee table-sized, image-dominated volume, intimately details a photojournalist’s three-year project for Porsche at three famous endurance races. Muscle Car Barn Finds is an equally enticing book from a far different segment of the automotive world. It’s the author’s quest to find abandoned and hoarded vintage vehicles as he travels throughout several states. Porsche is highlighted in a new endurance racing book. Porsche is highlight in a new enduracne racing book.With Porsche Works/Team (Delius Klasing & Co., $65), renowned photographer Frank Kayser and author Heike Hientzsch recall the performances

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Richard Petty set to auction career of racing stuff (live)

Richard Petty, the legendary NASCAR driver, is 80 and it’s time to purge his stuff. The winner of five Daytona 500 races and scores of other races, is selling some of his most well-known racing cars trophies and other items May 12 in an auction scheduled at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Petty’s iconic day-glow red and blue 1974 Dodge Charger is among the expected highlights of the auction. Petty, who had 200 career wins, drove the ’74 charger to 31 wins, including his fifth Daytona 500 victory. A 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Petty drove in 1979 when he won his seventh series championship and a 1992 Pontiac Grand Prix he drove during his farewell tour are also set for

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Danica Patrick: ‘Daytona 500, Indy 500, then I’m done’

Danica Patrick, the fiery and vastly popular race car driver, will retire in 2018 after competing in motorsports‘ two biggest races, the Daytona 500 in February and Indianapolis 500 in May. “I am done after May,” Patrick said on the eve of her last race this season. “Everyone needs to put their mind there. My plan is to be at Indy and then I’m done.” Patrick currently competes full-time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 10 Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick’s contract will end Sunday after the season-ending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami. Patrick, 35, has established many firsts for female drivers and is the most successful woman driver in the history

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Zynga CSR Racing 2 honors Ferrari 70th anniversary

Owning a Ferrari is a lifelong dream for many performance car enthusiasts. But not many vehicle owners get to have their dream come true. But in conjunction the supercar’s 70th anniversary, Zynga a leading social game developer, has launched its homage to the iconic Italian vehicle in CSR Racing 2 (CSR2). Players can get behind the virtual wheel of a Ferrari 488 GTB, one of the six tailor-made Ferraris coming to CSR2 in honor of the manufacturer’s milestone celebration. “Over the course of 70 years, Ferrari has set the luxury standard of excellence in the automotive industry, producing some of the world’s most desirable vehicles,” said Bernard Kim, President of Publishing, Zynga. “As the exclusive mobile partner for Ferrari’s 70th

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24 Hours of Le Mans documentary featured on Amazon Prime

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is arguably the most iconic event in automobile racing. Now subscribers to Amazon Prime will soon have an unprecedented access to the entire 24 hours of the race. Le Mans: Racing is Everything will be available for streaming on June 9. In addition to the footage of the event, the documentary will examine the history of Le Mans as well as the legendary riders who have competed in the race and added to its lore. Le Mans: Racing is Everything embeds with teams Porsche, Audi, Nissan, Toyota, Aston Martin and Rebellion as they race to build their cars and compete in what is one of the highest attended single-day sporting events in the world.

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Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff Agrees: Formula 1 Too Predictable

The most watched sporting league in the world, the Barclays Premier League, is arguably as popular as Formula 1 because of its guaranteed entertainment and sheer unpredictability. Unfortunately, the same traits are not currently associated with the Formula 1 worlds. Since rule changes in 2014, competition has been limited and even boss Bernie Ecclestone has labeled the sport he runs as “crap”. Periods of domination aren’t always boring in Formula 1. Michael Schumacher’s years on dominance brought relentless excitement. But the late 1990’s were full of competitive races and podiums with new names. A the Mercedes domination at the top of Formula’ 1’s current hierarchy looks unlikely to change any time soon. As such, the biggest questions of the 2015

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Oldest Indy 500 car set to race at Monterey Historics

Forty years after it debuted as a gathering of old friends in old cars, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will again offer its yearly reverence to racing i n the Monterey Historics. This year’s edition, the fourth year with its new sanction and title sponsor, will likely feature the enduring event’s most diverse field. About 550 cars from nine countries and spanning 81 production years will participate April 14-17. Cars from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, South Africa, United Kingdom and the United States are entered. Vehicles are accepted based on the car’s authenticity, race provenance and period correctness. Brian Blain’s 1911 National 40 is the oldest registered car. The 100-horsepower machine was driven by Charlie Merz in the

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