Veteran British sports-car racing team owner Richard Lloyd, 63, a regular at the 24 Hours of Le Mans over three decades, was killed on Sunday, March 30, in a plane crash.

Lloyd died along with former British Touring Car Championship race winner David Leslie, 54, and three other people when their Citation jet went down shortly after taking off south of London. The plane was on its way to the south of France where a Jaguar XKR GT3 built by Lloyd’s Apex team was due to test.

Lloyd was a race winner in the BTCC in the 1970s and then famously tempted Stirling Moss out of retirement to race a factory-backed Audi for his team in the series in 1980. Lloyd’s Porsches won three world championship sports-car events in the 1980s and his teams went on to represent both Audi and Bentley at Le Mans. Lloyd was in the background when Bentley returned to the Le Mans winner’s circle in 2003. His Apex team was an integral part of what became known as Team Bentley.

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Indy Racing League boss Tony George hoped that the first unified IndyCar Series race in more than 12 years would be “memorable and historic” and, of course, safe. In the end, the season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway was all of those things and maybe more.

The Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300 wasn’t exactly symphonic as the disjointed field strung out like a multiclass sports-car race, but most longtime series followers would agree that it was better than either pivotal race the IRL or the Champ Car World Series staged back in 1996 when they became rivals.

That year, the IRL went to Orlando, Florida, in January with a ragtag bunch of misfits and castoffs. Every car seemed to be red, white or black, and almost none carried significant sponsor decals. Team owner John Menard took a gamble on a USAC champion named Tony Stewart, who nearly got knocked out by the safety truck. (Imagine where Stewart might be had contact occurred.)

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The FIA said that Max Mosley, 67, has sought legal advice over a front-page story in a British tabloid alleging that he took part in a $5,000 sadomasochistic orgy with five role-playing prostitutes. News of the World published photographs purporting to show the FIA president with the women in a basement apartment in London. The photographs showed a prostitute in a striped uniform reminiscent of those issued to Jewish prisoners held in World War II concentration camps and another in Nazi-style clothing.

The tabloid made much of the fact that Mosley is the son of Nazi sympathizer Sir Oswald Mosley, who founded the British Union of Fascists in the 1930s. Jewish organizations reacted to the report by calling for Mosley’s resignation. Mosley made no comment. An FIA spokesperson said, “This is a matter between Mr. Mosley and the paper in question. We understand that Mr. Mosley’s lawyers are now in contact with that newspaper.”

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Jean-Marie Balestre died on Thursday, March 27, at the age of 86. The fiery Frenchman served as president of FISA from 1979 to 1991 and as the FIA president from 1986 to 1993.

Balestre was always a controversial figure, in part because he served during World War II in the French regiment of the Nazi SS. He was imprisoned when the nation was liberated in 1945 but subsequently convinced the authorities that he had been a double agent for the Resistance. He became a successful publisher, owning Auto Journal magazine and the Le Figaro newspaper. He became an official with the French national motorsports body in Paris, the Féderation Francaise du Sport Automobile, and was elected as its president in 1973.

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Tony George is extending the olive branch to unify open-wheel racing on and off the track.

The Indy Racing League founder acknowledged at Homestead-Miami Speedway that “Indy Racing League” remains a politically charged name to those coming to the IndyCar Series from the former Champ Car World Series, and he is open to a name change once he lands a title sponsor. George suggested a return to “IndyCar World Series,” which was used during the sport’s presplit heyday.

George also wants to use the Vanderbilt Cup, the first trophy in American auto racing and Champ Car’s championship prize since 1996. He isn’t ready to say it will serve as the season-ending trophy, but it might be used to crown a unique international champion.

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Turbocharging is nothing special for Saab, which has indulged in the dark art of boosting power via turbo since 1977. Painting cars black also isn’t unusual for the Swedish automaker. The brand’s most recognized model from the past, the 900 Turbo, often was ordered in jet black.

Even sending power to all four wheels isn’t anything new for Saab. The company offered the Subaru WRX-based Saab 9-2X a few years back and still sells an occasional 9-7X, which shares its underpinnings with General Motors’ midsize sport/utilities such as the Chevrolet TrailBlazer.

With that history, it would be easy to dismiss the all-new 2008 Saab Turbo X as no big deal, just a turbocharged, Darth Vader black, all-wheel-drive 9-3 sedan. But it’s the unique combination of these traits, in an exclusive model that hits all the right luxury, performance and styling cues, that makes the Turbo X something more.

continue reading "2008 SAAB TURBO X: Black magic: Saab taps turbo heritage, Darth Vader and Swedish awd experts to create commemorative 2008 Turbo X"

OUR TAKE: In the extremely competitive compact-crossover/SUV market, it often comes down to the Honda CR-V versus the Toyota RAV4 in buyers’ minds, though the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Saturn Vue have become formidable entries lately.

It was refreshing to get into a base-model RAV4 with nonheated cloth seats and steel wheels with hubcaps, if for no other reason than that we liked finding how nice a small sport/utility it is without all the distractions of the high-zoot options.

The four-cylinder accelerates the vehicle along decently, but you will have to summon all 166 hp with a demanding mash of the throttle to blend in with expressway traffic. The ride is also confident and feels good either cruising at 70 mph or traveling on pothole-riddled city streets. Things get a bit twitchy only at more than 80 mph, but that’s true with much of the breed. Steering response is okay; a little more weight in the steering would be appreciated.

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SEBRING, Florida (Feb. 3, 2008)–If pre-season testing is foretelling as to what will happen during the 2008 Champ Car World Series season, it’s safe to say that Forsythe/Pettit Racing will be in the hunt thanks to an exciting newcomer.

For a second consecutive day at Sebring International Raceway, Franck Montagny, driving for Forsythe/Pettit Racing, topped the time charts. The former Formula 1 driver set a lap of 50.209 seconds (119.668 mph), more than half of a second quicker than the fastest time set in the open test that took place in Sebring a year ago.

continue reading "A New Sheriff in Town"

SEBRING, Fla. (February 5, 2008) - The first day of open testing for the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda at Sebring International Raceway featured a time sheet that was topped by three drivers representing the three countries which will host Champ Car Atlantic races this year.

Leading the way was Canadian James Hinchcliffe (#3 Forsythe Championship Racing) who turned a best lap at 57.449 seconds (104.587 mph) in his return to the Forsythe Atlantic operation after a one-year absence. Second-quickest was American driver Jonathan Bomarito (#6 Sierra Sierra Enterprises), who posted a lap at 57.542 seconds (104.418 mph) in his first official test session with the team that won the 2007 series title. Hinchcliffe’s new Forsythe Championship Racing teammate, Mexican driver David Garza (#7 Forsythe Championship Racing), was third on the day at 57.860 seconds (103.844 mph).

SEBRING, Florida (February 2, 2008) - The 2008 Champ Car World Series season “unofficially” got under way today in Sebring when Champ Car teams and drivers took to the track at Sebring International Raceway for the first of three pre-season open tests. The first day saw Frenchman Franck Montagny top the time charts aboard the #7 Forsythe/Pettit Racing entry with a time of 50.788 seconds (118.304 mph).

The former Formula 1 driver for Super Aguri who was taking part in his first Champ Car open test, beat out PKV Racing driver Oriol Servia for the top honors of the day by a mere 68-thousandths of a second. Servia was not only the first driver out on track this morning, but the pilot that accumulated the most laps throughout the day with 117.