Auto Racing

ALMS team to use Facebook and Twitter to better reach their fans
There's no doubt that social media has grown by leaps and bounds, more so in the last year with the introduction of Twitter. That growth now includes the world of auto racing.

Patrón Highcroft Racing recognized the importance of connecting with fans through social media and has launched a larger online presence, providing fans an easier way to connect through Facebook and Twitter.

The significance of this goes beyond just providing insight into the team and its activities. It gives the team and their primary sponsors a moment, however brief, to communicate their brands. Through social media, they have the unique opportunity to take better charge of their brands and control the message. Why let someone else talk to your fans when you can, and should, do it.

I'd love to hear from you about other race teams taking advantage of social media. Let me know by leaving a comment below and I'll build a reference list for race fans.

If you're interested in being a fan of the team, you can visit their Facebook as well as their Twitter profiles.

Thanks to SpeedTV for the links to this story.

This weekends "Petit Le Mans" debuts the "Green Challenge"
The American Le Mans Series heads to Road Atlanta this weekend, with the Audi R10 TDI looking to score its third consecutive victory.

The 1000-mile "Little Le Mans" was introduced in 1998, with Audi making its first appearance at Road Atlanta in 2000. Audi has won the race every year since, with six Audi R8 wins, followed by wins the last two years in the R10 TDI.

Audi has recorded 20 wins with the R10 TDI, 16 of them in the American Le Mans Series.

"I was immediately impressed when I drove the car for the first time," remembers Lucas Luhr, who won the Drivers’ Championship with Marco Werner with two races remaining in the 2008 ALMS LMP1 class.

"It’s absolutely fascinating just how the TDI engine pushes."

Included in this weekends race, competitors will be taking part for the first time in the "Green Challenge", a special classification that takes into consideration fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

TDI launches for America
In addition, Audi has announced the launch of their TDI technology for the American market with the availability of the 2009 Q7 3.0 TDI.

In October, the Audi Q7 3.0 TDI will take part in the Audi Mileage Marathon, a two week trek across the United States to showcase their efficient diesel technology.

The Mileage Marathon will be made up of 13 stages, starting in New York and finishing up in Los Angeles. The 4,800 mile trek starts October 5 and concludes on the 20th, with 184 drivers representing North America, Europe and Asia.

This is an excellent example of proven racing technology making its way into the every day car. Will this help American car buyers accept diesel more readily? Only time will tell. Diesel hasn't exactly taken off here as it has in the rest of the world.

Steve Haas has an excellent article on the Mota Blog regarding diesels, its unexpected competition, the hybrid, and its chances of being accepted now after past failures. It's a good read and makes you think, just how green do I want to be?

Race fans this past weekend were treated to the incredible sound of the RS Spyder's V8. The 220,000 fans who attended the 24 hour race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife watched the two Porsche's turn demo laps, no doubt looking forward to the Le Mans Series race in August.

Porsche factory drivers Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas each piloted an RS Spyder around the 'Ring.

“These two laps are hard to describe,” said Bernhard.

Dumas added, “With this car on this track – that was one of my most wonderful experiences in motorsport.” Both drivers piloted 911 GT3 RSR's during the 24 hours of Nürburgring.

“You could hear the V8 sound of the RS Spyder for almost a minute before it flew by. It gave me goosebumps,” a race fan said, describing the sound of the RS Spyder's.

Steve McQueen's Porsche 908/2 on the auction block

Another of Steve McQueen's automotive treasures will be available to the highest bidder this summer, courtesy of Bonhams & Butterfields'.

The gem is McQueen's Porsche 908/2, the car he drove and nearly won the 1970 12 Hours of Sebring, finishing just seconds behind Mario Andretti. Andretti had his hands full in the closing laps, pushing his Ferrari to the limit, managing to pass McQueen in the second to last lap. Powered by a 3.0-liter air-cooled flat-8 rated at 350 hp, the car is expected to sell for as much as $2 million. The auction is August 15 in Carmel Valley, California.

As we've seen with previous auctions such as this, the car nearly always sells for more than what is projected. Last August, McQueen's 1963 Ferrari Lusso sold for twice as what was expected. And just last week we wrote about James Coburn’s 1961 Ferrari 250GT California Spyder selling for over $10 million.

An additional historical tidbit about this car. It was used as a camera mount during filming of the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans, footage McQueen used for his 1971 movie, "Le Mans". All in all, the car competed at Le Mans five times.

And, as we've done previously, we'll keep an eye on this car. The final selling price should be interesting.