IRC: SKODA Motorsport heads to the Prime Yalta Rally this weekend

IRC: SKODA Motorsport heads to the Prime Yalta Rally this weekend
DTM: Audi returns to Austria and to the Red Bull Ring
Audi UK launches guide to Le Mans 2011 for iPhone and iPad2
Flying Lizard reveal Troy Lee liveries for 24 Hours of Le Mans

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 12:30 PM PDT

Skoda Rally

The Ukraine Rally is part of the IRC calendar for the first time in history. Unfamiliar tracks will be a big challenge for all the crews to take part.

The fourth IRC event this season, the Prime Yalta Rally scheduled to take place in the Ukraine over June 2-4, will see SKODA Motorsport (factory team) at full strength. The team’s ambitions for this asphalt rally that is part of the IRC calendar for the first time in history are high. Besides the reigning IRC champions Juho Hanninen & Mikko Markkula, the event will see a further four Fabia Super 2000s, including one to be driven by Jan Kopecky, currently second in the IRC rankings. The program of the Prime Yalta Rally consists of 14 stages (262 kilometers in total).

Hanninen is apparently excited about the prospect of appearing in this unfamiliar rally: “In the first place, it’s great that I and Mikko are back in the IRC again. I don’t have a clue what the local tracks look like – in this respect, this rally will surely be a big challenge for all the teams to take part. After quite some time, this is an event that is new for nearly all of the drivers to appear on the start line. I’d love to win there, that’s for sure, but it will no doubt be very difficult – the last few events have showed clearly that the quality of IRC is improving all the time.” The participation of the Finnish crew is supported by the Ukrainian importer of SKODA.

His teammate Jan Kopecky, currently second in the IRC rankings, adds: “In my opinion, good pace notes and a good set-up of the car will be the key success factors in this unfamiliar rally. I believe that we will optimize the set-up (together with Skoda Motorsport engineers) to be ready to fight for the top ranks.” Besides its factory crews, the SKODA family will keep their fingers crossed for a further three drivers of Fabia Super 2000s to appear at the Black Sea – Andreas Mikkelsen of SKODA UK Motorsport, Patrik Sandell of Sweden and Toni Gardemeister of Finland.

- Skoda Motorsport

Four Skoda Fabia Super 2000s to race at Rally Islas Canarias

DTM: Audi returns to Austria and to the Red Bull Ring

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 11:49 AM PDT

With a market share of 5.5 percent (2010) Audi is the most successful premium brand in Austria. Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich was born in Vienna. The two-time DTM champion Timo Scheider lives in Austria. And in Red Bull Audi Sport has a strong Austrian partner. These are four good reasons for Audi to shine at the DTM’s grand Austrian comeback at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg on June 5.

The DTM returns to Austria and to the Red Bull Ring
The four Audi drivers with the best point scores have raced there before
Audi is the most successful premium brand in Austria

Mercedes-Benz driver Bruno Spengler is traveling to the Austrian province of Styria as the leader of the standings. But breathing down his neck are four Audi drivers, Mike Rockenfeller, Martin Tomczyk, Mattias Ekstrom and Timo Scheider. Some of them have already contested several races at Spielberg before. During the tests on Thursday most of the other racers have to first get to know the track, which has been rebuilt in true-to-the-original fashion by energy drink manufacturer Red Bull after the dismantling of the former A1 Ring.

Zandvoort winner Mike Rockenfeller remembers the track from the Porsche Carrera Cup. Martin Tomczyk, Mattias Ekstrom and Timo Scheider, in 2001, 2002 and 2003, were part of the field when the DTM paid three successful visits to Austria. The turbulent last lap in 2002 that went down as one of the craziest in DTM history remains unforgotten.

All three Audi factory drivers still have very fond memories of the spectacular races at Spielberg and the impressive crowd there. And on the first weekend in June DTM fans can again look forward to seeing an absolute highlight. The track layout has remained as impressive as it was before and the demand for tickets has been huge.

So, all of these aspects combined provide optimum prerequisites for a strong comeback of the most popular international touring car series in Austria. For Audi it will be the first Austrian race since the Supertouring car rounds at the Salzburgring held at the end of the 1990s. Accordingly, the Austrian Audi partners, who will support the Audi team at Spielberg, have keen interest in the event.

On TV the DTM races at Spielberg were always spectacular too. ARD will deliver the DTM live to living rooms in HD quality on “Das Erste.” Qualifying coverage on Saturday (June 4) will start at 1:30 p.m., race coverage on Sunday (June 5) at 1:45 p.m. (local times).

- Audi Motorsports

Austria’s Federal Cross of Merit for Audi’s Timo Scheider

Audi UK launches guide to Le Mans 2011 for iPhone and iPad2

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:19 AM PDT

Le Mans 2011 for iPhone and iPad2

To get you geared up and ready for the 79th running ofd the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Audi UK launched a special guide app for Audi and motorsport fans alike. Designed for both iPhone and iPad, the free app has a ton of features from your basic race news, updates and positions to circuit overview, videos and more. Augmented reality* is a huge win here. With the devices camera, you point it at the print out (link after jump) and the car comes to life. It is a bit harder on the iPhone due to UI constraints but on the iPad2 it rocks! Watch out for Allan McNish, he sneaks up on ya! More info and links after the jump.

Download the free official Audi UK guide to the 24 hour Le Mans 2011 event. Giving you everything you need for the big race taking place on 11th-12th June 2011. Race the award winning Audi Le Mans cars with the augmented reality feature, follow the Audi Teams as well as competing teams, and get live updates throughout the race.

Le Mans 2011 for iPhone and iPad2

Features:

Race winning Audi Le Mans cars using the camera on your phone and a printed target, available to download or print from http://audi.co.uk/lemans*
View stunning images of the cars, as well as all the latest team news and videos
Follow the Audi team so you don’t miss a single overtake, corner or the checkered flag
Get information on how competing teams are performing, with regular race news, updates and positions
Detailed bird’s eye view of the circuit with information on every corner, chicane and straight.
All the action as it happens from the official Radio Le Mans commentary service
A detailed schedule of events so you don’t miss any of the action
Review the stats from the race and see how your team fared
Find the best route to Le Mans, with fast, scenic and coastal routes
Access our library of new and historical footage made specifically for Le Mans 2011

*Augmented reality is only available on Apple devices with cameras (iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch 4th gen, and iPad 2)

Le Mans 2011 for iPhone and iPad2

Gallery: Audi at the 2011 Le Mans test day

Flying Lizard reveal Troy Lee liveries for 24 Hours of Le Mans

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 06:08 AM PDT

Porsche Porsche 911 GT3 RSR Troy Lee

Gallery after the jump!

Troy Lee and Flying Lizard team up once again on an amazing livery for the two Porsche 911 GT3 RSR’s. It has been 4 years since we witnessed the first Troy Lee project for the 2007 “Art Car”. This also marks the first time the Flying Lizard team will enter two cars in the historic race. Lee started with a concept surrounding the drivers’ country flags, working them into one draping across the RSR. This in turn makes it look like it’s traveling down the Mulsane Straight at 100mph. Custom candy metallic orange for the No. 80 and candy metallic blue for the No. 81 were developed to show off depth and movement. Which is your favorite?

Troy Lee’s Design Celebrates History of Porsche at Le Mans

Flying Lizard revealed today a commemorative livery for the No. 80 and No. 81 Flying Lizard Porsches for the 2011 24 Heures du Mans. Created by California-based artist Troy Lee, the livery celebrates the history of Porsche at Le Mans, featuring the 28 drivers who have won the 24 Heures du Mans overall in a Porsche. The No. 80 and No. 81 designs are identical, implemented in complementary colors: candy metallic orange for the No. 80 and candy metallic blue for the No. 81; both anchored by a deep ocean blue. Primary colors provide a backdrop for the driver names and flags which weave throughout the design on the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.

The Flying Lizard Porsche livery will be officially unveiled at scrutineering on Monday, June 6 in Le Mans at approximately 13.30 CET (9:30 AM EDT) (just prior to the scheduled scrutineering time for the No. 80). “2011 is a special year for Flying Lizard at Le Mans: our first time fielding two entries,” said Flying Lizard VP of Marketing, Jennifer Hart. “The livery commemorates the heritage of Porsche at Le Mans, starting with drivers Hans Hermann and Richard Attwood, who secured the first overall victory for Porsche in 1970*. The 911 is an ideal canvas for Troy Lee’s beautiful tribute to this iconic race.”

Troy Lee described the concept of the design, “I started with the vibrant colors of the drivers’ country flags: imagining how they could be put to life on a racecar, as if they were blowing by on the front straight. Once we had the theme, we focused on making it come to life in 3D. The challenge was to really show off the depth and movement of these amazing cars, while maintaining the integrity of the Porsche design.”

Lee continued, “A crucial part of this project was getting the right paint: We worked extensively with PPG Industries to develop these custom colors, both for their liveliness and for the depth of the metallic colors. Using the candy paint as a base, we then created the intricate backdrop of asymmetric shapes to balance the design and create the sense of speed.”

President of Porsche Motorsport North America Jens Walther added, “We are proud that Flying Lizard chose to honor the 28 drivers who have stood on the top step of the podium for Porsche at Le Mans. This design exemplifies the effort that Flying Lizard puts into every aspect of their race preparation, and shows why Lizard drivers have won the American Le Mans Series GT championship for the last three years.” Flying Lizard initiated the project with Troy Lee in late 2010. Hart added, “We worked with Troy’s team for several months to finalize the concept and design. The livery is a combination of candy paint overlaid with vinyl. The vinyl was custom-tailored to each Porsche and applied at our shop in Sonoma by Iconography Studios. Each car has a clear coat to protect the graphics. We are thrilled with the end result; the Porsches are uniquely beautiful and seem to be almost humming with energy.”

Flying Lizard also launched today new team merchandise which features the unique livery design. Click here for details.