#class: hypercars

[carsmashorpass]

[rivieiraa]

ig @ rivieiraa

[visualvocabulary33]

[superm4ks]

are you planning to watch max race in other series like wec and all?

Yes 💕i wud watch max race a tricycle

[martinroyhall]

News: BMW, Lamborghini and Alpine set to join HyperCard class. 2024 FIA WEC Sneak Peek Series

According to FIA WEC, there will be new additions from BMW M Motorsport, Lamborghini Squadra Corse and Alpine in the 2024 FIA WEC HyperCard class. And in the video below, kindly provided by FIA WEC to MotorMartin, you can watch Alexa Randell and Sam Smith provide updates on what we can expect from these three new manufacturers. Next season is going to be epic! For those new to World level…

[saffusthings]

second chances

mob boss! lando norris x reader

part thirteen: passenger princess

word count: 1.6k

warnings: none

twelve | thirteen | fourteen

The next morning, Lando pulled up to the curb outside her apartment building in a car that, by his standards, was modest. A sleek, black Audi RS5 — not one of his usual hypercars, certainly nothing that screamed money the way some of his other rides did. But still, he caught the way her eyes widened just slightly when she stepped outside and spotted it.

Noted.

She hesitated for a second, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder before walking toward the passenger side.

“This is… a nice car,” she said as she climbed in, running her fingers lightly over the smooth leather interior.

Lando smirked as he pulled away from the curb. “Yeah? You like it?”

“I mean, yeah. It’s pretty.”

He chuckled. “Pretty isn’t usually how people describe it.”

She shrugged, glancing out the window. “I, uh, really don’t really know cars. Obviously. I mean, I’m sure you can probably tell. This one looks cool though.” A pause. “Fast, I’m assuming?”

“Very.”

She made a thoughtful hum, then—almost absentmindedly—reached for the seatbelt and clicked it into place a second time, as if double-checking that it was secure.

Lando raised a brow but didn’t comment. Instead, he stole a quick glance at her as they hit a stoplight. She looked reserved, like she was still trying to figure him out. 

Which, fair enough. He was trying to figure her out too.

“So...” he started awkwardly, drumming his fingers lightly against the steering wheel. “How’d you sleep?”

She made a face, lips pursing in mild contemplation. “Not terrible.”

“That’s not a good answer.”

“It’s not a bad one either.”

Lando huffed a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “Guess I’ll take it.”

For a few beats, there was only the sound of the city waking up around them—traffic, pedestrians, the occasional honk of a horn. Then, casually, she asked, “Do you do this often?”

“Do what?”

“Drive your friends to class.”

You idiot, she mentally facepalmed herself. What kind of a question even is that? 

Lando smirked, eyes flicking toward her. “No. You’re the first.”

That seemed to throw her off. “Oh.”

He could practically see her debating how to respond to that, and for some reason, it amused him. He let the silence stretch a little longer, let her stew in it before adding, “You should feel special.”

That made her huff a quiet laugh, shaking her head. “I’ll be sure to brag about it to my classmates.”

Lando smirked. Yeah, he liked this. The slow push and pull of it. The way she wasn’t quite sure where to place him yet.

He shouldn’t be enjoying it as much as he was.

They fell into another brief silence, the kind that wasn’t entirely uncomfortable but still carried something clearly unfamiliar. She was still adjusting to him. He was still adjusting to whatever this was.

“So… you don’t drive or somethin’?” he asked, cutting through the quiet.

She shook her head. “Nope.”

“Why’s that?”

“Never got around to learning, I guess.”

Lando raised a brow, sparing a glance at her before switching lanes seamlessly. “Never?”

She gave a small, sheepish shrug. “I mean, I get the concept of driving, obviously. I just… never had the time. Or the skill, for that matter. Not my thing, I’ve learned.”

Lando clicked his tongue, amused. “You’re missin’ out, you know.”

“I think I’m surviving just fine without it.”

“Surviving,” he echoed. “But not thriving.”

That made her laugh. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Lando smirked, but there was something else in his expression—something bordering on curiosity. He didn’t know why, but the thought of her not driving was oddly... something. It made her seem a little more untouched by the world he lived in.

And for some reason, he liked that.

Before he could dwell on it too much, they pulled up near the university. He idled by the curb, glancing over at her.

She hesitated for a second before reaching for the door handle. “Thanks for the ride, Liam.”

He nodded. “Anytime.”

She lingered just a beat longer, like there was something else she wanted to say, but instead, she just gave him a small smile before stepping out.

Lando watched as she disappeared into the crowd of students, exhaling slowly.

He shouldn’t be doing this. She shouldn’t have let him.

But maybe she breathed a little easier with him around.

The first few drives were awkward in the way that new things always are. She didn’t quite know what to do with herself, and neither did he.

Lando had never been one for small talk, and she—well, she wasn’t exactly shy, but she was still guarded in that way people were when they weren’t sure what to make of someone yet.

So, at first, the car rides were quiet. Not uncomfortably so, but just enough to make the silence noticeable.

She’d fiddle with the strap of her bag or stare out the window, while he kept his eyes on the road, one hand resting lazily on the gear shift. He never pushed her to talk, and she never forced a conversation when there was nothing to say.

But then, gradually, things shifted.

It started small—little observations, little questions that didn’t seem to mean much on the surface. She learned that Lando wasn’t much of a morning person, but he hid it well. That he always had a coffee before heading anywhere, but he never really finished the whole cup.

One morning, she was fidgeting with the strap of her bag when she casually mentioned, “You drink a lot of coffee.”

Lando raised a brow, eyes still on the road. “You work at a coffee shop.”

“Yeah, but you don’t even get anything different. Always a spiced black coffee.”

He smirked. “And?”

She huffed. “And that’s… boring.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s simple. Gets the job done.”

“You could at least try a latte. Maybe an espresso macchiato. Something.”

Lando gave her a sidelong glance. “Didn’t take you for a coffee snob.”

“I’m not! I just think it’s a waste to keep drinking the same thing over and over when there’s so much out there that you could try.”

“Right,” he drawled, but the next time he stopped by Brews & Books, he ordered a macchiato just to see the way she lit up in satisfaction. He pretended not to notice when she gave him a subtle, knowing smile.

One evening, after her shift, Y/N climbed into the car and sighed, tilting her head back against the seat.

“Long day?” Lando asked, pulling away from the curb.

She made a noise somewhere between a groan and a laugh. “You have no idea.”

“Try me.”

She huffed but didn’t hesitate to launch into a story about a particularly difficult customer, waving her hands for emphasis as she spoke. Lando listened, offering the occasional smirk or amused hum, but mostly, he just let her talk.

“Some guy came in today and asked if we had any books on taxidermy.”

Lando glanced at her, amused. “And?”

She huffed, slumping slightly in her seat. “And I don’t know why we do, but we actually had two.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “You sound distressed.”

“I am distressed. Who’s coming into a cozy book café and thinking, ‘You know what I need? A book about stuffing dead animals.’”

Lando smirked. “Hey, at least they’re reading.”

She shot him a look, and he found himself biting back a grin.

She rolled her eyes at him before exhaling dramatically. “Anyway. That was my day.” Turning her face to see him better, she added, “How was yours?”

Lando arched a brow. “You want to hear about my day?”

She shrugged. “I mean, you always listen to mine. Fair’s fair, no?”

He could’ve given her a lie—could’ve made something up about a business meeting or a gym session. 

Hmm, let me think: drug deals, a back alley brawl, and a private execution all in time for dinner with my gang of co-criminals.

Instead he settled on, “S’alright. Nothing special.”

She gave him a look. “Boo. That’s vague.”

“That’s the point. Obviously,” he deadpanned, the ghost of a smirk upturning the corner of his lips. Y/N rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway.

The rides kept happening. Sometimes he’d show up unannounced after her shift, sometimes he’d send a text a few minutes before her class let out. It wasn’t always planned, but it was consistent. And that was what mattered.

He learned that she liked the window down, just a crack, no matter how cold it was outside. That she was a little clumsy when she was tired—nothing dramatic, just small things like fumbling with her seatbelt or nearly dropping her phone when she got in the car.

One evening, after picking her up from a late shift, he noticed the way she rested her head against the seat, eyes slipping shut as soon as they hit the first stoplight.

“You can sleep, you know,” he said, keeping his voice casual. “I won’t let you wake up in a ditch.”

She smiled sleepily. “That’s reassuring.”

But the next time she was exhausted, she actually let herself drift off.

It was subtle, the way things softened between them.

She started greeting him with a tired but genuine smile in the mornings, a quiet, “Hey, Liam,” as she settled into the car.

He started recognizing when Y/N was in a mood—when she was stressed about school, or irritated about something that happened at the shop. He never asked directly, but he’d say things like Long day? or You wanna grab a coffee before I drop you off? and she’d answer without thinking, without that usual hesitation.

And Lando… Lando didn’t quite know what to make of it.

Because he didn’t do things like this. He didn’t let people take up space in his life if they weren’t necessary, and yet here she was.

And somehow, it didn’t feel like an inconvenience at all.

a/n: was this too boring?

[irlnorthshaw]

CARS OF SUPA STRIKAS: a shameless thread 🏎️

did i spend too much time on this? sure... BUT IDK maybe you guys wanna write fanfics and need details. im here to help!! 😁😁😁

id also like to add a disclaimer that these cars are very stylised so obviously its not a direct representation of the real model. so, im basing all of this on what it resembles the most!! (also all of these prices are in usd)

THIS ONE’S A LONG ONE BC I ADD RAMBLING SO… BUCKLE UP!!! (pun very much intended)

SUPA STRIKAS::

shakes

and i thought i already did not like this guy... he already bagged all the baddies and now he has my dream car?? JUST BIG AND GREEDY!!

anyways i think this is his car, assuming bc he's sitting in the driver's seat!! always saw him as someone who hitched rides bc he cant be bothered w a license. bc if so SAME

yes... my dream car is a Ford Mustang. SIGHHHH!!! this one is probably an older model, think 60s or 70s.

the price on this one ranges from $20-70k– unless its a high-performance model like a Shelby GT500 which could reach $150k

el matador

oh boy this one's gonna be long... (not as long as skarra's tho... you'll see later)

a lot of this is also based on his section in the official wiki page of the series (not the fandom wiki dw!!) but nonetheless here's a rundown based on this image, left to right:

here is where im correcting the article. i dont think his car is a Rolls-Royce Ghost but a Phantom instead (more flashy and grandiose). which can range from $500,000 to… one million LOL imagine if i had that kind of money?? id be buying myself a hojicha everyday 😋

another correction, the wiki page says its a Lamborghini but i think that looks like a Porsche 911. which is around $100-$200k for variants like Turbo S or GT3 R

and so apparently, according to the page, bruno is not one but two cars!! bruno and his twin are both Lamborghini Gallardos, a Coupe and a Spyder – both of them? $200k. EACH.

left to right again:

i thought the Mustang hurt me... but this brought tears to my middle class eyes. that red babe is an Aston Martin One-77. brief xander car lesson!! this is a very rare hypercar, only 77 of these bad boys were produced. oh and it costs almost $2 million 🤑

the blue one is a Cadillac Coupe de Ville. which honestly shocked me?? considering El Matador’s character, but it does have a sense of historical glamor to it! price: $20-$50k

AND FINALLY!! a green McLaren 570S. ofc another sports car. not too big on mclarens myself but... depending on year and condition, at most its $400k

feeling extremely broke writing this out SO LETS MOVE ON

klaus

IDC WHAT ANYONE SAYS!!! KLAUS' BUBBLE CAR IS SO CUTE AND ICONIC!!!

at first i thought this might be a BMW Isetta (bc of the classic shape). but by the looks of it, it seems very modern. so from that conclusion, i think this is a Microlino!!

these ones dont roll out in the states but you can def spot these around west europe!! these cuties can cost you around $15-$25k ish

fun fact: you can drive this on an AM license alone (basically for mopeds and such) since it's a low-powered vehicle. so no need a traditional car license, which explains klaus' preference to riding bicycles in "magnetic north"

so, fear not if you dont have a license yet in ur 20s because klaus most likely doesnt either!! (comforting myself here)

cool joe

FIRST OF ALL. I LOVE LOVE HIS CAR EUGH ITS SO NICE???

cool joe drives an american classic!! this is a Plymouth Barracuda, one of the earliest pony cars (like a Ford Mustang) so yes... it does match his old man aura

it compliments his interest in vintage stuff like yeah the guy still listens to vinyl and owns a brick phone. this car might as well be the cherry on top

but i gotta say. the white and purple is a nice combo?? like i... want to be him all of a sudden

price depends. as always. classic models are around $20-$50k but rare HEMI variants can go up to $500k

big bo

YES YES I KNOW ITS NOT A CAR but i had to include it!!!

also when i was researching i went yikes i dont know what tf that is cuz listen... bikes are NOT my area of expertise

like i know my Yamaha Mio's but this?? i have no clue

i wanna say its some kind of Royal Enfield but if any of you know bikes better please feel free to correct me– i only chose it bc it fits his old-school, grounded american vibe

"but xander, harleys are more american!!" yeah ik but its way too flashy for him

coach

icl this one stumped me because i cant see the whole build of it. for all i know its just a mysterious black sedan LMAO like?? it could be anything

WHATEVER IT IS THO. ITS A DAD CAR!! and not just any dad car. we're talking, golf on the weekends type dad.

others/misc

i remember mentioning this picture in another post because of the horrendous parking... but now that we know some of the guys’ cars, we can just assume the rest!!

Blue Subaru WRX STI. actually more on the affordable end compared to the rest, this one is around $40-$50k (if bought new). and i can tell u rn it’s definitely north’s car– how do I know? IT’S A RALLY CAR!! MR "ADRENALINE JUNKIE" FOR SURE RALLIES ON THE WEEKENDS

Purple Porsche 911… guys. this is actually el matdor's car (refer back to his section). but like his Gallardo is already parked beside it?? now im thinking someone definitely borrowed his car COUGHSHAKESCOUGH.

that makes a lot of sense.. no way shakes would own a Porsche bruv... also look at that parking?? yeah that may not be shakes’ car but he definitely drove it to Strikaland

Black Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon. if u could hear me whistle through the screen… DAMN!! A G-WAGON?? idk who owns this car, i can only assume it’s dancing rasta's, it has his energy written all over it

not sure what the silver one is… if u guys know. pls do tell!!

blok and tiger

from what i have searched (yes i watched thru a lot of eps for this post) we dont know what cars blok and tiger own/drive. but if you ask me?

i think blok would drive a Land Rover because he’s built like one!! those cars are absolute tanks just like him

and also just because im a geek for Supras… i will give that to tiger TEEHEE!!!

INVINCIBLE UNITED::

this one is just skarra i fear bc i cant seem to track the others' cars. but maybe in another part if i get a better look at it!!

skarra (divided into three sections)

and i thought i already wanted him bad... this motherfucker!!! also whoever was in charge of assigning their cars, i want to give u a raise personally from my own paycheck

by the hood stripes… this is a Dodge Charger. see– im very new to Dodge bc I was researching the Challenger yesterday but this is for sure a Scat Pack Charger

usually starts at around $50k for the base model itself. BUUUT including the HEMI Orange Appearance, it bumps up the price to $55k

"oh... i actually expected skarra to be more obnoxious with his cars, this one is–" let me stop you right there.

lets not forget his infamous... diss track

lets assume these are all his cars (bc imagine he rented it... #LOSER). also its rlly hard to tell but these are my best guess. left to right:

im actually not sure abt the blue one. maybe a Nissan GTR?? if so, thats about $100-$200k

Orange Dodge Viper. this for SURE looks like it. its $50-$150k. this is probably the most obnoxious in the lot… loud and aggressive, just ego on wheels if anything. very fitting for my wife 👅👅👅

Green Lamborghini Aventador. or... at least it looks very similar. the base model LP 700-4 starts at around $400k but other special variants can go up to $600k

also i cant be arsed to squint my eyes and see the ones in the back sorry not sorry

this entire garage runs on testosterone and midlife crisis!!! and to think his ride before was this...

based on the shape... it looks veeery similar to an 80s style Volkswagen Golf (likely Mk1)

honestly it makes sense for him in rs, its a pretty solid choice at the time but yk things change

and speaking of things changing. id also like to write a different post analysing skarra's cars over the seasons and what it says about his character arc so... KEEP AN EYE ON THAT!!

[dailywec]

FIA WEC on Instagram:

The Hypercar and LMGT3 classes of 2025

[coimbrabertone]

Heartbreak in the 2.0 Sports Class at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans

Perhaps it's understandable given that we're coming off the Rolex 24 at Daytona, but I've been on a bit of an endurance kick lately, and I've come across a story that, while painfully, incredibly, niche, I actually found pretty fascinating. It's the heartbreaking story of a car that survived 24 fearsome hours of 1960s Le Mans...only to fail in the very last laps and miss out on the finish.

Our story takes us to the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race infamous for the battle between Ford's GT40 and Ferrari's 330 P3, however, there was another story brewing in the background: the rise of Porsche.

Ferrari had dominated the early 60s, Ford would take the late 60s with their GT40 winning four in a row, but in 1970, Porsche would breakthrough and take their first win at Le Mans before going on to become the dominant force of the 1980s.

For 1966 though, it was still early days for the Porsche project. Nevertheless, they already possessed some of the numbers that would make future Porsche efforts famous:

3 factory Porsche 906/6 LH "longtails" in the 2.0L Prototype class.

2 factory Porsche 906/6 Carrera coupes in the 2.0L Sports class.

1 privateer Porsche 906/6 Carrera coupe in the 2.0L Prototype class.

And a privateer 911S in the 2.0L GT class for good measure.

Wait a second...why so many different classes? Why do most of those cars seem to be the same model? Why is one Carrera 6 in the Prototype class while the other two are in the Sports class?

Well, the short answer is that old school Le Mans was complicated.

These days there's a clear distinction between classes: Hypercar is the fastest, LMP2 in the middle, and then GTs. Back then though, it was more of a chart - there were Prototypes, Sports Cars, and GT cars.

Prototypes were dedicated racing machines, Sports Cars, meanwhile, were a bit of an odd area, in that there was a 50-car homologation and these cars needed to have all the equipment necessary to be road legal (but as far as I can tell, there was no requirement to actually sell 50 road cars or anything, not yet at least). GT cars, meanwhile, were the actual sports cars for the road modified for racing use.

The other axis of the chart, meanwhile, is displacement. For 1966, there were 1.15L entries, 1.3L entries, 1.6L entries (though none showed up), 2.0L, and then we skipped all the way up to the 5.0L and the 5.0L+ classes.

In Porsche's case, all their cars were powered by a 1991cc Flat-6, meaning that they conformed to the 2.0L class in Prototype, Sports, and GT.

As for the 906, well, they produced the 50 906 Carrera 6s necessary for homologation, but for Le Mans, they brought the longtails. The 906/6 LH, with a monstrous rear overhang - I don't typically use pictures in these blogposts because of image rights, but look up a picture of it, it's hilarious - streamlined specifically for the mighty Mulsanne straight.

So, these 906/6 LHs were leading the charge, and they were up against a trio of Dino 206 prototypes - with Ferrari's 1986cc V6 - but our story focuses on the 906 Carrera 6s.

The #33 Porsche driven by American Peter Gregg and Swede Sten Axelsson, and the #58 driven by Germans Gunter Klass and Rolf Stommelen.

These were, quite literally, the only entries in the 2.0L Sports class. Ford had five GT Mk. 1s (in addition to their eight Prototype Mk. 2s and a sixth GT MK. 1 that didn't make the race) but those were in the 5.0L class, meaning that they weren't competing with Porsche.

Not that it mattered, considering that none of the Mk. 1s finished the race.

So yeah, quite literally two cars competing for the win, and they were strong too.

With the big cars falling away one by one, the Porsches were getting closer and closer to the front, and all five of the factory Porsche System Engineering entries were running in the top then. Thus, as Ford was planning their three-car photo finish for the overall win, Porsche was planning on a five-car photo finish just behind them.

Then...disaster struck.

Shortly after his last pitstop, Peter Gregg, then in seventh place, started experiencing an engine issue.

This must've been within the last hour of the race, probably forty-five to thirty minutes left, and the #33 car had completed a mighty 321 laps, but they were failing so close to the end of the race. In an attempt to make the finish, Peter Gregg parked the car in the pits and waited for the clock to tick down and the Fords to cross the line, figuring that he could at least nurse the car home for one final lap.

The #58 Porsche was still out there, making laps and taking the class lead as well as seventh place overall, but with the Germans on 330 laps and the next car on track being a Ferrari 275 GTB car in the 5.0L GT class on just 313 laps, Gregg could still finish in the top ten at Le Mans and be part of a five-car Porsche photo finish.

So, on the last lap, Peter Gregg tried to restart the car and complete one final lap...but it wouldn't turn over.

He missed the photo finish, and he missed the finish completely.

321 laps done, but he couldn't get it over the line to finish the race.

Thus, Porsche had to content themselves with a four car 4-5-6-7 finish, while Peter Gregg and Sten Axelsson earned the heartbreaking distinction of retiring of engine issues...24 hours into the race.

With none of the GT40 Mk. 1s making the finish and all three Dinos out early in the race, this means that the Klass/Stommelen car was the only Sports entry of any kind to finish the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.

So yeah, Peter Gregg and Sten Axelsson...they were on for a class win and a photo finish for Porsche, only to run into a heartbreaking engine issue at the very end of the race. From class lead and seventh overall to a DNF.

To add insult to injury...that one 911 did make the finish, completing 284 laps for a 14th place finish.

Less laps but...they finished the lap that counts: the last one.

[astonmartingf]

BEST OF INTERVIEWS: KATARINA LOMBARDI (WILLIAMS MERCEDES)

LICENSE TO DRIVE ; f1 driver!oc x platonic! f1 grid

. . . best interview moments with katarina during her time in williams mercedes (2016)

"How are you feeling? The star of the Australian Grand Prix. Points on debut, with P5, what an impressive start!"

Katarina smiles feeling giddy, "I wasn't really expecting anything, we were just told to score points, I started at P16 and when my race engineers told me I was in P10 it was already a lot of places, I overtook a lot, and then my engineer kept saying P9, P7, and I was trying to keep the pace, keep the tyres from degrading. And defending the position, in the end I'm glad we picked up a few more points with P5 and P8."

"Are you hoping for the same results in the following races?"

Katarina smiles thinking to herself, "Hopefully, as long as we score points we'll have a chance. The grid is very competitive this year, so any chance to pick up points in a consistent manner is always valuable to the team."

. . . 🏁🍒🏎️

"Katarina, how do you feel your rookie season is going? Are you ready to beat the records?"

"Thank you, I'm feeling fine, ready to race, it's a lot of fun, definitely." Her optimistic statement causes Sebastian to laugh next to her.

"Only she would find this fun, don't worry in your second year, you'll feel it coming to you." Max added, leaving Katarina shocked.

"Why would you say that Maxpen? It was one season,  now you're acting like we aren't the same age. Is this the F1 effect?"

"Is it different from what you're used to?" Seb whispers from her right side.

"I mean, in comparison to Endurance Racing, it is a bit shorter, the stints. So maybe that's why I'm having fun. It's all new to me, and different from what I'm used to."

The other drivers in the conference nod their heads in understanding. "What do you think is easier? Formula One or Endurance Racing?"

This time Katarina paused and thought for a moment, "Wait... I don't think I'm qualified to compare both, I drove in a different class from the hypercars. I think part of the reason I'm enjoying it is because of the speed, I don't think it's the same as the Pro Class."

"Have you seen Mark? You race for the same team right?" Sebastian asks the younger female driver.

"I remember, it was amazing to witness that, seeing him win. I was so happy for the team." Katarina reminisces of her time in the WEC racing in the same team alongside Mark Webber.

"You're acting like you didn't win in your own class. You had an outstanding debut in WEC, I don't think she needs another outstanding debut in Formula One." Max teases Katarina from the other side of the panel.

"You should've joined me in Endurance Racing then." Katarina shrugs Max off, leaving the press and drivers laughing.

. . . 🏁🍒🏎️

"Katarina, congratulations on your first podium. After six races, you reached P3— how are you feeling?"

"I mean P3... I'm happy. I couldn't stop smiling, I think if we do things properly then things will get better." Katarina looks around smiling next to Lewis and Seb.

"It was close there— the race for the third."

Katarina nods her head in agreement, "Lewis and Seb were so fast, I don't think I could get P2, but I had to defend with Max, he was behind me and I kept checking my mirror to see him."

"I saw in the cooldown room, they were properly racing, Kat and Max— those were some good defenses." Seb adds, nodding his head towards Katarina.

"It feels like Formula 2 again, definitely happy I got the podium."

. . . 🏁🍒🏎️

"How does it feel to be racing in Formula One, here at Monza?" It was Katarina's first time racing back in her hometown since her F2 days.

"Frankly it still feels like home to me, this is my first time racing back and this is the region I grew up in. I'm excited to see how things go and hopefully we can score points and maybe get a podium, we'll see. Thank you." Katarina waves bye to the report before moving on to the next.

"Are you feeling the pressure here in Monza? Despite racing for the Finnish flag, this is your home race, how did that come to be?"

"I'm feeling excited, there's a lot of talk about me saying this is my home race. I still think it's only right for me to call this my home race, I do have a permanent address here, I grew up here— there's a lot of misconception about why I race for the Finnish flag despite my last name being Italian. I'm proud to be racing for the Finnish flag because of my mother who also was a racing driver, especially since I take my father's last name. At the end of the day I'm making my family proud whether I race for Finland or Italy so it doesn't matter too much what they think I should race for."

. . . 🏁🍒🏎️

"We heard that you're a big fan of Kimi Raikkonen, is that true Katarina?"

Katarina looks back and forth with the cameras in disbelief, "Where did you get that?"

One of the staff shows a video of Katarina as a child crying, wearing a Ferrari shirt with Kimi's name. Katarina laughs seeing herself, wondering where the staff found these.

"Who? Did my parents send this video? Oh nooo, I was so young. This is 2007 right?" Katarina smiles as she watches herself jumping down with tears falling down her eyes.

"I always watched Kimi when I was young, he was just like me, my mother knew him so when I was young I was just supporting who they liked. But when he moved to Ferrari I felt seen.  When he won, I cried and yes, that is true— if the mood was right I would cry again, but I won't do that here so I'll just shut up."

The staff laughs behind the camera, as Katarina reveals a snippet of her life. "It's cute though... I think Kimi will love hearing about this story. Does Kimi know about this?"

Katarina squirms in her seat, nose twitching in embarrassment— "I think my parents told Kimi immediately after it happened. I don't remember but they constantly teased me about it."

. . . 🏁🍒🏎️

"Despite not being able to finish the race, you managed P7 in the WDC. How are you feeling?"

The fireworks in Yas Marina Circuit were still ongoing, despite the race ending a few minutes ago. Most drivers are doing interviews or in their team garages celebrating. Katarina however, still stuck on interviews.

"The DNF is sad, but the team told me to stop if I can't keep going on, the conditions are absolutely hard, and for my first time here that was an expected outcome. For the P7... I didn't expect that. We were waiting for the race to finish to know where we stand, and after finding out we're completely happy. It's a good result, there are many competitive cars and finishing P7 and P8 is good."

"There are rumors of you moving teams next year, are you allowed to say anything? Or is the team keeping it up for wraps?"

Katarina smiles mischievously, giggling to herself, "I don't know... Maybe you'll find out during the break what happens then. Where am I driving? We'll find out, I mean I know... you don't know so."

"You're going to tease us then?" The interviewer presses, hoping for more answers but Katarina laughs in reply.

"It'll be out sooner than later, you'll know during the break."

"Okay, keeping a tight lip on the move. We'll look forward to where you'll be driving next year. Enjoy your break!"

Katarina smiles waving at the camera, "Bye, thank you so much! See you next season."

[carsmashorpass]

[umseb]

What speaks for a Le Mans start?

Sebastian Vettel could compete in Le Mans with Porsche as early as 2024. The former Formula 1 world champion impressed in the first test. There are increasing signs of a racing comeback for the German. Porsche has postponed the planned announcement of the driver pairing of the third car for Le Mans.

Sebastian Vettel was abstinent for fifteen months. Apart from a few demonstration laps in a Williams FW14B at Silverstone and a Red Bull RB7 at the Nürburgring, the four-time world champion stayed away from the race track, but the thoroughbred racing driver regularly admitted that he misses racing. That's why his name was mentioned again and again when an attractive door opened-or seemed to open-in Formula 1, just like at Mercedes next year. The transfer of Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari frees up a cockpit at Mercedes, and of course Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff and Vettel were already in contact. The Heppenheimer also has his eye on the World Endurance Championship (WEC) with Porsche. On March 21st, Vettel took part in the roll-out test of the third Le Mans car in Weissach. The 36-year-old shared the cockpit with Porsche works driver Laurens Vanthoor. The Belgian drove two stints of twenty laps each, after which Vettel took over the Porsche hypercar for several runs between ten and fifteen laps.

Vettel fast straight away

According to information from our sister magazine, Motorsport aktuell, Vettel was on the same lap time level as Vanthoor after just fifteen laps. First conclusion: Vettel was immediately competitive at raw speed, and he also impressed with good feedback. The second stage of the test plan was then initiated: Vettel and five other works drivers will take part in a 36-hour test at the Spanish Motorland Aragón racetrack from March 25th to 27th, which was planned as preparation for Le Mans. The test is intended to evaluate how the 53-time GP winner copes with the 700 hp LMDh car in the dark. Vettel wants to use the test to find out whether the LMDh class cars will rekindle the fire in him. With a curb weight of 1,030 kilograms, the hybrid racers are significantly heavier than a Formula 1 car and have less power, but with hybrid technology and biofuel, they fit into the green world view of the man in the cockpit. The first impression behind the wheel of the Porsche 963 already left a clear mark on the thoroughbred racing driver from Heppenheim: "I'm looking forward to testing the Porsche and have already had the opportunity to get to know the car a little in Weissach. I've always had other racing series, and my curiosity for long distances encouraged me to just give it a try. Now I'm excited about the endurance run in Aragón and am looking forward to my time behind the wheel. It will definitely take some adjustment and some getting used to, but the whole team is very open and helps me with that. We'll see what happens next. At the moment there are no further plans for the future."

Porsche postpones driver announcement

After that, at the latest, a decision must be made as to whether Vettel will be included in Porsche's Le Mans squad. The Penske team will compete at Le Mans in 2024 with three cars: the two WEC cars plus an additional 963, which so far only has Mathieu Jaminet named. The original plan was for Jaminet to share the Porsche with Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy. The trio should have been confirmed this week on Thursday, March 28, but that announcement was postponed. This suggests that there is a real chance that Vettel could still jump on the Le Mans bandwagon. The Heppenheimer is still keeping the ball low: "We'll see how things continue. At the moment there are no further plans for the future." Theoretically, it would be possible for Vettel to contest one of the two World Championship races in Imola or Spa, although not with the works cars, but with the two customer teams, Proton Competition or Jota Hertz Racing. Vettel would obviously like to drive a test race because this is the only way to optimally prepare for a race at Le Mans. As expected, there is no doubt about Vettel in terms of driving, but a test race would allow him to get a feel for the demanding traffic situation in endurance racing, where the fast hypercar top cars share the track with the much slower GT3 cars.

Further Porsche tests possible

Because of the great competition in the field, the sports prototypes are now the second most attractive racing series in the world. In Aragon, Vettel also gets to know the competition straight away. It's not just Porsche that is preparing for Le Mans. Alpine with Mick Schumacher has also registered on the Spanish route. If everything goes well, Vettel could complete a third test soon: Porsche will drive in Spa on April 5th and 6th, and there is also the possibility of another 36-hour test on April 10th and 11th at the French track Le Castellet, even if Porsche has not yet officially registered for the test. The decision on a Le Mans start must be made by mid-April at the latest. The Porsche board is said to be enthusiastic about the idea of ​​Vettel driving with Porsche at Le Mans as early as 2024.

Porsche against seven manufacturers

The Stuttgart team won the first race of the season in Qatar with the 963. The WEC is enjoying particular attention this year because eight manufacturers are represented: Porsche, Ferrari, Toyota, Peugeot, BMW, Cadillac, Alpine and Lamborghini. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is even more than usual one of the big motorsport highlights of the year. Another large car company, Aston Martin, is expected to join in 2025. There are persistent rumors about a McLaren entry. For Porsche, Vettel's testing is a prestigious experience. The example of Alonso at Toyota and Hülkenberg at Porsche shows what advertising value the deployment of a Formula 1 driver on foreign terrain can have. Thomas Laudenbach, Head of Porsche Motorsport, is pleased that the former champion is showing interest in Porsche's long-distance activities: "There was no question for us that we would be happy to support his request for a test opportunity and provide him with extensive preparation and sufficient time. We can certainly learn a lot from his valuable feedback. Our 36-hour endurance run with our factory drivers in Motorland Aragón offers a perfect environment for this."

[motorspexx]

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is by far the most prestigious event in endurance racing. For 2025, the Hypercar category brings together the most advanced hybrid prototypes ever developed, with entries from global manufacturers under two distinct rule sets: Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) and Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh).

These are the top contenders for the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, machines that represent the forefront of hybrid endurance racing technology.

The BMW M Hybrid V8. Built under LMDh rules, it features a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 paired with a standardized hybrid system. Power is electronically capped at 680 horsepower, as per class regulations. Built on a Dallara chassis, BMW joined the WEC in 2024, aiming for overall victory in 2025.

The Ferrari 499P, a factory-built LMH car. It uses a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 mid-mounted, coupled with a front-axle hybrid motor for all-wheel drive. Like all entries in this category, it produces a combined 680 horsepower. After winning Le Mans in 2023, Ferrari remains a key contender.

The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH enters in 2025. Based on the road-going Valkyrie, it features a high-revving 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 developed by Cosworth and a hybrid system. Despite the unique powertrain, total output stays within the regulated 680 horsepower limit.

Porsche’s 963 runs under LMDh regulations. It uses a 4.6-liter twin-turbo V8 derived from the RS Spyder, paired with a spec hybrid system, delivering a combined 680 horsepower. The chassis is supplied by Multimatic, and the car continues Porsche’s legacy in endurance racing.

Peugeot’s 9X8 brings bold design choices, most notably a no-rear-wing aerodynamic concept. It’s powered by a 2.6-liter twin-turbo V6 and a front-mounted electric motor. Like its LMH rivals, it runs with 680 horsepower and all-wheel drive above 150 kilometers per hour.

Toyota’s GR010 Hybrid has been the benchmark since 2021. It features a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 and a front-mounted electric motor, activated above certain speeds. The hybrid system helps deliver exactly 680 horsepower, balancing reliability and performance.

The Cadillac V-Series.R, competing under LMDh rules, uses a 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V8. It’s paired with the standardized hybrid system and mounted on a Dallara chassis. Known for its durability and aggressive sound, power is limited to 680 horsepower.

The new Alpine A424 is Alpine’s first LMDh entry. It’s powered by a 3.4-liter turbocharged V6 and a spec hybrid unit, built on an Oreca chassis. Like its competitors, the A424 is tuned to the FIA-mandated 680 horsepower limit. Designed in collaboration with Signatech, it marks Alpine’s serious push for overall victory.

All nine of these prototypes are engineered to deliver maximum performance within tightly controlled regulations. With equalized power outputs and diverse philosophies in aerodynamics and hybrid integration, the battle for Le Mans 2025 is all to execution, efficiency and endurance.

[gasgasdaily]

We've been talking about the hypercars of the late-80s and early 90s just a few days back so today, we'll talk about Jaguar's 90s hypercar, the XJ220.

Pic from left to right, top to bottom in zigzag pattern: Production XJ220 on display -> Prototype XJ220 with the V12 showing -> The prototype's Jaguar V12 engine -> A race-prepped XJ220S

Jaguar all along had been racing in various events and across the late 70s and 80s, they partnered up with different companies, one being Group 44 and the other being Tom Walkinshaw and his company for their racing efforts. Tom Walkinshaw handled their GT side of things whereas Group 44 handled their prototype racecar side of things.

Group 44 and Jaguar would produce the XJR-5 in 1982 for the IMSA GT Championship under the GTP Prototype class till 1985. It won a few races but it wasn't anything special. Jaguar and Group 44 would then switch to the newer XJR-7 in 1985 and the results was also mediocre. 1987 saw Jaguar switched their main racing partnership to Tom Walkinshaw for their upcoming 1988 IMSA GTP efforts and this time, FIA Group C Championship. The car would debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona and won the race outright. However, that was the only time the car won at IMSA. The car did perform better overseas though that it not only won the prestigious 24hrs of Le Mans, it won 6 other races helping both Tom Walkinshaw Racing/TWR and Jaguar clinch the overall champion title for the 1988 season. The difference between the IMSA and the FIA Group C car is that the IMSA car uses the 6L V12 they retained from the XJR-7 whereas the Group C car uses a newer and more powerful 7L V12.

Prior to the XJR-9, Jaguar and TWR had already produced an XJR-8 in 1987 which also won that year's championship for the FIA Group C Championship thus TWR hatched a plan to produce a road car based on these cars. Jim Randle, the then-Jaguar chief of engineering started the project and he decided to base the project as the same concept of the 50s and 60s like the old Jaguar D-Type where you can race the car at Le Mans and also drive it on the streets. However, Jaguar early on didn't really see the project as feasible and didn't give Jim much help thus he had to round up volunteers across the office floors to help him sketch the design of the car and general ideas for the project on their off times thus the team would be nicknamed as "The Saturday Club" consisting of 12 volunteers.

With their tenacious attitude, the team managed to get the job done by designing the car on based on the old Group B rules and he crunched the cost down to the maximum by pulling deals with past suppliers and companies that had worked with Jaguar before. With Jaguar finally seeing that it would work, gave the greenlight. Jim would then design the car to be clad with full aluminium body parts to keep the weight light and also to bring back the sentiments of the old XJ120 and coupled with that concept, he planned to make the new car to be the fastest production vehicle of its time upon launch just like the XJ120 and for that, he planned for the car to do 220mph thus he christened the car as "XJ220". Jim would also decide to slot one of the spare V12 leftover from the XJR-9 racecar in the concept car and descaled the engine from 7L to 6.2L and mated it an AWD drivetrain. However, Jaguar had no idea on how to implement it as they've never built anything AWD before thus they went to the company that helped Jensen with their AWD FF, FD Development ran by Tony Rolt. The concept would even feature rear-wheel steering which was very high tech during that period of time. The concept was completed on 18th October 1988, the very same day it was set to appear at the British International Motor Show and Jaguar rushed the car to be presented to the public. Upon revelation, customers raved about the cars and many would dump blank cheques at the counters to order one, helping Jaguar to decide that it was indeed feasible to produce it and in the end, Jaguar got over 1500 orders at the unveiling and slated the production car to be ready by 1992.

Jaguar would not be able to produce the car themselves but lucky for them, they already had a sub-company with TWR called JaguarSport which they used to build their racecars with and thus, Jaguar would ask TWR to help them in building the car. Production of the car would commence by the middle of 1989 but soon, trouble would hit. Upon testing from loaned Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959, the team soon realized that the XJ220 was longer and heavier than both of them and the V12 engine was way heavier than both the turbocharged V8 and flat-6 that both the Ferrari and Porsche would respectively use. To make matters worse, a recession hit in 1990 which sank the economy and Jaguar was hit by it too. With finances tied to the development of their normal road cars, they can't sink more money into the XJ220 project so alot of things had to be changed to keep cost down. 1st to go was the V12 and they had to find new engine to switch to. Just their luck, TWR had earlier in 1989 purchased the right to build the very same engine that was used in the MG Metro 6R4 for their upcoming racing efforts and with no other option, they decided to put the engine in the car. TWR would bore the engine out to 3.5L and slap two turbos which now makes 542hp to match the power figures of the V12 that they were supposed to use. In return of using the V6, the car's rear was shortened and overall, lighter than the concept car. The 2nd stuff to be dumped was the AWD system to turn it back to the RWD drivetrain that Jaguars were more used to and the final item was the rear-wheel steering as they found it to have not much real need for it and so was the active aero and height adjustable dampers to save production cost and also overall weight.

When the news of the changes were leaked to the public, the mood immediately changed and customers felt cheated that the end product they were getting isn't the same as advertised and with a few of them being broke due to the recession, many would pull out from their purchase. What Jaguar did was even scummier that they changed the car soo much from the concept and didn't tell their customers who had put downpayment for the car, they instead told their customers that the only way they can get a refund was to buy themselves out and obviously, customers were unhappy and sued the company for fraudulent advert and the issue wasn't resolved until 1995. Regardless, Jaguar still made 281 units in total from 1991-1994.

The car would be tested in 1991 by the press and also attempt to follow the XJ120's record for being the fastest production vehicle. For that, Jaguar took it to the Nardo Ring in Italy and brought their racing driver, Martin Brundle together with independent reviewers and witnesses for the Guinness World Records with journalists from Car magazine, Road & Track and Top Gear. The prototype had already done a shakedown session before the production model and the pre-production model did 212mph/341kmh at Fort Stockton, Texas. During the shakedown at Nardo, Jaguar did wanna break the 220mph mark but despite how much Martin Brundle tried, he could only achieve the same speed at the Fort Stockton run but that was with the catalytic converter on. Jaguar would quickly remove it and push the car for another run where it did better with 217mph/349kmh but still not 220mph as intended. Regardless, it was still recorded as the fastest production car ever built for that time till the McLaren F1 came about and took the crown.

However, the journalists that tested the cars gave very conflicting sentiments. All of them would praise how the car has immense power despite the twin-turbo V6 unit and how quick it was to climb up to speed. The all would, unsurprisingly, complained about the length of the car and at certain times feel very unrefined due to the lack of any creature comfort like power steering, ABS and traction control due to Jaguar literally saving pennies to save themselves from sinking. They would also complain about how the V6 felt lumpy at the lower rev ranges and the clutch feeling way too heavy for a road car and driving it in the city was extremely torturous. Time didn't treat the car well either as it didn't hold itself well with age as modern fans who test drove the car again would also like the engine at its highest rev ranges but hated the car at low speeds and also disliked how the reliability, as typical of any British car of its time, wasn't stellar at all and the financial situation of Jaguar and British Leyland in general exacerbated the problems even more.

After close to 3 decades, Jaguar would attempt to reinvent a new hypercar for the 21st century with the C-X75 but with the commercial failures of the XJ220, they cancelled the project before it had a proper workable prototype and for me, that was a massive waste in my opinion.

[martinroyhall]

News: BMW, Lamborghini and Alpine set to join HyperCard class. 2024 FIA WEC Sneak Peek Series

According to FIA WEC, there will be new additions from BMW M Motorsport, Lamborghini Squadra Corse and Alpine in the 2024 FIA WEC HyperCard class. And in the video below, kindly provided by FIA WEC to MotorMartin, you can watch Alexa Randell and Sam Smith provide updates on what we can expect from these three new manufacturers. Video courtesy of FIA WEC Next season is going to be epic! For…

[jessmac566]

So I was having a think about, in my opinion, who the best wec trios are. Just trios though in Hypercar/LMP1. I might add GT classes later but I'm not as familiar with them.

In no particular order, I have:

- André, Benoît and Marcel; the classic Audi trio for 7 yrs (2 years outside of wec) and these guys are genuinely inseparable, brothers if u will

- Timo, Mark and Brendon; they were monsters in that Porsche, like they literally won 4 or 5 races in a row but shame they didn't win LMS as a 3

- Kazuki, Séb and Anthony; maybe have been unlucky at the start with Toyota but they still got a lot of wins, just annoying that either Anthony or Kazuki missed some races some years

- Kamui, José and Mike; they won a lot together and can really see they all genuinely get along, sad that José is no longer there

- Séb, Brendon and Ryō; even though this year they have had some car struggles compared to Porsche and Ferrari, these guys were always kinda up their just getting on with it and all 3 of them just get each other

And my new addition to the list:

- Kévin, André and Laurens; although it has only been 2 years (and only 2 😭) as a trio these guys have just gelled so well, they all have their roles as a team which just works, they get along so well and have banter together (mostly at Laurens from André, Kev just watching everything happen). So I don't think this trio or even friendship will be a 2 year thing (I fucking hope so for my sake 😭)

For André being mentioned twice and going off what he said on Laurens podcast (which seems ages ago) about how his relationship with Ben and Marcel is always going to be different from any teammates he's going to have (even JEV) ,as the were teammates for years and won LMS together and André and Ben have a lot of history together and is probably the only one who truly knows André (maybe James as well), I can tell that the relationship with Laurens and Kevin is going along that path, now if they were teammates longer maybe if would've come to be the same but who knows.