ferrari

F1 and INDYCAR Launch Virtual Racing Series

March 21, 2020 by ponycargirl Leave a Comment

It started in the wake of Formula E suspending its season for two months, then Formula 1 cancelling the Australian Grand Prix because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jean-Eric Vergne (JEV), the two-time ABB FIA Formula E Champion, posted a modest proposal on social media and tagged other drivers: “To all my fellow friends racing drivers who won’t race in the next 2 months: should we create an online championship and race?” A day later, JEV posted a graphic with the tag “Not the AUS GP” – Real F1 Drivers vs. Top Gamers. The first driver announce was McLaren Driver Lando Norris, then former McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne (currently with the Mercedes Formula e team), along with Mercedes development driver and former Formula E driver Esteban Gutierrez and more curiously, Thibault Courtois (goalkeeper for Real Madrid) following suit. Veloce Esports, JEV’s sponsor, would be host of the live event on their YouTube channel and Twitch March 15, 2020.

Thanks to Instagram’s logarithms that always show me things I would actually want to see 17 hours after they have happened, I missed the livestream but the entire event can be watched here. I’ll admit to being a complete stranger to Esports – gaming is not my thing, so on the outset I was surprised at the level of detail, including race stewards behind the fence and nervous team engineers in the pit garage. The 29-lap the e-race had some exciting moments, though there was a strange glitch at the race start when the light went green but the cars just sat on the grid for several seconds. Missing is the onboard banter (which seems to be in a separate video), the excitement of real-life pit-stops, and the general drama of F1 and its various personalties, but the after-race interviews and banter tries to make up for that. And hey, Williams finished in the points, hopefully a good omen for the 2020 season when real racing finally gets started. Of the real drivers, Lando Norris finished 6th after working his way up from a start at 19th, Gutierrez finished 10th after a DQ in qualifying when his system crashed, and Vandoorne came in 15th. Nineteen year old Hungarian esports driver Dani Bereznay won both pole and the race. His comments afterwards echo all of our sentiments, I think: “…I’m a huge Formula 1 fan myself as well, so I just want to see the real teams and cars and guys racing out there as soon as possible, but at least from this negative we did some kind of positive results a the end of the day…”

Team roster for Not The AUS GP:
Mercedes: Stoffel Vandoorne – Esteban Gutierrez
Red Bull: Tiametmarduk – Veloce Hyperz
Toro Rosso: Super GT – Jimmy Broadbent
McLaren: Lando Norris – WillNE
Alfa Romeo: Dani Bereznay – James Baldwin
Racing Point: James Doherty – Thibaut Courtois
Williams: Sacha Fenestraz – Tom Martinez
HAAS: Louis Delétraz – Ryan Tveter
Renault: Jarno Opmeer – Simon Weigang

Early on March 20 Formula 1 announced its own F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix series to be broadcast on Formula 1 YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels. The first e-race will be the Bahrain Virtual Grand Prix 8pm GMT Sunday, March 22. Not surprisingly these races will not have actual championship points for the drivers. The Virtual Grand Prix is a separate event from the Not The BAH GP, which will be at 6pm GMT on the Veloce Esports channel. Both events will announce the competitors soon, but it’s safe to say that the F1 version will have more current F1 drivers, and the Veloce version will have a different variety of drivers (including Williams’ Nick Lafiti) and e-sports champs.

With the racing season from regional tracks to prominent series like F1 postponed and cancelled globally, it’s not surprising that INDYCAR and NASCAR would also take a cue from the success of this hastily organized Veloce e-race. Hours after the F1 announcement, INDYCAR sent out a press release announcing the first race of the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge on Saturday March 28, 2020 at 4pm EST. The IndyCar virtual racing will start out with six races to be streamed live on indycar.com as well as YouTube, Facebook Live, and Twitch for the next six Saturdays. The actual venue will be voted on by fans and the winner will be interviewed on Instagram afterwards by Katie Hargitt. The entry list will be announced in the coming week. (Read the full press release here.) NASCAR is launching the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series for fans Sunday, March 22, 1:30pm EST, limited to FS1 and the FOX Sports app. The race will feature NASCAR notables such as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace and more at iRacing virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Lemonade from lemons; this could be a fun diversion while we are all practicing social distancing and hoping the best for friends and family.

NYIAS in Photos: Classic Italian Cars Exhibit

April 22, 2019 by ponycargirl Leave a Comment

Every year at the New York International Auto Show, the Saratoga Automobile Museum sets up a display of some of the finest classic cars. This year, the theme was “Italian” – and while there was no Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale do drool over, the collection did not disappoint.

: 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS

: 1969 Iso Griffo

: 1969 Iso Griffo

: 1961 Maserati 3500 GT 2+2

: 1966 Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2

: 1972 Italia Spider Intermeccanica

: 1972 Italia Spider Intermeccanica

: 1953 Fiat 8v Berlinetta

Ferrari Celebrates 70th Anniversary

October 9, 2017 by ponycargirl 1 Comment

Legendary automaker Ferrari is celebrating their 70th anniversary this year and the red carpet was rolled out in New York City’s Rockefeller Center to showcase some of the beautiful vehicles created through the years. It’s rare to see so many cars displayed in one place in Manhattan – space comes at a premium, so car shows and even this past summer’s Formula e races are generally relegated to the humbler outer boroughs. Million dollar babies such as these keep their appearances to the refinement of an exclusive concours d’elegance, so this was quite the treat for tourists and the few stalwart New Yorker Ferrari fans who braved the throngs to stare at the cars and dream. Front and center was the new LaFerrari Aperta, the new limited-edition special series hybrid with a v12 engine. The exhibit was capped on both ends by race cars; on the south end, the 2017 488 Challenge, and the north end, F2001 Chassis #211 raced by the legendary driver Michael Schumacher, and winner of the Monaco and Hungarian Grand Prixes (in 2001). Enough typing – you really just want to see the Ferrari porn.

: Rockefeller Center

: 2017 488 Challenge

: 1985 GTO (288)

: 1993 512 TR

: 1993 512 TR

: 2017 LaFerrari Aperta

: 2017 LaFerrari Aperta

: 2017 LaFerrari Aperta

: 1973 365 GTB4 (Daytona)

: 1973 365 GTB4 (Daytona)

: 1963 250 California

: 1963 250 California

: 1963 250 California

: 1949 166 MM

: Row of Ferraris

: 1949 166 MM

: 1949 166 MM

: 1949 166 MM

: F2001 Chassis #211

: F2001 Chassis #211

: F2001 Chassis #211

Monterey 2014: Steve McQueen’s 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4

August 13, 2014 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

There was a time when a classic car auction catalog was just that, a book. Maybe in colour, maybe just ink on newsprint. Thankfully, the internet has changed that and auction houses can now create actual content which engages viewers. Not only does this content enlighten prospective buyers, but it allows the auction house to truly showcase what makes a car special.

Some, like the car in the video below are just so much more special than others.

Canadian auction giant RM Auctions will be selling this classic Ferrari, once owned by the king of cool, Steve McQueen, on Saturday at Monterey. It is expected to fetch somewhere between eight to twelve million bucks.

The short film includes commentary by some of the guys who cared for the car during its time with the actor, and offers a bit of a glimpse into the man himself.

Source RM Auctions via Youtube

Finally see and hear the Ferrari La Ferrari in action

May 2, 2014 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Wrapping up what seems like Ferrari week here in The Garage, let’s start Friday with a quick clip from the blokes at Top Gear, featuring the most unfortunately named Ferrari of all time.

The lads got their hands on the much awaited La Ferrari earlier this week and proceeded to tick off the Ferrari media corps by dropping a tiny teaser video online ahead of the embargo time. That clip was yanked off the web in a hurry and now, a couple of days later they have shared another short video. The visual quality seems to be somewhat less than expected, but the sound is spectacular. I’m still not sure the exhaust note makes up for the name though.

Ferrari 250 GTO in motion defines automotive passion

April 30, 2014 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Although even the least car focused general public know the name Ferrari, but somehow I suspect that many don’t quite understand the passion that enthusiasts feel for the cars that Enzo built. There are people out there who just can’t grasp why people are so upset about the Ferrari that was banged up in Toronto earlier this week. They just don’t get it. Even young enthusiasts, who get that the car is beautiful, ferocious and rare probably don’t truly appreciate the history behind the car.
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Ten Ferrari crashes caught on camera

April 29, 2014 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Following yesterday’s destruction of a Ferrari F40 in Toronto, I thought it might be fun to string together a few Ferrari crash videos for your viewing, errr, pleasure.

First up, we have perhaps one of the most infamous Ferrari crash videos, which also happened here in Canada. The scene was Targa Newfoundland and the driver was Calgary’s Zahir Rana. The car was Rana’s FXX, which came to rest in a lake. It was epic.

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Rare Ferrari F40 destroyed on Toronto test drive

April 28, 2014 by Gary Grant 19 Comments

Updated: An industry insider who wishes to remain nameless informs us that the F40 was owned by the dealer and had been sold to a customer. Incredibly, the Dart was a new car that was owned by the same dealer and was being driven by a lot attendant!

Over the years, the lads at Jalopnik have supported a campaign called Save the Enzos, which comes to life every time some hapless rich guy wads up his Million dollar supercar. Today, perhaps we can switch that up a bit to include the iconic Ferrari F40.

Earlier today, a mechanic at Ferrari of Ontario was returning from a road test in an F40. As the mechanic made a left turn, the driver of a late model Dodge Dart ran the red light, clobbering the scarlet machine. The drivers of both vehicles were unhurt, but as you can see from the images, both vehicles sustained significant damage. The difference is that the damage to the Ferrari is likely worth more than the Dart owner earns in a couple of years.
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Russian guy is the worst pay to play driver ever

April 28, 2014 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

If you thought the on track behaviour of the amateur Daddy Warbucks drivers at Sebring was bad, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Meet Vadim Kogay, a Russian driver in the Blancpain Endurance Series. Kogay’s ride is an anything but white bread Ferrari 458 GT. The driver (and I use the term very loosely) took his toy to Monza and proceeded to teach the world what a real racing driver can do. Spinning alone under yellow, blocking traffic and swerving all over the track are just part of the fun. At one point, the guy puts himself off and then cuts back onto the track in front of a competitor, very nearly causing a massive collision.

Even funnier than the on track action is the commentary from the television dudes, who come out with gems such as “And that’s going to go over like a cup of cold sick with the race director”. This cat is going to become an internet star, let’s just hope he doesn’t kill someone along the way.

The Garage at 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona

January 31, 2013 by Gary Grant 3 Comments

The Winners crossing the line!

The past 12 months have been just a crazy ride for me as I have traveled around the world covering events for Wheels.ca including bucket list events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Goodwood Festival of Speed and just this past weekend I went to Daytona Beach to cover the Rolex 24 for the first time. Just an incredible year!

To get my full report on the 24, click here to read my live blog from the race complete with tons of images. The long and the short of it is that Chip Ganassi Racing won their fifth Rolex 24 in ten years. Toronto’s AIM Autosport pulled off a great third spot on the podium in the GT class and west coast Canucks, Bullet Racing, scored second place in the new GX class.

Head past the jump to see a rather huge gallery of images from the 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
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