Incredible Kart Video

I've gone whole hog YouTube! There is no shortage of videos of anything you might be interested in.

Try these for some wicked kart video.

1st up is some onboard of some 250cc superkarts in Great Britain on the Isle of Man. Some of you , I'm sure, have heard about the Isle of Man trials, mostly motorcycle (this is the first time I've seen kart video), but the whole Island shuts down all traffic for one weekend every year and the superbikes are insanely fast.

These superkarts are racing on a city circuit, don't know the city! With the speeds they're carrying, one loose moment and...you're toast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf3cJRkeEqE

Isle of Man is a testament to speed and cojones. When you get to you tube, look at related videos, some of the isle of man wrecks are the nastiest.

Below is a 250cc superkart with a top speed of around 140 mph. It is driven by Kevin Schwantz, world superbike champ in 1993. He holds the lap record at Laguna Seca of 1:23:875 with an average speed of 100.864 mph. By contrast, the superbike lap record is held by Troy Bayliss on a Ducate of 1:24:833 in 2002.

This link is a new motor being tested in the UK. The drivers are agog at the power and the compact design is significant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKayagHUCw8&feature=related

Finally here is a compilation of some knarly kart wrecks set to some cool Limp Bizkit. The impact at about 1:00 into the video is brutal. That's competition near the top.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q6UCZ5WstQ

Jacques Villenueve exhales, hello Barry

Jacques Villenueve lures Green in renewed NASCAR bid



http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/2008-02-20-2862777525_x.htm








Jacques has had a bad winter. With the failure to get into the Daytona 500, his bosses at Bill Davis Racing decided to persue other options after Jacques' sponsor pulled out. But it was Barry Green, his old boss in CART who came through as an actuator and advocate.


Jacques, right, in a Williams BMW in 2006' German GP














Indy Car/Champ Car Merger?



IndyStar.com reported reunification talks happened this past week, portending the combination of the Indy Racing League and their marquee stars like Andretti Green and their driver Danica Patrick with Champ Car stars like Paul Tracy and ex-driver car owner Jimmy Vasser as well as Paul Newman and Carl Haas. What a spectacle to see, but it looks like Houston would lose it's 08 race. BUMMER. I will be racing at Eagle's Canyon raceway in N. Texas that weekend.

Indy Car would essentially consume Champ Car, it's venues and assets, and will add their marquee races such as Long Beach and Surfer's Paradise. '08 scheduling conflicts seem to be the obvious sticking points in negotiations at last report.

1995 Indy 500 Winner Jacques Villenueve

In 1995, aged 24, Jacques won the Indianapolis 500 (running 505 miles due to a 2-lap penalty) on his way to winning the entire championship. Villeneuve was the last Indycar champion to win the title before the 1996 CART/IRL split created two rival series. As such his achievements perhaps carry greater weight. As a result of his success racing in the United States, Villeneuve attracted the attentions of Frank Williams who tested him in 1995 with a view to signing him. He is now the winner of Formula One™ (1997) and Champ Car championships and the Indianapolis 500, one of only three drivers to accomplish all three feats (the others being Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti). -courtesy sportsonline.com

Historic 24 Hours of Le Mans

Here are some excellent videos via You Tube on Le Mans prototype footage.

Onboard with the Porsche 936 at Circuit la Sarthe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWeLuglJr9

Onboard footage with the Mercedes CLR on a Le Mans lap inwhich it did not flip!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f-1869sGzQ&feature

Aforementioned Mercedes CLR crash, one of several. This was a fast car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow3rxq7U1mA&feature

Onboard lap at Circuit la Sarthe with the McLaren F-1 Supercar along with some other racing exotics!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8A7UCc-ZrQ

A Ferarri mechanic takes a peek at rival Honda

-Katykarter

'08 Pre-Season in Full Swing

Around the motorsports world, the garage doors are swinging open, the dust is flung from the dustcovers and the chassis are rolled into the sunlight to be gone over for the first time this year. The motor has been sent to the builder, and replacement parts are ordered, paperwork is completed and plans are underway to compete again in the dominant passion in the lives of so many: auto racing.

Sound like the protocol from a large competitive organization in professional racing? Think again, it's the preparations and the plans of IanCarrollRacing Inc.'s 2008 effort in Southwest Roadracing Association.



Top News

Nascar

First races only two weeks away in Daytona leading up to the Daytona 500 on Feb 19

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has signed with longtime family friend Rick Hendrick...oh yea, his is the most dominant team in Nascar right now, with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Already in preseason Jr. is fast.

Longtime Dale Jr. crewchief Tony Eury Jr. has come with Jr. to Hendrick and loves the cool electronic toys he's got to get acclimated to this year..
Now, he finds himself at the MIT of Sprint Cup with the Hendrick brainiacs. Lots of guys with letters behind their name making fancy charts based on physics instead of gimmicks.


Ray Evernham is talking to Robbie Gordon Inc. Evernham would share info and technology with Nascar's only remaining owner/driver Gordon. After the cancellation of this year's Dakar rally, Gordon's off-road project took a hit. Maybe this will be a break in Robbie's costs this year.

2007 Nascar crew Kahne, Sadler and Crocker will be joined by developmental driver Kevin Swindell in this years' Gillet Evernham Motorsports(GEM) lineup.

Formula 1

First race in Australia March 16th.

Torro Rosso fastest in Spain testing. Sebastien Vettel was faster than teammate Sebastien Bourdais in the Scuderia/Ferrari powered, Red Bull sponsored car.

Champ Car

Pre-Season testing at Sebring (2-4), Laguna Seca (3-14) and Houston (3-28). First race is in Long Beach, April 18-20.

Teams testing in Sebring this weekend: after day one, Frank Montagny is quickest with Oriel Servia and Justin Wilson less than half a second behind.

Conquest Racing tests drivers Pagenaud and Rerera at Sebring.

Indy Car

First race is March 29th at Miami-Homestead Speedway where Wheldon is the defending race winner.

No defending champ: Dario Franchitti gone to Nascar.

Departing drivers' voids filled: Ryan Briscoe will be Castroneves' teammate at Penske and Hideki Mutoh will drive for Andretti-Green.

Ganassi brings in Alex Lloyd to round out team with Wheldon and Dixon.

Milka Dunho, Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick make up a strong female contingent. Patrick has the best ride and chance for a win with Andretti-Green

Tony George will have Ed Carpenter and A.J. Foyt IV back this season along with Tomas Scheckter to drive for Vision racing.

American LeMans

First race is 12 Hours of Sebring March 15

Capello, McNish test the Audi R10 TDI at Sebring

Timo Bernhard, "this (Sebring)test is a prep for the 12 Hour race".

Andretti-Green will be strong again in P-2 with Marco Andretti, Dario and Marino Franchitti Bryan Herta and Tony Kanaan. Acura still trying to make inroads against Penske's Porche Spyders.

-Katykarter