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2000s In Motorsport
The new millennium saw many changes for motorsport. Not only were there technological developments, but also historic ones like NASCAR's severing of ties with the tobacco industry. North America *Dodge replaces Pontiac in NASCAR as General Motors discontinues the brand. The Dodge Avenger is the vehicle of choice for the new brand. *NASCAR severs ties with R.J. Reynolds after decades of sponsorship *The United States Grand Prix returns in 2001 after almost a decade, being held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. It is held there until 2007, after which it is dropped again. *The Canadian Grand Prix is dropped in 2008 after twenty years. It returns two years later. * Watkins Glen International returns to the IndyCar Series for the first time since 1981. It is dropped in 2011, revived in 2016, and then dropped again in 2018. * Sonoma Raceway becomes a regular on the IndyCar schedule. It will last until 2018, after which it is dropped in favor of WeatherTech Raceway L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1990s In Motorsport
{, class="infobox" , - style="background:#f3f3f3;" , style="text-align:center;", 1980s . 1990s in motorsport . 2000s , - , style="text-align:center;", Other topics: N/A This page documents some of the events that happened in motorsport in the 1990s. United States *The World Sports Car replaces the IMSA GT Prototype, creating the basis for the modern Le Mans Prototype *The American Le Mans Series is established as the successor to the IMSA GT Championship. Its premier event is the ten-hour Petit Le Mans. The 24 Hours of Daytona and Six Hours of Watkins Glen go to a revived United States Road Racing Championship, shortly later to become the Rolex Sports Car Series. *After having several Formula One races held in the United States in the eighties, the United States Grand Prix is dropped in 1992. It is not held again until 2000. *Chrysler introduces the Dodge Viper, which goes on to become a successful grand tourer *The Winston Cup Series is reduced to Chevrolet, Pont ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, also spelled ''Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve'' (), is a motor racing circuit in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the venue for the FIA Formula One Canadian Grand Prix. It has previously hosted the FIA World Sportscar Championship, the Champ Car World Series, the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. The venue hosted the Champ Car World Series Grand Prix of Montreal from 2002 to 2006. Formula One at Montréal The Canadian Grand Prix was first held at the circuit in 1978, where hometown hero Gilles Villeneuve (1950–1982) won for Scuderia Ferrari. The Grand Prix quickly became a mainstay of the Formula One calendar, with the race taking place in Montreal for the next thirty years. Once held in late September, the event was moved to its present location on the calendar of mid-June in 1982, so as to provide a warmer, more pleasant race weekend. Many great races have occurred at the track over t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis. The event is traditionally held over Memorial Day weekend, usually the last weekend of May. It is contested as part of the IndyCar Series, the top level of American open-wheel car racing, a formula colloquially known as "Indy car racing". The track itself is nicknamed the "Brickyard", as the racing surface was paved in brick in the fall of 1909. One yard of brick remains exposed at the start/finish line. The event, billed as ''The Greatest Spectacle in Racing'', is considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix, with which it typically shares a date. The official attendance is not disclosed by Speedway management, but the permanent seating capacity is upwards ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danica Patrick
Danica Sue Patrick (; born March 25, 1982) is an American former professional racing driver. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel car racing—her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only win by a woman in an IndyCar Series race. Born to a working-class family in Beloit, Wisconsin, Patrick began karting at the age of ten and achieved early success by winning her class in the World Karting Association Grand National Championship three times in the mid-1990s. She dropped out of high school with her parents' permission in 1998, and moved to the United Kingdom to further her career. Patrick competed in Formula Vauxhall and Formula Ford before returning to the United States in 2001 due to a lack of funding. In 2002, she competed in five Barber Dodge Pro Series races for Rahal Letterman Racing. Patrick later raced in the Toyota Atlantic Series for the next two years. Her best effort was third in the championship standings for the 2004 se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
K-Pax Racing
K-PAX Racing is an automobile racing team in the SCCA's Pirelli World Challenge racing series. Founded in 2006, team owner Jim Haughey partnered with Bob Raub, bringing a team of Porsche 911 GT3s to the track. However, from 2009 to 2013, it has campaigned Volvo S60s with great success (K-PAX Racing has also used Volvo C30s in the Touring Car division). For 2014, K-PAX Racing switched to McLaren MP4-12C GT3 race cars and continued its relationship with the manufacturer the following three seasons by updating to the McLaren 650S GT3 model. Since joining the Pirelli World Challenge in 2007, K-PAX Racing has celebrated four driver championships and has solidified the team as a perennial championship contender. K-PAX Racing origin K-PAX Racing was founded in 2006 by Haughey, who formerly owned Scandia Auto Service in Sunnyvale, Calif. The team was based out of Denver, Colo. before relocating to Sonoma, Calif. in 2014. The K-PAX name was influenced by the series of books written by Gen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Car Of Tomorrow
The Car of Tomorrow (abbreviated as CoT) was the common name used for the chassis of the NASCAR Cup Series (2007 –2012) and Xfinity Series (since 2011 full-time) race cars. The car was part of a five-year project to create a safer vehicle following several deaths in competition, particularly the crash at the 2001 Daytona 500 that killed Dale Earnhardt. Used as the fifth generation car style for the Cup Series, the original Car of Tomorrow body design was larger and boxier than the design it replaced, and criticized for its generic appearance and poor handling characteristics. The CoT, however, implemented dramatic safety improvements, cost less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition. The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup Series season at the Food City 500 on March 25 and ran a partial schedule of 16 races. The plan was to require all teams to use the new car in 2009, but NASCAR officials moved the date up to the 2008 season as a cost-saving meas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably driving the No.3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. His aggressive driving style earned him the nicknames "The Intimidator", "The Man in Black", and "Ironhead". He is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. The third child of racing driver Ralph Earnhardt and Martha Earnhardt, he began his career in 1975 in the World 600. Earnhardt won a total of 76 Winston Cup races over the course of his 26-year career, including four Winston 500s (1990, 1994, 1999, and 2000) and the 1998 Daytona 500. Along with his 76 career points wins, he has also won 24 non-points exhibition events, bringing his overall Winston Cup win total to 100, one of only 4 drivers in NASCAR history to do so. He is the only driver in NASCAR history to s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ford GT40
The Ford GT40 is a high-performance endurance racing car commissioned by the Ford Motor Company. It grew out of the "Ford GT" (for Grand Touring) project, an effort to compete in European long-distance sports car races, against Ferrari, which won the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race from 1960 to 1965. Ford succeeded with the GT40, winning the 1966 through 1969 races. The effort began in the early 1960s when Ford Advanced Vehicles began to build the GT40 Mk I, based upon the Lola Mk6, at their base in Slough, UK. After disappointing race results, the engineering team was moved in 1964 to Dearborn, Michigan (Kar Kraft). The range was powered by a series of American-built Ford V8 engines modified for racing. In 1966, the GT40 Mk II broke Ferrari's streak at Le Mans, notching the first win for an American manufacturer in a major European race since Jimmy Murphy's triumph with Duesenberg at the 1921 French Grand Prix. In 1967, the Mk IV became the only car designed and built ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ford GT
The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car manufactured and marketed by American automobile manufacturer Ford for the 2005 model year in conjunction with the company's 2003 centenary. The second generation Ford GT became available for the 2017 model year. The GT recalls Ford's historically significant GT40, a consecutive four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1966–1969), including a 1-2-3 finish in 1966. __TOC__ First generation (2005–2006) Development The Ford GT began life as a concept car designed in anticipation of the automaker's centennial year and as part of its drive to showcase and revive its "heritage" names such as Mustang and Thunderbird. At the 2002 North American International Auto Show, Ford unveiled a new GT40 Concept car. Camilo Pardo, the then head of Ford's "Living Legends" studio, is credited as the chief designer of the GT and worked under the guidance of J Mays. Carroll Shelby, the original designer of the Shelby GT 500, was bro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pontiac Firebird
The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile that was built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Chevrolet division's platform-sharing Camaro. This also coincided with the release of the 1967 Mercury Cougar, Ford's upscale, platform-sharing version of the Mustang. The name "Firebird" was also previously used by GM for the General Motors Firebird in the 1950s and early 1960s concept cars. First generation (1967–1969) The first generation Firebird had characteristic Coke bottle styling shared with its cousin, the Chevrolet Camaro. Announcing a Pontiac styling trend, the Firebird's bumpers were integrated into the design of the front end, giving it a more streamlined look than the Camaro. The Firebird's rear "slit" taillights were inspired by the 1966–1967 Pontiac GTO and Pontiac Grand Prix. Both a two-door hardtop and a conver ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mercury Cougar
Mercury Cougar is a nameplate applied to a diverse series of automobiles sold by the Mercury division of Ford from 1967 to 1997 and from 1999 to 2002. While the nameplate is most commonly associated with two-door coupes, at various times during its production, the Cougar was also marketed as a convertible, four-door sedan, station wagon, and hatchback. With 2,972,784 examples produced, the Cougar is the highest-selling nameplate produced by the Mercury brand; its 34-year production is second only to the Grand Marquis in the Mercury model line (made for 36 years). During the 1970s and 1980s, the Cougar was closely tied to the marketing of the Mercury division; Mercury advertised its dealers as "The Sign of the Cat" with big cats atop Lincoln-Mercury dealer signs. In line with the Cougar, other cat-related nameplates were adopted by the division, including the Bobcat and Lynx. During its production, the Cougar was assembled at the Dearborn Assembly Plant (part of the Ford Riv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michelin Pilot Challenge
The Michelin Pilot Challenge is a grand touring and touring car racing series run by the International Motor Sports Association. Originating from the Canadian Motorola Cup, the series was taken over by Grand-Am in 2001 to become the Grand-Am Cup following the demise of rival IMSA's Firehawk series of similar rules in the US. KONI became series sponsor for the start of the 2007 season when the series became known as the KONI Challenge Series, before renaming once more prior to the start of the 2009 season as the KONI Sports Car Challenge. The series name was once again changed for the 2010 season to Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. In 2019, the series rebranded again after Michelin was selected to become the new official tire supplier of the series. The Continental Challenge was the support series for Grand-Am's premier offering, the Rolex Sports Car Series. In 2014, the series became the support series for the United SportsCar Championship upon the merger of the Rolex Ser ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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