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Posted
Mar 20 2010, 09:56 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 20 comment(s)
The launch of the McLaren MP4-12C wasn't just about the on-stage presentation – there was also unprecedented access to the production floor where the prototype cars are being assembled, and where the first customer cars are due to roll off at the beginning of 2011. As a factory, it's perhaps a little disappointing. Grease? Pools of oil? No. More like hospital levels of cleanliness; stark white walls, ceramic tiled floors and gleaming work surfaces. Everything is white and sparkling...
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Posted
Mar 18 2010, 06:14 PM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 28 comment(s)
March 18 turned out to be a pivotal day for the famous McLaren team. The day was marked for the launch of their new supercar, the McLaren MP4-12C – announced as a concept last year and now about to be unveiled for the first time in public at the architecturally stunning McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey. But amazing as the car is in its own right, it also marked a huge shift for the team as they announced they were entering the shark-infested waters of becoming a car manufacturer...
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Posted
Mar 08 2010, 04:43 PM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 28 comment(s)
It's not often that a team opens up their doors to the general public, and certainly not with the open arms that greeted people at the Sumo Power open day down in a surprisingly sunny Rye on the south coast of England. The entire factory was completely accessible and the whole range of JR Motorsport and Sumo Power's activities on display, with helpful staff able to talk through everything from CNC machining to the chassis dyno and, of course, the new Nissan GT-R GT1 World Championship weapons...
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Posted
Mar 05 2010, 11:10 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 23 comment(s)
2010 sees the return of top-flight GT racing as an official World Championship for the first time since 1992, lining up alongside Formula One, World Touring Cars and World Rallying. British team Sumo Power will be running a pair of Nissan GT-Rs in the 10-round championship, which kicks off in Abu Dhabi next month. Speedhunters were able to see the cars being unloaded and prepared down at Sumo Power's base in Rye , on the south coast of England, back in January: since then the cars and team haven't...
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Posted
Feb 13 2010, 01:53 PM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 42 comment(s)
Under a grey tarp in the corner of the Sumo Power/JR Motorsport factory was a little piece of Nissan history, a dusty but beautiful early '80s 2-door coupé DR30 Skyline. Parked up next to the two brand new race-prepped GT-Rs, it was in stark contrast to the high-tech engineering of the 2010 GT1s. Sumo Power boss Andy Barnes filled in the details: "The car used to belong to the director of Nissan GB. Each year he would import a Japanese car; in 1987 he imported this one – it's...
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Posted
Feb 13 2010, 09:10 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 9 comment(s)
Head to the Desktops section to grab widescreen or standard format desktops of the amazing Sumo Power/JR Motorsport warehouse, packed with Mitsubishi Evo Xs. Jonathan Moore
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Posted
Feb 04 2010, 08:10 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 52 comment(s)
Sometimes you have good days. And then there are great days. Having taken in the impressive JR Motosport/Sumo Power factory in Rye, Rod and I had one more treat in store courtesy of Sumo Power boss Andy Barnes. We drove out to JRM's separate storage facility in my car; starting up my Alfa GTV, Andy asked if it was a diesel... rather embarrassed I had to say: "uh, no it's a 3L V6..." Okay. I think I need to get a service. Or a new car. When we arrived, I started unpacking my gear...
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Posted
Feb 03 2010, 07:42 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 31 comment(s)
It's funny how things come around. Last November I spent a rainy couple of days down in Rye on the South coast of England. Rye is a lovely town: quintessentially English with cobbled streets and fortified walls (and an unexpected American car show scheduled that weekend), but with movies on the laptop all watched, Medieval tower climbed and coffee shops exhausted I thought I'd take a drive out in the gale to the coastline, across the marshes, as the show looked rained off. Driving out through...
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Posted
Jan 31 2010, 04:13 PM
by
Jonathan Moore
with no comments
Finally i've had a chance to put together some desktops from the Dubai 24 Hours trip: the race-winning Imsa Porsche 997, 'our' Speedhunters Porsche Cup and a couple of night shots for race fans out there. Check out both widescreen and standard formats in the desktops section. Jonathan Moore
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Posted
Jan 28 2010, 10:17 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 15 comment(s)
Developing new cars and supporting current racers might be their speciality, but Barwell also have a lot of experience running historic cars. Parked up in front of the prep bays are two stunning examples they take care of: a pristine 1969 Porsche 917 and an original 1697 Ford GT40. The Porsche 917 is chassis number 013/34. It was built for the 1970 season, and although it didn't have much success whilst racing with John Wyer Automotive's Gulf team its claim to fame is that it was used in...
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Posted
Jan 25 2010, 05:26 PM
by
Rod Chong
with 33 comment(s)
"Sorry sir the car doesn't have satellite navigation" ... this was the answer given to me as I propped myself up at the car rental counter at the Dubai International airport. It was the middle of the night and I was trying to muster enough energy to get myself over to my Dubai hotel room. I eventually convinced the car rental company to give me a portable navigation unit, but unfortunately it contained outdated maps and could not locate my hotel. This meant I had to try and find my...
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Posted
Jan 24 2010, 06:32 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 8 comment(s)
During 2009 Barwell ran a capacity programme with six cars in action across national and European GT series, Belgian touring cars and various historic events. In Britain, two cars ran in British GT: a full season entry in partnership with the Beachdeen team running their Aston Martin DBRS9 along with run-outs for the new Ginetta G50z. The Ginetta was entered in the Invitational class, bringing a bit more interest to what was a pretty lacklustre season in British GTs. Across the water in Belgium,...
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Posted
Jan 20 2010, 05:35 PM
by
Rod Chong
with 15 comment(s)
The Speedhunters trip to the Dubai 24H will certainly go down as one of our most exotic and inspiring experiences to date. I absolutely loved the laid back and friendly nature of the event, as well as the diversity of machinery.
...
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Posted
Jan 18 2010, 05:21 PM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 11 comment(s)
As the sun began to rise over the Dubai Autodrome race the state of the surviving cars became clearer. The nights are always hard in endurance racing. Drivers are pushed to the limit by the concentration required to keep going at maximum pace over their stints. Of the 75 cars that started, over a third had hit trouble (or something more solid) over the course of the race and were out of contention. ...
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Posted
Jan 16 2010, 07:46 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 10 comment(s)
The Dubai 24 Hours had a proper 12 hours of darkness. At Le Mans, the mother of all endurance races, it's still light way into the evening – it does happen in June after all. But here in the Middle East it's a pretty even split. The start straight at the Dubai Autodrome is under powerful daylight-strength floodlights, but as soon as the cars run down the hill from turn one it's into darkness. There's a fair amount of ambient light pollution from the nearby town, but for the...
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Posted
Jan 16 2010, 03:50 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 15 comment(s)
Before taking up position for the start of the Dubai 24 hours I had a couple of minutes to run round the grid: or half of it at least. The usual parade of national flags awaited the cars as they formed up. With 68 cars taking the 2pm start (five would start from the pitlane) the start straight was packed with people and jostling teams trying to get their cars through the throng and into position. As with the pitlane, there were some near misses as drivers just didn't see people or someone stepped...
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Posted
Jan 15 2010, 02:35 PM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 16 comment(s)
Number of minutes to set the grid: 90. Number of cars fighting it out: 72. Chances of finding a clear piece of track to set your lap: 0. Qualifying will be followed by two hours of night practice to round the day off. All drivers must make it out on track for at least a lap so their car can take up its qualifying slot, so the pressure will be on. The all-Australian entry from Mal Rose Racing is a big Aussie V8 Holden Commodore. It's a shame their sponsor didn't seem to have any product on...
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Posted
Jan 15 2010, 11:00 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 10 comment(s)
The Dubai 24 Hours is the first major race of 2010 and its fifth running features multi-national teams running near to 80 cars spread over 10 classes, a dozen manufacturers and both petrol and diesel power. More and more professional teams are turning up, bringing top drivers with them, but the depth of the field means no one expects a clear run. Traffic is a killer, and closing speeds immense between the fastest GT cars and the slower diesel hatches. The crew of the Need For Speed Porsche made have...
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Posted
Jan 09 2010, 09:55 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 11 comment(s)
When you arrive at a track and see all the cars lined up on the grid, it's easy to forget just how much effort goes into to getting them there in the first place. Preparation and set-up, aero and data logging, tyre supply and driver management, engine maintenance and body repairs... It takes weeks of work and considerable sums of money just to get a car to an event. Away from the glitz and glamour of F1 and other major series, the majority of motorsport around the world is sustained by small...
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Posted
Dec 30 2009, 09:18 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 2 comment(s)
BMW Show RWYB, Santa Pod – September The handy thing about a sportwagon is that there's more space for spare tyres. There's something fantastically gladiatorial about the 'Run What Ya Brung' sessions at Santa Pod drag strip, home to the big car club shows in the UK. You want the applause of the crowd? Light 'em up in the burn-out area. Jap Show RWYB, Santa Pod – June It's all so easy when you sign up to take a run down the quarter mile: it's damn cheap and...
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