Friday, August 30, 2013

Ferrari Service and Repair Bay Area - F1 driver underestimates talent needed for wet-weather burnout - Angelo Zucchi Motorsports Sonoma - 707-334-3700




Whoops. That's a word nobody wants to hear in racing, and that's especially true in Formula 1, where the cars cost untold millions to design, develop, build and operate. In other words, just about any 'whoops' is an expensive 'whoops.'

Kamui Kobayashi, who made his F1 debut in 2009 driving for Toyota, has always been known as a bit of a wild card in the sport. He is notoriously difficult to pass, driving as he does with seemingly reckless abandon, and he's not afraid to get tangled up with the world's best drivers in the world's fastest race cars.

That brash attitude sometimes serves him well. Other times... well, not so much. See what happens with Kobayashi tries to show off in a Ferrari F1 car for fans on a wet track in Moscow in the twin videos below.

 
 
News Source: Andrey Ananyev, konextado via YouTube [1], [2], Jalopnik
autoblog
by Jeremy Korzeniewski


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Ferrari Service and Repair Bay Area - Ferrari considering return to Le Mans racing in 2015 - Angelo Zucchi Motorsports Sonoma - 707-334-3700


The Ferrari (No. 21) of Masten Gregory, of USA, and Jochen Rindt, of Austria, crosses the finish line to win the grueling, 24-hour Le Mans automobile race in Le Mans, France on June 20, 1965. The Ferrari (No. 18) of Pedro Rodriguez, of Mexico, and Nino Vacarella, of Italy, finished seventh while the Ferrari (No. 27) of Swiss drivers Armand Boller and Dieter Spoerry finished sixth, covering 2,862.7 miles averaging 121,09mph. (AP Photo)


Rumors are swirling that Ferrari may be contemplating a return to Le Mans racing as soon as 2015. Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports the Italian automaker may apply the development of a new 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engine for Formula One to an LMP1 car for Le Mans, and have it ready for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in two years. This follows hints made by Scuderia Ferrari CEO Stefano Domenicali last month that the newly developed F1 engine could be used for "some interesting projects."

Ferrari has a history of success in Le Mans racing, though it hasn't won the big endurance outright since 1965. The image above captures the exact moment when the No. 21 car of Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt crossed the finish line that year to win the race. That win was the last of six consecutive outright victories before the infamous arrival of the Ford GT40 in 1966. Despite never reaching the top of the podium again, Ferrari's nine wins still stand as the third most overall by a manufacturer behind Porsche (16) and Audi(11).

If Ferrari does return to Le Mans in 2015, the LMP1 class will suddenly be teaming with worthy competitors for Audi, which has dominated the race since 2000. After Peugeot's exit from the sport in early 2012, Toyota entered the race in 2012 and has continued to develop its TS030 Hybrid LMP1 car. Porsche, meanwhile, iswell into developing a new LMP1 car that will first compete in next year's race.

News Source: Auto Motor und Sport via Autoevolution
Image Credit: AP Photo

Autoblog
by John Neff

Monday, August 26, 2013

Ferrari Service and Repair Bay Area - 1955 Belgian GP movie tells the story of Spa - Angelo Zucchi Motorsports Sonoma - 707-334-3700





With the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix happening this weekend, Shell reminded a few guests what the Spa-Francorchamps track and Belgian countryside were like in 1955. That year the petroleum company made a 30-minute movie about the grand prix - this is back when the track was called the Francorchamps National Circuit, near the town of Spa, and a list of its important corners didn't include a mention of Eau Rouge - where it was doing the same thing it still does today: working on fuels and lubricants via its technical partnership with Ferrari.

To create the mood, journalists were invited to a vintage cinema where they mingled with Ferrari F1 driversFernando Alonso and Felipe Massa and other extras in period fifties gear, and watched a screening of 1955 Belgian Grand Prix. You can scroll down for a screening of your own.


source: autoblog
by Jonathon Ramsey




Friday, August 16, 2013

Ferrari Service and Repair Bay Area - Gilles: Enzo’s Favourite Entertainer - Angelo Zucchi Motosports Sonoma - 707-334-3700


Enzo_Gilles
‘Well young man,’ Enzo Ferrari asked, ‘how much do you need to be content?’ This was the question posed to a surprised Gilles Villeneuve in his first meeting with Enzo, after he’d been summoned by phone from his home near Quebec, Canada. Who knows what financial deal was done, but here started a relationship that became the stuff of legend! Gilles (father of 1997 Champion Jacques) had been recommended to Enzo by Walter Wolf, a Canadian construction and oil tycoon who also ran his own F1 team. But Gilles wasn’t an altogether unknown entity, as he’d raced for McLaren on one occasion at Silverstone earlier in 1977, due to have been ‘spotted’ by James Hunt disappearing into the distance in a Formula Atlantic race, at the end of 1976.
As Niki Lauda’s replacement at Ferrari, Enzo was taking a risk on a relatively inexperienced driver like Gilles, but then he’d taken a risk with Lauda and had successes with him, so with that foresight he decided to take a chance with the petite French-Canadian. Enzo Ferrari had been in the game since he had raced cars himself in the 1920′s, before going on to build his motor empire, so he knew what signs to look for in a driver. Gilles’ early races were mixed; he lead two races, he had spectacular shunts, he made errors and his car had problems with tyres. The Italian press questioned Gilles Villeneuve’s right to drive the red car, but their doubts were silenced when he won his first race at his home circuit in Montreal at the end of 1978.
Early in 1979, and with a fine car beneath him, Gilles Villeneuve was in top form and scored victories in South Africa and America, along with the non championship ‘Race Of Champions’ at Brands Hatch. Three wins in a row and leading the driver’s championship ain’t bad, thought Enzo, and he seriously thought about letting Gilles race for the title. This sounds odd, but he’d already signed the more experienced Jody Scheckter as number one driver. As the season progressed Scheckter gathered points with two victories and was on the verge of becoming world champion. All he had to do was stay ahead of Gilles at Monza and he would have the crown. Scheckter’s number one status was to be honoured and so like the true gent that he was, Gilles drove round for 50 laps almost attached to Scheckter’s gearbox, knowing that he could easily overtake him and get the victory and so stay in the title race. Enzo Ferrari was a tough man to impress, and even after winning the world championship, Mr Scheckter hadn’t endeared himself to Mr Ferrari. Jody Scheckter received no congratulatory telegram, phone call or gift!
However, Enzo’s and Gilles’ bond grew stronger, in a sort of grandfather to grandson kind of way. This could be compared to Flavio Briatore’s and Fernando Alonso’s relationship in modern times, or Ron Dennis and Lewis Hamilton for that matter. Enzo enjoyed Gilles’ attacking style of racing, always pushing the car to the limit to get the result. In actual fact Gilles was something of a car-breaker, damaging his machinery regularly in his pursuit of glory. But Enzo laughed about it, knowing that the spectacle that Gilles was, went towards building an endearing worldwide following and a strong close-knit team. On one occasion, in Holland in fact, Gilles suffered a tyre blow out whilst in second position, and spun off at the first corner. After reversing out of the catch fencing and back on to the track, he drove at high speed on 3 wheels for nearly a full lap back to the pits, as his car disintegrated around him. As another show of skill, he drove back with only one hand on the steering wheel, whilst the other was raised high as a warning signal that he was slow on track! With his right front wheel lifted into the air, the Ferrari was now driving with just two wheels in touch with the tarmac! Once back in his pit, he demanded that the wheel and suspension to be fixed immediately! It took some persuading by the pit crew that the car was beyond repair and that Gilles was out of the race!
In the years that followed, whatever car that came out of Enzo’s factory -be it good or bad, Gilles drove it 100% and never complained, for he just loved to race. The rest of the F1 paddock were amazed on many occasions at how Gilles turned a dog of a car in to a winner, by wringing it’s neck like a stock car at a dirt track! And Enzo enjoyed every minute of it, as a legend had been created.
The photo above was taken at Imola in 1979, during practice for the F1 non-championship race – Dino Ferrari Grand Prix. Gilles, in relaxed mood, stuck his Ferrari on pole, but came a cropper during the race -bending his front wing, whilst sparring for the lead with Lauda’s Brabham. After a swift pit stop, Gilles rejoined and finished seventh. Again during an average race, he had provided most of the entertainment!
The image here captures the two men sharing a drink and a joke -perhaps about Gilles’ flamboyant antics on track, maybe, just maybe, about his 3-wheeled incident in Holland three weeks earlier, that had given the world a lot to smile about!
Photo credit: Giampietro Sanna.
by Riccardo Monza

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Ferrari Service and Repair Bay Area - Jacky Ickx was a madman, and his 512 M is better than coffee - Angelo Zucchi Motosports Sonoma - 707-334-3700





In 1971, before sports-car racing set the 3.0-liter restriction, Ford whooped Ferrari, and the Porsche 917 dominated. The Ferrari 512 M, though, was no slouch. Among other hotshoes to drive the potent Ferrari 512 M was Jackie Ickx, and today's featured car was purportedly a Modificata version previously wheeled by the former Monsieur Le Mans himself.
That means back in the day, the 512 M packed 610 hp, a 9000-rpm redline, and a curb weight of 1800 pounds, to do battle with the epic 917s.
Ride along as Paul Knapfield, the owner and driver of the car, whips the machine at a Spa-Francorchamps Masters Historic Sports Car race in 2012.
 
by Will Randolph
 
 

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Ferrari Service and Repair Bay Area - Remembering “Il Commendator” – a Tribute to Enzo Ferrari - Angelo Zucchi Motosports Sonoma - 707-334-3700


“I don’t sell cars; I sell engines. The cars I throw in for free since something has to hold the engines in.” - Enzo Ferrari
Photo: The Cahier Archive
Photo: The Cahier Archive
Gerhard Berger squeezed the throttle out of the Parabolica corner at Monza and saw flags waving from the Tifosi. Teammate Michele Alboreto was close behind but the day was won for the Scuderia. Ferrari had won the Italian Grand Prix of 1988, a victory in a season that was dominated by the all powerful McLaren-Hondas, but made even more poignant by the fact it was the first race held since the death of Enzo Ferrari a few weeks before.
The man that started it all passed away 25 years ago, but his lasting legacy is unmatched in the history of Formula One.
For example, there has been seasons of the sport that McLaren, Williams and Lotus didn’t compete in. Not the case with Ferrari. Every officially recognised season of Formula One has had a Ferrari car compete. The team’s history runs through the sports like a fine thread.
But what of the man they called “Il Commendator“?
Born in Modena in 1898, he knew by the age of 10 that motorsport would be his life. Losing both his brother and father to the Italian flu pandemic whilst serving in the First World War, he was lucky not to succumb to the disease himself.
By his mid-twenties he had worked his way into a position of managing the Alfa Romeo racing team whilst also competing himself. By this point the Scuderia Ferrari name had been born, but only in name, as it was the official title of the Alfa racing squad.
The acerbic persona of Ferrari first became apparent at this time. When Alfa decided to start their own team and absorb Scuderia Ferrari at the same time, Enzo took it to heart and was eventually dismissed from the organisation.
After the end of the Second World War – where Ferrari’s factories had contributed to the war effort through manufacturing – the seeds were planted for the return of Ferrari to racing. A relocation from Modena to Maranello was instigated after Allied bombing destroyed the factory at the former location.
When the inaugural Formula One season began in 1950, the team had already established itself as a racing powerhouse. In the three years it took to get to that point, Enzo Ferrari’s management of his sporting business led to race victories within a year of its conception. It would be the same in F1 too, when his first Grand Prix win came with Argentinian José Froilán González at Silverstone in 1951. The first championship came in 1952, with Alberto Ascari, an Italian World Champion in an Italian made car. He repeated the feat again in 1953. Success was coming thick and fast.
Not that success wasn’t tinted with tragedy, this was the era of low safety and even lower driver life expectancy. Ascari was killed testing one of Enzo’s cars in 1955, in preparation for that year’s Mille Miglia. Enzo took this to heart they had grown close in their time working together.
The next year Ferrari lost his son and heir Dino to ill-health at just 24. It would haunt Enzo that his first born would never inherit what he built, naming several of his future production cars after his beloved son.
Ferrari gave us the first British champion in Mike Hawthorn - Photo: The Cahier Archive
Ferrari gave us the first British champion in Mike Hawthorn – Photo: The Cahier Archive
As the years passed the empire grew, on and off the track. World titles in F1 followed in 1956 (Juan Manuel Fangio), 1958 (Britain’s own Mike Hawthorn), 1961 (Phil Hill) and 1964 (John Surtees), whilst over at Le Mans, Ferrari’s cars won 9 times in 15 years between 1949 and 1964, including six in a row. Add in 8 victories in the last 10 Mille Miglias held, and Ferrari was fast becoming a motorsport superpower.
As the sport moved into the 1970s there was still success, in the shape of Niki Lauda’s world titles in 1975 and 1977, as well as Jody Scheckter in 1979, but there was also the spectre of financial ruin which was only solved thanks to selling to Fiat. The success in F1 dried up after Scheckter’s success, and Le Mans became a memory when Enzo decided to withdraw from sportscars in the early ’70s.
The last title winning Ferrari in Enzo's life, in 1979 - Photo: The Cahier Archive
The last title winning Ferrari in Enzo’s life, in 1979 – Photo: The Cahier Archive
All through both the success and the “failures” – there were still Grand Prix wins aplenty – Ferrari led with an autocratic manner he became synonymous with. Driver deaths were common, but Ferrari lost sevenin the space of a decade – Alberto Ascari, Eugenio Castellotti, Alfonso de Portago, Luigi Musso, Peter Collins, Wolfgang Von Trips, and Lorenzo Bandini - which drew heavy criticism his way. Nurturing an atmosphere of extreme competition bred an uncertainty of what drivers would do for the man, despite the fact that any success, no matter what happened, was always attributed to the cars by Enzo himself. Nothing more. nothing less.
Enzo Ferrari passed away on August 14th 1988, and his grand office in Maranello has been untouched ever since. His purple-inked pen sits at his desk, which Nigel Mansell was the last driver to receive the a one-on-one at before signing for the Italian marque. Plenty of success has come since his passing, thanks to Michael Schumacher, Ross Brawn and Jean Todt, but the fact remains that they merely stood on the foundations Il Commentador spent his life building.
Ferrari_1956_Italy_01_BC
Photo: The Cahier Archive
 
by Craig Normansell

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Ferrari Service and Repair Bay Area - LaFerrari design secrets explored at Ferrari museum - Angelo Zucchi Motosports Sonoma - 707-334-3700






For every finished vehicle design we see, there are probably hundreds of drawings and models that have long since been discarded. Housed in its own room inside the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, the LaFerrari has a unique exhibit that shows off some of the car's design evolution, and Autocar caught up with Ferrari design director Flavio Manzoni for an even deeper look at what went into creating this hybrid supercar.

In addition to the final product, the LaFerrari exhibit also reveals some of the designs that didn't make the cut – two of which made it to the full-size scale model phase, though. The display shows off five different designs (three from Ferrari and two from Pininfarina) that were in the running to become the final LaFerrari.

The interview with Manzoni even adds in some juicy bits of info, including news that one of the potential LaFerrari designs has been locked away and could resurface as a special, one-off model. Manzoni gets in a couple of good quotes while voicing his opposition of the current retro design language currently being used by some automakers, as well. Check it all out in the video below.



News Source: Autocar via YouTube

Autoblog
by Jeffery N. Ross

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Ferrari Service and Repair Bay Area - Ferrari 330 P4 - Angelo Zucchi Motosports Sonoma - 707-334-3700


Click here to open the Ferrari 312 P Berlinetta gallery


Throughout the 1950s and well into the 1960s Ferrari was extremely successful with evolutionary sports racing cars. The V12 for example in the 330 P4 Le Mans racer of 1967 was still closely related to very first Ferrari engine designed some two decades earlier. The gradual development had resulted in bullet-proof machines that dominated sports car racing for many seasons. In 1966 the small manufacturer finally lost their Le Mans stronghold to the might of the Ford Motor Company. Despite valiant efforts, the 1967 edition again was a prey for the American manufacturer. Shortly after the race the sport's governing body, the Commissione Sportiva Internazionale (CSI), announced drastic rule changes that rendered Ferrari's cars obsolete for the following season. Enzo Ferrari was furious at the sudden changes and announced that his cars would not compete in the 1968 World Championship. Building a brand new car would take up considerable resources and Ferrari felt it was better spent on the ailing Formula 1 effort. So the team sat out the championship in 1968 for the first time in many, many years.

Following the new CSI regulations, the championship was open for Group 4 and Group 6 racers. Group 4 was open to sports cars with a maximum displacement of five litres and a production minimum of 50 examples. The Group 6 prototype racers that Ferrari and Ford had fielded the previous seasons now had their engines restricted to three litre. Using a much enlarged version of the P4 engine, Ferrari did build a new sports racer in 1968 to campaign in the popular and lucrative Canadian-American Challenge (Can-Am), which was run under the very lenient Group 7 regulations. Dubbed the 612 P, the new Ferrari was not ready until the very last race of the season and the little tested machine failed to make an impression. To attract more teams and manufacturers back into sports car races, the rules were changed once more for 1969, although in detail only. The homologation limit for Group 4 cars was lowered to 25 cars, while the limitations on Group 6 cars like windscreen width and a mandatory spare tire and luggage compartment were all lifted. This opened new opportunities for Ferrari as they could use the 612 P type chassis in combination with the V12 engine and gearbox from the Formula 1 car to create a brand new Group 6 prototype racer.

In good Ferrari tradition, the three litre V12 engine was based on the highly successful sports car engine. Although with its cutting edge twin-cam, four-valves-per-cylinder heads, it was easy to mistake it for a brand new engine. Its sports car roots made the sturdy V12 a bit too heavy for Formula 1, but an ideal unit for endurance racing. Ferrari quoted a figure of 420 bhp for the fuel-injected engine in endurance trim. Mated to a five speed gearbox the engine was bolted to a downsized version of the 612 P semi-monocoque chassis. Used for both the company's sports racers and Formula 1 cars, the so called semi-monocoque used a spaceframe reinforced with aluminium sheets, while a full monocoque was constructed from sheets alone. Completed late in 1968 the first '312 P' was fitted with a cut down, high downforce Spyder bodywork. Although the off-set driving position gave the truth away, Ferrari's new sports racer could easily be mistaken for a Formula 1 car fitted with an all enveloping body. The first 312 P (chassis 0868) was shown to the public in December of 1968 at a press launch at Hotel Fini in Modena.

From the outset Ferrari planned only limited racing activities in 1969 with chief engineer Mauro Forghieri and considerable resources dedicated to the design and development of a new flat-12 Formula 1 engine. The first and at that point single 312 P was damaged during testing so Ferrari could not compete in the opening round of the championship at Daytona. Fully repaired, the 312 P was entered in the Sebring 12 Hours for Chris Amon and Mario Andretti. Facing a contingent of lighter, but less powerful Porsche 908s, the new Ferrari impressed with a pole position just ahead of a Group 4 Lola T70. Mechanical problems hindered the 312 P during the opening stages of the race, but once sorted the blisteringly quick Ferrari sped to the head of the race. A collision with another car damaged the nose and despite repairs the car suffered from overheating for the remainder of the race. Nevertheless the 312 P managed to reach the finish in second overall and first in class. A second chassis (0870) was built and sent to the next championship round at Brands Hatch. Fitted with highly effective wings and spoilers, the Ferrari again claimed pole and eventually missed out on the victory because of a puncture in the opening stages and a lengthened throttle cable towards the end.

While the new 312 P was competing at Brands Hatch, the first example was at Le Mans for the official test weekend. Designed for high downforce tracks, the Spyder body proved to be a big handicap on the long Mulsanne straight. That, however, was the least of Ferrari's concerns as Porsche rolled out the all new 917, which was built to the Group 4 regulations. In a creative interpretation of the regulations the German manufacturer opted to build 25 examples of their new prototype racing car. Powered by a 550 bhp flat 12 engine, it looked set to eclipse all that had come before. Despite the poor performance at Le Mans, both 312 Ps excelled at the high speed Monza track during the next round of the World Championship. The two cars qualified on the front row due to their superior speed through the high speed corners. Unfortunately the track's banking was particularly rough on the Ferraris' Firestone tires and both cars had to make unscheduled stops from the lead for fresh tires. Both Ferraris failed to reach the finish with the new car dropping an engine and the original 312 P crashing dramatic fashion after its tail came off at high speed due to accident damage incurred earlier.

With just one 312 P left, Ferrari opted to skip the Targa Florio and reappeared at the Spa 1000 km round of the World Championship. Here the 312 P Spyder first encountered the Porsche 917 in racing conditions. Now fully homologated as a Group 4, the slippery Porsche easily clinched the pole. The 917 was no force during the race and despite another unscheduled pit stop to repair damage from an accident early in the race, the 312 P finished a credible second. Next on the agenda was the Nürburgring 1000 km, which saw an even slippier version of the Porsche 908 Spyder. Compared to the Ferrari, the eight cylinder engined Porsche had about 60 bhp less, but made most of that up with its lighter weight and better fuel efficiency. With six Porsches on the grid, the sole Ferrari was also outnumbered. The 312 P again qualified on the front row and during the race formed the only opposition for the fleet of Porsches. Unfortunately the V12 engined machine ground to a halt just halfway through the race, just after Amon had broken the lap record. The mount of the ignition box had failed. Porsche won the race and the Championship.

To cure the drag problems at Le Mans, Ferrari's engineers had developed a very clean Coupe body around a shortened 206 SP Dino windshield. The second car was rebodied and a third chassis (0872) constructed to replace the car that was wrecked at Monza. As Ferrari had officially entered chassis 0868 and 0870 in the race, the new chassis was stamped 0868 to prevent administrative problems. The Porsche 917 again showed its superior speed during qualifying, but few believed they had a real chance in the race. The first retired in dramatic fashion in the opening lap in a hefty crash, taking the live of driver John Woolfe. Aboard one of the 312 Ps, Amon hit debris from the Porsche and also saw his race end during the first lap. The surviving Ferrari proved to be fast and for a change more frugal than the Porsches. Sadly a silly problem again prevented the Ferrari from reaching the finish. This time it was a retaining nut of the gearbox that had vibrated loose, causing an oil leak. The problem was solved twice, but eventually the gearbox failed altogether. At 5:30 a.m. that Sunday morning the 312 P program, as far as Ferrari was concerned, ended.

The arrival of the Porsche 917 had shifted the balance and Ferrari knew that the 312 P could not be a real competitor once the Germans had cured the big beast's problems. Immediately after Le Mans, Ferrari began the development of a Group 4 racing car. Dubbed the 512 S, it was used by the Works team during the 1970 season. Both 312 Ps that had raced at Le Mans were sold to Ferrari's American agent Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T.). The first chassis was repaired, fitted with an empty 612 P engine and handed to Pininfarina, who turned it into the 512 S Concept shown in Turin late in 1969. In the hands of N.A.R.T. the two 312 Ps were not able to fight for overall victories, but they scored several class victories in major races like the Daytona 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hours. They were eventually eclipsed by Ferrari's new flat-12 engined 312 P, more commonly referred to as the 312 PB, which was raced in the Group 4 class with great success from 1971 onwards. In the few months the 312 P was raced by Ferrari, it showed great promise. With a more substantial program, it is not inconceivable that the beautiful Ferrari could have been a race winner.

Featured is the third and final 312 P produced. It was raced by N.A.R.T. until 1971 by which time it was fitted with a new Spyder body. Subsequently, it was disassembled and the drivetrain used in a new car that was commonly referred to as the 'Flying Shingle.' In the early 1980s all original parts were reunited and reassembled. The Sebring and Daytona class winning machine was owned for a long time by well known Ferrari collector and racer Peter Sachs. He completely restored '0872' in the late 1990s and only showed it at very rare occasions since. More recently a Swiss enthusiast bought the car and completely rebuilt it to racing standards. Equipped with a Spyder body, it was first raced late in 2007. To be eligible for the Ferrari Classiche certificate, the car was subsequently converted back to its original Coupe configuration. It was first shown in this state during the 2008 Monterey Historic Races and Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It was a rare opportunity to see a 312 P in action as the other example, owned by Pierre Bardinon since 1970, has not been seen in public for many years.

source: http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/1049/Ferrari-312-P-Berlinetta.html