Race Car Service and Repair Bay Area - Happy New Year - Zucchi Motorsports Sonoma - 707-334-3700

Wishing you a Happy New Year

Race Car Service and Repair Bay Area - 1970 Can-Am McLaren M8D - Zucchi Motorsports Sonoma - 707-334-3700

1970 Can-Am McLaren M8D

In the year of McLaren's 50th annivesary we take a look back at the iconic McLaren M8D, a car driven by our legendary founder Bruce McLaren and in which he tragically lost his life.

The M8D gave his team one of its best years in Can-Am. Rallying superbly after the tragedy, McLaren took nine wins from 10 rounds, and Denny Hulme took his second title despite driving with his hands still bandaged after the fire in the M15 at Indianapolis.

The M8D differed visually from the M8B. With new rules banning the strut-mounted wings that had proliferated in 1969, the solution at McLaren comprised a pair of tail fins which acted as fences to channel airflow over a wide, low-mounted wing located eight inches above the rear bodywork. The distinctive appearance earned the car the nickname 'the Batmobile'. It was less efficient aerodynamically without the M8B's high wing, so to maintain performance the team sought even greater horsepower. A new deal with Reynolds Aluminium gave it access to that company’s new silicon-aluminium Chevrolet blocks, 8-litre versions of which were said to be capable of producing 700bhp. In the interest of reliability a slightly smaller 7.6-litre was chosen, giving 670bhp.

In 1970, on that tragic day in Goodwood, Bruce McLaren pulled in and out of the pits for adjustments to the rear wing in a bid to avoid overseer. At 12.19 he left the pits for the last time. In a fast left-hand kink leading on to the main straight part of the tail section lifted at 170mph, causing the car to spin. It struck a marshals’ protective embankment on the right-hand side of the track with enormous impact. Bruce was thrown from the wreckage, and killed instantly.

On the 40th anniversary of Bruce McLaren's death, we ran one of his old Can-Am cars at the MTC in Woking. Here's your chance to see that video again. What a glorious noise... turn up the volume!

source: http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/heritage/cars/m8d/

Race Car Service and Repair Bay Area - McLaren 650S GT3. Inside the machine - Zucchi Motorsports Sonoma - 707-334-3700

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As is often the case when it releases a new model, McLaren already had an enormous benchmark in place when it launched the brand new 650S GT3 at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Its predecessor, the 12C GT3, in just three full seasons of competing globally had taken three GT championships, 51 race victories and a further 71 podiums on top of that. When the new 650S GT3 landed in Abu Dhabi for its race debut at the Gulf 12 Hours (like the Bentley Continental GT3 before it), all eyes were on how Woking would handle the competition.crankandpiston.com were keen to find out first-hand at the Yas Marina Circuit.

There's just under an hour ahead of the second six hours of the race (since its inaugural run in 2012, the Gulf '12 Hours' has encompassed two six-hour races split by a two-hour interval), and so far things are looking good. Having emulated its predecessor with pole position on its race debut (the 12C GT3 doing so at the 24 Hours of Spa in 2011), the 650S GT3 maintained position in the top three for the first three hours – leading the way at intermittent moments – and was still lying third as the race entered the halfway point. With the world's automotive media focusing on pit garage 26 at Yas, a podium and even victory seems do-able. Indeed, ahead of a full GT program in 2015, a strong showing for both #60 and #59 – the same number used by the legendary F1 GTR #01R when it won the '95 24 Hours of Le Mans – in the Middle East is crucial. For McLaren GT MD Andrew Kirkaldy though, it's just another step of a two year- test program and the 'natural progression of an already successful racer'.

"Honestly the Gulf 12 Hours just works for us," he told crankandpiston.com. "It's just the right time of year to get here, get some racing done, and see what we may need to change ahead of the full season next year. We're a little bit harder on fuel than we'd like but we're quite happy with where we are at the moment."

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Given that the only cars ahead of the #59 650S GT3 – one of two McLaren GT's entered – are former winners AF Corse (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) and the Abu Dhabi Racing Black Falcon team (Mercedes SLS AMG GT3), Andrew's confidence is justified, especially when we take a closer look at the 650S GT3 itself. Built on the base of its illustrious predecessor, McLaren's second generation GT racer is the product of Computational Fluid Dynamics, and thus – as you expect – is hideously complicated. In layman's terms (which fortunately Andrew sticks to for our benefit), key aerodynamic strengths lie in the aggressively designed front splitter, lightweight carbon-fibre bodywork, a wider track, the 2m long fixed rear wing, and air intake-heavy front bumper (through which the McLaren 'face' remains). Though they share the same name, there's little the 650S GT3 shares with its road going namesake.

"Relative to the road car, there's a big difference," Andrew continues. "The roof and side panels are the same but nearly all the other panels are new and carbon fibre. The rear three-quarter is blended into the chassis, and that's so we can go about 100mm wider, front and rear. That means we can then fit the wider slick, which is a regulation thing but also probably the biggest difference between the 650S GT3 and the 12C. The tyre has to come out and forward to work around the chassis, and that makes a difference in terms of bodywork. We've got good aero, so the car is very forgiving and easy on tyres.

"Interesting thing about this car," Andrew continues, pointing to #59 just in front of us, "is that this was one of the original cars made into a GT car, so this has already done more than 50,000km. This MonoCell chassis actually started life as a 12C GT3 and is now a 650S: RP02, as in Race Prototype 02. The other is a brand new car and is chassis number one of 650S GT3."

source: http://crankandpiston.kinja.com/mclaren-650s-gt3-inside-the-machine-1672122074

by crakandpiston.com

Race Car Service and Repair Bay Area - Merry Christmas - Zucchi Motorsports Sonoma - 707-334-3700

Wishing you a Merry Christmas

Race Car Service and Repair Bay Area - Ferrari 458 Speciale. DRIVEN. Precious memories - Zucchi Motorsports Sonoma - 707-334-3700

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It's been quite a while since I've sworn this much during a test drive. Almost a year in fact. But this is not swearing with vitriolic rage at an incomprehensible SatNav, Bluetooth connection or adaptive cruise control. It's swearing aimed internally. I'm not driving this Ferrari 458 Speciale as I should be.

Rewind 12 months. I've just been given a quick tutorial on the Speciale – Ferrari's über honed, track-orientated version of its already mightily impressive 458 Italia – by chief test driver Rafaelle De Simone. He then casually mentions that for my first few laps of Ferrari's official test track at Fiorano, I should ease my way up to 200kph gently rather than going hell for leather straight away, to not worry too much about the rain that's started to fall, and then closes the door leaving me to drive solo. The only sound I can hear over the thunderous 4.5-litre V8 are the butterflies in the stomach growing a third set of wings.

Bizarrely, the specifics of the laps themselves escape me to this day: unable to rip my eyes from the windscreen or the rather solid looking Armco dead ahead, I have no idea what triple figure speed I hit down Fiorano's main straight on that morning. Instead, it's the sensations that stick with me, raw power meeting engineering perfection in a fine balance, the results of which cause my legs to turn to jelly. Down the straights, there is almost endless power capable of screaming its way past 9000rpm. Through the corners – tight and sweeping alike – there is poise, grip and a balance I've never experienced, the rear 20-inch wheels playing a devilish game of chicken with me, remaining perfectly aligned with the front but daring me to push harder so they can jink slightly, very slightly, out of place to keep me on my guard. The resultant lateral g-forces are beyond addictive, and soon I'm forcing myself to brake later, accelerate earlier, and – ultimately – go faster.

And this is when the swearing starts.

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Faced with a 325kph Ferrari that will hit 100kph from standstill in a flat three seconds and race through corners better than any other road-going Maranello model, my right foot refuses to stay planted as marker boards fly past. Into the corners, I'm still braking much earlier than the Speciale is capable, feeding the power in much later than the grip can permit. I have only three laps to make the most of this privilege and I am squandering them. Dammit James, pull your finger out!

Fast forward to today. I'm watching in awe as the Speciale's speedometer needle climbs to a dizzying 7000rpm, a bus-sized chasm lying between both it and the redline. On the top of the steering wheel, the fourth of six red lights blinks on, signifying that "y'know James, you really can push the gearbox much harder than this."

"James, concentrate!"

I've just hit the Kalba run, a meandering stretch of tarmac that winds up a mountain range in the heart of Hatta before plunging back down the other side, it's final stopping point the Fujairah coastline. Like Fiorano it boasts tight chicanes, tight apexes that flow into sweeping left and right handers, and straight stretches of road that end with heavy braking points. This time, I'm going to trust the car under me and ignore my right foot. THIS TIME, I am going to drive the 458 Speciale the way it was meant to be driven.

Four red lights, upshift.

source: http://crankandpiston.kinja.com/ferrari-458-speciale-driven-precious-memories-1656382160/+matthardigree

by crankandpiston.com

Race Car Service and Repair Bay Area - Ride Along As Sebastian Vettel Gets Acquainted With A Ferrari F1 Car - Zucchi Motorsports Sonoma - 707-334-3700

Sebastian Vettel took his first laps in a Ferrari Formula One car last week, and now Ferrari has released an onboard highlight video of that test. Vettel not only takes the car around the track, but runs several tests with it to get used to how the Ferraris work.

We don't often see onboards of Formula One cars being put through different system tests and checks, so getting to see them in Vettel's first Ferrari test is pretty cool.

This is the F2012 car from two years ago, and Vettel ran somewhere close to one hundred laps around Fiorano to get used to how Ferrari's systems typically work. This also allowed him to start working with the team and getting to know everyone he'll be working with on the 2015 car.

source: http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/ride-along-as-sebastian-vettel-gets-acquainted-with-a-f-1666112486/+travis

by Stef Schrader

Race Car Service and Repair Bay Area - Watch A Tesla Model S Humiliate A Ferrari In A Street Race - Zucchi Motorsports Sonoma - 707-334-3700

The Tesla Model S is quite the machine. The P85D, doubly so. It’s so much machine, in fact, that it was able to embarrass on Ferrari owner who thought he could outdrag the future.

While out one day testing how fast his Tesla got off the line and grabbing footage with GoPro action cameras, Allen Wong was approached by a guy in what looks like a Ferrari 575. The Ferrari driver asked him how many horsepower it had under the hood (“691 horsepower,” he replied), and then egged him on for a race.

Cue the Tesla coming from behind to absolutely smash the Ferrari. That’s embarrassing for the owner of the Ferrari, that’s for sure.

My favourite part about the video? The quiet, spaceship-like whirring sound the Model S makes when it gets up to speed. Makes it sound like it’s about to make the jump to lightspeed. Swoon.

source: http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/12/watch-a-tesla-model-s-humiliate-a-ferrari-in-a-street-race/

by Luke Hopewell

Race Car Service and Repair Bay Area - Ferrari presents its Sergio - Zucchi Motorsports Sonoma - 707-334-3700

Ferrari presents its Sergio

Last week, the first of six planned Sergios was delivered to its new owner, the SBH Royal Auto Gallery at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit. The delivery of the car coincided with the staging of the Finali Mondiali Ferrari races.

As is so often the case when a car makes the move from concept to production, the Sergio has lost a lot of its original edginess, though it's still a Pininfarina design through and through. It's gained a windshield, been fitted to more traditional 458 Spider form, and lost many of the dramatic angles and curves of the 2013 show car.

That's not to say that the production Sergio has lost all visual connection to the concept, though. It's a bit less pronounced than on the concept, but there's still a feeling of the rear quarter pushing the front forward, strengthened by the contrast inserts that drop down from the roll bar and underline the sides. The C pillars are angled more sharply forward than on the standard 458 Spider, adding to the feel of the muscular rear powering the car full-steam ahead. The black lower edging leaps the front wheels and blends into the strong front spoiler.

Another element of the production car heavily influenced by the 2013 concept is the swooping, single piece headlight treatment. Both designs have similar wheels, but the custom gold forged wheels on the production car pop even more than those on the concept. Other 2014 Sergio styling points of note include the two-tone hood, restyled rear fascia and Pininfarina-signature circular air vents on the rear deck.

While the Sergio keeps the 458's "technological content as well as all of the functional aspects of its cockpit," it gets a marked engine upgrade to theSpeciale A's 597-hp 4.5-liter V8. That means the Pininfarina-based special edition scoots to 62 mph (100 km/h) in a flat three seconds, four-tenths of a second faster than the 562-hp 458 Spider (and Sergio concept car estimate).

Inside, the Sergio cockpit, which was outfitted to the specifications of its buyer by Ferrari's Tailor Made program, is dressed in its Sunday best: a fine three-piece suit of black leather upholstery stitched in red, Alcantara seat inserts, and heaps of carbon fiber trim.

One Sergio down, five to go...

You can compare the Sergio concept car to the Ferrari Sergio special edition in our gallery. In the spirit of the Pininfarina-Ferrari celebration, we've also included photos of some of the greatest Pininfarina-penned production and concept Ferraris from the past 60 years.

Source: Ferrari

http://www.gizmag.com/ferrari-pininfarina-sergio/35112/

by CC Weiss

Race Car Service and Repair Bay Area - Sebastian Vettel gets to work at Fiorano with Videos - Zucchi Motorsports Sonoma - 707-334-3700

He wore a BMW Sauber uniform for his grand prix debut, the colors of Scuderia Toro Rosso for his first win and the Red Bull Racing jumpsuit for his four consecutive world titles. But with the 2014 Formula Oneseason now behind him, Sebastian Vettel is now officially a Ferrari man, and he donned scarlet for the first time this past weekend when he got down to work in Maranello.

Aside from meeting with the company's new chairmanSergio Marchionne, the Scuderia's new principal Maurizio Arrivabene and a team of race engineers, Vettel took theF2012 – similar if not the very same one in which his predecessor Fernando Alonso won the Malaysian, European and German grands prix – out onto the company's private test track. He completed a solid 100 laps around Fiorano on Saturday and undertook long sessions driving the virtual F14 T on the sumulator.

"It's been a fantastic day to come here," Vettel said of his first day with the team. "The possibility to drive the car and get to know the team was a unique experience.... I'm very much looking forward to the challenge that we took on for the next years." Scope out the photos of Vettel in red in the gallery above and the footage from his first session at Fiorano and first visit to Maranello in the videos below.




source: autoblog
by Noah Joseph

Race Car Service and Repair Bay Area - Kimi Räikkönen Is Not Impressed With This Roller Coaster - Zucchi Motorsports Sonoma - 707-334-3700

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While in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari unleashed their two 2014 season drivers, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen, on Ferrari World's Formula Rossa roller coaster. This may be the world's fastest roller coaster, but Kimi is not impressed.

Watch everyone's favorite no-nonsense Finn blank-facedly bob his head back and forth as the rest of the car clearly enjoys this a lot more than he does. 

The hungover wave at about 17 seconds in pretty much says it all. 

(H/T Deputy Kovacs)

source: http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/kimi-raikkonen-is-not-impressed-with-this-roller-coaste-1664923871/+travis
by Stef Schrader

Race Car Service and Repair Bay Area - Here's the first production Ferrari Sergio, and it's already been delivered - Zucchi Motorsports Sonoma - 707-334-3700

Not even three months after its production announcement, Ferrari has already delivered the first Sergio, a wildly modified 458 Spider meant to honor Sergio Pininfarina, founder of the eponymous design studio that has turned out so many memorable prancing horses.

Unsurprisingly, the roofless Ferrari, the first of six, was delivered to the Middle East, going to the SBH Royal Auto Gallery in the United Arab Emirates' capital, Abu Dhabi. Ferrari handed over the keys at the Yas Marina Circuit, which is currently playing host to the Finali Mondiali Ferrari, the same place the FXX K debuted earlier this week.

With a 605-horsepower, 4.5-liter V8, the Sergio can hit 60 miles per hour in just three seconds, although this particular Ferrari is about a lot more than performance. The Pininfarina styling is the real focus here, giving a few lucky owners the opportunity to enjoy concept-car styling in a road-legal machine.

Unlike the original Sergio, that debuted at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, though, the production model is somewhat tamer. Blame the necessity that is the windshield. That, though is the most significant change in evidence. All the very best parts of the concept car have seemingly made it through to production, including the lovely forward-swept rollbar and the stylish black element that defines the profile.

source: Autoblog
by Brandon Turkus