Heavy Edit | GT6 arts & concepts [READ OP]

Turner Motorsports BMW Z4 GT3 2014 Laguna Seca by Metalsun1, on Flickr

Surprise endings continue to happen. This time, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, in the 3rd round of the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in the GTD category. The #45 Flying Lizards Motorsports AUDI R8 LMS was set for a win starting from the pole position. After a 2nd yellow flag, 34 minutes into the 2 hour race, many teams came in for a driver change and a splash of fuel. A 3rd yellow flag opportunity never materialized. In a strategy move 1 hour into the race, the Turner Motorsport #94 pitted again for fuel, out of sequence, to take their car to the finish. The Flying Lizards’ pit strategy had the car skip the stop and continue on racing while conserving fuel. Then the surprise. In the last lap, above the “Corkscrew” turn, the #45 ran out of “fumes”. Eventually, giving way for the Turner Motorsport #94 BMW Z4 GT3 driven by Dane Cameron and Markus Palttala, who were 11 seconds behind from P10, to take their first checkered flag (fast forward to 1:38:00) of the 2014 season.
Update: After 8 races into the series the #555 AIM Autosport (now with a modified livery) still leads in in the GTD championship by 2 points.
Update 2: The Turner Motorsport #94 BMW Z4 GT3 became the 1st GTD team to repeat a win in the series after reaching the checkered flag first at Watkins Glen. Now with 3 wins, the team is 3rd in the championship.
 
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Sauber Mercedes C9 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans by Metalsun1, on Flickr

Mercedes-Benz had retired from top tier racing since the tragic accident in the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans. That’s until the privateer racing team Sauber, asked M-B in 1984 for some time in their new wind tunnel so they can develop their C8 race car. M-B’s involvement crept from there to engine supplier, then full factory support by 1988 with the C9. Among other improvements above the previous generation, the development of a 4-valve DOHC increased the power output to 720 bhp in race trim. The C9s were very dominant in the 1989 season, winning all but one race. During the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans, the C9 reached 248.0 mph (400 km/h) during their qualifying sessions down the Mulsanne Straight. Eventually, the #63 Sauber Mercedes driven by Jochen Mass, Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens took the checkered flag in a 1st, 2nd, and 5th finish. By the next season, 2 new chicanes were installed in the track to slow the cars down.
 
are we gonna ignore the Jag that's just about to end up the wrong way?

(Stunning work by the way!! 👍)

Actually, I'm the guy in the Jag. A friend was in the Beamer and I took the photo from his car for a different perspective on my nearly rolling it! (Pity about not being able to roll cars in on-line lobbies...)

Thanks for your input and compliment!
 
Jaguar XJR-9 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans by Metalsun1, on Flickr

By the time the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans came around again, Porsche was still a dominating force. If you were a privateer team and wanted to win this race, an obvious car to invest in and take to the race would be a Porsche 962. They had won for the last 7 years straight. The odds were stacked against the other teams. Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) brought to the fight 5, factory supported Jaguar XJR-9s. A development of the XJR-8s, the XJR-9s had increased its horsepower to 750hp and aerodynamic efficiency by 15%, in part by re-installing the rear wheel covers, low rear spoiler and truncated bodywork. After 31 years, Jaguar without a win, Johnny Dumfries, Jan Lammers and Andy Wallace take the checkered flag in the Silk Cut sponsored #2 XJR-9, chassis number TWR-J12C-488, and saw Jaguar take the World Championship with wins in six out of 10 Group C races.
 
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