Weekly Automotive Photo Art Gallery (Read the Rules)

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WEEK 3 22/06/14​
 
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.
Week 4​
 
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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.
Week 5​
 

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