Laguna Seca

All posts in “Laguna Seca”

3D-printed Czinger 21C supercar breaks Laguna Seca lap record

Los Angeles-based supercar builder Czinger claims to have broken a Laguna Seca lap record with a prototype of its 21C. The time of 1:25:44 is said to have been set by driver Joel Miller, and eclipses the old track record of 1:27.62, set by Randy Pobst in a McLaren Senna.

The time would seem to back up the ambitious specs laid out by the supercar startup. The strong hybrid electric is powered by a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 and dual electric motors for an output of 1,331 horsepower. The entire car will weigh less than 2,800 pounds, putting 0-62 times at what the company says is just 1.9 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 268 mph.

The Czinger was engineered to be built via 3D-printing, allowing for dramatically shortened development times and cost savings. Advantages include being able to produce, say, a suspension arm without having to manufacture the tooling first. Still, each tandem-seater supercar takes 3,000 to 4,000 hours to make.

Only 80 units will be made, for a price of about $1.7 million. Included in that tally is a more track-oriented widebody version. The car was supposed to be shown to the public in 2020, first at its Geneva Motor Show debut, and then at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but both of those events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the downtime, however, Czinger says they’ve been making incremental improvements to the car.

Production has been delayed, partially due to the chip shortage caused by the pandemic. After 21C production ends, Czinger says they’re looking to offer three additional models. Some will utilize what they’ve learned in making the 21C for a lower-priced model.

The Laguna Seca lap record proves that the car has solid design behind it. We look forward to seeing what production looks like when it begins in 2022.

August 13, 2021 / Comments Off

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Rennsport Reunion VI Mega Photo Gallery | Porsche Heaven

MONTEREY, Calif. — Rennsport Reunion VI, the world’s largest gathering of Porsche race cars old and new, has come to a close. If you were lucky enough to attend the 2018 edition of the event, hosted at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, congratulations for being a Porsche superfan. But if you weren’t able to make the pilgrimage, we’re here to offer the next best thing: High-res photos of every Rennsport nook and cranny, live and in living color. Enjoy!

The Pits:

The Details:

Porsche Champions Garage:

Chopard Heritage Display:

Concours on Pit Lane:

Porsche Racing History Parade:

Porsche Tractor Race:

Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo Exhibition Laps:

Porsche 917 Exhibition Laps:

Porsche 959 Exhibition Laps:

Werks Trophy Race Group:

Eifel Trophy Race Group:

Weissach Cup Race Group:

Gmund Cup Race Group:

Stuttgart Cup Race Group:

Porsche Motorsports 935 Debut:

Porsche 911 Turbo Classic Series Project Gold:

October 1, 2018 / Comments Off

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Watch Lucid Air EV dominate Laguna Seca

It’s been a little while since we last heard from Lucid Motors about its luxury, performance, autonomous-when-you-want-it-to-be Air EV. There were acquisition rumors regarding Ford, then a move to a new headquarters and, most recently, investment talks with the same Saudi fund that was in the mix when Elon Musk kicked off Maybe-Take-Tesla-Private Month. Before all that, though, Lucid was taking the Air out for testing. Really fast testing. Well over 200 mph testing.

Now, the startup has resurfaced, again getting back to the thing we all really want to talk about: driving the Lucid Air. In its latest missive, Lucid describes tackling Laguna Seca with its powerful EV.

The Air that Lucid brought to the famed circuit was essentially a “showroom intent” prototype with the interior swapped out “for a 6-point roll cage and fire-suppression system [with] high-temperature brake pads and brake fluid.” Game on.

So equipped, the Lucid Air managed a lap time of 1:41.67 with a chassis and vehicle dynamics engineer at the wheel. That’s considerably faster than the recent bone-stock production EV lap record recently set by the Jaguar I-Pace (1:48.18), or that of the Tesla Model S P100D’s (with upgraded brakes) searing hot lap (1:47.62). If you want to see Lucid’s raw point-of-view video, you’ll have to click through to Lucid’s post.

After that, Lucid swapped the production spec 21-inch Pirelli P Zero PZ4 summer tires for a set of Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R road-legal track tires, and flogged the EV some more. The result was a lap time of 1:39.30. Again, head to the blog post from Lucid to watch the cockpit video.

If you audibly gulped while watching the Air take that last corner, you’re in good company.

As Lucid notes, and as Chief Technical Officer Peter Rawlinson and Design VP Derek Jenkins told us when we caught up with them last year, this will be a car that isn’t just luxurious to ride in, but will be exceptionally exciting to drive. Judging from the handful of videos we’ve seen thus far, we’re in no place to argue otherwise. As much as we’re looking forward to spending time in those business-class rear seat, we’re far more anxious to get behind the wheel of this monster EV. For now, we’ll settle for these white-knuckle videos.

Related Video:

September 6, 2018 / Comments Off

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2018 Monterey Car Week Mega Photo Gallery | Beauty abounds

From Pebble Beach to The Quail to Laguna Seca to Carmel, Monterey Car Week as usual has offered a wealth — and wealth certainly is the operative word — of sumptuous, fabulous vehicles. Here is our gallery of galleries, with links to our coverage, as an overview to the event.

The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering

Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auction: Broadcast coverage

2019 Acura NSX: a refresh and an eye-catching new color

Audi PB18 E-Tron: electric supercar with a sometimes-center seat

2019 BMW Z4: M40i Roadster First Edition says hello at Pebble Beach

Bugatti Divo: $6 million supercar revealed, and all 40 are already spoken for

Genovation GXE: The world’s fastest, fully electric Corvette

Gunther Werks Porsche 911 Sport Touring:

Hennessey Venom F5 engine: 1,600-hp billet-aluminum twin-turbo V8

Infiniti Prototype 10: Speedster points the way to an electric future

Jaguar E-Type Zero: Electric classics will enter production

Lamborghini Aventador SVJ: V12-powered carbon-fiber flagship

McLaren Senna #002: First Drive Review: What’s in a name

Polestar 1: North American debut

Rimac C_Two California Edition: Drunk on its power at Monterey Car Week

Singer Vehicle Design Dynamics and Lightweighting Study: Bespoke Porsche 911

1963 Aston Martin DP215 at RM Sotheby’s:

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO at RM Sotheby’s:

1966 Ford GT40 Mk II at RM Sotheby’s:

August 25, 2018 / Comments Off

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Ferrari Challenge WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 2018

The Challenge

On May 4-6 the third of seven Ferrari Challenge races took place at the recently renamed WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca situated near Monterey, California. Beginning in January and ending in November, this series consists of five races taking place in the USA, one in Canada, with the last, Finali Mondiali, scheduled for the Autodromo Monza in Italy.

The other race tracks are Daytona, Daytona Beach, Florida, Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York, Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia, and Circuit-Gilles-Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada.

Ferrari at Laguna Seca

At Laguna Seca, the weather complied nicely with sun filled skies and a pleasant moderate temperature just cool enough to keep spectator’s energy high.

WeatherTech Raceway is made up of 11-turns and 180 feet of changes in elevation over its 2.24 undulating miles. The famed Corkscrew at Turns 8 and 8A, a precipitous drop corkscrew-style, lies track-opposite of the long straight.

Another notable point of the track is the Andretti Hairpin, Turn 2 just past the bridge and Media Center. During these races cars were generally circulating in several various sized groups, indicating some good battles on track.

Touring Ferrari’s Legacy

When not watching the practice sessions, the qualification runs, or the actual races, the Ferrari owners car corral is a good place for Tifosi (the Ferrari faithful), and others also, to explore Ferrari’s legacy.

Ferrari models dotting the decades can often be found there. Compare how Ferrari styling changed over time, model to model. There’s plenty of impact standing right next to the cars. Vehicle attendances in the corral peaks and dips over the course of the three-day event, so a schedule inquiry a few days ahead may suggest some best times.

I made several rambles through the Ferrari owners car corral and spotted a stunning 599 in candied-apple red, a black Mondial with California plates stating “Historical Vehicle”, and many more all worth a long look.

For sure, walking through the extensive paddocks is always a fascinating excursion. My several tours through different segments of the paddocks revealed plenty of activity – mechanics preparing the cars to race by mounting new rubber from tall stacks of fat, sticky tires, getting fuel into the tank, and doing the myriad of other activities required to get cars on the track. Often team members assist the driver in getting situated inside the car, which sometimes involves a lengthy discussion.

First Foray into the Corral

On my first foray, I found a mechanic temporarily unoccupied. I asked how Ferrari’s race cars differed from their streetcars. He explained, “Very little. The main differences are in the front and rear deck lids and the interior, which includes the roll cage”.

Obviously, Ferrari wants to demonstrate that their street cars are also track-worthy. And all of us have probably heard Ferrari say that racing is in their DNA. Totally believable! For more of the paddocks, see some of my photos of race cars there. Team members are welcome to watch but not impede their work.

It seems like the paint on the Ferrari Challenge race cars gets more decorative each season. Several Ferrari 488s in the paddocks really grabbed my attention with their exotic paint and décor, although at least part of the “paint” is usually a stick-on vinyl wrap. The wrap is literally indistinguishable from paint unless closely scrutinized.

Viewing the displays that Ferrari brings just for the event showcases the latest in styling, performance, and technology from the Prancing Horse. The display may be the actual model of a new supercar recently introduced, or the evolution of a current model, but I have never been disappointed.

The Race Models

This year Ferrari brought the 812 Superfast (2017 – present), the GTC4Lusso T (2017 – present), and a 488 Spider introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 2018. Each was very impressive.

Ferrari 812 Superfast

The dazzling red Ferrari 812 Superfast had great lines and styling rich with complexity. Model 812 is powered by 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 that produces nearly 790 bhp at 8,500 rpm, and 530 ft-lb of torque at 7,000 rpm, delivered through a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

This Superfast appears to be the most powerful naturally aspirated petrol-powered production car engine that has ever been produced! With that kind of power, if it wasn’t for the Ferrari suspension even a wheel-stand wouldn’t be surprising.

The engine of this two-door Berlinetta grand tourer is mounted front-mid, meaning the engine’s center of mass is in arrears of the front axle. The car boasts a top speed of 211 mph and an acceleration time from 0–60 mph of very near 2.8 seconds, all with a curb weight of 3,594 lbs. Breathless!

Ferrari GTC4 Lusso-T

The Ferrari GTC4 Lusso-T four-seater is a follow-on version of the V12 all-wheel-drive GTC4Lusso. The T employs rear wheel drive and a 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 producing 602 hp at 7,500 rpm, and just over 560 ft-lb of torque at 5,250 rpm. The T can achieve within a mile or two of 200 mph and accelerates from 0-62 mph in 3.5 seconds. Not too bad for a four-seater!

Ferrari 488 Spider

The 488 Spider is a twin-seat version of the 488 employing a folding hardtop. I like the folding hardtop concept. I once owned a rag-top convertible (not Ferrari). I eventually sold it due to wind noise with the top up, although some of my passengers didn’t notice the disturbance.

The Spyder at Laguna Seca appeared in all black. I usually prefer Ferraris in red, but there are other colors I think fits certain Ferrari models well. Of course, color is a personal preference. This Spider was radiantly-stunning in black. Performance numbers are very close to its predecessor, the 458 Spider.

Race Results

TP – Trofeo Pirelli
TP AM – Trofeo Pirelli AM
CS – Coppa Shell
CS AM – Coppa Shell AM

Race One, Saturday, Top Three

Race 1 – 458

Position	Driver	Team	Vehicle	Laps	Total Time
1st	Martin Burroues	Ferrari Ft. Lauderdale	458 Challenge EVO	20	30:34.136
2nd	Trevor Baek	R Tonkin Gr Turismo	458 Challenge EVO	20	30:34.783
3rd	F Priovanetti	Ferrari Ft. Lauderdale	458 Challenge EVO	20	30:44.064

Race 1 – TP, TP AM

Position	Driver	Team	Vehicle	Laps	Total Time
1st	C MacNeil	Ferrari of Beverly Hills	488 Challenge	21	31:24.919
2nd	Marc Muzzo	Ferrari of Ontario	488 Challenge	21	31:33.641
3rd	Joseph Rubbo	Ferrari of Long Island	488 Challenge	21	31:34.329

Race 1 – CS, CS AM

Position	Driver	Team	Vehicle	Laps	Total Time
1st	Thomas TIPPL	Ferrari of Beverly Hills	488 Challenge	20	32:35.848
2nd	Mark Fuller	Ferrari Westlake	488 Challenge	20	32:36.556
3rd	Richard Baek	R Tonkin Gran Turismo	488 Challenge	20	32:37.344

Race Two, Sunday, Top Three

Race 2 – 458

Position	Driver	Team	Vehicle	Laps	Total Time
1st	Martin Burroues	Ferrari Ft. Lauderdale	458 Challenge EVO	20	30:22.137
2nd	Trevor Baek	R Tonkin Gr Turismo	458 Challenge EVO	20	30:31.618
3rd	Phil Trigiani	Ferrari Ft. Lauderdale	458 Challenge EVO	20	30:55.769

Race 2 – TP, TP AM

Position	Driver	Team	Vehicle	Laps	Total Time
1st	Peter Ludwig	Wide World Ferrari	488 Challenge	21	31:20.663
2nd	Joseph Rubbo	Ferrari of Long Island	488 Challenge	21	31:26.279
3rd	Chris Cagnazzi	Ferrari of Long Island	488 Challenge	21	31:29.480

Race 2 – CS, CS AM

Position	Driver	Team	Vehicle	Laps	Total Time
1st	Thomas Tippl	SC Ferrari Beverly Hills	488 Challenge	20	30:17.126
2nd	Chris Carel	SC Ferrari Beverly Hills	488 Challenge	20	30:24.861
3rd	M Fassbender	Ferrari North America	488 Challenge	20	30:25.328

Ferrari Challenge Image Gallery

June 21, 2018 / Comments Off

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Corvette ZR1 Beats New Viper GTS and Sets Laguna Seca Record

December 20, 2012 / Comments Off

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