Build Up To LeMans- Real Racing Begins by Porsche

Featured in this post -  HD Video by Porsche.  First, some pictures of the Porsche 919 when it made its second only appearance in the US at the Festivals of Speed in beautiful downtown St. Petersburg, FL in March. I was able to catch a few shots of this space ship of a race car.  It is a piece of art as well as the result of Porsche's mission to return to LeMans.   Look for the video below the pictures.
        You will see  this machine in dynamic race form as opposed to static photo form.

                                 And what is DMG MORI ?     

Click Here

 

Space Ship?

 

 

Or Race Car?

 

 

 

Coming To LeMans

 

 

 

Art Form?

 

 

 

No Just Porsche Style

 

 

Click Link Below and Enjoy The Show

 

REAL RACING BEGINS

 

 

 

 

 

Southern Nitro Jam! Hell On Wheels Bradenton, Florida

Yeah Baby!  Shake, Rattle & Roll

I am making this the theme for  Nitro Jam, one of the most fun and unusual events you might see on a Saturday night in the Tampa Bay area. The event comes around once a year and you don't want to miss it.  Put it on your calendar now for next year because if you are reading this blog, it is over until 2016. The event was held on April 18th.

I will attempt to convey in pictures and words what you missed:

It was Saturday afternoon; I headed south out of St. Pete to Bradenton Motorsports Park on Rt 64.  I was less than an hour south of the Skyway bridge but I was rolling back a few decades to the time when outdoor sports was affordable and fun for the whole family. After exiting Interstate 75 to Rt 64, the road gradually exited civilization. Four lanes became two and the houses become fewer and the number of cow and horse sightings increased.  I thought I was back in Upstate New York farm country where I grew up.  I liked it.

  After going only about 10 miles I spotted some flags and  some cars -I pulled into a large field and had a bit of a hike to the gate, but along that walk my mind was going back to the days when my college roommate and I went to Butler Speedway in Upstate New York to see how fast his canary yellow Boss 302  Mustang would run the quarter mile. Everything looked the same as if I were there.

 On my way to the gate I could sense the friendly atmosphere and smell the grilling of brats and hamburgers. I knew this was going to be good as I approached the ticket booth listening to fuel dragsters fire up in each team's makeshift garage area along the open fields lining the drag strip.  Smell the exhaust?  Yep, some of that is Nitro - feel the ground shake- yep that's what Calvary sized HP ratings do.  Wanna see them belch fire and hiss fumes out the bleed valves?- for sure!

   It was almost by accident that I was here because I attended last year on a whim as a last minute, oh what the heck, kind of decision after reading about some jet powered dragsters from Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University piloted by four young women.  The last jet powered dragster I saw (And the only other one I'd seen)  was driven by Rocket Rod Phelps back about 25 years ago while living in New York.  I was not going to miss this, so my first exposure to Nitro Jam made me a believer and I will always go to see it when  it comes to Bradenton Motorsports Park.

So here is a sample of what went on there. If you want to enhance the experience, get a Nitro scented candle, light it and get some headphones with the sound of some car engines and Queen's  `We Will  Rock You' and you will get a small taste of the Nitro Jam Experience.    OH-  I forgot - This year they sent a fire truck with two jet engines!  It did the 1/4 mile at 198 MPH.  Fast ride to the fire, or should I say away from the fire:

                                             A New Meaning To Warming Up The Engine

 

Waiting For The Call

 

 

Getting There Fast

 

 

And Here Are The Jets From Embry- Riddle

 

 

 

Mike McIntire, Jr. sets new IHRA Funny Car speed & time record!

 

And The Winner Is McAttack!

 

 

Yes!  It Is Loud

 

And More Pictures To Enjoy

 

 

And The Craziest Guys Out There-  The Nitro Motorcycles

 

 

 

 

The McEnd!  McRecord Holder!

 

Hope You Enjoyed It-  Be There Next Year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

du Pont Registry Cars & Coffee April Show

Here are a few of the cars from today's show, featuring the Corsa America cars-  ready to launch.

 

 

 

 

 

Incredible- Vettel Wins For Ferrari

While sitting in the stands at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg last Sunday the fans around me were talking about attending other races including the US Grand Prix in Austin. Two of them had been there and described it as something on another level when it come to attending a race. Indycars are nice but F1 is a whole different ballgame.

So this edition of CarCameraStory will touch on F1 and in doing so, give you a look at some more pictures from the St. Pete Grand Prix that loosely tie into the excitement of F1. 

In the middle of the feature Indycar race and while the roar dies down for a yellow flag, the guy behind me says ' Hey Vettel won'   The guy in front of me says unreal!  that is huge!    Another guy says wow,  he beat the Mercedes.  So here we have Indycar fans in the middle of a great race turning their attention briefly to F1.   And they all know their F1 too- very cool because you would think  F1 only matters outside the US.   But to many more than I would have guessed - the story of Vettel driving for Ferrari and then winning in his second outing got attention.   The green flag flew and back to the attention on Will Power and Juan Pablo Montoya battling it out in front of us for what was  an excellent show.  OH- Juan Pablo won!


Before I give you a link to a video of  Vettel trying on a Ferrari for size early in the testing season here's some shots of junior formula racing- the breeding ground for Indycar and possibly F1 drivers of the future.

Here's a picture that gives tribute to the cameraman taking a picture of one of those future stars.  The picture's title is that- 'The Cameraman'  He was doing his work capturing the images you will see in the paper and in the magazines. And it was fun to see these rising stars compete.

 

The Cameraman

 

 

And Here's Two Rising Stars:

 

 

Garett Grist - Juncos Racing

Mazda Pro Series

 

 

Team Pelfrey

Mazda Pro Series

 

 

 

And Now-  A video of the man Ferrari has its hopes on:

 

Ferrari's Rising Star, Sabastian Vettel:

 

 

 Vettel Tests Ferrari

 

 

And after his victory, Niki Lauda comments on the win:

 

 

Lauda- Vettel Not Boring Anymore

 

 

Enjoy the video and the story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team Penske Dominates St. Pete Grand Prix

Here's a few  more pictures to share with you that will convey some of the excitement and the drama of this fabulous first race of the 2015 Indycar series.  If you were not there, you missed it- buy tickets now for next year!

Roger Penske was the force to beat in the first round.  New noses, and aero kits as they are called were the big talk and visual change for 2015.  I am more of a F1 fan, but I have to say this series is well worth watching with close racing and a huge fan following from around the country.  The excitement is building as these pictures show.  Great job St. Petersburg- what a wow location for the race.


Roger's Boys- Will Power Trying To Pass Juan Pablo Montoya- They Touch But Don't Crash!
Juan Held Will Off For The Win

Roger Penske- Effort = Results

Charlie Kimball, No So Lucky

 

Nose Job

 

Tony Kanaan Slides Straight Through Turn 10 In Practice Saturday

 

 

 

Ryan Hunter-Reay Before The Start

 

 

 

Charlie Kimball At The Autograph Session

 

Josef Newgarden

 

 

Scott Dixon

 

 

Stadium Super Trucks

 

 

 

 

 

Super Trucks Can Fly

 

 

To Be Continued........