Car FYI

Photo Credit: Drew Gibson via Zacharie Robichon's Instagram This weekend, 62 of some of the finest sports cars and competitors challenge themselves on a famous race track in Le Mans, France for some of the most meaningful 24 hours in motorsports. Venturing to the Circuit de la Sarthe vying for honour in Hypercar, LMP2 or LMGT3 competition categories, the historic mechanical and physical torture test attracts the usual mosaic of cars, teams and drivers. For the 2024 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a Canadian will be competing in each of the three classes. Their competition in the 24 hour race comes on the centennial for when John Duff (Canada's only overall winner at Le Mans) co-drove a Bentley to victory. For 2024, each of these three motoring athletes wearing a maple leaf has their own unique racing story that they hope to write the latest, greatest page with glory in the classic endurance event.   Antonio Serravalle Photo Credit: Penske Entertainment/Chris Owens Team:...

Photo Credit: Cadillac untitled   Two days after the completion of the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans where the World Endurance Championship (WEC) sports car series’ Hypercar class made its first run at the Circuit de la Sarthe , a major player provided confirmation for their intentions to produce a challenger for the North American equivalent of the competitive racing class. Competing as a manufacturer in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Weathertech SportsCar Championship since 2017, Cadillac is looking forward into 2023 with a new car for an eagerly awaited LMDh category. Providing only a single image of their successor to their DPi-V.R race car, Cadillac has pledged to work with race car chassis developer Dallara as well as IMSA competitors Chip Ganassi Racing and Action Express Racing in having a new vehicle ready to take the grid for the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Cadillac LMDh-V.R. prototype features an aggressive body shape that contai...

Photo Credit: Toyota Motor Corporation untitled For the 89 th time, auto racing’s pinnacle event testing the endurance of machinery as well as human being over 24 hours was held in Le Mans, France. Running for the second time in August as opposed to its traditional June date to allow for spectators to attend, the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans instantly presented the added difficulty of a wet race track that resulted in the first two laps taking place behind a safety car. Conditions changed between dry, then wet, then dry against during the running of the daylong race on the 13.626-kilometer (8.467-mile) Circuit de la Sarthe. With 61 cars starting among four main classes on the Circuit de la Sarthe, the highest honour in 24 Hours of Le Mans to be the overall winner. At the conclusion of the 2021 edition of the great endurance event, the Toyota Gazoo Racing team stood in the coveted top spot of the podium. The #7 Toyota GR010 Hypercar driven by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayas...

Photo Credit: Toyota Great Britain Everybody loves a winner! The familiar title of a William Bell song of the 1970s, the words would imply Japanese auto giant Toyota attracts a great deal of affection. Residing either at the top or around the top for the world’s leading automobile seller, the company’s reputation is also bolstered by efforts in the competitive test of auto racing. Once again, Toyota turns focus towards the French town of Le Mans and the Circuit de la Sarthe in an effort to find love at a famous daylong sports car racing event. With a fleet of three TS050 Hybrid prototype race cars, Toyota looked to capture their highly-sought first overall win at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans. Victors two big American races, the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500, Toyota’s racing credentials over the years are included past successes in rally car racing and desert off-road racing. Sports car racing also is an avenue of competition where the Japanese brand enjoyed triumphs. A col...

Photo Credit Porsche Cars North America Forgive me for I am still catching up to my commitment to provide a Car of the Month for the Car FYI website. When I started this initiative, I knew with the absence of auto shows, the summer would produce a trickier period for determining the monumental vehicle for a month. Picking a car for the month of June, it is my belief I am trying too hard to be clever in choosing a vehicle that I should have followed my first and most obvious choice. Without further ado, I present the June 2015 Car FYI Car of the Month recipient; the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winning Porsche 919 Hybrid . After a decade and a half absence from top-tier global sports car racing, a Porsche factory racing effort assembled on-track for 2014 as LMP1 competitors in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Porsche's return to prototype sports car competition was hedged on a gasoline...

Photo Credit: Porsche For the 83 rd time in history, sophisticated sports cars arrived in France for the ultimate daylong test of endurance and stamina. The 24 hours of Le Mans on the Circuit de la Sarthe delivered a fair share of surprises, disappointment and the eventual celebration for winners of the four classes of racing. As is often the case, the LMP1 class earned a great deal of attention as high-tech cars generating what is estimated to be around 1,000 horsepower. Faster than the other racing classes at Le Mans, the LMP1 category winner would also be almost guaranteed to be the overall race winner. Becoming a fight reserved for two German brands Audi and Porsche, the race saw new norms displaced by old norms. Returning to the top class at Le Mans last year with the 919 Hybrid , Porsche’s effort in 2014 came with a best run of 11 th place for the team. Having taken overall race victories in 16 24 Hours of Le Mans races in history (first in 1970 and the last in 1998)...