At the same time as the past season is officially declared over and many guests are gathered at the Le Mans circuit for the 2009 prize giving ceremony, the complete 2010 calendar is finally disclosed. Five races for this seventh season, including some novelties.

First of all, the opening race of the season will be held on the Castellet circuit and will last 8 hours. After the success of the night race on the Portimão circuit in 2009, the experience will be repeated and reinforced with two nocturnal races: once again in Algarve, and in Hungary. The 1000 Km of Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone, firmly rooted in the Le Mans Series tradition, conserve their format and date.

March 7-8 Official Tests –Paul Ricard Circuit
April 9-10-11 8H of the Castellet –Paul Ricard Circuit
May 7-8-9 1000 Km of Spa-Francorchamps
July 15-16-17 1000 Km of Algarve (Night race)
August 21-22 1000 Km of Hungaroring (Night race)
September 10-11-12 Autosport 1000 Km of Silverstone

In a nutshell…

The 8 Hours of the Castellet (9/10/11 April)
The first race of the 2010 Le Mans Series season will be held on the Castellet circuit, in the south of France, on 9, 10 and 11 April. This circuit, both ultra modern and firmly rooted in the history of motor sports which has just reopened its doors to the public, has welcomed the Official Tests of the Series since 2004 and will do so again in 2010 on 7 and 8 March.

For an exceptional race, an exceptional format! The opening of the season will not be done with the usual 1000 Km schema (or 6 hours), but will last 8 hours with a late morning start and an arrival at sunset around 7pm.

Note that this race will award the same number of points as a 6 hour race, only races 50% longer than the usual 1000 Km distance count double.

The 1000 Km of Spa Francorchamps (7/8/9 May)
This race is now a traditional meeting for all Endurance racing enthusiasts. Always held in May, it is the last race before the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Belgian track, winding and hilly is a big challenge for the drivers but also for the machines and remains one of the favourite circuits of all motor sports lovers.

In front of the many enthusiastic spectators, the line-up for the start is often the biggest of the season. This year, the tradition of the Belgian race will no doubt be respected.

The 1000 Km of Algarve (15/16/17 July)
The first edition on Portuguese soil in 2009 was a success: summer ambiance, high tech circuit, a present public … everything combined to make this meeting one the series musts! The Le Mans Series competitors will return to the Portimão circuit for this night race after having had time to recover from the 24 hour race.

The 1000 Km of Hungaroring (21/22 August)
Another novelty for Le Mans Series: Hungary. The race, which will be held over two days, will be the season’s second night race.

The Hungaroring circuit, 19 Km from Budapest, is nicknamed the “Turnstile”. Measuring 4,381 Km, it is very narrow and winding. Built along a natural valley and flanking the hillsides, its natural implantation allows an 80% visibility of the circuit for practically all the spectators, wherever they may be. It will be a first for the teams who will discover during this nocturnal race, life… “by night” in Hungary!

The Autosport 1000 Km of Silverstone (10/11/12 September)
Another Le Mans Series classic: the 1000 Km of Silverstone. Traditionally established as final race of the season, the 2010 edition will respect the rule. Held over 3 days, the British race is always one of all challenges for the teams and drivers, such as Jean-Christophe Boullion in 2009, admired by all for his incredible comeback trying to win against all odds until the very last moment. The British soil witnesses these heroes’ assaults. Very Shakespearian, isn’t it?

Ingolstadt/Hockenheim – Befitting its 100th anniversary, Audi has written another chapter of motorsport history. The brand is the first ever automobile manufacturer to achieve a title hat-trick in the prestigious international touring car racing series: After 2007 and 2008, Audi has clinched the coveted trophy for the third consecutive time.

In the thrilling finale at the Hockenheimring in front of a magnificent turnout of 155,000 spectators Audi driver Timo Scheider stayed on the heels of his only remaining rival for the title, Gary Paffett, during the entire 39 laps and successfully defended his title from last year by finishing in second place.

“Every Audi employee can be proud of the performance which the DTM squad delivered this year – or better said, has been delivering for three consecutive years,” commented Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Executive Board of AUDI AG. “In the DTM we compete with one of the toughest rivals you can imagine. On behalf of the entire executive board I would like to extend sincere congratulations to everyone who had a part in this feat. Audi Sport could not have given the Audi brand a nicer gift on its 100th anniversary.”

For Audi, after 1990 (Hans-Joachim Stuck), 1991 (Frank Biela), 2002 (Laurent Aiello), 2004 (Mattias Ekström), 2007 (Mattias Ekström) and 2008 (Timo Scheider), this marks as much as the seventh DTM title and the fourth since the brand returned to the series with a manufacturer’s commitment in 2004. “No automobile manufacturer has ever consecutively won three titles in the DTM,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “Audi has managed to do it – despite a very strong opponent. After two hat-tricks at Le Mans, now we’ve also achieved a hat-trick in the DTM. This third title no doubt was the most difficult one. But I’m sure that next year it’ll be even more difficult. ‘Thank you’ to everyone who made this great exploit possible for Audi. And congratulations to Timo (Scheider) – like last year, he won the title again on his own power.”

After his triumph, the old and new DTM Champion was speechless at first. “Now I’ve been able to experience this dream, for which we all worked so long and hard, for the second time in a row – and thanks to the Audi squad, the Abt team and my family,” said the 30-year-old obviously moved and with tears in his eyes. “Gary Paffett was a strong rival and won four races. But for as long as I’ve been contesting the DTM the driver with the highest points score has always been the one to become champion …”

Scheider won twice in the 2009 season and mounted the podium at six of the ten races. He was the most consistent driver and in the end had an advantage of five points over Mercedes driver Gary Paffett. Audi’s track record is impressive as well: The brand with the four rings won four races, started from the pole position eight times, posted six fastest race laps, scored ten more points than its competitor, led 325 of 548 laps and clinched 17 of 30 possible podium places. On four occasions, Audi even claimed the entire podium.

In the finale at Hockenheim the first two laps in particular were a real thriller when Mattias Ekström, who had started from the pole position and Gary Paffett fought an extremely tough duel and touched each other several times. The radiator of Ekström’s Audi A4 DTM was damaged in the process. After four laps the Swede, who was leading the race at that time, was forced to retire and thus lost third place in the standings to Paul Di Resta.

After a start at lightning speed, Timo Scheider watched the duel between Paffett and Ekström from a choice position and only drove his conservatively set up A4 as fast as necessary to stay close to Paffett and keep Paul Di Resta in third place at bay. Scheider managed doing this again when, shortly before race end, the safety car was deployed and unexpectedly pushed the field together once more. When the race was re-started Scheider got everything right as well and crossed the finish line after 39 laps just 1.043 seconds behind Gary Paffett in second place.

By finishing fourth, Alexandre Prémat achieved his best result of the season in a strong race and was also the best driver of a year-old car. With Oliver Jarvis and Markus Winkelhock on places six and eight, two other Audi drivers, who had been fighting a captivating duel throughout the race, finished in the points. Mike Rockenfeller in ninth position just barely missed scoring a point.

In his 60th and last DTM race Tom Kristensen was struck by misfortune not just once but twice: The Dane was hit in the rear right on the first lap in the hairpin and dropped to the back of the field. After a remarkable recovery Kristensen was turned around once more after a safety car period. Martin Tomczyk, as well, became the victim of a collision on the starting lap, which forced him to retire. As a result, Timo Scheider was the only driver of an 2009-spec Audi A4 DTM to score a points finish at Hockenheim.

With the title win in the DTM, another successful motorsport season has come to an end for Audi, which will also enter the annals of partner ABT Sportsline’s company history: After the triumph in the Formula ADAC Masters by Daniel Abt and in the ADAC GT Masters by Christian Abt with the new Audi R8 LMS, the squad from the Allgäu managed a hat-trick as well.

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. yesterday announced the official opening of Lamborghini São Paulo as part of its global dealership network expansion and development program. The new showroom, the first official franchised Lamborghini dealership in South America, will be managed by Via Italia Group, one of Brazil’s most experienced luxury sports car sales companies.

Lamborghini chose São Paulo for its status as one of the most modern and luxurious cities in South America and a large global financial center. Located on the famous Avenida Europa in the heart of downtown, Lamborghini São Paulo now has a stand-alone showroom and a dedicated team of sales and service staff. The after-sales facility, technical service and original parts departments will have a dedicated warehouse in nearby Vila Leopoldina.

“Entering South America continues Lamborghini’s ongoing strategy to further develop the brand’s comprehensive worldwide dealer network,” said Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. “Via Italia Group was chosen for its expertise in the luxury sports car market, extraordinary sales performance and its reputation for exemplary customer service.”

Founded in 1996 and headquartered in São Paulo, Via Italia Group is an established name in the luxury business and has been responsible for the import, distribution and after-sales of super sports and GT racing cars in the Brazilian territory. Lamborghini São Paulo will be led by General Manager Ricardo Briz who has nearly two decades of experience managing successful high-end car franchises.

“We are extremely pleased to be working with Lamborghini and honored to be the brand’s first dealer partner in South America,” said Briz. “We have high expectations for the new franchise and hope to grow into one of Lamborghini’s most successful dealers worldwide.”

Altenburg/Nurburg – It is August, 13th. The air has a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius and the sky is clouded. At 12:55 p.m. professional race driver Florian Gruber (age 26) crosses the line of the Nurburgring Nordschleife and unleashes the 700 hp of his GUMPERT Apollo Sport. He has set off into a race against the clock. His only objective: To break the record for road legal cars on the legendary 13 mile racetrack, once felicitously entitled “the green hell” by racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart. And to beat the existing official record of the Donkervoort D8 RS06 (also Audi-powered – 4T ed.) set almost 4 years ago.

7 minutes, 11 seconds and 57 hundreds of a second later Gruber crosses the line again. He has proven: The GUMPERT Apollo Sport is officially the fastest road legal factory car ever to circle the Ring until today. With an average speed of around 106,78 mp/h (171,84 km/h) the apollo was by 3,32 seconds faster than the former record holder. And – by the way – more than 13 seconds faster than the Maserati MC 12 in 2008. ”And, well – I even could have gone a little faster”, said the pretty unimpressed driver after coming back into the pits. And not even one drop of sweat on his brow after the record lap. The Apollo Sport in standard factory specification was equipped with road legal MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup tires and an adjustable suspension by KW suspensions.

“The conditions were good, but not perfect – so we have still got potential to go faster”, concluded Florian Gruber. From his point of view, the Apollo has the potential to even break the 7 minutes mark. And Roland Gumpert, former Head of AUDI SPORT and managing director of the GUMPERT Sportwagenmanufaktur, adds with a wink: “It is great that we broke the record and that we were able to show the potential of the Apollo – but at this stage there is no need to go faster. We don´t want to demoralize our fellow competitors by now…”

Tuned presents a full feature Gallery that includes interior shots of the factory. Enjoy!

After what many called the strangest accident to ever happen in Formula 1, Felipe Massa has been cleared by Budapest doctors to fly home today onboard his private chartered jet. Massa will begin a series of 6 weeks of rehabilitation and will more then likely be out for the remainder of the 2009 Formula 1 World Championship. Retired World Champion, Michael Schumacher, will be taking his spot indefinitely aboard Ferrari’s F60 beginning in Valencia for the European Grand Prix.

“I feel good”, said Massa to Italian media,” better then I probably  should right now but I’m looking forward to getting better and recovering quickly”.

Massa becomes the second Brazilian in 15 years to have been injured or killed by a suspension component striking the helmet as we can recall Ayrton Senna’s tragic death at Imola in 1994.

Summit Point, West Virginia – STaSIS Inc. announced today that the company is expanding operations and transferring its corporate headquarters to Summit Point Raceway in Summit Point, West Virginia. In response to its continued growth, STaSIS is constructing a new facility in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. In its new location, STaSIS will have access to one of the finest automotive test facilities in North America as well as proximity to major air and sea ports in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore Area.

“This expansion will enable us to build a world-class automotive engineering facility so we can continue to develop innovative products, increase our dealership network, and better serve our customers,” said STaSIS president Paul Lambert. “The high quality of life in West Virginia combined with convenient access to our European partners and major east coast technical universities provides a compelling advantage to a growing company like ours.”

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin said STaSIS can expect a great business partner in the State of West Virginia and a dependable and adaptable workforce that will help the company grow in its new location. “STaSIS and West Virginia are an ideal match and we’re all really excited about the company’s relocation to the Eastern Panhandle,” Manchin said. “The location is convenient for STaSIS, its customers and its employees and I’m sure that our business climate and workforce will exceed all expectations.”

This expansion is in part facilitated by investments by the West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust, the West Virginia Economic Development Authority, the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council and other private investors. Kelley Goes, secretary of the West Virginia Department of Commerce, stated she is pleased STaSIS has decided to move to West Virginia. “We’re really thrilled that they recognize the positive business environment that West Virginia has to offer,” Goes said.

STaSIS Chief Financial Officer Todd Cope, a native of West Virginia, commented, “The financial package we worked out with West Virginia made a compelling case to relocate. The state has been very supportive of our business and we are looking forward to continued growth in our new home. We’re also recruiting talented engineering, operations, accounting and sales professionals to help us expand our product innovation teams and our dealership network.”

For information on job opportunities, see www.stasisengineering.com/jobs.

About STaSIS
STaSIS provides automotive performance distinction to the mainstream consumer market. We specialize in performance-enhancing brake, suspension, driveline and engine products leveraging race-bred technologies from our motorsports experience and top-tier race manufacturers. We engineer our products to work together, creating an ideal balance of day-to-day drivability and unrivaled performance. Our goal is to help you transform your car into one of the highest performing vehicles on the road. Learn more at www.stasisengineering.com.

STaSIS – RACE BRED ADRENALINE

After several consecutive record years, Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. reports a decrease in worldwide sales for the first six months of the financial year 2009 (which ends 31/12/2009). In spite of the massive economic downturn in Lamborghini´s major markets the company is still among the few car companies maintaining overall profitability.

In the first six months of 2009, turnover reached 156.9 Million Euros, with a decrease of 43.4% compared to the same period of 2008 (277.4 Million Euros). Pre-tax profit was 5.4 Million Euros in comparison to 35.0 Million Euros in the first six months of 2008.

In terms of sales, the company delivered 825 cars: a reduction of 37% compared to the same period of 2008 with sales of 1.309 cars.

As expected, the markets showing the sharpest decline are those economies worst hit by the deep worldwide recession. Consequently, Lamborghini sales volumes saw the most substantial downturn in the USA, falling by 52% from 431 to 207 units sold.

Some markets’ sales figures however, counteract the trend. In Europe, the second largest market, Italy, accounted for 122 units, nearly on a par with the first six months’ performance of 2008 when 130 Lamborghini cars were sold.

Switzerland maintained stability with 49 units sold, compared with 51 units in 2008. The same holds true for France with 37 units sold (43 in the first half of 2008).

Beyond Europe, there are clear signs of sales stability in the Middle East, which presently is the fourth largest market in the world for Lamborghini (61 units sold against 79 in the first half of 2008) and in China, which has achieved a sales growth of 32% (29 units sold in the first half of 2009 against 22 in the first six months of 2008).

Some major European markets showed decreases: Germany down 52.0%, and the UK down 46.6%.

The President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, Stephan Winkelmann, commented, “As was expected, we are not immune to the global recession. However, I am certain that Lamborghini’s strong global presence and brand appeal, which remains unaffected, will enable us to steer the company through challenging times to achieve new strengths. Our business strategy continues to be driven by two fundamental principles that allow us to react to the present economic situation and preserve the success of our brand. Firstly, we will maintain the profitability of the company, a target confirmed by the results of the first six months of 2009. Secondly we continue our investment into the future with product technology and innovation alongside a firm ecological stance.”

Lamborghini remains with its long-term strategy, with a commitment to announcing at least one new product each year.

The latest examples of this confidence are the launch of the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder, the Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce, and the new Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni: the first rear wheel drive Gallardo, celebrating the famous Lamborghini test driver, Valentino Balboni.

Investments into R&D and into reduction of CO2 emissions will continue as planned, resulting in continuing technology and product innovation. The company has recently announced its intention to complete its program of environmental sustainability in record time by presenting new plans which will enable Lamborghini to:

- achieve a 30% reduction, by the year 2010, in the CO2 emissions produced by its factory
- achieve a 35% reduction, by the year 2015, in the CO2 emissions produced by its vehicles

Lamborghini will commit 35 million Euros over the next five years for this purpose.

For the full year 2009, the company is not giving a definitive business forecast due to continuing market instabilities. However, Lamborghini is confident of also attaining a full year profit, thus remaining one of the few profitable companies in the industry.

You heard right, Villeneuve will return to F1 at 38 years of age. He was reported saying that the USF1 team would take him on board to have a North American driver on the lineup. German magazine AutoBild was first to report the news about the Canadian star as he has taken leave from F1 after a dissapointing season with BMW. Since then, Villeneuve has been busy with NASCAR and Sportscar Racing in the LeMans series. Look for more details to surface shortly.

Ingolstadt/Nuremberg – With a fourth-place finish at the Norisring Audi driver Timo Scheider defended his lead of the DTM standings. His teammate Mattias Ekström clinched a podium result for Audi in one of the most thrilling races in DTM history held in front of 132,000 spectators (throughout the weekend).

Timo Scheider was the tragic hero of the race. From the pole position, the reigning DTM Champion was setting the pace during the first two thirds of the race with his Audi A4 DTM despite the fact that he had started the race suffering from a high fever. In a dramatic final phase, however, he came under increasingly heavy pressure from the two Mercedes drivers behind him, Bruno Spengler and Jamie Green.

Up to the 75th of the 80 laps Scheider defended his lead. The Audi driver was able to counter a first overtaking maneuver by Bruno Spengler one lap later. On the second last lap, though, Jamie Green squeezed past the leader of the standings and slightly touched him in the process. Due to this attack Scheider lost so much momentum in the chicane that he dropped behind Spengler and Ekström.

“Of course I’d have wished surviving these last two laps at the front of the field too,” Scheider said after the race. “In the final third of the race, though, I had major problems with the handling at the rear. I’m glad the race is over and that I’m still at the top of the standings. The first thing I’ll do now is hit the bed.”

Mattias Ekström, as well, had a realistic chance of winning the Norisring race. The Swede had opted for a setup with extremely low downforce and was right on target with his choice. He managed overtaking Timo Scheider as early as on the starting lap. However, because the safety car’s appearance almost coincided with his overtaking maneuver Ekström let his teammate pass again after the race was re-started in order to not risk a penalty.

After the first pit stop Ekström lost a lot of time behind Gary Paffett’s Mercedes. In the final stage, though, he was able to make up a gap of about five seconds, join the front runners again and, ultimately, secure third place. “Without the time I lost behind Gary I could have won today,” the Swede was convinced. “My car was really good. In the end, I was clearly faster than the front of the field.”

The first seven vehicles crossed the finish line after 80 laps within just 3.807 seconds. “That was good advertising for touring car racing and the DTM,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “Never before were we as close to winning the Norisring race as we were today. Of course it’s too bad that we fell short of achieving this by such a narrow margin. But in the end, the small things count. Next year we’ll try again.”

With Tom Kristensen in eighth place, another driver from Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline finished in the points. Mike Rockenfeller (Audi Sport Team Rosberg) in ninth was the best driver of a year-old A4. Martin Tomczyk, Katherine Legge and Markus Winkelhock took places eleven, twelve and 13.

After her fifth place in qualifying Katherine Legge again caused a sensation. The Briton posted the fastest race lap at 48.620 seconds which makes her the first woman in the history of the new DTM to have achieved this feat. Legge, however, gambled away her chances of scoring points by a totally bungled start that caused her to drop from fifth to 14th place.

Audi Sport Team Phoenix had to accept a total retirement. Alexandre Prémat retired on the 37th lap after body contact with Mercedes driver Paul Di Resta. His team-mate Oliver Jarvis was hit by the spinning A4 of Czech driver Tomas Kostka as early as on the starting lap.

A major effort by Audi Sport Team Rosberg’s crew of mechanics, who prepared Markus Winkelhock’s Audi A4 DTM overnight after the free-practice accident in which he was blameless, went unrewarded. The car was back on its wheels at six in the morning – but the race did not produce the points the crew had been hoping for after performing this outstanding feat.

After three of ten rounds Timo Scheider – now with a score of 17 points – continues leading the overall DTM standings. Mattias Ekström, with 14 points, ranks in fifth place. The next DTM race will be held on July 19, at Zandvoort (the Netherlands). Audi celebrated one-two-three-four victories there the last two years.