Scenes from 24 Hours of Dubai - Part 1

  by Gary Parravani
The seventh running of the Dunlop 24H DUBAI, the first international endurance race of the year for touring cars, GTs and 24H Specials, was hailed as a great success by drivers, team members, spectators, journalists and organizers. An international field with 70 cars and drivers and teams from 38 countries staged a spectacular race twice around the clock that went down right to the wire. Our Gary Parravani was there.

Scenes from 24 Hours of Dubai - Part 2

  by Gary Parravani
Mercedes-Benz customer teams scored a clean sweep of the podium with the spectacular SLS AMG GT3 sports cars claiming first, second and third place overall and also the first three positions in the A6 category. But there were many more stories in this event and our Gary Parravani was there to capture all the action in these photos.

Dakar: Gordon wins final stage, Peterhansel champion

  97 motorcycles, 12 quads, 78 cars and 60 trucks finish
While the last special was won by Norway's Pal Anders Ullevalseter (motorcycles) and Robby Gordon (cars), France's Cyril Despres and Stephane Peterhansel took their fourth and tenth Dakars respectively, all categories included. The champions were applauded on the podium on Lima's Plaza de Armas by a huge crowd which came to acclaim both the competitors and the arrival of the greatest rally raid in the world to Lima's capital.

Dakar Day 7: A Hummer 1-2

  Nasser Al-Attiyah beat Robby Gordon
Defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar won Saturday’s seventh stage of the Dakar Rally with Stephane Peterhansel of France finishing third and keeping the overall lead. He was actually two minutes down at the first checkpoint, but fought back through the remainder of the stage and was on fire during the dunes, passing a number of the cars ahead of him.

Nick Neri Might Just Be the Fastest Kid in America

  by Keith Ori
There’s that video image of the fast Brazilian kid (there’s always a fast Brazilian kid in these stories)- the one that won one of the Big Deal scholarships and competed in the National Championship last year. Road Atlanta, last lap, hair on fire, chin strap between his teeth, trying an outside pass at 10A. Next frame he’s bouncing across the sand and grass like a damn dune buggy.  With that, Nick Neri, a then-15 year-old from Palmetto, FL, won the first car race he’d ever entered. In the entire history of auto racing, I can’t even name another driver that won their first race against legitimate competition in equal cars.

Dakar Day 2: Coma sets tone

  as Al Attiyah bounces back
The Coma rocket has taken off. Second yesterday, the title holder has put some distance between himself and his main rivals for victory, starting with Cyril Despres, who is 2'52” behind in the general standings. In the car race, Nasser Al Attiyah put on a show to win the day's special stage and claw himself to within 8'47” of Stephane Peterhansel, the new general standings leader.

Dakar Day 1: Chaleco back to winning ways

  The Minis meet the expectations
After spending most of the year injured, Francisco Lopez took the first stage of the 2012 Dakar in the motorcycle category and now leads a provisional top 5 which represents a break with tradition. Argentina's Javier Pizzolito (19th last year) finished third. In the truck category, Marcel van Vliet repeats his 2009 exploit by winning the first stage.  Among all the race favorites, Francisco Lopez is the one who has done the most to keep a low profile.

2012 Dakar Rally Preview

  OTHER
443 vehicles will take part in the 2012 Dakar, which will start from Mar del Plata and head towards Lima, where the pilots will arrive following an 8,300-kilometre trek through Argentinean, Chilean and Peruvian territory. The battle for the four titles at stake is about to begin. At this time of the year, beaches in "La Feliz" are packed with holidaymakers every day. But today, all eyes are focused on Plaza Colon.

Wheldon honored at memorial kart race

  Top stars came out to support event
F1 star Jenson Button and newly crowned IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti were among a host of top racing drivers all competing in a very special two-hour endurance kart race staged at Daytona Milton Keynes last night (5 December) to commemorate the life and many achievements of their friend Dan Wheldon. Daytona Milton Keynes kart track was the perfect venue to honor the much loved and admired Wheldon.

Scenes from Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV

  by Bob Heathcote
It was an incredible Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV weekend at Laguna Seca. 
•More than 300 Porsche race cars were on display and running on the track
•50 drivers sat for the autograph sessions. 
•The new 2012 Porsche 911 made its North American debut to thousands of admiring sports car fans.

Scenes from Blancpain Endurance race at Silverstone

  by Gary Parravani
The nr40 Marc VDS Racing Team BMW Z4 of Bas Leinders, Markus Palttala and Maxime Martin was the strongest car in the 3-hour race at Silverstone, with Martin taking the checkered flag to claim the second win of the season. The victory gave Markus Palttala enough point to claim the Vice Champions position. Our Gary Parravani was there to capture these photos.

Ford celebrates 110th year in racing

  Racing News
It was a 10-lap, 10-mile racing event at the Detroit Driving Club in Grosse Pointe, Mich., and billed at the time as “the largest affair of its kind” that attracted the top drivers of the day, generating national attention.  One hundred and ten years later, it has become known as “the race that changed the world.”  Henry Ford’s stunning upset of the heavily-favored Alexander Winton was the catalyst that allowed Ford to attract investors and, less than two years later, launch the Ford Motor Company. The rest, as they say, is history.