A Saturday afternoon stroll through Laguna Seca (during an ALMS race)

Jim Yu May 15, 2012 All Things Hoon, American Le Mans, Hooniverse Goes To...

Not even a week-long cold and seasonal allergies could keep me away from Laguna Seca. With tickets in hand (thanks rchen and Alara Racing!), we set sail in the S.S. Popemobile. Everyone was in a great mood and there was plenty of action on and off the track. The paddock area was jam packed. It’s surprising that no one got hurt with all the race cars, scooters, service carts, and gawkers swarming like ants.

Think busy ancient Greek market, minus the bleating goats. Thank goodness there were medics nearby.

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Sebring Practice Lap and Commentary with Bill Auberlen

Kamil Kaluski March 16, 2012 American Le Mans

In a typical pre-race TV show you get a lap analysis. It’s usually the best qualifying lap of the pole sitter with a commentary by,… uhmm,… the commentator. The said commentator probably drove around the track before, perhaps even raced there but it was at another time and in a different car.

In this video is Bill Auberen driving for BMW of North America in the American Le Mans practice session at Sebring. What is great about this video is Bill’s commentary. Like riding shotgun with an instructor at a track day, Bill discusses each one of the track’s turns, driving line, and apexes. You also get a glimpse of what is going through the driver’s mind as he is navigating the 3.74 mile circuit along with cars from four other classes.

[Source: BMW NA Motorsports]

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Spotter Guide: 2012 12 Hours Of Sebring

Bradley Brownell March 13, 2012 American Le Mans

This weekend marks the launch of two separate, yet similar, sports car seasons at once with the 60th anniversary of the Mobil1 12 Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh from Florida (seriously, that’s its full name? -KK). On one hand, you are bearing witness to the American Le Mans Series opening round, but you are also witnessing the inaugural round of World Endurance Championship competition. There is a whole lot of history packed in the “12 Hours of Sebring” name, and the endurance classic event continues this year at 10:00 AM Eastern Saturday morning. I will be there, but unlike Daytona, I likely won’t have a chance to liveblog the event very much, as the internet in Sebring, FL can only be described as shoddy. I will, however, return with my own photography and words to entertain you. With any luck, I can add a twist of LRF flavor to my posts…we’ll see.

Whether you are watching on your X-box, at ESPN3.com, or via one of the live streams from TV.Audi.Com among others, be sure to listen to the audio of the event at RadioLeMans.com if you can’t find the time to sit and watch. If you are watching however, use these spotterss guides to know who’s who and what’s what.

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Hooniverse Motorsport News For The Weekend Of January 16th, 2012

Bradley Brownell January 16, 2012 American Le Mans, Motorsports, Racing, The News!

Welcome to the Hooniverse Motorsport News Off-Season report. The “off-season” is nearly off, as this particular round even has some event results. I continue to look forward to the 2012 season, as it is nearly guaranteed to be a good one. Enjoy the offseason; it’s over in about two weeks. This particular round of Motorsport News will include massively reworked, redesigned, and improved design spoilers, so beware of that.

This week:

Dakar cruises into Lima with a clear winner, and an unhappy american.
The 24 hours of Dubai has cranked up the competition for 2012
Felipe Massa’s future in F1
We preview Joey Hand’s busy 2012 season with BMW
A few for the road…

… Continue Reading

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Hooniverse Invades American Le Mans At Lime Rock Park

Blake Z. Rong July 14, 2011 American Le Mans

Hooniverse somehow snuck onto the hallowed grounds of Lime Rock Park, for the 2011 American Le Mans series, getting a nice sunburn and raiding the beer tent in the process. Oh, and watching some sort of automobile race.