Daily Archives: June 16, 2012

Taking a break from the action in France, I'd like to point you to a cool story…

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Google+ on by (updated 4556 days ago)

Taking a break from the action in France, I'd like to point you to a cool story from +MAKE about one of the two new maker spaces that have opened recently in southeast Michigan.

MakerWorks http://maker-works.com/ is located in Ann Arbor, MI and has a close relationship with the +Zingerman's Deli group of companies. Besides just providing a work shop space for people that want to create stuff, Tom Root and Dale Grover provide guidance and support to aspiring entrepeneurs. 

It's a similar model to what is happening about 25 miles east in Allen Park at TechShop Detroit http://www.techshop.ws/ts_detroit.html and the Motor City Innovation Exchange. Bill Ford recently announced the Innovation Exchange program to provide affordable working space to inventors and innovators near the +Ford Motor Company product development campus. http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=36572

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MAKE | Maker Works – A Makerspace with a Social Purpose
DIY projects, how-tos, and inspiration from the workshops and minds of geeks, makers, and hackers @ Make: magazine

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4 hours in and it's a real race at Le Mans! The +TOYOTA s are hunting down the…

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Google+ lemans on by (updated 4557 days ago)

4 hours in and it's a real race at Le Mans! The +TOYOTA s are hunting down the leading +Audi USA R18 e-tron.  Will the TS030's last?

Down in GT, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Corvette are still on the lead lap with more Ferraris, Porsches and Corvettes chasing.

#lemans  

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Ben Bowlby, the engineer that conceived the +Nissan DeltaWing race car gives an audio…

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged delawing Google+ highcroftracing lemans on by (updated 4557 days ago)

Ben Bowlby, the engineer that conceived the +Nissan DeltaWing race car gives an audio update after 3 hours of running at Le Mans. Apparently the extended pit stop was caused by the failure of an off-the-shelf solenoid in the in the gearbox actuator. With a fresh solenoid in place the the car i snow running consistent laps in the 3:47s
#lemans #delawing #highcroftracing  

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ENGLISH: Ben Bowlby – Race Update after 3 Hours
Ben Bowlby reports in after a couple of early unscheduled stops for the NIssan DeltaWing but tells the fans the car is now running strong.

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With 3 hours down and a series of pit stops out of the way, things have settled down… 1

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 1 Google+ lemans on by (updated 4558 days ago)

With 3 hours down and a series of pit stops out of the way, things have settled down a bit at Le Mans. The #1 Audi is now leading the 2nd place +TOYOTA by 52 seconds, with the second Toyota close behind. The other Audis are currently in 4th, 5th and 6th.

The +Nissan DeltaWing just set it's fastest lap of the race so far at 3:46.737 which would put it mid-pack in P2

#lemans  

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LeMans TV Live
ALMS Official · Aston Martin · Audi Sport · Corvette Racing · Dunlop · Flying Lizard · History · JMB Racing · JRM · Krohn Racing · Level 5 Motorsport · Michelin · Nissan · OAK Racing · Oreca · Pescaro…

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Well that didn't take long

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Google+ on by (updated 4558 days ago)

The American Le Mans Series announced that Dempsey Racing is the first team to commit to running the new +Mazda USA diesel racing engine in the LMP2 class in 2013 and they pan to be ready for the 12 Hours of Sebring in March. Dempsey also hopes to take its program to France for Le Mans.

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Mazda Announces SKYACTIV-D Program for P2 | American Le Mans Series
LE MANS, France (June 16, 2012) – Mazda Motorsports today announced that it will sell racing versions of its new SKYACTIV-D CLEAN DIESEL engines to teams competing in the American Le Mans Series prese…

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After an extended stint in the pits to address a gearbox actuator issue, the +Nissan… 1

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 1 2 7 8 Google+ lemans on by (updated 4557 days ago)

After an extended stint in the pits to address a gearbox actuator issue, the +Nissan DeltaWing is back on track, 15 laps down from the overall leaders.

As I write this post, the #2 Audi hybrid just came into the pits and was pushed back into the garage. No news on why. The Audis are apparently run 12 laps per tank of fuel now. Toyotas still in 2nd and 3rd now.

GT is still a tight battle with the 74 Corvette leading Ferrari, Aston and Porsche on the same lap after 2.5 hours

Updated, the #2 Audi is back on the track after a 4 minute stop running 5th behind #1 Audi, 3 Audi R18 Ultra and #7 Toyota, #8 Toyota
#lemans

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It's fascinating to listen the +Audi International  flywheel as the R18 e-tron… 2

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged audir18etronquattro Google+ lemans lemans24h on by (updated 4557 days ago)

It's fascinating to listen the +Audi International  flywheel as the R18 e-tron makes its way around the track. Oddly the the whistle-like sound goes down in pitch as the flywheel spins up during braking while it goes up during the acceleration discharge.
#lemans24h #lemans #audir18etronquattro  

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90 minutes in and it looks like the +Nissan DeltaWing is having issues with its gearbox…

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Google+ lemans on by (updated 4559 days ago)

90 minutes in and it looks like the +Nissan DeltaWing is having issues with its gearbox actuation system.

Meanwhile the four hybrids lead the way with the Audis ahead of the Toyotas and Aston Martin, Corvette, Porsche and Ferrari battling it out in GT

#lemans  

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It' looks like the Audis may have a very important advantage over the Toyotas… 1

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged audi fuelefficiency Google+ lemans toyota on by (updated 4558 days ago)

It' looks like the Audis may have a very important advantage over the Toyotas at Le Mans today. As the cars were doing their second round of pit stops Johnny Mowlem mentioned that the gas-hybrid electric Toyotas were running 10 laps per tank while the diesel diesel-hybrid Audis were able to go 11 laps.

At a race like Le Mans where the track is 8.5 miles long, going an extra lap between stops can make a huge difference over 24 hours. When the cars are being fueled, no other work like tire changes can be done until the fueling is finished. The longer they can run between stops, the better the odds of victory. This has been a critical part of Audis success over the past decade.
#lemans #audi #toyota #fuelefficiency  

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Before the start of the race in France today, +Mazda USA announced that it would… 1

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Google+ on by (updated 4559 days ago)

Before the start of the race in France today, +Mazda USA announced that it would be offering a racing version of its new SkyActive-D diesel engine for use at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Until now only +Audi International and +Peugeot have raced diesels at Le Mans and only in the top LMP1 class. These have all been dedicated racing engines in factory built cars.

As it has so often in the past, Mazda is taking a different path. Its new diesel will be conform to the lates LMP2 rules that require less expensive production-based engines. If this engine is successful we could see quite a few more diesels at the French enduro next year.

I'll be curious to see if Dyson Racing switches over to the Mazda diesel next year for its ALMS machines. For the past several years, Dyson has run Mazda-powered Lola coupes running on biobutanol.

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