Read Takes 2nd Place at Infineon Raceway, Sears Point California

Left to Right: Prewett-3rd, Kohls-1st, Read-2nd

Maaco-Fremont sponsored Lloyd Read shows off his 2nd Place trophy along with 1st Place finisher Stan Kohls and Sean Prewett in 3rd Place from the first race of the Formula Car Challenge season, March 21, 2011 at Infineon Raceway, Sears Point in California.

For more information on Lloyd Read and the championship series, visit:

• LloydReadRacing.com
• worldspeed.com
• Facebook.com/Lloyd-Read-Racing
• wikipedia.org/Star_Mazda_Championship
• StarMazda.com/
• FormulaCarChallenge.com

Lloyd Read Widens Lead in SCCA Formula Car Championship

Maaco-sponsored Lloyd Read expanded his lead in the SFR Formula Championship by placing 2nd in Round 5 and 2nd again in Round 6 of the series. That puts Read 4 points ahead of Jerry Kroll and 8 points in front of John Yeatman in the run for the championship.

Read said, "Laguna Seca this weekend went well. I qualified 2nd in the first race and was leading into turn 2 but then got passed in turn 4. I was then battling for 2nd when I had a gearbox issue and another car got around me. So I knuckled down and re-passed him 2 laps later and drove on to the end of the race."

"The second race I qualified 2nd again but was only .01 off the pole time! So close! The race started and I was 2nd for 5 laps until we had a safety car. On the restart we changed positions 3 times in one straightaway dogging around slower cars. I was now forth coming out of turn 2 and was pissed. So I made a move into turn 3 and took 3rd back. Then 1 lap later I pressured the guy in 2nd into making a mistake and he spun in turn 10. I drove to the checkered flag in 2nd."

"Next race for me is Portland , Oregon in 2 weeks in the Formula Car Challenge."

Great racing, Lloyd. Good luck in Portland.

For more information on Lloyd Read and the championship series, visit:

LloydReadRacing.com
worldspeed.com
Facebook.com/Lloyd-Read-Racing
wikipedia.org/Star_Mazda_Championship
StarMazda.com/
FormulaCarChallenge.com

Crash Inches Over Spectators at Le Mans this Morning

Maaco Sponsored Formula Mazda Crashes

WCFE Round 4 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca from Lloyd Read on Vimeo.

The Maaco sponsored Lloyd Read Formula Mazda is still in the hunt for the FE Championship but as this video shows, it was forced to retire during Round 4 of the series. Read spins early in the race then, amazingly, retakes most of the cars in the field. Sadly, as Read attempts a pass in Turn 2, he is forced off the track, spins and is hit by another car. Suspension damage puts the car out of the race.

See Read in his faster Pro Formula Mazda this weekend at Infineon Raceway, Sears Point for the Formula Car Challenge by Goodyear:

  Date: June 11-12, 2011
  Time: 8:00 - 6:00
  "Our" car races 3:30 Sat., 4:00 Sun.
  Place: Infineon Raceway, Sears Point

http://www.lloydreadracing.com/Schedule.html

Le Mans June 11-12, 2011

Live Le Mans coverage in USA:  SpeedTV.com

It's okay that LeMans runs at the same time as our Formula Car Challenge race at Sears Point this weekend. LeMans is a 24 hour race so only insane people watch it from start to finish.

. . . Okay, we admit that we dream of being trackside, in Le Mans, France. . . from start to finish. . . in the rain. . . oh, and we'd like to go there on the Concorde or the Queen Mary (why stop the insanity at just watching the race?)

Queen Elizabeth 2, Concorde, Red Arrows 

For kindred spirits, here's a little Le Mans trivia from the boys at Top Gear: Le Mans 2011: how it works - BBC Top Gear

Driver's Seat Video of Race Winner at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca

This is video from the driver's seat of the Lloyd Read-Maaco car as it wins at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca on May 29, 2011.

For more info, visit:
LloydReadRacing.com
Facebook.com/Lloyd-Read-Racing
StarMazda.com/
FEWestCoast.com/

Inside Ford GT at 235 MPH (380 kph)

http://www.hennesseyperformance.com/

I got my first Ford GT when I was 5 years old. It was 1.5 inches long, ran on a slot track and was called "Pizza Pie" for reasons that only a 5 year old and his brothers would understand.

Join Maaco at Infineon Raceway June 11-12, 2011

Friends,

Lloyd Read is racing one of the formula cars that Maaco sponsors at Infineon Raceway, Sears Point next weekend. Expect to see Lloyd at Indy or Formula 1 in the next couple of years. He finished 3rd in the Formula E Championship last year (his rookie season). Last week at Laguna Seca he set a new course record during qualifying then won his race!

The next race is the Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear. This will be in the more powerful Pro Formula Mazda. Read is 2nd in the standings so far.

We hope to see you there!

  Date: June 11-12, 2011

  Time: 8:00 - 6:00
               "Our" car races 3:30 Sat., 4:00 Sun.

  Place:   Infineon Raceway, Sears Point

http://www.lloydreadracing.com/Schedule.html

Ferrari FXX Crash at Laguna Seca

We didn't see this crash while we were at the track this month. It is supposed to be the first recorded crash of a Ferrari FXX (the $1.8 million street version of the Ferrari Enzo racing car.) According to our friends at WreckedExotics.com, it happened during a special "Ferrari Racing Days" event at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca on May 22, 2011. The Ferrari went off the track at Turn 8 "The Corkscrew" and crashed into the tire wall.

Lloyd Read Wins SCCA Race at Laguna Seca!

Maaco Fremont sponsored Lloyd Read sets track record and goes on to win the SCCA SFR Championship race at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca, California in his Formula Mazda. This comes after his 2nd Place finish at Infineon Raceway, Sears Point in March. Congratulations Lloyd! Next race is June 11-12, 2011, again at Infineon Raceway.

First Place Lloyd Read at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca
in Maaco sponsored Formula Car

In the second race of the day Read again looked great, passing much of the field before tangling with another car in Turn 2 at the mid-point of the race. He was quickly able to clear his car from oncoming traffic and get back on the track only to discover that damage to his rear suspension prevented him from finishing.


For more information on Lloyd Read and the championship series, visit:

• LloydReadRacing.com
• worldspeed.com
• Facebook.com/Lloyd-Read-Racing
• wikipedia.org/Star_Mazda_Championship
• StarMazda.com/
• FormulaCarChallenge.com

Maaco's Formula Car Racing at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca this Weekend

Join Maaco-Fremont at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca this weekend, May 28-29, 2011 to see the Maaco-Fremont sponsored Mazda Formula car driven by Lloyd Read.

Maaco Fremont Sponsors Lloyd Read in SCCA Formula Mazda Championship

Maaco Fremont sponsors Lloyd Read & his Pro Formula Mazda

Maaco Fremont & Aene Automotive Racing are pleased to announce sponsorship of Lloyd Read in the SCCA SFR Championship. Read finished 3rd in his 2010 rookie season. In 2011 he is also competing for Worldspeed in the Formula Car Challenge. Read drives two different Pro Formula Mazdas. These cars were the stepping stones to Formula One, NASCAR and Indy Car series for drivers like Scott Speed, Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal and Michael McDowell.



Maaco-Fremont paints the carbon fiber parts for Read's car.

For more information on Lloyd Read and the championship series, visit:

• LloydReadRacing.com
• worldspeed.com
• Facebook.com/Lloyd-Read-Racing
• wikipedia.org/Star_Mazda_Championship
• StarMazda.com/
• FormulaCarChallenge.com

Scott Sanchez Spins at Las Vegas Blackjack 121 Race

#24 Scott Sanchez Chevrolet Spins in Las Vegas

The Maaco-Fremont sponsored Chevrolet Impala SS of Scott Sanchez tangled with Brian Herzog in turns 3 & 4 of the Blackjack 121 Race at the Bullring in Las Vegas May 14, 2011. Skilled driving and a bit of luck allowed Sanchez to finish the race but the spin would put him out of contention for the podium.

For more on Scott Sanchez, the #24 Chevrolet Impala SS and SRL Racing visit:
www.racingwest.com

RaceToWinCorvette.com

Just a head's up to our friends. Chevrolet is giving away a 2011 Corvette and a trip to LeMans. Sign up at racetowincorvette.com.

Sebring 12 Hours Looks Like a NASCAR Race

Ferrari 458 crash at 2011 12 Hours of Sebring
Photo by Rick Dole for Michelin North America

Race winning Peugeot 908 at 2011 12 Hours of Sebring

Maaco Fremont watched the 59th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring on ESPN.  We thought we were watching a NASCAR event instead of American Le Mans. Endurance racing used to be tough enough without worring about other racers hitting you on purpose. No longer. Drivers bumped & grinded all 12 hours. Cars were destroyed, carried back to the pits, rebuilt and went back out on the track. Favorites from Audi & Ferrari were totaled allowing Peugeot to win overall for the 2nd year in a row and BMW to win the GT2 class.

Here's footage from one of the big crashes that took out the Ferrari 458:

Commute Antidote

Let's Go!

Great Track Video Inside Restored 1974 F1 Car

Thanks to Axis of Oversteer to alerting us to this video and to Alex King/Mito Media for supplying it.


JR in the Wet from Alex King & Mito Media on Vimeo.


The car is the restored 1974 Australian GP winning Penske PC4. JR Hildebrand drove it on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in June 2010.

Alex also has some cool video of the Volkswagen TDI Cup. See Maaco Fremont's article on the TDI Cup.

Crazy Police Chase near Disneyland

24 Hours of Dubai 2011

24H Dubai is First Outing for Mercedes Benz SLS AMG Gullwings
Photo by DubaiPhil

Dunlop 24H Dubai GT Endurance Race

LeMans isn't the only 24 hour endurance race out there; 2011 Dunlop 24 Dubai features the great GT cars we love like Aston Martin, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, Porsche. Mercedes Benz brought their new, gullwing door SLS AMG to the party for their first big race and to their credit, all finished.

Thanks to The Smoking Tire & Tom Morningstar for the video footage of the race.

Burj Dubai, World's Tallest Building

See more great photos of the race by DubaiPhil here: CameraLabs.com

Another Look at the New McLaren MP4-12C GT3 Car

McLaren MP4-12C