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Ex-Formula 1 driver and two-time Formula E champion Vergne was one of the six drivers named by Peugeot for its two-car Le Mans Hypercar effort last week. It marks a move up to the top class of sportscar racing for the Frenchman after four years in the LMP2 ranks, which began in 2017 with a season in the WEC with the Manor squad. The Frenchman switched to G-Drive Racing for 2018, and won that year's Le Mans 24 Hours on the road alongside teammates Roman Rusinov and Andrea Pizzitola, only for the team to be disqualified for an illegal modification to the fuelling rig. Having been rejected for a Toyota LMP1 seat after testing at Paul Ricard back in 2015, Vergne said he viewed dropping down to LMP2 - and initially not receiving a salary - as a price worth paying to secure his long-term future in endurance racing. Read Also: Magnussen, di Resta land 2022 Peugeot WEC drives Menezes: Le Mans quali lap put me on Peugeot radar Duval has "unfinished job" with Peugeot … [Read more...] about Vergne: LMP2 “investment” has paid off with Peugeot seat

Almost exactly 10 years on from the devastating Tohoku earthquake of March 2011, the Fukushima region some 300 kilometres north of Tokyo was hit by a magnitude 7.3 quake that reportedly left more than 100 injured and thousands of homes without power. A major expressway was also blocked by a resultant landslide, while the 'Shinkansen' bullet train service was also suspended in the region. While some damage was also reported in neighbouring Miyagi prefecture, which lies to the north of Fukushima, a representative from Sugo contacted by Motorsport.com said that the circuit, which regularly hosts both SUPER GT and Super Formula events, was not affected. There were concerns that the earthquake may have disrupted Sugo's ongoing renovation work of the pit and paddock complex that commenced late last year, but this was not the case, according to the representative. Twin Ring Motegi, which lies to the south of Fukushima in Tochigi prefecture, also reported that it escaped any … [Read more...] about Sugo escapes damage as earthquake hits northern Japan

Ferrari continues to hide the crossover underneath a Levante body. The Ferrari Purosangue is a big departure for the Italian automaker. Following the footsteps of Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, and others are not often Ferrari’s M.O., though every indicator points to Ferrari doing an SUV Ferrari’s way. Spy photos have shown test vehicles trying to hide under a chopped Maserati Levante SUV body, but Ferrari’s low-slung wagon-like crossover is impossible to miss. New spy photos show the car testing in Sweden. The spy shots frame the crossover against a snow-covered Swedish countryside, giving us our closest and best look yet at the new offering. However, the discombobulated Maserati body and trippy camouflage do a remarkable job hiding the design details. The crossover sports a long hood with a Maserati grille underneath, a raked windshield, and a sloping liftgate that cascades down to a wide rear end. The lower rear bumper looks Ferrari-like with the quad exhaust pipes … [Read more...] about Ferrari Purosangue Spied Wearing A Maserati Coat In The Swedish Snow

There are all kinds of fun things hidden on the rover. We interrupt your regularly scheduled dose of Earth-based car news to bring you an interplanetary update. We're not talking about Elon Musk's space-exploring Tesla Roadster , which is presently much closer to Earth than Mars. NASA's Perseverance Rover made a spectacular landing on the Red Planet last week, and as pictures come rolling in by the thousands, we're discovering pseudo-secret fun features on this car-sized Martain explorer. NASA said there were all kinds of Easter eggs hidden on Perseverance, but perhaps the coolest is a small family portrait of Mars rovers currently on the planet's surface. Zooming in on some of NASA's images showing the top of the rover, we see a small black plate with blocky renditions of five rovers. Starting on the left, the smallest rover is Sojourner which landed on the Martian surface back in 1997 as part of the Pathfinder mission. The next two rovers look identical because … [Read more...] about Perseverance Rover Honors All Mars Rovers With Hilarious Easter Egg

It still looks good without its roof. Last week, McLaren introduced the Artura , its new hybrid hypercar that packs significant performance for the price. It represents several firsts for the company, integrating the latest safety tech along with batteries and its “E-Motor.” However, McLaren has only shown off the fix-roofed coupe. It hasn’t said if a convertible version is coming, but our friends at Motor.es created an unofficial rendering imagining what one would look like. The Artura is a bit more mainstream than its previous supercars, though that doesn’t mean it doesn’t look like a McLaren . The Artura Spider rendering removes the roof, which drastically changes the greenhouse. The sloped roof is replaced with a pair of roll hoops that add some stylistic flair to the drop-top. The renderings also feature a pane of glass spanning between the roll hoops, which would likely reduce wind noise and buffeting. Little else changes, which is perfect considering the … [Read more...] about McLaren Artura Turns Into A Spider In New Unofficial Rendering