Motorsports/Performance

Land speed record for biofueled Utah State racecar A biofueled racecar built in 10 weeks by Utah State University students established a land speed record during the World of Speed event at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. Read full story

Oak Ridge collaborates for cheaper carbon fiber Lightweight vehicles of the future will require strong carbon-fiber composite structures, but low-cost fibers are needed for market viability. Overcoming the challenges to cheaper carbon fiber is exactly what a research team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is aiming to do at its new Carbon Fiber Technology Facility in Tennessee. Read full story

Telemetry helps Formula SAE team close the loop on design Once a year, a team of students at Virginia Tech get to do something that ought to put a grin on any aspiring engineer’s face: build a racecar. Read full story

Nano-based lubricant from Millers Oils: potential fuel saver on track and road The U.K. specialist's Nanodrive low-friction synthetic lubricants containing nanoparticles could make the crossover from track to road car applications with fuel-saving potential. Read full story

Mazda to prove 2014 Skyactiv diesel through U.S. racing To prepare the 2014 U.S. launch of its all new and in some ways, radical SkyActiv-D diesel engine, Mazda and its long-time racing collaborator SpeedSource Engineering are developing a +400-hp stock-block diesel for the new Grand-Am series GX race class which launches in 2013. Read full story

Audi’s digital rearview mirror races at Le Mans—road cars could be next Audi reveals that it has developed a rearview mirror for its R18 Le Mans racecar using digital technology that may eventually prove to be a viable solution for road cars. The system's first application in a closed cockpit LMP sports prototype will be the Le Mans 24-hour race on June 16-17. Read full story

Body and soul rule at 2012 Formula SAE The 106 open-wheel racecars vying for top honors at the 2012 Formula SAE Michigan challenge were design originals developed and built by collegiate engineering students. Read full story

Quicker shifts for Geartronics' paddleshifter Geartronics is working with Penny+Giles, a business group of Curtiss Wright Controls, to improve shift times and reliability of its motorsport paddleshift system for semi-automatic gearboxes. Read full story

Putting the sport in the 2013 Explorer Sport The new performance-tuned model gets its growl from a unique dual exhaust system and its power from an EcoBoost 3.5-L V6 engine and borrows some other upgrades from Ford's Police Interceptor Utility. Read full story