Homologation has lead to some of the most interesting cars ever produced. Certain race series require the cars fighting it out on track to be based on a road going machine, and FIA GT1 is one such championship. As a result, when Maserati wanted to produce a new racing GT car, the first time they had hit the track in 37 years, they had to produce 50 road going versions as well before they were allowed to score points in the championship.
The Maserati MC12 shared a chassis with the incredible Ferrari Enzo, but the car is larger and built to be even more aerodynamic than it’s prancing horse wearing brother. Although the car was not a critical hit, described as being overpriced, too large and not as powerful as the Enzo, the car was an immediate success on track. Although initially not eligible to score points in the GT1 championship, the cars finished 2nd and 3rd in their debut races and went on to win the next round. When the FIA finally allowed them to score points in the final round of the championship, they managed to score enough to finish 7th overall. The second year Maserati competed in GT1, it won the championship by a massive margin – almost double the points of the second place Ferrari team. By this stage there were two teams running a total of four MC12s, and all four of the drivers were in the running for the drivers championship. However, in the last race they were beaten by a Ferrari driver, Gabriele Gardel, who took the drivers title.
2006 and 2007 saw just two Maserati’s on track in the distinctive green/blue and grey livery of team Vitaphone. They once again won the team championship, and would continue to do so until 2009. 2010 saw a rule and structure change in GT racing, and Maserati lost their run of 5 consecutive team championships to Aston Martin racing. The MC12 was also successful in other racing series, including Italian GT, and Maserati produced several customer racing cars, MC12 Corsas, which were sold for $1million each to 12 lucky drivers.
You can download this incredible race car in either the Vitaphone colours or in a blank livery so you can create your own paint work for this sleek machine.
Want to get into the exciting world of Formula 1? It’s a dream that few manage to achieve, and those first steps take place here, in Formula 3. These cars are basically scaled down F1 cars – wings, open wheels and cockpits and light weight bodywork. Using 2 litre engines from production road cars (such as Hondas, Volkswagens and Alfa Romeos) an F3 car can hit 60 mph in under 4 seconds and accelerate on to 155 mph, and this leads to plenty of fast exciting racing.
If you want the fastest racing in the world, you need to look to the world of NASCAR, Formula 1, ALMS and of course the super fast drag racing machines. If you want the most exciting racing in the world, then Touring Cars are the first place you should head. They might be slower, but the competition is closer and there is always plenty of door to door, wheel banging excitement. Almost every country where there is competitive motorsport has it’s own national series, and in Japan that series is known as Super GT.
When it comes to race car liveries, there have been some brilliant eye catching designs throughout racing history – the blue and orange of the Gulf Porsches, Lotus’ black and gold stripes and the yellow, white and blue of Williams F1. But every year since 1975, BMW have brought something special to Le Mans – a custom painted ‘art car’. Originating in 1975 when Hervé Poulain asked his friend Alexander Calder to paint the BMW that he would be using in the famous 24 hour race, it has continued every year until 2010, with the star of this colouring page. Created by American modern artist Jeff Koons, this bold and bright car took inspiration from pop artists and comic book graphics. Driven by Dirk Müller, Andy Priaulx and Dirk Werner, the car finished 6th in class and captured the imagination of spectators around the world.
Click to read more and download the colouring page
When it comes to motor racing, there are very few guarantees. There will always be favourites to win races, but often circumstances can cause an upset before the checkered flag has dropped. When Mazda arrived at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans with a three car team, they were far from the favourites to take home the trophy.
The 787Bs, two painted in the standard Mazda racing colours of blue and silver and one painted in the eye watering bright green and orange colours that have gone on to become part of the history of the famous endurance race, started their race from the middle of the grid. As they had proved to be so reliable during testing, the drivers were instructed to attack the course as if they were taking part in a 30 minute sprint race rather than a drive that would last twice around the clock face. The green and orange number 55 car, driven by Formula 1 drivers Johnny Herbet and Bertrand Gachot, accompanied by sports prototype hot-shot Volker Weidler quickly battled it’s way up to 3rd place. Thanks to the excellent fuel economy of Mazda’s innovative rotary engine, the 787B began to close in on the Mercedes running in second place, driven by fellow F1 pilot Michael Schumacher. During the night section, the silver Merc span and the Mazda moved up to second and began to reel the leader in. It quickly became apparent with 6 hours to go that the leader was slowing to save fuel and it was time to strike. After 22 hours, the brightly coloured Japanese prototype car made it’s way to the front of the field, and remained there until the chequered flag. Even more incredibly, after driving nearly 5000km over the course of 392 laps, the only part that had to be replaced on the Mazda was a blown headlamp bulb.
Click to read more and download the colouring page
A famous Italian race car? You’re probably thinking of a Ferrari F40, or maybe a Lamborghini Diablo. Not in the world of rallying though, where the name Lancia has gone down as one of the most iconic in the sport. The Delta originally competed in the 1980s, in a class known as Group B, home to the fastest cars ever to tackle a muddy stage. The cars were incredibly powerful, and heavily modified from the road going version, often stripped down to just two seats and a giant roll cage. Unfortunately, these cars proved to be incredibly dangerous, and in 1987 the Group B cars were banned from competing. Click to read more and download the colouring page
When it comes to going looking good whilst going sideways and covered in mud, you could do a lot worse than the Toyota Celica GT-Four rally car. Originally launched in 1985, the Celica featured an advanced all wheel drive system and a turbo charged engine, as well as a pioneering anti-lag system to combat the traditional delay in a turbo charged system. Driven by some of the greatest rally wheel men of all time, including Carlos Sainz, Didier Auriol and Juha Kankkunen, the Celica was a hugely successful rally weapon, scoring 30 WRC overall wins in the 16 years it competed.
Think of high performance super cars and the first name that comes to mind is Ferrari. Loud, red and dramatic, they have made some of the most iconic vehicles ever to burn rubber. And when you think about Ferrari, it’s likely that the car you are picturing is the legendary Ferrari F40
Today’s post: Formula 1 Car colouring page
Formula 1 – probably the most famous motorsport in the world, with a history dating back over 60 years. The worlds fastest drivers battle it out, wheel to wheel, in ultra light weight, super fast race cars, watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world. Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Jaun Manuel Fangio, Sebastian Vettel and Jacky Stewart – legendary names how risked life and limb on a Sunday afternoon to prove who was the best.
At 10:30 am this morning, the green flag will wave for the 61st time to signal the start of the 12 Hours of Sebring, one of the great endurance races. Five classes of cars, from the ultra fast prototype cars to the high performance GT machines will battle it out for one complete run ’round the clock’ at the famous race course, one of the oldest operating tracks in America. 3.74 miles in length, the track is made up of 17 corners, and the surface is rough and undulating requiring a lot of driver skill to keep the car pointing in the right direction as it bounces across the tarmac.