Carroll Shelby, the man who gave the world the fabled AC Cobra (my childhood dream car), has sadly died at the age of 89.

I met him, breifly, a few years ago at the Goodwood Revival festival and i'm not sure I really appreciated it at the time but in the words of Ron Burgundy: "This guy was kind of a big deal y'know!!"  Thinking back to that moment,  he had a great presence about him, he was a real larger than life American. Clad completely in denim with his trademark shades and cowboy hat to set off the look. He was sitting in a deckchair, taking it easy beside one of his ferocious Daytona Coupe's chatting away with the mechanics

Edsel Ford II, a Ford board member and great grandson of founder Henry Ford, said: "Today, we have lost a legend in Ford Motor Company's history, and my family and I have lost a dear friend.

"Whether helping Ford dominate the 1960s racing scene or building some of the most famous Mustangs, his enthusiasm and passion for great automobiles over six decades has truly inspired everyone who worked with him. He was a great innovator whose legend at Ford never will be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends."

RIP Carroll, and thanks for the V8s.

Shelby GT500 Mustang

Shelby 427 Cobra 

Shelby Daytona Coupe 

1996 Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill will return to racing for the first time since his final grand prix in 1999 when he contests the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup race on the DTM support bill at Brands Hatch on 18-19 May
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Hill will be reunited with a host of his junior racing rivals for the event, with Mark Blundell, Perry McCarthy, Martin Donnelly and Julian Bailey also getting guest drives, along with David Brabham.

The first four were nicknamed the 'rat pack' as they rose through Formula Ford, Formula 3 and Formula 3000 together in the 1980s, and though Brabham's career was not quite in parallel, he will be given 'honorary rat pack status' for the event

 

Evo boss and Pagani expert Harry Metcalfe gets an exclusive go in the hardest Zonda yet, the 760RS. This guy just has the best job ever! Video review here:

A review of last weekend’s Rally Argentina, courtesy of the Ford World Rally Team. The huge numbers of enthusiastic crowds were great to see:

The world’s car manufacturers and extreme sports stars are queuing up to enter factory teams into the 2012 Global Rallycross series in the States. Subaru are the latest team to throw its hat in the gravel ‘n’ asphalt ring, and in this teaser video the three 2012 WRX STIs that the Subaru Puma Rallycross Team will be running are revealed – along with their drivers.

BMX legend Dave Mirra is no huge surprise: he’s been an X-Games regular on two and four wheels, and has been a stalwart of the US rally and rallycross scenes over the last couple of years. Vert skater Bucky Lasek is the second action sports star in the team: he’s a relatively recent convert to racing, so is going to have his work cut out in these insanely quick machines. It’s a massive step up for him. But then Subaru have unholstered the big gun: they’ve brought multiple European Rallycross champion Sverre Isachsen back into the fold.

Then again, that’s the kind of driver you need when you see the expected level of competition in Global Rallycross this year. The Ford Monster World Rally team is fronted by Ken Block; two-time World Rally champion Marcus Gronholm, 2011 Global Rallycross title-holder Tanner Foust and X-Games 17 champ Brian Deegan bring more Fords to the party; Travis Pastrana is in play with a Dodge Dart; Rhys Millen has teamed up with ex-downhill skier and Formula Drift driver Stephan Verdier in a pair of factory Hyundai Velosters; Liam Doran’s Citroen DS3 will be out in key events; and Scott-Eklund Racing enter a pair of 600bhp Saab 9-3s.

The big names face the big jump – GRC is the only race series in the world featuring a 70-foot gap-jump on the joker lap, which is enough to focus the mind on keeping your foot in.

The six-round season kicks off at the end of this month at the Charlotte Motor Speedway

If the video above had you hankering after a bit of proper rallycross action then this great clip, courtesy of Motors Tv should do the trick. This is the British Rallycross Superfinal at Mallory Park in 2009:

Not much to say about this, other than it's unfathomably cool! Sadly it's not real, it's a CGI concept by the Bullfinch design studio, which in itself is a pretty impressive feat.

   

A quick look at Total oils involvment in Motorsport:

Nissan has announced plans to build a new car to rival the Ford Focus. The new model will be produced at its Sunderland plant, creating 1125 UK jobs.

The new, and as yet, unnamed model and a B-segment car - rumoured to a replacement for the Nissan Note - based on the Invitation concept shown at this year’s Geneva motor show will be built along side the Qashqai, Qashqai+2, Leaf and Juke. Combined, the two new models will generate more than 3000 UK jobs at Nissan and its supply base within the next two years.

Nissan is investing £127millon in its Sunderland plant - supported by a £8.2 million government grant - and plans to manufacture a 550,000 cars per year. The addition of the new car will see both production lines working around the clock for the first time in the plants 26-year history.

Speaking from Yokohama this morning, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said: “It is fantastic news that Nissan will be building their new hatchback model in the UK. It's proof of the strength and vitality of the British manufacturing industry that leading companies like Nissan are expanding their production in the UK.”

Details including the name, pricing, engine line-up and equipment levels will be released closer to the car’s sales launch in 2014. The new hatchback marks Nissan’s return to the mainstream C-segment in Europe after the Almera ended production in 2006.

DTM racer Susie Wolff has joined the Williams team as a 'development driver', the British outfit announced on Wednesday.

Wolff, who raced as Susie Stoddart before she married Williams's shareholder Toto Wolff, will contest her seventh season in the DTM this year.

She will work with Williams's simulator before she takes to the track in a test in the coming months, according to the team.

"Susie is a talented, successful and highly professional racing driver who competes in one of the world's most fiercely-contested racing series," said team boss Frank Williams.

"Susie will join Williams as a development driver, in which capacity she will assist us with the development of our simulator and other technical challenges. Susie will also undertake some aerodynamic testing of the FW34 and a full track test in the coming months.

"Susie will also attend a number of races with us. I should add that, as Susie is married to Toto Wolff, a director of Williams, her appointment was carefully considered and then approved by the board, with Toto recusing himself from the process."

Wolff added: "Formula 1 is the ultimate challenge for any racing driver and it offers me the chance both to apply and to improve the skills I have developed racing in DTM. In return I shall be offering some of my own technical insight and experience - coming from a different discipline – and helping the team engage with its partners.

"I hope also to demonstrate that women can play a role at the highest levels of motorsport and I shall be working closely with the team on its social responsibility programme in the areas of education and road safety."

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone also welcomed the announcement.

"If Susie is as quick in a car as she looks good out of a car then she will be a massive asset to any team and on top of that she is very intelligent. I am really looking forward to having her in Formula 1."