One of the great perks of NJMP is your ability to walk in and around the paddock throughout the day.  There are very few professional level races around the country where you can literally stand over the mechanics shoulder as they prepare the cars; or in our case, use their power strip to charge your camera while they aren’t looking.

From the drop of the green flag their was plenty of door to door action in both DP and GT classes, and all of the bullying that we have come to expect from New Jersey.  There were plenty of off track excursions in both classes which played a decisive role in the final results, including a lap 81 hit between Scott Pruett in the Telmex BMW/Riley and Alex Gurney in the Gainsco Corvette DP which saw both cars unable to complete the race.

In the end, it was Ricky Taylor and Max Angelelli in the No. 10 SunTrust Corvette, and Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato in the No. 69 AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari 458 Italia crossing the line to their second consecutive win and closing any doubts of their wins in Miami.

See below for a full gallery of images from the day.

Full Press Release:

918 Spyder prototypes commence trials. Stuttgart. The Porsche 918 Spyder is on the road: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has taken the driving trials of the super sports car of the future a step further with completion of the initial prototypes. The 918 Spyder will go into production at the end of September 2013 as planned, with the first customers receiving their vehicles before 2013 is out. “What we are doing with the 918 Spyder is redefining driving fun, efficiency and performance,” said Wolfgang Hatz, Member of the Executive Board Research and Development of Porsche AG.

The prototypes, their camouflage harking back to historical Porsche 917 racing cars, signal the final touches to the 918 Spyder. The focus is on the interplay between the highly sophisticated individual drive components. The combination of combustion engine and two independent electric motors – one on the front axle and one in the drive line, acting on the rear wheels – poses completely new demands on the development of the operating strategies. “They are therefore a critical component in this vehicle into which we have put all of our expertise and capacity for innovation,” said Wolfgang Hatz. These operating strategies and the development of the software to go with them are one of Porsche’s core competences. Both of them have a major influence on the extreme driving fun to be had with the 918 Spyder and they make possible a unique combination of minimal fuel consumption and maximum performance. The initial results of the driving trials are in line with the high expectations placed on the 918 Spyder.

The super sports car is designed as a plug-in hybrid vehicle combining a high-performance combustion engine with cutting-edge electric motors for extraordinary performance: on the one hand, the dynamics of a racing machine boasting more than 770 hp, on the other hand, fuel consumption in the region of three litres per 100 kilometres. Moreover, Porsche is breaking yet more new ground with the technology demonstrator with spectacular solutions such as the full carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) monocoque with unit carrier, fully adaptive aerodynamics, adaptive rear-axle steering and the upward-venting “top pipes” exhaust system. In the process, the 918 Spyder is offering a glimpse of what Porsche Intelligent Performance may be capable of in future.

In the case of the Audi TT-Rs, the wait is finally over and production cars have begun delivery and hitting the streets shortly thereafter.  On this Saturday morning were not just lucky enough to have one or two in attendance, but a grand total of 8 arrived showing off pretty much every color and option combination you could have ordered.

So what brought all of these TT-Rs together? Well, a scenic drive in the country of course.  This was a NorthEast Audi TT-Rs GTG, bringing the TT-Rs and other audi’s from across the Northeast corridor together at AWE Tuning in Willow Grove, PA for a little preview of what they have to offer for the new turbo 5 cyl. as well as a trip into the “wine country” of the Philadelphia suburbs.  Todd, Jesse, Will and Joe from AWE were on hand to answer questions and give a small demonstration on their TT-Rs development car, showing off the SwitchPath exhaust, intercooler, software and other available options. Afterwards the crew headed out for some spirited driving, good food and a few photo opportunities along the way.

So if you happen to see an Audi TT-Rs passing you by during your commute, take note; not only is it a head turner, but with 360hp in factory form, it probably won’t be sticking around for long.

Under the rear decklid is an air-cooled 3.82-liter flat-six sporting six individual throttle bodies. With a GT3 crankshaft and titanium connecting rods, the powerplant spins eagerly to 8,000 RPM. The engine sends 425 horsepower and 340 lb-ft of torque to a proper Getrag G50 six-speed manual transmission. According to the engineering team, the 2,400-pound Singer 911 will sprint to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. Top speed is in excess of 170 MPH.

Under the skin are Moton shock absorbers, Eibach coil-overs, and Smart Racing Products adjustable sway bars. The four-piston brakes are sourced from the race-bred Porsche 930. Completing the performance package, and appearing period-correct, are the custom Zuffenhaus forged aluminum three-piece “Fuchs” wheels.

Singer’s attention to detail carries throughout the vehicle… with a decidedly modern touch. State-of-the-art Hella bi-xenon headlamps reside within the headlight buckets, while a special lightweight air-conditioning system keeps occupants cool (keen eyes will notice that even the 911′s windshield wipers have been relocated to the optimal center-mounted “993″ position). The audio system includes satellite radio, iPod, and Bluetooth connectivity. Navigation assistance is provided by a Garmin-sourced GPS.

The Singer 911 isn’t for everyone, and its still-unannounced pricing will reflect that exclusivity. Touted by Singer as “the love child of a 1967 911S, a 1973 911 Carrera RS and a 1996 993 RS,” the car is crafted for the passionate car enthusiast who is seeking a viscerally intense vehicle, surprising sophisticated, yet very reliable. It’s an emotional thing. If the Singer 911 doesn’t drop your jaw at first glance, it probably never will.

Source – Singer Vehicle Design / Autoblog

With growth, however, changes are required and the event must adapt. Right now we find ourselves in a tough position as the event has outgrown its ability to be a laid back gtg as it originally began, and we are reluctant to transform into a full-fledged show as this is not our intended goal for this event.

The one aspect we want to continue with as we move forward, is our ability to give to those who need it the most through charitable donations.  Over the next few months we plan to launch a line of goods for sale in our web store that will directly benefit both past and new charities and the good works that they provide in our community.  We will announce these items as they become available through the website, as well as on Facebook.

As 2012 moves forward, we are hoping to promote a few smaller events featuring a more specific genre, or specialized interests (I.e. karting, exotics, on track, etc). It is our goal that through these events we can do what we do best, bring those of a like-minded interest together for an event that ALL enjoy.

We apologize in advance and thank everyone who has been to one or all of our events in the past. We ask that you continue to check the blog, like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter for more updates and announcements.

- BlownEuros.

Money can buy you a lot of things in this world and when it comes to garages, it can buy you a whole lot.  Between tools, machines, and exotic flooring and wall finishings, money can go far to impress your friends and internet stalkers, but one thing it can’t buy you is character.  Browsing through The Garage Journal  the other day I cam across “Kiwi Kev’s Hot Rod Shop” out of Ventura, CA and couldn’t help but get all giddy inside.  This garage oozes character and just looks like a fun place to gather at and get some work done. It also helps that every tool imaginable is available to make even your wildest creations come true.

For more information or to follow along with the changes, check out the build thread on The Garage Journal forums.

2012 was a special year as it marked the 50th anniversary of Bill France’s decision to run an endurance race on US soil. The original race was a 3 hour endurance race featuring European and American drivers, but was later expanded out to the full 24 hours in 1966 to mirror that of Le Mans and create a true, US endurance race.

For this year, we decided that we would get down their early, get settled in, and spend the entire weekend at the track with out nights camping in the infield.  All went just as planned arriving on Thursday afternoon and heading right to the track to catch qualifying and practice for the Daytona Prototypes, GT cars, as well as the Continental Tire Sports Car Series.  The weather was perfect and with the exception of a short stint of rain on Friday, we could have asked for better conditions.  The nights were another story. Falling asleep to the sound of rumbling V8′s and high revving rotaries sounds amazing in theory.  In actuality, its the complete opposite. There is only so long that you can keep a set of plugs in your ears before depression sets in and you begin to feel isolated from the outside world.  In the end, however, it was all worth it … although next year we will bring a motorhome rather then a tent.

2012 also marked a year of advancements and newcomers.  Earlier this year Chevrolet unveiled their Corvette Daytona Prototype marking the first time a manufacturer developed their own chassis/ engine combination for the series.  With the exception of an early engine failure for one of the entries, the Corvette DP’s held their own and will be a force throughout the rest of the season as teams dial in the chassis and power plants. In my own opinion, the cars look fantastic as well.

Audi Customer Racing was also on hand this year with two teams Oryx Racing and APR Motorsports both campaigning the Audi R8 LMS for the first time on US soil.  Both teams suffered some unexpected clutch issues due to rule changes requiring them to run RWD and an oem clutch, a set-up which did not have much previous testing, but in the end they each finished the 24 hours and will continue to battle on through the rest of the season.  Albeit a little disappointing in numbers, the R8 is a welcome shape and helps break up the scenery of endless rows of 911s which have had a lot of success throughout the history of Grand-Am racing.

In the end, when 3:30 pm rolled around on Sunday afternoon, it would be the #60 Ford powered Riley of Michael Shank Racing that would take the checkered flag a mere 5.198 seconds in front of Allan McNish in the No. 8 Starworks Motorsports Ford/ Riley after 24 hours of action.  Ford power swept the podium with the #1 Chip Ganassi rounding out the top 3. The perseverance paid off for most of the teams as a great majority of the cars finished the race under their own power and most went relatively unscathed.

As for us, I think we are still recovering from the lack of sleep and what has to permanent hearing damage, but we will be ready for the next race at Barber Motorsports Park.

View the complete gallery of photos:

In preparation for the cars to start hitting the dealer floors, Fisker has released somewhat interesting  print ads to promote the Karma, and we have to admit, they’re pretty entertaining.  Hopefully we can actually get some shots of one once they arrive in town … if the girl happens to be there as well we will take it as a bonus.

Unfortunately we grabbed this photo a while ago and neglected to mark down the photographer (sorry!).  If you or someone you know took this photo, let us know so we can give you credit!