Blast From The Past at Formula Expo

Bud Moeller with Historic Grand Prix at Formula Expo from The Austin Grand Prix on Vimeo.

Learn more about the Historic Grand Prix, "The World's Fastest Museum," with F1 Pilot Bud Moeller.

The goal of the Historic Grand Prix is to preserve motorsports history while showcasing the 3.0 litre era of F1 during 1966-1983. HGP had an amazing collection of Formula 1 cars at Formula Expo in Austin, Texas. What was most interesting to me is that the owners of these rolling artifacts get to personally race them, sometimes competing against former racers!

Some of the handsome cars on display included a Lotus 79 once driven by Mario Andretti, Ferrari 312-T5 driven by Gilles Villenevue, McLaren M-30 driven by Alain Prost and March 821 driven by Jochen Mass. You can see more in our Formula Expo Picture Gallery.

Check Historic Grand Prix's schedule to see if they are coming to a track near you. They will be at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut over Labor Day weekend and at Watkins Glen the following weekend. Hopefully we will see them bring history alive at Circuit of The Americas in the near future.

Racing Legend Mario Andretti Joins COTA as Ambassador

Mario Andretti tours COTA in Austin, TX.  All images by Circuit of the Americas © 2012

Early this morning, Circuit of The Americas announced that American racing legend Mario Andretti has joined them as an official ambassador.  Mario's unparalleled experience in motorsports makes him a perfect ambassador for COTA, working with them to promoting Formula 1 and other motorsports in Austin.

Mario visited the circuit a few days ago, for a first hand look at his trip to Austin, check out this short video on his experience at COTA:

Mario Andretti visits Circuit of The Americas from The Austin Grand Prix on Vimeo.

Here's a link to the official release and Dave Doolittle had a chance to learn more in this exclusive Q&A with Mr. Andretti.

American Conor Daly To Test Force India F1 Car

American GP3 driver Conor Daly gets fitted in the Sahara Force India VJM05, May 15th, 2012

Coming off of a spectacular win in the GP3 series at Barcelona, American racer Conor Daly is getting his chance to join the Formula 1 club as the Sahara Force India team announced that Conor will be testing some car configurations tomorrow in England.  Conor will be helping Force India test out various aerodynamic options and collecting data as they look to improve the VJM05 car for the 2012 season.

Yesterday, Conor was fitted for a seat in preparation for Thursday's test and had the following to say about the opportunity:

Someone seriouisly might have to pinch or kick me because I feel like I'm dreaming! So thankful for this opportunity.

Over the weekend, Conor secured his first win for the Lotus GP team at the Barcelona GP3 Series race, garnering the attention of many in the Formula 1 scene, including Stefano Domenicali, the Ferrari team principal, and former F1 world champion and American driver, Mario Andretti, who tweeted:

Conor's performance in the GP3 series has proven he is a great fit for the sport, and entering as a testing role for an up-and-coming team like Force India will be a great match for him.  With Alexander Rossi testing with the Caterham F1 Team and now Conor Daly's position with Force India, evidence is mounting that the teams are keen to gain American eyes on their cars.  It could be just a matter of months before we see one of these talented Americans on the grid for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas.