Ford builds sweet 1.0-liter EcoBoost-powered Formula Ford [w/video]

Ford has announced a new version of its spec racer that pushes the bounds of what small-displacement, turbocharged engines can do. Formula Ford, as the name suggests, is a single-seat, open wheel race car powered by a (you guessed it) Ford powerplant. As the cars are made of lightweight materials, the usual Formula Ford engine is a 1.6-liter mill, but this particular racer has been fitted with the 2012 International Engine of the Year, the 1.0-liter EcoBoost inline-three.

This particular Formula Ford has also been converted to road use and has been testing on Germany's famed Nrburgring. There, it recorded the 11th-fastest lap ever at the 'Ring. At 7 minutes, 22 seconds, it was faster around the famed German track than the Ferrari Enzo, Lamborghini Aventador and Pagani Zonda.

This particular 1.0-liter engine has been tuned to put out 202 horsepower, making this feat of beating the aforementioned supercars around the 'Ring even more impressive. The Formula Ford EcoBoost also has an unofficial top speed of 158.8 miles per hour, can get from zero to 60 mph in less then four seconds and can achieve 118 miles per gallon... at 35 mph.

Check out the press release and video below to learn more about this exciting vehicle and the other Ford models in which this powerplant may soon find itself.

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Off-road race truck crashes into Oregon crowd, injures 3 [w/video]

The grainy image above is a shot from a video taken just seconds before a truck barreled into a crowd during an off-road racing event in Harrisburg, Ore. on Saturday. With about 1,000 people in attendance at Monster Air 2012, this jacked-up 1970s Ford pickup lost control and veered off course into the nearby crowd injuring three adults.

According to The Register-Guard of Eugene, Ore., fans were separated from the track by a dirt barrier at least eight-feet tall, and after the truck lost control, it went over this barrier and into the area where spectators were watching from folding chairs. Fortunately, the truck had slowed to just 10 mph by the time it made contact with the three victims, none of whom had serious life-threatening injuries. There has been no official word as to what caused the accident, but one witness said he heard something on the truck break just before it headed for the fans.

The accident happened just 30 minutes after the event started on Saturday, but the rest of the three-day Labor Day weekend events continued on as planned. Some reports referred to the truck as a monster truck, but it appears to be just a normal truck with a big lift. The Register-Guard is reporting it was a 1975 F-Series truck with a 950-horsepower engine, and CNN says that it was riding on 48-inch tires. No mention was made of the driver's condition, but he was apparently uninjured as CNN reports he got out of the truck after the accident to check on those who were injured.

One person happened to record the incident on his cell phone so the video quality is low, but it does capture most of the frightening incident. Scroll down to watch the grainy and jumpy video.

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ALMS, Grand Am finally getting hitched

SPEED reports the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series are merging. Rumors have swirled around the marriage of the two series for years, but fired up in earnest two weeks ago. Though details are still scarce, SPEED says Grand-Am will likely take on sanctioning duties. The news comes courtesy of unnamed sources, including manufacturers and race participants, who indicate the championship may very well combine classes from both ALMS and the Rolex Series. ALMS President and CEO Scott Atherton has denied the merger, and SPEED says a spokesperson for the Rolex Series declined to comment.

Traditionally, the two race series have been spirited rivals, and while both saw widespread support from manufacturers and privateer teams over the years, entries in key categories have recently declined.

The two won't officially combine until 2014 at the earliest. ALMS recently signed a one-year licensing deal with the sanctioning body behind the Le Mans series in Europe, which means we'll continue to see racing under the ALMS banner for at least one more season. Look for officials to make an official announcement on Wednesday in Daytona Beach, Florida.

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Back from vacation and straight to the Spa for the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix [spoilers]

We know it's been barely over a month, but it sure seems like a lot longer since the last Formula One race. At the end of July, Fernando Alonso lead the standings ahead of Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen after eleven of twenty grands prix were completed this season.

By now the drivers and their teams should be well rested after a month-long summer break, but it's back to work as the championship resumed this weekend with the Belgian Grand Prix from the indispensable Spa Francorchamps circuit. Keep reading to see how round twelve went down.

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3D-printed electric car is inspired by swimsuits

Formula Group T, a group of Belgian engineering students, is all about racing. The intent behind its latest creation, the Areion (named for a mythological horse that's both immortal and fast), is to change the game in the Formula Student series.

The Areion takes a different approach from other Formula Student cars, as it's been created using using the latest 3D printing technology. The team had automotive fabricator Materialise employ its Mammoth Stereolithography process to create the car's bodywork.

Part of the design was to emulate the exterior texture of advanced Olympic-caliber swimsuits. Those suits, in turn, were inspired by shark skin.

According to Wired, the Areion is motivated by an 85-kilowatt motor getting juice from a 50-volt lithium polymer battery pack. The nimble (617 pounds) formula car can do zero to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) in 3.2 seconds and achieve a top speed of 88 mph. Wired makes a Back to the Future reference in its article, so we don't have to.

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Chevy unveils pink Camaro pace car to fight breast cancer

Ahead of this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, Chevrolet is once again introducing an official pace car that will do more than just lead the field under cautions. Just like last year, Chevy is fielding a bright pink Camaro SS for the AdvoCare 500, and it will also help raise money for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer program.

During the Sprint Cup race, Chevrolet will donate $200 for every lap run under caution. In the 2011 Atlanta race, it had a similar donation that ended up totaling $12,800 after 64 caution laps. As a bonus, this Camaro pace car spent Friday at the track as Chevrolet Racing hosted 30 breast cancer survivors who got rides around the track from Jamie McMurray and Ron Hornaday, Jr. as well as having the chance to meet Danica Patrick.

The car includes the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer logo, and the pink ribbon symbolizing National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is prominently featured on the hood. If you think this car is too pink, just check out last year's charitable pace car in Atlanta.

Scroll down for Chevrolet's press release.

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Lexus / Gazoo Racing Nrburgring video is a tribute to perseverance

It was a little more than four years ago that Lexus announced it would campaign an LFA in the Nrburgring 24-hour race. From 2008 with a black prototype that no one would talk about, the Gazoo Racing LFA has raced every year since and suffered breakdowns, fires, more mechanical issues and high-speed encounters with guardrails.

There were enough literal hard knocks that this year, of the team's drivers said that that they were still rookies. Even so, the five-year "novices" took SP8-Class honors ahead of two Aston Martins and an Audi A8, getting some silverware to go along with that scintillating exhaust note.

The team put together a video recap of its years on the 'Ring, and it's definitely worth a watch. You'll find it posted below.

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