by crazysanman
This amazing Art Bus covered in broken mirror was photographed at American Visionary Art Museum at last years Artscape in Baltimore Maryland. Its a magical Noah's Ark with the mosaic animals hanging from the windows

Today Art Car Central was featured on blogs of note which is totally awesome. It's been a slow month, and I hope its the season and not my writing, so to get the year started with a mention from blogger is out of this world. Thank you blogger team and thank for enabling all of us to keep on bloging.

A new release of ur3 is available for download at this link.

New features

Track layout editor:

• UR30 localization with external text file
• editor GUI simplified with full toolbar usage
• 2D track section display enhancement
• add 4/6/8 lane track sections - automatically generated
• zoom dialogue enhancement
• manage library include directive to merge track section libraries
• manage pictures as libraries
• 2 lane circuit gap suppressor
• new editor tools: center view, mirror circuit, left/right borders, circuit snapshot, border track operation button..
• new Carrera D132 library, Ninco library updated
• library includes to split libs
• new multi lane and dummy red/white libraries

Race management:

• count down start lights
• joystick interface
• UR30 localization with external text file
• simplify external device management - automatic hardware enabling/disabling
• link with Zone Trigger
• even start
• reaction time management
• "large" view selection buttons

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 1, 2009) - Teams from the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 will get a head start on the 2009 season Jan. 3-5 with three days of testing at Daytona International Speedway.

Known as the "Roar before the Rolex 24," the session is the lone scheduled testing at the speedway prior to the 47th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Jan. 24-25. All three days of the session are open to the public for $10 admission, which includes access to the infield, Sprint FANZONE and garage. Saturday's session also includes fan forums, including drivers from GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Banner Racing and Hyper Sport.

Saturday's schedule opens with Rolex Series practice at 9 a.m., and includes night practice running through 8 p.m. Sunday's schedule runs from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m., with Monday's activities running from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. The Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge will also test all three days in preparation for its Jan. 23 season-opening Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona.

Nearly 50 entries have been received for the test, which will feature 19 Daytona Prototypes and 29 GT entries.

TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates will have a pair of Lexus-powered Rileys in preparation for a potential fourth consecutive victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, including the No. 01 of defending series champions Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas.

Five-time Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Hurley Haywood is part of a two-car Brumos Racing entry, with Michael Shank Racing, Penske Racing and Krohn Racing also entering two cars. Other entries include 2007 co-champions Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, with three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson set to join them for the Rolex 24; 2005 Rolex 24 winners and series champions Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor; 1995 Rolex 24 winner Christophe Bouchot, for Level Five Motorsports; Childress-Howard Motorsports, making its Rolex 24 debut with three-time event winner Andy Wallace; and Spirit of Daytona Racing, featuring motorcycle champions Scott Russell, Jeff Ward and Jason Pridmore.

Several of the teams, including Ganassi, Penske and Shank, are also expected to announce their Rolex 24 driver lineups at the test.

TRG and Farnbacher Loles Racing both have five Porsche GT3s entered in the test to head the GT lineup. Defending Rolex 24 class winner SpeedSource will have a pair of Mazda RX-8s, while 2008 champions Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards share the No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R with Jan Magnussen.

The GT entry also includes three Corvettes and a pair of Ferrari 430s.

For additional information, including the complete entry list for the Daytona Test Days, please visit www.grand-am.com.

From the The Hoar Cross Downhill soapbox competition

Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan is quick to reconfirm Corvette Racing's GT1 program in the first half of the 2009 American Le Mans Series.

"The primary focus of the race team is the 12 Hours of Sebring, Long Beach and, of course as it always has been, the 24 Hours of Le Mans," Fehan said. "We tested the GT1 car at Sebring in November. And we will be utilizing Sebring and Long Beach to put the final touches on the Le Mans effort. We're continuously developing the car and package for fuel mileage, efficiency and new materials from our various suppliers. We want our last GT1 appearance at Le Mans to be successful. The team understands the importance of a victory at Sebring, Long Beach and Le Mans to close the GT1 program."

The highly anticipated GT2 Corvette is still scheduled to debut at Mid-Ohio in early August, Fehan added.

"Engineering and fabrication continues to focus on the GT2 program," he said. "We expect the first actual race car to be completed in early February and will be testing that car in the spring."

News used with permission from the America LeMans Series