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Felix Baumgartner parachutes into racing at N?rburgring 24

There are plenty of commonalities to be found between astronauts and racing drivers. Both are daredevils by definition (if not by trade), both subject themselves to unfathomable G forces and both face very real risks when strapped into machinery that makes the very best use of advanced propulsion, aerodynamics and composite construction technologies. Yet you don't find much crossover between the two. There was talk of Niki Lauda, himself an experienced pilot, training to go into space with Virgin Galactic (which itself was sister to an F1 team for a while in Richard Branson's empire), but that didn't seem to materialize. Now we're receiving news that Felix Baumgartner will contest the Nürburgring 24 Hours this year.
Felix Whomgartner, you ask? Felix Baumgartner. He's more of a skydiver than an astronaut, but he made history in 2012 when he jumped out of a space capsule and set the record for the highest altitude in a manned balloon, the parachute jump from the highest altitude, and the highest velocity freefall as part of the Red Bull Stratos initiative. In other words, he may as well be an astronaut, because he fell down to the earth's surface from the stratosphere.
For his next challenge, Baumgartner will be climbing into an Audi R8 LMS Ultra in an attempt to tackle the Nürburgring. Having contested a handful of spec races under the VW Group umbrella, he'll undertake several test sessions and practice races before the main event in June, in which he'll alternate behind the wheel with professional racing drivers Frank Biela, Marco Werner and Pierre Kaffer. The initiative is part of the Audi race experience program that allows gentleman racers to team up with seasoned pros to take part in real races. Baumgartner will undoubtedly prove its highest-profile participant.

VW stripped of Green Car Of The Year awards for Jetta, A3 diesels

In the wake of the ongoing VW diesel scandal, Green Car Journal has announced it will rescind the two Green Car Of The Year awards that the Volkswagen Group won with diesel vehicles that have been since been proven to not meet the stated emissions levels. The two vehicles are the 2009 VW Jetta TDI, which won in 2008, and the 2010 Audi A3 TDI, which won in 2010. Green Car Journal (GCJ) did not say if it would retroactively name any replacement winners. This is the first time in the history of the Green Car Of The Year Awards that the honor has been taken away from the winner. In a statement announcing the change, GCJ publisher Ron Cogan wrote that, "this award rescission should not cast a negative light on advanced diesel technology in general. Many diesel models from a variety of auto manufacturers meet EPA and CARB emissions standards, bringing with them higher fuel efficiency, decreased petroleum use, and lower carbon emissions – all important environmental goals." VW AND AUDI RETURNING GREEN CAR OF THE YEAR® AWARDS, VEHICLES DEEMED INELIGIBLE SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., Sept. 30, 2015 – Green Car Journal is rescinding the Green Car of the Year® awards previously honoring the 2009 VW Jetta TDI and 2010 Audi A3 TDI, the first time this has occurred in the award program's decade-long history. Audi of America President Scott Keogh has informed Green Car Journal that Audi will return its 2010 Green Car of the Year® award in the wake of Volkswagen Group's admission that it deliberately deceived government authorities about emissions from the Audi A3 TDI. Volkswagen of America has also informed Green Car Journal it will return its 2009 Green Car of the Year® award for the VW Jetta TDI. "Rescinding the Green Car of the Year® awards for the VW Jetta TDI and Audi A3 TDI is unfortunate but appropriate," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and CarsOfChange.com. "These models were selected as Green Car of the Year® above others for compelling reasons, including high fuel efficiency, reduced carbon emissions, a fun-to-drive nature, and the ability to meet 50 state emissions requirements with advanced diesel technology." However, VW Group has now admitted that its software programming intentionally caused in-lab emissions testing to read significantly lower nitrogen oxide emissions than these vehicles actually produced on the road.

Audi bringing TT Clubsport Turbo concept to Worthersee

Is the world ready for an Audi TT with 600 horsepower? Well it had better be, because that's exactly what Ingolstadt has in store for this year's GTI-Treffen at Worthersee, Austria. Billed as a "technology concept," this TT show car packs a 2.5-liter inline-five with two electric turbochargers. Audi is developing electric turbos for its diesel engines, but has found a performance application here in a gasoline engine. The result is a whopping 600 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, driving all four wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. Weighing in at 3,078 pounds and with those electric turbos spooling up quick, it's said to reach 62 in 3.6 seconds en route to a top speed of over 192 miles per hour. In a TT. The turbos are powered by a 48-volt electrical system, juiced by a compact lithium-ion battery in the trunk that can store regenerated power. It's also got a coilover suspension and electric jack to get over obstacles like curbs and speed bumps. The whole thing rides on 20-inch alloys with a two-tone finish, with carbon-ceramic discs to keep it all in check, and as you can see, a rather aggressive-looking widebody aero kit. All of which makes for a rather stunning concept, even if its encroachment on the R8 means it will likely never see production. Related Video: Ingolstadt/Reifnitz, 2015-05-08 Tremendous thrust right from the start: the Audi TT clubsport turbo technology concept car - Premiere at Worthersee: show car has 2.5 TFSI and electric biturbo - 441 kW (600 hp) and 650 Nm (479.4 lb-ft), 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.6 seconds - Development chief Prof. Dr. Hackenberg: "Technology close to production readiness" Wide add-on parts, a powerful rear wing and a power output of 441 kW (600 hp) – the Audi TT clubsport turbo impresses with its power and design. From May 13 to 16, Audi will be showing its technology concept car on the Worthersee Tour in the Austrian town of Reifnitz. The inspiration for the show car came from the successful Audi 90 IMSA GTO of the late 1980s. A new technology is making its debut under the hood. The car's electric biturbo adds even more dynamism to the driving experience with its spontaneous response. "The electric biturbo signifies a new dimension in driving enjoyment; it boosts sprinting ability and torque and enables high peak power," explains Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Audi Board Member for Technical Development. "In our TDI engines, we are close to production readiness with this technology.