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The pre-race and first in-race report from Le Mans

The 2013, 90th anniversary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has begun, tragedy marking the opening laps with the death of Allan Simonsen. We're at the track now as a guest of Audi and plan to stay through the evening, and even we haven't been able to find out what caused the accident - the only video is from just after the incident, and beyond the statement from ACO there's been no more news. The Aston Martin in the LM GTE Am class and its all-Danish drivers had taken pole in its class and was one of the favorites to win.
The pre-race report will come first, and even thought we can't spoil the race because we're only five hours into it at the time of writing, we'll put all of the news at the end in case you don't even want the updates.
Or you can go straight to the high-res galleries above.

Race Recap: 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix is racing like you dream about

Well. What a race.
The first line of last year's Bahrain Grand Prix recap was, "The sand, the wind, the penalties, the contact and the one crash - all of them collided to make the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix a surprise affair from day to day and lap to lap." This year the sand stayed mostly off the track and the wind limited its gusts to the back side around Turn 11, but everything else carried over into this 2014 F1 season.
There were penalties issued, penalties given, contact from the first lap and an astonishing crash that made the race even more exciting than it already was. Or rather, two races, because the Mercedes AMG Petronas cars are so good - and both their drivers are so good - that every pilot is still racing for third unless one of The Silver Arrows trips up. But even the race for third was riveting. As well as that for fourth, fifth, sixth, and every position back to about eleventh, all through the race. At times it seemed like the producers were so unused to having to follow actual on-track passing that they weren't sure which camera to switch to; there was so much action for all 57 laps, sometimes two or three passing moves on the same lap to go along with the close racing throughout, that we saw more passes in replays than live.

Why this 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO will sell for at least $45 million

A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO by Scaglietti will be up for auction by RM Sotheby's in Monterey next month. Actually, perhaps "the" 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO would be more appropriate, because the list of its accomplishments, claims to fame and reasons for being extremely expensive are probably more than the rest. And by "rest," we mean 36. And by "extremely expensive" we mean an expected sale price of between $45 million and $60 million. View 47 Photos If you want to read in vivid detail about the car in question, RM Sotheby's provides a lengthy tale of "the world's most important, desirable, and legendary motor car." Trying to regurgitate it here really wouldn't do it justice. Instead, here are some of the bullet points. No. 3 of 36 Ferrari GTOs built. Known as 3413. Considered by experts to be one of the most authentic and original of those 36, all of which survive One of only 4 of those 36 to receive upgraded at the time with Series II GTO/64 body work by Scaglietti. It is more aggressive in appearance, more aerodynamic and many say attractive Won the 1962 Italian GT Championship First in class at the 1963 Targa Florio in its original body work First in class at the 1964 Targa Florio in the Series II body work you see today, as detailed in the Sotheby's story Won its class in the 1964 Targa Florio, helping Ferrari win the 1964 International Championship for GT Manufacturers More than 15 class and overall wins from 1962 to 1965 Last purchased in 2000 for $7 million – There's a reason German banks are suggesting adding a classic car to your investment mix. 3413 has actually been driven during that time, making appearances at countless classic events and vintage races Purchase includes exclusive access to some of the world's most prestigious events and rallies, including the GTO club and tours – Value! Currently fitted with a 250 GT engine block built to GTO specification to allow the car to be driven to those countless classic events and vintages races – The original block has been removed for preservation and comes with the car. This Ferrari's expected price of between $45 million and $60 million would make it the most valuable car ever put up for auction. A 1963 250 GTO sold for $70 million in a private sale. Another sold at auction in 2013 for $52 million, so the upper level of 3413's sale estimate definitely seems feasible. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.