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Race Recap: 2013 Twelve Hours of Sebring, cakewalk up front, grindfest out back [w/spoilers]

This year's 12 Hours of Sebring wasn't exactly a foregone conclusion because we're still talking about racing, and anything can happen when the speeds are as high as the adrenaline and the desire. But we're still talking about Audi bringing it's two top-spec racers - and its huge budget and its nearly neurotic attention to detail - to a race that it uses as a test bed for The 24 Hours of Le Mans and as a way to open the endurance racing season with a victory.
Besides, 12 hours is a long time, especially at Sebring, and things didn't go all Audi's way. On top of that, although it was a pretty quiet race, behind the Audis things got even grimier, with plenty of battles, plenty of mechanical issues, and the new BMW Z4 GTE and Viper GTS-R being race tested. Oh, and that brand new chromed-out DeltaWing...

LaFerrari racing prototype spotted in Southern Europe

Rumors have been circulating for a few months now that Ferrari could be gearing up to challenge for outright victory at Le Mans once again with an LMP1 racer of its own. First the head of the sports racing division hinted at the prospect, then the head of the Formula One team lent it more credence, and most recently, the chairman of the company itself confirmed the possibility. We've even heard some rumors over who could drive the thing. But what we haven't seen yet is any solid proof that the Prancing Horse marque has actually been working on such a racecar.
That could be what we're looking at it here, but then again, it might not be. Spied undergoing testing in Southern Europe, this camouflaged test mule appears to be based on the new LaFerrari supercar, but with some key modifications that indicate this isn't the road-going version. The revised aero is a dead giveaway, with that giant front splitter jutting out like a swollen lip and a massive rear wing protruding from the back. The headlights are different, it's got center-lock wheels fitted at each corner and there's a big snorkel air scoop protruding from the engine bay.
What's clear is that this is test mule has definitely been set up for the race track. The only question is, to what end? Even with all the add-ons, it's still nowhere near as extreme as the purpose-built prototypes that Audi, Toyota and Porsche will be fielding in the FIA World Endurance Championship this year, and it's missing key features like the mandatory center tailfin. It could be a platform for testing components to use on an upcoming LMP1, but if not for the aforementioned Le Mans rumors, our money would have been on something else - be it a GT racing version of LaFerrari like Maserati did with the Enzo-based MC12, or a customer track toy to follow in the footsteps of the (also Enzo-based) FXX and the 599XX that followed.

Haas F1 names Esteban Gutierrez second driver

The 2016 Formula 1 grid is nearly complete with the announcement that Esteban Gutierrez will join the Haas F1 Team. To make the most of the signing the Mexican's appointment was announced during the Mexican Grand Prix weekend, and if the crowds at the grand prix are anything to go by then Haas can count on an instant and large fan base as of right now. The 24-year-old Gutierrez will drive alongside Romain Grosjean, who was announced at the end of September at Haas' US base in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Gutierrez spent a little more than two years as a test and reserve driver for Sauber, plus another two years as a Sauber race driver in 2013 and 2014 before being let go at the end of last year and signing on as a Ferrari test and reserve driver. Haas' relationship to Ferrari and Gutierrez' local fans made him - politically, at least - a viable candidate. Manor is expected to be the only team that might have vacancies, but with recent upheavals there it's yet to be seen if they'll make the grid next season. The press release below has more information on the Haas F1 Team signing. Related Video: Haas F1 Team Names Gutierrez to 2016 Race Seat MEXICO CITY (Oct. 30, 2015) – In a press event inside the main lobby of the Soumaya Museum, Haas F1 Team founder and chairman Gene Haas named Mexican driver Esteban Gutierrez to a race seat with his team when it makes its 2016 debut in the FIA Formula One World Championship. Gutierrez will race alongside driver Romain Grosjean, who was previously announced by Haas on Sept. 29 in a press conference at the team's U.S. headquarters in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Haas F1 Team is the first America-led Formula One team in 30 years. The 24-year-old Gutierrez is currently the third driver at Scuderia Ferrari, the technical partner of Haas F1 Team. Gutierrez joined Scuderia Ferrari in 2015 after spending the 2013-2014 seasons with the Ferrari-powered Sauber F1 Team. "I got to know Esteban through our relationship with Ferrari, and after looking at the success he's had to earn his role there, it became clear he was an excellent choice for our race team," Haas said. "He's young and hungry, but not inexperienced. His two years running a full F1 schedule has given him some very good race experience, and having spent this season at Ferrari as their third driver allowed him to see firsthand the methodology that makes Ferrari such a power in Formula One. "We're very happy to have Esteban as a part of our race team.