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Conquest and controversy conclude the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona [spoilers]

If you don't wish to know who won the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona, you should avert your eyes right now. We'll even give you a double-space to skedaddle...
For those of you still with us, the first race in the United SportsCar Championship (USCC) is done, but the discussions about it certainly won't end for a while. Daytona Prototypes claimed the first four overall places, the top spot taken by the No. 5 Action Express Coyote-Chevrolet Corvette DP driven by Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi, Sebastien Bourdain and Burt Friselle. The 16th and final caution of the race bunched the field up for an eight-minute sprint to the flag, so the first place getter finished just 1.4 seconds ahead of the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Dallara-Chevrolet Corvette DP driven by Max Angelelli. Third place went to Brian Friselle in the No. 9 Action Express Chevrolet Corvette DP, 20 seconds down. Chevrolet power hasn't taken the overall win since 2003, eleven years later it scores a one-two-three-four. The No. 6 Muscle Milk/Pickett Racing ORECA-Nissan 03 scored fifth place, the top LMP2 finisher.
The Prototype Challenge class win went to the No. 54 CORE Autosport team of Colin Braun, Jon Bennett, Mark Wilkins and James Gue.

Valet gives Ferrari 458 keys to wrong Florida man

A Florida man is suing a resort and valet company after a valet attendant gave the keys to his yellow 2014 Ferrari 458 Spider to the wrong man, who then took it on a joyride in what police believe was an attempt to impress a woman. Because of course it was. The mishap dates back to July 2017 at the Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the valet attendant told police things got very busy, and that at some point, a man, identified as Levi Miles, then 28, asked for keys to the Ferrari. He was accompanied by a woman, identified as Chloe Rimmer, 24. In the police report, the man "seemed to be impatient" and was "demanding," the Times reports. He told the valet the ticket was inside the car and that he would bring it back. Instead, the valet told police the two sat in the Ferrari for "quite a while." Figuring he wasn't getting a tip, he stopped paying attention, and the couple eventually drove off. Police soon pulled them over as they prepared to get on a freeway ramp because the taillights weren't working. Police also said the driver appeared to be having "difficulty" driving the car. So basically, had he known how to turn on the lights and was capable of driving the thing (admittedly, Ferraris can be tricky), this plan totally would've worked. For a bit longer at least. Then again, the police also found about 2 grams of cocaine on the center console so that might've had something to do with the driveability issues. Police eventually arrested Miles and Rimmer. He had told the officer he was a Marine driving his father's car. He denied knowing about the drugs. He reportedly acknowledged trying to distract the valet attendant from demanding the valet ticket and said he knew the car wasn't his. "Miles stated the vehicle and keys were given to him by (the) valet," the report reads, "so technically he did not steal the vehicle." Miles faces charges of grand theft of more than $100,000, possession of cocaine and habitually driving with a suspended or revoked license. Rimmer was charged with possession of marijuana after police found a gram of it in her purse.

As the iconic Ferrari F40 turns 30, a look back at its development

July 21, 2017 marks the 30th anniversary, to the day, of the Ferrari F40's debut. The F40 is easily one of the greatest Ferraris ever produced: It was one of the first road cars to have a top speed of 200 mph, it celebrated the company's 40th anniversary, and it was the very last model that founder Enzo Ferrari was able to see to completion. To celebrate this historic car's anniversary, Ferrari collected some anecdotes from people who worked on the F40 project, and they reveal some interesting details about the car's development. Among these details was the timeframe for creating the car. Ermanno Bonfiglioli, Head of Special Projects at Ferrari at the time, said that the car was developed in just 13 months. That means everything from the styling to the engine were taken from an idea to a production car in barely over a year. The engine wasn't quite a from-scratch design, though, since it was based on the unreleased 288 GTO Evoluzione's 650-horsepower engine, but it still received many updates to become the 487-horsepower engine we know today. Bonfiglioli highlighted the engine's weight savings due to using magnesium for the oil sump, cylinder head covers, intake manifold, and transmission bellhousing. It was after driving one of those 288 GTO Evoluziones that Pininfarina designer Leonardo Fiorvanti learned about Enzo Ferrari's plan for the F40. He said that after telling Enzo his thoughts on the 288, Enzo told him he wanted to make a "true Ferrari." Fiorvanti also revealed that everyone, including Enzo, knew this would be the last car for the founder. From what Ferrari test driver Bario Benuzzi said about the F40, it certainly didn't start out as a "true Ferrari." He said, "The handling of the first prototypes were poor." But in the short development time, the F40 became the car Enzo wanted, and Benuzzi credits plenty of downforce and the light, stiff chassis. It didn't make the car easy to drive, though. Benuzzi said, "With no power steering, power brakes or electronic devices, it demands the skill and commitment of the driver, but generously repays it with a unique driving experience." Related Video: Featured Gallery Ferrari F40 Ferrari Coupe Supercars Classics ferrari f40