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A few pre-race notes and a lot of photos from the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 82nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is on.
Audi has won 12 of the last 15 events, the scion of Auto Union is trying to make it 13 this year. To do so, it will have to overcome a situation faced only three other times during its dominance of La Sarthe: underdog status. Toyota has won the first two races of the year and claimed pole for this race, the rumor being that this year it's Toyota's race to lose.
And then there's Porsche. It's been 16 years since the Stuttgart brand raced on the top rung at Le Mans, three years years since it announced its return, just a year since it acquired Mark Webber in a signing that wasn't subtle and a few months since we got eyes on the 919 Hybrid.

24 Hours of Le Mans live update part three

We tasked surfing journalist Rory Parker to watch this year's live stream of the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans. What follows is an experiment to experience the world's greatest endurance race from the perspective of a motorsports novice. Parker lives in Hawaii and has an associates degree in dropping f-bombs. For Part One, click here. Part Two is here. Really hoped I'd be able to grab an hour or two of sleep before the sun rose over Le Mans. Dark dark dark, couldn't figure out what was going on. Commentators struggled at times as well. But I couldn't do it. Endurance racing is just too exciting. Grabs my attention with both fists. Screams, "watch these men DRIVE!" A neighbor invited me over for drinks. Told him, "Can't do it, gotta watch Le Mans!" Maybe not exactly. I'll admit, at times my attention wandered. I did a load of laundry. Ate some snacks. Half listened to the commentary. Threw a hump at my wife. I learned that Patrick Long, driving #88, is big brother to Kevin "Spanky" Long. Spanky's a bit of a legend in the skate world. Always weird how top notch talent can run in families like that. Kind of surprised I've never heard that before. Worked for a skate mag for a years, met Spanky a handful of times. Someone must've told me that he has an older brother who drives race cars. Dash cams at night are scary. High powered headlights in the P1s reach almost 300 meters. Cars outrun that distance easy. Seems like they're just steering into the black and hoping for the best. But that can't be the case. People'd be dropping dead let and right. Very amused by how the guys in GT are like, "Dude, stop flashing your fucking lights before you pass." But the LMP's are all, "Suck a dick! I do what I want." Top three stayed neck and neck nearly all night long. As the sun gets ready to creep back over the horizon the top three are separated by only eleven and a half seconds. Toyota 5 and 6, Porsche 2. Audi 8 is two laps behind Porsche, beleaguered 7 is dealing with constant trouble eleven laps from the front. GTE Pro sees Ferrari 82 in first, Ford 68 and 69 right behind. To win you've gotta drive perfect, build perfect. Fours cars retired so far. I'm beginning to appreciate the endurance aspect a little more fully. Only really considered the drivers at first. The mental and physical stress driving these cars at these speeds at length would inflict. But keeping the damn things running is the real deal. To win you've gotta drive perfect, build perfect.

Toyota rolls out new turbo engine on updated JDM Auris

Toyota may be among the leaders in hybrid powertains, but the Japanese auto giant knows there's more than one way to skin a proverbial cat – especially when it comes to green propulsion. To that end, it has announced a new series of downsized turbocharged engines. Leading the charge is 8NR-FTS, a new 1.2-liter turbocharged and direct-injected engine that uses a single-scroll turbocharger and a water-cooled exhaust manifold integrated into the cylinder head. The engine promises to deliver "responsive acceleration and maximum torque across a wide rpm range" combined with "drastically improved thermal and fuel efficiency." It features what Toyota calls D-4T technology – combining direct-injection with a turbocharger in a four-stroke engine – as well as continuously variable intake valve timing. The result is an engine that produces 114 horsepower and 136 pound-feet of torque from just 1,196 cubic centimeters of displacement. The engine is being rolled out initially on a redesigned version of the Auris hatchback (similar to the Scion iM we'll be getting Stateside) that's being introduced in Japan. In addition to the 1.2-liter turbo, the JDM Auris will also be available with a 1.5- and 1.8-liter engines. Buyers will also be able to choose between CVT and six-speed manual transmissions (the latter only available with the 1.8), in front- or all-wheel drive and in six trim levels – of which the 120T with the new 1.2 and CVT is the top. The refreshed Auris also benefits from revised sheetmetal, interior equipment and safety features. We're awaiting word back from Toyota on whether this new engine (or some derivative thereof) will be made available in North America, but in the meantime you can scope out all the details on both the engine and the new Auris in the press releases below and in the pair of high-resolution image galleries. Turbocharged Toyota Auris Goes on Sale in Japan Toyota City, Japan, April 6, 2015-The partially redesigned Toyota Auris, offering a newly developed turbo engine and a brand new safety package, went on sale in Japan today. Featuring significant interior and exterior changes, this latest redesign advances the Auris brand by building on the individuality and performance that has defined the model since its first generation. In addition, Toyota has combined the best of the model's new features by creating the high-end 120T grade. Across all grades, Toyota aims to sell 1,000 units per month in Japan.