Just finished it today! 
Alberto Crespo Antonio Creus Larry Crockett Tony Crook Art Cross
It was something of a surprise to see Vitaly Petrov at the Pirelli media event in Abu Dhabi, leading to speculation that the Russian may end up being the Pirelli test driver in 2012. Petrov is believed to also be talking to Caterham with a view to take over from Jarno Trulli, although the Italian has no intention of ending his F1 career.
When asked if Petrov might become the Pirelli test driver, Pirelli’s F1 boss Paul Hembery dodged the question.
John Cannon Eitel Cantoni Bill Cantrell Ivan Capelli Piero Carini
Justin Wilson says the fractured vertebrae he suffered during an IZOD IndyCar Series practice session in August at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is but a distant ? albeit painful ? memory.
The IZOD IndyCar Series race winner will return to competition this weekend in the 50th anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona. Wilson will co-drive the No. 60 LiveOn.com Daytona Prototype (ABOVE) with AJ Allmendinger, Oswaldo Negri and John Pew.
“It was a long six months. It was frustrating; you want to get back in the car,” said Wilson, who was announced late Wednesday as the driver for Dale Coyne Racing. The Briton was recently cleared to drive this season by IndyCar medical officials.
Wilson says he’s fit for the rigors of multiple driving stints on the 2.56-mile, 12-turn circuit in the Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian car.
“To take it easy; that was the only prescription,” he said of the recovery and rehabilitation. “About five weeks they said I could start to swim and I just built that up, and at about 12 weeks I added cycling. I was fortunate that there was no surgery so that made life a lot easier. I just had to concentrate on getting the movement and strength back and make sure I don’t damage anything in the meantime.”
Michael Shank Racing’s best finish in the event (second place) came in 2006 with Wilson, Allmendinger, Negri and Mark Patterson co-driving. Of course, drivers and the team principal believe they have a great opportunity to climb one step on the podium.
“The key is working out some of the changes we made and making sure we really understand and know what we’re doing,” Wilson added. “The conditions change so much. Obviously, the middle of the night is much colder than the middle of the day so it’s just getting a good handle on that so we can attack in every condition and situation and I think we’ve made some good changes on the car that allow us to do that.”
A second Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Daytona Prototype entry will be co-driven by Firestone Indy Lights drivers Gustavo Yacaman and Jorge Goncalvez, plus Michael McDowell and Felipe Nasr.
“We’re as ready as we can be and we’re eager to get going,” said Shank, whose MSR Indy team is also expected on the grid of the IZOD IndyCar Series season opener March 25 in St. Petersburg, Fla. “I’m very proud of the effort this whole team has put in, and I’m very excited about our chances this year. We’ve got an exciting lineup of guys, and we know that this race will be as much about performance as it will be about patience.”
Other IZOD IndyCar Series drivers competing in the Daytona Prototype class include Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti in the No. 02 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates car, Ryan Briscoe in the No. 10 SunTrust Racing car and Paul Tracy in the No. 77 Doran Racing entry.
“It’s a fun weekend,” said Franchitti, the four-time IZOD IndyCar Series champion. “You try not to take it too seriously ? then you take it seriously when you get into the car.”
Latest articles from Racer.com IndyCar
Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni Jimmy Bryan Clemar Bucci
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Now that McLaren has solved the problems associated with the MP4-12C Coupe, it’s time to focus our attention to the Spyder version due to be unveiled later in 2012. British magazine, CAR, was lucky enough to get ahold of the first images of the vehicle without any camouflage or decoy body panels. As seen in this image, the MP4-12C SPyder is as gorgeous as its coupe brother and will be offered with a folding metal roof – just like its competitor, the Ferrari 458 Italia Spyder.
The McLaren MP4-12C Spyder’s three-piece roof will open and close in about 17 seconds and will operate at speeds of up to 5 mph. The rest of the car will be identical to the coupe version: it will be powered by a V8 engine with an output of 592 HP and 442 lb-ft of torque. However, performance figures won’t be similar because the Spyder will be heavier, so no one should expect the same 205 mph top speed.
gallery: 2013 McLaren MP4-12C Spyder
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First Undisguised Images of the McLaren MP4-12C Spyder Surface originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 25 January 2012 17:00 EST.
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Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth
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The facelift version of the Audi A4 is on sale in Europe and will go on sale in the USA in the summer of 2012. In this short time, the model has already received a number of significant upgrades, but German tuner, ABT Sportsline, is adding another one to the faster version of the A4, the S4. Their package, called the AS4, includes a series of exterior upgrades and some serious engine boosts to allow the A4 to excel.
The exterior changes were made to improve the car’s aerodynamics and were kept to a minimum. These changes include a new air dam, new side sills and wing inserts, aerofoils, rear apron inserts, a two-pipe exhaust system, and, of course, a new set of alloy wheels.
Under the hoods of the different versions of the A4, the most impressive changes were made for the S4. The Audi S4’s 3.0 L TFSI V6 engine was pumped up to 435 HP from the standard 333 HP. The top speed limiter has also been removed, providing the luxury sedan with a top speed of 175 mph, while the 0 to 60 mph sprint is made in 4.8 seconds. The 3.0 TDI engine has also been increased from 245 HP to 282 HP, while the tiny four-cylinder version, the 2.0 TFSI, goes from 211 HP to 275 HP.
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Audi A4/S4 by ABT Sportsline originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 25 January 2012 18:00 EST.
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Ronnie Bucknum Ivor Bueb Sebastien Buemi Luiz Bueno Ian Burgess
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After revealing the XJ Sport and Speed at the end of 2011, Jaguar has added two more special editions to their lineup, this time for the XF. The SE Business and Sport Editions can now be ordered on the British market, with prices starting at £31,500 ($ 49,000 at the current exchange rates) and £34,950 ($ 54,400 at the current rates) respectively.
The Jaguar XF SE Business version is based on the recently launched 163 HP 2.2 Diesel XF and adds a satellite navigation system complete with a seven inch touchscreen and HDD mapping. Next to these features, the model will be offered with intelligent start stop, a 400W sound system with DAB digital radio, leather and suedecloth seats, and bi-Xenon headlights.
The Jaguar XF SE Sport edition is based on the 190 HP 2.2 Diesel model and is distinguished by a full aerodynamic pack that includes a revised front bumper, a black grille element, side sill extensions, a subtle rear boot lid spoiler, and a black rear valance. The interior gets half leather suedecloth seats, a bond grain trim, and dove contrast stitch. The center console was dressed up with Piano black trim with ’Sport’ decals and the pedals in stainless steel. Practical additions include a heated front windscreen and front seats, a front parking aid plus a reversing camera, and 60/40 folding rear seats.
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Jaguar XF SE Business & Sport Edition originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 24 January 2012 18:00 EST.
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Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader Kurt Adolff
Honda delivered a 2013 Fit EV battery-electric vehicle to the city of Torrance today as one of the first major steps in the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program, a prelude to the retail market launch of the Fit EV with customers in California and Oregon this summer.
The delivery was marked by a ceremony at the Torrance City Hall, at which a key to the Fit EV was presented to Torrance Mayor Frank Scotto by Steve Center, vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office at American Honda.
“This is an exciting day as we take another important step toward Honda’s comprehensive vision for reducing CO2 emissions while at the same time advancing our relationship with the city of Torrance,” said Steve Center. “Honda has a long history with electric vehicles starting with the introduction of our first battery-electric car, the EV Plus, nearly 15 years ago. With Honda’s extensive experience and the real-world feedback from the city of Torrance, we will be even more prepared for the further customer adoption of electric vehicles.”
Over the past year, Honda and the city of Torrance have worked together to gather input from Torrance residents about potential recharging station locations and jointly participated in numerous public awareness events with a Fit EV test vehicle. Honda and the city will continue to further these initiatives while also studying local government fleet usage of an electrified vehicle. The city of Torrance will also receive a Honda plug-in hybrid for additional testing at a later date.
“Today, in our partnership with Honda and their continuing efforts in renewable technologies, we will be driving into a more sustainable future,” said city of Torrance Mayor Frank Scotto.
Honda unveiled the 2013 Fit EV at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show and announced plans to begin leasing the 123 city-mile per charge (76 mile range combined adjusted city/highway)(1) battery-electric commuter vehicle to its U.S. customers in the summer of 2012. Equipped with a 20 kWh lithium-ion battery and 92 kW coaxial electric motor, the Fit EV battery can be fully recharged in as little as 3 hours when connected to a 240-volt circuit.
Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program
As part of the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program, Honda will test the Fit EV with Google Inc. and Stanford University, in addition to the City of Torrance, California. Each program participant will provide Honda with real-world feedback on the Fit EV. Individually, each participant will use the Fit EV to further initiatives such as research into human behavior and various usages like personal, fleet and car-sharing.
Honda Environmental Leadership
In addition to the Fit EV, Honda is a leader in the development of leading-edge technologies to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. Honda has led the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) rankings of overall vehicle environmental performance since 2000, and a Honda vehicle has topped the list of America’s greenest vehicles, from the America Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), for eleven consecutive years.
In 2006, Honda became the first automaker to announce voluntary CO2 emissions reduction targets for its global fleet of automobile, powersports and power equipment products and its global network of manufacturing plants. Today, the company is striving for even greater reductions in CO2 emissions that contribute to global climate change, while also working to minimize waste, water use and the total environmental footprint of its operations worldwide.
Alberto Colombo Erik Comas Franco Comotti George Connor George Constantine
The blurry screencap shown above is of a driver in morning traffic on Pennsylvania’s I-81, in mid-jump, hurtling down the snowy median. The man who captured the video, Shawn Lucas, thought the driver was trying to evade police, but it turns out the 61-year-old woman behind the wheel of the Kia was likely having a diabetic emergency.
Before this video was taken, she had driven onto and stopped on the median, and other drivers pulled over to play Good Samaritan and push her off. While they were pushing, she sped off again, which is when Lucas began to record her (he apparently was unaware of the driver’s medical condition).
A fire chief described the condition as “your eyes are open, you’re wide awake, but you don’t realize what’s going on around you.” Luckily, no one was hurt and her wild ride came to end when she plowed into an embankment. Follow the jump to see the report from WHTM news as well as Lucas’ original footage (fair warning, there’s explicit language).
Sebastien Buemi Luiz Bueno Ian Burgess Luciano Burti Roberto Bussinello
Pirelli’s 2012 F1 tyre range
Pirelli will supply softer tyres in 2012 in a bid to further improve the standard of racing in Formula 1.
The tyre manufacturer revealed its 2012 F1 tyre range on Wednesday, including new soft, medium and hard tyre compounds. The super-soft compound remains unchanged, but all four dry-weather tyres will have a different construction in 2012 with a squarer profile.
Pirelli will also introduce a new wet-weather tyre. The intermediate tyre remains unchanged but the colours used to distinguish them will be revised ? the intermediate tyre now has green colouring and the wet-weather tyre uses blue.
The dry-weather tyres will retain their 2011 colouring: red for super-soft, yellow for soft, white for medium and silver for hard.
According to Pirelli the banning of exhaust-blown diffusers has influenced their choice of tyres for 2012: ?This new measure, which should result in a reduction of aerodynamic downforce acting on each tyre, requires a wider and more even contact patch.
?This objective has been met by having a less rounded shoulder on each tyre and using softer compounds, which produce better grip and more extreme performance.?
Pirelli added they intend to reduce the performance gap between the compounds from the 1.2-1.8 seconds seen last year to 0.6-0.8 seconds.
The new tyres will make their first appearance at the start of F1 testing at Jerez on February 7th.
Pirelli president and CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera said: ?After the positive experience of last year, the teams asked us to continue providing tyres with the characteristics that contributed to spectacular races in 2011.
?And this is what we have done, optimising the compounds and profiles in order to guarantee even better and more stable performance, combined with the deliberate degradation that characterised the P Zero range from 2011.
?We?re expecting unpredictable races, with a wide range of strategies and a number of pit stops: all factors that both competitors and spectators greatly enjoyed last year. The development work on the new compounds took place throughout the 2011 season, thanks to the impressive learning curve and reaction times from our engineers, who are ready to continue those evolutions during the season ahead.?
More information on the 2012 F1 season.
2012 F1 season
Browse all 2012 F1 season articles=
Image © Pirelli
F1 Fanatic – The Formula 1 Blog
Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore
Features Gran Turismo 5 January 25th, 2012 by Famine
Kazunori Yamauchi has recently revealed via Twitter that the inspiration for the location of the latest GT5 track ?Route X? was the port of Hakata, near the new Polyphony Digital offices in Fukuoka.
He also shared a link to this YouTube video, which shows a closer look at the cranes and the port in action.
For a closer look at the surrounding area that inspired this new track, check out photos of the area on Panoramio.
Although its clearly an industrial area in real life (and there?s no 30km test track!), the atmosphere and geography in the game appears to be quite accurate. There?s even a harbor tower, though Polyphony Digital?s interpretation of it is quite a bit more interesting to look at!
GT5 Photomode images courtesy of Soloracer and ForceMotion. Panoramio image courtesy of FREAKISHBOY.
Peter Collins Bernard Collomb Alberto Colombo Erik Comas Franco Comotti
2013 BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupe
Still unique ? now even more exceptional
Woodcliff Lake, NJ ? January 25, 2012… BMW today revealed the first images and information about the newly updated 2013 BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupe which arrives in US BMW Centers this spring. The world’s first ever Sports Activity Coupe stills offers a unique combination of sporty dynamics, versatility and unmatched character. Select design updates and innovative features further hone the profile of the new BMW X6 as a distinctive model within the premium segment of all-wheel-drive vehicles. Its ongoing popularity is due to both its highly expressive design, which combines the athletic and elegant lines of a coupe with the unique character of a BMW X model, and the outstanding driving experience provided by two powerful engines featuring BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology and xDrive, the intelligent all-wheel-drive system. The BMW X6 continues to offer Dynamic Performance Control which gives the Sports Activity Coupe unparalleled agility for a vehicle in this segment.
Since its market launch, more than 150,000 Sports Activity Coupes have been sold globally in the last three years with over 20,000 sold here in the US. This has far exceeded the original expectations. The continuing high level of demand for the BMW X6 on worldwide markets is affirmation of the ground-breaking vehicle concept of the Sports Activity Coupe.
Striking design features front and rear, adaptive LED headlamps a new option.
Precisely modified up front give the new BMW X6 an appearance characterized by athleticism and style. The standard foglights are now set in matt finish surrounds in the upper area of the outer air inlets. Their higher and more lateral position emphasizes the width of the vehicle. The striking three-dimensional modeling of the frame and newly designed bars, angled in the lower section, make the BMW kidney grille stand out conspicuously in the vehicle’s front end. The angle of the grille bars is flush with the bottom of the headlamp units, thereby creating an additional horizontal line which likewise highlights the wide track and road-holding prowess of the new BMW X6.
As an alternative to the standard Xenon headlights, the new BMW X6 is the first vehicle in its segment to be available with adaptive LED headlights. Their bright white light ensures optimum visibility, while their high-quality appearance represents a new interpretation of the brand’s hallmark twin circular headlamps. The three-dimensionally shaped luminous rings of the adaptive LED headlights are strikingly leveled off both at the top and bottom and are overlaid at the upper edge by an LED-fed accent light. The light sources for low and high beam light are LED units positioned on a horizontal bar at its center, feeding their light into the reflectors in front. With its newly designed taillights with LED technology, the powerfully shaped rear of the new BMW X6 also features more intense styling. The taillights are now two LED-fed light banks which create the brand’s hallmark night design as a harmoniously glowing light mass. The fact that they are horizontally aligned and stretch far out to the sides emphasizes both the width of the vehicle and the flowing transition between the rear quarter and the tail-end.
Attractive new paint finishes, light alloy wheel and leather trim further enhance the new look.
The program of external paint finishes for the new BMW X6 consists of two non-metallic and nine metallic colors, including Marrakesh Brown metallic, Orion Silver metallic and Midnight Blue metallic. The standard equipment range of the new BMW X6 also includes a new 19-inch light alloy wheel style for the X6 xDrive50i.
The standard Nevada leather upholstery is now also available in Vermilion Red. Also available is a new Nappa Leather upholstery in Ivory White. The new BMW X6 comes standard as a four-seat model. A three-seat rear bench is available as an option. The luggage compartment volume of the Sports Activity Coupe is 25.6 cubic feet (570 liters) and can be extended to up to nearly 60 cu.-ft. (1,450 liters) by folding down the rear backrests.
The new BMW X6: dynamic, unparalled, efficient, innovative.
The BMW X6 will again be offered in two models in the US, the X6 xDrive50i which features BMW’s 4.4-liter 400 hp TwinPower Turbo V8 and the X6 xDrive35i with BMW’s award-winning 300 hp TwinPower Turbo inline-6. Both are mated to BMW’s 8-speed automatic transmission for a unique blend of responsiveness and efficiency.
The new M Performance Package
As an additional option, the M Performance Package is available in the US. This attractive equipment package is not just cosmetic. It includes an engine upgrade of +15hp and +30 lb-ft of torque on the X6 xDrive35i giving it 315 hp and 330 lb-ft. The increase is +40 hp +30 lb-ft of torque on the X6 xDrive50i for total peak output of 440 hp and 480 lb-ft. In addition, the M Performance Package includes 20-inch light alloy wheels, black chrome exhaust tips, stainless steel pedals, M foot rest and door sills, shadowline exterior trim, anthracite headliner, and optional Carbon Black metallic paint.
The X6 M: The Ultimate Sports Activity Coupe
As an additional product offer from BMW M GmbH, the specialists for high-performance sports cars, the BMW X6M with its V8 engine delivering 555 bhp also benefits from detailed refinements in the area of design and equipment. The BMW X6 M is fitted with a 6-speed M Sport automatic transmission, also highlighting its individual status with such features as separately developed suspension technology.
The new BMW X6: Unmatched character ? refined
The BMW X6 remains unique in the industry for its blend of style, performance and versatility. The updated 2013 model refines that character ensuring the continued success of the world’s first Sports Activity Coupe.
The 2013 BMW X6 arrives in US showrooms in the spring of 2012.
BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 339 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 110 MINI passenger car dealers, and 36 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Ettore Chimeri Louis Chiron Joie Chitwood Bob Christie Johnny Claes
?Aluma Trailer, AgriGold Seed and Heitkamp Crop Insurance join team to expand racing schedule?
Drew Charlson
NEW BREMEN, OH ? Eighteen year old Drew Charlson and his D C Racing Team are pleased to announce an expansion to their 2012 race schedule. Aluma Aluminum Trailers, Charlson?s long time sponsor during his USAC Kenyon Series and Main Event Outlaw Series time, has signed on as primary sponsor for the ARCA events at Daytona, Talladega and Iowa. Additionally, AgriGold Seed Company and Heitkamp Crop Insurance have joined the team as associate sponsors.
?I can?t wait to get to Daytona for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200. We are so thankful to Aluma Trailers, AgriGold Seed and Heitkamp Crop Insurance for giving us this opportunity. With the increased sponsorship dollars, we were able to purchase a car from Richard Childress Racing. This car has visited victory circle at Daytona and Talladega so we know that we have the equipment to be a contender? said Charlson. Daytona is the biggest race on the ARCA schedule, and the list of former winners includes Benny Parsons, Kyle Petty, Ryan Newman and Kyle Busch. ?I really feel we can join the ranks of ARCA winners this year. We tested Daytona in December and ended up 8th fastest of over 50 cars so we are very confident in our ability.?
Aluma Aluminum Trailers (Bancroft, Iowa) is a relatively new company that produces light weight, strong, rust free trailers for many purposes. With over 60 models of open utility and enclosed cargo trailers to choose from, you are sure to find a perfect trailer for any need. Today, Aluma builds an average of 50 trailers a day and ships them to all 50 states and Canada. Aluma Trailers also feature an all inclusive five year warranty on all of their products, the best in the industry! ?Aluma has provided us with amazing trailers to transport our race cars. We log tens of thousands of miles annually and could not be happier with our trailers. They pull so smooth and easy that sometimes I forget they are behind me. They have the most complete aluminum utility and recreational trailer line in America and we couldn?t be more pleased to expand our relationship with them? added Charlson.
Charlson is also proud to welcome AgriGold Seed Company (The Corn Specialists) and Heitkamp Crop Insurance on board. ?If you are a farmer, you already know about AgriGold Seed. If not, you are missing out. I recommend you plant those AgriGold Giants and then see John Heitkamp for all your crop insurance needs. Because of these new marketing relationships, as well as our ongoing relationship with Elmer Schaeffer Amsoil Dealer and Mid America Properties, we are able to step up our racing program to levels only dreamt of in the past!?
Charlson will be running a limited ARCA schedule this year. Confirmed races include the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, Talladega ARCA 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 4th, and the Iowa ARCA 200 at Iowa Speedway on July 13th. All of these races will be televised live on SPEED channel. More races may be added as sponsorship allows. Charlson will also be running the full Main Event Racing Series Outlaw Late Model schedule, where he finished 6th in points last year. He has had a successful racing career so far with over 150 kart wins and 17 championships, 5 USAC Midget Feature wins and a runner up points finish. He also set a USAC record as the youngest driver (age 13) in his 1st USAC National Level Midget race, the Ft. Wayne Rumble indoor, qualifying 15th, winning his heat and finishing 6th behind NASCAR veteran Tony Stewart.
For more information, please call Heitkamp Crop Insurance at 419-305-4798 or visit www.alumaklm.com, www.agrigold.com, and www.drewcharlson.com.
- D C Racing Team Press Release
Ronnie Bucknum Ivor Bueb Sebastien Buemi Luiz Bueno Ian Burgess
It was something of a surprise to see Vitaly Petrov at the Pirelli media event in Abu Dhabi, leading to speculation that the Russian may end up being the Pirelli test driver in 2012. Petrov is believed to also be talking to Caterham with a view to take over from Jarno Trulli, although the Italian has no intention of ending his F1 career.
When asked if Petrov might become the Pirelli test driver, Pirelli’s F1 boss Paul Hembery dodged the question.
Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem
The blurry screencap shown above is of a driver in morning traffic on Pennsylvania’s I-81, in mid-jump, hurtling down the snowy median. The man who captured the video, Shawn Lucas, thought the driver was trying to evade police, but it turns out the 61-year-old woman behind the wheel of the Kia was likely having a diabetic emergency.
Before this video was taken, she had driven onto and stopped on the median, and other drivers pulled over to play Good Samaritan and push her off. While they were pushing, she sped off again, which is when Lucas began to record her (he apparently was unaware of the driver’s medical condition).
A fire chief described the condition as “your eyes are open, you’re wide awake, but you don’t realize what’s going on around you.” Luckily, no one was hurt and her wild ride came to end when she plowed into an embankment. Follow the jump to see the report from WHTM news as well as Lucas’ original footage (fair warning, there’s explicit language).
Ettore Chimeri Louis Chiron Joie Chitwood Bob Christie Johnny Claes
Pirelli’s 2012 F1 tyre range
Pirelli will supply softer tyres in 2012 in a bid to further improve the standard of racing in Formula 1.
The tyre manufacturer revealed its 2012 F1 tyre range on Wednesday, including new soft, medium and hard tyre compounds. The super-soft compound remains unchanged, but all four dry-weather tyres will have a different construction in 2012 with a squarer profile.
Pirelli will also introduce a new wet-weather tyre. The intermediate tyre remains unchanged but the colours used to distinguish them will be revised ? the intermediate tyre now has green colouring and the wet-weather tyre uses blue.
The dry-weather tyres will retain their 2011 colouring: red for super-soft, yellow for soft, white for medium and silver for hard.
According to Pirelli the banning of exhaust-blown diffusers has influenced their choice of tyres for 2012: ?This new measure, which should result in a reduction of aerodynamic downforce acting on each tyre, requires a wider and more even contact patch.
?This objective has been met by having a less rounded shoulder on each tyre and using softer compounds, which produce better grip and more extreme performance.?
Pirelli added they intend to reduce the performance gap between the compounds from the 1.2-1.8 seconds seen last year to 0.6-0.8 seconds.
The new tyres will make their first appearance at the start of F1 testing at Jerez on February 7th.
Pirelli president and CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera said: ?After the positive experience of last year, the teams asked us to continue providing tyres with the characteristics that contributed to spectacular races in 2011.
?And this is what we have done, optimising the compounds and profiles in order to guarantee even better and more stable performance, combined with the deliberate degradation that characterised the P Zero range from 2011.
?We?re expecting unpredictable races, with a wide range of strategies and a number of pit stops: all factors that both competitors and spectators greatly enjoyed last year. The development work on the new compounds took place throughout the 2011 season, thanks to the impressive learning curve and reaction times from our engineers, who are ready to continue those evolutions during the season ahead.?
More information on the 2012 F1 season.
2012 F1 season
Browse all 2012 F1 season articles=
Image © Pirelli
F1 Fanatic – The Formula 1 Blog
Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu
The Associated Press reports that Formula 1 veteran Rubens Barrichello will test KV Racing’s Chevrolet-powered DW12 IndyCar at Sebring next week ? presumably as a tryout for a possible switch to IndyCar racing this season, although the AP report says its source insists Barrichello has no plans in place beyond the test, scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday. SPEED.com, which also confirmed the story, says Barrichello will drive alongside KV racer Tony Kanaan, who is a longtime personal friend of his.
Barrichello is the most experienced F1 driver of all time with 322 career starts, from which he scored 11 wins and 14 pole positions, but has lost his ride with the Williams F1 team, which opted to replace him with Bruno Senna. With only the second seat at HRT seemingly still available in F1, the Brazilian admitted he was considering other career options. He had previously been linked with a possible IndyCar test at the end of 2009, although he insisted at the time that the rumors had been baseless. In the aftermath of Williams’ signing of Senna, Barrichello had again seemed to rule out an IndyCar move.
?For sure I will not race on the American ovals ? I have promised that to my wife, and I will honor that,? he said. Of course, only four of the 15 IZOD IndyCar Series rounds scheduled this year take place on oval tracks…
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Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson Jimmy Davies Colin Davis Jimmy Daywalt
One very unusual electric car has debuted in Brussels. The Hiriko EV uses a hub-mounted electric motor at each wheel, though that’s not the most interesting aspect of the vehicle. According to The Telegraph, the Hiriko uses an interesting rear suspension design that allows the vehicle to fold up, rotating the cabin vertically, to take up less space while parking. The partnership behind the vehicle say the car consumes approximately one third the parking space of a Smart ForTwo. Occupants enter from a single front door, and the Hiriko ditches the traditional steering wheel in favor of a joystick.
The vehicle is set to begin production in Spain next year, and the partnership behind the vehicle’s development aims to use several European and American cities as testbeds for the bubble machine. The two-seater has been co-developed by a collection of Basque businesses, the Spanish government and the MIT media lab (you may remember the concept, from 2007). A total of 20 test vehicles are currently being built, and each vehicle is said to cost $ 16,253 to manufacture. No final price tag has been set, nor are there solid details on range, power or charge times.
Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk
While the F1 authorities continue to say that there are no problems with the Grand Prix in Bahrain in April, there continue to be question marks about the event because of unrest in the country. Agence France Presse reported on Wednesday that Bahraini police dispersed anti-government protesters who blocked roads in several villages as tensions rise in the run-up to the first anniversary of the start of the anti-government protests. Public Security Chief Major General Tariq al-Hassan said that “vandals” had blocked the streets and had thrown petrol bombs during the clashes on Tuesday night. The security forces made several arrests. While there are only a small minority who are causing the trouble it should be noted that the US State Department said on Monday that it was relocating embassy staff and their families as a safety precaution. It is also warning Americans travelling to Bahrain of potential unrest in the Gulf kingdom as the anniversary approaches.
“The Department of State strongly urges U.S. citizens to avoid all demonstrations, as even peaceful ones can quickly become unruly, and a foreigner could become a target of harassment or worse,” the alert says.
“Spontaneous and sometimes violent anti-government demonstrations occur in some neighborhoods, particularly at night and on weekends,” it said. “These demonstrations have included blockades of major highways, trash can fires, and establishment of unofficial checkpoints. Participants have thrown rocks and Molotov cocktails and used various other homemade weapons. The Ministry of Interior maintains official checkpoints in some areas and routinely uses tear gas, stun grenades, and other crowd control measures against demonstrators. The violent clashes between security forces and demonstrators can make travel in and around Bahrain dangerous without advance warning.
“The US Embassy restricts its employees from traveling to specific areas and advises all US citizens to do the same. The recent increase in violent demonstrations along the Budaiya Highway corridor has led to traffic disruptions, effectively restricting travel for those living in the area. The resulting inability to leave one’s home for an extended period poses significant safety and security concerns. As a result, Embassy employees and their dependents are being relocated to different neighborhoods. We continue to urge US citizens to follow the latest security guidance and to avoid demonstrations.”
The travel advice lasts until April 19, which is three days before the race is due to take place.
This is interesting but not disastrous for the event, although any travel advisory from the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office is likely to be much more influential, as this would affect the insurance status of all the British-based Formula 1 teams. At the moment there is no travel advisory but the FCO is warning that “there has been an increase in protests and disruption across various parts of Bahrain in recent weeks. Some groups have called for a general increase in such activity in the period running up to and including 14 February (the anniversary of the ?Day of Rage?), and one group has called for action to begin from 24 January onwards. We cannot confirm where or when any such activity or resulting disruption will take place, but you should maintain a high level of security awareness, exercise caution, particularly in public places and on the roads, and avoid large crowds and demonstrations”.
F1 can be blind to the world if it chooses to do so, but F1 teams will not be blind to their insurers.
There is no doubt that the authorities and many others in Bahrain want the Grand Prix to happen, but the radical opposition is also aware that a big international event would provide them with an opportunity to stir up trouble as any potential protests at the F1 track would have to be stopped and that would likely result in conflict. As the extreme opposition is trying to stir up trouble, this suits them well…
Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem
TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Michael Waltrip, Clint Bowyer, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr. ? Notes & Quotes Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) ? Media Tour ? January 23, 2012
MICHAEL WALTRIP, owner and driver, No. 55 Aaron?s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Is there more pressure on your team with the changes this year? ?I think if you break it down, there was more pressure last year because we basically had the same goals as we have this year. But, we didn?t have the equipment to go do the job with. So, now we still aspire to accomplish the same things but we have a better toy, you know ? we have a faster car. We have a more aerodynamically designed, we have a better Toyota Camry to go race with. I?m glad our expectations are high and I?m glad they were this past season, but now we have a car I believe we can go win with. My answer would be no, we?re prepared and we?re ready. I believe we?re going to do the job.? How important is Twitter to your organization and how was hard was it to get Mark Martin on Twitter? ?I was a little unfair to Mark (Martin), I kind of tricked him. I think he?ll love it though. I know Mark, he loves this sport and he?ll see. For example, this morning there was something on Twitter about a sponsor going with another team that I hadn?t heard anywhere before. It?s what?s relative to me, it?s things that matter to me that I can get my news from. It?s instant. So, I explained that to Mark. I said, ?You don?t have to be controversial, just follow along and let the fans have a peek into who you are. He was happy he signed up. (Clint) Bowyer hadn?t got there yet, but hopefully we can convince him to do the same. I get it, I can tell customers to go to NAPA and get a brake job or an oil filter on a cheap price, for the best price if I choose to. Or, I can tell them to watch a movie that I like. We can share all kinds of different stories. I like it because I think it keeps me in touch with the fans. I get to hear sometimes good, sometimes bad, but I get to hear what they?re thinking. I just enjoy it. Part of my daily routine is to check Twitter, check what?s going on in the world and also see what?s going on in my world which is NASCAR.? Do you feel it?s important to have drivers that mesh well with your personality? ?I just love my lineup. I think that Clint (Bowyer) is a very energetic, engaging guy. I like the way he likes to have fun. That?s a good step up for our organization. Then you have the respected, savvy, tough, committed, dedicated veteran Mark Martin who has had the most fun today making Aaron?s commercials. He never dreamed he could have so much fun making a TV commercial, but the commercials are funny and he was really into it. I like seeing his reaction to the silly things that we asked him to do today. I think both those guys will revive Martin (Truex Jr.). You know, Martin is a really fun guy and he?s a guy that is very popular and won the Nationwide championship twice and made the Chase early on in his career, but he hasn?t had a whole lot to smile about lately. Now, with the cars that we?re building and the way he ended the 2011 season, we?re giving him something to smile about and we?re surrounding him with guys that like to smile and like to have fun. That will help Martin as well. Really cool driver lineup and a lot of fun feelings. I?m not making this up when I tell you all, a year ago to this day I was nervous about where we were going into 2011. I didn?t like our direction, I didn?t like the way our cars were being built, I didn?t like our philosophy on building them. You can?t change things overnight and we cracked toward a new philosophy, we cracked toward partnering closer with Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing), we worked hard at using our relationship with Toyota more effectively. If you look where we are today, it?s facts, it?s science, it?s black and white. We have partnered with Gibbs on the engines. We?re going to have the same engines that they have. We couldn?t say that a year ago. Our aerodynamics have improved to where our cars are as good as theirs, we couldn?t say that a year ago. Our driver lineup, if you just look at the numbers, we have more wins than we?ve ever had before. We have more Chase appearances than we?ve ever had before, so I love our driver lineup. Everything is pointing towards us having a banner 2012 season and I?m confident in that and I couldn?t have said that a year ago.? Do you think the economy is starting to turn around in NASCAR? ?Well, we added a team. Not many people have been able to do that. So, 5-Hour Energy came on board and we were able to go from two teams to three here at Michael Waltrip Racing. Obviously, we know how challenging things are, but NAPA and Aaron?s, Toyota ? our key sponsors, our key partners ? they see the value in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing, they know how big of a sport this is and they continue to support our team. But, more importantly, they continue to be a part of this sport. Adding another quality partner like 5-Hour and going into this season with a more robust lineup from the number of cars to the number of employees, the commercials we?re making ? everything we?re doing is good for our sport. I agree, I think that things are heading in a really positive direction and we ended the 2011 season on an up slope in the ratings as a whole. With the new fuel injection going into 2012 and the amazing battle we had for a championship, I think that momentum will continue.? What would be a successful 2012 season for your team? ?We have to win more than a race, we can?t just win a race and finish 16th in the points. I think we have to win multiple races and we have to make the Chase. We have to be right there fighting for it at least to make it. We?ll reassess our goals weekly, see what we did wrong and see how we can do them better and look at going from Daytona to Vegas, how we can do that the most effective way possible. As a whole in general, multiple wins for our cars and hopefully in the Chase.?
MICHAEL WALTRIP, owner and driver, No. 55 Aaron?s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing (cont.) What does Clint Bowyer bring to your team? ?Just enthusiasm, excitement, but the main thing that he (Clint Bowyer) brings is a track record that is very impressive. A Nationwide championship, three Chase appearances in his few years that he?s been in Cup, race wins, sponsors love him, the media love him ? he?s just a guy that you?d want on your team. I think it?s important what you are when you?re not behind the wheel. Obviously, it?s more important what you are when you?re behind the wheel, that makes up for a lot of stuff, but when you have the enthusiasm and the attitude that Clint has, he?s engaging, people want to talk to him, people want to hear what he has to say. Then that helps the organization as well. I couldn?t be prouder that he elected to come drive our cars. Personally, I have this desire to give all my boys the tools they need to go win the races with. I think that Clint will find that we have done a pretty good job over the last five years building these cars to the point where he can take them into 2012 and do some special things with them.? How has Mark Martin been with your humor? ?He?s (Mark Martin) perfect. He is just enthusiastic and he?s all in. He?s, ?What do you need me to do Michael? What are we doing?? And, I said, ?We?re going to make these commercials and it?s going to be a little goofy, a little silly.? ?No problem, I love it.? So, today with him being here and making the commercials, he just genuinely loves the experience. I look at him as being pretty versatile while he?s really tight and proper, he?s also very willing to do whatever it takes for the sponsor and team and that?s the kind of attitude that I appreciate as an owner. That?s the way I?ve always been, whatever they want, that?s what I give them. Mark?s the same way.? How special is it for you to continue to drive part-time? ?I?m blessed. I get to run a Ferrari at Daytona. I?m going to get to race in my home state of Kentucky in a car that can win that darn race. Of course, last fall I finished top-10 at Talladega in my last race out. I?m thankful, I?m happy. I?m glad I don?t do it every week. I think that we have a better driver lineup than it would be if I was in it week in and week out. I think that the fact that I get to still race, I get to own this place, I get to still be on TV and I get to participate in NASCAR, all that is a blessing. I will take it. I will take it to any extent I can get it and right now it?s about the perfect mix for me between TV and racing over in Le Mans in Europe and then being able to get behind the wheel of a car of this caliber ? it?s special.? How far has Michael Waltrip Racing come since 2007? ?We started it up and it makes me a little sad today to look back and see how naïve I was and how unprepared we were and how much ground we needed to make up in order to be able to ever contend. We missed a ton of races in ?07, we made them all ever since. We?ve been able to make races and consistently and steadily get a little bit better. But I really believe in my heart that we never have gone into a season like we?re going into ?12, we?re ready. We have a great driver lineup, we have great crew chiefs. Our cars are better. The state of Michael Waltrip Racing is very, very positive because we added a team, we?re not two teams any more ? we?re three. We added people. We added a great sponsor in 5-Hour. I?m looking forward to this season.?
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Are you adapting to your new team and new teammates? ?That is just kind of what you do ? everybody?s personalities and stuff are different. I?ve always been open and you know what I?m thinking because I?m going to tell you right off the bat ? Michael?s (Waltrip, team owner) kind of the same way in that aspect. I think Martin?s (Truex Jr.) kind of reserved, but I?ve known him and I?ve raced with him and had a lot of fun racing in the Nationwide days. We were part of that same rookie class together, so we?ve always kind of been together so to speak. I think Denny (Hamlin) was kind of that same class and when you have guys in that same class kind of going up through together, you kind of keep an eye on each other. Martin and I have talked about that and it?s going to be fun to work with him because I?ve always enjoyed him at the race track and been around him. Now Mark (Martin), here?s a guy that obviously have tons of respect for him, look up to him and I can?t wait to learn more. I love talking with him. It?s almost like you shy away from him ? this is Mark Martin. I don?t think I?ll ever race long enough or get far enough in life for that not to be a big deal to me, when somebody that means so much to any sport or anything else had the success a guy like Mark Martin?s had ? that?s a big deal.?
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing (continued) What has Scott Miller brought to Michael Waltrip Racing as competition director? ?That was a huge reason that I was so comfortable coming over here. A lot of the same thought processes ? a lot of the same things that I have been used to over the last several years was already implemented in Scott Miller (competition director, MWR). He was the competition director at RCR (Richard Childress Racing). A lot of the things moving forward from here, I?m on the same page because of the relationship with him. I know his mentality, his work ethic, what he expects out of others, his organization ? I know the things that are taking place because I?ve lived them out the last several years as he?s been a competition director at RCR. I guess the comforting factor of coming to some place new and not really knowing much about anybody there was kind of put to bed because I know the captain of the ship is somebody that I got confidence in and have a relationship with.? Do you feel like you are starting over in your career? ?In this sport anymore, the cars are so much the same that the only real thing you?re starting over with is the group of people. Sometimes change can be good and bad. There?s no question that last year, I didn?t have the success that I expected and that I wanted. It?s not good enough. That?s the way that I look at that. When you?re thinking about making a change ? it wasn?t where I wanted to be standings-wise, statistics-wise ? all that isn?t what I wanted and expected out of me and racing. Maybe it was time to make a change and I?ll be able to answer that in a year or so. I really see a lot of potential here ? a lot of things coming together at the right time for me to make a change and ride that wave on into the future.? What makes you feel good about being with Michael Waltrip Racing? ?You see the speed in the race cars, the people on my team, the potential. We?ve got a good group of guys. We were able to take advantage of a not-so-fortunate time in this sport ? a lot of teams and organizations pulling back. We were able to go out and pick the cream of the crop so to speak and I feel like we?ve done that with our group of guys on the 5-Hour Energy car.? What is it like working with Michael Waltrip? ?It?s been fun and we?re quite a bit the same. It?s kind of weird sometimes and it becomes awkward because it?s like we?re both very outspoken and we kind of hit the same thought at about the same time on something that?s funny that comes up in your mind that somebody said. There?s an awkwardness sometimes in our conversations because we?re stepping on each other about the same thing that we were going to say. It?s been a lot of fun. There?s some history there. I called him the worst driver in NASCAR and I knew that was going to come up at some point in time and it came up the very second that I walked in the door of his office. He was like, ?Do you still think I?m the worst driver in NASCAR?? I was like, ?Well, good way to break the ice.? That?s when I told him yes, but he could be a very good owner. I hope that he is.? What did you learn at the Daytona test session? ?I?m not 100 percent sure what we learned. I?m not 100 percent sure what they (NASCAR) learned. Only time will tell. I know they did a lot of learning, but I don?t know what they?re going to use and put in place. I?ve heard a lot of things ? some things that might be changed and whatever else. I don?t get caught up in that. They?re going to give you a sandbox to play in and you have to go out and make the most of it and put on a show. They?re going to do the right decisions to make it the best show possible for our fans because ultimately, that?s what we?re in this business to do. Racing has always been a great show ? it?s always been thrilling to watch. The Daytona 500 has always been an incredible race ? always come down to the last wire to determine who is going to be the champion of the biggest race of the year. That?s got to be a good feeling if you?re NASCAR. It doesn?t really matter what you change ? somehow, some way that race always comes down to a crazy, wild finish that everybody is like, ?Oh my God, how are we ever going to top that?? Every year they do.? How big of a change is joining Michael Waltrip Racing for you personally? ?Obviously, I?ve been with Richard (Childress Racing) since my very first start into NASCAR so it?s a big change and it?s another chapter in my life, my career ? a fresh start, a new beginning ? new way to prove myself all over again. The challenge is there and it?s fun. It?s nerve-wracking all over again, I?m nervous all over again and worried about things. A lot of times, I perform my best in the early stages of my career when I didn?t know what I was doing and I was nervous about it. Usually, somehow, some way I got some of the best results I?ve ever had. I see a lot of good things, a lot of positive things and a good direction that they are headed at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing), TRD (Toyota Racing Development). There?s a lot of good things here and I think they?re all coming together at the right time. Timing in anything you do in life is so important, as it was when I got my start and my opportunity with Richard. This is a new opportunity to go out and to make things happen for myself again.?
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing (continued) What do you think of the current Chase format? ?You can?t control what happens in that Chase. You can only put your best odds ? if I?m NASCAR, you can only put your best odds of putting on a good show for your fans out there and the only way to do that is to put your best teams out there. To qualify for that Chase, you have to be the top-12 best teams out there. The Chase finally paid off and did what they expected of it and intended for it to do this year ? what an incredible finish to our season that Tony (Stewart) and Carl (Edwards) had down there. How could you script a battle to a championship any better than that? It definitely made that Chase idea worth the wait and worth the effort.? What have you learned about Brian Pattie? ?I?ve learned a lot about Brian (Pattie, crew chief). I?ve learned that I?m super excited about working with Brian. I think that?s my best opportunity that I?ve ever had to work with a guy that I really, really can truly fit in with and get the most out of each other. Now it?s up to us to go out and make that happen, but from the very first time that I started talking to Brian, I just felt comfortable. I felt like the relationship was there right off the bat and can build so much more than I?ve ever had. I love Shane Wilson (RCR crew chief) to death and we?re very close, but we had a lot of differences. We just weren?t really the same person and didn?t share the same ? he liked asphalt racing and I like dirt racing. Brian likes dirt racing ? he speaks my language and we get along.?
MARK MARTIN, No. 55 Aaron?s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing How does it feel to be with Michael Waltrip Racing this year? ?It?s fun. I really do feel comfortable at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing). Everybody here has made me feel great. We?ve got a lot of great sponsors here, teammates, crew chiefs and I saw a lot of faces here that I?ve worked with before at other places, so I think it?s going to be really fun.? What made you choose to come to Michael Waltrip Racing? ?This was the right opportunity because it gave me a chance to run the schedule that I wanted to run and they had really great people here and great equipment. Aaron?s has been a great sponsor of NASCAR for over 10 years, so that?s really important as well. Everything was just right. I never saw it coming. It happened really quick. Took me a minute to think about it, but when I started thinking about the cars, the people, the team and Aaron?s and Toyota?s support, every piece of it was the right fit for me.? Is it hard for you to run a part-time schedule? ?I love racing and I like to race for the events ? kind of old school, like (David) Pearson and Cale (Yarborough) did back in the day. Most of their careers they picked the races that they wanted to run and they raced those races and I like doing that.? Are you enjoying Michael Waltrip?s humor? ?I hope that Michael (Waltrip) can rub off on me a little bit. I am very happy right now. I?m so satisfied with the situation. I feel so incredibly lucky to have an opportunity to work with this many great people and have an organization that wants you there, and to work with Aaron?s and everyone here. Maybe he (Michael Waltrip) can teach me how to win a Daytona 500 because he?s done it twice.? Can you and Scott Miller work together to help Michael Waltrip Racing grow as an organization? ?That?s one of the really fun challenges. Challenge is what life is all about. It?s what makes you get up in the morning and it?s what drives you every inch of the way or it does me anyway. It wouldn?t be any fun if it wasn?t a challenge. They have the people here, they have the equipment, they have the sponsors, which I?m very proud to have and support, and Michael (Waltrip) has poured his heart and soul into this place. I could not do what Michael Waltrip has done and would not do it. I?ve got to give him props. You look around here and just think about the payroll every week. He?s built up quite an organization here and they want to compete week in and week out with the big boys and they?re working hard to get there.? What are your goals at Michael Waltrip Racing? ?I want to help those guys build a strong foundation so that they can be competitive week in and week out and realize their potential. I want to be their guy. I want to be the guy that no matter if I?m in their race car or not, I?m out here pulling for them and trying to make their program and their car better and they know that and they support me in the same way.?
MARK MARTIN, No. 55 Aaron?s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing (continued) Was this one of the first offers you received? ?I was not in a hurry to do anything because I didn?t really think that there was really anything perfect out there for me. I didn?t want to race the full schedule anymore. Had I wanted to do that I would?ve re-upped with Rick Hendrick when he asked me about it and I told him he needed to go and get Kasey Kahne, and that 2011 was going to be enough for me. I just waited and waited and waited and all of a sudden out of the blue I got a text from Michael (Waltrip) and a day later we were meeting on it and it just happened really quick. It?s the right fit for me. I really feel comfortable within this organization. I?ve embraced the challenge that we have to make that next step on the performance side and feel real lucky to have the opportunity to work with Aaron?s and Toyota and everybody that supports MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing).? How long did it take for this deal to come together? ?It came together ? from first text to signed contract was two weeks. And, that was a signed contract. It took probably five days to get the contract or else it really would?ve been about 10 days, but there was a drag where there was some issues with timing where the attorney?s couldn?t get to it and then there was a weekend and then we were off, so there was some lag time in getting it signed. But, we agreed and shook hands in a week from the first text (from Michael Waltrip).? Can you describe the difference between the atmosphere at Hendrick Motorsports and Michael Waltrip Racing? ?It is a different feel, but it?s a fun change. As long as I live I will cherish my opportunity to be a part of Hendrick Motorsports as well as the opportunity to help Jack Roush build his organization from scratch and my time with Jay Frye and Dale Earnhardt Incorporated as well. This is another exciting challenge and challenges are what drive me. This is going to be fun. Michael?s (Waltrip) a different guy and if I smile a little bit more than usual that won?t be a bad thing.? Why did you decide to join Twitter? ?I?m new to social media and Twitter. I hope that I will not become obsessed with it, because I have plenty on my plate already and I know a lot of people really get into that. For me, I?ve got a full plate, so something has got to slide off the edge if I add a bunch more. I?m one day in and we?ll take it as it comes. I do want to connect with my fans. I?ve been so fortunate there?s so many great fans. I think we started a count at about 10 AM and as of 6 PM I think we had six-thousand followers already and that?s pretty amazing, but of course Michael (Waltrip) put it out there to his eighty-thousand followers. It?s growing really fast and I don?t think I?ll be the king of Twitter by any means, but I will try to do a good job. When I get a chance to thank some of the fans that are so supportive, I will because I believe in reaching out and touching the people that support me so much.? How is your relationship with Rodney Childers? ?I didn?t know Rodney (Childers, crew chief) personally and I hadn?t paid that much attention. I kept my focus on other things and I think possibly the biggest surprise of the whole organization or the whole deal for me has been my pleasure with getting to know Rodney. I think he?s got it and I really hope that I?m able to produce the kind of results that he deserves because he?s so committed. It?s been a while since I?ve noticed someone that was so far in ? he?s all the way in and committed with everything that he?s got and I?d like to see that pay off for him.? Have you set expectations for yourself this year? ?I do, but they are different than most people would expect. I don?t set numbers or whatever. What I really hope to accomplish this year is that everyone within this organization, especially my teammates ? the drivers, the crew chiefs and the upper management ? I hope that when this year is over with they?re happy, they?re glad that I was a part of their team. If they are, then I will have done well on and off the race track.? Have you noticed a big difference in the race car between a Toyota and a Chevrolet? ?Sitting in the driver seat looking out you probably don?t see much difference unless you see the Toyota decal on the dash, but hardware-wise NASCAR has the box so well defined that there?s not a huge difference in the shape of the car on the outside. The power plants are all similar and NASCAR keeps it that way. If one gets an advantage, the other manufacturers usually get a little extra bump to keep them close together. With racing as it is today, very much like it has been in the past, it?s what you do with what you have that makes a winner. It?s not what you have, but what you do with what you have.?
MARK MARTIN, No. 55 Aaron?s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing (continued) How concerned are you about the future of NASCAR and the possibly of having less than a 43-car field? ?I had a pretty grim outlook on the situation back in the summer and feel very fortunate to have such an incredible situation fall in my lap. I?ve never seen this kind of shrinkage before because it never got so big before. Racing was more like this until the time through the late 90?s and 2007 or 2008. It was more like it is now, so it?s not alarming to me other than everyone tends to get comfortable and used to a certain way and now it?s much tougher and things have thinned out and opportunities are tougher and you have to work harder. You have to work a lot harder for less ? everybody does. Everybody has to do more right now because it?s tightened down on everyone. I?m not as grim on the outlook as I was then. I believe that it?s going to hold where it is. I don?t think it?s going to get euphoric again soon, but I feel like we?ve hit our lower threshold there of where the effect of the economy ? it just took a long time for NASCAR to feel what happened with the economy because there were contracts in effect that last a long time, years out, and it just took a while for that. I think that has hit its floor and will go along probably where it is for a while. I?m not worried about short fields. I could be wrong, but I see an awful lot of teams and people viewing this as opportunity. You see a lot of new stuff springing up ? a lot of them won?t last, but it is an opportunity for some people that they didn? t see before. I think that will keep us from having short fields because of all of these new upstart deals because they are saying, ?This is my chance to get in.? From the drivers standpoint, there?s not a lot of rides. If you don?t have sponsorship strapped to your back, you may not get a ride. It was always like that before.?
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing How are you improving on things from last season? ?We really went through a lot of the races last year where things did go bad and tried to pick them apart and see, ?How do we make sure these little things don?t happen again?? I feel great ? I?m happy. My team is incredible and we?re all back together ? all the guys that we ended the year with last year, we?re all back together, which is a great thing. I?m really excited about that and I love driving the NAPA Toyota ? that?s all I can tell you. If all goes the way it should this year then I?ll be right back here driving again next year.? Do you feel like you can make the Chase this year? ?You have to look at some of the situations that I?ve been in ? in ?08 ? the team was kind of falling apart. We had some good runs and we were sitting on the cusp of making it and had a penalty, lost a bunch of points and didn?t make the Chase. In ?09 we switched teams and went to Ganassi and went to two cars, a lot of change and it was a horrible season filled with crashes, cars falling apart and just crazy things. Then I came here and it?s just taken a little more time than I expected it to. We had a performance easily last year to make the Chase. You look at our finishes, we had six finishes worse than 34th or 35th and without those we were in. I made just as many top-fives and top-10s at the start of the Chase as Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. did and he was sitting fifth or something. If you take a step back and really look at it ? last year we had the performance to make it, we just didn?t do all the little things right. If you ask Michael (Waltrip, team owner) ? he will tell you that we know what we did wrong and now it?s a matter of fixing it. I know what I?m capable of as a driver and I know what my team?s capable of. I know what we?re capable of here as a company and we can put fast race cars on the track, consistently. We just need to get the finishes consistently. That?s a whole different ball game. There?s a lot that goes into that. Every guy in here that touches that race car has to do a perfect job. You can?t have a bolt come loose ? you can?t have a truck arm crack and a shock mount fall off. There?s so many little tiny things. I tell people all the time that it takes a million things to go right and only one to go wrong. It takes a million things to go right to win a Cup race, but one little thing goes wrong and you?re not going to win it. It takes a lot and that?s the parts that we?re working on is being consistent. If we can do that, then I have no doubt that we have the speed and the capability to challenge for wins, which we did last year. There was a few races where we had the speed to win and we threw it away so we need to do better at that. We need to be smarter, better prepared and I know what it takes to do it. We just need to do it consistently and we will work on that.? How do you feel about your chances to win the Daytona 500? ?I?m really looking forward to it ? we?re not really sure of what the new rules will bring. I don?t know if we tested with the exact package that we?re going to race. At the end of the day, I think it?s going to be about hooking up with your partner and staying committed to somebody and hopefully we?ll have that worked out by that time and have a shot to put the NAPA Toyota in victory lane. It would be nice to start the year out with a win.?
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing (continued) How has your relationship with crew chief Chad Johnston evolved? ?When you?re talking about the car and how you get better ? let?s say you need two-tenths on the race track and things aren?t feeling right ? he (Chad Johnston, crew chief) doesn?t say, ?Well, are you tight or are you lose, I don?t understand.? He goes deeper than that and pulls more out of me. He pulls more from me, he pulls information from me and he?s sitting at the computer and he understands how to take what I say and what the computer says and mesh them. That?s where we?ve really turned a corner with our engineering department, with the sims (simulation) stuff, which I feel like is one of the things that we do really, really well. He?s very good about transferring that information and putting two and two together. Integrating me with the computer and figuring out what we need to do to be faster. He?s done a good job at it. There?s been times where we?ve struggled throughout the weekend and he?s talked to me and asked the right questions and came up with the right solutions by doing that. In turn, making us run better on Sunday. That?s something that is hard to get. At the end of the day, the biggest thing for me is that I have a lot of confidence in his ability and how much he knows about race cars. I?ve never seen anyone who works as much or as hard as he does and that goes a long way too.? How did you feel about testing with your new teammates? ?I thought everything went well and obviously me and Mark (Martin) have been teammates along the way ? at DEI (Dale Earnhardt Incorporated). We?ve got a bit of experience working together and I kind of know his deal and how he likes his cars and things like that. I think Mark?s going to bring a lot to the company with his experience and working with a new team and brining in some ideas and some of the feel that he?s looking for with what he has had over the last few years. The same thing with Clint (Bowyer) ? we raced against each other for a championship in ?05 and he?s a great guy, fun to be around. Obviously, I think Brian Pattie (No. 15 crew chief) and his whole team that they put together ? they have a great bunch of guys. Then Rodney (Childers, No. 55 crew chief) on the 55 ? I think we have good team chemistry already. One of the coolest things about the testing we did ? it normally takes a while with three teams getting together just to get along and trust each other and saying, ?Okay, what do you think about this?? Normally it?s just, ?I will do my own thing and wait and see how this guy does it.? It?s not like that here now. I think that?s probably one of the things that I?m most excited about this season is just the way our teams are already working together ? hearing ideas, getting along, trusting each other and I think those guys are as excited to work together as we all are. We?re all excited about it. Obviously, the best I?ve felt over the seasons of being at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing). We?re pumped and ready to go.?
The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily those of the publisher. All comments other than website related problems need to be directed to the author. ©SpeedwayMedia.com.
Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger Art Bisch Harry Blanchard
I got motivated the other day and got this one rolling……… It was a $ 7 Ebay score last summer.
Comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome!
Thanks for looking,
JIm
Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd
Click here for the latest news from the Motor Racing and Trade Development Department of the Secret Intelligence Service. This week there is scandal involving Tamara E, and Dany B.
Antonio Creus Larry Crockett Tony Crook Art Cross Geoff Crossley
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With a future hell bent on driving around in electric vehicles, the electric car company business seems like a pretty good investment. Even a German electric bicycle maker is getting in on the action with a cool project based on the Lotus Elise platform – hey, Tesla’s not using it for the Roadster anymore so it’s fair game.
The new PG Elektrus features a battery-powered drivetrain that delivers a total of 268 HP and a peak torque of 258 lb-ft. This system will sprint the car to an impressive top speed of 186 mph, but the company has opted to limit the car to 155 mph. The Elektrus can get from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds and has an autonomy of 217 miles. The motor is mated to an automatic transmission with six modes offering different levels of acceleration.
The exterior of the future high-performance two-seater comes with a carbon fiber trim and a matte black paint job, while the interior is even more dramatic with a center panel that resembles the launch mechanism of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Yeah, it’s that cool.
According to PG, the Elektrus is shooting for ?city racer par excellence,? and it very well should considering it is being sold for $ 370,000.
PG Elektrus originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 24 January 2012 20:00 EST.
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Martin Donnelly Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich
At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, MINI unveiled the Rocketman concept to the world’s media. It received a positive reaction which raised hopes that it could eventually reach production. Now it appears to have failed to hit those expectations, reports have claimed the model will be consigned to the concept scrapheap as development plans have been canceled.
The short platform of the MINI Rocketman had a wheelbase of just 3050mm and a length of 3419mm, this is 304mm shorter than the regular three-door MINI hatch. It created so many development problems in the areas of handling, stability and crash performance that it would require a huge expense if the project were to go forward.
The model is known internally as the MINImini or MINI City and should have returned the brand to its core values. Larger vehicles such as the Countryman and Clubman don’t really follow what the MINI brand is all about.
Ivor Bueb Sebastien Buemi Luiz Bueno Ian Burgess Luciano Burti
Lewis Hamilton has told a Munich court he is not available to testify next week at friend Adrian Sutil’s assault trial.
A court spokeswoman confirmed last week that it was “mandatory” the 2008 world champion appear as a witness on the opening day, 30 January. Former Force India driver Adrian Sutil is charged with injuring Lotus team executive Eric Lux during a private party in Shanghai last April to celebrate Hamilton’s grand prix victory.
The BBC reports that Hamilton’s lawyer told the judge the 27-year-old Briton wants to cooperate but has commitments on 30 January, which is two days before McLaren plans to launch its 2012 car.
The report said the trial could either be rescheduled or Hamilton “will be excused”.
The Telegraph insists Hamilton did not receive a “formal request” from the Munich court but that his lawyer contacted the judge following last week’s media reports.
McLaren has confirmed the accuracy of the latest developments, according to Reuters.
source: GMM
Frank Armi Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari
It was just 65 days ago when Tony Stewart secured his third Sprint Cup Championship with a walk off victory at Miami Homestead Speedway.
Starting with the season opening Daytona 500, defense of that championship begins in just three short weeks.
Sandwiched in between those two events is the Sprint Cup Media Tour presented by Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Strolling to the stage with ?How You Like Me Now? playing over the public address system, Tony Stewart kicked off the 2012 Media Tour. He was joined by Ryan Newman, Matt Borland, Tony Gibson, and new comers Danica Patrick, Steve Addington, and Greg Zipadelli.
The biggest news coming from SHR is the 10 race deal with Patrick and Go Daddy as the primary sponsor.
During the media break out sessions, Stewart talked about the growth of his young company.
?I am really proud of the success we have had. It?s amazing how far we have come in such a short amount of time.?
Missing from the SHR superstar lineup was former crew chief Darian Grubb. Stewart stated he was happy Grubb quickly landed somewhere successful. He also made it clear his decision to part ways with Grubb, and hire Steve Addington, was made long before the season ending championship.
It was revealed that during the chase, Stewart kept in touch with Addington via text messaging, including sending an encouraging text to Addington after the final race of the season.
When asked about his new driver, Danica Patrick, Stewart continued his praise and offered a bold prediction.
?Danica is talented and very confident. It is quite possible she could win the Daytona 500. A rookie won it last year, why can?t it happen again??
Fielding questions from media members on the other side of the room, Patrick echoed some of Stewart?s thoughts.
?My inexperience at Daytona should not be a factor,? said Patrick. ?The only thing I really had to work on is the bump drafting. There wasn?t bump drafting in Indy racing, so it took me some time to get used to it in Sprint Cup.?
Stewart and Patrick worked on bump drafting during a recent testing session at Daytona International Speedway. During the three days of testing, both drivers ran multiple laps in single car formations and nose-to-tail formation; taking turns pushing each other around the speedway.
Along with her 10 race deal at Stewart-Haas Racing, Patrick is also running a full Nationwide schedule in 2012 for JR Motorsports.
She reflected on her exit from Indy car racing, and hinted at a possible return in the future.
?I am relieved I can now focus on just NASCAR,? said Patrick. ?I will miss Indy, but I am not going to rule out a return in the future.?
Patrick said she doesn?t expect instant success in NASCAR?s top level and would be happy with mediocre results as long as she?s learning something along the way.
?If I finish five laps down, it?s ok. As long as I learn something, improve, or get something from the race, its ok.?
Danica Patrick?s first race of the season will be the Nationwide race at Daytona in February. Tony Stewart, last year?s winner, is also entered in the same race.
The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily those of the publisher. All comments other than website related problems need to be directed to the author. ©SpeedwayMedia.com.
Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore
Accessories Other January 24th, 2012 by Jordan
Polyphony Digital?s custom ?stealth? race cars in Gran Turismo 5 are some of the most difficult to acquire in the game. Available as pre-order and Signature Edition incentives, they?re simply not available to the majority of players.
While their virtual scarcity isn?t likely to change soon, they are slowly beginning to make their debut in the real world thanks to the respected scale-modelers at Autoart. Late last year, three of GT5?s ?stealth? models, the Mazda 787B, the Nissan GT-R GT500, and the McLaren F1, appeared on the company?s website at 1/18th scale, but weren?t yet available to purchase.
Now, the Mazda 787B is apparently first out of the gate, as it goes on sale at Amazon.com for $ 246.99. The price is high, but considering Autoart?s reputation for detail and quality, it?s still a must-buy for serious collectors.
If you?re on a budget, you might want to instead consider Autoart?s 1/43rd scale Nissan Skyline GT-R, that served as Gran Turismo 4?s safety/pace car. It?s missing the lights, but the model can be yours for just $ 42.75.
Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mario de Araתjo Cabral
Team Chevy Logo
DETROIT ? Chevrolet is ready to kick off the 2012 season with excitement both on and off the track. Daytona International Speedway is the setting for the debut of a new race car, new teams and a redesigned Team Chevy Racing Display for the running of the 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24-Hour at Daytona.
The new Corvette Daytona Prototype, unveiled in November 2011, will make its competition debut with five cars from four teams. New to the Team Chevy Rolex Sports Car Series roster is Action Express Racing, fielding the No. 5 Corvette DP and the No. 9 Corvette DP. Action Express Racing joins the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Corvette DP, No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP and the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP.
Also competing in the Rolex 24-Hour under the Team Chevy banner will be Stevenson Motorsports, which will field the No. 57 and No. 75 Camaro GT.R. and the No. 88 Autohaus Motorsports Camaro GT.R.
During pre-season Roar Before the 24 testing earlier this month, all five of the Corvette DP teams took a turn at the top of the speed charts.
?This is an exciting time for Chevrolet,? said Mark Kent, GM Racing Director. ?We roll into the 50th anniversary of the famed Rolex 24 with the new Corvette Daytona Prototype. Our engineers worked tirelessly with all of our teams, preparing the best possible packages for all of our Chevrolet entries in three classes. That collaboration has resulted in what we believe will be an extraordinarily competitive effort by our teams in DP, GT and GS. We were encouraged by our teams? performances at the Roar Before the 24, and we are ready to get going in 2012.?
The redesigned Team Chevy Racing Display will also showcase its new features at Daytona. Race fans can check out a great line-up of Chevrolet production vehicles, including Camaro, Camaro Convertible, Cruze Eco, Sonic, Malibu, Equinox, Volt, Traverse, Tahoe and Silverado Crew Cab.
?We?re excited to be able to offer fans of the GRAND-AM Road Racing Series and the prestigious Rolex 24 the opportunity to visit our Team Chevy Racing Display,? said Jeff Chew, Marketing Manager, Chevy Racing. ?Being a partner with GRAND-AM is an exciting opportunity for Chevrolet. We have a strong contingent of teams and drivers on the track, and we want to offer fans a Chevy destination in the DIS infield at the Team Chevy Racing Display. Our display will showcase race cars, performance parts and accessories, games, driver Q&A sessions, and our exciting lineup of Chevrolet cars, trucks and cross-over vehicles. Everyone is encouraged to stop by and sign up with Team Chevy and receive a special Corvette t-shirt.?
Wayne Taylor Racing drivers Ricky Taylor, Max Angelelli and Ryan Briscoe will participate in a question-and-answer session with fans at the display on Friday, January 27, from 10:15-10:30 a.m. The Autohaus Motorsports Camaro GT.R drivers Jordan Taylor, Paul Edwards, Tommy Milner and Matthew Marsh will be at the display Friday afternoon from 3:00-3:15 p.m. to answer questions from fans.
Prominently featured in the display will be high-performance parts and accessories for Chevrolet cars and trucks, as well as crate engines and engine parts available from Chevrolet Performance.
Additionally, there will be specialty vehicles, photo opportunities and other activities for fans to enjoy throughout the Rolex 24-Hour weekend. The display opens at 10 a.m. on Thursday, January 26.
The 50th running of the Rolex 24-Hour will start at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 28 and conclude 24 hours later Sunday afternoon.
The opening race of the weekend, the Grand-Am 200 for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, will also feature Team Chevy entries. Mitchum Motorsports will field the No. 6 and No. 62 Camaro GS.R joined by the No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports GS.R as well as the No. 00 and No. 01 of CKS Autosport. The two and one-half hour race will start Friday, January 27 at 1:30 p.m. ET
TEAM CHEVY GRAND-AM CAR AND DRIVER ROSTER FOR THE GRAND-AM 200 AND THE ROLEX 24-HOUR AT DAYTONA:
ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES DAYTONA PROTOTYPE (DP):
- · No. 5 Action Express Racing Chevrolet Corvette DP
- · Drivers
o David Donohue
o Darren Law
o Christian Fittapaldi
- · No. 9 Action Express Racing Chevrolet Corvette DP
- · Drivers
o Joao Barbosa
o Terry Borcheller
o JC France
o Max Papis
- · No. 10 SunTrust Racing Chevrolet Corvette DP
- · Drivers
o Max Angelellli
o Ricky Taylor
o Ryan Briscoe
- · No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Chevrolet Corvette DP
- · Drivers
o Antonio Garcia
o Richard Westbrook
o Oliver Gavin
o Jan Magnussen
- · No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet Corvette DP
- · Drivers
o Alex Gurney
o Jon Fogarty
o Memo Gidley
TEAM CHEVY IN ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES GRAND TOURING (GT):
- · No. 88 Autohaus Motorsports Camaro GT.R
- · Drivers
o Jordan Taylor
o Paul Edwards
o Tommy Milner
o Matthew Marsh
- · No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R
- · Drivers
o Robin Liddell
o John Edwards
o Robbie Bremer
- · No. 75 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R
- · Drivers
o Al Carter
o Hugh Plumb
o Eric Curran
TEAM CHEVY IN CONTINENTAL TIRE SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE GRAND SPORT (GS):
- · No. 00 CKS Motorsports Camaro GS.R
- · Drivers
o Ashley McCalmont
o Brett Sandbert
- · No. 01 CKS Motorsports Camaro GS.R
- · Drivers
o Eric Curran
o Lawson Aschenbach
- · No. 6 Mitchum Motorsports Camaro GS.R
- · Drivers
o Tim Bell
o Aaron Stelle
- · No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GS.R
- · Drivers
o Matt Bell
o John Edwards
- · No. 62 Mitchum Motorsports Camaro GS.R
- · Drivers
o Joey Atterbury
o Gunter Schaldach
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world?s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
Sebastien Buemi Luiz Bueno Ian Burgess Luciano Burti Roberto Bussinello
David Sterckx (Belgium) and Karen Jankowski (California) of David Sterckx Rally Sport Team, winners of the 2011 Prescott Rally, have entered the Rally America national championship. With just six events which begin at the Sno*Drift rally January 27th & 28th, it promises to be an exciting season. In the off season the team built a brand new 2011 Subaru STI in order to compete for the Super Production title. The car promises to provide the speed and consistency that the team needs in order to be highly competitive. ?I am really looking forward to the new car and competing in the Rally America Championship which I know is a great series? explained David. ?The main reason I chose to build a new Subaru is because of their support of both USA and Canadian rallying. The contingency packages that they have offered in both the Rally America and Canada Rally Series has been impressive. Since we plan on running both in the future it just made sense to build a Subaru.? David has had many years of motorsport experience including a Belgium Rally Championship, 3 WRC starts for Skoda Octavia Rally team, Toyota Atlantic series, World Championship FIA GT series, FIA Sportscar Championship series, and many other sports car and rally events worldwide.
The team is also very excited to announce the continued partnership with AlphaSTAR (http:// alphastarcorp.com) this season. With their vast experience in aerospace and automotive technology it continues to be a great pairing for the team. ?This is going to be a very competitive and exciting season. We had a win and a top 5 overall last season and now with a new Super Production Subaru competing in events I have lots of experience in, I know it will be a great season? stated Karen. ?I am so excited for the season to start I am literally counting the days and hours until our first event?! For team updates, videos, and pictures follow us at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Sterckx-Rallysport/188160584582275/ http://twitter.com/SterckxRally http://davidsterckx.virb.com For live results from Sno*Drift Rally: http://www.rally-america.com/events/2012/SNODRIFT/results/standings/
Female Racing News | News about Women in Motorsports
Piero Carini Duane Carter Eugenio Castellotti Johnny Cecotto Andrea de Cesaris
McNish will competes at Daytona for a seventh time
Audi sportscar ace Allan McNish gets his 2012 motor racing season underway with a one-off race for the American Starworks Motorsport team in next weekend?s Daytona 24 Hours (28-29 Jan).
Dumfries-born McNish has no clashing test or race clashes for Audi Sport and so will co-drive a Riley in the 50th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona with former Audi team-mate Lucas Luhr (D), fellow Scot Ryan Dalziel plus Venezuelans Enzo Potolicchio and Alex Popow.
McNish, who competes at Daytona for a seventh time, has twice finished second in the prestigious annual race (1998 & ?99) staged 50-miles north of Orlando in Florida and aims for another top-three rostrum finish in America?s only twice-around-the-clock motor race.
?Our goal is to achieve a good, consistent race set-up during practice ? even if it compromises our qualifying performance ? and then to keep our race clean and tidy,? stated McNish.
?If these elements come together you?re always in with a chance of success. But this year?s 50th anniversary race is difficult to predict.
?A new Daytona Prototype sportscar has been introduced and it?s difficult to assess whether the new car, which I?ll drive, or the previous version will be faster.
?I?ve yet to drive our new Riley bodied car but it?s always been a strong contender at Daytona.?
McNish last raced at Daytona four years ago and is looking forward to blowing away the winter cobwebs and getting some racing mileage under his belt.
Allan added: ?Daytona is a great, prestigious race in itself but with it happening at the end of January, it gets me focused for the rest of the year. There?s a nice big trophy on offer for the winner so that?s another good reason to compete there!?
Allan McNish ? Daytona 24 Hours Form guide:
- 1998: 2nd overall, 1st GT1 (Champion Porsche).
- 1999: 2nd o/a (Ferrari 333 SP) (Doyle Risi).
- 2000: Retired, engine. (Ferrari 333 SP) (Risi).
- 2001: Retired, engine. (Ferrari 333 SP) (Risi).
- 2005: Retired, engine. (Crawford Pontiac) (Howard Boss Motorsport).
- 2008: Retired, engine. (Riley Pontiac) (SAMAX).
- 2012: Riley-Ford (Starworks Motorsports).
source: Allan McNish
Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood
The Chevrolet Sonic marketing shenanigans continue under the rubric of “Let’s Do This,” this time with a five-story 3D projection of a claw game on the side of The Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. In fact, that a couple of Sunset Boulevard’s lanes had to be shut down to accommodate the controls, which were a waist-high gearshift and an acclerator pedal.
So big was the PR stunt that it earned Chevrolet a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the mightiest claw game on Earth. Follow the jump to see it in action and to watch someone win a non-projected, very real, Chevy Sonic.
Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi
It was a night to honor some of NASCAR’s most famous names, a group which formed the cornerstone of the on-track success that propelled NASCAR into the national spotlight.
Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough, Richie Evans, Dale Inman and Glen Wood – either as owner, driver or crew chief – account for more than 535 victories in what is now the Sprint Cup Series.
Their accomplishments stretch from the first days of NASCAR to the present and, each has left an indelible mark on the sport to which they have devoted their lives.
Friday night, the five men became the most recent inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which opened in uptown Charlotte in 2010.
“The kind of numbers and kind of performances that all five of our recipients tonight show you that at any given moment of their career, they were the best at what they were doing,” NASCAR chairman Brian France said.
Waltrip won 84 races, 59 poles and three Cup titles. Inman won eight Cup titles as a crew chief, including seven with his cousin Richard “The King” Petty, who was part of the Hall’s inaugural class.
Yarborough was the first driver to win three consecutive championships. Wood won four races as a driver and 98 as a car owner with Wood Brothers Racing. Evans won nine modified titles during a 13-year span – the first driver inducted not to compete in NASCAR’s premier series.
Waltrip, Yarborough, Inman and Wood were on hand for Friday night’s ceremony. Evans was killed in a wreck in 1985 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, but several members of his family were on hand.
Petty inducted Inman to the Hall. “Where Dale was so good, he was good with people. He knew how far he could take someone’s talent,” Petty said.
Leonard Wood inducted his older brother, Glen, into the Hall. As he put the Hall of Fame ring on his brother’s finger, Leonard quipped, “This is a long way from the cornfields.”
Glen Wood recounted his family’s history in NASCAR, from competitors to owners.
“This is about two families – the Wood family and the Ford family – which has resulted in me being here tonight,” he said.
Billy Nacewitz, who served as crew chief for Evans in the modified series, inducted Evans into the Hall. Evans’ widow, Lynn Evans, accepted the induction on her late husband’s behalf.
Lynn Evans thanked the Hall voters for “stepping outside the box” in nominating her late husband.
“You have now given hope to thousands of competitors throughout the country to maybe somebody reach their dreams,” she said.
Longtime motorsports broadcast Ken Squier inducted Yarborough into the Hall.
“Cale elected to take his risks a little different from his family and neighbors,” Squier said. “He was, and still is today, the real deal.”
“I didn’t get here by myself,” Yarborough said, thanking his wife of 53 years, Betty Jo.
Yarborough compared racing to a long, tough ladder. “I feel like tonight I am finally standing on the top step,” he said. “This is as high as you can go but they can’t knock me down.”
Waltrip, who serves as a TV analyst for Fox Sports’ NASCAR broadcasts, was inducted by his former crew chief and Fox broadcast partner, Jeff Hammond.
“Our sport had never seen the likes of Darrell Waltrip – on or off the track,” Hammond said. “His rapid-fire wit off the track was only exceeded by his talent on the track.”
Waltrip got very emotional during his acceptance speech.
“This is a red-letter night,” he said. “Bobby Allison said I should be in the Hall of Fame. Does anybody know how big that is? And he swore to me nobody held a gun to his head.”
Luciano Burti Roberto Bussinello Jenson Button Tommy Byrne Giulio Cabianca
A new bid for the bankrupt Saab Automobile could be under way by Turkish private-equity firm, Brightwell Holdings.
“We will make a bid very shortly, there’s no question,” said Brightwell board member, Zamier Ahmed.
The Istanbul-based firm has expressed its intention to buy the Swedish car maker as a whole and continue production in Sweden, Ahmed informed.
This news comes one day after Reuters reported the Chinese group Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile is planning to make a fresh bid for Saab next week worth several billion Swedish crowns.
A previous attempt by Youngman to strike a deal was blocked by former Saab owner General Motors who feared its technology in the hands of the Chinese group would hurt its competitiveness in China.
Now Youngman plans to sidestep GM with an offer to purchase the portions of Saab that have no interest from GM.
Saab filed for bankruptcy on Dec. 19 while factories were at a standstill for most of 2011. However, the company can still emerge from bankruptcy if a viable proposition is accepted.
Brightwell on the other hand will have to wait two weeks until a valuation of Saab’s assets is completed in order to known how much to offer.
Ahmed tells Bloomberg, that the success of any potential offers for Saab Automobile are dependent on the approval of GM, the Swedish government and the European Investment Bank.
Walt Ader Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers
Winning is our obsession, so who better to drive for us than the defending USF2000 champion. “
– Geoff Fickling, Team Pelfrey team manager
Team Pelfrey announced the addition of 2011 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda champion Petri Suvanto to compete in the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear.
The team made a stunning series debut last March when Connor De Phillippi won the opening race at St. Petersburg, Fla., just a few miles away from its home base. De Phillippi maintained the momentum by adding three race wins, and together with teammate Nick Andries claimed a total of three poles and 13 podium finishes en route to second and third positions in the drivers? championship. They also finished first and second in the season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to clinch the Team Championship.
Suvanto will join American Gustavo Menezes, who finished eighth in the 2011 Star Mazda series as a rookie with Juncos Racing, and Englishman Jack Hawksworth, a race winner in last year?s Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship.
?Winning is our obsession so who better to drive for us than the defending USF2000 champion,? said Team Pelfrey team manager Geoff Fickling. ?Petri is the perfect driver for a results-oriented team. He?s extremely focused, self-motivated, and bloody quick! Some of his wins last year were shockingly impressive. We know the step up to Star Mazda is a big one and there?s a learning curve that needs to be met in order to even utter the word championship, but I?ve laid out the most extensive preseason testing program I?ve ever been a part of in order to get all three of our young drivers? learning curves accelerated as quickly as possible prior to the opener at St. Petersburg. Jack, Gustavo, and Petri, I couldn?t be happier with our lineup.?
Suvanto was impressive in winning last year?s Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda title as a rookie and is now able to reach one step closer to his goal of competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series, courtesy of the Mazda Road to Indy scholarship ladder.
?It feels great to finally announce that I will be racing for Team Pelfrey,? Suvanto said. ?It?s been very difficult to hold back the exciting news for so long while we finalized all the details! I have had a chance to get to know the team a little bit over the winter and I?m very excited to work with such a professional group of people again.
?Moving up to Star Mazda isn?t going to be easy but I?m welcoming the challenge with open arms. The theme of the year is learning, and the more I learn the better the results are going to be. Things have changed a lot over the last 12 months. Last year at this time I was wondering whether I would be able to ever race again, but from the moment I learned about the Mazda Road to Indy, I knew what I wanted. It worked out pretty well. 2011 changed my life and I?m very thankful to all the people who were part of it, especially everyone at Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing. Now it?s time to start a new chapter full of new challenges. I?m already counting the days until the first race.?
Suvanto, 19, is currently completing his mandatory National Service in his native Finland. Once his National Service is completed, he will join the team in a busy schedule of testing in preparation for the first race of the season, which will be held in conjunction with the IZOD IndyCar Series opener, the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, on March 25.
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Luciano Burti Roberto Bussinello Jenson Button Tommy Byrne Giulio Cabianca
Finnish driver Petri Suvanto (LEFT) will take his next step on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder for 2012. After winning the 2011 USF2000 championship for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing, Suvanto advances into Star Mazda with Team Pelfrey this season.
Suvanto won five races and finished in the top five in all 12 USF2000 races a year ago en route to the title. He joins series sophomore Gustavo Menezes and rookie Jack Hawksworth on the Florida-based Pelfrey squad this season.
Pelfrey won the 2011 Star Mazda team championship on the strength of four wins from American rising star Connor De Phillippi, who hopes to advance into Indy Lights this season, and also Nick Andries who added eight top-five finishes to the season.
?Winning is our obsession so who better to drive for us than the defending USF2000 champion,? said Geoff Fickling, Team Pelfrey team manager. ?He’s extremely focused, self-motivated, and bloody quick! Some of his wins last year were shockingly impressive.?
Suvanto tested with Team Pelfrey at October’s Mazda Road to Indy ladder test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
?Moving up to Star Mazda isn’t going to be easy but I’m welcoming the challenge with open arms,? he said. ?The theme of the year is learning, and the more I learn the better the results are going to be. Things have changed a lot over the last 12 months. 2011 changed my life and I’m very thankful to all the people who were part of it, especially everyone at Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing. Now it’s time to start a new chapter full of new challenges.?
Suvanto’s signing isn’t the only one in Star Mazda of late. In the last week, Chicago-based Team Strange, LLC announced Lazaro Selegar of Brazil and Brandon Reed of Elkhart, Ind., as drivers for the season. Selegar is slated for a full-season ride, with Reed confirmed for a partial season.
Latest articles from Racer.com IndyCar
Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mario de Araתjo Cabral Frank Armi
Winning is our obsession, so who better to drive for us than the defending USF2000 champion. “
– Geoff Fickling, Team Pelfrey team manager
Team Pelfrey announced the addition of 2011 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda champion Petri Suvanto to compete in the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear.
The team made a stunning series debut last March when Connor De Phillippi won the opening race at St. Petersburg, Fla., just a few miles away from its home base. De Phillippi maintained the momentum by adding three race wins, and together with teammate Nick Andries claimed a total of three poles and 13 podium finishes en route to second and third positions in the drivers? championship. They also finished first and second in the season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to clinch the Team Championship.
Suvanto will join American Gustavo Menezes, who finished eighth in the 2011 Star Mazda series as a rookie with Juncos Racing, and Englishman Jack Hawksworth, a race winner in last year?s Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship.
?Winning is our obsession so who better to drive for us than the defending USF2000 champion,? said Team Pelfrey team manager Geoff Fickling. ?Petri is the perfect driver for a results-oriented team. He?s extremely focused, self-motivated, and bloody quick! Some of his wins last year were shockingly impressive. We know the step up to Star Mazda is a big one and there?s a learning curve that needs to be met in order to even utter the word championship, but I?ve laid out the most extensive preseason testing program I?ve ever been a part of in order to get all three of our young drivers? learning curves accelerated as quickly as possible prior to the opener at St. Petersburg. Jack, Gustavo, and Petri, I couldn?t be happier with our lineup.?
Suvanto was impressive in winning last year?s Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda title as a rookie and is now able to reach one step closer to his goal of competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series, courtesy of the Mazda Road to Indy scholarship ladder.
?It feels great to finally announce that I will be racing for Team Pelfrey,? Suvanto said. ?It?s been very difficult to hold back the exciting news for so long while we finalized all the details! I have had a chance to get to know the team a little bit over the winter and I?m very excited to work with such a professional group of people again.
?Moving up to Star Mazda isn?t going to be easy but I?m welcoming the challenge with open arms. The theme of the year is learning, and the more I learn the better the results are going to be. Things have changed a lot over the last 12 months. Last year at this time I was wondering whether I would be able to ever race again, but from the moment I learned about the Mazda Road to Indy, I knew what I wanted. It worked out pretty well. 2011 changed my life and I?m very thankful to all the people who were part of it, especially everyone at Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing. Now it?s time to start a new chapter full of new challenges. I?m already counting the days until the first race.?
Suvanto, 19, is currently completing his mandatory National Service in his native Finland. Once his National Service is completed, he will join the team in a busy schedule of testing in preparation for the first race of the season, which will be held in conjunction with the IZOD IndyCar Series opener, the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, on March 25.
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Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh
well iv started another project its going to be a 90s dodge with semi 22.5 rims with a flat bed an some other goodies.
Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown
Lewis Hamilton has been summoned as a witness in the forthcoming Munich trial of his friend and F1 rival Adrian Sutil.
It was expected the McLaren driver would have to appear, given the fact that – on the night of his Chinese grand prix win last April – he was present when German Sutil allegedly glassed Lotus team executive Eric Lux in a Shanghai nightclub.
The Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper said the former Force India’s grievous bodily harm trial will take place over two days beginning 30 January.
It means that Hamilton will have to head almost directly from the trial to attend the launch of the 2012 McLaren on 1 February.
“Lewis Hamilton will be called as a witness on the first day,” a Munich court spokeswoman confirmed.
“The appearance is mandatory,” she added.
Sutil’s manager Manfred Zimmermann said he is not worried.
“We have a video where it can be seen clearly that this was not Adrian attacking or intentionally hurting someone,” he said.
“We expect an acquittal, or at worst a conviction for negligent injury. But that would not jeopardise his career,” insisted Zimmermann.
It is reported that former Virgin driver Jerome d’Ambrosio and a F1 journalist might also appear as witnesses.
source: GMM
Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta
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The next generation BMW X5 was just caught testing for the first time a few days ago, but once the beast is let out of its cage, there’s no way it’s going back. Unfortunately, this round of testing still has the future X5 under extreme camouflage, but a few new details were still let out.
The next X5 is rumored to make its world debut in 2014 at the Detroit Auto Show and, like most of SUVs, will come forward with an improved fuel consumption and a reduction in weight of about 330 lbs. BMW will be achieving this with the use of all their latest technology.
A first for the X5 will be the availability of two new four-cylinder engines, but the most powerful version will still be powered by its usual 4.4 liter V8 engine. The only difference is that the V8 engine will feature improved figures and an improved fuel economy. A plug-in hybrid version has also been rumored.
More details will be unveiled in the coming months, so stay tuned!
Spy Shots: Next BMW X5 caught testing again, but still covered up originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 20 January 2012 13:00 EST.
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John Cordts David Coulthard Piers Courage Chris Craft Jim Crawford
HRT has scotched reports it will start the 2012 season with last year’s car.
The BBC quoted a spokeswoman for the Spanish team as admitting to a “critical delay”, but denied the recent staff and factory shakeups had overly affected development of the new single seater.
HRT’s new car is highly anticipated, given the team’s struggles since inception in 2010 with the uncompetitive Dallara design.
“Rumours that we will take part in the initial grands prix with the 2011 car are not true,” said the spokeswoman.
“The target is to be at the second test with the new car.”
The BBC said the team will be present at the opening test at Jerez early next month with the 2011 car.
The former Renault team, meanwhile – now called Lotus F1 – will be at Jerez with its new contender.
It will be launched two days earlier on the team website, before Kimi Raikkonen gives the car a brief track debut on 6 February — the day before the official test kicks off.
source: GMM
Derek Daly Christian Danner Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson Jimmy Davies
What’s “the most famous television car in the world”? We suppose that depends on who you ask, but to many, nothing but the General Lee could possibly hold the title. Of course, there wasn’t just one General Lee. In fact, scores of orange Dodge Chargers were filmed for “The Dukes of Hazzard,” and most of them never survived their first televised escapade.
Not so Lee 1, so named because it was the car that famously jumped over a Hazzard County police cruiser in the very first episode of the hit series. If you’ve ever seen the opening credits, you know the car we’re talking about… it flew 16 feet in the air over a distance of 82 feet. And, as you may have guessed, it didn’t exactly stick the landing.
No matter. Because of its notoriety, Lee 1 was saved from destruction and restored over a period of 16 months. And, due to that same famous history, we thought it might draw plenty of attention from the crowds at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson auction. In reality, bidding ended at just $ 110,000. That makes the final sale price a seemingly paltry $ 121,000.
Read more about Lee 1 and watch a video of it’s auction after the break, and check out our live image gallery above.
Summary: Featured several times in the first episode of CBS hit “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Fondly named “Lee 1″ is the very car used to jump over a Hazzard County police cruiser in the first episode. Carefully restored over a 16 month period to pre-jump condition.
Details: Lee 1 was purchased by a California movie studio in 1978, soon to become “The most famous television car in the world.” Lee 1 was featured several times in the first episode of CBS’ hit television series “The Dukes of Hazzard.” This episode titled “One-Armed Bandits,” aired on January 26, 1979 and was filmed in the Covington, Conyers and Oxford area of Georgia. The show’s opening sequence, featuring Bo and Luke Duke, included the clip of Lee1 jumping over a Hazzard County police cruiser. That jump, for which Lee 1 is most famous, was made by a stunt man on the campus of Oxford College on Saturday, November 11, 1978. Lee 1′s first and only jump was 16 feet up and over the cruiser, landing 82 feet from the take off ramp. The only cast member that ever drove Lee 1 was John Schneider, who played Bo Duke. After 23 years in a junkyard, in Metro Atlanta, Lee 1 was rescued and professionally, passionately restored to pre-jump condition over a 16 month period. Lee 1 is truly an American Icon.
Chris Craft Jim Crawford Ray Crawford Alberto Crespo Antonio Creus
It is not a good idea to mess with another man’s car or more specifically, don’t put an axe in your mate’s car. It could result in an uncontrollable desire for revenge.
The prank begins when an Aussie wakes up in the morning to find his housemate has had a heavy night and decided to put a regular axe in his beloved car. The clearly angry owner then decides to get his revenge with the use of his life savings, and a 42 foot replica axe that weighs more than a tonne.
Whilst it is certainly plausible that this whole event was staged, it is still great entertainment.
Enjoy
Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi
If you were impressed by the MP4-12C, well, you should be. It’s an otherworldly performance machine. But we ain’t seen nothing yet from McLaren Automotive, which is gearing up to launch an even more capable supercar.
Whereas the 12C is targeted at the Ferrari 458 Italia, the next project down the pipeline is more along the lines of a successor to the iconic McLaren F1, a car to rival the likes of the Bugatti Veyron and Pagani Huayra ? that elite class of million-dollar hypercar you’re not likely to see anywhere but on Rodeo Drive, at the Monte Carlo harborfront or a closed-off section of highway along the Persian Gulf.
According to the UK’s CAR magazine, McLaren is expected to employ a version of the same 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 developed for the 12C, but with 799 horsepower on tap and one crucial addition: Kenetic Energy Recovery System, a.k.a. KERS. That could make the vehicle codenamed P12 (following the P11 handle carried by the 12C while in development) one of the first supercars to use the system designed for Formula 1 and currently being developed for road use by Ferrari, Porsche and Jaguar for their upcoming supercars.
Early prototypes reportedly incorporated a big red KERS boost button on a steering wheel closer in size and shape to an F1 cockpit’s than a conventional rim, but if you were hoping for a 1+2 seating arrangement with central driving position like in the original McLaren F1, we’ll have to stop you right there, as the packaging of such a layout reportedly proved prohibitive for the new P12.
As dynamically polished as the 12C emerged, its design was derided as somewhat derivative. That’s largely because McLaren didn’t bring celebrated designer Frank Stephenson on board until the car’s design was already pretty much finalized. This reportedly being Stephenson’s first clean-sheet design since arriving at McLaren HQ in Woking, we’re expecting big things when the P12 debuts sometime this year.
Geoff Crossley Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas Derek Daly Christian Danner
Looks like the boys at Sport Auto finally shook off their wintry shivers and made it out to Hockenheim for a performance test with the Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca.
The limited edition Mustang surprised by clocking a time faster than the Aston Martin DBS, Ferrari California, Mercedes C 63 AMG Coupe, Audi R8 4.2 FSI quattro and BMW M3 Coupe.
Auto Sport’s Christian Gebhardt tells WCF, “The braking performance of the 2012 Boss Laguna Seca was better than the Porsche 991 Carrera S with optional PCCB-brakes.”
Not exactly known for its handling prowess, the Boss 302 Laguna Seca is an entirely different beast as it was tuned as a purposeful track car.
The Boss 302 Laguna Seca’s chassis was stiffened by 10 percent. This was achieved by higher-rate coil springs, larger rear stabilizer bar, adjustable dampers and an X-brace in lieu of rear seats.
Other items contributing to the Mustang’s handling and driving feel include an aggressive front splitter, a larger rear spoiler, 19-inch wheels with R-compound ultra-high-performance tires, Recaro sport seats and Alcantara steering wheel.
Power is provided by a 5.0-liter V8 engine with 440 hp (328 kW / 446 PS) and 380 lb-ft (515 Nm) of torque. A six-speed close-ratio manual gearbox sends power to the rear wheels through a Torsen limited-slip differential.
Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson Jimmy Davies Colin Davis Jimmy Daywalt
It's actually a 69 Riv kit but body wise it's exactly the same as the 68 i owned, only difference i can see is the interior has been given a face lift, with an added center console, color wise it's the same as the 1/1 apart from the flake, i used blue-green semi translucent flake and the model has "plasti-kote" pearl which is redish, but in normal light both just looked white, i spent a small fortune on the 1/1, re chromeing loads of bits inc both bumpers (fenders), new body to chassis mounts, new exhaust, new tyres and rims jeez! i wiah i had the cash now or the car, 430 inch big block went like $ hit off a shovel (untill it blew 3 pistons) i remember it had a clear (see through) distributor cap with a flap so you could do the dwell angle with the engine running, she was in a sorry state of neglect when i got her and was painted black (badly),
there was no internet when i rebuilt her but i did join the UK Buick club, monthly news letter and the occaisional meet, i had to senf off to the US for workshop manual, which in fact was two manuals and both were pretty big, one covered all 68 Buick engines, transmissions and suspensions, and the other all 68 "fisher" bodys, including police specs electric's, thanks for looking
and the 1/1 (in bits)
the young guy in the drivers seat is my youngest son and is now 25 and runs his own IT company, seem like just yesterday
Paul Belmondo Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg
Canadian Motorsports Expo Powered by Inside Track staff announced that as part of the three day show, they will be featuring a special show car ? the 2012 IndyCar Series D12 Dallara Chassis.
This will mark the first time that the completed version of the 2012 Dallara DW12 IndyCar will make its appearance in Canada. A preview of the final version was on display at the Honda Indy Toronto last year, but there have since been significant changes. Dallara named the the chassis ?DW12? in honor of the late Dan Wheldon, who helped develop the car and and is a two-time winner of the Indy 500. The car is being put on display on behalf of the Honda Indy Toronto staff.
?Canadian Motorsports Expo visitors are going to be the first in Canada to get a firsthand look at the new road course version of the Dallara DW12 IZOD IndyCar Series car, identical to the ones that will be in action on the streets of Toronto in July,? CME?s David Weber said. ?The Honda Indy Toronto is one of Canada?s biggest sports and entertainment events and we?re excited to be working the organizers to promote both the event and Canadian motorsports at the CME.?
The Honda Indy Toronto brings the stars of the IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and other major racing series to Toronto to race along the streets of the Exhibition Grounds. The event weekend is schedule to take place July 6th through the 8th for 2012. Representatives from the event will on-hand to talk about the 2012 event and the new IndyCar Series chassis.
?The Honda Indy Toronto is the highlight of the year for many motorsports fans and car aficionados,? Charlie Johnstone, Vice President and General Manager of the Honda Indy Toronto. ?Motorsports has much more to offer than one single weekend of spectacular racing and excitement. IndyCar and other racing series can offer great entertainment all year long, which is something we will also offer at the CME.
?At the CME, we can speak directly to the motorsport enthusiast who will definitely appreciate seeing the new car up-close and in-person six months before it hits the track,? continued Johnstone.?
The Canadian Motorsports Expo will be taking place at the International Centre from February 10th to February 12th. The three-day event is meant to highlight the best of Canadian motorsports and let the fans get up-and-close with the race cars, while giving the fans a chance to meet racing superstars.
Canadian racing talent has been building in the IZOD IndyCar Series as 2011 IndyCar Rookie of the Year James Hinchcliffe and 2011 Indy 500 pole-winner Alex Tagliani have both signed deals for full-time rides. Hinchcliffe, who was born in Ontario, recently signed with Andretti Autosport while Tagliani, who was born in Quebec, recently signed with Bryan Herta Autosport. Both drivers are also nominated for an Inside Track Readers? Choice Award.
Canadian racing veteran Paul Tracy could also have a full-time ride for 2012 as he in talks with teams, but nothing has yet to be confirmed.
?We have some solid Canadian talents participating this year and driving at the highest level,? Johnstone said. ?Having Canadian IndyCar drivers is very important for us and for our fans. We always want to see local heroes on-track and to have them succeed. We can?t wait to see how they perform in Toronto this July and what the season holds for our Canadian drivers.?
The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily those of the publisher. All comments other than website related problems need to be directed to the author. ©SpeedwayMedia.com.
Sebastien Buemi Luiz Bueno Ian Burgess Luciano Burti Roberto Bussinello
The Chevrolet Sonic marketing shenanigans continue under the rubric of “Let’s Do This,” this time with a five-story 3D projection of a claw game on the side of The Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. In fact, that a couple of Sunset Boulevard’s lanes had to be shut down to accommodate the controls, which were a waist-high gearshift and an acclerator pedal.
So big was the PR stunt that it earned Chevrolet a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the mightiest claw game on Earth. Follow the jump to see it in action and to watch someone win a non-projected, very real, Chevy Sonic.
Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk
In the round-up: Kimi Raikkonen is to drive an F1 car for the first time since 2009 in Valencia today.
Links
Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:
Lotus via Twitter
?Lotus has arrived in Valencia! Less than 24hrs until Mr Raikkonen is back on track! Who?s excited to see the Iceman in action??
Symonds: 2011 Virgin had potential (Autosport)
?The performance in the slow corners was much closer to the norm than it was in the fast corners. The car responded to changes pretty well, it used its tyres pretty well, it wasn?t a difficult car to drive, so I think our low-speed performance was reasonable. The high-speed performance wasn?t good ? and then of course you look at aerodynamics.?
Bahrain regime braces for February 14 (Press TV)
?February 14, 2012 will mark the one year anniversary of the Bahrain revolution, which continues despite violent crackdowns by Saudi and Bahraini police forces.?
Follow F1 news as it breaks using the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app.
Comment of the day
Reactive ride height control has gone the way of exhaust-blown diffusers and F-ducts. GeeMac questions whether there?s any room left for innovation in F1:
If the FIA want F1 to be a spec series, then just do it.
But if they want F1 to be the pinnacle of motorsport and the place where the best engineers showcase the best solutions within ever tightening technical regulations, then they had better stop banning concepts like this before they have even been raced.
The FIA?s view these days seems to be ?If we don?t understand it, ban it.?
GeeMac
From the forum
Happy birthday!
No F1 Fanatic birthdays today. If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.
On this day in F1
One of the most turbulent Formula 1 seasons of all time got off to a suitable dramatic start 30 years ago today. The drivers went on strike ahead of the first race of the 1982 season at Kyalami in South Africa. Here?s what happened:
F1 Fanatic – The Formula 1 Blog
Erik Comas Franco Comotti George Connor George Constantine John Cordts
Saturday marks the second day of NASCAR Acceleration Weekend in Charlotte North Carolina.
Thousands of dedicated race fans traveled to the Charlotte convention center for NASCAR Preview 2012. They waited in long lines starting as early as Friday morning. Lines that were full of energy and excitement to enter the convention center doors and meet their favorite drivers. The well organized event also came complete with displays of show cars, games and race simulators. You even got to meet the new Miss Sprint Cup, Kristen Beat, who hails from El Cajon, CA (Jimmie Johnson?s hometown). She joins Kim Coon and Jaclyn Roney in representing the Sprint brand in Victory Lane and around the tracks where NASCAR competes.
Drivers from all three major series showed up to the annual event to talk racing, meet with fans and sign autographs starting early on Saturday morning.
Lots of pictures were taken, hands shaken and words spoken. Here are a few snippets from some of the drivers:
MARK MARTIN:
On how long he will be racing: ?As long as I want to.?
DALE EARNHARDT JR:
?I just kind of sat around the house? I?ve been playing Battlefield 3 mainly. That?s about all I?ve been doin?.
?I hope we don?t have to do that stuff this year (the tandem racing). It?s hard having to be in a relationship the whole race. That?s basically what it?s like. I look out for number one all the time. It gets me in trouble. On and off the track.?
JIMMIE JOHNSON:
?We?ll go out there and do what we can to beat Tony. What he did at the end of the year, and the show that he an Carl put on, I know people are still talking about it and I can?t get it out of my mind??
KYLE BUSCH:
?We?re gonna get along really well (him and brother, Kurt). ?Cause I?m his boss. And I did tell him he can call me ?dude? but only a few times. So, I think it?ll be alright.?
MATT KENSETH:
?Why (did I get rid of the beard)? Cause I look silly. Well, I still look silly but, I looked sillier.?
BRAD KESELOWSKI:
?I think we?re going to get a strong dose of both (tandem and pack racing). I?m really excited about what we?re going to see when we go down to Daytona this year. I think it?s going to be one of the best Daytona 500?s ever.?
DANICA PATRICK:
?I started racing when I was 10 years old, it was all boys and it?s still pretty much all boys. So no, I was never made to feel different or out of place by my parents. They just always empowered me to be as good as I could possibly be and to keep working hard. And not to be the best girl but to be the best driver.?
CLINT BOWYER:
?Actually, I almost messed up . I was doing an interview over there and I almost said, I was like, ?The 5 Hour Chev?. I mean, Toyota.? It?s going to be different. There?s a lot of new.?
MARK MARTIN:
?If it doesn?t have wheels on it, I?m not a fan.?
JEFF BURTON:
?Matt (Kenseth) was makin? fun of me this winter cause like, two weeks into the deal, I?m like, ?Man, I?m ready- I need to go do something now.? My wife wanted me out of the house? And I?m ready to go back racin?.?
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Geoff Crossley Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas Derek Daly Christian Danner
2025 Concept Design by Douglas Hogg
History
Ettore Bugatti was the founder of Bugatti cars and in many ways the ultimate perfectionist. He believed his cars should be the best in the world and constantly strove to make them the fastest, lightest and most luxurious cars possible. ?Nothing is too beautiful, nothing is too expensive? was one of his guiding mantras. Together with his son Jean, they were a world leading force in premium automobiles. Many believe that Ettore?s engineering genius and Jeans visionary styling reached their collaborative zenith with the 1935 Aerolithe prototype.
The original Aerolithe was unveiled at the 1935 Paris motor show and was the instant star attraction. It looked like nothing else ? Its elegant, highly aerodynamic styling and super lightweight construction was years ahead of its time. Such was the reception the Aerolithe received that 1936 a production version was offered as the legendary Type 57 SC Atlantic, of which three exist today and sell at auction for around $ 40 million. As for the Aerolithe, it disappeared sometime in the late 1930?s. To this day no one knows for sure it?s fate.
2025 Bugatti Aerolithe
The new 2025 Bugatti Aerolithe concept represents a return to the brand values and holistic attitude of Ettore Bugatti that made Bugatti cars so great ? simplicity, beauty and intelligence. The new Aerolithe takes theme and style inspiration from the lightweight original and re imagines it as a futuristic and exclusive GT car for 15 years in the future ? the vanguard of a new wave of intelligent luxury.
The typical buyer of a new Bugatti is the man who has it all. He statistically already owns 8+ cars, A boat and/ or a private jet. He can afford to choose to buy the very best in everything and the Aerolithe was designed to be the best grand tourer money can buy.
The dramatic styling is an exercise in pure surfacing. It references the original with its elegant proportions and split windows, whilst carving out a new design direction for Bugatti utilising clean, unbroken surfacing and advanced aerodynamics. The main bodywork is completely smooth, uncluttered by external mirrors, door handles and clunky spoilers. The lines are inspired by organic forms, science fiction and the original 193 Aerolithe. Up front, the signature Bugatti ?Horseshoe? grill in is a direct ram air intake to the turbine engine, whilst the headlights apertures in the front double up as cooling ducts to cool the brakes. At the rear, the boot lid features two jet fighter inspired pop up air brakes to stabilise the car under braking, whilst the rear lights also double up as cooling ducts. Advanced technology integrated so harmoniously into the clean bodyshell that you would never know it was there.
Underbody aerodynamics are a key feature of the Aerolithe and allow it to have such clean styling. Two air channels run the full length of the underbody of the car directing air from the front, around the almond shaped cabin, back to the massive double diffuser at the rear. This generates enough downforce to keep the car firmly glued to the road at speed without the need for any visible rear spoiler.
The Aerospace inspired split canopy doors of the Aerolithe concept are a stand out feature designed primarily to allow easy access to the cabin, but also to generate street theatre when the car pulls up. Each side opens independently of the other, and splits into a top and bottom half. The bottom half of each door tucks under the sill, whilst the top half swings up and forwards taking with it a massive swathe of bodywork and the whole dashboard. The steering column can then raise into the space left by the door, giving an enormous aperture to allow users of all shapes and sizes to easily get in and out.
The polished aluminium centre spine is a key styling and construction feature. It references the riveted central seam line of the original and develops it into a key structural component running throughout the interior and exterior. Beneath the sensuous carbon fibre bodywork is a highly efficient and dynamic mechanical package. The Aerolithe features titanium, magnesium and composite materials throughout to keep the weight down to around 1400kg. The passenger safety cell is bullet proof, with Aluminium Oxynitride windows. Driving a $ 1.4 million car you never can be too careful.
Propulsion is provided by an advanced Microturbine battery hybrid drivetrain. Microturbines are an emerging technology that will see great use in the automotive industry in the coming years. They are compact, lightweight and highly efficient. They can run on almost anything that burns ?petrol, diesel, kerosene, alcohol, even perfume. In the Aerolithe the Microturbine functions only as a generator with no mechanical link to the wheels. Its only function is to generate electricity to charge the batteries on the move. In general terms, the Aerolithe is an electric car. The Microturbine engine is a range extender for the batteries, giving a theoretical range of up to 800 miles on one tank of fuel with minimal harmful emissions.
Source: Douglas Hogg
2025 Bugatti Aerolithe Concept By Douglas Hogg, Coventry University Graduate, now a designer at Ford Motor Company.
Alan Brown Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle
Marketers in Switzerland have placed a clever advertising installation at the Zürich train station that have pedestrians taking a second look.
It shows a Smart ForTwo sunken into the ground with a sign that says “extrem viel drin” which translates as “very much in it.” All inclusive Leasing by Smart.
Thanks to Philip for sending in the photos!
John Cannon Eitel Cantoni Bill Cantrell Ivan Capelli Piero Carini