mikemcntos5: February 2012

Wednesday 29 February 2012

Rumormill: BMW planning to revive Triumph?

BMW may be a German automaker, but it is no stranger to the allure of British motoring. Several years before buying Rolls-Royce, the Anglophiles in Munich bought the entire Rover Group - a collection of British marques of which BMW kept some and eventually sold others. MG it sold to the Chinese, Land Rover was eventually bought by Indian automaker Tata, but it famously relaunched the Mini brand, and along with it, kept the rights to Riley and Triumph, two dormant brands it did not sell off alongside Austin, Morris and Wolesley.

Ever since, BMW has been rumored to be preparing to relaunch the Triumph brand, but over a decade later, nothing has materialized. Proposals were reportedly made to market a cheaper version of the Z4 as a Triumph, or label the new Mini Roadster as a Triumph - a proposal rejected by existing Mini dealers who weren't eager to launch separately branded showrooms.

A new report emanating from the UK, however, indicates that BMW filed a new patent for the Triumph name that would extend not only to vehicles, but also all manner of branded merchandise from watches and jewelry to luggage and even Christmas tree decorations.

Whether BMW has any immediate plans to produce any actual automobiles under the Triumph name remains to be seen, but the merchandizing campaign can't be good news for the motorcycle manufacturer of the same name that has had the brand all to itself for the past few decades now.

BMW planning to revive Triumph? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/29/bmw-planning-to-revive-triumph/

James Hunt Jim Hurtubise Gus Hutchison Jacky Ickx Yuji Ide

De la Rosa calls for more testing

Pedro de la Rosa has called for increased in-season testing in Formula 1, claiming that it may even save the teams money long term, and save reserve drivers from potential embarrassment. The Spaniard told AUTOSPORT that the current lack of in-season testing was unhealthy for Formula 1, denying drivers of valuable seat time, and leaving even experienced reserves exposed should they need to sub for a regular driver in a grand prix. "I've been pushing for more testing for a long time, because I think its not right [as it is]," de la Rosa said.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/de-la-rosa-calls-for-more-testing

Fred Gamble Howden Ganley Frank Gardner Billy Garrett Jo Gartner

2012 Audi A1 Quattro Driven: 256 HP, All-Wheel Drive, Killer Looks

There are some special small cars that enthusiasts would kill for, including the mid-engined Renault 5 Turbo, the rear-drive Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, and just about any Group B World Rally Championship homologation car, such as the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16. Here’s a potential new classic: the Audi A1 Quattro, priced at the equivalent of more [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/quTfAbpOdYY/2012-audi-a1-quattro-first-drive-review

Oswald Karch Narain Karthikeyan Ukyo Katayama Ken Kavanagh Rupert Keegan

F1: James Allison Q&A - Lotus Back On Track

Lotus will return to action for this week's second test in Barcelona after leaving last week's test early with a mechanical gremlin...

Source: http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-james-allison-qa-lotus-back-on-track/

Duncan Hamilton Lewis Hamilton David Hampshire Sam Hanks Walt Hansgen

2014 Mercedes-Benz S-class Spied: We Catch—and Detail—the Star’s Next Flagship

What It Is: This is the ninth generation of Mercedes’ S-class full-size luxury sedan (if you start counting with the 1956 220S). The next S-class will still have presence, but adopt more-aerodynamic styling. The volume car will be offered in two wheelbases; more-extensively stretched and armored versions are on tap, too. It will again spawn [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/S9x-EnpgD6I/2014_mercedes-benz_s-class_spy_photos-future_cars

Al Keller Joe Kelly Dave Kennedy Loris Kessel Bruce Kessler

Montoya unscathed in fiery crash

Juan Pablo Montoya escaped with a sore ankle from a fiery crash during Monday night's Daytona 500. The Earnhardt Ganassi driver lost control of his Chevrolet under the seventh caution of the race, caused by an engine failure on David Stremme's Toyota. Montoya reported a suspected mechanical failure over the radio and had already pitted twice under the caution so his team could check his car.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/nascar/montoya-unscathed-in-fiery-crash

Kazuyoshi Hoshino Jerry Hoyt Nico Hülkenberg Denny Hulme James Hunt

LeMons Good/Bad Idea of the Week: Bribing with Diorama of Judge’s Beloved Impala

The 24 Hours of LeMons Supreme Court, the members of which take as their model the frontier judges of the American Wild West, have sanctioned bribery as a means of ensuring mutual respect in the racer-judge relationship. In fact, so central is the judicial bribe to the LeMons BS Inspection process that we apply a [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/vkSKNLSju_A/

Danny Kladis Hans Klenk Peter de Klerk Christian Klien Karl Kling

Booster Club: How Forced Induction is Changing the Performance Landscape

When Cadillacs are equipped with boost gauges and all but two of the engines in BMW’s lineup are turbocharged, you know you’re living in entertaining times. Manufacturers regard supercharging and turbocharging as their silver bullets—the best means of providing stirring performance with decreased consumption. By downsizing and “downspeeding” their engines while also adding a supercharger [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/-tXfKTfUw-4/booster-club-how-forced-induction-is-changing-the-performance-landscape-feature

Ryan Joseph Newman Kyle Eugene Petty Floyd Anthony Raines Scott Russell Riggs Hiroshi Fushida

Nissan power to make British F3 debut

Nissan power will make its debut in British Formula 3 this year, with T-Sport joining forces with Japanese outfit ThreeBond for 2012. The team will use a Nissan-based powerplant, developed by ThreeBond and specialist developer Tomei Engines.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/nissan-power-to-make-british-f3-debut

Sterling Burton Marlin Mark Anthony Martin Jeremy Allan Mayfield James Christopher McMurray Casey James Mears

Americans Can’t Afford a Highway-Centric Transportation Bill

If Congress passes a transpo bill that skimps on transit and safe streets, they'll force more Americans to shell out at the pump. Image: EDF
Gas prices, you may have heard, are on the rise again. And so is pandering about pain at the pump. Four years after $4 a gallon gas spawned “Drill, Baby, Drill” [...]

Source: http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/02/27/americans-cant-afford-a-highway-centric-transportation-bill/

Jimmy Jackson Joe James John James Jean Pierre Jarier Max Jean

Aston Martin Updates the Vantage Range for 2012 [Geneva Auto Show]

Now that the Vantage lineup has been filled out by the addition of the V-12 coupe, V-12 Zagato, and Vantage S, Aston Martin is focusing its attention on the base coupe and roadster. Both will continue to use the same 420-hp, 4.7-liter V-8, but the rest of the package has received a few tweaks. For purists, [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/QvaPXt5ESNo/

Divina Galica Nanni Galli Oscar Alfredo Gálvez Fred Gamble Howden Ganley

Patrick crashes in Nationwide race

Danica Patrick was unable to turn her first NASCAR pole position into a good result after becoming involved in an incident before the halfway mark of the 120-lap Nationwide Series opener.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/nascar/patrick-crashes-in-nationwide-race

Eddie Johnson Leslie Johnson Bruce Johnstone Alan Jones Tom Jones

Tuesday 28 February 2012

Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 125

Hit play for an audio recording of a mystery car’s exhaust note, and then share your guesses or get a few hints from other visitors in the comments below. Be sure to check back on Thursday for the answer!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/Ult4c92w3Zg/

Gus Hutchison Jacky Ickx Yuji Ide Jesús Iglesias Taki Inoue

Speak Up for a Safer Prospect Park and a Saner Tappan Zee

There are two big calendar items in Brooklyn this week, both on Tuesday. With NYC DOT looking for input on how to manage the needs of Prospect Park users, the Prospect Park Road Sharing Task Force will present recommendations that “put people first.” Meanwhile, DOT staff will unveil a pedestrian plaza proposal for Ocean and [...]

Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/02/27/speak-up-for-a-safer-prospect-park-and-a-saner-tappan-zee/

Z Line Designs Toyota Parker Kligerman Trevor Bayne Out! Pet Care Toyota Jason Leffler

Elliott Sadler Battles to Third-Place Finish at Daytona International Speedway

No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala (Elliott Sadler) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCARElliott Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial team earned their first top-five finish of the 2012 season after a wild last lap at the NASCAR Nationwide Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Sadler started the DRIVE4COPD...more»

Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2012/nationwide/02/26/elliott-sadler-battles-to-third-place-finish-at-daytona-international-speedway/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=elliott-sadler-battles-to-third-place-finish-at-daytona-international-speedway

Keith Greene Masten Gregory Cliff Griffith Georges Grignard Bobby Grim

Danica Patrick finishes 38th in Daytona 500

Three races, three wrecks. Even if it wasnt really her fault, Danica Patrick went 0-for-Daytona.

Source: http://www.nascarracinglive.com/nascar/danica-patrick-finishes-38th-in-daytona-500.html

Brian Gubby André Guelfi Miguel Ángel Guerra Roberto Guerrero Maurício Gugelmin

AMA DSB: DiSalvo's Triumphant Return

Jason DiSalvo will return to the scene of his biggest career victory -- the Daytona 200 -- with the same team behind him but an entirely different package underneath him.

Source: http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/ama-dsb-disalvos-triumphant-return/

Peter Hirt David Hobbs Gary Hocking Ingo Hoffmann Bill Holland

Kenseth wins chaotic Daytona 500

Matt Kenseth took victory in a chaotic and delayed Daytona 500, which finally finished just before 1am local time on Tuesday morning. The race, which had already been postponed from Sunday afternoon to Monday night due to rain, was red-flagged for two hours with 40 laps to go after a bizarre incident in which Juan Pablo Montoya crashed into a jet-dryer vehicle. The Colombian was trying to catch up with the field after pitting under caution when he spun into the course vehicle, which then exploded into flames

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/nascar/kenseth-wins-chaotic-daytona-500

Fred Gamble Howden Ganley Frank Gardner Billy Garrett Jo Gartner

Elliott Sadler Battles to Third-Place Finish at Daytona International Speedway

José Froilán González Oscar González Aldo Gordini Horace Gould Jean Marc Gounon

2012 Official NASCAR Social Media Accounts for Twitter & Facebook

OFFICIAL LEAGUE NASCAR Website: www.nascar.com Twitter: @NASCAR Facebook: www.facebook.com/NASCAR MySpace: www.myspace.com/NASCAR NASCAR Sprint Cup Series League Twitter: @NASCAR Sponsor Twitter: @MissSprintCup Sponsor Facebook: www.facebook.com/MissSprintCup NASCAR Nationwide Series League Twitter: @NASCAR_NNS Sponsor Twitter: @NationwideNNS NASCAR Camping World Truck Series League Twitter: @NASCAR_Trucks NASCAR Touring and Weekly Series Website: www.nascarhometracks.com Twitter: @NASCARHomeTrack Facebook: www.facebook.com/NASCARHomeTracks GRAND-AM Website: www.grand-am.com Twitter: @RolexSeries, @CT_Challenge Facebook: www.facebook.com/GRANDAMRoadRacing NASCAR Diversity Website: http://www.nascardiversity.com/ Twitter: @NASCARDiversity NASCAR Foundation Website: http://foundation.nascar.com Twitter: @NASCAR_FDN [...]

Source: http://thefinallap.com/2012/02/26/2012-official-nascar-social-media-accounts-for-twitter-facebook/

Out! Pet Care Toyota Jason Leffler David Carl Allison Gregory Jack Biffle David Lee Blaney

Encouraging News on Transit, But Serious Flaws Remain in House Transpo Bill

Hold that victory lap: While it’s true that House Republicans are revamping their transportation bill, it’s time once again wait and see just how bad the bill still is.
The House's retreat on de-funding transit is good news for projects like Cincinnati's proposed streetcar. Photo: Urban Cincy
Indications out of Speaker John Boehner’s office are that the GOP [...]

Source: http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/02/24/encouraging-news-on-transit-but-serious-flaws-remain-in-house-transpo-bill/

Fred Gamble Howden Ganley Frank Gardner Billy Garrett Jo Gartner

The Biggest Bike-Share Beneficiaries Won’t Be Cyclists

This column on the “super-users” of Boston’s Hubway bike-share system was a breath of fresh air after reading some of our local NYC coverage depicting bike-share planning as a raging conflict between car owners, pedestrians, and bike advocates.
Writer Jonathan Simmons does a quick profile of the Hubway customers who use the system more than anyone else:
With [...]

Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/02/27/the-biggest-bike-share-beneficiaries-arent-cyclists/

Nico Hülkenberg Denny Hulme James Hunt Jim Hurtubise Gus Hutchison

Shane Lewis to Make Dubai 24H Debut

Shane Lewis Dubai 24H DUBAI - December 29, 2011 American to Start 31st Career 24-Hour Race at Middle East's Premier Event Shane Lewis began his career running open wheel races that lasted 30-minutes. Today, he has become one of the...

Source: http://www.motorsportsjournal.com/archives/2011/12/shane_lewis_to_make_dubai.php

James Hunt Jim Hurtubise Gus Hutchison Jacky Ickx Yuji Ide

2012 Jaguar XKR-S Convertible First Drive: Hitting the Runway (at 175 mph) in Jag’s Newest Model

Every car in America can find its way to 75 mph on a road. (Well, almost.) But 175 mph? Outside of being strapped to a rocket, a car must have sufficient power, optimized aerodynamics, and at least a mile of straightaway free of heaves, dips, potholes, and wavering Winnebagos. While finding such a stretch in [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/BWIFNPFo-b8/2012-jaguar-xkr-s-convertible-first-drive-review

Michael Duane Bliss Kurt Thomas Busch Kyle Thomas Busch Jeffrey Tyler Burton Richard Allen Craven

Monday 27 February 2012

Rain set to delay Daytona start

Rain is expected to hamper the scheduled start for today's 54th running of the Daytona 500. The rainfall started before noon local time and although there has not been a heavy downpour, the track is completely wet approaching the scheduled green flag time of 1:29pm US Eastern Time

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/nascar/rain-set-to-delay-daytona-start

Carl Michael Edwards III William Clyde Elliott Jeffrey Michael Gordon Charles Robert Hamilton IV Charles Robert Hamilton V

Video: Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational puts SEMA cars to the test

Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Classics, Etc., Videos

We love SEMA. There's simply no better place to see the aftermarket go wild. Unfortunately, most of the cars, trucks, vans and other heathens that occupy the Las Vegas Convention Center each November are built to do little more than look pretty under the lights. We've always wanted to see the best of the best throw down on a track.

Fortunately for us, there's the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational. For four years now, the battery maker has invited the cream of the SEMA crop to show off just what all that aftermarket hardware is good for.

This year, SPEED tagged along to see what all the fuss was about, and brought along a host of HD cameras to capture the whole event. Hosted by Bill Goldberg, the show is a good chance to catch up on some of the more impressive cars that debuted at SEMA 2011 and watch them as they do battle for the top title.

Who won out this year? We won't spoil it for you. You'll just have to look for the Optima Ultimate Street Invitational on SPEED. The show debuted this weekend, but will re-air on March 11 at 2:30 PM EST. In the meantime, check out the teaser after the jump.

Continue reading Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational puts SEMA cars to the test

Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational puts SEMA cars to the test originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/27/optima-ultimate-street-car-invitational-puts-sema-cars-to-the-te/

Ruby Tuesday Dodge Carl Edwards Copart Ford

Weather pushes Daytona 500 to Monday night

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/27/1888992/weather-pushes-daytona-500-to.html

Travis Wade Kvapil Robert Allen Labonte Terrence Lee Labonte Randy Joseph Lajoie Kevin Paul Lepage

Porsche recalls 2011-2012 Cayenne SUVs over headlight issue

Filed under: Performance, SUV, Recalls, Safety, Porsche, Luxury

Porsche is issuing a recall of 20,278 Cayenne SUVs from the 2011- and 2012 model years including the base model as well as the S, Hybrid and Turbo. The vehicles in question, produced from March 8, 2010 up to January of this year, may have been fitted with faulty headlight locking assemblies. In case of assembly failure, the headlights could detach from the fenders - something that might be dramatically inconvenient if you're driving at night on a dark, winding road, say.

Porsche is sending notices to owners and dealers will fix the issue free of charge. There's an official press notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after the jump with a little more info.

Continue reading Porsche recalls 2011-2012 Cayenne SUVs over headlight issue

Porsche recalls 2011-2012 Cayenne SUVs over headlight issue originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/27/porsche-recalls-2011-2012-cayenne-suvs-over-headlight-issue/

Out! Pet Care Toyota Jason Leffler David Carl Allison Gregory Jack Biffle David Lee Blaney

Pastrana's Nationwide debut set for Richmond, announces 2012 schedule

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/02/pastranas-nationwide-debut-set-for.html

David Carl Allison Gregory Jack Biffle David Lee Blaney Michael Duane Bliss Kurt Thomas Busch

Today’s Headlines

Staten Island Hit-And-Run Killer Still at Large, Just as Defense Attorneys Prefer (Advance, Gothamist)
Tech Firms Compete to Offer Bike-Riding Employees Best Amenities (Marketplace)
Fourteen Arrested For Forging NYCHA Parking Placards (News)
Second Pedestrian Killed This Week in Traffic Crash in Downtown Flushing (Times-Ledger)
Queens Officials Unveil Plaque For Pat Dolan, Killed By Driver in November (Times-Ledger)
No Crashes, Yet Upper [...]

Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/02/24/todays-headlines-1332/

Dave Kennedy Loris Kessel Bruce Kessler Nicolas Kiesa Leo Kinnunen

2012 NSCS Daytona 500 Rain-Postponed Q&A with Ford Racing Driver, Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards (right), driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford, stands in the garage area beside his crew chief Bob Osborne during Daytona Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 12 in Daytona Beach, Fla. - Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCARCARL EDWARDS – No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion – YOU ARE...more»

Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2012/sprintcup/02/26/2012-nscs-daytona-500-rain-postponed-qa-with-ford-racing-driver-carl-edwards/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2012-nscs-daytona-500-rain-postponed-qa-with-ford-racing-driver-carl-edwards

Bob Gerard Gerino Gerini Peter Gethin Piercarlo Ghinzani Bruno Giacomelli

Aston launches WEC GT programme

Aston Martin Racing has confirmed it will return to GT racing by entering its Vantage in the GTE Pro class of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The move marks a return to production-based sportscar competition for the factory Aston programme after three years in prototypes ended with 2011's unsuccessful AMR-One project

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/aston-launches-wec-gt-programme

Chris Irwin Jean Pierre Jabouille Jimmy Jackson Joe James John James

MATT ARTIN JOINS NHRA AS DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS

NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. (Jan. 4, 2012) NHRA announced today that Matt Artin, an eight-year veteran in media planning, advertising and promotions, has joined the world's largest motorsports sanctioning body as director of advertising and promotions....

Source: http://www.motorsportsjournal.com/archives/2012/01/matt_artin_joins_nhra_as.php

Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson Leslie Johnson Bruce Johnstone Alan Jones

Video: Alex Wurz gets behind the wheel of the Lexus LFA

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Lexus

We can attest to the joys of driving the Lexus LFA, having spent several days this past fall becoming addicted to the 4.8-liter V10 and race-bred suspension. We aren't the only ones who have developed an affection for the $400,000 Lexus supercar, though. Alex Wurz, former Formula 1 driver and two-time Le Mans winner, recently got behind the wheel of the LFA and seemed duly impressed.

Not one to just take the LFA out for a lazy drive, Wurz makes proper use of all 552 horsepower and 9,000 rpm running the Estoril Circuit in Portugal. After a few laps of pushing the supercar around the track, Wurz heaps praise on the LFA for its super-aggressive looks, neutral handling, and the sound of the downshifts from the V10.

If you want to see a video of the Lexus LFA being driven the way it was intended, then hit the jump and turn up your speakers.

Continue reading Alex Wurz gets behind the wheel of the Lexus LFA

Alex Wurz gets behind the wheel of the Lexus LFA originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/26/alex-wurz-gets-behind-the-wheel-of-the-lexus-lfa/

Elmer George Bob Gerard Gerino Gerini Peter Gethin Piercarlo Ghinzani

Sunday 26 February 2012

NHRA JR. DRAG RACING LEAGUE CONFERENCE FINALS RETURNING TO DENVER, BRISTOL FOR 20TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2012

NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. Dec. 20, 2011 To help kick off the 20th Anniversary celebration of the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA announced today that the Western Conference Finals and Eastern Conference Finals will once again return to Bandimere Speedway...

Source: http://www.motorsportsjournal.com/archives/2011/12/nhra_jr_drag_racing_leagu_1.php

Z Line Toyota Kyle Busch Toyota Kimmy Z Line Designs Toyota Parker Kligerman

Video: The 24 Hours of Daytona in 1:42

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos

Daytona International Speedway is one of motorsport's cathedrals, and when we think of grueling races on the 3.56-mile circuit, the Rolex 24 immediately comes to mind.

In 2012, 59 teams participated, and after 24 hours of racing, only six seconds separated first and second place. Helping to capture all the action was Scott Waraniak. The motion photographer was invited by Pratt and Miller to shoot video of the race. So he did. For 36 hours straight.

Hit the jump to enjoy the results. The video starts pre-race and ends with the podium ceremony, but it only takes one minute and 42 seconds of your time. Nicely done.

Continue reading The 24 Hours of Daytona in 1:42

The 24 Hours of Daytona in 1:42 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 25 Feb 2012 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/25/the-24-hours-of-daytona-in-1-42/

Billy Garrett Jo Gartner Tony Gaze Geki Olivier Gendebien

Catching up with the Thunderbird pilots before their Daytona 500 flyover

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/02/catching-up-with-thunderbird-pilots.html

Kyle Busch Toyota Kimmy Z Line Designs Toyota Parker Kligerman Trevor Bayne

Kobayashi fastest as Barcelona test ends

Kamui Kobayashi put Sauber at the top of the timesheets as Formula 1's second pre-season test closed. The Japanese driver managed a 1m22.312s on Pirelli's soft compound in the final hour of the morning, the fastest time set over all four days in Barcelona. Having ended the morning fastest, Kobayashi's time came under little threat in the afternoon as teams followed the established pattern of focusing on long runs.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/kobayashi-fastest-as-barcelona-test-ends

Naoki Hattori Paul Hawkins Mike Hawthorn Boy Hayje Willi Heeks

Ferrari, RBR change final test plans

Red Bull Racing and Ferrari have changed their testing plans for next month and will now run at Barcelona from March 2-5. The test was originally scheduled from March 1 to March 4 - Thursday to Sunday - but Ferrari opted to test from Friday to Monday instead

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/ferrari-rbr-change-final-test-plans

Kurt Thomas Busch Kyle Thomas Busch Jeffrey Tyler Burton Richard Allen Craven Kerry Dale Earnhardt

Mikkelsen wraps up Azores victory

Andreas Mikkelsen made a perfect start to his Intercontinental Rally Challenge title defence by taking a comfortable Rally Azores victory. The Skoda UK driver led from the outset, and although factory Skoda man Juho Hanninen was right on his tail initially, Mikkelsen started stretching away even before a quick spin on Friday cost his rival some time.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/mikkelsen-wraps-up-azores-victory

Mark Anthony Martin Jeremy Allan Mayfield James Christopher McMurray Casey James Mears Juan Pablo Montoya

Gooden Goes F2000 with Quantum

iRacing Champion to Chase F2000 Championship Wyatt Gooden, champion of the 2009 Season 3 and 4 iRacing Jetta TDi Series and the surprise star of the new F1600 Formula F Championship Series last year, will move up to the F2000 Championship Series in 2012, paired once again with Quantum Racing Services of Oklahoma City. Gooden’s online racing success earned him a ride in the 2010 SCCA Pro Racing VW Jetta TDi Cup where he won two races and was named Rookie of the Year. Last year, Gooden went four-for-four in Quantum’s F1600 Van Diemen Honda, winning two races apiece at Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen, his only appearances in the series. He also started from the pole in three of the four races, and set fastest race laps in three of [...]

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/iracing-news/gooden-goes-f2000-with-quantum

Kenny Dale Irwin Jr Dale Arnold Jarrett Jimmie Kenneth Johnson Kasey Kenneth Kahne Matthew Roy Kenseth

Perez: Sauber must build on promise

Sergio Perez says Sauber has good reason to optimistic for the opening races of 2012 after labelling the new C31 as a good starting point to work from this season. But he insisted that the Swiss team must keep working hard to develop the car right up to the first race in Melbourne to capitalise on it. The Mexican, who impressed on his debut at Melbourne nearly a year ago by finishing seventh on the road, was second fastest overall after two days of testing at Barcelona and ended Wednesday just 0.040s slower than the best time - set by Force India's Nico Hulkenberg

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/perez-sauber-must-build-on-promise

Yves Giraud Cabantous Ignazio Giunti Timo Glock Helm Glöckler Paco Godia

F1: Report - 2012 Lotus Has Front Suspension Problem

Lotus pulled out of this week's Barcelona test when a flaw with its E20 design was discovered...

Source: http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-report-2012-lotus-has-front-suspension-problem/

Graham Hill Phil Hill Peter Hirt David Hobbs Gary Hocking

Video: 2013 Ford Mustang ad goes all Black Swan on us

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Ford

Ford is launching a new commercial for the redesigned 2013 Mustang that will initially air during the Daytona 500 this weekend. This is the first time that the Blue Oval has promoted its pony car on television since it launched the new 2011 Mustang V6 in 2010.

Conventional marketing wisdom might dictate that Ford would use the airtime to promote the 2013 Mustang's revised design, the 420-horsepower V8 or the pony car's history of nearly half a decade. Instead, Ford is touting the personalization aspect of the Mustang, counting on the fact that more than four million people have already built their own version using the online Mustang customizer.

The commercial depicts a real-life version of the customizer, with a variety of bystanders "unleashing their inner Mustang," turning the car into a custom Mustang GT, Boss 302 or Shelby GT500... and at least one tiny dancer injecting a little darkness into her ballerina outfit for a ride worthy of Natalie Portman.

Have a look at the 2013 Mustang commercial for yourself after the jump, and let us know whether you think it's the most effective use of Ford's ad dollars in the comments section below.

Continue reading 2013 Ford Mustang ad goes all Black Swan on us

2013 Ford Mustang ad goes all Black Swan on us originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/24/2013-ford-mustang-ad-goes-all-black-swan-on-us/

Rupert Keegan Eddie Keizan Al Keller Joe Kelly Dave Kennedy

Atkinson: Lack of experience no worry

Australian driver Chris Atkinson says his lack of experience of current specification World Rally Cars will not hinder him on his WRC return on next month's Rally Mexico.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/world-rally-championship-news/wrc/atkinson-lack-of-experience-no-worry

Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson Leslie Johnson Bruce Johnstone Alan Jones

Rosberg fired up by Mercedes progress

Nico Rosberg says he is fired up by the progress he has seen at Mercedes - even though he concedes the team is not in race-winning shape yet.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/rosberg-fired-up-by-mercedes-progress

Mike Hailwood Mika Häkkinen Bruce Halford Jim Hall Duncan Hamilton

Saturday 25 February 2012

McDowell makes Daytona 500 field with a little help from his friends

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/02/mcdowell-makes-daytona-500-field-with.html

Oscar González Aldo Gordini Horace Gould Jean Marc Gounon Emmanuel de Graffenried

US Chrome Returns to FAS Lane Racing for 2012 Season

2012 NSCS 32 car (Terry Labonte) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCARDaytona Beach, Florida (February 25, 2012) – FAS Lane Racing announced today that they have welcomed back another sponsor for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The team’s first sponsor last year, US Chrome, will return to the No. 32 Ford this coming...more»

Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2012/sprintcup/02/25/us-chrome-returns-to-fas-lane-racing-for-2012-season/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=us-chrome-returns-to-fas-lane-racing-for-2012-season

Kevin Harvick Armour Vienna Sausage Kroger Chevrolet Clint Bowyer Zaxby s Chevrolet Brad Keselowski

Analysis: What’s wrong with the Lotus

AUTOSPORT's technical correspondent Gary Anderson suspects that an engine mount problem could be behind Lotus's decision to abandon the Barcelona test.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/analysis-whats-wrong-with-the-lotus

Kerry Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Carl Michael Edwards III William Clyde Elliott

Kobayashi plays down Sauber’s pace

Kamui Kobayashi warned not to pay too much attention to his timesheet-topping performance in Barcelona testing on Friday - but believes Sauber looks capable of achieving consistent points finishes and has made strides with its reliability. The Japanese driver set the fastest time of the Catalunya testing week yesterday morning with a lap in 1m22.312s. "It's testing, it's better than nothing and it's better than last, for sure, but I don't think this is a real result," he said.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/kobayashi-plays-down-saubers-pace

Ken Kavanagh Rupert Keegan Eddie Keizan Al Keller Joe Kelly

3M, USG And Freescale Add Special Awards To 2012 NASCAR Contingency Program

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/02/3m-usg-and-freescale-add-special-awards.html

Walt Hansgen Mike Harris Cuth Harrison Brian Hart Gene Hartley

Stenhouse still hungry after 2011 Nationwide title

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/24/1881144/stenhouse-still-hungry-after-2011.html

Jim Hurtubise Gus Hutchison Jacky Ickx Yuji Ide Jesús Iglesias

The 54th Daytona 500 Draws Sports and Entertainment Star Power

2012 DAYTONA 500 LogoThree Stooges Stars Jane Lynch and Kate Upton, WWE Star John Cena, Pat Monahan of Train, a Thrilling Pre-Race Concert by Lenny Kravitz and members of the NY Giants “NASCAR Defense” among the many expected to be in attendance DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Every February, “The Great American Race” brings both the...more»

Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2012/sprintcup/02/24/the-54th-daytona-500-draws-sports-and-entertainment-star-power/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-54th-daytona-500-draws-sports-and-entertainment-star-power

Howden Ganley Frank Gardner Billy Garrett Jo Gartner Tony Gaze

2012 NSCS Daytona 500 Pre-Race Q&A with Toyota Motorsports Driver, Kyle Busch

2012 NSCS Kyle Busch - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCARKYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Brown Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing How has Daytona been going for you? “Things went real well Saturday night — we had a lot of fun — made some exciting moves. Then yesterday we had a little bit of...more»

Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2012/sprintcup/02/24/2012-nscs-daytona-500-pre-race-qa-with-toyota-motorsports-driver-kyle-busch/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2012-nscs-daytona-500-pre-race-qa-with-toyota-motorsports-driver-kyle-busch

Kenny Dale Irwin Jr Dale Arnold Jarrett Jimmie Kenneth Johnson Kasey Kenneth Kahne Matthew Roy Kenseth

2012 Gatorade Duel #2 Race Results from Daytona – Kenseth Wins

RACE RECAP | GATORADE DUEL #2 On lap 6 JJ Yeley hit the apron having trouble with his 49 machine Kenny Wallace lost the draft with 29 laps to go and later had fuel problems on the #09 car Kurt Busch got busted with speeding on pit road Transferring into the Daytona 500: Joe Nemechek [...]

Source: http://thefinallap.com/2012/02/23/2012-gatorade-duel-2-race-results-from-daytona-kenseth-wins/

Jim Hurtubise Gus Hutchison Jacky Ickx Yuji Ide Jesús Iglesias

Restyled 2013 Lexus ES Sedan Spotted Undisguised in China

With its official debut at the New York and Beijing auto shows still more than a month away, the next Lexus ES has already been outed to the public. Pictures of an undisguised, apparently production-ready ES surfaced on a Chinese web site yesterday afternoon. Lexus stylists have done a nice job applying the company’s suddenly [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/U5FVY18lQ6Q/

Duncan Hamilton Lewis Hamilton David Hampshire Sam Hanks Walt Hansgen

Video: Ken Block goes over the river and through the 100 Acre Wood in latest rally video

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Videos, Hatchback, Ford, Off-Road, Racing

Rally racing is amazing to watch, and it's no doubt a blast from behind the wheel. But while we'd love some time behind the wheel of a genuine rally car, we're guessing that the sport is a lot harder than it looks. Then again, dirt racing looks really easy when Ken Block is behind the wheel.

Block and his seemingly ever-present camera crew hit the 100 Acre Wood course for some practice time before his attempt at a sixth consecutive victory, and the proof is in the video shown here. As you might've guessed, there is a lot of high-speed drifting of his Ford Fiesta, some gratuitous high-definition slow-motion awesomeness and some bonus Alex Gelsomino on the mic. Hit the jump to watch for yourself.

Continue reading Ken Block goes over the river and through the 100 Acre Wood in latest rally video

Ken Block goes over the river and through the 100 Acre Wood in latest rally video originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/24/ken-block-gets-ready-to-go-over-the-river-and-through-the-100-ac/

Bob Gerard Gerino Gerini Peter Gethin Piercarlo Ghinzani Bruno Giacomelli

Dodge to unveil 2013 car next month

Dodge will reveal its 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup car on the morning of the third round of the series at Las Vegas on March 11. The manufacturer confirmed on Monday that the new-spec Charger model is almost ready to break cover, and it has promised that the appearance will surprise people

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/nascar/dodge-to-unveil-2013-car-next-month

Ryan Joseph Newman Kyle Eugene Petty Floyd Anthony Raines Scott Russell Riggs Hiroshi Fushida

Friday 24 February 2012

PATRICK HEAD STEPS DOWN FROM THE BOARD OF WILLIAMS GRAND PRIX HOLDINGS PLC

WILLIAMS GRAND PRIX HOLDINGS PLC Grove, UK. 31 December 2011 Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC (Ticker: WGF1) today confirms that Director of Engineering Patrick Head will step down from its Board of Directors with immediate effect....

Source: http://www.motorsportsjournal.com/archives/2011/12/patrick_head_steps_down_f.php

Helmuth Koinigg Heikki Kovalainen Kevin Harvick Armour Vienna Sausage Kroger Chevrolet Clint Bowyer

Maldonado, WIlliams lead F1 testing

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/23/1879231/maldonado-williams-lead-f1-testing.html

Joe James John James Jean Pierre Jarier Max Jean Stefan Johansson

Muller on top at Estoril test

Nico Muller topped the timesheets for Trident Racing on the opening day of GP3 testing at Estoril on Tuesday. The 19-year-old Swiss, who has yet to secure a race deal for the coming season, lapped the Portuguese circuit in 1m31.285s with just 15 minutes of the afternoon session remaining, knocking Mitch Evans off the top spot by just 0.015s. Evans had set the fastest time during the morning session, despite the MW Arden driver completing only seven laps before the lunch break.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/muller-on-top-at-estoril-test

Robert Allen Labonte Terrence Lee Labonte Randy Joseph Lajoie Kevin Paul Lepage William Ashton Lewis Jr

Caraviello: Stewart looks poised to grab elusive 500 victory (NASCAR.com)

Caraviello: Stewart looks poised to grab elusive 500 victory

Source: http://www.nascarracinglive.com/nascar/caraviello-stewart-looks-poised-to-grab-elusive-500-victory-nascar-com.html

Mack Hellings Brian Henton Johnny Herbert Al Herman Hans Herrmann

2012 Gatorade Duel #1 Race Results from Daytona – Stewart Wins

RACE RECAP | GATORADE DUEL #1 -Robby Gordon had a tire rub early -1st Caution, David Gilliland shot up into Juan Pablo Montoya and Paul Menard. Brad Keselowski hit the wall trying to avoid the wreck. -With about 6 laps to go, and after coming in for fuel, Michael Waltrip crashed getting back up to [...]

Source: http://thefinallap.com/2012/02/23/2012-gatorade-duel-1-race-results-from-daytona-tony-stewart/

Charles Robert Hamilton V Kevin Michael Harvick Virgil Ernest Irvan III Kenny Dale Irwin Jr Dale Arnold Jarrett

2012 Fisker Karma Tested: Likable and Real—and Really Heavy

Nobody can deny (can they?) that the Fisker Karma is the lewdest wedge of car porn to hit the pavement since the onset of the 5-mph bumper. From one 22-inch wheel to the other, the Fisker is a heartthrob, a design spectacularly unchained from the shackles of practicality and brand identity that enslave other automakers. [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/xzMW6tIA7M8/2012-fisker-karma-ecochic-road-test-review

Ernst Klodwig Kamui Kobayashi Helmuth Koinigg Heikki Kovalainen Kevin Harvick

2012 Gatorade Duel #1 Race Results from Daytona – Stewart Wins

Source: http://thefinallap.com/2012/02/23/2012-gatorade-duel-1-race-results-from-daytona-tony-stewart/

André Guelfi Miguel Ángel Guerra Roberto Guerrero Maurício Gugelmin Dan Gurney

Danica fans share race day breakfast with fans of the past

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/02/danica-fans-share-race-day-breakfast.html

Richard Allen Craven Kerry Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Carl Michael Edwards III

Report: Pollution From U.S. Parking Spaces Costs Up to $20 Billion Per Year

Parking spaces keep getting more costly.
Caution: Parking lots can be harmful to your lungs. Photo: UCTC.net
As we often discuss on Streetsblog, parking encourages people to drive rather than ride transit, bike, or walk. And all that asphalt also taxes sewer systems by making vast swaths of urban and suburban land impermeable.
But an overlooked cost is [...]

Source: http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/02/23/report-pollution-from-u-s-parking-spaces-costs-up-to-20-billion-per-year/

Dan Gurney Hubert Hahne Mike Hailwood Mika Häkkinen Bruce Halford

2012 Subaru Impreza 2.0 Hatch CVT Tested: Trading Performance for EPA-Rated Efficiency

In the sea of economy cars, the 2012 Subaru Impreza swims among some fairly appetizing competition. The new Impreza’s styling alone helps it better stand out among big fish—such as the Ford Focus, the Volkswagen Golf, and the Honda Civic—than did its predecessor. But the previous car’s biggest handicap against its competition wasn’t its looks, [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/WWexJzX9P8o/2012-subaru-impreza-20-cvt-hatchback-test-reviews

Carel Godin de Beaufort Christian Goethals Paul Goldsmith José Froilán González Oscar González

Video: Translogic drives a poo-powered car

Filed under: Europe, Technology, Videos, Volkswagen

Translogic has driven a lot of interesting vehicles over the past two years. Our sister site filmed some of the first seat time in a Chevrolet Volt, drove Local Motors' Rally Fighter, got behind the wheel of an electric DeLorean, turned in the first test drive of the Lightning GT supercar, tried out the YikeBike, and even found a wacky wood-powered car called the "Beaver." You'd think there wouldn't be anything more outrageous for those guys to find seat time in. Yet they've managed to find yet another crazy transportation project with an alternative power source to top them all: human waste.

While we've written about Geneco's Bio Bug before, this episode of Translogic features an actual road test, filmed onsite at the Wessex Water waste treatment plant in England. The plant produces biogas, a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide gas that's used to power this Volkswagen New Beetle. The conversion sounds pretty straightforward, and is similar to adapting a gasoline engine to run on propane.

Click past the jump to see the full episode.

Continue reading Translogic drives a poo-powered car

Translogic drives a poo-powered car originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/23/translogic-drives-a-poo-powered-car/

Kevin Paul Lepage William Ashton Lewis Jr Sterling Burton Marlin Mark Anthony Martin Jeremy Allan Mayfield