Friday, August 31, 2012

2014 Subaru WRX Spy Photos: Subie Reloads its Affordable Rally Rocket

2014 Subaru WRX Spy Photo

What It Is: A next-gen Subaru WRX mule prancing about in the body of a current Impreza sedan. Until now, the turbocharged WRX has been based on contemporary Impreza bones, but the new one—and the even-harder-core STI variant—will be split off from the Impreza lineup both in name and mechanical makeup. So although the car seen in these pictures resembles a current-generation Impreza four-door, the 2014 WRX will look quite different. READ MORE ››

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/KiWih4WwzNo/2014-subaru-wrx-spy-photos-news

Kevin Michael Harvick Virgil Ernest Irvan III Kenny Dale Irwin Jr Dale Arnold Jarrett

Alex Tagliani, No. 30 Turner Motorsports Chevrolet Impala Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Preview

Alex Tagliani
Alex Tagliani
ALEX TAGLIANI QUICK FACTS

No. 30 Chevrolet Impala

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

NAPA Auto Parts 200

August 18, 2012

No. 30 Chevrolet News and Notes

Welcome Alex Tagliani… Turner Motorsports is pleased to welcome Montreal-native Alex Tagliani to the seat of its No. 30 Chevrolet for this weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. A hometown favorite, Tagliani will be making his third NNS start at the Montreal-based road course. In last year’s event, he laid down an impressive performance, starting second, finishing second and leading 11 laps. This will mark Tagliani’s fourth career NNS start.

This Week’s Impala a Previous Winner… The No. 30 team will unload chassis TMS-300 this weekend at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. This is the same chassis that Nelson Piquet Jr. drove to his first career NNS victory in June at Road America, giving the No. 30 team their second win of the season.

No. 30 Season-To-Date Stats… The No. 30 team, led by crew chief Trent Owens, has had an impressive season to date. A victory in the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway with driver James Buescher was followed with a second victory in June at Road America with Nelson Piquet Jr. On top of the two wins, the team has three top-fives and 11 top-10 finishes.

In-Race Reporter… Tagliani will serve as ESPN’s In-Race Reporter during Saturday’s broadcast of the NAPA Auto Parts 200. Make sure to tune in to hear his thoughts on the racing action throughout the event.

Tagliani on returning to NNS competition at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

“I’m always proud to come back to Montreal and to be able to race on this fantastic road course named after one of my all-time racing heroes, Gilles Villeneuve,” said Tagliani. “I really wanted to race here again, so when the opportunity presented itself with Turner Motorsports and we were no longer scheduled to be overseas, I was pretty excited. In Formula Atlantic, I won here from the pole and also had a pole in Indy Car. Montreal has been good to me to date and I’m hoping to better my race history here. Having a competitive car to challenge for the win is all I can wish for.”

“Last year’s race was a great experience and it was amazing to qualify on the front row and finish the race second. This year is really cool because I met Trent Owens (crew chief of the No. 30 entry for Turner Motorsports) in Kershaw and he was really helpful, answering all my questions even though, at that time, he was working with his own team. It’s ironic that we are going to work together a few short years later. He’s an amazing guy, so I’m excited. I’m honored to drive for Turner Motorsports. This is a passionate group of individuals that make up an awesome team. From Steve (Turner) to all the mechanics, I’m looking forward to meeting everyone at the shop.”

Crew chief Trent Owens on working with Tagliani

“We are looking forward to working with Tag. Looking at what he is capable of doing in Indy Car with a new team with a one-car operation for the last two street course-qualifying sessions says it all. But last year is what impressed me. He missed the pole by just a little bit, and then ran a mistake-free race. Racing in the open wheel circuits makes him drive with a lot of respect on the track and that’s important.”

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook! Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

- Turner Motorsports Press Release

The post Alex Tagliani, No. 30 Turner Motorsports Chevrolet Impala Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Preview appeared first on Catchfence.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/catchfence/~3/BYC0v5eThmo/

Scott Russell Riggs Hiroshi Fushida Beppe Gabbiani Bertrand Gachot

F1: Vettel Sympathizes With Soggy Spa Spectators


Sebastian Vettel says there's "nobody to blame" for the rain that plagued Friday's practices at Spa...

Source: http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-sebastian-vettel-sympathizes-with-soggy-spa-spectators/

Max Jean Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson Leslie Johnson

Nissan Reveals 2013 Sentra: Well, It’s Bigger

2013 Nissan Sentra SR

The new Nissan Sentra has 130 hp. That’s a number surpassed by every car in its class. Plus, it’s less than the outgoing Sentra had. In fact, the 2013 Sentra is outgunned by the ’94 Sentra SE-R. To paraphrase Dr. Zoidberg: Nissan, your horsepower numbers are bad and you should feel bad. READ MORE ››

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/D29GPwzTtgc/2013-nissan-sentra-photos-and-info-news

James Hunt Jim Hurtubise Gus Hutchison Jacky Ickx

Springfield Dirt Another First For Josh Williams And His Team

Josh Williams
Josh Williams
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (August 16, 2012) – - For the ninth time in 2012, Josh Williams and his Josh Williams Motorsports (JWM) team will tackle a new track on the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards circuit. This weekend, however the experience that the recently turned 19-year will inhale will be nothing like he’s ever seen before. Welcome to the Illinois State Fairgrounds otherwise known as the Springfield dirt mile!

In ARCA’s 16th race of the year, the 60th anniversary tour steers towards the first of two dirt races this season. In addition to Springfield, the series will trek to the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds on Labor Day for the annual running of the Southern Illinois 100 presented by Federated Car Care.

But before Williams and his JWM posse can focus their efforts on DuQuoin, they’ll have to tackle the Springfield mile and take on a track surface that they’ve never experienced before.

The Port Charlotte, Florida native admits though that he is more than ready to embrace another new venue and believes with a little hard work and some luck, the team can negotiate a respectable finish in their inaugural ARCA dirt debut.

“I’ve been asking myself, what are we getting into?” said Williams. “This will be a new thing for me this weekend racing on the dirt, but I’m always eager for a challenge. It’s no secret that the day goes by incredibly fast. An hour for practice then an hour break for qualifying then we’re racing by 1:00 p.m. One thing is for sure, we won’t be standing around much.”

He continued, “No holds bar, we’re really hoping we can have a top-10 finish on Sunday afternoon. It’s been a while since we’ve been in the top-10, even though we’ve been close, we just haven’t had the breaks go our way in order to make that happen. Hopefully, this weekend everything will fuse together and we can get a good finish for everyone at Josh Williams Motorsports.”

When asked what to expect when he takes to the track on Sunday morning, the Floridian offered, “I’m not sure what to really expect in all honesty. I’m going to talk to some of the drivers at the driver’s meeting and hope they’ll be able to give me some tips. I’m sure we’ll have to learn a majority of it though on our own. No doubt that Springfield will be a good test session for DuQuoin.”

Another reason that a top-10 finish would be gratifying for the family-owned team is the team’s intentions of finishing out the season and finishing inside the top-10 in the driver championship standings. Currently ranked 11th overall, Williams sits just 125 markers from 10th place competitor Ryan Reed.

“There’s a couple of guys ahead of us in points that don’t plan to run all of the remaining races, but chasing them down (and passing them) before the season finale at Kansas Speedway won’t be easy, but nothing that we’ve done this year has been easy. We’ve fought a lack of sponsorship for a majority of the year – but the devotion to see us succeed by my parents has been incredible. I plan to drive my heart out until October and hope to give my Mom and Dad what they want – which is finishing inside the top-10. We’re sure going to try.”

The Allen Crowe 100 (100 laps / 100 miles) is the 16th of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 30th ARCA event held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds is a one-day show. Practice begins Sunday, August 19 with a one hour practice session planned from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. The field will take the green flag Sunday afternoon shortly after 1:00 p.m. The race will not be televised but additional coverage including a radio broadcast and timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Central).

For more information on Josh Williams, his Josh Williams Motorsports team and sponsorship opportunities for the 2012 and 2013 seasons please connect to the team’s official website at Joshwracing.com.

Williams has joined the Twitter crave. Follow and connect with him @Josh02Williams.

- Josh Williams Motorsports Press Release

The post Springfield Dirt Another First For Josh Williams And His Team appeared first on Catchfence.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/catchfence/~3/vXiPm4IwnFk/

Brian Henton Johnny Herbert Al Herman Hans Herrmann

Points leader Biffle a confident title contender

Greg Biffle read all the blaring headlines that proclaimed a restored world order when five-time Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson reclaimed the points lead earlier this month.

Source: http://nascar.com/news/120830/gbiffle-confident-title-contender/index.html?eref=/news/headlines/cup

Dave Kennedy Loris Kessel Bruce Kessler Nicolas Kiesa

Gresini keen to retain Bautista

Alvaro Bautista GresiniFausto Gresini, owner of the MotoGP squad which bears his name, says he wants to keep Alvaro Bautista for 2013.


With every works ride for next year now settled following Andrea Dovizioso’s move to Ducati – and with Tech 3 then confirming Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith – the Gresini seat now represents the best opportunity for a competitive 2013 ride.


As a consequence the team has been linked with a score of riders, among them current Yamaha works rider Ben Spies.


Gresini insists nothing is decided, but did indicate that he wants to stick with Alvaro Bautista, new at the team this year, in order to see what the Spaniard can deliver in a second term.


“At this time we have not yet defined our plans for next year…I can say that I am very happy with Alvaro and I am not hiding the fact that I would like to continue with him,” Gresini said.


“He is a rider that I respect a lot, who I think has great potential.


“I do not like to give a rider just one year, because it would be limiting. It is clear that in the market it is difficult to know what will happen, but the goal is to carry out the project that started this season, which I care a lot about.


“On the other hand, it is important to always have an alternative and you cannot just work with one rider, but that’s part of the game, the riders do it, and so do the team.


“We talked with Spies and Redding, but we also spoke with Alvaro and I think this is the important thing. Nothing is decided.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/other-news/motorcycles/motogp/gresini-keen-to-retain-bautista

Gene Hartley Masahiro Hasemi Naoki Hattori Paul Hawkins

Springfield Dirt Another First For Josh Williams And His Team

Josh Williams
Josh Williams
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (August 16, 2012) – - For the ninth time in 2012, Josh Williams and his Josh Williams Motorsports (JWM) team will tackle a new track on the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards circuit. This weekend, however the experience that the recently turned 19-year will inhale will be nothing like he’s ever seen before. Welcome to the Illinois State Fairgrounds otherwise known as the Springfield dirt mile!

In ARCA’s 16th race of the year, the 60th anniversary tour steers towards the first of two dirt races this season. In addition to Springfield, the series will trek to the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds on Labor Day for the annual running of the Southern Illinois 100 presented by Federated Car Care.

But before Williams and his JWM posse can focus their efforts on DuQuoin, they’ll have to tackle the Springfield mile and take on a track surface that they’ve never experienced before.

The Port Charlotte, Florida native admits though that he is more than ready to embrace another new venue and believes with a little hard work and some luck, the team can negotiate a respectable finish in their inaugural ARCA dirt debut.

“I’ve been asking myself, what are we getting into?” said Williams. “This will be a new thing for me this weekend racing on the dirt, but I’m always eager for a challenge. It’s no secret that the day goes by incredibly fast. An hour for practice then an hour break for qualifying then we’re racing by 1:00 p.m. One thing is for sure, we won’t be standing around much.”

He continued, “No holds bar, we’re really hoping we can have a top-10 finish on Sunday afternoon. It’s been a while since we’ve been in the top-10, even though we’ve been close, we just haven’t had the breaks go our way in order to make that happen. Hopefully, this weekend everything will fuse together and we can get a good finish for everyone at Josh Williams Motorsports.”

When asked what to expect when he takes to the track on Sunday morning, the Floridian offered, “I’m not sure what to really expect in all honesty. I’m going to talk to some of the drivers at the driver’s meeting and hope they’ll be able to give me some tips. I’m sure we’ll have to learn a majority of it though on our own. No doubt that Springfield will be a good test session for DuQuoin.”

Another reason that a top-10 finish would be gratifying for the family-owned team is the team’s intentions of finishing out the season and finishing inside the top-10 in the driver championship standings. Currently ranked 11th overall, Williams sits just 125 markers from 10th place competitor Ryan Reed.

“There’s a couple of guys ahead of us in points that don’t plan to run all of the remaining races, but chasing them down (and passing them) before the season finale at Kansas Speedway won’t be easy, but nothing that we’ve done this year has been easy. We’ve fought a lack of sponsorship for a majority of the year – but the devotion to see us succeed by my parents has been incredible. I plan to drive my heart out until October and hope to give my Mom and Dad what they want – which is finishing inside the top-10. We’re sure going to try.”

The Allen Crowe 100 (100 laps / 100 miles) is the 16th of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 30th ARCA event held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds is a one-day show. Practice begins Sunday, August 19 with a one hour practice session planned from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. The field will take the green flag Sunday afternoon shortly after 1:00 p.m. The race will not be televised but additional coverage including a radio broadcast and timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Central).

For more information on Josh Williams, his Josh Williams Motorsports team and sponsorship opportunities for the 2012 and 2013 seasons please connect to the team’s official website at Joshwracing.com.

Williams has joined the Twitter crave. Follow and connect with him @Josh02Williams.

- Josh Williams Motorsports Press Release

The post Springfield Dirt Another First For Josh Williams And His Team appeared first on Catchfence.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/catchfence/~3/vXiPm4IwnFk/

Ignazio Giunti Timo Glock Helm Glˆckler Paco Godia

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Eyes on the Street: What’s Wrong With This Picture?

Here’s a screenshot from a snippet of video taken by an eagle-eyed reader at Northern Boulevard and 82nd Street in Queens. The construction workers who programmed this display look to be unknowingly putting themselves in danger by allowing motorists an extra five miles per hour. They have company at the top: None other than NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly flubbed a question about the city’s speed limit while testifying before City Council in 1993.

Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/08/27/eyes-on-the-street-whats-wrong-with-this-picture-2/

Denny Hulme James Hunt Jim Hurtubise Gus Hutchison

Audi R8 LMS ultra to fight for World Champion's title in 2012

AUDI Motorsport
Ingolstadt, December 20, 2011


- GT1 World Championship to be held with GT3 cars in 2012
- Team WRT from Belgium is set on battling for championship
- Two new Audi R8 LMS ultra cars on the grid


Audi R8 LMS ultra audi_motorsport-111117-5982.jpgAudi R8 LMS ultra audi_motorsport-111117-5988.jpgAudi R8 LMS ultra audi_motorsport-111117-5989.jpgThe new Audi R8 LMS ultra will also be competing in the FIA GT1 World Championship next year. Two vehicles of the brand new customer sport race car will be independently fielded by Team WRT in the world's highest-caliber GT racing series.


Successful ascent: when Audi in the 2009 season initiated its customer sport program with the R8 LMS for the GT3 class, this class was one of four major GT categories. Meanwhile the GT3 is not only making its mark nationally but increasingly on an international level as well. Following the inception of a FIA European Championship for GT3 models in 2006, there will also be a FIA GT1 World Championship exclusively held for GT3 vehicles in the future. Consequently, the Audi R8 LMS ultra will be able to compete in the world's top racing class for GT vehicles and, in the 2012 season, fight for a world champion's title of its own for the first time.

"We very much welcome the decision of the FIA World Motor Sport Council on December 7th in favor of the GT3 cars," emphasizes Werner Frowein, Managing Director of quattro GmbH. "In the future, this vehicle class will not only stand for high-caliber national and European customer sport but also for the world's pinnacle in GT racing. We are delighted that Team WRT has submitted its entry for the World Championship and will be representing the colors of Audi Sport customer racing."

The squad based in Flénu, Belgium, has been fielding the Audi R8 LMS in various European championships since 2010. Only two years old, the team has celebrated some remarkable successes this season, having clinched overall victories at the Spa and the Zolder 24 Hours plus having won the Blancpain Endurance Series. "The GT1 World Championship is a wonderful new commitment for us," says a pleased Team Director Vincent Vosse. "We're facing a challenging new task which all of our team members are looking forward to."

According to the wishes of World Championship promoter SRO each team is to compete with two cars of a single vehicle model from a single brand, respectively. While in most GT3 racing series professionals and amateurs share a cockpit, only professional racers compete in the GT1 World Championship. WRT is planning to select and announce its drivers before the end of December. The details on the format of the competition will be approved by the FIA shortly. It is expected that there will be ten worldwide events, each featuring two one-hour races. A provisional race calendar has already been established.

2012 FIA GT1 World Championship
Round 1: Apr 08 Nogaro (France)
Round 2: Apr 22 Zolder (Belgium)
Round 3: May 27 Navarra (Spain)
Round 4: Jul 08 Algarve (Portugal)
Round 5: Aug 26 Peking (China)
Round 6: Sep 02 Ordos (China)
Round 7: Sep 16 Moscow (Russia)
Round 8: Oct 07 Zandvoort (Netherlands)
Round 9: Nov 25 San Luis (Argentina)
Round 10: TBA

Source: http://www.motorsportsjournal.com/archives/2011/12/audi_r8_lms_ultra_to_figh.php

Alan Jones Tom Jones Juan Jover Oswald Karch

Scheider: Pole proves Audi progress

Timo Scheider Audi ZandvoortTimo Scheider said that his DTM pole position at Zandvoort is proof of the step forward taken by Audi during the summer break.


Three A5s started in the top four positions at the Nurburgring last weekend, and the manufacturer went even further at Zandvoort by taking the first five spots on the grid.


Scheider, a two-time DTM champion for Audi, has only qualified higher than 10th at one other race this year, but took his Abt A5 to a pole lap 0.2s quicker than Mike Rockenfeller’s Phoenix car.


Rosberg duo Filipe Albuquerque and Edoardo Mortara were next up, ahead of Abt’s Mattias Ekstrom.


“I’ve had some tough weeks and months and had many things that have gone in the wrong direction for the team,” he said.


“But in all that time the guys listened to my comments, worked hard together at the last races and in the test at Magny-Cours, and this is the result.


“In practice on Friday I was sceptical that we’d have the performance to beat the others, but it shows that you have to wait for qualifying.


“I saw the Q4 laps of Filipe and Edo, my engineer said that a 1m32.6s was achievable and would probably get pole. So to do a 32.3s is awesome.”


Scheider’s pole was the 10th of his career and turned around a disappointing run of qualifying sessions in 2012. His last pole came at Hockenheim – also the circuit in which he previously started inside the top 10 this year – late in the 2010 season.


“It’s been a while since I was here on pole. 21 months being in the middle of nowhere; sometimes up, sometimes down, but then coming back to Zandvoort where I took my first pole [in an Opel in 2003] is special.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/other-news/miscellaneous/dtm/scheider-pole-proves-audi-progress

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

Corona Plaza: A Community Gathering Place Rises in Queens

Something special is happening in Corona, Queens. Last week, Streetfilms visited Corona Plaza — the city’s newest car-free space, next to the 103rd Street stop on the 7 train — and found it already packed with families, children, and shoppers.

This plaza has been in the works for many years, and the local community has taken ownership of it immediately. Volunteers help in locking up the tables and chairs at night and assist in cleaning the space themselves.

The area previously had no public seating whatsoever, which is astonishing considering the dozens of restaurants nearby. Now it is a magnet for people, especially kids, who give the place a vibe that feels different than most other pedestrian plazas. To watch parents sit calmly while their children play would have been unheard of before the street was reclaimed from traffic and parking.

Source: http://www.streetfilms.org/queens-corona-plaza-a-community-place-rises/

Charles Robert Hamilton IV Charles Robert Hamilton V Kevin Michael Harvick Virgil Ernest Irvan III

2014 Toyota Corolla Spy Photos: Once Again a Mini-Camry

2014 Toyota Corolla Spy Photos

What It Is: A next-generation Toyota Corolla sedan covered in heavy black camouflage. The Corolla is the smallest four-door in Toyota’s U.S. lineup, now that the Yaris sedan was dropped for 2012. The current-generation Corolla has been around in largely the same form since 2009—it was lightly updated for 2011 with a new face and some fresh features—but it’s time for a redesign. READ MORE ››

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/oCRM9nbRQIE/2014-toyota-corolla-spy-photos-news

Leslie Johnson Bruce Johnstone Alan Jones Tom Jones

Get to Know Brian Tedeschi

Darrell Wallace Jr, NASCAR Nationwide Series and K&N Pro Series East driver, and iRacer Brian Tedeschi have one thing in common: they both started racing in Legend cars. They have also raced in a variety of cars in their very young careers: champ karts to super cups, you name it, and Brian has probably raced it. The 16 year old from Custer Par, Illinois currently pilots the number 29 Legends car at tracks all over the U.S. In his eleven year racing career, he has three championships to his credit in a variety of cars and a 2010 Young Lion Legend Car Illinois State Dirt Title. His stats in sim racing are not bad either…

Comparing notes with fellow iRacer Joey Logano.

Tedeschi has a Class A license on the road and oval side of iRacing. In less than two years, he has boosted his oval iRating to 3929, and has racked-up 42 wins and 298 top five finishes in 646 starts. On the road side of iRacing, he has started 172 races. Out of those starts, he has scored 12 wins, 58 top fives and one pole starting position. He is an experienced racer on and off the computer, and I got the chance to talk to this champion about his racing experience on the real track, his experience on iRacing, and his life outside of racing. Do you know where he got his first Legends car win? Or where he won his first league race at? Read on to find out…

Q:    How long have you been sim racing?
A:    I’ve been sim-racing for 2.5 years now on iRacing. I did a little bit of NASCAR 09 and rFactor before I joined on here.

Q:    What attracted you to iRacing, where did you hear about it?
A:    I heard about it from some of my friends who I race with and they told me about the realism of the tracks and cars, and that’s what attracted me to iRacing.

Q:    What has been your most memorable accomplishment in iRacing?
A:    My most memorable accomplishment on here was when I won my first league race with ISRL (now known as Paint the Yellow). It was Late Models at Irwindale.

Q:    What type of hobbies do you do outside of iRacing?
A:    Outside of iRacing I like to race my legend car and relax with friends. Often I go to other race tracks with friends to work on race cars as a hobby.

Tedeschi (83) is the meat between Jason Karlavige (06) and Guy Driggers (9) in a Class C sandwich.

Q:    Who is one real life driver that has inspired you the most?
A:    One real life driver that inspired me the most was Shane Hmiel. After his accident with a USAC Sprint at Terre Haute, he hasn’t given up efforts recovering and I like that.

Q:    Do you do any racing outside of iRacing, if you do, what do you race?
A:    Yes, I do race outside of iRacing. I race a Legend Car all around the Midwest and sometimes in the Southeast.

“iRacing helps me in real life by letting me see a race track before I actually get there. And vice versa . . .”

Q:     How does iRacing help you with racing in real life and vice versa?
A:    iRacing helps me in real life by letting me see a race track before I actually get there. And vice versa, I get to take things I learn on the track and use them in competition on iRacing.

Q:     What is your overall goal in your racing career?
A:    My goal is to get to drive in the K&N Pro Series or the ARCA Racing Series. Ultimately I know driving a race car won’t be my job and I really want to work on a race team in NASCAR.

Q:    What is the most memorable moment you’ve had in your professionalracing career?
A:    My biggest real life racing moment was when I won my first Legend Car race at Grundy County Speedway. I held-off everyone for the 25 lap feature and beat a field of 25 cars. It was special because this was my first win in the car and my first in three years.

Tedeschi finds iRacing helps his real world racing . . . and vice versa.

Q:    What type of racing do you like to watch on TV?
A:    I like to watch the NASCAR Camping World Trucks, Nationwide, and Sprint Cup guys run. Also, lately I’ve liked to catch some F1 and V8 Supercars.

Q:    Who is Brian Tedeschi outside of iRacing?
A:    Outside of iRacing, I’m a guy who is a fierce competitor and a good person to hang out with. I always volunteer with JDRF and try to give back to the community.

Q:     What is your overall goal for your iRacing career?
A:    My overall goal is to make Pro one season and try to compete in DWC. Both of those series are majorly competitive and I feel it would be great to make it to that level with some of those great caliber drivers.

Q:    What is one thing that you love the most about iRacing?
A:    The thing I love the most about iRacing is that I can go as hard as possible and drive flat out and if I wreck, I don’t have to pay for the car :) .

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/iracing-news/get-to-know-brian-tedeschi

Damon Hill Graham Hill Phil Hill Peter Hirt

Bianchi follows victory with pole

Jules Bianchi, Tech 1, Silverstone 2012Jules Bianchi followed up his race one victory by taking pole position for the second Formula Renault 3.5 race of the weekend at Silverstone.

The Ferrari junior driver came out on top of a three-way scrap with Nico Muller and Robin Frijns shortly before the end of qualifying 2, which was moved to Saturday evening for this weekend as the race is scheduled to run on Sunday morning before the Silverstone 6 Hours takes place.

Muller, Bianchi and Frijns all took turns at the top, and their battle was made all the more exciting by the fact that they were running relatively close together on track.


All three improved within seconds of each other at one stage, with Bianchi and Frijns heading the Swiss driver.

Championship leader Frijns then lost his front row berth when Marco Sorensen took second just before the chequered flag came out, but Bianchi’s pole position was safe.

Behind Muller, Sam Bird and Arthur Pic locked out the third row of the grid, just ahead of former champion Mikhail Aleshin and Carlin’s Will Stevens.


After the chaotic first race where only 10 cars made the finish, the majority of the teams were able to get their cars repaired for second qualifying.


Only Alexander Rossi (Arden Caterham) and Anton Nebilitskiy (RFR) were unable to take part, meaning they will share the back row of the grid on Sunday.

Pos  Driver                   Team            Time       Gap
1. Jules Bianchi Tech 1 1m42.638s
2. Marco Sorensen Lotus 1m42.745s + 0.107s
3. Robin Frijns Fortec 1m42.748s + 0.110s
4. Nico Muller Draco 1m42.837s + 0.199s
5. Sam Bird ISR 1m42.975s + 0.337s
6. Arthur Pic DAMS 1m43.200s + 0.562s
7. Mikhail Aleshin RFR 1m43.217s + 0.579s
8. Will Stevens Carlin 1m43.474s + 0.836s
9. Antonio Felix da Costa Arden Caterham 1m43.666s + 1.028s
10. Walter Grubmuller P1 1m43.810s + 1.172s
11. Vittorio Ghirelli Comtec 1m43.814s + 1.176s
12. Carlos Huertas Fortec 1m43.851s + 1.213s
13. Kevin Korjus Tech 1 1m43.864s + 1.226s
14. Nikolay Martsenko BVM Target 1m43.966s + 1.328s
15. Lucas Foresti DAMS 1m43.996s + 1.358s
16. Nick Yelloly Comtec 1m44.071s + 1.433s
17. Kevin Magnussen Carlin 1m44.084s + 1.446s
18. Nigel Melker Lotus 1m44.093s + 1.455s
19. Andre Negrao Draco 1m44.103s + 1.465s
20. Daniil Move P1 1m44.503s + 1.865s
21. Zoel Amberg Pons 1m44.695s + 2.057s
22. Jake Rosenzweig ISR 1m44.934s + 2.296s
23. Daniel Zampieri BVM Target 1m45.962s + 3.324s
24. Yann Cunha Pons 1m46.228s + 3.590s

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/bianchi-follows-victory-with-pole

Richard Allen Craven Kerry Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr

Raikkonen never doubted Lotus potential

Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 2012Kimi Raikkonen never had doubts Lotus would bounce back from its troubled 2011 campaign – as he insists the team has what it takes to gun for the title.


Ahead of what is expected to be a full-on victory bid for Raikkonen and Lotus at the Belgian Grand Prix, the former champion says his Enstone outfit has strengths that can help it overcome bigger budget rivals like McLaren and Ferrari.


Speaking exclusively to AUTOSPORT about why he was so keen to sign for Lotus after its difficult time last year, Raikkonen said: “There have been years when I’ve been in top teams and we’ve had a pretty bad year, and then the next year has been completely different.


“It’s still one of the biggest teams; they’re based in the same place, they have more or less all the tools to make the fastest car and the best car.


“It’s not maybe on the level of McLaren or Ferrari or Mercedes as for how many people we have, but they have the knowledge and they have the will to make a good car and push hard.”


Raikkonen believes the error in pursuing the front-exhaust solution in 2011 that derailed its campaign actually disguised how good Lotus was – and also helped deliver lessons that have helped its performance this year.


“Once they made the decision to have a completely different car to the others, there was no way they could have come back from that decision. So they looked worse than they actually were because the decision was made and unfortunately it wasn’t right.


“But I think they learned a lot from that, so I wasn’t really worried about how they were doing.


“You always take a gamble to come back and sometimes you choose the right team, sometimes not, that’s life. I’ve been very happy with how things have gone and the people are great and I enjoy it.”


Raikkonen also thinks it is too early to start considering his plans for next year – either for himself or the team.


The Finn is expected to sign a fresh deal with Lotus, despite speculation linking him with Ferrari, after an encouraging return to F1 with the Enstone-based team this year.


But although Lotus has grown in strength all season – and should be able to carry that momentum in to 2013 – Raikkonen says he is keeping grounded about future ambitions.


“We have to look at this year first, and I want to do as well as we can at every race,” he said.


“You can do well in one year, but we’ve seen even in the biggest teams that they can have a hard time the next year. You’d think we should only get better and better but you never know.


“It’s not easy to make a fast car and sometimes the small details can either go your way or go against you.


“Usually the big teams, if they are not starting well [they can recover] – we’ve seen Ferrari this year, they have improved and they are the best team right now.


“We always wish to continue next year but it’s way too early to say what will happen. We’re putting our efforts into this year and try to improve in the second half.”


* For the full interview with Kimi Raikkonen, where he talks about his F1 return and his title hopes with Lotus, see this week’s AUTOSPORT, available on Thursday.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/raikkonen-never-doubted-lotus-potential

Innes Ireland Eddie Irvine Chris Irwin Jean Pierre Jabouille

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Hamlin wins at Bristol

#11-Denny Hamlin won the Irwin Tools Night Race Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway for his 20th career win and 3rd of the season, #48-Johnson finished 2nd.................

Source: http://jayski.com/stats/2012/pdfs/24bms2012results.pdf

Joseph Francis Nemechek III Ryan Joseph Newman Kyle Eugene Petty Floyd Anthony Raines

Visualizing the Enormous Squandered Potential in a Parking Lot

Network blogger Cap’n Transit has been on a roll recently with a string of posts about how walkable development near transit can produce more riders than park-and-rides. It’s amazing how much room parking can take up and how little return it provides compared to compact development.

The car-free Swedish town of Jakriborg is a powerful demonstration of efficient land use. Photo: bildfilosofikurs

Here’s a pretty striking illustration tool courtesy of the Cap’n: The car-free town of Jakriborg, located around a commuter rail line in Sweden, is home to more than 500 families on 12.5 acres. Compare that with your average park-and-ride lot:

The Small Streets crew imagined replacing part of a park-and-ride with a dense, walkable village like Jakriborg or the Czech town of Tel?. They astutely observe that if you build at Jakriborg densities, you get more riders than if you used the land for a park-and-ride, and these riders all live within walking distance of the station.

Whenever I see a large parking lot near a train station, I think to myself, “How many Jakriborgs is that?” The Metro-North parking lot at Croton-Harmon is 1.3 Jakriborgs, I believe. The parking lot planned for the North Tenafly station on the Northern Branch is 0.68 Jakriborgs.

How many Jakriborgs could fit on the closest paved eyesore in your community?

Elsewhere on the Network today: Systemic Failure announces that another embarrassing video of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has surfaced; this time he’s been caught reading while driving. And BTA Blog shares the news that the Portland Bureau of Transportation is changing the way it tracks spending to more accurately capture the benefits for different road users.

Source: http://streetsblog.net/2012/08/28/visualizing-the-enormous-squandered-potential-in-a-parking-lot/

Jean Marc Gounon Emmanuel de Graffenried Lucas di Grassi Cecil Green

2013 Dodge Dart vs. 2012 Ford Focus: Euro Genes, American Badges

2013 Dodge Dart Rallye vs. 2012 Ford Focus SE

It was during his hair-earmuff period, circa 1980, that soft-rock belter Neil Diamond, in his paean to immigration, America, growled:

Freedom’s light burning warm! READ MORE ››

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/cRUmz0QhhMw/2013-dodge-dart-rallye-vs-2012-ford-focus-se-comparison-test

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

GM Upgrading Ohio Production Facility for 2015 Chevy Cruze

Chevrolet Cruze at Lordstown Ohio plant

Today GM announced that it is investing $220 million to retool and equip its production facilitiy in Lordstown, Ohio—which currently builds the Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan—to churn out the next-generation Cruze. What GM didn’t reveal, however, is when we can specifically expect the new Cruze to make an appearance, though it did drop a few clues. Read full story »

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/2pHGUQ82EjY/

Bruce Halford Jim Hall Duncan Hamilton Lewis Hamilton

Pedrosa beats Lorenzo in Brno thriller

Dani Pedrosa, Honda, Brno 2012Dani Pedrosa defeated MotoGP title rival Jorge Lorenzo in a fantastic last-lap duel at Brno.


The pair spent the entire 22 laps separated by less than four tenths of a second, and then swapped positions four times on the final lap before Pedrosa finally pulled ahead through the final corner, closing to within 13 points of the championship lead.


Cal Crutchlow meanwhile ended his wait for a maiden podium in the series by finishing third, having announced a contract extension with Tech 3 on the Saturday of the Czech Grand Prix.


The Briton was not quite able to live with the pace of Lorenzo and Pedrosa, who stretched out into the distance – Lorenzo initially ahead until Pedrosa dived down the inside at the penultimate corner at mid-distance.


Lorenzo opted to tuck in behind Pedrosa until the final lap, when he attacked and stole ahead in the stadium complex.


Down the back straight Pedrosa responded, but Lorenzo stuck with the outside line and once again forged ahead, only to run wide and compromise his line into the final turn, allowing Pedrosa to come back through and claim the win.


The dice was all the more significant in the championship after Casey Stoner’s decision to leave Brno and return home for ankle surgery.


The battle behind was never as close, with Andrea Dovizioso trailing Tech 3 stablemate Crutchlow by around two seconds for much of the race.


He was nevertheless close enough to pounce if Crutchlow made an error in the final laps, but with none coming had to settle for fourth. Crutchlow’s podium is the first for a Briton since Jeremy McWilliams finished third at Donington Park 12 years ago.


After his best qualifying performance of the season, there were early signs that Ducati’s Valentino Rossi might feature in the podium fight when he passed Dovizioso and Ben Spies on the opening lap.


As the race progressed however his pace did the opposite, and he eventually fell to seventh behind the satellite Hondas of Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista.


Spies meanwhile endured another torrid race. He fell back to 13th over the opening two laps with a slipping clutch, charged back to eighth when the problem eased but then crashed out in the stadium section with 14 laps to run.

Results – 22 laps:

Pos Rider Team/Bike Time/Gap
1. Dani Pedrosa Honda 42m51.570s
2. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha + 0.178s
3. Cal Crutchlow Tech 3 Yamaha + 12.343s
4. Andrea Dovizioso Tech 3 Yamaha + 18.591s
5. Stefan Bradl LCR Honda + 25.582s
6. Alvaro Bautista Gresini Honda + 29.451s
7. Valentino Rossi Ducati + 34.514s
8. Randy de Puniet Aspar Aprilia + 1m04.285s
9. Karel Abraham Cardion Ducati + 1m08.278s
10. Aleix Espargaro Aspar Aprilia + 1m09.972s
11. Toni Elias Pramac Ducati + 1m10.003s
12. Yonny Hernandez Avintia FTR-Kawasaki + 1m24.040s
13. Colin Edwards Forward Suter-BMW + 1m27.898s
14. Michele Pirro Gresini FTR-Honda + 1m36.165s
15. James Ellison Paul Bird Aprilia + 1m40.565s
16. Mattia Pasini Speed Master Aprilia + 1m41.226s
17. Danilo Petrucci Ioda-Aprilia + 1 Lap

Retirements:

Ivan Silva Avintia FTR-Kawasaki 9 laps
Ben Spies Yamaha 8 laps

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/other-news/motorcycles/motogp/pedrosa-beats-lorenzo-in-brno-thriller

Jason Leffler David Carl Allison Gregory Jack Biffle David Lee Blaney

CUP: Biffle Targeting Third Title Trophy


Greg Biffle hopes to close the deal this season on a third NASCAR championship…

Source: http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-greg-biffle-targeting-third-nascar-title-trophy/

Billy Garrett Jo Gartner Tony Gaze Geki

2013 BMW Alpina B7 First Drive: More Power Makes It Even More Charming

2013 BMW Alpina B7

Vitamin B7 is also known as biotin, which sounds like some sort of bioengineered armor and therefore is awesome. The Alpina B7 is also known as a bad-ass 7-series, an adjective-and-noun combo that sounds pretty awesome, too. And the car is just that, thanks to its muscled-up version of BMW’s corporate twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 and the Aqua Velva–smooth manner by which it does its work. READ MORE ››

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/dIoMzz_QqFE/2013-bmw-7-series-alpina-b7-first-drive-review

Kurt Thomas Busch Kyle Thomas Busch Jeffrey Tyler Burton Richard Allen Craven

In The Hunt with RCR: Beatin' and bangin' at Bristol

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/08/in-hunt-with-rcr-beatin-and-bangin-at.html

Masahiro Hasemi Naoki Hattori Paul Hawkins Mike Hawthorn

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid First Drive: Giving the Prius Line Some Competition

2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid

After watching Toyota build itself a solid business with the Prius—more than 136,000 sold last year in the U.S.—Ford is one Detroit automaker finally getting serious about hybrids. It has plucked the C-Max people-mover from its European lineup, given it the twice-over to meet the U.S.’s strangely unique crash standards, and endowed it with a revamped version of the now-defunct Ford Escape hybrid’s powertrain. Two models are headed to dealerships, the C-Max hybrid in September and, a few months later, the plug-in C-Max Energi with a larger battery pack for more electric-only driving. READ MORE ››

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/ebN78kFivk0/2013-ford-c-max-hybrid-first-drive-review

Alan Dennis Kulwicki Travis Wade Kvapil Robert Allen Labonte Terrence Lee Labonte

Report: Bentley bringing new sports car concept to Paris Motor Show

Filed under: , , , , , ,

Nevermind the fact that Bentley hasn't built anything resembling a real production sports car since W.O. was running things - and back then sports cars were inspired by locomotives rather than jets. Still, the Volkswagen-owned luxury marque intends to bring just such a concept to the Paris show next month, according to Car and Driver.

The notion of Bentley building a car that doesn't weigh as much as a Brontosaurus certainly strikes our fancy, as the corporate powertrain department certainly has no shortage of monster motors to motivate a more lithe Bentley beast. Perhaps the marque could even make a return trip to Le Mans with a racing version that's more Bentley and less Audi than the old Speed 8.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here, as details at this point are as scarce as modern Bentley owners who could tell you who Woolf Barnato is. In fact, besides the fact that the Bentley sports car is coming, about all the magazine says it that the concept should be the sportiest thing to wear the Flying B since the 1999 Hunaudières concept car. That shouldn't be difficult - let's just hope that this time VW doesn't steal the design for Bugatti.

Bentley bringing new sports car concept to Paris Motor Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/28/bentley-bringing-new-sports-car-concept-to-paris-motor-show/

Divina Galica Nanni Galli Oscar Alfredo G·lvez Fred Gamble

McLaren’s future ‘never brighter’

McLaren 2012McLaren will become stronger in the future despite its move away from manufacturer ownership and the potential need to find a new title sponsor for 2014.


That is the view of its boss Martin Whitmarsh, who says that the company’s expanding business portfolio and brand strength in Formula 1 gives him every reason to feel confident about where McLaren is heading.


“It will be stronger,” said Whitmarsh about the potency of the McLaren brand in an exclusive interview with AUTOSPORT. “Next year we celebrate our 50th anniversary, and we have been in F1 since 1966.


“We have won 25 per cent of the races; we have been on the podium for 50 per cent of the races and we have won Le Mans. We are well placed for the future.”


McLaren has been surrounded in recent months by speculation about its future plans – on both the engine front and in terms of sponsorship backing.


There have been wild rumours about it building its own F1 engine, and also of a tie-up with Honda – but Whitmarsh insists it is sticking with current partner Mercedes-Benz.


“We will be with Mercedes,” he said. “I don’t think we have ever contradicted that…”


On the sponsorship front, there are question marks about whether or not Vodafone will continue as title sponsor beyond its current deal, which runs until the end of 2013.


If the mobile phone company elects to withdraw from F1 totally, or downscale its profile with the team, then that means McLaren will need to find a new title sponsor.


Whitmarsh said his outfit was not daunted by that situation though – as its long relationship with a number of sponsors is evidence of its attraction to major companies.


“There’s a challenging world out there,” he explained. “We have a track record of delivering value, and we are also fortunate that we have good blue chip companies supporting us.


“Vodafone is title sponsor, and we hope and expect to continue there, but we have had an unprecedented relationship with sponsors, some of whom have been around for 30 years.


“We have 10 sponsors that have been with us for more than 15 years, and 15 years in sports sponsorship, let alone F1 sponsorship, is incredible. That diversity is part of the strength.


“But our core business is F1. We have to win in F1.


“People will and have taken pot shots at us to say, ‘you are distracted because of the vision of Ron [Dennis] for MTC [the McLaren Technology Centre] and other businesses’, but I think people would now say that industrially and economically we are stronger by being more diverse.


“History shows that 107 F1 teams have failed since we have been in F1, and therefore being a pure F1 team has undoubted peril.


“If you look forward now and ask anyone in this paddock or beyond it, name two teams that you believe will be in F1 in five year’s time, I think 98 per cent of respondents would say McLaren and Ferrari. F1 drives us on…”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/mclarens-future-never-brighter

Johnny Herbert Al Herman Hans Herrmann FranÁois Hesnault

IRWIN Tools Night Race Guests Receive Flag, $10 Off Coupon from Outback

IRWIN Tools Night Race Logo
IRWIN Tools Night Race Logo
BRISTOL, Tenn. (Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012) – Bristol Motor Speedway guests at the Aug. 25 IRWIN Tools Night Race receive a couple of special rewards from Outback Steakhouse just by finding their seats.

As part of the continued involvement in NASCAR racing by the popular restaurant chain, each guest will receive a flag to wave at the start of the race as well as a coupon for $10 off at Outback on any two entrees.

Outback gives fans a free Bloomin’ Onion the Monday immediately following a Sprint Cup race if Ryan Newman finishes among the top 10. To date, Newman, who has one win, has placed among the top 10 eight times this season, giving fans plenty to cheer about on Mondays.

Tickets still are available for all three nights of racing at BMS in August. Race week begins Aug. 22 with a doubleheader, which features the UNOH 200 Camping World Truck Series race and the UNOH Perfect Storm 150 Whelen Modified event.

Tickets also are available for the IRWIN Tools Night race, starting at $75 while tickets for the Food City 250 start at $45. An August race weekend package, which includes a ticket to the IRWIN Tools Night Race and the Food City 250, starts at $110. A doubleheader ticket for Wednesday night’s UNOH 200 Camping World Truck Series race and the UNOH Perfect Storm 150 is available for $30.

Food City 250 tickets for children 15 and under are available at half price, starting at $22. Entry for children 15 and under is free for Wednesday night’s doubleheader.

For more information, please contact the BMS ticket office toll free at 1-866-415-4158 or visit www.bristoltix.com. 

Speedway Motorsports is a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates the following premier facilities: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. The Company provides souvenir merchandising services through its SMI Properties subsidiaries; manufactures and distributes smaller-scale, modified racing cars and parts through its U.S. Legend Cars International subsidiary; and produces and broadcasts syndicated motorsports programming to radio stations nationwide through its Performance Racing Network subsidiary. The Company also equally-owns Motorsports Authentics, a joint venture formed with International Speedway Corporation to produce, market and sell licensed motorsports merchandise. For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.speedwaymotorsports.com.

Source: Bristol Motor Speedway, Press Release

The post IRWIN Tools Night Race Guests Receive Flag, $10 Off Coupon from Outback appeared first on Catchfence.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/catchfence/~3/nYS1aKDKpGc/

Bruno Giacomelli Dick Gibson Gimax Richie Ginther