woensdag 29 februari 2012

Brawn says W03 not ready to win yet

Ross Brawn has seen enough of his Mercedes team's new car this week to be convinced it is a step forward over last year's contender - but he does not think it is good enough yet to win Formula 1 races. As the Brackley-based outfit prepares to wrap up its first full pre-season test, Brawn feels the W03 has delivered exactly what he had hoped for at this stage of the campaign

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/brawn-says-w03-not-ready-to-win-yet

Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber David Carl Allison

Magna Steyr MILA Coupic concept announced

Magna Steyr has announced plans to introduce the MILA Coupic concept at the Geneva Motor Show. It is a crossover coupe with a retractable soft top.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/rDtfafs3nck/magna-steyr-mila-coupic-concept-announced

Paco Godia Carel Godin de Beaufort Christian Goethals Paul Goldsmith José Froilán González

Fisher gets Honda engine deal

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing will be able to make the start of the IndyCar season after securing a Honda engine deal with assistance from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The team, which has signed Indy Lights champion Josef Newgarden, looked certain to miss the opening rounds as it lacked an engine supply with just a month to go before St Petersburg. IndyCar has faced an engine supply shortfall after Lotus was unable to provide as many engines as rivals Honda and Chevrolet.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/indycar-news/indycar/fisher-gets-honda-engine-deal

Gimax Richie Ginther Yves Giraud Cabantous Ignazio Giunti Timo Glock

Official: Audi unleashes hybrid, AWD powertrain on Le Mans with new R18 e-tron Quattro

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Audi R18 e-tron Quattro

When we hear names like TFSI and Quattro, we automatically think of Audi. But while these technologies have proliferated across the company's production model range, they weren't initially developed for the road - they were developed for racing. So sit up straight and pay attention to Audi's cutting edge new Le Mans prototype, because it's jam-packed with new technologies that will likely end up in showrooms sooner or later.

Called the R18 e-tron Quattro, the LMP1 you see here doesn't just continue Audi's tradition of turbo diesel propulsion in endurance racing, it supplements it with hybrid propulsion and all-wheel drive. The two are part of the same system, regenerating brake energy (similar to F1's Kinetic Energy Recovery System) into a flywheel that is then fed back into the front wheels under acceleration, while the V6 TDI engine feeds 510 horsepower to the rear wheels for a combined through-the-road all-wheel-drive system. The added weight of the hybrid powertrain is offset by a carbon-fiber gearbox housing, used for the first time in endurance racing.

Audi will be campaigning two examples of the R18 e-tron Quattro at Le Mans in June and before that at Spa in May, alongside two of the R18 Ultras with conventional diesel power. Since both cars were developed together, they use mostly the same components, enabling more efficient race logistics for the team. We'll be watching to see how the tour de force fairs against the newcomers from Toyota with their TS030 Hybrid at Spa, Le Mans and the rest of the FIA World Endurance Championship, but for now you can check out the high-res images in the gallery above and the details in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Audi unleashes hybrid, AWD powertrain on Le Mans with new R18 e-tron Quattro

Audi unleashes hybrid, AWD powertrain on Le Mans with new R18 e-tron Quattro originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/29/audi-unleashes-hybrid-awd-powertrain-on-le-mans-with-new-r18-e/

Cuth Harrison Brian Hart Gene Hartley Masahiro Hasemi Naoki Hattori

Spy Shots: Audi TT mule shows little, promises much

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Next-gen Audi TT mule spy shot by CarPix

When we last checked in with the little bit of speculation there's been on the coming, third-generation Audi TT, rumors said the TT would move upmarket to make MSRP space below for a mid-engined Audi R4. With the R4's future in question, who knows how the TT will play it, but other scuttlebutt says that the TT will be on the MQB platform, will combine first- and second-generation designs and be lighter and more driver oriented.

The snappers at CarPix have encountered a TT mule testing in the snowy north and unfortunately, it doesn't give much more away. The wheelbase has grown - notice the hood shutline is uneven with the front arch, and the arches are said to look wider. The exhaust was described as "more mature," but that could be down to numerous mule-related reasons.

There were hints that we'd see it at last year's Tokyo Auto Show, but obviously that didn't happen. Based on the car in these spy shots, it could be a while yet.

Audi TT mule shows little, promises much originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/29/audi-tt-mule-shows-little-promises-much/

Sam Hanks Walt Hansgen Mike Harris Cuth Harrison Brian Hart

Spies ends day two on top at Sepang

The Yamaha team finished on top of the times on the second day of MotoGP testing at the Sepang circuit. The session was interrupted by heavy rain around lunch time, meaning the fastest times were set in the morning. American Ben Spies was quickest today, finishing less than a 0.010 seconds ahead of team-mate Jorge Lorenzo

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/other-news/motorcycles/motogp/spies-ends-day-two-on-top-at-sepang

Joe James Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich

BMW 3-series GT spied with retractable rear wing

The cold misty air does its best to hide the new aerodynamic feature but there is no hiding the additional piece poking out above the rear boot lid.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/x8UnVbmrogY/bmw-3-series-gt-spied-with-retractable-rear-wing

Gus Hutchison Jacky Ickx Yuji Ide Jesús Iglesias Taki Inoue

Daytona 500 winner Kenseth takes in Mavericks game

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/28/1892255/daytona-500-winner-kenseth-takes.html

Terrence Lee Labonte Randy Joseph Lajoie Kevin Paul Lepage William Ashton Lewis Jr Sterling Burton Marlin

Nissan Hi-Cross Concept


Japanese automaker, Nissan, is keen on making an impression at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. While we don’t expect any supercar concepts to be shown at their booth in Geneva, we did find out that they’re bringing a couple of concept vehicles of their own, one of which, is the Hi-Cross Concept.

No details have been given on the concept crossover with Nissan opting to draw out the suspense courtesy of a teaser photo and a teaser video of the Hi-Cross. Based on what we can tell from the hazy green image - and video - the Hi-Cross Concept could very well be the eventual successor of the Nissan X-Trail.

With the tease of the Hi-Cross Concept officially underway, the total number of Geneva-bound Nissan concept vehicles comes up to two with the Hi-Cross joining the Invitation Concept, a prototype version of what could very well be a B-segment replacement for the "ancient" Nissan Note.

We’ll have more information surrounding the Hi-Cross Concept when Nissan officially pulls the covers off of it in Geneva. For now, check out the photo, watch the video, and try painting a picture in your head on what the Hi-Cross Concept is going to look like.

Nissan Hi-Cross Concept originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 28 February 2012 14:00 EST.

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Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/nissan/2012-nissan-hi-cross-concept-ar125423.html

Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick Red Amick

Brian McKnight and Sons to Sing National Anthem at Phoenix International Raceway

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/02/brian-mcknight-and-sons-to-sing.html

Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza

Video: Juan Montoya slams into safety jet dryer, massive fireball at Daytona 500

Source: http://thefinallap.com/2012/02/27/video-juan-montoya-slams-crashes-into-safety-jet-dryer-massive-fireball-at-2012-daytona-500/

David Hampshire Sam Hanks Walt Hansgen Mike Harris Cuth Harrison

dinsdag 28 februari 2012

Larry McReynolds on Daytona, Danica, Dinger and more

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/02/larry-mcreynolds-on-daytona-danica.html

Bobby Grim Romain Grosjean Olivier Grouillard Brian Gubby André Guelfi

No Fenders Skate on thee State of the State of ‘IndyCarz...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/ajPKp-woBgg/no-fenders-skate-on-thee-state-of-state.html

Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey

2012 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/pHD2ODEFo2U/2012-formula-1-spanish-grand-prix.html

Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood

54th Annual Daytona 500 Postponed to Monday

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/02/54th-annual-daytona-500-postponed-to.html

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

Casey Roderick’s Strong Daytona Run For Randy Hill Racing Comes Up Short

Randy Hill Racing (RHR)DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (February 25, 2012) – - Casey Roderick in his inaugural debut at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in the No. 08 Randy Hill Racing Ford Mustang earned respect and attention in Saturday afternoon’s DRIVE4COPD 300 but a late-race incident relegated the team to a undesirable finish. Before the accident, however...more»

Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2012/nationwide/02/25/casey-rodericks-strong-daytona-run-for-randy-hill-racing-comes-up-short/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=casey-rodericks-strong-daytona-run-for-randy-hill-racing-comes-up-short

Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams

Briscoe praises oval car handling

Ryan Briscoe has praised the handling of IndyCar's new Dallara DW12 on ovals after testing a revised version of the car at Texas this week.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/indycar-news/indycar/briscoe-praises-oval-car-handling

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

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

Lewis Hamilton David Hampshire Sam Hanks Walt Hansgen Mike Harris

My son's Super Bee WIP COMPLETED

While I wait for decals on my build my boy is getting way ahead of me ! Body paint by Dad but he is doing a great job so far. This is his 5th kit and I have him researching the cars now before he builds !  Not sure if this belongs in the Muscle forum but I am a stickler for bone stock so I thought I would put it here.

Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/1003529.aspx

Gus Hutchison Jacky Ickx Yuji Ide Jesús Iglesias Taki Inoue

Ford expects cooling advantage

Ford believes its cars go into the NASCAR Sprint Cup season-opening Daytona 500 with a crucial advantage as the FR9 engine's cooling system appears to be coping better with this year's rules package than rival motors. Technical rule changes, designed to limit the tandem-racing that prevailed at restrictor-plate tracks last year, have made engine cooling more critical than ever in NASCAR's biggest race.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/nascar/ford-expects-cooling-advantage

Hans Herrmann François Hesnault Hans Heyer Damon Hill Graham Hill

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

Piercarlo Ghinzani Bruno Giacomelli Dick Gibson Gimax Richie Ginther

Red Bull will be challenged in 2012

Hi all, thanks for your many and varied questions about the 2011 season. I've answered a number of them as well as giving my thoughts about how the season panned out and what I think will happen in 2012.

In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.


If you are outside the UK, you can watch the video here.

Murray

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/murraywalker/2012/01/red_bull_will_be_challenged_in.html

Jackie Holmes Bill Homeier Kazuyoshi Hoshino Jerry Hoyt Nico Hülkenberg

Bentley target 25,000 SUV sales, gets plug-in hybrid

It is rumored that Bentley are intending to unveil an SUV concept at the Geneva Motor Show next week. They will reportedly gauge media and client reaction before deciding whether to confirm it for production or not.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/tUlDxbMdMnQ/bentley-target-25000-suv-sales-gets-plug-in-hybrid

Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mário de Araújo Cabral Frank Armi Chuck Arnold

maandag 27 februari 2012

Johnson among among the victims on Lap 2

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/27/1889656/johnson-patrick-and-bayne-collected.html

Jimmy Jackson Joe James Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson

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

Scott Russell Riggs Hiroshi Fushida Beppe Gabbiani Bertrand Gachot Patrick Gaillard

Supercarz on the Prowl!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/8XcqTwzEQQI/supercarz-on-prowl.html

André Guelfi Miguel Ángel Guerra Roberto Guerrero Maurício Gugelmin Dan Gurney

New GT Aston a ‘big improvement’

The 2012 Aston Martin Vantage GTE launched on Friday incorporates approximately 25 improvements over its predecessor. The focus on the new car, with which Aston Martin Racing will contest the FIA World Endurance Championship, has been on improving reliability and serviceability, according to AMR managing director John Gaw.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/new-gt-aston-a-big-improvement

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Carl Michael Edwards III William Clyde Elliott Jeffrey Michael Gordon Charles Robert Hamilton IV

Fernando Alonso: “We are not where we want to be…”

As testing progresses in Barcelona this week no one can be quite sure how the teams stack up, but it’s all too clear that Ferrari is still struggling to come to terms with its new F2012. Fernando Alonso made some … Continue reading

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/02/22/fernando-alonso-we-are-not-where-we-want-to-be/

Aldo Gordini Horace Gould Jean Marc Gounon Emmanuel de Graffenried Lucas di Grassi

Porsche drive for Frentzen

Heinz-Harald Frentzen will compete in the Porsche Carrera Cup event that supports this year's Australian Grand Prix. The 44-year-old German, who won three grands prix for Williams and Jordan, has not competed at the Melbourne circuit since 2003 - the last of his 10 years in Formula 1. He is excited about racing a Porsche for the first time in his long career; having been confirmed as the driver of the guest car on Thursday

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/porsche-drive-for-frentzen

Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer

Jeep Unveils Special Grand Cherokee, Compass, and Wrangler for Europe [Geneva Auto Show]

This year at the Geneva auto show, Jeep will debut three Euro-bound special editions: a Wrangler that will go on sale soon, as well as production-intent Grand Cherokee and Compass “concepts.” Jeep Grand Cherokee Sports Concept The Jeep Grand Cherokee Sports concept, pictured above, was designed to be an experiment in style. The outcome is [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/3ilqymDPX78/

Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood

No Fenders Skate on thee State of the State of ‘IndyCarz...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/ajPKp-woBgg/no-fenders-skate-on-thee-state-of-state.html

Masahiro Hasemi Naoki Hattori Paul Hawkins Mike Hawthorn Boy Hayje

Rainstorms force delayed start of Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The start of Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500 was delayed by persistent rain at Daytona International Speedway, endangering the event’s streak of never being pushed back a day due to weather. Light rain fell much of Sunday morning, but let up enough at one point for NASCAR officials to send jet dryers...more»

Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2012/sprintcup/02/26/rainstorms-force-delayed-start-of-daytona-500/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rainstorms-force-delayed-start-of-daytona-500

Joe James Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich

Is There Really a “Rule of Two”?

Conventional wisdom has it that in the state of New York a motorist must be breaking at least two traffic laws at the time of a crash to be charged with criminal negligence. As Nassau County ADA Maureen McCormick told Streetsblog: “It is believed that if a defendant commits two simultaneous traffic violations in the [...]

Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/02/22/is-there-really-a-rule-of-two/

Mika Häkkinen Bruce Halford Jim Hall Duncan Hamilton Lewis Hamilton

Daytona 500 postponed

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/26/1885920/rain-falling-at-daytona.html

Richie Ginther Yves Giraud Cabantous Ignazio Giunti Timo Glock Helm Glöckler

Father Time?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/vgoDV6trsg8/father-time.html

Jeffrey Tyler Burton Richard Allen Craven Kerry Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr

zondag 26 februari 2012

2013 Mercedes-Benz A-Class spied almost uncovered

Earlier today Mercedes gave us a glimpse of the vehicle's interior, but here are the clearest spy photos yet of the 2012 Mercedes A-class.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/e49l-t_UQMg/2013-mercedes-benz-a-class-spied-almost-uncovered

Philippe Adams Walt Ader Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr

Hirvonen test hindered by snow

Citroen driver Mikko Hirvonen's preparations for Rally Mexico were hindered by snow earlier this week. The Finn, who finished second on Rally Sweden, was testing his Citroen DS3 WRC for two days in Spain, north-west of Barcelona in preparation for the first gravel round of the World Rally Championship in Mexico next month. "I thought we'd done all that with Monte Carlo and Sweden!" said Hirvonen.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/world-rally-championship-news/wrc/hirvonen-test-hindered-by-snow

Damon Hill Graham Hill Phil Hill Peter Hirt David Hobbs

F1 pre-season testing provides poor guide to form

So, after four days of testing and nearly 3,500 laps of running at Jerez in sunny southern Spain, what has the first Formula 1 pre-season test revealed about the season to come?

The simplest answer – as ever – is “not much”. Testing – or the “winter world championship”, as McLaren chairman Ron Dennis famously described it – is a notoriously poor guide to form.

Or at least it is if you look only at the headline lap times. At the end of last year’s test in Jerez, the fastest man was Williams driver Rubens Barrichello – and his team were about to embark on the worst season in their once-illustrious history.

Likewise, if anyone thinks Lotus driver Romain Grosjean is going to win this year’s world championship after setting the pace in Jerez this week, they will be waiting a long time for those pigs to fly in front of that blue moon.

Fernando Alonso

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso set the fastest time on the final day of the first Formula 1 pre-season testing in Jerez, in Spain with a time of 1.18.877. Photo: Getty

Nevertheless, it would be wrong to say that Jerez has revealed nothing.

First of all, it has become clear the teams dislike the look of the new cars as much as anyone.

For them, the ugly step on top of the noses of all cars apart from the McLaren is an unfortunate necessity in the pursuit of the best possible aerodynamics, following a rule change requiring lower front noses.

"Performance comes before aesthetics," as Red Bull design chief Adrian Newey put it.

The teams head back to their factories with a mountain of data, on which decisions will be based about the direction in which to take the development of their new cars.

These gleaming machines are prototypes for their entire lives, but in terms of maturity right now they are still in the post-natal stage.

Nowhere, it seems, is that more true than at Ferrari, whose decision to start with a clean sheet of paper after a chastening year in 2011 has left them with a lot of work to do.

Fernando Alonso may have left Jerez with the fastest time from the final day - and the second fastest overall - but no-one was fooled by that.

Ferrari were clearly struggling to understand their new F2012 and spent most of the four days doing aerodynamic assessment tests.

The car, they said, was behaving inconsistently in the corners, and so far fixing its behaviour at one stage - the entry, say - messes it up at either the mid-corner or exit, or both.

This is not an especially encouraging sign for a team whose 2011 season came off the rails at the final pre-season test, when new parts that they expected to bring a chunk of speed actually made the car worse.

It turned out this was a result of a lack of correlation between the results that were being created in the wind tunnel and the actual performance of the car out on the track - a major problem in a sport where aerodynamics are critical to performance.

Ferrari spent most of last season trying to get on top of this, and by late summer they insisted they had. Yet when they introduced an update to the car at the Belgian Grand Prix in August, that too did not work.

Were they not concerned about this, I asked an insider a little later in the season. No, he said, they knew why it had happened - the wind tunnel correlation was fine.

Yet on Thursday this week, there was technical director Pat Fry admitting that there was still a small problem in this area. "There's reasonable correlation," Fry said. "I certainly wouldn't say it was perfect."

Despite that eye-catching lap time from Alonso, then, Ferrari's potential remains unclear.

"That time was on soft tyres," a source close to the team said. "It was not so special. The feeling is they are waiting for a lot from this car - but they don't know how to get it. It is impossible to say what will be the future."

But it is not just Ferrari. Over at McLaren, Lewis Hamilton has said his first impressions of the car were "all positive". But the more he talked, the more you wondered.

They had not found the best set-up yet, he said - unsurprising, perhaps, so early in testing.

"It feels like an evolution of last year's car in many ways but also there are some things that are not so good," he added. "The downforce on the rear for instance, is not as good through the high-speed corners as it was last year, but I'm sure we'll get that back."

Again, this was to be expected given the ban on exhaust-blown diffusers, from which all top teams gained huge amounts of rear downforce last year - and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel also noticed a similar experience in his car.

But perhaps Hamilton's most revealing remark was this: "You never know what fuel loads people are on. I think we've been quite aggressive with our fuel loads."

A translation of which seems to be that McLaren are running with less fuel on board than they might normally be expected to - which will make their lap times look more impressive.

Despite that, the car looked as if it was not quite as fast as the Red Bull, which Hamilton effectively admitted. "I think you can see the Red Bull looks quick," he said.

The Red Bull indeed appeared to do its times with relative ease, both in the hands of Mark Webber and, later in the week, Vettel.

Just as much of a concern for their rivals will be that pictures suggest the car seems to have retained what most believe to be its crucial secret.

That is getting the front wing to run closer to the ground than any other car, a critical aerodynamic advantage.

This is despite design chief Adrian Newey saying they had had to reduce the rake on their car following the ban on exhaust-blown diffusers and despite the introduction of a tougher front-wing deflection test.

And yet even Red Bull clearly have work to do. After three pretty much trouble-free days, an electrical fault appeared on the final morning, and Vettel lost an entire morning's running while the team fixed it.

In summary, then, Red Bull again look like the team to beat, and there is a mixed picture from McLaren and Ferrari.

Just as it did in 2011 when the team were Renault, the Lotus has left a good initial impression.

Toro Rosso and Williams also appear to have decent cars, while Force India fell back after a promising start, almost certainly because of losing a day to reserve driver Jules Bianchi's crash on Thursday.

There follows a 10-day break before the teams reconvene at Barcelona on 21 February.

The Circuit de Catalunya's mix of long corners of varying speeds have long been the ultimate test of an F1 car's all-round capabilities, so more pieces of the jigsaw should fall into place there.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/02/f1_pre-season_testing_provides.html

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

Krumm returns to Super GT Series

Reigning FIA GT1 World Champion Michael Krumm will return to the Japanese-based Super GT Series in 2012. The German, who has a long-standing contract with the Japanese manufacturer, had been expected to move back to a series he won in 1997 and 2003 following the end of the British JRM team's involvement in the GT1 world championship

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/krumm-returns-to-super-gt-series

Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella

Alonso still unsure on Ferrari pace

Fernando Alonso has conceded that Ferrari may not be heading into the new season with the quickest car - but he still thinks it is too early to judge where the F2012 stands in the pecking order right now. While its main title rivals are already at the stage in their testing programmes where they are conducting race simulation runs, Ferrari is still compiling aerodynamic data and running with a variety of sensors. Alonso is not being too downbeat about the situation though - and thinks it more important that Ferrari keeps trying to get a better understanding of where it can improve the F2012

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/alonso-still-unsure-on-ferrari-pace

Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams

Ferrari Launch Their 2011 Car The F150

Ferrari have become the first team to launch their 2011 Formula One car – named the F150. Thw F150 name comes from the fact it is 150 years since Italian unification, the flag bearer for the nation decided it was important to increase exposure of the major event in the country’s long history.  The cars [...]

Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/ferrari-launch-their-2011-car-the-f150/

Duncan Hamilton Lewis Hamilton David Hampshire Sam Hanks Walt Hansgen

2013 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse: The Most Powerful Roadster of All Time

Bugatti announced the impending arrival of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse in a bravado-laced statement, calling it the culmination of engineers’ efforts to “transfer all the achievements of the Super Sport over to the Grand Sport.” The resultant open-top missile packs 1200 hp, nearly 20 percent more than the Grand Sport convertible’s paltry [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/PqV3KNR6dFg/2013-bugatti-veyron-164-grand-sport-vitesse-news

Bobby Grim Romain Grosjean Olivier Grouillard Brian Gubby André Guelfi

Staying the Course

Huge points totals were once again the story of the week as, arguably, the most competitive NASCAR iRacing.com Class A Series headed south to Homestead-Miami Speedway. The first two weeks of the season have beyond anyone’s expectations, and Week Three stayed the course. With the battle to transfer into the NASCAR iRacing.com Pro Series heating up, Class A drivers are stepping up their game to unheard of levels. With Class A drivers being the focus, it was a NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Championship driver taking top honors on the week. Past champion Robert Hall edged-out fellow NiSWC competitor Josh Laughton for his 334 point win. This win is just adding to Hall’s incredible start, one that saw him score 306 points Week Two at Atlanta, and 308 points in the [...]

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/iracing-news/staying-the-course

Bob Gerard Gerino Gerini Peter Gethin Piercarlo Ghinzani Bruno Giacomelli

2012 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/Phyy-GURpjc/2012-formula-1-belgian-grand-prix.html

Jerry Hoyt Nico Hülkenberg Denny Hulme James Hunt Jim Hurtubise

Next-gen 2014 Renault Clio spied for first time

The body of the prototype seen here features quite a bulky hood and a huge air intake that runs across the bottom of the front fascia from one side to another.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/ZnGvfOx6UgM/next-gen-2014-renault-clio-spied-for-first-time

Jeffrey Tyler Burton Richard Allen Craven Kerry Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr

Double BAFTA success for Senna movie

Senna has won the BAFTA awards for Best Documentary and Best Editing in tonight’s event at the Royal Opera House in London, giving F1 a boost in front of a star-studded audience that included the likes of Brad Pitt, George … Continue reading

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/02/12/double-bafta-success-for-senna-movie/

Geki Olivier Gendebien Marc Gené Elmer George Bob Gerard

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

Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley

zaterdag 25 februari 2012

Robert Kubica Could Be Ruled Out For At Least A Year Following Accident

Polish racing driver Robert Kubica will spend at least one whole year recovering from a rally crash he suffered this morning, according to his surgeon. Kubica, who races for Renault Lotus crashed the Skoda Fabia rally car this morning and was airlifted to hospital suffering serious injuries. He has spent many hours in surgery, with [...]

Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/robert-kubica-cold-be-ruled-out-for-at-least-a-year-following-accident/

David Lee Blaney Michael Duane Bliss Kurt Thomas Busch Kyle Thomas Busch Jeffrey Tyler Burton

Gumpert tease again, two world debuts in Geneva

Gumpert has once again teased their super car for the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show and they have used the opportunity to confirm that they will actually debuting two models at the show.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/RCo3hshv4zc/gumpert-tease-again-two-world-debuts-in-geneva

Walt Hansgen Mike Harris Cuth Harrison Brian Hart Gene Hartley

Barrichello Digging Indy Car Seat-time

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/FhRaKN4iw9E/barrichello-digging-indy-car-seat-time.html

William Clyde Elliott Jeffrey Michael Gordon Charles Robert Hamilton IV Charles Robert Hamilton V Kevin Michael Harvick

Your favourite drivers and teams at the start of the 2012 F1 season | 2012 F1 season preview

This is an original article from F1 Fanatic - The Formula 1 Blog If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic - The Formula 1 Blog it is an infringement of copyright.

With the new season almost upon us it's time to take a fresh look at who F1 Fanatics are supporting in 2012.

This is an original article from F1 Fanatic If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/eHciEAIBRZE/

Sam Hanks Walt Hansgen Mike Harris Cuth Harrison Brian Hart

Fernando Alonso: “We are not where we want to be…”

As testing progresses in Barcelona this week no one can be quite sure how the teams stack up, but it’s all too clear that Ferrari is still struggling to come to terms with its new F2012. Fernando Alonso made some … Continue reading

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/02/22/fernando-alonso-we-are-not-where-we-want-to-be/

Yves Giraud Cabantous Ignazio Giunti Timo Glock Helm Glöckler Paco Godia

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

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

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

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

The Mole ponders F1 in Britain

The Mole is busy again this week, looking at the state of the British F1 industry and where it is under threat. He also looks at some possible F1 team owners of the future. You can read about it here.

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/the-mole-ponders-f1-in-britain/

Geki Olivier Gendebien Marc Gené Elmer George Bob Gerard

Your favourite drivers and teams at the start of the 2012 F1 season | 2012 F1 season preview

This is an original article from F1 Fanatic - The Formula 1 Blog If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic - The Formula 1 Blog it is an infringement of copyright.

With the new season almost upon us it's time to take a fresh look at who F1 Fanatics are supporting in 2012.

This is an original article from F1 Fanatic If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/eHciEAIBRZE/

Phil Hill Peter Hirt David Hobbs Gary Hocking Ingo Hoffmann

F1: Sauber Of Kobayashi Quickest Of The Week

Kamui Kobayashi surged to the top of the time sheet as testing concluded Friday in Barcelona...

Source: http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-sauber-of-kamui-kobayashi-quickest-of-the-barcelona-week/

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

INDYCAR: Honda To Provide Fisher With Full Season Supply

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing and rookie Josef Newgarden will compete in the entire 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season with Honda power.

Source: http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-honda-to-provide-fisher-with-full-season-supply/

David Lee Blaney Michael Duane Bliss Kurt Thomas Busch Kyle Thomas Busch Jeffrey Tyler Burton

vrijdag 24 februari 2012

2012 F1 testing day 7 in pictures | F1 pictures

This is an original article from F1 Fanatic - The Formula 1 Blog If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic - The Formula 1 Blog it is an infringement of copyright.

Pictures from the third day of F1 testing at the Circuit de Catalunya.

This is an original article from F1 Fanatic If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/NUvNxUXgg1Y/

Peter Gethin Piercarlo Ghinzani Bruno Giacomelli Dick Gibson Gimax

Aston Martin reveal Vantage GTE, confirms return to endurance racing [video]

Aston Martin Racing has announced plans to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the new Vantage GTE.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/mfg8O-n4QZM/aston-martin-reveal-vantage-gte-confirms-return-to-endurance

Billy Garrett Jo Gartner Tony Gaze Geki Olivier Gendebien