Auto News 5

As Auto123.com had already revealed, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing confirmed today that Michel Jourdain Jr., will make a comeback with the team for the upcoming 2012.

Former GP2 driver Luca Filippi, who was supposed to take driving duties in the second RLLR car for the May classic was unable to finalize his sponsorship package and will have to wait so more before joigning the team for the rest of the season.

On the other hand, Jourdain's No. 30 Honda-Dallara-Firestone entry will be sponsored by Office Depot Mexico with associate sponsorship from Roshfrans, Grupo Indi and Grupo Multi.


The Mexican is making a return to open-wheel competition for the first time since 2004. He made 152 starts in CART and Champ Car from 1996-2004 plus three Indy Racing League starts, including the 1996 Indy 500.

He won races in Montreal and Milwaukee in 2003 with Team Rahal and then moved on to RuSPORT for the 2004 Champ car series season. Since then, he competed in various rally and sports car series. 


From GMM

HRT has announced it will sit out next week's rare in-season formula one test at Mugello.

For the first time in years, the sport has relaxed slightly its strict testing ban in order to give teams the chance to run between grands prix.

The three-day session at Ferrari's Italian circuit will begin next Tuesday, during the three-week gap between Bahrain and Spain.

Struggling backmarkers HRT, however, will not be there, opting instead to be "completely focused" on relocating to its new Caja Magica headquarters in Madrid.

Every other team will be at Mugello, 30 kilometres from Florence -- the first in-season test for four years.

Photo: mugellocircuit.it

26 drivers will be in action, as will a lot of update packages following F1's return from the hectic 'flyaway' season.

Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Sauber, Marussia and Toro Rosso will use their regular race drivers.

Running regular racers and a tester will be Lotus (Jerome d'Ambrosio), Williams (Valtteri Bottas) and Force India (Jules Bianchi).

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said Caterham is "using the opportunity to earn some money" by accepting the sponsorship of the Venezuelan Rodolfo Gonzalez.

McLaren has scheduled to run its testers Oliver Turvey and Gary Paffett, although Lewis Hamilton has indicated he might gatecrash the programme in order to help solve the MP4-27's newfound tire problems.

From GMM

Well-known Brazilian commentator Reginaldo Leme has defended Felipe Massa, amid the Ferrari driver's career crisis.

Massa's Ferrari seat hangs in the balance, and according to his boss Stefano Domenicali, he will have to improve in order to simply stay on the F1 grid with any team next year.

But Leme has pointed the finger of blame at Ferrari's struggling F2012 car.

"It is very difficult to give an explanation for any driver's bad phase," Leme acknowledged on the Redacao Sportv programme.

"The car is very bad. The fact that Alonso is always scoring (points) just shows that the Spaniard is the best driver of this generation. No other driver, however good, could get anything out of that car. I think that's what's happening with Massa," said Leme.

Felipe Massa, Ferrari F2012. (Photo: WRi2)

Felipe Massa will drive Ferrari's heavily updated Barcelona-spec car at the Mugello test next Wednesday, while Alonso will drive on Tuesday and Thursday.

Turning his attention to the 2012 championship, meanwhile, Reginaldo Leme said consistency is more important than ever before, with four separate teams having won races so far.

"Look at Webber -- he has been fourth four times and is third in the championship. Hamilton has been third three times and is right in contention."

Bentley showcased its new luxury SUV concept at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show. The EXP 9 F could become the brand's third production model in the near future.

Photo: Bentley

Bentley enthusiasts will be pleased to know that extreme power and performance are still part of the mix. The concept's 6.0L twin-turbocharged W12 engine teams up with an 8-speed close-ratio transmission to develop 600 horsepower and reach 100 km/h in less than five seconds from a standstill.

There's also talk of a class-exclusive V6 plug-in hybrid with a potential range of 30 kilometres in full electric mode. A 500-horsepower 4.0L V8 engine is under consideration as well.

The Bentley EXP 9 F stands out with 23-inch alloy wheels, liberal use of rich materials such as hand-crafted wood and polished aluminum, plus a number of advanced technologies.

Bentley has been analyzing customer and public reaction since the model's original debut at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. Expect this SUV to receive further enhancements and eventually end up in Bentley showrooms.

Jaguar brings the Ultimate XJ to Beijing, based on the long-wheelbase XJ and featuring every luxury appointment you can think of.

Photo: Jaguar

The XJ Ultimate offers “the appointments of a private jet” including full-length, leather-trimmed centre console separating two individually tailored rear seats, which in turn feature power adjustment, ventilation, massage and lumbar functions. A solid aluminum machined table with piano black and chrome detailing rises up at the touch of a button should you need to get a little work done on one of the two iPad 3s with wireless keyboards that are housed in the bespoke leather-trimmed docks in the rear of the front seats.

Then there's the champagne chiller with accompanying specially commissioned flues and purpose-made cabinet, twin headrest screens, wireless headphones, 20-speaker surround sound and, of course, suspension revisions so you don't spill your drink. You can order yours from an exclusive extended colour palette, too, as well as a pattern of choice for embroidery on the headrests.

Available engines are a 5.0-litre V8 supercharged gasoline engine or a 3.0-litre V6 turbocharged diesel.

It'll go for about a $40,000 premium over the XJ, but you know what they say — if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

The 2012 edition of the famous Who Works in Motorsports book has been released and covers 17 motorsport series this year.

Accordfing to the Publisher, Who Works in Motorsports remains the only publication to contain those all-important details on decision makers, opinion formers and journalists from across the industry.

A unique reference tool, the fully updated edition now includes information on 17 series, including: ALMS, DTM, ELMS, Eurocup Clio, Eurocup Megane Trophy, FIA GT1 World Championship, Formula One, Formula Renault 3.5, Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup, GP2, Grand-Am, IndyCar, NASCAR Sprint Cup, V8 Supercars, WEC, WRC and WTCC.

The book contains the names, faces, positions, addresses, phone numbers, emails, Facebook & Twitter accounts of the key personnel.


Every aspect of each championship is covered, including: teams, drivers, team principals, key staff, crew members and car technical specifications, sponsors, suppliers, marketing, PR and press officers, photographers and journalists, circuits and rallies, officials, calendars, entry lists and race schedules.

Printed in hardback with 1008 pages of contact details and more than 6000 colour images ensures the completely updated Who Works in Motorsports 2012 remains the indispensable guide and reference tool for use throughout the year.

Who Works In titles are available online at www.whoworksin.com, by emailing info@whoworksin.com or calling +44 20 7193 0686.

Further details are also available on the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/whoworksin.formulaone.

French driver Simon Pagenaud showed again just how good he is by taking second place at the Long Beach Grand Prix IndyCar race. He's been racing for a while now, in the States and around the world.

The Frenchman's career started out in 2001, with a drive in the Formula Campus series. Soon he moved to Formula Renault 2.0 - for a string of runner up titles: twice in the national championship in 2002 and 2003, than once in the Eurocup in 2004.

In 2005, he graduated to Formula Renault 3.5, a year before he moved to the States.

Simon Pagenaud during his Formula Atlantic days. (Photo: WRI2)

In 2006, as a 22-year-old, the Poitiers-native took top honours in the Formula Altantic series, driving for Team Australia. It allowed him to move up in 2007 to the affiliated Champ Car World Series, in which he finished seventh in his rookie season.

In 2008, the merger between Champ Car and IndyCar forced him to rethink his career path. Still in the States, he took a drive in the American Le Mans Series to race the Acura-powered ARX-01b LMP2 prototype of De Ferran Motorsports alongside his boss Gil de Ferran.

Winning the ALMS title with Honda. (Photo: WRI2)

In 2009, the two stepped up to the LMP1 class, winning five races on their way to second place in the championship. It must have caught the eyes of Acura's head of states, because Pagenaud was signed by the brand's official Highcroft Racing team ahead of the 2010 season - in which he took the P1 title with David Brabham.

The 2009 season also saw Pagenaud commit to racing in Europe with Peugeot. At the wheel of the turbo diesel 908, he won rounds in the Le Mans Series, at Spa in 2009, and at Silverstone in 2011. Four participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans yielded second place as a best result, in 2011.

That same year, on top of racing for Highcroft on and off, Pagenaud went back to open-wheel, in the IndyCar series, taking part in the Barber, Mid Ohio and Sonoma rounds.

At the end of 2011, Pagenaud replaced Simona de Silvestro. (Photo: WRI2)

Encouraging performances at those venues convinced Sam Schmidt Motorsports to give Pagenaud a full-time drive in 2012, at the wheel of their Dallara DW12-Honda.

So far this year, he's taken sixth place at the season-opener in St. Petersburg, a fifth at Barber and a podium in the streets of Long Beach. Although Pagenaud missed out on the win, by hair, his spectacular drive through the field was a highlight of the race.

Strong showings have Pagenaud third in the standings, but whether he can run with the top guys on ovals, which will be crucial if he is to challenge for the overall title, remains to see.

Bruno Spengler (BMW M3) is looking forward to competing in the the first round of the 2012 DTM season to be held this weekend at the Hockenheimring in Germany.

There is no doubt that this will be a very special moment for the Canadian driver when he will be driving his BMW M3 DTM during the first test free practice session on Friday.

For the first time in his career, Spengler will not be driving a Mercedes DTM car but a BMW as the German car manufacturer is making a return to the DTM this season.

Bruno Spengler, BMW M3. (Photo: BMW Motorsport)

Spengler quickly adapted to his new team, and to his new car, despite the fact that the BMW M3 is quite different from his Mercedes of last year.

The new technical regulations ask for a new look (lower cars, larger tires, less winglets, paddle shift device, etc). After having completed thousands of kilometers in the new BMW M3 DTM in pre-season tests, Spengler is happy to start the competition.

"The winter break was very long," said Spengler to Auto123.com.

"I'm very happy to be back in race mode this week end in Hockenheim. Of course, we would have preferred to do more tests in order to fine tune the M3 DTM before its maiden race, but I guess it's the same for the other teams. Anyway, it's always difficult to know where we are in terms of lap times, and to compare our performances to those of Audi and Mercedes, as each team had its own development program during the collective tests. It's only after the qualifying on Saturday that we will know who is fast, and who is not."

New York, NY — The highest profile auto executive at the 2012 New York International Auto Show was Nissan and Renault president, Carlos Ghosn... at least judging by the amount of paparazzi and media scrums that showed up whenever he showed up.

And he showed up a lot: at the show's industry conference; at a press conference with New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, to introduce the city's new Nissan NV200 taxi; on press days, as the keynote breakfast speaker, and later to introduce the 2013 Nissan Altima and Infiniti LE Concept.

Nissan and Renault president, Carlos Ghosn (Photo: Nissan)

He is well known for turning around Nissan, forging the alliance between Nissan and Renault, being the industry's most ardent supporter of electric cars, and for even being a cartoon book hero — his book on Nissan's turnaround was later condensed and turned into a manga, which is the Japanese version of a graphic novel.

Here is a sampling of what Carlos said during his various microphone moments at this year's show...

On future EV and fuel-cell sales goals...
“We continue on our zero-emission vision along with our partner Renault. We are targeting cumulative sales of 1.5 million zero-emission cars by 2016. This will deliver a 20-percent reduction in our carbon footprint, and a 35-percent improvement in our fuel economy... Worldwide we have already sold more than 27,000 LEAFS, since its introduction in late 2010, including more than 11,000 in the United States...

On current slow sales of LEAF in North America...
“I don't want you to take a month or two of sales in one market to try to make your opinion of a very important technology for the industry. All the stars are lining up (move to local US production, high gas prices, stellar launch quality, more competitors entering space, better economic climates) for it to become very important in the market... I still back my forecast that electric cars will represent 10 percent of the market in 2020, in the markets where it will be available.”

On re-introducing the Datsun brand...
“The Datsun brand will bring modern, high value products to people in some of the world's fastest growing markets, starting with Russia, India, and Indonesia. This is an exciting way to target the millions of people joining the middle classes around the world, and before you ask, no, we do not intend to bring Datsun back to the United States.”

On the alliance with Daimler-Benz...
“In addition to the original project (Infiniti's upcoming entry car utilizing a Daimler platform), earlier this year Dieter Zetsche and I announced that Mercedes will be producing engines for the first time in North America, at Nissan's facilities in Tennessee. Many additional projects will be unveiled soon.”

On what to do with spent batteries...
The use of the battery outside the car is clear... They can be used in a house, office, or plant. Battery [life] is going to be much longer than the life of the car... As you probably know, we've created a company where we are going to be buying batteries from people and using them for other purposes... Decreasing the cost of the battery, and reducing the size of the battery, is the main challenge. But this will pass.

On various things Infiniti...
Not all of the luxury brands have the appropriate EV experience, or the sustainable product credibility to play a leadership position, no one except Infiniti... We're on verge of significant growth. The advanced Infiniti LE (electric vehicle) will be a perfect addition to our expanded lineup, as we drive toward our target of 500,000 Infiniti (global) sales by 2016... As of April 1, Infiniti becomes the first automaker to be headquartered in Hong Kong, one of the great international luxury markets.”

He's not the most popular driver in NASCAR, nor is five-time Sprint Cup champion, Jimmie Johnson, the reigning champ. He hasn't won a race since last October.

No matter. Forbes Magazine (a business journal) has named Johnson “America's Most Influential Athlete” for the second-straight year.

“I haven't read the article itself,” said Johnson on NASCAR's weekly teleconference. “I'm not sure of the criteria. But I'm happy with the outcome, bottom line. I'm happy to be the most influential athlete out there. I think it does speak to the reach of our sport. And for an outside group to analyze all sports in general and look at all the factors necessary to put myself, a NASCAR driver in that spot says a lot for all of us involved.”

Jimmie Johnson. (Photo: NASCAR)

It's a virtual victory for NASCAR marketing as six of the 10 most influential athletes were NFL quarterbacks.

Tim Tebow who was recently traded as a second string quarterback to Mark Sanchez to the New York Jets is second on the list. Sanchez failed to make the top ten. And surprisingly NY Giant's Superbowl winning quarterback, Eli Manning, is ninth on the list.

The NFL is just killing it, the league is now part of the American landscape,” says Stephen Master, vice president of sports for Nielsen, which runs the survey our list, is based on, along with California-based market research firm E-Poll.

According to Forbes the Nielsen group and E-Poll surveyed a panel of “over 1,100 adults about dozens well-known athletes to measure their likeability and whether they're considered “influential,” an important quality for marketers”

Influential was among 40 terms those polled could choose from to describe the athletes. Twenty-five percent called Johnson “influential” described Johnson, and 40 percent stated they liked the five-time NASCAR champion.

Johnson's teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is seventh on the top ten list.

The Top 10 is:
1. Jimmie Johnson

2. Tim Tebow
3. Peyton Manning
4. Manny Pacquaio

5. Tom Brady

6. Aaron Rodgers

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

8. Drew Brees
9. Eli Manning

10. Jeremy Lin
 

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone has revealed he was not happy Bahrain organisers used the acronym 'F1' in its political slogan for last weekend's race.

The F1 chief executive was highly supportive of the island Kingdom's intensely controversial return to the sport's calendar, insisting Bahrain will retain its grand prix "forever".

But when asked about the banners around the Sakhir circuit and the island Kingdom that read 'UniF1ed', 81-year-old Ecclestone admitted to the Mirror: "We never put it there. We told them to take it down, not to use it. I saw other things, not like that."

Photo: Bahraingp.com

But Sakhir circuit chief Zayed Alzayani wore a cap bearing the slogan throughout the grand prix weekend, even when in Ecclestone's company.

Briton Ecclestone, however, denied the Bahrain slogan only intensified the opposition's anger.

"Before they started using that slogan there was trouble about F1," he insisted. "People make excuses but there are only two sports where politics come into it; us and the Olympics because the profile is big enough. There was a big golf match in Bahrain before F1 arrived and there was no problems there. We are not here to tell people how to run their country."

Ecclestone, however, was angry with some of F1's British journalists in Bahrain, following their harsh criticism of the decision to push ahead with the race.

"I saw Bernie get angry in the press room with some British journalists," revealed O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper correspondent Livio Oricchio. "I had never seen him that angry."

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen can add a second title to his tally in 2012.

That is the claim of the 2007 world champion's countryman Mika Salo, who now commentates on Finnish television MTV3.

In the fourth race of Raikkonen's return to F1 from rallying, the 32-year-old last weekend challenged Sebastian Vettel for victory in Bahrain, finishing second for Lotus.

Five years after his title with Ferrari, he is 19 points from the head of the 2012 drivers' championship.

"The most consistent team has been Lotus," former grand prix driver Salo said. "They've been fast at every circuit so far. In that sense, Kimi's situation looks very good. I would not exclude it at all that he will be fighting at the very end of the championship, if Lotus is able to maintain the pace of development."

It is on Salo's final point that Lotus' 2012 season will really be made.

Kimi Raikkonen. (Photo: Lotus F1 Team)

"They (as Renault) also began the previous season just as well, but soon after they were nowhere. So the real question is 'Do they have the resources to develop the car and stay where they are now?'" observed the Swiss commentator Marc Surer, speaking on Austrian television Servus TV.

Even if Lotus' challenge fades, the future for Raikkonen - who has surprised some experts with his re-adaptation to F1 after two years of rallying - is bright, Surer insisted.

"I think he has shown everyone that he is still able to do just what he was doing before (leaving F1)," he said. "He is a lot younger than Schumacher, and if you look at the past ten years, he is probably one of the best talents that we have seen in F1."

Marc Surer said he could therefore imagine Raikkonen leaving Lotus and returning to a 'top' team, but he wouldn't know which one to recommend. "Everything is so balanced this year that it's impossible to pick a car that he could win the championship in."

The BMW i8 Concept Spyder makes its world debut in Beijing at Auto China 2012 this week. As with all electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles coming from the manufacturer, it bears an eDrive emblem on its rear end.

Photo: BMW

The i8 Spyder, like the coupe shown in New York, is a plug-in hybrid with an electric motor up front and a mid-mounted turbocharged 3-cylinder gasoline engine powering the rear axle. A lithium-ion battery pack is located between the two. Total output for the whole system is 354 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque.

The i8's drivetrain can be front-, rear- or all-wheel drive depending on whether it's efficiency, performance or traction you're after. It offers 50:50 weight distribution, and BMW says the extra weight of a hybrid drivetrain has been negated through use of lightweight materials like carbon fibre and aluminum.

The Spyder is slightly shorter than the coupe, and also features a pair of electric scooters under the rear glass panel.

A hearing has been scheduled for Thursday by thIZOD IndyCar Series following the protest filed by Chevrolet over the decision to allow Honda to make a change to its turbocharger ahead of this weekend's race in Sao Paulo.

A three-person panel made up of a representative selected by Honda, a representative selected by General Motors, and a representative mutually agreed on by both manufacturers.

Photo: IndyCar

The protest came after Honda, which is the only manufacturer to use a single-turbo layout, was granted permission to introduce a new compressor cover in accordance with a verbal promise made by the series some time ago to ensure parity between single and twin-turbo configurations.

Chevrolet's complaint is grounded in the fact that the promise of parity was never enshrined within the technical regulations and that the date for the engine homologation was prior to the start of the 2012 season.

Let's get a bit technical. The turbochargers are supplied by Borg Warner, as announced last May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and have specific A/R compressor covers for road/street courses and for ovals.

The Borg Warner-supplied compressor cover for the single turbocharger that Honda intended to use was a 0.74, whereas the permitted A/R sizes for the Borg Warner EFR9180 single turbocharger is either 1.04 or 1.45.

2012 Audi A6 3.0 TFSI Quattro

Audi has a real winner on its hands in the 2012 A6.

Audi has a real winner on its hands in the 2012 A6. The car looks great inside and out, and it drives very well to boot. Audi used to be an also-ran in this segment, and now it sits at the top of the luxury mid-size sedan class. BMW has lost the intimate connection between car and driver in the current 5-series, and Mercedes doesn't offer nearly as nice of a cabin in the E-class as Audi does in the A6.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Audi A6 3.0 TFSI Quattro - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Audi A6 3.0 TFSI Quattro - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

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The 2012 Audi Q5 gets a fresh look and a range of more efficient engines

First Look: 2013 Audi Q5

A familiar look, along with a new powertrain family.

Three years doesn't sound like a long time, but that's exactly how old the Audi Q5 is. Seeing as an all-new model is due for another three years, the time is ripe for a mid-cycle update -- and that's exactly what was bestowed upon the 2013 Audi Q5.

Photo Gallery: First Look: 2013 Audi Q5 - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: First Look: 2013 Audi Q5 - Automobile Magazine

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In case Ferrari, Jeep,

Also in this episode: Jaguar rolls out the Ultimate version of the XJ sedan, Jeep gives the Wrangler more

Driven: 2012 Chevrolet Corvette

Still a hero-maker.

The Corvette's legend was made during the period from the mid Fifties, when it got its mojo working, right on through the Sixties. Soon thereafter, the Corvette went into a period of decline along with the rest of the American auto industry. As the whole idea of performance came under assault, the Corvette drifted into self-parody. More recently, of course, the Corvette has come back, regaining and then eclipsing the performance of its halcyon days.

Photo Gallery: Driven: 2012 Chevrolet Corvette - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: Driven: 2012 Chevrolet Corvette - Automobile Magazine

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