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Tuesday May 8 2012, Jacques Villeneuve drove the Ferrari 312 T4 Formula 1 car of his father Gilles to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his death.

Jacques, the 1997 F1 World Champion, took the wheel of the flat 12 Ferrari for a spin around the Fiorano test circuit located in Maranello.

Here's a short video of this very special moment showing Jacques driving the car Gilles drove to second place in the 1979 World Championship.

From GMM

Mark Webber appears headed for a new contract with Red Bull, after receiving a clear vote of confidence from the energy drink company's chief.

Following speculation the 35-year-old Australian could be headed to Ferrari in 2013, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner insisted Webber "is happy to be here, and we are happy to have him with us".

And the Swiss newspaper Blick has revealed that team owner Dietrich Mateschitz, the billionaire mogul, is also happy with Mark Webber.

"I hope that he keeps driving with us for a long time," the 68-year-old is quoted as saying.

Same line up in 2013? (Photo: WRi2)

Canadian road racer and Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières record holder Marc-Antoine Camirand will honour the late Gilles Villeneuve's memory in his own way, as 2012 marks the 30th year since the hero's death.

Just like Villeneuve did 36 years ago, Camirand will travel to France to race at the Grand Prix de Pau. Even though Villeneuve and Camirand cannot be compared, the touching gesture brings back a lot of memories.

For one, both are heroes in their own way of the GP3R, and, two, will have tasted European racing for the first time in the streets of Pau.


Three, the trip will have been made possible thanks to the effort of GP3R organizers, since Villeneuve, in 1976, and Camirand, in 2012, were chosen to wear the Canadian classic event's colours oversea.

Albeit, for Villeneuve, at the wheel of a March-Ford 752 single-seater. Whereas Camirand will drive a fully electric Andros Car Evo 2, in the second edition of the Grand Prix Electrique de Pau.

BMW UK video-launched a new version of the brand's F10M M5, called the M5 M Performance edition. Only 30 of them will be made, supporting three different frost-finish colours: blue, white and red (10 units in each colours).

Under the bonnet, the same 4.4-litre should give out an identical 560-horsepower, but the price, which was not been determined yet, will most likely be different. The fact BMW UK unveiled the news hints that the special edition M5 will be only for the British market.

A Fisker Karma hybrid car belonging to a Fort Bend County resident, in Texas, has set its owner's house on fire.

According to local fire chief, Robert Baker, the fire originated in the Karma, which had just been parked, minutes before, in the garage.

Photo: Fisker Automotive

The car was not plugged for recharge, but the driver did notice a "smell of burnt rubber". Furthermore, the vehicle was almost new, having been purchased in April, less than 60 days before.

The experts have assessed the associated fire costs to upwards of US$ 100,000, leaving out the loss of the three vehicles in the garage at the time of the fire - the same Fisker Karma, as well as a Mercedes-Benz SUV and an Acura NSX.

Fisker Automotive is helping out the authorities dealing with the investigation, but refused to comment the incident.


_{Source: Autoweek}

BRIGHTON, ON — The early downpour did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of either supporters or participants at the first Brighton to London Eco-Run launch this morning. On hand to kick off the event were several members of the media, representatives from event partners CAA and Natural Resources, and Brighton's Mayor, Mark Walas ,who officially started each car with a wave of the green flag.

Inspired by Britain's historic London-to-Brighton vintage rally, the Eco-Run was created to promote consumer awareness of the various solutions available to fight rising fuel costs. These range from simple changes in driving habits to the latest in manufacturer's fuel-saving technology - from the tiny electric cars, plug-in hybrids and the start/stop functions in high-end performance cars.

During the run, our aim is to meet or exceed the official Energuide ratings in each of the 23 vehicles in real-world driving over the course of three days.

Photo: Lesley Wimbush

My first run was at the wheel of a 6-speed MINI Cooper over a 40-km route that was primarily hilly country roads, and small-town stop-and-go traffic. The average fuel consumption of 6.5L/100km was slightly higher than its 5.6L/100km officially rating. Fortunately, there are six more legs before the averages are calculated.

On the 66.6-km route from Cobourg to Oshawa, I achieved 5.8L/100km in the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, just slightly higher than its 5.1L/100km official combined rate.

En route, we stopped at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (Uoit), which boasts state-of-the-art testing chambers for vehicles and components. The fascinating tour included demonstrations of "shaker tables" that subject the vehicle to a simulated road test of any degree of surface or severity.

UOIT boasts the world's most sophisticated climatic wind tunnel - and it's also the quietest. We experienced first-hand the frosty chill of the -40 below cold chamber - used for cold-start testing and determining the durability of seals and shocks. Here they can produce a snowstorm in July - or the climate of Arizona or Dubai in January.

I spent leg three with the Lexus CT 200h, achieving an average of 4.9L/100km over 51.5 km - compared to its officially recorded 4.6L/100km.

Clearly - I should spend some time tonight reading the "Autosmart" pamphlet of fuel-conserving driving tips supplied by Natural Resources Canada. Perhaps tomorrow's driving will show a bit more conservative restraint.

Auto123.com Racing takes you for a guided tour of the stunning Charlotte Motor Speedway, home of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race that will be held May 19.

The Charlotte Motor Speedway offers several guided tours each day, giving fans a chance to take a close-up look at areas that are off-limits on race days.

Fans see the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Garage, navigate through two infield race tracks, make their way down Pit Road and take a picture in Victory Circle. Learn the history of Charlotte Motor Speedway while enjoying a comfortable van ride around the Superspeedway where you will feel the full-tilt force of the 24-degree banking.



Plus, visit zMAX Dragway and The Dirt Track at Charlotte on this exciting tour.

Here are some additional details about the guided tours:

Tour Length: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Departure Location: Second floor of Smith Tower

Time: Please arrive 30 minutes early for check-in

Weather: Tours operate rain or shine, please plan accordingly

Dress code: Comfortable clothing for outdoors and air conditioned vans, comfortable shoes for walking, sunscreen, sunglasses

Please note: All tour participants under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult. You are responsible for providing your own car seat for children. All on-track events are subject to track availability.

For more information: www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/tours/

Former Ferrari Formula 1 driver Jean Alesi will make a return to competition later this month as he will compete in his first Indy 500.

Despite his vast experience, it was confirmed that Alesi will be participating in all Rookie on-track and off-track activities on Thursday, May 10, and all other days leading up to the Indy 500.

Photo: Courtesy of FP Journe

Alesi has been confirmed to drive with Fan Force United Team for this year's upcoming Indy 500. He is considered a rookie for this race.

The Frenchman has been training hard for the 500 for months. The 47-year-old has vast experience in a breadth of other series, and is taking on this wonderful new challenge with commitment and respect.

Photo: Courtesy of FP Journe

He has included his friends and old rivals in his training program, having started with a cycling tour of Sicily with Alain Prost. Alesi and Michael Schumacher have since raced each other on a circuit, and the FFSA have arranged sessions for him at Le Mans.

Alesi has also spent hours familiarising himself with the specific characteristics of the Lotus Dallara in a simulator and cannot wait for his first on-track test.

Former Formula 1, IndyCar, GP2 and Formula 3 driver Antonio Pizzonia will taste endurance racing for the first time of his career, this weekend at the American Le Mans Monterey, at Laguna Seca.

The 31-year-old Brazilian who raced for Williams and Jaguar in F1 will share with Martin Plowman and David Heinemeier Hansson the wheel of the No. 37 Conquest Endurance/Morgan/Nissan LMP2 prototype throughout the six-hour event.

"I'm really looking forward to working with Conquest Endurance this weekend," Pizzonia said. "It will be my first experience with this car and also with this type of racing but I have experience in many categories, which will be helpful in this situation."

Prototype LMP2 Morgan-Nissan. (Photo: Conquest Racing)

Team owner Eric Bachelart, whose team is coming off a second-place finish at the Long Beach Grand Prix, had kind words for his new driver: "We are very happy to welcome Antonio (Pizzonia) to the Conquest Endurance team," Bachelard said.

"He has a great amount of experience in many different types of race cars and he will be a strong addition to our team, I have no doubt that between him, Martin (Plowman) and David (Heinemeier Hansson) we'll have one of the strongest driver lineups out there and can challenge for a top result."

Source: ALMS.com

AutoExpress.co.uk readers vote satellite navigation the most useful in-car gadget of all time

2012 Buick Regal GS

Buick has a bit of a mixed bag with the Regal GS.

Comments left on previous articles about the Regal GS generally fall into two distinct groups: those who are irked that the new GS isn't a re-pop of the rear-wheel-drive Grand National they adored as a kid, or those who are irked that GM didn't just import the Opel Insignia OPC's driveline -- peaky twin-turbocharged V-6, all-wheel-drive, and all -- into the United States.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Buick Regal GS - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Buick Regal GS - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

2012 Buick Regal GS | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Insurance and fire investigators in suburban Houston are probing a house blaze that destroyed a new Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid car last week.

Also in this episode: We review the 2012 BMW 528i sedan, the Cadillac ATS and the

The Marin Sonoma Concours d'Elegance will bring a selection of coachbuilt French cars to the Marin Civic Center in San Rafael, Calif., on May 20.

Ford is beefing up its dealer network in China as it pushes hard to catch up with rivals such as Volkswagen AG and GM.

Toyota said today it will spend $30 million to expand its Georgetown, Ky., plant, boosting the factory's annual four-cylinder engine capacity by more than 100,000 units.

General Motors' Opel unit has not completely denied a Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) report at the weekend that the Opel Astra in future will only be produced in England and Poland thus putting the Rüsselsheim plant "at risk".

Opel labor leader Wolfgang Schaefer-Klug said a deal to restructure General Motors' European brand could be achieved in two to three months, paving the way for a return to profitability.

Opel labor leader Wolfgang Schaefer-Klug said a deal to restructure General Motors' European brand could be achieved in two to three months, paving the way for a return to profitability.

Opel/Vauxhall said its new minicar will called Adam when the model launches in 2013. With the Adam, the GM unit aims to rival cars such as the Fiat 500 and Mini. The car, previously code-named Junior, will debut at the Paris auto show in September.