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French rally driver Sebastien Loeb marked the 10th anniversary of Rallye Deutschland's elevation to the FIA World Rally Championship by winning the asphalt event for a ninth time in the Citroen DS3 WRC he shares with co-driver Daniel Elena.

Loeb won the opening stage on Friday morning to take a lead he would never relinquish following a dominant display in changeable weather conditions. He beat Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala and his Citroen teammate Mikko Hirvonen to claim his seventh victory of 2012.



“It was a hard rally, the conditions were extremely difficult, which meant I had some very difficult tire choices to make,” said the 38-year-old Frenchman, who claimed a total of nine stage wins during the course of the three-day event.

“We had a good drive, a perfect car and I made no mistake. Winning the Power Stage also meant this was a perfect weekend. I also had a lot of support from the fans.”

Adpated from FIA press release

The FIA has agreed to launch Formula E, which is a new FIA championship featuring Formula cars powered exclusively by electric energy.

To achieve this objective, the FIA has reached an agreement to licence the commercial rights of the FIA Formula E Championship to a consortium of international investors, Formula E Holdings Ltd (FEH).

FEH, the new promoter, has as anchor investor London-based entrepreneur Enrique Bañuelos, and as CEO and shareholder former MEP and racing team owner Alejandro Agag, who has a long experience in the motor sport business. Also associated with the project are Lord Drayson, Managing Partner of Drayson Racing Technologies, and Eric Barbaroux, Chairman of the French electric automotive company "Electric Formula".

Formulec EF01 (Photo: Formulec)

Demonstration runs of the Formula E cars will start in 2013, followed by the championship in 2014 with an objective of 10 teams and 20 drivers participating in the competition. The races will be ideally staged in the heart of the world's leading cities, around their main landmarks.

The series will be open to any cars sanctioned as Formula E by the FIA. The consortium will ensure that a Formula E Car, based on the Formulec EF 01 prototype already in operation, is available for those competing teams willing to race with it.

The representatives of Formula E Holdings proposed to the Mayor and the Governor that the city of Rio to become host of a Formula E Electric Grand Prix from 2014. Both welcomed the idea. Rio has a long commitment to sustainability, having hosted the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development only weeks ago.

The Mayor of Rio declared the proposed urban track designed to be near the Gloria Marina as “spectacular”.

Porsche will unveil the new 2013 911 Carrera 4 with the latest version of its active all-wheel drive system at the Paris Auto Show next month. Available in four models (911 Carrera 4 and 911 Carrera 4S, each as Coupé and Cabriolet), it boasts a 44 mm wider rear body and 10 mm wider rear tires than the regular two-wheel-drive 911.

A 7-speed manual gearbox comes standard along with a 3.8L flat-six engine that produces 350 horsepower. The car sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 285 km/h (282 km/h for the Cabriolet). Meanwhile, highway fuel consumption with the dual-clutch transmission is rated at 7.1L/100km for the Coupé and 7.3L/100km for the Cabriolet.

The sportier 911 Carrera 4S develops 400 horsepower and completes the 0-100km/h dash in 4.1 seconds on its way to a maximum velocity of 299 km/h (296 km/h for the Cabriolet). Here, fuel consumption amounts to 7.5L/100km for the Coupé and 7.6L/100km for the Cabriolet.

Ranging in price from $103,900 (4 Coupé) to $134,100 (4S Cabriolet), the new 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 will go on sale in Canada early next year.

Photo: Porsche

From GMM

81-year-old Ecclestone has used the August break to marry for the third time.

British the Daily Mail and the Sun report that F1's famous chief executive married 35-year-old Brazilian Fabiana Flosi, who formerly worked on the marketing of the Brazilian grand prix, at his ski chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland.

Photo: WRi2

The reports said Ecclestone's daughters Tamara, 28, and Petra, 24, and their mother Slavica, were in Los Angeles at the time.

The EPA ratings for the new 2013 Ford Explorer Sport are 16 mpg (14.7L/100km) in the city and 22 mpg on the highway (10.7L/100km), making it the most fuel-efficient seven-passenger SUV in its class.

Photo: Ford

By comparison, the HEMI-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee is rated at 20 mpg (11.8L/100km) and the Land Rover Range Rover Sport at 18 mpg (13.1L/100km).

Equipped with a six-speed SelectShift autobox and reinforced chassis, the 2013 Ford Explorer Sport will be available in four exterior colours - Ruby Red Metallic Clearcoat, White Platinum Metallic Tri-Coat, Tuxedo Black Metallic and Ingot Silver Metallic. It will stand out with unique 20'' painted and machined wheels, heated front seats with 10-way power adjustments for the driver, Ford's SYNC and a rearview camera system, among other features.

Buyers will be able to select a number of options such as cooled seats, rain-sensing wipers, a Class III trailer-towing package and inflatable rear seatbelts.

The 2013 Ford Explorer Sport will go on sale this fall in the U.S. Canadian pricing and availability have yet to be announced.

From Pirelli

Pirelli returns to action at the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend with the P Zero silver hard tire and white medium: a combination that has not been raced since the second event of the season in Malaysia.

The conditions at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit will be somewhat different however. The 7.004-kilometre lap is the longest of the entire year by some margin, and this is just one of the factors that can lead to extremely variable weather conditions, with a high risk of rain.

Set within the Ardennes forests, Spa's geography also ensures that it has its own microclimate, meaning that it can often be raining on one part of the circuit but be completely dry on another part.

Photo: Pirelli

The track is renowned for its high speeds and fast corners. It is also challenging on the tires, which have to cope with extremely high lateral and longitudinal energy loadings, thanks to fearsome compressions such as Eau Rouge: a corner that feels like the ultimate roller-coaster ride.

In Eau Rouge, compression each front tire is subjected to a maximum peak of vertical loads of more than 1000kg - one tonne.

With all the compressions at Spa, getting the ride height and suspension travel correct is vital as otherwise the cars could bottom out at some parts of the circuit. The tire forms a vital component of the car's suspension, with the deformation of the rubber under load making up nearly half a Formula One car's total suspension travel.

The cars are at full throttle in Spa for nearly 75% of the lap, which makes it one of the quickest circuits of the year together with Monza - which takes place the following weekend. The high speeds increase tire temperature, particularly if an aggressive camber set-up is adopted to maximize grip.

The annual smart times event took place in Antwerp, Belgium this past weekend and 1,594 fans of the iconic microcar came from 27 different countries to attend what has become the world's largest gathering of the smart community.

The program included meetings with experts and designers as well as opportunities to test the smart fortwo electric drive and the new smart ebike.

All CO2 emissions produced from driving during the four-day event will be offset by the 5,200 trees the company agreed to plant in Kenya.

The next edition of smart times will take place in Lucerne, Switzerland from August 23-25, 2013.

Photo: smart

Hot on the heels of the Nissan Juke Box and its 18,900W audio system, the Japanese automaker is set to unveil the Juke Ministry of Sound.

While the stereo in this special edition is not as powerful as the one in the Juke Box (which some will disapprove but their neighbours certainly won't), it includes an iPod Touch 8GB allowing users to view pictures and watch videos provided by Nissan and Ministry of Sound.

A pair of headphones sporting the Juke logo and a code to access Ministry of Sound's online store will also be part of the package.

The car itself stands out with white wheels, mirrors and door handles on a black body. An all-white exterior will be available, too.

All 3,000 limited-edition models are reserved for Europe. Is there hope for North American fans? We'll probably find out at the Moscow Auto Show, which kicks off on Wednesday.

2012 Volkswagen Golf R Review with video

2012 Ford Focus Electric First Impressions

2013 Scion FR-S Review

Other very interesting topics:

• Blog: '12 Mopar 300
• 2013 Nissan Pathfinder preview
• Blog: Opening up the Porsche 911 Carrera S
• Blog: No, thank you, I'll drive myself
• Cadillac Escalade Hybrid vs. SLP Cadillac Escalade Supercharged Sport Edition

Adapted from GMM

According to a local newspaper, Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica has tested a World Rally Car on a road circuit in France.

Ford's technical director Christian Loriaux was quoted on Saturday by the French-language L'Avenir as saying works drivers Petter Solberg and Jari-Matti Latvala tested over four days at the asphalt Circuit des Ecuyers.


This 3.5km road course is located 90km North-East of Paris.

Also in action was a "mystery driver who does not want to give publicity to this collaboration", Loriaux said to the newspaper.

The mystery driver, according to Ford's Loriaux, is a "guy with some experience on asphalt, and I take off my hat to him: he came at his own expense and worked gracefully".

Photo: Ford

"And his expertise was very interesting. During our first contact, he told me he was not sure if he could do the job physically, but everything went well," he added.

L'Avenir wrote that the 'mystery driver' is Robert Kubica, the former BMW and Renault Formula 1 driver who is still recovering from serious injuries sustained in a huge rally crash in Italy in early 2011.

Hyundai will unveil an armoured premium full-size sedan at the Moscow Auto Show. The Equus Limousine Security has been developed by the Korean automaker with the collaboration of ArmorTech-Motors, the authorized distributor of Stoof International GmbH in Russia.

Offering ballistic and blast protection, this unique vehicle escapes trouble thanks to a 430-horsepower 5.0L Tau V8 engine. Hyundai insists that the complex armouring process hasn't compromised the Equus' ride and handling characteristics. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends power to the rear wheels.

The Hyundai Equus Limousine Security stands 5.46 metres long and weighs 3,840 kilograms (8,465 pounds).

Further details will be released at the Moscow Auto Show.

Source: WorldcarFans

Photo: STOOF International

From GMM

The days after Monza's Italian grand prix could be crucial as Ferrari contemplates its driver lineup for 2013.

Italy's Autosprint reports that the famous Maranello based squad is almost certainly planning to field development drivers Jules Bianchi and Davide Rigon at Magny Cours.

In mid September at Magny Cours, the former French grand prix venue, Ferrari as well as Mercedes and Force India will conduct their allowed days of 'young driver' testing.

Frenchman Bianchi is also Force India's reserve driver this year, meaning he will probably get to drive two different formula one cars at his home circuit.

And Italian Rigon, 26, who badly injured his legs in a GP2 crash last year, extended his relationship with Ferrari for 2012 and has been doing simulator and straightline testing.

Autosprint acknowledged that Ferrari is yet to confirm its Magny Cours lineup.

I'm driving a 662-hp 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 this week, but I'm also checking out booking availabilities for the 100% electric 2012 Nissan LEAF.

In the last few days, we took the 85-hp 2013 Chevrolet Spark minicar for a spin, but also reported on the Conquest EVADE, a new luxury SUV that will cost $580,000 US.

I just read Land Rover's latest release on the all new 2013 Range Rover, which states that thanks to an all-aluminum unibody the new model will weigh up to 926 lbs less than the 2012 truck. I'm flabbergasted by this improvement, yet when you think of it the current Range Rover, or any large SUV for that matter, is arguably carrying around a half-ton of weight for nothing.

2013 Range Rover (Photo: Land Rover)

We're striving to make cars and trucks safer, adding costs and complexities to them and making them more expensive to build, purchase and maintain. Yet these cars and trucks can still be driven while we text or under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Speed limits are constantly being reduced, especially in residential areas, yet cars and trucks are getting more and more powerful. With a long enough stretch of road, the factory-built GT500 I'm currently driving can hit 300 km/h; and anybody with money or a good credit score, even those with the IQ of a cabbage, can buy one.

Perception is everything. We buy electric cars and hybrids so our neighbours consider us environmentally responsible, but we keep our lawn nice and tidy with a gas-powered, two-stroke Weedwacker that pollutes as much as 10 Hummer H2s. I'm just guessing; the correct figure is probably 30 Hummers.

On our right shoulder sits the angel, our conscience that keeps telling us to be rational, responsible and to love one another. The angel tries hard to convince us that an electric car is good, that obeying the speed limit is being responsible, and that reducing our carbon footprint will benefit not only our children's future, but everyone else's as well. When we follow our hearts, we're listening to the angel.

On the left shoulder, the devil is just as convincing as the angel, but without as much effort. The devil knows that humans seek a lifestyle of chills, thrills and reckless abandon. Our ego makes us do what the devil wants us to do.

We're at the crossroads of automotive evolution. Green cars, performance cars, luxury cars, sensible cars; as a consumer we're lucky to have to so many choices. We must make the right decisions for our future, yet we only live once.

Who should we listen to: the angel or the devil?

Hertz Global Holdings is near a deal to acquire Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group and an agreement may be announced early next week, three people familiar with the negotiations said.

Three decades after China implemented rules requiring foreign automakers to form joint ventures with domestic manufacturers to build cars in the country, the strategy appears to be failing in one of its key goals.

The verdict is in. The reconfiguration of Bristol Motor Speedway worked providing an action filled race won by Denny Hamlin.

Although Jimmie Johnson finished second and Jeff Gordon finished third, the real battle at the end of the 500 lapper was with Carl Edwards who desperately needed a win to try to obtain a Wild Card to make the Chase.

But Edwards' tires gave out, due to a gamble on not pitting, and then he ran out of gas leaving Hamlin to hold off the five-time champion for the win.

Hamlin described his 20th Sprint Cup win "it just hauled the mail. This is just a big win, I don't know how else to explain it."

With his third win of the year Hamlin is in position, by virtue of bonus points for wins, to be the top seed in the Chase after Richmond when the points are reset. Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart also have three wins.

"We're not done winning yet. We've still got a few more to go," Hamlin said in victory lane.

The race was characterized by the metal on metal contact not seen in recent times. After many years of sellouts, the spring race was noticeably empty at the stadium which seats 160,000. Its' nickname had been the Concrete Coliseum for the nature of the surface and wrecks of the past.

Only there hadn't been that type of racing in the spring.

So the track owner reground the top groove to force cars closer together. That worked but not as exactly intended. What didn't work is that drivers continue to prefer the top line. On the other hand there was a plethora of spins and crashes.

The most dramatic incident involved reigning Cup champion, Tony Stewart, and 2003 champ, Matt Kenseth. They battled on the main straight banging door-to-door then Kenseth's Ford hit Stewart's Chevrolet sending into the pit wall and out of the race.

Kenseth said "I was running the top leading and he got a run and he went into turn one like I wasn't there and just went straight to the fence.  If I wouldn't have lifted, like he chose not to do the next corner, we would have wrecked, so I let him have it and I got a run back, drove all the way alongside of him and we just kept going."

Kenseth referred to two on track incidents earlier this year where the two have had a problem.

While the caution was waving Stewart got out of his wrecked car and threw his helmet at Kenseth's car, slowly circulating the half-mile oval. "I checked-up twice to not run over him (Kenseth) and I learned my lesson there; I'm going to run over him every chance I've got from now ‘til the end of the year, every chance I've got."

With two races to go the Wild Card battle is tightening. Kasey Kahne, who is 11th in the standings has one win and is only 16 points behind Stewart. Kyle Busch is 13th and last provisional Wild Car he has one win. Edwards is 12th in the points, but, has no wins. A win would put him ahead of Busch.

Sébastien Loeb mastered challenging conditions to win a ninth ADAC Rallye Deutschland aboard his Citroen DS3 WRC, at the event's 10th anniversary. It all started on Friday for the Frenchman, when he picked up the lead of the rally on the opening stages and never looked back.

His lead grew until it turned into a win - Loeb's seventh this season. The eighth-time world champion now holds a 54 points advantage with four rounds remaining this season: Great Britain, France, Italy and Spain.

Photo: WRC.com

Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford) picked up a discrete second-place finish, his best asphalt result in the WRC. Loeb's Citroën teammate Mikko Hirvonen, despite never shining, made it to the podium. Mads Ostberg (Adapta/Ford) picked up where he left of the day before, finishing fourth ahead of Chris Atkinson, who ends his first rally with WRC Team MINI Portugal in fifth position.

Young guns Ott Tanak (M-Sport/Ford) and Thierry Neuville (Citroën) failed to impress all the way. Tanak won two stages on Saturday before exiting the road. Thanks to Rally 2 rules, he was able to rejoin the competition and finished ninth on the road. Neuville, while running a strong fourth also had an off, plus a puncture, on his way to 12th.

Petter Solberg (Ford), Loeb's only opposition early on, was allowed back in the competition after his day 2 crash, but most importantly missed out on a chance to beat Loeb in the Power Stage. He finished just outside the top 10, in eleventh position.

Kudos to Volkswagen Motorsport's Sébastien Ogier, sixth overall in his Super 2000 Skoda Fabia.

Audi and Toyota fought hard for the win of the 6 Hours of Silverstone, in the end it was the No. 1 R18 e-tron quattro of Marcel Fässler, Benoît Tréluyer and Andre Lotterer that came out on top.

By doing so, they gifted Audi the inaugural World Endurance Championship manufacturers' title as well.

But the story of the day was the fight Toyota put up for the victory, in only its second race with the TS030 hybrid, driven this time by Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima. In the end, they lost the top step of the podium only in the pits, where the e-tron quattro stopped fewer times.

Photo: Audi Motorsport

Third place went to Audi's old guard, Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen driving the No. 2 R18 ultra. Furthermore, their podium result was insufficient to keep the pair on top of the drivers' standings. They lost that lead to their Audi teammates Fässler, Tréluyer and Lotterer.

The race in LMP2 went to ADR-Delta's trio of John Martin, Tor Graves and Jan Charouz, after an interesting duel with the Starworks outfit, led by ex-Peugeot driver Stéphane Sarrazin. The Brundle father and son duo, paired with Lucas Ordonez at Greaves which started on pole was slowed down during the race by a stop-and-go penalty.

In GTE, Ferrari dominated both the Pro and Am classes, although, in Pro, Aston Martin did put up a fight until it was delayed by an extra pit stop. A late charge had Stefan Mucke's Vantage in third spot, albeit not without a controversial, rubber-fending, overtaking manoeuvre.

Sam Bird thought he was going to finish second in race 2 of the Formula Renault 3.5 weekend at Silverstone, only to find leader Marco Sorensen stopped track-side in the second-last lap.

And Jules Bianchi certainly thought he was going to make a run for a second victory in a row, having won the pole Saturday moments after his race 1 win.

But a bad get-away at the start left him fourth.

Soon, a train of five cars led by Sorensen and including Robin Frijns, Bird, Bianchi and Antonio Felix da Costa pulled a gap to the rest of the field. Only Frijns eventually fell behind, all the way down to 11th place at one point.

Despite pressure from behind, Sorensen held on to the lead.

As the second to last lap started, the Dane probably thought he had it in the bag, but moments later he was still pulling off the track with a flat tire, leaving Bird the win. Second to the finish was da Costa, followed by Bianchi, Arthur Pic and Alexander Rossi.

Frijns recovered to ninth place, meaning he still holds on to the lead in the championship, five points ahead of Bird, six in front of Bianchi. Three races remain on the calendar: Hungary, France and Spain.

Edoardo Mortara (Audi) bagged his second win of the season in a memorably chaotic race at Zandvoort, round 7 of the DTM series. Mike Rockenfeller and Mattias Ekström completed the sweep of the podium for Audi.

Championship runner-ups Jamie Green (Mercedes-Benz) and Bruno Spengler (BMW) both finished ahead of leader Gary Paffett, Green in fourth and Spengler, who recovered from 18th on the grid, in sixth. Therefore Paffett (109 points), only seventh in the race still leads, but now from Green (93) and then Spengler (91).

Bruno Spengler (Photo: DTM.com)

Pole-sitter Timo Scheider (Audi) didn't get to enjoy his first place very long as he stalled on the grid. A late crash with David Coulthard's Mercedes ended his race. That's why second-place starting Rockenfeller assumed the lead from the start and for a long while, but tough conditions eventually had him beaten, to Mortara's advantage.

Adrien Tambay (Audi) had the best result of his young DTM career, finishing the crazy race in fifth.

Reigning champion Martin Tomczyk (BMW) was forced into retirement after a crash with Filipe Albuquerque (Audi), likewise for Canadian Robert Wickens (Mercedes-Benz), spun into a DNF by Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz).



Race results* - DTM (Zandvoort)
1 - Edoardo Mortara (Audi A5) - Rosberg - 43 laps in 1.16'17"679

2 - Mike Rockenfeller (Audi A5) - Phoenix - 1"513

3 - Mattias Ekstrom (Audi A5) - Abt - 8"417

4 - Jamie Green (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 13"283

5 - Adrien Tambay (Audi A5) - Abt - 21"313

6 - Bruno Spengler (BMW M3) - Schnitzer - 26"397

7 - Gary Paffett (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 33"791

8 - Dirk Werner (BMW M3) - Schnitzer - 33"923

9 - Augusto Farfus (BMW M3) - RBM - 34"706
10 - Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 36"380
11 - Roberto Mehri (Mercedes C-Coupe) - Persson - 36"771
12 - Susie Wolff (Mercedes C-Coupe) - Persson - 43"135

13 - Andy Priaulx (BMW M3) - RBM - 53"127
14 - Joey Hand (BMW M3) - RMG - 1 lap


*Unofficial

Retirements
Lap 34 - Filipe Albuquerque
Lap 28 - Martin Tomczyk

Lap 22 - David Coulthard
Lap 6 - Timo Scheider

Lap 1 - Christian Vietoris

Lap 1 - Robert Wickens
Lap 1 - Miguel Molina
Lap 1 - Rahel Frey



Championship standings

1.Paffett 109 points; 2.Green 93; 3.Spengler 91; 4.Mortara 74; 5.Tomczyk 69; 6.Rockenfeller 67; 7.Ekstrom 62; 8.Vietoris 24; 9.Farfus 19; 10.Scheider 18.