Here is a video of a slow but real lap around the 3.4-mile rosad course of Circuit of the Americas, home of this year's Formula 1 Grand Prix of the United States, November 16-18 in Austin, Texas.
The video was filmed by a race fan, XtremeGoD9. It is a slow lap because of the presence of heavy equipment on the tarmac, but the video provdes a very good idea of the layout of this new F1 circuit.
We've all heard about Google's self-driving car and how it will change the way we drive to work forever (it's about to bring multitasking to a whole new level). While Google works on making sure their vehicles can properly recognize temporary construction signs and other tricky road situations, they've also decided it's time for their self-driving car to take on different terrains.
With a brand new Lexus RX450h controlled by Google's self-drive system, Google testers will make the commute to work alone; however, they will remain in the driver's seat to take back control should the need arise.
Google's first self-driving Prius provided some great circuit-and-bump results for the self-driving system with more than 300,000 miles logged (without a single accident, by the way), but Google now wants to test the system on snow-covered roads with the likes of the Lexus RX450h.
With a strong second place finish at the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres, Louis-Philippe Dumoulin reached his primary objective, positioning himself once again in the NASCAR Canadian Tire championships' top 5.
For this last road course of the season, the Quebecer is counting on pleasing his fans and realizing another podium finish on the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve behind the wheel of the n°47 WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge on August 18th.
« In Montreal, as in ICAR and Trois-Rivieres, our fans are in the stands and once more we want to offer a good performance on the track, and be in the front. With a second place finish in Trois-Rivieres, we have regained our position in the Championships top 5, we want to keep the lead we currently have and get another podium in Montreal », explains the n°47 WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge driver.
Photo: droits réservés
The Trois-Rivieres, Quebec resident has been invited to compete in the Nationwide series, race with Randy Hill Racing.
With only one active participation in the Nationwide Series as of last year, Dumoulin had skilfully crossed the finish line (starting 41st and finishing 28th) despite being faced with numerous mechanical problems and engine complications in the practice session.
During this weekend' race, Dumoulin will perform a « start and park » at the wheel of Randy Hill Racings' n°08 car. Last weekend in Watkins Glen, he was able to complete a few laps during the practice session. However, they faced a problem with a braking system that compromised their participation in the qualifying session.
I'm fresh off the regional launch of the 2013 Chevrolet Spark. Although my thoughts on the car were generally positive, I found myself scratching my head wondering what the hell GM is doing to itself.
You see, the Spark has wedged itself at the bottom of Chevy's food chain where there was already very little room to spare. The challenge is many-fold where not only are there three models fighting for the same floor space and slice of the sales pie, but they are all new nameplates. I ask myself: "What is GM doing?"
2013 Chevrolet Spark (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre)
Talk about an undertaking.
In many respects, dealers were already trying to explain the real differences between the $14,495 Sonic LS sedan and the $14,995 Cruze LS to consumers. Now comes a 5-door $13,495 Spark LS to complicate matters further. The price disparities between these cars -- not to mention the size, equipment and vocation -- are so narrow that I fail to see how it'll all work out.
GM reps, who are all too aware of what is going on, at the Spark's launch hinted that the lackluster sales of the Sonic sedan may call for the end of its existence on the Canadian market. The remaining 5-door's $15,495 asking price creates a larger, more "sellable" gap between the Spark and Sonic. The $14,995 Cruze LS remains an issue though...
My fear is that GM will be forced to increase the Cruze's entry-level price, possibly hurting the appeal of the best product Chevrolet's had in their portfolio for nearly three decades. In my opinion, I think the Sonic may be the lame duck and should be pulled altogether.
Once done, GM should introduce the incredibly enticing Cruze hatchback in NA, effectively replacing the Sonic; harsh to say perhaps, but no one will miss it. For the 2014 MY, Chevy should upgrade the Spark's 4-speed autobox and replace it with the Sonic's 6-speed unit and Bob will be their uncle. This is win-win.
What would Bob Lutz think? About Lutz: I'm almost done reading his book, Car Guys vs. Bean Counters, and will do a little write up on it shortly.
In this scenario, all bases are covered. A quirky, micro-subcompact car serves as the Chevy echelon's first step, and the two Cruze body styles cater to all manners of buyers looking for efficiency, economy, value, styling, and everything else under the sun. The only condition I can think of here is that the Cruze H/B would have to retail for the same price, or no more than $500 over the sedan.
GM dealers and marketing execs have a daunting task ahead of them with these three cars; how to clearly define the ins and outs of these like-minded cars will be tough.
The NAPA Auto Parts 200,the only Canadian round of the NASCAR Nationwide series will be held this weekend at the Gilles Villeneuve road course in Montreal with the participation of several local drivers.
Four series will be in action: the NASCAR Nationwide, the NASCAR Canadian Tire, the Grand-Am Rolex and the Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC).
Good news: admission will be free on Thrusday!
Here is the schedule, subject to changes without notice.
Thursday, August 16th “Discovery Day” Free admission
9:00 am Venue opens to public
11:00 am - 11:30 am CTCC Practice Session
12:50 pm - 1:20 pm Rolex Grand-Am Series Practice Session - GT
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Québec Drivers Autograph Session
1:20 pm - 2:20 pm Rolex Grand-Am Series Practice Session
2:20 pm - 2:50 pm Rolex Grand-Am Series Practice Session -DP
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm CTCC Qualifying Session
3:40 pm - 4:40 pm Rolex Grand-Am Series Practice Session
4:50 pm - 5:50 pm NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Final Practice Session
Friday, August 17th 7:30 am Venue opens to public
8:30 am - 10:00 am NASCAR Nationwide Series 1st Practice Session
10:30 am - 12 noon NASCAR Nationwide Series 2nd & Final Practice Session
12:15 pm- 12:45 pm Rolex Grand-Am Series Practice Session
12:45 pm - 1:15 pm Rolex Grand-Am Series Practice Session-Trueman Akin only
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm NASCAR Nationwide Series Autograph Session Race
1:35 pm - 2:05 pm CTCC
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Qualifying - 1st Session
3:10 pm - 3:40 pm NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Qualifying- 2nd Session
4:00 pm - 4:15 pm Rolex Grand-Am Series Qualifying Session - DP
4:20 pm - 4:35 pm Rolex Grand-Am Series Qualifying Session - GT
5:05 pm NASCAR Nationwide Series Qualifying Session
Saturday, August 18th 7:30 am Venue opens to public
9:15 am NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Drivers Introduction
9:30 am NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Race (23 laps, 100 K/62.1 miles or 75 minutes)
10:45 am Rolex Grand-Am Series Drivers Introduction
10:50 am - 11:00 am Rolex Grand-Am Series Reconnaissance laps
11:15 am Rolex Grand-Am Series Race (74 laps, 200.46 miles/321.9 or 2 hours)
2:00 pm NASCAR Nationwide Series Drivers Introduction
2:30 pm NASCAR Nationwide Series Race (74 laps, 200.46 miles/322.6km)
Mercedes is considering a partial withdrawal from formula one at the end of 2013, the French weekly Auto Hebdo is reporting.
The Stuttgart carmaker, still yet to agree a new Concorde Agreement deal with Bernie Ecclestone, reportedly could then field only a 'semi-official' team from 2014.
Mercedes would however continue to supply customer engines, as it does currently to McLaren and Force India, whilst its 'semi-official' works team might be known as 'AMG F1', Auto Hebdo said.
AMG is Mercedes' high-performance arm.
Michael Schumacher, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)
The magazine speculated that Brackley based AMG F1, currently known as Mercedes AMG, would continue to be run by team boss Ross Brawn, with Michael Schumacher in the cockpit.
But Mercedes would focus more strongly on engineering than team ownership and management, Auto Hebdo said.
It is likely F1's only engine suppliers in 2014 will be Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari, meaning they all could take on more customers for the new V6 rules.
Reasons cited for Mercedes' rumoured change of direction are the Gerhard Gribkowsky corruption scandal involving F1's chief executive Ecclestone, and the latter's push for Mercedes to make a long-term pledge to the sport.
Another reason mentioned is Mercedes' lack of success with its full works team since 2010, despite Nico Rosberg's breakthrough win from pole in Shanghai this year.
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team)
Last Friday, Transport Canada published a safety recall on 4,296 Mercedes-Benz M-Class vehicles from the 2011 and 2012 model years.
The all-season floor mats may interfere with the throttle when the pedal is fully depressed, causing a delayed retraction. This could result in the vehicle not decelerating as expected when drivers lift their foot from the throttle. A crash may ensue.
Owners are advised to take their vehicle to a Mercedes-Benz dealership where the all-season floor mats will be replaced with an updated design.
Sepp Wiegand has been handed a dream opportunity to further impress Volkswagen Motorsport bosses when he contests his country's round of the FIA World Rally Championship next week.
The 21-year-old rising German star, a former motocross rider, is being assessed as a possible factory driver for the German make in the future with an expanded programme in this year's Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
ADAC Rallye Deutschland will mark Wiegand's second appearance in a Volkswagen-run Skoda Fabia Super 2000 following an entry on Wales Rally GB last November, which ended in retirement when Wiegand's co-driver Timo Gottschalk fell ill. His outing in Germany comes on the back of a number of impressive performances in the IRC, his debut season of four-wheel-drive competition.
Sepp Wiegand. (Photo: WRC)
“Sepp and Timo are showing a superb performance in their first IRC season,” said Volkswagen Motorsport director Jost Capito. “That's why they deserve the chance to compete for the Volkswagen team at the German WRC round. Sepp and Timo were running for us [in] Great Britain in 2011 but unfortunately were forced to retire at that time. Now they're getting the opportunity to prove their skills at ADAC Rallye Deutschland.”
Wiegand will link up with team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Sebastien Ogier in an expanded Volkswagen attack on the Trier-based round from 23-26 August. He said: “It's a great honour to compete in the Volkswagen team at Rallye Deutschland. My team colleagues Sebastien and Andreas rank among the world's best drivers. Being in the same team with them is a great feeling. I'll probably be able to get a few pointers from them. On the other hand, it raises the benchmark for me to a pretty high level.”
There currently isn't another vehicle like the Chevrolet Volt on sale in Canada. Ford plans to bring a plug-in electric Fusion to market in the fall of 2012 as a 2013. Interestingly enough other electric cars such as the Ford Focus Electric and the Nissan LEAF are all considered as comparable vehicles.
Electric vehicles are defined as using an electric motor (my electrical friends tell me that motor is the correct term and that engines use other sources of fuel) to power the wheels. How the electricity is provided is what makes the Chevrolet Volt distinctive.
Lighting up your life
Charging the 196-kg battery pack on the grid can be done by either an external 220-volt charging station, which takes about four hours, or by an internal 110-volt system, which takes up to 12 hours if the battery is absolutely flat. Off the grid, a 1.4L on-board gasoline engine powers the motor and charges the battery when required.
It is this 1.4L gasoline engine that creates the extended-range part of the designation. Chevrolet claims that if you had to run the entire time on the gas engine, you could go 500 km. When you add in the 80 km from the battery, you get a range of 580 km.
Pleasant compromise
By installing a gasoline engine, Chevrolet believes the Volt offers the best of all automotive worlds. If you charge up at home and head out for work, you can get up to 80 km on the electric charge in the battery. If your journey is longer or you get stuck in traffic, you don't need to hunt down one of the rare charging stations to be able to get home. If you do go onto the gas engine, you have still contributed considerably fewer emissions than a gasoline-only car.
With a bit of route planning and a driver tune-up (you really do need to relearn driving habits to get the most out of a Volt), I was able to make nearly a full 80 km on the battery charge. My fuel consumption readout came down to about 1.4L/100km for my trip.
The best part of this is that I managed to do this without being a rolling roadblock. Keep in mind that this was in light traffic, not rush hour and I was able to do all the good stuff like ease smoothly away from stoplights and use extra regenerative braking when slowing down.
With a bit of route planning and a driver tune-up, I was able to make nearly a full 80 km on the battery charge. (Photo: Michel Deslauriers)
A True Sleeper
One of my concerns, and of many others, is the degradation of the driving experience. No more thunderous blasts from the stoplight or aggressive cornering! Somebody forgot to tell the Chevrolet engineers that this was supposed to be a boring car. I admit it can be, if the owner is boring to start with.
Power from a stop is impressive since an electric motor produces maximum torque at full load and zero shaft speed. Put the transmission in low range and there is an additional torque multiplier as well as added regenerative braking. Do this and that muscle car beside you is in for a surprise. You may not win, but you aren't going to be far behind either.
If you choose to dive into a few corners, the low rolling resistance tires will start to moan long before the front end comes loose. Back off a bit and the noise goes away, serenity returns and you still go fast around corners. The Chevrolet Volt rewards smooth, energy conservative driving, not necessarily slow driving.
Modern Effective Design
Except for the badging on this five-door hatchback, you would never know that it is an electric car. Front grille and fascia as well as the tail are definitely identifiable as Chevrolet. Front and rear doors are cut generously into the sculpted sides and the roof line stays high until past the rear seat.
By keeping the battery pack in the centre of the car where the driveshaft hump would normally be, and by being a hatchback, the Chevrolet Volt actually has a decent-size cargo area. The only possible drawback to this system is that this is definitely a four-seat car, although all seats are comfortable with adequate space for long trip comfort.
The instrument cluster is definitely a bit on the PlayStation side, right down to a floating ball that tells how well you are driving; the objective is to keep the ball in the circle for maximum practical electrical usage.
By keeping the battery pack in the centre of the car and by being a hatchback, the Chevrolet Volt actually has a decent-size cargo area. (Photo: Michel Deslauriers)
Wired!!
I gather that some of my confederates don't like the Chevrolet Volt. I do, but maybe I'm just a bit crazier than they are and willing to try new ideas! The only concern I have towards sales is that I think Chevrolet, which used to offer the entry-level vehicles of General Motors, has missed its price point. At current MSRP, sales volume will not be as brisk as hoped for.
While competitors have come and gone, the Volkswagen GTI has been the model of cheap and practical performance for more than three decades. The current GTI is the sixth iteration of a progressively more perfect icon and the very definition of the hot-hatch niche. As recognition of its excellence, we have named it an All-Star five times and Automobile of the Year in 2007 and 2010.
What a difference a year has made at the Gilmore Car Museum. We have not been there since the new Genevieve and Donald S. Gilmore Automotive Heritage Center was completed last winter.
Congressman Paul Ryan, the presumptive Republican vice presidential nominee, voted in December 2008 to support the bailout of Chrysler and General Motors, which most Republicans -- including Mitt Romney -- didn't support.
Also in this episode: The DeltaWing Le Mans prototype may become the next Indy Lights car, and we review the winners of this past weekend's motorsports events.
Investigators hired by Fisker Automotive are looking into a Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sedan that caught fire on Aug. 11 in a suburb outside San Jose, Calif.
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is just around the corner, and before those classic engines roar to life at Laguna Seca once again, it's worth remembering the origins of the long-running event.
Common ground looks elusive between the Canadian Auto Workers union and the Detroit automakers in talks that start in Toronto on Tuesday, making compromise and creativity the key ingredients for success.
The latest auto news, reviews, prices, product and vehicle releases. 
