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A.J. Foyt Racing's Mike Conway has decided to withdraw from the upcoming IZOD IndyCar Series' finale at Fontana indicating that he will no longer take part in any oval racing.

The team has decided to call upon former Indy Lights star driver Wade Cunningham to replace the Briton for this week-end. For Cunningham, who has drove alongside Conway in a second car at this year Indianapolis 500 will make his fifth IndyCar start.

Conway suffered nightmarish crashes at two of his last three Indy 500s, and after this year's hard impact at the Speedway he seems to have never been the same.

"I'm truly sorry for putting the team and our sponsors in a difficult position, but this is the hardest decision I have ever made in my racing career," said Conway.

Mike Conway's crash with Will Power at Indianapolis. (Photo: IMS)

A futuristic superhero-inspired design, a 3.7 liter centrally-mounted hybrid V8 that develops a whopping 600 hp, a six-speed sequential gearbox, and a huge array of electronic technology: Peugeot has gone all-out in developing their Onyx concept-car. Visitors at the Mondial de Paris, which runs from September 29th to October 14th will certainly take notice.

The front-fenders and doors are covered by a stylishly designed copper sheet, while the remaining exposed outer-skin is dressed in black carbon-fiber. According to Peugeot officials '' the outer copper door-skin separates itself from the door-frame, therefore leaving an opening of a few centimeters, before pivoting around its rotational axis.'' It would be best to witness this on site in order to comprehend...

The interior is an ode to leather and felt; while the seats...what seats? They form a single solid structure with the carbon-fiber, very surprising! There are multiple cameras integrated into the outside rear-view mirror, the rear end and the headrests; what's more, the Onyx captures the kinetic energy and redistributes it during acceleration, adding an extra 80 horsepower.

Source: turbo.fr

Photo: Peugeot

Dirk Werner's BMW M3 set the best performance in the first free practice session on Friday afternoon in Oschersleben, 8th round of the DTM championship.

The BMW, which never hit the track at Oschersleben before, had a good beginning of the weekend, as the german manufacturer put four M3 DTM in the top 7 positions with Werner (1st), Augusto Farfus (3rd), Andy Priaulx (4th) and canadian driver Bruno Spengler, who set the 7th best performance.

Dirk Werner, BMW. (Photo: DTM)

Championship leader Gary Paffett (Mercedes) was second quickest with a gap of 0,265 seconds over Werner, who set his best lap time in 1'22''132. The best Audi was the A5 driven by Timo Scheider, who stands 5th, half a second slower than the best time.

Robert Wickens, from Toronto, was 15th aboard his Mercedes.

For the first time since Sid Watkins' death, Bernie Ecclestone pays tribute to his friend.

"What Sid Watkins did in the way of safety in Formula One was incredible. He gave his whole life to that cause, to make sure that it could be as safe as it possibly could be. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his caring and commitment," explains Bernie Ecclestone on the F1 official website.

"When I invited him to join Formula One as its official doctor partway through the 1978 season, we discussed many aspects of safety and medical issues. We agreed that we needed a proper hospital at the track in the form of a fully equipped medical centre to stabilise injured drivers with immediate treatment, and a helicopter to transport them subsequently to specialist facilities, and that the helicopter pad had to be as close to that trackside hospital as possible.

"Sid carried all of those things through, and many more. After the accidents to Jochen Rindt and then Ronnie Peterson, I suggested that he should have a medical intervention car and that he should take responsibility for taking drivers into medical care.

"We always talked things through and worked together, and he then took care of all the medical things which I knew nothing about.

"I am pretty sure that he is irreplaceable. You only meet somebody of his calibre once in your lifetime."

Alongside the new CR-V crossover and a Civic showcasing the company's new 1.6L diesel engine, Honda will introduce its revised CR-Z at the upcoming Paris Auto Show.

The 2013 CR-Z will get exterior and interior styling revisions for a sportier appearance. More importantly, both the gas engine and the electric motor will get power increases, but Honda states that fuel economy and exhaust emissions will remain the same.

There isn't much more info right now, as specific details will be announced at the show.

As for that diesel engine in the Civic, it will produce 120 PS or metric horsepower and help achieve a combined fuel economy rating of 78.5 mpg, or 3.6 L/100km. Let's hope this engine eventually comes to Canada.

Photo: Honda UK

Team Toyota was fastest in the first free practice sessions ahead of the Sao Paulo Six Hours, fifth round of the World Endurance Championship.

Nicolas Lapierre set the fastest time aboard his TS030 Hybrid LMP1 prototype, with a lap in 1'23''272.

The frenchman was quicker than his team mate Alex Wurz, who will share the car with him during the race, alongside Kazuki Nakajima.

Photo: Toyota Motorsports

Newcomer Luca di Grassi, who replaces Dindo Capello in the Audi R18 Ultra prototype, set the third best performance. The former F1 driver will make its prototye debuts alongside Alan McNish and Tom Kristensen.

LMP2 class was dominated by Olivier Lombard's Oreca-Nissan Signatech. The Aston Martin Vantage driven by Darren Turner was the quickest of the GTE cars.

There comes a time when a family man has to assume himself. He can stay in denial for a while, but at some point, he'll have to take full responsibility for his fertility and choose a transportation device that will haul his kids and their stuff -- and leave room for Poochy the golden retriever.


Oh sure, the family man was a hustlin' ladies man back in the day, cruising around in his Mustang or Prelude, but that time is over. His new set of wheels isn't a chick magnet, but boy, does it ever make his life easier.

The family man is now strutting his stuff, or what's left of it, in a minivan.

There aren't many to choose from anymore since your typical family man might sacrifice space and versatility for a trendy crossover vehicle instead. However, Toyota thinks their Sienna has just what the family man needs, especially in the, um, sporty SE trim.

No, it's not really a sports car
Does Toyota really think you can fool a family man? Even with 19” alloy wheels, more aggressive front and rear fascias, a “sporty” front grille, a rear spoiler, and smoked headlight clusters and taillamps, the 2012 Toyota Sienna SE doesn't look macho, and it never will. Call it a Swagger Wagon if you want Toyota, but it's still a minivan.

Yet it looks good, sophisticated if you will. The SE would probably be the family man's choice because it's the last, albeit faint, indication that there's still life inside of him. One day, when the kids are old enough to stay home and sit in front of the Playstation all day long, chances are the family man will ditch the minivan for something more, ah, personalized. And it likely won't be an Avalon.

The eight-passenger Sienna SE does get a fair amount of features, however: power sunroof, three-zone climate control, fabric sport seats with leatherette inserts, leather-wrapped wheel and shift knob, a 6-speaker stereo with a USB port and Bluetooth connectivity, a backup camera, as well as power-sliding side doors and a power liftgate. The family man gets a fair amount of gadgets to cheer him up.

The 2012 Toyota Sienna SE gets model-specific front and rear fascias as well as smoked headlight clusters and taillamps. (Photo: Toyota)

Hold on to your Happy Meal
Today's minivans are equipped with high-horsepower V6 engines, as if they're trying to be forgiven for being unfashionable transportation devices. The Sienna is no exception, boasting a 3.5L V6 that belts out 266 hp and 245 lb-ft of torque.

Poochy better be lying down and the kids better be firmly strapped in their booster seats when the family man hits the accelerator because the 2012 Toyota Sienna SE rips to 100 km/h in 8.8 seconds -- not bad for a 4,460-lb vehicle. Mash the throttle, and the front-drive Sienna's tires will screech as if they're trying to tell the family man: “Hey, what's your problem, dude? Have you forgotten what you're driving?”

Fuel economy is rated at 11.3L/100km around town and 7.9 on the highway. We family men recorded an average of 11.7L/100km with four on board and a cargo area filled with photo and video camera gear, on a recent round trip from Montreal to Toronto. Could've been a little lower, we think.

With no kids on board -- at least from an age standpoint -- there were no ice cream spills or fighting, but the classic “are we there yet?” was heard on more than one occasion since we didn't find the second-row seats very comfortable over the long trip. We did, however, manage to get coffee stains in most of the Sienna's 12 cupholders.

The Sienna's 3.5L V6 produces 266 hp and 245 lb-ft of torque, and allows a 3,500-lb towing capacity. (Photo: Toyota)

Lots of space for the offspring
This is why the family-man-in-denial breaks and buys a minivan. With 4,655 litres of total passenger space, the Sienna is a living room on wheels. Having that much volume is great, because there's less chance that the kids will be rubbing shoulders. And nagging. And arguing. And screaming.

And the family man hates playing trunk Tetris. Not because he isn't up for a challenge, but because he's wise enough to know that when it's time to head for the cottage or to the in-laws, his wife will pack everything that isn't bolted to a wall or that can't get through the house front door. In short, all that stuff will fit by simply throwing it in the 2,466-litre cargo area. To hell with the golden, he can just lay on top of the pile.

With 4,655 litres of total passenger space, the Sienna is a living room on wheels. (Photo: Toyota)

The family man's wallet got thinner
A 2012 Toyota Sienna SE is listed at $36,825. A decent price for what you get, and a couple grand cheaper than the equally “sporty” Dodge Grand Caravan R/T.

Although the family man has to cope with the emasculation process in owning a minivan, at least he knows the Toyota Sienna won't require any other major sacrifices. Peace of mind is not a bad thing to have when you have a family to take care of.

If any vehicle is ready to enter the production phase, it's the Peugeot RCZ. The automaker is already claiming that its new baby could rival the Audi TTS and other cars of its kind. Equipped with a 260 HP, 1.6 L THP engine, the Peugeot is the most powerful model in its class after the Peugeot Onyx, a concept car also unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.

With tighter, more robust styling than the previous model, the latest RCZ R is fitted with a Torsen limited slip differential, new wheels as well as a larger rear spoiler. Better yet, CO2 emissions for this powerful RCZ R are estimated at only 155g/km. Unveiled along with the Onyx at the Paris Motor Show, the RCZ R will be available sometime in 2013.

Source: caradisiac.com

Photo: Peugeot

Canadian stock-car driver Maryeve Dufault will be back in action this week-end for the presentation of the ARCA Racing Series event in Salem, Indiana.

For Dufault, this coming race will be only the second one, after Pocono earlier this summer, in which she has participated this year. Last year, she took part in most of the ARCA schedule for Tony Marks Racing.

For this event, she will drive the No.04 Dodge owned by Carter 2 Motorsports.

Maryeve Dufault. (Photo: ARCA)

BMW is breaking from its illustrious tradition of longitudinally mounted engines with the unveiling of a plug-in hybrid prototype.

A safety recall for 1,491 2004-2006 Gallardo coupes and spyders was handed down by

Toyota and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute are teaming up to conduct a study on teen driver distraction -- one of the first to include driving behaviors of parents and teens in the same family.

Ally Financial CEO Michael Carpenter has joined the board of directors of Autobytel, an online auto shopping service and lead provider. Carpenter also will become a member of the company's audit committee, Autobytel said in a statement today.

A union boss at Ford's factory in Genk, Belgium, said he failed to win assurances about the plant's future from the automaker's European management.

Three auto suppliers today unveiled a partnership that they say will develop a more efficient type of transmission technology that could be well-suited for electric vehicles while achieving fuel savings in gasoline-powered passenger vehicles and...

The 2013 Buick Enclave SUV will sticker for $39,270 including $825 for destination and handling.

Also in this episode: The Ford police interceptor gets a new engine, and we mourn

Average used-vehicle prices will fall 4 to 5 percent over the next 12 months, according to ALG's Industry Report released today.

The Mini Paceman will become the seventh vehicle in Mini's lineup when it debuts at the Paris auto show later this month. It rides on the same platform as the Mini

Global economic waters are far from calm, but Ferrari has managed to steer clear of the turmoil.