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Meet Leena Gade, race engineer who became last June the first female engineer to win the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans which earned Audi a 10th victory in the French sportscar endurance classic.

Auto123.com spent some time with Gade during the running of the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta last weekend.

Gade, aged 35, from South Harrow near London, masterminded the outstanding victory of the diesel-engined Audi R18 TDI driven by Benoit Treluyer, Marcel Fassler and Andre Lotterer at Le Mans, covering over 3,000 miles in 24 hours.

Gade was born in the United Kingdom, but spent a part of her childhood in India. When her family moved back to England she started to watched Formula 1 Grands Prix on television at the age of 13 with her sister. "Nigel Mansell was a big star. That's how we both got interested," she pointed.

"I've always been interested in engineering. As a kid I would take things apart and put them back together from a mechanical point of view," she added.

Photo: Audi Motorsport

She studied automotive and aerospace engineering, took a job at Jaguar and then started her motorsport career as a part time mechanic and data analyst. She joined Audi's race team in 2007 and then was promoted to race engineer.

Her job is to monitor every aspect of the race, including the pit stop strategy, the tire pressure, the fuel consumption, the various temperatures and pressures, the weather and track conditions as well as the set-up of the R18.

"I am responsible for the entire crew, mechanics, background engineers, assistant engineer. I'm in charge of that," Gade said.

"Then you've got the drivers, the set-up of the car and the strategy side of things. I'm responsible for the final decisions on the race car. If a part on the car moves, changes temperature or changes pressure, I'm logging it. The collected information is then used by me to give instructions over a radio to the driver to help him maintain tires or maximise the engine performance for example. I'm the main contact to the driver. The driver-engineer psychology has to be strong and trust plays a vital part in gaining performance," she added

Gade insists that working in such a male-dominated world has never been a problem.

"If it's something you really want to do in life, you really need to push yourself," the former University of Manchester student said.

"My sister and I really wanted to work in motorsport engineering. We never gave up. This is what we always wanted to do in life. And every time someone said 'You can't do this' or 'You haven't got the experience for that', well that's what we did. We went off and got that experience," she continued.

The victory at Le Mans did not change her.

"Two weeks after the Le Mans race, the sheer number of people who contacted me was amazing," Gade said. "For them, it was a really big deal, but I was just doing my job," she concluded.

This article was originally published on Auto-Venus.com.

In an effort to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Beetle, Volkswagen has developed a fleet of highly tuned show cars for SEMA. A very special Golf R is on display as well.

APR and VWvortex teamed up to transform a 2013 Beetle Turbo into a 500-horsepower all-wheel-drive hot rod. Meanwhile, the Beetle Beach Battle-Cruiser gets a Revo Technik turbocharger and offers everything you need for a perfect day on the beach and the waves.

The Beetle FMS Automotive pays tribute to the 1956 Beetle, and the retro-looking Beetle Rotiform harkens back to classic tuner's cars from five decades ago.

Finally, Volkswagen unveiled the Golf R H&R, which rides on 19'' BBS Super RS wheels and has been upgraded with the new Phantom series G-Stop kit from Goodridge.

Photo: Volkswagen

From press release

Jack Daniel's Racing's black and white livery will feature on the Nissan Altima V8 Supercars of Todd and Rick Kelly next year's Australian V8 Supercars series.

V8 Supercars Nissan Ultima. (Photo: Nissan Motorsport)

Nissan Australia Managing Director and CEO William F Peffer Jr joined team co-owners and Bathurst-winning drivers Todd and Rick Kelly to unveil the spectacular Altima V8 Supercar.

The Nissan Altima V8 Supercar has been designed and built to the category's new ‘Car of The Future' regulations, which include 18-inch wheels, transaxle gearbox and independent rear suspension.

V8 Supercars Nissan Ultima. (Photo: Nissan Motorsport)

“The look of the Altima and sound of the VK56DE engine are second-to-none. Once V8 Supercars has homologated the aerodynamic package on the Altima, we will begin our testing to ensure it drives as fast as it looks and sounds,” said Todd Kelly, 2005 Bathurst 1000 winner and Kelly team Racing Director.

To date over 23,000 man-hours have gone into the design and building of the Nissan Altima V8 Supercar.

V8 Supercars Nissan Ultima. (Photo: Nissan Motorsport)

From GMM

Rubens Barrichello is refusing to give up on his formula one career.

After 19 consecutive seasons on the grid, the Brazilian veteran finally bowed out at the end of last year, when Williams signed countryman Bruno Senna to replace him.

Rubens Barrichello at Indianapolis in 2012. (Photo: LAT for IndyCar)

40-year-old Barrichello rescued his open-wheeler career in the US-based Indycar series, but he has told Brazil's Arena Sportv this week that he considers F1's door to be still open.

"I had 19 years of great excitement and pure adrenaline," he said. "For me, I would have been there (in 2012). You can never say never. Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen went back."

Rubens Barrichello at his last F1 grand prix with Williams, in Brazil in 2011. (Photo: WRi2)

"I think in life you have to have the dream of wanting to improve every day, so I cannot say no. When I saw Raikkonen come back I thought he would have the same difficulties as Schumacher, but he had a sensational year. He is third in the championship. He has not fought for wins but he got six podiums. I say this because I didn't stop and go to a completely different category; I've been more active. Physically and mentally, I would be prepared (for F1)," added Barrichello.

All Hallow's Eve arrives tomorrow night, and in light of the scariest night of the year (besides the fateful spring day Matt St-Pierre breaks out his shorts for the warmer season), I got to thinking about the creepiest cars currently on the road.

Creepiness on the road is all about fear-inducing presence, either with a horror-movie scream from the exhaust or a demon-like look that can't be ignored (or forgotten). The Daimler Double Six comes to mind when I think satanic, scary rides. Sure, Christine was scary and Knight Rider may have been for the bad guys, but I'm talking production cars here: these are goosebump-inducing rides that weren't bred for the big screen, they were built to sit in your driveway (and scare your neighbour's kids).

They definitely don't make 'em like they used to. The likes of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Jonckheere are long since gone, but there are a few modern models that send shivers up my spine whenever I see them cruising down the street - and I know children are screaming somewhere in complete terror.

Nissan Quest

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

I'm shocked that something so monstrous was allowed to leave Nissan's production plant. It's as if they either didn't look at the sketches at all, or purposefully agreed that making the ugliest, most offensive-looking minivan was a goal. And it's not just ugly, it's creepy. Minivans usually bring to mind families and weekend getaways, but the Quest makes me think of dark alleys, forboding music and dense fog on a dark night. Not cool.

Acura ZDX

Photo: Philippe Champoux

Perhaps it's the Acura's pointy, evil little face that gets my hair to stand on end, but there's definitely something about this vehicle that gets under my skin. In black paint, the ZDX looks ready to latch on and never let go, and not in a nice way. Narrowed headlights give the ZDX a serpentine facade that undoubtedly makes some jittery. No wonder there aren't many on the road...

Dodge Charger SRT8

Photo: Dodge

Perhaps this car is extra scary for me because they are the ride of choice for our men in blue. Tricked out with black push bars, the cop's Dodge Chargers aren't just intimidating, they're downright scary when spotted in your rearview (even if the lights aren't on). While our law enforcers do not have SRT8 models, when one such model stalks the roads, other motorists cower in fear as the 6.4L 8-cylinder howels. Like a murderer stalking its next victim, the Dodge Charger is the stuff of nightmares.

Ford Mustang GT500

Photo: Sébastien D'amour

It's not so much about this Mustang's looks that'll have you quaking in your boots, but more about the sheer aural presence it garners on the road. When we had the pleasure of cowering in its wake here at Auto123, the moment it roared to life a collective shiver was felt amongst all in its viscinity. There's something inherently scary about piloting a car that's trying to harness in 631 horses all trying to break free from the rear wheels at the same time. The 5.8L V8 makes such a tremendous sound when it barks to life, it brings to mind thoughts of sawed-off shotguns and Deliverance-type scenarios.

As I hand out candy to the kiddies on tomorrow's spookiest of nights (well, second spookiest), I wonder if I'm actually glad cars like the Buick GNX, Alfa Romeo Montreal and Buick Roadmaster Station Wagon don't exist anymore. Sure, serial killers and vampires have fewer cars to choose from nowadays, but does that just mean we've gone soft as a nation of consumers? Or are creepy cars on the rise again with the likes of the above currently on the roads today?

From GMM

With Mark Webber a massive 73 points behind his teammate but so far refusing to play a subordinate role to Sebastian Vettel, the 'team orders' issue remains a pertinent one as Red Bull pushes for another drivers' title.

Australian Webber said in India that he has no intention of "pulling over" for the sister RB8, despite rumours a specific points gap laid out in his contract now requires him to support Vettel's charge.

When asked about the issue by SID news agency ahead of this weekend's third-last race of the season in Abu Dhabi, Dr Helmut Marko answered: "We have always said that we appeal to the reason of our drivers.

"And they have in recent weeks demonstrated that they work constructively together, remembering that they must do nothing that is at the expense of the team," he added.

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. (Photo: WRi2)

However, on the record, Webber insists he is driving primarily for himself.

Is that just a reluctance to show weakness?

"Racers have a certain intelligence," Niki Lauda told Bild newspaper. "That was the same for me. If I had no chance to win the title, I was motivated to help my teammate."

"Webber is not going to say that, because he obviously doesn't want to show any weakness. But unless sheer hatred prevails, which isn't the case at Red Bull, you would rather see your own team win than someone else," added the triple world champion.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is quoted by Welt newspaper: "Both of our drivers are experienced enough to know what is at stake for the team."

President Barack Obama's campaign said it will air an Ohio television ad that rebuts what outside observers call a false impression left by Republican challenger Mitt Romney about Chrysler Group LLC moving Jeep production to China.

Reynolds and Reynolds, a leading provider of business management software for auto dealers in North America and Europe, is exploring a sale to private equity that could fetch around $5 billion, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Ultimate Fantasy 6: Track Time, Anytime

Having your own racetrack.

As automotive fantasies go, what could be better than having your very own racetrack, where you can do as many laps as you want, whenever you want? Where the only other cars on the track are those you invite? And, for the ultimate in convenience, why not have it next door to your house? Because aesthetics count, too, you'd select a scenic location with views all around. Your house would be a beautifully renovated, 150-year-old Dutch colonial with an adjacent restored barn. To hold all the toys, a modern museum building would be ideal, with a 5000-square-foot pole barn as the working garage space. That's exactly what Alan Wilzig has created for himself on 275 acres in New York's Columbia County.

Photo Gallery: Ultimate Fantasy 6: Track Time, Anytime - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: Ultimate Fantasy 6: Track Time, Anytime - Automobile Magazine

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BMW of North America said it will recall 45,500 of its 7 series luxury sedans from model years 2005-2008 to correct a flaw that could cause a parked vehicle to roll away.

GM and Ford, struggling to reverse growing losses in Europe, will each post plunging third-quarter profits this week as they take different paths to fixing their operations in that economically ravaged region

As the Atlantic's largest-ever tropical storm hit the East Coast, auto dealers closed showrooms, moved cars to higher ground and calculated the effect on October sales.

Spoiler alert: racing results ahead!

Production at GM's Oshawa, Ontario, plant could shut down later today as a strike at Lear cut off supplies of seats used in vehicles assembled there, the Canadian Auto Workers said.

Videos 29 Oct, 2012

Steve Fowler travelled to Morocco to put the all-new Range Rover through its paces

Chrysler Group's third-quarter net profit rose 80 percent to $381 million on strong sales of cars and light trucks in North America.

Ford plunged for the second straight year in Consumer Reports' survey of auto reliability and now ranks near the bottom of the annual scorecard. The Ford brand finished 27th out of the 28 brands; Lincoln fell to 26th from 14th.

News 30 Oct, 2012

The Hot Wheels Chevrolet Camaro has debuted at the SEMA tuning event

Pictures 30 Oct, 2012

Fiat-controlled Chrysler has boosted third quarter 2012 net profit 80% year on year to $381m from $212m a year ago after sales rose 18% to $15.5bn. Operating profit grew 46% to $706m.