Auto News 5

Okay, here's the thing: an American company has partnered up with Audi to develop a way of producing renewable fuel using photosynthesis.

When exposed to light and carbon dioxide (CO2), a genetically modified bacteria can produce liquid fuel, namely ethanol. In a not-so-distant future, it will even be able to produce diesel.

All it takes is 3 cm plastic tubes that stretch over 100 metres and are filled with non-potable water, CO2, and the aforementioned bacteria. Then, let the sun do its magic.

In order to supply the global automotive fleet, 200,000 square kilometres of tubing would be necessary - equal to about 2% of Canada's surface area.

The dream is closer to becoming a reality than you may think. A first experimental site and plant already exist in the U.S., and commercial production will likely begin in 2014... at around 32 cents per litre!

Source: Le Journal du Siècle

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone has continued to cast doubt on the inaugural running of next year's New York street race.

With the F1 chief executive claiming organisers no longer have a valid contract, race officials have nonetheless expressed confidence the event will still take place as scheduled in mid 2013.

But Ecclestone said on Friday: "They are way behind with a lot of things.  I don't think they will get it ready in time."

Britain's Express newspaper said Turkey, having dropped off the calendar last year, could replace New York.

From GMM

The last stretch of Lewis Hamilton's McLaren career has not started well, according to The Independent newspaper.

The report cites McLaren insiders in claiming the Briton has taken a "newfound interest" in the technical details of his 2012 McLaren now that he has decided to jump ship to Mercedes next year.

"He's been very interested in the exhaust system and the telemetry," a team insider is quoted as saying.

And Hamilton told reporters on Thursday that he knows all about McLaren's plans for the 2013 single seater that he will never drive.

"Trust me, it will be a good car next year, I know," he smiled to his replacement, Sergio Perez, at Suzuka.

"I know exactly what's going on next year with your car."

Team boss Martin Whitmarsh said he is not worried.

"I think if I was pursuing intellectual property from other teams, I'd probably go for engineers not drivers," he said.

"But I think Lewis is respectful of the team and what it's doing."

From GMM

Jenson Button thinks McLaren will have to look to him to win next year's world championship.

With Lewis Hamilton leaving for Mercedes, Button - to contest his fourth season at McLaren next year - will be paired with the young Mexican Sergio Perez.

Before Hamilton decided to leave McLaren, Button said he hoped the 2008 world champion stays in 2013.

Now facing the prospect of sharing a garage with 22-year-old current Sauber driver Perez, he said at Suzuka: "Having just one experienced person in the team does change things but (that's) is something I love.

"I'm not underestimating him (Perez)," Button insisted.  "He is inexperienced compared with Lewis and it will be his first year, but he will still be quick.

"There should be more consistency in his speed the following year but I will definitely be the person McLaren turn to if they want a world champion next year."

Button admits he is "very surprised" Hamilton chose Mercedes over McLaren for his future.

"Because every season you race for this team you win grands prix," he explained.

"We all have different challenges and things we want to achieve.  He wants to try something new."

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone told the Express newspaper: "Lewis wanted out of McLaren because he felt unhappy there.

"He spoke to me and I told him he should go where he felt he would feel good if he could make a deal that suited him."

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen will announce his plans for the 2013 season on October 17.

Despite Lotus chiefs saying the Finn is staying in 2013, 2007 world champion Raikkonen insisted at Suzuka that he has not yet signed a deal.

But that will all change on his 33rd birthday.

A viral video has emerged on Youtube, depicting Raikkonen signing an unbranded contract and then putting his finger to his lips and saying "shhh".

The description reads: "There has been a lot of speculation about what Kimi Raikkonen will do next season.  This will all come to an end on the 17th of October when a new contract will be published."

According to Finnish broadcaster MTV3, the company behind the video is Pulp Active Oy, an advertising agency that represents Raikkonen's rally team Ice 1 Racing.

From GMM

Christian Horner has admitted he thinks the FIA tries to level the playing field when a team displays dominance under a certain set of rules.

The Red Bull team boss said the regulation changes over the winter, including the banning of blown exhausts and the clampdown on flexible wings, have hurt the reigning back-to-back world champions.

"The changes over the winter had a big impact on us," he told Kleine Zeitung newspaper.

Asked if he thinks the FIA specifically targeted Red Bull, Horner admitted: "I think history has shown again and again that when a team is dominant, then something like this (the rule changes) happens."

And asked if he feels Red Bull has been treated unfairly in other ways, he added: "Let's put it this way -- some of the decisions we have seen this year I think you could say were quite harsh."

Two-time world champion Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) took his fourth pole positions in as many Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, just ahead of teammate Mark Webber.

Red Bull therefore celebrated its first front-row lock down of the season.

Jenson Button (McLaren) clocked the third best lap in Q3, but was forced to leave his spot on the grid to local hero Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber), as he suffers a five-position gearbox change penalty. Romain Grosjean (Lotus) set another good performance, taking fourth on the grid, juste beside Kobayashi.

The Japanese's Sauber teammate Sergio Perez is fifth, ahead of championship leader Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) and Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus). The Finn put a damper on everyone's session when he spun his car in a critical part of Q3.

Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), because of Raikkonen's spin, could do no better than ninth, one spot ahead of Force India's Nico Hulkenberg who, just like Button, suffers a penalty for gearbox change.

Felipe Massa (Ferrari), Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) all had subpar performances, posting 11th, 13th and 15th fastest laps respectively. Because of his Singapore crash with Jean-Éric Vergne, Schumacher was hit on top of his bad performance with a 10-place grid penalty, which sets him back down to the very last row.



Qualifying results* - Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)
1.Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 1'30"839 - Q3
2.Mark Webber (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 1'31"090 - Q3
3.Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber C31-Ferrari) - 1'31"700 - Q3
4.Romain Grosjean (Lotus E20-Renault) - 1'31"898 - Q3
5.Sergio Perez (Sauber C31-Ferrari) - 1'32"022 - Q3
6.Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F2012) - 1'32"114 - Q3
7.Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E20-Renault) - 1'32"208 - Q3
8.Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) - 1'31"290 - Q3 **
9.Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) - 1'32"327 - Q3
10.Felipe Massa (Ferrari F2012) - 1'32"293 - Q2
11.Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) - 1'32"327 - Q2
12.Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW34-Renault) - 1'32"512 - Q2
13.Nico Rosberg (Mercedes MGP W03) - 1'32"625 - Q2
14.Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 1'32"954 - Q2
15.Nico Hulkenherg (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) - no time - Q3 **
16.Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1'34"657 - Q1
17.Timo Glock (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1'35"213 - Q1
18.Pedro De La Rosa (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 1'35"385 - Q1
19.Charles Pic (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1'35"429 - Q1
20.Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 1'33"368 - Q2 *****
21.Vitaly Petrov (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1'35"432 - Q1
22.Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 1'36"734 - Q1
23.Michael Schumacher (Mercedes MGP W03) - 1'32"469 - Q2 ***
24.Bruno Senna (Williams FW34-Renault) - 1'33"405 - Q1 ****

*Unofficial results
** Five-place grid penalty for gearbox change
*** Ten-place grid penalty for accident with Vergne
**** Five-place grid penalty for accident with Massa
***** Three-place grid penalty for blocking Senna in Q1

Sébastien Loeb (Citroën) ended day one of the Rallye de France Alsace in the lead, 13 seconds ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala's Ford Fiesta.

The soon to be nine-time world champion stands in first position in provisional classification after he secured four stage wins out of six ESS presented on Friday. Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford), fastest in the two remaining special stages, was the only driver able to answer back.

Mikko Hirvonen, the other Citroën driver, and the last mathematical rival to Loeb in the chase to the title, was third, half a minute behind his teammate, and just ahead of the second works Ford Fiesta driven by Petter Solberg.

Dani Sordo, who struggled a little bit more than in the past aboard his Mini John Cooper, was fifth, 50 seconds behind. Thierry Neuville (Citroën) was sixth on Friday evening, after he was quickest in the first super special stage presented on Thursday in the streets of Strasbourg.

WTCC driver Yvan Muller and endurance driver Romain Dumas, who both drive a Mini John Cooper, stand in 19th and 20th positions, respectively.

Rallye de France Alsace - Day 1 :
1. Loeb/Elena (Citroen DS3) in 1h17'32''6
2. Latvala/Anttila (Ford Fiesta RS) + 13''1
3. Hirvonen/Lehtinen (Citroën DS3) + 32''6
4. Solberg/Patterson (Ford Fiesta RS) + 33''.3
5. Sordo/Del Barrio (Mini John Cooper Works) + 48''8
6. Neuville/Gilsoul (Citroën DS3) + 55''4
7. Ostberg/Andersson (Ford Fiesta RS) +1'00''3
8. Tanak/Sikk (Ford Fiesta RS) +1'22''4
9. Novikov/Minor (Ford Fiesta RS) +1'35''9
10. Chardonnet/De La Haye (Citroën DS3) + 2'51''0
Etc.

Engineering consulting firm Ricardo has named longtime Magna executive Thomas Apostolos as its new president.

Land Rover has sold more than 6,000

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said today that it will review a request to investigate 1.6 million 2005-12 Ford Escapes for alleged engine problems.

The 2014 Subaru WRX coupe was caught out on the open road on Oct. 4. Could it be a possible BRZ-based STI? Enthusiasts can only hope.

Federal safety investigators are probing consumer complaints that certain 2003-2004 Honda Odyssey minivans and Pilot SUVs can roll away after the key has been removed from the ignition.

General Motors of Canada said today it will add a third shift to the flexible manufacturing line at its assembly plant in Oshawa, Ontario, so that it can meet demand for its Chevrolet Impala sedan.

Also in this episode: Volkswagen mulls moving some production of the

What is it?

General Motors said it plans to close its hydrogen fuel-cell research operation in upstate New York and move it to Michigan. The move is scheduled to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2013.

Our friends at Hooniverse have put together an interesting and insightful perspective on the growth of the BMW 5-series from the E28 to the new F10.

Scale-model builders can't help but sweat the small stuff. Hobbyists spend hoursand#8212;days evenand#8212;sanding, gluing, painting and polishing bits and pieces of plastic to create miniature facsimiles of their dream vehicles.

We pitted Chuck D's Olds 98 against Sir Mix-a-Lot's Buick Deuce in the Hell Garage last week, which had the Hell Garage Demons putting