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Veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver, Jeff Burton, had successful, minor wrist surgery Tuesday afternoon to alleviate symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome according to a statement by Richard Childress Racing.

"After feeling some reoccurring symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, my physician and I decided routine surgery would be best for this situation," said Burton, who returned home soon after the outpatient procedure.

"There is no such thing as an offseason in this sport so I wanted to get it done as soon as possible to be ready for my Caterpillar Visitors Center appearance with Richard (Childress) early next month. Plus, we have many test sessions planned in December with the No. 31 Chevrolet team in preparation for the 2013 season with my new crew chief Luke Lambert. I will be ready to go."

Jeff Burton, Richard Childress Racing. (Photo: NASCAR)

RCR and Burton will bring their 2013 Chevrolet SS Sprint Cup car to their sponsor's visitor center in Peoria, Ill, on December 5th, to offer a preview of next year's new look or Gen 6 racer.

Next year will be Burton's 20th fulltime season in NASCAR's premier division. The Virginia native has scored 21 wins, 132 top-five finishes, 248 top-10 finishes, six pole awards and led 6,513 laps during his career. Burton finished 19th in the 2012 Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings with two top-five and six top-10 finishes. The RCR veteran driver qualified for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup from 2006-2008 and in 2010 with 14-time NASCAR championship winning car owner Richard Childress.

How many times have we heard that Formula 1 is the pinnacle of auto racing? Or that F1 cars are the most technologically advanced race cars in the world?

It's no longer true, actually. In recent years the sport's governing body, the FIA, has put the brakes on development in an effort to reduce costs.

As a result, many creative engineers have grown frustrated, and all F1 cars are now virtually identical - only those with a highly trained eye will notice differences.

Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer at Red Bull Racing and the genius behind the RB8, recently vented his anger in regards to the tighter restrictions.

He understands that, without the latest bans, drivers would have to endure more than 10 lateral Gs in corners and cars would top 400 km/h on every straight. With such conditions, no current track would be able to host a Grand Prix.

Back in the late '70s and early '80s, F1 teams could basically do whatever they wanted, and engineers let their imaginations run wild, which produced the most remarkable cars and the most unbridled technologies ever. We witnessed the arrival of radial tires, turbocharged engines, active suspensions, the six-wheel Tyrrell, the dual-chassis Lotus, the Brabham ''fan car,'' etc. Sadly, all of this is now banned.

These days, brilliant engineers are forced to spend long days working on the tiniest changes, like moving the trailing edge of a rear wing end plate by one millimetre. This solution might improve lap times by just 0.01%, but it seems to justify the money spent.

Did you say ''extreme fine-tuning?'' There is really no other way to describe the work of F1 engineers at the moment. And no matter how slight the upgrade, you can count on the FIA to rein it in or scrap it altogether.

It's like asking a Nobel physics prize winner to spend all of their time solving high school math problems. What a waste!

Fortunately, the return of turbocharged engines in 2014 should help quench our thirst (and theirs) for creative innovation.

Photo: Philippe Champoux

From GMM

Valtteri Bottas insists securing a contract to race a Williams in 2013 would not change his life.

The young Finn, who this year has been testing on Fridays for the famous British team, is waiting to know if he will debut as expected alongside Pastor Maldonado next year.

"I don't think it would change anything," Bottas told Finland's Turun Sanomat, when asked how a race contract would change his life.

"I would race just as I have done in other classes. Of course, I would then be racing against the very best in the world's fastest cars, but on the other hand, nothing else changes," he insisted.

Valtteri Bottas and Toto Wolff, Williams director and manager of the young driver. (Photo: WRi2)

"This year has been good in the sense that I know now what to expect through a season. I've been all over the place. Of course, it takes more energy to do more driving, and perhaps even more media work as well as more with the sponsors even in the breaks."

As for his likely 2013 teammate, Bottas said he has a "good relationship" with Venezuelan Maldonado, and thinks the pair would enjoy a competitive 2013 car.

"The rules are staying the same and so I think the balance of power will be pretty much the same as now," he said.

"Some though will make small improvements. At Williams we have been developing the car for a long time and we believe that it will certainly be better than this year."

Sia Ka Tian, a 70-year-old taxi driver in Singapore, recently made a shocking discovery after dropping off some customers: A plastic bag filled with dollar bills had been left on the back seat.

Tian initially estimated the loot at more than $200,000 SGD. However, back at the central, the department of lost items announced that the bag actually contained $1.1 million SGD, the equivalent of about $900,000 CAD!

Incredibly, Tian returned all the money to its rightful owners, a couple from Thailand. ''I don't care about the money; it doesn't belong to me. What would I do with it?'' he reportedly told The Straits Times.

Tian ended up getting a monetary reward from the couple for his good deed.

A similar story happened in 2009, with a Singapore cab driver returning $377,000 SGD worth of ingots to their owners.

Sources: Lapresse

From press release

The Coca-Cola Company will return to Formula 1 in January 2013 through its global energy brand “burn” in a multi-year sponsorship of Lotus F1 Team.

Details of the sponsorship will be revealed in 2013 when the partnership officially launches.

Burn is available in more than 80 countries throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

“We are proud that The Coca-Cola Company has chosen Lotus F1 Team as the best vehicle to represent the burn brand in its most high profile partnership,” said Eric Boullier, Team Principal, Lotus F1 Team.

“We are excited to partner with burn to build a new and innovative model for sponsorships that will combine experiences, content creation and social media ; an area in which our team has been at the cutting edge in Formula 1 for the past 18 months, recording the highest growth rate amongst fans this year."

More details about the deal will come later.

From Quebec to Belgium, there have been multiple campaigns to educate drivers on the dangers of texting behind the wheel. Here's a new one from the Association de prévention routière in France.

Just connect through Facebook, follow the steps and learn about the perils of using your cell phone while driving. You'll also realize what you stand to lose if you take your eyes off the road. Prepare for a shock!

Start the simulation by clicking here

Source: preventionroutiere.asso.fr

Gondolas are great for connecting destinations across rivers and valleys, as well as up and down mountains. However, they could also be used to revolutionize urban transportation.

A team of industrial designers in the U.S. recently studied various scenarios and decided to work on plans for a series of aerial gondolas to connect the city of Austin, Texas.

''A gondola setup allows for the implementation of a public transit system in a busy city while avoiding the thorny and pricey issue of land rights,'' says designer Michael McDaniel.

Whereas a light rail system can cost around $100 million per mile, McDaniel claims that a gondola can be put in for $12 million a mile ''because you're not looking at eminent domain or rights of way, and you're not disrupting local businesses or cutting out vehicular traffic.''

You're not afraid of heights, are you?

Source: Wired

Accused of presenting unfair competition for rival dealerships and violating state franchise laws, Tesla Motors can now exhale after a Massachusetts judge denied a request by dealers for a preliminary injunction against the electric car maker and its retail stores.

To get an injunction in Massachusetts, as in federal court, plaintiffs must show that they are likely to prevail in the case or will otherwise suffer irreparable harm. Apparently, that's not the case, here.

Robert O'Koniewski, executive vice president of the Massachusetts association, says the group is considering an appeal.

"Dropping the lawsuit is not an option at this point," he told Automotive News. "We feel very strongly that Tesla is operating a factory store outside parameters of our franchise law and our license law, and they are operating that store illegally.''

Source: Automotive News

Eric Bachelart, owner of Conquest Racing, is looking forward to make a full-time comeback to the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2013 and he says one Dallara DW12 is already prepared to receive any engine.

Because he could not obtain an engine lease last season, Bachelart was only able to run his DW12 at the Indy 500 in conjunction with Andretti Autosport and with Brazilian Ana Beatriz behind the wheel.

Indianapolis 2012. (Photo: Conquest Racing)

The former Indy Lights champion also said that everything was in place for his squad to run in the season's finale at Fontana but, once again, he could not obtain an engine, so he was forced to stay home.

As soon as the official withdrawal of Lotus of the series will be announced, Bachelart believes that it will be easier to have an engine lease either with Honda or Chevrolet. Once, that situation resolved, he will work hard to make this comeback a reality.

Meanwhile, Bachelart's incursion into sports car racing with his team Conquest Endurance will continue and he looks forward to 2014 when the Grand-Am and American Le Mans Series will merge.

Developed to rival premium sports sedans from Germany, the new Volvo S60 Polestar will appear in concept form at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show.

Unlike the competition, which relies on V8 engines, this Swedish star gets a highly modified, turbocharged six-cylinder engine rated at a whopping 515 horsepower.

Production has yet to be confirmed, so don't hurry to your local Volvo dealer yet.

Source: Caradisiac

Photo: Polestar

Kevin Magnussen set the best time during the first day of Formula Renault 3.5 series' collective tests in Alcaniz, Spain.

The Dane, who finished 7th overall in the Formula Renault 3.5 series this season, set his best lap in 1m39''915 during the afternoon session.

The son of former F1 driver Jan Magnussen set the best performance of the day ahead of Riccardo Agostini. British driver Will Stevens set the best lap time during the morning session.

Kevin Magnussen. (Photo: Renault Sport)

The tests will resume Thursday.

Wednesday morning session:
1 - Will Stevens - P1 Motorsport - 1'40"371 

2 - Kevin Magnussen - Dams - 1'40"385
3 - Norman Nato - Tech 1 - 1'40"668
4 - Zoel Amberg - Pons - 1'40"897
5 - Daniil Kvyat - Arden Caterham - 1'41"051
etc.

Wednesday afternoon session:
1 - Kevin Magnussen - Dams - 1'39"915
2 - Riccardo Agostini - Draco - 1'40"349
3 - Carlos Sainz - AV Formula - 1'40"433
4 - Will Stevens - P1 Motorsport - 1'40"433
5 - Daniil Kvyat - Arden Caterham - 1'40"453
etc.

General Motors agreed to buy the rest of Ally Financial's international auto-finance businesses in a deal with proceeds of $4.2 billion as the carmaker seeks to spur rebounds in Europe and South America.

General Motors agreed to buy the rest of Ally Financial Inc.'s international auto-finance businesses, including operations in Europe, in a deal with proceeds of $4.2 billion.

Toyota said it is recalling about 150,000 Tacoma pickup trucks because the spare tires can fall from beneath the trucks. The trucks -- built for the 2001 to 2004 model years -- were sold or registered in 20 cold-weather states and Washington, D.C.

Driven: 2013 SRT Viper

It’s not what it was.

Herb Helbig, the engineer who made the first three generations of Viper the most ruthless, intimidating car on the road, was a deviant. He was so hell bent on creating a hairy-chested sports car -- one that scared women and children -- that he considered building the Viper without doors. That the 1992 Viper and subsequent iterations came with two conventional doors bolted to the body didn't dilute Helbig’s twisted philosophy when it came to dynamics, though. His Vipers were evil.

Photo Gallery: Driven: 2013 SRT Viper - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: Driven: 2013 SRT Viper - Automobile Magazine

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Hyundai Capital America, the U.S. auto finance unit of Hyundai Motor Co., has asked banks for proposals for a new $1.2 billion three-year revolving credit line.

Also in this episode: Audi makes our day by announcing an expanded lineup of diesels bound for the U.S.

Polestar takes factory Volvos, tunes them up to 11 and releases them on the unsuspecting public. You can buy a

The Porsche 911 is turning 50 next year, but instead of a gold ring, the Amelia Island Concours is gathering a boatload of

2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302

From the humble V-6 all the way up to the 200-mph Shelby GT500, the modern Mustang lineup delivers a rare blend of performance, fun, and affordability.

Something caught my eye last year while rifling through historic Mustang Boss 302 photographs. It was a striking gold-on-black 1969 Boss 302 Trans-Am car, and it was parked in the driveway of a building marked Kar Kraft. Talk about history -- Kar Kraft essentially served as Ford's performance and race engineering skunkworks for the better portion of the 1960s, and helped develop both the road-going and racing Boss 302s back in the day. I thought it would be fun to hunt that facility down if I ever had a chance to drive a modern Boss, and I finally got a chance when keys to this striking school bus yellow 302 were tossed upon my desk.

Photo Gallery: 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 - Editor's Notebook - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 - Editor's Notebook - Automobile Magazine

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