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From GMM

Jean Alesi has decided to retire from motor racing.

At the wheel of a highly uncompetitive Lotus-powered Dallara, the F1 veteran made his Indy 500 debut this year and vowed to return in 2013 with a better performance.

But the 48-year-old Frenchman, who won just one grand prix for Ferrari during his 202-grand prix career between 1989 and 2001, announced this week he is in fact quitting.

"I do not feel like hunting for sponsors," Jean Alesi told the French sports daily L'Équipe.

Jean Alesi at the Indy 500, in 2012. (Photo: IMS)

From GP2

The GP2 series' organisers have revealed their 2013 calendar which will consist of eleven rounds in total, all support events of the official Formula 1 World Championship.

Seven rounds will be held in Europe whilst four overseas events have been added, making it once again an international Series.

The ninth season of the GP2 Series will open in Sepang, Malaysia on March 22-24 before flying off to Bahrain for the second round a month later on April 19-21. As Formula OneTM will make its way back to Europe, so will GP2 starting in Barcelona on May 10-12 and Monte-Carlo two weeks later. The action will then resume in Silverstone on June 28-30. The month of July will host two race weekends, first in Nurburg on the 5th, 6th and 7th, and then in Budapest on the 26th, 27th and 28th.

After the summer breather, the Series will set-up camp in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium on August 24th followed by the Italian round at Monza two weeks later. The Series will return to Singapore on September 20th, 21st and 22nd. The 2013 season will be concluded on the first weekend of November in Abu Dhabi at the prestigious Yas Marina Circuit.

The 2012 Champion, Davide Valsecchi, in Monza. (Photo: GP2 Series)

In addition to these eleven rounds, two pre-season test sessions will be organised first at Jerez de la Frontera on February 26-27-28, followed by Barcelona on March 5-6-7.

Date  Venue
26-27-28 February   Jerez de la Frontera, Spain   Test
5-6-7 March   Barcelona, Spain   Test

22-24 March   Sepang, Malaysia   Race
19-21 April   Sakhir, Bahrain   Race
10-12 May   Barcelona, Spain   Race
23-25 May    Monte-Carlo, Monaco   Race
28-30 June   Silverstone, Great-Britain   Race
05-07 July   Nurburg, Germany    Race
26-28 July   Budapest, Hungary   Race
23-25 August   Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium    Race
06-08 September   Monza, Italy   Race
20-22 September   Singapore, Singapore   Race
01-03 November   Abu Dhabi, UAE   Race

Although it's no longer Colin Chapman's original team, Gerard Lopez's Lotus F1 Team scored a victory this year in Formula 1, 25 years after Ayrton Senna won the U.S. Grand Prix in Detroit in 1987.

The near-fatal rally accident of their star driver, Robert Kubica, prior to the start of the 2011 season turned out to be a real disaster for the team led by Frenchman, Eric Boullier. The team needed a genuine leader and eventually found one in rally refugee, Kimi Raikkonen. The 2007 F1 World Champion adapted very well to his new home and proved to be a great source of motivation despite his reluctance to talk.

The team name was officially changed from Renault to Lotus for this year. Lotus finished the season in fourth place in the Constructor's championship with 303 points.

Photo: Lotus F1 Team

Kimi Raikkonen
3rd in the Driver's Championship with 207 points
Best place in qualifications: 2nd (once, Belgium)
Best race result: 1st (once, Abu Dhabi), 7 podiums
Never retired (scored points in 19 races)

Romain Grosjean
8th in the Driver's Championship with 96 points
Best place in qualifications: 2nd (once, Hungary)
Best race result: 2nd (once, Canada), 3 podiums
Retired 7 times

The Renault-powered Lotus E20 was a brillant race car, but a not-so-good qualifier. It seems the Lotus had difficulties getting its tires up to the correct temperature during the qualifying effort. But on a full tank in race trim, it was a totally different story and the car was really fast and consistent

Kimi Raikkonen finished five times on the podium -- including three second-place finishes -- in the opening 11 Grands Prix. However, a win remained elusive until the 18th round in Abu Dhabi. Despite having been away from F1 for two full years, Raikkonen was brilliantly consistent.

The Finn scored points in 19 races out of 20 (China was his only off), and earned thousands of new fans when he told his team on the radio, “Leave me alone. I know that to do,” when he was en route to victory in Abu Dhabi, demonstrating his (very) strong character.

Kimi Raikkonen won at Abu Dhabi ahead of Fernando Alonso (Ferrari). (Photo: WRi2)

Romain Grosjean made his return to F1 after clinching the GP2 serie's title. Inexperience showed in an erratic early form, but he then scored three impressive podiums. The second half of the season was characterised by a number of high-profile accidents, including one at Spa that earned him a one-race ban, but he managed to retain his seat for 2013.

Grosjean scored 76 points in the opening 12 races of the season, then got his race ban and drove very carefully afterwards, collecting just 20 points in the final seven races.

From NASCAR

In an effort to strengthen and grow its racing series for 2013 and beyond, NASCAR announced Tuesday several revisions to its competition personnel structure.

The following changes will take effect in 2013:

Joe Balash, who has served as the Nationwide Series director since 2004, will be assuming a new role as international competition liaison. This position will be the NASCAR point of contact for competition-related matters relative to the Toyota (Mexico) Series, Canadian Tire Series, the Euro Racecar, Touring Series and other international competitions and series in which NASCAR might be involved and/or considering involvement. Balash will report to Richard Buck, who has been promoted to managing director, competition GRAND-AM and managing director, Touring Series, NASCAR.

Wayne Auton, who has served as the Camping World Truck Series director since 1995, will assume the role of Nationwide Series director. Auton will continue to report to John Darby, managing director, competition and Sprint Cup Series director.

Chad Little, currently Whelen Modified Tour Series director and director of racing development, Mexico, will serve as Camping World Truck Series director. Little also will report to Darby.

Brad Moran, currently Canadian Tire Series director, will serve as director of Touring Series, NASCAR, reporting to Buck.

With the increasing integration between NASCAR, Grand-Am, American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and Euro Racecar, NASCAR Touring Series, these moves are designed to strengthen all of the sport's racing series, both at the national and international levels.

From GP3

GP3 series' organisers have unveiled the provisional 2013 calendar which will be made of eight rounds in total.

Seven rounds have been confirmed for the season which will run alongside the Formula 1 World Championship, with an eighth standalone race weekend mid-June (venue to be announced at a later date). The calendar features an exciting new venue for GP3 with Abu Dhabi hosting the final race of the season.

The Series will kick off its fourth season in Barcelona, Spain on 10-12 May with the brand new GP3/13 car. The eagerly anticipated second-generation machine will make its debut as the Formula 1 season commences its European campaign. The GP3 standalone event (TBA) will follow on 15-16 June before the paddock then travels to Silverstone, Nurburg and Budapest before the annual summer break.

Mitch Evans, 2012 Champion, in Valencia. (Photo: GP3 Series)

GP3 will return to action on 23-25 August at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit with Monza the setting for the penultimate race weekend. The magnificent Abu Dhabi will set the scene for the season finale on 01-03 November.

A total of nine pre-season test days will be held: firstly in Estoril on February 20-22, followed by Barcelona on March 12-13 and finally Silverstone on April 3-4. There will also be one mid-season test at the Hungaroring in Budapest on June 5-6.

Date    Venue
20-22 Feb   Estoril, Portugal   Test
12-13 Mar   Barcelona, Spain   Test
03-04 Apr   Silverstone, Great Britain   Test
10-12 May   Barcelona, Spain   Race
05-06 June   Budapest, Hungary   Test
14-16 June   TBA   Race
28-30 June   Silverstone, Great Britain   Race
05-07 July   Nurburg, Germany   Race
26-28 July   Budapest, Hungary   Race
23-25 Aug   Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium   Race
06-08 Sep   Monza, Italy   Race
01-03 Nov   Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates   Race

From GMM

Barcelona has moved to secure its annual spot on the formula one calendar.

With European grand prix host Valencia dropped from the 2013 schedule, it was expected that both of Spain's F1 hosts would now move to annually alternate a single race per year.

But El Mundo Deportivo newspaper reports that the Circuit de Catalunya has inked an agreement with the public institution Diputacion Provincial de Barcelona, providing new funding to the track.

"We have a contract to host the GP de Espana until 2016," said Circuit de Catalunya chief Vincente Aguilera, "and we want to keep it. Indeed, we are open to negotiating an extension until 2020 with the same conditions."

Vincente Aguilera told AS newspaper: "We have no desire to alternate. We cannot speak for Valencia, who have agreements with (Bernie) Ecclestone about which we have nothing to say."

Start of the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, in Barcelona. (Photo: WRi2)

Louisville, KY - Touching down in Louisville (and make sure you say it right: Loo-uh-vul), Kentucky seemed, at first, to be like arriving in any American city. It wasn't until I left the airport and entered the city that I realized Louisville had something different on offer, something I immediately fell in love with.


Louisville is very much a college town and while it is a bustling city at its center with over 700,000 citizens, where Louisville shines is on the outskirts, in the rolling country hills where I drove the brand new 2013 Buick Enclave.

I'll be honest here: I'm not a Buick fan, follower or lover. I, obviously, know of the brand and what it stands for but that's about as far as my interests went. However, upon seeing photos of the up-and-coming 2013 Buick Enclave, I was intrigued.

Meeting modern needs
From the outside, it's clear Buick has taken in the automotive world around them and picked out all the best bits and pieces of similar models in its segment to put together the final exterior package on the 2013 Buick Enclave -- and that's not a bad thing at all. The end result is a luxury crossover that manages to stand out from the crowd without losing the brand's design philosophy, one that makes a Buick instantly recognizable.

From the new front grille to the blacked out rear pillars that give the 2013 Buick Enclave a much more sophisticated presence, the overall look is one that will appeal to buyers both young and old -- which is something I'm sure the Buick designers had in mind.

Inside, the same future-driven design continues with ice blue LED ambient lighting featured throughout the dash and doors (both front and back). Old-school wood panelling has been replaced with leather stitching and chrome accents (although, wood is still available as an option for those who really want it). In all, the interior of the 2013 Buick Enclave is what you'd expect to see in a modern-day luxury CUV.

Old-school wood panelling has been replaced with leather stitching and chrome accents (Photo: Buick)

On the long and winding road
The country roads around Louisville, Kentucky are something else. Narrow, winding, shoulderless and hilly, they are a joy to drive -- even in a 7-passenger CUV.

While there were multiple complaints about the Buick Enclave's previous transmission, the issues seem to have been sorted in this latest iteration. Equipped with a 3.6L V6, the 2013 Buick Enclave's 6-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission is responsive and well sorted. Despite the vehicle's near 2,270 kg (5,000lb) weight (with AWD), the 288 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque are adequate and do the job extremely well.

I expected the ride to be a bit plushier (thanks to the Buick stereotype), but was met with a much harsher feeling thanks to the 20” optional wheels my particuarl vehicle was sporting. Had my 2013 Buick Enclave been equipped with the standard 18” or even the 19” wheels, my experience would have been much “smoother.” Regardless, handling on the 2013 Buick Enclave is impressive for a vehicle its size and shape.

The 288 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque are adequate and do the job extremely well. (Photo: Buick)

A Buick is still a Buick...
Despite their best efforts, I have a feeling Buick will still face the issue of concurring their stereotype and branching out in a new market of vibrant, affluent buyers. Although the 2013 Buick Enclave is clearly designed to compete with the likes of the Audi Q7 and Infiniti JX I'm just not sure those buyers will think to look towards Buick as an option.

Priced in the $40,000-range for base FWD and AWD models, the Buick Enclave offers luxury for seven at a decent price-point, however, I'm not completely sold on their hopes of appealing to a new consumer with a futuristic design and improved driving dynamics.

Ford's F-Series is still going strong. Heck, it just sold its 100,000th unit in 2012, a feat no other automaker had ever accomplished in a single year.

"The F-Series has been Canada's favourite truck for 46 consecutive years, but we have never sold 100,000 F-Series in a single year before," said Dianne Craig, president and CEO at Ford of Canada.

The milestone vehicle was purchased in Kingston, Ontario. FYI, if you lined up 100,000 F-Series trucks end-to-end, they would stretch over a distance of nearly 600 kilometres!

Ford of Canada has now sold 2,755,788 units (and counting) since the model's debut 46 years ago.

From GMM

Norbert Haug has admitted he is stepping down due to Mercedes' lack of success as a works team since 2010.

But in an interview with Germany's Bild daily, he denied reports he is being made a scapegoat.

"No, I'm not," said Haug, who served as the German marque's motor sport vice president for more than two decades.

"If I had nothing to do with our failures in the last three years, then I would have nothing to do with our victory in China this year," said the 60-year-old, "and I wouldn't like that."

But why has Haug been axed, and not the Brackley based team's British principal, Ross Brawn?

"Because over 22 years I have borne the overall responsibility for motor sport at Mercedes, not Ross Brawn. I am ultimately his superior," he insisted.

Haug said he accepts that he must take the responsibility.

"The basis of our car was good, but the development was poor to very poor," he admitted.

Michael Schumacher, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)

Norbert Haug denied rumours he is actually quitting for health reasons.

"Thank god not," the German insisted. "Almost three years ago to the day I had thyroid surgery, but since then I'm doing very well. I'm totally healthy," he added.

He said he doesn't know if his job will now be split into two roles -- DTM and F1.

"I have no information. Maybe there is a very capable professional who can do much more than I can," said Haug.

He played down suggestions ex-drivers like Michael and Ralf Schumacher, or Mika Hakkinen, can fill his shoes.

"Honestly, I don't think they were born to be in the office," laughed Haug.

Like any year in the auto industry, 2012 saw its fair share of company ups and downs, industrial comings and goings, and a fair old sprinkling of corporate drama. It was also a year of economic uncertainty hovering over automotive markets. We covered it all on just-auto. Editor Dave Leggett sifts through the lot and picks out a few highlights from the year just gone, month by month. Part one covers the first half of the year, part two the second. This is part one.

On Friday, we introduced you to the

Also in this episode: BMW will bring the M6 Gran Coupe, 4-series concept and new Z4 at the Detroit auto show, and

Ford Motor and its community relations arm today committed $10 million to a program aimed at strengthening a Detroit neighborhood.

Waldo Stakes: A Rocket Man Chases The Land Speed Record

Self-taught land-speed-record designer Waldo Stakes hopes to use surplus Space-Race technology to break the sound barrier.

Most assaults on the land-speed record follow one of two templates. British efforts, from the Reid Railton-designed streamliner driven by John Cobb to the ThrustSSC that currently holds the record, typically feature formally trained engineers and vast battalions of support personnel. American undertakings, on the other hand, tend to involve homegrown hot-rodders -- think self-taught Frank Lockhart and junkyard genius Art Arfons -- fueled by lots of Yankee ingenuity.

Photo Gallery: Waldo Stakes: A Rocket Man Chases The Land Speed Record - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: Waldo Stakes: A Rocket Man Chases The Land Speed Record - Automobile Magazine

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Recently, some punk-rock guy tried to pick up your author's girlfriend. Upon being shot down, dude lamented, and#8220;You probably date guys who like R.E.M.and#8221;

The veil is beginning to come off the 2014 Cadillac ELR, the extended-range electric luxury coupe that will make its world debut at the Detroit auto show in January.

News 20 Dec, 2012

Tell us which motoring issue we should tackle first in 2013 by voting here

Vintage Japan Glam Machines

Once dismissed as tin cans, old Japanese cars are becoming classics.

Although a mere 350 miles of California coastline and a few weeks separate mist-shrouded Pebble Beach from sunbaked Long Beach, the concours d'elegance that takes its name from the former would seem, to even the most casual observer, to be a universe removed from the Japanese Classic Car Show. This year's JCCS was held in a parking lot aside the Queen Mary. The port of Long Beach has long been one of the main entry points for cars shipped from Japan, so it's quite plausible that, for a fair number of vehicles at the show, this was something of a homecoming. Since it was established eight years ago, the JCCS has more than doubled in size; this year 400 cars and trucks plus thirty motorcycles were on display. The thermometer hit a toasty 103 degrees (the high at the Pebble show was 40 degrees lower), but that didn't deter the 5900 sweaty souls who came to ogle old Zs and have fits of nostalgia while viewing the other vintage imports from the land of the rising sun. Datsun has long dominated the show, but there was official presence from Toyota, which displayed some treasures from its nearby corporate museum. While some of the vehicles were as pristine as any Hispano-Suiza you might find at Pebble Beach, there were certainly quite a few that showed some "patina," as you might expect of vehicles that were considered somewhat disposable when purchased new.

Photo Gallery: Vintage Japan Glam Machines - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: Vintage Japan Glam Machines - Automobile Magazine

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Toyota will keep its global output target for 2013 nearly unchanged from this year at 9.9 million vehicles despite a production cut at home, the Nikkei reported.

2013 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL - Serious Comfort

This car is soft by every definition of the word.

After crisscrossing the upper Midwest in its early days with us, our Four Seasons Nissan Altima has now spent significant time closer to home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which means that staff members have logged a wealth of first impressions.

Photo Gallery: 2013 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL - Four Seasons Update - December 2012 - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2013 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL - Four Seasons Update - December 2012 - Automobile Magazine

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