Auto News 5

Two weeks after losing to Toyota at Interlagos, Audi claimed a 1-2 victory with the R18 e-tron in Bahrain.

Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish (Audi) started the race on pole position, but it was the Toyota that led the first laps of the race, before an electrical problem forced the Japanese prototype to stop in the pits to repair. Later, the TS030 driven by Wurz broke its suspension after a contact with a LMP2, and was forced to retirement.

Finally, it was the Audi driven by Lotterer, Treluyer and Fassler that took the lead, and eventually after six hours of racing the win, two laps ahead of the sister car driven by McNish and Kristensen. The winning drivers pull away in front of championship classification after their success.

In LMP2, victory went to Pecom's Oreca Nissan, while the GTE Pro class was won by AF Corse's Ferrari driven by Fisichella and Vilander. The Felbemayr Porsche takes win in GTE Am class.

Final classification :
1 - Lotterer-Treluyer-Fassler (Audi R18 e-tron quattro) - Audi - 151 laps in 6h00'56”244

2 - Kristensen-McNish (Audi R18 e-tron quattro) - Audi - 2 laps

3 - Watts-Kane-Leventis (HPS ARX03-Honda) - Strakka - 6 laps

4 - Prost-Jani (Lola B12/60) - Rebellion - 7 laps

5 - Belicchi-Primat (Lola B12/60-Toyota) - Rebellion - 10 laps
6 - Perez Companc-Minassian-Kaffer (Oreca03-Nissan) - Pecom - 12 laps (1er LMP2)
7 - Tresson-Mailleux-Lombard (Oreca 03-Nissan) - Signatech - 14 laps

8 - Potolicchio- Kimber Smith-Sarrazin (HPD ARX03b-Honda) - Starworks - 14 laps
9 - Weeda-Rossiter-Liuzzi (Lola B12/80-Lotus) - Lotus - 14 laps
10 - Ragues-Panciatici-Rusinov (Oreca 03-Nissan) - Signatech - 15 laps

(...)
13 - Fisichella-Vilander (Ferrari F458 Italia) - AF - 21 laps (1er GTE Pro)

(...)
17 - Ried-Roda-Ruberti (Porsche 997) - Felbermayr Proton - 26 laps (1er GTE Am)
etc.

Four-time Formula One world champion Alain Prost tested a modern F1 car during a World Series by Renault meeting at the Paul Ricard circuit on Saturday September 29.

Frenchman Prost, who is an ambassador for Renault, took the wheel of the Red Bull Racing RB6 single seater to complete a series of laps behind Romain Grosjean in a Renault R30.

The 57-year-old last experienced contemporary F1 cars in 1996 as part of a test for McLaren.

"Recently I thought maybe it would not be too bad to know what modern Formula 1 is like," Prost told Autosport.

"It's not too different, it's just using the tools differently. The car is very stiff, and you just need to get used to it."

The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid is the Japanese automaker's sixth hybrid model and it just went on sale across Canada this month. The car has proven quite popular already, and one of its first owners is none other than acclaimed Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki.

Priced at $35,700 (before applicable government incentives), the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid offers seating for five and 443 litres of cargo capacity. A full charge takes as little as 90 minutes when connected to a 220V dedicated socket, or 3 hours when connected to a 110V socket. It allows a range of 25 kilometres and a top speed of 100 km/h in electric mode while achieving a fuel efficiency rating of just 2.0Le/100km (city-highway combined).

The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid automatically switches to its full hybrid system once the electric power is depleted.

Photo: Toyota

From Grand-Am.com

Richard Westbrook earned his third pole of the season in Saturday morning's qualifying session at the Grand-Am Championship Weekend at Lime Rock Park presented by BMW ahead of this afternoon's Rolex Sports Car Series season finale.


Westbrook turned a best lap at 49.091 sec. (110.000 mph) in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette DP, pipping DP points co-leader Scott Pruett by one tenth of a second. Pruett will start second in the No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley at 49.184 sec. (109.792 mph), and Jon Fogarty qualified third in the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette DP at 49.189 sec. (109.781 mph).


John Edwards earned his class-leading fourth GT pole position of the season. His TOTAL Pole Award-winning lap in the No. 57 Stevenson Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro GT.R was a 53.983 sec. (100.031 mph) run.

Qualifying second in GT was Andrew Davis in the No. 59 The Brumos Companies Porsche GT3 at 54.248 sec. (99.543 mph) and Johannes van Overbeek was third in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 at 54.595 sec. (98.910 mph).



Qualifying results* - Lime Rock (Grand-Am)
1. Garcia-Westbrook (Corvette DP) - Spirit of Daytona - 49"091

2. Pruett-Rojas (Riley-BMW) - Ganassi - 49"184
3. Fogarty-Gurney (Corvette DP) - Stallings - 49"189
4. Angelelli-Taylor (Corvette DP) - SunTrust - 49"854

5. Dalziel-Popow (Riley-Ford) - Starworks - 50"020

6. Donohue-Frisselle-Borcheller (Corvette DP) - ActionExpress - 50"197
7. Barbosa-Law (Corvette DP) - ActionExpress - 50"313
8. Negri-Pew (Riley-Ford) - Shank - 50"423

9. Goncalvez-Fuentes (Riley-Ford) - Starworks - 52"496

10. Edwards-Liddell (Chevy Camaro) - Stevenson - 53"983
Etc.

*Unofficial results

Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor (No. 10 SunTrust Corvette DP) bagged their third consecutive Lime Rock Park victory in the Grand-Am season's grand finale.

Angelelli and Taylor managed to hold off Antonio Garcia and Richard Westbrook (No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP), who in turn crossed the finish line ahead of Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty (No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette DP).

In the championship showdown, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas (No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley) ended up on top thanks to their seventh-place result. They cleared Ryan Dalziel by 12 points in Pruett's record-breaking fifth DP championship campaign.

In GT, titles had already been awarded at Laguna Seca three weeks ago, so the attention was turned to a dramatic race.

Robin Liddell and John Edwards (No. 57 Stevenson Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro GT.R) took advantage of Andy Lally's misfortunes (No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3), who surrendered the win in the dying moments of the race because of a mechanical failure.

Dion von Moltke and Jim Norman (No. 51 Audi R8 Grand-Am) earned Audi's first Grand-Am podium by finishing second. Third place went to Alessandro Balzan and Johannes van Overbeek in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458.



Race results* - Lime Rock (Grand-Am)
1 - Angelelli-Taylor (Corvette DP) - SunTrust - 167
2 - Garcia-Westbrook (Corvette DP) - Spirit of Daytona - 167
3 - Fogarty-Gurney (Corvette DP) - Stallings - 167
4 - Donohue-Borcheller-Frisselle (Corvette DP) - ActionExpress - 167
5 - Barbosa-Law (Corvette DP) - ActionExpress - 167
6 - Dalziel-Popow (Riley-Ford) - Starworks - 167
7 - Pruett-Rojas (Riley-BMW) - Ganassi - 167
8 - Goncalvez-Fuentes (Riley-Ford) - Starworks - 165
9 - Johnson-Wilkins (Riley-Ford) - Starworks - 164
10 - Negri-Pew (Riley-Ford) - Shank - 163
11 - Edwards-Liddell (Chevy Camaro) - Stevenson - 159
12 - Norman-Von Moltke (Audi R8) - APR - 159
13 - Balzan-Van Overbeek (Ferrari 458) - Scuderia Corsa - 159
14 - Espenlaub-Putman (Mazda RX8) - Dempsey - 159
15 - Doyle-Pumpelly (Porsche 997) - TRG - 159
16 - Lally-Potter (Porsche 997) - Magnus - 159
17 - Curran-Said (Corvette) - Marsh - 158
18 - Assentato-Segal (Ferrari458) - AIM - 156
19 - Long-Foster (Mazda RX-8) - Dempsey - 155
20 - Nonnamaker-Nonnamaker-Nonnamaker (Mazda RX8) - Sahlen - 154
21 - Bomarito-Tremblay (Mazda RX8) - Speedsource - 154
22 - Cameron-Nonnamaker (Mazda RX8) - Sahlen - 110
23 - Foss-Hart-Lindsey (Porsche 997) - Horton - 107
24 - Turner-Marsal (BMW M3) - Turner - 97
25 - Davis-Keen (Porsche 997) - Brumos - 35
26 - Auberlen-Della Lana (BMW M3) - Turner - 34

*Unofficial results

I've waxed lyrical about Honda on a number of occasions, and by the looks of things I'll be doing the same for a while to come. Granted, the 2013 Honda Accord looks promising, but I'll reserve judgement for when I test drive it myself.


probably intrigued by what it can do. If you've landed here by mistake, you'll probably back your way outta here ‘cause you've no interest in whatever this Ridgeline thing is, or never heard of it.

This is the 2012 Honda Ridgeline's problem. If you know of this vehicle, you are lucky as you're privy to one of the best kept secrets in the car business. And, if Honda maintains their $0 advertising budget and you buy one, you will land on a rare gem that might be worth a pretty penny in 40 years.

Never mind the cover
The point is that the Ridgeline is a rare bird. On a recent road trip to northern New York State, I counted only three Honda pickups. Compare that to close to two dozen Nissan Jukes and you know something's up -- not that there's anything wrong with the Juke. Could it be that the sheet metal is the turnoff? Between a Juke and a Honda Ridgeline, I'm not sure that the latter is the uglier one...

Honda recently introduced this $37,790 Sport version, however; black wheels, a blacked-out grille, head and taillights do not, unfortunately, make one “sporty.”

Truthfully, unless you know what lies beneath the steel, there is every reason to judge the book by its cover.

Honda recently introduced this $37,790 Sport version. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Tonnes of room
But this is wrong. The 2012 Honda Ridgeline features a sealed and waterproof hidden in-bed trunk; a genius, dual-action gate, and an impressively roomy and comfortable cabin.

About the bench, if it is not needed, it flips up allowing for storage of large items like a television or a pair of bicycles. Up front in the 2012 Honda Ridgeline, leg, shoulder, head, and elbowroom are in grand supply.

Now, if the exterior is irksome to some, the dashboard will have the same effect. Not pretty, bulky and cold, it is nevertheless easy to navigate and some of the large controls are ideal for glove-wearing seasons. By far, the best part about the interior is the vast number of storage bins which I bet no one can completely fill with useful stuff.

About the bench, if it is not needed, it flips up allowing for storage of large items like a television or a pair of bicycles. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

It drives well
The oddball looks of the 2012 Honda Ridgeline are quickly forgotten once the ignition key is turned to the “start” position. The upfront and honest 3.5L V6 comes to life, and once the ultra-mega-fantastic-cool column shifter is slotted into “D,” the Ridgeline comes into its own.

The 250 hp and 247 torques powerplant are silky-smooth and magnificently responsive. The 5-speed autobox glides from one cog to another without effort, and suddenly the driver could swear that they are in an elevated AWD Accord V6.

Despite the lowly on-paper 250 hp, the 2012 Honda Ridgeline moves about with serious vim. Most of the grunt comes in around 5,000 rpm, and so a highway kick-down is rewarding.

Steering is light if somewhat over-assisted, but precision is never an issue. The brakes are strong and respond better than expected. My guess is that this is as such because the Honda pickup has a payload capacity of 690 kg (1,521 lb) and a towing capacity of 2,268 kg (5,000 lb). When fully burdened, the truck needs the extra help.

In order to be capable enough to manage the possible loads, the 2012 Honda Ridgeline sports fully boxed High-Strength Steel (HSS) frame rails with internal stiffeners and a -- I guess -- “medium-duty” suspension. The big Honda handles really well for a pickup.

The 250 hp and 247 torques powerplant are silky-smooth and magnificently responsive. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Don't pull the plug!
The Honda Ridgeline, as I've noted in the past, is ahead of its time. I can only hope that Honda plays its cards right, holds on to the thing, gives it the appeal it so deserves in its next generation and invests in some proper marketing.

With a starting price just under $35k, it might be tough to convince someone looking for a $25k truck, but when faced with all that the 2012 Honda Ridgeline has to offer, a second family car becomes an unnecessary purchase. There are savings to be had!

The Toyota Tacoma, the current small-pickup king, the Chevy Colorado and Nissan Frontier are some of its most direct competitors.

PSA will stop production in Slovakia for 21 days in the fourth quarter due to weak demand. PSA builds the Peugeot 208 and Citroen C3 Picasso models in the western Slovak town of Trnava.

Ferrari, Bentley and Lamborghini are bracing for slower growth as the European debt crisis saps demand even for high-priced toys for the wealthy.

GM dismissed claims made in a $3 billion lawsuit filed by Saab's parent that the U.S. automaker deliberately bankrupted the Swedish company by blocking a deal with a Chinese investor.

GM dismissed claims made in a $3 billion lawsuit filed by Saab's parent that the U.S. automaker deliberately bankrupted the Swedish company by blocking a deal with a Chinese investor.

The new Canadian labor contracts secured by the Detroit 3 automakers this week are unlikely to lower costs enough to persuade the industry to make fresh investments in the country and reverse a decade-long contraction.

Ferrari, Bentley and Lamborghini are bracing for slower growth as the European debt crisis saps demand even for high-priced toys for the wealthy.

Augusto Farfus (BMW) set the pole position in Valencia, for the 9th round of the DTM championship, while the title contenders stand way back on the starting grid.

As often, the Valencia circuit provided plenty of surprises: Farfus emerged as quickest at the end of a session that saw the main championship contenders in trouble. Jamie Green (Mercedes), third on provisional classification, was first out of the qualifying session, failing to qualify for Q3.

He is only in 18th position on the grid for Sunday's race.

His teammate Gary Paffett (Mercedes), championship leader, was not much better. The Brit made it to Q2, but failed to progress any further, as he could not manage any than 16th.

Bruno Spengler (BMW) had the opportunity to take benefit of his rivals' misfortune, but failed to make it outside Q2. He will start from 12th.

Mercedes' qualifying session was the worst of all, the best C Coupé being Rob Wickens', in 14th position. The seven other Mercedes cars are down in the last seven spots of the grid, with Ralf Schumacher dead last.

Pole sitter Augusto Farfus was followed by Audi drivers, Edoardo Mortara, Filipe Albuquerque, Adrien Tambay and Mike Rockenfeller.

Valencia - Qualifying :
1. Augusto Farfus - BMW M3 DTM - RBM - 1'26''446 - Q4
2. Edoardo Mortara - Audi A5 DTM - Rosberg - 1'26''756 - Q4
3. Filipe Albuquerque - Audi A5 DTM - Rosberg - 1'26''894 - Q4
4. Adrien Tambay - Audi A5 DTM - Abt - 1'26''981 - Q4
5. Mike Rockenfeller - Audi A5 DTM - Phoenix - 1'26''789 - Q3
6. Andy Priaulx - BMW M3 DTM - RBM - 1'26''824 - Q3
7. Timo Scheider - Audi A5 DTM - Abt - 1'26''849 - Q3
8. Mattias Ekström - Audi A5 DTM - Abt - 1'26''936 - Q3
9. Dirk Werner - BMW M3 DTM - Schnitzer - 1'27''039 - Q3
10. Miguel Molina - Audi A5 DTM - 1'27''040 - Q3
Etc.

History/Description: Challenging the Chrysler 300 for American sedan supremacy, Ford resurrected the “Taurus” name on a refreshed version of a large sedan they'd formerly marketed as the “Five Hundred.” Taurus packed plenty of room for five, a generous helping of luxury, standard 6-cylinder power and available all-wheel drive (AWD). Look for SEL and Limited models, representing nicely loaded and fully loaded models, respectively.

2008 Ford Taurus (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

All models got a 3.5L V6 with 263 horsepower, a 6-speed automatic transmission and standard front-wheel drive. Feature content included heated leather, a sunroof, navigation, premium audio, automatic climate control, remote access, power seats and plenty more. The Ford “keypad” unlocking system was on board, as were a set of power-adjustable pedals for optimal comfort.

What Owners Like: Size, comfort, driving position, trunk space, assembly and build quality, and ride quality were all highly rated by owners. Many report a safe, secure and planted driving feel as well.

What Owners Dislike: Common complaints include an isolated, “floaty” ride, lack of steering feel, and a large turning radius. Some owners wish for better fuel mileage, and several noted a decrease in ride quality on rougher roads -- possibly on models with larger wheels.

Common Issues: Check for proper operation of the climate control system, switching it between various settings and listening for a ticking or thumping noise from behind the dashboard. Numerous owners reported issues with actuators that operate ducts within the climate control system, so be sure it operates as expected.

Ensure the transmission in the vehicle you're test driving shifts cleanly, smoothly and with no slippage or hesitation. Some owners reported issues with the transmission in their Taurus, which may or may not occur with the presence of a warning or “check engine” light. It's unclear if this is a mechanical or electronic problem, however, if the gearbox in the Taurus you're considering doesn't operate as expected, have the vehicle checked out by a Ford mechanic or move to another model.

2008 Ford Taurus (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Continue reading 2008-2009 Ford Taurus Pre-owned

In order to get a head start on the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, Kurt Busch will take over the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet beginning at the October 13th Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The 2004 Sprint Cup champ had originally been announced to leave James Finch Racing and start the next season with Furniture Row. But the team announced, at Dover Speedway, pushing the agenda a little fasters.

“In order to get a jump on developing a driver/team chemistry for the 2013 season, both Kurt and Furniture Row Racing felt that this was an important move to make happen,” said Garone. “While the goal of this decision is to better prepare for 2013, the main focus for the final six races remains the same and that is to reach a competitive level.”

Garone also stated that Smith's Furniture Row Racing contract, which expires at the end of the season, will be fully honoured.

Busch said that he was eager to get the transition started as soon as possible.

“We want to come out of the chute next year ready and raring to go,” said Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. “Driving the Furniture Row Chevrolet in the final six races of this season will obviously give us a big advantage in our preparations for 2013. The energy level is quite high and I can't wait to get out to Colorado to meet all the guys and begin this exciting new journey.”

But Busch was also defensive when asked if this was a lateral move.

“Barney Visser (team owner), this program, they are committed. Their alliance with Richard Childress (Racing), it's there and it's solid. That's why, when you say a lateral move, I don't like it so much. It's a slap in the face to Barney Visser, but everybody in this garage area knows... if you have a hard card (a NASCAR annual credential), you know the differences in the teams.”

From GMM

Sergio Perez is no longer a "pay driver", McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh insists.

Mexican Perez, also backed by Ferrari, started his F1 career by bringing millions in Carlos Slim-linked Telmex dollars to Sauber.

But he is now moving to McLaren, amid speculation Telmex might eventually replace the grandee British team's title sponsor Vodafone.

The Telegraph, however, quotes Whitmarsh as insisting there are no "side deals" to McLaren's Perez contract.

"I did have a conversation with Carlos Slim yesterday but we have made an offer to Sergio, we are paying him well and there are no side deals," he said.

"I'm not saying that ultimately there won't be other fresh partners coming forward because of it but that wasn't the motivating force," insisted Whitmarsh.

He is quoted by Sky Sports F1 HD channel: "He (Perez) is not a pay driver, he is being paid a lot of money.

"Sponsorship was not a factor, we picked Sergio because he is the most exciting young talent in formula one.

"Do I believe there will be some exciting commercial opportunities in the future?  Yes.  Have we looked at them yet?  No."

In the process of merging together, the Grand-Am and ALMS series have announced a shared weekend on their respective 2013 calendar.

The shared venue is a first for the two biggest sports car racing series on the continent. The said venue is set for August 10-11, in Road America.

Furthermore, Grand-Am revealed it would visit three other new tracks next year: Circuit of the Americas (Austin, Texas), Road Atlanta (Braselton, Georgia) and Kansas Speedway (Kansas City, Kansas).

“Last year we raced for the first time at Indianapolis and Detroit, and Grand-Am will continue to break new ground in 2013,” said Ed Bennett, Grand-Am president and CEO.

“We're excited about going to historic Road Atlanta - plus the new road courses at Austin and Kansas City - for the first time. And with the combined event at Road America, sports car fans will get a glimpse of the future.”

Events returning on the Grand-Am calendar include Mid-Ohio (June 15), Laguna Seca (September 8), and Lime Rock (September 27-28).

From GMM

It could be "months" before Michael Schumacher has decided his future, Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn has revealed.

The seven time world champion has lost his race seat for 2013 to Lewis Hamilton, but he has been tipped to switch to Sauber or a team management role at Mercedes.

"I think Michael's going to take a few months to think about things and reflect on things, to decide what to do in the future," Brawn told Reuters Television.

The Briton said Schumacher, 43, is welcome to stay in the Mercedes family.

"There are opportunities within the team, within Mercedes for Michael to stay involved in some capacity or other, and he's particularly interested in developing high performance cars, that sort of thing," said Brawn.

From GMM

Fellow Scot David Coulthard thinks Paul di Resta could have been McLaren's choice to replace Lewis Hamilton had not been British.

Even though McLaren made much of their all-British driver pairing of Hamilton alongside Jenson Button since 2010, Coulthard thinks di Resta's nationality actually played against him.

"My feeling is they (McLaren) had shaken the British tree as much as they could sponsor-wise and Perez, quite apart from his undoubted ability behind a wheel, offered something different in that respect," he wrote in a column for the Telegraph.

Coulthard is probably referring to rumours Sergio Perez - Hamilton's actual 2013 successor - could eventually bring his backer Telmex and other Mexican pesos to McLaren to replace wavering title sponsor Vodafone.

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh confirmed di Resta was considered for the seat.

"I know Paul very well and the true answer is that I rate him but it would probably have been continuing a little bit too much with the British theme to have gone that route," he said.

Tom Kristensen and Alan McNish (Audi) will start from pole position on Sunday for the Bahrein Six Hours.

The pair, that switched to an Audi R18 e-tron hybrid for the remaining races of the season instead of their R18 Ultra diesel, set their best lap in 1'45''814. They were faster than teammates Fassler, Lotterer and Treluyer, leaders in provisional championship classification.

Wurz and Lapierre's Toyota, which was victorious in Interlagos two weeks ago, set the third best performance ahead of the Rebellion's Lola Toyota, best of the privateer cars.

In LMP2, the best performance was set by Starworks' HPD driven by Potolicchio, Kimber-Smith and Sarrazin.

In GT, the Aston Martin driven by Mucke and Turner was quickest in GTE Pro, while the best GTE Am car was AF Corse Waltrip's Ferrari F458.



Bahrain - Qualifying :
1. Kristensen/McNish - Audi R18 e-tron - Audi - 1'45''814 (1st LMP1)
2. Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer - Audi R18 e-tron - 1'45''888
3. Wurz/Lapierre - Toyota TS03 hybride - Toyota - 1'46''254
4. Prost/Jani - Lola Toyota - Rebellion - 1'47''638
5. Leventis/Watts/Kane - HPD - Strakka - 1'48''446
6. Brabham/Chandhok/Dumbreck - HPD - JRM - 1'48''784
7. Potolicchio/Kimber-Smith/Sarrazin - HPD - Starworks - 1'51''798 (1st LMP2)
8. Martin/Graves - Oreca Nissan - ADR Delta - 1'52''368
9. Nicolet/Lahaye/Pla - Morgan Nissan - OAK - 1'52''368
10. Baguette/Kraihamer/Brundle - Morgan Nissan - OAK - 1'52''609
(...)
18. Mucke/Turner - Aston Martin 2'00''243 - 2'00''234 (1st GTE Pro)
(...)
22. Kauffman/Aguas/Vicker - Ferrari F458 - AF Corse Waltrip - 2'02''812 (1st GTE Am)
Etc.