Auto News 5

Sébastien Loeb has put competitors' misfortunes to good use, massively extending his lead in the ADAC Rallye Deutschland as he heads into the third and final day of competition.

Sébastien Loeb (Photo: WRC)

First to crack behind Loeb was Petter Solberg, who broke a wheel on his Ford Fiesta RS WRC on SS9. His Ford teammate Jari-Matti Latvala picked up the chase, but without any success so far, hovering in a powerless runner up spot.

Loeb's Citroën teammates, Mikko Hirvonen and Thierry Neuville haven't been able to replicate the Frenchman's pace. Hirvonen, despite hanging on to third, admitted himself he is no match to Loeb in terms of confidence, and Neuville ran off the road while running fourth.

Ott Tanak, aboard his M-Sport Fiesta took over as the dark horse, putting stage wins to his name. But his glory proved short-lived. He had to give it all up when he exited the road, and the rally, during the afternoon stages, leaving fellow Ford protege Mads Ostberg to take over fourth.

Mads Ostberg (Photo: WRC)

MINI's Dani Sordo had his chance to shine, just like everyone else it seems. The Spaniard, in his Prodrive entry, was holding on to a place on the podium before a puncture and then a fluid leak set him back down the order.

This allowed Chris Atkinson, in the second MINI ran by WRC Team MINI Portugal, to make his way up the fifth.

Three stages are left in store for Sunday. The action resumes around 9 am, local time.

OAK Racing has announced a new engine partnership with Honda Performance Development, as it returns to LMP1 racing for the two Asian rounds of the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

HPD's AR6 LMV8 will power OAK's Pescarolo chassis as soon as Fuji, round 7 of the WEC. OAK Racing president Jacques Nicolet also announced its team was working on putting a new P1 chassis together ahead of 2014, when the new rules kick in.

"Our design office is now working on the conception of our 2014 LMP1," Nicolet admitted. "We have looked for the best way to be competitive during this period of transition until 2014. So I am delighted to announce this agreement with HPD that commences at this year's final two WEC rounds."

"We are very pleased to welcome OAK Racing to the family of teams powered by Honda Performance Development," added Stephen Eriksen, HPD's vice-president. "We look forward to a successful introduction at the Fuji race to begin this chapter in OAK Racing's LMP1 programme," he concluded.

Two rounds are left on the American Le Mans Series calendar: Baltimore and Petit Le Mans. Who will make the most out of the Baltimore Sports Car Challenge?

Will Power finished just in front of his Penske's teammate Ryan Briscoe and ended up the fastest driver after Friday's practice session for the upcoming IZOD IndyCar race at Sears Point.

Simon Pagenaud, Dario Franchitti and Rubens Barrichello rounded out the top five, with Sebastien Bourdais being bumped down to sixth after having led the times with four minutes remaining.

Both Canadians Alex Tagliani (BHA) and James Hinchcliffe (Andretti Autosport) weren't among the pacesetters; finishing respectively 17th and 20th.



Practice results - IndyCar (Sears Point)

Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap
1. Will Power Penske Dallara-Chevy 1m18.6887s
2. Ryan Briscoe Penske Dallara-Chevy 1m18.8782s + 0.1895s
3. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt Dallara-Honda 1m18.9228s + 0.2341s
4. Dario Franchitti Ganassi Dallara-Honda 1m19.0394s + 0.3507s
5. Rubens Barrichello KV Dallara-Chevy 1m19.4015s + 0.7128s
6. Sebastien Bourdais Dragon Dallara-Chevy 1m19.4172s + 0.7285s
7. Scott Dixon Ganassi Dallara-Honda 1m19.4518s + 0.7631s
8. Graham Rahal Ganassi Dallara-Honda 1m19.5923s + 0.9036s
9. Marco Andretti Andretti Dallara-Chevy 1m19.6270s + 0.9383s
10. Sebastian Saavedra Andretti Dallara-Chevy 1m19.6402s + 0.9515s
11. Oriol Servia Panther/DRR Dallara-Chevy 1m19.6631s + 0.9744s
12. Justin Wilson Coyne Dallara-Honda 1m19.6840s + 0.9953s
13. Tony Kanaan KV Dallara-Chevy 1m19.6903s + 1.0016s
14. JR Hildebrand Panther Dallara-Chevy 1m19.8968s + 1.2081s
15. James Jakes Coyne Dallara-Honda 1m19.9588s + 1.2701s
16. Helio Castroneves Penske Dallara-Chevy 1m19.9620s + 1.2733s
17. Alex Tagliani Herta Dallara-Honda 1m19.9917s + 1.3030s
18. Josef Newgarden Panther Dallara-Honda 1m20.1930s + 1.5043s
19. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Dallara-Chevy 1m20.2063s + 1.5176s
20. James Hinchcliffe Andretti Dallara-Chevy 1m20.3667s + 1.6780s
21. Mike Conway Foyt Dallara-Honda 1m20.4466s + 1.7579s
22. EJ Viso KV Dallara-Chevy 1m20.6589s + 1.9702s
23. Takuma Sato Rahal Dallara-Honda 1m20.8900s + 2.2013s
24. Simona de Silvestro HVM Dallara-Lotus 1m20.9382s + 2.2495s
25. Charlie Kimball Ganassi Dallara-Honda 1m21.0304s + 2.3417s
26. Katherine Legge Dragon Dallara-Chevy 1m21.1876s + 2.4989s
27. Ed Carpenter Carpenter Dallara-Chevy 1m21.4132s + 2.7245s

Joey Logano's victory in the Nationwide race at Bristol may presage a wild Sprint Cup race on Saturday night.

Logano took the lead for good on lap 216 passing a then dominant Kevin Harvick who had fuel issues. Late cautions allowed series points leader Elliott Sadler and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to close up on winner.

On the final restart Stenhouse Jr. bumped Sadler taking him out of contention but not the race.

Logano was ecstatic after his sixth series win of the year and first at the half-mile high-banked oval. "I think we've led the most laps in this race several times.  I always fell a little short or something went wrong and it's cool to finally be in victory lane here. This is one of the coolest race tracks to win at -- I think there's three or four that are extra special to win at and this is one of them."

Stenhouse went over to Sadler to apologize after the race, but, Sadler didn't buy into it. He thought he had a sure second place finish. After noting that they always raced respectfully it was a new game "He just opened it up, we can race each other a lot differently these last 10 races," Sadler said.

After the race Stenhouse said "I definitely don't want to crash anybody and ended up second, but I was really hoping the last 20 laps or so were gonna go green. I felt like we were running down the 18 and might have had a shot at a win, but that caution came out and we ended up second."

Austin Dillon, who finished fourth behind Kyle Busch, bumped Trevor Bayne precipitating a spirited but short discussion on pit road. Bayne, who started from the pole in his first series start since March, finished 16.

"The 3 car (Dillon) just drove over his head and took us out. That's all there is to it," Bayne said

The race was postponed about 45 minutes to an unexpected rain storm which washed out Sprint Cup qualifying.

Once it started there was flurry of cautions, eventually adding up to nine which was the most in the NASCAR's junior circuit this year.

In view of the bump and run incidents it's likely that the reconfiguration of the track, grinding down the top lane, will result in similar incidents later today.

Sadler lead Stenhouse by 19 points. Sam Hornish Jr., who finished 10th, is third 28 points back.

Benoît Tréluyer in the No. 1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro edged in front of Allan McNish, driving the No. 2 Audi R18 ultra, to take pole position of the 6 Hours of Silverstone by one hundredth of a second.

The two Audi drivers traded fastest lap as the minutes went by in the qualifying session, leaving the No. 7 Toyota TS030 hybrid of Nicolas Lapierre, Alex Wurz and Kazuki Najakima a long seventh tenths down in third place.

In LMP2, the fight for the pole was shared by two former Peugeot men, Nicolas Minassian (Jota) and Stéphane Sarrazin (Starworks) and BBC commentator Martin Brundle's son, Alex - who will share Greaves' Nissan-Zytek with his father during the race.

It was Brundle son who came out on top, ahead of Sarrazin. Minassian fell down to fourth at the drop of the checkered flag.

Rain played its part in the GTE qualifying session, ran before the prototypes'. James Walker, in the No. 66 JMW Ferrari was sitting on the GTE Pro pole when he was caught spinning in the drying conditions.

This left Richard Lietz, in the No. 77 Felbermayr Porsche to take advantage of the improving track; and the pole.

Stuart Hall, in the No. 98 Aston Martin Vantage took the GTE Am pole.

History/Description: The Infiniti FX was easy to spot on the road, thanks to its distinctive sound, stand-out looks and athletic, dynamic stance. A sporty premium crossover model from Nissan's premium division, the first generation of this machine hit the market for 2003 and became a popular contender in its segment.

2004 Infiniti FX (Photo: Infiniti)

Look for six or eight-cylinder engines with about 280 or 320 horsepower, respectively. Automatic transmissions and all-wheel drive were fitted to all models, and both engines drink premium gas. Shopping for an FX? The FX35 is the V6-powered model, while the FX45 gets the V8.

Feature content was the norm for the segment - and used shoppers can look for 20” wheels, memory seating, navigation, Bluetooth, premium Bose audio, rain-sensing wipers and plenty more.

What Owners Like: Head-turning style, originality, impressive electronic features, a refined driveline, non-soccer-mom presence and overall performance and handling are all highly rated by FX owners. The exhaust note is also well-loved, as is the confidence delivered by its AWD system in winter driving.

What Owners Dislike: Common complaints include expensive fuel bills, expensive winter tires, limited at-hand storage on board, and limited trunk space. Numerous owners wish for more kick from the Bose audio system, and several report easily scratched paint and trim.

Common Issues: Start your test drive with a full walkaround and inspection of the FX's body and paint, noting any rust, missing or loose trim, dents or scrapes. Ensure the engine idles, revs and accelerates smoothly, and that all electronics work as expected.

Some owners in Infiniti forums have reported electrical grounding issues as the FX ages. These issues can cause problems ranging from cooked ignition coil packs (which will result in a misfire) to damaged Engine Control Units (ECUs). Be sure the FX you're considering isn't exhibiting any signs of bad electrical grounds.

2006 Infiniti FX (Photo: Infiniti)

Continue reading 2003-2008 Infiniti FX Pre-Owned

"Friends of Carroll Shelby" (which includes Ford Motor Company, Shelby American, Ford Racing and others) have just built a one-of-a-kind 2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra to commemorate the late Carroll Shelby, who died in May at the age of 89.

Donning the historical Guardsman Blue/Wimbledon White stripe paint, the car also marks the 50th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra. It was unveiled during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion by Ford Motor Company board member Edsel Ford II, the vice president of sales and marketing Jim Farley, and Shelby American president John Luft.

"Friends of Carroll" upgraded the 662-horsepower engine of the 2013 Shelby GT500 with a 4.0L Ford Racing Whipple supercharger. The result? More than 850 horsepower! Massive 345-section high-performance tires have been fitted as well to handle the extra load on the rear wheels.

In related news, Ford's Product Development Center in Dearborn, Mich. had one of its streets renamed as the Carroll Shelby Way.

Photo: Ford

General Motors is in early stages of talks with banks about expanding its credit line by as much as $5 billion, a person familiar with the discussions said. GM declined to comment.

Less than 24 hours after the long-lost No. 1 Briggs Cunningham Chevrolet Corvette received a public viewing, the car has gone back into hiding.

Daimler Vans USA plans to expand the number of dealers handling the Sprinter commercial van in the United States by as much as 27 percent, to as many as 250, the unit's boss says.

First Drive: 2013 Ram 1500

Maybe the notion of a pickup truck that’s as much luxury car as it is utility vehicle has more credence than the Lincoln Blackwood’s one-year run suggests.

Maybe the Lincoln Blackwood wasn’t such a stretch after all. Maybe the notion of a pickup truck that’s as much luxury car as it is utility vehicle has more credence than the Lincoln’s one-year run suggests. Maybe the Blackwood -- with its $53,000 price tag, air springs, and trunk in place of the bed -- was simply ahead of its time. Because starting this fall, you can buy a 2013 Ram 1500 that feels strangely reminiscent of the 2002 Lincoln.

Photo Gallery: 2013 Ram 1500 First Drive - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2013 Ram 1500 First Drive - Automobile Magazine

First Drive: 2013 Ram 1500 | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Mazda is ending production at its suburban Detroit assembly plant today after 2½ decades. The plant, AutoAlliance International, has been a joint operation between Ford and Mazda since 1992 and will continue as such for now, Ford said.

Drift-car star Vaughn Gittin Jr. launched the

For 2012, Autoweek dove headfirst into covering one of the best rolling car shows in the world, the Woodward Dream Cruise.

News 27 Aug, 2012

First official pictures of the new four-wheel-drive Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S have been released

Pictures 27 Aug, 2012

Also in this episode: Mercedes-Benz turns future 12-cylinder engine production over to AMG, and

What Is It? It's a small (smaller than a Mazda 5) European people-mover with a gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain.

First Drive: 2013 BMW M6 Coupe

Sporting a new powertrain, a revised look, and a simplified driver interface, this fast machine is every bit as impressive but much more livable than before.

The highest-performance version of BMW's big two-door is back after a two-year absence during the changeover to the latest generation of the 6-series. Sporting a new powertrain, a revised look, and a simplified driver interface, this fast machine is every bit as impressive but much more livable than before.

Photo Gallery: First Drive: 2013 BMW M6 Coupe - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: First Drive: 2013 BMW M6 Coupe - Automobile Magazine

First Drive: 2013 BMW M6 Coupe | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us