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Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf have dominated the ALMS so far this season for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing, and were on pole for the start of the 4-hour long race at Road America.

But Chris Dyson and Guy Smith came through with their second win of the season.

And it didn't look good for Dyson Racing at the start: gearbox issues had them back at the back of the grid. Factoring in the upper hand Graf and Luhr have had all season in their HPD ARX-03a over the Lola coupe, it seemed all said and done.

But a lengthy pit stop to repair a broken hose costed Muscle Milk four laps.

Which means in the closing stages of the race, the two cars were neck and neck - just like last year where, in the closest finish ever, Muscle Milk pulled the win over Dyson. In 2012, Smith and Dyson had their revenge, ending up with the win, as well as the new record for the closest finish, bringing last year's 0.112 seconds down to just 0.083s.

Issues experienced by both P1 front-running teams meant Martin Plowman and David Heinemeier-Hansson, in the P2 Conquest Endurance Racing Morgan-Nissan got to lead overall for a few laps. More importantly, they got a win of their own in class, benefiting from issues to both the rival No. 55 and 95 Level 5 Motorsport entries.

Dempsey Racing also took advantage of Level 5's problems, as actor Patrick Dempsey and Joe Foster got their best ALMS result ever, coming home second in class aboard their No. 27 Lola-Judd prototype.

In GT, BMW took a long-awaited win, thanks to Bill Auberlen and Jörg Müller for beating Flying Lizard's Patrick Long and Jörg Bergmeister to the checkered. Scott Sharp and Johannes van Overbeek placed their Extreme Speed Motorsport Ferrari in third.

Kuno Wittmer and Dominik Farnbacher drove the best-finishing Viper, ending the race in 22nd place overall, ninth in class.

The PC race crowned this year's champions, CORE autosport's Alex Popow and Tom Kimber-Smith, who won the race as well. It must be said, making the start was a feat in itself for Popow, since he started the day racing Daytona prototypes in Montreal.

GTC saw Alex Job Racing come out on top, thanks to Cooper MacNeil and Jeroen Bleekemolen.



Race results* - ALMS (Road America)
1 - Dyson/Smith (Lola B12/60-Mazda) - Dyson - 101 laps 4.01'48"009

2 - Luhr/Graf (HPD ARX-03a) - Pickett - 0"083

3 - Marsal/Lux/Burgess (Lola B11/66-Mazda) - Dyson - 47"275
4 - Plowman/Hansson (Morgan-Judd) - Conquest - 1'04"709
5 - Popow/Kimber-Smith (Oreca FLM09) - CORE - 1 lap
6 - Bennett/Braun (Oreca FLM09) - CORE - 1 lap

7 - Marcelli/Ducote/French (Oreca FLM09) - Merchant - 1 lap
8 - Junqueira/Gonzalez (Oreca FLM09) - RSR - 1 lap

9 - Dempsey/Foster (Lola B12/86-Mazda) - Dempsey - 2 laps
10 - Richard/Ende (Oreca FLM09) - Dempsey - 2 laps

11 - Tucker/Bouchut (HPD ARX-03b) - Level 5 - 2 laps

12 - Tucker/Diaz (HPD ARX-03b) - Level 5 - 3 laps

13 - Mueller/Auberlen (BMW M3) - Rahal - 4 laps

14 - Bergmeister/Long (Porsche 997) - Flying Lizard - 4 laps
15 - Sharp/Van Overbeek (Ferrari 458) - Extreme Speed - 4 laps
16 - Gavin/Milner (Corvette ZR1) - Corvette - 4 laps

17 - Downs/Downs/Downs (Oreca FLM09) - Merchant - 4 laps
18 - Miller/Maassen (Porsche 997 Cup) - Miller - 4 laps
19 - Magnussen/Garcia (Corvette ZR1) - Corvette - 4 laps
20 - Sweedler/Bell (Lotus Evora) - Alex Job - 4 laps

21 - Neiman/Holzer (Porsche 997) - Flying Lizard - 5 laps

22 - Wittmer/Farnbacher (SRT Viper) - SRT - 5 laps
23 - Mueller/Summerton (BMW M3) - Rahal - 6 laps
24 - Brown/Cosmo/Lazzaro (Ferrari 458) - Extreme Speed - 6 laps

25 - MacNeil/Bleekemolen (Porsche 997 Cup) - Alex Job - 8 laps

26 - Cumming/Ragginger (Porsche 997 Cup) - JDX - 8 laps
27 - LeSaffre/Faulkner (Porsche 997 Cup) - Green Hornet - 8 laps
28 - Faieta/Avenatti (Porsche 997 Cup) - Competition - 8 laps

29 - Sofronas/Welch/Villeneuve (Porsche 997 Cup) - GMG - 8 laps
30 - Huisman/Wong (Porsche 997 Cup) - Green Hornet - 10 laps
31 - Henzler/Sellers (Porsche 997) - Falken - + 26 laps*
32 - Benitez-Benitez (Porsche 997 Cup) - NGT - 30 laps
33 - Pumpelly/DiGuida (Porsche 997 Cup) - TRG - 32 laps
34 - Goossens/Kendall (SRT Viper) - SRT - 56 laps
35 - Franchitti/Junco (Oreca FLM09) - PR1 - 78 laps

*Unofficial

A second recall on the Chevrolet Optra has been published today. This one targets 35,146 units from the 2004 to 2006 model years.

In some cases, a harness connector in the instrument panel could melt and prevent the headlights from functioning. On a rainy or snowy day, or during hours of darkness, this could compromise the driver's ability to see the road and its users.

Owners are advised to take their Optra to a GM dealer, which will remove the harness connector and permanently join the wires.

Source: Transports Canada

2006 Chevrolet Optra (Photo: General Motors)

Back in the '80s, when my passion for cars hit me before puberty did, I'd dream of one day driving Porsches, BMWs, Ferraris and Lamborghinis. On the other hand, I'd dream of one day owning a sports coupe such as the Honda Prelude. In fact, I still do.


Today, however, the Prelude is gone and Honda hasn't offered a real sports car since the much-loved S2000. Until they wake up and smell the toast burning, we'll have to do with "sporty" cars such as the Civic Si, the CR-Z (!) and the Accord Coupe.

Actually, the 2012 Honda Accord Coupe, at least in EX-L V6 trim with a 6-speed gearbox, is not a bad imitation of a sports car at all. Then again, maybe I'm just getting old.


Refined powertrain
Honda's 3.5L engine may not be the most powerful, or the sweetest sounding, V6 on the market, but overall it's strong, efficient and admirably smooth. In the Accord, it produces 271 hp and 251 lb-ft of torque. When paired with the 6-speed stick, it makes for a very fast Accord.

Honda arguably makes the slickest manual transmissions, and this one is a pleasure to operate with a better clutch and shifter feel than you'll find in competitors such as the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, the Nissan Altima Coupe and the Ford Mustang. The automatic also does an excellent job, by the way, despite also counting five gears.

Zero to 100 km/h takes 6.6 seconds, while the quarter mile is a done deal after 14.4 seconds at a speed of 161 km/h. Sure, the Genesis Coupe 3.8 and the Mustang V6 have more muscle, but the Accord is no slouch.

In the Accord, this engine produces 271 hp and 251 lb-ft of torque. When paired with the 6-speed stick, it makes for a very fast Accord. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Refined ride
What the Accord Coupe lacks in character, it makes up for in everyday user-friendliness and refinement. The aforementioned adversaries, save for the Nissan, provide a more aggressive drive, but none are as smooth as the Honda.

Still, the Accord is front-wheel drive, so you must cope with torque steer when accelerating enthusiastically on a street corner. And when that happens, the stability control system kicks in abruptly. Granted, this car is more about fast cruising and less about closed-course shenanigans, but that doesn't mean it can't do both.

My fuel consumption over the course of the test week averaged 11.8 L/100km. With the 5-speed automatic, the V6 gets cylinder deactivation which shuts off part of the engine under light loads, but not with the 6-speed manual.

My fuel consumption over the course of the test week averaged 11.8 L/100km. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Refined good looks
Since its 2008 redesign, the Accord sedan sports a chubby, bloated appearance. Somehow, the Coupe is big without looking big. Its proportions seem right with a dynamic profile and a rising beltline. While not as striking as the Genesis Coupe, the front and rear fascias of the two-door are more aggressive than the sedan's, and rightfully so. I just don't like the shape of the redesigned-for-2011 taillights. Oh well.

Inside, you get a classy, if not very adventurous, design that's highlighted by a tasteful amount of silver-painted trim. The centre console's array of buttons look fussy and confusing, but after you spend some time getting used to the layout there is some logic to the design.

The navigation system is operated via a king-size multifunction knob which works well. However, the screen's graphics and maps would look perfect in the '80s-era Prelude I used to dream about. Hopefully, it will improve in the 2013 Accord, which will be totally redesigned.

The Accord is a big coupe, and the front seats will make just about anyone comfortable. Even in back, there's ample room for two adults or three children, even though the middle kid will be sitting on a lumpy cushion. No one will be stricken by sudden claustrophobia. Trunk space is also pretty voluminous at 338 litres, with a wide opening for loading in bigger objects.

Inside, you get a classy, if not very adventurous, design that's highlighted by a tasteful amount of silver-painted trim. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Refined sticker
Manual or automatic, an Accord Coupe EX-L V6 will set you back $35,990 before taxes, freight and delivery charges. It costs less than an Altima 3.5 SR ($38,198) or a Genesis Coupe 3.8GT ($36,999), but you can get a loaded Mustang V6 Premium for just over 30 grand.

The coupe might not be as practical as the sedan, but it's more engaging. It's no sports car, and I wouldn't have pinned this up on my wall back when I was an almost-teen, but it tries really hard to be a sports car and the way it seems to do everything right makes it very likable. Let's hope the 2013 Accord Coupe is just as good.

Nelson Piquet Jr.'s spin and win of the NASCAR truck race, at Michigan International Speedway, recalled Danny Sullivan's similar maneuver to take the 1985 Indy 500.

"Once you spin, the only thing you can try to do is not hit the wall and then come to the pits and change tires," the Brazilian son of the three-time World Champion said.

It was his first win in the Camping World Truck Series and third in NASCAR as he won earlier this year in both the K&N Series and Nationwide Series.

Still being the son of legendary driver is challenging.

"It's a weight off my shoulders," Piquet explained.. "I'm just living to do what my family does, and that's win races. It's only the beginning. I've been learning quickly. I've got great people around me. I think I've been very lucky and very blessed to be surrounded by the right guys. I'm sure I'll win another race very soon."

"We've been fighting for this win since the beginning of last year, and we finally made it," Piquet said. "The whole race was fun. It wasn't as boring as it seemed at the end when we had a big lead."

The race at the two-mile speedway turned into a fuel mileage story as Jason White finished second in a Ford, more than eight seconds back of Piquet. Dakoda Armstrong was third, Parker Kligerman was fourth, James Buescher fifth and Ty Dillon sixth.

Canadian driver Bruno Spengler (BMW) has set the best performance in qualifying at the Nürburgring, sixth round of the DTM championship.

It was a second pole position this year for Spengler, but also for his team BMW, although the Canadian didn't seem in good position in the qualifying shootout, as the only BMW driver alongside three Audi.

In the end, he managed to beat Mortara, Albuquerque and Rockenfeller at the end of the session.

Meanwhile, it was a disappointing session for the best Mercedes driver, Jamie Green, only seventh. It was even more difficult for championship leader Gary Paffett, who will start from the 11th position on the grid on Sunday's race.

Robert Wickens, the other canadian driver in DTM, qualified ninth aboard his Mercedes C Coupé, in his best performance of the season in qualifying so far.

"I am really proud I was able to claim the second pole position for BMW here at the Nürburgring," Spengler said.

"Personally, I am a bit surprised about how qualifying panned out. It didn't look so good for us in the morning. The set-up was not perfect at that point. However, BMW Team Schnitzer did a super job to get us back on track.

"My BMW Bank M3 DTM was consistently good in all the qualifying sessions. I sensed that today was going to be special. However, we have only completed 50 per cent of our job. We must still take the next step on Sunday. We are in the perfect position to achieve that, however."



Qualifying results - DTM (Nürburgring)
1. Bruno Spengler (BMW M3) - Schnitzer - 1'24"284 - Q4
2. Edoardo Mortara (Audi A5) - Rosberg - 1'24"505 - Q4

3. Filipe Albuquerque (Audi A5) - Rosberg - 1'24"555 - Q4

4. Mike Rockenfeller (Audi A5) - Phoenix - 1'24"727 - Q4

5. Martin Tomczyk (BMW M3) - RMG - 1'24"241 - Q3
6. Augusto Farfus (BMW M3) - RBM - 1'24"288 - Q3

7. Jamie Green (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'24"312 - Q3
8. Dirk Werner (BMW M3) - Schnitzer - 1'24"422 - Q3

9. Robert Wickens (Mercedes C-Coupe) - Mucke - 1'24"423 - Q3
10. Timo Scheider (Audi A5) - Abt - 1'24"748 - Q3
Etc.

Sasha Anis (No. 14 Hyundai Genesis) and Marc-Antoine Camirand (No. 96 BMW 330i) won a Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC) race each during Montreal's NAPA Auto Parts 200 weekend on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Friday saw Camirand earn pole position, but also the French Canadian being forced by the officials to dial his BMW's engine down a 1,000 rpm, to further equalize performance across the field.

Were the officials too harsh with the man who finished eighth times on the podium in eighth starts?

One way or another, in the race, Sasha Anis overtook Camirand and went on to win the first of two races presented over the weekend, leaving the BMW driver second, followed by Scott Nicol (No. 41 Honda Civic Si).

In Touring, Jocelyn Hébert (No. 89 Honda Civic) earned the win, followed by a charging Jacques Bélanger (No. 29 Honda Civic) and Damon Sharpe (No. 84 Honda Civic), who in the build up to the race had taken his first career pole position.

The B-Spec race yielded a win for Karl Wittmer, driving the No. 91 Honda Fit of his already crowned champion brother Nick. Alain Lauzière (No. 8 MINI Cooper) and media representative Gabriel Gélinas (No. 2 Mazda2 Media car) completed the podium.

Clouds then changed the mix, with rain making an appearance in the course of the second race. In wet conditions, Camirand reclaimed first place, and eventually the win, from Anis. Nicol's transmission failure handed Benjamin Distaulo (No. 6 Honda Civic Si) the last podium position.

In Touring, Damon Sharpe topped his first career pole with his first career win over Hébert and Bélanger.

The winner in B-Spec was the same, but at his sides on the podium were P.J. Groenke (No. 8 MINI Cooper) and Simon Dion-Viens (No. 17 Honda Fit) instead.

Bruno Spengler (BMW) clinched his second victory this season at the Nürburgring, 6th round of the DTM championship, and moves up to second position in provisional classification.

The canadian driver, who set the pole position on Saturday, led from lights to flag, excepted during his pit stops. He finally concluded the race almost seven seconds ahead of Edoardo Mortara's Audi, who started alongside the BMW driver on the first row of the grid.

Martin Tomczyk (BMW), who started from sixth position, took two positions during the race to take third position at the finish line.

Championship leader Gary Paffett (Mercedes), who started 11th, finished sixth ahead of the second Canadian driver, Robert Wickens (Mercedes), who set his best result in DTM so far. Filipe Albuquerque (Audi) started from inside row 2, but had a poor start and ended up eighth.

Thanks to his win - his number 11 in DTM -, Spengler moves up to second in provisional classification, ahead of Jamie Green (Mercedes), who finished the race in fourth position. Spengler is therefore back in championship race, as he now stands 20 points behind Paffett, considering also that a victory his rewarded by 25 points.

It was also the third success for Spengler at the Nürburgring, after his 2006 and 2010 wins.



Race results - DTM (Nürburgring)
1. Bruno Spengler - BMW M3 - Schnitzer in 1h11'12''847
2. Edoardo Mortara - Audi A5 - Rosberg +6''703
3. Martin Tomczyk - BMW M3 - RMG +10''802
4. Jamie Green - Mercedes C Coupé - HWA +22''019
5. Mike Rockenfeller - Audi A5 - Phoenix +23''054
6. Gary Paffett - Mercedes C Coupé - HWA +23''765
7. Robert Wickens - Mercedes C Coupé - Mücke +25''041
8. Filipe Albuquerque - Audi A5 - Rosberg +29''601
9. Timo Scheider - Audi 5 - ABT +30''422
10. Augusto Farfus - BMW M3 -RBM +33''686
etc.

Championship
1. Paffett 103 points, 2. Spengler 83, 3. Green 81, 4. Tomczyk 69, 5. Mortara & Rockenfeller 49, etc.

Briton Alexander Sims (Threebond with T-Sport) and German Pascal Wehrlein (Mücke Motorsport) took over from Spaniard Daniel Juncadella as F3 Euro Series winners during the Nürburgring weekend.

Sims, making a come back to Formula 3 Euro Series this year having already race in the championship back in 2009 and 2010, gave Nissan its first victory during race 2 of the weekend.

Raffaele Marciello (Prema Powerteam) and Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport) finished second and third, where championship leader Juncadella only managed eighth.

Race 3 had more back luck in store for Juncadella, as the Spaniard collected a drive-through penalty in the very first lap, colliding with Rosenqvist. Wehrlein took over as the leader and eventual race-winner, ahead of William Buller (Carlin) and Jazeman Jaafar (Carlin).

GM and Isuzu are recalling more than 258,000 SUVs in the United States and Canada to repair short-circuits in power-window and door-lock switches that can cause fires.

Auto scribes and enthusiasts are lining the street at the

Fisker Automotive, a maker of luxury plug-in hybrid cars backed by federal government loans, plans to recall all its $103,000 Karma sedans to fix a flawed cooling fan linked to a California fire.

Yes, the annual Woodward Dream Cruise is, at its core, a celebration of domestic cars. But that doesn't mean imports vanish for the weekend -- on the contrary.

It's Mopar madness at the Woodward Dream Cruise!. Here's a selection of some of our favorite Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth muscle at this year's event.

Chrysler has revealed a new, turbocharged version of the Fiat 500 for North America's 2013 model year.

A 1968 Ford GT40 racer sold on Friday night for $11 million -- a record for any American auto at auction -- at the start of a series of car sales in California with an unprecedented lineup of high-value classics.

Chrysler Group used the backdrop of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance to pull the covers off its new supercar, the 2013 SRT Viper GTS Launch Edition.

There's something for every Ford fanatic on the planet at this year's Woodward Dream Cruise.

Not to be confused with weird stuff, hot rods and custom cars are a very distinct genre, resulting in some of the most meticulously crafted creations seen at the Woodward Dream Cruise.

We'll let the pictures speak for themselves, but here's a look at some of our favorite classic General Motors sheetmetal from this year's Woodward Dream Cruise.

Bosch is in talks with workers in Germany to cut their work hours in response to weakening demand in the automotive sector. Opel also wants to reduce workers' hours in Germany while Ford already has.