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During a press conference at Le Mans, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest announced that the Asian Le Mans Series, which ran in 2009 and 2010, will be back with six rounds next season.

Considering the importance of the Chinese car market, the members of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series, announced that the Asian Le Mans serie will be back next season.

The opening round will be presented in Zhuhai international circuit, in China, before heading to Shanghai, Ordos (Chinese province of inner Mongolia), and another Chinese round still to be determinated. Then, the championship will resume on the Fuji Speedway, in Japan, to conclude on Sentul circuit, in Indonesia.

The Asian Le Mans Series will adopt the same category system as ELMS : LMP2, GTE, GTC-GT3 and Formula Le Mans (no LMP1 cars allowed). Each team must include at least one Asian driver. The champion of each category will be offered an automatic invitation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2014.

After a first attempt to launch an Asian series, only one round was presented in 2009, and the same happened the following year. The championship was not organised lats year, but the 8 Hours of Zhuhai became the last round of the former Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.

Peter Sauber, team principal of the Swiss Sauber F1 Team, said he was very happy to see that this year's Ferrari-powered C31 F1 car was performant on any type of circuit.

The Sauber team collected their second podium this season in Montreal last Sunday when Mexican driver Sergio Pérez took third place behind race winner Lewis Hamilton of McLaren and Romain Grosjean of Lotus.

Pérez did a very long stint on his first set of tires - 41 laps - and then ran the second stint on relatively fresh tires.

“Sergio had started from 15th on the grid, so you wouldn't normally be contemplating a podium place - you'd be happy just to get into the points,” said Peter Sauber in an interview published by the team.

“But once the front-runners began to develop problems with their tires towards the end of the race, it became clear that something very special could be unfolding. Unlike the other drivers, Sergio was not affected by these tire problems and was able to continue his all-out offensive right to the end. He drove an extraordinary race,” Sauber added.

“It was a surprise that Sergio managed to move from 15th on the grid to a third-placed finish in a perfectly normal race, without rain and without any safety car periods. But basically we knew the Sauber C31 was far better than the results of the last few GPs might have suggested. Our performance in Barcelona and Monaco fell well short of our capability. We had the potential in both races to be right up in front, but things just didn't fall into place,” Sauber added.

Peter Sauber with Sergio Perez in Montreal. (Photo: Sauber F1 Team)

The Swiss said that he expects his team to achieve great things in future races. “If we manage to exploit our full potential as a team, in other words get everything right from Friday morning to Sunday evening, a great deal is possible. After seven races it is patently clear that the C31 can be fast on virtually any kind of track,” he said.

However, some people say that the new types of Pirelli tires make racing a bit artificial because no one knows so sure what's going to happen during the races.

“As far as I can see it's just a handful of people in the paddock who can't get used to not knowing by Friday who's going to win on Sunday,” Sauber explained.

'I think the fans see it in a completely different light. They're delighted with the unpredictability, the sheer variety and the unbelievably close competition. I've been in Formula 1 for 20 years now and for me it's never been better or more exciting. That's partly down to Pirelli, who are supplying the tires for this show,” said Sauber.

Building autonomous vehicles that don't cause accidents is a difficult but crucial challenge.

"It's not enough to be as safe as the human driver. We need to be crashless," said John Maddox, an associate administrator at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and keynote speaker at Wednesday's Driverless Car Summit in Detroit.

Photo: Google

He added that approximately 33,000 people die each year in the United States because of car crashes and that human error accounted for 93% of those crashes.

Researchers and developers of autonomous cars must put safety atop the list of priorities, since it's what consumers will care most about.

"Convenience and fuel economy are real benefits, but people won't drive an automated vehicle if it's not safe," Maddox claimed.

The summit, hosted by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, hinted at driverless cars by 2022. Maddox doesn't know if that goal can be reached in 10 years. "I don't have an answer," he said, "but any answer would be a guess."


_{Source: Detroit News}

Your dad probably taught you how to drive, how to work a manual transmission and how to wash, wax and repair a car. Nobody knows cars like your dad, so this Father's Day, why not get him something special to help him enjoy his time behind the wheel?

Here are a few gift ideas, categorized by price, to get your creative gift-buying juices flowing.

$0 to $50: Dad got a ‘pride and joy' sort of car? Why not check out the Mothers three-step paint restoration system? This starts optionally with a clay-bar treatment and ends with a polish and glaze. It's like giving dad's paint job a spa treatment. The kit can be found at any car care centre and takes an afternoon to apply. Chances are his car will never look better.


$50 to $300: Let dad enjoy some additional performance at the wheel. This price range opens the door on a plethora of parts for dad's ride - including shift knobs, short-shifter kits, xenon lighting retrofit kits, air intakes, axle-back exhausts and plenty more. Most of the above can be installed with hand tools and jacks in the course of an afternoon in the garage.

Dad got a truck? Visit its dealership for a look at some factory-approved accessories that are guaranteed to arrive on time, fit properly, and work without hassle. Mud flaps, all-weather floor mats and chrome accessories are all available. And remember: even a few bucks spent on cosmetic upgrades can make a big impact on the look of dad's ride.

Photo: MOMO

$300 to $2,000: Dad got a smartphone? Check out a new audio head unit with Bluetooth streaming and wireless hands-free phone connectivity. With no distraction or wires, dad can make phone calls or play his personal music collection straight out of his phone.

The new Pioneer AVIC in-dash navigation system also falls into this price range. Installed to dad's ride, it offers up advanced turn-by-turn navigation, full Bluetooth multimedia connectivity via smartphone apps, and a 3D graphics accelerator for crisp outputs on the 7-inch touch-screen. A built-in HD radio tuner, backup camera inputs and voice recognition round out the package. For an all-encompassing infotainment system, it doesn't get much better than this.

Shopping in the higher end of this price range? Check out the AMG Driving Academy, by Mercedes-Benz. Tuition includes your hotel, meals, racetrack access, and a fleet of instructors to tie it all together. Oh, and you get to drive a whole whack of AMG cars that you don't own really, really fast.

Pioneer AVIC-X940BT (Photo: Pioneer)

Money no Object: Chances are you've got a budget for your dad's Father's day gift. If you're lucky enough not to, be sure to check out the new Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

Giving your dad the gift of ultimate automotive firepower has never been easier - thanks to ZL1's supercharged LSA V8 engine, which develops 580 horsepower.

Track-validated aerodynamic, brake and chassis upgrades help round this beast out as the highest performing Camaro on the road. And with an exhaust note that sounds like gunfire backed by quarter-mile passes in the 11 second range, dad will probably never be late for anything again, ever.

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 (Photo: Chevrolet)

In March of 2011, at the Geneva auto show, the British manufacturer unveiled its small MINI, barely 3 meters long. In the midst of the London Olympics, MINI decided to unveil special edition of the concept car.

Photo: BMW

Calling on to the same 3+1 configuration as the one found used by the Geneva version, this new concept supports, a Union Jack livery; the glass top, on which were laid lamps strips both traces the British flag and gives special inside lighting. The main colour on the outside is dark blue, but white touches were used on the 18-inch wheels, the mirrors, the trunk handle and the contour of the grill.

On the inside, the doors and lateral panels draped in dark blue nubuck leather match with the British red, blue and white leather seats. A nice reference to the Olympics; dates and locations of previous Games are displayed on part of the doors and the dash and, in an intriguing storage area, figurines can be seen playing basketball.

Exposed in the BMW pavilion from the end of July until early September, we still don't know if MINI is seriously considering putting the Rocketman into production in the short term. It seems to be an option.

Five-time Sprint Cup champion has just posted a cell phone video, which is quite good, taken from inside his Chevrolet at the newly repaved Michigan International Speedway.

Turn up your speakers for the 217mph ride-along ahead of this week's Sprint Cup race at MIS.



Notice the data acquisition equipment used in testing only.

That 217mph is a top speed, not an average speed, but Michigan International Speedway could see race speeds approaching, if not exceeding the restrictor plate tracks like Daytona International Speedway or Talladega Speedway.

Mark Martin, in the Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota averaged 201.089mph in the first practice of the day. Kevin Harvick, in the Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was second fastest at 200.999 followed by Martin Truex, Jr. in another MWR Toyota at 200.306mph.

In its first year as an official sponsor of the Goodwood Festival of Speed (June 28th to July 1st, 2012), Infiniti will unveil the first running prototype of its range-extender sports car known as EMERG-E.

Hailed as the sportiest and most forward-thinking hybrid in the world right now, the EMERG-E gets quite a praise from Jerry Hardcastle, Global Chief Marketability Engineer at Infiniti.

Photo: Infiniti

''The Festival of Speed crowds will be seeing EMERG-E in action for the first time ever, even before many of Infiniti's top executives have seen it! Goodwood's spectators will see not just an exquisite design but a superb example of Infiniti combining our own technologies with those of our partners to create an environmentally-friendly car, brimming with true Infiniti driver appeal,'' he said.

Also on hand will be the new Infiniti FX Vettel Edition, a highly exclusive model limited to 50 units in Europe. Pricing is set at €126,200 ($162,986 CA). Sebastian Vettel himself will drive the car at the Goodwood event, while his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber will step behind the wheel of the EMERG-E.

From GMM

Ferrari has made clear it is keeping a close eye on Sergio Perez's progress.

The Mexican seemed at the very front of the queue for struggling Felipe Massa's seat recently, until Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said Perez needs "more experience" before he is a candidate to drive for the famous team.

Montezemolo's comments came before last weekend's Canadian grand prix, and during a period in which 22-year-old Perez was struggling to find the same sort of form that delivered his maiden pole in Malaysia earlier this season.

Sergio Perez, Sauber C31. (Photo: Sauber F1 Team)

"After Monaco, we had a discussion with Sergio," revealed Luca Baldisserri.

Baldisserri is the head of Ferrari's driver development 'academy', of which Sauber driver Perez is the cream of the crop.

"We wanted to find out why recent results had not lived up to expectations after the Malaysian grand prix," he admitted. "Perez is undoubtedly talented, but he often lets himself down by being too aggressive which, especially in formula one, does not deliver results."

Perez returned to the podium in Canada last Sunday.

"The Montreal race was a great response," acknowledged Baldisserri on Thursday, "a race in which Sergio not only ran at a great pace, but also managed his race very well, managing to stay on track for fifty laps on the same set of tires."

Acura is on the verge of launching a new flagship luxury sedan that will pack more technology than any car they have offered before. This new sedan will be called the RLX.


Considering Acura already has the RDX, MDX, ZDX, the recently launched ILX, and the upcoming NSX, it was only natural for them to add an “X” to the name of their new flagship.

The RL, which has been on sale in Canada in its current guise since 2005, is a very competent vehicle, but has failed to catch on with the luxury buying public.

Acura hopes to change that with their new RLX, which was shown in concept form at the New York International Auto Show this past April.

The 2013 Acura RLX will feature Acura's first application of their Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) system. Along with its naturally-aspirated, direct-injected 3.5L V6 engine, it will have three electric motors providing drive power whenever the car thinks it's best to utilize them. Total output should be rated at 370 hp. A front-wheel-drive version was also announced, which will do without the hybrid drivetrain, and will produce about 310 hp.

Regardless of the model, power will be fed to the drive wheels via an all-new 7-speed, dual-clutch automated transmission (DCT).

The 2013 Acura RLX will feature Acura's first application of their Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system. (Photo: Acura)

The RLX is almost identical to the current RL in overall length, although the new car will have a 2” longer wheelbase and 2” shorter front overhang. The RLX will also be two inches wider than the current model, and all this will equate to more room inside the cabin.

Inside, Acura promises to offer the latest in infotainment technology with intuitive, easy to operate controls. The RLX will also feature the first application of AcuraLink, their cellular-based two-way communications system, very similar to GM's OnStar.

For the audiophile in the family, an ultra-premium, 14-speaker, ELS surround sound system will be offered. It's not known at the moment if in Canada this system will be offered as standard or part of a premium package.

Offered as standard will be eight airbags, including knee airbags for the driver and front passenger. Forward collision warning and lane-departure warning systems will also be featured as standard. The RLX will also get Acura's first application of their lane keep assist system, which will help prevent the car from wandering into other lanes. These systems are there so you will never have to test its airbags.

Propeller-style 20” wheels complete the look of this sleek new sedan. (Photo: Acura)

All this new technology will be packaged in a fresh, new design that will be familiar to current Acura owners. The crown jewel of the RLX's design detail are its new “Jewel Eye” LED headlamps, which use a dual-stacked array of lamps with a total of eight separate high-intensity LEDs and ultra-reflective optical lenses. These lamps will not only give this car its signature look, but should also illuminate the road ahead quite effectively.

Propeller-style 20” wheels complete the look of this sleek new sedan.

Acura will launch this new RLX in Canada in the spring of 2013. No prices have been announced yet, but expect them to be similar to the current RL.

From GMM

McLaren is the inventor of a clever system that is helping Lewis Hamilton at the front of the F1 field at present.

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, with the collaboration of renowned F1 technical illustrator Giorgio Piola, said the British team is using a system that controls the flow of heat from the brakes into the difficult-to-manage Pirelli tires.

So in a season in which a degree or two in temperature can bring a tire in or out of Pirelli's tiny 'window' of performance, the McLaren trick is "ingenious", German journalist Tobias Gruner explained.

The team's mechanics adjust the rear braking system in the pits with a screwdriver, the screw being located near the driver cockpit opening.

As Piola's drawings show, the infinite adjustment affects the rear braking system and the flow of braking heat to the tires.

Photo: Pirelli

But it has not been all good news for McLaren, whose Jenson Button is suffering arguably the grimmest period in his entire F1 career at present.

It might have something to do with the FIA's recent clampdown on the MP4-27's floor.

Reportedly after the Chinese grand prix, the governing body ruled that the British team had stepped over the line with its interpretation of the rules regarding flexibility.

Scratches had been found underneath the extremes of the front wings, to which McLaren argued that the floor bending was within the allowed tolerances.

"The tolerance is there to account for manufacturing defects," Charlie Whiting is quoted as saying, after ruling that McLaren's system deliberately exploited those tolerances.

Auto Motor und Sport said: "The seemingly minor change had major implications for McLaren."

Particularly Button. The team's subsequent technical changes, including the higher nose and the modified rear suspension geometry, seemingly worked for Hamilton, but not for the struggling 2009 world champion.

Getting the 2012 car to work for Button again is now a high priority for McLaren.

"The problem is very complex," technical director Paddy Lowe said. "Our car is good, it just has to be set up perfectly."

And at the heart of all the F1 teams' quests for performance at the moment is the mysterious Pirelli tires.

"I'd say we understand 30 per cent," admitted Lowe.

Recently, I had the opportunity to step aboard a vehicle powered by no less than 224 pistons, and developing an aggregate 32,000 horsepower.

While the vehicle is now a static display at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, it performed at least once, managing to fly approximately 1.6 km (1 mile) at an altitude of 21 m (70 ft), reaching 217 km/h (135 mph) in 1947.

Of course, I'm talking about the Hughes H-4 Hercules flying boat, more commonly known as the Spruce Goose. This huge aircraft - one of the largest ever built - was developed by Howard Hughes, a world famous tycoon, along with Henry J. Kaiser.

Photo: Rob Rothwell

The Second World War was raging and the United States needed a reliable means of transporting up to 750 troops or large military assets such as tanks. With steel, particularly aluminum, in short supply, there was no option but to construct the flying boat with wood.

While we know of it as the Spruce Goose, the H-4 Hercules was comprised of only 4% spruce. The plane was largely composed of a composite of plywood and resin. And while the structure of the Spruce Goose is fascinating, it's the eight Pratt & Whitney R-4360 28-cylinder radial-design engines that boggled my mind.

Each engine consists of seven banks of four cylinders offset from one and other to allow better air circulation and cooling. The final two banks were water-cooled due to the inability of cold air to reach them.

Exactly how 224 carburetor-fed cylinders were kept in perfect tune is a mystery to me. Would you even know if one, two or a dozen cylinders weren't firing? Given the massive size and weight of the Spruce Goose, 180,000 kg or 400,000 lb, fullpower was needed to get it out of the water and airborne.

Standing in the cavernous belly of the flying boat left me dumbfounded by its enormity. What an amazing piece of American aviation history.

Due to the end of the war, the Spruce Goose became obsolete before it was ever pressed into service. Sadly, it was mothballed and never flew again.

I can't think of any other vehicle that was powered by more than 224 cylinders. Can you?

Photo: Rob Rothwell

Feature picture from: UNLV Librairies Digital Collections

Toyota Racing press release

Toyota Racing drove into the night at Le Mans for the first time in the first qualifying session of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, taking provisional top-six starting positions for the 24-hour race.

Wednesday's 120-minute qualifying session, which is followed by two more on Thursday, saw the TS030 HYBRIDs participate in their first competitive action after an intense period of testing and development.

When the chequered flag fell at midnight, the No. 7 TS030 HYBRID of Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima was fourth. Nicolas set its best time of the session; 3m27.191.

Photo: Toyota Racing

The No. 8 TS030 HYBRID of Stéphane Sarrazin, Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi ended the session in sixth, although traffic severely disrupted its fastest lap. Anthony set its fastest time of 3m28.295.

Earlier in the evening the No. 8 car lost most of the practice session after an engine failure left Anthony stranded on the track after only five laps and 34 minutes. The engine was changed in time for qualifying.

“First of all it's great to be back in competition; this is what we have been dreaming about for many months and finally the big event is here," said
Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President.

"In terms of performance, we appear to be on a reasonable level and this meets our expectations following the test day. Unfortunately we lost the practice session for the #8 car due to an engine failure, which is the first time we have suffered this problem. The engines have regularly completed more than a Le Mans distance without trouble on the dynos and the track, so this looks like a one-off problem. Finally at the end of qualifying, a minor hybrid system error prevented Alex finishing his stint, which is frustrating. Therefore we still have work to do tomorrow when we aim to improve in terms of pace and reliability.”

The global push to improve fuel efficiency in vehicle fleets will more than double demand for aluminum in the auto industry by 2025, Alcoa's director of automotive marketing said Wednesday.

The National Automobile Dealers Association's board of directors has nominated David Westcott to be the group's chairman in 2013.

We know all of you enthusiasts have been waiting, and finally, here it is. The

Harman International Industries said it will not be affected by Apple's plans to offer voice activated real-time traffic updates and turn-by-turn navigation in cars.

Can we ever write too much about the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S/Toyota 86? Not yet, apparently.

Father' s Day is the one day each year to spoil and honor the guy who took you to your first race or maybe taught you what that big thing on top of the engine was called. For that, he deserves something special. Here are a few suggestions.

Driven: Jeep Mighty FC

Jeep's coolest concept ever and a pair of pricey axles.

The J-12 concept draws from an interesting part of Jeep's history, but you might not remember the Forward Control vehicles that Jeep built in the 1950s and '60s. Those funky trucks incorporated a cab mounted over the front axle and a full-length pickup bed into a relatively compact footprint.

Photo Gallery: Driven: Jeep Mighty FC - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: Driven: Jeep Mighty FC - Automobile Magazine

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General Motors' ailing European unit Opel aims to strike a deal with labor unions to close the Bochum plant after production of the Zafira Tourer van ends in exchange for guaranteeing German jobs through to 2016.