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May
28th

F1: Lotus remains race favourite for Canada says Alguersuari

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From GMM

Yet another weekend has passed in which the pre-race favourite, Lotus, failed to deliver.

But Jaime Alguersuari thinks the Enstone based team remains poised to shine in the very near future.

"From my point of view, I still believe that they have the most competitive package, both mechanically and aerodynamically," said the former Toro Rosso driver.

"They have great traction and very little degradation of the rear tyres. It is unfortunate that here they were not able to get the most from it but you will see again in Canada they will again be the favourites," the Spaniard told the AS sports daily in Monaco.

Lotus F1
Photo: Lotus F1 Team

Behind garage doors, however, confusion still reigns.

Red Bull became the sport's only multiple-race winner of the 2012 season so far with Mark Webber's Monaco breakthrough.

But team manager Jonathan Wheatley used the word "lottery" to explain how races are being won and lost.

"On Thursday we thought ninth or tenth would be our maximum," he is quoted by Der Spiegel. "Lotus with Romain Grosjean looked over a second quicker than the rest."

Flavio Briatore said teams will be needing to take a 'long game' approach to the championship, with championship leader Fernando Alonso the favourite in his view.

"If the lottery continues, it will be best to cope with it by having the most tickets in your pocket," the former Renault team boss told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "And that's Alonso."



May
28th

The volume control

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I don't need to look at a calendar to know when Spring officially arrives. My neighbour's daughter does that for me. She likes her music at a volume that would shame a 60s rock star! In spring when windows open up, it becomes a problem, particularly when she rolls through at 3 am.

Perhaps we should get together and suggest that she stay at the party until 6 am, and then I wouldn't need an alarm clock, but then her parents might object.

I struck up a conversation with her a few days ago and she didn't really think that her music was that loud. Remembering back to the days when I wanted killer audio systems in my cars, I could see her point, except that if I had woken my parents or the neighbours up, there would have been swift and imaginative retribution.

After this conversation, I wondered about hearing loss from all the modern sources of noise and that seems to be a growth industry of all its own. Like everything else in life, if taken to excess, noise can cause problems and it doesn't matter what the source is. Everything from tractors, to having the car windows down can, over time, cause hearing loss. Loss in hearing from “music sources” such as car stereos, iPods and other sources showed that there could be as much as a 15 db hearing loss in teens that continually used such devices.

One of the biggest scams perpetrated on consumers is the “clean sound” that new stereo equipment produces. Sales representatives try to tell you that it is the dirty or background noise that causes problems. Once you bite on this hook, you have just changed from a stereophile to a stereofool. It is and always has been the volume that causes the hearing loss. All “clean” or “dirty” noise does is change which part of your hearing range goes first.

Just about every major medical group has done studies and all of them show the same results. Continued exposure to sound at high levels (the actual number of decibels measured did vary) showed a significant hearing loss (10 db or more). The loss was progressive in that it accelerated (when compared to a control group) as the subjects got older.

Protecting your hearing isn't that difficult to do. When driving, roll windows up and enjoy the quietness of modern interiors and then add a reasonable amount volume to enjoy your music. Use noise cancelling ear buds or headphones to help keep outside noise from interfering when using your personal listening devices.

Remember if you don't turn the volume down, Mother Nature will do it for you!

2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback speaker sub
Photo: Matthieu Lambert


May
28th

NASCAR: At last Kasey Kahne returns to victory

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There was probably never was a question of if Kasey Kahne would win a race driving for Hendrick Motorsports. It was a question of when which was answered in the Charlotte 600.

Kahne had won two poles, but, seemed to have the worst luck of his Hendrick Teammates. He seemed to have a black cloud over him, but, changed his luck in the 12th race of the season.

That ended with a convincing 4.295 second win over the Toyotas of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. The 600-mile race was completed in three hours, 51 minutes and 17 seconds — a record for the longest event on the Sprint Cup schedule. The previous record was 3 hours, 56 minutes, 55 seconds in 1995.

NASCAR Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports pit crew at work. (Photo: NASCAR)

“We're gaining. We're making big strides," said Kahne, who jumped to 15th in the standings after leading the final 44-laps in the 400-lap race. "I have the greatest teammates to work with, which is something that I've really looked forward to coming to Hendrick Motorsports. Tonight we finally put it together.”

It was Kahne's fourth victory at the 1.5-mile oval and his third in the Charlotte 600. And it was the third straight week that a Hendrick car was in Victory Lane in a Sprint Cup race.

Hamlin said that his second place finish was “definitely a step in the right direction.”

Fourth place, Greg Biffle led a race-high 204 laps said, “Kasey got good as the night fell," Biffle said. "And we seemed to struggle a bit."

NASCAR Kasey Kahne Greg Biffle
Kasey Kahne passes Greg Biffle. (Photo: NASCAR)

Five time champion, Jimmie Johnson, finished 11th after yet another pit stop incident. This time involving a fueler who didn't remove the fuel can, before his driver left the pits, with 50-laps to go.

Danica Patrick who missed the Indy500 for the first time since she arrived in 2005 said “"today was the first time I had that feeling like I wish I was there (Indy500) after finishing xx five laps down. Then she added some “memories came back.”

The race was typical of the 2012 season; it was free of the multicar pileups that often have marred the longest event on the Cup schedule. There were five cautions, but four were for debris and one was for a single-car crash in Turn

Hamlin opined “bottom line, I think everyone is so concerned with points nowadays, you know if you wreck and you finish in the 30s, you're going to take 10 races to get that back. I think everyone's just a little bit more patient on restarts, as crazy as that sounds. It's just not as wild on restarts as it used to be a couple years ago.”


May
28th

F1: Sahara Force India skipped Bahrain practice for publicity

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From GMM

There was an element of publicity in Sahara Force India's decision to sit out a practice session in Bahrain last month, Bernie Ecclestone has charged.

The F1 chief executive had already denied the Silverstone based team was deliberately ignored by F1's television cameras in qualifying, a day after Force India skipped practice due to security fears.

"The protesters weren't there to attack anybody," Ecclestone told F1 business journalist Christian Sylt over lunch in London recently. "They were going to use the event to demonstrate and get their word out."

Paul di Resta F1 Nico Hulkenberg Sahara Force India
Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg. (Photo: Sahara Force India)

He revealed that, when Sahara Force India expressed fears about travelling in Bahrain at night, he offered to accompany the team members without security personnel.

"We will drop you and I will come back alone in the car again with no escort," Ecclestone said, recalling his conversation with the Silverstone based team.

In contrast, he said he "wouldn't have wanted to go into those streets when we had the problems in London" last year.

"Force India wanted people to write about them," the 81-year-old charged.


May
28th

F1: Sebastian Vettel denies signing Ferrari deal

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From GMM

Sebastian Vettel has denied reports he has signed a 'pre-contract' to move to Ferrari in 2014.

Two British Sunday newspapers reported the rumour just ahead of the Monaco grand prix.

"Maybe they needed to fill up some space in their newspapers," the reigning world champion, who remains under contract to Red Bull for the foreseeable future, told the Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung in Monaco.

"I have signed nothing," the 24-year-old German insisted.

Mark Webber Red Bull F1 Sebastian Vettel
Red Bull's celebrations around Mark Webber. Only Sebastian Vettel was missing. (Photo: Red Bull Racing)

As for why he was the only missing team member when Red Bull celebrated Mark Webber's Monaco victory by leaping into Red Bull's harbour pool, Vettel answered: "I didn't want a swim.

"And I didn't have any spare clothes," he smiled wryly.

Sebastian Vettel finished fourth, losing his championship lead to Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.


May
28th

One-off Ferrari SP12 EC named after Eric Clapton

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Ferrari just created a special one-off car, the SP12 EC, as an homage to famed guitarist Eric Clapton's career and his long-lasting passion for Ferrari, having owned three 512 BB models over the years.

Ferrari SP12 EC
Photo: Ferrari

Clapton wished that the car be based on a Ferrari 458 Italia but with styling reminiscent of the 512 BB and the early '80s.

No technical specs were released by the Italian automaker, but some sources report that the 458's 4.5L V8 engine sits under the hood. The total cost also remains vague, with estimates ranging from €3.8M to €4.5M ($4.9M to $5.8M).
May
28th

Government of Canada to test clean vehicle technologies

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The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, today announced that the Government of Canada is continuing its commitment to advance clean vehicle technologies and work with the automotive industry to make safe, clean and innovative transportation options available to Canadians.

"Our government is pleased to launch the next phase of the ecoTECHNOLOGY for Vehicles Program," said Minister Lebel. "This program will assess the safety and environmental performance of new vehicle technologies to ensure that innovations can be introduced in Canada in a safe and timely manner."

Over the next several years, the automotive industry will introduce a range of innovations to improve vehicle safety and to meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations.

The ecoTECHNOLOGY for Vehicles Program is a five-year, $38-million program that will proactively test advanced vehicle technologies to develop safety and environmental regulations, as well as industry codes and standards. Test results will help align vehicle regulations in North America to reduce and prevent barriers to cross-border trade, lowering costs for business and consumers, and supporting jobs and economic growth.

The program builds upon a successful predecessor program with the same name, which focused on testing environmental technologies for passenger cars. The new ecoTECHNOLOGY for Vehicles Program will expand testing activities to include heavy-duty trucks and a broader range of technologies.

Funding for the program was provided in Budget 2011 as part of a suite of Clean Transportation Initiatives under the renewal of the Government of Canada's Clean Air Agenda.

The Clean Transportation Initiatives focus on aligning Canadian regulations with those in the United States and with international standards, improving the efficiency of the transportation system and advancing clean technologies.

These initiatives will help Canada achieve its economy-wide target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 17 per cent from 2005 levels by 2020.

For more information about the ecoTECHNOLOGY for Vehicles Program and test results from the predecessor program, please visit Transport Canada's website at www.tc.gc.ca/eTV.


As reported by the Goverment of Canada
May
28th

Chrysler set to kill Compass and Town & Country

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The Jeep Compass and Chrysler Town & Country will cease to exist in 2014, Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne announced. The Town & Country will actually be replaced by a smaller crossover-type vehicle.

The changes are part of a long effort by Marchionne to give each Chrysler Group brand a more distinct identity and save a considerable amount of money by eliminating product overlaps.

2011 Jeep Compass
Photo: Chrysler

More than 90% of the automaker's dealerships now sell all four volume brands - Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram - making brand identity a crucial strategic element.

Under its sheetmetal, the Compass is basically identical to the Jeep Patriot, while the Town & Country is nothing more than a premium version of the Dodge Grand Caravan. The replacement crossover may retain the Town & Country name, however.

While Marchionne has axed a number of vehicles since taking over in 2009, he has also added three separate brands to the North American landscape including Ram, Fiat, and SRT.

In other news, the CEO reaffirmed that an electric version of the Fiat 500 subcompact is heading to our shores later this year even though Chrysler "will lose money on every car we make."


Source: Automotive News
May
28th

Audi R18 to gain digital rearview mirror for Le Mans

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Audi announced that its R18 race car will be equipped with a digital rearview mirror connected to a tiny, lightweight camera mounted on the roof, just behind the antennas.

"Even at 330 km/h we're achieving a totally fluid image flow in real-time transmission - a speed at which the vehicle is covering 92 metres every second,'' said Wolfgang Ullrich, head of Audi Motorsport.

Photo: Audi

This system considerably reduces vibrations associated with traditional outside mirrors.

In addition to displaying the image from the camera, the digital mirror can provide feedback on various in-car functions, such as a gear indicator, as well as race information like a yellow flag, for instance.

Mass production is not in the cards yet, but with a digital rearview mirror, Audi customers would once again profit from a system that has been successfully tested in motorsport.
May
27th

Short-Track Roundup: Video of Hines winning Midget race in Indianapolis; more

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The days leading into the Indianapolis 500 traditionally feature a handful of the biggest short-track open-wheel races of the season, and that was certainly the case this year.
May
27th

2012 Monaco Grand Prix in pictures – 2012 Monaco Grand Prix in pictures

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Pictures from race day for the Monaco Grand Prix, following Mark Webber's win from pole


May
27th

Mark Webber wins in Monaco – 2012 Monaco Grand Prix

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Mark Webber has won the Monaco Grand Prix, ahead of Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso


May
27th

Tenn. GM dealers hope reopened Spring Hill plant boosts business

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As General Motors prepares to re-open its Spring Hill, Tenn., assembly plant later this year to build the Chevrolet Equinox, nearby GM dealerships are hopeful they will soon see a surge in customers.
May
27th

Jeep looks to put wind back in China sales, output

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Chrysler's Jeep brand has a strong global image connected to an adventurous lifestyle, but three decades of changing ownership have left it without a Chinese production base and missing out on surging demand for SUVs in the world's largest vehicle...
May
27th

GP2: Jolyon Palmer wins race 2 in Monaco (+video)

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Jolyon Palmer (iSport) takes victory in the second race presented in Monaco, after a multi car pile-up in the first lap.

Pole sitter Stéphane Richelmi went out at the very first corner, because of a contact with James Calado, who was able to maintain his car on track in second position. The incident gave Jolyon Palmer the lead.

Right after, race 1 winner Johnny Cecotto span at Massenet corner, which brought a massive accident behind him, involving ten cars, including championship leader Davide Valsecchi and his teammate Felipe Nasr, whose car was launched in the air, with no damage for the Brazilian driver.

Calado, who stayed on track in second position after the first corner incident, was forced to stop to fix a broken front wing.

Max Chilton moved up to second, and finally crossed the finish line only one second behind his fellow countryman Jolyon Palmer, who secured his first GP2 win. Giedo Van der Garde takes third.

Jolyon Palmer is the son of former F1 driver Jonathan Palmer.



Race 2 results - GP2 (Monaco)

1 - Jolyon Palmer - iSport - 30 laps in 45min41.227s

2 - Max Chilton - Carlin - 1.083s
3 - Giedo Van der Garde - Caterham - 4.426s
4 - Marcus Ericsson - iSport - 8.133s
5 - Rodolfo Gonzalez - Caterham - 19.968s

6 - Luiz Razia - Arden - 23.273s
7 - Nathanael Berthon - Racing Engineering - 26.376s
8 - Esteban Gutierrez - Lotus - 26.880s
Etc.

Championship
1.Valsecchi 141; 2.Razia 110; 3.Van der Garde 85; 4.Chilton 79; 5.Calado 75; 6.Gutierrez 60; 7.Leimer 41; 8.Ericsson 34; 9.Cecotto 31; 10.Coletti 29.




May
27th

F1: Sebastian Vettel signs 2014 Ferrari pre-contract – reports

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From GMM

Two British newspapers on Sunday reported an explosive rumour about F1's reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel.

The Independent, and the Sunday Times, separately said the Red Bull driver has signed a pre-contract to join Ferrari in 2014.

"Insiders are adamant that the German has signed an option with Ferrari for 2014, subject to competitive form from the Prancing Horse stable for the rest of 2012," said the Independent.

The Sunday Times agreed, adding that Vettel's current teammate Mark Webber could also be moving to Ferrari to replace Felipe Massa, but only for a single season in 2013.

Fernando Alonso's Ferrari contract runs until 2016.

"It is not known whether the Vettel option is binding on either side, but if there is a one-year Ferrari vacancy for 2013, it strengthens the case for Webber being the man to fill it," said the Times.
May
27th

Indy 500: Live race coverage from Indianapolis!

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Auto123.com Racing is delighted to offer motorsport fans a live description of the most important race of the IZOD IndyCar Series, the 500 Miles of Indianapolis.

Due to logistic reasons, we are proving both French and English comments on the same page. Thanks! And enjoy the race!


May
27th

NASCAR: Brad Keselowski wins Charlotte Nationwide race on fuel run

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Brad Keselowski's fuel strategy to save gas won the day at the Charlotte Nationwide Series race.

Only Brad isn't telling how he stretched his gas mileage to 73 laps.

When asked how he held off Denny Hamlin's Toyota for the win he said "well, I can't tell you that," with a big toothy smile. "There's a strategy and you know, Penske Racing engines, they do a great job with fuel mileage on the Dodges and they deserve a lot of credit for it.

"There's only so much you can do as a driver and a lot of it comes down to the car and what it needs. Denny didn't let me save any. I can tell ya at the end he was running pretty hard and I knew he was going to be tough, both him and Kyle (Busch)."

It was Keselowski's 18th win in NASCAR's junior series.

Hamlin was not surprisingly disappointed: "It was a great battle back for us," Hamlin said.

"We were just struggling to get the motor running at end of the straightaway. I thought we had a carburetor problem. We fought the handling. We just didn't have that good of a car, but we were able to make something of it.

"I had used my stuff up so much trying to get back through the field. I wore out the right front right off it."

Ford driver, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, the points leader, had a broken driveshaft, causing a lengthy pit stop for a replacement and repair. He finished 26th - 21-laps behind the winner -, but still has a 13-point lead over Elliott Sadler, who finished fifth.

Austin Dillon, the highest ranked rookie who finished 11th, is third in the standings, 28 points behind Stenhouse, Jr.

Danica Patrick finished 13th, and X-Games Champion, Travis Pastrana 24th, five laps down of two spins.
May
27th

Canadian rallies: Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard win RMR

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Rockstar Energy Drink duo Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard took away their second Canadian Rally Championship event of the year by winning the Rocky Mountain Rally, in Calgary.

"Winning at the season opener Rallye Perce-Neige and again here at the Rocky Mountain Rally gives us the maximum possible championship points heading into the summer events in Quebec," L'Estage said.

"It's an excellent result for us."

Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard at the Rocky Mountain Rally (Photo: Andrew Snucins/CARS Media)
Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard at the Rocky Mountain Rally (Photo: Andrew Snucins/CARS Media)

Despite debuting a new gearbox and despite the traditional muddy conditions, L'Estage and Richard put on a clinic, leaving rivals Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell (Subaru Canada) fight for second place with Crazy Leo Urlichich and Carl Williamson (Can-Jam).

It was a heated battle between the two Subaru teams, but Richard and Ockwell came out on top.

Eric Grochowski and Leanne Junnila won the two wheel drive class and Eric Pehota, alongside co-driver Richard Doucert, the Production GT category.



Final results - Rocky Mountain Rally (Canadian Rally Championship)

1. Antoine L'Estage/Nathalie Richard (Mitsubishi EVO X)
2. Pat Richard/Alan Ockwell (Subaru Impreza WRX STI)
3. Crazy Leo/ Carl Williamson (Subaru Beast)
4. Hardy Schmidtke/John Hall (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX)
5. Alexandre Kozlov/Martin Matas (Subaru STI)

6. Eric Pehota/Richard Doucet (Subaru WRX Wagon)
7. Azam Deen/Shabir Haji (Subaru Impreza STI)
8. Tibor Kertes/Spencer Armstrong (Mitsubishi EVO X)

9. Eric Grochowski/Leanne Junnila (VW Golf)
10. Kris Shofield/Jennifer Daly (Toyota Corolla)
May
27th

Rally: Sébastien Loeb takes win in Greece

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From WRC.com

Piloting a Citroen DS3 WRC alongside co-driver Daniel Elena, Loeb performed faultlessly to secure his 71st career victory after fending off a host of rivals. And by claiming three bonus points for winning the event-closing Power Stage, Loeb's lead of the WRC drivers' standings increases to 30 points with seven rounds remaining.

Petter Solberg started Sunday's five stages trailing Loeb by 10.2s only to crash out on the opening test in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

The Norwegian's misfortune - he tore a rear wheel off his car after striking a tree - promoted Loeb's teammate Mikko Hirvonen up to second with Jari-Matti Latvala securing the final podium place in third. The Finn marked his return from injury by claiming 10 fastest stage times.

Behind Latvala, Mads Ostberg moved into third overall in the WRC standings by finishing fourth. Martin Prokop and Thierry Neuville also continued their strong scoring runs in fifth and sixth respectively.



Final classification - Acropolis Rally

1. Loeb-Elena (Citroen DS3 Wrc) in 4h42min03.3s
2. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 40.0s

3. Latvala-Anttila (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 3min04.8s

4. Ostberg-Andersson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) +6min16.4s

5. Prokop-Hruza (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 7min46.5s
6. Neuville-Gilsoul (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 9min41.4s

7. Ogier-Ingrassia (Skoda Fabia S2000) + 12min59.9s

8. Al-Rajhy-Orr (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 20min12.2s
9. Tanak-Sikk (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 23min18.9s
10. Al-Kuwari-Arena (Mini Cooper Wrc) + 28min40.5s
etc.


Championship

1. Loeb 119 points, 2. Hirvonen 89, 3. Ostberg 80, 4. Solberg 73, 5. Latvala 45, etc.
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