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From GMM

Toto Wolff has rubbished suggestions Williams might soon replace Bruno Senna with the team's rising reserve driver Valtteri Bottas.

Finnish commentator Mika Salo last weekend said that, following an interview with Sir Frank Williams, he sensed the team was thinking about ousting Senna in favour of 22-year-old Finn Bottas "this season".

"That story is bullshit," Wolff, who is not only a 15 per cent Williams shareholder but also Bottas' manager, told Austria's Sportwoche.

The reports, however, sounded credible, given Brazilian Senna's recent struggle at the wheel of the FW34, which in the hands of Pastor Maldonado won from pole in Barcelona.

"Right now we need to get behind Bruno and support him," Wolff insisted. "Let's not mess up our strategy. We have a job to do and we'll keep doing it."

Williams' team celebrating Pastor Maldonado's victory in Spain. (Photo: Williams F1 Team)

From GMM

Pirelli stands ready to supply special 'qualifying tires' to formula one teams next year.

With the emphasis of the sport's spectacle now relying on the complex and heavily degrading control tires, it was the qualifying session that suffered last weekend in Barcelona.

Arguably to the detriment of Saturday's spectacle, teams took an exceedingly strategic view of the fight for pole position, with some drivers sitting out the decisive 'Q3' runout altogether.

One solution, according to Pirelli's chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera, is the return of 'qualifying tires'.

Photo: Pirelli

The proposal has been made following recent criticism, notably by seven time world champion Michael Schumacher, of Pirelli's 2012 product.

Tronchetti defended his marque's approach.

"What we have is many competitive cars, which is what the teams wanted -- opportunity for everyone who is able to win," he told Italian radio Rai GR Parlamento.

"So it's fine if someone complains. We are available to the teams. We are ready to make qualifying tires tomorrow. But they are choices that are not ours."

According to the Wall Street Journal, GM will no longer buy advertisements from social media giant Facebook.

The American carmaker will keep its Facebook pages however, to interact with customers and better support its own advertisers.

The news falls on Mark Zuckerberg's head at a less than ideal time. GM pulls out just as the multi-billion dollar company's much expected floatation plans were set to go forward, this Friday.


_{Source: WSJ}

From GMM

Robert Doornbos, the former Minardi and Red Bull driver, is being pursued for millions by a former sponsor.

The disgruntled backer, Harry Muermans, is demanding the Dutchman pay back a whopping EUR 11 million from their partnership between 2005 and 2008, claiming the money was in fact not sponsorship, but loans.

Doornbos, now 30, made his debut for Minardi in 2005, and he also contested a few races for Red Bull Racing at the end of the following season.

According to the Dagblad de Limburger newspaper, Muermans has won the first round of the court battle, a judge ruling that money paid to Doornbos' company - headed by his sister - was in fact in the form of loans.

Muermans is now seeking many more millions from Doornbos himself.

The driver, who reportedly denies Muerman's claims, did not comment.

Ford announced yesterday that the 2013 Shelby GT500 would be fitted with a new launch control system, limiting wheel spin when the driver puts the pedal to the metal.

Photo: Ford

"Launch control is essentially a special mode of the traction control system that integrates the brake and engine management systems to keep the tires balanced on the peak of the mu-slip curve in order to achieve maximum thrust," explains John Pfeiffer, senior engineer, SVT Vehicle Engineering.

"With so much more power and torque on tap from the new 5.8L V8, launch control makes it easier for drivers to take advantage of the performance."

All the driver has to do now is put the pedal to the metal and release the clutch as he would normally do on a standard start, the difference being the launch control system takes care of maintaining the revs where they should be for maximum acceleration without any wheel spin.

"We developed this system to enable 90 percent of drivers to be able to achieve very fast, smooth and consistent starts with the Shelby GT500 regardless of their skill level," said Eddie Khan SVT Engineering supervisor.

Photo: Ford

The Lexus RX defined the luxury SUV when it debuted in 1998, and for 2013 the pursuit of perfection in Canada's most popular - and Canadian-built - Lexus is better than ever.
“We have refreshed the entire RX line for 2013, with exciting vehicle enhancements, updated exterior style and additional interior luxury,” said Larry Hutchinson, Director of Lexus in Canada.

The RX line-up features a fresh look for 2013. Immediately recognizable by the new Lexus signature spindle grille, the RX also sports arrowhead LED daytime running lamps, redesigned fog lamp bezels, and a new front bumper. At the rear, the RX now wears a new tail lamp design that repeats the arrowhead styling, while a number of new wheel finishes are also available.

Photo: Toyota

Lexus has also enhanced the interior, with a new steering wheel design, revised air conditioning controls, an improved centre console box, and more.

Hybrids account for one out of every five Lexus vehicles sold and the RX 450h has contributed to these sales with over 9,000 of the current generation sold this year. The RX 450h has many new techonology upgrades available including the new, 2nd generation Lexus Remote Touch haptic controller for controlling navigation and other systems, enhanced audio systems, and upgraded gauges.

The RX 350 may be ordered with an available F Sport package, which features: unique 19” wheels; a unique interpretation of the Spindle Grille; a black leather interior with aluminum sport pedals, silver trim accents, plus F Sport steering wheel, shift knob and scuff plates; front and rear lateral dampers; unique suspension tuning; an eight-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, and more.

Pricing
RX 350: With an MSRP starting at just $44,950, the 2013 RX 350 is available at the same price as last year's model, but features additional content including a power lift gate and USB audio input. The RX 350 may also be fitted with a choice of five options packages, all of which include additional content or new features versus 2012 equivalents, and all of which are offered at the same or less than last year's models.

RX 450h: The world's first hybrid luxury SUV carries an MSRP starting at just $56,750, which is $2,950 less than the model it replaces, features additional content and is the most value-priced RX hybrid since the 2008 model year. The RX 450h may also be ordered with a choice of three options packages.

RX 350 F Sport: Built in Canada, the All-new for 2013 RX 350 F Sport's eight-speed automatic transmission has paddle shifters as standard equipment. The RX F Sport represents exceptional value with F Sport style and performance designed and engineered to deliver more moments of dynamic driving pleasure, with an MSRP starting at $57,900.


_{As reported by Toyota Canada}

BMW announced today they would launch of a new, faster 1-Series model - the 135iS - offered, as early as this fall, both in coupé and convertible.

Photo: BMW

BMW's 6-cylinder 3.0L in-line engine, fitted with the TwinPower Turbo to produce 320 horsepower, powers the 135iS. Gearbox options comprise a 6-speed manual (standard) and a double-clutch 7-speed (optional). Sport suspension and 18-inch wheels are also available.

The coupé will go for $44,145; the convertible for $48,845. Unfortunately, BMW says the 135iS will only be sold in the States for the moment.

From GMM

Preparations for the inaugural Russian grand prix in 2014 appear to have hit a roadblock.

We reported last weekend that rumours were circulating in the Barcelona paddock that the Sochi race now appears "doomed".

The state owned Moscow news agency Ria Novosti now reports that political issues have created "serious delays" in the race's preparations, according to an adviser with the Russian Automobile Federation.

The official, Igor Yermilin, insisted that the project is not doomed, but he said very few efforts have taken place following the bureaucratic reshuffling of the local Krasnodar region.

He said some officials of the Omega company, responsible for the F1 circuit project, have lost their jobs.

"In the Krasnodar region there has been have been quite serious changes in the leadership," Yermilin said, "including people from Omega who signed the contract on holding the Russian grand prix".

The coastal city Sochi is also scheduled to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

"The main thing at the moment is the Olympics -- the grand prix is on the back burner," said Yermilin.

The fifth generation of Nissan Altima is about to go into production at the Smyrna factory, in Tennessee.

The same factory out of which, 20 years ago, the very first Altima came out. Now, 4.4 million cars later, the 2013 model is about to see the day.

Photo: Nissan

The latest Altima is the first of five "new" cars Nissan is launching on the market in the next 15 months. The new Pathfinder and Rogue generations, scheduled for the following months, are next in line.

Nissan promises dynamic performances and substantially more fuel-economy with the new Altima, while still being built with the same quality as ever.

"This new generation of Altima is not only setting new standards for us in terms of innovation, it's also going to be a benchmark in the mid-size sedan segment," said vice chairman of Nissan Americas Bill Krueger.

No delivery date for Canada has been revealed so far.

You know those three little buttons on the driver's sunshade or the overhead console? Well, they can do a lot of things for you.

HomeLink was created in 1995 by Prince Automotive and immediately started making waves in the auto industry. A year later, the company was purchased by Johnson Controls, which had been looking to solidify its market presence in the field of in-vehicle technologies.

With a promising future ahead of it, HomeLink officially hit the market in 1997 and won a PACE award for supplying breakthrough automotive technology (other winners over the years include Goodyear's run-flat tire and Delphi Corporation's StabiliTrak electronic stability control system).

In 2009, the PACE jury also voted HomeLink as one of the top ten products in the past 15 years to significantly affect the landscape of the auto industry.

Photo: Olivier Delorme

What is HomeLink?
HomeLink is a remote control system that memorizes the radio frequencies and security codes of your garage door, front gate, locks, domestic alarm system, outdoor lights and even interior appliances.

HomeLink works with over 99% of all garage door and gate opening systems manufactured over the last 30 years, so compatibility should not be an issue. As mentioned above, the system uses three buttons located on the driver's sunshade or the overhead console. It's that simple.

Growing success
Upon its introduction, HomeLink was available with 48 vehicle models only. Now, it can be had in more than 350 models.

In 2005, the number of cars featuring HomeLink exceeded 25 million. Just imagine where it stands today!

HomeLink's success is sure to continue since Johnson Controls owns several patents for increasing the functionality and possibilities of the system.

To learn more about HomeLink including configuration tips, go to www.homelink.com/program.

Marco Andretti continued to show good pace on the fourth day of practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by setting the fastest time in his Andretti Autosport Chevrolet-powered DW12.

Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport. (Photo: IMS)

Andretti's fastest lap reached the average speed of 223.676 mph, finishing ahead of two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves of the Penske team (222.025 mph) and Andretti Autosport' Canadian James Hinchcliffe (221.864 mph).

Dario Franchitti, Chip Ganassi Racing. (Photo: IMS)

Alex Tagliani gave some hope to the Bryan Herta Autosport team after he was able to climb up the time sheet to finish 11th after struggling in the first three days of practice; the team still having to learn the ropes with its new Honda engine.

Alex Tagliani, Bryan Herta Autosport. (Photo: IMS)

Meanwhile, Fan Force United's Jean Alesi did not run at all after the team opted to do some work on his Lotus engine.

Helio Castroneves, Penske. (Photo: IMS)

Indy 500 Practice Day 4

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport 40.2367s

2. Helio Castroneves Team Penske 40.5359s + 0.2992

3. James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport 40.5653s + 0.3286

4. Graham Rahal Chip Ganassi Racing 40.5671s + 0.3304

5. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport 40.5746s + 0.3379

6. Charlie Kimball Chip Ganassi Racing 40.5997s + 0.3630

7. Will Power Team Penske 40.6929s + 0.4562

8. Dario Franchitti Target Chip Ganassi Racing 40.7136s + 0.4769

9. Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 40.7530s + 0.5163

10. Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing 40.7608s + 0.5241
11. Alex Tagliani Bryan Herta Autosport 40.7788s + 0.5421

12. Josef Newgarden Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing 40.7886s + 0.5519

13. JR Hildebrand Panther Racing 40.8723s + 0.6356
14. Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 40.8916s + 0.6549
15. Oriol Servia Panther Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 40.9188s + 0.6821
16. Bryan Clauson Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing 40.9311s + 0.6944
17. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt/Hamilton Motorsports 40.9579s + 0.7212
18. Townsend Bell Sam Schmidt Motorsports 40.9748s + 0.7381

19. Tony Kanaan KV Racing Technology 40.9800s + 0.7433

20. Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing 41.0455s + 0.8088
21. Sebastian Saavedra AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport 41.1006s + 0.8639
22. Ed Carpenter Ed Carpenter Racing 41.1496s + 0.9129

23. Mike Conway A.J. Foyt Enterprises 41.1620s + 0.9253
24. Wade Cunningham A.J. Foyt Enterprises 41.1746s + 0.9379

25. James Jakes Dale Coyne Racing 41.2220s + 0.9853

26. E.J. Viso KV Racing Technology 41.2777s + 1.0410
27. Michel Jourdain Jr. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 41.2833s + 1.0466
28. Ana Beatriz Andretti Autosport 41.2948s + 1.0581
29. Rubens Barrichello KV Racing Technology 41.3916s + 1.1549
30. Simona de Silvestro HVM Racing 42.7930s + 2.5563

I'm beginning to see a trend developing here... Fast wheels, Falken tires and now, Ferodo brakes. I guess I need to effin' love my car.

This time around, I'm off to Swap Shop in Blainville, just north of Montreal, to see an old friend. The owner of SSi, Jean-André Brunet, is a highly skilled mechanic, fabricator and pilot that I met nearly fifteen years ago. Back then, he ran a race shop out of a Midas. These days, he's at the head of one of the best Subaru tuning outfits in Canada.

This video is the second in my series on Big Bird which chronicles the brake job that was so highly needed on my 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX wagon.



I was looking for two things when I approached André, as he is best known, and they were the following: I want to upgrade the car's braking power and I want to run my stock 16" WRX wheels over the winter months.

The answer came with one word: Ferodo. As the vast majority of Subie owners prefer to upgrade to Brembo, Ferodo turns out to be one of the few options out there for those looking for stock-sized upgraded goodness.

Note: As the car was in the shop, I noticed that the car is in need of an alignment. Damn. More money.

Next, I plan to put together some laps on a track and make a short video out of the few experiences. As well, I'll give you an update on how the Fast, Falken and Ferodo are doing.

From GMM

Charlie Whiting has defended the decision in Spain to move Lewis Hamilton from pole to the very rear of the grid.

Although McLaren was widely criticised for making a grave error, the stewards' penalty was at the same time described by the world's press as "draconian".

"Quite frankly I did not expect the penalty that we received," said McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh.

Indeed, given that McLaren's fuel indiscretion occurred only in the decisive Q3, why not simply delete Hamilton's Q3 laptimes, thereby putting the Briton mid-grid for the race?

"We had no room to move," Whiting, the FIA's race director, responded to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport when told that Hamilton's penalty seemed too severe.

"If there is a violation, it applies to the whole session, not just part of it," he insisted. "Qualifying begins with Q1."

Photo: McLaren

Whiting explained that if Hamilton had only lost his Q3 time, a precedent would have been set tempting teams to risk not being checked for the mandatory 1 litre fuel sample in post-qualifying scrutineering.

Auto Motor und Sport said only one or two fuel samples are actually checked after qualifying at grands prix.

Competitors could, therefore, genuinely "run the risk" of using less fuel than is allowed in Q3, if the penalty for being caught is relatively light, Whiting argued.

He recalled last year's German grand prix, when Sebastien Buemi was sent to the back of the grid because his fuel sample showed irregularities.

As it was not possible to check if the illegal fuel had also been used in Q1 and Q2, the Toro Rosso driver had to be disqualified from qualifying, Whiting argued.

From mgronholm.com

Following a successful preseason test at the Willow Springs International Raceway in California last week and an inauguration event in Huntington Beach, Marcus Gronholm confirmed his 2012 programme.

The 42 year-old two-time World Rally Champion outlined his participation in the six round Global Rallycross Championship in the USA with the Best Buy Racing Rallycross Team.

Photo: mgronholm.com

The Best Buy Rallycross Team will be run by Olsberg Motorsport Evolution - OMSE - headed by Andreas Eriksson, who will prepare two Ford Fiestas for the Best Buy Racing Rallycross Team to tackle an august field of US and European action sport talent that have been lured by the new arena-based, instant impact and all-action form of motorsport that is GRC.

Gronholm will join established UK rallycross driver David Binks to contend against converts from skateboarding, extreme sport motorcycle freestylers, drifters, X-Games skiers and truck stunt drivers who will join factory teams from Ford, Dodge, Hyundai & Subaru to contest events that will partner NASCAR & IndyCar races as well as the X-Games LA as part of the 2012 calendar.

Photo: mgronholm.com

The remaining events are:
June 9 Texas Motorsport Speedway (IZOD IndyCar Series)
June 30 X Games, Staples Centre, Los Angeles
July 14 New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NASCAR Sprint Cup)
September 1 TBC
September 29 Las Vegas Motor Speedway (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series)

General Motors will start a second shift in July with 600 workers at the Michigan plant that will make the new Cadillac ATS sedan, the company said on Tuesday.

Nissan began production Tuesday of the redesigned 2013 Altima sedan that it hopes will challenge the family-sedan supremacy of the Toyota Camry. The Altima has lagged for most of its 20-year life as the also-ran among family sedans.

GM stock gained as much as 4.3 percent, the most in almost a month, after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway disclosed it bought a stake in the automaker.

Don Petersen says he and Red Poling made a terrific team as Ford Motor Co.'s two top executives a quarter century ago -- even though they came from completely different parts of the business.

BMW announced that it will expand its 1-series lineup with the addition of the 2013 BMW 135is coupe and 135is convertible.

General Motors will stop advertising on Facebook, citing the ineffectiveness of the paid ads, The Wall Street Journal reported today. A GM spokesman confirmed the newspaper's report, according to Reuters.