Walking gingerly into the media center at Darlington Raceway Eric McClure was battered but optimistic following a frightening crash on Saturday at Talladega.
McClure's Nationwide Series car went full-throttle into the inside wall at the high banked speedway. The track was red flagged to remove him from his damaged car and repair the damage to the SAFER barrier.
He said that he could remember "bits and pieces" of the accident including that he felt his heart "sink" when he felt the car had no brakes.
He was taken to a hospital in Birmingham, Alabama and was released a few days later.
McClure joked "I've always dreamed about coming to media center, but, not under these circumstances." He was referring to the fact that it was usually race winners and pole winners who came for interviews.
"There have been some good things to come out of this week, I got to meet Jeff Gordon", he added. "I'm doing OK. About as well as could be expected. Definitely sore and battling some things this week. But I'm thankful."
Thanks to the SAFER barrier and safety designs of the relatively new Nationwide series car he suffered no serious injury other than the concussion. Under NASCAR rules drivers are not allowed to race immediately following a hospitalization for a concussion.
His biggest battle was "internal bruising." So he will consult with physicians to see when he can get back in his race.
Perhaps adding insult to injury his transport to the hospital gave him a fright. "I remember being really scared on the helicopter, because I don't like to fly," he said.
It will take at least two week before he can race again.
"I'd love to be back in the car as soon as possible," McClure added "I wish there weren't fun race tracks coming up".
Tesla Motors will begin deliveries of the Model S in June, a bit earlier than what the electric car manufacturer had initially projected. The new sedan is expected to account for 90% of its revenue this year.
Photo: Tesla Motors
Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas believes Tesla is entering ''one of the riskiest moments of its history." The company said it has adopted a "slow, methodical" approach to the launch and expects to sell 5,000 units by the end of 2012. So far, some 10,000 customers have reserved their own.
"Once we complete and document the tests, we will be able to sell our vehicles in the United States," Chief Executive Elon Musk wrote in a letter to shareholders.
Pricing for the Tesla Model S will range from about $50,000 to $100,000 after a $7,500 federal tax credit (all figures in US dollars).
F1 needs to resolve its dispute with Mercedes before the sport's multi-billion dollar floatation plans can go ahead.
That is the warning of the German team's chief executive Nick Fry, as Mercedes refuses to sign up to the new Concorde Agreement because rival top teams Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have been offered better deals.
Nick Fry is quoted by The Times newspaper as admitting that the progress of talks with Bernie Ecclestone are "not as strong as I would like".
But he warned: "If CVC wish to float F1, I think they need this resolved fairly quickly -- possibly more than we need it resolved."
Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team
At the same time, he played down speculation Mercedes is on the verge of quitting F1.
"The mindset is absolutely in capital letters: Mercedes-Benz wishes to be in F1," Fry insisted. "I would add that F1 also needs Mercedes-Benz. I am completely convinced in my mind that if CVC wish to sell some or all of F1, the value they can derive from that would be severely diminished if Mercedes was not a participant."
But a senior executive of Mercedes denied the spat is about money.
"It is about fairness," the unnamed official told The Times' Kevin Eason. "We are facing a situation in which three teams will between them decide some of the biggest issues in formula one. That cannot be right."
Unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, the Volkswagen Beetle Fender concept is a tribute to the famous guitar brand. Given the positive response, the German automaker decided to launch a special package for future Beetle customers.
Of course, the production model won't be as cool as the show car, which featured a guitar-enabled subwoofer in the trunk and iPod dock/head unit with vintage-style mesh surround. Sources told Car and Driver that you'll have to connect your axe via the auxiliary input or Bluetooth interface using a smartphone app.
Instead of genuine wood trim, expect some form of woodgrain inserts, not to mention retro-looking tailpipes, red exterior accents, and a lowered suspension.
Volkswagen has yet to announce a release date, but don't be surprised if the Fender package arrives in showrooms by the end of the year.
Eight IndyCar drivers got their first taste of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday as there were invited to go thru the Rookie Orientation Program (ROP) in order to take part in the upcoming Indianapolis 500.
Simon Pagenaud. (Photo: IMS)
Among them was ex-Formula One veteran Jean Alesi who took part in the session aboard the Fan Force United team' DW12 Lotus-powered.
Jean Alesi. (Photo: IMS)
The Frenchman completed 18 laps and will be back Friday to complete his ROP along with other Indy 500 rookie Foyt driver Wade Cunningham.
Rubens Barrichello coached by Tony Kanaan. (Photo: IMS)
Rubens Barrichello (KV Racing Technology), Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing duo Josef Newgarden and Bryan Clauson, Dale Coyne's James Jakes - who did not qualify in 2011 - Schmidt Hamilton's Simon Pagenaud and returnee Michel Jourdain Jr of Rahal Letterman Lanigan were also on hand to take part in the practice Thursday.
Auto Bild reports that Porsche is planning to launch a smaller variant of the Panamera sedan that could seriously rival the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and CLS-Class. Code-named Pajun, it would hit the market around 2017 at a price set anywhere between 65,000 and 100,000 euros ($84,000 and $130,000).
A Porsche spokesman, Hans-Gerd Bode, told Reuters that the German automaker has many ideas for a sixth model. However, a final decision has yet to be made.
Porsche's current lineup includes the 911, Boxster/Cayman, Cayenne, and Panamera. The Macan compact SUV will join the fold next year.
France's Xavier Chevrin is set for quite a trip. This is the guy who travelled 13,400 kilometres from Shanghai to Paris in an electric car two years ago. Now, he's heading to Nairobi, Kenya, where he will embark on a 5,000 km adventure that should take him to Johannesburg, South Africa, by the end of June.
Photo: Venturi
''We want to dispel any lingering doubts about electric vehicles,'' Chevrin says. His goal is to prove once and for all that clean-energy cars are just as capable as traditional gasoline or diesel powered models.
The vehicle for the mission is a Citroën Berlingo, which is similar to the French postal trucks. Three on-board batteries allow a combined range of 500 kilometres with peaks at 110 km/h. Chevrin plans to take on difficult road conditions in order to showcase the electric van's rugged character and reliability.
The auto industry can change a lot from one month to the next. While Land Rover recorded another sales increase of 50% or more from the same period in 2011, Mazda suffered a 6% drop.
Among domestic manufacturers, only Chrysler posted an improvement in April, albeit a very modest one at 3%. Ford and General Motors closed the month with a loss of 5% and 6%, respectively.
The sun continues to shine for MINI, which surfed on a 25% larger wave. Mercedes-Benz and Kia both sold 18% more cars last month than in April 2011.
German driver Tim Bergmeister was seriously injured in a high-speed crash last weekend when his Porsche slammed in the guardrails at Fuji Speedway in Japan.
Bergmeister underwent surgery to save his lungs, which was apparently successful.
His brother Jorg is keeping everyone well informed about Tim's state on his Facebook page.
Thusrday, Jorg wrote: “This morning my brother tried to tell us something... So we gave him a pen and paper and the first word that he wrote was: LAGUNA. So i guess I have no choice but go to Laguna (Seca) tomorrow night. Today, the doctors took him off the respirator and he is talking. He is in a lot of pain from 14 broken ribs and all his other broken bones. There are still a lot of things that can go wrong, but he made a very big step! Thank you everyone for keeping him in your thoughts and prayers. Jörg”
On Wednesday, TomTom announced the new VIA1605 TM navigation system for North America. Similar to Europe's Start 60, it features the largest screen of all TomTom's portable navigation devices at 6''. The bigger menus and buttons also make input simpler.
"Safety on the road is an ever-present concern for today's drivers," reminds Corinne Vigreux, Managing Director at TomTom.
The new GPS goes on sale later this month starting at $229.99.
The reports suggested the famous Italian marque has been impressed with the Scot's one and a half seasons with Force India and sees him as a potential replacement for the struggling Felipe Massa.
"I have not heard anything about it," the 26-year-old, who is managed by Anthony Hamilton, said in Barcelona.
"I am just concentrating on the job I have to do for Force India. That is my only focus," he is quoted by the Scottish Sun newspaper.
Paul di Resta, Sahara Force India. (Photo: WRi2)
However, di Resta is widely regarded as having outshone his highly-rated teammate Nico Hulkenberg so far in 2012.
But he denies he is the number one driver.
"(There is) equal opportunity and everybody seizing his chances," di Resta told F1's official website.
As for his dominant position over Hulkenberg, he insisted: "That would be for Nico to answer."
Hulkenberg said on Thursday: "The first four races have been quite tough but I'm looking forward -- I'm bedding in well with the team."
Will absence make our hearts grow fonder of the Four Seasons Nissan Juke? The Ann Arbor-based Automobile Magazine staff members will find out, because the quirky hatchback just left for a stay on the East Coast with senior editor Joe Lorio, who had a lot to say about the car even before he left Michigan:
"Big as a Buick" is a phrase that rolls easily off the tongue, and for good reason. For decades, one of this stalwart brand's consistent deliverables was sheetmetal and lots of it. That started becoming a problem, however, round about the days of the first gas crisis. Buick, like other GM divisions, rushed out a series of smaller entries, most of them called Skylark -- although a Skyhawk also snuck in there. And most of them were forgettably, or regrettably, restyled versions of cheap Chevrolets.
Buying a new car -- like lying to your mother, getting a tattoo, or tying the knot -- is difficult to undo. Once you've signed on the dotted line and accepted the keys, you're stuck with your choice -- or forced to swallow a big financial loss if you decide to sell it or trade it in. One of the functions of an Automobile Magazine Four Seasons test is to explore the waters before you commit to years of monthly payments. So what are we second-guessing with our long-term Dodge Charger? Here's senior editor Joe Lorio, who recently took his first extended drive in our Four Seasons car and found a very different experience from his previous stint in Dodge's full-size sedan.
Former General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz has been appointed to the board of directors at Energ2, the nanotechnology manufacturer announced today. Energ2, which is based in Seattle, makes nano-structured components for energy storage systems.
Opel dismissed media reports that jobs at its Ruesselsheim, Germany, engineering center are at risk under plans to transfer development of the next Zafira minivan to GM's new alliance partner, PSA/Peugeot-Citroen, in France.
Let's be honest: the third row of seats in the Acura MDX is laughable. There is virtually no leg- or headroom, relegating these seats for use only by small children or extremely flexible adults. And with the third row raised, cargo room also is diminished quite a lot. Put that concern aside, and the MDX is a great vehicle. It drives much like smaller Acuras, with sporty handling and an excellent V-6 engine. I'm even a fan of the angular, creased exterior design.
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