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Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 Formula 1 World Champion, drove today his father Gilles' Ferrari 312 T4 at the test circuit of Fiorano in Italy.


This morning, at the Fiorano Circuit one could be forgiven for imagining that Gilles Villeneuve was back on track. Shortly after 10:30am, a 312 T4 rumbled out of the pits prior to doing a few laps of the track.

In fact, this was a special commemoration organised by Ferrari as a tribute to the Canadian driver who raced for the Maranello Scuderia from 1977 until he died tragically during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix on 8 May 1982.

On the 30th anniversary of his death, his son Jacques took to the track in his memory, at the wheel of the same car with which his father won three races in 1979 and that his teammate Jody Scheckter drove to take the Drivers' Championship title.

Taking part in the event were Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo, the Vice President Piero Ferrari, the Scuderia Ferrari drivers, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, the Managing Director, Amadeo Felisa and the engineer, Mauro Forghieri, who was Technical Director in Gilles' day.

Many fans were drawn to Maranello by the ever present memory of the courageous driver and bringing the event to life, they were joined by Villeneuve's mechanics, his widow Joann and their daughter Melanie, who had been by his side back in those unforgettable days.

Colin Jackson is best known for his 60 m hurdles world record - 7.3 seconds. However, he recently bested his time on a Warwickshire test track in England, lowering it to less than a second.

Photo: Jaguar

Albeit... at the wheel of a car - Jaguar's XJ Speed Pack.

"That's a new record for me!" said Jackson after he'd covered a total of 558.04 metres in the magic 7.3 seconds, travelling at over 275 km/h.

"The car was incredibly stable and quiet, it really felt totally at ease with travelling at such enormous speeds. We pulled more the 1G in deceleration - it was quite a ride!"

We have learned that Dragon Racing, thru its owner Jay Penske, has filed a lawsuit against Lotus accusing the engine supplier of no less than contractual fraud.

Dragon Racing becomes the third team to part way with Lotus after it had agreed to release both Team Barracuda BHA and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing from their contracts.

It's believed that Dragon has returned its Lotus engines and associated equipment, and is close on signing with Chevrolet with which he had numerous conversations with them in the last days.

We also believe that Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will announce shortly this week that it is also joining the Chevy stable in collaboration with an existing team.

As we had also revealed some times ago, Team Barracuda BHA is also expected to formally announce its addition to Honda's roster this week.

Associated Press said that Dragon Racing has sued Lotus for at least $4.6 million in damages, accusing the engine manufacturer of damaging its reputation by spreading "especially outrageous" falsehoods about the IndyCar team while failing to deliver two chassis and hurting its ability to be competitive.

Gas prices are on the rise and there IS something that consumers can do about it. In fact, the auto industry offers a broad range of fuel-efficient choices. 23 of them to be exact.

Beginning today, in Brighton, Ontario, journalist members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) will be driving 23 "green" vehicles from Brighton to Oshawa, Oshawa to Toronto, then Toronto to Hamilton, and finally onwards to London where the green convoy arrives Thursday, May 10th. The Mayor of Brighton, Mark Walas, officially launched the EcoRun today; Mayor Joe Fontana of London will close the event Thursday.

AJAC's EcoRun media event has one purpose: demonstrate to Canadians the latest in fuel-efficient technologies being introduced by automobile manufacturers.

The concept is loosely based on England's historic London-to-Brighton run for vintage cars; our own version will be focused on "green" cars with Brighton, Ontario as the starting point.

The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) are event partners. They will join AJAC in providing tips and expert advice to consumers on ways to combat rising fuel prices. Schneider Electric is providing mobile charging stations for the EVs.

The CAA will use AJAC's EcoRun event to promote its various fuel-efficiency programs (e.g. Autogreen, and their ecoDriving tips)

Natural Resources Canada will use the AJAC event as a platform to launch its AutoSmart III program. Their message is that driver behaviour influences fuel-efficiency. NRCan is also monitoring and reporting on energy use so as to demonstrate the fuel-efficiencies attainable in a real-world driving situation.

Finally, the event intends to encourage the "handprint" vs. "footprint" philosophy of making a difference through educated choices and behaviour.
Along our route, we will be making stops at a few community colleges, universities and the Evergreen Brick Works Environmental Centre to promote their respective fuel-efficient projects. Each has their own story to tell: new research projects, new facilities, new programs. The first stop is the University of Ontario Institute of Technology today in Oshawa; followed by Centennial College and the Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto tomorrow; and ending up at Fanshawe College in London on Thursday.

Photos and videos of the EcoRun will be posted daily to the AJAC EcoRun web site: www.ajac.ca

Follow our day-to-day progress on Facebook and Twitter #ajacecorun.


_{As reported by the AJAC}

From GMM

Mercedes' continued participation in Formula 1 could be put to a shareholders' vote at the end of the year.

That is the claim of the respected French commentator Jean-Louis Moncet, writing in his Auto Plus column.

Norbert Haug on Monday denied reports the German car maker is on the verge of quitting the sport because it is not being offered the same Concorde Agreement deal as rival top teams Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull.

But Moncet's apparently 'well-informed source' said: "The Mercedes directorate will vote on whether to stop the F1 programme at the end of 2012, and consequently (Mercedes) will not sign the agreements offered by Bernie Ecclestone."

The source said "the majority" of shareholders may veto Mercedes' F1 activities, which includes its own works team and the supply of engines to McLaren and Force India.

"The future of the (Mercedes) team is also tied to investment and sponsorship and the outcome of the arm-wrestling with Ecclestone," Moncet's source added.

For the first time ever, a license plate has been granted to a self-driving car. Google's model is now allowed to take itself for a ride out on public roads, thanks to the Nevada state.

Photo: Google

The plate is red and reads "∞ 001" so the public can easily distinguish it. Once the self-driving car enters the market, the plate will go from red to green, but will keep the distinctive symbol.

"The infinity symbol felt right for what is essentially tomorrow's car," Nevada motor vehicle department's Bruce Bresbow said.

To be allowed on the public roads, Google had to meet to following requirements: subscribe to a million dollar insurance policy and publish ahead of time every detail concerning the tests conducted. Plus, at all time, two passengers must be aboard, one sitting behind the wheel to prevent any catastrophic failure.


_{Source: Ars Technica}

Toyota has officially launched the world's first all-electric SUV.

Unveiled yesterday at the 26th International electric vehicle symposium, in Los Angeles (Cal.), the electric Toyota RAV4 can go anywhere within a 160 km radius and takes only 6 hours to recharge.

Photo: Toyota

"We want the best of both world," said Group Vice President and General Manager Toyota Division Bob Carter. "We want the efficiency of an electric-powered motor with the known capabilities of our RAV4 SUV."

According to Toyota, the electric RAV4 might even be more performant than the fuel-powered V6 version, thanks to the Tesla Motors power-plant.

In "Normal" settings, the SUV will reach 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds, and a top sped of 137 km/h. In "Sport", it drops 1.6s from 0 to 100 and goes 23 km/h faster.

Retail price for the fully-loaded American version is $49,800.

Toyota hopes to sell 2,600 units in the States, some time in the next three years, but has not yet revealed its plans for the Canadian market.

As Canada's trusted provider of vehicle history reports, dealers have come to expect comprehensive and detailed products from CarProof that they can rely on to help with everything from disclosure, to building customer loyalty, and ultimately to sell more cars and make more money. In addition to those detailed reports, occasionally what's necessary is just a fast snapshot to help make on-the-spot decisions.

"When our dealers are considering cars that are older than 10 years, they told us that in some cases, what they wanted was a screening tool as a starting point," shared Chris Afonso, Vice President Dealer Sales at CarProof. "QuickProof gives them that tool, and the ability to cost-effectively screen for damage on those older vehicles."

In addition to the VIN decode, QuickProof quickly and simply returns a 'yes' or 'no' finding on whether that vehicle has ever sustained damage. 'Damage' includes searching cross-Canada for insurance accident/collision estimates (except from ICBC and SGI), police reported accidents, US findings and CAMVAP buy-backs.

Available on vehicles that are over 10 years old (model year 2001 and earlier), QuickProof provides a great snapshot than can later be augmented with a vehicle history report to assist with compliance to regulations or disclosing all the detailed information to customers. The $7 cost of QuickProof is also credited against that VIN's vehicle history report, if subsequently purchased.


_{As reported by CarProof}

From GMM

German Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher has been pipped at the post in the race to be the world's richest sportsman.

Michael Schumacher, Mercedes AMG (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

According to the Sunday Times' annual listings, the seven time world champion's (US) $823 million in career earnings is beaten only by golf legend Tiger Woods.

American Woods has earned $869 million in his own ultra-successful career, the newspaper found.

And the Sunday Times said the pair have each earned hundreds of millions of dollars more than other high-earning sportsmen, including Michael Jordan ($516m), Roger Federer ($316m) and David Beckham ($258m).

F1's two other representatives, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, were way down the top-twenty list, with their respective earnings at about $161 million apiece.

McLaren's world champions Lewis Hamilton ($89m) and Jenson Button ($85m), meanwhile, appear only on the list for British sportsmen, and they are both outpaced by the $129m earned by former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine mainly through property investment.

However, Hamilton and Button have each earned more in their careers than David Coulthard, Nigel Mansell, former BAR boss David Richards (all $80m) and Sir Jackie Stewart ($67m).

Those earnings, however, are all dwarfed by Bernie Ecclestone's estimated $4 billion, although the 81-year-old F1 chief executive does not appear at all on the list of the world's richest overall.

That list is headed by mega-earners like Sauber sponsor Carlos Slim, who according to the Sunday Times is worth $71 billion.

Panther Racing announced that it had formed a partnership with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in order to assist on operating Oriol Servia's entry for the remainder of the 2012 IndyCar Series season.

Thanks to this association, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, which has recently part ways with Lotus, will use Panther's second Chevrolet engine lease and work alongside No. 4 National Guard team and driver J.R. Hildebrand beginning with this month's Indianapolis 500.

This partnership is not new since both teams have shared a technical partnership since the end of the 2011 season and will now occupied the same installations at Panther's headquarters in Indianapolis.

The union puts Servia behind the wheel of a Chevrolet-powered IndyCar for the first time in his career. General Motors has powered all of Panther's 15 career IndyCar Series race victories and both its championships in 2001 and 2002.

Today we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the tragic death of race car driver Gilles Villeneuve who lost his life May 8, 1982.

It is a really sad anniversary for all motorsport fans. On that day 30 years ago, Canada lost a great ambassador and a true champion.

Before Villeneuve arrived in Formula 1, motorsport in general was relatively unknown in Canada. F1 was nowhere as popular, as well covered and as popular as it is today.

Gilles Villeneuve, Ferrari, French GP, 1979. (Photo: Jean-Claude Loustau)

Those lucky enough to have met him knew of his drive and ambition, that he was different from the others and that he had the potential to make it. For his part, the kid from Berthierville, Quebec was convinced he would make it - and he did.

Transcending borders, Gilles Villeneuve became the most spectacular and popular Formula 1 driver in the world, the idol of millions around the world.

Villeneuve's stunning exploits behind the wheel were powerful enough to help a new breed to up-and-coming drivers to emerge on the international scene with drivers such as Claude Bourbonnais, Stephane Proulx, Paul Tracy, Scott Goodyear and others.

Thanks Gilles.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of Gilles Villeneuve's tragic death. It's a sad anniversary indeed: we've lost not only a great champion, but also a formidable ambassador.

Auto racing and Formula 1 in particular were relatively unknown in Quebec before Gilles arrived. The sport was nowhere near as popular, accessible, and advertised as it is nowadays.

I remember when Villeneuve won the first of six Grand Prix, right here in Montreal, on October 8th, 1978. After the race, a few friends and I stopped at a restaurant for dinner.

''You look ecstatic!'' the waitress told us.

''Well, of course! Gilles Villeneuve just won the Canadian Grand Prix!'' we replied.

''Gilles Villeneuve? Who's that?''

Photo: Jean-Claude Loustau

A mere four years later, the entire world knew who he was: an incredibly talented driver, excessively determined to succeed, who managed to race in F1 with basically no money, just his driving skills. Villeneuve introduced auto racing to hundreds of young Canadians such as Claude Bourbonnais, Stéphane Proulx, Paul Tracy, Scott Goodyear and others.

The circumstances surrounding his fatal crash at Zolder, in Belgium, aren't exactly clear even 30 years later.

Why didn't he ease off the throttle when his tires were destroyed? Why did he go to the same side of the track as Jochen Mass? Was he looking to beat the time of his Ferrari teammate (Didier Pironi) at all costs?

Some people have raised the possibility of a mechanical failure. I've heard others mention faulty brakes and a stuck throttle cable. If that's the case, only a few people would know about it, and I think they'll take the secret to their grave. We'll never know for sure what really happened with the #27 Ferrari on May 8th, 1982.

A pilgrimage to Maranello, home of the Scuderia's headquarters, reveals how big a legend Villeneuve was. In every bar, every restaurant, every hotel lobby, and every gift shop, one can find posters, busts, pictures, stickers, and books about Gilles Villeneuve. Everywhere. He's still a god in Italy.

Today, in Fiorano, his son Jacques drives one of his favourite cars: the 312 T4 that helped Gilles finish second in the 1979 F1 Drivers' Championship. A fitting tribute.

Salut Gilles!

The number of people killed on U.S. highways fell in 2011 for the sixth straight year, the longest streak of declines in the nation's history. Crash fatalities dropped 1.

Two Detroit 3 automakers are among the top 10 in Fortune magazine's ranking of the 500 largest U.S. companies released today. More than 23 auto-related companies made the list. GM rose three spots to No. 5 and Ford rose one place to No. 9.

Toyota's profit may climb to a five-year high and exceed GM's earnings this year, signaling Asia's biggest automaker is close to full force after reeling from natural disasters and a recall crisis.

Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled the production version of its

Toyota today unveiled the production version of its RAV4 electric vehicle, which carries a battery pack and electric motor system developed in collaboration with Tesla Motors.

Also in this episode:

For the first time in six months, used-vehicle prices in April stopped their upward trajectory and showed signs of easing, according to a closely followed gauge released today. The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index in April stood at 126.

A former Acura dealership employee who stole $10.2 million from the Pittsburgh-area store where she worked could face six years in prison, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported today.