Davide Valsecchi (DAMS), who dominated last week end in Bahrain, takes another win on Al Sakhir circuit as he won race 1 on Saturday.
The italian driver, who took win in both rounds presented last week end during the Formula 1 Grand Prix, started from outside row 1 today behind poleman Giedo Van der Garde (Caterham).
Davide Valsecchi, DAMS. (Photo: GP2 Series)
Valsecchi moved up to the lead at mid race, then pulled away in front, to secure a third victory in a row. Fabio Leimer (Racing Engineering) takes second place, 7,7 secondes behind Fabio Leimer who took the advantage over Van der Garde in the last laps.
Marcus Ericsson (iSport) took 8th position, which put him on pole position for race 2, due to reverse grid regulation for the Top 8.
Race 1: 1 - Davide Valsecchi - Dams - 32 laps in 57'35"088
2 - Fabio Leimer - Racing Engineering + 7"711
3 - Giedo Van der Garde - Caterham + 14"824
4 - Luiz Razia - Arden + 24"142
5 - Max Chilton - Carlin + 24"705
6 - Rio Haryanto - Carlin + 40"965
7 - Felipe Nasr - Dams + 45"772
8 - Marcus Ericsson - iSport + 50"645
etc.
So, whatever happened to the Lamborghini Estoque concept that was unveiled in Paris back in 2008? Was it scrapped right after the show? Not at all, according to CEO Stefan Winkelmann.
Photo: Lamborghini
"It was placed on hold because of a number of reasons, including the lack of a suitable platform," he said.
In case you didn't know, the plan to add a third model to the Lamborghini lineup is back on the table.
While a four-door sedan is an option, the exotic Italian automaker apparently sees more potential in a sport-utility vehicle. The Urus concept, launched at the Beijing Auto Show, could develop into a production model by 2015.
In order to meet the demands of GT-R owners, Nissan has developed a special ''Track Pack'' that will boost the supercar's price to £84,450 (about $135,000 CA), making it even more exclusive than it already is.
From a design standpoint, the custom six-spoke RAYS alloy wheels with gloss black centres not only look good, but they also shave 10 kg off the standard 2012 GT-R's weight. Suspension settings have been modified as well in order to improve track performance.
Photo: Nissan
Other changes were made to the interior. The ridiculously tight rear seats are gone, while a pair of new track-ready sports seats can be found up front. They're covered in what is referred to as ''magic cloth,'' a high-friction fabric that allows occupants to ''stick'' to the seats during hard cornering and braking.
The GT-R Track Pack also includes an enhanced Bose audio system.
In terms of performance, look for the same 550-hp twin-turbo engine that propels the car from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds.
Now, the bad news: The GT-R Track Pack is only available in the UK and Japan.
Michael Manley, COO of Fiat-Chrysler Asia Pacific, announced that Dodge's days in Australia are numbered and that the automaker plans to expand the Fiat range in this country.
“We haven't taken a decision to formally kill Dodge in Australia, but if we follow the same pattern as we have in other international markets then it's certainly only a matter of time,” he said.
Photomontage: Auto123.com
The Dodge Journey will likely make room for the Fiat Freemont, based on the same platform, while the Dodge Dart will be sold as the Fiat Viaggio - provided that Chrysler reverses its decision not to build the car in right-hand drive.
The Freemont is mechanically identical to the Journey and offers a choice of a 3.6L Pentastar V6 or a 2.0L, 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine. The bodywork, however, stays true to Fiat styling. Production is scheduled to start in the second half of 2012.
Chrysler Australia and Fiat have also discussed the future of Alfa Romeo, which will officially join the fold on May 1st. The Viaggio, inspired from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, recently made its debut at the Beijing Auto Show and will roll off the assembly line starting in late June.
General Motors plans to introduce a diesel-powered Chevrolet Cruze in the United States next year. As one of the most popular cars on the North American market, the award-winning compact sedan is a prime candidate for this project.
Photo: Luc Gagné/Auto123.com
A 2.0L clean turbodiesel engine will resolve drawbacks once associated with diesel cars, such as excessive engine noise and obnoxious smells.
Of course, no one says it will be easy: Diesel today accounts for only 3% of all US car sales, according to the Diesel Technology Forum. However, there's been a jump of 35% in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011.
Diesel engines deliver more torque and a higher performance than gasoline engines while being significantly more fuel-efficient. They also have a relatively lower cost of entry than some hybrids and EVs.
Performance, speed, displacement, wheels... Whatever strikes a chord in you, it's all part of the giant web that defines the automotive world. Auto123.com leaves no string and no layer untouched, helping you see things more clearly and catch up on all the buzz. Aren't you glad you have us?
2012 MINI Cooper Roadster (Photo: BMW)
Here's what you can look for next week:
Reviews of the 2012 Nissan Versa 1.6 SV and 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan;
Our first impressions of the 2013 Ford Police Interceptor, 2012 MINI Cooper Roadster, and 2013 Dodge Dart;
A feature on the king of custom wheels, Fastco;
Tips on how to make your very own car videos using an iPhone;
Canadian car sales for the month of April;
Our blogs, news, and other cool content.
Coming soon:
Our first test drives of the 2013 Subaru BRZ and 2013 Nissan Altima;
Our first impressions of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class and G-Class;
Seat time in the 2013 Porsche Boxster and 2013 Cadillac XTS.
Have a good time reading, and be safe on the road!
Portuguese driver Felipe Albuquerque put his Audi A5 DTM on top of the timing sheets today during the first practice session for the opening round of the 2012 DTM series in Hockenheim, Germany.
Albuquerque emerged fastest of the 22 drivers with a quick time of 1m34.508 set during the second half of the session. The temperature was warm, but the skies were grey and a few drops of rain fell twice during the session.
Mike Rockenfeller, also driving for Audi, was second quickest, just 0.016 second behind Albuquerque. Edoardo Mortara was third, ahead of Timo Scheider, Miguel Molina and Mattias Ekstrom, making it an impressive six-in-a-row for Audi.
Mike Rockenfeller, Audi. (Photo: René Fagnan/Auto123.com)
The fastest Mercedes C-Coupe was the car of McLaren F1 test driver Gary Paffett in seventh place, 0.331 second down to Albuquerque.
Series' newcomer Robert Wickens of Canada did very well, raking eighth overall and second fastest Mercedes in the Stern car. Wickens is the reigning champion of the Formula Renault 3.5 single seater series.
Robert Wickens, Mercedes. (Photo: René Fagnan/Auto123.com)
However, it was a difficult day for BMW, making a return to DTM after a long absence.
Bruno Spengler, BMW. (Photo: René Fagnan/Auto123.com)
The quickest BMW runner was Andy Priaulx who set the 13th time in his BMW M3, ahead of the sister cars of Canadian Bruno Spengler and reigning DTM champion, Martin Tomczyk.
Priaulx set a time of 1m35.389, 0.881 second slower than the leading Audi.
Bruno Spengler, BMW. (Photo: René Fagnan/Auto123.com)
Qualifying will take place tomorrow afternoon, German time, and Auto123.com will provide live coverage of the timed session.
Nissan plans on redoing 75% of its fleet within the next 15 months. The Altima, the Pathfinder and the Sentra models are already going under some serious changes.
Before 2013, five new models should be rolled out of the factories.
The North American branch of Nissan revealed at the Beijing Auto Show that the brand new Sentra will make its first appearance in the States this summer, and should be hitting the showrooms come fall.
The said coming out of the latest generation Sentra will coincide with the Nissan North America's 30th anniversary. That's why they have set the bar as high as they could for themselves, because Nissan wants much more dynamic and much more attractive product.
A collaboration between BYD and Daimler has come out this week at the Beijing Auto Show, in the shape of a brand new company - DENZA. Its first prototype, quite simply named New Electric Vehicle (NEV), is promised only to the Chinese market, but could venture itself out onto the world in a no-so-distant future.
Photo: Daimler
In charge of the design, Daimler has come up with innovative schemes; suicide doors and front grill integrated headlights. Meanwhile, BYD took care of the battery and electrical systems.
What sets this four-door sedan apart is the way its exterior chrome finish shines to give the car an out of the ordinary brightness. Also, the copper and wooden interior - which has chrome touches two - makes passengers feel like they're in a lounge, not in car. Plus the batteries were fitted so low, nothing gets in the way of climbing aboard or jumping out of the vehicle.
BYD and Daimler kept their cards close to their chest when it came to more mechanically-detailed information, and have yet to reveal how much the NEV might cost. In a few months time, this promising concept should have given away all its secrets.
This is our last goodbye to the Pathfinder, at least in the form we've known it for decades. Since 1986, the Pathfinder has always shared its body-on-frame architecture with Nissan's compact pickups. That's still the case today, but the automaker has already announced the next Pathfinder will instead be based off the unibody Murano crossover.
GM CEO Dan Akerson's overall compensation nearly tripled to $7.7 million last year, reflecting a pay raise for his first full year as chairman and CEO. Last year, GM paid Akerson a base salary of $1.7 million and $5.9 million in stock awards.
After spending too much time hanging around Ann Arbor, our four-seasons Mini Copper S Countryman ALL-4 finally busted out of town in April, heading for New York with editor Jean Jennings and her husband, Tim.
Honda is set to end a five-quarter drop in operating profits and forecast a triple-digit surge in annual earnings after a 2011 hammered by the yen's record strength, natural disasters and a crisis of reputation in its key U.S. market.
A second executive at Japanese automotive supplier Denso will plead guilty to a conspiracy charge in the ever-widening crackdown on price-fixing in several segments of the auto supply chain.
If you look at a vehicle's specs and see that the engine torque number is nearly double that of the horsepower, you can bet said vehicle will have decent acceleration or can be used for pulling stumps or both.
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