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Bruno Spengler (BMW M3) is looking forward to competing in the the first round of the 2012 DTM season to be held this weekend at the Hockenheimring in Germany.

There is no doubt that this will be a very special moment for the Canadian driver when he will be driving his BMW M3 DTM during the first test free practice session on Friday.

For the first time in his career, Spengler will not be driving a Mercedes DTM car but a BMW as the German car manufacturer is making a return to the DTM this season.

Bruno Spengler, BMW M3. (Photo: BMW Motorsport)

Spengler quickly adapted to his new team, and to his new car, despite the fact that the BMW M3 is quite different from his Mercedes of last year.

The new technical regulations ask for a new look (lower cars, larger tires, less winglets, paddle shift device, etc). After having completed thousands of kilometers in the new BMW M3 DTM in pre-season tests, Spengler is happy to start the competition.

"The winter break was very long," said Spengler to Auto123.com.

"I'm very happy to be back in race mode this week end in Hockenheim. Of course, we would have preferred to do more tests in order to fine tune the M3 DTM before its maiden race, but I guess it's the same for the other teams. Anyway, it's always difficult to know where we are in terms of lap times, and to compare our performances to those of Audi and Mercedes, as each team had its own development program during the collective tests. It's only after the qualifying on Saturday that we will know who is fast, and who is not."

From GMM

Becoming Pirelli's test driver was "not an option" for Adrian Sutil, the out-of-work F1 driver has admitted.

"Right now I'm waiting," the former Force India driver told Eurosport Deutschland.

German Sutil, 29, was an established F1 driver until 2011, when he became embroiled in a legal battle with Lotus team executive Eric Lux over an assault.

He has been left without a seat for 2012, causing many to wonder why he - and not the less experienced Jaime Alguersuari - was not selected to test with F1's official tire supplier Pirelli.

Photo: WRi2

"A collaboration with Pirelli didn't work out, but I was never in contact with them directly," Sutil said. "It wasn't an option."

He also didn't find a test or reserve seat with a team.

"The fact that there is hardly any testing, of course, is not very helpful," Sutil insisted.

He has been linked with struggling Felipe Massa's Ferrari seat.

"I do have to hope, that either some drivers don't do well, or a cockpit becomes available. That is my chance. That drivers are changed is just a part of formula one. My plan is to wait and see if there is a possibility. If not, then of course you have to give serious thought about what to do in the future -- in 2013," added Sutil.

French driver Simon Pagenaud showed again just how good he is by taking second place at the Long Beach Grand Prix IndyCar race. He's been racing for a while now, in the States and around the world.

The Frenchman's career started out in 2001, with a drive in the Formula Campus series. Soon he moved to Formula Renault 2.0 - for a string of runner up titles: twice in the national championship in 2002 and 2003, than once in the Eurocup in 2004.

In 2005, he graduated to Formula Renault 3.5, a year before he moved to the States.

Simon Pagenaud during his Formula Atlantic days. (Photo: WRI2)

In 2006, as a 22-year-old, the Poitiers-native took top honours in the Formula Altantic series, driving for Team Australia. It allowed him to move up in 2007 to the affiliated Champ Car World Series, in which he finished seventh in his rookie season.

In 2008, the merger between Champ Car and IndyCar forced him to rethink his career path. Still in the States, he took a drive in the American Le Mans Series to race the Acura-powered ARX-01b LMP2 prototype of De Ferran Motorsports alongside his boss Gil de Ferran.

Winning the ALMS title with Honda. (Photo: WRI2)

In 2009, the two stepped up to the LMP1 class, winning five races on their way to second place in the championship. It must have caught the eyes of Acura's head of states, because Pagenaud was signed by the brand's official Highcroft Racing team ahead of the 2010 season - in which he took the P1 title with David Brabham.

The 2009 season also saw Pagenaud commit to racing in Europe with Peugeot. At the wheel of the turbo diesel 908, he won rounds in the Le Mans Series, at Spa in 2009, and at Silverstone in 2011. Four participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans yielded second place as a best result, in 2011.

That same year, on top of racing for Highcroft on and off, Pagenaud went back to open-wheel, in the IndyCar series, taking part in the Barber, Mid Ohio and Sonoma rounds.

At the end of 2011, Pagenaud replaced Simona de Silvestro. (Photo: WRI2)

Encouraging performances at those venues convinced Sam Schmidt Motorsports to give Pagenaud a full-time drive in 2012, at the wheel of their Dallara DW12-Honda.

So far this year, he's taken sixth place at the season-opener in St. Petersburg, a fifth at Barber and a podium in the streets of Long Beach. Although Pagenaud missed out on the win, by hair, his spectacular drive through the field was a highlight of the race.

Strong showings have Pagenaud third in the standings, but whether he can run with the top guys on ovals, which will be crucial if he is to challenge for the overall title, remains to see.

2012 Audi A6 3.0 TFSI Quattro

Audi has a real winner on its hands in the 2012 A6.

Audi has a real winner on its hands in the 2012 A6. The car looks great inside and out, and it drives very well to boot. Audi used to be an also-ran in this segment, and now it sits at the top of the luxury mid-size sedan class. BMW has lost the intimate connection between car and driver in the current 5-series, and Mercedes doesn't offer nearly as nice of a cabin in the E-class as Audi does in the A6.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Audi A6 3.0 TFSI Quattro - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Audi A6 3.0 TFSI Quattro - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

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The 2012 Audi Q5 gets a fresh look and a range of more efficient engines

First Look: 2013 Audi Q5

A familiar look, along with a new powertrain family.

Three years doesn't sound like a long time, but that's exactly how old the Audi Q5 is. Seeing as an all-new model is due for another three years, the time is ripe for a mid-cycle update -- and that's exactly what was bestowed upon the 2013 Audi Q5.

Photo Gallery: First Look: 2013 Audi Q5 - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: First Look: 2013 Audi Q5 - Automobile Magazine

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In case Ferrari, Jeep,

Also in this episode: Jaguar rolls out the Ultimate version of the XJ sedan, Jeep gives the Wrangler more

Driven: 2012 Chevrolet Corvette

Still a hero-maker.

The Corvette's legend was made during the period from the mid Fifties, when it got its mojo working, right on through the Sixties. Soon thereafter, the Corvette went into a period of decline along with the rest of the American auto industry. As the whole idea of performance came under assault, the Corvette drifted into self-parody. More recently, of course, the Corvette has come back, regaining and then eclipsing the performance of its halcyon days.

Photo Gallery: Driven: 2012 Chevrolet Corvette - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: Driven: 2012 Chevrolet Corvette - Automobile Magazine

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Beijing Hyundai has raised its 2012 sales target but expects to maintain its current 6.2% market share this year, a senior executive said.

Ford plans to introduce vehicles in China priced below its current entry level Fiesta.

At the same time that Jeep was introducing the production Altitude-edition Wrangler to its domestic customers, the company also debuted the

SENIOR MOTORSPORTS EDITOR MAC MORRISON: Ah, the good ol' Jetta.

The Bulgari name, known worldwide for producing fine jewelry and other luxury goods, can now add Food Lion AutoFair Best of Show champion to its list of accomplishments after a 1961 Buick Electra 225 convertible owned by Nicola Bulgari was awarded...

More than 1,000 Jeep owners are expected to return to Butler, Pa., on Aug. 10-12 for the second-annual Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival.

Maserati says the Beijing motor show will be the fourth and final auto show appearance for its

Federal-Mogul has unveiled first quarter 2012 financial results that have seen net income drop from US$51m to US$32m.

America's Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA), concedes while the recent catastrophic fire in global Nylon 12 resin supplier, Evonik's factory is "serious," rapid measures are being taken to address the situation.

Supplier Delphi Automotive today reported a 17.5 percent gain in first-quarter net income and raised its full-year earnings outlook in light of the rebounding North American auto market.

The Beijing motor show has become a magnet for overseas companies looking to gain a foothold in the world's largest car market.