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Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel seems to have waken up at the Bahrain Grand Prix, taking his team's first pole of the season - out-qualifying his teammate Mark Webber, also for the first time in 2012.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton secured yet another front row start - his third in four races -. The Brit is then followed by Webber (third) and his McLaren teammate Jenson Button (fourth).

Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) struggled to repeat his Shanghai performance of last week, managing only fifth. Aboard the second Mercedes, Michael Schumacher had an even tougher time, exiting qualifying after Q1 because he did not make the break-out time.

Hekki Kovalainen (Caterham) can be blamed for the seven-time world champion's surprise exit: he put in a blistering lap near the end of the session - with Schumacher on the bubble - only a tenth shy of McLaren and Ferrari; a full second faster that what his Caterham teammate Vitaly Petrov could do.

To Schumacher's defence, he did experience KERS problems, which explain why he did not venture himself out for one last run that could have put him clear of Kovalainen's effort. William's Pastor Maldonado also had reasons to complain about the energy recovery system.

The Venezuelan was forced to sit out Q2. He then dropped five places on the grid because of a gear box change.

Completing the top 10, are Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo, Lotus' Romain Grosjean, Sauber's Sergio Perez, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Force India's Paul di Resta.

Both Alonso and di Resta elected not to run in Q3, in order to save themselves an extra set of fresh rubber for the race.

Also noteworthy, rookie Charles Pic (Marussia) out-qualified his teammate Timo Glock for the first time of the season. But to be fair, Pedro de la Rosa, in his HRT F112, also qualified ahead of the German.

Source: Autosport.com



Starting grid - Bahrain Grand Prix
From ItaliaRacing.net

First row

Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 1min32.422s - Q3
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) - 1min32.520s - Q3


Second row
Mark Webber (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 1min32.637s - Q3
Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) - 1min32.711s - Q3

Third row
Nico Rosberg (Mercedes MGP W03) - 1min32.821s - Q3
Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 1min32.912s - Q3

Fourth row
Romain Grosjean (Lotus E20-Renault) - 1min33.008s - Q3
Sergio Perez (Sauber C31-Ferrari) - 1min33.394s - Q3

Fifth row

Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F2012) - no time - Q3
Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) - no time - Q3


Sixth row

Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E20-Renault) - 1min33.789s - Q2
Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber C31-Ferrari) - 1min33.806s - Q2

Seventh row

Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) - 1min33.807s - Q2
Felipe Massa (Ferrari F2012) - 1min33.912 - Q2

Eighth row
Bruno Senna (Williams FW34-Renault) - 1min34.017s - Q2
Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1min36.132s - Q2

Ninth row

Michael Schumacher (Mercedes MGP W03) - 1min34.865s - Q1
Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 1min35.014s - Q1


10th row
Vitaly Petrov (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1min35.823s - Q1

Charles Pic (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1min37.683s - Q1


11th row

Pedro De La Rosa (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 1min37.883s - Q1
Timo Glock (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1min37.905s - Q1


12th row

Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW34-Renault) - 1min34.639s - Q2 *

Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 1min38.314s - Q1



* five-place grid penalty

From GMM

Nico Rosberg escaped unscathed but the bird was not so lucky, after a 200 km/h collision in Bahrain during Friday practice.

Bild newspaper reports that the Shanghai winner, and Friday afternoon's fastest in the island Kingdom, came to blows with a wayward feathered-friend as Rosberg's Mercedes circulated the Sakhir circuit.

Video and photo footage depicted the 26-year-old German driver returning to the pits with bloodied feathers stuck in his visor.

"I thought, God, what's that?!" Rosberg told the newspaper.

"It was a violent impact, pushing my head right back. The bird exploded on the helmet, but nothing else happened," he said.

In 1960, British F1 driver Alan Stacey died at Spa-Francorchamps, after a bird smashed through his visor.

Rosberg wears a state-of-the-art EUR 12,000 Schuberth helmet.

History/Description: Giving BMW fans a touring 2+2 that was equal parts luxury and performance, the BMW 6-Series was available in both coupe and convertible variations.

Look for top-notch luxury and technology features—including heated and chilled seats, navigation, premium audio, keyless engine start and plenty more. As pricey BMW models tended to go, the 6-Series packed world-class equipment levels.

2004 BMW 6-Serie (Photo: BMW)

Power came from one of two V8 engines. Earlier 6-Series models wearing a ‘645' badge got a 4.4 litre unit with 325 horsepower. From 2006 and on, a 4.8 litre V8 with 360 horsepower was fitted—alongside a nomenclature change to ‘650'.

Look for rear-wheel drive on all models. A six-speed transmission was available in the driver's choice of automatic or manual.

What Owners Like: No surprises here. Styling, power, luxury, comfort, technology and exclusivity were among the most highly-rated aspects for 6-Series owners. Steering and handling response were said to be top-notch, as was seat comfort. Many drivers claim their 6-Series sticks to corners like glue.

What Owners Dislike: Many 6-Series owners wished for a roomier back seat, better gas mileage and easier-to-use controls. Many owners report that BMW's iDrive central command interface overcomplicates manipulation of even simple vehicle functions.

Common Issues: Shopping for a convertible 6-Series? Be sure the motorized roof operates smoothly in both directions as outlined in the owner's manual. Note any binding, excessive wear or self-reversing of the top or power windows during roof operation. Duct tape is a bad sign, too. A variety of sensors and motors work the roof mechanism, and if any are faulty or failing, problems may result.

Approach your test-drive looking exhaustively for signs of electrical or electronics-related problems. The 6-Series is a complicated car—meaning a virtual rat's-nest of wiring, sensors, modules and computers lies within. You'll want to ensure these are all talking to one another effectively.

Make sure the iDrive system, climate control, navigation and driver computer all work as expected. Try the motorized seats, all lights, and all accessories-- including the keyfob and paddle-shifters, to be sure they're functioning properly.

2008 BMW 6-Serie (Photo: Philippe Champoux/Auto123.TV, Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com)

Continue reading 2004-2010 BMW 6-Series Pre-Owned

RM Auctions has added a rare Ferrari F40 Prototype to its Monaco event, due May 12 at the Grimaldi Forum. The car is one of a mere eight F40 Prototypes known to exist; it was converted into GT racing spec by Michelotto, and was most recently housed in the garage of a Milanese collector.

Photo: RM Auctions

The sixth of eight cars used by the factory for testing, it is chassis number 74047. It was displayed t the 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show, with GT modifications made subsequently. Its ride height is lower by 5 cm. It produces 590 hp and boasts Brembo brakes, racing uniball suspension, quick-fill fuel system, extra NACA cooling ducts, fire system, and wider, Speedline wheels.

It still wears the colours it had when winning two first and two second-place podium finishes in the Italian Supercar GT Champsionship.

Estimated worth is between 700,000 and 900,000 euros.


_{Source: GTSpirit}

Toyota won tentative dismissal of some claims by plaintiffs who said their vehicles lost value because of the automaker's recalls for sudden, unintended acceleration-related issues. U.S. District Judge James Selna in Santa Ana, Calif.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it will hold a forum on lithium-ion batteries in electric cars next month, almost a year after a Chevrolet Volt caught fire three weeks after a crash-test.

Word broke this week that the next generation of the Ford Mustang, due in 2014, will have a design similar to the Evos concept shown at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show.

and#8220;After thirty years in America, South Bend to me still refuses to be anything but Souse Bend. Yet readers will not sail in uncharted waters.

Also in this episode: The Indy 500 roster takes shape,

The Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival, the third-annual event under that title, returns to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., on June 2-3. The event this year is titled, and#8220;Moments in Time: a Celebration of the History of Motorsports.

American Honda is seeking to have a judge overturn a small claims court decision that awarded nearly $10,000 to a woman who sued the automaker over the fuel economy of her Honda Civic Hybrid, the Associated Press reported.

In Washington, where most everything is viewed through the prism of politics,

Europe's auto production will probably be disrupted first if carmakers can't find alternative resins used to make fuel systems and brake lines, according to a Credit Suisse report.

Roll over, America. It's finished. Fold up your tents. Retire from the field. Let us stick the collective fork in our collective self, because we're flat-out done. Kaput. Finito. It's Sacajawea-dollars-on-the-eyes time. China has beaten us.

Nissan said today that an American, Senior Vice President Greg Kelly, has been nominated for the company's board. If elected at the Japanese automaker's annual meeting in June, Kelly would be the first American board member.

Europe's auto production will probably be disrupted first if carmakers can't find alternative resins used to make fuel systems and brake lines, according to a Credit Suisse Group report.

PSA/Peugeot-Citroen plans to merge the national subsidiaries of its two main brands in European countries as part of a broader plan to reduce costs.

Lamborghini is poised to enter the SUV segment with a striking, angular concept at the Beijing motor show.

There are some vehicles that are so ridiculously awesome, we can't help but share them. This highly modified Jeep Wrangler by CEC Wheels is just such a vehicle.

2012 Jaguar XFR

Every time we drive a Jaguar XF, we like it a little bit more.

Earlier in the year, I was happy to read that Jaguar made some improvements to its infotainment interface for 2012. According to Jaguar's web site, one of the changes was the addition of dedicated buttons on the console to make it quicker and easier to access a few functions that previously required several screen selections or were totally buried in the system. It shortens the distraction time for some but unfortunately, it's still a bit wonky. For example, if you choose to use the touch-screen to navigate to adjust the seat heaters, you will also be able to turn on the heated steering wheel from the same screen. If you push the new button on the dash instead, an entirely different screen comes up that only allows you to adjust the heated seats. Very frustrating. The changes definitely are a step in the right direction but they also create problems of their own.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Jaguar XFR - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Jaguar XFR - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

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