ASSOCIATE WEST COAST EDITOR BLAKE Z. RONG: Another day, another Porsche, another entirely predictable opinion from us. And yet, it's almost always well-deserved.
Some believe that, after the first two races of 2013, Marussia driver Jules Bianchi is standing out in the way that Fernando Alonso did at Minardi more than a decade ago.
So far, he is clearly faster than his teammate Max Chilton - the son of wealthy insurance mogul Grahame Chilton - and arguably on the road to scoring the team's first-ever point.
"If I was a betting man," Marussia chief executive Andy Webb told Reuters on Thursday, "I would bet on us beating Caterham this season.
"I would also recommend placing a bet on Marussia scoring their first point this season," he added.
Bianchi agrees that the back end of the midfield is now a realistic target for Marussia, despite the team having the smallest budget in pitlane.
"Basically, the potential is there," Bianchi agreed. "For the team and for me.
Having tested extensively for Ferrari, and serving as Force India's Friday practice driver last year, Bianchi admitted he expected to be underwhelmed when he first stepped into the 2013 Marussia.
Actually, he was "surprised".
"I had expected the difference to be greater," said Bianchi.
"I believe that, if we continue like this, we can start to think about Q2, and if I keep dreaming then maybe even the first championship point."
Simona de Silvestro 2011's race car, nicknamed "Pork Chop", is up for grab on eBay, NBC Sports revealed.
The car, one of the oldest previous generation chassis to have seen action in 2011, was famously used at Indianapolis two years ago, when de Silvestro crashed her main car.
Despite the heavy weight and the bad reputation of the car -- which earned the chassis its nickname "Pork Chop" --, the Swiss woman managed to qualify for Indy that year.
De Silvestro's PR representative talked up the reputation of "Pork Chop", creating a Twitter account. Now it's entangled in the IndyCar folklore.
Rumour has it that "Pork Chop" is the chassis Marco Andretti drove to his first IndyCar win, back in 2006.
20 World Endurance Championship (WEC) cars were brought to the Paul Ricard test track for some pre-season action ahead of the April 14 season opener, in Silverstone.
Source: FIAWEC
Rebellion Racing topped the time sheets overall over the two-day test, followed by OAK Racing in LMP2. AF Corse and 8-star Motorsport shined in the GT classes.
Canadian Bruno Spengler is among the pack of DTM drivers who want the series to introduce an F1-style DRS overtaking system.
Despite the fact it might take some getting used to, the reigning champion believes the device is fun: "The DRS is definitely a lot of fun for every racing driver," he is quoted saying by TouringCars.net.
"You clearly feel you can shift up earlier and that the top speed on the straights is higher."
Audi's Timo Scheider and Filipe Albuquerque have praised the DRS system too: "The fans want to see overtaking. DRS and option tires will help this," added Scheider.
"The option tire and DRS are definitely a step in the right direction," said Albuquerque.
Unfortunately, as Mike Rockenfeller pointed out, the DRS and option tires have masked true pace at the recent Barcelona collective test. That, actually, might just be a good thing.
We'll all see when the season begins. Until then, teams will work towards a last pre-season venue, held in Hockenheim April 9-12.
Driving his own McLaren MP4-12C, he prevailed alongside teammate Alvaro Parente in the qualifying race of the 2013 FIA GT Series' first weekend.
Loeb pulled a late overtaking move on Niki Mayr-Melnhof's WRT Audi R8 for the win. Maximilian Buhl and Alan Day (No. 1 HTP Gravity Charouz Mercedes) complete the podium.
On Thursday, Subaru introduced the all-new 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid at the New York Auto Show. The vehicle is scheduled to hit the market this fall.
Based on the regular XV Crosstrek, the Hybrid variant combines a 2.0L Subaru BOXER engine with a 13.4-horsepower electric motor that's integrated into the Lineartronic CVT. A 100-volt, 13.5-kilowatt nickel-metal hydride battery is part of the mix, too.
Under light acceleration, the 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid uses the electric motor to take off and then starts the gasoline engine once underway. The former can also provide motor assist for acceleration in parallel with the gasoline engine, and an EV mode will operate the vehicle in certain low-speed situations.
Sporting an exclusive new Plasma Green Pearl exterior colour, the 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid gets unique instruments with a clean, cool blue theme and silver trim to underscore the advanced hybrid engineering.
Photo: Subaru
Also launched in New York was the Subaru WRX Concept, hinting at the design language of the next-generation WRX with a focus on sharp handling, all-wheel drive grip and turbo power.
The car features a bolder, larger front grille, as well as a carbon fibre roof to enhance the already low centre of gravity and reduce weight. In the back, the WRX Concept has a distinctive wide bumper that's offset by large quad tailpipes denoting the powerful turbocharged engine.
GM, seeking to boost its profit margins, says it can save as much as $200 million annually by improving resale values of its vehicles and further narrowing the gap with competitors who don't have to spend as much to offer lease deals.
Former F1 driver Tonio Liuzzi has been paired with veteran Thomas Biagi at Team Mercedes-AMG Romeo Ferraris for the 2013 Superstar International series season.
Liuzzi almost won the title in 2012, scoring two victories in Italy and Hungary.
Tonio Liuzzi chasing the 2012 at Pergusa (Photo: Superstarsworld.com)
This year he will drive for the Italian team Romeo Ferraris, the tuning firm, which runs two manufacturer-backed Mercedes C63 AMG.
His new teammate Thomas Biagi has won Superstar titles before, and many wins in the FIA GT championship.
"I'm ready for the new challenge after an intense 2012 season," said Liuzzi on the series' official website.
Another car making its debut at the New York Auto Show this week was the 2014 Scion tC. With sharper, sportier looks and a revised interior, this small sports coupe is expected to arrive at Canadian Scion dealers in June.
Outside, you'll notice distinctive new headlights and an all-new hood that extends lower toward a more open, muscular grille with an embedded tC logo. LED accent lighting borders the new upper- and lower-grille treatments. In the back, a new blacked-out valance features a lower-centre trim piece similar to the FR-S, while new LED taillights add a classier touch. Everything rides on 18” alloy wheels with a premium dark grey finish.
The cockpit of the 2014 Scion tC houses upgraded materials, including lighter colour fabric on the seats and headliner. As for technologies, the list includes Bluetooth connectivity, auto-off headlights, and steering wheel-mounted controls.
A limited-production Scion 10 Series version will also be available, offering exclusive styling cues, paint colours and interior content.
Powering the 2014 Scion tC is a 2.5L 4-cylinder engine that produces 180 horsepower through a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission.
It appears that Joe Gibbs Racing may have jumped the gun when it announced that Mark Martin would fill in, in the No. 11 Toyota, for the injured Denny Hamlin for the foreseeable future.
Martin, it is now known, will only drive for Hamlin at next week's race in Martinsville. Then Brian Vickers will take over.
Late on Friday afternoon Michael Waltrip Racing, where Martin shares a ride in the No. 55 Toyota with Brian Vickers, issued a release stating that Martin would race for JGR for only one race, the April 7th event in Martinsville, VA.
Two hours later JGR issued a release stating the Brian Vickers would take over for the injured Hamlin. "We were a bit premature in determining Mark's status past Martinsville however," said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing.
"We're real happy to have the opportunity to get Brian in our Cup cars and with him driving Nationwide for us we think we have some continuity there that is beneficial.
"We really appreciate everyone at Michael Waltrip Racing and Toyota for working with us through this process," added Gibbs. "The good thing for us is that we have drivers the caliber of Mark and Brian to help fill in until Denny comes back."
Martin will now resume his scheduled driving duties, starting with MWR at the Texas Motor Speedway on the following Saturday. Thereafter he'll continue with the team at Kansas Speedway and Richmond International Raceway. Then team co-owner, Michael Waltrip, will wheel the car.
"I think it is great that a driver of Mark's caliber is available to support our fellow Toyota team during this difficult time for them. We wish Denny a speedy recovery," MWR co-owner Michael Waltrip said in the release.
"Mark is a big part of our organization and is committed to our sponsors, especially Aaron's and Toyota. We have a lot of goals yet to reach this year and we are very focused on accomplishing them."
In JGR's initial press release it said Martin would drive the No. 11 while Hamlin recovered from a fractured vertebra suffered in a last-lap crash in the March 24 race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
29-year-old Vickers, who formerly drove for Red Bull Racing in the Cup Series, is trying to resurrect his career after taking time off to recover from a rare medical condition. He has 264 career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts over his 11-year career on the sports' top level. He has two wins, 24 top-five and 63 top-ten finishes.
He has one start thus far this season having finished eighth in at Bristol Motor Speedway for MWR. Last season, Vickers made eight starts for MWR with three top-five and five top-ten finishes.
Jacques Villeneuve will race against fellow former F1 star Olivier Panis, in this year's French GT FFSA championship.
The Canadian has been offered a ride in one of Sport Garage's Ferrari 458 by team manager Christian Petit, for whom Villeneuve ice raced in Trophée Andros last winter. His teammate will be three-time French champion Eric Cayrolle.
"I raced for Sport Garage last year[.] I like the team, I like the car and I like my teammate," says Villeneuve on the series' official website. "It was all there."
The former CART champion, who will continue working with French F1 broadcaster Canal +, has only entered one GT race in his career. It was last year, at the inaugural Baku street race.
"Our biggest challenge has been the lack of time to get the car ready," said the Norwegian on his website.
"Ideally the car should have been fully tested a month ago. We only have two days of testing behind us, and I am wondering if we will experience problems with the car in the first races."
The competition starts Sunday, and ends Monday with the finals.
Marco Wittmann (BMW), the 24-year-old German who is making his DTM debuts this season, went fastest on the fourth and final day of collective testing in Barcelona.
The former F3 racer and BMW test driver managed to beat fellow rookie Pascal Wehrlein (Mercedes), who was second fastest on Thursday too. Along the way, Wittmann set a new record for the highest number of laps completed in one day (220).
Marco WIttmann, BMW M3 DTM (Photo: WRi2)
Christian Vietoris (Mercedes) was third quickest ahead of Timo Scheider, who was Audi's fastest driver of the day.
Four more days of collective testing are to be held in Hockenheim, April 9-12, before the season opens in Hockenheim, on May 5th.
Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is being investigated in Italy over allegations of violation of labor rights in a long-running dispute at a factory near Naples, the automaker said.
Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is being investigated in Italy over allegations of violation of labor rights in a long-running dispute at a factory near Naples, the automaker said.
Auto sales in the United States are finishing March on an upbeat note, with analysts expecting the industry to extend its strongest streak in five years.
A lot of people complain about the fact that the future started years ago, and, yet, no oneand#8217;s produced a viable flying car. That disappointment is misplaced. The real tragedy is that Mazda never mass produced the suitcase car.
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