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Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen won the Australian Grand Prix Sunday, using a two-stop strategy and giving his team the first victory of the 2013 Formula 1 season.

The Finn started the race on the P Zero Red supersoft tire and then completing two stints on the P Zero White medium tire. His tire strategy gave him a decisive advantage over all his rivals, with the remainder of the top six all adopting a three-stop strategy.

The winning two-stop strategy that we predicted turned out to be correct, says Pirelli. The Italian company predicted the first stop to change from supersoft to medium on lap 14, with a second stop for medium tires on lap 36.

Raikkonen followed exactly this tactic, making his first stop on lap 9 and his second stop on lap 34.

Photos: WRi2

A new study from Michigan shows that a person's blood alcohol content (BAC) increases more rapidly when mixing alcohol with diet sodas than regular sodas.

Men and women aged 21-33 who participated in the study had an 18% higher BAC after just 40 minutes of combining vodka with diet Squirt than when using regular Squirt.

After 3-4 drinks, those given only diet Squirt as a mixer experienced slower reaction times, and their BAC levels exceeded the legal driving limit sooner.

While larger-scale studies will be needed to confirm these findings, it should still serve as a warning to calorie-conscious drivers who drink both alcohol and diet pops on any given night.

Next week at the New York Auto Show, Honda will unveil the 2014 Odyssey, which further strengthens its position as the segment's most coveted family-friendly vehicle, and adds to its status as the strongest overall ownership value in its class, the Japanese automaker announced.

Also on display will be the 2014 Honda Fit EV and Accord Plug-In Hybrid, both recently launched at select Honda dealerships in New York.

Come back for more information.

From GMM

Adrian Sutil stunned the F1 paddock on Sunday by looking so competitive on his return to the sport after a season away.

Written off by some after his 2011 assault conviction, the German is back with Force India this season and in Melbourne even led some laps -- a first in his career.

"Sutil's performance was more convincing than anything his fellow countryman Michael Schumacher produced in (the last) three years," Independent newspaper correspondent David Tremayne wrote.

Adrian Sutil ultimately finished seventh in Melbourne as his tyre strategy played out, but the 30-year-old told Auto Motor und Sport: "It is surprising how well it went. When I saw P1 on the pit board, it was quite a feeling."

Adrian Sutil (Sahara Force India) ahead Felipe Massa (Ferrari) in Melbourne. (Photo: WRi2)

Deputy team boss Bob Fernley, however, insists he was not overly surprised.

"During the testing, if you had analysed it, you could see the promise," he is quoted as saying.

First to seventh might then sound disappointing, but Sutil could not stop smiling.

"Considering that three weeks ago I didn't even have a seat and was only able to test for three days in Barcelona, it could hardly have gone better," he said.

From GMM

Fernando Alonso has accused Red Bull of making heavy work of its recent successes.

The perception in the paddock is that Spaniard Alonso has been punching above his weight with a less than competitive Ferrari, while Sebastian Vettel raced to the last three championships at the wheel of his Adrian Newey-penned car.

Photo: WRi2

El Pais newspaper quotes Alonso as saying: "I'm not asking for a car one second faster than them, but one with which we can fight. Red Bull has won two of their titles in the last race, and that was with a car that was a second faster than the rest."

"Making the most of what they have is not one of their virtues," Alonso quipped.

"It is usually the same: first and second in qualifying and then something always happening. Sometimes the start, sometimes reliability, sometimes the tires," he reportedly said in Melbourne on Sunday.

Troubles with the seatbelts on the 2007-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser have led the automaker to recall 16,000 units in Canada.

On certain vehicles, due to insufficient strength of the rear door panels, cracks may develop if the doors are repeatedly and forcefully closed over an extended period of time. Since the driver and front passenger seat belt retractors are mounted in the door panels, if cracks occur in the panel around the lower retractor anchor, the seat belt retractors could become detached, increasing the risk of injury.

A solution has yet to be determined. You'll be among the first to know when Toyota has found one.

Source: Transports Canada

Photo: Toyota

From indycar.com

Supplementing enhancements for driver safety incorporated into the 2012 Dallara chassis, IZOD IndyCar Series drivers will be required this season to wear safety helmets that meet or exceed the FIA 8860-2010 specification.

The homologated helmet standard is now included in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights rulebooks. The helmet standard was approved for use in 2012.

Alex Tagliani, Barracuda Racing (Photo: René Fagnan)

It is recommended for 2013 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda drivers, and will be mandatory in 2014.

Development of the helmet by the Federation Internationale De L'Automobile (to the general public, the governing body for auto racing) and the FIA Institute was spurred by the 2009 Formula 1 incident in Hungary in which a bouncing spring from another car gave Felipe Massa's helmet a glancing blow, knocking him unconscious and causing him to crash. He suffered non-life-threatening head injuries.

“The 8860 helmets provide the drivers more penetration resistance because of the penetration specification that requires a thicker carbon fiber shell,” INDYCAR director of engineering Jeff Horton said. “Because we race open-wheel cars, debris on racetrack is a potential projectile.”

In a crash, the helmet works in conjunction with the floating headrest and Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) foam panels built into the cockpit, the frontal head restraint and the energy-absorbing EPP driver's seat to protect the occupant.

A 3-inch-thick EPP panel was placed behind the seat, while a 1.2-inch-thick panel is under the seat. One-inch-thick panels are on either side of the arms, and those are complemented by Zylon panels built into the tub.

Having been promoted as DTM driver for Mercedes after Ralf Schumacher's surprise retirement, 18-year-old Pascal Wherlein will become this season the youngest driver in the history of the championship.

Born in 1994, Wherlein is one of the most talented German drivers. He made his racing debuts in karting, before moving to auto racing in 2010 in the ADAC Formel Masters series. He claimed the title in 2011, with 7 wins and 7 pole positions, before he graduated to the Formula 3 Euroseries in 2012, finishing second for his rookie season.

For 2013, Pascal Wherlein planned to race the new Formula 3 European Championship, but his announcement to become a DTM driver changed his plans. However, he will still compete in the opening round of the European F3 this weekend in Monza.

Pascal Wherlein raced for Mücke Motorsport in the 2012 F3 Euroseries, and will make his DTM debuts with that same team.

From GMM

Nico Hulkenberg will tackle this weekend's Malaysian grand prix with a new Sauber chassis.

90 minutes before his first race for the Swiss team in Melbourne, mechanics went to prepare the grey C32 for the race but "fuel suddenly splashed out of the car," according to well-connected Blick correspondent Roger Benoit.

"(It was) a problem with the fuel tank, which is directly behind the driver."

Team manager Beat Zehnder: "It must be a crack in the tank. It's something I've not experienced in twenty years."

Photo: Sauber F1 Team

Roger Benoit revealed that Hulkenberg's C32 - which could not be raced in Australia - has now been sent back to Switzerland, despite practice for the Malaysian grand prix looming in mere days.

He wrote that the 25-year-old will use the spare car at Sepang, while another spare is sent to Malaysia from Hinwil as soon as possible.

"I'm bitterly disappointed but at the same time I'm not blaming anyone," said German Hulkenberg on Sunday. "Things like this happen in racing."

From GMM

Although competitive throughout the weekend, Felipe Massa looks set to maintain his role as Ferrari's "number 2".

The Brazilian was running ahead of highly rated teammate Fernando Alonso in Melbourne until the second round of pistops, when it was the Spaniard called in for service first.

"Felipe should not be at all happy," former Renault boss Flavio Briatore is quoted as saying by Italian media.

Felipe Massa leading Fernando Alonso during the Australian Grand Prix. (Photo: WRi2)

After the race, in which he finished fourth to Alonso's second, Massa told Spanish television Antena 3: "Of course you are not happy when you fight to win and you finish fourth. It was positive until the second stop. It seemed too early for Fernando but it was the right decision."

O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper quotes Massa as saying: "There is a degree of frustration, because I was not passed except in the pits."

And Spain's El Confidencial quotes him adding: "Yes I was upset when Fernando got ahead of me. That was the only problem of my race, where I lost two positions."

After the disappointment of narrowly losing in Las Vegas the lucky dice rolled Kasey Kahne's way at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

After notching his 15th career win Kahne, who started second, was elated "This is a big win. This whole team was flawless, last week, today, this whole season," Kahne said. "This is a tough place; it's been a tough track for me. We're prepared hard for this race, so I'm really excited."

Kasey Kahne, driver of the NASCAR Sprint Cup #5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS races to victory in the Food City 500 Sunday, March 17, 2013 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Harold Hinson for Chevrolet)

Meanwhile his rivals seemed to be rolling unlucky snake eyes.

Brad Keselowski had taken the lead at the .553-mile oval only to spin his wheels, after being hit from behind on a late race restart, allowing Kahne to take off.

Even Kahne not sure how it happened “I had no clue what happened on that restart other than Brad took off a little bit and I had a good start, then he dropped. I knew he spun his tires. I don't know how it all happened.”

Keselowski was tapped from behind by Denny Hamlin, on that restart, which lifted his rear driving wheels off the ground for a brief moment and thereafter the reigning champ's Ford spun its' wheels.

Hamlin explained “The 22 (Joey Logano) had me pinned -- the 22 ran into me and shoved me into the 2 (Brad Keselowski) so sorry for the 2, but I was the pinball in the sandwich and once he throttled up the 22 lifted me up and just flat out pinned me up against the 2."

Kasey Kahne, driver of the NASCAR Sprint Cup #5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS wins the Food City 500 Sunday, March 17, 2013 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Garry Eller for Chevrolet)

Kyle Busch, the pole sitter and winner of Saturday's Nationwide race, finished second said “just too tight all day. Just never really had the car that was worth being able to run the bottom as long as it needed to.

Finishing third for another his fourth top-five of the year Keselowski was disappointed at an opportunity lost for a win, but, takes the season points lead after Jimmie Johnson suffered a tire bead failure.

“I haven't seen a replay, I just know that my rear tires were off the ground before I got to the restart zone.  Eventually I got hit so hard that it pushed my foot in the gas pedal and it made myself look like an ass, but that was the deal and I never had another chance.”

A bizarre accident ended the day for two other contenders, Jeff Gordon, and Matt Kenseth - last week's victor in Las Vegas.

Gordon had been running on left side tires for over 170 laps with Kenseth catching him on fresher rubber. Then Gordon had a tire going flat sending him up the track much more slowly than Kenseth who hit Gordon's car hard eliminating both of them.

"I hate that for Matt Kenseth," Gordon said. "He was coming, and it was just a matter of time before he caught us. We needed points. This definitely isn't going to get us many."

Kasey Kahne, driver of the NASCAR Sprint Cup #5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS celebrates his victory in the Food City 500 Sunday, March 17, 2013 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Harold Hinson for Chevrolet)

Kurt Busch, driving for the small Furniture Row team battled back to fourth. It was the best est finish at the concrete paved track for the team. “Considering how much we had to battle back from adversity today, the finish was even more gratifying,” said Busch, who vaulted from 29th to 16th in driver points. “We fell two laps down because of a loose right-rear wheel and then we suffered left-front damage near the end of the race.”

Following the MDX Concept in Detroit earlier this year, the production version of the all-new 2014 Acura MDX will make its world debut next Wednesday at the New York Auto Show.

The third generation of this seven-passenger luxury SUV uses a completely new platform with a longer wheelbase that increases legroom in the second row and facilitates access to the rear seats.

According to the company, the 2014 Acura MDX offers enhanced ride comfort, a more versatile cabin, increased fuel efficiency, and improved dynamic performance. It's powered by a 3.5L i-VTEC V6 engine with Variable Cylinder Management.

Safety abounds thanks to available features such as Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow, Blind Spot Information (BSI), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), and Lane Departure Warning (LDW).

From GMM

Mexican Sergio Perez has admitted he hopes Telmex becomes a major sponsor of the McLaren team.

Pérez has been a Telmex sponsored driver for years in the development series and for the two seasons he spent with Sauber. Now, he hopes to see his sponsor take over the lost Vodafone title sponsorship.

"Hopefully Telmex will be at my side again soon," Perez told the Spanish sports newspaper Marca.

"I've been with them all through my career, practically since I started, so I'm a little sad they are not with me this year, because the team still has a contract with Vodafone. I would love to see the blue on my car again,” Perez added.

Perez insisted he is not bothered that some people think his Telmex connection is the only thing that got him into F1 with Sauber, and subsequently into a top car with McLaren.

"I don't want to prove anything to the people who think that," he insisted.

"If you think that, then you think that Fernando is only at Ferrari because of Santander.

"I don't think it influenced the decision to hire me; I don't think McLaren is desperate to find sponsors.

Sergio Perez, McLaren MP4-28. (Photo: McLaren)

“Take care of Fernando Alonso”

During that same interview Perez revealed that, whilst a Sauber driver, Ferrari often asked him to "take care" of Fernando Alonso.

Perez, formerly under Ferrari power at Sauber and also the cream of the Maranello marque's driver development 'academy', explained that he's been asked to help Alonso at times.

"Last year, when I was communicating with Ferrari, they often asked me to take care of Alonso, but I don't know if they asked just me or the whole grid."

Asked if he sees leaving the Ferrari family as a missed opportunity, the 23-year-old answered: "No, it's an experience that led me to a better place. I'm happy at McLaren; I hope to stay here for many years, maybe my entire career."

There's a way... and a Porsche Carrera 4S can be as good a family car as any.

When I knew we were getting a Carrera 4S at the office, I had a plan: I was going to fit a baby seat in the back. No questions asked. It was going to fit.

Coworkers snickered, friends raised their eyebrows, and Matt St-Pierre laughed and said he was going to enjoy his week behind the wheel because there was no way I'd be able to use it on a daily basis as I have to bring my son to day care each morning.

Well, who's laughing now?

In fantastically bright Racing Yellow, the 2013 Porsche Carrera 4S catches enough attention, however, throw a baby seat in the back and pull up to the day care with it, and it's suddenly the talk of the block.

Photo: Porsche

There are certain cars you just don't associate with children and families; the Porsche 911 is one such car. And that's a shame, because really it's not that impractical. Sure, it's all a matter of perception and how light you're willing to travel and how cramped your front passenger is willing to be (sitting in front of the baby seat), but it's all relative.

You still get to drive a 911... with a 16-month-old in the back. I see it being a win-win situation, really.

Now, I haven't tried to put any sort of stroller anywhere, but installing the baby seat was actually much easier than I thought it would be. Now, Porsche does offer their own baby seat that fits perfectly in the back of the 911. In conjunction with Tequipment, Porsche Design offers rear- and front-facing baby seats, as well as a booster seat. There is even a front-seat airbag deactivation kit available (because no child under the age of 12 should ever ride in the front seat with the airbags activated).

Without a Porsche-specific child seat, I hoped that one of the convertible baby seats I had in my garage would do the trick. From a massive Britax down to a rather slim and trim Evenflo seat, I kept my fingers crossed and opted for the smallest of the bunch: an Evenflo Chase LX Harnessed Booster.

Thankfully, my 5'2” stature meant install wasn't too painful, but it did require some flexibility on my part, and I'm not sure my 6'1” husband would have had such an easy time with it. Using the LATCH system (which is present in the back of the Carrera 4S) I securely attached the Evenflo behind the passenger seat.

Where the problem lies with the 911 is in the snugness of rear seat. It narrows where your bum would be, and so the base of any child seat you choose to put there must be just as small to fit in the space. And then there's the headroom: The gorgeous shape of the Carrera 4S means a heavily angled rear window which reduces headroom (read: room for a high-backed baby seat).

Photo: Miranda Lightstone

So, finding that perfect seat is a challenge. I came across many a message board and forum where parents questioned the usability of their 911 once baby came along. Recaro offers quite a few options for parents in the USA and Europe, as they are not legal to use here in Canada.

What was the point of me telling you all this? For starters: A 911 can be a family vehicle, and that no child should be denied the opportunity to hear a flat-6 wail behind them through seven glorious manually selected gears.

From GMM

At the end of a nightmare weekend for McLaren, Red Bull's Christian Horner added the final insult.

Briton Horner, boss of McLaren's arch-rival, blamed the Woking based team for Mark Webber's Melbourne woes.

Australian Webber had a terrible start and then a KERS issue in his home race, and Horner said afterwards: "You need to ask McLaren why the ECU didn't work because he was blind and had no telemetry. It is something they need to get on top of because it caused a lot of issues during testing."

Christian Horner is referring to the standard electronic control unit mandatorily supplied by McLaren subsidiary MES to every team in F1.

As for McLaren's disastrous new 2013 car, there is talk of reverting to last year's winning machine, but it is believed that the British team is more likely to try to improve the MP4-28.

Jenson Button, McLaren MP4-28. (Photo: McLaren)

Triple world champion and Mercedes team figure Niki Lauda tipped McLaren to bounce back.

"McLaren is famous for responding quickly to problems. It is impossible to write them off," he said on German television RTL.

Electronic driving aids get mixed reviews. In fact, I'd say they fuel one of the most polarizing automotive topics in the 21st Century. Some people hate them, claiming that they're just one step short of fully autonomous cars, while others are grateful that automakers put so much effort into building increasingly safe and sophisticated vehicles -- some even take care of those dreaded parallel parking manoeuvres!

These driving aids fall into the “active safety” category, which means they help prevent accidents (unlike “passive safety” devices, such as airbags, which step in during or after a collision only).

Let's take a closer look...

The level of sophistication involved usually depends on the make and model: More luxurious cars tend to feature more advanced safety systems. The names and acronyms may differ from one company to another, but their operation is pretty much the same.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
This system slows down each wheel and prevents them from locking up. Sensors monitor wheel rotation and adjust braking power for maximum tire grip. With the help of the electronic brake-force distributor (EBD), wheels with the most traction play a larger role to immobilize the vehicle. Manufacturers like Toyota have also developed a Smart Stop technology that automatically cuts engine power and allows the brakes to take precedence over the throttle when both pedals are pressed at the same time.

Photo: Nissan

Traction control
Under acceleration, sensors ensure each wheel retains traction. As soon as one starts to lose traction and spins excessively, the traction control system will automatically cut the amount of power being sent to that particular wheel.

Photo: Toyota

Stability control
This feature can be quite useful in corners and during avoidance manoeuvres. Stability control reduces engine power and applies brake force to the wheels that need it, steering the vehicle back into the driver's intended direction.

Photo: Bmw

Continue reading Did you know?: Electronic driving aids

New high-tech products mean steel is now winning battles in a long war to defend its share of the auto market against lighter aluminum, as automakers have to shed weight to meet emissions standards.

Chrysler Group is warning about 2,500 owners of

Chrysler Group is warning about 2,500 owners of 2013 Dodge Challengers with V-6 engines built in December and January not to drive their cars because of a potential short-circuit that could lead to a fire.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR BOB GRITZINGER: Perhaps my judgment was skewed by several days of driving larger Mercedes-Benz GL-class SUVS, but this little 2013