Auto News 5

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is all about pushing the boundaries of speed and endurance.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is all about pushing the boundaries of speed and endurance.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is all about pushing the boundaries of speed and endurance.

Beijing Auto is eyeing automakers in Europe as potential takeover targets. Banks have found three medium-size automakers with 'good brand image,' said Dong Haiyang, president of the company's newly established BAIC International Development Co.

Beijing Auto is eyeing automakers in Europe as potential takeover targets. Banks have found three medium-size automakers with 'good brand image,' said Dong Haiyang, president of the company's newly established BAIC International Development Co.

Beijing Auto is eyeing automakers in Europe as potential takeover targets. Banks have found three medium-size automakers with 'good brand image,' said Dong Haiyang, president of the company's newly established BAIC International Development Co.

Beijing Automotive Group, which builds vehicles with Daimler and Hyundai in China, started a unit to spearhead acquisitions abroad, starting with 3 potential targets in Europe.

Los Angeles embodied America's love affair with the automobile in the last century. In this one it's trying to kick the car to the curb.

UAW President Bob King took over the autoworkers' union three years ago with a vision for a less combative relationship with employers. King, 66, now seems close to a breakthrough on both fronts.

Many road closures in the United Kingdom is making it that much more difficult for race fans to find the Silverstone circuit, where the British Grand Prix will be held next weekend.

So much more difficult that the local police has urged fans who intended to use their GPS to instead rely on road signs to find the track.

"You are advised not to rely on satellite navigation systems to direct you to Silverstone as there are temporary one-way systems and road closures in force," wrote Sean Bell, of the Northamptonshire Police, in a release.

Despite all the efforts taken, the police asks fans to expect their journey to the race track to be delayed by the road work.

The British Grand Prix is the largest sporting event in Britain this year.

Former World Champion Kimi Räikkönen is looking forward to the upcoming British Grand Prix, which is scheduled for next week.

The Finn, who scored only three points over the last two races, is hoping to put his championship back on track at Silverstone.

"The last couple of races have been more a question of surviving not attacking and that's not what anyone wants," he admitted. "Silverstone is a more normal circuit and we've been okay at every other permanent circuit so far this year."

Perhaps, Räikkönen is hoping to build on the success he has enjoyed on the former airfield. He won there in 2007 with Ferrari, but before that as well, when he was racing in Formula Renault.

Silverstone (Photo: WRi2)

"I have a long history (at Silverstone). It was the real base for the start of my international career in Formula Renault in 1999 and 2000. Since then I've always enjoyed racing at Silverstone. I don't know why; there must be this nostalgic feeling that I have every time we go there."

Then again, the prospect of celebrating a win on a track so close to the Lotus factory of Enstone must help too.

"I would be fantastic to win again there, especially with the factory just down the road.

"I'm sure we would have some fantastic celebrations."

Ron Hornaday, Jr, Derrike Cope, and Chad Little were among the notables inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame on Thursday evening in Napa, California.

“The West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame was conceived in 2001 as a means of recognizing significant contributors and contributions to the sport of stock car racing.   

“The mission of the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame is founded to preserve history and heritage of the important role west coast stock car competitors have played in the sport's development and continuation and to recognize, through annual enshrinement, of outstanding individuals and groups within the sport,” from WCSCH media.

Ron Hornaday Jr. (Photo: NTS Motorsport)

Ron Hornaday, Jr., who may be best known these days by his four championships in the Camping World Truck Series, was inducted by Kevin Harvick. Harvick recalled that Hornaday went from being his hero, to his friend and eventually driving one of Harvick's trucks in that series.

Chad Little raced at the Cup level for Roush Racing . Little was 1987 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Champion and Current Tour Director for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Derrike Cope won the 1990 Daytona 500.

Also honored was Buddy Jobe who once owned Phoenix International Speedway.

And Randy Lynch 2007 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Car Owner Champion
was also honored.

After recently announcing plans to install “Supercharger” stations across the U.S. and Canada, Tesla is now considering a battery swap option that could allow Model S owners to get a fully charged battery pack “faster than you could fill a gas tank.”

Tesla president and CEO Elon Musk tweeted the news earlier this week while inviting fans to follow a live demo on Thursday night.

In most battery-electric vehicles, the battery system is quite complex and space-consuming. Musk claims, however, that the Model S will be modified to make the swap as simple as changing batteries in a flashlight and will cost between $60 and $80.

The idea isn't new, mind you. Nissan worked with an Israeli company, Project Better Place, to develop a similar operation. Unfortunately, the latter sold less than 1,000 vehicles and ran out of business earlier this month.

Source : www.thedetroitbureau.com

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

Allan Simonsen has become the first fatality at the Le Mans 24 Hours since 1997. The Dane succumbed to injuries sustained in an early crash.

Simonsen went off the road in the corner just before the Hunaudières straight, trying to avoid another car on lap 4. He was transferred to the circuit's medical centre immediately after his crash, but could not be saved.

The 34-year-old was racing in his seventh 24 Hours of Le Mans.

His teammates in the No. 95 car were his fellow countrymen, Christoffer Nygaard and Kristian Poulsen.

Allan Simonsen, Aston Martin Vantage GTE (Photo: Aston Martin Racing)

Sebastien Ogier (Volkswagen) leads rally Sardinia at the end of day one, after his team mate Jari-Matti Latvala suffered a puncture.

The Finn, who won rally Acropolis, was fastest of the qualifying stages on Thursday, but he suffered a puncture in the very first special stage of the race, which destroyed his front left wheel, and cost him about two minutes.

Photo: Volkswagen Motorsport

Sebastien Ogier, who was fastest in three special stages on Friday, stands in first position on Friday evening, 46,6 seconds ahead of Mikko Hirvonen's Citroën, the Finn being under pressure from Thierry Neuville, who stands in third position after he secured two special stages wins.

Latvala was back on track after his misfortune, and was fastest in third special stages, moving up to 5th position at the end of the day, right behind Dani Sordo's Citroën.

Evgeny Novikov (Ford), who was standing in third position after ES1, had a huge crash in ES2, his car being destroyed after it rolled several times, forcing the Russian driver to retirement.

In WRC2, Robert Kubica (Citroën DS3 RRC) was again dominant, with an advantage on more than one minute over his closest follower, Al Kuwari's Ford Fiesta RRC.

Jacques Villeneuve has few friends in the NASCAR garage. Some might say it was because of an incident in the Nationwide Race in Montreal involving Marcos Ambrose. But it was Danica Patrick who had the sharpest criticism for the 1997 world champion.

Q: Have you and Jacques Villeneuve put whatever happened last year behind you yet?

Danica Patrick: “I don't know. I saw him in the Rookie meeting and I was like, ‘Oh, hey'. And that was about it (laughter). You know, after the things that have happened, it's hard to have a lot of respect for somebody like that. I respect what he's done in his career; but the way that he treats other drivers on the track, I can't. So, that's all there is to say.”

Q: With guys like (Jacques) Villeneuve in the race this year does that add a wild card factor?

Jimmie Johnson: “I didn't know that but yeah, cautions might go up a little bit based on his Nationwide experience from what I've seen.”

Q: What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the name Jacques Villeneuve?

Clint Bowyer: "Train wreck, extremely fast train, but usually ends up derailed somehow.  I don't mean that roust.  There has to be a level of respect and it doesn't matter if you're racing for points throughout the season, or just show up and race against the peers of one of the premier levels of all of motorsports.

"If that respect is not there, you're not going to come in and beat and bang on this bunch for long and you're probably going to be frustrated by the end of the day. That's not a threat or anything else.

"We've all seen what will happen in those Nationwide races and it was too bad because there seemed to be one common denominator in a lot of the cautions that came out."

Q:  How is it to compete against Jacques Villeneuve this weekend? 

Marcos Ambrose: “I've got no issues. I think there are plenty of other drivers that have more issues than me.  It's good.  I really like Jacques.  I watched him win all of those Formula One  races and the world championship and I'm really excited that I get to race against a guy of that caliber and reputation, so there are no problems with me.  It's good to have him here.”

Four hours into the 90th Le Mans 24 Hours, the top 3 positions are occupied by Audi cars, but the death of Allan Simonsen has overshadowed the festivities.

After a few tensed hours, when Toyota had two prototypes in second and third, Audi broke free of the Japanese. The german prototypes, led by Benoît Tréluyer in the No. 1 car, are now holding the top 3 positions.

Photo: Audi Motorsport

Both Toyota were running in 4th and 5th positions at the four-hour marker. The car driven by Lapierre, Wurz and Nakajima lost several minutes after a fuel pressure issue. As expected, both Rebellion's Lola Toyota were running 6th and 7th, the first of the independent LMP1 cars, ahead of the Strakka Racing's HPD.

In LMP2, the ORECA were holding the top positions, the Thiriet Racing's car leading ahead the prototype ran by G-Drive Racing, with the OAK Racing's Morgan Judd in third position

In GTE Pro, the two works Aston Martin stood 1st and 2nd early in the evening. Driving the No. 93 Viper SRT, Canadian Kuno Wittmer was 9th in class.

The AF Corse Ferrari F458 was leading the GTE Am class ahead of both IMSA Performance's Porsche 911.

See part one herehere and part two here.

See part one here and part three here.

Automakers are scrutinizing Nissan's move to cut prices on its cars and trucks in the United States as a test of whether the auto industry can avoid a price war, the head of Hyundai's U.S. unit said.