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ASSOCIATE EDITOR JAKE LINGEMAN: This 2013 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP is the best Mini I've ever driven; it's also probably the most expensive.

Volvo has picked company veteran Hans Oscarsson to be its new chief financial officer. He replaces his boss, Jan Gurander, who is stepping down.

Upmarket small cars are at the forefront of a revival in the fortunes of troubled Peugeot, with the UK leading the way in Europe.

News 20 Jun, 2013

Volvo is developing a system that allows owners to send their car off to find a parking space by itself

Ford CEO Alan Mulally says "it's just a matter of time" until Ford uses China as an export hub. He also said Japan is manipulating the yen and its market is more closed than China's.

Ford CEO Alan Mulally says "it's just a matter of time" until Ford uses China as an export hub. He also said Japan is manipulating the yen and its market is more closed than China's.

From GMM

Jenson Button thinks the economy and an 'after you' style of racing in 2013 has hurt ticket sales ahead of the British grand prix.

Writing in the Independent this week, F1 business journalist Christian Sylt said lower than usual ticket sales for the weekend's Silverstone race is because fans have rebelled against price increases.

A circuit spokesman admitted sales "aren't that strong".

Some of the other reasons for the slump could be because Button and Lewis Hamilton are unlikely to win, and also because ticket holders were actually turned away from qualifying last year amid the weather chaos.

Photo: McLaren F1 Team

Jenson Button thinks the economy is one definite factor.

"To sell out here would be very impressive but are there that many people who can afford to come?" he is quoted by the Guardian newspaper. "I don't think people are walking away from the sport. If you look at every sporting event, it is not as strong as maybe it was last year. That is just the way the world is at the moment."

A factor specific to F1, however, could be the questionable spectacle of the 2013 formula, caused mainly by drivers having to race off the pace to look after Pirelli's fragile tires.

"I agree that some of the racing hasn't been action-packed," Button said.

"It has been a lot more 'After you, sir, because I am looking after my tires'. But there have been good races," he insisted.

From DTM

The DTM cars will race at Spielberg's Red Bull Ring up to and including 2016.

DTM rights holder and promoter ITR e.V. as well as the operators of the circuit located in Styria, Austria announced the extension of the contract by another three years.

Just a few weeks ago, during the 2013 season kick-off weekend at Hockenheim, ITR e.V. Chairman Hans Werner Aufrecht presented Markus Messner, Head of Circuit & Facility Red Bull Ring, with the trophy for the 'Organiser of the Year 2012'.

Photo: Red Bull

DTM contested its first races at Spielberg's Österreichring from 2001 to 2003. In those years, the races at the demanding circuit with the picturesque backdrop were won by the Mercedes-Benz drivers Marcel Fässler (2001 and 2003) and Bernd Schneider (2002).

Following a multi-year break due to numerous renovation measures, DTM returned to Styria in 2011. The first two races after the comeback were won by Martin Tomczyk and Edoardo Mortara for Audi and this year, BMW celebrated a one-two-three courtesy of Bruno Spengler, Marco Wittmann and Timo Glock.

Renault-Nissan's new Common Module Family (CMF) is “an engineering architecture that covers Renault-Nissan Alliance vehicles, from one or more segments, based on the assembly of compatible Big Modules: engine bay, cockpit, front underbody, rear underbody and electrical/electronic architecture.”

The CMF will be deployed across five continents in more than 10 countries through 2020. The first deployment of CMF, for the compact and large car segments, will cover 1.6 million vehicles per year and 14 models: 11 from Renault and three from Nissan (including the next-generation Rogue).

This will generate for the Renault-Nissan Alliance an average 30-40% reduction in entry cost per model, and a 20-30% reduction in parts cost.

Photo: Renault

Audi will reportedly launch a 650-horsepower Quattro Concept based on the A5 coupe at the Frankfurt Auto Show this fall. The car will use lightweight materials such as magnesium, carbon fibre and aluminum to tip the scales at just 1,315 kg (2,900 lbs).

Originally introduced at the 2010 Paris Auto Show, the Audi Quattro Concept will apparently replace its 380-horsepower, 2.5L, five-cylinder engine with a tuned version of the RS7's 4.0L twin-turbo V8 that allows 0-60mph (0-96km/h) acceleration in 3.4 seconds, according to several sources.

The new Audi Quattro Concept is also said to feature variable displacement technology for improved fuel economy. Should it enter production, this car could retail for $150,000, right in the R8's ballpark.

Source : www.thedetroitbureau.com

Photo: Matthieu Lambert

From GMM

Pastor Maldonado insists he does not feel threatened by the rising form of his rookie teammate Valtteri Bottas.

Young Finn Bottas grabbed the headlines in Montreal recently when he qualified third, amid a profile already on the rise due to his form alongside Venezuelan Maldonado, the more experienced driver and 2012 Barcelona winner.

But Maldonado said on Wednesday: "The conditions benefitted Valtteri in Canada.

"It doesn't mean he's faster and I'm slower. Our car is quite difficult, but I don't need to prove anything to anybody," the 28-year-old, who like Bottas is yet to score a single point in 2013, is quoted by Brazil's Globo Esporte.

Photo: Williams F1 Team

Indeed, Maldonado argues that Williams is leaning on him too hard, due to Bottas' inexperience.

"They rely too much on me. In fact, I am responsible for all the technical testing of the car because I have more knowledge and experience with the team," said Maldonado.

His comments coincide with rumours Maldonado, backed by millions in sponsorship from PDVSA, has been earmarked by Lotus as a potential successor to the possibly Red Bull-bound Kimi Raikkonen.

Maldonado insisted: "It's not the time to plan where I will be in 2014. I sincerely hope to continue for a few more years at Williams. It is the team that gave me the opportunity to be in formula one, and I got my first and so far only victory with them.

"I believe we have the potential to win more with this team," he added.

Mercedes' Ross Brawn has claimed it was ‘inevitable' that the team would have benefited from its Pirelli tire test earlier in the year.

However, during the FIA's International Tribunal Heating on Thursday, the Englishman maintained that the Mercedes team has not benefited in any way.

"I don't see how [we could have],” he said. "We didn't know what the tires were; we didn't know what the detail objectives were of what Pirelli were doing.

"We always work on the principle that no information is better than bad information. I don't see how we could have used any data from that test."

Photo: Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team

Brawn also admitted that because the 2013 car was used, it was impossible that the team had not gained any knowledge, but believes the situation must be kept within context.

“I think that is unavoidable, and was a consideration taken into account when we had permission from the FIA to do the test. But it does need to be kept in proportion."

The International Tribunal Hearing will continue throughout the day.

From Porsche

Hollywood actor Patrick Dempsey ("Grey's Anatomy") plays himself in the new motorsport film from Porsche.

At the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR the avid race driver contests the 24 Hours of Le Mans this coming weekend for the Dempsey Del Piero-Proton team.

The first of a series of films featuring Dempsey is available on Porsche's Facebook page and on the Porsche YouTube channel and can be seen here.



"It's nice to say that you are in the Porsche family," says Dempsey. "It's an incredible family, a talented family with a lot of depth when it comes to technology, engineering and design. It fills me with pride to now be a part of this family."

The first movie is entitled "Porsche Motorsport: Growing the family with Patrick Dempsey" and was filmed at the American Le Mans Series race on the street circuit in Long Beach (USA).

In the GTC class, Dempsey contests the entire season of the U.S. race series with his teammates Andy Lally and Joe Foster in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by the Dempsey Del Piero Racing squad.

At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Dempsey and Foster join forces with Porsche works driver Patrick Long (USA).

Patrick Dempsey. (Photo: Dempsey Del Piero Racing)

After having been forced to withdraw from the IndyCar Series due to a lack of funds, Dreyer & Reinbold has confirmed that it will be back in motrosport, but this time it will run a car in the Global Rallycross event of the Los Angeles X Games in August.

That is the result of getting back together with James Sullivan's SH Racing and GRC Olsbergs to run the 'star car' at the X Games event on the first weekend of August.

The team's driver has not yet been announced.

Those squads have been involved together before, having fielded Tomas Scheckter's Indy 500 entry in 2011. This year, SH Racing has worked with Indy winner KV Racing Technology and Tony Kanaan.

Are you currently shopping for a fun little car that will give you plenty of bang for your buck? There is great selection out there, so allow Kelley Blue Book to make your choice easier with its top 10 coolest new cars under $18,000 for 2013, led by the Hyundai Veloster.

“Quite frankly, automakers keep making it easier to pay them less,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's website. “While many inexpensive cars are decidedly uncool, the world's manufacturers are putting more personality and distinction into their lower-priced offerings. Not only have small cars never looked so good, but they have also never been more filled with cool content.”

So, what are the top 10 fun-to-drive and fun-to-own cars in 2013? Here's the list:

• 1. Hyundai Veloster
• 2. Ford Focus
• 3. Kia Soul
• 4. Honda Fit
• 5. Dodge Dart
• 6. Mazda Mazda3
• 7. Fiat 500
• 8. Volkswagen Jetta
• 9. Honda Civic
• 10. Chevrolet Spark

Photo: Marie-Andrée Ayotte

From GMM

Former F1 driver Allan McNish thinks the world of Le Mans would welcome Mark Webber with open arms in 2014.

With his Red Bull deal expiring, and the world champions weighing up the candidates to replace him, 37-year-old Australian Webber has been linked with Porsche's return to prototype sports car racing.

Photo: Porsche

"If Mark did decide to come we would all embrace him with open arms - until the first corner," Scot McNish, who raced in F1 with Toyota in 2002, joked to the Huffington Post.

"He wouldn't want it any other way," smiled McNish, now a top Le Mans driver for Audi.

"He's a hard charger, he's intelligent, he's a thinker, he's a nice person, he'd be good in the paddock," McNish said of Webber, who raced at Le Mans late last century with Mercedes.

The fabled 24 hour Le Mans race takes place this weekend, and McNish thinks the event can compete head-to-head with formula one.

"I think sports cars has offered manufacturers a place where they can develop a technology at a good, sensible cost," he said.

"They can race in a high profile race, Le Mans, which matches any F1 race without question and it's got a world championship. Look at Renault -- they've won the F1 world championship for quite a few years but no one knows. They all think it's a Red Bull."

Allan McNish driving the impressive Audi R18 e-tron quattro at Le Mans. (Photo: Audi Motorsport)

McNish also said Le Mans has become a "viable" option for drivers of F1 pedigree like Kamui Kobayashi and Bruno Senna, and questioned whether formula one has taken the right direction with its tyre-dominated racing.

"It's very odd the way it is in formula one now," he said.

"I was looking at the laptimes from the Bahrain GP and noticed that they were basically the same as our race laptimes there -- for a car that is 300kg lighter. I think F1 has tried quite hard over the past few years to become a spectacle, to get the fans to enjoy wheel to wheel racing. I think it's positive to do that but they might have gone a little bit too far," added McNish.

From GMM

Nico Hulkenberg has admitted for the first time that moving from Force India to Sauber over the winter may not have been the "right decision".

Until now, the 25-year-old German has defended his move on the basis that Swiss team Sauber, currently in a performance slump, has the potential to revive its podium-winning form of 2012.

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber C32-Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

But, now with more of a third of the 2013 season in the past, Hulkenberg has acknowledged Sauber is in "a difficult situation" with its C32 car, while Sahara Force India is in the top-five of the championship, ahead even of McLaren.

"Of course this is not what I had imagined, and not what the team imagined," Hulkenberg told Speed Week.

"Clearly we are not where we want to be and where we should be. But unfortunately that's formula one -- when you make decisions, there is never a guarantee that it's going to be the right one. What we have to do now is to keep looking ahead and get the best out of the season."

Nico Hulkenberg admitted that being passed or beaten by a Sahara Force India in 2013 hurts.

"To be honest it hasn't happened on the track, but due to strategy or in the pits, of course it does (hurt). I would like to have a faster car."

Photo: Sauber F1 Team

Meanwhile, Jenson Button has said that, amid McLaren's slump, it is no surprise Sahara Force India has raced past the British grandee.

"Part of their car is from us, part is from Mercedes, so they are going to do well," he told British newspapers.

Three Audi R18s locked the top three positions in the first qualifying session ahead of 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the first Toyota already four seconds adrift.

Audi R18 e-tron quattro (Photo: Audi)

Loïc Duval, who will race the No. 1 car alongside Tom Kristensen and Alan McNish, set his best lap in 3m22.349, beathing last year's time by 1.5 seconds.

He leads his teammates Gene, Di Grassi and Jarvis, and Lotterer, Fassler and Treluyer. The fastest Toyota, driven by Wurz,, Lapierre and Nakajima, is fourth, four seconds slower than the best Audi.

As expected, the best independant LMP1 car is the Rebellion's Lola Toyota of Jani, Prost and Heidfeld, ahead of the second ToyotaTS030 Hybrid.

Toyota TS030 Hybrid (Photo: Toyota)

In LMP2, it was the G Drive's Oreca Nissan driven by Martin, Rusinov and Conway that emerged fastest ahead of the Morgan Judd driven by Gachnang, Mailleux and Lombard.

There was a big fight in GTE Pro, and the works Aston Martin Vantage of Makowiecki, Bell and Senna was the fastest car of the class.

Aston also dominated in GTE Am, with the best lap time set by Nygaard, Poulsen and Simonsen.

The second qualifying session will start at 7pm Thursday.

Qualifications 1:
1. Duval/McNish/Kristensen (Audi R18 e-Tron) - Audi Joest - 3'22"349 (1st LMP1)
2. Gené/Di Grassi/Jarvis(Audi R18 e-Tron) - Audi Joest - 3'24"341
3. Lotterer/Fassler/Treluyer (Audi R18 e-Tron) - Audi Joest - 3'25"474
4. Wurz/Lapierre/Nakajima (Toyota TS030 Hybrid) - Toyota - 3'26"676
5. Prost/Jani/Heidfeld (Lola B12/60-Toyota) - Rebellion - 3'30"423
6. Davidson/Buemi/Sarrazin (Toyota TS030 Hybrid) - Toyota - 3'30"841
7. Belicchi/Beche/Cheng (Lola B12/60-Toyota) - Rebellion - 3'32"167
8. Leventis/Watts/Kane (HPD ARX 03c-Honda) - Strakka - 3'36"547
9. Martin/Rusinov/Conway (Oreca 03-Nissan) - G-Drive - 3'39"535 (1st LMP2)
10. Gachnang/Mailleux/Lombard (Morgan-Judd) - Morand - 3'40"741
(...)
27. Makowiecki/Bell/Senna (Aston Martin Vantage V8) - Aston Martin - 3'55"658 (1st GTE Pro)
(...)
36. Nygaard/Poulsen/Simonsen (Aston Martin Vantage) - Aston Martin - 3'58"661
etc.

The DMCC (Drift Mania Canadian Championship) added a ProAm amateur category to its championship back in 2010 in order to ensure a steady flow of new participants. It helps new drivers test their skills against each other without breaking the bank.

In general, the cars are less powerful as the drivers are competing at a lower skill level than the Pro racers. The Pros garner most of the media attention as they are frequently in the spotlight.

However, a newcomer to the ProAm series managed to gain some attention by capturing the pole position in the first race of the 2013 season, leading to an impressive second-place finish in the season opener.

Trois-Rivières, Quebec native Martin Langlois is a machinist by trade, and he singlehandedly performs the majority of pre-race chassis and engine modifications. Langlois took a few minutes of his time to tell us his story.

Marie-Laurance Paquin (MLP): Where does your passion for this sport come from?

Martin Langlois (ML): My passion for motorsports mainly comes from my family. As a kid, I always tagged along with my dad at various rally events. I immediately modified the first car I ever owned. I went out and bought my Silvia (Nissan 240SX) five years ago. The first few months I only drove it on the street, before slowly transforming it into a track car. It's exactly the same car that I'm driving in this year's series.


MLP: Were any modifications made to the car over the winter?

ML: I put in a lot of work last winter to modify the suspension. The engine remains as is because I firmly believe that the way the car handles is what really counts. The Nissan Silvia is a popular car for drifting. I think that the time I spent modifying the suspension to get the jump on my competitors is time well spent.


MLP: Is it your goal to participate in the Pro series in the near future?

ML: Everything depends on this year's results. It certainly would give me a boost if I manage to climb on the podium a few times, and the prize money is certainly interesting, too. It would help me raise the money I need to modify the engine in order to be more competitive.


MLP: Which engine are you using now?

ML: I've got a SR20DET under the hood. I replaced the original turbocharger for a twin-scroll GT3071R, boosting the output to 500 hp, which is approximately 400 to 430 hp at the wheels.

MLP: What's your objective for the current season?


ML: Last year was my first on the circuit, and I never got the chance to climb on the podium. I had quite a few mechanical issues, and was stressed out to the point that it affected my confidence. I worked on the mental aspect of the sport last winter and I'm looking to “kick butt” this season!


MLP: Who are your toughest opponents?

ML: Eric Belanger, who (I'm surprised) didn't qualify today. He's a great driver. Maxime Cyrenne and Michel Pelchat are also worth mentioning.

Photo: Joel Couture

Red Bull Stratos and space dive hero Felix Baumgartner recently experienced the thrill and amazing sensations provided by a Formula 1 race car.

Baumgartner, who stunned the world when he set the world record for skydiving an estimated 39 kilometres (24 miles), reaching an estimated speed of 1357.64 km/h (843.6 m/h), or Mach 1.25, on 14 October 2012, and became the first person to break the sound barrier without vehicular power on his descent.

In this video, the Austrian put his trust in the hands of Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel and David Coulthard, swapping the speed of sound for the sound of speed in a three-seater F1 car as it flies around the Paul Ricard Circuit in southern France.