Auto News 5

Veteran racer Michel Bonnet won both races of the Formula Tour 1600 series held this weekend at the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres.

Bonnet, driving the No. 2 Vector, started both races from pole position and ahead of Thomas McGregor in the No. 93 Spectrum.

Friday's qualifying session for race 1 was red flagged to allow the safety crew to extract Steve McCamus from his car after a big shunt against the wall. Accoring to the latest report, McCamus would be suffering from a broken leg.

In race 1, Bonnet ran away from McGregor and the pair finished in that order. Tristan DeGrand crossed the line in third place ahead of veteran Didier Schraenen and Pascal Bellemare.

In race 2 held Saturday, Bonnet repeated his winning performance, finishing the 22-lap race in first place, 2.8 seconds in front of DeGrand and Chase Pelletier. Pascal Bellemare and Marcel Lafontaine completed the top 5.

Schraenen was en route to third place with half a lap to go when his CMV suddenly stopped in the middle of the race track.

The final race of the season will be held at Circuit Mont-Tremblant, September 21st and 22nd.

From Formula1.com

The 1966 classic Grand Prix and the recent Senna documentary aside, there have been surprisingly few attempts to convey the essence of F1 racing to cinemagoers. That will be addressed this autumn with the release of Rush. Directed by Ron Howard, the man behind blockbusters such as Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, it tells the tale of the epic duel for the ‘76 drivers' title between Niki Lauda and James Hunt.

Formula1.com spoke to Howard about bringing Formula One racing back to the big screen...

The movie's James Hunt and Niki Lauda (Photo: "Rush" Facebook)

Q: Ron, after almost two years working on Rush, the movie based on the Niki Lauda/James Hunt rivalry of the mid-seventies, how do you see Formula One racing now?

Ron Howard: Now I am a fan! (laughs) I am watching, I am very curious. Before I also watched Formula One, but I watch it differently now. Before I used to watch the start, then got occupied with something else, then checked back once in a while to see who is leading, and watched the finish. Otherwise my mind would wander somewhere else. Now, when I watch a race I can't even get up to go to the toilet. Now I stay glued to the action - because now I understand it well enough.

Ron Howard and actor Chris Hemsworth, who plays James Hunt (Photo: "Rush" Facebok)

Q: What's your idea about racing drivers after getting so involved with the lives of Niki Lauda and James Hunt? Are they heroes or madmen?

RH: Ha, I think it still takes a lot of courage to test yourself in that way. It is not only the risk of death or serious injury - although that still exists in their minds - but it is also the fear of failure that is sometimes more important to men than anything else. They are testing themselves constantly and they are willing to subject themselves in the most public way. You can say that about a lot of athletes, but it is a bit like golf and tennis: they are out there alone - even if they have a team behind them. So you could argue that they are half heroes and half madmen - but for sure one hundred percent world-class athletes.

Ron Howard with actor Daniel Brühl, who plays Lauda (Photo: "Rush" Facebook)

Q: The last big Hollywood blockbuster about Formula One racing was John Frankenheimer's film Grand Prix in 1966. Why did it take almost 50 years for another Hollywood director to get interested in the subject?

RH: Well, John Frankenheimer was able to imbed himself in Formula One of that time and use the spectacle that was naturally occurring, captured it and put it into his movie. Nowadays it is much more difficult and no sport would allow that. There is too much at stake: there are too many sponsors, there are too many rights issues - it is too complicated. That means you have to create everything and that has been too expensive to do - until recently. Now digital technology allows you to use archive footage, create new footage, extend the set digitally, build up the number of cars...

Q: How satisfied are you with the result?

RH: My mantra was: if you know and love Formula One, I hope you feel that and see the sportsmen respected. And if you don't know Formula One, you realize what you've been missing! I hope that's what we have achieved.

Director Ron Howard and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle on the set of "Rush" (Photo: "Rush" Facebook)

The latest Scotiabank Global Auto Report shows that global car sales advanced 4% in the first half of 2013 and will climb to a record high this year.

“We expect continued gains in the second half of the year supported by low short- and long-term interest rates around the world, strengthening global job creation and improving financial market conditions which have propelled several equity market indices to record highs,” said Carlos Gomes, Scotiabank's Senior Economist and Auto Industry Specialist.

Unsurprisingly, China is leading gains in global car sales so far this year with a 20% improvement, while purchases across North America are moving steadily higher with passenger car sales in Canada on target to climb to a record high in 2013.

The market in Western Europe is stabilizing, and Brazil has been a source of strength through the spring, with car sales climbing to record highs through May. However, purchases have recently lost momentum in the face of high inflation and rising interest rates.

Source: Scotiabank

Audette brothers Rémy and Mathieu each won a race of the Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC) presented at the famous Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, to keep alive their winning streak.

It's the third consecutive CTCC weekend they sweep both wins.

Mathieu, at the wheel of his RSX Type S, won Friday night's race, 3.3 seconds ahead of Bob Attrel's Hyundai Genesis Coupe. Alex Healy completed the podium aboard an Acura RSX Type S of his own.

The second contest, held Sunday, was slowed down by full course cautions.

Mechanical problems forced race 1 winner Mathieu to a DNF in the very first lap, while Healy was collecting former hockey star Marc-André Bergeron from behind. Healy's car suffered the most damage and had to be rescued as it was blocking the track.

Audette leads Audette (Photo: CTCC)

Back to green, Rémy (Honda Civic) was leading ahead of former champion Nick Wittmer (Honda Accord Coupe) and Roger Ledoux (Subaru Impreza WRX STI LP400). But their run for the checkered was interrupted moments later by another incident.

Paul Gravel (MINI Cooper S) had understeered into the wall of turn 2, and bounced back into the path of Jocelyn Fecteau (Scion Tc). Neither driver were hurt, but the safety car had to come back out.

The order when the race resumed had Audette still leading from Wittmer and Ledoux, followed by Marc-André Bergeron and former F1600 champion Nathan Blok.

Two laps from the end, Blok made the most of a small mistake by Bergeron to overtake him in turn 1.

The order at the checkered saw Audette win in front of Wittmer and Ledoux, with Blok and Bergeron completing the top five.

Scott Nicol (Honda Civic Si), Jonathan Rashleigh (Hyundai Genesis Coupe), Bob Attrell, Michel Sallenbach (MINI Cooper S) and Jocelyn Hébert (Honda Civic Si) rounded out the top 10.

Watkins Glen pole winner, Marcos Ambrose, feels the pressure unlike any other of his NASCAR Sprint Cup rivals.

Even though Ambrose won the pole at a record speed of at 128.241 mph in a Ford it was only his first at Watkins Glen, first of the year and third in his Sprint Cup career.

The pressure exists because it's Ambrose's, the two-time V8 Supercar champion, last road race of the year. And he'd like to leave the upstate New York road circuit as winner for the third year in-a-row.

“It feels great to be here. These days don't come around that often,” Ambrose said. “It was a great lap. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't the cleanest lap I could have done, but it certainly carried a lot of momentum and it was enough to get the job done.   

Photo: MarcosAmbrose.com

“These new Gen-6 race cars are a lot faster around here and the speeds are record speeds.”

The old record belongs to another former road racer, ex-Formula driver Juan Pablo Montoya from Colombia, who toured the old site of the USGP at 127.020 mph last year.

Toyota drivers took the next four spots. Clint Bowyer will start second, Martin Truex Jr. third, A.J. Allmendinger fourth and Kyle Busch fifth.  Jamie McMurray had the fastest Chevrolet and will roll off sixth.

Ambrose's pressure was apparent on Friday when the usually affable Australian uncharacteristically took out his discontent on his Richard Petty Motorsport team.

“I did apologize to my team and that's because I did lose my cool a little bit yesterday.  I was just frustrated with the second practice,” said Ambrose.

“It just didn't feel like we made enough progress and I was just worried for the race and for qualifying.  I know we were fast during the practice, but I just didn't feel like it was feeling right for me.

“They did a good job to calm me down and not overreact to what I was saying and made some small adjustments for today and they've worked out really well, so we were just short on time yesterday.”

Looking ahead to Sunday's race  Ambrose said “I love the area and I like the history of this place.  This place feels like a European race track.

“I've raced a lot in Europe and it's just got that feel to it and the old books I've read and history of all the F1 guys coming here and stuff makes it a pretty special place for me. Some guys have home tracks.

“I obviously don't (...), so when I come to a track like this it actually does feel like the track that I grew up on.  I like racing on these kind of circuits.”

Photo: MarcosAmbrose.com

New Zealander Brendon Hartley and American Scott Mayer (BMW/Riley) made the best of a few cautions in Road America to snatch their first career win in Grand-Am.

As it happens, it was their Starworks teammates' misfortunes, an hour from the checkered flag, that brought the caution that helped them to the front of the pack.

Because Hartley and Mayer pitted then, when Alex Popow and Ryan Dalziel lost their engine, they could stay out when a later caution came out to retrieve pole sitters Dane Cameron and Wayne Nonnamaker's BMW/Riley.

Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi (Corvette DP) led their teammates Brian and Burt Frisselle (Corvette DP) to the last two steps of the Daytona Prototype podium.

Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney's (Corvette DP) eighth place finish allowed them within four points of championship leaders Dalziel and Popow.

From second place on the grid, Canadian Paul Dalla Lana and teammate Bill Auberlen (BMW M3) drove straight to the top step of the GT category, ahead of Patrick Long and Patrick Lindsey (Porsche GT3) and Michael Marsal and Maxime Martin (BMW M3).

It was the pair's third victory of the season.

Meanwhile, Joel Miller and co-driver Tristan Nunez (Mazda 6) came out on top in GX.

Photo: StarworksMotorsports.com

Race results - Road America, Elkhart Lake (Grand-Am)
1 - Hartley-Mayer (Riley-BMW) - Starworks - 70 laps
2 - Barbosa-Fittipaldi (Corvette DP/Coyote) - ActionEx - 70
3 - Frisselle-Frisselle (Corvette DP/Coyote) - ActionEx - 70
4 - Pruett-Rojas (Riley-BMW) - Ganassi - 70
5 - Negri-Pew (Riley-Ford) - Shank - 70
6 - Wilson-Yacaman (Riley-Ford) - Shank - 70
7 - Angelelli-Taylor (Corvette DP/Dallara) - Taylor - 70
8 - Fogarty-Gurney (Corvette DP/Riley) - Stallings - 70
9 - Di Guida-Bourdais (Corvette DP/Coyote) - 8Star - 70
10 - Auberlen-Dalla Lana (BMW M3) - Turner - 68
11 - Lindsey-Long (Porsche 997) - Park Place - 68
12 - Marsal-Martin (BMW M3) - Turner - 68
13 - Wilden-Segal (Ferrari 458) - AIM - 68
14 - Lally-Potter (Porsche 997) - Magnus - 68
15 - Balzan-Keen (Ferrari 458) - Corsa - 68
16 - Assentato-Lazzaro (Ferrari 458) - AIM - 68
17 - Edwards-Liddell (Chevy Camaro) - Stevenson - 67
18 - Miller-Nunez (Mazda 6) - Speedsource - 63
19 - Pumpelly-Norman (Porsche Cayman) - BGB - 63
20 - Bleekemolen-Bergmeister (Porsche 997) - Muehlner - 63
21 - Long-Tremblay (Ferrari 458) - Speedsource - 55
22 - Cameron-Nonnamaker (Riley-BMW) - Sahlen - 54
23 - Nonnamaker-Nonnamaker (Riley-BMW) - Sahlen - 54
24 - Potolicchio-Valiante-Sarrazin (Corvette DP/Coyote) - 8Star - 53
25 - Maiman-Doyle (Porsche 997) - Muehlner - 50
26 - Ruud-Stanton (Ferrari 458) - Scuderia Corsa - 49
27 - Taylor-Westbrook (Corvette DP) - SpiritOfDaytona - 47
28 - Dalziel-Popow (Riley-Ford) - Starworks - 38
29 - Curran-Said (Corvette Z06) - Marsh - 21

Fastest lap of the race 2'01"252, by Sébastien Bourdais   

DP championship
1. Popow-Dalziel 246; 2. Gurney-Fogarty 242; 3. Christian Fittipaldi 239; 4. Joao Barbosa 237; 6. Angelelli-Taylor 234; 7.Rojas-Pruett 232.

GT championship
1. Lally-Potter 255; 2. Edwards-Liddell 248; 3. Alessandro Balzan 244; 4. Lazzaro-Assentato, Dalla Lana 239.

The auto industry, which by 1950 made Detroit the fourth-largest U.S. city, produced decades of prosperity but also enabled the city's gradual destruction and depopulation, leading to last month's historic bankruptcy.

As the auto industry struggled to recover from the recession, it swore off the deep discounting that destroyed profits and led to disaster. Now, a price war has erupted in the industry's smallest segment: electric cars.

As the auto industry struggled to recover from the recession, it swore off the deep discounting that destroyed profits and led to disaster. Now, a price war has erupted in the industry's smallest segment: electric cars.

The auto industry, which by 1950 made Detroit the fourth-largest American city, produced decades of prosperity but also enabled the city's gradual destruction and depopulation, leading to last month's historic bankruptcy.

The auto industry, which by 1950 made Detroit the fourth-largest American city, produced decades of prosperity but also enabled the city's gradual destruction and depopulation, leading to last month's historic bankruptcy.

From GMM

Lotus has played down reports the Enstone based team is struggling to survive financially amid crippling debts.

It was already known that the team's highest-paid member, lead driver Kimi Raikkonen, is waiting on his latest pay instalment.

And reports in the German press said other unpaid staff at Enstone are threatening to lay down their tools, while spare parts are running low because suppliers are also waiting for invoices to be paid.

35 per cent of the Genii-owned team was sold recently to a consortium called Infinity Racing, but it subsequently emerged that the deal is still not actually done.

"There may be some delays," team boss Eric Boullier admitted this week, "but it will be repaired within a few days.

"The package that ensures the future of the company is completed slowly, but we'll get there," he told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3.

Meanwhile, the Spanish sports newspaper Marca said Lotus has officially denied that team members have not been paid and are therefore threatening to strike.

From GMM

More wins in 2013, or the 2014 title?  Nico Rosberg is in two minds about how Mercedes should tackle the second half of this season.

The German has won two races in the ever-improving Mercedes so far this year, while his teammate Lewis Hamilton won the most recent grand prix, in Hungary.

But with the sweeping rules changes for 2014 looming, and some teams already turning their full focus to the new cars, Rosberg is unsure how Mercedes should proceed.

Speaking to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, he seemed to acknowledge that, notwithstanding Mercedes' absolutely front-running car, the chance of winning the 2013 title is slim.

"We have been able to celebrate some huge successes," he said.

"Unfortunately, especially due to the tyres, we were not consistent enough.

"The progress we have made, however, is huge," Rosberg explained.  "But our goal is to be where Sebastian (Vettel) is."

Lewis Hamilton leads Nico Rosberg in Hungary (Photo: WRi2)

Indeed, with half the season gone, Red Bull's Vettel has a 38 point lead over Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen, while the closest Mercedes challenger is Hamilton, who is 48 points adrift.

Rosberg's gap to the lead, meanwhile, is 88 points.

The 28-year-old acknowledged, therefore, that the 2014 rules revolution is a "huge opportunity" for a works outfit like Mercedes.

So should the Brackley based team throw its full weight behind 2014, or keep developing the current car for more poles and wins?

"That's a difficult question," Rosberg said.

"I'm in two minds.  On the one hand, I find it so cool to come to a race weekend with the best car, thinking 'I can put it on pole and win'.  It's a great feeling.

"On the other hand, half of me thinks next year is such a huge opportunity, because of all the changes.  If we just keep driving what we have now, we can still get some good successes out of this car," he added.

What Rosberg is implying is that Mercedes might now consider simply switching the full weight of the team's resources to the 2014 project.

Team boss Ross Brawn admitted that is a possibility.

"For Spa and Monza we have some great update packages in the works," he revealed.

"Depending on how well things go, we will then decide what to do for the rest of the season."

Paul Dalla Lana is amongst the drivers that are multitasking this weekend at Elkart Lake's Road America. The Canadian is racing in both the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) and Rolex series, Grand-Am two top championships.

The fact that he had to drive both his rides back to back made for a great story in qualifying.

Looking for a fast lap near the end of the CSCC session, Dalla Lana crashed his No. 96 BMW M3 heavily.

"It was big hit - about 90 mph straight in," recalls the driver.

As quickly as he could, the Vancouver native convinced the doctor at the medical centre he was well enough to go back out to qualify for the Rolex series.

"The doctor wanted to keep me for a little while, but I was able to calm down in about five minutes and convince everyone that I had my wits about me."

At it again, Dalla Lana clocked a personal best around the 6.5-kilometre track to put the No. 94 M3 on the front row.

"I couldn't believe it," team owner Will Turner said. "One minute, he's into the wall, and then he goes right back out and runs the fastest lap he's ever done here. Unbelievable."

Paul Dalla Lana, No. 94 BMW M3 (Photo: Turner Motorsports)

Lachenaie, Quebec's Alex Tagliani captured pole position Saturday afternoon or the Juliawine100.com race of the NASCAR Canadian Tire series held at the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres.

In the morning practice session, local driver Louis-Philippe Dumoulin set the fastest time in front of D.J. Kennington, Martin Roy and Tagliani.

In the afternoon, Tagliani, driving the No. 28 Dodge, captured pole position with a time of 1m07.080 and the average speed of 82.111 mph. He broke the previous track record of 1m07.661 set last year by two-time series' champion, Andrew Ranger.

Dumoulin said he's been held up in traffic during his qualifying effort but set the second fastest time in 1m07.355 in the No. 47 Dodge.

Marc-Antoine Camirand - a very experienced road racer, but a rookie in the NASCAR Canadian Tire series - qualified third in the No. 88 Chevrolet, one place ahead of former Formula 1 World Champion, Jacques Villeneuve in the No. 24 Dodge.

J. R. Fitzpatrick, rookie Alex Labbe, Martin Roy, D.J. Kennington, Kerry Micks and Alex Guenette completed the top 10 who qualified within one second.

The Juliawine 100.com race will start at 3:30 p.m. Tomorrow afternoon and Auto123.com Racing will provide live description of the race.

Team Sahlen's Dane Cameron (BMW/Riley) ended Jordan Taylor's (Corvette) streak of three consecutive poles in the Daytona Prototype category of the Grand-Am Rolex championship, by snatching his team's first pole since moving up to DP, this weekend as the series visits Road America.

Taylor, who now looks ahead to the race for his revenge, will still get to start off the front row, albeit on the outside of it.

Memo Rojas (BMW/Riley) snatched third spot, ahead of former Champ Car champion Sébastien Bourdais (Corvette).

Leh Keen (Ferrari 458) broke by over three seconds a two-year-old track record set by Wayne Nonnamaker on his way to the GT pole. Canadian Paul Dalla Lana (BMW M3) beat Patrick Lindsey (Porsche GT3) to the off-pole.

Tom Long (Mazda 6) beat everyone in the GX category.

Dane Cameron, No. 42 BMW/Riley (Photo: Grand-Am.com)

Qualifying results - Road America, Elkarth Lake (Grand-Am)
1.Cameron-Nonnamaker (Riley-BMW) - Sahlen - 2'00"028
2.Angelelli-Taylor (Corvette DP/Dallara) - Taylor - 2'00"575
3.Pruett-Rojas (Riley-BMW) - Ganassi - 2'00"710
4.Di Guida-Bourdais (Corvette DP/Coyote) - 8Star - 2'00"914
5.Barbosa-Fittipaldi (Corvette DP/Coyote) - ActionEx - 2'01"096
6.Fogarty-Gurney (Corvette DP/Riley) - Stallings - 2'01"245
7.Dalziel-Popow (Riley-Ford) - Starworks - 2'01"293
8.Allmendinger-Yacaman (Riley-Ford) - Shank - 2'01"658
9.Taylor-Westbrook (Corvette DP) - SpiritOfDaytona - 2'01"671
10.Frisselle-Frisselle (Corvette DP/Coyote) - ActionEx - 2'01"934
(...)

In recent weeks, MINI has shown how its small cars can become great camping companions.

• The MINI Clubvan Camper is the world's smallest luxury camper van, packed with practical solutions that make it ideal accommodation for an individual on a weekend away.

• The MINI Cowley is a compact yet comfortable caravan for two people, equipped with a twin-ring gas stove, fridge and sink.

• The MINI Countryman ALL4 Camp with its innovative roof-top tent is the getaway car for an adventurous couple, evoking images of African safari and expedition vehicles.

All three remain concept vehicles that showcase the depth of the MINI range. There are no plans to offer them as production models at this stage.

Photo: MINI

AJ Allmendinger, last-year's Penske Racing Sprint Cup regular driver will be back in a Penske Racing Nationwide car and IndyCar later this year according to report in Racer.com.   

Allmendinger failed a NASCAR required drug test but successfully completed NASCAR's Road to Recovery drug rehabilitation program and since returned to race at the Sprint Cup level for Phoenix Racing and JTG Daugherty Racing.

Moreover, the 31-year old has driven in the Nationwide Series and IndyCar Series for Penske.

He'll race a Penske Racing Nationwide Ford Mustang at Mid-Ohio next week and add the 500 miler Auto Club Speedway in October (his sixth IndyCar Series race) at a minimum in a Penske Dallara Chevrolet later this year. And he may race twice more in the IndyCar series for Penske.

“He will run for us in a third car at the IndyCar race at Fontana, and he'll drive for us at Mid-Ohio in the Nationwide race, so he's got two more drives for us that are planned this year,” team owner Roger Penske told RACER.

“We'd like to run him some more, but sponsorship is key to everything today. The costs just to run an Indy car have gone up, so it's not something you do without having the budget in place.”

Penske wants to keep him under the Penske Racing umbrella but says he'll let the driver find a better deal if he can.

“He's had a number of people contact me about him and he's had just as many reach out to him directly, and I said we should talk about them as they come in, and if there's a full-time opportunity waiting for him, I'm certainly not going to stand in his way or hold him back.

“If I have something I can offer him full time, that's certainly something to take a look at, but there's also a couple of good things he's taking a look at to see if it's feasible or not for him to do.”

Penske, who backed Allmendinger quietly through his NASCAR problems said  “my main mission was to get him through his problem, which he did - he faced up to the issue, had the poison he had to drink and came back stronger.”

Penske added “and I think people are thinking about going forward with him based on what he's doing today and not some of the negative stuff that took place earlier in NASCAR.”

The California native is driving the JTG Daugherty Toyota at the Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen this weekend.


Jonathan Bomarito lapped his SRT Viper GTS-R faster than everybody else in the GT category for a second consecutive time, as the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) stopped at Elkhart Lake's Road America.

Bomarito's previous pole was last month, at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), where Corvette Racing pipped Viper for the win. That means the team is still looking for its first win since bringing the brand back to ALMS racing last year.

Antonio Garcia qualified the No. 4 Corvette he co-drove to the CTMP win with Jan Magnussen on the outside pole. Leh Keen completed the GT top three aboard his Ferrari F458 Italia.

Marino Franchitti (Level 5 Motorsports) paced the LMP2 field, as he beat both Guy Cosmo (Tequila Patron) and IndyCar regular Simon Pagenaud, who stepped in the sister Level 5 car to replace an injured Ryan Briscoe.

Lucas Luhr (Muscle Milk) topped the field overall by besting a distant Chris McMurry (Dyson Racing) and an outpaced Katherine Legge (DeltaWing).

Colin Braun (CORE) and Spencer Pumpelly (Alex Job Racing) had the last laugh in PC and GTC respectively.

In recent weeks, MINI has shown how its small cars can become great camping companions.

• The MINI Clubvan Camper is the world's smallest luxury camper van, packed with practical solutions that make it ideal accommodation for an individual on a weekend away.

• The MINI Cowley is a compact yet comfortable caravan for two people, equipped with a twin-ring gas stove, fridge and sink.

• The MINI Countryman ALL4 Camp with its innovative roof-top tent is the getaway car for an adventurous couple, evoking images of African safari and expedition vehicles.

All three remain concept vehicles that showcase the depth of the MINI range. There are no plans to offer them as production models at this stage.

Photo: MINI