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Hyundai is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Canadian adventure and has created a special consumer-accessible website for the occasion. The website allows users to retrace the highlights of Hyundai Canada's accomplishments as well as the chance to win a 2013 Veloster with Tech Package and EcoShift DCT transmission.

"Hyundai has always boldly forged ahead. The fact that it was firmly established in the Canadian market only 16 years after being founded and a full three years before conquering the American market is indicative of its accomplishments. It was an audacious endeavor, but dreaming big has always been part of who we are as a company,'' explains Steve Kelleher, Hyundai Auto Canada Corp President & CEO.

Go to www.hyundai30years.ca to visit the Hyundai anniversary website.

Adapted from GMM

Kimi Raikkonen on Friday said he is unwilling to even talk with Lotus about 2014 until certain issues are cleared up.

"They (Lotus) know exactly what they have to do first, and then we are open to talk," he said.

Undoubtedly, the inimitable and unforthcoming Raikkonen was uncomfortable and annoyed as the media spotlight burned brightly. But he did little to assuage suspicions his Thursday illness was a form of boycott because Lotus is behind on paying him.

"Yeah, fine," he said when reporters asked if he had returned to health.

"There's always reasons for things.  I don't have to tell."

Meanwhile, team owner Gerard Lopez was playing down reports of financial strife at Lotus.

Reportedly in debt to the tune of EUR 120 million and with the new Infinity Racing investment in doubt, Lopez insisted at Spa-Francorchamps that Lotus is in fact in good health.

Indeed, some believe the team's debt is actually just 28 million.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E21 (Photo: WRi2)

"It is 120 million," Lopez confirmed to Auto Motor und Sport, "but four-fifths of it we owe to ourselves, to Genii, because we do not sponsor the team but finance it through loans."

He said, therefore, that Genii is not going to urgently demand Lotus pay it back.

"First of all I want to ensure that the team continues to be well funded.  Whether we get the money back now or later, we have to see.

"We continue to look for partners to join the team.  It's not about getting money back quickly now."

Lopez insisted that is precisely why Lotus does not have a title sponsor at the moment.

"We could have signed a cheap contract," he said.  "But we think from the performance point of view, we need a sponsor who pays really well.

"We don't want to sign something now for three, four, five years that we will regret later."

From GMM

Despite protestations to the contrary, Sauber's struggle for survival is not over, according to the latest German-language reports.

The Russian rescue deal had appeared back on track on Friday, as teen driver Sergey Sirotkin confirmed rumours he has now signed a race deal for 2014.

But Welt newspaper said the flow of money from Russia has actually been barely more than a trickle.

Reporting from Spa, Bild correspondents Nicola Pohl and Lennart Wermke referred to a promised EUR 22 million injection, in exchange for Sirotkin's race seat.

But the reports said only EUR 3 million actually materialised.

"For Sauber, the situation is dramatic," said Pohl and Wermke.  "The Russian rescue is probably off the table."

However, there are also conflicting reports.  Auto Motor und Sport claims team driver Nico Hulkenberg, who has been waiting to be paid all season, has now received the first instalment.

"We got some money," confirmed his manager Werner Heinz.  "At Sauber things are looking up."

The German report also said Sauber has travelled to Belgium with a new front wing and is tinkering once again with a passive double-DRS system, indicating that funds for technical development are flowing once again.

Denny Hamlin, NASCAR's virtually forgotten man, won the pole at Bristol Motor Speedway seemingly the best news he's had in quite a while.

Driving a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Hamlin turned a lap of 128.969 mph around the .533 mile concrete paved oval. It was his fourth pole of the year 16th in his career.

Hamlin's looking for any bright news in a season that virtually started with missing four races due to a fractured vertebra in California the second race of the season.

To add insult to injury the Virginia-born driver who had been a major contender is mired in a nine-race slump where the best he could finish was a not-very competitive 18th.

"It's by far the worst run, these nine races, in my career," he said.

"A lot of it is our own doing. We got off track for a couple races because we've blown right front tires in consecutive weeks and we started changing our setups and we couldn't find anything that was very good with that. That burnt another three, four weeks. We've had horsepower cut back. But we're headed in the right direction.”

He's looking to parlay the pole back into Victory Lane with a take-no-prisoners outlook.

Denny Hamlin (Photo: Joe Gibbs Racing)

"I'll be as aggressive as I possibly can to get a win -- there's nothing really that I won't do.”

Kurt Busch, who's trying to revive his entire career, the subject of rumours of an offer Stewart-Haas Racing drive next year was second-fastest at 128.770mph in a Chevrolet.  The 2004 Sprint Cup Champion, who left Penske Racing two years ago, finds himself the flavor of the week as a potential move up to a more powerful team than the one-car Furniture Row Racing.

"The guys (his current pit crew) know that this is the time now, and they are all shaking my hand saying 'Thanks' and they are also saying 'Let's do this again next year,'" Busch said.

"I'm like, 'Heck, yeah. I'm right there with you.' We have to stay focused on the present as well as balance the future, and it's a tough thing to do. You hope you can do it behind the scenes and it's not out in the public. But today was a great reminder of how hard you have to work in this sport."

“Concrete” Carl Edwards was third quick in a Ford while Toyota drivers Brian Vickers and Matt Kenseth as Toyota took three of the top five spots. Mark Martin, who starts 11th  is filling in for the recovering Tony Stewart  this week.

Hyundai is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Canadian adventure and has created a special consumer-accessible website for the occasion. The website allows users to retrace the highlights of Hyundai Canada's accomplishments as well as the chance to win a 2013 Veloster with Tech Package and EcoShift DCT transmission.

"Hyundai has always boldly forged ahead. The fact that it was firmly established in the Canadian market only 16 years after being founded and a full three years before conquering the American market is indicative of its accomplishments. It was an audacious endeavor, but dreaming big has always been part of who we are as a company,'' explains Steve Kelleher, Hyundai Auto Canada Corp President & CEO.

Go to www.hyundai30years.ca to visit the Hyundai anniversary website.

Auto123.com is sad to report that two Dutch taking part in a demonstration run aboard an historic car died in a crash during the Arena Panzerplatte stage of the Rallye Deutschland, round nine of the World Rally Championship (WRC).

The event organizers issued the following statement:

“It is with great sadness that the organiser can confirm an accident took place this afternoon at the Arena Panzerplatte involving a historic car participating in a non-competitive demonstration programme.

The car, driven by a Dutch pairing, left the route near the Gina crest. The emergency services were on the scene immediately to assist but despite their best efforts the injuries sustained by both the driver and passenger proved fatal. No one else was involved in the incident.

Everyone associated with the event extends their deepest sympathies and condolences to the families, friends and individuals who are being touched by today's terrible tragedy.

The second passage of Arena Panzerplatte has been cancelled and the competition cars have been re-routed back to the Service Park in Trier.

The rally will continue on Sunday according to its itinerary.”

Our best wishes from Auto123.com go to friends and family of the departed.

While this weekend's Swedish car gathering at Larz Anderson Auto Museum has little chance of beating Carlisle Import Nationals'

While this weekend's Swedish car gathering at Larz Anderson Auto Museum has little chance of beating Carlisle Import Nationals'

While this weekend's Swedish car gathering at Larz Anderson Auto Museum has little chance of beating Carlisle Import Nationals'

While this weekend's Swedish car gathering at Larz Anderson Auto Museum has little chance of beating Carlisle Import Nationals'

While this weekend's Swedish car gathering at Larz Anderson Auto Museum has little chance of beating Carlisle Import Nationals'

While this weekend's Swedish car gathering at Larz Anderson Auto Museum has little chance of beating Carlisle Import Nationals'

While this weekend's Swedish car gathering at Larz Anderson Auto Museum has little chance of beating Carlisle Import Nationals'

The Chevy Corvair, best known for its air-cooled, rear-engine layout and being and#8220;

The Chevy Corvair, best known for its air-cooled, rear-engine layout and being and#8220;

The Chevy Corvair, best known for its air-cooled, rear-engine layout and being and#8220;

The Chevy Corvair, best known for its air-cooled, rear-engine layout and being and#8220;

The Chevy Corvair, best known for its air-cooled, rear-engine layout and being and#8220;

The Chevy Corvair, best known for its air-cooled, rear-engine layout and being and#8220;

The Chevy Corvair, best known for its air-cooled, rear-engine layout and being and#8220;