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I'm a big guy who's always loved the MINI Cooper because it's a machine that's surprisingly accommodating, great on fuel, and (most importantly) hilariously fun to drive. Building on that last attribute, MINI just released a new model targeting hardcore MINI-fans after a no-nonsense, all-out, race-ready sports model: The MINI John Cooper Works GP.


What is a MINI John Cooper Works GP?
On the surface, decals, special wheels, a splitter, a spoiler, and enlarged exhaust tips strongly signal this top-line sports model's intentions. Beneath the skin, it's got shock absorbers that can be adjusted with a wrench to fine-tune the handling to your favourite racetrack, very special Kumho racing slicks, and a set of brakes from the BMW 1M performance car. These deliver prodigious stopping power -- especially considering the GP's light weight.

That weight is even trimmer here than in standard form because the MINI GP has no rear seat, no cruise control, and no spare tire provisions.

This MINI Cooper is equip with a very special Kumho racing slicks and a set of brakes from the BMW 1M performance car. (Photo: Justin Pritchard)

2013 MINI John Cooper Works GP Price and Specs
Power comes from a 1.6L turbocharged 4-cylinder with 211 horsepower and nearly as much torque -- and the effect in a car as small and light as the GP translates into some serious firepower. Low-end grunt is richly delivered in an on-demand manner, and a mellow, deep and distinctive exhaust note follows the GP.

Mileage on my watch landed well under 9L/100km -- including plenty of high-speed highway driving. Few machines on the road today pack this powerful a blend of fuel efficiency and all-out performance.

You can park a 2013 MINI John Cooper Works GP in your driveway starting at $44,900.

Power comes from a 1.6L turbocharged 4-cylinder with 211 horsepower and nearly as much torque -- and the effect in a car as small and light as the GP translates into some serious firepower. (Photo: Justin Pritchard)

Driving the 2013 MINI John Cooper Works GP
Drivers can watch the neck-straining acceleration via the Cooper GP's dinner-plate-size speedometer that sits just above the light-effort 6-speed manual shifter. The clutch bites positively, though the electronic throttle numbs gas-pedal inputs when drivers shift assertively, perhaps trying to keep undue strain off the driveline.

Engage the sport-enhancing “GP Mode” from the traction control system to drive like a bit of a hooligan, and the 2013 MINI John Cooper Works GP shines. The immediacy, even abruptness, to inputs uses every touch of the pedal and every twist of the wheel to tell you that this is a serious performance car. The MINI GP offers startling reactions to all inputs, handling that's completely flat, and more grip than you'll know what to do with.

Stopping power is rather startling, too. Stopping space was frequently over-judged for hard-brake testing. The 2013 MINI John Cooper Works GP feels like it'll nearly do an end-o when you jam the middle pedal.

Ultimately, it's the car's steering that shines the brightest. Even the smallest movement is translated into a big steering reaction, supporting an effortlessly mischievous corner-carving experience.

If I've ever driven a car on this side of 70k that felt so ready to hit the racetrack, I don't know what it was. As opposed to building a weekend racecar yourself, this one has a warranty and doesn't require waiting for your eBay parts to arrive so you can slave away for hours in the garage to install them.

The 2013 MINI John Cooper Works GP is relatively peaceful, refined, and easygoing on the highway, too.

Drivers can watch the neck-straining acceleration via the Cooper GP's dinner-plate-size speedometer that sits just above the light-effort 6-speed manual shifter. (Photo: Justin Pritchard)

Inside and Out of the 2013 MINI John Cooper Works GP
Where “fun factor” is concerned, the Cooper GP nails it. Though it shines when driven hard, it's also “fun” when it comes time to refuel, given its very high thrills-per-litre ratio. The GP can also snipe any parking space or gap in traffic as required thanks to its humorous size.

Complaints mainly centered around the lack of cruise control, which results in accidental arrival at way-too-high speeds on the highway as the sneaky little turbocharger discreetly ramps velocities upwards.

Finally, shoppers are cautioned to be sure they'll benefit from the 2013 MINI John Cooper Works GP's track-readiness, as the tires offer a mere 50 wear rating, and the racing suspension requires a more intensive maintenance schedule than standard models.

The GP can also snipe any parking space or gap in traffic as required thanks to its humorous size. (Photo: Justin Pritchard)

Comparing the 2013 MINI John Cooper Works GP
There's no other hot-hatch quite like this one. Neither the Mazdaspeed3, nor the Volkswagen GTI nor the Ford Focus ST feel as sharp, agile or instantly ready to hit the track, even if they are less expensive and more everyday friendly. Conversely, the Cooper GP's price will easily get shoppers a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution or Subaru WRX STI -- both of which deliver all-season performance, all-wheel drive thrills and plenty of racecar hardware, too.

Shoppers interested in the MINI GP's blend of giggle-inducing dynamics, fuel efficiency and standout factor are advised to investigate the model quickly: only 50 are available for the Canadian market.

L.P. Dumoulin earned his second NASCAR Canadian Tire Series' victory by winning the Pinty's presents the Clarington 200 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

The 2011 series rookie of the year claimed the victory over runner-up Martin Roy and third-place Andrew Ranger after 42 laps under a yellow-checkered finish.

A multi-car accident in Turn 8 of the 2.459-mile course brought out the record-tying sixth caution.

D.J. Kennington, who took over the points lead finished fourth while J.R. Fitzpatrick rounded out the top five.

Rookies Marc-Antoine Camirand and Gary Klutt finished sixth and seventh, respectively. Jeff Lapcevich, Howie Scannell Jr. and Robin Buck rounded out the top 10.

With two races remaining, Kennington leads Steckly by three points (387-384) and Dumoulin (366) by 21. Hathaway dropped a spot, six points back of Dumoulin.

The runner-up finish for Roy was his best in 26 career starts, and well ahead of his previous best result in three appearances at the track, which was 14th.

Sunday marked the first time in 85 all-time Canadian Tire Series events that the podium consisted entirely of Quebec natives with Dumoulin, Roy (Napierville) and Ranger (Roxton Pond).

With the road-course portion of the schedule complete, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series wraps up the 2013 campaign with a pair of oval track races. Next up is the Hudco Electric Supply 300 at Barrie (Ont.) Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 8.

From GMM

James Calado will drive a Sahara Force India on Friday morning at Monza.

A month ago, rumours suggested the GP2 frontrunner - a 24-year-old Briton - would soon be signed as the Silverstone based team's new reserve driver.

The news was confirmed officially by team boss Vijay Mallya on Monday.

"I'm pleased to confirm that we've signed James as our third driver," he said.

Vijay Mallya said Calado, who is managed by Nicolas Todt, will drive on Friday morning at Monza, and also in initial practice "at several other races this year".

"It's always useful to get another driver's feedback on the car and it will help us evaluate James," he added.

Sahara Force India's current race drivers are Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil.

James Calado testing with Sahara Force India. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

As a new race to lead F1's governing body kicks off, Gerhard Berger has become the second major figure to question the success of current president Jean Todt's rule.

David Ward, a close former colleague of Max Mosley, has announced his intention to stand against Frenchman Todt in December's election.

Comments by Mosley on Sunday might be interpreted as the battle's opening salvo, when he said Todt was partly to blame for the financial struggle of many F1 teams because he "was never a friend of cost limits".

"Now formula one has a big problem," Mosley told Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

Also asked about F1's financial crisis, and the fact many fans are bemoaning the confusing state of the sport at present, former driver and team owner Gerhard Berger also pointed a finger.

Photo: WRi2

Asked specifically if the sport needs a shakeup, the Austrian told Bild am Sonntag: "The time is probably ripe. In formula one, the old adage 'too many cooks spoil the broth' is more and more true. Previously, Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone worked as a unit. But today we have in Jean Todt and Ecclestone two chefs who have different tastes and different spices. This leads us to something that is expensive and also difficult for many of the fans to understand."

A big problem, Berger added, is the constantly-changing rules, overseen and governed by the Todt-led FIA.

"In football, you could also make the field bigger, smaller, allow 15 players, 10 players, make the goal bigger, smaller. But they don't. Football is easy to understand, but this is a difficult moment in formula one."

Not only that, Berger said constantly-changing rules are associated with "insane costs" for the middle-ranked teams, in a market of declining sponsorship.

Like many purists, he is particularly critical of recent developments such as DRS, the moveable rear wing flap that has all but replaced the more traditional - although rare - species of overtaking.

"I don't like these ways to artificially improve the show," Berger admitted. "And I honestly believe that it's the same for the fans as well. They want a real sport."

And, like Mosley, Berger gives a vote of confidence to Ecclestone, even though the 82-year-old Briton is facing bribery charges that could bring him down.

"He has led this sport for decades with perfection, vision, cunning and hard work to great success, for which we all have to thank him," said Berger.

"As long as he is fit, there is no one better. But formula one is owned by the investment group CVC, who would normally hang on to an investment for up to ten years. And that time is basically up."

"I believe that a reorganisation is necessary and quite possible," he said, "and the FIA and Todt will play an important role."

Argentinian driver Jose Maria Lopez, who won one of the WTCC rounds presented in his country in August, is rumored to test the new Citroën C-Elysée WTCC in Valencia on september 9th and 10th.

Lopez, who currently runs the argentinian touring car championship, the TC 2000, made a great appearance in WTCC in Termas de Rio Hondo where he claimed victory in the second round driving a Wiechers Sport's BMW 320 TC.

Jose Maria Lopez. (Photo: WTCC)

Jose Maria Lopez, from Santa Fe, Argentina, is set to have a test with Citroën in Valencia alongside Sébastien Loeb and Yvan Muller, who are already confirmed for 2014 in the french squad. A third car will probably be ran in WTCC by Citroën, and former-F1 driver Robert Kubica could ran selected WTCC rounds, depending on his WRC program, as the Pole will be also involved in the WRC championship with Citroën.

The french team would be now looking for other drivers to drive the third car in the remaining races of the season, maybe for one-shot appearances.

Jack Hawksworth started from pole position, led every laps and crossed the finish line without any treat winning his third Indy Lights race of 2013, this time around the streets of Baltimore.

Sage Karam made a great start from fourth, and while he managed a good run on Hawksworth on the first restart, he spent the first part of the second leg fending off Gabby Chaves in a Schmidt 1-2-3. Second has given Karam the points lead.

Chaves was well clear of Irishman Peter Dempsey, but it was a poor race for title hopeful Carlos Munoz. The Andretti Autosport driver crashed into the wall. A braking issue was suspected to have caused the accident.

Jack Hawksworth. (Photo: Sam Schmidt Motorsport)

Results - 35 laps:
Pos   Driver   Team  Time/Gap
1. Jack Hawksworth  Schmidt  56m50.6921s
2. Sage Karam  Schmidt  +13.4655s
3. Gabby Chaves  Schmidt  +17.7958s
4. Peter Dempsey   Belardi  +22.0420s
5. Jorge Goncalvez  Belardi   +49.9380s
6. Matthew Di Leo  MDL/Dragffy  +55.1763s
7. Giancarlo Serenelli   Belardi   +4 laps*
8. Zach Veach  Andretti  +4 laps
* Not running at finish

Retirements:
Carlos Munoz   Andretti  5 laps
Dalton Kellett  Pabst  1 lap
Juan Pablo Garcia   Moore  0 laps

From GMM

Fernando Alonso is set to become the owner of a professional cycling team.

On Sunday, the Ferrari driver sent the 'Twittersphere' into a frenzy when he announced that "important news" will shortly be flowing.

Some wondered if he would announce a switch to Red Bull, confirm Kimi Raikkonen as his next teammate, or perhaps reveal his engagement to Russian model girlfriend Dasha.

Actually, specialist cycling media outlets on Monday said Alonso, a road cycling and fitness enthusiast, has bought the Spanish world tour team Euskaltel-Euskadi.

El Periodico said Alonso and his sponsors will fund a EUR 6 million budget for 2014 for the team, which was set to fold at the end of this year.

Euskaltel-Euskadi, from the Basque region, released a statement confirming the agreement with Alonso, adding that more information will be forthcoming.

Fernando Alonso training on bike. (Photo: Twitter Alonso)

The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) recently conducted a survey of 903 Canadian consumers in regards to the various standard vehicle safety features. Besides ABS brakes and traction control, which are well known, less than 35% of those surveyed confirmed that they have firsthand knowledge of the other safety features.

‘'A growing number of safety features are now standard equipment on new vehicles throughout the automotive industry, as research has proven their effectiveness in protecting motorists,'' explained TIRF Vice-president research, Ward Vanlaar. ‘'The advantages that these systems provide cannot be fully experienced if drivers fail to understand how they function and continue to drive without proper interaction with these systems.''

The TIRF has launched a website in order to provide Canadians the information they need in order to understand these safety systems: brainonboard.ca

Photo: BMW

From press release

Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer strengthened their challenge for the lead of the World Endurance Drivers Championship by taking the No.1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro to victory in the 6 Hours of Sao Pãulo, the fourth round of 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship. 

Despite unexpectedly losing a wheel in the fourth hour and suffering further delays, the No.2 driven by Kristensen, McNish and Duval maintained second place overall and finished one lap ahead of the only other LMP1 finisher, the Privateer entry of Rebellion Racing. The No.12 Lola Toyota of Nick Heidfeld, Nicolas Prost and Mathias Beche finished two laps behind the Audi 1-2 after having a trouble-free and unchallenged run from start to finish. 

Photo: Audi Motorsport

Toyota Racing's challenge for the LMP Manufacturers World Championship received an early blow when the No.8 Toyota TS030 of Stéphane Sarrazin was an innocent victim in a collision with the No. 32 Lotus.  The car was heavily damaged after crashing into the barriers and, despite his best efforts, the Frenchman was unable to rejoin and the car was forced to retire after just 35 minutes of the 6-hour race.

McNish-Kristensen-Duval now have 112 points in the World Endurance Drivers Championship standings, with today's 6 Hours of Sao Paulo winners on 90 points, and Audi has extended its lead in the World Endurance Manufacturers Championship to 128 points against Toyota Racing's 67. 

Photo: Audi Motorsport

In LMP2 the No.26 G-Drive Racing ORECA 03 Nissan of Roman Rusinov, Mike Conway and John Martin had a faultless race from flag to flag, and crossed the finish line a lap ahead of their nearest class rivals, the No. 35 OAK Racing Morgan Nissan of Bertrand Baguette, Ricardo Gonzalez and Martin Plowman. 

In GTE class, the No.51 Ferrari 458 Italia of Gianmaria Bruni and Giancarlo Fisichella was involved in a nose-to-tail battle for the 6 Hours of São Paulo with the No. 97 Aston Martin Vantage of Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke.  Just 1.4 seconds separated the two cars at the end of 6 hours of hard racing and the result for both partly compensated for the misfortune of their different Pro team mates. The No. 71 AF Corse Ferrari was involved in a spectacular conflagration which destroyed the rear end of the 458 Italia - driver Toni Vilander was lucky to escape unharmed in any way - and the No.99 of local hero Bruno Senna and Rob Bell was caught up in another car's spin across the track which subsequently damaged its rear suspension beyond repair.

In LMGTE Am, Aston Martin Racing was able to claim a much deserved class victory, the No.96 Vantage V8 of Jamie Campbell-Walter and Stuart Hall crossing the finish line one lap ahead of the No. 81 Star Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia of Enzo Potolicchio, Rui Aguas and Davide Rigon, the young Italian making an assured debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship.  Porsche was the third manufacturer to mount the podium in the category, the No.88 Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Christian Ried, Gianluca Roda and Paulo Ruberti taking third place. 

Schmidt Motorsport's Simon Pagenaud won his second IndyCar race of the 2013 season and this time it was in the streets of Baltimore where he had to work hard for it.

Although Pagenaud had been in the thick of it all afternoon, the Frenchman was one of the driver involved in a fierce battle for the lead especially with Marco Andretti (Andretti) following a late restart with only seven laps remaining.

Josef Newgarden (Sarah Fisher Racing) was also part of the final showdown but unfortunately for him, his tires were not able to let him battle it out with Pagenaud in the last two laps.

Newgarden held on for second, putting him onto the podium for the first time in his IndyCar career, while Sebastien Bourdais was one of many to survive contact on his way to third for Dragon.

Simon Pagenaud. (Photo: IndyCar)

There were a lot of incidents during the race involving no less than the main title contenders who had their share of trouble.

Restarts were problematic causing a string of yellow flags, the most significant came when Will Power (Penske) turned towards the wall on the front straight and slammed straight into Scott Dixon (Ganassi), forcing him out of the race.

Points leader Helio Castroneves was involved in an early incident which forced him to pit for a new front wing, a bad pitstop in which he was dropped off the jack before his right-front wheel had been fitted, and a drive-through penalty for hitting one of his own tyres in the pits.

But despite all those misfortunes, the Brazilian extended his points lead to 49. He crossed the line in ninth.

Results - 75 laps:
Pos  Driver   Team/Engine   Time/Gap
1. Simon Pagenaud  Schmidt/Honda  2h16m32.3443s
2. Josef Newgarden  Fisher/Honda  +4.1592s
3. Sebastien Bourdais   Dragon/Chevy  +7.9588s
4. Justin Wilson  Coyne/Honda  +10.7598s
5. Simona de Silvestro   KV/Chevy   +11.6017s
6. Charlie Kimball   Ganassi/Honda   +21.4160s
7. James Hinchcliffe  Andretti/Chevy   +22.8422s
8. Sebastian Saavedra  Dragon/Chevy   +25.5377s
9. Helio Castroneves  Penske/Chevy   +29.3117s
10. Marco Andretti  Andretti/Chevy   +40.5499s
11. Tristan Vautier  Schmidt/Honda  +1 lap
12. Oriol Servia  Panther/Chevy  +1 lap
13. EJ Viso  Andretti/Chevy  +1 lap
14. Ed Carpenter  Carpenter/Chevy   +1 lap
15. Tony Kanaan  KV/Chevy  +2 laps*
16. Stefan Wilson  Coyne/Honda  +3 laps
17. Graham Rahal   Rahal/Honda  +7 laps*
18. Will Power  Penske/Chevy  +8 laps
* Not running at finish

Retirements:
Scott Dixon  Ganassi/Honda  52 laps
Ryan Hunter-Reay  Andretti/Chevy  42 laps
Dario Franchitti  Ganassi/Honda   22 laps
Luca Filippi  Herta/Honda  12 laps
James Jakes   Rahal/Honda  5 laps
Takuma Sato   Foyt/Honda  4 laps

Any way you look at it, the first Canadian running of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park was a smashing success.

Chock-full of excitement, from the enormous crowd, estimated at 50,000, and rivalled only by Montreal's Formula One race, to the exhilarating on-track action - with plenty of hard and fast racing, fans got every bit of their money's worth.

But it was probably the resounding slap at the finish - a slap heard around the world - that the inaugural Chevrolet Silverado 250 will be most remembered for.

Chase Elliott. (Photo: Getty for NASCAR)

The 64-lap event featured plenty of lead-swapping, paint-trading, yellow caution flags and punts into the tire walls. At the end of the day, victory was claimed by Chase Elliott in the #94 Chevrolet.

It was a controversial win by the 17-year-old Georgia native, who made contact inside on the final turn with Ty Dillon's No. 3 Chevrolet Silverado, sending Dillon into the tires and taking over the lead.

Max Papis and Mike Skeen were battling for second place, when Skeen also took the inside line on turn 10, making contact with Papis' No. 14 Chevrolet and sending both into the tire wall. The resulting skirmish left the track open for Kyle Busch Motorsports' Chad Hackenbracht to take second place in the No. 51Toyota.

Ty Dillon. (Photo: Getty for NASCAR)

In third place was Miguel Paludo, Darrell Wallace Jr. in fourth with Ron Hornaday Jr. finishing fifth. Papis got back on track to finish sixth, with defending Champion James Buescher ninth and series leader Matt Crofton in tenth place.

Emotions ran high with much of the action taking place off-track. Papis and Skeen continued to trade paint during the cool-down lap and one of Skeen's crew members attempted to grab Papis while he was still behind the wheel.

Papis, one of the world's top road-racing drivers and veteran of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Formula One and Champ Car, later described Skeen as not very "sportsmanship-like" and while talking to television reporters, was caught off-guard by a vicious slap delivered by a female friend of Skeen's. To his credit, Papis' reacted merely with raised eyebrows.

Max Papis ( l ), driver of the #14 Sport Clips Chevrolet, is confronted by a member of the crew of Mike Skeen (not pictured), driver of the #6 Hawk Performance Chevrolet, in the garage area after the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. (Photo: Geoff Burke/NASCAR via Getty Images)

Elliott, who claimed he hated to win "like that" celebrated his victory by saying "sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do." It was Elliott's first NASCAR road course win - his father Bill Elliott won his first NASCAR cup race in 1983
- making them NASCAR's first father and son combination to achieve their first victories on road courses.

For an inaugural event, the Chevrolet Silverado 250 was a slap-stick crowd pleaser, and organizers were understandably thrilled. This was truly entertaining racing.

Max Papis seemed to think so.

"If you didn't like this", he said grinning, "come back again!"

Results
1. (4) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 64 laps, 141.3 rating, 47 points, $53,385.
2. (8) Chad Hackenbracht, Toyota, 64, 97.5, 42, $41,875.
3. (5) Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, 64, 117.2, 42, $27,920.
4. (9) Darrell Wallace Jr., Toyota, 64, 84, 40, $22,660.
5. (17) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 64, 73, 39, $19,085.
6. (7) Max Papis, Chevrolet, 64, 89.1, 0, $14,310.
7. (18) Ross Chastain, Ford, 64, 92.4, 37, $16,060.
8. (15) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 64, 75, 36, $15,560.
9. (1) James Buescher, Chevrolet, 64, 96.8, 36, $17,960.
10. (13) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 64, 74.8, 34, $15,835.
11. (24) Bryan Silas, Ford, 64, 63.9, 33, $14,460.
12. (25) John Wes Townley, Toyota, 64, 55.7, 32, $14,285.
13. (3) Mike Skeen, Chevrolet, 64, 103.7, 31, $14,185.
14. (21) Martin Roy, Chevrolet, 64, 55.5, 0, $14,085.
15. (12) German Quiroga, Toyota, 64, 86.2, 30, $14,960.
16. (2) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 64, 92, 29, $13,785.
17. (6) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 64, 116.9, 29, $13,685.
18. (10) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 62, 68.8, 26, $13,585.
19. (22) Dakoda Armstrong, Chevrolet, 61, 42.2, 25, $13,485.
20. (30) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 57, 33, 24, $14,010.
21. (26) Derek White, Chevrolet, rear hub, 55, 42.7, 0, $12,035.
22. (11) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 54, 63.8, 22, $11,935.
23. (28) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Ram, 52, 34.4, 21, $10,735.
24. (23) Max Gresham, Chevrolet, 47, 39.7, 20, $10,635.
25. (14) Alex Guenette, Chevrolet, oil line, 45, 50.7, 19, $10,735.
26. (19) Joey Coulter, Toyota, 41, 43.5, 18, $10,535.
27. (20) Brennan Newberry, Chevrolet, transmission, 38, 51.3, 17, $10,485.
28. (16) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, gas line, 34, 35.1, 16, $10,435.
29. (27) Carl Long, Chevrolet, brakes, 4, 29.5, 0, $10,385.
30. (29) Chris Lafferty, Chevrolet, clutch, 3, 28.8, 14, $10,835.

GM expects the automobile industry in the Middle East to show growth that is sustainable, but at a slower rate than in the last few years, hurt by uncertainty and political crisis in markets such as Egypt and Syria.

GM expects 2013 sales of Chevrolet cars and light trucks to reach 5 million for the first time in its 100-year history, spurred in part by growth in the Middle East, said the global head of Chevrolet, Alan Batey.

BMW wants to expand its DriveNow car-sharing program to U.S. cities that will allow its electric vehicles to be picked up and dropped off on public streets.

GM and Ford, trying to shake off decades of insularity, are looking to California's Silicon Valley and beyond for innovative ideas and technology that could disrupt and even transform the car business.

BMW wants to expand its DriveNow car-sharing program to U.S. cities that will allow its electric vehicles to be picked up and dropped off on public streets.

GM and Ford, trying to shake off decades of insularity, are looking to California's Silicon Valley and beyond for innovative ideas and technology that could disrupt and even transform the car business.

Qualifiers were held for the first international NASCAR Camping Truck World Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park Saturday.

Starting on the pole will be James Buescher, the defending series champion, with a fastest lap time of 109.189 mph.

James Buescher (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Driving the No. 31 Eliminator Chevrolet for Turner Scott Motorsports, it's Buescher's second Keystone Light Pole Award this season. Buescher is second by 49 points in the season standings behind leader Matt Crafton.

Taking the pole gives Buescher the first choice of pit location, as well as the on-track advantage of positioning, on a 2.459 mile road course that's notoriously difficult for passing.

Ryan Blaney (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Qualifying second in the No. 29 Cooper Standard Ford at 109.166, was rookie Ryan Blaney in his ninth top-ten start this season.

Third was Mike Skeen with 109.076. An experienced road racer who makes his first NASCAR series debut, Skeen was in the No. 6 Hawk Performance Chevrolet.

He was followed by Chase Elliot, Miguel Paludo, Ty Dillon, veteran road racer Max Papis, Chad Hackenbract, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Brendan Gaughan. Series leader Matt Crafton qualified 13th.

Mike Skeen (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Although it was rumoured that home-town favourite Ron Fellows might compete on the track he co-owns, he decided that managing an event of this scope deserved all of his focus.

Buescher, a 23-year-old Texas native, captured the NCWTS Championship in 2012. Winning it again would make him the series' first repeat champion.

This is the first Camping World truck series event to be held in Canada, and the first time it's been run on a road course since Watkins Glen in 2000.

The 64-lap race gets underway Sunday at 2:00 p.m. with a field of 30 trucks.

Starting line-up
Pos. Name No. Truck Sponsor Time Speed

1 James Buescher 31 Chevrolet Motomaster Eliminator 109.189 81.074
2 Ryan Blaney 29 Ford Cooper Standard 109.166 81.091
3 Mike Skeen 6 Chevrolet Hawk Performance 109.076 81.158
4 Chase Elliott 94 Chevrolet Aaron's Dream Machine / Hendrickcars.com 108.930 81.267
5 Miguel Paludo 32 Chevrolet Duroline Brakes & Components 108.890 81.297
6 Ty Dillon 3 Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops - Tracker Boats 108.835 81.338
7 Max Papis 14 Chevrolet Sport Clips 108.725 81.420
8 Chad Hackenbracht 51 Toyota Tastee Apple / Ingersoll Rand 108.488 81.598
9 Darrell Wallace Jr 54 Toyota Camping World / Good Sam 108.261 81.769
10 Brendan Gaughan 62 Chevrolet South Point Hotel & Casino 108.118 81.877
11 Jeb Burton 4 Chevrolet Arrowhead 107.894 82.047
12 German Quiroga Jr 77 Toyota Otter Box 107.809 82.112
13 Matt Crafton 88 Toyota Ideal Door-Menards 107.533 82.323
14 Alex Guenette 39 Chevrolet MI IUIMITEES Motorsports 107.533 82.323
15 Timothy Peters 17 Toyota Parts Plus 107.390 82.432
16 Johnny Sauter 98 Toyota Carolina Nut Co. / Curb Records 107.234 82.552
17 Ron Hornaday Jr 9 Chevrolet NTS Motorsports 107.202 82.577
18 Ross Chastain 19 Ford ReeseTowpower/PartsSource 107.155 82.613
19 Joey Coulter 18 Toyota Monster Energy 107.136 82.628
20 Brennan Newberry 24 Chevrolet Qore-24 106.931 82.786
21 Martin Roy 84 Chevrolet Beaver Bail Bonds 106.007 83.508
22 Dakoda Armstrong 60 Chevrolet Winfield 105.863 83.621
23 Max Gresham 8 Chevrolet Amwins 105.454 83.946
24 Bryan Silas 99 Ford Bell Trucks America, Inc. 105.017 84.295
25 John Wes Townley 7 Toyota Zaxby's 104.014 85.108
26 Derek White 81 Toyota VIP Poker 102.419 86.433
27 Carl Long 07 Toyota TBA 98.698 89.692
28 Jennifer Jo Cobb 10 RAM Kona Unwind 94.174 94.000
29 Chris Lafferty 0 Ford KOMA Unwind 94.160 94.014
30 Norm Benning 57 Chevrolet Norm Benning Racing 92.776 95.417

From GMM

Former FIA president Max Mosley on Sunday pointed a finger at his successor Jean Todt, but said Bernie Ecclestone is not to blame for Formula 1's deepening financial crisis.

With many middle-ranked teams struggling under financial strain, including the title-fighting Lotus and the two-decade stalwart Sauber, Mosley told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag he has seen the problem brewing for years.

Fascinatingly, the 73-year-old Briton's rare comments coincide with the newly-announced FIA presidential candidature of countryman David Ward, who worked closely with Mosley during his long reign over formula one.

Asked about his ultimately failed quest to impose a 'budget cap' on teams, Mosley said on Sunday: "No one could or wanted to join the proposal.

"Instead, the teams introduced their own cost limits, but it was never effective in reality.

"In the end it was only a non-binding letter of intent -- a kind of lip service," he insisted.

"It was ineffective, partly because my successor Jean Todt was never a friend of cost limits. Now formula one has a big problem."

Mosley's comments could be interpreted as his strong support for Ward's campaign to wrestle control back out of Frenchman Todt's hands.

No problems with Bernie Ecclestone
Interestingly, Mosley also pins none of F1's problems on his long ally Bernie Ecclestone.

Asked if the sport's chief executive is adding to the problem by not giving enough of the vast profits to the teams, he insisted: "I do not believe Ecclestone's monetary policy is the crux of the problem.

"If the big teams got more money from him, they would just spend more money.

"On the other hand, formula one would not change in substance if less money is spent by everybody.

"The problem is the monetary policies of the teams. Ecclestone actually thinks extremely economically. And he is the one who has managed the commercial side of the sport for years with great success.

"He brings the circuits, the organisers, the TV stations -- in other words, he keeps formula one alive commercially. It is certainly not his fault that the teams live beyond their means.

"On the contrary, without him, it would be bleak."

So, rather than criticise Ecclestone, Mosley said the billionaire deserves every cent he has made from F1.

"Why not?" he insisted. "If someone works hard and is successful, why shouldn't he have benefitted?"

Mosley even doubts the 82-year-old really did bribe the F1 banker Gerhard Gribkowsky, who is at the centre of a looming court scandal that could bring Ecclestone down.

Asked about the alleged bribe, Mosley said: "Why would he do that?

"Think about it again: why would he be interested in selling the business as cheaply as possible, even though his own family still owned considerable amounts of the marketing rights?

"Additionally, there was, according to my information, only one buyer for the rights anyway."

From ALMS

Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr combined to clinch their second consecutive American Le Mans Series championship with a victory in the Grand Prix of Baltimore presented by SRT, their sixth consecutive victory from the 2013 season.

The race was shortened to one hour, 13 minutes after a multi-car incident completely blocked the front straight of the Inner Harbor street circuit seconds after the initial waving of the green flag.

One of the restarts. (Photo: ALMS)

It was the shortest race in ALMS history, with Graf and Luhr leading four times for 17 of the 41 laps in the No. 6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03c. The race featured eight lead changes among five different cars representing three classes.

Luhr took the lead for good by passing Guy Smith in the Turn 3 hairpin with 13 minutes remaining and then beat Smith to the checkered flag by 3.867 seconds. Smith led briefly down the stretch in the No. 16 Mazda/Thetford/Norcold Lola B12/60 started by Chris Dyson.



Jan Magnussen made a third-to-first move to take the GT lead shortly after the final restart, and held off teammate Tommy Milner by .457 seconds in a 1-2 finish for Corvette Racing.

Marino Franchitti took his fourth P2 victory of the season in the No. 552 HPD ARX-03b, joined by new Level 5 Motorsports teammate Guy Cosmo. The victory gave Franchitti the lead in the PC class championship standings.

Tristan Nunez went from third to first in the closing minutes to win in Prototype Challenge presented by Continental Tire (PC) in the No. 18 ORECA FLM09.

In GTC, Dion von Moltke and Seth Neiman led most of the way in the No. 44 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Second, only .843 seconds behind, was Jeroen Bleekemolen in the No. 22 WeatherTech Porsche started by Cooper MacNeil.

Results
1. (1) Klaus Graf/Lucas Luhr (6-P1), HPD ARX-03c, 41 laps
2. (2) Chris Dyson/Guy Smith (16-P1), Lola B12-60 Mazda, 41
3. (7) Guy Cosmo/Marino Franchitti/Scott Tucker (552-P2), HPD ARX-03b, 41
4. (5) Scott Sharp/Anthony Lazzaro (01-P2), HPD ARX-03b, 41
5. (15) Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen (3-GT), Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1, 41
6. (13) Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner (4-GT), Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1, 41
7. (12) Joey Hand/Dirk Mueller (56-GT), BMW Z4 GTE, 41
8. (11) Bill Auberlen/Maxime Martin (55-GT), BMW Z4 GTE, 41
9. (17) Marc Goossens/Dominik Farnbacher (91-GT), SRT Viper GTS-R Viper, 41
10. (22) Charlie Shears/Tristan Nunez (18-PC), ORECA FLM09, 41
11. (20) Kuno Wittmer/Jonathan Bomarito (93-GT), SRT Viper GTS-R Viper, 41
12. (9) Jonathan Bennett/Colin Braun (05-PC), ORECA FLM09, 40
13. (30) Seth Neiman/Dion von Moltke (44-GTC), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 39
14. (23) Cooper MacNeil/Jeroen Bleekemolen (22-GTC), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 39
15. (29) Mike Hedlund/Jan Heylen (11-GTC), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 39
16. (31) Patrick Dempsey/Andy Lally (27-GTC), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 39
17. (25) Henrique Cisneros/Sean Edwards (30-GTC), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 39
18. (32) Marc Bunting/Norbert Siedler (67-GTC), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 39
19. (6) Mike Guasch/Dane Cameron (52-PC), ORECA FLM09, 38
20. (21) Bill Sweedler/Townsend Bell (23-GT), Ferrari F458 Italia, 38
21. (24) Nelson Canache Jr./Spencer Pumpelly (45-GTC), Porsche 911 GT3, 36
22. (10) Alex Popow/Bruno Junqueira (9-PC), ORECA FLM09, 27
23. (28) Al Carter/Kevin Estre (68-GTC), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 26
24. (4) Ed Brown/Johannes van Overbeek (02-P2), HPD ARX-03b, 15
25. (26) Ben Keating/Damien Faulkner (66-GTC), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 14
26. (8) Chris Cumming/Kyle Marcelli (8-PC), ORECA FLM09, 3
27. (14) Tom Kimber-Smith/Patrick Long (06-GT), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 0
28. (16) Wolf Henzler/Bryan Sellers (17-GT), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 0
29. (19) Bryce Miller/Marco Holzer (48-GT), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 0
30. (3) Scott Tucker/Ryan Briscoe (551-P2), HPD ARX-03b, 0
31. (18) Olivier Beretta/Matteo Malucelli (62-GT), Ferrari F458 Italia, 0