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From GMM

McLaren could have an eye on its next development driver.

Dane Kevin Magnussen, with his new Formula Renault 3.5 title, is set to leap straight into F1 with the great British team, while Stoffel Vandoorne is hotly tipped to find a McLaren-backed place on the 2015 grid.

And among the next McLaren-championed names could be Facu Regalia, according to the Italiaracing publication.

It is reported the 21-year-old Argentine, who finished runner-up in the GP3 championship this year behind 2014 Toro Rosso debutant Daniil Kvyat, was in Woking this week.

At McLaren's state-of-the-art headquarters, Regalia reportedly tried McLaren's formula one simulator, including the layouts for the Abu Dhabi and Silverstone circuits.

Italiaracing said Regalia also had talks with Sahara Force India this year.

Facu Regalia. (Photo: GP3 Series)

From GMM

Heikki Kovalainen may only have been Lotus' third choice as the 2013 successor for surgery-bound Kimi Raikkonen.

The Enstone based team will announce on Thursday that Finn Kovalainen, who has been Caterham's 'Friday' driver this season, will race in Austin and Brazil at the wheel of Raikkonen's number 7.

But it emerged this week that Nico Hulkenberg was also approached by Lotus, who found the German locked into the rest of his contract at Sauber.

And Michael Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm told Bild newspaper that the seven time world champion was also approached by Lotus.

"It's not unusual that he was asked," she is quoted as saying. "Michael would be fit enough, but he is enjoying his new life."

Lotus E21-Renault. (Photo: René Fagnan)

Another retired F1 veteran, Rubens Barrichello, may have been yet another contender.

The Brazilian mischievously posted a photo of himself driving a 1977 black and gold Lotus on Twitter, with the caption: "Anyone remember this?"

But in the end, 32-year-old Kovalainen was chosen by Lotus, with team boss Eric Boullier quoted by Italy's Autosprint: "Don't forget that he has won a grand prix."

Not only that, Kovalainen has driven on Pirelli's sensitive 2013 tires, while Caterham - like Lotus - is powered by a Renault engine.

And in 2007, the Finn made his debut for Enstone based Renault.

"A lot of the same people are still there," Finnish commentator Oskari Saari told MTV3. "In a way, it's the same team."

Former F1 driver Mika Salo, who was the first to mention his countryman as a candidate, said Austin and Brazil is Kovalainen's chance to stake a claim for a 2014 seat -- even at Lotus.

"I don't know what the (financial) situation is at Lotus now," said Salo, "and whether he stands a chance. But he definitely would not hurt the situation if he managed to score two podiums."

Here is the schedule of the 2013 Grand Prix of the United States to be held this weekend at Circuit of the Americas located near Austin, Texas.

Please note that all times are local.

Wednesday, November 13
3:00 pm TV PROMOTIONAL LAPS - 2 LAPS

Thursday, November 14
10:00 am INITIAL SCRUTINEERING
11:00 am PRESS CONFERENCE—PRESS ROOM
1:00 pm TRACK FAMILIARIZATION AND SYSTEM CHECKS—SAFETY CAR—TRACK CLOSED
3:05 pm VIP PIT WALK TICKET HOLDERS ONLY
4:00 pm TEAM MANAGERS' MEETING

Friday, November 15
8:20 am MEDICAL INSPECTION
8:30 am TRACK INSPECTION AND TRACK TEST
9:00 am FORMULA 1 FIRST PRACTICE SESSION
11:00 am FERRARI CHALLENGE FIRST PRACTICE SESSION
11:30 am PADDOCK CLUB PIT LANE WALK
12:30 pm TRACK INSPECTION
1:00 pm FORMULA 1 SECOND PRACTICE SESSION
3:00 pm PRESS CONFERENCE - PRESS ROOM
4:00 pm FERRARI CHALLENGE SECOND PRACTICE SESSION
4:00 pm DRIVERS' MEETING
5:00 pm MARSHAL PIT LANE WALK

Saturday, November 16
7:30 am TEAM PIT STOP PRACTICE PADDOCK CLUB PIT LANE WALK
8:20 am MEDICAL INSPECTION
8:30 am TRACK INSPECTION AND TRACK TEST
9:00 am FORMULA 1 THIRD PRACTICE SESSION
10:30 am FERRARI CHALLENGE QUALIFYING SESSION
11:05 am PADDOCK CLUB PIT LANE WALK
11:30 am TRACK INSPECTION
12:00 pm FORMULA 1 QUALIFYING SESSION
2:00 pm FERRARI CHALLENGE FIRST RACE (10 LAPS OR 25 MINS)

Sunday, November 17
10:00 am MARSHALING SYSTEM TRACK TEST DRIVERS MEETING (IF NECESSARY)
10:30 am FERRARI CHALLENGE SECOND RACE (10 LAPS OR 25 MINS)
11:05 am PADDOCK CLUB PIT LANE WALK
11:30 am FORMULA 1 DRIVERS PARADE
11:45 am STARTING GRID PRESENTATION
12:10 pm TRACK INSPECTION
12:30 pm PIT LANE OPEN
12:45 pm PIT LANE CLOSED GRID FORMATION
12:46 pm NATIONAL ANTHEM
1:00 pm FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX (56 LAPS OR 120 MINS)

From GMM

Pastor Maldonado has leapt into contention for a Sauber seat in 2014.

Blick newspaper's veteran F1 correspondent Roger Benoit reports that the Venezuelan, whose lucrative backer PDVSA has already exited its deal at Williams, "was at Hinwil" this week.

Benoit, who said Maldonado was accompanied to Switzerland by his manager Nicolas Todt, said Sauber did not confirm or deny the news.

The EUR 40 million per year PDVSA deal would be desperately welcomed by Sauber, who have struggled financially throughout the season.

Photo: Sauber F1 Team

It was believed a Russian deal, including the driver Sergey Sirotkin, had saved the 20-year-old Swiss team, but many believe that money never actually arrived.

Indeed, the Swiss business newspaper Handelszeitung reported on Wednesday that the canton of Zurich has filed a new EUR 44,000 claim against Sauber for unpaid electricity bills.

A team insider confirmed to the newspaper that its financial problems "are not yet definitively solved".

From Lotus F1 Team

Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen will join Lotus F1 Team for the final two races of the 2013 season as a stand-in for regular race driver Kimi Räikkönen, who is currently undergoing back surgery.

Kovalainen - a veteran of 109 Grand Prix starts - has previously driven for Renault F1 Team, McLaren, and Caterham F1 Team. Over the course of his six seasons in Formula 1 to date, Kovalainen has scored 105 World Championship points.

He has qualified on the front row five times, taken one pole position at the 2008 British Grand Prix, achieved two fastest laps and finished on the podium four times; including victory at the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Prior to racing for Lotus F1 Team in its former guise of Renault F1 Team in 2007, Kovalainen performed various test duties for the squad between 2004 - 2006. He completed his seat fitting at Enstone on Wednesday 13th November, before proceeding directly to Austin to join up with the race team.

Heikki Kovalainen and Eric Boullier. (Photo: Lotus F1 Team)

“Obviously we had to move quickly following the news of Kimi's non-participation in the final two races of this season, and we found ourselves facing a difficult decision in terms of who should take the wheel in Austin and São Paulo,” said Eric Boullier, Team Principal, Lotus F1 Team.

“On the one hand we had our reserve driver Davide Valsecchi - who is a talented young driver that has shown a great deal of promise - and on the other we had the opportunity to bring in a seasoned Formula 1 competitor in Heikki. Whilst we have every faith in Davide's abilities, we are obviously involved in a tight Constructors' Championship battle, so it was decided that the experience Heikki could bring to the team would be invaluable as we aim to finish the year in the best position possible. We must thank Tony Fernandes and Caterham F1 Team for their professional conduct in allowing Heikki to join us for the final races of this season.”

“It is a fantastic opportunity for me to join Lotus F1 Team for the final two races of 2013. We've seen this year that the E21 is a car which can win races and finish on the podium, so I will be pushing hard for the best results possible,” said Heikki Kovalainen, Race Driver, Lotus F1 Team.

“Jumping into a car so late in the year when you have not been competing in the races all season will be a challenge, but I know the team at Enstone well so I have no concerns about getting up to speed. This is a great opportunity for me, so I would like to thank Tony Fernandes and Caterham F1 Team for allowing me to take advantage of it.”

In an attempt to rival Google Glass, Nissan will unveil the 3E smart glasses on November 20th at the Tokyo Auto Show.

The automaker claims users will be able to access the internet, share photos and videos, display navigation data, and even get a personal health check.

The full specifications and capabilities of Nissan's 3E glasses will be revealed next week.

This follows the NISMO Smart Watch introduced by Nissan at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September.

Source : La Presse

While there are fewer winter tire models than summer/all-season tire models on the market, finding the right tire for your winter driving habits is very important.

Once again, PMCtire.com's winter tire rankings are based on 11 different criteria including durability, handling on ice and snow, pricing, and ride quality in the most extreme road conditions. We have evaluated and reviewed more than 150 winter tire models available in Canada, allowing you to make an educated purchase decision.

Note that we've added a sixth category this year: studded winter tires.

Methodology
As in years past, our rankings are based on several information sources, including personal and professional road tests, feedback from customers, articles by renowned auto journalists, and a number of consumer reviews from various North American websites and message boards. Obviously, the rating system may differ from one tester to the next since everyone has their own personal expectations and driving habits.

Here are our 2013 winter tire rankings:

• Top winter tires for cars
• Top performance winter tires for cars
• Top winter tires for trucks/SUVs
• Top performance winter tires for trucks/SUVs
• Top winter tires for commercial vehicles

*You'll notice that the gap between models is often small. That's mainly because the technology used by tire companies in the design and manufacturing process is similar.

Canadian Tire has partnered with ARTIS, a leading rubber research and development organization, to design a temperature-sensitive all-season tire with a rubber sidewall strip that changes from white to a vivid blue at 7°C -- the point at which drivers should consider changing to winter tires.

“Our team at ARTIS took a particular interest in this project as it presented an idea we believe no one had considered before Canadian Tire,” stated Dr. Joe Hallett, Commercial Manager, ARTIS. “Canadian Tire is one of few leaders in delivering the message of winter driving safety. As a father of young children, I share their desire to communicate how important it is to use winter tires. Through an extensive Research & Development process, we have created a concept that could help to change our thinking.”

According to a 2013 in-house study commissioned by Canadian Tire, 80% of Canadians were surprised to learn that the best time to switch to winter tires is when temperatures drop to below 7°C -- not after the first snowfall.

While still at concept stage, expect this innovative tire to enter production sooner than later.

During a press conference in New York this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told journalists that his company is juggling with the idea of launching an electric pickup truck no sooner than five years from now. It would be inspired from the Ford F-Series, by far the best-selling truck in Canada and the U.S. over the past 30 years.

According to Musk, this vehicle would not be designed for commercial use like the UPS trucks, for instance. That market segment is too much of a niche to be profitable, he said.

Musk also promised that Tesla will never sell more than six different models at once, so potential buyers can easily tell them apart.

Source: La Presse

On November 14th, 1914, John and Horace Dodge's first-ever automobile rolled off the assembly line at the Hamstramck plant. Later nicknamed ''Old Betsy,'' the Dodge Brothers Touring was an instant hit.

The first Dodge vehicles stood out with six hex-shaped rear windows, and quality checks were conducted by the Dodge brothers themselves.



The company became the second-best selling automaker in the U.S. at one point (behind Ford), but the successive deaths of John and Horace in 1920 resulted in a number of setbacks that eventually pushed Dodge into the hands of an investment group in 1925, three years before its purchase by Chrysler.

Now, Dodge is especially popular for its minivans, which have celebrated their 30th birthday earlier this year.

Fun fact: Theodore MacManus, a marketing genius for Dodge, actually invented a word that Webster had not included in his first dictionary: dependability.

Source: Wikipedia

From GMM

Jean Todt will remain president of F1's governing body, the FIA, for a second term.

The Frenchman's only rival to dethrone him in next month's elections, Briton David Ward, announced on Thursday he is pulling out of the race.

"It has not proved possible for me to secure the required number of regional vice presidents for sport to ensure the eligibility of my list," he wrote in a letter to FIA member clubs.

"I, therefore, would like to offer my congratulations to Jean Todt who will secure a second term uncontested if not unopposed."

Michael Schmidt, the respected correspondent for Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, said Ward has been highly critical of the FIA's election rules.

Ward, who described the process as "highly undemocratic", needed the support of at least 37 clubs simply to be eligible for the election.

"An outsider," Schmidt said, "has virtually no chance."

This year was the Grand Cherokee's 20th birthday. Back in 1993, Jeep unleashed what became the other staple in its lineup. In no time flat, the Grand Cherokee gained recognition as a posh, urban vehicle with solid off-road cred and styling; a perfect combination for the SUV-crazed market at the time.

Eventually, its lustre wore off; however, the demand and desire for this truck only barely faltered. It quickly became a go-to SUV along with Ford Explorer, its main competitor. When the market crashed, the Explorer's sales tanked severely whereas the Grand Cherokee's suffered much less.

Despite the Explorer turning more CUV than SUV, the Grand Cherokee stayed true to its roots, and this may be the reason why the Jeep remains as popular. With that vocation does not come compromises such as a rough ride or poor quality. In fact, it's quite the opposite. The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee can be as civil or rugged as the driver desires at the touch of a button or the turn of a knob.


What is a Jeep Grand Cherokee?
The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee is Jeep's flagship vehicle. With the smaller Cherokee's success, Jeep decided to create a vehicle to compete with the aforementioned Explorer.

Under Chrysler's umbrella, reliability issues quickly surfaced, but the Jeep's overall status for looking great and being as comfortable in a movie-theater parking lot as crawling through the Rubicon trail.

The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee is Jeep's flagship vehicle. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre)

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Price and Specs
To cross over into the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, a budding owner needs to dish out $39,995 for the base Laredo. Four other trims are on offer leading up to the top-of-the-line $62,995 SRT8 with its massive 470 horsepower 6.4L HEMI V8.

The Laredo, Limited, Overland, and Summit are all powered by a 290-horsepower 3.6L V6. The latter three can be optioned up with Chrysler's 360-horsepower 5.7L HEMI V8. The Overland and Summit may be equipped with a new 240-horsepower EcoDiesel 3.0L V6.

All feature an 8-speed automatic transmission and one version or another of Jeep's arsenal of 4x4 systems.

The as-tested Summit sported the V6 and a Deep Cherry Red Crystal Pearlcoat for $225 extra. The grand total: $62,445. The EcoDiesel option would add $4,995.

The as-tested Summit sported the 290-horsepower 3.6L V6. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre)

Driving the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
The first Grand Cherokee I ever drove was a 2001, two years into its second generation. At the time, I was impressed with everything. I drove a number of 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation trucks leading up to this 2014, and for all them the general feeling of competence is always present.

The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit is no different. In fact, it is the best Grand Cherokee I've ever had the pleasure to drive. Although I was disappointed at first about the V6 under the bonnet, I quickly shut my trap as I was immensely satisfied with the power provided.

Under easy throttle load, the 8-speed box slid from one gear to another with ease, but when solicited it hesitated far more than it should have. In Sport mode, response in general was ameliorated, but the transmission's desire to hold off still remained, somewhat. What further irritated here was the shifter that loved to play games when selecting a position, and take its sweet time responding. A programming issue, perhaps?

As far as handling was concerned, the standard Quadra-Lift air suspension system kept the otherwise top-heavy 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee on the straight and true. Its masterful control of pitch and roll, and large section 20” tires, made for an entertaining drive through the mountains on the way to Monticello, NY.

This air suspension has a few tricks up its sleeve: At highway speeds, it will lower the 2014 Grand Cherokee for improved aerodynamics. At the opposite end of the spectrum, it will raise the truck and give it up to 11.3” of ground clearance. Successful crossing of anything is also guaranteed thanks to the Select-Terrain with Auto, Snow, Sand, Mud, and Rock settings, along with the Quadra-Drive II 4x4 system.

The bottom line here is that the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee is seriously at ease in any circumstance.

Under easy throttle load, the 8-speed box slid from one gear to another with ease, but when solicited it hesitated far more than it should have. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre)

Inside and Out of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
While many manufacturers are looking to soften the look of their “trucks” or SUVs/CUVs, Jeep essentially said to hell with that and maintained a very unapologetic SUV style that begins with the legendary seven-slat grille.

For 2014, headlights were slimmed down, but unfortunately are located in the same openings as the previous 2011-‘13 headlights. A black piece of plastic fills the gap, which I find terribly cheap... Also new for 2014 is front and rear LED lighting.

As per the norm, the larger the wheels in the Grand Cherokee's arches, the better the final physical appearance.

On board, the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit lacks nothing. Ergonomics are quite good; fabulous on a long road trip when adjusting temperatures and changing SiriusXM stations are a regular occurrence.

Nice touches include: a chunky heated tilt/telescoping steering wheel; heated and cooled snuggly front seats; and a well-presented and complete instrument cluster. Other niceties come from the classy materials and proper fit and finish throughout the cabin.

On board, the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit lacks nothing. Ergonomics are quite good. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre)

Comparing the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee faces competition from the Hyundai Santa Fe all the way to the Land Rover LR4, and everything in between. Its main competition comes from the current Honda Pilot, Kia Sorento, Ford Explorer, and Toyota 4Runner. Of the lot, the Grand Cherokee gets our vote for being exactly what it is.

The various passenger car tires in this review are all designed to provide adequate grip on snow, ice, or a combination of both. As such, all of them meet winter driving requirements. With the mountain/snowflake logo, they also meet Law 42 of the Quebec Highway Safety Code. They fit most passenger car models available on the market.

Check the table below to see how winter tires stack up against each other.

The various winter tires in this review are all designed for trucks that require heavy-duty tires with a high payload capacity, as well as maximum off-road traction when driving on construction sites, recreational areas, and in deep snow.

With their aggressive tread design, they also provide exceptional grip in mud. However, they are not as effective on ice as most winter tires for passenger cars and SUVs.

These tires sport the mountain/snowflake logo, and some of them can even receive studs to increase traction on ice.

Check the table below to see how these commercial vehicle winter tires stack up against each other.

Veteran IndyCar racer Dario Franchitti has announced his immediate retirement from racing on medical advice following his Houston IndyCar crash.

The Scott had sustained spinal injuries, concussion, and fractures to his ankle after his car flew into the catch fencing in the accident last month.

“Since my racing accident in Houston, I have been in the expert care of some of the leading doctors and nurses, all of whom have made my health, my safety and my recovery their top priority,” said Franchtti in a press release.

“I am eternally grateful for the medical care I have received over the last several weeks. I'd also like to thank my family and friends for their unbelievable support.

“One month removed from the crash and based upon the expert advice of the doctors who have treated and assessed my head and spinal injuries post-accident, it is their best medical opinion that I must stop racing. They have made it very clear that the risks involved in further racing are too great and could be detrimental to my long term well-being. Based on this medical advice, I have no choice but to stop,” Franchitti explained.

The Ganassi driver said that he was exploring ways to remain involved with the sport in the future.

Some statistics of Dario Franchitti:

IndyCar champion: 2007/09-11
Indianapolis 500 winner: 2007/10/12
Combined IndyCar/CART Champ Car stats:
Starts: 266
Wins: 31
Podiums: 92
Poles: 35
Fastest laps: 23

From GMM

Triple world champion Nelson Piquet had heart surgery this week.

Agencia Estado said the 61-year-old, who won his titles for Brabham and Williams in the 80s, had the operation to unblock an artery at the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo.

A spokesperson for the hospital said the former driver, whose son Nelson Piquet jr also raced in formula one, requested that details not be disclosed.

"Dad is fine and will be home soon," Piquet jr told his Twitter followers.

Nelson Piquet, winner in Canada in 1991, with Benetton. (Photo: WRi2)

The various performance winter tires in this review are all designed to provide superior grip, especially on ice. They are more suited for highway driving, which also means that they could lack traction in deep snow, although you won't feel it as much when driving AWD-equipped vehicles. Sporting the mountain/snowflake logo, these tires also meet Law 42 of the Quebec Highway Safety Code. They fit most luxury trucks and SUVs available on the market.

Check the table below to see how these performance winter tires stack up against each other.

The Formula 1 technical regulations will be changing dramatically next season, and that includes the gearboxes.

In Austin for the US Grand Prix, we discussed the matter with an F1 engineer.

Current gearboxes have 7 forward speeds, plus reverse. Next year, with the introduction of the new turbo hybrid V6 engines, the gearboxes will need to have 8 forward gears.

“That's one more gear than this year because these will be fixed. Today, we have to homologate 32 gears and we select the seven we need for each race from that lot. Next year, we will have to use the same gear ratios whatever the track we race on,” said the engineer.

It will be like a standard road car where the gears are fixed.

“We will be allowed to make just one change to the ratios in 2014 because we may make mistakes in choosing them. We may be too long on certain tracks while too short on others. So we will be using the same gear ratios at Monaco, the slowest circuit of the season, and Monza, the fastest track,” he explained.

Changing gear ratios will become a thing of the past in F1.

The new regulations also specify that drivers will need to use a gearbox for six consecutive events, an increase from the current five.

Mercedes W04. (Photo: WRi2)

From press release

Citroen has apologised to Dani Sordo for an administrative error that has cost the Spaniard a five-minute time penalty before the start of Wales Rally GB.

Rally stewards applied the penalty today, after it was discovered that Sordo's DS3 world rally car was built on the Citroen Total Abu Dhabi team's ninth chassis of the season - when regulations limit the number to eight.

Dani Sordo, Citroen (Photo: Citroen Sport)

Citroen Racing director Yves Matton said the team had unintentionally built Sordo's car for the final round of the championship on a chassis allocated to its second-tier Abu Dhabi Citroen Team.

“First of all I'm very sorry for Dani,” Matton told wrc.com.

“We made a mistake in the nominations of the chassis. We used one of our chassis from the second team in the first team, and that counted as a ninth chassis.”

Back in service after the pre-event qualifying session, Sordo remained philosophical about the penalty.

“There was some confusion with the chassis numbers for the rally. It's a small mistake, it's cost us five minutes, but this is life, no?” he shrugged.

“Everybody is human, and mistakes happen. Sometimes I make a mistake and other times the engineers or the people from the team do.

“I'm very disappointed but okay, we have nothing to gain now in the manufacturers' and the drivers' championships. All we can do is try to do the rally without thinking about it and try to have a good experience in the stages. The time at the end will be five minutes more - but that's how it is.”

The various truck tires in this review are all designed to provide adequate grip on snow, ice, or a combination of both. As such, all of them meet winter driving requirements. With the mountain/snowflake logo, they also meet Law 42 of the Quebec Highway Safety Code. They fit most light-duty trucks and SUVs available on the market.

Check the table below to see how winter tires stack up against each other.