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From GMM

F1 drivers have given the thumbs-up to the corner that has replaced the notorious 'Singapore sling' chicane.

We reported a month ago that, following constant criticism and crashes, the slow and unusual chicane with high and harsh kerbs has been replaced by a simple left-hander at turn 10.

"I think it will be good," Mercedes' Nico Rosberg told Brazil's Totalrace, after seeing the new solution during his track walk on Thursday.

"I can't say if it is safer or not, because the speed has been increased, but I think they've done a great job," he added.

Sahara Force India's Adrian Sutil admits he will miss the old chicane.

"I usually like a lot of fast corners, but I liked the chicane. It's now a fast corner which should be in third gear," said the German. "I think it's a very fluid circuit now, for a street circuit."

Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, jumping on the kerbs in 2011. (Photo: Pirelli)

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso commented: "I think it's better now. The chicane was a bit dangerous. If everything went smoothly there, no problems, but if you had problems you could take off on the kerbs. I think we have improved the safety a little bit.

"The lap will be a second faster, but it will be as fun and challenging as it was before," he added.

From GMM (Updated, see below)

Kimi Raikkonen has played down the prospect of sitting out races, after revealing he only chose to leave Lotus because he was not being paid.

Undoubtedly, the fact the Enstone based team has not paid the Finn is a breach of contract, but the 2007 world champion said on Thursday that he would still prefer to turn up and race than sit at home.

As for the prospect of sitting out races closer to the end of the season ahead of his switch to Ferrari for 2014, Raikkonen told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3: "Of course, anything is possible.

"But until now I am going to all of the races. I do not have any interest in not driving -- that's why I race, because I like it. I also don't want anything bad for the team -- if I didn't come here to drive, it would do nothing to improve things," he said.

"I hope and believe that the salary payments will be handled at some point."

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E21. (Photo: WRi2)

A hot contender to replace Raikkonen at Lotus next year is Nico Hulkenberg, who has also had his share of salary problems at Sauber in 2013.

The German, however, said the prospect of not being paid by Lotus if he moves to Enstone next year is not worrying him.

"I can't speak for Kimi," Nico Hulkenberg is quoted by Totalrace. "I don't know what his contract is, but his salary is probably very high."

UPDATE
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 on Friday, Lotus chief Eric Boullier has expressed his disappointment with Kimi Raikkonen after the Finn revealed that a payment dispute led to his decision to quit the team for Ferrari.

"It's obviously a bad message, but I don't know why he decided to publicly speak about his finance situation,” Boullier said.

"It's true that we postponed some payment for Kimi. To be honest with you last year was the same, but at the end of the year everything was done and completed.

"It's maybe the opportunity to just wake up and understand when all the teams are talking about cutting costs. [In] the car manufacturer era last decade everything was too much, but today Formula 1's business style and the revenue stream we can generate as a private team is quite difficult and you have to rely on your shareholders today," he explained.

"So it's not a good message, it's true, but this is the reality and I think people need to face the reality,” Boullier said to Sky Sports F1.

From GMM

F1 drivers have given the thumbs-up to the corner that has replaced the notorious 'Singapore sling' chicane.

We reported a month ago that, following constant criticism and crashes, the slow and unusual chicane with high and harsh kerbs has been replaced by a simple left-hander at turn 10.

"I think it will be good," Mercedes' Nico Rosberg told Brazil's Totalrace, after seeing the new solution during his track walk on Thursday.

"I can't say if it is safer or not, because the speed has been increased, but I think they've done a great job," he added.

Sahara Force India's Adrian Sutil admits he will miss the old chicane.

"I usually like a lot of fast corners, but I liked the chicane. It's now a fast corner which should be in third gear," said the German. "I think it's a very fluid circuit now, for a street circuit."

Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, jumping on the kerbs in 2011. (Photo: Pirelli)

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso commented: "I think it's better now. The chicane was a bit dangerous. If everything went smoothly there, no problems, but if you had problems you could take off on the kerbs. I think we have improved the safety a little bit.

"The lap will be a second faster, but it will be as fun and challenging as it was before," he added.

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series' championship battle will come to an end this weekend with two rivals, D.J. Kennington and Scott Steckly battling it out at Kawartha Speedway in the Pinty's 250.

Kennington comes to the Ontario speedway with a lead of only five points over Steckly which opens up several possibilities for each to claim the prize.

Scott Steckly. (Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Not to be ignored, though, is Jason Hathaway, winner of the last three series' events. Sitting in third with 22 points behind Kennington, Hathaway will need some cooperation from the drivers ahead of him to notch his first series crown.

Both Kennington (2010 and 2012) and Steckly (2008 and 2011) are already double-crown winners and they are vying to become the first three-time title winner in the series that debuted in 2007.

Jason Hathaway. (Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Hathaway, who earned his first series victory at Kawartha in 2008, has to notch a top-four finish on Saturday to entertain any title hopes, but anything less than a victory makes the task taller. Even with a win, he needs Kennington to finish 19th or worse and Steckly would need to come home in 15th-place or worse.

In any case, it's the closest battle for the crown in the seven-year history of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series regardless of the points' structure that changed a year ago.

DJ Kennington. (Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

The Pinty's 250 will be presented Saturday Sept. 21st at 5 p.m. ET with qualifications at 3 p.m.ET.

Point standings (top 10):
1 D.J. Kennington 430 points
2 Scott Steckly 425
3 Jason Hathaway 408
4 L.P. Dumoulin 395
5 J.R. Fitzpatrick 391
6 Martin Roy 390
7 Jason White 343
8 Alex Guenette* 341
9 Noel Dowler 340
10 Ron Beauchamp, Jr. 338

From GMM

Felipe Massa has admitted he could bring a financial boost to a team that keeps his formula one career on track in 2014.

The Ferrari refugee has been linked with moves to Lotus or possibly McLaren, but the Brazilian was quoted in Singapore as also mentioning Williams, Force India and Sauber.

And 11-time grand prix winner Massa, 32, said there is no shame in offering some backing to a prospective employer.

"I don't mean that I'm taking money out of my pocket, which I would never do, I am a professional driver who gets paid to race and will continue to do so," he told O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

"But I can use my great relationships to find a company that wants to be part of a global marketing project, and there are many in Brazil. I think it's also important not just for my career, but also for Brazilian motor racing, which is at the limit now," added Massa.

Felipe Massa. (Photo: WRi2)

And if it doesn't work out, he ruled out racing for a back-of-the-grid team, or getting on his knees to beg for a drive.

"There are other categories that interest me, like the DTM," said Felipe Massa.

"I don't think I would race in Indy. So if I can't be in a category that I like, or if I run out of time, I can take a year off and still enjoy my life," he insisted.

Felipe Massa also said that, while disappointed to have been let go by Ferrari, he is happy his replacement is Kimi Raikkonen.

"If the team had swapped me for a driver who doesn't have the qualities of Kimi, it would be a little harder to accept," he said.

From GMM

Friday practice sessions could be extended from 90 to 120 minutes next year in a bid to help young drivers gain formula one mileage.

That is the claim of Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, revealing that the proposal authored by team bosses and F1 race director Charlie Whiting will be put to the forthcoming meeting of the World Motor Sport Council.

The extended session would be to give extra preparatory and running time for teams, with race drivers and test drivers eligible to drive the same car during a single session.

The 'test drivers' eligible to drive in the extended first practice session will have to have an international A license, and have contested no more than two grands prix recently.

Photo: Marussia F1 Team

So far, the proposed change has drawn a mixed response.

"For us, it would take an hour to convert the car from one driver to another," said Williams' team manager Dickie Stanford.

But Sahara Force India's Andy Stevenson insisted: "At Monza, it took us ten minutes to get the car ready for Paul di Resta after James Calado drove it."

Auto Motor und Sport said the top teams are unlikely to field young drivers, but for outfits like Caterham and Marussia it would be "a welcome source of income".

Johnnie Walker, the world's number one Blended Scotch Whisky brand, has teamed up with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Sergio Perez and two-time world drivers' champion Mika Häkkinen to launch a global free ride home program called “Join the Pact.”
Of course, the main goal is to fight drunk driving. Johnnie Walker aims to gather one million pledges to never drink and drive by inviting consumers around the world to use the hashtag #ImNOTdriving on social media.

To honour these commitments, Johnnie Walker will give away one million kilometres of safe rides home globally -- equivalent to travelling around the world's equator 25 times. The program begins in Singapore this week as part of the events surrounding the F1 Grand Prix. Mika Häkkinen has even agreed to serve as a private chauffeur.

Gavin Pike, Global Brand Director at Johnnie Walker, said: “Our partnership with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has given us a strong platform from which to talk about responsible drinking. We are reinforcing our commitment to this cause through one of our most ambitious responsible drinking campaigns to date, and I encourage race fans everywhere to Join the Pact by pledging their personal commitment to not drink and drive by using #ImNOTdriving this weekend.”

Photo: Wikipedia

From wrc.com

Citroën Racing boss Yves Matton has revealed that Kris Meeke is under consideration for another outing in a Citroen DS3 World Rally Car - even after the Brit suffered a miserable double-retirement on Rally Australia.

Australia was a second chance for Meeke to impress Citroen after his first outing for the French squad in Finland ended with a huge roll on the penultimate stage. 

Kris Meeke got off to the perfect start in Coffs Harbour by going fastest at qualifying, and was an impressive 4th until his car slipped off the road on Stage 13 and rolled seven times down a hill.

Kris Meeke. (Photo: Citroën Racing)

Matton told Wrc.com that before the crash he had been prepared to offer Meeke a third appearance on the season finale Wales Rally GB. 

“I explained to him before the rally that if he was doing what I asked here then he was doing GB. Now I think there is less chance that he is doing that, but I will wait a little bit. I never take a decision just after something happens. I need to think a little bit more. I think there is still some possibility," he said. 

Unfortunately, Matton has more to think about on Sunday, when Meeke retired again after the final stage having slid wide and smashed his car's right-hand rear suspension. 

“For sure it doesn't help him, again,” an unimpressed Matton told Wrc.com. “On Sunday it was very simple for him to go to the end. I know that he was first on the road, cleaning the road. Nothing to do, only maybe bring back two points, but at the end we went home with zero points for our second car. That's not positive.”

Photo: Citroën Racing

Matton confirmed however that Meeke still had a chance - perhaps driving the DS3 of Khalid Al Qassimi. “A lot depends on what happens in the manufacturers' championship. I don't think I will take the decision before the end of Rallye de France,“ he said. 

Former F1 driver Alain Prost won his 28th Grand Prix on September 20th, 1987, in Portugal. Racing for McLaren-TAG, he surpassed the win total set by Jackie Stewart in 1973.

The prolific Prost won 51 races and four world championships during his entire career, which ended after the Australian Grand Prix on November 7th, 1993 (he finished second behind Ayrton Senna). He last won a Grand Prix on July 25th of that year in Germany.

Michael Schumacher eclipsed Prost on September 2nd, 2001 when he notched his 52nd victory at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Source: Wikipedia

Alain Prost and Ayrton (Photo: WRI2)

From Brighton Speedway

September's events just keep getting hotter! The Friday and Saturday Brighton Speedway hosts a dirt track fans dream come true.

With 10 different classes performing on the 1/3rd mile clay oval in the Cool 100 Applefest Shootout Weekend, you'll get to see it all here this weekend.

Listed below are admission prices and start times for each show. If you require any further information don't hesitate to contact the Speedway Office.

Attention Racers & Fans! Pricing for this weekend is listed below. We are expecting a fantastic show with a variety of classes Friday and Saturday night!

Pit Admission:
Friday September 20th
Members $25/ Non Members $30
Pit Gates open at 4pm/ Racing at 7pm

Friday September 20th:
Front gate admission:
Adults $15.00/ Youths & Seniors $10.00/ Children 7-12 $4.00
Family Pass $35.00 (Includes 2 Adults & children under 16 *to a maximum of 2 youths ages 13-16)
Interac - VISA - Mastercard Accepted at the Front Gate
Full concessions and Licensed bar on premise
Gates Open at 5:30pm, Racing Starts at 7:00pm

Pit Admission
Saturday September 21st
Members $30.00 / Non Members $35.00
Pit Gates Open at 3PM
Racing at 6pm

Saturday September 21st
Front gate admission:
Adults $23.00/ Youths & Seniors $20.00 / Children 7-12 $6.00
Family Pass $60.00 / (Includes 2 Adults & children under 16 *to a maximum of 2 youths ages 13-16)
Interac - VISA - Mastercard Accepted at the Front Gate
Full concessions and Licensed bar on premise
Gates Open at 4:30pm, Racing Starts at 6:00pm

COMING NEXT WEEK:

Saturday, September 28th at 6:00pm
(Rescheduled from September 7th)
the 3rd Annual 65 lap GREAT CRATE RACE- $5000-To-Win Late Model Race
and then.....
Sunday, September 29th at 2:00pm
the Lange and Fetter Motors EVE OF DESTRUCTION

Including the Workman Auto Repair School Bus Races, Brighton Recycling Demo Derby, Hotch's Auto Parts Monster Enduro, Ladies Enduro, Junior Enduro, The Gauntlet, Flag Pole Race, Trailer Race and more...

Venturi Automobiles recently hosted the world premiere of the VBB3, the world's most powerful electric car with a rating of 3,000 hp, at the Wendover airfield in Utah. The Monaco-based automaker invited Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene for the unveiling.

The third-generation VBB3 required two years of development and is the result of an extensive collaboration started in 2009 between Venturi Automobiles and Ohio State University.

The company hopes that the VBB3 will be able to reach speeds of 600 km/h as early as next year. It has held the world record for electric cars since 2010 with a speed of 495 km/h.

“I am proud of sharing with the Prince Sovereign and the Princess the launch of this new sporty, technological, and environmental challenge. It is truly thrilling to work on such a project to help tomorrow's mobility to progress,” said Gildo Pallanca Pastor, President of Venturi Automobiles.

Venturi Automobiles recently hosted the world premiere of the VBB3, the world's most powerful electric car with a rating of 3,000 hp, at the Wendover airfield in Utah. The Monaco-based automaker invited Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene for the unveiling.

The third-generation VBB3 required two years of development and is the result of an extensive collaboration started in 2009 between Venturi Automobiles and Ohio State University.

The company hopes that the VBB3 will be able to reach speeds of 600 km/h as early as next year. It has held the world record for electric cars since 2010 with a speed of 495 km/h.

“I am proud of sharing with the Prince Sovereign and the Princess the launch of this new sporty, technological, and environmental challenge. It is truly thrilling to work on such a project to help tomorrow's mobility to progress,” said Gildo Pallanca Pastor, President of Venturi Automobiles.

September is usually when teams in major racing series start looking at the next season, which often leads to new contracts for drivers, shocking transfers, and a number of big disappointments.

This year is no different. Talks are now picking up at a blistering pace after a particularly quiet summer at the rumour mill -- aside from the one that sent Kimi Räikkönen to Ferrari.

When that rumour began floating around, many of our Facebook friends criticized us for reporting hearsay. “Kimi will not return to Ferrari. He has yet to swallow his exit from the team in 2009” sums up the various comments.

As it turned out, delayed payments by Lotus and several key departures within the technical department led the taciturn Finn to pack his bags and hit the road to Maranello, with full intent to compete directly with Fernando Alonso in 2014.

Sure, Ferrari prematurely terminated his contract four years ago to make room for the more talented Spaniard and the millions of dollars from Santander Bank, but Räikkönen is not one to hold a grudge against people.

Other notable exits include Mark Webber leaving Formula 1 to become Porsche's official endurance driver including at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Felipe Massa was ousted by Ferrari in favour of Räikkönen. After a severe crash at the Hungaroring and the difficult years that followed, the Brazilian was no longer able to push his teammate to surpass himself.

Lastly, we learned that former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya is kissing Ganassi Racing and NASCAR's Sprint Cup goodbye to join Roger Penske and his IndyCar team.

Montoya was originally hired by Chip Ganassi, and supported by series executives to boost interest among Latin-American fans. However, his 7-year stint in NASCAR will not exactly go down in history: just two wins, none of which took place on an oval speedway. A big bummer.

So, the controversial Colombian goes back to IndyCar where he will face none other than Ganassi. Will Montoya duplicate his past success and find a way to win the Indy 500 for a second time? That will definitely be one of the stories to watch in 2014.

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen (Photo: WRI2)

From GMM, Updated (see below)

According to one rumour in Singapore, Bernie Ecclestone has cancelled an order for a new F1 motor home that would have made its debut in 2014.

"Is it because he can still use the old one," wondered the German-language Speed Week, "or because he knows he will no longer need one at all in 2014?"

Understandably, the news about the F1 chief executive's motor home is being tied up with speculation about his future, amid a looming German court battle that could even see the 82-year-old Ecclestone jailed.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo thinks that, with F1 facing the future without Ecclestone, the time is right to start planning.

"We will need to rethink everything, with a structure that provides for a head of administration and finance, a commercial director and a number 1 for technical matters," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport this week.

"The work can no longer be centralised around just one man."

Luca di Montezemolo and Bernie Ecclestone. (Photo: WRi2)

UPDATE
The Munich court announced on Friday that Bernie Ecclestone will not be in a German court on his bribery charges this year.

Previously, the court had said a decision about whether there would be a trial for the F1 chief executive would be made by mid-September.

But on Friday, the prosecutors said in a statement that they are waiting for additional responses from Ecclestone's lawyers, wire services including AP and Reuters reported.

The statement also said the panel of judges is set to be changed, so a decision "can no longer be expected this year".

From wrc.com

Citroën Racing boss Yves Matton has revealed that Kris Meeke is under consideration for another outing in a Citroen DS3 World Rally Car - even after the Brit suffered a miserable double-retirement on Rally Australia.

Australia was a second chance for Meeke to impress Citroen after his first outing for the French squad in Finland ended with a huge roll on the penultimate stage. 

Kris Meeke got off to the perfect start in Coffs Harbour by going fastest at qualifying, and was an impressive 4th until his car slipped off the road on Stage 13 and rolled seven times down a hill.

Kris Meeke. (Photo: Citroën Racing)

Matton told Wrc.com that before the crash he had been prepared to offer Meeke a third appearance on the season finale Wales Rally GB. 

“I explained to him before the rally that if he was doing what I asked here then he was doing GB. Now I think there is less chance that he is doing that, but I will wait a little bit. I never take a decision just after something happens. I need to think a little bit more. I think there is still some possibility," he said. 

Unfortunately, Matton has more to think about on Sunday, when Meeke retired again after the final stage having slid wide and smashed his car's right-hand rear suspension. 

“For sure it doesn't help him, again,” an unimpressed Matton told Wrc.com. “On Sunday it was very simple for him to go to the end. I know that he was first on the road, cleaning the road. Nothing to do, only maybe bring back two points, but at the end we went home with zero points for our second car. That's not positive.”

Photo: Citroën Racing

Matton confirmed however that Meeke still had a chance - perhaps driving the DS3 of Khalid Al Qassimi. “A lot depends on what happens in the manufacturers' championship. I don't think I will take the decision before the end of Rallye de France,“ he said. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has written on Twitter that he's looking for engineers to work on his ambitious project of putting a self-driving car on the road by 2016.

Musk, who very much has his own unique ways (and it seems to pay off), banks on his 380,000 Twitter followers to source much-needed manpower for the venture.

Here's the Tweet:

“Engineers interested in working on autonomous driving, pls email autopilot@teslamotors.com. Team will report directly to me.”

With so many fans and followers, many of whom will resend his comments to others, Musk's post may be viewed by more people than would look at the Los Angeles Times' classified ads, according to Karl Brauer of Kelley Blue Book.

Are you interested?

Source : bloomberg.com

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne hired Ron Bloom, who helped run President Obama's auto-industry team, to advise the automaker on buying the rest of Chrysler, a person familiar with the matter said.

Kia told dealers that it will launch a new full-sized rear-wheel-drive flagship sedan in the United States early next year, accelerating its drive into higher tiers of the luxury car market.

2014 Ford Shelby GT500

In terms of horsepower and all-out performance, the Shelby GT500 is the top-dog iteration of the Ford Mustang.

New For 2014

The only changes for the 2014 Ford Shelby GT500 are two new exterior colors: oxford white and ruby red metallic.

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2014 Ford Mustang

After several updates for 2013, the Ford Mustang receives only slight equipment changes for 2014.

New For 2014

All 2014 Ford Mustang models receive new graphics for the instrument cluster. High-performance white and red candy metallic paints replace oxford white and ruby red metallic. New appearance packages for base V-6 and GT models add black-painted mirrors, a trunk spoiler, quarter-window louvers, and wheels (eighteens on the V-6, nineteens on the GT). The Boss 302, our favorite version of the current Ford Mustang, has been discontinued after a two-year run.

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