Auto News 5

From GMM

Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko has tipped Mercedes to bet everything on Lewis Hamilton taking a shot at the 2013 world championship.

On the face of it, the German squad does not have a number 1 driver, but with less than half the season left to go, and arguably now the fastest car, the last-start winner is Lewis Hamilton.

The Briton's deficit to title leader Sebastian Vettel, however, is 48 points.

Marko told Auto Bild: "We are taking Mercedes very seriously.

"Last year we were 44 points behind Alonso after the summer break, and yet we were world champion in the end.  That's how fast things can change.

"Now is their chance and they will put everything on Hamilton," Marko predicted.

But a bold statement like that, particularly from the outspoken arch-enemy, might be seen as a mere attempt to unsettle Mercedes, with Hamilton's teammate Nico Rosberg having won two grands prix so far this season.

It is understandable that the German team is playing down its chances.

Asked if Mercedes can win the 2013 title, chairman Niki Lauda answered plainly: "No.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W04 (Photo: WRi2)

"Red Bull are still stronger overall," he told Auto Motor und Sport, "and they have this point advantage.

"On paper we have a chance, but in reality it is very difficult," Lauda insisted.

For now, then, there is no talk of team orders.

"We have a clear situation: everything stays open unless it gets really serious," said Lauda.

Tellingly, however, Lauda admitted that Mercedes is still pushing ahead with development of the 2013 car, even with the huge challenge of 2014 now looming large.

"With every race we are taking the car forwards," he said, "but the next three races will be decisive.

"Eventually, we will also need to think about where we are putting our resources.  We try to postpone it as long as possible, but at some point, the time will have come."

He admitted the key to unlocking the W04's winning potential has been understanding the Pirelli tyres.

"We know more, but not everything.  I would say we are at about 70 per cent," said Lauda.  "At the beginning of the season we understood nothing."

From 2014, the DTM and the Super GT Japan series will share the same technical regulations. Here are the first photos of the new Japanese cars, ready to be tested for the 2014 season of the GT500 series.

We already saw this morning the new racing vehicle based on the Lexus “LF-CC”.

Lexus LF-CC (Photo: Lexus)

Now here is a photo of the new Honda NSX-GT Concept.

Honda NSX-GT Concept (Photo: Honda)

And this one of the 2014 Nissan GT-R GT500 produced by Nismo.

Nissan GT-R GT500 (Photo: Nismo)

The Dilawri Group opened the doors to the new home of Porsche Centre Vancouver at 688 Terminal Avenue. Covering 40,000 square feet, it's the first dealership in Canada to feature Porsche's new global corporate identity with its striking exterior, expansive showroom, and state-of-the-art service centre.

Designed to be energy-efficient, the building's exterior features a large curved aluminum facade with extensive use of glass and high-performance metallic finishes.

The new facility is double the size of the former location at 1718 West 3rd Avenue. There's a private fitting lounge where customers can experience Porsche product customization, while the service centre offers increased capacity with 20 technologically advanced service bays.

"We are pleased to have worked with the Dilawri Group in bringing this exciting new Porsche facility to Vancouver. Vancouver is one of the fastest growing markets for the brand in Canada, making it an ideal location to launch our latest showroom design concept," said John Cappella, Director, Network Development, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd.

Photo: Porsche

Adapted from Audi Motorsport

Word Rally Championship (WRC) leader and Volkswagen driver Sébastien Ogier got a taste of DTM speeds, this Friday when he tried an Audi RS 5 DTM car.

Sébastien Ogier, Audi RS 5 DTM (Photo: Audi)

With instructions provided by Audi factory driver Mattias Ekström, the French rally star did five laps on the 3.629-kilometer sprint track of the Nürburgring. “And on used tires, he was running pretty fast,” commented the Swede on looking at the stop watch.

Photo: Audi

“Naturally, I wasn't able to go all the way to the limit in such a short time, especially not with respect to braking,” said Ogier. “But the five laps were enough to whet my appetite for more. Now I'd like to do a real test in the Audi RS 5 DTM. The car is fantastic and really enjoyable.” 


Photo: Audi

“I could definitely imagine driving in the DTM after the end of my rally career,” concluded the Frenchman, who could seal the 2013 WRC title in next week's German Rally.

Following Sébastien Ogier's test drive of the Red Bull Audi RS 5 DTM, Mattias Ekström had the chance to try out the Frenchman's Volkswagen Polo R WRC. The two-time DTM Champion, who has successfully competed in the WRC himself on occasion, was allowed to test the rally car on a track next to the Nürburgring.

“That, too, was a great experience - and my appetite for more has been whetted by it as well,” said Ekström after the car swapping.

Mattias Ekström, VW Polo R WRC (Photo: Audi)

Most automakers are now busy with hybrid and/or electric vehicles, but a few still refuse to jump on the bandwagon, including Chrysler-Fiat.

Aside from the Fiat 500e, which is exclusively available in the U.S. as a limited model, Chrysler-Fiat does not plan to invest in electrified powertrains until consumers are willing to pay for the technology, according to Bob Lee, Head of Global Powertrain Coordination.

Instead, the company will turn its efforts to offering more diesels and downsized, turbocharged gasoline engines, which deliver comparable performance at a cheaper price.

Source: Automotive News

Photo: Fiat

From GMM

Niki Lauda has dismissed suggestions Fernando Alonso is a real candidate to race alongside Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull next year.

"He (Alonso) would only bring trouble to the team," Lauda, Mercedes' team chairman and the outspoken former triple world champion, told Auto Motor und Sport.

So, he tipped the reigning title winners to choose between two more realistic candidates to succeed the Le Mans-bound Mark Webber.

"With probably four world championships in Vettel, Red Bull has the luxury to weigh in peace the benefits of Raikkonen or Ricciardo," Lauda told the German magazine.

Niki Lauda with Lewis Hamilton (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team)

"One is the better solution in the short term, the other in the long term. In the end they can take a risk. But not Ferrari."

Indeed, Lauda apparently sees sense in the latest rumours linking 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen with a Ferrari return.

"If Raikkonen doesn't go to Red Bull, then Ferrari should try to get him on board," he said. "For a counterweight to Alonso.

"After six years without a title, Ferrari is under great pressure," added Lauda.

From GP3 press office

Friday, former Formula 1 World champion and Lotus driver, Kimi Raikkonen tested the GP3/13 car at Circuit de Catalunya as part of an official GP3 development test in preparation of the 2014 season.

This test was made possible thanks to the strong relationship between Raikkonen and GP3 team Koiranen GP. The Finn star stopped by the GP3 paddock in Nurburgring last month during the F1 Grand Prix weekend and was eager to get behind the wheel of the machine.

Kimi Raikkonen testing the new GP3/13 car in Barcelona. (Photo: GP3 Series)

With an official development test happening this month, it was the perfect opportunity to have him drive the GP3/13 car and collect precious data for next season.

Today's testing programme was twofold: first to test the performance of the car on different tire compounds and secondly to conduct a development programme as requested by GP3 and Pirelli.

The purpose of this official test was to find technical solutions to offer more overtaking possibilities to the drivers for the 2014 races.

Kimi Raikkonen testing the new GP3/13 car in Barcelona. (Photo: GP3 Series)

After a complete one day programme, Raikkonen covered 58 laps (270km) with a best laptime of 1m34.780 set at the end of the day. He gave invaluable feedback regarding the car's behaviour and the tires' performance and degradation which will definitely help improve the car for next season.

“I wanted to test the GP3/13 because my friend Afa Heikkinen has a team in this Series and I have been closely following their progress and results since the beginning of the season,” said Kimi Raikkonen.

“I was curious to see how the car handled and it was actually fun to drive. There were a few issues regarding its behaviour, but we managed to solve most of them. The GP3/13 is a very good tool for young drivers, especially when you have to learn about tire management like we have in F1,” he added.

Kimi Raikkonen testing the new GP3/13 car in Barcelona. (Photo: GP3 Series)

Lotus' trackside operations director, Alan Permane is fairly confident that the team will score a good result at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium next weekend.

The British engineer is quite happy with the performance of the team so far this season.

“On the whole I'd say we've had a decent start to the year,” said Permane.

“It's frustrating to sometimes come away from a weekend knowing we haven't quite got the most from the car, but at the past few events we've brought some successful updates that are working very well.

“Out of ten rounds so far we've had eight podium finishes including a victory at the opening round. We're battling with teams that have arguably got a lot more resources at their disposal, so I think we're doing a very good job with what we have here at Enstone,” he added.

Alan Permane, Eric Boullier (Photo: Lotus GP)

Permane confirmed the Lotus E21 is working well on the revised Pirelli tires.

“Mercedes for example seem to be very well suited to them, but Ferrari perhaps not so much. Although we were slightly quicker than them in both Germany and Hungary, we and Red Bull look very evenly matched. I wouldn't say they've changed our position too much,” he said.

The challenge of Spa will obviously be very different from the one of the Hungaroring.

“Yes, a total contrast to Budapest in pretty much every area. Similar to Canada, Spa is a much lower downforce layout than most venues we visit with significantly lower temperatures; usually between fifteen and twenty degrees ambient,” he said.

Romain Grosjean, Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E21 (Photo: Lotus GP)

“We will also be using the hard and medium compound tires which combined with the cooler climate have not been our strength I think it's fair to say. We have  however been putting in a lot of time and effort to get the harder tires working better in lower temperatures, and I'm fairly confident we'll head into this race remaining equally competitive,” he added.

Will the infamous Device (designed to reduce drag at high speeds) will likely be used on the fast circuit of Spa?

“Absolutely. We haven't made a final decision yet as to whether it will be deployed, but we've been conducting a lot of simulation work with the concept to help clarify that decision and there's a good chance we'll see it make an appearance.

“We've got several updates coming up both mechanical and aerodynamic so we're confident of making another step forward,” Permane explained.

Young boys and girls all over the world (more specifically those interested in driving race cars) are currently facing a serious problem. Many of them don't have access to the necessary infrastructure, while others lack the proper equipment. Some are desperately missing media coverage, while an increasing number simply don't have enough money.

In case you didn't already know, competing in motor sports is quite expensive. It's always been, actually, but now the required budgets have reached unfathomable highs.

A karting season at a top international level can easily cost in the six-figure range since most drivers have to rent their equipment. When the champion -- and aspiring stock car or open-wheel race car driver -- moves up the ranks, it gets even more expensive. Like, a fortune.

Even with not-so-high-tech race cars, costs are exploding.

Entry-level open-wheel racing amounts to nearly $200,000 (€140,000) per season. That will cover the crew's wages, travel, replacement parts, engine tuning and upgrades, registration, insurance, and other fees.

When it comes to Formula 3 (Europe) or Indy Lights (North America), a full season costs over half a million dollars (or euros), which is starting to become extraordinarily pricey even for a well-off family. Good luck finding real sponsors at this level. In today's struggling economy, few companies dare invest $1 million or so on a young driver who still has lots to prove and may quit at any given time.

That's why the starting grids in these series are now vaporizing like rubber in a burnout -- and why more and more drivers put their motor sport careers on hold until past the age of 30 when their high-paying jobs finally allow them to compete.

Sadly, auto racing is no longer a sport for young enthusiasts who aspire to one day get to the top of the pyramid, but rather gentlemen who have the cash to live their passions.

The heirs to the Schumachers, Hamiltons, and Vettels will have a really tough time breaking through, that's for sure.

Photo: Renault

From Lexus

Lexus racing announced Friday that a new racing vehicle based on the Lexus “LF-CC” will compete in the Super GT GT500 class starting next season. 

The vehicle will replace the Lexus SC 430 currently used in Super GT races.

The Lexus LF-CC is a two-door coupe concept that debuted at the Paris Motor Show in September 2012.  It features a dynamic exterior with an emphasis on aerodynamics and cooling performance. 

Vehicle shakedown will begin at the Suzuka Circuit Friday afternoon.

Lexus LF-CC (Photo: Lexus)

Most automakers are now busy with hybrid and/or electric vehicles, but a few still refuse to jump on the bandwagon, including Chrysler-Fiat.

Aside from the Fiat 500e, which is exclusively available in the U.S. as a limited model, Chrysler-Fiat does not plan to invest in electrified powertrains until consumers are willing to pay for the technology, according to Bob Lee, Head of Global Powertrain Coordination.

Instead, the company will turn its efforts to offering more diesels and downsized, turbocharged gasoline engines, which deliver comparable performance at a cheaper price.

Source: Automotive News

Photo: Fiat

From GP3 press office

Friday, former Formula 1 World champion and Lotus driver, Kimi Raikkonen tested the GP3/13 car at Circuit de Catalunya as part of an official GP3 development test in preparation of the 2014 season.

This test was made possible thanks to the strong relationship between Raikkonen and GP3 team Koiranen GP. The Finn star stopped by the GP3 paddock in Nurburgring last month during the F1 Grand Prix weekend and was eager to get behind the wheel of the machine.

Kimi Raikkonen testing the new GP3/13 car in Barcelona. (Photo: GP3 Series)

With an official development test happening this month, it was the perfect opportunity to have him drive the GP3/13 car and collect precious data for next season.

Today's testing programme was twofold: first to test the performance of the car on different tire compounds and secondly to conduct a development programme as requested by GP3 and Pirelli.

The purpose of this official test was to find technical solutions to offer more overtaking possibilities to the drivers for the 2014 races.

Kimi Raikkonen testing the new GP3/13 car in Barcelona. (Photo: GP3 Series)

After a complete one day programme, Raikkonen covered 58 laps (270km) with a best laptime of 1m34.780 set at the end of the day. He gave invaluable feedback regarding the car's behaviour and the tires' performance and degradation which will definitely help improve the car for next season.

“I wanted to test the GP3/13 because my friend Afa Heikkinen has a team in this Series and I have been closely following their progress and results since the beginning of the season,” said Kimi Raikkonen.

“I was curious to see how the car handled and it was actually fun to drive. There were a few issues regarding its behaviour, but we managed to solve most of them. The GP3/13 is a very good tool for young drivers, especially when you have to learn about tire management like we have in F1,” he added.

Kimi Raikkonen testing the new GP3/13 car in Barcelona. (Photo: GP3 Series)

From 2014, the DTM and the Super GT Japan series will share the same technical regulations. Here are the first photos of the new Japanese cars, ready to be tested for the 2014 season of the GT500 series.

We already saw this morning the new racing vehicle based on the Lexus “LF-CC”.

Lexus LF-CC (Photo: Lexus)

Now here is a photo of the new Honda NSX-GT Concept.

Honda NSX-GT Concept (Photo: Honda)

And this one of the 2014 Nissan GT-R GT500 produced by Nismo.

Nissan GT-R GT500 (Photo: Nismo)

Cadillac is hinting at the future top end of its lineup with a grand coupe concept. The rear-wheel-drive, two-door coupe, called Elmiraj, explores "new dimensions for Cadillac's ongoing expansion," GM said.

The Woodward Dream Cruise is in full swing, despite the fact that it doesn't officially start until Saturday, and automakers are joining in the festivities.

The Woodward Dream Cruise is in full swing, despite the fact that it doesn't officially start until Saturday, and automakers are joining in the festivities.

The Woodward Dream Cruise is in full swing, despite the fact that it doesn't officially start until Saturday, and automakers are joining in the festivities.

The Woodward Dream Cruise is in full swing, despite the fact that it doesn't officially start until Saturday, and automakers are joining in the festivities.

When Enzo Ferrari died on Aug. 14, 1988, it was clear that road and racing cars bearing the Prancing Horse emblem would continue to be produced.

When Enzo Ferrari died on Aug. 14, 1988, it was clear that road and racing cars bearing the Prancing Horse emblem would continue to be produced.