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From press release

One of Canada's largest drag racing events, the Canadian Nitro Nationals, will be held this weekend and will feature the Pro Modified Racing Association, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and the Pro Bike & Sled Series.

This event, to be held July 12-14 on the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park is the track's fourth annual, and the three series will play a prominent part in this major sporting event.

With two wins to his credit so far, Rocky Di Lecce leads the popular PMRA Pro Modifieds. The Mississauga, Ontario driver has been outstanding with his 1968 Camaro, and tops the Championship Point Award Series race over Jay Santos of Halton Hills, Ontario, Jack Grainy of Basom, New York, Bruce Boland of Hamilton, Ontario, and Derek Hawker of Corbyville, Ontario.

Presented by NAPA Auto Parts, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series pits Top Dragsters against Top Sportsman entries with large car counts and exciting Sportsman-style drag racing action.

Top contenders include Sam Christian of Amherst, New York, who has driven his Top Dragster to a win in 2013. Others include the Top Sportsman entries of two-time Quick 32 Sportsman Series champion Kevin Wicke, and the up-and-coming Spencer Hyde, both from Stratford, Ontario.

Top Dragster drivers Billy White of Gadshill, Ontario, who has a Quick 32 Sportsman Series victory this year, and the strong Top Sportsman team of Wilson & Gray from Ingersoll, Ontario are others who could easily drive into victory lane.

In the PBSS presented by Wiseco Performance Products, Dan Cryderman of Thamesville, Ontario leads the Championship Point Award Series with his Pro Bike Suzuki entry. He presently has one win for 2013, as does Ted Glinny of Milton, Ontario riding his Kawasaki in Pro Bike.

Others to watch in the PBSS include Dave Vandereyken of Acton, Ontario, Marty Kuiack, also of Milton, and John Orfanidis of Toronto, Ontario.

Qualifying rounds for all three series will take place on Friday and Saturday, July 12-13, with eliminations scheduled to take place July 14.

Along with these three drag racing series, the Canadian Nitro Nationals will feature nitromethane-burning Top Fuel Dragsters and Nitro Funny Cars, Nitro Nostalgia Funny Cars, the NDRA Alcohol Funny Car Series, the NDRA Pro Doorslammer Series, the Outlaw 10.5 Association, racing in the Can-Am Stock/Super Stock Series, Jet Dragsters and Shockwave, a Peterbilt semi-truck powered by three jet engines.

For more information, go to www.torontomotorsportspark.com

From GMM

Luca di Montezemolo on Wednesday said he is not ready to talk about Felipe Massa's future at Ferrari.

The Brazilian has been involved in a string of on-track incidents dating back every race since Monaco, amid speculation the Italian team might finally choose another teammate for Fernando Alonso next season.

"Yes, these are critical moments," team boss Stefano Domenicali said after Massa's spin into retirement at the Nurburgring, "and of course we are not happy with the results. But we have to support Felipe, because the team is fighting for the constructors' championship."

Notwithstanding Domenicali's comments, 32-year-old Massa said he has "no idea" if his recent incidents had jeopardised his future.

And Ferrari president Montezemolo said on Wednesday: "(Massa's) Future? We will talk about that further down the line as there's no hurry."

Felipe Massa. (Photo: Ferrari)

Drivers including Nico Hulkenberg and Jules Bianchi have been linked with Massa's 2014 seat.

Felipe Massa was at Ferrari's Maranello factory to work in the simulator and meet with Montezemolo on Wednesday.

Montezemolo said: "Felipe is fully aware he can count on our total confidence in him. I hope he will soon secure the results that will show his talent to the full, such as the great starts he pulled off at the last two grands prix."

Former F1 engineer Gary Anderson, however, said Massa's recent mistakes have come at "the most inconvenient time" for the Brazilian, whose contract expires soon.

"The mistake at the Nurburgring is not one a driver of his calibre should be making," Anderson told Speed Week.

"Maybe it's time for Ferrari to get another driver who scores more regularly. Nico Hulkenberg is an obvious choice, but personally I would get Jules Bianchi. He is less likely to trouble Fernando's position as top dog," he added.

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park's Racefest will take over Toronto's Yong-Dundas Square Wednesday, July 17 to offer racing fans a taste of racing action in advance of the Mobil 1 Grand Prix of Mosport, a few days later.

The event will be staged July 17, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto.

Canada's biggest sports car race of the year, the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix will featurw the American Le Mans Series for exotic prototype and GT race cars. A world-class field of drivers pilot the globe's top marques such as Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Lotus, Mazda, Porsche and Viper on Canada's classic, challenging road course.

Four other U.S.-based series will be on track; the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites, IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup and the Pro Mazda Championship. The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin returns for their final Canadian Tire Motorsport Park event of the season to round out an exciting weekend of racing.

The RaceFest is a dynamic public and media event, with great on-site visuals, sounds and personalities.

It includes:

• Live Pit Stop demonstrations by the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) Corvette Racing team with Ron Fellows back behind the wheel for this special event

• The first Canadian showing of the unique and revolutionary DeltaWing prototype, a new generation race car, joined by team driver Andy Meyrick (Great Britain)

• "Team Canada's" ALMS drivers, Tony Burgess (Toronto) and Kyle Marcelli (Barrie), who will compete against an international field of top Sports Car drivers

• Drivers and race cars from other event weekend series, including Martin Barkey (Huntsville) and Tim Sanderson (Pickering) of the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada presented by Michelin, and James Vance (Stouffville) of the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup

• Driver Autograph Sessions and draws to win event tickets

The Rolls-Royce Wraith, the most powerful car ever built by the British automaker, is one of the crown jewels at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed in England, which kicks off today. This 624-horsepower fastback, which accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds, will take part in the famous Goodwood Hillclimb.

Other Rolls-Royce models on display at Goodwood include the 2013 Alpine Trial Centenary Ghost that made its debut in Shanghai this spring and pays tribute to the 1913 Silver Ghost “Radley Car.” The two will actually travel up the Hillclimb side by side 4 times each day.

Moreover, the company is providing invited guests with the opportunity to drive a brand new Rolls-Royce Phantom or Rolls-Royce Alpine Trial Centenary Ghost around the Goodwood Estate during the Moving Motor Show on Thursday.

And of course, the return of the Soapbox Challenge, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Festival of Speed, would not be complete without the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars team.

Photo: Rolls-Royce

Photo: Rolls-Royce

From GMM

Honda on Thursday announced it will base its formula one operations in the UK.

After a six-year absence from the paddock, the Japanese carmaker is returning to the sport in 2015 as a supplier of works V6 power to McLaren.

Photo: McLaren F1 Team

Honda will develop and manufacture the engines in Japan, but the trackside operations will be based at a site in Milton Keynes, where the engines and energy recovery systems will also be maintained.

This is nothing new as Honda already operated a base in the UK when they supplied engines to McLaren, Lotus, Williams and Tyrrell.

"With the confirmation of a new F1 operation base in the UK, our preparation to join F1 has become more specific and concrete," said motor sport chief Yasuhisa Arai.

Reigning world champions Red Bull are also based in Milton Keynes, a town in Buckinghamshire, England.

From GMM

Lewis Hamilton thinks Kimi Raikkonen should leap at the chance to join Red Bull in 2014.

The Mercedes driver said Finn Raikkonen, who is currently weighing up between the move alongside Sebastian Vettel or staying at Lotus, would give Vettel "a hard time".

"It would be really cool to see Kimi in a Red Bull. He would give Seb a hard time," 2008 world champion Hamilton is quoted by the Sun.

"Kimi is an incredible driver, everyone knows that, so with an even better car it would be interesting to see what he does with that."

Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen, in China. (Photo: WRi2)

Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, has often struggled to match up to his own teammate in 2013, having switched from McLaren to join Nico Rosberg at Mercedes.

But Ferrari's Fernando Alonso said he is not surprised by German Rosberg's top form.

"We saw him beat Michael (Schumacher) the last few years, and not because Michael had forgotten how to drive but because Nico did a fantastic job, and he's getting even better," the Spaniard told Sport Bild.

From GMM

Interlagos has moved a step closer to securing its future on the F1 calendar.

Earlier this year, the future of the Brazilian grand prix came into doubt when F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said the venue in Sao Paulo must be upgraded.

But those fears eased when Ecclestone confirmed city mayor Fernando Haddad had written him a letter "and he's guaranteed to revamp the whole facilities there".

It was said a new contract through 2020 would then be signed.

Start of the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix. (Photo: Pirelli)

Now, O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper is reporting that the city has indeed opened up bids for the construction of an all-new three-storey pit and paddock complex and revisions to the layout, to be ready for 2015.

The report said Sao Paulo is paying for the project through an agreement with the tourism ministry, aimed at "maintaining F1 in Brazil and in the city of Sao Paulo", according to spokesman Nunzio Briguglio.

The newest member of Fisher-Price's Power Wheels collection is a 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray replica. Set to go on sale in the U.S. at $275 starting this September, this toy-sized, battery-powered Corvette will be available for pre-order at Walmart.com.

Designed for children age 3 and older, the Power Wheels Corvette can reach speeds of up to 6 mph (nearly 10 km/h) going forward, and 3 mph (5 km/h) in reverse, making it the fastest car in the collection. It's a single-seater with a long-lasting 12V battery.

Canadian availability has yet to be announced.

Sources : www.autoblog.com

Photo: Fisher-Price

Paul Halstead, an Australian entrepreneur who's known for his tuning expertise, is reportedly working on a yet-to-be-named supercar that would rival the Bugatti Veyron.

How? By fusing a pair of LS7 V8 engines from the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (rolled over at 45 degrees) to create a 1,200-horsepower, 14.0L, 16-cylinder monster.

In terms of design, the concept will draw inspiration from the Maserati Gran Turismo and McLaren F1.

What about production? Halstead claims the project is simply a bit of fun and not a serious business venture. He plans to show the completed version, due in 2016, at the Detroit Autorama hot rod event where he hopes to win the prestigious Ridler Award.

During the 1980s, Halstead tried to build and sell Alfa Romeo Sprint coupes modified to fit a mid-mounted V8 and called Giocattolo, but he only managed to build 15 units before he had to fold operations due to poor sales.

Source : motorauthority.com

Ford, responding to sluggish sales and moves by rivals, is cutting the price on the 2014 Focus EV by $4,000, or 10 percent, to $35,995. The price includes $795 for shipping.

The Hyundai HCD-14 was named the 2013 Concept Car of the Year by automotive writers at the North American Concept of the Year Awards.

Dario Franchitti was looking for a great year in 2007, as he won the Indianapolis 500, and claimed victories at Iowa and Chicagoland Speedway.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, a potential candidate for president in 2016, will address dealers from around the country at the National Automobile Dealers Association Convention and Expo in New Orleans in January, the trade group...

Many auto dealerships that use digital marketing vendor Cobalt to power their Web sites -- including General Motors' dealer network in the United States -- had their service disrupted today by a deluge in Web traffic.

As the United States economy has improved, so has the business confidence of auto industry execs, according to a recent study.

The Volvo XC90 has been with us for 10 years now -- a long time indeed when it comes to product life cycles of comparable upmarket SUVs.

The Jaguar XK-E, known in these parts as the E-type, is now recognized as one of the most attractive automotive designs, period. And that's over

Mini never shied away from setting records in the most dramatic way possible, and the company's next stunt hopes to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest parade of Minis.

2014 Porsche Panamera First Drive

A plug-in hybrid headlines a mild facelift.

Munich -- Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller admits that "there certainly were doubts" when the first Panamera launched in 2009. Critics didn't like the hunchback styling and were skeptical whether a sedan fit the Porsche brand. Yet in the four years since, Panamera sales have outpaced Porsche's predictions by 25 percent. Based on that success, it's no wonder Porsche made only small changes for the Panamera's first facelift.

Photo Gallery: 2014 Porsche Panamera First Drive - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2014 Porsche Panamera First Drive - Automobile Magazine

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News 10 Jul, 2013

New version of CAT concept reveals more about the production BMW 2 Series GT