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Phil Parsons Racing announced that Josh Wise drive for its team 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) season. Additionally the team will switch manufacturers to Chevrolet for the its' No. 98 after campaigning Toyotas.

PPR competed in its first NSCS race in 2012 and earned their best finish in the 2013 Daytona 500. PPR is owned by former NASCAR driver Phil Parsons. Parsons competed in nearly 500 races among the NSCS and NASCAR Nationwide Series, finding success in both series and excelling at some of NASCAR's most famous tracks, including wins at Talladega Superspeedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway

Wise has 69 starts in NASCAR's top series, with his best start and finish both coming at Talladega Superspeedway in 2013. In addition to his NSCS experience, Wise also has several years of experience in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Prior to coming to NASCAR, the Riverside, Calif. native earned numerous championships in the open-wheel ranks, where he started his professional racing career. Wise makes the move to PPR after racing for Front Row Motorsports the past two seasons.

"I am really looking forward to joining Phil Parsons Racing in 2014," said Wise. "While I enjoyed my time at Front Row Motorsports, and am thankful for that opportunity and feel I'm leaving the team on good terms, I am still really excited for what next season will bring. I think it was time for a change. I appreciate Phil, Mike Curb and everyone at Phil Parsons Racing giving me this opportunity. The team has a lot of exciting things going on for next year, and I'm thankful to be a part of it."

"We are really excited to have Josh on board for next season," said Parsons. "He has continued to get better and better each year that he has competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It's a reunion of sorts for Josh, having previously raced for Mike Curb. We all think a lot of Josh, and with him as our driver and Chevrolet as our manufacturer, we all hope 2014 is the year we can show what this team can do."

The team press release also mentioned that they would welcome sponsorship.

The 2014 Formula 1 calendar was approved Wednesday by the members of the World Council of Motor Sport of the FIA during a meeting held in Paris.

The calendar is made of 19 Grands Prix.

2014 Formula 1 calendar:

March 16: Australia
March 30: Malaysia
April 6: Bahrain
April 20: China
May 11: Spain
May 25: Monaco
June 8: Canada
June 22: Austria
July 6: Britain
July 20: Germany
July 27: Hungary
August 24: Belgium
September 7: Italy
September 21: Singapore
October 5: Japan
October 12 Russia
November 2: United States (COTA Austin)
November 9: Brazil
November 23: Abu Dhabi

Sauber F1 Team has more than 40 years of motorsport heritage, having contested its first Grand Prix back in 1993.

Karl Wendlinger, Sauber 1993 (Photo: WRI2)

Let's look at the evolution of the Sauber Formula 1 cars since that day.

The video shows the different cars, morphing one into the next, with side and top views. We can see the spectacular changes in technology introduced along the years.



Here is the complete list of Formula 1 models produced by Sauber:

1993: C12-Ilmor
1994: C13-Mercedes
1995: C14-Ford
1996: C15-Ford
1997: C16-Petronas (Ferrari)
1998: C17-Petronas (Ferrari)
1999: C18-Petronas (Ferrari)
2000: C19-Petronas (Ferrari)
2001: C20-Petronas (Ferrari)
2002: C21-Petronas (Ferrari)
2003: C22-Petronas (Ferrari)
2004: C23-Petronas (Ferrari)
2005: C24-Petronas (Ferrari)
2006: F1.06-BMW
2007: F1.07-BMW
2008: F1.08-BMW
2009: F1.09-BMW
2010: C29-Ferrari
2011: C30-Ferrari
2012: C31-Ferrari
2013: C32-Ferrari

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone has now confirmed reports that New Jersey will not be on next year's formula one calendar.

Asked about recent reports that said the scheduled race amid the Manhattan skyline would have to be delayed for a second consecutive year, the F1 chief executive said a week ago: "We will not have Mexico and India next year."

But Ecclestone, 83, has now told the Wall Street Journal that the New Jersey street race is off again.

He said the postponement, likely to be confirmed with the FIA's publication of the official 2014 calendar on Wednesday, is "for lots and lots and lots of reasons".

"We are not satisfied it's going to happen in time. What we're aiming for is 2015," said Bernie Ecclestone.

The newspaper said race promoter Leo Hindery did not return a call seeking comment.

And the Bloomberg news agency quoted a spokesman as saying the organisers will comment after the publication of the calendar.

From Pickett Racing

In the first of a series of announcements regarding Muscle Milk Pickett Racing's 2014 plans, the team is confirming its commitment to the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and IMSA with a full-time entry into the PC class.

It will mark the second time that Pickett Racing fields a ORECA FLM09 PC car after doing a partial season, alongside its Championship winning P1 entry, in the American Le Mans Series at the beginning of 2012.

After many successful seasons in the American Le Mans Series in which it took home 21 wins, 39 podium finishes in 46 races and won back to back P1 Championships, Pickett Racing is thrilled to be taking on a new challenge in the TUDOR Championship, after having to bid farewell to its P1 car.

Muscle Milk Pickett Racing will have more news regarding its 2014 plans in the coming weeks, including its driver lineup.

The 2014 TUDOR Championship season kicks off January 23 - 26 with the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Following a massive recall on the Escape in the U.S. due to potential fires, Ford of Canada is doing the same for 18,919 Escapes equipped with a 1.6L engine.

In some cases, localized overheating of the cylinder head could lead to cracks, causing oil leaks. Engine oil that comes into contact with a hot engine surface could potentially result in a fire. In addition, fuel lines replaced as part of recall 2012-218 (12S35) may have been improperly installed and may chafe, potentially resulting in a fuel leak. Again, this could result in a fire.

Consequently, Ford dealers will enhance engine heat shielding, cooling and control systems, as well as inspect fuel line routing and replace fuel lines as necessary.

Source: Transport Canada

From GMM

Ferrari's test driver has admitted Red Bull will enter the 2014 season with a technical advantage, despite the radical new regulations.

With the famous aerodynamicist Adrian Newey's Red Bulls having utterly dominated the last several seasons, the Italian marque Ferrari welcomed with delight the move to turbo V6 engines next year, after years of V8 power.

"We are not building aeroplanes or satellites, we're building cars," president Luca di Montezemolo told CNN last month. "Engine, gearbox, suspensions: these are also crucial, particularly for us."

Red Bull RB9 and Ferrari F138. (Photo: WRi2)

Team test driver Marc Gene, however, argues that although the new rules are a big opportunity for Ferrari, Red Bull remains in pole position due to its dominant position for the past few years.

"There will always be continuity," Gene told the Spanish sports newspaper AS. "The cars will still be F1 cars, and many parts of the car will be the same.

"The engine, gearbox, KERS, turbo ... the rear (of the car) is all brand new. The aerodynamics will be different," he added, "but there will be follow-on parts (from 2013) too.

"The team that wins the championship the year before always starts with an advantage, but maybe with less benefit (for 2014) than if there had been the same rules," said Gene.

Another element to consider for 2014 is that, with the radical transition from the 2013 to 2014 rules, teams that started work on next year's project the earliest will also have a bigger advantage than usual.

In this regard, it is believed that Mercedes - rumoured to already have the best 2014 engine - has been working on its new car for longer than most.

"I don't think so," said Gene, "as they have been fighting for the constructors' championship with us right until the end.

"Red Bull has also been developing its car until very recently," he added. "I don't know if anyone will have a big advantage because of this."

Hill climbing is one of the most popular forms of auto racing in Europe, and it is almost unknown here in North America despite the fact that nine-time World Rally Champion, Sebastien Loeb, shattered the record of the “Race to the Clouds” held at Pikes' Peak this year.

It is a form of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course.

Hill climbing is open to all kinds of race machines that range from showroom, stock street cars to souped-up Group N hand grenades.

The most stunning vehicles are undoubtedly the single-seaters, the formula cars, such as the Formula 3000s powered by normally aspirated V8s that produce more than 450 bhp!

Now imagine taking these cars on a small ordinary road that winds up a mountain and driving them flat out! Some courses even go through small villages and serpentine on narrow country roads that offer very little or no protection!

The fastest cars reach speeds of up to 240 km/h on these roads where the speed is normally limited to 70 or 80 km/h!

This first video was filmed at the 2012 St. Ursanne - Les Rangiers event and shows a Martini MK69 powered by a BMW engine. At 01:27, there is some frightening onboard footage.



This second video was shot during the same event in Switzerland and is a compilation of the best moments, showing a vast variety of race cars, all being driven outside their normal limits.

Swan Racing announced Tuesday that it is expanding to a two-car organization in 2014 in NASCAR's Sprint Cup series with Parker Kligerman and Cole Whitt driving Toyota Camrys.

The team started out with a single car for the 2013 season.

"When we launched Swan Racing we pledged to race hard every lap of every race. That's what we have done and what we will continue to do, “ said team owner Brandon Davis. “ We learned a lot this year and now is the time to plan for the long term future by adding more resources to be more competitive.”

"The team is expecting steady improvement and we are in good position to deliver," said Kligerman. "Personally, I am looking forward to working with Cole as a teammate and as a competitor for Rookie of the Year honors."

Parker Kligerman, Swan Racing. (Photo: NASCAR)

"I am really impressed by how everything is coming together for Swan Racing. This is the place to be and we are going to truly take the next step in 2014," said Whitt. "Parker and I will learn a lot from each other next year while racing hard every lap of every race. I'm ready to get started!"

"This is an important moment for this young team," said Swan Racing general manger, Bray Pemberton. "Things are falling into place and we are really looking forward to 2014. In the coming weeks we will make decisions on a number of additional details such as car numbers, hiring a crew chief and the addition of new sponsors," he said.

Swan Racing raced its' car in the Sprint Cup Series in 2013 with several drivers including Michael Waltrip in  the No. 26 Toyota in the Daytona 500 . David Stremme then drove the No. 30 for the next 25 races. The team then auditioned several drivers including Whitt, Kligerman, and Kevin Swindell.

An executive of Toyota Motorsport GmbH confirmed that the Japanese car manufacturer was pondering making a return to the FIA World Rally Championship.

Talking to a reporter of French the magazine Auto Hebdo at the last round of the World Endurance Championship, Rob Leupen, Operations Manager at TMG revealed that Toyota was thinking about WRC, but for the middle term.

TMG has recently produced a 1.6L turbo Global Engine, and the company is apparently getting ready to test it in a WRC chassis.

“We are thinking about it (WRC). However, if we go ahead with the project, it would be for 2016 at the soonest,” said Leupen to Auto Hebdo.

A few weeks ago, TMG launched a rally version of the Toyota GT86 which will be eligible to race in the R3 category of the WRC.

Following big price cuts by other automakers to stoke demand for electric cars, Mitsubishi said it will reduce the sticker price of its slow-selling i-MiEV electric car by 20 percent for its upcoming model year.

Michael Lock, the top United States executive for Volkswagen AG's Lamborghini subsidiary, has left the company, the Italian manufacturer of exotic sports cars said today.

Ahead of Thursday's global introduction of the redesigned 2015 Ford Mustang, a magazine story with details on the new car circulated on the Internet.

Mercedes-Benz widened its luxury-vehicle lead over the BMW brand in November as sales of the new entry-level CLA coupe contributed almost all of the Daimler unit's gain in the United States market.

How the Ford Mustang Helped Create the Camaro and Celica

Ford’s success spurred the creation of both the Camaro and Celica.

A few pony cars may have preceded the launch of the Ford Mustang, but as the Mustang’s popularity rose to new heights and set new sales records for Ford, it was only a matter of time before rival automakers quickly prepared their own competitors. It was surprising, however, that one came from the opposite corner of the world.

Photo Gallery: How the Ford Mustang Helped Create the Camaro and Celica - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: How the Ford Mustang Helped Create the Camaro and Celica - Automobile Magazine

How the Ford Mustang Helped Create the Camaro and Celica | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

A United States senator has asked 20 of the world's biggest automakers for information on how they secure their vehicles from cyber attacks, in light of reports by security experts who say they have identified ways to hack into cars.

Ford's Canadian unit sold more vehicles than all other automakers in Canada in November, helped in part by strong sales of the Fusion sedan.

U.S. sales of cars and light trucks surged 9 percent in November 1.24 million units and rolled off dealership lots at the fastest pace in almost seven years.

Amongst Porschephiles, the

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked Tesla Motors to submit detailed records as part of its investigation into battery fires that occurred in Model S vehicles.