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Three Audi R18s locked the top three positions in the first qualifying session ahead of 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the first Toyota already four seconds adrift.

Audi R18 e-tron quattro (Photo: Audi)

Loïc Duval, who will race the No. 1 car alongside Tom Kristensen and Alan McNish, set his best lap in 3m22.349, beathing last year's time by 1.5 seconds.

He leads his teammates Gene, Di Grassi and Jarvis, and Lotterer, Fassler and Treluyer. The fastest Toyota, driven by Wurz,, Lapierre and Nakajima, is fourth, four seconds slower than the best Audi.

As expected, the best independant LMP1 car is the Rebellion's Lola Toyota of Jani, Prost and Heidfeld, ahead of the second ToyotaTS030 Hybrid.

Toyota TS030 Hybrid (Photo: Toyota)

In LMP2, it was the G Drive's Oreca Nissan driven by Martin, Rusinov and Conway that emerged fastest ahead of the Morgan Judd driven by Gachnang, Mailleux and Lombard.

There was a big fight in GTE Pro, and the works Aston Martin Vantage of Makowiecki, Bell and Senna was the fastest car of the class.

Aston also dominated in GTE Am, with the best lap time set by Nygaard, Poulsen and Simonsen.

The second qualifying session will start at 7pm Thursday.

Qualifications 1:
1. Duval/McNish/Kristensen (Audi R18 e-Tron) - Audi Joest - 3'22"349 (1st LMP1)
2. Gené/Di Grassi/Jarvis(Audi R18 e-Tron) - Audi Joest - 3'24"341
3. Lotterer/Fassler/Treluyer (Audi R18 e-Tron) - Audi Joest - 3'25"474
4. Wurz/Lapierre/Nakajima (Toyota TS030 Hybrid) - Toyota - 3'26"676
5. Prost/Jani/Heidfeld (Lola B12/60-Toyota) - Rebellion - 3'30"423
6. Davidson/Buemi/Sarrazin (Toyota TS030 Hybrid) - Toyota - 3'30"841
7. Belicchi/Beche/Cheng (Lola B12/60-Toyota) - Rebellion - 3'32"167
8. Leventis/Watts/Kane (HPD ARX 03c-Honda) - Strakka - 3'36"547
9. Martin/Rusinov/Conway (Oreca 03-Nissan) - G-Drive - 3'39"535 (1st LMP2)
10. Gachnang/Mailleux/Lombard (Morgan-Judd) - Morand - 3'40"741
(...)
27. Makowiecki/Bell/Senna (Aston Martin Vantage V8) - Aston Martin - 3'55"658 (1st GTE Pro)
(...)
36. Nygaard/Poulsen/Simonsen (Aston Martin Vantage) - Aston Martin - 3'58"661
etc.

From GMM

Former F1 driver Allan McNish thinks the world of Le Mans would welcome Mark Webber with open arms in 2014.

With his Red Bull deal expiring, and the world champions weighing up the candidates to replace him, 37-year-old Australian Webber has been linked with Porsche's return to prototype sports car racing.

Photo: Porsche

"If Mark did decide to come we would all embrace him with open arms - until the first corner," Scot McNish, who raced in F1 with Toyota in 2002, joked to the Huffington Post.

"He wouldn't want it any other way," smiled McNish, now a top Le Mans driver for Audi.

"He's a hard charger, he's intelligent, he's a thinker, he's a nice person, he'd be good in the paddock," McNish said of Webber, who raced at Le Mans late last century with Mercedes.

The fabled 24 hour Le Mans race takes place this weekend, and McNish thinks the event can compete head-to-head with formula one.

"I think sports cars has offered manufacturers a place where they can develop a technology at a good, sensible cost," he said.

"They can race in a high profile race, Le Mans, which matches any F1 race without question and it's got a world championship. Look at Renault -- they've won the F1 world championship for quite a few years but no one knows. They all think it's a Red Bull."

Allan McNish driving the impressive Audi R18 e-tron quattro at Le Mans. (Photo: Audi Motorsport)

McNish also said Le Mans has become a "viable" option for drivers of F1 pedigree like Kamui Kobayashi and Bruno Senna, and questioned whether formula one has taken the right direction with its tyre-dominated racing.

"It's very odd the way it is in formula one now," he said.

"I was looking at the laptimes from the Bahrain GP and noticed that they were basically the same as our race laptimes there -- for a car that is 300kg lighter. I think F1 has tried quite hard over the past few years to become a spectacle, to get the fans to enjoy wheel to wheel racing. I think it's positive to do that but they might have gone a little bit too far," added McNish.

Code of the Curve, indeed

Canadian Tire Motorsports Track, ON - When Porsche Canada asked me to join them at a local race track for a day of testing their latest 2013 model lineup, I wasn't about to say no. And when I found out the 2014 Porsche Cayman was going to be there, I was prepared to do anything in my power to get there and drive it.

Which is precisely what I did.

There's absolutely nothing cold-blooded about this new Cayman (which derives its name from the caiman lizard) from its looks to its handling abilities, this thing is hot.


What is the Porsche Cayman?
First introduced in 2005, the Porsche Cayman coupe is a rear-wheel drive, mid-engine sports car. Originally sharing the same platform as the Porsche Boxster, the Cayman offered up hard-top cruising where the Boxster didn't, and also offered up more storage space up front and in the back where the Boxster didn't.

Far from diluting the lineup, the Porsche Cayman adds a new level of driving dynamics to an already dynamic stable of vehicles. Abiding by Porsche's “code of the curve” the Cayman filled a gap between the 911 and the Boxster that no one really knew existed, but we're damn happy they filled it.

Technicalities
The 2014 Porsche Cayman S features a mid-mounted 3.4L flat-6, 3.4L good for 325 horsepower and roughly 273 lb-ft of torque attached to the ever-fantastic 7-speed dual clutch PDK transmission all pushed out the rear wheels and aboard a vehicle that only weighs 1,695 kg. Need I say more?

Wait, there are a few more important numbers: You'll see 100 km/hr from a standstill in just under 5 seconds and on the track you could potentially take the 2014 Cayman S up to 281 km/hr (believe me, I tried).

Perhaps a few of the most intriguing numbers attached to the Porsche Cayman S are its cost-to-own digits, because there aren't as many as you might expect. With a starting price of just $76,560 owning a Cayman S is conceivable for more than just a select few -- which makes this sporty model even more appealing.

The 2014 Porsche Cayman S features a mid-mounted 3.4L flat-6, 3.4L good for 325 horsepower and roughly 273 lb-ft of torque. (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Driving the Porsche Cayman S
From the moment I sat behind the wheel of my bright Racing Yellow (complete with matching yellow seat belts) 2014 Porsche Cayman S in the pits at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Track, I knew I was in for a treat.

Having just stepped out of a Porsche 911 Carrera 4, the difference in handling, weight and dynamics was immediately clear. And I actually preferred the feel of the Cayman S.

Light and nimble, the 2014 Cayman S will go where you want and need it to with the slightest input to the steering wheel. Throttle response is also spot on, and thanks to the PDK transmission it'll keep you in the juicy part of the powerband, no matter what you ask of it. Cornering is slick and precise, with just the right amount of grip or tail snap when asked. This two-seater coupe begs to be driven hard, so how could I resist?

While paddle shifters are available with the PDK in the 2014 Porsche Cayman S, I chose to let the transmission handle all the gear selections for me, and was never disappointed. Seamless cog swaps meant I could focus on the correct line on the track, cutting my apexes and hammering down as soon as I reached the back straight. Yes, this thing is fast.

Well-balanced to the point where only the G-force meter lets you know what's really going on, the 2014 Porsche Cayman S is as composed on the track as it would be on the city streets. And that flat-6 wail at wide-open throttle? Well, I'm pretty sure you'll never get sick of hearing that.

Light and nimble, the 2014 Cayman S will go where you want and need it to with the slightest input to the steering wheel. (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Inside and Out of the Porsche Cayman S
Some criticize the exterior look of the 2014 Cayman S with its pout-y rear end, but I think it's fantastic. As per the norm, the Cayman is instantly recognizable as a Porsche. With the classic headlights and fog light housing, the 2014 Cayman S is curvaceous in all the right spots, and angular where needed.

Inside, standard Porsche fare ensues. Very customizable, Porsche offers a long list of extras that can push your personal Porker into a whole new level of cool (as well as price bracket). For example, the colour-matched seatbelts found in my 2014 Porsche Cayman S were an extra $400, which I suppose in the grand scheme of things isn't that much, but still.

Very customizable, Porsche offers a long list of extras that can push your personal Porker into a whole new level. (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Comparing the Porsche Cayman S
The 2014 Cayman S is in very good company amongst the likes of the BMW M3 Coupe and Lotus Evora. When it comes to track-ready performance and luxury amenities, there's also the Audi TT RS. The Porsche carries the loftiest price tag of the bunch but I think it's a warranted difference.

From GMM

Pastor Maldonado insists he does not feel threatened by the rising form of his rookie teammate Valtteri Bottas.

Young Finn Bottas grabbed the headlines in Montreal recently when he qualified third, amid a profile already on the rise due to his form alongside Venezuelan Maldonado, the more experienced driver and 2012 Barcelona winner.

But Maldonado said on Wednesday: "The conditions benefitted Valtteri in Canada.

"It doesn't mean he's faster and I'm slower. Our car is quite difficult, but I don't need to prove anything to anybody," the 28-year-old, who like Bottas is yet to score a single point in 2013, is quoted by Brazil's Globo Esporte.

Photo: Williams F1 Team

Indeed, Maldonado argues that Williams is leaning on him too hard, due to Bottas' inexperience.

"They rely too much on me. In fact, I am responsible for all the technical testing of the car because I have more knowledge and experience with the team," said Maldonado.

His comments coincide with rumours Maldonado, backed by millions in sponsorship from PDVSA, has been earmarked by Lotus as a potential successor to the possibly Red Bull-bound Kimi Raikkonen.

Maldonado insisted: "It's not the time to plan where I will be in 2014. I sincerely hope to continue for a few more years at Williams. It is the team that gave me the opportunity to be in formula one, and I got my first and so far only victory with them.

"I believe we have the potential to win more with this team," he added.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne may have to wait months longer than planned to learn the price of shares he needs to complete his acquisition of Chrysler Group.

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Consumers now count five auto companies among the top seven "greenest" global brands, according to a new consumer attitude survey by the market consulting firm Interbrand.

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Ford is the first automaker to offer in-vehicle access to the SiriusXM Internet Radio App, the companies announced today.

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An old photo of Italian race-car driver Tazio Nuvolari in a strange single-seat Bugatti uncovered a and#8220;technical disasterand#8221; that its originators were happy to forget.

GM for the first time ranked atop a closely watched survey measuring new-vehicle quality, while Ford continued to be dragged down by its electronic features. GM placed two brands -- GMC and Chevrolet -- in the top five of J.D.

News 19 Jun, 2013

CMF Renault-Nissan architecture will underpin 14 new cars by 2020

Renault is introducing a modular-production strategy with Nissan to reduce spending by building more vehicles in common. The Renault Espace, Nissan Qashqai and X-Trail will be among the first models to use the architecture.

Shanghai General Motors has broken ground for a Cadillac plant and a pan-Asia technical automotive centre in Shanghai.

News 19 Jun, 2013

Jaguar is planning a hot F-Type Coupe to rival the Porsche 911 Turbo S

Chevrolet plans to return to advertise on ABC's annual Academy Awards telecast next year after a 5-year absence.

A war of words has erupted in Australia between the main political parties on one hand and unions on the other concerning the country's struggling automotive industry and ahead of an imminent general election.

General Motors, introducing redesigned full-sized pickups this year, said its new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra base engines will exceed the fuel economy of Ford's F series.