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From GMM

One respected veteran correspondent has allayed fears F1's scream will become a whimper when the new V6 rules take over next year.

Apparently spurred on by Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 circuits' union chief Ron Walker told Autoweek last week that the 1.6 litre ERS-boosted engines of 2014 sound "like a lawnmower engine".

And Ecclestone hinted the sport's authorities might be forced to artificially enhance the noise, for fear of losing spectators.

But Jean-Louis Moncet, the long-time French commentator for TF1, said the fears are exaggerated.

"I don't think the engine noise for 2014 is really a problem," he said in his Auto Plus blog.

"I started as a journalist in F1 in 1978, when Renault was winning acclaim with its turbo. Ferrari was not long to follow, then BMW and then others. In those days it was a 1500cc V6, single or twin turbo, except BMW had an inline 4 cylinder."

Nelson Piquet, Brabham-BMW. (Photo: WRi2)

"So, a memory, and one to reassure you," Moncet told his readers. "The grand prix of France, at Paul Ricard, and Nelson Piquet on the Mistral straight.

"Sincerely, in the middle of the straight you could easily imagine the BMW, at 330kph, tearing up the asphalt and digging a trench to a depth of twenty metres. It howled that much. So it's going to sound different (in 2014), but there will be noise -- lots of noise, without which, F1 would not be F1.

"But I think a lot of this fear about the noise is coming from young journalists listening at the grand prix circuits to the turbocharged engine in the GP3 cars, that sound like a power drill. The ERS F1 engine will be fundamentally different," Moncet concluded.

Fisker Automotive, which produces the Karma plug-in hybrid sports sedan, announced last Friday that it will lay off 75% of its workforce. This came a week after the 200+ employees were put on a 5-day unpaid furlough.

The future looks bleak for Fisker. Since launching the Karma last year, there have been numerous recalls, and its battery supplier (A123) has gone bankrupt. You may also remember that 300 units were lost in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

And last month, company founder and executive chairman Henrik Fisker resigned due to “several major disagreements” with members of the senior management team.

Fisker recently tried to seek new funds from Chinese investors, but the discussions were not exactly encouraging. Stay tuned...

Sources: www.thedetroitbureau.com

Photo: Fisker

From GMM

Red Bull has signed up a female driver to its famous driver development 'junior team'.

Eighteen-year-old Netherlander Beitske Visser, having won two races in 2012, will race this year with the energy drink company's backing in the German single seater category ADAC Formel Masters in 2013.

She is "the first ever female to join our squad", Red Bull said in a statement.

Beitske Visser. (Photo: Red Bull)

In charge of the junior programme is Dr Helmut Marko, who in February declared that US-based Indycar and Nascar star Danica Patrick has done "not enough" to attract Red Bull's attention.

"We are looking for drivers based on performance, not by quota," he said.

The most famous graduate of Red Bull's junior team is Sebastian Vettel, but also making it to F1 from the same programme were Jean-Eric Vergne, Daniel Ricciardo, Jaime Alguersuari, Sebastien Buemi and several others.

As the temperature blissfully begins to rise (albeit ever so slowly) and the snow melts away, so too do our layers of winter clothes, grimy salt stains on paint jobs, and winter wheels and even rides.

This time of year, everyone walks a bit taller (no need to hunch over from the cold anymore), smiles a bit more, and drivers are a bit happier (save for when they're avoiding smart-car sized potholes, but that's a topic for another story). It's a blissful time for all.

Spring means no more winter rubber. No more winter mags. And sometimes it means no more winter beater . It's time to break out The Summer Ride.

Personally, I've never had the pleasure of owning two separate cars to drive during different seasons. The most I do is change out my rubber and wheels for the colder months. However, I do know of individuals who store their Summer Rides while the white stuff sits on the streets, and they wait for spring to arrive more eagerly than children do for Christmas morning. As they should.

The Summer Ride isn't always a thing of beauty to everyone who sees it, but it is a thing of absolute allure to the owner -- few things can beat it. Decked out in pretty shoes (read: summer rubber and shiny wheels), blemish-free paint that's (hopefully) rust-free, and an interior that's also escaped the ravages of salt stains and winter dirtiness, The Summer Ride is built for warm-night cruises, open-road adventures and (more often than not) going fast.

The Summer Ride is what every teen boy dreams of when he thinks of his first car. He doesn't imagine plowing through deep snow (unless he's St-Pierre dreaming about Big Bird), he dreams of driving with the wind in his face (windows down) and a burbling exhaust note that matches the drone of the cicadas as the temperature rises.

I love this time of year because The Summer Rides start to emerge throughout the city. I hear growling exhaust notes, turbo tweets and over-exaggerated sound systems already and it makes me smile. We're breaking out of our winter shells and embracing the warmer days ahead, and we're doing so through automotive obsessions -- the very best way possible.

I often bitch about our temperamental weather and the fact that we even have winter at all, but when spring finally does arrive and I get to experience the emerging of The Summer Ride again, I'm thankful for the roller coaster ride. Why? Because it's an experience in and of itself to see these rides emerge from hibernation, often after having been toiled over and worked on throughout the long, cold months by dedicated owners who are oh-so happy to show them off and have them appreciated. They are labours of love, these Summer Rides, kept hidden for so many months because they are so dear to the owner.

From less-than-perfect R32 Skylines to brand new Porsches and BMWs (whose owners prefer to keep them warm and clean in the winter), they can be perfectly quaffed or in need of some serious TLC (project car in the making). The Summer Ride can be old or new and that's what makes it so great, and so entertaining to see them emerge.

So, welcome Summer Ride. May the warm months bring you many miles of winding, traffic-free tarmac.

Stoffel Van Doorne and Antonio Felix Da Costa each took a win this weekend, in the curtain-raising event of the Formula Renault 3.5 season, in Monza.

Stoffel Van Doorne started the season with a bang, winning race 1 from pole. It was the first time ever a rookie managed such a good kick-off.

Van Doorne takes won ahead of Kevin Magnussen and Christopher Zanella, while championship favourite Antonio Felix Da Costa went off with a puncture following a contact in the first laps.

Stoffel Van Doorne. (Photo: Renault Sport)

Da Costa was looking to redeem himself in the second heat, starting from pole position. The Portuguese was passed at the start by Van Doorne, but was able to get the lead back a few laps later. Trying to catch up, Van Doorne went straight off at the second chicane, and only recovered behind Da Costa and Kevin Magnussen.

Da Costa and Magnussen remained nose to tail in the remaining laps, the Dane putting the pressure on the race leader, who was able to maintain his lead until the checkered flag.

Stoffel Vandoorne takes third position in race 2, and stays in first position in provisional championship classification ahead of Magnussen and Da Costa.

Antonio Felix Da Costa. (Photo: Renault Sport)

Race 1:
1 - Stoffel Vandoorne - Fortec - 29 laps in 46'48"474
2 - Kevin Magnussen - Dams - 7"053

3 - Christopher Zanella - ISR - 8"596

4 - Oliver Webb - Fortec - 8"991
5 - Nigel Melker - Tech 1 - 16"461
Etc.

Race 2:
1 - Antonio Felix Da Costa - Arden Caterham - 29 laps in 46'24"405

2 - Kevin Magnussen - Dams - 2"767

3 - Stoffel Vandoorne - Fortec - 5"922

4 - Arthur Pic - AV Formula - 11"600
5 - Nico Muller - Draco - 16"805
Etc.

Championship:
1.Vandoorne 40 points; 2.Magnussen 36; 3.Da Costa 25; 4.Pic 20; 5.Zanella 19, etc.

Carlos Munoz (Andretti) started from pole and never looked back to win the Firestone Indy Lights race at Barber Motorsports Park.

Munoz held his advantage throughout the race to finish just over five seconds clear of Jack Hawksworth in what was an eventless round with only nine cars at the start. For the Andretti driver it was a third-career win.

Carlos Munoz. (Photo: IndyCar)

The only significant position change came in the battle for third, where Gabby Chaves was able to get ahead of Sage Karam to complete the podium.

Zach Veach fell out of the podium battle after suffering a puncture, leaving Jorge Goncalvez to finish fifth ahead of Peter Dempsey, Victor Carbone and Juan Pablo Garcia.

Results - 40 laps:

Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Carlos Munoz Andretti 51m19.4116s
2. Jack Hawksworth Schmidt Peterson + 5.0684s
3. Gabby Chaves Schmidt Peterson + 24.1356s
4. Sage Karam Schmidt Peterson + 42.1138s
5. Jorge Goncalvez Belardi + 42.2621s
6. Peter Dempsey Belardi + 42.9368s
7. Victor Carbone Moore + 43.2567s
8. Juan Pablo Garcia Moore + 48.6414s
9. Zach Veach Andretti + 1 lap

From GMM

Lotus has admitted it is opposed to Pirelli making radical changes to its 2013 tires.

After Australia and Malaysia, when the behaviour of the Italian marque's new heavily-degrading range became clear, some top teams - notably Red Bull and Mercedes - said they want Pirelli to make changes as soon as possible.

"Certain teams are keen for a switch back to last year's rubber," Lotus technical director James Allison confirmed, "but teams will always push for what's in their best interest."

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E21. (Photo: WRi2)

Indeed, Kimi Raikkonen won in Melbourne with the impressive new black E21, and so Allison said Lotus obviously wants the status quo to remain.

"We feel the current tires make for entertaining racing, but then we would say that as our car tends to prosper when the tires are tender," he admitted.

Pirelli has promised to "review" the situation after next weekend's Bahrain grand prix, warning however that it will only make notable changes if the overwhelming majority of teams demand action.

Michel Nykjaer (Chevrolet) and Pepe Oriola (Seat) took their first World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) wins in Marrakech. Yvan Muller (Chevrolet) still leads the point standings.

Qualifying was dominated by Honda, which, thanks to Gabriele Tarquini, earned its first pole position. Unfortunately for the Italian, Michel Nykjaer found a way passed him during the race.

Michel Nykjaer, Chevrolet. (Photo: FIA WTCC)

Fernando Monje (Seat) started Race 2 from pole, but was quickly overtaken by countryman and eventual winner Pepe Oriola (Seat), who would become the youngest ever WTCC winner, at just 18 years old. Monje at least managed to keep Muller behind him, who charged up from 8th on the grid.

Muller's teammate Tom Chilton was forced to retire with an overheating engine following a contact in race 1, and Gabriele Tarquini was out of the race following an accident in race 2. That brought the Frenchman's lead in the championship to 37 points.

Pepe Oriola, Seat. (Photo: FIA WTCC)

EXECUTIVE EDITOR BOB GRITZINGER: This 2013

At car dealers across the United States, loans to subprime borrowers like Nelson are surging -- up 18 percent in 2012 from a year earlier, to 6.6 million borrowers, according to credit-reporting agency Equifax Inc.

Those "Race with Insulin" paint schemes and decals on Chip Ganassi's Race teams this weekend are more than a sponsorship. It's actually a wake-up call of diabetes awareness and treatment.

Jamie McMurray's No. 1 Chevrolet in Martinsville and Charlie Kimball's Dallara-Honda, at Barber Motorsport Park this weekend will have those paint schemes. And all of Ganassi's cars and drivers (Grand-Am, IndyCar and NASCAR) will have some form of identification of this initiative.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 26 million people are currently living with diabetes in the United States.

The pressure surrounding racing is obviously intense. Just imagine the additional pressure for a diabetic crew member who has to monitor his own blood sugar while his focus is more on the car than his health.

One of those crew guys is Randall Burnett the engineer on Earnhardt Ganassi Racing's No. 42 car driven by Juan Pablo Montoya. Burnett has type 1 diabetes. That's the type which is genetic and requires constant monitoring and application of insulin.

During the gruelling NASCAR season Burnett is home only three nights a week.

“It's very intense,” Burnett explains adding “a lot of go-go-go. It's totally different for me on the weekends then it when I'm home I know what I eat for breakfast everyday and do what most diabetics do. Unfortunately this sort of life style doesn't leave a lot of time to do all that.”

Burnett says he must take his blood sugar level readings at least six times a day.

Good thing his mind works like an engineer's: “It's something I've developed over the years. I don't have a constant reminder. I just know I have to keep up with it.

“It's kind of second nature now.”

Dario Franchitti, Charlie Kimball and Scott Dixon (Photo: Charlie Kimball@Twitter)

IndyCar driver Charlie Kimball too, suffers from diabetes.

“Charlie is an emerging talent in the race car, and he is an even better human being. A program like this speaks volumes about him,” said Team Owner Chip Ganassi.

“If our team can help others understand that even with diabetes, you can live life to the fullest, then we are glad to help .

• During the weekend CGRT NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Chevrolet SS) will carry a special "Race with Insulin.com" paint scheme at Martinsville Speedway.
• Charlie Kimball will compete with a special Race with "Insulin.com" paint scheme at Barber Motorsports Park in the IZOD IndyCar Series race.
• In addition, all other Chip Ganassi Racing drivers will run special blue wheels to emulate the blue circle that is the International Diabetes Federation's global symbol for diabetes.

Cars running the special blue circle on the wheels include:

• Juan Pablo Montoya's No. 42 Chevrolet SS at the NASCAR race in Martinsville
• Scott Dixon's No. 9 Honda - at the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama
• Dario Franchitti's No. 10 Honda - also at Barber Motorsports Park
• Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas' No. 01 BMW - in Saturday's GRAND-AM race in Alabama

From GMM

Toto Wolff, a new shareholder at Mercedes alongside Niki Lauda this year, has denied rumours of a 'power struggle' between the Austrian duo.

"I am going to use Niki's words by saying that is the biggest bullshit I have ever heard," Wolff told Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

Actually, the rumours of a power struggle between the German-speaking faction and the old guard led by Briton Ross Brawn are much stronger.

After Malaysia, both Wolff and Lauda were said to have loudly disagreed with Brawn's imposition of 'team orders' that kept the faster Nico Rosberg behind Lewis Hamilton for the last rung of the podium.

"From a sporting point of view, team orders are an absurdity," Wolff insists.

"I speak as a fan, as a sportsman, as a race car driver.

"From the team's point of view, you need to make sure you don't throw away the team result.

"If we had let Lewis and Nico race each other, we would certainly have had a fuel problem with both cars.  We knew this and so we used the team order.

"We did it because we didn't want to look like idiots at the end."

Max Angelelli held off a persistent Alex Gurney in the final phases of the Porsche 250, round three of the Grand-Am season, held at Barber Motorsport Park.

Max Angelelli, Barber Motorsport Park (Photo: Grand-Am.com)

Angelelli and teammate Jordan Taylor denied Alex Gurney and teammate Jon Fogarty a second consecutive win. Fogarty and Gurney had to settle for second, despite starting from pole.

Championship leaders Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas managed to keep their championship lead, just, with a third place. They head the standings by only two points over Fogarty-Gurney.

Robin Liddell and John Edwards pulled off the GT win. The Camaro duo led Alessandro Balzan and Jeff Westphal's Ferrari 458 to the checkered flag. Boris Said and Eric Curran round out the top three in their Marsh Racing Corvette.

Porsche prevailed from Mazda in GX, even though the Japanese manufacturer had the front row all locked out in qualifying. Jim Norman and Spencer Pumpelly drove the winning Cayman to the top step of the podium.



Race results - Barber Motorsport Park
1 - Angelelli-Taylor (Corvette DP/Dallara) - Taylor - 84 laps
2 - Fogarty-Gurney (Corvette DP/Riley) - Stallings - 84
3 - Taylor-Westbrook (Corvette DP) - SpiritOfDaytona - 84
4 - Pruett-Rojas (Riley-BMW) - Ganassi - 84
5 - Pizzonia-Yacaman (Riley-Ford) - Shank - 84
6 - Dalziel-Popow (Riley-Ford) - Starworks - 84
7 - Cameron-Nonnamaker (Riley-BMW) - Sahlen - 84
8 - Valiante-Pew (Riley-Ford) - Shank - 84
9 - Barbosa-Frisselle (Corvette DP/Coyote) - ActionEx - 84
10 - Potolicchio-Sarrazin (Corvette DP/Coyote) - 8Star - 84
(...)
14 - Edwards-Liddell (Chevy Camaro) - Stevenson - 78
15 - Balzan-Westphal (Ferrari 458) - Corsa - 78
16 - Curran-Said (Corvette Z06) - Marsh - 78
Etc.

From GMM

Sainsbury's, the UK supermarket giant, has denied rumours it could lose its boss to formula one.

Last week, F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone failed to deny rumours Sainsbury's Justin King is being lined up to replace him.

"I've no idea whether the boss of a company like Sainsbury's could do my job," the 82-year-old told the Guardian.  "Maybe he could."

A Sainsbury's spokesman has now replied: "This is pure speculation.

"Justin's made his commitment to the business clear and is excited about Sainsbury's long-term prospects for growth.  Any discussion of succession is entirely premature."

Price Range: $29,250 and up

Description: Thanks to a finely honed recipe consisting of equal parts lightweight engineering, peppy powerplants and agile, dynamic and track-ready handling, the Mazda MX-5 enters 2013 just as popular as ever. Since 1989, this best-selling sports roadster has been a popular item for how simply, purely and efficiently it captures the joy of open-topped motoring.


A slew of enhancements, grade-level content revisions and cosmetic updates are applied for the 2013 model year as well, making the MX-5 an even more appealing overall package.

All models are two-seat convertibles, featuring either a simple, fast-acting manual cloth roof, or a motorized Power Retractable Hardtop (PRHT) unit comprised of composite panels. Both roof assemblies fold compactly into their own specially designed storage spaces, leaving the 150 litres of trunk space untouched.

Drivetrain: All MX-5 models are powered by a proven and robustly built MZR-series 2.0L 4-cylinder dual-cam powerplant that generates 167 horsepower when paired with a manual transmission. An automatic with paddle-shift control is available for drivers who prefer not to shift their own gears.

The MZR powerplant at the heart of the 2013 Mazda MX-5 is track validated, fuel-efficient and noted for its eager mid- and high-rpm pull. All models are rear-wheel drive, and most get a Limited Slip Differential (LSD) for optimal power delivery in all driving situations.

Consider it if: fuel efficient, sensible and affordable fun are deliverables required of your next sports car. The MX-5's modest power and light weight mean it's great on fuel while still being a blast to drive. Engineered from square one as a drop-top, the 2013 Mazda MX-5's stiff chassis encourages high handling limits. This is also an ideal car for someone interested in participating in motorsports.

Skip it if: you need a rear seat, or if you need more than 167 horsepower. Performance should prove pleasing for most shoppers, though no up-level engine is available.

Other Notes: Power accessories, xenon lights, satellite radio, a Bose audio system, and heated leather seats are all available to enhance long-haul comfort. Automatic climate control furthers that goal. A wide range of dealer accessories is available, too.

All models get an anti-theft alarm, dual front airbags, side-impact door beams, side airbags, and seatbelt pretensioners with force limiters. At-hand storage space is surprisingly generous, too.

Thanks to “best practices” learned through years of engineering lightweight sports cars, Mazda's MX-5 boasts a virtually perfect weight balance between the front and rear axles which results in more stable, predictable handling at the limit, and a feeling of increased agility all around.

Don't Miss: the aerodynamic “barrier” that forms over the top of the MX-5 at speed, trapping warm air in the car when the roof is stored away. Combined with a powerful heater that features special vents for roof-off operation, sub-zero topless driving is possible without heavy clothing.

The Bose stereo self-adjusts its equalizer to fine-tune audio delivery between top-up and top-down modes.

Billstein shocks and a sports suspension calibration are standard on most Mazda MX-5 models.

The MX-5 GS gets its hardtop lid painted in gloss black for a unique look.

Photo: Mazda

IndyCar current champion Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport) earned pole position for this weekend's IndyCar race at Barber Motorsports Park in an action-filled session.

Will Power (Penske) finished a close second having tried to have the best on his final flying lap but to no avail in the end.

Ryan Hunter-Reay got away with the pole (Photo: IndyCar)

Rookie Tristan Vautier continued to show remarkable pace and ended-up third in the Fast-Six shoot-out in which he was allowed to run after Takuma Sato was disqualified for having blocked Justin Wilson.

Ganassi's Scott Dixon was fourth fastest while his teammate Charlie Kimball and Penske's Helio Castroneves rounded out the top six.

The winner of the inaugural race in St Petersburg James Hinchcliffe (Andretti Autosport) had his share of problems and finished a distant 20th.

AJ Allmendinger (Penske) made it through to the second phase in his open-wheel comeback, and will start in the middle of the field.


Qualifying results - Barber Motorsport Park
1.Ryan Hunter-Reay (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Andretti - 1'07"0871
2.Will Power (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Penske - 1'07"3304
3.Tristan Vautier (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Schmidt - 1'07"3616
4.Scott Dixon (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Ganassi - 1'07"3642
5.Charlie Kimball (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Ganassi - 1'07"4987
6.Helio Castroneves (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Penske - 1'07"5106
7.Marco Andretti (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Andretti - 1'07"4893
8.Justin Wilson (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Coyne - 1'07"4964
9.Sebastian Saavedra (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Dragon - 1'07"6317
10.AJ Allmendinger (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Penske - 1'07"6962
(...)

EXECUTIVE EDITOR BOB GRITZINGER: I'm concerned that people will buy this 2013

Fisker Automotive, hours after dismissing about 75 percent of its employees, was hit with a federal lawsuit accusing the company of breaking the law that requires employers to give workers advance notice of mass layoffs.

At his Houston Cadillac store last weekend, Carl Sewell had an unusual experience: He helped a mother secure a baby seat into a car she was considering. Young-shopper sightings were once a rarity for Sewell.

Fisker Automotive, hours after dismissing about 75 percent of its employees, was hit with a federal lawsuit accusing the company of breaking the law that requires employers to give workers advance notice of mass layoffs.