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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.

Jon Fogarty won from pole, about a month ago in Austin. The 37-year-old was at it again Friday, qualifying ahead of round 3 of the Grand-Am season, presented at Barber Motorsport Park.

Fogarty landed his career 25th pole, aboard GAINSCO's Corvette DP. Despite a valiant effort, Rick Taylor couldn't match Fogarty's time, and settled for second, in another Corvette DP.

Jon Fogarty, No. 99 GAINSCO Corvette DP (Photo: Grand-Am.com)

His brother Jordan, in a third Corvette, also came short for the pole. At least, he completed a top 3 sweep for the Detroit manufacturer.

A similar story unfolded in GT, with the pole going to John Edwards' Camaro. Boris Said followed in a Marsh Racing Corvette, at least locking out the front row for GM.

In both classes the track record was broken.

In GX, it was Mazda that dominated qualifying, with a pair of Mazda6 splitting the front row. Tom Long led Sylvain Tremblay.


Qualifying results - Barber Motorsport Park
1.Fogarty-Gurney (Corvette DP/Riley) - Stallings - 1'18"949
2.Taylor-Westbrook (Corvette DP) - Spirit Of Daytona - 1'19"141
3.Angelelli-Taylor (Corvette DP/Dallara) - Taylor - 1'19"195
4.Pruett-Rojas (Riley-BMW) - Ganassi - 1'19"656
5.Barbosa-Frisselle (Corvette DP/Coyote) - ActionEx - 1'19"858
6.Pizzonia-Yacaman (Riley-Ford) - Shank - 1'20"105
7.Fittipaldi-Frisselle (Corvette DP/Coyote) - ActionEx - 1'20"147
8.Dalziel-Popow (Riley-Ford) - Starworks - 1'20"344
9.Potolicchio-Sarrazin (Corvette DP/Coyote) - 8Star - 1'20"933
10.Cameron-Nonnamaker (Riley-BMW) - Sahlen - 1'21"081
(...)
14.Edwards-Liddell (Chevy Camaro) - Stevenson - 1'26"610
15.Curran-Said (Corvette Z06) - Marsh - 1'26"677
Etc.

Felipe Massa could put his name on a humble title during next week's Chinese Grand Prix.

The Brazilian is set to become the first ever teammate to out-qualify Fernando Alonso in five consecutive races.

Massa, who suffered a horrible crash in 2009 and then endured three seasons in the shadow of Ferrari's unquestioned leader Alonso, turned things around at the end of 2012, out-qualifying his teammate in the last two rounds of the season.

And thus far in 2013, he has also out-qualified Alonso twice (out of two), in Australia and Malaysia.

Felipe Massa is red hot at the moment (Photo: Ferrari)

"Not even Lewis Hamilton, in his rookie season alongside Alonso at McLaren in 2007, managed to inflict five successive qualifying 'defeats' on the double world champion," wrote a Crash.net reporter.

"It is a surprise that (Massa) is now out-qualifying Alonso so consistently," added the BBC's chief F1 writer Andrew Benson.

It's a surprise indeed -- a pleasing surprise --, but a surprise nonetheless. Everybody wanted Massa's head when the former vice-champion hit rock bottom in 2012. His whole F1 career was in jeopardy.

Now, the 31-year-old is sitting four points ahead of Alonso in the drivers' standings.

"It's the best news for the team (Massa being back to form)," admitted Alonso himself. "We will push each other to our own limits."

Jimmie Johnson broke the Martinsville track record winning his 30th Sprint cup pole and third at the track nicknamed the Paperclip.

“That's the icing on the cake,” said the five-time Sprint Cup champion.

“That makes the day even better yet. Track records are hard to come by, so I'm very proud of that and happy to have that. My first run out, we were in q-trim (qualifying trim) and we made two or three laps and we just knew right away that we would have a great shot at it today.”

Driving a Chevrolet SS, Johnson turned a 98.4-mph (19.244 seconds) as five additional drivers beat the record on a cooling track surface.

Australia's Marcos Ambrose who drove a Ford Fusion at 98.364 mph, .007 seconds slower than Johnson, will start alongside the pole winner.

Brian Vickers qualified third, followed by Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon.

Looking for his eighth win at the half-mile oval, Johnson wanted really badly to pick his pit stall. So Friday's first job was getting that pole.

“At that point, I just needed to do my job and not mess up. So I'm very proud of that. It's very easy to do at this race track, especially once practice ends. You'll sit and have lunch and relax for a couple of hours and then have to do it all over again. It was a great day across the board for the team, driver, the engine, the car, and everything. We got the car dialed-in.”

Johnson was adamant about the importance of the pole.

“That pit stall. If you get behind or if you're off-strategy or if you have any reason that leads you to lose track position, that pit stall is worth three to five positions on the race track. It's a big, big advantage from that perspective.”

Former F1 drivers Michael Schumacher and Jaime Alguersuari are taking part in this weekend's round 2 of the World Series Karting championship, held in Salerno, Italy.

Specialists Max Verstappen and Bas Lammers were sharing the headline, before Schumacher and Alguersuari came along.

The event is taking place at the Circuito Internazionale Napoli.

Schumacher didn't actually compete in the other WSK event he entered this season, instead he only took part in the practice sessions.

It is still unclear if the seven-time world champion decided to race in Salerno or not.

Tristan Vautier (Schmidt Motorsports) and Helio Castroneves (Team Penske) topped Friday's two practice sessions, ahead of this weekend's IndyCar round at Barber Motorsports Park.

The Frenchman clocked the best time during the morning session, while Ganassi's Scott Dixon finished second in front of current champion Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport).  

Returnee AJ Allendinger showed that he was a force to be reckoned with by setting up the ninth fastest time before improving to 8th in the afternoon, at the wheel of a Penske car. 

Helio Castroneves took over from Vautier later in the day and even lowered his mark, as teams tried to take advantage of the improving track with different tire approaches. 

Alex Tagliani, Barber Motorsport Park (Photo: IndyCar.com)

Alex Tagliani (Bryan Herta Autosport) took the second spot ahead of rookie Vautier, his Schmidt teammate Simon Pagenaud, and Will Power (Team Penske).

From GMM

Gerhard Berger has refused to jump on the bandwagon with those criticizing Sebastian Vettel in the wake of the 'Multi-21' affair.

Lotus team boss Eric Boullier is the latest to hit out at F1's reigning world champion, insisting Vettel was wrong to ignore Red Bull's team orders in Malaysia.

"I don't see any people in the world who could disobey their company and not be sanctioned, or at least give clarification as to why they've disobeyed," he said.

"One of our drivers (Kimi Raikkonen) is famous for doing pretty much what he wants, but when you have 600 people behind you, there is a certain respect you must have for the team," he added.

However, former grand prix winner Gerhard Berger - the late Ayrton Senna's most famous teammate - sees it differently.

The always plain-speaking Austrian puts Vettel in the same category as the great Senna, as well as Michael Schumacher.

"There are drivers like Senna or Schumacher or Vettel who develop an extra selfishness on the track," Berger told Germany's Auto Bild.

"Situations such as in Malaysia brings out their killer instinct, where they can think of one thing only -- 'I want to win the race'.

"Ultimately that's what makes you a three time, five time, seven time world champion," he added.

Some, like 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, have slammed Vettel's Sepang tactics as revealing his lack of "honour" and "respect", but Berger thinks it is "the others not winning who sleep the worst".

He therefore advises Mark Webber to "wipe your mouth, put your foot down and prove to the world that you can beat Sebastian Vettel".

And that's because "guys like Schumacher, Senna and Vettel" will always ignore team orders "unless it is to their advantage".

Highlights*
The 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution benefits from one of the most sophisticated AWD systems in the world. It also delivers impressive engine performance backed by a 5-year powertrain warranty.

Lowlights*
While supportive, the Recaro sports seats are too low, with no available height adjustment. Fuel consumption remains an issue, not to mention the interior trim quality is low and so is the resale value.


Pricing
The 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution starts at $41,998 in GSR trim, and $51,798 in MR trim.

Fuel consumption
Ratings for GSR models are 12.5/8.5/10.8L/100km (city/highway/combined). The MR proves a bit thirstier, with ratings of 12.6/8.9/10.9 L/100km.

Styling
The rally-inspired 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution boasts super-aggressive looks. A more sculpted front fascia, a more exposed radiator grille, functional hood scoops, a massive rear wing spoiler, and 18” alloy wheels make it easy to differentiate the Evo from the regular Lancer. Fog lights also come standard.

Cargo capacity
The small trunk can only swallow 195 litres of cargo.

Powertrain
With the help of an intercooled turbocharger, the 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution's 2.0L 4-cylinder MIVEC engine produces 291 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque. Base models get a 5-speed manual gearbox, while MR variants can take advantage of a Sportronic twin-clutch transmission with paddle shifters. Power is put to the ground via a Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) system with active centre differential and drive mode selector (2WD/4WD/4WD Lock).

Safety
To prevent collisions, the 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution uses powerful Brembo brakes with ABS, stability and traction control, as well as active yaw control. Seven standard airbags can deploy if need be.

Other notable features
Bilstein shock absorbers and Eibach springs are available to enhance the fully independent sport suspension on the track. The 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR model replaces sport fabric seating surfaces with leather, and the 140-Watt, 6-speaker stereo with a 710-Watt, 9-speaker Rockford Fosgate Punch unit. A navigation system is part of the mix, too.

Warranty
The 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution carries a 3-year/60,000-km comprehensive limited warranty, a 5-year/100,000-km powertrain warranty, plus five years of roadside assistance.

Competitors
Subaru Impreza STi, Volkswagen Golf R, Mazdaspeed3

Photo: Mitsubishi

* Based on expert reviews.
Poirier-Defoy Michel, L'auto 2013, Montreal, Les éditions La Presse, 2012, p.441

The first 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible sold Friday for $1 million at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach, Fla.

The Falcon F7 made its debut at the 2012 Detroit auto show. Since then, we haven't seen it.

Also in this episode: Lime Rock Park prepares for Sandy Hook benefit car show; Tesla back in spotlight for edgy sales practices.

Florida dealer A.J. Hiers and his staff are coming to terms with the violent death of a colleague killed on the job on March 30. John Pratt, 64, was murdered while test driving a vehicle.

This restored 1967 Chrysler Imperial is listed for sale through our friends at

The Manheim Used Vehicle Index in March dropped for the third month in a row, a "natural realignment" with prices in the new-vehicle market, Manheim chief economist Tom Webb said today.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. showed off his 2014 Ford Mustang RTR for the

2012 BMW 328i - Four Seasons Wrap-Up

Living in the bubble of BMW entitlement.

Know why that 3-series driver tears up an on-ramp out of nowhere, swoops across three lanes of traffic right in front of you, then settles into the fast lane for a nanosecond before departing toward the horizon at warp speed? Because he can.

Photo Gallery: 2012 BMW 328i - Four Seasons Wrap-Up - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 BMW 328i - Four Seasons Wrap-Up - Automobile Magazine

2012 BMW 328i - Four Seasons Wrap-Up | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Fisker Automotive, the plug-in hybrid sports-car maker that has been grappling with financial troubles, laid off about 160 of its more than 200 employees Friday morning.

Fisker Automotive, the plug-in hybrid sports car maker grappling with financial woes, today laid off 75 percent of its more than 200 employees. About 53 senior managers and executives have been retained to pursue buyers for the company's assets.

News 5 Apr, 2013

Fisker Automotive has been forced to lay off the majority of its staff, according to reports from the US

Vehicle production in Brazil rose 3% in March although sales were still behind compared to the same month a year ago despite an extension to government tax breaks on new cars and trucks through the end of the year.