From wrc.com
Hyundai Shell World Rally Team boss Michel Nandan believes his squad will have the perfect driver pairing when it makes its WRC debut on next week's Rallye Monte-Carlo.
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Photo: Hyundai Motorsport |
Rising star Thierry Neuville and experienced campaigner Dani Sordo will give the Hyundai i20 WRC its competitive debut in the French Alps and Nandan believes the duo's skills and experience complement each other.
He said: “We have two very good drivers who have given the whole team a big boost. We all know that Thierry can achieve outstanding performance levels despite his young age, while Dani has a lot of experience in the WRC and at Rallye Monte-Carlo. I can definitely say that we have a very good mix.”
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Photo: Hyundai Motorsport |
Neuville, who impressed many by finishing second in last season's drivers' championship, completed a week-long pre-Rallye Monte-Carlo test with Sordo last month and both added to that experience with an extra test day earlier this week.
He says his target in Monte Carlo is simple: “Our aim is to finish the event and get some good experience and mileage to further develop our car. We carried out some good testing ahead of the rally where we drove the car in very different weather conditions. Although it is difficult to recreate the exact same conditions we will find on the event, we will give it absolutely everything.”
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Photo: Hyundai Motorsport |
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Photo: Hyundai Motorsport |
From Ferrari
Monday January 13, Kimi Raikkonen embarked on his first week's work since starting his second career stint in red.
The Finn arrived in Maranello this morning and will spend three days with the engineers and in the simulator.
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Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 2014 (Photo: Ferrari) |
“It's good to be back at work,” Kimi told www.ferrari.com during a break in proceedings.
“I began by getting used to all the new systems and procedures that we will use this year. From this point of view, the simulator is really very useful. It's true there's lots to do, but the workload is not much different to what it was in the past. For me, these days in Maranello are also an opportunity to be with the team and spend a bit more time with my many friends here.”
Kimi will stay in Maranello until Wednesday this week, proving that the Finn is keen to renew his relationship with the team that was his home from 2007 to 2009 as quickly as possible.
From GMM
Nose solutions for the 2014 regulations could leave F1 cars resembling "anteaters", the Italian magazine
Autosprint has revealed.
The report published an image apparently originating from the mandatory FIA crash test undergone recently by Caterham's new car.
It depicts an impression of the 2014 nose on the so-called 'control plate' after the impact, confirming some observers' fears that the likely solutions are aesthetically questionable.
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Photo: Autosprint |
"Notice how the nose is considerably narrower (than in 2013), for aerodynamic reasons. When the noses could be higher, they could be wider as they channelled air under the chassis. But a wide nose would now be a disturbance to the air flow," correspondent Alberto Antonini explained.
Antonini said it is likely most teams will adopt similar 'anteater'-like solutions.
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The broken nose on the floor, after the crash-test impact. (Caption: Caterham TV) |
News
13 Jan, 2014
Mercedes C63 will arrive in 12 months time with new downsized 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Jaguar Land Rover notched its best full year global sales performance in 2013, selling 425,006 units, a 19 percent gain over 2012, the company said today.
News
13 Jan, 2014
625bhp Corvette Z06 official specs and details confirmed at Detroit Motor Show
American "muscle car" enthusiast Satoshi Kimiwada says his business selling used Chevrolet Camaros, Ford Mustangs other American cars in Yokohama is on the verge of extinction.
Automakers are upbeat about global auto sales this year despite fears of a slowdown in the United States, which generates big profits and where sales have surged 50 percent since the recession.
Auto sales in the United States will rise 5 percent to 16.3 million light vehicles in 2014, "but we have a chance for up to 16.8 million if automakers lose discipline," says analyst Alec Gutierrez of Kelley Blue Book.
Audi AG plans to unveil an SUV concept Monday at the Detroit auto show that demonstrates three big shifts at the German luxury car brand: an embrace of plug-in hybrids, a rush toward smaller SUVs, and updates to the trendy designs that have aided...
Audi's allroad shooting brake concept demonstrates three big shifts at the brand: an embrace of plug-in hybrids, a rush toward smaller SUVs, and updates to the trendy designs that have aided Audi's recent rise.
GM named a new CEO, Ford kept its old leader and Chrysler's CEO averted a divisive public offering. And that was just in the last 30 days.
To look over the roster of racy new and future vehicles at the 2014 Detroit auto show, the initial impression is that American, European and Asian automakers want to turn back the clock to a time when performance and speed trumped concerns about...
Vinay Shahani, the new vice president of marketing at Volkswagen of America, plans to stay the course.
Jaguar Land Rover reported record global sales last year, driven by growth in the Asia Pacific and China region. Sales rose 19 percent to 425,006 vehicles, the company said.
The 2015 GMC Canyon is the bolder, more-chiseled half of GM's dual bid to revive consumer interest in smaller pickups.
As auto sales return to pre-recession levels, some of the industry's old incentive games may be creeping back, too.
Two more wins at Isola 2000 have brought Jean-Philippe Dayraut (MINI Countryman) even closer to a fifth title in Andros Trophy.
During the first day of racing, the defending champion won ahead of Franck Lagorce (Renault Clio III) and Andrea Dubourg (Renault Clio III), while Olivier Panis (Mazda 3) and Bertrand Balas (MINI Countryman) completed the top 5.
The next day, Dayraut earned another victory ahead of Lagorce and Jean-Baptiste Dubourg (Renault Clio III). Behind, Toomas Heikkinen (Ford Fiesta) took 4th place ahead of Andrea Dubourg (Renault Clio III).
In overall championship classification, Dayraut pulls away in front ahead of Lagorce and Jean-Baptiste Dubourg. Andrea Dubourg stands 4th ahead of Benjamin Rivière.
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Jean-Philippe Dayraut (Photo: B.Bade) |
Former F1 driver Vitantonio Liuzzi dominated his competition, this weekend, as he took part in an annual charity kart race organized by Williams driver Felipe Massa.
Liuzzi led all practice sessions before grabbing the pole and eventually running away with the win. His performance earned him the Ayrton Senna trophy.
Drivers attending the event took time to show their support to Michael Schumacher's family, who are at the seven time world champion's side as he fights for his life following a ski accident in the French Alps.
Race results - 2014 Desafio Internacional das Estrelas
1. Vitantonio Liuzzi, 29 laps in 26min23.055s
2. Sebastien Buemi, + 6s021
3. Felipe Massa, + 10s601
4. Julio Campos, + 11s484
5. Antonio Pizonia, + 11s584
6. Daniel Serra, + 11s829
7. Nelsinho Piquet, + 13s733
8. Felipe Nasr, + 19s970
9. Valdeno Brito, + 30s533
10. Pietro Fittipaldi, + 31s465
11. Beto Monteiro, + 31s548
12. Luciano Burti, + 32s081
13. JP Oliveira, + 32s237
14. Luiz Razia, + 32s366
15. Bruno Senna, + 32s541
16. Popó Bueno, + 37s213
17. Ricardo Zonta, + 38s601
18. Felipe Giaffone, + 1 lap
19. Rubens Barrichello, + 3 laps
20. Lucas di Grassi, + 8 laps
Retirements
Allam Khodair, + 15 laps
Augusto Farfus, + 23 laps
Ricardo Maurício, + 27 laps
Bia Figueiredo, + 29 laps
Best lap: Sebastien Buemi in 53s901