John Button, father of McLaren driver and 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button, has died at home in France at the age of 70.
John Button was found dead in his home on the French Riviera by a friend Sunday. He died of a suspected heart attack.
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| John and Jenson Button celebrating the 2009 world championship. (Photo: WRi2) |
Ever since Jenson Button was a boy, racing go-karts, John - a former rallycross driver himself -- has been at his side, helping him, supporting him, finding the money for the next race.
John was still there when Jenson moved up to car racing and when he started his Formula 1 career.
“John's children Jenson, Natasha, Samantha and Tanya and the rest of the family are clearly devastated and ask for their privacy to be respected during this extremely difficult time,” reads a statement released by the McLaren driver.
John Button will be greatly missed.
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| John and Jenson Button, right after the victory in Montreal, in 2011. (Photo: WRi2) |
The almighty SRT Viper today revealed its green side at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Actually, what we saw is not a supercar turned hypermiler, but rather a new Stryke Green package which features enhanced green and yellow pigments and a "liquid mercury" appearance.
"The application of the new Stryker Green exterior paint is a very detailed and intricate process, taking approximately eight hours to complete,'' said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, SRT Brand and Motorsports.
Also on display at the NAIAS is the SRT Viper Grand Touring (GT) special package featuring standard Nappa leather seats, five-mode Electronic Stability Control, and the two-mode Bilstein® DampTronic Select suspension. The last two were previously only available in Viper GTS trim.
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| Photo: SRT |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is still working in its second entry for the 2014 IndyCar season but, according to one of its owner Bobby Rahal, the team is looking for a seasoned veteran to place behind the wheel of its Honda-powered No.16 car.
As previously reported, RLLR is expected to add sponsorship from the National Guard which could play a role in finding the right driver for the second car.
“We continue to talk with paying and paid drivers, but our preference is to hire the driver of our choosing in order to have the best two-car team possible,” Rahal told RACER. “I'm looking for veterans right now.”
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| Photo: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
With IndyCar teams in the midst of a closed testing window, Rahal says RLLR continues to focus on reviewing what took place in 2013 and fixing the areas where they fell short.
Rahal has been quite clear that the team was interested in proven commodities like Oriol Servia, Alex Tagliani or Justin Wilson.
“For us, the people we're looking at, we don't really need to evaluate them at a test,” added Rahal.
“We want to have our second driver identified by the end of the month, and we'd like to test with them by about the middle of February, if we can.”
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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'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.
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...
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.
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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.
As auto sales return to pre-recession levels, some of the industry's old incentive games may be creeping back, too.
The 2015 GMC Canyon is the bolder, more-chiseled half of GM's dual bid to revive consumer interest in smaller pickups.
From press release
Muscle Milk Pickett Racing enjoyed a dream season in 2013. Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr won eight of the 10 races in the No. 6 HPD ARX-03c, winning their second consecutive P1 class championship by 100 points. In addition to the two titles, the team won 21 races, 14 poles and 39 podium finishes in 46 career P1 races.
Now, it's back to square one for the California-based team owned by 1978 Trans-Am champion and Muscle Milk creator Greg Pickett. With the demise of the P1 category, the team will roll out a brand-new car for 2014, partnering with the global Nissan NISMO effort. The new No. 6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing ORECA/Nissan turned its first laps during a PR photo shoot at Daytona International Speedway.
The car then participated in the three-day Roar Before the Rolex 24 test, where it was 13th driven by Graf, Luhr and Nissan World Endurance Championship regular Alex Brundle.
"For us, this was not a real test - it was a shakedown, because it was the first time we ran the car," said Luhr, the ALMS all-time leader with 49 victories.
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| No. 6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing Nissan-powered ORECA 03 (Photo: IMSA.com) |
Luhr has experienced both highs and lows at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. He won the GT class in 2001 - finishing second overall in a Porsche GT3 RS. He won the pole for the 2006 in a Chevrolet/Crawford for Alex Job Racing in 2006. Joined by Patrick Long and Mike Rockenfeller, the team dominated the race, only to finish third - sidelined twice for long stops to repair failed axle boots.
Graf had his first opportunity to drive the Daytona road course under the lights during the Roar.
"Driving at night at Daytona isn't really driving at night," Graf said. "The whole place is lit up so it's not really a problem. It is such a special atmosphere when the night comes in and the lights go on. It changes a bit, the sound is different, it feels different in the cockpit too."
The Rolex 24 will be the first race at Daytona for both Graf and Brundle, who finished second in the 2013 FIA WEC P2 championship for OAK Racing. Alex is the son of former Formula One driver Martin Brundle.
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
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