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From press release

Based in the Canadian Maritimes, Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour announced their 2014 racing schedule.

The premier stock car racing series will make stops in five Maritime markets in its 14th season. The 12- race schedule includes six extended distance events of more than 100 feature laps.

Schedule highlights include the IWK 250, which will run on July 19th at Riverside International Speedway and the Atlantic Cat 250 which will take place at Scotia Speedworld on August 9th. Race sponsors and support classes for each event will be released in the coming weeks.

Date  Track  Laps   Location
Saturday, May 24  Scotia Speedworld  100  Halifax, NS
Saturday, May 31  Petty International Raceway  100   River Glade, NB
Saturday, Jun. 14  Riverside International Speedway  150   Antigonish, NS
Saturday, Jun. 21  Scotia Speedworld  150   Halifax, NS
Saturday, Jun. 28  Petty International Raceway   100  River Glade, NB
Saturday, Jul. 5  Speedway 660  100  Fredericton, NB
Saturday, Jul. 19  Riverside International Speedway  250  Antigonish, NS
Saturday, Aug. 2  Oyster Bed Speedway  100  Oyster Bed Bridge, PEI
Saturday, Aug. 9  Scotia Speedworld  250  Halifax, NS
Saturday, Aug. 23  Petty International Raceway   150  River Glade, NB
Saturday, Sept. 6  International Speedway  100  Antigonish, NS
Saturday, Sept. 13  Scotia Speedworld   200  Halifax, NS

Unlike several other categories, Formula 1 cars are fitted with carbon fibre brakes that provide outstanding braking power and consistency.

These brakes come from the aerospace and aeronautic worlds, and have been adapted to serve racing purposes in the early ‘80s. Carbon-carbon material was then used to make rocket nozzles, parts of missiles as well as the brakes of commercial jet aircrafts.

Carbon-carbon is a hard material that is highly resistant to thermal expansion, temperature gradients, and thermal cycling. This is why it so well fitted for making the brakes of an F1 car.

Carbon-carbon disc and caliper. (Photo: Brembo)

Glowing red
Current F1 cars are now capable of decelerating from 300 km/h to a full-stop safely in just 4 seconds, generating a deceleration of almost 6g. The brake force - the pressure that the driver applies on the brake pedal - ranges between 40 and 160kg. Under most severe braking condition, the temperature on the carbon brake disc exceeds 1200° Celsius, making them to glow red.

Because of the complexity of the process of making carbon-carbon, very few companies produce carbon brakes. One of them is Italian Brembo, which has been involved in F1 since 1975.

Brembo supplies complete braking systems to five teams, and only the carbon material to a few other more. During the course of a full season, each team of two cars is supplied 10 sets of calipers, as well as between 140 and 240 discs, and from 280 to 480 pads.

Serious front wheel lock up on Nico Rosberg's Mercedes. (Photo: WRi2)

Weight saving
Another great advantage of carbon brakes is a very low weight. The corner weight of an iron brake system of a high performance production car weighs 20kg in comparison to just 6kg with a full carbon unit.

The disc has a maximum diameter of 278mm and its thickness varies between 22 and 28mm for a weight of 1400g.

The 6-piston calipers are made of an aluminium-lithium alloy, and are mono-block machined from forging. Each caliper weighs only 1600 to 1800g.

Producing the discs require a series of long and painstaking processes. It all begins with raw material consisting of filaments produced from precursor polymer, commonly rayon, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) or petroleum pitch.

The disc is preformed, molded with resin or by needling. Then, the filaments are heated to approximately 300° C in air. The oxidized material is then placed into a furnace having an atmosphere of a gas such as methane, and heated to approximately 2000° C, which induces graphitization and densification of the material, changing the molecular bond structure.

Finally, the disc is then machined to the proper, final shape.

Complete brake assembly. (Photo: Brembo)

Increased ventilation
For last season, new brakes needed to be designed to meet the challenge of the new Pirelli tires which are 2kg heavier and have softer compounds. It is now even more important to manage the car during braking to avoid the damage caused by locking up the wheels and to limit wear for tires.

To help dissipate the intense heat, the number of ventilation holes has increased dramatically. Each disc as more holes of a smaller diameter. Back in 2008, each disc only had 30 big holes. In 2012, each one had about 200 and last year, it was up to 1,000!

From GMM

Adrian Sutil has questioned Lotus' decision to sit out the opening test of the official 2014 pre-season period.

The Enstone based team - who like Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari scored more than 300 points last year - announced this week that attending Jerez late this month "isn't ideal for our build and development programme".

German Sutil will drive for Sauber in 2014, a team that like Lotus publicly struggled with its finances throughout last season.

But the 30-year-old driver indicated Sauber will definitely be at Jerez, where teams will have their first chance to put their 2014 cars through their paces, featuring all-new turbo V6 engines and energy recovery systems.

Romain Grosjean, Lotus E21. (Photo: WRi2)

"This is a very important test, and we don't have much (testing) so I think it's clear that it will be a disadvantage for Lotus. But who knows why they decided it? I would say it is definitely not good," Adrian Sutil told Reuters.

Sutil acknowledged, however, that difficult financial circumstances could also continue to hinder Sauber's progress, although he sounded confident the Swiss team will succeed.

"I think it's all in there, they have the knowledge of how to do it," he said. "If that financial part comes better and better I think this team will make a big step."

NASCAR officials have released the list of teams and drivers who will be taking part in the Sprint Cup test sessions held at Daytona International Speedway.

All times ET

THURSDAY, JAN. 9:
-- 9 a.m.-noon ET, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice
-- 1-5 p.m. ET, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice (FOX Sports 1)

FRIDAY, JAN. 10:
-- 9 a.m.-noon ET, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice
-- 1-5 p.m. ET, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice (FOX Sports 1)

NSCS DAYTONA TEST JANUARY 9-10, 2014
Car #  Team  Driver
1  Ganassi  Jamie McMurray
2  Penske  Brad Keselowski
3  RCR  Austin Dillon
4  SHR  Kevin Harvick
5  HMS  Kasey Kahne
7  TBR  Michael Annett
9  RPM  Marcos Ambrose
10  SHR  Danica Patrick
11  JGR  Denny Hamlin
13  Germain  Casey Mears
14  SHR  Mark Martin
15  MWR  Clint Bowyer
16  RFR  Greg Biffle
17  RFR  Ricky Stenhouse
18  JGR  Kyle Busch
20  JGR  Matt Kenseth
21  WBR  Trevor Bayne
22  Penske  Joey Logano
24  HMS  Jeff Gordon
26  Swan  Cole Whitt
27  RCR  Paul Menard
30  Swan  Parker Kligerman
31  RCR  Ryan Newman
32  FAS  Reed Sorenson
33  RCR  Brian Scott
40  Hillman  Landon Cassill
41  SHR  Kurt Busch
42  Ganassi  Kyle Larson
43  RPM  Aric Almirola
48  HMS  Jimmie Johnson
51  Phoenix  Justin Allgaier
52  Phoenix  Bobby Labonte
55  MWR  Michael Waltrip
56  MWR  Jeff Burton
83  BKR  Alex Bowman
87  Nemco  Joe Nemechek
88  HMS  Dale Earnhardt, Jr
93  BKR  Ryan Truex
95  Leavine  Michael McDowell
99  RFR  Carl Edwards
152 in 2013  B Keselowski  Brian Keselowski
47  JTG - not testing
78  Furniture Row - not testing
34, 35, 36, 38  Front Row - not testing
98  Phil Parsons - not testing

After he claimed victory in the fourth day of the Dakar rally, Carlos Sainz moved up to into the lead of the event ahead of four MINI X-Raid cars.

The Spaniard, who started the day in fourth placeoverall, won his first stage of the event aboard his buggy SMG, taking the overall lead while the MINI drivers hit troubles.

After he took race lead on Tuesday, Juan Roma lost 15 minutes as he was opening the road between San Juan and Chilecito, Argentina.

At the end of the fourth stage, Sainz was quickest ahead of the MINI X-Raids of Stephane Peterhansel, Nasser Al-Attiyah, Federico Villagra and Juan Roma.

Sainz now holds the overall lead, 2m06 ahead of Roma, 6m56 in front of Nasser Al-Attiyah, 13m08 ahead of Orlando Terranova and 18m10 ahead of Stephane Peterhansel. Driving his Toyota Hilux, Giniel de Villiers stands in 6th position.

Carlos Sainz, Red Bull Buggy SMG. (Photo: Dakar.com)

From GMM

Sahara Force India will feature Telmex colours in 2014 and an unique 'hump' on the top of the monocoque, the Italian publication Omnicorse reports.

Swiss rival Sauber announced just before Christmas that, with Mexican Esteban Gutierrez staying on board for 2014, the logos of magnate Carlos Slim's brands Telmex and Telcel will still be worn by the team this year.

Sahara Force India, however, has signed McLaren refugee Sergio Perez for 2014, another Mexican driver prominently backed by billionaire Slim.

The Sahara Force India VJM06. (Photo: WRi2)

As well as some details of the 2014 livery, Omnicorse also claims to know that the Silverstone based team's technical boss Andy Green has "a few surprises" for the F1 paddock up his sleeve for when the new VJM07 is unveiled.

The unloved 'step noses' of 2012 mainly disappeared last year, when the FIA allowed teams to install a 'vanity panel' to disguise the unseemly solutions.

But with the bodywork regulations changing yet again in 2014, Omnicorse claims Green's new Force India will have a 'hump' not on the nose, but directly atop the monocoque.

The report speculates that the solution directs more air underneath the car, without compromising the amount of space necessary inside the cockpit.

Vijay Mallya-led Force India finished the 2013 constructors' championship in sixth place.

From press release

Organizers of the Honda Indy Toronto have announced the support series line-up for its 2014 event, taking place this summer from July 18-20.

The event will feature a thrilling and diverse line-up of on-track entertainment to complement the two full-points IndyCar Series races headlining the weekend.

Returning to the event after a popular debut in 2013 is Robby Gordon's SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks, which will feature high-powered off-road trucks racing side-by-side on the challenging street course, including huge jumps, crossovers, whoop sections and many tight corners.

James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Autosport (Photo: Paolo Pedicelli)

Exotic car racing will turn heads at the Honda Indy Toronto with the addition of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin, the first time the series has ever raced here on the streets of Toronto.

The unique series features semi-professional drivers racing in one of the largest single-make series in North America.

Also, making its return for a second consecutive year is the Acura Sports Car Challenge featuring the Pirelli World Challenge, a competitive production based series that allows teams, manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers a chance to test their products in a race series limited to 50 minutes.

To celebrate young drivers getting their start in racing, the Honda Indy Toronto will feature Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship and, another new addition, the Formula 1600 Series - which has helped showcase some of Canada's most decorated road racing stars, bringing them to the front lines of motorsport.

On January 14th at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Lexus will reveal the new RC F coupe, whose 5.0L engine packs more than 450 horsepower, making it the most powerful V8 road-going car Lexus has ever built.

The exterior of the Lexus RC F features large 19'' alloy wheels, air ducts on the hood and front fenders, numerous carbon fibre elements, quadruple tailpipes, and the brand's spindle grille with a single F mesh section that extends all the way from the hood line to the lower lip.

Inside, you'll find exclusive gauges, seats, steering wheel, trim detailing, and pedals. Five leather trims will be available, all with contrast stitching.

The Lexus RC F is expected to go on sale by the end of 2014; the exact time remains to be announced.

Photo: Lexus

Volkswagen is set to unveil a new Beetle Dune concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next week. If the name sounds familiar, it's because the German automaker also used it for a previous concept based on the 2000 New Beetle.

This off-road variant of the Bug features larger wheel arches, beefier bumpers, two inches of extra ground clearance, and a ski rack on the roof. Derived from the Beetle R-Line, it houses a 2.0L 4-cylinder engine that produces 210 horsepower through a 6-speed direct-shift gearbox (DSG).

We'll give you more details about the Volkswagen Beetle Dune concept after its official debut.

Source : motorauthority.com

Photo: Volkswagen

Mazda North American Operations has just announced that its SKYACTIV-D clean diesel engine won't be launched in Canada and the U.S. this spring as originally planned.

While the SKYACTIV-D can meet emission regulation requirements without the use of an NOx after-treatment system, the Japanese automaker decided that further development is required to deliver the right balance between fuel economy and ''Zoom-Zoom'' driving performance.

Further information on the launch date for North America, technical specifications, and fuel consumption numbers will be available at a later date.

Source : Mazda North American Operations

Photo: Mazda

After a season of unexpected struggle at McLaren, Mexican race car driver Sergio Perez enters a new chapter in his Formula 1 career this year, lining up at Sahara Force India.

Despite the lack of results he faced at McLaren in 2013, Perez is disappointed, but not unhappy.

“I don't regret anything: McLaren is a great team and I will always respect them. Unfortunately, for various reasons, the season did not go as expected and we ended up without a podium. The situation I am in now is different, but it's also exciting,” said Perez to Formula1.com.

McLaren boss, Martin Whitmarsh played a major role in finding Perez a new home in Sahara Force India.

“When it was confirmed that I was leaving McLaren, Sahara Force India was always my first option. It is a very good team and in the same way as me, it is hungry for success,” Perez said in the interview.

Sergio Perez and Dr Vijay Mallya. (Photo: Sahara Force India F1 Team)

“The discussions with Sahara Force India started around the time of the race in Austin. I attended a couple of meetings and held several telephone conferences before everything came to a positive agreement. The official announcement that I was going to race for Force India then came on December 10 at the Mexican Embassy in London with Vijay Mallya. It was a quite emotional moment,” he added.

The Mexican strongly believes in the potential of Vijay Mallya's team.

“It is a team that has constantly progressed - and a lot recently when they finished sixth in the constructors' championship - so I think this is a great opportunity for me. I feel confident that together with Sahara Force India we can do a good job over the winter and start the season in good shape. The team did that last year and they have been focused on the 2014 car for a long time. These are all positives,” he said.

Perez will have a new teammate to work with in 2014, German Nico Hulkenberg.

“Nico is a very competitive and experienced driver. I hope to learn as much from him as I can and I'm definitely looking forward to racing next to him,” Perez explained.

“I hope to learn as much from Nico as I expect him to learn from me, so eventually we will embark on a steep, two-way learning curve - hopefully with eyebrow raising results! I think I'm a better driver after the year with McLaren, and being strong in every area is - and always will be - my focus,” Perez concluded.

Canada's largest private-sector union plans to hold an organization vote for about 7,000 workers at two Toyota assembly plants in Ontario early this year.

Departing General Motors CEO Dan Akerson says he believes the appointment of Mary Barra as his successor instantly transformed the image of GM into that of a more progressive company.

The United States House of Representatives has taken a step toward enabling automobile dealers to bypass a law requiring them to provide emissions certification on cars and light trucks, a rule that auto dealers say adds burdensome red tape to the...

Mexican auto production and exports rose last year to record highs on strong demand from the United States and Canada

AutoNation said CFO Mike Short has left the company effective Tuesday. AutoNation's treasurer, Cheryl Scully, has been named interim CFO, the company said in a statement Tuesday.

David Strickland, the outgoing administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will join Venable LLP, a Washington corporate law firm, as a partner by the end of January, the firm said today.

Nissan said today it will only slightly increase the prices for its electric Leaf for 2014, adding $180 to the sticker price of each of its three trim levels.

Diversified auto supplier Federal-Mogul has agreed to acquire Honeywell's automotive and industrial brake friction business for about $155 million.

The madness of Arizona in January is almost upon us, with seven auction houses readying thousands of cars for auctions that will begin next week.