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Lasers -- until recently an exotic toy for the auto industry -- are poised to challenge LEDs as the industry's showcase high-tech headlamps.

Mazda Motorsports decided to enter the United SportsCar Championship (USCC) with a pair of SKYACTIV-powered prototypes.

Through competing in the top "P" class of the USCC, Mazda's objective is to "demonstrate Mazda SKYACTIV Technology to both hardcore racing fans and the mainstream public".

For the occasion, the Japanese manufacturer promoted drivers Sylvain Tremblay, Tom Long, Joel Miller and Tristan Nunez from its factory-backed GX class roster of last year.

"There is no shortage of great racing talent in America," explained John Doonan, Mazda North America's motorsport boss.

"Sylvain, Tom, Joel, and Tristan are all talented behind the wheel, but just as importantly, they act as a true team, supporting everyone at Mazda and SpeedSource."

Entrants of the 2014 and 2015 Junior World Rally Championships (WRC) will have no choice but to drive a Citroen DS3 R3T.

M-Sport has left the French manufacturer alone in the Junior WRC by pulling out its fleet of Fiesta R2 cars.

The Junior WRC visits six European rounds of the actual WRC's calendar. Drivers must be under 26 years of age.

The champion at the end of the year earns a ride to contest six rounds of the WRC 2 championship the following year.

Michelin will be the Junior WRC's official tire supplier.

Citroen DS3 R3T (Photo: Citroen Racing)

From GMM

Christian Horner has singled out reliability as "the number 1 challenge" for the start of the 2014 season.

The Red Bull boss has admitted that even the world champion team, having won the last four double world championships on the trot, will have "several sleepless nights" ahead of the start of winter testing late this month.

Horner said it will be a "hugely busy winter" as teams prepare for the radical new regulations, including the new turbo V6 power unit.

"As you know," he told Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper, "Adrian Newey does not have a reputation for having a car ready ahead of time, so I am sure there will be several sleepless nights before the car is in running order."

Adrian Newey (right) is keeping Christion Horner awake (Photo: WRi2)

However, he said it is a similar challenge for every team on the grid, with the unique task of each producing a totally new car for the new rules.

"Reliability is the number one challenge," said Horner, "but of course we also want a lot of performance from the car from the very start in Australia.

"It means the amount of work in front of us in phenomenal.

"We did a good job in 2013 but it wasn't perfect, and that motivates us to improve on those areas in which we did not meet our targets.

"That doesn't mean that we expect to win next season. We want to win, but the competition is very hard, and we know how quickly everything can change at the top in F1.

"Nothing can be taken for granted," Horner added.

2012 IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay will race again with SRT Motorsports in 2014.

He will share the No. 91 Viper GTS-R with German Dominik Farbacher and Belgian Marc Goossens during extended endurance races of the 2014 United SportsCar Championship (USCC).

"The SRT Motorsports program has come such a long way in a short period of time," the 150-race IndyCar veteran said.

"This is truly one of the most competitive forms of GT class racing in the world and for the Viper GTS-R team to earn three poles and a win last season is outstanding."

No. 91 Viper GTS-R (Photo: SRT Motorsports)

SRT Motorsports also announced signing double European Le Mans Series (ELMS) champion Rob Bell to split driving duties with Jonathan Bomarito and Kuno Wittmer aboard the No. 93 Viper.

Meanwhile, Nissan driver Alex Brundle joined Muscle Milk Pickett Racing's program in the Prototype class of the USCC.

The son of former F1 driver Martin Brundle will be Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr's teammate behind the wheel of the team's Nissan-powered ORECA 03 at the 24 Hours of Daytona. the 12 Hours of Sebring and also at Petit Le Mans.

Action Express' Christian Fittipaldi topped the charts Friday, as testing ahead of the 24 Hours of Daytona got underway.

"It was very interesting today to see different cars running together at different speeds, from four different classes," said Fittipaldi, who turned a lap of 1min38.630s in his Corvette DP to beat 15 other Prototype teams.

Driving the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR, Nick Tandy led the GTLM class, with a time of 1min45.564s.

Nick Tandy, Porsche 911 RSR (Photo: IMSA.com)

"It was a very good day, and it's nice to be on top," said Tandy.

Colin Braun (CORE autosport) topped the spec LMPC category, and Spencer Pumpelly the GTD class behind the wheel of his Flying Lizard Audi R8 LMS.

The 2014 edition of the Dakar rally is kicking off this Sunday, in the Argentinian town of Rosario. Entrants are getting ready for the 15 days of competition that lay ahead.

Team X-Raid is fielding a total of 12 MINI All4 Racing to try and sweep the event. Boss Sven Quandt can count on World Rally Championship (WRC) regular Nasser Al-Attiyah, who jumped aboard last minute and of course 11-time Dakar winner Stephane Peterhansel to lead his team.

Nani Roma, Krzysztof Holowczyc and Orlando Terranova are the other X-Raid drivers in with a shot of a top result.

Carlos Sainz. (Photo: Red Bull Racing)

2010 winner Carlos Sainz and teammate Ronan Chabot, aboard their SMG-prepared buggies are a serious threat to MINI in this event, as are Eric Vigouroux, Guerlain Chicherit and Robert Baldwin, who also drive buggies.

NASCAR driver Robby Gordon and 2009 winner Giniel de Villiers are back behind the wheels of trucks: Gordon in a Hummer prototype and de Villiers in a Toyota Hilux. Both are expected to fight at the front.

David Bensadoun. (Photo: ALDO Racing)

Two Canadian teams are taking part in the 2014 edition of the Dakar. David Bensadoun and Patrick Beaulé, who became the first Canadians to finish the event in 2012 are reunited aboard a Desert Warrior, while Matt Campbell makes his first attempt aboard a Dodge Durango he shares with Mexicans Luis Ramirez and Nicolas Ambriz.

All in all, close to 150 cars, 200 bikes, 50 quads and 70 trucks are to take the start Sunday in the hopes to see the finish, January 18th in Valpariso, Chili.

2014 marks Prodrive's 30th year on the motorsports scene.

Founded by David Richards and Ian Parry in 1984, the British company accumulated six World Rally Championship (WRC) titles, five British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) titles and three GT1 titles over the years.

Prodrive tried to make it onto the Formula One scene a couple of years ago, but the ban on customer chassis sunk its project.

It now races mainly in rally with MINI and in endurance with Aston Martin.



Source: Prodrive

So, most of America had a storm this week. Panic in the air! Don't go outside! Lock your doors! Batten down the hatches! Stock up on canned goods! Mass hysteria! Dogs and cats living together!

Mercedes-Benz withstood a late surge from BMW, ending its rival's two-year reign as the U.S. luxury-vehicle sales leader as the breadth of Mercedes's lineup pushed it to a record year. Mercedes won its only other U.S. luxury sales title in 1999.

BMW of North America said its United States marketing campaign for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games includes advertisements, social and digital media campaigns and a national drive to benefit Team USA.

Longtime Wall Street investor Carl Icahn bought as many as 40 million shares of stock in rental car giant Hertz Global Holdings Inc., CNBC reported today.

Small crossovers and big pickups soared in 2013, as the two segments combined to account for one of every four vehicles sold. But growth in the compact and mid-sized car segments slowed significantly, and minivan sales declined.

General Motors' sales slipped 6 percent in December, as all four of its brands posted weaker results while GM lost market share in the key pickup segment.

Despite flat December volume, the U.S. industry closed out 2013 with 15.6 million light-vehicles sales, the fourth straight year with a gain of a million or more units.

Canadians bought more vehicles in 2013 than in any year since 2002, as consumers brushed off high debt and a slow economic recovery to buy trucks and luxury models, though icy weather limited December purchases, numbers released today showed.

Despite an influx of smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles in Ford Motor Co.'s lineup in 2013, the F-Series pickup still dominates.

The 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 will be priced at $75,000, including a $995 destination charge, when it goes on sale. The performance coupe is to be available for order in late January and the first vehicles are due for delivery in the spring.

Volkswagen AG ended 2013 with a slight decline in U.S. sales for its biggest-volume brands, as Audi and Porsche's strong gains were offset by a 7 percent drop for the VW marque.

General Motors said today that it will no longer host a monthly conference call with auto analysts and journalists to discuss the prior month's domestic sales results.