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News 25 Feb, 2014

The Bentley Continental Flying Spur benefits from smaller engine as seen in Continental GT

For the first time since its foundation in 1956, the national automakers association Anfavea will co-exist with a similar body.

Honda named veteran executive Toshiaki Mikoshiba to head operations in Europe as the carmaker seeks to strengthen its local management team amid stalling sales in the region.

One of PSA Peugeot-Citroen's major unions is describing last week's French State injection of EUR800m (US$1.1bn) into the automaker as 'scandalous.'

Maruti Suzuki has axed two small cars, the A Star and Estilo, from its domestic market range.

Honda has started North American production of the redesigned 2015 Fit (Jazz) at its new plant in Mexico.

Autoliv will start building an airbag plant in the second half of this year in the north China city of Baoding, where Great Wall Motor Co. is headquartered. The plant will make airbags mainly for Great Wall's Haval SUVs.

There's a rumor that Mazda is bringing back the venerable rotary engine. Chances are, it won't be

Daimler is seeking savings at its Li-Tec battery joint venture with Evonik, which the chemical maker says is leading to uncertainty about the future of the cooperation.

Outgoing Vauxhall CEO Duncan Aldred has reiterated the goals for GM's UK unit under the 'One Plan'.

BMW is expanding engine production in China to potentially double capacity as it seeks to close the gap with Audi in the world's largest car market. A new plant will build four-cylinder gasoline engines for locally built cars starting in 2016.

BASF says new and safer batteries with a higher capacity will boost the range of electric cars, helping the market for electric-vehicle batteries to be worth $20 billion by 2020.

BASF says new and safer batteries with a higher capacity will boost the range of electric cars, helping the market for electric-vehicle batteries to be worth $20 billion by 2020.

Fiat wandered in the desert for the newest spot on our auto brand viral video rankings.

From press release

Williams F1 Team has bolstered its senior race operations line-up as it prepares for the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship season, with the appointments of Rob Smedley and Richard Lockwood.

Frank Williams' team welcomes Rob Smedley as Head of Vehicle Performance, a newly created position which will strengthen the trackside team whilst also supporting the development work back at the factory to help bring more performance to the car throughout the season.

Smedley's proven track record and experience stand him in good stead for the challenges that 2014 bring. Rob will join Williams prior to the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Briton will be supported by Race Engineers Andrew Murdoch, who is engineer to Felipe Massa, and Jonathan Eddolls, who remains with Valtteri Bottas in 2014.

Richard Lockwood completes the trackside operation line-up, joining the team from Marussia as Head of Race Strategy. Lockwood will work with current Strategist Randeep Singh who remains with the team for the 2014 season.

Felipe Massa (Williams) and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari). (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen's newly-healed back withstood a hefty shunt as the first week of Bahrain testing came to a close.

The Finn sat out the last races of 2013 to have surgery and physiotherapy on an old and increasingly painful back injury.

When he returned to the wheel of Ferrari's new F14-T car at Jerez late last month, he reported: "At least now, on the first day of driving, I did not have any problems.

"And I don't expect any either, even if you never know what's going to happen in the future."

The Ferrari F14-T of Kimi Raikkonen, after the crash in Bahrain. (Photo: WRi2)

What happened on the last day of Bahrain testing on Saturday was a sizeable crash, causing plenty of damage to the new red single seater.

However, it caused no damage to Raikkonen's back.

"The back has been quite ok since the surgery," Raikkonen told the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat.

"I hope it stays that way, but for now it seems pretty normal."

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports IndyCar team has confirmed it will enter a third Honda-powered Dallara DW12 in this year's running of the Indy 500.

The team headed by Sam Schmidt said the car will be driven by a former Indy 500 race winner.

Jacques Villeneuve (Photo: René Fagnan)

Several motorsport web sites claim that this driver will be Canadian Jacques Villeneuve. The official announcement will be made tomorrow, Wednesday during a press conference in Indianapolis.

Villeneuve has been pretty successful in the two Indy 500s he ran. He finished second in his rookie year (1994) and claimed victory one year later in 1995, despite receiving a harsh two-lap penalty.

The Canadian also captured the 1997 Formula 1 World Championship. This year, he will compete in the new FIA World Rallycross Championship, driving a Peugeot 208 for Team Albatec.

From GMM

Red Bull has denied claims the struggling world champions are secretly running the troubled Renault-powered RB10 between the two Bahrain tests.

Spaniard Pius Gasso, a respected and reliable F1 source and former racing driver, said he believes an RB10 is running at the Idiada facility in Spain, south of Barcelona, ahead of the resumption of official testing later this week in Bahrain.

Gasso even 'tweeted' a link to an audio file of the alleged 'secret' testing.

Another source told Speed Week correspondent Matthias Brunner that Red Bull's Idiada running would be contrary to the tight testing limitations.

"They would only be able to drive at Idiada with a current car if they had declared it a 'PR day'. And the rules say clearly that it would be purely for marketing and PR purposes," said the F1 source.

A Red Bull spokeswoman said simply: "We are not at Idiada!"

Photo: WRi2

From press release

Stock car racing is all about give and take. You give absolutely everything your equipment will take in search of that next checkered flag.

Tackling a tight, demanding layout like Peterborough Speedway takes a special kind of racing talent. A driver needs to display the perfect combination of patient aggression.

A gentle nudge at the right time or place could be the difference between a trip the winner's circle or a mid-pack finish. Track owner/promoter J.P. Josiasse says that's the type of performance that packs the grandstands week after week.

"We've earned a reputation as a driver's track and the word gets around pretty quickly," said Josiasse. "It usually takes just one trip through our pit gates for a racer to know what to expect. We don't condone people taking each other out on purpose, but there's only so much time to react when you're out there with 15 or 20 other drivers who have their eyes on the same prize."

In 2013, the track's regular divisions saw over 100 drivers make at least one start in weekly action. A quick check of the final point standings shows two classes were decided by a margin of 10 points or less, while the maximum difference between first and second place point positions was 33 markers.

With three of last season's five track champions returning to defend their titles and some familiar faces in different places, the upcoming campaign will be one of the most exciting in years.

Peterborough Speedway's 2014 schedule will take the green flag with the Country 105 Season Opener, presented by Pepsi - with free spectator grandstand admission - Saturday, May 17th.

The stock car racing portion of this year's agenda concludes with the 22nd running of the Autumn Colours Classic - sponsored by Lucas Oil Products - October 10,11 and 12. Sandwiched in between will be 14 Saturday nights; and one Sunday afternoon of thrilling fender-to-fender excitement.

Fan Appreciation/Toonie Grandstand Admission Nights are planned for Saturday, May 31, July 19 and August 16. The popular OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Models have dates with the tight bullring on Mount Pleasant Road, west of the Liftlock City Saturday, August 3, August 30 and October 11, during Autumn Colours.

Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup teams will tackle Canada's Toughest 1/3-Mile Oval for a 100 lap affair Saturday, August 9. Fans, race teams and even track officials are looking forward to this year's lid-lifter.

Fans can find the complete 2014 schedule at www.peterboroughspeedway.com.

From GMM

Just as Renault's problems mounted, the troubled F1 engine supplier's track boss Remi Taffin was rushed to hospital.

Blogf1.it reports that the Frenchman missed the first week of testing in Bahrain, where Renault's V6 'power unit' crisis continued to unfurl, because he had to have his appendix removed.

The report said Taffin is now recovering.

It is an awkward time for Renault Sport, mere days before performance development of its troubled 2014 'power unit' is mandatorily frozen by the FIA.

Clearly, the Mercedes-powered teams Mercedes, McLaren, Williams and Sahara Force India - in roughly that order - are leading the pack.

"It would be engine dominated this year," said Sahara Force India's deputy boss Bob Fernley, "and the biggest differential for teams would be who got the right engine and at the right time."

It is said Ferrari is next best, but Germany's Auto Motor und Sport repeated paddock rumours that the Italian marque is taking a very cautious approach to the revolutionary new era and could have plenty of performance still up its sleeve.

France's L'Equipe quotes Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen as admitting: "Our laptimes are so far not very impressive, but we will see where we really are in Australia. On reliability, everything is fine, but on performance, we don't know too much, although I don't think it's bad."

Sahara Force India's Fernley added: "It looks at the moment that Mercedes have a slight lead," he told Britain's Sky, "but that will change -- it's only a matter of time."

Photo: Renault Sport F1

For Renault, however, it could be a matter of a substantial amount of time, with world champion Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko admitting the current situation is "not pleasing".

"It is not Renault('s fault) exclusively, but the main problems are with Renault," he told Kleine Zeitung newspaper. "And it applies not only to Red Bull, but to all the Renault teams."

When asked for details of the problems, Marko answered: "It's a collection of things with such complexity that cannot be explained in two sentences."

Auto Motor und Sport claims the current laptime gap between Mercedes and McLaren, the leading Mercedes-powered teams, is nine tenths.

But Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda suggested the Brackley team might simply be having a smoother time in the winter amid the sport's radical transition phase.

"We probably have the same problems as the others," he said, "only less of it."