Auto News 5

Gary Bettenhausen, member of one of open-wheel racing's most legendary families in North America, has passed away at age 72.

Bettenhausen was the son of Tony Bettenhausen, a 14-time ‘500 starter whose best finish was second in 1955, and brother of the late Tony Bettenhausen Jr., and Merle Bettenhusen.

Gary Bettenhausen is an Indianapolis 500 veteran who started 21 times between 1968 and 1993 and whose final start in American open-wheel racing came at the 1996 U.S. 500, driving a several-year-old Penske chassis for brother Tony Jr.

Gary Bettenhausen, 1972 Indy 500. (Photo: IMS)

His best result came in 1980 when he finished third, but his best drive occurred in 1972, after leading 138 laps and suffering a late-race mechanical failure.

Bettenhausen, one of the best on dirt, came up on the short tracks of the Midwest and was a multi-time sprint car and dirt track champion. He made several NASCAR starts as well.

From GMM

Malaysia is "not in the mood" for next weekend's Formula 1 Grand Prix at Sepang.

That is the admission of track chief Razlan Razali, even though he confirmed the race is on despite the country's real focus being on the mystery of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370.

On 8 March, the Boeing 777, its crew and 227 passengers disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to China, and despite the involvement of 25 countries in the frantic search, the missing flight is still yet to be found.

Now, Malaysia is set to host the second round of F1's 2014 season.

"People are not in the mood for an event like this," Sepang chief executive Razali told the AFP news agency.

"Everywhere, be it on radio, newspaper, TV or social media, it is all about finding MH370."

However, Razali said there is no doubt the race will go on.

"Whatever it is, Formula 1 will go on and the concert after that will proceed but we will be sensitive and not go overboard," he explained.

From Formula1.com

Caterham's Kamui Kobayashi has been cleared of any blame over his first-lap clash with Williams' Felipe Massa in Melbourne, Australia.

The Japanese driver had been summoned to the stewards after crashing into the back of Massa's car as the pair approached the first corner of the race, eliminating both cars on the spot.

However, having reviewed technical data provided by Caterham, the stewards determined that the incident was ‘caused by a serious technical failure completely outside the control of the driver'.

Caterham have been directed to work with the FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer to determine the cause of the systems failure.

Kobayashi explained on Twitter that no rear brakes had been the problem, adding: "Sorry to Felipe but was not my mistake."

Kamui Kobayashi, Caterham, at the start of the Australian Grand Prix. (Photo: WRi2)

Get the right apps and you get the right shoppers, in the sweet spot of the market: tech-addicted millennials who will be buying cars for decades to come. But the barriers for app developers are formidable.

Audi AG had no choice but to make a few compromises with its A3 sedan, the smallest and cheapest car in its United States stable, to maintain a coherent product lineup and meet its goal of offering a well-equipped car at just about $30,000.

From GMM

Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel, and Melbourne pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton, failed to finish Sunday's 2014 season opener.

Both men struck trouble right from the start at Albert Park, after a winter of technical struggles up and down the paddock.

"It's a long season," said German Vettel, whose run of victories dating all the way back to last August finally ended, "and there are positives."

The bright side is that Red Bull's 'crisis' appears to be rapidly ending, as teammate Daniel Ricciardo delighted the partisan crowd by finishing second.

Vettel's problems started before qualifying, when his car's fuel flow sensor reportedly alerted the FIA that the Renault engine was using more than the allowed 100kg of fuel per hour.

"The (Renault) software was changed so this no longer occurred," reported Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "Ricciardo's worked, Vettel's did not."

Ricciardo was delighted.

"Just two or three weeks ago, I would have bet everything I've got that we would not be standing up here," he told 1980 world champion Alan Jones on the podium.

"Full credit to the team for an unbelievable turnaround," the Australian added.

Hamilton, meanwhile, was as glum as Vettel as his otherwise dominant Mercedes struck trouble with an engine misfire.

But "the important thing," the Briton said behind the pit buildings, "is that the car is quick.

"It's early stages and there's a long way to go. There's massive positives to take from the weekend."

Indeed, Hamilton was cheered by the performance of his winning teammate Nico Rosberg, who won easily by almost half a minute.

"What a car you have given me," German Rosberg told his Mercedes crew on the radio, "what a car."

More surprising than Rosberg's victory was the fact that doomsday predictions of cars failing left, right and centre did not materialise, as 14 cars saw the chequered flag.

"The teams are learning so much so quickly," said former F1 driver David Coulthard on British television BBC.

"The ones who have managed the new technology best were Mercedes," he added.

Rosberg, however, warned that the arms race is definitely now on.

"We can improve and we must improve," he said. "The other teams will not go to sleep so we have to make sure we are ready for Malaysia."

German Nico Rosberg recorded his 4th career win this Sunday, as the 2014 F1 season kicked off in Melbourne.

Photo: WRi2

The 28-year-old who qualified 3rd yesterday led every lap from the start aboard his Mercedes W05 to eventually cross the finish line 24 seconds clear of the field, in what is Mercedes' 100th win. It is also the 1st win in the new V6 turbo era (obviously).

"That was an incredible day for us," hailed Rosberg.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W05 (Photo: WRi2)

"To start the season with a win is unbelievable and I have to say a big thank you to everybody who was involved in building our car over the winter."

Pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton, behind the wheel of the second Silver Arrow, had to retire after only two laps with a misfiring cylinder.

"It looks like we only had five cylinders firing and, while I wanted to keep going, we had to play safe and save the engine," explained the 2008 world champion.

Photo: WRi2

"It's unfortunate but that's racing and we will recover from this. We have a great car and engine, and the pace was really strong today as Nico clearly showed. Big congratulations to him and the team for achieving the win, it's a fantastic result for us."

The team's executive director Toto Wolff dedicated the win to former Mercedes driver and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, who is still recovering from a terrible skiing accident.

"I would like to dedicate it to Michael, who has been in all our thoughts this weekend," said the Austrian. "He will keep fighting, as only he knows how, and we are sending all our strength to him today."

Kevin Magnussen, McLaren MP4-29 (Photo: WRi2)

Race results* - Australian Grand Prix (round 1 of 19)
1 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 57 laps 1.32'58"710
2 - Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 26"777

3 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 30"027

4 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14-T) - 35"284

5 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 47"639
6 - Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 50"718
7 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14-T) - 57"675
8 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1'00"441

9 - Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1'03"585
10 - Sergio Perez (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1'25"916

11 - Adrian Sutil (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1 lap

12 - Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1 lap
13 - Max Chilton (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 2 laps

14 - Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 8 laps

Fastest lap of the race: 1'32"478 by Nico Rosberg



Retirements

Lap 43 - Romain Grosjean

Lap 29 - Pastor Maldonado

Lap 27 - Marcus Ericsson
Lap 3 - Sebastian Vettel
Lap 2 - Lewis Hamilton

Lap 1 - Felipe Massa

Lap 1 - Kamui Kobayashi



Disqualification

Daniel Ricciardo



Drivers' championship
1.Rosberg 25; 2.Magnussen 18; 3.Button 15; 4.Alonso 12; 5.Bottas 10; 6.Hulkenberg 8; 7.Raikkonen 6; 8.Vergne 4; 9.Kvyat 2; 10.Perez 1.

Constructors' championship
1.McLaren-Mercedes 33; 2.Mercedes 25; 3.Ferrari 18; 5.Williams-Mercedes 10; 6.Force India-Mercedes 9; 7.Toro Rosso-Ferrari 6.

*Unofficial results

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull RB10 (Photo: WRi2)

Marino Franchitti, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas drove the No. 01 Ford EcoBoost-powered Riley DP to victory, yesterday at the 62nd running of the famous 12 Hours of Sebring.

A well timed pit stop, just before a caution, helped the trio move from 5th to 1st in the last hour of the race.

This first win for an EcoBoost engine is also Ford's first at the 12 Hours of Sebring since 1969. Furthermore, it completes Chip Ganassi Racing's resume, as the team has now won the four biggest races in North America: the Daytona 500, the Indy 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona and, finally, the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Marino Franchitti, Memo Rojas, Scott Pruett (Photo: Chip Ganassi Racing)

"What really makes it so sweet is that this is a win made possible by a production-based Ford EcoBoost," said Ford's racing director Jamie Allison.

"Literally it comes out of our production vehicle. It just makes it so, so sweet because it validates what we do at Ford, that the technology we have in our cars is good enough to power an all-out win here at the 12 Hours of Sebring."

Franchitti, Pruett and Rojas completed a total of 291 laps. In comparison, last year's winners Marcel Fässler, Benoît Tréluyer and Oliver Jarvis managed 364 laps in 12 Hours, albeit at the wheel of an LMP1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro.

Race results - 12 Hours of Sebring (round 2 of 13)
1 - Pruett/Rojas/Franchitti (Riley-Ford) - Ganassi - 291 laps
2 - Sharp/Dalziel/Brabham (HPD ARX03B) - Extreme Speed - 4"682
3 - Barbosa/Fittipaldi/Bourdais (Coyote-Corvette) - ActionX - 8"965
4 - Pla/Brundle/Yacaman (Morgan-Nissan) - OAK - 11"9942
5 - Brown/Van Overbeek/Pagenaud (HPD ARX03B) - Extreme Speed - 17027
6 - Dixon/Kanaan/Karam (Riley-Ford) - Ganassi - 17"837
7 - Angelelli/R.Taylor/J.Taylor (Dallara-Corvette) - Taylor - 34"229
8 - Br.Frisselle/Bu.Frisselle/Fogarty (Coyote-Corvette) - ActionX - 39"559
9 - Pew/Negri/Wilson (Riley-Ford) - Shank - 40"568
10 - Bennett/Braun/Gue (Oreca FLM09) - Core - 3 laps
(...)

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone does not think Susie Wolff will ever realize her dream of lining up on the F1 grid.

Briton Wolff, whose Austrian husband Toto is the Mercedes chief and Williams co-owner, will need a full race super license in 2014 as she appears on the Friday mornings at Silverstone and Hockenheim at the wheel of the Mercedes-powered Williams.

But F1 chief executive Ecclestone, who once notoriously admitted he hopes the 31-year-old is "as quick in a car as she looks good out of" it, doubts Wolff will ever actually race in grands prix.

"Susie Wolff is good," he told the Sydney Morning Herald, "but will she ever be in a position to show how good she is? I doubt it.

"The big problem with a woman, even if she's good enough, is having the opportunity to show that," 83-year-old Ecclestone explained.

"Because a team won't take a woman driver unless they bring them massive sponsorship. So you could have a very, very good woman driver and she would not get what she deserves," he added.

Susie Wolff (Photo: WRi2)

A greater matter on Ecclestone's mind at present is the sport's all-new turbo V6 era.

Fiercely critical of the move to quieter engines, the diminutive Briton will have heard with alarm the criticism in Melbourne of the 'sewing machines on wheels'.

"I think at the beginning when all this started we thought this would attract a lot of manufacturers who manufacture the size of engine that we are using in 2014," he said.

"Formula one is entertainment," Ecclestone insisted. "The trouble is that sometimes we forget that. These are the people who buy the tickets, turn on the TV and produce the money so that the sport can grow."

FIA president Jean Todt, however, is just as fiercely dismissive of Ecclestone's and the fans' concerns, insisting the matter will be all forgotten "after a few laps in Melbourne".

The Frenchman is taking criticism of the highly-controversial 'double points' idea for the season finale much more seriously.

As far as he is concerned, the tweak to keep interest in the championship until the end is merely "a little change", and far less significant than the important "revolution" to modernize F1's engine regulations.

But Todt also admitted the FIA is prepared to drop the 'double points' idea.

"If it doesn't work, it is easy to get rid of for next year," he told the Daily Mail.

"We will see if there is more interest at the end of the championship. If not, I would be the first to say let's go back to the way it was."

From GMM

Felipe Massa has kicked off the next phase of his formula one career with two thumbs up.

One thumb is for his move to Williams, where despite the British team finishing the 2013 season deeply uncompetitive, he has found himself powered by the plum Mercedes engine.

"I am happy, that's true," the Brazilian, who lost his Ferrari seat after eight years to Kimi Raikkonen, told the German newspaper Bild.

"I'm glad I went this way. It could have been a stroke of luck. The car feels good," said Massa.

Felipe Massa, Williams FW36 (Photo: Williams)

"The fact that Williams changed to the Mercedes engines is the first step to success," he insisted. "I feel that the car is strong and I'm hungry to finally win again."

Massa's other skywards-facing thumb is for the end of the Ferrari era, where despite intense highs and the almost title-winning 2008 season, the 32-year-old has also experienced some deep lows.

Asked by correspondent Nicola Pohl to describe what four years as Fernando Alonso's 'water-carrier' feels like, he answered: "I'll tell you one thing.

"The time as a servant is over! Williams wants me to take a leadership role in the team.

"In a team you sometimes have to do things that you don't understand in the moment. But you're not a racing driver if you cannot win," Massa insisted.

From press release

French Canadian race car driver Alex Tagliani had just taken the lead of the Prototype Challence (PC) class, racing in the 12 Hours of Sebring, when a rival took him out of the race by mistake.

Gaston Kearby was lapped for the 14th time by Tagliani when he spun out of corner 16. Ignoring the marshal's signals, he rejoined the track directly in the path of "Tag".

Alex Tagliani, Oreca FLM-09 (Photo: Facebook)

The former IndyCar driver avoided most of Kearby's car, but the impact was still so hard, the officials had to deploy the safety car to clean the debris from the two stricken prototypes.

Tagliani suffered a minor wrist injury. Kearby was unharmed.

Meanwhile, SRT Motorsports and Kuno Wittmer were making steady progress in the GTLM category. Co-driving the No. 93 Viper GTS-R with Jonathan Bomarito and Rob Bell, Wittmer eventually clinched second position in class.

From GMM

Mercedes' new field-leading turbo V6 engine could be producing much more horse power than was earlier believed.

Before travelling to Melbourne, team chairman Niki Lauda revealed that the basic 1.6 litre Mercedes unit is producing "about 580" hp.

As it is known that the sophisticated energy-recovery or 'ERS' side adds 160hp to the equation, then Mercedes' 2014 'power unit' equates to about 740hp at present.

However, the German newspaper Bild reports that Mercedes' competition believes the 'monster' Mercedes unit is actually producing "up to 900 horse power" when operating at full tilt.

Asked about the 740 versus 900 figures, Renault-powered Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko said: "For sure the engine has more power than they are saying."

The Austrian was speaking on Saturday, where despite Daniel Ricciardo's surprising feat of splitting the two Mercedes on the grid, world champion Sebastian Vettel failed even to make the top ten.

"We tried some new software but it did not work," said Marko.

"Mercedes is having no problems with the engine and has power in excess. They are able to do a strategic race."

Daniel Ricciardo crossed the finish line only behind race winner Nico Rosberg, Sunday at the Australian Grand Prix, but the stewards took his second-place finish away.

They found his Red Bull RB10 to be illegal, as it "exceeded consistently the maximum allowed fuel flow" rate during the race, which is 100kg/h.

Red Bull Racing already confirmed its intention to appeal the stewards' decision: "Inconsistencies with the FIA fuel flow meter have been prevalent all weekend up and down the pit lane," said a report.

Daniel Ricciardo before he was knocked off the podium (Photo: WRi2)

"The Team and Renault are confident the fuel supplied to the engine is in full compliance with the regulations."

As Auto123.com understands, Red Bull is at fault because it decided to rely on its own fuel flow calculations, rather than on the official measurements from the FIA-homologated sensor on Ricciardo's car, which the team considered too inconsistent.

Most teams, including Red Bull, have been experiencing fuel flow sensor problems since the pre-season.

At least until the appeal is heard, McLaren drivers Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button are elevated to 2nd and 3rd place following Ricciardo's disqualification.

Model: 2008 to 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer

Vehicle Type: Compact Sedan/5-Door

The Verdict: The Mitsubishi Lancer owner's community enjoyed a sporty, high-value compact sedan that seems to have suffered from only minor issues, which will be easy to spot on a test drive. There's plenty of confidence here, thanks to a 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty and solid-looking reliability.

Price: Depending on options, mileage and condition, a used Lancer from this generation will command anywhere from $7,000 for an older, high-mileage unit to beyond $25,000. Shoppers able to spend $13,000 to $15,000 should be able to find a unit with moderate miles and plenty of factory warranty remaining.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

History/Description: Packing two body styles, an absolutely unbeatable powertrain warranty, sporty looks and available AWD in select years, the Mitsubishi Lancer competed mainly with the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Subaru Impreza, and Mazda3 with an eye for value and long-term confidence. Look for four-door sedan and five-door “sportback” configurations, and 4-cylinder power all around. Engines included a 2.0L with around 150 horsepower, and a 2.4L unit with 168.

Manual or CVT transmissions were available, as was Mitsubishi's All-Wheel Control (AWC) All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system in select models later in the generation. Note that the AWC-equipped Lancer was available only with the CVT transmission.

Available feature content included automatic climate control, heated seats, a sunroof, premium audio, Bluetooth, a driver computer, power-adjustable driver's seat, automatic lights, and more.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

What Owners Like: Lancer drivers typically enjoy sporty handling, top safety ratings, decent performance, and a good equipment level for the price. Many owners report satisfaction with cabin roominess, as well as fuel mileage, depending on the engine and transmission selected. The manual transmission is said to be slick and sporty, and the highway ride is comfortable and laidback.

What Owners Dislike: Wind noise, cheap interior materials, a rough ride on some models, and poor interior lighting at night are some of the more common complaints of this generation Lancer. Additionally, many owners complain of sluggish, lazy performance on models with the CVT transmission.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

The Test Drive: Start a with once-over of the Lancer you're considering by examining the body, looking for signs of somewhat-commonly reported paint wear, which will show itself as chips, scrapes and/or scratches. Look at the lower edges of all body panels for signs of rust, too. Check the interior for any signs of damaged or missing trim pieces, too.

Some owners reported premature shock-absorber wear and failure, so test drive the Lancer listening and “feeling” for unwelcomed sensations when travelling over bumps at various speeds. The car should quietly bounce, rebound and settle, not slam, bang or crank into bumps or dips in the road. If you're unsure of the condition of the suspension in the used Mitsubishi Lancer you're considering, have a mechanic take a look.

Check for signs of moisture in the front footwell carpeting, which could be evidence of a leaky sunroof drain tube.

A Lancer that's hard to start may be suffering from a computer-related issue, which can likely be fixed with a simple computer re-flash by a Mitsubishi mechanic. That mechanic should also check the condition of the AWD system, if equipped, looking for any signs of fluid leakage from the rear differential as a precaution.

The CVT transmission looks fairly solid, with infrequent issues reported -- though almost all Lancer owners say this transmission took some “getting used to.” Stick with a manual-equipped model, where possible, for more performance and driving pleasure.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

Honda is recalling nearly 900,000 Odyssey minivans that could catch fire, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a recall notice posted on Friday.

After spending a year in the FIA World Endurance Championship, Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi has returned to Formula One, nabbing a seat with Caterham.

Dongfeng CEO Zhu Fushou has sought to quell fears over his company's planned purchase of a 14 percent stake in PSA, saying the Chinese company was not seeking to take control of PSA.

Dongfeng CEO Zhu Fushou has sought to quell fears over his company's planned purchase of a 14 percent stake in PSA, saying the Chinese company was not seeking to take control of PSA.

The Mark II, created 60 years ago under the direction of William Clay Ford, who died March 8 at age 88, still influences Ford, which is struggling once again to revive Lincoln.

BMW executives are convinced the new 2-series Active Tourer won't be a big seller in the United States, so they plan to wait at least 15 months before launching the vehicle there.