Auto News 5

If you love drifting, you'll definitely want to see Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s garage and backyard in this short but spectacular video, which also includes some actual drifting by the master himself.

Enjoy!

Visitors at the 2014 Geneva Auto Show can marvel at the Ferrari FF as well as the new Ferrari California T, which made its global debut earlier this week, featuring Apple's innovative CarPlay system.

The California T uses a 3.8L turbocharged V8 engine rated at 560 horsepower to sprint from 0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds. Despite the 70-horsepower increase, fuel consumption is down 15% ― amazing.

Ferrari's F1-Trac system maximizes acceleration when exiting corners, and reduces braking distances (100-0km/h) to 34 metres.

The Mercedes-powered Williams FW36s will sport a special Ayrton Senna logo during the 2014 Formula 1 season.

Since the tragic death of Ayrton Senna at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Williams has placed the iconic Senna double S logo on its racing cars as a mark of respect.

To commemorate 20 years since his passing and to celebrate his legacy, the Williams Mercedes FW36 will be adorned with the new 20th anniversary Senna logo for the 2014 season.

Traditionally placed on the front wing struts of each Williams' car, the new logo will be placed on the left hand side of the FW36's nose cone and feature a picture of Ayrton alongside the words "Ayrton Senna Always", "Ayrton Senna Sempre" in Portuguese.

Designed by the Ayrton Senna Foundation, the logo will be present at a number of events organised by the Foundation this year to honour the life, legacy and values of the three times Formula One World Champion.

Photo: Williams Martini Racing

From GMM

A week before F1's brave new era begins in earnest, not everyone is excited.

At the Geneva motor show, former F1 driver Jean Alesi admitted he is no fan of the 'greener' era of energy-recovery boosted cars.

"The driver is being completely overshadowed by the new technology," said the Frenchman.

"It is a challenge for the engineer but not the driver. We have entered an era in which only the tools count," added Alesi, who raced more than 200 times until 2001.

"Now a driver cannot trust his instinct to attack his opponent because he is just one small element of the machine."

Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team

Jean Alesi said it is no surprise Mercedes looks set to dominate early in 2014.

"That has not happened by chance," said the French-Sicilian. "As (Ferrari boss) Stefano Domenicali has said, Mercedes is a giant who did an extreme preparation for this championship."

Also not overjoyed at F1's new era is Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, who said the changes for 2014 have been "very expensive for teams but changing little for the viewer".

But FIA president Jean Todt insists formula one had to change.

"If you go to the Geneva motor show," he told Italy's La Stampa, "you see that cars are different now. There are hybrid and smaller engines, fewer cylinders. The automotive world has changed, and F1 must be a laboratory of technologies rather than a showcase of aerodynamics."

He is even unapologetic about F1 losing its iconic engine 'scream'.

"The sound of the turbo has its own charm," Todt insisted, "but in addition we have powerful cars that consume much less fuel -- it was an inevitable revolution. And if Honda has decided to come back, it means the revolution is working."

Photo: WRi2

At the same time, Jean Todt said, Formula One must reduce its costs.

"It is absurd," he said, "that half of the drivers in the maximum category of automobile racing are paying to drive. I know of no other sport in the world where that happens."

The apparent solution is a mandatory cost cap, and the details are being discussed now. Not supportive at all is McLaren's returning supremo, Ron Dennis.

"If you can't afford to be in F1," he said on Thursday, "don't be in F1."

Ron Dennis also accused the FIA of being hypocritical about costs, having imposed the "most expensive engine in the history of motor sport" on the teams.

"The same people who took us down this path are now going down another path, saying we need to reduce costs. How contrary to logic is that?" he asked.

From Pirelli

Following the agreement between Pirelli and the 11 Formula 1 teams, with the approval of the FIA, here is the schedule of the dedicated days (one per team) that each team will devote to tire testing this year, within the existing 2014 in- season test calendar.

April 8-9
Bahrain
Day1 CATERHAM
Day2 MERCEDES and WILLIAMS

May 13-14
Barcelona
Day1 SAUBER and TORO ROSSO
Day2 McLAREN and FORCE INDIA

July 8-9
Silverstone
Day1 FERRARI and LOTUS
Day2 RED BULL RACING and MARUSSIA

The agreement, which was finalised during the final pre-season Bahrain test (from February 27 to March 2), stipulates that each team will devote one day per year exclusively to testing the latest products and developments from Pirelli, within the framework of the existing test calendar. The definition of this tire test schedule has been agreed by all parties involved.

For the last two days of this year's test calendar (Abu Dhabi, November 25-26) Pirelli will supply all the teams with prototype tires in preparation for the 2015 season.

Each team will have to devote one day of testing this year to tires for 2015, as written in the latest sporting regulation (under article 22.6h).

This new rule is the result of requests from Pirelli to Formula 1's rule-makers at the end of last season. The tires that each team will use during its nominated tire test days will be supplied by Pirelli and will not form part of the 135 allocated sets for testing purposes each year.

Auto123.com asked Nico Rosberg a few questions less than a week prior to the opening round of the 2014 Formula 1 season in Australia.

The Mercedes AMG W05 driven by Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton set some very fast lap times in testing while being quite reliable, especially in Bahrain.

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

Rosberg stressed that the W05 is not (yet) bulletproof.

“It is a whole new car; even the steering wheel has been completely redone with new buttons, switches, and screen. In general, we are happy with the testing. We're looking good. Reliability is still a concern, we're not at 100% yet. It's going to be a big challenge. The W05 is made up of about 3,500 different components. All these parts can go wrong, even little things such as plastic caps and bolts. If they fail, they can ruin an entire weekend. It's nearly impossible to ensure that they're all 100% reliable,” Rosberg said.

Question: What's going to be your biggest challenge this year?
Nico Rosberg: Integrating all the procedures: We can adjust so many things now. We have a brake-by-wire system at the rear, and I can adjust it from my steering wheel. It has a major impact on the balance of the car from the braking point to mid-corner. We can have perfect braking force and balance with that system. The challenge will be to drive at the limit while adjusting all these things.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

Q: Did you have to change your driving style?
Rosberg: The biggest difference comes from the turbo lag. It takes a bit of time for the most horsepower to arrive. The rest is a bit like last year, but with more low-rev torque. But now I have to drive to save fuel. I lift my foot off the throttle 100m before the braking point and I coast until I hit the brake pedal. This saves fuel without hurting lap times.

Q: Last year, the Mercedes AMG team was good in qualifying but was facing tire trouble during the actual races. Have you found a cure for that?
Rosberg: Last year, everything was related to the tires. We understand them much better this year. It's a moving target, however, and it's tough to always be right. The biggest challenge this year will come from fuel consumption. If you have a powerful engine that burns too much fuel, you're going to have to slow down.

Q: Mercedes AMG is a clear favourite for this year's title, right?
Rosberg: Everyone's saying that we're the favourites. I focus on my job. I've been with this team since day one, and I can see the progress we've accomplished. We are much better prepared than we were on this day last year. I hope to win more races in 2014.

Q: What's your opinion on F1 going “green” with this new turbo-hybrid powerplant?
Rosberg: Formula 1 must get closer to the automobile industry. F1 must be “greener” and use less fuel. We must push in that direction. We have amazing batteries in the car that are incredibly small and powerful. This year we have roughly the same amount of power as last year while burning 33% less fuel. For me, that's the way to go.

Respectable veteran Italian journalist Pino Allievi wrote in the Gazzetta dello Sport that Michael Schumacher is presently breathing by himself.

Moments later, Schumacher's personal assistant Sabine Kehm issued a press release that simply said “Michael is still in the wake-up phrase. The situation has not changed”.

However, Allievi is a very reliable journalist who would not have written such a news story without sound information.

Allievi wrote that Schumacher, who remains in a coma after a skiing accident late December, is now breathing by himself without a respirator. “There is hope”, wrote the Italian.

Pino Allievi does not reveal the source of his information, but has details of movements Schumacher has made; occasional twitches of an arm, a hand, a finger.

FIA president and former Ferrari boss Jean Todt is apparently speaking to Schumacher in English, as he did in their successful Ferrari days.

Ross Brawn apparently plays recordings of pit-to car-radio from their times racing together at Ferrari, “because Michael needs to string together the threads of his life, voices and sounds”.

#forzamichael
Scuderia Ferrari post on a special bulletin board special messages sent to Michael Schumacher.

Here is the latest one:
Bernie Ecclestone, March 7- It was a long night to convince both Eddie Jordan to release you and Flavio to take you but apart from my loss of sleep, it worked out well and I was very proud to have made it happen. I have always been one of your big supporters, so don't let me down. My warmest wishes!

Ford awarded CEO Alan Mulally $13.8 million in stock for the automaker's performance last year when its profits grew in North America and sales picked up speed in China.

Lincoln's entire 2014 lineup will be on display at this year's Barrett-Jackson auction at the South Florida Fairgrounds, and some will be available for attendees to use in an exclusive driving experience.

General Motors plans to invest $162 million at its Lansing Grand River site in Michigan to build a stamping plant and create 65 jobs, the Lansing State Journal reported today.

BMW has unveiled details and photos of its new X4 crossover with coupe styling. The vehicle is scheduled to make its world debut next month at the New York auto show, with production beginning this spring in South Carolina.

Youand#8217;re probably going to want to bookmark this video on your smartphone and plug it into the loudest stereo you can find. Only then will you truly appreciate what the Ferrari Enzo and

Chrysler has ordered 93 first-generation

Fisker Automotive received court approval to borrow $4.98 million from Wanxiang Group, the Chinese auto-parts maker that won an auction for the bankrupt maker of luxury plug-in cars.

The Volkswagen T-ROC wasn't the only Geneva motor show concept unveiled this week that uses the

General Motors may increase exports of cars built in South Korea to Australia to offset production declines after the automaker decided to pull its Chevrolet brand from the European market.

Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti plan will share development of compact cars to cut costs, and expand Daimler's North American production footprint and the Infiniti range, according to a news agency report.

GM and Ford both reported double-digit sales gains in China for February -- GM jumped 20 percent and Ford rose 67 percent from a year earlier period.

Wide-ranging, ongoing talks between Tata Motors and its UK unit Jaguar Land Rover's Chinese JV partner Chery Automobile could result in platform sharing, access to China for Tata brand vehicles and possible reciprocal help to introduce Chery to India, a local media report said.

Continental has announced 2013 profits up 0.9% to more than EUR1.9bn (US$2.6bn), with sales rising to EUR33.3bn, despite negative exchange rate effects of more than EUR800m.