Auto News 5

From press release

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park announced that Hawk Performance would be the presenting sponsor of the only TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race in Canada, the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance, July 10-13.

The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race will be the sixth round of 10 for the Series' inaugural season. Canada's biggest sports car race of the year will feature the top drivers piloting the globe's top marques in the prototype class, GTLM and GTD.

Also in action during the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance will be the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, Cooper Tires Prototype Lites, IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge, Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America and the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup.

The four-day weekend Early Bird SuperTicket is just $65 until June 27 ($80 at the Gate). Single-day tickets are also available. Each ticket includes parking, access to the race team paddock and the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Expo and Marketplace. As with all events, children 12 and under are admitted for free when accompanied by a paid adult admission.

Camping is a popular part of the experience, with Early Bird General Camping passes just $50 for the weekend when purchased before June 27 (tents or pop-up trailers). Early Bird RV passes are $70.

For those who would like to get closer to the action, the Grand Prix Club offers a VIP hospitality package which includes a fully catered BBQ lunch, beverages and bar service (beer and wine) on Race Day. The GP Club Chalet tent is located trackside, overlooking the start/finish straight and Corner One. Passes are just $225 and are also good for admission to the event on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

For more information and to purchase tickets call the Canadian Tire Motorsport Hotline at 1-800-866-1072 (Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm ET), visit online at www.canadiantiremotorsportpark.com, or email info@ctmpark.com.

From GMM

The criminal trial is only just beginning, but F1's board has already conceded that the Bernie Ecclestone reign is at an end.

The banker he allegedly bribed, Gerhard Gribkowsky, is already in jail for receiving the $44 million, and a UK judge has also declared that the sport's 83-year-old chief executive paid a bribe.

Still, Ecclestone's defence appeared to get a boost this week when it emerged that German prosecutors concede that the diminutive Briton was in fact blackmailed by Gribkowsky.

Writing in Forbes, and quoting from the indictment, F1 business journalist Christian Sylt explained that Gribkoswky was putting "pressure" on Ecclestone by "repeatedly insinuating" that Ecclestone had control of his family trust.

Bernie Ecclestone claims he paid the $44 million only because Gribkowsky was 'shaking me down' over his personal tax affairs.

"It seems to be a textbook example of blackmail," Sylt said.

Nonetheless, as the Munich proceedings begin on Thursday, the signs for Ecclestone are worrying.

Writing in the Times, Kevin Eason said Ecclestone could avoid jail by accepting he is guilty and paying more than a staggering $400 million.

Even so, the Ecclestone era is "over", Eason quoted a source close to F1's owners CVC and the board as saying.

The report said the board has been advised by a London law firm not to keep Ecclestone in charge after a judge called him "untruthful and unreliable".

The source explained: "In truth, it (Ecclestone's reign) has been over for a while, but Bernie has been allowed to continue as the face of the sport until this legal advice, which was devastating."

If you follow the global car scene, you will have heard about and likely seen online pictures of Chinese-built cars that bare an uncanny resemblance to products you and I know to not originate from China.

Although there were a huge number of proper knockoffs at the Beijing Auto Show, I'd expected to find far more in every nook and cranny. Anyhow, here are some of my favourites from the 2014 edition of Auto China.

BAIC-1 - Jeep Wrangler meets Hummer H1. Everybody looses.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

BAIC BJ80 - Chinese Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Not so bad...

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

BAIC D60 - Mercedes CLA 45 AMG by another name.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

BAIC - Jeep Wrangler on generic ‘roids.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

GAC GONOW GA6470 - Range Rover Evoque sadly mates with an Outlander.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

Haval H2 - Volkswagen Tiguan that's put on weight.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

Haval H6 Sport - Volkswagen Touareg and Hyundai Santa Fe have an illegitimate baby.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

Hawtai "cayenne"- A sad, sad, sad, bad, bad 1st Gen Cayenne goes uglier.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

Hawtai "santafe" - Of all the SUVs to copy... The 1st Gen Santa Fe was bad enough as it was.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

Continue reading Top Car Copies from the 2014 Beijing Auto Show

From GMM

Gerard Lopez, the owner of the Lotus team, has conceded that Mercedes is strolling to the 2014 title.

Asked about the championship prospects of the Enstone team, who are still yet to score a single point after a disastrous start, he said: "First of all, we can forget about Mercedes.

"They will continue to do their one-twos," Lopez told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"Red Bull has also made great progress so they will also be difficult (to compete with). But behind them it is interesting," he said.

Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) leading Nico Rosberg (Mercedes). (Photo: WRi2)

Indeed, after a disastrous start to 2014 for the Renault-powered team, Lotus is finally beginning to make progress, with Romain Grosjean fighting in the points in China until his retirement.

"Ferrari has good results thanks to Fernando (Alonso)," said Gerard Lopez. "Williams' advantage is due to the engine, but Force India has a good car, otherwise they would not be third in the championship.

"Of course there are many factors, but I think we can deal with those teams," he claimed.

From GMM

A single word caused 'flag-gate', it has emerged.

Article 43.2 of the sporting rules dictates that if the chequered flag is waved early, even in error, the race is over.

That is precisely what happened towards the end of the Chinese grand prix, meaning that a last-lap pass by Kamui Kobayashi did not officially count.

Explaining the mishap, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said that with a couple of laps left to run, the local race director Zhuang Tao asked Charlie Whiting if a white flag should be shown to mark the penultimate lap.

By radio, Zhuang relayed Whiting's answer to the flag man with the words "No flag now", but the Chinese official reportedly did not hear - or misunderstood - the "no".

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W05, winner in China. (Photo: WRi2)

TORONTO, Ont. -- When Ford introduced the Mustang 50 years ago, it was the beginning of an enduring and much-loved cultural icon. To celebrate the birthday of this legendary pony car, more than 125 members of the Golden Horseshoe Mustang Association and GTA Mustang Club gathered at Ontario Place, and 25 classic Mustangs formed a giant "50" for a commemorative aerial shot.

When the Mustang arrived in 1964, it created a new segment: the pony car.

Small, economical and with a modicum of practicality, the Mustang was a new type of muscle car, an attainable one, a sports car for the masses.

Photo: Lesley Wimbush

Of all the competing pony cars that followed in its wake, the Mustang was the only one that continued production -- uninterrupted, until this day. Undeterred by the fuel crises and emissions restrictions of the ‘70s and, later on, company budget cuts the Mustang's popularity with legions of fans enabled it to soldier on through the tough years. Models such as the late ‘60's Shelby, the 1970 Boss Mustang, the Mach I and II and later on, the SVT Cobras all earned iconic status as collector cars.

However, the cars that cemented its place in the annals of automotive history were the humble runabouts. While Ford's then GM, Lee Iacocca would have loved to produce a hot two-seater sports car he was wise enough to realize that the Mustang's success depended on volume sales.

There was absolutely nothing exotic about the Mustang -- in fact, quite the opposite. Assembled by the people, for the people, the original pony travelled the same production line and shared parts with such run-of-the-mill family cars as the Falcon and Galaxy -- but therein lays its appeal.

Photo: Lesley Wimbush

The introduction of the Mustang at the 1964 New York World's Fair coincided with the beginning of the Boomer generation's coming of age. While its unibody structure shared the same underpinnings as the Falcon, the long hood, short deck and grille-mounted pony badge were an instant hit during a time when youth were celebrating a new freedom. And at roughly $2,400 for a 6-cylinder notchback coupe, the Mustang was economically within reach for a lot of people.

Fewer than 560,000 Mustangs were sold that first year to an infatuated public whose enthusiasm showed no signs of waning. However, with such mundane underpinnings, they were far more show than go, and the original pony cars were little more than attractive family runabouts. There were several available engines, the base was an anemic 2.8L straight-6 with only 101 hp, and the most powerful was a "K-code" 4.7L V8 with 271 hp.

Ford enlisted the help of Carroll Shelby -- the Texas racer whose name became synonymous with Ford performance -- to create a Mustang worthy of the racetrack. To comply with homologation rules, Shelby took 100 2+2 fastback coupes and transformed them into the GT 350 -- a modified two-seater with 306 hp (360 hp for racing versions) special suspension, performance brakes, and fiberglass hoods.

Over the next few years, the Mustang grew larger and more powerful in response to new rivals in the segment it had created. With the arrival of the Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, and Plymouth's Barracuda, the pony car wars had begun.

Photo: Lesley Wimbush

By 1969, the Mustang became a rather large pony. Design changes included four headlights on the long nose and sheet metal that was scalloped with fake scoops and inlets. The legendary Boss 302, designed to compete in the Trans Am road racing series, was introduced

By the time the second generation rolled out in 1974, it had grown too large to be considered a real pony car and its less than distinctive appearance never really resonated with Mustang lovers. By then, it had fallen victim to the triple-headed sword of tough emissions regulations, the fuel crisis, and higher insurance rates. Power output was dropped to 88 hp for the base six, and topped out with a paltry 150 hp in the V8s.

If the second generation Mustang was a disappointment, the third goes down in history as one of the worst cars ever made. Re-engineered to compete with the arrival of compact, fuel-efficient Japanese cars, the "Mustang II" featured an unremarkable design on top of a Pinto body. For the first time, the Mustang was available with a 4-cylinder engine and no V8. Yet, as mediocre as the Mustang II was, it sold extremely well and its success helped Ford through those tough years.

Photo: Lesley Wimbush

The third generation "Fox" body Mustangs enjoyed 15 years of success, although its square, compact shape in no way resembled the original pony.
By 1994, Ford decided a refresh was in order, and a new body style harkening back to the Mustang's roots was introduced. The fuel crises of the ‘70s long past, it later featured several high-performance versions, including a "Cobra," "Bullitt" and "Mach I."

However, it was the fifth generation -- introduced in 2005 -- that captured the public's hearts with its retro design that so clearly paid homage to the original. Rekindling the pony-car love was the reintroduction of such iconic nameplates as the GT 500 and Boss 302.

With a brand new, sixth-generation model due to arrive this fall, the Mustang celebrates 50 years of uninterrupted success.

Photo: Lesley Wimbush

Varney Motor Speedway, the ¼-mile bullring situated north of Guelph, ON, will have a new owner just in time for the 2014 season.

Gord Bennett, an experienced racer and the former General Manager of Ohsweken Speedway, will formally take the reins of the track on May 1.

Re-branded as Full Throttle Motor Speedway, the Durham, Ontario facility will begin its weekly racing schedule on May 23 and continue to the season finale on September 21.

Races for the seven home divisions, plus various touring classes, will run on Friday nights before switching to a Sunday afternoon program following Labour Day.

New York City, NY — At the New York International Auto Show, Mazda celebrated 25 years of drop-top fun with a collection of MX-5s spanning three generations. From numbers 14 and 15 of the first generation to one-off concepts and specials, the full gamut of history was put on display.

Way at the back of Mazda's booth sat a preview of what's to come: A bare chassis for the next generation MX-5.

While not much was mentioned about the next generation model, a few tidbits were released to preview what's to come.

Photo: Mark Stevenson

The fourth generation MX-5 will undergo a rigorous weight loss regime, shedding some 100kg (220lb) versus the current MX-5. To put this in perspective, second and third-generation models added 100kg of mass to the lightweight roadster. This weight savings will bring the MX-5 curb weight back to second-generation levels, under 1,100kg.

A renewed focus on efficiency at Mazda, through their SKYACTIV philosophy, will be readily apparent in the next MX-5, as well. Expect 1.5L and 2.0L SKYACTIV 4-cylinder engines to be used in the next generation car globally, though we will probably only get the larger of the two powerplants here in Canada. These engines will more than likely be mated to new SKYACTIV transmissions as well.

Lastly, the MX-5 will receive its own flavour of Mazda's KODO design language. One look at the current Mazda range of offerings should give lots of hints -- particularly the Mazda3 and Hazumi concept foreshadowing the next Mazda2 -- of where the automaker plans to go with the MX-5. For the first time since its inception, the MX-5 might end up looking quite visually aggressive.

No announcement has been made regarding when we will see the next MX-5 in the metal, though we have it on good authority you should expect something at the Tokyo Auto Show late in the year.

From GMM

A debate is raging inside Mercedes.

The dominant German team declared proudly after the Bahrain grand prix that letting Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg go wheel-to-wheel in a thrilling battle was the right decision for the sport.

But on Thursday, boss Toto Wolff has been quoted as saying team orders might soon have to come into play.

The Austrian told the BBC that Bahrain was "a very particular situation", due to Mercedes' dominance.

But "The narrower the margin gets, the more you have to look out," said Wolff.

"Our rule is that the competition is enemy number one, not your teammate, so there might be situations in the race where you have to consider that, but we will see what happens," he added.

Paddy Lowe and Toto Wolff, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)

Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda, however, told British television Sky in China last Sunday that he fundamentally disagrees with "Toto and Paddy".

Paddy Lowe is another team boss at the Brackley based team.

Niki Lauda said: "They (Hamilton and Rosberg) are racing drivers. Leave them alone, unless they hit. Which they won't."

From press release

The motorsport industry's indispensable companion for the past decade has once again been thoroughly updated ahead of the 2014 season. The ‘Who Works in Motorsports 2014' guide is now available.

Seasoned professionals should know the score by now: 1032 pages crammed full of details on the key movers and shakers working across 15 international racing series. We're talking 3650 individuals, all featuring handy colour mugshots, as well as more than 600 teams, companies and suppliers.

Featured championships: DTM, Eurocup FR2.0, Euro-Racecar NASCAR, Formula One, Formula Renault 3.5, GP2 and GP3 Series, IndyCar, NASCAR Sprint Cup, USCC, V8 Supercars, WEC, WRC, World Rallycross Championship and WTCC.


Ever wished there was one place you could find the emails, phone numbers, postal addresses and social media profiles of teams, drivers, circuits, team principals, engineers, sponsors, marketing and press officers, photographers, journalists, officials and other key personnel? Or even precise car and engine specifications?

In short, Who Works In Motorsports 2014 is the essential encyclopaedic reference tool for those who need to be in the know, now!

Savvy motorsport pros can order this year's 10th anniversary edition from www.whoworksin.com , by emailing info@whoworksin.com or calling +44 (0) 20 7193 0686.

From FIA World Rallycross Champiosnhip

The 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy kicked off in style at a special media day that was held at the new World RX venue, Franciacorta International Circuit in Brescia, Italy.

The occasion gave some of the teams an opportunity to reveal their driver line-ups and liveries ahead of the opening World RX round in Portugal next week, May 3-4.

Jacques Villeneuve (Photo: World RX Championship)

Albatec Racing's Jacques Villeneuve - the 1997 F1 World Champion - and teammate Andy Scott were both present in a Peugeot 208 Supercar.

"I've loved racing since I was five - it helps keep me alive!" joked Villeneuve during the press conference.

"I did some ice racing in France and then I began to think that rallycross might be the next step. The format of the races helps make it really exciting to drive. The fact that rallycross has now become a World Championship is good but this year my main aim is to learn and we will see what happens after that."

2014 family photo (Photo: World RX Championship)

During the press conference, two-time DTM Champion Mattias Ekstrom announced his plans to compete in selected World RX rounds with Swedish-based EKS team in a Audi A1.

The 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship will get underway with World RX of Portugal in Montalegre next weekend.

Jacques Villeneuve (Photo: World RX Championship)

To see what it's all about, Timmy Hansen takes us on a lap around the Loheac track in this video.

Jacques Villeneuve (Photo: World RX Championship)

At the recent 2014 edition of Auto China, Volkswagen stepped up to the plate and put forward a very good foot. Given the importance and sheer scale of the 2014 Beijing Auto Show, it made every ounce of good sense for the German giant to show off a little bit of everything.

Every one of the VAG's brands had something on display from Bentley's Mulsanne Hybrid concept to Seat's big-selling Octavia. Porsche displayed spicy versions of their Cayman and Boxster known as the GTS. Reviews on these two hot little numbers will come in the future. We promise.

Volkswagen's New Midsize Coupe
As for the actual Volkswagen brand, they started the show with the introduction of the NMC or New Midsize Coupe. Although (at first) not slated for North America, it would seem that it will be built in Puebla, Mexico, and in China for both our and the Chinese markets.

Photo: Volkswagen

The NMC is based on VW's modular and highly used MQB platform and is expected to slot itself below the CC as a competitor of sorts to the Mercedes CLA-Class.

Physically, the NMC is the prettiest of the compact/midsize 4-door coupes that I've seen. The 20” wheels and colour combo accents the car's superb lines, and I suspect the car will be a hit (albeit a low volume one) when it arrives as a 2016 vehicle. I'd go so far as to suggest to VW to cancel the CC in Canada and concentrate on the NMC.

The next versions of the Volkswagen Touareg and Jetta
Both of these important players on our market receive mild facelifts for the 2015 model year. Nothing more than a refresher, both now have revised head and taillights as well as some new interior and exterior colours.

Photo: Volkswagen

The Touareg TDI also now features a coasting function. The TDI motor decouples from the 8-speed autobox to reduce engine braking thus enabling true coasting while using as little fuel as possible.

The Volkswagen Golf R400
This is newsworthy. This is a car. This is wow. This is me wanting it.

As if the fabulous Golf R weren't enough, Volkswagen teased VW performance car fans the world over with their stunning R400.

Photo: Volkswagen

This super-duper Golf utilizes the Polo WRC's 2.0 TSI engine, which in this instance develops 400 PS or 395 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. All of this mojo is sent to all four wheels via VW's superb 6-speed automated manual DSG gearbox.

This power is sufficient to catapult the R400 to 100 km/hr in as little as 3.9 seconds. Top speed is rated at 278 km/hr.

At the time of unveiling, the R400 was not supposed to be built; however, that has changed in a few short days. The R400 will likely turn into the expected Golf R EVO expected to make an appearance at the upcoming Wörthersee show in Austria at the end of May.

I can't wait to report on that.

Stay tuned for much more from Volkswagen!

What would it be like to live with a tiny electric car for a week? And you work from home, which is an apartment, so you can't recharge it?

AutoNation wants to reduce its dependency on online lead generators and third-party shopping sites.

Asbury Automotive Group reported a 3 percent profit slide for the first quarter of 2014, but improvements in all parts of the business drove profits from continuing operations up sharply.

Industrywide sales of certified used vehicles rose 11 percent in the first quarter from the year-earlier level, with many companies registering double-digit increases.

Jaguar, Land Rover and Ford saw their blue-sky multiples increase in the second half, according to a study by a dealership buy/sell advisory firm. But BMW, Mini, Hyundai, VW and Mazda saw theirs decrease.

GM's request for court protection from 50 car-owner lawsuits seeking compensation for millions of recalled autos with defective ignition switches was attacked as legally 'unsupportable.'

The 2015 Ford Mustang order guide is now available to U.S. dealers and the options include a lot of familiar stuff such as racing stripes and tech packages.

The new entry level Porsche Macan, shown alongside the new Boxster and Cayman GTS at the