Auto News 5

From GMM

F1 looks set to abolish the troublesome Gill fuel flow sensor.

Earlier this season, the sensor was at the centre of Daniel Ricciardo's disputed Melbourne disqualification, with Red Bull arguing it was unreliable and inaccurate.

Now, the specialist magazine Racecar Engineering reports in its latest issue that an alternative sensor "is in the final stages of development", and could even make its debut later in 2014.

The new sensor is reportedly being developed by a company called Sentronics, with the involvement of Hyspeed, who initially worked with Gill on the current F1 sensor.

The Gill-Hyspeed collaboration, however, ended last year, leaving Hyspeed to start work on the new solution.

"We remain convinced that the ultrasonic time-of-flight principle is the best way of measuring fuel flow on board a race car," said managing director Neville Meech, who formerly worked for Gill.

He said the Sentronics sensor, called the 'Flowsonic', is a "compact and robust unit with the minimum of materials and parts, and hence less to go wrong".

It also weighs just 250 grams, half the maximum permitted by the FIA, Racecar Engineering added.

From GMM

Stefano Domenicali says his heart will "always be red".

Red, of course, is the colour of Ferrari, the fabled Italian marque he represented for more than two decades.

But Domenicali, 49, left the Maranello team earlier this year, with poor results in the all-new turbo V6 era triggering the arrival of Marco Mattiacci.

Domenicali has been laying low since his exit, but he resurfaced at the weekend at Mugello, for the Italian round of MotoGP.

"Ferrari? My heart will always be red," Italian reports quote him as saying.

Also at Mugello on Sunday was Ferrari's lead driver Fernando Alonso.

"It is my first time not just at a MotoGP race, but any motorcycle race," Alonso, who arrived in a red Ferrari F12, told Spain's Marca newspaper.

The Spaniard also spoke about Ferrari's flagging fortunes in 2014.

"We have to improve step by step -- we cannot do quantum leaps," Alonso is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"We need to set the objective of creating a solid foundation not only for this year but for the future as well."

From GMM

Michael Schumacher's manager has dismissed the latest round of speculation about the F1 legend.

Media reports in Spain last week quoted Sabine Kehm, Schumacher's manager, as saying the seven time world champion was now able to "interact" with his "immediate surroundings".

The news follows more than a 150-day coma for the former Ferrari and Mercedes driver, following his skiing fall just after Christmas.

But Kehm told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport: "I have never spoken with these journalists, and we have not issued any statement about Michael's health condition."

However, some believe the speculation about Schumacher's condition is only being fuelled by the complete lack of official information from his family and management.

Roger Benoit, a respected and long-serving member of the F1 corps, wrote in Blick newspaper: "Slowly, everybody is really worried. Grenoble and the family have been silent for weeks. Why?"

Michael Schumacher. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

Also critical of the Schumacher camp's media strategy is Gary Hartstein, the former F1 doctor.

He fears the worst.

"I can conceive of no possible reason that Michael's entourage, understandably extremely protective of his and their privacy, would not tell his fans if significantly good things have happened," Hartstein wrote on his blog.

He said that, almost six months into a coma of Schumacher's magnitude, "only a tiny, tiny fraction" of patients ever regain consciousness.

Dr Hartstein added: "I'm quite afraid, and virtually certain, we will never have any good news about Michael. At this point, I rather dread seeing that the family has put out a press release."

Here are 8 interesting details Formula 1 fans must know about the Canadian Grand Prix held this weekend in Montreal.

1
The first Canadian Grand Prix was held in 1967 at Mosport Park near Toronto, and was won by Jack Brabham, driving a Brabham-Repco.

Jack Brabham, Brabham-Repco. (Photo: WRi2)

2
The Gilles Villeneuve circuit was the scene of Robert Kubica's terrible and frightening crash in 2007 in his BMW Sauber.

3
Ferrari and McLaren have won the Canadian race 18 times each. The next best team is Williams with 7 wins.

4
The first race to be held in Montreal in October 1978 saw Gilles Villeneuve take the win - his first in Formula 1 - in his Ferrari 312 T3.

Gilles Villeneuve, Ferrari 312 T3. (Photo: WRi2)

5
The winningest driver is Michael Schumacher with 7 wins, followed by Nelson Piquet and Lewis Hamilton with 3 victories each.

6
Five drivers have taken a debut win in Montreal: Gilles Villeneuve (1978), Thierry Boutsen (1989), Jean Alesi (1995), Lewis Hamilton (2007) and Robert Kubica (2008).

Jean Alesi in 1995. (Photo: WRi2)

7
In 2005, the Canadian Grand Prix was the third-most watched sporting event in the world with 51 million viewers, just behind the Super Bowl and the UEFA Champions League.

8
The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix was the longest-ever Formula 1 race in 4h04m39.54 because of a downpour. Jenson Button eventually won the race by beating Sebastian Vettel.

Jenson Button, McLaren, 2011. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

Sochi could be the next night race on the F1 calendar.

Despite the unfolding Crimean crisis, tickets for the inaugural Russian grand prix in October have are now on sale.

And for the future, promoter Sergey Vorobyov said the plan is to hold the race under floodlights.

"On the night race, yes. (Bernie) Ecclestone was in Sochi to make sure that the night-time is very beautiful," he told Ria Novosti news agency.

"The idea is technically difficult for the first year (2014), which will definitely be a day race," said Sergey Vorobyov.

"A night race has high costs that must first be calculated. But we like it (the night race concept), and I think that sooner or later it will come," he added.

Olympic fireworks in Sochi. (Photo: Formula Sochi)

From GMM

Honda has an advantage in being able to concentrate exclusively on 2015.

That is the claim of Andy Cowell, who is the engine boss for F1's dominant Mercedes team.

This year, the German marque is fighting for title spoils against only Renault and Ferrari, but Japanese carmaker Honda is returning to the fray in 2015 as McLaren's works partner.

"There are pros and cons (for Honda)," said Cowell.

He is referring to the fact that Honda is missing from the grid in 2014, the very first season of the all-new turbo V6 era.

"Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes have the experience of winter testing and the grands prix this year," Cowell told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"We know based on facts what the issues are and how to solve them. Honda can only watch," he said.

"On the other hand, we face a challenge in that we are continuing to develop the current engine in the context of what is allowed, and simultaneously we need to prepare for the 2015 homologation next February," Andy Cowell explained.

"So Honda has the advantage of being able to learn through photos and analysing the performance of the engines whilst concentrating fully on 2015," he said.

"They are gaining knowledge free of charge, but not in the depth of the three (existing) manufacturers," added Andy Cowell.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

General Motors plans to launch a new Belt Assurance System to help ensure the driver and front passenger buckle up before hitting the road. It simply does not allow shifting from “park” until the left and right front seat belts are buckled.

GM has said that the Belt Assurance System will be available at no cost on select fleet vehicles later this year. No word yet on mainstream vehicles.

Source : auto.lapresse.ca

Toyota Canada has announced recalls on the 2004-2011 Sienna minivan, 2014 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid SUVs, and 2013 Lexus GS 350 sedan.

On 82,381 Toyota Siennas operated where road salts are frequently used, corrosion of the spare tire carrier assembly cable may cause the separation of the spare tire stowed under the vehicle. Dealers will replace the spare tire carrier assembly when parts become available.

Note: This recall supersedes recall 2010-123. Vehicles that were inspected and/or repaired under the previous recall may still be at risk of spare tire separation and will require re-inspection and/or repair.

Meanwhile, some 4,000 Highlanders may suffer from a defect in the programming of the occupant classification system that could limit the seat belt's ability to protect front passenger seat occupants during a crash. Dealers will therefore reprogram the occupant classification module.

Finally, on 463 Lexus GS 350 sedans, the brake pedal load sensing switch could fail. This would cause the brake warning light to illuminate and the brakes to activate while driving. In this case, dealers will replace the brake pedal assembly.

Source: Transport Canada

The first few replicas of the hot new Ferrari LaFerrari are currently entering production in China and are expected to hit the market pretty soon. Using a Toyota Camry engine, these models will be sold at a much cheaper price than the original: $20,000 USD.

The real, exclusive Ferrari LaFerrari, which made its global debut at the 2013 Geneva Auto Show as the Italian automaker's first hybrid car, is reserved for just 499 customers.

Source : inautonews.com

Photo: Ferrari

Japanese driver Yuki Iwasaki crashed heavily into the barriers during a race of the Japan GT300 series at Autopolis.

Iwasaki, who drives a Nissan GT-R Nismo, said the brake pedal when straight to the floor at 220 km/h when he attempted to decelerate for a corner.

The Japanese explained in his blog that he downshifted to try to reduce the speed of the car, and worked the steering wheel to try to spin the car. Nothing worked.

The Nissan hit the tire wall straight on.

Amazingly, Iwazaki has not been injured although he suffers from a sore back.

British Formula 1 journalist Adam Cooper reports Monday morning that despite radio silence from the FIA, the Romanian-backed FRR F1 Team project has been granted a place on the F1 grid.

After the FIA granted an entry to American entrepreneur Gene Haas April 11, it said it was “in the process of conducting further investigations for Forza Rossa,” using the name that forms part of the official FRR identity.

Despite the delay, FFR is expected to be ready to race by 2015.

Cooper also writes that FFR - to be run for Colin Kolles - is planning to use Renault power units (that could be rebadged as Dacias) and apparently has a lot more elements in place compared to Haas Formula.

The man behind the project is Kolles' fellow countryman, 45-year-old Ion Bazac, a qualified physician, politician and former Romanian health minister.

Bazac is also a successful businessman and is also Romania's Ferrari importer, under the name Forza Rossa.

Colin Kolles, HRT, 2011. (Photo: WRi2)

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne said a good performance by its U.S. operations will be crucial for the success

Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said a good performance by its U.S. operations will be crucial for the success of the company's recently announced business plan.

This 2015 Ford F-150 was seen driving undisguised in suburban Detroit on Sunday. The aluminum-bodied truck begins production later this summer. The lightweight body saves as much as 700 pounds over the outgoing steel-bodied truck.

AutoNation partnered with Hunter-Reay's Racing for Cancer charity in May 2013 to beat the disease.

In March, CEO Mary Barra drafted former federal prosecutor Anton Valukas to delve into some of the most vexing questions surrounding GM's botched response to a shoddy ignition switch.

From press release

Ricky and Jordan Taylor sprinted to the Prototype (P) class and overall victory Saturday, in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic, a result that wasn't the least bit surprising. After all, the Taylor Brothers were in a hurry.

After winning the fifth race of the United SportsCar Championship (USCC) season, the Taylor Brothers took off for the airport and a flight to Paris, to be followed by a train ride to Le Mans, France. They were expecting to arrive around noon on Sunday, to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans mandatory test session.

Photo: IMSA.com

Ricky Taylor brought the No. 10 Corvette DP home, only 0.207 seconds ahead of Richard Westbrook, who was in the pole-sitting No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette DP. Westbrook co-drove with Canadian Michael Valiante.

What was shaping up to be a routine run to the checkered flag for Ricky Taylor changed quickly in the closing minutes of the race, following a caution period to repair the tire wall in Turn 12,

Photo: IMSA.com

Ricky Taylor was out front, with Joao Barbosa a close second. Taylor took the white flag but suddenly, Barbosa took the lead with a daring inside move into the Turn 3 right-hander, nudging Taylor into the wall. Moments later, though, the left-rear tire on Barbosa's car was shredding and then, he was spinning. Taylor sped by and won.

Photo: IMSA.com

“When he put us in the wall the only thing I was thinking was either he is going to have a tire go down or I was definitely going to break because it was a hard hit,” Ricky Taylor said. “For those last couple laps it was really tooth and nail.”

Ricky Taylor is slated to co-drive a LM P2 car at Le Mans, while Jordan Taylor and Westbrook will join the heralded Corvette Racing operation for a LM GTE Pro effort.

Photo: IMSA.com

“Richard and I have done this [Detroit-to-Le Mans trip] before together and it was a disaster,” Jordan said.

“Hopefully this one, with a lot more planning will be a little less stress. I think we knocked off about five years of Richard's life [last time]. It's a rough travel night. We hope to get in the car [at Le Mans] for a few hours. It's a long weekend, but we're race car drivers and we love driving, so it's definitely worth it.”

Photo: IMSA.com

Race results* - Chevrolet Sports Car Classic
1 - R.Taylor/J.Taylor (Dallara-Corvette) - Taylor - 57 laps
2 - Westbrook/Valiante (Coyote-Corvette) - Spirit of Daytona - 0”207
3 - Yacaman/Pla (Morgan-Nissan) - OAK - 8”817
4 - Pew/Negri (Riley-Ford) - Shank - 9”713
5 - Sharp/Dalziel (HPD ARX03b) - ExtremeSpeed - 17”718
6 - Barbosa/Fittipaldi (Coyote-Corvette) - ActionExp - 33”286
7 - Brown/Van Overbeek (HPD ARX03b) - ExtremeSpeed - 1 lap
8 - Balzan/Westphal (Ferrari 458) - Corsa - 1 lap
9 - James/M.Farnbacher (Porsche 991) - AlexJob - 1 lap
10 - Haase/B.Miller (Audi R8) - Miller - 1 lap
11 - Carter/Davison (Aston Martin Vantage) - TRG - 1 lap
12 - Macneil/Keen (Porsche 991) - AlexJob - 1 lap
13 - Cameron/Palttala (BMW Z4) - Turner - 1 lap
14 - Drissi/Asch (Porsche 991) - Muehlner - 1 lap
15 - Sweedler/T.Bell (Ferrari 458) - AIM - 1 lap
16 - Snow/Heylen (Porsche 991) - Snow - 2 laps
17 - Barker/Faulkner (Porsche 991) - GB - 2 laps
18 - J.Bleekemolen/Keating (SRT Viper) - Riley - 2 laps
19 - Nunez/J.Miller (Lola B12/60-Mazda) - Speedsource - 2 laps
20 - Neiman/Von Moltke (Audi R8) - Flying Lizard - 2 laps
21 - Potter/Lally (Porsche 991) - Magnus - 2 laps
22 - Tremblay/T.Long (Lola B12/60-Mazda) - Speedsource - 3 laps
23 - Canache/Pumpelly (Audi R8) - Flying Lizard - 4 laps
24 - Espenlaub/Putman (Audi R8) - Fall-Line - 4 laps
25 - Marcelli/Cumming (Ferrari 458) - Scuderia Corsa - 4 laps
26 - A.Davis/Sandberg (Porsche 991) - Stevenson - 5 laps
27 - Lindsey/Estre (Porsche 991) - ParkPlace - 31 laps
28 - Cisneros/Giermaziak (Porsche 991) - NGT - 33 laps
29 - Curran/Said (Coyote-Corvette) - Marsh - 39 laps
30 - Pruett/Rojas (Riley-Ford) - Ganassi - 45 laps
*Unofficial results

Photo: IMSA.com

From press release

In a commanding way, Marco Wittmann decided the third DTM season round at the Hungaroring in his favour.

Marco Wittmann, BMW M4 DTM (Photo: DTM.com)

Driving his BMW M4 DTM, Wittmann, who had started from pole position, crossed the finish line as the winner after 41 laps with a margin of 6.615 seconds. Following his success in the Hockenheim season opener, this was the second DTM race win for the Franconian, who will now come to his home race at the Norisring (June 27-29) as the championship leader.

“This is a great success, because in the closing stages, you never know whether the drivers with option tires can still close up. However, our strategy worked out. I built up a huge advantage and then held on to it without making any mistakes. I am not wasting any thoughts on the title, we are just working from one race to another,” Wittmann commented.

Bruno Spengler, BMW M4 DTM (Photo: DTM.com)

Miguel Molina (Audi) and Bruno Spengler (BMW) finished second and third respectively.

Spengler raced with an aggressive strategy. In the second half, he used the faster option tire and thus overtook one opponent after another on his way to third place. “Something like that doesn't happen very often,” the Canadian said. For him, only Wittmann and Molina were beyond reach.

Robert Wickens, Mercedes C-Coupe (Photo: DTM.com)

His countryman Robert Wickens (Mercedes-Benz) had his eyes set on his first championship points of the season at Hungaroring. Having started 17th, he moved up as high as seventh with his DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, but then dropped back again to eleventh on the final laps.

“I had a good start and ran all on my own for a long time. Having to race on your own is always difficult. At the end of the day, it is a pity that we missed out on scoring points, but we have made a step forward,” the best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver said.

Daniel Juncadella, Mercedes C-Coupe (Photo: DTM.com)

In total, 33,000 spectators came to watch the first DTM race weekend in Hungary after 26 years.

Race results* - Hungaroring (round 3 of 10)
1 - Marco Wittmann (BMW M4) - RMG - 41 laps in 1.08'35"291
2 - Miguel Molina (Audi RS5) - Abt - 6"615
3 - Bruno Spengler (BMW M4) - Schnitzer - 21"842
4 - Edoardo Mortara (Audi RS5) - Abt - 29"960
5 - Adrien Tambay (Audi RS5) - Abt - 30"112
6 - Maxime Martin (BMW M4) - RMG - 30"357
7 - Jamie Green (Audi RS5) - Rosberg - 34"403
8 - Antonio Felix Da Costa (BMW M4) - MTEK - 34"560
9 - Mattias Ekstrom (Audi RS5) - Abt - 34"826
10 - Mike Rockenfeller (Audi RS5) - Phoenix - 36"017
11 - Robert Wickens (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 38"732
12 - Nico Muller (Audi RS5) - Rosberg - 41"105
13 - Martin Tomczyk (BMW M4) - Schnitzer - 1'00"014
14 - Pascal Wehrlein (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'00"170
15 - Joey Hand (BMW M4) - RBM - 1'04"407
16 - Daniel Juncadella (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'04"809
17 - Vitaly Petrov (Mercedes C-Coupe) - Mucke - 1'19"739
18 - Paul Di Resta (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'25"635
19 - Timo Glock (BMW M4) - MTEK - 1'28"687

Retirements
Christian Vietoris
Augusto Farfus
Timo Scheider
Gary Paffett

Championship
1.Wittmann 50 points; 2.Rockenfeller 31; 3.Mortara 27; 4.Molina e Tambay 26; 6.Vietoris 25; 7.Spengler 23; 8.Ekstrom 20; 9.Farfus 14; 10.Di Resta 12.

*Unofficial results

(Photo: DTM.com)

From press release

Montreal's Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is one of those special tracks.

That is the view of Red Bull Racing's Daniel Ricciardo, who is heading into his third Canadian Grand Prix, next weekend.

"I doubt anyone on the grid lacks motivation, but there's definitely a little extra edge to it at some circuits," says the 24-year-old Australian.

"They tend to be the ones that demand the most from you and hold real consequences from getting it wrong. Montreal definitely falls into that category."

Daniel Ricciardo (Photo: WRi2)

The Perth native finished third, last weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix. In Canada, he will be trying to beat his highly-rated teammate Sebastian Vettel once more.

But he knows he must be careful not to push too hard.

"Each of the chicanes (the hairpin too) is an opportunity to make up, or lose, time but the crucial corner is probably the last one: you arrive at top speed so there's a lot to be gained in braking if you get that just right, and then the way you go over the kerbs is worth more time.

"The flip side is that it's very easy to get wrong and if you do then there's that big wall waiting.

"The nearer you are, the faster you'll go. Give the wall a kiss and you feel pretty good; kiss it too hard and that's it!"

From press release

Penske driver Will Power won the first of two IndyCar races, presented this weekend on the street circuit of Belle Isle, in Detroit.

The Australian beat Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Graham Rahal by a whisker, after a late caution bunched the field back up for a 10-lap sprint to the checkered flag.

Will Power, Team Penske (Photo: Chris Jones)

"Just a great job by the team, putting me in a position to use our speed," said Power.

"That was hard work. It's a massive win for me, massive win for the team and especially for Roger and for Chevy. They've been trying to win here for a long  time and we finally did it with a Honda trying to charge by.

Juan Pablo Montoya, Team Penske (Photo: Joe Skibinski)

"(Rahal) was really fast. I was worried but I just kept executing good laps.” 

"I was just trying to give him a run for his money," added Rahal.

James Hinckcliffe, Andretti Autosport (Photo: Chris Owens)

"I thought if I can just force him into a little mistake, this is mine. Didn't quite get there but I'm very proud of this team."

Canadian James Hinchcliffe brought his car home in sixth, having started on the outside of row one.

Scott Dixon, Ganassi Racing (Photo: Chris Owens)

Race results* - Race One (Belle Isle, Detroit)
1 - Will Power (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Penske - 70 laps
2 - Graham Rahal (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Rahal - 0"3308
3 - Jack Hawksworth (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Herta - 5"5096
4 - Justin Wilson (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Coyne - 8"5951
5 - Helio Castroneves (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Penske - 10"7365
6 - James Hinchcliffe (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Andretti - 11"5074
7 - Carlos Munoz (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Andretti - 14"8813
8 - Carlos Huertas (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Coyne - 26"5965
9 - Charlie Kimball (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Ganassi - 32"5852
10 - Marco Andretti (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Andretti - 33"1818
11 - Scott Dixon (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Ganassi - 33"3522
12 - Juan Pablo Montoya (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Penske - 34"0094
13 - Sebastien Bourdais (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - KV - 36"0240
14 - Sebastian Saavedra (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - KV - 37"0532
15 - Ryan Briscoe (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Ganassi - 56"6632
16 - Ryan Hunter-Reay (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Andretti - 1 lap
17 - Mikhail Aleshin (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Schmidt - 2 laps
18 - Takuma Sato (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Foyt - 4 laps
19 - Jack Hawksworth (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Herta - 5 laps

Fastest lap of the race: 1'17”6399 by Graham Rahal

Retirements
Lap 37 - Josef Newgarden
Lap 23 - Mike Conway
Lap 5 - Simon Pagenaud

*Unofficial results

Ambiance (Photo: Joe Skibinski)