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Daniel Ricciardo claimed a stunning victory for Red Bull Racing in Hungary on Sunday, winning the second Formula 1 race of his career.

The Australian passed Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in the final four laps as a pre-race downpour and two safety-car periods created wildly differing strategies and led to a breathtaking finish.

Ricciardo, on much fresher soft rubber, passed Hamilton with four laps to go. One lap later and he dived down the inside of Alonso at the first corner, and from then on it was plain sailing as he replayed his success in Canada.

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, winner in Hungary. (Photo: WRi2)

Alex Guenette ran a masterful National 250, a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCaTS) race run this past Saturday night at the short Autodrome St. Eustache oval. Finishing second behind repeat winner Scott Steckly, this was the second podium for Alex this season, in addition to repeating his second-place result at this event last year.

Starting from the fourth position on the grid aboard his Motos Illimitees No 39 Dodge, Alex went on to fight for every position throughout the 250-lap race, especially as he was on the outside row for every one of the six restarts after caution periods.

On a flat oval like St. Eustache, the quick line is on the inside and drivers on the outside lane must find a way to get back to the bottom lane on restarts despite the racers who started inside making every effort to prevent that move. In fact, Alex dropped from fourth to ninth on the first restart of the race on lap 44 and then proceeded to pass all of the more experienced driver who had slipped ahead of him on restarts, such as Andrew Ranger, D.J. Kennington, J.R. Fitzpatrick and 2014 points leader Louis-Philippe Dumoulin.

Alex Guenette, Dodge. (Photo: Matthew Manor)

Alex was happy with how the later restarts developed. “I restarted 7th on lap 117 after the pits stops, and was back up to 3rd four laps later, so that worked out pretty well and meant I was back up to 2nd on lap 208.” Three more caution periods saw the Motos Illimitées No 39 restart on the outside of the front row and fight its way back in the quicker lower lane cleanly, a key to the second-place finish.

But the work was not all done as the 18 year-old driver tried to run down leader Scott Steckly. Alex admitted he was trying hard. “I pushed as much as I could to catch him and go for the win but he was simply too quick. I am satisfied with second place and especially with how the car worked throughout the race and how I drove against the more experienced racers, especially when Alex Tagliani bumped me hard on one of those late restarts. It was great to repeat last year's scenario and do well before my family, friends and fans.”

Multiple NCaTS champion Scott Steckly repeated his 2013 victory, with 2014 points leader Louis-Philippe Dumoulin taking third at the finish.

The No 39 Motos Illimitées Dodge will be back on track for the season's premier event, the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. Practice and qualifying take place on Saturday August 9 and the 50-lap race with pit stops will be held on Sunday afternoon, August 10.

From nascar.com

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards will not return to compete for Roush Fenway Racing in 2015, but the 34-year-old won't say which team will take him on.

Roush Fenway co-owner Jack Roush announced his organization's 2015 Sprint Cup line-up at Indianapolis.

From 2015, the team will run veteran Greg Biffle and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., both of whom currently compete in Sprint Cup for RFR, as well as 2014 Nationwide Series regular Trevor Bayne.

Edwards has competed in Sprint Cup for Roush Fenway since 2004.

He has 23 wins and has finished fourth or higher in points four times, including 2011 when he and Tony Stewart finished the season with identical points totals. Stewart edged Edwards for the title on the basis of the number of wins during the season.

Edwards is also a 38-time winner in NASCAR's Nationwide Series and won that series' title in 2007 with RFR. He has six career wins in the Camping World Truck Series.

"You look around at all the stuff that's going on, not just in the NASCAR world but in all of sports," Edwards said. "Change sometimes just on its own is a good thing from a performance standpoint”.

Porsche South Africa bought the Kyalami Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit for $19.5 million at an auction.

It was sold to a telephone bidder, on behalf of Porsche South Africa, in an auction lasting around one minute and 50 seconds.

"Porsche South Africa is going to keep it as a track. I believe they are going to develop around the track, which will then enhance the value for the owners," said Lance Chalwin-Milton, joint managing director of The High Street Auction Co.

Porsche South Africa is an independent importer and isn't part of Volkswagen AG Porsche, according to a representative of the Stuttgart, Germany-based maker of the 911 sports car.

The South African Grand Prix was held 20 times at Kyalami between 1967 and 1993.

The great Gilles Villeneuve won the race in 1979, driving his Ferrari 312 T4 to first place from his teammate Jody Scheckter and Jean-Pierre Jarier in a Tyrrell-Ford.

Here's a video of Ayrton Senna taking the start of the 1992 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami.

From press release

The 2014 version of the annual Targa Newfoundland international rally has published a revised schedule that adds a day of pre-event activities, organizers have announced.

Saturday, September 13, will be devoted to registering competitors and crews, technical inspection of the cars and meetings for organizers. The new schedule reflects the structure of the event from prior years.

"We had hoped to be able to compress some of the activities like registration and tech inspection into our Sunday schedule to make the event a little shorter for everyone involved," explains organizer Robert Giannou.

"But travel plans, ferry schedules and the sheer volume of work that has to get done before the competition means we had to revert to the old model."

The pre-event activities on the Saturday will be centered at the Jack Byrne Arena in Torbay and include registration of competitors, technical inspection of vehicles, first aid training for competitors, and a car show that runs from 3pm to 9pm.

A welcome reception for competitors is scheduled for the Saturday evening.

"Targa Newfoundland is a marvel of organization, but even our fantastic volunteers only have 24 hours in a day, and sometimes we just need to give them a little more time," Giannou concludes.

The ceremonial start of the 2014 edition of Targa Newfoundland will be held at The Keg restaurant on the St. John's waterfront just after 12:00 noon on Sunday, September 14. Following the start, competitors will do three familiarization Targa stages in Flatrock and Torbay.

The stages, known as Prologue stages, are not timed and do not affect the competition. Rather, they're a chance for local fans to catch some of the action, for teams to warm-up for the week, and for officials and timing crews to hone their skills before the rally begins in earnest on Monday morning, September 15.

Last Friday, Aston Martin confirmed a bespoke product program for a new super sedan that will see the historic Lagonda nameplate rise from the ashes in a strictly limited series.

The return of Lagonda follows in the wake of other headline-grabbing projects such as the One-77 hypercar, V12 Zagato, and last year's CC100 Speedster Concept which started out simply as a centenary celebration design concept but later turned into two customer commissions.

Based on Aston Martin's existing flexible VH architecture, the new car will draw inspiration from the highly sought-after William Towns-designed Lagonda of 1976 and feature many of the same cutting-edge engineering techniques seen in modern Aston Martin sports cars such as the use of carbon fibre in the body panels. It will be hand-built in Gaydon, Warwickshire, in a dedicated building previously given over to the creation of the One-77.

The Lagonda will be offered exclusively in the Middle East (as a result of specific market demand) and by invitation only, so pricing details remain confidential. Look for it to be extremely expensive given its rarity, quality, and luxurious nature.

“The new model, like its exclusive siblings the One-77 and V12 Zagato, has been created as a piece of exceptional automotive art. It has been designed and developed entirely in keeping with the spirit and ethos of previous Lagonda super sedans,” said Aston Martin Design Director Marek Reichman.

Source: Aston Martin

Photo: Aston Martin

A new study by Kaspersky, Motor.com and IAB Spain shows that connected cars from BMW are the most vulnerable to cyber-attacks. The web portal used in the infotainment system and data-sharing services is especially compromising.

More specifically, information to access BMW's website can be stolen via phishing, keylogging or social engineering, allowing unauthorized access to the vehicle.

An attacker could also use mobile remote opening services on a smartphone to create virtual car keys. In other scenario, hackers who break into the car's system and access SIM-based functions could potentially send fake instructions.

While known cyber-attacks against vehicles have been performed by security experts as part of experiments, a number of automakers have joined forces to counter this growing threat. Named Battelle Cyber Innovations, the group hopes to strike a deal with makers of smartphones, which are more likely to be infected with a computer virus that could spread to a connected car's on-board platforms.

Source : cnetfrance.fr

Portland, OR -- Horsepower can be intoxicating, enticing, and intimidating all at once. The desire to go ever faster is engrained in the human psyche; why else would we produce the machines we do, rejoice at racetracks, and speed across salt flats as fast as we possibly can? Speed demons are just that: demons. They need to be satiated, and well contained or else...

So, what happens when all that rebellion (and I do mean all) is housed in modern-day American Muscle, swathed in loud colours, and coupled with an exhaust note that would make the devil blush?

You've got yourself the brand new 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Yessir.


700 horsepower? Really?
I'm here to tell you that, yes, the Challenger Hellcat has a proper 707 horsepower supercharged 6.2L HEMI SRT that also pushes heads back with 650 lb-ft of torque. Just look at those numbers again. Let them sink in. Seven hundred and seven horsepower.

The Challenger Hellcat enters an exclusive club reserved for million-dollar cars that include the likes of the Bugatti Veyron, Gumpert Apollo S, and even the Canadian-grown HTT Plethore LC-750. That's a pretty ballsy move considering this American badass costs under $70k.

And now you're thinking: Sure, it has all that power, but you'll spend all your time trying to keep the backend from wiggling around instead of actually driving the thing.

Well, here's where I tell you you're wrong, very wrong.

Sure, you can get the newly sculpted and oh-so retro rear to push out playfully with the right amount of right-foot pressure, but you can also traverse a snaking racetrack with precision and only minimal body roll. The brakes will be used significantly in the Hellcat (those corners come up quickly with all those horses racing out the rear tires), but the Brembos are up to the task, trust me.

Handling is perhaps the most precise I've encountered behind the wheel of a beefy American muscle car. A few recon laps in and I was able to throw the Hellcat around as if I were behind the wheel of a much lighter, more nimble vehicle with half the horsepower.

What's it like to drive 700 horses?
Just like driving 458 horses or 500 horses. It's all about having a healthy respect for the power you harness beneath your right foot. Overstay your welcome in the Hellcat's powerband (which is essentially everywhere, all the time) and it will scratch, hard.

However, on the street, the devilish Hellcat can be docile and even purrs a little on wide open stretches. Tight cornering and switchbacks aren't as pleasant in the Challenger, but only because of its width and wheelbase that's a bit large for narrower streets. This can be a cruiser though, and those who want a Challenger will want it to cruise just as easily as it tackles the drag strip.

Is the design really based on the 1971 model?
The 2015 Dodge Challenger looks more like the ‘70s era model than every before, and that's just pure class and the perfect look in my opinion. From the dual chrome inserts in the front fascia to the much narrower rear end, the '15 Challenger is all kinds of sexy and all kinds of American muscle in just the right proportions.

Of course, subtle hood changes across the lineup change that front fascia look, with the Hellcat's being the most dramatic with clean front bumpers and a wider front lip and splitter than the other models (as well as a larger wing in the back to keep extra pressure on the rear wheels when you really let the ponies out).

Thankfully, the interior is much more modern than the ‘70s. With the latest and greatest in auto tech, the 2015 Dodge Challenger can be just as cool and connected as a MINI Cooper with apps, driver settings, Uconnect, and even front collision warnings and blind spot detection.

Why does the Hellcat come with three keys?
That's right: three keys. Dodge isn't sick of people asking for replacement fobs when they lose them, Dodge thought this one through and each Hellcat comes with a very special red key fob (and two black ones). The red key fob unlocks and unleashes the fires of hell (read: all 707 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque). The black keys limit that amount to around the 500 mark. And you can take that a step further by putting the Hellcat in valet mode and really limiting the revs, horsepower, speed, etc. Because 700 horses really is no joke.

Could the Dodge Challenger Hellcat be an everyday car?
I tried my best to imagine life with a Dodge Challenger Hellcat. Waking up to that V8 growl every morning, the sound of the supercharger whining through the neighbourhood on cool, crisp fall mornings, rowing my way through six short-shift gears (because I'd obviously have the $1,000-extra manual over the 8-speed automatic), and I think it could.

The Hellcat buyer is a specific one. He/she is someone who knows the Challenger model, knows the history, and has an affinity for American muscle and American cars in general.

Here's what I think: Any foibles the new Challenger has are made non-existent by what it is as a whole. Dodge has managed to truthfully recreate a halo car, perhaps the halo car, in the new Challenger Hellcat. These halo cars are bought on mostly emotion, and if nothing else the Challenger Hellcat raises all kinds of emotions (and adrenaline).

From GMM

Lewis Hamilton is angling for a pay-rise at Mercedes, the major German newspaper Bild-Zeitung reports.

The big 'silly season' rumour in Hungary last weekend was about Hamilton's silver-coloured seat beyond the end of his 2015 contract.

The news followed hot on the heels of Nico Rosberg's extended Mercedes deal, reportedly featuring a big pay-rise making his new three-year contract worth EUR 55 million.

Bild reports that Hamilton and his management are now pushing for a new EUR 90 million deal for 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)

The 'contract poker' could explain the true source of the speculation linking Mercedes with Red Bull's world champion Sebastian Vettel, after that was first leaked by Dr Helmut Marko.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner smiled in Hungary that Marko sits down for "breakfast, lunch and dinner" on every day of a grand prix weekend with fellow Austrian Niki Lauda.

Niki Lauda doubles as Mercedes' team chairman.

But Marko told German television Sky on Sunday that he sees nothing wrong with the sorts of rumours that float around F1's best and highly-paid drivers at contract time.

"At this time of the year it's a completely normal process," he said.

He would not comment on whether Mercedes has actually made an approach to Vettel. "You would have to ask him," Marko insisted.

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen was looking ahead to 2015 rather than seeing Sunday's Hungarian grand prix as the start of an immediate Ferrari revival.

After an uncompetitive first half of 2014, the Finn finished a solid sixth in Hungary -- his best result of the season.

And Raikkonen's teammate Fernando Alonso was in the running for the race win until the dying moments, when he was passed by winner Daniel Ricciardo.

F1 now breaks for three full weekends before hostilities resume in Belgium late next month.

But the Finnish media quoted Raikkonen as saying: "I don't see things changing much in three or four weeks. Next year things will get better.

"I am pleased with today, but on the whole I am very disappointed with the way things have gone. We need to make sure we don't make the same mistakes.

"I trust Ferrari and I know they are working hard, so that's why I am confident about next year. Then we should be able to fight for race wins again," he added.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari F14 T, Hungary. (Photo: WRi2)

Team boss Marco Mattiacci was also playing down the significance of Hungary, even though he admitted it was a much-needed morale boost for the Maranello camp.

"I think we should be careful to judge what has happened over this weekend," he is quoted by the Spanish daily AS. "We must remember that we still have a huge amount of work to do.

"We know the strong and the weak points of the car and a weekend with a podium is not going to change that. We have to change the car 180 degrees."

Mattiacci, however, has no doubts about at least one component of the current Ferrari package.

"Without doubt, he (Alonso) is the best driver on the grid," he said.

And Sunday's result also cooled the hostility between Ferrari and Mercedes' Niki Lauda, after the great Austrian last week called the red 2014 car "sh*t".

"Ferrari was today better than Mercedes, so everything is calm again," Lauda smiled.

From GMM

Mercedes has moved to put the intensifying battle between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg behind closed doors.

"Corporate answer," boss Toto Wolff smiled late on Sunday, when the extent of the potential controversy triggered by the Hungarian grand prix became clear.

In the race, after technical failures blighted his last two qualifying outings as he chases down teammate and enemy Rosberg's points lead, Briton Hamilton was asked repeatedly to let the sister silver car past.

Predictably, team chairman Niki Lauda dismissed as "bullsh*t" any conspiracy theory about Mercedes wanting its German driver to prevail in 2014 over a Briton.

Indeed, the much more sensible reasoning for Sunday's team order was that Mercedes had devised on the fly a new race-winning strategy for pole-sitter Rosberg, after the timing of the safety car period left him trailing Hamilton, who started the race from pitlane.

Even Wolff had to admit that, had Hamilton obeyed the order, "Nico could have won the race. It is a difficult situation now."

The team finds itself on a delicate line between letting its drivers fight freely for the drivers' title, and handling situations like Sunday, where two non-Mercedes cars eventually crossed the chequered flag first and second.

Hamilton's defiance probably cost Mercedes victory in Hungary, but it did help him narrow the points gap to Rosberg with eight races now to run.

Lewis Hamilton ahead of Nico Rosberg in Hungary. (Photo: WRi2)

2008 world champion Hamilton said immediately after getting out of his W05 on Sunday that he thinks his bosses issued the team order "for the right reasons".

But the wheel-to-wheel title battle is something different.

"I was in the same race as him," he said, "so I was very, very shocked that the team would ask me to do that, to be able to better his position. So that was a bit strange."

Hamilton revealed on Sunday that, after his qualifying fire, he had lifted his spirits by sharing a pizza, some chocolate and "a prank" with Niki Lauda.

Lauda said Hamilton was right to ignore the team order.

"I would have done exactly the same," said the great Austrian.

"The team was under enormous stress because the race was a very difficult one, there is no question. The call was unnecessary but it was made."

Even Wolff admits that Mercedes will need to use the three-weekend 'summer break', including a two week factory shutdown, to devise a better strategy for dealing with the intensifying championship battle between the two drivers.

"What we had at the beginning of the season doesn't function anymore," he acknowledged. "Perhaps we need to have a new way. It's getting intense and we need to sit down and discuss how to handle things."

From GMM

Christian Horner is barracking for Lotus to switch to customer Mercedes power for the 2015 season.

The Enstone team is having a dismal season of performance and reliability with Renault power, but the likely move to Mercedes is more complex than that.

Reigning quadruple world champions Red Bull have also struggled with Renault's turbo V6 'power unit' in 2014, but the Horner-led team has reacted by putting enormous pressure on its French partner.

There has been a management change right at the top, with Cyril Abiteboul returning to Renault from Caterham to set up a new structure for 2015 and beyond.

A key to that might be seen as Red Bull 'getting rid of' Lotus.

Dr Helmut Marko said recently that it was a big mistake for Renault to have tried to treat Red Bull and Lotus fairly in accommodating both teams' needs in 2014.

He said preparing "a different version" of the Renault V6 for Lotus "tied up too many resources at Renault and distracted from the development".

Lotus and Renault partnership might end this season. (Photo: WRi2)

Lotus' engine change has not yet been confirmed, but it is clearly part of Red Bull's plan.

"I think we have some good things in the pipeline," team boss Horner said in Hungary. "We are working very closely with Renault (after) their recent management change.

"We have a very good working relationship with Renault," he told F1's official website, "and I think Cyril is doing a great job.

"We are getting much more involved -- something similar to working like a proper works team."

For that to happen, Red Bull will be Renault's clear focus in 2015, with only Red Bull-associated teams to get a customer engine -- Toro Rosso, and Caterham, who use a Red Bull-supplied gearbox.

"The whole focus will then be on Red Bull Racing," Christian Horner confirmed, "and then a customer engine supplied to Toro Rosso. Of course that makes a difference. It would be positive for us and it makes sense to Renault as well."

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Photo: Philippe Champoux

The Audette Racing Team contested this weekend's Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC) doubleheader, presented on the Shannonville track near Belleville, Ontario. Rémy Audette made good use of the fifth event of the season by earning his fifth win of the season and therefore claiming victory in half of the races held this year !

Winner of Saturday's race and second on Sunday, Rémy Audette had to call upon all of his motorsport experience in order to ensure his success this weekend.  In addition, the Quebec driver contested the two races in the Dimensions Doors / Novatech Acura RSX that is normally earmarked for his brother Mathieu, who was not taking part in this event, as was decided earlier in the season. Rémy explains the situation : "we installed a new engine in my Civic Si but it wasn't as broken in as it should've been.  Knowing that I'm competing for the championship title, the Audette Racing Team didn't want to take any risks so it was decided that I'd use the Acura.  As of Saturday's race, we knew we had made the right decision !".

Qualifying in pole position for the first of the two races, Rémy Audette had a perfect start and managed to keep the lead for the entire duration of the race to win his fifth event of nine starts in the 2014 season. "It was one heck of a race ! I had Roger Ledoux's Subaru behind me from the first lap until the last lap.  He was faster in certain sections but I held him off and managed to not give him enough space to pass me. It really was a great win and it always tastes just a little better when you have to battle from the start right until the end !" confides Rémy Audette.

On Sunday, Rémy was starting the race from the second spot on the grid.  By the first turn, he had dropped to fourth but he quickly took back two spots before finding himself fighting with Ledoux for the lead. "This time, the roles were reversed.  I was putting pressure on him but he didn't let up nor did he commit any mistakes. At one point, I thought I could pass him but it would've meant braking really late and risking a collision, which I didn't want to do. Our battle was intense but it has always been respectful" indicated the Audette Racing driver.

Rémy Audette therefore leaves Shannonville with a victory and a second place, which is much more than just satisfying to him : "it's a great weekend.  The gap to Ledoux in the championship standings remains unchanged because we each had the same two finishing positions over the weekend. I'm still confident for the remainder of the season, though. Those races will take place on tracks where I'm super comfortable and have had success before," concluded Rémy.

The following CTCC outing for the Audette Racing Team wlll be in less than two weeks on Aug 7th to 10th, as part of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. Mathieu Audette will be back at the wheel of the Acura RSX, while Rémy gets back in his Dimensions Doors / Novatech Honda Civic Si. which will be tested prior to the race.

News 28 Jul, 2014

The Government is to slash the cost of applying for a UK driving licence with first licences costing £16 less and renewals down by £6

Audi brand plans to cut spare-part prices in China as global automakers rush to change their pricing strategies after Chinese anti-monopoly regulators began probing the auto industry.

Volkswagen AG's luxury Audi brand plans to cut spare-part prices in China as global automakers rush to change their pricing strategies after Chinese anti-monopoly regulators began probing the auto industry.

Audi aims to beat German rivals Mercedes and BMW to launch a plug-in hybrid diesel powered car. Audi will present a plug-in hybrid diesel drivetrain next year, the brand's technical development chief, Ulrich Hackenberg, said.

Jaguar Land Rover aims to attract former military personnel amid a shortage of skilled workers. Ford and Bentley are also competing for talent as the UK's expanding auto industry devises ways to draw workers to manufacturing.

The Car Allowance Rebate System, also known as cash for clunkers, was a lifeline at a desperate time for the U.S. auto industry.