Auto News 5

Formula One has become too complicated for its own good, and that's why fans are emptying the grand stands at race venues.

That is the view of Sauber team principal, Monisha Kaltenborn.

"Fans are losing interest because we don't explain them anything," she is quoted saying by Nextgen-auto.com.

"For example why is this one retiring because he pressed the wrong button or why is this one's hybrid system not working to full capacity. Nothing about this is exciting.

"We have to simplify things."

Toto Wolff (Photo: WRi2)

Meanwhile, Mercedes' executive director Toto Wolff thinks F1 must go digital.

"TV ratings are going nowhere while internet is enjoying huge growth. I can understand that we must not upset TV companies.

"But we must find a way around this problem because the market is going to be completely different in 10 years."

America already has its own F1 race, but in 2016 it could also have its own team and its own driver to cheer for.

While Haas Formula is expected to debut in two years, countryman Alexander Rossi could be on the grid as early as next year.

The 22-year-old recently became Marussia's reserve driver and could be promoted to a race seat, should Jules Bianchi graduate to a bigger team.

But Rossi would also love to race for Gene Haas.

Is Alexander Rossi America's next F1 driver? (Photo: AlexanderRossi.com)

"I'm very excited by Haas' project," Rossi is quoted saying by Nextgen-auto.com.

"He is very passionate and dedicated for his F1 bid to be a success, and for American fans to love F1.

"We spoke with him and he would like to have an American driver the fans could cheer. If the opportunity comes for me, and if the timing is right, I could be his man."

Story updated, see below

A fatal incident took the life of 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr. last night during a sprint car race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. Tony Stewart was involved in it.

Stewart, who is racing in the Cheez-it 355 with the NASCAR Sprint Cup series this week-end at Watkins Glen, often takes part in sprint car races, like Saturday night's at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, which is only 100 miles from Watkins Glen.

It appears Ward and Stewart collided during the race. Ward then exited his car and walked down the track, gesturing at Stewart.

As Stewart came around, he struck Ward.

"The driver was treated by on-track medical staff and transported to FF Thompson Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 11:15 pm," said a statement by the County of Ontario Sheriff's office.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends," added a statement from Stewart-Haas Racing.

The police added that Tony Stewart has cooperated with the investigators.

Interestingly, the Baltimore Sun reports: "In July [2013], Stewart was involved in another wreck at the same track that resulted in two drivers suffering injuries."

UPDATE
Stewart-Haas Racing VP of Competition, Greg Zipadelli, announced Sunday morning that Tony Stewart would not race in Sunday's Cheez-It 355 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Watkins Glen International.

"We know that it's just an unbelievable tragedy," Zipadelli said. "Our hearts go out to obviously Kevin and his family, thoughts and prayers. This is a very tough, very emotional time for everybody, his family, our family at Stewart-Haas, Tony Stewart.

"So with that being said, we feel that as a group, Tony will not drive today. Regan Smith is on his way up."

Building on the strengths of its inaugural United SportsCar Championship schedule, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) announced an enhanced 12-event calendar for the 2015 season.

Each of the four classes will compete in 10 races.

The 2015 schedule includes one notable addition at the historic Lime Rock Park. The race at the Lakeville, Conn. circuit will be held on Saturday, July 25.

The season opens with the 53rd running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 24-25. The Rolex 24 also kicks off the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup, which returns in 2015.

It continues with the 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida on March 21, followed by the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen on June 28 and the season-ending Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda on Oct. 3.

Continuing its commitment to include the most iconic and premium road courses in North America, the first TUDOR Championship visit to Lime Rock Park will feature a race for the Prototype Challenge (PC) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes. 

“This is simply an outstanding and exciting schedule for sports car racing fans across North America,” said IMSA CEO Ed Bennett.

United SportsCar Championship at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (Photo: IMSA.com)

2015 calendar - United SportsCar Championship (USCC)
Date Event Classes
Jan. 24-25 - Daytona International Speedway (ALL)*
March 21 - Sebring International Raceway (ALL)*
April 18 - Long Beach Street Circuit (P/GTLM)
May 3 - Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (P/GTLM and PC/GTD)
May 30 - Detroit Belle Isle (P/GTD)
June 28 - Watkins Glen International (ALL)*
July 12 - Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (P/PC/GTLM)
July 25 - Lime Rock Park (PC/GTD)
Aug. 9 - Road America (ALL)
Aug. 23 - Virginia International Raceway (PC/GTLM/GTD)
Sept. 19 - Circuit of The Americas (ALL)
Oct. 3 - Road Atlanta (ALL)*
*North American Endurance Cup events

The Danish Queen Margrethe II presented Audi factory driver Tom Kristensen with the Order of the Dannebrog for his merits in sport in Copenhagen.

This means that the record winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been knighted.

Sir Tom Kristensen (Photo: Audi)

“I am very proud,” said Kristensen.

“It is a great honor to know that the Royal Family has been following my career and recognizes me as a sportsman and ambassador of Denmark.”

Kristensen, also known as "Monsieur Le Mans", has his nine victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and two drivers' titles, in the ALMS and WEC series, to his name.

General Motors failed to convince a Georgia judge to dismiss a revived lawsuit over the death of a 29-year-old woman that helped trigger the automaker's ignition-switch recall crisis.

Volkswagen is recalling 189,490 Tiguan small SUVs in North America for potential stalling issues.

The new-generation C-class sedan moves up in price, size and features because it's no longer the entry car into the Mercedes-Benz lineup.

Ford has agreed to license the blue oval to a Florida restaurant group that has begun opening a chain of Ford's Garage restaurants with a 1920's theme.

For Rick Case Fiat, Cynthia Toro-Azicri's rise was another coup in a long effort to attract young people to the sales floor and keep them motivated enough to stick around.

Toyota and Honda's Chinese ventures joined Mercedes-Benz and Audi in reducing prices of spare parts amid an antitrust investigation into the auto industry.

From press release

At first glance, a betting man might believe Jeff Gordon would be the popular pick to win this Sunday at Watkins Glen.

The current points leader holds the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series road course record with nine victories, including four at Watkins Glen. Gordon has already clinched a spot in the Chase and has everything to gain and nothing to lose by gunning for the checkered flag.

Or, has Gordon lost some of his road course mojo? He has not won on a road course since 2006 at Sonoma and his last Watkins Glen victory came in 2001.

Maybe a little of both. The No. 24 has taken second in his last two starts at the Sonoma, but Watkins Glen hasn't been very friendly to him. Gordon has posted just two top 10 finishes at Watkins Glen since his last win there.

Jeff Gordon practicing at the Glen (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Past years' performance may not be the best indicator for Gordon's chances on Sunday. He arguably has more momentum than any driver on the circuit following his victory at Indy and he led a race-high 63 laps in his sixth-place finish at Pocono last Sunday. Gordon also boasts eight top-10 finishes in his last 11 races.

One more advantage Gordon will have on his side: Experience. Sunday will mark Gordon's 22nd start at Watkins Glen, tying him with Terry Labonte, Mark Martin and Michael Waltrip for the most starts at the track.

From press release

Jeff Gordon, the all-time leader in laps led at Watkins Glen International, will start Sunday's race as the leader.

Gordon took home the pole during Saturday's qualifying, marking his 75th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole.

"I am so proud of this pole," Gordon said.

"Wow, what a lap. I'm so excited. Today is [son] Leo's birthday and I told him on the phone earlier that I was going to go try to get a pole for him, not realistically thinking that I had a shot at it, but we were going for it and we got it done.

Jeff Gordon, Watkins Glen International (Photo: Hendrick Motorsports)

"Happy birthday, buddy! I am pumped. This gives us a lot of confidence."

It is his 22nd consecutive season with a pole, which is an all-time record, and his third at Watkins Glen.

"The way that we've struggled here the last couple years, this has been one of our toughest tracks, so to start the weekend off with a pole - heck yeah," he said.

"We talk about real possibilities with Drive to End Hunger. After winning this pole, I truly realize anything is possible."

From press release

Race 1 of the F1600 Super Series finale, part of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières weekend, was full of high drama for points leader Tristan DeGrand and his closest rivals, Chase Pelletier and Olivier Bédard.

Pelletier snagged the pole position in a thrilling qualification session run on Thursday, making a bold statement that he was here for one thing only, to win.

DeGrand has been nothing short of perfect for most of the season and had a somewhat comfortable 100 point lead coming into the event. All he really needed to do was keep Pelletier and Bédard in close proximity and the Championship would be his. He will now have to race for it, and race hard.

The two top young drivers in the country lined up 1 and 2 on the starting grid. Bédard, the other key player in the championship battle would line up 6th.

As they stormed into turn 1 Pelletier assumed the lead and DeGrand looked content to follow. That changed quickly as they charged up the back straightaway.

Chase Pelletier (Photo: Formula1600.com)

Pelletier would move to the inside and protect his line for the tight left hander, DeGrand pulled alongside and attempted to out-brake Pelletier, sliding into the corner, getting his right rear tire on the dirty surface and before anyone knew what happened he was in the tire wall and his day was over.

The safety car was deployed and the field gathered back up, Pelletier unsure of what happened to DeGrand until he circulated around the next lap and he saw DeGrand standing beside his car.

On the restart 3 laps later Pelletier put his head down and gapped Michel Bonnet slightly but the wiley veteran, who won both races here last year, would get back to him and start to put on the pressure. Some lapped traffic came into play late in the race making it impossible for Bonnet to mount another charge.

At the checkered flag Pelletier would grab an emotional win. Bonnet finished 2nd and Bédard would finish 3rd, grabbing some much needed championship points. Didier Schraenen had a great race and crossed the line in 4th. Marc Antoine Cardin fought hard throughout the race and finished 5th.

The complexion of the series has changed significantly. DeGrand and Pelletier are now tied with 540 points each. Bédard sits in 3rd with 468, was very fast and will start up front as well. He could play a role in this. 

The starting grid for this afternoon's Race 2 will be set by fastest race 1 lap times. That puts Bédard in 2nd and Pelletier in 3rd. DeGrand will start at the back of the field in 24th.

From press release

F1 drivers Max Chilton and Giedo van der Garde will both be racing vintage cars, next month at Goodwood.

Chilton will become the first contemporary grand prix racer for nine years to contest the Goodwood Revival when he climbs behind the wheel of a 1965 Ford Mustang for the Shelby Cup, a one-off race being held to mark 60 years of the small-block V8 engine.

The Marussia driver will be sharing driving duties with Richard Dutton, boss of hugely-successful junior single-seater squad Fortec Motorsport.

Photo: Goodwood Revival

Van der Garde has signed up to race the RAC Tourist Trophy Celebration race, for closed cockpit cars from 1960 to '64.

His co-driver will be David Hart, a regular at the Revival who's often found at the sharp end of the grid. They are sharing an AC Cobra.

"You can't slide a modern Formula One car and still be fast," said the Sauber test driver. "But the Cobra was made to go sideways."

Furthermore, ‘Mr Bean' actor Rowan Atkinson, who has become a Goodwood regular in recent years, will race a 1964 Ford Falcon while former British Touring Car champions Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden will drive, respectively, a Studebaker Lark 500 and a Mustang.

From press release

Canadian James Hinchcliffe joins Starworks regular Scott Mayer for the return of the No. 78 HPD Riley at the Continental Tire ‘Road Race Showcase' at Road America this weekend for round 10 of the 2014 United SportsCar Championship (USCC).

Honda Performance Development (HPD) developed a new, 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged Daytona Prototype version of the production J35 engine for 2014, with the Daytona Prototype Honda Riley package making its debut at the Sebring 12 Hours with Starworks Motorsport, but with limited success.

"I'm really excited to be at Road America this weekend with Starworks and HPD," Hinchcliffe said.

"I don't have a ton of time in the DP cars, but I know Road America well and I'm sure, with a team like Starworks, they will get me up to speed quick.

"More than anything I'm just happy to be in a car on an off weekend!"

The IndyCar driver has known Starworks team owner Peter Baron since 2006, year the two met in Formula Atlantic.

"(James) has a fun personality and nature that should gel nicely with our team. Honda HPD is also equally excited as we are to see one of their IndyCar drivers with the program."

Two-time world champion Marcus Grönholm recently won a poll on WRC.com.

The 2000 and 2002 World rally champion topped the charts with 32% of the votes, beating four-time world champions Tommi Mäkkinen, Juha Kankkunen, who came second and third.

"Marcus has to have been one of the most committed drivers I have ever worked with," said Malcolm Wilson, who worked with Mäkkinen at Ford.

"He was exceptionally quick, but his biggest asset was his ‘never-give-up' attitude. He could have a mishap, but you knew he would be fully committed into the next stage, no matter what."

Grönholm started 152 WRC rallies in his career, and won 30 of them.

Results
1. Marcus Grönholm (32%)
2. Tommi Mäkinen (22%)
3. Juha Kankkunen (19%)
4. Mikko Hirvonen (13%)
5. Markku Alen (9%)
6. Hannu Mikkola (6%)

Former World Rally Champion, Petter Solberg captured victory at the round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship held at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres.

The weather was perfect with nice sunshine and almost-filled grandstands.

Things started well for the Canadian during the first qualifying heats with Villeneuve taking a win and Carpentier finishing third.

Both continued to do well, especially Carpentier who ran a strong 4th heat to secure a spot for the semi-finals.

Photos: Philippe Champoux

Villeneuve saw his engine cut during Heat 3, most probably as a consequence of a broken fuel tank. The former F1 World Champion did not run Heat 4.

“It's a very frustrating end to the weekend after we fought so hard in the opening two heats, to put us sixth. The fuel tank was ripped off over a jump, which has never happened before and although the team worked hard to try and repair the damage in between the heats, there just wasn't time,” said Villeneuve.

Meanwhile, Petter Solberg was putting on a fantastic show on the track. He won the first semi-final while Carpentier, also driving superbly, claimed second place in the other sem-final.

Solberg won the final ahead of Anton Marklund and Timur Timerzyanov. Carpentier, in his first experience in world rallycross, finished sixth.

“I can't explain how happy I am to have made it to the final,” beamed the French Canadian. “Before today my only aim was to reach the semis and to be in the final in front of such an amazing home crowd on my rallycross debut is more than I could ever have hoped for.”

From press release

Chase Pelletier arrived in Trois-Rivières trailing Tristan DeGrand by 100 points in the Super Series Championship. He needs a perfect weekend and some misfortune to strike the leader and to have any hope at grabbing the inaugural Super Series crown.

He paced practice and grabbed the pole position so he is most certainly doing his part.

In an incredibly exciting session the pace was set early by veteran competitor Michel Bonnet, last year's winner of both races. He only managed to make two laps in anger but his time was good enough to hang on to the top spot until very late in the session.

Bonnet made a slight mistake entering the Duplessis section of the course and barely touched the inside wall but the damage was significant enough that he would watch the rest of the session from the pit lane.

Chase Pelletier (Photo: Formula1600.com)

DeGrand and Pelletier moved past the fast time of Bonnet near the end of qualifying, trading top spot back and forth. In the end, Pelletier would post a time of 1:11.834 on lap 18 to DeGrand's 1:11.916, keeping his goal of mounting pressure on the young American and his dream of a Super Series Championship alive.

Michel Bonnet's time was still good enough for 3rd, where he will start ahead of veteran Didier Schraenen and Marc Cardin. Young Quebec hard-charger Olivier Bedard will start 6th with Sergio Pasian, Max Hanratty, Duncan Murdoch and Jayson Clunie rounding out the top 10.

In a change from most weekends both races will be run on the Saturday, adding to the pressure of having a good finish in the first race.  The green flag for Race 1 will drop at 10:00 am and Race 2 at 3:45 pm.

A group of well-known hackers and security professionals are trying to build better ties with the auto industry and to enlist their help in improving vehicle security, one of the hottest areas of cyber research.