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From the press release

The MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 Team is delighted to announce the appointment of Pascal Wehrlein to the position of reserve driver.

After a successful early career in go-karts, Wehrlein (19, Sigmaringen, Germany) won the 2011 ADAC Formel Masters before graduating to Formula 3 in 2012. In his maiden season, he secured second place in the F3 Euroseries championship and claimed the title of best rookie.

For 2013, DTM with Mercedes-Benz beckoned and 18-year-old Wehrlein became the youngest driver in series history, continuing the long-standing Mercedes-Benz tradition of developing young driver talent.

Yesterday at the Lausitzring, he took a commanding debut victory from pole position, leading every lap but one in wet-dry conditions on his way to becoming the youngest race winner in DTM history at just 19 years of age.

In addition to his DTM duties, Wehrlein has played an integral role in the Formula 1 team's race support operations during the 2014 season.

In total, he has completed more than 30 days in the simulator this season, covering over 12,000 km in the virtual F1 W05 Hybrid.

Pascal Wehrlein, Mercedes AMG F1 (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

Pascal reached another important milestone in his career development last Thursday 11 September, when he drove a Formula One car for the first time at the Autodromo Internacional Algarve in Portimao.

As part of a Young Driver Evaluation test conducted by the team, Wehrlein took the wheel of the team's 2012 challenger, the F1 W03. Running a programme designed to familiarise him with the car, Pascal achieved a total of 500 km on the day, completing 109 laps and impressing the team with his progress and feedback.

Wehrlein will travel with the team from the Singapore Grand Prix onwards as part of his reserve driver duties.

From GMM

Ferrari's management revolution will have no impact on the driver lineup, new president Sergio Marchionne insists.

With Stefano Domenicali, Luca Marmorini and now long-time president Luca di Montezemolo all falling victim to the fabled team's poor performance in 2014, it has been suggested the turmoil at Ferrari might also affect the drivers.

Fernando Alonso has been linked with a big-money move to McLaren-Honda, and the period of upheaval - coinciding with the shock death of his sponsor Santander - may now be the final straw for the increasingly impatient Spaniard.

"(Marco) Mattiacci has to find a way to convince Fernando Alonso to stay," said former F1 driver turned BBC pundit Allan McNish.

"Just imagine how they would look if he (Alonso) cannot be convinced that Ferrari will sort themselves out," he added.

Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, at Spa-Francorchamps. (Photo: WRi2)

But Marchionne, who doubles as the chief of the Ferrari parent Fiat-Chrysler, insisted that is not going to happen.

"They (Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen) will continue with us, because they are two very strong drivers at the heart of our project -- two world champions. We just have to give them a car to match their talent and they will be at the top again, no doubt," Marchionne is quoted by Spain's El Mundo Deportivo.

According to Speed Week, he has pledged to "give to Ferrari whatever is needed" in the financial stakes, which may help to convince Alonso to resist the Honda lure and stay on board.

Indeed, Raikkonen's manager Steve Robertson confirmed that despite the shakeups at Ferrari, the Finn is committed to the Maranello based team.

"Kimi's contract is with the Ferrari racing team, not di Montezemolo," he told the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat.

Sometimes, once is not enough. Often times, I don't get a second round with a new car shortly after I attend a short-lead event. This was one of the times where once around was not enough. I therefore took the time for a second round with one of my all-time beloved cars: The Subaru WRX STI.

The Subaru Impreza has been one of my favourite cars for more than 20 years since it hit our shores. The 2.5RS was magnificent, but it was the WRX that broadsided my heart and soul when we finally go it in 2001 as a 2002MY rallye-bred compact supercar. You can thus imagine what the STI did to my poor, frail body.


The first round
I first met the all-new 2015 Subaru WRX and WRX STI in warm and beautiful Southern California.

The event was punctuated with the necessary romps through the hills north of Santa Barbara, CA on our way to Buttonwillow Raceway Park where the car displayed impressive civility, something that was in short supply in the previous car.

My track time was brief but enlightening as we were given the opportunity to take 2014 Rexs for some laps as a good measure for comparison. The new STI is race-bred now, as opposed to street-prepared.

The real first round was way back in 2001 when I first test drove a 2002 WRX. Suffice it to say that it rocked my world to such an extent that I finally bought my own used WRX 10 years later. The 2015 STI sufficiently knocked my socks off, and I'm likely to buy a gently beaten one in 2024.

The second round
In a far more urban setting, the ol' day-to-day grudge match is where I put the 2015 WRX STI through its paces, as though I'd bought a new one for myself. I would have mashed the car around the local track, but Subaru preferred I leave as much rubber on the tires and paint on the body panels, where it belongs.

Thus, I drove the STI as though I'd stol... it was my father-in-law's and had to be reasonable at its helm.



The cockpit
The STI's cabin is quite functional and a far better place to be in control of the road rocket than it once was. Stripped of its flat-bottom steering wheel, red bolstered seats, cross-drilled pedals and various faux-carbon fibre accents, the STI's inside is identical to that of the current Impreza, launched in 2012.

The previous WRX and STI's passenger quarters were something that the occupants essentially wished to forget, whereas this time it's nice and well put together. The seats are excellent, in and for every position.

The only highly negative aspect here is the car's Bluetooth system. It is absolute crap. Sadly, although the audio system is improved, it's still all a little subpar.

The "why" you buy the STI
If you're shopping an STI, you're either looking to go real fast wherever you go or to put on shows for your teenage neighbours. I'm going to assume that y'all are from the former group because it would be a complete waste to not push an STI to the brink of its limits once in a while. Although, if you are from the latter group, email me now and I'll buy the car from you in a decade.

In all seriousness, the 2015 Subaru WRX STI is a serious car for serious use in seriously challenging conditions. Be it on the track, in traffic or, -- and I can't wait -- 40cm of fresh snow. The STI can tackle it all.

Much easier to manage and drive than you imagine, the STI plays nice when there are kids around, street lights, and bloody cops. Taking the car out of the urban setting allows the driver to stretch the car's legs.

Power
Finding the perfect country road, ideally on the way to your local track, is the best way to begin to appreciate what Subaru's team of go-faster-obsessed engineers have squeezed into the compact supercar.

The STI's 305 horsepower turbocharged 2.5L flat-4 is largely unchanged from the 2014 model. It is powerful and loves to rumble, although not quite as much as it once did. Subaru dialled in some new throttle programming and tweaked a few other electronic gizmos to make the STI's 290 lb-ft of torque feel more immediately available, sooner than the specified 4,000 rpm.

Throttle response and a pleasantly positive and the short-throw shifter make heel-toeing easy and effortless. Shifting through all 6 gears is pure constant bliss and praise Subaru for not (EVER) offering a CVT on this car. I'll tolerate a dual-clutch 'box, but nothing more.

Handling
The 2015 WRX STI is right quick, as it will reach 100km/h in less than 5 seconds if you can drop the clutch between 4,000 and 5,000 rpm without cringing. All that power is supervised beautifully by the STI's impressive chassis that optimizes rubber and tarmac contact at all times -- that is unless all four wheels are off the ground...

The symmetrical AWD system combined with Subaru's SI-DRIVE is but one item that makes the STI so incredibly competent on a track. Torque Vectoring adds a layer that can be appreciated even on the average on-ramp.

Poised and planted, the level of adherence and grip (both mechanical and electronic) push the driver to push on hard, and harder still.

Options?
There are two, kind of.

I'm a ginormous fan of the VW Golf R and the Mitsubishi EVO X but the Vdub's not here yet and the EVO's going away.

In the end, there's something so juvenile about the STI (as opposed to grown-up about the R) that draws me to the Subie. Damn, I get excited every time I see one on the road, as though I was an 11-year-old girl spotting Bieber at the shopping mall.

Want.

News 14 Sep, 2014

New seven-seat 2014 Ford S-MAX revealed ahead of Paris Motor Show debut

Citroen's DS brand is hinting at its future styling with the Divine concept car that will debut at next month's Paris auto show.

Opel and Vauxhall's harmonious relationship was tested recently by the naming of their new minicar. Vauxhall fought against using a name that just wouldn't work in Britain -- and won.

Hyundai hopes that a sporty three-door coupe version of its i20 will give it a boost in Europe's key subcompact segment, where the automaker's current-generation offerings have lagged behind competitors.

UK car retailer Pendragon has topped Automotive News Europe's 2014 Guide to Europe's Biggest Dealers for the second consecutive year. The list ranks independent European dealer groups by 2013 revenue using data from auto retail analyst ICDP.

Volkswagen, which has Europe's biggest company-owned dealership network, aims, along with other carmakers, to reduce the number of its wholly owned retail outlets.

The EPA's stricter Tier 3 emissions standards that take effect in 2017. To meet the standards in the early years, automakers will adopt well-known technology to increase engine efficiency. Then the hard work starts.

Opel and Vauxhall's harmonious relationship was tested recently by the naming of their new minicar. Vauxhall fought against using a name that just wouldn't work in Britain -- and won.

Information gathered by vehicle telematics systems is garnering increased attention from lawyers who see the data as a puzzle piece in building court cases.

After missing round four of the season to compete in the Belgian Grand Prix, German Andre Lotterer was back in action in the Japanese Super Formula series.

Lotterer, who was lent to Caterham by Petronas Team Tom's for a week-end in F1, clinched his second victory of the season this Sunday in Autopolis.

The win moved him within 2.5 points of championship leader Joao Paulo Lima de Oliveira.

Andre Lotterer (Photo: Super Formula series)

Lotterer, also a three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner with Audi, is very popular in Japan, where he has been racing since 2003.

Over the course of his career there, he has won the Super GT championship twice and the Super Formula series once.

This year, he races against many familiar faces, including Audi teammate Loic Duval and former F1 drivers Kazuki Nakajima, James Rossiter, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Narain Karthikeyan.

From NASCAR.com

Richard Petty Motorsports officials have announced that driver Marcos Ambrose will not return as driver of the team's No. 9 Ford in 2015.

Ambrose, a native of Launceston, Tasmania and a two-time winner in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, is proud of what he achieved in his career, but says it's now time to move on because he is not competitive enough.

"I came from a country that doesn't have any asphalt oval racing at all so I feel like I have achieved a lot and am really satisfied," Ambrose said following Saturday's first practice at Chicagoland Speedway.

"I've always said that if I felt like I had flattened ... my learning curve or success, that I was only in the U.S. to win and if I wasn't able to contend like I want to, then I need to look at my situation and that has been the case.

"It has been a tough couple of years on the race track for me and the personal situation is clear and I just think the timing is right to go home."

Photo: MarcosAmbrose.com

A former Australian V8 Supercar champion, Ambrose began his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in 2008, making starts for Wood Brothers Racing, JTG Daugherty Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing.

He spent the 2009-10 seasons with JTG Daugherty before making the move to Richard Petty Motorsports in 2011.

Considered among the most talented road racers in NASCAR, Ambrose scored both his Sprint Cup wins at Watkins Glen.

In addition to 18 career top-five finishes, 44 top-10s and three poles, Ambrose won five times in NASCAR's Nationwide Series, four at the Glen and once at Montreal.

RPM officials say they are currently evaluating their driver options for 2015 and beyond.

From press release

Reigning WRC champion Sebastien Ogier led an all-Volkswagen podium Sunday in Australia to seal the manufacturers' title.

The Frenchman held off Jari-Matti Latvala in a tense final leg to win the three-day gravel event in New South Wales by 6.8sec in a Polo R. Andreas Mikkelsen completed the podium lockout in third, a further 1min 11.2sec behind.

Sebastien Ogier, VW Polo R WRC (Photo: WRI2)

Ogier's 22nd career win, and his sixth of the season, moved him closer to a second consecutive drivers' title. He leads Latvala by 50 points with three rounds remaining and could secure the crown at his home rally next month.

The manufacturers' title has not been decided so early in the season since 1989.

"Jari-Matti was strong but today I knew that without mistakes I would be OK," said Ogier.

"I tried to stay concentrated, pushing when it was clean and being more cautious in the tricky parts. It wasn't a big winning margin but enough to win the rally and another crucial step towards winning the title,” he said.

Andreas Mikkelsen, VW Polo R WRC (Photo: WRI2)

Nicolas Prost said he was sorry for causing the spectacular crash that ended both his race and Nick Heidfeld's in the very last corner of the first ever Formula E race, Saturday in Beijing.

Heidfeld got alongside Prost going in the the left-hander, but Prost decided to shut the door. This sent Heidfeld in a spin.

Out of control, the German's car clipped the curbing and took off, only to land after almost two full barrel rolls.

The former F1 driver was luckily not injured.

"I had kept a lot of energy while still racing hard," Heidfeld is quoted saying by Auto Hebdo magazine.

"I got alongside Nico in the last corner and then I couldn't do anything."

At first, Prost refused to take responsibility for the crash. But upon watching the replays, he changed his mind.



"I feel really bad for causing this accident," he said. "I've realized that I was responsible for all this after watching the videos. I simply did not see him.

"The most important thing is that my friend Nick Heidfeld is alright. I'm really sorry Nick. You know I would never do something like that."

Heifeld, who is Prost's teammate at Rebellion Racing in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), accepted the Frenchman's apologies.

From press release

Ottawa, ON's Zacharie Robichon won today's prestigious Can Am Cup by mere inches over series points leader Tristan DeGrand, of Eureka, MO. The two young drivers matched wits lap after lap in an incredible display of skill and courage, crossing the finish line almost side by side.

DeGrand led the field to the green and held off the advance of outside pole sitter Chase Pelletier. Further back, B Class racer Amy Castell had a malfunction in the braking zone for corner 1, clobbering the outside wall and bringing out the full course caution.

The safety crew did an outstanding job removing her car and the field was back to green after only 3 laps behind the safety car.

On the restart DeGrand assumed the lead again and the fighting was fierce immediately behind him. Robichon would get clear of the fight for 2nd and set his sights on DeGrand, a full 5 car lengths ahead at this point.

The track started out wet, but a dry line developed quickly, playing in Robichon's favour as he committed to the dry line just a few laps before DeGrand and got right on his gearbox. For the next 5 laps the two managed lapped traffic to perfection and put on a clinic.

Coming into the last corner, DeGrand took a defensive line while Robichon swung to the outside and crossed underneath setting the stage for a drag race down the front straightaway.

At the line it was Robichon by inches. DeGrand was 2nd and Pelletier crossed the line 3rd after a race long battle with Steve Bamford. Jeffrey Kingsley would round out the top 5.

“That was an incredibly satisfying win,” said a jubilant Robichon.

Zacharie Robichon (Photo: Toyo Tires F1600 Championship Series)

“DeGrand and I had an amazing race, we were side by side almost everywhere but it was clean. He never gave me more than an inch but I knew he was going to protect on the inside of corner 10, you have to, but there was a little puddle there and as we drag raced out of that corner I got just enough of an advantage to grab the win.

“We talked right after and he thought he won, I thought I did, but I don't think either of us was sure.”

The B Class fight was won by Graham Lobban after an impressive drive battling with the front running A Class cars. Stephen Adams had a solid run in 2nd place over the hard charging Steve Bodrug. David Graham and points leader Connor Wagland would round out the top 5.

With Castell having misfortune on the first lap of the race Connor Wagland has clinched the Championship in his 2nd season of competiton.

Up next is the Series finale, Sunday where the series will crown the A Class Champion.

Brazilian race car driver Lucas di Grassi won the inaugural event of the all-electric Formula E championship, Saturday in Beijing, and rates the victory as one of the "greatest on-track moments" of his career.

His involvment in the development of the series made it all even sweeter for the Team ABT Sportsline driver.

"This victory means a lot to me and takes one of the top spots on the list of my greatest on-track moments," he said.

"I was involved in the development of Formula E from the very beginning and intensively prepared for this weekend in the past months with my Team ABT Sportsline."

Start of the race in Beijing (Photo: WRI2)

Di Grassi also pointed out that this first Formula E race revealed an interesting recipe, which should prove popular as the series grows.

"In Formula E, we only have a limited amount of energy available that we have to manage well," he added.

"In addition, there's the strong competition by international top-flight teams and drivers more than ten of whom have Formula 1 experience.

"Plus, we're racing on street circuits in the middle of cities and our practice, qualifying sessions and the races are all held within the space of just a few hours, which leaves only little time to get used to the track."

The second race of the season will be held November 22nd, in Putrajaya, Malaysia.

From press release

The young guns are firmly in control of the DTM: while 19-year-old Pascal Wehrlein (Mercedes-Benz) celebrated his maiden race win at the Lausitzring, BMW driver Marco Wittmann crowned himself with an early title win in the most popular international touring car series.

“This is sensational, simply unbelievable. It was a difficult race, I had to keep myself out of all the battles. In the end, that was the key to winning the title. I first have to deal with all the emotions,” a visibly moved Wittmann commented.

(Photo: DTM.com)

For the 24-year-old, sixth place in the race with his BMW M4 DTM was enough for an early decision in the battle for the title after eight of ten season rounds.

At the start of the race, Wehrlein converted his first-ever DTM pole position into the race lead. The 19-year-old German went on to continuously extend his lead. The youngster had a heart-stopping moment on lap 16 when he slid off the track while in the lead.

However, Wehrlein remained unfazed and drove victory home.

Pascal Wehrlein (Photo: DTM.com)

“A great success for me and for the team. Today, our strategy was exactly spot-on. Thanks to the entire team that enabled me to score this win,” the Mercedes-Benz driver enthused.

Mattias Ekström, who could have prevented Wittmann from his early title win, had a race to forget. After a poor start, the Swede slid into the gravel trap on lap three and dropped back well down the order.

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

On lap 27, the two times' champion had to park his Audi RS 5 DTM altogether after a wheel had come off the car.

“One shouldn't blame my crew. Normally, they are doing a perfect job,” the 36-year-old said.

Marco Wittmann (Photo: DTM.com)

Race results* - Lausitzring (round 8 of 10)
1 - Pascal Wehrlein (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 52 laps 1.15'47"314
2 - Christian Vietoris (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 15"418
3 - Timo Scheider (Audi RS5) - Phoenix - 15"681
4 - Daniel Juncadella (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 18"024
5 - Robert Wickens (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 32"677
6 - Marco Wittmann (BMW M4) - RMG - 48"435
7 - Augusto Farfus (BMW M4) - RBM - 1'02"380
8 - Martin Tomczyk (BMW M4) - Schnitzer - 1'07"705
9 - Miguel Molina (Audi RS5) - Abt - 1'08"719
10 - Mike Rockenfeller (Audi RS5) - Phoenix - 1'13"480
11 - Joey Hand (BMW M4) - RBM - 1'14"734
12 - Vitaly Petrov (Mercedes C-Coupe) - Mucke - 1'19"199
13 - Gary Paffett (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1 lap
14 - Maxime Martin (BMW M4) - RMG - 1 lap
15 - Bruno Spengler (BMW M4) - Schnitzer - 2 laps
16 - Edoardo Mortara (Audi RS5) - Abt - 2 laps

Fastest lap of the race: 1'19"782 by Timo Scheider

Lausitzring (Photo: DTM.com)

Retirements
Jamie Green
Adrien Tambay
Paul di Resta
Mattias Ekstrom
Timo Glock
Nico Muller
Antonio Felix Da Costa

Championship standings
1.Wittmann 128; 2.Vietoris 59; 3.Ekstrom, Mortara 56; 5.Rockenfeller 54; 6.Spengler 42; 7.Wehrlein 40; 8.Martin, Farfus 39; 10.Wickens 37.

*Unofficial results

ZF Friedrichshafen is nearing a sale of its steering business as part of its proposed acquisition of TRW Automotive to resolve expected antitrust issues, a German newspaper reported.