Auto News 5

Porsche SE has warned shareholders it could be forced to return "economic benefits" from a failed takeover of Volkswagen if former board members are convicted.

Italian brake maker Brembo reported a 51 percent rise in third-quarter net profit, boosted by higher sales and better margins. The supplier now targets sales to grow about 14 percent to 15 percent this year, up from a previous goal of 13 percent.

Chevy's approach to its so-called Tier 2 advertising, under which regional dealer groups pool money to buy ads, is in something of a transition.

This past summer, Takata rehired a retired engineering executive to oversee its embattled quality-control operation -- an executive who is now at the center of a fresh controversy involving the company's disclosures about its defective airbags.

Auto dealers large and small will eliminate $800 million worth of print advertising from U.S. newspapers next year, according to a new industry forecast, accelerating their media rush onto the Internet.

VW has boosted production of its dual-clutch transmission at a second plant in China. The plant, in the northern city of Tianjin, will build up to 450,000 units of VW's so-called DSG gearbox annually, with output rising to 1.

From press release

Jeff Gordon is on his way to ending his 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season on a high note.

After powering his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger at 180.747 mph around Homestead-Miami Speedway, Gordon will start Sunday's race from the pole position.

This marks the first time in Gordon's career that he will lead the field to green at the 1.5-mile track.

Gordon also reached another milestone for Hendrick Motorsports, giving the organization its 200^th pole position.

Photo: Robert Laberge/NASCAR via Getty Images

"I'm really excited about that pole in our Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS," Gordon said. "I don't know if I've ever been on the pole here, number one and to be [pole number] 200 for Hendrick Motorsports is really cool."



Championship favorite Kevin Harvick will start fifth, with fellow contenders Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano eighth and ninth, respectively. Ryan Newman, the fourth driver eligible for the championship, failed to advance to the final round and will start 21^st.

From press release

José María López, Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb will be back next year to drive for Citroën Racing in the 2015 World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).

As a rookie team, Citroën clinched the manufacturers' title last year, and is set for a 1-2-3 in the drivers' standings, led by López, who won the championship earlier this season at Suzuka.

"Since we absolutely wanted to have them all back, and they didn't feel like going anywhere else, it was a pretty straightforward negotiation process," admits team boss Yves Matton.

"This year, López ran a perfect season and paved the way to a new generation of drivers. He will however have to defend his title now, against highly motivated opponents, starting with his own teammates," added Matton.

José María López, Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb (Photo: Citroën)

"Despite total commitment, Muller had a disappointing season but he can't wait for the clock to be reset. And Loeb, after scoring his first wins this year wants to improve."

Furthermore, in addition to the three official cars entered by Citroën, Sébastien Loeb Racing will run a pair of private C-Elysée, next year in the WTCC.

"Having made its mark of GT and prototype racing, it was time for SLR to step up to the next level, explains the team's eponymous founder Sébastien Loeb.

"It was not a hard decision to make. Since the addition of the new TC1 class, this championship has been attracting more and more interest. It's only good that SLR is part of it."

From press release

Canadian Nicholas Latifi finished seventh in the qualification race for this week-end's Macau Grand Prix.

Latifi started the race in ninth position but made good progress to claim seventh, which he then lost in a good battle with Jordan King.

Then, F1 rising star Max Verstappen crashed, bringing out the safety car. At the restart, Latifi was able to get seventh place back.

"I got through cleanly on the first lap and pretty much maintained my position," said Latifi. "The main thing was to get through cleanly.

Nicholas Latifi (Photo: Theodore Racing)

"The pace felt quite good at the beginning of the race, I think I just didn't have the speed on the straight compared to the others around me.

"I felt strong in the middle sector but I think I had maybe too much tyre degradation. The main thing was to not make mistakes, and seventh is a pretty good place to start tomorrow."

Esteban Ocon, the FIA Formula 3 European champion, lost one position away from the start and dropped to fifth. But the Frenchman then moved up to fourth by the race's end.

From WEC

Toyota celebrated both success in the FIA World Endurance Drivers' Championship and winning the 6 Hours of Bahrain race today.

After a difficult race that saw the No. 8 Toyota TS040 spend 16 laps in the garage to change an alternator, Anthony Davidson and Sebastien Buemi took the chequered flag in 11th overall to clinch the FIA World Endurance Driver's Championship.

The sister crew of Alex Wurz, Stephane Sarrazin and Mike Conway claimed their first race win of the 2014 season after a flawless performance in the day/night spectacular in the desert.

Despite not scoring, Buemi and Davidson clinched the title in Bahrain (Photo: WRI2)

Filling out the podium at Bahrain were both Porsche 919 Hybrid entries with the No. 14 car of Marc Lieb, Neel Jani and Romain Dumas just heading home the No. 20 entry of Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard.

Starting from pole, the No. 14 Porsche kept Sebastien Buemi at bay for several laps before losing out as the Toyota swept into the lead. However the pace of the two 919s were to be reckoned with throughout the race, with both cars leading during the 6 Hours of Bahrain. The German team were rewarded with their best result of the 2014 season.

The two Audi R18 e-tron quattros were 4th and 5th, with the No. 2 Audi of Fassler / Lotterer/ Treluyer finished one lap behind the winning Toyota and one lap ahead of the no1 R18 of Kristensen/ Di Grassi / Duval. The 22 championship points has kept Audi's slim world championship hopes alive for the final race in Brazil in two week's time.

From press release

Shell has welcomed 1981 world champion Ari Vatanen to the Wales Rally GB, Britain's round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), taking place this weekend (November 14-16 2014).

Hyundai Shell World Rally Team driver Thierry Neuville, together with his team-mate Nicolas Gilsoul and their Hyundai i20 WRC, joined with their illustrious predecessors for a unique photo opportunity before this year's Wales Rally GB got underway.

Finnish ace Vatanen has been reunited with his British co-driver Terry Harryman to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their victory on British soil in the iconic Peugeot 205 T16. In 1984 Vatanen's Peugeot team enjoyed a Technical Partnership with Shell to develop the small but mighty 205 T16 into the defining car of its era, winning both the Drivers' and Manufacturers' championships in 1985 and 1986.

In 2014 Shell has returned to the forefront of international rallying as Title Sponsor and Technical Partner of the Hyundai Shell World Rally Team, its Hyundai i20 WRC cars using Shell Helix Ultra motor oil and featuring Shell Helix branding. Wales Rally GB marks the end of the partnership's first season, which has seen the team amass four podium finishes so far - including a stunning 1-2 result at the Rally Germany in August.

As well as celebrating Shell's long history of technical partnership with some of the world's most successful competition teams, Ari Vatanen's presence on the 2014 Wales Rally GB will see his career celebrated as the first official ‘Rally Legend' of the event - what will become an annual award to the sport's greatest veterans.

“It goes without saying that it is an honour to be the first person to be selected as ‘Rally Legend',” Vatanen said. “It proves that the links I have with this event and this country are reciprocal. I have always been made to feel at home by British fans and I hope when we competed I always put on a good show.”

From WRC.com

Sébastien Ogier completed Saturday's opening loop of speed tests at Wales Rally GB with a comfortable lead in his Volkswagen Polo R WRC.

He completed the fan-friendly Chirk Castle parkland stage with a 1min 10.1sec advantage, the Frenchman relaxed after the pressure on his lead was removed in the morning's opening test when team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala slithered off the muddy gravel road and into a ditch.

"The battle with Jari-Matti was enjoyable and exciting. Now the gap is quite comfortable but in these conditions it's easy to make a mistake," said Ogier, whose speed was so measured that he set just one time in the top seven during the five stages.

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

Behind Ogier, there was a thrilling three-car fight for second. Mikko Hirvonen held the advantage in his Ford Fiesta RS after Latvala's crash, but Mads Ostberg put together a string of good times in his Citroen DS3 to move ahead of the Finn in Chirk Castle by 0.7sec.

Ostberg's hold on second place disappeared, though, as he picked up a 10-second penalty for checking in late at the start of SS12. Ostberg was delayed as he worked on an intercom problem in his Citroen DS3, but insisted he was on time.

From press release

Mathieu and Remy Audette's father François is getting back behind the wheel.

"Papa François", whose career in motorsports spans over five decades, confirmed he will be driving a Porsche Cayman, next year in the Super Touring class of the Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC).

"I'm never going to beat Mathieu and Remy," admits François Audette.

"I just want to have some fun racing with my boys, and improve my driving skills. I tried some lapping days at ICAR and Calabogie, but it was nothing like racing, I didn't like it.

"I'm a very competitive person, I like to race. So I thought, why not try it again?"

Over the past several seasons, brothers Mathieu and Remy Audette have made significant contributions to the record books of CTCC, both drivers being proven race winners and championship contenders.

A recall of Ford Ranger pickup trucks in the United States was expanded to include more flawed Takata airbags after a fatal accident in Malaysia exposed a defect that wasn't previously known.

VIA Motors, a fledgling retrofitter whose chairman is veteran auto executive Bob Lutz, says it has received EPA certification for a plug-in hybrid van. The company equips vans and trucks with plug-in hybrid powertrains and sells them to fleet buyers.

Hertz said today it will revise financial statements from 2011 through 2013 and continue a review that has found $87 million of errors so far.

Cadillac has chosen a space in New York for its new global headquarters, after coming under fire in September for its plan to move away from General Motors' Detroit headquarters, real estate companies for the automaker said Thursday.

Two more executives from Japanese auto suppliers have been indicted as part of the Justice Department's long-running investigation into price-fixing in the auto parts industry, the government said today.

Hyundai Motor America marketing chief Steve Shannon, the General Motors veteran who joined Hyundai in 2011 to help the Korean brand continue its ascendance in the United States market, has parted ways with the company.

News 14 Nov, 2014

Former F1 star Mark Webber suggests F1 drivers should move into World Endurance Championship