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As a design leader, Peter Horbury has always been the outsider with great insight, the foreigner able to identify style motifs native to a particular country and put them to good use.

The next-generation 2016 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid will use a 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine as its range extender, General Motors said today.

The Guardian reports Tuesday that Formula 1 is facing serious crisis with two teams in administration and at least three others losing millions of dollars.

As just nine F1 teams are traveling to Austin, Texas Mario Andretti, the official ambassador for the race in Austin, and Bobby Epstein, the co-founder of the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), say that F1 needs to “loosen up a bit” and “make the sport about personalities”.

Andretti and Epstein both claim that Bernie Ecclestone - the commercial right owner of F1 - does not understand how to sell his sport to Americans who want a closer relationship between drivers and fans as well as greater use of social media.

“Formula 1 should loosen up a bit. I think they've gone slightly overboard with the technical side of the engine,” Andretti told the Guardian.

“I would love to see a team invite a third car for a special event. For the US Grand Prix, say, Mercedes could invite a third car, having groomed some well-known American driver in testing, to take part as a guest competitor. Can you imagine what that would do for the promotion of the event? Every newspaper in the country would write about it,” the 1978 F1 World Champion added.

Lewis Hamilton, winner of the inaugural US Grand Prix at Austin, in 2012, with McLaren. (Photo: WRi2)

“F1 has got to make the sport about personalities. That's what NASCAR does very well. F1 can learn a lot from NASCAR, from Hollywood. People connect with people. They don't connect with metal. I would encourage the teams to make a priority the accessibility that the fans have to the drivers,” Epstein declared.

“Look at Lewis Hamilton. F1 should get him out there as much as they can, because he's a great driver and a very good ambassador. The more Mercedes let him step out and be himself, the better. He's an incredibly marketable guy. F1 could look at the model of [US] PGA golfers, who have got really close to their fans,” the American added.

Adapted from GMM

Because F1 has shed almost 20 per cent of its grid in the space of mere weeks, the FIA looks set to tweak the knockout qualifying format for Austin and Brazil.

"It is thought that the FIA ... will have to reorder the three-session qualifying because of there not being enough cars - just 17 with (Sebastian) Vettel missing - to go through the usual knockout sequence," said Kevin Eason, the correspondent for the Times newspaper.

Red Bull's Vettel is expected to sit out qualifying as he takes a penalty for using his unscheduled sixth Renault engine of the 2014 season.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing. (Photo: WRi2)

From ROC

Newly-crowned FIA World Touring Car Champion Jose Maria ‘Pechito' Lopez has signed up to compete at the 2014 Race Of Champions, to be held at the Bushy Park Circuit in Barbados on December 13-14.

Lopez sealed the WTCC title with a dominant win in the first race at Japan's Suzuka circuit on Sunday. The result rounds off a dazzling year for the Argentine driver, who thus won the championship with three races to spare.

With a total of nine victories in 2014, that means he has prevailed over his world-famous Citroën teammates Yvan Muller and Sebastien Loeb, both Race Of Champions veterans.

Jose Maria Lopez, WTCC Champion 2014. (Photo: Race of Champions)

Lopez will be part of a ROC line-up featuring stars from all over the world: nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen, Romain Grosjean, Susie Wolff, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Kurt Busch, Jamie Whincup and Petter Solberg are already confirmed.

The rest of the ROC 2014 field will be announced in the run-up to December's event.

Details about the 2015 Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres have been released Tuesday during a press conference.

Organisers announced the return of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and of the FIA World Rallycross Championship for its 2015 edition.

And to make sure that all GP3R fans can enjoy both series fully and completely, they will be held on separate weekends, respectively from July 31st to August 2nd and on August 7th and 8th.

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and all the others road racing series such as the NASCAR Whelan Autodrome St-Eustache Sportsman Series and the Formula Tour 1600 will be run from July 31st to August 2nd.

Patrick Carpentier, VW Polo (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Then, on Friday August 7th and Saturday August 8th, the GP3R will host the SuperCars of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, the RXLites as part of the second Canadian Intercontinental Cup, the brand-new-for-2015 SXSX Rallycross Challenge for side-by-side vehicles and a soon-to-be-announced drift competition.

Bringing the GP3R on two weekends for the first time ever was done with the important objective of limiting the impact on the citizens of Trois-Rivieres to a strict minimum. With the rallycross and drift competitions entirely enclosed on the grounds of the Exhibition Parc, the de Calonne and Papineau streets as well as the Boulevard du Carmel will be open for regular road traffic more than a week earlier than in 2014.

With the return of the FIA WorldRX Championship and the RXLites series, the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières will innovate by adding the SXSX (Side-by-Side Cross) Challenge, a new rallycross series for side-by-side vehicles, which will use the same GP3R rallycross circuit.

After the success of the presence of Vaughn Gittin Jr and his drift demos in 2014, it was natural to bring more of this sport to the GP3R fans. An official drift competition will be held during the rallycross weekend with more information on this will be released shortly.

The tickets for both weekends of activities of the GP3R are now on sale at www.gp3r.com.

The beautiful but gruelling Circuit of the Americas, located near Austin, Texas will be the scene of the United States Formula Grand Prix this weekend.

Engineers at Renault Sport F1 detail here the several challenges of the 5.513km road course.

Altitude is an important consideration in Austin as the track rises and falls as it follows the contours of the landscape. This change of gradient means engine speeds and turbo rotation vary over the course of the lap, and settings must be constantly adjusted to give optimal performance.

The low ambient humidity of the Texan grasslands has a big effect on the Power Units. The air will contain more oxygen and the ICE will generate more power, but the aridity is very taxing on the internals. We will watch ignition timing very closely.


Austin can be quite chilly in November, which will increase fuel consumption over one lap. When this factor is added to the stop start character of the last sector, it makes the consumption per kilometre one of the highest of the season. The energy recovery systems will have ample chance to recharge the battery, however, so we will be able to manage the race on the 100kg permitted.

The back straight is 1,016m and the car will be at full throttle for almost 20 seconds. It will also spend over two seconds at maximum velocity at the end of the straight. The driver will brake heavily at the end of the straight for the hairpin so rear-end stability and stability under braking will be crucial.

Just under 60% of the lap is taken at wide open throttle, rising to over 60% in qualifying. After Spa, Monza and Suzuka, it's the fourth ‘power' track of the second part of the season. The average speed will be a touch under 200 km/h with top speed peaking at over 320 km/h.

From press release

Haas F1 Team has made a key hire in its executive ranks, naming Adam Jacobs chief marketing officer.

Jacobs will lead brand strategy and partnership development for Haas F1 Team, which will make its debut in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in 2016, becoming the first American-led F1 team in 30 years.

Jacobs comes to Haas F1 Team from Anheuser-Busch where he was the sports marketing manager for the company's Budweiser brand in NASCAR and the Bud Light brand in the NFL and college sports.

“Adam came highly recommended to Haas F1 Team and he brings a wealth of sports marketing experience to our organization,” said Joe Custer, chief operating officer, Haas F1 Team. “The projects Adam has overseen are global in scope, involving numerous partners and constituencies. He's built great relationships during his career and we're proud to have him at Haas F1 Team.”

Haas F1 Team is currently preparing for its on-track debut in 2016. Haas Automation, Inc., the CNC machine tool builder Haas F1 Team chairman Gene Haas founded in 1983, will serve as the team's primary sponsor. However, Jacobs is positioning the team to partner with other high-profile brands that desire to reach a global audience.

From nascar.com

Kyle Busch has plenty of experience behind the wheel of fast machines -- notably his cars in the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series as well as his truck in the Camping World Truck Series.

On Monday, Busch tried his hand behind the wheel of different speed machine, the Miss GEICO Superboat.

Homestead-Miami Speedway teamed up with the Miss GEICO Superboat team to teach Busch how to pilot one of the fastest boats in the world.

Photo: Homestead-Miami Speedway

While behind the wheel of the (very fast) vessel, Busch hit speeds of nearly 150 miles per hour in the waters of the Biscayne Bay in Miami.

Busch drove with Miss GEICO Superboat throttleman Scott Begovich, an eight-time world champion.

"This is great. This thing drives nice," Kyle Busch said in a track release. "This turning right thing is a little out of the ordinary, but I could do this."

Kyle Busch. (Photo: Homestead-Miami Speedway)

Mexico will return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2015 after a 23-year absence, and the race organisers have posted this promotional video of the event.

The Hermanos Rodriguez road course is currently being revamped under the guidance of Hermann Tilke, Bernie Ecclestone's right-hand man. The general layout of the track will remain unchanged.

The video shows what the circuit will look like when all the work will be finished.

Toyota Racing did not explain why French driver Nicolas Lapierre did not compete in the 6 Hours of Fuji, round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Today, Tuesday, Toyota Racing mentions in its press release “Nicolas Lapierre will again be absent” in the No. 8 Toyota TS040 Hybrid as the series heads towards Shanghai, China.

On his Twitter account, Lapierre wrote that he would not be back with Toyota Racing this season.

“I have to accept it”, he wrote.

Our colleagues at endurance-info.com wonder it this is some sort of punishment for Lapierre who went off the track twice this year at Le Mans and Austin (in torrential rain we must add).

It is not clear at this point if Lapierre will be back with Toyota Racing nest season. He may choose to join Nissan, as the Japanese constructor will need the help of vastly experienced drivers to develop its maiden LMP1 car.

The Toyota TS040 #8 at circuit Paul-Ricard. (Photo: Toyota Racing)

From GMM

Nico Rosberg is convinced he is still in the running for the 2014 title.

The German, once the runaway championship leader, has fallen 17 points behind with just three races to go off the back of teammate Lewis Hamilton's run of dominant form.

"It's difficult for Nico now," team chairman and F1 legend Niki Lauda was quoted on Tuesday by the German news agency SID, "as Lewis is currently at his very best."

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W05. (Photo: WRi2)

Even the fans agree. In a survey by the news agency, only 22 per cent believe Rosberg can track down Hamilton's lead and go on to win the drivers' title by the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi.

However, the highly controversial new 'double points' finale could work in the 29-year-old's favour, as the winner in Abu Dhabi next month will bank 50 rather than the usual 25 points.

"I love this rule," Nico Rosberg reportedly grinned on Tuesday.

On the other hand, he insisted: "I know I can win every race, so my tactics are not really changing.

"I won't give up on the championship until the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi," Rosberg added.

Following a three-week break, the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship bursts back into action this weekend in Austin, Texas.

The Circuit of the Americas has received universal praise since it made its Formula 1 debut in 2012. Its taxing 5.513km layout is a fascinating test of man and machine, and the atmosphere has been electric at the two grands prix staged at the circuit to date.

The track is situated on an 890-acre site, just a few miles southeast of Austin. It's the first purpose-built F1 track in North America, although it's the 10th different venue to stage an F1 race in the country and the second in the state of Texas, following a one-off street race in Dallas in 1984.

Here is the complete timetable of the event*:

Thursday October 30
Formula 1 Press Conference - Press Room 11:00

Friday October 31
Formula 1 Practice 1 10:00 - 11:30
Ferrari Challenge First Practice Session 12:00 - 12:30
Formula 1 Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk 12:35 - 13:45
Formula 1 Practice 2 14:00 - 15:30
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Practice Session 16:00 - 16:45
Formula 1 Press Conference - Press Room 16:00 - 17:00
Ferrari Challenge Qualifying 17:15 - 17:45

Saturday November 1st
Formula 1 Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk 08:15 - 09:45
Formula 1 Team Pit Stop Practice 09:00 - 09:30
Formula 1 Practice 3 10:00 - 11:00
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Qualifying 11:30 - 12:00
Formula 1 Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk 12:05 - 12:40
Formula 1 Qualifying 13:00
Ferrari Challenge First Race (10 Laps or 25 Mins) 15:00 - 15:30
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup First Race (14 Laps or 30 Mins) 16:00 - 16:35

Sunday November 2nd
Ferrari Challenge Second Race (10 Laps or 25 Mins) 10:30 - 11:00
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Second Race (14 Laps or 30 Mins) 11:30 - 12:05
Formula 1 Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk 12:10 - 13:15
Formula 1 Formula 1 Drivers Parade 12:30
Formula 1 Starting Grid Presentation 12:45 - 13:15
Formula 1 National Anthem 13:46
Formula 1 Race 14:00

*Please be advised that this timetable is subject to change.

From GMM

Sahara Force India has avoided becoming the next formula one team to drop out of this weekend's US grand prix.

Now in administration, backmarkers Caterham and Marussia will miss not only Austin but also the penultimate round of the 2014 world championship a week later in Brazil.

Reports said the Silverstone based team needed to make an urgent engine payment to supplier Mercedes on Monday or risk joining Caterham and Marussia on the sidelines in Austin.

But Germany's Auto Motor und Sport now reports that Sahara Force India has "removed its neck from the noose" by paying the final engine instalment to the German marque.

Sahara Force India VJM07-Mercedes. (Photo: WRi2)

It means the team remains in the battle to catch McLaren for fifth in the constructors' world championship.

According to Auto Motor und Sport, the fifth-placed team will receive $62 million in official prize money from Bernie Ecclestone, rather than $59m for sixth.

Adapted from GMM

Because F1 has shed almost 20 per cent of its grid in the space of mere weeks, the FIA looks set to tweak the knockout qualifying format for Austin and Brazil.

"It is thought that the FIA ... will have to reorder the three-session qualifying because of there not being enough cars - just 17 with (Sebastian) Vettel missing - to go through the usual knockout sequence," said Kevin Eason, the correspondent for the Times newspaper.

Red Bull's Vettel is expected to sit out qualifying as he takes a penalty for using his unscheduled sixth Renault engine of the 2014 season.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

Marcus Ericsson's manager says he is in talks with three alternative teams after Caterham ran off track.

With the Leafield based team in administration and set to miss the forthcoming Austin-Brazil double header, Swedish rookie Ericsson's teammate Kamui Kobayashi admitted he is not sure the green team will be back in action for the Abu Dhabi finale next month.

"For the moment we don't know about Abu Dhabi. Maybe we can (race), we'll have to see within the next two or three weeks. I'm just waiting for the answer," the Japanese told his fans in a video message posted on Facebook.

"At the same time I need to use this time to try to stay in formula one," Kobayashi added.

Of Caterham's 2014 race drivers, 28-year-old Kobayashi's situation appears the most grim, as Ericsson is believed to carry around $18 million per year in personal sponsorship backing.

Departed team boss Manfredi Ravetto revealed recently he had already opened talks with Ericsson's management "and to his financial backers" about the 2015 season.

Marcus Ericsson, Caterham, at Sochi, Russia. (Photo: Caterham F1 Team)

But according to Ericsson's manager Eje Elgh, the fact the 24-year-old rookie is sitting out Austin and Brazil will have "no bearing on his future in F1".

Nonetheless, Elgh told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet that he hopes Caterham will be back on track in Abu Dhabi.

"(Bernie) Ecclestone has given them an ultimatum that they must be in Abu Dhabi to get the license for next year," he said.

"Without the license, the bankruptcy trustee cannot sell the team because it will be worthless. I am guessing that the team will be at the season finale and that Marcus will be asked to race," Elgh said.

He also said Ericsson, despite the absence of his team, will be in the paddock in Austin and Brazil because "in this business you never know what's going to happen".

But as for 2015, Elgh insisted that Caterham's woes do not affect Ericsson.

"I can't say when something will be done for next year. Whether you're 99.9 per cent sure or 80 per cent sure, you're still not sure. It will take some more time," he said.

Elgh admitted that, until Caterham's collapse, he had been in talks with four teams regarding the 2015 season.

"The only thing different now," he explained, "is that there is now greater competition for the places there are. We had a list of four teams, but Caterham was already at the bottom of the list."

Aftonbladet said Marcus Ericsson could not be reached for comment.

From GMM

October was a horror month for the F1 backmarker Marussia.

The first, tragic blow came in the shadow of the Suzuka typhoon, when the promising talent Jules Bianchi skidded into a recovery vehicle.

He remains in a Japanese hospital, but the latest unofficial news about the Frenchman is brighter.

Italy's Omnicorse claims Bianchi, 25, might soon be considered stable enough to be transferred from Japan to Europe, much to the relief of his French parents.

The report said Bianchi's next destination could even be Lausanne, Switzerland, and the very same building that until recently housed the F1 great Michael Schumacher.

At the same time, veteran F1 minds including Ross Brawn and Stefano Domenicali are working on a panel that is deeply investigating the circumstances, causes and reaction to the Bianchi crash.

Marussia MR03-Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

The respected correspondent Alberto Antonini, writing in the specialist Italian Autosprint, said the FIA panel is looking into whether Bianchi's crash may have been caused by the new in 2014 'brake-by-wire' system aboard his Marussia.

Electronic brake-by-wire, working in conjunction with the complex energy recovery systems for the new turbo V6 engines, has been problematic up and down pitlane in 2014.

Antonini said some insiders suspect brake trouble may have contributed at Suzuka, after eyewitnesses did not see tyre marks on the track before the Bianchi crash scene.

"Perhaps it is no accident that at Sochi, Max Chilton - the only Marussia in the race - was stopped for a reason that is not fully understood," he added.

Meanwhile, the Swiss newspaper Blick is reporting that a company called Air Zermatt is proposing that stricken F1 cars be lifted from danger by helicopter in future rather than by driving dangerous recovery vehicles into the escape zones.

"This is a safe, easy and quick method," said the helicopter company's chief executive Gerold Biner, who said Air Zermatt's standing proposal to the FIA remains unanswered.

Finally, Marussia backer Andrey Cheglakov confirmed to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass that he has indeed withdrawn from the F1 team.

"This is a sad note," he is quoted as saying, "but I want to express my gratitude to each member of the team, both at the track and in Banbury.

"We made the impossible possible, becoming the only team to earn points of the three that came to the world of formula one in 2010. We had the smallest budget but the most motivated staff," Cheglakov added.

Mazda wants a piece of the market for miniaturized crossovers.

If the success of an ad campaign -- and the brand it touts -- was measured by the number of parodies it generated, Lincoln's moody ads featuring Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey would already be in the advertising Hall of Fame.

Federal safety regulators have opened an investigation of Chrysler Group's handling of two recalls for potential steering issues affecting nearly 1 million Dodge Ram pickup trucks in the United States.