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Jul
6th

NASCAR: Huge 16-car crash at Coke Zero 400

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. triggered a 16-car crash on lap 20 of 160 at the Coke Zero 400 in Daytona.

The 26-year-old from Mississippi lost control of his car coming out of turn 4 and took Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart with him in his fall, blocking the track for the rest of the field near the start-finish line.

Other drivers involved were Kevin Harvick, Danica Patrick, Marcos Ambrose, Matt Kenseth, Trevor Bayne, Kyle Larson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, AJ Allmendinger, Michael Waltrip, Johnson and Carl Edwards.

The incident slowed the race down even more, after the event had already been postponed from Saturday night to Sunday morning.


Jul
6th

F1: Nico Rosberg failure in British GP blows championship wide open (+results)

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From GMM

Lewis Hamilton is right back in the game, as his championship deficit shrinks from 29 points to just 4 with a popular home win at Silverstone.

Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda, however, was furious that many might not have bothered to wait hours for the chequered flag, following a lengthy delay.

(Photo: WRi2)

It took an hour for circuit workers to replace damaged armco barriers after an early crash involving Kimi Raikkonen, who limped from his destroyed Ferrari into the medical car.

"Ridiculous," said Lauda. "The chances of it happening again are zero.

"They take care of every little detail and a lot of people will switch the television off."

Raikkonen was not seriously injured, having later been spotted comfortably walking to a golden Ferrari road car as he departed the British grand prix venue.

"He seems ok," the Maranello team confirmed, with teams sources reporting nothing more than a bruised ankle for the Finn.

Lewis Hamilton F1
Lewis Hamilton (Photo: WRi2)

More than just ok, however, is Hamilton, whose mood on Saturday had dropped to an all-time low when he decided to abandon the potential pole lap.

But he was bearing down on Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg during the race before sweeping into the lead when the sister silver car ground to a halt with a gearbox problem.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W05
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W05 (Photo: WRi2)

"I don't want to see a teammate fail," happy Hamilton said after delivering a home win for the Silverstone crowd, "but I really needed this result."

Rosberg, though, said the Brackley based team has work to do.

"Our car is totally dominant," he told German television RTL, "but reliability is also very important."

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W05 F1
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W05 (Photo: WRi2)

But team boss Toto Wolff said Hamilton cannot be begrudged a full celebration, with the 2008 world champion having earlier been the victim of technical trouble.

"Today was Lewis' day," he said, "and it blows the championship wide open.

"We will let them race all season no matter what."

F1 British Grand Prix Silverstone
(Photo: WRi2)

Race results* - British Grand Prix (round 9 of 19)
1 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - 52 laps in 2.26'52"094
2 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 30"135
3 - Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 46"495
4 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 47"390
5 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 53"864
6 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14-T) - 59"946
7 - Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1'02"563
8 - Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1'28"692
9 - Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1'29"340
10 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1 lap
11 - Sergio Perez (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1 lap
12 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1 lap
13 - Adrian Sutil (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1 lap
14 - Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1 lap
15 - Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 2 laps
16 - Max Chilton (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 2 laps

Fastest lap of the race: 1'37"176 by Lewis Hamilton

Retirements
Pastor Maldonado
Nico Rosberg
Marcus Ericsson
Esteban Gutierrez
Felipe Massa
Kimi Raikkonen

Drivers' championship
1.Rosberg 165; 2.Hamilton 161; 3.Ricciardo 98; 4.Alonso 87; 5.Bottas 73; 6.Vettel 70; 7.Hulkenberg 63; 8.Button 55; 9.Magnussen 35; 10.Massa 30; 11.Perez 28; 12.Raikkonen 19; 13.Vergne 9; 14.Grosjean 8; 15.Kvyat 6; 16.Bianchi 2

Constructors' championship
1.Mercedes 326; 2.Red Bull-Renault 168; 3.Ferrari 106; 4.Williams-Mercedes 103; 5.Force India-Mercedes 91; 6.McLaren-Mercedes 90; 7.Toro Rosso-Renault 15; 8.Lotus-Renault 8; 9.Marussia-Ferrari 2.
*Unofficial results

Jul
6th

F1: Niki Lauda denies Ferrari poaching top engineers

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From GMM

Niki Lauda has promptly played down suggestions dominant Mercedes is bleeding engineers to Ferrari.

Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that a couple of handsful of engineers from rival teams have started work at Maranello, including a trio who previously worked on Mercedes' currently-dominant turbo V6 power unit.

But Mercedes team chairman Lauda insisted at Silverstone: "We have all the important engineers firmly under contract.

"They are staying," the great Austrian reiterated. "We have long term contracts with our major engineers."

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said one of them is Mercedes' most important engine man, Andy Cowell, who is under contract for the next five years at least.


Jul
6th

Rallycross: Mattias Ekström celebrates first victory in World RX

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From press release

Mattias Ekström celebrated his first victory in the FIA World Rallycross Championship (World RX) with his team EKS.

At his home event in Höljes, the Swede beat the two Norwegians Andreas Bakkerud and Petter Solberg and, in doing so, celebrated the much cheered premiere victory in the Audi S1 EKS RX in only the third start for his team, which was established at the start of the season.

Mattias Ekström, Audi S1 EKS RX, World RX
Mattias Ekström, Audi S1 EKS RX (Photo: Audi)

In front of a record crowd of more than 34,000 spectators, Ekström won three of his four preliminary heats and also the semi-final.

Teammate Pontus Tidemand also made the penultimate round for the first time, but narrowly missed as fourth place finisher the finale for the best six drivers.


Jul
5th

Tesla awaits L.A. police findings on Model S theft, fiery crash

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Tesla is assisting Los Angeles police and fire officials investigating the theft of a Model S sedan by a man who led police on a high-speed chase before crashing the car in West Hollywood.
Jul
5th

Ford says Mondeo platform shared with Lincoln will boost sales

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Ford says its new Mondeo will compete better in Europe's shrinking mid-sized segment because it has a sophisticated new platform that was also designed to underpin the automaker's U.S. luxury brand.
Jul
5th

Western European car sales rise 4% in June

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Western European car sales rose 4 percent in June, according to industry data collated by LMC Automotive, as a market rebound in southern Europe offset weaker demand in Germany.
Jul
5th

Ford says Mondeo sales will be boosted by platform sharing with Lincoln

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Ford says its new Mondeo will compete better in Europe's mid-sized segment because it has a platform that was also designed to underpin Lincoln models.
Jul
5th

Just how much will recall storm cost GM?

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For all of the screaming headlines about record recalls, safety lapses and victim compensation, General Motors' two most important constituencies -- customers and investors -- seem unfazed.
Jul
5th

Jeep aims to boost future Wrangler’s fuel economy

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Chrysler Group engineers are striving to improve the Wrangler's fuel economy with lightweight materials, more gears and perhaps a smaller engine.
Jul
5th

F1: Colin Kolles reveals investors saved Caterham from Silverstone axe

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From GMM



Caterham would not be at Silverstone if not for the team's mysterious new owners.

That is the claim of Colin Kolles, well-known in the F1 paddock for leading backmarker teams including Midland, Spyker and HRT.

Now he has been brought in as an 'advisor' by Caterham's new Swiss-Middle Eastern owners, and he promptly installed the former Minardi driver Christijan Albers as team boss.

Apart from that, almost nothing is known about who Malaysian aviation entrepreneur Tony Fernandes sold the Leafield-based team to.

"I suppose you probably know as much about the overall management structure and the investor as I do," Gerry Hughes, Caterham's track boss, admitted to reporters at Silverstone.

Mystery and scepticism therefore abounds, but German-based Romanian Kolles - earlier linked with the potential new F1 entrant Forza Rossa - insists Caterham's owners should be applauded.

"I did not expect to return to formula one in this way," he is quoted by Speed Week.

"We have been working for quite a while on various projects, and then the Caterham plans suddenly took shape.

"But if we had not come, Caterham would not be at Silverstone. We have saved this team and done Tony Fernandes a big favour.

Caterham CT05
Caterham garages (Photo: Caterham F1 Team)

"We have made sure he can leave formula one with his head high, as without us, the racing team would have collapsed before Silverstone," Kolles revealed.

As for the investors, Kolles said there are no plans for enlightenment.

"They will remain invisible," he said.

"In recent years I have had so many problems with investors who meddled too much -- at Midland, Spyker, Force India and most recently the Carabante family at HRT.

"This time we have people who leave those at the front to do the work, while the investors stay in the background.

"The names would not tell you anything," Kolles insisted. "They are Dubai and Kuwait nationals from Switzerland."

New boss Albers, meanwhile, told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that he cannot rule out making changes at Caterham.

But "Let us first see how this weekend goes," he said, amid speculation Kamui Kobayashi or Marcus Ericsson's place might be taken by Albers' talented Dutch countryman Robin Frijns.


Jul
5th

F1: Nico Rosberg continues to shine in British GP qualifying at Silverstone (+results)

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From press release

Nico Rosberg mastered tricky conditions to claim his fourth pole position of the season, Saturday ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W05
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W05 (Photo: WRi2)

"That was one of the trickiest qualifying sessions I can remember," said Mercedes' team principal Paddy Lowe. "We had to deal with very mixed conditions throughout, swapping between intermediate and option tyres, and these are the days when it's so easy to get things wrong as a team."

Rosberg's performance secured Mercedes' eighth pole in nine grands prix this season.

Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel
Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel (Photo: WRi2)

"Wow, what a qualifying. It was so tricky out there this afternoon with the rain and the conditions changing so quickly. It's very satisfying to get everything right in these conditions and be able to come out on top," said the German.

"I remembered that we were losing three or four seconds in the last corners when it was very wet so there was an opportunity to make a real improvement and that I should keep going.

Adrian Sutil, Sauber C33
Adrian Sutil, Sauber C33 (Photo: WRi2)

"It's a great opportunity to start the race from pole."

Having pulled out of his last lap as the track conditions were improving, Lewis Hamilton was only sixth fastest during Q3.

Sebastian Vettel, RB10
Sebastian Vettel, RB10 (Photo: WRi2)

Qualifying results* - British Grand Prix (round 9 of 19)
1.Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 1'35"766 - Q3
2.Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1'37"386 - Q3
3.Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1'38"200 - Q3
4.Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1'38"329 - Q3
5.Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1'38"417 - Q3
6.Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - 1'39"232 - Q3
7.Sergio Perez (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1'40"457 - Q3
8.Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1'40"606 - Q3
9.Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1'40"707 - Q3
10.Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1'40"855 - Q3
11.Romain Grosjean (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1'38"496 - Q2
12.Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1'38"709 - Q2
13.Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1'40"912 - Q2
14.Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1'44"018 - Q2
15.Adrian Sutil (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - no time - Q2
16.Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1'45"318 - Q1
17.Felipe Massa (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1'45"695 - Q1
18.Max Chilton (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1'39"800 - Q2**
19.Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14-T) - 1'45"935 - Q1
20.Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14-T) - 1'46"684 - Q1
21.Marcus Ericsson (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1'49"421 - Q1
22.Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1'49"625 - Q1

*Unofficial results

**Five-position grid penalty

Sergio Pérez, Force India VJM07
Sergio Pérez, Force India VJM07 (Photo: WRi2)


Jul
5th

F1: Julián Leal to drive for Caterham at Silverstone test

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From press release

Caterham F1 Team has confirmed that Julián Leal will drive its CT05 F1 car in the forthcoming Silverstone test, taking place after the 2014 British Grand Prix on 8th / 9th July.

The Colombian driver is enjoying a successful fourth season in GP2, having made good progress through the ranks since he first joined the series in 2011.

After four race weekends so far in 2014 he is fourth in the championship with 50 points and with two visits to the podium already under his belt.

Julián Leal, GP2
Julián Leal, GP2 (Photo: GP2)

"My main goal is to learn as much as I possibly can and help the team work through the program they set - I know I will be given all the help and advice I need, now I just want to get started!" said Leal.

"I am very pleased that we have been able to give Julián this opportunity and I am sure he will do a very good job for us in his test," added Christijan Albers, Caterham F1 Team CEO.


Jul
5th

Adrian Newey could design Infiniti supercar

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From GMM

One of Adrian Newey's first non-F1 technical projects could be an Infiniti supercar.

The sport's highest paid and most highly rated engineer is stepping into a mere 'advisory' role for Red Bull, having admitted his frustration with ever-tightening technical regulations.

Newey said at Silverstone that the trend of the rules is in the direction of a single-make series, like a glorified GP2, and "We're already, in my opinion, in grave danger of getting close to that".

So the 55-year-old's main office next year will not be in Red Bull's F1 factory, but in the new 'Advanced Technologies Centre', where according to speculation he could begin work on an America's Cup yacht design.

And what about a supercar branded as Infiniti, Nissan's luxury division and the reigning world champion team's title sponsor?

"Adrian it itching to do something new," Andy Palmer, Nissan's British executive vice president, told topgear.com.

"Watch this space."


Jul
5th

Ecclestone admits he could buy back F1

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From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone has admitted he might buy back formula one.

The Silverstone weekend kicked off amid rumours major shareholder CVC could be considering selling its stake.

The reported front-runners are multiple consortiums, separately involving grandee teams Red Bull, Ferrari and even Lotus' Gerard Lopez.

But also in the running now is F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who is reportedly at risk of being ousted by CVC over a corruption scandal for which he is currently on trial in Germany.

The Daily Express newspaper, however, claims 83-year-old billionaire Ecclestone could simply buy back the sport he so successfully developed.

"I have spoken to (CVC's) Donald Mackenzie and I am looking at it," the diminutive Briton confirmed.

"Our company has been a very good investment for CVC and it would be a very good investment for me or anyone who owned it."


Jul
5th

F1: Hay fever spoils Lewis Hamilton momentum

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From GMM

More technical trouble is not the only thing on Lewis Hamilton's mind at Silverstone.

The 2008 world champion went into his home grand prix weekend determined to start clawing back some of the 29-point deficit to his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.

"Yes," he sniffed to reporters, "the tables turned in Monaco and broke my momentum and he has had it for a few races. Now it is time to do the same thing the other way round."

But that was before he broke down with an oil leak during Friday practice, even though he still topped the times.

"It happens," said Hamilton, "but I don't know why it happens to my car so much. I really needed that (session). I can't keep stopping."

Also being addressed by Mercedes team management at Silverstone was the ever-growing divide between the 'Hamilton camp' and the 'Rosberg camp' as their title fight intensifies.

Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton (Photo: WRi2)

"We had a bit of a situation in one of the last races when we asked (the drivers) for feedback on the car," boss Toto Wolff is quoted by the Mirror.

"They said 'Nope'. Anything you want to say? Nope. And when the meeting was over they plunged into detailed discussions with their engineers," he added.

Wolff said the matter has been resolved.

But Hamilton's troubles do not even end there. During his media briefing at Silverstone, a team aide handed him a hay fever pill, as he is suffering with the pollen in the air around rural Northamptonshire.

That alone, however, will not hold back his silver car. "If everything runs normally, Mercedes can do a one-two on every circuit," Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel said at Silverstone.


Jul
5th

F1: Lotus to test 18-inch Pirelli tire

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From GMM

Pirelli will test a much lower-profile tire during next week's post-British grand prix test at Silverstone.

F1's official tire supplier, whose public profile has been much lower in 2014 as drivers label its new approach as "conservative", said the 18-inch tire will "showcase the way that formula one could look in the near future".

The Lotus team will be running the novel tire design.

"Larger wheel and tire sizes reflect modern market trends," Pirelli said in a statement.

The current F1 tires have a 13-inch profile, unlike rival categories like GT, Le Mans and Formula E.


Jul
5th

NASCAR: Jiffy Lube 100 at ICAR fast facts

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The NASCAR Canadian Tire series returns to Mirabel's Circuit ICAR this weekend for the Jiffy Lube 100. Here are a few things you should know before the race.

Full name: International Center of Advanced Racing
Location: Mirabel, Quebec
Opening: 2008

Layout:  2.113-mile, 14-turn road course

Race Length:  30 laps (63.37 miles/102 kilometers)
Inaugural winner: Robin Buck (2011)
Inaugural pole-sitter: Alex Tagliani (2011)
Track record: 95.938 by Andrew Ranger (2013)
Other series on track this weekend: Super Production Challenge, Sportsman Québec Lucas Oil, Canadian Supercar, CTCC and F1600.

ICAR
Circuit ICAR (Photo: NASCAR)

Andrew Ranger has been victorious in each of the two previous seasons at Circuit ICAR, and was two laps away from winning the inaugural 2011 event before being involved in an accident.

L.P. Dumoulin has top-five finishes in each of the three previous ICAR races, and is looking for his third top five in a row to start the 2014 campaign.


Quebec natives Elie Arseneau, Patrice Brisebois and J.F. Dumoulin will attempt to make their 2014 season debuts in this event.

Saturday's qualifying starts at 4:30 pm. The race is scheduled for 2:35 pm on Sunday.

Jul
4th

GM sees Cadillac’s China sales rising at least 40% in ’14

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GM expects Cadillac sales in China to rise by at least 40 percent this year, as the company steps up local output.
Jul
4th

‘Made in Germany’ loses more luster as BMW, Audi, M-B expand footprints

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'Made in Germany,' a hallmark of three of Europe's leading luxury automakers for years, is losing a little more of its exclusivity with BMW's decision to join rivals Audi and Mercedes and establish a manufacturing footprint in Mexico.
With the current economy the last thing you need is for your vehicle to break down. Whether your driving a reliable car or a busted up van, insurance you can rely on is a must.
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