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From press release

Sauber is getting involved in the development of a new kind of bobsleigh, called "mono bobs".

The International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (FIBT) has launched a new racing series for junior athletes featuring “mono bobs”. The company responsible for building the mono bob, SwissBob, has placed its trust in the expertise of Sauber Motorsport AG for the development of the single­design sled. The Swiss design beat off competition from six internationally renowned companies to get the green light from the FIBT.

Mono bobs are racing sleds that can be pushed off and driven by a single athlete. The FIBT envisages great potential for mono bobs in junior competition in particular. One of the early highlights for the mono bob will come in 2016, when the SwissBob sled slides into action at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer.

Photo: Sauber

SwissBob AG commissioned Sauber Motorsport AG to oversee the development of the concept and the production of the monocoque.

“We're delighted that Swiss Bob AG has entrusted us with this ambitious project, and we're proud to be able to contribute to its success,” says Monisha Kaltenborn, CEO of Sauber Motorsport AG.

“Formula One and bobsleigh racing have a great deal in common, such as the aerodynamics of the bob, the physical principles underpinning the development of the chassis and the process engineering involved in the construction of the monocoque, which is new to bobsleigh,” Kaltenborn explains.

In contrast to the tubular steel chassis which has held sway in bob construction to date, the new mono bob has been designed - like a Formula One chassis - as a monocoque with a sandwich construction. Plus, the flexibility of the regulations has allowed the engineers to explore new directions with the aerodynamics, as reflected in both the dynamic styling of the mono bob and its performance. The new mono bob was victorious in its debut outing at the Swiss championships.

For four years now, Sauber Motorsport AG has also used the expertise acquired in Formula One and its technically advanced infrastructure to handle commercial projects for third parties in various arenas.

From press release

This weekend marks a significant date in motorsports history as two of Canada's leading series come together.

25 competitors from both the Ontario based Toyo Tires F1600 Championship and the Quebec based Toyo Tires Formula Tour will take part in two races at the Castrol Victoria Day SpeedFest at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park May 17 and 18.

Spawned from an initial meeting between the two series promoters (Jason Sharpe and Marcel Lafontaine) early last spring the F1600 Super Series now provides an unprecedented opportunity for young drivers to hone their skills and make a name for themselves against some of the fastest and most experienced club racers in the country.

Photo: Michael Haley

The Super Series became the perfect blend of affordable club level racing and the costly professional touring series by choosing 4 events, 2 from each series so competitors only have to travel on two occasions.

The Victoria Day SpeedFest will be rounds 1 & 2 of the Series, with the rest being the Grand Prix de Montreal, the Honda Indy Toronto and the finale at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres.

“The format that we came up with has created a lot of excitement in F1600 racing,” said Marcel Lafontaine, promoter of the Quebec series. “We worked very hard to come up with schedules that compliment each other and provide the most opportunity for formula car racers to compete in North America. 24 races in all.

Names like Michel Legrand, Yves Beaudoin, Ghislain Theriault and the very quick young Olivier Bedard are here to go head to head with Zacharie Robichon, Max Hanratty, 15 year old Jeff Kingsley and Tristan DeGrand, who launched himself on to the F1600 scene with a sweep of the first two rounds of the Toyo Tire Championship.

Cars will hit the track on Friday for a full day of testing. Saturday the F1600 Duals presented by Juniper Networks will get underway with qualifying at 9:25 am and Race 1 at 5:10pm. There will also be an autograph session from 1:30-2:00 pm at the Victory Podium. Sunday qualifying will be run at 9:20 am and Race 2 at 5:15 pm.

From press release

Canadian driver and 2012 DTM champion Bruno Spengler said he was not happy with the results of the qualifying session in Oschersleben, ahead of the second race of the season.

He ended up 7th fastest, almost 7 tenths slower than pole winner Miguel Molina. He was only the third fastest BMW driver in the session, behind youngsters Marco Wittman (2nd) and Antonio Felix da Costa (4th).

Bruno Spengler, BMW M4 DTM (Photo: BMW)

"Everything was going very well until the third qualifying session," said Spengler, who drives a BMW M4 DTM.

"But then I was just missing something in the final session. We fought hard and, given the five extra kilograms in the car, the result is ok," he added.

Antonio Felix da Costa, BMW M4 DTM (Photo: BMW)

"I am not entirely happy, but anything can happen (tomorrow)."

BMW's motorsport director Jens Marquardt seemed quite pleased with the performance of his top 3 drivers: "As in Hockenheim, Marco Wittmann, António Félix da Costa and Bruno Spengler were particularly impressive," he said.

GM warned its engineers against using the words "safety" and "defect" when identifying product risks, and explicitly told them not to use inflammatory terms including "widow-maker" and "Hindenburg," according to company documents released by the U.S.

Nissan will replace the timing chains in more than 104,000 Nissan Juke subcompacts from the 2011-13 model years sold in the United States and Canada as part of a voluntary service campaign.

Nissan will expand its 370Z Nismo package for 2015 with the first offering of an automatic transmission and an onboard navigation system.

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The federal judge who once steered the future of bankrupt GM set out rules today for a fight over billions of dollars in claims tied to the company's ignition-switch defects.

A refined Nismo 370Z debuted today with moderate changes that Nissan is calling and#8220;and#8230;a solid progress.

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The closure of Opel's factory in Bochum, Germany, is set to cost at least 550 million euros ($754.41 million), sources said.

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