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Articles 7 May, 2014

New Hyundai ix35 and i30 special editions celebrate the 2014 World Cup, featuring more kit for less cash

Pictures See all 4 pictures 7 May, 2014

Pictures See all 14 pictures 7 May, 2014

Citroen's UK chief, Linda Jackson, will replace Frederic Banzet as the brand's CEO while strategy director Yves Bonnefont, who is Citroen's deputy head, will lead the upscale DS line as it becomes a stand-alone unit.

The Jeep and Chrysler brands plan to more than double sales by 2018 while Dodge will stop making the Grand Caravan minivan, Fiat Chrysler Automobile executives said.

News 7 May, 2014

Year-on-year growth in UK new car registrations continues for 26th month in a row, with the Ford Fiesta topping the list once again

Mercedes dealers in France say the decision by the country's highest court to formally overturn a sales ban last year concerning the automaker's A, B, CLA and SL models, represents the "end of the story," domestically.

After a strong March, the UK car market continued its upward trend in April with car sales up 8.2% to 176,820 units, the 26th consecutive month of growth.

Chrysler is consolidating its sporty SRT family of vehicles under the Dodge brand as part of global plans for the Fiat Chrysler Automobile.

Fiat Group said first quarter 2014 revenues rose 12% to EUR22.1bn while trading profit, adjusted for currency movements was up 6% to EUR0.6bn. The company lost EUR319m in the first quarter versus a EUR31m profit in Q1 2013.

The documentary film "Breaking Barriers" races through a century of automotive straight-line speed in one hour, with special concentration on three generations of land-speed racers: the early dry lakes runs of the SoCal Speed Shop as recalled by...

-- RACER Magazine presents the first of a six-part series about the legendary Dan Gurney.

German supplier Schaeffler has refinanced about 3.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion) worth of debt, including new bond issues of about 2 billion euros, as borrowing costs approach record lows in Europe.

Fiat Chrysler plans to transform Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Jeep into global brands and more than double profit in the next five years. CEO Sergio Marchionne's goals also include boosting yearly deliveries for the group to 7 million in 2018.

Fiat Chrysler executives did something highly unusual Tuesday: They revealed key pillars of the company's product plans, financial goals and sales targets for the next five years. Most automakers keep their playbooks secret for as long as possible.

We searched the archives and here are 8 important things and facts race fans must know about the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix.

1. The first Spanish Grand Prix was held in 1951 on the Pedralbes street circuit in Barcelona. The race has subsequently been held at Barcelona's Montjuich Park, Jerez, Jarama before moving to the Circuit de Catalunya in 1991, where it has remained ever since.

2. In 1981, Gilles Villeneuve kept five close rivals behind him to win the race. During the second half of the race, Villeneuve used the power of his Ferrari turbo engine on the straights to stay ahead of the pack. Villeneuve, Jacques Laffite, John Watson, Carlos Reutemann and Elio de Angelis crossed the finish covered by just 1.24 second!

Michael Schumacher, Benetton-Ford, 1994 (Photo: WRI2)

3. In 1994, Michael Schumacher (Benetton-Ford) finished a strong second, despite being stuck in fifth gear for most of the race. Schumacher used his World Sports Car experience to modify his driving style to find new trajectories and corner apexes.

4. The biggest winning margin in a Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya was in 1995 when Michael Schumacher led home Benetton team mate Johnny Herbert by 51.988 seconds.

5. The smallest winning margin came in 2011 when Sebastian Vettel pipped Lewis Hamilton by just 0.630 seconds.

6. Several drivers stepped onto an F1 podium for the first time at the Spanish Grand Prix - Luigi Musso (in 1954), Brian Redman (1968), Mario Andretti (1970), George Follmer (1973), Gunnar Nilsson (1976), Johnny Herbert (1995), Juan Pablo Montoya (2001) and Pastor Maldonado (2012).

Ayrton Senna - Nigel Mansell, 1986 (Photo: WRI2)

7. In 1986 at Jerez de le Frontera, Nigel Mansell pitted for fresh tires and charged back, making up over 19 seconds in the final 10 laps of the race. It was not quite sufficient to take the win, but it was very close with Ayrton Senna beating Mansell by just 0.014 second.

8. The 1969 Spanish Grand Prix was the last ever race featuring Formula 1 cars with the "high-wing", the two Lotus cars suffered massive rear wing failures with drivers Jochen Rindt and Graham Hill lucky to escape with their lives.

The new F1 turbo hybrid Power Unit generates a lot of heat.

Additional hybrid systems, a more complex exhaust system, plus an intercooler required for the pressure charging system are all contributing factors to the cooling requirements of the car.

Managing heat is not only necessary in terms of car integrity but also performance and efficiency.

Special cooling fans, Mercedes AMG, (Photo: Mercedes AMG)

Two opposing influences thereby exist: one focused on ensuring that each of these components operates within an optimal temperature range, the other on packaging the related cooling systems in such a way as not to detract from the aerodynamic efficiency of the car.

Several companies have developed off-board cooling solutions for the F1 cars. One of them is ebm-papst who is now working with Mercedes AMG.

The company has produced a highly specialised off-board cooling solution optimised for the sidepod radiators and roll-hoop of the F1 W05 race cars which will be deployed when the car is on the grid and in the garage.

Ambient temperatures at F1 races can reach up to 40°C with ambient on-car temperatures up to 75°C and an operating temperature of over 120°C for the sidepod radiators.

Special cooling fans, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: Mercedes AMG)

For grid and parc fermé the sidepods and roll-hoop will be cooled with the new 'S Force' axial fans whose performance curve match the high back-pressure characteristics of the Mercedes system and provide a 518% improvement in delivered airflow. This high performance contained within a small packaging size meets the requirements for a small portable powerful system.

When the car is in the garage, the sidepods and roll-hoop will be cooled via a larger low-noise forward-curved centrifugal solution where the motor and impellor have been integrated into a bespoke designed scroll housing to fit perfectly on to the car.

From GMM

Only one Sauber driver will be racing under F1's minimum weight limit this weekend in Barcelona, according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

The Swiss team, whose Ferrari-powered C33 has been substantially overweight so far in 2014 at the start of the new turbo V6 era, announced ahead of the Spanish grand prix that its Barcelona upgrade features an "extensive weight reduction".

Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt said it is in the order of 10 to 15 kilograms.

But he explained that only one Sauber driver will actually enjoy a C33 in Spain that is now below the FIA's mandatory minimum weight of 692 kilos -- the featherweight Esteban Gutierrez.

It is believed the Mexican tips the scales at well below 60kg, while his German teammate Adrian Sutil is reportedly at least 15 kilograms heavier.

Nevertheless, even though Sutil will have no ballast to ideally position around the car, both drivers will benefit from the lighter Sauber, which should be minimally several tenths per lap quicker, Schmidt added.

Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil, Sauber C33-Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

Canadian racer Victor "Al" Pease, who contested three Formula 1 Grands Prix in the ‘60s, sadly passed away May 4th at the age of 92.

Al Pease was born in Darlington, England but arrived in Canada shortly after WWII.

He contested the 1967 Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park, Ontario. His Eagle-Climax suffered from serious battery problems all race long and he was not classified.

In 1968, he failed to qualify after a major engine problem forced him to park his car in the paddock.

Finally in 1969, back at Mosport Park, Pease qualified for the Canadian Grand Prix but was disqualified form the race for being too slow.

However, Pease was highly successful in domestic Canadian motor sport competitions, and was inducted as a member of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1998.

From GMM

Pastor Maldonado doubts Ferrari can turn around its disappointing start to the season and win races in 2014.

Fernando Alonso appeared to be putting the F14-T's early troubles behind him in China last time out when he finished the race on the podium.

But the Spaniard is not promising more of the same this weekend in his native Spain, where he marked his most recent grand prix win one year ago.

"We need to see. We enjoyed the result of China but there is still a long way to go and we cannot promise anything for Barcelona," said Fernando Alonso.

Like all the major teams, Ferrari has used the three weeks between China and Spain to prepare a significant package of upgrades.

Team president Luca di Montezemolo, who recently installed Marco Mattiacci as Ferrari's new F1 boss after Stefano Domenicali's exit, is pushing hard for improvements.

"We must find ways to be faster, otherwise the 2014 season will be over soon," he is quoted by Switzerland's Blick newspaper.

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari F14 T. (Photo: WRi2)

Citing Ferrari sources, Italy's specialist Autosprint magazine reports that the 2014 car's small sidepods have been singled out by the team as a fundamental aerodynamic problem.

"We are learning how to get performance out of this new set of regulations and hopefully to make this car more competitive," said technical director James Allison this week.

Pastor Maldonado, Lotus' Venezuelan race driver, was asked by Spain's El Confidencial if he thinks Ferrari and Alonso can recover and win races in 2014.

"It will not be easy. Ferrari is a great team and for sure they are going to give 200 per cent to allow Fernando to fight to win again. But it is always difficult to win," Pastor Maldonado insisted.

"If you doubt that, look at Red Bull and Lotus this year," he added, referring not only to his own beleaguered employer but also the reigning world champions.