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At least two Porsche 911 GT3 cars caught fire earlier this month, one in Italy and another in Switzerland, forcing the German automaker to halt sales.

The fires may have been caused by an oil leak, although Porsche wouldn't confirm. Investigations are being carried out to determine the exact cause.

This could delay the arrival of the 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 at dealerships, scheduled for this spring.

Source : blog.caranddriver.com

Photo: Porsche

From GMM

After four years of title-winning dominance, Red Bull's rivals hope to be "back in the game" as the new F1 era kicks off in 2014.

Even before Sebastian Vettel's run began in 2010, Ferrari had already lost two consecutive world championships to McLaren and Mercedes' former guise Brawn GP respectively.

Team president Luca di Montezemolo said the time for Ferrari dominance has come again.

"We dominated for five years, they (Red Bull) did it for four and I think now we must make sure we get back to winning," he is quoted by Italy's Tuttosport.

"I have utmost respect and praise for what they have done, knowing that today we all get back in the game. We'll see," he added.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari F14-T. (Photo: WRi2)

Team boss Stefano Domenicali said the F14-T got off to a solid start at Jerez, but warned that Ferrari must now build on that momentum.

"It is impossible to start with a perfect car in a season where so many changes are made. We still have much work ahead," he is quoted by Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.

In the Red Bull era, it is widely believed that F1's most famous aerodynamicist Adrian Newey utterly mastered the rules.

But the emphasis has switched to the new turbo and ERS-powered V6s for 2014, and Red Bull and engine supplier Renault struggled even to run the new RB10 at the first Jerez test.

Putting in lap after lap in southern Spain, on the other hand, was Mercedes.

"Reliability is the keyword for the first five, six races," team chairman Niki Lauda is quoted by Osterreich newspaper.

"Who is the best prepared will be furthest ahead," he predicted.

The F1 circus has now moved to the island Kingdom of Bahrain for the second of the three pre-Melbourne tests.

"Jerez was an engine test. Now the real preparation begins," said Lauda.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W05. (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team)

But he said the pecking order still will not be clear after the first week in Bahrain.

"After the second week (in Bahrain) you can read a little bit more into it," said Lauda. "Until then it is not only difficult, but also pointless."

So Niki Lauda insists it would be a mistake to write off Red Bull on the basis of Jerez.

"You do tests to find problems," he said.

Nonetheless, he said Mercedes has started on the right foot and is on target for its ultimate goal.

"We want to be world champion as soon as possible," Lauda is quoted by Kleine Zeitung newspaper.

"Whether it is this year or not, you cannot say yet. My personal goal is that it happens in the next two years. This is a hard goal, but that's how it should be," the former triple world champion and F1 legend added.

From GMM

The mood at Williams is "completely different" compared to the same time last year.

That is the view of Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, as he prepares for his second campaign in formula one with the once-great British team.

Having slipped to ninth of the eleven teams in last year's constructors' standings, former multiple title winner Williams has invested heavily for 2014 and now features highly-respected names like Pat Symonds, Felipe Massa, incoming sponsor Martini and Mercedes power.

Insiders believe the new FW36 appeared reliable and competitive at the recent Jerez test, and according to Bottas the Grove based team is in high spirits heading into the second test this week in Bahrain.

"It's a good feeling to see that your team is in such good spirits," he told the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat.

"The feeling now compared to this time a year ago is a completely different category. Now the spirit is really high, especially when all the major departments have new staff on duty. They've come from a variety of top teams like Red Bull, Lotus and Mercedes, so our experience has increased. Things have gotten better since Pat Symonds came in -- he put things on a better basis and hopefully it will show with the performance of our car as soon as possible," said Bottas.

Valtteri Bottas, Williams FW36. (Photo: WRi2)

Valtteri Bottas also sounded delighted with Williams' new engine partner, with the team having switched from the now-troubled supplier Renault over the winter.

"From what I could see at the Jerez test, I'm happy that we chose Mercedes," he said.

There are fears, however, that the new and highly complex 'power unit' technology, and the severe fuel limitations, will detract this year from the actual driving.

"The fastest driver will not win this year," Toro Rosso engineer Xevi Pujolar told Spain's El Confidencial. "Now it (the winner) will be the one who is fastest in the most efficient way."

Bottas agrees that technology will play a much bigger role in 2014, but: "Driving skills will still be the most important thing."

From GMM

If Red Bull emerges from its early-season technical crisis, reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel will be a force to be reckoned with yet again.

That is the view of Vettel's departed teammate Mark Webber, despite many believing the radically new 2014 regulations will finally end the German driver and Red Bull's run of dominance.

Some think the 2014 rules have ended the utter dominance of aerodynamics, putting the 'power unit' and its technology in the spotlight.

And early 2014 testing seemed to indicate the Red Bull era could indeed be over, as the RB10 and the troubled Renault V6 package struggled simply to turn laps.

Australian Webber, however, thinks that if the RB10's issues can be solved, the 2014 rules could actually work in Vettel's favour.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB10. (Photo: WRi2)

Webber recently said Vettel's strength is in slow corners, and it is precisely there that the high-torque cars of 2014 have proved difficult to handle.

"It's probably not what people want to hear at home," said Webber, "but I think that helps Sebastian. That's right up his alley, that's perfect for him."

After 12 years in F1, 37-year-old Webber has retired from the category and this year will spearhead Porsche's return to the top-tier Le Mans prototype class.

But he will be in Melbourne in three weeks when the 2014 season begins.

"I was in the boxing ring (the F1 grid) just a couple of months ago so hopefully I can use that experience in commentating to talk about the strengths and weaknesses of drivers and so forth," said Webber, who will work with Australian television.

"I am really looking forward to the season ahead with Porsche, and with a later start to that championship in April, it gives me an opportunity to return to Melbourne and have some fun from the other side of the fence," he added.

From GMM

Speculation the personal Gopro video camera mounted on Michael Schumacher's helmet contributed to his injuries is "not true".

That is the claim of the major German newspaper Die Welt, following reports the spotlight had fallen on the camera's mounting and the fact the helmet was found at the crash site in several pieces.

The reports claimed the camera had a hammer-like effect when Schumacher's head struck the rock.

A source at the French technology research laboratory Critt said: "At the wrong angle, (the camera) could lead to a shock effect, cracking the helmet."

And helmet maker Uvex said a camera "may affect the protective effect" of a helmet in the event of a particular impact.

But a report in Die Welt newspaper said the investigation - which found no one at fault - by French authorities into the Schumacher crash had disproved the camera theory.

That is because "Schumacher crashed into the rock with the right side of his head. The camera was mounted in the centre of the helmet and remained intact".

"In this way, the video material was not damaged in any way, and the memory card could be fully evaluated," Welt added.

The re-engineered 2015 Ford Expedition, which goes on sale this fall, gets high-tech features including the MyFord Touch infotainment system, blind-spot detection and electric power steering.

Group 1, citing severe winter weather that has forced stores to close and showroom traffic to decline, warned Tuesday that its first-quarter earnings will come in lower than expected.

Chrysler Group dealers ordered more than 8,000 diesel-powered Ram 1500 pickups in the first weekend that they could do so -- a figure that represents nearly half of the light-duty pickup's normal monthly production.

Tesla Motors shares traded at a record high today amid speculation about the nature of a 2013 meeting between the electric-car maker's CEO, Elon Musk, and Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions, four analysts said.

Bugatti will reveal another special edition of the

K-Pax Racing said on Tuesday that it will campaign two McLaren 12C GT3 vehicles in the 2014

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News 21 Feb, 2014

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The BMW of the near-future will have your gearchanges ready before you think you'll need them