It seems Renault is yet to solve all its troubles with the new turbo V6 'power unit'.
After a disastrous Jerez test for the French engine supplier and its partners - notably world champions Red Bull - Renault appeared to have taken a step forward when it emerged the new Lotus had run almost trouble-free during its more recent track debut.
But another Renault-powered car, the 2014 Toro Rosso, has been back in action even since the Lotus debut for a similar 'filming' day, allowed under the regulations for promotional purposes with non-competitive Pirelli tires.
However, there are reports the STR9 managed only 70 kilometres at the Misano circuit in Italy, littered with "repeated" stoppages for battery and software faults.
During a press conference at the 2014 Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) crowned the new Mazda6 as the 2014 Canadian Car of the Year.
This is the second time that Mazda has earned the overall Canadian Car of the Year title, having previously won in 2004 with the Mazda3.
The 2014 Mazda6 beat the 12 category winners picked by AJAC members following their annual TestFest.
Former F1 and IndyCar World Series Champion Jacques Villeneuve will join Dumfries-based Albatec Racing in the 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship (RallycrossRX).
The French-Canadian will drive one of the team's 600bhp two-litre, 16v Peugeot 208s in the 12-round series, which starts in Portugal in May.
Photo: Albatec Racing
Villeneuve is the only active racing driver to have won the IndyCar World Series Championship (1995), the Indy 500 (1995) and the Formula One World Championship (1997), and remains the only Canadian to claim the Indy 500 or the F1 Drivers' titles.
He will join the team that ran World Rally Championship star Kris Meeke in the series' flagship event in Lohéac, France last year. Although the first F1 star to race in RallycrossRX, Villeneuve will not be the first to drive with Albatec - he follows Mika Salo who tested for the team in a private session in Finland.
Photo: Albatec Racing
Villeneuve's vast experience across single-seaters, NASCAR, and Sportscars proved a huge advantage during a recent two-day test at Dreux in France, where he posted competitive lap times from the outset.
His Andros Trophy expertise is also likely to be an asset when he lines up alongside the RX series regulars for the opening round at Montalegre over the weekend of 3/4 May, while later in the year, his home fans will get to see him in action at Trois-Rivieres, in Quebec.
Since coming into rallycross last season, the fledgling Albatec Racing team has notched up numerous heat wins across British and European competition, and secured a dominant overall Supercar victory in its last race of the year, the final round of the British Rallycross Championship at Croft. Now the pairing of Villeneuve, alongside Team Principal Andy Scott, 2011 British Rallycross Vice-Champion, brings the team high hopes of delivering some strong results amongst a class field of the best rallycross racers in the world.
Photo: Albatec Racing
"I am really looking forward to entering the rallycross arena with Albatec Racing," Said Jacques Villeneuve.
"With my previous ice-racing experience, I'm excited about driving sideways in a 600bhp, four-wheel-drive Peugeot 208 over the combination of loose and tarmac surfaces, not to mention the jumps. With the added incentive of it being an FIA World Championship, the opportunity was really too good to miss.
"We had a very successful test in France, I was very impressed with the quality of the team, particularly on the engineering side, it reminded me of my time in F1. The car is just so responsive, the power is amazing, and with 600bhp to play with, who wouldn't be excited by that. I was pleasantly surprised by how reactive the car is to any changes, and I'm very much looking forward to getting into the events.
"I'm a racer and of course I want to win, but there are lots of unknowns going into a new championship, and with a new car. I certainly hope to win races, but I appreciate there are a lot of things I don't know, so 2014 will be a learning year," Villeneuve said.
U.S. Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee said on Wednesday that if workers at the VW plant in Chattanooga reject UAW representation, the company will reward the plant with a new product to build.
From its debut, director Paul Verhoeven's 1987 classic and#8220;RoboCopand#8221; has been appreciated as much for its social satire as for its deft grasp of the science-fiction genre, with the story of a policeman turned into a cyborg by a shadowy...
BMW's U.S. assembly plant canceled a shift because of severe weather. The factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is the company's sole global source of the X3, X5 and X6.
Update: The National Corvette Museum has released a video of the sinkhole, which we've embedded below. Museum personnel are reportedly in the process of removing other cars from risky areas.
PSA/Peugeot-Citroen has reached an outline deal with Dongfeng and the French government to raise up to 4 billion euros in fresh capital and deepen cooperation with the Chinese carmaker, sources said.
Eight vehicles in the Skydome area of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., were swallowed by a massive sink hole at about 5:40 a.m. today, the museum said.
British labour body, Unite, says given more than 1,500 Ford workers voted for action in its recent strike ballot, the automaker could not simply "dismiss" their worries.
Fiat-Chrysler's Fiat brand will kick off a marketing campaign Thursday for the 500L to help differentiate the four-door hatchback from the smaller two-door Fiat 500 minicar.
Lexus again is the most dependable auto brand after three years of ownership while two General Motors marques joined the top five, J.D. Power and Associates said today.
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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