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I hope you are sitting down, because I'm about to make a shocking revelation: There is more to motorsport than just Formula One -- and that's a good thing!

I can see -- judging by the stats from our Facebook fan page -- that a fair share of our followers are big on F1. That saddens me, I'm afraid. F1 is quite cool, yes, but when it's all said and done, it's a cold and far away land.

Even for us journalist, it's hard to get in; it's hard to talk to the drivers; it's hard to visit the garages; it's hard to access the hospitality zones... Don't go thinking we're all sipping drinks around a table with Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen on race weekends.

There are other racing series in the world that are much more spectator-friendly. I'm talking about the World Series by Renault in Europe, where the admittance is free, the paddock open, and the general atmosphere cool. You actually get close to the stars of tomorrow, guys like Stoffel Vandoorne, Carlos Sainz Jr., and Kevin Magnussen.

I would say that rally is actually even better when it comes to getting up close with the actors. Spectators stand on the side of the roads on which the special stages are run one minute, and the next watch the crews live while they're servicing the cars in the assistance area.

Think about it: Rally cars are actually street-legal machines!

They don't have monstrous wings slapped on them or weirdly shaped bodies. Rally cars are your car or my car pushed to the absolute limit by immensely talented drivers. It takes big balls to come up at the speeds they do and shave tree lines, always in control, always inches from disaster.

All around the world, September is a good month for rallying, with many events staged all around the globe. I strongly urge you to check out your national level calendar and go see the guys (and girls) who are crazy enough to get out there for rallying.

You'll find yourself surrounded by great drivers and co-drivers, and knowledgeable, friendly, and interested spectators who simply love their sport.

Sure, you won't run into Alonso or Vettel, but who knows, maybe you'll catch a glimpse of a certain Robert Kubica...

Photo: René Fagnan

From GMM

Former F1 driver Mika Salo has admitted he doesn't believe a simple tear-off visor strip caused Kimi Raikkonen's brake failure at Spa.

Raikkonen's first retirement since his return to formula one might be seen as a knockout blow to his championship hopes, as he drops behind Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen in the chase to beat Sebastian Vettel to the title.

As the F1 paddock was disassembled at Spa late on Sunday, Lotus still had not definitively identified the cause of the brake failure.

But then it was announced that a plastic helmet visor tear-off strip had entered and blocked the brake air duct.

Retirement for Kimi Raikkonen at Spa-Francorchamps. (Photo: WRi2)

Lotus reacted with its usual humour, posting a survey on its website asking if the team should react by adding more 'iceman coolant' in future.

And on Twitter, the team jokingly pointed the finger at Vettel, posting a photo of the world champion with a visor strip and captioning 'We think we know where the infamous brake-breaking tear-off came from".

Finn Salo, however, is not convinced.

"I just cannot believe the reason the team gave for the failure," he told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3. "Even the braking duct becomes so hot that, if it had gone in there, it would have melted. Lotus also had a brake problem already on Friday, but now all of a sudden it is the (visor) film?"

The former Sauber and Toyota driver said he suspects Lotus simply got its numbers wrong with a latest technical development.

"If the air is being channelled in a different way, it also might not go to cooling the brakes in the same way," said Mika Salo.

From GMM

Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen insists he has not yet given up on his Formula 1 career.

After losing his Caterham race seat, the Finn's hopes have been raised again with two more Friday practice drives at Spa last weekend, and Monza up next.

Heikki Kovalainen. (Photo: Caterham F1 Team)

But he admitted at Spa that if the team factors driver sponsorship into its race seat deliberations "again, then the return is not in my hands".

It is suggested Kovalainen, 31, might instead follow the likes of Sebastien Buemi, Nick Heidfeld, Bruno Senna and Kamui Kobayashi into endurance racing, including Le Mans.

However, Kovalainen told Finnish correspondent Heikki Kulta that he is not yet thinking about a similar move.

"This year, I have been asked to do many different projects in many different categories. But I don't feel so interested in them," he insisted.

"It's because I have the feeling that I have more to give in Formula 1."

Nissan North America, helped by demand for small cars and crossovers, expects to report a jump in U.S. sales of the Nissan brand when its August sales are tallied next week.

Our last Scale Model Kit of the Week was

Our last Scale Model Kit of the Week was

Our last Scale Model Kit of the Week was

Our last Scale Model Kit of the Week was

Our last Scale Model Kit of the Week was

Our last Scale Model Kit of the Week was

Our last Scale Model Kit of the Week was

What's the first thing the above image of a big Chrysler racing on the sand calls to mind?

What's the first thing the above image of a big Chrysler racing on the sand calls to mind?

What's the first thing the above image of a big Chrysler racing on the sand calls to mind?

What's the first thing the above image of a big Chrysler racing on the sand calls to mind?

What's the first thing the above image of a big Chrysler racing on the sand calls to mind?

What's the first thing the above image of a big Chrysler racing on the sand calls to mind?

What's the first thing the above image of a big Chrysler racing on the sand calls to mind?

Four decades after a failed push to outfit cars and light trucks with devices that force drivers to buckle up, regulators and the auto industry are giving interlocks another chance.

Honda showed off some of its smart future technology on Aug. 28 in Detroit. The company is hoping to reduce accidents between motorcycles and cars, and pedestrians and cars.