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From McLaren

In less than the time it takes to read this, Jenson Button's pit crew set a new world record for the fastest-ever pit stop in Formula 1 history: 2.31s during the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.

The time - registered on lap 40 - underlines the season-long efforts of the McLaren Mercedes pitcrew to shave vital tenths from the critical pit stop procedure. The McLaren Mercedes has now set the fastest stationary pit stop time in Canada, Valencia, Silverstone and Hockenheim - the last four grands prix.

To cap it all, Button's speedy second stop was instrumental in getting him out on track ahead of rival Sebastian Vettel and it proved decisive in helping him battle for the lead.

McLaren pit crew at work in Germany. (Photo: WRi2)

Full pitstop time breakdown:

Lewis Hamilton pit stop times
Stop 1 - 5.60 seconds
Stop 2 - 2.85 seconds
Stop 3 - 3.83 seconds

Jenson Button pit stop times
Stop1 - 3.26 seconds
Stop 2 - 2.31 seconds (world record)

“I think it's important to place some of the credit for Jenson's second place with our pitcrew: their second stop for Jenson was the fastest Formula 1 pitstop of all time, with a stationary time of just 2.31s,” said team McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh in a press release.

“That's quite unbelievable and not only a testament to our belief in the processes and equipment we put in place to improve our performance, but also to the commitment and determination of the guys on the ground to improve and refine their technique. Well done to everyone for a quite phenomenal achievement!” Whitmarsh added.

Comfortable, practical, efficient, and fun is how Audi likes to define their new crossover wagon, the 2013 A4 allroad.


The last time Audi sold an allroad model in Canada (2000 to 2005) it was based on the larger A6 Avant. While this model got lots of positive press, hardly anybody bought one. As a result, Audi pulled the model from its North American lineup and it didn't look like it was going to make a comeback, especially since Audi has many SUVs to offer customers.

However, since 2009, Audi has offered the A4-edition allroad in Europe. Since this proved to be a popular model over there, Audi decided to offer the allroad in North America once again.

The new allroad will benefit from all the upgrades Audi made on the A4 for 2013, which include some minor visual tweaking along with some mechanical enhancements, as well.

Visually, all A4 models receive new lights and a restyled grille. The allroad model differs from the regular A4 Avant by adding a different lower front fascia, and wider wheel arches. The 2013 Audi A4 allroad thus has a 19 mm wider track than a regular A4 Avant, plus its more pronounced bumpers add 18 mm to its overall length. Its raised suspension adds 68 mm to its height over the regular Avant. A stainless steel underbody guard protects the engine from damage if you wish to take it off-road.

The allroad model differs from the regular A4 Avant by adding a different lower front fascia, and wider wheel arches. (Photo: Audi)

From the outside the 2013 Audi A4 allroad is notably different. Step inside and the occupants will have no extra space compared to the regular Avant, and the interior will look familiar to any current A4 owner.

What is different is a new gearbox. All A4 models benefit from a new 8-speed automatic gearbox, and for the allroad model, this is the only gearbox offered (no manual, sorry).
This transmission is mated to a familiar 2.0L, turbo-charged, inline 4-cylinder engine which features TFSI (Turbo Fuel Stratified Injection). Peak output is 211 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. Power is fed to all four wheels via Audi's quattro system.

Acceleration from 0-100 km will take about 6.8 seconds, while top speed will be governed at 209 km/h.

The 2013 Audi A4 allroad will go on sale in Canada by July 2012, and the base model is yours from $45,100.

Acceleration from 0-100 km will take about 6.8 seconds, while top speed will be governed at 209 km/h. (Photo: Audi)

If you want power seats, a power tailgate, an auto-dimming mirror, bi-xenon headlights, 18” five-spoke alloy wheels, and a few other features then you'll need to add the premium package, which is an extra $4,600. A sport package, which gives you 19” wheels, steering-wheel mounted shift paddles, sports seats, and a few other goodies will cost an additional $1,600. A premium plus model will also be offered which adds Homelink, an advanced key with start button and adaptive headlights which turn with your steering input, starting at $51,900. If all that isn't enough, there are plenty of stand alone options available also to help you make your Audi A4 allroad exactly how you'd want.

Will this 2013 Audi A4 allroad be the sales success its predecessor never was in Canada? Only time will tell.

Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr captured a third straight win at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) this past weekend, coming first in both the overall and P1 standings aboard their Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03a.

Graf and Luhr left Dyson Racing's Guy Smith and Chris Dyson nothing but the runner-up spot, so clean and decisive their race was. Only a penalty for too many men over the pit wall during a pit stop and a ankle injury to Luhr slowed them down.

But not enough.

Photos: Remi and Paul Fagnan

In the GT class, Flying Lizard's Patrick Long and Jörg Bergmeister drove their Porsche 911 GT3 RSR to a second straight win, but failed post race checks. The team has launched a protest that should be heard later this week.

This left Extreme Speed Motorsports' Johannes van Overbeek and Scott Sharp with a first win this season. Following the same logic, Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia, who had their Corvette Racing Corvette C6 ZR1 in third place at the finish, were rewarded with second.

In P2, Conquest Racing's Martin Plowman and David Heinemeier-Hansson took their first win of the season over Level 5 Motorsports' Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker.

RSR Racing's Bruno Junqueira and Tommy Drissi drove to a first win of their own (as a pairing) in the LMPC class, where as in GTC, the spoils went to a familiar TRG team, back-to-back winners at the CTMP, thanks to the performance of Spencer Pumpelly and Emilio Di Guida.

Race results* - ALMS (Mosport)

1 - Luhr/Graf (HPD ARX-03a) - Pickett - 117 laps
2 - Dyson/Smith (Lola B12/60-Mazda) - Dyson - 10.695s

3 - Plowman/Hansson (Morgan-Judd) - Conquest - 35.075s

4 - Tucker/Bouchut (HPD ARX-03b) - Level 5 - 54.788s
5 - Burgess/Lux (Lola B12/60-Mazda) - Dyson - 2 laps
6 - Junqueira/Drissi (Oreca FLM09) - RSR - 2 laps

7 - Bennett/Braun (Oreca FLM09) - CORE - 3 laps

8 - Popow/Dalziel (Oreca FLM09) - CORE - 4 laps
9 - Richard/Ende (Oreca FLM09) - Dempsey - 5 laps

10 - Sharp/Van Overbeek (Ferrari 458) - Extreme Speed - 5 laps
11 - Magnussen/Garcia (Corvette ZR1) - Corvette - 5 laps
12 - Hand/Mueller (BMW M3) - Rahal - 6 laps
13 - Henzler/Sellers (Porsche 997) - Falken - 6 laps
14 - Miller/Maassen (Porsche 997 Cup) - Miller - 7 laps
15 - Neiman/Lally (Porsche 997) - Flying Lizard - 7 laps
16 - Mueller/Auberlen (BMW M3) - Rahal - 7 laps

17 - Sweedler/Bell (Lotus Evora) - Alex Job - 7 laps

18 - Brown/Cosmo (Ferrari 458) - Extreme Speed - 8 laps

19 - Pumpelly/DiGuida (Porsche 997 Cup) - TRG - 13 laps
20 - MacNeil/Keen (Porsche 997 Cup) - Alex Job - 13 laps
21 - Marcelli/Downs (Oreca FLM09) - Merchant - 20 laps
22 - Cumming/Valiante (Porsche 997 Cup) - JDX - 20 laps

23 - Gavin/Milner (Corvette ZR1) - Corvette - 26 laps

24 - Franchitti/Dobson (Oreca FLM09) - PR1 - 91 laps
25 - LeSaffre/Faulkner (Porsche 997 Cup) - Green Hornet - 94 laps


Excluded
Bergmeister/Long (Porsche 997) - Flying Lizard

*Unofficial results

Despite the fact that all provinces have regulations to deal with the problem, many Canadians are still using hand-held cell phones while driving, rather than relying on vehicle hands-free devices. This is one of the findings from an Angus Reid Public Opinion poll, released today.

Indeed, the survey of a representative sample of 1,001 Canadians, reveals that 90% of the respondents say they saw a driver talking on a hand-held cell phone while at the wheel. And more of those who took part in the poll want stricter regulations when it comes to cell phones and driving - a whopping 89%, which is a six point increase when compared to 2010 survey results.

For bad habits overall (cutting lanes, running red lights, not signalling turns, etc.) Albertans and British-Columbian drivers topped the negative categories, whereas drivers from the Maritimes got the best marks.

Getting a job in Formula 1 is a big dream for many people who are passionate about technology. Here's the video about people who fullfilled their dream.

The apprentice and graduate schemes at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth, UK where the V-8 F1 engines and hybrid systems are designed and developed.

The company offers opportunities for talented young people to earn a place in the industry - and add practical experience to their theoretical learning.

On the heels of Ford, which has already outfitted the Ford Explorer with inflatable seat-belts, Mercedes is now also equipping its own vehicles with beltbags. Significantly reducing the risk of serious injury, these new seat-belts will better distribute the pressure on a passenger's ribcage in the event of a head-on collision.

“Mercedes-Benz is pursuing its safety initiative for backseat passengers with the Beltbags,” says Rodolfo Schöneburg Head of Passive Safety and Vehicle Functions. “After all, the excellent standard of safety offered by Mercedes-Benz doesn't just apply to all model series, but to all seats, too.”

The automaker is not planning to introduce inflatable seat-belts for first-row occupants since airbags are already present in the front, and not for passengers seated in the back.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo First Impressions

2012 Mazda CX-9 GT AWD Review

2012 Ford Fiesta SES Hatchback Review

Other very interesting topics:

• 2013 Toyota Venza preview
• Drowsy driving: a Canadian-wide menace
• Lithium-ion batteries more affordable by 2025
• Nissan announces new look for Versa
• 2012 Honda CR-V Touring review

From GMM

Lewis Hamilton would be happy to share the podium once again with his former McLaren teammate, Heikki Kovalainen.

Paddock speculation has linked Finn Kovalainen, who was Hamilton's teammate in 2008 and 2009, with a return to the upper half of the grid for 2013.

Heikki Kovalainen, 30, struggled during his stints with Renault and McLaren, winning just a single race, but he has rebuilt his reputation with startup stragglers Caterham.

Hamilton and Kovalainen each celebrated their 100th grand prix weekend at Hockenheim, but both suffered races they would rather forget.

Indeed, Hamilton said on the radio that he would like to retire his damaged McLaren, and later stood by his desire to give up.

"I don't understand the point in driving around in a broken car. I was just driving for the sake of driving," said the Briton.

Kovalainen also struggled at Hockenheim, but Hamilton nonetheless tipped him as a contender for a much better car in 2013.

"Heikki has shown himself to be one of the fastest drivers," he is quoted by the Finnish broadcaster MTV3. "Unfortunately, he does not have a very good car now, but he's still shown many times that he is strong, consistent, mentally focused and very fast. I really hope he will get the chance to have a faster car, so that we can be racing against each other once again."

Due to fuel supply concerns, the American automaker has recalled 9,320 units of its 2013 Ford Escape, 2,181 of which have been sold in Canada. On certain vehicles, the 1.6 L turbocharged engine has a faulty fuel line which could split and leak fuel, potentially causing a fire or personal injury if anywhere near an open flame.

Ford also recalled 2013 Escape models on July 4 because of problems with the braking system. Carpeting was incorrectly installed on the left side of the brake pedal, possibly interfering with its use. 2013 Escape owners are urged to get in touch with their dealership to fix the fuel line problem.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

According to what we have learned, Lotus is currently negotiating its release from its five-year engine supplying contract with the IZOD IndyCar Series and it looks like the manufacturer won't be back for 2013.

So, it would be safe to assume that Honda and Chevrolet will become the only engine suppliers for next year after what has been call a terrible show of force for Lotus all season long.

Photo: Lotus

No representatives from the IndyCar Series would comment on those rumours but it is clear that Lotus has a long-term contract through 2016 and that it could carry a significant financial penalty.



It is expected that there won't be any official announcement until those affairs are straightened out.

According to Car and Driver Magazine, the English automaker has pulled out of next September's Auto show. With the recent firing of CEO Dany Bahar in June, the financially-struggling company has stalled vehicle development for two months now.

Lotus has been on a downward spiral since presenting 5 concept cars in 2010, namely because of its involvement in IndyCar and Formula 1, though the company has seen some success with Formula 1 drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean.

Source: Car And Driver

Always in high-demand since its 2009 American launch, the 2014 Kia Forte will be given a makeover, as shown in new pictures of the popular second generation compact sedan recently released by the automaker.

Longer, wider, and lower, the 2014 Forte, known as the K3 in Korea, will be launched in North America sometime between now and the end of the year, and should be available worldwide during the course of the 2013 third quarter. The hatchback and coupe versions will follow shortly after.

First sold in 2009, the Kia Forte was the Korean automaker's best-selling vehicle in 2011, with more than 445,000 units sold around the world. Kia has yet to release engine specs for the 2014 model.

Source: Left Lane

Photo: Kia-Buzz

Photo: Kia-Buzz

From GMM

F1 technical directors are meeting on Monday, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport has reported.

Undoubtedly at the very top of the agenda will be the Red Bull engine mapping saga that gripped the Hockenheim paddock mere hours before Sunday's German grand prix.

Ultimately, the FIA admitted it could not penalise the team, even though stewards insisted they did not "accept all the arguments" put forward by Red Bull.

The suggestion is that Red Bull adhered to the letter of the law, but not the "spirit".

Red Bull garage. (Photo: WRi2)

"There is no clause in the regulations that refers to the spirit of the regulations," insisted team boss Christian Horner.

"The rules are in black and white and, having looked at the evidence, the FIA were fully satisfied."

But a cleaning-up of the rules is now regarded as likely.

"This must be stopped," Peter Sauber said clearly. "Otherwise all that happens is a lot of money is thrown out of the window.

"And that is clearly what the FIA wanted to avoid with the new rules," he added.

Even Martin Whitmarsh, the head of the powerful McLaren team, agreed that leaving the current rules alone would lead to "an arms race" that will cost "a lot of money".

Rinaldo Capello, a long time member of the Audi team, has annonced that he will no longer drive prototype cars.

The forty-eight-year-old Capello had numerous success with the Audi team, including three Le Mans 24 Hours victories alongside his good friends and teammates Tom Kristensen and Alan McNish.

The Dane and the Scot will share the driving of the Audi R18 e-tron in the last rounds of the World Endurance Championship.

Capello said he intends to keep competing behind the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS GT3.

VW Group is negotiating to open a store on France's most famous shopping street in the storefront currently occupied by record-seller Virgin, said VW spokeswoman Leslie Peltier.

VW Group is negotiating to open a store on France's most famous shopping street in the storefront currently occupied by record-seller Virgin, said VW spokeswoman Leslie Peltier.

Maruti Suzuki India locked out workers at a factory near New Delhi and ruled out restarting production until a probe is completed into rioting that led to the death of a manager.

VW is considering launching a new bid for Malaysia's Proton as Europe's largest automaker aims to tap growing southeast Asian markets in its quest for global dominance, sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

VW has been able to borrow at cheaper interest rates than many of its rivals. That advantage has translated into better deals for French consumers. French buyers pay as little as 1.

I often forget that cars are first and foremost a means to an end. They are meant to take people from point A to point B as efficiently as possible. Comfort, performance, styling and any type of derived pleasure are not essential elements to what can be considered a basic mode of transportation. This is what the 2012 Honda Insight is, and I kinda like it.


Let's rant, again...
But it's all done wrong. Indulge me in my short rant on Honda : The Insight is another prime example of Honda's forward thinking, which is far too ahead of the curve. This $21,990 car is an easy way to land incredible fuel economy, interior room and utility, but no one will ever know about it.

Far from being pretty or ugly, the Insight likely represents and meets the needs of a large portion of the buying public, consumers, and those who need a car but don't want a car. The Insight is perfect in that way.

Honda, put your pants on and promote other products besides the Civic and CR-V.

This $21,990 car is an easy way to land incredible fuel economy, interior room and utility, but no one will ever know about it. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Aerodynamic for a purpose
The 2012 Honda Insight's shape is highly purposeful as its drag coefficient is 0.28, making it a very sleek car indeed. Aesthetically speaking, the car's styling is very modern and quite functional, however, is betrayed by its 15” hubcaps that are a faux pas in 2012.

The remainder of the design is reminiscent of many current and popular cars such as the Toyota Prius and (if you squint to the point of seeing next to nothing) to that of the Mercedes-Benz Shooting Break.

The functional aspect comes in the form of a highly accommodating cabin in the 2012 Honda Insight. Four occupants (five would be tight, shoulder-wise) find more leg-, shoulder- and headroom than in many midsize cars. The trunk also benefits greatly as the large hatch and high roofline create easy loading and much volume.

The functional aspect comes in the form of a highly accommodating cabin in the 2012 Honda Insight. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

What fuel?
The 2012 Honda Insight is motivated, as best as possible, by a 1.3L 4-cylinder with Integrated Motor Assist (IMA). I felt the need to add “as best as possible” as the 98 hp and 123 lb-ft of torque are no more than adequate to get things moving. There I go again, forgetting that this is a tool...

These days, rarely do I encounter a car that consumes what the EnerGuide, published by Natural Resources Canada, indicates. The Honda Insight did really well, taking only 5.0L/100km, only a few drops more than the posted 4.7/4.4 city/highway numbers. The slight variation is a direct result of the driver's will and likely because the IMA system does not allow for full-on electric driving.

The 2012 Honda Insight is motivated, as best as possible, by a 1.3L 4-cylinder with Integrated Motor Assist (IMA). (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

At what cost?
The principal elements that make the 2012 Honda Insight as efficient as it is are its multiple technologies that manage the intake of black gold. Unfortunately, it is these elements that mostly ruin the driving experience. From a standstill, the powertrain jerks and can be unpleasant when the slow start-stop system wakes up.

The CVT functions as though it was a generation behind because of its sloppiness and lack of refinement. In ECO mode, and when driving ECO-minded, it's more than tolerable. However, unless the driver is in the mood, it won't work.

The other cost
For 2012, Honda Canada has decided to pull the EX version from the lineup for reasons I can only fathom as being that sales are so weak that the business case for two trims does not make financial sense.

What I find especially odd is that between January 2011 and May 2012, the 2010-only EX outsold the 2010 and 2012 (there was no 2011 in Canada) by about 40% (LX: 121 vs. EX: 171).

The discontented LX version was never the big seller, however, it is now the only one offered. It would seem as though Honda has chopped its own legs from under itself. This way, they've ensured that they will sell fewer cars. Maybe that is the plan for Canada. The existence of the Civic Hybrid creates a redundancy that does not help the Insight's case.

The discontented LX version was never the big seller, however, it is now the only one offered. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

What about the Insight?
It's a good car, not in so much as it is a good car, but that it will carry four peeps “comfortably” and some stuff wherever they need to go.

The ride is good as the simple suspension setup is supple and forgiving, and fuel economy is phenomenal. The bottom line is that one has to be in the mood for this vehicle.