Before they took to the track to complete their first practice laps in the Olympic Stadium, the BMW DTM drivers experienced the circuit within the stadium and the Bavarian scenery from a completely different perspective.
Photo: BMW
Together with BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt, Martin Tomczyk, Bruno Spengler, Dirk Werner, Joey Hand, Augusto Farfus and Andy Priaulx were given a tour over the canopy roof of the stadium and were rewarded with a magnificent view of the circuit and BMW headquarters.
Photo: BMW
On Wednesday, Tomczyk, Spengler and Werner became acquainted with Munich while visiting several local newspapers, driving a first-generation BMW M3, a BMW M1 and the 2012 BMW M3 DTM Safety Car. Then they were treated to a magnificent view of the circuit, the nearby BMW headquarters and the Olympic Parc, which - as well as BMW M - is celebrating its 40th birthday this year.
Photo: BMW
Courage, safety hooks and rope: that is all the BMW drivers needed for their expedition. Starting out from the North Stand, they climbed along the unique, listed roof construction 40 metres above the ground.
Photo: BMW
The stadium, which was built for the 1972 Olympic Games, and the racetrack constructed specially for this weekend's DTM event were quite literally at their feet.
Last May, John and Helen Taylor travelled 2,617 kilometres across the United States on a single tank of diesel with a Volkswagen Passat TDI. Now, they've just finished a cross-Canada trip in which they served as mentors for eight other drivers.
The ''Smarter Driver Event" aimed to answer the question: Could eight average Canadians make the journey from Halifax to Vancouver (6,340 kilometres) on just six tanks of fuel?
To find out, the teams relied on a 2012 Volkswagen Passat equipped with a 170-horsepower 2.5L five-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission.
As it turned out, the Passat set a new Canadian record by averaging 5.59L/100km and 1,352 kilometres per tank. That means a grand total of just 4.69 tankfuls were used.
In a surprising twist, MINI has decided to cancel the production of the MINI John Cooper Works GP Coupe, supposedly because it would have been too close and similar to the regular JCW GP - the fastest MINI ever made - and hurt the latter as it makes its debut next year.
According to insiders in the UK and US, MINI hasn't totally rejected a coupe version; it just tossed it aside for an indefinite period of time. Let's keep our fingers crossed!
With the exception of McLaren and Marussia, every car on the grid this year features an odd 'step' in the nose profile; the result of a safety regulation compromise.
Sahara Force India VJM05. (Photo: WRi2)
But although Whiting has discussed the situation with team technical directors, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports that the proposed solution for 2013 will not be mandatory.
Rather, teams will be allowed to smooth the 'step' with what the German publication refers to as a "structurally irrelevant" covering or layer.
But the report by journalist Tobias Gruner insisted there is no guarantee the teams will actually take the bait.
"Most probably we have to get used to the step," Sauber designer Matt Morris agreed. "I assume they will stay just the same for next season."
The Lotus Formula 1 Team discovered a technical issue with the gearbox of the car driven by Frenchman Romain Grosjean after the British Grand Prix.
In-depth analysis of the gearbox by Lotus engineers has shown that it needed replacement, which means he will face a grid drop in Hockenheim the weekend of next week.
Romain Grosjean, Lotus E20. (Photo: WRi2)
"It was a gearbox problem and we are very fortunate that Romain didn't have the problem earlier in the race,” said James Allison, Team Lotus F1 technical director.
"Unfortunately for Romain it means he'll take a five place grid penalty at Hockenheim, but he certainly showed at Silverstone that dropping down the order won't stop him challenging at the sharp end."
It's unfortunate that Mazda only offers the manual transmission on the most basic variant of the CX-5, though I suppose we should be happy it's available at all. Having driven this stick-shift model back-to-back with a fully-loaded automatic variant, I can say there are only two goodies I'd really miss: nineteen-inch wheels and leather. The larger wheels and, more important, the accompanying low-profile tires, translate to better-weighted and more communicative steering than the tall, seventeen-inch tires on this model. The leather also relates to steering- the cheap plastic rim on the base model ruins a perfectly shaped steering wheel.
Also in this episode: Indian industrial giant Mahindra announces that it will not sell trucks in the United States, the acclaimed racing documentary Senna is
Volvo is touting three new technologies that it says will help make the Volvos of the future a good deal safer: autonomous driving, 'Intersection Support' and animal detection.
Several trade union bodies are broadly welcoming the appointment of Steve Girsky as acting head of GM's European operations, following today's sudden departure of former Opel CEO, Karl- Friedrich Stracke.
General Motors has put vice chairman Steve Girsky in charge of its troubled European operations, replacing Karl-Friedrich Stracke. GM said that Stracke will handle special assignments from chairman Dan Akerson.
General Motors, a pioneer in outsourcing information technology, said it is beginning to reverse that trend with plans to at least double the number of in-house IT experts over the next three years.
Dax Shepard leaned on his Hollywood acting friends to fill out the cast of his new movie, Hit and Run, that hits theaters on Aug. 24. (Watch the movie trailer
Lowriders elicit differing opinions even among car lovers who have eclectic tastes. At the sight of a lowrider, some shrug their shoulders or shake their heads, and some fall in love.
The Jeep brand, sponsor of Juventus for the 2012-2013 football season makes its first appearance on the Home strip shirt of the Italian Championship Winning Club, officially unveiled at the Juventus Stadium in Turin.
Following the adoption of the European Commission's proposals to reduce CO2 emissions from cars and vans, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) will now work with its members to conduct a full analysis of how the proposed targets should be reached as well as their feasibility, and what this means in practice for the industry as a whole.
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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