Auto News 5

Franck Montagny and Stephane Sarrazin gave Peugeot its first American Le Mans Series victory on Friday, winning a weather-shortened 12th annual Petit Le Mans. Full story...

Jacques Villeneuve this weekend is making yet another visit to a formula one paddock, and he told the French daily Le Parisien that he is "reasonably optimistic" of securing a return to the grid in 2010. Full story...

Bernie Ecclestone has played down the danger to his role in charge of formula one posed by Sir Martin Sorrell, an outspoken director of F1's commercial rights owner CVC. Full story...

Adrian Sutil was fined $20,000 USD and reprimanded by the stewards after retiring from the Singapore grand prix. When trying to rejoin after a spin, the Force India driver drove into BMW-Sauber's Nick Heidfeld. Full story...

As the speculation steadily becomes fact, Renault's new managing director Jean-Francois Caubet on Sunday all but confirmed that the 27-year-old Spaniard is now set to depart the French team. Full story...

In a rain-shortened race, DJ Kennington won the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series finale, the Z-Line Designs 250, at the Kawartha Speedway confirming also Andrew Ranger's 2009 title. The race, which was supposed to be run on Saturday night, was postponed to Sunday because of the persistent rain and things were not looking good in the morning as rain was still present. Full story...

The driver of the No 24 Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson scored victory Sunday in the second race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase held at Dover International Speedway's Monster Mile. Full story...

In a rain-shortened race, DJ Kennington won the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series finale, the Z-Line Designs 250, at the Kawartha Speedway confirming also Andrew Ranger's 2009 title. The race, which was supposed to be run on Saturday night, was postponed to Sunday because of the persistent rain and things were not looking good in the morning as rain was still present. Full story...

Here's a good example of a successful model re-introduction. Chevrolet brought the Malibu back from the grave in 1997. Shortly after, it started gaining popularity with customers and press alike. Plenty of awards followed. The 'fifth generation' Malibu (or first-generation modern Malibu) was sold until 2003-- when the Opel-based 2004 Malibu hit the road. Full story...

Pursuing the concept of "harmony with people" Honda has developed a new personal mobility technology and unveiled U3-X, a compact experimental device that fits comfortably between the rider's legs, to provide free movement in all directions just as in human walking - forward, backward, side-to-side, and diagonally. Full story...

MISSISSAUGA, ON, - Last night Infiniti Canada revealed the Infiniti G37 Anniversary Art Project Vehicle at the 14th Annual Canadian Art Gallery Hop Gala in Toronto. To commemorate Infiniti's 20th anniversary, Infiniti Canada partnered with Cirque du Soleil(R) to create a one-of-a-kind G37 Sport Coupe. Montreal artist Heidi Taillefer created the design and spent almost one month hand-painting the exterior of the vehicle. Full story...

The new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, the highlight of the 2009 International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt/Main, will soon be delighting video game fans the world over. The gullwing model is being featured in the latest version of the PlayStation®3 (PS3TM) game Gran Turismo®5, in which it is expected to excite gamers with its breathtaking performance. Full story...

Stuttgart. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has two new publications to offer fans of high quality automobile books, which are just as unique as the cars they describe: Just in time for the sales launch of the Porsche Panamera, the Bielefeld-based traditional publisher, Delius Klasing, has produced a large format illustrated book on the four door Gran Turismo. Full story...

Rubens Barrichello did qualify fifth for tomorrow's Singapore Grand Prix, but thanks to a greabox change this morning, he will start 10th. Fortunately for the championship contender, his teammate really didn't beat him at it this time. Button did not qualify for Q1, doing nothing better than the 12th time overall. Full story...

For the second year in a row, the battle for the Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda title will go down to the final race of the season, and Jonathan Summerton is once again one of three drivers in contention for the championship. Full story...

The wheels of speculation regarding the futures of Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso continue to spin in Singapore. Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali, who has Raikkonen under contract for 2010, on Friday admitted that "the situation has changed ... in the last couple of days". At the same time, Alonso revealed that he has made his mind up about his plans for next year, while the Raikkonen camp admitted that contracts can be broken. Full story...

Although blacklisted by many in the pitlane, Nelson Piquet Jr will find another drive in formula one, according to the sport's chief executive Bernie Ecclestone. The 23-year-old Brazilian was sacked by former Renault boss Flavio Briatore earlier this year, and he then blew the whistle on what became known as crash-gate, having admitted to crashing on purpose in Singapore last year. Full story...

Lewis Hamilton hit out at the state of the Singapore street circuit on Saturday, after struggling for pace in Friday's practice sessions. The Briton emerged on track for the final session before qualifying with a brand new McLaren chassis, his crew having discovered a problem overnight. Full story...

Jenson Button in Singapore called for calm amid increasing rumours of discord behind closed doors at Brawn. With the Briton now essentially battling only his teammate Rubens Barrichello for the 2009 championship, it is rumoured that they are also fighting for the single remaining race seat at the team for next season. Full story...

Telefonica is set to be the main sponsor of the new Spanish team Campos in 2010. But despite the expected support of the telecommunications giant, team managing director and F1 veteran Daniele Audetto has revealed that the FIA's budget cap row with FOTA earlier this year endangered the project. Full story...