Otomotive Gallery

Autoweek talks with Magnus Walker—urban outlaw, vintage Porsche collector, driver

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 17:12:00 +0000

Magnus Walker is a passion-driven man, and he's living the American dream one vintage Porsche at a time.

“America is still the land of opportunity,” Walker told Autoweek.

The humble and well-spoken collector is a happily married, successful entrepreneur who builds and drives vintage Porsches for fun out of his downtown Los Angeles warehouse. Starting his mornings in the five o'clock hour, Walker can often be found driving one of his many Porsches around the L.A. area, taking pictures and enjoying the cars.

Born in Sheffield, England, in 1967, Walker left his formal education at age 15. He crossed the pond for the United States four years after that and never looked back.

He landed in Detroit for a short time and then made tracks West to California, where his rocker lifestyle allowed him to fit right in with the 1986 Los Angeles music scene.

As he assimilated Walker developed his own brand of clothing that grew into a passion for trying to reinvent the fashion industry. Serious Clothing remains active, but as time passed, Walker turned his attention to the film industry.

He and his wife of 17 years, Karen, bought a large warehouse downtown and converted it into a living-space, garage and studio for their work. Working at home allowed him free time to turn his attention to automobiles.

“When I was boy, my father took me to a lot of motorsports events. I was able to grow up during the glory days of Formula One and have motorsports ingrained in me early on,” he said.

While at one such event, Walker spotted the car that started it all for him—a white 1977 Porsche Turbo with the red and blue striping of the Martini livery.

“It was my dream car,” he said.

As time marched on, Walker's passion for Porsches evolved, as did his collection. His original goal was to own an example of every Porsche 911 from 1964, the first year, to 1973.

“I have one from every year except 1973,” he said. “I have had plenty of opportunities to buy a '73, but my priorities have changed. The novelty of having ‘every one' wore off. The real challenge was to find and buy a '64 because without it, there would be no icon.”

While his collection of 911s is notable in and of itself, what Walker has done with them is a whole other animal.

Canadian filmmaker Tamir Moscovici discovered Walker through an ongoing thread on the Pelican parts Web site about his ever-changing projects and updating vehicles.

“He saw my thread and contacted me about doing a documentary. I had seen his films about Honda IndyCar and a gritty piece about tattoos and knew he was a kindred spirit,” Walker said.

“So, on a leap of faith, a handshake and a shoestring budget, Tamir flew down to Los Angeles to start filming.”

Moscovici gathered more than 40 hours of footage over the course of four days that was to be pared to a five-minute mini-documentary, a passion project for him. It would turn into a 30-minute feature documentary.

“While the trailer is about 95 percent Porsche, the film is more so about my drive and passion. I want people to know that they can follow their dreams, whatever they may be.”

Walker's passion for building older Porsches occupies roughly 80 percent of his days, he said, most of which are spent doing the work of a self-taught mechanic. He does both numbers-matching original builds and full-on custom dream machines.

“If I find a car without an original motor, I'm comfortable with taking creative liberties and throwing in a stroked motor or making other upgrades,” he said.

Walker has been known to incorporate personal touches and updates to many of his cars, including leather pull straps, drilled-out door handles, vented Plexiglas windows and other pieces he's developed from years of driving and racing.

“I want them to have soul,” he said.

Having spent the better part of a decade competing in Porsche club races and track days, Walker's tastes have evolved from pure track to street-able track cars.

“The more I got involved with the events and racing-wise, the less fun it was. It became all-consuming.”

Walker now focuses on building cars at his own pace, and selling them unadvertised.

“I did my first restoration four years ago. These cars are easier to work on, and a person of little mechanical knowledge, like me, can work on them. I build outlaw, sport-purpose-art-inspired cars, Monte Carlo-rally type cars merged with the 1970s R S and the RSR tastes, a race car converted to a street car. I want to offer a happy medium from the ‘less is more' stylistic approach.”

While Walker has spent time behind the wheel of new Porsches, he prefers the older models. “I'm rooted in the older cars, but am starting to step out into 1970s Turbos. The modern hatchbacks can blow them away, but that's not the point. My Irish green 1966 911 is one of my favorites. It's rewarding to get the most out of the car; it packs a punch and is a real thrill to drive. You have to be involved. It's definitely rewarding stimulation.”

Even though he has owned more than 40 Porsche 911s, when asked whether he'll ever part with the 1964 model, Walker responded, “My theory is certain things cannot be duplicated, something like a '64 911 cannot be duplicated, so it's one of those cars that has a lot of sentimental value. You're connected to it a little more. I have a few cars that are pretty rare, cars like that I don't think I'll be selling.”

Gallery :

Three-cylinder Ford Focus pushed to show off performance

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:25:00 +0000

Ford says a Focus equipped with the 1.0-liter, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine can run from 0 to 62 mph in 11.3 seconds.

Ford has plans to bring a three-cylinder EcoBoost engine to its U.S. lineup in a bit more than a year from now, likely in the Fiesta.

But for a car-buying population that thrives on horsepower and 0-to-60-mph times, it might be hard to get excited by a 1.0-liter three-banger.

In a bid to dispel those misgivings, Ford took a trio of Focus hatchbacks with the three-cylinder EcoBoost engine to a track in France and set a handful of speed records--albeit records for small production cars with small engines.

EcoBoost is Ford's marketing name for engines equipped with the combination of direct fuel injection and turbocharging. The 1.0-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost engine went on sale in Europe earlier this year, with output ratings of 122 hp and 98 hp.

The event at the CERAM test track in Mortefontaine, France, racked up 16 world speed records, Ford says. It helped that Ford brought along World Rally Championship driver Jari-Matti Latvala.

Among the speed marks set:

-- Standing start, 1 mile: 79.402 mph

-- Flying start, 1 mile: 108.548 mph

-- Highest average speed over 100 miles: 118.412 mph

-- Highest average speed over 1,000 miles: 103.357 mph.

Ford says the Focus with the 122-hp EcoBoost three-banger runs from 0 to 62 mph in 11.3 seconds, has a top speed of 120 mph and gets 56.5 mpg on the European test cycle (which returns higher numbers than the U.S. test cycle).

By comparison, the last three-cylinder engine offered in the United States--the normally aspirated 1.0-liter unit in the 2000 Chevrolet Metro--was rated at 55 hp.

Nissan's revolutionary DeltaWing race car hits the track at Le Mans in video

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:45:00 +0000

Darren Cox, general manager of Nissan in Europe, and driver Michael Krumm talk about the progess of the DeltaWing race car during this past weekend's test session at Le Mans in preparation of the Le Mans 24 Hours race.

Drivers Michael Krumm, Satoshi Motoyama and Marino Franchitti combined to run 54 laps during the test session. Motoyama logged a fast lap of 3 minutes, 47.980 seconds at the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe.

The Nissan team, in conjunction with Dan Gurney's All-American Racers, has set out to design a competitive car that runs on half the horsepower, half the drag and half the weight of a typical race car at Le Mans.

The video was released on Monday by Nissan in Europe.

2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT gets more letters, power

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:25:00 +0000

Two additional letters will spell more power for the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

The supercar will be named the SLS AMG GT for the next model year, which is meant to call attention to the light freshening that the glamorous two-seater will receive when it goes on sale in mid-November. Output grows to 583 hp from the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8, up from 563 hp in today's car. Torque remains at 479 lb-ft.

Mercedes also recalibrated the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to make for quicker and more direct shifts in manual mode. The suspension gets recalibrated springs and dampers for a stiffer driving character.

The sprint to 60 mph is estimated to be a whisker faster (3.6 seconds vs. 3.7 seconds for the 2012 model). Top speed remains electronically limited to 197 mph.

The German luxury maker also added a new "designo style" package with different colors, elaborate upholstery and more leather pieces for the interior. Other options include carbon-fiber finishings inside and out, carbon-ceramic brakes and a surround-sound audio system from Bang & Olfusen.

Pricing was not announced. The SLS will continue to be offered in coupe and roadster models.

The supercar debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show and arrived in the U.S. market in 2010.

Viewed as the successor to the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, the SLS was the first car developed entirely by AMG in its 40-year-plus history, and it served notice that the division would remain relevant after Mercedes split from its tie-up with McLaren.

Gallery :

Volkswagen considers Jetta Alltrack crossover

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:17:00 +0000

Volkswagen is not finished with plans to extend the Jetta portfolio.

The suits inside the Wolfsburg, Germany, headquarters are mulling a plan for a crossover version of the future Jetta SportWagen along the lines of the recently introduced Alltrack concept.

“We think there is definite sales potential in North America and other world markets for a new lifestyle-targeted Jetta model,” a senior Volkswagen source divulged. “It could be based on the successor to [the] existing model.”

The vehicle under discussion is a Subaru Outback fighter, complete with elevated ride height, uniquely styled bumpers and light graphics, additional wheel-arch cladding and specialized interior trims.

To keep development costs in check, the wagon and the crossover would share the same steel body and mechanical package. The crossover, which likely would take the name Jetta Alltrack for sales in the U.S. market, was conceived to offer the choice of either standard front-wheel drive or optional all-wheel drive. It could potentially be sold in other markets, including Europe, as the Golf Alltrack.

With the next-generation Tiguan due out in 2014 set to increase in size and offer an optional third row of seats in North America, Volkswagen clearly sees room at the lower end of its lineup for another crossover offering.

The Jetta crossover would be assembled alongside future incarnations of the existing Jetta sedan and SportWagen and the upcoming Jetta four-door-style coupe at a plant in Mexico. All four will be based on Volkswagen's new modular platform structure. Four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline and diesel engines for the Jetta models will also be sourced from Mexico.

Gallery :

Turn 10 announces Forza Horizon video game

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 12:51:00 +0000

Turn 10's Forza franchise started off with the unenviable task of having to make believers out of serious skeptics. “You're really going to try to compete with Gran Turismo? Who does that? Who does that and succeeds?”

But with involving gameplay, Microsoft's excellent Xbox Live service and an adherence to its own vision while listening to customers, the Washington game studio has built something every bit as good and often better than what's recently come out of the vaunted Polyphony Digital offices in Japan.

While the first four generations of Forza focused, like the GT franchise, on track driving, Turn 10 is taking on open-road games such as EA's Need For Speed with Forza Horizon, available on Oct. 23.

Centered around some fictional manner of driving-and-music gathering called the “Horizon Festival,” the new game is a result of the Turn 10 crew spending four months shooting and mapping roads in Colorado, then tweaking them for maximum in-game effect.

But beyond asphalt ribbons, Horizon will also allow gamers to try their hand at racing on 65 discrete surfaces.

The whole car list will be available later this summer, but the trailer features a Mitsubishi Evo X, the Audi SWB Sport quattro homologation special and, of course, the SRT Viper. Was that a nod to Keisuke Takahashi's yellow FD RX-7? Dorifto Colorado? Yes, please!

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Lincoln, Ford and Porsche included in Dingman Collection for sale by RM

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 11:55:00 +0000

We gave you a small taste of the Dingman Collection last week. Now let's take a deeper look at some of the impressive lots for sale at the RM Auctions' Hampton, N.H., event slated for June 9-10.

The collection was gathered over many years by Dingman, who was on the Ford Motor Co.'s board of directors for 21 years. The sale will include almost 50 vehicles and more than 1,000 pieces of automotive history, signs and other related lots.

Exceptional lots include a 1936 Ford Custom Cabriolet by Gläser, a 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster and a 1962 Lincoln Continental, similar to the one driven by the boys in Entourage.

The 1936 Ford has an L-head V8 engine, a three-speed manual transmission and a whopping 85 hp. These cars were popular in Europe during the time between the wars.

Many were sent to coachbuilders for custom bodies or soft tops. Gläser became famous for his work with Opels, Chevrolets and Fords, and he did plenty of these types of conversions.

This particular car was purchased by the Westermann family in 1936. Though the car carries a chassis number from a 1936 car, it wears the front sheetmetal of a 1935 model. Model-year updates to Ford vehicles lagged in Europe at the time, which lead to whole series of cars with mismatched parts.

The car was moved around until the end of World War II and ended up staying in a garage until it was bought by Richard John Tucker in 1987. The car was restored and was sold to Ian Feltham of London in 1990. The engine was rebuilt by Norman Bloor, a notable flathead specialist, and the car was again sold to Colin Spong in 2008 before being bought by Dingman. The 1936 Ford Custom Cabriolet is expected to sell for no less than $225,000.

The Porsche 911 Speedster should sell for about the price of the Custom Cabriolet. It has a custom-built turbocharged 3.5-liter flat-six engine and a five-speed automatic gearbox.

The Speedster was launched along with the Carrera 4 at the Frankfurt motor show in 1988. The show car was a hit, and production versions received a taller windshield and an easy-to-use manually operated cloth top. Production of the car was delayed until 1989, and only 2,100 examples were built, 823 of which were sent to the United States.

This car has only 4,200 indicated miles, and with the added parts, it's better than new. In 1992, Dingman sent the car to California's AJ-USA shop for conversion to the turbocharged specification. First the engine was upgraded, and then everything else, to optimize the package. A total of $38,000 was spent during the process.

Now, if you're looking for a gangster-mobile, the 1962 suicide-door Lincoln Continental might be your ticket. It sports a 430-cubic-inch engine, 300 hp and a three-speed transmission. After a full restoration, the interior has wood-grain accents, black leather and good quality brightwork. The instrument panel is original, and the odometer has slightly fewer than 75,000 miles on the clock. The car hasn't been driven since its restoration, which contributes to its clean appearance. The Continental is expected to sell for about $55,000.

Check out www.rmauctions.com for more details or to get in on the action.

Gallery :

Six designs compete in $5 billion effort to replace aging Humvee

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 11:37:00 +0000

Competition is heating up to win a contract for a vehicle that will replace nearly 18,500 aging military Humvees for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps starting in 2015.

Six proposals are in play, with little time left before federal contracting officials decide on development of the $5 billion-plus program. Suppliers are lining up for an opportunity to be part of the production teams with various contractors.

Up to three winners in the current round could receive up to $65 million for the preproduction engineering, manufacturing and development phase of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.

Last month, AM General LLC unveiled its Blast-Resistant Vehicle-Off Road, or BRV-O, in suburban Detroit.

Here are the other competitors vying for a maximum of three awards that the contractors expect by early July from the U.S. Army Tacom Life Cycle Command:

• Eagle: General Tactical Vehicles, a joint venture of AM General and General Dynamics Land Systems.

• L-ATV: Oshkosh Defense.

• Lockheed JLTV: Lockheed Martin Corp.

• Saratoga: Navistar Defense, with a separate division of BAE Systems.

• Valanx: BAE Systems Inc., with Northrop Grumman Corp. and Meritor Defense.

"The companies are putting a lot of money into the JLTV now, even though the money they have available is a bit tighter. There's less funding available overall for r&d and new vehicle development," said Bruce Barron, CEO of precision cast-maker Barron Industries Inc., of Oxford Township, Mich.

Barron said Barron Industries has been involved in development work on both the BRV-O for AM General and the Eagle for General Tactical Vehicles.

But he said the company is preparing or has submitted bids to all six project teams on the JLTV and hopes to secure production work on components of the chassis, suspension systems, engine and the internal housing chassis for the electronic systems.

The next phase of contract awards calls for vendors to submit prototypes for military testing. Here's a summary of the six competitors:

BRV-O

AM General showed the BRV-O -- a latecomer to the competition -- publicly for the first time in the Detroit area last month. Its six-cylinder, 3.2-liter turbocharged engine is rated at 300 hp and 500 pounds-feet of torque.

AM General has produced the original Humvee for the military since the mid-1980s.

GKN Land Systems, a British company with offices in suburban Detroit, has been a drivetrain components supplier to the Humvee, and some of its components are also included on the BRV-O.

Eagle

General Dynamics Land Systems and AM General together are offering a repurposed version of the Eagle IV, which General Dynamics European Land Systems has supplied to the German military since at least 2008, said Don Howe, senior director of the joint venture General Tactical Vehicles.

The move is in part a response to the Army's recent request to review vehicles with more "mature" technologies that will take less time to bring to market, Howe said.

"We had to canvass our inventory of vehicles in the AM General and General Dynamics family and decide if between them we had a dog in the hunt. In fact, we did, and when we ran all the calculations, we could even adapt it and beat the $260,000 unit" price, Howe said.

L-ATV

A vehicle that Oshkosh Defense developed on its own, the Light Combat Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle will use Oshkosh's Tak-4i intelligent suspension system that is already in use on more than 20,000 vehicles.

The company is also offering an optional Oshkosh ProPulse diesel-electric hybrid powertrain to help improve fuel economy on its version of the JLTV.

Lockheed JLTV

The Bethesda, Md., company is leading a team that includes Meritor Defense in suburban Detroit; L-3 Combat Propulsion Systems of Muskegon, Mich.; and Vehma International of America Inc. in suburban Detroit.

Lockheed, a winning bidder on the first phase of JLTV development, had to make several modifications after the Pentagon's requirements changed for the second phase. Lockheed said it incorporated less expensive materials and fewer exotic metals such as titanium.

Saratoga

Navistar Defense felt its Saratoga was a natural fit for the JLTV after the Army reopened the competition to all bidders at the second phase.

"It was something we developed on our own, to be optimized to serve as an adaptable light tactical vehicle design of any sort," said company communications manager Elissa Koc.

Navistar Defense, a business unit of Navistar International Corp. of Warrenville, Ill., has more than 250 employees in suburban Detroit who are expected to handle engineering and preproduction work on the Saratoga, and also handle system technical support contract work on existing military vehicles.

Valanx

The BAE Systems vehicle has evolved since the initial round of predevelopment contracts on the vehicle that lapsed last May, said Deepak Bazaz, BAE's program manager on the vehicle.

The BAE team has abandoned a previous Navi- star engine in favor of a proposed PowerStroke 6.7- liter turbocharged diesel engine from Ford Motor Co. The company also has brought in Roush Enterprises Inc. of suburban Detroit to handle some engine system integration work, and has retooled the vehicle design to meet reduced weight limits that the military has imposed to allow for various equipment additions, Bazaz said.

A separate division of BAE also is collaborating on Lockheed Martin Corp.'s proposal for the vehicle, but Bazaz said the company has procedures in place to ensure engineers and specialists on each project do not overlap or share information.

Red Bull set to change floor design for Canada

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 19:04:00 +0000

Red Bull are expected to revise the much-talked-about ‘holes’ in their car’s rear floor ahead of next weekend’s Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada, after the FIA issued teams with clarification on the matter.

Although rivals chose not to protest the design at the last round in Monaco - won by Red Bull’s Mark Webber - there was much talk over whether the RB8’s enclosed holes in front of its rear wheels were legal.

Other teams had interpreted the rules to mean only floor slots are allowed and the FIA has now made clear that it will consider enclosed holes illegal from the Montreal race onwards.

For a more detailed explanation and illustration of Red Bull’s floor, click here.

Former Audi U.S. boss lands at Infiniti

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 18:49:00 +0000

Infiniti
Former Audi U.S. boss Johan de Nysschen will move to Infiniti. Shown is the Infiniti LE concept.

The former chief of Audi of America has been given the keys to Japanese luxury brand Infiniti.

Johan de Nysschen, 52, has been named a senior vice president of Nissan Motor Co. and will be responsible for its upscale division. The move takes effect on July 1. He will report to Andy Palmer, Nissan executive vice president in charge of product planning, business strategy, marketing communications and the Infiniti division.

The new job continues the global career of de Nysschen, a native South African who led Audi's American division for nearly seven years and was with the brand for 20 years. He will now relocate to Hong Kong. He also held top positions for Audi in South Africa and Japan.

The veteran leader's departure from Audi came as a bit of a surprise late Friday afternoon. He had overseen a long period of growth for the brand in the United States as it launched new models, Super Bowl commercials and considerably raised its awareness among consumers. Audi's U.S. sales increased 10 percent in May to 11,507 units—it's best performance ever for the month in this market.

Audi of America chief operating officer Mark Del Rosso, 48, will perform de Nysschen's former duties until a replacement is named.

In a statement, Infiniti's Palmer said: “We have exciting and ambitious plans for improving the Infiniti brand, including introducing new models in all markets where premium customer demand exists. Johan is a highly successful global luxury-automotive executive, and his leadership of Infiniti will be a key factor in realizing the potential of the Infiniti brand.”

Audi
Former Audi executive Johan de Nysschen assumes a top post at Infiniti July 1.

New SRT Viper spotted in the wild

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 18:44:00 +0000

Sure, we've seen the 2013 SRT Viper at the New York auto show and in glossy magazine photos. But how does it look on the street, among other more pedestrian vehicles?

The Brenda Priddy of Birmingham, Mich., Autoweek reader Spencer Abbott, spotted this 2013 SRT Viper cooling its heels in a Metro Detroit parking lot. Aside from the gas cap, the car looks just like the car that debuted at the New York auto show. Does the Viper look as good to you without the benefit of carefully placed lights and professional photography? Leave your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Gallery :

Stewart, 12 others in NASCAR wreck at Dover

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:44:00 +0000

Tony Stewart seemed to be cruising early in Sunday's race at Dover's Monster Mile, however, last year's champ didn't even last 10 laps before he was the casualty of a 13-car wreck.

The parade of wreckers entering the garage hauled the dented and busted remains of cars belonging to Tony Stewart, Landon Cassill, David Gilliland, Juan Pablo Montoya and other drivers that ended their shot at victory before the race really got going.

So much for the dry spell of big wrecks in Sprint Cup.

The series had its biggest pileup of the season with 13 cars the casualties of an accident on the ninth lap, triggered when Stewart made contact with Cassill’s left rear and sent him into the wall. Regan Smith rammed into Stewart, and nine other cars plowed into them Sunday at Dover International Speedway.

Smith and Stewart both took the blame for the accident on the backstretch.

Smith said he didn’t have time to slow down and avoid Stewart. Stewart said it wasn’t Smith’s fault.

“The No. 83 (Cassill) was trying to get back down to the bottom, and we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Stewart said. “It wasn’t Regan’s fault. He was right behind us and he didn’t have anywhere to go either. Just not a real good deal at the beginning of the race like this.”

Casey Mears, Travis Kvapil, Michael McDowell, Dave Blaney, Scott Speed, Stephen Leicht, Reed Sorenson and Joe Nemechek all were involved. There was a mangled mess of cars in the garage, and crew members pounded away at sheetmetal, trying to salvage a return. Montoya drove down pit road with the hood of the No. 42 positioned straight up. Most cars did return to the concrete track.

Stewart finished 25th, Smith was 27th and Montoya 28th. Gilliland, Speed, McDowell, Mears and Nemechek never returned.

Cassill said he never felt Stewart touch him.

“When the 14 is behind me and he’s going to make a pass, I’m going to let him go,” Cassill said.

“You want those guys to pass you. I hate it for Tony. I hate it for all the guys.”

The race was red-flagged.

Major wrecks and yellow flags have become a rarity in NASCAR this season. There was another when Carl Edwards was involved in a single-car wreck on lap 165. Edwards’ front-right tire went flat and he smacked into the wall.

Østberg to skip New Zealand World Rally Championship

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:41:00 +0000

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC - Mads Ostberg is the highest ranked Norwegian rally driver this season, but he runs the risk of losing that distinction this week. His team has opted to sit out the New Zealand rally.

Mads Østberg’s status as the highest placed Norwegian driver in the World Rally Championship is likely to be short-lived after he confirmed that he would not be contesting the next round in New Zealand.

Østberg, whose fourth-place finish on the Acropolis Rally last week moved him ahead of countryman Petter Solberg into third place in the WRC standings, had hoped to contest Brother Rally New Zealand next month in his Adapta World Rally Team Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

However, a lack of additional sponsorship has forced him to skip the trip to the southern hemisphere, and the Auckland-based round from June 21-24. He will return at Rally Finland in early August.

“I am very happy [to be the top Norwegian],” said Østberg, who is co-driven by Swede Jonas Andersson. “We are halfway through the season, and we have done a great job, but we definitely will not be going to New Zealand. Money controls everything, and had we done it, then we could have missed two events later in the season. It will be disappointing from a championship point of view not to go, but it’s our only option, and I’m very sad because we’re in a strong position.”

GreenGT preparing for Le Mans debut

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:38:00 +0000

The GreenGT H2 prototype, a hydrogen-electric race car, will have a reserved place on the grid for the Le Mans 24 Hours next year.

The hydrogen-electric GreenGT H2 prototype will take the place on the grid reserved for an experimental vehicle at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year.

The Franco-Swiss racer follows on from the Nissan-powered DeltaWing, which fills the so-called “Garage 56” spot in the 24 Hours later this month. The Le Mans organizer, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest confirmed that the GreenGT would race in 2013 on the official launch of the car at Le Mans ahead of official Test Day on the Circuit de la Sarthe.

The GreenGT is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, which produces the electricity to drive two electric motors pushing out the equivalent of 540 hp. The bespoke chassis has been developed the Welter Racing team, which was a regular at Le Mans through the 1990s and into the 2000s.

The car will begin testing in July and is scheduled to run in public for the first time over the course of the Silverstone FIA World Endurance Championship event in August. Former Audi factory driver Christian Pescatori will undertake the initial testing in the GreenGT.

New ACO president Pierre Fillon revealed that the GreenGT was the only applicant to fill “Garage 56” for next year. He said that he hoped the publicity surrounding the DeltaWing and now the GreenGT would encourage more interest for 2014.

2013 Ford F-150 gets Limited model, slight changes

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:28:00 +0000

Top trim levels equipped with MyFord Touch

A view of the 2013 Ford F-150 pickups..

The Ford F-150 pickup gets a handful of upgrades for the 2013 model year. The key changes include a redesigned center stack, the availability of high-intensity discharge headlamps and the addition of a new range-topping Limited trim.

The changes come as rival General Motors prepares to launch redesigned versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. Those trucks are expected to arrive in spring 2013.

The F-150 was last redesigned in 2009.

The 2013 F-150 Limited becomes the new top of the F-series lineup. This gives Ford four luxury trim levels in its pickup lineup-Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum and Limited. Those four models get the MyFord Touch telematics system with an eight-inch screen in the center stack. The technology includes the Sync voice control, two USB ports, audio/video input jacks and an SD card reader.

Ford redesigned the F-150 instrument panel to include a four-inch video display for trucks that don't use the eight-inch MyFord Touch system. The four-inch display, which is flanked on each side by rows of buttons, also includes Sync technology.

On the exterior, Ford gave the F-150 redesigned grilles and L-shaped headlamps. HID headlights are optional.

Other mechanical changes include the expanded availability of hill-descent control technology, which had been limited to the high-performance Raptor model.

The powertrain lineup for the F-150 is unchanged. Buyers can choose from among two V6s, including a 365-hp EcoBoost engine, and two V8s.

The 2013 Ford F-150 goes on sale later this year.

Mishimoto, AWE, JL Audio, AFE, Cooper, Hose Candy, Niche - Gear

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:03:00 +0000

Neuspeed Air Filters

For those whose subscribe to the belief that oil from a high-flow filter will damage the mass air flow (MAF) sensor, Neuspeed has released a line of Dry Paper Media (DPM) filters that offer the same performance and protection as the oiled, open air filters. The disposable Neuspeed DPM filter last about 30,000 miles, but can be extended with frequent cleaning with compressed air. Available in 2.75 and 3 inches, or as a no-charge option when purchasing most late-model Neuspeed P-Flow kits. $39.95

Neuspeed
805.388.7171
neuspeed.com

Nitto Motivo

The Nitto Motivo active all-season, ultra high performance tire is designed to get you to your destination no matter the weather. Manufactured in the USA using a state-of-the-art automated manufacturing processes, the Motivo has been engineered to maintain traction and handle in dry, wet and winter conditions. With a distinctive tread design, advanced construction techniques, and an all-new silica rubber compound, the Motivo also boasts increased ride comfort and increased mileage with reduced noise. Various tire sizes are available in 17- to 20-inch diameters.

Nitto Tire USA Inc.
nittotire.com

Whiteline BMW Sway Bars

Whiteline’s uprated 27mm front and 20mm rear sway bars for BMW E82/88 1 Series and BMW E90/92/93 3 Series are designed to improve grip, handling and performance. Each bar is manufactured from the finest grade Australian spring steel and then powdercoated to provide strength and durability. Whiteline sway bars utilize high-performance synthetic elastomer bushings and lateral locks to prevent them from shifting under lateral loads. $229

Whiteline/Redranger Pty Ltd.
909.476.2860
whitelineus.com

JL Audio W6v3 Subwoofer

The all-new JL Audio W6v3 subwoofer driver features a larger and more powerful motor system than that found on the current v2. Developed and refined using JL Audio’s proprietary DMA system, the new driver delivers exceptional linear excursion and dynamic stability. To help cool the larger field plates and magnet assemblies, the motor features a patented pole vent system to improve cooling efficiency and reduce power compression. The new driver suspension system features a wide rubber surround and a new progressive-roll spider to control the increased excursion capability. $599 (10W6v3), $699 (12W6v3)

JL Audio Inc.
954.443.1100
jlaudio.com

Mishimoto Universal Catch Can

Unwanted oil buildup in your engine’s turbo, intercooler, intake manifold and piping is akin to cholesterol clogging the major arteries that lead to and from your heart. Mishimoto designed a universal catch can to eliminate oil vapors from entering the intake system and making their way into the combustion chamber. Escaped oil vapors can condense with dirt and oil to form nasty clogs that wreck havoc on your engine. The kit includes a polished aluminum oil catch can; mounting bracket; hose and all necessary clamps, fittings and mounting hardware. $125

Mishimoto
877.GO.MISHI
mishimoto.com

AWE Audi Q5 Intercooler

During the development of the AWE exhaust and GIAC software upgrades for the Audi Q5 2.0T, AWE engineers observed the stock intercoolers were unable to sustain optimal air charge temperature. Though the increased temperatures were not a danger to the engine, they were hindering the Q5’s performance potential. AWE designed a new front-mount intercooler that features cast-aluminum end tanks for optimal flow and a bar-and-plate core for increased efficiency, resulting in a minimum air intake temperature drop of 25 percent. Even if you don’t plan on upgrading your Q5’s power output, the AWE intercooler is a great way to increase engine efficiency. $999

AWE Tuning
888.565.2257
awe-tuning.com

AFE Scorcher Module

AFE (advanced Flow engineering) is no stranger to the Volkswagen 2.0 TDI Clean Diesel engine, and has offered a wide arrange of exhaust and intake products since its release. Their most recent product, dubbed the Scorcher Module, is a performance device designed to alter the fuel pressure signal at pre-determined points throughout the entire rpm range. This results in more power, less turbo lag and broadens the power curve. AFE testing claims an increase of 10 hp and 22 lb-ft of torque. The kit is plug-and-play and the 100 percent reversible installation can be done in less than 30 minutes, which also makes trips to the dealership hassle free. $579

Advanced Flow engineering
951.493.7155
afepower.com

Cooper Zeon RS3

Cooper Tire recently held a driving event at their Cooper Tire & Vehicle Test Center (CTVTC) to showcase how product development and evaluation is done. The CTVTC is a 1,000-acre facility that’s about a hundred times the size of the Alamo and stands just as daunting 40 miles outside of El Paso, Texas.

The first stop after arriving at the CTVTC was for an in-depth technical presentation on Cooper Tires’ newest ultra high performance products: the Zeon RS3-A all-season and the Zeon RS3-S summer. After that, it was off to the track for the fun to begin.

First up was the Wet Dynamics Area, an 800-square-foot asphalt pad with a uniform controlled water depth of 0 to 0.15 inches. The course was designed to demonstrate the RS3-A and RS3-S capabilities in the wet against a leading tire competitor, which shall remain nameless. Two identical BMW 328is were outfitted with either Cooper’s Zeon RS3-S or its leading competitor and two identical Ford Mustangs were outfitted with either Cooper’s Zeon RS3-A or the competitor’s tire. The evaluation was fairly straightforward, two laps around a cone-lined course with a series of acceleration and deceleration tests, simulated lane changes and gradual and sharp turns. The Cooper tires performed very well in all wet aspects.

The next test evaluated the dry handling capability of the Zeon RS3 products on a portion of the CTVTC’s 1.3-mile Dry Handling Circuit. The dry handling comparison consisted of three laps on a course configuration similar to the wet setup except with longer straight sections to attain higher speeds.

The BMW 3 Series’ track capabilities are legendary—with one caveat: when equipped with the right tire. Outfit a 3 Series (or any car) with the wrong tire, and you will have downgraded a track legend to a pre-’70 Oldsmobile—highly unstable. Behind the wheel of the Zeon RS3-S–equipped 328i, the vehicle performed like a BMW should on both wet and dry surfaces lap after lap. The surprise of the day was the Zeon RS3-A–equipped Ford Mustang. I know Mustangs are great track cars, especially after you spend some time and money on them. What amazed me was that these all-season tires on a completely stock Mustang handled just as well as the 328i on the wet track and on the dry—consistent and predictable performance lap after lap.

After spending a full day behind the wheel of Cooper’s Zeon product line, I was suitably impressed by how the products performed. Perhaps the Texas tourism department may need to add the CTVTC to the attractions list.

Cooper Zeon RS3-S - Treadwear 300, Traction AA, Temp A, Sizes: 17-20 inch

Cooper Zeon RS3-A - Treadwear 500, Traction AA, Temp A, Sizes: 16-19 inch

Both the Zeon RS3-A and Zeon RS3-S feature 45-day Road Test Warranty

Cooper Tire
coopertire.com

Hose Candy’s Boa Clamps

Hose Candy’s thermoplastic Boa Clamps are designed to eliminate conventional hose clamps with a dynamic tension system that never needs retightening. When the engine reaches operating temperatures, the Boa Clamps readjust to provide consistent clamping force. When the engine cools and the temperature drops, clamping force increases to prevent cold leaks. The Boa Clamps can be used to eliminate the silicon coupler and other clamps found on most aftermarket induction systems. They come in a variety of standard and heavy-duty sizes to accommodate 0.25- to 3.125-inch I.D. hoses. $69.95

Oomph! Labs
435.673.0777
hosecandy.com

Niche Mach-V

The Niche Mach-V is a completely custom three-piece wheel offered in 19- to 24-inch diameters. Like all Niche Forged Series Wheels, the Mach-V is built to accommodate any vehicle specification. Constructed from 6061 T6 forged aluminum, the Mach-V is available in any number of configurations, from super-deep concave profile to monoblock. Custom finishes are also available per customer request (finish shown: Brushed Face, hi-luster polished windows with Chrome outers). Its classic five split-spoke design is destined to become, well, a classic.

MHT Luxury Alloys
mhtwheels.com

BFI Clean Catch - Product Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:38:00 +0000

Driving along in my automobile, my baby beside me at the wheel… BEEP! What? A low oil light appears and creates an unexpected interruption of my cruising down the freeway. When driving a modified car, you can usually expect an array of lights or a cacophony of warning beeps, but in a stock car?

If you have ever owned a VW or Audi and experienced the mystery of vanishing oil roughly 4,000 miles after an oil change then you know exactly what I’m talking about. While some cars have an indicator that flashes on the display, other drivers are simply surprised when they go to check their oil and find it a quart low. As I also often wonder about my money, where does all this black gold go?

Part of the problem lies within VW/Audi’s ineffective positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system. It’s a problem, yes, but we need it to prevent fuel vapors and other noxious gases from being released into the environment as pollutants. With every combustion cycle, a small amount of unburned fuel vapors escape past the piston rings into the crankcase. While the fuel vapors travel through the crankcase ventilation system, they mix with condensation, oil and other exhaust gases. The PCV is the prison guard that relieves the pressure and reroutes the wayward vapors into the intake manifold and back into the combustion chamber to be burned up.

The VW/Audi problem is twofold: a poorly designed PCV system and a valve that is prone to leaking.

On my 2.0 TFSI, the OEM PCV system has two outlets: one that exits out the front of the valve cover towards the intake manifold and another that points towards the turbo inlet. Under optimal conditions, the PCV system should perform two tasks: separate the oil from blow-by gases and route the remaining gas mixture into the intake system to be incinerated.

When the engine is operating under vacuum the PCV valve should route blow-by gases directly into the intake manifold, and when under boost the valve should shut the intake port and reroute blow-by gases to the non-pressurized rear port.

Even when the PCV valve is working correctly the crankcase ventilation system allows excessive amounts of oil to enter the intake manifold, which gums up the intake valves and coats the intercooler system—which ultimately reduces efficiency. And worse yet, when the PCV valve doesn’t completely seal it’s like having a massive boost leak.

For more than a decade, this pesky PCV has been the subject of Technical Service Bulletins and redesigned multiple times, but yet still leaves VW/Audi engineers scratching their heads and drivers carrying extra quarts of oil in their trunks. Like every other problem the OE manufacturers can’t solve, we have to turn to the aftermarket for the ultimate solution.

Clean Catch by Black Forest Industries (BFI) is the ultimate solution for the problematic OEM PCV system. At the heart of BFI’s innovation is the Clean Catch oil separator can that features an internal V-shaped baffle to maximize surface area for increased deposition of condensed vapor, without sacrificing the flow requirements of the OEM system. The VAGPORT connection system has a precision CNC machined PCV port adapter that eliminates the problematic OEM PCV valve and a braided hose with machined fittings to ensure an easy hook up. While the long-term benefits of the BFI Clean Catch are obvious, the short-term results were surprising on my K04-equipped A3. The A3 was quicker; power delivery was smoother, especially in the high rpms; throttle response was increased and a whistle that’d been annoying me for years magically disappeared. $429

Black Forest Industries
919.468.5400
blackforestindustries.com

Torrence takes Top Fuel crown in Englishtown as Gray, Anderson also get NHRA wins

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:24:00 +0000

Steve Torrence picked up his second win of the season on Sunday as he raced to a Top Fuel victory in New Jersey.

Steve Torrence raced to his second Top Fuel victory of the season on Sunday at the Toyota NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in New Jersey.

Johnny Gray (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event, which was slightly delayed by a passing afternoon thunderstorm as teams prepared for their final rounds.

Torrence beat Tony Schumacher and Spencer Massey in earlier rounds with quicker reaction times and then used a horsepower advantage to edge Brandon Bernstein at the finish line in the final round. In the final, Torrence's Capco Contractors dragster finished in 3.800 seconds at 323.66 mph while Bernstein's MAV TV/Lucas Oil machine trailed with a 3.807-second run at 321.04 mph.

“It's really a little surreal coming out and having success in a short time,” Torrence said. “I figured this team to be a competitive team and run with these guys, but I didn't expect to do as well as we have. It's really gratifying to be able to go out and do that well. Today, we had some really tough races. Two races, we won by a thou against both of the Schumacher cars. I don't know but it's more gratifying when you go out and you really have races that you've got to beat the guy beside you rather than them smoking the tires or whatever. I had my best light of the weekend against Brandon that round, and I was pretty pumped up because I knew he'd been on it. I may have cheated the car a little bit. I think it was going to go 0.79 instead of 0.80, but I stole from the starting line.”

Massey, who failed to certify his his category-best low E.T. of the event as a national record, maintained his series lead over second-place Schumacher with the semifinal effort. Torrence, who also won at Atlanta in May, has surged to fifth in the points standings.

“The car that I've got right now is the best Top Fuel car that I've ever driven, so I do feel like we have a championship-contender car if it stays the way that it's running,” Torrence said. “We'll just see. [Contending for the championship] is in the back of my mind, but we're still going one round, one race at a time because consistency is the key. We're trying to get some parts built up for the Countdown [To the Championship], and when that time comes, we'll start looking in that direction. I don't want to get the cart before the horse. I just want to go out here and keep racing and hopefully get some round wins.”

In Funny Car, Gray claimed his first victory of the season and the second of his career by beating teammate Ron Capps in the final round. Gray pulled away from Capps, who was making his fifth consecutive final-round appearance, with a performance of 4.078 seconds at 314.39 mph in his NTB/Service Central Dodge Charger. Capps' NAPA Auto Parts Charger, which posted the quickest run in NHRA history on Friday with a blast of 3.964 seconds, lost traction and finished in 5.358 seconds at 160.71 mph. Capps also failed to back up his category-best performance during eliminations to certify it as a national record.

Gray faced tough competitors all day, as he beat Jim Head, John Force and Robert Hight in the opening rounds.

“There wasn't anything easy about it,” Gray said. “Nothing is ever easy trying to outrun any of the fuel cars that are out there, but Rob [Wendland, crew chief], Rip [Reynolds, assistant crew chief], and all the guys just gave me a great race car all weekend. I think a 0.11 was our slowest pass of the weekend. What can you say? That car's just awesome. It's fun to drive. It goes good. It goes straight. You know what it's going to do, so we're really looking forward to going to the next race.”

With the semifinal finish Hight increased his series lead over Capps, who solidified his second place position with the runner-up effort. Gray, who failed to qualify for the Countdown playoffs last season, made a major move toward making the top 10 this season with this victory, climbing to fourth in the standings.

“We struggled a little bit and we lost it a little bit a few races back, but we made some changes along with the help of Rahn Tobler and Mike Green and just really all the guys over at the DSR brain trust,” Gray said. “They came over and kind of got us back on track and helped the guys kind of get the car lined up, and now she's just a pooch. You just take her up there, and she goes right down the racetrack.”

Anderson raced to his fourth Pro Stock victory of the season and 74th of his career in a new car, a Chevrolet Camaro. Anderson defeated teammate Jason Line in the final round with a performance of 6.560 seconds at 212.03 mph in his Summit Racing Equipment Camaro, while Line's Summit Racing Pontiac GXP trailed with a 6.588 seconds at 200.98 mph. It was also the 100th win for the KB Racing team, owned by Ken Black.

“We brought [the new Camaro] here with high hopes and surpassed those hopes,” Anderson said. “This is a fantastic weekend. Couple weekends ago I lost in the final to Allen Johnson. I thought I had the better car. I had a better light and we shook the tires. I lost and I told [team owner] Ken Black, that maybe you should be on hand for the 100th win for KB racing. For him to come across the country from Las Vegas, he must have had that feeling. He jetted all the way over here.”

Anderson, who qualified sixth, advanced to the final with early round wins over Ron Krisher, Mike Edwards and Allen Johnson. It was his fifth career win at Raceway Park, which makes him the winningest Pro Stock driver in the track's history, moving past Bob Glidden and Warren Johnson.

Line pulled ahead of the final-round race but then slowed dramatically as the two cars charged toward the finish line.

“In the final, Jason would have won but he broke a valve spring and that cost him about two-hundredths,” Anderson said. “If this had been a 1,000-foot race he'd have won but this isn't Top Fuel. We run a quarter-mile, and that made the difference. It's tough for Jason but the bottom line was we couldn't lose in the final.”

Anderson, who increased his series lead with the victory, was thrilled to win with his new Camaro in its debut.

“It was a gutsy call to bring the Camaro here,” Anderson said. “It was a tough decision but I'm so excited about GM being back in Pro Stock, and the muscle car being back in Pro Stock. We knew that the sooner we got it out here, the better off the class would be. Even if it wasn't 100 percent, we were bringing it.”

Local favorite Krawiec, a former Raceway Park general manager, claimed an emotional first Pro Stock Motorcycle victory at the historic track, taking the automatic victory when his final-round opponent Hector Arana Sr. fouled at the start on his Lucas Oil Buell. Krawiec claimed his 14th career victory by finishing in 6.921 seconds at 171.45 mph on his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.

“During my TV interview I actually started crying,” said Krawiec, an Englishtown, N.J., native who now calls Indianapolis home. “[Team owner] Terry Vance has said many times that something that never comes out of Eddie's mouth is, ‘I have nothing to say.' But I was speechless.”

Krawiec, who increased his series lead with the win, defeated Joe DeSantis and former world champs Matt Smith and LE Tonglet in the first three rounds to advance to the final. He knew he would need to be on his game for the final with Arana, who had posted some of the quickest runs of the day.

“I knew I had to hit the tree good and make a nice run to have a chance of winning,” Krawiec said. “I let Craig Treble whip me here in 2009 because I thought I had a better bike and I laid back on the starting line. He picked my pocket and still doesn't let me forget it. I thought that was my one and only chance to win this race. Thankfully, it wasn't.”

The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues June 15-17 with the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway.

Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick continue rolling right along with NASCAR win at Dover

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:20:00 +0000

Jimmie Johnson won his second Sprint Cup Series points race of the season and Hendrick Motorsports made it four wins in a row on Sunday in Dover, Del.

Ol' Mr. Five-Time is looking more and more like a man on his way to pick up a six-pack. Five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, that is, and a sixth Sprint Cup seems to be on his shopping list.

After opening the season 0-for-10 and 0-for-16 dating to last fall, the Hendrick Motorsports driver is on a tear here lately. He won the Mother's Day weekend Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and came back a week later to win the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He ran like a winner in last weekend's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte before a pit mistake left him 11th. And on Sunday, at sun-splashed and half-empty Dover International Speedway, he dominated the FedEx 400.

Sunday was the latest chapter in the impressive run of recent success for Hendrick Motorsports. At Darlington, Johnson gave the Chevrolet-based organization its 200th all-time Cup win. At Charlotte, he delivered its seventh all-star win. Last weekend, teammate Kasey Kahne gave Hendrick its 201st all-time win, taking the Coca-Cola 600. In the middle of all of that, Johnson's team won the annual NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge competition in Charlotte.

“I guess that for the last month or so we've been at the top or in the top-two when it comes to scoring points,” Johnson said at Dover. “But, really, nothing matters until we get to--where is it?--Chicago?--yeah, Chicago to start the Chase [for the Championship] in September. All that matters is being top-10 or being a wild-card driver in Chicago, then doing well in those last 10 races. We're doing the things we need to win another championship, but it's too early to talk about it. We have to still be doing these things in September and beyond.”

Sunday was absolutely no contest. Even with a brand-new, untested car, Johnson was the class of the field. He led 289 of the 400 laps, doing it in clumps of six, 31, 126, one, 49 and the final 76 laps. He was 2.55 seconds ahead at the end over Kevin Harvick, with Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Kahne and Marcos Ambrose well behind. It was Johnson's seventh career Dover win, his second points win this year and his 57th official win in just 376th Sprint Cup starts.

And it ties him with Hall of Fame drivers Richard Petty and Bobby Allison for most wins at the narrow, high-banked, one-mile track in downtown Dover. “That's a huge honor because I've never paid much attention to statistics,” Johnson said. “I guess that's because I never thought I'd ever accumulate any cool stats like that. Those guys are legends in this sport and I'm very proud to be in that sort of elite company.”

Only six drivers other than Johnson led in what was a fairly uneventful 400-miler. Jeff Gordon led 60 laps and looked racy, but a loose wheel cost him a lap and he never recovered, finishing 13th. Pole winner Mark Martin, who finished 14th, led 43 early laps before settling back a ways. David Ragan (21st) led three laps, Kenseth and Denny Hamlin (18th) two laps each and Dale Earnhardt Jr. one. The only time anyone but Johnson, Martin and Gordon led was during pit stops, slightly distorting that "17 lead changes" statistic.

Johnson said he felt Gordon was better in the middle stages, before the loose wheel did him in, and Gordon didn't disagree. “The fastest car doesn't always win the race,” the four-time champion said. “We're sitting here 13th and that's silly. Ultimately, though, we put ourselves in this position to get this finish, so that's very frustrating. And I'm not even sure what happened. It's always more frustrating when you've got a car that can win. This does nothing for us; we need wins.”

And Johnson was always concerned about late-race restarts, when built-up rubber might affect short-term handling. “It was so tough to keep the tires clean (under caution) and so tough to get a good, clean restart,” he said. “But by staying ahead, I could control which restart lane [high or low] I wanted, and that helped. But hot tires on restarts made it more difficult late in the race.”

The race was just nine laps old when 13 cars crashed in turn two, the year's biggest crash in its 13th race. It began when Tony Stewart got into Landon Cassill and got worse when Regan Smith shoved Stewart into the backstretch wall. Eventually, Juan Pablo Montoya, Dave Blaney, Stephen Leicht, Casey Mears, David Gilliland, Travis Kvapil, Michael McDowell, Scott Speed, Reed Sorenson and Joe Nemechek drove into it and were involved to varying degrees.

Stewart, the reigning series champion, was among five stars who had serious issues. Carl Edwards, second in last year's final points, was a top-10 runner until cutting a right front tire and wrecking at lap 165. Kyle Busch, who started the day eighth in points, went to the garage at lap 202 with terminal engine issues. His older brother, Kurt Busch, retired at 338 with a blown engine after running poorly most of the day, and Jeff Burton brought out the last caution when his engine blew with 36 laps remaining.

Greg Biffle finished 11th and retained his points lead, by one over teammate Kenseth. Earnhardt Jr. is 10 behind, then Hamlin (-22), Johnson (-33), Martin Truex Jr. (-45), Harvick (-46), Stewart (-79), Kyle Busch (-80) and Bowyer (-81). The tour is at repaved and reportedly very fast Pocono Raceway for a 160-lap, 400-mile race next weekend.

Sunday

At Dover International Speedway

Dover, Del.

Lap length: 1 mile

(Start position in parentheses)

1. (2) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 400 laps, 48 points

2. (6) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 400, 42

3. (5) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 400, 42

4. (17) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 400, 41

5. (4) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 400, 39

6. (12) Aric Almirola, Ford, 400, 38

7. (18) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 400, 37

8. (11) Joey Logano, Toyota, 400, 36

9. (13) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 400, 35

10. (21) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 400, 34

11. (7) Greg Biffle, Ford, 400, 33

12. (16) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 400, 32

13. (14) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 400, 32

14. (1) Mark Martin, Toyota, 400, 31

15. (3) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 400, 29

16. (23) A.J. Allmendinger, Dodge, 400, 28

17. (20) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 400, 27

18. (10) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 400, 27

19. (24) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 400, 25

20. (22) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 399, 24

21. (28) David Ragan, Ford, 398, 24

22. (15) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, engine, 364, 22

23. (42) Travis Kvapil, Toyota, 348, 21

24. (9) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, engine, 338, 20

25. (29) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 331, 19

26. (19) Carl Edwards, Ford, 318, 18

27. (26) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 306, 17

28. (31) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 296, 16

29. (8) Kyle Busch, Toyota, engine, 202, 15

30. (38) Reed Sorenson, Ford, accident, 124, 0

31. (39) David Reutimann, Chevrolet, engine, 110, 13

32. (41) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, accident, 65, 12

33. (32) David Stremme, Toyota, overheating, 63, 11

34. (34) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, overheating, 41, 10

35. (37) Stephen Leicht, Chevrolet, accident, 29, 9

36. (36) Mike Bliss, Toyota, steering, 23, 0

37. (43) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, vibration, 21, 7

38. (27) Landon Cassill, Toyota, accident, 9, 6

39. (35) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, accident, 9, 0.

40. (30) David Gilliland, Ford, accident, 9, 4

41. (40) Casey Mears, Ford, accident, 8, 3

42. (33) Michael McDowell, Ford, accident, 8, 2

43. (25) Scott Speed, Ford, accident, 8, 1

IndyCar driver Servia apologizes for Texas tweet

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:17:00 +0000

Oriel Servia let loose with a heavy-handed tweet toward Texas on Sunday, and he apologized for it on Monday.

Oriol Servia apologized on Monday for a weekend tweet directed at Texas Motor Speedway.

Servia didn't explain what prompted the original tweet that included profanity, but his apology was lengthy.

“First of all, I'm really sorry for my tweets about Texas,” he posted on Monday afternoon. “It was the wrong channel and the wrong way, period. I love Texas and the Texas race fans. They have always shown their support to IndyCar and myself. I would hate to disappoint them, and I have total admiration for the people of the sport and those who promote the series. My tweets were unprofessional, and I apologize for my language to Texas Motor Speedway, Eddie Gossage, our sponsors, the fans, and IndyCar. I should not have said those things, and I'm sorry.”

IndyCar has not reacted to Servia's tweets, but it's possible action will be taken.

IndyCar races at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. Practice and qualifying are on Friday; the race is on Saturday night.

Short-Track Roundup: Brennen Poole wins first race of season in ARCA's Minnesota debut

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:15:00 +0000

ARCA Racing Series - Brennan Poole drove a Venturini Motorsports entry to the ARCA win in Minnesota on Saturday.

A full house greeted the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards as it made its debut at Minnesota's Elko Speedway, just south of Minneapolis, on Saturday.

Legends Car graduate Brennan Poole drove a Venturini Motorsports entry to victory on the three-eighths-mile oval, which is the shortest track that ARCA will visit this season. It was Poole's second career ARCA victory and his first of the season.

Matt Lofton finished second, ahead of Chris Buescher, Frank Kimmel and Tom Hessert.

"The car was really good," Poole said. "I can't thank Venturini Motorsports enough. It's pretty awesome to win the inaugural race at Elko. I had a lot of fun here tonight. The track's a blast. Of course, it's always fun when you've got such a good race car. I was slipping and sliding and trying to get everything out of it coming into the corner, dodging traffic. It was crazy.

"We've never been to a place like this. I'm proud of my guys and all the work they did."

ARCA's top division had never before appeared in Minnesota.

Bacon sizzles at Hut Hundred

Brady Bacon was in the right place at the right time to win the 60th Lucas Oil Center Hut Hundred on Saturday at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.

The prestigious midget race was cosanctioned by the Mopar USAC National Midget Series and the Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget Series.

Jerry Coons Jr. dominated the race but had a part in the left rear of his car's suspension break on lap 99 of the 100-lap race on the quarter-mile dirt track.

Bacon sailed into the lead and beat Chris Windom to the checkered flag.

“It's unfortunate for Jerry,” the 23-year-old Bacon said. “I'd like to beat him heads up, but I'll take it.

It feels good. It's probably the biggest midget race to win as far as prestige. I felt we were getting faster and faster and I think we were going to get by him anyway. We were all over him.”

Coons held on to finish sixth.

Sprint Car Hall of Fame inducts new class

Drivers Johnny Anderson, Thad Dosher, Chuck Hulse and Bobby Ward and engine builder Ron Shaver were on hand to accept their induction into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Saturday at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway.

The families of deceased inductees Gary Sokola (daughter Laurie Sokola), Harry Hosterman (grandsons Richard and William Hosterman), A. Earl Padgett (son George Padgett), C. Henry Meyer (daughter Jane Gerhard) and W.H. “Bill” Vandewater (nephew Gordon DeBlaey) were on hand for the three-hour ceremony. Bob Mays accepted the honor on behalf of the Sam Hoffman family, and Ronnie Schwarze accepted on behalf of the Colby Scroggin family.

Crowded house greets NASCAR K&N Pro Series East

A near-capacity crowd was on hand at the legendary Bowman-Gray Stadium on Saturday night to see the debut of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East at the quarter-mile asphalt bullring.

Third-generation hot shoe Corey LaJoie took top honors in the grinding 150-lap event, which saw 10 yellow flags and one red-flag period.

The 20-year-old winner took the lead on lap 37 and held on through eight restarts, including a green-white-checkered finish.

Lanigan cruising in World of Outlaws<.strong>

Darrell Lanigan continued his recent hot streak in World of Outlaws Late Model Series competition, winning the May 31 event at Delaware International Speedway.

It was the points leader's third victory in the last four races for the series and his fifth triumph of the season.

Eight not enough for O'Neal

Don O'Neal cruised to his eighth Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series victory of the season Saturday night, winning the Ralph Latham Memorial at Kentucky's Florence Speedway.

O'Neal led the race flag to flag and earned $10,000 for the victory, but he still trails points leader Jimmy Owens, who finished second, by 305 markers.

Victory lane

Craig Dollansky won Saturday night's World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series race at Michigan's I-96 Speedway. The series was rained out Friday at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park. . . . Greg Pursley topped hometown boy Dylan Kwasniewski to win the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. . . . Brian Campbell raced from 16th on the grid to win the ASA Midwest Tour Late Model race at Michigan's Berlin Raceway. . . . Danny Lasoski won for the 98th time at Iowa's Knoxville Raceway Saturday night. . . . Jon Stanbrough wrapped up the King of Indiana Sprint Series championship with a victory in the series finale at Paragon (Ind.) Speedway. . . . Brody Roa scored an upset victory in the USAC-CRA sprint-car race at Arizona's Cocopah Speedway.

McNish tops practice charts at Le Mans; DeltaWing shows its stuff

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:08:00 +0000

With drivers Michael Krumm and Marino Franchitti, Nissan's DeltaWing race car hit the track at Le Mans on Sunday.

Allan McNish topped the times for Audi at the Le Mans Test Day.

The Scot, driving the hybrid Audi R18 E-tron quattro, set a best time of 3 minutes, 25.927 seconds in the afternoon session of the eight-hour test. That was half a second quicker than André Lotterer in the second Audi hybrid, which recorded a 3:26.468.

McNish, who co-drives with Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo Capello, said, "The car was very good. We had some ideas after Spa [the hybrid's race debut], and Dindo and Tom took them further, and then I continued to improve the car."

McNish's Audi finished the session early after a crash at Tertre Rouge, which he stressed was his fault. He could have driven back to the pits, but with only one hour to go, the team decided not to risk further damaging the car.

Loïc Duval was third fastest in the fastest of nonhybrid Audi turbodiesels. His R18 ultra was only a tenth of a second slower than Lotterer, in 3:26.561.

Alex Wurz set the best Toyota time of the test during the afternoon. He was only seven tenths of a second behind the third-place Audi.

The fastest time set by a privateer LMP1 car was Danny Watts' morning best in the Strakka Racing HPD ARX-03a. His 3:34.243 time was more than a second faster than Andrea Belicchi's time in the fastest of the Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota B12/60s.

Olivier Pla was fastest in LMP2 in both sessions aboard the Oak Racing Morgan-Nissan 2012 LMP2. The Frenchman tested this car, as well as the Judd/BMW-powered version that he will drive in the race, in the absence of Bas Leinders and Maxime Martin.

Luxury Racing Ferrari driver Frederic Makowiecki's time of 3:58.869 from the morning session stood as the best time in GTE Pro. Oliver Gavin was only just over a tenth behind in the afternoon aboard the best of the Corvette C6.Rs.

Allan Simonsen was fastest in GTE Am aboard the factory-entered Aston Martin Vantage GTE.

As for the DeltaWing, Nissan's revolutionary race car, driver Michael Krumm said that the first day on the track was not about speed.

"It was an extremely exciting moment to hit the track with it," Krumm said. "The car felt really stable. It was a good feeling. It was a conservative setup, and we gained a lot of valuable information."

Ford joins the electric-vehicle parade with Focus Electric

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:04:00 +0000

Ford's first foray into modern mass-market electric has 23 kilowatt-hours of battery power and an EPA range of 76 miles. Your mileage will vary, probably for the better, unless you treat every stoplight as a drag race.

Brace yourself for an influx of electric cars coming onto the market in the next two years. From Telsa to Toyota and Fisker to Ford, there will be battery-powered transportation available in numbers not seen since the turn of the century—the 20th or 21st.

The Focus Electric five-door seats five but gives up a big chunk of its utility to the second of two battery packs, one crammed into what used to be the cargo area of the Focus hatchback. We barely got a camera bag, a computer backpack and a cheap navy blazer in there. The first battery pack is stuffed unobtrusively under the rear seat, where the gas tank used to be.

The whole batch of liquid-cooled, or -warmed, LG Chem lithium-ion pouch cells fits into the same Focus hatch as the gasoline version and rides down the same assembly line. That means that Ford converted the Focus to pure electric power without making any major structural changes anywhere, which kept costs down.

Nonetheless, the entry-level sticker is set at $39,995. That's before the $7,500 federal tax rebate. In some states—such as California where the car was unveiled—you get an extra $2,500 cash back on top of that, dropping the Focus Electric's sticker to a more accessible $29,995 once you file your taxes. That's for a fully loaded version, too. The only options on this car are leather seats and fancy paint, the pricing for which will be announced later.

On the road, the Focus Electric is the quietest EV we've driven yet. Ford spent time and engineering adding sound insulation throughout the vehicle and damping down everything that might disturb its compact serenity. The 141-hp, 188-lb-ft permanent-magnet motor drives the front wheels almost seamlessly through a single reduction gear. Stomp on the throttle, and it's hard to feel any torque steer at all.

Ford is not releasing a 0-to-60-mph figure, and the closest we got to an answer was “under 10 seconds.” Given that this car is about 500 pounds heavier than the gasoline Focus hatchback at 3,624 pounds, we can accept that estimate. Top speed is 84 mph.

Room inside is definitely compact-class snug. Back-seat passengers have to depend on the largess of the front-seat passengers to slide forward a little if they want to be more comfortable.

There were many electronic measurements displayed on the dash, from watt-hours per mile to regenerative-braking efficiency, all of which the technologically driven early adopters will love. A faster onboard charger promises four-hour recharge times from empty via a Level II 240-volt outlet.

The price is $5,000 more than that of a Nissan Leaf and $10,000 more than a Mitsubishi i, so going electric isn't inexpensive—at least on the sticker price. But with government rebates knocking down the price of entry, and inexpensive electricity flowing into your tank, you might like the Focus' overall formula.

2012 Ford Focus Electric

ON SALE: Now

BASE PRICE: $39,995

DRIVETRAIN: 23-kWh lithium-ion battery; FWD, permanent-magnet electric-traction motor, 141-hp/105-kW, 188-lb-ft single-speed reduction gear

CURB WEIGHT: 3,624 lb

0-60 MPH: 9.7 sec (est)

FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 105 mpg-e

RANGE: 76 mi

Former F1 driver and Le Mans champion Roy Salvadori dies at age 90

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:01:00 +0000

Roy Salvadori at a Le Mans test session in 1964.. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

The 1959 Le Mans winner and former Grand Prix driver Roy Salvadori died on Sunday at the age of 90. His death comes just a few weeks after that of Carroll Shelby, with whom he shared the winning Aston Martin in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959.

A moment of silence was held prior to the start of the second session of prerace testing at Le Mans on Sunday afternoon.

A longtime friend of Bernie Ecclestone, Salvadori started 47 Formula One races in a career that spanned from 1952 to 1962, with a best finish of second in the 1958 German Grand Prix.

His failure to win a points-scoring race meant that he was to a large extent overshadowed by the likes of Stirling Moss, Tony Brooks, Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn. But he could challenge all of them on his day and was considered one of the best British drivers of the era.

Born in the United Kingsom to Italian parents in 1922, Salvadori started racing immediately after World War II. He made his Formula One debut at Silverstone in 1952 in a private Ferrari, in which he finished eighth.

He drove in five Grands Prix for the works Connaught team the following year but failed to finish a race. Between 1954 and 1956, he had occasional Formula One starts in Sid Greene's Gilby Engineering Maserati 250F, but he fared rather better on home soil, winning several nonchampionship F1 races against strong opposition.

His form did not go unnoticed, and in 1957, he had chances with three British works teams. He failed to qualify a works BRM in Monaco, and then had a one-off outing for Vanwall in France. Joining Cooper, he scored his first points with fifth in the British Grand Prix at Aintree.

In 1958, he was a Cooper regular, alongside Jack Brabham, as the rear-engine cars began to make their mark. He was fourth at Zandvoort, third at Silverstone, second at the Nürburgring, and fifth at Monza--accumulating enough points to finish fourth in the World Championship.

In 1959, he drove mainly for Aston Martin, taking a pair of sixth-places in the uncompetitive and outdated rear-engine car. Meanwhile, his Le Mans win with Shelby was proof that he was one of the best sports-car racers of his day. He mixed the Aston program with other F1 outings in a private Cooper, a schedule that continued into 1960. That year he was also third at Le Mans for Aston, sharing with Jim Clark.

In 1961, he drove a Cooper for Reg Parnell's Yeoman Credit team, alongside John Surtees, and earned a couple of sixth-places. He very nearly won the U.S. Grand Prix before the engine failed as he caught leader Innes Ireland.

In 1962, he drove a Lola for the renamed Bowmaker team, again as teammate to Surtees, and suffered badly with unreliability. At the age of 40 he retired from F1. He continued in sports and touring cars and was closely involved in the birth of the Ford GT40 program. He retired from racing in 1965, running his final race in a GT40 at Goodwood.

For a couple of years he shared his experience as team manager and test driver for the Cooper F1 team, where he worked with the likes of Bruce McLaren, Jochen Rindt and Pedro Rodriguez, along with a young mechanic called Ron Dennis.

After a disagreement, he left the team before the start of the 1968 season. For a while he ran a garage business before spending some four decades in retirement with his wife, Susan, living for many years in an apartment above the start/finish straight in Monaco. In recent times he had reportedly been dealing with Alzheimer's disease.

Scott Dixon on target for IndyCar win on wild day at Belle Isle

noreply@blogger.com (ilham mustafa) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:43:00 +0000

Scott Dixon led all 60 laps of the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix on Sunday.

Scott Dixon got through the shortened Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by shopautoweek.com in one piece, remarkable given all the pieces flying around.

In between the start and the finish was a two-hour delay for a track coming apart, several crashes and light rain.

The finish was a reverse of last week's Indianapolis 500, with Dixon holding off 500 winner Dario Franchitti for his 28th victory in the Izod IndyCar Series.

Franchitti held off Simon Pagenaud for second. Will Power finished fourth, and Oriol Servia was fifth in the 60-lap race. The race was scheduled for 90 laps.

The delay came as a result of track sealant coming up in several parts of the 14-turn, 2.07-mile street circuit on Detroit's Belle Isle.

Drivers began complaining about the track as early as lap five, but the race continued without incident--for a while. Then, on lap 39, everything changed.

James Hinchcliffe was following a group of cars through turn six when a large piece of track sealant laying on the track struck his front wing. The debris got under the car and lifted it in the air, breaking traction with the asphalt.

Unable to control the No. 27 machine, Hinchcliffe soared into the large tire barrier, which engulfed him.

Takuma Sato crashed at almost the same point, although his incident was caused by running over the curb.

Hinchcliffe described the sealant debris as “giant pieces” that he and the other competitors had to dodge.

“It was like playing Russian roulette,” he said.

Several pieces landed in the corporate chalets that line parts of the track.

The craters left in the track were described as two inches deep by six inches wide.

“A mess,” Hinchcliffe said.

A piece of the sealant broke part of Power's front wing; another broke Tony Kanaan's mirror.

Dixon said there were several areas of the track with the problem. Kanaan estimated that there was damage “in seven corners around the track.”

Franchitti said the situation causes a driver to “lose steering, and off you go.”

Up until that point, the focal point of the race was Dixon as he drove away from Power and the rest of the field, and E.J. Viso.

Viso started fourth and was third when a gaggle of cars stacked up behind him. As the leaders pulled away, Viso's car was loose to the point of twice sliding, which slowed others behind him. He trailed Dixon by as much as 15 seconds before he pulled off the track to pit.

Ryan Hunter-Reay was the car immediately behind Viso, and he clearly was frustrated by the slowness of the KV Racing Technology car that went way wide at one point and slapped the wall in another. Hunter-Reay's first big try to pass came on lap 20, but he couldn't make it stick.

Viso made wall contact on lap 26; he pitted two laps later.

Hunter-Reay wasn't just busy with Viso; he had Ryan Briscoe stalking from behind. That was a problem, too, as Briscoe got a run on him, but Hunter-Reay moved over to block. They touched briefly, sending a puff of smoke in the air. Hunter-Reay drew a warning from race control; Briscoe slowed briefly but was able to regain pursuit.

Justin Wilson was one of the race favorites, having won the most recent IndyCar race held on Belle Isle, in 2008. But he was out after only a couple of corners after banging the wall when the rear of his car got loose. The contact, while light, was enough to damage a suspension piece.

The real action was after the delay and a shortening of the race by 30 laps. Helio Castroneves spun into the wall and was clipped by the trailing Ed Carpenter. Josef Newgarden, a rookie, also got into a mess that included several cars spinning.

Viso even got knocked off line by Marco Andretti, causing yet another caution. But Dixon held on through all of it.