Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/07/31/1379963/peters-claims-win-in-trucks-finale.html
Sunday, July 31, 2011
2012 Mercedes-Benz M-class First Drive: The Cushy Cruiser Gets Updated
Mercedes? third-gen SUV lounges lazily in the lap of luxury. Off-roading? A little. Fun? Not much. Before the recession, Mercedes-Benz had no trouble selling 34,000 MLs in the U.S. each year. For 2011, the company?s best-known SUV is back on track to hit 30,000 sales. Right now, in fact, ML sales are up 14.5 percent. [...]
2011 Silverstone World Supersport QP1 Result: Rea On Provisional Pole
Gino Rea has taken provisional pole after the first day of practice for the World Supersport class at Silverstone, setting a fast lap at the end of the session to see of Parkalgar Honda's Sam Lowes. Lowes ended the session ahead of ParkinGO Yamaha's Luca Scassa, the Italian improving on his results from this morning, while Hannspree Ten Kate man Fabien Foret rounds out the provisional front row in 4th. Scassa's teammate and championship leader Chaz Davies continues to struggle, only managing to set the 10th fastest time over 1.8 seconds off the pace.
Results:
AutoTrader.com Medlen Charity Dinner Raises More than $30,000 for Children's Charities
Infineon Raceway SONOMA, Calf. (July 30, 2011) The 5th annual AutoTrader.com Eric Medlen Nitro Night Charity Dinner raised a record amount of $31,400 for the Sonoma Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities on Thursday night at Stone Tree Golf Club in...
Source: http://www.motorsportsjournal.com/archives/2011/07/autotradercom_medlen_char.php
Ford: Hirvonen?s error caused crash
Ford has revealed that Mikko Hirvonen's first-stage accident on Rally Finland was caused by driver error. The team spent much of last night checking through the data from the accident, which has left the Finn 36th overall and more than two minutes off the lead, and could find nothing amiss with the engine. Hirvonen's initial report was that he had lost power from the engine, making it impossible for him to get through the corner
Maserati Prices Hardcore GranTurismo MC at $143,400, Sportiest Convertible at $146,300
Back in April, Maserati showed some cars in New York?not at the New York Show, but the night before at a dealership in Tribeca. Both the GranTurismo MC and the GranTurismo Convertible Sport debuted that night (we just drove the latter; check out our story here), but the company said nothing of a price for [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/EXBSo5721-8/
Georges Grignard Bobby Grim Romain Grosjean Olivier Grouillard
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Cyclist Gets in the Way of Cop Opening Van Door. Was ?Criminality? Involved?
John del Signore at Gothamist brings us the tape of a cyclist who got doored by an NYPD van driver near Grand Central Terminal. The dooring victim, Stephen Mann, told Gothamist that after he got knocked off his bike, police mainly wanted to know if he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs:
I was [...]
I was [...]
Webber: Gap to Vettel "bizarre"
Mark Webber found it "bizarre" that he was unable to qualify higher than sixth for the Hungarian Grand Prix, especially with his Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel on pole position. Webber won last year's Hungaroring race and had been on pole for the previous two grands prix in 2011, but the Australian's best effort in Q3 was a full 0.659 seconds adrift of Vettel's pole time
Eddie Irvine Chris Irwin Jean Pierre Jabouille Jimmy Jackson
Pirelli expects three stops in Hungary
Pirelli expects drivers to opt for a three-stop strategy in the Hungarian Grand Prix, but much will depend on how hot race day is at the Hungaroring. Initial running of the super soft and soft tyres indicates that there is an eight tenths of a second per lap difference between the two compounds, with degradation issues suggesting that the prime tyre will be the one used most in the race.
Christian Goethals Paul Goldsmith José Froilán González Oscar González
2012 Mercedes-Benz M-class First Drive: The Cushy Cruiser Gets Updated
Mercedes? third-gen SUV lounges lazily in the lap of luxury. Off-roading? A little. Fun? Not much. Before the recession, Mercedes-Benz had no trouble selling 34,000 MLs in the U.S. each year. For 2011, the company?s best-known SUV is back on track to hit 30,000 sales. Right now, in fact, ML sales are up 14.5 percent. [...]
Hungary Friday quotes: Pirelli
Paul Hembery: "It's been an interesting day of free practice, where as we expected, we've seen that there is about eight-tenths of a second of difference between the soft and the supersoft tyre: a combination that we also used in Monaco and Canada. Nonetheless, the supersoft clearly does have a small advantage, which will mean that those aiming for pole position are going to use it
Friday, July 29, 2011
Rossi, Ducati, the MP12 and the iPad
Manufacturers in MotoGP are there for one reason only: brand awareness. Being able to show the skills of your organisation and have these associated with winning and success are huge benefits to brands. No team is more conscious of this than Ducati. Racing is just one part of the Ducati brand marketing plan, a plan [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/motogpblog/postfeed/~3/1xPoTIKoBus/1231
2011 NSCS Brickyard 400 Q&A with Team Chevy Driver, Jeff Gordon
2011 NSCS Jeff Gordon - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCARJEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and discussed racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, his trip to the Congo, Carl Edwards and other topics. THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the fifth annual Sprint...more»
Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson Leslie Johnson Bruce Johnstone
2011 Silverstone World Superbike Friday Press Release Round Up
Press releases issued after the first day of practice for the World Superbike and World Supersport teams at Silverstone:
Year:
2011
Asmer makes F3 return at Spa
Marko Asmer will return to the British Formula 3 Championship at Spa this weekend for the first time since winning the series in 2007. The 26-year-old Estonian will drive a Dallara-Mercedes for Double R Racing alongside regulars Scott Pye and Pipo Derani, but will not be eligible for championship points. The team had hoped to run Asmer's countryman Kevin Korjus, but the Formula Renault 3.5 racer will compete in Auto GP at Oschersleben instead.
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/3rdparty/asmer-makes-f3-return-at-spa/
Citroen disappointed with Raikkonen
Citroen team principal Olivier Quesnel says Kimi Raikkonen still has work to do before he can cut it at the front of the World Rally Championship. The Finn is now in his second season in the WRC, although he is tackling a reduced programme as a private driver this season
Trevor Bayne Out! Pet Care Toyota Jason Leffler David Carl Allison
Grosjean ready for F1, says Boullier
Renault boss Eric Boullier believes that Romain Grosjean is ready to be given a second chance in Formula 1, amid mounting speculation that the Frenchman could be drafted in to the Enstone-based team later this year. Grosjean had a troubled start to his F1 career with Renault in 2009, but has rediscovered his confidence and is currently leading the GP2 Series standings
Thursday, July 28, 2011
INDYCAR: Miller's Mailbag, 7.27
Always genuine, never lite: It's Miller time. Here's the latest Q&A from SPEED.com's IndyCar guru.
Source: http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-robin-millers-mailbag-727/
Dave Blaney, 2011 NSCS Brickyard 400 Race Preview
2011 NSCS Dave Blaney - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCATommy Baldwin Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Advance: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Race: Brickyard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: 20 of 36 Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Track Length: 2.5 miles Date: July 31, 2011 Dave Blaney will compete in one of the marquee races of...more»
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 meets its father at Spa
Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Coupe, Sedan, Mercedes-Benz, Racing
Though today the letters stand for power and performance, if you go back four decades, almost nobody had ever heard of a tuning garage called AMG. That was until the Mercedes-Benz tuner showed up at the 1971 running of the 24 Hours of Spa with... a luxury sedan. But not just any luxury sedan.
AMG took the 300 SEL 6.3, complete with wood dash and carpeted floors, bored it out to 6.8 liters and raised output up to 428 horsepower and 448 lb-ft of torque. With a top speed of 164 mph, the car qualified fifth out of sixty entries and went on to place first in its class and second overall, beating the likes of Niki Lauda and Hans Stuck. It was a pivotal moment that put AMG on the map.
Hans Heyer was one of the three drivers who alternated behind the wheel of the car dubbed the "Red Pig" that fateful day. And now forty years later, his son Kenneth Heyer is returning to Spa in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in matching livery to the original. It's a trip down the memory lane of AMG's history - though not the first - reuniting one of its first race cars to its most recent, seven of which, all told, will be contesting the Belgian endurance race this weekend. Scope it out in our high-res image gallery and follow the jump for more details in the full press release.
Continue reading Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 meets its father at Spa
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 meets its father at Spa originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/28/mercedes-benz-sls-amg-gt3-meets-its-father-at-spa/
Study: Hyundai, Jeep and Chrysler show biggest gains in J.D. Power APEAL report
Filed under: Etc., Chrysler, Hyundai, Jeep
J.D. Power loves to know what you think about new cars and the companies that make them. One of their annual reports is called the APEAL study, which looks at automotive performance, execution and layout, and this analytic look at makes and models is tallied up within a 1,000-point scale. The average score for the entire industry currently sits at 781, which is an improvement over last year's average of 778.
Sitting at the top of the APEAL scoreboard for the seventh year in a row is Porsche, with a rating of 879. It's not surprising to see the German automaker sit in the pole position, but a few other automakers have made vertically positive moves. Hyundai earned 793 points this year, which is a 33-point improvement over the 2010 study and puts the Korean automaker well above the industry average.
Other major winners are Jeep and Chrysler. Jeep jumped 32 points for a 2011 score of 759, and Chrysler climbed 27 points, to 775.
Curious to see how the rest of the industry shakes out? Click past the jump for the full press release.
Continue reading Hyundai, Jeep and Chrysler show biggest gains in J.D. Power APEAL report
Hyundai, Jeep and Chrysler show biggest gains in J.D. Power APEAL report originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/27/hyundai-jeep-and-chrysler-show-biggest-gains-in-j-d-power-apea/
Brian Scott, No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota Camry Lucas Oil Raceway Preview
No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota (Brian Scott) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCARBrian Scott No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota Kroger 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway No. 11 Shore Lodge Team Notes of Interest � Brian Scott and the No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota team will tackle the short track of Lucas...more»
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Boullier: ?We?ve got to raise our game? | 2011 F1 season
Eric Boullier says he's "not satisfied" with Renault's performance so far in 2011.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/0n1Lpkh6E4Y/
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Stats Pack
MASSIVE Indianapolis Motor Speedway, BONANZA! ? Indianapolis Motor Speedway has existed since 1909, and is the original “Speedway,” the first racing facility to incorporate the word in its name. ? With a permanent seating capacity for more than 250,000-plus people and infield seating that raises capacity to an approximate 400,000, it is the largest and [...]
Source: http://finallapradio.com/2011/07/27/indianapolis-motor-speedway-stats-pack/
Sauber says keeping sixth is realistic
Sauber's technical director James Key believes it will be possible for his team to secure sixth place in the championship this year, although he concedes it will not be easy. The Swiss squad has scored points in all but two of the first ten races of the season and sits rather comfortably in sixth position in the constructors' championship.
Rankings: Hamilton on comeback trail
Lewis Hamilton reclaimed fifth in the Castrol EDGE Rankings following a scintillating performance in the German Grand Prix. The Briton provided the perfect tonic to his and McLaren's recent struggles with astounding performances in qualifying and the race, taking his second win of the season in style with decisive moves on Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso. Victory not only reignited Hamilton's title ambitions, but put him level with Stirling Moss' tally of 16 grands prix victories and allowed him to move back into the Rankings top five - an honour he had held for more than 12 months before Dario Franchitti demoted him to sixth
2011 Season Kicks Off
Qatar in March is an oddity. A race in the cooler evening air, floodlit. If that’s not different enough for you, throw in a covering of sand which makes any excursion from the thin, black racing line an adventure in optimism or blind faith depending on the rider. So Qatar is not a good race [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/motogpblog/postfeed/~3/XYILsE4aFCQ/1225
Ernst Klodwig Kamui Kobayashi Helmuth Koinigg Heikki Kovalainen
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Pastor revs up race crowd with invocation
A Baptist preacher has revved up a NASCAR crowd with his high-powered invocation before the Nationwide race in Nashville.
Source: http://www.nascarracinglive.com/nascar/pastor-revs-up-race-crowd-with-invocation.html
Dale Arnold Jarrett Jimmie Kenneth Johnson Kasey Kenneth Kahne Matthew Roy Kenseth
Official: 2012 Hyundai Azera to debut at LA Auto Show
Filed under: LA Auto Show, Sedan, Hyundai
The Azera has become something of an odd fit within the Hyundai lineup. It slots above the Sonata but below the Genesis sedan and utilizes front-wheel-drive architecture. Think of it as a sort of Toyota Avalon competitor, a larger, comfortable cruiser for more traditional buyers. Nevertheless, Hyundai is committed to offering the Azera here in the United States, and the automaker has just confirmed via Twitter that next-generation 2012 model will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this year.
It's probably safe to assume that the 2012 Azera will take a shape very similar to the Grandeur sedan seen here. The Grandeur has design elements of both the Sonata and Genesis, keeping in line with the automaker's "fluidic styling" language. As for powertrains, Hyundai hasn't said a peep, but our best guess is that the automaker's 333-hp 3.8-liter V6 will be found underhood, or perhaps a variant of its 274-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four. We'll have the full details later this year.
2012 Hyundai Azera to debut at LA Auto Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/26/2012-hyundai-azera-to-debut-at-la-auto-show/
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson Kasey Kenneth Kahne Matthew Roy Kenseth Alan Dennis Kulwicki
Rossi?s opinion of the Lorenzo negotiations
This quote comes from the Spanish language website elmundodeportivo.es. The message and the sentiment are clear: “You aren’t worth what I get paid Jorge”. From elmundodeportive.es, translation by Fans.Moto.GP (Thanks!): What Jorge is looking for seems presumptuous to me: Arrive at Yamaha, and in his second year ask that he be given the same treatment [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/motogpblog/postfeed/~3/39bD3COH8Vo/1151
Kyle Thomas Busch Jeffrey Tyler Burton Richard Allen Craven Kerry Dale Earnhardt
Matt Kenseth, 2011 NSCS Brickyard 400 Race Preview
Matt Kenseth - Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images for NASCARMatt Kenseth ? NSCS ADVANCE Team: No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig Chassis: Primary: RK-741 (last raced at Kentucky) Kenseth on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: ?The history of Indy really makes you appreciate the fact that we race there with the...more»
2011 Laguna Seca MotoGP Saturday Round Up - An Untouchable Lorenzo, And The Perils Of Electronics?
After qualifying at Laguna Seca, there should be few doubts left over who is the favorite for the race on Sunday. Jorge Lorenzo left pit lane and proceeded to put down such a scorching pace - a 1'21.9 on just his second full lap - that left the rest breathless and unable to match him. Lorenzo then blasted out a huge string of high 1'21s - race pace, according to Ben Spies - before pitting and going on to set pole. As Spies put it to reporters, "Everybody's scratching their heads over Jorge's race pace. Casey got down there for one lap, but Jorge did five of those in a row."
Even Casey Stoner had to admit that his fast lap was a "one lap wonder" made by pushing the bike to the limit in an attempt to secure pole. He felt he even had a legitimate shot at pole, but had made a mistake at the final corner, running wide and getting poor drive on the exit. But even starting from pole, Stoner would have been up against it. He and his team have been struggling with front-end feel and drive out of the corners all weekend, and consistently two to three tenths off the pace, the Australian said in the press conference. They had tried a whole host of things to try to fix the problem, but a real solution remained elusive. Stoner still had hope, however: miracles can still happen overnight, and if they can find something in morning warm up, the Repsol Honda man might be able to either stay with Lorenzo, or at least get ahead of the Yamaha rider and try and disrupt his race.
2011 Laguna Seca MotoGP FP1 Result: Stoner Holds Off Pedrosa And Lorenzo
Casey Stoner has topped the first session of free practice at Laguna Seca, getting up to speed early and setting a steady pace around the 1'22.3 bracket. Stoner's Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa ended in 2nd, and just a tenth of a second slower than Stoner, despite a low-speed tip over after running on at the Andretti Hairpin. Pedrosa just edged ahead of Jorge Lorenzo, the Yamaha rider twelve hundredths behind the Australian.
Ben Spies set the 4th fastest time, but was half a second off the pace of Stoner, while Andrea Dovizioso ended up in 5th, a tenth behind Spies. Marco Simoncelli was the last rider to get within a second of Stoner, just over nine tenths off the time of the Repsol Honda man.
Nicky Hayden was the fastest Ducati, the two-time winner at the track quick round here. Hayden ran a back-to-back test on the GP11 and the new GP11.1, as currently being used by his teammate Valentino Rossi. Hayden set his best time on the GP11 in the first run, but spent the rest of the session on the GP11.1, making solid progress on the bike. Meanwhile, Valentino Rossi spent the entire session on the GP11.1, the plan to try the GP11 against the GP11.1 seemingly shelved for the moment. Rossi ended the session in 9th, behind both Colin Edwards in 8th and Hayden in 7th. Alvaro Bautista rounded out the top 10 on the Rizla Suzuki.
James Christopher McMurray Casey James Mears Juan Pablo Montoya Joseph Francis Nemechek III
Monday, July 25, 2011
Nurburgring hopes to host future GPs
Nurburgring chiefs are optimistic that they will be able to secure a fresh deal to keep running the German Grand Prix, with its current contract running out after this weekend's race.
CUP: Brickyard 400 Tough Nut To Crack
Only four drivers in standings top 20 have Indy victories?
Source: http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-brickyard-400-tough-nut-to-crack-nascar-sprint-indianapolis/
2011 Laguna Seca MotoGP Qualifying Practice Result: One Man Dominates Tight Qualifying
Results of qualifying practice for MotoGP at Laguna Seca:
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson Kasey Kenneth Kahne Matthew Roy Kenseth Alan Dennis Kulwicki
Classic car buyer reunites man and machine after 46 years
Filed under: Etc.
Gerry Mandel knows what it's like to have loved and lost. We're not referring to his wife, to whom Gerry has been married for 46 years, but to the 1965 Oldsmobile Jetstar 88 convertible the pair drove away from their wedding all those years ago. The moment was documented in a photograph (shown above, right). We don't know much about the car after that, except that decades later, it would wind up in the hands of a young man named Shawn.
The Olds was a dust-covered barn find. Shawn brought it back to life, installing a rebuilt 425-horsepower Delta 88 motor and reviving the paintwork's shine. Shawn was curious about the Olds' history, so he sought out the original owner and eventually wound up on the phone with Mr. Mandel.
Shawn told Gerry he wanted to show him the car. Forty-six years after saying "I do" to his wife, Gerry said "Okay" to Shawn. After being reunited with the Olds, Gerry and his wife even posed for a recreation of their wedding-day photo (shown above left). In the end, everyone walked away with a great story to tell, and new images that will last long after the memories themselves begin to fade.
For more on this Oldsmobile owners' reunion, head over to the forum where the story unfolded.
Classic car buyer reunites man and machine after 46 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 24 Jul 2011 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/24/classic-car-buyer-reunites-man-and-machine-after-46-years/
Alonso relying on competitive McLaren
Fernando Alonso says that he will need McLaren's help if he is to stand any chance of winning this year's drivers' crown.
Yeley Joins Front Row Motorsports for Rest of 2011
Sprint Cup Veteran Will Split Time�between Nos. 55 and 38 Fords JJ Yeley - Front Row MotorsportsStatesville, N.C. (July 18, 2011) - J.J. Yeley will join Front Row Motorsports for the remainder of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, splitting time between the No. 55 Ford and the No. 38 Ford. The seven-year Sprint...more»
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Pic beats Filippi to GP2 pole
Charles Pic came out on top of a three-way fight to take pole position for the first GP2 race of the weekend at the Nurburgring.
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/other-news/formula-cars/gp2/pic-beats-filippi-to-gp2-pole/
Michael Duane Bliss Kurt Thomas Busch Kyle Thomas Busch Jeffrey Tyler Burton
Motegi MotoGP: Radiation Doses Explained
One of the things that has come up again and again when discussing whether or not the MotoGP race should go ahead at Motegi is the levels of radiation that riders, teams, journalists and fans might potentially be exposed to, and the related dangers such exposure might bring. As radiation is one of the most poorly understood - by the general public, at least - of risks that humans are exposed to, it is helpful to visualize such exposure in some other way than with raw numbers alone.
In the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, and the severe damage to the Fukushima nuclear plant, the extremely entertaining science and computer cartoon blog XKCD produced a handy chart illustrating the exposure produced by a range of activities. Here's the chart (click on the chart for a full-size, easy to read version):
Source:
William Ashton Lewis Jr Sterling Burton Marlin Mark Anthony Martin Jeremy Allan Mayfield
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