Friday, February 24, 2012

IRTA moto2 test in Jerez de la Frontera


It was the first day for the Irta moto2 test in Jerez de la Frontera,
R.Rolfo is slowly getting to grip with the 2012 Suter MMX, he hasn"t been chasing laptime but trying to understand this new Suter machine quite different from the 2010 version he knows and far away from his 2011 superbike and he will have to adjust his riding style to suit better the MMX concept.


On Dominique Aegerter side it's a question mark, lap time remain slow even after set-up change, he is still chasing more front end feedback for corner entry.




Source: http://www.zimbio.com/MotoGP/articles/sAoxNzlvfdC/IRTA+moto2+test+Jerez+de+la+Frontera

Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot

2013 BMW 3-Series Touring wagon latest rendering and spy pics

Compared to previous spy photos, the 2013 BMW 3-Series wagon has shed more camouflage giving us our best look so far. However, digital artists at PS-Garage.com have perhaps given the best glimpse yet.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/Pw4umnkQRj8/2013-bmw-3-series-touring-wagon-latest-rendering-and-spy

Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati

Volkswagen up! accessories by Abt Sportsline

The Volkswagen up! is a practical and economical compact city car, however, it's looks might be a bit too pedestrian for some.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/DyHrEMwO6kw/volkswagen-up-accessories-by-abt-sportsline

Pat Hennen Manuel Hern·ndez Santiago Herrero Tom Herron Wilfred Herron Manfred Herweh

McLaren unveil new car for 2012

At McLaren Technology Centre, Woking

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button sat on the stage in front of the car they both hope will take them to the world title this year looking relaxed and happy.

Yet in their responses to apparently innocuous questions, both men revealed much about the different ways in which they approach the 2012 Formula 1 season.

They were asked how they had spent the winter. Button, fresh from arguably his best season yet in the sport, had spent some time in Hawaii. "Somewhere warm to chill out and train," he said, "but it's always the same - you spend a couple of weeks away and you are missing racing, so I was back on 5 January".

Hamilton's 2011, meanwhile, was self-admittedly his worst season yet in F1, with three superb wins interspersed with errors and controversy.

McLaren

McLaren are set to compete for the title with their new car which was unveiled ahead of the beginning of the Formula One season due to start in March. Photo: Getty

His response to the same question was enlightening."The opposite of Jenson," he said. "I was over in the cold in the mountains in Colorado. I wasn't missing the car too much - it was nice to be away from it awhile, to refresh, start anew, and just getting back to training was great.

"I altered it a little bit this year, I think last year I was training too much. I had a good break and I was grateful to Martin (Whitmarsh, the McLaren team principal) for giving me such a good break."

Later, Hamilton revealed a little more about his desire to make amends for 2011 with a sparkling 2012.

Which race are you most looking forward to, he was asked. "Monaco is the one for me - I want to get back there and have a better race [in which he collided with two drivers and caused a storm with his post-race comments] than last year."

It was a stark illustration of just how much is at stake in 2012 for the man who many still regard as the most naturally talented and out-and-out fastest racing driver in the world.

Whether Hamilton has found the mental equilibrium he desires to enable him to perform consistently at his brilliant best remains to be seen, starting with the first race in Melbourne, Australia, on 18 March.

But much of it may depend on the reason he and Button were up on that stage - the McLaren MP4-27.
His team's failure - for the third year running - to produce a car with which he could consistently challenge at the front was one of the main causes for Hamilton's frustrations last year.

He knows exactly how good he is, so it was galling for him to see yet again that he was not realistically going to challenge for the championship.

As is the way of things, the launch of the new McLaren shed no light whatsoever on whether that will change in 2012.

The car looks nice enough - and it mercifully lacks the "platypus" front seen on the Caterham, the only other new car to break cover so far this year, as a response to new rules lowering the height of the nose.

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There was a lot of talk about McLaren's focus on the aerodynamics at the rear of the car, which featured noticeably tighter packaging than last year, and particularly of the need to make the most of pre-season testing and start the season strongly.

That was where McLaren's campaign began to unravel last season - an over-complex exhaust system led to a terrible pre-season with a car Whitmarsh has described as "neither reliable nor quick".

This year's car contains no obvious stand-out innovations but the team were quick to deny suggestions that McLaren had reined themselves in an attempt to make sure the car runs in testing, which Whitmarsh described as "data-gathering".

Engineering director Tim Goss described the MP4-27 as "a complete re-work from nose to tail".

Technical director Paddy Lowe added: "The regulations are trimming us into narrower and narrower boxes so we don't see the big radical changes from one year to the next, so the car looks quite similar.

But there is a great deal of change underneath.

"There still are obvious innovations. We have done a lot of work around the back end, a lot more tidy packaging there. We have had to respond to the change in the exhaust regulations (banning the blowing of exhausts along the rear floor to boost downforce).

That's given the aerodynamicists a big challenge to come up with the (lost) downforce and the balance."

Lowe and Goss are old hands and they did a great job of straight-batting the questions on the stand-out features of the car and it was left to Whitmarsh to utter F1's dreaded c-word.

"I don't believe we've been inherently conservative," he said. "We've set ourselves some tough targets, targets that we think if we achieve them we will win the world championship. I think we will meet those targets, and if they are the right targets, we will win the championships."

To achieve that obvious aim, though, there is the small matter of having to beat the twin formidable forces of Ferrari and Fernando Alonso and, the combination expected to remain the one to beat, Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel.

Just as the car's tight rear takes more than a small bow towards the all-conquering Red Bulls of the last two seasons, it is clear that McLaren have had their eyes on other aspects of their rivals' dominance as well.

"It didn't go unnoticed that Sebastian Vettel put the car on pole a lot and then pulled the gap (from which he controlled the race)," said Goss. "We're aware of it; we've attempted to find ways to deal with it."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/02/at_mclaren_technology_centre_w.html

Takazumi Katayama Daijiro Kato Ken Kavanagh John Kocinski Pentti Korhonen Tomoyoshi Koyama

If Stenhouse Jr. or Bayne Wins The Daytona 500, One NASCAR Fan Wins $100,000

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/02/if-stenhouse-jr-or-bayne-wins-daytona.html

Trey Canard HÂkan Carlquist Ricky†Carmichael Danny Chandler Eric Cheney Alessio Chiodi

Lotus Evora GTE Formula 1 inspired special edition announced for Geneva

Lotus F1 Team driver Kimi Raikkonen will present an F1-inspired special edition Lotus Evora GTE at the Geneva Motor Show on March 6.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/OBtpninRr3E/lotus-evora-gte-formula-1-inspired-special-edition-announced

Alois Huber Klaus Huber Brett Hudson Keith Huewen Jaroslav Huleö Eero Hyv‰rinen

Thursday, February 23, 2012

twowheelsblog: John Hopkins breaks hand during WSBK testing at Phillip Island

Almost all the World Superbike teams (except for Honda) are currently testing at Phillip Island as the 2012 season kicks off at the end of the month, but Crescent Fixi Suzuki rider John Hopkins who just returned to action after his recent righ

Source: http://www.zimbio.com/MotoGP/articles/MrLh_EFyovh/twowheelsblog+John+Hopkins+breaks+hand+during

Gregg Hansford Tetsuya Harada John Hartle Wil Hartog Gary Haslam Leon Haslam

Alleged 2013 SRT Viper image leaked

This could be the first time the 2013 SRT Viper has been seen. It may only be a small thumbnail that has been enlarged, but it is best we can do at the moment.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/L6gotS9msVA/alleged-2013-srt-viper-image-leaked

Bill Ivy Olivier Jacque Sid Jensen Mika Kallio Hideo Kanaya Takazumi Katayama

2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series, an FIM World Championship - Anaheim 2 Recap, San Diego Preview

Updated Friday 4pm! Only a few short weeks ago, moto fans couldn’t wait for the start of the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series. Now, we already find ourselves five rounds deep and more than halfway through the West Coast Lites Championship. Anaheim II saw repeat winners in both classes for the first time this year, with Ryan Villopoto taking home the premier class win, and Eli Tomac capturing his third dominant win in a row in Lites racing.

At the start of the day, Justin Brayton came away with a surprise fast lap, claiming the number one qualifying time in the last practice session. The Honda rider’s speed did not stop there, as he would go onto nearly holeshot the main event, and then battle with the front pack of riders before finishing fifth for the night. Brayton seems to have stepped up his pace since Los Angeles, where he failed to qualify for the main event.

With the Anaheim II track being one of the best of the series so for, there were some excellent battles during the heat races, but the most attention-grabbing incident happened to be when a rider was on his own out front. James Stewart was leading the first heat when he made a mistake in the first rhythm section that sent him to the ground violently. The JGR rider lay on the ground for a quite a while with the Asterisk medics at his side, until he was able to walk off the track on his own. The crash forced Stewart into the Last Chance Qualifier, which he won handily.

Source: http://www.supercross.com/news/2012-monster-energy-ama-supercross-series-an-fim-world-championship-anaheim-2-recap-san-diego-preview

Ryan Dungey Vic Eastwood Daryl Ecklund Erik Eggens Richard Eierstedt Jimmy Ellis

Spy Shots: 2013 SRT Viper is starting to vent

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2013 SRT Viper spy shots

There seems to be an endless stream of spy shots scrolling across out digital desktops here at Autoblog, and some will invariably be more interesting than others. But few are as hotly anticipated as the new Viper that's coming roaring around the corner.

So far, all Chrysler has given us is a shadowy sketch, a close-up detail shot, and the new badge that will represent the model, joining the test mule spy shots we've been seeing for the past several months and the Hot Wheels leak we brought you yesterday. But this latest batch of spy shots appears the clearest yet - despite the best efforts of the SRT development team (including a Dukes of Hazzard-style hood slide that compelled KGP Photography to do a quick bit of wry image manipulation).

2013 SRT Viper interior spy shotsSo what can we see from these pics? Ventilation, and lots of it. There is a pair of massive hood vents that pass air through the grille over the hood like you'd expect to see on a Le Mans race car. And through the mesh on Dolly Parton-size hood bra you can see a pair of uprights in the grille forming a V shape that's a slight departure from the crosshair grille of the previous Vipers. (Remember, this is technically an SRT product and - like the Ram trucks - no longer a Dodge.)

We're also seeing the clearest shots yet of the interior, with what looks like a full digital dashboard (complete with 220 mph speedo) instead of analog instruments. With each passing day, we hope to see a little more, but for now you can check out the full batch of spy shots in the gallery for a closer look.

2013 SRT Viper is starting to vent originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/23/2013-srt-viper-is-starting-to-vent/

Shinichi Itoh Bill Ivy Olivier Jacque Sid Jensen Mika Kallio Hideo Kanaya

TWB: Special bikes: Pata Negra by Radical Ducati

Just a few days after the launch of the Dirt-RAD, which is based on a 1989 Yamaha XT 600, the nice guys from Spanish aftermarket company Radical Ducati go back to their first love, the Ducatis, introducing this new special bike: meet the Pata ... [...]

Source: http://www.zimbio.com/MotoGP/articles/upguF1Z6-0B/TWB+Special+bikes+Pata+Negra+Radical+Ducati

Ricky†Carmichael Danny Chandler Eric Cheney Alessio Chiodi Jaromir Cizek Guy Cooper

Gibbs Garage: Bud Shootout Victory Sweet for Kyle Busch

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/02/gibbs-garage-bud-shootout-victory-sweet.html

Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi

Spy Shots: 2013 SRT Viper is starting to vent

Filed under: , , ,

2013 SRT Viper spy shots

There seems to be an endless stream of spy shots scrolling across out digital desktops here at Autoblog, and some will invariably be more interesting than others. But few are as hotly anticipated as the new Viper that's coming roaring around the corner.

So far, all Chrysler has given us is a shadowy sketch, a close-up detail shot, and the new badge that will represent the model, joining the test mule spy shots we've been seeing for the past several months and the Hot Wheels leak we brought you yesterday. But this latest batch of spy shots appears the clearest yet - despite the best efforts of the SRT development team (including a Dukes of Hazzard-style hood slide that compelled KGP Photography to do a quick bit of wry image manipulation).

2013 SRT Viper interior spy shotsSo what can we see from these pics? Ventilation, and lots of it. There is a pair of massive hood vents that pass air through the grille over the hood like you'd expect to see on a Le Mans race car. And through the mesh on Dolly Parton-size hood bra you can see a pair of uprights in the grille forming a V shape that's a slight departure from the crosshair grille of the previous Vipers. (Remember, this is technically an SRT product and - like the Ram trucks - no longer a Dodge.)

We're also seeing the clearest shots yet of the interior, with what looks like a full digital dashboard (complete with 220 mph speedo) instead of analog instruments. With each passing day, we hope to see a little more, but for now you can check out the full batch of spy shots in the gallery for a closer look.

2013 SRT Viper is starting to vent originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/23/2013-srt-viper-is-starting-to-vent/

Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem

2015 BMW 7-Series to feature carbon fiber construction - report

In a recent interview, BMW's head of research and development revealed the next-generation 7-Series will feature carbon fiber construction.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/r_2XMyUt2-A/2015-bmw-7-series-to-feature-carbon-fiber-construction

John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth

Ricky Carmichael Signature Design Unveiled For 2012 Daytona Supercross By Honda Course

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - For the fifth-straight year, legendary Supercross champion Ricky Carmichael will challenge riders with his latest signature course design in the 2012 Daytona Supercross By Honda scheduled for Saturday night, March 10, the only AMA Supercross event in Florida this year.

“It’s an honor and a pleasure to design the course for Daytona, where there is so much racing history involved,” said Carmichael, who owns a record five Daytona Supercross By Honda victories. “The fans are great, and there is a great group of people working at Daytona International Speedway.  I’m flattered that they continue to want me to keep coming back to design their race course.  It’s a pretty cool deal.”

The Ricky Carmichael Signature Design course will draw some parallels to last year’s layout with the placement of the starting gate remaining on pit road and providing fans with a great view of the first turn. It will feature slight changes in the course’s configuration, particularly in the corners.

Source: http://www.supercross.com/news/ricky-carmichael-signature-design-unveiled-for-2012-daytona-supercross-by-honda-course

Ricky†Carmichael Danny Chandler Eric Cheney Alessio Chiodi Jaromir Cizek Guy Cooper

Gatorade Duels: Who's in and who's not in the Daytona 500?

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/22/1876555/gatorade-duels-whos-in-and-whos.html

Josef Hage Andreas Hahn Richard Haidegger Mike Hailwood Mike Hale Ross Hannan

The Dirt - Kyle Cunningham

The latest rider to don the number 19 machine is Star/Valli/Yamaha/Rockstar's Kyle Cunningham. The Texan had a really strong 2011 season and is looking to improve upon those results in 2012. We caught up with Kyle just before the East Lites SX series kicked off to get his thoughts on the new season of racing.

Source: http://www.supercross.com/features/the-dirt-kyle-cunningham

Eero Hyv‰rinen Andrea Iannone Tomoko Igata Dennis Ireland Fumio Ito Shinichi Itoh

Mercedes battle to match past glories

Red Bull have raised the bar in Formula 1 over the last two or three years, heaping pressure of one kind or another on all their major rivals.

McLaren's inability to produce a car that can consistently challenge Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel had a clear effect on Lewis Hamilton's equanimity last season, introducing new pressures into that team as the Englishman struggled to cope with his on-track disappointment and difficulties in his private life.

At Ferrari, a technical director has lost his job and his replacement has felt under pressure to take significant risks this year as F1's most famous team seeks to produce a car that can do justice to Fernando Alonso's abundant talents.

But nowhere, arguably, is the need to improve felt more greatly than at Mercedes, the team trying to make F1's "big three" into a quartet.

Michael Schumacher drives the new Mercedes W03 during testing in Barcelona on 21 February

Mercedes are hoping their new W03 car for 2012 will herald a return to the front of the grid. Picture: Getty

The German giants enter 2012 seeking a huge step forward from a season of conspicuous under-performance. Lodged in no-man's land, some distance behind the top three and some way ahead of the rest, there was not a single podium finish for either Michael Schumacher or Nico Rosberg in 2011.

Unsurprisingly, Mercedes' vice-president of competition, Norbert Haug, describes that as "not good enough". For one of the world's greatest car companies, that is something of an understatement.

Mercedes' latest venture into F1 has only been running for two years - since the company bought the Brawn team at the end of 2009 after spending 17 years as an engine supplier first to Sauber and then to McLaren.

But the current management has a lot to live up to - the company's two previous forays into grand prix racing were considerably more successful.

In the mid-1930s, Mercedes and fellow German giants Auto Union (the forerunners of Audi) dominated with their famous Silver Arrows. And in 1954 and '55 Mercedes produced a level of domination with the great Juan Manuel Fangio that makes Red Bull's performances in recent years pale into insignificance.

Mercedes' relationship with McLaren had produced drivers' titles for Mika Hakkinen in 1998 and '99 and for Lewis Hamilton in 2008, as well as near-misses with Hakkinen in 2000, Kimi Raikkonen in 2003 and 2005 and Hamilton and Alonso in 2007.

But the decision to set up their own team was based as much on the realities of the road-car marketplace as any comparative lack of success on the track.

The poor results McLaren produced in 2009, starting the season with their worst car for 15 years, were an influence. So, too, was the relative lack of recognition for the Mercedes brand in any McLaren success on the track - inevitably the case for an engine supplier, even if it did own 40% of the team.

But when McLaren decided to launch its own supercar into a market Mercedes was also planning to enter with its SLS, such close links were no longer tenable.

In the autumn of 2009, buying the team that had just won the world championship, run by a man who masterminded all of Schumacher's world titles, must have seemed about as good a guarantee of success as you could get. Bringing Schumacher out of retirement, to rejoin the company that set him on the path to stardom and bring his career full circle, was supposed to be the icing on the cake.

Except that's not how it has worked out. The cars have been uncompetitive and Schumacher - consistently out-paced by Rosberg in qualifying over the last two years, although with improving race form in 2011 - is clearly a shadow of his former greatness.

So why have Mercedes not been able to compete at the top? The simple answer is that Brawn's world title with Jenson Button in 2009 rather disguised the reality.

That car was designed with Honda money, before the Japanese giant abruptly pulled out in December 2008. Team boss Ross Brawn had kept the company alive, but had to force through a painful 40% staff cut in 2009 to keep it going in more straitened circumstances.

The car's speed owed much to its controversial "double diffuser" - and by mid-season a lack of development caused by budgetary restrictions had seen first Red Bull and then other teams overtake them.

There is some truth, then, in Haug's consistent claims over the last two years that Mercedes are a small team that, as he put it this week, "need to learn and develop" to compete with Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren.

As Mercedes' great rival BMW proved in 2009, major car companies in F1 tend to get itchy feet if they are not winning - it poses too big a risk to their global image if they are consistently seen to be beaten. In BMW's case, a strong season in 2008 was followed by a weak one in 2009 and, with the global economic crisis gripping, the board pulled the plug.

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There is no sign of such a move from Mercedes but the pressure to perform has been plain to see. The team have been on a major recruitment drive over the last year, the biggest indication of which was the hiring of two star designers - Aldo Costa, the technical director sacked by Ferrari, and Geoff Willis, formerly of Williams, Honda and Red Bull.

There are now four men who have been technical directors at other teams all trying to work together to make Mercedes winners - Bob Bell, the man who currently holds that title at the team and who was recruited from Renault, Costa, Willis and Brawn himself.

Brawn is adamant they have defined roles and will work well together. Others remain to be convinced about the wisdom of having so many big beasts in one pride.

What this technical "super-team" does, though, is emphasise just how important winning is to Mercedes - and consequently just how critical it is that the new W03 enables the team to make a marked stepped forward over 2011.

There is no doubting the ambition.

Mercedes are the only top team to have waited until the second pre-season test to run their new car. The idea was to give them more time to find more performance in the car at the design stage, but the move carries risks. If problems occur, there is less time to iron them out before the start of the season.

Haug has been at pains to emphasise that Mercedes' current position is understandable, and that they have the time and ability to improve.

But while the form of the new Mercedes will be watched with interest at Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari, you can be sure there will be some nervous faces in the boardroom in Stuttgart, too.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/02/pressure_mounts_on_mercedes.html

Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Toyota Aygo Fire & Ice special editions announced (UK)

Toyota has announced plans to offer two new special edition Aygos in the United Kingdom.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/XP66gPWZoiA/toyota-aygo-fire--ice-special-editions-announced-uk

Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra Derek Bell Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso

Fast Facts: Denny Hamlin

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/02/fast-facts-denny-hamlin.html

Sylvain Geboers Broc Glover Rui Goncalves Josh Grant Billy Grossi Werner Haas

Report: Tesla Roadster facing 'brick' battery problems?

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Tesla Roadster

Here's a new worry for electric car owners: bricking your new, expensive ride.

Using a word taken from the computer world, to "brick" an EV means to make your electronic device inoperable. In the case of an EV, it would mean to run the battery state of charge so far down that nothing works anymore, thus requiring an expensive flatbed tow and an even more expensive battery pack - about $40,000 in a Tesla Roadster.

This is the charge of Michael Degusta, who wrote a detailed post on the matter in which he claims there have been five cases of Roadsters being bricked that he knows about. Since this is the first we've heard about it (and we imagine all those Silicon Valley Roadster owners know a thing or two about Internet communication), we're surprised we didn't hear about this before the alleged problem claimed five non-working cars. Thus, we figure there's more to the story, especially since some people are already poking holes in some of Degusta's statements. We've emailed Degusta and asked him to provide further proof of and details about these bricked cars, but he has not responded yet.

For its part, Tesla has offered AutoblogGreen a fairly noncommittal statement on the matter:

All automobiles require some level of owner care. For example, combustion vehicles require regular oil changes or the engine will be destroyed. Electric vehicles should be plugged in and charging when not in use for maximum performance. All batteries are subject to damage if the charge is kept at zero for long periods of time. However, Tesla avoids this problem in virtually all instances with numerous counter-measures. Tesla batteries can remain unplugged for weeks (even months), without reaching zero state of charge. Owners of Roadster 2.0 and all subsequent Tesla products can request that their vehicle alert Tesla if SOC falls to a low level. All Tesla vehicles emit various visual and audible warnings if the battery pack falls below 5 percent SOC. Tesla provides extensive maintenance recommendations as part of the customer experience.

It's also true that all vehicles will require some attention if they sit unused too long, and people know what happens if you leave your laptop unplugged for two weeks. In the owner's manual for the Roadster 2.0/Roadster Sport, Tesla does say that "Over-discharge can permanently damage the Battery" and that "If storing for more than 15 days, it is strongly recommended that you keep it plugged in" (see the full section on "Leaving the vehicle unplugged" after the jump, or download the manual in PDF here), but it doesn't specify what sort of damage that is, or how expensive it might be to fix it. Tesla spokesman Ricardo Reyes did tell AutoblogGreen that he is working to demystify the situation and will get back to us with more information.

Continue reading Tesla Roadster facing 'brick' battery problems?

Tesla Roadster facing 'brick' battery problems? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/22/tesla-roadster-facing-brick-battery-problems/

Rui Goncalves Josh Grant Billy Grossi Werner Haas Silvio Habat Larbi Habbiche

Better racing - but is it fake?

In Monaco before Christmas, Formula 1's governing body held a meeting to discuss one of the key and most controversial aspects of 2011 - the Drag Reduction System or DRS.

Introduced amid much controversy and no small amount of trepidation in some quarters, questions about the validity of the overtaking aid, not to mention the wisdom of employing it, decreased during the season. So much so that, at the Monaco meeting, it was decided that only small refinements needed to be made to its use for the 2012 campaign.

But while the FIA and the teams all agree that DRS has played a valuable role in improving F1 as a spectacle, they are determined to ensure it performs in the way intended. In particular, no-one wants to cheapen one of the central aspects of a driver's skill by making overtaking too easy.

vetteldrs595.jpg

Sebastian Vettel enters the DRS zone at the Spanish Grand Prix. Photo: Getty

To recap briefly, DRS was introduced in an attempt to solve the perennial problem of there being too little overtaking. After years - decades even - of discussions, F1's technical brains hit on what they thought could be a solution: DRS.

DRS does what it says on the tin. When deployed, the top part of the rear wing moves upwards, reducing drag and giving a boost in straight-line speed. In races, drivers could use it only if they were within a second of the car in front at a "detection point" shortly before the "DRS zone". The DRS zone was where DRS could be deployed, which was usually the track's longest straight.

The idea was to make overtaking possible but not too easy.

There is no doubt that racing improved immeasurably as a spectacle in 2011 compared with previous seasons. But how big a role did DRS play? And did overtaking become too easy at some tracks and remain too hard at others?

It is a more complex issue than it at first appears because it is not always easy to tell from the outside whether an overtaking move was a result of DRS or not.

In Turkey and Belgium, for example, several drivers sailed past rivals in the DRS zone long before the end of it, leading many to think the device had made overtaking too easy.

But, armed with statistics, FIA race director Charlie Whiting says appearances were deceptive. What was making overtaking easy at those two races, he said, was the speed advantage of the car behind as the two cars battling for position came off the corner before the DRS zone.

Whiting showed me a spreadsheet detailing the speeds of the respective cars in all the overtaking manoeuvres that happened in the Belgian GP.

"This shows very clearly that when the speed delta [difference] between the two cars at the beginning of the zone is low, then overtaking is not easy," he said. "But if one car goes through Eau Rouge that bit quicker, sometimes you had a speed delta of 18km/h (11mph). Well, that's going to be an overtake whether you've got DRS or not."

According to Whiting, the statistics show that if the two cars come off the corner into the DRS zone at similar speeds, then the driver behind needs to be far closer than the one-second margin that activates the DRS if he is to overtake.

"One second is the activation but that won't do it for you," Whiting said. "You've got to be 0.4secs behind to get alongside into the braking zone."

Confusing the picture in 2011 - particularly early in the season - was the fast-wearing nature of the new Pirelli tyres, which led to huge grip differences between cars at various points of the races. A driver on fresher tyres would come off a corner much faster and brake that much later for the next one. That would have a far greater impact on the ease of an overtaking move than DRS ever would.

Critics of DRS might argue that while it may be useful at tracks where overtaking has traditionally been difficult, like Melbourne, Valencia and Barcelona, for example, it is debatable whether there is a need for it at circuits where historically there has been good racing, like Turkey, Belgium and Brazil.

According to Whiting, DRS does not diminish the value of an overtaking move at tracks where it is usually easy to pass. It just means that DRS opens up the possibility for more. In other words, it works just as it does at any other track.

McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe is an influential member of the Technical Working Group of leading engineers which came up with DRS. He said people had been arguing for years that engineers should alter the fundamental design of cars to facilitate overtaking.

However, tinkering with aerodynamic design was never going to be a solution, according to Lowe, because F1 cars will always need downforce to produce such high performance, and that means overtaking will always, by the cars' nature, be difficult.

"What's great [about DRS is] at least we can move on from this debate of trying to change the aerodynamic characteristics of cars to try to improve overtaking," added Lowe.

"We've found something much more authoritative, much cheaper, easier and more effective, and adjustable from race to race."

Whiting thinks DRS worked as expected everywhere except Melbourne and Valencia.

valencia595p.jpg

Valencia's DRS zone could be extended for 2012. Photo: Getty 

So for next season's opening race in Australia, he is considering adding a second DRS zone after the first chicane, so drivers who have used DRS to draw close to rivals along the pit straight can have another crack at overtaking straight afterwards. As for Valencia, traditionally the least entertaining race of the year, the FIA will simply make the zone, which is located on the run to Turn 12, longer.

There is potentially one big negative about DRS, though.

There is a risk that its introduction could mean the end of races in which a driver uses his skills to hold off a rival in a faster car. Some of the greatest defensive victories of the modern age have been achieved in this way. One thinks of Gilles Villeneuve holding off a train of four cars in his powerful but poor-handling Ferrari to win in Jarama in 1981, or Fernando Alonso fending off Michael Schumacher's faster Ferrari at Imola in 2005.

The idea behind the introduction of DRS was for a much faster car to be able to overtake relatively easily but for passing still to be difficult between two cars of comparative performance. In theory, if that philosophy is adhered to rigidly, the sorts of races mentioned above will still be possible.

However, once an aid has been introduced that gives the driver behind a straight-line speed advantage that is an incredibly difficult line to walk, as Whiting himself admits. "You've got to take the rough with the smooth to a certain extent," he said.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/12/drs.html

Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks

Fans Can Register to “WinCamaroSynergy”

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/02/fans-can-register-to-wincamarosynergy.html

Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella M·rio de Ara˙jo Cabral

NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Be the TopDog in Your League

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/02/nascar-fantasy-fusion-be-topdog-in-your.html

Ken Kavanagh John Kocinski Pentti Korhonen Tomoyoshi Koyama Ewald Kluge Bruno Kneub¸hler

Better racing - but is it fake?

In Monaco before Christmas, Formula 1's governing body held a meeting to discuss one of the key and most controversial aspects of 2011 - the Drag Reduction System or DRS.

Introduced amid much controversy and no small amount of trepidation in some quarters, questions about the validity of the overtaking aid, not to mention the wisdom of employing it, decreased during the season. So much so that, at the Monaco meeting, it was decided that only small refinements needed to be made to its use for the 2012 campaign.

But while the FIA and the teams all agree that DRS has played a valuable role in improving F1 as a spectacle, they are determined to ensure it performs in the way intended. In particular, no-one wants to cheapen one of the central aspects of a driver's skill by making overtaking too easy.

vetteldrs595.jpg

Sebastian Vettel enters the DRS zone at the Spanish Grand Prix. Photo: Getty

To recap briefly, DRS was introduced in an attempt to solve the perennial problem of there being too little overtaking. After years - decades even - of discussions, F1's technical brains hit on what they thought could be a solution: DRS.

DRS does what it says on the tin. When deployed, the top part of the rear wing moves upwards, reducing drag and giving a boost in straight-line speed. In races, drivers could use it only if they were within a second of the car in front at a "detection point" shortly before the "DRS zone". The DRS zone was where DRS could be deployed, which was usually the track's longest straight.

The idea was to make overtaking possible but not too easy.

There is no doubt that racing improved immeasurably as a spectacle in 2011 compared with previous seasons. But how big a role did DRS play? And did overtaking become too easy at some tracks and remain too hard at others?

It is a more complex issue than it at first appears because it is not always easy to tell from the outside whether an overtaking move was a result of DRS or not.

In Turkey and Belgium, for example, several drivers sailed past rivals in the DRS zone long before the end of it, leading many to think the device had made overtaking too easy.

But, armed with statistics, FIA race director Charlie Whiting says appearances were deceptive. What was making overtaking easy at those two races, he said, was the speed advantage of the car behind as the two cars battling for position came off the corner before the DRS zone.

Whiting showed me a spreadsheet detailing the speeds of the respective cars in all the overtaking manoeuvres that happened in the Belgian GP.

"This shows very clearly that when the speed delta [difference] between the two cars at the beginning of the zone is low, then overtaking is not easy," he said. "But if one car goes through Eau Rouge that bit quicker, sometimes you had a speed delta of 18km/h (11mph). Well, that's going to be an overtake whether you've got DRS or not."

According to Whiting, the statistics show that if the two cars come off the corner into the DRS zone at similar speeds, then the driver behind needs to be far closer than the one-second margin that activates the DRS if he is to overtake.

"One second is the activation but that won't do it for you," Whiting said. "You've got to be 0.4secs behind to get alongside into the braking zone."

Confusing the picture in 2011 - particularly early in the season - was the fast-wearing nature of the new Pirelli tyres, which led to huge grip differences between cars at various points of the races. A driver on fresher tyres would come off a corner much faster and brake that much later for the next one. That would have a far greater impact on the ease of an overtaking move than DRS ever would.

Critics of DRS might argue that while it may be useful at tracks where overtaking has traditionally been difficult, like Melbourne, Valencia and Barcelona, for example, it is debatable whether there is a need for it at circuits where historically there has been good racing, like Turkey, Belgium and Brazil.

According to Whiting, DRS does not diminish the value of an overtaking move at tracks where it is usually easy to pass. It just means that DRS opens up the possibility for more. In other words, it works just as it does at any other track.

McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe is an influential member of the Technical Working Group of leading engineers which came up with DRS. He said people had been arguing for years that engineers should alter the fundamental design of cars to facilitate overtaking.

However, tinkering with aerodynamic design was never going to be a solution, according to Lowe, because F1 cars will always need downforce to produce such high performance, and that means overtaking will always, by the cars' nature, be difficult.

"What's great [about DRS is] at least we can move on from this debate of trying to change the aerodynamic characteristics of cars to try to improve overtaking," added Lowe.

"We've found something much more authoritative, much cheaper, easier and more effective, and adjustable from race to race."

Whiting thinks DRS worked as expected everywhere except Melbourne and Valencia.

valencia595p.jpg

Valencia's DRS zone could be extended for 2012. Photo: Getty 

So for next season's opening race in Australia, he is considering adding a second DRS zone after the first chicane, so drivers who have used DRS to draw close to rivals along the pit straight can have another crack at overtaking straight afterwards. As for Valencia, traditionally the least entertaining race of the year, the FIA will simply make the zone, which is located on the run to Turn 12, longer.

There is potentially one big negative about DRS, though.

There is a risk that its introduction could mean the end of races in which a driver uses his skills to hold off a rival in a faster car. Some of the greatest defensive victories of the modern age have been achieved in this way. One thinks of Gilles Villeneuve holding off a train of four cars in his powerful but poor-handling Ferrari to win in Jarama in 1981, or Fernando Alonso fending off Michael Schumacher's faster Ferrari at Imola in 2005.

The idea behind the introduction of DRS was for a much faster car to be able to overtake relatively easily but for passing still to be difficult between two cars of comparative performance. In theory, if that philosophy is adhered to rigidly, the sorts of races mentioned above will still be possible.

However, once an aid has been introduced that gives the driver behind a straight-line speed advantage that is an incredibly difficult line to walk, as Whiting himself admits. "You've got to take the rough with the smooth to a certain extent," he said.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/12/drs.html

Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo

Jeep Wrangler Mountain special edition revealed

Jeep has announced plans to introduce the Wrangler Mountain at the Geneva Motor Show. It features hood decals, a Mineral Gray grille and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/i3VNmjcNWRQ/jeep-wrangler-mountain-special-edition-revealed

Claudio Federici Tim Ferry Ashley Fiolek Ernesto Fonseca Lauris Freibergs Paul Friedrichs

Nationwide Series preview

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/20/1871713/2012-nascar-nationwide-series.html

HÂkan Carlquist Ricky†Carmichael Danny Chandler Eric Cheney Alessio Chiodi Jaromir Cizek

Volvo S60 TTA revealed for Swedish Racing Elite League

Volvo has a reputation for building safe, sensible and somewhat boring automobiles, but the company is hoping to change that by entering the Swedish Racing Elite League.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/DNLtYlv3SzA/volvo-s60-tta-revealed-for-swedish-racing-elite-league

Broc Glover Rui Goncalves Josh Grant Billy Grossi Werner Haas Silvio Habat

2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series, an FIM World Championship - LA Recap, Oakland Preview

We are now three rounds deep into the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross Series, and things are beginning to heat up. Last weekend in Los Angeles, two riders rode off with solid wins - Chad Reed in the premiere 450 Supercross class, and Eli Tomac in the 250 Lites West Regional Supercross class.

There was a serious crash involving Trey Canard and Ryan Morais. We will continue to keep you updated as to their health status whenever we receive updates. Both Rick Johnson and Jeremy McGrath in their blogs of this past week commented about the crash:

Rick Johnson / RJ Says blog

Jeremy McGrath / King's Korner blog

Chad Reed took his first win of the season in the Supercross class, while Eli Tomac did the same in Lites racing. But the way the two riders accomplished their feats was completely different.

In the initial gate drop for the 450 Supercross class, Ryan Dungey grabbed the holeshot, mere inches in front of Defending AMA Monster Energy Supercross Champion Ryan Villopoto, but by the second turn, Villopoto had already taken over the lead. Considering his lap times in the heats and practice, the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider looked to be on his way to another runaway victory. But then the red flag came out (because of the crash involved Trey and Ryan) which forced a restart. Before you continue below

Source: http://www.supercross.com/news/2012-monster-energy-ama-supercross-series-an-fim-world-championship-la-recap-oakland-preview

Pat Hennen Manuel Hern·ndez Santiago Herrero Tom Herron Wilfred Herron Manfred Herweh

MCN-MGP: Jorge Lorenzo surprised at slow CRT pace

Former world champion Jorge Lorenzo is the latest high profile rider to express concerns about the huge gulf in lap times between the factory 1000cc prototypes and new CRT machinery. The Spaniard got his first experience of riding on track with the ne...

Read more »

Source: http://www.zimbio.com/MotoGP/articles/-pC9ahdaBaH/MCN+MGP+Jorge+Lorenzo+surprised+slow+CRT+pace

Derek Bell Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso Antonio Cairoli Trey Canard

Tuesday, February 21, 2012