jeanrowald

Friday, November 2, 2012

Crutchlow hails ‘perfect’ Lorenzo

Cal Crutchlow and Jorge Lorenzo Cal Crutchlow has paid tribute to fellow Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo’s ‘perfect’ 2012 MotoGP title campaign.

The Spaniard clinched his second world championship crown at Phillip Island, having finished either first or second in every grand prix bar one – at Assen, when he was wiped out at the first corner.

Crutchlow, riding for Yamaha’s satellite Tech 3 squad, said he was a massively deserving champion.

“For Jorge, he made a perfect season: first or second every race,” Crutchlow said.

“You can’t take this away from him. It’s the perfect championship for Yamaha and for him.”

The Briton, who claimed third in the Australian Grand Prix behind Lorenzo and runaway victor Casey Stoner, said he was delighted to be finishing his campaign on a strong note.

After threatening to land a breakthrough premier class podium several times in the early races, Crutchlow finally scored his first rostrum at Brno. Falls blighted three of his next four races, before he delivered his second career top-three at the Australian circuit.

“[We've had] two very difficult races, so it’s nice to finally be back, fighting near the front as best we can,” Crutchlow said.

“Obviously the gap to Casey was big because he was so fast but I was very pleased – we had a big gap to the guys behind and I could just ride around the last few laps quite confident and comfortable.

“I’m very pleased for the team. We work hard for this, so it’s nice to be finishing the year in a strong position.

“Casey was unbelievable [and Lorenzo sealed the title], so congratulations to both of them.”

With one race remaining, next weekend’s Valencia finale, Crutchlow lies seventh in the standings, 14 points behind fifth-placed Alvaro Bautista.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/other-news/motorcycles/motogp/crutchlow-hails-perfect-lorenzo

Karl Kling Ernst Klodwig Kamui Kobayashi Helmuth Koinigg Heikki Kovalainen

Perez sure of equal status at McLaren

Sergio Perez, Sauber Sergio Perez is confident he will get equal status with Jenson Button at McLaren from the outset, despite his relative inexperience and Button’s three-year relationship with the team.

Lewis Hamilton’s 2013 Mercedes move opened the door for 22-year-old Mexican Perez to join McLaren after two seasons at Sauber, where he blossomed into an occasional podium finisher this season.

He will join McLaren with 37 grands prix under his belt, compared to the 230 Button will have contested by then, in a 13-year Formula 1 career including 14 wins to date and the 2009 world championship.

Button has also become very well-established at McLaren, but Perez says he sought early assurances from new boss Martin Whitmarsh that he would not be the marginalised outsider in a team focused on Button.

“The first time I spoke with Martin he told me the team is for both drivers and I will clearly have the same as the other driver next to me,” Perez told reporters in Abu Dhabi.

“I fully trust Martin and I trust the whole team as well.”

Perez acknowledged that Button would be a valuable learning resource for him.

“Jenson has a lot of experience with the team at the moment, so I think I have to work a lot with him to build my relationship with the team and my understanding of the car. “He will be an important part of that,” he said.

“But at the end of the day, he’s mainly focused on his job because he also has a lot of pressure.

“I think we’re going to be a very good team and a strong team, and we will fight for very big targets next year.”

Despite his underdog successes with Sauber, Perez does not think his own potential can truly be judged until he is in a frontrunning car.

“I think as a young driver the first step is to get into a top team to show if you are able to be a world champion or not,” he said.

“I think that question for me will be answered next year because I will have the opportunity to be with the best team in Formula 1 and my target is to win the championship next year.”

He conceded that replacing 2008 champion Hamilton, widely regarded as among the greatest of his generation, at McLaren will bring great expectation.

“I rate Lewis very highly. I think Lewis is one of the fastest drivers in Formula 1 right now,” Perez said.

“I’m coming into those shoes and they will be difficult to fit. But I’m confident that this is the opportunity I was hoping to have.

“I will give my best and I’m sure I will be very good there.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/perez-sure-of-equal-status-at-mclaren

Masten Gregory Cliff Griffith Georges Grignard Bobby Grim Romain Grosjean

Abu Dhabi Friday quotes: Marussia

Timo Glock – 20th/21st: “A typical Friday really, although in FP1 I ran some developments for next year. There were a lot of sensors on the car, so while the work was good, the running was a little less straightforward. In FP2 I had some trouble with traffic on the Soft option tyre run; every time, I caught up to Petrov in the last sector which lost me time. We also tried some different set-up options and we have to look at the information we gathered to ensure we have the right one for the rest of the weekend.”

Charles Pic – 22nd: “It was great to be back in the car at Yas Marina this afternoon. It’s a circuit I like very much and I hope we are able to continue the positive work of India. For the early part of the FP2 session I got up to speed with the track – quite quickly as well – and prepared for qualifying and the race, adjusting to the changing light conditions. We are not where we would like to be yet, so I hope to make a step forward for tomorrow.”

Max Chilton – 22nd: “My FP1 session went just as well as I could have hoped for and my thanks again to the Marussia F1 Team for making this possible. I haven’t stopped smiling all day. I have been looking forward to this opportunity for a few weeks now, but when the moment came – with all the pressure – I admit that I was a little nervous. I wanted everything to go well and to have as much track time as possible. In the end, due to the tyre life situation, we built up to two longer runs of eight laps each, where I was able to work on some pretty demanding testing items, procedures and systems. On the first run I was very happy to improve immediately – and keep improving. I was hoping to do that again on the second run but unfortunately I was blocked by traffic from a HRT car. There was definitely more to come though and that is the only small frustration in an otherwise memorable day. The team were very supportive and thanks to my engineering team and car crew today, who made me feel right at home.”

John Booth, Team Principal: “A reasonable start to our race weekend here in Abu Dhabi, with three drivers contributing to the overall free practice programme. A word about Max to begin with, as he was making his race weekend running debut. We already had a significant level of confidence in his ability, as we tested him in the summer, but he put in an exemplary performance this morning. We were happy for him as he’s come a long way this year. We were also a little relieved as we wanted him to get a good clean session and everything went very smoothly for him in the end. He coped with all the procedures well and although he was capable of more in terms of overall lap time on that second run, the potential is clearly there.

“Timo’s morning session was much more focused towards 2013 development however this afternoon with his engineers he has tried some quite different set-ups in order to try and correct some of the problems he has had in the last few races. We will need to study these overnight and decide on which direction to go in. Charles got up to speed quickly in FP2 and has spent the session mostly focusing on preparing himself for qualifying and race, which will be run at this same later time of day. We are perhaps not as well placed in the timesheet as we would like, in terms of the gap to the cars ahead and behind, however I’m sure we can make some progress overnight and perhaps improve our position for tomorrow.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/abu-dhabi-friday-quotes-marussia

Max Jean Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson Leslie Johnson Bruce Johnstone

Lotus unlikely to race double DRS in ’12

Lotus Double DRS Lotus is highly unlikely to run its double DRS in the remaining races of the 2012 Formula 1 season, despite planning to work on it at the Abu Dhabi young driver test.

Difficulties with the innovative device meant it was never raced despite being used in practice at several races over the summer.

Lotus will use it again in the Yas Marina test, where GP2 champion Davide Valsecchi, DTM star Edoardo Mortara, and sportscar racer Nicolas Prost will take the wheel of its car, but technical director James Allison said the work was aimed more towards 2013 use than this year.

“Our plan is to work on understanding how to make it act in a sufficiently predictable manner to be deployable in a race,” he said.

“Given the difficulty we have experienced so far, I think it would be optimistic to see it used in anger this season, within the final remaining races.”

While Lotus struggled to make its double DRS race-ready, it has successfully introduced a Coanda exhaust system.

So far this development’s benefits have been partly negated by how much horsepower the system saps. But Allison said changes for Abu Dhabi would help the problem.

“It is not really the straightline pace that is the issue as we can set that wherever we like simply by choosing the rear wing setting,” he said.

“It is the power that we need to recover. Our first version of the Coanda system is rather power hungry.

“With Renault Sport’s help we expect to claw back around one third of the loss in Abu Dhabi, and would be able to get around half of the loss back eventually.

“We aim to introduce an exhaust pipe that keeps all of the Coanda downforce benefit, but sheds some of the horsepower penalty that we suffered with for our first iteration design.”

Lotus driver Romain Grosjean reckons the team is already making strides with the new-style exhaust.

“The Coanda exhaust is now much better understood,” he said.

“We have to do some work to try to get better results in low grip conditions, especially in qualifying – which is somewhere that I think we can improve – and then in the race the car is just very, very good as usual.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/lotus-unlikely-to-race-double-drs-in-12

Gene Hartley Masahiro Hasemi Naoki Hattori Paul Hawkins Mike Hawthorn

At Bloomberg Press Conference, One Thing Is Back to Normal After Sandy

While the city is recovering from disaster and New Yorkers are trying to get back to work, members of the city’s political press once again showed their true colors: For some, the top concern is being able to gas up their single-occupancy vehicles and drive around Manhattan unimpeded.

Marcia Kramer wants to know when she can drive solo around Manhattan again.

At an 11:30 press conference with Mayor Bloomberg and other elected officials, WCBS-TV’s Marcia Kramer — friend of bike lane haters everywhere – prefaced her question by stating that traffic has been “chaotic at best” and asked Mayor Bloomberg about the efficiency of HOV-3 checkpoints. “They use scarce resources of gas,” she started to say, before the mayor cut her off.

“Marcia, I don’t know how to break this to you: we’re all in this together,” he said, adding that personal inconvenience for drivers was very low on the city’s list of priorities. Kramer followed up, asking if the HOV-3 restrictions would be in effect tomorrow. ”Yes,” the mayor said. “We’ve already announced that.”

Later in the press conference, another reporter asked the mayor when gas stations, many of which have run out of fuel, would reopen. Because, as we all know, the mayor of New York controls the gasoline supply chain.

Other highlights from the press conference:

Bloomberg praised the MTA for suspending fare collection on buses and trains. “It was the right decision,” he said. “I wish they’d do it all along. Unfortunately they can’t do that until Shelly Silver comes up with other ways of funding them,” he said jokingly, acknowledging that the Speaker was, in fact, standing next to him at the press conference.
Bloomberg said that he is not completely confident that the East River tunnels would be ready for subway service by Monday morning. The MTA has not yet provided an update on restoration of subway service beyond its current levels.
The mayor also made note of yesterday’s gridlock. ”There’s no question that travel into our city yesterday was very difficult,” he said. “Roads were so clogged that we had concerns about emergency vehicles.”
While Bloomberg said he hopes the HOV-3 restrictions can be lifted after Friday, he also cited their benefits and urged everyone not to drive at all. “While it helped alleviate some of the severe congestion we saw yesterday, traffic today remained very heavy. We encourage people to take mass transit whenever possible,” he said. “Some have asked for special treatment, but the bottom line is that we are just not equipped to grant exemptions.”
He also asked New Yorkers not to drive. “I strongly encourage everyone not to take their cars into Manhattan,” Bloomberg said. “If you have other options — including walking — please take it. It would probably be faster than taking your car.”

Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/11/01/at-bloomberg-press-conference-one-thing-is-back-to-normal-after-sandy/

Taki Inoue Innes Ireland Eddie Irvine Chris Irwin Jean Pierre Jabouille

Aric Almirola 2012 NSCS Bank of America 500 Post-Race Report

NSCS Aric Almirola in garage - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

Aric Almirola, No. 43 Smithfield Ford

Starting Position: 17
Finishing Position: 12

Aric Almirola earned his fifth top-15 finish of the season at Charlotte Motor Speedway Saturday in a Smithfield Ford Fusion that was racy all night.

The driver of the No. 43 started the 500-mile event in the 17th spot, quickly advancing to 12th position by Lap 11 when an early caution flag waved for a spinning Matt Kenseth.

The first 35 laps of the race saw two additional cautions for accidents, and by the third yellow flag, Almirola was up to 10th in his fast Ford Fusion. He gave up his top-10 spot to come to pit road for a routine but quick stop, putting him in 18th for the restart.

Almirola didn’t stay back there long, as he started making fast laps once again, passing four cars to get up to 14th by Lap 60. Despite his fast lap times and forward progress, he asked crew chief Todd Parrott for a little help with the car’s handling through the turns. The team responded with chassis and air-pressure adjustments during their next two pit stops.

As the race approached the half-way mark, Almirola was holding steady in the top-15, but still asking for help with the front tires sliding through the turns. With the field under yellow for a debris caution on Lap 168, Parrott brought his driver down pit road for more chassis and air-pressure adjustments to help him be more aggressive off the corners.

The second half of the race saw more green-flag racing than the first — in fact, the final 107 laps went caution-free — which strung the field out and made it difficult to pass for position. But that did not hold back the No. 43, with Almirola gradually chasing down and passing cars over the long runs.

He was in 11th and pushing into the top 10 with fewer than 30 laps to go. But at this time, concerns throughout the field about making it to the finish on fuel forced one last shuffle on the leaderboard, as one by one cars peeled off to pit for gas. Almirola’s was among the cars that could not make it to the end without a late refueling stop, and he brought his Smithfield Ford to the pits for a quick stop for right-side tires and fuel on Lap 312.

He rejoined the field scored in 16th, but climbed back up to 12th and maintained his position until crossing the finish. His 12th-place finish allowed him to maintain 21st place in the driver point standings.

Comments from Almirola after Charlotte:

“We had a fast Smithfield Ford Fusion right off the truck when we got here, and Todd (Parrott) and the guys did a great job on it. We had to keep adjusting with the track over the course of the race, but we were solid all night. I told the guys on the radio afterward, we’ve had some fast cars recently where, unfortunately, we didn’t really have the results to show for it. It’s nice to get a good result to show for all the hard work that went into putting a fast car on track this time.”

About Richard Petty Motorsports:

A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneurs Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force and STP and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Stanley and DEWALT. In addition, Michael Annett wheels the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.

Source: Breaking Limits Marketing for Richard Petty Motorsports, Press Release

The post Aric Almirola 2012 NSCS Bank of America 500 Post-Race Report appeared first on Catchfence.

Sauber ‘needs to score with both cars’

Sauber 'needs to score with both cars' Sauber reckons it will need both of its cars scoring points if it is going to have a realistic chance of catching Mercedes in the constructors’ championship.

The two teams have been separated by 20 points since the Japanese Grand Prix, and neither outfit has scored again since then.

Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn admits her team is particularly frustrated about its failure to capitalise on its opportunities.

“We are very disappointed,” she told AUTOSPORT about the latest non-points scoring race. “We know that we have to now really make points at the remaining races to be in a position to fight ahead and also defend ourselves actually.

“So coming out with zero points is very disappointing. The target is still the same though, as we want to get up there. But it will get more difficult and tighter.

“We said a while ago we wanted to achieve all we can to try for a higher position, and it is only on the basis if you score with both cars.

“It is now very clear that we need to score with both cars, as [otherwise] we will not be able to attack.”

Kaltenborn says she takes no heart from the fact that Mercedes is enduring a difficult time at the moment, having failed to score any points since the Singapore GP.

“They are still 20 points ahead of us, so they don’t need to score points if we don’t score,” she said.

“It is about us going and scoring points. But I think it is still open.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/sauber-needs-to-score-with-both-cars

Jean Pierre Jarier Max Jean Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson Leslie Johnson

MOTOGP: Noyes' Notebook - One-On-One With HRC Boss Shuhei Nakamoto

Honda's MotoGP boss, Shuhei Nakamoto, is one of the two primary figures in the series' looming 'Cuban Missile Crisis.' He spoke with Dennis Noyes about the future of the sport.

Source: http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-noyes-notebook-one-on-one-with-hrc-boss-shuhei-nakamoto/

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Carl Michael Edwards III William Clyde Elliott Jeffrey Michael Gordon Charles Robert Hamilton IV

Abu Dhabi preview quotes: Marussia

Timo Glock: “Abu Dhabi is a special race. It’s like a night race but with the added factor of starting the race in full daylight, but being dark by the time we finish. So it’s something different and very impressive to be out on the track when the light is changing and the track is fully lit at the end. Technically it’s a nice track. We have some good experience here across the whole team, but of course things change from year to year, so we still have to do our homework to get up to speed. Naturally I’m hoping for a better race so we can all really enjoy the experience and set ourselves up for the last few races of the season.”

Charles Pic: “Abu Dhabi is a circuit I love to drive at and a racing destination I really enjoy. After a few days of training and fun with the team, I can’t wait to start running here on Friday. I will take over the car from FP2 for the rest of the weekend and I will be very focused on picking up from a great race for me in India. If we can perform at least as well as we did there on race day, I will be happy, but the wider objective continues to be to catch up to Caterham, which is now within our sights. We also need to work on our preparation on Friday and Saturday as we need that improvement to put us in the best possible position for the race. It’s a tough track technically and also we have the factor of the heat and the track direction, but by the time we start racing we will be used to both. I’m looking forward to another great performance for the team.”

John Booth, Team Principal: “Abu Dhabi is a race we all enjoy, so despite it being another tough back-to-back for the team, we arrived here full of enthusiasm after a very positive race in India. Everyone is well-rested – the team having enjoyed a bit of relaxation time with the drivers – so we now turn our attentions to the hard work ahead this weekend. It’s a very demanding and technically interesting track and of course there is the added factor of the fierce heat. Our first priority will be to ensure a better start to the weekend than we experienced at New Delhi; it all came good on race day for Charles but we need to do a better job on Friday and in qualifying to put us in the best possible position on Sunday. We welcome Max Chilton to the car for FP1 and we will be interested to see how he performs at a track he knows well. Thereafter, Charles will be back in the car and helping us towards our overall objective, which is now a familiar story – competing with Caterham and maintaining our current advantage over them in the Constructors’ Championship.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/abu-dhabi-preview-quotes-marussia

Lucas di Grassi Cecil Green Keith Greene Masten Gregory Cliff Griffith

Long Green-Flag Runs Go Against The Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion At Charlotte

2012 No 21 Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion

Trevor Bayne and his No. 21 Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion hung onto the lead lap for the first third of Saturday’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but the race’s long stretches of green-flag racing worked against them and they came away with a 22nd-place finish.

Bayne started 16th and stayed in the top 20 until just after the 100-lap mark, but the opportunities to fine-tune the car from there on out were limited, especially with so many cars running about the same speed and so few caution periods.

The race had five caution flags, but only two past the 62-mile mark.

“We ran better than we finished, but it’s all about track position,” Bayne said. “That’s pretty much it. If we could have ever gotten on the lead lap, it would have made a big difference.”

“We were running 10th-place times, and about 20 laps into a run at times they said we were running as fast as the leaders, so it’s all about track position once you get spread out everybody is the same speed.”

Bayne said that had his car been as fast at the beginning of the race as it was at the end, the outcome might have been different.

“I don’t think we would have ever lost that lap, but it just took us a little while to get it figured out,” he said. “There were no cautions tonight, so there’s not much you can do once you get behind a little bit.”

Team co-owner Eddie Wood agreed with Bayne about how the night went at Charlotte.

“The Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion ran OK all night,” he said. “We really didn’t have any problems. We were just a little bit off and didn’t have the opportunities we needed to adjust it.”

“The last 50 laps, the track came to us and the car was really good, but it was too late.”

Bayne and the Wood Brothers No. 21 team return to the track next week for the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Source: Wood Brothers Racing, Press Release

The post Long Green-Flag Runs Go Against The Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion At Charlotte appeared first on Catchfence.

Cuomo: “Bus Bridge” Linking Manhattan and Brooklyn Coming Soon

A few quick takeaways from Governor Cuomo’s recently-concluded press conference on the recovery from Sandy:

There will be very limited subway service restorations ~~tomorrow~~ ~~today~~ tomorrow morning, on 14 of the MTA’s 23 lines. Nothing below 34th Street. That’s as specific as he got.
Of the seven flooded subway tunnels under the East River, three have been pumped, but presumably there will be no trains running in the tunnels for a while.
Streets will apparently be repurposed, to some extent, to handle the extra pressure (which is only expected to get more intense as power comes back online and more people resume their commutes). Cuomo said there will be a “bus bridge” linking Manhattan and Brooklyn, but specifics aren’t available yet. Update: The buses will run from Downtown Brooklyn to Midtown, which sounds like a Manhattan Bridge route.
Chuck Schumer said he’s going to press for 90 percent of the recovery costs to be shouldered by the feds, as opposed to the typical 75 percent.

Mayor Bloomberg has a press conference scheduled for 1:30, so we hope to have more specifics on the emergency surface transportation plans then.

Update 2: The Governor’s office has released a list of all subway and emergency shuttle bus service that will be operational as of ~~2 p.m. this afternoon~~ tomorrow morning. There are three shuttle bus routes — two plying the Manhattan Bridge and one on the Williamsburg Bridge — filling some of the gaps in subway service:

SHUTTLE BUSES:

All shuttle buses will operate north on 3^rd Avenue and south on Lexington Avenue.

1. Between Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center and 57^th Street-Lexington Avenue via the Manhattan Bridge

2. Between Jay Street-MetroTech and 57^th Street-Lexington Avenue via the Manhattan Bridge

3. Between Hewes Street and 57^th Street-Lexington Avenue via the Williamsburg Bridge

And here are the details on subway service restorations:

NYCT SUBWAY SERVICE:

1 trains will operate local between 242^nd Street (Bronx) and Times Square-42^nd Street.

2 trains will operate between 241^st Street (Bronx) and Times Square-42^nd Street, with express service between 96^th Street and Times Square.

3 trains are suspended.

4 trains will operate in two sections making all local stops:

· Between Woodlawn (Bronx) and Grand Central-42^nd Street

· Between Borough Hall and New Lots Avenue

5 trains will operate express in Brooklyn between Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center and Flatbush Avenue.

6 trains will operate local between Pelham Bay Park and Grand Central-42^nd Street.

7 trains are suspended.

42^nd Street Shuttle S trains will operate between Times Square and Grand Central.

A trains will operate in two sections making all local stops:

· Between 168^th Street (Manhattan) and 34^th Street-Penn Station

· Between Jay Street/MetroTech and Lefferts Blvd.

B and C service is suspended.

D trains operate in two sections:

· Between 205^th Street (Bronx) and 34^th Street-Herald Square making all local stops

· In Brooklyn, between Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center and Bay Parkway making express stops between Pacific Street and 36^th Street

E trains are suspended.

F trains operate in two sections making all local stops:

· Between 179^th Street (Queens) and 34^th Street-Herald Square

· In Brooklyn, between Jay Street-MetroTech and Avenue X

G trains are suspended.

J trains operate between Jamaica Center and Hewes Street making all local stops.

L trains operate between Broadway Junction and rockaway Parkway making all local stops.

M trains operate between Myrtle Avenue-Broadway and Metropolitan Avenue.

N trains operate between Ditmars Blvd. (Queens) and 34^th Street-Herald Square making all local stops.

Q trains are suspended.

R trains operate in Brooklyn between Jay Street-MetroTech and 95^th Street making all local stops.

Both the Franklin Avenue and Rockaway Park S shuttles are suspended.

Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/10/31/cuomo-bus-bridge-linking-manhattan-and-brooklyn-coming-tomorrow/

Kurt Thomas Busch Kyle Thomas Busch Jeffrey Tyler Burton Richard Allen Craven Kerry Dale Earnhardt

Jaguar Floats its Concept Speedboat

You can tell a lot about a car company by the related design and engineering concepts it rolls out. Honda has Asimo, GM has its Motorama Futurliner bus, and now Jaguar is unveiling its Concept Speedboat. The boat concept, conceived in conjunction with Britain’s Seventy Seven Design and Ivan Erdevicki Naval Architecture & Yacht Design, is all about showcasing the design DNA of Jaguar alongside the international driving debut of the brand’s XF Sportbrake. With the possible exceptions of the BMW 3-series, the Cadillac CTS and CTS-V, and the Mercedes-Benz E-class, luxury sportwagons are an endangered species, having given way to crossovers here in the States. But across the pond, wagons are alive and well, and you could actually visualize the svelte XF Sportbrake towing something like Jaguar’s Concept Speedboat to an upper-crusty yachting party.

Unless the Concept Speedboat is powered by wind, we’re pretty sure it hasn’t seen water yet, as no details about its engine have been released. But Jaguar’s design identity is reflected in the warm natural teak decking, the original XJ–inspired fuel-filler cap, and the polished aluminum propeller contrasting with the new-tech asymmetrical carbon-fiber shark fin and seamless flow of the nose into the laid-back windscreen.

Available overseas with a range of engines including a 271-hp, 3.0-liter twin-turbo diesel V-6, the XF Sportbrake cuts a stylish profile for a tow vehicle. But don’t get your hopes up for a Jaguar-branded speedboat any time soon. Unlike the $1.2-million, 2700-hp, Mercedes SLS AMG–inspired Cigarette boat, Jaguar emphasizes that it has no plans to build or commercialize a floating vessel of any kind.

Read full story »

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/1gDQhJkFNj8/

Alan Jones Tom Jones Juan Jover Oswald Karch Narain Karthikeyan

Thursday, November 1, 2012

The Final Lap Weekly #225 – Dynavision’s Phil Jones / Martinsville NASCAR Preview

Source: http://thefinallap.com/2012/10/25/the-final-lap-weekly-225-dynavisions-phil-jones-martinsville-nascar-previews-portsradio-podcast-sports-radio-streaming-listen-online-syndicated-barter/

Peter de Klerk Christian Klien Karl Kling Ernst Klodwig Kamui Kobayashi

Vettel still feeling vulnerable

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Sebastian Vettel believes his Formula 1 world championship position remains “vulnerable” despite his burgeoning points lead.

The reigning champion’s four consecutive victories heading into this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix have put him firmly in charge of what was once a wide-open title race.

Vettel’s lead over long-time championship favourite Fernando Alonso is now up to 13 points with three races to go.

But Vettel said it would take just one glitch for the title picture to turn around.

He pointed out that there were many times in his first championship-winning season in 2010 when a driver seemed to have one hand on the crown only to stumble.

“If you just look back, India was a great race for us but a couple of laps from the end we had some sparks,” said Vettel.

“Obviously it was not a problem but it doesn’t take much imagination [to see that it could have been].

“If something like this comes up it shows you how vulnerable you are, no matter what position you are in. It doesn’t take much and you might end the race not scoring the points that you were hoping for, and then the whole picture looks different again with the points system we’ve had since 2010.

“In 2010 in particular various people got written off and then written back in depending on recent results. That’s something we shouldn’t forget.”

Vettel does not believe Red Bull has proved to be decisively the fastest car despite his string of wins.

” I think in the second stint on hard tyres [in India], McLaren and Ferrari were arguably a little bit quicker than us,” he said.

“But then I could benefit from the gap I had after the first stint.”

He added: “I think Jenson [Button] put the fastest lap in at the end of the race in India, 1.5s quicker than he did before.

“I don’t know what he was doing before that, but it shows they were quite quick.”

The German put his dominant pace three weeks ago in Japan down to being particularly in tune with Red Bull’s set-up that weekend.

“In Japan I was really happy with the car and the balance in the race was just fantastic. That’s what then allows you to put a really strong lap in,” Vettel said.

Red Bull could secure the 2012 constructors’ championship in Abu Dhabi this weekend – something Vettel said he was unaware of until informed by team-mate Mark Webber.

“We were both on the same plane, and Mark said it would be quite bad for the constructors’ if this plane went down…” Vettel joked.

“But obviously it would be very special for us to win the championship here.

“But in order to do so we have to have a strong weekend and score more points than the others.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/vettel-still-feeling-vulnerable

Ken Kavanagh Rupert Keegan Eddie Keizan Al Keller Joe Kelly

A great ninth-place finish for James Buescher at Charlotte Motor Speedway

James Buescher Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw / Getty Images for NASCAR

The No. 30 Great Clips/AccuDoc Solutions Turner Motorsports Chevrolet had James Buescher behind the wheel for the Dollar General 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Buescher, a non NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) regular had an off week from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) came to hone his skills and battled all weekend for a great ninth-place finish.

Within the first laps of Thursday’s practice sessions, Buescher felt that the team had a drivable race car and felt the most comfortable he had all season behind the wheel of the Great Clips / AccuDoc Solution Chevrolet Impala. With the car being impounded after qualifying, the team focused on race set-up in both practice sessions. Without making a mock qualifying run, Buescher posted the 17th fastest time in final practice.

Buescher started the Dollar General 300 in the 18th spot just behind teammates, Justin Allgaier and Brad Sweet. Friday evening’s race was slow to start as an incident brought out the yellow before the first lap was complete. After a lengthy clean up, Buescher went right to work, going from the 18th position all the way up to 12th, when a heads-up move on the front stretch helped Buescher avoid the two competitors that came together directly in front of the No.30 Great Clips/AccuDoc Solutions Chevy. This incident brought out the second yellow flag of the evening.

When the race restarted, Buescher was 12th and went stalking the top-10 as the field strung out. Buescher, however continued to stay up on the wheel and battle with the 10th through 13th-place competitors with Buescher cracking the top-10 by lap 34. On lap 53 Crew Chief Mike Hillman Jr. called his driver down pit road for a green-flag pit stop, taking four tires, Sunoco fuel and a track bar adjustment to help the car with its tight-handling condition.

The field would eventually cycle through the pit stops, putting Buescher in the 11th spot. Buescher reported back into the crew that the track bar adjustment didn’t work and he’d rather they just make air pressure adjustments under the next stop. During the race’s long green-flag stretch, the race leaders caught the top-10 and put Buescher down a lap. With the no-quit attitude, Buescher and the Turner Motorsports team continued to fight to stay in the “lucky dog” position as a timely caution came out, which allowed Buescher to return to the lead lap. Hillman Jr. called his driver back down pit road for four tires, and another track bar adjustment to loosen the Great Clips/AccuDoc Solutions Chevy up.

Another quick yellow flag flew after the restart allowing for the No.30 to play a little strategy and top off the fuel tank. Just as the half way mark hit, Buescher was chasing down the top-10 once again with three competitors directly in front of him. Buescher continued to run good, consistent laps as the crew continued to encourage him. Buescher radioed back to the crew “We’re just a tick tight, but it’s drivable and that’s what we need.”

On lap 131 Buescher hit pit road for the team’s last tire stop of the evening. Hillman Jr. also ordered an air pressure adjustment to help the car get off the splitter. The crew had a great pit stop gaining the No.30 two spots on pit road, putting their driver in the ninth position. Hillman Jr. asked his driver to save them some fuel knowing that they would be eight laps short, however much of the field was in this same position.

For the final laps, the field spread out once again with Buescher fighting to finish in the top-10, after a quick two-second fuel splash and go with nine laps remaining, Buescher was able to pass two more cars in the final laps, giving the No.30 Great Clips/AccuDoc Solutions Turner Motorsports a hard-fought ninth-place finish.

“I’m so proud of this team. We struggled in practice and changed a lot of things it’s great to come out and reward the team, Great Clips and AccuDoc Solutions with a hard fought ninth place finish. I’m really looking forward to getting back in the car next week at Kansas where we’ll have a lot of practice to work on our car and hopefully better our finish with a top-five. “

The NASCAR Nationwide Series will be back in action next Saturday at 3pm from Kansas Speedway for the Kansas Lottery 300. This event can be seen live on ESPN.

Source: Turner Motorsports Press Release

The post A great ninth-place finish for James Buescher at Charlotte Motor Speedway appeared first on Catchfence.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/catchfence/~3/LS4eGYSBrb0/

Jeffrey Tyler Burton Richard Allen Craven Kerry Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr

Filippi sets GP2 test pace at Barcelona

Luca Filippi was fastest in GP2′s first post-season test at Barcelona on Tuesday.

The seven-time race-winner only took part in the morning session before handing his Coloni car over to Italian Formula 3 champion Riccardo Agostini.

Coloni, which will not participate in GP2 in 2013, dominated most of the day, with Daniel de Jong second fastest behind team-mate Filippi in the morning and then quickest of all in the afternoon.

It was not a flawless day for the squad, though, as Filippi caused a red flag by spinning and stalling at Turn 5 just after topping the times.

The morning top five was completed by three 2012 GP2 drivers trying out different teams, with Nigel Melker third for champion squad DAMS, long-time iSport man Marcus Ericsson fourth for Trident, and Stephane Richelmi having a run with Lotus in fifth.

Ericsson was second behind de Jong in the afternoon, with European Formula 3 and F3 Euro Series champion Daniel Juncadella next up for Rapax.

Juncadella was just ahead of Stefano Coletti, who has already signed a 2013 Rapax deal.

Caterham protege Alexander Rossi was fifth for the Formula 1 squad’s GP2 arm.

In addition to Juncadella, other junior single-seater luminaries trying GP2 at the test included Auto GP champion Adrian Quaife-Hobbs with Rapax, plus GP3 champion Mitch Evans and title rival Daniel Abt, who stayed with their respective Arden and Lotus squads.

Morning session:

Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1. Luca Filippi Coloni 1:29.775
2. Daniel de Jong Coloni 1m30.115s + 0.340s
3. Nigel Melker DAMS 1m30.315s + 0.540s
4. Marcus Ericsson Trident 1m30.356s + 0.581s
5. Stephane Richelmi Lotus 1m30.368s + 0.593s
6. Rio Haryanto Carlin 1m30.479s + 0.704s
7. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Addax 1m30.494s + 0.719s
8. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m30.516s + 0.741s
9. Mitch Evans Arden 1m30.566s + 0.791s
10. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m30.625s + 0.850s
11. Simon Trummer Arden 1m30.692s + 0.917s
12. Andre Negrao Racing Engineering 1m30.710s + 0.935s
13. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m30.710s + 0.935s
14. Alexander Rossi Caterham 1m30.805s + 1.030s
15. Daniel Abt Lotus 1m31.008s + 1.233s
16. Daniel Juncadella Rapax 1m31.183s + 1.408s
17. Pal Varhaug iSport 1m31.326s + 1.551s
18. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m31.355s + 1.580s
19. Julian Leal Trident 1m31.618s + 1.843s
20. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m31.681s + 1.906s
21. Lucas Foresti Caterham 1m31.840s + 2.065s
22. Arthur Pic DAMS 1m31.842s + 2.067s
23. Facundo Regalia iSport 1m31.927s + 2.152s
24. Gianmarco Raimondo Racing Engineering 1m32.524s + 2.749s
25. Riccardo Agostini Coloni 1m32.524s + 2.749s
26. Kevin Ceccon Ocean 1m33.082s + 3.307s

Afternoon session:

Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1. Daniel de Jong Coloni 1m30.408s
2. Marcus Ericsson Trident 1m30.567s + 0.159s
3. Daniel Juncadella Rapax 1m30.740s + 0.332s
4. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m30.747s + 0.339s
5. Alexander Rossi Caterham 1m30.865s + 0.457s
6. Stephane Richelmi Lotus 1m30.886s + 0.478s
7. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Addax 1m30.941s + 0.533s
8. Mitch Evans Arden 1m30.973s + 0.565s
9. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m31.043s + 0.635s
10. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m31.067s + 0.659s
11. Nigel Melker DAMS 1m31.101s + 0.693s
12. Simon Trummer Arden 1m31.243s + 0.835s
13. Lucas Foresti Caterham 1m31.371s + 0.963s
14. Andre Negrao Racing Engineering 1m31.382s + 0.974s
15. Pal Varhaug iSport 1m31.394s + 0.986s
16. Arthur Pic DAMS 1m31.407s + 0.999s
17. Riccardo Agostini Coloni 1m31.413s + 1.005s
18. Daniel Abt Lotus 1m31.477s + 1.069s
19. Gianmarco Raimondo Racing Engineering 1m31.579s + 1.171s
20. Julian Leal Trident 1m31.649s + 1.241s
21. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m31.708s + 1.300s
22. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m31.771s + 1.363s
23. Facundo Regalia iSport 1m31.771s + 1.363s
24. Rio Haryanto Carlin 1m33.897s + 3.489s

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/other-news/formula-cars/gp2/filippi-sets-gp2-test-pace-at-barcelona

John James Jean Pierre Jarier Max Jean Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson

16th Street Racing League Reborn

Season Kicks-off Tonight at Homestead

The much-anticipated return of the popular iRacing 16th Street Racing League will kick off tonight at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with the 130-lap online race broadcast live on GlacierTV. The 16th Street Racing League burst onto the IndyCar sim racing scene in 2009 and featured participation from real-world IndyCar Series stars like Will Power, Justin Wilson and former Panther Racing driver Tomas Scheckter, amongst many others.

Click here to watch tonight’s GlacierTV broadcast from Homestead at 9 pm (ET).

After a year-long hiatus 16th Street has returned with much fanfare this year, with over 70 drivers applying for the league’s 35 reserved spots. Interest in the league was so great that officials created a “Transfer Race” that will be held each Tuesday at 8 pm, allowing any interested driver to run a short sprint race with the Top Five from each Transfer Race being allowed to advance to the 9 pm broadcasted Feature Race. The league’s 35 reserved spots will hold until the third race of the season, and then the locked-in positions will be allocated to the Top 35 drivers in overall points, allowing many drivers on the outside to race their way into a solid position in the league.

The first league of its kind to mix both ovals and road courses into a designated championship, the competition level for the 19-race season is certain to be one of the most intense in all of sim racing. The Championship purse includes cash payouts, iRacing credits and collectable merchandise donated by the National Guard. With eight of the series’ races being broadcast by GlacierTV, IndyCar fans will be able to fill the void of a long offseason from the real-world series with some of the most competitive sim-racing on the planet.

The 16th Street Racing League roars back into action tonight!

16th Street Racing League Pre-Season Notes:

Championship Front-Runners
While competition is stout up and down the lineup entering tonight’s race at Homestead, the championship crown in March is destined to go to a driver from a small collection of IndyCar’s elite: Yang Ou, the Fall. 2010 16th Street champion, is the first name that you’ll hear in almost any championship discussion. Inexplicably fast on both oval and road courses, Yang – the reining iRacing Indy 500 champion – has become the ‘Silent Assassin’ of the IndyCar sim racing world. Yang’s biggest competition for the crown could come from a short-list of drivers. Shaun Stroud; the self-assure Englishman is lightning quick on oval tracks and can carry his weight on the road courses as well. He’s always a factor. It’s Yang’s teammate, Tim Doyle, who may be the best pure racer lining up in the league this year, and many know Doyle will be in contention throughout the winter. Arguably one of the toughest oval racers in IndyCar, Doyle will have to stay consistent on the road courses to stay near the top of the standings for the duration of the season. And don’t dismiss longtime sim legend Niles Anders, as the feisty racer has flirted with retirement for the last year, but makes his return to 16th Street as the leader of Panther Racing Online, the official sim team of the real-world two-time IndyCar champions

Championship Dark Horses
Take a long look through the 16th Street lineup and there are several drivers that could make a surprise run into the championship chase. A trio of 16th Street alumni are the first that pop to mind: Tim Holgate, Pat Dotson and Vincent Sciuto have the speed and diversity of skill set to make themselves a factor by the time payday rolls around. All three will have to quickly shake off the rust of a long layoff, but Holgate’s recent technical alliance with an established team should prove hugely beneficial for the Ohio native. Dotson’s commitment through UltraForce Sim – a presenting sponsor of the league – will keep him devoted throughout the year and a potential factor for race victories. But keep an eye on Sciuto, known best for his stewardship of the popular BRR Fixed IndyCar league, as those that know him well have watched in-person as the popular iRacer has gone toe-to-toe with some of IndyCar’s best … and won.

It wouldn’t be the 16th Street League without some familiar faces . . .

Championship Outsiders
Considering the task of having to be quick and consistent on both oval and road courses, you have to consider four more names for the championship battle: Brian Simpson (16th Street Winter 2009 Champion), Courtney Terrell, Jonathan Goke and Joe Branch – all four combine the speed you need on both disciplines to stay consistently in the Top Five at any track. Terrell is particularly adept at road courses and has the speed on ovals. Branch is one of the more underrated drivers in the field, with both Premiere Series and Strength of Field oval victories on his resume, the Indiana racer has spent enough time turning laps on road courses to stay consistent when the schedule requires left-hand turns. Simpson, a 16th Street Racing League co-founder, already has a title. Like many, he’s coming off an extended iRacing layoff, but few doubt he’ll take long to regain his trademark speed. Banshee Autosport’s Goke is capable of winning races at any track on the schedule. They will all be factors at different points in the year.

Oval Aces
Competition on ovals in iRacing has always been intense, and while the influx of road courses to the 16th Street schedule will ultimately marginalize some of the better-known drivers in the long run, you can’t discount how entertaining the oval races will be this season. There is no shortage of drivers throughout the field who can win any given oval race on the schedule. Many have claimed Chris Cahoe, one of the best pure qualifiers in the field, is on the verge of a breakout. Mitch McCracken, whose late entry into the league nearly left him out of the Top 35 before Randy Freeman dropped out late last week, was the iRacing Indy 500 polesitter and has proven to be a top-level race winner in the iRacing Official Series. Slowpoke Racing’s Michael DuTemple is another name you’ll often find at the front of the IndyCar field on many of the ovals in the official series. Dave Judson has emerged in the last season as a driver who’s grown from a mid-pack contender to a front-running capable driver when he avoids what seems to be an inevitable string of bad luck. 16th Street veteran Mike Peters is a quick and aggressive driver who’s already proven he can win oval races with the field is packed with talent. The list continues with names like Randy Crossno, Al Nagy, Chris Manifold, Eric Vanek and James McClure, but one thing is assured: Oval racing in the 16th Racing League is going to be a passionate affair.

Like the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series, the 16th Street League will be returning to Pocono Raceway this season.

Road Warriors
Many league insiders are anticipating an influx of road course specialists to steal Feature Race wins by way of entering via the Transfer Race. And with a total of eight road courses on the schedule amongst an oval-heavy group of drivers, the overall championship could ultimately be decided on difficult road tracks like Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, Sebring, Road America and others. Certainly, longtime road course ace David Sockrider will be a factor for the top step of the podium, and has the oval ability to elevate himself quickly in the standings. Keep names like Giorgio Ponti and Carlos Bolanos Jr. in mind on the twisty circuits, as both have the experience it takes to threaten for podium finishes throughout the year.

Transfer Race Heroes – Contenders Outside the Top 35
With over 70 entries for just 35 positions, the sideline is filled with talented potential 16th Street race-winning drivers. Many in the league were surprised when young upstart Brandon Traino, arguably the fastest driver in Season 3 of the Official Series, did not apply for entry into 16th Street. But the Broken Aero team’s ace submitted an entry today, on raceday morning, and if he enters tonight’s Transfer Race, many expect him to not only make the Homestead Feature, but to be a contender. The list of additional Transfer Race challengers is a long one, and may of these drivers could quickly find themselves solidly inside the Top 35 in less than a month: Terry Matthiensen, Chuck Eisenbarth, Mike Campanian, and another road-course ace, Carlos Passos. One of iRacing’s most popular duos, Bud Weissert and Michael Chinn, are expected to work their way into the fold as well, especially once the Indianapolis race rolls around.

The Old Guard
If you don’t remember the names Dean Moll, Kevin Cress, Mark Shutte and Gary Borkenhagen – do some homework. Some or all of them are going to shake off the rust of an extended layoff and run at the front. Matt Lambertson is as quick on any track as any driver in the field, but finishing races has proven a challenge. Insiders feel if Lambertson would occasionally exercise some patience, he would quickly escalate to the thick of the “Championship Frontrunners” conversation. Brothers Todd and Cary Bettenhausen come from a racing-royalty pedigree and have been stalwarts on the IndyCar sim-racing scene for years, and while consistency is an issue with the Bettenhausen brothers – speed is not. You’ll see them both qualify at or near the front of the grid on most nearly every oval track. With a break or influx of luck, either could live up to the family name as respected race winners.

The 16th Street Racing League schedule features a mix of ovals and road courses.

The New Kids
The iRacing Official Series has seen a flood of new young talent that has shown enough speed to unseat many of the long-time contenders in the league. Banshee Autosport teammates Jon Prozuc and Brad Sanford are fast and could potentially make a name for themselves over the course of the next 19 races. Another speedy newcomer, Slowpoke Racing’s Jeremy Poole expressed frustration over not being included in the Top 35; his pace was not an issue, his penchant for blocking … was. But many feel like Poole will quickly rise to the top of the Transfer Race field and become a front-running competitor in the Feature field. The same can be said for Poole’s teammate Erick Davis, whose poor decision-making on ovals left him on the outside looking in, but Davis is consistently fast on road courses and equally quick on ovals. Call them the Wild Cards, but they all could surprise some people before the season comes to a conclusion.

Where is P1?
While the 16th Street Racing League claims be the premiere iRacing sim league amongst IndyCar racers, there is one notable omission: P1 Racing. The undisputed Team Penske of sim-racing decided not to enter to kick off the season, otherwise nearly the entire lineup of sim legend John Paquin, Rhawn Black, Marty Sponsler and Danno Brookins would have immediately been penciled into the championship conversation alongside Yang Ou, Stroud and Doyle. Many insiders wonder – hope, even – that once the league gets rolling that many of the P1 elite will have a change of heart and come join the party. If that happens, the championship dynamic will take a dramatic turn.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/iracing-news/16th-street-racing-league-reborn

Eddie Irvine Chris Irwin Jean Pierre Jabouille Jimmy Jackson Joe James

Nasr to join Carlin for GP2 test

Felipe Nasr will join the Carlin team for the first post-season GP2 test at the Barcelona circuit.

Nasr, who took the British Formula 3 title with Carlin back in 2011, will be joining Rio Haryanto in the team’s line-up for the two-day test at the Spanish track.

The Brazilian driver competed in GP2 with the DAMS team during the 2012 season, finishing in 10th position.

Nasr will also contest the Macau Grand Prix with Carlin next month.

“I’m delighted to be testing with Carlin this week,” said Nasr.

“Obviously we have a good history together, having won the 2011 British F3 title, and I’m joining the team for the Macau Grand Prix next month.

“This will be my first chance to drive the Carlin GP2 car though, and I’m very happy to be testing with a team I know so well.”

Rival squad Trident Racing will run experienced GP2 racers Marcus Ericsson, Stephane Richelmi and Julian Leal in Spain.

Lazarus meanwhile will field Rene Binder, who took part in the last three rounds of this year’s series for the team, and European F3 Open racer Kevin Giovesi.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/other-news/formula-cars/gp2/nasr-to-join-carlin-for-gp2-test

Hans Heyer Damon Hill Graham Hill Phil Hill Peter Hirt

Trick or Treat in the Street

All photos: Clarence Eckerson, Jr.

We interrupt our post-Sandy coverage to bring you these pictures from Halloween last night at the 78th Street Play Street in Jackson Heights. The Jackson Heights Green Alliance put on the event, “Trick or Treat in the Street,” and Streetfilms’ Clarence Eckerson sent over these photos. This is the kind of thing residents can do in the neighborhood after a successful grassroots campaign to permanently repurpose this block, which used to be a through street for motor vehicle traffic, as a public space.

Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/11/01/trick-or-treat-in-the-street/

Carel Godin de Beaufort Christian Goethals Paul Goldsmith José Froilán González Oscar González

Get to Know: Corey Stockert

The iRacer I interviewed this week is probably one of the more well know iRacers, but it may not be for his driving. That doesn’t mean he is bad at driving, it’s just that most of us know him better for other reasons. As we all know, iRacing has a painting booth built into the sim, but sometimes your favorite company or favorite sponsor isn’t available, so this is where this week’s featured iRacer comes in. He is the owner of CS Designs, an iRacing painting company. He has painted hundreds of cars, a majority of them being oval cars like the Sprint Cup car, Nationwide car, Truck, Legends car, Street Stock and many more. This week’s featured iRacer is: Corey Stockert. (You can find a showroom of his paint schemes on the iRacing forums in the showroom section.)

Corey with Carl Edwards

The 15 year old from New Jersey can not only paint virtual race cars, he can drive them pretty well. Celebrating his one year anniversary on iRacing less than a month ago, Corey Stockert has impressed people on and off the virtual track. On the oval side of iRacing, which is where he spends most of his time, he has started over 220 races and has recorded half a dozen victories, nearly 100 top fives and has started on the pole 16 times. His victories have come at South Boston Speedway, Lanier National Speedway, Iowa Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway, and he credits a lot of his success to fellow iRacer Joe Annunziata. Earlier last week, I got the chance to Corey about his success on iRacing, his company and his thoughts on his sim racing success.

Q: How long have you been sim racing?
A: I have been sim racing for one year.

Q: How did you get started in iRacing?
A: My friend, Joe Annunziata showed it to me. The funny part was, after he told me about iRacing, I wanted to join to SPOT for him, not race.

Q: Which race car driver do you look up to the most?
A: I would have to say that I look up to Carl Edwards (99, Roush Fenway Racing) the most.

Q: What type of hobbies do you do outside of iRacing?
A: Besides iRacing, I love slot car racing and watching racing on TV.

A small sample of CS Designs’ work . . .

Q: What is your greatest accomplishment on iRacing?
A: My greatest accomplishment on iRacing would have to be achieving a 3000 iRating and racing in all the iRacing.com NASCAR series with a very good team.

Q: Do you have a team that you drive for on iRacing?
A: I drive for a team call AB Racing. I’ve been racing with them for a few months now. They already have three road pro drivers and they all work hard. I have a blast building set-ups with them and racing and having fun.

After he told me about iRacing, I wanted to join to SPOT for him, not race.

Q: What is one long term goal that you hope to still accomplish in iRacing?
A: At some point, I would like to be able to qualify for the NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Championship and win in the series.

Q: What type of racing do you like to watch on TV?
A: Pretty much every type of racing that has a motor in it.

Q: How do you think your fellow iRacers see you?
A: I think my fellow iRacers see me as a nice, cool, fast and clean sim racer.

Q: Who is Corey Stockert outside of iRacing?
A: Just a kid who likes racing and works hard.

Q: If there was one thing you could change about iRacing, what would it be?
A: They need to work on crash physics and adding a little more realism.

Q: What is one thing that you love the most about iRacing?
A: Racing with REAL people and having a fun time.

Q: Overall, how do you rate your success on iRacing?
A: Overall, it’s been pretty good, considering where I’m at.

AB Racing team website: http://www.abracing.us/

AB Racing on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ABRacing/292104320640

CS Designs website: http://csdesigns28.webs.com/

CS Designs on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/CS-Designs/182560521861451?ref=hl

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/iracing-news/get-to-know-corey-stockert

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Carl Michael Edwards III William Clyde Elliott Jeffrey Michael Gordon

Nine Racing To Feature Three Cars At Chili Bowl Midget Nationals

Nine Racing Inc.
Brownsburg, Indiana January 4, 2012

Nine Racing, Inc. is pleased to announce the signing of three excellent drivers for the 26th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals Presented by General Tire midget event that will take place January 10-14, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Drivers Billy Wease, Kyle Steffens and Levi Roberts will race the pearl white midgets around the indoor, quarter-mile dirt track in front of more than 15,000 race fans.

Billy Wease, of Noblesville, Indiana, last participated in the Chili Bowl Nationals in 2008, and made it all the way to the 'A' Main event. He'll drive the #19 of Nine Racing at this year's event. "I am excited to be a part of the Nine Racing Chili Bowl team and look forward to getting back to racing with the nation's best midget drivers," said Billy Wease. "I know Glenn Martin will give me a car that I can race hard and I look forward to doing everything I can to again make the 'A' Main on Saturday night." Billy's sponsors for the Chili Bowl are Ed Pink Racing Engines, and Adams & Mehling Accounting, Inc. of Indiana.

St. Charles, Missouri's Kyle Steffens is making a return engagement to the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, but this will be his first time driving a Nine Racing midget, and will compete in the #91. Kyle is an accomplished driver and has participated in a variety of racing endeavors, which include Legend cars, UMP Modifieds, World of Outlaws Late Models, USAC Silver Crown, and ASA asphalt Late Models. "It feels great to be a part of the Nine Racing Chili Bowl program and I very much look forward to working with the team," exclaimed Kyle Steffens. "We will do whatever it takes to get the job done. The Chili Bowl is a special event and I look forward to racing with the best in midget racing." Kyle is sponsored by Performance Plus Global Logistics.

The third member of the Nine Racing Chili Bowl effort is Broomfield, Colorado's Levi Roberts, who will pilot the #9. Levi ran a varied schedule this past year in USAC National Pavement and Dirt Midget events, in addition to a number of races in the POWRi series. Levi has been fast both on pavement and dirt and has demonstrated the desire and ability to record an excellent finish this year at the Chili Bowl. "Glenn and I have worked well together this past season and I am pleased to be a part of the Nine Racing program for the 2012 Chili Bowl race. It is going to be fun," added Levi Roberts. Levi's sponsor for the Chili Bowl is Majestic Metals.

"We are very pleased to have this strong lineup of midget drivers in our Nine Racing midgets for the 26th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals," said Steve Lewis, Nine Racing team owner. "Each driver brings something special to the team and I look forward to working with them. We will give each driver the opportunity to do well at this very competitive midget race. It is always fun to go to Tulsa to see the best in midget racing compete, along with the packed grandstands and all of the activities in the pit area."

Nine Racing's 2012 sponsor lineup includes K&N Engineering, Eibach Springs, Weld Racing, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, Penske Racing Shocks, Performance Friction Brakes, ASE, Earl's Performance Plumbing, SSi Decals, PJ1, and Hoosier Racing Tire.

Source: http://www.motorsportsjournal.com/archives/2012/01/nine_racing_to_feature_th.php

Divina Galica Nanni Galli Oscar Alfredo Gálvez Fred Gamble Howden Ganley