Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/09/gibbs-garage-denny-hamlin-grabs-lead.html
Marc Gené Elmer George Bob Gerard Gerino Gerini Peter Gethin
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
2014 Ford Fiesta Hatchback Revealed Ahead of Paris Auto Show
Ford has unveiled the refreshed 2014 Fiesta three- and five-door hatchbacks for Europe, and many of those tweaks are due to hit the Fiesta sedan and hatch we get here sometime next year. The biggest update is to the Fiesta’s front end, which gets Ford’s latest familial face; but there are a host of smaller changes inside and out. This being the European model, there could be some changes that don’t make it to the U.S.-spec car, but this is pretty close to what you should expect. READ MORE ››
Kamui Kobayashi Helmuth Koinigg Heikki Kovalainen Kevin Harvick Armour Vienna Sausage Kroger Chevrolet
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Grosjean given one-race ban for crash
The Lotus driver moved across on Lewis Hamilton on the run towards the first corner of the Spa race, causing the McLaren to take to the grass.
The two cars then made contact and ploughed into Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari and the two Saubers.
Grosjean said he could not be sure who had caused the crash.
“[I had] a very good start and then boom – it was the end of the race. I haven’t seen the images and I need to see them to have any point of view,” he said.
“But the main thing is that everybody is OK. That is the most important for me.”
But the stewards held Grosjean responsible and bestowed a one-race ban for next week’s Italian GP.
“The stewards regard this incident as an extremely serious breach of the regulations which had the potential to cause injury to others,” said a statement from the officials.
“It eliminated leading championship contenders from the race.”
It added that Lotus and Grosjean had not tried to contest the stewards’ verdict.
“The stewards note the team conceded the action of the driver was an extremely serious mistake and an error of judgement,” it said.
“Neither the team nor the driver made any submission in mitigation of penalty.”
Lotus has former Virgin racer Jerome D’Ambrosio as a reserve driver.
Patrick Gaillard Divina Galica Nanni Galli Oscar Alfredo Gálvez Fred Gamble
Report: Bobby Rahal to chair U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Foundation
Filed under: Motorsports, Etc.
BMW has been responsible for some odd combinations over the years - the 5 Series GT being one of the most obvious - but now it's reported that the automaker has helped team up the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation with none other than legendary open-wheel racer and team owner, Bobby Rahal. Rahal will be chairman and ambassador for the newly founded USA Bobsled and Skeleton Foundation nonprofit organization.
The USABSF was created to support its current athletes as well as fund youth programs and technological advancements, and Rahal's job is to help develop the sport, find new sources of fundraising and recruit new board members. Over the last three winter Olympic games, the U.S. bobsled and skeleton teams have amassed nine medals, and they are looking to continue their dominance in the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia with Rahal's help.
Rahal was introduced to the USBSF CEO Darrin Steele (shown on the left in the image above) at a race in Sebring, Fla. in 2011 and the two met again this year at the Indianapolis 500. The official announcement was made last week during the Baltimore Grand Prix weekend.
Curt Tomasevicz (on the right in the image above) is a two-time world champion in the four-man bobsled and he was also on the 2010 gold medal Olympic team.
Bobby Rahal to chair U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Foundation originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/06/bobby-rahal-to-chair-u-s-bobsled-and-skeleton-foundation/
Alonso relieved to escape injury
The world championship leader’s Ferrari was hit by Romain Grosjean’s Lotus and Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren as they tangled on the approach to La Source.
The Lotus flew over the top of the Ferrari, which also briefly got off the ground as it was pushed into Sergio Perez’s Sauber.
“I’m disappointed because of the points lost,” said Alonso, whose championship lead is now down to 24 points over Sebastian Vettel.
“But I’m also lucky that I can be in the car in five days at Monza because looking at the image, we were turning in so you could have a problem with your hands or even your head because [Grosjean's] car was so close.
“I think we broke everything on top of the car. It was lucky in that aspect.”
Alonso said he could not understand how the accident unfolded until he saw the replays.
“I didn’t know what happened until I saw on TV because it was difficult to imagine how the hit could be so big or how a car could be on you so quickly,” he said.
“After seeing it on TV, I saw Grosjean and Lewis touch each other. They lost control and then it was in front of us.”
The Spaniard took a few moments to assess his condition before getting out of his wrecked Ferrari.
“I stayed in the car for a few seconds because I had back pain,” he explained.
“Then there was a little bit of fire so they came with extinguishers and I decided to jump out because I could not breathe with all the smoke there.”
Alonso added that the start had been eventful even before the accident.
“The first thing was [Pastor] Maldonado,” he said. “I was surprised because we still had the red lights and he was already P3 or P2. So it was a big jumped start.
“Then the start was good, I overtook the two Saubers and was in third position.
“Then I started turning in and then it felt like a train coming. It was a big, big hit.”
Hans Klenk Peter de Klerk Christian Klien Karl Kling Ernst Klodwig
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Elomaa and McCracken Tame the Phoenix Mile
First let me open with an apology to those who expected the column last week. I was unable to do a write up for the Indianapolis round because I was on vacation. I checked to see if our hotel had iRacing installed, but to my surprise the staff had never even heard of it. What?!
21 drivers set out to attack the Phoenix International Speedway on Monday night. A new face found his way into victory lane as Aleksi Elomaa won in his first start of the season.
In spite of not being particularly happy with his qualifying effort, Elomaa was confident with his race car.
Top 10:
1) Aleksi Elomaa
2) Brandon Traino
3) Jeremy Poole
4) Matthew Lambertson
5) Martin Miller2
6) Dave Judson
7) Brad Sanford
8) Mitch McCracken
9) Al Nagy
10) Danno Brookins
Lap Leaders: Elomaa (49) Traino (40) Elomaa (28) McCracken (3)
Lead Changes: 5
Cautions: 3
Notes: 4th place finisher Lambertson and 5th place Martin Miller2 moved up from from starting positions 21st and 16th respectively.
For Wednesday night, 22 drivers started. Nice to see the mid-week race has as many or in this instance more starters than on Monday night. I hope this is a trend that will continue.
This race was among the most intense races of the season. Several had issues with starts and re-starts. A crash during the early stages was a result of this. However, the racing among the top three finishers all race long was hard but clean.
Mitch McCracken led the Hoosier contingent to victory in a hard earned win over Neffry Aawg and Cary Bettenhausen.
Sadly our Wednesday night winner did not supply comments or a win pic.
Top 10:
1) Mitch McCracken
2) Neffry Aawg
3) Cary Bettenhausen
4) James Swinbanks
5) Chuck Eisenbarth
6) Thomas Engle
7) Sean Wiltshire
8) Dexter Castro
9) Josh Collopy
10) Aaron Malerich2
Lap Leaders: Aawg (56) McCracken (46) Bettenhausen (18)
Lead Changes: 6
Cautions: 6
Notes: Indiana drivers not only swept the podium, they were the only drivers to lead a lap too.
Week six travels to Texas Motor Speedway.
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/iracing-news/elomaa-and-mccracken-tame-the-phoenix-mile
Video: Watch BMW drop a priceless Art Car onto a cliff
Filed under: Videos, BMW, Specialty, Design/Style
BMW isn't saying exactly why it put the M3 GT2 Art Car done by Jeff Koons atop Norway's 640-meter-high (2,112 feet) Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), but it did. There's said to be some connection to Edvald Munch's painting The Scream, but things are a bit fuzzy there (and Koons is American), and does there really need to be a reason anyway?
The racing coupe was on display in London during the Olympics, where BMW was the transport sponsor, so we suppose this is one way to top the quadrennial spectacle. While it would have been much simpler and far cheaper to drag out the green screen and video workstation, or Photoshop, or a matte painter, that's not the BMW way. So the real car was driven to a landing zone and a helicopter hauled the M3 to the top of the rock, where we suppose it can now stop pining for the fjords.
There's a video below with the action, and another here that the owner won't let us embed.
Continue reading Watch BMW drop a priceless Art Car onto a cliff
Watch BMW drop a priceless Art Car onto a cliff originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/05/watch-bmw-drop-a-priceless-art-car-onto-a-cliff/
Floyd Anthony Raines Scott Russell Riggs Hiroshi Fushida Beppe Gabbiani Bertrand Gachot
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Audi Considering Ditching All-Aluminum Platform and FWD Layout for Next-Gen A8
Audi has little interest in discussing the next-generation A8 at the moment. After all, the current model is set to receive a face lift early next year, which hopefully will add some style to a body that, according to a prominent designer at the VW Group, looks “like it still has the camo on.” We expect the V-8 TDI to receive a boost to more than 400 hp in order to distance itself from the six-cylinder turbo-diesel offerings from Mercedes-Benz and BMW; The A8′s optional W-12 will receive turbocharging to improve its torque numbers—at present, it’s down 87 lb-ft on the 760Li and 149 on the S600.
Read full story »
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/H6Ru0IzGPkg/
Mark Anthony Martin Jeremy Allan Mayfield James Christopher McMurray Casey James Mears Juan Pablo Montoya
Monday, September 3, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Button not feeling any extra pressure
The 32-year-old’s qualifying performance ends a 60-race pole position drought and means that Button has a strong chance of taking his first Belgian GP win.
“It’s definitely not a stressful position, starting from pole,” said Button. “Life is easier when you start at the front, it always is.
“That’s why we fight to get as near to the front as possible. When you have got no cars in front of you, it’s the best place to be.”
Button is certain that he and his McLaren team have gone the right way on set-up to have a good chance of victory.
But he is unsure which drivers will emerge as his strongest challengers in the race.
“It’s different every race,” he said. “The only two cars that have been consistent are Fernando [Alonso] and the Lotuses, which have been consistently near the front.
“I really don’t know who is going to be quick. We did everything we could on Saturday to get a good balance on high fuel, but if it’s good enough in the race, I don’t know. But we have chosen well in terms of downforce.”
Button did not rule out a challenge from Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi, who he shares the front row with.
But he is not concerned by impressive top speed of the Saubers at the speed trap before Les Combes, which Kobayashi topped at a speed of 330.9km/h, is a concern.
“The Sauber has been extremely quick in the race,” said Button. “But we will have to see.
“The important thing is to have put the car in a good position for [the race]. We’ve got to make the most of what we achieved [in qualifying].
“If you look at the sector times, Kamui was three tenths slower in sector one, which is one corner. So we are either doing something very right in that one corner, or we are very good on the straight.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that you are best in the sector if you have the best top speed, so I’m not worried about that.”
Maurício Gugelmin Dan Gurney Hubert Hahne Mike Hailwood Mika Häkkinen
INDYCAR News and Notes – August 15, 2012
Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlinesINDYCAR Logo
1. Hot items on Auto Club Speedway menu
2. Pagenaud featured on next “INDYCAR 36″
3. Sonoma test day news conference will be streamed live
4. Cruise in to Southeastern Michigan
5. Of note
1. Hot items on Auto Club Speedway menu: Donning chef hats and aprons, Target Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti unveiled culinary creations that will be available for purchase at the Drivers Cuisine Cantina during the MAVTV 500 INDYCAR World Championships at Auto Club Speedway.
“Scott’s Hot Tater Tots” and “Franchitti’s Baked Ziti” will be on the menu, along with “Takuma Sato’s Pork Chop Sandwich” and “Charlie Kimball’s California Chicken Sandwich.”
The drivers, who have a combined six IZOD IndyCar Series championships, interacted with fans during the Aug. 16 event at the racetrack in advance of the Sept. 15 season finale on the 2-mile oval in Fontana, Calif. They also were guests on several TV and radio shows, including “Good Day LA” where Franchitti met Olympic swimming gold medalist Tyler Clary.
Also during the event at Impulse in the DiscoverIE FanZone, Auto Club Speedway president Gillian Zucker and MAVTV president Bob Patison unveiled the logo for the 200-lap IZOD IndyCar Series race that will determine the series champion.
MAVTV is a high-definition entertainment network that was purchased in 2011 by Lucas Oil Products.
“Creating awareness for the all new MAVTV-American Real network is what motivated the decision to become title sponsor of INDYCAR’s season finale,” Patison said. “The thrill and excitement of an INDYCAR race is the perfect platform to showcase the fresh new look of MAVTV-American Real – a network featuring programming aimed at the active American family.”
2. Pagenaud featured on next “INDYCAR 36″: Filming the latest “INDYCAR 36″ during the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio event earlier this month was a collaborative effort between the featured driver, Simon Pagenaud, and the IMS Productions crew.
“I allowed them to see everything apart from the shower, but they did ask,” joked Pagenaud, who put an exclamation point on the race weekend with a third-place finish.
“INDYCAR 36″ airs at 7 p.m. (ET) Aug. 25 following NBC Sports Network’s coverage of the Brasil IT+ Pole Day qualifying for the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma. The network will broadcast the 85-lap race on the 2.31-mile, 12-turn road course at 4:30 p.m. (ET) Aug. 26.
“Racing could be a lot more open to people so they could see what it’s all about,” he said. “It’s really a team sport and there’s a lot of preparation. It’s not jumping in the car and driving it. It’s important to have a good team spirit and it takes a lot of time and involvement with the driver.
“This was a great opportunity to show how much mental preparation the driver has to do. Also, I get a massage, my nutrition, how I get ready, the moments of highs and downs because there are a lot of both during the race week.
“I just thought it was a cool way to share in the weekend for the people who were not there. They have the opportunity to see the fun behind the scenes because we actually have a lot of fun as well. At the end of the day you have to enjoy your life even though you have pressure to perform.”
Pagenaud, driver of the Honda-powered No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports car, can wrap up the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award with an eighth-place finish at Sonoma. He has five top-five finishes, with a best of second at Long Beach, in 12 races.
Also interviewed were co-owners Sam Schmidt and Davey Hamilton, as well as general manager Rob Edwards, engineer Ben Bretzman and Honda Performance Development technical director Roger Griffiths.
“What most surprised me about the team is their combination of top-flight professionalism but also laid-back, open and welcoming nature,” producer Sean Belby said. “The team is extremely competitive, but at the same time confident enough in themselves and their ability to be open and honest with our crew about nearly every aspect of their workings.
“Besides the fact that he enjoys sleep and coffee nearly as much as racing, fans will learn that Simon is extremely honest and introspective … always with an eye toward self-improvement.”
3. Sonoma test day news conference will be streamed live: Twenty IZOD IndyCar Series drivers representing 11 teams will test Aug. 17 at the recently reconfigured Sonoma Raceway in preparation for the Aug. 24-26 GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.
A news conference featuring select drivers will be available to watch via Ustream at noon (PST). Viewers can connect at www.ustream.tv/channel/racesonoma. Click on the link and click “Check-in & Chat” to join the live feed.
4. Cruise in to Southeastern Michigan: The Woodward Dream Cruise, a celebration of classic car culture that attracts more than 40,000 muscle cars, street rods, custom, collector and special interest vehicles, will be held Aug. 18 along a 16-mile stretch of Woodward Avenue through eight host communities in Southeast Michigan.
Four IZOD IndyCar Series show cars will be included in the display. Chevrolet is the presenting sponsor.
5. Of note: The public is invited to the “Grant a Bucket Wish List” fund-raiser and dinner at 7 p.m. (ET) Aug. 18 at St. Joseph Catholic Church (1375 Mickley Ave., Indianapolis) in honor of Bill Stewart. Stewart, a longtime Indy car engineer, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in June. The evening includes silent and live auctions. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Paul Diatlovich (317-694-6258; pdmracing@sbcglobal.net) or Erin Mullen (317-714-6632; erinmullen1@yahoo.com). … Takuma Sato, Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud are scheduled to test at Auto Club Speedway on Aug. 21.
***
The 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma on Aug. 26 at the raceway in Sonoma. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 4 p.m. (ET) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network on SiriusXM (XM 94 and Sirius 212). The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Grand Prix of Baltimore on Sept. 2 on the Streets of Baltimore.
Source: INDYCAR, Press Release
The post INDYCAR News and Notes – August 15, 2012 appeared first on Catchfence.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/catchfence/~3/a6168LVdqh4/
David Hampshire Sam Hanks Walt Hansgen Mike Harris Cuth Harrison
NYPD: 1,301 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, Nine Killed in Traffic in July
Image: NYPD
Nine people were killed by motorists while walking and riding bicycles on city streets in July, and 1,301 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF].
Citywide, six pedestrians and three cyclists were fatally struck by drivers: one pedestrian and one cyclist in Manhattan; one pedestrian and one cyclist in the Bronx; three pedestrians in Brooklyn; and one pedestrian and one cyclist in Queens. Among the victims were Christopher Hutchinson, David Ellis, Juan Rivera-Quintana, Roger Hernandez, Isabel Rodriguez, Shaquille Cochrane, and one unidentified cyclist.
Of seven pedestrians and cyclists whose deaths were reported by Streetsblog and other outlets, two were killed by hit-and-run drivers who were not immediately caught or identified. Of the remaining five crashes, three motorists were known to have been charged for causing a death. In each of those three cases, the driver was also charged with DWI or DWAI. Historically, nearly half of motorists who kill a New York City pedestrian or cyclist do not receive so much as a citation for careless driving.
At least one senior was killed by a motorist in July: Isabel Rodriguez, age 88. Of the three cyclists killed, two were in their teens: David Ellis, 18, and Shaquille Cochrane, whose age was reported as both 18 and 19.
Across the city, 855 pedestrians and 446 cyclists were hurt in collisions with motor vehicles. Per NYPD policy, few if any of these crashes were investigated by trained officers.
Seven motorists and six passengers died in the city in July; 1,599 and 1,940 were injured, respectively.
There were 16,956 motor vehicle crashes in the city in July. After the jump: contributing factors for crashes resulting in injury and death.
Download July NYPD summons data here.
Crash and summons data from prior months is available in multiple formats here.
Image: NYPD
Kevin Paul Lepage William Ashton Lewis Jr Sterling Burton Marlin Mark Anthony Martin Jeremy Allan Mayfield
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Report: Highly modified Nissan Patrol impounded after 200-mph 'Hollywood-style' chase in Dubai
Filed under: Aftermarket, SUV, Etc., Nissan, Specialty, Middle East
Police in Dubai have been cracking down on illegal racing by seizing modified vehicles, but they probably didn't expect to find themselves in pursuit of a full-size SUV supposedly capable of speeds of more than 200 miles per hour. The driver had altered his Nissan Patrol to allow it to run on "jet fuel", according to the report, and he put it all to the test when he tried running from the cops.
The report says that the unnamed driver had spent around $68,000 (U.S dollars) to equip his Nissan Patrol, closely related to the Infiniti QX here in the United States, with the new fuel tank (we'd assume it's really aviation fuel for piston engines) along with plenty of engine and body upgrades, but it isn't clear what exact modifications were made to allow this full-size SUV to run on the high-test fuel or be capable of hitting speeds comparable to a supercar. Regardless, the modifications couldn't stand up to whatever stopping devices police in Duabi use to end pursuits (referred to as speedbreakers), and after a "Hollywood-style" high-speed police chase that ended in a residential neighborhood, the suspect was apprehended.
The pilot was charged with reckless driving, unlawful car modifications, expired registration and resisting police, and he told police that his vehicle was modified at a local garage and that some of his friends had spent upwards of $80,000 USD for similar upgrades. We've all seen the crazy videos coming out of the Middle East of reckless drivers on public roads, and Dubai Police had apparently been cracking down on these drivers especially hard during the month of Ramadan. In that time (July 19 through August 18), police had seized more than 120 vehicles and are said to be investigating an additional 1,700.
Highly modified Nissan Patrol impounded after 200-mph 'Hollywood-style' chase in Dubai originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/31/jet-fuel-powered-nissan-patrol-impounded-after-hollywood-style/
Ruby Tuesday Dodge Carl Edwards Copart Ford Denny Hamlin Z Line Toyota
Friday, August 31, 2012
Toyota capable of winning – Wurz
That is the view of Alex Wurz, who says that the car’s ability to match Audi on outright pace at the British circuit shows it can be a contender in the remaining four rounds of the championship.
Although the Austrian acknowledges that improvements need to be made, Wurz is adamant Toyota can capitalise on any misfortune to befall its German rival.
“In my first stint, the car was really faultless and the balance was good,” Wurz told AUTOSPORT.
“Then we started to have problems with balance throughout the race, which became worse and worse. So we will have to investigate that because with the Audis it seemed to be the opposite.
“If they are off-balance and do not have a clean race, along with a bit of pressure from us, we could potentially beat them but we need a bit of luck involved.
“It depends a lot on how the races pan out.
“Realistically we have seen that there are two tracks which are not that great for us in terms of high altitude, at Sao Paolo and Fuji.
“The bottom line is, without moaning too much, we are just down on horsepower, which is a regulation issue.
“In any case we are young and it is only our second race but to win if they have a fault-free race will be very difficult.”
Wurz added that Toyota had definitely closed on Audi since Le Mans in June, and feels the team has already filled the void left by Peugeot.
“It is a very different scenario to Le Mans, which is obviously low downforce configuration, as we are now coming to high downforce tracks,” he said.
“We’ve made a big jump on the aero, as well as a small improvement mechanically.
“Overall, I think we have gained on the Audis.
“The high downforce package looks good and has definitely brought us closer so we have made a bigger step than them.
“However, you cannot underestimate their budget.
“At Silverstone we were actually leading, the same as in Le Mans, and if I were Audi I would take that very seriously and I think they do.
“That’s nice for us to immediately step into the hole Peugeot left and be a proper competitor.”
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/toyota-capable-of-winning-wurz
Jerry Hoyt Nico Hülkenberg Denny Hulme James Hunt Jim Hurtubise
Report: Highly modified Nissan Patrol impounded after 200-mph 'Hollywood-style' chase in Dubai
Filed under: Aftermarket, SUV, Etc., Nissan, Specialty, Middle East
Police in Dubai have been cracking down on illegal racing by seizing modified vehicles, but they probably didn't expect to find themselves in pursuit of a full-size SUV supposedly capable of speeds of more than 200 miles per hour. The driver had altered his Nissan Patrol to allow it to run on "jet fuel", according to the report, and he put it all to the test when he tried running from the cops.
The report says that the unnamed driver had spent around $68,000 (U.S dollars) to equip his Nissan Patrol, closely related to the Infiniti QX here in the United States, with the new fuel tank (we'd assume it's really aviation fuel for piston engines) along with plenty of engine and body upgrades, but it isn't clear what exact modifications were made to allow this full-size SUV to run on the high-test fuel or be capable of hitting speeds comparable to a supercar. Regardless, the modifications couldn't stand up to whatever stopping devices police in Duabi use to end pursuits (referred to as speedbreakers), and after a "Hollywood-style" high-speed police chase that ended in a residential neighborhood, the suspect was apprehended.
The pilot was charged with reckless driving, unlawful car modifications, expired registration and resisting police, and he told police that his vehicle was modified at a local garage and that some of his friends had spent upwards of $80,000 USD for similar upgrades. We've all seen the crazy videos coming out of the Middle East of reckless drivers on public roads, and Dubai Police had apparently been cracking down on these drivers especially hard during the month of Ramadan. In that time (July 19 through August 18), police had seized more than 120 vehicles and are said to be investigating an additional 1,700.
Highly modified Nissan Patrol impounded after 200-mph 'Hollywood-style' chase in Dubai originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/31/jet-fuel-powered-nissan-patrol-impounded-after-hollywood-style/
Max Jean Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson Leslie Johnson Bruce Johnstone
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Perez: No reason to leave Sauber
The Mexican has had an impressive season, scoring two podium finishes so far, and has been linked several times with a future switch to Ferrari.
But with Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo claiming earlier this year that Perez was still too inexperienced for that move to happen now, it is almost certain that he will stay put.
“It’s getting closer to when I have to make a decision and I haven’t made one yet,” said Perez ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix. “It’s still a bit early, but it has to be made quite soon, in the next weeks.
“I’m not really worried about it. I’m in a good position, and I’m just thinking about the second half of the season, which is the most important for me.”
When asked if there were any updates on his situation at Ferrari, Perez said: “No, not really. Nothing has changed in the last month, and that is why at some point, I need to make a decision.”
With Sauber having produced a competitive car this season that has allowed Perez to shine on occasion, he certainly sees every reason to remain where he is.
“Sauber is a great team doing a fantastic job,” he said. “When I go to the factory and I see the people so motivated every day, I don’t see any reason why I want to leave. I’m happy here, and every day I’m more comfortable.
“I think the team can build a good car for next year, so I don’t see any reason to step away from it. I’m in a good position, the team is doing a good job and I’m happy.”
William Ashton Lewis Jr Sterling Burton Marlin Mark Anthony Martin Jeremy Allan Mayfield James Christopher McMurray
Rosberg: Mercedes learned from slump
The German’s maiden victory in China brought him into championship contention despite having failed to score in the first two races of the year.
But a run of just 18 points in the last five races means that Rosberg is no longer a title challenger.
“We understand some of the reasons why others have managed to get away from us a little bit,” said Rosberg when asked about the team’s form by AUTOSPORT. “Some of them are not totally unexpected.
“It’s just a matter of understanding it and improving the situation. A lot of the things that we’ve done are longer term and will improve things. We’ve just taken a bit of a hit now.”
Rosberg admitted that it was disappointing after his strong run of six top-seven finishes from China through to the European Grand Prix to have struggled to repeat his podium form.
“It is [difficult to deal with],” he said. “I was really confident that I could be up towards the front of the championship.
“From there on, it really dipped. It’s not a great experience.”
Rosberg added that he was unsure how strong Mercedes would be in this weekend’s Belgian GP.
The team has generally struggled at circuits with long corners this year and Spa’s second sector in particular could cause it some difficulties.
“Quick corners haven’t been our strength up until now so I’m not really sure what to expect here,” said Rosberg.
“I’m sure we can have a decent weekend, but if it’s enough to really do something good or not, I don’t know.”
For an in-depth analysis of Mercedes’ difficulties, and what team principal Ross Brawn has done to change things, check out this week’s AUTOSPORT magazine.
Bill Holland Jackie Holmes Bill Homeier Kazuyoshi Hoshino Jerry Hoyt
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