Renault has introduced the Duster facelift, following the launch of its Romanian cousin a few months ago.Bernard Collomb Alberto Colombo Erik Comas Franco Comotti George Connor
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Renault slaps its badge on the Duster facelift
Renault has introduced the Duster facelift, following the launch of its Romanian cousin a few months ago.
Cool, canny Alonso seems to have all the answers
The remarkable story of Fernando Alonso and Ferrari's incredible season continued at the German Grand Prix as the Spaniard became the first man to win three races in 2012 and moved into an imposing lead in the world championship.
Those three victories have all been very different, but equally impressive. And each has demonstrated specific aspects of the formidable army of Alonso's talents.
In Malaysia in the second race of the season, at a time when the Ferrari was not competitive in the dry, he grabbed the opportunity provided by rain to take a most unexpected first win.
In Valencia last month, it was Alonso's opportunism and clinical overtaking abilities that were to the fore.
Other drivers may wonder how to stop Alonso's relentless drive to a third title. Photo: Getty
And in Germany on Sunday his victory was founded on his relentlessness, canniness and virtual imperviousness to pressure.
Ferrari, lest we forget, started the season with a car that was the best part of a second and a half off the pace. Their progress since then has been hugely impressive.
But vastly improved though the car is, it was not, as Alonso himself, his team boss Stefano Domenicali and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel all pointed out after the race on Sunday, the fastest car in Germany.
Vettel's Red Bull - which finished second but was demoted to fifth for passing Jenson Button by going off the track - and the McLaren appeared to have a slight pace advantage over the Ferrari, given their ability to stay within a second of it for lap after lap.
But Alonso cleverly managed his race so he was always just out of reach of them when it mattered.
He pushed hard in the first sector every lap so he was always far enough ahead at the start of the DRS overtaking zone to ensure his pursuers were not quite close enough to try to pass him into the Turn 6 hairpin.
After that, he could afford to back off through the middle sector of the lap, taking the stress out of his tyres, before doing it all over again the next time around.
Managing the delicate Pirelli tyres in this way also meant he could push that bit harder in the laps immediately preceding his two pit stops and ensure he kept his lead through them.
Equally, he showed the presence of mind to realise when Lewis Hamilton unlapped himself on Vettel shortly before the second stops that if he could, unlike the Red Bull driver, keep Hamilton behind, it would give him a crucial advantage at the stop.
It was not quite "67 qualifying laps", as Domenicali described it after the race, but it was certainly a masterful demonstration of control and intelligence.
And there was no arguing with another of the Italian's post-race verdicts. "(Alonso) is at the peak of his personal performance, no doubt about it," Domenicali said.
It was the 30th victory of Alonso's career, and he is now only one behind Nigel Mansell in the all-time winners' list. The way he is driving, he will surely move ahead of the Englishman into fourth place behind Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna before the end of the year.
At the halfway point of the season, Alonso now looks down on his pursuers in the championship from the lofty vantage point of a 34-point advantage.
That is not, as Red Bull team principal Christian Horner correctly pointed out in Germany, "insurmountable" with 10 races still to go and 250 points up for grabs. But catching him when he is driving as well as this will take some doing.
Alonso is clearly enjoying the situation, and is taking opportunities to rub his rivals' noses in it a little.
He is not the only driver to have been wound up by the index-finger salute Vettel employed every time he took one of his 11 wins and 15 pole positions on the way to the title last year.
So it was amusing to see Alonso do the same thing after he had beaten the German to pole position at Vettel's home race on Saturday.
The exchange between Alonso, Button and Vettel as they climbed out of their cars immediately after the race was also illuminating.
After standing on his Ferrari's nose to milk the applause, Alonso turned to Button and said: "You couldn't beat me?" He then pointed to Vettel and said: "He couldn't either."
All part of the game, but a little reminder to both men of what a formidable job Alonso is doing this season.
The race underlined how close the performance is between the top three teams this year.
Red Bull had a shaky start to the season by their standards - although to nowhere near the extent of Ferrari - but have had on balance the fastest car in the dry since the Bahrain Grand Prix back in April.
And while McLaren have had a shaky couple of races in Valencia and Silverstone, they showed potential race-winning pace in Germany following the introduction of a major upgrade.
Despite a car damaged when he suffered an early puncture on debris left from a first-corner shunt ironically involving Alonso's team-mate Felipe Massa, Hamilton was able to run with the leaders before his retirement with gearbox damage.
And Button impressively fought his way up to second place from sixth on the grid, closing a five-second gap on Alonso and Vettel once he was into third place.
This has not been Button's greatest season, as he would be the first to admit.
Germany was the first race at which he has outqualified Hamilton in 2012 and even that may well have been down to the different tyre strategies they ran in qualifying.
Nevertheless, he remains a world-class grand prix driver and Germany proved the folly of those who had written him off after his recent struggles.
And despite Alonso's lead in the championship, the season is finely poised.
Germany was a low-key race for Mark Webber, who was unhappy with his car on the harder of the two tyres but remains second in the championship. And Red Bull's two drivers clearly have the equipment to make life difficult for Alonso.
The McLaren drivers are determined to make something of their season still and Lotus are quick enough to cause the three big teams some serious concern.
Mercedes, meanwhile, have a bit of work to do to turn around their tendency to qualify reasonably well and then go backwards in the race.
"It's going to be a great, great season," said McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh on Sunday. "It already has been a great season."
And the next instalment is already less than seven days away in Hungary next weekend.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/07/cool_canny_alonso_looks_diffic.html
Ralf Schumacher Vern Schuppan Adolfo Schwelm Cruz Bob Scott Archie Scott Brown
Spring Training 2011: Michael Waltrip, NASCAR team visit Chicago White Sox
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Two days before the green flag drops on the Cactus League schedule, NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip brought his racing team into the Chicago White Sox clubhouse.The former Daytona 500 winner, in town this weekend for Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup races, found there was plenty of NASCAR love emanating from the room. ESPNChicago.com White Sox blog The latest news and notes on the White Sox. Related posts:- VAR team hit with $25,000 fine after Michael Waltrip win CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR has penalized the Truck Series team...
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Source: http://doxcar.com/spring-training-2011-michael-waltrip-nascar-team-visit-chicago-white-sox/
Paul Pietsch Andre Pilette Teddy Pilette Luigi Piotti David Piper
Volkswagen Polo R WRC by ABT Sportsline
Who knew a special-edition Volkswagen would be a popular car for aftermarket programs. Somehow, though, the Polo R WRC has managed to attract not just one tuner, but two.
A few days ago, we showed you a program that came from B&B. Today, it’s ABT Sportsline’s turn, and while not exactly as comprehensive as what B&B did, ABT Sportsline’s take on the Polo R WRC is no less impressive, especially in the way it was able to take advantage of the sports hatch’s already impressive setup and fine-tune it without completely going overboard.
A new set of 18-inch, DR alloy wheels are prominently added to the sports hatch while the interior gets a few noticeable upgrades as well.
ABT Sportsline badging was also added to the grille and rear, enhancing the appeal of the Polo R WRC by ensuring people know that a real tuner worked on this bad boy.
The tuner hasn’t announced any performance upgrades to the vehicle, but safe to say, the 290-horsepower output coming out of its 1.6-liter, TSI engine is enough to enjoy the aesthetic and performance spoils of the Polo R WRC.
Click past the jump to read about the 2013 Volkswagen Polo R WRC Street
Volkswagen Polo R WRC by ABT Sportsline originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 29 November 2013 15:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/volkswagen/2013-volkswagen-polo-r-wrc-by-abt-sportsline-ar161417.html
Al Pease Roger Penske Cesare Perdisa Luis PerezSala Larry Perkins
On-board video with Ferrari F12 Berlinetta reaching 300 km/h on Autobahn in Germany
A white Ferrari F12 Berlinetta was legally driven on the German Autobahn at speeds of up to 186 mph (300 km/h).Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza
Lotus finally confirms Maldonado deal
Lotus has finally officially confirmed that Pastor Maldonado will race for the team in 2014, alongside Romain Grosjean. As previously reported here Maldonado and his Venezuelan backers opted for Lotus over Sauber in Brazil on Sunday, after a frantic final … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2013/11/29/lotus-finally-confirms-maldonado-deal/
Robert Manzon Onofre Marimón Helmut Marko Tarso Marques Leslie Marr
Audi Quattro and Nanuk Could Make it to Production
Audi plans to expand its lineup in the near future in an attempt to strengthen its grip on the premium car realm. According to Andr� Konsbruck, the director of Audi UK, in the future we could see a series of high-level cars based on the recently launched concepts, like the Audi Quattro and Nanuk.
While none of the two concept were officially confirmed for production, Konsbruck said that both of them have the production viability required to become reality. Also, he said that potential customers were invited to test and evaluate the two concepts, in an attempt to see "if there is a business case for them to be made."
"Every concept we show has production possibilities, and these cars are no different. I can see a future where we aim to deliver different, innovative premium cars that people aspire to own, such as these."
If the two concepts hit production, they will be offered as niche models, with a pretty high price, but they will "deliver on the brand image and build the desirability of the brand as a whole."
Click past the jump to read more about Audi Nanuk.
Audi Quattro and Nanuk Could Make it to Production originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 29 November 2013 19:00 EST.
Jim Rathmann Roland Ratzenberger Hector Rebaque Brian Redman Jimmy Reece
NASCAR?s Tony Stewart, F1?s Lewis Hamilton to swap cars
AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Barring an unforeseen scheduling hiccup, two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart and 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton will swap race cars in an exhibition later this year, Stewart-Haas Racing spokesman Mike Arning confirmed Saturday. Hamilton Stewart The seat swap comes at the hands of Mobil 1, a mutual sponsor for the two drivers, and is expected to take place at Watkins Glen International sometime during the summer.The cars involved will not be show cars. Related posts:- Tony Stewart: NASCAR’s clampdown on criticism OK SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Count two-time NASCAR Cup champion Tony Stewart...
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Source: http://doxcar.com/nascars-tony-stewart-f1s-lewis-hamilton-to-swap-cars/
Toni Ulmen Bobby Unser Jerry Unser Alberto Uria Nino Vaccarella
F1: Renault: Heidfeld already leading team
Renault: Heidfeld already leading team By Dieter Rencken and Matt Beer Sunday, February 27th 2011, 10:59 GMT Renault team boss Eric Boullier says it was obvious from Nick Heidfeld's first few laps in the car that he was the man the squad needed to lead its 2011 charge in the absence of the injured Robert Kubica. Heidfeld will fill in alongside Vitaly Petrov at Renault until Kubica recovers from the multiple injuries he suffered in a rally crash three weeks ago. The German had a test audition for Renault before being snapped up, and Boullier said he was very impressed by the way Heidfeld immediately took charge. Related posts:- F1: Renault ‘very positive’ about Heidfeld Renault 'very positive' about Heidfeld By Matt Beer Saturday, February...
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Source: http://doxcar.com/f1-renault-heidfeld-already-leading-team/
Marc Surer John Surtees Andy Sutcliffe Adrian Sutil Len Sutton
F1 Opus ?Bernie Edition? book has $1m price tag | 2013 F1 season
The makers of the Formula One Opus are offering a one-off 'Bernie Edition' of the book with a price tag of $1 million (�610,000). 
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/6NJkDvsKgAs/
Tony Crook Art Cross Geoff Crossley Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas
Friday, November 29, 2013
Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake rendered based on spy pics
X-Tomi Design has given some consideration to a very possible look for the upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake.Carroll Shelby Tony Shelly Jo Siffert Andre Simon Rob Slotemaker
The value of an F1 budget cap
There is only one possible conclusion when one looks at the Formula 1 teams: they are not very good businessmen. They use all their energy to spend all that they earn – and more – in order to win. In doing so they burn through indecent amounts of money, which simply serve to cast the […]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/the-value-of-an-f1-budget-cap/
Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso
Kyle Busch goes wire-to-wire in N?wide Phoenix win
AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Kyle Busch became the first driver in a national NASCAR race to win wire-to-wire in nearly eight years. [+] Enlarge Tom Pennington/Getty Images Kyle Busch performs a burnout after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday Related posts:- NASCAR: Kyle Busch closes on Phoenix sweep Kyle Busch closes on Phoenix sweep By Diego Mejia Sunday,...
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Stephen South Mike Sparken Scott Speed Mike Spence Alan Stacey
Would Vettel or Alonso be more deserving champion?
On the surface, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso seem very different. Alonso is all dark, brooding intensity; charismatic but distant.
Vettel is much sunnier - chatty, long answers, always ready with a joke and, as the Abu Dhabi podium ceremony proved, a salty English phrase.
Underneath, though, they share more than might at first be apparent. Both are highly intelligent, intensely dedicated to their profession, and totally ruthless in their own way.
Equally, although Alonso’s wit may be less obvious than Vettel’s, it is highly developed, bone dry, effective, and often used to tactical ends.
Sebastian Vettel (right) leads Fernando Alonso in the Championship going into the penultimate race of the season. Photo: Reuters
And they are both, of course, utterly fantastic racing drivers.
These two all-time greats head into the final two races of a marathon and topsy-turvey 2012 Formula 1 season separated by a tiny margin. Ten points is the same as a fifth place - or the margin between finishing first and third.
Vettel, on account of being ahead and having comfortably the faster car, is favourite. But within F1 there is a feeling that Alonso would be the more deserving champion, so well has he performed in a car that is not the best.
But is that a fair and accurate point of view? Let's look at their seasons, and you can make your own judgement.
THE GOOD
Vettel
It seems strange now, in the wake of Red Bull's recent pulverising form, but at the start of this season the world champions were struggling.
The car always had very good race pace - it was right up with the quickest from Melbourne on - but qualifying was a different matter.
In China, Vettel did not make it into the top 10 shoot-out in qualifying; in Monaco he did – just - but then did not run because he didn’t feel he had the pace to make it worthwhile.
In both races, though, he was competitive, taking a fifth place in China and fourth in Monaco, where he nearly won.
That was the story of the first two-thirds of Vettel’s season. He kept plugging away, delivering the points and keeping himself in contention in the championship.
He took only one win – in Bahrain, from pole – and he should have had another in Valencia, when he was as dominant as he ever was in 2011 only to retire with alternator failure.
Then, when Red Bull finally hit the sweet spot with their car, he delivered four consecutive wins (one of them inherited following Lewis Hamilton’s retirement in Singapore), the last three from the front row of the grid, including two pole positions.
And in Abu Dhabi there was an impressive comeback drive to third after being demoted to the back of the grid, albeit with the help of a significant dose of luck.
Alonso
It is hard to think of a race in which, assuming he got around the first corner, Alonso has not been on world-class form.
In Australia, when Ferrari were really struggling with their car at the start of the season, he fought up from 12th on the grid to finish fifth (including getting up to eighth on the first lap).
His three victories have been among the best all year –in the wet in Malaysia from ninth on the grid; in Valencia from 11th, including some stunning, clinical and brave overtaking manoeuvres; and a superbly controlled defensive drive in Germany, holding off the faster cars of Vettel and Jenson Button for the entire race, by going flat out only where he needed to, lap after lap after lap.
Then, to pick out some other highlights, there was beating the Red Bulls to pole in the wet at both Silverstone and Hockenheim; his rise from 10th on the grid to third in Monza, including a courageous pass on Vettel a couple of laps after being forced on to the grass at nearly 200mph; and splitting the Red Bulls to finish second in India.
THE BAD
Vettel
Impressive Vettel has been this year, flawless he has not.
In Malaysia, he cost himself a fourth place by sweeping too early across the front of Narain Karthikeyan’s HRT while lapping it. There was a hint of frustration and a sense of entitlement about the move – as there was in his post-race comments in which he called Karthikeyan an “idiot”.
In Spain, he was penalised for ignoring yellow caution flags.
In Hockenheim he overtook Jenson Button’s McLaren off the circuit, earning himself a demotion from second to fifth place, despite the drivers being warned only a month or so before that they could not benefit by going off the track.
In Monza, he earned a drive-through penalty for pushing Alonso on to the grass at nearly 200mph, in presumed retaliation for a similar move the Spaniard had pulled on Vettel in the same place the previous year. Again, this was despite the drivers being warned that they had to leave room for a rival who had any part of his car alongside any part of theirs.
In qualifying in Japan, he got away with blocking Alonso at the chicane, despite Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne being penalised for doing the same thing to Williams’s Bruno Senna earlier in the session.
And in India he appeared to break guidelines about having all four wheels off the track at one of the chicanes on his only top-10 qualifying lap, but kept his time because the only available footage was from outside the car, and showed only the front wheels. So the FIA had to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Alonso
Er… Has Alonso made any errors at all this year?
Well, he did cost himself a couple of points in China when he ran off the road attempting to pass Williams’s Pastor Maldonado around the outside of Turn Seven – a move that Vettel did pull off against Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen.
He spun in a downpour in second qualifying at Silverstone, just before the session was red-flagged because it was too dangerous.
And some argue that, defending a championship lead, he should not have put himself in the position he did at the start in Japan, where his rear wheel was tagged by Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus on the run to the first corner, putting Alonso out of the race.
The claim is that Alonso had everything to lose and that, while he did nothing wrong, trying to intimidate Raikkonen into backing off, and squeezing him twice, was too big a risk.
The opposing view of that incident is that Raikkonen, who was behind Alonso, had a better view of the situation and should have realised he wasn’t going anywhere from where he was and backed off.
THE MISFORTUNE
Vettel has lost points from two alternator failures, one in Valencia when he was leading and one in Italy when he was running sixth. And third became fourth in Canada when a planned one-stop strategy had to he aborted. That’s 36 points lost.
Alonso was taken out twice at the start – once definitely not his fault (Belgium, when Romain Grosjean’s flying Lotus narrowly missed his head); and once arguably not (Japan).
He lost a possible win in Monaco because Ferrari didn’t realise that if they left him out a bit longer before his pit stop he could have overtaken leader Mark Webber and second-placed Nico Rosberg as well as third-placed Lewis Hamilton.
He should have finished second in Canada and probably won in Silverstone - rather than being fifth and second - but for errant tyre strategies, and he would have been on the front row and finished at least second in Monza had his rear anti-roll bar not failed in qualifying.
That’s 60-odd points lost.
A POST SCRIPT
While we’re analysing Vettel and Alonso, spare a thought for Lewis Hamilton.
The McLaren driver finally lost any mathematical chance of the title after his retirement from the lead in Abu Dhabi. He is 90 points behind Vettel.
Hamilton has said that he has driven at his absolute best this season, and it’s hard to disagree – he has not made a single mistake worth the name.
But his year has been a story of operational and technical failures by his team.
At least three wins have been lost (Spain, Singapore and Abu Dhabi), as well as a series of other big points finishes, as detailed by BBC Radio 5 live commentator James Allen in his blog.
Without that misfortune, Hamilton would be right up with Vettel and Alonso, if not ahead of them.
So, if you’re thinking about ‘deserving’ world champions, if such a thing exists, spare a thought for him too.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/11/benson.html
Roberto Guerrero MaurÃcio Gugelmin Dan Gurney Hubert Hahne Mike Hailwood
Schumacher on Vettel: ?I?m glad I?m not his team mate!?
Lest we forget Michael Schumacher remains an ambassador for Mercedes, and this week he filmed a short interview for the company in which he shared his thoughts on the team’s form in 2013, his life in retirement, and Sebastian Vettel. … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2013/11/29/schumacher-on-vettel-im-glad-im-not-his-team-mate/
Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia
2014 BMW 2-Series Coupe receives M Performance parts
BMW has extended its M Performance parts catalog with new offerings for the recently introduced 2014 2-Series Coupe.Vittorio Brambilla Toni Branca Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon Don Branson
Video: Porsche fan takes a ride in a 911 5 Million Facebook Fans Edition
Back in the summer Porsche announced the special edition 911 Carrera 4S 5 Million Facebook - a model built - as you probably have guessed - to celebrate its 5 million fans on the Facebook page.
The car was built upon the specification of Porsche’s Facebook community, and now one lucky winner - Dede Seward from San Francisco, USA had the chance to experience it on the track. Yes, Dede was also flown from San Francisco to UK where the car was tested at the Porsche Experience Centre in Silverstone.
For those customers interested in the car, but whom do not have enough money to buy it, Porsche is offering two interested choices. One will be a limited edition 1:43 scale model of the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S produced by Porsche Exclusive - the perfect gift for Christmas, while the second includes 90 minutes of driving the actual car on the Porsche Test Tracks at Silverstone. The cost is �315 - about $500 at the current exchange rates.
Video: Porsche fan takes a ride in a 911 5 Million Facebook Fans Edition originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 28 November 2013 19:00 EST.
Emanuele Pirro Antônio Pizzonia Eric van de Poele Jacques Pollet Ben Pon
Renault gets a look in?
Here is Renault making the most of its F1 success with Red Bull, much of the thunder of which has been “borrowed” by Infiniti, the brand that belongs to Renault’s global partner Nissan, which is the sponsor of Red Bull Racing.
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/11/28/renault-gets-a-look-in/
Jean Lucas Jean Lucienbonnet Brett Lunger Mike MacDowel Herbert MacKayFraser
Thursday, November 28, 2013
2014 Nissan Almera successor spied wearing less camouflage
The striptease continues as the 2014 Nissan Almera successor has been spied wearing less camouflage.Jerry Unser Alberto Uria Nino Vaccarella Bob Veith Jos Verstappen
GM North America President wants a Cadillac flagship coupe, says sedans don't make a statement
GM North America President Mark Reuss has revealed his desire to build a production version of the Elmiraj concept.Willi Heeks Nick Heidfeld Theo Helfrich Mack Hellings Brian Henton
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