McLaughlin’s Perfect Start

McLaughlin heads for his third win of the season at Sonoma as Ruggier passes Hamstead in his mirrors.

Round 3 of the iRacing.com V8 Supercar Championship presented by BigPond visited Sonoma Raceway. With Scott McLaughlin dominating the first two rounds the question was whether he could continue his good form.

Qualifying was led by Madison Down all the way ’til the final session when the championship leader took over the top spot with a 1:13.847, edging Down’s 1:13.898. Richard Hamstead would start third with a 1:13.940 with Justin Ruggier .014 behind. Rens Broekman and Mitchell McLeod took the third row ahead of Vail Riches and Brad Ryan on the fourth row with Joshua Muggleton and John Emerson rounding out the top 10.

McLaughlin pipped Down for pole position.

When the lights went green it was McLaughlin leading the field into Turn One while Down slotted into second ahead of Hamstead and Ruggier. For the third time in as many weeks there was a big Lap One wreck which for Dylan Carroll would make him three for three and the most unlucky sim-racer this season to date. The wreck started when McLeod slid wide into Broekman, leaving Ryan with nowhere to go but into McLeod.  Muggleton tried to take avoiding action but just got into the back of Ryan, unleashing the dreaded ‘concertina effect:’ Riches checked-up and got hit from behind by a helpless Christopher Osborne who had been hit from behind himself . . . and it went downhill from there.   With everyone else started checking-up Emerson got hit from Carroll and then Carroll got hit from behind by Corey Slade.

For the third week in a row, the first lap produced major carnage.

With the Lap One crash out of the way the drivers settled down into a rhythm for the next few circuiuts.   On Lap Five however, Down’s computer locked-up and shut down, forcing him to retire from the race.  The following lap saw Ruggier make a late pass down the inside of Hamstead into the final corner to make it an ANZ 1-2 up front.  Hamstead would try to come back at him with a late pass into Turn Two but got into the side of Ruggier instead, damaging his TTL Falcon in the bargain.  The action continued when, on Lap 11 series newcomer My3id’s Aleksi Elomaa made a pass on the inside of Samuel Collins at the final corner but tagged and “turned” Clayton Brooks in the process.

The battle for the top five spot was alive for much of the race between Osborne, Kelly and Riches before Riches got in too deep into Turn Five and made contact with Kelly, sending him around.   Sportingly, Riches waited-up and redressed the position with Kelly and both would continue on to finish the race.

Both Emerson and Broekman made very strong comebacks after the first lap accident, but a mistake by a lapped car on Lap 23 cost several drivers running inside the top 10.   Rafal Kucharzyk got back on the gas a little too quickly after running off track while letting the lead lap cars by, spun onto the track and collected Broekman, Slade and Petteri Kotovaara.

An error by a backmarker triggered chaos among the midfielders.

But no one would be able to threaten McLaughlin taking his third main race victory for the season and capping of a perfect start to the season, while Ruggier came home in second place to complete an ANZ Motorsports 1-2. Hamstead held- off Muggleton to take third place with Osborne rounding out the top five and earning his first top five in a top split in the CarsRus Racing Team.

Kelly took sixth position ahead of Riches in seventh with Emerson coming back from 19th place to finish eighth ahead of Cal Whatmore, Kotovaara, Broekman and Marty Atkins.  Simon Black, Carwyn May and Aleksi Elomaa would rounded-out the top 15 with Clayton Brooks, Samuel Collins and Richard Hunter 16-18 and the final guys on the lead lap.  Slade and Kucharzyk finished a lap down while Brad Ryan was three laps down in 21st and Down was 10 laps in P22 down after his computer failure. Mitchell Abrahall, McLeod and Carroll all retired from the race.

Top Five Drivers – Championship Points – Overall
1.    Scott T McLaughlin – 827
2.    Madison Down – 760
3.    Richard Hamstead – 759
4.    Justin V Ruggier – 750
5.    Rens Broekman – 671

Split Two Winner: Matthew E Hill

Split Three Winner: Colin Boyd

Split Four Winner: Andrew Cooper

Broadcast done by the crew at www.v8sonline.com.au

You can watch the replay here

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/iracing-news/mclaughlins-perfect-start

Dave Kennedy Loris Kessel Bruce Kessler Nicolas Kiesa Leo Kinnunen

How States Are Adapting to MAP-21’s Changes to Bike/Ped Funding

One state's plan for Transportation Alternatives: Utah will use some of its $6.4 million for Recreational Trails and Safe Routes to School, give some to metro areas, and spend the rest on any type of surface transportation they want. Image courtesy of UDOT

The current transportation law dealt a few hard knocks to bicycling and walking programs. One big one was the restructuring of the Transportation Enhancements program into something called Transportation Alternatives, which has to fund more types of projects with less money.

The idea is that each state’s TA money will get split in half. Fifty percent gets allocated to Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and Transportation Management Areas (TMAs) based on population. Let’s call that the “Local 50.” Then the state gets the other half – the “State 50” – and is supposed to distribute it via a competitive grant process.

Local 50: It’s not quite 50

The first thing to know is that even the Local 50 isn’t always entirely under local control. The Local 50 gets distributed according to population to whatever entity represents each area. For large metro areas and sometimes even small urbanized areas, there’s an MPO or TMA in charge. But for rural areas, sometimes it’s just the state that run things.

President Obama signed MAP-21 nearly five months ago, but states are still trying to figure out what it all means. Photo: Fastlane

Take Michigan, for example. The state is looking to get $26 million in Transportation Alternatives funds. Of that, $2.9 million comes off the top for Recreational Trails, a separate program with its own money (raised from off-road vehicle fees) that’s administered by the Department of Natural Resources, not MDOT.

That leaves $11.6 million each for the Local 50 and the State 50 in Michigan.

About $6.5 million of the Local 50 will go to the TMAs in jurisdictions of more than 200,000 people. But the rest of the money — over $5 million from that supposedly “Local” 50 — goes to the state to distribute.

That’s before you even get to the half that the state is supposed to control.

This is how the Cardin-Cochran amendment is being interpreted on the ground. The amendment was a creative and hard-fought way to make sure that some TA money actually went to the sorts of projects the old Transportation Enhancements program used to fund – primarily bike and pedestrian infrastructure, plus some safety education.

State 50: A short window to start funding bike/ped projects a new way

Now, on to the State 50. States are supposed to set up a competitive grant process to distribute those funds. It may seem like a large burden for states to set up a process like this for a law that expires in two years, but Tracy Loh, who runs the National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse, said that most states already had a similar grant program, so they don’t have to create one out of whole cloth.

“For most states, it’s simply a matter of adjusting the eligibilities to match MAP-21,” Loh said. “In many states, it’s business as usual – with less money, of course.” Transportation Alternatives suffered a roughly 33 percent cut in funding in the transition from TE.

“Some states have more work to do than others on refreshing their programs,” she added.

The only states that don’t have any such program, Loh said, are Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky and Oklahoma.

Michigan now has less money to build innovative urban cycling infrastructure like Detroit's Dequindre Cut, which was funded by Transportation Enhancements in 2004. Photo: National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse

That’s not to say that states with existing programs see this as an easy task. Michigan already has a fairly sophisticated grant process, but Amber Thelen, Transportation Alternatives manager at MDOT, says, “Time isn’t on our side.”

“We only have two years — and really, within year and a half, we need to show progress,” Thelen said. “It’s tough that we have two years of funding and we had to make a lot of changes – everything from the website, to our online application — because we now had to include Safe Routes to School in that… That was a big hurdle for us to overcome.”

Thelen said it’s a challenge to create a new program and still get projects approved in time for the 2013 construction season.

There’s no guidance in the bill about how these grant processes should run. States could select two years’ worth of projects in one round or have several rounds. Michigan will continue to use a rolling application system. Utah will do one round, with applications due in January.

There are also no rules about how to select projects, aside from the eligibilities listed in MAP-21. In some states, decisions are made by a commission appointed by the governor. Other states assemble advisory committees of experts and stakeholders to determine the best projects. Others just do an internal review within the DOT.

The National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse has made available some best practices on project selection [PDF]. North Carolina’s system asks a number of questions of bicycle and pedestrian projects, including everything from construction cost to how much right-of-way is already secured to “Access to Transit/School/CBD/High Density Residential/Commercial Area/Park,” and so on. (Head to the “Prioritization 2.0 Results” on the NCDOT website for a spreadsheet of project scoring for highways, transit, and bike/ped.)

Some states are still working on getting SAFETEA-LU money out the door, and the next year will be a complicated mish-mash of new and old systems and new and old money.

A Thousand Cuts

Thelen notes that Michigan’s $26 million for Transportation Alternatives isn’t really $26 million, either. The state only gives 90 percent obligation authority to agencies, meaning they can only spend 90 percent of what’s apportioned. What’s left is often sent back when the federal government calls for rescissions.

Under MAP-21, “we were told to assume 92 percent obligational authority,” Thelen said, but the numbers aren’t yet final.

North Carolina used some 2002 Transportation Enhancements funds to enliven the sidewalk in downtown Asheville. NCDOT is still trying to figure out how the bike/ped program in the new transportation bill will differ from TE. Photo: National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse

Every state has a different way it’s interpreting the vague language in MAP-21, and many are clamoring for more guidance from FHWA. “The legislation was just a starting point,” said Lauren Blackburn, director of NCDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Division.

She says she thinks the prioritization model the state has already been using will work for MAP-21, but she’ll need FHWA to confirm that. She says their highly quantitative system “takes out the politics” and could be a model for other states who need to set up a new process for MAP-21 — assuming FHWA agrees. “We’re not going to have to reinvent our wheel,” she said, “but we do have to hear more about what’s expected.”

In North Carolina, Blackburn said, they plan to distribute half of the Local 50 to TMAs and the other half to a competitive grant process for the rural areas. As for the State 50, Blackburn says that’s the vaguest part of the law. “There are lots of little nuances in the legislation,” she said. “They don’t really explain how states can use the TA funding.”

Utah, meanwhile, has one process for 2013 — when they’ll still be spending SAFETEA-LU funds — and a different one for 2014. As you can see in the flow chart above, in 2014, Utah will take its $6.4 million for TA and take off $1.6 million for Recreational Trails, leaving $2.4 million each for the Local 50 and the State 50. Then they’ll give half a million from each pot to Safe Routes to School.

The Local 50 is then left with $1.9 million, of which $1.4 million will go to the state’s four urbanized areas with populations over 200,000. Less than half a million will go to small MPOs and something called the Joint Highway Committee, which will dispense the rest.

As for the State 50? Utah is planning to “flex” it all to the Surface Transportation Program, meaning they can use it for anything they want. Bike/ped would have to compete with roads and everything else for that money. MAP-21 leaves states the option to do that.

“It makes it more flexible for us,” explained Bill Lawrence, director of program finance for UDOT. “It wouldn’t just be Transportation Alternatives-type programs.”

Source: http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/11/28/how-states-are-adapting-to-map-21s-changes-to-bikeped-funding/

Elmer George Bob Gerard Gerino Gerini Peter Gethin Piercarlo Ghinzani

Massa says fifth feels like pole position

Felipe Massa described his fifth place in Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying as being as satisfying as a pole position, feeling he produced a “perfect” performance.

The Ferrari driver qualified fifth, three places ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso.

“It was a great lap, a great performance,” said Massa.

“I think it was a perfect qualifying today. I think I’m driving in the direction I want and I think when you are like that you can be very competitive.

“Looking at the pace of the Red Bulls and McLarens, I don’t think anything better was possible today. I’m happy with the car and I’m happy with how I put the lap together.”

He added: “Even if I’m not starting from pole position, I think it’s like a pole position because I did such a fantastic lap and I hope I can do a similar job tomorrow in front of my people.”

Last weekend at Austin, Massa was given a deliberate gearbox change penalty to benefit Alonso. Asked if this might happen again at Interlagos, Massa joked: “If this happens I will race with the gearbox broken…”

Massa is starting one place behind Alonso’s championship rival Sebastian Vettel.

While underlining that he would not be trying anything unfair, he said Vettel had cause to feel anxious going into the race.

“This is the final. The final is always like that,” Massa said.

“You always try everything you can, but you need to be very cautious as well because the other cars have nothing to lose. You always try to fight for the position like it is a normal race.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/massa-says-fifth-feels-like-pole-position

Kyle Busch Toyota Kimmy Z Line Designs Toyota Parker Kligerman Trevor Bayne

2014 Kia Sorento: Yesteryear’s Looks, Today’s Tech [2012 L.A. Auto Show]

Is it Korean modesty, or a compliment to the designer of the original? Whatever the reason for carrying over the sheetmetal of its predecessor, few will take note of the fact that the 2014 Kia Sorento is virtually a brand-new vehicle. Launching a few months after its Korean-built counterpart in Europe, the U.S.-built Sorento receives an entirely new chassis, new infotainment functions, and a top-of-the-line 290-hp V-6. READ MORE ››

Read full story »

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/e89UEq5XeLA/2014-kia-sorento-photos-and-info-news

Heikki Kovalainen Kevin Harvick Armour Vienna Sausage Kroger Chevrolet Clint Bowyer Zaxby s Chevrolet

Jeff Gordon Wins Homestead-Miami Speedway, Brad Keselowski Is 2012 Cup Champion

Source: http://thefinallap.com/2012/11/18/jeff-gordon-wins-homestead-miami-speedway-brad-keselowski-is-2012-cup-champion/

Max Jean Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson Leslie Johnson Bruce Johnstone

M-Sport secures Qatar Ford WRC deal

Ex-Ford works team M-Sport has confirmed that it has secured Qatar backing to run a three-car squad in the 2013 World Rally Championship.

Qatar had been rumoured as the backer for the British-based team since Ford withdrew its support last month.

The new outfit will be known as the Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team, boss Malcolm Wilson revealed.

Nasser Al-Attiyah was key to the deal and will contest seven rallies in one of the cars.

“We are delighted to welcome such a prestigious partner as Qatar on board for 2013,” Wilson said. “The partnership with Nasser and the Qatari State will enable M-Sport to continue at the pinnacle of the sport and we are looking forward to working together in the future.

“Since the 2012 season came to a close, work has not stopped and the entire team is working around the clock to ensure we deliver a strong package for next year.”

Al-Attiyah, Qatar’s leading rally driver, a seven-time Middle East Rally champion and former Dakar Rally winner, drove a Citroen for his first top-class WRC campaign this season.

“We are looking forward to building on our strong relationship with M-Sport and working with them in 2013,” he said.

“I have a good knowledge of the car having driven the Fiesta S2000 to its debut win in 2010 and now looking to secure my eighth title in the Middle East with the Fiesta RRC.

“I am really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the Fiesta RS WRC and contesting as many WRC events as I can around my other motorsport commitments.”

A further announcement on the team’s driver line-up is expected later on Monday.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/world-rally-championship-news/wrc/m-sport-secures-qatar-ford-wrc-deal

Richard Allen Craven Kerry Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Carl Michael Edwards III

Pirelli wants early answer over 2014

Pirelli hopes that a decision on whether or not it will continue as Formula 1′s tyre supplier for 2014 can be made well before next June’s deadline.

The Italian tyre company signed a three-year contract with the teams and the sport’s chiefs back in 2010 to become F1′s exclusive tyre partner.

No decision has been made yet on whether or not the deal will be renewed, but there is no urgency yet as mid-2013 has been earmarked as the official deadline for the matter to be resolved.

But with F1 heading towards a radical change of car designs for 2014, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery said he would prefer an quicker resolution.

“The deadline is June next year, but we would be keen to have a decision earlier than that,” said Hembery.

“If we need to find 300-400 people a different job then we need to know earlier.

“We are starting to talk and finding out what the sport wants. With the cars changing dramatically for 2014 from a tyre manufacturer and producer’s point of view, there is so much changing at once.”

Pirelli has suggested it could trial more aggressive tyres if it is able to continue beyond its original deal.

But until a contract is in place, Hembery says that the firm will not spend too much time developing its 2014 rubber.

When asked by AUTOSPORT about Pirelli’s testing plans for 2013, Hembery said: “We need a contract, as there is nothing to test right now.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/pirelli-wants-early-answer-over-2014

Aldo Gordini Horace Gould Jean Marc Gounon Emmanuel de Graffenried Lucas di Grassi

Late-Race Incident Spoils Top-10 Run for Alex Bowman at Phoenix International Raceway

Alex Bowman

AVONDALE, Ariz. - Alex Bowman and the Port of Tucson team were in contention for a top-10 finish in Saturday’s Great Clips 200 at Phoenix International Raceway, but late-race contact with the outside retaining wall resulted in heavy damage to the No. 99 Toyota Camry, leaving Bowman with a 15th-place finish.

Bowman recorded the seventh and 10th-fastest times, respectively, in Friday’s dual Nationwide Series practice sessions. Saturday morning, the 19-year-old driver ran a lap of 27.775 seconds, at an average speed of 129.613 mph, to earn the 22nd starting position for the feature later that afternoon.

Bowman was able to advance his Port of Tucson Toyota Camry in the opening laps, despite suffering from handling woes that saw him struggle both on corner entry and exit. When the caution flag was displayed at Lap 33, the Tucson native followed the leaders to pit road to take on right side tires and a spring rubber in the right rear, but problems inserting the spring saw the stop take longer than usual. As a result, crew chief Scott Zipadelli called an audible, instructing the crew to change all four tires, since Bowman would line up at the tail end of the lead lap cars.

Throughout the course of the event, Bowman would gain and lose track position on pit cycles, as the team was off sequence from the race leaders. Taking two tires when the rest of the field would take four saw the No. 99 as high as the sixth position, but taking four when the leaders took just two would see him fall back in the pack. Regardless of the situation, Bowman was able to get the most out of his Toyota Camry, as his times often mirrored those of the race leaders. With Phoenix International Raceway’s single-file style of racing, Bowman would have to time his passes carefully, as the non-existent second groove was extremely slick.

In the closing laps of the event, Bowman got out of the groove just enough to lose the nose of his Port of Tucson Camry, which resulted in contact with the outside retaining wall. Thankfully, a late-race caution flag would give the No. 99 crew a chance to come to pit road to take on four tires and make repairs to help the young driver recover to the best of his ability. With only a handful of laps remaining, Bowman was able to bring the Port of Tucson home in the 15th position.

“I had a really good Toyota Camry, but we got ourselves in a little bit of a hole during qualifying,” said Bowman. “Then we fought back into the top five. We took four tires while many of the others took two and that got us buried back in the field for a while. I got into some dirty air late in the race that caused me to hit the wall, knocking the splitter down and got us real tight. To come home 15th after that battle it’s still an okay day. I definitely learned from my mistakes and can’t thank RAB Racing, Scott Zipadelli and my hometown sponsor Port of Tucson enough.”

Next week, the NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to Homestead Miami Speedway for the season finale of the 2012 season on Saturday, November 17, 2012.

Source: RAB Racing with Brack Maggard Press Release

The post Late-Race Incident Spoils Top-10 Run for Alex Bowman at Phoenix International Raceway appeared first on Catchfence.

Related Stories:

1. Elliott Sadler and OneMain Financial Team Finish 22nd at Phoenix International Raceway Following Late-Race Incident
2. Toyota NNS Phoenix International Raceway Post Race Notes And Quotes
3. Alex Bowman, No. 99 Port of Tucson Toyota Camry Phoenix International Raceway Preview

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/catchfence/~3/cUf0lifMVBo/

Z Line Designs Toyota Parker Kligerman Trevor Bayne Out! Pet Care Toyota Jason Leffler

Worsham returns to NHRA's Funny Car driver seat

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/11/27/2509558/worsham-returns-to-nhras-funny.html

Kenny Dale Irwin Jr Dale Arnold Jarrett Jimmie Kenneth Johnson Kasey Kenneth Kahne Matthew Roy Kenseth

2012 Brazilian Grand Prix: Hamilton Takes Pole While Alonso Hopes for Rain

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/11/2012-brazilian-grand-prix-hamilton.html

Richard Allen Craven Kerry Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Carl Michael Edwards III

In The Hunt With RCR: Homestead-Miami, where championship dreams die hard

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/11/in-hunt-with-rcr-homestead-miami-where.html

Eddie Johnson Leslie Johnson Bruce Johnstone Alan Jones Tom Jones

Alonso celebrates 'best season' of his career

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/11/25/2506557/alonso-celebrates-best-season.html

Jimmy Jackson Joe James John James Jean Pierre Jarier Max Jean

Schumacher relaxed for farewell race in Brazil

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/11/22/2500562/schumacher-relaxed-for-farewell.html

Georges Grignard Bobby Grim Romain Grosjean Olivier Grouillard Brian Gubby

Smoke Signals: Newman ends season on a strong note at Homestead-Miami

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/11/smoke-signals-newman-ends-season-on.html

Paul Goldsmith José Froilán González Oscar González Aldo Gordini Horace Gould

No action on de la Rosa/Grosjean clash

Romain Grosjean and Pedro de la Rosa have escaped any sanction for their coming together during qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

De la Rosa moved across on Grosjean on the run up to the start-finish straight after his Lotus rival attempted to dive down the inside of the slower HRT near the entry to the pits.

The incident damaged Grosjean’s front wing and culminated in him failing to make it out of Q1.

The stewards called both drivers to see them after qualifying to see if either had been at fault, but in the end decided that it was simply a misunderstanding.

A statement issued by the stewards said: “The driver of car 22 (de la Rosa) felt that he was following his normal line, was aware that car 10 was behind him and was aware of the speed delta.

“The driver of car 10 believed he had been seen by the driver of car 22 and that car 22 was moving aside to the right to allow him through.

“Accordingly the stewards consider this a driving incident due to the nature of the track but have advised the drivers, and the drivers agree, that this could have resulted in a very serious outcome.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/no-action-on-de-la-rosagrosjean-clash

Oswald Karch Narain Karthikeyan Ukyo Katayama Ken Kavanagh Rupert Keegan

Renault willing to supply more teams

Renault is open to expanding its Formula 1 engine supply deals beyond its current four teams for 2014 – but only as long as it does not hurt its chances of more success with works squad Red Bull.

With the possibility of there being only three engine manufacturers after next year, Renault, Mercedes or Ferrari might have to increase their customer numbers.

Renault CEO and chairman Carlos Ghosn confirmed in Brazil on Sunday that the French car manufacturer would be happy to supply as many teams as necessary.

“Why not?” he said when asked by AUTOSPORT about the chances of more customers for 2014.

“We will provide as many teams as is allowed by the rules because there are some rules and we will follow the rules. But there is no problem. Our technology is not limited to some teams.

“We are ready to offer our technology for more teams. But the condition is not to dilute the attention to the teams who are winning – for us preserving a very strong technological support for Red Bull is a priority.

“We want to make sure that we are always with the team that wins and can compete, but at the same time we are ready to supply the technology to other teams.”

F1′s rules currently limit manufacturers to supply a maximum of three teams, unless they have been given approval by the FIA for more. Renault supplies Red Bull, Lotus, Williams and Caterham at present.

Ghosn also said that the move to more environmentally-friendly technology from 2014 – with 1.6-litre V6 turbos coming in – was welcomed by Renault.

“Remember in 2008 when we made the change of strategy and said we are going to become an engine provider, the condition was F1 would move towards more environmentally friendly technologies,” he said.

“We didn’t say we need electric cars. We just said that we’ll stay and we will continue to contribute as long as the technology is moving towards being more environmentally friendly. And that is what is taking place.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/renault-willing-to-supply-more-teams

Eddie Irvine Chris Irwin Jean Pierre Jabouille Jimmy Jackson Joe James

Report: Subaru to raise US production from 130,000 units to 300,000 by 2016

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Subaru, Earnings/Financials

Ask Subaru about the difficult car market and it is likely to ask in response, "What difficult car market?" The little Japanese brand has its XV sitting on top of sales charts in (one small corner of) Europe, the BRZ is still allergic to sitting on dealer lots, the company has raised its financial forecast due to strong US sales and being in the top five of Consumer Reports' reliability ratings is the sprinkles on the cupcake. Just-Auto now reports that Subie is considering increasing US production by 30,000 units as soon as 2014, and another 100,000 units as soon as 2016. That's good news for Subaru's Lafayette, Indiana plant, which builds the Legacy, Outback and Tribeca.

The increase in production has yet to be approved, but the company's been talking about it for a few months now, especially after it wasn't able to build a factory in China. The Chinese government denied Subaru parent company Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) the right to build a factory in the People's Republic since Toyota, an FHI shareholder, already has two plants there. That ended up helping Subaru in the short term since it wasn't affected by the anti-Japanese sentiment over the issue of ownership of some islands in the South China Sea. In addition to the bumped-up production numbers, the president of FHI said he expects Subaru to sell more than 350,000 cars in the US next year; doing so would be an improvement of almost 30 percent over 2011.

Subaru to raise US production from 130,000 units to 300,000 by 2016 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Nov 2012 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/27/subaru-to-raise-us-production-from-130-000-units-to-300-000-by-2/

Bobby Grim Romain Grosjean Olivier Grouillard Brian Gubby André Guelfi

Team Honda Research - West and Rimicci Corse Prepare for the USAF 25 Hours of Thunderhill

NAPA VALLEY, Calif. (October 30, 2012) - The United States Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill race is just over a month away with plenty of high profile entries preparing for the twice around the clock plus one hour race to be run at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, California on December 8-9. Two exciting entries are the Team Honda Research - West Acura ILX and the Rimicci Corse Fiat 500 Abarth.

ACURA ILX Team Honda Research - West, located in Los Angeles, is building a pair of Acura ILX cars for the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill. The build was completed in time for this week's Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas.

Calvin Liu, Team Honda Research - West project leader, created the build plan and schedule early in the year as the team not-so-patiently waited for the cars to arrive. Once the new chassis and donor cars arrived in late summer, the bodies were prepped and painted. Next, the roll cages were installed. Once the team received the donor cars from Acura Public Relations, the work began in earnest. Following the primal fun of tearing down the donor cars, the suspension, powertrain, interior and electronics were fitted to the two new white-body chassis.

"Team Honda Research - West, with support from American Honda and HPD, has entered two Acura ILX cars to highlight the performance credentials of the new entry level Acura," Liu said. "Team members from Honda R&D, American Honda Motor Company, Honda Access America and Honda Performance Development (HPD) have been contributing many after-work hours, including weekends, to build the two cars. The team has completed two shakedown tests of the first ILX at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, and a third, more extensive test at Willow Springs International Raceway prior to delivering one of the cars for display at SEMA in Las Vegas."

Liu likes the challenge that running Thunderhill Raceway for 25 hours provides to car and driver.

"We are racing in the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill because the track layout offers a great blend of speed, handling, and braking. It is a grueling event that taxes all parts of the car and team, like engine, transmission, suspension, and strategy. While we could go out and just run a test all by ourselves and get the mileage, Honda thrives on competition. It is one thing to say you did all this testing, but it is another to conquer the elements, show mechanical durability and speed, and to measure yourself against the competition."

Honda has a rich history at the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill. With entries ranging from individual Honda associate-run teams to full, HPD-supported efforts such as the Honda CRZ hybrid program of 2010, Honda-affiliated teams have been on the grid of every 25 Hours of Thunderhill since 2003.

Rimicci Fiat 500 Rimicci Corse, based in Northridge, Calif., has built a Fiat 500 Abarth to compete in the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Anthony Rimicci, team principal, is utilizing the two-day event as a part of the development program for the car. Rimicci will partner with GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge driver and 25-hour veteran Johnny Kanavas, brother and Alfa Romeo racer Fabrizio Rimicci, and longtime vintage racing friend Efrain Olivares in hopes that the Abarth will somehow survive the longest endurance race in the world.
Rimicci Abarth
Anthony Rimicci with Rimicci Corse Fiat Abarth 500.

"One great thing about being Italian is that you have a huge family, which means you have a lot of people you can ask for help," said Rimicci. "Also, it means we'll have an espresso machine in our trailer to keep the guys going through the night. The 25 Hour will be a big challenge, but we also expect it to be a lot of fun. We can't think of a better scenario to test the Abarth under race conditions and really push its limits. There are a lot of parts that have been built specifically for the car and we really want to put them to the test to get ready for next season."

Jerry Kunzman, NASA Executive Director, likes the mix of privateer and "skunk work" factory teams that populate the diverse grid for the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill.

"There is a nice mix of top privateer, semi-factory and full factory backed entries for the 25 Hours," Kunzman said. "The teams with factory affiliation look forward to competing with the best privateer teams the sport has to offer. The Team Honda Research - West guys are no strangers to the 25 Hours. They have been with us since the first one in 2003. Rimicci has a very interesting Fiat 500. I am looking forward to seeing that great looking car on the track come December."

Source: http://www.motorsportsjournal.com/archives/2012/10/team_honda_research_-_wes.php

Floyd Anthony Raines Scott Russell Riggs Hiroshi Fushida Beppe Gabbiani Bertrand Gachot

Renault willing to supply more teams

Renault is open to expanding its Formula 1 engine supply deals beyond its current four teams for 2014 – but only as long as it does not hurt its chances of more success with works squad Red Bull.

With the possibility of there being only three engine manufacturers after next year, Renault, Mercedes or Ferrari might have to increase their customer numbers.

Renault CEO and chairman Carlos Ghosn confirmed in Brazil on Sunday that the French car manufacturer would be happy to supply as many teams as necessary.

“Why not?” he said when asked by AUTOSPORT about the chances of more customers for 2014.

“We will provide as many teams as is allowed by the rules because there are some rules and we will follow the rules. But there is no problem. Our technology is not limited to some teams.

“We are ready to offer our technology for more teams. But the condition is not to dilute the attention to the teams who are winning – for us preserving a very strong technological support for Red Bull is a priority.

“We want to make sure that we are always with the team that wins and can compete, but at the same time we are ready to supply the technology to other teams.”

F1′s rules currently limit manufacturers to supply a maximum of three teams, unless they have been given approval by the FIA for more. Renault supplies Red Bull, Lotus, Williams and Caterham at present.

Ghosn also said that the move to more environmentally-friendly technology from 2014 – with 1.6-litre V6 turbos coming in – was welcomed by Renault.

“Remember in 2008 when we made the change of strategy and said we are going to become an engine provider, the condition was F1 would move towards more environmentally friendly technologies,” he said.

“We didn’t say we need electric cars. We just said that we’ll stay and we will continue to contribute as long as the technology is moving towards being more environmentally friendly. And that is what is taking place.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/renault-willing-to-supply-more-teams

Peter de Klerk Christian Klien Karl Kling Ernst Klodwig Kamui Kobayashi

Red Bull says bad luck its only fear

Red Bull believes that it does not need any good fortune for Sebastian Vettel to win the championship – it just needs to avoid any bad luck.

Sebastian Vettel only needs to shadow title rival Fernando Alonso in the Brazilian season finale to secure the Formula 1 crown, and his chances look good having outqualified both Ferraris.

But with a threat of rain for the race, and Interlagos having often thrown up surprises in the past, Red Bull is taking nothing for granted.

Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, who will watch the race from his home in Austria, thinks everything is under control as long as his team does not get unlucky.

When asked about Vettel’s chances for the race, he said: “I guess they are pretty high because Sebastian has a perfect car and a 13-point lead.

“We do not need luck to win this championship. We just need no bad luck.”

Mateschitz has high praise for the job that Red Bull has done, having turned around a difficult start to the season to produce an end of campaign charge that allowed Vettel to overhaul a 40-point deficit to Alonso.

“This means very much,” he said about a season that earned Red Bull a third-straight constructors’ championship.

“Adrian Newey and his team gave the drivers a championship-winning car for the third year in a row. This confirms that Red Bull Racing is technically the best team on the grid.”

He added that a third title would be especially sweet given the jibes about Red Bull’s F1 status made by some rivals.

“I will enjoy it and remember the words of [Lewis] Hamilton who once said, ‘they’re only a drinks company’,” said Mateschitz.

CHAMPIONSHIP PERMUTATIONS

VETTEL WINS THE TITLE IF:

- He finishes in the top four
- He finishes fifth, sixth or seventh and Alonso doesn’t win
- He finishes eighth or ninth and Alonso is third or lower
- He finishes 10th or worse and Alonso isn’t on the podium

ALONSO WINS THE TITLE IF:

- He wins and Vettel is fifth or lower
- He is second and Vettel eighth or lower
- He is third and Vettel is 10th or lower

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/red-bull-says-bad-luck-its-only-fear

David Carl Allison Gregory Jack Biffle David Lee Blaney Michael Duane Bliss Kurt Thomas Busch