Indy Car Info: 3/10/13

Saturday

Kyle Larson spins CE Falk for late model win at Daytona Battle at the Beach

As the Sprint Cup Series takes a brief break between qualifying and practices for the Budweiser Duels and Daytona 500, Monday and Tuesday are opportunities for drivers from NASCAR's regional and touring series to take to Daytona.

On Monday night, it was the NASCAR All-American Late Model Series and Kyle Larson spun CE Falk for the win as the two headed towards the checkered flag on the 0.4 mile temporary oval on the Daytona backstretch.

The evening's crashfest finally got an extended green-flag run at the end of the race, and Larson rumpled up his front bumper significantly while racing with Ben Rhodes for second place. At first, when Larson got around Rhodes, it looked like the damage on the front end of his car would be too significant to reel in Falk, but over the next laps, Larson did just that, setting up a great 10 lap battle between the two.

Over those 10 laps, the contact that Larson and Falk had made was nothing more than customary short-track late-lap fender rubbing. But on the final lap, Larson gave Falk a shove in turns 3 and 4 and then gave him another, harder one coming out of the corner and sent Falk's car spinning to the inside.

From NASCAR.com:

?It's the first race I've ever won in that manner, but this was a pretty big race,? Larson said. ?I wanted to win it. It's the last lap. You have to slow down so much in the center of the corner, I got run on him and got into the back of him. I got underneath him and then got him around. I feel bad for him, but like I said, I wanted to win.?

Larson is driving full-time in the Nationwide Series this season and Tony Stewart guaranteed he will be a star at last week's NASCAR media days. And his performance chasing down Falk with a battered car was evidence in favor of Stewart's guarantee. But that move to spin Falk on the final lap? Well, it's hard to defend that. It's one thing to make contact with a driver in the corner in an attempt to move him out of the way. It's another to smack him coming off the corner like that to really get him out of the way.

Do you have an issue with what Larson did last night? Fair game or a low-blow? Drop us a line in the comments.

College basketball video from Yahoo! Sports:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/kyle-larson-spins-ce-falk-model-win-daytona-141114112--nascar.html

Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks

TexxArse Twister - Austin does F1 in style: Part III

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/R7SH2ARufEY/texxarse-twister-austin-does-f1-in_14.html

Erik Comas Franco Comotti George Connor George Constantine

Vettel: We Can Improve

Sebastian Vettel feels that Red Bull can still improve, despite an impressive opening day at the Australian Grand Prix. The German topped both FP1 and FP2 at Albert Park, with team-mate Mark Webber coming in second in the latter session. But, Vettel believes there is still room to improve: “I have to say it was [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/JDFbc6kVD2M/vettel-we-can-improve

Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader Kurt Adolff

KVRT GM Johnson Resigns

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2012/09/kvrt-gm-johnson-resigns.html

Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise

Power Rankings: Five-time still reigns supreme

A new year means a new set of Power Rankings! After every race, we'll opine about who we think is at the top of the Sprint Cup heap and how and why they got there. Remember, this isn't scientific, as our formula is the perfect blend of analytics and bias against your favorite driver. So let's get on with it, shall we?

1. Jimmie Johnson (Last Week: 1): Wow, Jimmie, you're acclimating yourself quite nicely to the top spot. Sure you don't need anything? Drinks? Food? A hot towel? You're good? You're sure? Wow, it's like you've been here before. You're an old pro at this. Anyway, I know it's reeeeeeeally early, but would anyone be surprised if Jimmie Johnson led the points standings the entire regular season?

2.Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 4): Did you know that Junior finished fifth on Sunday? That's two top fives to start the year for the driver who could formerly be known as NASCAR's Most Popular Driver. He hasn't done that to start the season since 2004, a year he finished fifth. Yeah, he's driving the second-best car in his shop. So what? Look at the points standings.

3. Brad Keselowski (LW: 3): You have to wonder if his previous conflict with Carl Edwards crossed Keselowski's mind at any point during the race's final caution flag. Yeah, Jetski and Carl have gotten along lately and there was no need to resuscitate that tiff over the two laps at Phoenix. But can you imagine the craziness that would have prevailed if Keselowski would have pushed Edwards into the wall instead of into the lead when the green flag waved?

4. Denny Hamlin (LW: 11): What? The Hamster is higher than Edwards? Well, previous performance has to have some bearing in these rankings, and he was here last week. And we loved that apron-cutting pass on the final lap so much that it merited a power rankings bump. Especially given that Hamlin started the race in the back of the pack because of a pre-race engine change.

[Also: Will publicity from NRA 500 be detriment or benefit to NASCAR?]

5. Carl Edwards (LW: Not Ranked): NASCAR is rigged! They made it so the Subway car won the Subway race! How could they be so obvious?! If you actually believe that theory, then you should bet heavily on Jimmie Johnson at Las Vegas. It was a nice Daytona bounceback for Edwards, who might have changed tires fewer times at Phoenix than he crashed cars in Volusia County.

6. Clint Bowyer (LW: NR): Finishes of sixth and 11th in the first two races of the season will put you in fourth place in the points standings, sixth in the power rankings and who-knows-where in the hearts of NASCAR fans. Depends on how fast those hearts are beating from the rabid consumption of 5-Hour Energy, I guess.

7. Mark Martin (LW: 5): Yeah, Martin finished 21st, but leading 75 laps is good for something, right? Yeah, but those 75 laps were at the beginning of Sunday's race, and then Martin was never in contention after the halfway point. Does that sound anything like 2012?

8. Matt Kenseth (LW: NR): Can we safely put to bed any of the theories that Kenseth will struggle early in his transition to JGR? Yeah, he got bit by the JGR motor gremlins while leading at Daytona, but we've seen that they're not very discerning.

9. Aric Almirola (LW: NR): Bacon. Bacon. Bacon. Bacon. Did you know that if the regular season ended today that Almirola would make the Chase? No, you didn't. Don't lie.

10. Greg Biffle (LW: 6): Biffle would make the Chase too. he led briefly at Phoenix, but that was that early in the race and he finished 17th. Remember, this is an odd-numbered year.

11. AJ Allmendinger (LW: NR): Not a bad season debut for Allmendinger, eh? With his partial schedules in both the Sprint Cup and IndyCar Series, Allmendinger has a chance to become the first driver to post top 10s in the same year in both series since Tony Stewart.

12. Casey Mears (LW: NR): His 14th place finish was his highest since a 12th at Martinsville in 2011. And perhaps most importantly for Geico, he got a ton of TV time from the numerous replays showing Junior having to slow down on pit road to avoid Mears pulling into his pit stall.

Dropped Out: Danica Patrick, Regan Smith, Michael McDowell, JJ Yeley, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Lucky Dog: Oh man, you got any ideas?

The Front Row Racing DNF: Front Row Racing! It's been a brutal opening two races for the team. All three cars were involved in the same accident at Daytona, and the Davids Gilliland and Ragan crashed again at Phoenix while Josh Wise finished 35th.
More news from the Yahoo! Sports Minute:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/power-rankings-five-time-still-reigns-supreme-154616944--nascar.html

Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick

Friday

The Chrome Horn Episode 4: Las Vegas

Hola comrades! Nick Bromberg and Geoffrey Miller are back to bring you more scintillating Chrome Horn podcast action. More scintillating than the Vegas race? You can make that call. Topics include Denny Hamlin, Tia Norfleet, Vegas and who knows what else. Enjoy!

Click here to download the podcast or here to listen to in your browser. As always, we'd love to hear from you. Email us your thoughts, questions, rants, etc here and we'll talk about them on our next episode.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/chrome-horn-episode-4-las-vegas-104631571--nascar.html

Louis Chiron Joie Chitwood Bob Christie Johnny Claes

Alfa Romeo 4C Brochure Leaks Online

Posted on 03.15.2013 16:00 by Simona

The ordering brochure for the new Alfa Romeo 4C has leaked online, revealing more details on the recently announced sports car and the recently announced Launch Edition. This leaked brochure reveals for the first time the horsepower and torque curve, tire specifications and images of the TFT cluster in all models.

Standard models will come with cloth seats, radio and halogen headlights, while LED lights are offered as an alternative. The Launch Edition will only be offered in Carrara White and Rosso Alfa, and will be limited to only 500 units. This special edition will feature carbon-fiber insertions on the headlamp finishing and mirror covers. It will also be offered with alloy wheels sized 18 inches up front and 19 inches at the rear, and red brake calipers. Carbon fiber will also be used on the interior for the instrument cluster cover and racing steering wheel, dashboard insert and gear buttons.

Both standard and Launch Edition will be powered by a four-cylinder 1,750 cc turbocharged engine that delivers an output of 240 horsepower. The 4C goes up to a top speed of 160 mph and hits 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.5 seconds. This means that its performance will far exceed what we initially thought it would.

Click past the jump to see the entire ordering brochure

gallery: 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition

Alfa Romeo 4C Brochure Leaks Online originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 15 March 2013 16:00 EST.

Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/alfa-romeo-4c-brochure-leaks-online-ar150049.html

Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley

Craziest moment from the track: Kahne?s wreck collects Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick and more

For much of the afternoon, the Daytona 500 resembled an extraordinarily fast, multicolored train. The high line at Daytona International Speedway worked the best, and the high line was where most drivers spent their day.

But you combine the newness of the Gen 6 cars and the vagaries of superspeedway racing, and you're in for some strangeness like we saw on Lap 33. Kasey Kahne got bumped from behind by Kyle Busch, turned inward, and the resulting wreck took out some of the biggest names in the sport.

Kevin Harvick had won both the Sprint Unlimited and his Duel, and was looking to be the first driver to sweep Speedweeks. Tony Stewart was coming off a victory in Saturday's DRIVE4COPD 400. Both were odds-on favorites to win the Daytona 500; for Harvick, it would be an effective way to demonstrate he'd be no lame duck in his final season at Richard Childress Racing. (The wreck also collected Juan Pablo Montoya. Insert requisite tired jet-dryer joke here.)

Even a last-place finish doesn't doom anyone's season hopes. But you'd at least like your best drivers to stay on track until the audience has finished its first beers.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/craziest-moment-weekend-kasey-kahne-wreck-collects-tony-012152523--nascar.html

Ronnie Bucknum Ivor Bueb Sebastien Buemi Luiz Bueno

Daly To Test With Foyt

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2012/12/daly-to-test-with-foyt.html

Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni Jimmy Bryan Clemar Bucci

2013 MotoGP Austin Test Day 1 Test Times Lunchtime: Getting to Grips

On a breezy morning in Austin, riders logged tentative laps to get a feel for the layout at Circuit of the Americas. Until the sun does more work to counteract the brisk wind, the morning track has been slippery. The riders all seem guardedly positive about the track. Comments range from Jorge's "all the track is tricky" to Marquez's note that the post T1 series of flip-flops are quite challenging. Pedrosa reserved commentary on the layout until he gets more time on a warmer track.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/GV7rjsIDpco/2013_motogp_austin_test_day_1_test_times.html

Antonio Creus Larry Crockett Tony Crook Art Cross

Thursday

Upcoming IndyCar Tests

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2012/11/upcoming-indycar-tests.html

Bob Christie Johnny Claes David Clapham Jim Clark†

On mergers and unifications: enduring the long road ahead

Source: http://www.popoffvalve.com/2012/9/6/3298289/on-mergers-and-unifications-enduring-the-long-road-ahead

Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem Martin Donnelly Carlo Abate

Ecclestone: Hamilton Move Will Help Button

Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone believes that Lewis Hamilton?s move to Mercedes will help Jenson Button in 2013. The Brit switched to the German outfit during the winter, after a turbulent season in which he and his team-mate?s relationship was said to have been fractious. Ecclestone feels that Button will benefit from the 2008 World [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/WoeuiqNoh08/ecclestone-hamilton-move-will-help-button

Tony Brise Chris Bristow Peter Broeker Tony Brooks

Upcoming IndyCar Tests

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2012/11/upcoming-indycar-tests.html

Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman

Wednesday

2013 IndyCar Scheule Released

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2012/09/2013-indycar-scheule-released.html

JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger

Jenson Button: ?It?s been an extremely hard-to-read winter??

Jenson Button says he?s feeling well prepared heading to Melbourne, but admits ? like everyone else ? that he has no idea how the form book looks. Button has a history of starting the season well, having won the Australian … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2013/03/08/jenson-button-its-been-an-extremely-hard-to-read-winter/

Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas Derek Daly Christian Danner

Reminder Of What It?s Like Being A Race Fan

When you spend your weekends pitting race cars all across the country, you end up talking to a lot of race fans. With the drivers so busy with appearances and the like, the crews have become the next best attraction. The conversations are often short and usually consist of the same basic questions. How do [...]

TheNASCARInsiders.com

Follow the Insiders on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNascarInsiders/~3/GLp8xbw0wDg/

Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis

Tagliani Returns To The #98

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2013/01/tagliani-returns-to-98.html

Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso

Rebranding F1 engines

There are stories kicking around at the moment suggesting that Red Bull could use Infiniti-branded engines at some point in the future. It is a great idea for the marketing people at Infiniti, but my sources at Renault say that it is a move that makes no sense at all for them. And that is [...]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/rebranding-f1-engines/

Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem

Tuesday

Nationwide driver Jeremy Clements suspended for unknown comments

NASCAR announced Tuesday that it had suspended Nationwide Series driver Jeremy Clements for comments he made in an interview on Saturday.

What interview that was or what Clements said is unknown, however.

?During the course of an interview, Jeremy Clements made an intolerable and insensitive remark,? NASCAR Senior VP of Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell said in a release. ?NASCAR has a Code of Conduct that?s explicitly spelled out in the 2013 NASCAR Rule Book. We fully expect our entire industry to adhere to that Code.?

Tuesday evening, Clements posted the following statement to his team's Facebook page:

?I apologize and regret what I said to the NASCAR writer and to NASCAR, my sponsors, my fans, and my team. NASCAR has a Code of Conduct that everyone must follow and I unintentionally violated that code. I will not get into specifics of what I said but my comment to the writer was in no way meant to be disrespectful or insensitive to anyone or to be detrimental to NASCAR or the NASCAR Nationwide Series. I will do what I need to do in order to atone for my error in judgment. ?

There's no point in speculating about what Clements, 28, said; and it's entirely possible the comments he made will be published in an interview that's yet to be released. Or we may never know. Was it a TV interview that wasn't aired? Though that seems to be refuted by Clements' reference to a writer in the apology. And how would the comments found to be suspension worthy? The interview obviously wasn't conducted in the media center at Daytona. (Though I guess it seems logical that we've moved from secret fines from suspensions for unknown comments?)

Clements finished 14th in last year's Nationwide Series standings driving for his own team, Jeremy Clements Racing in the No. 51. At Daytona, he finished 33rd after only completing 88 laps because of an oil line problem.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/nationwide-driver-jeremy-clements-suspended-unknown-comments-020927768--nascar.html

Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi

Raikkonen: E21 is stronger in every area | 2013 Australian Grand Prix

Raikkonen: E21 is stronger in every area is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Kimi Raikkonen says Lotus's 2013 challenger is an improvement over their previous car in every area.

Raikkonen: E21 is stronger in every area is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/03/11/raikkonen-e21-stronger-area/

Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder

Monday

Stewart Backs Button For Championship

Former F1 World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart believes that Jenson Button can win the Drivers? title this season. The Brit, who won the top prize in 2009, struggled last term, with McLaren suffering from inconsistency across the calendar. But, Stewart believes that, as long as he has the right car, Button can secure his second [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/44gAaLtzuhk/stewart-backs-button-for-championship

Luiz Bueno Ian Burgess Luciano Burti Roberto Bussinello

Raikkonen in rude health

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/11/post_abu_dhabi.html

Tom Bridger Tony Brise Chris Bristow Peter Broeker

Motorcycle Racing vs Social Media: How Dorna Could Turn Losing The Battle Into Winning The War

When the news that Dorna would be taking over World Superbikes broke, there was a wave of outrage among fans, expressing the fear that the Spanish company would set about destroying the series they had grown to love. So far, Dorna have been careful not to get involved in debates about the technical regulations which seem to be so close to fans' hearts, their only criteria so far appearing to be a demand that bikes should cost 250,000 euros for an entire season. Yet they have already make one move which has a serious negative impact on the series: they are clamping down on video footage from inside the paddock.

There was some consternation - and there is still some confusion - about the situation at the first round of WSBK at Phillip Island at the end of February. Where previously, teams and journalists had been free to shoot various videos inside the paddock, there were mixed signals coming from Dorna management, with some people told there was an outright and immediate ban, with threats of serious consequences should it be ignored, while others were saying that they had heard nothing on the subject. That Dorna is determined to reduce the amount of free material on Youtube became immediately clear after the race weekend was over: in previous years, brief, two-minute race summaries would appear on the official World Superbike Youtube channel after every weekend. After the first race of 2013, only the post-race interviews were posted on the site. It is a long-standing Dorna policy to try to strictly control what ends up on Youtube and what doesn't. It is their most serious mistake, and one which could end up badly damaging the sport unless it is changed very soon.

This is a battle that has been going on inside Dorna, and many other major companies involved in motorcycle racing. It is about a fundamental change in the media landscape, a shift away from centralized control towards a diffuse and distributed form of media broadcasting, communication strategy and promotion. It is a shift that is permanent, affects the way in which sports are promoted and monetized, and radically alters the balance of power throughout all levels of the sport. The old hierarchies are dead, and trying to maintain them will merely end up crippling motorcycle racing.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/lMC9yIK1TMg/motorcycle_racing_vs_social_media_how_do.html

Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell Raul Boesel Menato Boffa

Bianchi gets Marussia seat as Razia is dropped

Marussia has signed Ferrari prot�g� Jules Bianchi and terminated its contract with Luiz Razia. The Brazilian?s sponsors failed to meet their obligations after he was announced as a race driver at the start of February. Although he drove the car … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2013/03/01/bianchi-gets-marussia-seat-as-razia-is-dropped/

Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz

MotoMatters Speaks To BSB Racer Peter Hickman

MotoMatters were fortunate to recently get a chance to fire some questions at Peter Hickman, who is riding for GBmoto racing this year. Dave Porter set the questions and Peter was very glad to offer his insight and opinions on a few matters to do with racing -

MM: Peter, congratulations on racing with GBmoto Racing for 2013 in BSB. I know there is a wait till Round 1 at Brands in early April so wondered what your first impressions were of your new team.

PH: Thanks! I'm really happy to be riding with GBMoto. The team are absolutely fantastic and I couldn't wish for anything more. I've brought my old faithful mechanic Dazza (@dazzaj308) with me and I'll be back working with Tim Allen who I last worked with in 2011 with Tyco Honda, so it's all looking really good.

MM: With testing being limited to only 12 days this year and foreign trips excluded what chance have you had to get used to the team and the bike so far. Do you feel this is enough time to become familiar with the bike.

PH: Well the good news is, although 12 days is not a massive amount of time, it is the same for everyone. I'm not too fussed about the abroad testing, apart from it being a good giggle and bonding with the team in a relaxed environment. In fact when I first signed with the team they were planning on quite an extensive Spanish testing programme and I asked them to cut it down to just 3 days away as I would prefer to spend the cash on testing on the circuits that I am going to race on back here in the UK.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/sZGl2J0U-uU/motomatters_speaks_to_bsb_racer_peter_hi.html

Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick Red Amick