Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/vegas-positioning/
Saturday
Vegas Positioning
The loss of Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a thematic one. In a time when indycar racing is scraping by in anonymity and irrelevance, we are running away from a facility that actually wanted to see us run. Add to … Continue reading
Super Bowl Ad: Chevrolet Silverado throws rocks at Ford with apocalyptic commercial
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Leave it to Chevrolet to throw the first punch in its long-standing rivalry with Ford.
The Bowtie’s newest Super Bowl commercial takes a stab at its crosstown rival with a commercial that’s set just after the world ended, confirming the Mayan predictions. In the ad, a group of friends, all of which were driving Silverados, miraculously survived the global catastrophe to round up and see how each one was doing.
Everybody was accounted for except for their friend Dave, who lost his life because he, as one of the buddies explained, "drove a Ford." Way to be subtle, Chevy.
The Chevy ad is expected to run during the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVI and just as sure as those Mayan predictions are nothing more than myths and fables, you can expect that this new Chevy Silverado commercial will draw strong reactions from both camps.
So allow us to say, "It’s on, Chevrolet. It is most definitely on."
Super Bowl Ad: Chevrolet Silverado throws rocks at Ford with apocalyptic commercial originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 4 February 2012 09:00 EST.
George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams
Michael Shank Racing No. 60 team wins Rolex 24
AJ Allmendinger drove the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Ford to victory lane in the Rolex 24 at Daytona Sunday afternoon.
Allmendinger, who drove almost three hours on the final stint, shared driving duties with IndyCar's Justin Wilson, Oswaldo Negri and John Pew for Shank's first Rolex 24 win.
It was Allmendinger's first Rolex 24 win as well, and his first win since 2006, when he won five times in CART. Allmendinger moved from Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 43 car to the Penske Racing No. 22 in the Sprint Cup Series in the offseason after Kurt Busch and Penske parted ways.
It was also the longest Rolex 24 ever, with 761 laps completed.
The Starworks Motorsport No. 8 Ford with Ryan Dalziel behind the wheel at the end finished second. Ganassi's No. 01 with Scott Pruett, Joey Hand, Graham Rahal and Memo Rojas, the defending champions of the race, were also in contention for the win until a gear issue put them laps down with approximately two hours left.
Shank's No. 6 Ford that included Michael McDowell finished third and the Ganassi Cup and IndyCar team of Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti finished fourth.
The Magnus Racing No. 44, with Andy Lally behind the wheel at the finish, won the GT division. It was Magnus Racing's first Grand-Am win and Lally's fourth Rolex 24 class win.
Elliott Sadler to drive for Childress in Daytona 500
Elliott Sadler will be back in the Sprint Cup Series for the Daytona 500.
Sadler, who is driving a full Nationwide Series schedule for Richard Childress Racing, will drive the No. 33 for the team on February 26 with sponsorship from General Mills and Kroger.
"It's great to be back in the Daytona 500," Sadler said in a release. "I've had a lot of success in this race in the past and want to thank General Mills, Kroger and Richard Childress for this opportunity."
Sadler has five top 10s in his last seven Daytona 500s.
The No. 33 is locked into the race because that's the car that Clint Bowyer drove for RCR last year before moving on to Michael Waltrip Racing. With General Mills moving to a reduced role with RCR car Jeff Burton and the No. 31, enough sponsorship couldn't be found to run the car full-time in addition to Burton and Kevin Harvick, who finished third in the points standings.
Gil Martin, Harvick's 2o11 crew chief, will be Sadler's crew chief. Shane Wilson, who was crew chief for Bowyer and the No. 33 last year, is Harvick's new crew chief.
2012 Sepang 1 MotoGP Test Day 3 Press Releases
Press releases issued by the teams and Bridgestone after the final day of testing for the MotoGP class at Sepang:
Year:
2012
Friday
2012 Sepang 1 MotoGP Test Day 2 Press Releases
Press releases from the MotoGP teams after the second day of testing at Sepang:
Year:
2012
Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves Bill Cheesbourg Eddie Cheever
Thursday
Get your Twitter handle on Brad Keselowski?s truck
Brad Keselowski is racing in the Camping World Truck Series season opener at Daytonda on Friday, February 24, and through a promotion with his race sponsors Reese Towpower and Cooper Standard, you can be one of 5,000 people to have your Twitter handle on the decklid of the truck.
There's a catch of course, but hey, you can get your twitter handle on a truck for the price of a few follows and retweets. That's not bad, right?
The details: Retweet this tweet of Keselowski's with your prediction, and follow him, Reese Towpower and Cooper Standard on Twitter. The companies will then draw 5,000 names from the pool of retweets, and those folks will get their Twitter handles on the decklid. And 10 more will get the grand prize, their Twitter names on the side of Keselowski's truck. The 5,000 winners will be drawn February 8th, while the grand prize winners will be drawn February 10th.
So if you want to be NASCAR-famous, get Tweeting. But since we're the ones that told you about this, give us a follow on Twitter at @YahooMarbles, @YahooNASCAR,�@JayBusbee and @NickBromberg too. It's only fair, right?
Wednesday
Kyle and Kurt Busch join forces in Nationwide Series
Kyle Busch announced Thursday that he and brother Kurt Busch will team up to compete in the Nationwide Series in 2012 for Kyle's team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, with full-season sponsorship from Monster Energy.
Kyle Busch will drive 13-15 races for his team as it moves up from the Camping World Truck Series, while Kurt Busch will drive the rest, including standalone Nationwide races, as the team competes for the Nationwide owner's championship. Kurt will also compete in the Nationwide Series restrictor plate races for Phoenix Racing, his new Sprint Cup Series team. The pairing means that Kurt will be driving a Chevrolet in the Cup Series and a Toyota in the Nationwide Series -- a rare occurrence.
"We've had a lot of talks about how this whole deal is going to work out, what we're both looking to get out of this and what a great opportunity this is to race in the Nationwide Series," Kyle Busch said. "Kurt's never done a full Nationwide deal, he's always had the itch but never really cared about it."
The two donned matching Monster Energy shirts for the announcement.
Because of the arrival of Monster Energy as the team's sponsor, NOS, a competing energy drink, will no longer sponsor Kyle. Kyle will also not compete in the� Truck Series this year at the suggestion of his Sprint Cup owner Joe Gibbs. If he runs 15 Nationwide races and all 36 Sprint Cup Series events, that's 51 2012 events. Kyle ran 71 NASCAR events in 2011 and 81 NASCAR events in 2010. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Kurt. He's run just 12 Nationwide races in his career so far.
Earlier in the week, Carl Edwards announced that -- as of now -- he wouldn't be participating at all in the Nationwide Series in 2012 and Brad Keselowski is expected to run a partial schedule as well again. That may provide us with some sorely-needed new faces in victory lane in the Nationwide Series. The trio won 21 of 34 Nationwide races last year.
So, what do you think about the Busch brothers running for the same team? Will they be the perfect antidote for each other as they look to distance themselves from tumultuous conclusions to 2011 or will their intensity combining cause a spontaneous combustion? Drop us a line in the comments.
Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari
Relive the speeches from the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony
Friday night, Richie Evans, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip, Glen Wood and Cale Yarborough were the third class inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Did you miss the tape delayed broadcast of the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductions on Sunday evening or simply want to watch the speeches again? We've got you covered.
Piero Carini Duane Carter Eugenio Castellotti Johnny Cecotto
Button and Hamilton on the MP2-27
Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton have been talking about the new MP4-27 and the season ahead. “It’s a very exiting day for us all,” said Jenson. “You know, I think this is the moment when we see how hard we’ve all been working and it’s a very, very exciting day. But first of all I [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/button-and-hamilton-on-the-mp2-27/
Marco Apicella Mбrio de Araъjo Cabral Frank Armi Chuck Arnold
Tony Fernandes: ?I want us to achieve a point somewhere in 2012??
Caterham boss Tony Fernandes is in optimistic mood in the light of the launch of the new CT01, the first 2012 F1 car to break cover. The Malaysian entrepreneur expects the rebranded team to make good progress this year. ?This … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/01/26/tony-fernandes-i-want-us-to-achieve-a-point-somewhere-in-2012/
2011 Season Review: McLaren and Ferrari
2011 was a season of immense frustration for two of Formula One?s most iconic teams. For Ferrari it was the season that came and went with little success and for McLaren it was season in which a new team leader was established. Lewis Hamilton Hamilton confessed at the end of last season that he had [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/VAioxUUKH3g/2011-season-review-mclaren-and-ferrari
Tuesday
In which we forecast the future of the 2012 NASCAR season
Someone is going to have a "Carl Edwards 2011" ? and it's going to end in a championship. The fact that Edwards lost in the closest finish in NASCAR history is quite possibly one of the cruelest blows in all of sports, and it's only because Tony Stewart is such a fan favorite (and we're all so glad to have had a fascinating season) that we kind of glossed over how amazing Edwards' run really was. He broke through as an elite driver last year, and this year, someone else will do the same thing: running so well you can never count them out until the final lap at Homestead. Best guess? This is the year Kevin Harvick becomes a name in non-NASCAR households. ? Jay Busbee
Danica Patrick wins a Nationwide race. Yeah, this may not be too bold of a prediction, but Patrick will have the equipment to do it and the week-to-week consistency of simply being in a stock car will be the best thing for her improvement in NASCAR. It may not be in the first 10 races and it may be a standalone race with no Cup drivers, but she'll get a win. ? Nick Bromberg
This will be Joey Logano's final year at Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. The loss of Greg Zipadelli as crew chief combined with an intense focus to right the ship for Denny Hamlin will leave Logano in the dust, and sponsors looking elsewhere in 2013. Don't be surprised if he stays with Gibbs, though, in a full-time Nationwide Series role for 2013. ? Geoffrey Miller
The Busch bros will get their acts together. I know, this one's a crap shoot ... but something's telling me that these two have hit bottom and are clawing at ways to get back up. There's too much on the line here for both of these guys, who have the potential to become one of NASCAR's all-time great families. But, right now, only the potential. ? Jay Busbee
Carl Edwards will host a talk show. Wait... that's actually happening. ? Nick Bromberg
Races at road courses, short tracks, Darlington and Atlanta will continue to be the most noteworthy events of the season for the Sprint Cup gang. That's thanks to their unique character and ways of bringing out the best of a driver's temper and pure racing ability. It won't matter, though, to NASCAR's 2013 schedule-makers who remain�cruelly�indebted to the 1.5-mile cookie-cutter way of life.� ? Geoffrey Miller
NASCAR will continue its recovery both in the stands and in the ratings. Sponsors will start to trickle back in, not as rapidly as teams would like, but not in the will-they-or-won't-they guessing game of years past, either. The Jimmie Johnson Era may or may not be over, but it's certainly on hold, and that'll help keep the door wide open for many more fans to hope that this is The Year for their guy ... and more interest translates across the board. ? Jay Busbee
A driver in Hendrick equipment will "struggle." This doesn't count Kurt Busch, who has the virtue of being fairly expectation-less at Phoenix Racing, but there seems to always be a straggler at Hendrick. For the sake of the restless masses and tired storylines, let's hope it's not Junior. ? Nick Bromberg
AJ Allmendinger will get his first and probably second NASCAR wins. Dinger, now in the best ride of his NASCAR life with Penske Racing, will take at least one road course race (as long as former teammate Marcos Ambrose doesn't sweep) and maybe snag a win at a 1.5-mile oval. I may have chosen AJ to win at least a race had he remained at Richard Petty Motorsports, but now it's got to be a lock. The Chase, however, will remain an outside-looking-in affair. ? Geoffrey Miller
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to win a race. Hey, if I keep saying it, one day it might come true. ? Jay Busbee
Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco
Lotus: It?s very difficult to know where Raikkonen should be
Lotus have been speaking about Kimi Rakkonen’s successful return to Formula 1. The former World Champion took part in his first test for the team this week following two years away from the sport. Speaking about how it went, Trackside operations director�Alan Permane said: “From the first run he was pretty much there.” “It’s very [...]
Some golf, some tennis and a bit of F1 thrown in?
It was a late dinner last night in Abu Dhabi, what with the busy day and the combination of cultures with frenetic Italians meeting laid-back Arabs. It was nearly one by the time we were delivered back to the fancy – and recently renamed Viceroy Hotel, which was called the Yas Island Hotel. It is [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/some-golf-some-tennis-and-a-bit-of-f1-thrown-in/
Monday
A busy day
It has been a busy day here in Abu Dhabi, with the Pirelli press conference revealing the Italian company’s F1 plans for the coming season, followed by the opportunity to mess about in cars of various sorts, driving (badly in my case) and being driven around by people who know what they are doing. Pirelli [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/a-busy-day/
BMW ActiveHybrid 5
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The X6 Active Hybrid may be seeing the end of its production day, but BMW is still forging ahead in its environmental pursuit with the new ActiveHybrid5. The new hybrid sedan will go on sale in March 2012.
The BMW ActiveHybrid5 combines a BMW TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder in-line engine, an electric drive system, and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. With a total output of 340 HP, the BMW ActiveHybrid 5 has become the most powerful and efficient full hybrid in its segment. It can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds and deliver a fuel economy of 44 ? 40 mpg. The 55 HP electric engine offers an all-electric driving range of up to 2.5 miles at an average speed of 22 mph.
The BMW ActiveHybrid5 will feature the same design language as the standard 5-Series, but will be further identified by "ActiveHybrid 5" lettering on the C-pillars, a BMW kidney grille with galvanized slats, and exhaust matte chrome tailpipes.
UPDATE 01/09/2012: BMW showed up to the 2012 Detroit Auto Show with pricing for their ActiveHybrid 5. The 2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 5 is scheduled to arrive in US BMW Centers in late Spring 2012 at a starting price of $61,845 (including the $895 Destination and Handling charge).
UPDATE 01/29/2012: BMW has announced that the new ActiveHybrid 5 will go on sale March 2012 with a base MSRP of $61,845 (including $895 destination and handling). Next to this info the company has unveiled a new set of images for the hybrid sedan, so enjoy!
Hit the jump to read more about the BMW ActiveHybrid 5.
BMW ActiveHybrid 5 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 9 January 2012 11:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/bmw/2012-bmw-activehybrid-5-ar117221.html
Look back at the 2011 seasons of Bowyer and the Busch bros
As the 2012 season nears, one last look back at the year that was for your favorite drivers. We continue on with the last of the non-Chasers, and two guys who made more news off the track than on.
First off, Clint Bowyer finished off his career at Richard Childress Racing in solid style; no Chase berth, but not a terrible year, either:
Next up, Kyle Busch, who really didn't do much of note this year:
Finally, Kurt Busch, who apparently doesn't know that he's about to sever ties with Penske. Nobody tell him!
Other popular Y! Sports content:
? Video: Jon Gruden's goofy gaffe during the Orange Bowl
? Trade gives Carlos Zambrano another shot at happiness
? Lavish athlete retreats: Where do stars get away from it all?
Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot
Sunday
NASCAR announces that it will disclose all fines
NASCAR announced Wednesday that it will stop the practice of 'secret fines' and publicly announce all monetary punishments.
"NASCAR will no longer issue fines that are undisclosed," a NASCAR statement said. "We looked at this issue from every angle and gathered feedback from the industry. While there are always sensitivities related to sponsor relationships� and other leagues may continue issuing disclosed and undisclosed fines, NASCAR has decided that all fines moving forward will be made public after the competitor or organization that has been penalized has been informed."
Over the past two seasons, the sanctioning body has issued fines in secrecy on multiple occasions, though it's unknown how many times fines have been handed out discretely and for how long. Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin were the first known drivers to be secretly fined for comments in 2010, and Newman was secretly fined again after an incident with Juan Pablo Montoya at Richmond that led to an alleged physical altercation. Brad Keselowski was also fined for his comments at a fan forum about electronic fuel injection.
We've written at length at how absurd the concept of secret fines is, so this is a common sense move that NASCAR had to make. Fines�pertaining to�rules violations were publicly announced, so a dichotomy of some fines being public and some fines remaining private created a feeling of distrust, especially among fans. So props to NASCAR for making the right (and only) decision when it comes to fines and preventing us from writing a third column about the ridiculousness of secret fines.
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/nascar-announces-disclose-fines-224610558.html
Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz
Crisis In Automotive Sector
The current crisis lies in Europe and Spain, is affecting all sectors. One of the sectors hardest hit by this car is that, in addition to significantly reduce the number of vehicle sales, is also affecting workers in the sector. As reported by the newspaper El Pays, 50,000 jobs are being shaken one way or [...]
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/122-crisis-in-automotive-sector.html
New Lotus to be called E20
The new Lotus F1 car is to be called the E20, as it will be the 20th car to be designed in Enstone under the Benetton, Renault and now Lotus names. It had been referred to as the R32 – … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/01/27/new-lotus-to-be-called-e20/
Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels
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