Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2012/06/15-race-schedule-remains.html
Saturday
Vettel: I Deserve To Be Driving The Best Car
Sebastian Vettel has hit back at claims he is only leading the championship due to having the best all-round machine. The Red Bull RB8 has been almost untouchable during the end of the season, helping the German reel in Fernando Alonso, who once had a 40 points lead in the Drivers? Championship. Some have suggested [...]
Earnhardt Childress Racing won?t change name after Earnhardt Ganassi switch to Hendrick power
The partnership between Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing and Earnhardt-Childress Racing was easy to understand. Earnhardt-Ganassi was the team that fielded cars for Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya in the Sprint Cup Series, and the engine shop was Earnhardt-Childress Racing, which supplied horsepower for those two cars as well as the teams of Richard Childress Racing.
Pretty straightforward, huh?
[Related: Matt Kenseth could play spoiler in Texas]
On Friday, EGR announced that it would be switching to Hendrick horsepower for the 2013 season. So that meant that the engine shop known as Earnhardt-Childress would disappear since Earnhardt-Ganassi wasn't going to be involved anymore, right?
Earnhardt Childress Racing was formed when Richard Childress Racing merged its engine-building operation with Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s Sprint Cup team in 2007. DEI then merged with Chip Ganassi Racing in late 2008, changing the team's name to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.
Because DEI independently remains a partner in Ganassi's Sprint Cup team and in Childress' engine shop, neither entity is changing its name.
On Friday, Childress said that EGR's decision wouldn't have a huge impact on ECR's operations, as the shop will continue to provide engines for his three Sprint Cup teams (and Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series teams), Furniture Row Racing and other race teams.
McMurray and Montoya are in 20th and 22nd in the Sprint Cup points standings, respectively. The highest driver with ECR power is Kevin Harvick in 11th, behind four drivers who have Hendrick horsepower. No ECR car has a race win -- compare that with 12 for Hendrick powered cars.
However, it's important to note that the Hendrick cars also have Hendrick chassis, an almost equally vital part of the mechanical spectrum. Will the simple switch in power plants for EGR lead to better performance, or is the Hendrick secret the total package? We'll find out in 2013.
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Cadillac ATS by D3
When it comes to tuning Cadillacs, few rank higher than D3. It is, after all, the maker of the Le Monstre CTS-V, a car that we first saw at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show.
During this year?s SEMA show, D3 was back in full force again, presenting a new program for the Cadillac ATS, which includes a new body kit. This kit consists of a revised front bumper, side skirts with optional air foils, a new roof spoiler and a rear deck lid spoiler. All these parts were built by D3 itself and comes with OEM mounting points.
On top of all the aesthetic upgrades, D3 also treated the ATS with some mechanical upgrades, including installing an adjustable coil-over suspension system that can be lowered and the spring rate adjusted to the driver?s preference or track. The ATS? suspension system also received an aftermarket lowering module that consists of two settings — "Street" or "Competition? — to help give it an extra edge in the twist. Finally, the standard air intake was also replaced by a genuine bolt-on D3 air-intake system.
These upgrades may look subtle now, but rest assured, D3 has something in store for all of us. It has built a reputation as one of the best Cadillac tuner in the world.
Pretty high expectations, sure, but D3 has earned it.
Cadillac ATS by D3 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 23 November 2012 16:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/cadillac/2013-cadillac-ats-by-d3-ar138435.html
Friday
Here?s the math: How the three NASCAR championships can be won at Homestead
Want to know how all three points leaders in NASCAR's top three series have to fare to guarantee themselves a title at Homestead this weekend? You've come to the right spot.
In the Sprint Cup Series, leader Brad Keselowski has a 20-point advantage over Jimmie Johnson, which means that even if Johnson wins, a finish of 15th for Keselowski guarantees him the title. If Keselowski leads a lap, it's a 16th-place finish, and if he leads the most laps, it's a 17th-place finish.
If Johnson was to finish second (and didn't lead a lap), Keselowski would need to finish in 23rd place to win the championship, provided he doesn't lead a lap either, as a tie in the points standings would go to Johnson. Since each driver currently has five wins, the tiebreaker goes to second-place finishes, where Johnson has five to Keselowski's three.
Just like the Cup Series, the Nationwide Series points standings separated the top two from each other at Phoenix. That means Ricky Stenhouse's clinch scenario is very similar to Keselowski's, as he holds a 20-point lead over Elliott Sadler. For Stenhouse, 16th with no laps led gets him the title, while 17th with a lap led and 18th with the most laps led are also the thresholds. (Stenhouse has six wins to Sadler's four.)
The Camping World Truck Series has the closest championship battle of the three series and it also has more than two drivers mathematically alive for the title.
James Buescher has an 11-point lead over Timothy Peters and a 12-point lead over Ty Dillon. Joey Coulter is 29 points back and Parker Kligerman is 37 behind, but they're going to need a lot of help (i.e., a very early incident involving Buescher plus other craziness) to grab the title.
Buescher has the edge on both Peters and Dillon in the wins column four to two, so he can clinch with an eighth-place finish and no laps led, or a ninth with a lap led and 10th with the most laps led. If he's ahead of Peters on the track and Dillon is in the lead, he can afford to slide back a position. If Buescher's behind both drivers and below those benchmarks? Well, it becomes an almost-heads up between Peters (two wins) and Dillon (one win).
Got all that? Now you're ready for the final NASCAR weekend of the year. Is it Friday yet?
Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mбrio de Araъjo Cabral
Guest Blog: Mat Oxley: Marquez impresses at MotoGP winter test
MotoMatters.com is delighted to feature the work of iconic MotoGP writer Mat Oxley. Oxley is a former racer, TT winner and highly respected author of biographies of world champions Mick Doohan and Valentino Rossi, and currently writes for Motor Sport Magazine, where he is MotoGP correspondent. We will be featuring sections of Oxley's blogs, posted in full on the Motor Sport Magazine website, over the coming months.
MotoGP winter testing began on Tuesday in very wintry conditions, which isn’t the idea of winter testing.
The weather was so grim at Valencia that Yamaha packed up and headed 150 miles north to Aragon, pursued by rent-a-cars full of journalists and photographers anxious for their first glimpse of Valentino Rossi and his new Yamaha getting down to it on slicks.
They needn’t have bothered – the weather wasn’t much better at Aragon – so Rossi and new/old team-mate Jorge Lorenzo learned nothing. In fact Lorenzo did learn something – that it’s very easy to crash in the wet, but then he knew that already. Yamaha should’ve gone south, to Jerez, or even north, to Brands Hatch, where the autumn sun shone beautifully.
Hamilton pulls further ahead in second practice | 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix second practice
Hamilton pulls further ahead in second practice is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Lewis Hamilton completed a successful Friday by setting the fastest time for the second practice session in a row.
Hamilton pulls further ahead in second practice 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/2012/11/23/2012-brazilian-grand-prix-practice-result-fp2/
Chase Watch: Brad Keselowski is now in, uh, the driver?s seat
And then there was ... one? Not quite, but the championship picture cleared up considerably on Sunday at Phoenix.
All day long, Brad Keselowski had a better car than Jimmie Johnson, and better strategy as well, sneaking up to grab a lap-led bonus during pit stops while Johnson was unable to do the same. And for much of the afternoon, it looked like we'd go into Homestead with the two leaders virtually tied; shades of 2011, when Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards were in the same spot.
And then came lap 236. Several cars had been having right-front tire issues, a side effect of increased breaking and increased tension on that tire. And at the worst possible time, Johnson's tire gave out. He hit the wall hard enough to cause damage to his vehicle, and had to go behind the wall for more than 30 laps. By then, Keselowski had avoided enough drama to end up in sixth place
Who's up? Keselowski now takes a 20-point lead into the season's final race. "Certainly if you have the choice you always want to be in the lead of the points, especially in the closing races, so I'm thankful for that," Keselowski said. "But I also know that the troubles that they had are the same troubles that we could have next week, and so you try not to take anything for granted."
Who's down? Johnson is in trouble now. "It's way, way out of our control after the problem we had today," he said. "We still have to go to Homestead and race, and anything can happen down there. But not the position you want to be in leaving Phoenix." Of note: in 2010, Johnson was 15 points behind Denny Hamlin and came back to catch him. He's only five points behind that figure now.
Who's out? Jeff Gordon effectively eliminated Clint Bowyer from any championship possibility, which is a shame because at the time, Bowyer was only a handful of points behind Johnson. Trouble with the 2 in Homestead, and Bowyer could have been right back in it. So, yes, everyone south of Johnson is mathematically eliminated.
What's next? One race left. Even if Johnson wins and leads the most laps, Keselowski still only needs to finish no worse than 15th to win the championship. Aggression or prevent defense? It'll be a fascinating test to see how he handles the challenge.
Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi
Thursday
Hey! A new Sprint Cup team!
In these Sprint Cup times, it's easy to dismiss the announcement and appearance by a new Sprint Cup Series team as a team without a future (or, sometimes, a present.)
While we're not immediately dismissing Xxxtreme Motorsport -- however, though, wondering about the connotations the team's name implies --� it's difficult to be optimistic. But hey, they're running in the final two races of the season and they've got a proven Sprint Cup driver behind the wheel.
David Reutimann will be behind the wheel for the No. 44 Ford at Phoenix and Homestead. The team is owned by John Cohen, and according to its website, it has a "state-of-the-art, 40,000 square foot facility situated on 2 acres in Mooresville, North Carolina."According to Racing Reference, Cohen is listed as the the owner of the No. 58 car in the Nationwide Series in 2009. That year, the car ran three races with Mike Harmon and Josh Wise with a highest finish of 27th.
Why is the team running the final two races of the year? We'll let Cohen explain.
"I'm looking forward to the 2013 season and building a solid program," Cohen said in a team release on the site.
And good for Xxxtreme Motorsport. They've got grand plans. Hopefully they'll pan out. New teams in NASCAR aren't a bad thing; the sport just needs them to stick around.
More NASCAR news from Yahoo! Sports:
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/hey-sprint-cup-team-051058083--nascar.html
Marc VDS Racing Albacete Test Press Release
The Marc VDS Racing team issued the following press release after their recent test at Albacete, which saw Belgian youngster Livio Loi make his debut on a KTM Kalex Moto3 bike:
Year:
2013
New Beetle Cabrio Novelty For The Hall Los Angeles 2012
The new Beetle Cabrio reach the European market in spring 2013, and follows the Beetle Cabrio 1949 New Beetle and 2002. And while it is always said that third parties were never good, this third generation of the Volkswagen New Beetle hit the market and stomping fun driving this convertible vehicle insured for four people. [...]
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/359-new-beetle-cabrio-novelty-for-the-hall-los-angeles-2012.html
Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella
Allmendinger?s NASCAR Career Is Effectively Over
Since we broke the news on Twitter before Saturday night’s race that A.J. Allmendinger was being replaced by Sam Hornish, the Dinger’s world has come apart. NASCAR announced he had failed a drug test, and Allmendinger has since requested the B sample be tested and admitted he tested positive for a stimulant. Penske has tabbed [...] 
TheNASCARInsiders.com
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Wednesday
Honda Press Release: Haslam And Rea Suffer Through Damp Test At Aragon
The Honda World Superbike team issued the following press release after a wet test at Aragon, where Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam tested new parts for the 2013 WSBK season. The uprated electronics package, put together with the help of HRC and hoped to have a major impact on performance, is due to arrive for the next test of the team at Jerez. The press release appears below:
Year:
2013
Photographer's Blog: Interview with Milena Koerner, Tech 3 Communication and Media Officer
At the 2012 Misano round, Scott caught up with Milena Koerner, Communication and Press Officer at Tech 3 Yamaha. We spoke over lunch in the team's hospitality, and as if to illustrate exactly how vital Milena is to this team's efforts, members of the Tech 3 staff stopped by to ask her questions every few minutes. They promptly received answers, or Milena got up to solve the problem quickly herself before returning to our interview. Milena does the work of several people, as you'll see when reading about her past experience and her current role at Tech 3.
Scott Jones: Please describe you role atTech 3. Obviously you do more than get one rider to his media debriefs.
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