Wednesday
NASCAR Weekend Bizarre So Far
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2012 Sepang 2 MotoGP Test Day 2 Press Releases
Press releases from the teams that rode on the second day of the MotoGP test at Sepang:
Tuesday
Robby Gordon would sell his car to let Michael Waltrip in the Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. ? As they repaired the shattered front end of the No. 40 Aaron's Toyota, the faces of Michael Waltrip's crew told the story: their boss's quarter-century-long streak of Daytona 500 runs had apparently come to an end. A victim of nothing more than his own mishandling of the car coming out of a pit stop, Waltrip apparently saw his go-or-go-home chances at the Daytona 500 come to an ugly, crumpled end.
"I just went the wrong way and lost the car," Waltrip said of the wreck that destroyed both his front end and his hopes for the race. "I feel like I let everybody down. �I raced my way to the front and then I let them down.�It's just really hard. I don't know what to say. It's just sad."
But possible salvation arrived in the unlikely person of Robby Gordon, who managed to race his way into the 500 thanks in part to Waltrip's wreck. After a press conference in which he conceded that his team was facing tough economic times, Gordon offered his spot in the race.
"We're in a bad state right here," Gordon said. "It's tough. It's really, really tough."
Later, as he walked through the garage, he reaffirmed his offer.
"Everything's for sale!" he said.�"I haven't heard from Michael yet. But I'd love to be his crew chief."
NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said he couldn't recall a similar incident where an owner sold his spot to another driver, but agreed that it was doable in theory. (Points-swapping on an epic scale, in other words.)
A spokesman for Waltrip indicated that there were "no plans for this at the moment," which doesn't exactly qualify as a no. Waltrip's team has already loaded its garage gear and the remains of the No. 40 onto its hauler, leaving pit stall #41 as empty as if the car had never been there. But Waltrip will be present throughout the weekend, commentating for Fox Sports, so there's always the chance he could change his mind.
Of course, there's precedent here; this wouldn't be the first time Gordon has offered some of his equipment to Waltrip:
That, of course, is the infamous wreck at the 2005 Sylvania 500 in New Hampshire. Presumably this time Gordon will be charging for his equipment rather than simply donating it.
Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster "Hamann Hawk" by Hamann
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A year after Hamann wowed the Geneva Motor Show with their program for the Mercedes SLS AMG called the "Hamann Hawk", the tuning company is coming back with the drop-top version of the Mercedes supercar.
It’s been no secret as to how adept these guys are with Mercedes vehicles and this program for the SLS AMG Roadster is no different. Aesthetically, Hamann fitted the supercar with the usual aerodynamic enhancements, including a front apron that replaces the serial bumper and a new LED light set-up. The SLS AMG Roadster also gets enlarged air inlets that provide more fresh air to the engine. There’s also a new bonnet made of checkered flag carbon, wider wings that add 60mm on the front side and 70mm on the rear side, new side skirts, a new rear apron with a matching diffuser, and a new set of 21" Unique Forged Anodized light forged wheels.
Inside, Hamann’s noted interior wizardry allowed them to add leather applications and ultra-suede embroideries. On top of that, they also replaced the air inlets, door sill protectors, and center console with red colored carbon fiber parts, while also putting in black anodized aluminum pedals and a newly redesigned steering wheel.
Finally, there’s the matter of the engine enhancement. For the SLS AMG Roadster, Hamann put in a new sports air filter and an exhaust system made out of stainless steel, as well as remapped the supercar’s ECU unit. The result is a dramatic increase in output from the car’s 6.3-liter V8 engine, from 563 horsepower and 479 lb/ft of torque all the way up to 636 horsepower and 501 lb/ft of torque. These numbers translate to a 0-60mph acceleration time of 3.6 seconds with a top speed of 204 mph.
Updated 03/06/2012: The new Hamann Hawk Roadster made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show and we have a set of image from the show for you. We hope you like them!
Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster "Hamann Hawk" by Hamann originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 5 March 2012 11:00 EST.
2012 Sepang 2 MotoGP Test Day 2 Round Up: The Mystery Of The Disappearing Hondas, And Some Happy Yamahas
It never rains but it pours. That old proverb applies both literally and metaphorically to the MotoGP test at Sepang, with rain - a solid, heavy, tropical downpour - once again confining the riders to their garages at the Malaysian circuit, for the second day in a row, and severely limiting track time. A couple of good dry hours in the morning, and that was it. From then on, the only testing that went on was in the wet, and though useful, it is not what the MotoGP field came to Malaysia for.
For Honda, the poor weather came as a blessing in disguise. All four RC213Vs were sidelined on Wednesday, after Dani Pedrosa's Repsol Honda suffered a mysterious engine problem at the end of Tuesday. An engine warning light came on, and Pedrosa pulled in the clutch and rolled into the pits to have his bike checked over. The HRC technicians took the warning light very seriously, flying the engine back immediately to Honda's racing HQ in Japan for further examination. There, the engine was inspected to see whether the problem could create a safety issue if it happened again, and finally given the all clear.
Monday
Danica Patrick?s high school yearbook photo is just precious
NASCAR drivers! They went to high school just like you! And they're probably just as embarrassed about their photos as you are! But you don't get yours shown to the entire planet like they do, lucky you.
A few months back, we brought you the cringe-inducing photos of Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson. Today, courtesy of our pals at Snakkle, we present you with some more looks back, starting with the cheerleader at Hononegah Community High School in Rockton, Ill., that you see above.
[Related: Danica Patrick, Jimmie Johnson crash on Lap 2 in Daytona 500; 'Five Time' last]
For the complete gallery, check out Snakkle here, and read on for a few more choice photos.
Next up, Kyle Busch. Although this photo was taken during Kyle's sophomore year at Durango High School in Las Vegas, he doesn't look all that different from today. Fewer sponsors, though:
[Video: Kyle Busch needs a bathroom break during the Daytona 500]
Finally, former Sprint Cup champion Bobby Labonte, who just wrapped his 20th consecutive Daytona 500 start. Nice braces, Bobby.
For more of your favorite stars when they were dorky high school kids, click right here to visit Snakkle. Trust me, you're not going to be able to guess some of 'em.
-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook right here. His own high school picture is there, so it's all even.-
More from Yahoo! Sports: Danica Patrick's week in Daytona:
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Drivers weigh in on Brad Keselowski?s Twitter fiesta
Just days after Brad Keselowski's Twitter tour de force, drivers took time at Phoenix to discuss the politics and ethics of carrying a phone in the car. And while no driver indicated he'd be following in Keselowski's footsteps and bringing a phone in the car, opinion broke down rather neatly into two camps.
On one hand, certain drivers said they had no problem with what Keselowski was doing. "Anything that gets the fans excited is good," Carl Edwards said. "I didn't realize we could have a phone in the car. I won't be taking a phone in the car, put it that way. But if it gets the fans more excited, more power to the guys doing it."
"I thought it was neat Brad got to do that," Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth said. "I know that was entertaining with the fans. I never had a phone in the car and I'm not going to start. But a red flag with two hours off? There's nothing wrong with tweeting and filling up some airtime."
On the other end of the spectrum, drivers worried about the advantage a phone could present. "I'm going to look for every app I can for mile-per-hour, GPS mapping, and anything I can find to put in my car," Kevin Harvick said. "I'm looking for it because I'm looking to outlaw this rule as fast as I can because I don't want to have to keep up with it. I have found a mile-per-hour app, so that'll be good down pit road."
"The social media aspect was great for the sport, great for Brad," Jeff Gordon said. "From that side of it, it's awesome that NASCAR is being that lenient. But I think the technology of phones these days is growing rapidly. There could be some things that NASCAR might need to pay attention to that might need to keep the phones out of the car."
"Where does it end?" asked Denny Hamlin, sounding a bit like your worried but slightly out-of-touch grandmother. "Do you text or tweet during cautions and then you look up and run into the guy behind you? ... If I'm thinking about winning the race, I'm not thinking about social media when I'm under that green flag or yellow flag or any of those conditions."
Keselowski, who indicated that he first brought along the phone to let his parents know he was OK after wrecks, had his own take: "You could definitely make an argument that a smartphone is a mini-computer," he said. "I could definitely see that. But it's not like I had it plugged into anything. You have fuel injection in the cars, but I don't know how you could use it to cheat, quite frankly."
Christian Danner Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson Jimmy Davies
Introducing the Team Peugeot Cobra TC2000
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/178-introducing-the-team-peugeot-cobra-tc2000.html
An Evening With INDYCAR
Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/an-evening-with-indycar/
Sunday
Video: Jaguar XKR-S Coupe is ready to pounce on the competition
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It’s very easy to discount a Jaguar sports car against its more heralded competition because you didn’t always get to see the Cat showing off its claws.
But now that the British company has turned over a new chapter in their company’s history, the Big Cat is primed and ready to present their new ferocious feline, the Jaguar XKR-S Coupe.
Think of all the past Jags that ran the streets of the world not so long ago. Now, imagine a sleeker, sportier, and far more menacing version that takes advantage of being the first model to be designed entirely under the guidance of Design Director Ian Callum. That’s what you get with the XKR-S Coupe.
Not only does the design blow your mind, but it’s also got the kind of performance credentials that would make the competition stand up and take notice. This promo video of the XKR-S Coupe will be all the evidence you need to understand that Jaguar means some serious business with their new sports coupe.
Don’t mistake the XKR-S Coupe for meek because if you do, you better be ready to get pounced on.
Video: Jaguar XKR-S Coupe is ready to pounce on the competition originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 3 March 2012 12:00 EST.
Hot or Not: Daytona wrecks product of (a lack) of experience
NEUTRAL: NASCAR's opening weekend was a merciless one on the hard work of team fabricators in the sport's top division. In total, two days of track activity substantially damaged 15 separate Sprint Cup cars with many more requiring varying amounts of repair either before or during the Bud Shootout.
None, of course, felt the same damage as the thrashing Jeff Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet received after the gymnastic exhibition it put on exiting Daytona's Turn 4.
And so, naturally, the echo chamber of fear started even before Kyle Busch finished his sensational display of driving ability in Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout: Will Sunday's Daytona 500 be a farcical mess of caution flags and torn up race cars?
I say no.
The reasons for the wrecking exhibition in the season's first exhibition race vary widely, but they are real. But if we have learned anything about race car drivers over the century-plus of race car drivers being called race car drivers, it's that they very often learn how to avoid crashing in the same way over time. Typically, that stretch of time is pretty small.
Let's look at last season, for instance, to see how well the new idea of tandem drafting affected overall accidents in restrictor plate races. In the 2011 Daytona 500, a whopping 16 caution flags waved over the track ? the most ever recorded in the event's 53 editions; 13�of those cautions were for an incident on track and many were of a direct byproduct of drivers losing control while being pushed for laps on end.
The next time Sprint Cup drivers faced the tandem style of racing at Talladega in April 2011, just four of the race's six cautions were for crashes. The 400-miler at Daytona in July featured only six crashes, as did the restrictor plate season finale at Talladega in October. Many variables affect the rate of crashes in a race, but the level of experience drivers had with the push-or-be-pushed racing certainly aided in reducing the number of incidents.
Now, returned to Daytona, crashes have seemingly become much more common again. But let's not forget how different the rules package is this week ? compared even to the January winter testing many teams participated in. The most significant differences to affect handling this year are a smaller rear spoiler (along with it, reduced rear downforce and grip) and a restrictor plate that is aiding in faster speeds.
The result is a car designed to be a bit more unstable during tandem drafting while it goes faster through Daytona's corners ? turns narrower than Talladega's wide open grooves. Additionally, it's more unstable in the pack-racing scenario that NASCAR is looking for, creating more opportunities for trouble when bump-drafting techniques are carried out. Pack racing, in itself, is also somewhat of an unknown at Daytona due to the different car setup and lack of experience in those conditions on Daytona's new pavement in 2011.
Plug all these variables together ? plus the fact that many race teams are on edge about practicing full-race conditions ? and the recipe for what we saw Saturday night in Daytona seems about right. Fortunately, these drivers have light years more time of practice to get properly acclimated to the conditions ahead of the bright lights of Sunday's race.
They will practice Wednesday afternoon, have 150 miles of honest-to-goodness racing action during Thursday's Gatorade Duels qualifying races and more practice both Friday and Saturday.
There is a reason this group is paid to do what they do: pilot NASCAR Sprint Cup race cars. Sure, some mistakes and over aggressiveness will cause more wrecks this weekend, but don't expect to see a Daytona 500 produce torn sheet metal and broken dreams at the same rate�as the Budweiser Shootout.
Moving along, let's talk about a few other things of importance ahead of NASCAR's most exciting weekend.
HOT: I still can't get over Kyle Busch's saves during the Budweiser Shootout. I don't think any feat of driving can top it in 2012. That standard is very, very high.
NOT: It's a shame that ESPN couldn't find a single spot for Busch's on-track action in any of their "Top-10" best play countdowns this weekend. That's a thrilling sight for anyone who has ever driven an automobile, and NASCAR should rightfully expect a bit more help from an organization it calls a TV partner.
NOT: Staying on the TV topic, I've already had enough of Michael Waltrip and Danica Patrick on the Fox broadcast. Fortunately, Danica won't likely be a regular in-studio guest due to either her participation in the Sprint Cup event Fox is covering or her being long gone after her Nationwide duties are filled.
Waltrip, on the other hand, is already tiring me out. I like the guy and he's good for the sport, but overexposure is a very real thing and it's not helped by the blatant conflicts of interest he has in Sprint Cup that Fox seems to sweep under the rug.
NEUTRAL: Kurt Busch's new personality for television after his ouster from Penske Racing is hard to believe right now. It's interesting to watch, but you've got to think the bubble will burst at some point.
HOT: Do you realize Casey Mears will start on the outside of the front row for one of Thursday's Gatorade Duels? Mears, trying to string back together his NASCAR career, easily qualified for the Daytona 500 in startling fashion. Yet, he didn't get a whole lot of coverage from the Sunday qualifying broadcast.
That's unfortunate, because Mears' No. 13 may be the biggest underdog story so far at Daytona.
HOT: Give a call to the drivers in the ARCA race, won in thrilling fashion by Bobby Gerhart Saturday afternoon at Daytona. Normally a lesson in lump-in-your-throat wrecks due to inexperience, the event had mostly a green look to it until a big last-lap crash caused more by cars running out of fuel than bad driving. Kudos ? and if you get the chance to see one of their short-track races, consider me an endorser.
HOT: Finally, a call to NASCAR officials for their insistence ? even at the real cost of design criticism and probably lost enthusiasm from many fans ? for being so proactive in making race cars safe enough that Jeff Gordon can walk away unscathed from his big accident late in the going Saturday.
Nothing NASCAR does, short of making them race at 140 miles per hour, would have kept Gordon's car on the ground after the nasty front end lick on the Turn�4 fence. However, the car has been built with enough safety components to make sure that sudden stop and then violent tumble didn't hurt their star one bit.
That said, NASCAR is still toeing a line of safety that could easily be crossed if they lose interest in pressing for new and improved safety measures. Don't let crashes like Saturday's allow any guards to be laid down ? especially in the sport's major shift to directly accommodate fan demand.
See you in Daytona.
More Daytona 500 news
Drivers weigh in on Brad Keselowski?s Twitter fiesta
Just days after Brad Keselowski's Twitter tour de force, drivers took time at Phoenix to discuss the politics and ethics of carrying a phone in the car. And while no driver indicated he'd be following in Keselowski's footsteps and bringing a phone in the car, opinion broke down rather neatly into two camps.
On one hand, certain drivers said they had no problem with what Keselowski was doing. "Anything that gets the fans excited is good," Carl Edwards said. "I didn't realize we could have a phone in the car. I won't be taking a phone in the car, put it that way. But if it gets the fans more excited, more power to the guys doing it."
"I thought it was neat Brad got to do that," Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth said. "I know that was entertaining with the fans. I never had a phone in the car and I'm not going to start. But a red flag with two hours off? There's nothing wrong with tweeting and filling up some airtime."
On the other end of the spectrum, drivers worried about the advantage a phone could present. "I'm going to look for every app I can for mile-per-hour, GPS mapping, and anything I can find to put in my car," Kevin Harvick said. "I'm looking for it because I'm looking to outlaw this rule as fast as I can because I don't want to have to keep up with it. I have found a mile-per-hour app, so that'll be good down pit road."
"The social media aspect was great for the sport, great for Brad," Jeff Gordon said. "From that side of it, it's awesome that NASCAR is being that lenient. But I think the technology of phones these days is growing rapidly. There could be some things that NASCAR might need to pay attention to that might need to keep the phones out of the car."
"Where does it end?" asked Denny Hamlin, sounding a bit like your worried but slightly out-of-touch grandmother. "Do you text or tweet during cautions and then you look up and run into the guy behind you? ... If I'm thinking about winning the race, I'm not thinking about social media when I'm under that green flag or yellow flag or any of those conditions."
Keselowski, who indicated that he first brought along the phone to let his parents know he was OK after wrecks, had his own take: "You could definitely make an argument that a smartphone is a mini-computer," he said. "I could definitely see that. But it's not like I had it plugged into anything. You have fuel injection in the cars, but I don't know how you could use it to cheat, quite frankly."