Indy Car Info

Wednesday

Holden Turns to its Fans for the Thunder&#39;s Ad Campaign

Holden has official re-released the Holden Thunder Ute, which we all assume will eventually makes its way to the U.S. as the resurrection of the El Camino. With its reintroduction, Holden needed a new advertising campaign. With an advertising campaign comes the need for a new slogan, and ?The Ute, Americans are begging us to let ’em use it’? is just too long.

Well, Holden turned to its fans to come up with the new slogan, via everyone?s favorite medium, Facebook. Fortunately, those Aussie blokes are rather creative, as they came up with the slogan ?No backseat drivers.? That makes perfect sense, as the Thunder Ute has only two seats and a truck bed. It would have been a little more difficult had GM chosen to go the Subaru Brat route and put two seats in the bed. Then, you technical would have backseat drivers. You can even see the new ad slogan in use in the above Thunder Ute commercial.

For a refresher, the Ute Thunder comes standard with a 280-horsepower 3.6-liter V-6 standard and has an optional 360-horsepowerpower 6.0-liter V-8. It also has a special charcoal-colored 19-inch rims and a slew of other standard features.

Now the only question remaining is when will GM officially start ?leaking? information about the Thunder Ute coming to the U.S. as the El Camino? We are willing to put a dollar on it being here within five years. Then again, it was rumored to be returning with the previous Ute rendition, so we could be in for just a bunch of teasing and jealousy.

gallery: 2011 Holden Thunder Ute

Holden Turns to its Fans for the Thunder's Ad Campaign originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 26 June 2012 18:30 EST.

Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/holden-turns-to-its-fans-for-the-thunder-s-ad-campaign-ar131534.html

George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams

Tuesday

2012 Silverstone Moto3 Race Result: Three Men Battle To The Wire

Result:

Race Details

2012

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/4-WI6y-N3jI/2012_silverstone_moto3_race_result_three.html

Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh

Franchitti Day After Photo Shoot

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2012/05/franchitti-day-after-photo-shoot.html

Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball

Happy Hour: Which driver is next to break a long winless streak?

Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/one-liner at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face.

Admit it. You felt just the tiniest bit good for Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Sunday. Even if you hate the guy, you have to feel for him. And oh, Junior Nation: you have every right to rub it in our faces ... for a week.

And now, your letters. Guess what the topic is!

Congrats to Dale Jr. on his win. He becomes the second driver (Joey Logano) this year to snap a multi-year winless streak. This brings me to wonder if any other drivers with long dry spells can break out this year. The list of active drivers that have gone 2+ years without a win are:

Jamie McMurray - 56 races
Juan Montoya - 65 races
David Reutimann - 66 races
Mark Martin - 93 races
Jeff Burton - 128 races
Casey Mears - 177 races
Martin Truex Jr - 182 races
Joe Nemechek - 267 races
Bobby Labonte - 303 races

? John Davis

Great list there. Some of those surprised me a bit. It's really been 128 races since Burton won? Anyway, let's break it down. Of these guys, the only ones you'd seriously say are theoretically at the peak of their skills are McMurray, Montoya and Reutimann. Nemechek isn't going to win a race; he needs to start finishing them first. Labonte, Mears and Reutimann lack the equipment. Martin just doesn't seem to be able to finish. Burton has been on a long, long slide.

So that leaves Truex and the Ganassi boys. Both McMurray and Montoya have been a total mess for about the last three years. So I'm thinking Truex is the one most likely to break out and get that win. Of course, rain could throw all that into chaos. Expect these guys to stay out in anything short of a hurricane. And you? Which of these drivers do you project as the best bet to win next?

____________________

Junior has been really consistent and being very careful on his positions. Do we now consider him a title contender? He has the makings of one this year. I say he could be depending on winning more. but would like your opinion on it.

? Matt P.
Wynne

My opinion is that he's absolutely a title contender. Think of it this way: ironically, for a guy derided for so long as unable to escape the accolades of his name, he's now unable to escape the derision attached to it. If it were anybody, and I mean anybody, else with Junior's numbers this year, we'd be talking about him as a championship contender. But since it's Junior, we're waiting for the other shoe to drop ... and for him to run over his bare foot. I don't think he's a lock yet for the Cup; I'd put Johnson and Kenseth ahead of him, at least. But he's going to be in the Chase, he's going to have bonus points, and that's good news for Junior fans indeed.

____________________

Everyone has noticed that whenever a car gets out ahead of the pack by 2 or 3 seconds, then holds that lead the mysterious "debris caution" comes out. We've all talked about it, for good or bad it's really hard to deny that it happens. Junior was out in front by 4 seconds near the end of the race.... he was maintaining the lead.... Where was the flag?

In a weird way, it almost proves the damn things exist. ;-)

? Tim Palmer

Weeeeellll ... yes and no. There's an old line in the law about absence of evidence not being the same thing as evidence of absence. In other words, just because they didn't throw a caution flag this time doesn't mean the others weren't legit. (Stop laughing!) We've had several long-green-flag finishes this year, so this isn't entirely a surprise. But yes, short of a thermonuclear warhead going off in Turn 3, this race was going under green to the finish.

Jay? we need some investigative reporting here. Who was the hottie Dale Jr. kissed in victory lane? Inquiring NASCAR fans HAVE to know?

? No Name Given

Well, I don't know that I'd call Jimmie Johnson a hottie, but ... oh, you mean the girl. That was Junior's girlfriend. She does exist. We've covered her in these pages before. But we're finding out all this new info about Junior now! One day, we'll look back on the days when he was a goofy loser with some nostalgia, won't we?

____________________

What's wrong with NASCAR? Denny Hamlin asking his crew chief, "How hard do you want me to go for this win" with about 7 laps to go at Pocono should tell everyone clearly enough. The emphasis on winning races simply does not exist. I hate to single out Denny, but TNT broadcasting the driver-crew chief conversation should let everyone know where the priorities of the drivers are at.

? Lee Anderson
Fort Worth, TX

Yep, no two ways about it: points racing is the way of the future. Unless, of course, NASCAR were to jack up the points for winning/placing top 10 and/or reduce the penalty for finishing so low. Other than that, smart points racing is going to dominate.

_____________________

What on earth is wrong with Tony Eury Jr? He complained after the NNS race that the drivers weren't respecting Danica Patrick because "they hate losing to a girl." Far be it from me to point this out, but she hasn't beaten anybody. She has not once contended for a win yet. I watched the race and saw everything I usually see. Sure, in her second spin Austin Dillon took the air off her spoiler, but I think Tony Jr is just frustrated that she doesn't know how to do that to anybody else. There is a lot to learn about these cars aerodynamically and I think she is doing fine in her progression. But come on, Tony Jr - don't give her excuses like that!

S. Bilger
Seattle, WA

I get what you're saying, but technically speaking, every time she doesn't finish dead last, she IS beating somebody. That said, I would be surprised if Patrick didn't cringe a bit at those comments. The last thing she wants is to be judged as, is as a "girl racer." You're right, she doesn't need those excuses, and if she'd made them herself, she'd have been blasted. Anyway, there's an easy solution: start trading some paint and winning some races, Danica.

____________________

About Junior's victory at Michigan all I have is this to say, Jay: Please cover golf more often. You clearly have been the jinx all along.

Jeff "The Real Slim Sarge" Smith
Statesboro, GA

Seeing as how I was covering the US Open the last time Junior won, there might be something to that. Hey, 88: call me. I'm more than willing to play sick on weekends you need a win.

And on that note, we're out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com. You can find Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR coverage on Facebook right here, and you can follow me on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook here. Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/happy-hour-driver-next-break-long-winless-streak-220544786--nascar.html

Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra

"Speed dating" with the IndyCar drivers

Source: http://www.popoffvalve.com/2012/6/20/3104373/speed-dating-with-the-indycar-drivers

Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer

Monday

2012 Silverstone MotoGP Race Result: Impressive Victory After Hard-Fought Battle

Results and summary of the MotoGP race at Silverstone:

Race Details

2012

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/5BkvGN4Ju8A/2012_silverstone_motogp_race_result_impr.html

Derek Daly Christian Danner Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson

Yamaha XV1900A Midnight Star

The name alone already breathes a certain kind of mysterious aura to this Yamaha cruiser, the XV1900A Midnight Star.

With an essential neo-streamliner shape, fat alloys, pull-back handlebars, and a sparkling engine exterior, the XV1900A Midnight Star has the kind of dramatic looks to turn heads wherever you go.

Designed to be a classically styled cruising machine, the XV1900A captures the beauty of the age of the open road. Combine that with a powerful engine, impressive torque, handling, and comfort, and you have makings of a cruiser that always gets people’s attention.

Talking about the engine, the XV1900A Midnight Star is powered by a 1,854cc air-cooled, 4-valve, 4-stroke, 2-cylinder V-type engine that has been combined with a host of other technical flourishes, ensuring that the bike lives up to its claim as one of the most powerful bikes in its class.

The throbbing torque, the chromed-up style, and the very best of 21st century bike technology - the XV1900A Midnight Star is the ultimate blend of cutting-edge engineering and cool cruiser lifestyle wrapped up in one impressive package.

Find out more about the Yamaha XV1900A Midnight Star after the jump.

Yamaha XV1900A Midnight Star originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 25 June 2012 18:00 EST.

Source: http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/yamaha/2012-yamaha-xv1900a-midnight-star-ar130587.html

Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer

Photographer's Blog: This is No Sport for Old Men

Sometimes the guy in 6th place gets there with such style that his story is more compelling, more inspiring, and more enjoyable than the victor's. For me, the biggest story of Silverstone 2012 starts at least as early as Donington in 2008. James Toseland showed up to his home race in his rookie G.P. year to find the expected amount of media attention. It seemed in the days leading up the race that Toseland was on every front page in the country, and it also seemed impossible for any literate person in the U.K. not to know he was the local boy in the coming race at Donington Park. Not shy on courage, Toseland wore the English flag on his shoulders, literally, by appearing on Sunday in custom white leathers adorned with the red cross of St. George.

What unfolded as the race began was painful to watch, even as a foreigner. Toseland charged into the first turn at Redgate and crashed. He gathered himself and his bike up and continued on, far behind the race for the victory, but was cheered as he made his lonely way from grandstand to grandstand. At least local hopes for a good result had not been made to suffer for long.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/tyjObdcaWq0/photographer_s_blog_this_is_no_sport_for.html

Gary Brabham Jack Brabham† Bill Brack Ernesto Brambilla

Are We Seeing A New Lewis Hamilton?

An elated Lewis Hamilton stood tall atop the podium in Montreal, after his first victory of the campaign. Flanked by Lotus? Romain Grosjean and Sauber?s Sergio Perez, the Brit was elevated to top of the Drivers? Championship for the first time since Spa 2010. After becoming the 7th different winner in seven races, Hamilton?s 3rd [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/PgnpUpXJed8/are-we-seeing-a-new-lewis-hamilton

Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu

NASCAR Hall of Fame selection Cotton Owens passes away

Cotton Owens, who was recently voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame,�has died after a battle with cancer. He was 88.

Owens found success both as a driver and an owner. He scored Pontiac's first NASCAR victory in 1957 and as an owner he hired Junior Johnson, and later, David Pearson. Pearson won 27 races driving for Owens, as well as the 1966 season championship.

In 1970, Buddy Baker was the first driver to break 200 MPH in a NASCAR event when he did it at Talladega in Owens' car.

Our condolences go out to the Owens family. Owens will be officially enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame on February 8.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/nascar-hall-fame-selection-cotton-owens-passes-away-143727407.html

Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison

Sunday

Pocono?s new surface will be faster, but will it be better?

Drivers have been testing the new surface at Pocono this week in advance of Sunday's race, and if initial lap times are any indication, we're in for a far faster afternoon than we've had at Pocono in recent years.

The track was repaved for the first time since 1995, and while the track's surface hasn't always been the point of concern around here ? the three distinct corners are ? drivers were leery enough of the new changes that they showed up in droves for the testing this week. Many even jetted in and out of Pocono to meet their commitment to Tony Stewart's Eldora race.

The fastest driver in initial laps? Mark Martin, who got around the track at 175.380 mph. Besides Martin, 32 other drivers beat Ryan Newman's practice speed in 2001 of 170.026 mph. For comparison's sake, Kasey Kahne's qualifying record, set in 2004, was 172.533 mph back in 2004.

""For a new pavement surface, [Goodyear] did a good job matching the surface and the tire," said Denny Hamlin. "Really, we're just running in each other's snow tracks right now. There's a distinct line along the bottom of which you have to run and you can't get out of it. That part of it is going to be tough, but really it's going to be a fight for whoever gets position on each other into the corner. There will be a lot of drafting and things like that down the straightaway and you're going to see massive dive bombs going into the corner trying to get position. My estimation is you'll probably see a lot of excitement."

However, in a potentially ominous note (relatively speaking, of course), Hamlin noted that there's really only one strong line, the low one, and that there's not yet enough grip in the high line. Could that lead to a parade on Sunday? We shall see.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/pocono-surface-faster-better-193241633.html

Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini

Danica Patrick is now the face of women in sports, according to ESPN

Fire up those keyboards, Danica Patrick haters, because ESPN's given you a whole new reason to get angry. Patrick is the cover model for the magazine's "Women In Sports" issue.

Granted, this isn't an endorsement of Patrick as a superstar; this is, after all, the magazine that made the curious decision to paint Michael Vick in whiteface, among other peculiar editorial choices. But it is a recognition that, in this world, success in your chosen profession runs hand in hand with your ability to bring in eyeballs and dollars. In the latter metric, Patrick has almost no equal in racing and few in sports as a whole.

It's a simple calculation, really. Patrick's detractors can scream all they want, but the quieter masses have, so far, spoken far louder with their numbers (Patrick was Yahoo!'s most-searched athlete last year) than with angry message-board postings. Yes, Patrick gets more notice finishing 31st than most drivers get for winning. The Miami Heat, Tiger Woods, Notre Dame ... they all continue to draw attention that far outweighs their actual in-competition performance now.

We're in the midst of a three-year experiment with Ms. Patrick (Introduction, Ramping Up, Sprint Cup). Yeah, she's getting shoved down everyone's throats because of all the money that's at stake and invested in her performance. Can she become a top-flight stock car driver? Sure. Could she fall short, riding around with the rest of the better-than-most-but-not-good-enough crew? Absolutely.

Patrick is a pioneer, but not in the way that, say, Shirley Muldowney or Janice Guthrie were. Patrick is pioneering a new model of female-athlete-as-brand, where style often trumps substance (sometimes by a large margin). There's plenty to dislike about that model, yes. But for the moment, it's the standard. At least until the next Danica comes along ... and starts winning.

Related NASCAR news from Yahoo! Sports:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/danica-patrick-now-face-women-sports-according-espn-180629823.html

Bill Brack Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla Toni Branca

Tony Stewart gives his take on incident that led to Kurt Busch?s suspension

On Tuesday night, defending Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart hosted a special edition of his semi-annual "Tony Stewart Live" show on Sirius NASCAR Radio, and, of course, the topic of Kurt Busch and his suspension came up.

Busch was suspended by NASCAR on Monday for Sunday's race at Pocono for remarks he made to the Sporting News' Bob Pockrass for a question that was (legitimately and respectfully) posed to Busch about racing with Justin Allgaier after Saturday's Nationwide race.

As has been well documented, Stewart and the media have a relationship that can alternate between contentious and cordial seemingly dependent on the wind, humidity, Stewart's attitude or simply his choice of deodorant. So when Stewart offered up his view on Busch's response and the events surrounding it, you can probably guess the angle already.

Via Sirius XM:

It's sad but true. And honestly Kurt is right, Bob Pockrass is probably the biggest mixer in the whole media center.

Every time he interviews somebody it is strictly about something controversial, so that's just kind of his angle, but, you know, just because he asks you a question? the great thing I've learned is when it comes to Pockrass, if I don't ? if he asks me something that I know ? which 9 times out of 10 it's something that is going to make you frustrated, you just don't even answer it. Just go on to the next question.

Unfortunately there's too many of those guys out there but, I'll be honest, I liked his answer (chuckles). I kind of thought it was good when it pertains to Bob Pockrass. Bob's a decent guy, he just, there's so many good things to write about in our sport and there's a couple of reporters out there that strictly want to be tabloid journalists and unfortunately he's one of them.

Later, Stewart continued the discussion with Charlotte TV affiliate WSCO-TV's Alan Cavanna.

Let's get this out of the way: this entire situation should in no way be a referendum on Pockrass, no matter what Tony Stewart says. (Turning into such is a distraction from the larger issue.) Bob is not TMZ. Far from it. There's a reason he's respected by so many.

If you can separate Stewart's criticism of what he perceives to be unfair tactics, he's got a great point about the entire incident that could have kept Busch on the Pocono entry list. (Hint, it's answer B from Jay Busbee's post on Sunday.)

Journalists have an obligation to the public to ask questions about topics that at times may seem "controversial" to the newsmakers involved. And a lot of times, those "controversial" topics are the ones that are on many people's minds.

But guess what? The people who are asked the questions have no obligation to answer them. Had Busch simply said "no comment," thanked his sponsor, or talked about the how well the team and the guys back at the shop did, he avoids the topic fairly easily. And he's racing at Pocono. Instead, we're still discussing what should have been a fairly routine post-race interview from Saturday on Tuesday.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/tony-stewart-gives-incident-led-kurt-busch-suspension-035157934.html

Geoff Crossley Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas Derek Daly

Rookie Rule To Be Dropped For 2013

The rookie rule is to be dropped for the 2013 season. The Spanish daily El Pais is reporting that Dorna and IRTA had decided that the rule preventing MotoGP rookies from being signed to a factory team had to be scrapped due to the difficulties presented by the limited number of bikes available to ride. As a consequence, it was felt it was better to drop the rookie rule altogether, rather than create more problems for existing satellite teams by maintaining it.

The rule had outlived its usefulness, IRTA secretary Mike Trimby told MotoMatters.com. "The situation has changed," Trimby said. "There are far fewer opportunities for rookies now than there were when the Rookie Rule was introduced." In 2010, the first year of its introduction, there were three satellite Ducati seats, two satellite Yamaha seats and four satellite Honda seats available. In 2013, there will be just two satellite Yamahas and two satellite Hondas, with perhaps just a single satellite Ducati available, though Ducati team boss Alessandro Cicognani said that it was Ducati's intention to keep two satellite Ducatis if possible, and the factory was willing to look at pricing to help achieve that goal.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/nZDCl4y59b4/rookie_rule_to_be_dropped_for_2013.html

Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell Raul Boesel

F1 Rivalries: Ayrton Senna & Alain Prost

The late 1980?s saw fierce inter-team rivalries in Formula One, with Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell fighting for supremacy at Williams. However, that battle was overshadowed by one of the biggest sporting rivalries in history between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. The rivalry between the late, great Brazilian and the Frenchman known as ?The Professor?, [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/Pc63hl5AjRk/f1-rivalries-ayrton-senna-alain-prost

Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto