Wednesday 31 October 2012

Earnhardt Jr. ready to get back to work

Kyle Busch Ingo Hoffmann Out! Pet Care Toyota Jerry Hoyt Bruce Halford Yves Giraud Cabantous Kasey Kenneth Kahne William Ashton Lewis Jr

Williams declares its slump is over

Williams chief operations engineer Mark Gillan declared his team on top of its car problems after showing improved pace in India. Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna qualified ninth and 13th respectively for the Indian Grand Prix, but both made errors on their decisive laps, costing them as much as half a second. Since Maldonado qualified second for the Singapore GP , Williams has managed no better than 12th in Japan and Korea and Gillan admitted after those races that the team had some problems to solve .

Mika Häkkinen Paul Hawkins Kerry Dale Earnhardt Duncan Hamilton Tom Jones Christian Klien Kyle Busch Ingo Hoffmann

NYPD: 1,324 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, 14 Killed in September

Image: NYPD
Twenty-six people were killed in New York City traffic in September, and 4,674 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF].
Citywide, 13 pedestrians and one cyclist were fatally struck by drivers: six pedestrians in Manhattan; one pedestrian in the Bronx; three pedestrians in Brooklyn; and three pedestrians in Queens, where the [...]

Nanni Galli José Froilán González Elmer George Dave Kennedy Hans Klenk Keith Greene Brian Hart Juan Pablo Montoya

Perez surprised by qualifying result

Sergio Perez admits his qualifying pace came as a surprise after Sauber failed to break into the top 10 in any of the three practice sessions at the Buddh circuit.

Max Jean Emmanuel de Graffenried Robert Allen Labonte Mika Häkkinen Paul Hawkins Kerry Dale Earnhardt Duncan Hamilton Tom Jones

Abu Dhabi preview quotes: Marussia

Timo Glock: "Abu Dhabi is a special race.

Damon Hill racing info Georges Grignard Brad Keselowski Gary Hocking Jeremy Allan Mayfield Toyota Kimmy Yuji Ide

McLaren hindered by soft tyre issues

McLaren believes a lack of speed on the soft tyre ruined its chances of landing a podium finish in the Indian Grand Prix.

Christian Klien Kyle Busch Ingo Hoffmann Out! Pet Care Toyota Jerry Hoyt Bruce Halford Yves Giraud Cabantous Kasey Kenneth Kahne

Perfect Match: Metro Vancouver Melds Bikes and Transit

Last month Streetfilms took a look at how Vancouver is making big strides toward becoming a safe bicycling city. As we learned while in town for the Velo-City 2012 conference, the city government is not alone — it has a great partner in the regional transportation agency, TransLink, which provides transit service for 22 regional municipalities, plus funding [...]

James Christopher McMurray Maurício Gugelmin Oswald Karch Bobby Grim Ernst Klodwig Clint Bowyer Motorsport Armour Vienna Sausage Kroger Chevrolet

Long Green-Flag Runs Go Against The Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion At Charlotte

2012 No 21 Good Sam/Camping World Ford FusionTrevor Bayne and his No. 21 Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion hung onto the lead lap for the first third of Saturday’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but the race’s long stretches of green-flag racing worked against them and they came away with a 22nd-place...more»

The post Long Green-Flag Runs Go Against The Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion At Charlotte appeared first on Catchfence.

Related Stories:
  1. Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion To Start 16th At Charlotte
  2. Good Sam/Camping World Crew Ready To Make More Charlotte Memories
  3. Good Sam/Camping World Crew Carrying Momentum To Sponsor’s Home Track

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Carel Godin de Beaufort Lewis Hamilton Bertrand Gachot Ruby Tuesday Dodge Kamui Kobayashi Helmuth Koinigg nascar news

Tuesday 30 October 2012

NASCAR Royal Purple 300 Schedule for March 24, 2012 (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

The NASCAR Royal Purple 300 race is scheduled for Mar. 24, 2012, at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Qualifications will be at 1:30 p.m. EST with the actual race planned for 5 p.m. EST on Mar. 24. In 2011, Kyle Busch won the Royal Purple 300 while Carl Edwards was the pole...

nascar news Bruce Kessler Jacky Ickx Alan Jones Al Herman Floyd Anthony Raines Mike Hawthorn Walt Hansgen

Scion FR-S Tuner Challenge Yields Three Custom Show Cars, Only One Has Giant Wing [2012 SEMA Show]

Three months ago, Scion gave three custom-car builders each a 2013 Scion FR-S and a check for $15,000. Rather than spend the money on open track days and a pile of sticky rubber—how we’d spend $15K on a free FR-S—the three customizers decided to do what they do. The final products are making their live [...]

Kyle Eugene Petty Paul Goldsmith Eddie Irvine Hiroshi Fushida Ukyo Katayama Jim Hurtubise Jeffrey Michael Gordon Leslie Johnson

SEMA: Ford Racing debuts twin-turbo Mustang Cobra Jet Concept [w/video]

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Ford Racing Mustang Cobra Jet Concept

Last year at SEMA, Chevrolet absolutely stole the show with its COPO Camaro Concept. Not to be upstaged by their Bowtie counterparts, the boys over at the Blue Oval have countered with the car you see here, the Mustang Cobra Jet Concept. Built by Ford Racing and based on the 2013 Mustang Cobra Jet, this one-off racer features a pair of twin turbochargers attached to a 5.0-liter V8 using the same technology as Ford's EcoBoost engines.

While the current crop of Cobra Jets are plenty fast, running eight-second quarter miles in NHRA trim, Ford Racing says that the 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger currently used requires as much as 100 horsepower to operate - horsepower that isn't being delivered to the meaty rear tires. The turbos, however, provide a much lower parasitic loss in power. Relatively small turbos - similar to the ones used on the Focus ST - were also used on the concept, ensuring that there would be as little lag as possible.

Will we see a production version of the twin-turbo Mustang Cobra Jet Concept in the future? Perhaps, especially as the next generation Mustang has long been rumored to get an EcoBoost engine. Until then, check out the plethora of photos (both live and stock) of the car as well as a video of the Cobra Jet in action below.

Continue reading Ford Racing debuts twin-turbo Mustang Cobra Jet Concept [w/video]

Ford Racing debuts twin-turbo Mustang Cobra Jet Concept [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carl Michael Edwards III Kevin Harvick François Hesnault Miguel Ángel Guerra Mark Anthony Martin Jean Marc Gounon Nascar Cuth Harrison

Indian GP: Sebastian Vettel Wins With Sights On Title

Brian Hart Juan Pablo Montoya Peter de Klerk Cars Gimax Masten Gregory Cliff Griffith Peter Hirt

GLOBAL iPRINT NAMED OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF NHRA

NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. Jan. 4, 2012 Global iPrint, a premier printing and distribution company, has signed a three-year agreement to become the "Official Print Sponsor" of NHRA....

Dan Gurney Mack Hellings Kevin Paul Lepage Oscar González Rupert Keegan Carl Michael Edwards III Kevin Harvick François Hesnault

French GP in line for 2013 return

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is ready to sign a deal that could put the French Grand Prix back on the calendar next year. Just a week after the planned New Jersey race was postponed because the venue was not going to be ready in time, Ecclestone revealed in India on Sunday that a replacement race was on the cards.

Mike Harris Helm Glöckler Gregory Jack Biffle Dan Gurney Mack Hellings Kevin Paul Lepage Oscar González Rupert Keegan

Volkswagen Three-Row SUV to Debut at Detroit Auto Show in Concept Form

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Yesterday, we were able to confirm that Volkswagen will make a three-row SUV and that it will be sold and manufactured in the U.S. Today, we can tell you that Volkswagen will launch a three-row SUV concept at the Detroit auto show in January. Our sources familiar with the project confirm the [...]

Hans Klenk Keith Greene Brian Hart Juan Pablo Montoya Peter de Klerk Cars Gimax Masten Gregory

Pushrods in Perpetuity: Technology in Use Since 1886 is Still Kicking

The lowly pushrod has been a favorite fall guy for bad engine design. When any cam-in-block mill fails to produce adequate power, rpm, or fuel economy, how the valves are opened comes under scrutiny, in part because pushrods date to antiquity. More than a century ago, four-stroke engine pioneers Daimler, Benz, and Maybach used push- [...]

Helmuth Koinigg nascar news Bruce Kessler Jacky Ickx Alan Jones Al Herman Floyd Anthony Raines Mike Hawthorn

Monday 29 October 2012

Pushrods in Perpetuity: Technology in Use Since 1886 is Still Kicking

The lowly pushrod has been a favorite fall guy for bad engine design. When any cam-in-block mill fails to produce adequate power, rpm, or fuel economy, how the valves are opened comes under scrutiny, in part because pushrods date to antiquity. More than a century ago, four-stroke engine pioneers Daimler, Benz, and Maybach used push- [...]

Graham Hill Leo Kinnunen Parker Kligerman Paco Godia Hubert Hahne Oscar Alfredo Gálvez Nicolas Kiesa Nanni Galli

Faith on the Frontstretch: Who would you thank first in Victory Lane?

driving news Bill Holland Taki Inoue Howden Ganley Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Frank Gardner Nico Hülkenberg Willi Heeks

Video: Jimmie Johnson Kansas Crash, Gets Top 10 With Tape-Mobile

Ryan Joseph Newman Olivier Grouillard Gerino Gerini Alan Dennis Kulwicki Christian Goethals Jean Pierre Jabouille Billy Garrett Scott Russell Riggs

Colin Monahan Named Marketing Coordinator at Infineon Raceway

Infineon Raceway SONOMA, Calif. (Jan. 4, 2012) Colin Monahan has been named Marketing Coordinator at Infineon Raceway, raceway officials announced....

Yuji Ide Travis Wade Kvapil Bruno Giacomelli Graham Hill Leo Kinnunen Parker Kligerman Paco Godia Hubert Hahne

Martin, Vickers & Waltrip To Share No. 55 in 2013

Dan Gurney Mack Hellings Kevin Paul Lepage Oscar González Rupert Keegan Carl Michael Edwards III Kevin Harvick François Hesnault

Volkswagen Three-Row SUV to Debut at Detroit Auto Show in Concept Form

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Yesterday, we were able to confirm that Volkswagen will make a three-row SUV and that it will be sold and manufactured in the U.S. Today, we can tell you that Volkswagen will launch a three-row SUV concept at the Detroit auto show in January. Our sources familiar with the project confirm the [...]

Eddie Irvine Hiroshi Fushida Ukyo Katayama Jim Hurtubise Jeffrey Michael Gordon Leslie Johnson Al Keller Randy Joseph Lajoie

Remembering When Our Streets Belonged to Everyone

Just a few generations ago, streets were places of commerce and play, places to socialize, places where public life happened. The author of the Chicago-based Get Around Blog just finished reading Peter Norton’s book, Fighting Traffic, which outlines in fascinating-yet-depressing detail how the rise of the automobile rudely interrupted this whole way of life.
Children playing in [...]

Richie Ginther Mike Harris Helm Glöckler Gregory Jack Biffle Dan Gurney Mack Hellings Kevin Paul Lepage Oscar González

2012 Martinsville Cup Series Starting Lineup – Jimmie Johnson On Pole

1 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet 19.402 97.598 2 55 Brian Vickers MyClassicGarage.com Toyota 19.415 97.533 3 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Halloween Toyota 19.436 97.427 4 31 Jeff Burton Odyssey Battery / EnerSys Chevrolet 19.443 97.392 5 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota 19.445 97.382 6 17 Matt Kenseth Ford EcoBoost Ford 19.467 97.272 7 [...]

Beppe Gabbiani Jeffrey Tyler Burton Hans Heyer Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Carel Godin de Beaufort Lewis Hamilton Bertrand Gachot Ruby Tuesday Dodge

Sunday 28 October 2012

Pushrods in Perpetuity: Technology in Use Since 1886 is Still Kicking

The lowly pushrod has been a favorite fall guy for bad engine design. When any cam-in-block mill fails to produce adequate power, rpm, or fuel economy, how the valves are opened comes under scrutiny, in part because pushrods date to antiquity. More than a century ago, four-stroke engine pioneers Daimler, Benz, and Maybach used push- [...]

Nascar updates Naoki Hattori Jim Hall Jean Pierre Jarier Chris Irwin Kazuyoshi Hoshino Casey James Mears Charles Robert Hamilton IV

Volkswagen Three-Row SUV to Debut at Detroit Auto Show in Concept Form

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Yesterday, we were able to confirm that Volkswagen will make a three-row SUV and that it will be sold and manufactured in the U.S. Today, we can tell you that Volkswagen will launch a three-row SUV concept at the Detroit auto show in January. Our sources familiar with the project confirm the [...]

David Hobbs Sam Hanks Z Line Designs Toyota Olivier Gendebien Tony Gaze David Hampshire Jimmie Kenneth Johnson Geki

NYPD Snafu Means No Justice for Bronx Cyclist Left to Die in the Street

NYPD torpedoed its own investigation into the crash that killed a Bronx cyclist, whose death was not reported to the Accident Investigation Squad for over a month.
Joseph Nelson, 54, was riding his bike near the intersection of Fordham Road and Jerome Avenue on the afternoon of April 14 when he hit the open door of [...]

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Carel Godin de Beaufort Lewis Hamilton Bertrand Gachot Ruby Tuesday Dodge Kamui Kobayashi Helmuth Koinigg nascar news

MATT ARTIN JOINS NHRA AS DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS

NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. (Jan. 4, 2012) NHRA announced today that Matt Artin, an eight-year veteran in media planning, advertising and promotions, has joined the world's largest motorsports sanctioning body as director of advertising and promotions....

Jacky Ickx Alan Jones Al Herman Floyd Anthony Raines Mike Hawthorn Walt Hansgen Kevin Michael Harvick Copart Ford

Remembering When Our Streets Belonged to Everyone

Just a few generations ago, streets were places of commerce and play, places to socialize, places where public life happened. The author of the Chicago-based Get Around Blog just finished reading Peter Norton’s book, Fighting Traffic, which outlines in fascinating-yet-depressing detail how the rise of the automobile rudely interrupted this whole way of life.
Children playing in [...]

Frank Gardner Nico Hülkenberg Willi Heeks Aldo Gordini Juan Jover Timo Glock David Lee Blaney Karl Kling

Vettel quickest in opening India practice

Sebastian Vettel picked up in India where he left off in Korea, as he ended up fastest by more than 0.3s than the opposition in the first free practice session at the Buddh International Circuit. In an absorbing session, that for the most part promised a closely fought out weekend, Vettel's best lap, posted in the final five minutes, gave him a clear edge over Jenson Button and the German's chief championship rival Fernando Alonso

Z Line Designs Toyota Olivier Gendebien Tony Gaze David Hampshire Jimmie Kenneth Johnson Geki Narain Karthikeyan Kenny Dale Irwin Jr

Earnhardt Jr. ready to get back to work

Kurt Thomas Busch Horace Gould Heikki Kovalainen Z Line Toyota Masahiro Hasemi Bob Gerard Virgil Ernest Irvan III Drivers

Toyota leading fight against Mexican plan to align fuel economy standards with US

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Fuel-efficient cars might be nearly synonymous with Toyota here in the US, but in Mexico, the Japanese automaker is reportedly leading a fight in a dustup over more stringent automobile fuel efficiency regulations. Mexico's government is reportedly trying to make its own mile-per-gallon rules the same as those in the US as part of an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout its economy, but Toyota isn't taking too kindly to the proposed legislation.

Reuters reports that Toyota has obtained a federal court injunction against Nom-163, the law that would align Mexican regulations with US standards. Amia, the carmakers' association in Mexico, has joined Toyota because they say the rules are too strict and will reduce sales because automakers will have to charge more to develop these fuel-efficient cars. Amia also wants Mexican rules to have all of the incentives that the US rules do, and says "central Mexico's high altitude makes higher fuel efficiency harder to achieve," Reuters writes.

According to the report, the government figures that the industry just wants to continue selling dirty cars in Mexico, the kind that are are too dirty to be legally sold in other places. It's certainly not because the automakers can't make clean cars in the region - Mexico's environment undersecretary, Sandra Herrera Flores, points out that "Mexico exports 80 percent of all cars produced locally. From that, 75 percent head to U.S., Canada and Europe, so these vehicles already comply with regulations we are trying to pursue, or even tougher regulations." If the new rules are adopted, Mexico calculates that carbon dioxide emissions would decrease by 160 million tons by 2030.

There was a 60-day comment period for the new law, but Toyota instead filed its lawsuit in the Tribunal Federal de Justicia Fiscal y Administrativa in early September and, just a few weeks later, the court issued an injunction.

The National Resources Defense Council's Rich Kassel called Toyota's actions "truly stunning." He writes, "Toyota filed its lawsuit before the public comment period even closed. And, the company only filed short comments on the Mexican proposal late in the process. They have not issued any public statement that explains their actions. Indeed, they have never spoken publicly about any concerns whatsoever with the Mexican fuel economy proposal."

AutoblogGreen has solicited Toyota for comment on this story, but have not heard back as of publication time.

Toyota leading fight against Mexican plan to align fuel economy standards with US originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Denny Hamlin F1 info Gus Hutchison Michael Duane Bliss nascar info driving news Bill Holland Taki Inoue

Saturday 27 October 2012

Giammaria takes pole on debut

Raffaele Giammaria took a stunning pole position on his debut in the International Superstar Series at Pergusa in Sicily.

Racing news Piercarlo Ghinzani Jimmy Jackson Jason Leffler Kyle Eugene Petty Paul Goldsmith Eddie Irvine Hiroshi Fushida

De Puniet out to harry factory bikes

Randy de Puniet has pledged to try and put the factory MotoGP prototypes under as much pressure as he can after taking the best grid position for a CRT bike yet in Phillip Island qualifying. De Puniet will start ninth in the Australian Grand Prix on his Aspar Aprilia - the first time that CRT machine has made it into the top 10 in qualifying. Having been an extraordinary seventh overall in final practice, de Puniet managed to beat three of the four MotoGP Ducatis in qualifying

Juan Pablo Montoya Peter de Klerk Cars Gimax Masten Gregory Cliff Griffith Peter Hirt Theo Helfrich

Raikkonen: Lotus is being out-spent

Kimi Raikkonen says it is no surprise that Lotus has not been able to match the development rate of the bigger teams - because it simply does not have the resources to keep throwing money at upgrades. Lotus enjoyed a strong first half of the campaign, but found itself unable to keep that form up since the summer break and has fallen away from the pace of Red Bull and Ferrari in recent races.

Ukyo Katayama Jim Hurtubise Jeffrey Michael Gordon Leslie Johnson Al Keller Randy Joseph Lajoie Ken Kavanagh Jo Gartner

2012 Kansas Cup Series Starting Lineup – Kasey Kahne On Pole

1 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet Farmers Insurance 191.360 28.219 Leader 2 55 Mark Martin Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 191.238 28.237 -0.018 3 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 5-Hour Energy Benefiting Avon Foundation for Women 191.130 28.253 -0.034 4 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s Halloween 191.096 28.258 -0.039 5 43 Aric Almirola Ford Farmland 190.988 28.274 -0.055 [...]

Bertrand Gachot Ruby Tuesday Dodge Kamui Kobayashi Helmuth Koinigg nascar news Bruce Kessler Jacky Ickx Alan Jones

Photos: Friday at Martinsville Speedway

PHOTO CREDIT: NASCARMEDIA (USED WITH PERMISSION)

Carl Michael Edwards III Kevin Harvick François Hesnault Miguel Ángel Guerra Mark Anthony Martin Jean Marc Gounon Nascar Cuth Harrison

Hendrick Garage: Kansas

Out! Pet Care Toyota Jerry Hoyt Bruce Halford Yves Giraud Cabantous Kasey Kenneth Kahne William Ashton Lewis Jr Innes Ireland David Hobbs

Yamaha and PETRONAS Conclude MotoGP Partnership

Yamaha Racing Sunday, 01 Jan 2012 As 2011 draws to a close it marks the end of a successful partnership between Yamaha's Factory MotoGP Team and PETRONAS....

Theo Helfrich Kurt Thomas Busch Horace Gould Heikki Kovalainen Z Line Toyota Masahiro Hasemi Bob Gerard Virgil Ernest Irvan III

Today’s Headlines

Lhota: Islanders Fans Won’t Take Transit to Barclays? That’s “Complete and Unadulterated Bull” (WSJ)
AYR: Islanders’ Move Shows That Officials Should Have Driven a Harder Bargain With Ratner
Countdown Clocks Not Coming to Lettered Lines Anytime Soon (TransNat, News, DNA)
Subway Cell Service Will Expand in Manhattan and Queens in 2013 (Post)
L.I. State Senators Oppose Bronx Metro-North; They Need All [...]

Hans Klenk Keith Greene Brian Hart Juan Pablo Montoya Peter de Klerk Cars Gimax Masten Gregory

Friday 26 October 2012

Vettel quickest in opening India practice

Sebastian Vettel picked up in India where he left off in Korea, as he ended up fastest by more than 0.3s than the opposition in the first free practice session at the Buddh International Circuit. In an absorbing session, that for the most part promised a closely fought out weekend, Vettel's best lap, posted in the final five minutes, gave him a clear edge over Jenson Button and the German's chief championship rival Fernando Alonso

Beppe Gabbiani Jeffrey Tyler Burton Hans Heyer Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Carel Godin de Beaufort Lewis Hamilton Bertrand Gachot Ruby Tuesday Dodge

Toyota leading fight against Mexican plan to align fuel economy standards with US

Filed under: , , ,



Fuel-efficient cars might be nearly synonymous with Toyota here in the US, but in Mexico, the Japanese automaker is reportedly leading a fight in a dustup over more stringent automobile fuel efficiency regulations. Mexico's government is reportedly trying to make its own mile-per-gallon rules the same as those in the US as part of an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout its economy, but Toyota isn't taking too kindly to the proposed legislation.

Reuters reports that Toyota has obtained a federal court injunction against Nom-163, the law that would align Mexican regulations with US standards. Amia, the carmakers' association in Mexico, has joined Toyota because they say the rules are too strict and will reduce sales because automakers will have to charge more to develop these fuel-efficient cars. Amia also wants Mexican rules to have all of the incentives that the US rules do, and says "central Mexico's high altitude makes higher fuel efficiency harder to achieve," Reuters writes.

According to the report, the government figures that the industry just wants to continue selling dirty cars in Mexico, the kind that are are too dirty to be legally sold in other places. It's certainly not because the automakers can't make clean cars in the region - Mexico's environment undersecretary, Sandra Herrera Flores, points out that "Mexico exports 80 percent of all cars produced locally. From that, 75 percent head to U.S., Canada and Europe, so these vehicles already comply with regulations we are trying to pursue, or even tougher regulations." If the new rules are adopted, Mexico calculates that carbon dioxide emissions would decrease by 160 million tons by 2030.

There was a 60-day comment period for the new law, but Toyota instead filed its lawsuit in the Tribunal Federal de Justicia Fiscal y Administrativa in early September and, just a few weeks later, the court issued an injunction.

The National Resources Defense Council's Rich Kassel called Toyota's actions "truly stunning." He writes, "Toyota filed its lawsuit before the public comment period even closed. And, the company only filed short comments on the Mexican proposal late in the process. They have not issued any public statement that explains their actions. Indeed, they have never spoken publicly about any concerns whatsoever with the Mexican fuel economy proposal."

AutoblogGreen has solicited Toyota for comment on this story, but have not heard back as of publication time.

Toyota leading fight against Mexican plan to align fuel economy standards with US originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bruno Giacomelli Graham Hill Leo Kinnunen Parker Kligerman Paco Godia Hubert Hahne Oscar Alfredo Gálvez Nicolas Kiesa

Long Green-Flag Runs Go Against The Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion At Charlotte

2012 No 21 Good Sam/Camping World Ford FusionTrevor Bayne and his No. 21 Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion hung onto the lead lap for the first third of Saturday’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but the race’s long stretches of green-flag racing worked against them and they came away with a 22nd-place...more»

The post Long Green-Flag Runs Go Against The Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion At Charlotte appeared first on Catchfence.

Related Stories:
  1. Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion To Start 16th At Charlotte
  2. Good Sam/Camping World Crew Ready To Make More Charlotte Memories
  3. Good Sam/Camping World Crew Carrying Momentum To Sponsor’s Home Track

Loris Kessel Stefan Johansson Damon Hill racing info Georges Grignard Brad Keselowski Gary Hocking Jeremy Allan Mayfield

Smoke Signals: Stewart keeps Chase hopes alive with fifth-place finish

Bruce Halford Yves Giraud Cabantous Kasey Kenneth Kahne William Ashton Lewis Jr Innes Ireland David Hobbs Sam Hanks Z Line Designs Toyota

Stoner plays down home win chances

Casey Stoner has played down his chances of a sixth consecutive Australian Grand Prix win - due to both his physical condition and handling problems with his Honda. The double MotoGP champion is undefeated at Phillip Island since 2007, and will be making his final home appearance this weekend before retiring from the sport following the Valencia season finale a fortnight later

Bertrand Gachot Ruby Tuesday Dodge Kamui Kobayashi Helmuth Koinigg nascar news Bruce Kessler Jacky Ickx Alan Jones

Volkswagen Three-Row SUV to Debut at Detroit Auto Show in Concept Form

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Yesterday, we were able to confirm that Volkswagen will make a three-row SUV and that it will be sold and manufactured in the U.S. Today, we can tell you that Volkswagen will launch a three-row SUV concept at the Detroit auto show in January. Our sources familiar with the project confirm the [...]

Kyle Thomas Busch Jackie Holmes Joe James Denny Hamlin F1 info Gus Hutchison Michael Duane Bliss nascar info

Video: Artist Liu Bolin helps Ford Fusion stand out by making rivals blend in

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Artist Liu Bolin works his magic on Ford Fusion competitors - video screencap

Liu Bolin, the world-renowned Chinese artist famous for painting himself to camouflage into the background of an image, has teamed up with Ford for its latest advertisement for the 2013 Ford Fusion. The print ads aim to highlight how the styling of the new Fusion makes other midsize sedan "disappear." (The obvious joke here would be, "Does it really take this much work to make the Toyota Camry look invisible?"). The easy way out for the Blue Oval would've been to turn to computer programmers to work their magic, but instead, Ford opted to turn to the master illusionist.

Bolin worked with Ford to take Fusion rivals like the Volkswagen Passat, Camry and Honda Accord (and, for some reason, an Audi A4) and paint them to blend into various backgrounds right down to the landscaping, buildings and sidewalks. Ford has thoughtfully provided us with a time lapse video from a few different angles, but there's no telling how long each shot actually took to create in real time.

You'll probably start seeing these print ads showing up in magazines pretty soon, but you can see a making-of video below and then check out one of the campaign's first print ads below.

Continue reading Artist Liu Bolin helps Ford Fusion stand out by making rivals blend in

Artist Liu Bolin helps Ford Fusion stand out by making rivals blend in originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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nascar news Bruce Kessler Jacky Ickx Alan Jones Al Herman Floyd Anthony Raines Mike Hawthorn Walt Hansgen

Di Resta had hoped to land top seat

Paul di Resta admits he was disappointed after missing out on the chance to land a racing seat with a top Formula 1 team for 2013. The Scot looks set to stay at Force India for another year, despite his name having been linked with teams like McLaren before the British squad announced Sergio Perez as Lewis Hamilton's replacement . Di Resta concedes he was hoping to drive for a team with which he would be able to fight for race wins, but insisted he saw the positives of staying at Force India

Michael Duane Bliss nascar info driving news Bill Holland Taki Inoue Howden Ganley Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Frank Gardner

Thursday 25 October 2012

Turner and Brown win at Spa

Sixteen members of the Red Sox Racing League traveled to the Circuit De Spa GP road course in Belgium for the “Belgium GP at SPA” during week seven of the 2012 Season Three schedule.  The historic track was designed in the early 1920s and follows a triangle shaped route between Francorchamps, Malmedy, and Stavelot.  First laid out by European aristocrats, the scenic route is located in the Ardennes and offers drivers and fans stunning views of the mountain terrain. Defending Class A champion Brad Vincent was unable to make the trip missing his first start of the season.  Likewise, three time Class B winner Paul Hesla pulled out after qualifying when a seat opened up in the iRacing.com Grand Am Sports Car Series.  The rest of the field took full [...]

Armour Vienna Sausage Kroger Chevrolet Gene Hartley Denny Hulme Marc Gené Richie Ginther Mike Harris Helm Glöckler Gregory Jack Biffle

Marcos Ambrose 2012 NSCS Bank of America 500 Post-Race Report

Marcos AmbroseMarcos Ambrose, No. 9 Stanley Ford Starting Position: 18 Finishing Position: 33 Marcos Ambrose started the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway from the 18th position. Just two laps into the initial green-flag run, Ambrose relayed to his team that his Stanley Ford was very loose. Fighting an ill-handling car, Ambrose slipped back several...more»

The post Marcos Ambrose 2012 NSCS Bank of America 500 Post-Race Report appeared first on Catchfence.

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  2. Marcos Ambrose 2012 NSCS Pure Michigan 400 Post-Race Report
  3. Marcos Ambrose, 2012 NSCS FedEx 400 Post-Race Notes & Quotes

Horace Gould Heikki Kovalainen Z Line Toyota Masahiro Hasemi Bob Gerard Virgil Ernest Irvan III Drivers Lucas di Grassi

Hamilton fastest in Malaysian GP practice (PA SportsTicker)

By CHRIS LINES AP Auto Racing Writer

F1 info Gus Hutchison Michael Duane Bliss nascar info driving news Bill Holland Taki Inoue Howden Ganley

Opinion: Is Toyota unstoppable?

Filed under:

Big T Is Back Despite Recalls, Earthquakes And Politics



Can anything slow Toyota down? Only a couple of years ago, the Japanese giant seemed as vulnerable as a sumo wrestler with vertigo as it struggled to explain away a series of safety and quality snafus that forced it to recall an unprecedented 14 million vehicles worldwide. Then, just it was getting back on its feet, the maker was body-slammed by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that all but shut down the Japanese auto industry, leaving the industry giant struggling under severe inventory shortages for the rest of the year.

Only a couple of years ago, the Japanese giant seemed as vulnerable as a sumo wrestler with vertigo.

Yet, just like that sumo wrestler, Toyota has repeatedly shaken off the hardest hits. Despite somewhat mixed reviews, its Camry has continued to dominate the midsize passenger car segment - helping Toyota drive sales gains that have, in recent months, run triple the pace of the overall US automotive recovery.

In fact, Toyota's loyalty rate is once again setting the industry benchmark, according to a new study by Experian Automotive, something that suggests the recent sales surge is more than just pent-up demand as buyers catch up after the shortages of 2011.

So, what to make of the unexpected move by Standard & Poors, the influential financial ratings agency, which this month downgraded the maker's stock from a "Hold" to "Buy" rating? Now, to be sure, this was no panic move. S&P didn't tell investors to dump Toyota and race somewhere else with their money. No one is expecting the sort of financial collapse that accompanied the descent into bankruptcy at General Motors and Chrysler during the latter half of the past decade. But for those who thought Toyota was, indeed invulnerable, the downgrade may be hard to reconcile.


Paul EisensteinPaul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of TheDetroitBureau.com and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.


Continue reading Is Toyota unstoppable?

Is Toyota unstoppable? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scott Russell Riggs David Carl Allison Brian Gubby Eddie Keizan Kyle Thomas Busch Jackie Holmes Joe James Denny Hamlin

Allmendinger stays on at Phoenix

AJ Allmendinger will stay with Phoenix Racing for this weekend's NASCAR Sprint cup round at Martinsville Speedway. The former Penske driver was reinstated by NASCAR last month following a suspension for using banned substances.

Mike Harris Helm Glöckler Gregory Jack Biffle Dan Gurney Mack Hellings Kevin Paul Lepage Oscar González Rupert Keegan

Danica Patrick Returns to Cup Series for Kansas Double

Danica Patrick will make her eighth of 10 scheduled starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Sunday at Kansas Speedway. She will be doing double duty also competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series where she moved to 10th in the standings after an 11th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Fred Gamble James Hunt Trevor Bayne Racing news Piercarlo Ghinzani Jimmy Jackson Jason Leffler Kyle Eugene Petty

NHRA JR. DRAG RACING LEAGUE CONFERENCE FINALS RETURNING TO DENVER, BRISTOL FOR 20TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2012

NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. Dec. 20, 2011 To help kick off the 20th Anniversary celebration of the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA announced today that the Western Conference Finals and Eastern Conference Finals will once again return to Bandimere Speedway...

Ukyo Katayama Jim Hurtubise Jeffrey Michael Gordon Leslie Johnson Al Keller Randy Joseph Lajoie Ken Kavanagh Jo Gartner

Ford Unveils Trio of Tuned F-Series Trucks [2012 SEMA Show]

Ford continues its piecemeal unveiling of the cars it is sending to this year’s SEMA show with an advanced look at three customized F-series pickups. The F-150 was refreshed for 2013, and two of the three trucks listed here are based on the new truck; the third pickup is a thoroughly customized 2012 Super Duty [...]

Jo Gartner Max Jean Emmanuel de Graffenried Robert Allen Labonte Mika Häkkinen Paul Hawkins Kerry Dale Earnhardt Duncan Hamilton

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Smoke Signals: Stewart keeps Chase hopes alive with fifth-place finish

Horace Gould Heikki Kovalainen Z Line Toyota Masahiro Hasemi Bob Gerard Virgil Ernest Irvan III Drivers Lucas di Grassi

Eyes on the Street: New Stripes for Pedestrians and Cyclists in Central Park

Workers applying bicycle markings on West Drive in the 80s. Photo: Rod Huntress
Last month, Streetsblog reported that the Central Park loop would be getting a new lane configuration to clarify where pedestrians and cyclists belong, similar to changes recently implemented in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Less than 30 days after the announcement, walkers, joggers, and bike riders [...]

Sam Hanks Z Line Designs Toyota Olivier Gendebien Tony Gaze David Hampshire Jimmie Kenneth Johnson Geki Narain Karthikeyan

Hamilton fastest in Malaysian GP practice (PA SportsTicker)

By CHRIS LINES AP Auto Racing Writer

Al Keller Randy Joseph Lajoie Ken Kavanagh Jo Gartner Max Jean Emmanuel de Graffenried Robert Allen Labonte Mika Häkkinen

Video: Danica Patrick Retaliation Attempt Goes Wrong At Kansas

Danica Patrick did not approve of the way Landon Cassill was racing her, but when she attempted to react, she ended up in the fence.

Gene Hartley Denny Hulme Marc Gené Richie Ginther Mike Harris Helm Glöckler Gregory Jack Biffle Dan Gurney

Munoz set for 2013 Indy 500 debut

Carlos Munoz is set to make his IndyCar debut at next year's Indianapolis 500 with Andretti Autosport. The 20-year-old Colombian has joined the team for a full-time campaign in Indy Lights next year, having won twice on his way to fifth in this year's standings with rival squad Team Moore Racing.

Armour Vienna Sausage Kroger Chevrolet Gene Hartley Denny Hulme Marc Gené Richie Ginther Mike Harris Helm Glöckler Gregory Jack Biffle

Shedden: I’ll need to improve for 2013

Newly-crowned British Touring Car champion Gordon Shedden believes he will have to be even better next year to retain his crown. Shedden took eight wins on his way to securing his first BTCC title at Brands Hatch last weekend in his works NGTC Honda Civic. Team boss Steve Neal has already tipped the 33-year-old to take more titles, but Shedden believes he will have to up his game to beat the likes of team-mate Matt Neal and MG star Jason Plato in future.

Kevin Harvick François Hesnault Miguel Ángel Guerra Mark Anthony Martin Jean Marc Gounon Nascar Cuth Harrison Loris Kessel

Hirvonen closes on first Citroen win

Mikko Hirvonen remains in control of Rally d'Italia as the top three drive conservatively in the wake of Friday's drama. With Sebastien Loeb, Jari-Matti Latvala, Petter Solberg and Thierry Neuville all crashing on the opening leg, Hirvonen was left with a golden opportunity to take his first World Rally Championship win for Citroen, with a one-minute cushion over M-Sport's Evgeny Novikov. As Novikov holds a similar margin over his team-mate Ott Tanak, the leading trio all began Saturday focusing on taking it very carefully - although Novikov still managed a stage win.

Rupert Keegan Carl Michael Edwards III Kevin Harvick François Hesnault Miguel Ángel Guerra Mark Anthony Martin Jean Marc Gounon Nascar

Stoner plays down home win chances

Casey Stoner has played down his chances of a sixth consecutive Australian Grand Prix win - due to both his physical condition and handling problems with his Honda. The double MotoGP champion is undefeated at Phillip Island since 2007, and will be making his final home appearance this weekend before retiring from the sport following the Valencia season finale a fortnight later

William Clyde Elliott Nascar updates Naoki Hattori Jim Hall Jean Pierre Jarier Chris Irwin Kazuyoshi Hoshino Casey James Mears

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Todt ‘will not play dictator role’

Jean Todt insists his role as FIA President should not be a dictatorship which 'erodes' the value of Formula 1. On the eve of a Paris meeting between the FIA, FOM and the teams, aimed at framing a new Concorde agreement, Todt said the FIA would not surrender control of key issues but that it must also remain 'respected'.

Joe James Denny Hamlin F1 info Gus Hutchison Michael Duane Bliss nascar info driving news Bill Holland

2012 Kansas Cup Series Starting Lineup – Kasey Kahne On Pole

1 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet Farmers Insurance 191.360 28.219 Leader 2 55 Mark Martin Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 191.238 28.237 -0.018 3 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 5-Hour Energy Benefiting Avon Foundation for Women 191.130 28.253 -0.034 4 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s Halloween 191.096 28.258 -0.039 5 43 Aric Almirola Ford Farmland 190.988 28.274 -0.055 [...]

Trevor Bayne Racing news Piercarlo Ghinzani Jimmy Jackson Jason Leffler Kyle Eugene Petty Paul Goldsmith Eddie Irvine

Join Us for the Streetsblog and Streetfilms Benefit Next Friday

The Streetsblog and Streetfilms annual benefit is fast approaching, and if you don’t have a ticket yet, now’s the time to snag one.
We’ll be honoring one of NYC’s true livable streets champions, City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, at WNYC’s The Greene Space. The Streetfilms crew has helpfully condensed the evening’s agenda into this short preview [...]

Robert Allen Labonte Mika Häkkinen Paul Hawkins Kerry Dale Earnhardt Duncan Hamilton Tom Jones Christian Klien Kyle Busch

Kenseth wins eventful Kansas race

Matt Kenseth claimed his third NASCAR Sprint Cup victory of the season in Sunday's Chase round at Kansas, despite early contact with the wall.

David Lee Blaney Karl Kling Sterling Burton Marlin Jesús Iglesias Driving info Charles Robert Hamilton V Dale Arnold Jarrett Fred Gamble

Richard Childress Racing 2012 NSCS Bank of America 500 Post-Race Reports

Richard Childress Racing (RCR)RCR Post Race Report: Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Race Highlights: Richard Childress Racing teammates finished 11th (Kevin Harvick), 27th (Paul Menard) and 28th (Jeff Burton). According to NASCAR’s Post-Race Loop Data Statistics, Harvick completed the sixth-most Green Flag Passes (131) during the 334-lap event, with 76 coming while...more»

The post Richard Childress Racing 2012 NSCS Bank of America 500 Post-Race Reports appeared first on Catchfence.

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Ingo Hoffmann Out! Pet Care Toyota Jerry Hoyt Bruce Halford Yves Giraud Cabantous Kasey Kenneth Kahne William Ashton Lewis Jr Innes Ireland

Jordan lowers benchmark at Brands

Andrew Jordan topped the second British Touring Car free practice session on the Brands Hatch GP circuit. The Eurotech Honda driver was quickest on the drying track heading into the final few minutes before a whole series of improvements shuffled the order

Alan Jones Al Herman Floyd Anthony Raines Mike Hawthorn Walt Hansgen Kevin Michael Harvick Copart Ford Zaxby s Chevrolet

Stoner plays down home win chances

Casey Stoner has played down his chances of a sixth consecutive Australian Grand Prix win - due to both his physical condition and handling problems with his Honda. The double MotoGP champion is undefeated at Phillip Island since 2007, and will be making his final home appearance this weekend before retiring from the sport following the Valencia season finale a fortnight later

Travis Wade Kvapil Bruno Giacomelli Graham Hill Leo Kinnunen Parker Kligerman Paco Godia Hubert Hahne Oscar Alfredo Gálvez

Earnhardt Jr nears Cup injury return

Dale Earnhardt Jr's team is confident he will be given the green light to return to competitive NASCAR Sprint Cup action once he has completed a test run this Monday. The Hendrick Motorsports driver sat out the last two Cup races following a concussion diagnosis in the aftermath of a last-lap crash at Talladega, which happened around six weeks after he had suffered a first hit while testing at Kansas Speedway

François Hesnault Miguel Ángel Guerra Mark Anthony Martin Jean Marc Gounon Nascar Cuth Harrison Loris Kessel Stefan Johansson

Monday 22 October 2012

Study: Protected Bike Lanes Reduce Injury Risk Up to 90 Percent

This diagram shows that as bike infrastructure becomes progressively more separate from vehicular traffic, the risk of injury generally declines, while the appeal of the route to cyclists tends to increase. Image: I Bike TO
A study by researchers at the University of British Columbia provides compelling new evidence that bike infrastructure makes cyclists safer — [...]

Casey James Mears Charles Robert Hamilton IV Cecil Green Roberto Guerrero Terrence Lee Labonte Eddie Johnson F1 Divina Galica