Nurburgweak

It had been 31 years since a modern F1 car was driven on the legendary Nurburgring. Arguably the greatest track in the world, the Nurburgring is used extensively by auto manufacturers for testing new models. 13 miles in length and consisting of more than 150 corners, the track takes years to master.

Track records and lap times are posted around the Internet, and provide something of the Ultimate Benchmark of overall car performance and speed. In 1975, Niki Lauda put down a blistering lap of 6:58.6 in his Ferrari 312 B3 during that year's German GP.

As reported by SpeedTV.com, and with video at Jalopnik, BMW recently took their 2006 F1 entry to the Nurburgring, giving Nick Heidfeld the opportunity to put one of the fastest and best-handling cars in automotive history to the ultimate test in BMW's backyard.

The result? A best effort of 8:34. How could the pinnacle of automotive achievement post such a slow time? Heidfeld, after receiving the keys to the track and the car, also received orders to go easy, and pose for mid-lap photos. On all three of the laps he was allowed to run.

Opportunities to run modern F1 cars on the Nurburgring are too rare as it is, and for BMW to squander theirs with a photo shoot is absurd.

12 Hours of Sebring Decided by .2 Seconds

The 12 hours of Sebring is the first event in the 2007 American LeMans Series calendar, and is a mainstay of American road racing. Huge names, from Andretti to Foyt to Rahal, have been victorious at the legendary Floridian airport course.
The 2007 field was criticized for thin P1 and GT1 competition, but the P2 and GT2 classes were robust and the action was intense. The 12 hour race had many highlights, including a dramatic Ferrari engine fire, but the grand finale was the GT2 class finish.
Jamie Melo in the Risi Competizione Ferrari 430 had been holding off Jorg Bergmeister in the Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 for hours, but with only a few minutes to go the 911 had fresh tires and a fresh driver to take on the weary Melo and his worn rubber. The two crossed the finish line just ahead of the lead Audi R10 with only half a second between them, the Ferrari leading the charging Porsche. As the Audi crossed the line to take the overall victory, the two most successful marques in Sebring history were set to to do battle for one of the most exciting laps in recent memory. The following video shows the dramatic fight that carried on literally right to the finish line.

Cadillac Drivers' Log

GM has expanded their foray into the blogosphere with the addition of the Cadillac Drivers' Log, written by two members of the CTS development team. Lead Development Engineer Rob Kotorak and Assistant Chief Engineer Liz Philibosian relate stories from their time testing the CTS in various climates and conditions, most recently the frigid cold of Kinross, MI.
The blog provides a unique, albeit sparse, look into the testing process and if nothing else is a source of some entertaining pictures of CTSs at, and past, their handling limits.

Toyta Recalls

According to a January 19 article in Brandweek,Toyota has launched a recall of over 500,000 vehicles due to a steering system fault. Bill Kwong, a Toyota representative, attributes the high number to Toyota's platform sharing, wherein various models share parts and structures.
Toyota, long seen as a bastion of quality and pioneers of manufacturing technique, have battled recalls for years; In 2005, the automaker recalled a whopping 2.4 million vehicles, 200,000 more than it sold. The numbers appear to be moving in the right direction, however, as recalls dropped to just over 750,000 last year while sales cleared the 2.5 million mark. This latest recall, and a recent class action lawsuit settlement over engine sludge allegedly affecting over 4 million vehicles, seem to indicate Toyota is far from in the clear, even after implementing stricter internal quality mandates following 2005.
As Toyota aims to overtake Ford to become the 2nd-largest automaker in the U.S., their ability to expand effectively and continue to maintain their image of quality will be crucial.

Christiano da Matta's Condition Improving

Christiano da Matta collided with a deer while testing at Road America on August 13th. da Matta sustained serious head injuries, including a subdural hematoma, and until recently was in the ICU at the Theeda Clark Medical Center in Wisconsin. Fortunately the expert medical staff on hand at Road America and at Theeda Clark responded quickly and effectively, saving Christiano's life.
On August 20th, Christiano was moved out of the ICU, and recently has become significantly more responsive to verbal commands and other stimuli. The extent of the damage, and therefore the speed and possibility of recovery, have yet to be determined, but his progress has been encouraging and the possibility exists for a full recovery.

-----UPDATE-----
Chistiano da Matta was released from the Theda Clark Medical Center and flown to his Miami home on September 22nd, according to a Champ Car World Series news report. His condition has shown steady and encouraging improvement, although no timetable has been set for his return, if any, to Champ Car.

The 2007 Jeep Wrangler: A Dead Breed.

If you have not seen the pictures or read an article about the new 2007 Jeep Wrangler, then you are in for an eye opener. We all know Jeeps, rugged, go anywhere, look-I-was-made-for-WWII use. I myself own a 2004 Wrangler, custom built from the factory. Since reading and looking at photos of the new design of the Wrangler I have been annoyed and also inspired. First off let us look at the exterior.

The first noticeable item is the new front bumper. No longer will you find the flat steel, but plastic with integrated fog lamps. Moving onto the next phase of the ‘07’ larger wheels. Starting at 16” but also can be 17” and 18”. I’m sorry I don’t need “bling bling” wheels on a Jeep. I’ll stick to my 15” wheel with big tires. The new Jeep is a wider stance which is nice, except on those tight trails. The new features which I do like are the slightly curved body panels. They do still look like flat steel but add to the strength of the Jeep and also aerodynamics. One other feature they change has been the windshield. This something on the fringe for me, you get used to the flat, insect killing, rock attracting Jeep windshield in the older models. This new design incorporates a new “slightly” curved windshield to help with the overall aerodynamics of the Wrangler. Let take a look at the inside of the cabin.

Features, features, features is the world we live in now. Navigation, stereos, let face it toys. Yet again the Jeep itself is a toy. The interior is even more modern than the last redesign, the TJ “97 -06”. Larger, more roomy space is nice. The dash has more of Jeep Cherokee feel than the traditional military feel. Nice ideas and movements of part would be the middle air vents being mid mounted in the dash. That’s right below the stereo. Not a bad idea for those pesky winter months. Some of the new toys to be found the 07 wrangler are navigation system, larger glove box storage, power winders and locks (not so military with that one), larger seats, sound absorbing carpets for the 368 watt stereo with 6 speakers and subwoofer (little overkill unless you drive a Hummer H2), under the cargo floor storage bin (now that’s military), as well as a crap load of airbags. We all love upgrades and this new Jeep has a few.

The last large change to the 07 Jeep Wrangler is the engine. Gone is the 4.0L straight 6, dating back to the Stone Age it seems. The new 2007 is powered by a 3.8L V6 based off of the Jeep Liberty’s power plant, creating 205HP and 240lb-ft. Other new feature include electronic sway bar disconnects, 32 Inch BF Goodrich tires, and more suspension travel for improved departure angles while offroading.

With all of these new features and designs, the 2007 Jeep Wrangler claims to be “In a class all its own.” which is true. Gone are the days of the Military Jeep. Due to new laws for safety the Jeep had to change, which in my mind is quite unfortunate. I, like many others, like to pay some homage to the WWII vets that built and drove these machines into battle. Looks like those days are gone.

Take a look at some links below for images and articles.

http://www.jeep.com/07wrangler/
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/futuremodel.aspx?familyid=658&pictureid=0&usage=usage
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z10845/Jeep_Wrangler/default.aspx

Danica Patrick to Andretti-Green Racing

Not to be outdone by Champ Car's A.J. Allmendinger or F1-turned-NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya, on Tuesday the IRL's Danica Patrick announced her signing with Andretti Green Racing for the 2007 season.
Patrick was signed by Bobby Rahal five years ago and led the 2005 Indy 500 with Rahal Letterman Racing, however the team's plans for next season are tentative at best.
Andretti Green Racing currently fields cars for Tony Kannan, Marco Andretti, Bryan Herta, and Dario Franchitti, although the latter two have not been resigned for 2007 as of yet. The AGR drivers have not always been Danica's biggest supporters, however pairing Patrick with the youngest Andretti will guarantee publicity for both the team and the IRL.

Juan Pablo Montoya to NASCAR

Following on the heels of the recent Champ Car World Series roster moves, both Formula 1 and NASCAR were simultaneously shaken up on Sunday. Star F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya announced his immediate departure from team McLaren/Mercedes, stating he will begin preparations to drive for Chip Ganassi in the NASCAR Nextel Cup next season. According to Sunday's press conference, Casey Mears will surrender his seat in the #42 Dodge to Montoya, familiar to American racing fans as the winner of the 1999 Champ Car title and the 2000 Indy 500. The Columbian is a marketing dream for NASCAR, itself planning to expand into Latin-American markets. His aggressive driving style and occasionally-public temper should make for an excellent fit in the NASCAR scene.
An interesting coincidence is that Montoya participated in a Speed Channel promotion called "Tradin' Paint", where he and Jeff Gordon swapped cars for a day of hot laps at Indy during the festivities for the 2003 U.S. Grand Prix.

Pontiac: We Build Seduction?

Pontiac, once the builders of excitement itself, are in the process of adjusting its image. First with the new GTO, then the Solstice, and bolstered by the incredibly-accessible G6 hardtop convertible, Pontiac is now decidedly sexy. Rather than baiting customers with promises of adrenaline, Pontiac's current lineup seduces potential customers with curvaceous bodies, powerful engines, and guaranteed attention.
As mentioned by AdRants, Pontiac recently launched two television commercials to bolster their campaign with the Hispanic market: One is called Grab and features the Solstice and a frisky girlfriend. The other is called Traffic Stop, which shows that flashing lights aren't always a bad thing. Both commercials are in Spanish, but are excellent regardless of what language you speak.

Allmendinger Replaced at RuSport, Silly Mid-Season Ensues

A.J. Allmendinger is one of the most promising, young drivers in the Champ Car World Series. At least, he was until he was unexpectedly replaced at RuSport this week. Carl Russo has hired 2002 champion Christiano da Matta from the beleaguered Dale Coyne racing team to replace Allmendinger, effective immediately.
A.J. had yet to win a race with RuSport, so his departure is not unprecedented. However, his talent is obvious and the fact that he is now without a ride is certainly no help to Champ Car. Those paying close attention will also note that Allmendinger was the only American driver in the series. More importantly, he has a distinct character and is readily likeable.
Dale Coyne Racing now has an open seat which may be offered to A.J., but the reality is that DCR is not consistently competitive and A.J. may decline to drive for a backmarker team. His presence in Champ Car is a positive one, so we can only hope that he finds himself back behind the wheel shortly.

-----UPDATE-----
Effective immediately, Mario Dominguez has been released from Forsythe Racing, leaving the #7 INDECK car without a driver. The announcement came this morning, citing "changes in the engineering structure of the team." Dominguez has crashed in to teammate Paul Tracy twice this season, taking them both out of both races. This includes a first-corner-of-the-first-race incident at Long Beach, and Forsythe's "engineering structure" may simply be changing to a model where one team car does not take out the other. Forsythe Racing, and particularly Paul Tracy, were expected to be the primary challengers of Sebastien Bourdais and Newman/Haas Racing, but have struggled so far this season. An interesting note is that A.J. Allmendinger came up through the karting ranks on Paul Tracy's karting team, and the two are longtime friends...

-----UPDATE-----
Earlier today, Forsythe Racing announced the addition of A.J. Allmendinger to the team. The move reunites Allmendinger and Tracy, gives Forsythe arguably the two most aggressive drivers in the Champ Car World Series, and should dramatically increase Forsythe's ability to challenge Sebastien Bourdais and the Newman/Haas team.
Assuming the near-inevitable placement of Mario Dominguez in the vacant seat at Dale Coyne Racing, the rearrangement of drivers and teams should make for a better show. Former champion Christiano da Matta is now back with a competitive team, and will be directly challenging the team he won his championship with. A.J. Allmendinger still has a competitive car to drive, and the mix of his personality with Tracy's will be nothing short of wildly entertaining. Mario Dominguez has suffered a downgrade in terms of equipment, but he joins a team that has in the past resuscitated the careers of both Oriol Servia and Christiano da Matta.

Jeep Bugs

Jeep has been making the auto show rounds with a clever new set of ads for the 2007 Wrangler Unlimited. Proclaiming their discovery of a new "species" of Jeep, the ads show the Wrangler packed with various outdoor gear, with amuzing results:

May be a good time to recall?

Toyota announced a huge recall involving 986,000 cars worldwide. 320,000 of those include the Priuses sold in America. Toyota says the steering wheel on these cars will lock up if the wheel is turned too hard or if the car strikes a curb. No injuries have been reported. About this same time last year Toyota recalled 750,000 Tundra, Tacomas, and 4 Runners. I wonder what will get recalled next year in May.

Big Oil Profit Margins

During the May 14 edition of Autoline Detroit, host John McElroy presented a comparison of the net profit margins of various companies, according to their annual reports:

ExxonMobil 9.1%
Microsoft 30.7%
CitiGroup 29.4%
Dreamworks 22.6%
Toyota 6.3%

The profits of oil companies have come under public scrutiny lately and while large in dollar value, the resulting profit margins are comparatively small. Technology benchmark Microsoft posts profit margins more than three times greater than those of oil leader ExxonMobil. Also noteworthy is the fact that Toyota's margins are not significantly lower than ExxonMobil's.
According to McElroy, even if oil companies operated at cost, the effect on gas prices at the pump would be minimal. Further, compared to the software, financial, and entertainment leaders, the oil companies are certainly not the appropriate recipients of any public criticism.

Being right is better than being first.

GM has unveiled their new fuel savings plan. GM unveiled the first 6 cylinder engine with cylinder deactivation. It will be a 3.9L engine which will exist in the new Impala to start off with. This is supposed to increase gas mileage by 5%. The new Green Line Vue will save 20% gas on average and only be a $2000 option. If you spent $2000 on gas a year, you could recoup your spending in 5 years time. With Gas prices rising the time to recoup costs would decrease significantly. The Chevy Tahoe will soon have a new hybrid system developed with BMW. "It's fun to be first in an early-stage technology. It's more important to be right, and I think we have a well-thought out approach," he said. "I think (the Vue and the Tahoe) will show people that we can play with anybody on technology. We'll see how the market plays out."

Truth In Advertising

One of Toyota's latest campaigns calls attention to their huge number of U.S. employees, and together with their pending participation in the NASCAR Nextel Cup works to portray Toyota as America's Car Company. Some people have taken exception to this claim, including The Level Field Institute.
The LFI is running TV and print ads that look at the numbers from a different perspective: According to them, Ford and GM both each employ more Americans than all foreign auto manufacturers combined, and together with Daimler Chrysler account for 8 out of 10 U.S. autoworker jobs. The Level Field Institute's website has several graphs and charts detailing the specific differences between the domestic and foreign manufacturers.
It is worth noting that the LFI was founded by retirees of The Big Three, shedding some light on their motivation. The numbers they present are nonetheless powerful, and as stated by them they should be taken into account when shopping for a new vehicle.

C6R Dominance

This past Friday night, the two C6Rs of Corvette Racing faced a formidable challenge in the ALMS Lone Star Grand Prix. Held on a temporary (and incredibly bumpy) "street" circuit, the race actually snaked its way through the sprawling parking lots surrounding Reliant Park in Houston, Texas, and was difficult just to get around at speed. Making things even more interesting was the presence of a pair of DBR9s fielded by Aston Martin racing, winners of the 2005 24 Hours of Sebring, and fastest qualifiers of the same 2006 race. The DBR9s are prepared by Prodrive, legendary for their WRC Subaru WRXs and LeMans-winning 550 Maranello, and recently notable for announcing their entry into the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship.
As if that weren't enough of a challenge, the dominant Corvette C6Rs were saddled with a 176lb weight disadvantage to the Aston Martins. Actually a 66lb addition to the Vettes and a 110lb weight reduction to the DBR9s, the adjustment was intended to bring parity to the GT1 class, long dominated by the Corvettes.
In classic Corvette Racing fashion, the two C6Rs led every lap and finished 1 and 2 in class, 2 and 3 overall. Nothing short of a monumental achievement for GM, the Corvettes held off the fiercely-competitive Aston Martins, and were bettered only by Audi's R8, arguably the greatest car in sports car racing history. This is nothing but bad news for the rest of the GT1 competitors, as it clearly shows that nothing short of an unlikely mechanical failure will keep the Corvette Racing C6Rs off of the top step of the podium.

CG-Lock

The CG-Lock is a nifty little adapter that cinches up a car's lap belt. It's aimed at enthusiasts whose everyday vehicle sees occasional use as a race car, and don't want to deal with the expense, hassle, and stigma associated with installing a 5-point racing harness in their grocery-getter. By all accounts the product is priced fairly and works well.

Dario Franchitti's Tire Changer OK

Mid-way through last weekend's Bridgestone Indy Japan 300, Dario Franchitti came in for what was supposed to be a routine pit stop. Locking his tires due to a bump in his pit box, Dario unfortunately barreled into several of his waiting crew members, sending them tumbling along the pit wall. Taking the worst hit was his left-rear tire changer, Steve Price, who momentarily appeared to be trapped under the car. Despite the incident, Franchitti's crew worked around their injured teammates to complete the pit stop and send Dario back out.
RACER Magazine reports that Price suffered no serious injuries and was released from the Dokyu University Hospital later that day. Franchitti drove back from the considerable delay to finish 11th, well back from his top position of 3rd but still ahead of his rookie teammate Marco Andretti.

Eagle One Bucket-Free Car Wash

Eagle One has recently introduced their Bucket-Free Car Wash; Essentially concentrated soap in a spray bottle, Eagle One is following Mr. Clean's lead in eliminating the bucket that is usually necessary for washing your car. However, I have found that a bucket of soapy water is still necessary while using Mr. Clean's AutoDry; The water/soap mix is not adjustable and the car never quite gets soapy enough without help. Eagle One's approach is a good one, as obviously you are in control of how much soap to use. According to Eagle One, "only 1-2 sprays per panel/section are needed," and this is largely accurate as even that seemingly-sparing amount is enough to build up a healthy lather.
Missing from Eagle One's approach is the means to avoid manually drying the car after the wash. The soap lacks the "Dry Rinse Polymers" of Mr. Clean's AutoDry, and letting the car air-dry will produce water spots. Washing the car with the Eagle One soap, then rinsing it with the AutoDry's filtered water seems to be the ideal solution to a quick, effective manual car wash.

Penske to GM? Miller Says Maybe

During this past Sunday's edition of Speed Channel's Wind Tunnel, Robin Miller relayed that one of his "inside sources" had strongly suggested that GM was looking to hire on Roger Penske, yes that Roger Penske, to lead GM out of its troubled mire. What at first seems unlikely may in fact have some basis in reality, as it was Penske who once pulled Hertz out of its own slump. He also successfully runs a massive network of GM dealerships, giving him a solid perspective of the sales and consumer side of the business at a minimum.
GM's continued trouble is bad for everyone except Toyota, but someone like Roger Penske may just be able to bring the fresh strategy and outlook that is needed to turn things around.