Year: 2011

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Formula 1 McLaren Red Bull Racing

2011 German GP: Qualifying press conference

2011 German Grand Prix

Mark Webber’s mid-season resurgence continued at the German Grand Prix overnight when he racked up his ninth career pole position and second P1 in succession.

Webber lapped his RB7 machine around the Nürburgring in 1:30.079. He held provisional pole in Q3 after his first lap, but needed to improve on his time in order to keep a flying Lewis Hamilton (McLaren, 1:30.134) from claiming top honours.

Hamilton’s time means Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull, 1:30.216) will start from the second row at his home Grand Prix. This result ends a sequence of 14 consecutive front row starts for the 2010 World Champion.

Fernando Alonso (Ferrari, 1:30.442) and Felipe Massa (Ferrari, 1:30.910) round out the top five.

Daniel Ricciardo (Hispania Racing, 1:37.036) improved slightly on his British GP qualifying effort by finishing just two hundredths of a second behind his teammate, but still set the slowest time.

Comments from the top three drivers can be read after the break.

[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]

 

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Pagani

Horacio Pagani and Huayra suck up the road

Horacio Pagani in the Huayra

The new Pagani Huayra is all kinds of awesome. This can be judged just by looking at its fantasy-like form and skimming over its spec sheet.

It weighs just 1350kg and is powered by a twin-turbo  6.0 litre V12, which produces a mind numbing 700PS (515kW) and an astonishing 1000Nm of torque.

Little wonder, then, that Zonda owner and Evo journo Harry Metcalfe soon discovered the Huayra sucks up the road like you wouldn’t believe. The induction sound is just staggering.

Metcalfe was given a pax ride with Horacio Pagani himself at a special preview in Sardinia recently. Check out the footage after the break.

[Source: EVOTV]

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Categories
Audi

2012 Audi A6 – Australian pricing & specs

Audi A6

Audi Australia has just launched the all-new A6, offering three six cylinder engine choices, with two four pots to follow later this year. List pricing starts at $93,900 for the 150kW 2.8 FSI. If you want some more bite from your A6 then you can opt for the supercharged 3.0 TFSI and its 220kW at a starting cost of $121,500. And if you just want to use a little less fuel then you’ll head straight for the 180kW 3.0 TDI for $116,500.

In truth, all three models offer good fuel consumption numbers for a car of this size. Audi reckon the 2.8 FSI will use 8.0l/100km. The extra 70kW in the 3.0 TFSI comes at the modest increase of 0.2l/100km and the 3.0 TDI sips fuel at the frugal rate of 6.0l/100km. Well, they’re the claims at least. Expect real world numbers to be a little higher than those impressive ratings.

The three initial models released all feature Audi’s S-line bodykit and quattro all-wheel drive. The quattro system features a crowngear centre differential and torque vectoring trickiness as well.

As noted, two new engine choices will be arriving before year’s end, in the form of a 2.0 TFSI and 2.0 TDI. Pics of the 2.8 FSI and 3.0 TDI are available after the break, along with Audi’s press guff.

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

Christian Horner tries his hand at comedy

2011 Australian Grand Prix

In the build up to this weekend’s German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring we are reminded of the little upset Mark Webber caused at Silverstone when he chose to ignore Christian Horner’s team orders. After chasing Vettel’s tail all year, you’d expect Webber to take any chance to get one over his teammate, don’t you think?

Speaking to the BBC, Mark Webber has revealed Horner has a new show he’d like to take on the comedy circuit after the Red Bull Team Principal “guaranteed me [Webber] if it was the other way round, if Seb was closing on me, he would have shut the race down.”

Apparently, Christian recommends you try the veal; washed down with a refreshing Red Bull, of course.

[Source: BBC | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

Categories
MINI Motorsports

MINI All4 Dakar again in 2012

MINI Countryman All4

Earlier this year the MINI Countryman made its Dakar Rally debut. For a first outing the car was doing quite well, too. That’s until it crashed out in rather spectacular fashion during a test run on the rest day.

Team X-raid is following the ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again’ mentality and is readying itself for another assault on Dakar in 2012. They’ve been kind enough to share some footage of their practice sessions in South America, which you can now see after the break.

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Categories
Audi

Audi refreshes A5 model range

Audi A5

Audi has given its A5 model range a mid-cycle update with modest tweaks to exterior styling and improved equipment levels. There’s a gallery of images and Audi’s press release for you after the break. Expect to the see the ‘new’ A5 down under early next year.

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Ferrari McLaren

McLaren MP4-12C v Ferrari 458 v Noble M600

Before Evo magazine discovered what they thought needed improving in the McLaren MP4-12C first they had to test it against its competitors. The most obvious rival is the Ferrari 458 Italia. For extra laughs Evo added the Noble M600 as well.

Roger Green took on the track testing duties at the Bedford Autodrome West Circuit. Above you’ll see what he thought of the 12C. After the break you’ll see his views on the Fez and the Noble. Also included is a drag race with all three cars, plus a Porsche 911 Turbo S.

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Categories
McLaren

McLaren responds to MP4-12C criticism

McLaren MP4-12C

When McLaren was hyping up the MP4-12C supercar prior to its launch they were telling us it was going to the best car ever, pretty much. Once the finished article found its way into the hands of the world’s leading motoring reviewers things began to stray from McLaren’s script.

Group tests by Car magazine, among others, found the Ferrari 458 Italia was going to prove to be the 12C’s nemesis. That was certainly the view of Fifth Gear duo Jason Plato and Tiff Needell. Although, Jeremy Clarkson disagreed, prompting Plato to share his indifference with the world.

When the hallowed halls of Evo got their hands on the new McLaren supercar they too were left disappointed. In fact, senior writer Harry Metcalfe sent off a wish list of improvements to McLaren Automotive MD Anthony Sheriff.

To his surprise, just eight days later, Sheriff invited Metcalfe to the company’s Surrey headquarters to drive the revised car. After McLaren revised the gear change, steering and induction note Metcalfe declared, “It’s vastly better.”

Sheriff replied with glee, “In F1 there’s no time to mull things over. You look at a situation, you make a decision and you get the solution on the car for the next race. In the car division we reflected the comments made, looked at alternative solutions and had them on the car within a day or two and now they’ll be going into production.

“At McLaren we have the mentality to react very quickly,” he said.

[Source: Evo]

Categories
Formula 1 McLaren

Lewis Hamilton speaks politely about NASCAR

Earlier this year we were thrilled at the opportunity to see a Formula One car drive around Bathurst. Now a similar deal has happened for F1 fans in the US with McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton and NASCAR driver/team owner Tony Stewart swapping rides at Watkins Glen.

The New York State circuit hasn’t hosted an F1 Grand Prix for over 30 years, but it’s one of those rare beasts in America that allows drivers to turn right. Indeed, the track doesn’t have an oval layout within sight.

A shame, then, that while Stewart got a ride in a real racing car all Lewis got in return was a plastic fantastic NASCAR.

There’s also a moderately amusing ad from Mobil 1 after the break.

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Categories
Porsche

991 Porsche 911 shows its backside

991 Porsche 911

Following yesterday’s news on the 2012 Porsche 911 we bring you these two spy shots of the car’s revised rear end. You’ll see the car features some sleek looking LED tail lights. Overall, though, the look is unmistakably 911.

[Pics: jokeforblog]

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Categories
Volkswagen

220hp predicted for Mk7 Golf GTI

Autocar makes it a quinella of Golf Mk7 news with word the next GTI will receive a timely power increase. Currently the Mk6 GTI has 155kW (208hp) provided by its EA888 engine. Predictions suggest Volkswagen’s boffins will fiddle with the same engine for the Mk7 GTI and increase power to around 165kW (220hp).

The current 188kW Golf R uses an older EA113 engine and it’s understood the Mk7 R will carry that engine over in the short term. However, EU6 emissions regulations due in 2014 will see the demise of the engine before a beefed up EA888 is called on for R duties.

[Source: Autocar]

Categories
Volkswagen

Sleeker look expected for VW Golf Mk7

Volkswagen Golf VII rendering

This rendering from Autocar supports their theory the next-gen Volkswagen Golf will sport a sleeker look with a more dramatically raked windscreen.

A wider track, lower roofline and seating position are also changes expected when the Mk7 Golf hits overseas showrooms in 2012. An initial debut is predicted for the Geneva Motor Show in March. Assuming that timeline is accurate then the Golf VII would likely make an Australian debut in early 2013.

It is being reported Volkswagen will introduce different, more sporty, body styling for the 3 door model compared to the volume selling 5 door model. This would be a first in the car’s 37-year history.

We can also expect to see plenty of trickle-down tech into the Golf. Things like active steering, adaptive cruise control and related systems. There’ll be a revised instrument panel and the centre stack will likely be angled towards the driver. An interesting move given the Golf’s broad appeal in left and right hand drive markets.

[Source: Autocar]