The FIA has taken the unusual step of release a Q&A transcript from a press conference held with Charlie Whiting, Formula One Race Director ahead of tonight’s European GP in Valencia.
We’ve already been updated by Whiting once this year when he discussed the banning of off-throttle exhaust gasses. That topic is mentioned again here, along with new changes to engine mapping, safety car use and the drag reduction system.
The qualifying dominance of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing has continued again at the 2011 European Grand Prix. Vettel’s best time (1:36.975) was a couple of tenths ahead of teammate Mark Webber (1:37.163).
Webber needed to bites at the cherry, though, as his first flying lap in Q3 placed him on the third row of the grid. All drivers came out again for a second timed run, but most aborted when it was clear they could not match the pace of the Red Bulls. Nick Heidfeld (Renault) and Adrian Sutil (Force India) elected to conserve tyres and didn’t even bother to post a time in Q3.
That leaves Lewis Hamilton (McLaren, 1:37.380) as the fastest challenger to Red Bull, ahead of the two Ferraris and teammate Jenson Button.
The transcript of the post-quali press conference can be read after the break.
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
MINI motorsport has released this short video showing the John Cooper Works Endurance in action and behind the scenes during preparations for the Nürburgring 24 hour race. The race kicks off at midnight tonight (Australian eastern time) and for more coverage head over to AUSringers.com.
A few weeks ago Mark Higgins set a new lap record for cars around the 37 mile (approx 60km) Isle of Man TT course. It’s a frightening stretch of road and Higgins averaged in excess of 180km/h in a US-spec Subaru WRX STi on his way to breaking the previous 21-year-old record. Higgins’ new mark is 19 minutes 37 seconds.
During one of his practice runs, with a motoring journo on board, Higgins had an almighty scare when he very nearly found himself facing a solid stone wall while travelling over 200km/h. To save the car from that moment is one of the better displays of driving you are likely to see. Subaru of America has released a new video with highlights of the record-breaking run and a short voiceover at the end where Higgins talks about his tank slapper.
It’s quite amazing to hear him explain his thoughts at a time when most of us would have run out of talent and, perhaps, much more.
[Source: YouTube]
“Saab is a company that builds cars that cannot make money.â€
They are the words of Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. Hardly a ringing endorsement for one of Sweden’s most iconic brands. The comment was made yesterday following a press release on Thursday from Saab announcing they were unable to meet their salary obligations.
“Swedish Automobile N.V. (Swedish Automobile, formerly Spyker Cars N.V.) announces that Saab Automobile AB (Saab Automobile) will be unable to pay the wages to employees as it has not yet obtained the necessary short-term funding,” reads the statement.
Saab is currently negotiating to sell off some of its real estate to raise funds. But the following words from Thursday’s press statement can’t be filling unpaid employees with much hope.
“These discussions are ongoing. There can however be no assurance that these discussions will be successful or that the necessary funding will be obtained.”
Grant Denyer’s latest television adventure will see him join forces with Kelly Racing in the hunt for a new V8 Supercar driver. The program, titled Shannons Supercar Showdown, will run on 7mate and premieres on Saturday 23 July.
There will be 10 drivers—including three females, one Kiwi and one Briton—fighting for the chance to drive with Denyer at this year’s Bathurst 1000.
The show promises a true behind the scenes look at a top line V8 Supercar team. As well as showcasing the on-track action it will bring viewers closer to the engineers and mechanics, designers, dieticians and personal trainers.
We’re not sure if this will be a hit or a total flop, but it’s sure to be fun finding out. Read more in the official press release after the break.
BMW has lifted the lid on its latest M3 iteration. Limited to just 67 models worldwide the M3 CRT (Carbon Racing Technology) features a 4.4 litre V8 producing 331kW (450hp) and 440Nm. That’s an extra 0.4 litres of capacity, 22kW and 40Nm over the standard model. Think of the CRT as a more practical every day M3 GTS.
The use of CFRP and a lightweight titanium exhaust has allowed BMW to shed 70kg from the weight of an M3 Sedan, bringing the CRT to a more lithe 1580kg. The car’s overall power to weight ratio is 3.5kg/hp.
Fitted with 19″ alloys and using the car’s 7-speed dual clutch transmission the CRT can reach 100km/h in 4.4 seconds (0.5s faster than standard).
More from BMW after the break.
The new MINI Coupé is not even a week old and its already living up to its “another day, another adventure” advertising slogan. You’re looking at the purpose-built MINI John Cooper Works Endurance and it’s looking forward to 24 hours of green hell this weekend.
As we reported yesterday, the JCW Endurance has a healthy 250hp (184kW). We now also know the official weight of the car is just 965kg.
Power is sourced from a tuned MINI Challenge 1.6 litre engine (225hp), itself closely related to the JCW road car. A roll cage, HANS system and six-point safety harness complete the transition to racecar.
MINI has entered two JCW Endurance cars into the 24 hour race, they’ll wear numbers 146 and 147. The driver line up can be seen on the MINI motorsport website.
More from MINI after the break, including tech specs and 10 more studio images.
A standard Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG has smoked its way to the record books by claiming the world’s longest drift. The stunt took place at Mercedes-Benz World in the UK and the V8 powered C63 was driven by pro driver Mauro Calo.
Calo managed to hold his powerslide for a total of 2308 metres, bettering the previous mark, held by US drift ace Vaughn Gittin Jr, by a healthy 394 metres.
On the short circular track Calo hoped to complete a total of 12 laps. Unfortunately for him his rear tyres didn’t last that long.
“The car was so balanced. I was relaxed and only had to make small corrections to the steering and throttle. Then the tyres let go after lap seven, but I kept on going until I knew I’d beaten the record. I’m absolutely chuffed,” explained Calo.
Vaughn Gittin Jr has dismissed Calo’s efforts telling Autoblog, “[there are] thousands of grassroots drifters, that can do giant donuts until the tires pop, as well.”
Video of the new record feat can be seen after the break.
[Source: World Records Academy]
Seems we can’t go more than a few days without posting something to do with the BMW 1 Series M Coupé. This new review, from US-based Automobile magazine, is pretty good value. It pays out on some M3 buyers while showing the excellent hooning abilities of the mighty 1M (on a closed track, of course). It’s certainly a rare moment where anyone from the US becomes fanatical about preferring a manual transmission over an auto. In between there’s a few staid moments telling you all you need to know about why the 1M is so good. Enjoy!
The Volkswagen Golf24 will make its 24 hour race debut at the Nürburgring this weekend. It has been created to celebrate the 35th birthday of the GTI. In some ways it’s an odd tribute—with all-wheel drive and a 2.5 litre inline five cylinder engine—it features a drivetrain never seen in a GTI before and one never likely to be seen in the future.
Sure, as a road car the Golf24 would look completely stupid. As a racecar, though, it is pure porn. To celebrate that fact we’ve assembled the best pics available to date from Volkswagen Motorsport. Check them out after the break.
Even though we fear the horse has bolted, Volkswagen Australia is keen to remind us the Scirocco R is finally headed for Australia. We brought you this news back in April, but now VW is drip feeding some basic specs prior to the car making its local debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne.
As expected peak power for Australian spec falls in line with the detuned Audi S3 and Golf R engines. Which means the 2.0 litre TSI will boast 188kW (down from the 195kW offered in cooler climates). Maximum torque is 330Nm (down from 350Nm).
Unlike the aforementioned cars the Scirocco R is front-wheel drive only. To help counter any traction issues it will come standard with an Extended Electronic Differential Lock (XDL) as seen in the Golf GTI. It’s not foolproof, but it’s a worthy addition.
Also welcome is news Adaptive Chassis Control will be a standard feature down under. This enables drivers to choose from three suspension settings; Normal, Comfort and Sport. Given the car will be fitted with 19″ Talladega alloys this should help save unplanned visits to the chiropractor.
Apart from the expected motor show appearance the Scirocco is not planned to launch until 2012. More detail form VW Aus after the break.