Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/09/20/2014-singapore-grand-prix-qualifying-report/
Andrea de Cesaris Francois Cevert Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain
Saturday
Hamilton pips Rosberg to crucial Singapore pole | 2014 Singapore Grand Prix qualifying
With two minutes to go in Q3 there was no Mercedes in the top five. But they bounced back to claim their seventh front-row lock-out for 2014.
Kasey Kahne at last nabs Chase spot as Kyle Busch's woes continue
HAMPTON, Ga. - Rest easy, mature ladies of NASCAR. Your boy made the Chase.
If this race were a romance novel, which fits the boyish good looks of race winner Kasey Kahne, it'd be titled "Kahne's Konundrum," or "Racin' Kasey," and it'd have dashing heroes (Kahne, of course) and scheming suitors (Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick) and even a villain (Kyle Busch) who almost vanquished our hero's chances of winning the heart of his beloved Chase Bertha. (All right, we'll work on the name.)
Alas, this was only a race, albeit a crucial one for the points standings, and the only romance taking place in the Atlanta Motor Speedway infield probably isn't the kind we can discuss in any detail on a family website. Regardless, Kahne captured his spot in the Chase, bringing a satisfying end to a long and frustrating regular season for the Hendrick Motorsports driver.
And for a moment, it looked like Kahne was going to watch it all slip away. He was dominant through the race's final laps, out in front of Harvick and riding the smooth clean air. But then Busch and Martin Truex Jr. got together ? more on that in a moment ? and Kahne saw his lead evaporate. Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, and Paul Menard all beat Kahne off pit road for a green-white-checkered finish, and for a lap or so, it appeared Kahne's best chance to make the Chase was over and done.
But then onetime teammates Menard and Harvick collided, taking them out of the mix and bringing out the second late caution flag. Kahne was able to outrun Kenseth, not exactly a surprise given the fact that Kenseth was on two fresh tires to Kahne's four, and just like that, the fourth of four Hendrick cars was locked into the Chase.
Kahne's three teammates ? Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon ? all stopped by victory lane to congratulate Kahne. After the race, team owner Rick Hendrick pronounced this year's quartet "the most balanced" he's ever fielded in the Chase.
The race's drama came about when Busch and Truex collided in the closing laps, each repeatedly hammering each other. After the race, Truex stopped his car at Busch's hauler, holding up the entire line of entering cars, and leaned in Busch's window to express his displeasure.
Truex continued the discussion with Busch's crew chief Dave Rogers as Busch climbed out of the car and left the garage without speaking. It marked yet another low point in Busch's ongoing late-season skid, and while Kyle is locked into the Chase, there's little indication at the moment that he'll be entering with any momentum.
The series now heads to Richmond for its regular-season finale on Saturday night. Two Chase spots remain up for grabs, with a victory guaranteeing a berth. If Sunday night in Atlanta was a romance novel, that night is going to be an MMA fight.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Facebook or on Twitter.
Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi
Friday
Volvo S90
Volvo first introduced the S90 name in 1996, when it renamed the 960 for certain markets. With Volvo discontinuing the 900 Series midsize in 1998, the S80 we know of today rolled in as the replacement for the S90. The S90 also marked the end of an era for Volvo, being the last rear-wheel-drive car wearing the Swedish company’s badge. The S80 continued the S90’s luxurious legacy over the course of two generations. The first series lived between 1998 and 2006, while the second-gen model is in its eighth year on the market as of 2014. As we enter the 2015 model year and a new design era for Volvo, rumors are swirling about the return of the S90 nameplate as the company’s range-topping model.
Besides taking duties from the S80, the S90 is also set to revolutionize the midsize luxury segment, much like the second-generation XC90 did in the SUV market. Expect the sedan to receive the hauler’s design language, along with an interior packed with the latest technology and luxury items developed by the Swedes. The overhauled sedan will hit dealerships in the second half of 2016.
Note: 2013 Volvo Concept Coupe pictured here - it will most likely inspire design language.
Click past the jump to read more about the 2016 Volvo S90.
Volvo S90 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 18 September 2014 10:00 EST.
Source: http://feeds.topspeed.com/~r/topspeed/~3/_UqYjSqTHLU/2017-volvo-s90-ar165393.html
Thursday
Wednesday
Tuesday
A Sauber sale?
Sauber has been sold quite a few times. The first time was back in 1995 when Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz purchased a majority shareholding in the team, although Peter Sauber retained the voting rights and so remained in control. In 2001 the two parties fell out over drivers (Mateschitz wanted Enrique Bernoldi and Sauber […]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2014/09/10/a-sauber-sale/
Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers
Monday
Jimmie Johnson tried to put a vise grip on his shifter while driving
The shifter handle on the transmission of Jimmie Johnson's car broke during Sunday's race at Michigan, so he and his team had to take drastic measures.
When Johnson pitted under green the team handed him a pair of pliers and a vise grip to attach to the remaining part of the shifter handle so Johnson could shift the gears in the car.
However, he couldn't get the vise grip onto the shifter handle. When Johnson pitted he was in high gear; after his team pushed him away from his pit stall he tried to get the vise grip on the handle.
A process that continued as he exited pit road.
And continued some more as he got onto the track and accelerated toward full speed.
It was an incredible moment of multi-tasking that a mere mortal would have incredible issues with. And we'll also be honest, it's a little bit dangerous too. We all know how dangerous texting and driving can be, but fixing your transmission and driving? Though given the preponderance of automatic transmissions in passenger cars, we won't see a new set of commercials against this.
But it's also worth pointing out, if you didn't already know, that Johnson is more than a mere mortal when it comes to driving a car. He's a six-time Sprint Cup Series champion with more car control than you, me, your best friend and your brother combined. If anyone could keep a car pointed straight and out of the racing line while attempting to do this, it's Johnson.
However, Johnson wasn't successful in his efforts. He lost a lap while trying to get the shifter fixed and his team ended up fixing it on a subsequent pit stop. However, he got the lap back and ultimately finished ninth.
"Multiple attempts," Johnson said. "[The crew] handed me some tools and I didn't have success trying to get that fixed. They had some contraption with a vise grip to try to figure that out and it fell off before I even got back to pit in under caution. So once I could get the wire tie busted and get the boot down I could see what was wrong and we were kind of able to adjust from there and [car chief] Ron Malec dove in the right side window and got it sorted out."
The shifter wasn't the only thing Johnson had issues with during the race as well. After the race he and Ryan Newman had a discussion about some on-track contact in the late laps. Johnson characterized the discussion about the racing as "normal Ryan stuff."
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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Sunday
Report: Nationwide Series will become the Xfinity Series
NASCAR's No. 2 series has found a sponsor for 2015.
According to the Sports Business Daily, NASCAR is expected to announce a deal with Comcast next week for the title sponsorship of what's now the Nationwide Series. It'll be a 10-year deal that turns the series into the Xfinity Series.
From SBD:
Comcast emerged as a viable replacement after the company?s sports TV group, NBC, signed a 10-year, $4.4B rights deal with NASCAR. As part of the deal, Comcast agreed to spend $10M marketing and promoting the sport. Its marketing team saw title sponsorship of NASCAR?s secondary series as a way to fulfill that obligation and also promote its cable TV, broadband and phone business unit, Xfinity.
The report says that Comcast initially wanted a shorter term deal than 10 years, however it decided to match the length of the deal signed by NBC.
Comcast will spend $9 million in rights fees, down from the $12-15 million NASCAR was reportedly asking. Nationwide paid $10 million per season. The insurance company is going to sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr. for 12 races in 2015.
We're no marketers, but here's to guessing there will be some sort of promotional campaign about how drivers in NASCAR's No. 2 series are "the X factor." Or something's "the X factor." It has to happen, doesn't it?
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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