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Monday
The NASCAR Week That Was: Nov. 13-19
The fight for the Championship was the biggest story of the week as Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart sat just three points apart going into Homestead. The winner will become the sport’s first new Cup champion since 2005. In other news, NASCAR issued an unannounced penalty to Brad Keselowski this week after the driver criticized [...] 
Great Flexibility in Production and Distribution Vehicles
It produces small urban electric vehicle. No intention of entering the competition of the great automotive industry. A very specific niche market that allows great flexibility in the production and distribution of vehicles. The company e-ride Industries produces several models and are manufactured with aluminum chassis, Fiberglass body and motor of 72 volts. Clearly, the [...]
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/162-great-flexibility-in-production-and-distribution-vehicles.html
2012 Phillip Island Test Day 1 WSBK Times: Checa Holds Biaggi At Bay
Less than a week after the private test concluded at the Phillip Island circuit, the World Superbike riders were back in action again on Monday, for the first day of the official preseason test ahead of this weekend's WSBK season opener. Carlos Checa picked up where he left off, topping the timesheets in both the morning and afternoon sessions, and immediately within a tenth of a second of the fastest time the Althea Ducati rider set here last week.
Challenging Checa was the Italian Armada who pushed him for the title in 2011. Aprilia's Max Biaggi led the way, getting within a couple of tenths of the Spaniard, while Marco Melandri and his team at BMW clearly learned a lot at last week's test, the Italian posting the 3rd fastest time just under three tenths off the time of Checa. Ten Kate Honda's Johnny Rea - resplendent in a new Honda livery - was a little further behind in 4th, the Ulsterman having tested here privately back in January, while the unfortunate Leon Haslam took the 5th fastest time, though his day ended during the first session, after the BMW rider crashed heavily in the final corner, and taken to hospital with an ankle injury. Haslam was later diagnosed with a fractured heel and a damaged tibia, Haslam is currently waiting to have a screw inserted in his leg, in the hope of being fit enough to race this weekend.
Hard times in Maranello?
The world economic situation is not good. The Ferrari Formula 1 team won only one race in 2011. And yet Ferrari was able to report that it has increased its sales from 6,573 in 2010 to 7,195 in 2011, an increase of more than nine percent. This included a mammoth leap in the Greater China [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/hard-times-in-maranello/
Sunday
Citroen C4 Picasso 2012: Information Mechanics And Equipment
A few days ago saw the first spy shots of Chevrolet Corvette C7, the new generation of sporting excellence of General Motors, which has been allowed to see. Of course, with a camouflage worthy of presentation. Despite the strong camouflage, the C7 Corvette cannot hide part of their news, today we present you on the [...]
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/144-citroen-c4-picasso-2012-information-mechanics-and-equipment.html
Breitling Bentley GMT V8 Limited Edition Timepiece
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British luxury automaker, Bentley, and Swiss timepiece maker, Breitling, have been partners-in-crime far longer than any of us can remember. So it only seemed appropriate that the latter would commemorate the launch of the new Continental V8 with a limited edition timepiece.
The Breitling for Bentley GMT V8 is a limited piece luxury watch that pays homage to the newest model in the Bentley line-up. Among the features of the Breitling for Bentley GMT V8 include a metallic red inner city bezel that plays a nice contrast with the watch’s black dial and the Royal Ebony dial. There are also cambered sapphire crystal that have been glare proofed on both sides with 38 additional jewels. There’s also a red triangle-tipped hour hand that completes one rotation every 24 hours, a multiple timezone display, an automatic COSC-chronometer-certified chronograph with a Breitling exclusive ?30-second chronograph,? 6-hour, 15-minute, and 30-second totalizers, a screw-locked crown, and a sweep seconds hand that makes one full turn of the dial in half-a-minute, allowing readings that are accurate to an amazing 1/8th of a second.
For all of its unique characteristics - and the fact that it’s a Breitling - the 250-piece limited edition watch costs $10,590 a pop. It’s expensive for a watch, but it’s a bargain compared to actually buying the car itself, which by the way, costs 20 times as much.
Breitling Bentley GMT V8 Limited Edition Timepiece originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 18 February 2012 18:00 EST.
Conspiracy time already? C-posts from Jimmie Johnson?s car confiscated by NASCAR
Man, we couldn't even get to the Budweiser Shootout before we had the trigger for the first set of Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus conspiracy theories.
On Friday, during inspection before qualifying for the Daytona, the C-posts were confiscated off of the No. 48 after NASCAR deemed that there had been illegal modifications made.
"It was an obvious modification that the template inspectors picked up on," explained Darby. "We did some additional inspections and found that they were too far out of tolerance to fix."
Any monetary or points penalties will be assessed to the No. 48 team after the Daytona 500.
Maybe Knaus intentionally had the C-posts confiscated to throw everyone off the scent? How evil genius would THAT be? After all, this is the team that can control cautions with water bottles.
What if Chad asked the crew to damage the car as they rolled it to inspection so that they could skip inspection, but the crew failed and couldn't roll the car fast enough to cause any harm? Or since Johnson's lone Daytona 500 win came with Knaus suspended for rules violations (and Darian Grubb on top of Johnson's pit box), Knaus was willing to sacrifice himself if it meant another Daytona 500 championship. And the start of another five-year title run.
Never mind that failing inspection is actually the best antidote for any conspiracy theory involving the five-time champs. Besides, aren't teams supposed to be trying to stretch as far as they can within the tolerances? As we've said before, if a team isn't pushing the limits as best as possible, it isn't trying. And isn't the first race and inspection of the year the best place to try something? If it fits within the templates, then great, you have something to build off of for the entire season. If it doesn't, well, you got caught and potentially penalized, but better now than later.
But we know that's not going to stop many from dreaming up scenarios involving Jimmy Hoffa and Kim-Jong Il for the No. 48 bunch. Who would ever have thought a C-post could do that?
Get Rid Of Owners Points Swaps? Not So Fast?
Remember that time Bobby Ginn was part of the Childress ownership group? And Chip Ganassi was a partner in that back marker Nationwide Team? Or how about when Jim Harris become a partial owner up at the now-defunct Randy Moss Motorsports? Yeah, not too memorable, right? Every year around this time the screaming begins about [...] 
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Babies! Crew chiefs! Promises! A roundup of news from Media Week
NASCAR Media Week concluded Thursday, and while there wasn't a whole lot of earthshattering news, there's plenty that will have an effect on NASCAR in the 2012 season and beyond. If you missed any of it, clip and save this handy post.
? NASCAR ended its policy of secret fines. We'd tell you what we think about that policy in general, but we don't want to get publicly fined.
? Ford rolled out the 2013 Fusion, which got everyone excited for 2013 before 2012 even begins.
? Kevin Harvick and wife Delana will be adding a new member to their race team. Bad news: their first child is going to have to qualify on speed.
? Danica Patrick will be passing up the Indy 500 to run the Coke 600, more evidence of the total career makeover she's undergoing.
? Bill Elliott will return to the Sprint Cup series, driving a Wal-Mart car at the July Daytona race.
? And another Elliott, Elliott Sadler, will be driving in the Sprint Cup series once again, running for Richard Childress Racing in the Daytona 500.
? Chip Ganassi declared his team's 2011 performance "pathetic." Ouch.
? Richard Petty Motorsports will be forming a Nationwide team for Michael Annett.
? And in sad news, Pocono owner Doc Mattioli passed away. Condolences to his family and friends.
George Connor George Constantine John Cordts David Coulthard
Saturday
John Wes Townley suspended by RAB Racing after DUI arrest
John Wes Townley's NASCAR comeback is on hold after he was suspended by RAB Racing after being arrested for DUI early Friday morning in Georgia.
Townley crashed his car into a pole and was arrested after knocking on the door of a nearby residence.
In a statement Friday afternoon, RAB Racing with Brock Maggard owner Robby Benton said that Townley would be suspended indefinitely. Townley, 22, was set to drive in the Camping World Truck Series in 2012.
"Obviously, this is an unfortunate situation," Benton said in the release. "However, we have to react to the severity of the incident accordingly. His actions do not reflect those of RAB Racing, nor the sponsors associated with the team.
"John Wes has accepted full responsibility, and will take the necessary personal steps in order to correct his actions, among other internal sanctions," Benton continued. "We stand by John Wes, and will welcome him back to the team at the appropriate time."
After scoring a ride with Richard Childress Racing to start 2010, Townley parted ways with the team after five races, and came back and ran four more for RAB in the latter half of the season, before leaving the team. He didn't race in 2011.
Last year, Nationwide Series driver Michael Annett was arrested for DWI shortly before the season-opening race at Daytona and was not suspended by Rusty Wallace Incorporated, his team at the time. (Annett will drive for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2012).
Unfortunately, this isn't Townley's first incident involving alcohol. While with Childress in 2010, he was cited for underage possession of alcohol during the Las Vegas race weekend. At the time, Townley said that he learned a "valuable lesson" from the incident.
Bravo to Benton and the rest of RAB Racing for making the right decision in suspending Townley, one made more obvious by the fact that this is Townley's second alcohol-related offense in the past two years. And we hope that Townley can seek the appropriate help and treatment and eventually resume his racing career.
More sports news from the Yahoo! Sports Minute:
Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell
Michael Waltrip to attempt Daytona 500 for Hillman Racing
Michael Waltrip has a ride for the Daytona 500.
Waltrip will drive the No. 40 for Hillman Racing, a single-car team attempting the 500 for the first time. Sponsorship will come from Aaron's, a longtime sponsor of Waltrip.
Aaron's is also sponsoring the No. 55 that Waltrip and Mark Martin (and a third driver) will share in 2012. While Waltrip, a two-time winner of the Daytona 500, is running the No. 55 in the Bud Shootout on Saturday, Martin will be in the No. 55 for the 500.
The start will be Waltrip's 75th at Daytona in NASCAR's top three series, the most events of any driver at Daytona in NASCAR. Waltrip won last year's season-opening race at Daytona in the Camping World Truck Series.
"Aaron's really does make your dreams come true," Waltrip said in a release. "When I was a kid thinking about racing in Daytona I never dreamed I would start more NASCAR races there than anyone. That's amazing."
Hillman Racing is running full-time in the Camping World Truck Series and is run by Mike Hillman, Sr., who was formerly involved with Germain Racing. Hillman�purchased the assets of the truck team a the end of the season. (Germain Racing is still in the Cup Series with Casey Mears.)
If he wasn't to drive for his own team, Waltrip needed to drive for a single-car team in the 500 because of NASCAR's four-car limit. Since Waltrip owns MWR, a three-car team, driving for a two- or three-car team would have put him over the allowable limit. (For example, had Waltrip driven a second car for JTG Daugherty, a team that has a technical relationship with MWR, the two JTG and three MWR cars wouldn't have been allowed.)
Waltrip will need to qualify on time for the 500, but Martin will not. The points from the No. 32 of FAS Lane Racing have been "transferred" to Martin and the No. 55.
Friday
Big Changes To Pit Crews For 2012
As we have talked about before around here, the crew guy silly season can be just as crazy as the one involving drivers and sponsors. You won’t see press releases about changes, but teams vying for the top pit crew talent can be very competitive. I have absolutely no data to back this up, but [...] 
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Thursday
Ownership group acquires Red Bull Racing owner?s points
Landon Cassill will be locked into the Daytona 500 after an ownership group formerly involved with the now defunct TRG Motorosports team bought the assets and owner's points from Red Bull Racing.
Cassill said he has a deal with the new team to drive all year.
"It's my first time going into a NASCAR season with a signed deal knowing I'm going to be in the car every week," Cassill said. "It's my first time attempting the Daytona 500?wait, I am locked into the Daytona 500. That's a pretty big dream came true."
Team name and sponsorship information is still to come. While owner's points are involved in the deal, this is much different than the points swap ? a tactic unliked by many ? that got Danica Patrick's No. 10 guaranteed into the field for the Daytona 500. (Patrick is in the field via the points from Tommy Baldwin's No. 36 car.)
Cassill will have the points from Brian Vickers' No. 83 last year, while the possibility remains for the team to field a second car at Daytona, as it would be locked in via Kasey Kahne's owner points from the No. 4.
The move, which had been in the works for a few weeks, officially means that all 35 of the guaranteed starting positions from 2011's owner points are spoken for if the team runs a second car.
In January, Michael Waltrip Racing attempted to buy the owner's points from Red Bull but a deal didn't work out. If the team that just acquired the Red Bull points fields a second car, one of Waltrip's cars will need to qualify for the 500 on speed. Martin Truex Jr.'s No. 56 is locked in, and the team has the owner points from David Reutimann's No. 00, for either new MWR driver Clint Bowyer or the No. 55 that Waltrip is sharing with Mark Martin.
Roush Fenway Racing is running the No. 6 for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the Daytona 500 because the team has the points from David Ragan last year. And while Richard Childress Racing has scaled back to three full-time teams, it's running the No. 33 for Elliott Sadler at Daytona and Brendan Gaughan for the next four races.
More sports news from the Yahoo! Sports Minute:
Hopkins Breaks Hand In Testing Crash At Phillip Island
John Hopkins' run of bad luck with hand injuries continues. The American has suffered yet another broken bone in his right hand, after crashing during a private World Superbike test at Phillip Island, ahead of the first round of the series in just under two weeks' time. Hopkins highsided at Turn 2, landing on his right hand, and fracturing a bone at the base of the hand.
The crash was doubly unfortunate for Hopkins. The American landed on his right hand, the hand which he had only recently had surgery on to remove the damaged ring finger. That injury had been sustained in 2011, the American crashing during practice for a wildcard appearance at the Brno round of MotoGP. Hopkins then had to cancel a second wildcard appearance at Sepang after the strain of riding a MotoGP bike separated the bone which had already partially healed, and eventually led the American to have the finger amputated.
Hopkins has now flown home to California to have his hand examined by his specialist Dr Chao. The American is in doubt for the first round of World Superbikes at Phillip Island, but with over six weeks until the second round of WSBK at Imola in Italy, he should not be forced to miss any other races.
Below is the press release from Suzuki announcing Hopkins' injury:
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