Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2012/11/diffey-to-call-indycar-events.html
Saturday
Jimmie Johnson wins at Martinsville, seizes points lead from Brad Keselowski
After salvaging an eighth place finish after crashing at Kansas, Jimmie Johnson and team pointed to Sunday's race at Martinsville as their launching pad towards a sixth championship.
They had very good reason to. Johnson's average finish at the half mile paperclip was a striking 5.8, and Brad Keselowski, the man they trailed in the points standings by seven points, finished ninth at Martinsville in the spring, his highest career finish at the track.
And now, Johnson's stats at Martinsville are even better. He took the lead from Keselowski on a restart with 20 laps to go and held off Kyle Busch on a restart with five laps to go to win the TUMS Fast Relief 500 and take the lead from Keselowski by two points with three races remaining in the 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Keselowski found himself with significant ground to make up on Johnson as soon as the green flag flew to start the race, as he started 32nd while Johnson started on pole. And throughout the first half of the race, he meticulously worked his way through the field, avoiding trouble and staying on the lead lap, while Johnson ran in the top five for most of the day.
Keselowski had moved his way up to sixth -- his highest running position of the day -- when the caution flag flew on lap 474 of the 500 lap race for Kevin Harvick's engine, he and Paul Wolfe had a decision to make.
[Also: Electrical problems destroy Denny Hamlin's championship hopes]
Johnson and Jeff Gordon, who were running 1-2 at the time, hit pit road, as did the three cars immediately behind them. Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't.
That meant that Keselowski restarted the race at the point, with Johnson immediately on his back bumper. Keselowski cleared Junior before the two reached turn one, but he couldn't shake off Johnson, who dove to the inside on the backstretch on lap 485 to take the lead for the final time.
"I felt like (staying out) was going to be a problem for him," Johnson said. "We've stayed out before and been beat. I expected him to drop a bit further back, so to have a two point margin on him he must have stayed up in the top five somewhere, but you just can't count out good race teams. When you get to the playoffs, it doesn't matter what sport it is, teams step up and show what they're made of and we've seen a lot of teams do it this Chase. Our team came out on top today and a few more races of doing that and we should be in good shape."
[Related: Junior admits concussion was scary]
Keselowski fought valiantly on old tires to the drivers on two tires behind him, and fended off Jeff Gordon on the final lap to finish sixth, exactly where he was when the caution flew for Harvick's engine. But no one was stopping Johnson over the final laps of the race, and as the white flag flew, Busch was only able to close in on Johnson's bumper and unable to prevent him from swiping the points lead from Keselowski.
And as the Cup Series heads to Texas, it's certainly easy to draw conclusions with the five-time champion's name atop the points standings. But this wasn't a case of Keselowski folding to the pressure from a champion, or choking with the win on the line and the chance to extend the points lead. He instead made about the best of what he could in a daunting situation. It's just that Johnson did about the best he could do too.
It's going to be a fun final three weeks.
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Jeff Gordon wins final race of the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season
Jeff Gordon began the final race weekend of 2012 answering questions about his actions at Phoenix International Raceway five days before. And he ended the weekend in victory lane after winning the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Of course, he was answering questions about Phoenix there too. Because, in an all-too-coincidental outcome, the driver he had his Phoenix beef with, Clint Bowyer, finished second.
In the clip that's been replayed numerous times on televisions around the country and the world and brought NASCAR (good or bad, depending on your preference) attention on mainstream news outlets all over the country, Gordon retaliated against Bowyer for contact just laps earlier, and crashed both cars in the process. That led to a melee in the pits involving both drivers' teams, Gordon hiding in a tool box next to the scrum and Bowyer sprinting from his car on pit road all the way to Gordon's hauler in search of the four-time champion.
On Friday, Gordon expressed regret for letting his emotions get the best of him at Phoenix, and he and Bowyer both kept level heads during the 400 mile race. While they raced near each other for a significant portion of the race, there were no incidents nor sprints on Sunday.
"Can you believe that?" Gordon asked in victory lane when talking about finishing 1-2 with Bowyer. "You know, I mean there was one restart where I had Joey (Logano) and maybe even Aric (Almirola) and Clint right there surrounding me and, you know, we -- you know, that thing is going to work itself out some way through racing and, you know, I felt terrible about how I went about it and still regret the way I went about it but you know what, I can't take it back. What we can do is look forward and race guys as hard and clean as we possibly can and, you know, this is a great way to get some positive things going because this year has been real up and down. This awesome to have my family here in victory lane."
Logano and Almirola were caught up as collateral damage in the conflict between Bowyer and Gordon.
Kyle Busch led the race's highest number of laps and Martin Truex Jr. was hot on his tail most of the day, but Gordon was never far behind. While he hadn't led a lap until he took the lead for the first and final time, it certainly wasn't a "Where did he come from?" moment.
The catalyst for Gordon's win was a pit stop on lap 159 after the caution flag flew for Ricky Stenhouse's crash on lap 154. That was the race's final caution flag, and it allowed Gordon to make it the rest of the way on fuel on one more stop.
As the laps started to tick down, Busch and Truex were ahead of Gordon like they had been for most of the race. But they didn't pit during the caution for Stenhouse's crash like Gordon did. They needed a caution flag to fill up their gas tanks and stay near the front of the field.
Truex then brushed the wall while in hot pursuit of Busch and started to fade. Busch never got his caution flag. Gordon took the lead with 13 laps to go and kept a significant advantage over Bowyer, who never got close enough to entertain thoughts of revenge for what happened a week ago.
However, had the opportunity presented itself, it might not have been in Bowyer's best interests. Thanks to Jimmie Johnson's mechanical troubles, Bowyer's second place finish meant he jumped Johnson in the points standings to second, 39 points behind Keselowski and a point ahead of Johnson.
Thanks to his win, Gordon finishes the season in 10th place in the standings, four points ahead of Truex, and gets the final spot at the Sprint Cup Series banquet.
Friday
Paris Motor Show 2012: Ferrari Produced Letters By 2013
Ferrari did not make too much noise in the Paris Salon; too noisy if we talk about the introduction of new models because, in their future, let new and interesting conclusions about its first hybrid model, developed from the KERS your the F1 car and hit the market in 2013 to replace the Enzo. Together [...]
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/345-paris-motor-show-2012-ferrari-produced-letters-by-2013.html
Thursday
Ecclestone: Ferrari ?completely wrong? in Vettel dispute | F1 Fanatic round-up
Ecclestone: Ferrari “completely wrong” in Vettel dispute is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
In the round-up: Ecclestone says Vettel dispute is "a complete joke" ? New bidder aims to bring Turkish GP back ? Kovalainen considering WRC switch
Ecclestone: Ferrari “completely wrong” in Vettel dispute is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2012/11/30/f1-fanatic-roundup-3011/
The Benefits of a Hybrid Car
Everyone’s heard of hybrid cars, but not many people take the time to fully realise the benefits. Whether it?s the financial or environmental advantages, or simply considering it as investment for the future, there are a number of advantages that can’t be found on strictly-petrol based vehicles. Hybrid cars also aren’t brand new, either. The [...]
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/338-the-benefits-of-a-hybrid-car.html
Nissan Called Qashqai Review Some Units And The NV200 in Spain
The car firm Nissan has recalled in Spain some units of Qashqai models and NV200, due to a defect in the steering wheel that can affect the direction of the vehicle, according to the association FACUA-Consumers in Action in a statement. This campaign, according to the consumer, affects units of these models made this year. [...]
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/365-nissan-called-qashqai-review-some-units-and-the-nv200-in-spain.html
Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen
Gordon, Bowyer wreck out; crews brawl in garage
In one of the more surreal scenes in recent NASCAR memory, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer set off a sequence of events during the Sunday Phoenix race that could have repercussions not just for next week, but for next season and the Sprint Cup championship.
The scene: With seven laps remaining, Bowyer clipped Gordon, and Gordon slid hard into the wall. Unable to continue, Gordon was black-flagged by NASCAR but did not leave the track. Instead, he waited for Bowyer, and took out not just Bowyer but a trailing Joey Logano as well.
The reaction from both crews was immediate. Bowyer's team seethed over the radio, with crew chief Brian Pattie saying this was no way for a champion to act. Gordon climbed out of his car and an unprecedented scene unfurled: the entire 15 team charging straight at Gordon alone. Gordon was apparently shoved into his hauler, but the 24's team arrived in time to join the fight themselves.
And Bowyer, whose car and championship hopes were junk, sprinted from the track back to the garage. He stood on the back of the 24's hauler and shouted at Gordon, to no avail. Eventually, Gordon and crew chief were escorted by police to the NASCAR hauler. Punishment will no doubt be forthcoming.
Long after the race, Gordon spoke briefly about his rivalry with Bowyer, which most notably may have cost Gordon a win in the spring at Martinsville. "It's escalated over the year and I've just had it," he said. "Clint's run into me numerous times and wrecked me. He got into me on the back straightaway and ruined our day. I set up and got him back."
There you have it: Not that there was any doubt, but Gordon effectively confessed to headhunting. And under a black flag? NASCAR will not look fondly upon that. Recall that last year, Kyle Busch was suspended for doing the exact same thing to Ron Hornaday Jr. in Texas.
Reaction to the brawl was swift. "Cowardly, chicken and sad," Michael Waltrip, Bowyer's team owner, told MRN. "What a sad act that was by Jeff Gordon."
"When I was young I thought @JeffGordonWeb was the best driver," Logano said on Twitter. "Now I've lost a lot of respect for him. #verydumb"
"The 24 should be parked!" Logano's teammate Denny Hamlin wrote on Twitter. "He took out 5 cars in that BS."
"It's just a shame, man," Bowyer said after the race. "The last thing you want to get into anything with is Jeff Gordon. I didn't even need to pass him. All I was doing was biding my time. For him to act like that, I barely touched him. It makes us all look like a bunch of retards. It's pretty embarrassing, and not what you expect from a four-time champion and what I consider one of the best the sport's ever seen."
Brad Keselowski, the current points leader, had a different take, given some of the heat he received for his driving last week: "I spent a whole week being bashed by a half a dozen drivers about racing hard at Texas and how I'm out of control and have a death wish, and then I see [BS] like that," he said. "That's [freaking] [BS].� That's all you can call that.� These guys just tried to kill each other.� You race hard and I get called an [posterior body part] for racing hard and called with a death wish, and I see [stuff] like that, and it just pisses me off ... they should be ashamed.� It's embarrassing."
NASCAR has indicated that it will not make an immediate decision, but one is certainly forthcoming.
-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-
Jimmy Fennig to crew chief for Carl Edwards in 2013
Matt Kenseth's current crew chief, Jimmy Fennig, will move to Carl Edwards and the No. 99 car in 2013, Roush Fenway Racing announced Wednesday.
Kenseth is leaving Roush at the end of the season to take over the No. 20 at Joe Gibbs Racing.
"We are excited about this change on both fronts," Jack Roush said in a release. "Pairing two highly successful veterans like Carl and Jimmy should be quite a matchup and it is our expectation based on what Jimmy has been able to accomplish with many high profile drivers, that it will provide the spark to get the No. 99 program and Carl back into championship form."
Edwards' long-time crew chief Bob Osborne stepped down in July for health reasons and was replaced by Chad Norris. However, the switch didn't boost Edwards' performance, and he missed the Chase and is currently in 15th place in the points standings without a win. Edwards, who lost out on the 2011 championship to Tony Stewart by virtue of fewer wins, has three top five finishes in 2012 compared to 19 a year ago. It's the second time in eight full seasons that he's missed the Chase. Kenseth is currently sixth in the Sprint Cup Series points standings, and won the Daytona 500 in February.
Fennig and Kenseth have been together since the middle of the 2010 season and have won three races each in 2011 and 2012. Fennig, a long-time Roush employee, won the 2004 Sprint Cup Series title with Kurt Busch. His move from atop the No. 17 box means that team will have both a new driver and crew chief in 2013.
Potentially two-time Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse is moving up to the Cup Series full-time in 2013, and will have Scott Graves has his crew chief. Graves was the crew chief for Edwards' Nationwide Series win at Watkins Glen earlier in the year and has conducted testing with the new 2013 Sprint Cup Series car.
Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen
Wednesday
Jerez WSBK Test Day 2 Times: Sykes Still Leads But Guintoli Closes
Tom Sykes was once again fastest man of the day at Jerez, despite a small crash in the middle of the day. Sylvain Guintoli is quickly up to speed on the factory Aprilia, ending day 2 in 2nd, and just over quarter of a second behind the Kawasaki man, and half a second ahead of his new teammate Eugene Laverty. Loris Baz is 4th fastest, a second behind his teammate, though the times for the Kawasaki men are both unofficial, and given by the teams, Kawasaki not having fitted a transponder.
Among the WSS riders at Jerez, Michael van der Mark continues to impress, the Ten Kate Honda man once again topping the timesheet, nearly half a second quicker than the reigning champion Kenan Sofuoglu on the Kawasaki. Fabien Foret is third fastest, but he is over a second slower than Sofuoglu, and over 1.5 seconds behind Van der Mark. The young Dutchman has proven himself a fast learner aboard the Honda Supersport bike.
Testing continues tomorrow, when Ducati's MotoGP and WSBK teams will join the riders, as well as the BMW WSBK Team. Honda, meanwhile, will be calling it a day.
The Benefits of a Hybrid Car
Everyone’s heard of hybrid cars, but not many people take the time to fully realise the benefits. Whether it?s the financial or environmental advantages, or simply considering it as investment for the future, there are a number of advantages that can’t be found on strictly-petrol based vehicles. Hybrid cars also aren’t brand new, either. The [...]
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/338-the-benefits-of-a-hybrid-car.html
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