Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2013/10/01/grand-prix-of-indy-a-few-local-reactions/
Thursday
Grand Prix of Indy, a Few Local Reactions
Road racing is on at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and there were more than a few questions concerning the whole package. As the self-appointed every-mans indianpolis based indycar lifer and racing addict, I think some pedestrian opinion could be just … Continue reading
Wednesday
All Prices on the SEAT Leon TGI
Although in Spain vehicles fueled by natural gas does not have a particularly high demand, SEAT have not wanted to miss the chance to offer a variant on the body of your Lion with five doors. With a view similar to the new Golf mechanical , Lion TGI block uses a 1.4-liter 110 hp and […]
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/634-all-prices-on-the-seat-leon-tgi.html
Tuesday
Piaggio MP3 500
The Piaggio MP3 500, features a special three wheel configuration which makes it significantly more stable than any other two wheel maxi-scooter. The MP3 500 also features an aggressive style, a comfortable seat and an ergonomically designed handlebar.
The MP3 500 is propelled by a single-cylinder, MASTER, 4-Stroke, 4-Valve, 492.7 Cc engine which delivers a gas mileage of 55-57 Mpg. The unit cranks out a maximum power of 40 Hp and 42.23 Nm of torque at 5,550 Rpm which propel the scooter to a maximum speed of 89 mph. All this power is kept in leash by a CVT automatic transmission.
The ride is kept in check by an innovative parallelogram front suspension and an electro-hydraulic suspension locking system which combine to offer a 40-degree lean angle.
As far as prices are concerned, the Piaggio MP3 500 can be yours for no less than $8,899.
Hit the jump for more information on the Piaggio MP3 500.
Piaggio MP3 500 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 28 February 2014 14:01 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/piaggio/2014-piaggio-mp3-500-ar162559.html
Monday
2014 Jerez Moto3 Test Day 1 Times: Fast Fenati Leads Impressive Hanika
After a windy start to the final Moto3 test of the season, Romano Fenati ended the first day in Jerez at the top of the timesheets. The Team Sky VR46 rider topped two of the three sessions for the Moto3 class, ending the day a tenth of a second ahead of Karel Hanika. The young Czech rookie continues to impress on his debut in the class, finishing ahead of his teammate and title favorite Jack Miller, while Danny Kent took 4th on the Husqvarna.
Efren Vazquez was the fastest of the Hondas, the Racing Team Germany rider just under half a second off the pace of Fenati. The Hondas of Estrella Galicia teammates Alex Marquez and Alex Rins were not far behind, Marquez three hundredths slower than Vazquez, Rins nine hundredths slower.
Times at the end of day 1:
Marco Apicella Mбrio de Araъjo Cabral Frank Armi Chuck Arnold
Sunday
Happy Hour: Dale Earnhardt Jr., the 500 and Austin Dillon
Throughout the week you can send us your best questions, jokes, rants and just plain miscellaneous thoughts to happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com or @NickBromberg. We'll post them here, have a good time and everyone's happy.
We're back! And we have some great material for our first in-season Happy Hour. The Madison Rising edition didn't count, we just had some emails that were too good to share. Let's get to it. This is going to be good.
I think they did an awesome rendition of the National Anthem! It showed lots of emotion, and pride . I enjoy country and old music for my favorite music, but I thought this was great! It even sent a chill down my spine. I believe all the soldiers who fought, and those that gave their lives would be proud of Madison Risings rendition of the National Anthem. Thank you! - Nan
Sorry, I had to publish one more. No more Madison Rising forever and ever and ever. And no. Just, no, Nan. No.
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Is the NASCAR glass half empty or half full coming out of Daytona? Junior wins, Junior tweets, etc. great for sport, ( As was Trevor Bayne, Wood Bros. win if i recall), or very low ratings,low secondary market resale ticket prices etc. bad for sport. And as a side question, how much did NASCAR luck out by the veto of the Arizona law and the questions that would have brought this weekend. Thanks, keep the good work going. - Brian
This was the best possible PR outcome for NASCAR that didn't involve a certain female driver in a lime green car. The No. 3 on the pole and then Earnhardt Jr. winning? That's a nice lift. But the million-dollar question is how long it will last. Are more people going to tune in at Phoenix because Junior won? And if they do, are they going to be bored to tears with what we're all expecting to be a one-groove racetrack?
TV ratings were down for the 500, but that's some overrated talk. The race had an over six-hour rain delay. How many people have the ability to put their Sunday afternoon and evening into a NASCAR race, even if it's the Daytona 500?
NASCAR is just like the NFL when it comes to the Arizona bill that was vetoed by Gov. Brewer Wednesday. It allows the focus to be on the racing and not the inevitable "What do you think about this?" questions that would have followed had it been passed. The NFL was in a tougher spot though. Threatening to move the Super Bowl can't be empty talk.
---------------
Brian France mentioned that it could be a possibility if Fox and the track agreed to it. I could see it happening if NASCAR wanted to move it back to President's Day weekend. With a holiday that a lot of people have off on the following day, it'd be a way, a la the Coca-Cola 600 and the Atlanta race, to have a Sunday night race.
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Well, it certainly can't be extremely beneficial from a "getting prepared for Phoenix" perspective, but from an "attention for the sport" one, it is. And I think everyone who wins the Daytona 500 realizes that and it's a worthy tradeoff.
That said, I don't think we're going to be wondering if the media obligations affected Junior and team's performance at Phoenix at all.
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So excited about Jr?s win but it has nothing to do with that sissy punk Dillon and the 3 car. Him and his granddaddy are LIARS and trash. Shut up about them nobody gives a (blank) about them. That had nothing to do with Jr. Dillon caused 2 wrecks that night and he was at the back where he belongs. He will always be there!! He an RC are (blank). Trying to ride now on Jr?s win. Quit trying to shove him down everybody?s throat. Congrats DALE EARNHARDT JR.!!!!! - Marilyn�
Which leads us to this...
I saw a video{taken right after the 500} of one of the drivers talking angrily about Dillon causing wrecks and his path to Sprint Cup competition. Being spoon fed I believe. Who was that driver and where is that video? I haven?t seen or heard about it since that early clip. - Kent
Which leads us to this...
Can you explain the animosity for Austin Dillon? I know many people think he got his ride because of his grandfather. Okay, maybe he did. No doubt NASCAR's most popular driver no doubt started by sweeping his dady's garage for $2 an hour and had to buy his first race car and pay for all his racing expenes on his own, and being the son of Dale Earnhardt Sr. was of no help to him. Nor did Paul Menard get a ride because of his relationship to the car owner, and being the son of Richard Petty did nothing for Kyle Petty. Nope, no one else in the history of NASCAR ever benefited by being born into the right racing family. I now understand: Austin Dillon is evil because he got his ride because he's Richard Childress' grandson. Got it. - Paul
There's going to be a minority of folks who will be so pro-Earnhardt forever that they'll feel no one else can drive the No. 3. But it's Richard Childress's car and Dillon has been using the number since he entered the Camping World Truck Series. It was inevitable, and the inevitability is here.
Paul, the clip was of Kevin Harvick, when he delivered his parting shot to the Dillons and Richard Childress Racing at Martinsville before his departure at the end of the season.
Dillon has legitimate racing talent, and anyone who thinks differently is crazy. You don't win a Nationwide Series title simply because you have fast cars. So what if he didn't win a race. With the way that the Nationwide Series is currently set up, it's hard for a Nationwide regular to take the checkered flag. Plus, he's also got a Truck Series title too. He's the odds-on favorite to become the first driver to win all three NASCAR national series championships. Yes, even over Greg Biffle at this point.
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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! Follow @NickBromberg
Duane Carter Eugenio Castellotti Johnny Cecotto Andrea de Cesaris
Saturday
Thought for the day?
As members of the F1 circus wing their way to Australia for the season-opener next weekend in Melbourne, there is a fascinating story to be found in San Francisco, regarding things that effect the environment. Automobile racing is often held up as being a bad thing because it burns a small amount of fuel. This […]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2014/03/10/thought-for-the-day-9/
Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis
Friday
A Ramble on Tires, Push and the Future
As the season reaches the halfway point the future of indycar is starting to look quite bright. Something as simple as an in-depth look at the odd link between downforce, pushy racecars and tires, a bone of contention in their … Continue reading 
Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/02/a-ramble-on-tires-push-and-the-future/
Francois Cevert Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain Karun Chandhok
Thursday
2014 Jerez Moto2 And Moto3 Test Day 2 Press Releases
Press releases from the Moto2 and Moto3 teams after the second day of testing at Jerez:
Year:
2014
Wednesday
Tuesday
Power Rankings: The battle is for third as Earnhardt Jr. and Keselowski separate themselves from the pack
Guess what's back, back, back again? Power rankings are back, tell a friend. Our weekly From the Marbles staple is back for 2014 and once again, it's far from a scientific formula as it's the perfect blend of analytics and bias against your favorite driver. Direct all your complaints to us at happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com.
And no, we're not expanding Power Rankings to 16 drivers.
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 1): We touched on it in the Chrome Horn Debrief, but it's worth mentioning again that crediting the new Chase format for Junior's decision to gamble on fuel is unfair to NASCAR history, even if Junior says the decision was motivated by the format. This is not the first time in NASCAR that someone has gambled on fuel mileage to attempt to win a race, nor is it the last. And besides, it's not like the No. 88 was three laps short and threw a Hail Mary.
2. Brad Keselowski (LW: 2): When you've got two guys separated by a single point in the standings and they each have a win this early in the season, we're going to the lowest finish tiebreaker. Keselowski's is third, while Junior's is second. Sorry Brad, you stay in second. But we promise that you're even a closer second than you were last week. Have a Girl Scout cookie.
3. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 5): Speaking of Girl Scout cookies, what's with the reaction to this ad? Check out some of the tweets that Johnson responded to. Good grief. On the track Sunday, Johnson finished sixth, his third straight top-six finish to start the year. Yes, it's even possible that Johnson and the No. 48 crew is having an "underrated" start to the season. Part of it is the exceptional performances of the two drivers ahead of him and part of it is the fact that Johnson still thinks his team is a tick off. Scary.
4. Jeff Gordon (LW: 4): Three races and three top 10s for Gordon. If yo're tiering the points standings, he's right with Johnson in the second tier. And hey, the early returns are promising over these first three races about the disappearance of the Gordon restart, in which Gordon loses multiple positions immediately after the green flag waves. But don't ask us if that has anything to do with the new points system, because we don't want to see how deep the abyss is.
5. Kevin Harvick (LW: 3): Once again, Harvick was the strongest Stewart-Haas car, but this time he didn't get the highest finish. After a broken left-front hub, Harvick was relegated to a 40th place finish and was actually last amongst his SHR comrades. Yes, he finished below Tony Stewart, though it's not impossible to think that Stewart wasn't racing the final half of Sunday's race. That car just disappeared.
6. Joey Logano (LW: 6): After finishing fourth, having Logano sixth doesn't seem fair. We'll totally admit it. But at the same time, can you really vault him above Harvick? He's ahead of Gordon by one point in the standings, so there's a slight argument there. And he's of course ahead of Harvick too. But if we're going to take the strength of Harvick's races (outside of the hub) and stack them against Logano's, Cupcake gets the edge. And besides, we need some variety.
7. Carl Edwards (LW: 9): We also mentioned this too on the Chrome Horn Debrief, but don't be too quick to jump on Edwards' Vegas performance as an endorsement of Roush. He was far and away better than Greg Biffle and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. all weekend. As an endorsement that Jimmy Fennig and Edwards are the best team at the shop? Sure. But nothing more than that at the moment.
8. Matt Kenseth (LW: 8): This was not the most compelling of race-title defenses by Flatline. He wasn't bad by any means -- he did a good job working his way up from a starting position that was settled in the first round of qualifying -- but it wasn't what we became accustomed to last year from this team either. Oh, and we'll also point out here that Kenseth didn't take tires and made a track position gamble for the win with 41 laps to go last year at Vegas. On Sunday, the final restart was with 42 to go.
9. Ryan Newman (LW: 12): It's two straight seventh-place finishes for Newman. We asked in last week's power rankings if he'd quasi-assume the role of Kevin Harvick in being far ahead of his two teammates. Well, after Sunday's race, there's been a different Richard Childress Racing car toting the bucket. If there's parity at RCR and it's not because one team came down to the level of the other two, it's great news for the organization.
10. Denny Hamlin (LW: 6): After the second-place finish at Daytona, Hamlin's finished outside the top 10 the last two weeks. But is it really that big of a concern? He's got two good tracks coming up in the next three weeks as well as one that he was a few football fields from winning at last year. On that note, how many times are we going to relive the Logano-Hamlin Bristol/California dustup over the next two weeks. 100?
11. Kyle Busch (LW: 11): Busch's car was super-fast over the first 100 laps of Sunday's race. From then on, yeah, not so much. After one restart late in the race, Busch's aggression made him some quick gains and you wondered if the car was back to where it was at the beginning of the race. But as soon as Busch made those passes, he started sliding backwards.
12. Paul Menard (LW: NR): PFM's first top-three finish since 2012 is worthy of an appearance in Power Rankings. Menard was an early-2013 Power Rankings staple before sliding out as the summer hit. Will he be able to repeat the effort in 2014? All it'll take is a few more top 10 finishes
�
The Lucky Dog: Martin Truex Jr. finished 14th after a not-so-stellar first two weeks of the season.
The DNF: He finished the race, but Stewart gets it this week.
Dropped Out: Greg Biffle
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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! Follow @NickBromberg
Monday
Andrew Gosling Shoots The Phillip Island Tire Test, Day 1
To test tires, you must have tires to test
Deeply unhappy at Sepang, on top at Phillip Island. Funny things, tires
Ducati competing in the Open class hasn't stopped Cal Crutchlow from getting some serious lean
Sunday
Saturday
2014 Season Preview: No. 9 Brad Keselowski
Welcome to From the Marbles' 2014 season previews. Here's how we think the Chase will shake out in this first year of 16 drivers and eliminations. Will we be right? Unlikely, but it's fun to think about our soothsaying possibilities until the green flag waves for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 23.
Driver: Brad Keselowski
2013 Finish: 14th
2013 Highlight: The win at Charlotte. Without a win before the Chase, Keselowski was on the outside looking in when it started. But you could tell that there was something more important about Keselowski's win than simply getting into victory lane. Maybe it was the fact that his Penske Ford was good on an intermediate track. Maybe it's because it keyed some swagger back. Maybe because it was the week after your headgames with Kyle Busch. Maybe it's none of those things.
Anyway, we're pretty sure it wasn't just another win.
2013 Lowlight: To put missing the Chase into context, the lowlight has to be the "what-if?" of Watkins Glen. The question was bound to linger had Keselowski done the opposite of what he ended up doing and did put the bumper to Busch. Instead, it lingered sourly because Keselowski didn't get another chance for a pre-Chase win.
However, it's also possible to overstate the significance of Watkins Glen. Yes, things would have likely played out differently had Keselowski won, but even with a win, he wouldn't have made the Chase.
Why is Keselowski here? Because we think 2013 was an aberration and Keselowski will get a win early in the season and make worrying about Chase qualification irrelevant. We'll say it happens at Bristol.
How could Keselowski not be here? Another winless streak pops up and is combined with a summer swoon like last year. Like many drivers in the top 10, it's hard to envision a scenario where Keselowski won't make the Chase, but after last year, we know never to say never.
Best Winter Olympic event: We'd pay to see a Keselowski vs. Newman curling match. Is there a sabermetric equivalent in curling? Keselowski would probably be totally on board with it.
Worst Winter Olympic event: Let's go with a sprint event in cross country skiing. After seeing Keselowski's Kansas run, we're not too worried about his endurance. Top speed could be an issue, however.
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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!
Friday
Your handy cheat sheet for the 2014 Budweiser Duel qualifying races for the Daytona 500
The Budweiser Duel qualifying races at Daytona are unique, as it is the only occasion that NASCAR runs races to decide the starting grid for a race. But the ways drivers can make Sunday's Daytona 500 in the Duel can get a tad complicated.
So we're here to help. Or at least make it so that you may want to leave this post open for reference when the two Duel races are being run Thursday evening.
After Dave Blaney withdrew Wednesday evening following the vicious practice crash on the frontstretch, 48 cars are vying for 43 spots, so five cars will go home.
13 of those 48 cars are guaranteed not to miss the race. They are:
Austin Dillon (starting first in Daytona 500)
Martin Truex Jr. (starting second)
Greg Biffle (via Sunday's qualifying speed)
Carl Edwards (via Sunday's qualifying speed)
Ryan Newman (via Sunday's qualifying speed)
Brad Keselowski (via Sunday's qualifying speed)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (guaranteed provisional via 2013 owner's points)
Jeff Gordon (guaranteed provisional via 2013 owner's points)
Jimmie Johnson (guaranteed provisional via 2013 owner's points)
Matt Kenseth (guaranteed provisional via 2013 owner's points)
Clint Bowyer (guaranteed provisional via 2013 owner's points)
Kyle Busch (guaranteed provisional via 2013 owner's points)
Tony Stewart (guaranteed provisional via winning 2011 championship)
The top 15 cars in each Duel are guaranteed to start the Daytona 500. (the first Duel fills out odd-numbered positions 3-31, while the second fills out even-numbered positions 4-32.) With the final seven positions (37-43) reserved for provisionals, spots 33, 34, 35 and 36 go to the fastest cars. Hence why Biffle, Edwards, Newman and Brad Keselowski are already guaranteed spots.
Got all that? Because provisionals are based off of the 2013 owner's points standings, Kasey Kahne isn't in the same position as, say, Michael McDowell. To miss the race, Kahne would need to finish outside the top 15 in his duel, have four drivers ahead of him during Sunday's front row qualifying session also miss out on the top 15 in their respective duels and have six -- or seven, if the Past Champion's Provisional isn't used -- drivers in the 2013 owner's standings also not finish in the top 15 and require a provisional.
We told you it was complicated. Here are who we think are the drivers in the most danger of missing the 500 and that five of the names below will fail to qualify for the race.
Duel 1:
Reed Sorenson
Parker Kligerman
Cole Whitt
Michael McDowell
Josh Wise
Joe Nemechek
Alex Bowman
Duel 2:
Landon Cassill
Eric McClure
Terry Labonte (could get Past Champion's Provisional)
Bobby Labonte (could get Past Champion's Provisional)
Ryan Truex
Morgan Shepherd
Or will it be someone who isn't on the list? You can find the starting lineup for the first Duel HERE and the second Duel HERE.
- - - - - - -
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!
Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy
Thursday
All Prices on the SEAT Leon TGI
Although in Spain vehicles fueled by natural gas does not have a particularly high demand, SEAT have not wanted to miss the chance to offer a variant on the body of your Lion with five doors. With a view similar to the new Golf mechanical , Lion TGI block uses a 1.4-liter 110 hp and […]
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/634-all-prices-on-the-seat-leon-tgi.html
Wednesday
Track Position Could Be Key At Daytona
While you are taking a breather from the non-stop Danica coverage, consider this: this year’s Sprint Unlimited had 17 less lead changes than last year’s Bud Shootout. Granted the 2012 Shootout was seven laps longer, but it also wasn’t broken up into segments which kept the field together. Combine the number of lead changes with [...] 
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