Download: 27 Mar 2012

Tuesday 27 March 2012

2013 Dodge Dart Rally Car Revealed – 2012 New York Auto Show

2013 Dodge Dart Rally Car Revealed – 2012 New York Auto Show:

Last year, despite a broken foot, Travis Pastrana wowed the TV audience during the Rallycross portion of ESPN’s X-Games, just as he had always done since the sport was first included in the games back in 2006.
He might be competing in Nascar this year, but in a surprise announcement Chrysler has just revealed that he will be driving a Dodge Dart in the expanded 2012 Global RallyCross series, which includes the X-Games.
This is no stock 2013 Dodge Dart – it is custom built specifically for rallycross with a purpose-built, 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder, 16-valve turbocharged 600-bhp engine mated to a Sedav 4-wheel-drive gear box that delivers more than 550 lb.-ft. of torque. David Bailey, Senior Engineering Manager for SRT Motorsports, claims the Dart rallycross car has a 0-60 mph time as low as 1.9 seconds.
It sounds ready to take on the Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Veloster, Subaru WRX, Skoda Fabia and Citroen DS3 rallycross cars that competed in the four rounds of the inaugural Global RallyCross series last year.
Undoubtedly it’ll be far more fun for Pastrana than driving his Nascar stock car!
Visitors to the upcoming 2012 New York Auto Show will be able to see the Dart rallycross car in person when it is unveiled for the first time in April. But you’ll really want to see Pastrana in action by attending one of the Global RallyCross events. And if you can’t get to one in person you’ll be able to watch each race live on ESPN.
2012 Global RallyCross Race Schedule:

May 26 – Charlotte Motor Speedway
June 10 – Texas Motor Speedway
June 30 – X Games, Los Angeles
July 1 – X Games, Los Angeles
July 14 – New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sept. 1 – TBD
Sept. 29 – Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Source : Google Reader

St. Petersburg Race Report – 2012 IndyCar Series

St. Petersburg Race Report – 2012 IndyCar Series:

**Photo courtesy of Helio Castroneves Facebook Fan page.

While the Formula 1 drivers were fighting heavy rain and humidity in Malaysia, the IndyCar pilots were treated to sunburn weather in St. Petersburg, Florida for their season opener.
Chevrolet-powered cars dominated qualifying, but as the race unwound the Honda machines seemed to find parity. Lotus needs development.
Helio Castroneves in a Chevrolet-powered Penske machine won, with Scott Dixon putting a Ganassi team, Honda-fired car in 2nd. Then three more Chevys before the next Honda. Nice touch at the end of the race as Castroneves stopped at Dan Wheldon Way to honor the late driver who was involved in developing the new Dallara chassis.
It was a good start to the season.
Do you like the new look of the cars? Some of us find it a welcome change and wonder if it is a reason there were no first-turn shemozzles. Others would mumble “bumper cars,” particularly when the cars are seen from behind. Then again, it’s nice to know that a car-to-car tap doesn’t mean a retirement or necessarily force a pit stop.
Wade in with your comments, and tell us what you think.
One nice touch in the television broadcast was the wing-mounted camera off the right rear with a wide-angle view…interesting to watch the tire camber changes.
In case you are one of the fans upset because you can’t watch IndyCar qualifying on television, you can find it on the web here. Online, you’ll be able to follow a comprehensive timing and scoring display and also find lots of in-car video.
You can check it all out next week when the IndyCars race at Barber Motorsports Park in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 1, 2012.
(** Full race weekend schedule here.)
**Photo courtesy of Helio Castroneves Facebook Fan page.

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Source : Google Reader

SRT Track Day

SRT Track Day:
SRT Day_John Lamm_0001

When you buy your Dodge, Chrysler or Jeep SRT, you get horsepower, refined handling…and a little something extra.
Look in the glove box and you’ll find a coupon that gives you a free track experience to learn how to exercise your SRT. Each year, SRT holds about 24 sessions at race tracks around the country for these driving schools. And they are honestly schools, complete with classroom time, on-track driving and personal driver instruction. The group of owners are divided into groups depending on their experience and then put through modules of instruction. These sessions can vary from following an instructor to running a gymkhana course to true track time.
If you enjoy the experience (or if you didn’t buy an SRT) you can still enjoy the SRT track day for $500. Get more info at: drivesrt.com.

Source : Google Reader

BMW: 2012 London Olympics Partner

BMW: 2012 London Olympics Partner:

BMW Group, the official automotive partner to the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games, has now delivered the first 40 vehicles that will be used for this summer’s games in London.
The newly-liveried vehicles will form part of the full fleet which will be used by the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to help drive the Games. The fleet consists of electric, diesel, and hybrid cars, as well as a range of motorcycles and bicycles, and benefits from BMW’s sector-leading EfficientDynamics technologies meaning that it will achieve LOCOG’s strict 120g CO2/ km emissions target.

BMW will provide a total of 4000 low emission diesel, hybrid and electric cars as well as motor cycles and bicycles to support the Games. These will principally be used as shuttles for officials, media, LOCOG employees, representatives of the national Olympic committees, the international sporting bodies of the IOC and sponsors.

Source : Google Reader

2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK – 2012 New York Auto Show Preview

2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK – 2012 New York Auto Show Preview:

The 2012 New York Auto Show has another new arrival, with the face-lifted 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK crossover scheduled to make an appearance in Gotham. A revised front fascia, LED lighting, new alloys wheels and updated interior constitute the cosmetic changes to the GLK, which first went on sale for the 2010 model year.
2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK – 2012 New York Auto Show Preview

The standard 3.5-liter V-6 engine now boasts 302 bhp, a notable jump from the 268 bhp offered previously. There is a choice of rear or all-wheel-drive, and a 7-speed automatic transmission is standard across the range. Mercedes has paid particular attention to the GLK’s technology quota, which now includes blind spot detection, a self-parking feature, and even a monitor to detect if the driver is getting drowsy.
2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK – 2012 New York Auto Show Preview

A stop/start system helps conserve fuel by shutting the V-6 engine off when idling in traffic, or while waiting at a stoplight. If economy is paramount when shopping for a luxury crossover, the new diesel-powered GLK250 BlueTEC could spark your interest. The specs of the 190-bhp 2.1-liter 4-cylinder are given a major boost by the whopping 369 lb.-ft. of torque this engine produces.
Exact pricing and fuel economy figures will be revealed during the New York Auto Show, beginning with the media preview held April 4-5.

Source : Google Reader