Toyota Corolla Diesel Machine 2014

Toyota Corolla-Although sales of the Corolla is already quite high, but Toyota still wants to increase its popularity, at least in Europe and possibly Australia. In connection already established cooperation with BMW, the largest automobile manufacturers in Japan it will install the BMW turbo diesel engine in the Corolla.

People in the Toyota, as reported by the British magazine Autocar has leaked that the Auris - the Corolla another name for the European market - have benefited from the collaboration of the BMW-Toyota. Most rapid, 2014 Auris already use the technology of the automobile manufacturer from Bavaria.

BMW four-cylinder engine provides 1.6 and 2.0 liter turbocharged diesel. This supplies in return from the joint development of lithium-ion batteries. But Toyota will not share hybrid technology, while the diesel engine should not be used on the Lexus.

1.6-liter diesel engine now used in the Mini Cooper D models have the power 82kW and 270Nm trosi. Medium power on the 1.8-liter gasoline engine that is used Corolla now powered 100 kW. For fuel consumption, diesel giving 3.8 liters per 100 km.

Toyota Hybrid Aqua Launch In Japan

Toyota Hybrid Aqua-Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced, launched a new compact hybrid cars in Japan, namely Aqua. Previously, this car has been introduced to the public at the 2011 TMS ago.

According to Toyota, Aqua uses hybrid technology that has developed over 17 years with claims fuel consumption of 35.4 km per liter (Japanese test method).

Toyota also offers a special version for the disabled or handicapped body called Welcab Friendmatics. This version, operating everything is done by hand and went on sale in March 2012. The price began 1895 million yen to 2.679 million yen, the most expensive.

Added, with the advent of Aqua, Japanese consumers will get various choices of hybrid cars are increasingly diverse and increasingly affordable prices.

Gasoline Engine

Gasoline engine used Aqua capacity 1.5 liter (1.8-liter Prius) and uses the same hybrid technology with the Prius (THSII). As seniors, the gasoline engine also utilizes Aqua Atiknson cycle so that the higher the efficiency of its work (the eventual goal fuel economy).

So that the higher the engine work again, used to cool the coolant pump is driven by a battery (electric pump). With this, the loss of the rubber belt does not exist. In addition, the cooling air flow control precision.

Performance

Because the gasoline engine is smaller, then transact hybrid, the control unit recruitment, motor power and motor cars were smaller and more lightweight.

Aqua acceleration 0-100 km per jama in 10.7 seconds, while from 40 miles per hour to 70 miles per hour takes 3.6 seconds with a 4.8-meter turning radius.

Completeness of other woods Aqua is Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA). Moreover, Vehicle Stability Control (VHC), serves menggatur brake job, engine power output and stability when a car "skidding". There is also traction control (TC) or traction control to prevent cars spin when the car accelerated from rest.

No less interesting, Toyota also includes Hill-start Assistent Control to prevent the car back on the ramp when it will run from a stop condition. Furthermore, in order to keep working while AC engine off, compression is driven by an electric motor or rely on energy from the battery

Toyota Grand Innova For Indian Market

Toyota Grand Innova 2012-Toyota India will certainly bring in the event the Grand Innova Auto Expo 2012 will take place 7 to 11 January 2012 in New Delhi, India. The event was being used as an introductory phase, while its official launch is planned in late January 2012.

Grand Innova presence in the land of Hindustan certainly enliven the SUV segment which has been a consumer favorite vehicle of India. Grand Innova facelift comes more fresh than the previous generation.

The fifth generation of Honda City is experiencing significant changes both outside and inside. Outer appearance looks more elegant with a number of changes including the front bumper, hood and radiator grille molding. In addition, the design head lamp more rounded blend with the front bumper. Impression of Tuesday, also coupled with a straight line on the radiator grille which makes it looks more aggressive.

While on the inside of the cabin, the new Innova has equipped the latest steering rods, sunglass holder, combination meter and the interior with two tone color. With two-color display makes the Innova is more elegant and dynamic.
Until now the Japanese manufacturer has not determined the price to be offered to the Indian market.

Red Bull not taking success for granted - Vettel

Sebastian Vettel insists Red Bull will not rest on its laurels after winning back-to-back titles over the past two seasons.

Vettel dominated the drivers' championship in 2011 and is the favourite to do so again in 2012. However, he insists that Red Bull is taking nothing for granted and that the team knows how much hard work is needed to maintain its position at the top.

"We will try (to win again)," Vettel told France's Auto Hebdo. "But the beauty of this sport is that before a new season, all the points counters are reset. It is up to Red Bull to build a competitive chassis and Renault to produce a powerful and reliable engine. There is no certainty; nothing is sure about this (success) continuing."

He added that 2011 had not been an easy year as the team was constantly pushing to stay ahead of its rivals.

"All year long [we were] pushing to keep the car at the level that it was," Vettel said. "McLaren were pushing massively and I think at the end we were pretty even. I don't think that one car really had the edge."

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Hill believes Raikkonen can be champion again

Damon Hill believes Kimi Raikkonen has "a couple more world championships" in him, and reckons returning to the sport at the age of 32 should not be a problem for the Finn.

Raikkonen left Formula 1 at the end of the 2009 season to compete in the World Rally Championship, but he will make his comeback next year after signing a two-year deal with the Lotus Renault team.

Raikkonen, regarded as one of the quickest drivers of his era, won the title in 2007 with Ferrari and has 18 grand prix victories to his name.

Former world champion Hill thinks Raikkonen's return is good for Formula 1, and he believes the Finn can still be champion again.

"It is great - and good luck to him," Hill told AUTOSPORT. "He is going to have to show that he has still got it, which he has got a good team to show that in, and he is still young.

"He has won a world championship already, and I had only just got into F1 at his age, so he has definitely got a couple of more world championships in him."

Hill, who retired from the sport at the end of the 1999 season, said he would also like to see a "titanic" battle for the titles next year, the Briton hoping Red Bull's rivals can push the team harder in 2012 after a dominant 2011.

"We want to see someone upset the applecart, although I think Adrian [Newey] is fantastic, and [Sebastian] Vettel, [Mark] Webber and Red Bull Racing is a great team at the front - and they seem to be fun loving," he said.

"It is good to have that - but I know that they want to fight for it. They don't want it too easy. So a good titanic battle between three top teams would be fantastic to see."

Hill, however, said that despite Sebastian Vettel's dominance, the past season was thrilling.

He feels 2011 showed Formula 1 is in good shape, but he stressed the need to recognise the importance Europe has for the sport.

"Yes, I thought it was very exciting. It was a brilliant season. The sport is good, but there is still a lot that needs discussing. It is fantastic entertainment, but I just know that Europe and Great Britain is important to the sport.

"I think that is worth emphasising – it is not all about the bottom line. It is about going to place where people understand and appreciate the sport and they should not be denied access to it."

Autosport

Analysis: Schumacher top F1 overtaker in 2011 (Drivers List)

Michael Schumacher ended the season as Formula 1's top overtaker, with his impressive opening lap efforts throughout 2011 helping him edge out Sebastien Buemi.

In strategic data compiled by Mercedes GP over the course of the campaign, and obtained by AUTOSPORT, Schumacher's end-of-season tally has been recorded as 116 passes - just two ahead of his Scuderia Toro Rosso rival.

Schumacher's tally was most certainly helped by the fact that he was able to make up so many positions in the opening stint of races - because he often qualified further down the field that his car was capable of.

Nevertheless, the team was well aware that throughout 2011, Schumacher’s race pace was every bit as good as team-mate Nico Rosberg’s so he could recover well on Sundays - which points towards the amount of progress the seven-time champion has made since his F1 comeback.

The top 10 rankings for the best overtakers of 2011, according to Mercedes GP’s data, are:

Pos   Driver                 Passes
 1.   Michael Schumacher     116
 2.   Sebastien Buemi        114
 3.   Kamui Kobayashi        99
 4.   Jaime Alguersuari      94
 5.   Pastor Maldonado       91
 6.   Paul di Resta          90
 7.   Sergio Perez           87
 8.   Rubens Barrichello     86
 9.   Jenson Button          85
10.   Felipe Massa           82

With the top positions dominated by drivers who were often battling in the midfield, it shows that racing in the pack offers greater opportunities to notch up overtaking moves.

That also explains why world champion Sebastian Vettel, who more often than not started at the front of the field, ended the campaign fourth from the bottom in the rankings with just 27 moves over the course of the season.

Mercedes GP’s data is compiled for the benefit of its strategic department, and is based on a combination of video, timing data and GPS technology – rather than just simple lap charts.

Its end of season analysis shows that there were a total of 1486 overtaking moves over the course of 2011.

However, if you discount the moves that take place on an opening lap (150), and those that were helped because a rival had a damaged car (124), it leaves a total of 1212 moves throughout the campaign.

Further whittling the figures down to try and view only what many consider to be genuine overtaking moves, so not those on the three slowest teams (310) or by team-mates (80), as they can often help each other, it leaves a total of 822.

Out of these, 452 moves were considered normal overtaking moves, while 370 took place thanks to the use of the new-for-2011 DRS. It means DRS accounted for roughly 45% of the number of overtaking moves over the course of the season.

In terms of individual races, the Turkish Grand Prix witnessed the highest number of overtakes at 85 – ahead of Canada (79) and China (67). The races with the fewest moves were Monaco (16), Australia (17) and India and Brazil (18).

In terms of DRS’s impact, it accounted for the most moves in Turkey (50) and Abu Dhabi (50), ahead of China (37) and Spain (29).

Its smallest impact came in Monaco (2), with Melbourne (5), Silverstone (6) and Brazil (7) also offering limited opportunities.

Autosport

Sebastian Vettel excited about new Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel has admitted he cannot wait to see the new Red Bull which he hopes will help him secure his third consecutive world title.

"We're all curious about the car," he told the BBC. "We see it coming together. It's like a child being born. I'm not a father but they tell me that's how it feels. We're all very happy with this year, so it wouldn't be right to ask for more. If we can match 2011 and do better here and there, that would be fantastic.

"It all starts from zero again and we all have the same chance. I'm looking forward to the competition.

He will permit himself a few days off over Christmas and the New Year. "There isn't much of an off-season, so it's really important to use that to shut the system down, calm down and charge the batteries … not forget about F1 but forget for a while about all the stress."

In the same interview, Jenson Button paid tribute to Vettel's season. "We weren't too worried after the first couple of races but then it [Vettel winning] kept happening and we began to worry. In 2010, I was amazed he had won because he made a lot of mistakes but in 2011 he came alive and did a fantastic job."

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Ferrari sacrificed pace for good of F1 - Montezemolo

Luca di Montezemolo believes Ferrari sacrificed its competitiveness in the interests of Formula One following the off-throttle blown diffuser debate at the British Grand Prix.

Ferrari's only win of 2011 came at Silverstone when the FIA tweaked the rules to limit the use of elaborate engine maps to improve downforce. Teams were engineering their cars to continue to blow exhaust gases over the diffuser even when the driver was off the throttle, with the likes of Red Bull and McLaren leading the way with the concept. The FIA deemed the practise illegal, but enforcing a ban proved difficult due to the various side-effects it could have on engine reliability.

The FIA then said it would be willing to drop the ban if the teams unanimously agreed, and on Sunday morning at Silverstone all the teams bar Ferrari and Sauber were in favour of switching back to the old rules. After the race, once Fernando Alonso had won, Ferrari and Sauber fell in line and agreed to drop the ban.

During a Christmas lunch on Thursday, Montezemolo said that Ferrari, in agreeing to return to lift the restriction, had sacrificed its own performance to avoid a potentially damaging political struggle with the other teams.

"Situations like the one in Silverstone must not happen again, when the rules changed three times over the course of a grand prix weekend," he said. "On that occasion, Ferrari decided to sacrifice its own interests to avoid a fall out that would have damaged Formula One, with all the accompanying comments that we did not want the agreement because we were not competitive…However, there were some who preferred to only think of their own interests."

Since the end of the season Ferrari has left the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) and, although he is willing to continue to work with the other teams, Montezemolo said it was instances like Silverstone that had triggered the decision.

"We have left FOTA of our own accord and without consulting anyone else, because we were tired of the compromises dragging it down," he explained. "And let's be clear, if one is part of a club then everyone has to respect its rules, otherwise what's the point? However, I still believe that we can have a common vision between the biggest teams when it comes to the future and I will push to the maximum to seek out common objectives. All we want are clear rules and interpretations."

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Jenson Button thinks 2012 F1 season will be his best chance yet to beat Red Bull

Jenson Button believes that next year will give him his best opportunity yet of adding to his 2009 Formula 1 world title.

The McLaren driver won three grands prix in 2011 and finished second in the world championship behind Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.

And after out-scoring his team-mate Lewis Hamilton in seven of the last nine races of the year and signing a new deal during the same period, he now believes he is in a better position than ever before to challenge Red Bull.

"We haven't quite won the world championship in the last two years, but I have won quite a few races with this team and I feel that our time is coming," Button said.

"We are in a very good position. And it couldn't be better really so we are very excited about 2012."

Button said that he has achieved the aims he set when he signed for McLaren ahead of the 2010 season.

In that time he has outscored Hamilton 484 points to 467, taken five grand prix wins and achieved the highest position in the championship for a McLaren driver since Hamilton took the 2008 title.

He still believes that more improvement is needed, however, in order to knock Vettel off his perch at the top of the championship next year.

"We have spent two years together now. It has flown by, and it is quite scary that it has been two seasons already," Button added.

"My aim was to arrive at McLaren and win races, and be with a team that can always give me a chance of winning the world championship.

"I feel that we have really improved and I feel that with a tiny bit more improvement we can fight for more victories in 2012."

Although Button does not rate his season as on the same level as his title-winning campaign with Brawn, he does believe that the Japanese Grand Prix marked the strongest race of his career.

"Japan meant a lot to me, because I have got a lot of connections with Japan over the last eight years," he said.

"So to have won that grand prix on a circuit that I love; such a high speed circuit, a circuit that should suit Red Bull, in front of the Japanese fans after all they had been through this year, it was a very special victory."

Autosport

Montezemolo ups pressure on Massa

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has reiterated that 2012 will be a make or break year for Felipe Massa at Maranello.

Massa struggled for form in 2011, scoring less than half the points of team-mate Fernando Alonso and failing to finish higher than fifth in any race. Montezemolo has already said he expects more from Massa next season, but upped the pressure on the Brazilian during an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday.

"We weren't happy with him and he wasn't happy with himself," Montezemolo said. "But I'm confident that with a car that is able to heat up the tyres faster he'll be able to become more competitive again".

He added that Massa's tenure at Maranello "could also continue" but warned Ferrari is "always looking around."

Asked if he would like to bring world champion Sebastian Vettel to Ferrari, Montezemolo said: "He's a smart lad. I like how he behaves, and if I have to choose between drivers with equal skill I'll always take the one with the better head. However, today I wouldn't trade Alonso for anyone, because in a race he's the strongest driver around."

ESPNF1

Ferrari to launch on February 3

Ferrari will launch its 2012 car on February 3, president Luca di Montezemolo has revealed.

The car, which the team insists will be a complete departure from this year's F150 Italia, will be unveiled five days before the first test according to aGazzetta dello Sport interview with Montezemolo.

Montezemolo told Sky Sports News that the team must do better in 2012.

"I was extremely unhappy with what happened last season," he said. "For us the main goal is, again, to be competitive and I have a lot of confidence in my people and their capability to react."

Montezemolo also revealed on that Ferrari's engine department had accomplished the "fusion of the first 6-cylinder engine" ahead of the introduction of V6 turbos in 2014.

ESPNF1

BBC defends Sky deal

The BBC has defended its decision to split Formula One's UK broadcasting rights with Sky in 2012 and revealed it will save £150 million over the next seven years as a result.

The BBC announced its deal with Sky at the Hungarian Grand Prix, provoking a largely negative reaction from UK fans and raising questions about how it was reached.

BBC director general Mark Thompson appeared in front of MPs from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee during a meeting for the BBC Annual Report and Accounts last week, and towards the end of the session was questioned about how the deal with Sky came about.

"The idea of sharing the rights under the remainder of the current contract and of potentially extending that contract was our idea," Thompson explained. "There was a negotiation that led to all the parties involved in the conversation being happy with the idea. The effect will be to save the BBC well over £150 million between now and the end of the contract-money that obviously means that only half of grand prix will be live on the BBC, but it has enabled us to keep a very good position in Formula One, and to make savings that otherwise might have meant deeper cuts in other services."

Under the agreement the BBC will show ten races live and ten races as highlights, while Sky Sports will have a dedicated channel for all 20 races. Thompson argued that it was the best deal UK fans could have hoped for as there was a danger that all coverage could have gone onto a pay-to-view channel.

"We know that Formula One has only fairly recently come back to the BBC; it has been very popular on the BBC. Secondly, we know that Formula One fans ideally do not want Formula One to be interrupted by advertising, because of the character of the sport. Nor, of course-for the subset of Formula One fans who do not have Sky subscriptions-would they, ideally, like Formula One to go entirely behind a paywall. I believe that the arrangements that we have reached offer very good value to the licence payer, and the experience of Formula One on the BBC will still be very rich. The first grand prix next season, when this new arrangement starts-the Australian Grand Prix-will be live on Sky in the very early hours of the morning. There will be a 75-minute highlights package in peak time on the BBC, which we would expect to reach many more people than the live coverage."

Asked why the BBC did not approach another free-to-air channel in the UK to share the rights, such as Channel 4, Thompson said: "We were quite clear that, to get the economics to work for us, it was going to have to be a pay partner, and this was the only pay partner, credibly, whom we thought we could involve in it-indeed, a pay partner who had expressed interest in this very topic of conversation previously. It was an example of a free-to-air pay partnership, which is not by any means unknown in the market."

When pushed on why he didn't ask Channel 4 at all, Thompson added: "It seems to me that it was not required of us, and given that, in a sense, what we were trying to achieve on behalf of the licence fee payer was a significant saving, actually keeping the confidentiality of the process until it was clear whether the thing was viable and whether all parties to it-including, of course, the rights-holder-were happy, militated in terms of doing it the way we did it."

ESPNF1

'The order could be shaken up in 2012' - Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen: "I am more motivated than

ever and I don't think I've lost any speed" © Getty Images

Kimi Raikkonen reckons regulation changes could shake up the order when he makes his return to Formula One next year.

Raikkonen will drive for Renault (soon to be renamed Lotus) in 2012 after two years competing in the World Rally Championship. His comeback coincides with some relatively small changes to the regulations, mainly regarding exhaust positioning, but Raikkonen is hoping they will make a significant difference.

"Although the technical regulations don't seem to change much, they apply to a lot of areas and quite a few elements will have to be re-designed," he told Renault's official website. "As a result, the cars will be significantly different next year. The order could be shaken up, which will make things very interesting."

Raikkonen added: "I am more motivated than ever and I don't think I've lost any speed. Getting on top of the tyres will be the hardest thing, of course, but I'm not really worried."

Raikkonen said he will be training hard over the Christmas break and revealed that he plans to test a 2009-spec Renault in January in order to prepare for the first official pre-season test in early February.

"We don't test the new car until February so it's a long wait," he said. "However, I should be able to jump into a two-year-old F1 car in January. Of course, there will be the usual training, but I will also be working on getting to know the team better and making sure I fully understand all the changes since I have been away."

And Raikkonen played down his recent snowmobile accident in Austria.

"I was surprised by how much attention there was over me falling off a snowmobile," he added. "You can watch what happened on YouTube and it was probably the smallest and slowest crash I've ever had. It is almost embarrassing! I won a snowmobile race right before the start of the 2007 season and that year didn't go badly for me so who knows?"

ESPNF1

French GP close to a return

Magny-Cours held the last French Grand Prix in 2008 © Sutton Images

Enlarge

The French Grand Prix is close to making a return to Formula One, according to the delegate in charge of bringing the race back.

Gilles Dufeigneux, who in June was appointed by French prime minister Francois Fillon to lead efforts to arrange the race's comeback, met with Bernie Ecclestone at the Belgian Grand Prix earlier this year and insists: "Things are moving in a very real way".

Nice-Matin is reporting that the event will be staged at Paul Ricard, with an annual race date alternating with Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps.

"All the indicators are green now, or soon will be," added Dufeigneux. "My current mood is summarised with three words: optimism, prudence, humility. We have entered the stage of completion and we can say that final decisions will be made very soon, in January or early February."

The last French Grand Prix took place at Magny-Cours in 2008.

ESPNF1

Alonso announces divorce

Fernando Alonso has split with his wife© Sutton Images

Fernando Alonso and his wife Raquel del Rosario have announced they are splitting up.

Alonso married del Rosario - lead singer for the Spanish rock band El Sueno de Morfeo - in 2006 after he took his second title with Renault.

"After five years of marriage, we have decided to end our relationship as a couple," a statement read. "This has been a very though about and mutual decision. We are separating from marriage, but never as friends, and there is still a very strong affection and mutual admiration to ensure the happiness of the other.

"With this statement, addressed to all who follow our careers, we wish to bring an end to any speculation. With it, we ask that the media respects our personal lives which, as you know, we have always been keen to protect."

Earlier this year, Alonso - who now drives for Ferrari - moved from Switzerland to return to his native Asturias.

ESPNF1

F1 drivers sign up for i1 Super Series

Jacques Villeneuve has signed up for the series
having made two NASCAR appearances in 2011 © Getty Images

A host of current and former Formula One drivers have signed up for the inaugural i1 Super Series in India.

The new series - which begins on January 22 - will include current drivers Tonio Liuzzi, Karun Chandhok and Giancarlo Fisichella, as well as former names such as 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, Jean Alesi, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Mika Salo, Sakon Yamamoto, Alex Yoong and Neel Jani. Indycar's Pippa Mann has also signed up for the series.

The FIA has approved a calendar that includes 10 races over five weekends in Malaysia, Bahrain, Qatar and India, culminating in a final round at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The series consists of nine teams representing different Indian cities in a mirror of the successful IPL cricket league. The teams will race Radical Sportscars' SR3 roadsters with two cars per team, one of which must be driven by a driver of Indian origin.

The result will be an 18-car grid, with the drivers chosen by the teams from a pool of 27 drivers. Each team will compete for a $2 million prize. Following the driver announcements, the first test takes place today at the Yas Marina Circuit.

ESPNF1

'Air of confidence' at Ferrari - Alonso

Fernando Alonso: "This is the time when one is always optimistic
 © Press Association

Fernando Alonso says that there is "an air of confidence" within Ferrari as it continues to develop its 2012 car.

Ferrari switched its focus to the new season in early August after the F150th Italia was not quick enough to challenge Red Bull for the championship. As a result it has had a lot of time to develop the new car and after Christmas gatherings at the team's headquarters Alonso told the official Ferrari website that belief in the team is building.

"This is the time when one is always optimistic, but then we must wait for the start of the season to see where we really are," Alonso said. "It's true that in the past few days, there was a good feeling at Maranello and there's an air of confidence about it. We want to reacquaint ourselves with the taste of winning that has eluded us for a while."

Alonso also said that he felt the changes made during the last season would benefit Ferrari but that the team would have to deal with added scrutiny from the media if it does not have the quickest car again next year.

"Last spring, we made important changes to the structure of the technical part of the team and now we have adopted a new approach, a less conservative one, in the design of the new car. The philosophy behind the 2012 car is very different to that of 2011, especially in some key areas like suspension and aerodynamics.

"We know that Ferrari is burdened with the expectations of victory and if it does not happen, in the winter the papers devote page after page to the whys and wherefores as to how things can change, while the others have to make do with the crumbs in terms of media coverage. It's one of the things that make Ferrari different to all the other teams."

ESPNF1

LVH Super Book odds to win 2012 Daytona 500

8 drivers listed as co-favorites to win the 2012 Daytona 500 at 12-to-1 odds

DAYTONA 500
DAYTONA INT'L SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2012

JIMMIE JOHNSON 12
CARL EDWARDS 12
KYLE BUSCH 12
MATT KENSETH 20
JEFF GORDON 12
KASEY KAHNE 12
TONY STEWART 12
KEVIN HARVICK 12
DENNY HAMLIN 20
GREG BIFFLE 25
BRAD KESELOWSKI 20
KURT BUSCH 20
CLINT BOWYER 20
DALE EARNHARDT JR 12
RYAN NEWMAN 30
MARTIN TRUEX JR 30
MARK MARTIN 30
JEFF BURTON 20
JOEY LOGANO 25
JUAN MONTOYA 30
DAVID RAGAN 30
JAMIE McMURRAY 30
AJ ALLMENDINGER 30
PAUL MENARD 30
MARCOS AMBROSE 60
REGAN SMITH 50
TREVOR BAYNE 60
BOBBY LABONTE 60
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 60
MICHAEL WALTRIP 60
DAVID GILILLAND 100
DAVE BLANEY 100
DANICA PATRICK 100
FIELD 30

Odds to win the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship will be available as soon as something happens with Kurt Busch and the No. 22 car.

Mercedes tweaks name for 2012

The team ran as Mercedes GP Petronas
this season © Getty Images

Mercedes will be known as the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team in 2012.

The addition of AMG is a move to include the performance brand of the Mercedes-Benz company, with the Mercedes AMG brand already the most successful in DTM racing. Team principal Ross Brawn said that the new name signalled the desire of Mercedes to be even more competitive next season.

"We are very proud to reveal our new team name today," Brawn said. "It adds another strong performance element to our team's identity and, by virtue of being shared between Brackley and Brixworth, will forge even stronger links within our team. At the factory, we have been focused for some time on the challenge of 2012, and our very clear ambition to move forward up the grid next year."

At the same time as announcing the name tweak, Mercedes announced that it would not run its new car until the second pre-season test in Barcelona on February 21, and Brawn said that would allow the team further time to find performance.

"As always, the winter development and manufacturing processes are a trade-off between time for finding performance in the factory, and time for delivering that performance during pre-season testing. We believe that the decision to run the car at the second winter test is the optimum compromise for our design and development programme with F1 W03."

ESPNF1

New McLaren to run at first test

The MP4-26 proved to be difficult to master
during pre-season testing in 2011 © Getty Images

McLaren has announced that the new MP4-27 will run for the first time at the first pre-season test in Jerez.

The test takes place from February 7-9, and McLaren has confirmed that the car will be launched on February 1 but does not reveal the location. It marks a change from 2011, when the team evaluated the Pirelli tyres at the first test in Valencia before launching the MP4-26 ahead of the second test in an attempt to get the maximum development time for the car.

With just three pre-season tests, however, McLaren wants to get as much track time as possible in an attempt to challenge Red Bull from the start of the season. It will join Red Bull, Ferrari, Sauber and Williams in launching its car prior to the first test.

Only Mercedes has so far confirmed that it will wait until the second test on February 21 as it looks to exploit the two-week gap between tests to find performance.

ESPNF1

Official mobile F1 2012 Timing App now available

Real-time track positions

Real-time track positions and data stream directly from the race track to the palm of your hand. Displayed on an interactive 3D Map you can watch the race unfold like never before. Zoom in on a driver, spin the 3D map and watch the action develop. You control the action you want to follow every session.

Combine the map with the Live Leaderboard or rotate the device and watch the full horizontal 3D map, giving you a view of the entire circuit. See the gaps and pitstops in realtime, and gain great insight into who will emerge first.

Live timing

Experience all sessions, via the Live Timing feed from the race track to the palm of your hand. View the Live Timing Data screen or Dynamic Leaderboard to follow the action with positions, lap times, gaps, sectors times, circuit data, speeds, and race status. Keep all the race information at your fingertips!

Live leaderboard

Live leaderboard combines the live timing data from the circuit with information graphics for quick reference, select your favourite driver bar and watch their progress on the 3D map below. Toggle the data using the column headers and flick the leaderboard up and dowm to see the entire feed. Swiping the leaderboard left and right will reveal aditional leaderboard layouts.

Live Pause & Replay Feature

New for 2011 you can now pause and replay live sessions during the events so you never miss any of the action. If you missed any of the sessions you can also download racepacks after the event to watch again and again.

Select your Favourite Driver

Live leaderboard combines the live timing data from the circuit with information graphics for quick reference, select your favourite driver bar and watch their progress on the 3D map below. Toggle the data using the column headers and scroll the leaderboard.

Selectable Corner Numbers

For greater control we have introduced selectable corner numbers so you can change the camera to that corner. Selcting a driver switches the camera to follow that selected driver around the race track.

Additional features

A new enhanced Infobase with an event countdown that shows the time to the next session, and informs when a session is live. Easily access a wealth of information with latest drivers and teams stats, race information, standings and latest results.

Download the app

The F1™ 2012 Timing App is available to download from the iTunes App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The app is a universal version and works with the iPad. And the Android Market Place.

 

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