Tag: gears

Motorsports: FIA gears up to launch new Formula 4 championships worldwide

Filed under: Motorsports, Racing

Dallara F4

Formula One may get all the glory – and rightfully so – but it’s not the only racing formula out there. There are many steps along the motorsports ladder, but they’re all run by different authorities and under different names. There’s GP2, GP3, Formula Three, Auto GP, Formula Renault, Formula Ford, Formula BMW, Formula Vee… the list goes on, and leaves some rungs missing on the ladder up to the big leagues in some countries. But Gerhard Berger is keen on fixing that. The former F1 driver – winner of ten grands prix for teams like Ferrari, McLaren and Benetton – serves as the president of the FIA’s Single-Seater Commission, and he’s out to launch a new class of Formula 4 around the world. The idea is to provide a stepping stone between karting and Formula 3, which is too expensive for many would-be racers to get into without the sponsorship that can be attracted in lower formulae.

Rather than launch the new FIA F4 category as one unified series, with one engine and one chassis, the idea is to make it as diverse as possible. Individual countries are being encouraged to run their own F4 championship, yet each can choose its own engine supplier (conforming to a common 1.6-liter, 150-horsepower standard) and different chassis suppliers are being invited to participate.

One of them is Dallara, the Italian chassis constructor that makes race cars for numerous other single-seater series, including IndyCar and the FIA’s new Formula E series. Dallara has given little in the way of details about the new design, but it looks to incorporate a comprehensive aero package including front and rear wings and underbody ground effects.The FIA is calling for carbon-fiber construction to keep things light, strong and safe. Similar to its F3 chassis, however, Dallara plans on adapting the new F4 platform to accommodate different engine installations, including a possible hybrid version, for whatever power the individual national series organizers choose.

Dallara expects to launch the new car next spring, when it will have to compete with other chassis constructors as well on racetracks around the world. In addition to launching new series in some countries, Berger and company are looking to bring into the fold existing championships like Germany’s ADAC Formel Masters, France’s Signatech Formula 4, Italy’s Formula Abarth and Britain’s Formula Ford – many of which already have their own constructors in place.

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FIA gears up to launch new Formula 4 championships worldwide originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Aug 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz gears up for the demise of the G-Class with BA3 Final Edition and Edition Select

Filed under: SUV, Europe, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury, Off-Road

Mercedes-Benz G500 Edition Select

Mercedes-Benz G500 Edition Select – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Hummer is gone. The Land Rover Defender is to be replaced. The Toyota Land Cruiser has let itself go over the years into a bloated luxo-barge. One of the last remaining icons of hardcore off-road SUVs is the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and it is soon to be replaced as well. But before it does, Mercedes-Benz has announced a pair of special editions.

The BA3 Final Edition marks the end of production for the short-wheelbase three-door G-Wagen. The farewell special is distinguished by body-colored fender flares, an AMG grille, 18-inch alloys and extra chrome inside and out, with black leather interior offset by walnut burr veneers and ambient lighting.

While the long-wheelbase five-door model will continue on for a while longer, it hasn’t been left out of the special treatment. The Edition Select gets contrasting black trim with blacked-out 18-inch alloys, AMG-spec sports exhaust and a two-tone leather cabin with piano lacquer trim.

The Edition Select comes exclusively in G500 spec with a 5.5-liter V8, while the BA3 Final Edition can also be had as a G350 with BlueTec diesel six. Both models pack all the off-road equipment you can shake a stick at, but appear to be available exclusively overseas for the time being. So we’ll just have to bide our time until the Gelandewagen’s eventual replacement rolls around, and content ourselves with the details in the press release after the jump and the high-res photos in the gallery below.

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz gears up for the demise of the G-Class with BA3 Final Edition and Edition Select

Mercedes-Benz gears up for the demise of the G-Class with BA3 Final Edition and Edition Select originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 May 2011 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buddh International Circuit gears up for inaugural Indian Grand Prix

Filed under: Motorsports, India

Buddh International Circuit
A few years ago, India wasn’t a place one would naturally associate with Formula 1 racing. Now, however, the country has its own F1 team (Force India), a couple of F1 drivers (Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok) and will soon host its first grand prix.

The race is scheduled to take place on October 30, 2011, on the new Hermann Tilke-designed Buddh International Circuit. named for the region in which it resides. The circuit was designed to be one of the fastest on the calendar, with lap times for a contemporary F1 car set to come in around 1 minute, 20 seconds, with projected speeds topping 320 km/h (just under 200 mph). With 5.14 kilometers (3.19 miles) of track and sixteen turns, the facility is being constructed as part of a $400 million project that the FIA is expected to sign off on this July.

[Source: JPSI Sports]

Buddh International Circuit gears up for inaugural Indian Grand Prix originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 30 Apr 2011 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Seat gears up for Audi Q3 production at Spanish plant

Filed under: SUV, Europe, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Audi, SEAT

Seat plant in Martorell, Spain

Last week, Porsche announced production plans for its upcoming Cajun sport-ute at its Leipzig plant in Germany. Now, sister-company Seat is following suit with preparations to build the Audi Q3 at its facility (pictured above) in Martorell on the outskirts of Barcelona.

If you’re wondering what Audi has to do with Seat, allow us to fill in the blanks. Most essentially, the two are sister brands fall under the larger Volkswagen Group umbrella. Seat’s flagship Exeo is essentially a re-bodied version of the previous-generation Audi A4. And when Audi was looking for the right place to build its upcoming Q3 compact crossover, it turned to the Spanish subsidiary.

In preparation for Q3 prduction to start, Seat is hiring over 700 new employees. Overall the company has undertaken the training of 1,200 new personnel, and if production requirements demand, could hire some or all of the remaining 500. Hit the jump for the full details in the press release.

[Source: Seat]

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Seat gears up for Audi Q3 production at Spanish plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 06:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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