The Passion for Racing

Riders for Health is giving people the once-in-a-lifetime chance to ride on the back of a MotoGP bike with the two-seater Ducati, ridden by former Grand Prix racer Randy Mamola.

Michael Duane Bliss

No Action Seen on MTA Capital Deficit Until Fall (Crain’s)
Skeletons, Not 20 MPH Speed Limit, Draw Media Attention (NYT, WSJ)
Bloomberg Stands Fully Behind Sadik-Khan (Politicker)
Another Q Poll Shows Support For Bike Lanes, But Few Believe They’re Well-Used (WSJ)
As Outer Borough-Only Taxi Plans Develop, City Council Increases Fines For Refusing Fares (Post, NYT)
Truck Driver Kills Tricycling Four-Year-Old, [...]

Paul Hawkins Mike Hawthorn Boy Hayje Willi Heeks Nick Heidfeld Theo Helfrich Mack Hellings

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told reporters today that the administration sent its draft bill to Capitol Hill two weeks ago. ?It?s with the people that it needs to be with,? LaHood said, ?the staff that?s working on a bill.?
Ray LaHood says everyone who needs the White House bill already has it. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
So [...]

Jos?Froil? Gonz?ez Oscar Gonz?ez Aldo Gordini Horace Gould Jean Marc Gounon Emmanuel de Graffenried Lucas di Grassi

Alvaro Bautista is still confident Suzuki can have a strong season despite the start of his year being disrupted by a broken leg.

Ryan Joseph Newman, Kyle Eugene Petty, Floyd Anthony Raines, Scott Russell Riggs, Hiroshi Fushida, Beppe Gabbiani Bertrand Gachot

—Quote—
Reportedly, in an incident where he was driving one of the Monster Yamaha Tech Three team trucks to Le Mans for the French Grand Prix,…

Divina Galica Nanni Galli Oscar Alfredo G?vez Fred Gamble Howden Ganley Frank Gardner Billy Garrett

Fuel’s Gold: Too good to be true? The key to any hustle is a believable story. It?s no different with fuel-saving flimflams, which often claim to exploit some small, overlooked factor that automakers or oil companies don?t want you to know about. Normally, we wouldn?t give a second thought to fuel-economy hucksterism, but our dedication [...]

Gregory Jack Biffle David Lee Blaney Michael Duane Bliss Kurt Thomas Busch Kyle Thomas Busch Jeffrey Tyler Burton Richard Allen Craven

In the final installment of Dennis Noyes’ three-part interview with MotoGP Race Director Paul Butler, they cover Capirossi, jump starts, bad calls, and the “old days.”

Jimmy Jackson Joe James John James Jean Pierre Jarier Max Jean Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson

RidersDiscount.com has Bell Star Cerwinske Limited Edition helmets in stock and ready to ship. This helmet features a shell made from a carbon fiber…

Dan Gurney Hubert Hahne Mike Hailwood Mika H?kinen Bruce Halford Jim Hall Duncan Hamilton

Lucas di Grassi Cecil Green Keith Greene Masten Gregory Cliff Griffith Georges Grignard Bobby Grim

Race Recap | Darlington 10 Martin Truex Jr. 9 Jamie McMurray 8 Greg Biffle 7 Tony Stewart 6 Denny Hamlin 5 Ryan Newman 4 Kasey Kahne pole sitter and led the most laps 3 Brad Keselowski 2 Carl Edwards Victory Lane 1 Regan Smith gets his first career win, in 105 starts. This win puts [...]

Rupert Keegan Eddie Keizan Al Keller Joe Kelly Dave Kennedy Loris Kessel Bruce Kessler

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Chevrolet, GM

General Motors commercial shoot turns extraterrestrial – Click above to watch video after the jump

What goes on behind the scenes at a commercial video shoot is usually relatively boring stuff. Lighting is rigged up, shots are established and footage is captured. Unless you’re a stunt driver required to to spend all day pushing the laws of physics to the limit, hanging out at a commercial shoot can be a numb-numbing affair. Autoblog reader Alexander Van Walsum was on hand to capture some behind-the-scenes footage of a recent General Motors commercial, and rather than string it together in a standard way he decided to have a bit more fun with it.

Proving that the magic happens in editing, Alexander pieced together his footage and turned a commercial shoot into a mashup about an Area 51-esque event. You can catch a glimpse of a Chevrolet Volt, and a wider shot showing off even more of the Bowtie-wearing family. Click past the jump to watch Incident at Inyokern.

Continue reading GM commercial shoot goes extraterrestrial

GM commercial shoot goes extraterrestrial originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 May 2011 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gregory Jack Biffle David Lee Blaney Michael Duane Bliss Kurt Thomas Busch Kyle Thomas Busch Jeffrey Tyler Burton Richard Allen Craven

Renault technical director James Allison says he is ‘very confident’ about the programme of updates that his team is bringing to its car over the next few races, as it eyes a return to the podium. The Enstone-based outfit had a very strong start to the season, scoring top-three finishes in Australia and Malaysia, but since then Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov have been left battling for lower points positions. However, with the team working hard on an aggressive development programme, Allison says the focus is firmly on delivering the speed the team will need to be back near the front

Walt Hansgen Mike Harris Cuth Harrison Brian Hart Gene Hartley Masahiro Hasemi Naoki Hattori

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Carl Michael Edwards III William Clyde Elliott Jeffrey Michael Gordon Charles Robert Hamilton IV Charles Robert Hamilton V Kevin Michael Harvick

In a spirit of collaboration and with the common goal of promoting electric clean emission racing, t…

Oscar Gonz?ez Aldo Gordini Horace Gould Jean Marc Gounon Emmanuel de Graffenried Lucas di Grassi Cecil Green

Jo Gartner Tony Gaze Geki Olivier Gendebien Marc Gen? Elmer George

The McLaren drivers feel they can still be a factor in the fight for Turkish Grand Prix victory from fourth and sixth on the grid, though Lewis Hamilton admitted he was concerned Red Bull could get away if he gets caught up in battle with the improved Mercedes. Nico Rosberg will start third on the grid in the best Mercedes, with the Red Bulls sharing the front row, and Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari splitting the McLarens

Randy Joseph Lajoie, Kevin Paul Lepage, William Ashton Lewis Jr, Sterling Burton Marlin, Mark Anthony Martin, Jeremy Allan Mayfield, James Christopher McMurray,

Red Bull Racing think it is far too early for anyone to claim it is unbeatable this year, despite another dominant victory for Sebastian Vettel in the Turkish Grand Prix. Vettel took his third win of the season with a comfortable triumph at Istanbul – that further extends his lead at the head of the world championship standings. And although Red Bull’s rivals are scratching their heads about what they can do to catch up with the pacesetter quick enough to keep their title hopes alive, the Milton Keynes-based outfit does not think its advantage is as big as others are making out.

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Carl Michael Edwards III William Clyde Elliott Jeffrey Michael Gordon Charles Robert Hamilton IV Charles Robert Hamilton V Kevin Michael Harvick

Red Bull Racing think it is far too early for anyone to claim it is unbeatable this year, despite another dominant victory for Sebastian Vettel in the Turkish Grand Prix. Vettel took his third win of the season with a comfortable triumph at Istanbul – that further extends his lead at the head of the world championship standings. And although Red Bull’s rivals are scratching their heads about what they can do to catch up with the pacesetter quick enough to keep their title hopes alive, the Milton Keynes-based outfit does not think its advantage is as big as others are making out.

Kasey Kenneth Kahne, Matthew Roy Kenseth, Alan Dennis Kulwicki, Travis Wade Kvapil, Robert Allen Labonte, Terrence Lee Labonte, Randy Joseph Lajoie,

Superbike Laverty's double in the Monza Grand Prix

Dura lex sed lex. Biaggi throws to the wind already won a race that would allow him to reopen the championship. During the twelfth lap, the Aprilia rider made a mistake entering the first corner and having to reduce his speed is back on track. The Corsair probably did not know what had been announced Thursday afternoon during a briefing which was attended by all the drivers except him. In that case, the clerk of the course had informed riders that in the case of the variant was cut along the lanes have been specially prepared. Otherwise it would have been fined a ride trough. The law does not allow ignorance and Biaggi has thus lost a race he had dominated.

Returning to the track in eleventh place after the penalty, Max angrily reassembled until the eighth position by overcoming Carlos Checa finished tenth. Paddock during the show fans whistling Biaggi covered the three pilots on the podium and did well to calm them by saying that Fabrizio Biaggi was the winner of the race but it was not his fault he was stopped by the regulations. Melandri was buried instead of boos as he tried to say pretty much the same things.

Double victory for Laverty, therefore, that here in Monza has passed its test of maturity and success with these two rooms on the fifth place overall and is setting up with the right of the top riders in the category. The Irish have long struggled with his teammates in which dish went off opened the door that led to its second consecutive victory.

Equally attractive if a little harder the fight for third place between Haga and Fabrizio. Michel has a little forced entry to Japanese who then tried in every possible way to overcome his former team-mate but did not succeed. A prize to the determination of the work of Fabrizio and his team. Corser has finished fifth, the first of BMW drivers. The Bavarian house Badovini also an excellent place to sixth place. The other S1000RR, that of Haslam had fallen at the first corner of the race involving Rea and Smrz.

Checa has declared that if he had proposed to start from Monza with thirteen points would have signed immediately. Althea Spanish team also had a problem with his bike during the fall triggered by Haslam was damaged and lost oil. And good luck. What is your year? Checa square between the two Kawasaki Lascorz and Sykes preceding Xaus and Rolfo. Pedercini rider in race one was forced to retire in the second and took home a few points above his team-mate Fabrizio Lai Aitchison and concludes that his appearance in the championship with a deserved punticino.

A weekend that will have many laughs trough mainly due to the aftermath of Biaggi. But in fact, the chart tells us that Checa maintains its first place with 27 points from Biaggi, Melandri and 28. Nothing irreparable then the Aprilia rider but if he could win in race two would lead to just eleven points gap to Carlos that his smile and can not wait to leave for Salt Lake City

Rank
Monza – Superbike – Race 1

1. Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team) Yamaha YZF R1 31’09 .584
2. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) 31’11 .159 Aprilia RSV4 Factory
3. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 31’12 .662
4. Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) Yamaha YZF R1 31’12 .839
5. Michel Fabrizio (Team Alstare Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 31’21 .396
6. Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) Honda CBR1000RR 31’21 .955
7. Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 31’22 .864
8. Leon Camier (Alitalia Aprilia Racing Team) 31’27 .003 Aprilia RSV4 Factory
9. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 31’27 .153
10. Jakub Smrz (Team Racing-Liberty Effenbert) Ducati 1098R 31’28 .004
11. Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Superbike Team Italy) BMW S1000 RR 31’29 .615
12. Sylvain Guintoli (Effenbert-Liberty Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 31’29 .989
13. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike) Kawasaki ZX-10R 31’36 .277
14. Maxime Berger (Supersonic Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 31’48 .013
15. Ruben Xaus (Castrol Honda) Honda CBR1000RR 31’49 .748
16. Noriyuki Haga (PATA Aprilia Racing Team) 31’58 .665 Aprilia RSV4 Factory
17. Mark Aitchison (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 32’07 .514
18. Fabrizio Lai (Echo Company Sport Racing) Honda CBR1000RR 32’12 .623
RT. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) 15’45 .819 Kawasaki ZX-10R
RT. Roberto Rolfo (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 10’46 .955

Monza – Superbike – Race 2

1. Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team) Yamaha YZF R1 31’19 .948
2. Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) Yamaha YZF R1 31’20 .275
3. Michel Fabrizio (Team Alstare Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 31’22 .414
4. Noriyuki Haga (PATA Aprilia Racing Team) 31’22 .531 Aprilia RSV4 Factory
5. Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 31’24 .450
6. Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Superbike Team Italy) BMW S1000 RR 31’30 .813
7. Sylvain Guintoli (Effenbert-Liberty Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 31’30 .986
8. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) 31’38 .672 Aprilia RSV4 Factory
9. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) 31’40 .041 Kawasaki ZX-10R
10. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 31’40 .324
11. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike) Kawasaki ZX-10R 31’41 .059
12. Ruben Xaus (Castrol Honda) Honda CBR1000RR 31’48 .556
13. Roberto Rolfo (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 31’53 .407
14. Mark Aitchison (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 32’02 .758
15. Fabrizio Lai (Echo Company Sport Racing) Honda CBR1000RR 32’15 .707
RT. Maxime Berger (Supersonic Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 23’46 .643
RT. Leon Camier (Alitalia Aprilia Racing Team) 12’09 .427 Aprilia RSV4 Factory
RT. Jakub Smrz (Team Racing-Liberty Effenbert) Ducati 1098R 1’43 .023
RT. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR?
RT. Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) Honda CBR1000RR?

Jimmy Jackson Joe James John James Jean Pierre Jarier Max Jean Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson

The Repsol Honda Team returned to the Estoril circuit on Monday to resume development work on the RC212V in the first after-the-race test of the 2011 season.

Jeremy Allan Mayfield, James Christopher McMurray, Casey James Mears, Juan Pablo Montoya, Joseph Francis Nemechek III, Ryan Joseph Newman, Kyle Eugene Petty,

Akrapovi? is known for making some of the finest sport bike exhausts on the market, with its carbon and titanium artistry gracing many a bike in the AMA, World Superbike, and MotoGP paddocks. Now we learn from our friends at OmniMoto.it that our favorite Slovenian motorcycle exhaust maker is getting into the custom chopper scene, and helping promote the company’s launch of cruiser-styled exhausts is the modern-styled Akrapovi? Morsus custom show bike. Built in collaboration with Dreamachine …

Christian Klien Karl Kling Ernst Klodwig Kamui Kobayashi Helmuth Koinigg Heikki Kovalainen Kevin Harvick

Cadillac will offer four-cylinder engines in a number of future models. The compact engines should make for a stark contrast with the dinosaur-gulping euphoria that is the company’s supercharged LSA V-8 in the CTS-V. Unlike Cadillac’s other forays into engine downsizing?including one motor, the 8-6-4, that was at least intended to downsize itself while in [...]

Armour Vienna Sausage Kroger Chevrolet Clint Bowyer Zaxby s Chevrolet Brad Keselowski Ruby Tuesday Dodge Carl Edwards Copart Ford

Final Laps: Smith wins; Harvick, Rowdy livid Regan Smith holds off Carl Edwards in a wild green-white-checkered finish and Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick go at it after a late wreck.

Terrence Lee Labonte, Randy Joseph Lajoie, Kevin Paul Lepage, William Ashton Lewis Jr, Sterling Burton Marlin, Mark Anthony Martin, Jeremy Allan Mayfield,

Peugeot held a narrow lead over Audi at the Spa 1000km as the race reached its one hour mark. Alex Wurz, who started back in 13th, carved his way through the field early on and passed Andre Lotterer for the lead on lap 20 as his Audi rival was blocked and then hit by a slower LMP2 car at the Fagnes chicane. With the first round of pitstops complete, Wurz opened up a three second lead over the pole-sitting Audi of Timo Bernhard with Lotterer – who took the lead at the start of the race – in third.

Christian Klien Karl Kling Ernst Klodwig Kamui Kobayashi Helmuth Koinigg Heikki Kovalainen Kevin Harvick

Sebastien Loeb put the Formula 1 men in the shade this weekend in the Castrol EDGE Rankings, with the Citroen star’s victory on Rally d’Italia promoting him from fifth to third. Loeb has elevated himself over Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton on a bad weekend for the Englishman

Kasey Kenneth Kahne, Matthew Roy Kenseth, Alan Dennis Kulwicki, Travis Wade Kvapil, Robert Allen Labonte, Terrence Lee Labonte, Randy Joseph Lajoie,