NASCAR circus rolls into Daytona Beach

The 2009 NASCAR season hasn't started yet, but the drivers and teams rolled into Daytona Beach this week to begin preparations for Saturday's Budweiser Shootout and for Sunday's Daytona 500 qualification runs. For the 51st year, the action will take place on the high banks at the Daytona International Speedway.

Prior to firing the engines, 49 drivers met with the media on Thursday and dozens of print, television and radio reporters gathered around to obtain their insights into the season ahead. Representing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series and the newly entitled Camping World Truck Series, the drivers were photographed in uniform -- many of whom were seen for the first time with their new team names and sponsor logos. Not unexpectedly, superstars Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson grabbed the lion's share of the spotlight. Also, the presence of NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France added importance to the day's activities.
In a NASCARMedia.com pre-season poll, the media predicted Edwards would succeed three-time champion Johnson for the coveted Sprint Cup crown. Edwards finished with 70 first-place votes compared to Johnson's 37. Kyle Busch, Gordon, Earnhardt Jr. and Greg Biffle rounded out the top-six. The outcome pleased Edwards but not Johnson. "It is not annoying and everyone is entitled to their opinion," Johnson said. "The odds are stacked against us winning it again, as no one has ever done it before. From my perspective, I truthfully think we do have a shot at a fourth championship and should be ranked No. 1. When you look at our stats and see what we have done over the last three years, I think it should lean that way. But the poll does make for good pre-season hype."
Edwards had been tabbed as the favorite previously and it didn't work out. "There's no pressure on me because of a poll," he said. "People picked me for 2006, but it didn't work out. Winning nine races and having a great year in 2008 was okay, but I would take a championship with no wins any time. My goal is to win the championship." In 2008, Edwards believes mishaps at Talladega and Charlotte derailed his championship effort, but he doesn't let it affect his outlook. "It is tough to win when Jimmie ran as well as he did. We did outperform their team in many races." Johnson projected the ban on testing will not impact Daytona activities but it may show be noticeable at the forthcoming California and Las Vegas events. "If testing is an equalizer, it will be obvious; if it separates us more, it will be obvious, too." About phenomenon Joey Logano's upcoming rookie season, Johnson compared the teenager to Denny Hamlin, who moved ahead without an abundance of experience. "Joey will have an opportunity to create his own destiny at Daytona. He has shown his smarts, and Joe Gibbs and company wouldn't be putting their faith in him unless they thought he could do it." By comparison, Johnson said he only had three or four plate races under his belt before competing in the Daytona 500, and Logano is in nearly the same situation.
Ryan Newman, the 2008 Daytona 500 winner, has joined Stewart-Haas Racing for the new season, but he's not in the Budweiser Shootout. He will watch the race from Stewart's pit box or the team's motor home.
Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Photo by Eric Gilbert.
Elliott Sadler is in the Budweiser Shootout for the fourth time and hopes the race will help alleviate the tension that arose within his team due to his contractual problems. For a while, it looked like Sadler had been given his walking papers by the Gillett Evernham Motorsports team, but after extended negotiations, he returned to the team, now called Richard Petty Motorsports. "Everything is resolved, and it is all behind us," Sadler said. "Everything should be fine and there are a lot of new guys on the team, even a new pit crew. And there's a lot of motivation in Elliott Sadler." The Virginia native is thrilled to be racing under the Petty banner. "How many drivers have driven for the legendary Wood Brothers and the Petty teams? Richard's presence is an advantage to me and I want to feed off of him." A.J. Allmendinger will be with the Petty team for at least a few races, and Sadler believes the team will be stronger with the latter's presences. "I want A. J. to run well, and I want to help him with sponsorship. We will be stronger as a four-car team than we would be as a three-car team." The Budweiser Shootout field will hold its initial practice session on Friday at 4:15 p.m. EST followed by another practice in the evening. The 75-lap race will take the green flag on Saturday at 8:10 p.m. EST.

Source from : motorsport

Toro Rosso keeps Bourdais

After keeping the Frenchman in character-building suspense through most of the close season, Red Bull Racing announced Friday the four-time Champ Car title winner will return to Scuderia Toro Rosso's Formula One team. His second season in F1 finds Bourdais wanting to improve on four points scored, fourth spot in qualifying, and seventh place as highest finish earned. He started each of 18 races staged. Bourdais loses teammate Sebastian Vettel to the mother ship, Red Bull, whose lead driver Mark Webber returns to action next week in testing after breaking his right leg when he and his mountain bike crashed into an SUV during an extreme endurance contest in November.

Happily for Bourdais, he won't need to learn any new names; Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi will be his new Toro Rosso teammate. But the Frenchman will face the same old challenge of trying to keep up with a younger, faster teammate. Buemi showed his heels throughout off-season testing in Toro Rosso and Red Bull chassis. Loser in the musical seats game was veteran F1 racer Takuma Sato, whose team, Super Aguri, died under him after four races last season. "It has been a very long and difficult winter, but now the waiting is finally over and I am really excited about tackling my second season with Scuderia Toro Rosso," Bourdais said. "I would like to thank Red Bull and Dietrich Mateschitz for this opportunity to continue with a team that made so much progress last year. Now, I can focus on preparing for the coming season. It promises to be a very interesting one, thanks to all the rule changes, and I'm also looking forward to establishing a good relationship with my new teammate, Sebastien Buemi, to ensure both of us do the best possible job for the team and for Red Bull." Bourdais and Buemi must carry on with the great leap handed them by Vettel, who gave the team its first pole and first victory in Italy, a tremendous feat for the smallest team on the grid.
Keeping on the heat will be team principal Franz Tost. "We are pleased that Sebastien will be with us again for another season,". Tost said. "After one year with Toro Rosso, we expect him to profit from the experience he gained last season. He now knows the F1 environment, the race tracks, and the team. In addition, the slick tires, which make a comeback this year, should suit his driving style very well. Therefore, he will tackle the coming season with much more experience under his belt. This will be especially valuable given that our other driver, Sebastien Buemi, is an F1 rookie, who has come up through the ranks of the Red Bull Junior Driver program." No word on prospects for unemployed Jenson Button of the defunct Honda team. He turned 29 last month. Discuss this article in the Motorsport.com Forums channel: F1

Source from : motorsport

Toyota Land Cruiser

Toyota Land Cruiser with the newest petrol engine have a capacity 4.0 liter V6 that produced 240hp and 4.7 liter V8 271hp with technology of Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence that produced power bigger but consumption of the fuel more frugal. The other version of the diesel engine 4.5 liter V8 232hp.

Hideki Watanabe stressed that Land Cruiser just offered the new machine and the manoeuvre capacity off-road better. In the process of his development that was begun 2002, the team really paid attention to the consumer's wish, was like this it was stressed Watanabe. please visit toyota land cruiser reviews.

Toyota sold Land Cruiser the highest variant that was equipped fitur complete including Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (stable in ounce-road, strong in off-road), Crawl Control System (first in the world) and Multi- Terrain ABS (could recognise tapak the road and gave maximum braking in fact in the desert).

All-new 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser began to be introduced all over the world. After Japan and Australia, Toyota launched Land Cruiser this newest generation in in the very rich region of gulf countries. In the same day, on Monday, Toyota launched all-new Land Cruiser in two countries that is in Qatar and Oman. Land Cruiser SUV most popular in the region of gulf countries. jus visit 2008 Toyota land cruiser reviews.

General Motors consolidated the position in South-East Asia

General Motors had the buoy that helped him ketka his sale in the USA –pasar especially- dropped. The buoy was the sale in Asia-Pacific. Dikawasan this General Motors experienced the growth of the very strong sale. In China, they became the automotive producer foreign first that could sell more than 1 million units. That last year, and this year, Nick Reily, President GM Asia Pasifik the optimist could touch 1,2 million units. This USA giant also had growth posture that was healthy in India and the South-East Asian region. Next month, GM will declare his new factory in Mumbai, India.
Last week, General Motors announced his investment plan with a value of $445juta to build the new diesel engine factory and upgraded assembly facilities in Thailand. That was revealed by Rick Wagoner the number one person GM. The new factory in Rayong, start operational 2010, with the production capacity more than 100.000 machine units pertahun. These facilities employed 340 workers. Approximately 90% from all over the production of his machine, were absorbed the assembly plant GM that also in Rayong. This assembly plant will produce the newest model pickup Chevrolet Silverado.
According to Wagoner, this investment part of the global strategy GM, including pushing the growth in developing countries. The main market of General Motors, the USA continued to shrink. Much important torque that stressed General Motors in the USA really was pressed. Quarterly first this year, the position of the number 1 during 78tahun moved the place to Toyota Motor Corp. Sementara Itu, the net loss quarterly the two reached $15.5 billion till July, his sale dropped 27% dibandingkanp the same period last year.
However Wagoner did not worry the sale of this year was supervised by Toyota. “Tahun this did not yet end. We not again very anxious was the number of one. But we wanted that to be pushed by the quality of the car and the extraordinary truck, most sophisticated and participating technology all the market dunia,” he said in Rayong. General Motors at this time was developing subcompact car the replacement Chevrolet Aveo. The model that continued to be completed in GMDAT, South Korea this, took basisi Chevrolet Beat, the concept car that was exhibited the first time in Detroit Motor Show 2007. Planned next year or 2010, this model has been marketed.

What next after this the Genesis?

Hyundai Genesis, the first luxurious Hyundai sedan with system the wheel motivator behind already the success removed attention publilk the world. Genesia brought Hyundai to the luxurious Lexus group of the same class of the elite of cars. That currently is waited for, how penjuala him. John Krafcik, Hyundai USA Vice President who was responsible towards the development of the production said his side the ray optimist sold 50.000 Genesis units pertahun. His composition 20.000 sedans and 30.000 coupe.
However the Genesis only part of the Hyundai effort did the image make over. This automotive South Korean producer made preparations to launch the car hybrid him in 2010. This Prius challenger was supplied by the newest generation Li-ion newest. The car hybrid Hyundai that was first in the USA eventually will be the Sonata. However Hyundai did not plan to sell the sedan with plug-in option that now in a crowd is developed by many makes. Plug-in was the car hybrid that his electricity energy could in charge through system the electricity installation at home.
Hyundai was the name that often was acknowledged as their future threat by Toyota senior figures. They saw Hyundai very fast carried out the change and produced increasingly good cars.

Honda Jazz:the right car at the right time

Honda had cenayang? Or with their service? Why they always right on time? Produced the exact car when that was exact. Early decade in the 70 's when the price of crude oil rose from $3/barrel to $5/barrel and shook the world, Honda was present with Civic. The cute vehicle, efficient and the only one that could fill the emissions regulation at that time.
At this time when the price of crude oil above $100/barrel, Honda was present with a series of frugal model the petrol. Honda that had many choices of efficient cars scooped up the extraordinary sale when other makes must stop the production of his factories gara-gara stock stock. The newest generation 2009 Honda Jazz was one of them. Although his plan was just introduced in the USA this coming October 1, but this cute car has been spread in dealer-dealer Honda.
“Pada his foundation we increased supplies totalling that we could to comply with the request, and we continued to finish the year model 2008,” the spokesperson's words Honda, Chris Martin to Automotive News. “Kami must do something so that dealer-dealer we not until ran out of measuring cars small that was looked for by the buyer at this time.
The price of the petrol in the USA that now $4/gallon or rose 200% for the last 4 years precisely brought up the Honda sale was Fit/Jazz until rising 73% compared with last year. This year the Fit sale/Jazz there achieved 52.053 units. The Honda sale during July totalling 12.226 units almost was the same as the sale of all the Acura model in the same month (12.828 units) Honda America marketed Fit/Jazz began $14,550.

Facelift Toyota Hilux

Toyota sedang sibuk. Setelah meluncurkan varian facelift Toyota Fortuner di 2008 International Indonesia Motor Show, kini mereka sedang menyelesaikan tahap akhir facelift Toyota Innova yang rencananya dirilisi akhir Agustus 2008.
Hilux was also experiencing the process facelift and his leak has circulated in the internet. Pickup this met the new spy with light indicator, the front bumper, grille alloy wheel just. Whereas the machine continued to not change, continue to used 2.5 litre D4-D that produced 102ps/3600rpm and torsion 260Nm/1600-2400rpm.

In Malaysia, the Hilux price just this was:
Toyota Hilux 2,5 of Single Cab 4×4 M./T RM 73,000
Toyota Hilux 2,5 of Double Cab STD 4×4 M./T RM 83,000
Toyota Hilux 2.5G Double Cab 4×4 M./T RM 91,000
Toyota Hilux 2.5G Double Cab 4×4 A/T RM 96.000