It's incredible that there can be so many goings on around a little car show. There was a spot of turmoil in the last shortened season of Top Gear, a few grumblings of unhappy presenters, and then the hallowed BBC couldn't figure out when the next season was going to begin. But here we are, the date has arrived: Top Gear version 12 will commence on November 2nd, 2008, A.D. I guess then we'll start to find out what they're doing in Vietnam...
[Source: Top Gear]
Top Gear Series 12 officially starts November 2nd
Au revoir, Montréal: FIA cancels Canadian GP for 2009
Everyone's surprised as the FIA has announced it is canceling the Canadian Grand Prix. Those in the world of F1 racing have come to know the event as a staple of the F1 calendar. Racing fans in Montreal, this writer's home town that has hosted the race for the past three decades, are shocked to lose the event. And that includes the race organizers, who apparently learned of the news the same way the rest of us have.
The cancellation of the race leaves a month-long gap in the race calendar in August of next season, and with the U.S. Grand Prix off the schedule the past few years, means F1 will stay completely out of North America. And save for the Brazilian Grand Prix, out of the Western Hemisphere altogether. But the trip across the Atlantic for the one race cost the teams dearly, and the sport's organizers have been on a crusade to cut costs. No doubt the officials at le Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will be burning up the phone lines to Formula One Management and the FIA, and organizers in far-flung Rio de Janeiro and Melbourne will be waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. Thanks to everyone who sent in the tip.
[Source: F1-Live, Photo by CARLO ALLEGRI/AFP/Getty]
Garage419 Invitational: 4 weeks to go!
And now, a brief public service announcement and reminder. The Garage419 Invitational takes place exactly four weeks from today at Grand Prix New York in Mt. Kisco, NY. All proceeds from the event benefit benefit Racing4Research and the Children's Tumor Foundation, as they work to raise awareness and find a cure for neurofibromatosis. I'm driving in the pro-am-style kart event with Garage419 fan Mike Duffy, and you can make a tax-deductible donation in support of us (or any of the other participating driver teams) by punching in your credit card number on the online donation form. We'd like to help raise as much as possible for the charity. Autoblog readers are legion, and you guys can definitely make a significant impact. Remember, no donation is too small! If you're in the area, feel free to swing by, say hi, and be a part of the festivities, which we hear will include a car show out in the parking lot and some sort of opportunity to get onto one of three driver teams being held open until race day. It'll be a good time for a good cause, and we appreciate your support.
Grassroots Motorsports $2008 Challenge headed to Florida
In these tight economic times, the project car budget typically gets left on the cutting room floor. Fortunately for addicted enthusiasts there are resources, such as Grassroots Motorsports Magazine, to prove that it is still possible to put together a prize winning ride for only a few bills. Just in time to save the wavering automotive habit of frugal individuals comes the Kumho Tires Grassroots Motorsports $2008 Challenge. For the past nine years, the magazine crew dedicated to amateur motorsports has organized an annual competition of cars built around a budget equal to the current year in dollars. It may sound impossibly restrictive, but some competitors even come in under the cap. The 2007 champion, a Chevrolet Corvette sucker-car, managed to top the field for less than two grand. The monetary limitation forces creative and innovative back-yard engineering amongst the entrants.
The $2008 Challenge will take place October 3 – 4 at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, FL. The cars will spend a grueling two days dueling it out on the autocross course, drag strip and even the parking lot for a car show. Competitors should also be brushed up on their accounting skills since they are required to keep an itemized list of all their expenses. This detail keeps the event fair and also offers the magazine's readership inspiration to create their own budget racers. Follow the jump to for the official press release.
[Source: Grassroots Motorsports]
Continue reading Grassroots Motorsports $2008 Challenge headed to Florida
Event Alert: Italy's finest heading to Chicago for Italian Style
If you live in Chicago and have been waiting for the opportunity to check out the most scrumptious of Italian sheetmetal this side of the Atlantic, the Midwest chapter of the Italian-American Chamber of Commerce has got some treats in store for you.
Sponsored by Case New Holland – Fiat's American agricultural and construction equipment subsidiary – the annual "Italian Style" event is gearing up for a return from September 19-21 at Navy Pier in Chicago. In addition to all manner of heavy machinery from the CNH catalog, Ferrari will be showcasing its top-selling F430 Spider and the 599 GTB Fiorano, Maserati will be showing off its freshly updated Quattroporte S and Alfa Romeo will bring out the production version of the 8C Competizione for its first public appearance in North America. Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne will be participating, Magneti Marelli and Fiat Powertrain Technologies will be displaying various components from Italian automobiles, and Ducati will be on hand with a display of its motorbikes. Head on down and check it out.
[Source: ItalianExpo.us and Italiaspeed]
The Garage419 Invitational: Autoblog's in, and we need your support!
The Garage419 Invitational is a pro-am-style charity kart race taking place on October 26 at Grand Prix New York in Mt. Kisco. All proceeds from the event benefit Racing 4 Research and the Children's Tumor Foundation, which are dedicated to raising awareness and finding a cure for neurofibromatosis, or NF, as it's more commonly known. (Last year, the local NBC affiliate here in NY did an informative piece that serves as a good primer on NF. You can watch it here.)"I'd like you to be a part of this, it'll be fun." So said Mike Spinelli when he invited me to be one of the pros driving in the Invitational. I patiently explained to Mike that calling me a "pro" is akin to calling those dudes who play Madden in videogame tournaments "athletes", but he was undeterred. And because Spinelli is one of the best guys you'll ever meet, it's essentially impossible to say no to him, so here I am. He's right, too -- it should be fun. After all, there are worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than driving go-karts and hanging out with the likes of Spin, Matt Farah, Mike Musto (a.k.a. "Mr. Angry") and other fellow participants like Farnbacher Loles Racing's Bryce Miller and Jalopnik's Wes Siler. I've been paired with Garage419 fan Mike Duffy, and on behalf of my team, I'm here to ask for your help in the form of a donation to Racing 4 Research.
If you go to the online donation form, you can support the Alex Nunez/Mike Duffy duo (or any of the other participants, for that matter) by pledging a traditional fixed-dollar amount or an amount for each lap that we complete at the Invitational. All major credit cards are accepted and your donation is tax deductible. While I'll do my best to represent Autoblog well at the event, I'm asking you readers to help us put on a good show on the fundraising end of things. No donation is too small, and your generosity is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Audi hitting the road in cross-country diesel Mileage Marathon
Click for a high res gallery of the mileage marathon vehicles
It's been a few years since Audi sold diesel-powered cars in the U.S., but that's about to change. After three years of showing what diesel is capable of at Le Mans and in the ALMS, Audi will introduce a diesel-powered Q7 TDI sometime in early 2009. Before that happens, Audi wants to show America what kind of mileage its diesel lineup gets in the real world. To do so, the German automaker has assembled a fleet of 23 vehicles including the coming Q7, the Q5, A4 and A3. Currently the Q7 is the only Audi diesel announced for the U.S. although the company has acknowledged that it's considering other models. A motley collection (aren't all groupings of journalists motley?) of 184 journalists and guests from around the world have been invited to drive the fleet across the continent from New York to Los Angeles in four legs with the goal of seeing who can get the best real world mileage. Among that collection will be several members of the Autoblog and AutoblogGreen teams, including yours truly. The Mileage Marathon kicks off on Oct. 6 in Manhattan and hits the city of angels two weeks later. We'll bring you live reports from the road as we wind across the country, so stay tuned. Gallery: Audi Mileage Marathon
[Source: Audi]
Continue reading Audi hitting the road in cross-country diesel Mileage Marathon
First Australian Top Gear episode to air Sept 29
Mark your calendars, gearheads. The Special Broadcasting Service in Australia has confirmed that the first episode of Aussie Top Gear will air on Monday, September 29. The show will apparently have a regular slot at 7:30 in the SBS Monday night line-up, featuring all manner of Holdens, Ford Falcons and Elfin roadsters crisscrossing their way across the Outback. All the while co-hosts Charlie Cox, Warren Brown and Steve Pizzati – along with their own Fosters-swilling version of The Stig – will be endeavoring to prevent the dingo from eating their babies lest the entire endeavor boomerang on them all. (Okay, enough making fun of the Aussies.) We'll be keeping an eye on FinalGear.com for their count-down before heading on over to Top Gear's YouTube channel to see the first of the eight-episode inaugural season in less than a month's time.
The Line Forms Here Down Under: Top Gear Australia begins filming
All around the world, thousands upon thousands of automotive enthusiasts wait with baited breath, remote controls, YouTube clicks and torrent downloads for new episodes of Top Gear. Some satiate their cravings with Final Gear in the meantime, but as Clarkson and company seek to rebuild the British empire one commercial deal at a time, soon we'll have two new series to keep our interests piqued. Because not only are we getting our own version of Top Gear here in the United States, so our own mates down in Australia.
While the American pilot has already been shot, Down Under they're just gearing up, and they're now accepting applications for tickets to the filming of the first episode of Top Gear Australia. So if you live in the Outback, put down your boomerang and ride your kangaroo Holden over to the Special Broadcasting Service website to fill out the form.
[Source: SBS via FinalGear.com]
NOPI cancels all drag, drift and car show events for remainder of 2008
For 20 years, a mass of automotive enthusiasts has descended upon Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NOPI Nationals Motorsports Supershow. NOPI, a Georgia-based aftermarket parts and accessories dealer, built a loyal following with their Nationals Supershow, attracting upwards of 90,000 attendees each year. Through the success of their car and trucks shows the company also took on the task of running a nationwide drag race and drifting series more, but this year NOPI won't be filling Atlanta Speedway's infield for the 21st year this September, as the Nationals Motorsport Supershow has been canceled. In fact, all remaining 2008 NOPI events from car shows to drag racing and drifting, have been called off.
According to NOPI, the rationale behind the decision is due to the tough times currently being endured by the automotive industry. With vehicle sales in the dumpster, one can only image that accessory purchases are also being cut from most consumers' budgets. Compounded with the rising fuel prices and reduced event attendance, finishing out the event schedule did not make economic sense for NOPI. It is sad to hear of such a staple event forced to shutter. Hopefully NOPI can weather the storm and bring back the debauchery another season.
[Source: NOPI]
CAR reveals spy shots of McLaren P11 supercar
2010 Chevrolet Camaro priced: LS $22,995, SS $30,995
BREAKING: GM and Chrysler talking about merger
Spy Shots: Nissan 370Z again, with interior shots
2010 Mazda3 unveiled ahead of LA Auto Show
Knight Rider: The Liveblog -- Season 1, Episode 3
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mazda RX-8 R3, return of the "hummer"
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Chevy Corvette Z06
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
Paris 2008: Le Day 1 Wrapup
