Categories
Audi

All new Audi A4 close to Australian launch

All new Audi A4

Audi Australia are just weeks away from the launch of the all new A4 (B8 model). You can keep up to date with the latest news by registering on the Audi A4 microsite. The Audi visual language gets tighter with every new model release, presenting a unified front from their exterior design team. Some aspects of the new A4 are pleasing, but at this stage, I think final judgement should be held back until seeing one up close and personal. Naturally, the new A4 interior will be a beautifully made place to be, although, from my viewings of the A5 range, on which the new A4 interior will be largely based, I’ve not been as impressed with the layout as I have with previous A4s. Still, Audi sets the bar so high I may as well be picking faults over the delectable delights found at your local Koko Black store! The A4 was recently voted Germany’s most popular car and I’m betting that Audi Australia hopes the A4 makes plenty of Australian friends as well.

Read more about the Australian launch of the new A4 on this earlier CarAdvice article or see below for more images.

Continue reading “All new Audi A4 close to Australian launch”
Categories
MINI Challenge

2008 Australian MINI Challenge in pictures – Round 2

MINI Challenge

AUSmotive.com attended today’s MINI Challenge meeting at Goulburn’s Wakefield Park. Click HERE to see a gallery of all the action. Or you can click below to read the rest of this entry and see a selection of images.

The first series of images are from this morning’s Race 2, followed by some colour and detail from pit lane before finishing off with pictures from Race 3.

Continue reading “2008 Australian MINI Challenge in pictures – Round 2”
Categories
MINI Challenge

Nathan Geier wins Wakefield Park MINI Challenge

Nathan Geier

Melbourne’s Nathan Geier has won Round 2 of the 2008 Australian MINI Challenge, held this weekend at Goulburn’s Wakefield Park Raceway. Yesterday’s Race 1 winner, Paul Stokell, from the DecoRug team, looked to have Race 3 and the round win in his hands until he mysteriously lost all power in his car and was forced to retire on lap 6. Geier had his Split Image Project Management MINI sitting safely in second place, and was able to fully capitalise on Stokell’s misfortune to inherit a lead he would not surrender, ultimately taking the chequered flag on lap 15.

The 25 year old Geier was full of excitement after his round win, “It’s kind of surreal! I’m still in shock to be honest. Paul (Stokell) was driving real well, it was really unlucky for him. I was following him and heard his car shut down and from then on started worrying about mine! I was trying to concentrate on my lines and not worry about how far Grant was behind me. Next round will be interesting. We’ll have an additional 25kg on board, which means it’s a totally different ballgame. It was a great weekend all round and really sets us up well for the remainder of the season.”

Continue reading “Nathan Geier wins Wakefield Park MINI Challenge”
Categories
MINI Challenge

MINI Challenge at Wakefield Park

Thanks to AUSmotive reader Tiaan for sending me this footage of the opening lap from Race 3 at today’s MINI Challenge held at Wakefield Park. This meeting was Round 2 of the 2008 Australian MINI Challenge and the round win was secured by Nathan Geier. Stay tuned for more details soon.

Categories
MINI Challenge

Stokell wins Race 1 at Wakefield Park MINI Challenge

MINI Challenge at Wakefield Park

Paul Stokell has brought home a one-two for the DecoRug Motorsport team in the first race of the second round of MINI CHALLENGE at Wakefield Park Raceway today, leading home team-mate Grant Denyer.

Stokell staved off an early charge from Melbourne racer, Nathan Geier (Split Image Project Management). Geier, who has been the revelation of MINI CHALLENGE to date, put in a solid performance until a small mistake at turn nine on the eighth lap cost him significantly.

That allowed Grant Denyer to close up, and a lap and a half later, he advanced into second when Geier ran wide.

Denyer had been involved in an early fight with Neil McFadyen (Scope Signs & Graphics). That lasted until the end of lap one, when the Seven Network personality dived late under brakes at turn one and got through, with minimal room to spare.

McFadyen had a lonely race in fourth, but was able to close up on Geier on the final lap. The success ballast of 25kg from his round one victory seemed to have some effect on the Sydney-based racer.

Starting on pole for tomorrow’s race two will be Gary Young (Salta Constructions) when the top six finishers from today are reversed. The Melbournite was involved in a race long battle with Perth’s Paul Fiore (Shell Helix Ultra), a superior start by Fiore proving decisive.

Continue reading “Stokell wins Race 1 at Wakefield Park MINI Challenge”
Categories
BMW Formula 1

Robert Kubica gives BMW Sauber first pole position

Robert KubicaPolish driver Robert Kubica has just earned his first pole position in qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix. He edged out Britain’s Lewis Hamilton by 2/10 of a second, and Brazilian Felipe Massa by just 3/100 of a second with his fastest time of 1:33.096 and in the process gave BMW Sauber their first pole position as a constructor. Australia’s Mark Webber qualified in 11th position.

Categories
MINI Motorsports

Eastern Creek MINI Challenge – TV highlights

Round 1 of the MINI Challenge kicked off in Australia over the weekend of 7-9 March at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway. Here are three youtube clips from the highlights package which aired on Channel 7 today. This was the worldwide debut of the R56 MINI Challenge cars you can read more about the MINI Challenge by following the links below:

Continue reading “Eastern Creek MINI Challenge – TV highlights”
Categories
Formula 1 Motorsports

Max Mosley’s orgy torture continues

The continuing Max Mosley orgy saga shows no signs of letting up. Several Formula 1 manufacturers have issued official statements condemning Mosley’s sexcapades, while the Crown Prince of Bahrain has personally written to the F1 supremo telling him “I feel that under the current circumstances, it would be inappropriate for you to be in Bahrain at this time.” This statement, powerfully issued just days before the Bahrain Grand Prix, leaves Mosley in a virtually untenable position.

Further adding to his woes are the revelations that BMW and Mercedes-Benz have issued a joint statement asking the FIA for a response to their President’s “disgraceful” actions. Toyota went further by stating “Toyota Motorsport does not approve of any behaviour which could be seen to damage Formula 1’s image, in particular any behaviour which could be understood to be racist or anti-Semitic.”

Honda also hit out at the embarrassed and embattled Mosley in their statement, which read, “The Honda Racing F1 Team is extremely disappointed by recent events surrounding Mr Mosley and we are concerned that the reputation of Formula One and all its participants is being damaged. We request that the FIA gives this matter careful consideration and reaches an immediate decision in the best interests of F1 and motorsport.”

Mosley has taken legal action against News of the World—which broke the story last Sunday—and has claimed any Nazi connotations as being “entirely false”.

Source: BBC, TimesOnline

Update: FIA to hold Mosley crisis meeting, BBC

Categories
Audi

Audi RS8 to get twin turbo V10

Autocar are reporting that the stunning Audi R8 will be offered in RS8 form with the same 572bhp V10 twin-turbo as used in the recently released RS6. This flies in the face of previous reports from senior Audi staff and also tends to indicate Audi is confident of fixing the cooling problems that embarrassed the German manufacturer during testing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife last year.

Source: Autocar & WorldCarFans

Categories
MINI Challenge

Close racing assured this weekend at Wakefield Park

MINI Challenge, Eastern Creek

Round 2 of the exciting new MINI Challenge series kicks off at Goulburn’s Wakefield Park this weekend, with the great news that new drivers have signed on as the series continues to grow. The ingredients are there for this to be a fantastically competitive series and I know that MINI Australia staff have been working feverishly in the background to ensure the series is a great spectacle for all motor racing fans.

I’ll be tagging along to Wakefield this weekend with clubMINI and if you’re nearby and can get out to Goulburn this weekend I highly recommend it.

The action starts on Friday with the MINI Challenge cars having practice sessions at 9:55am, 12:25pm, qualifying is at 3pm. There will be three races for the MINIs, the light goes green for Race 1 at 1:15pm on Saturday, and there’s two races on Sunday, Race 2 begins at 9:30am and Race 3 starts at 1:45pm. The weekend’s events will also see racing from the Porsche Carrera Cup, Formula Ford and the Fujitsu V8 Supercar. Plenty of value for your $35 entry fee.

Continue reading “Close racing assured this weekend at Wakefield Park”
Categories
Formula 1 Motorsports

Max Mosley exposed in Nazi-style sex orgy

In news surely set to rock the FIA to its foundations, several media outlets are reporting that FIA President Max Mosley has been captured role playing in Nazi-style sex orgies. The 67 year old former Oxford scholar’s extra curricular activities have been exposed by UK newspaper News of the World and reveal the F1 supremo was apparently whipped into a frenzy by as many as five prostitutes while allegedly screaming orders in German. It looks like a nasty sordid affair that will become either a minefield of legal briefs or bring a terribly indecent ending to Mosley’s power over Formula 1.

The News of the World expose includes secretly captured photographs and video filmed last Friday, forming a damning case for Mosley. I bet he hopes news of his long lost twin brother will be the next news item to shock the world of motorsport. Oh dear. Unsurprisingly, news reports are calling for Mosley’s resignation.

Source: The Age, Australia and News of the World, UK

Update: Bernie stands by sex-claim Mosley, Daily Mail, UK

Categories
Bugatti

Australia’s CarAdvice tests Bugatti Veyron

Australian based CarAdvice.com.au has just published footage of their test of the Bugatti Veyron. Make sure you click here to read CarAdvice’s detailed written review of the superlative Veyron.