Autoblog

Holden's new Commodore ready to go racing in V8 Supercars [w/video]

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:43:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, Videos, Holden, Australia, Racing

This is the new Holden Commodore dressed up for duty as a V8 Supercar. Revealed two days after the VF sedan broke cover, the Holden Racing Team unleashed the racing version on Facebook and YouTube (click the image above to enlarge). This one does away with the black and gold introductory livery but keeps the Holden lions.

And get ready for this weekend, when the standard Commodore sedan - not the Calais trim - gets revealed, as well as the Chevrolet SS and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class V8 Supercar from Erebus. While you wait, check out the video below to see the Commodore V8SC on the track.

Continue reading Holden's new Commodore ready to go racing in V8 Supercars [w/video]

Holden's new Commodore ready to go racing in V8 Supercars [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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F1 has too many teams, says Ecclestone

Zach Bowman — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Europe, Racing

Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone says the sport has too many teams. HRT, a Spanish race organization, has dropped off the official 2013 entry list, cutting the number of participants from 12 teams to 11. While speaking to Reuters, Ecclestone said he never wanted 12 teams and that he would prefer to have just 10. The reason? The logistics of having 12 separate organizations is too much to handle, both in terms of transportation and promotion. Of course, Ecclestone's proclamation came with a stipulation. The F1 boss said that he'd rather have 10 teams "so long as we don't lose Ferrari."

HRT owners Thesan Capital has reportedly gone into liquidation and are seeking a buyer for the F1 team. The team didn't manage to score a single point in its three years of F1 competition, and Ecclestone says he doesn't foresee anyone stepping forward to save the outfit from collapse.

F1 has too many teams, says Ecclestone originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Dec 2012 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Caterham axes Trulli in favor of Petrov before season starts

Noah Joseph — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:03:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs

The off-season in Formula 1 is not without its typical game of musical chairs: this driver moves there, that one is axed in favor of another, and some are left without a seat when the music starts again. But typically once the cars are launched, the contracts are signed and that's that. So when Caterham beat its rivals to the punch by unveiling its new car, we figured we'd heard the last of the driver shuffles for the season. But that wasn't to be the case.

Although the team had Jarno Trulli signed for the coming season, it has announced instead that the F1 veteran has been replaced by Vitaly Petrov, the Russian driver recently axed by Lotus - which is, somewhat ironically, the same team with which Caterham was embroiled in a naming rights dispute. The benefit of adding Petrov - a promising but largely unproven driver - to a small team over the experienced Trulli is that Petrov brings significant sponsorship money with him.

Trulli's dismissal leaves F1 without any Italian drivers on the grid for the first time since the early 1970s. The 37-year-old former grand prix winner was joined on the grid for much of his 15-year career in F1 by Giancarlo Fisichella until his effective retirement to a role as Ferrari test driver two seasons ago. Trulli insists he will continue racing, whether in F1 or elsewhere. We hear Pirelli might have use for his talents, but wouldn't be surprised to see him find his way into another racing series altogether. Follow the jump for the official announcement.

In related news, remaining holdout HRT has confirmed that Narain Karthikeyan will join longtime McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa in its line-up for the coming season, sealing the roster for 2012 - that is, assuming no further contracts are canceled at the last minute.

Continue reading Caterham axes Trulli in favor of Petrov before season starts

Caterham axes Trulli in favor of Petrov before season starts originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hispania Racing Team changes direction in dumping Colin Kolles

Noah Joseph — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 07:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs

When you're starting up a new venture - really any new venture, but especially a new F1 team - what you really need is some experience on your side. And if you don't have it, you hire it, and you stick with it until you've gotten where you need to go. Someone has apparently forgotten to tell that to the people at HRT.

The backmarker team has already changed hands a couple of times since joining the field just two seasons ago, and has changed drivers like the rest of us (hopefully) change socks. The one constant was Colin Kolles, but even he's walking away now.

The experienced race strategist from Romania has run the Jordan, Midland, Spyker and Force India teams (though those are, admittedly, varying names for the same team), and was hired by the Hispania Racing Team to run its F1 effort. (A trained dentist, incidentally, Kolles has even had to perform emergency track-side dental surgery on his drivers.) But in a recent announcement, the two parties revealed the end of their collaboration.

HRT, for its part, will move its operations from Kolles' facility in Germany to its own headquarters in Spain. As for where Kolles will land next, it's anyone's guess, but something tells us that he'll be sticking around the racing world in some capacity or another.

Continue reading Hispania Racing Team changes direction in dumping Colin Kolles

Hispania Racing Team changes direction in dumping Colin Kolles originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HRT gives fans a hometown hero to cheer on at upcoming Indian Grand Prix

Noah Joseph — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, India

Go to the British Grand Prix and the local fans will be cheering on their hometown heroes Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. At the Australian Grand Prix they'll cheer for Mark Webber. In Spain they pull for Fernando Alonso. In Germany, it's showtime for Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher. Not every country with a Formula One race is represented on the grid as well, but India will be when the F1 circus rolls into town in late October.

The subcontinent has only had a couple of F1 drivers in its history with Karun Chandhok and Narain Karthikeyan, both of whom have achieved limited success. Chandhok contested a handful of grands prix for HRT last season and one for Lotus earlier this year, but has failed to score a single point.

Meanwhile Karthikeyan scored his only points at the controversial 2005 United States Grand Prix, where he drove for Jordan. After returning with HRT earlier this season, Narain was replaced by Red Bull's Australian protégé Daniel Ricciardo a few races ago. However it's now being reported that HRT will put Karthikeyan back in the driver's seat to race in front of his home crowd for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix five races from now.

Of course HRT and Karthikeyan will have to vie for fans' loyalty against the Force India team, which currently stands at seventh place in the constructors' standings, behind Renault and Sauber and ahead of Toro Rosso and Williams.

HRT gives fans a hometown hero to cheer on at upcoming Indian Grand Prix originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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F1 backmarker Hispania Racing Team changes hands... again

Noah Joseph — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Earnings/Financials

Hispania Racing Team - Click above for high-res image gallery

Buy low, sell high. It's the most basic concept in investment. And while we can't speculate on the second part, HRT could hardly get any lower than it is now.

The Spanish team has, shall we say, "struggled" since joining the F1 grid last season. Changing drivers like most of us change underpants, Hispania has remained at the very back of the field these past two seasons, failing to score a single championship point so far. So it should come as little surprise that the struggling outfit has also been changing ownership and management almost as frequently.

HRT was founded as Campos Meta by lackluster former Minardi driver Adrian Campos, who then sold it to Spanish businessman José Ramón Carabante. He in turn brought in experienced strategist Colin Kolles on board to run the team. Having failed to advance the team, word has it that Kolles is on his way out, but not before the team is sold once again.

The new owners are a Spanish investment firm called Thesan Capital, which plans on giving the team a more Spanish flavor to match its name while - hopefully - providing the team with the resources to mount a more serious challenge.

F1 backmarker Hispania Racing Team changes hands... again originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hispania Racing finally joins the party with new F1 car and drivers

Noah Joseph — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 08:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Racing

2011 HRT F111 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Better late than never, they say. And whoever said it could very well have been talking about the Hispania Racing Team. In its debut season last year, the upstart team's two cars - driven by an array of pilots over the course of the championship - retired nine times and failed to score a single championship point. But that's okay, because neither did the other two newcomers, Lotus and Virgin.

This year, though, Hispania has gone back to the drawing board, bringing in veteran designer Geoff Willis to thoroughly work over last year's Dallara-sourced car. After every other team unveiled their new cars and ran them at the successive pre-season tests, HRT was still building theirs, showing us some renderings of the new livery in the meantime and running the old car to test the new tires. But now they've finally put on the finishing touches, shown it to the world and took it out on the track for the first time.

While they were at it, HRT has also announced its final driver line-up, filling in that last TBA on the 2011 driver roster with the hiring of Tonio Liuzzi (who lost his seat at Force India) to drive alongside Narain "Tata Money" Karthikeyan this season. Check out their new Cosworth-powered ride in the high-res image gallery below.

Gallery: 2011 HRT F111

[Source: Hispania Racing Team]

Hispania Racing finally joins the party with new F1 car and drivers originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hispania Racing Team F111 debut rounds out Formula 1 preseason

Noah Joseph — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 17:32:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Racing

2011 HRT F111 - Click above for high-res image gallery

We know this looks like an F1 car. But you know what it actually is? It's the end of the beginning. Because after Ferrari, Lotus, Renault, Sauber, Mercedes, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Williams, McLaren, Virgin and Force India all unveiled their new Formula 1 cars for the 2011 championship, Hispania Racing Team has joined the action with the F111, marking the end of the preseason debuts.

The new car bears all the hallmarks of the new F1 regulations, but the first thing you're likely to notice is its livery. With little in the way of sponsors, HRT brought in Daniel Simon - the former VW Group designer responsible for, among other things, the light-cycles in Tron: Legacy - to pen the car's dynamic paint scheme. The result is considerably more attractive than last year's gray car, leaving open spots for future sponsors (currently held by "this could be you" and "your logo here" lettering). Simon's Cosmic Motors design firm gets its own logo on the sidepod wing plates, joined only by Tata Motors, which came to the team with Narain Karthikeyan.

The Indian driver, who once raced for Jordan way back in 2005, returns just in time for this year's inaugural Indian Grand Prix. However, after showing Bruno Senna the door, HRT is the last outfit that still needs to confirm its second driver. This is business as usual for HRT, which last year used four different drivers: Karun Chandhok, Bruno Senna, Sakon Yamamoto and Christian Klien, none of whom scored a single point in the 2010 car. Can Karthikeyan and his to-be-announced wingman do better? Well, when you're at rock bottom, there's nowhere to go but up. Details are in the press release after the jump, with high-res images in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2011 Hispania Racing Team F111

[Source: Hispania Racing Team]

Continue reading Hispania Racing Team F111 debut rounds out Formula 1 preseason

Hispania Racing Team F111 debut rounds out Formula 1 preseason originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Senna out, Karthikeyan in at Hispania Racing Team for 2011

Noah Joseph — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs

How the mighty have fallen. But when they do, someone else invariably needs to fill their shoes. And so comes two parallel developments from the lower rungs of the Formula One ladder.

In one corner we have Bruno Senna, the highly-anticipated nephew of the late great Ayrton Senna. The young Brazilian made his debut in F1 last season but failed to shine, and now it looks like his career in grand prix racing could be over almost as soon as it started. The Hispania Racing Team for which he drove last season has opted not to renew his contract for 2011, and with most of the other seats already spoken for, his options aren't looking too hot.

In his place, HRT has opted for one Narain Karthikeyan. The Indian racer drove for Jordan back in 2005 - punctuated by a big crash at the Chinese Grand Prix that year - before spending two seasons as a test driver for Williams. Karthikeyan has since driven for HRT chief Colin Kolles' Le Mans Series outfit, and returns to F1 (with crucial backing from Tata) just in time for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. HRT has yet to confirm its second driver, but one thing's for sure: it ain't Bruno,

[Source: Autosport | Images: Manuel Lorenzo/AFP/Getty, Jerry Markland/Getty]

Senna out, Karthikeyan in at Hispania Racing Team for 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HRT F1 parts company with Dallara, reportedly eyes abandoned Toyota chassis

Noah Joseph — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 08:26:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Toyota, Racing

The Hispania Racing Team has had a rough start this year in F1. The upstart squad has retired seven times in as many races, failing to score a single championship point so far. Which is still better than Virgin has fared so far - and surprisingly Sauber too - but that's no way to enter the field. Now the outfit formerly known as Campos Meta 1 has split with its chassis supplier, with reports indicating it's already looking into another for next season... if not for the remainder of this one.

Rather than design its own chassis from scratch, HRT opted to outsource to veteran constructor Dallara. But despite having managed to reach the grid in time for the start of the season, HRT claims Dallara didn't put in enough testing time. There's no question that HRT needs a better car, but where to find one on such short notice?

According to some reports, HRT is reportedly looking to acquire the TF110 - the car that Toyota would have fielded this year had they not withdrawn - and race that chassis instead. The pair of Toyota cars is reportedly up for sale after another F1 hopeful, Stefan GP, didn't get a slot on the grid and subsequently defaulted on payments to Toyota. The Cologne-based facility is reportedly still in operation, providing services to other racing teams, and could be prepared to support HRT or any other team with the means to make a go of it.

[Sources: Autosport, Axis of Oversteer | Image: Guillaume Baptiste/AFP/Getty]

HRT F1 parts company with Dallara, reportedly eyes abandoned Toyota chassis originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 08:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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