Category: Auto News

Superbowl Sunday….  Really…? So what…?

It seems America shuts down for the Superbowl. Why…? The previews and predictions and the dissection of the minutia of the teams’ seasons leading up to this thing are mind-numbing. It is not just the sports programs going on and on about it, both before and after the game, but everybody on the TV seems to have some segment dedicated to the game. Regular news channels go on and on about the teams, the halftime show, the commercials…  Really?

Why…?

What do we get out of this game? As a fan, seriously…, what do you get from it? How is your day-to-day life affected by the game of football? You may get some blather around the water cooler about “the game” yesterday…  You might even win a few bucks if you play the points… But what do you really get from it? What do any of us get from it? (more…)

*Excerpt from Grand-Am website :

* Race fans will be able to follow all of the action in the historic 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona through SPEED and SPEED.com.

SPEED will continue to be the television home of GRAND-AM Road Racing in 2012, televising all 13 Rolex Sports Car Series events either live or on a same-day delay basis. Coverage begins with 15-and-a-half hours of coverage from the Rolex 24, which will be enhanced for the first time by continued streaming on its web site. (more…)

January is busy for racing as the garages start to fill and teams roll back into the routine of the daily grind. They review the previous season, plan changes, and take the rules changes to the chassis and the track. January is also NASCAR Hall of Fame time as the newest batch of legends take their places during the ceremony, held in the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte Convention Center, on January 20th. The total number of HoF Members is now 15. (more…)

“Headline: GM offers repairs to Volt owners for structural modifications”  This is not an actual “recall” as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is not directly involved. However, if you own one of these things you should consider it as such. There are reports of some kind of battery fires which have forced GM’s hand in offering these fixes as well as creating some policy changes on making mechanical repairs. Newer models apparently have these structural issues dealt with.

“Headline: GM announces the possibility of cutting production” It seems these things are not flying off the lots. Or production hasn’t matched demand. It kind of depends on who you talk to. Sales analysts and automotive watchdogs may say it is priced too high and that other electric / hybrids offer a better history of performance. There is also the buying public being confused as to how the thing works. You have to plug it in and put gas in it…? The gasoline engine doesn’t recharge it but runs the electric motor when the battery dies…? It costs how much…? How fast is it…? What…? (more…)

Danica Patrick is running with Stewart-Haas racing to run selected Sprint Cup races for 2012. In an interview from Daytona this week, she said she was taking on the 2012 season like a “honey badger”.

“… the honey badger, he doesn’t give a crap, he takes what he wants. And that’s how I’m going to be this year, like a honey badger.”

She made reference to a video she had seen about the animal in which the narrative is quite funny and the honey badger goes about wreaking mayhem on other creatures in a quite bloody fashion. The animal is quite a beastie and has, apparently, an “I don’t give a crap” attitude. (more…)

The opinions and thoughts on Facebook and other sites concerning the American debut of the USA version of the popular British automotive show “TOP GEAR” were rather harsh but reflected the enthusiasm car folk often display when it comes to their cars.

“I’ll watch it – Give it a chance…” to “No way – Can’t touch the original…”

So… How was it? I watched it. Despite my love of the British original I sat down at the TV and flicked on the History Channel at 10:00PM Sunday night and tried to pry open the mind to what I suspected would be a distilled version of the original. I was, as much as the pre-show opinions reflected, as much entertained as disappointed. (more…)