Saturday 19 July 2014

ProRIDE Performance Springs for PREVE

ProRIDE Performance Springs designed to suit Proton PREVE.
Improves the handling and cornering ability by reducing body roll.
Aggressive and meaner looking rides.


This spring is slightly stiffer than the OEM springs but is stilll comfortable compared to adjustable suspension. Great for enthusiast that doesn't want to sacrifice the comfort of their car.

I can deliver (COD) to your place if in Klang Valley/ Selangor area.
Other states then there will be delivery charges.

Call/SMS : 010.5151624 to order or if you have any inquiries.

Price is RM 320. 

Mitsubishi to follow others footsteps and make a recall

Mitsubishi Motors has announced a recall for an undisclosed amount of 2004 through 2005 Lancer sedans over malfunctioning airbags supplied by Takata.


Mitsubishi is the ninth automaker to recall cars that use Takata airbags in the United States. The issue stems from an inflator which can rupture, causing metal fragments to shoot at the passengers. Over the last five years, more than 12 million vehicles with faulty Takata have been recalled.

“Due to NHTSA’s belief that humidity is a contributing factor to the inflator condition at issue, the (recall) will be limited to affected vehicles that are registered in, or were originally sold in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” Mitsubishi wrote in a letter to NHTSA.


Mitsubishi says that it knows of no injuries or crashes caused by the Takata airbags, and the company says it hasn’t found a safety defect in its own testing but will issue the recall anyways as a “good faith” gesture towards NHTSA.

F1 2013 best overtakes


Ahead of this week's German Grand Prix, thought that it's a good time to recap some of the most exciting overtakes of last year's F1 season. I really miss the sound of that roaring V8. The downshifts the hi revs and everything it has to offer.

F1 : Renault engine will get timely massive boost.

Formula 1 teams that is currently using the Renault engine is likely to get an upgrade in the shape of a Renault software upgrade. The French car manufacturer has been developing over the past few weeks a software tweak to boost the power output of its engine.

And although it did not complete the sign-off of the changes during last week's Silverstone test, when there were problems getting it incorporated with other software systems on the cars, the latest development tried out on Friday was encouraging.

Renault's head of track operations Remi Taffin hoped that further tweaking of its settings in final practice in Germany would be enough to deliver its full potential, which could be worth a few tenths of a seconds for its teams.


"We tested it in Silverstone - but we could not run it as we wished," said Taffin. "We ran it again today and it's looking promising, but it still needs quite a bit of tuning.

"Tomorrow P3 is obviously quite a quick session, but we are working to get the right setting, and if we get it right it should be a step forward.

"We are not talking about hundredths, we are talking about tenths."

The software changes are focused on improving the efficiency of Renault's internal combustion engine (ICE), which will have a knock-on effect of delivering more power.

"It's about making the ICE more efficient," he said. "The amount of fuel is limited, so if you make the engine more efficient you get more power. But it's not always easy to make it happen."

Teams such as Red Bull and Lotus is expected to mount serious challenge on the Mercedes and Williams this weekend.

Malaysia ranked highest in online shopping take up

According to a research done by TNS on the study of online shopping behaviour in Southeast Asia for Google, more Malaysians will take to shopping online with two out of five Malaysians (43 percent) - who have never purchased online before - will start in the next 12 months.

Google Malaysia industry head Shylendra Nathan said a major factor behind the move to shop online was to save time and should present "a major opportunity for Malaysia's retail industry to reach and influence shoppers online. "The two out of five (43 percent) of Malaysians who have never shopped online and who expect to start in the next 12 months closely matches the rest of the region: the Philippines reported lowest at 40 percent and the highest figure is from Indonesia with 46 percent indicating they intend to switch to online shopping within a year."

He said half of these new online shoppers' first purchase will be clothing. Malaysia's percentage is higher than all the other countries in the survey, with the lowest reported number coming from Singapore at 31 percent. 



Overall, South East Asia looks like a great place to run an online clothes store, with this survey revealing that apparel is by far the most popular online shopping - for example, clothes are bought nearly three times as often as mobile phones or books, said Nathan.

He said consumers in Malaysia and the rest of the region do not place price as the most important factor in their online shopping experience.

When Malaysians were asked what was the single more important factor in shopping online 'saving time' was mentioned as often as 'price,' said Nathan and that this trend was repeated with shoppers across all countries surveyed except Singapore. 

Monday 14 July 2014

NAZA KIA introduces KIA Cerato KX

Naza Kia Malaysia has added a new variant of the Cerato to the range, the third new product to be launched this year after the Optima K5 and new Sportage. Priced at RM89,888 (Peninsular Malaysia), the new variant, known as the CeratoKx, is positioned as a more affordable offering.

“The CeratoKx caters to the practical needs of daily use based on the extensive features offered which, in turn, gives more value added to the new price range,” said Datuk Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar, COO of Naza Kia Malaysia. The CeratoKx has the same looks as the other Cerato variants, including Kia’s signature ‘Tiger Nose’ radiator grille with a geometric lattice pattern.



Projector halogen headlamps provide illumination at night with bright LEDs acting as day-running lights to make the car more visible to other motorists during the daytime. Additionally, there is a Smart Welcoming Light system using small lamps that automatically sense the Smart Key and illuminate the ground adjacent to the door, while pocket lights illuminate the door handle.

Though having a lower price, the CeratoKx still comes with some nice features such as the flex steer system, rearview camera, front and rear parking assist system, pushstart ignition, smart key and keyless entry, an 8-inch touchscreen LCD with audio GPS navigation and Bluetooth, and controls on the steering wheel.

Power is provided by Kia’s Gamma 1.6-litre MPI D-CVVT Engine which produces 130 ps/157 Nm that goes to the front wheels through a 6-speed automatic transmission with a conventional torque converter.

The Cerato accounts for 37% of Kia sales in Malaysia, with 1,784 units sold to date. The CeratoKx is expected to add another 200 units each month.

For a limited period, customers who book and register a CeratoKx will receive a petrol card with RM1,000 credit for fuel purchases. A full 5-year warranty is also provided which has no limit on mileage.

BMW preview the wireless charging technology

Just a few days ago it emerged that the next-generation Audi R8 e-tron could utilise wireless charging. Now BMW has confirmed that it is working on wireless or inductive charging for the i3 and i8 as well as future plug-in models.

To put it simply, wireless charging work with a base plate fitted to the underside of the car with a coil and a plate on the garage floor with a primary coil. The resulting alternating magnetic field between the two coils enables electrical energy to be transmitted into the car without the need for a conventional power lead and socket. 

BMW currently says its system has an impressive charging rate of 3.6 kW. Consequently, the batteries of the BMW i8 for example can be fully charged in less than two hours with many other plug-in hybrids fully charging in under three hours. Impressively, BMW claims the system is 90 per cent efficient meaning just 10 per cent of the electrical energy is lost during the process. To ensure that the car is parked perfectly over the base plate on the ground, WiFi connects the charging pad with the infotainment system to help guide the driver into place


In the future, BMW hopes to increase the charging rate to 7 kW to provide even faster, contact-free charging. The technology is currently being developed alongside Daimler with manufacturers like Nissan and Toyota also working on wireless charging systems.

Mazda developing a new turbocharged rotary unit

Mazda is said to be working not only on the next-generation rotary engine, but a turbocharged one at that. According to a recent report from Motoring, the new RX-7 that is rumoured to make its debut in 2017 and the Japanese automaker is currently focusing its development on a twin-scroll turbocharged rotary engine with a rumored output of around 450 hp. The 2017 launch will also coincide with the rotary’s 50th anniversary

An earlier prototype of the next-generation RX-7 was believed to be powered by a naturally-aspirated rotary based on a 16X configuration and with “laser ignition.” The test mule was said to produce around 300 hp. Since then, Mazda has decided that the next-gen sports car needs more power, adding on a turbo and going back to testing.

The first prototype was based on a reinforced variant of the next-generation MX-5 platform, but with more power on the horizon the company has opted to significantly rebuild a former RX-8 platform to test with.

As for the upcoming model’s name, it is believed that Mazda is still on the fence whether to call it an RX-7 or RX-9. Both have been registered with Japan’s trademark office.

Friday 11 July 2014

SAMSUNG latest Galaxy App to rival App Store

SAMSUNG is coming up with a cool looking Samsung Apps store after redesigning the user interface and giving it a new name – Samsung Galaxy Apps — as it seeks to put the focus on exclusive content, discounts and promotional offers. The Korean company’s app store is accessible on all of its Galaxy smartphones and tablets. The company says that gives it a reach of over 130 million users, but few are likely to have given it much consideration since Google Play is a far bigger draw on Android devices with its wider range of apps.


Samsung is seemingly aware of that issue, and it claims that Samsung Galaxy Apps store features “hundreds of exclusive apps” that are designed specifically for Galaxy devices. These ‘Galaxy Specials’ take advantage of Samsung’s SDK to work with features like multi windowing, the S Pen and the Samsung ‘home appliance’ network. The revamped app store also sports a cleaner look by organizing apps by popularity and date, while there is a section that highlights Galaxy Specials.

Samsung blamed “weak demand” for its third straight quarter of profit decline and, as Stratechery points out, one of the company’s chief issues is that it competes solely on price and not differentiated software, as Apple does. The revamped app store may be an effort to change that, but since it is living in the shadow of Google Play, it seems unlikely that this will make much difference for Android device users.

The store is, however, likely to become more important as Samsung pushes its Tizen devices — the first of which is due to launch in Russia this year.

BBM Messenger is now on Windows Phone

The arrival of the once famous Blackberry Messenger (BBM) on Windows Phone takes it to the another level. BlackBerry teased the launch of its BBM messaging service on Windows Phone back in February, and now users can finally get their hands on a beta version, the company announced today.

The app boasts a native experience that makes use of the Windows Phone user interface and focuses on three areas: Contacts, Chats and Feeds. Swiping left and right will move you between the three pages, while common actions are found at the bottom of the page, and additional controls can be accessed in the menu through the button with three dots.

One of the more unique features BBM for Windows Phone has is the ability to pin a contact to the Start menu for easy access — when you select that BBM contact right from the Start menu, you’ll be taken directly to a chat window with them.

Similar to other iterations of the app, users can chat with one or many BBM contacts and have the ability to share pictures, voice notes, contacts and location. However, the beta version is still lacking stickers — which BlackBerry finally introduced earlier this year – BBM Voice, BBM Channels and location sharing powered by Glympse. BlackBerry says these will be landing in the “coming months.”



There is also a feature known as BBM Groups, which not only has a private group chat, but a shared photo album where group members can chat about pictures, as well as shared calendars and shared lists.

BBM features feeds too, which lets you see when contacts update their status or profile photo (think Facebook updates in a chat app). If you want to chat with your friends about their latest updates, you just have to tap on their name to be redirected to a chat.

BlackBerry is opening up the beta version of BBM for Windows Phone so users can test it and provide feedback, but if you’re waiting for the full release, the company advises you to wait “just a bit longer.” Check for the link to test the BETA version below:

https://beta.webapps.blackberry.com/bbmforwindowsphonebeta/

Wednesday 9 July 2014

2016 Audi R8 in final stages

Audi introduces the first R8 back in 2006, and it is considered Audi’s first-ever supercar that vaulted the already hot brand to a higher plane of performance and prestige. Deciding on a follow-up has not been easy, though, and the new R8 is long overdue while other manufacturers produces Supercar of their own. Early in the gestation process, the second-generation of the mid-engine two-seater was to be lighter, more compact, and powered exclusively by a pair of five-cylinder engines. The next plan put the emphasis on bigger volumes and lower prices and prescribed a brace of twin-turbo V-6s as mainstay engines. Both projects were shot down before they could see the light of day.

Audi chose handsome and familiar styling over a radical redesign for its groundbreaking supercar.
Instead of a radical rethink, the new Audi R8 hews closely to the established formula. As such, it continues to sit uncomfortably close to its Lamborghini sister model, the newly released Lamborghini Huracán. The two cars share the same architecture, known internally as MSS (modular sports car system), which boasts a materials mix of aluminum and carbon fiber, an uprated control-arm suspension, and such new options as dynamic steering and laser-beam matrix headlights. Unfortunately, the gated six-speed manual bites the dust in favor of the seven-speed S tronic.


Again, we’ll find V-8 and V-10 engines motivating the Audi R8, although the V-8 is new, replacing the current 4.2-liter. Specifically, expect the 2016 Audi R8 to offer the following: a 4.0-liter V-8 twin-turbo making 460 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, a 5.2-liter normally aspirated V-10 good for 540 hp and 398 lb-ft, and a 600-hp version of the ten-cylinder with 413 lb-ft in the V-10 Plus. The latter will not be available in the Audi R8 Spyder, which joins the party in early 2016. The on-again, off-again all-electric Audi R8 eTron is part of the program and promises a range of 300 miles. Also in the works, for 2017, is a Ferdinand Piëch pet project, the Audi R8 TDI. It could use either an increased horsepower version of the current 4.0-liter turbo-diesel V-8 or an even more exotic 5.0-liter V-10 TDI, which Audi is developing for Bentley.

Apple wants a retrial against Samsung

Apple is requesting a retrial after a Californian jury ordered Samsung to pay the US company $119m (£71m) in damages for infringing two of its patents. Apple had been seeking damages of $2.2bn after accusing Samsung of copying five patents including the "slide to unlock function". The US company also filed a permanent injunction to prevent Samsung using the patents it was found to have infringed. Samsung filed court documents too but the contents have not been made public.



During the original trial Apple had accused Samsung of "systematically" copying features distinctive to its iOS software. Samsung denied that it had copied Apple patents and said it was Apple who was doing the copying. The jury found that Apple had infringed some Samsung patents and awarded $158,000 in damages to the South Korean firm. Although the jury found in Apple's favour in respect of two of the patents, the damages awarded were much lower than the company had been seeking.
"The figure would appear to reflect the jury's belief that Apple's settlement claim was unfairly inflated. Samsung argued all along that it should be far lower than the $2.2bn sought, not least because some of the patents were never even incorporated into the iPhone's software," he said.


This latest legal step is an attempt by Apple to have its damages award increased but it would require a new trial. Intellectual property analyst Florian Mueller thinks any new trial is unlikely to happen before an appeal of the original ruling. These requests by Apple mark the latest instalment in a series of legal battles over intellectual property that the world's top two smartphone makers have been fighting for years across many countries.

Two years ago, a separate jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple $930m after finding it had used Apple technology. That verdict is still being challenged by Samsung. But Mr Mueller thinks Apple may be suffering "litigation fatigue", he pointed out that Apple has not filed a US case against Samsung in more than two years. Apple recently settled a patent row with Google. 



The two companies had filed several lawsuits against one another but they agreed to dismiss these cases and said they would work together in "some areas of patent reform".

Ford announces latest recall

Ford made the announcement of six new recall campaigns that will cover roughly 101,000 vehicles. The latest announcement will push the company’s recall count this year to almost three million vehicles. The majority of affected products fall under one campaign initiated because of potential problems with the right side halfshaft. The Ford Taurus, Flex, Police Interceptor, Lincoln MKS and MKT from the 2013 and 2014 model years. The Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX from the 2012 to 2014 model year are also a part of the recall.

That campaign affects 92,000 vehicles that were improperly assembled. The company said they could experience a loss of “drive function” as a result and could potentially roll away while placed in “park” if the emergency brake isn’t also engaged. The company will contact owners and ask them to bring their vehicle in for service at a Ford dealer. The service centers will replace the halfshaft if action is required.

Ford also said it 2,100 Escape crossovers equipped with a panoramic sunroof from the 2014 model year are being pulled back because the glass could have an improperly cured bond between the glass and bracket. That could cause excessive noise, leaks and potentially a separation from the bracket.

The company is also recalling 5,264 F59 Commercial Stripped Chassis vehicles because vehicles driven in areas that use road salt might cause an electrical junction box to short circuit. That could lead to smoke coming from the front right wheel, a loss of electrical power and potentially a fire.

Some of the recalls are considerably smaller. For example, Ford said 197 Fiestas from the 2014 model year for fuel tanks that are missing an adhesive layer that could allow the tanks to leak, potentially causing a fire. There are also 635 2014 Ford F53 Motorhome Stripped Chassis and F59 Commercial Stripped Chassis vehicles affected in the announcement with improperly machined brake calipers that could lead to decreased stopping power.

In Puerto Rico, there are 368 Transit Connect vans from the 2014 model year that have incorrectly labelled brake fluid reservoir caps for which the company is also issuing a recall

2015 Golf GTi having safety issues

Volkswagen has ordered its dealers to not sell about 800 units of the 2015 Golf GTI because some of the vehicles have a safety defect.

The front stabilizer link fastening on the cars can become loose over time, which would affect the car’s steering. Volkswagen will notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the issue immediately, and owners of affected GTIs will be notified by mail. In total, about 2,000 vehicles are affected.
VW will replace the front stabilizer link at no cost to any existing owners of problematic cars. The company is in the process of tracking down the affected units that are waiting to be sold, to administer the fix.

Host Nation and 5 times World Champion thrashed and humiliated

A brace each from Toni Kroos and Andre Schurrle and goals from Thomas Muller, a record breker from Miroslav Klose and a rarity from Sami Khedira helped Germany beat Brazil in the semi-final of the FIFA World Cup. Shorn of injured playmaker Neymar, who suffered a fractured vertebra in the quarter-final against Colombia, and suspended captain Thiago Silva, Brazil were torn apart by a ruthless Germany at Estadio Mineirao.

Miroslav Klose breaks the record for the leading scorer in World Cup finals history as Joachim Low's side scored four goals in the space of six first-half minutes and led 5-0 after only 29 minutes, then struck twice in the second half to set up a final against either the Netherlands or Argentina at the Maracana on Sunday.
Thomas Muller set the ball rolling with his fifth of the tournament and veteran striker Klose netted his 16th World Cup goal, surpassing legendary Brazil striker Ronaldo's tally as shell-shocked Brazil were totally outclassed.


Brazil had no answer to Germany's swift and accurate passing and movement as Toni Kroos struck twice and Sami Khedira added a fifth before substitute Andre Schurrle scored twice in the second half as the hosts were totally humiliated in the most emphatic semi-final win in World Cup history.

The hosts started brightly against Colombia in the quarter-finals, but looked nervous early on and Germany took full advantage when Muller put them in front just 11 minutes in courtesy of some dreadful defending.
It was all too straightforward for the Bayern Munich forward, who side-footed home after being left unmarked from an outswinging Kroos corner.
Brazil looked disjointed as they gave the ball away far too easily, while Germany were playing with a swagger and doubled their lead with a landmark Klose goal after 23 minutes.
Muller was involved once again, as he cut in from the right and laid the ball off for Klose after being picked out by an incisive Kroos pass. The veteran striker slotted into the corner with his right foot after Julio Cesar had kept out his initial attempt.


Luiz Felipe Scolari's men were stunned, but far worse was to come as Germany capitalised on more shambolic defending to score another three goals in the space of five minutes.
First, Kroos was on hand to fire home with his left foot from 18 yards after Muller had failed to make contact with a Philipp Lahm pass, then the midfielder struck again almost straight from the kick-off as Brazil fell apart.
The Bayern Munich man robbed Fernandinho as he dithered in possession and laid the ball off for Khedira, who unselfishly cut it back for his fellow midfielder to net.
And the outstanding Khedira got in on the act by adding a fifth with only 29 minutes gone, driving forward and passing to Mesut Ozil and then finishing with his right foot after the Arsenal midfielder cut the ball back to him inside the penalty area.  
Scolari replaced Fernandinho and Hulk with Paulinho and Ramires at half-time and both substitutes were in the thick of the action early in the second half as they brought saves out of Manuel Neuer.

But normal service was resumed as Germany showed no mercy and Cesar produced a fine save to tip over Muller's goal-bound strike on the hour mark.
Cesar could do nothing to deny substitute Schurrle a sixth goal 69 minutes in, though, and once again it was all too easy as Lahm fed Khedira, who in turn picked out the Chelsea forward and he made no mistake with a simple finish.
And Schurrle put Germany in seventh heaven with a clinical left-foot finish at the near post 11 minutes from time that prompted Brazil fans to sportingly applaud despite their heartbreak.

The host and 5 times World Champion were left wandering most of the times. Its like they dont even know what hit them. The introduction of Dante to pair with David Luiz in the heart of the defence at first seems harmless as both are playing for a massive European Club and Dante, having played with almost half of his Bayern Munich team mate, should have at least know their playing style. But, it was a total disaster. With the front pairing of Fred and Hulk did nothing to impress or even to create a goal, let alone scoring. 

Monday 7 July 2014

Android: The Way Forward

Google certainly hasn’t been sitting idle since its developer event last week. Instead, it has started to push an update to Google Play Services out around the world for all devices running Android 2.3 or better. Aside from a few outliers, that’s the vast majority of phones and tablets running Android; Google’s way of improving Android without actually pushing a new version of Android.


The company did the same last year as it attempted to reduce the version fragmentation issues that have proved troublesome. This time around, devices are getting Google Play Services 5.0, which brings several new things to Android, no matter how old your device is. Included in the update are “Android wearable services APIs, Dynamic Security Provider and App Indexing, whilst also including updates to the Google Play game services, Cast, Drive, Wallet, Analytics, and Mobile Ads,” according to Google.

I’ve already seen the benefits Google Play Services 5.0 brings with the “Save Game” function in Play Games. It was getting old having to restart at the first level of a game when switching devices; something I do often for review purposes. (Note: I currently have the $299 Huawei Ascend Mate2 in hand; stay tuned next week for my thoughts on this 6.1-inch handset.) Updated APIs for wearable devices are also welcome since Android Wear devices will be in consumer’s hands later this week.

In fact, Google released the first Android Wear apps for smartwatches not long after the Play Services update was pushed. Two-dozen apps initially hit the Play Store but more have already been added. Many include simple notifications from their previously existing apps but some also include more functionality: Allthecooks Recipies shows step-by-step instructions and full ingredients lists on the watch; swiping a step on the watch advances the recipe on your connected phone or tablet. It’s a clever implementation.



Also clever is how Google addressed battery life with Android L, the next version of its mobile software. The company took a long, hard look at how different hardware components use power and it created special APIs and services for developers to use that can save battery life. In a standard browsing test, Ars Technica found that a Nexus 5 phone could run for 36 percent longer with Android L than with Android 4.4 KitKat. Simply upgrading to Android L could add more time for your phone or tablet to run while off the charger.

Amateur footage of Kimi's Silverstone crash



Hamilton wins home GP to spice up Drivers Championship

Lewis Hamilton said he would go into "attack mode" in his title battle with team-mate Nico Rosberg after victory in the British Grand Prix.
Hamilton closed the gap between the Mercedes drivers from 29 to four points as Rosberg retired for the first time this year.
"The pressure is high but I really feel that now we're back," said Hamilton.
"We'll draw a line under the last nine races and it's attack mode. Start again using my pace and the car's pace."


Hamilton won his home race after starting sixth following a mistake in qualifying, when he aborted his final lap in drizzling rain only to fall from pole position as five drivers, including Rosberg, beat his time.

He had been looking forward to a battle with Rosberg prior to the German's retirement, and added: "I'll take it as it has come. I think today is more just solidifying belief in myself. That recovery - I needed it."
Hamilton had fallen behind in the championship thanks to two retirements, one in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, which Rosberg won, and the other in Canada in June, where Rosberg was second to Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.

"When you feel like the world is crumbling beneath you, somehow with your family and friends, they help pull you through, and also the fans," Hamilton said.
"I was just so disappointed in myself. I really had to pick up, pull my socks up and get on with it if I want to win this world championship, and I can't have situations like yesterday.
"The last two races I've easily had the pace to be on pole position and I've not put it there. Now I'm going to try to rectify that."
Hamilton said he believed he could have caught Rosberg and won the race even if the German had not suffered his gearbox failure.


Rosberg said: "The first problems happened after the pit stop and then it just got worse from there. I was very much in control until then, which is why it is all the more disappointing."
Asked how he felt about his substantial championship advantage disappearing, Rosberg said: "It's disappointing to lose all those points but it is my home race coming up now and I need to start looking towards that."

Raikkonen survived a high speed crash.


Ferrari say Kimi Raikkonen is "OK" after he escaped with bruising to his legs in a 150mph crash during the British Grand Prix.
But the team do not know whether he will be fit enough to drive as planned in this week's test at Silverstone.
Raikkonen sustained an impact of 47G in the crash, caused when he lost control of his car as he rejoined the track after running wide on the first lap.
"Kimi is OK. There is no major issue," team boss Marco Mattiacci said.

"We checked several times and we will take a decision about the test and what to do about it."
Raikkonen was taken to the medical centre after hobbling away from his car with help from marshals after the crash, which caused the race to be stopped.
The incident also took out Williams' Felipe Massa, who clipped the Ferrari as he took avoiding action when Raikkonen speared back across the track.
Massa said: "I just saw a car in front of me. Kimi crashed and he was coming into me so I turned right and he hit me. It is a weekend to forget."
Marussia's Max Chilton, meanwhile, said he was "lucky to be here" after the incident.
The British driver was unable to avoid the debris from Raikkonen's crash.
He said: "I saw this alloy fly across and it broke the front left brake duct."

If Raikkonen cannot drive in testing this week, Ferrari could extend development driver Pedro De La Rosa's running to both days, or draft Fernando Alonso in.
Spaniard Alonso fought up from 16th on the grid to finish sixth in the race, losing out on fifth place after a 13-lap wheel-to-wheel battle with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.

Both complained about each other's driving but race officials considered their duel to be fair, and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner agreed.
Alonso, who had aerodynamic and energy recovery issues with his car, did not want to elaborate, saying: "If I do you will say there were a lot of complaints on my side that Vettel overtook me using the outside of the track and I don't want that."

It is forbidden under F1 regulations for a driver to gain advantage by going outside the track limits.
Alonso said: "He was reporting every time I was going out and I had two or three warnings from the race direction and he was doing the same behind me.
"If it was not that lap he passed, it would have been the following lap. We had two seconds' pace deficit."
Vettel, who started second and finished fifth, said he had not been happy with some of the moves Alonso used to defend his position.
"Twice I thought it was too much into Turn Six," the German said. "I tried to move around the outside. I was slightly in front.


"I knew he would do everything to stay ahead but my nose was in front and in that case I dictate the corner radius and he has to adapt, but twice he didn't.
"I went on the brakes and went out of the corner to avoid a collision.

Sunday 6 July 2014

5.0 litre V8 Hyundai coming soon

The next Hyundai Genesis Coupe might be getting a dose of eight-cylinder muscle.



A report from Australian site GoAuto suggests that the next Genesis Coupe will be offered with a version of the company’s Tau 5.0-liter V8 that makes 420 hp in the current Genesis luxury sedan. That version of the car would be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission sending power to the rear wheels.

If the report proves true, the V8 Genesis Coupe will sit above the turbocharged four-cylinder and V6 models. Hyundai previewed the next Genesis Coupe with the HND-9 Concept at the Seoul Motor Show last year.

The up-swept rear end and roofline are expected to live on in series production, but the butterfly doors will be axed in favor of more traditional equipment.

The Class of 92 attends Salford City game

Class of '92 stars Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes were pictured showing their support for Salford City on Saturday. The trio, along with Phil Neville and Nicky Butt have sealed a takeover of the Northern Premier League Division One side. All three were part of Manchester United's famous year of scholars, while Giggs will be assistant to Louis van Gaal next season at Old Trafford.

Giggs, Neville and Scholes were looking to make a financial commitment to the club in a bid to boost the recruitment of talented young footballers in the area.
'I had my first trial for Manchester United in Salford at age 11 and I will never forget how important that was to me,' Gary Neville said.
'Salford City FC to me represents those early years, the commitment, hunger, enthusiasm, desire and spirit of football and I am very excited about this venture.'


British GP 2014 full list. Button back where he belongs.


Nico Rosberg heads the grid for the British Grand Prix, with a number of reshuffles outside of the top 10 changing the order significantly. Max Chilton was 13th fastest in qualifying, but a gearbox change after FP3, caused by losing third gear and suffering selector damage, means he is hit with a five-place grid penalty.

This relegates him only to 17th place thanks to Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado, who Chilton had dropped behind, being excluded for not being able to supply a fuel sample. Maldonado will be allowed to start 20th following his exclusion, as both Caterham drivers cannot be promoted from the back row because they failed to achieve the 107 per cent qualifying cut-off and needed dispensation to be allowed to start. Esteban Gutierrez is the other driver who has been penalised, but his 10-place grid penalty has only dropped him from 14th to 19th, because he cannot fall behind the cars that did not officially qualifying and he moved back ahead of Maldonado when the Lotus driver was excluded.

This means that Williams pairing Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa, who qualified 17th and 18th, both move up three places, as does Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso.

Pos Driver                Team
 1. Nico Rosberg          Mercedes
 2. Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault
 3. Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes
 4. Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes
 5. Kevin Magnussen       McLaren-Mercedes
 6. Lewis Hamilton        Mercedes
 7. Sergio Perez          Force India-Mercedes
 8. Daniel Ricciardo      Red Bull-Renault
 9. Daniil Kvyat          Toro Rosso-Renault
10. Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Renault
11. Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault
12. Jules Bianchi         Marussia-Ferrari
13. Adrian Sutil          Sauber-Ferrari
14. Valtteri Bottas       Williams-Mercedes
15. Felipe Massa          Williams-Mercedes
16. Fernando Alonso       Ferrari
17. Max Chilton           Marussia-Ferrari**
18. Kimi Raikkonen        Ferrari
19. Esteban Gutierrez     Sauber-Ferrari*
20. Pastor Maldonado      Lotus-Renault***
21. Marcus Ericsson       Caterham-Renault****
22. Kamui Kobayashi       Caterham-Renault****

*10-place grid penalty
**5-place grid penalty
***Excluded from qualifying
****Allowed to start after failing to make 107 per cent cutoff

Michael Jordan quote gives Mercedes pole in Silverstone

Nico Rosberg has revealed that Mercedes Team came close to not doing its final runs in qualifying for the British Grand Prix, which would have cost it pole position.



The changeable conditions in the closing stages of qualifying at Silverstone caught out Lewis Hamilton, as he aborted his last run after mistakenly thinking the weather was getting worse.

"The tendency was to stay in the garage, but a Michael Jordan quote came into my mind: "You miss 100 per cent of the shots that you don't take". "I said that to the team - if we go out there is a small chance [of pole position], if we stay in the garage there is no chance. "I was for going out and they thought about it and made the call to go out. It was great team work and a great decision in the end." The rapidly changing track conditions meant that Mercedes initially thought it was normal for Hamilton to abort his final run after a poor opening sector to the lap. In fact, the team admitted that it was more of a surprise the way the final sector came alive shortly afterwards.

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff said: "I think it seemed OK to back off because it was so wet in the second sector that none of us would have expected the ranking to change completely. "Our expectation was that he couldn't improve any more. Even if the rain was less in the last sector you would not have imagined that the corners were completely dry, and this is what happened. "It was 4.5 seconds faster in the last sector, and I think this was not to be anticipated. It was just one of those things." Although Hamilton bounced back from qualifying difficulties in Austria to finish second, he thinks things will be tougher this weekend. "I feel tomorrow is going to be damage limitation again," he said.

"We have around 1000 people here tomorrow, and hopefully they will energise me. "I have got a lot of Mercedes cars ahead which will be very hard to overtake, and it won't be as easy as the last race."

Wednesday 2 July 2014

Red Bull boss concerned over Renault Power Unit

Red Bull Racing believe that its Formula 1 engine supplier Renault made a mistake by not focusing development of its 2014 power unit around one car. The world champion squad endured its worst race of the season in Austria last time out, leading team boss Christian Horner to brand Renault's performance "unacceptable".



Speaking to reporters ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix, Horner suggested Mercedes and Ferrari had gained an advantage on Renault by building their engines specifically for their works teams. When asked whether Renault had focused on too many of its customers, rather than works partner Red Bull, Horner said: "That can be an element of it because you are never going to be able to satisfy everybody. "When you look at the engine Ferrari has made, the customers have had to adapt their cars accordingly.

"Mercedes likewise, whereas Renault has tried to keep all of their customers happy, which is an admirable thing to do, but it's not the best way to be competitive." Horner revealed that Red Bull became worried about Renault's readiness for this year's engine regulation changes as far back as the end of 2012, when Sebastian Vettel claimed his third straight world title with Renault V8 power.

"We raised our concerns as far back as the end of 2012 with the direction the project was going," added Horner. "But designing and building engines is not our core competence - nor should it be - we're a chassis manufacturer. "And I don't think any of us could have envisaged that Renault would be as far behind as they have been."

Renault's focus may naturally shift in Red Bull's favour for next season, amid growing uncertainty about whether Renault customer teams Lotus and Caterham will switch supplier, and Horner said Red Bull remained committed to helping Renault improve.

"We've had some discussion with Renault and they fully accept the situation they're in is not where we should be," Horner added. "All we can do is try to help and support them with the resources we have to try and improve things.


"Obviously, the difficulty we have within the regulations as they currently are is that it's very difficult to make significant changes. "I think fuel is going to be a key area of development - Total has got some stuff in the pipeline that looks encouraging, but Renault is only just starting to catch up to where Mercedes were six months ago.

"We just need to make sure we engineer ourselves out of the situation we're currently in, and that's fundamentally supporting Renault to get more out of the power unit."

Breaking News: Graco Child Seat recall up to 5.6 million in numbers



Graco Children’s Products said today that it will recall roughly 1.9 million infant safety seats with latches that may become difficult to open.


The announcement means the company’s previous recall will expand to roughly 5.6 million units with buckles that are hard to open if milk or other liquids are spilled on them. Under the new recall, seats manufactured between July, 2010 and May 2013 are affected. Graco will replace the sticking buckles and said today that it will also offer the updated mechanisms to owners unaffected by the campaign who want to change to the new design.

A class-action lawsuit filed in California against the company  alleges that a child died in a car fire because the of a buckle that was too difficult to open. In January, NHTSA formally asked Graco, a division of Rubbermaid, to recall 5.6 million seats.

The previous recall affected the following models: Cozy Cline, Comfort Sport, Classic Ride 50, My Ride 65, My Ride 70, My Ride 65 with Safety Surround, Size4Me 70, My Size 70, Head Wise 70, Smart Seat. Nautilus 3-in-1, Nautilus Elite and Argos.