Report: Richard Hammond admits regret over Top Gear Mexico remarks

Filed under: Etc., Europe, UK, Celebrities, South America

Richard Hammond apologized this week for his offensive remarks about Mexicans during a Top Gear segment discussing the Mastretta MXT earlier this year. Hammond said he regretted the remarks, and sees now how they could have been offensive. Still, Hamster didn't exactly come all the way clean, saying that his words - and those of his two co-hosts - were clearly a joke.

For its part, the BBC has stood behind Hammond, May and Clarkson, saying that off-color humor is an integral part of the show. The presenters and the BBC got a thorough shellacking over the comments after the show aired. Mexico's ambassador to the UK called the remarks "offensive, xenophobic and humiliating."

[Source: On the Box]

Report: Richard Hammond admits regret over Top Gear Mexico remarks originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/31/report-richard-hammond-admits-regret-over-top-gear-mexic/

Mike Bliss Key Motorsports Chevrolet

Name That Shifter, No. 17: Mitsubishi Tredia

On Monday we presented this week?s shifter and asked you to identify the make and model of the vehicle from whence it came. Many of you were misled by the unique dual-stick transmission into thinking this week?s shifter was from a four-wheel-drive vehicle. In fact, the second stick to the left of the shifter operates [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/kSdoMspT7f8/

Millennium Fuel Energy Drink Chevrolet Willie Allen Cash America Chevrolet Derrike Cope Charter Communications Dodge

Martinsville NiSWC Broadcast Tuesday

Round Four of the 2011 NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Championship at Martinsville Speedway will be broadcast Tuesday, March 29 at 9 pm EST (March 30 at 01:00 GMT). So far this season, three races have produced three different winners with Ray Alfalla taking the opener at Daytona, Brad Davies winning at Las Vegas and, most recently, Thomas Hazard coming home the victor at Bristol Motor Speedway. Alfalla takes a slim lead in the championship to Martinsville over Hazard and Josh Parker, while defending NiSWC champion Richard Towler looks to rebound from a disappointing start to his title defense that sees him well down the standings. Will Martinsville mark a turn-around in Towler?s fortunes. Will Alfalla, Davies or Hazard become the first two-time winner in 2011? Or will somebody new come [...]

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/martinsville-niswc-broadcast-tuesday/

Michael Annett Germain com Toyota Ryan Newman Phoenix Construction Chevrolet David Gilliland

Massa shrugs off Button?s criticism

Felipe Massa and his Ferrari team are unmoved by criticisms from Jenson Button and McLaren about the intensity of their battle for position in the Australian Grand Prix. Button claimed Massa had pushed him off the track during their fight - which had forced the McLaren driver to take to an escape road, for which he subsequently received a drive-through penalty

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/massa-shrugs-off-buttons-criticism/

Home Depot Toyota Paul Menard Pittsburgh Paints Menards Ford Brad Keselowski Dale Earnhardt Jr

Why I Love NASCAR: Friends

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2011/03/why-i-love-nascar-friends.html

Nico Hülkenberg Denny Hulme James Hunt Jim Hurtubise Gus Hutchison

Report: Toyota Yaris plant to be shuttered for at least another month

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Lexus, Toyota

Production issues in Japan continue three weeks after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami devastated the island nation. Major Japanese automakers have consistently pushed back plant start-up times and Toyota is no different, with a current forecast of an April 11 or April 14 re-boot. And that's best-case scenario. The automaker said in a statement Tuesday that it was looking into supply issues, adding "depending on vehicle type, there may be a significant impact on our production capabilities."

Automotive News reports that the longest wait time could be for Toyota's Miyagi assembly plant, which makes the Yaris subcompact. Sources tell AN that the plant will likely be down for at least a month, as ruptured gas lines in the facility link to a heavily damaged natural gas plant in the quake-devastated region of Sendai. The automaker is said to be looking at other options to power the otherwise repaired facility. The prolonged shutdown at the Miyagi plant could ultimately affect Toyota's U.S. supply of Yaris models, which only come from that plant.

One factory that has been revitalized is the plant that makes the Prius, Lexus CT 200h and Lexus HS250h. But a source apparently informed AN that a Toyota purchasing executive admits that the facility is only running at half capacity.

Right now, the situation in Japan hasn't had much affect on U.S. vehicle availability, but a prolonged shutdown of supplier plants could be devastating. IHS Global Insight estimates that 30 percent of the world's global auto production could be lost if Japan plants remain closed for six weeks or more.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: Toyota Yaris plant to be shuttered for at least another month originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/30/report-toyota-yaris-plant-to-but-shuttered-for-at-least-another/

Willi Krakau Rudolf Krause Robert Kubica Kurt Kuhnke Masami Kuwashima

Will protests in the Middle East cause the cancelation of additional races?

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Safety, Middle East

Go back a few years and the prospect of political unrest in a host country was seldom a factor in determining where to hold a motor race. But that age of innocence appears to be behind us.

We got our first taste of things to come when the world-famous Dakar rally was forced to cancel in 2008 and later relocate from North Africa to South America due to threats from al-Qaeda. But what we hoped would have been an isolated occurrence is re-emerging as a serious consideration for racing series the world over.

The start of the 2011 Formula One season was due to get underway in Bahrain on March 13, but protests in the gulf state forced its cancellation and the delay of the season's start, which only took place this past weekend in Australia. (The GP2 Asia series was also forced to cancel its Bahrain races in February and March.) The question is, will the cancellations in Bahrain emerge as an exception, or the new rule? Follow the jump to read on....

[Image: Adam Jan/AFP]

Continue reading Will protests in the Middle East cause the cancelation of additional races?

Will protests in the Middle East cause the cancelation of additional races? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/30/will-protests-in-the-middle-east-cause-the-cancelation-of-additi/

Billy Garrett Jo Gartner Tony Gaze Geki Olivier Gendebien

Q and A: Di Resta on his F1 debut

Paul di Resta got his first season in a Formula 1 race seat off to a strong start with 14th on the grid in Melbourne - two places ahead of his Force India team-mate Adrian Sutil after the German's wild spin. AUTOSPORT heard di Resta's thoughts afterwards as he built up to the biggest race of his life so far.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/q-and-a-di-resta-on-his-f1-debut/

Kevin Conway Extenze Toyota Mattias Ekstrom Red Bull Toyota Bobby Labonte

13-year-old karting driver appeals doping ban

A 13-year-old karting driver is appealing a doping ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Igor Walilko of Poland is scheduled to give evidence at the Lausanne-based court on Thursday as his lawyers challenge a two-year ban imposed by motor sports governing body, the FIA. Walilko was just 12 when he tested positive for the banned stimulant nikethamide after an international karting race in...

Source: http://www.nascarracinglive.com/nascar/13-year-old-karting-driver-appeals-doping-ban-ap.html

NAPA Brakes Toyota Joe Nemechek Washington Music Center Toyota Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota

Caraviello: Misfortune often has its roots in human error (NASCAR.com)

Caraviello: Misfortune often has its roots in human error

Source: http://www.nascarracinglive.com/nascar/caraviello-misfortune-often-has-its-roots-in-human-error-nascar-com.html

Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet David Ragan UPS Ford Dave Blaney

Baker had to battle more than rivals for Martinsville win

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/03/30/1093121/baker-had-to-battle-more-than.html

Jim Hurtubise Gus Hutchison Jacky Ickx Yuji Ide Jesús Iglesias

Schumacher retired for safety reasons

Michael Schumacher retired from the Australian Grand Prix for safety reasons after sustaining damage in a collision with Jaime Alguersuari on the first lap of the race in Melbourne. The Toro Rosso hit the rear of the Mercedes into Turn 3, giving Schumacher a puncture which then damaged the rear of the car as it broke up on the German's return to the pits

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/schumacher-retired-for-safety-reasons/

Bill Homeier Kazuyoshi Hoshino Jerry Hoyt Nico Hülkenberg Denny Hulme

Rick Ware Racing, Jeffrey Earnhardt part ways

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/03/29/1090812/rick-ware-racing-jeffery-earnhardt.html

Beppe Gabbiani Bertrand Gachot Patrick Gaillard Divina Galica Nanni Galli

Kowalska confirms F2 return

Polish driver Natalia Kowalska will return to the Formula 2 championship for another season in 2011. The 21-year-old made her Formula 2 debut in 2010, finishing in 19th position with three points scored

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/3rdparty/kowalska-confirms-f2-return/

Gator com Chevrolet Erik Darnell 3M Ford Reed Sorenson Dollar General Toyota

Fast Facts: NASCAR/IndyCar Connections

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2011/03/fast-facts-nascarindycar-connections.html

Charles Robert Hamilton IV Charles Robert Hamilton V Kevin Michael Harvick Virgil Ernest Irvan III Kenny Dale Irwin Jr

Ogier leads as disasters hit Ford

Citroen is set for a commanding one-two with Sebastien Ogier and Sebastien Loeb in the Rally of Portugal after a series of dramas for Ford at the end of day two. Mikko Hirvonen had already dropped two minutes with a puncture this morning, but Jari-Matti Latvala remained close behind leader Ogier. A broken driveshaft then slowed Latvala on SS12 Vascao, and it was followed by a puncture on the subsequent Loule stage, which left Latvala over four minutes away from the lead as he finished the loop.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/world-rally-championship-news/wrc/ogier-leads-as-disasters-hit-ford/

Target Chevrolet A J Allmendinger Insignia HDTV Ford Clint Bowyer Cheerios Hamburger Helper Chevrolet

Jeff Burton, 2011 NSCS Goody?s Fast Relief 500 Race Preview

2011 NSCS Jeff Burton - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCARJeff Burton No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala Race Notes and Quotes This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway … Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 319 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built new for 2010, this Caterpillar Chevrolet was...more»

Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2011/sprintcup/03/29/jeff-burton-2011-nscs-goodys-fast-relief-500-race-preview/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jeff-burton-2011-nscs-goodys-fast-relief-500-race-preview

Kyle Busch Toyota Kimmy Z Line Designs Toyota Parker Kligerman Dodge Dodge Trevor Bayne

Red Bull ?must have? KERS for Sepang

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner thinks his team will need to get its KERS up and running in the Malaysian Grand Prix if it wants to maintain its winning start to the season. Reliability issues with its hybrid power system in practice for the Australian Grand Prix resulted in the team electing to disengage it for the remainder of the weekend - although its absence made little difference to the strong speed of the car

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/red-bull-must-have-kers-for-sepang/

Z Line Toyota Kyle Busch Toyota Kimmy Z Line Designs Toyota Parker Kligerman Dodge Dodge

Gibbs: Long-lasting dispute could hurt NFL

NASCAR owner Joe Gibbs says the NFL lockout disturbs him and that players and owners must resolve the dispute or risk hurting the sport. Gibbs, who coached the Washington Redskins to three Super Bowl wins, was in Columbia on Tuesday to visit and talk with inmates at Broad River Correctional Facility.

Source: http://www.nascarracinglive.com/nascar/gibbs-long-lasting-dispute-could-hurt-nfl-ap.html

Reed Sorenson Dollar General Toyota Denny Hamlin Z Line Toyota Clint Bowyer

Carolina Club Challenge Set for Saturday

Not every iRacing club has the NASCAR Hall of Fame in its midst.� But Carolina Club does and they?re planning an extraordinary club activity in Charlotte this coming Saturday, April 2. ?We wanted to do something that would give the Carolina Club members a chance to get to meet one another and have some fun together,? says Jeff Addison, who came up with the idea for the Carolina Club Challenge.� ?We thought the NASCAR Hall of Fame would be perfect and Matt Aldrich (membership sales manager) at the Hall of Fame has gone out of his way to help us make it happen.? A trip to the NASCAR HoF is just part of the fun.� The day begins in Mooresville with a tour of the JR Motorsports shop, where the [...]

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/iracing-news/carolina-club-challenge-set-for-saturday/

Aric Almirola JR Motorsports Chevrolet Kevin Lepage Hyatt Place Richmond Airport Toyota Ricky Stenhouse Jr