Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Technology, GM, UK, Design/Style, Racing

Often, engineers are forced to sit and watch as accountants and stylists wreak havoc on a vehicle's design. GrabCAD recently decided to turn the tables by giving engineers the chance to pen a body for a ready-made chassis by 500 Group. The site was flooded with 200 unique designs completed in just 40 days. The top quarter of those went on for final judging in two categories: street and track. 500 Group will then actually produce one or more of the designs through a General Motors Special Projects agreement.

The chassis makes use of a number of GM Performance parts, and is set up to make use of the E-Rod LS3, LS7 or supercharged LS9 V8 engines. One skinless chassis has already been completed for testing.

Each concept body has plenty of renderings as well as full description. Be sure to check out the full press release below, as well as a video of the chassis on track. Then, head over to the GrabCAD site for a deeper dive.

Continue reading What supercars would look like if they were designed by engineers [w/video]

What supercars would look like if they were designed by engineers [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 26 May 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/26/what-supercars-would-look-like-if-they-were-designed-by-engineer/

Aric Almirola Citifinancial Ford Ricky Stenhouse Jr Christian Klien Scott Russell Riggs

Felipe Massa has turned the corner on his so-far troubled campaign with his performance in Monaco, according to Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali. The Italian team had not hidden away from the fact in the build-up to the Monaco race that Massa needed to raise his game amid questions over his future

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/ferrari-sure-massa-has-turned-the-corner

FedEx Office Toyota William Clyde Elliott Charter Communications Dodg Gary Hocking Richie Ginther

One of the best events of the year isn't even on the Sprint Cup schedule: it's Tony Stewart's Prelude to the Dream, the dirt-track charity event that levels off everyone and brings in some other motorsports stars to compete with your favorite NASCAR cats. Last year, Clint Bowyer won in dominating fashion; here he recalls that triumph and looks ahead to the 2012 showdown.

This year's Prelude to the Dream will take place June 6 at 8pm ET on HBO Pay-Per-View. Check your local cable listings or satellite provider for details on how to order.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/clint-bowyer-recalls-prelude-dream-triumph-140954657.html

Kevin Harvick Armour Joe Nemechek Washington Paul Goldsmith Claudio Langes Raybestos Ford

KNOXVILLE - A Christian Academy of Knoxville basketball player is improving after late-night surgery Sunday for injuries she suffered in a single-car crash that also sent five other teens to the hospital.

Source: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/may/28/christian-academy-basketball-player-other-after/?partner=RSS

Paul Menard Virginia Commonwealth University Ford Denny Hamlin Jeff Burton Key Motorsports Chevrolet

It wasn't a spur of the moment move. It wasn't a move that anyone expected. It was a move that team owner Roger Penske called "pretty amazing." And it was a move that made Brad Keselowski the winner of Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega.

Most everyone expected the two-car tandem to be the deciding factor in Sunday's Aaron's 499, just like it was in Saturday's Nationwide Series race. And the common thought was that the driver in second place in that two-car tandem would have the advantage as the finish line approached. Keselowski confirmed the former. But not the latter.

Restarting on the inside of the front row with two laps to go, Keselowski had Kyle Busch (the driver he famously called a rear end in no uncertain terms once in Bristol driver intros) behind him. Race leader Matt Kenseth had his teammate Greg Biffle behind him on the outside line. Just like at Daytona, Kenseth had the dominant car on Sunday. And Just like at Daytona, Biffle couldn't get latched onto Kenseth's bumper in the closing laps. Yes, Kenseth's car might have been too good to win.

Enter Keselowski and Busch, who immediately latched together as Kenseth and Biffle pulled away at the restart. However, once Keselowski and Busch gathered steam while their bumpers were locked, Kenseth, Biffle and the rest of the field were left fighting for third place.

[Video: 'The Big One' claims Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards among others]

Keselowski led Busch high into turn three on the last lap. He knew that Busch would wait as long as possible to make his move to capitalize on the draft, so he made his move early, diving to the low-side of the banking, breaking contact between his rear bumper and Busch's front fender. Once that contact was broken, Busch's momentum was too, and Keselowski could focus more what was in front of him than was in his rear-view mirror.

"Then Kyle, I just knew the move I wanted to make and made it into three and disconnected us and that was the key right there. Once we got the air bubble in between the two cars, it was going to take two or three laps for him to pop that and we only had to go half a lap, and not quite that."

It was Keselowski's second win of 2012 and second win at Talladega, the first coming in 2009, the first time we'd see the tandem draft work to such extremes in the Sprint Cup Series. That, of course, was when Carl Edwards went flying off of Keselowski's front bumper in the tri-oval. Three years later, this move came from the front, and didn't involve flying sheetmetal.

And because it's Keselowski's second win of the season, it makes him a virtual lock for the Chase if he's not in the top 10 after the season's 26th race. A Sprint Cup Series title is the only thing that's eluded Penske, and he feels that Keselowski is the driver that can deliver it for him.

"He's matured a lot," Penske said of Keselowski. "He's been a tremendous asset to the team. He's not just for Brad Keselowski, he's for Penske Racing. You see that when he comes in the shop and he's spending a lot of time. I wouldn't trade him for anybody right now and you know that."

[Related: Drivers take differing points of view on wreck tally at Talladega]

Keselowski joined Penske late in 2009, and after just over a year in the No. 12 car that resulted in just two top 10s in 39 races, took over the Miller Lite No. 2 in 2011. In that No. 2, he's got five wins in 46 races. As a Wild-Card entrant into last year's Chase, Keselowski was still somewhat of a championship afterthought despite his three wins.

He finished the 2011 season fifth. Now in May of 2012, it'd be crazy to not consider him a prime contender when we get to November.

"He came to me, and we talked about before he went to work for us, he said 'Look, I'd like to come to Penske Racing and help you build a winning Cup team.' He said 'that's my goal,'" Penske said. "And I think he's certainly demonstrating that from his driving ability and the way he's been able to pull together and his chemistry with Paul Wolfe and that whole team has obviously made a difference because this is not just about the driver and the car or the sponsor, it's about the whole team and I think that he's the real package and what we're trying to do is give him everything we can to give him a winner and obviously one of the goals in my life is to sit up on that stage either in New York or Las Vegas sometime and I think he's the guy that can make it happen this year, hopefully."

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/brad-keselowski-adds-extra-element-two-car-tandem-224409683.html

Richmond Menards Ford Ryan Newman Brad Keselowski Justin Allgaier Nico Hülkenberg

The race is done, and that means it's time for Power Rankings. Each week throughout the season, we'll size up who's rising and who's falling, based on current standings, behind-the-scenes changes, expected staying power, recent history and general gut feelings. It is not scientific, nor is it meant to be. And remember, whoever your favorite driver is, we're biased against him and like someone else better. We continue with a guy who is consistent at being consistent, which isn't what he was consistent at last year...

1. Greg Biffle: You got any other ideas here? The Biff was up near the front at Talladega, but it was déjà vu all over again when he couldn't get to Matt Kenseth's bumper over the last two laps. But the consistency that he lacked last year is back this year. Will it be there for the final 10 races?. Last week: 4.

2. Matt Kenseth: Did Flatline just find out how it feels to lose when your car is too good? No one could get to his bumper all day on Sunday, and that was his undoing at the end. Or was it the fact that his car was falling apart like Best Buy's stock? Last week: 6.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Here is where we will write another post saying that Junior is really, really, really, really close to winning. Honest. Promise. Swear it on his beard. What's that? His beard is gone? Well, we're standing by our word. Until we get tired and have to sit down. Last week: 3.

4. Brad Keselowski: Believe it or not, @Kes is 12^th in the points standings despite the two wins. And, perhaps even more surprising, he made it through an entire restrictor plate race without tweeting from the car. Of course, we didn't have any jet dryers explode either. Last week: NR.

5. Kyle Busch: Sunday was the perfect opportunity for Busch to do what Joey Logano did to him on Saturday. Thing is, Brad Keselowski knew it too. Next time, Kyle, make your move on Lap 1. No one will be expecting that. Last week: 10.

6. Tony Stewart: Maybe NASCAR will secretly fine Tony Stewart for his sarcastic comments about racing at Talladega. Alas, all fines are public knowledge. Maybe instead, NASCAR will force Stewart to race with a restrictor plate for the next five races. Or just fine him and not tell him about it, thus keeping it super-duper secret. Last week: 1.

7. Martin Truex Jr.: Looked like Other Junior's plan was to be just another driver for most of the race before coming to the front at the end. But he didn't make it to the end, getting caught up in The Big One 1.0. At least by being caught up in a big crash he made his race airtime roughly equivalent to that of his sponsor's commercials. Last week: 7.

8. Jimmie Johnson: Sunday was the second time that five-time has suffered an engine malfunction with oil copiously leaking from the car. This time, he didn't have a golden horseshoe of a red flag for rain to save him. Last week: 2.

9. Clint Bowyer. Clint rolled with the Tide all day at Talladega and finished sixth. Bowyer didn't have any conflict of interest running that Alabama paint scheme all weekend because, last we checked, the university that Bowyer usually cheers for doesn't have a football team. Last week: 12.

10. Kasey Kahne: Carnage! Crashes! Hendrick engines going sour! And Kahne wasn't involved in any of it. Maybe Talladega was the truest sign that Kahne's trend of bad luck is ending. Last week: 11.

11. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin had a strong car and was a staple at the front of the field until he went a lap down because of an extended green-flag pit stop. And then he got his lap back and got back to the front and got crashed. That's so Hamlin. Last week: 2.

12. Kevin Harvick: Cupcake was content to play the waiting game too, until the Spirits of Talladega struck and he had a mysterious fuel problem. Like Hamlin, he too was able to get back on the lead lap, but also got crashed. All this crash talk is making Tony Stewart excited.Last week: 9.

Dropping out: Carl Edwards

Lucky Dog: Danica Patrick. Yeah, she didn't race in the Sprint Cup Series last weekend but she escaped a post-race hauler visit after crashing Sam Hornish Jr. on the cool-down lap and is locked into the field for her first Cup start at Darlington on Saturday. Plus, we'd like to use this space to stop any and all "Lady in Black" references to Patrick's race at Darlington before they begin.

DNF: Poor, poor Jeff Gordon. This kind of feels like piling on at this point, but the dude started first, didn't lead a lap, saw his gauges start flashing all like Tom Cruise in "Top Gun" and then got crashed right as it looked like he was going to snake through the carnage. At this rate, Gordon could go win the last 13 races of the year and the Cup and we'd view it as progression back to the mean.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/power-rankings-first-10-races-biff-pinnacle-162245811.html

Casey Mears Dale Arnold Jarrett Jacques Laffite Kyle Thomas Busch Michael Duane Bliss

The 3-series is the heart and the backbone of the BMW brand, and the Munich-based manufacturer obviously thinks it should be expanded beyond the current sedan, coupe, convertible, and wagon. In fact, BMW is likely to divide the lineup into the 3-series (sedans) and the 4-series (coupes and convertibles), although we won’t truly believe it [...]

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

Aaron s Dream Machine Toyota Budweiser Ford Piercarlo Ghinzani Ernst Klodwig Russell William Wallace Jr

Alain Prost has admitted that he has been surprised by the strong form that Kimi Raikkonen has shown on his return to Formula 1 this year. Raikkonen decided on an F1 comeback this season after two years with mixed results in the World Rally Championship - and has already produced two podium finishes. But it is not just Raikkonen's speed that has left Prost impressed, because the Frenchman also likes the way the 2007 title winner approaches his job, and does not pretend to like aspects of being an F1 driver that he dislikes.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/raikkonens-form-a-surprise-prost

William Clyde Elliott Charter Communications Dodg Gary Hocking Richie Ginther Derrike Cope

On March 23, RAB Racing announced that driver John Wes Townley has been reinstated and will be able to compete at the Camping World Truck Series Kroger 250 on March 31. Townley was officially placed on probation by NASCAR on March 22 because of a previous DUI arrest.

Source: http://www.nascarracinglive.com/nascar/rab-racing-reinstates-john-wes-townley-nascar-fan-reaction-yahoo-contributor-network.html

Mika Häkkinen Brian Scott Elliott Sadler Eddie Irvine Gérard Larrousse

A Harley-Davidson that was swept out to sea during the Japanese earthquake and tsunami last March and then discovered over a year later in Canada will be used to memorialize the victims of the tragic event. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/jalopnik/full/~3/C2CcGPUwREs/harley-swept-across-ocean-by-tsunami-will-be-preserved-as-memorial

Virgil Ernest Irvan III Brendan Gaughan Eric McClure Kroger Ford Reed Sorenson