Honda to make a MotoGP roadbike - based on RC213V

Rumours abound that Honda are about to put a road going version of their RC213V MotoGP into production.

Honda President and CEO, Takanobu Ito, is due to make an announcement on Friday in Tokyo and speculation revolves around it concerning a road going version of the RC213V.

It is rumoured the bike would cost no less than £50,000 and would reflect Honda's desire to enter lower spec customer bikes in MotoGP rather than going down the CRT route.  It will be produced in strictly limited numbers and probably won't hit the streets until 2014.  This, then, would be a demonstration of intent and ability - a kind of backwards homologation.

Honda has been known to be considering such a project for some time but, with the MotoGP's recent move to using 1,000cc engines, the decision must have been a much easier one to make.

We should know more on Friday when Takanobu Ito makes his announcement.

The last road going MotoGP bike was Ducati's Desmosedici RR from 2007 which was described at the time as a MotoGP bike with lights.

UPDATE - This has now been confirmed.  See here for details.

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McLaren P1 - Photos and specs of the new supercar

(Note - more photos and info have been released since this article.  Click here to see them)

McLaren Automotive have just released the following information about their successor to the McLaren F1 which they say has one simple goal - to be the best driver’s car in the world on road and track.

It is rumoured that the McLaren P1 has a top speed of over 200mph, does 0-62 in under 3 seconds and will cost in the order of £800,000.

The McLaren P1 is being unveiled at the Paris Motor Show as a design study.

McLaren Automotive Executive Chairman, Ron Dennis said: "The McLaren P1 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage. Twenty years ago we raised the supercar performance bar with the McLaren F1 and our goal with the McLaren P1 is to redefine it once again.

McLaren Automotive's MD, Antony Sheriff said: "Our aim is not necessarily to be the fastest in absolute top speed but to be the quickest and most rewarding series production road car on a circuit.  It is the true test of a supercar’s all round ability and a much more important technical statement. Our goal is to make the McLaren P1 the most exciting, most capable, most technologically advanced and most dynamically accomplished supercar ever made."

The McLaren P1 is being pitched higher than the MP4 12C in terms of both price and performance.

Speedmonkey thinks the P1 looks phenomenal.  From it's wide, toothless grin to the swooping bodywork, insane rear end and F1 style diffusers.  From it's side profile we think the P1 is one of the best looking cars we have ever seen.

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Goodwood Revival - Bikes photo gallery

Motorcycles only raced once during the active years of the Goodwood Motor Circuit.  Nine events were held on 'Goodwood Saturday' on 14 April 1951.

The Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy, so named because Sheene won his last ever race at Goodwood in 2002, takes place over two days.  Part one was on the Saturday and part two on the Sunday.  Each part was twenty five minutes long.  The race was won by Jeremy McWilliams on a 1952 Norton Manx and, like Martin Brundle in the TT Club race, McWilliams talent and determination were apparent from the side of the track.

Other entrants included Troy Corser on a 1937 BMW R5 SS, Keith Amor on a 1954 BSA Gold Star, Wayne Gardner on a 1953 Norton Manx and Cameron Donald on a 1953 Norton Manx.

In the paddock and on the track the bikes sound like nothing else.  They are louder than almost all of the cars - a raw, brutal sound that reverberates through your body.  Nortons and Triumphs dominate but elsewhere other makes - such as Harley Davidsons, BSAs, Indians, Royal Enfields can be seen.

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Will Lewis Hamilton move to Mercedes for 2013?

There has already been an immense amount of speculation regarding where Lewis Hamilton will end up in in F1 in 2013.

He was signed by McLaren at an early age and was managed by his father until two years ago.  He has led a life dominated by the personalities of two older men - Ron Dennis and Anthony Hamilton.  In 2009 Ron stepped down from his role as McLaren's team principle and not long after that Lewis announced his father would not be managing him any more.

From an early ago Lewis, seen as a prodigy not just by his father, led a straight-jacketed existence.  If he stepped out of line he was corrected.  If he went partying with his celebrity friends he was scolded.

Two years ago Lewis said this of his school days - "School felt like an escape.  It was my time to mess about and have a kid's life - to be normal. But at weekends I never had a chance to go to any of those under-18s clubs or parties. And that affects you because your friendships are not so strong."

He has grown up in public, and is still growing.  He can be petulant, sulky even.  If the car breaks down he can be publicly damning of the team.  When he wasn't as fast as his team mate he tweeted the telemetry to prove it wasn't his fault - it was the car's fault.

It has only been in the last couple of years, free of Ron and Anthony, that Lewis Hamilton has been able to start growing up - and he has made plenty of mistakes - mistakes we all make behind closed doors.  But Lewis doesn't have that option.

He has tweeted, partied with celebs until the small hours, grown a strange beard, changed his speech patterns and generally adopted the persona that he wants to be - rather than what others tell him to be.

McLaren have provided Lewis with a winning car for every year of his career.  He has never failed to win at least two races in a championship year.

But there have been ups and downs.  His first two years were compelling - 2nd in 2007 then 1st in 2008 in the drivers championship.  Since then he's been 5th in 2009, 4th in 2010 and another 5th in 2011.

So the results started to slide downhill in 2009 and have only really recovered this year -  where Lewis currently sits 2nd in the championship.

Lewis' contract with McLaren ends this year and there are two reasons whey there is so much speculation as to his whereabouts and why he may move to Mercedes, or even Lotus:

1. His new management, XIX, which is run by ex-Spice Girls boss Simon Fuller is doing the negotiating.  Fuller may be an expert manager but he is new to the F1 Piranha Club and perhaps his overtures towards Lotus and Mercedes are being conducted in a manner that is more brash and loud than others.  But then again part of the skill of negotiation is to take an offer from one employer and present that offer to your preferred employer in the hope they will match it.
2. Lewis himself is still tied, to a certain degree by, McLaren.  Even were he to sign with them next year, McLaren, even under the leadership of Martin Whitmarsh, is a tightly run ship.  They expect loyalty, professional PR appearances and do not give away personal sponsorship opportunities.  A McLaren driver is a controlled driver.  Witness David Coulthard's beard and general flowering of his personality once he had left McLaren.  Some people suit this way of life, others don't.  And Lewis doesn't seem to.

Lewis claimed at Monza not to know what was going on with negotiations and that it was up to his management company to negotiate with the teams, not him.  This is absolute rot.

McLaren are an independent team and cannot pay as much as Mercedes.  This is why they hang on to all available sponsorship cash rather than giving the drivers free reign.  The culture of McLaren may be one thing but cash is tight and everyone knows it.

The fly in the ointment of all this speculation is that there is one thing that Lewis Hamilton wants to do - emulate his hero Ayrton Senna.  And Senna won three world championships - his last coming in 1991 at age 31 - with McLaren.  Lewis Hamilton has only won one.

Lewis is aware of history.  He is 27 years old and will be 28 at the start of the 2013 season.  He has another six or seven competitive years in F1 where he will be at the very top of his game.

Mercedes are a good team but they are not a great team.  They won the constructors championship in 2009 with their previous iteration partly due to a technology advantage that, once removed, brought them down to the same level as everyone else.  And since then they have failed to deliver.  Indeed in the years previous to that as BAR and Honda they had failed miserably in their F1 quest.

McLaren were formed in 1966 and have been winning races and championships since 1974.  They have won one quarter of all races they have entered and have won the past three races of the 2012 season on the trot.

They may have suffered a few ups and downs over the past few years but McLaren are proven winners.

Lewis Hamilton may be trying to break free from his shackles and he may be asking for a touch too much money but he is not stupid.  He knows that in order to become a multiple world champion he needs to stay at McLaren in 2013 and beyond.

And this is why we disagree with those who say he is moving to Mercedes for megabucks.  We believe Lewis Hamilton will drive for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes in 2013.

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Buy a supercar for £10,000

Not all of us have the budget for a super car.  For example the Mercedes SLS AMG we recently tested had an on the road price of £192,000.  Even the Jaguar XKR-S, with a soundtrack to die for, costs £92,000.

But it is possible to buy a super car to a budget.  The second-hand market provides plenty of horsepower bargains.  For one thing, with the price of fuel, less people are inclined to run a gas guzzler and, unless it is an absolute classic, most supercars suffer depreciation like no other.  And because of this you'll find some surprises in our list of affordable supercars.

We've set ourselves a budget of £10,000 and restricted our list to affordable exocita, i.e. no hot hatches here.  We set out to find super coupes and convertibles - plus one extremely fast estate car.


Maserati 3200GT

Our budget will buy a year 2000 3200GT - and what an awesome slice of Italian exotica for the money.  With a fantastic sounding 3.2 litre twin turbo V8 pushing out 370bhp, 0-60 in 5.1 seconds and 'that' styling the 3200GT is a bargain.  Be very careful you select one with a full service history as they are immensely expensive to fix if anything goes wrong.  The manual transmission gives the best feedback and is more reliable than the auto.  The car cost £60,575 when new and with several examples just under the £10,000 budget represents outstanding supercar value for money.


Jaguar XKR

£10,000 will buy a 2004 XK8 but the real supercar is the XKR and you'll get a 2000 model for the money.  With 370bhp from it's supercharged 4 litre V8 this is a classic slice of British muscle.  Available only with an automatic box (made by Mercedes) the XKR does 0-60 in 5.2 seconds.  It is quite heavy, at 1640kg, and thirsty but with that styling, so similar to the DB7, all that matters is that it is fast and beautiful.  The Jaguar XKR cost £58,000 when new and, given Jaguar coupe's reputations for achieving iconic status in later years, buying a well preserved XKR may prove to be a decent investment.


Mercedes-Benz SL 500

In it's current evolution the Mercedes SL is a £100,000 super car.  In 2002 the SL500 cost £67,000 and now you can buy one at today's prices for £10,000.  The SL competes with Porsches and Bentleys for status and performance.  No-one will know you paid so little for it.  It looks fabulous and under the bonnet is Mercedes five litre V8 which, mated to the smooth 5 speed auto box, does 0-60 in 6.3 seconds.  It also comes loaded with gadgets, from its S-type cousin, such as Distronic Cruise Control which maintains the distance to the car in front.  Being German doesn't necessarily mean bullet proof reliability so make sure it has a full service history.  The SL 500 is possibly the best bargain, with the most desirability, in our supercar list.


Porsche 911

The very fact you can buy a 2001 Porsche 911 (996) Carrera Coupe for under £10,000 guarantees its automatic inclusion in our supercar super list.  The most iconic drivers car that is also useable on a day to day basis with few mechanical woes or worries - as long as it has been regularly serviced by a Porsche dealer or, at the very least, an independent Porsche specialist.  The 3.4 litre flat 6 has 300bhp and scoots from 0-60 in 6 seconds but it is that legendary Porsche handling that makes this car distinct.  That and the fact you can have a Porsche 911 sitting on your drive makes this a hugely desirable motor for the same price as a three year old Ford Mondeo.


TVR Chimaera

Our list would not be complete without the Chimaera.  Now sadly gone but not forgotten, TVR produced some of Britain's fastest and most loved hand-built sportscars from a shed in Blackpool.  The Chimaera has a 4 litre V8 pushing out 235bhp and goes from 0-60 in 4.8 seconds whilst making the most stonking noise in the process.  The Chimaera is light and handles well due to it's steel chassis and fibreglass bodywork.  For this budget you can get a well loved, low mileage 1995 model.  As with any TVR the Chimaera's downside is it's horrendous reliability.  The engine itself lasts well but component failure and electrical gremlins are common.  The upside is that they are simply put together (and therefore to fix) and parts are easy to find and cheap to buy.


Audi RS4

It may be an estate but the 2000 Audi B5 RS4 is certainly a supercar.  The 2.7 litre twin turbo V6 produces 380bhp and does 0-60 in 4.9 seconds.  Engineered for performance and handling the RS4 has only just dipped into sub-£10,000 territory.  With four wheel drive, seating for five and room for plenty of luggage in the back the RS4 presents the supercar as practical proposition.  The lower spec S4 looks pretty much the same as the rest of the B5 range but the RS4 stands out, not only for it's incredible performance, but also for the unsubtle bodykit.  It's spoilers, skirts, grilles and top drawer interior give the RS4 an air of superiority over the rest of the family estate brigade.  Only the RS6 comes close in terms of performance and stance.  A worthy inclusion in our super car line-up.

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Ben Spies to Pramac Ducati?

UPDATE - This story has now been confirmed.  See here for details.

Whilst nothing concrete has been announced by any party the rumours that Ben Spies has or will sign with Pramac are becoming hard to ignore.

A quick recap:  Spies announced he was leaving MotoGP when he heard from inside the team that Valentino Rossi would be joining the Yamaha factory team.  This was obviously announced in a fit of pique.  Soon afterwards the official announcement was made, and shortly after that Andrea Dovizioso was announced at Ducati for 2013 alongside Nicky Hayden.

So Spies knew he was being bumped from the factory ride at Yamaha and that there was no chance at Ducati and instead announced his departure from MotoGP.  Everybody presumed he would show up in WSBK for 2013.

But it has become clear in recent weeks that Ducati will run a satellite team, probably under the aegis of Pramac, with almost full factory specifications.  We told you that here.

So that, effectively, means that two more factory rides are now available.  Initial thoughts were that the favoured riders would be Andrea Iannone and Scott Redding but it seems Redding has been cast aside in favour of Ben Spies who has more up to date and relevant experience of a MotoGP bike.

The Rossi and Dovizioso rumours turned out to be true.  Given the sheer number of people saying it, it is hard not to believe Ben Spies will end up at Pramac Ducati in 2013.

It would seem Scott Redding will need to spend another year in Moto2.

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BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe

BMW are testing a completely new car, the 4-series, which will be a smaller 6-series but based on 3-series chassis and mechanicals.

The 4-series is tentatively scheduled for launch in 2014 and the only examples seen on the roads are heavily disguised but several renderings have already surfaced.  These are by Automedia.

The 4-series is distinct from the existing 3-series coupe in that it has four doors and shorter overhangs.  It is likely to be priced higher than the 3-series and will essentially leave the 3-series as a standard saloon or estate whilst the 4-series will be a convertible and coupe.

The 6-series is described as a Gran Coupe and this is obviously the sector BMW is aiming for with the 4-series.  Audi have already made a success of that concept with the A5.

The model line up is expected to be 420d, 430d, 428i and 435i - following the same engine choices as in the existing 3-series models. An M4 Gran Coupe is also in the pipeline.

We can't help but think that when it is seen devoid of it's camouflage the 4-series needs to change somewhat.  It currently seems too similar to the 3-series.  The Audi A5 is instantly recognisable from it's A4 sibling but the BMW doesn't.

BMW also seems to be moving away from the manglings of the Bangle years.  Hopefully the 4-series will not feature droopy lines along it's flanks - it doesn't seem to in the spy shots.  The dreadful widenened kidney grille of recent years was recently reshaped by Zagato, in their interpretation of the roadster (see here), into a much more attractive shape.  It is but faint hope BMW will take a look at the Zagato grille and see the error of their ways.

More will be revealed as 2014 approaches and the car strips away more of it's disguise.

But for now have another look at the spy shots.  Do they remind you of anything?  No?  Take a look at the bottom picture and see what you think.

Spyshots courtesy of Autoevolution

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New driving signs revealed

In a controversial move the latest edition* of the Highway Code contains several new signs that can be displayed on slow moving vehicles to warn other road users of their presence.

In addition to the existing signs that may already be appended to slower vehicles, such as 'this vehicle is limited to 56mph' and 'Veiculo Longo', a number of new signs have been incorporated into standard practice.  Most of these new signs have been in informal use for some time but it is only now that they have been recognised in law.

The new signs are:

A Panama hat placed on the rear parcel shelf - this sign has been in practice for some time.  Most prevalent in S-type Jaguars and Mercedes E-Class saloons a Panama hat placed in full view of the driver behind means 'Warning - this vehicle is and will continue to be driven slowly'.  In general the maximum speed of the vehicle with a 'Panama hat' sign will be 25mph.  On a motorway the speed may increase to 55mph but only once the middle lane of the motorway has been reached whereupon the vehicle will remain in the middle lane until the driver has reached his destination.  It was found that the 'Panama hat' sign is such a reliable indicator of a slow moving vehicle that it should be incorporated into the new code.  Also note that only men aged from 48 to 65 may use this sign and only if they have grey or no hair.

Box of tissues on the parcel shelf - similar to the Panama hat sign but reserved for drivers of Nissan Micras and, occasionally, Bentley Continental GTs.  Drivers who choose to display the 'box of tissues' sign will have a top speed of 28mph on every highway except for motorways where the speed is increased to 50mph for Micras and 65mph for Bentley Continentals.  The Micra 'box of tissues' displayer is only allowed to use the slow lane of motorways whereas the Continental GT 'box of tissues' displayer will be required by law to only use the fast lane.  It is compulsory for any driver with a box of tissues on the parcel shelf to also utilise their fog-lights at all times.

Two cushions on the parcel shelf - similar, but subtly different, to the 'box of tissues' and 'Panama hat' signs.  The driver who displays the 'two cushions on the parcel shelf' sign says to other road users that they have a maximum speed of 25mph.  However when another road user attempts to overtake the 'two cushion' displayer the speed will be increased to match that of the car attempting to overtake.  As long as the 'two cushions' sign is displayed this is perfectly acceptable behaviour and other road users must beware when trying to overtake.

Kia sign - any car displaying a 'Kia' sign on it's rear end will have a maximum speed of 10mph below the given speed limit.  If a driver chooses to display a 'Kia' sign on their car (or purchases a car with a 'Kia' sign already appended to it) it is an invitation for other road users to overtake.  The 'Kia' sign displayer, however, will not be required to pull into a lay-by or any other convenient location to allow traffic to pass.  If the 'Kia' sign is obscured because the vehicle is towing a caravan it can safely be assumed the towing car is displaying the 'Kia' sign and the above assumptions will apply.

Fish symbol - a driver displaying the outline of a fish on the back of their car, either a sticker in the rear window or a metallic sign stuck to the boot lid, is entitled to drive in whatever manner they choose.  Any other road user will have to sit patiently behind them if they choose to drive slowly or wait if they choose to stop and have a mental breakdown whilst behind the wheel.  It is advisable that 'fish symbol' displayers will drive Volvo estates, usually of 20 year vintage.  And often in brown.

Little Princess on Board sign - a driver displaying a ' Little Princess on Board' sign will, in general, drive slowly and certainly no more than 5mph below the speed limit.  It should be noted that they are liable to swerve across the road and can sometimes stop suddenly.  As long as a 'Little Princess on Board' sign is displayed this is acceptable.  'Little Princess on Board' signs may only displayed on roads within urban areas.  Outside of those areas the sign must be removed.  If any driver sees a vehicle displaying a 'Little Princess on Board' sign outside of an urban area it is perfectly acceptable to drive very close to their rear bumper in an effort to make them speed up.

'England' (St George's Cross) sticker in back window - it is important to make the distinction between a Union Flag displayer and the ardent 'England' sign displayer.  A Union Flag displayed in the window has no distinction from any other car but an 'England' sticker means the car will be driven slowly, has no MoT, and may veer into a McDonalds without indicating.



* an edition we have made up

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EXCLUSIVE - Ducati in 2013 - Dovizioso and the satellite bikes

The fact that Valentino Rossi is leaving Ducati is now a matter of public record.  Indeed The Doctor himself recently posted on twitter - "It's been a shame that I have not been able to be competitive with Ducati.  It would give me great satisfaction as well as the the guys who have worked with me and who will be there right to the end.  And it would have been great fun for all our fans.  I am sorry.  But there are still 8 races to the end of the season - we are working to the maximum to make some great races.  Ciao to everyone and see you at Indy"

There now is the matter of Ducati's Rossi-less future which we recently wrote about here.

In that article we speculated on various matters which we won't rehash except to say that all signs from inside and outside the factory are that Rossi's direct replacement will be Andrea Dovizioso.  We hear from a Ducati insider that the announcement will be made before the Indianapolis weekend - which means it will be Thursday or Friday this week.

The Dovizioso deal is expected to last for two years and was subject to certain conditions made by him regarding support and input from Audi which have, apparently, now been received.

Dovizioso's signing is not necessarily a popular one with all of Ducati.  Many of the team harbour resentment from when he spoke ill of the bike and the teams ability to develop it for more than the one rider in recent years who has been able to control it - Casey Stoner.

Part of Ducati's 2013 strategy is the bringing in-house of the satellite bikes.  Much has been written on the subject but we can exclusively reveal that the two satellite bikes will be essentially the same as the factory bikes but with a different ECU at the beginning of the season and a 5 race gap between parts from the factory bikes to the satellites.  Ducati are partially staffing the satellite teams themselves with 10 Ducati Corse staff working for them.

Current favourites for the satellite rides are Scott Redding, who massively impressed the team at his recent test, and Andrea Iannone, who fits the Italian bill but was described as 'crazy' on his test.

Hopefully Ducati can develop the bike with it's new riders, as well as Nicky Hayden, into a competitive machine for 2013 and beyond.  And hopefully the Corse staff can learn to get on with their new star signing.

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2013 Honda Accord

Honda have released the attached images of the 2013 Accord. The new model will initially debut in the US and come to Europe in 2014.

The black car is the new Accord but the red car is the concept coupe that was shown in January 2012.

It's fair to say that the concept was the more visually striking car. Honda are aiming for the volume selling mass, market mid-range segment so they didn't want to push the boat out too far. Their competitors certainly don't. the Mondeo, Insignia and Avensis and Passat are all similarly middle of the road.

Meanwhile Audi's A4, BMW's 3-series and Mercedes C-Class all allow themselves sharp lines, snarling grilles and at least some semblance of bold design. With the front wheel drive bland-mobiles we get jelly-mould sameness and front wheel drive understeery handling.

Drop down a segment and just look at the greatness that can be achieved with the Civic and the Golf. At least Honda and Volkswagen give us some style in that sector. The Astra and Focus try their hardest to give us some excitement with their hot hatch models but Toyota descend even further into the pit of designing by numbers with the Auris. Even the name is sleep inducing.

Back to the Accord. In the US it will come with 2.4 and 3.5 litre petrol engines as well as a hybrid which will no doubt be incredibly quiet and efficient. The engine range in the UK has not been confirmed but is likely to feature the 1.6 diesel which will also feature in the new CR-V.

When comparing the concept with the actual car that will be released it is hard not to think that Honda's designers didn't shed a tear as all their fantastic little features and ideas were wiped from the drawing board one by one.

The concept features a fantastically sculptured rear end that rakes forwards. The boot lip spoiler is incorporated well, the line that goes from the under the rear lights and under the boot lid is strong. The rhomboid exhausts, the grille under the rear number plate, the muscular haunches, the line from the front (rhomboid) LED lights through to the haunches, the snarling mouth under the front bumper, the lovely curved A pillars - are all gone on the showroom ready Accord.

OK the concept car was a coupe and some of the touches would have been expensive to produce but Honda really did smooth out anything resembling strong design and have created a poorer car for it.

I've probably just ruined whatever slim chance I had of testing the 2014 Accord when it comes to the UK but if Honda listen to some of this (constructive) criticism and make their car bolder than the US model then our roads will be a better place. They will be prettier and more striking and happier places to be.

Honda can do good design. The CR-V and Civic are both great cars that stand out in their sectors. But does the target audience - the middle manager, the salesman, the pensioner - really want their Accord to be a shrinking violet when it could be so much more.

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Ducati without Rossi - 2013 and beyond

Now that it is all but confirmed that Valentino Rossi will leave Ducati at the end of the 2012 and join Yamaha for 2013 we ask what next for Ducati in MotoGP.

Some of the information below comes from an anonymous source inside Ducati who describes himself as a data engineer/statistical analyst at the team.  He posts on twitter anonymously to hide his identity and describes his tweets as being his own opinion rather than of the team.  I cannot verify his identity but his information seems to be accurate and I have seen it used by other journalists who write for national publications.

Nicky Hayden has already signed for 2013.  That leaves one seat in the factory team.  But in recent days Alessandro Cicognani, Project Director of the Ducati MotoGP team has talked about changing Ducati's attitude to it's satellite outfits.  Whereas previously they leased out lower spec bikes to the satellite teams, Ducati is thinking of adopting a more controlling attitude to the satellite bikes where the bikes are factory spec and they get to control the riders.  Much like Yamaha does with Tech 3.

This will enable Ducati to mould the GP13 into a bike capable of being ridden by any top level rider who's name isn't Casey Stoner.

Which leads us on to the question of riders.  One factory seat and potentially two seats just below factory level are available.  Currently Karel Abraham and Hector Barbera ride for Ducati satellite teams.

The popular frontrunners for the Ducati seat are Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso, both of Tech 3.  Ducati have recently tested Danilo Petrucci, Andrea Iannone and Scott Redding.  The insider has seen the data and told me that Petrucci did 20 laps and was"great", Iannone was "crazy Joe" but Redding was "awesome" and "beautiful".

Of these riders it seems that Crutchlow, Dovizioso and Redding stand a chance of the full factory seat although Dovizioso has not been too kind about the Ducati team - saying that he only wanted to go there "when they are winning".  Meanwhile there are no shortage of riders for the potential second tier factory team.  If, though, either Cal or Andrea was not offered the main factory seat they would be unlikely to accept a second tier seat.

Therefore the 'satellite' outfit can probably choose from Redding, Petrucci, Iannone, Abraham and Barbera.

On to Audi's influence.  Here, the insiders information is key.  In the short term the Audi takeover will change little.  He told me the biggest immediate affect is that components that are sitting on Ducati drawing boards that would normally take six months to produce can be accelerated with Audi money and production capacity.  Particularly this means that alloy and carbon bits and pieces can be made and bolted to the bike much quicker than they normally would.

The next influence will be in organisation.  Ducati are looking forward to tapping into Audi's racing knowledge (remember Audi have won Le Mans 11 times in the past 13 years).  Management, processes, manufacturing and overall structure will be discussed and improved upon.

Ducati have a"huge" R&D meeting this week.  It is a wide ranging meeting that will discuss how to develop the GP12 for this year and GP13 for next.  A lot of the feedback will come from the rider - and therefore the bike tends to be tailored to the riders needs.  Ducati will need to make their rider selection pretty soon.

They have some continuity in the form of Nicky Hayden but they will be losing Rossi's Australian team - led by Jerry Burgess.

On the one hand Ducati have lost the best rider of modern times.  On the other the takeover by Audi means that, as long as they select the correct rider, they will have the money, the resources and the team to build themselves up into a winning team once again.  And hopefully they will come up with a bike that can be ridden by more than just one man.

The final quote goes to the Ducati insider, "...good times, they will return.  Its in us to win here!"

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Car sales on the rise. BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, Ford, Fiat and VW all claim increasing sales

In these times of austerity it seems the larger automobile manufacturers are bucking the trend and shifting lots of new cars.

Recent figures released by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Ford, Fiat and Volkswagen would suggest they are all seeing increased sales compared to twelve months ago.

BMW claims to have had it's best July ever, shifting 135,537 cars worldwide in the month, increasing sales by 5% compared to July last year.  BMW also claim to have sold 1,036,088 cars in the first seven months of the year - a 7.2% increase since the same time last year - and the first time they have sold more than a million cars from January through to July.  Most of these increased sales came from Japan, Korea, China, America and Russia whereas sales in Europe were down 2.4%.  Worringly BMW motorcycle sales were down quite substantially on last year.  For the first seven months BMW Motorrad sold 3.2% less bikes than in 2011.

Mercedes-Benz have released figures for the UK market.  They claim 6,568 cars sold in July, an 11.3% rise on the year before, and 53,813 total cars sold January to July - a 13.7% rise on the same time last year.

Volkswagen's figures dwarf those of BMW and Mercedes-Benz put together.  They haven't released July only figures but say that they have sold 4.6million cars from January to July which is a 12.4% increase over the previous year.  This breaks down into VW - 2.4million , Audi - 678,000, Skoda - 408,000, Seat - 218,000 and Bentley 5000 with the balance coming from commercial sales.  All VW group brands have increased their sales since 2011.  Volkswagen boast of a €6.1billion trading profit with net liquidity of €14.9billion.

Toyota have released UK only figures.  They sold 5740 cars in July which is 25.1% more than last year.  In January to July Toyota sold 51,000 cars which represents a 18.98% growth over the year before.

Fiat group's figures are mainly financial although they do claim to have sold 1.1million cars worldwide January to July.  They made a loss in Q1 but a €1billion net profit in Q2 brought debt down to €5.4billion.  Interestingly Ferrari shipped 1,931 cars in Q2 and made a €92million trading profit in that quarter.  From the figures it seems Fiat's loss in Q1 was caused by the European market, which also made a loss in Q2.

Ford sold 1,201,564 cars from January to July in the UK - up 3.5%.  In July alone they sold 18,527 cars - a 1.6% increase.

What the above figures don't tell us is how financially healthy the manufacturers are with the exception of VW group (very healthy) and FIAT group (not very healthy but improving).  But what they do tell us is that the major manufacturers seem to be performing well in terms of punting units out of showrooms.  In other words they are all selling more cars.

And this can only be a good thing.  They are all having to increase investment in renewable technologies and alternative power-trains.  They are all suffering increased regulations on safety and the use of recycled materials.  And they are all facing an ever competitive market where industrial processes have to be fine tuned to shave time and money from manufacturing.

Modern cars are fast, efficient, safe and immensely superior to the machines they were selling us thirty years ago.  If we look at the above figures on face value the UK and worldwide automotive industry seems to be in relatively healthy shape.

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Rossi to Yamaha - all but confirmed

The rumour mill finally seems to be over.  Two things have happened today that have convinced the MotoGP world, and particularly the Italian press, that Valentino Rossi will ride for Yamaha.

First - Yamaha have announced to journalists that a statement will be issued on 15 August at 9am CET - 2 years to the day that that Ducati confirmed Rossi's signing.

Second - Masao Furusawa (all round genius, Godfather of the Yamaha M1 and whose retirement was one of the reasons Rossi went to Ducati) was not convinced to come out of retirement and help with the Ducati.  Rossi would probably have stayed at Ducati were Furusawa  to have joined the team.


In 2010 Furuwasa had this to say about Rossi going to Ducati -   “I know the advantages and disadvantages of the Ducati bike. The point is whether or not Valentino can point these out, and then whether Ducati can follow his recommendations." 

And now we all know.  Ducati couldn't, or wouldn't follow his recommendations.  Rossi himself has stated that he has two years left in MotoGP.  Audi's Euros and influence would take too long to filter through to make the Ducati GP13 or 14 fast enough to deliver another championship - and maybe even wins - for Rossi.

The past few days have seen intense speculation:

• 2 August - La Gazetto dello Sport reported that Rossi has signed to Yamaha for MotoGP in 2013 and 2014 and thereafter would move to World Superbike in 2015.
• 3 August - Niall Mackenzie apparently tweeted - "Done deal! A well known Italian will definitely be on a blue bike next year, woo hoo!"  Supposedly Niall had bumped into Rossi at Yamaha's European HQ.  
• 4 August - We were subsequently told this was untrue and that Niall's twitter account had been hacked by a 'Frenchman'.  The subsequent denial may or may not be true.  What is true is that Niall's son, Taylor Mackenzie rides for Yamaha in the British Supersport series and that the Mackenzies may have been persuaded to stay quiet whilst Yamaha puts things in order.
• Also on 4 August we learned that Jorge Lorenzo had been briefed by Yamaha that Rossi would be rejoining the team.  this is what Jorge had to say -  "He (Lin Jarvis) has already talked to me about this at the last race and for me it is OK....for Yamaha maybe it is a good thing for them to sign Valentino and try to come back with two bikes in first and second."
• 7 August - Yamaha tell the press an announcement will be made on 15 August.
• Also on 7 August one of the Ducati MotoGP team technicians said this on twitter (over 3 tweets) - "We have a huge R&D meeting here (Bologna) Thursday, to discuss the plan for the rest of the season, lay out on a calendar when upgrades should be available, and for what races etc, it will be very hard to do that without knowing who is going to be riding the bike!!"  He also clarified that Audi will immediately be able to input by making parts that currently sit on the drawing board.

The above sequence of events puts into content Ben Spies decision to leave Yamaha.  His announcement was made shortly after Lorenzo was briefed.  Therefore Spies would have wanted to announce he was leaving before Yamaha announced he was being booted out.

So we all wait for 15 August.  The likelihood of Yamaha not announcing they have signed Rossi is about as much as Ferrari announcing they have signed him to partner Alonso in Formula 1.

There then follows the decision by Ducati as to who will replace Valentino.  At the moment it seems a straight fight between Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso.

Hopefully Rossi will return to his winning ways on the Yamaha.  Lorenzo is an immensely gifted rider and strong competitor but let us not forget Valentino Rossi has won nine World Championships.  And he hopes to make it ten.

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Ferrari - The question of Massa's replacement

If, as now seems to be the case, Ferrari have not taken the option on Felipe Massa's drive for 2013 and beyond the question now is who will drive for Scuderia Ferrari next year?

The list of possible candidates is quite long not least because any driver with a reasonable amount of form and no 2013 contract is in with a shout.  But also because Ferrari has a long history of the number 2 driver being just that - number 2.

The last partnership of equals at Ferrari was Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger in 1995.  Berger was the more naturally talented driver but Alesi's passion and flair more than made up for any lack of precision. Plus he was a consistent points scorer.

In 1997 Ferrari signed Michael Schumacher, following his two world championships at Benetton.  They needed not just talented drivers - they needed the best.  The team had not won a world championship since Jody Scheckter's crown in 1979.  Schumacher had a hand in the signing of the number 2, Eddie Irvine,  a talented but tempestuous young Irishman who had done wonders in the Jordan and managed to earn a punch from Ayrton Senna when he had the temerity to unlap himself.

But Irvine was most definitely a number 2 at Ferrari.  Never mind, 'Fernando is faster than you' it is alleged that Schumacher had the best mechanics, the best and newest parts and generally the faster car in order to push himself, and Ferrari, to that elusive world championship - which he achieved in 2000.

Irvine knew his role and grew into it.  He was highly paid, drove the best car on the grid and crucially drove for Ferrari.  He accepted his place with grace and very nearly won the championship when Schumacher was sidelined with a broken leg in 1999.

Irvine was generally happy to accept team orders and act as Schumacher's rear gunner.  Not so his replacement, Rubens Barrichello.  Barrichello, then an up and coming young, but experienced, driver had driven for Jordan for three seasons and Stewart four two seasons.

Rubens was everything that Irvine wasn't.  Passionate, emotional and, crucially, fiercely competitive.  Rubens accepted the Ferrari drive not so he could be Schumacher's number 2 but because it was his chance to drive for the Scuderia -  something he'd dreamed of since his childhood.

Despite some success (occasionally beating Schumacher) his five seasons with the Scuderia proved to be frustrating for Rubens.  Where he was required to accept team orders he did so generally with good grace - but it ate away at him.  At the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix Rubens was told to allow Schumacher through.  He did - but not until the final straight of the last lap.  This was Rubens telling the world that on that day he was the better driver.

Rubens honestly thought he could beat Schumacher but was never allowed to.  His replacement, Felipe Massa, joined Ferrari in 2006 with higher expectations.

Massa had been groomed by Ferrari for a number of years.  He had been schooled in the Ferrari engined Sauber and was touted as a potential replacement for Schumacher.

They drove together for just one season.  Michael as number 1 and Felipe as number 2.  Schumacher then retired and was replaced by Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.

The Raikonnen/Massa pairing was not such a straightforward 1 and 2 as had been the case in previous years but Kimi gained the upper hand on his Brazilian team mate and won the 2007 world championship.

In 2008 Massa won more races, and points, than Raikkonen - who's form dipped substantially.  The tide seemed to be turning but in 2009 two things happened that would change the balance of power.  Felipe Massa crashed heavily and had to sit out part of the season - and Ferrari signed Fernando Alonso.

And so it was that from 2010 until 2012 Felipe Massa has been the definite number 2 driver.  His form has fluctuated.  Sometimes Felipe has been a great driver, sometimes not, but in 2012 his form has dipped substantially and more often than not he has been racing with the back markers whilst his illustrious team-mate has been on the podium.

Alonso is set to remain at Ferrari for the foreseeable future.  Massa is unlikely to remain at Maranello in 2013.  Ferrari need a new driver who will be happy to accept the number 2 role.  we know from past experience that Fernando Alonso cannot accept a team mate on an equal footing and we also know that Ferrari are quite happy to give their star driver a subservient team-mate.

The shortlist of potential replacements includes:

• Kimi Raikonnen - unlikely.  Would not be happy paired with Alonso.  Seems happy at Lotus and Fernando would certainly not enjoy being challenged from within his own team.
• Jenson Button - unlikely.  We can see Jenson at Ferrari in the future but not as a subservient team-mate.  Has risen to challenges before (everybody thought Lewis would wipe the floor with him at McLaren) and may look for a new challenge in the future but Jenson has unfinished business at McLaren.
• Sergio Perez - maybe.  Checo has the talent, the background and would accept a role at Ferrari.  But it would be more as a potential number 1 driver once Alonso has left.  Likely to stay elsewhere with a view to joining Ferrari in between one and three years time.
• Bruno Senna - unlikely.  Bruno has the name and the dollars but Ferrari is a bigger name and don't need the dollars.  If Bruno is seen as not being good enough for Williams (which may yet happen) then why would a more successful team pick him up?
• Paul DiResta - unikely.  Young and showing well against his team mate.  Paul is on an upward trajectory.  But it is a Mercedes trajectory - not Ferrari.
• Heikki Kovalainen - definately maybe.  Heikki squandered his opportunity at McLaren - but then again his team mate was one of F1's most talented drivers.  He has since rekindled his form and has regained his reputation at Caterham.  he may well have the opportunity to take Caterham higher up the grid but this will take time.  If Heikki is offered a Ferrari contract he is sure to accept it.  The opportunity to drive for a top team - the most famous team in F1 - may not arise again in his career.

It is our prediction that Heikki Kovalainen will drive for Ferrari, alongside Fernando Alonso in 2013.  And that he will be a definite number 2.

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