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After it made its race debut at the San Marino GP with wildcard Dani Pedrosa, KTM has brought its new carbon fibre chassis to Japan for factory riders Binder and Jack Miller. With the new chassis offering better rear grip on the RC16, Binder used this to maximum effect on the soft rear tyre at the end the second practice to go fastest of all with a 1m43.489s, beating the eight-year-old lap record set by Jorge Lorenzo. Binder headed championship leader Francesco Bagnaia by 0.029 seconds, while Aleix Espargaro completed the top three for Aprilia, the top three all surpassing Lorenzo's 2015 benchmark. The Q1 session in qualifying will feature all three previous champions prior to Bagnaia in 2022, as crashes for Yamaha’s Quartararo and Honda’s Marquez left both outside of the top 10. Joan Mir will also join that trio having been unable to replicate his top five form from FP1 in the afternoon. The early pace was set by the sister factory Aprilia of Maverick Vinales, who got … [Read more...] about MotoGP Japanese GP: Binder tops FP2, Marquez and Quartararo crash

Ex-F1 racer and current Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe vice chairman Kazuki Nakajima said it is a “clear no” currently to the manufacturer returning to Formula 1, but that could change. Toyota joined the world of Formula 1 back in 2002, and while they made 13 visits to the podium throughout their tenure, the team was never able to claim a grand prix victory. Come the end of the 2009 campaign, Toyota would bow out of Formula 1 as a constructor and engine manufacturer and have not appeared in the series since. Toyota cold stance on Formula 1 return could change During the Japanese Grand Prix race weekend, home soil for Toyota, McLaren announced the signing of Toyota endurance racer Ryō Hirakawa as their reserve driver for F1 2024, paving the way for rumours to bubble up again over potential Toyota interest in a return to F1, considering this signing came as a rather left-field one. And while former Williams driver Nakajima said this is definitely not on the cards for now, he did … [Read more...] about Toyota give ‘clear’ response to questions over future F1 return

KTM turned heads at the San Marino GP earlier this month when test rider Dani Pedrosa completed the weekend as a wildcard on the new carbon fibre frame. The 31-time MotoGP race winner finished fourth in both the sprint and the grand prix at Misano using the new frame, which was then tested on the Monday at the Italian venue by the race riders. Both Binder and Jack Miller rode the chassis on Friday at the Japanese GP, which the former used to top second practice by beating the eight-year-old lap record with a 1m43.489s. The South African says the new chassis has given him the rear grip he has been long requesting from KTM, but is “cautious” about the gains it has brought. “Well, I think for sure the new chassis has given me a little bit more rear grip, which is something I’ve been asking for,” he said. “So, it’s great to have that available and it helps you for sure. Grip is lap time. “I think we were all a bit surprised about how fast Dani was in Misano – the guy … [Read more...] about Binder buoyed after setting Motegi lap record on new KTM chassis

Home Off beat -Rohit Nambiar By Rohit Nambiar Updated: Friday, September 29, 2023, 14:08 [IST] Jehan Daruvala, an Indian motor racing driver, has recently made a giant leap in his career with his move to Formula E, making him only the third Indian to drive in an official FIA world championship. Having spent four years in Formula 2, Daruvala's transition to Formula E comes as a significant advancement in his motorsport career. The young racing prodigy will be driving for Maserati MSG Racing alongside Max Guenther. He steps into the position after replacing Edoardo Mortara. Previously with Mahindra Racing in a reserve role, many suspected Daruvala's next move would be to secure a 2024 seat with the Indian motorsport team. However, according to the 24-year-old, aligning with Maserati was his top choice. This decision seemed well-founded, as Mahindra Racing struggled with their new Gen3 car and had a lackluster performance this year, … [Read more...] about Indian Prodigy’s Leap to Formula E: Jehan Daruvala Bets Big with Maserati

Dangerous heatwaves are blasting large areas of Europe this week bringing temperatures in the high 40s. But the Hungarian Grand Prix will be spared those brutal highs. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free F1 could instead see another rain-affected event. If so, that may complicate F1’s planned test of its new ‘Alternative Tyre Allocation’ rules. The strongest chance of drivers facing a wet track is on Friday, with thundery showers expected at the Hungaroring in the afternoon and at the end of the day. With an 80% chance of rain in the afternoon, both first and second practice could be affected. On Saturday the threat of rain will drop to just 20%, which may come as a relief to drivers after a string of rain-affected qualifying sessions. Qualifying in Spain began on a wet track and Canada saw another soggy session. More rain complicated matters in Austria and qualifying started wet and finished dry last time out at Silverstone . That means the F1 has had … [Read more...] about F1 will be spared European heatwave but may get more rain in Hungary

Stellantis is putting the brakes on production by temporarily halting operations at its Mirafiori plant in Italy. A spokesperson for the automotive conglomerate told Automotive News Europe that both assembly lines are on a hiatus this week. In addition, output will be halted again from October 19 until November 3. The decision to temporarily halt production is going to impact 2,400 workers who will not be paid for those days. Located in Turin, the Mirafiori factory is in charge of four Maserati models: the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans, GranTurismo, and the Levante SUV. The smaller Grecale crossover is built at the Cassino factory in the Lazio region while the MC20 is assembled in Modena. Stellantis will discontinue the current-generation Ghibli and Quattroporte in December when production is scheduled to end, according to ANE . Of the two sedans, only the Quattroporte will be renewed in 2024 with a next-gen model set to spawn a fully electric derivative. Maserati … [Read more...] about Production Of Four Maserati Models And Fiat 500 Electric Suspended

Charles Leclerc is not convinced the new rules Formula 1 will trial this weekend are right for the sport. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The series will trial its ‘Alternative Tyre Allocation’ for the first time this weekend. The regulations were originally called the ‘Revised Qualifying Format’ because they limit which tyres drivers may use in each stage of qualifying. Ordinarily drivers have free choice of tyres in qualifying sessions and tend to pick the softest rubber. This means they get through several sets of tyres over the course of Q1, Q2 and Q3. This weekend drivers will be given fewer sets of the soft tyres and the rules state they may not use them in Q1 or Q2. Drivers must run on hard tyres in Q1 and the medium compound in Q2. However Leclerc is concerned about the effect that may have on the rest of the weekend. “It’s going to be very tricky because also the free practice preparations are quite a lot mixed,” he said. “I feel like we are … [Read more...] about Added “jeopardy” of new qualifying rule is not right for F1 – Leclerc

Honda introduced a new aero fairing onto Takaaki Nakagami 's LCR-run bike at the British Grand Prix two weeks ago, with the package resembling KTM and Ducati's design philosophy. For this weekend's Austrian GP, both Marquez and team-mate Joan Mir have the new kit, with the former spending Friday's practice sessions running the old package back-to-back with the updated one. Though feeling like he was getting "better and better" throughout the day on the new aero, Marquez said it has forced him to ride the RC213V in a different way – but one in which its key issues, mainly the bike's poor acceleration, remains. "Today was a very demanding day mentally, because with this new aero, the way to ride the bike is completely different," Marquez, who ended Friday in 13th after getting blocked by Pol Espargaro on a late flying lap in FP2, said. "I've gotten used to the Honda for many years, and especially last year and the first half of this season, and now this aero was … [Read more...] about Honda’s problems “still the same” with new aero – Marquez

At the very end of the 2024 Land Cruiser presentation held in early August, Toyota showed two shadowy silhouettes of unknown SUVs. One of them was a small boxy vehicle that looked an awful lot like how we'd imagine an FJ Cruiser revival. A couple of weeks later, a trademark was filed in Japan for the "Land Hopper" moniker, suggesting a name has been chosen for the compact off-roader. A new report suggests the box on wheels is coming soon. Japan's Best Car magazine claims a decision has been made to launch a smaller Land Cruiser positioned below the 250 and 300 models. It's said to take after the former in terms of styling and have roughly the same size as a Corolla Cross. For reference, the compact crossover is 176.1 inches long, 71.9 inches wide, and 64.9 inches tall. While the Corolla Cross has a unibody construction, the Land Hopper is said to be more rugged by riding on a body-on-frame platform by using a shortened GA-F architecture borrowed from the 250 and 300. … [Read more...] about Toyota FJ Cruiser Reboot To Get Gasoline And Hybrid Power: Report