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Month: May 2023

Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club NASCAR team switches to Toyota in 2024

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Tuesday afternoon’s announcement of Legacy MC’s intention to switch manufacturers at the end of the 2023 season means there will now be eight full-time Toyota teams on the grid next season, the most since the 2011 season.

Currently Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing are the only two organisations running Toyotas.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who won all of his titles in Hendrick Motorsport-run Chevrolets, became a co-owner at Legacy MC during the offseason and has since enacted several changes from personnel to even the team name.

“Maury Gallagher and I are very excited about the partnership with Toyota and TRD beginning in 2024,” said Johnson.

“We admire and respect the level at which Toyota conducts their business in this sport and look forward to forging a new legacy for the future. I will always be appreciative to Chevrolet and everything we have accomplished together.

“I’m so thankful they took a chance on a kid from California so long ago and proud that the history books will forever memorialise our record-breaking success we shared.”

The team currently fields the #42 for Noah Gragson and #43 for Erik Jones, both former Toyota development drivers.

“We are humbled and delighted to welcome Legacy Motor Club into the Toyota and TRD NASCAR family,” said TRD president David Wilson.

Erik Jones, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, Allegiant Chevrolet Camaro and Noah Gragson, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet Camaro

Photo by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images

“Jimmie Johnson and Maury Gallagher have impressed us with their long-term vision and commitment to building a championship caliber organisation. More importantly, their character and values are aligned with ours and our current Cup Series partners, Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing.

“Of course, we also look forward to being reunited with our old friends, Erik Jones and Noah Gragson.”

The team formerly known as Richard Petty Motorsports has undergone several rebrands in the last few years amid changes in ownership.

It became Petty GMS for 2022, before its latest change of identity as Legacy MC in 2023.

The organisation had gone winless since 2014 until Jones earned a surprise victory in the Southern 500 last year. Its struggles have persisted into 2023, with both full-time drivers outside the top-20 in points having registered just two top ten finishes.

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May 2, 2023
Twisted Metal Teaser Trailer Shows Off Modded Subaru With Machine Guns

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Fans of the 90s video game franchise Twisted Metal will see a TV adaptation hit screens this summer. It’ll stream on Peacock, and a new teaser trailer provides our first look at the action. The show will follow a “motor-mouthed outsider” who was offered “a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mystery package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland.”

We got a peek at the dystopian world, which looks ripe for some vehicular carnage. The star, Anthony Mackie, is seen in the driver’s seat loading a shotgun and picking out his Road Mix for the CD player. We then get a shot of the Subaru that Mackie is piloting, which features a large rear wing, fender vents, hood vents and fender-mounted machine guns. The teaser also provides us with our first look at Sweet Tooth in Las Vegas, the killer clown who drives a deadly ice cream truck that is popular in the video games.

The Twisted Metal TV series entered development in early 2021, and filming took place in mid-2022. The series has 10 half-hour episodes and will hit the service on July 27, 2023. The show stars Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Thomas Haden Church, and Richard Cabral. Samoa Joe plays Sweet Tooth, while Will Arnett portrays the character’s voice.

The show will follow Mackie as he tries to deliver a mysterious package while being trailed by a horde of murderous marauders. The vehicular action could make or break show, with the video game revolving around demolition derby-style racing with guns, mines, and other weapons.

It seems only recently that video game adaptations have found their stride. From movies to TV, they are finally getting their proper due. A TV show about the video game Twisted Metal seemed to come out of left field, but it appears as if it could have some potential. Peacock is billing it as a post-apocalyptic action comedy, and it could be interesting with Mackie and the rest of the cast at the helm.

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May 2, 2023
Rolls-Royce Dawn Production Ends, Best-Selling Convertible In Brand’s History

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The sun sets on the Rolls-Royce Dawn because the convertible is officially out of production. The brand reports that the model is the best-selling open-top in its history.

When it created the Dawn, Rolls-Royce wanted to appeal to the younger buyers who it saw coming to the brand. The company used the Wraith coupe as a starting point but didn’t want to simply chop the roof off.

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The body removed unnecessary lines, and 80 percent of the panels were unique from the ones on the Wraith. As Rolls-Royce puts it in the announcement of the Dawn’s production ending: “Supple, flowing coachwork wraps around its occupants akin to raising a collar on an overcoat, affording those inside a cossetting, private and chic cabin experience.”

The company considered giving the Dawn a folding hardtop but eventually settled on a fabric roof using a mix of materials that includes cashmere. Rolls claimed that it came up with the world’s quietest convertible.

During development, the company used a mannequin wearing a wig with long hair. The developers then filmed how it flowed to tweak the roof opening into the optimal position.

Rolls-Royce is famous for its vehicles’ comfortable ride. According to the company, an American journalist allegedly drove a Dawn during an earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale and didn’t the ground shaking until reading about it later.

The Dawn premiered at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. The model at launch had a twin-turbo 6.6-liter V12 making 563 horsepower and 575 pound-feet. This got the convertible to 62 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. The roof folded in roughly 20 seconds while traveling at speeds up to 31 mph. Later, Rolls added the Black Badge version pushed the V12’s output to 593 hp and 620 lb-ft

Rolls-Royce is currently developing the Spectre electric coupe. It’s not yet clear whether the company would make a convertible version like the relationship between the Wraith and the Dawn.

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May 2, 2023
Gran Turismo Trailer Previews Story Of Gamer Who Joins Nissan Race Team

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No, this isn’t a trailer for a new Gran Turismo video game. There is a major connection to the popular racing franchise, however. In 2008, Nissan and Sony teamed up to create the Nissan GT Academy where gamers could compete in the sim racing world for a chance to join Nissan’s real-life race team. Gran Turismo tells the story of Jann Mardenborough, one of the winners in the series.

As such, the trailer features all kinds of automotive action in both the sim world and real world. Mardenborough (played by actor Archie Madekwe) is a young man who’s an ace at Gran Turismo and joins the GT Academy, apparently to the dismay of his father (played by Djimon Hounsou in the film). It also seems David Harbour’s character Jack Salter isn’t pleased about the idea of giving sim racers a seat in real cars, as he tells Danny Moore (played by Orlando Bloom) “It will tear them to pieces.” At this point, it’s worth noting that the movie is based on a true story, but isn’t a documentary by any means.

In the trailer, we see Mardenborough conquer the GT Academy (the only one to make the cut) and join Nissan’s racing team. We see him racing the Nissan GT-R against other GT-Rs, against Lamborghinis (portrayed here as the bad guys), and we see LeMans prototypes. This is also where we see a fiery crash, with Mardenborough literally crawling out through the fire. The trailer closes with more cars, more gear changes, smiles, cheers, drama … you know the drill.

It’s unclear how much creative liberty the movie will take with the real-life story of Mardenborough and the Nissan GT Academy. Among other things, the film highlights Gran Turismo 7 on the PlayStation 5, which is the latest iteration of the gaming franchise. That suggests it’s based in the present instead of 2011 when Maradenborough won the championship. It also suggests he was the only winner, when in fact the Nissan GT Academy saw several gamers go on to successful racing careers over its eight-year run. He did experience a bad crash at the Nurburgring, however, killing a spectator while escaping with minor injuries.

Gran Turismo is set to reach theaters on August 11.

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May 2, 2023
New and Used Chevrolet Trax (Chevy): Prices, Photos, Reviews, Specs

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What kind of vehicle is the 2024 Chevrolet Trax?

The Trax revives a small-car nameplate and gives it slippery SUV-like styling cues, but it’s a front-drive hatchback with no available all-wheel drive.

What does it compare to?

It compares with vehicles like Chevy’s own Equinox and Trailblazer, as well as the Kia Soul and Seltos and the Hyundai Kona.

Is the 2024 Chevrolet Trax a good car?

The attractive Trax has an attractively simple lineup, good fuel-economy estimates, and a high degree of technology standard. We give it a 6.0 out of 10, without the safety ratings still to come. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

What’s new for the 2024 Chevrolet Trax?

It’s an entirely new vehicle, much larger than the Chevy Trax sold prior to 2022. Based on the compact Trailblazer, the 2024 Trax has a longer wheelbase and is bigger overall—it’s nearly the equal in size of the Chevrolet Equinox crossover.

The Trax returns with an outfit that looks expensive and athletic like a track suit. Clearly in the spirit of the upcoming Equinox EV without cloning that electric SUV’s looks, the 2024 Trax brandishes a mesh grille across its nose, with a lattice texture that frames its small Chevy bowtie. LED headlights spin off from its LED running lights for an interesting lighting signature. Down the sides, the Trax strikes a strong Blazer note, with its two-pack and wasp waist and with the sweeping upturn of its shoulder line at the rear. Stickpin taillights cap the rear quarters, pointing back toward the Trax’s ample haunches. We wish more economy cars had this much verve—and it carries on inside, where the Trax mingles angled control pods with round air vents and a big touchscreen, knitting it all together well above its pay grade.

The bracing style doesn’t get the backup it needs from the powertrain, but what’s here is pleasant enough. The prosaic 137 hp that issues from the Trax’s 1.2-liter turbo-3 gets joined by 167 lb-ft of torque, all of which emerges from the business end of a 6-speed automatic to turn the front wheels, and the front wheels alone. This is no SUV; it’s a spacious front-drive hatchback, regardless of what the TV ads tell you—and it’s good at that, parsing out its economy-car power in careful amounts, never upsetting itself with rash responses to rough roads, and readily engaging with the driver’s steering inputs. It’s a capable city runner with no pretense of mucking things up off-road—and that’s refreshing.

The Trax has grown considerably in its new generation; it’s now bigger than the Trailblazer, and almost the size of the gas-powered Equinox. Interior space is ample for four 6-foot passengers and its well-shaped seats wear a durable fabric, though the driver could use more lumbar support. Cargo space shines, at 25.4 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 51.4 cubic feet when they’re flipped down.

Neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS has crash-tested the new Trax, but all versions have automatic high beams, active lane control, and automatic emergency braking. Blind-spot monitors and rear parking sensors are offered on all versions, and adaptive cruise control can be fitted to the more expensive models.

How much does the 2024 Chevrolet Trax cost?

The Trax comes in five trims: LS, 1RS, LT, 2RS and Activ. All have LED headlights and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as well as cloth upholstery and cruise control. The $21,495 Trax LS delivers that infotainment on an 8.0-inch touchscreen; the $23,195 Trax 1RS ups the ante with heated front seats and 18-inch wheels. We like the $23,395 Trax LT and its 11.0-inch touchscreen and remote start; hold on the spendy (it’s all relative) $24,995 Trax 2RS and its 19-inch wheels, and even the $24,995 Trax Activ with its monochrome look and power driver seat.

Where is the 2024 Chevrolet Trax made?

In South Korea.

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May 2, 2023
Ford Super Duty Early Production Undergoes Three-Hour Quality Checks

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With a total of 65 campaigns and over 8.6 million recalled vehicles last year, Ford had more recalls in the United States than any other automaker, according to a recent report by the NHTSA. However, the Blue Oval company knows quality is more important than ever in the automotive industry these days and it is taking steps toward improving its build quality. That is especially true for the 2023 Super Duty, which undergoes a thorough quality review in the early production phase.

The Detroit Free Press recently met with engineers and quality inspectors from the 2023 Super Duty team, who told the publication the level of quality review is unprecedented. The company is currently looking at every inch of the truck and all engineers are invited to look at it with a fine tooth comb – from the front to the rear, from the exterior to the cabin, and from the engine to every harness and brake tube. A procedure that takes around three hours per vehicle.

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“Today’s market is critical. You’ve got to get it right. When I go to bed, I lay in bed and think, ‘How can I fix this? How is this not right? What do we need to do?’ And the solution will come to me when I’m laying there. It consumes you because we’re incorporating this new launch process, this initiative for quality,” Paul Murray, a senior powertrain engineer specialized in transmissions, told the publication.

The Super Duty family of trucks is Ford’s most profitable vehicle range and the quality push at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville or Ohio Assembly in Sheffield began in 2020 with initial powertrain inspections. That strategy has now expanded to every component of the machine in an attempt to deliver “the best quality vehicle” to the market. Every step in the process and every small issue found are entered into a global system so that future problems are identified and addressed more quickly.

The new Super Duty has been on sale since late October and Ford is enjoying unprecedented demand from customers. In just five weeks, the automaker received more than 150,000 orders. And as we all know, trucks are where most of the automaker’s money comes from, so it’s surely a good thing to know those machines are thoroughly inspected before leaving the plant.

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May 2, 2023
Mercedes EQA Electric Sedan Caught In Traffic With Strange Disguise

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The original EQA from 2017 was a conceptual electric hatchback before the name was repurposed for a battery-powered crossover in 2021. Mercedes could reuse the moniker for a third body style in the years to come by introducing an EQA sedan. Seen here is an early prototype of a CLA-like swoopy saloon that does away with the combustion engine. It’s been caught testing on the streets of Germany while wearing a mélange of provisional and final parts.

Much like the larger and more expensive Mercedes models, it has flush door handles for better airflow to unlock extra range. The rear handles are actually sticking out from the body even though the car is moving, but that obviously won’t be the case on the production-ready EQA (name not confirmed). If you’re worried as to why the headlights and taillights look so strange, it’s because they’re temporary clusters that won’t be used in the final version.

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Combine those awkward lights with the small wheels and thick camouflage and you end up with a compact sedan that’s not easy on the eye. However, it’s too soon to jump to conclusions about the car’s design since this prototype is far from being the product customers will be able to purchase in roughly two years’ time. We’d wager the CLA is an attractive sedan, so we’re confident its successor will also be a looker. Some of the aero trickery we saw on the sleek Vision EQXX concept could trickle down.

The small sedan will ride on Mercedes’ forthcoming MMA platform, developed primarily for EVs while making compromises on the ICE side. That’ll surely raise a few eyebrows among fans considering one of the slogans used by the German luxury brand was “The Best or Nothing.” The future CLA won’t compete internally with the A-Class Sedan since the latter is unlikely to receive a next generation.

If the rumor mill is to be believed, it might not actually go by the “EQA” moniker since reports state Mercedes will gradually discontinue the “EQ” branding in 2024. Does that mean it’ll be simply called “CLA”? If so, logic tells us it would still have to be a more complex name than that to separate the purely electric versions from the ones equipped with a gasoline/diesel engine.

This new sedan will be part of a simplified “Entry Luxury” lineup with fewer models by discontinuing slow-selling products. Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius told Automotive News Europe we might get an official preview later this year. One venue where it would make sense to unveil a concept would be on the company’s home turf in early September at the 2023 IAA Munich.

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May 2, 2023
Lia Block Will Drive 1,400-HP Porsche At Pikes Peak In Tribute To Her Dad

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Last year, Ken Block was aiming to set a new overall record at Pikes Peak behind the wheel of a curious pink Porsche 911 called the Hoonipigasus. Sadly, that didn’t come to pass and tragically, the world lost the action sports star in January to a snowmobiling accident. However, The 1,400-horsepower Porsche lives and at this year’s Pikes Peak, it will go up the hill with Block behind the wheel. Not Ken, but his 16-year-old daughter Lia.

Taking recently to Instagram, Lia shared the exciting news with the world. However, this won’t be an official timed run, as she explains she still needs a bit more experience before racing it to the top. Considering many young drivers need more experience handling a 90-hp economy car, taking some time to master a monstrous 911 for one of the toughest racing venues in the world is understandable.

To refresh your memory, the Hoonipigasus is a vehicle of epic proportions and not just because it packs a 1,400-hp flat-six engine in a 2,200-pound car. Built by BBi Autosport, this is technically a mid-engine 911 designed specifically for the famous Hillclimb, and we mean specifically. It utilizes a trick height-adjustable suspension system that operates automatically using GPS coordinates, raising or lowering as needed during the car’s run to the clouds. Naturally, it’s all-wheel drive, and for those wondering about the name (and the color), it’s an homage to the 1971 Porsche 917/20 race car affectionately known as the “Pink Pig.”

Ken Block was preparing for a potential record-setting run at last year’s Pikes Peak Hillclimb, the 100th running of the annual event when an engine failure took him out before timed runs could commence. Lia will likely be taking it pretty easy for the 101st running, though she has all kinds of experience with mega horsepower driving the Hoonicorn Mustang against numerous competitors, albeit in a straight line.

However, she’s not unfamiliar with turning or stage rally. Lest we forget the drift practice she received with her dad at age 13, and she is currently running a successful season in the Green APU American Rally Association, driving a Subaru BRZ in the Open 2WD category. She recently finished first in class at the 2023 Olympus Rally and is presently second overall in O2WD.

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May 1, 2023
NASCAR Cup Dover: Truex snaps 54-race winless streak

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After his younger brother, Ryan Truex, earned his first Xfinity Series win Saturday at Dover, Martin was first off pit road during a late-race caution thanks to a two-tyre stop.

He quickly cleared Ryan Blaney for the lead on the restart with seven laps to go and edged Ross Chastain – who took four tyres on his final stop – by 0.505 seconds at the checkered flag to earn his first win of the 2023 season.

The victory is the 32nd of Truex’s career and snaps a 54-race winless streak in points-paying races that dates back to the 2021 season, although he won the preseason, Busch Clash exhibition race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum this year.

The win is the fourth of Truex’s career at Dover, considered he and Ryan’s home track as they hail from nearby Mayetta, New Jersey.

“It feels incredible,” Truex said. “Really, we’ve been close a bunch of times. When we got the late caution I said, ‘I wonder what’s going to happen here,’ but a great call by James (Small, crew chief) to take two (tyres).

“We got a pretty good restart and got by Blaney there. He raced me hard. Just thanks to everybody that has stuck by us.

“We knew we could do this. We led laps, we dominated races, it just would never all come together.”

Blaney finished third, William Byron was fourth and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-five.

Race winner Martin Truex, Jr, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry

Photo by: Ben Earp / NKP / Motorsport Images

Completing the top-10 were Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher and Josh Berry, in his first race substituting for the injured Alex Bowman.

Byron held off a fast-approaching Hamlin to claim the Stage 1 win, his sixth stage victory of the 2023 season. Blaney was third, Keselowski fourth and Chastain fifth.

With qualifying rained out Saturday, Kyle Busch started on pole based on NASCAR’s performance metric.

But during the pit stops on Lap 23, he was penalised for speeding and had to restart from the rear of the field.

Daniel Suarez was one of three drivers collected in a wreck on Lap 35, which did extensive damage to his No. 99 Chevrolet and knocked him out of the race. Busch also received some damage in the incident.

Brennan Poole got turned by Chastain in Turn 1 on Lap 81 and then shot up the track and collected Kyle Larson. Poole and Larson both received extensive damage and went to the garage.

Chastain easily cruised to the Stage 2 win over Byron, having grabbed the lead during a round of green flag pit stops. Blaney was third, Truex fourth and Hamlin was fifth.

#48: Josh Berry, Hendrick Motorsports, Ally Chevrolet Camaro, #1: Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, Jockey Chevrolet Camaro and #47: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr, JTG Daugherty Racing, Kroger/Icy Hot Pro Chevrolet Camaro

Photo by: Motorsport Images

During pit stops on Lap 123, Keselowski was penalised for an uncontrolled tyre and had to restart at the rear of the field.

Logano and Bell kicked off a round of green flag pit stops on Lap 188 to take on new tyres and fuel to make it to the end of the stage. Chastain cycled to the lead once the stops were completed on Lap 201.

With 10 laps remaining in the stage, Joey Logano continued to struggle with his No. 22 Ford and fell three laps down.

Following the break between Stages 2 and 3, the lead-lap cars all pit with Byron first off pit road. On the restart on Lap 259, Byron was followed by Chastain, Blaney and Truex.

Chastain went to the outside of Byron in Turn 4 and got around him to retake the lead with 114 laps remaining in the race.

Keselowski was among the first to hit pit road on Lap 326 for a final round of green flag stops to take on new tyres and fuel to make it to the finish.

Once the cycle of stops was completed six laps later, Truex moved into the lead followed by Chastain and Blaney.

With 25 laps to go, Truex was working hard to hold Chastain at bay as Blaney ran third and Hamlin fourth.

Joey Logano – who had been struggling the entire race – wrecked on Lap 387 to bring out the seventh caution of the race.

The lead-lap cars all pit with Truex first off pit road thanks to a two-tyre pit stop. Chastain – who came off fourth – was the first driver to take four. The race returned to green with seven laps to go in the race.

NASCAR Cup Dover race results

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May 1, 2023
Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant road-tests a new quality strategy

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Kentucky Truck added 300 quality inspectors, and more engineers to chase down the root causes of defects and design new digital tools for catching problems before trucks rolled off the end of the line.

Workers now use a camera to feed images of electrical connections to software that can determine whether the connectors are properly connected.

Around the plant, engineers built command centers with more big screens than many sports bars, all displaying data from different assembly stations. One command center, with 16 screens, is known as Claire’s Corner because it was designed by process engineering manager Claire Yarmak.

“The complexity of this vehicle is huge,” Yarmak said. New comfort features, such as a front seat that reclines to create a sleeping bed, create new opportunities for trouble. When a sensor hooked into Yarmak’s screens detected a defective sensor in the sleeper seat, the line stopped.

Instead of test-driving a small sample of trucks to check for squeaks, rattles or infotainment system glitches – problems that take down scores on external quality surveys – Kentucky Truck deployed workers to drive 28,000 of the first new-generation Super Duties along a 25-mile route near the factory.

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May 1, 2023