SEAT LEON RETURNS TO THE WTCC IN 2013

Following a successful return to the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) with a new 1.6-litre turbo engine last year, SEAT Sport has announced that it will support four teams for the 2013 season. The SEAT Leon WTCC – one of the most successful touring car racers in recent years – goes under starter’s orders once more.
Running the SEAT Leon WTCC this year are four teams: Campos Racing (Spain); Tuenti Racing Team (Spain); Special Tuning Racing (Great Britain); and Münnich Motorsport (Germany). Reigning World Touring Car Champion Robert Huff will drive for the latter team, in the cockpit of the Leon WTCC bearing number 1.
And he’ll be supported by another reigning world champion in Team Münnich: Marc Basseng, who took the 2012 title in the FIA GT1 World Championship. The current European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) champion, Fernando Monje, also enters the fray this season at the wheel of a Leon WTCC for Team Campos Racing.
“Motorsport is deeply embedded in SEAT’s DNA and also on-going proof of our technical expertise. With the experience and know-how of experts working at SEAT Sport we have been able to offer a very competitive vehicle for all our customers,” says Dr. Matthias Rabe, SEAT’s Vice President for Research and Development. “I would particularly like to thank the mechanics and engineers at SEAT Sport, who have worked with enormous motivation to prepare the teams’ race vehicles.”
SEAT Sport is supporting the four customer teams with extensive assistance derived from enormous know-how garnered over the years. Specialists from SEAT Sport will be on-site at each of the 24 races on twelve race tracks around the world.
“SEAT fans around the world are thrilled by every single exciting race,” says Jaime Puig, Head of SEAT Sport with responsibility for the brand’s motorsport activities. “We are supporting the customer teams with the full weight of our combined experience and I am certain they will achieve outstanding success this year, too.”
At the heart of SEAT’s touring car racer is the 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine with an output of 310 PS and a maximum torque of 410 Nm. Last season, the turbocharged powerhouse – developed by SEAT Sport – made it very obvious that it possesses all of the performance and endurance called for in every single WTCC race. The Leon WTCC is based on the five-door Mk II SEAT Leon CUPRA and has been modified by SEAT Sport engineers in accordance with the official rules laid down by the FIA for international competition.
The SEAT Leon WTCC is one of the most successful touring car racers of recent years, with SEAT twice bringing the world title home to Spain – in 2008 and 2009. The Spanish brand caused quite a sensation with these achievements: in 2007 the Leon TDI was the first diesel-powered car to enter the World Touring Car Championship, before going on to win successive titles over the next two years. The vehicle and engine were both developed by SEAT Sport.
Motorsport has been a fixed part of SEAT for many decades – sport is part of the brand DNA. The two wins at the World Touring Car Championship in 2008 and 2009 with the SEAT Leon TDI WTCC and the triple victory in the World Rally Championship in the 2-litre class from 1996 to 1998 are just two outstanding examples. Alongside its commitment to customers in the WTCC, 2013 will also see SEAT Sport support its customers in the FIA European Touring Car Championship (ETCC), a number of single-brand race series like the SEAT Leon Supercopa in Mexico and the SEAT Ibiza Cup in Italy and Spain.
Race calendar, 2013 World Touring Car Championship (WTCC)

24 March	Monza, Italy
7 April	Marrakesh, Morocco
28 April	Slovakia Ring, Slovakia
5 May	Budapest, Hungary
19 May	Salzburg, Austria
9 June	Moscow, Russia
30 June	Porto, Portugal
28 July	Curitiba, Brazil
8 September	Sonoma, USA
22 September	Suzuka, Japan
3 November	Shanghai, China
17 November	Guia, Macau

JACKSON JOINS AVENSIS QUARTET FOR 2013 BTCC

There will be four Toyotas on the BTCC grid this season. It was confirmed today that the second Avensis seat in the Speedworks Motorsport team has been filled at the last minute by former GT racer Ollie Jackson. The 28-year-old Norfolk-based driver will line up at Brands Hatch next Sunday (31 March) alongside Speedworks’ first signing, Dave Newsham, and the other Avensis-driving independents, Dynojet Racing’s Frank Wrathall and Ciceley Racing man Adam Morgan.
Jackson, who raced an S2000-specification Golf in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship in 2012, enjoyed his first taste of a ‘next generation’ touring car today at Donington Park, the venue for the championship launch and test day.
Said Jackson: “I had resigned myself to doing some club racing this season because we were struggling to raise the budget for the BTCC. But then the Speedworks offer came along at the last minute and here we are… It’s funny how things work out.
“I have never so much as sat in an NGTC car before today, so it’s going to be a bit of a steep learning curve. I’m delighted to be in the Toyota with Speedworks – the guys have a great reputation – and it’s great not only to be back in the BTCC and in a front-running NGTC car, but also to be with such a great team.
“It’s going to be helpful to be racing alongside Dave Newsham. My experience of front-wheel drive is limited and it will be good to be able to compare myself with someone who knows what they are doing.”
Speedworks team boss Christian Dick welcomed Jackson to the squad: “We have a great car in the Toyota and we are really excited that Ollie is coming on board: he has been quick in everything he has raced in the past and I think that this year, with a quick team-mate like Dave, he will have a good benchmark and I think the results will flow. It’s really exciting; having two experienced drivers working together from the start of the season will put us in a very good position.”
Both the Speedworks Toyotas carry the branding of Hughes Safety Showers, the company run by former Avensis racer Tony Hughes. Additional backing for the Jackson car comes from Alcon, Showtrax, Beavis Morgan, Corbeau and Luke.
Jackson’s track career began in a Caterham sports car series for novices in 2005; he went on to finish second in the Caterham Superlight Challenge in ’08 before switching to Porsche racing for two seasons. He made his BTCC debut at the end of 2011 in a Vauxhall and last year scored several top-10 finishes.
Today’s Donington Park media event provided a platform for all the Toyota independent drivers to test their cars and meet the media. BTCC organiser TOCA also took the opportunity to reveal a 32-car entry list for the coming year, and that ITV4 has confirmed for a further three years its commitment to screening the championship.
Lancashire’s Frank Wrathall, who won the final BTCC round of 2012 in his Dynojet Toyota, said he was optimistic of further good results in his Avensis thanks to starting his season with a good number of testing miles under his belt.
“In motor racing you are only as good as your last result, so I have been playing on that for the last few months,” said Frank. “It’s going to be difficult to repeat that win, and we are experienced now in taking disappointments on the chin, but we’ll take the good results when we can and hopefully be back on the podium soon.”
Dave Newsham, who joins Speedworks after collecting two BTCC race wins last year in a Vauxhall, said: “This is the third year of the NGTC programme with the Toyota at Speedworks and they have made good progress with it. My first impressions of the Avensis are that it is well sorted, and I really can’t wait to get going with it.”
The third team fielding a Toyota this season is Ciceley Racing, the family team based around promising young Lancashire driver Adam Morgan, who made his BTCC debut in 2012 in a Speedworks Avensis after winning a scholarship scheme devised by sports car maker Ginetta.
“We are optimistic but realistic,” said Adam. “I struggled a bit last year – I had the pace but didn’t get the results – so this year we are going to work on consistency and try to get some good results.”
Easter Sunday’s triple helping of Brands Hatch BTCC action will be screened live in HD on ITV4 and via itv.com

HIRSCHMANN UNVEILS SECOND GENERATION IN-CAR ENTERTAINMENT HUB TO CRITICAL ACCLAIM, AT AAITF

Hirschmann Car Communication has used the 2013 Automotive Aftermarket Industry and Tuning Fair (AAITF) in Guangzhou, China, as a launch platform for its in-car Entertainment (ICE) Hub 2.0. Via an App, which is downloaded to a mobile device, the wireless multimedia box offers passengers the highest quality sound and picture quality, even at high speed.

Taking in-car entertainment to another level, Hirschmann’s Entertainment Hub 2.0 offers perfect reception quality and multi user functionality, allowing individual vehicle passengers the choice of: watching television; listening to radio and/or accessing their own videos, music and pictures on storage media such as SD cards and USB sticks, via their own mobile device. A version with an integrated DVD player will also be available.

 “As a leader in the specialist field of ICE, Hirschmann Car Communication is focussed on delivering solutions that are not only future-proof, but that are also user-friendly and comfortable to use,” explained Laurie Burns, Head of Hirschmann Solutions, a business unit of Hirschmann Car Communication.

“AAITF is the most important event of its kind in our calendar. By witnessing the growth and development within the industry, it allows us to prepare for the future. It’s an excellent venue for reconnecting with existing customers and making contact with potential new business partners. We expected a high level of interest at the launch as China is a key market for us and the first generation of the device was extremely well received; however, visitors to the show have been completely won over by the exciting possibilities offered by version 2.0 of the product, and initial demand has been overwhelming,” Laurie continued.

Hirschmann Car Communication operates a continuous development programme and is working on more in-depth functions for forthcoming models, for example: the integration of Bluetooth and the latest LTE mobile phone standard, which will enable users to use the device as a high performance Internet hotspot.

“Demand for version 1.0 of the Entertainment Hub was unexpectedly high outside of the Asian pacific markets and as a result, the box now adheres to global digital TV standards. Further development will allow us to continue our success story both in China and beyond," Laurie added. In line with this, DVB-T2 – the successor to the DVB-T broadcasting standard will be available to a global market from quarter one, 2014.

Hirschmann’s Entertainment Hub 2.0 is easy to use and the mechanics are simple as no cables are required. With the aid of combined antennas, the box receives and interprets terrestrial signals and then sends the content via Wireless LAN directly to the user’s mobile device: smartphone; tablet; personal computer (PC) or notebook. The multi-platform App is available for all standard mobile operating systems. As an alternative users can use a web browser available with version 2.0.

BTCC announces record entry list for 2013

Thirty-two cars confirmed for this year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship
 

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) has today (Thursday 21 March) announced both a record – and capacity – 32-car entry list for the upcoming 2013 season.

An incredible 13 models from 11 different marques are entered, including both Honda and MG as official Manufacturer teams. In total this amounts to the biggest BTCC season entry list in its 2-litre history. No fewer than 26 of the unprecedented 32-car grid will be entering with the BTCC’s NGTC-spec machinery, whilst a further six competitors will contest the Jack Sears Trophy for S2000 cars.

The BTCC also boasts four champions on its 2013 grid plus a new multi-year television contract with ITV – securing the current vast ITV coverage until at least 2017. A new ‘soft compound’ Dunlop tyre has also been introduced to add a new strategic element to each team’s race weekend. This year’s BTCC will again comprise 30 races across ten events at nine venues around the UK, with the season commencing at Brands Hatch on 30/31 March.

Record Grid
The UK’s most popular national motor sport series is preparing for one of the biggest and most competitive seasons in its illustrious 56-year history with a record 18 teams entering a total of 32 cars. This figure eclipses the largest grid in recent BTCC years, which stands at the 30 cars entered into the final round of the 2011 season at Silverstone. The BTCC limits the maximum number of entries to 32 cars, in accordance with the MSA track-licence for Brands Hatch (Indy), Oulton Park and Knockhill circuits.

Four Champions
There will be four champions on the 2013 grid, with returning 2009 victor Colin Turkington joining reigning champion Gordon Shedden and multiple title winners Matt Neal and Jason Plato.

Turkington spearheads the three-pronged eBay Motors line-up in the promising new BMW 125i M Sport prepared by former champion outfit West Surrey Racing. Shedden and Neal return for the all-conquering Honda Yuasa Racing Team which clinched Drivers’, Manufacturers’ and Teams’ Championship in 2012. Despite taking his record BTCC wins tally to 74, Plato had to settle for third place overall in 2012 in what was an impressive debut season for the new MG KX Momentum Racing team.

As well as the four BTCC champions, a chasing pack and growing contingent of young guns have also set their sights on championship glory. Arguably leading this challenge are former runner-up Mat Jackson in his Airwaves Racing Ford Focus and last year’s Independents’ Champion, Andrew Jordan, in his Pirtek Racing Honda Civic.

Makes and Models
With 13 different models from 11 different marques, the BTCC has one of the largest and most varied touring car grids in the world. Official manufacturer entries from Honda Yuasa Racing and MG KX Momentum Racing are joined by a host of independent teams entering cars from Audi (WIX Racing), BMW (eBay Motors), Chevrolet (BTC Racing, M247 Racing, Team Club 44), Ford (Addison Lee Motorbase, Airwaves Racing, Welch Motorsport with Sopp + Sopp), Honda (Pirtek Racing), Proton (Welch Motorsport with Sopp + Sopp), Seat (Team BMR Restart), Toyota (Ciceley, Dynojet, Speedworks), Vauxhall (RCIB Insurance Racing, Wheel Heaven/Houseman Racing) and Volkswagen (PPCGB.com/Kraftwerk Racing) – the latter two will be represented by their respective Insignia and Vectra and Golf and Passat models.

ITV Coverage
Having broadcast the BTCC since 2002, ITV has announced its further commitment to covering the championship until at least 2017. ITV will continue to screen around seven hours of live free-to-air coverage from each event on both its ITV4 and ITV4 HD channels as well as the itv.com website, which also streams qualifying sessions live. Adding to the coverage are 60-minute edited race highlights repeated three times after each event on ITV and ITV4 as well as their respective HD channels and ‘simulcast’ on itv.com. In total more than 230 hours of the BTCC will be broadcast across the ITV network each season.

Dunlop Tyres
The Goodyear Dunlop group begins its tenth year of title sponsorship and official tyre supplier to the BTCC. Dunlop is also celebrating its own 125-year anniversary in 2013. At nine of this year’s ten events (the exception being Thruxton), drivers in NGTC-spec cars will have one set of a new ‘soft compound’ Dunlop tyre at their disposal, which will offer a variation in performance to the standard compound tyre. These tyres must be used in one of the three races at each event and teams must nominate, prior to Saturday's qualifying session, which particular race they elect to use them.

Jack Sears Trophy
The BTCC will present a special cup to the highest S2000 finisher in each race, with the driver who claims the most victories over the course of the season winning the inaugural ‘Jack Sears Trophy’. The trophy is named after racing legend Jack Sears who won the inaugural BTCC title in 1958, before adding a second crown 50 years ago in 1963. S2000 cars will no longer enjoy strict performance parity with the greater number of NGTC machines, so the introduction of this trophy is seen as a tangible reward for drivers continuing their progression through the BTCC ranks.

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow said: “The record entry list that we've announced today is a great validation of NGTC technical regulations and real testament to the continued success, growth and stability of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

“The current health of the BTCC is absolutely fantastic and even more staggering, perhaps, with the challenging economic climate. Our teams have worked incredibly hard and have demonstrated real commitment to this championship – particularly as the majority have invested in the latest specification NGTC machinery. We continue to evolve this bright new era of the BTCC and all the teams have benefitted from the success of the championship.

“Our trackside attendance has increased year-on-year over the last decade. The ITV audience figures and airtime reached all-time highs last year and we have now proudly announced an important new contract with them until 2017. We’d also like to thank our other partners, not least of which is our title sponsor Dunlop – these companies recognise the importance and value of being involved in the BTCC.

“We have a huge grid – including four champions in the line-up – culminating in fresh colours, cars and stars in the BTCC. The strength in depth continues to rise along with the undoubted professionalism and turnout of our loyal and committed teams. That is why the BTCC is so firmly cemented as the UK’s premier and most popular motor sport series.”

CADILLAC ‘CUES’ UP TABLET-LIKE CUSTOMIZATION

Like many of today’s smart phones and tablets, a deep dive into Cadillac’s CUE in-vehicle user experience reveals customized conveniences and advanced features that enable user-created shortcuts to their favorite infotainment features. From accurately guessing an intended destination to aggregating music playlists, CUE’s customizable approach to working a vehicle’s traditional audio and navigation features allow settings to be tailored to specific tastes.
Navigation shortcuts and information security
Most navigation systems prompt users to insert destination information by separately inputting state, city, street, and house number information. CUE users can manually or verbally input the entire destination address on one screen, saving time and keeping drivers focused on the road. In some cases, CUE will take a hint from partial information and automatically fill in city and state information.
CUE also offers “presets” of frequently visited destinations similar to radio station presets, CUE will support access of destinations and phone numbers without having to separately launch the vehicle’s navigation system or phone book. These presets live along the bottom row of all CUE screens, allowing for instant access regardless of application the user is in.
To offset security concerns, engineers equipped CUE with a “Valet Mode,” which blocks access to all center stack and instrument panel functions, as well as the storage bin behind the center stack.
“Drivers had reservations about their personal information, such as addresses or stored phone numbers, being accessed by a valet attendant, for example, or in case of theft,” said Cody Hansen, CUE interaction designer. “With ‘Valet Mode’ users can enter a four-digit pin and lock access to the center stack, steering wheel controls, and the storage cubby behind the center stack.”
Advanced media access and audio settings
CUE offers some of the industry’s most advanced audio features and connectivity options. Up to 10 different media devices could be paired at one time via Bluetooth. To help manage all those playlists, CUE’s media library aggregates all the playlists to make finding specific songs easier.
Integration of CUE’s main functions into the steering controls and a separate screen in the instrument cluster allows access to radio and navigation functions at the same time – – the equivalent of multitasking on two separate computer monitors at home or office.
Beyond playlists, users can fully customize and save radio tone settings for a personalized music listening experience. Most vehicles come with predetermined sound settings for certain music genres such as rock, jazz and talk. CUE allows users to save their own settings by adjusting the bass, treble, balance and fade to desired levels. Creation and naming of custom genres such as “Baby Mode,” where the fade and bass are turned down so as not to wake a sleeping child in the backseat.
“Twenty years ago when navigation systems began to appear in autos some thought of it as an unneeded add-on,” said Hansen. “Now navigation is a must-have for many. CUE elevates the levels of personalization so the driver interacts with features they may not have realized were so essential for their in-vehicle experience.”
Many auto industry-first features, such as an eight-inch capacitive touch screen display and proximity sensing, are CUE highlights. The system is available on the 2013 Cadillac ATS sports sedan, SRX luxury crossover and XTS luxury sedan.

KIA RACING REVS UP FOR 2013 PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE SEASON OPENER ON THE STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG

Kia Racing and partner Kinetic Motorsports return to the racetrack this weekend in St. Petersburg, Fla., for the kickoff the 2013 Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) season.  The No. 36 and No. 38 turbocharged Optimas will take the green flag for Round 1 on Saturday, March 23. Building on the brand’s successful rookie season – a “development” year that included two wins, six podium finishes and a flawless reliability record – the team is eager to get back to competition after a winter off-season spent dialing-in the Optimas in hopes of making a run at a GTS-class championship in 2013.
“As we enter our fourth year of road racing in the U.S., the Kia Racing program has been a huge success story for our brand and has allowed us to demonstrate the durability and performance of our vehicles while reaching an entirely new audience,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of marketing and communications, KMA. “Beginning an all-new season in the Pirelli World Challenge with the turbocharged Optimas and two experienced and talented drivers behind the wheel is exciting for us, and we have set our sights high for 2013.”
The start of the racing season may only be days away, but the Kia Racing team has been hard at work for months in preparation for St. Petersburg.  Soon after the 2012 season finale in Sonoma, the turbocharged Optimas returned to Kinetic’s Buford, Ga., shop to be stripped down and meticulously rebuilt from the ground up, every bolt inspected, every weld examined.
“There wasn’t much ‘off’ in the off-season for Kia Racing,” said Russell Smith, co-owner of Kinetic Motorsports. “In addition to the work we did in the shop, we were able to conduct a proper on-track testing and development program, which, for reasons of timing, we weren’t able to do before the start of last season. The insights we’ve gained and the progress we’ve made have us feeling pretty good for the first race, but we’re going need everything we’ve got because the level of competition in the World Challenge has only got better in the interim.”
Kia made history at St. Petersburg last year when it became the first Korean car company to compete in the PWC, bringing home two top-ten finishes in Rounds 1 and 2 at the 1.8-mile 14-turn temporary St. Petersburg street circuit.
Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2013 PWC take place on Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24 at St. Petersburg, Fla.  The green flags fly at 5:00 p.m. ET and 10:25 a.m. ET, respectively.  Race fans can tune in online for live race coverage at www.world-challengetv.com, and catch the latest news and updates from the track at www.facebook.com/kiaracing and can follow the team on Twitter at @KiaRacing.

CHEVROLET TEASES 2014 CAMARO SS

The redesigned 2014 Camaro SS will debut at the New York International Auto Show on Wednesday, March 27 at 12:45 p.m., EDT. The 2014 model represents the most significant change for the fifth-generation Camaro, which has been the most popular sports car in America for three consecutive years. The new Camaro will be joined by the all-new Corvette Stingray and Chevrolet SS performance sedan, completing the line of new performance vehicles Chevrolet will offer for 2014.