car reviews

Mini is poised to make its much anticipated return to the World Rally Championship next weekend in the Rally of Sardinia.

The John Cooper Works Countryman Minis will be driven by Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo in a limited run of six rallies during 2011 before a full assault on the championship next year.

David Richards, team principal, is excited about the return: “The comeback of the MINI has created a real sense of anticipation within the team and yet, at the same time, an acute awareness of the enormous responsibility that rests on our shoulders. Read the rest of this entry »

F1′s governing body will create a new global racing series for electric cars, FIA president Jean Todt has revealed.

A report in the Financial Times said Todt, who thinks the new category can be set up for 2013 and be run on formula one circuits, has been asked to create the series by the European Commission.

“We want as soon as possible to have new categories with new energy,” said the Frenchman, who is also introducing greener new engine rules for F1.

“As much as we can do it all over the world, we will do it,” he added. Read the rest of this entry »

We wanted to stage a comparison test of the Audi R8 against its obvious rival, or rivals, right after the car’s introduction in January in Henderson, Nevada. But it was an international debut and didn’t allow us access until it was too late for this issue. So we drove a Porsche 911 Carrera S to Henderson for the pictures you see here as well as to get a sense of how the Audi would compare. Here is an eight-category summary of how we rate the two cars. Read the rest of this entry »