NOVEMBER 2, 2016

(BBC Sport)
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 AMG Petronas Mercedes) kept his World Championship hopes alive (barely) with another dominant win, this time in the Grand Prix of Mexico. Hamilton started from the pole position, ran wide in Turn 1 after locking up a tire under braking, then comfortably had the measure of his teammate - Nico Rosberg (No. 6 AMG Petronas Mercedes) - for the rest of the race. Rosberg finished second, and only needs to finish second to Hamilton over the next two races (Brazil and Abu Dhabi) to clinch the World Championship. Daniel Ricciardo (No. 3 Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer) finished third after his teammate Max Verstappen (No. 3 Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer) was demoted from the spot on the podium by the officials for conduct unbecoming a F1 driver or some such bullshit. That elevated Sebastian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari) to third, but then he was penalized for a late race run-in with Ricciardo. (Editor-In-Chief's Note: The whining in F1 has become too much. Vettel expects people to just move over for him because he's a former World Champion, apparently. And none of the F1 "veterans" like 19-year-old Verstappen because he races hard and doesn't willingly make way for his elders. Here's a thought: Go Faster, or shut up. -PMD.) Sunday's win was the 51st Grand Prix victory of Hamilton's career, tying him with Alain Prost for second on the all time list behind Michael Schumacher (91).
(Getty Images/BBC)

(Getty Images/NASCAR)
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe's Chevrolet SS) won the Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway, punching his ticket as one of the final four drivers aiming for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20th. It was Johnson's ninth win at Martinsville but the first win at the .526-mile short track since the spring race of 2013, and he now has a shot at a record-tying seventh championship. (Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt are the two other drivers with seven championships.) It was also Johnson's fourth win this season and the 79th win of his illustrious career. A charging Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion) finished 1.291 seconds behind Johnson after passing Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing FedEx Freight Toyota Camry) on Lap 477 of the 500 laps. Hamlin finished third. Next up is the AAA Texas 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway.

(Chevrolet)
You might not care about drag racing but the manufacturers still do. Why? Because they sell high-performance parts. Lots and lots of high-performance parts. And in some cases, complete cars too. The Camaro SS Drag Race Development Program was created to develop performance parts for 2016+ Camaro models. Duplicating the typical stair-step enhancements many amateur racers make with their production Camaro SS models - including swapping the differential for one with a numerically higher ratio, adding horsepower-building components such as a cam-and-heads package - the drag race package developed by Chevrolet engineers for the SS Camaro’s LT1 engine produces 535HP. “More than simply achieving quick ETs in the Camaro, we are exploring the supporting components that help the car to go quicker with great durability,” said Mark Dickens, director, Performance Variants, Parts and Motorsports Engineering. “We’ve tested stronger axles and chassis components aimed at improving launch and traction attributes.” Chevrolet engineers have made more than 100 passes down the quarter-mile with the development car, including the evaluation of DOT-approved racing and slick tires and a variety of drivetrain combinations. Additional changes helped to ultimately push the car to a 10.685 ET at 125.73 mph.

(Ford)
Ford will enter its all-new 2017 F-150 Raptor in the 49th running of the SCORE Baja 1000 off-road endurance event, Nov. 16-20. Four-time Baja 1000 winner Greg Foutz will pilot the truck. Powered by an all-new high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost® V6 engine that delivers 450 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque, the Baja-bound F-150 Raptor race truck "showcases the level of performance this purpose-built off-road vehicle will offer straight from the showroom floor," according to Ford. The Ford Performance-supported F-150 Raptor will be on display at the 2016 SEMA show, Nov. 1-4.

(VW)
With Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (No. 1 Volkswagen Polo R WRC) winning the Rally Great Britain in Wales over the weekend - round 12 of 13 in the FIA World Rally Championship this season - Volkswagen has an unassailable lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship. VW claimed its fourth Manufacturers’ title since 2013 with the French pair’s sixth win of the season and their fourth in a row. Volkswagen joins rival Citroën as only the second manufacturer in the history of the World Rally Championship to win all three world titles (drivers', co-drivers' and manufacturers') four years in a row. In sobering news, the 2016 season will be VW's last in the WRC. The company's board decided on Tuesday, November 1st, that the WRC program will be over at the end of this season.

(crash.net)
Andrea Dovizioso (No. 4 Ducati Team Desmosedici GP) won the wet Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang (the start was delayed by 20 minutes due to a heavy rain storm). It was the Italian's first victory since 2009, and he was also the ninth different winner of the season. Valentino Rossi (No. 46 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YZR-M1) and Jorge Lorenzo (No. 99 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YZR-M1) completed the podium after Andrea Iannone (No. 29 Ducati Team Desmosedici GP), Marc Marquez (No. 93 Repsol Honda Team RC213V) and Cal Crutchlow (No. 35 LCR Honda RC213V) all fell from the lead group in quick succession. Rossi has now secured second in the world championship ahead of his teammate.

(Team Penske)
Juan Pablo Montoya is returning to Team Penske to run the 2017 Indianapolis 500. The 41-year-old Colombian had explored options with other Verizon IndyCar Series teams after the team signed Josef Newgarden for his seat, but has decided that rejoining Team Penske would give him the best chance to win a third Indianapolis 500. Montoya has won 15 Indy car races in 91 career starts over five seasons (Chip Ganassi Racing in CART in 1999-2000; Team Penske from 2014-16). Montoya competed in Formula One and NASCAR in interim years. He won the CART championship in 1999 and the Indianapolis 500 in 2000 and 2015.

(Ford)
Ford Performance has unveiled an all-new, track-ready, turnkey racing machine - the Ford Mustang GT4. Jointly designed and engineered by Ford Performance and Multimatic Motorsports, the Mustang GT4 is built to compete in sports car championship racing series globally, including the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, Pirelli World Challenge GTS/GT4 and the GT4 European Series. It’s based on the Ford Shelby GT350R-C that won the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge championship just last month. The Mustang GT4 is equipped with the next-generation, naturally aspirated 5.2L V8 racing engine specifically tuned for GT4 competition. The engine was engineered, validated and built by Ford Performance in partnership with Roush Yates Engines. Other stuff? A lightweight, compact six-speed Holinger paddle shift gearbox delivers proven race durability with direct-pneumatic activation for fast, positive and consistent gear shifts. The GT4 powertrain also carries a dry sump oiling system, ZF-developed twin-plate racing clutch and flywheel. The suspension package includes Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve (DSSV™) dampers from Multimatic; rear lower control arms (designed specifically for coil-over springs) and front/rear stabilizer bars from Multimatic; 18” x 11” forged alloy wheels from Forgeline; and rotors and six-piston calipers from Brembo. Aerodynamic enhancements include a rear wing, front splitter, hood venting, diveplanes and rear diffuser. The Mustang GT4 carries a full FIA-compliant roll cage and race-oriented dash logger from MoTeC.

(Michelin)
In collaboration with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, Michelin has announced the winners of the global 2017 Michelin Challenge Design, “Le Mans 2030: Design for the Win.” Works by individuals and teams of designers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, India, Portugal and Russia were among the winners and finalists selected by a distinguished jury of the world’s top automotive designers and industry experts. The three winning designs, seven finalists and 10 honorable mentions were chosen from more than 1,600 registrants representing 80 countries. Over 16 years, Michelin Challenge Design has received a total of 9,901 entries from 123 countries. “The winners of our 2017 Michelin Challenge Design presented numerous highly innovative features for the Le Mans race in the year 2030 and the quality of work from this year’s entries was truly outstanding,” said Thom Roach, vice president of original-equipment marketing for Michelin North America. “We congratulate the winners for their thought-provoking, visually captivating designs for the world’s greatest endurance race, Le Mans 24 Hours.” First Place went to Tao Ni of Wuhu, China, for design entry “Infiniti Le Mans 2030” (above).

(Michelin)
Second place went to Daniel Bacelar Pereira of Vila Real, Portugal, for “Bentley 9 Plus Michelin Battery Slick.”
(Michelin)
Third place went to Kurt Scanlan of Toronto, Canada for his “Cierzo C1” entry.

Editor-In-Chief's Note: Red Bull Global Rallycross will create an all-electric vehicle series for the 2018 season. Electric vehicles will be added to Red Bull GRC race weekends as a distinct, stand-alone series, joining the Supercar and GRC Lites classes in the series’ race program. Red Bull GRC, in conjunction with USAC (United States Auto Club), will serve as the governing body for the new series. The Red Bull GRC Supercar class now features four manufacturer partners: Ford, Subaru, Honda and Volkswagen. It will be interesting to see which manufacturers sign up for the new all-electric series. More details will be released in the coming year. -PMD