Check out this really exciting video of the new, remodeled Cadillac CTS Coupe. The Cadillac CTS Coupe video shows a CTS zooming through the desert at full speed, and at designated periods, morphs into a different version of the CTS–an excellent way to demonstrate the model’s evolution. This Cadillac CTS video is a good way to get prospective car buyers pumped up for its release in 2010.

It’s no secret that the racing industry is one of the most affected sectors of the society by the current global crisis that we are now experiencing. Just last week, several sponsors pulled out of (or is considering pulling out of) F1. Now, NASCAR, taking the necessary steps to ensure the organization’s survival in a financially-challenged economy, made several adjustments in their rulebook aimed at limiting their racing events’ costs.

A NASCAR race

To cope, NASCAR made a few changes in its rulebook, which of course, are intended to cut costs—especially now that the possibility facing short fields is very big with NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series this season.

Among the changes that NASCAR implemented is that teams will now be allowed a maximum of 12 crewmembers at the track this year, but only five crewmembers can pit the truck. The participating teams are also not permitted to add fuel and change tires at the same stop.

“The strategy is going to change a lot, because you’ll have to pit twice,” Mike Hillman Jr., crew chief for Todd Bodine’s No. 30 Toyota, said. “It’ll be completely different, and there might be races where the best truck doesn’t win. But this is NASCAR’s way to limit travel costs and payroll to help us in the hard economic times, so you just adjust.”

Also, the teams are not allowed to compete in more than three consecutive races if they don’t use an engine from a previous race. This aims to reduce motor budgets.

A lot of teams are still having trouble finding sponsorship. NASCAR and F1, with their teams’ dependence on big-company sponsors, are bound to feel the effects of recession more strongly. But at present, if the economy continues to look bleak for the rest of the year, it’s inevitable that amateur racers would feel such impact, too.

Amateur racers may be amused to know that not even three-time defending NASCAR champions are exempt from having accidents, as Jimmy Johnson’s story will prove.

Johnson was in Daytona Beach, Florida, to compete in the Rolex 24 race. An assistant came to inform him that it was his turn to race just as he woke up from a nap. He then hurried to put on his uniform, which has no button holes yet. He grabbed a knife and tried to cut an opening into the fabric—and the knife went through the fabric and sliced his finger.

Three-time NASCAR defending champ, Jimmy Johnson

“It got me pretty good,” Johnson told the Associated Press. “Cut right through the fabric to where my finger was on the other side.”

The wounds were not very serious, but Johnson did not drive his final stint in the race. He got stitches instead and flew home to Charlotte for further examination on Sunday night.

But his competitors shouldn’t celebrate too early, because the injury will not affect his driving, Johnson said. He’ll be ready when teams troop to Daytona for the season-opening of Daytona 500, which is in 11 days.

This is the second time Johnson was injured outside the race. After winning his first title a few years back, he broke his left wrist when he fell off a golf cart during a charity tournament, but he didn’t miss any driving time because of that injury.

Johnson is only the second NASCAR driver to ever win three consecutive titles. So next time you accidentally made mistakes, don’t be too hard on yourself. It really does happen to everyone.

America’s economic crisis is surely taking its toll in every aspect of America. Seems like nothing is safe: not jobs, not businesses, not even America’s biggest and most popular motorsport, NASCAR.

But the recession may just have a positive effect—especially if we consider NASCAR’s latest announcement. Environmentalist will certainly nod their heads their approval when they know that last January 22nd, NASCAR chairman Brian France and seven of his upper management team explained how their sport, which as we all know is quite expensive, will survive the effects of the nation’s economic slump: going green.

NASCAR Chairman and CEO, Brian France

You heard that right. Committing to environmental initiatives is one of the main strategies that NASCAR will adapt to minimize racing costs, and perhaps, to interest more sponsors.

“We want to do our part to be a better partner with the environment,” France said. “It’s really important to our fans, and they’ve told us that not only are they concerned about preserving the environment, but they’re also concerned about high fuel costs, global warming and energy independence.”

Mike Lynch is now NASCAR’s managing director for green campaigns. He would handle the improvisation of the sport’s environmental policies to help reduce “this big energy footprint we carry from market to market.”

According to France, meeting with environmental activists and former vice president Al Gore last summer inspired his ideas on “being greener and smarter.”

Of course, there are some misgivings about NASCAR’s proclamations. As most of us are aware, the league just switched to unleaded gas only a couple of years back, and a lot of motor enthusiasts expressed the opinion that NASCAR is just trying to scrounge up sponsors from the intrigue. France’s motives may be misguided, but it’s good to know that NASCAR is finally doing something that should’ve been done long ago—taking a step towards greener, environment-sensitive racing.

Furthermore, this move may just prompt other leagues, pro and amateur, to follow suit. That can only be good, because we racers can now have a good time doing what we love best, AND be good to the environment.

Too many racers, too little space. If you’re a hard core racer, pro or amateur, you surely know how often sports car organizations battle to get some track time at road courses. Not to mention that the costs for renting such racing venues become steeper every year—and that’s if you actually manage to find a time when it’s not occupied by other racing groups. And that, fellow racers, is exactly the sentiment of the Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) New England Region—and the reason they’ve been trying to set the plans for their own motorsports park in motion for a few years now.

Finally, after a very long analysis and much deliberation, the Palmer Planning Board was finally given approval to develop the Palmer Motorsports Park last December. The park is a 658-acre site on Whiskey Hill, Thorndike Village in Palmer, Massachusetts.

SCCA's New England Region logo

The first plans for the park was first proposed in 2006. A limited liability corporation, NER Investments LLC, was formed by SCCA’s New England Region to build and operate its very own club-based motorsports facility. It took a while (more than a year after the proposal was announced to the public) for NER Investments LLC to finally nail a date when it can discuss a notice of intent with the Conservation Committee. This meeting is a requisite by the Wetlands Protection Act.

For several months, NER Investments LLC worked hard both to engineer the project, and more importantly, to inform the people in Palmer of the impact and the benefits of having such a facility in their homeland. Issues such as track design, traffic, environmental effects, wetlands, storm management, endangered species, sound, and driveway design has all been addressed. The group has been really sensitive to the environmental impacts that the facility could cause, so they designed it in a way that less than 4% of the property would be paved. Only 15% of the 658-acre land would be developed. The remainder will be untouched.

Palmer Motorsports Park's track map

The group’s hard work is finally bearing fruit: its members were able to design a 2.14-mile track totally hidden from view and meets all bylaws. It’s literally the club’s very private nook—the track is about 3,000 feet from the nearest residential village.

What makes it different from other track courses, and perhaps what got them the Golden Ticket (read: a permit), is that the facility would be strictly club-based. This means that the competitions held in the track are run by clubs for amateur car racers. The group’s Project Director, Dick Patullo, said “In club racing there are no traffic jams, no RV convoys. On a big weekend, we might see 200 competitors and a total of 1,000 people.” Patullo said that most events would be smaller and would have only a few dozen participants. The group also pointed out that the proposed park will prevent residential constructions and will keep the open space intact. The park is also estimated to generate approximately $50,000 every year in property tax income.

The park will have a paved “road course” that has left- and right-hand turns that closely follow the existing terrain. The race course will form a loop that measures about 2 miles in length and 40 feet in width.

The park is anticipated to be opened in 2010. I’m sure pretty much every racer who knows about this is wishing that they’re members of the New England Region of SCAA right now.

Joe Bromley, a member of AMA (American Motorcyclists Association) Board of Directors, resigned from his post—but not to quit the organization. He gave up his place to accept a new position: Director of Racing. The non-profit organization made it official and announced it from their website last January 5.

Rob Dingman, AMA President and CEO, said: “As the largest motorsports sanctioning body in the world, AMA has a responsibility to maintain a world-class amateur racing program. Joe Bromley will provide hands-on leadership and help the Association achieve that goal.”

AMA was founded on 1924, and has since been dedicated to promoting and protecting the rights of every bike-rider, all of whom, as the organization’s vision says, are aiming for one thing, which is “freedom on two wheels.” AMA, with 300,000 members, is the largest motorcycling organization in the world. It oversees up to 80 professional, and more than 40,000 amateur racing events every year. AMA also maintains the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, where the milestones and history of motorcycling are documented and preserved for future bikers.

Joe Bromley, competing at the AMA Racing Dirt Track Grand Championships

Seems like AMA is in good hands. Bromley has been a member of AMA for almost 30 years. Growing up, he was immersed in the automotive life very early in his life—his family owned a motorcycle dealership. It is then no surprise that Bromley won his first race when he was just six years old, young enough to be considered a toddler. Bromley is a very active racer and has won 21 amateur AMA National Dirt Track Championships in his amateur career. But he is not just a participant. Bromley is also involved in the organizational aspects of the bike racing world: he was the president of AMA District 6 for more than a decade, and was also a president of the Road Winders Motorcycle Club—which sanctioned one of the first motocross events in the Northeast.

“Leaving the Board and its responsibilities was not an easy decision to make, but I believe that the AMA is on the right track, has its priorities in order and that I have something to contribute to the day-to-day management of the Association,” Bromley said. “I am very proud of the fact that during the course of my relatively short tenure on the Board, we have made a renewed commitment to amateur racing, which is something that is near and dear to me. The path has been set and I am excited about the opportunity to implement the strategic direction that I helped craft.”

Bromley, as AMA’s Director of Racing, will oversee the routines and operations of AMA Racing. Seeing that the world’s largest motorcycling organization is in the hands of someone who truly understands and loves motorcycles and racing, enthusiasts, both pro and amateur, can rest assured that they can continue zooming and racing on their bikes. And of course, exercising their right to two-wheeled freedom.

Honda took the covers off of one of the most buzz-worthy concept cars in this years Los Angeles Auto Show, the Honda FC Sport design study model. The new FC Sport gave a promising glimpse of the flexibility and potential of Honda’s V Flow fuel cell technology which is already being used in the current Honda FCX Clarity sedan.

The new FCX Sport is a lightweight sports car design with an ultra-low center of gravity, powerful electric motor performance and zero-emissions. The design study model takes inspiration from supercar levels of performance through low weight and a high performance, electrically-driven fuel cell powertrain.

“The Honda FC Sport explores how to satisfy automotive performance enthusiasts in a world beyond petroleum,” said Dan Bonawitz, vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “People who love sports cars will still have a reason to love in a hydrogen-powered future.” Here are some stunning photos of the new Honda FC Sport Design Study:

Nissan unveiled its all-new 2009 370Z at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Sporting an aggressive stance with distinctly shaped headlights and sloping hood, the 2009 370Z is designed to impress. Engineers have also significantly dropped several pounds off the curb weight compared to the 350Z. The sleeker Nissan 370Z comes with a 6-speed manual and weights a meager 3,232 lbs. (by comparison the 2008 350Z model is about 3,350 lbs.). The 2009 Nissan 370Z will surely draw raves from sports car and racing enthusiasts.

Photo Credit: Autoblog

The 2008 edition of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas has come and gone. But this year’s show featured some pretty remarkable exhibits that had enthusiasts buzzing. The SEMA Show is nothing less than the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world.

But what sets it apart from the traditional auto shows such as the ones in Paris, Geneva or Frankfurt, is the amazing display of creativity, innovation and vision. Here are some of the best rigs from SEMA 2008:

Meet Eleanor – Jason Engle of Classic Recreations built a new version of Eleanor, the 1967 Mustang from the cult classic 1974 smash’em up movie ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’. This $139,000 Mustang is built entirely from new parts and can safely run at 171 mph. This is much faster than the original Eleanor.

Blazing Hot Plymouth ‘Cuda – This Chip Foose ‘Cude featured dramatic coloring and tasteful detailing.

Camaro GS Racer – Inspired by the iconic blue-and-yellow car raced by Mark Donohue in the 1969 Trans-Am series, the Camaro GS Racer is bound to be a huge favorite of any car racing enthusiast.

1951 Mercury – With its trick flame design and old-school detailing, the 1951 Mercury is an instant hit. It boasts of custom touches such as lakes pipes, full wheel covers, and spotlights on the windshield poss.

As the country’s automakers continue to bleed cash led by General Motors’ and Ford’s staggering quarterly losses, leaders of the US Congress are calling for government assistance to prevent the US auto industry from going under. They called on the Bush administration to provide assistance to the automakers as part of the Treasury Department’s $700 billion emergency rescue program.

Analysts have warned that unless the government intervenes, General Motors could face bankruptcy which means the loss of livelihood for 100,000 North Americans as well as hundreds of thousands more for others whose jobs are closely tied to the automotive industry. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have asked Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson to “review the feasibility . . . of providing temporary assistance to the automobile industry during the current financial crisis.”

Pelosi and Reid’s letter notes that Congress granted Paulson broad discretion to use the bailout money to “restore financial market stability. A healthy automobile manufacturing sector is essential to the restoration of financial market security,” the letter continues, as well as to “the overall health of our economy, and the livelihood of the automobile sector’s workforce.”

So far, the Treasury has declined to provide assistance to the automakers but lawmakers from both parties, as well as Michigan officials, auto industry executives and labor leaders have stepped up their campaign for federal aid. GM, Ford and Chrysler are looking for up to $25 billion in emergency loans to prevent the collapse of the automotive industry.

Photo Credit: http://money.aol.com