8783122 Renthal P281 Fatbar Team Issue Pad (blue) on 2040-parts.com

Bedford Autodrome to get Ariel Atoms for 2012

Corporate track-days at the Bedford Autodrome will get lairier in 2012 - Somerset-based Ariel has announced it’ll supply ten cars for the PalmerSport track-day events next year. Stopping short of the unhinged Atom V8, the PalmerSport-spec cars get the normally aspirated 245bhp Civic Type-R engine, and some key changes to set it aside from the Joe-Public Atom. The Palmer-spec car will get a Sadev paddle-shift sequential gearbox, which swaps ratios in 60 milliseconds, whilst some choice chassis mods optimise the Atom for its full-time track-toy brief.

Japanese Grand Prix (2012) RESULT

With the Red Bulls on pole for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, will Sebastian Vettel be able to take a win to keep his hopes of a title on track? Last year’s Japanese Grand Prix saw Sebastian Vettel start on pole in the quest to secure the point he needed to claim the drivers championship. This year he’s on pole again for Red Bull, with team mate Webber alongside, as he battles to catch Alonso before the end of the season.

Design Contest: Local Motors and Shell announce 'DRIVEN' [w/video]

Local Motors, the open-source car design community, has announced its latest competition. Working in collaboration with Shell Oils, the DRIVEN contest is an acronym for Design of Relevant and Innovative Vehicles for Energy Needs. Entrants are asked to create a car for one of five cities: Amsterdam, Bangalore, Basra, Houston or Sao Paulo.