Crash injuries force Franchitti to retire

SCOTTISH RACING STAR Dario Franchitti has been forced to retire after suffering a number of injuries in a high-speed crash during a race in the US last month. The four-time IndyCar series winner spent five days in hospital after suffering concussion, a fractured vertebrae and a broken ankle in the last-lap crash at the Grand Prix of Houston in Texas. Franchitti, originally from Bathgate, West Lothian, said he had taken the decision based on medical advice.

MINI E – be a UK tester

MINI are looking for field testers in the UK to trial the MINI E But don’t think it will be a freebie. It may be far more advantageous to MINI than the Test Driver, but MINI are charging around $850 a month in the US for the privilege of testing the MINI E so, although MINI hasn’t released details of cost in the UK, you can bet it will be a similar amount. Still, people like to feel special, and an electric MINI is something ground-breaking.

Hyundai HND-9 Concept

Hyundai has premiered its new HND-9 concept at the Seoul Motor Show. The luxury sports coupe concept, designed at the carmaker's Namyang Research and Development Center in South Korea, is its ninth concept model and is expected to preview the next Genesis coupe. The HND-9 fastback is 4,695mm long, 1,890mm wide, 1,340mm high and sits on a wheelbase of 2,860mm.