Looking to get into Formula One and happen to have a professional racing team handy? We have good news for you.
Motorsport governing organization FIA has announced that it “has opened a new selection process to identify a candidate team to participate in the Championship.” This means anyone who wants to field a team as early as 2016 and 2017 can do so, if they’ve got what it takes.
Teams who are interested are required to register a formal expression of interest with the FIA before June 30th. From that pool, the FIA will offer applications to those from that pool deemed worthy, for them to submit by the 1st of September. They will then announce which team (if any) will join the grid.
Before any SCCA members scramble to get their buddies together, keep in mind that FIA will judge any group interested on their technical resources, the ability to maintain sufficient funding, and the team’s ability to bring a level of competitiveness to the championship.
Applicants will most likely come from a high-level motorsport series like the GP2 series or possibly from the Indy racing series. Indeed, Gene Haas of NASCAR’s Stewart-Haas Racing will field a new, U.S.-based F1 team on the grid next year, so anything is possible. The joining of Haas F1 and a brand new team would bring the gird count back to a full 12 teams for the first time since the 2012 season.
It’s an interesting announcement to make in lieu of the recent situation, with teams like Caterham declaring bankruptcy before being dissolved and Manor F1 limping through the current season. We know that those in charge are desperate to shake things up in Formula 1 in order to dramatically raise the level of excitement and viewership. Hopefully the inclusion of some fresh blood will give the sport the boost many agree it desperately needs.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.