While there has been some criticism of the feline-like snout, timing and scoring doesn’t care what the car looks like… Click to Enlarge.
Mike Krack the head of BMW M Motorsport is leaving the company at his request and moving to Aston Martin Formula 1 as team principal. Andreas Roos will take over responsibility for the motorsport activities of BMW M on 1 February, BMW said today. Roos with two decades of experience in motor racing and has led a variety of projects during his career.
BMW M Motorsport is in the midst of a LMDh project for the 2023 season (see AutoInformed.com on IMSA – Porsche Virtually Shows LMDh Car), as well as its ambitious racing plans for the coming year. BMW Team RLL, which has been celebrating podiums with BMW M Motorsport since 2009, will compete in two LMDh* prototypes as of 2023, which will be called BMW M LMDh. Alongside the LMDh test program, BMW Team RLL will field two BMW M4 GT3s in the new GTD Pro category during the 2022 IMSA season.**The transition will be one to watch as it is not without extreme challenges.
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CARB – New Diesel Regs Cost Effective, Lobbyists Wrong
The California Air Resources Board today released its analysis of cost estimates for lengthened warranties required under the new Heavy-Duty Low NOx Omnibus Regulation, went into effect at the end of 2021 and is a key part of California’s Mobile Source Strategy for improving public health by reducing air pollution from the transport sector. The purpose of longer warranty periods for emission control-related equipment on heavy duty trucks is to ensure they perform as intended for the hundreds of thousands of miles trucks are typically driven. The new report looks at emissions reduction equipment used in 2024 model year and later heavy-duty vehicle engines. (read AutoInformed.com on Death of the Diesel – CARB Approves Truck, Bus Smog Checks; CARB OK’s Record $1.5B for Clean Vehicles, Mobility Options)
The report is in direct response to board direction to staff given when the board approved the regulation in August 2020. CARB* staff’s original warranty cost estimates were challenged by the Engine Manufacturers Association, and the board directed staff to form a working group to review their estimates in comparison to industry estimates. The group met more than 16 times over nine months. Based on the working group process and documentation in the report, CARB staff concluded no substantial changes to its original estimates are required.
A key part of the report AutoInformed thinks is when CARB staff compared 2022 model year warranty cost estimates made by CARB and manufacturers that reflect the intermediate impact of lengthening warranty periods. The report finds that, on a “per miles covered” basis, the industry data essentially agrees with CARB’s lower estimates for current model year vehicles. Continue reading →