BMW introducing i8 to US with Hello Future Olympics ad

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, BMW, Videos

It's not all unfinished hotel rooms and unconventional toilet situations at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. During the broadcast of the opening ceremony tonight, BMW is going to introduce the American TV audience to its plug-in i brand of vehicles. Of course, since we have things like Twitter and YouTube (which the Russian hosts might not be too happy about), you can already see the first spot below.

BMW is going all-in on its Olympics ads, saying the campaign is the company's "largest media investment of the year." The first ad, called Hello Future, sets the words of science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke to an array of futuristic cityscape visuals before flashing the i8 onto the screen. Two other spots - called SHHH and Sightings - will also debut during the Games. Those have not yet been placed online, but BMW says that Sightings is about people "trying to describe something they have never seen before; something remarkable and other-worldly" (i.e., the plug-in i8). SHHH, on the other hand, is a short romance, about a "boy who sneaks out in his dad's quiet and all-electric BMW i3 as he tries to impress his dream-girl with the ultimate joyride. In the end, the joyride helps him win the girl." There's a twist, of course, which you can read about in the press release below or just wait until it appears on screen, trying to break through the banal advertising landscape, over the next few weeks.

BMW has other connections to the Sochi Olympics as well, including designing the two-man bobsled used by the US Olympic team. There's a contest running regarding that project over on BMWTimeTracker.

Continue reading BMW introducing i8 to US with Hello Future Olympics ad

BMW introducing i8 to US with Hello Future Olympics ad originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 07 Feb 2014 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://green.autoblog.com/2014/02/07/bmw-introducing-i8-us-hello-future-olympics-ad/

Leo Kinnunen Danny Kladis Hans Klenk Peter de Klerk

How NYPD?s Opaque Crash Investigations Spoil Its Street Safety Message

Last month, the Upper East Side’s 19th Precinct devoted two full pages to traffic safety in its inaugural monthly newsletter. In an echo of Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, who claimed at the initial Vision Zero press conference that 73 percent of crashes injuring pedestrians are the victim’s fault, it featured an eyebrow-raising statistic that blames [...]

Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2014/02/06/how-nypds-opaque-crash-investigations-spoil-its-street-safety-message/

Naoki Hattori Paul Hawkins Mike Hawthorn Boy Hayje

We will forever remember you, tandem drafting

Can we please have a moment of silence for the tandem draft?

On Sunday, NASCAR announced that tandem drafting would be outlawed in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series on restrictor plate tracks this season. If two cars or trucks try the tandem draft, they'll be subject to a penalty. That could be anything from a black flag to being dropped in the scoring order if it happens very late in a race.

"Well, we have the ability to just not score the lap or time penalty post-race," NASCAR VP of Competition Robin Pemberton said Sunday. "That's been there all along. I think you can remember far enough back, I believe a time penalty was imposed on maybe Ricky Rudd or somebody at Sears Point a long time ago, and so we have that ability.

"You know, the rule that -- the unwritten rule that you get three laps from getting a black flag, it really doesn't hold water. I mean, we only give them that, and that started back in the day when people a lot of times didn't even have radios. So that's just kind of -- it's the unwritten rule.

"But we expect teams that get the black flag to immediately obey the order from the tower, and we do have the ability to fix the scoring when it's over with."

Tandem drafting is the maneuver when two cars lined up bumper-to-bumper and the second car pushed the first car for increased speed. With the new Sprint Cup Series car the tandem draft was almost impossible to do with its uneven front and rear bumpers. But the practice was still possible in NASCAR's other two series, especially in the Nationwide Series.

Last year's Nationwide races turned into duels between groups of two at the front of the field. But three of the series' last four races at Daytona ended with crashes on the final lap including in last February's race. 33 fans were injured in that crash when Kyle Larson's car went flying into the catchfence.

And last fall's truck race at Talladega featured a nasty crash too. (Though we should also remember the inexplicable absence of SAFER barriers)

The danger of those crashes plays a big role in the abolition of the practice. But that abolition is something that's going to be incredibly hard to enforce.

Bump drafting will still be allowed. But what's going to be the difference between a bump and a push? Multiple seconds? Thousands of feet? With the need to watch the entire field every lap and the high speeds of the cars, an ironclad time or distance rule is almost impossible.

That means there will be a lot of gray area in the new rule. That's not a great idea for NASCAR. With a finicky fanbase, rulings like this on a case-by-case basis can be extremely tricky.

Ideally, the sanctioning body hopes that the simple existence of this new rule is enough to deter drivers from finding where the line is. But we're all realists, right? Someone at some time is going to attempt to find where that line is. Others are going to follow suit. And even then, we may still not know where the line has been drawn.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/forever-remember-tandem-drafting-152331205--nascar.html

Oswald Karch Narain Karthikeyan Ukyo Katayama Ken Kavanagh

NASCAR discussing ?potential concepts to evolve? Chase, one reported idea would emphasize winning heavily

NASCAR said Friday that it has begun discussions about changes to the Chase for the Sprint Cup Series on the heels of a report that the sanctioning body was considering expanding the Chase field to 16 and putting more emphasis on winning.

"NASCAR has begun the process of briefing key industry stakeholders on potential concepts to evolve its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship format," NASCAR Chief Communications Officer Brett Jewkes said in a statement. "This dialogue is the final phase of a multi-year process that has included the review of extensive fan research, partner and industry feedback and other data-driven insights. NASCAR has no plans to comment further until the stakeholder discussions are complete. We hope to announce any potential changes for the 2014 season to our media and fans very soon."

The scenario of a Chase expansion from 12 to 16 was reported by the Charlotte Observer. In that possibility, a win in the first 26 races would almost ensure a driver's entry into the Chase and if there were more than 16 different winners, the top 16 drivers would get in. If there were not 16 winners, the rest of the Chase field would be set by points.

From the Observer:

Once the Chase field was set, a round of eliminations ? similar to the NCAA tournament ? would take place after the third, sixth and ninth race of the Chase, culminating with the championship determined by a winner-takes-all season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The Observer also noted that the format could still change before any changes are made official. NASCAR is expected to make any announcement about changes to the 2014 points structure by the end of the month. NASCAR is also expected to announce changes to the qualifying structure in all three series.

An expansion of the Chase field to 16 would put NASCAR more in line with other leagues' playoff systems in terms of the percentage of teams qualifying for the postseason. Last season, 40 teams attempted all 36 races. In Major League Baseball, 10 of 30 teams make the playoffs. 12 of 32 NFL teams make the playoffs and 16 of 30 NBA and NHL teams make the playoffs.

We're not even going to venture a guess as to what the Chase would have looked like in 2012 had it been 16 teams. However, we can guess pretty safely that there would have been no race manipulation to worry about.

NASCAR CEO Brian France has mentioned his desire for a "Game 7" moment in NASCAR's Chase. And while the Chase hasn't been clinched until the checkered flag waved in the final race multiple times, only 2004 and 2011 have elicited major late race championship drama. Adding a winner-take-all (or highest-finishing-driver-take-all) guarantee at the end of the season certainly accomplishes that every year.

If NASCAR does make any changes to the Chase format, Tony Stewart would be the only driver with the opportunity to win a title before the Chase and in two different Chase formats.

So, what do you think? If you could change the Chase, how would you do it? Hit us up at HappyHourMailbag@Yahoo.com or drop us a line in the comments below.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/nascar-discussing-potential-concepts-evolve-chase-one-reported-031208809--nascar.html

Brian Gubby Andrй Guelfi Miguel Бngel Guerra Roberto Guerrero

NASCAR changes manufacturer points system

The points system to determine the manufacturer title in NASCAR will now be similar to the points systems that the sanctioning body uses for owner and driver points.

The manufacturer's title is awarded to the car make in the sport that has the most points at the end of the season, so in the Sprint Cup that includes Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota.

Starting in 2014, the points will be given for the highest finishing car make based off the points system that NASCAR currently uses. For example, if a Ford wins and leads the most laps, a Chevy leads a lap and finishes second and a Toyota doesn't lead a lap and finishes third, Ford will receive 48 points, Chevy 43 and Toyota 41.

Previously, the highest finishing manufacturer received nine points, second received six and third place received four.

"We have always focused on intensifying the natural rivalries between our manufacturers -- both on the race track and in the showroom" NASCAR VP of competition and racing development Robin Pemberton said in a statement. "We believe aligning the points system with the owner points will create better understanding for the entire industry, and bolster interest and excitement with our fan base, which has shown intense manufacturer loyalty throughout the sport's history."

Any tiebreakers will be decided on wins, second-place finishes and so forth, just like the drivers' and owner's points.

The manufacturer's points system has been a distant third in the pantheon of NASCAR championships, and that may be because of Chevrolet's dominance in the Sprint Cup Series. Chevrolet has won the last 11 manufacturer's titles.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/nascar-changes-manufacturer-points-system-170428954--nascar.html

Jason Leffler David Carl Allison Gregory Jack Biffle David Lee Blaney

It?s Your 2013 Exit Interview: No. 14 Brad Keselowski

Welcome to From the Marbles' 2013 driver reviews. Here, we're going to critique, praise and bloviate about the top 30 drivers in the 2013 NASCAR season.

Hey there, Brad. Sorry we can't call you "Champ" any longer. If we did, it'd feel like we're patronizing you like a little child. And no, we're not going to go all Chad Knaus on you.

Calling 2013 a struggle is probably a bit of a stretch, but this is not the encore that we all had envisioned after your awesome Miller Lite fueled celebration in 2012. The transition to Ford is a tad overrated. It's not like we have a Dodge standard to judge your team on. Plus, there was the whole new car thing that complicated matters ever so slightly.

And anyway, you started the year off strong. You were third going into Richmond, and then you deviated from the blue with the Red's Apple Ale car and hit the wall. Was it the color change? Don't underestimate color karma.

That keyed a poor four race run that included another accident at Darlington, a 15th place finish at Talladega and the third-wheel accident with Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse at Charlotte. Suddenly you were 10th in the standings.

But hey, we all thought you were going to get a win. In the 10 races after that stretch, you had four finishes in the top six... and four finishes outside the top 20. That imbalance prevented a big summer run.

And yes, we still do wonder how life would be different if you had chosen to use the bumper at Watkins Glen. Would you have made the Chase? Possibly. Would your season been much more dramatic, and maybe not for the best? Probably. But hey, we still did get some Kyle Busch related drama. Thanks for that. Can we now mention how much we loved the headgames too? While many may think you erred in not following through on your threat of retaliation, for us, simply planting the seed was enough.

That win arrived, but it wasn't until the Chase. And you were on the outside looking in after the knockout blow of an engine gone sour at Atlanta. It was a precursor to Denny Hamlin's Homestead statement. Yes, you were still around, and yes, you were still formidable.

Consider that statement made for 2013. Now you need to do it for 2014 and the earlier the better. You don't want to keep waiting on a win to change things again.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Previous Reviews: No. 15 Jamie McMurray, No. 16 Martin Truex Jr., No. 17 Paul Menard, No. 18 Aric Almirola, No. 19 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 20, Jeff Burton, No. 21 Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 22 Marcos Ambrose, No. 23 Denny Hamlin, No. 24 Casey Mears, No. 25 Mark Martin, No. 26 David Gilliland, No. 27 Danica Patrick, No. 28 David Ragan, No. 29 Tony Stewart, No. 30 Dave Blaney

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/2013-exit-interview-no-14-brad-keselowski-183634448--nascar.html

Fred Gamble Howden Ganley Frank Gardner Billy Garrett

NASCAR changes manufacturer points system

The points system to determine the manufacturer title in NASCAR will now be similar to the points systems that the sanctioning body uses for owner and driver points.

The manufacturer's title is awarded to the car make in the sport that has the most points at the end of the season, so in the Sprint Cup that includes Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota.

Starting in 2014, the points will be given for the highest finishing car make based off the points system that NASCAR currently uses. For example, if a Ford wins and leads the most laps, a Chevy leads a lap and finishes second and a Toyota doesn't lead a lap and finishes third, Ford will receive 48 points, Chevy 43 and Toyota 41.

Previously, the highest finishing manufacturer received nine points, second received six and third place received four.

"We have always focused on intensifying the natural rivalries between our manufacturers -- both on the race track and in the showroom" NASCAR VP of competition and racing development Robin Pemberton said in a statement. "We believe aligning the points system with the owner points will create better understanding for the entire industry, and bolster interest and excitement with our fan base, which has shown intense manufacturer loyalty throughout the sport's history."

Any tiebreakers will be decided on wins, second-place finishes and so forth, just like the drivers' and owner's points.

The manufacturer's points system has been a distant third in the pantheon of NASCAR championships, and that may be because of Chevrolet's dominance in the Sprint Cup Series. Chevrolet has won the last 11 manufacturer's titles.

- - - - - - -

Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/nascar-changes-manufacturer-points-system-170428954--nascar.html

Tony Gaze Geki Olivier Gendebien Marc Genй

Kenny Wallace Finishes 13th at Iowa Speedway

Kenny Wallace - Photo Credit: Rainier Ehrhardt / Getty ImagesRAB Racing and Kenny Wallace came into a familiar Iowa Speedway with high hopes of a good finish and excitement to have U.S. Cellular on board for the first time. Iowa Speedway is a track that Kenny Wallace has an almost perfect lap completion record (99.7%),...more»

The article Kenny Wallace Finishes 13th at Iowa Speedway is from Catchfence.

Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2013/nationwide/06/10/kenny-wallace-finishes-13th-at-iowa-speedway/

Robert Allen Labonte Terrence Lee Labonte Randy Joseph Lajoie Kevin Paul Lepage