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From GMM

Magny Cours is on pole position to return to the F1 calendar next year, the boss of the former French grand prix venue has said.

"If the will of a number of people is confirmed in the coming weeks, we are very close," Magny Cours chief Serge Saulnier told France's Infosport on Monday.

France has been absent from the F1 calendar since Magny Cours, located in the centre of the country some 250 kilometres from Paris, lost the race after 2008.

"We are still in negotiations with FOM," Saulnier added, referring to F1's commercial rights company that is run by F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

"We are a candidate for a date in 2015, but for now nothing is signed," he said, revealing that representatives of local regions have been asked to contribute towards the race fee.

"I am hoping. We have been working on it for more than three years, it has built slowly but surely, and I feel that the time has arrived to sign this agreement. I hope and I would like it to be done before the summer," Serge Saulnier added.

Magny-Cours track. (Photo: Circuit Magny-Cours)

I dare you to look at this car and not smile. Come on. Try. Try and be angry or upset looking at a bright orange MINI Cooper S. Now, try and maintain that scowl when you flick the fighter-pilot-like keyless ignition switch to awaken the turbocharged mill causing a glorious little burble and fart from the centre-mounted dual exhausts.

Keep that frown as you slide the drive mode dial to "Sport" and see a cheerful MINI graphic thinking of go-karts and rocket ships appear in the centre cluster with the message, "Let's MotorHARD" in bright green.

Bad mood instantly gone. Guaranteed.

Besides being an immediate killer of S.A.D. (and God knows we need that these days), the new MINI Cooper S is everything we've come to expect from the German-made Brits, plus a bit extra and even with a few surprises.


What is a MINI Cooper S?
The Cooper S is the sporty (though not the sportiest) variation of the MINI Cooper, a cute little hatchback with a history rife with racing lineage. Essentially a well-appointed go-kart, the MINI Cooper is much larger than it was when originally conceived in the 1960s.

While there are a myriad of models available of the Cooper (Roadster, Clubman, Countryman), as well as special editions (Piccadilly, Mayfair, Camden, etc.), the 2-door hatchback is the original and the most well known.



2014 MINI Cooper S Price and Specs
When the new MINI Cooper emerged in 2002, pricing seemed a bit steep. However, over the years, pricing has leveled and the current MSRP is reasonable.

With a starting price of just over $25k, the MINI Cooper S sits nicely in a price point most can afford. My particular Volcanic Orange Cooper S with the Loaded Package, LED Lights Package and a few other stand-alone options (such as 17" rims and bonnet stripes), came out at $31,610.

No matter how you choose to spec your 2014 MINI Cooper S, you'll be treated to a most excellent TwinPower Turbo 4-cylinder 2.0L engine that produces 189 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque. The MINI Cooper S can be outfitted with an 6-speed automatic transmission, but I urge you to opt for the 6-speed manual and really enjoy the car. Power is pushed out the front wheels.

Driving the 2014 MINI Cooper S
I adore driving this hatch. I've never tried to hide my feelings for this bashful little German-bred Brit, because it gets me every time.

Truthfully, this generation of MINI feels fatter than the outgoing model, and it should. This is a bigger, longer version (but not by much). However, despite that none of the handling prowess and steering feel is lost on this new MINI Cooper S. In fact, it feels as eager and willing to please; this feisty little British bulldog just wants you to have a good time.

Pop the 2014 MINI Cooper S into "sport" mode and feel already sharp steering and precise throttle input tighten up more, and hear the exhaust fart and gurgle even more prominently. Oh, and take note of your grin growing exponentially, as well.

For the first time, I have a truly sore spot for a new feature in the 2014 MINI Cooper S. Now, thankfully it can be deactivated, but it's still there and so subtle it's as if MINI kind of wished you didn't realize it was there. MINI now features automatic rev-matching on downshifts.

Unlike the Nissan 370Z that blips the throttle as soon as the gear lever approaches a gear gate, the MINI won't touch the revs until you've firmly placed the gear lever through a gate, at which point you've probably already blipped your own throttle and so overridden the system.

To me, the MINI is one of the few "driver's cars" left out there. Sure it's got a host of technologies to keep you on the straight and narrow, but it's one of the few "raw" cars still available. This auto rev-match feature dumbs it down to a level I can't even bear to think about. So I won't anymore.

Inside and Out of the 2014 MINI Cooper S
Along with the new engine, MINI made changes to the exterior and interior of the Cooper. Maintaining that MINI grin, the Cooper looks like it ate one too many scones and clotted cream for tea. A beefier front fender and puffed out front lip might offend some, but I think the effect is appealing and in keeping with MINI's identity.

Inside, more changes took place as MINI has now moved the speedo to behind the steering wheel a la masses. MINI enthusiasts everywhere are throwing their heads back in anguish at this slanderous move, but trust me it ain't that bad. The massive centre stack circular dial remains containing the entertainment/nav screen as well as a nifty (obnoxious?) LED light frame that changes colour and pattern depending on what you're doing in the vehicle

Otherwise, the MINI is as MINI as it ever was, inside and out.

Comparing the 2014 MINI Cooper S
The MINI Cooper S is in a league of hot-under-the-collar hatches like the Ford Fiesta ST and Volkswagen GTI. Not a fan of the hatch but still want the fun-to-drive nature and you're looking at the likes of the Honda Civic Si. However, when it comes to driving a car that really speaks to you as a driver and an individual, I'd say the MINI comes out on top every time.

From GMM

There is "no risk" Russia will not stage its inaugural grand prix in October.

That is the claim of Alexander Saurin, the administration chief of the local Krasnodar territory, and in charge of the resort city Sochi's post-Olympics plans.

"We are on schedule. The necessary inspections have been made and there is no risk to the first grand prix of Russia," he told the German news agency DPA.

There have been reports the Sochi race will have to be cancelled, amid the threat of war between Russia and Ukraine and escalating European and US sanctions.

"We are preparing everything to make our guests feel at ease," said Saurin.

"We do not connect these political things with formula one. It is safe to go to Sochi right now and it will be safe in October still," he insisted. "We guarantee the safety of our visitors -- this is our standard and that will continue."

Photo: Formula Sochi

Alexander Saurin said the economic sanctions, which have seen funds and bank accounts frozen already by the West, will not affect the region's running of the F1 event.

"We have a contract and we hold ourselves to it," he said. "We have guarantees. And at the moment we see no financial problems for the event.

"We have 12 million viewers of formula one in Russia, and 80 per cent of the tickets are reserved already -- the race will be sold out," Saurin claimed.

Scott Monty, the architect and face of Ford's pioneering social media efforts, has left the company after nearly six years.

Nissan ran its

Automotive safety technology supplier TRW Automotive today named Colleen Hanley director of global communications.

McLaren Automotive turned a profit in 2013 -- which was ahead of schedule -- and plans to remain in the black while aggressively adding models and dealers over the next three years.

We may be powerless to stop the discontinuation of the SLS AMG, but Mercedes really wants us to know that the car's indirect replacement is on the way.

Ford, one of the few automakers to routinely open an assembly line to the general public, is renovating its Rouge factory tour and renovating the Dearborn Truck Plant's body shop at the end of the summer in anticipation of the 2015 Ford F-150.

The Volkswagen Group is planning to spend an additional US$130m to expand its business in India including the launch of new models and further localisation of parts, Volkswagen India president and managing director Mahesh Kodumudi told reporters.

If we were to make a list of fun cars from the last 30 years that North America never received, that list would be pretty long and it would be littered with Italian and French machinery.

One of the biggest challenges for the automotive chain in Brazil under the Inovar-Auto programme is to understand, execute and obtain incentives laid down for Research&Development&Engineering (P&D&E, the acronym in Portuguese).

When it comes to off-brand GTs, the less-than-discriminating buyer has no shortage of unholy hybrids to choose from. But

The biggest crisis for the new General Motors might still be a secret buried in the debris of old GM, if not for persistent digging by a Georgia lawyer, a Mississippi auto mechanic and a Florida engineer.

General Motors has rehired a second former PR professional, on Monday naming Tony Cervone senior vice president of GM global communications, effective immediately. He will report to CEO Mary Barra and rejoins GM after serving as executive vice president of group communications for Volkswagen Group of America.

General Motors, in the thick of a recall crisis that prompted a $35 million fine from the federal government last week, said today that it rehired public-relations executive Tony Cervone, who served as one of GM's top spokesmen as the company veered...

The 2015 Subaru Legacy will start at $22,490 when it hits dealer lots this summer. The top-of-the-line 3.6R Limited will start at $30,390.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR GRAHAM KOZAK: You know how when you accidentally shrink a sweater in the wash, it's not always a proportional downsizing? The Sonic sedan is a little bit like that.

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