Ben Spies to skip Phillip Island GP

While Yamaha has yet to issue an official statement, it looks like Ben Spies will be forced to miss this weekend's penultimate race of the 2012 season at Phillip Island, following his highside during yesterday's MotoGP race at Sepang.

The unlucky American, who may have just added injury to insult to his nightmare season said, "My shoulder's really sore from the fall but thankfully nothing too serious so I'll be able to ride in Australia," however Spies seems to have sustained a right shoulder injury (that may require surgery) and a fractured left rib, and now is returning to the US according to his Twitter account.

Spies will have to make a fast recovery if he wants to test the Ducati in the post-race, post-season test in three weeks time.

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Original Page: http://feeds.blogo.it/~r/twowheelsblog/com/~3/kJ0fwvq8WPo/ben-spies-to-skip-phillip-island-gp

Hirvonen ready to lead Citroen forward

Hirvonen's first win in Citroen colours came just weeks after his nine-time champion team-mate Sebastien Loeb's announcement that he would only contest a handful of rallies next year.

That put responsibility for continuing Citroen's run of title success on Hirvonen's shoulders, and he believes Italy proved he can handle that pressure.

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More: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/world-rally-championship-news/wrc/hirvonen-ready-to-lead-citroen-forward

2013 BMW M5 6MT, Slower than the Slushbox

When Truth Crushes Our Enthusiast Souls

American automotive enthusiasts are a crazy bunch. While the rest of the world embraces quick, innovative and efficient dual-clutch automated gearboxes, a good portion of Yankee gearheads still scream for old-school manual transmissions. Despite all of the inadequacies with driver-directed gear changes, car nuts still enjoy rowing their own gears.

BMW tried to force enthusiasts into a single-clutch semi-automatic transmission when it launched the E60 M5 in 2005, but enthusiasts (and the automotive press) wailed so loudly that the Germans reversed course and delivered a six-speed option to the North American market. While performance actually dropped with the manual gearbox, its arrival quelled a rebellion.

Hmmm, it's slower. I think it's the connection and control over the car which drives the manual preference, not entirely the outright performance. 

The all-new fifth-generation 2013 F10 M5 debuted last fall with a standard - and much improved - lightning-quick dual-clutch transmission. But rather than send North American enthusiasts into yet another frenzy, BMW is adopting a conciliatory tone, offering buyers in the States the chance to opt for a manual gearbox at no additional cost.

Continue reading 2013 BMW M5 6MT [w/video]