Welcome to a brand new edition of Motorsport Weekend, our own feature where we talk about the results from the most exciting races in the last three days.

We had a bit of everything last weekend, as the Formula 1 Italian GP was held in Monza, the WRC Rally of Japan took place in the land of the rising sun, while Nascar’s Sprint Cup held the Air Guard 400 at the Richmond International Raceway, the last race before the Chase.

So, interested to see how Fernando Alonso, Sebastien Loeb or Denny Hamlin faired in their respective events? Hit the jump and find out.

First off, we have the Formula 1 Italian GP in Monza. Seeing as how we were on Ferrari’s home turf, Fernando Alonso’s pole position was greeted by the ecstatic fans. Sadly, the Spanish driver didn’t have the best of starts, being overtaken by McLaren Jenson Button. His teammate, Hamilton, got into a contact with Alonso in the first turn and was forced to retire.

Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Vettel and Webber were faced with underperforming cars, unlike any we’ve seen this season. This allowed the other Ferrari driver, Felipe Massa, to climb up into third place. The decisive move was made in the pit lane, where Alonso overtook Button and seized the lead.

Alonso eventually won the race, followed by Button and Massa. Even though the reigning champ interfered with the Ferrari duo, the Italian public was extremely happy.

Overall standings show Webber still in the lead, with 187 points, followed by Hamilton with 182, and Alonso with 166. Team standings see Red Bull on top, with 350 points, followed by McLaren with 347 and Ferrari with 290.

Moving on, we had the WRC Rally of Japan, a stage which could have earned reigning champ Sebastien Loeb the 2010 title. That wasn’t the case though, as his teammate, Sebastien Ogier, won the Asian event.

The rally started with an out of shape Loeb, who let privateer Petter Solberg in the lead of the race after the first day. Unfortunately for the Citroen driver, a busted shock absorber meant he would loose precious time in the second day, a chance that was seized by Ogier. Rounding off the podium was Ford driver Jari Matti Latvala.

Overall standings see Loeb still in a commanding lead, with 201 points, followed by Ogier, 158, and Latvala, with 132. Team standings still see Citroen WRC first with 345 points, followed by Ford with 250 and Citroen Junior, with 183.

Last but not least, we had the Nascar Sprint Cup Air Guard 400 race, held at the Richmond International Raceway. This was an intense race, as it was the last one in the ‘regular’ Nascar season, with the 10-race Chase beginning next week.

For those unfamiliar with the whole system, the Chase takes 12 of the best performing drivers from the regular season, resets all their scores, and pits them together alongside the rest of the field. Who wins the most races, earns the Sprint Cup.

The Richmond race was pretty exciting, with plenty of lead changes, but, in the end, Denny Hamlin saw the checkered flag first. This reinforced his position as the top seat for the Chase, ahead of reigning champ and four-time Chase winner Jimmy Johnson.

Hamlin’s teammate, Kyle Busch, came in second place while Johnson took third.

Chase standings are now official, and see Hamlin in the lead. Johnson trails by 10 points, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick by 30, Kurt Busch by 40, Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart by 50, and Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer, all trailing by 60 points.

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Motorsport Weekend: Formula 1 Italian GP, WRC Rally of Japan and Nascar Richmond race results

A few months ago, we revealed the Pagani Zonda Tricolore one-off model, designed by the Italian supercar manufacturer to honor the 50th anniversary of Italy’s “Frecce Tricolori” (Tricolor Arrows).

Officially known as the 313th Aerobatic Training Squadron, the group appears in special aerobatic exhibitions and promotes Italy’s air force.

Seeing as how they are celebrating 50 years since the squadron’s assembly, Pagani revealed the unique Zonda Tricolore, boasting a unique paint job and tricolor Italian flag inserts.

The one-off supercar and the Aermacchi MB-339-A/PAN airplanes have now met on the Rivolto Air Force Base. Needless to say, the following video is just breath taking. Sit back, crank it to HD quality and enjoy the footage.

Source: Pagani

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Video: Pagani Zonda Tricolore honors Italy’s acrobatic air force

The Audi A7 Sportback is definitely quite a looker, and will no doubt impress those that want more space in their sedan but aren’t looking for a wagon model.

But as soon as the A7 Sportback was revealed by Audi, rumors were already flying around concerning its performance version, the S7.

According to the latest rumors collected by the guys at Autoblog, it seems that the S7 might be making its debut later this month, at the upcoming Paris Motor Show.

It seems that Audi wants to get the S7 out as quickly as possible, in order to complete the lineup. According to the rumors, we might not see a large displacement engine in the performance model, as the Lamborghini 5.2-liter V10 in the S6 or the 4.2-liter V8 in the S5 aren’t exactly the most frugal of units. Instead, and this might be a long shot, a new turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 might be prepared for the S7.

Autoblog also says that while the A7 Sportback will be available in the USA with just the 3.0-liter TFSI gasoline version and the ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox, the S7 might get a sportier S-tronic dual-clutch seven-speed transmission.

Still, bear in mind that these are just rumors, and Audi has yet to comment on all these speculations concerning the S7. Until it’s official, you can always get the S Line look-fast accessories.

Source: Autoblog

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Audi S7 to debut at the Paris Motor Show?

Ford has revealed a brand new competition, entitled 43 Fiestas.

The contest is open to all residents of the USA, and offers a lot of interesting prizes. These include 43 LCD TVs, 43 all expenses paid trip to the Ford 400 Nascar race, and one customized Ford Fiesta for one of the lucky 43 people invited to the race. What’s more, if Ford driver AJ Allmendinger wins the Nascar race, the rest of the 42 contest winners will walk away with a free Ford Fiesta.

Without a doubt, the contest will be quite popular. In order to hype it up even more, the Blue Oval has released an interesting video showcasing Nascar legend Richard ‘The King’ Petty watching AJ Allmendinger with his #43 Ford Fusion Nascar race car take on rally driver Ken Block in his #43 Fiesta model.

Needless to say, this is a must watch, so check it out after the jump. Afterwards, register for the 43 Fiestas contest at this address.

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Video: Ford debuts 43 Fiestas contest with Nascar’s Ford Fusion versus Ken Block’s Fiesta

While General Motors or Chrysler have been licking their wounds in 2010, after being bailed out last year, Ford looks like it was never better. The Blue Oval released new models left and right, including the 2011 Mustang, the refreshed 2011 Edge, the all-new 2011 Fiesta or the new 2011 Explorer.

During the launch of these new products, the company also announced that it will shut down the Mercury brand, in order to focus on the upmarket Lincoln, which also received its fair share of new models, like the 2011 MKX or the new MKZ hybrid.

For 2011 though, things are going to slow down, according to Ford America chief Mark Fields. He revealed that the company will shift its focus from launching new or refreshed models, in order to consolidate its products and shave off debt.

This also includes the often talked about One Ford initiative that will ensure almost all the products will be based on global platforms, in order to minimize development costs.

Still, even if Ford will be taking its foot off the gas, GM and Chrysler are expected to put the pedal to the metal, in order to one-up the Blue Oval and get some of their credibility back. The end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 are definitely going to be fun!

Source: Detroit News via Autoblog

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Ford wants to slow down in 2011, won’t release as many new or refreshed models

After the heart warming Polar Bear ad for the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle, Nissan has followed up with a new commercial, showcasing the innovations it has implemented all across the range, not just in the Leaf.

Narrated by the same Robert Downey Jr., the ad is quite good, and seamlessly goes from the keyless entry tech on a crossover like the new Murano to the step in the Pathfinder’s rear bumper or the Leaf’s seats which were made from recycled plastic bottles.

Check it the new Nissan Innovations ad after the jump.

Source: Nissan

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Video: New Nissan ad shows the company’s innovations

It seems that the struggling economy, the big number of safety campaigns and more and more safety features in new cars have had some impact in the USA.

According to a new statistic from the National High Traffic Safety Administration, the number of deaths in traffic has reached a 60-year low, with 1.13 deaths for every 100 million miles traveled.

According to the NHTSA, safer cars, more campaigns against drunk driving and in favor of seat belt usage are largely responsible for this improvement. Still, more than 30,000 people died last year in traffic accidents, while a whopping 2.4 million people were injured.

This just goes to prove that even though roads are a bit less cluttered and your car is much safer, you still need to be careful so as to not end up as just another statistic.

Source: Automotive News

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U.S. traffic deaths reach 60-year low

Besides powerful super sedans and four-door coupes, another big trend in the car industry is the introduction of half sedan half hatchback combinations, as seen with the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo or the newer Audi A7 Sportback.

We saw that there was some reason to this madness with our own BMW 5 GT test drive, and now, thanks to a few videos, the Audi A7 Sportback also seems pretty interesting.

In the videos located after the jump, you will see a lot of details about the five-door hatchback/sedan hybrid. Also, in a video with driving footage around the beautiful Sardinia region in Italy, the Audi A7 Sportback really looks fetching.

Check out the videos after the jump and then cast your thoughts about this new German model.

Source: YouTube via Autoblog

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Videos: Audi A7 Sportback gets showcased

Porsche surprised a lot of people when it first introduced the Panamera four-door sedan last year. But despite the controversial design and the fact that it takes the German sports car manufacturer into a whole new direction, it seems that the Panamera was just what Porsche needed.

According to the latest estimates, 22,518 Panamera models were sold during the first year of the German super sedan’s life.

As testimony to the desire for speed, the 394 HP Panamera 4S has been the most popular, followed by the range-topping 493 HP Panamera Turbo and the regular, rear-wheel drive Panamera S. It should come to no surprise that the city with the most Panamera models sold was Los Angeles, with a whopping 890 German sedans rolling through the streets of Southern California.

So, even though fans didn’t like the four-door and people were against the design, the Panamera has proven successful where it counts, sales.

Source: Porsche

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Porsche Panamera sells 22,500 models in its first year

Tuning company Mansory isn’t exactly favored by many car fans, largely because it usually chooses to dress up its tuned models in questionable materials or paint jobs. We’ve seen an eye burning Porsche Panamera in Cobalt Blue, as well as a Bugatti Veyron with an interior wrapped in gold and various types of leather.

Now, things have gotten a bit more sensible, with the company’s newest tuning package for the Maserati GranTurismo and the GranTurismo S.

A complete carbon fiber body has been installed, consisting of front and rear aprons, new spoilers and a revamped grille. Everything, as you can see, has been dressed in a relatively tame black and red two-tone paint scheme.

In terms of performance, the GranTurismo and GranTurismo S now have 30 HP more than the stock models, and are equipped with a new suspension system that lowers ride height by 30mm. All of this is rounded off by a set of custom Mansory wheels in red and black inserts.

Source: Mansory

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Mansory tunes the Maserati GranTurismo S, doesn’t make our eyes bleed