Red Bull drivers review this weekends Grand Prix in Belgium.

Daniel Ricciardo

"Above all, Spa is a racing circuit - one that really encourages exciting wheel-to-wheel action. That said, F1 has changed over the years, and whereas Eau Rouge and Blanchimont were once the stand out sections, now it's probably the Pouhon downhill left-hander at Turns 10 and 11. That's seriously, seriously fast – and probably a good place to watch the race from for anyone prepared for a bit of a hike through the Ardennes. 

Of course, given the Belgium Grand Prix draws in all the petrolheads, everyone's perfectly happy to slog through the woods to find the best view. You bump into people who've been going to the race for five decades. And if you ever go into a pub or restaurant in one of the villages around the circuit, chances are you'll see pictures on the wall of great drivers from back in the day, standing where you are and doing what you're doing. It's great stuff."

Sebastian Vettel

"The race in Spa started our series of nine victories last year, which I always like to remember. The Belgian circuit offers all possible turns and maneuvers: ultra-fast, medium-speed, heavy braking and fast straights. The height difference is so great that you always have the feeling of riding a roller coaster, especially in Eau Rouge. 

The weather can also be very unpredictable and a challenge for drivers and teams. It should never be underestimated; within minutes it can change from heavy rain to sunshine. As well as that, the safety car often comes out at Spa. The track is one of my favorites of the year because it feels like it has grown out of the nature that is all around it. It blends with the natural setting perfectly."

MG selling one car a day, for 90 days, meaning someone will win a free car.

TMW THOUGHTS

Ummm, a press release extoling the virtues that MG might sell a car a day for 90 days, can you see ANY other brand doing that, no, MG in the UK has this habit of throwing out press releases for the most stupid things, this one is up there with the best, or worst as it may seem.

This offer, although a decent one, is a bit daft, you have to buy a brand new car first, once you have purchased one of these new 90th anniversary edition cars, your name goes in a pot, and as long as they sell all 90 units in or under 90 days, one name will be pulled out of this pot, and you will win another new car, how many people really want two brand new cars, let alone be able to afford it, why not just offer either a free upgrade, or your money back, personally i owuld rather be upgraded to teh top of the range MG6, and have a magnette version, but hey, thats just me.

There are a few rumours doing the rounds at the moment, with the main one being the complete deletion of the MG6 from the UK market, i would not be surprised it this were true, MG UK likes to register cars and then sell them off to Motorpoint for a fiver a car, well, a that might be a bit harsh, lets say a tenner, this might be true, when you consider that the once rumoured arrival of of teh MG5, now renamed MG GT, was catagorically denied.

But this new car has been doing the rounds at Longbridge, with a photoshoot over the road, could this be in readiness for a UK launch, maybe, but this car will need to be tweeked a bit first, mainly the rear end which is probably one of teh most ungainly rear ended cars around at the moment, and on a par with the last generation Ford Scorpio, and we know what happened there.

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• Limited edition vehicles selling fast – only a few of the allocated 90 vehicles remain
• If all 90 are sold within 90 days MG will choose one customer at random to win an MG3
• Limited editions launched at MG90 Anniversary Celebration in June this year
• Fastest growing automotive brand in the UK for last seven months running

MG 90^th anniversary Limited Edition MG3 and MG6 vehicles are selling like hot cakes, with most of the 90 vehicles already sold out. MG has confirmed that if all 90 vehicles are sold within 90 days, one lucky customer will go on to win an MG3.

The MG 90^th Anniversary Limited Editions were launched at the MG90 event at Silverstone in June this year, where the Midlands based manufacturer celebrated 90 years of the iconic marque. Over 15,000 enthusiasts attended the event which featured the CS and EV concept vehicles and a collection of current production and historic MGs.

The MG3 90^th LE is built on the top of the range 3STYLE spec, which features rear parking sensors, cruise control, DAB digital radio and easy electric air conditioning as standard,  and adds unique 16” Blue Diamond wheels, 90^th Anniversary embroidered headrests, unique MG logo roof decal, “Pinstripe” cant rail graphic and gloss black and red interior details. The MG3 90^th LE is available in White on the Tiles, Smokey Blues and Silver Fox colour options.

Launched in September 2013, the MG3 benefits from an ultra low 4E insurance group, strong residuals of up to 61 per cent, exceptional interior and boot space, class leading chassis and driving dynamics and high levels of equipment on all specifications as standard. There are also over one million personalisation options and exceptional value for money aftercare packages to choose from. The MG3 is priced from only £8,399 to £9,999, or on PCP with zero percent deposit or from only £99 a month.

The MG6 90^th Anniversary LE is built on the top of the range TSE spec which features sports seats, rear parking sensors, cruise control and full colour sat nav with a lifetime subscription to Trafficmaster as standard. The MG6 90^th Limited Edition adds unique 18” Matte Black Wheels, 90^th Anniversary embroidered headrests, gloss black roof, red pinstripe body detail, chrome side vent and  gloss black interior details – available in Granite Grey Metallic and Platinum Silver. Further details on both the MG3 and MG6 90^thAnniversary Limited Editions are available via http://mg.co.uk/vehicles/mg-90th-le/

MG has been the fastest growing automotive brand in 2014 for seven months running, with success due to the recent launch of the MG3 supermini and expansion of the MG6 diesel powertrain family, with a new 129g, 350 Nm performance diesel recently added. Voted by customers as the winner of Best Handling and sixth overall Best Car to Own in the 2014 Auto Express Driver Power Awards, the MG6 is already a favourite with MG owners for its drivability, affordability and exceptionally high levels of equipment included as standard. Now the MG6 is even more appealing as all specifications are available from just £15,455 to £19,995, and with the current ‘High 5’ offer, MG6 customers can buy and drive away with complete peace of mind.

Last week, MG’s rapidly expanding dealer network was announced as eighth best overall, and second for value of money, in the Auto Express Dealer Power Car Dealers Best and Worst survey. Since November 2013, 22 new MG dealerships have opened in the UK. Further new dealer appointments will be announced shortly, as MG plans to have around 80 sales dealerships on board by the end of the year, these will be supported by the further network of 13 MG after sales specialists.

Six TOP !!!!! designers explore the future of Travel - MINI reveals 1st look ahead of major exhibition.

From genetically engineered cars to vacuum-packing bodies for space travel, MINI reveals the extraordinary vision of six cutting-edge designers ahead of a pioneering exhibition launching at London Design Festival, 17-21 September 2014.

Earlier this year, MINI teamed up with Dezeen and the UK’s most progressive young designers to explore how design and technology could transform the way we travel in years to come. The following images and videos are an insight into their inspiration and an exciting first peek at their work before the final pieces are unveiled at the exhibition, ‘Frontiers - The Future of Mobility’.

Each exhibit has been part inspired by the spirit of the MINI brand and the newly launched MINI, a car that combines iconic design with cutting-edge technology.

Body Architect Lucy McRae invites visitors to designjunction to take part in an interactive performance, in which their body is vacuum-packed to prepare it for space travel. Inspired by artists working with NASA, McRae's installation will consist of a series of pods, which visitors will be invited to step inside to prepare their bodies for the rigours of a zero-gravity environment. "Astronauts that come back to earth suffer an extreme osteoporosis because there's no gravity for bones. So the idea is you get under these golden aerated cocoons and slowly the air is sucked out of these pockets…. It is going to be weird!"

Click here for more information on Lucy's work

Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg’s experimental design will investigate genetically engineered cars grown from living materials. Synthetic biological cars, she suggests, could evolve and mutate as they are used and repaired so they become better adapted to their environments, just like living organisms. "My concept is around 'repair ecologies,'" she explains. "Would cars that are repaired in a hot place be different to cars that are repaired in a city full of pollution, or cars repaired somewhere humid?" Click here for more information on Daisy's work

Designer and filmmaker Keiichi Matsuda’s research explores the possibilities of augmented reality, which could be used to super-impose digital traffic information and road signage onto the physical world. Currently augmented reality is limited to using a physical interface such as a tablet or a headset like Google Glass. Matsuda believes that is about to change. "I'm aware of some projects happening right at the moment, which are set to revolutionise this kind of process," he says. "People are looking into contact lenses as a way of introducing this digital overlay on the world, and the other big thing is projecting directly onto your retina."

Click here for more information on Keiichi's work

In a future of fully automated, computer-controlled vehicles, airbags and crumple zones will be redundant, British artist, designer and inventor Dominic Wilcox suggests. So why not build an intricate stained-glass car? The safe, driverless cars of the future will free up designers to create radically different car designs, ones that you can just sit in and sleep while it drives you to your destination. "I was really struck by the stained glass windows of Durham Cathedral," he explains. "I thought, 'Why don't we use that so much in contemporary design?' So I'm learning a bit about glass making and working out how on earth does one make a stained-glass car of the future?" Dominic is interested in technology, he says, “because it is the closest thing to magic”.

Click here for more information on Dominic's work

British-Colombian artist Matthew Plummer-Fernandez re-imagines the familiar dashboard bobblehead as a personal, 3D-printed driving companion used to communicate with our cars. The idea is inspired by the practice of sticking small figurines onto car dashboards to bring good luck. "These avatars would have a personal relationship with the driver," he explains. "They would be something that you would purchase as a product or a service, but as you develop a relationship it would learn your preferences. So even if you change vehicle you could take this avatar with you and install it into your next vehicle. 

Click here for more information on Matthew's work

Architect Pernilla Ohrstedt will design MINI’s exhibition space at designjunction and showcase her take on the future of travel within it. Pernilla predicts our cars will soon be able to collect detailed 3D scans of the world around us as we drive – and will explore how we might use this to create real-time 3D maps of our cities. "We can already go onto Google Earth and check tourist destinations," she says. "In the future it's really conceivable that we'll start travelling the virtual world instead of the physical, because it will be scanned at such high resolution." Click here for more information on Pernilla's work

‘Frontiers - The Future of Mobility’, presented by Dezeen and MINI, takes place at designjunction, the Old Sorting Office, from September 17-21 as part of London Design Festival. Press previews 17 September, exhibition open to the public 18-21 September.

Dezeen and MINI Frontiers is a year-long collaboration that has seen the first man-made leaf, a flying dress for Lady Gaga and computerised musical gloves for Imogen Heap. All this and more at:www.dezeen.com/minifrontiers

James Bond Helicopter to star at Goodwood Revival

The helicopter made famous by Pussy Galore in the 1964 James Bond Film ‘Goldfinger’ will take centre stage at the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation exhibition at the Goodwood Revival on September 12.

The flying machine, officially known as the Hiller UH-12E4 is the very aircraft in which Galore, played by actress Honor Blackman, flew Goldfinger’s atomic bomb to Fort Knox for the film’s finale. It was also used by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Oscar-winning film, ‘The VIPs’, the previous year.

Up to 30 aircraft will form part of the display with other highlights including a 1948 Tempco ‘Globe Swift’ GC-1B whose previous owner’s father was taught to fly at 14 years old by aviation pioneer Wilbur Wright – and even had the latter’s signature on his licence.

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson is set to bring his Fokker DR1 triplane, the same kind of machine used by German World War 1 hero Manfred von Richthofen, aka, The Red Baron, while the largest machine this year will be a Douglas C47A Dakota.

Two very rare Austers will be on-site, a ‘5’ that was used in the D-Day landings of 1944 and a J1, which completes the line-up of the Leicestershire-built machines.

Beechcraft’s presence is marked by a pair of twin-engined aircraft, an E18S and a BE-50 Twin Bonanza, while de Havilland, Cessna, Percival, Piper and others will be represented as well.

Rob Wildeboer, Goodwood Aviation General Manager, said: “Every year we gather an amazing selection of aircraft together for the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation exhibition, but this year’s is truly the most impressive to date. We have famous aircraft and some extreme rarities that will appeal to both the true aviation enthusiast and those looking to get up-close to something pretty special.”

Latest AUDI TT reduces emmisions and reduces whole life impact.

• New TT benefits from emissions reduction of 11 per cent compared with predecessor
• Power increase of up to 14 per cent
• Customer benefits from the very first mile

Audi has made significant gains in reducing the whole-life impact on the environment of its latest high-tech sports car. Compared with its predecessor, the new Audi TT scores high with an increase in power output of up to 14 per cent and a simultaneous decrease in greenhouse gas emissions of 11 per cent. As the premium vehicle manufacturer states in its new life cycle assessment of the third-generation TT, this means that each car in the series saves around 5.5 tonnes of greenhouse gases over its entire life cycle. This includes not just carbon dioxide, but other substances such as methane, nitrous oxide and halogenated organic emissions.

“Our goal is to reduce significantly the overall emissions of each model compared with its predecessor,” states Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development at AUDI AG. “However, it’s not just a matter of what comes out of the exhaust pipe. At Audi, we look at the entire product and process chain associated with mobility.”

A host of technologies have contributed towards the positive life cycle assessment of the Audi TT, including lightweight construction. Thanks to an intelligent combination of materials, Audi engineers have, for the second time in a row, succeeded in reducing the car’s unladen weight. The first model change in 2006 saw weight savings of up to 90 kilograms achieved. With the front-wheel driven 2.0 TFSI engine variant of the new TT now weighing in at just 1,230 kilograms, this means that the car is once again around 50 kilograms lighter than its predecessor.

Weight reduction and intelligent lightweight construction measures also have an impact on the vehicle manufacturing process. Here, it has been possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around nine per cent, or 800 kilograms– a result that benefits the customers. The new TT generation offers a better life cycle assessment than its predecessor, right from the very first mile.

The life cycle assessment of the new Audi TT can be found here.

McLaren previews the Belgium Grand Prix.

Grand Prix Preview

Belgium 2014

Formula 1 returns to action this weekend at one of the world’s most challenging circuits. Spa-Francorchamps, situated deep in Belgium’s Ardennes forest, is the ultimate high-speed test of man and machine; it’s one of the highlights of the season.

Facts & Stats: Spa-Francorchamps

The Circuit

Spa-Francorchamps has been synonymous with Formula 1 for more than 60 years. The track featured in the inaugural Formula 1 World Championship in 1950, but its current design bears little resemblance to the original 14km layout. The modern track is much shorter (7.004km) and safer, but it’s still breathtakingly quick: the average speed is 230km/h. The track is the longest on the calendar – more than twice the length of F1’s shortest circuit in Monte-Carlo – and it’s littered with challenging corners and undulations. The pre-requisites to success are threefold: commitment by the driver, an aerodynamically efficient car, and a powerful engine – more than 70 per cent of the lap is spent at full throttle

The Race

Races at Spa are rarely straightforward owing to the fickle climate in the Ardennes. Heavy rain prior to the start of the 1997 race resulted in F1’s first ever Safety Car start and it can often be raining on one part of the track and dry on another. Should this year’s race be dry, the teams will use Pirelli’s Soft and Medium slick tyre compounds, as they did in Hungary last time out. The Medium (Prime) rubber is likely to be the most effective over a race stint because its composition and construction are made for the high cornering loads experienced at Spa, while the Soft (Option) compound will be better-suited to one-lap performance during qualifying.

The Team

McLaren has an enviable record at the Belgian Grand Prix. In 1968, the team won its first world championship grand prix at Spa-Francorchamps, and it now has a total of 14 wins and 11 poles on Belgian soil. Jenson Button is a previous winner at Spa and his rookie team-mate Kevin Magnussen is hoping for a repeat of his previous successes at the track in Formula 3 and Renault World Series 3.5.

Vital Statistics

Belgian Grand Prix 22nd - 24th September Spa-Francorchamps

Race distance 44 laps (308.052km/191.415 miles) Start time 14:00 (local)/12:00 (GMT) Circuit length 7.004km/4.352 miles 2013 winner Sebastian Vettel 2013 pole Lewis Hamilton Lap record Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren MP4-19) 1m45.108s (238.931km/h) First race 1950 What makes it special: The fast and flowing nature of the track, plus the numerous overtaking opportunities around the lap Wins from pole 15 Track abrasiveness Low/medium Pirelli tyre choice Soft (Option)/Medium (Prime) 2013 winning strategy Two stops Fuel consumption High – 72% of the lap is spent at full throttle Brakewear Low. There are eight braking events around the lap, of which only two are heavy braking areas Weather Unpredictable. It can be raining on one section of the circuit and sunny on another DRS zones Two – one on the start-finish straight, the other on the approach to Turn Five, at the end of the Kemmel Straight Turbo effect Low, due to few hard accelerations from low-speed Safety Car likelihood Historically high. There’s an 80 per cent chance of a Safety Car Grid advantage If you start on the racing line, you have an advantage, but it’s a very short run to the first corner Pitlane time It takes 21s to complete a stop, which is close to average for the season

McLaren at the Belgian Grand Prix

Wins 14 (1968, 1974, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2012) Poles 11 (1968, 1974, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2012) Fastest laps 8 (1974, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1999, 2004, 2010)

Team Talk Jenson Button: Car 22 Age 34 (January 19 1980) GPs 258 Wins 15 Poles 8 FLs 8

“I go into the second half of the season feeling incredibly refreshed and positive. “There’s no better place to resume the season than at Spa-Francorchamps. It’s one of the best circuits in the world, and it’s a place where driving a Formula 1 car always feels incredible. As ever, I’m really looking forward to driving out of the pits for the first time on Friday morning, and just throwing the car into some of the greatest corners in motorsport. “I had one of my best weekends of the year at Spa last year, qualifying and finishing sixth after running closely with a bunch of cars through the whole race. It wasn’t my best finish of the year, but it was positive because I got the maximum out of the package we had, and was able to fight closely with a number of other drivers, which felt satisfying. “Hopefully, there will be positives to take out of this weekend as well.”

Kevin Magnussen: Car 20 Age 21 (October 05 1992) GPs 11 Wins 0 Poles 0 FLs 0

“It’s felt like an incredibly long four weeks, and I really can’t wait to get back into the cockpit, particularly as we’re headed to Spa, one of the best drivers’ tracks in the world. “I love Spa: I won there in British Formula 3 in 2011, and in Formula Renault 3.5 in both 2012 and ’13, and I just love the fast, flowing nature of the circuit. Hooking up a quick lap there during qualifying is just fantastic, because the track just flows from one corner to the next, and the car is so fast and assured that it almost feels effortless. It’s fantastic. “I think the second half of this season will be incredibly important for us. We need to use these next eight races to assert ourselves, pushing our development strategy to the fore in order to first consolidate and then improve our positions in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships. “As a team, I know we are up for the challenge.”

Eric Boullier Racing director, McLaren Mercedes “We had a disappointing race in Hungary to send us into the summer break, but we’ve analysed the issues we encountered, and we believe we now understand what went wrong. More important, we all head to Belgium feeling positive and refreshed, and incredibly keen to get back to work. “The first half of the season has shown signs of both promise and disappointment, but, through it all, Jenson and Kevin have each driven some particularly inspired races, made very few mistakes and always extracted the maximum from the package. Equally, the team has worked hard at both the factory and the racetrack to improve performance – and we’re now starting to see those returns. “Spa and Monza are tracks where every team runs a unique downforce package, so it won’t be until Singapore – where we resume with a more conventional set-up – that we’ll get a clearer read on our progress, but I think we have reasons to be optimistic. The operational changes we’ve implemented over the course of the season have taken time to bed-in, but I think we’ll certainly see a more pronounced upswing in performance over these final eight races of the year.”