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	Jorge Lorenzo interview after the Phillip Island GP Jorge Lorenzo looks back on Sunday's IVECO AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX	From: MotoGP Views: 3068 18 ratings
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Hermann Lang Claudio Langes Nicola Larini Oscar Larrauri Gérard Larrousse

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Valentino Rossi made his much anticipated debut on board the Ducati Desmosedici on Tuesday. The Italian turned laps at the Valencia circuit as part of a two-day MotoGP test along with 16 other riders (view the results in our 2010 MotoGP Valencia Day 1 Test Results). The 31-year-old hopped aboard the Ducati wearing plain black leathers, contrasted strongly by his neon Number 46 written across his back.

Rossi?s first trip lasted just eight laps so he could get an initial feel for the bike. The team first utlilized the big bang engine for much of the first day, and worked on additional items such as geometry. Rossi then set out on the screamer version, making one final pass before calling it a day. Overall, the Italian set a best time of 1?35.134, and finished the first day of testing in 10th directly behind his Ducati teammate, Nicky Hayden. For Ducati the stated goal of this test is to determine whether to go with a screamer or big bang engine for the upcoming season.

Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Jason Keller T riStar Motorsports Chevrolet Coleman Pressley R3 Motorsports Chevrolet

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Sons of Anarchy FX Network Chevrolet Ryan Newman Phoenix Construction Chevrolet Jeremy Clements Boudreaux s Butt Paste Chevrolet

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Filed under: IRL, Indianapolis 500

Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series championship owner Chip Ganassi will be doubling his efforts in the series in 2011, adding two additional cars to his trophy stable.

The team, which would not confirm or comment on the long-rumored news, has scheduled a press conference Thursday in Indianapolis where Ganassi will introduce the newest additions to a driver lineup that already features two-time defending series champ Dario Franchitti and former two-time champ Scott Dixon.

Second-generation driver Graham Rahal -- son of 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal -- and Charlie Kimball, 25, a young talent moving up from the feeder Indy Lights Series, will campaign for Ganassi next year, working out of a "satellite" team shop rented from drag racing legend Don Prudhomme.

Rahal, 21, is the youngest IndyCar Series winner in history, scoring his only victory in the 2008 season-opener at St. Petersburg, Fla. However, he did not race full time last season. Kimball will be making his debut in the series.

Thursday's announcement will also confirm full-time sponsorship for both Rahal and Kimball -- significant for the series, which had several high-profile teams struggling to find primary corporate backing in 2010. In a unusual twist, Rahal actually announced a two-year sponsorship deal with TBC Corporation -- which owns several automobile tire retailers -- at this season's finale in Homestead, Fla. before having a contract in place with a team.

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Virgil Ernest Irvan III Kenny Dale Irwin Jr Dale Arnold Jarrett Jimmie Kenneth Johnson Kasey Kenneth Kahne

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Filed under: Hatchback, Chevrolet, GM, First Drive, Design/Style

Chevrolet Cruze hatchback trademark drawing

Chevrolet Cruze hatchback design drawings - Click above for high-res image gallery

Most cars never look quite as cool as their conceptual and pre-production versions, and it would appear that the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback will be no exception. Carscoop was able to get its hands on design drawings of the car used for trademark filings with the European patent office.

The good news is that the Cruze hatchback manages to stay fairly faithful to the version shown off at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. The predictable bad news is that the front fascia looks less aggressive and ditches the LED light strips for standard fog lamps. What's more, the wheels will be smaller than the oversized auto show setup seen in Paris, and the rear taillamps will most likely be toned down a notch. The design and the show car are actually very similar looking. However, you can't have the sweet without the sour, so the really bad news is that the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback has not been greenlit for U.S. roads.

Gallery: Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback design renderings