Articles by Paul Gover

Everyone in Formula One has been won over by Daniel Ricciardo - even race rivals.

Lowndes, who turns 41 in June, has just been recontracted for two more years, but Red Bull Racing will expand to a three-car operation from next season to make a place for speedy Kiwi Van Gisbergen alongside triple champion Lowndes and six-time champion Jamie Whincup."We now have the two fastest drivers in V8 Supercars," said Roland Dane, the Irishman who steers Red Bull though his umbrella company, Triple Eight Race Engineering.He has poached Van Gisbergen from Tekno Autosports, one of his Triple Eight customer teams, in a move that is intended to work for both the long and short term.We have to plan for the future. We have to also try and look after Craig in the back end of his careerIt allows Red Bull to continue its frontline push next season with Whincup and Van Gisbergen as the speed machines, while letting Lowndes become the elder statesman who is still capable of running in the top five.Dane has made an early announcement about Van Gisbergen, 25, to avoid months of speculation and allow the building of new cars and hiring of extra staff without any need for secrecy. He knew the Kiwi was out of contract at the end of the year."We have to plan for the future. We have to also try and look after Craig in the back end of his career," Dane said. "If we didn't do a deal with 'Gizzy', someone else would."

The mystery surrounding Fernando Alonso's pre-season crash and concussion is unlikely to mean safety changes or a driver boycott at Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

Full-of-fruit Forester maintains the brand's staple qualities but the opposition is catching up. Two years ago I was quite taken by the new Subaru Forester. The chunky midwest American styling grated and the cabin quality was down a bit from what I expected. However, it drove well, had more space and the price was

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

This car is mad, crazy and stupid. But I still love it.Right now, the Morgan 3 Wheeler has jumped to the top of my bucket list for 2015, even topping the Mercedes-AMG GT and the all-new Toyota HiLux.It's directly related to a motorcycle-powered three-wheeler that was built more than 100 years ago in the very earliest days of the Morgan, with the claim that it could crack "The Ton" when 100mph (160km/h, give or take) was the benchmark number for a serious speed machine.The whole purpose of the 3 Wheeler is driving, in the purest senseIt's taken more than four years for Morgan importer Chris van Wyk to get the born-again 3 Wheeler cleared for Australia and it's meant some major redesign work in Britain. The most obvious change is new intakes that give the car a "moustache" but there are also proper mirrors, better rollover protection, reversing light and padded steering wheel.But the basics are totally unchanged, from the front-mounted motorcycle-style V‒twin engine to the single rear driving wheel.The whole purpose of the 3 Wheeler is driving, in the purest sense. It's not intended for family work, or commuting, or anything where the driver is really just another passenger.It's a car for a fast blast on a sunny day.The 3 Wheeler is far from cheap, with a base price of $90,000The first Australian cars are being built at Morgan next month and it’s highly likely that a few will have come with the optional RAF colour scheme, replicating a World War I fighter plane.Orders are now being filled for later in the year and although the 3 Wheeler is far from cheap, with a base price of $90,000, that’s unlikely to deter anyone who wants one.In any case, such buyers are likely to have some mundane cars — Audi, BMW, Mercedes and the like, perhaps even a Porsche — in the garage for the days until the 3 Wheeler istaken out for exercise.

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the 2015 BMW i3 range extender with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

After the collapse of a plan for a national show alternating between Sydney and Melbourne, two groups are hoping to revive the interest in car shows in 2015.The first one is just around the corner and has already received support from three key brands for an event at the Melbourne Showgrounds from March 26-29.The Australian Motoring Festival will include test drives, simulators and other interactive eventsThe Showgrounds layout allows creation of a test track and four-wheel-drive course, as well as a family fun zone, a design centre and a location billed as "History that Moves".Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota have committed to the car show.Its organisers — the RACV and Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce — promise a new approach.Instead of just a glitzy indoor showroom, the Australian Motoring Festival will include test drives, simulators and other interactive events to put the cars into context and show more than the quality of their paintwork and cabins.Ferrari is bringing cars to reflect its 30 years as a supercar headliner.More car makers are expected to join as the event gets closerMercedes-Benz is emphasising its AMG performers and its Driving Academy and Toyota promises an interactive look at a range of models.Ferrari is using the event as its major focus for this year, after lasy tear's successful Ferrari Racing Days in Sydney.Mercedes-Benz hopes to lure newcomers to the brand — with a twist."We will be featuring Mercedes-AMG models and the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy during the festival, along with a few surprise vehicles," says CEO Horst von Sanden.More car makers are expected to join as the event gets closer.

The Sandman is coming back to showrooms.

Salmon is a Sydney hotelier and online entrepreneur, while Baumgartner is best known as the crazy Austrian who parachuted from the edge of space.But both of them fit right in at the Bathurst 12-Hour, a race that takes Mount Panorama back to its showroom roots.It's not your everyday showroom, as exotics brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Bentley and McLaren dominate the entry list, but these are still cars that are far closer to the real world than any V8Supercar.Best of all, they all look and sound different. And, since they have different strengths and weaknesses, there is constant track action as they swap places around Mount Panorama. And that's without worrying about the tail-end tiddlers in cars such as the 1-Series BMWs who contribute to the healthiest starting grid since the 1980s."Why do I race? I caught the bug and I cannot get it out of my system," Salmon tells CarsGuide."I'm a gentleman driver, not a professional, but I can still compete here with some of the best blokes in the world.The 12-hour includes some of the world's best long-distance racers"I'm 55 next week, so I have a few things to tick off the Bucket List. This is one."Salmon owns his Audi R8 racer but Baumgartner, a world- class and world-renowned thrill seeker, is at Bathurst as a guest of Audi. He's in an R8 to satisfy his need for speed."This is fun. Just great," he says.The driver lineup for the 12-hour includes some of the world's best long-distance racers, and former V8Supercar runners John Bowe, Warren Luff and Greg Crick, but the current stars have been banned from the action by a clashing touring car test at Sydney Motorsport Park.No-one is remotely surprised that Craig Lowndes and Rick Kelly would prefer to be spending the weekend at Bathurst, or that the 12-Hour telecast comprehensively trumps the broadcast numbers for the rival event in Sydney.The 12-Hour is a wacky race, from the drivers to the cars, and the Mercedes-Benz pacecar is called out a record 20 times after some sort of on-track incident.But the cars are fast and spectacular and it's easy to tell them apart. Especially when you see a brutal Benz SLS going head-to-head with an exotic Ferrari 458 and a giant-but-gentlemanly Bentley Continental.There is a respectable crowd at the 12-Hour and the carpark is full of old Bristols and MG sports cars, shiny new McLarens and even a 50-car cavalcade of Mercedes-Benzes, dominated by the brand's hot AMG models.As always, Mount Panorama stars — from the spectacle of a start in darkness through to the final fight to the flag.The 12-Hour is more than just a race and it is growing fastIn the end, it's a Nissan GT-R that gets home first — as Godzilla conquers the Mountain for the first time since Mark Skaife and Jim Richards — with a blanket finish for the minor places.But the 12-Hour is more than just a race and it is growing fast. There are seven factory-backed teams in 2015 and this will grow again for 2016, with Audi, Bentley and Mercedes-Benz already committed to next year's race."This race and this place is something special. It's not only the track, it's the atmosphere and the racing and all the rest," says Romolo Liebchen, head of Audi's giant Customer Racing Division.GT sports car racing is more than a passing fad"Australia has a relatively small car market, but it is very important for performance cars and also as a place to compete with our customers. It is clear this race will continue to grow."A Bentley at Bathurst is so wrong that it’s right.I feel as if I’ve been invited into the sitting room of Le Mans winner Guy Smith’s home in Britain as I slide into his Continental GT3-R for a relatively quiet lap of Mount Panorama.This is the roadgoing version of the car Smith is racing in the 12-hour, with everything I expect from an ultra-luxury Bentley coupe. There are sumptuous leather seats and all the luxury fruit. Then Smith opens the taps on Mountain Straight and we’re aa-www-aaaay.It’s not remotely what I expect from a car that weighs nearly two tonnes and costs more than $600,000.Bentley has done a serious job on this car. It has 427kW and 700Nm in the engine room, which — with special gearing and a bunch of other changes — means it can slingshot to 100km/h in just 3.8 secs. That’s exactly what Smith does, calmly giving his first impression of the circuit. “It’s a tricky place, isn’t it? It takes a bit of learning,” he says.On Sunday afternoon, long after this memorable run down the mountain, he and his team should have been podium finishers. A cruel punt on the final corner drops them to fourth at the flag. Bentley is committed to come back in 2016 and I’m looking forward to another visit to Smith’s sitting room.GT sports car racing is more than a passing fad. A total of 13 car brands now have official programs in the global category, following a decision by Cadillac this year to join the track action with its CTS-V coupe, and they are spending big as bait for buyers.Cadillac will be joining everyone from Aston Martin and Audi to Lamborghini, Ferrari, and even Mercedes-Benz at the sharp end of GT racing.It's a crazy category because the cars look so outrageous. The purchase price, from about $600,000, makes them relatively affordable.In comparison, a homegrown V8Supercar can easily top $500,000 as a turnkey racer.The big difference between Australia and the rest of the world is the scale, with carmakers doing big numbers and making serious dollars from their motorsport divisions.Mercedes-Benz still has 20 cars to build before it switches from its current SLS to the GT3 version of the new coupe. Bentley has built 18 Continental GTs for racing.Audi tops the pile, having built 136 track versions of its R8, with 126 currently still in action including the car that took pole position for the Bathurst 12-Hour.