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Ford GT dominates Le Mans qualifying, gets slapped with performance adjustment

Fifty years after Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon drove the Ford GT40 to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford is poised for a historic return to the Circuit de la Sarthe. The new Ford GT took the top two qualifying positions in the LMGTE Pro class, and four of the top five. Ferrari's 488 filled in the rest of the spots in the top seven, the first two from AF Corse. In other words, we're primed for a reboot of the classic Ford-Ferrari feud at this year's race. Or not, as the ACO, which organizes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, announced sweeping pre-race Balance of Performance (BOP) adjustments this morning that make this year's GT class anybody's race. In LMP1, last year's overall winner Porsche locked up the top two spots with the 919 Hybrid and will lead the entire field at race start. Toyota's two-car factory effort followed with qualifying times 1.004 and 2.170 seconds behind the pole lap. Audi rounds out the manufacturer-backed LMP1 class in fifth and sixth. Full qualifying results can be found here. The storyline for the GT cars is perfect - some say too perfect. Ford's class-leading times came after BOP adjustment to the Corvette Racing C7.R before qualifying. BOP is intended to level the playing field in the class by adjusting power, ballast, and fuel capacity. (Check out this explainer video for more, or even just if you love French accents.) But the process is riddled with unknowns and ripe for accusations of sandbagging. That is, if the Ford cars were intentionally slow in practice they could hope for BOP adjustment to improve their race chances. On the Corvette side, last year's GTE Pro winner went from the top of the field to the bottom, barely improving from practice to qualifying. If you think Le Mans is as rigged at the NBA Playoffs, well, it's not that simple. Because if Ford and Ferrari held back until qualifying - the eighth-place Porsche 911 RSR is three-and-a-half seconds off the class pole time - it was a pretty dumb strategy. This morning, the ACO tried to put things back in order by limiting the boost in the Ford GT's twin-turbo V6 and adding 11 pounds of ballast. Ferrari was also given extra weight but allowed more fuel capacity. The Corvette and Aston Martin teams were both given breaks on their air restrictors, which will allow their engines to make more power. Both Ford and Porsche also received extra fuel capacity.

Ford partnering with MIT, Stanford on autonomous vehicle research

Ask any car engineer what's the biggest variable in achieving fuel economy targets, and he'll tell you "the driver." If one human can't understand human driving behavior enough to be certain about an innocuous number like miles per gallon, how is an autonomous car supposed to figure out what hundreds of other drivers are going to do in the course of a day? Ford has enlisted the help of Stanford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to find out.
Starting with the automated Fusion Hybrid introduced in December, MIT will be developing algorithms that driverless cars can use to "predict actions of other vehicles and pedestrians" and objects within the three-dimensional map provided by its four LIDAR sensors.
The Stanford team will research how to extend the 'vision' of that LIDAR array beyond obstructions while driving, analogous to the way a driver uses the entire width of a lane to see what's ahead of a larger vehicle in front. Ford says it wants to "provide the vehicle with common sense" as part of its Blueprint for Mobility, preparing for an autonomous world from 2025 and beyond.

15 vehicles most likely to surpass 200,000 miles

Americans drive a lot. Collectively, we put, on average, more than 13,000 miles on our cars each year according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Because of this, a vehicle's ability to travel long distances without major problems is a huge consideration when it comes time to purchase a new one. It's also worth remembering that keeping an older car on the road instead of trashing it and buying new can be considered an eco-friendly decision. After all, it takes a lot of resources to build a car. iSeeCars.com, a website that aggregates used car listings from all around the country, recently ran through the numbers on millions of vehicles that are currently on the road to determine which last the longest. Alternatively, you could choose to look at this list as vehicles likely to be driven by owners who travel long distances. Either way, we've laid out the top 15 vehicles most likely to hit or even surpass the 200,000-mile mark. It's important to note that while these are the vehicles that have stood the test of time up until today, we can't guarantee future results if you decide to opt for one of these from a current model year. That said, unless we specifically say so in the text below, we've used pictures of current models for illustrative purposes. Now, with all of that out of the way, scroll on down for the top 15 vehicles most likely to crest 200,000 miles. 15: Toyota Sienna 14: Honda Odyssey The 15th spot and 14th spot on the list of the top 15 vehicles most likely to surpass 200,000 miles are both minivans. Spoiler alert: They will be the only two minivans on the list. According to iSeeCars, 3.2% of both of these family haulers crest the 200,000-mile mark, making them the best bets for families looking to put a ton of miles on their machines. 13: Honda Ridgeline 12: GMC Yukon The next spot on the list is occupied by the Honda Ridgeline pickup truck with 3.7% lasting past 200,000 miles. Unlike any of the other midsize trucks it competes with, the Ridgeline is based on a unibody chassis. Opting for this more car-like structure — as opposed to a traditional body-on-frame layout — allows Honda's hauler to ride and drive more like a car. Up next is the GMC Yukon, also with 3.7% past the 200K mark, and the first, but very much not the last, big traditional SUV you'll see on the list. In fact, get ready to see a whole bunch of 'em, including several from GMC parent General Motors.