It seems every week there is a new article out there from some website or magazine that claims to have the inside line on the next RX-Series car. Most of the recent rumors are laughable to those in the know, yet there isn't a good source to debunk these rumors, such as the recent AutoCar.co.uk article about the RX-7/RX-9. The problem with the rumors is they raise enthusiast's expectations, but also pacifies them just enough to keep them from contacting the manufacturer or dealers about their desire for a new car. When the manufacturer sees they are no longer being contacted by enthusiasts, other projects are then put ahead of the halo cars like the RX-7. There are other consequences, such as the research and market testing departments conducting surveys about what the features next cars should have. The responses can be tainted by the un-true circulating rumors. ... Well... there are a ton of these rumors going around. We'll give our take on some them.

- Eight Mazda RX-8 Teams Deliver Rolex Grand-Am GT Championship -

August 29, 2010 (IRVINE, Calif.). Mazda, along with its MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development racing partners, clinched the 2010 Rolex Grand-Am GT championship this weekend during the Montreal 200 race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Despite the Mazda brand being one of the most successful racing nameplates in the world, this is the first GT championship for the company since its 1991 win in the IMSA GTO championship.

New Jersey Motorsports Park (07/19/2010) - The SpeedSource team claimed the first-ever Rolex Sports Car Series podium sweep during this weekend’s New Jersey Motorsports Park 250 presented by Crown Royal. Leading the pack and earning the GT-Class win were co-drivers Jonathan Bomarito and Sylvain Tremblay in the #70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8. Following close behind and securing second and third was the #68 Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development Mazda RX-8 and the #69 FXDD Mazda RX-8, respectively.

Snap-on will sponsor BMI Racing and driver Brian Wilkerson in Formula Drift. Snap-on will serve as the primary sponsor for driver Brian Wilkerson and the BMI Racing Formula Drift Snap-on RX8 4 Rotor car at the Formula Drift "Throwdown" event in Evergreen, Wash., on July 9-10 and the "After Dark" race Aug. 20-21 in Las Vegas, Nev.

"After attending the recent Skills USA competition and seeing how well received the BMI Racing Formula Drift team was there, we felt that it would be a great opportunity for Snap-on to get involved even more with Formula Drift by sponsoring BMI Racing and Brian," said Alicia Smales, vice president of marketing for Snap-on Tools. "Snap-on's association with Formula Drift gives us a great vehicle to interact with a different segment of our customer base. In addition, the Formula Drift events also give us a chance to entertain customers and show them the latest and greatest technology and products that Snap-on has to offer."

July 05, 2010 - The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 returned to Daytona International Speedway for the Brumos Porsche 250. In front of over 50,000 fans attending that night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race, the SpeedSource crew rolled out their fleet of three purpose-built Mazda RX-8’s ready to race. Enduring the Florida summer heat, the three SpeedSource cars finished 4th, 5th, and 6th with GT point’s leaders Emil Assentato and Jeff Segal leading the pack.

June 6, 2010 - The SpeedSource team had to regroup quickly after the Memorial Day Classic at Lime Rock Park. Just five days later the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 headed to the historic Watkins Glen International circuit for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. SpeedSource continued their streak of podium appearances capturing 2nd in the #70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8. Closing out the remainder of the Top 5 was the #69 FXDD Mazda RX-8 and the #68 Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development Mazda RX-8 in fourth and fifth.

June 1, 2009 - The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 returned to Lime Rock Park in Connecticut after a one year hiatus. This year’s Memorial Day Classic marked the first time that the race was to be run with both classes. Continuing their three-car effort in the GT Class, the SpeedSource team unveiled a completely new Mazda RX-8 GT car. In the car’s first ever appearance on-track, Mazda ladder drivers Adam Christodoulou and John Edwards scored their first GRAND-AM victory in the #68 MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Mazda RX-8. Adding to the team’s success and closing out the third and fourth spots were the #69 FXDD Mazda RX-8 and the #70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8, respectively.

May 31, 2010 - Mazda announced that it will return to this year’s 24 Hour of Le Mans race with a revolutionary rotary engine vehicle, the RX-8 Hydrogen RE sports coupe. The company, which won the 24h Le Mans Race in 1991 with the first and only rotary engine race car, will introduce the RX-8 Hydrogen RE sports coupe as a demonstration vehicle in the “Le Mans vers le future” (Le Mans into the Future) event.

SOURCE: edmunds INSIDE LINE

SANTA MONICA, California — Chevrolet's 2011 Volt hasn't even made it to the dealer showroom yet and GM's engineering team is already working on cost-cutting solutions for the second-generation Chevy Volt.

"Right now, the propulsion system is too expensive, even with using an existing engine," GM's new vice president of global vehicle engineering, Karl Stracke, told Inside Line today. But Stracke confirmed that future Volt powertrains are already being tested, including several different range-extending engines, possibly even a rotary.

Our friends at BMI, who are racing a 4-Rotor RX-8, need your help! See the message below from their team:

We have been presented with many tough struggles this season, but we have kept fighting each challenge that is presented to us. This has led us to being short on the budget for next round - Formula Drift Round 3 New Jersey. This is pretty much Brian Wilkerson's home track, and in some ways similar to this: