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Seven-time Formula 1 racing champion Michael Schumacher will be racing this weekend on a Honda CBR1000RR at the IDM International German Motorbike Championship. There are rumors that he’ll be racing under a false name, Marcel Niederhausen. Now that the cat is officially out of the bag, so to speak, he may as well skip the alias. Schumacher will race alongside current champion Martin Bauer for Holzhauer Racing.

With this announcement, all of the previous events which Schumacher took part in start to make more sense. Superbike racing is very hotly contested, and the bikes feature nearly two-hundred horsepower in race trim. Therefore, it would have been an exceedingly bad idea to race in this series without a few warm-up runs. According to event organizers, the thirty-seven year old Schumacher has been testing for the last few weeks with members of his new team and “he surprised many experts with fast times.” We can only hope that our “retirements” will be so enjoyable.

[Source: Motorcycle News]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Zest Sports G

This little kei wagon on Matchbox-sized wheels is the Honda Zest Sports G (Dynamic Special), and yes, that parenthetical appears to be part of the official name. What makes it more dynamic and special than the regular Zest Sports? Well, not a whole lot. The Zest Sports G (Dynamic Special) gets new 14″ wheels, HID lamps, and body-colored trim just under the main grille. There are five exterior colors, and if you like black interiors, you’ll be happy, because that’s the only shade offered. Automatic A/C and a CD stereo are included, the latter of which will come in handy when it’s time to mask the buzz of the kei-spec 660 cc 3-banger underhood. Best of all, you don’t even need to park it. You just call it into its Pokeball, put it in your coat pocket and walk away. OK, not really, but that would have made it totally dynamic and special.

[Source: Honda]

Click above to view video after the jump

While our blogging brethren over at Engadget are just relieved that Honda’s ASIMO robot didn’t attempt a global coup while conducting the Detroit Symphony Orchestra last night, we’re more impressed it didn’t fall over and crack its head open. (Seriously Honda, you don’t think you’re ever going to live that down, do you?) As we reported late last month, Honda’s creepy little humanoid robot opened for Yo-Yo Ma in Detroit by conducting the DSO in a rousing rendition of “Impossible Dream”. We’re not sure what great advances in technology are demonstrated by having a robot conduct an orchestra, however, because we’re pretty sure that an actual human conductor is just a glorified metronome. Check out some video of ASIMozart conducting after the break.

[Source: Engadget]

The board of directors at Tesla has a new member today as Larry Sonsini has joined the party. The presence of Sonsini as a member of the Tesla team is of particular importance moving forward because of his area of expertise. Sonsini is Chairman of Silicon Valley law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and a specialist in IPOs and mergers and acquisitions. This is important because Tesla chairman Elon Musk has previously declared that the company will be going public, likely sometime in 2009.

According Tesla’s Darryl Siry, Sonsini “is the most influential lawyer in the valley and has extraordinary experience with corporate structuring, IPOs, governance, and M&A.” Sonsini will be providing guidance to the board on how to move forward. Sonsini has previously been involved in the Google IPO and the Hewlett-Packard/Compaq merger. The plan is to use the proceeds from the IPO in part to fund the development and production of the WhiteStar sedan and the future lower-priced high-volume model. Meanwhile founding board member Laurie Yoler will shift over to the limbo of the Tesla Motors Advisory Board. The full press release is after the jump.

Press Release:

Larry W. Sonsini Joins Tesla Motors Board of Directors

Source: Tesla Motors
Date: May 13th, 2008

Larry W. Sonsini, Chairman of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, has been elected to the board of directors of Tesla Motors, manufacturer of the breakthrough Tesla Roadster high-performance electric vehicle.

Mr. Sonsini has gained international recognition for his expertise in the areas of corporate law, corporate governance, securities, and mergers and acquisitions. He has been instrumental in many of the IPOs, mergers, acquisitions, and other key transactions of Silicon Valley and beyond, including Google’s historic IPO and Hewlett-Packard’s merger with Compaq Computer.

In addition to his duties at his firm, which included serving as chief executive officer as well as chairman for more than 20 years, Larry was a member of the board of directors of the New York Stock Exchange from 2001 to 2003, and served for more than five years as Chairman of the NYSE Regulation, enforcement and Listing Standards Committee.

Larry is one of the country’s best-known governance experts. In addition to serving on a number of public company boards, he was named “one of the most influential players in U.S. corporate governance” by Directorship magazine, recognized as Business Leader of the Year by the Harvard Business School Association of Northern California, and received the Bay Area Council’s Business Hall of Fame award.

Larry joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in 1966 upon receiving his J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley. He also received an A.B. from UC Berkeley in 1963. Larry was admitted to the California Bar in 1966.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has since grown into the premier legal advisor to technology and growth companies worldwide, advising over 300 public enterprises on issues of corporate law, securities and corporate governance. In the past 5 years, the firm has advised clients on over 350 public offerings, more than any other law firm worldwide. In addition, the firm has completed over 400 public equity and debt financings and advised on more than 1,000 M&A transactions.

“Larry Sonsini has played a role in building and advising some of the most successful companies in existence today,” said Elon Musk, Chairman of Tesla Motors, “His guidance will be invaluable as Tesla Motors drives forward the electric transport revolution and grows to become one of the great car companies of the 21st century.”

Laurie Yoler, who has served on the Tesla Motors Board of Directors since the company’s founding, will transition to the Tesla Motors Advisory Board.

[Source: Tesla Motors]

I’ve done you a favor. As part of the American Honda Lunch program yesterday at the AFVI Expo, comedian Matt Hovde was part of the entertainment. Before he took to the stage, I was kind of excited. I mean, he’s part of Second City, and they’re legends in the comedy business. So, what’s my favor to you? I’ve split the audio from Hovde’s routine from the clip of the other speaker during lunch: American Honda’s vice president of corporate planning and logistics Dan Bonawitz. You can still listen to Hovde if you really want to, but don’t complain to me if you find yourself groaning more than laughing

So, what did Bonawitz have to say? Like Larry Burn’s presentation during the morning session, Bonawitz ran through some of his company’s efforts to bring cleaner transportation to customers. The main focus Bonawitz talked about was hydrogen. Bonawitz said that American Honda sees natural gas-powered cars as a bridge to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Honda, like GM, is calling for more government help in establishing refueling infrastructure, but the lack of the infrastructure today isn’t stopping the company from moving forward with deploying vehicles. The world’s first fuel cell vehicle dealer network will kick into gear in a few months when the Honda FCX Clarity becomes available in parts of California. Honda has one of these production models on display here at the Expo, and you can check out some pictures of the car in the gallery below. The lighting in the Expo hall is terrible for photographs, but I hope some of the gorgeous burgundy color of the FCX Clarity is reproduced well on your monitor.

Aside from fuel cells, Bonawitz talked about other Honda clean tech like the new diesel Acura, new I-TEC engines and the Honda / RITE cellulosic ethanol partnership. Of course, we’re certainly anxious to see Honda’s new purpose-built hybrid car that will be unveiled next year and will carry a price tag below the current Civic hybrid. Bonawitz said that vehicle is still on the way, but didn’t provide any more information. All I can say is I’m happy he didn’t try to make a joke out of it.

Hovde (8 min):

Bonawitz (12 min):