JEREZ, Spain -- Jenson Button steered his repaired McLaren to the fastest lap on Wednesday, and Nico Rosberg helped Mercedes re

JEREZ, Spain -- Jenson Button steered his repaired McLaren to the fastest lap on Wednesday, and Nico Rosberg helped Mercedes rebound from Lewis Hamiltons crash with the longest run on the second day of Formula One preseason testing. Eddie Mathews Jersey . Otherwise, most teams continued to struggle with their new cars following a massive rulebook overhaul that includes a shift to a turbo engine and more sophisticated energy recovery systems. Four-time defending world champion Sebastian Vettel only managed eight laps around the Jerez track before Red Bulls engine maker, Renault, reported a malfunction and the team decided to call it quits. That gave Vettel a total of 11 laps to start the preseason. "Obviously weve not had a lot of running and have a few problems to sort out, but with such big rule changes it is usual to have some teething problems. Thats what tests are for, to sort those issues out," said Vettel, who now hands the wheel to new teammate Daniel Ricciardo for the remaining two days in southern Spain. An electrical problem had kept Button in the garage on Tuesday, but he was the first out on wet tires in the morning and after the asphalt had dried he set the benchmark lap time with 1 minute, 24.165 seconds. The former world champion is aiming to help McLaren bounce back from its worst season since 1980 after it didnt reach the podium last year. Rosberg led the eight-car field with 97 laps, a day after a front wing problem sent Hamiltons Mercedes flying into the barrier. Rosberg said the new Mercedes F1 W05 has little in common with its predecessor and compared its steering wheel to a "smartphone with all the information on it." After overnight rain, the sessions 9 a.m. start was delayed as a tractor worked its way around the track spraying more water on the already damp asphalt so teams could test Pirellis tires for wet surfaces. But by noon the sun had come out and the track was dry as forecasts of showers never materialized, leaving teams to run under normal conditions. All the teams are struggling to get their cars race ready in time for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 16. They will have two more tests in Bahrain before heading to Melbourne. So far, they have combined for 424 laps across two days of testing. Last year, with the preseason starting after far fewer tweaks to the rules governing car design, drivers combined for more than 1,500 laps over the first two days here. Ferrari appears to be handling the new regulations the best. Kimi Raikkonen followed up his fastest lap time from Tuesday with the second-fastest lap on Wednesday, 0.647 seconds behind Button. Local favourite Fernando Alonso will drive for Ferrari on Thursday and Friday. McLarens promising recovery from Tuesdays no-show coincided with its hiring of Eric Boullier as its new racing director. Boullier joins a week after leaving rival Lotus, in a restructuring at McLaren that recently included luring back former team principal Ron Dennis as its new chief executive. F1 newcomer Marcus Ericsson came to a stop in his Caterham for the days third and final red flag. Sergio Perezs Force India had spouted smoke earlier after Esteban Gutierrez ended up in the gravel in his Sauber. F1s new rules include a shift to a 1.6-litre V6 turbo engine from last years 2.4-litre V8. They also affect the cars fuel limits, weight and body design. Luke Jackson Jersey . -- San Francisco 49ers offensive co-ordinator Greg Roman is a finalist to replace Joe Paterno at Penn State, his agent said Monday. Anthony Swarzak Jersey . The 57-year-old Tietjens has coached New Zealand to nine IRB World Sevens titles and to four Commonwealth Games gold medals as its only coach in the professional era. New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said the re-signing was made with a focus on 2016 when sevens will be in the Olympics. https://www.cheapbraves.com/ .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final.When we last left the National Football League, the power had just come back on in the Superdome in New Orleans and the Baltimore Ravens were celebrating a Super Bowl XLVII victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Since that early February day, weve seen lots of changes around the league from superstar players switching teams, to new uniforms and logos. Weve even seen the grand re-arrival and exit of quarterback Tim Tebow with the New England Patriots. The question is which team is favoured to win Super Bowl XLVIII? The defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers are expected to be back in the mix again this season. Theyve added key players on both offence and defence in an attempt to get over the hump and capture their first title since 1995. They even grabbed receiver Anquan Boldin from the Ravens to strengthen their roster and weaken the team that beat them for the title at the end of last season. With a strong offence, defence and starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick entering his first full season at the helm, the Bay Area team looks strong. One of the biggest threats to their Conference crown comes from within the NFC West division, in the form of the Seattle Seahawks. Everything the 49ers do well, the Seahawks are also very proficient at, including running the read option with their mobile quarterback, in this case the versatile Russell Wilson. In the backfield, running back Marshawn Lynch is as physical as they come and dealing with him over four quarters tends to wear out even the best defences. The Seahawks will have to play without superstar acquisition Percy Harvin, who could miss the entire season with an injury, but they didnt have him last season either and came just a few plays short of playing in the Conference final. Always known as a strong regular season team, the Atlanta Falcons turned it up in last seasons playoffs and it took the biggest comeback in NFC Championship history to deny them a shot at the Super Bowl. Clete Boyer Jersey. Running back Steven Jackson is a great addition to a veteran core offence that boasts Matt Ryan at quarterback and future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez. They will face improved competition from their NFC South division, but should find themselves in the playoffs with another real shot at getting all the way to the big game. Over in the AFC, the Denver Broncos behind Peyton Manning look loaded up and ready to take another crack at playoff success. After a rough start to last season, Manning and his new boys found a rhythm and 11 straight victories on their way to the top seed in the Conference. They were then erased in the division round of the playoffs by the eventual champion Ravens. With players like Wes Welker and Quinton Jammer now in the fold, the Broncos are going be tough to beat every night and a tough out in the post-season. Perennial contender New England Patriots are lining up for another shot at the crown as well. Though they have dealt with a lot of turmoil in the offseason, the team is now ready to put the controversies behind them and perform on the field. Quarterback Tom Brady will have to get used to not throwing the ball to Welker who jumped ship to the Broncos, but he has in the past had a history of making the players on the field with him much better. If he can find a way to elevate this group, they have the talent to be the last ones standing at the end of the season. There are many other teams that also find themselves in this conversation including the defending champion Ravens, Green Bay Packers and surging Cincinnati Bengals. The question to you is which team is favoured to win Super Bowl XLVIII? Its Your! Call. ' ' '