Racing
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Volkswagen will celebrate not only its inaugural victory, but 50 years of participation in the Baja 1000 desert off-road race, which runs again November 14-18. “The first race, known then as the Mexican 1000, was held on October 31, 1967, running between Tijuana and La Paz,” Volkswagen of America said in a news release. “Of the 68 vehicles that started the first race, only 31 completed the 950-mile trek, with the winning drivers finishing in 27 hours and 38 minutes. “There was no certified course — just five checkpoints that teams had to stop at; how they...
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Alonso to stay at McLaren after signing “long-term” contractMcLaren on Thursday confirmed it extended its contract with star driver Fernando Alonso. McLaren only said Alonso would contest the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship with the team, but in an interview the Spaniard said he’s there for the long haul. “We never discuss the contract clauses...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ken Block might be filming Gymkhana 10 in DetroitKen Block and his Hoonigan crew broke away from the Gymkhana series with the recent "Climbkhana" production at Pikes Peak. However, Gymkhana 10 could be on the horizon, and Detroit, Michigan, might play host. YouTuber Revin captured footage of Block and his 1965 Ford Mustang Hoonicorn RTR racing...
Sean Szymkowski -
2018 Race Of Champions to be held in Saudi ArabiaOrganizers of the annual Race Of Champions have made a bold decision to hold the next race in Saudi Arabia, a country known for numerous human rights abuses. Women aren’t even allowed to drive in the country, though the asinine ban is finally set to be lifted in 2018. ROC organizers go so far...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Le Mans-winner Brendon Hartley to make Formula 1 debutBrendon Hartley is only 27 but he’s already a 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and World Endurance Championship title holder. Now the New Zealander is about to get his first taste at Formula 1. Toro Rosso has confirmed that Hartley will replace Pierre Gasly at this weekend’s United States...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Dale Earnhardt Jr. receives fitting NASCAR retirement presentThe 2017 NASCAR Cup Series will be Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s final season after he announced his retirement earlier this year. Through Earnhardt Jr.'s 18 seasons and more than 600 races, the star racer clinched two Daytona 500 wins in his career. So, what's a proper retirement gift for someone of...
Sean Szymkowski -
British motorsport and engineering firm Ginetta has announced that a team will field two of its new LMP1-spec prototype racecars in the 2018 World Endurance Championship. Still in development, the prototype is expected to be roughly 130 pounds lighter than a current LMP2-spec car. Power, meanwhile, will come from an engine sourced from French firm Mecachrome and is expected to peak at 800 horsepower. The news means there will still be at least three teams competing in the sport’s premier LMP1 class following the exit of Porsche at the end of the current season, and additional entries...
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Nissan built a GT-R operated by a video game controllerThe latest installment in the iconic "Gran Turismo" video game series, "Gran Turismo Sport," goes on sale next week, but Nissan threw a celebration of its own ahead of the launch. The video game itself may have coined the "Real Driving Simulator" tagline years ago, but Nissan took it to a new level...
Sean Szymkowski -
Go behind the scenes of Ken Block's "Climbkhana" videoKen Block's "Gymkhana" videos are always a spectacle of insane driving maneuvers, stunts, and loads of horsepower. Capturing that footage is no easy task. Now, you can get a behind-the-scenes look at what went into making "Climbkhana," Block's recent stunt-laden video. The production work included...
Sean Szymkowski -
Ken Block's latest ride is a 1991 Ford Escort Cosworth Group A rally carKen Block will likely have some downtime ahead as Hoonigan Racing Division and Ford lay their World Rallycross Championship days to rest. However, in the meantime, Block has a new toy, and he brought it by Hoonigan headquarters for the team to get a closer look. It's none other than a 1991 Ford...
Sean Szymkowski -
Peugeot reveals L750 R Hybrid racecar for "Gran Turismo Sport"The "Gran Turismo" series transcended the digital world after creator Kazunori Yamauchi debuted the Vision Gran Turismo program. The initiative, originally announced in 2013 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the popular racing sim, challenged automakers to create their vision of the ultimate...
Sean Szymkowski -
Aston Martin says it might join Formula EAston Martin doesn't have a production electric car just yet, but that will change in 2019 with the RapidE sedan. With the all-electric luxury sedan, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer hinted his brand could join Formula E following the RapidE's launch. "We don't have an electric car yet, but we will...
Sean Szymkowski -
Mercedes-AMG’s Lewis Hamilton now looks certain to win the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship after another impressive performance on Sunday at the Japanese Grand Prix delivered the 3-time champion his 61st career win. It was by no means a walk in the park, however, as Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen put in a good fight, ending up just 1.211 seconds behind Hamilton. Fellow Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo filled the final podium spot after finishing 9.679 seconds behind the winner. Sadly, we missed out on potentially a great battle between Hamilton and Ferrari’s Sebastian...
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2017 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix previewThere are now only five rounds left in the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship, and the next one is this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix which once again is being held at the legendary Suzuka Circuit. Traditionally held towards the end of the season, the Japanese race is often considered a title...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
A DTM race car is the best way to leave your weddingMarco Engel is living his best life. The 32-year-old German gent has been racing under the Mercedes-AMG colors for some time now. Over the course of his career, Engel has competed in karting, GT racing, V8 Supercars, the various major endurance races, Formula E, and DTM. That last one is important...
Jeff Glucker -
Ken Block and Ford are backing out of World RallycrossFord and Hoonigan Racing Division have released some upsetting news: their days competing in the World Rallycross Championship are over—or at least placed on an indefinite hiatus. Ford Performance and the driver many consider the lead hoonigan, Ken Block, made the news official today. Both...
Sean Szymkowski -
VW celebrates 50 years of Baja desert racingA Volkswagen Beetle was made to get down and dirty. Why else would the lovable little craft be used continuously for the last 50 years to blast across the Mexican desert. Well, blast might be a strong word but these tough machines have been competing in the Baja 1000 for decades, and there's no...
Jeff Glucker -
A rare chance to own one of Michael Schumacher's F1 race carsMichael Schumacher has a place in history as one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time. After all, he has seven of championship titles, he won 72 races for Ferrari, and during an amazing 2002 season, he wound up on the podium in every single race. He was a machine behind the wheel of his...
Jeff Glucker -
Call it redemption for his bad luck in the previous race in Singapore, but Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen managed to take home the win on Sunday at the 2017 Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix. The Dutch youngster, who celebrated his 20th birthday the previous day, now has two F1 wins under his belt. His first was at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. With Mercedes AMG’s Lewis Hamilton starting on pole in the final Malaysian Grand Prix (the race will no longer be on the calendar), and Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen failing to start due to power unit troubles and Sebastian Vettel...
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Mercedes AMG F1 engine achieves 50 percent thermal efficiencyThe Mercedes AMG Formula 1 team's 2017 season has been a successful one thus far, and although the drivers deserve much of the credit, the team itself has done some remarkable things as well. Notably, Mercedes' current F1 engine achieved 50 percent thermal efficiency for the first time. In the...
Sean Szymkowski -
2017 Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix previewRound 15 of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship takes us to Kuala Lumpur’s Sepang International Circuit, a Hermann Tilke-designed venue that was first in the spate of modern circuits built in emerging markets. It opened in March 1999 and has been a permanent fixture on the F1 calendar as...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
There's a new Nissan GT-R quarter-mile kingModified versions of the Nissan GT-R are going faster and faster. Recently, the team from the West Chicago-based AMS Performance set a new low (that's a good thing here) when it ran its GT-R into the six-second range in the quarter mile. Now the competitive set from ETS has reclaimed the throne but...
Jeff Glucker -
What kind of wheels should you use on a rally car?The wheels that come with your car from the factory are strong and properly built for pretty much everything you're going to do with your car. They're most likely aluminum, which means they're also lightweight. If you have a new car, you probably have good wheels. If you want to go rally racing...
Jeff Glucker -
Audi reveals e-tron FE04 Formula E racecarThe 2017/2018 season of the Formula E Championship which kicks off this December will be the first in which Audi fields its own team, and on Wednesday night we got our first look at the team’s car: the Audi e-tron FE04. For the new season, which will be Formula E’s fourth, teams still...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran