Very few of us ever actually exceed 100 mph in our lives and even fewer ever exceed 200 mph, so there is only a small group of people that can actually explain what it feels like to drive in excess of 200 mph. One of people that can give us first-hand accounts is five-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Derek Bell. Thanks to Motor Sport Magazine’s monthly podcast, we now have an avenue to hear him speak about his high speed antics.
This entertaining interview had several high spots; the first one was his recollection of driving a Porsche 962 at an eye-popping 238 mph, in the rain. He begins by calling driving over 200 mph a surreal experience and saying it’s like being on another world. He then talks about how the rain almost turns into a solid wall of water that you simply cannot see through. He tops it all off by saying “Fortunately, you go around a kink and you can slow down… ‘Cause you’re at the end.” He then continues to chuckle and call the entire experience “awful,” “but you did it.”
When asked what his favorite circuit was, he strangely said “Spa,” referring to Circuit De Spa-Francorchamps, which once featured the feared and once boycotted Masta Kink – a hairpin turn after a long straightaway. See Bell tackle the Spa Circuit and the Masta Kink in the video above.
Bell then spoke about his scariest moment, which also occurred at Spa while driving the Gulf-sponsored Mirage. During testing, he came around the Masta Kink at 190 mph and in the middle of the track was his rookie teammate’s red Lola racecar, obviously broken down or spun out, and he had nowhere to go. He says “To this day, I don’t know what I did. I guess I hit the brakes,” and somehow the Mirage managed to correct itself. After that he pulled into the pit stop, despite having more testing time to go.
The entire podcast is a great listen, if you have an hour to spare. Check it out by clicking here!
If you are over the age of 25, there’s probably a good chance you have had to rent a car at least once. Be it because of an accident that has left you without a motor vehicle or because of some fine holiday traveling, rental cars are just about everywhere these days. In Europe, the UK saw more than its fair share of rental cars in 2011, dominating the commonwealth countries and the largest European nations in international rental car sales. Somehow, a certain royal wedding would be the obvious culprit of such an influx of travelers, but Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey weren’t the only sites to see. According to Facebook - via member checkins - the top five attractions of the UK were Alton Towers, Hyde Park, London Eye, Thorpe Park, and Leicester Square.
Following the UK in the running for most popular international car hire destinations was Spain (14.1%), France (12.6%), Italy (10.5%), and Portugal (4.1%).
Check out the rest of the infographic to get more helpful information and remember to check back with us for the next installment in our Car Infographics series.
We’ve all but come to associate Gymkhana with Ken Block, and rightfully so because the latter has turned it into a global phenomenon.
But even if Block is considered the godfather of Gymkhana, it doesn’t mean that he’s the only one that can do it.
In this video - it’s actually more of a full-scale production - we are introduced to the Porsche Gymkhana, a 13-minute thrill ride complete with insane drifting action, incredible soundtrack music, and, since we’re calling it the way we see it, some pretty less-than-stellar acting.
Instead of focusing on the acting chops of some of the actors in the video, we’re going to focus on the insane driving skills exhibited by no other than Modesto Martin. Somewhere, Ken Block is probably taking serious notice of this video because quite frankly, it’s right up there with any of the Gymkhana videos he’s done in the past.
So do we see a response coming the near future? We certainly hope so.
Group Lotus has announced the start of one of the world’s most elite clubs – the Lotus Club GT. This special club was created to bring together people with a passion for Lotus and motorsport for a racing driver program that is unique, unforgiving, and unforgettable.
All you need to enter this amazing club is to be the owner of one of Lotus’s premium race-bred models – the Evora GT4 and Evora Enduro with club specification. Club events come courtesy of the marque’s professional works drivers and the Lotus F1 Team. Club GT will ensure members get the most from their cars and from themselves, and become legends in their own lifetime.
The club was officially inaugurated at this week’s Autosport International Show at the Birmingham NEC that started on January 12, 2012. The perfect place to enjoy bucket seats, carbon-fiber and the smell of burnt rubber.
Some people say that people should dress for the job they want, not the job they have. That is surely excellent advice and should be applied to more than just someone’s clothes, like say, their supercar. Black & White Car Rental from Beverly Hills, California now has the $387,000 Lamborghini Aventador available for rental driving pleasures for those looking to step ahead in life. The cost for the ultimate driving pleasure is $5,000 per day or $30,000 for the week. At this price, the driver can drive the supercar for 30 miles, but every additional mile will add another $5 to the rental’s cost. Not exactly cheap, but far better than the supercar’s price.
As a reminder, the Aventador is powered by a new 6.5-liter V12 engine with an AWD layout that produces 700 HP at 8,250 rpm and 509 lb-ft at 5,500 rpm. This powerful setup sprints the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds, up to an impressive top speed of 217 mph.
Reservations for the Lamborghini Aventador can now be made at Black & White’s official web page.
Hit the jump for a video of the white Lamborghini Aventador rental car.
Whether we realize it or not, the health of truckers across our nation is of great importance to our economy and our communities. These men and women spend hours on end delivering products to homes and businesses across the USA, with one in 16 jobs being directly tied to trucking. This leads to poor nutritional habits and a sedentary lifestyle taking a toll on their bodies, leading them to battles with lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, sleep apnea, exhaustion, and back problems, to name a few. But if they are not sitting, they aren’t making any money, so what are they to do?
The Man in White.ORG (TMIW) is now addressing this issue in a way that no other organization has done before; they have released a 4-disc, audio book (CD), titled “Truckers’ Road to Health” that educates truckers on their health. Unlike educational tools provided to truckers in the past, this audio book was written by respected medical specialists and broken down into laymen’s terms to make it easily understood by all. Topics covered in the educational audio book were chosen after interviewing hundreds of truckers, leaders in the trucking industry, and medical specialists, and include pulmonary disease, hypertension, cardiac disease, diabetes, nutrition, vision, obesity, back pain, exercising on the road, stress management, sleep apnea, and recommended health screens. Risk factors and preventive measures are discussed, along with proper nutrition, exercise and lifestyle issues. The best part about this audio book is that truckers do not need to stop making money to learn about their health; they can do it while they drive.
Automotive fanatic or not, there is no one in this world that hasn’t heard the name Ayrton Senna. He is considered by many as the greatest Formula 1 driver ever. He entered Formula 1 in 1984 and from 1989 until 2006 held the record for most pole positions.
In 1989, when he raced at Suzuka, he was driving for McLaren. At the Suzuka Circuit in Japan that year, he had a little collision with Prost - also working for McLaren. After the collision, Senna pitted to replace the damaged nose of his car, and rejoined the race in which he inevitably ended up crossing the finish line in first place. Unfortunately, he was disqualified by the FIA for cutting the chicane after the collision and for crossing into the pit lane entry. Senna’s disqualification caused Prost to be given the win. Senna finished the season second with six wins and one second place.
We all get psyched when we are planning to buy a new car, but walking onto a car dealership doesn’t exactly send tingles up and down many people’s arms. After all, who wants to get harassed by salesmen who circle around you like predators stalk their prey and then try to make you pay full price when most people know the price on the window is just a starting point?
Turns out, most people don’t care for that scenario, but still, 42% of buyers aren’t yet willing to purchase a car online. And even though a whopping 59% of buyers hate to have to master the art of haggling, 27% of buyers love to massage the system to get that price down. It’s exhausting just thinking about it, so it’s not surprising that 67% of potential customers want to test drive their dream vehicle alone.
Buying a vehicle is a tough job, but commuting wouldn’t be the same without our four-wheeled friends so check out the infographic for 10 steps to buying a car. After all, we need all the help we can get.
Also, stay tuned for our next installment in the Car Infographics series.
Whether you are a drifting novice or a hardcore hand-brake pulling machine or even someone who watches it on TV, you may want to perk up your ears. Bosch, a leading global supplier of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, is celebrating 125 years of success on the market, as well as the launch of the Bosch Iridium Spark Plug with a giveaway like no other. Not only do we have the opportunity to offer exclusive access at the 2011 Monster Energy Drink Super Cross Cup with 2010 Formula D Drift Champion, Vaughn Gittin Jr., but we’re following it up with a Bosch Shotgun Drift ride along with Gitten himself!
Here’s how the giveaway is going to work. Every person that “likes” us on Facebook from now until September 15, 2011 will get their name added to the drawing (Entrant must reside within the 48 contiguous states, sorry Alaska and Hawaii!). At the end of the contest, we’ll draw one name and that person will win a 2 day/1 night trip to a racetrack to participate in a meet-and-greet and ride-along with Vaughn Gittin, Jr. on October 15-16, 2011.
The prize will also include a GoPro HD Motorsports HERO camera, a set of Bosch Iridium Spark Plugs, and Bosch branded apparel (collared-shirt and cap). To top it off, your private drift session with Vaughn Gittin, Jr. in his custom Ford Mustang will be captured by in-car video and posted on Facebook!
Some test drivers spend all day testing high-performance cars, so their skills are simply bar none. This, unfortunately, does not prevent accidents from happening and sometimes these accidents prove fatal. This is the case with two Mercedes-Benz test drivers who were killed in a terrible accident involving a McLaren SLR.
According to the German magazine, Bild.de, the two drivers were evaluating a four-year-old Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren when things got a little out of control. The two drivers were testing the supercar on the German Autobahn and during the five mile stretch of road that has zero speed limits, the car was pushed to its limits. According to the police officers, the drivers hit a top speed of about 186 mph before catapulting to a height of 10 meters, then hitting a tree and sailing an additional 35 meters, crashing down a steep slope. Both the driver and the passenger were ejected from the car and died instantly.
This is a sad day for the automotive world, but even more so for the young families left behind. Our condolences go out to them.
