The 2012 edition of the Bullrun will start to air on MTV2 later on this month and, as a preview of the great things that are to come, the company has unveiled a promo video with highlights of the 2011 event.
The BullRun starts in L.A. and runs for a week around the Western U.S. In this video, you’ll catch celebrities like Dudesons, Ice T., Vanilla Ice, Mr T., and others. Aside from these B-list celebrities, the BullRun will feed viewers more than their share of cool cars and hot girls, as well as some interference from some of the men in blue.
Check out this promo video and don’t forget that the mayhem started on January 26th. The 2012 rally drivers will be the stars of the original Bullrun television show; "Cops, Cars and Superstars". The show will be in its 9th season and currently airs in over 96 countries around the world!
In its short life span, Audi’s R8 LMS race car has proved to be a major force in the racing scene, having already amassed over 100 victories despite being only a couple of years old.
The R8 LMS’ world domination includes wins in Europe, Australia, and Asia with America being the only notable region that it hasn’t conquered. You can blame that on the stricter Grand-Am regulations, but Audi is looking into adhering to these regulations by building a car that will conform to the standards of Grand-Am racing.
“We’re convinced that we’re making a very attractive offer to our customers in the USA that will meet with great response,” says Romolo Liebchen, Head of customer racing at quattro GmbH.
“The anniversary event of the Daytona 24 Hours is a perfect occasion for the debut of the U.S. version of the new Audi R8 LMS.”
Among the tweaks and modifications being done on the R8 LMS to make it Grand-Am ready include the use of thicker-walled tubing in the roll cage, a new front splitter, a rear diffuser, and a new Grand-Am-spec rear wing.
In terms of performance, the R8 LMS Grand-AM will also come with a modified engine and the addition of an air restrictor that will drop the output of the R8 LMS from 493 horspepower to around 450 to 470 horsepower. Certain elements of the R8 LMS will also be removed for the Grand Am version, including the anti-lock system and traction control. Incidentally, Grand Am rules view these technologies as driving aids in the US.
UPDATE 12/12/2011: Audi has announced that the R8 GRAND-AM is now ready for the North American market. The car successfully finished its testing at the Daytona race track (Florida) and the first deliveries will be made in January, 2012.
"We successfully tested all the modifications at Daytona," says Romolo Liebchen, Head of Customer Sport at quattro GmbH. "With Frank Stippler we developed a sound and solid set-up for our customers and also gathered valuable findings in the endurance tests. The durability of wearing parts and runs at high outside temperatures meet challenging demands. We can now provide our racing customers with concrete advice and reference values for fielding the car."
UPDATE 01/24/2012: The Audi R8 GRAND-AM will make its debut this weekend on the 50th running of the Daytona 24 Hours from January 26th to 29th. "Our team prepared for this step at previous runs in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. APR is known around the world as one of the leading tuners of Audi, Volkswagen, Seat and Škoda vehicles. We’re looking forward to the Audi R8 GRAND-AM with huge anticipation, our customers and fans are really excited and since the ‘Roar before the 24’ test we’ve just been dying for the 24-hour race to start."
UPDATE 01/27/2012: Audi has unveiled new images and a video of the R8 Grand-Am during its practice time at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The race will be aired on Speed T.V. on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 2:30 EST.
Over the years, Aston Martin has built and released the Vantage GT4 for competition in European GT4 races. This year, the British automaker is releasing the newest version of the Vantage GT4, only this time, it’s bound to unleash its fury on American soil for the first time.
It’s an ideal time for the Aston to release the Vantage GT4 in the US, especially after its successful return year to the American LeMans series where it bagged wins with the Aston Martin DBR1-2 prototype in a number of races, including Long Beach, Mosport, Mid-Ohio, Road America, and Laguna Seca.
For the 2012 racing season, the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 will be built and raced by Toronto-based partner Multimatic Motorsports. The car itself will be re-dissected for racing purposes, which means that all of the luxury amenities of the road version will be removed in favor of race-spec equipment. Certain parts will also be added, including a new splitter that increases downforce at the front of the car, as well as a new carbon fiber diffuser, and a redesigned underfloor that creates an area of low pressure under the rear of the car, increasing the car’s overall downforce.
One thing that will remain with the car though is its 4.7-liter V8 engine, which Aston has used ever since it began building the Vantage GT4 back in 2008.
For the 2012 season, Multimatic Motorsports will be fielding two cars, which will be driven by some noted drivers, including Scott Maxwell, Joe Foster, Ston Martin, chief engineer Chris Porritt, and Hollywood actor-slash-racer Patrick Dempsey.
UPDATE 01/25/2012: Aston Martin has announced that the beginning of its Grand-Am campaign will be on Friday, January 27th during the first round of the 2012 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) at the Daytona International Speedway. The company will join forces with Toronto-based Multimatic Motorsports to enter a pair of Vantage GT4s in the Grand American Road Racing series. "The first round of the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at Daytona will see Aston Martin realize a long-held desire to have the Vantage GT4 competing regularly in North America. Aston Martin Racing has built and sold nearly 100 Vantage GT4s since we raced the first one at the Nürburgring 24 Hour race in 2006, and it’s great to be present at last in such an important market with such a strong and experienced partner as Multimatic."
UPDATE 03/05/12: The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 is headed to the 2012 Geneva Motor Show with plenty of new aerodynamic components in preparation for the 2012 season. The most prominent modification is a new carbon fiber rear wing, a redesigned roll cage, and a reconfigured fuel tank to lower the race car’s center of gravity.
Anybody that bothered watching last year’s Super Bowl will surely remember Volkswagen’s "Little Vader" commercial, arguably the most popular TVC to be shown during the Big Game.
This year, Volkswagen is returning to the Super Bowl and they’re bringing back the Star Wars theme, with one minor caveat. Instead of Little Vader, VW’s new Super Bowl ad will center around a pack of dogs all barking the Star Wars’ official theme music. Some of the dogs even got to wear Star Wars costumes, including Hans Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and yes, even an Ewok.
The 60-second teaser is only a sample of what Volkswagen has in store for the Super Bowl. Considering that they stole the show with last year’s "Little Vader" commercial, they’ve got some pretty high standards to live up to if they have any intentions of capturing the audience the way Lil’ Vader did.
Lexus has high hopes for 2012 after what can only be described as a sub-par 2011. So with a new year full of hope and high expectations, Lexus is kicking off 2012 with a bang with their very first Super Bowl commercial.
“This is a big year for Lexus as we introduce nine new or updated models, and the Super Bowl provides us with an equally big opportunity to reach a highly engaged audience of 50 million people,” said Brian Smith, Lexus Vice President of Marketing.
The Toyota-owned automaker is due to run a 30-second commercial in the first quarter of the Big Game and considering that its Lexus’ very first attempt at a Super Bowl spot, you better believe that they’re setting everything up by introducing a 15-second teaser of their 30-second commercial.
Only during the Super Bowl will you see a teaser of a commercial.
According to Smith: “The star of our commercial is the all-new 2013 GS which launches in February and kicks off a pivotal era for the Lexus brand. The spot also will convey that even more products are waiting in the wings and are anxious to hit the road.”
Check out the teaser video of Lexus’ first Super Bowl ad before the full 30-seconder is unveiled on February 5, 2012.
Anybody that has any interest in the art that is digital animation will thoroughly enjoy "TheDriver" animated series that has just hit YouTube.
If you remember, the series was first introduced a little under two years ago, only this time, it’s back with sharper details and additional footage that looks pretty impressive.
The scene of the animated series is Los Angeles and The Driver is a mysterious Stig-like driver that drives a stealth black Nissan GT-R and resides in billboards. If that sentence doesn’t sound ridiculous enough for you, The Driver also possesses some sort of magic powers, capable of teleporting everywhere, leaving only a cloud of purple of smoke in its wake.
As a vigilante of the streets of LA, the Driver apprehends law-breaking drivers that are hell bent on turning Los Angeles into their own personal race track. Street racers, petty criminals, drunk drivers, and the like are the enemies of The Driver.
Check out the re-introduced video and watch a goon driving a Nissan 370Z get his comeuppance courtesy of this mysterious crime-fighter.
We knew that The Black Eyed Peas’ Will.I.Am was the enterprising type, but even we were surprised that the BEP’s front man has entered the auto industry with the creation of his very own car, the IAMAUTO.
The car, which made its debut on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, is being put into production as a way for Will.I.Am to bring some jobs back to East Los Angeles, California.
“I invested my money in building my own vehicle ’cause I want to bring jobs to the ghetto where I come from,” he said.
We understand his motivation in trying to create some positive effect on his old stomping grounds and that on its own is very commendable, but as far as the IAMAUTO is concerned, well, the jury’s still out on that.
Looking at it without any pretense, the car looks like an aftermarket mash-up of "curious" proportions. It’s been built using OEM Chrysler parts and features a Beats by Dr. Dre sound system, which is probably the only thing we like about the car. Performance specs have yet to be revealed, but we do hope that it comes with an impressive powertrain.
Otherwise, we don’t know if this car will go past the ’fad’ phase.
