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newVideoPlayer("/hillclimb-cars.flv", 494, 371,""); Every once in a while, when looking at no holds barred race cars there comes the engineering equivalent of a facepalm moment. It's that second where we wonder 'Why didn't I think of that?' Like when we discovered how Nic Mann's record-breaking hill climb racer uses a turbine engine from a helicopter auxiliary power unit to drive a turbocharger feeding the 1.7-liter Cosworth four-cylinder a constant stream of boost. To eliminate turbo lag, Nic hooked the turbine to the impeller side of the remote turbo, which can feed the engine at up to 43 PSI. Bonkers is one way to describe it. This of course completely eliminates turbo lag from the compressed intake air routed to the main drive engine. The hybrid engine is hooked up to an even stranger contraption behind it — a Ford Sierra powertrain. The car uses the all wheel drive and transmission from a lowly Sierra, albeit beefed up quite a bit. Unfortunately...
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No, it's not Gymkata ... it's Gymkhana ! It's an automotive sport taking place on an open field or a parking lot requiring drivers to skillfully maneuver their cars around a series of cones, slaloms, 180 degree turns, 360 degree turns, figure eight turns or other obstacles. Ken Block 's taken this concept a wee bit further...whipping his Crawford Performance-tuned 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI around some unusual course obstacles... like houses and hilariously, a stunt guy driving a Segway. Epic. You can now see why 0-60mag just named the man "Hoon of the Year." Hit the jump for the full Gymkhana practice session video. We're going to pull our jaw up off the floor. ( Hat tip to everyone who sent this in! ) [via 0-60mag ]
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newVideoPlayer("/LewisKid.flv", 494, 400,""); As a child, we mean, more of a child than he is now, well before being a superstar of the racetrack, Lewis Hamilton was already in the limelight. The McLaren-Mercedes driver may be the biggest thing to happen for British F1 fans since Damon Hill claimed the championship 12 years ago, but how has the 23-year-old become so successful? As with most superstars of any sport, it all started at a very young age. This clip from a 1997 BBC program, features an interview with a young Lewis, chronicles his early career from racing remote-controlled cars at the age of six, to his early meeting with McLaren boss Ron Dennis . So much for our dreams of being an F1 driver, it's a bit too late to start now. [via GridCrasher ]
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newVideoPlayer("/DanicaPatrickMilka_gawker.flv", 506, 423,""); Let's be clear here — we'd call it a "cat fight" even if the two drivers screaming at each other were men rather than the twin female towers o' power of IndyCar — Danica Patrick and Milka Duno (often pronounced "Milk n' Donut"). Apparently Danica thinks Milka's too slow and has been blocking her with the big rear-end of her car whenever she tries to pass the little French pastry. Yesterday after the morning practice at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Danica decided to confront Duno. We'll let the Indy Star pick up the story from here: Patrick went to the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing pit box after the morning practice to complain about her struggles to pass Duno, but Duno did not like Patrick's style. [...] On a video shot by a friend of Duno's and shown to The Star, Duno told Patrick on several occasions to "go away." When Patrick didn't...
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newVideoPlayer("/M3racer.flv", 494, 400,""); We first saw the new BMW M3 racer earlier this year at its Chicago Auto Show reveal. Now, after a year of development, the finished product has taken to the track for a test run. galleryPost('rahalm3', 6, 'BMW M3 GT2 Racer'); The M3 racer's getting ready to do battle in the ALMS GT2 class against the likes of the Porsche 911 and Ferrari F430. Although we know function is more important than form on a racing car, but if the latter is any indication of the former, BMW will have a real winner with the new M3. Of course, a 485 HP 4.0-liter V8 powering a 2535 lb car will more than likely help as well. We mean, can someone please tell BMW to forget that whole "flame-surfacing" thing and just put widebody kits on all their street cars? [ BMW ]
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newVideoPlayer("/M3racer.flv", 494, 400,""); We first saw the new BMW M3 racer earlier this year at its Chicago Auto Show reveal. Now, after a year of development, the finished product has taken to the track for a test run as it's readied to do battle in the ALMS GT2 class against the likes of the Porsche 911 and Ferrari F430. galleryPost('rahalm3', 6, 'BMW M3 GT2 Racer'); Although we know function is more important than form on a racing car, but if the latter is any indication of the former, BMW will have a real winner with the new M3. Of course, a 485 HP 4.0-liter V8 powering a 2535 lb car will more than likely help as well. We mean, can someone please tell BMW to forget that whole "flame-surfacing" thing and just put widebody kits on all their street cars? [ BMW ]
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newVideoPlayer("/KalittaCrash_gawker.flv", 506, 423,""); We initially hesitated from showing you video of the crash and death of NHRA champ Scott Kalitta after we received a tip that a video from the stands had made its way to YouTube. We decided the death of a drag racer was a rather gruesome thing to show you. Although we knew the race was being broadcast by ESPN2, we figured they'd cover it with the dignity and respect it deserved. We hadn't realized it'd been replayed by "the deuce" immediately after it happened and then again, and again, and...yeah. So we figure — hey, if a mainstream sports media outlet like ESPN feels comfortable replaying it, then it must be alright. Right? Yeah, we're still not sure. But we deserve to give you the right to make that decision on your own. If you're one of those people who wants to see something like this — click the play button to see the Scott Kalitta crash. [via ESPN2]
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newVideoPlayer("24HoursLeMansFlip_gawker.flv", 506, 423,""); Ouch. About two hours ago, the LMP2 Lola Mazda driven by Hideki Noda flipped near the end of a qualifying practice session for this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans. And when we say "flipped" we mean like what happens when a kid drops a matchbox car down a flight of stairs — except with more broken pieces. Luckily, Noda was unhurt. Unluckily, the Mazda was pretty much totaled. Talk about a crap way to end your weekend before it even starts. ( Hat tip to Manny! ) [via YouTube ]
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newVideoPlayer("NASCRASH_6_9.flv", 494, 411,""); We know despite our own usual disinterest with America's favorite racing series, there's at least a few of you NASCAR fans out there. Even for those of us who aren't fans of the always-turning-one-way-action there's one thing we can all come together on for entertainment value: the crashes. It may be the dirty little secret of NASCAR fans, which is why we're so ready to pounce on this idea with such reckless abandon. Thanks to the folks at SpeedTV , we've been able to create a mashup of all of the fantastic crashes from the past weekend of circular racing action — we're calling it " Monday Morning NASCrash ". It'll be all the big bang-ups from all three NASCAR series of the past weekend: Sprint Cup, Craftsman Trucks, and the Junior Varsity Nationwide Series. Yes, whether you call 'em wrecks, bang-ups, or fender-benders, we can all enjoy a good, clean racing accident at...
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newVideoPlayer("FerrariNewishNose_gawker.flv", 494, 413,""); We hear the "breathing hole" on the nose of the new Ferrari F1 car will, in addition to providing a more efficient Ferrari front wing with less drag for increased top speed, also help with those annoying bouts of severe sleep apnea. Also, all the other kids at school would still be laughing at Ferrari's little bubbaleh if they hadn't gotten it done for her. And for those of you who can't-a speak-a the Italian-a, we've got a helpful translation of the gist of the animation above after the jump thanks to the F1 fan-boys over at Axis Of Oversteer "a channel joins the lower section of the nose to the upper, with an inverted profile wing inserted at the channel's exit. The basic purpose of this configuration is to relieve the negative effects of the high pressure area under the nose which creates an aerodynamic obstruction as the speed increases." You'll be able to check...
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newVideoPlayer("Car-Soccer.flv", 463, 387,""); Japan is just the gift that keeps on giving, from kei cars to lovable but bizarre concepts like the the Toyota i-Real , but it's the extracurriculars which make for today's auto amusement. Sure drifting Previas are sexy, but car soccer is a ballet of crushing metal and gigantic balls. How does it work? Take all the rules of regular soccer and play the game with cars. We'll admit the judges seem pretty lax on handing out penalties, and it looks more like a sneaky way to have a demolition derby, but it does look like a lot of laughs. We took the liberty to clip out a section of footage from a game and the whole game is available below — if you're into that kind of thing. First Half (~8 minutes) Second Half (~7 minutes) [ Youtube Part 1 and Youtube Part 2 , via About Cars ]
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newVideoPlayer("drag_race_accident.flv", 463, 387,""); The horrible drag racing incident in Selmer, Tennessee at the "Cars and Kids" event last June has taken yet another tragic turn, with charges now being filed against the driver involved. The June incident occurred when Aussie drag racer Troy Critchley, while performing a burnout in his top fuel dragster, veered into a crowd, resulting in six dead and eighteen injured. The AP is now reporting Critchley is being indicted on six counts of vehicular homicide due to recklessness, as well as 22 counts of reckless aggravated assault. The case is expected to go to trial in November. [AP via Edmunds Inside Line ]
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newVideoPlayer("Furai_Running.flv", 475, 376,""); You thought you had seen the last of the 2008 Mazda Furai concept didn't you? We certainly had enough coverage on the lusty concept that didn't make Popular Mechanics' Top 10 New Cars of Detroit list. What with the teaser photos , track video , live reveal shots , and super sneaky close ups - but no, we're not done yet. How about video of the ethanol powered Nagare-gasm running on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show? Would you like that? Yeah, we thought you would.
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newVideoPlayer("furai_video.flv", 475, 376,""); The three rotor banshee planted in the 2009 Mazda Furai Concept is at full scream in this track time video at Leguna Seca. We're eagerly awaiting the unveil at the Detroit Auto Show on Monday, but it's a slim chance we'll see it blasting around like this on the frozen roads of Detroit. If you listen closely when the driver steps off the throttle, you can hear yourself wet your pants. galleryPost('mazdafuraidetroit', 6, '2009 Mazda Furai Preview Pictures');
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