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Posted
Nov 18 2008, 01:00 AM
by
Rod Chong
with 14 comment(s)
Ok let's jump straight in and look at each Red Bull drift battle from the " Dirty 32 ", as Formula Drift announcer J-Rod called the Top 32. In some ways the Top 32 was the most fascinating part of the competition, as it featured the widest variety of cars from the corners of the globe. It felt for a moment that most of the world's international drifting communities had come together to create one of the biggest, most ambitious drift events ever. Hats off to every one who participated...
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Posted
Nov 17 2008, 04:04 PM
by
Rod Chong
with 17 comment(s)
Before I move on to getting you guys and gals (are there any ladies in here? hello?) a detailed, play by play report on the Red Bull Drifting event, I thought I'd better get on to writing our final wrapup from the Superlap Battle. Remember that?..... Ok let's have a look at some of the results and check out John Brooks' photo styles....
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Posted
Nov 15 2008, 01:00 AM
by
Rod Chong
with 27 comment(s)
While the majority of western countries on the planet are bracing themselves for the cold of winter, today was a hot, sweaty day at in Southern California. I regretted my choice of skinny jeans today... they may be fashionable, but they sure as hell are uncomfortable in hot weather... Anyway blah, blah, blah... Let's look at the day's action from Long Beach. It was a day of hope for some competitors, but a day of frustration and carnage for many others....
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Posted
Nov 14 2008, 01:10 AM
by
Rod Chong
with 28 comment(s)
Well I certainly have had a crazy afternoon... after working the morning away blogging and emailing, John and I thundered down to the Long Beach Dockyards to check out the scenery...We certainly weren't disappointed! The location is absolutely amazing....
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Posted
Nov 13 2008, 12:11 AM
by
Rod Chong
with 15 comment(s)
This year is going by quickly isn't it? I've had the Superlap Battle on my travel calendar since the start of the year and it's always seemed like something far down the road... so I'm finding it somewhat hard to believe the event has come and gone, and now it's already time to move to our coverage of the Red Bull Drifting World Championship. But before we start to submerge ourselves in this upcoming Long Beach mega-event, we'll try and do our best to communicate to you what...
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Posted
Nov 11 2008, 08:11 PM
by
Rod Chong
with 7 comment(s)
I am feeling a bit crabby at the moment... I started out today in Stockholm, Sweden and am now sitting here in a random motel in Buttonwillow, California.... It's been a long day and I need some shut eye.... But before my head meets the pillow I want to quickly show you a few scenes from Superlap Battle. John Brooks and I didn't make it out to the track until around five o'clock this afternoon, but we were able to grab a few snaps and talk to a few folks to get a sense of the setting...
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Posted
Nov 03 2008, 03:09 PM
by
John Brooks
with 15 comment(s)
They say that racing improves the breed, they also say that win on Sunday, sell on Monday. Both are clichés but contain more than a grain of truth. And that truth provides the motivation for the Driftworks Company to showcase the products available at their on line store. Of course having a bit of fun along the way also plays a part too, as Phil Morrison admitted to me. Driftworks was set up nearly 5 years ago and provides a top quality parts services to all levels of the drifting community...
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Posted
Oct 06 2008, 12:04 PM
by
John Brooks
with 11 comment(s)
The say a picture is worth a thousand words but this one is almost beyond value, you could not buy these cars at any price, they are truly constructed of Unobtainium. Ferrari 330 LMB (one of only four built) leads Ferrari 250 GT SWB "Breadvan", Ferrari 250 GTO and the poor relation a Jaguar E type "lowdrag coupe""............this is the contents of the vault of an automotive Fort Knox and the treasures are being raced! With the period setting in a glorious location, the serious...
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Posted
Oct 03 2008, 10:00 AM
by
John Brooks
with 4 comment(s)
It is perhaps one of the most famous endings in Hollywood history, capping one of the greatest films made. With fog swirling around Casablanca's airport, Rick Blaine and Captain Renault consider their options and decide to head for Brazzaville and the Free French..........."Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.". When the flag dropped on 11th October 1998 to mark the end of the race, about ten minutes shy of ten hours into the first running of the Petit Le...
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Posted
Sep 30 2008, 07:10 PM
by
John Brooks
with 6 comment(s)
Regular readers will know that September is Porsche month here on SpeedHunters and Rod, Antonio and I trekked around Europe back in July eventually reaching Spa Francorchamps for the annual 24 Hours race. So what better way to round off a month considering the best of Porsche with a homage to one of the great temples of speed, the old Spa Francorchamps circuit. Many of you will know already of Spa, where the Grand prix circus plies its trade annually, treating the difficult, very fast track with...
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Posted
Sep 28 2008, 02:47 PM
by
John Brooks
with 4 comment(s)
Seeing old race cars for the first time in ages is a bit like bumping into an old flame, there is a natural tendancy to don the rose tinted spectacles, remember the good times and forget the bad. Racing imitates Life. Those of you paying attention will know that Rod, Antonio and I were guests of Porsche AG at their Leipzig Factory earlier this year. Like all good hosts they made us feel very welcome and when they showed us up to the museum/display area it was an opportunity to meet up with some old...
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Posted
Sep 26 2008, 01:00 AM
by
John Brooks
with 7 comment(s)
Porsche and Le Mans........and me? How did all this start? Well, it's probably easier to say when, 1970. Inspired by tales in the magazine Motor Sport of supercars competing at the world's greatest race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, I was hooked. Naturally I did not actually go to the race, I was a bit young but I do remember being at a cousin's wedding, sneaking out to the family car every hour or so to hear the radio reports..........I nearly flatted the battery......my father was not best...
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Posted
Sep 15 2008, 10:09 AM
by
John Brooks
with 6 comment(s)
What does the expression Hybrid conjour up when applied to cars...........politically correct, save the whales, eat Muesli etc. etc. Well with typical French style or elan as they would say Peugeot have blown that cliche wide open At Silverstone last evening they unveiled their take on "le concept Hybrid".........combining the stunning 908 Le Mans Prototype and a kinetic energy recovery system...... Why? Well as the press pack says.............. HY technology enables a proportion of the...
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Posted
Sep 11 2008, 01:00 PM
by
John Brooks
with 8 comment(s)
In the field of motoring certain technological advances become associated with a particular brand, Audi Quattro for instance or Porsche Turbo. Porsche Turbo, ah yes……… the image that springs to mind is that of a 911 as muscular as body builder and like any truly wild animal never fully domesticated. Fail to treat one of these cars without proper respect and at best it will be quick trip to the hedgerow. Where did this road going beast come from? Like most things from old school Porsche, it was born out of competition. Back in the early 70s the CSI (the FIA’s sporting arm) put out a proposal that the new breed of prototypes to replace the existing bunch would be based around a silhouette formula, so the basic shape of a road car with technical freedom under the skin....
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Posted
Sep 10 2008, 09:00 AM
by
John Brooks
with 7 comment(s)
The Answer is Blowin’ in the Wind……….. You’ve all heard the old sales pitch. Take two great concepts and mix them together to produce twice the product or more. All well and good, except that is rarely the case, usually the strengths and benefits of both ideas get diluted in the process and somehow more becomes less. However when the principle does work the results can be spectacular. Back in 1971 Porsche were faced with a bit of a problem, what to do with the all...
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Posted
Sep 09 2008, 01:47 AM
by
John Brooks
with 22 comment(s)
It had to happen sooner or later.............I had to go along to a drift event in person and see what Rod and Antonio were talking about.
So I had a free weekend and the European Drift Championship was out for the final time in 2008, venue Silverstone....
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Posted
Aug 15 2008, 09:10 AM
by
John Brooks
with 4 comment(s)
My first taste of Time Attack in the UK came last weekend when the circus came to the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit. I have already featured the Zen Performance Impreza on SpeedHunters but the Sainted Editor, still in steamy Japan, requested a gallery feature on the Pro Class event. So it would seem appropriate to start with the car that ran a consistent second to the Zen effort, the Lotus Elise of Steve Guglielmi which turned in a time only 3/10ths shy of the record breaking Impreza....
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Posted
Aug 09 2008, 03:40 AM
by
John Brooks
with 5 comment(s)
Tales from the Forest……….. In Europe each year we have three famous 24-Hour races on three famous circuits. Le Mans is known by everyone and is the pinnacle of endurance racing with full works entries and massive factory involvement. There is worldwide media coverage on a par with any Grand Prix or NASCAR race and there are fans that follow this race to the exclusion of all others. It is arguably the most famous motorsport event on the planet. Winning here will overshadow any...
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Posted
Jul 22 2008, 04:25 AM
by
John Brooks
with 5 comment(s)
Hundreds and Hundreds of cars to choose from at the Goodwood Festival of Speed…………what was your top 12 asked the Sainted Editor?
Well ask the question tomorrow and you might get a different answer but this morning my whims lead me this way………in no particular order....
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Posted
Jul 21 2008, 06:29 AM
by
John Brooks
with 12 comment(s)
The Goodwood Festival of Speed attracts some of the coolest cars on the planet and some of rarest. The Cartier “Style et Luxe” exhibition had two sub themes that combined these two qualities, cool and rare. Titled “Dawn of the SuperCar” and “The Shape of Things that Never Came” the participants drew crowds who appreciated the presence of some really special machines. In the first category there was a good example of how letting the emotions get the better of common...
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