I’m guessing that many of you are already aware of filmmaker Ron Howard’s latest project. It’s a film called RUSH that chronicles the dramatic 1976 Formula 1 season. More specifically, it focuses on the intense rivalry between drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda – who overcame a horrific crash to fight Hunt for the championship that year. The official trailer for the film has just hit the net, and I have to say that it looks fantastic.
Take a look and see for yourself. The movie should be out in theaters this September.
In the last couple of decades there has been an overwhelming improvement on one area of a car’s performance that often gets overlooked. I am of course talking about tires. These curious black rings of rubber have gone through an impressive evolution that has allowed manufacturers of all types of vehicles to fine-tune and extract [...]
The title says it all really. Hit play to check out this cool video put together by the guys at Motor Trend as they follow Speedhunters’ own Freddy Aasbø doing what he likes best, alongside the people he loves the most – his friends.
While Daigo Saito brought a big taste of Japanese drift style to Formula Drift in the United States, back in his homeland he’s looking to spread the gospel of of big power American drift style. Not only is he building a Dodge Viper for Japanese competition, but he also purchased Sam Hubinette’s ex-FD Dodge Challenger, which can be seen here undergoing some testing at Ebisu Circuit.
I’m not sure what Daigo’s hardcore fanboys think of this, but I think it’s pretty cool to see him bringing him some international influence to Japan.
How much on-board footage do you need? You might say that a lap is enough from any specific race, but if you’re a race nerd like me than you probably can’t get enough different angles and shots from the various cars competing – especially in the multi-class knife fight that’s an endurance race. Some people put on music in the background when they’re working: I like the sound of racing cars…
Pretty much all cars carry cameras on board nowadays, whether specifically for TV or for the teams’ own uses, which means that you can literally live through the first-person driver experience from almost any racecar you choose. I’ve picked out a selection of on-boards here for you to browse though, and highlighted some particular moments that are worth fast forwarding to if, for some bizarre reason, you don’t have several days to watch all the clips in their entirety. Let’s start with a clip that literally puts us in the shoes of Corvette’s Tommy Milner: he had a helmet cam set-up, which shows a whole stint from walking out of the garage, checking in with engineers and watching pitstop practice even before getting in the car and taking to the track for night practice. It’s a very cool insight into race preparation through the eyes of a driver.
616 horses versus one snowboard? Pikes Peak International Hill Climb record holder Rhys Millen strapped into a McLaren 12C Spider to take on a descent in the snowy Rocky Mountains – but with a twist. He’d be racing Winter Games medallist Chanelle Sladics on her snowboard down the notoriously treacherous Loveland Pass. Where else has a sign warning of avalanches caused by long-range weaponry? It looked calm on the way up; the way down is a lot different, as the gloves go on and the snow is kicked up. Fire up the video to see the result!
Us Speedhunters are quite accustomed to pointing our cameras at all sorts of automotive greatness, but what happens when we become the subject? McLaren Automotive recently got a hold of our own Jonathan Moore in Geneva to get some of his thoughts on the new P1. Mr.Moore not only talks about the car itself, but also how he approaches photographing it.
The opening round of the swansong season of the American Le Mans Series is already upon us: the teams have gathered at the legendary Sebring circuit in Florida ahead of this weekend’s 12 Hours – the last of the LMP1 era. There’s a mighty battle ahead: Audi may have rocked up with a pair of R18 E-Tron Quattros, but the surprise is that Audi have only topped one of the four test sessions so far. They may be sandbagging, but Rebellion, Muscle Milk and Dyson will all be aiming squarely at the R18s, looking to take this last opportunity to take a four-ringed scalp.
It’s in GT where the heat will really be turned up: BMW have rejoined the fray with their brand new Z4 in the GTE-Pro class, where they’ll be facing off against the cream of manufacturer opposition from Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin and Viper. The Rahal-Letterman-Lannigan team will be fielding two Z4s, and have been out testing ahead of the race: the unique deep growl of the Z4 makes it easy to pick out in the GT field. This video has some great footage of the car in action, and talks to the team’s six drivers about their new mount.
Our own Larry Chen will be embedded with the RLL team throughout the race weekend, so stay tuned for updates from him as he finds out from the inside just what it’s like to tackle the toughest race on the calendar.
Testing continues today, with practice and qualifying over Thursday and Friday. The great race kicks off at 10.45am Eastern on Saturday March 16th. Turn one has been radically changed with the extension to the pitlane required to house such a big field of cars: a solid wall now runs down the outside of the braking zone where before there were just cones, so what was already a difficult corner has just been pumped up a level. Make sure you’re somewhere where you can watch the rolling start if at all possible!
Following up on Dino’s excellent feature of the brand new Team RS-R V8 86, it was clear that the build and the story truly engaged you Speedhunters readers. Going over the comments, many of you seemed to really appreciate the ingenuity and the creativity demonstrated by RS-R, and to others the car is “just another [...]
As the Toyota 86 continues its all-out assault on the automotive world, the latest name to jump into the fray is Pike’s Peak legend “Monster” Tajima. Monster Sport has been brewing up a rather wicked looking hillclimb 86 that you can see in the just-released teaser clip above. No specific info about the “Super 86″ build has been brought out yet, but more updates are promised on the Monster Sport website.
I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say I’m excited to find out what’s beneath that radical looking skin.
While there were some truly amazing machines unveiled in Geneva this week, I’m not sure if anything could touch the LaFerrari in terms of pure excitement. Among the short films Ferrari has released about the car is this little clip highlighting the LaFerrari’s lineage and development.
It’s not long, but I think it nicely sums up everything the car’s about.
There’s nothing like a bit of tire smoke and extreme driving to whet an audience’s appetite before a main race. That’s what Ken Block was doing today at the first round of the Australian V8 Supercars Series at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide. If you’re having a slow Sunday, this is sure to provide a bit of entertainment…
Front wheel drive or wrong wheel drive as some like to sneer, has long been the undeserved victim of much criticism. Understeer, torque steer etc. are the usual phrases thrown about, along with lines like ‘the front wheels are for steering only’. I can probably guess however that the people who utter this nonsense have never had the privilege of seeing what a sorted FWD car is capable of…
On that note, let me introduce you to Jean Ragnotti. A Monte Carlo and Tour de Corse winner, Ragnotti is not only a Group B veteran but also has the rather impressive moniker of ‘God on Tarmac’. He may not have the infamy of his fellow countryman, monsieur Loeb, but make no mistake that the man is magic behind the wheel of a car. This video pays tribute to some of his best moments behind the wheel of his Renault Clio Maxi, the Group A7K 250+BHP two litre naturally aspirated and front wheel drive monster.
If you’ve never experienced Jeannot before, you’re in for a treat. My personal favourite moment comes at around the 4m10s mark. If ever there was a perfect example of #MAXIMUMATTACK…
Do you guys remember the motorFIX shop we visited last year as well as the 1UZ-powered Corolla we featured? Well how about revising that awesome workshop nestled deep in the Gifu hills thanks to this new video from Luke Huxham. It’s not like you need an excuse to take another look at the awesome V8 KE70! Hit that play button, come on…
There are few car collectors as rabid as chat show host Jay Leno, and the latest car he’s turned his attention to is Keith Charvonia’s Drag’n Kaiser. This episode of Jay Leno’s Garage is dedicated to Keith’s ’51 Kaiser project, and sheds even more light on the incredible details behind this beautiful build. Eight years of hard work went in, and 15 minutes isn’t enough to do more than a quick walk around and a short road-test, but it still gives a great insight into the myriad details that have made this car so special.
