Sebastian Vettel Repeats As F1 World Champion

To absolutely no one’s surprise, Red Bull Renault star Sebastian Vettel tied up his second world championship in two years with a third place finish in yesterday’s Japanese Grand Prix. While the title race had been all but locked up for the past several events, it was still mathematically possible for McLaren Mercedes driver Jenson Button to grab the title at the start of yesterday’s race. To do so, however, Button would have needed a victory in every remaining race, with Vettel finishing in tenth spot or lower. Read more…

Video: Ridiculous Lamborghini Countach Dragster Hits The Wall

I am like any other car enthusiast; I enjoy a good drag race especially if one of the cars is an exotic or true classic. Well, one car that happens to be a hodgepodge of a classic, exotic and dragster is a highly modified Lamborghini Countach sporting a front engine and a blower big enough to swallow little children whole. During a recent run down a Sydney Dragway in Sydney, Australia, this ridiculous Lamborghini hits the wall at full throttle ending the potentially epic finish for this Countach which has obviously seen better days. Hit the jump below below to check it out.

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GT Academy Debuts Tonight: Will You Watch?

The premise is simple: take the 16 fastest virtual drivers from Gran Turismo 5, then see if racing a car on a gaming system can translate into racing a car in real life. Along the way, there’s plenty of drama, including a military style obstacle course in the mud, and enough conflicting personalities to keep the show interesting.

Just by watching the 2:00 trailer below, I can tell you that these guys are in for a rude awakening, and not one of them seems to know what being a professional racer is all about. One contestant comments, “To be a professional race car driver, you never work another day in your life;” try telling that to guys like Dan Wheldon and Nick Heidfeld. When your doing promotional appearances in strange cities for days on end, or hustling a new sponsor so you can afford a ride next year, that looks suspiciously like work to me. Read more…

‘Senna’ Biopic Website Lists Dates And Cities

Ayrton Senna da Silva died on May 1, 1994, when his Williams Renault left the track and hit a concrete barrier at the Tamburello corner during the San Marino Grand Prix. Officially, the accident happened when Senna’s car, on cold tires and a full fuel load, bottomed out and momentarily lost traction. Although the car left the track at almost 190 miles per hour, Senna had slowed the car down to 135 just before the moment of impact, and his Williams hit at what appeared to be a glancing blow. Read more…

Niki Lauda Biography To Be Directed By Ron Howard

If you’ve never heard of Niki Lauda, you may want to brush up on your Formula 1 history before the release of “Rush,” an upcoming biopic to be directed by Ron Howard. Lauda was a Formula 1 star in the mid-70s, and his crusade for improved driver safety helped change a sport where fatalities were a regular occurrence. Perhaps only Jackie Stewart (another 1970’s F1 star) has done more to make the sport safer.

Leading the championship points battle in the 1976 season, Lauda attempted to lead a driver boycott of the German Grand Prix, then held at the Nürburgring circuit, on the grounds that the track was too dangerous for F1 racing. Unable to get sufficient driver support, Lauda entered the race but crashed on the second lap, a victim of suspension failure. His car was struck by another and burst into flames; Lauda was ultimately rescued, but not before receiving second and third degree burns over much of his head and face. His lungs were damaged by heat and toxic smoke, which also produced blood poisoning; despite his injuries, Lauda recovered and was back in the car just six weeks and two races later. Read more…

Video: Mauro Calo Sets Longest Drift Record with Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG

The world record holder for the longest drift no longer belongs to Vaughn Gittin Jr. or any other professional drifter for that matter; it belongs to Mauro Calo who recently set the record in a stock Benz C63 AMG.

Mauro chose the handling circuit at Mercedes-Benz World where he performed an uninterrupted drift for a total distance of 7,572 feet (2,308 meters), which equates to almost a mile and a half. Of course the only thing stopping him at this distance was the tire that gave away launching chunks of rubber into the air as Mauro claims his respect in the motorsport world.

Check out the video of the complete drift below.

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A Polaris RZR Tackles Pike’s Peak

The Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb challenges drivers from around the world to let it all hang out as they tackle the notorious mountain course. Unlike sane motorsport events, where a mistake costs you a few seconds per lap, a mistake at Pike’s Peak could be your last. If driving flat-out on both paved and dirt roads, many without guardrails, sounds like your idea of fun, then you’ll love the video below. Read more…

Driveway Or Racetrack, You Decide

Rod Millen is a rally and hillclimb racing legend, best known in the United States for his long-standing Pike’s Peak hillclimb record time of 10:04.06, set in 1994 and unbeaten until 2007. Millen’s since turned his attention to building race cars, but that’s not to say he doesn’t still enjoy spirited driving. In fact, Millen’s built the ultimate driveway at his property in Hahei, New Zealand, and the ribbon of asphalt recreates some of the most challenging corners from Millen’s years of competitive racing. His driveway features straights, decreasing radius corners, elevation changes and even blind entry, decreasing radius corners with elevation changes. You’d better be on your “A” game to visit Millen, especially in bad weather. Read more…