Ogier’s 200th stage success?

According to the results published on the official website wrc.com, the 2013 World Champion chalked up his 200th world class stage win on today’s SS1 (Querol) in Spain. Sébastien Ogier claimed his first fastest time on ‘Sweet Lamb’, stage two of the 2008 Wales Rally GB.

Less than a month after Sébastien Loeb notched up the 900^th WRC stage win of his career in Alsace, Sébastien Ogier reached the 200 mark today in Spain. However, some websites suggest that the Volkswagen/Michelin drivers actually reached his double century in Alsace…

According to the statistics of the championship’s official website www.wrc.com, the Frenchman’s score was 199 before the start of this weekend’s RallyRACC-Rally de Espana (one in 2008, 13 in 2009, 36 in 2010, 56 in 2011, one in 2012 and 92 in 2013). The difference stems perhaps from the two stage wins he shared with Loeb (New Zealand 2010 and Portugal 2011) which wrc.com attributes solely to Citroën’s recently-retired star.

It was in Wales, in 2008, that the French youngster picked up his first world championship fastest time on his very first WRC stage. That year’s opening test was cancelled, but Seb topped the timesheet on SS2 (Sweet Lamb, 4.28km) to appear in the provisional lead. True, he was assisted by a favourable start order, but the Citroën C4 WRC entered by the FFSA’s Equipe de France stayed on top until SS5…

The recently-crowned champ then had to wait more than six months for his next stage victory which was SS2 on the 2009 Acropolis Rally. Meanwhile, one of his most remarkable stage wins came when he was driving a ‘diminutive’ Skoda Fabia S2000 in Sardinia in 2012.

This season, Ogier won 19 out of 22 stages in Australia and also established a new record for Rally Finland’s legendary ‘Ouninpohja’ test!

If he manages to claim seven more stages this year, he will take his score to 100 for 2013 alone!

After SS1: Action at last! : De l’action, enfin !

Sébastien Ogier took the early advantage in Spain today. Competing in the dark, the 2013 World Champion was three seconds faster than Citroën/Michelin’s Dani Sordo on SS1 (‘Querol’, 21.26km), and 3.1s better than his Volkswagen/Michelin team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala. Thierry Neuville is provisionally fourth for Ford/Michelin (+6.2s).

Sébastien Ogier a pris les devants au RallyRACC-Catalunya. De nuit, le Champion du monde 2013 a été trois secondes plus rapide que le pilote Citroën Dani Sordo dans l’ES1 (Querol, 21,26 km) et 3.1 secondes plus vite que son équipier Jari-Matti Latvala. Thierry Neuville a réalisé le 4e meilleur temps (+6s2).

After a seemingly interminable wait, competitive driving finally kicked off this evening in the Catalonian mountains behind Tarragona. Even so, spectators had to wait until shortly after 8pm to get their first glimpse of the stars in action.

At least that gave them plenty of time to find a good viewing spot on ‘Querol’, but it was completely dark by the time competitors had driven from this afternoon’s official start ceremony in Barcelona to the first of this evening’s three stages.

That said, night-time rallying has its own special charm. It always adds a little extra excitement as their powerful additional lights pick out the ribbon of tarmac ahead, while the sight of glowing orange brake discs provides a reasonable indication of who is trying the hardest. And that title was earned by Sébastien Ogier (VW)!

The new world champion began his reign with the fastest time on SS1, yet he didn’t seem very upbeat at the Stop Control. “My run was okay, but not ideal. I didn’t really feel confident enough to push as hard as I would have liked,” he commented in the weak light emitted by the marshals’ spotlights.

Next to show was Thierry Neuville (4^th, +6.2s). He didn’t look very happy either as he switched back to his real job after spending the past few days fielding questions about his plans for 2014: “A sh*t stage. I didn’t enjoy it at all. My car was understeering and there were some damp spots forming as the night fell. I could have done better…”

The Ford driver was beaten into third place by Jari-Matti Latvala (+3.0s) whose Polo R WRC sported a cracked windscreen. A stone accidently dislodged by someone standing on higher ground, or a deliberate act of vandalism? The angry Finn seemed to opt for the latter: “I don’t know who can find throwing rocks at cars funny. It certainly isn’t funny for the drivers!”

Competing on home ground, Dani Sordo was naturally a big hit with the locals and he admitted that he could sense the support of his fans on the stage, especially along the straights. His nocturnal effort was rewarded with the second best time, exactly three seconds short of Ogier. “I’ve got confidence,” reported the Citroën man.

The provisional top six after SS1 was rounded off by fellow DS3 WRC driver Mikko Hirvonen, who was only two-tenths slower than Neuville, and VW’s Andreas Mikkelsen (+12.8s). Evgeny Novikov (Ford, +14.9s) was seventh fastest.

The early pacesetter in the WRC-2 battle was Robert Kubica (Citroën/Michelin) who was respectively 26.5 and 27.7 seconds faster than Sepp Wiegand (Skoda) and Elfyn Evans (Ford).

Après une attente interminable, le rallye a enfin démarré ce soir dans les montagnes catalanes qui se dressent derrière Tarragone. Les spectateurs ont dû patienter jusqu’à 20h00 passées pour voir les premières autos en course, mais enfin, ça y est, le rallye est parti !

Cela leur a au moins laissé le temps de trouver le meilleur spot possible dans Querol (ES1) que les concurrents ont entamé après une cérémonie de départ au cœur de Barcelone. Une boucle de trois spéciales était au programme de cette douce soirée catalane.

Le rallye de nuit, c’est toujours aussi magique, avec la lumière des phares, mais aussi la couleur rouge-orangé des disques de freins au point stop. Le néo-champion du monde a débuté son règne en signant le meilleur temps dans l’ES1, mais il ne semblait pas plus enthousiaste que ça à l’arrivée. « C’est OK, mais pas parfait. Je n’étais pas vraiment en confiance, pas assez pour attaquer au maximum comme j’aurais voulu ».

Neuville ne semblait pas très satisfait lui non plus (4^e, +6s2), à l’issue de la première spéciale, après avoir passé les deux derniers jours à répondre aux journalistes sur son avenir en WRC. « Une spéciale de m… Je n’ai pas aimé. Ma voiture sous-virait et il y avait des portions rendues humides par la nuit tombante. J’aurais pu mieux faire. »

Le pilote Ford a été battu par Jari-Matti Latvala (3^e, +3s1) dont la Polo R WRC est arrivée avec un pare-brise fissuré. Acte de vandalisme ou une pierre ayant dégringolé d’un talus ? La mauvaise humeur du Finlandais laissait penser à la première hypothèse. « Je ne vois pas ce que les gens trouvent de marrant à lancer des pierres sur les autos. En tout cas, ça ne l’est pas pour les pilotes ! »

Chez lui, Dani Sordo est sans doute mieux « traité » par les spectateurs. Il a signé le 2^e meilleur temps dans cette ES, à tout juste 3 secondes d’Ogier. « Je suis en confiance. » Le top-six provisoire est bouclé par le pilote Citroën Mikko Hirvonen, à seulement 2/10^e de seconde de Neuville, et Andreas Mikkelsen (+12s8).

En WRC-2, Robert Kubica a pris l’ascendant sur Sepp Wiegand (+26s5) et Elfyn Evans (+27s7).

Iron & Resin Fall 2013 Lookbook Video

Couldn't have asked for a better trip with my friends at Iron & Resin. We cruised up the Central Coast in search of cold water and warm fires, and got more than we bargained for.

Director/Videographer : Scott Toepfer (sgtoepfer.com)
Additional Footage : Samson Hatae (samsonkhatae.com), Jackson Chandler (ironandresin.com)

Music : Ben Howard - "Old Pine"

Iron & Resin Fall 2013 Lookbook Video from Scott Toepfer on Vimeo.

A Fair ol' Flog. Moto-X at the Deus Slidetober Fest 2013

What do you expect when you get a group of gals, guys and bikes on a dirt patch beside the sea on the island of Bali?

Thrills, spills and people acting like complete and absolute dills. We had so much fun in the sun that we'll definitely be back for more.
Until then the boys in the Deus Digital Dungeon have stitched together this amazing little forget-me-not. Just in case you do fail to remember how much fun we had or how much you missed out on.
A massive thanks have to go out to Yamaha for coming along and helping us make this one of the best weekends for most of us in 2013
See you all and then some in 2014.

Ears looking at you, Hugh

The late Frederic W. Goudy, America's most prolific designer of print typefaces, once said that "The old fellows stole all our best ideas".

At the age of 87, Hugh Hefner could fairly be described as an 'old fellow' - he was recently seen navigating Disneyland on a mobility scooter - but there can't be a younger fellow out there who doesn't wish he had beaten Hef to the idea of producing a magazine called Playboy.

A kitchen table and a bottle blonde

Hefner assembled the inaugural issue on his kitchen table in 1953, choosing to decorate the cover with a bottle blonde called Marilyn Monroe who was also featured inside, as naked as the day she was born. For the first articles, Hefner called on friends and acquaintances in the literary trade - many of whom went on to become household names - and used his skill as a professional cartoonist and illustrator to fill in the gaps. It proved to be a winning formula.

A combination of beautiful, tastefully arranged nudes, intelligent articles by well-known people and an open-minded editorial attitude made Playboy the world's top-selling men's magazine - at one time (long before the age of the Internet and the bargain boob job) it boasted 15 million readers per month. And, as a branding exercise, Playboy could scarcely have done better. After just four years on the newsstands, a New York reader sent off a letter with the magazine's signature symbol of a bow-tied bunny head as the only form of address - and it was delivered directly to the office door.

A six-volume Playboy anthology

Now, to mark the 60th anniversary of the magazine, Hefner has collaborated with Taschen, the celebrated publisher of lavish coffee table books, to produce a new edition of  'The Life and Times of Hugh M. Hefner' which reveals hitherto unheard details of his career, from his years as a cartoon-drawing schoolboy to a household name. Focusing on Playboy's golden years - the quarter-century from 1953 - 1979 - the six-volume anthology is enhanced with a selection of each era's sauciest centrefolds, as well as some literary masterpieces by contributors such as Gore Vidal, Ian Fleming and Norman Mailer.

Reproductions of previously unseen original artwork and letters are also included, along with hundreds of  newly released photographs that capture some of the behind-the-scenes happenings at Hefner's Playboy mansion, various Playboy clubs and even in the legendary Big Bunny (aka 'Hare Force One') which was one of the first private jets to be fitted out like an airborne penthouse, with luxurious seating, full-sized televisions - and, of course, a king-sized bed. Oh, Hef - those were the days...

 

Photos: Taschen

The Life and Times of Hugh M. Hefner, published by Taschen, is available as a six-volume, boxed set for £99.99. See taschen.com.

2013 F1 cars wearing retro liveries

Take a look at these eight amazing retro renderings, which demonstrate what the Formula 1 racers of today might look like if there were to wear the liveries of yesteryear. Each is indescribably cool in terms of both concept and execution, enjoy.

Graphic design wizz Matt Hillman has done an absolutely spectacular job putting these creations together. He’s part of a talented team calling themselvesEscape Artist – someone at Formula 1 should give them a job!

Take a look at their Facebook page.

Email this article to a friend »via http://www.motorsportretro.com

Get Twisted with a Retro Land Rover

Images: Twisted Performance

You may have noticed that we’re big fans of racing cars and bikes here at Motorsport Retro. Unfortunately, they’re not that practical when it comes to conquering the traffic and craterous, speedbump-littered road surfaces of everyday city driving, so we need an alternative. Enter Twisted Performance’s custom Land Rovers and, specifically, the Retro Edition.

This beast has all the performance and comfort of a modern day monster, wrapped in the awesome retro styling of the original Land Rover Defender.

A Land Rover Defender provides the base vehicle, from which two specifications are available – the Retro 90 and Retro 110. The Retro 110 features Twisted’s P10+ performance kit and sport suspension along with a full suite of aesthetic tweaks that take it from a good looking car to a retro masterpiece.

It’s classy, comfortable, practical and, and its heart, a Land Rover – so you know it’s tougher than practically anything you can throw at it.

Check ‘em out at Twisted Performance’s page here and see what Twisted Performance get up to by joining them on Facebook here.

via http://www.motorsportretro.com

‘83 BMW R80 - ER Motorcycles

You can feel their attraction. Like the force of gravity, they seem to exert a powerful yet invisible pull on all bodies near and far. You can try and avoid them, moving in an elliptical orbit so that you fool yourself into thinking that you can escape their grasp, but somehow you always end up spiraling inwards. Are we talking black holes? Dying stars? Galaxies? No. We are talking Bayerische Motoren Werke Motorrad; BMW motorcycles to the layman. The Americans used to say that eventually, all riders will end up on a Harley. And that may be true of for theAmerikanische volk, but as for the rest of the world I'm convinced that a boxer twin is our true destiny. And if I could choose my destiny, it would be this bike. It's just about the cleanest, most detailed Beemer build you will ever see.

Blaž Šuštaršič is the owner of ER Motorcycles and creator of this bike, which he calls ‘The Mobster’. “Since childhood, motorcycles have been a passion and a way of life for me. When I'm not reading about them in magazines, I'm almost certainly surfing the Internet for additional information about them. With the help of the latter, I like to tear the down and rebuild them in my head. Then I try to realise my ideas in the workshop. Sometimes I see myself as a bike surgeon, since I like to look at every single piece of motorcycle. I try to make sure no detail is left unconsidered.”

“In 2009, I saw a business opportunity and my dreams suddenly became a reality. I opened my own shop. So far we've produced several unique motorcycles, and we have ideas for many, many more. In fact, I like to keep the workshop busy so we usually have two projects overlapping - it really keeps us on our toes.” 

“About six months ago, I began working on a new project named ‘Mobster’. The now completed project is a full motorcycle redesign, which you might have seen on the Slovenian roads if you happened to be riding there this summer. It was an extremely demanding job, and required us learning a vast amount and really putting in some late nights. But, as you can see, it was all worth it.”

A seat with your own tag. Now that's attention to detail

“It's hopefully got a touch of the gangster about it, but also with a refined look; like a well-dressed gangster. The front forks are from a BMW R50/5 and there's plenty of other parts from that bike and an R69S. The tyres are CokerDiamonds at 4.50-18". The clip-ons are Tarozzis. The exhaust and leather seat are both ours. There's also aMotogadget Classic speedo, some custom leather grips, custom front and rear fenders, new electrics and a rare sport "Schorsch Meier" fuel tank.

For me, the visual elements such as the Frozen Bronze colour, extra equipment and the leather seat is what give the motorcycle its unique look. Overall, the bike is a really beautiful thing to see in the flesh. And that's before you turn the engine over.” 

Blaž contemplates a blat

Blaž took time out to mention the rest of his team; his chief mechanic Danilo Henigman, mechanic Primož Vindišar, turner Janko Rudolf and painter Janez Žebalc. And from what we can see, Blaž won't be looking to upskill any time soon.

 

[Photograph by Jernej Konjajev]

via Pipeburn

BMW M3 Pickup Drifting!!

There was a of interest back in 2011 when BMW released details of the new M3 Pickup truck, which was of course nothing more than an April fools joke. But this pickup is no joke.

Youtube user Marchettino has posted this awesome video of a BMW M3 E46 pickup performing some truly sensational drifting round a race track.

THE BLACK BULL – HONDA GL-200 (TIGER) ’98

Spesifikasi :

• Body Custom by STUDIO MOTOR Custom Bike
• Painting & Airbrush by KOMET Studio
• Shock Depan Upside Down Suzuki GSX-600R
• Velg Depan TK Japan 18X3.00 Inch + Avon Cobra 120/70-18
• Velg Belakang Custom 18X4.50 Inch + Avon Cobra 180/55-18
• Swing Arm Suzuki GSX-400R + Monoshock Ohlins Yamaha R1
• Master + Kaliper Tokico
• Disc PSM
• Rantai + Gir TK Japan
• Lampu Depan & Belakang Aftermarket
• RPM Auto Gauge
• Exhaust System by Flash Muffler Custom

via Studio Motor

Hell On Wheels MX Rally 2013

This year’s “Hell On Wheels” vintage MX rally was one hell of a good time.  As the hot early summer sun started its way across the sky, the bikes started pouring in. We grabbed our camera’s, an ice cold beer, and held on for dear life.  Thanks to Deus Ex Machina for sheltering me from the heat and good times as well as Dimitri Coste for providing laughs throughout.  Enjoy.

 via http://www.theselfcenteredman.com