Road To Baja - Documentary on racing the Baja 1000

Road To Baja is a documentary covering the story of Radek Burkat and Andrew Krynen who decided, with very little preparation, to race in the Baja 1000 in 2008.

It’s an interesting and candid look into what it takes to compete in one of the toughest desert races in the world, the film is 45 minutes long and will make excellent viewing for anyone with an interest in proper off-road racing.

The Handbuilt Motorcycle Show 2014

WINGS - a film about the retro motorcycle

Storm chasing in the new Lamborghini Huracán

The Lamborghini Huracán claims to be fitter, faster, and also more comfortable than its predecessor – and will no doubt take the sports car world by storm. We are swept through Andalusia by the high-tech whirlwind…

A bull with borderline tendencies - but is this what customers want from their cars?

Ferruccio Lamborghini would have turned 98 over the past few days – and he truly would have had reason to celebrate. Despite a global downturn in sports car sales, the Lamborghini Aventador has a year-long waiting list, and the outgoing Lamborghini Gallardo boasts sales of over 14,000 across 11 years. The latter’s 10-cylinder successor, the Huracán, has been patiently waiting to take over. As well as bettering the performance of its forebear, the new car will also refine the balance between race-ready performance and everyday practicality, more so than any Lamborghini has done previously. A bull with borderline tendencies, then. But is this what customers want from their cars?

A superhero's supercar?

WTCC HUNGARORING : RACE 2 – FIRST WIN FOR MORBIDELLI / Première victoire pour Morbidelli

Gianni Morbidelli scored an epic WTCC win in the second race at the Hungaroring today, leading from lights to chequered flag. The first for the Italian driver and for Chevrolet RML TC1 car.

Honda’s Tiago Monteiro chased Morbidelli hard for the entire race, with the gap between the Münnich Motorsport Chevrolet and the works Honda never being more than 0.4 seconds, but in the end the Portuguese driver had to settle for second. Third place went to Frenchman Hugo Valente in the Campos Chevrolet RML Cruze, making it the first time this season a Citroën did not win the race and indeed the first podium without a Citroën driver.For the German Münnich Motorsport team the races in Budapest seem to bring luck, as the team won here as well last year with Rob Huff.Tom Coronel, who returned to the series this weekend after his massive accident in the opening round in Marrakech, finished in fourth ahead of the Citroën cars of Muller and Lopez. In the TC2T class it was business as usual, with the two Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW cars again finishing first and second, this time with Engstler ahead of Di Sabatino.

 

Key momentsGrid – Mehdi Bennani does not take the start of the second race, having blown his turbo on the slow-down lap after Race 1.Start – Morbidelli and Monteiro both make a blitz-start, leading the way ahead of Valente and Coronel. Muller pushes López going into Turn 1 to claim 5^th, having started 10^th. Lap 1 – Morbidelli leads from Monteiro and Valente, the three drivers creating a bit of a gap to fourth-place Tom Coronel.Lap 2 – Muller passes Coronel going into Turn 1 but runs wide and Coronel takes back fourth. Chilton closes in on López.Lap 3 – Michelisz chases Loeb for 9^th who in turn is eyeing Tarquini for 8^th. Valente sets provisional fastest lap. Lap 4 – Kozlovskiy pits.Lap 5 – Monteiro sets fastest race lap chasing Morbidelli, who keeps a slim 0.3-second lead.Lap 6 – Borković passes Huff for 11^th.Lap 9 – López closes in on Muller, but the four-time World Champion keeps the door closed.

Lap 11 – Loeb tries to pass Tarquini for 8^th going into Turn 1 but misseshis target. Münnich passes Thompson for 13^th. Lap 14 – Morbidelli resists a final attempt from Monteiro and Valente e crosses the line first.

Gianni Morbidelli remporte au Hungaroring sa toute première victoire en WTCC et offre à la Chevrolet RML TC1 son premier succès à l’issue d’une course qu’il a mené de bout en bout.

Tiago Monteiro et sa Honda ont poursuivi Morbidelli tout au long des 14 tours de l’épreuve, l’écart entre la Chevrolet du Münnich Motorsport et la Civic officielle n’excédant jamais 0’’4. Le Portugais n’a jamais trouvé l’ouverture et s’est hissé sur la deuxième marche du podium.

Le Français Hugo Valente décroche la 3^e place au volant de sa Chevrolet Cruze RML du Campos Racing, ce qui signifie que pour la première fois cette saison, une Citroën n’a pas terminé dans le Top 3.

Le circuit du Hungaroring porte par ailleurs chance au team Münnich qui s’était imposé ici-même l’an passé avec Rob Huff.

Tom Coronel, de retour en piste ce week-end après avoir été contraint de faire l’impasse sur l’étape au Paul Ricard en raison de son accident de Marrakech, termine au pied du podium devant les Citroën d’Yvan Muller de de José Maria Lopez.

Retour à la normale, enfin, en TC2, avec un doublé des BMW du Liqui Moly Team Engstler emmené par Engstler devant Di Sabatino.

Moments clés Grille – Mehdi Bennani ne prendra pas le départ après avoir rencontré une casse de son turbo à l’issue de la première manche.
Départ –  Morbidelli et Monteiro prennent un excellent départ et devancent Valente et Coronel. Muller pousse légèrement López au premier virage pour s’emparer de la 5^e place après s’être élancé de la 10^e.
Tour 1 – Morbidelli devance Monteiro et Valente ; les trois hommes creusent l’écart sur Coronel.
Tour 2 – Muller dépasse brièvement Coronel dans le premier virage mais sort large et le Hollandais décroise sa trajectoire pour reprendre son bien. Chilton revient sur López.
Tour 3 – Michelisz talonne Loeb au 9^e rang et ce dernier garde le contact avec Tarquini. Valente décroche le meilleur tour en course provisoire.
Tour 4 – Kozlovskiy regagne les stands.
Tour 5 – Monteiro bat le record du tour en suivant Morbidelli qui conserve une faible avance de 0’’3.
Tour 6 – Borković passe Huff pour le gain de la 11^e place..
Tour 9 – López se rapproche de Muller, mais le quadruple Champion du Monde ferme la porte.
Tour 11 – Loeb tente de passer Tarquini pour s’emparer de la 8^eposition mais n’y parvient pas. Münnich déborde Thompson, il est 13^e.
Tour 14 – Morbidelli résiste à l’assaut final de Monteiro et Valente pour franchir en vainqueur la ligne d’arrivée.

MOTO GP : Márquez fête ses 100 Grands Prix avec une première victoire à Jerez / Marquez maintains 100% record with stunning fourth win

Marc Márquez a une fois de plus surclassé ses concurrents au Grand Prix bwin d’Espagne et cumule désormais quatre victoires remportées depuis la pole position depuis l’ouverture de la saison 2014. Valentino Rossi et Dani Pedrosa complètent le podium.

Un centième Grand Prix et 100 points en quatre courses pour Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda). Au Grand Prix bwin d’Espagne, disputé sous un soleil radieux et devant près de 115 000 spectateurs, le Champion du Monde en titre a de nouveau brillé pour s’offrir son premier succès sur la piste de Jerez. Doublé par Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) dans le premier virage puis par Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) à deux reprises dans le premier et le second tour, Márquez n’a pas été impressionné par l’agressivité de ses adversaires au départ de la course et a commencé à faire la différence dès le troisième tour.

Le Catalan avait mis plus d’une seconde d’écart entre lui et ses concurrents à l’issue du quatrième tour et a compté jusqu’à cinq secondes d’avance, de quoi terminer la course sereinement et décrocher sa toute première victoire sur le circuit andalou. Márquez est le premier pilote à remporter les quatre premières manches d’une saison de la catégorie reine depuis Mick Doohan en 1992 et le premier pilote à remporter quatre courses d’affilée en MotoGP™ depuis Valentino Rossi en 2004 (les trois dernières courses de 2003 et la première de 2004).

Brièvement passé en tête dans les deux premiers tours, Rossi a tenu la seconde position jusqu’à la ligne d’arrivée, imposant d’abord son rythme devant son coéquipier Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) puis tenant bon face à Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), troisième à moins d’un dixième de seconde de l’Italien à l’arrivée. 

Lorenzo n’a jamais réussi à se rapprocher de son coéquipier lorsqu’il était en troisième position et a cédé face à Pedrosa à sept tours de la ligne d’arrivée. Le Majorquin manquait le podium à Jerez pour la première fois depuis 2009.

Surprenant au départ de la course, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) s’est imposé dans un groupe de quatre pour prendre la cinquième place, juste devant Álvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini), qui ralliait l’arrivée pour la première fois de l’année, Aleix Espargaró (NGM Forward Racing) et Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3), huitième à 0.030s du premier pilote de la catégorie Open. 

Pol Espargaró (Monster Yamaha Tech3) et Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) figuraient eux aussi dans le Top 10 tandis que Nicky Hayden (Drive M7 Aspar) a pris sa revanche sur son coéquipier Hiroshi Aoyama pour être le premier pilote sur RCV1000R à l’arrivée, en onzième position, à seulement 2.6s de la RC213V de Bradl.

Passé par les stands avant la mi-course, Mike di Meglio s’est arrêté une seconde fois pour abandonner à deux tours de l’arrivée. Ont également abandonné Cal Crutchlow (Ducati) et Colin Edwards (NGM Forward Racing) tandis que Michele Pirro (Ducati), Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) et Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) ont tous les trois chuté.

Cliquez ici pour accéder aux résultats du Grand Prix bwin d’Espagne

A huge crowd of more than 115,000 fans saw Spaniard Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) take a fourth premier class victory in a row at the Gran Premio bwin de España, with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) also on the podium at Jerez.

With victory in the south of Spain in his 100^th Grand Prix Marquez becomes the first rider to win the opening four premier class races of the year since Mick Doohan in 1992. Marquez had never previously won at Jerez in the World Championship.

No-one could live with Marquez in the heat of the afternoon in Andalusia as he built up a four second lead by lap 12 and never looked back, eventually crossing the line comfortably ahead of Rossi.

Indeed it was also another superb performance for Rossi as he returned to the podium for the first time since Qatar, holding off Pedrosa on the final corner.

Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) had to settle for fourth at his 200^th GP, crossing the line 8.5s behind Marquez on his 27^th birthday.

Behind the factory Honda and Yamaha riders Andrea Dovizioso was the top man for the Ducati Team in fifth, whilst there was disappointment for his teammate Cal Crutchlow who retired early on his comeback and wild card test rider Michele Pirro who crashed out in the initial laps.

There was relief for Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) as he picked up his first points of 2014 in sixth, finishing just 0.112s behind Dovizioso.

Meanwhile, Bautista’s compatriot Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) was seventh and Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3) eighth, the pair of them also reaching the finish line within 0.5s of Dovizioso.

The top ten was rounded out by Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3) and Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP).

The were retirements for Mike Di Meglio (Avintia Racing) after some tyre issues and Colin Edwards (NGM Forward Racing) due to a technical problem, whilst crashes for Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) and Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) ended their respective point scoring runs.

For full results from the MotoGP race in Jerez click here.

                     

Hungaroring WTCC : RACE 1 – Un nouveau doublé pour Citroën / YET ANOTHER 1-2 FOR CITROËN

Le Champion du Monde en titre Yvan Muller a remporté une victoire dominante lors de la première course sur le Hungaroring, aujourd’hui. Il a devancé José Maria López pour un doublé Citroën tandis que Tiago Monteiro complète le podium sur sa Honda Civic.

Le nonuple Champion du Monde des Rallyes Sébastien Loeb a , contrairement à ses habitudes, manqué son envol, rétrogradant de la 3^eà la 7^e place à l’extinction des feux et permettant aux quatre Honda de prendre le meilleur. Le héros local Norbert Michelisz, en difficulté hier lors des qualifications, a immédiatement progressé de la 11^e à la 6^eplaces das les trois premiers virages.

Avec Tom Coronel qui s’élançait depuis le 8^e rang, le Top 8 n’a dès lors plus évolué durant la course. La bataille, en revanche, était derrière. A partir de la mi-course, les LADA ont en effet semblé en délicatesse avec leur comportement et les deux leaders de l’équipe, Rob Huff et James Thompson, n’ont pas été en mesure de contenir les Chevrolet de Gianni Morbidelli et Hugo Valente.

En TC2T, le Liqui Moly Team Engstler s’offre un nouveau doublé, mais cette fois « l’apprenti » Pasquale Di Sabatino a devancé son expérimenté équipier Franz Engstler.

Moments clés

Départ – Loeb loupe son envol et rétrograde au 7^e rang.
Tour 1 – Muller mène devant Lopez et les Honda de Monteiro, Tarquini, Bennani et Michelisz, ce dernier remonté de la 11^e place au départ. Thompson s’empare de la 10^e position. Coronel est le mieux classé du clan Chevrolet au 8^e rang.
Tour 2 – Le capot moteur de la Cruze de Chilton se détache.
Tour 3 – Valente part en chasse de Huff pour le gain de la 12^e place mais sort large d’une courbe, ce dont profite Morbidelli. Muller signe le meilleur tour en course.
Tour 4 – Malgré son capot baladeur, Chilton demeure une menace pour Coronel. Morbidelli, pour sa part, déborde Huff.
Tour 5 – Chilton regagne son stand tandis que Loeb met la pression sur Michelisz. Morbidelli est déchaîné et se débarrasse cette fois de Thompson. L’Italien est 9^e. Muller améliore le record du tour pour la 4^efois consécutive, tandis que Engstler mène la catégorie TC2T.
Tour 8 – Huff dépasse Thompson dans le premier virage pour le gain de la 10^e place. Valente en fait de même deux courbes plus loin et Borković, qui partait dernier, l’a suivi dans le virage n°4.
Tour 9 – Huff glisse légèrement dans Turn 2 et se fait passer par Valente dans le suivant.
Tour 12 – Engstler vire large dans le Turn 4 ce qui ouvre la porte à Di Sabatino pour revenir et dépasser l’Allemand.

Reigning World Touring Car Champion, Yvan Muller, scored a commanding win in the first race at the Hungaroring, today.

He led home another Citroën 1-2 ahead of team mate José María López. Tiago Monteiro completed the podium in the first Honda Civic. Nine-time World Rally Champion, Sébastien Loeb, atypically missed his start and dropped from third to seventh, allowing all four Honda cars to pass him. Local hero Norbert Michelisz, who had had a difficult qualifying session yesterday, used his talent to move up from 11^th to sixth in the space of three corners.With Coronel starting in eighth, the top-8 after the first lap stayed the same throughout the entire race, with the real fights for position happening in the back. Midway through the race, the LADA cars seemed to suffer handling problems and both Rob Huff and James Thompson were passed by the Chevrolet cars of Gianni Morbidelli and Hugo Valente.In the TC2T class, Liqui Moly Team Engstler scored another 1-2, this time “apprentice” Pasquale Di Sabatino finishing ahead of team boss Franz Engstler.

Key momentsStart – Loeb misses his start and drops to 7^th. 
Lap 1 – Muller leads from López and the Honda cars of Monteiro, Tarquini, Bennani and Michelisz, the latter up from 11^th. Thompson moves up to 10^th. Coronel is first of the Chevrolet group in eighth
.Lap 2 – The engine cover of Chilton’s Cruze is loose. 
Lap 3 – Valente chases Huff for 12^th place but runs wide and sees Morbidelli pass him with a bit of door-rubbing. Muller sets provisional fastest lap.
 Lap 4 – Despite being hampered by his engine cover, Chilton keeps on chasing Coronel for 8^th position. Morbidelli passes Huff.
 Lap 5 – Chilton pits while Loeb closes in on Michelisz. Morbidelli is on a roll and passes Thompson for 9^th. Muller again betters the fastest lap time for the fourth consecutive lap. Engstler leads the TC2T class
.Lap 8 – Huff outbrakes Thompson in Turn 1 for 10^th; Valente does the same two corners later and Borković, who started last, follows suit in Turn 4.
Lap 9 – Huff goes sideways in Turn 2 and is passed by Valente a corner later. 
Lap 12 – Engstler runs wide in Turn 4 which allows Di Sabatino to close up and pass his team boss in the next Turn.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Roadster: White noise

White represents innocence? Think again. With its replacement imminent, we take the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Roadster on a farewell tour – and look into its black soul for the final time...

It’s been only five years since the company’s high-performance division reinvented the legendary Gullwing

Traditionally, the clocks in Affalterbach have revolved a little faster than normal. This is true not only for the hand-built Mercedes-AMG sports car, but now also for the model portfolio. It’s been only five years since the company’s high-performance division reinvented the legendary 300 SL Gullwing – while also establishing AMG as a brand in itself – but it is already about to be replaced. A compact but no less potent successor, the Mercedes-AMG GT, will make its debut in the coming autumn. With this, theAffalterbach engineers will take direct aim at the eternal king of sports cars from Zuffenhausen, thePorsche 911, for the first time. The imminent arrival of the new GT inspired us to bid a final farewell to the ultimate incarnation of the millennial Gullwing: the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Roadster (albeit with conventional doors).

White fire on the boulevards

Clothed in virginal white, she stands silently before us, glimmering in the milky sun of spring. The long hood is reminiscent of a yacht gently bobbing in the waters of a St Tropez harbour, while the fabric hood reclines comfortably between its broad shoulders. It might look more of a boulevard queen than a track king, but the 591 horses sleeping in the engine bay would beg to differ – and indeed, the GT3 racing version has achieved much success. Thumb the bright red starter button and the V8 thrums into life with a dull crackle. The sound engineers have done a fantastic job: all 6,208 cubic centimetres sound as though they've been gargling Captain Morgan Black Label night after night, a hoarse repertoire that many other manufacturers have attempted to replicate.

Pedal-dancing to the music

The driving experience is a refreshing one. Those used to the narrow-nosed, wide-hipped layout of its mid-engined rivals will be (literally) taken aback; between the three-pointed star on the grille and the pair of cosseting sports seats is a distance of almost three metres. Much of this is occupied by the probing bonnet, creating traditional GT proportions. Performance is anything but traditional, however, as a planted right foot will see you catapulted to 62mph from rest in a mere 3.7 seconds. The wheel-mounted paddles are the keyboard of the concerto.

Performance-proving playlists

At 4,750rpm, the snarling V8 dispenses its full 479lb ft of torque to the rear wheels – which proves especially useful while climbing twisting mountain roads, as does the firmer suspension. Find a particularly good combination of serpentine switchbacks and you’ll find them on a repeating playlist, such is the addictiveness of the driving experience. Whether the downsized, turbocharged V8 of its replacement can hold a candle to this aurally enhanced experience is another question, though; one which will no doubt be asked with increasing volume over the coming months.

Photos: Jan Baedeker

You can find several Mercedes-Benz SLS AMGs for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

Privateer-entry AC Cobra an early addition to Artcurial's Le Mans Classic auction

Artcurial has announced the fitting inclusion of a 1964 AC Cobra 289 – the very car in which a pair of gentlemen racers campaigned the entire 1964 Le Mans 24 Hours – in its sale at the Le Mans Classic, taking place in July 2014…

In the mid-60s, there were plenty of amateur racers competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours – and two such individuals with the means to do so were Count Jean de Mortemart (descended from a noble line of French aristocrats) and Régis Fraissinet (the heir to a dynasty of industrialists). In search of a respite from the monotony of everyday life, the duo bought a 1964 AC Cobra 289 – chassis #COX6010 – and steered it to an 18th place finish. “There are those who like to play tennis and those who prefer golf,” proclaimed Fraissinet. “I play tennis and golf but, most of all, I prefer to race cars…”

The plucky privateers’ Cobra is an early entry in Artcurial’s sale at the Le Mans Classic, taking place 4-6 July 2014. Its estimate has not yet been revealed.

You can find plenty of AC Cobras, and also the Shelby versions, for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

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