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    mercredi 27 mai 2015

    BAJA: THE GREATEST ADVENTURE


    Baja trip-83
    The other day I figured out that I have been going to Baja for almost 30 years. The relationship started off rocky with short, wild trips to Tijuana. Let’s just say I was an ugly tourist kid doing things teenagers do in a town that encourages bad behavior. When I was introduced to the beaches and seafood of Rosarito, I clearly remember thinking, “Wow this is beautiful.  The food is amazing. The people are amazing.  And it’s right here in our back yard!” That was a time prior to Narco wars, where getting shaken down for twenty bucks was pretty much the worst thing that was going to happen.
    Consequently, tourism was booming. It seemed every weekend there was something going on in Baja.  The “Ah-ha” moment came when I went on a surf trip to K38 and realized Baja kept going. It’s massive untouched beauty jutted out into the pacific like a middle finger to the developing world exclaiming, “You can not tame me.” As I have traveled all over the world, I have come to appreciate Baja even more. It is a unique combination of beauty and harshness, of chaos and serenity.  To truly appreciate it you must be an off-roader. If you merely experience Baja by pavement you are missing the most important parts.
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    Chad Ragland and I have been working on putting a RZR tour of Baja together for almost two years. Trying to coordinate schedules between three families has proven to be an exercise in near futility. But the stars finally aligned and we were able to get Chad and Larry Ragland, RJ and Randy Anderson, and Steve and Bryce Menzies all together for a few days of fun and exploration in Baja.
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    For those of you who don’t know, Bryce Menzies is a desert and short course champion. He has found success at young age, winning multiple championships and the Baja 500 three times. His father Steve is a successful businessman from Las Vegas and has been instrumental in building the highly successful Menzies Motorsports program with his son. He is as passionate about off-roading and racing as his son.
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    RJ Anderson is also a short course champion and star of the XP1K video series. He has just begun racing in the desert. He was raised by off-road luminary Randy Anderson, CEO of Walker Evans Enterprises. Randy was previously Walker Evans’ crew chief.   He is one of the top suspension wizards in the world and is part of a small group of people who helped create the world of off-road racing as we know it today. Randy has personally designed the majority of shocks run on RZR’s to date.
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    Five time Baja 1000 Champion Larry Ragland is a recent RZR convert.  He has quickly logged over 6,000 off-road miles on his RZR while falling in love with the simplicity and function of the Polaris RZR platform. His son Chad also took to RZR’s, competing in races, then launching his company Cagerwrx, an aftermarket manufacturer of cages and performance parts for UTV’s. Chad continues to race all platforms of off-road as well and was the catalyst for putting this trip together. He loves to share his infectious passion for off-road with his friends and family.
    Many of the routes and locations we picked were places we have been driving by for years but never have had time to stop and check them out. Now that we have Google Earth, we constantly comb the magic peninsula for routes we have never been on.  The purpose of this trip was not just to explore parts of Baja we had never seen on the super utilitarian Polaris RZR, but also to explore the father-son relationships that seem to thrive in off-road racing culture. We were there to capture all the fun and will be releasing the full video on father’s day June 21st.
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    As we drove past the border and dropped into Baja, we stopped for some shrimp tacos just south of Rosarito at Juniors. They have some of the best fried shrimp tacos in all of Baja. After the feast, the Raglands, Mad Media Crew, and chase crews headed south to Estero Beach to pick up the Menzies and the Andersons, who had opted to fly into Ensenada.
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    Our first stop was dinner at Acambaro in Urapan. What seemingly looks like a rundown truck stop is a quirky off-road history lesson. You’ll have to go in and look around at the combination of race and ranch paraphernalia hanging on the walls yourself. It’s like you stepped back in time. The food is simple. They always serve local cheese and if you’re lucky, they’ll have lamb. The handwash station is outside and the chopping board is an old tree stump just like an old school ranch.
    From Acambaro we drove straight to Colonet and stayed at Hotel Paraiso, a well known hotel that is next to Baja 1000 race course.  It’s always been weird to me that all these hotels in Baja are right on the road instead of set back away into the beauty of Baja, but then again I guess you wouldn’t see them from the road. After having the ritualistic “Machaca con Huevos” for breakfast, we unloaded the RZR’s from the trailers and headed north of town to find a line we had always seen that leads to the beach. After blazing through a series of farm roads, we arrived at an open plateau that overlooked the tight, single track that led down to the secluded rock beach.
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    We all charged down to the beach and blasted through the natural rock whoops. After a few runs we stopped to take in the beauty of Baja and smell the saltwater air. This was our first spot and it was stunning! I knew this was going to be an epic trip. After exploring both ends of the beach we realized the canyon line we came down was the only way back up. After ripping back up through the super tight and twisty canyon we headed south using part of Baja 1000 course that runs along the coast heading south towards San Quintin. It was hard to focus on the course because of the spectacular ocean views to our right. We turned inland for a bit then found a farm road back down to the beach and dove down sandy beaches for over twenty miles.
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    We stopped for late lunch at Old Mill and had some delicious shrimp and fish tacos. From Old Mill we drove pavement up to Rancho El Coyote via the Observatory road, one of the sketchiest paved roads in all of baja. The Menzies, Anderson’s and Ragland’s took off. I had to remind myself that I wasn’t a professional driver and to just cruise it. Tightening corners, off camber turns, and lots of elevation changes make the road challenging but there is little room for error, as one of my guys learned the hard way.  He came over a crest and clipped the water guard laying our brand new 4 seat Polaris RZR on its side on the pavement. No one was hurt, but it was just a reminder that Baja can bite you at anytime. We got the car on a trailer and headed into Rancho El Coyote down the dirt turn off at the Meling Ranch sign.
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    Rancho El Coyote is a real working ranch set in the middle of the Sierra San Pedro de Martir mountain range they have about 7,000 head of cattle roaming free. They are completely self sufficient, run on a combination of solar, wind, and generators.  The people that run the ranch are super nice and the food is great. It’s as remote as you can get in Baja with race course running right next to the ranch. Rancho El Coyote is another place I have probably driven by over thirty times and never stopped. The whole crew sat around the campfire had a few beers and tequila and listened to war stories about previous races in Baja. It was great to hear the different generation of off-roaders talk about their experiences in Baja.
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    We woke up and had breakfast fixed our car and decided to trailer the cars to Catavina so we didn’t need to rush on the next leg of the trip. Just after you turn at El Rosario there is a outstanding taco stand on the left with great carne asada and adoba tacos. Mama Espinoza’s is also a must stop.  Their Lobster burritos are like crack. Just a few miles south of El Rosario is an invisible line marked by the first of the Cirio, or Boojum, Trees. This is where the real beauty of Baja begins and where you have to do work as an off-roader to experience the unspoiled terrain. Boojum trees look like a plant that Dr. Suess designed, yet they seemingly make perfect sense mixed in with the giant Cardón cactus that paints Baja. The Boojum tree’s name comes from an appropriate reference from Lewis Carroll’s poem, “The Hunting of the Snark”. This one section of Baja is the only place the Boojum trees grow in such abundance in the entire world, as if to signal to travelers that they have found someplace special.
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    We stayed at the Hotel Mision Catavina. There are a few of these styles of hotels throughout Baja that I love staying at. Relaxed and authentic, the interiors have an “Old Baja” feel.  After some drinks around a campfire out in back of the hotel, we had a great dinner at the restaurant in the hotel and tuned in.
    We all got up the next morning and had a quick breakfast and headed down to Punta Prieta to start our ride for the day. After unloading the RZR’s from the trailers, we gassed up and headed out. Less than 10 miles into the course we were surrounded by a forest of Boojum trees and cacti in a stunning landscape. After a few hours of driving through varied terrain including a few small silt beds, we arrived at San Borja Mission.
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    Misión San Francisco Borja was founded in 1762 by Jesuit missionaries as part of the El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road, also known as The King’s Highway). The Mission not only established religious doctrine but introduced european livestock, fruits, vegetables, and industry into the region changing mexico forever. Many streets throughout California still follow or run parallel to this historic route and bear the “El Camino Real” name. Eventually, a network of settlements were established, each of which was no more than a long day’s ride by horse or boat (or three days on foot) from another. It was all part of the Spanish government’s plan to conquer new land, reap the riches and convert the natives into tax paying contributors to the empire.
    A newer built San Borja Mission lies in front of the old ruins. The newer Mission is being restored by hand by the family that own the ranch. They still climb the nearby mountain and hand cut large blocks of cantera stone and carry it down on a stretcher one block at a time.
    Mission caretaker José Ángel Gerardo Monteón Jr. gave us the tour of the Mission as well as the entire grounds, which still have a variety fruit trees and the original grape vines brought by Jesuit missionaries.  These grapes are likely the first introduced to North America pre-dating famed wine growing areas like Napa. The mission is also known for its natural hot springs. Because of the rough road leading to San Borja, the mission receives an average of three visitors a month. They get no government or outside support, so a little donation goes a long way to help keep this part of history alive.
    After the day’s history lesson, we headed East towards Bay of LA, our final destination. The course straightened out a bit allowing us to pick up the pace until we hit the pavement. Once on the pavement we cruised slowly over a hill until the stunning view of the Sea of Cortez was revealed. We stopped to take some pictures and headed into town to Guillermo’s Hotel.
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    Guillermo’s lies beachfront and has great food, clean rooms and warm showers. Guillermo is also an off-road racer so we always enjoy swapping stories with him. The Anderson’s and the Menzies had to get on a plane and head home to meet other obligations, so we sent them off with big smiles on their faces.
    The next morning we woke up to super windy conditions which killed our fishing plans so we decided to have breakfast and go exploring. We headed south of town and found the “Bahia 200” race course, a local race that happens every year in March. We spent hours running the tight technical track and exploring random washes and trails. This is the fun of not having an agenda – you see something and just turn and go check it out. We headed back to town for some fish and shrimp tacos then headed to the North side of the bay.  First, we drove out to the cape that the lighthouse was on. We stopped for bit to explore the beach filled with crabs and blow fish and random seashells. Then we headed North on a the beach until we came to the turtle sanctuary where we turned back up onto a coastal dirt road and kept heading north exploring beaches until we found a giant canyon wash. We rode up the canyon until it looped back to the coastal road and drove drove back to Guillermo’s for another delicious dinner.
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    I can honestly say that finding new lines with Larry and Chad Ragland was the most fun I have had in Baja ever. If your going to go on an adventure, surrounding yourself with great people is a must.
    One of the best parts about being an off-roader is you get to see and experience things most people on the planet will never do. Off-roading teaches you to constantly push your comfort zone and work for the experience. Once you gain this mindset the entire planet becomes your playground.

    You can off-road in whatever platform you chose, Jeep, pre-runner, Raptor, but nothing offers the ease and versatility of the Polaris RZR XP1000. Whatever vehicle you choose slow down, take a look around, drive up that dirt road, have a taco, and enjoy Baja with your friends, because life is not a race to the end, it’s a journey to be thoroughly enjoyed.

    Words By: Matt Martelli
    Photos By: Ernesto Araiza

    ARD

    ARD from Eric H2ocean Walfard on Vimeo.

    MATT BLACK CUSTOM YARD BUILT XV950


    Yardbuilt Matt Black 1 THUMBYamaha heads down through southern Europe to a workshop just outside Malaga in Spain for the latest Yard Built creation. Tucked away in the sun soaked streets of San Pedro, Matt Black Custom Designs have been busy building their first ever Yard Built project. The result is a true showstopper, paying tribute to the board track racers of 100 years ago. An impressive mix of custom, one-­‐off and bolt on parts are beautifully crafted together to become the Yard Built XV950 ‘Playa del Rey’.
    Yardbuilt Matt Black BThe build required all the skills and creativity of the Matt Black team; Anthony Partridge  worked  his  magic  with  metal,  making  the  beautiful  tank  by  hand  as  well as several other trick parts; master technician Kurt Lohse used his electrical genius  to  ensure  ‘Playa  del  Rey’s’  stunning  switch  gear  is  function  as  well  as  form; project manager Dom Kelly used his 3D design skills to bring the concept alive on screen before a single part was made as well as machining several of the parts for the build.
    Yardbuilt Matt Black LNo Yard Built is complete without a memorable paint job and the  Matt  Black  build  is  no  exception.  Paint  wizard  Ray  Hill  added  the  finishing  touch  with  a  beautiful  colour  scheme  and  intricate  pin  striping  as  well  as contributing to the bodywork and finalising of the build.
    Yardbuilt Matt Black C“Inspired by the custom bobber scene, the Yamaha XV950 is a really fun bike to ride with its punchy v-­‐twin motor. The design is timeless, paying tribute to the cool custom machines of the bobber scene but complemented with modern components for reliability and class leading performance. This combination of new and old mixed together is something we saw in the work of Matt Black’s previous builds,” commented Yamaha Motor Europe Product Manager, Shun Miyazawa. “As a result we knew they were the right people to take on the latest XV950 Yard Built project and the result is amazing. They’ve kept all the fun of the standard bike, but shown you can use it as a base to easily build something iconic with a perfect blend of vintage and modern without compromising the ride.”
    Yardbuilt Matt Black DMatt Black Custom Design were determined that no matter how crazy the build, they still wanted XV950 owners to be able to have a taste of ‘Playa del Ray’ for themselves. As a result an impressive list of custom machined billet Matt Black Custom Designs bolt on parts were created. These include the stunning front and rear 21inch rims (also available in original size), the rear pulley with cush drive system, the plexi-­‐glass see through cam gear cover, left side crankcase cover and right side generator cover. The small right side cover and front pulley cover were also machined and an air filter adapter plate was created to go with a cool Crime Scene Choppers air filter cover.
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    Of  course  as  a  one-­‐off  Yard  Built  project  there  are  also  some  unique,  bespoke  parts created by Matt Black Custom just for the build. These include the beautiful handmade  fuel  tank,  both  the  electrical  and  battery  side  panels  and  the  rear fender, all built in-­‐house. The standard Yamaha XV950 headers flow into a one-­‐off custom collector before making noise at the end with a modified MIVV Ghibli Silencer.
    Yardbuilt Matt Black HA custom battery box is hidden internally and the XV handlebars were modified to deliver  a genuine board tracker look. The Matt Black custom work  continues  with  stunning  custom  foot  peg  adapters,  a  front  bash  guard  and  a modified wiring loom.
    Yardbuilt Matt Black FContinuing  the  theme  of  Yard  Built  concepts  that  can  be  created  at  home,  the  ‘Playa  del  Rey’  build  is  completed  with  a  selection  of  the  finest  custom aftermarket  parts.  The  show  stopping  springer  front  fork  comes  courtesy  of  Rebufini  with  some  minor  modification  by  Matt  Black  Custom  whilst  the rear gets a set of Ohlins shocks to settle the ride.
    Yardbuilt Matt Black GThe fuel cap was custom made by the  legendary  Crafty  B  in  the  USA  and  the  rocker  cover  was  hand  engraved  locally by Tony the Engraver! A Vitys headlight and grips add attitude at the front and mini hand controls and switch housings by Rebuffini set it off.Yardbuilt Matt Black J
    Rizoma make an appearance with Bullet indicators and foot pegs and a Motogadget speedo and housing  take  centre  stage.  Stopping  power  gets  an  upgrade  up  front  with  PM  calipers and a set of risers by LA Choppers adds to the west coast vibe.
    Yardbuilt Matt Black MMatt Black Customs have made it easy for XV950 owners who want to add some of the Board Tracker style to their rides by providing a selection of bolt­‐on parts available directly from their website. The Spanish custom team plan to go further and develop an even wider range so the options look set to grow and grow!
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    If you want to trick out your XV and see what they have available click the link and visit them directly www.mattblack.eu
    Thanks to Gavin Matheson for the words and Yamaha Press for the photographs.
    via The Bike Shed

    Le Mans ; Tradition, Technology and A Return: the colours of the Porsche 919 Hybrid


    Porsche 919 Hybrid in 2015 Le Mans colors
    The official Pre-test will see the world debut of the 2015 Porsche Le Mans race cars in their individual colours: The three Porsche 919 Hybrids will appear for the first time in their base colours of red, black and white.
    Tradition – The red prototype with starting number 17 will be driven by Timo Bernhard (34, Germany), Brendon Hartley (25, New Zealand), and Mark Webber (38, Australia). Its car number and colour are a tribute to the Porsche that in 1970 took the first of what are now a total of 16 overall victories for the brand in Le Mans. No other brand has claimed so many victories in what is believed to be the world’s most demanding endurance race. The base colour of the Porsche 917 KH (“short-tail”) in “Salzburg Design” that won the race 45 years ago on June 14, 1970 was also red. The winning drivers then were Hans Herrmann from Germany, who is now 87, and Richard Attwood from the UK, who is 75 today.
    Technology – The black LMP1 with starting number 18 is a symbol of the close technical relationship between the Porsche 919 Hybrid racing car and the Porsche 918 Spyder super sports car, which is also equipped with a hybrid drive. It was also a black 918 that on September 4, 2013 set a new record for a street-legal production sports car by completing a lap of more than 20 kilometres on the North Loop of the Nürburgring in six minutes and 57 seconds. The record-breaking driver there was Marc Lieb, 34, from Germany. Lieb will also drive the black 919 in Le Mans this year – together with Romain Dumas (37, France) and Neel Jani (31, Switzerland).
    A Return – The team’s third car – the white 919 Hybrid with starting number 19 – will be competing in Le Mans in the colour Porsche chose for its return to top-notch racing after a 16-year absence. White, which is a traditional colour for racing cars from Germany, will also be used with the two Porsche 911 RSR factory cars that will race in the GTE Pro Class. In Le Mans the third 919 will be driven by Earl Bamber (24, New Zealand), Formula One driver Nico Hülkenberg (27, Germany), and Nick Tandy (30, Great Britain).
    Despite their individual colours, the liveries of the three Porsche 919 Hybrids and the two Porsche 911 RSRs share the same philosophy. All the chassis are covered in the words “Porsche Intelligent Performance”. Those three words summarise the brand’s core ambition for maximised sportiness and highest efficiency.
    Style icons and a provocative livery in Le Mans
    The livery of a race car is a science in itself. It should highlight design and proportions, cover design secrets and it must look good when the car runs at high speeds. In the old days cars were painted, nowadays they are covered in ultra-thin material. Often the colours and looks are influenced by sponsors and partners like the never forgotten Porsche Le Mans race cars in the colours of Gulf, Martini, Mobil1, Rothmans or Shell. Also still famous are the extravagant creations by Anatole Lapine. The Latvian Porsche chief designer was responsible for the 1970 psychedelic purple-green Porsche 917 long tail, which was quickly given the nickname “Hippie”. One year later Lapine let a ‘pig’ run. The pink 917 is known as the “Sau” which translates into sow, which, of course, is a female pig. It is said it is the most photographed Le Mans race car ever. Lapine even put a schematic drawing on it with red lines separating and naming the various parts of the body – just like those displays you’ll find in a butcher’s shop. Internally this was provocative, externally it was a sensation. Without this livery the 917 would have been long forgotten after its retirement in the race. Instead it is still the favourite car of the children visiting the Porsche Museum in Zuffenhausen.
    Twenty years earlier the first race car entered by Porsche in Le Mans had no such issues. The class winning 356 SL 1100 from 1951 had a bare aluminium body. It was a pioneer in terms of light-weight construction and aerodynamic efficiency.

    Une édition record pour Spa-Classic 2015


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    Le légendaire circuit de Spa-Francorchamps a vibré tout le week-end au son des glorieuses voitures anciennes. Sur la piste comme au-dehors, la 5ème édition de Spa-Classic a tenu ses promesses au point d’établir de nouveaux records de fréquentation : 20 000 spectateurs et 1 500 voitures historiques (clubs et compétitions) ont été réunis.
    Une fois n’est pas coutume, trois jours durant, la redoutable cuvette de Spa a été baignée… de soleil ! Concurrents, collectionneurs, exposants et spectateurs ont ainsi profité pleinement des multiples attractions proposées dans l’enceinte du circuit, à commencer par les courses.
    COURSES
    Le spectacle en piste a été assuré par sept plateaux cumulant plus de 250 voitures. Particulièrement attendues, les berlines et les coupés de l’Heritage Touring Cup ont commémoré les grandes heures des 24 Heures de Spa, rappelant qu’à une époque pas si lointaine la classique d’endurance belge était réservée aux voitures issues de la grande série. Comme c’est le cas lors du double tour d’horloge, les pilotes des BMW 3.0 CSL, Rover Vitesse et autres Ford Capri ont pu s’affronter de jour comme de nuit, l’une des deux manches se disputant samedi soir tard… Ambiance magique ! D’endurance, il en était aussi question avec les CER 1 et CER 2, le Sixties’ Endurance et le Trofeo Nastro Rosso, quatre plateaux by Peter Auto qui ont rassemblé bon nombre de prototypes et de Grand Tourisme ayant disputé naguère les 1 000 kilomètres de Spa : Ford GT 40, Jaguar Type E, Shelby Cobra, Ferrari 250 GT… Endurance, toujours, avec les deux plateaux invités par Peter Auto. Le U2TC a réuni des voitures de moins de deux litres construites avant 1966 semblables à celles qui participaient aux premières éditions « Tourisme » des 24 Heures de Spa. Enfin, le Group C Racing a quant à lui proposé des prototypes plus modernes dont un remarquable châssis Jaguar XJR-14 de 1991 aux performances comparables à celles des LMP actuels.
    CLUBS ET ANIMATIONS
    Si les essais et les courses se sont succédés sans répit, les spectateurs ont pu délaisser la piste l’espace de quelques minutes – voire quelques heures ! – pour admirer plus d’un millier de voitures de collection exposées. A l’image du TVR Car Club, qui avait choisi Spa-Classic pour célébrer son 50ème anniversaire, de nombreux propriétaires de voitures anciennes sont venus représenter des marques aussi diverses que BMW, Corvette, Datsun, Ferrari, Lotus, Mazda, Porsche, Triumph et même Viper dont 35 modèles venus de toute l’Europe ont été concentrés ! Dimanche midi, ce beau panel de l’histoire de l’automobile a été rejoint par les 180 équipages du Youngtimers Rally venus terminer leur périple en s’offrant une parade sur le toboggan des Ardennes. Dans le Village, les spectateurs ont à leur tour fait le plein d’émotions avec le Mur de la Mort (spectacle de motos) ou encore les simulateurs de pilotage. Les autres animations (slot Racing, concerts, cours de danse, coiffeur vintage, etc.) et les exposants (miniatures, prêt-à-porter, libraires, etc.) ont quant à eux comblé un large public.
    VENTE AUX ENCHERES BONHAMS
    Pour la troisième année consécutive, la vente aux enchères Bonhams a suscité ce dimanche un bel engouement. Parmi les lots les plus attendus, citons notamment :
    - Porsche 962C chassis 962-155 de 1990 (1 495 000 €)
    - Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta de 1970 (667 000 €)
    - Ferrari 308GT Berlinetta Vetroresina 1976 (253 000 €)
    - Aston Martin DB Mark III Sports Saloon de 1958 (247 250 €)
    - Lancia Flaminia Super Sport Double Bulle de 1965 carrossée par Zagato (218 500 €)
    - Karting Birel Ex-Mika Häkkinen (9 200 €)
    Le chiffre d’affaires de cette vente dépasse 5 millions d’euros, montant dont Philip Kantor (Directeur International Business Développement de Bonhams Europe) s’est félicité. Fort du succès de cette édition,
    Patrick Peter donne d’ores et déjà rendez-vous au printemps 2016 pour le 6ème Spa-Classic. En attendant, les concurrents des plateaux by Peter Auto se retrouveront dans deux semaines à l’occasion du Grand Prix de l’Age d’Or tenu sur le circuit de Dijon-Prenois.