HITTING THE APEX

Featuring stunning photography and exclusive footage offering a new perspective on all the action, Hitting The Apex also brings you exclusive interviews and new insights, going behind the scenes and inside the minds of some of the sport’s biggest stars.

                     

Follow the intense rivalry between valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Marco simoncelli, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa and get closer than ever before to understanding who these men are and what drives them to do be the best.



Hitting The Apex is released in cinemas from September 2, featuring a Q&A with director Mark Neale, and on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD on September 7.

WRC Rallye Deutschland 2015 Triomphe en Allemagne, sacres en Australie ? / After Ogier and VW’s German triumphs, title glory in Australia?

Après leur triomphe à l’ADAC Rallye Deutschland, Sébastien Ogier, Julien Ingrassia et Volkswagen Motorsport pourraient être titrés lors du prochain Rallye d’Australie (10-13 septembre).

Avec 20 temps scratch et 7 triplés sur les 21 spéciales Allemagne, la Volkswagen Polo R WRC a asphyxié la concurrence sur le premier rallye pur asphalte de la saison 2015. C’est juste une confirmation de sa supériorité sur tarmac, une surface qui exacerbe davantage les différences de performance des véhicules que la terre.

Battu à la régulière en Finlande, Sébastien Ogier a remis les choses dans l’ordre en Allemagne. Le Français a signé 7 meilleurs temps le premier jour, dans les vignes, sans toutefois créer un écart important avec Jari-Matti Latvala (+9s5 après 136,30 km, soit 0,06s/kil). Le double Champion du monde a gagné son 6^e rallye 2015 dans Panzerplatte (45,61 km) en prenant un total de 22s1 en 91,22 km à son équipier (0,24s/kil, soit 4 fois plus que dans les vignes).

Grâce à cette 6^e victoire (non bonifiée), Sébastien Ogier compte 207 points au championnat Constructeurs et 93 d’avance sur Latvala. Or, 84 points d’avance à l’issue du Rallye d’Australie lui suffiraient pour être titré. Une victoire « down under » lui offrirait automatiquement le titre. Si Latvala gagne le rallye et la Power Stage, Ogier doit finir 2^e pour décrocher son 3^e titre. Idem pour Julien Ingrassia…

Côté Constructeurs, Volkswagen Motorsport compte tout juste 300 points, soit 139 d’avance sur Hyundai Motorsport qui a repris la 2^e place. Si VW repart d’Australie avec une avance de 129 points, elle sera sacrée pour la 3^e année consécutive.

Que ce soit chez les Pilotes ou chez les Constructeurs, les titres de vice-champions vont être disputés. Jari-Matti Latvala, Andreas Mikkelsen et Mads Ostberg se tiennent en 14 points. Thierry Neuville est 10 points derrière. Dans l’autre tableau, Hyundai Motorsport, Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi et M-Sport WRT sont groupés en 23 points.

En WRC-2, c’est beaucoup plus serré puisque les 6 premiers se tiennent en 15 points. Nasser Al-Attiyah a repris les rênes du championnat grâce à sa 4^e place décrochée sur sa nouvelle Skoda Fabia R5 qu’il juge bien supérieure à la Fiesta RRC. Le Qatarien sera du déplacement en Australie, contrairement à Esapekka Lappi. Le Finlandais est 2^e à 2 points et son faux-pas allemand pourrait lui coûter le titre. Côté Teams, Skoda Motorsport est leader après 5 victoires consécutives depuis le Portugal.

Les Juniors n’étant pas en Allemagne, l’Italien Andrea Crugnola (Renault Clio) en a profité pour marquer de gros points au championnat WRC-3 et revenir à la 3^e place derrière Quentin Gilbert (75 points) et Ole-Christian Veiby (65 points).

En Drive DMack Fiesta Trophy, le Norvégien Marius Aasen est leader avec 5 points d’avance sur Max Vatanen. Après sa sortie en Allemagne, Tom Cave est 3^e à 17 points. La prochaine manche, le Rallye d’Espagne, comptera double (classement après terre et après asphalte).

Thanks to their Rallye Deutschland displays, Sébastien Ogier, Julien Ingrassia and Volkswagen Motorsport could secure the 2015 world titles at Rally Australia (September 10-13).

Between them, the three Volkswagen Polo R WRCs collected 20 fastest times from 21 stages in Germany, including seven one-two-three finishes. The model’s domination of the season’s first asphalt clash points to a certain superiority on this type of surface which, more than gravel, tends to accentuate performance differences between cars.

After his defeat in a straight fight in Finland, Ogier was in unbeatable form last week. Although he initially failed to shake off Jari-Matti Latvala who was only 9.5s down on after Day 1 (0.06s/km after 136.30km) despite the latter’s score of seven stage victories from eight, the two-time world champion laid the foundations for his sixth victory of the year on the two Panzerplatte tests (45.61km) where he pulled 22.1s clear of his Finnish team-mate over a distance of 91.22km (0.24s/km).

Ogier’s points haul in Trier has earned him a 93-point cushion over the Finn, and a gap of 84 points after Rally Australia would suffice to wrap up the 2015 Drivers’ crown. Victory would automatically clinch his third title, but second place would be enough even if Latvala tops the order AND wins the Power Stage. The same goes for Ogier’s co-driver Julien Ingrassia, of course.

In the Manufacturers’ fight, Volkswagen Motorsport is 139 points clear of Hyundai Motorsport which has recovered second place. A gap of 129 points after Australia would secure VW’s third title.

There’s still everything to play for in the chase for runner-up honours, however. Latvala, Andreas Mikkelsen and Mads Ostberg are covered by just 14 points, with Thierry Neuville only 10 points adrift, for example. Meanwhile, Hyundai Motorsport, Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi and M-Sport WRT are blanketed by 23 points.

The situation is even tighter in WRC2 where the top six are covered by 15 points. Nasser Al-Attiyah has regained the lead thanks his fourth place in Germany in his new Skoda Fabia R5 which he believes to be superior to the Fiesta RRC. Unlike rival Esapekka Lappi, the Qatari will travel to Australia. The Finn now trails by two points and his error in Germany could cost him the title. Skoda Motorsport tops the Teams’ standings thanks to five straight wins since Portugal.

Germany wasn’t a round of the Junior-WRC, but Italy’s Andrea Crugnola (Renault Clio) made the trip and picked up valuable WRC3 points to move back to third place behind Quentin Gilbert and Ole-Christian Veiby (+10 points).

The Drive DMack Fiesta Trophy is provisional topped by Norway’s Marius Aasen who is five points clear of Max Vatanen. Tom Cave, who crashed in Germany, is third (+17 points). The competition’s next round in Spain will see points awarded after the rally’s gravel AND asphalt sections.

Hellas Rally Raid

8-16May 2016

Hellas Rally Raid 2016 is on the move.

New Single Bivouac to the SouthEast of Greece always by the majestic Aegean sea.

7 Days of pure Navigational Rally

Beach riding

RallyLite and Raid Class (GPS Class) license free

Guided Tours (off-road, on-road)

Family activities

Moto, Quads, Buggies, Cars

Expedition Overlands' Central America Expedition Ep7

Expedition Overland continues the mission with Team 5 as they head back into the Mayan village to perform a life changing surgery on a little girl. The XO gals back in Montana leave for their second year of competition in the Rally Aicha des Gazelles rally in Morocco, Africa.

The Icona Vulcano is a jet-setter in a (titanium) Italian suit

Born in China, designed by a Frenchman, and wearing an Italian suit made from titanium, the production-ready Icona Vulcano will make its debut this week in Monterey – where it will meet its established supercar peers for the first time…

Premiere in Pebble Beach

Carbonfibre is the must-have material woven into every self-respecting supercar these days. But the Vulcano, the first product from fledgling Shanghai-funded manufacturer Icona, wears titanium bodywork atop its carbonfibre chassis. Penned by young French designer Samuel Chuffart – who cites the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (not the Ferrari F12?) as his inspiration – the coachwork is executed in Italy, and conceals a 670bhp supercharged V8 from the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Prices and production numbers are yet to be revealed but, if rumours are true, the latter number will be very small, and the former will be very, very large. We’ll wait to see if this proves to be true when it’s officially unveiled at Pebble Beach.

Photos: Icona

California dreams at the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance 2015

Nowhere else can you experience so many million-dollar classics on the public roads as in the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance. This year, the dream cars were even able to enjoy beautiful weather. Photographer Rémi Dargegen was there for Classic Driver...

Before the world’s most elegant classics are awarded their prizes at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on Sunday, the Thursday of Monterey Car Week sees the automotive jewels take to the roads for the annual 80-mile Tour d’Elegance. 

The convoy heads from Pebble Beach along sections of the legendary 17-Mile Drive, through enchanting forests of pine and cypress and along the wildly romantic Pacific coast, via Big Sur and Highway Number 1 to Carmel-by-the-Sea. Drivers often find themselves navigating their classics through dense banks of fog – but this year, the Tour d'Elegance took place beneath deep blue skies. 

During the Tour, participants (among them racing legends Sir Stirling Moss and Jochen Mass, fraternally sharing a Gullwing) enjoy lunch in Carmel, while the public can admire the parked-up treasures. And this year’s display was as stunning as ever: Ferrari alone was represented by such icons as the 250 LM (piloted by DK Engineering), ‘Tour de France’ and California Spider. The Ferrari 340 Mexico Vignale berlinetta of Copley Motorcars also participated.

And of course, in a land where pre-War classics are traditionally revered, there were Vintage cars to delight any enthusiast, including Dupont, Duesenberg, Packard, Delahaye, Bugatti, Bentley and Rolls-Royce. 

Finally, after the lunch break, it’s back to Pebble Beach to await the Sunday Concours and the hugely competitive battle for the title of ‘Best of Show’ (or, at least, ‘Best in Class’). 

Many of the Tour cars’ owners, meanwhile, were spotted on Thursday evening at the RM Sotheby's sale, where the multi-million-dollar ‘Pinnacle Portfolio’ went under the hammer. We look forward to meeting some of the cars from the auction catalogue on 17-Mile Drive in the coming year.

Photos: Rémi Dargegen for Classic Driver © 2015

All the news from this year's Monterey and Pebble Beach events can be found in our regularly updated overview.

THE MACH CHICKEN: A SMOKIN’ KAWASAKI S1 TRACKER

Full Size

Flat-trackers and two-strokes are some of our favorite things. Combine the two, and we’re hooked.

All the more if the two-stroke in question is the mythical Kawasaki S1—an air-cooled triple celebrated in its heyday for being a spirited ride. This 1975-model S1 belongs to Aaron Pierson, who’s done a stellar job of transforming it into what he calls “The Mach Chicken.”

Full Size

Aaron hails from Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, where he builds and tests turboprop engines for an aircraft engine manufacturer. His family used to run a Kawasaki shop, which is where he first came across his S1.

“When I was fourteen, I dug the motor out of a trailer we had at our shop,” he says. “It had originally come from a hill climb bike that we built for a local guy. It was heavily ported, and had S3 carbs on it.”

Full Size

Aaron stored the engine for many years—until he eventually decided to revive the old ‘Mach 1.’ “I purchased an old, ugly chassis and started building.”

The engine was still in excellent shape, but that didn’t stop Aaron from pulling it apart and giving it a thorough inspection. In the process, he shaved the heads a tad to bump up the compression, and overhauled and rejetted the carbs. He gave the frame a solid once-over too—removing tabs that weren’t needed, and adding new ones in the right places.

Full Size

He then set about making a new set of expansion chambers for the exhausts, from scratch. “I acquired a set of rolled cones,” he explains, “then bought a TIG welder and taught myself to weld while making the pipes.”

A dig around his father-in-law’s barn yielded a vintage Carlisle rear tire, and a brand newYamaha TY250 seat. “He bought it new for his hill climbing YZ years ago,” says Aaron, “but he didn’t use it often—so it was in pristine condition.”

Full Size

Not wanting to wreck a rare find, Aaron only bent the seat brackets slightly to mount it. In front is the stock S1 tank; both have been finished in a crisp, classic Kawasaki paint scheme.

The parts bin additions don’t stop there: Aaron installed 70s Marzocchi shocks from a Hercules GS250, solid aluminum bars from his “parts pile,” and a spare choke lever from a Kawasaki H1R project he’s working on. The clutch lever is from Works Connection, and the foot pegs are from his Husqvarna dirt bike.

Full Size

The original wheels were stripped, painted and re-laced, with a new Duro tire fitted up front. The stock drum brakes were refurbished and drilled, and the original forks rebuilt and retro-fitted with custom-made preload spacers.

Aaron also tore into the electrics—building a new, simpler wiring harness from scratch. The ignition’s now controlled by a Yamaha WR450 push button, and there’s a modern rectifier and regulator. Under the seat is a small gel battery and there’s a switch on the bars to flip between low, high and strobe for the LED headlight.

Full Size

The running gear’s been kept simple. There are no mirrors, turn signals or fenders, keeping it “as true to a race bike as possible.” There is a speedo though: the original S1 unit, minus the factory bezel. And Aaron has added an inner fender out back, in the form of an aluminum block-off plate that doubles up as under-seat storage.

“It houses the battery, regulator, battery charge connector, three spare spark plugs, spark plug wrench, Phillips driver and flat head screwdriver. Best of all, it’s accessible with only two spring pins.”

Full Size

There’s a host of other details that would take us hours to list, but the real question is whether all the effort was worth it.

Apparently, it was: “This bike is a riot to ride! It always turns heads, and I’ve had it sideways as many times as any flat tracker should!”

Photos by Aaron Pierson | Peace And Wheelies

via BIKEexif

Golden Era-inspired clothing, by a legendary racing driver’s son

There are plenty of companies that produce clothing inspired by the ‘Golden Era’ of racing, but few have as much credibility as 8Js – a family-run company owned by Sacha Prost, son of F1 legend Alain…

A clue to the company ethos can be found in the name: the ‘Js’ represent the first names of Golden Era luminaries, such as Jo, Jack, Jim, James and Jochen. Meanwhile, the ‘8’ represents “the infinity in remembrance of those astonishing years” – something we at Classic Driver are definitely keen to promote…

Daredevils in the details

Created by Sacha Prost and his sister-in-law Delphine Prost, 8Js brings back the Golden Era racing style with a modern, luxurious twist; all offerings are designed and manufactured in Italy. However, it’s the attention to detail that’s impressed us most: the jeans are without ‘rivets’ to prevent torn seat leather, the fabrics are stretchable to ensure comfortable driving, and the inner labels even have a section for you to mark your blood type – a reminder of just how heroic the drivers of the era were. Themed collections include jackets (with rhombus quilting, ribbed inserts, and harness protection pads for the shoulders), and a series of T-shirts celebrating ‘grid girls’, a phenomenon that’s increasingly being phased out of modern motorsport. There are points of sale in France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Lebanon and the U.S.A., and a new boutique store has just opened in Harrods, London.

Photos: 8Js

For further information, visit the 8Js website.