Bixente Moto

This short documentary film is about Bixente the owner of Bixente Moto a french custom garage from Biarritz with a really authentic atmosphere.
His website: au92.fr

Bixente Moto from Douglas Guillot on Vimeo.

Mopar Muscle monster truck revealed, based on the 2014 Ram Heavy Duty

With 2,000 bhp

Mopar has taken the wraps off the Muscle monster truck which is based on the 2014 Ram Heavy Duty truck.

Chrysler's truck division Ram has joined forces with Hall Brothers Racing to create the first OEM monster truck in the Monster Jam series after a hiatus of more than 10 years. The behemoth weighs 10,000 lbs (4,536 kg) and is powered by a 565 cubic inch (9.3-liter) supercharged variant of the Gen II 426 HEMI engine unleashing no less than 2,000 bhp (1,491 kW).

Based on the 2014 Ram Heavy Duty truck, the Mopar Muscle monster truck stands at ten feet tall and will be shown in public for the first time on Saturday at the Monster Jam in Detroit at Ford Field.

More details can be found in the attached press release.

Source: Ram

Monte Carlo tyres, then and now…/ Les pneus du Monte-Carlo, hier et aujourd’hui…

In the 40-plus years since the World Rally Championship’s creation (1973), tyres have frequently played a decisive role, and nowhere more so than on the Rallye Monte-Carlo. However, compared to the days when drivers had a specific tyre solution for nearly every imaginable scenario, today’s choice is far more rational and sustainable.

Depuis plus de quarante ans, les pneus jouent souvent un rôle crucial en Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA. Et sans doute au Rallye Monte-Carlo plus qu’ailleurs. Mais de nos jours, les choix de pneumatiques sont beaucoup plus rationnels et meilleurs pour l’environnement qu’à l’époque où les pilotes changeaient de pneus à chaque spéciale !

Tidying my office the other day, I found Michelin’s press kit for the 1987 Rallye Monte-Carlo. It was fascinating reading and provided a striking illustration of how the tyre question in world rallying has changed over the past quarter of a decade…

Back in January 1987, the drivers fitted fresh rubber for every stage and a full choice of options was available each time. The basic range extended from three types of winter tyre (with various stud configurations), to slicks, intermediates and rain tyres, not to mention a host of different sizes, compounds and patterns for the different types of car and conditions!

The assortment of car architectures was mind-boggling, too, from 4x4s to front- and rear-wheel drive. It was the first year of Group A as the championship’s premier class, and Michelin’s partners included the Audi 200, the Renault 11 Turbo, the Mazda 323, the Mercedes 190 16S, the Subaru Turbo 4x4, the Citroën Visa 1000 Pistes and the Lancia Delta (15 cars in total). On top of that, the French firm equipped more than 90% of the privateer entrants!

In contrast, today’s Michelin factory runners can choose between a single snow pattern (with or without studs) and an asphalt tyre available in a choice of two compounds. Meanwhile, there is a maximum allocation per driver and tyre-changes are only authorised in the service park, so each set must last two or three stages. The numbers involved have dropped considerably as a result.

Thanks to the way tyre regulations have evolved in recent years, the never-ending race to develop new solutions has been stemmed and the quantity of tyres employed has come down dramatically. Not only is that beneficial for the environment but it has also contained and stabilised costs, which is good for the teams. On top of that, the latter no longer need to commit budget to testing product after product, and competing on the same tyre all season has facilitated car set-up work.

Today’s situation also takes much of the stress out of the choice-making process for the drivers, with little effect on stage times or spectator value.

There have been huge changes on the logistics front, too. In 1987, Michelin needed 13 trucks to carry some 10,000 tyres to the Rallye Monte-Carlo (not including tyres for the privateers, and there were 160 starters that year!). There were also nine truck-workshops, two caravans and a bus, plus a total staff of around 60!

In comparison, Michelin has three transporter trucks on this week’s Monte, plus two truck workshops, a mobile office and a staff of 14 fitters and technicians. Last but by no means least, the number of tyres available for the 20 or so Michelin-equipped ‘RC1’ and ‘RC2’ cars this week is slightly less than 2,000.

En rangeant mon bureau, je suis tombé par hasard sur un dossier de presse Michelin du Rallye Monte-Carlo 1987. C’est incroyable comme les choses ont évolué en 25 ans, surtout en matière de pneumatiques.

En janvier 1987, les pilotes montaient des pneus neufs pour chaque spéciale et ils disposaient à chaque fois d’une multitude d’options. La gamme de base comprenait trois types de pneus hiver (avec différents cloutages possibles), des slicks, intermédiaires et pneus pluie, sans parler des différentes dimensions, types de gommes, sculptures pour toutes sortes de voitures et de conditions !

Et puis les sculptures de la bande de roulement étaient différentes pour les 4x4, les tractions et propulsions. C’était la 1^re année des Groupe A au top-niveau et Michelin équipait les Audi 200, Renault 11 Turbo, Mazda 323, Mercedes 190 16S, Subaru Turbo 4x4, Citroën Visa 1000 Pistes et quelques Lancia Delta (15 voitures « usine » au total). Michelin équipait aussi plus de 90% des privés.

Aujourd’hui, les pilotes officiels Michelin peuvent choisir entre une sculpture neige (avec ou sans clous) et un pneu asphalte disponible en deux gommes (super-soft et soft). Et puis il y a aussi un nombre maximum de pneus par pilote qui ne peuvent être changés qu’au parc d’assistance : chaque train doit couvrir deux ou trois spéciales. Le nombre de pneus alloué pour chaque pilote a donc fortement diminué.

Grâce à l’évolution du règlement de ces dernières années, le développement des pneumatiques a été ralenti et la quantité de produits utilisés a été fortement réduite. C’est mieux pour l’environnement et cela a aussi permis de maîtriser et stabiliser les coûts. Les teams n’ont plus besoin de prévoir un budget spécifique pour tester et tester encore les nouveaux pneus et un pneu unique facilite les réglages des voitures.

La logistique a beaucoup évolué également. En 1987, Michelin déplaçaient 13 camions pour transporter 10 000 pneus au Rallye Monte-Carlo (sans parler ceux des privés, et il y avait 160 partants !). Il y avait aussi neuf camions-atelier, deux caravanes et un bus, et une soixantaine de personnes.

Cette année, Michelin a déplacé trois semi-remorques, plus deux camions-atelier, un bureau. Il y a 14 monteurs sur le terrain. Pour une vingtaine de RC1 et RC2, le nombre de pneus est de moins de 2000 !

Snapshot, 1954: Moss with Maserati at Monza

With a serious expression and oil-stained driving overalls, Stirling Moss stands in the Monza pits in September 1954. His Maserati 250F, car no.28, has brought him little luck in the Italian Grand Prix, with engine failure relegating him to 10th place.

It is not his driving skills that let him down, but the unreliability of the privately bought Maserati 250F: Stirling had led the race, ahead of Fangio's (eventually victorious) Mercedes. But the demonstration of terrific driving skills on this day was one of the reasons that Mercedes recruited Moss for the 1955 season. Whatever Moss is thinking at this moment, he certainly has no idea that, in two years' time, he will return to this same spot for one of the greatest victories of his career. And not in a Mercedes, but again at the wheel of a Maserati 250F. 

Photo: David Lees / Picture Post / Getty Images

Many classic Maseratis can be found for sale in the Classic Driver Market.