Top Gear’s Range Rover Evoque vs Scotland

Sick of being told he drives a girl’s car, Top Gear magazine’s Tom Ford took his Range Rover Evoque to a place with no roads...

 















And then, after what seems like days, we make one final push to the top of the ridgeline at Glen Bruar, up a slope you'd find hard to walk up, and the Evoque pops out on top, bracketed by the brightest rainbow I have ever seen. It might not be as capable off-road as a Defender, but it's not supposed to be. It might have a few showy bits of plastic that require modification, and it might not be the car you'd use for a hardcore expedition. But for a car so brilliant on-road, the extent of the Evoque's ability off it is quietly astounding. Looking back down the glen, you can see the vastness, the roads we didn't use, and have to wonder what it takes to be a proper Land Rover. Because from where I'm sitting, this feels like it.

from TOPGEAR

Course de Côte des Andelys; le retour !

la course du chateau 18/19mai2013

La première édition de la Course de Côte des Andelys a eu lieu en 1964, où 70 voitures et 21 motos étaient au départ, pour un circuit d’une longueur de 1700 mètres entrecoupé de trois virages. Il s’agissait alors d’une course de rapidité.

Christian LEON détient le record avec un temps de 41,06 secondes sur une 450 Honda mais l’histoire a aussi retenu les performances de Pierre-Louis TEBEC qui a gagné la Course de Côte des Andelys à plusieurs reprises.

Aujourd’hui La Course du Château est une épreuve destinée aux passionnés de « side-cars » et de  motos classiques allant des années 1955 à 1980.
Elle se déroulera sur deux jours du samedi 18 mai, où le top départ sera donné à 8h pétantes et se terminera le dimanche 19 mai à 18h, par la remise des prix aux pilotes et des diplômes qui seront remis à chaque participant.

Il s’agit d’une manifestation festive où les passionnés pourront participer également à la démonstration et/ou exposer leurs motos sur les quais de Seine, véritable musée de la moto classique à ciel ouvert.

L’association Les Chevaliers remettra un prix spécial à l’exposant le plus original tant par la qualité que par la diversité de ses produits.

Le jury sera présidé par une grande personnalité du milieu de la moto, qui récompensera également le plus beau « café-racer ».

La Course est parrainée par le TEAM 6ème AVENUE, moto club affilié FFM etDDCS, inscrit au Championnat de France de la Course de Côte.

La direction de la course sera assurée par Madame Dany DIEUDONNE, Présidente de la commission éducative d’Ile de France et 7 fois championne de France de dragster, récompensée en 1983 au « Tourist Trophy » de l’Ile de Man pour sa remarquable démonstration.

Le contrôle administratif et technique se fera sous le patronage de Monsieur Charles KRAJKA, pionnier de la sécurité routière en France et véritable légende vivante.

Seront présents à nos côtés le Comité Départemental des Motos des Yvelines (CDMY) et Messieurs Eric DIEUDONNE (Formateur Moto – BEES) et Nicolas VERZELE (vainqueur du Trophé de France d’Endurance 2006), qui s’occuperont de la formation des jeunes pilotes souhaitant s’initier au monde de la moto lors de cet évènement.

Monsieur Claudio RIZZOTTO, Directeur Commercial MV AGUSTA France, nous témoignera son amitié par sa présence.

Plusieurs champions de renom international seront présents parmi nous, dont Colin SEELEY et Freddie SPENCER.

pour tout savoir 1ére édition aux Andelys

RIVALS V8 Touring Car Champion READY TO TEST IN ANGER

THE Holden Racing Team and Ford Performance Racing will conduct extensive Car of the Future testing, side-by-side for the first time at Winton Motor Raceway today.

Both teams completed an initial shakedown of newly completed cars yesterday ahead of today’s extensive test which will see three new-generation Falcons and two Commodores take to the track.

Ford Performance Racing Team principal Tim Edwards is looking forward to seeing how the teams compare.

“It will be good to run three cars in anger and benchmark ourselves against HRT who are also testing,” says Edwards.

“It’s the first time anyone has run out with any of the teams with Car of the Future.

“We’ve all been standing around in isolation up until this point – wondering are we quick? Are we slow? Who knows?

“We’ve got a very extensive list of things the guys will be working through. All three cars will be doing a different test so we can evaluate as many different things as possible.

“Fortunately the weather is looking good and we should have a good day’s running.”

Edwards concedes it’s been a massive achievement to build three cars in time for the scheduled test.

“If you’d asked anyone a few months ago – the majority would have said we’d struggle to get three cars on track in December.

“Even when we got the first car running it was a sense of achievement. To now have three of them and a fourth one going to paint within the next 24 or 48 hours – the shell is complete and we’ve got lots of the bits all queuing up to be put in it – I think we’re trucking along all right.”

Will Davison, Mark Winterbottom and David Reynolds will be joined by recruit Alex Davison who is also expected to get some time seat time.

Holden Racing Team drivers James Courtney and Garth Tander will be on track testing their new Commodores, including one that is making its debut.

Tony D’Alberto is also running another newly built Walkinshaw Racing Commodore after a successful shakedown yesterday.

Also on track yesterday was Garry Rogers Motorsport drivers Alex Premat and new signing Scott McLaughlin who enjoyed his first run in the team’s Car of the Future. The team won’t be returning for a further session today.

Maxime Berger joins Yamaha France GMT94 team

From Twowheelsblog : After spending two seasons in World Superbikes with two teams that folded, Supersonic and Effenbert Liberty and then with Red Devils Roma as a replacement rider for injured Niccolò Canpea, Maxime Berger’s future will see him contesting in the 2013 FIM Endurance World Championship.

The 23-year old French rider - whose best result in 2012 was a fourth place at Magny-Cours - will be become the fourth member of the Yamaha France GMT94 Yamalube Michelinendurance team, joining the already confirmed David Checa, Kenny Foray and Matthieu Lagrive.

“Finally I’ll be racing in a championship as an official rider, it was an opportunity that I couldn’t refuse when Christophe (Guyot, team owner) contacted me with the deal” said Berger.

Christophe Guyot, former racer and team owner of GMT94 (Guyot Motorcycles Team) is happy to have signed the talented French rider said, “In 2012, we demonstrated the competitiveness of our Yamaha YZF R1 and with Maxime we believe we can win the World Endurance title .

The French team took third in the overall standings this season.

The 2013 the World Endurance championship has been whittled down to just four rounds, the Bol d’Or at Magny Cours - April 21 and 22, the 8 Hours of Suzuka - July 21, the 8 Hours of Oschersleben - August 18 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans - September 21 and 22. The 8 Hours of Doha is no longer on the calendar.