Après plusieurs échecs, découvrez comment Jarvis s’est relevé pour mieux l’emporter à Erzberg.

Le n°1 mondial en hard enduro, le Britannique Graham Jarvis, entretient une relation compliquée avec l’Erzberg Rodeo. À chaque fois aux avant-postes, la victoire lui a pourtant échappé à plusieurs reprises, avec une certaine dose de frustration à la clé.

En effet, trois années durant, lors des éditions 2010 à 2012, Jarvis a écopé d’une disqualification pour avoir raté des checkpoints obligatoires lors du Red Bull Hare Scramble, la finale emblématique de l’Erzberg Rodeo, un parcours du combattant de quatre heures au guidon d’une moto.

Dans ces bois denses et par visibilité réduite en raison du brouillard, il est vite arrivé de manquer un de ces points de passage. Mais la disqualification fut d’autant plus douloureuse à encaisser pour Jarvis qu’il ne l’apprit qu’une fois la ligne d’arrivée franchie…. en première position, comme c’est arrivé en 2011 et 2012.

Preuve de la trempe de l’enduriste, il est revenu encore plus déterminé l’an passé à Erzberg. Malgré un départ en seconde ligne seulement après des qualifications moyennes dans ces conditions difficiles, Jarvis est remonté sur les 50 pilotes qui le précédaient et, au terme des quatre heures de course, le Britannique terminait grand vainqueur du Géant de Fer, devantAndreas Lettenbichler et Alfredo Gomez.

Dans cette vidéo, Graham Jarvis est rejoint par d’anciens vainqueurs de l’Erzberg Rodeo tels que Lettenbichler ou Jonny Walker et ils reviennent sur cette édition 2013. Tous évoquent le triomphe historique de Jarvis et attendent de pied ferme la remise en jeu de son titre lors de la prochaine édition 2014, le 29 mai prochain. Pour en voir davantage, jetez un œil au film “Erzberg: The Hard Way”.

Porsche 911 Carrera CS: The lost gentleman

The Porsche 911 is the most popular sports car of all time, yet there are still variants that remain elusive, such as the rare 911 Carrera 3.2 Clubsport…

At August Porsche Addiction in Belgium, there’s always something special to see, be it a 1973 2.7 RS or rare factory racing machines. But one 911 from the diverse collection is something rather unusual. At first glance it seems like an ordinary G-Series Carrera. However, that whale-tail Turbo spoiler and the unusual script emblazoned on the side have us sitting up and taking notice, as we realise it's one of the highly desirable Carrera Clubsport models… 

One of just...

Like the slightly later 968 Clubsport, the 911 CS was a more extreme yet affordable version of the G-Series. Rather than concentrating on maximising performance from the engine (the redline was raised ever so slightly), Porsche put the 3.2 Carrera on a crash diet. Electrical creature comforts were mainly culled: air-conditioning, electric windows and central locking, for example – if it wasn’t absolutely necessary, it was gone. As a result, the standard car’s 1210kg kerb weight was reduced by around 50kg. It's not officially known how many were produced between 1987 and 1989, but it's thought to be only a few hundred. Unlike today, stripped-out specials often (perhaps logically) used to cost less than their full-fat counterparts and the 911 CS was some £1200 cheaper. 

A pre-commercial pearl

Pierre Breda, owner of August Porsche Addiction, is one of the lucky few owners. His incredibly rare Guards Red car (most were Grand Prix White) is certainly not a museum piece, either, boasting a positively impressive 80,000km on the clock, not that you could tell from its pristine condition. The 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine purrs like a kitten, the manual 'box feels as precise as it did when it left the factory and the unique pin-striped velour seats look freshly trimmed. The Alcantara steering wheel is not original, confesses Pierre, claiming it was installed to improve the driver's grip. He kept the original, of course; not that it matters – we were already long convinced that this 911 Clubsport is something truly special.

Photos: Jan Richter

Classic Porsche 911s for sale at August Porsche Addiction (and more) can be found in the Classic Driver Market.

ambiance mécanique en THAILANDE

via Indegrapher B.Jhanpet

If Formula 1 met fighter plane

Imagine for a second that Formula 1 used fighter planes rather than single seater cars. Let me walk you through a little history…

Fast forward to 1992 and the Soviet Union has made a miraculous recovery in Formula 1 (the Hungarian Grand Prix no longer F1’s sole representation behind the Iron Curtain). Decked in the Benetton colours, as worn by the Benetton B192, the Polikarpov I-15 was a proponent of the Spanish Civil War, its  B192 alter-ego making its own – arguably less significant – impression on the history books by taking a podium first time off the chocks courtesy of wing commander Michael Schumacher. Though teammate Martin ‘Lofty’ Brundle would take five podiums to the German’s four during the final eight races, it would be Schumacher who scored the car’s – and his – first victory after a dogfight at Spa-Francorchamps.

Just four years later, Schumacher would become the inimitable ‘Red Baron’ by joining Ferrari and sealing five championships on the bounce, a series of fast Fiat G55 Centauros deposing the Finnish guard, a rogue Colombian Kfir and even the Spanish Air Force’s leading aviator, Fernando ‘El Hijo’ Alonso. The F2007 Centauro that rolled out in 2007 would be the first without Schumacher’s crest on its wings, though the Prancing Horse – once the symbol of Italian air force ace Count Francesco Baracca – proved it still ruled the skies above the F1 circus by nailing victory and the championship first time out courtesy of Kimi ‘Suu Kiinni’ Raikkonen.

Germany’s influence on the skies was far from over though. From 2006 onwards, the Hunn would be led by BMW-Sauber squadron. Success proved fleeting though. Whilst the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring German fighter aces of the second World War, who claimed 928 victories mainly on the Eastern Front, BMW-Sauber’s F1.08 competition variant would be the squad’s sole victor in Canada. Nick Heidfeld – the Blond Knight of Germany – admirably flew Wingman a record 13 times, and even future ace Sebastian Vettel took flight for the first time with the group, though Robert Kubica would be the only pilot to earn his wings.

The heavy hitters come the end of the year would be McLaren, the Silver Arrows taking the top prize with Lewis ‘Biggles’ Hamilton in only his second year out of flight school. McLaren though, the most experienced British group in F1 history – in much the same way the Supermarine Spitfire was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft – would give best to an upcoming newcomer in 2009, dogged determination after years with the Italian occupying forces (namely Ross Brawn’s tenure at Ferrari) proving the key to championship glory when Brawn GP debuted on the Allied Side…

 

…just three years after the preceding squadron – British American Racing – took victory in Hungary (the Iron Curtain now lifted) courtesy of Jenson ‘Mad Major’ Button. In then trademark dayglow yellow colours and with goggles affixed, Button became the second British champion in succession in 2009.

And they say that the 2014 Formula 1 regulations are radical…

- Shots courtesy of Clavework Graphics