Spa Six Hours : Ferrao-Stretton (Ford GT40) au bout de l’Apocalypse !

 par Spa Six Hours

Pour leur 22^ème édition, les Spa Six Hours ont multiplié les superlatifs ce samedi sur le circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Avec trois orages d’une violence rare, cinq neutralisations, des incidents et accidents à répétition et un drapeau… rouge, de mémoire d’inconditionnels de voitures anciennes, on n’avait jamais assisté à une course aussi sauvage ! Si les Ford GT40 dominaient logiquement les qualifications, la pole tombant dans l’escarcelle de la #5 de l’Allemand Christian Gläsel et du Suédois Kenny Bräck, ex-vainqueur d’Indy 500, le début de course voyait le groupe de tête assurer un incroyable show… jusqu’au moment où un premier orage inondait la piste, envoyant la Shelby Cobra #86 de Beverley-Humphreys dans le mur en pleine ligne droite devant les stands F1, avant qu’une Lotus Elan, puis une MG B Roadster, ne la percutent ! Si les pilotes s’en tiraient indemnes, une longue neutralisation s’en suivait…

Plus tard, la sortie de piste de la Lotus Elan #41 de Bond-Fell-Gormly dans le Raidillon, la perte d’une roue de la Triumph TR4 #73 de Hamilton-Marx-Vermast au même endroit, le crash impressionnant de la Jaguar Type E #14 de Le Breton-Snowdon-Campbell Walter dans Blanchimont et l’apparition d’un second orage très violent renvoyaient la Voiture de Sécurité en piste ! Dans ces conditions, la stratégie prenait une importance capitale, les différentes équipes mettant un point d’honneur à tenter de profiter des périodes de neutralisation pour effectuer leurs ravitaillements en carburant.

Si la Jaguar Type E #26 de Graf Von Oeynhausen-Adorf a pu faire illusion lors d’une course rondement menée, pointant un moment au sommet de la hiérarchie, les Ford GT40 ont rapidement repris les choses en main, la victoire se jouant entre la #15 de Diogo Ferrao et Martin Stretton, la #1 des doubles vainqueurs en titre Leo Voyazides et Simon Hadfield, la #40 de Roger Wills et James Littlejohn et la #5 de Christian Gläsel et Kenny Bräck, quand bien même ces derniers héritaient de… trois Drive Through ! Mais alors que la #1, pilotée avec maestria par Simon Hadfield, revenait à coups de poignées de secondes sur la #15 et Ferraro et Stretton, un ultime orage d’une inouïe violence forçait la Direction de Course à brandir le drapeau rouge une dizaine de minutes avant la fin du temps réglementaire, scellant la première victoire d’un Portugais, Diogo Ferrao, mais aussi et surtout le quatrième succès aux Spa Six Hours du Britannique Martin Stretton ! Le podium était complété par Voyazides-Hadfield, qui loupaient donc de peu la passe de trois, et Wills-Littlejohn.

Derrière les quatre GT40, Graf Von Oeynhausen et Dirk Adorf ont brillamment complété le top 5 avec leur Jaguar Type E, remportant largement leur catégorie devant la Shelby Cobra de Summers-Donaldson-Cottingham. Exceptionnelle performance de la petite Lotus Elan 26R #113 de Wilson-Wolfe-Stirling, 7^ème du général et lauréate en GTS7, tandis que la Marcos 1800 GT #19 d’Allen Tice et Chris Conoley, immobilisée dans Blanchimont après 90 minutes de course, réussissait l’exploit de remonter dans le top 10 final, et de devancer dans sa catégorie (GTS11) la Porsche 911 des Belges José Close, Philippe Ménage et du Français Raymond Narac. De victoire belge, il en était par contre question du côté des voitures de Tourisme, la Ford Mustang #34 de Christian Dumolin, Stephan Meyers et Christophe Van Riet venant couronner de la plus belle des manières les 50 ans du bolide américain.

Pour être complet, on mentionnera encore la victoire de classe de la… Ferrari 250 GT SWB de Joy, Koning et Simon, qui a même pointé dans le top 20 une partie de la course.

Nissan Project Titan Ready to Tackle Alaska

ByJason Udy

Nissan's crowd-sourced Project Titan pickup truck, designed in collaboration with the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), has been modified to endure the Alaskan frontier. Earlier this year, Nissan asked its Twitter and Facebook followers for their input in creating an off-road ready-Titan, and the truck is now complete in time for its Alaskan adventure.

Driven by a pair of WWP alumni, the crowd-sourced pickup will begin its Alaskan adventure this week. Beginning with a 2014 Nissan Titan Crew Cab PRO-4X model, modifications to Project Titan include engine, suspension, exterior, and interior upgrades, all of which were suggested by internet users.

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The stock 5.6-liter V-8 breathes more easily thanks to a Nismo cold-air intake and a Borla cat-back exhaust system. Project Titan rides on a set of 18x9-inch Fuel Revolver D525 alloy wheels fitted with 35-inch tall Nitto Trail Grappler M/T tires. Exterior upgrades include Bulldog LED Lighting, an ARB Deluxe Bull Bar, a roof rack, and more. Project Titan also features a “Recon Titan” wrap featuring a tan digitized camouflage pattern.

Inside, a custom headliner, shifter, and steering wheel have been added, while Katzkin leather seats feature Project Titan and Wounded Warrior Project embroidery. The black interior features contrast tan stitching throughout. A matching customized all-terrain camping trailer from Manley is also included. The trailer features a camp-style kitchen, tent, water and fuel storage, and a spare tire. The bed features an ARB refrigerator, shower, and an ARB camper topper.

Project Titan will be driven through Alaska by Iraqi war veterans and Wounded Warrior Project Alumni David Guzman and Kevin McMahon. The Nissan Project Titan Alaskan Adventure will be documented on the Nissan Trucks Facebook page here.

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Check out these videos below for more details about the Nissan Project Titan.

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Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/wot/1409_the_crowd_sourced_nissan_project_titan_is_now_complete/#ixzz3Dz65psV1
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THE KUSTOM KOMMUNE’S HARLEY SPORTSTER 48

What could be more fun than having your own well-stocked workshop, with all the tools and space you need to wrench on your bike? In the company of like-minded folks, who also enjoy throwing the occasional party?

That’s the thinking behind The Kustom Kommune, Australia’s first communal motorcycle workshop. Based in Melbourne, it’s part of a growing global trend towards DIY custom building and general bike maintenance.

To get the word out and attract new members, the Kommune founders decided to build a show quality, street ready shop bike. And the good folks at Harley-Davidson made it possible by donating a 1200cc Sportster 48.

“This wasn’t your ordinary custom motorcycle build,” says Kommune main man Geoff Baldwin, who also runs the Return Of The Café Racers website. “It was more of a ‘proof of concept’ than anything else. Ninety per cent of the build was completed in house.”

The Kommune had two goals in mind for the Sportster: “We wanted it to look amazing, paying homage to Harley-Davidson’s racing past—in particular the XR750TT. And we wanted a bike that could be wholly maintained in the Kommune workshop.”

Being a community funded space, facilities such as dynos and diagnostic computer hardware aren’t on hand. So the Sportster was pulled back to basics by removing the more complicated components and electrical systems—anything that couldn’t be worked on using basic tools and old-school know-how.

A team of Kommune members was quickly assembled. And of course, a budget. “We spent it mostly on materials and parts,” says Geoff. “Time was generously donated.” The team included a welder, a Harley guru, an engineer, a painter, an electrician and an upholsterer—plus Geoff himself and Kommune co-founder Jimmy Goode.

An XR-inspired color palette was sketched out, and Karl Stehn came up with a slick paint design using the classic XR black, white and orange—plus plenty of flake to really make it pop. Traditional café racer tricks came into play, with two Cole Foster tanks being installed—with one chopped in half to function as the tail. The tail also doubles up as the oil tank now, with plumbing routed around a custom seat pan and new support struts welded on at the back of the frame.

The forward controls were swapped out for rear sets, and RSD clip-ons were slipped onto the fork stanchions. The headlight is OEM Harley-Davidson, but mounted as close to the forks as possible.

Out of the factory, the Harley Sportster 48 comes with ABS brakes, an alarm system, EFI and many “fancy sensors and thing-a-ma-jigs.” Since these require more than a basic set of tools for maintenance, they all had to go—saving some substantial weight in the process.

“Matt from Krank Engineering machined spacers to replace the ABS sensors on each axle, and we removed the entire wiring loom,” says Geoff. “An S&S Super E carb replaces the EFI system, and was tuned by ear when the bike was first fired up.” A simplified wiring loom is plugged into an aftermarket ignition system, with a Motogadget m-Unitcontrolling all the electrical circuits.

The Kommune team opted for chain drive rather than the standard belt—they love the old-school look—and blanked out the rear wheel using a set of raw alloy Moon Discs. Another old-school touch is the diamond-stitched leather saddle.

But the design element that generates the most interest is the full stainless steel exhaust system. The brainchild of Jimmy Goode and Harley specialist Glenn Aitken, it was built entirely in-house using a set of 180 bends and straight lengths.

“Despite all the other trick bits of fabrication and custom work, it’s the pipes that show exactly what can happen when skilled individuals work together,” says Geoff. “Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re our crowning achievement—and to me, they sum up what the Kustom Kommune is all about.”

Now that the Sportster build is out of the way, the Kommune is lining up training courses, a parts store and storage facilities to keep the business ticking over. It’s a great blueprint for grassroots motorcycling—and one we’d love to see in more cities worldwide.

The Kustom Kommune | Harley-Davidson Australia | Jason Lau Photography

Modification list
EFI to S&S Super E Carb Conversion
Belt to Chain drive conversion
Removal of ABS systems
Complete Motogadget electronics setup
Entire factory loom removed
2x Modified Cole Foster fuel tank
Aftermarket hand controls
Custom fabricated seat that acts as oil tank
Custom made black leather seat by Weird-o-pholstry
Custom made exhaust by Robbie Ante and Glen Aitken at Kustom Kommune
2″ Lowered front end
330mm Piggy Back Shocks
Mooneyes moon disk rear wheel
CNC’d Rear Sets
Modified rear frame
Custom made bars, spacers, points cover by Krank Engineering
All State Deluxe tyres from Antique Tyres
Roland Sands Design engine dress up kit
Paint by KDS Designs

via 

Honda 750 café racer

This motorcycle hadn't run in almost 30 years. Tom Rogan Jr. from the Bronx (NY) worked on it for a year fabricating all the modifications in his machine shop. He kept the patina of it to give it the look. Cool bike and nice shots! / Questa moto è rimasta ferma per quasi trent'anni. Tom Rogan Jr. del Bronx (NY) ci ha lavorato per un anno realizzando tutte le modifiche nella sua officina. Ha mantenuto la patina per dargli il look. Bella moto e belle foto! 

via INAZUMA CAFE RACER