Best Action from Erzbergrodeo and Red Bull Hare Scramble 2015

In the most extraordinary finish ever seen at the Erzbergrodeo, Alfredo Gómez, Jonny Walker, Graham Jarvis and Andreas Lettenbichler were declared joint winners of the 2015 Red Bull Hare Scramble. Take a look back at some of the best moments from the race!

The Hanging Wonder – Cooking Reinvented

My preferred spot for cooking from the beginning of our trip has been on the winch. It is always there and we don’t have to hang up the aluminum shelf. If there is a strong side wind I can hang up this shelf on either side of the Land Cruiser so that we’ll be cooking out of the wind

Our first encounter with an overlander that used a kitchen in the back was up in the Himalayas of India. We were instantly smitten by the simplicity and sturdy solution these Swiss had made on the backdoor of their 6×6 Pinzgauer.

It folds nicely inside a sleeve and stays attached to the backdoor. However, the Pinzgauer door is a big, one-piece door, so has plenty of space to stick a kitchen to it. By contrast, our ambulance doors are narrow and have limited space behind them.

We met Rob at the Overland Reunion 2014 and look what he built on the backdoor of his 70 series. Still a bit too big for our narrow doors, but this is close to what we had in mind.

Recently, when camping at Kon Tiki, on a hill overlooking Mancora, the wind was blowing full force around the Land Cruiser and I could neither cook on the winch nor the sides. The only option was to turn around the car or to cook at the back somehow. Fortunately, I spotted an apparently forgotten workmate

 a few meters away and placed it directly under the left rear door. A perfect fit and a good work height for the Coleman stove.

It reminded me to a similar setup Luis and Lacey of Lost World Expedition used at the back of their 60 series and how convenient all that looked. [image below by Lost World Expedition]

But when after a few days Juerg, the owner of Kontiki, came looking for his workmate and I got stuck with wind blowing all over the place again, I started thinking in earnest on how to make a hinging platform of some sorts on the left rear ambulance door.

I didn’t start sketching as I would normally do, but instead when I needing to access something I lifted the Coleman stove and placed it with one edge on the Spare Tire Carrier Cushion

 while holding it with one hand on the opposite top end. Then the gears in my brain started working and everything fell into place. Low and behold my simple Hanging Kitchen solution.

Two simple hooks that had been lying around for the last eight years finally came in handy.

We have been using it now for more than a week and apart from not being able to use the Coleman Camp Oven

image: http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=landcruadvent-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0009PURJA

 in this set-uo, it’s perfect. So for our baking experiments we still depend on cooking on the sides, front or inside.

Here is a view from the bottom where you can clearly see its hanging. I connected two hooks with a piece of cord that I runs through the rear doorhandle and voilà. I hope you find this simple solution easy to incorporate in your vehicle. Let me know in the comments below what your preferred solution is.

Read more at http://www.landcruisingadventure.com/hanging-wonder-cooking-reinvented/#qu5rGyz2sBywcggu.99

Ultracar Sports Club : La nouvelle idée de génie de Stéphane Ratel

par Laurent Mercier (Endurance-Info.com)

En lançant l’évènement Ultracar, Stéphane Ratel s’est lancé dans une niche qui fait la part belle aux autos exotiques. Lorsque le patron de SRO Motorsports Group a annoncé cette nouvelle série, il nous avait confié que tout mettrait se mettre en place petit à petit et qu’il ne fallait spécialement s’attendre à avoir beaucoup de voitures lors du premier rendez-vous. Sauf que le coup d’essai s’est déjà transformé en coup de maître. Imaginez un peu : un plateau de 16 hypercars toutes aussi exclusives les unes que les autres. Entre Lamborghini Veneno Coupé et Roadster, LaFerrarii, Ferrari 599XX, McLaren P1, McLaren P1 GTR, Aston Martin One-77, Pagani Zonda et Huayra, Gumpert Apollo et autres Bugatti Veyron, les spectateurs du Paul Ricard s’en sont mis plein les yeux.

A l’heure où le commun des mortels n’est plus capable de faire la différence entre une Ferrari 458 GTE et une 458 Italia GT3, une McLaren P1 GTR aux couleurs Harrods n’a rien d’une Bugatti Veyron. Il est là le coup de génie ou comment mettre sur la piste des autos qui font rêver. En France, il est interdit de réussir, interdit d’entreprendre, interdit d’avoir de l’argent et interdit d’avoir une belle voiture. Les propriétaires de ces hypercars n’ont pas réfléchi une seconde à faire le déplacement sous le soleil du Paul Ricard.

Le meeting Blancpain Endurance Series a permis de réunir 60 GT3 sans oublier la vingtaine de GT du GT Sports Club et le plateau garni du Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo, le tout pour plus de 50 millions d’euros.

Avec le Ultracar Sports Club, pas de vraies courses, juste un roulage sur piste en toute sécurité. Les autos que vous avez l’habitude de voir en statique sur le stand d’un salon de l’auto, vous pouvez les voir en action. Bien sûr, on aurait aimé voir ces monstrueuses autos sur un vrai championnat. Imaginez un Championnat du Monde GT1 regroupant ces GT bodybuildées. Ne rêvons pas mais ne boudons pas notre plaisir de contempler par exemple une McLaren P1. Tous les propriétaires se sont gentiment prêtés au jeu des photos avec un public venu en masse. Pas de jalousie dans le regard des photographes mais de la passion et des yeux qui pétillaient.

On ne peut plus rouler sur les routes, alors messieurs sortez vos GT et rejoignez le Ultracar Sports Club. En plus de vous faire plaisir, vous ferez plaisir…

“On supporte du mieux que l’on peut SRO dans l’Ultracar Sports Club” nous a confié Giorgio Sanna, en charge de Squadra Corse, le service compétition de Lamborghini. “Ces autos sont faites pour rouler et c’est pour nous un plaisir de montrer la Veneno au public. Ce type d’évènement manquait dans le paysage automobile.”

Il est aussi là l’avenir du sport automobile en ouvrant de nouveaux marchés. Toutes les Veneno sont vendues mais combien pourra-t-on en voir de près ? A 3,3 millions d’euros, pas sûr que les propriétaires se risquent à aller sur les départementales. Oui il y a encore un avenir pour des GT qui valent des sommes folles.

Lamborghini a bien voulu nous prêter une Huracan d’un vert pour le moins flashy durant tout l’après-midi du dimanche afin d’aller limer le bitume des petites routes varoises, de Bandol à La Ciotat en passant par Cassis. Il ne s’est pas passé 1km sans un signe de la main, une photo, un sourire ou je ne sais quoi encore. A l’arrêt, les questions fusent : “on peut regarder l’intérieur ? c’est quoi la puissance ? Vous avez une belle voiture.” Malheureusement, cette Huracan n’était pas la notre. Avec plus de 250 000 personnes aux 24 Heures du Mans et des regards qui se détournent au passage d’une GT, non l’automobile de rêve n’est pas morte.

Pour en revenir à l’Ultracar Sports Club, on espère que le rassemblement va se développer au fil du temps. Stéphane Ratel en avait rêvé, il l’a fait…

TOTALLY RADICAL: ED TURNER’S SUZUKI GSX1100

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Some bikes are built to go far—others to look flash. We’ll let you decide which category Ed Turner’s latest creation falls into.

It’s no coincidence that Ed Turner sounds like “head turner”: proprietor Karl Renoult’s design ethos is deliberately edgy. His client—a designer—shares the same philospohy.

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“The man has taste, and is a thrill seeker,” explains the French builder, “so naturally we would get along!”

After just two phone calls, the brief was defined and the project booked in. The idea was simple: a big engine, crammed into a radical package. With four cylinders, sixteen valves and a hundred horses on tap, a 1980-model Suzuki GSX1100 was picked as the donor.

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Karl knew that the best way to highlight the the Zook’s monstrous power plant, was to minimize everything around it—so the build kicked off with an intensive tear down. In the end, all that remained was the engine block and a couple of steel tubes.

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The original plan was to modify just the rear loop, but Karl now found himself building a whole new frame. In it, he wedged a small, fiberglass fuel tank. It only holds six liters—but Karl reckons that’s more than enough for a few quarter mile runs.

The tank’s lines were carried through to an equally petite, custom-made tail unit. The seat’s leather work was handled by a friend: Fabrice at ASD.

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Up front, Karl installed a set of upside-down forks taken from a Buell. They’re mounted via custom triple clamps—complete with a US flag cut-out. Karl wanted a monoshock setup at the rear, so he made up a new swingarm and fitted a Hyperpro unit.

The Buell also donated its 17″ wheels, now wrapped in Maxxis Goldspeed rubber. Thanks to some one-off parts, the rear wheel’s been converted from belt to chain drive.

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Matching the GSX’s new, drag-inspired attitude are a row of velocity stacks, and a low-and-loud four-into-two exhaust system. Karl also fitted rear set controls to the bike, and cut up a set of Renthal bars to make new clip-ons.

The headlight’s from a Ford Mustang, mounted on hand-made, leather brackets. As for the tail light: “It was provided by prison administration,” says Karl. “These lights are located above each cell door, for inmates to call ‘room service’.”

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For paint, Karl had his heart set on “Mooneyes yellow” for the engine block—but wasn’t sure how he’d match it elsewhere.

Since he and his client share a love for old-school American skate culture, Karl threw the paint swatches out the window. Instead, he covered the tank with a collage of skate stickers—sealed in with multiple layers of clear coat. He then took it further: certain parts throughout the bike have been modified with additional logos.

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It’s the ideal livery for this off-the-wall custom. All that’s missing is a skateboard rack.

Ed Turner | Facebook | Instagram | Images by by Pierre Le Targat

via BIKEexif