30 Years of TOYOTA at Le Mans: 1985-2015

The 2015 edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours marks a special anniversary for TOYOTA as it represents 30 years since the company's first official entry at Le Mans. From 1985 right up to this year's event, this video looks back at all the cars, all the drivers and all the action from 30 years of TOYOTA at Le Mans.

ERC, Ypres Rally : Du beau linge à Ypres ! / an exceptional line-up for Belgium’s classic

L’ancienne cité drapière des Flandres accueille la cinquième manche du Championnat d’Europe des Rallyes FIA 2015 et a réuni un plateau exceptionnel avec Freddy Loix, Craig Breen, Bryan Bouffier, Kevin Abbring, Stéphane Lefebvre…

Sur ces 20 dernières années, Freddy Loix a quasiment gagné une édition sur deux du Rallye d’Ypres. Cette année, il vise une 10^e victoire au volant de la nouvelle Skoda Fabia R5/Michelin dont il a contribué au développement. Le constructeur tchèque reste sur cinq succès d’affilée et entend bien rester maître en Flandre avec sa nouvelle arme lancée récemment en WRC.

Malgré toute son expérience et le potentiel de sa nouvelle monture, Freddy Loix devra affronter une concurrence redoutable ce week-end, qu’elle soit belge ou européenne. Le leader du championnat Craig Breen a signé trois victoires consécutives au volant de la Peugeot 208 T16 engagée par la Peugeot Rally Academy, et, en l’absence de Kajetanowicz, espère bien faire le trou au championnat. Egalement sur une Peugeot 208 T16, Bryan Bouffier connaît bien le parcours d’Ypres et sa pointe de vitesse sur asphalte n’est plus à prouver.

Les pilotes du Mondial Kevin Abbring (DS3 R5) et Stéphane Lefebvre (208 T16) effectueront un détour à Ypres en route vers la Pologne où ils disputeront le Rally Poland le week-end suivant. A suivre également les frères Moffett, le Portugais Bruno Magalhaes ou encore Robert Consani.

La concurrence viendra également du côté belge avec Bernd Casier (Citroën DS3 R5), Davy Vanneste (Ford Fiesta R5), Kris Princen (Peugeot 208 T16), Claudie Tanghe (Peugeot 207 S2000), Cédric Cherain (Citroën DS3 R5) tous équipés pour la gagne.

N’oublions pas les quatre mousquetaires Porschistes (François Delecour, Romain Dumas, Marc Duez, Patrick Snijers) qui, si la météo le permet, pourraient tirer bénéfice de la puissance du Flat-6 pour jouer parmi les R5. La catégorie Junior sera elle aussi bien représentée avec Chris Ingram, Emil Bergqvist, Marijan Griebel, Diogo Gago, Vasily Gryazin, et Gino Bux qui jouera à domicile.

Le parcours de cette 51^e édition est encore plus concentré et rythmé que les années précédentes. En 28 heures, les concurrents vont disputer 17 spéciales et parcourir 253,38 km chronométrés ! Au programme, les incontournables Langemark, Hollebeke, Kemmelberg, Dikkebus, Westouter, Mesen, Watou, se chargeront d’écrémer les rangs… Le Rallye d’Ypres est l’un des plus atypiques et piégeux du championnat avec ses spéciales rapides, étroites, sales et glissantes.

Malgré des prévisions météo optimistes, il va forcément pleuvoir à un moment ou à un autre. Pour parer à toutes les conditions, les pilotes Michelin disposeront de toute la gamme rallye « Compétition-Clients », à savoir R01 (extra soft), R11 (soft), R21 (medium) et R31 (hard).

La Qualifying Stage, qui déterminera l’ordre des départs du vendredi, se tiendra à Nieuwkerke jeudi soir. Les pilotes choisiront leur position vendredi à 13h00, avant le départ du rallye sur la Grote Markt d’Ypres à 16h15. Arrivée même lieu, samedi à 22h00.

 

 

The former Flemish cloth-trading city of Ypres is the host of the 2015 FIA European Rally Championship’s fifth round. The event’s glittering entry includes Freddy Loix, Craig Breen, Bryan Bouffier, Kevin Abbring and Stéphane Lefebvre.

Over the past two decades, Freddy Loix has practically won one Ypres Rally in two. This time, he is targeting a tenth success in the new Skoda Fabia R5/Michelin which he helped to develop. The Czech make has won the last five events and intends to remain the Flemish master with its latest challenger which recently made its WRC debut.

Loix faces stiff opposition from a number of Belgian and European rivals like the provisional ERC leader Craig Breen. After winning the last three rounds of the Euro series in his Peugeot Rally Academy 208 T16, the Irishman will be out to take advantage of Kajetanowicz’s absence to extend his points cushion. Another Peugeot 208 T16 runner will be asphalt expert Bryan Bouffier who has good knowledge of the Ypres stages.

WRC regulars Kevin Abbring (DS3 R5) and Stéphane Lefebvre (208 T16) will also stopover in Belgian en route to the following weekend’s Rally Poland (WRC). Other top international entries include the Moffett brothers, Portugal’s Bruno Magalhaes and Frenchman Robert Consani.

The locals can’t be underestimated, either, with drivers like Bernd Casier (Citroën DS3 R5), Davy Vanneste (Ford Fiesta R5), Kris Princen (Peugeot 208 T16), Claudie Tanghe (Peugeot 207 S2000) and Cédric Cherain (Citroën DS3 R5) all in with a shout.

Spectators will no doubt appreciate the presence of François Delecour, Romain Dumas, Marc Duez and Patrick Snijers whose Porsches could be a match for the R5 runners in dry weather. Last but not least, the Junior contest will feature the likes of Chris Ingram, Emil Bergqvist, Marijan Griebel, Diogo Gago, Vasily Gryazin and Belgium’s Gino Bux.

This year’s route is more compact compared with recent years, and the pace will be faster, too, since the 17 stages totalling 253.38km will be packed into a period of just 28 hours! The menu includes fast, narrow and dirty classics like Langemark, Hollebeke, Kemmelberg, Dikkebus, Westouter, Mesen and Watou which collectively make the Ypres Rally one of the championship’s most specific and taxing events.

The weather forecast is good, but there is usually rain at some point and the Michelin runners will be able to count on the French firm’s R01 (extra soft), R11 (soft), R21 (medium) and R31 (hard) tyres.

The Qualifying Stage that will determine Friday’s start order will take place near Nieuwkerke on Thursday evening. The rally itself will start from Ypres’ Grote Markt at 4:14pm Friday and end at the same place on Saturday at 10pm.

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