See? It's not just me who aims for Toyota Hybrids...

I confess. I'm that guy. If your driving a Prius, and if you have been almost run off the road, that was probably me.

So as much as I hate that it's always a Ferrari driver doing something stupid on a racetrack (or the street), at least he took a page from my book and speared a Toyota Hybrid in the process.

Money can't buy brains...

Just goes to show you, most people who have the means to purchase high-performance vehicles usually don't have the skill or experience to operate them.

Vintage Save

Classic, epic, inspiring, and impressive. All in a vintage 1986 video clip...



Sometimes rubbin' ain't racin'...

Kyle Busch is not making any friends in NASCAR these days.

Enzo ocean stage at Targa Newfoundland 2011

Poke fun all you want, but this guy get major respect for bringing an Enzo to Targa Newfoundland!

 

Cayenne Turbo - Rapid Response

The unsung heroes of racing. The safety team. They make it possible for us to enjoy the dangers associated with racing. With them watching your back you can brake a little deeper, turn in a little later, accelerate a little sooner. You can use a little more curb, you can track out a little farther, ultimately taking more chances than you should.

Give them a wave at the next opportunity.

Preferably on your cool down lap; please.

The great Alfa is back!!!

I'm a sucker for great sounding vintage race cars. Ok, I'm lying. I love the sound of ANY race car. OK, OK... Still lying - I'm a motorhead, loving all things cars; a complete addict.

Imagine my heart sinking as I see a fine example of Alfa-ness tumble to a horrible demise.

But have no fear! The Alfa is back! Rebuilt and better than before!



Oh boy, this is gonna hurt...

It's one thing when professional race teams with their uber-dollars wreck; it's fairly easy to wrench all night with unlimited funds and manpower to make it to the next morning's starting line.

What's sucks is being a privateer, using every last bit of savings to make it to this one event, and then tearing up the very same car that could be your ride to work on Monday.

Keep that in mind the next time your at an HPDE with your daily driver...

The difference is there will be no cheering crowds when you roll, and no screaming fans when you continue on, car in pieces, in a vain attempt to salvage your run, but most importantly; salvaging your DIGNITY....

Is there such thing as too much grip?

For these Astras, the answer is yes. With that narrow of a track, relatively skinny tires, stiff suspension and a sort-of high center of gravity, you had to see this coming.

Those Duke boys seem to influence the whole world I tell you!!!

Is this thing on?

Racing has it's inherent dangers. High speeds, drastic g-forces, highly competitive egos mixed with somewhat dubious judgment... etc...

When things go wrong, they go wrong quickly. Luckily these days of cages and fuel cells and nomex and safer barriers usually mean it will end in a few bumps and bruises, but nothing more.

Nice Save!

Mark Higgins knows how to handle a loose Subie. Recovering from a maxed-out suspension-unload induced loss of adhesion at 150+ MPH on the Bray Hill section of the 2011 Isle of Man TT qucickly earns you hero status in our book. Gold star to his passenger, who barely blinked during the whole steering wheel shuffle.

To quote at .55 - "...and the biggest moment of my life there.."

And then there was one...

Le Mans. 24 hours of vehicular carnage. 24 hours of human endurance. 24 hours of emotions that range from confidence to hope to excitement to fear to disappointment to joy; sometimes within minutes of each other. Audi's 3 car effort once again triumphed, but not without drama and a few harrowing moments. Like McNish's horrific crash barely an hour into the event.

This was a BAD day...

Reminder: never go cheap when building your cage...

Professionally built cages are worth their weight in gold. It's one of those items that you should spend a fortune on, only in hopes of never having to use it.

WOOPS!!!

Got a little scratch on your new ride. I know how you feel. It could be worse....

Extra Crispy; or Why Nomex is Your Friend

Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not a carnage freak, promoting vicious crash vids like a psychotic maniac. I just love anything that illustrates how dangerous racing can be, especially if it has a happy ending. Live life; taste death, I always say.

What IS amazing is that these otherwise horrific crashes and fires would be life ending if it wasn't for well-constructed cages, fuel cells, NOMEX, and of course skilled corner workers.

Next time your on the track, wave a "thank you" to your corner workers. They truly are the unsung heroes of our beloved sport.

As we prepare for that HPDE's this year...

So as we dust off our track cars getting ready for the 2011 track day season; here's a little refresher of what happens when we don't pay attention to some of the basics.

1 : AWD does not negate the effects of stupidity.

Top Movie Car Chases - Cobra 1986

That bad-ass Merc. What a horrible demise to such a cool car. No CGI, all real. Ok so maybe the Merc should have disintegrated after launching from that second story parking deck. Still a great chase, and always will be a classic in my book. Throw on some 80's sunglasses, breakout your tight acid washed jeans and turn the volume up...

What happens when you forget high school physics...

Ok guys, remember that 2 objects can't occupy the same place at the same time. Unless of course you intend on mashing up a few million dollars. It does make for good TV though...

What are your thoughts on double-file restarts?

Good help is so hard to find...

Seriously, who ok'd this guy to drive the pace car?