COVERAGE> ALMS Last Lap At Laguna Seca
Racing today has become about closeness. Photo finishes, improved safety and lowered operating costs have made many sanctioning bodies look to spec racing, where all the cars are the same and the contest then becomes a driver vs. driver battle.
The major casualty in these forms of racing (ie: IndyCar, NASCAR, etc.) has been truth in engineering and innovation. There is not much you can do to innovate without breaking the rules - and being hung out to dry for it.
When the American LeMans Series (ALMS) came to the Monterey Coast at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, this theory was thrown to the dogs as multiple chassis, motor, and tire combinations had no hindrance on the level of competition. The four hour enduro proved to be an absolute slugfest. It looked far more like a 20 mile sprint as it proved one of the most closely contested, nail biting, bump-and-rub fests of sports cars and prototypes lapping the twisty, hilly 2.238 mile circuit in 1:13.948 while making insane 10,000 rpm noises. Read more...
The major casualty in these forms of racing (ie: IndyCar, NASCAR, etc.) has been truth in engineering and innovation. There is not much you can do to innovate without breaking the rules - and being hung out to dry for it.
When the American LeMans Series (ALMS) came to the Monterey Coast at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, this theory was thrown to the dogs as multiple chassis, motor, and tire combinations had no hindrance on the level of competition. The four hour enduro proved to be an absolute slugfest. It looked far more like a 20 mile sprint as it proved one of the most closely contested, nail biting, bump-and-rub fests of sports cars and prototypes lapping the twisty, hilly 2.238 mile circuit in 1:13.948 while making insane 10,000 rpm noises. Read more...
DRIVER SEAT> Ferrari vs Lambo At Exotics Racing
It doesn't matter if you're male or female; young or old. Everyone loves exotic cars - especially Ferrari and Lamborghini. They're beautiful; they're fast; they're exclusive. Unfortunately for most, this exclusivity stems from the fact that they're also very rare and expensive; some people never even get the chance to drive an exotic super car in their entire lifetime. The lust for exotic automobiles begins when you are a child - every car lover dreams of driving an exotic car, but usually they only get to play with smaller scale toy versions.
Luckily for us, MotorMavens sharpshooter Mike Kim and I were given the rare opportunity to test drive a pair of exotic supercars on a race track at Exotics Racing in Las Vegas! Located just a few freeway exits away from The Las Vegas Strip, Exotics Racing blends all the luxury and service that one expects from a Las Vegas Resort with an amazing supercar driving experience.
To be honest, Mike and I have always thought that test driving cars like the Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Aventador, Mercedes Benz SLS AMG, Audi R8 and Aston Martin V8 Vantage were out of our price range, so we never really bothered to look into it. Big mistake. As it turns out, our stupid assumptions were wrong. Completely wrong! Read more...
Luckily for us, MotorMavens sharpshooter Mike Kim and I were given the rare opportunity to test drive a pair of exotic supercars on a race track at Exotics Racing in Las Vegas! Located just a few freeway exits away from The Las Vegas Strip, Exotics Racing blends all the luxury and service that one expects from a Las Vegas Resort with an amazing supercar driving experience.
To be honest, Mike and I have always thought that test driving cars like the Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Aventador, Mercedes Benz SLS AMG, Audi R8 and Aston Martin V8 Vantage were out of our price range, so we never really bothered to look into it. Big mistake. As it turns out, our stupid assumptions were wrong. Completely wrong! Read more...
COVERAGE> Supercar Sunday – Sex On Wheels!
I always seem to get up too late on weekends to go to early morning events like Supercar Sunday in Woodland Hills and Cars And Coffee in Irvine CA. I think that's a behavior that needs to change. Until yesterday, I just didn't realize how much automotive epicness I was missing - I can sleep when I'm dead!
Yesterday, I got up before dawn and made my way to the Westfield Promenade Mall off Topanga Canyon and the 101 freeway to meet up with other members of the MotorMavens Crew for a morning of photo taking, Instagramming (Follow us: @MOTORMAVENS), and talking cars! Read more...
Yesterday, I got up before dawn and made my way to the Westfield Promenade Mall off Topanga Canyon and the 101 freeway to meet up with other members of the MotorMavens Crew for a morning of photo taking, Instagramming (Follow us: @MOTORMAVENS), and talking cars! Read more...
COVERAGE> Rainy Day Racing at LBGP ALMS
The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach opened today with a practice session of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). Even though the practice session opened with a heavy downpour, we were super excited to shoot the amazing looking cars as rain soaked our cameras and permeated through our clothing, down to our socks. Even though racing on a rainy day through a street course with big concrete barriers may be a grueling nightmare for many drivers, these conditions are perfect for some spectacular photos. The weather may not have been as nice as the Formula Drift event last weekend, but its a nice change to what seems like an eternally sunny Southern California. Read more...
VIDEO> Liberty Walk : Lamborghinis in Japan
If you’ve never heard of Liberty Walk from Japan, you’d better watch this video immediately. The very first time I ever saw anything on Liberty Walk printed in a US-based publication was in a feature printed in Heavy Hitters Magazine. It immediately caught my attention – not just because of all the exotic Italian cars being driven through the streets of Japan, but also because it told the story of a shop owner who built his business from the ground up, buying and selling cars until he could afford his very first exotic. The story of Liberty Walk is truly inspiring; it is literally a story of rags to riches! (more…)
CARSPOTTING> Our Favorite Cars at SEMA 2011
SEMA Show 2011 is here! Here at the Las Vegas Convention Center, there are still quite a few vendors and car builders doing last minute prep work at their respective booths. As I walked amidst the hustle and bustle of the 2011 SEMA Show, I've been "live blogging" by posting photos of cars that caught my eye! Follow @MOTORMAVENS on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook so you can see our favorite cars only moments after we spot them ourselves!
Of course, EVERYONE has been hypebeasting about the newly built Porsches by Rauh Welt Begriff. As excited as I am to see RWB Porsches in the USA for the first time, people-in-the-know have already been following the builds online... so I decided not to lead off with those photos for our SEMA coverage. We'll be posting more about Rauh Welt soon enough... but since everyone knows what the RWB Porsches look like, let's have a look at some of the other stylish cars at this year's SEMA! Read more...
Of course, EVERYONE has been hypebeasting about the newly built Porsches by Rauh Welt Begriff. As excited as I am to see RWB Porsches in the USA for the first time, people-in-the-know have already been following the builds online... so I decided not to lead off with those photos for our SEMA coverage. We'll be posting more about Rauh Welt soon enough... but since everyone knows what the RWB Porsches look like, let's have a look at some of the other stylish cars at this year's SEMA! Read more...
COVERAGE> The Nürburgring 24Hour With Falken
Hello MotorMavens! A quick introduction before I tell you about our recent journey over to Germany. My name is Jordan Butters and I am Editor of Drifted.com.
I was recently chatting with Antonio Alvendia about a trip I took to the Nürburgring on behalf of Falken Tyres Europe and the Team Falken UK drift team and he kindly allowed me to show you my shots and experience of the N24 Race here on MotorMavens. Read more...
I was recently chatting with Antonio Alvendia about a trip I took to the Nürburgring on behalf of Falken Tyres Europe and the Team Falken UK drift team and he kindly allowed me to show you my shots and experience of the N24 Race here on MotorMavens. Read more...
GALLERY> Scenes from the Long Beach Grand Prix
This past weekend, the Toyota Grand Prix took over the streets of Long Beach, CA. This annual three-day festival of speed consisted of the Izod IndyCar Series, the American Le Mans Series, Firestone Indy Lights, Toyota Pro Celebrity Race, SCCA Pro World Challenge Championship, and a team tandem competition from Formula Drift. We don't normally cover open wheel racing on Motor Mavens, but since we were all in Long Beach two weeks ago for Round 1 of the Formula Drift series, we thought it would be pretty interesting to experience the annual Long Beach Grand Prix to show a little bit of contrast on the site.
Britain's Mike Conway (above) emerged as the winner of the IZOD IndyCar race. Last year, Conway fractured a vertebrae and broke his leg during the Indianapolis 500. An injury like that would spell the end of a racing career for some people, but Conway was able to overcome that incredible setback and take his first IndyCar win at Long Beach. What a way to make a comeback! Read more...
WEBMINING > Ferrari 612 GTO Concept
Getting a design off the drawing board and into development can be an arduous task in the best of times but, after Ferrari's release of the 599 GTO, it may be quite some time before we see this beauty on the roads. So, if you're like me, you're asking "what has Ferrari planned for us in 2012 to replace the over-sized, grand tourer 612 Scaglietti?" Berlin-based designer Sasha Selipanov, AKA "The Angry Car Designer", has conjured up one fantastic design possibility for Big Brother's replacement.
This killer 612 GTO concept combines the sinuous lines of Ferrari's latest models with a nod to the famed 250 GTO. Just try to remember that the pictures you are now salivating over...are just renderings. Sorry to burst any newbie bubbles but any exposure to the renderings and concept cars of this industry should leave us all with one clear message: this may very well be the most beautiful car never to be built. After all, there is more than a slight chance that this design won't make it past the design room. However, despite the unfortunate realities of auto design and manufacturing, Selipanov continues to design drop dead gorgeous super cars. Read more...
This killer 612 GTO concept combines the sinuous lines of Ferrari's latest models with a nod to the famed 250 GTO. Just try to remember that the pictures you are now salivating over...are just renderings. Sorry to burst any newbie bubbles but any exposure to the renderings and concept cars of this industry should leave us all with one clear message: this may very well be the most beautiful car never to be built. After all, there is more than a slight chance that this design won't make it past the design room. However, despite the unfortunate realities of auto design and manufacturing, Selipanov continues to design drop dead gorgeous super cars. Read more...
ARCHAEOLOGY> Imports at Bonneville Salt Flats
I'm stoked to be writing about the Bonneville Salt Flats for MotorMavens! I've been a HUGE fan of the site since it started last year. A super quick intro might be in order, I guess... I'm Chris Hecht, originally from SoCal, now living in Utah. I'm a husband of ten years, father of four boys, Quality Engineer for a medical device manufacturer by day, and car fanatic by... day and night. I live two hours from Lands End - where paved road meets the other planet known as the Bonneville Salt Flats.
I've been going to Bonneville's "Great White Dyno" for three (going on four) years. I was first invited out by my co-worker and friend Dallas Volk (too bad he's no relation to Volk wheels haha) - but he is a member of the prestigious 200MPH Club. He and his family have been racing a 1929 Ford Roadster his entire life. Dallas, his dad Larry (current President of the 200MPH Club!), brother Patrick and sister Allison (nicknamed "Hollywood") are all in the 200MPH Club. I'm not, but I have contracted a dreaded disease...
I've officially been diagnosed with Salt Fever - and it's uber contagious. Bonneville has its own culture and feel, just like drifting, time attack or drag racing. There are the old timers and veterans who keep the traditions alive with the new blood learning the ropes while adding their own style, flair and background.
I hope to bring to the MotorMavens readers a view of this motorsport and share the cars and culture that make it what it is today. For this first post, we'll have a look at some of the import land speed cars I've spotted. As you'd guess, the majority of cars built to make top speed runs down the long salt, of course, are American. However, the great part about Bonneville (and El Mirage) is that there are A LOT of classes to run in - many of which are perfect for Japanese and European cars because of their engine selections and aerodynamics.
Check the first picture. This Ferrari (#288) runs in the AA/BGMS class (AA = over 500 cubic inches, Blown (super or turbocharger), Gas Modified Sports). According to SCTA's site, it went 235mph and there's a comment on the notes..."Smoke?" Like any motorsport, land speed racing is all about the details. Check the front fenders...aero diffusers (not sure what they call them) to help direct the airflow and add stability. Most of these cars never see a wind tunnel, but the aero tricks are tried and true. Read more...
I've been going to Bonneville's "Great White Dyno" for three (going on four) years. I was first invited out by my co-worker and friend Dallas Volk (too bad he's no relation to Volk wheels haha) - but he is a member of the prestigious 200MPH Club. He and his family have been racing a 1929 Ford Roadster his entire life. Dallas, his dad Larry (current President of the 200MPH Club!), brother Patrick and sister Allison (nicknamed "Hollywood") are all in the 200MPH Club. I'm not, but I have contracted a dreaded disease...
I've officially been diagnosed with Salt Fever - and it's uber contagious. Bonneville has its own culture and feel, just like drifting, time attack or drag racing. There are the old timers and veterans who keep the traditions alive with the new blood learning the ropes while adding their own style, flair and background.
I hope to bring to the MotorMavens readers a view of this motorsport and share the cars and culture that make it what it is today. For this first post, we'll have a look at some of the import land speed cars I've spotted. As you'd guess, the majority of cars built to make top speed runs down the long salt, of course, are American. However, the great part about Bonneville (and El Mirage) is that there are A LOT of classes to run in - many of which are perfect for Japanese and European cars because of their engine selections and aerodynamics.
Check the first picture. This Ferrari (#288) runs in the AA/BGMS class (AA = over 500 cubic inches, Blown (super or turbocharger), Gas Modified Sports). According to SCTA's site, it went 235mph and there's a comment on the notes..."Smoke?" Like any motorsport, land speed racing is all about the details. Check the front fenders...aero diffusers (not sure what they call them) to help direct the airflow and add stability. Most of these cars never see a wind tunnel, but the aero tricks are tried and true. Read more...
CARSPOTTING> Historic Ferrari 625/250 Testa Rossa
Several weeks ago, I spotted this immaculate Ferrari 625/250 Testa Rossa sitting all by itself in the middle of Colorado Blvd while I was at the Concorso Ferrari show in Old Town Pasadena, CA.
With so many amazing Ferraris lining the street, I was really lucky to have met the owner (most of them were away from their vehicles) and talk to him a little bit about the car, while chief MotorMaven Antonio Alvendia shot photos. It wasn’t until I got home, however, that I discovered the rich history of this car and its owner - Bruce Meyer.
Bruce Meyer has been a renowned classic car collector for years and is widely known for his collection of cars - a collection which contains such prized pieces as Clark Gable's Mercedes 300SL convertible, Steve McQueen’s Porsche 356, and even the classic Concours d'Elegance show-winning Duesenberg. He’s also the founding chairman of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA. These bullet points are all extremely impressive, but we can always revisit Mr Meyer's background at another time - I want to talk about the gorgeous silver car in the photos! Read more...
With so many amazing Ferraris lining the street, I was really lucky to have met the owner (most of them were away from their vehicles) and talk to him a little bit about the car, while chief MotorMaven Antonio Alvendia shot photos. It wasn’t until I got home, however, that I discovered the rich history of this car and its owner - Bruce Meyer.
Bruce Meyer has been a renowned classic car collector for years and is widely known for his collection of cars - a collection which contains such prized pieces as Clark Gable's Mercedes 300SL convertible, Steve McQueen’s Porsche 356, and even the classic Concours d'Elegance show-winning Duesenberg. He’s also the founding chairman of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA. These bullet points are all extremely impressive, but we can always revisit Mr Meyer's background at another time - I want to talk about the gorgeous silver car in the photos! Read more...
COVERAGE> Concorso Ferrari on Pasadena Streets
Last weekend, I made the trek out from my Orange County home to meet up with Antonio Alvendia at the Concorso Ferrari, where the streets of Old Town Pasadena were closed down and overrun by tons of gorgeous, shiny Ferraris as far as the eye could see.
We don't normally attend these types of events to shoot coverage for our website, but since this all happened right next to where Antonio lives, we figured we should check it out. Anyway, who wouldn't want to spend the day with tons of beautiful Italian cars? I was dumbfounded by how many gorgeous looking Ferraris turned up to fill up all of Pasadena's famous Colorado Boulevard. Read more...
We don't normally attend these types of events to shoot coverage for our website, but since this all happened right next to where Antonio lives, we figured we should check it out. Anyway, who wouldn't want to spend the day with tons of beautiful Italian cars? I was dumbfounded by how many gorgeous looking Ferraris turned up to fill up all of Pasadena's famous Colorado Boulevard. Read more...
SHOPAHOLIC> GMG Racing Open House
This past weekend, there were far too many events to cover, but I decided to make a quick stopover at the Global Motorsports Group (GMG) open house event. Antonio Alvendia, Edward Uche and I made the trek out to Santa Ana, California to check out some of the race-spec Porsches as well as the other customer cars that made it out on Saturday.
For you MotorMavens readers out there who aren't familiar with GMG (a Porsche tuning company), here's a little info. Founded in 2001 by James Sofronas and Fabryce Kutyba, GMG quickly rose up in the ranks as a premier tuning facility through racing in the SCCA World Challenge GT Series and ALMS race series. The guys were able to draw on their extensive racing background (with knowledge gained through painstaking R&D) to bring racing performance to their customers' street cars. GMG's primary focus is Porsches, but their shop doesn't shy away from Ferraris, Audis and Volkswagens - they cater to all German/Italian automobiles. Read more...
For you MotorMavens readers out there who aren't familiar with GMG (a Porsche tuning company), here's a little info. Founded in 2001 by James Sofronas and Fabryce Kutyba, GMG quickly rose up in the ranks as a premier tuning facility through racing in the SCCA World Challenge GT Series and ALMS race series. The guys were able to draw on their extensive racing background (with knowledge gained through painstaking R&D) to bring racing performance to their customers' street cars. GMG's primary focus is Porsches, but their shop doesn't shy away from Ferraris, Audis and Volkswagens - they cater to all German/Italian automobiles. Read more...
