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...
COVERAGE> Speed&Stance Swarms SpeedVentures
This weekend's inaugural Speed&Stance meet was crazy!!! I can't believe so many people turned up to the event, because we organized and promoted the entire thing in only five days. FIVE DAYS! Thanks to our friends at Speed Ventures, we were able to throw this gigantic car event in the parking lot of Auto Club Speedway in Fontana!
We advertised the meet to run between 12 noon and 5pm, but every single one of the infield parking lots at the speedway were FULL by 2:45pm! There was a crazy line of cars backed up from the infield parking, through the tunnel, wrapping all the way around to the Cherry Avenue entrance! I was told that once the parking lots allocated to the event hit capacity, the people at the gates had to turn away well over 100 cars! Insane.
Since traffic and road congestion became an issue, the good folks from Auto Club Speedway quickly opened up a couple more parking lots so that cars could pre-stage before rolling in to the actual show area, which saw both autocross and high speed road racing with Speed Ventures on the ROVAL course, and a beginner level car control clinic for Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ owners called the 86 Dynamic Driving Academy. Read more...
We advertised the meet to run between 12 noon and 5pm, but every single one of the infield parking lots at the speedway were FULL by 2:45pm! There was a crazy line of cars backed up from the infield parking, through the tunnel, wrapping all the way around to the Cherry Avenue entrance! I was told that once the parking lots allocated to the event hit capacity, the people at the gates had to turn away well over 100 cars! Insane.
Since traffic and road congestion became an issue, the good folks from Auto Club Speedway quickly opened up a couple more parking lots so that cars could pre-stage before rolling in to the actual show area, which saw both autocross and high speed road racing with Speed Ventures on the ROVAL course, and a beginner level car control clinic for Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ owners called the 86 Dynamic Driving Academy. Read more...
COVERAGE> ALMS Street Fight In Long Beach
Endurance racing has always been about how hard and how long you can go. For almost a century, legendary races like Le Mans, Sebring, and Daytona have made history as a proving ground for men and their machines. The Streets of Long Beach circuit brought a similar challenge to the cars and stars of the American LeMans Series (ALMS) on Saturday Afternoon.
In just two hours, 157 miles would be traveled and 36.329 seconds would separate an endurance racing champion from a former Formula One star - and with the win, produce the winning-est driver in American LeMans series history - a man who only turned a wheel for 25 minutes. Read more...
In just two hours, 157 miles would be traveled and 36.329 seconds would separate an endurance racing champion from a former Formula One star - and with the win, produce the winning-est driver in American LeMans series history - a man who only turned a wheel for 25 minutes. Read more...
COVERAGE> ALMS Long Beach Street Circuit
The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach kicked off this morning with the American LeMans cars circling the track. At 7:30AM, the pleasant sound of birds chirping was interrupted by an even better sound - a symphony of exhaust notes produced by the thirty three competition cars of the ALMS Series. All the people in the neighboring apartments definitely woke up to the sound of screaming engines if they weren't awake already!
The Streets of Long Beach get transformed into a race track about 2 months before the annual Long Beach Grand Prix and as it gets closer to race day you can almost feel the excitement in the air. This will be the last year in which the ALMS will be running as a stand alone series, merging with Grand Am racing in 2014, and ultimately becoming the United SportsCar Racing Series. Read more...
The Streets of Long Beach get transformed into a race track about 2 months before the annual Long Beach Grand Prix and as it gets closer to race day you can almost feel the excitement in the air. This will be the last year in which the ALMS will be running as a stand alone series, merging with Grand Am racing in 2014, and ultimately becoming the United SportsCar Racing Series. Read more...
COVERAGE> Cars Of The 2013 New York Auto Show
NYIAS is here! The New York International Auto Show Media Preview Days have just kicked off, giving members of the automotive press a sneak peek into what's new from all the automotive manufacturers this year. There are tons of cars to look at and lots of ground to cover, so we'll keep updating you with more photo updates on the blog and of course, our social stream... Read more...
VIDEO> A Close Look At The Singer Porsche 911
Ever since I first laid my eyes on Singer’s customized interior treatment, I’ve been in love with the Singer Porsche 911. It looks pretty damn perfect in my eyes.
It’s the precise blend of vintage Porsche soul, mixed in with some modern touches that don’t ruin the nostalgic aesthetic of the car. I wish more retro car builders would take notes from the examples that Singer has created! (more…)
CENTER STAGE> Hwy 341 Hillclimb Hero Porsche
Just thirty minutes south of Reno Nevada and 40 minutes east of Lake Tahoe lies the most dangerous stretch of highway in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and quite possibly, the entire west coast - Nevada State Route 341.
As the twisty road slices through the mountains towards the oldest city in the state of Nevada, a gold and silver mining town called Virginia City, it allures drivers with breathtaking views of the snow capped mountains in the Sierras - but this is all part of Highway 341's deadly charm.
Drivers who are tempted into gazing upon the majestic beauty of the Sierras while behind the wheel are often fooled into making fatal mistakes at high speed. Taking one's eyes off the single lane road even for just a few seconds can easily lead drivers headfirst into the rocky face of the mountain, or worse - off the treacherous cliff side, where the drop is hundreds of feet, with sharp boulders and abandoned mine shafts below.
For close to twenty years, a man named Duck Fuson has been challenging Highway 341 in a 1974 Porsche 911. This is his story. Read more...
As the twisty road slices through the mountains towards the oldest city in the state of Nevada, a gold and silver mining town called Virginia City, it allures drivers with breathtaking views of the snow capped mountains in the Sierras - but this is all part of Highway 341's deadly charm.
Drivers who are tempted into gazing upon the majestic beauty of the Sierras while behind the wheel are often fooled into making fatal mistakes at high speed. Taking one's eyes off the single lane road even for just a few seconds can easily lead drivers headfirst into the rocky face of the mountain, or worse - off the treacherous cliff side, where the drop is hundreds of feet, with sharp boulders and abandoned mine shafts below.
For close to twenty years, a man named Duck Fuson has been challenging Highway 341 in a 1974 Porsche 911. This is his story. Read more...
CAR&CULTURE> MotorMavens Adventures in Spain
For the past ten years, I've been traveling to Japan to take photos and learn about the interesting car culture there. I've also traveled to places like Germany, the UK, Belgium, and Greece, but never once have I been to Spain... until now! Ah, España! In just a couple of hours, I'll be traveling there for the very first time, and I'm so excited!
Truth be told, I'm not heading there to attend a motorsports event or anything like that - I'm there on other business. However, by Facebook chatting with a fellow AE86er who hails from Madrid, Jorge Azcoitia Moreno, I learned about some of the exciting things that his hometown of Madrid has to offer. Aside from amazing paella at Casa Nemesio near Plaza de Castilla and patatas bravas from Las Bravas, I also learned about the local racetrack, Circuito del Jarama, and the Jarama Vintage Car Festival. Read more...
Truth be told, I'm not heading there to attend a motorsports event or anything like that - I'm there on other business. However, by Facebook chatting with a fellow AE86er who hails from Madrid, Jorge Azcoitia Moreno, I learned about some of the exciting things that his hometown of Madrid has to offer. Aside from amazing paella at Casa Nemesio near Plaza de Castilla and patatas bravas from Las Bravas, I also learned about the local racetrack, Circuito del Jarama, and the Jarama Vintage Car Festival. Read more...
COVERAGE> Carspotting at SEMA 2012 Las Vegas
We're here at SEMA 2012 in Las Vegas! We once again arrived to the capital of customizations in the automotive world. From everything old school, to the latest in cutting edge automotive technology we'll bring you the latest and greatest in automotive aftermarket industry. Follow our @MOTORMAVENS Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr for our live feed with the latest photos from the show and the afterparties. We'll be posting photos of cars and models live in real time as we encounter them! Read more...
GALLERY> Nisei Showoff Vs Infamous Long Beach
This past weekend, there were tons of automotive events happening, so those of us located in Southern California faced a dilemma - should we go to Nisei Showoff or Infamous?!
The tried and true Import Showoff event thrown by legendary import carshow promoter Ken Miyoshi during Downtown LA's annual Nisei Week Festival in Little Tokyo is always a good time. Everyone knows that Nisei Showoff symbolizes the best of the best - the highest standard in modified import cars, with attendance by the OG crews that used to run the streets of Los Angeles when the sport compact scene was just beginning to blow up. The whole vibe at Nisei Showoff feels a bit nostalgic, to be honest. Can it be that it was all so simple then? Good cars and good friends in a relaxed atmosphere, surrounded by good Japanese restaurants and boutique shops in Little Tokyo.
However, some young car enthusiasts don't care about memory lane nostalgia or waxing poetic about the good old days. For this rapidly growing new generation of frame-scraping tire stretchers, the newly conceptualized Infamous show was thrown as a collaboration between the Fatlace and Canibeat Crews at the Queen Mary in Long Beach.
It's obvious that MotorMavens connects to both scenes and both types of automotive taste, so those who follow @MOTORMAVENS on Instagram and Twitter already know that we decided to hit both shows. Here's a quick gallery of images from both events! Read more...
The tried and true Import Showoff event thrown by legendary import carshow promoter Ken Miyoshi during Downtown LA's annual Nisei Week Festival in Little Tokyo is always a good time. Everyone knows that Nisei Showoff symbolizes the best of the best - the highest standard in modified import cars, with attendance by the OG crews that used to run the streets of Los Angeles when the sport compact scene was just beginning to blow up. The whole vibe at Nisei Showoff feels a bit nostalgic, to be honest. Can it be that it was all so simple then? Good cars and good friends in a relaxed atmosphere, surrounded by good Japanese restaurants and boutique shops in Little Tokyo.
However, some young car enthusiasts don't care about memory lane nostalgia or waxing poetic about the good old days. For this rapidly growing new generation of frame-scraping tire stretchers, the newly conceptualized Infamous show was thrown as a collaboration between the Fatlace and Canibeat Crews at the Queen Mary in Long Beach.
It's obvious that MotorMavens connects to both scenes and both types of automotive taste, so those who follow @MOTORMAVENS on Instagram and Twitter already know that we decided to hit both shows. Here's a quick gallery of images from both events! Read more...
COVERAGE> Wheelspotting At Wekfest Long Beach
Long Beach is quickly becoming one of my favorite venues for automotive events. This weekend, our friends from Weksos Industries made the trek down to Los Angeles to hold yet another Wekfest event in Southern Cali. Even though the event is pronounced "weak-fest" and their company name is pronounced "weak sauce," the turnout was anything but weak. Lowlife car owners from all over California and Nevada scraped their oilpans all the way to the Queen Mary to show off their first class wheel fitment. Read more...
CARSPOTTING> Crashing A Vintage Porsche Event
There really is nothing like a vintage Porsche 911. Ever since the first time I was able to actually see and hear an actual 1970s Porsche 911 race car running through Nurburgring Nordschleife on my first trip to Germany, I've been lusting after a 911 of my own. Shortly thereafter, I was given the opportunity to visit the Porsche test track in Leipzig, Germany, where I got the chance to get up close and personal with an authentic 1973 911 Carrera RS, which was wheeled out from the Porsche Museum so I could take it out on the track! I really need at least one of these in my life.
Needless to say, I was beyond excited when I attended this gathering of Porsches in Woodland Hills, CA. There were several gorgeous cars from different model years in attendance, but none of the cars truly captured my attention like these retro race-themed 911s. Read more...
Needless to say, I was beyond excited when I attended this gathering of Porsches in Woodland Hills, CA. There were several gorgeous cars from different model years in attendance, but none of the cars truly captured my attention like these retro race-themed 911s. Read more...
COVERAGE> Southern Wörthersee Show, Helen GA
For two decades, the beautiful Lake Wörthersee vacation area in Reifnitz, Austria has played host to Volkswagen Audi Group enthusiasts (VAG) from all over the globe in what has become known as the Wörthersee Tour. Southern Wörthersee, commonly referred to as SoWo by fans, formed and bore the name as an annual gathering in the Bavarian-themed town of Helen, Georgia.
The spirit of this gathering is truly authentic as the entirety of this small town honors the tradition. In no other gathering of imports could a clean Evo look out of place! The local restaurants prepare bratwursts and fill steins at a reduced rate and the streets proudly bear the SoWo insignia as European cars arrive from all over the country. Read more...
The spirit of this gathering is truly authentic as the entirety of this small town honors the tradition. In no other gathering of imports could a clean Evo look out of place! The local restaurants prepare bratwursts and fill steins at a reduced rate and the streets proudly bear the SoWo insignia as European cars arrive from all over the country. 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...
PERSPECTIVE> My First Experience At Nurburgring
First impressions are lasting impressions, and my first impression about the Nurburgring is that it's absolutely unreal. As you make your way into the Eifel Mountain region of western Germany, it becomes more and more difficult to comprehend that something like the Nordschleife exists. The cascading mountains covered in dense forest, although the perfect place for your dream course or a video game, don't seem a feasible locale for a high speed, high stakes race track. I would liken the feeling to going to an amusement park as a kid and trying to fathom that so much awesome could be in one place. In today's world of rules, regulations, and protocol, this place should not happen (at least not easily and with lots of paperwork). However, the automotive dreamland that is the Nurburgring was conceived in a time when they only cared about one thing: racing. Read more...
VIDEO> Cyrious Look at 2011 Slowed Down
2011 was a pretty spectacular year of drifting for me. Being a Canadian, I got to see a whole heck of a lot of America this year – not only from all the different rounds of Formula Drift that I and the rest of the Drift Posse participated in, but also as a result of a tour that saw me flying around the country for three months. (more…)
CENTER STAGE> Fifteen52 Volkswagen Jetta Variant
The first time I met Matt Crooke, co-owner of Fifteen52, was on a cold night in Upland, California. We were at a locally-famous restaurant called The Hat, which is known for their great pastrami sandwiches. However, I wasn't there for the beef. I was there for the weekly gathering of Volkswagens that come out in droves just to hang out and chit-chat about the trials and tribulations of owning and modding a Volkswagen. We quickly got acquainted and I soon found out what Fifteen52 really meant. Read more...
COVERAGE> Live Blogging The 2011 LA Auto Show
The 2011 LA Auto Show is here! Over 50 cars are making their debuts at this year’s LA Auto Show, with 20 of them being international debuts! Make sure you are following @MOTORMAVENS on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook our for LIVE up-to-the-minute photo updates of the coolest cars at the show! We’ll be live blogging today and tomorrow to bring you the best cars of the show, as well as some behind the scenes moments that most people won’t get to see normally! (more…)
COVERAGE> More Photos From SEMA Show 2011
The week of SEMA 2011 was one of the most fun and exhausting weeks I've ever had. Between exploring the show floor to scout cars and meet new people, live blog updates on the MotorMavens Instagram channel, and attending all the after parties... SEMA was one hell of an adventure. Since it was my first time at SEMA, I wanted to take full charge of covering everything I could. It was definitely not an easy task to take on - even with some help from my friend Terry Pham from DSTROYR,who helped me scout some cool cars. Read more...
VIDEO> TRG Porsches Take On Road America
TRG takes on Road America from TRG on Vimeo.
Two weeks ago, I had the chance to shoot and edit a video for a Porsche team at an American Le Mans Series race (ALMS). I’ll admit, when I got the call, I wasn’t sure exactly what went down at these races. What would the vibe be like? How intense are the media regulations? Who was The Racer’s Group?
When we arrived at Road America – just outside Elk Hart Lake, Wisconsin – on a qualifying day, I saw firsthand the amount of team work, technology, focus and resources that went into a race like this. I had no idea! They had engineers on site, top tier mechanics, 100% accurate pit crews… They had the car examined and tested every chance they could get. Once out of the car, the driver goes over corner-by-corner analysis of the track, vehicle/driver characteristics and stats with a team member. They have amazing food for the drivers to stay at their best, and multiple haulers and trailers for the team to rest and stay prepped in the heat.
Getting out to the track and finally seeing the cars fly by was out of this world. The Porsches I shot for The Racer’s Group were sharing the track with the GTC3 cars and the prototypes! These guys are passing and sliding around the track at an unbelievable speed. (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...
ROADTRIP> Spectre 341 Virginia City Hillclimb
This weekend, the MotorMavens Crew split up and went to several different events - while most of our friends were out in New Jersey for the latest round of the Formula Drift Championship, I decided to check out the annual Spectre 341 Challenge (aka the Virginia City Hillclimb) event happening roughly 30 minutes outside of Reno, Nevada. As I arrived into the wild west town of Virginia City and walked through the parking lot of the Silverland Hotel (designated the pit area for the race teams), I saw a good mixture of professionally prepared race cars, classic American muscle, and privately owned exotics getting ready to run up the treacherous winding road of Nevada State Highway 341. Read more...
VIDEO> Audi Wins 24 Hours of Le Mans Once Again!
The 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans was filled with despair, heartache, and extreme difficulty yet, despite the obstacles, Audi drivers Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Benoit Treluyer drove the #2 car (an Audi R18 TDI) to the checkered flag this past Sunday. Audi overcame two spectacular crashes and held off a charging Peugeot to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, giving the German car maker its 10th title at the renowned Circuit de la Sarthe track. Audi currently holds second place for the most titles at Le Mans behind Porsche which has 16 wins. Ferrari takes bronze with nine victories. (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...
