So you thought Top Gear invented caravan racing?

So did I actually until I saw this home movie from Roy Pagliacci's collection of a caravan race at Silverstone in 1974!

Granted, Top Gear's version was more entertaining and ultimately satisfying since everyone hates the damn things but,  who knew some used to strap their 68 fastback to a caravan and go rip?

Ford Mustang GT3

(photo:Julien Mahiels)

Another car to look out for in this week end's Total 24 Hours of Spa. Video after the jump

The perfect melding of...

...Mustang, New Jersey and Killington.
Axis Styles spotted this on his last trip to Vermont, I thought the license place on the garbage can ski rack was a masterful touch!



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Scale

1970 Royale RP4 of Brian Johnson dives under the 1965 Mustang of CH De Haan at the Sebring Fall Classic by Nigel Smukkatelli

end of post

When Men were Men and Sheep were Scared

What do you think it is that makes classic DTM so irresistible? After all, it's always pretty much the same footage, someone out there cuts it together in a new way and yet we cannot help but be mesmerized.

Is it the cars? The wild abandon with which they were driven? Or is it just good editing? Whatever the reason, we never tire looking at more and AFTER THE JUMP don't miss yet another great clip, complete with appropriate Deutsche Rock soundtrack, Axis Justin found for us.

Help us figure out what makes Classic DTM so impossible to ignore.




(clip by DTMenthusiast)

The Fastest Piston-Engine Things in the World

OK, take everything you've learned about auto racing and throw it out the window (except for that universal rule stating "more money buys more speed")... this is very different, but will stir your soul in much the same way.




There's nothing like watching a small group of America's most talented, financially-secure adrenaline junkies compete for glory at the Reno National Championship Air Races each September. This relatively unknown sporting event draws about a quarter-million insane fans from around the world, and the event lasts one week. Circuit speeds of up to 507mph per lap have been timed, as several modified warbirds push (and often breach) the limits of hotrodding technology to traverse the 9-mile oval course as quickly as they can. Who are these people? Quite simply- I think the pilots and owners are the guys and gals (and former astronauts) who are simply bored to death by silly horse racing.


But 4500 horses produced by 18 nitrous-breathing cylinders, pulling a lone man? Yeah, that seems to do it for them. And that's also what it takes to hold the 3-kilometer world speed record (for propellers) at 528.329mph. Meet Lyle Shelton's Rare Bear, a highly-modified Grumman F8F Bearcat (the WWII-era spiritual father to the F-14, if you will) that has been setting speed and altitude records (and winning Reno) since the 1960s.

During the course of the off-season (which pretty much encompasses 50 weeks of the year), the Bear was sold to a new owner and is having a ground-up rebuild (not her first, mind you), which includes a fresh racing engine. The work should be done in time for Reno, which is the only thing that matters in the minds of Rare Bear fans around the world.

True air racing (not that Red Bull junk) has no dollars generated by mega-sponsors or TV rights. It is self-propelled by the participants and the frightfully loyal (albeit small) fanbase. There is no other motorsport quite like this. Some of the races have well-sorted finishes, while others are so close you can't breathe until it's over. The view from the grandstand is unbelievable, though it helps to have a pair of binoculars. People come from all over the world to see it just once. You should, too.




All images Copyright 2007 Axis of Oversteer.
All Rights Reserved.