Put your headphones on

No, seriously, put your headphones on...



Holy crap, this is beyond awesome,  Bravo Bozzy!

What makes it so awesome is the 3d binaural sound,  you will feel like you spent 20 minutes walking around Monza's Parco Reale during the recent ELMS testing.

How does 2017 F1 compare?   Well,  for sure the engines sound bizarre but in no way could you say they are not loud!

What does it feel like to drive Mount Panorama?

Sadly, I can't tell you from personal experience but there is nothing like a properly mounted helmet camera to put you in the driver's seat.

You are riding with Christopher Mies in and Audi R8 LMS during the 2016 Liquid Moly Bathurst 12 Hour week end.  Turn up the volume.



The ideal placement for a POV camera is as close to eye level and as centered as possible but, unfortunately, there are no perfect mounting solutions out there at the moment.   There are accessories for other positions but, mounting the camera on the side of the helmet doesn't look right, on top is too high and on the chin bar,  too low.

The best spot for a POV camera is on top of the visor in the middle.    Marshall Pruett came up with this placement and method, aided by abundant gaffer's tape to produce the great POV videos that occasionally appear on Racer's web site.

Incredibly, nobody has yet stepped up with a proper mount for this location without having a big contraption sticking out from your helmet.  
I've used a modified version of Marshall's mounting technique involving 3M Dual Lock tape and the GoPro upside down to line up the lens  even more.   Obviously this is particular setup is adapter for a closed car where you might keep your visor open and not ideal if you need to close it.

Perhaps someone out there knows of a better way or might like to step up and design something that will work better because this IS the sweet spot for in car POV shots.

Pure racing: Overtaking class on Mount Panorama.

Chris Walsham/Facebook

Some of the best racing you never hear anything about.

Fast, new cars are glamorous and exciting but even Saint Ayrton said the best, purest racing he ever did was as an amateur.

So you probably seen Sabine "Queen of the Ring" Schmitz passing a spectacular number of cars in a VLN race  before.   Amazing stuff but the (hopefully) future Top Gear host is a full time professional,  driving the latest model from Porsche, prepared by a very experienced team, on a track she literally grew up driving on.

With that in mind,  I give you Joseph Lethal, killing it at a support race for the 2016 Bathurst 12 hours.    Lenthall built and prepared his first gen RX7 and this was his first time racing on the mountain course!
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Couple of things jump out:  

Very smooth, cool driving.

Love the dog leg box and how the engine seemingly revs to 4 million rpm.

That car is hooked up.

Damn, the track is narrow,  makes passing at the Nurburgring seem simple.

So why did Joseph start 49th anyway ?  

“Last weekend, I travelled to Bathurst to race at Mount Panorama for the first time. After walking the track and being told where not to stick it into the fence, I came back to a prepared car thanks to my crew.

“Practice was great and we finished P14 out of a 61- car field. Qualifying was also good, with another P14 and some time left in the car.

“I got a woeful start in race 1 and dropped back to about 18th. After making my way past a few cars, the alternator belt flicked off and the car stopped coming out of turn 3. Unfortunately, between myself and the marshals, we then badly bent the front of the car while trying to load it on the truck.

“Enter my crew again, who through a drill, hammer, cable ties and race tape straightened the front and got the car ready for Race 2. I started 49th and around the last corner; eventually I finished 15th with a straight and running car.

“I can now say that I have raced my Mazda at Bathurst and it was bloody fantastic.”

Pure racing.

Enjoy it

(tx to Gordon Mellis and Autoaction.com.au)

Corvette's OEM video data recorder!

Hats off to GM for taking the whole dash cam / data recorder trend to its logical conclusion.  With the C7 Z06 about to be unveiled,  future warranty claim discussions could potentially be quite interesting....

We hope GM made this system software updatable because, frankly they displays seem very laggy and possibly with a very low sampling rate compared to what is out there on the market, from the likes of AIM, Traqmate or even for the iPhone from Harry's Laptimer.    You can see the lag better on the video clip on the Road&Track web site HERE

AIM Smartycam HD

AIM recently released an HD version of their Smartycam integrated data camera.  The Smartycam HD may not be a true HD camera as it's limited to 720p resolution but it is plenty for YouTube use and a vast improvement over the older 480p version...

Week End Time Waster: Weirdest Racing Moments of 2012

Admit it, even though you've seen many of these clips on Axis before, you're going to watch all three compilations, resistance is futile! (H/T Alex C)

Porsche Motor-Cam

certainly puts a different perspective on Carrera Cup racing...in case you ever wondered what your life as a Porsche racing differential might be like.

Drones over Monaco

Freep, you know you need one....      (Via FS Aviation )

The 25

2012 Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill winner Ehret Porsche by Danny Sullivan

The 25 Hours of Thunderhil, because only 24 hours is for wimps. The NASA sanctioned event is the enduro equivalent of turning up to 11, it's one more, isn't it?

Have a look at this film, sent to us by Pete Billington showcasing three Miata fielded by the Atlanta Motorsports Group.

The main sponsor for the guys is Optrix, makers of cases which allow you to use an iPhone as an "action cam". Beyond simply protecting the phone, the Optrix case has a high quality built in wide angle lens allowing for a 175 degree field of view. All the onboard, cockpit, POV and time lapse pit shots in the film were done with iPhones.

Optrix also offers an app, Optrix Video Pro, allowing real time overlay of GPS and accelerometer data.   Some of you may be familiar with Harry's LapTimer Pro, this is a reworking of the the same software by the same designer.

The AMG crowd survived the 25 quite well at this year, a 1st, a 3rd and a 4th in class. Well done guys!

E0 Class, 4th Place
Daniel Deckers
Michael Hall
Stephan Tisseront
Kevin Baillie

E1 class, 3rd Place
Todd Lamb,
Andrew Caddell
Brad Rampelberg
Ryan Winchester

E2 class, 1st Place
Guy Laidig
Beau Borders
Todd Launchbaugh
Travis Wolcott

Film by Landis Fields, Brian Berringer, Pete Billington, Punn Wiantrakoon, Zac Wollons and Anna Fields. Music by Vincent Tone - Astronaut.

The best 2012 Petit Le Mans video you will see

Please click on the full screen icon, feel the speed, smell the brake pads...smell the BBQ!

From ZfH Productions

Ride a Monster Tiger in the Temple of Oversteer

Tiny car + small block Ford V8 x Bias Ply tires = Awesome.  The famous 1965 Sunbeam "Monster" Tiger driven at the 2012 Goodwood Revival by Tom Dyer.

It will be worth your while to set the video to full screen HD and check out the footwork. One of the cool things about the Goodwood circuit is that with its long sweeping corners, it requires little brakes. Which is just as well because period cars had no brakes.

Anyway, brakes only slow you down!

Driving a Porsche 962 on the streets of Japan

That one would choose to use a Porsche 962 on the street is silly and more about showing off than driving because you know, racecar.   But to each their own and we'll concentrate of celebrating the insanity of all those who turn racers into something else. That and this clip, by Luke Huxham, looks fantastic.

(thanks Tall Baby. Via Motorhead Magazine)

The Drive Effect.

 

Entertaining car journalism video as we know it was born in Britain with two "founding fathers": Jeremy Clarkson and Tiff Needell.

Most auto reviews in the US were in 80s MotorWeek mode, Clarkson a brilliant snarker who never minced words, blew the genre open  and created the entertainment behemoth that is Top Gear,.  For real tracktards though, Tiff was the man. While we suspect JC is a much better driver than his persona allows him to show, Tiff was always the king of sideways,  ripping around tracks he's the man who made it essential for every car reviewer to include a sideways shot, no matter how inappropriate the car.

Then, somewhere around 2007 or so Chris Harris popped up on the radar as sort of a blend of Clarkson and Needell. He had driving cred and could write with a tinge of that Clarkson irreverence. His clips for Autocar were always "the cool ones".

Late in 2011 Axis contacted Harris, CG was going to be racing in the 24 HRS of Daytona and there was an available seat in the car. We thought Evo, where Harris had moved to after a missed opportunity with the internet only magazine Driver's Republic, might be interested in covering the 50th edition on the Daytona, from the inside. But it was not to be, Harris told us he had just left EVO for a secret project that was going to be huge!

That project turned out to be Drive, a YouTube only publisher of long form automotive culture videos. By any measure, the success of Drive has been phenomenal.  From scratch, Drive has gained about 130,000 subscribers in just eight months and in the process changed the way everyone does internet videos.  Motor Trend re-launched their six year old YouTube channel with a familiar multi segment format, Car And Driver launched their version in May. Content on both of these historic publishers is quite different from what you might have seen just a year ago.

Who better to discuss the "Drive Effect" than with its creator and producer J.F. Musial.

AXIS: Tell us where the idea for Drive came from, how was it born?

J.F. MUSIAL:  In late 2006 at around the same time my good friends Alex Roy and David Maher set the transcontinental speed record from New York to Los Angeles, I met Emil Rensing. Alex had introduced me to Emil as someone that could help build the Automotive Division of the newly formed Next New Networks. I took the job working under the wings of the legendary Mike Spinelli. For those that don't know, Next New Networks was the parent company of Fast Lane Daily and Garage419. Next New Networks was eventually acquired by YouTube at the end of 2011 while at the same time I was building my own production firm, TangentVector.

Fast Lane Daily was always designed for a younger demographic. While we demonstrated the value of online video, in my opinion we were too early to the game. Our audience grew, but it was difficult to gain the trust of the automotive manufacturers and advertisers. No one at the time understood such a strange business model with a core competency focused around online video content. I always had ideas for producing something to reach a wider demographic, but it wasn't until the middle of 2011 when we had something on paper that looked feasible.

Emil and I initially had the working title of DriveIT; we never actually thought we could get the name DRIVE. Obviously should have done our due diligence earlier. Come October 2011, I started figuring out how we could financially make DRIVE work and how we could define the brand as being something unique.

Although Fast Lane Daily was not the car cult I wanted it to be, the knowledge we obtained from the show's production was undoubtedly valuable. We had produced over 1200 episodes by the end of 2011, plenty of time to learn how to make cheap car videos that looked expensive. Also with TangentVector's rapid growth, we had the expertise and equipment to produce the high production value we wanted for DRIVE. One of the most important aspects we discovered from Fast Lane Daily was the idea of routine programing schedules; training the audience to expect certain shows at certain times, much like TV.

By November 2011, I had a plan put together, a list of shows I wanted to produced that knocked on the door of all the different types of gear heads in the industry. Come December 2011 we had the most important element of DRIVE put together: The branding/graphics package. We were a small team but we needed to look big. My best friend Josh Vietze, a graphic designer, branded DRIVE in under two month. We knew we were going to have all these different shows under the DRIVE umbrella, but we needed to make sure they all felt part of the DRIVE family.

AXIS: Give us a bit of an outline of the various segments

J.F.M.:  As stated previously, we have scheduled programing. Some shows run every week of the year, while others are quarterly. Shows like SHAKEDOWN, Road Testament, and Chris Harris On Cars run every week. These are time sensitive shows. SHAKEDOWN covers motor racing while Road Testament is our op-ed section. Chris's job is to review a new car ever week. Most of the time those cars are new, but sometimes we have to default to the industry classics. E30 Rally Car anyone?

The rest of the lineup involves content not as time sensitive. TUNED with Matt Farah covers the aftermarket industry, Alex Roy's Live and Let Drive is our road trip show, RIDE APART is for our two wheeled friends, Big Muscle is the obvious muscle car show, and then we have things like DRIVE CLEAN which aims at educating the audience on how to detail their cars properly.

AXIS:  Harris is your biggest draw, how did your connection come about?

For the record, our biggest draw is our great content, not just Chris Harris. But to answer your question, I met Chris for the first time while we were filming our 24 Hours of Nurburgring Special in May of 2011; a special originally designated for Fast Lane Daily.

Prior to meeting Chris at the race, we had exchange a few e-mails but it wasn't until September 2011 that things started to come together. I had shared my ideas with him on how I wanted to build an online automotive video brand.

The biggest problem was something called the Atlantic Ocean between us and we were doing everything via email and phone calls.

During the last VLN race of 2011, a race Chris was participating in, I made the decision I needed to go finalize everything with him in person. I flew to Frankfurt on a Thursday morning, met with Chris at the Nurburgring Thursday night. Over beers we figured out how we were going to do this, then Friday morning I was on my way back to New York to figure out the rest of the DRIVE portfolio. My friends all thought I was nuts for flying to Europe for a three hour meeting with a guy named Monkey, but I think it paid off.

AXIS:  Looking at your twitter feed, it seems like you are never home....

J.F.M.:  I'm normally home in New York one week a month. No doubt the travel has taken a toll on my health at times. It all comes down to balancing the work load. Luckily, we've built out a fantastic team; I truly consider them a family.

AXIS: What is your background, when did you start in film/photography?

J.F.M.:  I went to school to be a Mechanical Engineer; that obviously didn't work out.Throughout my childhood I had always had a passion for photography. As a teenager I'd go up to Lime Rock Park and spend hours trackside taking photos of race cars. I still consider myself more of a photographer than videographer.

AXIS: How is Drive produced, can you share some tidbits for our tech savvy readers?

J.F.M.: First and foremost, it comes down to the team. All told, there are 19 people involved with DRIVE, but only ten of them are editors and shooters. You can have the badass equipment, but if the team sucks, nothing gets produced. We usually only have about 8 hours to shoot a new episode for DRIVE. Remember, we're publishing nearly three to four hours of content every week. You've got to keep the machine oiled and operating at full capacity. That means making sure team members don't burn out.

But in terms of gear we use, the typical stuff. No trade secrets: Panasonic HPX and HVX, Canon 7D and 5D, Nikon D800, Sony NEX5, and Contours for mounted shots.

AXIS: Speaking of, what would be your top tip for good video at the track?

J.F.M.:  Don't walk with your back to the traffic. All to often I see people turning their back to 180mph race cars. I was across the track from where Allan McNish went off at Le Mans in 2011. We are lucky no photographers were killed in that accident. A VERY lucky day for all parties involved.

In terms of shooting, my tip is to remember that the car is only half the story. Don't just pan with the car, establish the environment and atmosphere. Panning a car on the track with no reference points makes the car look slow. Adding trees and fences as perspective makes it all come to life.

AXIS: What has been your favorite episode so far?

J.F.M.: Spending the day with my two good friends Will Barber and Marc Urbano with the Carrera GTS in the Colorado Rockies. A day with a 911 on snow tires and my two good friends, beautiful scenery in the frigid cold with a Porsche.. Yes, awesome. More please.

AXIS: Do you get to drive, race or generally play with cars?

J.F.M.: I've driven rental cars on nearly every race track in North America. I'm a master camera car driver I'd like to say.  But to be honest with you, I wish I got more track time. I spend maybe 3-4 days a year actually in a proper car having fun on a track. I want more. I also dedicate 3-4 days a year to a fun, non-work road trip.

AXIS: What's ahead for Drive?

We've got things in the pipeline we're not ready to announce. More motorsports coverage. Bigger events. New shows. Ultimately, we're here to change the industry and the things we've got planned will do just that.

Chill F1 Mashup

OK, here's something different: Alternative Chill Out and Late 1960s vintage Formula 1...

That short period in the late 60's when it went high wing mad reminds how Formula One never really changed, teams will try anything and everyone will copy everyone else until it reaches insanity and the whole thing gets banned. That's what we still love about it,  too bad it's become much harder now to have that crazy spark.

This video is taken from the Digital LP: Fresh Moods/ Exhale, written & produced by Peter Haubfleisch. It's available for download on iTunes

Another clip, illustrated using the awesome historic Schlegelmilch archive, after the jump.

Ignition!

His many internet fans know Antti Kalhola has a flare for editing dramatic videos, this clip seems especially on target given recent events. Celebrate Motorsport, enjoy life!

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Axis 1 Lap: It's ALIVE!

The first firing of the Brum BMW Z3M V8: Oh so sweet! Congratulation to Shawn and the team, now let's tune the sucker.
Check out the sound especially you surprising number of haters, still think this is just a run of the mill M5 engine?

Shawn writes:
"This is the initial start-up of the DInan V8 in the Brum BMW Z3 MV8... Very smooth for the first start, great oil pressure, no leaks, well no fluid leaks... We have touch of an exhaust leak... Sounds like what just won the 24 Hour and the last GT race at Homestead..."



UPDATE: bonus video after the jump with the first easy revving of the beast!





Shawn: "We were doing a throttle response test... Time to tidy up the installation, build the air inlets and air cleaner box. Finish the power steering and head to the chassis dyno!"
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Ferrari 458 Challenge onboard video

Vallelunga, Italy (YT via Motorsportblog.it)

end of post

Oolala!

..lalalalalala... put your beret on, light the Gauloises and enjoy!

Video by "Rallyman69"

Oolalalalá

Dude, where's my turn?

We had a slight visibility issue at Pocono East this past Saturday.

CG, Stee and I were there to get in a last little bit of practice before our upcoming trip. You'd think we were in the Westphalian forests...but no, Pennsylvania in May! I was actually hoping for rain but instead we just spent most of the day inside a cloud.

Still, it eventually cleared up enough that you could see the turns and we got some runs in. I had a blast running the MCoupe on street tires in the first session. Pocono East is low speed and twisty, a great place for some douchy sideways action. The MCoupe with my stiff suspension and skinny tires is pretty silly stuff: no front end grip and come to think of it not much rear grip either... weeee.

Later I did put proper rubber on, the video below is my best lap. The Boxster in front is Stee's "Axis Plan A", with the 3.4 carrera engine. Once all issues are sorted, that car is going to be f.great! CG is driving it in the video and as you can tell towards the end, the car is a proper Axis of Oversteer car!

You can download my Traqmate telemetry file HERE

Axis Brilliant Plan A...in action from Axis on Vimeo.

The Final Summit

Stee and SpencerLoBuck are the bravest among us, they went from NYC down to Summit Point West Virginia Sunday for one final run at the EMRA time trials. From the weather reports it looks like they are in for a cold nasty wet time so, to cheer them up, I thought I would dig up the archives and post some Summit Point videos from track days past. Keep it shiny guys.

UPDATE: Spencer won his class in the Time trial!!  Way to go Spence,  I put it all on the unfair advantage of you being able to drive while sitting in the back seat of that Civic!!

Summit Bombastic


A close Shave







More Video From Summit Point


Muddy Waters