You're in good hands with Jean Todt

One of the decisions out of the latest FIA World Motor Sport Council  was to extend a 2 point bonus to Super License holders (which now required for Formula E and V8 Supercar) if the drivers complete a season without any point penalty.

With apologies to Dennis Haysbert,




Other decisions include the exploration of FIA sanctioned Formula Drift Events, easier Historic Car technical certifications,  Safer Formula 3 and faster LMP1 private team, non hybrid cars.

Details available here

Hey kids...

via DK Engineering

Fool of Australia came Great driver pickering!!

We don't always consume drift videos but when we do, we prefer ones with awesome engrish titles like  "Fool of Australia came Great driver pickering!!"   Check it out after the break

The Nürburgring Ür Lap

The Master, Re-Mastered.

A while back we published an open letter to Ken Block offering to furnish him with a Polo shirt along with a set of white sox (short) and loafers if he would abandon his well choreographed and edited Gymkana videos in favor of something inspired by the one video that arguably started it all, Stefan Roser ripping in the RUF Yellowbird at the 'Ring, circa 1987.

That video, without a doubt part of the origins of drifting along with cats from Japan, certainly cemented the Nürburgring legend forever. Up to now, we've all seen it as a very period correct crappy 1980's video but check this out, not only a much better copy but also a complete onboard lap showing "ZFG" Roser skating what must be one of the worst handling, most terrifying cars in history, with total ease.

Still amazing over 25 years later.

Teaching Men With Mustaches How To Hoon

If we still had no ABS and zero grip tires , I don't think texting while driving would be much of an issue...  Dutch Police training film from the 1960s.

It's Snow Fun

Cult of the car most easily depicted with LEGO: looks like a blast and reminds me of a couple of fun days with another wagon and the Axis crew, couple years back at Monticello Motor Club...
(top: the Dark Car.  Bottom: Axis)

BMW 1M Coupe Drifting

Gratuitous shots of one of our favorite cars doing what it does so well and so gracefully.

"Car is a BMW 1M Coupe with JRZ suspension. The movie was shot on the Papenburg ATP test track in Germany with Driftdagen.nl. Most drifting was done in 3rd gear. Speeds reached of 140km drifting the long corners/straights."

Indoorkartingheerenveen.nl

How do you say Drifting in Italian?

Obviously you say Bi Emme Vu.  BMW's make for such awesome drift machines if provoked don't they?



(SuperDrift Challenge 2012)

Drift, Jump, Drift.

Think what you will about drifting but 100% commitment combined with a sideways jump always gets our vote!
(ShoutRogue via Maiham Media)

Caddy Rukus

Speaking of Caddys.. our friend Alex King filmed J.R. Hildebrand and Tyler McQuarrie Shredding some tires recently!

d3cadillac.com
tylermcquarrie.com
jrhildebrandracing.com

Hooning the Pace Car

We drove 500 miles today getting the BMW M5 from Charlotte North Carolina to Daytona.

We've been good along the way, traveling at (cough) reasonable speeds and not burning too much rubber, so good we had to give ourselves a treat: a detour to the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg South Carolina for some light hooning.

It was the first time the new M5 was at the Performance Center and all the instructors there came to check the car out.

The three of us spent about an hour on the 300 foot skid pad playing with the new M5 and the outgoing e60 M5. A wet skidpad made is so we could hoon to our heart's delight and still have Michelins left on the car for its pace car duties in this friday's Continental 200 at the Speedway.

Enough about the ridiculous amount of fun we had...I think the video will give you a better idea. But yes, with tips from the guys the the Performance Center we were all able to go three times around in a full uninterrupted drift.

Suffice it to say skid pad training should be required study matter for everyone, period.

Pure Entertainment

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1% Drifter

Actually, not really. It's that classic video of a former BMW Performance School instructor hooning a Ghost through the "Man's Turn"at the South Carolina track.

Proof that, given enough momentum and power, you can drift anything!
(Via Freep) .

AwesomeFest

I'm not always down with events that end in "fest" but this clip is too much fun, never mind and just enjoy!

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A dab o'Tiff-o...

and he gets paid for it!
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Fernando flogs a 458 at Fiorano

This clip is sort of ruined by the the passenger's incessant cackling but watching Alonso at work in a Ferrari 458 Italia is cool.

The first lap is for showboating and then he tries to shoot for a faster lap. Quite interesting that even Fernando would change the manettino setting. Also notice how the dual clutch paddle shifter lets him upshift mid corner, while fully sideloaded, to reduce torque and catch a slide. "it's a very comfortable car" says Alonso towards the end...

It would have been nice to have some lap times for comparison but they were running on a non standard configuration of Fiorano so the 1:31 laps are not comparable to the official 458 record time of 1:25. 1:25 is the same lap time as the stripped out, track oriented 430 Scuderia, pretty awesome for a fully GT car. If you want to play guessing games on the inevitable future hardcore version, the 458 Challege laps in the 1:16s, add a few seconds for tires and you get the idea! Lust.


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Axis 1 Lap: Axis takes class win!

It will take me a little while for my, er...."staff" to sort through pictures and videos but the news is that we did take a class win in SSGT1-Small Bore and a 20th overall of the 2011 One Lap of America. Not too shabby for a last minute, first time entry on stock sized tires!

While I gather our thoughts and materials, I'm sure you'll enjoy some of the more creative post race tire shredding celebrations and re-landscaping of the TireRack's skid pad.




(Videos RosenthatMedia)
(and yes, I think most of them trailered the cars home..:)
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Fukushima Drift

While I'm sure disaster pictures bring lots of precious page views, as car guys we prefer to send our wishes remembering that, among many other things, our Japanese friends are leaders in car culture, innovation and passion.

Hang in there, Tracktards!

Remi Schouten of Okydokyo.com shot these two great clips last year, one is from a Drift matsuri in Fukushima, the second from the 2010 Nismo festival at Fuji Speedway. Enjoy them.



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Helicam Drift

Brilliant.
Our Freep is a pilot and into all these RC contraption, I have to get him to get himself one of those! All you need is a Trex 700, a Canon DSLR and some a lot of skill...


(DK Video productions)
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And speaking of old BMW's....

Sometimes a picture is just too great not to re-publish. This one is from the great FB "Classic and Vintage BMW Enthusiasts" group, check them out.

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