Nine time WRC champion Sébastien Loeb has destroyed the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb record in his Peugeot 652kW 208 T16 with a time of 8m13.878s. He beat the existing record of 9m46.181 set by Rhys Millen in 2012, by more than a minute and a half. Loeb’s average speed in this year’s race was 140 kph (87 mph).
Millen was a distant second this year with a time of 9:02.192 in his 2013 Hyundai PM580T, and Jean-Philippe Dayraut of France also topped the previous record with a time of 9:42.740 while driving a 2011 Mini Countryman.
You can see Loeb’s record breaking performance below.
The Honda NSX (sold as the Acura NSX in North America and Hong Kong) is a sports car produced between 1990 and 2005 by Japanese automaker Honda. The NSX is a legend as it possessed supercar characteristics and the latest racing technology all in a street car that could be purchased at your local Honda dealership. Much of the car’s strong chassis and cornering/handling capabilities were the results of the late Ayrton Senna’s direct input with NSX’s chief engineers. Honda was very close to Senna as they had powered all three of his world championship-winning Formula One race cars before his death in 1994.
After studying their main competitors such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche, Honda engineers designed the NSX in search of the “perfect balance” between usable power and reliability and thus produced a powerful naturally aspirated VTEC engine suitable for the extreme demands of both road and track.
2nd Gen modified NSX
It was equipped with a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout and powered by an all-aluminium V6 engine featuring Honda’s Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) system.
One of the first magazine articles to chronicle the NSX showed the lightweight 3.0L 270 HP NSX producing a best 0-60 mp/h time of 5.03 seconds and 13.47 seconds for the quarter mile. In addition, a Ferrari 348 to NSX comparison was done with a 0-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds being recorded for the 1991 NSX.
Initially assembled at Honda’s purpose-built Takanezawa R&D Plant in Tochigi, Prefecture in Japan from 1989 to early 2004. The NSX was assembled by approximately 200 of Honda’s highest-skilled and most experienced personnel, a team of hand-picked staff with a minimum of ten years assembly experience employed from various other Honda facilities were assigned to run the NSX operation.
Amazingly, during this time the local police force had an NSX in their cruiser fleet. Wow, I bet everyone wanted to do overtime driving that around town.
NSX Police car
Although the last NSX rolled off the assembly line over eight years ago it remains a true classic and Honda engineers are still being praised for its design and innovation. If you appreciate Honda motorsports you need to get to know the NSX.
And to end with, we found this epic video that captures this untamed samurai warrior of a sports car in all its glory.
Tom “the Mongoose” McEwenand Don “the Snake” Prudhomme are retired American drag racers who had one of the most interesting rivalries in the history of the sport. During the late 1960s, they revolutionized the NHRA drag racing circuit as well as entertainment sports marketing when they attracted Mattel’s Hot Wheels Division to sponsor them. Over the course of the sponsorship in the early 1970s, they were able to buy the best racing equipment and build their brands all across the US drag racing circuit.
Don and Tom
During this time, Tom McEwen raced in his red 1970 Plymouth Duster, named “Mongoose” and Don Prudhomme raced his yellow 1970 Plymouth Barracuda named “Snake”.
Tom “the Mongoose” McEwen
Don ‘the Snake’ Prudhomme
Both drivers gained even wider public attention from Mattel’s “Hot Wheels” toy versions of the cars that were released in 1970.
Here is a clip of the two cars in all their glory.
Coincidentally, a new feature film titled “Snake & Mongoose”is scheduled for release in September 2013. The film will explore one of the greatest rivalries in racing history as well as how these two unlikely figures revolutionized entertainment sports marketing. Check out the film’s most recent trailer.
Check out this really cool video shot within a Red Bull F1 race car driven by Sébastien Buemi. You can fully interact with the video panning up down left and right as Sébastien drives around the track. The camera system is designed by a Norwegian company called Making View. 360 View of Redbull F1 Racing Car
RedlineNorth 