Categories
Formula 1

Remembering the deeds of Sir Jack Brabham

Sir Jack Brabham

Aligning US motoring interests to Formula One is something that doesn’t happen all that often. So it was with welcome surprise that our morning rounds saw an article from Winding Road reminding us of the great deeds accomplished by our own Jack Brabham.

Three F1 drivers titles (1959, 1960 and 1966) would usually be enough to set Sir Jack apart from the crowd, but when you consider the 1966 crown was achieved in a car of his own making, well, it is unlikely we will ever see the likes of that again.

Here’s a snippet from the article, follow the source link below for the rest:

One of the first drivers to be knighted for his service to motorsports, Brabham won the Formula 1 drivers’ championship three times. Born in April 1926, Sir Jack was a flight mechanic for the Royal Australian Air force and then ran a small engineering workshop. In 1948, he started midget car racing and moved, in 1955, to Europe to join the Cooper Car Company’s racing team. He helped to develop the design for the mid-engine Cooper, which he raced in F1 and at the Indianapolis 500. Brabham then went on to win the F1 World Championship in 1959…

[Source: Winding Road | Pic: Lothar Spurzem]

Categories
Motor Shows

Dates announced for 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed

Goodwood FoS

The Goodwood Festival of Speed has pencilled in its dates for 2011, something which can only be done once the Formula One calendar has been signed off. By fitting around the movements of F1 Goodwood organisers can ensure a high participation level from the teams and drivers who will be in the UK for British Grand Prix, scheduled for the weekend after the FoS.

That means the Goodwood FoS dates for 2011 are 1–3 July. The Goodwood Moving Show will also return in 2011 and it will take place on 30 June.

Entry to the FoS is by advance ticket sale only and you can buy your tickets to the 2011 show via the official website from Monday 1 November.

Full press release after the jump.

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Categories
Formula 1

The best corners in Formula One

Best corners in F1

Over at the Formula1.com website there is an article discussing the eight best corners in F1. Some of the corners are no brainers; Japan’s 130R, Belgium’s Eau Rouge and Silverstone’s Becketts complex are clear stand-outs. But how many of you would have put Brazil’s Mergulho, Turkey’s Turn 8 or Canada’s Wall of Champions on the list?

Watching Formula One cars fly through Eau Rouge and Becketts at full tilt is one of the sport’s greatest visual delights. The cars are dancing on the edge of adhesion at speeds that seem unfathomable to the mere mortals watching on.

Check out the article in full and leave us your comments below on and let us know if there are any corners you like that didn’t make the cut.

[Source: Formula1.com]

Categories
BMW

Win a drive in a BMW 1M Coupé prototype

BMW 1 Series M Coupé

Here at AUSmotive we’re big fans of the upcoming BMW 1 Series M Coupé. It’s shaping up as being a real cracker of a drive. BMW are proving what good sports they are by running a competition where the prize is an all expenses paid trip to Germany to rip it up in a 1M Coupé prototype. Sounds like a bloody good idea to us.

Entries close at the end of this week and can be made via the Closed Room at the M-Power website. You’ll need to be available for travel from 17–19 November, so best get that leave application ready. There will be 12 winners, well, 11 after the AUSmotve Editor’s name is drawn out, so get on over to M-Power.com for your chance to win.

[Source: M-Power]

Categories
Lamborghini

Spectacular Lamborghini Gallardo crash

Lamborghini Gallardo

Imagine you had decided your standard Lamborghini Gallardo wasn’t powerful enough. The only logical conclusion, obviously, would be to quadruple its power. Well, that would be all well and good, but a power figure nudging at 2000bhp at the wheels could be considered overkill.

That is unless you want to take your car to a 1 mile drag race. It’s pretty simple, plant your right foot to the floor and 1 mile later the quickest car wins. Sounds like a great day out, really.

So, you’ve run your Lambo down the strip at speeds well over 300km/h and all you have to do is apply the brakes, pop your parachute and relax, right? Well, not quite. Watch the clip below to see what happens next. The source link has more detail as well.

[Source: SWNS]

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Categories
Audi

Audi RS3 dash cluster

Audi RS3 dash

A few images of what is said to be an Audi RS3 dash cluster have emerged recently. If you compare this cluster with the cluster from the TT RS you can see the 6750rpm redline and 310km/h top speed are matched.

Meanwhile the physical form of the cluster confirms the RS3 will be based off the current 8P chassis. We already knew, or suspected this, of course, and it is highly unlikely the next generation A3 would use a cluster design the same as the current model.

Also on offer is a photo of a steering wheel supposedly from the RS3. It looks just like any other flat-bottom RS steering wheel, to be honest. Given the lack of detail in the image it’s hard to say if the badge at the bottom reads RS3 or simply RS.

At this stage the latest word on an official reveal for the RS3 is Geneva in March 2011. But, really, anyone’s guess will do!

[Source: Motorspain via CarAdvice | Thanks to Richard for the tip]

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Categories
Lamborghini

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 photoshoot

Lamborghini Gallardo

We recommend you check out the latest photoshoot from My Car Portal. You’ll be green with envy when looking at the stunning pics of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 taken by expert snapper Webb Bland.

[Source: My Car Portal]

Categories
Ferrari Formula 1 Lotus McLaren Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing Renault

2010 Korean Grand Prix in pictures

2010 Korean Grand Prix

“Our Mark” binned it! Can you believe it. It was a race that promised so much; an opportunity for Webber to really intensify the pressure on his rivals. Instead, on a dramatic and soaking wet afternoon in Yeongam, Mark put it into the wall and he walked away empty handed. Pressure does strange things and amplifies the tiniest of indiscretions. It was a mistake that needn’t have happened. Webber cracked on Sunday.

Worse, it looked like his fiercest rival, Sebastien Vettel, was going to rub his nose in it with a comfortable victory. A win that would have put the young German 11 points ahead of Webber and the shift in power across the garage would likely have been irreversible. For Mark, at least, fate dealt a helping hand when a dominant Vettel was robbed of certain victory after his Renault engine disintegrated with no apparent warning.

Only too happy to watch the imploding Red Bulls ahead of him Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was there to pick up the pieces. He drove solidly and mostly kept himself out of trouble, despite the woeful light conditions towards the end of the race. Amazingly, he now finds himself 11 points ahead of Webber in the drivers’ title race. A few weeks back he was the fifth man in the chasing pack.

With just two more races to go, can Fernando hold off the inevitable challenge from those closest behind? Brazil is next and Webber is the defending race winner. How he would love an encore performance in two weeks time.

For now, though, catch up on all the drama from last weekend with 80 pics from the inaugural Korean Grand Prix.

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Categories
Audi Video

So bad it’s good

Saudis in Audis

US comedian Go Remy brings us some car-related tunes—Saudis in Audis. Put your political correctness aside for two minutes and forty-seven seconds and enjoy the ride…

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Categories
Bugatti

“It is absolutely clackers!”

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

Well, with 1200 horsepower, 1500 Newton metres of torque and costing around £2,000,000 what else would you expect him to say?

Him is Steve Sutcliffe from Autocar and the car is the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. Yep, that’s the one that set a new landspeed record back in June. The magic number then was 431km/h and that stands as the fastest speed set by a production vehicle.

In case you haven’t already done the sums, the Aussie dollar conversion is around $3.2 million.

Check out Sutcliffe’s review after the break. Lucky sod!

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Categories
Audi

Surely they won’t make an RS1 as well?

Audi RS1

Here is a rendering of an Audi RS1 from French website L’Automobile. They say the RS1 will be powered by a 1.6 litre turbocharged four cylinder, which will produce around 240bhp (180kW).

However, we’re still only playing with rumours about the development of an S1; nothing official has been announced by Audi. And the whole RS3 saga continues to drag on, as well.

An Audi RS1? Well, I wouldn’t rule it out. But at the rate the RS3 has been developing, perhaps just not in my lifetime!

[Source: L’Automobile (translated)]

Categories
MINI WRC

VIDEO: Making of the MINI WRC

MINI Countryman WRC

After the jump you can see a brief “making of” video about the MINI Countryman WRC. Progress seems to have come along nicely following the official signing of documents with Prodrive in July. The MINI’s first race will take place in Italy next May.

Shame about super imposed type over the clip.

[Source: MotoringFile]

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