Author: Tim Stevens

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc.

THE THAW

You had to know it couldn’t last forever. Most recently our Subaru ice racer was in action way up north in the wilds of Quebec, getting sideways on a frozen circuit. As it turns out, if we wanted to keep on racing we should have stayed up there. This form of motorsport needs frozen lakes and some unfortunately turbulent weather in the northeast over the past month didn’t do the local bodies of water any favors. But, we were able to make it to one final event before the season was put to rest. We have some highlights to share below, including footage of what it looks like to be inside a pirouetting WRX, plus some discussion about how to safely stow your winter racing gear for the summertime off-season.

Continue reading Introduction to Ice Racing: Part 6 [w/video]

Introduction to Ice Racing: Part 6 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Etc.

A TRACK DAY WITH SNOWBANKS

This week we’re taking a bit of a break from the on-ice action that we’ve been covering so far this season, trading wheel-to-wheel antics for something more controlled. Way up north in the wilds of Quebec there’s a facility called Mecaglisse that runs driving schools all year round. In the winter it hosts snowbound track days, events where people (generally in Subarus) show up and strut their stuff on a perfectly groomed ice surface bordered by tall snowbanks. It’s like a stage plucked out of WRC Sweden, coiled around such that its end and beginning meet, and then presented for you to just keep on rallying over and over until you run out of gas — which we very nearly did.

A track day at Mecaglisse was an opportunity for low-grip practice that we couldn’t pass up, and we’ll take you along with video of a hot lap on this frigid circuit. You’ll also find some discussion about shifting technique below, so if you’ve ever wondered how to cover all three pedals in a standard car with only two feet, you’ll want to click on through.

Continue reading Introduction to Ice Racing: Part 5 [w/video]

Introduction to Ice Racing: Part 5 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Videos

THE SEASON SLIDES ON

Continue reading Introduction to Ice Racing: Part 4 [w/video]

Introduction to Ice Racing: Part 4 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Subaru

HITTING THE ICE

The time has come to do it for real. We’ve walked you through the various classes offered by the club we’ll be racing with, and we’ve shown you what it’s like to drive at speed on the ice, so there’s nothing left but to do it in anger. In this installment of An Introduction to Ice Racing we’ll hit the first event of the season, tell you how to get ready to race once you’re on the ice, and dazzle you with plenty of in-car video from first event’s three heats – including footage of a few unfortunate incidents that left fenders crumpled and tensions flared.

It’s all below, so click on through and check out the action. We promise not to put a single dent in your monitor.

Continue reading Introduction to Ice Racing: Part 3 [w/video]

Introduction to Ice Racing: Part 3 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports

THE WHAT AND THE HOW
It’s time to delve a little further into the crazy, sideways world of ice racing – where grip is at a premium but the grins come cheap. In last week’s first article in the series we gave you a little bit of information about the sport in general, or rather sports, and talked about the class structure used by AMEC, the club we’ll be running with. We’ll be participating in the street legal class with a 2002 Subaru WRX, a very early model purchased right after it finally hit American shores in 2001. It’s mostly stock, but the club does have some required changes we’ll cover here, and there are some other things you’ll want to know before you show up on the ice.

What sorts of things? Well, one important thing is how to drive, or rather how to go quickly around a track of ice without getting yourself high-sided on a snowbank or bumper-locked with a competitor. So, we’ll give you an overview of driving technique too, including a little demonstration video that’ll give you your first taste of driving at-speed on-ice in a car with no studs. Click on through and join the fun.

Continue reading Introduction to Ice Racing: Part 2

Introduction to Ice Racing: Part 2 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Subaru

“You race on what now?” This is the typical response given when the topic of ice racing comes up. People can’t seem to get their head around the idea that you, a sane human being with as strong a survival instinct as the next guy/gal, would drive a car out onto a frozen lake at speeds upwards of 100mph – often sideways. Mention that the racing action is wheel-to-wheel against dozens of competitors at once and you’re almost guaranteed to be labeled clinically insane.

Ice racers may be a little special but most are not insane, and if you live in parts of the world that get cold enough, you can join in their fun for a pittance. Ice racing is, dollars to seat time, one of the cheapest forms of motorsport out there. It’s also one of the most thrilling and, for those of us who find ourselves driving in frequently inclement conditions, it’s even a genuinely useful exercise. Sure, autocrossing is cheap, safe and educational, but where cone-dodging helps you find your car’s limits, ice racing teaches you to drive far beyond them, to stay in control (or close to it) when by all rights you should be spinning wildly into a snowbank.

Just like we did last summer with karting, we’re going to take you along for the ride and let you get a taste for ice racing. Naturally there will be some changes: instead of a racing suit we’ll be investing in a set of thermals, and rather than sticky slicks we’ll be budgeting for heavily siped snow tires. It’s a whole different ball game, managing slip instead of grip, but the thrills are just as great. And, since you can compete with just about any car, it’s open to almost anyone who has a need for speed — and who doesn’t mind spending the day hanging around on a frozen lake.

Continue reading Introduction to Ice Racing: Part 1

Introduction to Ice Racing: Part 1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: CES, Technology

Continue reading Visteon shows us its next-gen tech, a dash that can tell if you’re sleeping, and an in-car Tegra 2 [w/video]

Visteon shows us its next-gen tech, a dash that can tell if you’re sleeping, and an in-car Tegra 2 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: CES, Technology

You may not have heard of Hughes Telematics before, but this offshoot of the great Hughes empire provides the tech that, amongst other things, powers Mercedes’ latest mbrace technology, Benz’s response to OnStar. But that’s not all they do; the company is working on its own advanced infotainment system for the car, and also showed off a system informally called “OnStar in a box” – an easy-to-install device that will let you track exactly where your car is at any time, how fast it was going, and even what kind of mileage it was geting at the time. Somewhat more troubling, it also could allow others access to the same information, people like your insurance company. Good stuff, or Big Brother with an OBDII connection? Read on to find out.

Continue reading Hughes Telematics takes us for a ride with Mercedes’ latest mbrace tech, demonstrates ‘OnStar in a box’ [w/video]

Hughes Telematics takes us for a ride with Mercedes’ latest mbrace tech, demonstrates ‘OnStar in a box’ [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: CES, Europe, Technology, Audi

Continue reading Audi and NVIDIA bring 3D acceleration, Google Earth to the dashboard masses [w/video]

Audi and NVIDIA bring 3D acceleration, Google Earth to the dashboard masses [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: CES, Technology, Ford

Continue reading Video: Mulally summarizes SYNC’s successes, talks about Ford’s future

Video: Mulally summarizes SYNC’s successes, talks about Ford’s future originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: CES, Technology, Kia

Tucked in between Google’s hot new smartphone and a variety of other computer peripheral equipment at this year’s CES show is a crossover. Not the jacked-up, tricked-out, neon-dragging customized type that we typically see around the Consumer Electronics Show, but a bone-stock, 2011 Kia Sorento. Well, stock except for one option: UVO.

We recently got a chance to try out the newly-announced system in the plastic, and while impressive in its own right, just hours after sitting down with Ford to check out the latest Sync and MyFord Touch, it’s somewhat less than stunning. But, ignoring that for now, Kia’s offering looks good and still ahead of the rest of the curve. It’s functionally comparable to early Sync, enabling easy access to media on 1GB of internal storage, on a USB-connected drive or even on a CD. You can rip from CD straight to internal memory or to a thumb drive, an interesting feature we’re not sure is particularly useful. The touchscreen display is a nice improvement over Ford’s two-line Sync readout, but remember that if you get this system, you’ll have to opt out of in-dash GPS. Good thing you splurged and got that Droid, right? Check out some screens in the gallery below, and there’s a quick video demo after the break.

Continue reading Video: We take Kia and Microsoft’s Uvo for a test drive at CES

Video: We take Kia and Microsoft’s Uvo for a test drive at CES originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: CES, Videos, Ford

Continue reading MyFord Touch and SYNC App Ecosystem hands-on [w/video]

MyFord Touch and SYNC App Ecosystem hands-on [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: CES, Technology, Kia

[Source: Kia, Microsoft]

Kia and Microsoft set to debut UVO at CES, leave us wondering for now originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Etc.

How much horsepower do you need to have fun in a car? More is usually better, but sometimes less is okay too. Sometimes even none is enough – if you have gravity on your side. When you’re running off-road through mud, rocks, up hills, crashing off of whoops and flying over jumps, you certainly can’t rely on the attraction of physical bodies to get you around the course. You need power. Cornell’s Baja SAE buggy admittedly doesn’t have much, driven by a lowly 10-hp Briggs & Stratton that wouldn’t look out of place on a lawnmower. This most certainly is not a lawnmower.

Cornell’s team of students past and present have built an impressive chariot to cradle that engine and a driver. CAD modeled, CNC hewn and carbon fiber-skinned, nearly everything on the kart is a one-off created by the sort of technology that drives Formula One. When an offer came in to come drive the thing, we jumped right in – right in to a mudbath as it turned out. Won’t you join us?

Continue reading Cornell’s SAE Baja buggy helps us get even with would-be alma mater

Cornell’s SAE Baja buggy helps us get even with would-be alma mater originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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