Thursday, June 19, 2014

What to watch this Weekend (June 20th - June 25th)

  • Formula 1 - Austrian Grand Prix; from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Practice. Friday @ 8am - 9:30am (NBCSN(HD)) live; replay @ 10:30pm
  • Formula 1 - Austrian Grand Prix; from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Qualifying. Saturday @ 8am - 9:30am (NBCSN(HD)) live
  • Formula 1 - Austrian Grand Prix; from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Race. Sunday @ 7:30am - 10am (NBCSN(HD)) live
  • Top Gear (UK). Marathon of past episodes. Monday @ 4pm - 11pm (BBCAmerica(HD)) replays
  • Motorweek. 2015 Lamborghini Hurican. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (VelocityHD) new
  • Top Gear (US). Season 5 Ep 4. Tuesday @ 9pm - 10pm (HistoryChannel(HD)) new
  • Wheeler Dealers. Range Rover Mk3. Wednesday @ 9pm - 10pm (VelocityHD) new
After last weekend's action it'll be hard for this first weekend of Summer to compete, but with the return of F1 to Austria we may be right on target to do so. Last we left off Hamilton and Rosberg entered round 7 of their heavywieght bout for the Driver's championship. Unfortunately things didn't work out as planned for either one of them; more so on Hams' side of things. Hamilton had another goose egg DNF to close the loop on his first race of the year, but he was out qualified before the race began. Rosberg was riding on a wave of momentum since the controversial pole position earned in Monaco, but when the race shook out the pace dropped off and redbull look as fast as the ever had all year. The mechanical trouble that affected both Petronas Mercedes AMG cars ended up affecting Lewis worse as he was using his brakes in a manner that exacerbated the problem with the Mercedes power unit at Montreal's heavy brake-zoned circuit. Rosberg's power loss left him vulnerable to Ricciardo's advances. Rosberg didn't lose so much that he wasn't on the second step of the podium, but much to the fans delight Daniel Ricciardo got his first career F1 victory. Vettel took the third spot. This was Renault's first victory of the year and broke a 6 race front row lockout and victory streak that Mercedes was trying to extend throughout the season. 

Massa clipped Perez on the last lap while trying to make a move which lead to a brutal impact into the tire barriers for both cars, the worst going Massa's way. Massa is accusing Perez of giving him a defensive tire rather than allowing the pass he was attempting, while Perez was in a steady decline in pace with waning tires; Massa had 10 lap newer tires than the entire field ahead of him at the time. There were many DNF's forced by Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which opened higher finishing positions up to those who hadn't been so fortunate previously; Jenson Button finished in 4th.

This years' F1 action continues in Austria this weekend for the first time since 2003. Back then, the recently recovering Michael Schumacher was the reigning King. Rosberg is sitting on a comfortable lead, 22pts to be exact, and Hams needs Rosberg to have a sprinkling of his bad luck to cut the gap. Red Bull is starting to hit their stride and the battle for the remaining points positions is more heated than ever. Ricciardo looks like he's for real and I'm sure he wants another taste of champagne. Tune in on Sunday for the action and enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of FOM and hosted by kimigreece.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Quick Vid: Volkswagen Golf GTI vs Golf GTI Performance Pack: are the upgrades worth it? (AutoExpress)

The gang at AutoExpress take a look at the optional performance pack on the new Mk7 GTI, and see how worthy it is of your money. The Mk7 GTI is making its debut in the US this month and with all the trimmings it can set you back around $35k. I'm strongly considering a Mk7 GTI to replace my Mazda as a more fun daily driver that can get similar (close) mpg on the highway. Due to the value involved I'll most likely go with a stock GTI with very few options.


Video courtesy of AutoExpress.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Track Pron: Nissan GT-R vs Jaguar F-type R coupe: time trial contest (Autocar)

Steve puts the Jaguar F-Type V8S coupe up against the benchmark, the Nissan GT-R, for a bit of a time trial on their closed course.


Video courtesy of Autocar.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Motorsport Topic: Porsche at Le Mans: The Definitive History (XCAR)

With this weekends 24h at Le Mans now completed, what better way to keep that endurance racing magic alive than looking at everything Porsche has done before this years return, in the 919 Hybrid.


Video courtesy of XCAR.