Dope Vid. #48

Video courtesy of Autocar.

What to watch this Weekend (Sept 25th - Sept 30th)

• /Drive on NBC. Japan. Friday @ 12:30am - 1am (NBCSN(HD)) 
• Formula 1 - Japanese Grand Prix; from the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. Practice. Friday @ 1am - 2:30am (NBCSN(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Japanese Grand Prix; from the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. Qualifying. Saturday @ 2am - 3:30am (NBCSN(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Japanese Grand Prix; from the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. Race. Sunday @ 12:30am - 3am (NBCSN(HD)) live
• V8 Supercars. Sandown. Sunday @ 3pm - 4pm (CBSSN(HD)) delayed airing from 9/13
• Top Gear (UK). Marathon of past episodes. Monday @ 2pm - 11pm (BBCAmerica(HD)) great replays
• Wheeler Dealers. Triumph Spitfire. Tuesday @ 5pm - 6pm (VelocityHD) replay
• Motorweek. Aston Martin Vantage GT Roadster. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (VelocityHD)
• Wheeler Dealers. AMC Pacer. Wednesday @ 9pm - 10pm (VelocityHD) new

This past F1 weekend in Singapore was quite the adventure for multiple drivers. Vettel came away with a race win, surpassing Senna with 43 wins and his 3rd win this season. Ferrari was very strong all weekend. Ricciardo took second with Raikkonen right behind him. Rosberg took fourth. Hamilton (power unit issues), Alonso, Button, Hulkenberg and Massa didn't finish. Massa and Hulkenberg had an incident at pit exit that the stewards decided in Massa's favor, but Hulkenberg took the immediate brunt and immediately retired; Massa's retirement came from the result of gearbox issues that may or may not have happened without the contact. Bottas finished 5th, Kvyat 6th, followed by Perez and the Toro Rosso dual of Sainz and the young Verstappen. Toro Rosso pit leadership gave Verstappen team orders (with a few laps) left to let Sainz by, presumably for driver's championship standing help, but he didn't oblige. I don't blame him. Hamilton was in as good a spirits as I've seen him after a DNF, but on his side is a large quantity of championship points. Rosberg on the other hand has Maranello's finest breathing down his neck. There were also yellow flags a plenty in this race; once for some random dude that wandered on to the circuit. Hopefully he's in jail tonight. After the smoke cleared the standings are as follows: Hamilton, Rosberg (-41), Vettel (-49), Raikkonen (-145), Bottas (-151).

This weekend we're at another technical track, Suzuka. Mercedes has shown they aren't as reliable as they could be, and not the fastest around in every scenario. This should be another opportunity for Ferrari to run wild, but if Hamilton wants to win this championship they better figure their issues out.

Enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of Motorweek.

Car Pron: Bentley Continental GT Speed review – is 206mph really necessary? (AutoExpress)

The Bentley Continental GT Speed is shaken down by the team at Auto Express.


Video courtesy of AutoExpress.

Current Events: New 2016 Porsche 911: Facelifted 991, First Look And Engine Noise (XCAR)

XCAR looks at the new 911, the 991.2 facelift. This thing has been revised in looks and powerplant.


Video courtesy of XCAR.

Neo-Vintage Feature: Jaguar XJS V12 drive to Monaco review (HarrysGarage)

Harry takes  a 1978 Jaguar XJ V12 to Monaco on a road trip.


Video courtesy of HarrysGarage.

Dope Vid. #47

Video courtesy of DifrentFilms.

What to watch this Weekend (Sept 18th - Sept 23rd)

• Formula 1 - Singapore Grand Prix; from the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. Practice. Friday @ 9:30am - 11am (NBCSN(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Singapore Grand Prix; from the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. Qualifying. Saturday @ 8am - 9:30am (CNBC(HD)) live; replay before Sunday race 
• United Sports Car Championship. From COTA in Austin, Tx. Saturday @ 12:30pm - 3:30pm (FS2(HD)) live
• FIA World Endurance Championship. From COTA in Austin, Tx. Saturday @ 6pm - 12am (FS2(HD) live
• Formula 1 - Singapore Grand Prix; from the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. Race. Sunday @ 7:30am - 10:00am (NBCSN(HD)) live
• Top Gear (UK). Marathon of past episodes. Monday @ 2pm - 11pm (BBCAmerica(HD)) great replays
• Wheeler Dealers. Alfa Romeo Spyder Veloce. Tuesday @ 5pm - 6pm (VelocityHD) replay
• Motorweek. AMG GT Coupe. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (VelocityHD)
• Wheeler Dealers. MGA. Wednesday @ 9pm - 10pm (VelocityHD) new

We have a loaded weekend ahead, with USCC, WEC, F1 and the regulars. To get caught up for this weekends night race in Singapore, lets get quickly caught up with the events of Monza. Lewis got a good start and never let it go. Ferrari was fast, Vettel took second and Kimi's launch procedure didn't work out and he had to fight from last place to take fifth. Rosberg had a poor start but fought his way back into third only to DNF via engine detonation with 2 laps left (a used power unit with about six races on it to replace the problematic 2016 beta unit which Hams also ran). Massa held off Bottas to round off the podium, much to the tifosi's delight. The Force India boys, Perez and Hulkenburg, finished sixth and seventh respectively. There was some controversy with Hams pit instruction towards the end of the race due to some minute tire pressure anomaly reported on one of his rear tires. He made a 25+ second gap to avoid a potential time penalty, but his win still stood after scrutineering. With the smoke cleared, the standings are as follows: Hamilton, Rosberg (-53), Vettel (-74), Massa (-155), Raikkonen (-160). Both Vettel and Massa jumped a spot.

Under the magical lights and tight barriers of the downtown Singapore street circuit, the battle for the championship will continue. Street circuits will suit some of the cars that have better aero than top-end power, so hopefully McLaren can compete mid-pack again. These last two power tracks have made them look very out of place once again, the most recent resulting in another DNF (Alonso).

Enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of EVO.