2011 Dodge Avenger gets in Rally Guise, but for what? [with Video]

Joining the Mopar ’11 Charger special at the New York International Auto Show next week will be the new Dodge Avenger rally car that heralds the first collaboration in the brand’s newly announced relationship with Fiat Group subsidiary and aftermarket parts specialist, Magneti Marelli. The rally-prepped Avenger was built in cooperation with Chrysler’s in-house tuner Mopar, and while fully functional, there’s no word if the car will actually enter any sort of competition.

“This is a purpose-built vehicle with collaborative parts from Magneti Marelli and Mopar,” said Dino Maggioni, CEO of Magneti Marelli Aftermarket. “We selected Magneti Marelli and Mopar parts, adapted them to the Dodge Avenger and made them unique. The result is a fascinating blend of these two iconic brands.”

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2011 Dodge Avenger gets in Rally Guise, but for what? [with Video]

Joining the Mopar ’11 Charger special at the New York International Auto Show next week will be the new Dodge Avenger rally car that heralds the first collaboration in the brand’s newly announced relationship with Fiat Group subsidiary and aftermarket parts specialist, Magneti Marelli. The rally-prepped Avenger was built in cooperation with Chrysler’s in-house tuner Mopar, and while fully functional, there’s no word if the car will actually enter any sort of competition.

“This is a purpose-built vehicle with collaborative parts from Magneti Marelli and Mopar,” said Dino Maggioni, CEO of Magneti Marelli Aftermarket. “We selected Magneti Marelli and Mopar parts, adapted them to the Dodge Avenger and made them unique. The result is a fascinating blend of these two iconic brands.”

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Aston Martin’s New Vantage GT3 Racer to Replace DBRS9

To the delight of most motorsport fans, Aston Martin's racing division has thrown the covers off its latest creation, the all-new Vantage GT3 racer, which will be ready for competition in 2012. Based on the V12 Vantage road car, the GT3 model will take the place of the DBRS9 after a five-year long career that began in 2006 at Le Mans, and which has since seen a total of 26 chassis built cars that were raced to numerous victories in national and international series across the world. Read more »

Aston Martin’s New Vantage GT3 Racer to Replace DBRS9

To the delight of most motorsport fans, Aston Martin's racing division has thrown the covers off its latest creation, the all-new Vantage GT3 racer, which will be ready for competition in 2012. Based on the V12 Vantage road car, the GT3 model will take the place of the DBRS9 after a five-year long career that began in 2006 at Le Mans, and which has since seen a total of 26 chassis built cars that were raced to numerous victories in national and international series across the world. Read more »

Oops Moment: Vitantonio Liuzzi Runs over F1 Marshal [Video]

The Formula 1 Grand Prix held in Malaysia last weekend gave spectators a pretty eventful race, with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel winning again, but one of the most memorable moments took place on Friday, during the final practice session. Hispania Racing Team driver Vitantonio Liuzzi had to stop the car outside the track because of technical problems, so he exited the single seater and went to the pits. The race marshals took over from there and started pushing the car to a safe location.

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Oops Moment: Vitantonio Liuzzi Runs over F1 Marshal [Video]

The Formula 1 Grand Prix held in Malaysia last weekend gave spectators a pretty eventful race, with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel winning again, but one of the most memorable moments took place on Friday, during the final practice session. Hispania Racing Team driver Vitantonio Liuzzi had to stop the car outside the track because of technical problems, so he exited the single seater and went to the pits. The race marshals took over from there and started pushing the car to a safe location.

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MINI Officially Launches WRC Team, Unveils Countryman Racers

MINI's preparations for the brand's imminent return to the World Rally Championship have culminated with the official launch of the team less than a month ahead of its first WRC event, the Rally d'Italia Sardegna (May 5 - 8). At the company's plant in Oxford, England, the MINI WRC Team unveiled its two MINI John Cooper Works WRC cars, the driver/co-driver lineup and its plans for 2011.

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MINI Officially Launches WRC Team, Unveils Countryman Racers

MINI's preparations for the brand's imminent return to the World Rally Championship have culminated with the official launch of the team less than a month ahead of its first WRC event, the Rally d'Italia Sardegna (May 5 - 8). At the company's plant in Oxford, England, the MINI WRC Team unveiled its two MINI John Cooper Works WRC cars, the driver/co-driver lineup and its plans for 2011.

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VIDEO: Lotus Renault F1 Driver Vitaly Petrov’s Yee-Haw! Moment at the Malaysian Grand Prix

It was only a matter of time before someone edited a video of Vitaly Petrov’s spectacular exit from last week’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The Russian pilot of the Lotus Renault F1 team ran too wide at a turn near the end of the race and as he tried to get inside the track again, he hit a bump on the grass that launched the race car high into the air.

The maker of the video thought the scene with the F1 car going airborne looked a lot like something you’d see in The Dukes of Hazzard, hence the audio background. For Petrov, the incident wasn’t as funny as the impact resulted in a broken steering column mount that forced him to retire from the race. Enjoy the clip after the break.

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VIDEO: Lotus Renault F1 Driver Vitaly Petrov’s Yee-Haw! Moment at the Malaysian Grand Prix

It was only a matter of time before someone edited a video of Vitaly Petrov’s spectacular exit from last week’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The Russian pilot of the Lotus Renault F1 team ran too wide at a turn near the end of the race and as he tried to get inside the track again, he hit a bump on the grass that launched the race car high into the air.

The maker of the video thought the scene with the F1 car going airborne looked a lot like something you’d see in The Dukes of Hazzard, hence the audio background. For Petrov, the incident wasn’t as funny as the impact resulted in a broken steering column mount that forced him to retire from the race. Enjoy the clip after the break.

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New Volkswagen Caddy Racer gets 270HP 2.0-liter Turbo Engine

You may think of the Volkswagen Caddy as a workhouse van or a people carrier, but the German company believes the compact-sized model is also great for racing. In fact, the Caddy Racer has been competing in the Volkswagen Racing Cup since 2004. The introduction of the redesigned Caddy series last year brought a newer competition version that was unveiled today at the Commercial Vehicle Show at Birmingham’s NEC in the UK.

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New Volkswagen Caddy Racer gets 270HP 2.0-liter Turbo Engine

You may think of the Volkswagen Caddy as a workhouse van or a people carrier, but the German company believes the compact-sized model is also great for racing. In fact, the Caddy Racer has been competing in the Volkswagen Racing Cup since 2004. The introduction of the redesigned Caddy series last year brought a newer competition version that was unveiled today at the Commercial Vehicle Show at Birmingham’s NEC in the UK.

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VIDEO: Driverless Tractor on the Loose Wreaks Havoc at WalMart Parking Lot

In a scene that can only be described as surreal, a runaway John Deere tractor wreaked havoc at a Walmart superstore parking lot in Richmond Hill, a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday. The incident was caught on film by a couple who uploaded the video on Youtube.

Here’s how they described the incident: “My girlfriend and I was going to get my car wash, however both car was stations were closed. We took a shortcut route to home which pass by our local Walmat parking lot and to our surprise, we noticed a group of spectators all looking at the far end of the parking lot and the video will explain the next 5 minutes of what happened.....”

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VIDEO: Driverless Tractor on the Loose Wreaks Havoc at WalMart Parking Lot

In a scene that can only be described as surreal, a runaway John Deere tractor wreaked havoc at a Walmart superstore parking lot in Richmond Hill, a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday. The incident was caught on film by a couple who uploaded the video on Youtube.

Here’s how they described the incident: “My girlfriend and I was going to get my car wash, however both car was stations were closed. We took a shortcut route to home which pass by our local Walmat parking lot and to our surprise, we noticed a group of spectators all looking at the far end of the parking lot and the video will explain the next 5 minutes of what happened.....”

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VIDEO: Ferrari F430 Scuderia Cone Drifting on the Wet

Yes, it’s another drift video, but who’s complaining, especially when the protagonist is a Ferrari F430 Scuderia? The clip was filmed during a special track day at the Circuit Park Zandvoort, which is located north of the town of Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, with the F430 Scuderia being tossed left and right on a wet course. Read more »

VIDEO: Ferrari F430 Scuderia Cone Drifting on the Wet

Yes, it’s another drift video, but who’s complaining, especially when the protagonist is a Ferrari F430 Scuderia? The clip was filmed during a special track day at the Circuit Park Zandvoort, which is located north of the town of Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, with the F430 Scuderia being tossed left and right on a wet course. Read more »

New Caterham Seven Supersport Targets Hardcore Enthusiasts on a Bugdet

A little over two months after the introduction of its first truly new model in 15 years, the SP/300R, Caterham has now presented the first brand new addition in two years to its core model series, the Seven. As its name implies, the new Seven Supersport is derived directly from the race-prepped version that competes in the one-make Caterham Supersport championship.

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New Caterham Seven Supersport Targets Hardcore Enthusiasts on a Bugdet

A little over two months after the introduction of its first truly new model in 15 years, the SP/300R, Caterham has now presented the first brand new addition in two years to its core model series, the Seven. As its name implies, the new Seven Supersport is derived directly from the race-prepped version that competes in the one-make Caterham Supersport championship.

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On Board Video from a Ferrari 458 Challenge at the Monza Circuit

You’ve probably heard about Ferrari’s track-alicious 458 Italia Challenge, the latest in a line of racers to emerge from Maranello’s production cars. Revealed to the public for the first time at the Bologna Motor Show last December, the Italian company has produced a new video of the hardcore supercar hot lapping the Monza circuit in the hands of the Stefano Gai, World Champion in the Trofeo Pirelli Italia 2010, with breathtaking footage from two in-car cameras.

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On Board Video from a Ferrari 458 Challenge at the Monza Circuit

You’ve probably heard about Ferrari’s track-alicious 458 Italia Challenge, the latest in a line of racers to emerge from Maranello’s production cars. Revealed to the public for the first time at the Bologna Motor Show last December, the Italian company has produced a new video of the hardcore supercar hot lapping the Monza circuit in the hands of the Stefano Gai, World Champion in the Trofeo Pirelli Italia 2010, with breathtaking footage from two in-car cameras.

Read more »