Petter's Blog - Pettersolberg

Tyres: Over A Century of Safety

May 24, 2020

The invention of the wheel was one of the most groundbreaking moments in the history of mankind. Around the year 3500 BC, the way people travelled was revolutionized and led to the widespread use of carts, chariots, coaches and eventually, cars.

However, when it comes to drivers, and passengers’ safety and comfort, as well as to the durability of wheels itself, the greatest change came with the introduction of rubber tyres in the 1800s. For that, credit goes to two Scotts, Robert William Thomson and John Boyd Dunlop. The latter opened a first tyre factory under the name Dunlop Tyres in Ireland, in 1890. That brand has been associated with quality products ever since and is still a very popular choice, with car owners.

Arguably, the expansion of the whole automotive industry would be impossible without the invention of rubber tyres. Without them, travelling by cars would simply be too uncomfortable for most people. Tyres also allowed for greater speeds, providing vehicles with much needed traction and made the first racing and rally event possible as early as 1895!

After all, when we use the brake pedal while driving, how soon our car comes to a complete stop is not only up to the brakes. We also rely on the tyres that we use, to keep us safe on the road regardless of weather conditions. Further improvements came with the introduction of synthetic rubber, that reduced the demand for harvesting latex from the rubber trees as well as the radial tyre, that increased flexibility and ride comfort, an invention by another big name in the industry, French company Michelin.

Today, we can hardly imagine transportation or traveling without tyres. An astonishing 2.5 billion tyres are produced annually and brands like Dunlop and Michelin are still important market players. And it isn’t just the automotive industry that relies on a constant supply. After all, bicycles, motorcycles, industrial machines and planes, they all need tyres too.

There are various kinds of car tyres in production, that cater to a wide range of drivers. We use different types for winter and summer season, both made of special rubber mixtures that provide better performance in either low or high temperatures, on wet and snowy roads. Another type of tyres is used for off-road cars which might need that extra grip when crossing mud, going up or downhill. Finally, there are performance tyres, carefully designed for great velocities, and top tier, marked with speed symbol W, can safely reach even up to 270 kilometres per hour. Without those, millions of fans around the world simply wouldn’t be able to hold their breath while watching WRC or Formula 1 championships.

There is a lot of good news when it comes to future developments in tyre technologies, both for those who drive to commute as well as for motorsports enthusiasts. We can definitely expect substantial improvements in safety and comfort for drivers and their passengers.

From self-sealing and airless tyres that are going to require less maintenance, to those reducing road noise, to new versions of threads for better control in tight-radius turns and shortest braking distance on both dry and wet surfaces. And let’s not forget energy saving tyres, for better fuel efficiency, to keep more money in our pockets. The biggest and most advanced companies like Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone and Continental are working tirelessly in cooperation with car manufacturers and the effects are driven by us.

Images from Evolution of Tyres

Petter Solberg / News /

2019 Rallies in Summary: Developments and Predictions

February 1, 2020

2019 has come and gone, and with it another rally season. Those who mark the time by the round will know that the season saw its fair share of upsets but that it generated even more familiarity. With that in mind, let’s dive into an assessment of the season to see who won, who lost, and what fans will need to look for in the season to come.

Rallies in 2019: A Summary

Rallies are only as successful as their manufacturers. Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT produced some of the most popular – not to mention most successful – racing vehicles in the 2019 season. Of the fourteen official rallies the season hosted, four saw a Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT vehicle in the winner’s circle. Some of the most popular vehicles to grace the routes included:

Citroen C3 WRC
Ford Fiesta WRC
Hyundai I20 Coupe WRC
Toyota Yaris WRC

source: https://www.oponeo.co.uk/blog/2019-in-the-automotive-industry

The Ford Fiesta is definitely a favourite, being both the UK’s top one and in the top best rally cars globally.

2019 World Rally Championship Results

The overarching victory in the rally world this past year went to Ott Tanak, who took the title of World Drivers’ Champion. Tanak, who originally drove for Toyota, was recently recruited by Hyundai as a driver for the 2020 rally season.

Martin Jarveoja took the title of World Co-drivers’ Champion, while Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT took the title of World Manufacturers’ Champion.

Rallies and the Broader Automotive Industry: A Comparison

In the world of racing alone, Europe dominates the automotive market. Rally racing in the EU generated 46% share in 2015, with that share only growing over the past few years. The market is expected to hit $2.96 billion in value by 2023.

In terms of the global passenger market share, small brands dominated over half of the broader automotive industry. The largest, well-known brand to generate a remarkable market share was Volkswagen with an impressive 9%.

Comparatively, Ford dominated the 2019 rally market, with the majority of drivers using Ford vehicles during their runs.

Looking Forward

Where, then, should fans and automotive investors alike expect the rally scene to go in the later months of 2020? Citroen has already shaken the World Rally Championship by cutting its rally program entirely. Even so, drivers at the wheel of some of the manufacturer’s previously released vehicles will appear on the track come 2020.

The World Championship’s first round is set to take place between the 23rd and 26th of January at Monte-Carlo. Ford thus far dominates the track, with 23 of the 88 entrants driving some variation of the manufacturer’s WRC vehicles.

Surprisingly, none of the brands previously mentioned previously garner the second-most popular spot, as Peugeot has outplaced them all with 19 drivers. 13 drivers represent Hyundai, while 12 drive for Citroen, and 8 for Toyota. Volkswagen and Skoda are also set to appear at this raise, with 4 and 8 drivers, respectively. Other manufacturers with vehicles appearing in the first round include:

Renault
Fiat
Dacia

With so many changes from 2019 still resonating through the industry all fans can do now is wait and see how a new season shakes up the rally standing.

Petter Solberg / Motorsport & Racing /

5 Women Who Earned their Place In Motorsports

November 27, 2019

‘You drive really well…” someone says, “…for a woman”. Well, and there it is! The misogyny we just can’t seem to get rid of. The automotive is, like many other industries in the world, still very male-dominated. Whether we talk about race car drivers, mechanics or CEOs; it’s quite rare for a woman to be in the limelight for her contributions in the automotive world.

For years, women have been considered not capable of understanding how cars work. Now this belief is starting to change in more and more environments. Here are five examples of the exceptional women who are transforming the way many people perceive the role of women in motorsports and the car sector.

Maria Teresa de Filippis

Some may find it surprising but the involvement of women in motorsports goes as far back as 1958 when Maria Teresa de Filippis took part in the Belgian Grand Prix and landed the tenth position. Her passion for driving began at 22, when her brothers bet that she couldn’t drive fast and she was determined to prove them wrong. Despite her great skills as a driver she had to deal with the prejudice that exists to this day. An official at the French Grand Prix told her “The only helmet a woman should wear is the one at the hairdresser’s.”

After the 1959 Monaco Grand Prix she retired from driving but made her comeback in 1979 by joining the International Club of Former F1 Grand Prix Drivers. She was the club’s vice-president in 1997 and also became the president of the Maserati Club.

Shawna Robison

Shawna Robinson was the first woman to win a NASCAR series in 1988 where she also won ‘Most Popular Drive’ and ‘Rookie of the Year’ titles. She competed in all three NASCAR national touring series. Robinson also won the pole of all three major series and won at qualifications for Xfinity Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1994. Her feats as a female driver serve as an inspiration for many young girls all over the world.

Lella Lombardi

After Maria de Filippis, lella Lombardi is the only woman who qualified for a Formula One race. She competed in three seasons from 1974 to 1976. She entered seventeen races and started twelve having her best result in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix where Lombardi finished in sixth.

She’s the sole female driver to score points in Formula One World Championship – and the only driver with a career total of half a point. For Lombardi, it was all about racing. She did not distinguish herself as a female driver, nor did she seek fame for it. Nonetheless, she made her mark in history and will forever be remembered for it.

Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick that’s carved out a legacy by competing (not just taking part) in the ultra-competitive NASCAR and IndyCar, at which she’s the only woman to have won a race – Japan 2008.

In 2008, Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an Indycar race. In 2010 she joined NASCAR and in 2012 she won the pole position – the second female to do so after Shawna Robinson and was honoured as NASCAR’s Most Popular Nationwide Driver the same year.

She also got the pole position in the 2013 Daytona 500. The highest finish for any female NASCAR drivers was her 8th position in the Daytona 500 as well. She retired last year, but her achievements will outlive her career.

Behind the scenes

These female drivers prove that women can drive just as well as men. As Desiré Wilson put it, “My opinion is that women are actually stronger mentally than men are… It’s the individual person, what you are made up of, what you want in life, how hard do you want to fight for it and how serious and focused you are.”

Some women are gaining fame as successful drivers while others are making their mark behind the curtains of the automotive industry.

According to a survey by Cars.com, over 60% of women are “the sole decision-maker when it comes to purchasing their next car”. As women make the majority of the buyers, increasing the number of women in the top positions would surely benefit automobile companies.

Mary Teressa Barra

In 2014, Mary Teressa Barra became the first female CEO and chairman of a major automotive producer General Motors. But the journey was anything but easy. She started working at GM in the 80’s while she was still a college student. After more than three decades of hard work and diligence, she made her way up the corporate ladder so that in 2016, she was the highest paid automobile CEO in America. Few can deny her success as under her leadership, GM has seen great success including a $7.9-billion profit in 2018.

Despite her success, she still has to stress for a more gender-inclusive and diverse environment. “Ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace is a critical business imperative, and we treat it that way,” Barra said when speaking to USA TODAY.

Despite the presence of these inspirational women in the automotive sector, the issue still stands. Women are still not being encouraged or supported enough in joining the car industry. Hopefully, the increasing awareness on the lack of inclusivity and diversity will bear fruit in the coming years.

Petter Solberg / Tuning /

Subaru BRZ Turbo Kit Guide

August 18, 2019

The Subaru BRZ isn’t quite that straightforward; it’s also the Toyota GT86 or FT86 and the Scion FR-S – it was a joint project between Toyota and Subaru, and many consider it to be a fine handling, sporty car, just needing a little more ‘get up & go’ to be really interesting. Hence the turbo kits.

Natural Aspirations

For a long time, modifiers and engine tuners have relied on forced induction as a cost-effective route to easy horsepower – change the engine controller, maybe fit a bigger turbo, and hey presto, instant horsepower. But when the engine is naturally aspirated, it requires much more work to make it reliable, or even usable – often needing a change (lowering) in compression ratio to avoid damaging the engine.

Most experts agree that the standard engine can cope with around another 100 hp in standard form, start pushing the envelope a little harder though and you’ll need to think about strengthening the internals – and that’s going to get expensive.

Additional

You should also think about the additional costs and components that you’ll need – it’s not just a question of throwing on a turbo kit and that’s it all done … with a minor increase in horsepower, the clutch and driveline should cope, although I’d be tempted to fit a new clutch anyway, but let’s think about big numbers (some of the turbo kits can max out at over 600 hp, and that’s wheel horsepower, so closer to 700 hp at the crank).

Are your brakes up to the job? Can you fit bigger? Or perhaps you need bigger wheels? And tires. There’s plenty of thousands of extra dollars right there. Would you use all the standard hoses under the hood? I wouldn’t. And what’s your suspension going to do? Yes, the BRZ may be a great handling car, but if you’re doubling the power output, you’ll soon find the weak points.

I’m going to be honest … modifying a car, looking for bigger power figures … it’s a slippery slope that you should really only think about if you have deep pockets. Plus … I doubt you’ll even get to the end of the first round of modifications before they’ve changed and you’re looking for more – in thirty years of modifying cars, I’ve never once met a customer that just does one mod, on budget and never touches it again … it’s like crack cocaine … don’t start, and if you do, say goodbye to everything else you love.

Aftermarket Kits

Here’s my issue with this sort of stuff … forcing your engine to make another 60, 70, 100 or 200 horsepower goes against what the manufacturer is happy with. Of course they build in safe tolerances, and they’re thinking longer term – they want the engine to last for a predetermined amount of mileage, and changing the horsepower level will change the reliability.

Still want more?

Some kits (in theory) will bolt straight on to what you have now – literally just pop the hood and start installing, but what if your motor is already a bit tired? Is that cylinder head gasket going to hold? Will the transmission cope?

Don’t expect to go back to the dealer and claim on the manufacturer’s warranty – they’ll still be laughing as you’re waving your conrod about, semi-melted piston dripping off the end of it … trust me, I’ve done that (seen the devastation caused by non-professional installs).

The Best BRZ Turbo Kit

I’ve spent some time warning you of imminent problems, that does not mean I wouldn’t do it personally … there’s nothing like some extra horses roaming around under your hood.

For the main part, I’ll be talking about the regular kits; there will be added options available to you, choosing to go for the big hp numbers for example, but I’ll try to keep it as simple or as relevant as possible – if we start going down the rabbit hole of technical details, who knows where we’ll end up?

Full Blown SUBARU BRZ Stage 1 Base Turbo Kit

Full Blown Motorsports offer a few different turbo kits for the BRZ / FR-S combo, including a ‘Premium’ stage 1 kit. In their own words, they knew that some customers weren’t able to come up with the goods for the premium kit, so they’ve made a … more cost effective … kit to suit those customers.

They’re still looking at the same level of performance as the premium kit, but they’ve managed to pare the costs back a little by using CNC machines for bending the pipework, modifying the intercooler to use cast aluminum tanks, swapping to a 39mm wastegate and most importantly, losing the license fee as many modifiers already have that taken care. Be aware though, that you’ll need to extra to the base price if you need the license or hardware to mod the ECU.

It’s a comprehensive kit, and seems to be well engineered and designed, I guess I would add that it really is the bare minimum to get started. For my money, I’d need to see some of the extras included in the kit as standard for peace of mind, but that’s from an automotive engineer’s point of view … I fully understand what bits do certain jobs, and what extras could help to make the job or performance more reliable or drive-able. But we shouldn’t forget that this is the whole point of the kit … this is the most cost effective route in to turbo charging the BRZ.

The kit includes as standard:

FBM (Full Blown Motorsports) Base EL turbo manifold, choice of turbos – 50, 57 or GTX28 (but you need to check out the options with that), FBM aluminum wrinkled black I/C pipe & couplers, FBM 3-inch downpipe, FBM 550hp I/C (with cast tanks), FBM intake pipe, FBM dump tube, 39mm wastegate, Tial 50mm Q BOV, 550cc injectors, 270lph gas pump, FBM dual fans, all hardware / oil lines & gaskets needed for the install and an FBM 7psi base map (without a license).

This is the cheapest way in to forced induction for your FR-S or BRZ. You can expect to see power gains around 100+hp, although of course nothing can be guaranteed because every engine is different, and to a lesser degree, your mechanical skills could also have an effect.

Crawford Performance BRZ Turbo Kit

Crawford say that they were the first company to successfully design, build and test a kit for the BRZ, and what I like about these kits is that they offer a number of different kits, easily identified and all building on top of the base kit. You can choose a PLUS 100, PLUS 130 or PLUS 200 (which of course relates to horsepower), but be aware that anything above the PLUS 130 is recommended to have the rebuilt and modified engine.

The kit uses a custom built twin scroll turbo, which helps to eliminate any lag, with full boost happening between 2,500 rpm – 7,500 rpm. It should feel quite drive-able without seemingly waiting forever for it come on boost.

They also say that although it’s offered in set stages, the kits themselves are completely customizable for ‘power goals’, which means you can pretty much pick a number and dial it in, but I’m guessing for that to work properly, you’ll need everything, including the crate bottom end which has been designed to withstand big horsepower numbers, or you’re going to be looking at a huge molten pile of pistons and possibly banana-shaped conrods.

The kits come with everything you need to successfully install some extra horsepower, these include:

PLUS 100 – custom built Blouch VF36 twin scroll turbo with a special thermal coating, all plumbing (2” & 3”), all couplers, bolts, nuts, clamps, gaskets and heat shields, 3” stainless steel (thermal coated) downpipe, equal length stainless headers, new oil pan (added drain) and a MAP sensor, although there’s no mention of ECU work or license fees, so that may be an additional fee.

This seems to be a well engineered kit, with thought given to what’s actually needed, and how it’s all going to work under the hood. A great choice if you’re new to forced induction.

WORKS FR-S/BRZ Stage 2 Turbo Kit – Calibrated Kit/CARB Compliant

OK, this is the most expensive kit in the list, as an engine guy, I can see why it’s more expensive, and the added benefits that you’re getting for the money.

This is their Stage 2 kit (I’ll come on to ‘stages’ in the conclusion), and essentially what you’re getting is something akin to a factory install. It’ll give around 90hp and 90ft/lb of torque (remember that no power figures are guaranteed) all while working on as many stock components as possible, which means it looks almost like it was there from factory.

I also like the fact that they’ve clearly thought about the engineering, about how the install will affect the car, and that due to that, it’s still smog legal in 50 states under the CARB executive order D-748.

They say that there’s hundreds of hours gone in to design, development and testing, and from what I can see (things like proper ceramic coating on pipework), I can well believe that – it’s almost like this has been designed and built from an engineers perspective, rather than a modifiers viewpoint. It uses the OEM airbox, exhaust manifold and also retains the catalytic converters.

There’s no doubting that you could get more horsepower with other kits, but that’s missing the point of the kit – this is designed to be reliable, functional and trouble-free; giving a much needed (and sensible) boost in power without getting all shouty – it’s discreet, and that’s a big plus point for me.

So what’s in the kit? Everything you need to complete the install and get going:

A water cooled Garrett GT28 turbo (mounted rearward to retain chassis balance), an air to liquid aluminum I/C (intercooler) with an auxiliary front radiator, all up and down pipes (both internally and externally ceramic coated to help deal with heat), short length intake pipes, silicone coupling pipes (4 ply), all necessary hardware – clips, nuts, bolts, clamps … everything needed is supplied.

Thanks to the ‘standard’ nature of the kit, there’s no need to extend any wiring or remove the oil pan, and fitting is straightforward, the ECU recalibration is also included in the price.

This would be my choice if I was looking for a sensible upgrade without going overboard – an increase of around 1/3 is usable, and pushes power closer to 300hp, which for an everyday car, is just about right.

Conclusion

I mentioned that I’d cover off ‘Stage xx’ in the conclusion … having spent many years doing this sort of work, and dealing with hundreds, if not thousands of customers looking for similar, I’m going to stick my neck out and say that I’m not keen on the term ‘Stage 1 (2 or 3 … however far)’ because it doesn’t really mean that much.

Yes, if a customer is only ever going to deal with you and your products, it has some relevance, however when it’s an open market with numerous suppliers, it leads to confusion and possibly some mis-selling. For me, I always preferred the old fashioned way of naming kits … ‘The Hurricane’ or whatever, because no two customers are alike, and it lays it out clearly for them – they aren’t trying to compare a Stage 1 kit from ‘Bills Auto Emporium’ against a Stage 1 kit from ‘Tuning is Us’.

Before you rush out and spec up one of these kits, remember that this really is only the start of a long journey. Yes you can fit one of these kits and be happily on your way, but it’s the little extras that will start making the difference – finding big lumps of horsepower is relatively easy with forced induction, but it shouldn’t end there … this is where specialist knowledge and attention to detail starts coming in to play – none of these kits come with a performance air filter for example, nor do they mention anything about having the injectors serviced, which would be the one of the first things that I’d have done.

I’d also add that I’d change out the cooling pipes – your engine is going to be working harder, producing more under-hood temperature, and a failure in the cooling could be catastrophic – you may even look for an uprated water pump or make sure yours is working at its best.

You also need to think about what happens should you decide to get the car setup professionally on a rolling road (which you really should or you’re wasting money) – that’s further expense and a rolling road will absolutely beast your car and transmission – it’s much harder on the car than fast driving on the highway.

All in, I’d say go for it if you want that extra power … to find that power with mechanical upgrades (retaining the naturally aspirated induction) would be hugely expensive and possibly make the car a pain to drive in traffic, but just be aware that this really is just the start.

Petter Solberg / Special Lists /

The 13 Fastest Cars In The World

May 12, 2019

The fastest cars in the world. That’s a pretty bold claim to fame, but it seems that nearly every week, a ‘new’ manufacturer comes on to the scene trying to claim their glory and the coveted top-spot on the mph scale.

Surely, it’s just a question of loading up the engine with so much power, that it can’t possibly fail. Right? Or what about making it super lightweight and as slippery as a slippery thing at a grease convention? No?

The problem is that despite being almost invisible, and barely affecting our daily lives, air can be hard work, and the faster you go, the harder it gets. And then of course, things have a habit of getting … twitchy … when you start pushing over 200mph (I speak from experience), which means all that aero you want taking off to make the car slippery, is needed to make it stable. Catch-22 then.

For the record, we’re talking about road cars, not special one-offs, not land speed record holders, and definitely nothing other than traditional internal combustion with maybe a little hybridization where needed.

Fast is Subjective

It’s all very well saying “the fastest cars in the world”, so exactly what sort of ‘fast’ are we talking about? An old Group B rally car was ridiculously fast up to around 100mph, even more so when you’re skimming a tree-lined dirt track, but is it fast fast?

To make it easier, I want to concentrate on top speeds … anything under 200mph isn’t going to cut it in this group … all of these supercars are in the 200+ mph club.

Let’s get started!

Hennessey Venom F5

Power: 1,600 bhp
Torque: 1,300 lb-ft
Engine: 7.6 liter twin-turbo V8
Weight: 2,950 lbs
Top speed: 301 – 311mph
Price: $1,600,000 USD

God bless America and John Hennessey, for it’s his vision that’s putting the U.S. firmly on top of the speed map when it comes to road cars, this is America’s hypercar.

It’s first debut was at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in 2017, and it’s still yet to prove its dominance, so some of the speed numbers are modelled, and therefore theoretical. The intention was to break the 300mph mark, but latest reports are saying it could be as high as 311mph – you might as well strap yourself in to an aircraft!

With a coefficient of drag of just 0.33 from the all carbon fiber body, John Hennessey has the fastest car on earth tag firmly within his sights. Will it really do everything that Hennessey say it will? Watch this space.

SSC North America Tuatara

Power: 1,750 bhp (E85 Flex Fuel) 1,350 bhp (regular 91 octane)
Torque: n/a
Engine: 5.9 liter twin-turbo V8
Weight: 2,750 lbs
Top speed: 300+ mph
Price: n/a

You’d have to say that John Hennessey was probably fairly confident in what he had planned, until the Tuatara from SSC turned up; it’s 200 lbs lighter, makes more horsepower (even on regular gas) and more than that, they’ve tuned the aero to perfection – a coefficient of drag of just 0.279 – I can’t explain just how incredible that number is.

Although similar to the F5 in that it has full carbon fiber bodywork, it also uses a carbon cell / chassis setup, which probably accounts for the difference in weight against the F5. This car has been in the making for many years – first whispers surrounding it go back as far as 2011, but it’s really only been since 2017 that rumors / whispers or gossip was really confirmed.

1,750 horsepower, super lightweight, rear-wheel drive and slippier than a greased pig – the American dream.

Koenigsegg Agera RS

Power: 1,360 bhp (E85) 1,160 (regular)
Torque: 1,011 lb-ft
Engine: 5.0 liter twin-turbo V8
Weight: 3,075 lbs
Top speed: 284.55 mph
Price: $2,500,000 USD

While the boys from Hennessey and SSC are talking a good fight, Koenigsegg, the small car maker from Sweden is out there doing it, or at least his customers are. The Agera RS is a track-focused car, but all 25 of the production models are road legal.

In fact, despite being a track car, it’s surprisingly well mannered and well catered to – with an actual usable luggage compartment and removeable hardtop (that can be stowed on-board). Back in November of 2017, one of the Agera RS models set a number of records, all on a public highway near Las Vegas.

Fastest flying mile, fastest production car, fastest 0-249-0 time … this thing does it all. For the record, it averaged 277.87 mph across the two runs (one in either direction), it actually hit a top speed of 284.55 mph, the 0-249-0 time smashed the previous holder’s time (Chiron) down to 33.29 seconds. The original price was between $2.1 – $2.3 million, depending on the exact specification, but since it claimed the records, they’re now worth in the region of $2.5 million.

Hennessey Venom GT

Power: 1,244 bhp
Torque: 1,155 lb-ft
Engine: 7.0 liter twin-turbo V8
Weight: 2,743 lbs
Top speed: 270.49 mph
Price: $1,250,000 USD

That man John Hennessey may have a new trainset to play with (the Venom F5), but he’s no stranger to claiming the title to the world’s fastest car – the Venom GT took that record back in 2013, and then again in 2014 with a 270.49 mph run. It couldn’t be classed as the fastest production car because there wasn’t enough of them built.

You may be wondering what it is … it’s kind of like a smooshed-up hybrid of a Hennessey and a Lotus Exige, just a bit longer, fatter, wider and heavier. And of course, much faster. Essentially, Hennessey use the Exige chassis and lengthen it and widen it, with bespoke carbon fiber bodywork in the same style as the little Lotus, as someone that’s had extensive dealings with the Exige, I find it strange to hear the roar of the mighty V8 coming from it. But then I always did think that’s what it needed.

And that’s how the Venom GT came about – with John Hennessey wondering how quickly a wild a 1,000+ bhp Lotus Exige would kill you.

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

Power: 1,188 bhp
Torque: 1,106 ft-lb
Engine: 8.0 liter quad-turbo W16
Weight: 4,052 lbs
Top speed: 269.4 mph
Price: $2,600,000 USD

Despite being a very heavy-weight contender at over 1,000 lbs heavier than some of the competition, the Veyron Super Sport could be the Daddy of this list. Yes, there are some faster cars out now, but the Veyron SS has been around for nearly a decade, and not only will it still outperform most cars, it does it with luxury and style – no skimped on, stripped out lightweight ‘race’ specials here.

If like me, you have trouble comprehending just how fast these cars are, the SS in particular, think on this: The McLaren F1 (further down the list) is considered as the one that really kicked off the 200+ mph club, so it’s no slouch.

The Veyron Super Sport will travel from 0-200-0 mph and then a quick sprint back to 60 mph in the same time that it takes the F1 to hit 0-200 mph. Here’s another fun fact – flat-out, the Veyron will drain its 100 liter gas tank in less than 8 minutes, or in around just over 30 miles.

Power: 1,479 bhp
Torque: 1,180 lb-ft
Engine: 8.0 liter quad-turbo W16
Weight: 4,398 lbs
Top speed: 261 mph (limited)
Price: $2,470,000 USD

Let’s address the elephant in the room first – top speed is limited to 261 mph. However, the factory did say they’d expect 289 mph without the limiters, and if they had the tires to safely do it. Essentially, it’s the same base engine as the Veyron, but with some heavy modifications, which accounts for the extra 291 horsepower.

There are some very impressive numbers associated with the Chiron; 249 mph comes up in 32.6 seconds, staggeringly, stopping it from that speed takes just 9.4 seconds. Or how about the fact that it will need 60,000 liters of air through the engine every minute, or that every single gram of rubber on the tire is subjected to 3,800Gs of force?

For a hypercar, the Chiron is surprisingly well-appointed – double-glazed windows, a cooled glove box, swathes of leather … and perhaps that’s why the average owner of a Chiron owns 64 cars, 3 jets, 3 helicopters and a yacht.

9FF GT9

Power: 1,120 bhp
Torque: n/a
Engine: 4.0 liter bi-turbo flat-6
Weight: 2,923 lbs
Top speed: 257.2 mph
Price: $704,250 USD

This German pocket-rocket is very loosely based on the Porsche 911 997 GT3. Realistically, what you’re buying is a racing car that’s been made to work on the road – right down to the full roll cage, carbon fiber body and Makrolon Plexiglas side & rear windows.

This is the exact opposite of the Bugatti – stripped out, light weight, little refinement all combined with a generous portion of horsepower. The actual top speed is 254 mph, but one has been clocked at 257.2 mph – hardly dragging its feet, but in this company, it’s not blistering. With that said, it’s around a quarter of the price of some of the vehicles here – buy two and still save yourself some serious money.

This is fast, raw motoring with pin sharp handling and suspension that will knock your teeth out on anything less than flat roads – perfect for when you need to vent some aggression!

SSC North America Ultimate Aero

Power: 1,287 bhp
Torque: 1,094 ft-lb
Engine: 6.4 liter twin-turbo V8
Weight: 2,756 lbs
Top speed: 256.18 mph
Price: $438,000 USD

Cut-price speed, but it does come at a price – build quality is more … budget … rather than racecar, and there’s no electronic aids to help you keep control of the 250+ mph performance – no anti-lock brakes, no traction control systems … just your foot. Wow.

This was the ‘fastest production car’ between 2007 – 2010, until the Veyron Super Sport came along, and there’s been a number of different models, all with varying horsepower and configurations – supercharged, 6.2 liter, 6.3 liter, twin-turbo, 787 bhp, 1,185 bhp, 1,287 bhp … it seems to be a process of evolvement rather than one single model, but that’s no bad thing.

They’ve managed to keep the weight down to just 2,756 lbs, although there again, that has slowly come down to that over the course of a few years, but it’s partly thanks to the full carbon fiber body weighing in at under 130 lbs that’s really helped that figure along. A flat-floor with twin venturi underneath should help to keep the Ultimate Aero poking in the right direction when at speed, but … you’ve got to be brave.

Koenigsegg CCR

Power: 806 bhp
Torque: 678 ft-lb
Engine: 4.7 liter twin-supercharged V8
Weight: 2,601 lbs
Top speed: 245 mph
Price: $650,000 USD

The Koenigsegg CCR was essentially an updated version of the CC8S, but it had an upgraded body design, bigger front splitter, rear wing, larger brakes … everything to help it manage the 240+ mph top speed with a bit more safety, and yet despite adding more aero, it still had a coefficient of drag of just 0.297.

It was produced in limited numbers – just 14 in total, and was only in production between 2004 to 2006, so didn’t have a long life. When it was first launched, it held the record for ‘The most powerful engine in a production car’ with 806 horsepower (how times have changed since then!), and went on to take the fastest car title with a 245 mph run on the Nardo track, although it’s thought that on a straight track, it would break the 250 mph barrier.

The Nardo facility is a banked circle, which means a constant steering input of around 30 degrees, which of course causes extra drag, slowing the vehicle down. Despite being a hardcore speed car, it still had 120 liters of luggage space – practical and fast!

McLaren F1

Power: 627 bhp
Torque: 479 lb-ft
Engine: 6.1 Liter normally-aspirated V12
Weight: 2,509 lbs
Top speed: 231 mph
Price: $800,000 USD

This is the Granddaddy of all supercars, the car that really brought about the ‘no compromise’ ethos behind 200+ mph cars, the one that started it off. And what a way to start the movement.

The idea first came about back in 1988 – just over thirty years ago. Gordon Murray wanted to design an absolute no compromise supercar – he actually spent TEN hours briefing the designers and engineers at McLaren as to what he envisaged, and boy did they get it right.

From the outset, the car had to be the closest thing to a Formula 1 car as road rules allowed. There were no driver aids, no safety systems such as ABS, traction control, power steering, active damping, it didn’t even have servo assisted brakes – just huge discs that needed the strength of Superman to operate.

BMW created an engine specifically for the F1, a normally aspirated V12 that packed a 600+ horsepower punch. Such was the attention to detail with the F1, the engine bay was lined in 24 carat gold – as that was the best heat-reflectant. McLaren wanted to produce “the ultimate uncorrupted driving experience”.

Even today, the 2,509 lb weight is super-lightweight, at least two hundred pounds lighter than any competition, this really was the ultimate supercar, before they were even a thing.

Zenvo ST1

Power: 1,089 bhp
Torque: 1,055 ft-lb
Engine: 7.0 liter twincharged V8
Weight: 3,721 lbs
Top speed: 233 mph
Price: $1,800,000 USD

The ST1 from Zenvo has had a troubled life. The small Danish manufacturer has had to come to the defense of the ST1 on more than one occasion, and strangely enough, it all seems to center around the British TV program ‘Top Gear’.

Sure, it’ll do 233 mph and is fitted with some luxury toys (electrically adjustable leather seats and what have you), but it’s not an all-out speed machine; it posted a slower lap time than a BMW M5 on the TG test track, but … it was wet which didn’t help. That was after it caught fire.

Zenvo wanted to produce something that wasn’t quite as hardcore as the competition, it had to be easy to drive, almost gentile, and with the capability of cracking 230 mph, which it did. Despite the teething problems, the test car racked up over 45,000 miles, which for a hypercar is galactic.

It’s pretty heavy compared to some of the competition – well over 3,500 lbs, but that twincharged motor (both supercharged and turbocharged) pumps out nearly 1,100 bhp, and similar torque figures, so it’s not lacking in that department.

Pagani Huayra

Power: 754 bhp
Torque: 738 lb-ft
Engine: 6.0 liter bi-turbo V12
Weight: 2,976 lbs
Top speed: 238 mph
Price: $1,400,000 USD

The Huayra was the successor to the monster that was the Zonda – a super successful hypercar from Pagani. While there have been many different variants of the Huayra, the total number made (and all sold) was 100 – not a huge amount for regular production, but in this market, that’s almost Ford F-150 type of numbers.

It was named “Hypercar of the Year 2012”, and even today, it will still give some of the newer stuff a square run, even though it’s at the slower end of the market now – ‘just’ 238 mph. The beauty of the Huayra lays in the V12 engine that’s hand built by Mercedes-AMG – those fellows that have had the odd win or two in Formula 1.

Added to the V12 grunt is active aero. The designers say it has a coefficient of drag between 0.31 – 0.37 which means it’s pretty slippery – the less than 3,000 lb weight and 750+ horsepower is enough – it doesn’t need the 1200-odd horses of the competition.

Aston Martin ONE-77

Power: 750 bhp
Torque: 553 lb-ft
Engine: 7.3 liter normally-aspirated V12
Weight: 3,594 lbs
Top speed: 220.007 mph
Price: $1,550,000 USD

The ONE-77 represents Aston Martin at their finest. Sure, it’s only good for 220 mph, but remember that this is raw naturally aspirated V12 goodness, not some forced-induction bomb. Only 77 models were built, and although the initial pricetag (for the base model) was just over $1,500,000 USD, if you can find a used example for sale, you’re now looking closer to the $2 million mark.

The ONE-77 is a thing of beauty. The body is handcrafted aluminum – actually made by hand, just like they did in the olden days, and it sits atop a very modern carbon fiber monocoque chassis, which means helps to keep the weight down to just over 3,500 lbs.

Sure, a full carbon body would have made it lighter, but that’s missing the point – the ONE-77 isn’t meant to be a stripped out, lightweight racer – think of it as a very refined fast ‘GT’ car (Gran Tourer).

The Future

It’s clear that these hypercars are pushing the boundaries of what we may call fast – 300 mph from a road car is insane speed, but we all know that fossil-fuel is on its way out … will there ever be an electric powerplant that’s capable of beating the magical 300 mph target? Or are these the last of a dying breed?

It’s great to see that even today, there are a number of small car companies that believe we haven’t yet reached the peak of the internal combustion engine, horsepower, aerodynamics and speed. Some of these cars like the Hennessey are still being developed, so the top speed is theoretical, but even so, you can see that in a decade or two, the target has shifted considerably – 200, 225, 250, 275 and 300 mph … where will it end?

Petter Solberg / Featured Products /

The Best Racing Simulator Cockpits Review in 2019

May 8, 2019

I’ve been following every form of motorsport since … forever, and while I still love the raw noise and smells of being trackside for real, online racing is getting bigger and better. But this is more than just sitting on your La-Z-Boy with standard controller in hand, the fast drivers are all using dedicated setups – some of the best racing simulator cockpits have been made for this purpose, and this purpose only.

With some famous race drivers seeing the benefit of sim racing (such as Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa regularly honing their skills via sim racing), you have to think that this is more than just a few buddies getting together online and racing for bragging rights on the next big night out – this is serious competition.

With that said, these race simulator cockpits that I’ve reviewed are priced well enough for those guys and gals (definitely aren’t talking professional monies), but still offer a genuine level of ‘simulator experience’ that a gaming steering wheel attached to your desktop via little rubber suckers just can’t.

Different Types

Before going too far down the rabbit hole of online racing and gaming, it’s important to understand that what we’re talking about, isn’t the full professional setup that you’d find in the headquarters of Rousch or Ferrari (or whatever team and series you follow) – this is purely about a setup for your home entertainment, using a gaming system such as the Xbox One or PlayStation or a PC.

With that in mind, you need to think about whether it can be a permanent setup that’s never moved, or has to be something more practical that can be brought out or put away easily, to an extent, this also means the choice between something with a seat, or without.

Even after thinking about that, there’s still further choices – do you want one that folds up? Or just slides out of the way? Is space that limited that you might need something that could easily fit under your bed? Or in a cupboard?

While I’d managed with just a wheel & pedal combo thing for race games where I’m racing the game system AI rather than online competitors, when I finally made that transition to racing other real-live humans, I found that I really needed a simulator setup (or at least that’s how I justified it to myself!).

I’ve spent plenty of hours in a race car, so my priority was to feel comfortable, I didn’t want to be overstretching for anything, and I wasn’t going to ‘make do’ with a slight annoyance, because that would be a major hindrance over time. Finally, the most important factor for me personally, stability – you don’t want to feel like you’re teetering on the edge of falling over.

The Best Racing Simulator Cockpit

I’ve labeled these as the best sim cockpits, but the reality is that your needs may be different from mine – I have the space to have a dedicated setup, no one else uses it – what works for me might not be so good for someone that’s a bit more svelte.

With that said, there should be something in this list that will work for you.

1. OpenWheeler GEN2 Racing Wheel Stand Cockpit

Like all the other cockpits here, this does not include any game wheel, pedals, shifter etc, this is for the stand only.

It’s available in a number of different colors – the base color being black, but you can have that with red, blue, green, orange, yellow and black, and it will fit nearly all of the most popular makes of wheel and/or pedals – like the Logitech G29 or G920, all Thrustmaster setups, same with the Fanatec, and of course it’s completely independent of the system or console – it doesn’t matter if you have a PC, PlayStation or Xbox.

It’s a sturdy metal frame, with an almost limitless amount of adjustment, the platforms the pedals, wheel and shifter mount (which can be mounted on either side) to have multiple positions, which means you’ll easily find a position that suits your driving style and gaming system setup (whether that’s low down, laid out like an F1 car, or something more upright like a WRC car).

Along with the usual wheel & pedals combo, you can also fit a shifter and a handbrake, together – there’s space and mountings for both (particularly hand for rallying games). There’s also a couple of other important factors – this thing is stable – no rocking or teetering, and there’s no weight limit capacity – many setups have a maximum weight limit, which is fine in most cases, but start looking at 250lb + and choices are limited.

The OpenWheeler GEN2 is been completely designed, built and even packaged in the USA, and aside from mounting the gaming peripherals, it’s ready to use out of the box, and it does come with everything needed to make adjustments.

If you’re looking for the all-in-one, that’s a little more permanent, this is it.

2. PlaySeat Challenge Simulator Cockpit

Let’s just get this out of the way before going in to details – this has been wrongly criticized as ‘an over priced lawn chair’. Yep, it does have a similar style in that it collapses in to itself for storage, but that’s where the comparison ends – it’s well made and pretty heavy duty, unlike a cheap lawn chair.

Besides, with drivers such as Sebastien Vettel choosing PlaySeat for his sim racing (although not this particular model), you just know that the quality has to be there.

The patented collapsible design makes storing this sim easy. The seat itself is covered in a suede alcantara fabric, which is what you’ll find in a number of proper sports or race cars – so it gives it an extra dimension of reality. Despite having a strong, powder coated steel frame, the chair will only support weights of up to 200lb, and it will fit people from 4’ 7” thru to 7’.

It fits with most of the regular pedal and wheel sets – Fanatec, Thrustmaster, Logitech and MadCatz for example, and of course works with all consoles and PCs. Most users of the PlaySeat say that it’s super comfortable, and very stable, and given that it’s a foldaway chair and mounts, that’s quite surprising – you’d normally find that temporary setups aren’t that stable (or comfortable).

If you’re looking for a hybrid type arrangement – a chair that’s stable & comfy but still easily stored, the PlaySeat Challenge is the one you want.

3. APIGA AP2 Foldable Racing Simulator Stand

The Apiga setup is purely for the pedals, steering wheel and shifter – there is no seat, and no accommodation for one either – you’ll need something like a computer chair to make this work for you.

Ordinarily, the separate wheel & seat combination doesn’t make for a great racing experience – it feels quite disjointed (which of course it is), but obviously there is a need for that sort of setup for some people – maybe space is tight and they simply don’t have the room. One thing’s for sure though – this isn’t down to pricing – this is the second most expensive system in the list, and not far behind the OpenWheeler GEN2.

This driving simulator is a foldable stand, very stable & sturdy, and they say that it’s the ‘world’s first dual pole design’, although I’d have to question that I think – seems like a pretty simple ‘A’ frame stand to me. They do say that it’s height adjustable, along with the angle, but there’s only two angle changes, and they aren’t that different to be honest – it really needs more adjustment on the pedal mounting plate.

The APIGA AP2 racing simulator will hold all the regular wheels & pedals, with pre-drilled holes for most of the popular makes, and it can also hold a shifter (which can be mounted left or right). There’s no tools needed to set it up or adjust. It uses non-slip runner feet to stop it moving along the ground, but thanks to the design and weight, it can be a little top heavy, which means if you’re getting a little vigorous, you’ll start lifting the front up as you pull on the wheel.

Unlike other racing sims using this sort of design, there is an accommodation for a racing seat (which is sold separately), but for a few extra dollars you can buy the GEN2 that comes with a seat.

If space is tight, or you just need a simple stand to mount your pedals and wheel to, rather than a desktop, then this could be the racing simulator for you.

4. Next Level Racing Steering Wheel Stand

This is a patented design, and they make a big thing of ‘no annoying pole between your legs’, but as far as I can see, a great many of these racing sim cockpits have a similar feature. I like this sim cockpit because it’s multi-adjustable, which means you can pretty much place everything as you would in a real race car – you can mimic a realistic racing driving position.

Same as the others, it’s compatible with most of the gaming wheels and pedals, and you can also mount a shifter on either side. Once everything is mounted correctly, the adjustment is fantastic – find your position and keep it – it all folds up neatly and securely for easier storage.

The Next Level steering wheel stand will accommodate anyone from 4’ right through to 6’9” (it doesn’t specify a weight limit). The real diamond feature of the Next Level setup is customization and accessories – you can buy everything from a racing seat mounting, monitor stands (to hold either 1 x 55” monitor or 3 x 30” monitors) gaming desktop, flight pack, floor mats (much needed) and a motion platform.

Despite the base system being a little … basic, the fact that you can add on the other bits makes this system great. You can effectively build a complete race simulator as you may find in more professional gaming arenas, or perhaps even in a car manufacturers test facility – almost an entirely self-contained simulator experience – if you could wrap it in bodywork, this thing would be awesome.

If you’re looking to the long term, and want an almost standalone platform simulator, then the Next Level pack should be looked at. The unit is fully customizable, fits with all systems and accessories and offers you an incredibly ultimate racing experience.

Conclusion

Knowing what space you have will help to make the decision, as will knowing what you actually want to achieve. Showing your buddies a clean (virtual) tailpipe is one thing, but if it’s semi professional racing you want, then you need it to be as close to a race environment as possible, and for me, that means a fully adjustable setup, with seat.

You should also consider that most drivers using this type of setup can instantly produce quicker lap times. Thanks to better controllability and finer inputs – controlling a bit of oversteer is easier with a proper wheel, and of course, the pedals give you much better refinement for inputs. Despite being a digital speed control, the standard controllers can steel feel a little like an on/off switch, a pedal allows for much more control – you can actually feather the throttle as you would in a real car and let’s not forget, many of the newer race cars use a drive by wire system now – just like you get here.

Petter Solberg / Special Lists /

The 9 Best JDM Cars of the 90s

April 28, 2019

The best JDM cars of the 90s … wow, what a selection to pick from – this was a great time for gearheads, and we were driving some of the coolest cars available, if only we’d have known back then just how collectible they’d become, perhaps we’d have been a bit more caring toward them … we kicked the ass out of them.

For those of you that don’t know, JDM stands for Japanese Domestic Market, which basically encompasses everything that was originally built for the Japanese market only, although most of them later found fame & fortune throughout the world.

Early examples of JDM cars have an almost cult-like following. People collect them, love them, talk about them … to these people, the earlier JDM cars represent the pinnacle of automotive utopia, and while my foot is firmly in the camp of liking them, I don’t they’re the be all and end all.

A Little JDM History

To clarify, JDM cars were purely for the Japanese market, they weren’t exported, although there were private imports (when the cars reached a certain age). Many of the models may have gone on to be exported as a model variant, but the true definition of JDM means Japan-only, and they’re usually different (albeit only slightly) to the models that went on to be exported.

Part of the reasoning behind the JDM cult is that these cars were quite often fitted with early technology that the manufacturers weren’t yet willing to release to the wider world. Either because it was still in its infancy and not quite perfected, or as a way of keeping home market customers entertained and loyal; whatever the reason, the cars generally had toys-a-plenty.

The other reason that the JDM cars found popularity is that they would cover around half the miles of their European and American cousins, so when the cars became available on the used market, you could find yourself with an excellent low-mileage example, and cars were traded quickly and often in Japan.

The Best JDM Cars of The Nineties

Despite getting close to nearly thirty years old, you can still find a great number of these cars for sale. The only real difference is that their prices are constantly and consistently rising – pristine examples of early JDM cars are beginning to fetch big money – partly down to rarity value, partly because of the their cult status among gearheads.

If you’re in the market for one, don’t wait around too long because before you know it, your budget will have been blown, or your neighbor will have snapped it up. Now … where did I leave my loan application form?

Mazda RX7

Produced between 1991 – 2002, the RX7 was different. For a start, it used a rotary engine which was tiny (both physically and displacement) – just 1.3 liters, but it made some serious horsepower thanks to the twin turbos (the RX7 used the first ever mass produced sequential turbo system); between 247 – 276 hp depending on the exact spec.

Thanks to the compact size, Mazda could fit the motor behind the front axle line, which gave the car near perfect 50:50 weight distribution, which of course helped to make the RX a great handling car. Added to that was some outrageous styling – all swooping curves, big rear wing and purposeful stance, the RX was more … different … than most of its contemporaries, even today, a nice example can still catch your eye.

Thanks to some pretty lightweight engineering, the RX7 could push through 0-60 mph in just under six seconds, and go on to a max top speed of 155 mph.

Teeny tiny engine, big big performance.

Subaru Impreza WRX STi

What can you say about these legendary Scoobies? The WRX STi (Subaru Tecnica International) was purely JDM only and not available outside of the country, although other versions eventually made it across to our shores.

These cars were made famous by the likes of Colin McRae and Richard Burns, two outstandingly talented WRC drivers that seemed to be able to make them fly. Standard road going trim saw them knocking out between 247 – 276 hp, enough for most types of fun, but the WRX STi came with upgraded and tuned engines, better transmission and uprated suspension.

The WRX stands for World Rally eXperimental, which gave you just a hint at the history behind it. The flat-four motor has a distinctive sound, and the big turbo just aided that, especially when the dump valve whooshed & whistled.

If you’re on the lookout for one, then it has to be in triple-five colors.

Honda NSX

Honda wanted the NSX to be known as the first, true everyday sports car … that would be equally at home cruising on the highway, as it was showing the competition a clean tail as it disappeared up the road, all without needing big bucks spending on it every time you wanted to use it (unlike some of the Italian competition).

Back in the day that they came up with this, Honda were a major player in the F1 circus, so they borrowed some of the tech, some of the knowledge and the odd facility to create the best non-European super car available. It worked.

The 3.0 V6 VTEC equipped motor (variable valve timing was virtually unheard of back then) still only made around the same horsepower as the other JDM cars, but it was reliable and silky smooth. Thanks to the massive effort to save weight, it handled brilliantly and was fast, properly fast … 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds, but a top speed of 168 mph.

Knowing that using titanium connecting-rods, or being the first production car to use an all-aluminum semi-monocoque unit body, and revolutionary extruded aluminum frame wouldn’t be enough, they employed the services of one of their race drivers to help fine tune the handling – Ayrton Senna was pretty handy behind the wheel!

They also added a few new features that weren’t commonplace – ABS and electric power steering, even more rare to find them on a ‘super car’.

Toyota Supra

Similar to the NSX, the 4th generation Supra was designed and built to be light … Toyota went to extreme lengths to shave off those extra few pounds … hollow carpet fibers (really), magnesium aluminum steering wheel, plastic gas tank, single exhaust pipe and a gas injected rear wing were the main delights to be found.

Even with adding features like dual airbags, traction control, bigger brakes / tires & wheels, the 4th gen Supra still weighed in just over 200 lbs lighter than the previous generation, although it must be said it wasn’t quite as svelte as the RX7 or NSX.

The sequential twin turbos were enough to push the 3.0 liter engine to run between 276-326 hp, which gave it a top speed of 156 mph and 0-60 sprint time of 5.1 seconds … pretty smart for the traffic light grand prix racers. These Supras from the 90s are one of the most sought after JDM cars right now – they look great, handle like they’re on rails and pack a punch … who wouldn’t want one?

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI

The Lancer Evo was Mitsubishi’s answer to the all-conquering Impreza from Subaru. Not only were they vying for the win on the street (in terms of sales), but they were also taking the fight to Subaru on the stages – Tommi Makinen delivering them some great results.

So important was Makinen to the brand, that a special, limited edition ‘Tommi Makinen’ version was created purely for the JDM crowd. It featured upgrades such as 17” Enkei white wheels, faster spooling turbo which was down to the titanium internals, lower ride height and quick steering rack. Although strictly a JDM car, the gray market imports were so large that Mitsubishi eventually made it official.

The Evo was a popular model, and you generally sat in either camp – you were an Evo fan, or an Impreza fan, both had wild styling and big rear wings, although for the Evo VI, there were some minor styling changes (like the reduction in size and movement of the fog lamps) to gain a better aerodynamic advantage.

With the turbo charged 4-cylinder 2.0 liter engine kicking out around 276 hp, the Evo was fast – around 5.6 seconds to 60 mph.

Nissan Skyline GT-R

The Skyline was originally made in the late 60s, to around 1973, but it wasn’t intended to be a performance car back then, just a regular driver that found no fame or glory (hence the short lifespan). In 1989, Nissan decided to revive the name, only this time it would be used on their flagship sports car with which they wanted to take on the world at motorsport.

Over the years, the GT-R became more sporty and featured a lot of trick technology such as the SUPER-HICAS four wheel steering and the ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system, added to that was the onboard data analysis and computers … this was technology being used to make the car faster, not just as an incentive to buy.

So good was the Skyline that British motoring show ‘Top Gear’ said that it was the true contribution from Japan to the super car industry. It had an oddly sized 2.6 liter engine which made 276 hp, and the all-wheel drive system meant that it could lay that power down, regardless of the road or weather.

The Skyline is a modifiers favorite, with some examples now pushing easily over 1,000 hp once tuned; the strength of the engine being tested to the max, and still not bursting – these are hardcore road machines.

Honda DC2 Integra Type R

I have to confess … I have a soft spot for the ‘Teg Type R having owned one for a while. Honda truly produced something special with the Integra, and it’s widely acclaimed as being one of the best, if not the best front-wheel drive sports cars ever made. It really was that good.

The effort that Honda went to was never really surpassed, until we start talking about modern day examples like the Veyron, for Honda too lost money on every DC2 it sold, thanks to all of the extra hand finishing they did, in fact the engines were all hand built – no clumsy robots here.

Honda felt that hand building the engines was necessary as they were going for maximum performance, and in fact they managed the holy grail of all engine tuners (certainly back then) in achieving 100+ hp per liter without forced induction. The 1.8 liter 4-cylinder motor made just shy of 200 horsepower, and revved like crazy … a redline of 8500 RPM, and when the VTEC kicked in, it howled like a banshee. Perfect.

Allied to the power was an effort to make it light – a thinner windshield was used, lighter wheels, less sound insulation (and didn’t you know it) … it all added up to a lightweight, power hungry sports car that handled brilliantly. The wheels and tires were on the skinny side, but it was almost impossible to unstick the car through the twisty stuff, and again, Honda pulled a trick out of the bag by fitting the DC2 with a helical limited-slip differential – this thing was glued to the road.

Featuring red accents, a plaque stating that it was number XX and a close ratio transmission, the Integra Type R was everything that a gearhead wanted.

Nissan Sylvia S13

You can’t say that the Sylvia was the car that started the whole JDM movement, but it was certainly one of the originals. Throughout its life, it’s had numerous upgrades and enhancements; power has ranged from 133 hp right up to 247 hp, and depending on which model you bought, you could have a limited-slip differential fitted as standard – this made an excellent drift, even straight out of the showroom, and that’s part of its legend.

The Sylvia was popular – named as Japan’s Car of the Year in its first year, the 2 door sports coupe captured the hearts and minds of drifters and gearheads, and was the ‘something a little different’ for regular commuters and drivers.

You could even choose whether you wanted forced induction or the naturally aspirated version when buying new, and the aggressive styling was an instant hit. The final piece in the winning jigsaw was the chassis – Nissan went to great lengths to perfect it, and the handling was sublime (for the time). If you can find an unmolested example today, you’ll be paying top dollar for it – the early examples are seriously collectible.

Honda Civic Type R

Another sporty Honda, another classic in the JDM world that seems to have a following all of its own. Honda took a normal Civic (which never really set the world alight) and made it a legend, it’s that simple.

The monocoque chassis was seam welded for rigidity, the engine was hand finished (including hand gas flowing the cylinder head), there was a helical lim-slip diff fitted, close ratio transmission, and everything that wasn’t necessary was junked. It had steel wheels, no air conditioning, no powered windows, no power steering and they even removed the radio – this was intended as a racer for the road.

The little 1.6 liter 4-cylinder engine had one of the highest specific outputs of all time – 182 horsepower (all naturally aspirated of course) and was rev hungry … you had to really drive it to get the best from it, although it wasn’t all peaky like a turbo engine (with no low down torque or go).

Inside the cabin, Honda made some effort to distinguish it from the regular Civic, fitting red accents everywhere and wrapping the steering wheel in leather. Truth be told, it wasn’t especially spectacular inside, but that didn’t matter because this was a pure pocket rocket that was all about driving fun, and it delivered that by the bucket load.

Today

That’s my list of nine of the best JDM cars from the Nineties, no doubt you may have one or two of your own that you should like to see on the list, and that’s the thing … the JDM scene was big, nearly every Japanese manufacture had something special for the home market, nearly all producing great power, or fitted with tech that we wouldn’t see in mainstream cars for years to come.

While it’s great to relive old memories, buying a JDM car now is fraught with the possibility of things going wrong. These cars are almost thirty years old, and by their very nature, they’ve led a hard life … they were made to be hooned everywhere, and whether you were a teenager or fully grown adult, you couldn’t help yourself when behind the wheel … the high-revving nature of the engines meant that it was foot in the firewall wherever you went.

You should also remember that parts supply isn’t what it was, although there are specialists everywhere, getting hold of parts could be time consuming and expensive – most specialist parts coming direct from Japan … what could be a minor problem with a modern car, may in fact see you immobile for a while, waiting on parts to arrive.

I love the original JDM cars, they were great fun to drive, fast, handled well and always made me smile, but would I own one today? Maybe only as a sunny day toy that’s kept under wraps for 99% of the time.

Petter Solberg / Special Lists /

The Best Luxury Cars for Racing Fans

April 16, 2019

If you’re into luxury vehicles, you probably already have an idea of what your dream car would be. A luxury car isn’t just fun to drive, it’s also chock-full of features you just can’t get with any regular old car. Below, we’ve compiled a list of the best luxury cars that have a sporty feel and make any road a race track.

Keep reading for our top list of sport-forward luxury cars.

2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Supercar

Photo source: https://www.chevrolet.com/

If you’ve ever wanted a supercar, this just might be your vehicle. It’s one of the fastest and most powerful Corvettes ever produced. The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is everything you’ve ever wanted in a racing-inspired car.

Features and highlights:

755 horsepower
715 lb-ft of torque
Top speed of 212 MPH
Four-mode exhaust system so you get the purr you want: Track, Sport, Tour, and Stealth
Carbon-ceramic brakes for stop-on-a-dime performance
Magnetic Selective Ride Control reads the road every millisecond and can adjust to the changing conditions of the road in an astounding 15 milliseconds
20% less drag
An adjustable carbon-fiber high rear wing
Jet black leather seating
Bose premium audio
Performance Data Recorder

2019 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT Roadster

Photo: https://www.mercedesofjackson.com/

The performance division of Mercedes-Benz, AMG, doesn’t disappoint with this racing car gone road. Featuring refined aerodynamics, road performance, and power in spades, the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT is ready to take your driving experience to the next level. Head to a dealership to get your own certified Mercedes for sale.

Features and highlights:

469 horsepower
465 lb-ft of torque
Nanoslide cylinder walls to reduce friction and increase durability
AMG 4L V8s with twin turbos for a quick responsive feel
0-60 mph in just 3.9 seconds
4-wheel double wishbone suspension
AMG Ride Control delivers 3-stage damping
AMG Dynamic Select makes your driving experience unique and lets you customize the throttle, shifting, chassis, exhaust and more
Carbon-fiber driveshaft
Aerodynamic features that contribute to overall performance on the road

2019 Porsche 911 Carrera

Porsche is a beloved brand for a reason – it regularly inspires with its fleet of incredibly luxury cars. The newest in the lineup, the 911 Carrera S Model, reflects what the brand is known for: sleek styling, vintage touches, and incredible technology.

Features and highlights:

443 horsepower
0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds
Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) helps support smooth performance
Lane Keeping Assist helps direct you back into proper lane position
Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus gives you amazing traction on any road surface and nimble handling
Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes for reliable stoppage
20-inch wheels in the front & rear

2018 Audi R8

Are you ready to own a legitimate sports car and live out your NASCAR or Formula 1 fantasy? Swoop up an Audi R8 Coupe. This insane vehicle boasts just under half the same parts as the R8 GT3 LMS race car and with every mile you drive, you’ll feel that racecar influence.

Features and highlights:

602 horsepower
413 lb-ft of torque
0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds
Quattro all-wheel drive
5 modes of handling including Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, Individual, and Performance
Audi virtual cockpit
Google Earth capacity
Parking system with rearview camera

2019 BMW 8-Series

The BMW 8-Series Coupe is about to blow your mind. It’s full of performance-forward features but wrapped up in a beautiful package.

Features and highlights:

523 horsepower
0-60 mph 3.6 seconds
Adaptive M Suspension and M Sport Differential
Fixed-caliper M Sport Brakes
Only 400 of these vehicles worldwide
Full Merino leather interior
20-inch M V-spoke jet black wheels

Wrapping Up

Not everybody can afford a luxury vehicle, but if you’re looking to give yourself the gift of ultimate driving, the cars on this list were built to impress. An exquisite luxury car is different than most cars on the road and there are usually fewer of them made. And with that scarcity comes features you won’t find anywhere else.

Performance, power, and sleek style characteristics make these cars stand out from the pack. They demand authority and attention on the road from onlookers. Passengers can pass the time in ultimate levels of comfort. Any of these cars will provide you with an incredible experience, so what are you waiting for? Push that pedal to the metal.

Petter Solberg / Rally Cars, Special Lists /

The 6 Best Rally Cars Of All Time: A Tribute to Rally Legends

April 6, 2019

The world’s best rally cars … some of you may be thinking that none of them are that great, while others may know the secret … rallying and rally cars will just blow you away – they’re technical, fast, loud and jump higher than a Mexican jumping bean, so what’s the deal?

You see, a rally car is still designed to get from Point A to Point B the fastest, just the same as most racing series’. The difference is that it takes an incredible route to get there … smooth shiny marble-like surfaces aren’t needed here; mud, gravel, trees, ice, snow … whatever you can throw at it.

The History of Rallying

When you think about it, rallying has been around since the invention of the motor car … it only takes two people to wonder whose car is the fastest off road and you have a rally. This isn’t about being the fastest car in the world, it’s more about being reliable, fast and able to take a huge amount of punishment.

It’s widely accepted that the first rally (as we’d know it) dates back to around 1911 – the first Monte Carlo Rally event. Although it was more about attracting wealthy motorists to the area than being a sporting event, nevertheless, it was the groundwork for an event that still happens (and is one of the most popular) today – the ‘Monte’, which is a stage of the WRC or World Rally Championship.

Today we have the WRC, which brings in all the top talent, but the cars seem … tame … compared to bygone eras – perhaps the most brutal rallying and rally cars were the Group B classes, which saw fire-breathing monsters developed especially for rallying, produced in low numbers with a crazy amount of horsepower … around 650 bhp wasn’t unheard of. (And don’t forget, this is the early-80s that we’re talking about, when 650 horsepower meant proper business).

Today, 650hp doesn’t seem that much – you can buy factory warrantied, standard production cars with more horsepower, but thirty years ago, it meant huge turbo chargers that had a powerband the width of a cigarette paper and suspension that was essentially heavily modded production units – these cars had a reputation as killers, for good reason.

The Drivers

I couldn’t write an article about the world’s best rally cars without having at least a nod toward the drivers. Yeah, F1 drivers have talent, but the rally boys … it’s no surprise that many of the F1 drivers hone their driving skills at the wheel of a rally car, rather than in any other form of motorsport.

To give you an idea as to what sort of commitment it takes to be a world class rally driver, rather than one that ‘competes’ … I used to do a few rally days, mainly just for fun, I was never good enough to compete. One day, I got talking to a guy that owned the land where a few of the top rallying teams (at that time) tested.

He’d been out on passenger rides with all of the top drivers … Carlos Sainz, Tommi Makinen, Richard Burns, he loved every moment of those rides. And then he had a chance to do the same with the legend that was Colin McRae.

Before even reaching midway through the stage, he’d vomited. He tried to tough it out for longer, but got so scared that he asked, no, demanded, that Colin stop the vehicle and let him out, he was done.

Remember that although Colin knew the land pretty well, he was driving without a co-driver, so probably around 8/10s of what he could do. Gifted lunatic.

And that tells you everything you need to know about rally drivers …bravery, commitment & speed with the ability to dance on the pedals like Fred Astaire on amphetamine.

Co-drivers play their part too – a great rally driver is only as good as his co-driver, and you tend to find that there’s a partnership that builds up over a number of years; the team getting to know each other, know what they need and when they need it makes them formidable.

Another Colin McRae story … while driving a stage at night, fog bound (so I assume it was in Britain!), McRae switched off his lights and relied solely on his co-driver’s pace notes, not only did he not crash, he went on to set the fastest stage time overall.

The Best Rally Cars Of All Time

Like I said earlier, the modern versions are still fast and noisy, probably set faster stage times than the old school versions, but they just seem a little sterile to me … 300ish horsepower, better suspension, modern tires … yeah, it’s still a spectacle when they’re flat-out through a section, but they’re not Group B.

So here’s my list of the best rally cars, starting with my favorite first.

Ford RS200

When I was around 19, I was working for race company specializing in big V8s, a customer pulled in to the parking lot in a road going version of the RS200, I was blown away. I’ve wanted one ever since.

The magic is that Ford built the RS200 from a clean sheet design – they wanted to show off what they could do. As a result, the style was unique, nothing came close to the look of the fast RS, and Ford didn’t just want it to look right, it had to be fast.

A number of the engineers involved with the project were all either employed in the Formula 1 circus, or had just left, so they knew a thing or two about chassis technology, handling and weight-distribution. The RS was considered to be the best balanced platform in the Group B era, despite that, it never really found the success that FoMoCo were hoping for; best finish was 3rd in the 1986 Rally of Sweden.

Power came from a Cosworth BDT 1.8 liter four-cylinder with a single turbo, it was rated around 450hp in race trim (the road going version had around 250hp). However, Ford planned on an evolution for the 1987 season, with power coming from a 2.1 liter BDT-E Cossy engine, this would see it raise to anything from 550hp through to a giant-slaying 815hp.

The problem was that Group B was so dangerous, that the authorities banned it for 1987.

Dependent on gearing, the RS200 could hit 60mph in just around 2 seconds, that’s partly down to power, but also the composite bodywork was extremely lightweight, and the RS could plant the power to the road using a full four-wheel drive system, which ran from the mid-engine, through to the transmission upfront and back to the wheels – it was a complicated system.

All in, the Ford RS200 wasn’t the most successful Group B rally car, but there’s just something about it that gets my heart thumping every time I see one.

Audi Quattro

Audi weren’t unheard of, and they certainly weren’t one of rallying’s title contenders, but things changed … the Quattro was the first world championship rally car to take advantage of the recently changed rules, allowing teams to use four-wheel drive (Quattro means ‘four’ in Italian).

The Quattro changed rallying forever. Up until Audi started showing dominance, most of the teams were happy using rear-wheel drive, believing that the lighter, less complicated (and less power-sapping) layout would always win out against the heavier, complicated four-wheels drive systems.

With a swift lesson in weight distribution and horsepower, Audi took the fight (and the drivers titles) in 1983 & 1984, with Hannu Mikkola and Stig Blomqvist respectively. The engine had been slightly redesigned and de-stroked to come in under regulations for 3.0 liter (a formula of 1.4 for turbo cars), so the 2.1 liter, 5 cylinder turbo engine made around 591hp in its final incarnation – coupled with a 4WD system that Audi had finally got working right meant that it was formidable on the rough stuff.

With upgrades like composite Kevlar bodywork, and even going so far as to mount the oil cooler under the rear wing, Audi had finally got the Quattro working as they intended.

I’ve included on this list, because this was the car that really did change the game … this is why everyone now uses four-wheel drive systems, Audi just beat them to it.

Peugeot 205 T16

Another Group B pocket-rocket, only this one seemed a bit more tame – with ‘just’ 350hp on tap (with a weight of 2,160lbs), this little Pug set the rallying world alight – 1984 saw three championship wins, 1985 there were 8 and in 86, a further 6 … this is the car that was responsible for showing Audi where they were going wrong.

It was an all-wheel drive, 1.8 liter 4 cylinder motor, the T16 designation coming from Turbo and 16 valves. With drivers such as Ari Vatanen and Juha Kankkunen, the team was developed with a ‘cost no object’ attitude, headed up by one Jean Todt, who went on to oversee Michael Schumacher’s successful career as an F1 driver, and then as president of the FIA.

The 205 T16 was THE most successful rally car of the Group B era, although it’s never really found much love … mention Group B and most people will talk of the Quattro or the RS200. One innovative feature of the T16 which found its way in to other forms of motorsport was the ability to lift the whole of the rear bodywork off, meaning servicing times were greatly reduced, and easier.

Another innovation, was the anti-lag system for the turbocharger – anti-lag was being used in F1, nowhere else, and Jean Todt and the engineers incorporated it into the 205. As to whether it made that much difference, who knows, but it shows you that Todt et al were looking at it from every angle possible, and they obviously succeeded.

Lancia Stratos

If Ferrari had made a supercar for off roading, this would be it. In fact, the Stratos was powered by a Ferrari Dino V6 motor, and looked just like the Italian supercars of the day, only a little more rugged, some people have even named it the best looking rally car of all time.

It was designed by Marcello Gandini, who was working for Bertone, he’d also designed the Lamborghini Muira and went on to design the Countach … some pedigree there. The key to the Stratos wasn’t ultimate horsepower, although by 70s standards, it wasn’t lacking … in its most potent form, it made 320hp, although when the rally organizers banned the 24-valve cylinder heads, it was maxed out at 275hp – still not exactly asthmatic for the day.

This thing was designed for one thing only – to win word rally championships, and it did – three to be precise, 1974, 75 and 76. And the winning didn’t stop there – on a good day, it was still lively enough to win the occasional race, right up to 1981.

You have to remember that it was wild – keeping it in a straight line on tarmac was difficult enough, this was like the original drift car – it just wanted to go sideways everywhere, perhaps one of the most flamboyant cars that ever took part in the world rally championship, and that’s why it’s in the list of the best ones.

Austin Mini Cooper

No list of the best rally cars would be complete without the Mini Cooper. Yes, the teeny tiny car made famous by the Italian Job film, not only was it pretty handy on a rally stage, it won the Monte three times straight. In fact, the organizers got so … bothered … with the Mini that they actually excluded it from the results one year for a rule infringement.

Cheating? Nope. The organizers found that the headlight bulbs weren’t the standard bulbs fitted to the homologated version. No bias shown there then. None at all.

It’s hard to think of any car so unsuited to rallying – a small car, with small horsepower, running in a trim that wasn’t too far removed from standard. The key to the Mini wins was its nimble-ness – it changed direction like a fly and didn’t have too much power to put down on the loose surface, which meant excellent traction and driveability.

MG Metro 6R4

If you knew what this pocket-rocket was based around, it would be a laughing stock … the Rover Metro was a sub-compact ‘shopper’ that was just dire in every respect; underpowered, poor reliability and ugly. The rallying 6R4 version was still pretty ugly, although some would say beautiful in a way, but just like the RS200 from Ford, it was designed to get the job done.

The 6R4 (6 cylinder, Rally, 4 wheel drive) Metro had very humble beginnings. You may not have even heard of it unless you’re a rally aficionado, but perhaps you’ve heard of another car that has close links to the 6R4 … the Jaguar XJ220 supercar. Yes, really.

You see, it was a development of the specially designed and built V6 engine from the 6R4 that went on to power the XJ220 to being one of the worlds fastest car’s.

Of course, being Group B, the Metro rally car only really shared a similar(ish) profile to its road going counterpart, everything else was specific to the 6R4 – four-wheel drive, composite bodywork (aside from the roof, which was aluminum), V6 engine mounted backwards behind the seats (with the transmission pointing to the cabin), steel tubular chassis … it shared a name and the look.

Just like the RS200, it never really got going and found success, although many privateer teams have ran the 6R4 for decades after with some successes.

6 of The Best

Of course, I could have picked any number of cars from any era, including the more modern Subaru Impreza or Mitsubishi Lancer, which both deserve honorable mentions. But the older classics are where rallying got really serious with some big horsepower, where the driver needed to tame his nerves before taming the power … these cars needed driving, not just piloting.

You should also remember that a number of these cars have also had success on the legendary Pike’s Peak hill climb, and that kind of puts them in to perspective – yes, they’re a bit old and long in the tooth now, but with many of them still being driven or competed, some with even more ludicrous horsepower, it shows you just what they were capable of 30+ years ago.

For me, the best time in rallying was back in the Group B days, and if you’re a rallying fan, I’m pretty sure you’d agree with me. These cars were outright dangerous, too much horsepower and not enough crowd control was always going to end in disaster, and it did on more than one occasion.

Written by Petter Solberg’s Team

Petter Solberg / News /

F1 Will Have a New Venue in 2020

March 8, 2019

F1 is going up a gear as it adds another racetrack to its calendar. The latest addition, the Vietnamese Grand Prix, is set to happen in the city of Hanoi in 2020.

The racetrack is set to be a 5.565-kilometre long street circuit that will run alongside the My Dinh National Stadium in Western Hanoi. The racetrack will feature a newly constructed section as well as a 1.5-kilometre long straight. Preliminary simulations indicate that F1 cars could reach a possible top speed of 335 km/h on some parts of the track.

It is the first new addition to F1 since Liberty Media replaced Bernie Ecclestone as F1’s commercial rights holder. F1 chief executive Chase Carey said that this landmark is just the beginning in terms of their long-term plans to expand. Carey went on to state that the organization is thrilled to be in a city as rich in history as Hanoi.

The launch party was held in central Hanoi’s Thang Long Imperial Citadel and was attended by former F1 driver David Coulthard. This isn’t the first time Coulthard has been in Vietnam in recent years. Last year, he attended an event in Ho Chi Minh City in April, when F1 and Heineken organized a publicity event. The event was to celebrate the Dutch brewing company’s expansion into the Southeast Asian market.

All out local support

The Grand Prix is set to be hosted by Viet conglomerate Vingroup JSC. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in a statement that “this is an important event not only in the field of sport but also in culture and society, contributing to the development of Vietnam.”

Moreover, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said that the event is a testament to the city’s ability to host global events. He further added that it is a great opportunity to provide inward investment to the country.

These are all part of F1’s continuing attempt to expand into new markets. After Singapore, Azerbaijan and Abu Dhabi expressed interest in making F1 an integral part of their respective tourism campaigns. F1 is also pursuing expansions into Copenhagen and Buenos Aires. Another territory, which F1 is looking to get into is the United States, as Liberty Media aims to penetrate big city markets such as New York, Las Vegas, and Miami.

Conquering the largest continent one country at a time

At the moment though, fan interest in F1 is picking up in Asia. This translates to more interest in other related industries such as domestic car manufacturing and the regional betting scene. In light of F1’s entry, Vingroup’s Vinfast unit is now gearing up to become the country’s first domestic car manufacturer.

This is expected to breathe new life into Vietnam’s local automotive industry, and may also affect local betting laws on car racing. F1 bosses had actually planned to build a track in Ho Chi Minh City, but pulled out due to strict rules against betting on sports events. Laws like the Decree No.03/2017/ND-CP, AKA Casino Decree, cover all facets of gaming in the country, which even include online versions. The live dealer scene in Vietnam was covered by an article on ExpatBets, and they mention that although local operators are banned in the country, people usually play through online platforms. Only a few types of pari-mutuel betting are allowed, including some forms of horse racing. As of this moment, motorsport is yet to be added, but with an F1 race set to be staged in the country in 2020, the likelihood it that motorsport-related enterprises will flourish in the coming years, and that could include relaxing the laws on sports betting.

Feel free to check out some fun facts about F1 in another previous post. Follow us on social media to remain updated on all things motorsport.

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