Over the weekend, most of the sports watching public lamented one more week until the Super Bowl. But for geeks like me who prefer sports without sticks and balls, it was one heckava weekend with a smorgasbord of awesomeness! Levi took control of the Tour de San Luis from Contador. Lindsey Vonn took 2 of 3. Shaun White 5 peated his X Games Gold with a perfect score. And there's so much more! Check it...
Tour de San Luis - Velonews
24 Hrs of Daytona - Speed News
X Games - ESPN
World Cup Skiing - Yahoo Sports
Leg 3 of Volvo Ocean Race - VOR
Showing posts with label cars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cars. Show all posts
Monday, January 30, 2012
Friday, December 16, 2011
Its Friday!
I'm starting a new tradition. I'll dedicate every Friday's post to publishing some of the best porn I can find. No, not that kind of porn, but of the car, boat, bike and ski variety. I'll scour the interweb looking for the most worthy stuff out there. And, just like regular porn, car, boat, bike and ski porn is best viewed a couple minutes at a time.
So our first installment comes from a sponsor of the Tour de Park City, Steve Harris Imports in Salt Lake City. This piece is short, sounds awesome and showcases the pure Italian sexyness that is Ferrari and Maserati. Enjoy!
So our first installment comes from a sponsor of the Tour de Park City, Steve Harris Imports in Salt Lake City. This piece is short, sounds awesome and showcases the pure Italian sexyness that is Ferrari and Maserati. Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Mercedes Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Edition
One of my justifications for blogging again was to maybe make something useful of my time wasting browsing of the interweb. I figure if I can post a few thoughts and links to something I found that was cool, maybe I could save someone else some time. Or, you may just end up doing as I do and keep clicking on all those links that link to all kinds of other cool stuff! I guess I can finally start to see why my wife spends so much time on Pinterest.
My latest find comes in the form of a sexy super coupe from Germany. The 2012 MB C63 AMG Black is of one of the finest examples of a sports car I've seen in a while. I've driven a Cadillac CTS V and an Audi S4 and I have a special spot in my heart for these grocery getters turned mad sports cars. For some reason, those big fender flares and growling engines just get to me. The Black in designed in the same vein and is based on the C series of luxury cars produced by Benz.
Check out this gallery on Motor Trend: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/1111_2013_mercedes_benz_c63_amg_coupe_black_series_first_drive/photo_11.html#photo
The first thing I noticed is all that carbon fiber. There is no other man made substance as sexy as carbon fiber. Sure, there's some silicone and saline out there that is nice, but carbon is unique. Its light, strong and screams high tech. Sailboat masts, bicycles, heck , even money clips, all look so good in carbon. The Black has the stuff in spades...front splitter, winglets, rear wing...its all very arousing. What's even better, its all functional according to MB. In fact the Motor Trend article points out that the front winglets won't work without the rear wing. How cool is that? I hate seeing tuned imports with carbon parts that don't serve a purpose. Or even worse, some dude who thinks his carbon hood makes us not notice his crappy body work or sad sounding exhaust.
With only less than 100 Black's coming stateside, I'm sure my lust for this machine will have to be satisfied by photos only, but each time I buy a lotto ticket, the Black Coupe will surely be part of my fantasy.
Tonight's soundtrack: Airborne Toxic Event
My latest find comes in the form of a sexy super coupe from Germany. The 2012 MB C63 AMG Black is of one of the finest examples of a sports car I've seen in a while. I've driven a Cadillac CTS V and an Audi S4 and I have a special spot in my heart for these grocery getters turned mad sports cars. For some reason, those big fender flares and growling engines just get to me. The Black in designed in the same vein and is based on the C series of luxury cars produced by Benz.
Check out this gallery on Motor Trend: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/1111_2013_mercedes_benz_c63_amg_coupe_black_series_first_drive/photo_11.html#photo
The first thing I noticed is all that carbon fiber. There is no other man made substance as sexy as carbon fiber. Sure, there's some silicone and saline out there that is nice, but carbon is unique. Its light, strong and screams high tech. Sailboat masts, bicycles, heck , even money clips, all look so good in carbon. The Black has the stuff in spades...front splitter, winglets, rear wing...its all very arousing. What's even better, its all functional according to MB. In fact the Motor Trend article points out that the front winglets won't work without the rear wing. How cool is that? I hate seeing tuned imports with carbon parts that don't serve a purpose. Or even worse, some dude who thinks his carbon hood makes us not notice his crappy body work or sad sounding exhaust.
With only less than 100 Black's coming stateside, I'm sure my lust for this machine will have to be satisfied by photos only, but each time I buy a lotto ticket, the Black Coupe will surely be part of my fantasy.
Tonight's soundtrack: Airborne Toxic Event
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
L.A. Auto Show
Quite a few years ago, while living in San Diego, I had the awesome privilege of attending the L.A. Auto Show. I had been to other shows before, but they were of the dealer show variety, not of the caliber of L.A. or the other big debut shows. But at L.A. I was like a kid in a candy store. I spent 8 hours in that show and yet when I walked out I felt like I had barely been then for no time at all. Time flies when you're having fun, I guess!
Well, its that time of year and the L.A. Auto Show just popped the top on a new year. While I'm not there this year, I've been perusing all the coverage on the major websites. http://www.autoblog.com/ and http://www.motortrend.com/ are my favs. The three cars that have caught my eye are the Subaru BRZ Sti, Porsche Panamera GTS and VW Beetle R concept.
I owned a second gen Toyota MR2 for a few years, so the Subaru/Toyota/Scion project has had me intrigued as the car has gone from concept to reality. It looks like the Subie is the first to lift its shirt show us its sheet metal. http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/16/subaru-brz-concept-sti-la-2011/
In my first new post here last week, I mentioned I was disappointed with the first spy shots of the BRZ. But the un-covered version on show in L.A. has changed my mind. While indeed, the show car is in Sti guise, it looks hot. The word is the Scion version won't look a whole lot different. While short on the power side, 200 hp, the small sporty has incredible tuner potential. That was the fun of my MR2. The thing really had endless opportunity for tuning. It was by far the best of the '90's Japanese sports cars with its light weight and mid-engine layout.
Of course this new car is front engine but it really carries some of the spirit of the MR2, namely light weight, small displacement and cool alphabet nomenclature. Subaru has a great performance pedigree as well. Interestingly, the BRZ enters the world without all-wheel-drive. This is the first Subie in who knows how long without AWD. I don't think people will mind much, however.
This also the first dual make collaboration for Subaru in a decade since the brand shared the WRX with Saab for the ill-advised 9-2x. I think the way Toyota and Subaru have gone about the development of this ride however, is in no way just a re-badging, but a legitimate joint engineering project. I'll be sure to get a salesman to take me on a test drive come spring!
The next car that has caught my eye is the Panamera GTS. The GTS bridges the gap between the S and Turbo and gives the super sedan a boost in hp, alcantara interior bits and the option of a very cool black rear wing. The wing and other exterior bits really spruce up the exterior of the awkward looking car and will surely add to sales of Porsche's best selling car currently. The GTS treatment has been a success for the Cayenne and 911 and surely this will be a hit as well. I noticed recently that the PCA Club Racing Rule Book now has Panameras included in some of the stock racing classes. Maybe the GTS will help some would be racers out on the track with the fearsome 4-door. I waste a lot of time on Porsche's Car Configurator online, and I'm sure I'll have more fun changing colors and options on the new GTS as well. http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-porsche-panamera-gts-0/
Lastly, VW has presented a new New Beetle R concept. The latest Beetle really is a 180 degree shift in design philosophy from the previous generation. The fact that they all came with flowers and optional daisy shaped wheels really didn't make for much of an enthusiast's car. Even with "turbo" and "S" versions, the car was timid. The new version looks more aggressive and if they start selling and "R" version, the flower power image will soon be forgotten. http://www.motortrend.com/auto_shows/los_angeles/2011/1111_volkswagen_beetle_r_concept/photo_01.html
I've had the opportunity to drive a few GTI's and an R32. The R32 was potent to say the least. AWD and so much power in a tiny car made for some, lets say, spirited driving. If the new Beetle R comes anywhere near, VW has a winner. I know enthusiast cars don't make much money for automakers but they do attract attention to the brand. The Europeans know this and Ford has caught on as well. If only Chevy could figure this out with the Cruze, I think a few more units would get sold, but I digress...
There's much more to see at the L.A. Show. What's nice is that the cars on show in L.A. are typically destined for sale in the U.S. While Geneva, Tokyo and the other shows of the world give us glimpses of what the rest of Earthlings get to drive, its nice to see what's going to be in our showrooms here Stateside.
Well, its that time of year and the L.A. Auto Show just popped the top on a new year. While I'm not there this year, I've been perusing all the coverage on the major websites. http://www.autoblog.com/ and http://www.motortrend.com/ are my favs. The three cars that have caught my eye are the Subaru BRZ Sti, Porsche Panamera GTS and VW Beetle R concept.
I owned a second gen Toyota MR2 for a few years, so the Subaru/Toyota/Scion project has had me intrigued as the car has gone from concept to reality. It looks like the Subie is the first to lift its shirt show us its sheet metal. http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/16/subaru-brz-concept-sti-la-2011/
In my first new post here last week, I mentioned I was disappointed with the first spy shots of the BRZ. But the un-covered version on show in L.A. has changed my mind. While indeed, the show car is in Sti guise, it looks hot. The word is the Scion version won't look a whole lot different. While short on the power side, 200 hp, the small sporty has incredible tuner potential. That was the fun of my MR2. The thing really had endless opportunity for tuning. It was by far the best of the '90's Japanese sports cars with its light weight and mid-engine layout.
Of course this new car is front engine but it really carries some of the spirit of the MR2, namely light weight, small displacement and cool alphabet nomenclature. Subaru has a great performance pedigree as well. Interestingly, the BRZ enters the world without all-wheel-drive. This is the first Subie in who knows how long without AWD. I don't think people will mind much, however.
This also the first dual make collaboration for Subaru in a decade since the brand shared the WRX with Saab for the ill-advised 9-2x. I think the way Toyota and Subaru have gone about the development of this ride however, is in no way just a re-badging, but a legitimate joint engineering project. I'll be sure to get a salesman to take me on a test drive come spring!
The next car that has caught my eye is the Panamera GTS. The GTS bridges the gap between the S and Turbo and gives the super sedan a boost in hp, alcantara interior bits and the option of a very cool black rear wing. The wing and other exterior bits really spruce up the exterior of the awkward looking car and will surely add to sales of Porsche's best selling car currently. The GTS treatment has been a success for the Cayenne and 911 and surely this will be a hit as well. I noticed recently that the PCA Club Racing Rule Book now has Panameras included in some of the stock racing classes. Maybe the GTS will help some would be racers out on the track with the fearsome 4-door. I waste a lot of time on Porsche's Car Configurator online, and I'm sure I'll have more fun changing colors and options on the new GTS as well. http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-porsche-panamera-gts-0/
Lastly, VW has presented a new New Beetle R concept. The latest Beetle really is a 180 degree shift in design philosophy from the previous generation. The fact that they all came with flowers and optional daisy shaped wheels really didn't make for much of an enthusiast's car. Even with "turbo" and "S" versions, the car was timid. The new version looks more aggressive and if they start selling and "R" version, the flower power image will soon be forgotten. http://www.motortrend.com/auto_shows/los_angeles/2011/1111_volkswagen_beetle_r_concept/photo_01.html
I've had the opportunity to drive a few GTI's and an R32. The R32 was potent to say the least. AWD and so much power in a tiny car made for some, lets say, spirited driving. If the new Beetle R comes anywhere near, VW has a winner. I know enthusiast cars don't make much money for automakers but they do attract attention to the brand. The Europeans know this and Ford has caught on as well. If only Chevy could figure this out with the Cruze, I think a few more units would get sold, but I digress...
There's much more to see at the L.A. Show. What's nice is that the cars on show in L.A. are typically destined for sale in the U.S. While Geneva, Tokyo and the other shows of the world give us glimpses of what the rest of Earthlings get to drive, its nice to see what's going to be in our showrooms here Stateside.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Back at it
So, I'm back at this blogging thing. I really enjoyed it in 2010 when I was training for LOTOJA. It was a great training journal. Writing frequently was very therapeutic and from what I heard, the few who read the blog enjoyed it as well.
I've discovered that I miss it, the blogging. I have a lot to say. My mind is constantly racing and it keeps me awake at night. Maybe putting thoughts to keyboard once again will help me sleep.
A lot has changed since I was here last. I quit my job at a large bank to focus full time on promoting bike races. Other than my choice of spouse, this was the best decision I have ever made in life. I'm still stressed out of my gourd, but its a motivating stress, not a "I want to drive my truck through the front door of the bank" kind of stress.
While the URL and title of the blog will stay the same, I may mix things up a bit and take on topics outside of LOTOJA and cycling. Even though I promote other races, racing 206 miles is where it all began for me seriously on the road bike. We'll keep the title to pay hommage to that. Also, cycling is still my focus in life. I have new and bigger plans for promoting races and for my own cycling performance. I obviously want to promote my races and not just the big one to Jackson. But I like other stuff to and have relevant opinions and input on those topics. Like how boring the new Subaru/Toyota "sports" coupe looks so far. Or how awesome I think it is that my home mountain of Taos Ski Valley has more early season snow than Snowbird. Or how I think Willard Bay is the most under rated body of water for sailing.
If you'd like to keep reading, awesome! Leave me some comments to and we can talk about it. Spread the word if you would and maybe we can make something of this little blog. If not, please kindly click on through and hopefully we'll see each out on the road, lake or backcountry stash.
Soundtrack for tonight: Naked and Famous
I've discovered that I miss it, the blogging. I have a lot to say. My mind is constantly racing and it keeps me awake at night. Maybe putting thoughts to keyboard once again will help me sleep.
A lot has changed since I was here last. I quit my job at a large bank to focus full time on promoting bike races. Other than my choice of spouse, this was the best decision I have ever made in life. I'm still stressed out of my gourd, but its a motivating stress, not a "I want to drive my truck through the front door of the bank" kind of stress.
While the URL and title of the blog will stay the same, I may mix things up a bit and take on topics outside of LOTOJA and cycling. Even though I promote other races, racing 206 miles is where it all began for me seriously on the road bike. We'll keep the title to pay hommage to that. Also, cycling is still my focus in life. I have new and bigger plans for promoting races and for my own cycling performance. I obviously want to promote my races and not just the big one to Jackson. But I like other stuff to and have relevant opinions and input on those topics. Like how boring the new Subaru/Toyota "sports" coupe looks so far. Or how awesome I think it is that my home mountain of Taos Ski Valley has more early season snow than Snowbird. Or how I think Willard Bay is the most under rated body of water for sailing.
If you'd like to keep reading, awesome! Leave me some comments to and we can talk about it. Spread the word if you would and maybe we can make something of this little blog. If not, please kindly click on through and hopefully we'll see each out on the road, lake or backcountry stash.
Soundtrack for tonight: Naked and Famous
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)