Dope. #15

author: unknown

What to watch this weekend (Oct 9th - 11th)

• D1 Grand Prix - Tokyo: From Odaiba Raceway in Tokyo, Japan. Saturday @ 5pm - 6pm (SPEED/SPEEDHD)
• Formula 1 - Japanese Grand Prix; Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. Qualifying. Sunday @ 12am - 1:30am (SPEED/SPEEDHD)
• Formula 1 - Japanese Grand Prix; Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. Race. Sunday @ 1:30am - 4am (SPEED/SPEEDHD) (Replay @ 2:30pm) 
• Isle of Man TT - John McGuiness tries to claim the crown from Steve Plater. Monday @ 9pm - 10pm (Discovery's High Def Theater)

This weeks F1 race takes place in Japan so if you want to see it live, you'll need to stay up on Saturday night. I can't wait to see how the standings look after this weekend.


Image courtesy of sponsoring.allianz.com



Current Events: Audi Quattro Concept Debut

Audi has been busy this year; from the debut of the e-tron concept car, which is based on the upcoming Audi R4, to the Audi A7 (the newest member of the existing lineup). The new Audi R8 GT is on the menu for 2011 as well, but the biggest notable is the Audi Quattro concept. The Audi Quattro Concept is a tribute to the Ur (Original) Quattro which debuted in 1980 in Europe and later in the US (1983). The Quattro concept car, while reportedly to be produced using the R4 platform, was made using a shortened version of the existing RS5 chassis. Most importantly, it's powered by a turbocharged Inline-5 just like the original; an upgraded version of the motor in the current Audi TT RS.

Not too long ago, the Quattro Concept officially debuted at the 2010 Paris Auto Show. Here's some coverage of the event by Road and Track.



Video courtesy of the Road and Track YT channel. If you want to get a better look at this vehicle, check out the complete release video from Audi here.

Orbital Dreams: Cleaning Session #1

Even though the season is about over, I'll start a series just for detailing sessions. For me cleaning your car is both fun and therapeutic; my mind slows down as I massage the paint, you see the finish shine and an impeccably clean auto arises from the filth. Depending on the condition and makeup of your particular paint job, you may need to put a little more work in than someone else. Plenty of clean microfiber towels, quality soap, wash mitt, quick-detailer, polish, wax and window cleaners are a must. You don't have to be ocd to be a detailing fanatic necessarily, but you do need the willpower and/or passion for it.

On the Friday before H2oi a week or so ago, we headed up to our buddy Tim's place to unpack, get lunch then get the rides cleaned up for the weekend. A little after we showed up in OC, our buddy Patrick joined the cleaning session. While all this was taking place, I shot a few pics.

As you can see, I finally got the red coupe dressed up after eight months of toil. We didn't really get to do an e30 shoot like we wanted, there just wasn't enough free time. Pat's back in Ohio now, so that's out, but maybe Ethan and I can get something worked out later this fall.

Video Series: Racing at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring - GTTV Special

If any of you are into videogames or motorsports, let alone cars, you know of Polyphony Digital's Grand Tourismo (GT) videogame series. The latest installment of this series, GT5, is due out this fall exclusively on the Playstation 3 console. Polyphony Digital does everything within their capability to make the video gaming experience more realistic. With several other competitive games out there challenging the throne, they've pushed back the release of GT5 for over two years now, to make sure it's everything it should be and more. Chief Designer Kazunori Yamauchi takes on a challenge to increase his racing experience which can then be added in very minute ways, to the final product many millions of us will be playing upon release. Check out this latest video series detailing this 24 Hours of Nurburgring 2010 race project between Toyota and Yamauchi.







Videos hosted by GT Channel on YouTube. Grand Tourismo 5 has a current release date of November 2rd, 2010. To find out more on this upcoming title, visit GTplanet.net.