Dope. #147

Image courtesy of Icypix @ Wörthersee 2013

What to watch this weekend (May 10th - May 15th)

• Formula 1 - Spanish Grand Prix. From Circuit de Catalunya in Catalunya, Spain. Practice. Friday @ 8am - 9:30am (NBCSN(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Spanish Grand Prix. From Circuit de Catalunya in Catalunya, Spain. Qualifying. Saturday @ 8am - 9:30am (NBCSN(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Spanish Grand Prix. From Circuit de Catalunya in Catalunya, Spain. Race. Sunday @ 7:30am - 10am (NBCSN(HD)) replay Sunday @ 2pm
• Australian V8 Supercars - The Chill Perth (Challenge) 360. From the Barbagallo Circuit in Perth, Western Australia. Saturday @ 4pm - 6pm (SPEED/SPEEDHD) delayed airing of 5/4-5 races
• American Le Mans Series - ALMS Montery. From Laguna Seca raceway in California. Saturday @ 6:15pm - completion (ESPN3.com) live; replay on Sunday @ 4pm - 6pm (ESPN2)
• Top Gear (UK). Marathon of Season 13. Monday @ 4pm - 10pm (BBCAmerica(HD)) great replays
• Motorweek. 2014 Lexus IS. Tuesday @ 8pm - 8:30pm (VelocityHD) new
• Chasing Classic Cars. Micro Cars. Tuesday @ 10pm - 10:30pm (VelocityHD) new
• Mecum Auto Auctions. Muscle Cars and More 2013. From Indianapolis, IN (Parts 1&2). Wednesday @ 1pm - 9pm (Velocity/VelocityHD) new - replay @ 9pm

Loaded weekend ahead, with ALMS in Laguna, V8 Supercars in Perth and F1 in Catalunya. When we left the F1 Championship chase last, the gang headed into Bahrain to see who could distance themselves from the pack. Force India looked solid once again with young Paul di Resta claiming 4th, Ferrari remained consistent in qualy but bonked a bit in the race and Lotus Renault showed what they're capable of  -- Kimi picked up another podium finish (2nd). Hams remained crafty, not being in the best of cars but snagged 5th to keep his third place spot in the standings; Kimi remains second in the standings and Vettel remains first, taking the first position from a fiercely competitive but outgunned qualy pole sitter named Nico and never letting it go. The Petronas Mercedes team has been good for short spurts of dominance, but still haven't gotten things dialed in where game speed is concerned. Red Bull still has the 'game speed' title, as at any time they're capable of pulling a rabbit out of the hat in terms of lap times. The podium of Vettel, Raikkonen and Grosjean's cars show's that the Renault powerplant isn't playing second fiddle to Mercedes despite the trending in qualifying. And has anyone seen McLaren? Oh right, Perez had his coming out party; drove his ass off to get 6th and obviously has no fear of mixing it up with the regulars. Hopefully he continues to improve along with their new chassis. This brings us to the Grand Prix of Spain. Alonzo is at home and is looking to make an impact, while everyone else is hoping Red Bull runs into mechanical troubles so the championship chase opens up a bit more. In the meantime though, Kimi and Vettel are separating themselves from the field race by race. This should be a good one. Enjoy your weekends and set your DVRs.

Video hosting courtesy of talkativeDolphin.

Hillclimb Pron: BMW Drift special at Swiss Hillclimb 2012 E30 M3 325 (MPZRaceVideo)

The MPZRaceVideo crew brings us another great one from the hills of Switzerland. This brotha may need to invest in a roll cage.

Video courtesy of MPZRaceVideo.

Automotive Workshop: Inside the Brain of a Swedish Bombshell - Inside Koenigsegg (Drive)

In this sixth episode of Drive Networks' 'Inside Koenigsegg' series, Christian Von Koenigsegg and his Engineers walk us through the engineering involved in making the electronics and ECUs that make the Agera R complete. How would you like to bring your car back to the dealer for a software update that would make it behave in a more potent and capable manner? An we're not just talking flash performance upgrades.

Video courtesy of Drive.

Car Pron: Mercedes SLS Electric Drive. Can Volts Ever Match Pistons? (Drive)

Chris Harris checks out the new hybrid version of the Mercedes SLS. The future of supercars is already here.

Video courtesy of Drive.