RideLust

If there is one thing I’ve learned from my short time living in Northern California it’s that everything, and I mean everything, takes place out doors. Not only is the weather simply astonishing, but it makes you want to go out and partake in sports you’ve never before dreamed of. Now granted, I’ve run my share of motorcycles, however the sport of off-road hill climbing is something that I’ve yet to try. “Elevate 2″ brings together some of the best hill climbers in the world in the hopes of reigniting a passion for a sport whose flame has been diminishing over the years. Riders like Bret Peterson, Jason Smith, Ken Bergquist and Max Simmons are spearheading an effort by creating videos like the one you are about to see. It’s a solid 20-minutes long, but if you’re a motorcycle fan, then it’s absolutely worth your time.

Source: RalfBecker.com

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Here’s the scenario: a C5 Corvette throws down against a C6 Corvette at a traffic light in The Woodlands, Texas. What happens next is pure stupidity, since drag racing into a corner when you haven’t mastered the basics of car control isn’t likely to end well. The video’s been making the rounds, so our apologies if you’ve already seen the Thanksgiving eve crash. Read More…

If you’ve ever been drag racing then you know that the potential for disaster can be quite high. Cars are tuned within an inch of their lives in order to get them down the 1,320. For some people drag racing is just a casual weekend hobby, but for others like Eric Peterson, it’s a way of life. Recently Peterson was running his classic 1,500 horsepower Firebird at a drag-way in Las Vegas, Nevada when a loss of control led to one of the most frightening crashes I’ve seen in some time. About 1/8th the way down the track the Firebird loses control and plows dead-on into the retaining wall knocking Peterson unconscious. In the same instance the throttle on the 1,500 hp monster gets stuck wide-open, leaving the car in a constant state of flux before emergency workers can get to it. For onlookers and fellow drivers alike a scenario like this reminds us that drag racing can be a deadly sport. Thankfully Eric Peterson survived the crash, but I have a feeling it will be quite some time before the effects of it will be forgotten.

Source: DodgeCharger.com

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It’s often said that racing is a gentleman’s sport, however this past weekend Kyle Busch proved this was indeed, incorrect. You see Busch has a temper, so much so that it seemingly gets him into hot water just about everywhere he goes. For instance, this past weekend at Texas Motor Speedway Busch intentionally plowed fellow driver Ron Hornaday’s truck into the wall after he was rubbed by Hornaday just moments earlier. The contact was simply malicious and because of this NASCAR suspended him from Friday’s race as well as the weekends races in the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup series.

So, the question is this; should Kyle Busch, a man with known malicious behavior towards other drivers, be booted from racing all together, OR should he be allowed to continue because he adds an element of unpredictability to the sport. Whatcha’ think?

Source: Youtube.com
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Dragging your knee through a corner at speeds of over 100 mph is one of the greatest feelings in the world. You hunker down on your tank, lean the bike over and roll on the throttle. Keep that knee down long enough and you’ll feel the heat transmit through the puck, into your skin and then finally up to your brain. If done right, it’s downright euphoric, if done wrong… well, let’s just say there is no upside. The Isle of Man TT is probably the most insane motorcycle race ever created. Located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, the Isle of Man is not so much a destination as it is a place of shear mayhem and chaos on two wheels. The riders who compete here are the best in the world and have no fear about risking life and limb for glory. Some may think they’re insane and who knows, maybe they are. What we do know however is that they have a zest for life that few people will ever know.

Source: Youtube.com

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A couple of weeks ago I had an invitation to run a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 flat-out at the Mojave Mile in Southern, CA. We’re talking about a 638 hp animal that’s capable of speeds of over 200 mph. In the span of 1 mile a ZR1 can achieve speeds of almost 180 mph, which, don’t get me wrong, is something that I thoroughly enjoy doing. However after inquiring about the car I came to find that it was a bone stock machine which meant that it didn’t have any other safety equipment above and beyond what it came with from the factory. That meant no roll-cage, harnesses or fire suppression system. Maybe it’s my age, or my experience with breaking body parts over the years, but in the end I backed out. I recently came across this video of a Lamborghini Gallardo flipping ass over end at a similar event and honestly, I know now I made the right decision.

Source: Streetfire.net

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The Aston Martin Rapide is probably one of the sexiest 4-door coupes to come out in quite some time. Its 6.0-liter V-12 churns out 470 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque and will grant its driver a top speed of 184 mph if they stay in the throttle long enough. Now while this is all well and good, it doesn’t change the fact that you still need to know a thing or two about driving before you pilot one of these $200,000 hot rods. This is Roberto Ricci, designer of all things surfboard and windsurfing related. He’s definitely got talent when it comes to riding the waves, but driving? That’s another story all together. Recently Roberto found himself in somewhat of an embarrassing situation when he ran out of talent while taking a reporter on a little spin. You see poor Roberto decided to press the traction control button while mid-corner which in turn sent the car sliding into the guard rail. Thankfully the only casualty was Ricci’s pride and his new Rapide. Who knows, maybe next time he’ll read the owners manual before he hits the start button.

Source: Autoholics.com
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*Photo Credit: photogalaxy.com

The dreaded high-side. For a motorcyclist this is one of the worst things that can happen. The high-side generally happens when a cyclist is mid-corner and feeding on the power through the throttle. Feed in too much power though and the back wheel can lose traction causing it to slide out. The problem occurs moments after the slide when the back tire then catches traction. This immediately causes the bike to want to straighten out, and thus jolts the rider violently skywards. I’ve had this happened and I can tell you that it’s no fun. Usually the hide-side ends in a crash that results in a few broken bones. There are times though when the hand of God comes down and sees fit to help us out a little which is exactly what happened in the video you are about to see. This guy was one of the lucky ones.

Source: Autoblog.com
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Rubbing, it’s said, is racing, and anyone who’s ever turned a wheel in competition can attest to the validity of that statement. No matter how much you don’t want to bin your race car, when the red mist descends all logic goes out the window. When you’re racing sports cars, bumping, pushing and rubbing usually results in nothing worse than some bent sheet metal and the occasion tire mark down the side of your race car. In fact, show me an SCCA IT class car without body damage, and I’ll show you a racer who simply isn’t trying hard enough. Read More…

Ok fine, it’s completely juvenile, only mildly well-done and is completely void of sound. However you’ve got to admit that the creator of this video definitely has a future doing something with movie director Michael Bay (think Transformers). It’s either that or a possible job as an arson investigator for an insurance company.

Source: RalfBecker.com
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